to be murdered For Conradino the sonne and heire of Conrade king of Sicilia sought to defend his right but Charles ouercame and tooke him prisoner together with Fredericke Duke of Austria neere vnto Naples and by the counsell of the pope did behead them For Charles wrote to the Pope what he should doe with Conradino his prisoner The Pope answered The life of Charles the death of Conradino c. After him Adrian 5. against this Charles demanded aide of Rodolph the Emperour The kingdome of Naples by meanes of this cursed Pope came to the French and the Dukedome of Sueuia tooke end In the 1270. yeere this butcher died The seat of Sathan was long time to wit two yeeres and nine moneths and two dayes voide And Don Alonso 10. then reigned in Castile Clement the fourth being dead the Cardinals which were 17. number to chuse a new pope assembled together Amongst whom so great discord arose that in almost three yeeres space they could not agree for euery of them pretended to be pope Philip king of France and Charles king of Sicill hearing of this great discord came to Viterbo where the Cardinals were and prayed them to dispatch and chuse a chiefe bishop but so great was the ambition of the Cardinals that all this trauell and sute of the two kings were to no purpose so they returned without any thing done When they were in the election inuocating the holy spirit bishop Iohn Cardinall Portuensis seeing the great forwardnesse of the Cardinals said vnto them My Lords let vs vncouer this chamber for the holy spirit through so great roofes cannot enter vnto vs. When the same Cardinall vnderstood that Gregory was Pope he cōpiled these two verses Papatus munus tulit Archidiaconus vnus Quem patrem patrum fecit discordia fratrum To wit an Archdeacon attained to the Popedom whom the discord of brothers made father of fathers All this reporteth Panuinus an Augustin Frier Behold here what the Romists thēselues report of the elections of their Popes behold here Ambition the holy spirit which in their election gouerneth Gregory 10. thus elected in the yere 1273. at Lyons in France did celebrate a Councell where Michael Paleologus Emperour of Constantinople who approued the doctrin of the Romaine church his predecessors hauing 12 times done the like as many times more reuoked the same was present In this councell it was ordeined that the Pope being dead the Cardinals shold shut thēselues in the Conclaue And that moreouer which Panuinus in the note vpon Platina vpon the life of this Gregory 10. saith He renued a fresh the warre of the holy land And in 5 yeres that he poped neuer saw Rome In the 1276. yere he died and Don Alonso 10. reigned in Castile Innocent 5. a Burgonion was the first begging friar that was made pope for which cause he much fauored his dominicks And hauing poped 6. moneths 2. daies the same yere with his predecessor he died Adriā 5. a Genoway was the nephew or as is thought the son of Innocēt 4. whē he was Pope he went frō Rome to Viterbo frō whence he wrote to Rodulph the Emperour to aide him against Charles king of Sicilia which Charles had the former popes against all right made king of Sicil as in the life of Clement 4. we haue noted but the Emperor occupied in the wars of Bohemia could not succor him He poped but one moneth 7 daies then died Iohn 22. or 21 or 20 before he was pope called in latin Petrus Hispanus was born at Lisbon by professiō a Phisition Albeit this mā was holden for very learned yet was he very vnskilfull to gouerne And as saith Platina wrought more domage thē profit to the popedom Many things he did which shew his folly lightnes One good property he had that whē he saw a yong man inclined to study with benefits money he would aide him This mā foolish as he was promised by the stars long life to himselfe so would tell it to all men But it farre otherwise happened to him for a certaine chamber which Valerius calleth a sporting chamber Estella calleth it a precious bed chamber which he had builded for his pleasure in the pallace of Viterbo at the end of 4. dayes fell suddenly to the ground the Pope was found betweene the timber the stones who hauing poped 8. moneths and 8. daies at 7. dayes end in the 1277. yere died Six moneths after the death of his predecessor was Nicholas 3. chosen for the Cardinals could not agree at the end of which time Charles king of Sicilia ruling as a Senator in the Conclaue Nicholas 3. was chosen who after he was pope began thē to persecute Charles he tooke frō him the vicaredge of Hetruria he tooke frō him also the power of Senator giuē him by Clement 4. he forbad that no king or prince thenceforth should dare to demand or administer that office tooke it to himselfe But Martin the 4. his successor did restore it vnto him For so agree the Popes that that which one doeth another vndoeth This Nicholas with great wars vexed Italy And the better to effect his purposes he perswaded Don Pedro king of Arragon to demand the kingdom of Sicilia seeing it was his in the right of his wife Constance This counsell much pleased Don Pedro which was afterwards the cause of much bloodshed In the yere 1381. died Nic. Martin 4. a Frenchman Panninus cals him 2. with great humanity receiued Charles king of Sicilia and restored him to the dignity of Senator that moreouer which his predecessor had taken frō him He excōmunicated Don Pedro king of Arragon who leuied a great armie to inuade Charles in Sicilia gaue his kingdome for a prey to the first that could take it absolued all his vassals from their oth to him made as their king c. yet Don Pedro of al this made no reckoning but passed into Italy aided by Paleologus Emperor of Constantinople wan Sicilia The Sicilians for their pride luxuritie bare great hatred to the French so that they conspired against Charles his frenchmen toulling the bels they issued out killed all nor sex nor age regarded yong old men and women albeit great with child they destroyed These be the Euensongs which the Sicilians call so famous After this Charles with his armie comming to Naples was vanquished taken as saith Platina sent into Arragon This Pope Martin tooke the concubine of his predecessor Nicholas 3. when Martin had 4. yeares and one moneth poped in the 1285. yeare he died of whom saith Platina that after his death he wrought great miracles Don Alonso 10. then raigned in Castile Honorius the fourth following the steps of his predecessor Martin 4. confirmed the excommunication and interdiction against Don Pedro which held
which another vndid one commanded that another forbad In his time the Armenians became Christians and Athanagilda now raigned in Spaine After Iohn 3 succeeded Benedict and Pelagius 2. Pelagius 2. a Romane the citie being inuironed contray to the wonted custome and without the Emperours commaund was made cheife Bishop For which cause he sent Gregorie who after him was Bishop to Constantinople to satisfie and appease the wrath of the Emperour In the 590. yeere died Pelagius and then Leonogildo reigned in Spaine Gregorie 1. a Romane was of best life and more learned then any of the Patriarkes his predecessors yet very ceremonious as by so many suprestitions by him brought into the Church appeareth He was the first that granted Indulgences to such as at certaine times wold come to the church Pardons he granted but sold them not as his successors for money He brought backe from Hell saith Damascen the Soule of the vnfaithfull Emprour Traian O horrible lie Pero Mexia vpon the life of Traian saith that which is said of the soule of Traian to be a fabulons Iest Illescas vpon the life of Gregorie 1. holdes it for a very trueth and condemneth Pero Mexia In the following treatise of the Masse wil we speake of this matter This good did Gregorie that both by wordes and deedes he was mortall enemy to the Primacie and so wrote against the name of vniuersall bishop as we will afterwardes declare against which he called himselfe the seruant of Gods seruants which title haue his successours but hypocritically holden seeing that calling themselues seruanth they haue made themselues lordes of the worlde and kinges Emperours and Monarkes kisse their feete and if the Pope will doe them that grace and fauour they holde themselues happie Gregorie much complained that in the worlde were so many Priestes and so few prachers of the Gospel Of this S. Gregory Huldricke Bishop of Augusta in an Epistle sent to Pope Nicholas 1. reciteth a notable historie the summe whereof is this That Saint Gregorie commaunded priestes should not marry but afterwardes vnderstanding they secretle committed great filthinesse and for that cause much murder ensued by commaunde he disanulled his decree affirming it better to marry then to giue occasion of murther Wherfore sending vpon a time to fish they found in a fishe poole or pond 6000. heads of young children that had there bene drowned Which Gregorie seeing to proceede of constrained single life sorowing and sighing from his hart he then reuoked his decree For that not only as saith the same Huldricke they had not abstayned from maydes and married women but defiled themselues also with their kinred with males and brute beastes Such are the fruites of Popish chastitie and their Angelicall life These thinges considered by Pope Pius 2. with great reason said he he forbad Priestes marriage but with much more reason he ought to restore it them againe And in another place It shall not happilie be worst that the greater parte of priestes doe marry for many are saued in their marry priesthood which in their barren priesthood are cōdemned The same Pius 2. as witnesseth Celius 2. supressed certain Monasteries of Nuns of Saint Bridgit and S. Clares order commaunding them thence to depart and no longer to burne in lust lest they shrowded a whore vnder a religions habite In the 604. yeares dyed Saint Gregorie at this time Leonigildo the Arrian that martyred Herminigildo his sonne raigned in Spaine Sabinianus successour of Gregorie 1. was the last Patriarke of Rome a man very simple and so much hated Gregorie his predecessour that he caused his bookes to be burned Onely will I here set downe a fable of the death of this Sabinian reported by Bergomenso for a very truth Saint Gregorie saith he being dead three times appeared to Sabinianus and sharply reproued him for seeking to defame him but his speach could nothing a mend Sabinianus which seeing S. Gregorie he gaue such a blowe vpon the head of Sabinianus that he made him die miserably Mon. eccl part 3. lib. 17. cap. 10. ¶ 1. hereof is made mention If this be true then one Pope killed another In the 605. yeare dyed Sabinianus This Sabinianus saith Illescas was the first that set an order in prayer deuiding the Office into the 7. Canonicall houres the same said he of of Pelagius 1. At this time reigned in Spaine Recaredo king the Gothes who destroyed the Aryan heresie which most parte of the Gothes maintained The third and last order conteyneth those Bishops which we properly call Popes and be very Antichristes As Boniface 3. began this order vntill Clement 8. who now tyranizeth hath continewed and in the last Pope shall take end Whom Christ will destroy with the spirit of his mouth as he destroyed his prodecessours And so shall the end come The Bishops of the first order were the Angels of God holy in life and Doctrine These of the second were men subiect to falling but these truly of the 3. are diuels incarnate Not by any figure Hiperbole or exaggeratiō but plainely doe I speake this I know it to be so as by their liues we will afterwardes proue Boniface 3. and first in this Catalogue was a most ambitious deuill And being Patriarke of Rome was made Pope by meanes of Phocas the Emperour who was an adulterer murtherer and tyrant A murtherer I call him for that to make himselfe Emperor as he did he murthered Mauricius his Lord and Christian Emperour This Boniface 3. by many requestes and giftes which breake the very rockes much more Phocas obteyned of Phocas that the Roman seate should be called the head of all Churches Three miserable thinges at this time happened the most noble Empire began to fall the Popedome to arise and Mahometisme to spring vp Of the ruines of the empire these two beastes arose which so much haue harmed the Church of Christ And by how much the more the Empier decayed by so much the more these two beasts increased It is now almost 1000. yeares since that by superstition and false Doctrine the light of the Gospell began to be darkened This miserable first Pope before a yeare of his Popedome was fully ended went to visite the Diuell the Father of ambition and with him there remayneth And albeit this first Pope was so ambitious and in his Ambition obstinately dyed Yet Panuinus calles him Saint Boniface notwithstanding At this time in Spaine the most Catholique Recaredo 1. reigned Boniface 4. succeeded Boniface 3. who as saith Platina obteyned of Phocas the Emperour the Temple which they called Pantheon to wit of all the Gods because it was dedicated to Sibylla and all the others Gods This Temple did Boniface dedicate vnto the blessed virgin and all the Martyrs which now is called S. Maries the round And thus far Platina Don Alonso of Carthagena Bishop of Burgos vpon
Rector and that by my will Councell consent nor exhortation he shall loose neither life member nor honour which he holdeth And I shall not make in Rome any decree or ordynation of all that to his holinesse or to the Romans perteyneth without your consent And all that of Saint Peters landes which shal be in our power we shall then restore and to whom soeuer I shall deliuer ouer the gouernement of Italiâ— I shall cause him sweare to be an ayder of his holinesse to defend to his power the landes of Saint Peter as God me helpe and by these holy Gospells of God c. After this 2. oath Don Charles was made a Chanon of Saint Peter and after a knight of Saint Peter These two oathes shall ye find in the Historie and 10. booke of the marquesse of Pescara Here may yee see how the world goeth contrary The Pope of a subiect to the Emperour hath made himselfe his Lord. This which I haue sayd touching the originall and growing vp of the Pope in an information presented to the princes and states of the Empire in the time of Don Charles the Emperour our king and Lord is handled more at large Hence will we conclude that the authoritie which the Pope boasteth to hold is neither by diuine nor humane right but diabolicall with subtilty he thrust himselfe into it with straunge force as saith Daniell he doth and shall maineteine the same vntill God destroy him with the force and power of his word By which saying it appeareth that the Popedome built as it is vppon hypocrysie craft auarice ambition and tyranny is not builded vppon the firme rocke which is Iesus Christ whom Saint Peter confessed saying Thou art the Christ the sonne of the liuing God And if the Popedome be not founded vpon Christ much lesse is the Pope the head or vniuersall Bishop of the Church of God but of the deuill And that he is not vniuersall Bishop I will confirme it prouing with short and apparant reasons that Saint Peter whose successor they say the Pope to be was not vniuersall Bishop of the Church The first reason Saint Clement Bishop of Rome writing as say our aduersaries to Saint Iames called him the brother of the Lord Bishop of Bishops Gouernour of the Church of Ierusalem and of all others through the whole world If this be true it followeth that so was not Saint Clement albeit he were Bishop of Rome 2. Also in the first Christian Councell whereof Saint Luke in his Historie maketh mention not S. Peter as vniuersall Bishop but S. Iames gouerned Who heard each one and among them S. Peter and when all had spoken Saint Iames as President concluded in the 19. verse saying wherefore my sentence is c. Read the chapter and you shall see that which I say to be truth Notwithstanding all this D. Illescas the Popes parasite in his part 1. fol. 20. saith That Saint Peter as chiefe Bishop was president in this Councell 3. Also the Apostles as reporteth Saint Luke hearing that Samaria had receiued the doctrin of the Gospell to teach and more fully instruct them sent Peter Iohn thither But who shall now send the Pope to preach Suerely the Counsell wil not be so bould and though the CouÌ„sel so should yet would not the Pope do it saying he is Immediate from God The Apostles sent Peter and Peter as a faithfull member of the. Church obeyed went and preached 4. Saint Paule reproued Saint Peter because faith Saint Paule he so deserued Saint Peter listened thereto and allowed the reprehension That he was imediate from God that he was vniuersall Bishop and therefore greater then he answered he not neither did he answere that none ought nor could reproue him nor yet demaund account of him why he did so or so as the Popes nowe and many yeares also to kings Emperours yea and generall Councels haue answered So shamelesse are some of our aduersaries that notwithstanding Saint Paule saith that beeing come to Antioche I withstood Peter to his face c. And verse 14. hee saith whom when I saw that they walked not rightly according to the truth of the Gospell I said to Peter before all c. yet say they that Saint Paul reproued not S. Peter but another which was called Cephas Read D. Illescas part 1. fol. 21. Whose words be these Before that S. Peter say they came to Rome he held equality with S. Paul in Antioch c. Illescas beleeueth not that which S. Paul witnesseth of this equalltie and therefore as one doubting saith They say what credit shall we giue to such a one that doubteth of that which Saint Paul affirmeth That Antichrist whosoeuer he shal be which Saint Paul calleth the sonne of perdition man of sinne shall sit in the temple of God and as addeth S. Iohn in the citie situate vpon 7 mountaines This citie as S. Ierome and many others declare is Rome Only the Pope sitteth in the Temple of God in the citie of seauen mountaines which is Rome Therefore onely the Pope is that Antichrist 6. Also in the first Councell of Nice assembled by Constantine that good Emperour to confound and destroy the heresie of Arrius who with this blaspheamous mouth tooke away the diuinitie of Iesus Christ the Legats of the Bishop of Rome not in the 1. 2. nor 3. but in the 4. place did sitte Ergo the Bishop of Rome was not then head nor vniuersall Bishop of the Church In this Nicen Councell the Limits of the Patriarkes were bounded to whom the same authoritie ouer their Churches was giuen as held the Bishop of Rome ouer his neighbour Churches The Papists as they knowe which haue read Histories haue endeauoured what they could to falsifie this decree Reade for this purpose the sixt Councell of Carthage whereof we will afterwardes make mention Cardinall Cusanus alleaging the Nicen Councell shewed the rialtie of the truth saying as followeth The Bishop of Rome of the ancients is often called Patriarke or Archbishop and like authoritie was giuen him in the Councell of Nice as to the other Patriarkes Here wee see what great authoritie hath the Pope newly in our times vsurped more then that which the holy and ancient constitutions gaue him and all this by continuance and custome of slauish obedience Neither Iuâ—us who then was Bishop of Rome nor his Legates which were in this Councell gaine sayd this decree And that which more is the same decree was afterwareds in the Councell of Antioche and in the Councell of Constantinople confirmed In the first Councell of Ephesus Cyrillus In the 2. Dioscorus Patriaches of Alexandria did gouerne albeit the Legats of the the Bishop of Rome were there present In the 5. CouÌ„cel of CoÌ„stantinople Menas as patriarke of the city where the Councel was holden gouerned In the General Councell holden in Aquilea S. Ambrose bishop of Milan was president not the
to pardon sinnes and that for money it being God alone which doth graciously pardon theÌ„ The Pope Who hath caused a little peece of white bread to be worshipped saying it is the true God which created heauen and earth The Pope Therefore is he Antichrist which neither honoreth nor a doreth the God of his fathers who in the bookes that the Pope burneth hath manifested himselfe to his faithfull The 2. marke is that he shall not regard the loue of women to wit that vnder colour of chastitie holines meritorious works he shall abhorre marriage So greatly hath the Pope abhorred marriage that a law he hath made that no Pope Cardinal Patriarke Archbishop Bishop Deane Archeacon Priest nor Friar Deacon nor subdeacoÌ„ nor any Nunne shal marry And wherefore For pure hypocrisie to be sold to the ignorant people for holy for Angels which are not fleshly but wholly spirituall And the miserable people dispising the meanes of marriage which God hath giuen them Will rather burne then marry And so God deliuereth them vp to shamefull vile affections and in their lusts doe they burne as saith S. Paule Fornicators they are adulterers Incestuous persons that moreouer which the Apostle meÌ„tioneth These be the fruits of his coÌ„strained chastitie of his angelical not fleshly life of his vowe of chastity vowed of so many and kept of so fewe Of such like the same S. Paul fore warneth his disciple Timothie saying that they shall speake lies through hypocrisie hauing their coÌ„sciences seared that they shall forbid marriage What nation in the world hath bene so barbarous so cruel so tyrannous Godlesse that hath forbidden marriage to so many thousands of men and women as are at this day of Priests Fryars and Nunnes Onely such law maketh Antichrist Only the Pope maketh it therefore is the Pope Antichrist which regardeth not his owne lawful wife but his Ganimeds and strumpets Much paine hath the Pope of long time taken to cause this his tyrannicall lawe to bee obserued Many people and nations seeing it a law tyrannous and preiudiciall to the Common-wealth haue withstood him because that priests and Friars not hauing proper wiues and being lusty men which liue in idlenesse and abundance a life inclyning men to luxuritie bestow themselues among the wiues daughters of their neighbours friends In the Councell of Nice was this busines proposed but through the Councell of good Paphnucius not affected S. Gregorie forbad marriage but taught afterwards by experience of 6000. heads of young Infants which they fouÌ„d in a pond adnulled reuoked his decree as before in his life we haue declared Note that which we haue said to this same purpose vpon the life of Siricius who so against the hayre alleaged the saying of S. Paul Those which be in the flesh cannot please God And that which we noted vpon Nicholas 1. in the life of Pius 2. of Paul 2. experience at this day sufficiently sheweth how impious and tyrannous this law is And suppose it were good yet is it not obserued Much better should it be to leaue to each one the liberty which God hath giuen them and not to lay sâ—ares for the conscience He that can passe without marriage shall doe very well not to marâ—y and chiefly the minister in time of persecution which iâ— to be free to preach the word of God wheresoeuer they shall call him But the guift of chastitie is not giuen to all and if to any yet is it not perpetuall The surest way then not to offend God nor defile his owne body wâ—ich is the temâ—le of the holy Ghost and â—herefore to be kept cleane is that euery man as Saint Paul doth aduise vs haue his owne wife and euery woman her owne husband to the great griefe of the Pope who is Antichrist and commaundeth the contrary The third marke is that Antichrist shall not care for any God to wit hee shal be an Atheist a Godlesse man and without religion This in many Popes haue wee fully and clerely seene which neither liueing nor dying had any religion He is not one alone that entred into the Popedome like a fox liued in the Popedome like a Lyon and dyed like a dogge Let their liues be read the reason of all this giueth Daniel saying for hee shall magnifie himselfe aboue all Antichrist which is the Pope hath made himselfe vniuersal Bishop head of the Church absolute or dissolute Lord aswell in the temporaltie as the spiâ—itualty euer all the Monarkes kings and Princes of the world that he may displace and place them when he pleaseth and no man ought to demaund why doest thou so And so causeth Emperours kings and great Lords to fall prostrate on the gorund in token of vassallrie slauerie and subiection kisse his feete and worship him The Pope truly is proud as the diuell who said to Christ All this will I giue thee if thou wilt fall downe and worship me And so shall haue the wages that had the diuell Which thing Daniell declareth in the 36. verse of the 11. chapter saying that he shall prosper vntill the wrath bee accomplished for the determination is made and in the last words of this chapter he saith And his end shall come and none shall helpe him This is the comfort of a Christian that Antichrist the Pope his enemie and persecutor shall so end as he hath deserued And so shall the Church be from hiâ— tyranny The 2. passage is of S. Paul to the Thessalonians where clerely and plainely he calleth Antichrist man of sinne and sonne of perdition which opposeth liâ—teth vp himselfe against all which is God or that is worshipped So that as God he sitteth in the temple of Cod shewing himselfe that he is God And a little lower whose coÌ„ming is by the working of Sathan with great power signes lying wonders with all deceiueablenesse of vnrighteousnesse working in them that perish c. The papists themselues coÌ„fefse that Saint Paul here speaketh of Antichrist Now let vs fee if the Pope doe the same things and if he do them then is he Antichrist By Antichrist must we not vnderstand one man alone which is to be and happen but an estate a seat a succession of men an Empire exalted against Christ yet with the name and title of pastor and Bishop of the Church and with the title of the vicar of Christ Iesus himselfe Through hypocrisie and fayned humilitie he calleth himselfe the seruant of Gods seruants but through diuelish pride he maketh himselfe Lord of all In the time of S. Paul began this Empire of Antichrist as he witnesseth saying For all ready the misterie of Iniquitie beginneth to worke onely he which now ruleth shall let vntill he be taken out of the way This shal be when the Lord shall slay him with the spirit of his mouth as there saith the Apostle Now haue we proued
Antichrist so proued by his abominable life and doctrine by the testimonie of Gods sacred word and vnrefutable arguments drawne from the same If thou wouldest know and be assured likewise that the Masse is a diuelish prophanation of the holy Supper of the Lord a most blasphemous idolatrous and false sacrifice derogating from the most precious bloud death passion of Iesus Christ If thou wouldest know by the same Spirit be assured that the same Iesus Christ true God true man is the only Lord Sauiour and redeemer of the world the onlie aduocate Intercessor Mediator betweene God and man the only alone king Prophet and true high Priest which entred into the holy place once for all and found eternall redemption If thou wouldest know that his body and bloud once offred vpō the altar of the crosse is the only alone true sacrifice of a sweet smelling sauor in the nosethrils of God his Father for the remission of sins whereby onlie Gods wrath is appeased we obtaine pardon peace reconciliation with God grace fauor and euerlasting life If thou wouldest know and be likewise assured that this most holy sacrifice of Christ one only time offered is all sufficient for the sins of all men that no place remaineth for any other reiteration of the same sacrifice If thou wouldest know the true meaning vse practise of the holy Supper of the Lord Iesus the benfit thereof to the Faithfull If thou wouldest certainlie know and be fully assured by the same Spirit of Grace which is the ancient doctrin of God leading to all blisse and true blessednesse confirmed with his sacred word contained in the bookes of the old new Testament and penned by the finger of the holy Ghost and which is the new doctrine of men pointing the pathway to hell death destruction confirmed with vaine apparitions dreames false miracles and illusions of the diuell Come and see except the god of this world hath blinded thy mind that the light of Christes glorious Gospell should not shine vnto thee except thou list to grope at noone day and wilfully say I will not see except thou hast shaken hands with death and made a couenant with hell except God for thy wilfull obstinacie hath giuen thee ouer vnto a reprobate sence to oppose thy selfe against him his knowne truth In reading this booke without partiall preiudication thou canst not but see exactly perceiue and tast to thine vnspeakeable comfort how sweet are the mercies of the Lord in reuealing to thee dust and ashes the mysterie both of the one and the other which the wise of this world neither haue vnderstood nor can comprehend but is reuealed vnto babes his Saints to whom he would make knowne the riches of his glorie to confound and make foolishnes the vvisdom of the wise Which if thou shalt find as if in singlenesse of heart thou seeke thou canst not but find Then praise Iehouah the author of all goodnesse be thankefull to this Author the meanes of thy good and take in worth my simple trauell an inferiour furtherance thereunto who hartily wish thee no lesse comfort and ioy in reading then my miserable selfe receiued in translating of this booke And because it seemeth a thing difficult to translate the Prouerbs wherein not the letter but the sence is to be followed that course haue I obserued set downe withall the proper phrase of the Spanish and Portugal tongues both in them and some other hard doubtfull words that thou gentle Reader indued with better gifts maist iudge and curteously amend by thy knowledge what my vnskilfulnesse hath missed hoping that my desire herein to do well may excuse in thy Chistian conceit whatsoeuer is if any thing misdone And so I leaue thee to him that is able to keepe thee Thine in the Lord I. G. THE EPISTLE TO THE CHRIstian Reader HAd it not bene for the great necessity which our country of Spaine hath to know the liues of the Popes that knowing them it may beware them and nought esteeme their authority which against all right diuine and humane they haue vsurped ouer the consciences which Iesus Christ our redeemer with his death passion hath freed I should neuer Christian Reader haue entred a labyrinth so confused and rugged as is to write the liues of Popes For thou must know that the Romists themselues concord not nor agree in the number of the Popes Some set downe more and others lesse And hence it commeth that so little they agree touching the time that they poped Let it be lawfull for me as of a king he is sayd to raigne to say of a Pope to Pope Some of these selfe same also that all confesse to haue bene Popes of some of them say great Laudes and praises extolling them to the heauens Of these selfe same say others filthie things casting them downe to hell An example of the first S. Gregory As saith Friar Iohn de Pineda 3. part cap. 8. ¶ 1. of his Ecclesiasticall Monarchie was the 66. Pope c. And not the 63. As saith Mathew Palmer Nor the 64. As saith Panuinus Nor the 65. As saith Marianus nor lesse 62. As saith S. Antoninus This farre Pineda Gelasius 1. after Platina is the 51. Pope After Panuinus the 50. And after George Cassander and Carança the 49. Also Paule the second after Platina is the 220. Carança counteth him for the 219. Pero Mexia for 218. and Panuinus For 215. fiue lesse then Platina According to this account Sistus 5. which in the yeare 1588. tyrannizeth in the Church should be after Platina the 236. Pope after Carança 235. After Per◠Mexia 234. and after Panuinus 231. Most Popish authors be all these Some Spaniards and others Italians And had we alleaged more authors more disagreement and contrariety should we haue found Of this diuersitie springeth the disorder which is in the time that some Popes Poped For they which reckon least Popes put the yeares which they take from 4 or 5 Popes whom they reckon not to other Popes Carança in his Summa conciliorum speaking of Boniface 3. this was the first Pope as in his life shal be shewed saith these words There is diuersitie among writers how long time Boniface 3. was Pope For of Platina is it gathered that he was nine monthes Others say 8 monethes and a halfe others a yeare and 25 dayes Others a yeare 5 monthes 28 daies Others say that he died hauing bene Pope 8 moneths and 22 dayes This farre Carança The same might we say of many other Popes For example of the second will we put Liberius and Formosus besides many others that we might set downe Liberius and Formosus some of the papists themselues do cannonize and others doe curse them Platina saith that Liberius was an Arian Panuinus saith that he was holy Read his life which of diuerse authors we haue gathered As touching Formosus Stephen 6 or 7. condemned him So
wit If the head of an horse be put to a humane body A distinction truly very rediculous Conclude we this matter with that which was ordeyned in the Councell of Eliberis in Spaine holden about the yeare of the Lord. 335. whose 36. Cannō was as Carranza noteth in his Summa Conciliariorum Placuit picturas in Ecclesia esse non debere ne quod colitur aut odoratur in parietibus depingatur It pleaseth vs that pictures ought not to be in the Church lest that be worshipped or adored which is painted on the walles Eliberis where was celebrated this ancient Councell was a Cittie neare vnto that place where is now Granada Eliberis was destroyed and of the ruines thereof was Granada builded or augmented And there is one gate in Granada euen to this day called the gate Deluira corrupting the worde in steed of Elibera The gate is so called because men goe that way to Elibera Had this Cannon made in our countrie of Spaine 1263. yeares past bene obserued in Spaine there had not bene such Idolatrie in Spaine as now there is Vp Lord regard thine owne honour Conuert or confound not being of thine elect all such as worship Pesel grauen or carued Images or Temuna picttures or patternes All that whatsoeuer we haue sayd against Images is meant of those that are made for religion seruice worship and to honour serue and adore them Such Images are forbidden by the law of God And so the Arte of caruing grauing painting and patterne making not done to this end is not forbidden but lawfull The superstition and Idolatrie taken away the Arte is good If there be any people or nation that haue and doe commit inward and outwarde Idolatrie it is the Popish Church For what else see we in their Temples houses streetes and crosse-streetes but Idolles and Images made and worshipped against the expresse commaundement of God Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen Image No nation hath bene so barbarous to thinke that which they outwardly beheld with their eyes to be God They supposed as before we haue said their Iupiter Iuno Mars Venus to be in Heauen whom they worshipped in the Images that did represent them Many of the Moores Turkes and Iewes would conuert vnto Christ were it not for the offence and scandall of Images in the Churches Therefore said Paulus Pricius a most learned Hebrew which became in a Christian Paue that it was very meet Images should be taken out of the Temple for they were the cause that many Iewes became not Christians The Popish Church doth not onely commit the Idolatrie of the Gentiles but farre exceed them also One Idolatrie it committeth which neuer Pagan nor Gentile euer committed It beleeueth the bread and wine in the Masse called a sacrifice celebrated by her Pope or a Priest made by the authoritie of the Pope to be no representation nor commemoration of the Lordes death but his very body and bloud the same Iesus Christ as bigge and great as he was vpon the crosse And so as very God doth worship it We will then in this first Treatise proue by the Lords assistance whose cause we now maintaine the Pope to be a false Priest and very Antichrist that such Idolatrie and other much more he hath inuented in the Church In the second Treatise we will also proue by the same assistance the Masse to be a false Sacrifice and great Idolatrie And because our chiefe purpose is not so much to beat downe falshood as to aduance the truth after we haue shewed the Pope to be a false Priest And the Masse a false Sacrifice we will shew also which is the argument of the Apostle in the Epistle written to the Hebrewes Iesus Christ to be the true and onely Priest and his most holy body and bloud which he offered vnto his father vpon the Crosse to be the true and only sacrifice where with the eternall father is well pleased and receiueth vs into his fauour and friendship iustifying vs by faith and giuing vs his holy spirit of Adoption whereby we crie Abba father and liue in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life And so be glorified of him to reigne ' with him for euer Many will wonder that we with so great constancie or as they call it sawsinesse reiect condemne and abhore the Pope and his Masse And therefore doe slaunder and defame vs not among the common people onely but amongest the Nobles also and great Lordes Kinges and Monarches that we are fantasticke heady arrogant sedicious rebellious partiall and many other false reportes they raise against vs wherewith they fill and breake the eares of the ignorant and of all those that take pleasure to heare them To shew them then that it is no foolish opinion nor fantasie which doth lead vs neither any ambition vaine glory nor other passion that doth alter moue or transport our minds but a good zeale rather of the glory of God and feruent desire of the health of our owne soules A reason will we giue in this first Treatise vnto all that desire to heare vnderstand it of that which we beleeue hold concerning the Pope and his authoritie And chiefely if we be asked because as saith Saint Peter we ought to be ready with meekenesse and reuerence to make answere to euery one that demaundeth a reason of the hope which we hold The reason then which we giue for reiecting condemning and abhorring the Pope and flying from him as from the pestilence is his euill life and wicked doctrine Note also what the Doctors and ancient Councels the holy Scriptures in three wonderfull places chiefly for that purpose say concerning him In the second Treatise we will declare what wee thinke of the Masse and the holinesse thereof The Pope and Masse two pillers of the Popish church be very ancient For it is now a thousād yeares past since they first began to be buylded Their beginnings were very small but they dayly increased adorning and decking themselues vntill they attayned to the estate wherein we now see them For aswell the Pope as the Masse is holden and called God Without are they made very beautifull couered ouer with silke gold siluer cloth of gold rich stones but within is superstition hypocrisie and Idolatrie I haue often pondred with my selfe whether of these two pillers the Pope or the Masse were strongest and more esteemed The vertues excellencie holinesse and diuinitie which they say is in the Masse who can declare How profitable it is for al things liuing and not liuing quick dead By cōsideratiō hereof the Masse I supposed was chiefest and therefore ought to begin with it But the Pope vpon better aduisement mee seemed notwithstanding to be the chiefest piller The reasons mouing me so to beleeue are these that the cause in dignitie is before the effect the creator before the creature the maister before the seruant the Priest before the
or of the diuell And to make that more manifest whereof we intreat let vs deuide into three partes or orders all the Bishops that haue bene in Rome The first shall conteyne all those that from the beginning were Bishops vntill the time of Saint Siluester The second all those which were from Siluester vnto Boniface 3. The third all those that haue bene from Boniface 3. vnto Clement 8. who this yeare of the Lord 1600. doth tyrannize in the Church Come we now to the first order The common opinion hath bene that S. Peter was the first Bishop of Rome the which by holy scripture can no way but the contrary rather be proued Many haue handled this argument to whom I referre those that would knowe it For my part that which our aduersaries say concerning this matter to me seemeth impossible First they soy that S. Peter â—â—ued after after Christ passion 38. yeares which they count in this maner That he was for a time in Iudaea after at Antioch where he was Bishop 7. yeares So saith Bartholmew Caranza in his summa Conciliorum But if that be true which they say that S. Peter liued but 38. yeares after Christ the Epistle of S. Paul to the Gal. sheweth this to be impossible Saint Paul also in 1. chap. of his said Epistle declareth that after his conuersion he went not to Ierusalem but into Arabia and thence turned to Damascus and that 3. yeares after he came to Ierusalem where he found Peter with whom he abode 15. dayes not to learne ought of him but to confer with him 14. yeares after this as he saith in the chapter following he came againe to Ierusalem where those that were pillers of the Church Iames Cephas which is Peter and Iohn gaue him the right hand of fellowship These yeares were 18. at the least 3. saith he and afterwards 14. and the time which passed from the Passion of Christ vntill S. Paules going to Arabia After this they both were at Antioch where S. Paul reproued S. Peter for his dissimulation If there he was seuen yeares and twenty fiue yeares afterwardes at Rome ioyned with the eighteene yeares before mentioned shall make fiftie yeares at the least Then shall it be vntrue which they say that Saint Peper liued thirty eight yeares after the death of Christ as saith Caranza in his summa Conciliorum And much more vntrue shal be that which Humfridus Panuinus in the Chronicle of the Roman Bishops and in his annotation vpon Platina in the life of Saint Peter saith that Saint Peter was martyred 34. yeares 3. moueths and 4. dayes after the passion of Christ Count thus the yeares the S. Peter liued after Christ From the death of Christ vntill the 2. yeare of the death of Claudius were 10. yeares all which time Saint Peter abode in and departed not once from Iudea This time passed he came to Rome where he abode 4. yeares from whence by Claudius Edict against the Iewes he departed and returned to Ierusalem from Ierusalem he went to Antioch and there abode 7. yeares in which time died Claudius and Nero succeeded him in the Empire In the beginning of Neros reigne S. Peter returned to Rome whence after some time he departed and trauelled almost throughout all Europe which peregrination being ended he returned the third time to Rome From Saint Peters first enterance into Rome vntill his death were 24. yeares 5. monethes and 12. dayes which ioyned with the 10. yeares before passed in Iudea make 34. yeares three moneths and 4. dayes All this saith Panuinus Herein he contraieth his owne authors which affirme Peter to haue bene 7. yeares in Antioch and 25. after at Rome And Gracian in a certaine decree saith that Saint Peter by reuelation passed or translated his seate from Antioch to Rome And so Fryar Iohn de Pineda in the 3. part booke 20. chap. 5. Sect. 1 following this opinion saith In Antioch before Rome had S. Peter his seate Papall Caranza in his summa Conciliorum speaking of S. Peter counteth thus He sate saith he in the bishops chaire at Antioch 7. yeares and departing thence came to Rome in the time of the Emperor Claudius where he sate in the Bishops chaire 25. yeares 2. moneths and 3. dayes We see now the count of Caranza and Panuinus to be false In this they agree that he was crucified at Rome Betweene the death of the Lord and the death of Nero were 37. yeares The said Panuinus saith that S. Peter was crucified in the the last yeare of Nero then shal it be 37. yeares and not as he saith 34. yeares after the death of Christ The Legend and Cannon say that Saint Peter and Saint Paul were in one selfe same yeare day and hower beheaded at Rome Saint Ierome saith that Paul was killed with a sword and Peter crucified Eusebius saith that the one was beheaded and the other crucified We demaund and chiefly of our Spaniardes which so much beeleeue these thinges when came Saint Peter to Rome how longe there stayed he when and of what kinde of death and where dyed he who was his successor for some say Linus others Clement we shall finde great confusion and disorder amongst them as already we haue seene and how deale they so with Christians whose faith is to be founded vpon the word of God The Popes Supremacie to be Peters successour they sell for an Article of our faith insomuch as saith Boniface 8. it was de necessitate salutis necessarie to saluation and who so beleeued it not could not be saued behold vpon what holy scriptures it is founded vpon a legend of mens sayinges disagreeing among themselues The cause taken away the effect ceaseth If Saint Peter were not Bishop of Rome it followeth that all whatsoeuer is sayd touching the succession Primacie of the Pope is meere lyes and fashood Also Saint Peters Commission was to be Apostle of the circumcision among the Iewes and that of Saint Paul of the vncircumcision among the Gentiles Gal. 2. 7. Saint Paul to the Romans themselues also saith that he preached the Gospell where none had once made mention thereof and giueth a reason Beast he should seeme to build vpon a straunge foundation Whereupon it followeth that Saint Peter was not at Rome Also in the Epistles which he wrote being prisoner in Rome he sent salutations from the faithfull which were then in Rome without any mention made of Saint Peter And had he bene in Rome it is to be thought he would haue named him Read the 4. chapter of the Epistle to the Colossians from the 10. verse vnto the 14. where he saith Salute Aristareus and Marke and Iesus called Iustus which be of the circumcision These onely be they that assisted me in the kingdome of God and were a comfort vnto me Whereupon it followeth that Saint Peter was not at Rome seeing he neither did assist nor comfort him This Epistle was written from Rome And in
the 2. to Timoth. cap. 4. 1. 2 which some what before his martyrdome he wrote the second time being prisoner in Rome and in the Epistle to Philemon verse 23. and 24. Also in the Epistle which he wrote to the Romanes he not once maketh mention of Saint Peter to whom no doubt he would haue sent salutations had hee bene in Rome and which is more Saint Peter being Bishop at Rome as they say 25. yeares Read the last chap. of this epistle and thou shalt see the catalogue which S. Paule maketh from the fift verse to the fifteenth he saith onely Salute such a one salute such a one c. without naming of Saint Peter Because he neither was Bishop of Rome nor yet was in Rome Also the Iewes which dwelled in Rome as reciteth S. Luke Act. 28. 21. 22. said to S. Paule when he came prisoner to Rome that they had not heard nor vnderstood any thing concerning him and prayed him to declare his opinion touching that sect which was gainsayd and euill spoken of in all places vnderstanding by this sect the Gospel which Saint Paule preached Who will beleeue that S. Peter which as they say was before come to Rome and a Minister of the Circumcision had not taught nor spoken ought vnto them of the Gospell These reasons taken out of holy Scripture are me seemeth as they be very sufficient to proue the common opinion holden of S. Peters being Bishop of Rome and that 25. yeares to be false Whereupon that of the Papists appeares plainely to be meere ignorance or which is worse extreame malice when they call the Pope Saint Peters successor Vicar of Iesus Christ as though hee were Saint Peter and therefore vniuersall Bishop Against the Primacie of the Pope we will speake in the end of this Treatise Seeing then Saint Peter was not Bishop of Rome we place Linus for the first All the Bishops of Rome that were from Linus to Syluester who was in the time of the Emperour Constantine the great whom we will put in the first order were in generall trulie Bishops and holy men who with their good doctrine and holy life and conuersation wrought great fruit in the Church of God They were the salt of the earth the light of the world a Citie built vpon a mountaine a candle light and set vpon a candlesticke These be the titles wherewith Christ adorneth his apostles and ministers Math. 5. These were the Angelles of God according to the saying of Malachie speaking of Leuie and consequently of the good Ministers The lawe of trueth saith he was in his mouth and no iniquitie was found in his lippes In peace and equitie he walked with me and turned away from iniquitie For the priestes lippes should preserue knowledge and they should seeke the lawe at his mouth for he is the Angell of the Lord of hosts Many more titles are comprised in the holy scriptures wherewith the true ministers are adorned which I will passe ouer to auoide tediousnes In the ende these good bishops of Rome sealed the Gospell which they had preached with their bloud and so were Martyrs of Iesus Christ Men they were poore in spirit and simple of heart strangers to couetosnes and ambition they were true bishops for the space of almost three hundred yeares And so the Church of the Lord hauing such ministers was then happie and rich in the sight of God albeit in the eies of men contemptible miserable such as the Apostle in the eleuenth chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrewes from the 36. to the 38. verse describeth Others saith he haue benetryed by mocking and scourgings yea moreouer by bonds and imprisonment 37. Others were stoned others were hewen asunder Others were tempted others slayne with the sworde Others wandered vp and downe in sheepes skinnes and in goats skinnes being destitute afflicted and tormented 38. whome the worlde was vnworthie of they wandred in wildernesses and mountaynes and dens and caues of the earth c. These Bishops caried on their heads not Miters but coifes not honor but dishonor not riches but pouerty following herein their Maister as Esaias the Prophet in his chapter 53. 3. doth liuelie describe him Despised and forsaken of men a man full of sorrowes hauing experience of infirmities and we hid as it were our faces from him he was despised and we esteemed him not This was the outward apparance of the Primitiue Church and so hath it bene in our time sithens the reformation of the Church began these 70. or 80. yeers vnto this time how many haue bin burned drowned beheaded hāged banished shamefully disgraced and died of hunger Truly innumerable and that which is more admirable the more they burned and killed the more they increased and multiplied For the bloud of the Martyrs as saith Tertullian is the seed of the Gospell From the passion of the Lord vnto Saint Siluester which is the time of the first order were almost three hundred yeares wherein the Emperours of Rome became Lords of Spaine The Romanes in two hundred and so manie yeares that they conquered Spaine vntill the time of Augustus Caesar were neuer absolute Lords thereof Augustus was the first that vanquished the Montanists and Biscayes and made himselfe absolute Lord of all Spaine The Romists as those say they that haue held the command and staffe for many yeares to giue antiquitie and authoritie to their ceremonies and humane traditions haue falsly reported that manie of these good Bishops of Rome whom we place in the first order ordained them Clement the fourth Bishop of Rome say they ordained the confirmation of young children the Masse and holy garments wherewith the Priests are clothed They do not consider that he was a a man poore and for preaching of the Gospell banished into mines where he hewed Marble stones and tyed in the end to an anchor they cast him into the sea D. Illescas speaking of Pope Caius in his Pontificall historie saith He ordained that no laye man might bring a Clearke to iudgement That no pagan nor heretike might make accusation against a Christian c. How can this be true sith Caius liued and died in the time of the tenth persecution which as Illescas himselfe saith was of all the most cruell and lasted many yeares Let the Romists be ashamed and cease with lies to confirme their religion Now is it not the time that was wont to be when the blind led the blind c. So say they also that Euaristus Alexander and Sistus fifth sixth and seuenth Bishops of Rome made the popish decrees namely the ordering of the Clergie holy water and holy garmentes Telesphorus say they that was the eighth Bishop of Rome ordained three Masses to be sayd on the day of the Natituitie These good Bishops had other cares and embraced not such childish and superstitious toyes Saciety and idlenesse brought them forth O what euils haue riches wrought to the Church of God Wisely therfore said
the life of King Recaredo saith these wordes Phocas graunted to the blessed Boniface 4. Bishop of Rome the Temple called Pantheon to be consecrated in the honour of the blessed virgin Mary and of all the saintes as in the legend of that feast celebrated the first day of Nouember more largely is conteyned thus farre the Bishop Here is to be noted the saying of the Bishop Platina and many others That the Pope demaunded of the Emperour this Temple and that the Emperour did graunt it Doctor Illescas as a flatterer of the Pope in his Hist Pontif. saith that Boniface did consecrate the Temple c. the which saith he well pleased the Emperour Phocas and saith not that he demaunded it of the Emperour least he he should seeme to impeach the authoritie of the Pope Of that which we haue said it followeth that the Pope was not then Lord of Rome For had he so bene he would not haue requested the Temple of the Emperour This onely reason were there no other sufficeth to proue the donatiō of Constātine as they call it to be false which was almost 300. yeers before wherin he made the Pope saith they absolute Lord of Rome and of many other lands which they call S. Peters patrimony The Pope as a thiefe hath either stolne it from the Emperor or as tyrant by force hath life himselfe vp with him In the 613 yere dyed Boniface At which time in Spaine the great Catholique Recaredo 1 reigned Theodatus or Deus dedit ordeyned Godfathers and Godmothers to be had in baptisme and that the godfather should not marry with the Godmother nor the goddaughter with the son of the Godfather This Pope died in the 616 yeare at that time in Spaine Huiterico reigned Boniface 5. ordeyned theeues and murtherers which fled to the Churches or Churchyardes might not be drawn from thence which hath emboldened many to commit great villanies and flying to a Church haue freely escaped without any punishment And these they call sanctuary men He dyed in 622. yeare In which time raigned Sesibuto in Spaine After Boniface 5. succeeded Honorius 1. A Monothelite heretique he was and for such a one as saith Fryar Iohn de Pineda part 3. lib. 17. cap 34. ¶ 1. in the 13. 16. and 17. Acts of the 6. Councell of Constantinople coneemned The which by a letter of the Emperour and by a nother from Leo. 1. to the Emperour is confirmed D. Illescas as he which could not beleeue that any Pope could erre calleth Honorius a holy and commendable Bishop Panuinus to excuse Honorius saith that the copies of the 6. Councell of Constantinople be corrupted he giueth his excuse Seuerinus succeeded Honorius Iohn 4. Theodorus and Martinus Martine 1. ordeyned that Priestes should carry Crownes to wit the head shaued leauing a circle vpon it which they call a Crowne The Pope this commaunding did not imitate Christ nor his Apostles who neuer had shauen Crownes but the Priestes of the Idolls which as saith Baruc had their heads and beardes shauen and sate bare headed in the houses of their Gods Let our aduersaries see if their Priestes doe not the like Wherein they imitate doutlesse the Priestes of the Idolls He commaunded that bishops euery yeare should consecrate holy oyntment and send it through their Dioses He imposed vpon Priests the vowe of Chastitie a very hard yoke and borne but of a fewe as in Gregorie 1. we haue noted In the. 653. yeare dyed Martinus 1. Sisenando then reigning in Spaine and Eugeniup and Vitelianus succeeded Martinus Vitelianus ordeyned the song and organs in the Church He commaunded the howers singinges ceremonies and Masses should be celebrated in the Latine tongue contrary to that which saith the Apostle the vse of strange tongues is vnprofitable and therefore without interpretation of that which is said not to be vsed 1. Cor. 14. Vitelianus dyed in the 672. yeare in whose time Tulga reigned in Spaine after Vitelianus succeeded Adeodatus Donus and Agathus Agathus commaunded that the constitutions of the chiefe Bishop should be holden for Apostolicall as pronounced by the mouth of God O grieuous blasphemie In this time was celebrated the sixt generall Councell in Canstantinople where marriage to the Grecian priestes was permitted but to the Latine priestes forbidden This Agathus sent to the 6. Councell an Epistle wherein he condemned Honorius 1. for a Monothelite In the 682. yeare dyed Agathus and Leo 2 Benedict 2. and Iohn 5. succeeded him Iohn 5. being dead then arose the 8. Sisme and 2. Popes were elected Petrus and Theodoretus which being deposed in the 606. yeare was Cunon chosen Cunon dying in the 687. yeare was the 9. Sisme and 2. Popes Theodor and Pascall were elected Both which deposed Sergius who was Pope thirteene yeares eight moneths and thirteene dayes was chosen After Sergius succeeded Iohn the 6. Iohn the 7. Sisimus and Constantine the first Constantine 1. was called of the Emperour Iustinianus to goe to Constantinople He was the first that gaue his feete to the Emperour his Lord to be kissed And against the first commaundement of God Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any Image c. he commaunded Images to be placed in the Temples and worshipped He dyed in the 716. yeare At this time was the miserable dissipation of Spaine made by the Moores of Affrik with the ayd of the Count Don Iulian. Don Rodrigo then king the last of Gothes end the first vnfortunate Gregorie 2. and Gregorie 3. continewed the commaundement of Image-worship contrary to the commaundement of God And Leo the Emperour for not allowing them was excommunicate In the 731. yeare dyed Gregorie 2. in the 741. yeare Gregorie 3. In the time of Gregorie 2. Don Pelayo reigned in Spaine and in the time of Gregorie the third Don Fasila Zacharias was the first that inuented to adorne the Church vestiments with gold and precious stones He was also the first that attributed to himselfe a certaine diuine power concontemptuously tooke vpon him to make and depose kinges He was the first that absolued vassals of their othe made to their Lordes which Childerick King of France whom the foresaid Zacharie deposed at the instance of Pipin the little bastard sonne of Charles Martell vassall of Childericke tried In this Zacharie and Pipin the old prouerbe was verified Vn mulo rasca à otro y Hazme la barua y hazer tehe el copete One mule rubbeth another and doe thou forme and I le doe thee The Pope had neede of Pipins ayd to exempt himselfe from the subiection of the Emperour of Greece his Lord. Saint Gregorie writing to the Emperour called him Lord. Pipin and and his successors the kinges of France mindfull of this benefit did great seruice to the sea Apostolique And for being such loyall seruantes he gaue
attend him so came he to Brixia where he abode The Gemane Princes hearing of the Emperours arriuall came to kisse his hands and giue him the welcome-home The Emperour rewarded the Souldans people that had attended on him and sent them backe to their Lord againe This done the Emperour held a Diet in Norinberge where he recouÌ„ted that which had hapned the great treason of the Pope read the letter sent by the Pope to the Souldan which seene the Princes promised their aid both for performance of his promise to the Souldan and also for the chastising of Pope Alexander A great campe he leuied without any let passed through Italy and went towards Rome The Emperour sent Ambassadors to Rome by whom he required without mentioning the receiued villanies and iniuries by Pope Alexander that the cause of the Popes might be heard examined that he which had most right might be Pope and so the Sisme cease Alexander seeing his part vnfurnished fled by night to Gaeta and from thence to Beneuente and there attiring himself in the habite of his Cooke in the 17. yeere of his Bishodome came to Venice where he was made Gardiner of a Monasterie from whence by commandement of Sebastian Duke of Venice with great pome he was taken and very pontifically carried to the Church of Saint Marke This historie is cited by Nauclerus Barnus Funcius and others The Emperour hearing that the Pope was in Venice requested the Venetians to deliuer so pernicious a man his enemie vnto him which denied by the Venetians the Emperor with an Armie sent Otho his sonne commanded him not to fight before his comming The young Prince desirous of fame sought with the Venetians against the commandement of his father of whom he was vanquished and carried prisoner to Venice This was a notable victorie for the Generall of the Venetians called Ciano brought but thirie Gallies and Otho 75. I will here recite that which Frier Iohn de Pineda lib. 25. cap. 7. ¶ 3. saith Glorious Ciano entered into Venice c. and somewhat lower The Pope gaue him the glorie of the victorie a little gold ring he also deliuered him saying he gaue him that in token he graunted him the segniorie of the sea which he had gotten and would he should cast it into the sea to bind the sea thenceforth as his wife to be alwayes kept vnder the Venetian Empire And that all the after Dukes should vpon some speciall day celebrate this ceremony euerie yeare And somewhat after the ceremony passed was vpon the day of the Ascension and the Pope granted in that Church vpon such day full remission c. for euer Thus farre Pineda Alexander growne proud with this victorie would not make peace with Fredericke vntill he himselfe should come to Venice at such day as the Pope would appoint The father for the loue he bare to his sonne did all whatsoeuer he was commanded He came to Saint Markes where the Pope before all the people commanded the Emperour to prostrate himselfe and craue mercie which the Emperour there did Then trode the Pope with his feete vpon the necke of the Emperour who was prostrate on the ground and with his mouth that spake blasphemies said It is written Thou shalt go vpon the Aspe and Basiliske and vpon the Lyon and Dragon shalt thou treade The Emperour herewith ashamed made answere Not to thee but to Peter Whereat the Pope stamping vpon the necke of the Emperour said Both to me and to Peter Then was the Emperour silent and so the Pope absolued him of his excommunication Another such like thing as this to the Emperor Henry of whoÌ„ we haue spoken in the life of Gregory 7. hapned The conditions of peace were That the Emperor shold hold Alexander for rightfull Pope restore all whatsoeuer that during the war he had taken The peace thus made the Emperor with his sonne departed Robert Montensis in his historie reporteth that Lewis king of France and Henry king of England going on foot and holding the bridle of the horse whereupon this Alexander rode the one with the right-hand and the other with the left with great pompe they led him through the citie of Boyanci which is vpon the riuer Luera In the time of this Alexander God to reproue the pride and tyranny of the Bishop raised vp the Waldenses or as other call them the poore of Lyons in the yeare of the Lord 1181. in which yeare this beast died and Don Sancho 3. reigned in Castile Lucius 3. who purposed to abolish the name of Consuls in Rome by the commoÌ„ consent of the Cardinals was chosen For which the Romans much offended expelled him from Rome disgraced with diuers kinds of reproches those of his part and some of them also they killed In the 1185. yeare he died and Don Sancho 3. reigned in Castile Vrban 3. whom for his troublesomenesse they called Turbano as saith Albertus Crantzio in the 6. booke and 52. chap. of his Saxon historie determined to excommunicate the Emperour because he was a let vnto him and wold not permit him to do what he listed but he did it not because in the 1187. yere he died before he would Don Alonso 8. reigned in Castile and at this time the Moores tooke Ierusalem Gregorie 8. before he was two moneths Pope died When Clement 3. was Pope he incited the Christian Princes as had done his predecessours to warre beyond the seas which did the Popes not so much for the increase of Christendom as for their own peculiar intents commodities as vpon Alexander 3. we haue already declared because the Princes being so farre remote and intangled with warres against the Infidels the Popes might do and did whatsoeuer they listed The Danes this Pope excommunicated because they would their Priestes should be married and not concubine keepers In this 1191. yeare he died Don Alonso the eight then reigned in Castile The next day after Celestine 3. was made Pope He crowned Henrie 6. and much repining that Tancred the bastard son of Roger whom the Sicilians had chosen for king William their king being dead without heire should be the king of Sicilia The Pope married the Emperour with Constantia the daughter of Râ—gero taking her out of the Monasterie of Panormo where she was a Nunne vpon this condition that expelling Tancred who then possessed it He should demaund for dower the kingdome of both Sicils and for being king of Sicilia should pay his fealty to the Pope which was the cause of much bloudshed When this Emperour Henry was dead great sisme arose in the Empire such and so great was the discord that hardly one parish agreed with another By these coÌ„tentions amoÌ„g the priests the Pope greatly enriched himselfe because in Rome they were to be ended as noteth Conrado Lichtenao Abbot of Vespurg whose words for that
he let them go Don Fenando 3. reigned in Spaine When Innocent the fourth a Genoway was Pope of a most deere friend to the Emperour Fredericke he beame a mortall enemie I will here recite what saith Ieronymus Marius concerning this Pope of him saith he that being Pope he held a Councell against the Emperor at Lyous in Fraunce in which Councell the Pope himselfe cited the Emperour The Embassadors of the Emperour besought the Pope to giue him time to come to the Councell this time the Pope refused to graunt but there like a mad man excommunicated and deposed the Emperour commaunding that none should obey him and the Princes to choose another Emperour whom he so sollicited and with promises deceiued that they chose for Emperour Henrie Lantgraue of Turingia Fredericke the second vnderstanding hereof against the Pope and the rest defended himselfe valiantly vntill being in Pulla he could not escape the snares of the Pope where a certaine man by the Pope corrupted did poyson him Yet began he notwithstanding to recouer vntill a young man called Manfredo with money also as some say by the pope corrupted strangled him with a towell Concerning this good Emperour no credite is to be giuen either to Blundus Platina Estella nor Sabellicus because they wrote the sayings of the Pope and his flatterers to stirre vp the world if they might against this good Emperour Who listeth to knowe the truth let him reade Petrus de Vinea in his sixe bookes of Epistles Hitherto Marius In Sueuia at this time were preachers that with great libertie preached the truth against the Pope and his Cardinals they iustified the cause of the Emperour Fredericke the second and Conrad his sonne and boldly affirmed that neithe the Pope Cardinals nor Bishops had any authority because they were stained with Simony and that they held no power which Christ had giuen them The Priests sayd they being in mortall sinne did neither bind nor loose nor yet consecrate at al c. At the end of their sermons they said that the indulgēces which they preached were not feigned of the Pope nor inuented of his Prelates but graunted by the omnipotent God In the foresayd Councell of Lugdanum Innocent ordeined that the Cardinals should vse red shadowes which they call hattes and cloakes and ride vpon trapped horses and this saith Platina to adorne his order of Cardinals Note for this purpose concerning the Cardinals that which Pero Mexia vpon the life of the Emperour Henry the fourth saith where to paint Saint Ierome with a hat is made a mockerie for Saint Ierome died aboue 850 yeares before Innocent inuented the hattes This Pope Innocent the fourth had many bastards whom after the popish custome he called Nephewes Vntill the time of this Pope as noteth Bibliander there was no article of faith nor law of the Church that men should worship the bread and wine in the Eucharist This Pope was the first that created a new God by his transubstantiation albeit true it is that Honorius 3. began this building This Pope offered to Henry 3. king of England the kingdome of both Sicils if he would buy it In the 1254. yeare he died and Don Alonso 10. called the wise which was Emperour reigned in Castile Alexander 4. an Italian was the first that persecuted and excommunicated Manfred king of Sicilia By reason whereof many reuolts happened in Italie William de S. Amor a learned man who wrote against the feigned pouertie of the begging Friars was in the time of this Pope which bookes with a terrible edict the Pope prohibited This good man affirmed these idle poore and lazie fellowes which liued by almes were not in the state of saluation This Alexander 4. secretly fauoured Richard the sonne of king Iohn of England for money which he had promised if he would make him Emperour but publikely hee made shewe to fauour Don Alonso 10. king of Spaine of whome hee had receiued verie much money A double hearted man is neuer good In the 1262. yeare or after others 1261. he died and Don Alonso the tenth reigned in Castile Vrban 4. a Frenchman was Pope he tooke against Manfred as his predecessour Alexander the fourth had done And the better to be enabled for his owne reuenge he prayed Lewis king of France to send Charles his brother Earle of Prouince and Aniou whom he called king of both Sicils with a great campe into Italie Charles in the end after many warlike conflicts ouercame and slew Manfred neere vnto Benauente and so took he vnder fealty the kingdoms of Sicilia with Dukedome of Calabria and Pulla the pope against all right as he that faulteth in whatsoeuer he doth giuing the same vnto him This manifest roberie was the cause of manie ensuing murders This Vrban the fourth at the instance of a certain woman called Eua a Recluse in the land of Leege familiarly by him knowne before he was Pope did institute the great feast of the breaden God called Corpus Christi This woman Arnoldus Bostius and Petrus Premostratensis report had a reuelation a diuellish one no doubt vpon the celebration of the feast of the Sacrament which shee by her letters signified to the Pope requesting him by his papall authoritie to cause it to be celebrated Which thing the pope graunted as by a letter in answere thereof appeareth This letter thus beginneth Vrbanus Episcopus seruus seruorum Dei dilectae in Christo filiae Euae salutem c. Vrban Bishop the seruant of Gods seruants to Euah his beloued daughter in Christ health and Apostolique blessing We know ô daughter that with great desire hath thy soule desired the solemne feast of the body of our Lord Iesus Christ to be instituted in the Church of God and for euer celebrated of all faithfull Christians c. The Letter is long and therefore contenting my selfe to haue put downe the summe I haue spared here to recite it Behold heere my brethren the cause of this solemne feast with so manie daunces Castles Maygames playes maydes borne vpon mens shoulders streetes strowed with boughes and decked with Tapistrie A day it is of most great superstition and Idolatrie a day wherein more villanies then vertues are committed For who he or shee vpon this day will not see and be seene that beside which passeth more to be lamented then laughed at True it is that Pope Honorius the third laid the foundation and made the ground-worke of this building In the 1265. or after some others 1264. yeere died Vrban and Don Alonso 10. reigned in Castile Clement 4. a Frenchman was like his predecessors cruell and a great bloodshedder He called into Italy against Manfred king of Cicill Charles Earle of Aniou Charles vanquished and killed Manfred whom this vngentle Clement made king of Sicilia and Ierusalem with this condition to pay him yeerely 40000. duckats This caused infinite numbers of men
¶ 3. sayeth he added that which to many others seemed meere noueltie namely that he as wrote also Papyrus Saonensis was Lord of all the world which thing Philip king of France did denie him c. And a little lower sayth the same Pineda Crantzio sayth that on a solemne day to declare himselfe Lord as well of the temporaltie as of the spiritualitie pontifically arrayed as a Pope he shewed him selfe to and blessed the people and another day clothed as an Emperour carying before him a sword naked shewed himselfe and cryed out saying Ecce duo gladij hic c. Beholde here two swords c. wherein he would say that he was Lord of both swords ciuill and spirituall This is that Pope of whom say the Historians that he entered like a Foxe liued like a Lyon and died like a dogge Thus died that Boniface sayth Platina that more endeuoured to terrifie Emperours Kinges Princes Nations and people then make them religious He attempted to giue and take away kingdomes dispatch men and eftsoones call them backe euen as hee listed himselfe much thirsting after golde seeking for it on all sides more then can be spoken Pandulphus Calenucius in the fifth booke of his Neapolitane historie recounteth manie great villanies of this Pope With Boniface the eight will I conclude saying that which Frier Iohn de Pineda in his twentie and two booke chapter 12. ¶ 1. saith Let ambitious men saith hee note the life and death of Boniface so openly practised in his popedome and who coueteth more saith Frier Iohn de Pineda let him read Iohannes Vilaneus in the eight booke of his historie And notwithstanding he was such a one as manie men worthy of credite doe paint him out yet did Clement the fifth for all this celebrate a Councell in Vienna where were present as saith Frier Iohn de Pineda three hundred Bishoppes with very many other Prelates and it was there determined that Pope Baniface had bene most Catholike a Christian and true Pope and Vicar of God Wo vnto you that call good euil and euill good Behold here if the Pope and Councel may erre Don Fernando 4. the sonne of Don Sancho reigned in Castile Benedict 11. or after others the 9. a Dominican was very liberall to entertaine Idolatrie When he was Pope he cited those that had taken Boniface his predecessour and for not appearing before him he excommunicated them for their contempt Hee absolued of the excommunication the king of France and receiued into fauour Iohn and Iames Cardinals of Colen whom Boniface so much abhorred This good is reported of him that he would not see his mother poore but poorly clothed In the 1305. yeere 9 moneths of his popedome not fully complete he died and of poyson as is thought giuen him in certaine figs sent him by an Abbesse Don Fernando 4. then reigning in Castile After great differences who should be Pope Clement 5. a Gascon was chosen being absent His election being knowne he departed from Burdeux where he was Archbishop and came to Lyons in Fraunce whither he commanded and they so did all the Cardinals to come and so the Court of Rome in the 1305. yeare passed into Fraunce and there continued almost 74. yeares At the coronation of this Clement Philip king of Fraunce Charles his brother and Iohn Duke of Brittaine were present vpon whom and other twelue also fell a wall whereof they all there died The king also himselfe receiued some part of the euill and the pope sawe himselfe in so great a straite that he fell from his horse and lost a Carbuncle which he bare in his Miter or as they call it Reyno worth 6000. Florences How could he say with Saint Peter whose successour saith he he is Gold and siluer haue I none The pompe of this coronation ended many Cardinals he made all were French men To Rome he sent three Cardinals with authority of Senatours which should gouerne the same and Italy also He made a decree that to the elected Caesars in Almaine albeit they were called kings of the Romanes the pope notwithstanding should giue both authoritie and name a Brotheller was this Clement and Patron of whores and so for his pleasure and delight setled his Court at Auignon At Vienna in the 1311. yeare he celebrated a Councel in which for their goods sake wherewith he inriched those of S. Iohns order of the Rhodes most cruelly he dissolued the Templars which were more rich then the French king himselfe The great maister of the Templars one of his companions in the presence of the Cardinals he burned at Paris Against the Fraticellians Begardians and Begninians that denied to adore the bread in the Sacrament he published a Bull. He excommunicated the Venetians Florentines and Lucquesians The feast of the Recluses dreame in the life of Vrban 4. before mentioned which feast is called Corpus Christi he confirmed Celestine 5. he cannonized But why condemned he not Boniface 8. who was a traitor to his Pope Lord Celestine In the 1314. yeare Clement died In which same yeare as the Emperor Henry from Lucemberg meant to come into Sicilia offered and giuen him by the Sicilians themselues a cursed man called Bernardus de Monte Policiano a Dominick Friar who fained of set purpose great seruice to the Emperor gaue him poyson in the Sacrament And whē the good Emperor perceiued that he had giuē him poison he said vnto him Sir depart hence for if the Almaines perceiue what thou hast done thou shalt die an euil death The cursed Dominick fled to Sena where like another Iudas he receiued the money promised for his treason But his fellow Dominickes could he not deliuer for in Tuscan Lombardie and diuers other partes many of them were murthered and they and their monasteries by fire and sword perished Fryar Iohn de Pineda lib. 22. cap. 24. ¶ 4. of this Clement speaketh these words Saint Antoninus Iohannes Villaneus and Papirius say that hee was very couetous of money and thence it happened that he suffered Simony in matter of benefices to goe so openly through his court meerly ignorant bee they which say the Pope cannot be a Simonist seeing we know by deuine law that to buy or sell things holy and spirituall is called sinne and is that of Simony c. It is no marueile being such though he approued that good peece Boniface 8. Two yeares 3 moneths and 17. dayes the Sea was voyd In the time of this Pope Don Alonso 11. reigned in Castile After many contentions among the 23 Cardinals Iohn 23 or 22. or 21 was chosen The Cardinals as saith Saint Antoninus whom Friar Iohn de Pineda alleageth disagreeing they yeelded the court to this Iohns disposing and whomsoeuer hee should name was to be holden for Pope c. he named himselfe And somewhat lower saith Pineda Titus Liuius saith that the Romans were
graces which at this present they enioy Shortly after the maister Petrus Fabrus and Antonius de Araoz and then others also came to Castile When Paul 3. was dead Pope Iulius 3. almost with the confirmation of this sect in the 1550. yeare began his Popedome By the conuersation which Don Francisca de Boria Duke of Gandia and Marquesse of Lombay had with the said Araoz he bare great loue and liking to this sect wherein he was much more confirmed by the perswasions of his wife Dona Leonora de Castro a Portugale much deuoted to the Iesuites And so went the Duke to Rome in the company of the said Araoz who was the first prouinciall in Castile VVhen they both two returned into Spaine the Duke was made a Iesuite in the Colledge of Onate where he tooke all the orders In Rome built Inigo Layola the Almaigne Colledge to instruct the youth of that nation against the Doctrine which they cal Lutheran saw befor he died 16 Prouincials of his owne Institution and more then 70. Colledges he died in Rome in the 1556. yeare and in the 61 yeare of his age The Iesuits were commonly and yet in Italy and Spaine are called Theatinos but so be they not For the Theatinians had another beginning and manner of liuing certaine gentlemen and other people they were which moued with deuotion were giuen to praiers singing other such exercises and were called at the beginning the fellowship of Godly loue Of this company was made Iuan Pedro Carrasa a Neapolitan Bishop of Chiety who holden a person famous as he was for the principall and head of these religious persons they began to bee called Chietinos after corrupting the word for Chietinos were they called Theatinos This passed in the time of Clement 7. These Chietinians or Theatinians by reason of the sacking of Rome fled from Rome to Astia where they found certaine venecian galleys and in them passed to Venice And this was 11. yeares before Inigo layola his 10 cōpanions came to Venice to go to the holi-land The Iesuits stopped in this voyage by the wars between the Turk Venecias went frō Venice to Rome The Romans supposed they were the Chietinians or Thiatiniās which returned to Rome and so through ignorance they confounded these two sects which are far diferent the principal of the Thiatinians Iuan Pedro Carraf◠was afterwards Pope called Paul 4. Of the Thiatinians but few Colledges or monastaries are foūd to wit in Venice Rome Naples Pauia The Iesuites also in Arogon of Inigo their founder are called Iniguistes in Portugal Apostles but in al places else they are called Iesuits and so in the buls processe of the Pope are they called Greatly in short time haue these Iesuites multiplied For the locusts be they wherof speaketh S. Iohn in the 9. chap. of his Reuelation which issued out of the bottomlesse pit whose K. which is the Angell of the deepe in Hebrewe is called Abaddon in Greeke Apolyon both the one and the other word as much to say as destroyer And who but the Pope can be this Abaddon which Popeth and all destroyeth And who be his locusts but the Iesuits which wheresoeuer they come doe destroy consume all things They Insinuate themselues into the houses castles palaces of princes kings and monarches and stay not till they know the very inward secret and intents of the hart with fire blod doe they incite them to war vpon those which speake not nor thinke as they doe And if force and violence suffice not then by crafty treasons poysonings do they practise to kill them And so no Lord prince king nor monarche in his owne house is secure if he speak think not as they doe Sufficient exampls hereof we haue had within these 20 or 30 yeares let the Histories be read Lady Elisabeth the most illustrious Quene of England wel knowing thē for such as she that of the Iesuits great treasons hath so great experience whō so so often they haue practised to murther God the father of mercies hath as often againe deliuered her for the comfort of his Church advancemēt of the kingdome of his Christ the confusion and contempt of Antichrist that Abaddon hath banished them from her kingdome commanding vpon paine of life that they enter not into it These Iesuits haue also practised to murther Henry 4. king of France And so one of this company called Iohn Castell did wound him but by the prouidence of God hee missed his blow and willing to strike him in the throat hit his vpper lip brake one of his teeth The murtherer was caught and as a traitor adiudged to death and so Iustice was executed on Thursday the 29 of Decēber in the 1594. yeare The house where the said Iesuit was borne was pulled down in it place a Piramides set wherupon the cause why the house was puld downe and the pyramides erected are written in marble with letters of gold which in latine say thus Audi viator siue sis extraneu◠Siue incola vrbis cui Paris nomen dedit Hic alta quae sto Piramis domus fui Castella sed quam diruendam funditus Frequens senatus Crimen vltus Censuit Huc me redegit tandem herilis filius Malis magistris vsus et schola impia Sotericum eheu nomen vsurpantibus Which in English is this Listen O thou traueller whether thou be straunger or inhabitant of the Citie which Paris named In this place where I stand the high Piramides was the house of Castel which the cōmon consent of the senate for punishment of the fault appointed to be pluckt downe To this hath the son of my maister brought me because he had ill maisters and was trained vp in a wicked schole which ô griefe vsurpe the name of the Sauiour Iesus There was also written D. O. M. which is Deo Optimo Maximo Pro salute Henrici 4. clementissimi ac fortissime Regis quem nefandus Parricida perniciosissimae factionis haeresi pestiferra imbutus quae nuper abhominandis sceleribus pietatis nomen obtendit vnctos Domini viuasque maiestatis ipsius Imagines occidere populariter docuit dum confodere tentat caelesti numine scelestammanum inhibente cultro in labrum superius delato dentiū occursu faeliciter retuso violare ausus est Which in English is thus For the health of Henry 4. most mercifull and potent king whom whiles the wicked homicide infected with the pestiferous heresie of the most pernicious sect which with abhominable wickednesse here lately pretended the name of pietie taught the people to murther the annoynted of the Lord and dared to violate the sacred Images of his maiestie attempted to stabbe But the dyuine maiestie letting the cursed hand caused the knife to wound the vpper lip and so by the teeth to be most happily hindred Also Pulso praeterea tota Gallia hominum genere nouae ac
maleficae snperstitionis qui rempublicam turbant quorum instinctu piacularis adolescens dirum facinus instituerat As much to say as Banished from all France that kind of men which with their new and pestilent supersticion disturbe the weale publique by whose instinct and perswasion that miserable young man committed so great abhomination It was also by the same Parliament of Paris which is the Chaūcery royall of France commanded that the Priests and students of the Colledge of Claremont aud all the rest of the same fellowship as corrupters of youth perturbers of the publique quiet enemies of the king and common-wealth should within three dayes after the publication of the present sentence depart from Paris and from the other Cities and people where they haue their Colledges and auoyd the whole Realme within 15 dayes after vpon paine wheresoeuer they were found the said time expired to be punished as offenders culpable of high treason their goodes aswell moueable as vnmoueable to them any wayes belonging to be imployed in Godly workes and the distribution thereof to be made according to the oder which the Parliament shall prescribe Moreouer it was commaunded to all the kings subiects that none of them send their students to any Colledge of the said company which were out of the kingdome to be in them instructed vpon the same paine Laesae Maiestratis All that which I haue said be the selfe words of the Sentence Thus then were the Iesuits for their treasons and villanies out of all France banished But they as vnquiet spirits and friends to blodshed haue not ceased to effect their busines And so haue printed a booke wherein wickedly they speake against the king and the Parliament that gaue such Sentence They iustifie sanctifie and Canonize the foresaid traitor Iohn Castell incite the people and euery one of them either by force or treason to kill their Princes and Lordes if in and by all things they agree not with that which the Iesuites teach This their shamelesse boldnesse caused the most prudent Parliament in the 1598. yeare eftsoones to confirme the Sentence which it had formerly giuen against the said Iesuites Don Sebastian king of Portugale for listening to these Iesuites and being gouerned by them destroyed himselfe and his kingdome They perswaded his going into Barbarie where he valiantly fighting with the whole Niobilitie of Portugale was destroyed These Iesuites are the cause of the vprores in the kingdome of Swethland They of the kingdome being protestants would not that the king at his returne from Polonia should place Iesuites about him The king who was gouerned by the Iesuites would place them So that of necessitie it came to blowes Then let other princes and Lordes beware of strange directions and in no wise suffer the Iesuites in their lands because they nought serue for but spies and disturbers of the peace publique setting Princes against Princes And that which worse is all this which they do they sanctifie with the title pretext and collour of religion Much puffed vp they are with the title which they haue taken of the fellowship of Iesus as though the rest of the Priests and Fryars and all other Christians were of the fellowship of the deuill Many of their owne Papists doe now begin to smell and vnderstand And so the Franciscans Dominicans others eate no good crommes as they say with them I wil here conclude this matter of the Iesuites with a terrible lie which to aduaunce the kingdome of their king Abaddon that is to say destroyer they haue forged All the world knoweth that in the land of Sauoy is a Cittie called Geneua This Citie in these last times hath God perticularly blessed with the true knowledge of his holy word With these weapons hath this Citie warred against the Ignorance supersticion and Idolatrie of the Popedome And that to the great aduauncemēt of the kingdome of Iesus Christ confusion of Antichrist The Antichristians for this cause and cheifly the Iesuits beare secret hatred towards the citie haue practised the totall ruine and destruction thereof And seeing they could not by violence destroy it because God did helpe defend it with notable lies haue they often practised to defame it And so inuented they that which their father the deuill who is the father of lies could not more inuent They wrote one to another with great reioycinges that Geneua was reduced as they call it to the lappe of the Church They sayd that Theodor de Beza the chiefe minister of Geneua who with his learned sermons and writinges in that citie hath aduaunced the kingdome of Christ for fortie yeares space and more beeing readie to die had repented and turned to the Church Catholique and that being in this holy purpose he sent to request the Lordes of Geneua and the ministers to come visit him which had some what to impart vnto them they came say they and that Beza exhorted them to be come Catholiques And that with such vehemencie he spake vnto them that he conuerted them and that hee also reduced al Geneua to the catholique Roman faith They proceede with their lie The Lantgraue of Hessen said they hearing this newes sent some of his Gentlemen to Geneua to vnderstand what had passed who returning from Geneua said that Geneua was reduced to the catholique Roman Religion They said also that their Iesuites had gone to dispute with the ministers of the elector of Brandenberg and that they had shamed confounded them To these most notable lies answered the most learned Beza the other ministers of Geneua did briefly also answere but very liuely in their proper coullours and shaddowes depainted the Iesuites To which answere I referre me The deuill as our redeemer painteth him out hath bene a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth for there is no truth in him When the deuill speaketh lies he speaketh of himselfe For he is a liar and the father of lies The sonnes of such a father cannot be but murderers and liars Perque de mal Cueruo conforme al Commum refran mal hueuo For of an euill crow after our Spanish Prouerbe an euill egge Such except by miracle cannot leaue their nature When the Blackmore shall change his skinne and the Leopard his spots then these sonnes of the deuill taught to worke wickednesse to murther and lie may doe good and speake the truth The gaine which these wretches haue gotten by their lie is that very many which before well conceited them seeing their lies so palpable knowne that God to aduaunce his holy catholique faith hath no neede of lies now nought account of them Amongst wise people and such as feare God by little and little will they loose their credit and so returne to the bottomlesse pit from whence they came For God abhorreth all those that worke iniquitie and those that speake lies will he destroy The bloodie and deceitfull man as are the Iesuites murderers
Elephant fell to the ground vppon him and there he dyed Iudith cutte of the head of Holophernes The warre that Antiochus and Holophernes made against the people of God was vniust but the warre which Henry the third made against the league which had conspired against him to kill him and take from him his kingdome was most iust So that herein was hee no tyrant Besides this both liuing and dying hee was of the same religion of the league as at his end appeared For in that small time that he liued after he was wounded hee confessed communicated and was anoynted But leauing these humane reasons come we to the holy scripture It appeareth by the scripture that Saule was a wicked king an hypocrite a tyrant forsaken of God and so hath God to Samuel How long doest thou morne for Saul seeing I haue forsaken him and that he shall not reigne ouer Israell And commanded him to goe and anoynt for king one of the sonnes of Issai which was Dauid and in the same chap. verse 14. it is said The spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and the euill spirit of the Lord did torment him Albeit such a one was Saul yet did not God commaund Samuel or any other to kill him And so Dauid although God had chosen him and Samuell annointed him for king when manifest occasion and meanes were twise offered him to kill Saul yet killed he him not Also when Dauid and his followers were hid in a caue for feare of Saul as 1. Sam. 24. appeareth Saul entred the same caue to doe his needs then did Dauids men aduise him not to let slippe occasion but to kill Saule But Dauid instructed in a better schoole then were they answered The Lord keepe me from doeing such a thing against my maister and the annointed of the Lord that I stretch not out my hand against him for he is the Lordes annointed And not only did not kil him but grieued to haue cut of the lap of his garment as if herein he had done some great disgrace And in the 26. chap. of the same booke it is reported that Dauid Abisai came by night to the camp of Saule found him sleeping c. Then Abisai said to Dauid God hath closed thine enemy into thine hands this day now therfore I pray thee let me smite him once with a speare vnto the earth and I will not smite him agayne And Dauid said to Abisai Destroy him not for who can lay his hand on the Lords Annoynted and be guiltlesse Moreouer Dauid said As the Lord liueth either the Lord shall simite him or his day shall come to dye or he shall descend into battayle and perish The Lord keepe me from laying myne handes vpon the Lordes annoynted c. And when one brought newes of the death of Saule saying that hee had slaine him what gaue Dauid vnto him for his good tidings He said vnto him How wast thou not affraid to put forth thy hand to destroy the Annointed of the Lord Then Dauid commanded one to kill him who wounded him and so he died And Dauid said vnto him Thy bloud be vpon thine owne head for thine owne mouth hath testified against thee saying I haue slaine the Lords annointed And Dauid mourned for Saule c. Whereupon we will conclude that wickedly did this Friar and those of his counsell in murthering their king and that wickedly did the Pope in praising and cannonising this fact What reuelation had Sistus 5. that God had wholly cast off Henrie the third that he should forbid any obsequies and honours accustomed to be made for the dead should be made for him commanded also that they should not pray for him Samuel and Dauid had most sure reuelation that Saule was forsaken of God and that as such a one was he fallen into a reprobate sence yet notwithstanding did they let him liue coÌ„spired not his death If a Prince in our time be he heretike as they call him or Catholike shall not fully obey whatsoeuer the Pope commandeth him albeit it be to the depriuing him of his kingdome and giuing it to another then shall he be cursed and excommunicate both in bodie and soule and the most vile person if we beleeue Sistus 5. with good conscience may kill him And such a one that shall murther him shall haue done an act very meritorious and holy for the which he deserueth to be cannonized What Christian religion is this that one shall be cannonized for committing that which by the word of God as by exaÌ„ples we already haue proued is expresly forbidden Oh times oh customes But vpon such will his day come these swine shall not escape as they say without their Saint Martin With Sistus 5. conclude we saying that in the moneth of September and 1590. yeare he died whom Vrban 7. which poped 12 dayes succeeded At the end of the yeare 1590. Gregorie 14. succeeded him and died in September 1591. Innocent 9. succeeded Gregorie 14. who a small time poped So that in the space of 14. moneths foure Popes died Sistus Vrban Gregorie and Innocent and it is to be thought the most or all of them died of poyson For Brazuto is not dead that giueth theÌ„ poyson This Brazuto killed 6 Popes with poison as vpon the life of Damasus 2. we haue declared In the 1592. yeare Innocent 9. being dead Clement 8. or 9. or 10. succeeded This Clement poping in the 1599. yeare a Friar Capuchan incited by the Iesuits attempted to kill the French king Henry 4. but his treason was discouered and so was he caught In the time of this Pope in September 1598. died the king Don Philip 2. aged 70 yeares Don Philip 3. sonne of the forenamed Don Philip 2. and of the daughter of Maximillian the Emperour and of the Empresse Dona Maria de Austria sister of the king Don Philip 2. succeeded him God grant him grace as the dutie office of a king requireth night and day to meditate in the law of the Lord accomplish that which God Deut. 17. 18. commandeth a king shuld do When he shall sit saith God speaking of the king vpon the throne of his kingdome he shall cause to be written the booke of this law c. And it shall be with him and he shall reade therein all the dayes of his life Note ye Spaniards that God commandeth the king to reade the holy Scriptures and then saith he he is to reade them that he may learne to feare the Lord his God that he may keepe all the words of this Law and these ordinances to do them That he lift not vp his heart aboue his brethren nor turne fâ—rm the commandement to the right hand nor to the left that he may prolong his dayes in his kingdome he and his sonnes c. And God not onely comaundeth the king to reade the holy scripture but his captaines also when they be in warres to reade the
young maidens also This was the first occasion of the warres This warre ended others much more great had they wherein they so much increased and inriched themselues that not contented with Italy they made warres also vpon forreigne nations and leauing their owne limits they inuaded Affrike and Asia Thus were they dayly increasing vntill another Prince and Lord arose vp in Rome thrusting himselfe into the same seat of the Empire and at the side as it were of the Roman Emperour This new Prince at the first made no shew that he purposed ought to diminish the authority of the Emperor but only took care of the affaires of the Church wherein whiles he was so employed the strength of the Emperour Empire flourished But afterwards he began to thinke how to benefite himselfe of that opinion of religion and holinesse which he held and to attaine hereunto he doubted not to intreat the Emperour that by his authority he might hold the souereignty ouer all Churches The cause that this new Prince alleaged was that Rome was alwayes the Lady of the whole world and therefore was it meet that the Bishop of that city shuld go before other Bishops in degree dignity To obtaine this was a thing most difficult For albeit that the Emperour let it slip yet did the Bishops of other nations confidently gainesay him alleaging lawfull causes why they withstood him vnwilling to acknowledge the Bishop of Rome otherwise then for a brother companion and in power equall with them Notwithstanding all this he of Rome forslowed not but continually vrged to attaine to his purpose vntill he obtained of Phocas the Emperour who murthered Mauricius his good Lord and Emperour that which he would and so called himselfe vniuersall Bishop and what besides he best pleased Here may ye see that olde Rome was founded vpon one murder and the new which is the Popedome vppon another In this concerning the primacie was the Pope merely oposit to Christ who sharpely in his disciples reproued the like strife and ambition But the Pope mounted to this height by the benefit of the Emperours did nowe further dare to promise to himselfe greater matters yet long time proceeding with great dissimulation A hundred yeares almost after the death of Constantine the great was the Empire much weakned it lost Fraunce England and Almaine The Hunnes held Italie the Vandals Africke Such was the dissipation that the Emperours leauing Rome which is in the West went to Constantinople where they made their abode The Bishop of Rome seeing the scattering of the Empire minded not to let slippe occasion but armed a question for his parte against the Emperour The chiefe cause was that the Emperour commaunded all statues and Images to be taken out of the Churches So greatly did the Pope withstand this commaund that hee dared to excommunicate the Emperour so much nowe was the horne increased At this time in the East arose vp Mahomet who tooke many landes form the Empire The Emperours notwithstanding would haue it vnderstood that all the dignitie power and Maiestie which the Pope did hold depended vppon them The Pope then to bee freed from this subiection and the warres which the king of Lumbardie made in italie deuised a notable policie and this it was To aduaunce of himselfe another whom he liked and to name him Emperour of the Romans Who accknowledging the benefit should deeme himselfe happie to please and serue him in all that he would And so Charles the great he elected and declared Emperour who had chased out of Italie the king of Lumbardy and enemie to the Pope This caused great anger and strife betweene the Easterne and Westerne Emperours and not betweene them onely but the Churches also of both the one and other partie of all which the couetousnes and ambition of the Pope of Rome were the cause Much contention was there afterwards among the Italians French and Almaynes about the election of the Emperour But in the end when Otho the third Duke of Saxoni◠was Emperour and Gregorie 5. an Almayne Pope order was giuen that seuen electors should choose the Emperour as in the life of this Gregorie the fift we haue declared And this was done to exclude straunge nations that none but an Almayne should be Emperour Great garboyles arose afterwardes betweene the Pope and the Emperour who could no longer endure the vnmeasurable arrogancie and ambition of the Pope Reade the Histories of Henry the third and fourth and of Frederick the first second and to come neerer our time those of the Emperour Charles 5. whose host in the 1527. yeare sacked Rome tooke Pope Clement 7. and held him prisoner This Clement as sang the Spaniardes at the Popes windowe whiles hee was prisoner would haue taken away the cloke from the Emperour as vppon the life of this Clement we haue before declared So also sought Paule the fourth to take away the cloake from our king Don Philip the second The kingdome of Naples would he haue taken from him but the host of the king whose captaine was the Duke Dalua put the Pope into such a straight that he was contented to make peace and chiefly hearing of the taking of Saint Quintans which was in the 1557. yeare as vppon the life of this Paul the fourth before we haue said So proud is the Pope become that he hath made the forme of an oath the which he causeth the Emperour to sweare being in time past his maister and Lord and so Saint Gregorie called Lord the good Emperour Mauricius but now is he his seruaunt and vassall This forme of oath conteyneth that the Emperour by all possible wayes keepe increase and defend the goodes of the Roman Church and chiefe Bishopes their dignitie priueledges and decrees And so no Emperour but if he would be holden infamous a faith breaker durst in any thing contradict him The oath which the Emperour Charles 5. made to Clement 7. or 8. in the 1530. yeare at the time of his Coronation will I here put downe Ego Carolus Romanorū rex c. That is to say I Charles king of the Romans which by Gods assistance hold to be Emperour promise protest affirme and sweare to God blessed S. Peter that I will henceforth be protector and defendor of the chiefe Bishop and of the holy Church of Rome in all their necessities and profits keeping and preseruing their possessions dignities and rightes c. When he had made this oath was Don Charles made king of Lumbardy and after he was king of Lumbardy another oath in this forme hee made Ego Carolus c. I Charles king of the Romanes and Lumbardes promise and sweare by the father sonne and holy Ghost and by the word of the liuing flesh and by these holy reliques that if the Lord permit mee to come to be Emperour I shall to my power aduaunce to holy Romane Church the holinesse thereof and her
tyranny subiected his companions to obey him Also he complaineth that the prophane Sismatikes withdrew themselues to the Bishop of Rome There was none saith he that would doe this but certaine lost and desperate men making men beleeue that the Bishops of Affrike had lesse authoritie thē he of Rome S. Ierome to this selfe same purpose saith Wheresoeuer a Bishop shal be be it in Rome or in Egubium be it in Constantinople or in Regium one selfe same dignity he hath and one selfsame priesthood riches nor pouertie either make him superiour or inferior And so the ancient Doctors as Ireneus Tertullian Hillarius Cyprian c. when they wrote to the Bishop of Rome they gaue him not the glorious titles which the flatterers of our times now giue him Most holy father most blessed Pope chiefe Bishop our Lord God vpon earth they called him brother fellow Bishop companion in office other such like titles which sauored of loue Christian simplicitie not of flattery pride wherewith the miserable Popes are puffed vp rest much contēted And if it seemed to those Fathers that the Bishop of Rome countermāded or in any thing faulted seeing he was a man either in life or doctrine they aduised him if need so required reproued him Thus not once by chance but many times that very sharply did Cyprian handle Stephen Bishop of Rome Ireneus reproued Victor for that through an impudent ambition he excōmunicated the Churches of Asia for the differēce in celebration of Easter Who should now dare to do this albeit the Pope were another Iohn 8. 12. 13. 14. 23. or 24. or were he another Boniface 8. another Syluester 2. another Gregory 7. another Alexander 6 Paule 3. 4. or Pius the fift By diuine law all Bishops are equall and so as brothers are to aduise and correct one another If any difference there bee of Maioritie or Minoritie by positiue lawe it commeth as the Cannonists themselues when the truth doth inforce thē confesse saying Quod omnis maioritas minoritas etiam Papatus est de iure positiuo That all maioritie and minoritie yea the verie Popedome it selfe is by the positiue law as much to say that men haue made it And yet go I further The maiority say I which the Pope hath vsurped ouer all the Churches being against the Lambe of the Apocalyps and against his Saints is not by diuine nor yet humane law I say it is de iure diabolico of the diuell that it is an infernall tyranny against which all the world is to rise vp as against a fire and generall burning which toucheth euery particular person Note here that which in the life of Iohn 24. we haue noted where the Pope by a decree of the Councell of Constance and Basile is proued to be subiect to the Councell and that more ouer which there we haue said Not bluntly and foolishly as they say but with good reason me seemeth do I say this as by the sayings of the Fathers and decrees of ancient Councels we haue sufficiently proued the same And had there bene none to haue said it yet their proper life and doctrine which we haue in the beginning mentioned are most euident testimonies to confirme our sayings By their liues may each one see if of wilfull ignorance he become not blockish foolish and blind the Popes which haue bin bishops of Rome from Boniface the third who was a creature of Phocas the Emperour an adulterer murderer and tyrant vntil Clement 8. or 10. which now tyrannizeth to haue almost bene al noted read their histories of terrible enormious and wicked vices and sinnes Witches they haue bene murtherers ill beloued tumultuous troublers of common wealths and kingdomes seditious reuengefull brothellers simonists sodomites periured incestuous Nigromancers sacrilegious wicked without God without religion They then being such we conclude them not to be successors of Peter but of Iudas not to be vicars of Christ but of the Diuell and verie Antichrist But now for more confirmation of that which is said we will alleage certaine passages of holy Scripture which the Papists themselue vnderstand and interpret of Antichrist we will consider if that which the Scripture saith Antichrist shall do and say the Pope doth and saith And seeing that the doctrine and life of the Pope is the very same which the scripture doth say shal be that of Antichrist by the Papists owne confession will we conclude the Pope to be Antichrist The first passage is taken out of Daniel the 11. chapter which saith And the king shall doe what he list By king aswell in this place as chapter 8. 23. and 24. is ment Antiochus a great persecutor of the people of God This Antiochus was a figure of Antichrist which is the Pope Antiochus burned the Bible aduanced his God Mauzim forbad marriage made Idols of gold and siluer adorned them with rich ornaments c. and the same doth the Pope Daniell proceedeth He shall exalt and magnifie himselfe against all that is God and shall speake marueylous thinges against the God of Gods and shall prosper till the wrath be accomplished for the determination is made Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers nor the desires of women nor care for any God for he shal magnifie himselfe against all c. Note here in Daniel 3. notable markes which saith he Antichrist shall haue In whomsoeuer then we shall see them hold we him for Antichrist The 1. is that he shall not acknowledge the God of his fathers 2. is that he shall not regard the loue of women 3. nor care for any God The cause of all this saith he is the excessiue pride The Pope being of the race of Christians which haue worshipped the true God father of our Lord Iesus Christ hath brought into the Church of God where he holdeth his seat Idolatrie and superstition commaunding men in afflictiō calamitie to inuocate another others then God contrary to the expresse cōmandemēt of God Thou shalt haue no other Gods before me and contrary to that which he commaundeth by his Prophet Call vpon me in the day of trouble There is no commaundement of God either in the old or new Testament that commaundeth vs to inuocate any other but God alone Neither is there any example of Patriarke Prophet or Apostle which hath called vpon any saue God alone For how shall they call vpon him in whom they haue not beleeued as saith Saint Paule In one onely God we beleeue vpon him onely let vs call This new Doctrine hath the Pope brought into the Church to call vpon others then God alone Therefore is he Antichrist Who hath forbidden Christians to reade the law of the Lord the bookes of the Prophets Apostles and Euangelists The Pope Who burneth these holy bookes and those that for instruction of their conscience read them The Pope Who hath taken vppon him authoritie
alwayes of long time before hath bene the common way to obteine the Popedome How often hereof complained Platina and the other writers of the liues of the Popes What shal be come of them that liued in the time of Sisme 30. Sismes as Onufrius Panuinus a most papisticall author noteth it haue bene in the Church A Sisme hath bene which 50. yeares endured For from Clement 7. vntil our Spanish Clement 8. renounced hauing poped foure yeares after that Benedict 13. a Spaniard also dyed in Spaine so many yeares passed What shall become of them that liued in the time that foure Popes Victor Alexander 3. Calistus 3 and Pascall in the time of the Emperour Frederiâ—ke Barbarossa were ioyntly together What shall become of those that in the time of 3. Popes Benedict 8. or 9. Siâ—â—ester 3. and Gregorie 6. liued And all they three at one instant held residence in Rome Benedict had his seat in the Palace of Lateran Siluester in S. Peters and Gregorie in Saint Maries the great But the Emperour Henry 3. deposed them all three Somewhat before the Councell of Constance was holâ—eÌ„ Gregorie 12. Benedict 13. Alexander 5. excommunicated one another In Rome was Gregorie made Pope Benedict in AuinoÌ„ Alexander in the CouÌ„cel of Pisa which of these 3. will they hold for Pope what shall become of them that in the time of the Pope Sergius 3. and of Pope Benedict 9. or after other 8 liued Each one of these 2 was 3 times Pope Read their liues These by force deuises bribes were made Popes But came others more strong more cunning in deuises and greater bribes cast theÌ„ forth but recouering strength they eftsonnes returned and cast out them that had cast them our This done the other againe reâ—uâ—ned and cast them out These the 3. time for the 3. â—ime was gotten the victorie returned to be Pope What shamefull heades of the Church of Iesus Christ bee these What shal become of them that in the time of vacations which long continewed and wherein were many dissentions and alteraâ—ions liued After the death of Clement 4. was the sea voyd two yeares 9 monethes and â— dayes After the death of Nicholâ—s 4. was the sea voyd 2 yeares 3 monethes 2 dayes After the death of Clement 5. was the sea voyd 2 yeares three monethes 17 dayes Marcelinus as saith D. Illescas being dead the seat of S. Peter was voyd 7 yeers a halfe 25 dayes And Illescas addeth that Damascus and many other authors affirme the same But Platina satih it was void 25 dayes In such times as these what was the Church How miserable was the state of a Christian if he could not be saued except he beleeued the Pope to be his head What should he do in the time of foure Popes of 3. of 2. In the time of heretike Popes Simonists and to passe ouer worse things whoremongers of so long vacatioÌ„s But most happie is the state of a good Catholique Christian Not vpon men but Christ his head is his faith founded He beleeueth that he caÌ„not die he beleeueth that he once died to destroy the sin of al those that beleeue in him but that being now set at the right hand of his father making intercession for vs he liueth eternally He himselfe is the chiefe Bishop and of such a one and not of the Pope haue we neede To Christ then be glory and Empire and to the Pope confusion and shame let al those which desire that the kingdome of God may come say ioyntly with me Amen so be it Willing now to conclude this Treatise of the Pope briefely wil we here set down by way of an appendix or addition some of the blasphemies which the Pope teacheth or commandeth to be taught for seldoÌ„e or neuer he either preacheth or readeth whereby may be vnderstood what is al his doctrine which he coÌ„mands vs to beleeue adore as if it were Gods word it selfe And woe to him that will not beleeue it to the fire he coÌ„deÌ„nes him for a dogge an heretike a LutheraÌ„ God haue mercy vpon theÌ„ open their eies This then is his doctrine that followeth The Roman Bishop is God Dist 96. cap. Satis and enidenter Baldo in L. vlti C. sentent rescin Decio in C. 1. de Constitut Felino in C. Ego N. de Iure iurando The Pope is not man Lib. 1. sexti de eloctione tit 6. cap. fundamentum in Glossatore The Pope neither is God nor man In prologo Clementinarum in Glossatore Wherein he appeareth to be very Antichrist because Christ is God and man It is lawfull for none to will or breake the commandements of the Sea Apostolique dist 20 ca. Nulli Item dist 12. 22. Whosoeuer obeieth not the statutes of the Pope is an heretike Ibid. in Glos He committeth Sacriledge which lieth to the Pope For he holdeth in earth the place of the liuing God De panitent dist 1. câ— Libenter ignosco The Pope is Bishop of all the world lib 5. sextica Foelicis in Gloss The Pope holdeth the principality of al the world lib. 3. sexti tit 16. cap. Periculoso No man dare say to the Pope Lord why doest thou so In Extrauag tom 22. tit 5. cap. Ad Apostolatus in Gloss 2. Decretal tit 7. cap. 5. Vide Glossam The Pope by these wordes thou art Peter or Feede my sheepe hath obteyned the primacy In Proaemio sexti in Gloss No man may iudge the Pope Caus 9. quest 2. ca. Nemo Item aliorum dist 40. ca. si Papa ca. 12 quest 2. ca. Quisquis in Gloss dist 50. ca. Non nos in Glossatore To none it is permitted to iudge of the iudgemeÌ„t giueÌ„ by the sea Apostolike nor reuoke his sentence ca. 17. quest 4. ca. Nemini The Pope dispenseth against the Apostle Dist 34. ca. Lector in Gloss dist 28 ca. Presbiter in Gloss caus 15. q. 6. ca. autoritatem in Glossatore The Pope hath a heauenly iudgement li. 1. Decret Grego tit 7. ca. Quinto The Pope can change the nature of things ibidem The Pope of nothing can make some thing ibidem The Pope his wil serueth for a reason in that he wil do ibidem The Pope can dispence with the law of God ibidem Of vnrighteousnes can the Pope make righteousnes ibidem The Pope holdeth the fulnesse of power ibidem How great a difference there is betweene the Sunne the Moone so great is it betweene the king and the high Bishop Lib. Decret Gregor tit 33. Solitae Those that are vniustly condemned ought to haue restitution by the Church of Rome and the oppressed succor Caus 2. quest 6. ca. Ideo And because Iesus Christ speaking of himself saith al power is giuen me of my father aswell in heauen as in earth The Romists here vpon conclude â—rgo the Pope absolutely commaundeth in heauen and in earth And for that God saith Daniel
displaceth and placeth kings and transferreth kingdomes from one nation to another Ergo say they the Pope hath authoâ—iâ—ie to dispose kingdomes giuing them to whom he will and taking them from whom he listeth Herehence came it that kinges and Emperours began striâ—ingly to kisse their feete beeing present or by their Embassadous being absent Hence it is that the Emperour himselfe â—erueth him for a horse boy holding the stirrop to his Sathanship when he mounteth on horsebacke And yet brawleth the Pope if he hold not the stirrop featly So shamelesse was Pope Boniface 8. that he made an Article of faith without which there could bee no saluation That the Pope aswell in the temporalltie as spiritualltie is absolute Lord presenting himselfe in the Iubile to the viewe of all men with a keye in the one hand and a Sword in the other His successor Pope Clement the sixt not contenting himselfe to commaund kinges and Emperours dared in a bull to commaund the Angels In the Popes Rota which is his Chauncerie was it concluded and determined that whatsoeuer the Pope doth God holdeth for good and approueth it That the will of the Pope is the rule of all lawe and Iustice That the Pope may doe absolutely in this world all whatsoeuer God doth Seeing that he is all and aboue all thinges And that if hee chaunge his opinion it ought to be presumed that God also hath chaunged That ableit the Pope should send many thousands of soules to hell none can reproue him That the power extendeth to heauen earth and hell it selfe That from him may no man appeale to God That he may dispence and commaund against the Epistles of S. Paul as hee that is greater then Paul The same may he doe against the old Testament as hee that is greater then the authors of the old Testament And yet haue they gone further they haue disputed whether the Pope might dispence against the Gospell Whether the Pope hath more power then Saint Peter Whether the Pope be simple man or as God Briefly the deuill hath so farre further proceeded that a little before the comming of Luther and afterwards also it was disputed in the schooles whether the Pope did participate as did Iesus Christ of the â— natures to wit diuine and humane Better should they haue demaunded if the Pope were an Hermophrodit which well may be because a woman hath bene Pope Read Erasmus Annot. 1. caput 1. Epistle ad TimotheuÌ„ They also disputed to vse their proper Latine An mille Angels possint saltare in summitate digiti To wit whether a thousand Angels might daunce one the end of a fingar Item an Christus sub forma scarabei posset saluare genus humanum Whether Christ in forme of a beetle could saue mankind Item whether the Pope were more mercifull then Christ O blasphemy they conclude yea The reason which they giue is this That it is not read in all the scripture That Iesus Christ drewe any soule out of Purgatorie But the Pope of his great pietie and mercy an infinite number of Soules doth daily deliuer And yet go they further and in their disputations conclude that the Pope hath power to kindle and quenche the fire of Purgatorie Flattering the Pope conclude they in all these questions lying against their owne consciences and making no reckoning of the honour onely due to God nor of his onely sonne Christ Iesus And Ca. Quoniam de imunit in 6. the Pope saith we not willing to contemne our Iustice nor that of our spouse the Church The Church is well knowne to haue no other spouse but onely Christ The Pope passeth further Hee saith and commaundeth that so it be said and preached and that we also so beleeue the vertue and holinesse of his seate to be such and so great that what wicked man soeuer how impious periured and abhominable hee be which shall sit therein euen then in a moment for hauing sitten therein is altered and changed to another man and is made holy But heare we the selfe same words which the beast himself speaketh as in Ca. Non nos dist 41. they be written and these they be The blessed S. Peter transferreth to his successors together with the inheritance of innocency an euerlasting dowery of merits That which to him was granted by the light of his workes pertaineth to those that be lightened with like clerenesse of conuersation For who may doubt him to be holy which is lifted vp to the height of dignitie wherein if he want goods gotten by his owne merit those that are giuen by the predecessor of the place suffice c. If this were truth then no Pope should be euill either in life or Doctrine sith that in being Pope he is learned and holy and in a word to speake all he is God vpon earth and so all whatsoeuer he doth God approueth it in heauen But the liues of the Popes by vs recited and the same liues also which the Popes parasites haue written doe shew vs the contrary This is that seate papall this is the heritage which one Pope inheriteth of another that one sitting therein were he not so euill before he is made euill And if he were euill he becommeth most euill and in the end each one is made the sonne of perdition and man of sinne opposing and lifting vp himselfe against all that is called God or that is worshipped So that as God he sitteth in the Temple of God shewing himselfe that he is God All these things which here we haue gathered together concerning the doctrine of the Pope are blasphemies such as were the diuell himselfe clothed with humane flesh he could not speake greater nor more horrible yet for all this art thou blind ô Spaine and seest not nor yet knowest thou Antichrist whom supposing thou doest seruice to God and honour to Iesus Christ his sonne thou adorest and honorest God shewe thee his mercie and open the eyes of thine vnderstanding that thou maist reade heare and vnderstand the will of God which his Maiestie hath reuealed in his holy Scriprure without the reading or meditation whereof vnpossible it is for a man to attaine to the truth Search saith Iesus Christ the Scripture for they be those that testifie of me so by consequence of Antichrist also When with the Spirit of humilitie thou shalt well haue read and meditated vpon them thou shalt then vnderstand how great hath bene thy blindesse and ignorance Then turning thy selfe hartily to the true God that created redeemed and sanctified thee thou shalt abhorre the idols of siluer and the Idols of gold which thy sinfull hands as saieth Esaie haue made And thou blind and ignorant supposing thou didst great seruice to God diddest honor and adore them Then shalt thou cast them from thee stampe them in peeces and consume them so greate shall be thy hatred against Idolatrie Then then by how much
the more thou of all other nations of the world in these last times hast abased and deiected thy selfe to serue and adore this monster this man of sinne this sonne of perdition this whore clothed with scarlet purple adorned with so great store of gold precious stoâ—s this beast this Antichrist this thy Pope this thy God vpon earth by so much the more holding thy selfe ashamed confounded for that which thou hast done because thou so much louest and more esteemest honor then other nations thou shalt abandon abhorre him and shalt practise his vtter ruine and destruction God giue thee that grace that quickly for the sacrifice sake which Iesus Christ his sonne our chiefe and only high Bishop our redeemer and Lord vnto him hath offered Amen For the healpe of memorie haue we heare placed a table wherein is plainely declared the Pope to be Antichrist which is the summe of of this first Treatise An end of the first Treatise A briefe table wherein most clearely euidently is declared who Antichrist is and by what markes he may bee knowne The necessitie of this Doctrine is first declared AS it behoueth the Christian Church and euery faithfull member thereof to know Iesus Christ the Lord and followe his Doctrine with all obedience So is it meete that euery faithfull Christian should perceiue and know what the holy scripture doth teach concerning Antichrist to the end that all the faithfull may truly know him and knowing him flie from him and beware his deceites And if the Apostles themselues in the Primitiue Church forewarned the faithfull of the daunger and comming of the great woolfe as in the 2. Thes 2. 3. 4. c. 1 Ioh. 2. 18. c. appeareth How much more now in this old age of the world wherein all iniquitie aboundeth the end of all thinges approcheth ought we to esteeme this Doctrine necessarie 2 Concerning the name of Antichrist and how the holie scripture speaketh touching the same Antichrist is a Greeke word and asmuch to say as contrarie to Christ For as Antipapa is hee who not beeing Pope attributeth to himselfe the whole authoritie and power of the Pope So is he Antichrist that opposeth himselfe to Christ attributing to himselfe that which is proper to Christ The holie scripture of Antichrist speaketh two manner of waies For as this word Christ or anointed is sometimes generally taken Psalme 105. verse 15. Touch not mine Annointed where by annointed all the faithfull that hold Communion with Christ are vnderstoode And properly againe when Christ our Lord is mencioned So by this word Antichrist is some time generally vnderstoode all such as in Doctrine oppose themselues to Christ 1. Iohn 2. 22. and cap. 4. 3. But then properly it mentioneth Antichrist when it noteth an head of an abominable kingdome which head lifteth vp it selfe against Christ as in 1. Ioh. 2. chap. 18. where the Apostle saith that Antichrist should come It is to be noted that as many things in the scripture foretold of Christ are applyed to some persons which were types and figures of Christ as Dauid Salomon Zerubbabel c. Which properly and truly are meant of Christ and in him accomplished so many things also foretold of Antichrist Dan. 7. 8. 20. 21. 25. chap. 8. 23. 24. 25. chap. 11. 36. and 1. Timoth. 4. 1. 2. 3. are applyed to certaine tyrants and heretikes as forerunners and types of Antichrist but properly to Antichrist in him are fulfilled 3 Whether Antichrist be come The Papists say that Antichrist is not yet come but shal come teach they of the race of the Iewes of the Tribe of Dan be borne in Babylon brought vp in Chorazain and Bethsaida and shall reigne in Ierusalem c. with sundrie such like inuentions of man not warranted by authoritie of holie Scriptures But wee say that Antichrist is alreadie come and that will wee prooue by the testimonies of the holy Scriptures For the same thing nowe is befallen the Papistes which in time past when Christ Iesus our redeemer did manifest himselfe in the world happened to the Iewes For as the Iewes with the Apostles did beleeue and confesse the Prophetes to haue spoken manie things touching the Messias but not beleeued nor confessed that the promised Messias then was come nor that Iesus borne of the Virgin Mary in Bethelem was that true Messiah Euen so doe the Papistes at this day fully confesse with vs that many thinges in holy Scripture are foretolde concerning Antichrist yet beleeue they not nor confesse that he is come but say he shall come as the Iewes did of the Messias We say then that Antichrist is already come Let vs see now who he is and by what marks he may be knowne 4 Who Antichrist is and by what markes he may be knowne This question in former time was hard and obscure but now Antichrist being reuealed is Verie cleere and easie For as this is the true Messias in whom all things foretold by the holie Ghost concerning the Messias are fulfilled So is and ought this to be truly Antichrist in whom all thinges foretold of Antichrist by the Prophets and Apostles do properly belong and are fulfilled Let vs then consider what the holie Ghost in holie scripture hath spoken of Antichrist which we will deuide into three points 1 Of the time of his reuelation 2 Of the place of his seate and being 3 Of his estate life and Doctrine The time of Antichrists reuelation is signified by Dan. cap. 7. 5. 8. when he saieth A litle horne arose vp among the other hornes in the heade of the fourth Beast The Prophet declareth that the kingdome of Antichrist should rise vp in the Romane Empire which was the fourth Monarchie signified by the fourth Beast The Apostle Saint Paule well noteth the time of the reuelation and comming of Antichrist when he writeth 2. Thestal 2. 3. Let no man deceaue you by any meanes for that day shall not come except there come a departing first that that man of sinne bee disclosed euen the sonne of perdition Cleerely signifieth the Apostle that after an Apostasie Antichrist shall come True it is that from the Appostles time haue bene some forerunners of Antichrist of whom we read Io. 1. 18. 22 c. And that then the Mysterie of iniquitie did worke 2. Thes 2. 7. yet could not the kingdome of Antichrist increase whiles the Roman Empire flourished But when the Roman Empire should be weakened then should Antichrist be cheife as the same Apostle declareth when he saieth 2. Thes 2. 7. 8. Only he which now withholdeth shall let till he be taken out of the waie And then shall that wicked man be reuealed The place where Antichrist shall holde his seate is noted by Daniel â—1 45. when he sayth And he shall place the Tabernacles of his Palace betwene the seas Saint Iohn also in his Apoc. ca. 17. when he signified Antichrist by a woman arrayed with purple and
king of kings and vnder the name of Pastor he sheweth himselfe a rauening Wolfe and vnder pretence to be S. Peters successor he declareth himselfe the follower of Iudas For as Iudas with a kisse fayned friendship betrayed his Lord so with fayned holinesse and outward ceremonies doth the Pope draw the common people into the chaines and snares of ignorance and superstitions The said title therefore which Christ gaue vnto Iudas Ioh. 17. 12. the Apostle giueth to Antichrist 2. Thess 2. 4. A contemner of mariage when he esteemes it a carnall estate and therefore with such seuerity forbiddeth it to his Clergie that although fornicators and adulterers can easily purchase absolution of their sinnes no pardon remaineth for the Clergie that mary according to the ordinance of God but the same is reputed and punished by the Pope for an vnpardonable sinne Albeit the holy scripture teacheth 1. Cor. 7. 9. That it is better to marry then to burne And Hebr. 13. 4. Marriage is honorable among all men Also 1. Timoth. 3. 2. Euery Bishop must be the husband of one wife Insatiable is the couetousnesse of the Pope and extendeth into all parts For money he pardoneth sinnes selleth ecclesiasticall functions maketh marchandize of his Bulles indulgences Iubilies Reliques Masses praiers and sacraments and compelleth the miserable people to buy his marchandize not on such dayes onely as other marchants vse to traffique but also and principally on the feast dayes the Lords dayes and Sabboths when other men rest And raketh together euery day in the yeare and of all sortes of people euen of the Iewes and Curtesans of Rome A tyrant he is and persecutor of Saints being the cause of the sheding of so much Christiā blood inciting kings princes to persecute such as contradict him and abandon his Idolatries and superstitions to serue God according to his will and word whom the Pope condemneth for heretiques to be burned and least they should speake putteth a gagge in their mouthes And to fill vp the measure of his crueltie he spareth not Emperours nor kings being the Lords Annointed when they refuse to execute his tyrannies as histories plainely witnesse A deceauer he is sundry waies because he deceaueth the common people with false doctrine and vaine promises with high titles and fayned holinesse with bulles Pardons false miracles and illusions of the diuell c. He is full of impietie because he pleaseth and delighteth himselfe not only in sinne but causeth others also to sinne because he hath depraued the worship of God with idolatrie the authoritie of kings with tyrany The common faith with deceit and the life of his Clergie with shame and filthinesse occasioned by constrayned single life To conclud in the kingdome of the Pope is the fountaine and spring af all abhominations and slaunder according to the old prouerbe The neerer to Rome the worse Christian So the neerer to Antichrist the further from Christ By these demonstrations it appeareth plainely that the Pope is Antichrist whom the Holy scripture hath foretold and by whom the Church of Christ hath so much suffered The second Treatise of the Masse and the holinesse thereof WE haue passed by the Lords assistance the Laborinthe not of Creete but of Rome of the Pope and his Roman Court another much worse and for more intricate troublesōe The Pope haue we proued to be a false Preist and very Antichrist to be the man of sin sonne of perdition to be that whereof whom speaketh S. Iohn in his Reuelation This haue we proued by his euil life wicked Doctrine by the sayings of Doctors and ancient Councels and by three notable passages of holy scripture Now will we shew the Masse which is the second pillar that supporteth and vpholdeth the Roman Church to be a false sacrifice an inuention of the diuell and a profanation of the holy supper which Iesus Christ our redeemer instituted And if such bee the Masse as we will proue it to bee it followeth that wee ought to flie and detest it and so doe we flie and abhorre it as a thing condemned and abhominable before the face of God This done wee will shewe by the Lordes assistance without which we can doe no thing that good is Iesus Christ to be the true and onely priest and chiefe bishop And his propper body blood which he offered vpon the crosse to his father to be the true only sacrifice the memory wherof we shew forth so oftē as we celebrate his holy supper A table wil we place at the end of this Treatise wherein we will shew the conformity vnion and likenesse which the holy supper instituted by Iesus Christ holdeth with the holy supper in the reformed Churches celebrated And thē also wil we shew the differēce disconformity contrariety that the Masse which our aduersaries celebrate holdeth with the holy supper of Christ which is the same we now celebrate As the name of Pope is not found in the holy scripture as little also is there found the name of Masse And doubtlesse had it bene so necessarie for a Christian to beleeue the authoritie of the Pope and holinesse of the Masse without which faith say they it is vnpossible for a man to bee saued It is I say to bee beleeued that Iesus Christ or his Apostles would haue made some mention thereof For all whatsoeuer is necessary for our saluation doth Christ and his Apostles teach vs. Saint Paule speaking to the Ephesians saith Ye knowe that I keepe backe nothing that was profitable but haue shewed you and haue taught you openly and throughout euery house Witnessing both to the Iewes and Grecians the repentance and faith in our Lord Iesus Christ But this holy Apostle so diligent in teaching that which we ought to beleeue maketh no mention of the Pope nor of the Masse Hereuppon it followeth that to beleeue the authoritie of the Pope or holinesse of the Masse is no Article of faith But true it is will they saie vnto me that this word Masse is not found in the scripture but its equiualent is found the supper of the Lord And if we ought to admit the Lords supper thē must we admit this name Missa Whereunto we aunswere that most great Iniurie and wrong doe they to the holie supper which the Lord instituted in saying it to be the same that is their Masse which they haue imagined and forged For how great difference there is betweene Truth and Falshood Light and darkenesse God and Belial So great is the difference betweene the holy supper and the profane Masse Had the question bene concerning the name whether the holy supper were to be called Missa or no. It should not be of great importance Agree wee in the substance of the things and call it as ye list Albeit it bee il done when the holy spirit calleth a thing by such or such name that man dare call it by another name The Apostle calles it
the first in an Epistle to the Clergy and people of Constantinople affirmeth this distribution to be mysticall to be spirituall meate and that therein wee receiue a celestiall power to passe or bee conuerted into the flesh of Christ who for vs tooke vpon him our flesh Ciril lib. 4. cap. 14. vpon Saint Iohn saith So to the faithfull disciples gaue he peeces of bread saying Take c. Also in an Epistle to Calosyrius he sayth It was meete that by meanes of his holy flesh and precious bloud he shoud in a certaine maner vnite or couple himselfe with our bodies which by the liuely blessing in the bread and wine we receiue Hesychius lib. 20. vpon Leuit cap. 8. saith By this he commandeth to eat the flesh with the bread that we might vnderstand hee called it a mysterie which is bread and flesh ioyntly togither Gelasius doth witnesse against Eutiches that in the Eucharist the substance and nature of the bread and wine in no wise ceaseth to hold their being And that moreouer which before we haue said Gregorie the first in his Register saith When we receiue as wel the bread without leauen as the leauened wee are made the body of the Lord our Sauiour Bertram in the booke which hee made of the bodie and bloud of the Lord speaking of the nature of the Symbols sayth that according to the substance of creatures the symbols which be the bread and wine bee the same after consecration that before they were But why alleage I one place of Bertrams booke sith the whole booke doth purposely handle this argument and concludeth the same that we now affirme with the holy Scripture and many sayings of the Fathers Ambrose Ierome Augustine Fulgentius c. confirmeth Bertram his doctrine and confirming his doctrine which is the same with ours it weakeneth and ouerthroweth that of our aduersaries which sayth the bread and wine in the sacrament to bee the very same body and bloud of Christ in flesh bones and sinewes which was borne dyed and rose againe c. But the bodie of Christ saith Bertram is in two maners one in flesh and in bones c. which was borne and dyed c. and the other spirituall which is that which is giuen in the sacrament and also he saith that the spirituall body of Christ and his spirituall bloud vnder the couerture of the corporall bread and of the corporal wine remaine At the request of Charles the Great wrote Bertram this booke as he himself in the end of his book speaking of Charles the great to whom he dedicated the same saith The occasion he had so to didicate it was for that As Bertram saith in the beginning of the booke Charles the Great had demanded of him whether the body and blood of Christ which in the Church is receiued with the mouth of the faithful be in mistery or really in truth receiued So that it is now aboue 760. yeeres past sithens this booke was written Iohannes Trithemius giueth this Testimony of Bertram Bertram was saith Trithemius much conuersant in the holy scripture very learned in humane science eloquent he was and no lesse excellent in life then in Doctrine S. Bernard is the sermon of the supper of the Lord by the similitude which he putteth of a ring sheweth that he is wholy for vs. Now to close vp this band of the fathers which against transubstantiation of diuerse times diuerse regions we haue alleaged we will set downe one most learned godly This is Theodoret bishop of Cyr that wrote the ecclesiastical historie He flourished about the yeare of our Lord 451. For he was present in that famous Councell of Chalecdon in the company of 630. bishops which condemned Diâ—scorus These bishops with great curtesie honorable titles did honor Theodoret being present in the Councel calling him catholique true pastor Doctor of the Church The same witnesseth Leo 1. Bishop of Rome in an epistle which he wrote to the foresaid Theodoret. And it is to be beleeued that had not Theodoret rightly thought of so high a mystery As is the sacrament of the body bloud of Christ that a Councel and one of the most famous that hath bin wherin were 630. bishops wold not haue called Theodoret catholike true pastor of the church c. In the 2. Councel of Ephesus was this Theodoret vniustly depriued from his bishopirck because he would not take parte with the heretike Eutiches But in the Councell of Chalcedon with great honor praise was his bishopricke restored If that which Theodoret then thought taught touching the Doctrine of the sacrament were catholike the same also shall it now be for the same which then was truth is now truth Very truely spake this Theodoret against transubstantiation in a booke God would should be printed in Rome for the greater confusion of the Romists which cannot deny that Theodoret is wholly for vs. But they excuse him with saying that this question of transubstantiation the Church had not yet determined Thus may the Pope for he is all in all cause that the Doctrine which in old time was catholike true be now hereticall wicked and that which then was hereticall and wicked be now catholike and good But if an Angel from heauen saith S. Paul shall preach another Gospel other Doctrine then that which he had taught such a one should be cursed Theodoret in his Dialogues bringeth in 2 persons which dispute of good things of thinges touching Christian religion The one called Orthodoxo and the other Eranistes Then saith Orthodoxo dost thou know that God hath called the bread his proper bodie Eran. I knowe it Ortho. knowest thou also that in an other place his flesh he calleth wheate Eran. This doe I also knowe c. And a little lower Ortho. In the same distribution of the misteries The bread he calleth bodie the cuppe mingled blood Erannist So doth he suerly call them Ortho. But also hath power to be called a bodie according to it nature his bodie surely and his blood Erannist It is clere Ortho. But the same our sauiour chaungeth the names and giueth vnto his bodie the name of symboll and contrariwise to the Simboll giueth hee the name of bodie After the same manner also when he had said of himselfe that he was a vine the same blood called he a Symboll Eranist This hast thou well spoken But I would learne also the cause why the names are chaunged Ortho. This is the marke whereat those ayme which professe religion For I would not that they which be partakers of the diuine misteries should settle their minds vpon the nature of those things which are seene but that by the change of the names they may beleeue that transmutation which is wrought by grace For hee which called his natureall body wheate and bread and called also himselfe a vine he himself honoreth the
possesse them incorporateth them into himselfe and he incorporateth himselfe into them These be they alone which receiue not only the bread wine but also the sacramēt of the body bloud of Christ by the bread by the wine signified receauing the sacramēt of the bodie bloud of Christ they receiue truly really the glorious body bloud of christ yet not carnally but spiritually by faith As before we haue said would our aduersaries admit this so true and cleare doctrine that bringeth with it no absurdities but rather taketh away manie which the word of God doth teach vs and the ancient Doctors doe witnesse they would not beleeue that the mouse the chicken the poore Chough c. doe eate the bodie of Christ but a peece of bread and that but of small substance and so would they not burne nor being burned preserue their ashes I cannot omit here to tell that which on the same day of Corpus Christi did an Inquisitor in Bercelona The tale is this It is 34. or 35. yeares little more or lesse since that being to go in solemne procession which with so great pompe and triumph is vpon this day of Corpus Christi accustomed to be done through out all Spaine and the Priest hauing now sung the high Masse which wontedly is the last vpon that day for all the Priests will that day go in procession it then hapned that the consecrated Host which was to be put in the boxe was so great that it could not be placed in the same This seen the preparation staied and there was none in that famous companie that could tel in such a case what ought to be done But in the end the wisest of the cōpany were of opinion that another Masse should be sayd and an Host consecrated of the like bignes with the boxe but grieuous it was vnto them to waite so long it might be also that no Priest was found which had not already said his Masse and broken his fast the better to be able to go in procession which as that day is very solemne and is farre in going and comming In this famous companie was there an Inquisitor much spoken of called Molon This man impatient to suffer so much delay waite so long a time presuming vpon his Inquisitory authority demanded a paire of sheeres wherewith he clipped the consecrate Host so that he made it fit for the boxe and so the procession went forward It is to bee thought that some did abhorre the rashnesse of the Inquisitor and sighed to see their God and Creator as they call the sacrament so handled by the wicked hands of the Inquisitor Others would say otherwise This is most certain that had any other but the Inquisitor committed such an offence and chiefly had he bene of any race of a new Christian he should not I suppose haue escaped with life one by one al that he had he should haue lost The chastisement wherewith Signor Molon was punished for so enormious a fault was that they depriued him of his inquisitors Office in Barcelona but because so notable an Inquisitor should not be idle they prouided for him the office of the inquisitor at Seuill where hee better might vse his handes in the time of the great persecution which a few yeares before was raised as in the life of Pius the 4. and the 1557. yeare we haue declared This was the great punishment which they gaue to better him withall We will then conclude this Treatise with a notable history reported by Don Rodrigo Archbishop of Toledo who ended his history as himselfe at the end thereof witnesseth in the yeare of the Lord 1243. and in the 26. yeare of king Don Fernando and in the time of the great vacation of Gregorie 9. So that it is now three hundred fifty fiue yeares since he wrote it The said Archbishop in his sixt booke and twentie fiue chapter That the Office which they call Toledano by Isidorus and Leander ordayned was throughout all Spaine celebrated vntill king Don Alonso the sixt which wanne Toledo at the instance of his wife Queene Constance Frenchwoman sent to Rome to Pope Gregory 7. requesting him that the Toledan Office being taken away the Roman Office throughout all Spaine might be vsed c. And in the 26. chap. he saith that Pope Gregory 7. at the petition of king Don Alonso sent one Ricardus Abbot of Saint Victor to set in good order the Churches of Spaine This Legate sent by the Pope as the same Archbishop reporteth did wickedly gouerne so that he was depriued from his office Before he was depriued he much disturbed the state Ecclesiasticall and common wealth of Spaine For the Legate and the King caused them to take the French Office and to leaue the Toledan wherein they and their Ancestors had beene brought vp by the space almost of fiue hundred yeares which was from Saint Gregorie the first in whose time liued Saint Leander and his brother Saint Isidor Archbishops of Seuil vntill this Gregorie the seuenth in whose time reigned Don Alonso the sixt and so vppon a certaine day for his pleasure was this matter very truly debated in the presence of the king the Primate the Legate and the people The Ecclesiasticall state Nobilitie which the Archbishop calleth Militia and people did purposely much withstand it endeuouring what they could that their seruice should not be changed But the king perswaded by his wife a French-woman insisted with threates vnlesse it were chaunged The conclusion was thus Two knights were named to fight the one for the king which should defend the French Office the other for the Nobilitie and Communaltie of Spaine which should maintaine the office of Toledo Hee that tooke part with the king was vanquished the people seeing the knight of the Toledan Office was victor reioyced But so greatly was the king pricked forward by the Queene that hee would not chaunge his purpose ' saying That the single fight or combat of two was not law The knight which sought for the Toledan Office was of the linage of the Matienças whose race as yet liueth And when for this cause arose great tumult for the Nobilitie and people did greatly mutine it was determined that the booke of the Toledan Office and the booke of the French Office should bee cast into a great fire all being first commanded to assemble and pray together Then after they had deuoutly ioyned together and prayed both the one booke and the other were cast into the fire And the booke of the Toledan Office arose vp safe and sound without dammage aboue all the flames of the great fire All which saw those that were present gaue thanks vnto God But the king being of an high stomacke and bold executor of his will neither feared by the miracle nor moued by request perseuered rather in his purpose threatening the losse of goods and life to those that should resist him
that they are certayne lost persons and without reformation they taught a grosse error which ought in no wise to be suffered That the holy virgin was conceiued without sin He told them also that they should highly houour an Image of the holy virgin which their Fryars had made by a certaine Arte that distilled teares by the eyes as though it had wept All this at first was beleeued that red bloud was adored As the verie bloud of Christ and was sent to great Lordes as an incomparable Treasure Great concourse there was to the weeping Image So well knew the Dominickes to draw water to their mill that they onely were holden for holie and so caried they all the Almes and deuotions of the people And the poore Franciscans were cast aside and no man made reckoning of them The Franciscans then seeing themselues so despised and perceiuing like people as well exercised in false miracles as were the Dominickes and the rest of the popish Clergie the craft and deceit of the Dominickes vsed great diligence to discouer the villany So much did they that at last it was discouered The foure principal Authors of this Tragedy in the one thousand fiue hundred ninth yeare were burned and the rest were pardoned Those deceauers that so shamelesly make a mockery of religion besides these aforesaid confessed in their torments great abhominations As the papists themselues that wrote this Historie doe witnesse wherein the Pope sending His Legate for this purpose put all to scilence For he feared to loose his ecclesiasticall persons which so great seruice with their false miracles haue done and doe vnto him For well vnderstandeth the Pope their superstitions and Idolatries whereof their religion is full to haue bene inuented or at the least confirmed with like deceipts of fayned apparitions reuelations and false miracles Into this reprobate sence God leaueth them to fall for not reading of the holie Scripture which is the onely rule of the well liuing and seruing of God As his maiestie will be serued But returne we now to our holy Nunne who with ful gale vntill now most happily sayled and set as say the Gentiles on the toppe of Fortunes wheele so much as was possible of small and great Aswell in Portugal as else where was esteemed and reuerenced O how often of her was it sayd Blessed is the wombe that bare thee and the pappes that gaue thee sucke Shee nothing wanted in this world to be wholy blessed but that then shee should die O how great a Saint shall hell possesse O how great a Saint hath the Roman Church lost Now that we haue hard the Pro Let vs heare the Contra. From this spouse of Iesus Christ so holie so charitable and so miraculous would the true Iesus Christ not her husband which was the diuell that the Maske of hypocrisie wherewith she was couered should be taken away her abhominations wickednes superstitions Idolatries discouered And so at the end of the admirable yeare 1588. was she condemned as a certaine booke which at the beginning of the yeare following being the 1589. was printed at Seuil doth witnes from whence word for word haue I drawne that I will say against other The title thereof is this A Relation of the holinesse and woundes of Mother Mary de la Visitation which was Prioresse de la Annuntiada of Lisbon and that which was declared in the Sentence which was giuen All the booke will I not set downe but the principall points thereof will I take for my purpose Thus then it beginneth Hauing committed the verification of the woundes and holinesse of Marie Prioresse de la Annunciada of the order of Saint Dominick to the most reuerend and illustrious Archbishoppes of Lisbon and Braga the Bishop de la Guardia the Prouincial of Saint Dominiks order the Inquisitors of this Citie of Lisbon and Doctor Paulo Alfonso of his maiesties Councell The sayd Lordes went to the Monastery vppon the said verification and examination by the testimony of many Nunnes of the sayd Monastery which consentingly declared that the holinesse of the Prioresse was fayned and the woundes painted The information ended the sayd Prioresse was brought before them whom they commaunded to sweare vppon the Masse booke and Christ crucified that shee should say the truth of that should be demaunded of her And if shee so sayd that God should helpe her And if not that the diuell should carry her away Frst how sayd she that she had oft times seene the mother of God And how had she the woundes By the oath she had made she answered That at nine or tenne yeares of age shee entred into the Monastery And after she had made profession being seuenteene yeares olde one day as she was praying to her was it reuealed that God would cherish her And that anonother like day when shee was at prayer came the Angels and put a Crowne of thornes vppon her head which wounded her And many dayes after being in prayer Christ crucrufied apeared vnto her and of the beams that issued from his woundes were those which she had imprinted And Christ whom she called husband oftentimes appeared to her and talked with her and holpe her to say ouer the praiers and that she confessed to this confessor that she said Gloria Patri tibi Spiritui sancto The Confessor told her she should no more say so but Gloria Patri Filio Spiritui sancto as saith the holy mother the Church And in a conference which shee had with her husband she told him that which her Confessor had sayd vnto her And the husband answered she should doe what her Confessor had commanded her The foresayd Fathers seeing she sought each way to make her selfe holy and yet all was fayned as the other Nunnes declared vnto them they perswaded her to say the truth of that which had passed seeing all was fictions and so to them it appeared by information which they had taken and that shee should craue mercie and so would they haue compassion vpon her But she persisting that no other truth there was but that which shee had sayd as her husband well knew they left her Another day in the Visitation which they had with her they tooke hard sope and hot water and well washed her hands and wounds And when they began to do it she fained to haue great paine And after a while that they had washed them the sayd wounds were taken from her And when she saw they were taken away she fell to the earth and began to weepe sigh and craue mercie and cast her selfe at the feete of the sayd Lords who willing her to confesse the truth shee was wearied and dead said she and that they should leaue her till another day and she would confesse the truth and so they left her in guard of the Nunnes charging them on paine of excommunication they should for no cause leaue her alone Another day the foresaid Lordes returned to
like fictions of wounds and other miracles to deceiue the simple poore common people But now that the Lord hath giuen so great light of his Gospell a verie hard thing shall it bee to be long time manitained with like opinion of holinesse by and by flyeth away hypocrisie by and by God raiseth vp some to speake and write against it Vnhappy therefore was this Nunne as touching the word that in our time and not in their dayes she liued Had those sayd to haue the wounds bene well examined and with hot water and hard sope washed their hypocrisie no no doubt had bene discouered as well as that of our Marie de la Visitacion Wherein as touching the soule were they more vnhappy then she seeing they died in their hypocrisie wherewith they deceiued many and vntill this day do deceiue with it But our Mary liuing of her hypocrisie conuinced in time it may be will she employ her great wit to better purpose and craue mercie at the hands of God whom so wickedly she hath offended And so his Maiestie giue her grace truly to conuert to the true Christian religion which not with dreams nor false miracles but with the word of God it selfe is confirmed His Maiestie shewe her this grace and mercie Had this miserable creature as did the others died before her hypocrisie had bin discouered cannonized had she bene as they were and for â—o holy had bene holden that hardly in all heauen should her Dominickes haue found place to haue set her Had she bene a Franciscan as she was a Dominicke her Franciscans would haue placed her next to Saint Francis in the most highest place of the Quire of the Seraphins ioyning to the seat of Lucifer where they themselues sayd that their Saint Frauncis is placed Much do I maruell at the Lords which examined the processe of this diuelish creature this truly possessed of the diuell another Magdâ—len de la Cruz. Another such as she whom they called in England The holy Mayd of Kent who in the time of Henry the eight king of England did wonderfull and most false miracles Against whom was made processe and all proued to be false and fained as was that of our Nunne For which she was senâ—enced to death and so was executed That which passeth in the Pontificall kingdom is a thing against all â—ustice that one for speaking as in his conscience hee thinketh and according to that which the word of God in the holy scriptures hath reuealed that he knoweth no other Purgatorie but the only bloud of Christ that he knoweth no other righteousnesse but that which is receiued by faith and that none is to be called vpon but God alone by the onely meane of Iesus Christ c. That he shall die without redemption and with greatest disgrace before the world and that Magdalen and Marie and other such like being cursed blasphemers periured in publike audience possessed of the diuell mockers of Christian religion of God and of Iesus Christ his sonne shall liue True it is that they were condemned yet not to bee burned but to certaine Fâ—iaâ— like peâ—anâ—es and restraints Arise Lord iudge thine owne cause Behold those die that confesse thee and they that blaspheme thee do liue Very much I say do I maruell aâ— these Lords which condemned this cursed Mâ—rie that they should vse these words in their sentence which they giue against her All that which this Nunne hath done is and hath bene fained of 〈◊〉 onely that they should hold her for holie and that she had not dealt with nor inâ—ocated the diuell Surely they speake in this let their Lordships pardoâ—â—e against their owne consciences which told them her miracles to haue bene done by the aâ—â—e of the diuell with whom doubtlesse was she verie familiar and he was her husband conductor and guide For how could she do the miracles she did without the helpe of the diuell and her inuocation vpon him That which she saith that Iesus Christ appeared vnto her now accompanied with hee and she saints and now alone that very familiar he was with her that he hoâ—p her to pray ouer the houres that he was her husband and imprinted the wounds vpon her Let all this be fained of her as all is fained that men should take her for holy and more foolish they that beleeued her and did not remember Magdalen de la Cruz. But what will they say vnto me of the diseased and franticke Nunne which was healed as the Prouinciall in his letter witnesseth That the Prouinciall lyed will they say and that the Nun was not healed I think not so Healed she was by the meane which the Prouinciall reporteth by miracle wrought by the diuell What will they say vnto me of the Lady of qualitie that had the â—anker and was healed as the same Prouinciall doth witnesse and saith that all this was taken by faith and testimonie before a Notarie publike by commandement of the Cardinall What will they say vnto mee of the diseased persoâ— who forâ—aken of the Physitions with drinking of the water wherein was the little 〈◊〉 of the wodden crosse which the Prioresse had giuen to Anna Rodriguez was healed What will they say vnto me of this little 〈◊〉 which set it selfe vpright and of the other also that being cast into the water claue vnto and was ioyned with the first so that of them twaine one faire little crosse was made which moued to great deuotion all those that saw it and this was that which the diuell with this false miracle of the crosse pretended to cause theÌ„ to commit Idolatrie of this also was information taken by commandement of the Legat. Of many other such like things that the Prouinciall faith he could declare what will they say vnto me How could these things and the rest bee done without the art of the diuell without his help and inuocation vpon him I demaund of theÌ„ what was that which the three Moores saw in the Prioresse which were things so great maruellous that the Moores were not able to speake To the Archbishop of Lisbon in the presence of the Prouinciall and many others they confessed that they saw neere to the Prioresse Iesus Christ in humane shape put vpon the crosse throughout all Portugall was this miracle published Will they say vnto mee that it was the true Iesus Christ or that it was the illusion of the diuell that it was Iesus Christ will they not say For in their Sentence they say All whatsoeuer this Nunne hath done to haue bene fained It followeth then that it was the diuell in humane shape that appeared vnto her Saint Paul doth aduise vs 2. Cor. chap. 14. that Satan is wont the better to deceiue to transforme himselfe into an Angell of light But here in the businesse of these three Moores much more bold was Sathaâ— transforming himselfe into Christ crucified and taking his forme vpon him O the great patience of God And the Prouinciall