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A16835 The supremacie of Christian princes ouer all persons throughout theor dominions, in all causes so wel ecclesiastical as temporall, both against the Counterblast of Thomas Stapleton, replying on the reuerend father in Christe, Robert Bishop of VVinchester: and also against Nicolas Sanders his uisible monarchie of the Romaine Church, touching this controuersie of the princes supremacie. Ansvvered by Iohn Bridges. Bridges, John, d. 1618. 1573 (1573) STC 3737; ESTC S108192 937,353 1,244

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Deuill and all it coulde that such mysteryes suche vertue such confidence suche seruice of God such forgiuenesse of sinnes consisted in burning a Candle in setting vp a Lampe in offering a Taper in mainteyning a light before an Image or bearing it in Procession Do ye not say in your hallowing of them at Masse Benedic Domine Iesu Christe hanc creaturam c. Blesse Lord Iesu Christ this creature of wax Candle at our supplication and powre into it an heauenly blessing by the vertue of the holy Crosse that thou which hast giuen it to mans vse to repell darkenesse it may receyue by the signe of thy holy Crosse suche strength and blessing that in whatsoeuer places being lighted it bee put the Deuill may depart thence and tremble and flie awaye pale with all his ministers oute of those houses nor presume to disquiet them any more Againe in the next prayer Ut has Candela●… c. That these Candles prepared to the vse of men and to the health of their bodies their soules either on land or water by the inuocatiō of thy holy name by intercession of S. Mary alway virgin whose feasts are this day deuoutly celebrated c. And in the thirde praier that thou vouchsafe to blesse hallow and kindle them ▪ with the light of the heauenly blessing that we by offering them to our God may deserue to be kindled with the holy fyre of thy most swete brightnesse and to be presented in the holy temple of thy glorie All these vertues and many more ye ascribe to your Candles Neither do ye as here ye pretend offer them vp onely to God but to the Saints also chiefly to the Uirgin Marie which as it was so common that it cannot be denied so to cōfirme the same your Legend telleth vs a tale of one that neuer did good déed in his life but that he offred a Taper to the virgin Mary And whē he died he was of Christ cōdemned the deuils had alreadie gottē his soule Then came the virgin Mary put the Taper in his hande had him shift with the deuils so well as he could the soule hauing gotten the Taper stood therwith at his defence euer whē the deuils came nere him he ●…oyned one in the face hit another here another there so lustily he laid about him that he droue with the Taper all the deuils away So notable a force ye ascribed to a Candle offred to the blessed virgin and made the simple people beleue what ye would by these outward Cādles in the darke night mist of error hauing put out and hidden vnder a bushel the true holy Candle the light of our féete lanterne to our steps the blessed worde of God that shoulde haue shewed Christ vnto vs the verye light of the world that came to giue light to those that sit in darknesse in the shadow of death Which spirituall light of Christ and the glorious beames of his Gospell the dimme eies of your soule cannot abide to looke vpō Qui male agit odit lucē c. He that doth yll saith Christ our true light hateth the light cōmeth not to the light least his works shuld be reproued Syth therfore euen as the Owle flieth the light you slie the word of god all these other lights are but mere vnfruitfull workes of darknesse lulling the people a sleepe with these your dreaming fables Yet these fables were let forth in the mother tong that euery man might vnderstād them but in no case the true cādle might shine vnto them In stéed whereof ye set vp a Candle before the deuil For the godly christians are not taught by Christ his Apostles nor the learned auncient fathers to set vp any suche Candles before Christ which Lactantius calleth plaine madnesse Candles in the Church so well as in other places we allowe and vse as did Saint Hierome And therfore where ye obiect Uigilantius to vs we returne euen Hieromes wordes to you Cereos autem in clara a luce c. But we light not waxe Candles at broade day light as thou slaunderest vs in vaine but with this comfort to mitigate the nightes darkenesse to keepe vs awake at the light least we should sleepe in darkenesse beeing blinde with thee And thus Saint Hierome maketh euen you master Stapleton and your Church that haue them in the cleare day light and that to such blind and Idolatrous endes both Uigilantians and Dormantians to Nowe to Ceremonies I answere that such as be decent laudable and to edifying and may set forth Gods glorie we refuse them not We reiect I graunt and that in good considerations the rable of such heathen and Iewish ceremonies that you laded the spouse of Christ withall We are frée from the yoke of the lawe much lesse néede we tye vs to the bondage of Paganisme And frō one of these the most of your ceremonies were deriued Saint Augustine complayned in his time and he liued euen in the time of Uigilantius That they oppressed the Church which God had set free with such slauish burdens that the state of the Iewes was more tollerable who though they knewe not the time of their libertie yet were they but vnder the burthens of the lawe aud not vnder the presumptions of men Thus speaketh Saint Augustine of Ceremonies euen where he mitigateth the matter and beareth with them so much as he coulde But what woulde he haue thought and sayde had he séene such an infinite number as haue crept in since his tune obtruded with such seueritie vrged with such necessitie estéemed with such opinion of holinesse as nothing more yea preferred before the knowledge and expresse commaundements of God beeing nothing but the traditions and inuentions of men If ye obiect Uigilantius to vs as an Heretike for improuing such ceremonies and the abuses of them why call ye not Christ M. St. a starke Heretike also for he obiected euen the same matter to the Scribes Pharisies High Priects that they worshipped God with the traditions of men and therefore saith ●…n vanum ●…olunt me They woorship me in vaine he charged them that they ouer burdened the people with such loade of Ceremonies whereas his yoke was light and easie and reproued them that for those their ceremonies they neglected and transgressed the commandements of god I warrant ye they said as you say by vs that he was a ranke Heretike and accursed and excommunicated him and all that helde with him And do you speake any better of his Ministers I meane not but euen of his worde it selfe in respect of your ceremonies than did they I omitte as now to tell how ye haue defaced his worde how many things ye preferre aboue it onely I will note this how sawcely in the defence of your ceremonies and your other errours contrary to the Scripture ye exalte your selues aboue Gods worde
viewe what either partie brought to offering The Priest brings vitulum a calfe or yong bullocke the king brings taurum a bull I praye ye nowe which of these twaine haue brought the weaker and lesse worthie beast is a calfe in your iudgement stronger than a bull or a bull weaker than a calfe surely then ye haue a weake iudgement If ye say a bull is not so muche worthe as a calfe althoughe then our butchers woulde rather bye bulles of you than calues yet woulde they deme you but for a calfe in so selling them and for so telling them So that by this rule the king bringing to offering the stronger and more worthie beast should be of greater authoritie than the Priest yea the priuate man also shoulde bée of greater authoritie than the high priest For a cowe althoughe it be not so strong as a bull yet is she stronger than a calfe and féedes the calfe and is the calues damme If ye say this is a grosse reasoning for diuine matters it is so in déede Maister Saunders and I am ashamed suche reasons shoulde be vsed but are they not your owne And doe ye not as grossely apply Christs parable of a shepherd and his shéepe truely I knowe not your person Maister Saunders whether ye be such another forepined ghost as Bishop Boner was or no that reasoning of the mysteries of the Lordes supper compared the sacrament to a good fat Capon But these your reasons for your Popes superioritie of a bull and a bullocke of a cow and a calfe of a strong stalfed and iustie beast of a leane and weake vnworthie beast of the first the second and the third place are not onely more grosse and homely stuffe than Bishop Boners Capon but a great deale more fonde reason than was his Yet will not Maister Saunders giue ouer this reason thus but alledgeth more authors for it Theodoretus and Procopius saying But Theodoretus vpon the same matter vseth these words He teacheth how great the dignitie of the Priesthode is which he maketh equall to the people But the Prince that shall haue transgressed any lawe he commaundeth him to offer not a calfe but an he goate or a goate of a yeare olde so farre off is he from the Priestly dignitie to whom the bodily gouernment is cōmitted Last of all Procopius Gazeus on the same place writeth thus Herevpon we may gather ▪ that the Priest is more honorable than the Prince yea the people to shine in greater dignitie than the Prince VVherfore in the olde time certayne Kings adorned themselues with the Priestly dignitie If therfore the Prince be as wel inferior to the people as to the Priest as he that after eyther of them is reckoned vp in the laste place and offers the weake and lesse worthye beast howe can he be esteemed the head of the Church immediatly vnder Christ who hath as well the Christian people as the Byshoppes Christes Ministers betweene him and Christ How this superioritie eyther of all the Churche or of the Ministers of Christ may well consist and yet hinder not the supremacie of the Prince beyng in other respectes both ouer the Ministers and the people is diuers tymes before declared and therefore néedlesse to bée repeated excepte we should followe this vayne of Maister Saunders in repeating so often one thing and that so meane an argument that he might rather be ashamed once to haue penned than thus with these fathers sclender sentēces to haue bolster●… it And yet he cā not driue it to his purpose for still the priest is made but equall at the moste vnto the people for which M. Saunders shooke of Philo before as a Iew and no Christian and here he citeth Christians yet make they no better for him than Philo did But sith the people are again vnder the prince and the Priest at the most is but equall to the people thow so euer his ministration be the more honorable yet it argueth that he is vnder the Princes supreme gouernment so well as are the people And therefore for all these argumentes nothing yet is brought to the contrarie out of the olde testament that the Bishops notwithstanding al the excellencie of their diuine ministerie were not still vnder the supreme gouernement of their Princes Let vs now sée and ye haue any better argument Besides this without al contradiction the Apostle saith That which is lesse is blessed of the better But Aaron stretching out his hand to the people blessed the people therfore Aaron was greater then the people This argumente M. Saunders is yet more handsome and truer than you other grosse and wrested argument was Neither denie we anye partes or the conclusion of it For first it concludeth nothing with or against the Prince but against the people Secondly it is altogether drawne from the action of the ministers functiō which we confesse belongeth not to the Prince But to conclude simply a superioritie in the person thervpon were a presumptuous conclusion both against S. Paules meaning and against God himselfe to make our selues better thā god bicause we blesse him For we saye to God Benedicimus tibi we blesse thee we praise c. O all ye workes of the Lord blesse ye the lord c. Ye muste make therfore your distinction of blessing and shew in what solemne action and signification the high priest blessed them This done we graūt you that the high priest was therin the better whiche nothing hindreth the Princes supreme gouernement But now M. Saunders hauing espied where a king likewise blesseth the people hath a shift also for this saying But if thou saist Salomon blessed the Synagog of Israel and therfore was greater than the synagog Salomon was greater than the synagog without al contradictiō for the scripture can not be broken that saith the lesser is blessed of the better But Salomon sustayned a dubble personage the one of a king the other of a Prophete But as he was a Prophet he was the more notable minister of Christ than for his kingly dignitie and by this reason was greater than they to whom he prophecied and so he blessed the people not by his royall but by his propheticall office But the priests not by an other office but by the priestly office blessed both all the people and much more the king that is inferior to all the people Here first let vs note that M. Saūders himselfe twise placeth the king and his office before the prophet his office Salomon saith he sustained a duble personage the one of a king the other of a prophete and againe he saith and so he blessed the people not by the kingly office but by the propheticall office If then his former reason be good the king is to be preferred before the Prophet But now to his answere to the obiection of Salomō which is in déede but a very shift and the commō shift of M. Harding Dormā
Stapletō and al the residue But howsoeuer they dodge out with it it wil not serue M. Saūders at this time For although it be true that Salomon had also the gift of prophesie yet Salomon did not this as Prophet but as king And in his blessing expressely prayeth for the raigne of his posteritie Neither neede M. Saunders run to this shift for euen Lyra saith et Benedixit c. and he blessed al the congregation not with that blessing that pertained to the priestly office but by wishing good things vnto the people and rendring thanks to God for his good gifts receaued saying blessed be the Lord god c. And in the ende of the Chapter the people blesse him also but this declareth not their superioritie although the kings solemne action declares him their better in his royall office for the establishing whereof he prayeth The like shifte ye make for Moyses and Dauid that they were also prophetes But what say ye to Saule that blessed Dauid 1. Reg. 26. he was in dede Dauids superior and he had béen among the prophetes too whereof the prouerbe arose num et Saul inter Prophetas is Saule also among the Prophetes But trow ye he blessed him as a Prophete and yet in blessing him although he himselfe were accursed he foretold the truth that Dauid shoulde doe great things What saye ye to Iosue that blessed Caleb Iosue 14. yea he blessed two tribes and a halfe of Rubē Gad and Manasses If ye except that he was a prophete too what say ye to Iehu that blessed Iehonadab and yet no prophet to Raguel that blessed Tobias and yet no prophete to Ozias the gouernour of Lethulia and Achior the Ammanite that blessed Iudith and yet no Prophetes nor all of them superiors and therefore this argumente serueth not to inferre gouernement neither alwayes to inferre superioritie neither is this shifte alwayes true that all the blesse are priests or prophetes Althoughe in priests whome Saint Paule speaketh of it argue a superioritie of their function as before is graunted But Maister Saunders hauing gotten hold on this word blessing as though he had founde a newe vaine procéedeth saying And truely when God had rather haue had his people to haue bene blessed of the priests of the Leuiticall kinde and of the prophetes than to haue bene gouerned of a king yet the people asked a King against the will of God which petition God in dede permitted to be fulfilled howbeit he sawe it dyd tend to the contempt of his name whervpō he said to Samuel they haue not cast thee away but me that I should not raigne ouer them For although God raigned ouer his people euen when the kings gouerned them yet he had seemed to raigne in better signification and plainer if the people had obeyed any prophet or priest or Leuite Now that Maister Saunders former proues will fadge no better he séeketh oute all the wayes he can to deface the royall estate of a Kyngs authoritie in comparison of his Priests gouernment He sayth God had rather haue had his people ben blessed of the priests and the prophets thā gouerned of kings dispitefully making these two to be mēbraopposita contraries the one to other The gouernment of kings ▪ and the blessing of Priestes and Prophets As though the people were berefte of the Priestes and Prophetes blessings bicause not they but kings did gouerne them But if the people had still the Priestes and Prophets blessings when Kings gouerned them so well as before then is this opposition no lesse false than malicious And that they had stil the Priests and Prophets blessing is apparant But what meanes M. Saunders to name onely their blessings ▪ did the Priestes and Prophetes nought but blesse would he by so swéete a name reuoke vs to the Popes blessings but he telleth vs else where that the Pope hath cur ▪ sed vs and no maruell for the chiefest parte of his power lyeth in cursing But he loueth cursing and his cursing shall light vpon himselfe and God dothe turne his cursings into blessings But troweth he the Priests Prophets then did curse and ban as the Pope dothe nowe by cause the kings were the supreme gouernours ▪ or that the supreme gouernment belonged first to them and from them was translated to the Kings Howbeit M. Saunders sayth not so but the the priestes and prophets blessed the people But what is that to gouernement the controuersie is of the priestes gouernement and the question here is driuen to this whether God had rather haue hadde the priestes and the prophetes to gouerne the Israelites than the kings Nowe M. Saunders although this be his onely meaning dothe not put nor dare put the question thus as in plain speach he ought to do For knowing that the state then of the Churches gouernement was not so much of the priestes and prophetes as of other ciuil Magistrates called the Iudges it had thē appeared he had said little to his purpose But as though all the state before of the kings had ben of the priestes and prophets he couereth his falsehoode with this fair●… mantell of the priests and prophets Blessinges and mentioneth not their gouernemente whyche is the thing hee shooteth at ▪ Whereas all that time from Iosue the firste Iudge to Saule the fyrste King among so many Iudges we reade but of one Prieste whiche was Helie of one Prophete which was Samuel that gouerned the Church of God And yet these neither gouerned it in respect of priesthood or prophecying or blessing but in respecte of that ciuill authoritie whereby they were called Iudges Thus that estate that he pretendes maketh the more for him maketh as much against him as the state of Kings that followed For whether God had rather haue had the one or the other it still proueth God had rather haue had the ciuil Magistrate were he iudge or king to be the supreme gouernor although at that time the supreme gouernment hapned whiche it seldome dyd to a person ecclesiasticall But God altered this estate and brought it to Kings Neyther dare I saye as Master Saunders very boldly saythe that God had rather haue had the other estate For if he wold he myght haue kepte it still Voluntati eius quis resistit who resisteth his will but it pleased God the state should bée altered and so it was Master Saunders vrgeth this that God was muche offended I graunt he was vnderstanding it not so grossely as Master Saunders séemes to doe but like a Diuine so as we admit in God no perturbation nor change of mynde for God had purposed the chaunge before and liked well of his forepurpose But his displeasure was agaynste the sinne of the people who distrusting of Gods sufficient helpe in the former estate inordinately dyd craue a King and not that hée eyther mislyked the estate of a King or thoughte it the worsser
had not deliuered vs from it and yet sée if these Papistes that can so narrowly spie and proll at euery note in king Henry and kings Edwards dayes can in Quéene Maries dayes espie anye one of these great beames that were such apparante tokens of gods wrath that all men sawe and felt what euents succeeded the refusall of this title and the yéelding it to the Pope nerehand the cleane subuersion of this Realme if we may iudge by sequels Now after Quéene Marie he comes to the Quéenes Maiestie that now God be praised most prosperously raigneth ouer vs. But vvhen very many giuen to heresies vvere offended at this notable modestie of the Queene neither vvould they yet vnderstande his Counsell in gouerning his Churche God brought to passe that Marie of happie memorie being dead the kingdome of England should deuolue to such a vvoman as novve vvriteth hir selfe The supreme gouernesse in all matters and causes asvvell ecclesiasticall as secular That yet so at the length by the successe it selfe men of hard harte and obstinate necke mighte marke hovv euill king Henry tooke this office vpon him the vvhiche of his heire and successour could not duely and orderly be fulfilled For to whom it is not permitted to teach vvhich is the most necessarie office of an ecclesiasticall Head hovv shal she performe those greater offices that are occupied in the chastisement and correction of them that ought to teache the people or shall she vvhich is vnvvorthie that she should hir selfe teache publiquely in the lovvest degree moderate and reprehend vvith lavvful authoritie other publique teachers in the highest degree or if she can not lavvfully reprehend them shall she yet be lavvfully supreme gouernesse of the Church I omit here the things that in these yeares vvhich are last passed haue bene I knovv not hovv vncomely done and preached in Englande vnder such supreme heads of the Church I spare the dignitie of thē that gouerne Another time if God vvill I vvill handle them particularly hovve greatly both from the lavve of God and from the sentence of the auncient Churche and from righte reason that state of a common vveale is farre in vvhiche any king arrogateth to himselfe the office and name of the supreme head of the Church Is your part so false and weake of proues Maister Saunders that it can win no credite but by discrediting of ours with sclaunders and yet we woulde pardon this in you ascribing it either to some passion of choler against your aduersaries or to blinde affection of your selues that ye call verie manie of vs giuen to heresies hard harted and obstinate necked which are termes fitter to muster in M. Stapletons cōmon places than to stuffe vp M. doctor Saunders volumes howe they redownde vpon your selues let other iudge ▪ that will reade and view of both But if we forgiue you this for our parts shal we stil suffer you to raile vpō sclander the Lordes annoynted saying she arrogateth to hir selfe the office and name of the supreme Head of the Church speaking at randon withoute limitation of the Churche as the Pope doth arrogate to himselfe and taketh on hir to be an ecclesiasticall head and publique teacher of other that should teach hir these are too too infamous sclaūders of hir Maiestie that claimeth no such title nor attempteth any such thing What supreme gouernement is ascribed to hir highnesse we haue tolde you a thousand times but I sée ye will not vnderstand it bicause ye would of set purpose sclander it But to knit vp your argument of the euent and sequele of the Quéenes Maiesties raigne ye say many things haue bin done and preached in England ye cannot tell hovv vnsemely ●… thinke euen the same M. Saunders ye can not tell howe ●…ndede But howe vnseemely a thing is this for one of your ●…rofession to chalenge ye cannot tell what nor howe ye set owne nothing but vnder a pretence of sparing vs to bréede ●…et a furder sclaunderous suspition ye threat vs that ye will ●…serue thē til a furder leisure that is to say ad Kalendas graecas til ●…e shall first know them and then be able to proue them in the meane seasō ye take the wisest way to say such ther are but what they are ye cannot now tell ye wil learne thē out and tell vs another time but tell the worste ye canne ye shal neuer be able to tell of any fals doctrine preached and by the Prince approued to be preached nor of anye wicked facte allowed by publike authoritie to be done No Maister Saunders in all the Quéenes Maiesties raigne ye can neuer be able to proue any suche things but in the raigne of your Popes we can proue many such things as whordome committed and maintained murder done and maintained Idolatry vsed and maintained and infinite errors preached and maintained by publique authoritie among the Papists As for the Quéenes maiesties raigne that now is if the euent and sequele may make an argument God hath so blessed it maugre all your spites and practises that no Realme christian hath florished like nor Englande more at anye tyme The Lord be praised for it and for his mercie sake long continue it that hath giuen so goodly a token of his well liking hir Maiesties supreme gouernment The thirde Chapter The argument is that Princes can not iudge nor define in causes Ecclesiasticall OF those errors that are about the povver of kings and magistrats the secōd error is of thē that thinke kings are not in dede the chief heads of the Churches in vvhich they raigne but in certaine causes Ecclesiastiall to bee euen as vvorthie members as Bishops ▪ for although in one certaine thing as in the office of teaching they preferre Bishops before kings yet partly in another Ecclesiasticall matter as in deposing a Byshop from his seat or in moderating any synode they preferre kings before Bishops partly they vvill haue it free for kings that almoste in euery ecclesiasticall matter they may knowe and decerne as Iudges Of the confutation of whiche errour this is the reason that I should shewe in euery cause of the ecclesiastical lawe that is to be knowne and iudged Kinges to be so muche in the place of priuate men that this trial can not of the ecclesiasticall Iudges be committed vnto them Although I denie not but that of some facte that perteyneth to the eccl. lawe the knowledge may be committed to Kinges and Magistrates But before the eccl. cause be known the king may orderly intermeddle his authoritie to that ende that a quiet place may be graunted where the Bishops should iudge And also that the Bishops may be called at a certayne day to that place And that in the meane season whyle the ecclesiasticall cause is knowne the publique peace yea euen in the assembly of Priestes may be conserued To conclude after the cause knowne and iudged of the Pristes the king either by the sworde that he
certayne woman that was solitarie and a recluse which desiring to know the number of the woundes of Chryst prayed God to reueale it to hir At the length beeing heard God sayde vnto hir ▪ The woundes of my body were so many as if thou wouldest honor thē with worship thou must say euery day throughout the yeare xv Pater nosters xv Aue Maries and so thou shalt salute worshipfully euery one of my woundes And he that shall say this prayer one yeare shall deliuer xv soules of his kinne out of Purgatorie and. xv lyuing shall be confirmed iust and in goodstate and he himselfe shall obtaine grace and knowledge of perfection c. And he shall see my most holy bodie xv dayes before his death c. And I with my welbeloued mother Marie will come to him before his death c. Another Rubricke To all that say this prayer betweene the Eleuation and the third Agnus dei are giuen by Pope Boniface two thousande yeares of pardon at the intreatie of Philip the French king An infinite number of lesser pardons prefixed to your prayers I omitte howe Pope Iohn 22. giues a hundreth dayes of Pardon to him that sayth Salue plaga lateris c. And howe Pope Leo added fortie more Howe Pope Iohn the. 23 gaue to another a yeare and fortie dayes and. 22. Cardinals added euery one fortie dayes more a piece and howe by Bull they were confirmed These were but paltrie pardons in respect of those in your Primer wherein among other is this more frankly giuen VVhosoeuer being in the state of grace shall say these seuen prayers following deuoutly with seuen Pater nosters and seuen Aue Maries before the Image of pitie Hee shall deserue seuen and fiftie thousand yeares of pardon The which were graunted of three Popes that is to we●…e of Saint Gregorie fourtene thousand yeares Secondly of Pope Nicholas the fift fourtene thousand yeres in the yere of the Lorde 1459 Thirdly of Pope Sixtus the fourth who composed the fourth and the fift little prayers of these Suffrages following 1400. yeres and hath dubled these pardons in the yeare of our Lorde 1478. Whether was this more wicked Idolatrie or foolish lies M. Stap what say you here euen to your owne Popes doth not your Primar make them very Heretikes teaching a doctrine of so manie thousande yeares pardon after the day of Dome Howe muche differeth this from the fowle errour of Origen Or did they thinke the worlde should continue so long or euer the day of Dome shall come which Christe and his Apostles then sayde was so néere at hande and your Popes since that tyme haue stretched it out so many thousande yeres to come or to what torment shoulde the soule goe when his pardon shoulde be expired For be the day neuer so long at the lengthe ye saye commeth Euensong Shoulde the soule at the ende of those seuen and fiftie thousand yeares of pardon go from heauen to hell For Purgatorie lasteth ye saye but tyll Domes day Or vsed your Primer Numero fin●…to pro infin●…o a determinate number for an vndeterminate number ▪ But whye then dyd your Popes one after an other encrease the number and so straightly limitte it and yet by your leaue your Primer missed one thousande years in the accompte For promising seuen and fiftie thousande it reckoneth vp but stre and fiftie thousande And thoughe one in a thousande breake no square as they saye yet a thousande yeares is somewhat master Stapleton it is little more ye wotte than one thousande and a halfe since Chryst was borne But goe to man since your Popes are so liberall to pardon for so many thousandes ye shall not say we will sticke to pardon them for one thousande backe agayne I woulde counte this but one of your Arithmeticall scapes as ye obiecte to the Byshoppe but that your Primer is full if not of suche misreckoninges yet of suche lauishe summes I mentioned one before of fourtie thousande yeares Pope Iohn the twelf the say the one of your Rubrikes hathe graunted to all that saye this prayer for the dead Auete omnes 〈◊〉 fideles c passing throughe the Churche yarde so many yeares of Pardon as bodies be buried therein since is was a Churchyarde By whiche rule in Paules Churchyarde a man might easily get a nem●…scu ▪ of yeares of pardon Phie M. St. this is too grosse and shamefull deceyuing of the people Whether it he your Popes faulte as they can not be excused sith it is decréed sealed confirmed by them and their full Chapters of Cardinals which ye say in such authenticall doings can not erre or whose faultes so euer they were in your Primers and prayer bookes they are solemnly set out in redde letters to egge the people to pray vnto your Images But ye will say I swarue frō my purpose some of these prayers were not vnto Images Well what was this M. Stapl. Subsequens scriptum est scriptum Rom●… c. This writing that followeth was written at Rome in the Chappell of S. Marie at Hierusalem in the Temple VVhilom S. Gregorie the Pope did celebrate Masse in the citie of Rome and when he came to the consecration the Lorde appeared to him in this Figure that is here painted VVherevpon he being moued of compassion graunted to all that did beholde such a picture and with making curtesie and deuoutly saying fiue Pater Nosters and fiue Aue Maries fouretene thousand yeares of pardon And besides this xij Popes his successours haue graunted euery one of them fiue hundred yeeres of pardon the summe of the whole pardon is twenty thousand yeeres And this is registred in Rome And as ye gaue these liberall pardons for the beholding of the picture of Christ so for looking on the Crosse yea the Nayles whippes roddes ropes and other instraments where with he was put to death and for the saluting worshipping of them ye offer no smal pardons also of the which in one booke I haue two Rubrikes The one to this noble prayer Crucem coronam sp●…neam cla●…osque diramque lanceam deuote veneremur Acetum fel 〈◊〉 virgamque spum spōgiam i●…giter veneremur Uele●… laternam nobilens pellicanum cal●…cem Arundines pungente●… tunicam inconsu●…ilem sortes columnā stabilem f●…nes vigentes flagella fustes innumerabiles enses latronum horribles denarios ter denos manus c●…dentes dissimiles cultellos duros forcipes vr●…eos ●…menos serpentes scalam malleum sepulchrum lumen candelabrum corde recolamus To sturre vs vp to say this foolishe and wicked prayer to worship all these things is prefixed this Rubrike Quicunque hac arm●… c. Who soeuer shall beholde these armes of our Lord Iesus Christ and say deuoutly this prayer sixe thousand yeeres of pardon are graunted him of S. Peter the Apostle and of thirtie Popes after him if he be with out deadly sinne and in charitie The second Rubrike in the
same booke on these verses Lance●… Crux claus tua pertuls corde 〈◊〉 c is this Quicunque arma Domini c. VVho soeuer shall looke deuoutly vpon the weapons of our Lord Iesus Christ and shall deuoutly say this prayer he shall haue of his sinnes beyng truly confessed and repenting of them sixe thousand seuen hundred and fiue yeeres of pardons of S. Peter the Apostle graunted him and graunted of 30. Popes after him How agreeth this with the former M. Stapleton or did S. Peter giue this pardon twis●… and augment the summe bicause of the excellencie of those verses But these are trifles to the thirde that followeth Crux coronae spinae flagellis clauis lanciae marcellae spongae laqueae columpilae vesti purpuriae a●…undinae honorem impendamus This is good Latine I warrant ye and as good as the matter euery whit and so good that saith the Rubrike ouer it VVho soeuer say this Orison here following shall haue great grace of almighty God and sixe thousand thousande and threescore and ten yeeres of very pardon This was lustely multiplied Sitte downe Master Stapleton sith ye pretende to be so perfect an Arithmetrician and cast your accountes and ye shall sée a fayre muster of pardons to comforte your sprites with all Feare not man the Diuell so long as these last and many thousandes more there are besides but these are easily gotten euen for worshipping the Iewes Ropes Halters Hammers R●…iues Swordes their Fistes yea their spettle and all But if ye be ashamed and thinke scorne to worship these thinges as in déede ye may well be ashamed of them yet I haue suche holy Reliques for you to worship that ye can hardely finde any higher But I tell ye you must take vp your hand and blisse you at the sight of them and so they worke meruailes as your holy bookes recorde And that not for the Images of all Hallowes but of Christes Image or rather of him selfe that ye should know euen the iuste length of him as they pretende Among the good prayers aforesaide is this Rubrike Qui cupit cognoscere longitudinem c. He that desireth to know the length of Christ being God let him take this line here drawne forth twoo and thirtie times measured which line was brought out of the Citie of Constantinople in a certaine Grosse of Golde VVhiche line who soeuer in the day doth deuoutly looke vppon and say the Antiphona with a Collect and shall signe him thrise with the signe of the holy Crosse he shall not that daye die any suddayne death nor be vexed with Diuell nor with any tempest nor any euill nor any Creature shall hurte him And this line was brought by an Angell to King Charles the great This is a fayre grace M. Stapl. for looking vppon and worshipping a line of the length of Christ. But I haue another length and Rubrike that hath more Iolie promises to stirre vs vp to worship it Which sayeth This Crosse fiftene times measured is the length of our Lorde Iesu Christe and that day ye looke thereon blesse ye therewith There shall no wicked spirite haue power to hurt you nor thunder ne lightning sleeping ne waking shall not hurt you nor winde nor blasting on lande nor on water shall not hurt you nor in battayle ye shall not be ouercome with your enimies bodely ne ghostly nor die no shamefull death nor suddayne death nor of the pestilence nor in water be drowned nor in fire be brente and if yee be in deadly sinne ye shall not die therein and you shall increase in worldly goodes nor ye shall not die of woundes nor of stroake nor without confession nor ye shal not be combred with no fiendes and if a woman haue this Crosse and lay it on hir wōbe when she traueleth with childe she shall soone be deliuered and the childe shall haue Christendome and the mother purification of holy Church S. Ciriake and S. Iulite desired this gifte of almightie God and he graunted them as it is registred in Rome at S. Iohn Lateranence Here are many moe fayre graces if all were true But some of them your Papistes them selues haue ●…ounde starke lies And some of them as that he shall not be combred with no fiende c. I thinke may well be true as you will graunt I dare say resoluing them by your Equipollences on which ye stande so much in your fourth booke As for the assurance of the truth of these lengthes that I remit to you M. St. to reconcile them togither how the one came frō Constantinople the other frō Rome how the one was graūted of God to S. Ciriake and S. Iulite the other brought by an Angell to king Charles the great and yet as appeareth by the prayer it came first to S. Ciriake and S. Iulite too With other such circumstances as arise in the conference of them Onely I note the lengths them selues and I pray you M. St. if ye haue as good skill in Geometrie as in Arithmetike to measure these two lengths the one xxxij the other xv times as they require and see how properly they will agree I thinke ye shall finde them differing little lacking the length of both Crosses ioyned togither So that the one light on which it shall must needes be a very lie and haue no vertue in it at all but those that worship it be Idolaters worshipping a false thing If ye replie an inche breakes no square although it breake no square yet it breakes lēgth M. St. neither ought ye to misse one inche in this matter wherein ye pretende is such vertues and so exactly take vpon ye to describe euen the iumpe length and say it came from God and his Angell brought it knew not the Angell the iumpe length or would he not giue it truly and would haue it so precisely worshipped surely then he was no good Angell But the difference is more thā an inch M. St. or 6. or 7. inches either And would ye haue Christ cut shorter by the head to make your lēgths euen were it not better that a great many such liers as you hop●…●…edlesse before which of these two shall we beléeue M. Stapleton or is it not best by your counsell to let them both goe in the ●…irrops name and all their forged vertues with them than for gréedinesse of their gaye promises endanger to lose bodie and soule by worshipping a lie and committing foule Idolatrie Well let them goe for me if ye he agreed thereto M. Stap●… But yet ye haue one excuse as ye thinke to mitigate the matter that how soeuer they missed in the Figure eyther of the Crosse or the Crucifixe of the which some was long some was shorte this hindred not the peoples deuoute meditation thereon Although M. Stapleton this nothing excuse the former manifest lie where ye misse of the lēgth that so iustly ye pretende to set out and yet ascribe the vertue to