Policie of the Church to force obedience vnto the Clergie and to worke regeneration in the milde spirited But because it was not soundly grounded on the Word of God it growes contemptible and worthy to bee suppressed for the monstrous abuses which we find in these times to flow by the indirect vse thereof In the Apostles time it was no other then an humble acknowledging of one Neighbours Infirmitie to the other and an asking of forgiuenesse reciprocally at their hands whom they had offended in remembrance of that clause in the Lords Prayer as wee forgiue them which trespasse against vs that thereby they might the more confidently receiue the Communion This the Apostle aduiseth in these words Confesse your sinnes one to another and pray yee one for another Which Confession they vsed publikely and priuately Publikely before all the Congregation if the Sinne were great as that of the Incestuous person in Saint Paul that Shame might worke the fruits of repentance in the Offendors heart Priuately as Saint Iames aduised by way of Charitie to succor one anothers conscience Afterwards Confession became farre more priuat and their mindes being puft vp with Pride or ashamed to let many know their dissimulations they repayred to some one of the Elders of the Church as Patients to a Physician to bee cured or to receiue Counsell for their Soules health At last the Clergie noting the simplicitie of the vnlettered people in those dayes they got them in lieu of Penance to disburse pence pounds sometimes to the Poore sometimes to build Churches Chappels Monasteries and to offer presents to the honour of their Parish Saints as the Heathen in those dayes did to their Idols All this while there was no great fault sauing that they began to make it somewhat meritorious But when the Popes had forbidden Marriages in time had barred the Clergie of their Concubines which was for a long time dispensed with then this laudable Order of Confession began to be grossely abused and womens Chastities suffered shipwâ—ackâ— For themselues being to continue for euer vnmarried they burned in lust and left no trick vnattempted to beguile wiues and maides But among all their sleights they preuayled aboue all when they drew men to build Nuâ—â—eries that they might allure prettie wenches thither with whom they might ioyne the more freely to coole their raging lusts Insomuch that the wariest of them seeing some of their sweet hearts too fruitfull they studied Physicke and gaue them drenches to destroy their Fruit or if that wrought not the effect for the credit of their Vâ—taries they held it no great sinne to murther it assoone as euer it came to light which Diuelish Acts of theirs since the preaching of the Gospell are daily discouered in Ponds and other hidden places where the skuls of many Infants haue beene lately found What mad men are they which will commit their daughters to a Confessors charge as lambes to wolues knowing that flaxe will flame if it bee too neere the fire Lust by degrees corrupts The wisest man liues not without some touch of folly Shall wee then thinke that Flesh and Bloud can waxe cold finding sweet opportunitie and solitarinesse to warme sensible nature At first they look babies in their eyes they wring or kisse their lillyed hands and induce them to read their Loue-sonnets Madrigalls and other Poems of Cupids baites Then they fall to a neerer forme the preambles and fore-runners of beastly pleasure they obtaine the gracelesse grace to play with their iuory breasts and to endure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 writes that vnmannerly Grobiâ—â—â— Tange etiâ—â— partes quâ—â— gâ—â—â—â—t Fâ—mina tâ—â—gi Arriued to this happinesse they must needs sanctifiâ— their lips with Nectarean kisses vowing that they would not for all the King of Spaines Iâ—dies proceed to a further Act. So meane perhaps but Time brings alteration And a faire woman is a shrewd Temptation As George Withers notes Hauing thus seduced these weaker vessels to condiscend to the elements of Loue they teach them the baudie A. B. C. instead of Aue Maria. Were I disdainfull or vnkind Or coy to learne or dull of mind But no such thing remaines in me To let mee learne my A. B. C. At last they winne the precious Fort which once they doubted to bee inexpâ—gnable The whole building is razed and these poore Soules pend in this pound of boâ—dage forsaken of their friends find no other ease for this disease but to sang this dolefull Diâ—tie to the tâ—â—e of too late Repeatance Which shall I doe or weepe or sing Neither of them will helpe mourning The Treasure 's stolne the Thiefe is fled And I lye bleeding in my bed If it were not for these 〈◊〉 Confussion in the Eare would much benefit a diseased Conscience and the whole Common-wealth of the Christian Corporation And we could wish it still in vse yet with this limitation that no Papist presume to confesse any woman vnder 50. yeares of age except he be first soundly gelded And for your part Frier Foster who claime the prerogatiue to haue a seare top with a green root to mingle a dead coarse with a liuing body after the example of Maxentius the Tyrant without regard had to your old age and decayed nature wee Order you to bee tortured on Ixions wheele because you haue profaned the vestall house Ixion henceforth to bee set at libertie for his petulant attempt against Iuno and all Nunneries to bee dissolued which after the imitation of the Gentiles you procured to be built more for your lecherous interest then for the honour of your Sauiour Whereby I let you all good Catholickes to vnderstand that we suppresse them for the same reason as Hezechias supplanted the Brazen Serpent good of it selfe and of the first erecting being a figure of Christs sauing Office and healing vertue but since a cause of Idolatrie as the Crosse also which the Reformed Churches by reason of the fottish misvsage haue lately put downe to take away the occasions of Idolatrie CHAP. VII Thomas Becket of Canterburie accuseth before Apollo Walter de Mapes Arch-deacon of Oxford in King Henry the Seconds time for defending the Marriage of Priests against the Pope of Romes Decree THomas Becket of Canterburie that opposed himselfe so obstinatly against his anointed King heere in England about some liuings which he pretended to belong to the Sea of his Archbishoprick appealing to the Pope from his Countryes Censure exhibited an Information before Apollo against his antient Friend Walter de Mapes Arch-deacon of Oxford for withstanding the Popes Legat that came to London with a strict Decree to command all the Clergie men in England to put away their wiues Walter de Mapes was sent for at whose comming Th. Becket hauing license to make good his Information spake as followeth Most Puissant Emperour Our Holy Father the Pope the visible Head of the Roman Church Saint Peters famous Successor whether by Reuelation from Heauen or by the Spirit of
to that effect to Iohn Bishop of Ierusalem hee recommends the said vaile charging him to beware how he permitted any such Idolatrous things to bee set vp in any place within his Iurisdiction To conclude let it suffice that Christians honor the memorie of the blessed Saints vpon those Daies which the Church haue allotted for that purpose Let them glorifie God for vouchsafing to send those Seruants of his as the chiefe Elders and Pillars vnder their Sauiour Christ the Head of their corporation But in no wise let them pray vnto them for feare of that Iealous Eare which heareth euery word No man can come to the Father but by the Sonne Nor can any man come to the Sonne except the Father who sent the Sonne doe draw him Our Sauiour by his Godhead knowes the secrets of our hearts Hee alone is enabled with power to helpe vs. He alone is the Master of Gods Court of Requests Come vnto him all yee which are heauie laden and he will refresh you without suing vnto any other Mediatour whatsoeuer Remember the words of Saint Paul that Iesus Christ alone is our Aduocate with the Father One God one Mediatour CHAP. X. Martine Luther arriuing at Parnassus shewes to Apollo how the Popes vnder colour of redeeming mens Soules out of Purgatorie vsed to conicatch Christians by the sale of Pardons Apollo condemnes both the Fable of Purgatorie and the vse of Popish Pardons MArtine Luther a famous Diuine of Germany whom some of his Countrymen call the second Elias for his bold and constant asseueration of the Truth against the Ahabs of his time came in great pompe to Parnassus on Tuesday in the Easter weeke last 1626. associated with Erâ—smus Melancton Bucer and many other valiant Champions of the Protestant Religion And hauing lighted off their Pegasean horses they entred into the Parliament house where they attended vntill Apollo the Lady Pallas the Muses the Graces and other Princely Courtiers of his Maiesties traine were seated in their classicke ranks Assoone as they saw the Ceremonies ended Martin Luther made this Oration Most noble Emperour It is now aboue an hundred yeares since I first preached against the inualiditie of Popish Pardons grounded on those dreames of Purgatorie for the life of these Pardons is deriued from this Acheron and as farre as I see notwithstanding all my vigilant cares and toilesome labors matters are like to issue to their first elements and former confused Chaos except some course bee sodainly taken to banish these Indulgences and doting Pardons into the abisme of Lethe neuer more to be remembred What a shamefull thing is it for the Pope to vsurpe a higher prerogatiue then our Sauiour himselfe euer affirmed that his Almightie Father left vnto him Hee knew not the Day of Doome nor did hee seeke to know more then became the Sonne of Man to know And yet the Pope in worldly craft to bring more sacks to his mill and a concourse of trading to his Babilon hath granted a Pardon of 6000. yeares to come vnto all such as shall resort to the Church of Saint Iohn de Laterane in Rome and also an absolute Pardon of eight and twentie thousand yeares with plenary remission of their Sinnes to as many people as shall repayre thither vpon the Feast day of Saint Iohn the Euangelist when as the Elect of God doe surely belieue that this world cannot last so long but that the Sunne of Righteousnesse shall shine before that time and descend from the Heauens to iudge all the Sonnes of Adam Many of my poore Countrymen of late since the Conquest of the Palatinate haue beene forced to shift their Religion and to accept of these idle Pardons against their consciences Our humble motions now are to your Imperiall Highnesse that you will curb this Man of Sinne in making frustrate histricks of Legerdemaine Let Purgatorie fables bee taken away these Indulgences and Pardons will cease And if they cease the Reuenues which support his Pride will become abated But as long as this Gulph doth lie open the Christian World shall neuer enioy peace in bodie or mind Apollo at these speeches of Luther seemed much to bewaile the condition of the times And to firret out the better the Originall of Purgatory and of the Popish Pardons he asked Peter Lumbard Master of the Sentences who flourished about fiue hundred yeeres agoe whether in his time the world did belieue there was any such place as Purgatory Peter Lumbard answered that there was not the least thought of such a place in his time Nor doe the Greekes to this houre said hee credit any such matter And shall I sleepe still replied Apollo while this Enchanter beguiles with his false lure the ares of simple Soules The Poets had their Elisian fields as this Fellow his Fable of Purgatory They deuised theirs of pleasure But He inuented his of base couetousnesse to rake to his Treasury what others got with infinite troubles Hence arose that Prouerbe that the Pope can neuer want money as long as he hath a hand to hold a pen. While euerie Chimney in England paid the taxation called Peter-pence they wanted not sanctified wares like amulets and charmed scrowles to defend their soules from Belsebub Princes of Deuils They wanted no Pardons to ransome them from the iawes of Cerberus But if they slighted them as scar-crowes no peny no Pater noster sinke or swimme they were abandoned and left to the fatall Ferriman O childish Popelines shall papers thus bewitch you Shall Pedlers deceiue you with false trinkets Shall Iugglers and Mountebankes circumuent your vnderstanding with trifles and nifles in a bag or with a pigge in a poke Here in this World is your Purgatory your place of triall where the Righteous which liues by Faith which loues his fellow Christian shall possesse Heauen for his Reward as on the contrary Hell if hee bee ouer worldly minded and cares for no man but himselfe and his own Family Dust returnes as the Prophet testified into dust from whence it came and his soule returnes to God from whence it came Saint Cyprian makes no doubt of any other place When men saith he are once departed out of this life then there is no place of Repentance left There is no more effect of any satisfaction Heere in this World euerlasting life is either lost or giuen Saint Augustine who liued aboue a hundred yeeres after Saint Cyprian writes that some in his time began to mooue the question whether there were any such third place after this life Yet for his owne part he positiuely concludes vpon those two of Heauen and Hell But quoth he of a third place we know not Neither doe we find any such in the holy Scriptures Therefore let no man trust to the moon-shine in the water by other mens merits his Sauiour excepted to redeeme his soule from the place where God appoints it Dauid when hee vnderstood that his child got on Bethsabe was dead left off
his lamentation and comforted himselfe It is in vaine and too late for a man to seeke the reuersing of the diuine Iudgement when he hath not the Grace to goe to the Physician before he fall sicke It is a sacrilegious sinne in the Pope to make men belieue that it lieth in his power to redeeme any mans soule from the place where the Almightie hath seated it seeing that hee cannot adde one yeere more to his owne life then is allotted him by the course of nature nor borrow one minute of an houre to allay the pangs of his owne death The very Best haue enough to doe to saue their owne soules without presuming to vndergoe a fruitlesse labour for another man Yea though these three men were among them Noah Daniel and Iob they should deliuer but their owne soules by their righteousnesse saith the Lord God Seeing that Iesus Christ by his death and Passion hath satisfied his Fathers Iustice and makes continuall intercession for the Penitent let none despaire nor trust any other besides this powerfull Mediatour CHAP. XI Gratian the Canonist conuents the Waldenses and Albigenses before Apollo for celebrating diuine Seruice in their Country Language and not according to the Rites of the Romish Church Zuinglius defends their cause by the Authoritie of the Scriptures and of the Primitiue Church Apollo pronounceth a definitiue Sentence against the Pope on the behalfe of the Waldenses and Albigienses NO sooner had Apollo refelled the vse of Popish Pardons inuented of purpose to make good the old saying that Purgatory is a very pick-parse but Gratian the Canonist framed a supplicatioÌ„ against the Waldenses and Albigienses wherein he shewed that whereas Ignorance was the Mother of Deuotion and thereupon the Church of Rome to retaine true hearted simplicitie in the bowels of her children had like a politicke Mother forbidden the reading of the Scripture in their Countries language to the intent that green-headed people sowgelders and base Mechanickes should not dispute of diuine Mysteries which surpassed their vulgar capacities yet those rude mountanists Montanae belluae presumed to vnlocke the cabinet of the Bible and to reade Gods Seruice in their barbarous Tongue Whereby much euill contentions and continuall bangling arose of late yeeres among Christians which otherwise might haue lyen couered as fire vnder ashes Zuinglius a notable Diuine of Suitzzerland being deputed by the Waldenses Albigienses to defend their cause stood vp and said with what face can you O Gratian blame these honest men for seeking the surest meanes of Saluation Who will still stand groping in the darke that may enioy the free light of the Sunne Haue not they soules to looke vnto aswell as the Pope himselfe and his Cardinals In reading the Word of God Faith increaseth And the Gifts of the Holy Ghost multiplyeth in relenâ—ing hearts So that Peace Vnitie and Loue as a â—uster of Grapes doe spring vp together and beare downe the wrangling opposites Neither is it any new Religion which they professe For all your Chronicles can testifie that these people haue departed from the Romish Church and proclaymed the Pope to be Antichrist aboue three hundred yeers before Luther was borne And for the reading of diuine Seruice in a more familiar language they haue the Scriptures for their warrant and the Primitiue Church for a patterne The Prophet Dauid pronounceth that man blessed which studies the Lawes of the Lord and therein exerciseth himselfe day and night Saint Iohn recommends them to the weaker sexe and children as appeares by his Epistle written to the Elect Lady and her children Saint Paul protesteth that hee had rather speake fiue words to bee vnderstood then ten thousand in a strange language And in another place he prayseth Timothy that hee knew the Holy Scriptures of a child Saint Basill in his infancie was instructed in the Bible by his Nurse Macrina Saint Ierome extols Paula a learned Matron for teaching her Maides to vnderstand the Scripture Theodoret speaking of the ancient Christians in his time You shall saith he see euery where the chiefe points of our Faith read and vnderstood not onely of our Doctors but also of shoo-makers Smiths and weauers and of all kind of Artificers not onely of our learned women but likewise of them which get their liuing by their Needles and of Mâ—id seruants not onely of citizens but also of Husbandmen insomuch that you shall be 〈◊〉 among us ditchers and Heardsmen arguing of 〈◊〉 Trinitie of the Worlds creation and of other deepâ— points of diuinitie Saint Chrysostome called for his Eloquence the Golden mouthed Doctour exhorteth all men to reade the Scriptures Heare me all yee Laymen get yee Bibles which are Physicke for the Soule Or at least wise prouide your selues of the New Testament Saint Paul prophesied that Antichrist should bee consumed with the Spirit of the Lords mouth What is the meaning of this but that hee must bee condemned by the Word of God declared in the Canonicall Scripture Euen by this Testimony the Sword of the Spirit at the bright brandishing whereof the Romish Clerkes runne away like Cowards and flye from them as if they were their mortall Enemies relying in stead of God Spirit vpon the Spirit of man which speaking without such immediate Reuelations cannot but Erre and grossely Erre The consideration of this weightie point enforced Doctor Fisher Bishop of Râ—chester in his Booke against Luther to wish for some other meanes to put downe the Protestants then the Holy Scriptures Therefore quoth he when Hereticks contend with vs we must defend our cause by some other helpes then by the sacred Scripture In this they verifie the effects of that wonderfull Booke which Saint Iohn in the Reuelation auerred to be as sweet as Honey in the mouth but afterwards bitter in the belly that is to say sweet to read because it promised euerlasting life but for all that bitter in the stomacke when Crosses came to bee digested when they were to forsake the pomps and vanities of this seducing world and specially when that counsell of our Sauiour came to be put in execution Sell all that which thou hast and come and follow mee No wonder then that the Pope and his Cardinalls delighting in temporall glorie cannot abide to try their Controuersies by the euidence thereof but with the hazard of some poore Schollers liues they send them abroad as Frogs out of the Dragons mouth to croke and crake of Antiquitie and Traditions but in no wise to contend with vs by the Bibles Testimonie This Booke proues indeed very bitter to their stomacks who hunt after worldly Preferments While the Bodies of the two Testaments lay despised moth eaten and shut vp in their libraries the Great Men of the world after their massacring in the Cities of spirituall Sodome and Aegypt sent Gifts and Presents the one to the other in token of gladnesse So iocond were worldlings as long as they might doâ—
for the Temple of the Holy Ghost and so to respect gay Clothing and pompous Formalities that euen his chiefe Dependants for Diuinitie with Aarons siluer Bell in their mouthes beganne to be polluted with this enormitie to ruffle in rich Robes and to flaunt with silken Sailes he first commanded the Englishmans Picture standing like a Taylour with a paire of Sheares in one hand and Stuffe in the other hand to apply himselfe to any New Fashion to be presently defaced and one proper comely Fashion to bee accomodated to euery seuerall Nation specially to the English of whom there was a Prouerbe that no sooner sprung vp a Fashion among the Lackies at Paris but the Gallants in London would like Apes take it vp as a patterne Item that all persons which attired themselues in time to come contrary to this Edict should bee branded with Infamy and to we are Saint Beneâ—s Hood of Red Greene Blew and Yellow Colours which the Spanish Inquisition haue ordayned for their Heretickes conuerted vpon euery â—estiuall Day for the space of one whole yeere next after the Offence committed Item that no Nation should hereafter presume to weare Rayments of any other stuffe then was wrought within their natiue Countrey the Nobilitie onely excepted Item that none should goe vp and downe hurried in Coaches to trouble the Carters and Passengers vnlesse they would giue a thousand pounds towards the Plantations in America the Nobilitie alwayes excepted And lastly his Maiestie knowing that without seuere Executioners this Decree of his could not bee kept inuiolably sacred but that some would escape vnpunished by some Protection or potent meane like the Spiders Cobweb where the lesser Flies were entangled and the Greater did easily robustuously breake through hee charged Cato the Censor to see the due performance without partialitie CHAP. XII Apollo commands certaine of his Attendants to prescribe remedies how Husbands should liue with their Wiues chastly and without ieaâ—â—â—sie to bee Cuckolded as also how men should contemne the baits of Beautifull Women APollo hauing obserued that many Women cuckolded their Husbands and by their cunning pretenses had so gulled them as to forsake their secure Demaynes in the Countrey and to compaâ—le Offices in the populous Citie of Parnassus where they might enioy their vnlawfull pleasures caused the Noble Knight Sir Philip Sidney together with Sir Iohn Harrington the Translatour of Orlando the Satyrist Master Whatley the Preacher of Banbury and Orpheus Iunior to set downe some wholesome remedies for married men to gouerne their Wiues that they horne them not and also that themselues might not be surprized with the subtilties or outward seeming beautie of strange women Whereto they all obeyed and Sir Philip Sydney thus beganne Who doth desire that chast his Wife should be First be he true for Truth doth Truth deserue Then be he such as she his worth may see And one man still credit with her preserue Not toying kind nor toyâ—shly vnkind Not stirring thoughts nor yet denying right Nor spying faults nor in plaine Errours blind Neuer hard hand nor euer reines too light As farre from want as farre from vaine expence The one doth force the latter doth entice Allow good Company but keepe from thence All filâ—hy mouthes that glory in their vice This done thou hast no more but leaue the rest Vnto thy Fortune time and womans brest Concerning wiues take this a certaine Rule That if at first you let her haue the rule Your selfe at length with her shall beare no rule Except you let her euer more to rule Yet in the house as busie as a Bee I am content my Wife sting all but me O rather let me loue then be in loue So let me chuse as Wife and Friend to find Let me forget her Sexe when I approue Beasts liknesse lies in shape but ours in mind Our Soules no Sexes haue Their Loue is cleane No Sexe both in the better part are men Domestick Charge doth best that Sex besit Contiguous businesse so to fixe the mind That leasure space for fancies not admit Their leisure t is corrupteth woman-kind Else being plast from many vices free They had to Heau'n a shorter cut then we Womens behauiour is a surer barre Then is their No. That fairely doth deny Without denying thereby kept they are Safe eu'n from hope In part too blame is shee Which hath without Consent beene onely tride He comes too neere that comes to be denide Like a true Turtle with thine owne Doue stay Else others twixt thy sheets may falsly play If thou wilt haue her loue and honour thee First let her thine Affections largely see What shee doth for thee kindly that respect And shew how thou her loue dost well affect Remember she is neighbour to thy heart And not thy slaue shee is thy better part Thinke t is enough that her thou mighst command Whilest she in Marriage bonds doth loyall stand Although thy power thou neuer doe approue For that 's the way to make her leaue to loue To goe to Feasts and Weddings ' mongst the Best T is not amisse for their suspect is least Nor is it meet that shee the Church refraine Sith there is vertue and her Noble Traine You haue accutely runne ouer O immortall Spirits said Master Whately of Banburie the duties of man and wife reciprocally as they ought to beare the one to the other if they liued vertuously But what if the wife exceed in wilfull repugnancie or rather rebellion against her Husband who is her Lord and Head as Christ is the Head and Crowne of the Husband according to S. Paul and as I haue punctually proued in my Worke called the Bride-bush shall the Man degenerate from his virilitie and Christian vigour as to suffer his Subiect and vnderling to waxe proud and to weare the Breeches Shall he like Sardanapalus or effeminated Hercules sit spinning in a Petticoate among her Maides whiles shee flaunts it like an vntamed Gallant and iadishly kicks vp her heeles with a knaue making her Lord accessarie to capitall baudry This were an argument of base stupiditie in the Husband Vpon such an occasion or the like intollerable misdemeanure as causelesse scolding or for fooling her selfe and her Head before companie by nicknaming him or wantonly detracting from his reuerend authoritie with the abbreuiated words of Iack Tom or Dick he must shew his manly prerogatiue and rebuke her for such ridiculous carriage Yea and if there because hee must like a wise Surgeon vse Cauteries and sharpe medecines Hee must let her know the wise mans sentence that a Rod becomes the back of a Foole. Orpheus Iunior here interrupted Master Whatley You neede not cite Scripture for beating a woman for that 's her hearts desire to verifie the prophane Prouerbe that an Asse a Nut and a Woman will neuer be good without beating And at Constantinople our Merchants report that where a Turke hath three or foure wiues that wife esteemes
30. CHAP. III. How Doctor Wicliffe of Oxford espying in a Church at Athens a Franciscan Frier a kissing of a Maidof Honour belonging to the Princesse Thalia brought S. Frances to surprize them who of meere idiotisme applaudes the Fall pag. 38. CHAP. IV. Doctor Wicliffe connents Saint Frances and the kissing Frier before Apollo Saint Frances defendeth the cause and discouereth seuen sorts of kisses Apollo refuteth his defence condemnes the Frier and abolisheth all Monasticall Orders pag. 39. CHAP. V. Apollo censureth Thalia and her Gentlewoman for their lasciuious prankes and reformeth the Comicall Court pag. 50. CHAP. VI. The Author of the Nuns discouery at Lisbon exhibits a complaint to Apollo against Father Foster the Frier Confessor to the English Nunnery at Lisbon for committing carnall copulation with sundry of them Apollo makes a discourse of Auticular Confession adiudgeth Foster to Ixions Wheele and suppresseth all Nunneries pag. 59. CHAP. VII Thomas Becket of Canterbury accuseth before Apollo Walter de Mapes Archdeacon of Oxford in King Henry the Seconds time for defending the Marriage of Priests against the Pope of Romes Decree pag. 65. CHAP. VIII Walter de Mapes is commanded by Apollo to defend his Positions against the Pope and Becket who accordingly obeyeth and prooues the lawfulnesse of Clergie-mens Marriage both by the Testimony of the Scripture and of the Ancient Fathers pag. 68. Apollo reuerseth the Popes Canon made against the Marriage of the Clergie and to that purpose sends out a Proclamation pag. 73. CHAP. IX Apollo vpon Information giuen him by the Greek Church of Images erected by the Pope in the Westerne Churches and of Inuocations on Saints confuteth these Idolatrous Traditions both by the Testimonie of the Scripture and by the Positions of the Primitiue Church pag. 74. CHAP. X. Martine Luther arriuing at Parnassus shewes to Apollo how the Popes vnder colour of redeeming mens Soules out of Purgatorie vsed to conicatch Christians by the sale of Pardons Apollo condemnes both the Fable of Purgatorie and the vse of Popish Pardons pag. 81. CHAP. XI Gratian the Canonist conuents the Waldenses and Albigienses before Apollo for celebrating diuine service in their Country Language and not according to the Rites of the Romish Church Zuinglius defends their cause by the Authoritie of the Scriptures and of the Primitie Church Apollo pronounceth a definitiue Sentence against the Pope on the behalfe of the Waldenses and Albigienses pag. 85. CHAP. XII Berengarius reneweth his opinion of the Lords Supper and proues both by the Scriptures and by the Authoritie of the most ancient Fathers of the Primitiue Church that the same is to be taken after a spirituall manner and in commemoration of the Lords death pag. 91. CHAP. XIII The Romish Church accuseth the Church of Aethiopia for denying to acknowledge her to be the Mother and Catholike Church The Patriarch of Alexandria challengeth the Prâ—macie ouer that Church and proues the Pope of Rome to be an Intruder and to haue no Right at all ouer the Church of Aeâ—hiopia Apollo determineth the difference by discouering the wayes how the Pope got the Supremacy ouer the Westerne Churches and how both he and the generall Councels erre in matters of Faith pag. 96. CHAP. XIV Scotus the Master of subtill Questions conuents Sir Geffrey Chaucer for calling the Pope Antichrist and comparing the Romish Church to the griping Griffon and the true Church to the tender Pellican pag. 110. CHAP. XV. Sir Geffrey Chaucer being prouoked by Scotus to defend his Cause proues the Pope to bee the great and uniuersall Antichrist prophesied in the Scriptures pag. 121. CHAP. XVI Apolloes iudgement of Chaucers Apologie concluding that the Pope is the great Antichrist pag. 131 CHAP. XVII Apolloes sentence promulgated for the Impurity of the Church Militant Doctor Whitgift Archbishop of Canterbury complaines against Cartwright Browne and other Puritane Separists for inuaighing against their Superiours Apollo condemnes this Sect exhorting them to vnitie and to return to the bosome of their Mother Church pag. 133 CHAP. XVIII The memorable Synod of Dott accuseth Arminius before Apollo for broaching out of new Opinions in the Church to trouble the braines of the weaker Apollo confutes Arminius and sheweth what a sober minded Christian ought to conceiue of deepe Mysteries Arminius is commanded to recant pag. 137 The conclusion of the first Part. pag. 146. The Contents of the Chapters of the Second part of the Golden Fleece CHAP. I. MAlines and Misselden two Merchants of Great Brittaine doe seuerally declare their Opinions touching the Decay of Trade and the Causes of the vnder-ballance of their Natiue Commodities with the Forraigne which were brought into that Kingdome Apollo bewaileth their miserie and commands a further enquirie to be made of the Causes pag. 1. CHAP. II. Apollo causeth a Iury to bee impanelled out of the Vniuersities of Oxford Cambridge S. Andrewes Aberdine and the Colledge at Dublin to finde out these persons which sold Ecclesiasticall Linings The Presentours discouering some bring them before Apollo His Maiesties censure with his discourse of the Right of Tithes pag. 6. CHAP. III. Vpon a Bill of Complaint exhibited by Aeschines and Papinian against Rewards vnequally conferred on persons of meane desert and descent Apollo pronounceth a peremptorie Doome pag. 15. CHAP. IIII. Hugh Broughton vpon some discontentment taken in seeing his inferiours promoted to eminent places before himselfe complaineth vnto Apollo that Florio Deane of Thaliaes Chappell prophaned the sacred name of the Letany by singing the same intermixt with triuiall toyes Apollo causeth Florio to repeat his Letany pa. 18. CHAP. V. Apollo after some shew of distate against Florio for his new morall Letany at the last giues him leaue to defend it Florio in a briefe Oration declares the reasons why bee innented such a strange forme of Letany Apollo pronounceth his Censure pag. 26 CHAP. VI. Apollo asketh the Author of the Golden Fleece wherefore his Countreymen of Wales hauing the commodionsnesse of the Sea with a large scope of land are notwithstanding very much impouerished of late The Author imputes the cause vnto the multitude of Law Suites pag. 29. CHAP. VII Orpheus Iunior exhibits a Petition vnto Apollo to diminish the number of Lawyers and to punish their offences Apolloes Answer shewing how they may bee restrained and punished pag. 36. CHAP. VIII Bartolus and Plowden by the instigation of the Iesuiticall Faction doe appeach Orpheus Iunior before Apollo for certaine Offences supposed to bee committed by him pag. 40. CHAP. IX Apollo commanding Orpheus Iunior to answer the Accusation of Bartolus and Plowden who obeying extoilesh Charitie taxeth Conicatching and Hatred and commends the Lawes Apollo smiled to see the impudencie of these Lawyers yet not to seeme partiall in his Seruants cause he commanded Orpheus to defend himselfe who thus began pag. 44. CHAP. X. The learned Vniuersities of Great Brittaine do find themselues agrieued that Popish Physicians are permitted to practice Physick in this Kingdome Apollo remedies
Dauid doth morally teach vs that wee must not smite our Princes with the sword of our Lips though they wrong vs nor that we teare the hemme of their superfluous deeds If wee approoue not the holinesst of their liues let vs applaud the holinesse of their Vnctions In the English Chronicles euen when the Pope was at the highest staire of worldly triumph it is registred that Anselmus Archbishop of Canterbury in some difference betwixt him and King William Rufus would haue appealed to the Pope And that the King and the Bishops withstood it In the Raigne of King Henry the Second a Law was made on paine of Treason not to appeale out of the Kingdome of England Thus from time to time it is manifest that the Popes power hath beene inferiour and subiect to Earthly Princes And therefore to broach out such damnable Paradoxes for the iustification of murther and the warranting of priuate men to conspire against their Soueraignes is a Doctrine which God hates Somtimes men are plagued by the immediate hand of God sometimes by mediate and secondary means for their sins Sometimes men are forced to endure extraordinary stormes tempests famine warres and also crosses at their very friends hands Sometimes their women are deliuered of abortiues or mishapen Creatures All which they must patiently brooke Much more must they beare with the spots of Princes who haue long Eares and long hands It is not safe or vertuous to meddle with litigious wares nor to trouble the braine with these kind of Problemes For if men liue in a Monarchy which is hereditary the Fault is the greater If in other Kingdomes the fundamentall Lawes must be regarded by the publike States and not by priuate persons If the Kingdome be Electiue as Poland let the Chancelor looke to it If in Germanie it belongs to the Electors to decide the quarrell betwixt the Emperour and the Subiects Wee doe therefore vtterly detest these Iesuites for maintayning of these bloudy Tragedies and from henceforth wee banish that pestilent Race of Sectaries out of our Iurisdiction of Parnassus Mariana heere we doe order to bee perpetually tortured in Phalaris his Brazen Bull and his Bookes also to be burnt and the ashes to be scattered in the Riuer of Lethe CHAP. III. Now Doctor Wicliffe of Oxford espying in a Church at Athens a Franciscan Frier a kissing of a Maide of Honour belonging to the Princesse Thalia brought Saint Frances to surprize them who of meere Idiotisme applaudes the Fact IN May last when all liuing Creatures followed their naturall motions and kinds Doctor Wicliffe of Oxford who in King Richard the Seconds time by the countenance of Iohn of Gaunt and the Londoners opposed himselfe against the Romish Clergie as hee was entring into the Temple of the vnknowne God at Athens espied a Franciscan Frier very heartily kissing a Gentlewoman which in that jouiall and merrie time had made choise of that lustie Frier to confesse her whereupon Doctor Wicliffe being euer held to be of an vnblemisht behauiour and as chaste as Origen but that he had not gelt himselfe as Origen did burned with Zeale and like another Phinehes thought once to haue runne vpon them both to haue scratcht their eyes out for weapons he had none to offend with such was the Law of Apolloes Court But remembring himselfe of a place in Homer how Achilles as he intended to draw out his Sword against Agamemnon was preuented by the Ladie Pallas who inuisibly restrained his hand from that reprochfull Act he reculed backe vnseene by the youthfull Couple whose lips were so fastned together that as if they had beene in a trance the Church might haue falne by piece-meales about their eares before they would been parted from their sugred kisses and like an Arrow out of a Bow hee rushed into Saint Frances cloyster where meeting with the Old man a mumbling on his Orisons and Rosaries he desired him in all haste to come and visit the Corpse of one of his Friers which was strooke dead by the Planet Venus together with a Maide of Honour belonging to the Princesse Thalia At these words Saint Frances flung away his deuout Offices and went a long with Doctor Wicliffe to the place where he found the Frier and the gentlewoman a kissing After that Saint Frances had considerately noted how loâ—ingly the Frier lay as it were in an extasie with his lips as close as Iuy to an Elme vnto the Maides lips the good man fell downe vpon his knees and thanked God that he had seene so much Loue and Charitie in the World which before hee doubted had forsaken all humane race CHAP. IIII. Doctor Wicliffe connents Saint Frances and the kissing Frier before Apollo Saint Frances defendeth the cause and discouereth seuen sorts of kisses Apollo refuteth his Defence condemnes the Frier and abolisheth all Monasticall Orders DWicliffe the next day after this aduenture loth to be accessary to such baudy deeds made the matter knowne vnto Apolloes Maiestie who immediately sent Mercury for both the Friers And vpon the Friday after appointed a speciall Conuocation for the ordering of this lasciuious Cause About nine a clocke in the morning vpon the prefixed day both the Friers being brought before the Lords of the Connocations Apollo spake in this wise to Saint Frances The first time that you were initiated in morall Precepts and sithence matriculated in our Court you vndertooke aswell for your Monasticall Order as your selfe to liue chast and not to minister occasion of scandall to the married Societie to suspect the least token of incontinencie in your carriages But we find that you are flesh and bloud subiect to concupiscence as well as others Saint Paul therefore aduiseth you rather to marrie then to burne But you on the contrary doe forbid your Clergy to marry at all although in your consciences you know it a most grieuous yoke the which our Sauiour Christ said that no man can beare vnlesse as a speciall Gift some few receiue it from Heauen And therefore Saint Paul tels you It is the doctrine of deuils to forbid Marriage Why then haue you imposed such a burthen such a vow on these silly Nouices of your Fraternitie which they can neuer keep without hinneying and lusting after the Female Sexe Haue not you heard that a certaine Hermite cockolded the chiefest Nobles of a Princes Court whose Wiues vsed to repaire to his Cell for Spirituall Physicke as if he had beene another Baptist Endeauour yee neuer so violently to expell the affections of nature they will breake into your thoughts and bodies doe what yee can as on a time another Hermit but more holy of life experimented in a Nephew of his who notwithstanding that hee had brought him vp euen from his cradle in his hermitage shut vp from the sight of all Women-kinde and afterwards by chance following his Ghostly Father to a Towne when he had looked on the Sexe of women and askt his Father what creatures those prettie
things were to whom though the old man answered that they were a kind of Goslings yet the yong Religious man could not rest so satisfied but he would needes haue one of those Goslings home with him for his recreation There is a Record yet to bee seene in England of a Grant made by an Abbâ—t of certaine lands vpon condition the Tenant would prouide a pretty yong wench once a moneth for my Lord Abbot ad purgandos renes to purge his reines Many other examples may be produced to proue the impossibility of fulfilling your monasticall vowes Why then doe you tollerate with vnlawfull lust with billing and bussing like Owles while yee may goe neately about it without any disparage and marrie in the open face of the Church To this Saint Francis answered that hee measured other mens dispositions by his owne and for his poore brother if he erred he erred not of any malicious thought but of pure Loue which is the Soueraignest blessing required in all honest men to root out the contrarie which is Hatred Likewise hee shewed out of profound Schoolemen that there were seuen kinds of Kissing The first a charitable kisse a kisse of charitie which the Patriarkes and the Saints in old time vsed one to another as also in the Scripture is implied by our Sauiour Kisse the Sonne least he be angry And againe Let him kisse me with the kisses of his mouth This sacred kisse did his louing Brother substantially engraue on the lips of his sweet Sister And because the memoriall of his vertuous Loue might sticke there he infused it with a long temporizing breath of halfe an houre together as with a deepe Seale and Character not to bee forgotten by her which kisse being so imprinted could not but argue an entire vnion in their Soules by a pleasing harmonie and a honeyed participation of excellent Charitie As for Doctor Wicliffe impeachment hee hoped that an Hereticks supercilious taxation was not of force to condemne an act of Charitie being a man euer reputed euen among his own Sect too rigorous austere whose teeth might perhaps water at such a daintie obiect because hee had not met with the like happinesse himselfe And if the said Doctor Wicliffe did misconster their true intent he retorted that embleme which the Knights of the Noble Order of the Garter by the Institution of Edward the third King of England vsed for many yeeres to embellize Honte soit qui maly pensoit Shame to him that euill thinketh The second sort of Kissing is called a Complementall Kisse which the English allow by way of Complement and friendly ceremonie to salute their friends wiues withall or any of the Feminine kind often-times giuing it with a smacke to rellish the better This is a harmlesse Kisse iustifiable both at comming and parting But more then two Kisses at one meeting a seuere Lord President of Wales could not endure The third kind of Kissing is a naturall token of Loue among the married couples whereof let them discourse whom the Church hath so conioyned in the Honourable state of Matrimonie The fourth degree of Kissing is called a Lecherous kisse vsed vnlawfully among them that shunne the light or in the Stewes to despite their Angell Guardians and to call the Sunne as a witnesse of their obstinate standing out against their Great Creatour The fift sort of Kissing is termed an unnaturall kisse of man with man a minion-kisse such as Iupiter vsed to Ganymede his Cup-bearer and which I am sorrie to heare of such as some of our Italians doe practize to the obloquie of our Catholicke Romish Church This kind of kissing Pygmalion falling in loue with an Image of his owne caruing often vsed It seem'd a virgin full of liuing flame That would haue mou'd if not with-held by shame So Art it selfe conceald His Art admires From th' Image drawes imaginarie fires And often feeles it with his hands to try If 't were a Bodie or cold Iuorie Nor could resolue Who kissing thought it kist He courts embraces wrings it by the wrist There is a sixt kind of Kissing called a Iudas kisse where with he bearing honey in his mouth and gall in his heart mel in ore fel in corde did most treacherously betray his Master Christ such a kisse likewise as Ioab gaue to Amasa at the instant when hee killed him being compared to the salutation of the antient Irish who when they purposed to doe an ill turne laughed and smiled thereby to make the innocent stranger secure and carelesse of his safetie The seuenth sort of Kissing is stiled the kisse of Grace or Honour which Potentates and great Princes haue vsed to conferre on inferiour Persons by reaching their hands or feet to be kissed by them This last of the Foot doth properly belong to my Lord the Pope to countenance and fauour Emperours and Kings like the Sunne which lends the beautie of his rayes to the Moone and lesser Starres though in very deede they are no more worthy being worldly-minded creatures to kisse his holy and sanctified Foot then Saint Iohn Baptist to approach vnto Christ whose shooe latchet hee confessed that hee was no way worthy to vndoe I know Doctor Raynolds in his workes de Romana Idololatria mislikes this as a marke of Antichristian Pride not accepted by Saint Peter though a meaner man then an Emperour would haue done that vassalage vnto his Holinesse But Heretickes know not the reason of Saint Peters refusall Let them therefore vnderstand that the Triple Crowne was not at that time settled on Peters head and withall that Saint Peters deniall saying My selfe am also a man sauoured not so much of modestie as of a Courtly putting by the vrgent presumption of such an inferiour Person as Cornelius was For perhaps if the Roman Emperour himselfe would haue sued for that Honour with teares and humilitie he might haue had the grace to kisse his Foot When a subiect sues to a King for some extraordinarie Gift which he is not willing to bestow hee will not daunt him with a rigorous repulse but answeres him that he will consider of it Le Roy se auisera Of these sixe last kisses I dare cleere my good Franciscan He is as harmelesse as my selfe I can assure your Maiestie being of my owne education and like me in conditions And a very Ideot then replied Apollo But the young Fellow lookes as if he had more wit then his Tutour more Knaue then Foole. You haue discoursed of sundrie kindes of Kisses Yet for all your simplicitie you haue learnt that magisteriall trick of State for the credit of your Order propter bonestatem domus to couer the sinfull pollutions of your Brood because they are sweet veniall sinnes But if a Lay man had committed such a crime in the Church it had beene exorbitant worthy of fire and faggot Old Couper of Westminster found no such fauor nor Aduocate to defend his innocencie for one poore kisse which hee
vnwittingly gaue to a Lady Abbesse in Siuil For when this honest man at the time when K. Philip of Castile by his marriage with Q Mary was also K. of England by that occasion freedome of Commerce betwixt both Nations allowed he being Factor for certaine Merchants of London arriued at Siuill where hearing that an Abbesse would buy some of his butter hee went with his Broker and others to compound for the price with her Couper the chamber being somewhat darke thinking after the manner of England that the Broker and the rest that bare him company he the hindermost had saluted the Ladie Abbesse on the mouth whereas they kissed but her vesture he as his course came popt a swinging kisse on her bare lips Whereupon as a woman rauished not with ioy but of her personall honestie she exclaymed O Vellaco Lutherano Perro Villaine Lutheran Dog No excuses could serue his turne but all the Merchants goods and ship vnder his charge were confiscated to the Holy House together with his Person where after much intreatie hee got the fauour at last only with the forfeit of the ship and goods to doe a yeeres penance there in the Inquisition house with wearing a Iackanapes Coat of ma ny colours which they call Saint Benets hood or Sanbenita euery Holy-day during the time of Masse for one whole yeare I like very well of your distinction of kisses To these you might likewise adioyne the Fatall or Pocky kisse which some Gallants vse to infuse with their contagious breath as a signe of their seruice to their Mistresses in imitation of that East-Indian King whose breath being tainted with the often vse of poysons neuer kissed any of his Concubines but they dyed within foure and twentie houres after his kissing But your approbation of kissing the Popes foot as if he were no mortall man subiect to Peters infirmities but an Angelicall Creature I vtterly abhorre with that Noble English Gentleman who bearing Charles the fift companie as one of his neerest attendants to kisse his Holinesse Foot assoone as hee saw the Emperour fall downe on his maribones and to kisse that contemtible place he ranne out with great speed which the Emperour much wondred at After these Ceremonies were ended hee called for the Gentleman and askt him why hee forsooke him so rudely and staid not for the happinesse to kisse his Holinesse Foot To whom he answered that when hee saw so great a Prince stoope to receiue a kisse at that vnworthy place he verily thought that in regard hee was but a priuate person the Pope would not haue done him that Imperiall grace but that hee would haue turned his back-side vnto him to bee kist If a Kisse proceedes from a Superiour to a meaner Person not of Pompe and Pride but of a sweet tempered nature to honour precious worth it is like a showre of raine in a drie Summer and may cause the partie that receiues it to encrease in vertue Sometimes a Kisse may be vnexpectedly wrested from a Superiour as lately fell out by a Gentleman of the Innes at Court who trauelling homewards with some of his Cameradoes layd a wager that by drawing lots one of them should kisse the the first Ladie they met The lot arriuing to this Gentleman it chanced that a great Countesse passed by which somewhat amazed the Gentleman yet loth to pay the wager and remembring the old saying Faint heart neuer kist faire Ladie hee boldly repaired to the Countesse related the occurrence The Noble Lady vnderstanding his demand bid him thence forwards to take heede how he laid any such rash wagers And with that askt to see his knife which he drew out and humbly presented the same vnto her The Countesse after that she well lookt on it returned it backe saying that because he had kept his knife so neat and cleane he seemed to bee a spruce Gentleman and therefore deserued a kisse which she presently gaue him The like fauour Queene Anne of France the wife of Lewis the twelfth voluntarily imparted in her loue to learning vnto Allen Chartier This Queene passing on a time from her lodging towards the Kings side saw in a gallerie Allen Chartier a famous Scholler leaning on a tables end fast asleepe which this Princesse espying shee stooped downe to kisse him vttering these words in all their hearing Wee may not of Princely courtesie passe by and not honour with our kisse the mouth from whence so many golden Poems haue issued All these examples cannot excuse your Pupils long breathd kisse For if Catâ— the Censour banished a Senatour of Rome for kissing his owne wife in presence of his daughter how much more to blame is a Religious man which vowes Chastitie and vnder colour of auricular confession layes an ambush for his Patient Oscula qui sumpsit si non coetera sumpsit Haec quoque quae sumpsit perdere dignus erat He which kisses once receiu'd Faint-hearted Gull is foule deceiu'd If after fauours such he misse To crop the flowre and rightly kisse This is the end of most of your Confessions like vnto Boccalini his Whelpes who at first did nothing but snarle bawle and barke aloose Then they fell to gamboling to play and to tosse one another vpon their backes vntill at last they roundly rode and mounted vpon each others backe In regard of these grosse abuses wee decree that all your Orders of Monkes and Friers shall from henceforth cease and if any Spirituall person finde in himselfe those prickes in the Flesh that without too much striuing and strugling with nature he cannot liue continently wee counsell him to marry in the Name of God Or if his conscience permit him not so to doe lest his Wife as Salomons draw him from the contemplation of Spirituall matters let him imitate the Monkes of the Primitiue Church conioyning bodily labours to his mentall Saint Paul was a Tent-maker Many of the Apostles Fishermen The Monkes of Bangor liued on their handy-workes that thereby contiguous businesses might weare out phantastick and idle thoughts the procurers of succeeding Acts. What stratagems will not a Souldier of Cupids Campe worke for the fruition of his sweete conceiued pleasures beauteous booties as those ancient Verses insinuate Non audet Daemon facinus tentare quod audent Effroenis Monachus plenaque Fraudis anus The deuill himselfe dares not attempt that fact Which the vnbridled Monke and Baud dare act To conclude our Sentence is that this lusty Franciscan Frier for prophaning our sacred Temple bee had to the House of Correction called of the Spaniards Tescuto and there by inter changeable courses to assist Sysiphus in rowling the painfull stone for it is fit Compulsory labour should bee imposed on them who of their owne accord would not fall to it to preuent the baites of Asmodeus the lustfull Spirit Otia si tollas periere Cupidinis arcus This Sentence pronounced his Imperiall Maiestie caused the Clerke of the Crowne to publish it CHAP.
Saint Peter points not to bee questioned by Earthly men or else by the motion of his owne Transcendent and neuer erring Braine wee know not nor matters it much to speake off for Ipse dixit his Godhead will haue it in his reuerend regard vnto these remote Flocks of his sent ouer his Holy Legat to me and my Brother of Yorke to prohibit all Religious Persons of what qualitie soeuer from thenceforth to defile their sacred bodies with those imperfect animals called Women aswell because they might follow their bookes the better not caring for the vanities of this transitorie world as also lest like New Fues they might tempt vs to taste what God had forbidden that is Iealousie Anger Deceit Simony and Pride to compasse meanes for their haughtie minds After much difficultie we executed his Holinesse good will and pleasure Neuerthelesse this Seditious Sectarie not onely openly with opprobrious words but with an infamous Libell hee presumed to taxe our Holy Father of Errour or Heresie if hee durst for this Diuine Ordinance The Contents of his Libell are these That it was a grieuous torment for a Priest to put away his wife because shee was his darling affirming that the Bishop of Rome made an il Decree and wisht him to beware hee dyed not in so great a Sinne. That his Holinesse forbad that pleasure now in his old age which he loued in his youth That Mapes defended his Errour by the authoritie of the Old and New Testament citing Zacharie the Priest to be the Father of Saint Iohn Baptist and that S. Paul allowed a Clergie man to be the Husband of one Wife That it became a Priest better to marrie then to borrow or deflowre his Neighbours daughter Niece or Wife And in Conclusion hee was so impudent as to require all Priests to bestow together with their Sweet Hearts a Pater noster a piece for this his goodly Apish Apologie His Maiestie smiled to heare the Conceit And thereupon caused the Pronotarie to reade the Libell as Walter de Mapes had framed it who with an audible voice did recite as followeth O quam dâ—lâ—r anxius quam tormentum graâ—e Nobis dimittere quoniam suaue O Romane Pontifex statâ—isti praâ—e Ne in taâ—tâ— crimine moriaris caue Non est innocentius imo nocens verè Qui quid facto dâ—cuit studet abolere Et quod olim luuenis voluit habere Modo vetus Pontifex studet prohibere Giguere nos praecipit vetus Testamentum Vbi Nouum prohibet nusquam est inuentum Praesul qui contrarium donat Documentum Nullum necessarium his dat Argumentum Dedit enim Dominus maledictionem Viro qui non fecerit generationem Ergo tibi consulo per hanc rationem Gignere vt habeaâ— Benedictionem Nonne de Militibus Milites procedunt Et Reges à Regibus qui sibi succedunt Per Locum à Simili Omnes Iura laedunt Clericos qui gignere crimen esse credunt Zacharias habuit prolem vxorem Per virum quem genuit adeptus honorem Baptizauit enim nostrum Saluatorem Pereat qui teâ—eat nouum hunc Errorem Paulus Coelos rapitur ad superiores Vbi multas didicit res secretiores Ad nos tandem rediens iâ—struensque mores Suas inquit habeat quilibet vxores Propter haec alia Dogmata Doctorum Reor esse meliuâ— magis decorum Quisque suam habeat non proximorum Ne incurrat odium iram eorum Proximorum Foeminas Filias Neptes Violare nefas est Quare nil disceptes Verè tuam habeas in hac delectes Diem vt sic vltimum tutius expectes Ecce iam pro Clericis multum allegani Nec non pro Presbyteris plura comprobaui Pater Noster nunc pro me quoniam peccaui Dicat quisque Presbiter cum sua Suaui CHAP. VIII Walter de Mapes is commanded by Apollo to defend his Positions against the Pope and Becket who accordingly obeyeth and prooues the lawfulnesse of Clergie-mens Marriage both by the Testimonie of the Scripture and of the Ancient Fathers AFter the Pronotarie had ended Apollo commanded Walter de Mapes to defend his cause who thus began I am glad Most Noble Emperour that my Aduersarie hath cited mee to defend my Cause in this judicious Court where Bribes blindnesse of Affection and Passion cannot wrest the infallible reasons of Truth as oftentimes wee see fall out in worldly Iudgements Heere I need not feare the Popes Thunderbolt of Excommunication And therefore with a resolued countenance and a minde vndaunted I will proue out of the Holy Scriptures and by the authoritie of the Primitiue Church that wee Clergie-men may and ought to marrie as well as others By the Old Testament it is euident that the Leuits as Aaron Phinehes Eleazar Zadock Samuel and Zachary were married men Saint Peter himselfe as we reade in the New Testament was likewise married for our Sauiour Christ cured his Wiues Mother of an Ague Saint Paul aduiseth a Bishop to be the Husband of one onely wife and in another place auoucheth that it is better to marrie then to burne Yea and Christ himselfe auoucheth it to be a very hard matter for any man whatsoeuer to continue chast except it were giuen him from heauen as a special gift as rare a Miracle as a blacke Swan or a white Crow And shall we expect such miraculous and rare sightes in these tempestuous times when the Church it selfe hath much adoe to steale out of Babylon When the purest of vs all doe feele tumultuous Hurliburlies in our members striuing and strugling to ouer-master the faculties of our Soules As we are men we know our vnresistable frailties We must acknowledge our naturall Infirmities or else we are Liers and the Truth dwels not in vs. How much better then were it for vs to ioyne in lawfull Marriage then to stay as stale Batchelers and hypocritically to take vpon vs that taske which our weake Tabernacles cannot support Sometimes wee saue those Soules by Marriage which perhaps might proue lost were they not our wiues By these wee beget children whom we traine vp and graffe into Christ. We enioy this happinesse oftentimes in our wiues and children that by our examples and societie they shine as Starres heere on Earth giuing light to them that sit in darknesse we encrease the Kingdome of Heauen and heere in this World wee leaue no scandall behind vs as the vnmarried Romists doe by their Stewes and stolne pleasures Haue not we power to lead about a Sister aswell as the rest of the Apostles This Tertullian one of the first Latine Fathers auerreth in these words It was lawfull for the Apostles to marrie and to lead their Wiues about with them in their iournies What plainer instance can there be then Saint Pauls aduise to Bishops and Deacons to content themselues with one Wife apiece hauing children in subiection For if a man knowes not how to rule his owne house how shall
hee care for the Church of God Thus in admonishing the Clergie to satisfie themselues with one wife the Apostle leaues the Temporall to their choise who accounted it in those times one of their chiefest felicities to haue many children And therefore in regard of their Custome of their hot Climate being farre more vnfit for procreation of children then the cold Countries as also for that their wiues were busied in giuing sucke themselues two or three yeeres vnto their little Ones Saint Paul meddles onely with the Clergy-mens marriage which laudable custome none contradicted vntill the Manichees and Ebienites first beganne to taxe them for Marriage So we reade that Saint Gregory Bishop of Nazianzen had a Sonne called Gregorie who succeeded him in his Bishopricke Saint Ierome a Bishop of Africke had a Daughter called Leontiâ— who was martyred by the Arrians Saint Athanasius writing to Dragontius saith that he knew many Bishops vnmarried and Monkes married as also hee saw Bishops married and many Monkes singlemen The sixt generall Councell kept at Trulla did much detest this Antichristian Policie against Priests Marriage and therefore made this Constitution For as much as we are informed that a Canon hath beene lately enacted by the Romane Church that no Priest or Deacon shall haue to doe with a Wife Wee following the Apostles Orders and Discipline doe order that the lawfull Marriage of Priests be for euer vsefull and auaileable And a little after they yeeld the reason why they did it lest say they we bee compelled to dishonour Marriage which was first instituted by God and sanctified by his presence What greater euidence will my friend Becket expect then these Primitiue Lights If these will not satisfie his curious Iudgement but that he yet relies on the Decree of the Romish Church let him belieue the Deuill himselfe out of the heard of Swine confessing the Truth of my allegations euen your famous Canonist Cardinall Panormitane continencie saith hee in clericis Secularibus in Secular Clergy-men is not of the substance of their Order nor of the Law diuine because otherwise the Greeke Church should sinne nor could their custome excuse them It followes and I doe not onely belieue that the Church hath power to make such a Law but I likewise belieue that such a Statute were expedient for the health of their Soules that all that were willing might marrie seeing that Experience teacheth how a contrary effect ensues out of that Law of Continencie seeing they liue not spiritually nor are they cleane but defiled with vnlawfull copulation to their most grieuous sinning whereas they might liue chastly with their owne wiues If this mans authoritie who was one of your principall Darlings seemes but a Conceit in your Saint-like vnderstanding yet me thinkes my Lord the Pope vpon your discreet motion might mitigate his rigour and tolerate with vs to marrie as well as hee tolerates the Iewes and Stewes at Rome What stirres and tumults haue lately ensued vpon this Edict in the Church of Saint Dauid in Wales our friend Giraldus Cambrensis who is our Coaetaneus with many honest Clergy-men can assure you For when you sent this Canon vnder colour of your Metropolitane Visitation that whole Diocesse withstood not onely this Canon but also your owne Prerogatiue pretended from the Romish Church clayming themselues as heeretofore for the keeping of their Easter to liue according to the Rites of the Greeke Church at Constantinople to which place as the Seat of the Romane Empire appointed by Constantine they appealed for the deciding of all doubts Insomuch that our King Henry the Second was faine to intreate for aide from the Lord Rice Prince of South Wales to bring in your Visitation of Canterbury If these cloudes of witnesses serue not to confirme the truth of my Poeme which you terme a Libell let vs then bee dispenced withall to keepe prettie Wenches in corners and these to be dignified with the old Titles The Lords Concubine the Priests Leman and the Knaâ—es Whore Apollo reuerseth the Popes Canon made against the Marriage of the Clergie and to that purpose sends out a Proclamation APollo well noting the speeches of Walter de Mapes and the great inconuenience which the Prohibition of Marriage to the Clergie had wrought in the Christian Church with the Consent of al his Parliament assembled at Parnassus reuersed that Canon whereof Saint Paul had prophesied that it was the doctrine of deuils to forbid Marriage and withall caused this Proclamation to bee fixed in all places subiect to his populous Iurisdiction Of late there rose a Sect of Caiphas kind Which great renowme with Pen tongue assign'd To Wedlock-bands and with a large extent Confirm'd the same to be a Sacrament Yet ne'rethelesse by quirks and tricks they push As if they found a knot within a rush Forbidding it to all the Clergy-men A doctrine sure come from the Deuils deâ— But what 's the fruit Their bodies Lust inflames That they doe burne as scorcht in Aetnaes flames Enamoured they wish for cruell death To end their watchfull cares and wearied breath Their mind runnes all on Loue. Loue moues the braine To muse vpon sweet Beauty dy'd in graine This is the vpshot of their rash made vowes Vnlesse the Baudy-house which Rome allowes Like to a lakes doe ease their pampred reines Or like a Horse-leach suck their puft vp veines Returne then Marriage to thy free estate Repent yee Shauelings ere it be too late Vse lawfull meanes and leaue of stolne pleasure Account of Marriage as the Churches treasure Christs easie yoke yee need not stand in awe Dissolues old vowes and for Dianaes Law Christs easie yoke yeelds Priests a freer life That one man be the Husband of one wife CHAP. IX Apollo vpon Information giuen him by the Greek Church of Images erected by the Pope in the Westerne Churches and of Inuocations on Saints confuteth these Idolatrous Traditions both by the Testimony of the Scripture and by the Positions of the Primitiue Church THe Greeke Church seeing that by no perswasions the Pope would condiscend to abolish Idols grauen Images out of the Romane Church but that still he suffered euen in the chiefe Temples at Rome the Pictures of the Virgin Mary and of many other Saints to bee worshiped and called vpon with Prayers and Oblations they resorted to Parnassus on Good Friday last shewing to Apollo that the Popes not satisfied by their cunning practises and treasons to defeat them of the Primacie belonging to Constantinople as to the Head Citie of New Rome but likewise they set vp Charles of France about the yeere 801. to inuest himselfe in the Empire of the West and so by their Confederacie to compel all Christendome to wander after the strange Beast of the seuen hilled Citie which now grew to such a height that his voice stood peremptory as a Law Idolatry he accounted the Mother of Deuotion The Romish Church were summoned to answere these Accusations who made
what they list and at the last obtaine for a little money full remission of all their Sinnes mortall as veniall But now that the Spirit of life is entred into their Carcasses and they stand vpon their feet according to Saint Iohns Prophecie Feare seizeth on them they waxe amazed shunning their glorious Light They reele to and fro and stagger like drunken men Apollo liked exceeding well of Zâ—ing lius his zealous speech And further adioyned this Admonition to Gratian and the rest of the Popes Fauorites Not without a profound mysterie did Saint Iohn in the Reuelation compare the Romishh Curch to Spirituall Aegypt For euen as the Children of Israell were for many yeares kept in Bondage vnder the yoke of Pharaoh so the Soules of Christians in the times of the generall Apostasie and departure from the true Faith were miserably subiected vnder the Popes Tyrannicall Command insomuch that they were prohibited to haue Seruice in any other language saue in the Romane whose chiefe Citie the Tyrant himselfe vsurped and in subtile policie would admit of no other Tongue then of his own Latine which some hold to comprehend the mysticall name of the Beast who possesseth that seuen hilled Citie We doe therefore ordaine that it shall bee lawfull for euer hereafter to euery Kingdome and Prouince to celebrate Diuine Seruice and to read the Scripture in the Mother tongue following the examples of the Primitiue Church And euen as the Greeke Church the Georgians in Armenia the Abisâ—ines in Aethiopia vnder Precious Iohn and other Christians in the East haue from the first time of their Conuersions vsed their Godly sacrifices prayers and thanksgiuing euery Nation in their owne language so now wee doe here allow ratifie and decree that the Waldenses and Albigienses shall honour and glorifie their Creator in Vnitie and Trinitie after the same manner in their owne knowne Tongue as they haue accustomed for these fiue hundred yeres last past And if any person be so hardie as to bring in a Bull of Excommunication from the Pope against them for so doing we doe by these Presents pronounce the same to bee void siustrate and of no effect and that the Publishers of that thundring Libell bee laesa Maiestatis reus guiltie for wounding our Royall Maiestie and to suffâ—â— the Punishment due for Capitall Treason CHAP. XII Berengarius reneweth his opinion of the Lords supper and proues both by the Scriptures and by the Authoritie of the most antient Fathers of the Primitiue Church that the same is to bee taken after a spirituall manner and in commemoration of the Lords death VVIcklisse vnderstanding that his old Master Berengarius had for feare of Death recanted his notable Demonstration of the vse of the Lords Supper which in his flourishing yeares hee had maintayned against the Pope and all the Romish Clergie caused him to bee cited into his Maiesties Court at Parnassus to shew the reasons of his Recantation and whether hee did the same in good earnest or else out of the frailtie of flesh and bloud Berengarius appeared and being asked of Apollo wherefore hee made that attestation contrary to his Conscience Berengarius trembling with teares confessed that the Pope extorted that Recantation from him with menaces and threats but that like to Hippolitus in Euripides hee kept a mind vnsworne and that hee still perseuered in the truth of the Doctrine which he formerly had taught that the Body and bloud of Christ ought to be taken spiritually and not really Apollo obseruing his contrition and inward sorrow freely forgaue him vpon condition that hee would yeeld sound proofes out of the Scriptures and the ancient Fathers of the Primitiue Church to conuince the Papists wherby they might be thenceforth toungtied and fully satisfied touching that materiall point of Faith Berengarius glad of his Maiesties pardon promised to declare his full knowledge and out of hand drew out of his pocket this schedule which Apollo presently caused Saint Bernard to read before all his learned Courtiers Saint Bernard obeyed his Soueraignes command and publikely read the Contents as follow Euen as by the Law of Moses there were two Sacraments ordayned to bee kept vntill the comming of Christ that great Prophet whom God promised to raise vp like vnto Moses viz. Circumcision and the Passeouer or the sacrifice of the Lamb at Easter the one seruing to bridle their carnall affections the other to prefigure the eternall Lamb which was to be crucified so in the New Testament two Sacraments were instituted to Christians in their stead Baptisme and the Lords Supper the one supplying the vse of Circumcision the other of the Lamb at Easter both to testifie our admittance and incorporation into the Christian Church as ouâ—ward visible markes signes or badges of our Faith onely in Christ. To these the Pope added fine Sacraments more in worldly policie to gaine money Confirmation Penance Orders Extreme vnction and Marriage which last his Holinesse debarres his Clergie of because Gods Elect might suspect the rest as humane Traditions These fiue sometimes may bee necessarie as other Diuine vertues Loue Humilitie Sobrietie and such like but not properly to be called Sacraments Which Saint Augustine very plainely affirmeth in these words Christ and his Disciples deliuered vnto vs a few Sacraments instead of many Baptisme and the Lords Supper Neither was the Pope content onely so to adde more yokes of bondage to the free Church of Christ but likewise for his further condemnation hee peruerted with those old Heretickes the Capernaites the true sense of those words This is my Body saying they must be taken literally and really which a sober minded Christian lothes to heare asmuch as Auerroes the Moore who detested Christian Religion for nothing more then for that they did eate their God with their teeth and sought to hale their Sauiour from the Right hand of God where his Father had placed him vntill the Day of Iudgement After the Consecration of the Bread and Wine we confesse that there is an alteration in respect of the End and vse of this mysticall Sacrament to put vs in minde of the Lords death vntill hee comes to iudge the world but we vtterly deny that there is any alteration at all in the substance of the Bread and Wine which remaines as it did before and enters into our Bodies to be digested and concocted like vnto other naturall and corruptible Food Yet most significantly they may bee called Sacramentall Bread and Sacramentall Wine representing the Body and Bloud of Christ if they bee taken with a spirituall mouth and a deuout mind that is by Faith and not receaued with a carnall mouth and bodily appetite For as Saint Paul wrot haue not wee houses for that purpose As a bodily mouth requires bodily meat so a spirituall mouth must haue spirituall Food to refresh and nourish the Soule And this manner of Eating Christs Body did himselfe expound when some grew displeased saying that it
and in the neerest places adioyning vnto Rome that no Ecclesiasticall Policie could stand on foote nor erect publicke Churches and consequently no Mitred Bishops to solemnize or order the affaires of that spiritual Common-wealth in any complete forme no more then at this day we see in France a few places onely by their Ciuill Warres tolerated Specially in Paris the chiefe Citie they of the Reformed Religion cannot haue any but by permission about two leagues from the Citie they are allowed their Diuine Seruice The like though not so openly those ancient Christians were tolerated to enioy priuately in their Houses as in hugger-mugger at Rome the Capitall Seate of that Empire In processe of time Constantine the Great attained to the Empire who for some causes and principally because he would bee a neerer Neighbour to the Northerne Nations and also to the Persians who infested his State with sundry inrodes and hostile inuasions he was constrained to remoue the Imperiall Seate to Constantinople leauing the Bishop of Rome some power at old Rome whereby in his absence hee might as a Reuerend Prelate with his graue and Christianly exhortations retaine the Citizens in their Alleageance In this sort these good Bishops continued loyall to their Prince and subiect to their Command and to their Successours in the Empire vntill the yeere of our Lord 606. about which time after a great contention for the Primacie betwixt them and the Patriarch of Constantinople which then was called New Rome Phocas by the murther of his Lord and Master Maurice the Emperour hauing gotten the Soueraigntie made Boniface the Third Supreme Bishop aboue all other Bishops and to that end sent forth a Decree that all the Churches in his Empire should obey him as their Soueraigne Bishop which Iurisdiction he held onely in Spiritull matters After this the Emperour Iustine Iustinians Sonne raigned who sent Longinus as his Deputy into Italy to settle the confused state thereof after the expulsion of the Gothes who altered the forme of Gouernment in Rome and abrogated the Senate and Consulary Dignities which till that time continued and carried with it a glimpse of the ancient Maiestie of the Romane State and in steed of them appointed one Principall Gouernour whom he called an Exarch or Viceroy This innouation ministred an occasion to the Lumbards to enter into Italie And then the Citie of Rome felt new troubles But at last Theodoricus King of the Goths by the Popes Counsell remoued from Rome and erected Rauenna to be the Head Citie of his Kingdome and there keeping his Royall Court gaue room to the Popes to flourish in Rome Sometimes they tooke part with the Emperour some other times with the Lumbards accommodating their fortunes warily to the strongest parties liking Thus they continued vntill the Emperour Heraclius his time who being oppressed by the Persians Saracens and Arabians vnder Mahomet was so farre from looking into the affaires of Italy and into the Popes aspiring designes that he found much adoe to defend his neerer territories from those bloudy Enemies and Infidels The Popes watchfull to take aduantage partly by their Religious carriage among the common people and partly by Rewards got themselues to be equall in Power with the Kings of the Lumbards And then Pope Gregorie finding himselfe reasonable strong assaulted Raâ—enna the chiefe Citie of Italie and tooke it But being presently expulsed out of it by Astulfus King of the Lumbards hee was reseized thereof againe by succours sent vnto him from Pipin King of France After Astulfus death the Pope falling at ods with Desiderius the sonne of Astulfus hee sent for aide to Charles the Great King Pipins Sonne who in proper person came into Italie tooke Desiderius Prisoner augmented the Popes Dominion and at his motion crowned himselfe Emperour of the West at Rome At which time he againe to requite his good will enacted that from thenceforth the Bishop of Rome as Christs Vicar should neuer more bee subiect to any Earthly Potentate And whereas before that time they were themselues confirmed Bishops by the Emperour at Constantinople now by this new Emperour of the West they began to be of themselues and by their wits got the Emperours to be inuested at their hands This Pope was Leo the third And this notable Accident and alteration fell out about 801. yeares after Christ. After Leo his decease Pope Paschale after the example of his Predecessour Leo who had wrested the nomination of the Pope from the people of Rome and also the confirmation from the Emperour at Constantinople caused those Priests of the Citie who had elected him as the next neighbours to be enobled with a glorious Title and to be called Cardinalls Thus in lesse then two hundred yeares after their Supremacie obtayned from Phocas in spirituall matters the Popes aspired to a Supremacie in temporall affaires not so much for their hypocriticall holinesse as indeed for the Dignitie and repute of the Place and Seat their Citie of Rome hauing beene the Lady of the world and the eyes of all men being fixt on that Place brought at length most Princes of Christendome as Factions grew betwixt them to make profitable vse of their friendship either to appease their Aduerfaries or vnder colour of their Excommunications and Saint Peters keyes to oppresse one another Yea and that which was most strange as Machiauell obserues in his Florentine Historie King Iohn of England vpon the dissention betweene him and his Subiects yeelded himselfe at the Popes dispose when hee durâ—â— not shew his face in Rome by reason of the Factions of the Orsini and Columneses and of the Guâ—â—ses and the Gibellines but was faine to translate the Papacie to Aâ—inion in France Whereby our Politicians may gather this remarkable Rule that things which seeme to bee and are not such in very deâ—d are more feared or regarded afarre off then at home by reason of the vncertaine knowledge which strangers haue of other mens states Thus may all good Christians note by what meanes the Church of Rome arriued to her Greatnesse and how like a Foxe by little and little the Pope crept vp to the double Supremacie which Saint Peter and the blessed Apostles neuer once dreamed nor would our Sauiour Christ by any meanes accept of the Temporall Sword For hee vtterly defied the Deuill when hee motioned vnto him of an Earthly Kingdome And when some purposed afterwards to make him King he forsooke that Coast. To conclude this point of the Popes Supremacie Pope Hildebrand whom some call Gregory the seuenth after much contestation with the Emperour and his Gibellines was the first which triumphed ouer him about one thousand yeeres after Christ. Of whom an ancient Historiographer thus testifieth To this man only doth the Latin Church ascribe that she is free and pluckt out of the Emperours hands By his meanes she stands enriched with so much wealth and Temporall Power By his meanes shee stands inriched with so much wealth and
Mastership haue Nor to carke for cloth or for food From euery mischiefe he would them saue Their Clothing should be Righteousnesse Their Treasure pure life should be Charity should be their Riches Their Lordship should be vnitee Hope in God their Honestie Their vessell cleane Conscience Poore in spirit and Humilitie Should be Holy Churches defence The Griffon said thou shalt abie Thou shalt be burnt in balefull fire And all thy Sect I shall destry You shall be hanged by the swire I le cause you soone to hang and draw VVho giueth you leaue for to preach Or thus to speake against Gods Law And the people thus false to teach Thou shalt be cursed with Booke and Bell And disseuer'd from Holy Church And cleane ydamned into Hell Otherwise but you will worke The Pellican said I doe not dread Your Cursing is of little value Of God I hope to have my meed For it is falshood which you shew For you beene out of Charity And would doe vengeance as did Nero. To suffer I will ready be I dread not that what thou caâ—st doe CHAP. XV. Sir Geffrey Chaucer being proâ—oked by Scotus to defend his Cause proues the Pope to bee the great and vniuersall Antichrist prophesied in the Scriptures AFter that the Pronotarie had read that Part of the Plowmans Tale which Sir Geffrey Chaucer had published against the Pope the Romish Church hee was commanded by Apollo to defend his Doctrine Sir Geffrey Chaucer obeyed and framed this extemporary Oration Most high and redoubted Emperour I am glad that Scotus hath prouoked mee this day to open that Secret which by the craft of our Arch sorcerer of the Christian Church hath beene concealed from the vulgars knowledge vntill this fulnesse of Time which the Holy Ghost hath appointed for his Discouerie The Waldenses Albigienses and many others long before my time haue done their endeauors in other Countryes to reueale him but here in England Abbot Ioachim excepted who in K. Rich. the firsts dayes proclaymed the Pope Antichrist no man durst for feare of his formidable Tyrannie disclose what they knew in their Consciences to bee apparantly true This Illumination and Gift of discerning Spirits was indeed kept from the Common people by that execrable Policie of with-holding the Bible from our English translation so that these two Witnesses which lay martyred and yet vnburied in the streets of Spirituall Sodome and Aegypt could not performe their proper offices Now that it hath pleased God to remoue that palpable Darknesse they begin to reuiue and to stand vpon their feet to the amazement of the Carnall Beholders By their sacred motion the eyes of my vnderstanding are likewise opened and I doubt not but all your Maiesties Court shall know out of my mouth this day that the Pope and none but he is that Antichrist which was so long agoe prophesied to come and seduce the Christian Church with lyes Equiuocations and the wonders of Sathan For the manifestation of which damnable practices inspire my heart O fierie Comforter Inflame my mind with true Zeale the seale of thy sacred Spirit that I may soare vp like an Eagle to the Sunne of thy Grace with feruencie founded on Diuine Discretion for Feruencie is but foolish furie without Diuine Discretion The first marke of Antichrist I gather from our Sauiour himselfe who prophefied many shall come in my name and shall say I am Christ vnder this Title the Pope doth most blasphemously coâ—er his Temporall Power For what signifies the word Christ but Anointed Insomuch that whensoeuer any of his Clergie hath offended the Temporall sword must not punish them but for their protection his Holinesse wardeth them with that saying of the Prophet Dauid Touch not mine Anointed Meddle not with my Christs Though they be taken fighting in the Field with Armour on their backs hee termes them his Sons the Conqueror must leaue them to depart in peace Which made a Prince sometime to returne him this Answer I haue sent your Holinesse your Sonnes Coat the Armour in which I found your Bishop fighting when I tooke him Prisoner And if you be as quick-sighted as Iacob let me know whether this be your Iosephs Coat vntill King Edward the first his time Clergie men were the Lawyers in England as an Ancient Writer testified Nullus Clericus nisi Causidicus They sate as supreme Iudges in Temporall Causes But when their King should chastize them for their briberies and extortions then they shrowded themselues vnder the Spirituall keyes and appealing to the Pope they freed themselues from all Accusations Thus did Errors play vpon the preheminence of Kings vntill they were beaten out from their Law and at the last from their chiefest holds by the valour of King Henry the Eight and well worthy seeing that they presumed to make vse of the name of Christ to cloke their falsehoods and lewd tricks The second Mark of Antichrist I collect out of Saint Paul that in the last dayes men should bee high-minded louers of pleasures more then louers of God hauing a shew of godlines but denying the power thereof All these are verified in the Pope and his Clergie Hee exalteth himselfe aboue Emperours and Kings comparing himselfe to the Sunne and them to the Moone and lesser starres Yea he ranketh his Courtly Cardinals with Kings Which ambition moued Cardinall Wolsey to place himselfe aboue his King Ego Rex meus What greater pleasure can worldly men enioy more then the Pope and his Hierarchie doe They haue a large command of Cities and huge Territories Besides Rome Romania Bolonia Ferrara Auinion the Pope is like to possesse very shortly the Dutchie of Vrbin Nor doth his Ambition cease in these pleasant places many other Episcopall Seates out of Italie doth hee dispose of In Humilitie farre from Christs life yet pretending sanctimonie and a vertuous life but denying the effects thereof as his tolleration of the Iewes and Stewes his seruing of Idols his vnlawfull Dispensations and monstrous Pardons doe plainly demonstrate The third marke of Antichrist is deriued from another place of Saint Paul Now the spirit speaketh euidently that some should fall from the Faith giuing heede to seducing Spirits and Doctrines of Deuils speaking lyes in hypocrifie forbidding Marriage and Meates Now what Church is the same which forbiddeth Marriage and the eating of flesh at prefixed times Is it not the Romish The Greeke Church whom for Antiquitie none can deny but they stand parraleld and equall with the Romane doe prohibit no such things Their Clergie as the Abissines in Aethiopia haue alwayes continued marriage Therefore let this Marke serue for one to conuince the Pope of the Doctrine of Deuils as Saint Paul calls it And for their prohibition of meates who doe insist more strongly then the Pope and his Clergie To eate Flesh vpon some dayes is a mortall sinne vnlesse it bee with their speciall dispensation as the Castilians haue bought out their freedome vpon some forbidden
dayes To abstaine from Flesh they account it meritorious and yet to eat Fish Caueare Almonds Figs and other lustfull viands they professe it lawfull Our Sauiour notwithstanding warrants vs to eate Flesh saying that which goeth into the mouth defileth not a man And this hee proues by a forcible reason because that whatsoeuer entreth into the mouth goeth into the belly and is cast out I condemne not the true vse of Fasting with bread and water in them who finde their bodies carnally bent or so full of grosse humours that they breathe vp into their heads like cloudie and foggie vapours to ecclipse and darken their vnderstanding wills and memories those noble Organs of the Soule if they cannot otherwise without such mortification subdue their fleshly longing desires and fall to feruent Prayers Likewise I commend Fasting to all the vnmarried and lazie Persons who haue liued without much exercise faring well and lying in downie beds Such indeed haue reason aboue others to embrace Abstinence as a Iewell least their Gluttonic with ease should fill their veines with too much blood least their spleene grow to a bigger proportion then is fitting least through oppilations and obstructions feuers the small poxe the plurisie the greene sicknesse the consumption and chefly the Scuruie that vnsuspected Guest and hardly discerned Traitouresse at the first approch to the wisest Physician doe seize vpon them as their slaues neuer to bee redeemed But to make it a point of Religion and to perswade men that Fasting can satisfie Gods iustice or appease his wrath iustly conceiued against vs for sinne is the Doctrine of Diuels and a marke of Antichrist To the cleane all things are cleane as the Apostle said And the Elders of the Church ought not to clog and burthen the consciences of their yonger brethren with such yokes of mens inuentions and Traditions as Touch not taste not handle not which as Saint Paul againe saith bee things of no value sith they belong to the filling of the Flesh. For it is the soule and not the Flesh which good Christians ought to keep pure and vndefiled Which moued that ancient Father Tertullian who liued within lesse then two hundred yeares after Christ to auerre that the Apostles imposed no burthen of set and solemne Fasting but left it to our libertie as euery man saw his occasion The fourth marke of Antichrist is manifested that he must be a mysterie the mysterie of Iniquitie hee must sit in the Temple of God For the expounding of which place Saint Chrysostome deliuers a notable Commentarie Antichrist saith bee being seated in the Church and possessing the chiefest places of the Church is to hold all that in shew which the true Church of Christ holds in truth that is hee shall haue Churches Scriptures Bishops Priests Baptisme and the Communion c. Hee is a mysterie that is close and hidden vntill the Prophesie be winded to the bottome For as Saint Paul wrot before the time of his reuealiâ—g must come their must needes fall out a departure from the Faith and then that Man of Sinne should bee knowne which had abused the world with lying signes and deceits The fist marke is expressed out of the Reuelation of Saint Iohn where Antichrist is termed the Where of Babilon the Beast the false Prophet all signifying the same hauing his power from the Spirituall Dragon which fought with Michael and his Angels By the name of Whore wee must note that none is called by that name but one which had beene once an honest woman The Church of Rome was once pure but afterwards by pride and ambition grew to be impure as now wee see her domineering Head sitting in the great Citie on the seuen Hills adored aboue all which is called God As on the Triumphall Arch engrauen in Lions 1555. was proclaymed Oraclo vocis mundi moderaris habenas Et merito in terris diceris esse Deuâ— By thy Tongues mightie Oracle The World thou gouern'st all On Earth thee without obstacle Of right a God wee call The sixt marke of Antichrist is taken out of Saint Paul that he began mystically to worke in his time But that which then with-held and let his reuealing did let and hinder vntill the splendour and glorie thereof that is the Maiestic of the Roman Empire was taken out of the way which afterwards in fulnesse of time came to passe when the Imperiall Seat was translated from Old Rome to New Rome which Constantine called after his own name Constantinople In Saint Pauls time hee oâ—ept on his feet and hands like an Infant about three hundred yeares after hee grew to his stripling age But about the yeere 666. which is the number assigned in the Reâ—elation hee was in his strength and euer since vntill my time he shewed himselfe in his owne colours a mightie Potentate with a Triple Crowne and vnder colour of Saint Peters keyes he arrogates to himselfe a higher Power then Nabuchadonozor the Caesars or the great Turke euer presumed to haue heere on Earth As long as the Roman Emperors liued in the great Citie the Bishops stood inawe and followed their bookes not carking for the vanities of the world But when the Place by the Emperours absence became an habitation for his Holinesse then that Barre which with-held his discouerie was also taken out of the way so that now all men of Iudgement may clearely see the mysterie of Iâ—iquitie manifestly discouered The seuenth marke of Antichrist is the great wonder and maruell which Saint Iohn had when he saw this vnlookt for alteration which he would not haue confessed if in his vision he had beheld an Heathen Antichrist or any Infidell Tyrants For hee had sufficient triall of their Tyrannies But when he saw in the Temple of God a Reuerend Prelate attired in Purple and Scarlet with Imperiall Ornaments and Princely Authoritie which Christ forewarned his Apostles to take heede of hee could not choose but wonder The eight marke of the Antichrist is that his Sect shall magnifie him with one consent and with one mind In this they glorie and in all their communications you shall heare them brag of Catholicke Antiquitie and of the Popes succession neuer heeding Saint Pauls prophecie that before the discouerie of Antichrist a generall defection of the Faith was necessarily to come nor yet giuing credit to Saint Iohn that the Church was to flye into a Desert This very ostentasion passed of the Iewes that they crucified the Lord of life and persecuted the Apostles as the Founders of a new Religion Vpon this did the Romane Idolators insist and by Antiquitie defended their idle Opinions The ninth marke of Antichrist is apparantly deciphered by his vaunting of Miracles a token which our Sauiour deliuers that there should arise false Christs and false Prophets which should doe great wonders and signes so that if it were possible they should deceiue the very Elect if it were possible The like
admonition Saint Paul giues vs that in the Church vnder Antichrist there should bee working of Satâ—â—n with all Power Signes and lying wonders The like doth Saint Iohn prophesie of Spirits of Deuils working wonders In the Primitiue Church when the Gospell was setled Miracles ceased Which made Saint Chrysostome to answer their curiositie which looked for such rare signes in this wise There be some saith he that aske why men now adaâ—es doe not worke Miracles as the Apostles did If thou beleeuest Christ as thou oughtest thou hast no neede of Miracles for these were giuen to vnbeleeuers and not to beleeuers Sometimes God permits men with iugling trickes and legerdemaine or by the Deuils deuises to deceiue them either to â—rie the soundnesse of their Faith or to confirme them in their Errors As heretofore he suffered the Israelites to bee deluded with Baals Priests and the Golden Calfe who assuredly produced the like Miracles as the Iesuites boast of The tenth marke of Antichrist whom Saint Iohn calls the Whâ—re of Babilon the mother of Harlots and abhominations of the Earth is that shee shall be drunken with the bloud of the Saints and the Martyrs of Christ Iesus Of whom may this bee more significantly spoken then of the Pope How many thousands haue beene murthered in France in the Low Countryes and other places of Christendome by his procurement euen those which acknowledge Christ Iesâ—â— for their onely Mediatour with the Father which confesse the euer-liuing God in Vnitie and Trinitie hath hee caused to bee burnt for Hereticks or made to row as slaues in Spaines Gallies O bloudy Tyrannie O poisonous Imposture which vnder the colour of the Catholicke Faith doth shed the bloud of Innocents like mercilesse Hâ—râ—d not sticking to wound Christ anew through his seruants sides CHAP. XVI Apolloes iudgement of Chauâ—ers Apologie concluding that the Pope is the great Aâ—tichrist AFter that Sir Geffrey Chaucer had ended his speech Apollo gaue his definitiue sentence in this wise Euen as all the lesser sicknesses in mans bodie doth grow and descend into the Plague when contagion raignes And as by reason of oppilations the shutting vp of the spirits passages and their want of transpiration through the veynes all other inferiour diseases fall into the miserable Seâ—râ—y and principally for want of the Sunnes presence in the winter So for want of the Holy Spirits illumination caused through the corruptions of mens depraued wills by little and little the Antichrist increased and grew as it were with an inundation into one great Sea the Romish Sea Euen as Mahomet composed his Alcoran of many Sects so the Romish Religion by the policie of the Pope is stuffed and stored with many Heresies which all meeting together in his ambitious spirit and transferred to his successours doe make him that great Antichrist From Elixay the Heretick hee borrowed his Doctrine of celebrating Diuine seruice in an vnknown language For such was his Heresie From Montanâ—s the Heretick he learned to prescribe his rules of Fasts For hee first limited times of Fasting From the Collyridians he was inspired to worship the Virgin Marie From the Caianes to inuocate on Angels From the Carpocratians to adore the Image of lesus and Saint Paul From the Manichees and the Aebionites he got that damnable precept to prohibit Marriage vnto the Clergie Euen as all true Christians haue a relation vnto Christ their Head being through Faith his ingraffed members like as also the Patriarkes and Prophets vntill Christ had a dependance vpon that great Prophet whom God promised to raise vp like vnto Aloses so on the other side all the lesser Heretickes depend vpon Antichrist through whose lying mouth they oppose the Truth and the Apostles Humilitie And as Machiauellian members they ioyne with one consent to aduance his Maiesticall power though many of them in their consciences are fully perswaded that such state and pomp in a Clergie man cannot but displease the Author of Humilitie who pronounced them blessed which are poore in spirit CHAP. XVII Apolloes sentence promulgated for the Impurity of the Church Militant D. Whitgift Arch bishop of Canterbury complaines against Cartwright Browne and other Puritane Separists for inuaighing against their Superiours Apollo condemnes thâ— Sect exhorting them to vnitie to return to the bosom of their Mother Church AFter Apollo had condemned the Arch-hereticks of the Christian Church he caused that saying of that Ancient Father to bee retorted against the like erroneous seducers Ecclesia non diâ— post Apostolorum tempora mansit virgo That the Church after the Apostles time continued not long a Virgin And this his Maiestie did to the end all mouthes should bee stopt which arrogate to themselues extraordinarie Holinesse as the Popes doe who as his Courtly Cardinalls affirme cannot erre or which ascribe to themselues a degree of greater puritie in calling and conuersation then others of their Brethren in Christ forgetting his neuer fayling prophesie All men are liers Another cause why his Maiestie aduised his Religious Christians to remember that saying was to the end that they should not become amazed nor troubled when any hot-spurs and busie braind people doe maintaine new opinions differing from the old but rather to call into their memories that many false Christs many fraudulent Sects must from time to time spring vp in the Church like taxes among the good seede to shewe likewise that no Creatures can bee long pure without some spots or taint and that God alone who created them is only pure No sooner had Apollo ended these reasons for the Churches Impuritie but the graue and learned Whitgift Archbishop of Canterburie informed his Maiestie that one Cartwright Browne and others stiling themselues Puritans Precisians and holy ly Separists inueighed against him and his fellow Bishops with Libels and defamations worse then Oâ—id against Ibis or any woman scold put in a Cuckinstoole because hee gaue order in his visitations to present refractaries and stubborne minded persons disobedient to Authoritie and kicking against things indifferent triuiall and indeed very bables in respect of Faith Humilitie Charitie and Diuine Gifts which they had now more cause to pray for then to spend their precious times in railing and withstanding those outward things tending only to distinguish the Leuits from the Temporall Tribes to the view of the outward man whose fancie must bee stirred by outward obiects aswell as inward Apollo at the report of these selfe-opinions like to breake into a schismatick combustion became mightily perplext Yet like himselfe recollecting his spirituall tempers and resuming his wonted Maiestie hee said to Cartwright Browne and the rest of the Pâ—ritâ—â—icall Sect How long will you persist by your peenish positions to minister scandall vnto your Christian Corporation I haue long since heard of your rash and turbulent oppositions against your Churches Canons But I hoped that the calme dew which awaites on the â—iluer and staid age of Maturitie had by this time cooled
your ouer feruent humours and â—amed your winching tricks Saint Paul became a Iew among the Iewes a Gentile among the Gentiles in his outward and ceremonious habits The like the subtile Iesuites who take vpon them to bee Puritane Papists haue lately imitated him like Apes in disguizing themselues not like ruffians as sometimes they doe in England but in the Priestly attires of the Chinensian Bunzies because they might either conuert soules in China or in default of such meritorious workes search into the nature of their State affaires because they would not bee said to come home emptie But you striue not altogether for apparell you would haue an equalitie as in Sir Thomas Moore Eutopia of Degrees and Liuings vnder pretext of the Apostles paritie that none of them should be greater then the other euery one would be a Pope in his Parish But I must put you in mind that this paritie and good order ceased at the Apostles death They were endued with equall authoritie to worke Miracles to conuert vnbeleeuers to lay the foundation of the Churches After their death Miracles ceased which were but to confirme the Euangelicall Doctrine to be heauenly and not humane And then men hauing no such extraordinarie callings apparant Gifts of discerning Spirits no visible and suddaine illumination of the Holy Ghost they returned in worldly businesses to their old blâ—s and left off their rare and Angelicall Communion in hauing goods in common in liuing by their handie workes and in their mutuall Charitie Yet not withstanding euen in the Apostles time Bishops Deacons and Elders began to beare sway aboue others being appointed to those offices by impositions of hands and benedictions of their Elders as also by the suffrages of the Parochians themselues Their charge was to keepe good order to represse the proud young people to rebuke sinne and to suppresse the fierie commâ—tions of vnexperienced persons who breaking the bonds of Vnitie might broach innouations Therefore obey your Elders wherin your mother Church hath ordayned Tutors ouer you seeke not to crucifie your Sauiour againe by seperating your selues from the Communion of your fellow members for in so doing you diuide his bodie into parcels who ought to bee respected entirely one and identified in your soules without the least rent or scandall Submit your bodies in ciuill policie and in matters indifferent Apocryphall or Temporall to the Gods of the Earth Offer vp your Soules vnto God by Faith as an holy Priesthood and a spirituall sacrifice in Christ Iesus And for your Puritie seeing that Peter confessed himselfe for all his Apostleship to be chiefe among Sinners vsurpe not the name of a Puritane For the Angels are faine to become vailed before the Maiestie of God who alone is pâ—re and vndefiled Let the worme of Conscience satisfie your ouer-weening imaginations that all your 〈◊〉 consiste rather in the 〈◊〉 of your Sinnes by the spirituall apprehension of Christ crucified then in the Puritie of any vertueâ— whatsoeuer CHAP. XVIII The memorable Synod of Dort accuseth Arminius before Apollo for broaching out of new Opinions in the Church to trouble the braines of the weaker Apollo confutes Arminius and sheweth what a sober minded Christian ought to conceiue of deepe Mysteries Arminius is commanded to recant ABout a moneth after that Apollo had established concord and vnitie in the hearts of sober-minded Christians when all the members of the Church Militant thought that they were restored againe to the earthly paradise and there should sit ouery man vnder his vine and Fig-trees as in the Golden Age of Peace vpon wednesday in the Easter weeke 1626. the famous Synod of Dort exhibited the names of sundry persons who relying on Arminius his idolized Patronage for some new paradoxes in Diuinitie had refused vpon Easter day to communicate with them and others their fellow Christians Apollo asked Arminius what moued him to breed and hatch new conceits and those to scatter abroad for the offending of tender consciences Arminius answered that the Opinion which hee maintayned was not new but grounded on the Scriptures And hee hoped that all Positions which did not diameter wise and flatly oppugne the Word of God might still be held and questioned if for no other end then for the triall and exercising of one anothers wits which might like Iron waxe rustie without some vse or furbushing And what might your quaint Question bee replyed Apollo which tends now at this sacred time to refine wits when men should ioyne together in commemoration of the Lords last Supper to sanctifie and purifie their humane wills Most dread Soueraigne said Arminius It is not vnknowne vnto your blessed Maiestie how many Communicants doe yeerely resort vnto the Lords Table more fit to bee whipt at a Carts tayle or to be thrust into the Spanish inquisition then to keepe companie with regenerated persons at the celebration of the holy Sacrifice which whosoeuer presumes to touch vnworthily being vnprepared eates his owne Damnation or in the mildest censure he deserues to be made an vgly Leper with King Vzziah The zealous consideration of this imminent danger which might ensue to my sicke Brethren moued mee to take care for their Soules health and to require them to try their Spirits whether they were in the state of Grace or back-sliders whether they feit an alternate motion not often subiect to alteration in the bottome of their hearts pricking them forwards to doe good workes If they did I told them that the Spirit of God cooperating with those sweet motions of theirs would frame an harmonious symphonie in their Soules which so contuned and continued would likewise sympathize with Heauenly Mysteries But if they found their wills depraued led with the least concupiscence they should not aduenture like Iudas to come neere their Sauiour or partake in the Eucharist at this Feast of Easter Now because I catechized them in this manner adding further for their greater terrour from sinne and that they might repent in time that though they were elected and iustified by Grace according to the purpose of God yet they might totally and finally fall vnlesse their owne free will did worke with the will and Grace of the fierie Comforter Apollo hearing this protestation of Arminius told him that hee was like a skittish Cow which giues a good pailefull of milke and afterwards flings it downe with her foot And moreouer adioyned this paraneticall counsell I liked very well of your whole narration vntill you arriued at the period of your Apologie If you did it in terrorem tantúm to scare them from sinne and to prepare their minds to Repentance you shewed your selfe a cunning Merchant in the spirituall Trade or rather a politicke Statesman both which agree not with Christs candour with the Holy Spirits ingenuitie Plaine dealing is euer best in matters of Conscience For whatsoeuer proceedes not from Faith is Sinne. You did very ill thus to offend the weake constitution of their braines who without such terrors