me in bringing euerlasting comforte Do ye not pray to the virgin Mary Exaudi me salua me custodi me Heare me saue me keepe me Do not ye pray to the Apostles O blessed Apostles of God loose me from my sinnes defende me from the paynes of hell and deliuer me from the power of darknesse and bring me to the euerlasting kingdome Do ye not pray to all the virgins I beseech you all holy virgins helpe me that I may haue of hart good will of body health humilitie chastitie and after the course of this lyfe the felowshippe of euerlasting blisse Do ye not pray to all the hée saincts and she saincts euen where ye mention their intercession O all you hee and shee sainctes of God I beseeche you and make supplication to you succour me haue mercy vpon me mercifully and pray for me instantly that by your intercession a pure conscience a compunction of harte and a laudable consummation of euerlasting lyfe may be giuen me of God that throughe your merites I may come to the countrey of euerlasting blisse Dyd ye neuer say this prayer in your Primer O moste noble moste excellent and euer glorious Virgin c. O Lady my Queene and Lady of all creatures whiche forsakest none dyspysest none nor leauest anye desolate that wyth a good and pure hearte humbly and deuoutly runneth to thee despise me not for my moste greeuous sinnes forsake me not for myne innumerable iniquities nor for the hardnesse and vnclennesse of my harte caste me not away from the face of thy grace and loue but for thy moste greate mercie and moste sweete pitie heare mee putting firme confidence in thy mercy and succour mee most holy and most glorious virgin Marie in all my tribulations griefes and necessities and also giue me councell and helpe in all my woorkes and deliuer mee from all mine enimies visible and inuisible giue me vertue strength agaynst the temptations and deuises of the worlde the fleshe and the deuill c. And in my last dayes be vnto me my helper and comforter and deliuer my soule and the soule of my Father and of my mother of my brothers and my sisters of my parentes my friendes and my benâ—…factours and of all faithfull both liuing and dead from the mist of eternall death he helping thee whom thou hast borne Iesus Christ thy sonne Prayed ye not to S. Erasmus Receyue me S. Erasmus into thy holy fayth and grace and conserue me from all euill by these eight dayes and giue vnto me that I may passe them ouer with a right fayth and with all prosperitie vnto the ende of my life and that ought of mine enimies will preuaile not agaynst me to thee to thy prayse and honour to me to my consolation and grace to thee S. Erasmus I doe commende my body and my soule all that are ioyned vnto â—…in confession and prayer or consanguinitie and all my doiâ—… that I may liue with all prosperitie peace and ioy now and for euer Ye haue in the Primer a notable prayer to the blessed virgin Aue domina sancta Maria c. Haile Lady S. Marie mother of God Queene of heauen port of Paradise Ladie of the world eternall light Empresse of hell c. Ouer the head of this prayer is set in red letters Quicunque orationeÌ„ sequeÌ„tem deuotè dixerit promeretur quadraginta millia annorum indulgentiarum per tot dies videbit beatam virginem ante dieÌ„ exitus sui per quot annos continuauerit VVhosoeuer sayth this prayer following deuoutly shall haue fortie thousand yeares of pardon and for so many dayes as he hath continued yeres he shall see the blessed virgin before the day of his departure Likewise ouer the head of the prayer to the virgin Marie called Aue rosa sine spiâ—…is c. Haile rose without thornes c. is printed in red letters in English This prayer shewed our Ladie to a deuoute person saying that this golden prayer is the most swetest and acceptablest to me And in hir appearing she had this salutation and prayer written with letters of gold in hir brest How say ye to these prayers inuacatioÌ„s M. St. is here nothing but Ora pro nobis do they make saints only intercessours as ye now would beare the simple in hande the prayers to them were nothing els but to desire them to be our intercessours is this the comming betwene vs God not rather the placing them in Gods seat what left they out that they fully ascribed not vnto them â–ª could they do any greater blasphemie to God and defacing to his Saints than this but perhaps ye wil say this was done in the time of too grosse ignorance and idolatrie Now things are more opened the people pray not after so grosse a maÌ„ner Who were they M. St. that taught them thus to pray was it we or you whose plackardes pardons of sinnes are prefixed to entise tickle the people to say these prayers ours or yours Ha M. St. for shame yet at the length blushe at the reading of them All godly will tremble with horrour to heare and sée how they blasphemed God vnwittingly being deceiued by such blinde leaders of the blinde the thick rymine of whose ignorance is not yet taken away froÌ„ the eies of a great many I promise you M. St. this Primer since I tooke in hande to answere you I sounde deuoutly occupied in the Church of a priuy friend of yours I dare say had you séene it in his hands ye would not haue taken it from him but haue commended his Idolatrie And shall we thinke that in your late time of Quéene Maries raigne your selfe vsed any better Primer Haue ye not in your English Latine primer printed An. Dom. 1557. by the assignes of Iohn Waylande all other primers forbidden to be printed in your Mattins to the virgin Marie Thou art the dore of the heauenly king And the gate of life replenishing Since a virgin life doth bring ye redeemed people reioyse and sing And againe O gloriouse mother c. we besech thee of thy pitie to haue vs in remembrance and to make meanes for vs vnto Christ that we being supported by thy help may deserue to obtaine the kingdome of heauen Hereâ—…e pretende hir to be but a meane maker yet ye ascribe supporting and helpe of saluation to hir and to your selues most arrogantly deserte of heauen Do ye not pray to S. Michael O Archangel Michael come for to succour the people of God and I shall giue thee prayse in the presence of Angels Versicle In thy holy temple I shall to thee pray Answere And thy blessed name confesse alway and yet who knoweth not that Dauid ascribeth those wordes onely to God Do ye not say in the prime Wee do praise thee and do pray thee mother of God most mercifull that thou entend vs to defend from death that is most sorowfull In
And is not this the voyce of all Protestants whatsoeuer onely Scripture onely the Gospell onely the worde of God and for the first part what is more common in the mouthes of the Germaine Lutherans of the French Caluinists and now of the Flemish Guets than this complaint that we presse them with the Emperors diets with the Kings proclamations and with the Princes placards to the which they obey as much as the Donatists when they haue power to resist Remitting your rayling Rhetorike Master Stapleton to your common places your argument is very fonde and faultie First if this be a simple and generall proufe of Donatists to say we bring the onely Gospels you will make Christ a Donatist to for he brought the onely Gospels And his Disciples and Apostles Donatistâ—… for they brought the onely Gospels and sayde they knewe nothing but Iesus Christ crucified they deliuered no other thing than that they had receyued and accursed him that should bring any thing besides this onely Gospell Ye will make the fathers Cyprian Chrysostome Ambrose Hierome Augustine c. become Donatists that will vs in all trialles of any point of doctrine to bring the onely Scripture the onely Gospels the onely worde of God Againe for the other part if this were a proufe of a Catholike to bring 〈◊〉 imperatorum sacra the letters of many Emperours and to complaine hereon the token of a Donatist then was Athanasius diuerse other godly Bishops Donatists also the Arrians Catholikes And your selfe with M. Feck alleage the complaints of Athanasius belike to proue him a Donatist This therfore M. St. thus simply set forth maketh but a simple argument Ye should either proue that we do bring the onely Gospell and complaine of your Princes diets Proclamations placards after the maner that the Donatists did or else ye proue nothing but your selfe a malicious slaunderer We bring the onely Gospels to you as Christ his Disciples and the holy fathers brought them to vs and yet bring we not the Gospell so alone that we bring not also the fathers writing thereon we also bring both Princes diets Proclamations and placards so farre forth as they mainteyne set forth and agrée with the doctrine of the onely Gospels Otherwise can ye wyte Athanasius if he complayned when he were pressed wyth them Can ye wyte the poore Protestants in Germanie Fraunce Flaunders if they so much as complaine that ye presse them wrongfully euen as your selfe in plaine wordes confesse thâ—…t ye presse them in déede with the Emperors diets with the kings Proclamations and with the Princes placardes Neuerthelesse if ye pressed them lawfully and as Constantinus pressed the Donatists I warrant ye no Protestant would once complaine thereon But ye presse oppresse them with nothing but mere violence to maintaine your errours besides and against the worde of God. And to this purpose your selues play the right partes of the Donatists for as the Donatists peruerted and wrested the scriptures to shake the authority of princes froÌ„ themselues which otherwise they admitted so farre as pleased them so do the popishe priests peruert and wrest the scriptures to reiect the Emperors and other Christian princes authoritie ouer them and vpbraid vs saying Illâ—… porâ—…ant multoruÌ„ imperatorum sacra They bring many of the Emperors letters that is we presse them with the authoritie of princes when we require that ye giue as much and no more authoritie vnto Princes than the onely worde of God doth warrant them But you will giue them no more nor yet their sacra their diets proclamations or placarts than shall serue your turne And thus your selues are most Donatists in this poynt Your last comparison is of the Donatists murdring of others and of themselues and yet canonizing of suche for Sainctes and Martyrs This comparison ye stretched out with large outroades nothing agaynst the Bishop nor to the matter and in déede nothing but extréeme rayling and scoffing agaynst master Foxes booke to whome I remittâ—… the quarels that you lay vnto him who is able at the full to aunswere them As for me I will aunswere onely to the comparison for murthering and canonizing wherein the Papists excell all other If ye had master Stapleton alleaged the Monke that poysoned himselfe to poyson his prince the Pope that to poyson his welthie Cardinals dronke him selfe of the wrong Bottell had ye tolde that men said of the death of the two late Cardinalles in Englande or howe good a medicine for the heade ache your Popishe Priestes haue made of the Sacrament of the aultare as ye termâ—… it and what Princes they haue poysoned therewith If ye had tolde of your Italian perfumes and Spanishe figges for the pippe ye might well master â—…tapleton haue confirmed your comparisons from the Donatists murders But what néede such priniâ—… tokens in so open a matter Your hate charitie to heape burning coales on your aduersaries heaâ—…s too many haue felt and all the world doth knowe For murther the Donatists be nothing comparable nor yet Barabaâ—… the Iew nor nere a théefe in Newgate to the blâ—…dthirstie Papists Ye say Saint Augustine sayth of the Donatists viueb ant vt latrones morâ—…ebaÌ„tur vt circumcâ—…liones honorabantur vt martyres They liued like robbers they died lyke Circumcelions meaning they fiue themselues they were honoured as martyrs True in déede master Stapleton and ye put me in remembrance of another saying that went in thrée parts to I trowe it was of an honest man of your religion of whom it was sayd 〈◊〉 vt vulpes regnabat vt Leo moriebatur vt canis He entred like a Foxe he reigned like a Lion he died like a dogge And yet ye count him one of Gods holy vicars And I pray ye call to minde another common saying that went also on three partes euen of your Popish canonâ—…zed Saincts that some were worshipped aâ—… Saincts in heauen that liued full wickedly here in earth and are now tormented with Diuels in hell this did men say master Stap. anâ—… they were Papists that sayde so to Ye tâ—…ll vs of the Montanists that worshipped one Alexander for a worshipfull martyr though he suffred for no matter of religion but for mischieuous murther What is this to the Donatists master Stapleton or that which ye tell vs of the Manichees worshipping the day of their master Manes death The worship of dead men good or bad or the kéeping of solemne dayes as in the honour of them is proper to you popish 〈◊〉 not to vs We kepe a memoriall I graunt but of these onely whome we are most infallibly assured that they be the blessed Sainctes of god Howbeit we worship not them nor the day for them nor them by the day wée worshippe onely GOD in spirite and truth as Christ hath taught vs But you that so worshippe deade men will yée worship none for Martyrs but those that dyed for matters of Religion Whie
alleaged c. and all thinges else that is here alleaged yet all will not reache home 68. a. VVhich aunswere of his may satisfie any reasonable man for all that ye bring in here of Constantine or all that ye shall afterwarde bring in c. 68. b. VVhich I am assured all Catholikes will graunt 68. b. Giue to Caesar that belongeth to Caesar and to God that beloÌ„geth to God â–ª which later clause â–ª I am assured doth much more take away a supreme regiment in all causes ecclesiasticall than necessalily by force of any wordes binde vs to pay yea any tribute to our Prince 69. b. VVe plainly say that this kinde of supremacie is directly against Gods holy worde 70. a. VVhat can ye conclude of all that ye haue or shall say to win your purpose 74. a. I say that if Saint Augustine were aliue he woulde say vnto you as he saide vnto Gaudentius 74. b. Neither this that ye here alleage out of place nor all the residue which ye reherse of this Constantine c. can import this superioritie as we shall there more at large specific In the meane season I say it is a stark most impudeÌ„t lie 75. b As I haue at large in my returne against master Iewels fourth article declared 77. b. VVhat honour haue ye got what honour haue you I saye wonne by this or by the whole thing it selfe 78. a. And shal we now M. Horne your antecedeÌ„t being so naught the consequent ye will hereof inferre nay pardie 79. a b. VVell I will leaue this at your leasure better to bee debated vpon betwixt you and master Foxe 80. a. Ye are a verie poore sielie clearke farre from the knowledge of the late reuerende fathers Bishop VVhite and Bishop Gardiner 80. a. That I may a little roll in your rayling Rhetorike hearken good master Horne I walke not and wander as ye doe here c. I go to worke with you truely plainly and particularly I shewe you by your owne Emperour and by plaine wordes 81. b. Hitherto ye haue not brought any one thing worth a good strawe to the substantiall prouse of your purpose 82. a. I am right well assured ye haue not proued nor neuer shall be able to proue in the auncient Church while ye liue 82. b. I walke not in confuse and generall wordes as you do 82. b. To all these facings and crakes though many of them be particularly aunswered as occasion requireth these his owne wordes may suffise for aunswere All men knowe that your great vauntes are but wordes of course to saue your poore honestie 1. Pref. pag. 23. Bicause he quarelleth so much with the Bishop as for other things so for his Rhetorike as also Doctour Harding and his fellowes vpbrayde likewise vnto Bishop Iewell his Rhetorike and master Dorman to master Nowell I haue therefore set downe as one of his chiefest common places a briefe note or two by the way to shewe wherein our master Stapletons flourishing Rhetorike doth most consist His obiections of Rhetorike AS for your Rhetorike ye woorke your matters so handsomly and so perswasiuely c. what a newe Cicero or Demosthenes are you 1. Pref. pag. 6. 7. His chiefest floures of Rhetorike partly nothing but copia verboruâ—… an heape of needlesse wordes partly nothing but rolling on a letter With which Rhetorike thou shalt 〈◊〉 his whole booke so poudred that it should be superfluous to trouble thée with any exacter collection of theÌ„ being in effect nothing else but â—…rs bahlatiua Only I will giue 〈◊〉 a light taste thereof throughout his whole volume and the rest thou 〈◊〉 continually finde as thou readest his Counterblast His fift common place of flourishing Rhetorike IT is the Castle of your Profession the Key of your Doctrine the principal Fort of all your Religion the piller of your authoritie the fountaine of your iurisdiction the ankerholde of all your proceedings 1. Pref. pag. 1. Your cause is betrayed your doctrine dissolueth your whole Religion goeth to wracke the want of this right shaketh your authoritie stoppeth your iurisdiction and is the vtter ship wracke of all your proceedings 2. Haue I not grounded this worke c. haue I not posted it c. haue I not furnished it c. haue I not fenced it c. haue I not remooued all c. an outward shewe and countenance a gay glorious glistring face a face I say all is but a face and a naked shewe 3. Most miserably and wretchedly pinched pared and dismembred Most shamefully contaminated depraued and deformed 12. A mishapen lumpe of lewde and lose arguments 5. VVith like good Logike ye lay forth 6. The truth is dayly more and more opened illustred and confirmed 8. T. Turkish trecherie L. Lauashing language 14. B. Bluster and blow F. Fume and freat R. Raile and raue as L. Lowdlyas lewdly as B. Beastly as boldly c. ye B. Bluster not so boysterously as ye L. Lie most lewdly 15. A H. Happie happe for master Horne that happed c. S. Such slender circumstances to M. Minister him matter of such T. Trifling talke 6. b. A prerogatiue appropriate to the Prelate 7. b. You will happly forsake and abandoÌ„ Saint Augustines authoritie with the olde C. Canons and Councels and 〈◊〉 vnder the defence of your B. Brittle Bulwarke 8. b. A pretie legerdemaine played and a leafe put in at the printing which was neuer proposed in the parliament c. what Parliament haue your preachers 9. a. b. O poore and siely helpe O miserable shift c. This is to trouble all things this is as it were to confounde togither heauen and earth 9. a. VVhie good sir make ye such post haste what are you so soone at the ende I see your haste is great VVhat will you leape ouer the hedge ere ye come at it And I might be so bolde I woulde faine demaunde of you the cause of your hastie posting Perhaps there is some eye sore or somewhat that your stomacke cannot beare Grieueth it you to heare Doth it appall you to heare c. Doth it dasell and amase you to heare c. Doe yee take it to the heart Master Horne â–ª Is it a corsey to you Is there yet any other lurking sore priuily pinching your stomack I trow it nipped you at the very heart roote 212. b. 213. a. b. VVhie master Horne can your eares paciently abide all this can your stomacke digest all this master Horne can ye suffer can ye suffer How chaunce we haue not at the least for your comfort one pretie nippe 287. a. A rascall rablement of monstruous hereticall names A rablement of straunge monstrous hereticall names This rascall rablement of huge monstrous names 317. It is so it is so master Horne c. You can not you may not you shall not c. You sawe you sawe master Horne you master Horne 430. Your horrible dissention glistreth so cleare crieth so lowde and blustreth so great that so long as we haue
therfore he was neyther the Priestes nor the Prophets executioner in them If ye say God had determined that they should so be done ye say true and we denie not but that the Princes power and authoritie did execute Gods determination yea it was readie and seruiceable as ye say thereto And so it ought to be in all princes But what conclude you herevppon Bicause the princes power and authoritie is ready and seruiceable to execute Gods determinate purpose yea or his open commaundement either and that by the mouth of any Priest or Prophete Ergo he is not supreme gouernour vnder God therein In déede ye might well conclude he is not an absolute supreme gouernour ouer God whose determination he doth execute so seruiceably but this ye might conclude agaynst your Pope that exalteth him selfe aboue all that is called God and despiseth to execute seruiceably Gods open determination and maketh all Princes to bee seruiceable executioners of his own determinations Thus doth not the Quéenes Maiestie nor any Godly Prince but obeyeth and executeth Gods determination with all hir power and authoritie most readie and seruiceable therevnto and yet is neyther hir supreme power nor authoritie vnder God any whitte empayred thereby And if this be an argument to abase the Princes supreme power and authoritie how shall it not also abase the Priests ought they to doe any other things then execute Gods determinations ought not their power authoritie be ready and seruiceable herevnto Ergo â–ª they can be no supreme gouernors neyther But ye will say the Prince is yet inferiour to them bycause they executed Gods commaundement immediately and the Prince theirs What now if it fall out quite contrary that Ezechias executed seruiceably Gods commaundement they againe executed although their seruice was not ouer readie such was their corruption yet tandem at the length they executed the Princes commaundement doth it not then followe that they were therein inferiour to the Prince But that he commaunded and appointed them and that they executed in these spirituall things his commaundement and appoyntment the scripture is most apparant He brought in the Priestes and gathered them togither in atrium sacerdotum sayth Lyra into the porche of the priests The Priests called not him and his nobilitie togither And therefore sayth Lyra vnder him was made Primo expiatio legalis c. First the clensing of the lawes sacrifice Secondly the celebration of the benefite of the passeouer Thirdly the repayring of the Priestly ministerie He as a commaunder sayde vnto the Priestes séeing them sâ—…owly deâ—…ed Audite me Leuitae sanctificamint c. Heare me O you Leuites and be ye sanctified clense the house of the God of your fathers and take away all vnciennesse from the sanctuarie Which are not wordes of entreatie but flatte commaundements as Lyra sayth Ezechias cupiens renouare foedâ—… cum domino primo pracepit c. Ezechias desirous to renew the couenant with the Lorde First did commaund the Leuites to be sanctified Secondly by them being sanctified the temple to be clensed Thirdly by those which were clensed sacrifice to be made for the offence of the people Fourthly by sacrificing God to be praysed Fiftly by clensing the holy burnt-offrings to be offred vp Thus were all these thinges done by his commaundement by his constitution and at his pleasure Nunc igitur placet mihi vt 〈◊〉 foedus cum domino It is now therefore my pleasure sayth he that we enter into a couenant with the Lorde And in this doing euen in the place where he putteth them in minde of their high office he calleth them not his fathers which worde hereafter ye stande much vpon but calleth them being the Priestes Leuites his sonnes Filij meâ—… sayth he nolite negligere O my sonnes be not negligent being him selfe in yeares but a childe in respect of them of the age of xx yeares sauing that in respect of hys royall power and estate he considered he was the father of all Gods people so well the clergie as the laitie and so the clergie tooke him and obeyed him Et ingressi sunt iuxta mandatum regis imperiâ—… domini And they entred in according to the Kings commaundement and the commaundement of the Lorde Iuxta mandatum regis sayth Lyra ad purgandum templum domini To clense the temple of the Lorde according to the Kings commaundement And Lyra praysing all these doings sayth Et sic Ezechias in dâ—… coronationis c. And so Ezechias in the day of his coronation opened the doores of the temple of the Lorde and euen there gathering the Priestes and the Leuites togither he enioyned vnto them the sayde purging Lo here is againe the kings owne iniunction whereat ye quarreled in the former Chapter And on the morrow after they began it and in this appeareth the great prayse of Ezechias that euen foorthwyth from the first day of his coronation he commaunded the renuing of the diuine worship that was destroied by his father Lyra shewing further of the pollution of the temple telleth out of the Hebrue glosse that there were many Images of Idolatrie fastened in the walles of the Temple with such strong and great nailes that they were hardly pulled away A liuely patterne of your popish Temples Master Stapleton decked vp euen so with Images in the walles and withall it confuteth your fonde distinction of Image and Idoll since as well ye may haue Idolatrie of Images as of Idolles If ye thinke to escape by distinguishing of the Images of holy Saintes and the Images of the wicked heathen that they onely be Idolles not the other I pray you what was the brasen serpent was it the Image of any prophane thing or not rather a representer of Christ and yet it became an Idoll and this godly King not the Priestes destroyed it and called it in contempt a péece of brasse as a man might call your Images or Idolles whether ye will a stocke or stone Thus did this notable Prince which I tell by the way not onely to shewe his supreme authoritie in the doing but besides to aunswere your ordinarie cauillation in defence of your manifest Idolatrie The Temple being clensed from these Images the Priestes offered first for the King Pro Regno for the Kingdome that is sayth Lyra pro Rege Principibus for the King and the Princes and after for themselues the people The King â—…ad them offer on the aultar of the Lord and they obeyed offred sayth Lyra pro peccatis Regis Principum Sacerdotum Leuitarum communis populi For the sinnes of the King of the Princes and of the Priestes and of the Leuites and of the common people Thus in their degrée reckoning euery sort Hée appoynted also the singers Againe he commaunded the Priestes to offer the burnt offrings and he and his Princes commaunded them to sing Psalmes When they had
at that time about the dead yea euen those sayth Epiphanius Qui primas sibâ—… ferre videntur c. That among certaine exercisers of godlinesse in Egipt seemed to beare the chiefest sway and also of those in Thebaida and other Regions that denied the resurrection of the bodie Et Graeci quidam c. And certaine Grecians there were that vtterly denied the resurrection On the other part there were some that grauÌ„ted it but with very fond and straunge opinions that partly they had receiued of the heathen Philosophers partly they had deuised of theÌ„ selues For this hath bene alwayes one of the deuils chiefe practises to abuse and deceyue the liuing by the dead And from hence as S. Ambrose and S. August affirme by worshipping the pictures of the deade sprang all Idolatrie and therefore the Deuill stryued so muche for the bodie of Moses as diuerse learned fathers note thereon And of all errours the most auncient are those that haue sprong about the deade As with the Saduces among the Iewes before Christes comming by other among the Corinthians in S. Paules time baptising ouer the deade and these aboue sayd Heresies in the east Church As likewise in the west by thrusting the communion bread into the mouthes of the dead by conceyuing opinions of their estate such as they had learned out of Plato and Uirgill of their paynes and torments of their ease deliuerance whom they loued and wished well vnto of whom sayth Saint August Humana quadam beneuolentia mihi falli videntur and as euen Epiphanius sayth Quum vero tales à via vera discesserint veritatem dei ad fabulas conuerterint VVhen such men swarued from the true way and conuerted the truth of God into fables Such as Origens conceytes and allegoryes were such as the morals of Oregorie are full of suche as the Heretikes fathered of the Apostles names Saint Peters Gospell Saint Thomas Gospell Nichodemus Gospell c. Then no marueyle if not onely the Heretikes had ill opinions of thedeade but also some of the godly and learned fathers in this behalfe were eyther somewhat deceyued ouercuriously searching and affirming that they knewe not or caryed to muche away with the sway of the peoples abuses Yea and by his leaue though he were an excellent and godly wryter yet in this poynte Epiphanius somewhat ouershotte himselfe Althoughe I speake it not to accuse him nor to excuse Aerius for no doubt as Aerius was an open Artian that denyed the diuinitie of oure Sauiour Christe so conertly he shotte herein agaynst the resurrection with the foresayde Heretykes as appeareth by Epiphanius his confutation of him Who not onely confuteth him but also sheweth why at that time they vsed suche an order for the deade whiche in the latter ende of the Booke shewing the diuerse rytes of the Christians in his Countrey then he expoundeth what it was In his autem qui vita defuncti sunt ex nomine memorias faciunt orationes ad deum perficientes ac cultus diuinos mysteriorum dispensationes But as concerning those which are deade they make memorials by name while they make their prayers to God and diuine worship and dispensing of the mysteries That is in their publike prayers of the diuine seruice and receyuing the Sacrament of the Lords Supper they made a thankefull memoriall of suche as were departed in the fayth of Christ giuing God prayse and thankes for them to confirme the fayth of the lyuing in the hope of the deades resurrection Now that they ment not by these doings any such deliuerance out of paynes of Purgatorie or any such other thing as the Papistes dreame of and woulde deceyue the people withall Epiphanius himselfe doeth plainely declare not to muche regarding what the Heretyke did pretende as what hée mente to destroy the hope of the Resurrection and béeing an Artian to abase the prefection of Christe Postea verò sayeth hée de co quòd proferantur nomina defunctorum c. But afterwarde concerning that the names of those that are departed this life aâ—…e brought foorth what can be more profitable than this what more commodious than this and what more worthie admiration that these that are present beleue that they which are departed do liue and are not none but they are and are liuing with the Lorde Whereby it appeareth that those prayers were principally to confirme the hope of the immortalitie of the soule and the bodies resurrection and rather confute the Heresie of Pope Iohn 22. than confirme any Popish Masse or Dirige for the deade Notwithstanding for that that followeth Epiphanius is not altogither excusable though to be borne withall more than you beare with him for rending the picture of Christ and not suffering so much as an Image on painted cloth no not of Christ himselfe to stande in the Church although it serued but for the vse of a vayle What would he haue done trow you if he had come into one of your Churches all to be dashed with Images not onely painted on cloathes but carued in wood and stone no doubt he would haue broken them all to fitters and haue cryed out on your open Idolatrie And so had he seene what horrible errours and superstitions your Church mainteyneth about the dead and that his wordes should after haue giuen occasion to pretende in his name a defence of suche superstition vndoubtedly hee woulde haue tolde you to your faces that you wrested his wordes and abused him and were farre worse your selues than euer Aerius was and woulde as did Saint August haue reuoked such wordes as whereby ye shoulde haue picked any such occasion But he foresawe not this as he saw the other But rather as ye say afterwarde of Nicephorus was caried away in the sway of the common errour and so defended that which ye nowe pretende to boulster your errours by As for any authoritie for this vsage such as it was Epiphanius alleageth none at al out of the word of God yea and that was more fonde in the doing he sayth they prayed for the Patriarkes Prophetes Apostles and Euangelistes Wherin ye will graunt I am sure M. St. both your selfe and your Church doth swarue from him And your owne Popes Decrée sayth Iniuriam facit martyri qui orat pro martyre he doth iniurie to a martyr that prayeth for a martyr The reason he is in blisse already But wherefore saith he made they this prayer for the sainctes already in heauen for soothe to separate Christ from the order of men by the honor they gaue him that he excelled all creatures were they neuer so holy Which though it be most true and withall confuteth your adoration of Saincts departed yet their reason héerein was very fonde that therefore they should pray for them that were already in perfect blisse and glory And as fond was it to pray for those that died in their sinnes agaynst
any pointe derogate from his holynesse â–ª than 〈◊〉 there 〈◊〉 not a greater as our Sauiour dothe 〈◊〉 For to 〈◊〉 myracles addeth no holynesse or 〈◊〉 to a man siâ—…he it serueth aswell for the ill and reprobate as the Lorde wit nesseth haue not we sayd the Hypocrites O Lorde caste out diuels in thy name And therefore sayth Chrisostome to suche as in his 〈◊〉 required myracles and asked why they had not myracles so well 〈◊〉 the olde time Si fidelis eâ—… 〈◊〉 If 〈◊〉 arte faythfull as thou oughtest to be if thou louest Chryst â–ª as he oughte to be loued thou needest no myracles for myracles are giuen to those that are vnbeleeuers It is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 M. Stap. that your Churche is an vnbeléeâ—…ing Churche since it so vaunteth of myracles and that of such myracles as either are plaine illusions of wicked spiritâ—…s working strongly in the children of vnbeleeâ—…e to deâ—…ayne them still in errour or else are nothing but maâ—…yfest forgeâ—…ies and iugglings suche in very déede as the 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the christians then withall But that your 〈◊〉 are not sâ—…aundered there with now I report me to those your Images that could sweate roll their eyes â–ª moue their handes turne rounde aboute sense the Church walke vp and downe the aultare speake wéepe laugh frowne and do many other pretie miraculous knackes Of which 〈◊〉 all the worlde now seeth the marueytous legerdemaine the best of your sâ—…rt are either forced with shame to confesse the abuses or else to â—…est out the matter with scoffes as sir Thomas Mooâ—…in in his booke of pilgrimages and myracles doth But none durst crake of them so impudently as doe you comparing your false myracles to the auncient true miracles calling vs Arians and 〈◊〉 aâ—… though we denyed those when we onely denie yours at the which if not the Deuill himselfe yet his ministers sate if not at saintestombes yet at your Zoolatrous shrines to illude yea to robbe and spoyle the simple people to derke your gorgious shrines and Images but chiefly to enriche your â—…es But as Christ come sayth Martyres non gaudent c. The Martyres reioyce not when they are honoured with that money â–ª for which the poore doe weepe VVhat vertue of iustice is that to rewarde the deade and spoyle the liuing c. what maner of men then be they that spoyle men and make buyldings of 〈◊〉 What woulde Chrysostome haue sayde had he séene with what rapineâ—… your Popishe shrines were decked nothing like the reuereÌ„t tombes of those holy Martyrs which yet they worshipped not nor the Martyrs in theÌ„ what true myracles 〈◊〉 were wrought at them â–ª â—…nd therefore Chrysostome waâ—…th Ne aâ—…endas cinâ—…res of the â—…es bodies nor the imbeâ—… of the flâ—… reliques and all their bones which in time 〈◊〉 coÌ„sumed but open the eyes of thy sayth and see the 〈◊〉 with 〈◊〉 power And in such sort sayth saint Augustine â–ª Honoramus sanè memorias martyrum tanque sanctorum hoâ—… Des. VVe honour in dâ—…ede the memorie of the martyrs â–ª as the holy men of God Not as he sayth afterwarde as the heathen doe that to their Gods buyâ—…de Churches and erect aultars ordeyne Priestes and make sacrifices Nos autem c. But wee sayth he doe not buyâ—…de Churches to our Martyrs as though they were Gods but make memories of them as deade men whose soules do liue with God neyther doe we erect altars there whereon we might sacrifice to Martyrs but we offer Sacrifice to the one God both of the Martyrs and of vs At the which Sacrifice the men of god which in the acknowledging of him haue ouercome the worlde are in their place and order named but not of the Priest that sacrificeth although he sacrifice in the memorie of them bicause he is Gods Priest not theirs But the sacrifice is the bodie of Christ which is not offered to them bicause they are this same bodie Which saying of Saint Augustine as it confoundeth your grosse opinion of this spirituall sacrifice that next ye lay to our charge for he sayth the sacrifice is that bodie of Christ the which they them selues be also that is the mysticall bodie and not his naturall bodie so it sheweth what a difference betweene those olde tombes of true Martyrs and your Saints shrines there is You builded and dedicated Churches to them so did not they Your schooemen say they haue numina and therefore ought to be worshipped so did not they You erected altars to them so did not they You sacrificed to theÌ„ so did not they You ordeyned Priestes vnto them and besides Priestes you instituted Monkes Nunnes Friers and Chanons to them so did not they You worshipped them with diuine honour so did not they and yet ye call vs by the name of those Heretikes that reiected theyr Martyrs miracles and memories bicause we reiect your illusions and Idolatries Now as you thus meruelously slaunder vs so are yée eyther deceyued your selfe or would deceyue others vnder Saint Ambrose name where as the booke ye cite whiche also Alfonsus standeth much vpon is none of Ambrose his workes but some fayned forgers in his name as Erasmus very well doth proue If ye will know the very minde of S. Amb. turne to his commentarie on the first to the Rom. where he saith quanta agritudo c. VVhat a great griefe what a great folly is it for those to call themselues wise men to their owne damnation among whom the deade can do more than the liuing and the deade are of better power than those that are aliue These are Ambrose his owne wordes making flatly agaynst you But whosoeuer those Sermons be that ye quote they touch not vs as is declared We yelde to the olde Martyrs so much as these fathers require We only denie to yours that you require and woulde extort to enriche your selues and delude the people neyther sparing to belie vs nor the fathers and face vs out with false cardes in their names But letting go your forgeries of the fathers what say ye once againe to Frier Ferus herein Uulgus hominum c. The common people sayth hée esteemeth Saintes by myracles and counteth him the greater that hath done more myracles but they erre manifestly that so iudge myracles are in deede to vse Saint Paules wordes the operation of great workes the gift of the holy ghost But hereon they are not onely esteemed Saints else the blessed virgin Iohn Baptist were of all saints the least that are read to haue wrought no myracle VVe may not therefore esteeme Saintes hereupon Moreouer oftentimes myracles are giuen to the euill for many shall say in that day Lorde Lorde haue wee not cast out Deuilles in thy name and I shall say to them I haue not knowne you c. And thus will Christe say of your myracles master Stapleton and therefore let him be a Bogomile with you also
despiâ—…e not vs that put our trust in thee VVee trust in thee and thee our aide we inuocate c. In the 4. prayer Thou with Christ possessest the imperiall honor c. Cast thy godly eies on vs and search the inwarde partes of our harts c. In the fifth prayer VVithout thee euery soule is as an vnfruitfull tree worthy to be rooted vp and to be cast into the wasting fire Our soule lusteth after thee thou noble mother of God when wilt thou visit it come lady and sometimes visite thy seruants least our vertue â—…aint c. Our soule is wiâ—…hered and made baren bicause we haue not deserued to haue thy grace Come O mother come and moysten it that it may somtimes bring forth fruit that it may be fruitful being bedewed with thy grace and bring forth pleasant fruite to thee In the. 6. prayer VVhom God and thou the inuincible mother of God wilt vouchsafe to help they shall endure O Ladie heare the sighes of thy seruants and hasten to help them that trust in thee In the 7. prayer Looke downe from thy high trone of heauen where thou raignest with thy soÌ„ne c. Of al wretches he is most wretch that neglecteth to get thy grace c. he is iust indeede and worthy the felowship of the iust that deserueth in his seruice to please thee he shall not be confounded in the last iudgement when he shall see his Lady the iudges mother and shall see thee with him iudging him He shall cast his eyes on thee and he shall not treÌ„ble for thou wilt not forget him c. In all our grieues let vs runne to the loue of thee c. In the 8. prayer Haile prayse of the continent vertue and strength of the maried mother of the fatherlesse succour of widdowes haile firme and vnmoueable hope of all the faithful hayle myrth and ioy of Christians c. behold we coÌ„mend body and soule to thee yea all the gouernance of our whole life we coÌ„mende into thy holy haÌ„ds we offer our selues to serue thee dispise not our oblations c. In the. 10. prayer Be present with vs O lady as we trust in thee that art the remedie of all euill c. that thou being our guide we may come streight to heauen Now M. St. is all this neither nothing els but Ora pro nobis well I could yet bring more more horrible stuffe thaÌ„ this Yea it were infinite to tedious to rake out those most blasphâ—…mous prayers that all your other bookes haue Your self could neuer abide the reading for shame nor the godly susteyne y hearing for horrour to see God so blasphemed spoiled of al his honor of that which he is a ielouse God wil coÌ„municate no part therof to other Only to swéeten your lips withal ye shal heare a few stories out of your legende other your holy bookes what ye ascribe to saints And first to begin euen at the intercession that ye say the Saints make for vs chiefly the virgine Marie whom ye make farre more mercifull than christ To proue this ye tell vs That a certaine wicked sinner going about his sinne by the way as his manner was to salute hir Image with an Aue beholding the Image of the virgin and hir sonne in hir armes he saw that the bloud distilled from the childe as it did from his woundes on the Crosse. VVhich when he saw being astonied thereat he said O ladie who hath done this to whome the virgin answered Thou and such sinners do Crucifie my Sonne againe And she would haue wiped and stanched the bloud but she could not To whom ê™ the sinner O mother of mercie make intercession for me She answered to him You sinners call mee the mother of mercie ye make me the mother of miserie and sorow And he said not so most godly ladie â–ª but remember that thou art the aduocate of sinners and make intercession for me And the mother said O most godly sonne for the loue of me be merciful to this sinner And hir sonne said to hir No mother nor thou oughtest to be grieued in that I heare thee not For I prayed once my father if it were possible to saue maÌ„kind some other way and take from me the cup of my passion and he would not heare me And she sayd O my son remember that I cherished thee with motherly loue and fed thee with my papps forgiue then this sinner O mother ê™ the sonne I will shew that by good right I am not bound to heare thee VVe plead not right ê™ the mother but flie to mercie and therefore for thy mercies sake be mercifull to this sinner To whom hir sonne said I prayde my father twice that if it were possible the cup should parte from me and he heard me not To whom his mother answered O my sonne remember my trauailes and paines that I haue susteyned with thee and giue me this sinner O Mother quoth the Sonne be not vexed bicause I will not heare thee but remember that I prayed thrice and was not hearde VVith that the mother set downe hir Sonne and would haue fallen downe to his feete VVhich hir Sonne seing saide vnto hir what is that ye will doe Mother I will quoth she lie before thy feete with this sinner so long till thou graunt him pardon God forbid this mother quoth the sonne for it is ordayned in the diuine lawe that the sonne ought to honour his mother and iustice concludeth that the lawgiuer fulfill himself the law Then sith I am thy sonne and thou my mother I will honour thee in this sinner and for thy sake forgiue him al his sinnes and in tokeÌ„ of peace betwene him and me let him come and kysse my wounds and so the sinner healed all the wounds of Chryst with his kisse How say you M. Stapleton was not this propre stuffe to be printed euen for information to Preachers to instruct the people with almost so manie blasphemies as there bee lines besides the ridiculousnesse of the whole tale But I tell it for your conceytes of hir intercession making hir a great deale more mercifull than Chryst. The like tale within a Sermon or two after or rather a more fonde tale he telleth of an vnthrift that hauing wasted his goods gaue himselfe to the diuell for riches Of whome the diuell required that he should renie the highest and so he did To whom the diuell aunswered that his worke was yet vnperfecte excepte he renounced the mother of the highest for it is she that doth vs most harme For looke whome the sonne by iustice destroyeth the mother by mercie and pardon doth saue VVhiche the yong man hearing he was sore adrad and troubled aboue measure and answered he woulde neuer doe it To whome the Coniurer sayde you haue denied the Creator stick not man to denie the Creature
no quoth he that will I neuer doe I had rather alway begge my breade And so the matter was dasht The yong man retourning came by a chapell where was the picture of the blessed Virgin holding hir childe in hir armes and he began to inuocate hir with all his heart and by the merites of hir repented earnestly calling instantly vpon the Virgin Marie for he durst not call vppon the highest whom he had denied VVith that he hearde the mother speake to hir sonne in hir armes saying my most sweete Sonne be mercifull to this man To whom hir Sonne would not speake one worde but writhed his face from hir And when againe she besought hir Sonne for him he turned his backe to his mother and said he hath renied me what shall I doe to him when she saw this she set downe the childe on the altare and fell at his feet saying I beseech thee sonne that for me thou wilt forgiue him and streight the infant lift vp his mother and sayde O mother I coulde neuer denie thee any thing beholde for thy sake I forgiue him all Thus ye made the mother farre more mercyfull and louing than Christe and that forgiuenesse of sinnes is in hir name and for hir sake And made the people by these tales beléeue that it was a more heynous offence to denye the blessed Uirgin than it was to renounce oure Sauioure Christe The same authour telleth yet a more fonde and wicked tale How S. Dominike on a night saw Christe standing in the ayre shaking in his hand three speares against the world and his mother ranne hastily againste him and demaunded him what he would doe and he sayd to hir All the worlde is full of vices of pride of luxurie and of auarice and therfore I will destroye them with these three speares then the blessed virgin fell downe at his feete ▪ and sayd Deare sonne haue pitie and tarrie thy iustice by thy mercie And Iesus Christ sayd to hir Seest thou not howe many vvrongs and iniuries they haue done to mee And she answered Son attemper thy wrathe and tarie a little I haue a true seruaunt and a noble fighter against the vices he shal runne ouer all and vanquishe the worlde and subdue them vnder thy seignorie and I shall giue him an other seruaunt into his helpe that shall fighte as hee dothe And oure Lorde her sonne sayde I am appeased and receyue thy prayer But I woulde see vvhome thou wilte sende in so greate offence And so the tale telleth howe she fette and presented vnto him Saincte Dominicke and S. Frauncis and howe Christe praysed them And thus once the worlde was saued by hir and hir two champions On the other syde of the leafe as a confirmation to this is declared howe an other tyme a deuout Ladies chaplein called sir William dyd see Christe sitte in his throne and on his right hand an angell standing with a trumpet whom Christe with a cleere voyce in the hearyng of all the armie of heauen bad blowe And when he had blovven the blast was so mightie that all the worlde shooke as it had bene a leafe on a tree to whome Christe sayde the seconde tyme Blovve and he blevve as before But the Virgin Mary mother of mercie knovvyng that yf he blevve agayne all the vvorlde vvere ended the other Sainctes being all husht shee starte vp and fell at hir Sonnes feete and besoughte him vvith muche adoe to deferre his sentence and spare the worlde To vvhome Christe aunsvvered Mother all the vvorlde is sette on wickednesse and doe so prouoke me vvith their sinnes that neither I ought to suspende my sentence nor spare man Sith not only the laitie but the clergie also yea the Monkes haue vtterly corrupted theyr vvayes and offende me from day to daye And then sayde his mother My deare son spare them though not for those wicked ones yet at the least for my frends sakes and so Christ vvas pleased once againe An other tyme the matter wente so harde that the Uirgin Maries image fell a sweating so fast in the Church that all the people maruelled And the cause was this The sonne of Marie had euen stretched oute his arme to strike the vvorld and if his mother had not run the quicklier and stayed his arme the vvorlde had bene destroyed ere novve This is the intercession that youre Church ascribeth to hir M. Stapleton makyng hir a greate deale more prone to mercie than Christ the fountain of mercie and mercie it selfe by these youre wicked and blasphemous fables But what said I ▪ I should haue said by these your holy histories and deuoute sermons But sée withall what true doctrine ye teache that the sainctes do pray for the deferring of the kingdome of God where Christe teacheth vs to pray that he would vouchsafe to hasten his kingdom saying Let thy kingdome come And willeth the godlie to lift vp their heads when they shall heare of the signes thereof and sayth that vnlesse God should shorten those dayes no fleshe should be saued and he will cut them off for the electes sake And the Martirs slaine for the worde of God doe long still for his cōming and crie How long O Lord which art holie and true wilt thou not iudge the worlde and reuenge oure bloud of those that dwell in the earth And there were giuen to them white garmentes and they were bidde rest a whyle till the number of theyr felow seruants and brethren were fulfilled that should be slayne likewise And the spirite and the spouse sayth come and he that heareth let him say Come c. And Christe sayeth Yea I come quickly Amen Yea Lorde Iesu come quickly sayth S. Iohn And your Church saith As an harlot that is afrayde of the husbands comming come not And ye tell vs that the blessed Uirgin hath nowe thrée tymes stayed backe his arme and wil not lette him come You haue hitherto ascribed verie muche and much more than ought to be ascribed to a creature but do ye go no further ye pretende that the death of Christ is auaylable but no further than the blessed virgin doth obtain it at his hād by hir mercie What a tale is that ye tel vs euen where as ye mention the bloud of Christe howe a certains noughtie religious man vsing notwithstāding to say an hundreth Aue Maries euery day the deuils brought him béeing dead in his sinnes before Christ to be iudged Christ pronounced him to be eternally condemned With that came the blessed virgin and offred the papers wherein the Aue Maries wer written desiring Christ to go to iudgemēt once again The deuils seeing that brought all the bookes of his sinnes and when the balance was peysed his sinnes did ouerwey the Auies which séeing the virgin besought Christ saying Thou art my sonne the bloud that thou hast thou hast of me I pray thee giue me one droppe thereof
virgin Marie Quilibet tanque per portam in coelum ascendit Euery man euen as by a gate ascendeth to heauen By these immoderate prayses or rather outragious blasphemies Master Stapleton ye stirred the people quite neglecting Christ to inuocate the Uirgine Marie And ye exemplifie it by fables to confirme the people therein Ye tell vs how an Abbot and his holy Couent sayling in a tempest one called on Saint Nicholas an other on Saint Andrewe and euerie one vppon his peculier Patrone but none called vpoÌ„ God the Abbot chod them all and bad them call on the mother of mercie Which when they did forthwith the Seas were calme Ye tell vs of many other that being vexed with spirites haue sought manye remedies nowe holy water nowe one thing nowe another yea they haue called vpon Christ vpon the Trinitie and haue had so little helpe that they haue rather bene much worse onely when they were taught to lift vp their handes and crie Saint Marie helpe me then forthwith the spirite hath fled away all afrayde as he had beene smitten with a stone and sayde the cursed deuill enter into his mouth that hath taught thee that and so being vanquished neuer came againe Ye tell vs a noble Storie of a Spanish woman called Lucie to whome for saluting the virgin Marie the virgin at the deliuerance of hir childe came and was the midwife and at the Christning the Godmother and Christ the Godfather and the childe was named after the Godmother and called Marianus And how at hir Churching Christ himselfe sang Masse and how at the offertorie Lucie was preferred to go and offer and kisse the Priestes hande before the virgine Marie and what honour the Uirgin gaue hir aboue hir selfe saying This is your day of Churching now I was churched long ago And all for saying the Aue Marie Ye tell vs of a Strumpet that all hir life did no good work saue that she would say an Aue Marie and heare a Masse on Saterday which ye call our Ladies day as Sunday is called the Lordes day and on hir death bed this harlot sayde O Ladie Queene and mother though I did neuer any good yet I trust to thy mercie and to thee I commende my spirite And when the fiends would haue taken hir soule the mother of mercie tooke hir soule from them saying do ye not knowe that shee saluted me dayly and euery Saterday heard a Masse and at hir death commended hir soule to me And when they alleaged hir sinnes I tell you quoth shée that soule was neuer damned that serued mee and commended it selfe to me and so she draue them away and caryed the soule with hir Ye tell vs of a knight that neuer did other good but at morning and Euening say an Aue Marie and by the grace of the Virgin he was saued And hereon ye conclude a rule Quod orandum sit c. That at the poynt of death we must pray mother of grace mother of mercie defende thou vs from the enimie and keepe vs in the hower of death And then we are safe Yea as Anselme sayth Impossibile est vt pereat It is impossible hee should perish syth by the vertue of the Aue Marie the worlde was renued And that Redempturus deus genus humanuâ—… vniuersum precium contulit in Mariam sine ea nihil possumuâ—… sine ea miseri sumus sine ea factum est nihil God going about to redeeme mankinde conferred al the price therof vpon Mary VVithout hir we caÌ„ do nothing without hir we are wretches without hir nothing was made To conclude ye make hir to be all in all And as Albertus Magnus in his booke of hir prayses saith Est autem opus c. The booke of the beginning of the Lordes incarnation describing the mysterie of our redemption to the prayse honour and glorie of the most glorious and alonly truly honorable aboue euery Creature the virgin mother of god By the most speciall confidence of whole helpe we take this worke in hande And in the mercie of hir euen as in the most firme anchore of our hope we looke for the ende of the perfourmance and the rewarde of the labour VVho is the moouer of the wil the cause of the worke and the beholder of the intention Thus blasphemously ascribeth Albertus all these things to hir euen in the Preface of his booke But what excéeding more blasphemies he filleth his volume withall were infinite to recite Looke your selfe M. St. if with shame ye can sustaine to reade them Neither is all this the errours of priuate men but the dooing of all your whole Church For euen in the solemnities of your Masse haue ye not in the Sequences of our Ladies Masses as ye cal them Aue terrarum domina c. Haile ladie of the earth holy queene of heaueÌ„ let the heauens and all the company of saincts bring forth melodie to thee the laÌ„ds the floudes the woods and groaues resound c. By thee mother we craue that the childrens sinnes be abolished and we be all brought to the euerlasting ioyes of Paradise Againe Seda nobis bella Appease thou warres hayle starre of the seas thou mother giue to vs the true peace giue vs help changing the name of Eue. Driue away our euils drawing vs without bitternesse forgiue vs our crimes aske al good things let the Sonne and the Father be giuen by thee O mother c. that which Eue hath taken away thou only O mother giuest Through thee the people recouer their former lost strength thou art the gate of the high King by the which gate we enter into the court c. And againe The ladie of the world c. is the cause of our saluation the gate of life Againe Pray euery man to hir in euery houre and call thou vppon hir defence Sing sing Aue Maria with the force of thy harte â–ª with thy voice with thy vow c. And in the third reason that ye giue why ye dedicate the Saterday to hir as the Sonday to the Lord ye say in redde letters Tertia ratio est c. The third reason is bicause the Saterday is the gate and entraÌ„ce to the Sonday but the Sonday is the day of rest and betokeneth eternall life VVherevpon when we be in the grace of our Ladie we are as it were in the gate of Paradise Therefore bicause euen she is to vs the gate to the kingdome of heauen which is figured by the Sonday we keepe for the solemnitie of hir the Seuenth day which goeth before the Sonday Thus doth your whole Church yea and that in your holy Masse booke ascribe to hir euen as much as any of the other What say ye now to all this M. Stap. haue ye any shifte of descant to runne vnto any distinction behinde to alleage any figge leafe to couer your shame that all this kinde of inuocation may be thought
vvhiche representeth oure Lorde Iesu Christ. This is yet somewhat better than the other And yet in effecte no better for as this mysterie was not vnderstoode so was it not regarded All the honour was to hir And therefore your Legend telleth vs a full worthie storie that euen in hir honour of hir lights Christ himselfe sang Masse to his mother VVee reade an ensample sayth your Legende of a noble Ladie vvhiche had a great deuotion in the blessed Virgin Marie and shee had a Chappell in the vvhiche shee did do say Masse of our Ladie dayly by hir Chaplaine It happened that the day of the Purification of our Ladie hir Chaplaine vvas out so that the Ladie might that daye haue no Masse and she durst not go to another Church bicause shee had giuen hir mantell to a poore man for the loue of our Ladie She vvas much sorovvfull bicause shee might not heare Masse And for to make hir deuotioÌ„ she went into the Chappell and tofore the aultar she kneeled dovvne for to make hir prayers to our Ladie and anon shee fel a slepe In vvhich shee had a vision and hir seemed that she vvas in a Church and savve come into the Churche a great companie of Virgins tofore vvhom shee favve come a right noble Virgin crowned right preciously and when they were all set eche in order came a companie of yong men which sat dovvne eche after other in order like the other after entred one that bare a burthen of Candles and departed them to them aboue first and so to ech of them by order he gaue one and at last came this man to this Ladie aforesayd and gaue to hir also a Candle of vvax The vvich Ladie savv also come a Priest a Deacon and a Subdeacon all reuested going to the aultar as for to say Masse And hir seemed that S. Laurence and S. Vincent vvere Deacon and Subdeacon Iesu Christ the Priest and two angels bearing tofore them Candles and two yong angels began the introit oâ—… the Masse and all the coÌ„panie of the virgins soong the Masse And when the Masse was soong vnto the offring hir semed that thick virgin so crowned went tofore and after all the other followed and offered to the Priest kneeling much deuoutly their Candles And when the Priest taried for this Ladie that shee shoulde also haue commen to the offring the glorious Queene of Virgins sent to hir to say that she was not curteous to make the Priest so long to â—…arie for hir And the Ladie answered that the Priest should proceede in his Masse forth for she would keepe hir Candle and not offer it And the glorious Virgine sent yet once to hir And shee sayde she would not offer hir Candle The thirde time the Queene sayde to the Messenger go and pray hir that shee come and offer hir Candle or else take it from hir by force The Messenger came to this Ladie and bicause in no wise shee woulde not come and offer vp hir Candle he set hande on the Candle that the Ladie helde drew fast And so long he drewe and haled that the Candle brake in two peeces and the one halfe abode still in the hand of the Ladie aforesayde which anon awooke and came to hir selfe and found the peece of the Candle in hir hande whereof she much marueyled and thanked our Lorde and the glorious Virgin Marie deuoutly which had suffered hir that day not to be without Masse And all the dayes of hir life after shee kept that peece of that Candle muche preciously like an holy relique And all they that were touched therwith were guarished and healed of their maladies and sicknesse Thus worde for worde sayth your golden Legende in the honour of your Candles And is not here a golden â–ª péece of worke for a waxen péece of Candle Here is loe one of your blessed Reliques that before ye spake of but it was gotten with hard hold hale and pull not all they coulde get it out of hir fingers neither the Aungel coulde pull it away nor our Ladie was obeyed any whitte yea Christ the poore Masse Priest was caused to tarie and coulde not go foorth with his Masse If this then be true as it must needes be being written in so holy a golden Legende where forsâ—…th is no lie neyther was it a dreame for the Candles end was in hir hande to make mencion of hir holde fast Is not this a foyle to Christ to his mother and all the Saints in heauen that a Candles ende was thus wroong from them all Well howsoeuer that was will ye say this sheweth a further originall of Candles euen Christ his Aungels and Saints in heauen do vse them at their Masses I thinke well master Stapleton at their Masses But if they haue no Masses in heauen and if they haue no Candles in heauen then leauing these childish and impudent lyes for very shame of Candles originall ye were best to stande to the former deuising of them from the heathen custome and returne to your Popes chaunge at Rome Now after these Romishe Pagan customes aforesayde were taken vp in Christendome they began in Spain and after in other Countreys to fall after a coniuring maner to hallow Pascall lightâ—… with exorcismes But vppon what simple reasons Alphonsus declareth in the defence thereof Concerning the halowing of lights â–ª I will onely birng saith he the decree of the fourth Toletane CouÌ„cell Ca. 18. At certaine Churches a Candle and a Taper are not hallowed at their Vigils and they enquire of vs why we hallow them VVe hallow them solemnly that we may receyue the glorious mysterie that came at the time of this auowed night by the blessing of the hallowed Candle And bicause this obseruation is commended in many Countreyes and Kingdomes of Spaine it is fit that for the vnitie of peace it should also be kept in the French Churches Neither shall any escape vnpunished but be vnder the fathers rules that contemneth this Thus we sée the originall and créeping vp of your lights to depende on men Wherevppon though Alphonsus crie out most bitterly calling vs coniurers and enchaunâ—…ers of the people from the truth of the fayth bicause we set not by them but call such superstitious maner of halowing lights to be the verie coniuring in déede as euen their names of exorcismes doth import yet is he faine to confesse that Talis ceres benedictionem omiâ—…ere noÌ„ sit contra fidem The omitting the hallowing of suche a Taper is not agaynst the fayth And if it be not agaynst the fayth to omitte them then are not we Heretikes for omitting them especially in so iust considerations of so great supersition and horrible abuses as of late time more and more they haue growne vnto being at their best but constitutions of men and growne at the length to a very plaine coniuring that an holy Candle coulde driue away lightning and tempests yea the
Deuill and all it coulde that such mysteryes suche vertue such confidence suche seruice of God such forgiuenesse of sinnes consisted in burning a Candle in setting vp a Lampe in offering a Taper in mainteyning a light before an Image or bearing it in Procession Do ye not say in your hallowing of them at Masse Benedic Domine Iesu Christe hanc creaturam c. Blesse Lord Iesu Christ this creature of wax Candle at our supplication and powre into it an heauenly blessing by the vertue of the holy Crosse that thou which hast giuen it to mans vse to repell darkenesse it may receyue by the signe of thy holy Crosse suche strength and blessing that in whatsoeuer places being lighted it bee put the Deuill may depart thence and tremble and flie awaye pale with all his ministers oute of those houses nor presume to disquiet them any more Againe in the next prayer Ut has Candelaâ—… c. That these Candles prepared to the vse of men and to the health of their bodies their soules either on land or water by the inuocatioÌ„ of thy holy name by intercession of S. Mary alway virgin whose feasts are this day deuoutly celebrated c. And in the thirde praier that thou vouchsafe to blesse hallow and kindle them â–ª with the light of the heauenly blessing that we by offering them to our God may deserue to be kindled with the holy fyre of thy most swete brightnesse and to be presented in the holy temple of thy glorie All these vertues and many more ye ascribe to your Candles Neither do ye as here ye pretend offer them vp onely to God but to the Saints also chiefly to the Uirgin Marie which as it was so common that it cannot be denied so to coÌ„firme the same your Legend telleth vs a tale of one that neuer did good déed in his life but that he offred a Taper to the virgin Mary And wheÌ„ he died he was of Christ coÌ„demned the deuils had alreadie gotteÌ„ his soule Then came the virgin Mary put the Taper in his hande had him shift with the deuils so well as he could the soule hauing gotten the Taper stood therwith at his defence euer wheÌ„ the deuils came nere him he â—…oyned one in the face hit another here another there so lustily he laid about him that he droue with the Taper all the deuils away So notable a force ye ascribed to a Candle offred to the blessed virgin and made the simple people beleue what ye would by these outward CaÌ„dles in the darke night mist of error hauing put out and hidden vnder a bushel the true holy Candle the light of our féete lanterne to our steps the blessed worde of God that shoulde haue shewed Christ vnto vs the verye light of the world that came to giue light to those that sit in darknesse in the shadow of death Which spirituall light of Christ and the glorious beames of his Gospell the dimme eies of your soule cannot abide to looke vpoÌ„ Qui male agit odit luceÌ„ c. He that doth yll saith Christ our true light hateth the light coÌ„meth not to the light least his works shuld be reproued Syth therfore euen as the Owle flieth the light you slie the word of god all these other lights are but mere vnfruitfull workes of darknesse lulling the people a sleepe with these your dreaming fables Yet these fables were let forth in the mother tong that euery man might vnderstaÌ„d them but in no case the true caÌ„dle might shine vnto them In stéed whereof ye set vp a Candle before the deuil For the godly christians are not taught by Christ his Apostles nor the learned auncient fathers to set vp any suche Candles before Christ which Lactantius calleth plaine madnesse Candles in the Church so well as in other places we allowe and vse as did Saint Hierome And therfore where ye obiect Uigilantius to vs we returne euen Hieromes wordes to you Cereos autem in clara a luce c. But we light not waxe Candles at broade day light as thou slaunderest vs in vaine but with this comfort to mitigate the nightes darkenesse to keepe vs awake at the light least we should sleepe in darkenesse beeing blinde with thee And thus Saint Hierome maketh euen you master Stapleton and your Church that haue them in the cleare day light and that to such blind and Idolatrous endes both Uigilantians and Dormantians to Nowe to Ceremonies I answere that such as be decent laudable and to edifying and may set forth Gods glorie we refuse them not We reiect I graunt and that in good considerations the rable of such heathen and Iewish ceremonies that you laded the spouse of Christ withall We are frée from the yoke of the lawe much lesse néede we tye vs to the bondage of Paganisme And froÌ„ one of these the most of your ceremonies were deriued Saint Augustine complayned in his time and he liued euen in the time of Uigilantius That they oppressed the Church which God had set free with such slauish burdens that the state of the Iewes was more tollerable who though they knewe not the time of their libertie yet were they but vnder the burthens of the lawe aud not vnder the presumptions of men Thus speaketh Saint Augustine of Ceremonies euen where he mitigateth the matter and beareth with them so much as he coulde But what woulde he haue thought and sayde had he séene such an infinite number as haue crept in since his tune obtruded with such seueritie vrged with such necessitie estéemed with such opinion of holinesse as nothing more yea preferred before the knowledge and expresse commaundements of God beeing nothing but the traditions and inuentions of men If ye obiect Uigilantius to vs as an Heretike for improuing such ceremonies and the abuses of them why call ye not Christ M. St. a starke Heretike also for he obiected euen the same matter to the Scribes Pharisies High Priects that they worshipped God with the traditions of men and therefore saith â—…n vanum â—…olunt me They woorship me in vaine he charged them that they ouer burdened the people with such loade of Ceremonies whereas his yoke was light and easie and reproued them that for those their ceremonies they neglected and transgressed the commandements of god I warrant ye they said as you say by vs that he was a ranke Heretike and accursed and excommunicated him and all that helde with him And do you speake any better of his Ministers I meane not but euen of his worde it selfe in respect of your ceremonies than did they I omitte as now to tell how ye haue defaced his worde how many things ye preferre aboue it onely I will note this how sawcely in the defence of your ceremonies and your other errours contrary to the Scripture ye exalte your selues aboue Gods worde
very many should runne to Hierusalem leauing their wiues and childreÌ„ and thinke that a meruaylous kinde of godlinesse is therein that we should thinke all the constitutions of men to binde vs on paine of hell fire That we should put the chiefest parte of Religion in the choyse of meates that in the Churches no decking should seeme to much but eueÌ„ excesse also should pertaine to the honour of God that to what Ceremonies ye lust very much should be attributed that boyes and wenches for triflings causes so sone as euer they repent them of their estate dispising their parents should runne to MoÌ„kes or Nonnes that no man but a Diuine should talke of Christ or of the holy Scriptures that in Sainctes we should put very much confidence that we should know euill men not to be indeede in the Churche but to be of the Churche that we should beleue the Church to be marueylously trimmed with an exceeding and wonderfull strange varietie of seruices and vestiments that lawyers should be comly appareled that we should kisse the shoe soles and the shoes of saincts that nothing at all of the Popes institutions should be released although great profite should moue it that they that are dying should lay-out obites that mans mortuaries may be made that in them we should repose very much trust other matters of this sorte But Christian godlinesse is placed herein that we should loue God with al our hart and our neighbour as our selues That in Christ we should put the summe of our hope that we should frame our manners our life after the doctrine and exaÌ„ple of him after the rule of the Scriptures FroÌ„ the which whosoeuer calleth vs away by any manner of means they do rather leade vs into the dauÌ„ger of Paganisme Thus much Erasmus so far as he durst so truly that you nor all the world can denie theÌ„ escried the wickednesse of your popish Ceremonies which bicause we refuse on these so good coÌ„sideratioÌ„s ye cal vs Heretikes But whether we in not admitting them or you in vrging maintayning them be rather Heretikes let the Reader discerne Iudge You aske vs next what we say to the Messalians and other Heretikes saying concupiscence as a sinne remayneth in vs after holy Baptisme To your other namelesse Heretikes when ye name the childe we shall tell you what we say vnto them To the Messalians saying sinne remaines in vs after holy Baptisme I answere that euen your selfe do shewe by your continuall lust of lying that concupiscence after holy Baptisme is yet a fowle sinne in you Otherwise ye would not still so lust to lie both on vs the Fathers and the Heretikes also Ye cite S. Augustine to declare the Messalians errour and so he truly doth telling how they say that in Baptisme our sinnes are taken away as a raâ—…er taketh heare away leauing the stoompes vntaken away If ye obiect this vnto vs your selfe beareth witnesse against you that ye sâ—…ander vs For we fréely coufesse that by Baptisme the forgiuenesse of all our sinnes stoomps all past or to come is sealed vp vnto vs So that they are all washt away but as S. Augustine saith of Originall sinne him selfe Non vt non sit sed vt non imputetur Not that it is not but that is nor imputed So that hereby you will make S. Augustine him selfe a Messalian that writeth against the Messalians And I may say to you your iolie porkling Pigghius maketh of S. Augustine litle better accompte Deinde hoc mihi videtur eâ—…identer falsum c. Furthermore saith he this seemeth to me euidently false in that he saith carnall concupiscence the which is in our flesh sighting against the lawe of our minde to be properly and truly sinne in those which are not Baptized The which should be forgiuen in Baptisme that it should be sinne no more and yet not withstanding should remaine the gilt of it being taken away For the which cause he is so offended with S. Augustine that very groynishly he saith Ut autem haec ipsa vis concupiscibilis c. But that this very force of concupiscence should properly be sinne a faulte iniquitie odious of it selfe to God and execrable and placing in his wrath indignation or displeasure it seemeth to me to be spoken most absurdely â–ª nor no lesse absurdly that the selfe same should remaine and not be also abhominable to God if at any time it were so Thus hoggishly someth Pigghius against S. Augustine for making Concupiscence and Original sinne to be verily sinne euen before Baptisme misconstruing S. Augustine in saying it is not sinne after baptisme Where S. August expoundeth himself that it is not sinne then in that respect that it is not imputed but forgiuen where before it was sinne in it selfe and in imputation also being not yet forgiuen Nowe where he sayth this is most absurde to say that it was sinne before and it still remayneth after baptisme the same that it was before baptisme and that it is not abhominable sinne after baptisme if it were so before putting the case it were so before It followeth then that eyther you confesse master Stap. with Saint August that it is still in it selfe sinne after baptisme though not sinne by imputation or else that ye say with Piâ—…hius that it is neyther sinne in it selfe nor by imputation neyther after nor before If ye say with Saint Augustine you incurre that which Pigghius calleth the most absurditie and yet incurre you a greater making Saint Augustine a Messalian to that purposely wrote agaynst them yea and your selfe a Messalian with vs also agréeing with vs therein and yet therein wryting agaynst vs. If ye say with Pigghius thinking to escape absurditie in being agaynst Saint Augustine which notwithstanding is absurditie inough to be agaynst him whom ye pretende to follow you incurre manifest falshood in being against the truth yea and more absurditie to then any yet rehearsed For whether is it more absurde to impute sinne to him that hath none or to forgiue him his sinne that yet in déede hath sinne and of mercie not to impute it to him as though he had not that he hath which is no absurditie at all â–ª For although where sinne is it may be not imputed yea as Dauid sayth this is blessednesse Beatuâ—… vir cuâ—… dominus non imputauit peccatum Blessed is the man whose sinnes the Lorde hath not imputed to him Yet can there not be imputation of sinne where there is in déed no sinne at all as Pigghius most absurdly sayth Groyne you nowe with Pigghius that it is neyther sinne after nor before and we will take Saint Augustines great absurditie on vs to defende that it is in it selfe verie sinne and damnable sinne before baptisme and remayneth still in his nature verie sinne but not damnable bicause it is not imputed after baptisme And now let vs
pretend such worship of the Crosse. Which Iudas trecherie and manifest Idolatrie onely bicause we escrie you crie out vpon vs that we be like Iulianus the Apostata your selues being worse than he We remoue these abuses from the wodden Crosse that Christ himself might be glorified and we with S. Paule might truly say Absit mihi gloriari nisi in cruce domini nostrâ—… Iesu Christi God forbid I should glorie but in the Crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ that is in the merits victorie of his death passion not in the wood that he was crucified vpoÌ„ Which notwithstanding we hate not but we speak against the confidence that you put therin the worship that ye make therto the lies and fables that ye forge thereon Erasmus saith the Crosse is so growne among you hath so many peeces that if al were put togither a whole ship would not beare it yet when Christ suffred it was but one mans burthen So iolily haue you multiplied it since by your lying Arithmetike Now all those péeces by your doctrines must haue diuine honour yea to all your Images we must not care how much honor we giue yet all this notwithstanding there is no Idolatrie coÌ„mitted we that speak against it are heretiks apostataes you forsoth are good holy catholiks Ye aske vs next what we say to the Pelagians affirming that children not baptised shall be saued I aunswere if you had any regarde of your saluation M. St. ye would not still thus wittingly staine your conscience with slaunderous and notorious vntruthes We denie not baptisme to infants either as the Pelagians did nor at all Nor we make it to no purpose as did they that helde the infants were not borne in sinne and that original sinne was properly no sin These are the Papists assertions not ours And hereon did Pelagius reiect baptisme But we say with Dauid the infant is conceyued in sinne and borne in iniquitie And that this originall sinne is both his owne sinne and verie sinne And that he must be regenerate or else he cannot be saued and that this regeneration is especially wrought from about by the spirit of God which Christ adioyneth to the water And that the water is the outward signe ordeyned of Christ as necessarie to seale vp vnto our faithes Gods spirituall adoption regeneration Onely we denie such absolute necessitie of this outward signe that god which ordeyned it to be the ordinarie signe is necessarily tied therevnto as you Papists affirme And there vpon presumptuously determine that no christian infants can be saued except they haue the outwarde signe also and so ye bury them out of the ordinarie buriall of Christians as damned This hard and hastie iudgement we reiect and confute euen with your owne schole Doctours that make thrée kindes of baptisme Fluminis flaminis sanguinis Of water which is ordinarie of the spirite as where the ordinarie baptisme by water fayleth and of bloud that is to wete by Martyrdome Moreouer baptisme succéedeth circumcision but the faithfull Iewes did not iudge their children condemned that died before the day appoynted for circumcision but rested in such cases on Gods promise to Abraham Vt sim deus tuus seminis tui post te That I might be thy God and the God of thy seede after thee And if he be likewise now our God that are the spirituall séede of Abraham and true Israelites is he not also the God of our séede so well as of theirs whie shall we then measure his grace or mercy which is both ordinarie and extraordinarie and aboue all his workes by his ordinarie signe Chiefely when Christ the authour of Baptisme and into whome by baptisme we bée not onely initiate but incorporate testifying that hee whiche beleeueth and is baptised shall be saued reuersed not his sentence so hardly as you do He that is not baptised shall bée damned but he that beleueth not shall be damned So that the apprehension of saluation is ascribed of Christ to fayth Which fayth the outwarde signâ—… of baptisme sealeth vp vnto vs As Saint Paule reasoneth of Abraham in the fourth to the Romaynes Beatus vir cui non imputâ—…it c. Blessed is the man to whome the Lorde imputeth no sinne Came this blessednesse then vpoÌ„ the circumcised or vpon the vncircumcised VVe say verily how that fayth was reckoned to Abraham for righteousnesse Howe was it reckoned in the time of circumcision or in the time before he was circumcised not in the time of circumcision but in the time he was yet vncircumcised And he receyued the signe of circumcision as a seale of righteousnesse whiche is by fayth whiche fayth he had yet being vncircumcised that he should be the father of all them that beleeue thoughe they bee not circumcised And as Saint Paule reasoned thus and Saint Stephen likewise maketh the same reason agaynst the Iewes that tyed saluation to the Sacrament of circumcision so do wée vse the selfe same reason agaynst you holding the errour of the necessitie of the outwarde signe of baptisme that the Iewes held of the signe of circumcision saying that all were damned that were vncircumcised as you say all are damned that are not baptised in water Thus are you become very Iewes and Phariseys that vpbrayd to vs that we be Pelagians But you say Your Maisters are in this poynt worse than the Pelagians as well for that some of them haue sayde that some infants though vnbaptised shall bee damned and some other though vnbaptised shall be saued What meane ye to recken thus by sommes M. Stap Were those some worse than the Pelagians that sayde some though vnbaptised shall be damned how much theÌ„ are you worse than they who say all that be vnbaptised shall be damned And if you may say all such shall be damned may not we say some such shall be damned as though all includeth not some and so your selues are worse than the Pelagians were And I trow it is yet somewhat surer or at the least lesse daunger to say some vnbaptised shall be damned than to affirme it on all And do ye thinke this is so heynous a matter to affirme it on some I pray you howe say ye by the Turkes Iewes and Heathens infants vnbaptised may we not say it of some of them if we let ours passe Now if this be so sore a saying belike you holde opinion that none of their infants though vnbaptised shall bee damned and if ye do so whie sounde ye fault with vs before for saying some vnbaptised shall be saued If we may neyther say some vnbaptised shall be saued nor yet some vnbaptised shall be damned what will ye haue vs say Master Stap But looke howe your owne sayings hang togither All vnbaptised shall bee damned and yet all vnbaptised shall bee saued For what doe ye else say in condemning vs
the Letanie for saying so often Lorde haue mercy vppon vs miserable sinners and for saying Amen to the curses recited against the wicked Besides that I haue shewed alreadie how they iustifie them selues with puritie of nature with fréewill with preparatiue workes meritorious more than mâ—…ritorious workes of perfectioÌ„ What say ye to the same Montanistes that vnder the pretence of offerings craftely gathered and extorted of the people great summes of monie But not the hundreth parte that the popish Priests offrings brought in What say ye againe to the Montanistes with whom the Prophicieâ—… of Priscilla and â—…aximilla were in greater honour than the holy Gospels of Iesus Christe as likewise the blinde Prophecies of the Papistes to the which they giue more credite than to the true Prophets that haue set forth Gods worde What say ye once againe to Montanus that taught the dissoluing contemning of Matrimâ—…nie for religioÌ„ sake in all which thingâ—… how nere your Papists follow Montanus steppes is very apparant to the easie conferrer What say ye to the Tessarescedecatitae which vsed and alleaged forged bookes in the Apostles names called Apocrypha as the Papistes make Canonicall the bookes so called besides that they alleage and set out their S. Thomas gospell Nichodemus gospell The actes of S. Peter The fables of Lazarnâ—… the birth life death and assumption of the blessed virgin and many such other counterfaite bookes to establishe their Masse Purgatorie Reliques Traditions and other such errours by them What say you to the Seueriani of Seuerus that saide a wench called Phâ—…lumene was enspired with the holy ghost to foretel things to come to whom declaring his dreames burnings of his minde she would warne him secretly as it were of things to come and that she should sée phantasies come vnto hir in the likenesse of a childe which childe appering would now and then say he were Christ now and then S. Paule that the spirite told hir such things as she told the people that she wrought such miracles of which this was the chiefe that she woulde put a great loafe into a glasse hauing a narrow mouth and with the tippe of hir fingars take it out againe vnbroakeÌ„ that she eate nothing els but that as sent hir from god Compare these things with the Popish practises in their visions trances and miracles of their she â—…incts S. Bridgits Reuelations the trances of the holy mayde in Kente the Pâ—…ell of Fraunce the she saint that Sir Thomas More telleth of in his booke of Pilgrimages and sée how much they differ What say you to the Taciani that would admitte none into their rules and orders were they men or women that renounced not Mariage as none may be admitted to the Popish orders or rules of their religions that haue not vowed not to marie What say you to the Alogiani that as is saide before stood vppon vnwritten verities and reiected the written worde of God What say ye to the Angelici that bowed them selues downe in the worship of Angels What say ye to the Apostolici which most arrogantly called them selues by this name as do your Popes call theÌ„ selues Apostolicall and they receiue not into their communion those that vse wiues as your Papistes will admitte no married Priests to consecrate at their Masse nor they receiued any that professe any proprietie of their goods as your Monkes and Friers do pâ—…tende of whome saith S. Augustine Quales habet Ecclesia Monachos Clericos plurimos Such as the Church hath many MoÌ„kes Clerkes No meruayle then if your Monkes and Priests do so now for the Heresie of your Apostolical as ye cal it but in déede apostaticall Church herein is of faire antiquitie What say you to the Manichaei with whom ere while ye falsely charged vs They forbid as S. Augustine saithe mariage so much as in them lieth They saide that by chastitie Prayers and Psalmes they purged their liues sent them to heauen They craked of false AbstineÌ„cie and Continencie to deceyue the simple They boasted that they forsooke all things for God and did arrogate to them selues all the blessings mencioned in the Gospell They added and tooke from the Scriptures so much as they pleased pretending they had bene or might be corrupted and preferred the bookes called Apocrypha They said the promise of Iesus Christ concerning the holy ghost the comforter was fulfilled in their Archmanichée as the Papists besides all the other aforesayde say the same promise of the holy ghost is fulfilled in their Arch prelate the Pope And as Manicheus called himselfe the Apostle of Iesu Christ so your Pope in his Bulles prefixeth the authoritie Apostolicall of Peter and Paule Moreouer they reiected flesh egges and milke which the Papists dâ—… on certaine dayes they reiected also the proprietie of goodes as due the begging Friers What say ye to the Hierachitae that likewise as these would receyue none into their societie but vnmaried men and women Such were also your Aerians whome falsly you obiect to vs being more like to them your selues admitting none but suche as were continent as renounced the worlde and would possesse nothing of their owne What say ye to the Psalliani and Euchitae that were all giuen to mumbling vp of prayers and sayde that Monkes ought not to labour to get their liuing and therefore they professed themselues to be Monkes bicause they woulde do no worke but pray Whom Erasmus in his defence against the Sorbonists being appeached onely for saying Christuâ—… in orando damnat multiloquâ—…um Christ doth condemne much babling in prayer likeneth the Papists vnto Denique Psalliani siue Euchitae c. To conclude the Psalliani or Euchitae haue augmented the beadroll of Heretikes who lyuing in idlenesse dispatched vp an heape of psalmes with a marueylous rolling of the tongue What say ye to the Pattalorinchitae which did so giue themselues to silence that at suche times as they thought they must holde their peace they would lay their fingers on their nose and lippes least they should speakâ—… a worde as I noted before of the Basilidians both whome herein your religious men resembled What say ye to the Aquarij which mingled water with wine in the Sacrament as all the Papist do What say you to the barefoote Heretikes that walked vp and downe barefoote and woulde weare no shooes like the barefoote Friers What say you to the Priscillianists that had this rule among them Iura periura secretum prodere nolâ—… Sweare and forsweare bewray not the secrete not onely like the dissembling Papistes practise among vs that will sweare and forsweare themselues to the Prince with false hollow heartes in truth â–ª and yet in falshood trustie to their confederates nor will bewray their secrete conspiracies but also like the rule of your Pope and all his perfect faythfull ones Nulla â—…ides tenenda
worshipped ye then and that with such high worship to your solemne Saint Thomas Becket that dyed for no matter of Religion at all But eyther for his obstinacie agaynste his liege Lorde and agaynst all the Barons Spirituall and Temporall of the Realme or if ye colour it neuer so fayre yet was it but in mainteyning his honour and the priuileges of the Clergie and that contrarie to the auncient custome of the Realme except yée will graunt that the Popishe Religion doeth consiste herein Whiche if ye bée ashamed to confesse vpbrayde not then for shame false Martyrs vnto vs nor yet the Canonising of wicked Sainctes We vse no such Canonization at all It redoundeth on your selfe on your Legende on your Popes and on your Pope holy Saincts Whome by this rule you make both Donatists Montanists Manicheans or what soeuer Heretikes ye can obiect besides As for all these Comparisons hitherto betwéene the Protestantes and the Donatists wherein ye thinke ye haue be stowed great cunning there is not 〈◊〉 poyâ—… that is not violently wrested to make it séeme to touch vs and not one poynt that being returned on your selues doeth not rightly and fully hitte you home againe And therefore I for my part am content as you concluding say you be To ende this talke with the whole conference leauing it to the indifferent Reader to consider whether the Popishe Catholikes or the Protestants drawe nearer to the Donatists To come newe at length to the sixt and last parte of this Chapter which consistes in remâ—…ing such motiues as the Bishop alleageth to burtheâ—… Master Feckenham with the practise of the Donatists First master Stapleton deuideth these motiues in twaine Let vs then sayth master Stapleton proceede foorth and consider vpon what good motiues ye charge master Feckenham to be a Donatist whiche are to say truth none other but falsehoode and follie But as ye surmise the one is bicause hee craftily and by a subtile shifte refuseth the prooues of the olde Testament as the Donatists did The other bicause hee with the sayde Donatists should auouch that secuâ—…er Princeâ—… haue not to meddle in matters of Religion or causes ecclesiasticall nor to punishe any man for such causes These two motiues ye say Master Stapleton are to say the truth none other but falsehoode and follie In déede they are the worsâ—… by comming through so false a marchantes handes as yours For shame either tell the wordes as they â—…e at least the true and full effect of them or neuer sette them out in a distinct letter syâ—… you so often but euer falsly vpbrayde the Bishop hereof Else all the follie and falsehoode will proue to be in your selfe and not in the Bishops motiues The Bishop spâ—…ke not of Princes medling or punishing for Ecclesiasticall 〈◊〉 as though the Donatists simpliâ—… denied that anâ—… yâ—… graunted Princes yet so much as to meddle or punishe for your Ecclesiasticall causes that is to say to be your executioners therin as though the Emperors other Christian Princes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more vpon them at that time But the Bishop tolde how the godly fathers craued aide assistance of the magistrats and rulers to reforme them to reduce them to the vâ—…itie of the church to represse their heresies with their au thoritie godly lawes made for that purpose to whome it belonged of duetie and whose especiall seruice of Christ is to see care and prouide that their subiects be gouerned defended and mainteyned in the true and syncere religion of Christ without all errours superstitions and heresies This is that the Bishop wrote and to proue this he alleageth Saint Augustine Thus did Christian Princes gouerne in Ecclesiasticall causes then This did the Donatists then denie vnto them and this do now the Papists denie and ye come sneaking in and tell vs the Bishoppes motiue was this In charging Master Feckenham to followe the Donatists by cause hee with the Donatistes shoulde auouche that seculer Princes haue not to meddle in matters of Religion or causes Ecclesiasticall nor to punishe anie man for suche causes As though the controuersie had bâ—…ne for anie kinde of medling or punishing whiche you sâ—…ming to graunt to Princes to bée your seruaunts and droyles in suche ecclesiasticall causes and so farre as you assigne them might therefore séeme not to play the Donatists when ye play their partes so liuely as can bée and so subtilly that the Donatistes were but Babes vnto you in séeming to giue them some medling or punishing in Ecclesiasticall causes but if they meddle with or punishe you or anie other otherwise than ye commaunde and restrayne them you so little then suffer them to meddle in Ecclesiasticall matters that with solemne curses ye debarre them from medling in anie temporall and ciuill matters too so farre ye passe the Donatists For shame master Stapleton tell your tale plainely that we may sée whether M. Feckenham played the Donatistes part or no or else your doubling wyll declare your selfe to be a Donatist also for companie But let vs sée how ye aunswere these motiues euen as your selfe propounde them The one is say you bicause he craftily and by a subtile shifte refuseth the proues of the old Testament as the Donatistes did Your Stale Iestes M. Stapleton of a fine blast of a horne â–ª of a â—…oule slawe of a blinde betell blunte shifte I ouer passe them When M. Feckenham ye say offereth to yelde if ye can proue this regiment either by the order that Christ left behinde him in the new Testament either by the Doctours either by Councels or els by the continuall practise of any one Churche thinke you M. Horne that this is not a large and an ample offer The largenesse of this offer is not here in questioÌ„ M. St. the offer is large and ample inough â–ª taken of the Bishop at his handes and proued vnto him at his owne demaunde It remaineth then that he stande to his promise and yelde to the truth or else he sheweth that he minded to offer more than he purposed to perfourme Onely now it is examined why here he specifieth the new Testament and quite leaueth out the old Testament â–ª This doing in this pointe saith the B. smelleth of a Donatist Nay say you There is not so much as any coÌ„iecture to gather this vppon yea the old Testament is not by this offer excluded but verely included For if the new Testament which rehearseth many things out of the old haue any thing out of the old Testament that make for this regiment if any Doctour old or new if any Councell haue any thing out of the old Testament that serue for this regiment then is Master Feckenham concluded yea by his owne graunt For so the Doctour or Councell hath it he is satisfied according to his demaunde VVhereby it followeth he doth not refuse but rather allowe and affirme the proufes of the old Testament It might
of the othe or statute Why say you they all appertaine not to the inferiour ministerie whiche ye graunt to Priests and Bishops only but to the supreme iurisdiction and gouernement which you doe annexe to the Prince only In déede these thinges you make to appertayne to youre Pope to whome ye giue such supreme iurisdiction and gouernement as annexeth all this to his papal authoritie But ye doe wickedly herein and iniurie to our sauiour Christe to whom only such supreme iurisdiction and gouernment belongeth and vnder whome the inferiour ministers maye do these things not as they please but as he hathe prescribed them The Iurisdiction and authoritie appertaineth onely to ministers bishops or priestes as ye call them To whome herein we doe not as ye sclaunder vs graunt only an Inferiour ministerie but euen an higher ministerie than wée giue to Princes In their spirituall ministration they are higher ministers but in gouerning them ouerséeing them directing punishing maynteyning placing or displacing them as they shall do their dueties well or yll the Prince therein is higher than they and his gouernement vnder God is supreme and chiefe in all suche causes as belongeth to the Ecclesiasticall persons or any other in his territories This is that the statute ascribeth and the othe requireth farre from youre malicious and sclaunderous slate of the question that you haue here deuised Whiche as ye say the truthe therein the Bishop proueth not for it is no part for him to proue But that this is the â—…slue he fully preueth Yea and proueth the full contentes of the Othe also to the whyche ye woulde so fayne driue the question nowe in hande After ye haue thus sette vp a false and wrong state and quarelled at the verie state of the question in hande playnly and truely set downe by the Bishop ye enter into your second part wherin prefixing an other marginal note Master Hornes dissembling falsehood ye chalenge the B. to omit two clauses of the statute the one at the beginning therof the other at the ende The former is this That no foraine person shall haue any maner of authoritie in any spirituall cause within this realme By whiche wordes is flatly excluded saye you all the authoritie of the whole bodie of the Catholike Churche without the realme as in a place more conuenient towardes the ende of the laste booke it shall by Gods grace be euidently proued If that be a place more conuenient why doe ye anticipate it here not so conueniently where it appertayneth not to the question in hand The Bishop now medleth not with that parcell that excludeth all foraine authoritie but onely with that parte that expresseth what manner of authoritie it is that the Quéenes Maiestie taketh vpon hir And this the Bishop playnely and faithefully dothe not here intermedlyng with other pointes of the statute But where that conuenient occasion is there ye shall sée the Bishop touch that that here ye call for And there a Gods name answere hym if ye can But your fingers itched ye coulde not holde youre hande but néedes ye muste euen nowe haue a fling thereat for a farewell Althoughe therein ye proprely ouertourne youre selfe and yet to make somewhat of the matter yée playe all the false playe yée can For where the Statute mencioneth onely anye forraine persone to haue no authoritie you conclude that it excludeth all the authoritie of the whole bodye of the Catholike Churche withoute the Realme Where as there the Statute mencioneth not the catholike Churche at all And besides who séeth not a great difference betwéene these twayne any persons authoritie and the whole bodies authoritie And who séeth not withall that if England be a parcell and membre of the whole bodie of the Catholike Churche of Christe and all the membres make one vnited bodie then neither is the whole bodie foraine to the members thereof nor the particular membres foraine to the whole bodie Nor in déede any parte of this mysticall bodie is excluded But in that respect that one countreyman is foraine to an other suche foraine authoritie of any foraine person is thereby excluded But in regarde of the bodye of the Catholike churche if ye meane Christes holie Catholike Churche there is neyther Iew nor Gréeke Scythian nor Barbarian nor any forayne Countreyman we are no straungers and forainers but Citizens of the Saintes and of the householde of God and all compacte in Christe nor any is excluded oute of this Churche if he be in and of this Churche bycause he is not forayne And where ye saye the whole bodie of the Churche without the Realme youre wordes implie a contradiction to themselues For if the realme be a parcell of the bodie of the churche whiche perchaunce you will denye or if the realme be a parcell of the bodie of the Churche whyche you wyll not denie then that which is without the realme is not the whole bodie as ye call it But lettyng this goe what is that authoritie be it of the most part or be it as you saâ—… of the whole bodie of the Churche without the realme that ye would haue the realme allowe If it be the verie Catholike church of Christe then is it also the wyfe and spouse of Christ and hath no authoritie to make any faith doctrine or religion besides that hir husband hath appointed neyther England Fraunce Germanie Italy Spayne or any other parte or all the whole bodie of this spouse hath authoritie to doe it And looke what parte doth not this or presumeth to doe otherwise becommeth foraine and as foraine is cut off euen as a rotten and putrified member seuered from the bodie Euery braunche sayth Christ that beareth not fruite in me my father will cut it away But if this authoritie be for such ecclesiastical discipline as Christ hath giuen therof no expresse coÌ„maundement then euery seuerall part may receyue or not receyue the same and yet is not estranged or made forrain from the whole corps of Christendome yea though the most parte of the churche besides authorised and vsed the same But euery particular Churche hath in it selfe authoritie to establish orderly suche disciplines as shall be thought best and fittest for their estate and yet is there no diuision or schisme from the whole thereby But sith ye referre your selfe to a more conuenient place where ye say it shall by Gods grace be euidently proued it is not much conuenient to stand any more hereon sith it is here but accessorie and ye confesse your self that ye doe not but ye will hereafter by Gods grace proue it euidently But I doubt me of two things the one of your euident prouing therof the other that ye will doe the same by the grace of God the dooing wherof is agaynst the grace of God. The other clause saye you you omitte at the ende of the statute whiche is this That all maner superiorities that haue or may lawfully be exercised