Leafe Side Line Faultes Correction 20 1 4 practise prayse ibideÌ„  6 honor humour 22 2 14 friers frieries 26 1 32 Porzolo Pozzolo 28 1 21 22 Putanies Putaines 30 1 16 then that 36 1 16 is doth 39 1 17 none woune 41 2 7 his this ibideÌ„ 1 26 was without was not w tout 46 2 16 didst take didst not take 47 1 7 his the 51 1 14 Hostiences Hostiensis ibideÌ„  19 Cardinall carnall 54 1 4 faction function 56 2 19 breaching bréeching 58 1 23 Sandanapalus Sardanapalus 62 1 20 he in here in 67 1 5 Bosarie Rosarie 71 1 22 vessels Uassalles 87 2 5 word world 89 2 23 beggers beggeries ibideÌ„  29 all a 92 1 28 which with ibideÌ„   ruinesse reuenewes 97 1 32 Swythians Scythians 111 1 21 heade hearde 112 1 31 Whether the Whether if the ibideÌ„ 2 9 dust they dust if they Pasquine in a Traunce Marforius GOD saue you Mayster Pasquine my most pleasant companion Pasquine What Marforius and wherabout goe you Marforius Thou diddest so much delite me the last yeare with thy coÌ„munication that I am now come purposely to tarye with thée â— while that thou mayst once again tell me of thy vision wherof this other yere thou toldest me which pleased me so much as it would not grieue me to heare it a thousand tymes much lesse twise Pasquine And I wil tel thée it againe with good will adding therevnto other things which then I had no time nor remembred me to tel thée aske on hardly and I will fully satisfie thée Marforius Tell me firste of all howe it is possible that thou that arte of stone shouldest get vppe into heauen Pasquine Is it not a greater maruell that some of these lubberlye greasie Fryers Parsons Bishoppes Abbots and other foule gorbellied fathers shoulde get vp thither which are so heauye that Elephantes are scarce able to carye them Marforius What these are men but much more do I maruell when I thinke what the Goddes should haue to do with stones Pasquine And I pray thée what haue the Gods to do with Lions Bulles and Beares which are perillous Beasts Yea and flying foules too and yet for all that in our dayes are they caried aboute in coÌ„panie of the Gods Marforius What we talke of the Goddes of the Christians let vs nowe leaue Lucians fables Pasquine I am content that thou speake of the Gods of the Christians doest thou not sée that they are for the most part made of stone Marforius I take theÌ„ for no Gods Pasquine I know not how y u takest them but wel I wote that the coÌ„mon people now a dayes taketh theÌ„ so Marforius And who I pray thée is so folish as to worship Gods of stone Pasquine I can not tel thée whether this be folishenesse or no but as farre as I fée this is of all men accoumpted godlinesse and if we loke well we shall finde by their garmentes and furniture that they are worshipped and this folly hath bene alwayes in mens mindes as we sée that among those of olde time was the God Terminus of whom a man may reade so many foolishe tales that it woulde make him weary Marforius By my truth thou sayst truly I wel remeÌ„ber that I haue read of that God Terminus in what estimation the people of those dayes had him and yet for all that me thinkes that men of oure time should not worship these stones as they did Pasquine Yea but let vs a while leaue this a part and stand thou stil and heare me Marforius I heare thée wel say on Pasquine Thou knowest Marforius y â— sith I was first acquainted with the world I haue alwayes sought with my whole study to bring men from euil to well doing and moste chieflye Princes and greate men who haue now a dayes their eares so full of flatterers talke and of those flies that Diogenes speaketh of that no voyce except it be of stone can any more enter into them For which cause so often and so loude haue I cryed that I haue enforced my selfe to enter into their eares Marforius But what a presumption is this of thée that will doe this without the Popes licence Pasquine God defende that I should be presumptuous but thou knowest that it hath bene alwayes necessarie to say and set forth the truth the which sithe it lieth as buried and that there is none to declare it it followeth of necessitie by the saying of the gospel that we stones must cry out Marforius I knewe not that till now But I will therfore from henceforth so worke that I will be no longer dumbe But follow thou thy talke Pasquine And so seing that I cast awaye and in maner lost all my labour I began somewhat to doubt in what sort the thinges of the world were gouerned and I doubted of the prouidence of God of his iustice seing the affliction of the iust and the prosperitie of the wicked and within my selfe I sayde what may he be that hath the gouernance of thinges amonges men and I thought it shoulde be some other thing farre different from that which gouerneth the thinges of nature Marforius This is euen the right way to become an Epicure But what diddest thou doubt whether there were one onelye that gouerneth al Pasquine Yea that I doubted Marforius And how came that doubt in thy braine Pasquine I saw that God in nature is a thing moste orderlye beyonde all maruell I sawe all thinges in their times conceyue bring forth flourishe and giue fruite rendering as it were last of al thankes to nature after this sort and afterward againe to corrupt and returne to their mother and firste originall I sawe the Heauen and the Starres not a whitte to chaunge from their wonted course neither rather or later to rise or go downe I saw the earth the sea and the other Elementes to be verye well deuided and their chaunges from one to another for the generation and corruption of things to be exâ—eadinglye well ordered and if I did but beholde the workmanship of man yea or of a flie or of an Empt I was astonished at y â— proporcionate comelye wonderfull vnspeakeable cunning of the Creator moste of all seing all thinges done with so greate reason that nothing in the composition of the nature of things could either be put to or taken away without marring the whole worke so that being drowned in the consideration hereof I cried Great art thou Lorde and maruellous vvorthy to be praysed there is no ende of thy greatnesse Afterward if I considered the life of men and their companie keping their states and conditions so without order and often tymes euillye disposed I coulde not but nedes beleue that some blinde Diuell had had the gouernaunce hereof and that did Christ cause me so to thinke who
Denis the Areopagite a dâ—uisour of foolishe thinges that he neuer sawe nor knowe God who is euen the same that we call father is couered with a certayne lyght which no man may attayne vnto euen as it were with a garment From hence are the ministers of the God of Sabaoth which are spirites and powers sente forth for the saluation of his Churche nor it is not possible to make any distinction in their Orders and degrées neyther wyth place nor with name For God onely can make distinction of them when he sendeth them where it pleaseth him for they al are as the breath of Gods mouth all are of fire all are flying and winged for the great desire they haue to obey God vpon whom onely they are bent and whose wil onely they doe most feruently desire to doe And in fine here are all things one and one all things Marforius And is there neuer a Quéene there Pasquine One I saw clothed in that garment that the Psalme speaketh of My hart hath indyted a good matter Hir espouse was Christ and I tooke hir to haue béene the virgin Mary but myne Aungel tolde me that it was the Church Marforius Why then the virgin Mary beareth no rule in heaueÌ„ Pasquine No but shée for hir part and after hir maner adourneth garnisheth the body of the espouse Marforius Those things therefore that are sayde of our Lady in the Prime and houres and other seruice of hirs doe rather appertayne to the Church than to the virgin Mary Pasquine That do I well knowe for I haue sene it is so Marforius But how coÌ„meth it to passe that this Quene y â— is the espouse of Christ is so little knowen and estemed among men Pasquine Bycause the Popes haue aduaunced them selues aboue hir and haue vsurped vnto them selues hir authority and made lawes after their â—wne deuises without hauing any regarde vnto hir And bycause the things should not be applyed vnto them whiche the holye scripture speaketh of the Church therefore haue they thrust into the place of the Church the virgin Marye and haue attributed all things vnto hir and haue called hir Quéene and Empresse of heauen and our Aduocate so that y â— name of the true Quéene is vtterly abolished and lost Marforius Doest thou remember what this Quéenes apparell was Pasquine I remember it well she had the whole shewe of a most chaste Matrone and albeit she consist of dyuers meÌ„bers they are notwithstanding with so great proportion ioyned to their heade Christ that nothing can be more agreable And this Quéene from day to day was better garnished And albeit the handfasting haue bene long â—ithens made yet is the maryage day looked for to be at the last day in the whiche all men must ryse agayne Marforius Truelye it is a maruellous matter that Priestes doe so much dispise maryage seing that Christ wyll fynishe his kingdome with the mariage of his Churche Pasquine And I maruell muche at it but I feare they be no Christans albeit they haue the name for they dispyse the example of christ vnto y e which Paule also exhorteth vs saying Ye husbandes loue your vvyues as Christ loued his Church Marforius Whereof commeth it therfore that we do not content our selues with christ onelye Pasquine Bycause the worlde is at that poynt that it is alwayes contrary to Christ for euery beast setteth more by straw than by gold Marforius Oh I would it were Gods wil that our Countrey of Italy might once haue some vnderstanding and not be so without knowledge as it is then woulde it not suffer so many superstitions as it doth nor peraduenture shoulde féele so many warres Pasquine Feare thou not it is not altogether without knoweledge The Lorde hath reserued seuen thousande men that haue not bovved their knee to Baal Marforius And doth Christ then rule and gouerne al things and giueth he no authoritye or charge to his Saintes Pasquine He doth all things him selfe he onely prepareth the place for his Saints they â—e at rest wythout busying them selues in any of those things that are done here beneath And they are all of one mynde that Christ be praysed that he raigne in all things So sayth the virgin Mary so sayth Saynt Peter so doe the Martyrs and all the rest And in the base or lower part of the diuine Maiesty I sawe written I WILL NOT GIVE MY GLORY TO AN OTHER Marforius Was therein that place no diuersity of garmentes Pasquine No dyuersity at all for all had on the wedding garment the which out of fayth is chaunged into perfect Charity the whiche here beneath among vs can not be done Marforius And doth not this worldlye gouernaunce of things come from the true Saintes Pasquine No I tell thée Marforius Knowest thou whence it commneth Pasquine Yea I know it commeth from vncleane spirits that with gay glorious titles deceiue men Knowest thou not that the Lorde sayde in the Gospel that Antichrist with miracles should destroy the fayth and that by Goddes sufferance that those which beleue not the truth should be coÌ„firmed in vnbeliefe Knowest thou not that a spirite departed once from the presence of God and sware to become the spirite of lyes in the mouthes of all the Prophetes of Achab And moreouer it is a thing most certayne that Sathan can transforme him selfe into an Angell of lyght And sith there are so many Legerdemaynes and we so easely drawen to all false Religion it is no maruell if so manye fonde dreames be receyued as truth And doest thou thinke that our mayster Christ and his Disciples haue without cause so oftentymes foreseing these things cryed vnto vs Take hede bevvare looke vvell to your selues consider Try all things kepe that vvhich is good Try the spirirs vvhether they be of God or no Howe many tymes haue these shauelings tolde thée that the virgin Mary hath appeared and demaunded of foolyshe men that Churches monasteryes shoulde be builded by them for hir Thinkest thou that it is to be beleued that this most modest handmayd of the Lorde that being of such a singuler humility and hath the chiefest place in the body of the Church which is Christes espouse and that intierly loueth hir espouse hath at any tyme desired that which she knoweth doeth belong to hir only espouse Wherfore hath she not when she so appeared demauÌ„ded that the gospel should be prcached that the Lordes vineyarde should be well looked vnto that the Wolues should not be made she pheardes nor such dogs as can not â—arke nay rather these mates will nedes haue hir to fauour and nourish both wolnes and swyne Marforius The more thou talkest to me Pasquine the more is the truth opened vnto me would god y â— thou were Pope once that thou
smelles and odours all deuised to feede and occupie the outwarde senses of man and to stuffe his head and vnderstanding with the vaine gazing and admiration of their counterfeit Religion so as manye that tooke themselues to be verye nycenosed and coulde as they thought iudge colours were ouertaken in their folly and toke quid pro quo and Mercurium sublimatum for good and wholesome Suger And how this broode of smoth smiered shauelings haue the inuentions and dreames of their owne ydle and drousie braynes sette vp to themselues a mortall God that mitred Monarche of Rome who with power and tirannie shoulde maynetayne them in a perpetuall and flourishing kingdome and they for their part euen from the seliest hedge priest or other most simple in degree vnder them being greased with the Popes Oyle euen to the proudest and most princelie Prelate euery one in his kinde to labour and apply themselues with tongue and pen or rather with tooth and nayle if they doe not besides vse any other more violent weapons to deuise studie serch and vse al the fetches possibly how they may keepe all things vpright and cloute vp with stable straw and such paltry the ruynes breaches and decayes of this their Chaos or confused common wealth Thou shalt also see as it were by an Antithesis or comparison the sacred Scriptures set against their vayne and fantasticall toyes and inuentions and the same Scriptures so aptely applyed and truely alleaged as can not be desired to be better or more effectually done to the purpose And betwene the serious and fruitefull allegation of the scriptures and the necessary detection of their chast life and holynesse thou shalt finde some things and I beleue not fewe in number that thoughe the same be no meere nor malicious inuentioÌ„s yet can they not be iudged to be Fables but rather matters of truth bicause the worlde else hath in their seuerall places had the tryall and experience of the same And histories haue also in some parte set them forth to the great coÌ„mendation of the doers therof But one thing gentle Reader thou wilt not a little maruell at that their spirituall weapons wherewith they defend their Romish kingdome â–ª I meane their owne councels and constitutions herein alleaged are so brought against them selues and so retourned home to their owne confusion and ouerthrowe that there remayneth now no more spirituall defence or resistence but that they lay hande on the Temporall sworde and vse the violent argumentes offyre sworde and halter which howe muche they haue done in this Realme of late dayes that very Rome it selfe hath abhorred I leaue to thy iudgement for the vnborne children in the mothers wombe and the louing dogges with their masters haue witnessed the same Thou mayest chaunce to finde this boke beside that it is writteÌ„ in the Italian tongue in the Latine also which seemeth to haue beene done by the authour him selfe what tyme he saw his laboure so well to be lyked and allowed as he wrote the same in the latine tongue also for the better edifying and calling home of the sheepe that went a straye and the more assured confirmation of them in the truth of Gods worde Yet bicause this Italian copie is the larger wherevnto is added the voyage to Hell which the Latine booke hath not I haue therefore chosen and followed the same and tourned it into our tongue as nowe thou seest There follow in the ende therof certayne questions put forth by Pasquine to be disputed but not as Pâ—â—adoxes in the Councell holden in that holy fathers dayes Paule the thirde at Trent wherein he scorneth priuily the great and manifolde abuses of the Churchmen aswell of the proude Prelates as the single soled sir Iohns the fat bellyed monks lying Fryers their false allegations of the Scriptures their idlenesse their pride their voluptuousnesse tiranny hipocrisie wyuelesse but not womanlesse chastitie and other their endlesse and abhominable doings the which articles maye as it were in a briefe comprehende the whole discourse of the booke afore going and shewe forth the spirituall fruites that spring of that Religion So as to conclude gentle Reader you may see and finde that there is no matter of controuersie wherein the papistes differ from the true Church of Christ and the heauenly doctrine taught before and since by the Patriarches Prophetes and Apostles as in their purgatorie their iustifying workes their corporall presence of Christ in the Sacrament their transubstantiacion adoration al the rest of their new found learning but that the same all and euery of them are quite defaced and ouerthrowen by the manifest worde of God Thou canst therefore desire no more to the certifying and confirmation of thy conscience in the truth or otherwise to satisfie thy minde with the detection of popery and the merie and pleasaunt disposing of the matter so as whether thy profite or pleasure shal be most I know not and therfore will not take vpon me to iudge This shall I one-desire thee to reade with iudgement and lay aside all affection and malice both which are partiall Iudges and so to walke directly throughe the whole worke whereby thou mayest discerne betwene the truth and falshode to thy edifying and comfort so shal I think my labour trauaile thus to translate it for thee well bestowed and shall sende thee to the booke to heare what he sayeth himselfe from the which I thought good with no longer Preface to withholde thee Farewell B. G. To the Reader IF he that wrights a worke at first doth merit fame I déeme him worthy of no lesse that doth translate y e same For as the first by toyle doth vtter things vnknowne The seconde doeth from forrein speach declare them in his owne The sequele sheweth a proufe of skilfull Authour plaine And of Translatour skilfull that to wright it toke such paine If pleasure thou possesse or profite thereby take They haue the summe of their desire that pende it for thy sake But though thou séeme to want of that thou wish at furst Reade once againe with good aduise before thou iudge the wurst Lay loue and hate aside affection put to flight So shalt thou iudge as Iustice wils so shall thy dome be right Remember Midas eares were framed lyke an asse Bicause he sayde that Pan in skill Apollo farre did passe So if thou shalt preferre some trifle more than truth Thou shalt deserue as Midas did the Asse his eares forsouth For learned was the man that first the booke did frame And learned he I promise thée that did translate the same And learned is their worke and honest too their fact And honest men will honestly allowe eche honest act But those that néedes will storme and wot not well wherefore Must néedes haue parte of that rewarde which is rehearst before Which if thou will auoyde as I would wish to shunne Doe iudge with good aduised skill and thus my tale is done Ber. Gar. Faultes escaped
being king of al together sayeth notwithstanding that he is not king of this world saying My kingdome is not of this vvorlde and if it vvere of this vvorlde my ministers vvoulde surelye fight And in manys other places the same sayeth calling Sathanas king and Prince of this worlde and of this darkenesse saying Novv shal the Prince of this vvorld be cast out And in the desert Sathan promised him all the kingdomes of the vvorlde if he vvould fall dovvne and vvorship him Marforius I pray thée Pasquine enter not into this heresie that Christ is not Lord ouer the world hast thou not read that in the name of Iesus al knées shoulde bowe of things in heauen of things in earth and things vnder the earth Pasquine Thou knowest not yet what this worde worlde meaneth in the scripture Marforius And what meaneth it else but this vnmeasurable frame or engine Pasquine Yes Marforius an other thing the Scripture calleth the world the ambitioÌ„ the couetousnesse the lechery and all those other thinges that sauour of nothing else but the flesh so that the flesh the worlde the diuell are those thrée furies that with their firebrandes and their Serpentes make an entermingling and confusion of all thinges Marforius Why then these fatte Friers that say they forsake the worlde â—arye it with them into the Monastaries Pasquine Yea out of doubt it is not possible to sée the worlde better than in the Monasteries where a man shall sée nothing else but affections and passions of minde with the which they seke to aduaunce them selues or to driue the one the other out of the doores Marforius Thou sayst truth but follow on a little Pasquine Bicause I coulde not therefore knowe the nature of this God that séemeth to gouerne worldlye thinges so blonderingly I sought to know him by his officers and seruauntes for that it séemed to me that he gouerneth al thinges by meanes of certaine demigods Marforius Whom callest thou demigods Pasquine Those that the grosse people call Saintes Marforius Beware I pray thée that thou speake nothing against the saintes but well for thou knowest in how great estimation they be with the worlde Pasquine God kéepe me from speaking euil of his frendes I go not about to tell thée other than the truth neither shall I at any time be charged to haue spoken any thing that is euill or wicked except it be by suche as woulde call the truth wickednesse Marforius Lette it not séeme straunge to thée that there be nowe a dayes suche men as doe labour so to call it Pasquine For suche kinde of crueltie I care not I knowe that the truthe can not be but truth Marforius Returne a little to thy purpose for me thought thou was framing an argument à minori ad mains or to be better vnderstoode à delegato ad ordinarium Pasquine Thou speakest like a right Canonist And to satisfie thy desire I say that finding no meane to cleare my selfe of this doubt with my selfe I sayde what the Diuell of holinesse goodnesse or equitie finde I in these saintes that now a dayes are so worshipped of the world that haue taken in hand the gouernment of worldly things Who if they nowe be or do that which sometime they were or that is sayde they were or did I shall sone consider what is the order of this gouernement if not yet haue I cause to doubt And forthwith it came in my minde to make a comparison of the lynes of Saintes and of their state while they were lyuing with their presente â—â—ate nowe hoping by this meanes to sée if the Saintes that liued sometime be the selfe same that they say raigne nowe in heauen and together with Christ doe gouerne al or else whether those be different and haue there aboue other nature and other condicions Marforius And what an arrogancie is this of thée wilte thou be a iudge ouer Saintes Pasquine No no frende Marforius let it neuer please God that I shoulde be a iudge ouer his frendes who can not sinne any more neither be spotted with any worldly affection but I would séeke onlye as I sayd if those be they that gouerne so or else if there be other vnder their name that haue none other thing of the saint but the bare name Marforius What is that thou sayest what a presumptuous boldenesse shoulde this be thinkest thou that there be any that vsurpe the names of saintes and vnder that godly name deceiue the world Pasquine As though the thing were to bée doubted Knowest thou not that the Diuell vnder the forme of an Angell of light worketh all his deceytes for if he shoulde shewe him selfe plainly as he is none woulde beleue him Knowest thou not that Superstition and Hipocrisie are the Diuelles Retorique with the whiche he maketh the worlde beleue al that he listeth Beholde the Fryers I pray thée thinkest thou that they woulde euer haue bene able to make the worlde beleue so many manifest falshoodes and foolishe â—oyes if they had not learned this art of the Diuell Marforius Why then their coates hoodes and sundry colours are they deuised by the Diuel Pasquine Yea out of doubt for if they were the same that they woulde be counted what nede shoulde there be of such disguised garmentes the whiche say they do signifie that whiche they ought to be This is a cleare case that while there is shadowe signification of the thing there is not the thing it selfe If they were in dede what shoulde they nede to séeke so to appeare Marforius I haue heard in dode that outwardly they be one thing inwardly an other Pasquine Thou mayst be sure of y â— if thou beleue the Gospell whiche saythe That there shall come vvolues to deuour vs clad in shepe skinnes by cause they vvill not be knovven for righte well thou knowest y â— one shepe eateth not another Marforius Thou tellest me Pasquine greate matters and suche as I neuer heard before and yet haue I studied many yeares the Canon lawe and in the subtil pointes of Iohn Brokenshinne and yet did I neuer reade these thinges which haue in them somewhat more than euery man vnderstandes Tell me now how thou madest this comparison for I remembre I read in Plato that it is a goodlye way to finde out the truth to seperate the thinges that are like from those that are different And I thinke this same be it that our Logitians speake of that contraries being layd together are the better discerned Pasquine Thou sayest wel but to come to the poynte Take thou which thou wiltâ— among all the Saintes yea if thou wouldest take the Uirgin Marye who hath the chiefest place and then consider well after what sorte she was in tymes past while she liued and in what sorte she
without superstitions and falshoods commaundeth vnto vs the loue of God and of our neighbour it is therefore no maruel that the Iewes and Turkes become not Christians seing the Christians deuided into so many sectes with the which also they dare take vpon them to call them selues spirituall being altogether carnall Paule in the first to the Corinthians cryeth out against these sects saying If any of you say I holde of Pâ—ule an other I holde of Appollo an other I holde of Cephas the fourth I holde of Christ are ye not carnal is Christ deuided Marforius I knowe these errours very wel I will that from henceforth thou be my Gratâ—an and my Panormitan but thou shouldest preach this about the streates Pasquine I woulde gladly do it but I feare the decrée of that flemish Pope Marforius Peraduenture thou meanest Adrian Thou canst not speake Dutch wel Pasquine Atrian thou must say for so a man may sée in his Epitaph Marforius Thou nedest not doubt any more of him for he is dead Pasquine So woulde God that this that now is and all that shall come after were with all their traine and trash that belong vnto them but yet for al this there want no priute watchers I haue heard say y â— Chietti hath spoken the Diuell and all againste me in that théeuishe consistorie Marforius And why Pasquine Bicause I tolde him his true proper natural name that is to say hâ—pocrite but let him doe and say what he will for I set not a turde by him sith I am made immortall and become a God aswell as he is bespâ—rited and become a Diuel Marforius But now returne a little and tell me the cause of thy going to heauen Pasquine It was this that I haue tolde thée for that I sawe these Saintes to be so farre different from that they were sometime I would nedes goe to heaueÌ„ purposely to sée whether they haue there aboue the selfe same nature For me thought it a thing vnlikelye that this Saint Mary here belowe that hath the painting on hir face that hath crownes full of Iewels on hir heade that hath Chaynes aboute hir necke that hath Ringes on her fingers that hath so costly and so many sortes of garmentes vpon hir like one of those yong Girles of olde time me thought it not I say that this was al one with that most humble mother of the Lorde and so much the more I confirmed my selfe in this opinion bicause I sawe this Lady to be most couetous moste desirous to heape vppe treasure and most nigardly in spending it and if she let any thing of hir owne goe out of hir handes shée delt it most wickedly so that I sayd often to my self if this be thâ— Lords mother why hath she not compassioÌ„ vpon her sonne whom she séeth euery day in y e church where she is goe aboute asking almes Marforius What sayest thou hath Christ nede then Pasquine Yea in the poore that represeÌ„t his person for he sayeth In as much as you haue done it to one of the least of these my brethren ye haue done it vnto me Yet notwithstanding if this hir some aske hir but one Dotkin she doth not giue it him but standeth vpon hir grauitie and looketh bigge without once chaunging hir countenance nor shewing any maner signe of coÌ„passion But when the holy Father goeth to Loretto when those most reuerend Cardinals when the spirituall fathers goe vnto hir she geueth to these generations all that she hath to spend vpon whores dogges horses and Ganimedes whiche I shoulde haue sayde first the which things I am right well assured were al farre wide without all comparisoÌ„ from that true most pure virgin the Lords mother y â— which aboue all other things hated this filthy kinde of men beside that I was right well assured y â— those that be the very saintes in dede being with God who is most riche haue no nede of our goodes nor of our offeringes nor that they be so gréedy of glory nor sake not for such goodly Churches nor so riche Aultars and other ornaments whiche are in daunger to be one day robbed by the Turkes sithens suche as be the greate men in the worlde take not the same them selues These thinges are rather for the satisâ—ying of vaine witlâ—sse men than of Saints who neuer called them selues Kings nor Quéenes of heauen but the seruantes and handemaydes of God and woulde haue their dwellinges treasures in heauen where there is no daunger of Turkes for they goe not vp thither whiche treasures are not golde and siluer but iustice peace and ioy in the holy ghost And perceyuing newe by all these wayes aforesayd that these be no Saintes and seing that the worlde would enforce me to beleue that they be Saintes and that it were deadly sinne to speake euill of them I determined to goe to heauen to cleare me of this double Marforius I maruell that none hath sought this before thée Pasquine All haue lefte of for a certaine foolish and light beliefe and bycause they had holy thinges in small estimation being content with a false and wicked Religion the which hytherto I know not by what meanes hath holden the worlde sore bewitched And if there were founde any one that had begon to discerne the truth by and by haue they had their eyes closed that they should sée no further nor wade déeper for knowledge therin Marforius Thou hast tolde me y â— cause of this thy voiage tell me now how thou wentest vp and by what way and then what thou sawest there aboue For there must nedes be thinges farre diuers from ours from al that we can imagine or thinkeof Pasquine I will tell thée the whole so that thou hearken wel vnto me Marforius I hearken to thée say on Pasquine Séeking the way to go to heauen I coulde not finde it albeit I had red many things of Protheus Icarus and Menippus who men say wente vp thither but they tell not by what way Wherevpon I determined to aske one of these Angelles of it whiche all day goe vp and downe and they tolde me that there was none other way but by death that way I liked not bicause life is deare to euery man but by chaunce I found an other way Marforius And what way was that Pasquine That being in a traunce all these things should by reuelation be shewed vnto me Marforius Who taughte thée that way some Negromancer Pasquine Holde thy peace for this practise was deuised by holy fathers haste not thou read in the liues of holy fathers that Hilarius the Abbot standing on his féete in his chamber founde him selfe to be before the iudgement seate of God and there aunswered Pro contra Marforius I neuer read it Pasquine Hast thou not also read that booke intituled Memorare nouissima
which there is nothing more clere in the holy Scriptures It is no maruel therfore if he condempne such and accompt them as Heretiques as will not receiue mennes deuises in steade of Goddes lawes Marforius Yet it semeth that it is coÌ„maunded in the holy Scriptures most chiefly in that place leauing al other aside which in dede do little approue it where he giueth to the Church y e power to binde and to loose and to remit and retaine sinnes And how shall the Church remitte sinne say they if the sinner tel it hir not and how shal she loose him if she sée him not bounde Pasquine If thou beleue the gospel thy sinnes are forgiuen thée thou art assoyled if thou beleue not thou art bounde and and art in sinne the seruaunt of sinne and of the Diuell And this it is to binde and loose to remit and retayne sinnes and it nedeth not that other know thy sinnes It is mough for thée that thou knowe them and consider them and that thou féele the waight of thine owne sinfull nature Lo we reade that the woman that sinned was sorowfull within hir selfe and she heard that healthful saying Thy sinnes are forgiuen thee nor we doe not reade that she reckened vp hir sinnes Haue thou also thy sinnes in defiance and beleue the gospel and thou art assoyled Marforius And Saint Iames sayth not he Knovvledge your faultes one to another pray one for an other that you may be healed Pasquine This whiche Saint Iames speaketh of here is that which Christ our master had before spokeÌ„ of brotherly loue that if we haue offended any man we ought to seke to reconcile our selues to him and this can not be done except he that offendeth do confesse to the other that he hath done amisse This is the true confession and reconciliatioÌ„ which among Christians from one to another ought to be done the which Christ accepteth before all sacrifices and euery other holy act We néede not talke with Sir Iohn of the matter he must be none that is offended And if thou haue offended God only and not man confesse thy fault to God onely who onely forgiueth sinnes and health the infirmities of the soule It is not therefore euill done if thou aske councell for the infirmities of thy soule at some man that is honest and knâ—weth the truth as thou docst for the infirmities of thy body mingling therefore with it no maner superstition and shall we leauing the holsome couÌ„cels precepts of Christ consent to a confession that ought rather to be called confusion deuised by the shauâ—â—ngs to knowe the secrets of the world and so with â—ccâ—ytfulnesse to bring the world vnder their féete as they haue done already But Christ shall as leaues confounde all inuentions of men and ouerthrowe the deuisers thereof with the breath of his mouth Marforius Theu haste deliuered me out of a maruellous scruple that did sore holde my minde entangled Pasquine Shall I therefore speake of the other sith thou haste vnderstande what these confessours be Marforius I pray the heartily Pasquine In the same Quéere sawe I also Doctours mingled with coÌ„fessours Marforius I would that thou wouldst name them vnto me Pasquine I doe euen scarcely remember theÌ„ so dyuers were they and so mad headed Some were called Magistri nostri some Nostri magistri some Rabini some Scotistae other Illuminati other Cherubici other Seraphici some Extatici and some also Apostatici and Lunatici and their seuerall names were Holcot Briccot Triccot Scot Capriuol Zabarel Lira Hoccam Barbazza all obscure but when the worlde was ignorant accompted most excellently learned Marforius Out vpon thée what Doctors are these thou makest me afeard onely to name them But what did they Pasquine All were labouring to enrich that heauen with both the Testamentes There sawe I Saint Gregory with other Popes who had hyred fouretene Porters to cause the tenthes of the olde Testament to be caryed into the newe Testament and in like maner the Myters the Bendes or Fillets the Sacrifices y â— offrings the Perfumes the Lightes and almost all the things that were in the Iewes Temple Marforius And did they not also bring the wyues of y e holy Fathers Pasquine No but their handmaydes For they sayd that wyues belonged not to the newe Testament Marforius Therefore haue they nowe for this cause in steade of wyues whores Pasquine Yea for they say that it is not lawfull for them to haue wyues but if they haue whores and bardasses it maketh no matter Marforius And what if any of them were maried Pasquine They woulde persecute him they woulde kill him they woulde vndoe him Marforius But for keping of whores worse thaÌ„ that they would neuer blame him Pasquine No knowest not thou that Priest of Placentia that this other day was accused to haue a wife and children straight way the Pope depriued him of the Benefices he had he went to Rome and shewed howe she neyther was nor could be his wife bycause she had a husband but hir he kept as his Concubine and by and by the Pope restored him to his benefices again Marforius Oh vnspeakable abhomination and detestable generation y â— stink of them must nedes ascende euen vp to heauen Howe is it possible that God shoulde suffer them any longer to coÌ„tinue I can not beleue that they can last much longer thus But follow on the rest Pasquine In conclusion I sawe all the olde Testament brought into the newe sauing onely matrimonye Marforius That may be the cause that so many Iewes in these dayes doe become Christians Pasquine It is in dede and yet there woulde be many more of them if the Popes would not then confiscate their goodes for thou knowest how couetous and gredy they be of mony Marforius But how is it possible that the new Testament that is so narrow straight could receiue so great spoyle as they brought from the olde Pasquine They play as the Shoomaker that retcheth his Leather with his téeth Dyers that strech y â— clothes at the Sunne vpon the Tenters and as marchauÌ„ts that thrust the wolles that occupy great rowmes into a little corner of the Shippe one haled on the one side an other heaued on the other side one stole awaye a piece here an other putte to a patche there some stamped it very fine some mingled this piece and some other that other piece so that ech man serued his owne turne Marforius But in transporting the Byshops from that Testament to this in that place where it sayth That the Byshop must be the husbande of one vvife Howe did they vse the matter Pasquine Well I wote there was harde holde For Paule will in any wise that the Byshoppe haue his wife and that for to take away all suspition of him selfe As they were
therfore al in a great sturre a Romane Abbot stode vp and sayd heare ye fathers know ye not that it is not lawfull to bring the wiues of the olde Testament into the newe but it behoueth vs that in steade of wyues we haue benefices and fat liuings inough Therefore will I that ye vnderstand that place thus Let the Byshop be the husbande of one vvife that is to say let him haue at the least one benefice And so shall we finde a place for our Byshop And as for the rest that troubleth you so muche care ye not at all for he néede not care whether he hath one wife of his owne that may haue wiues inoughe of other mens Marforius O there was a good Doctour Pasquine Euen such as be all But among the rest I sawe one that is accoumpted a piller of the Church who ranne so at randon through out the whole Gospell and with such boldnesse that he set all at hauocke Afterward he gaue him selfe to write against Matrimony then after that he opened his clothes before him and began to knock him selfe on the breast and that done he stoode vp and helde the forme or proportion of a Church in his hande Marforius Why did he beate him selfe Pasquine Bycause he did that which God commaunded not as he had done against that which God had cōmaūded that is to say speaking against Matrimonie Marforius Knowest y ◠not the names of any of them Pasquine Yes and if I recken them to thée thou wouldest wonder at it but I will name one or two of them to thée bycause I will not léese so much time for I haue many other things to tel thée There was Thomas of Aquine who sought if it were possible to defend his disputation De Dulia Hyperdulia Marforius I remember that disputation It is vengeaunce subtile Pasquine Who knoweth not that he had nede worke subtillye that will make all men beleue that vnder the forme of the Diuell a man may worship Christ And that is when as vnder the figure or Image of the diuel which thou séest before thée thou doest for all that Imagine with thy selfe that there is Christ and yet meanest thou not to worshippe that figure or stocke which is in thy sight but Christ whom thou hast vnder that figure conceyued in thy minde Marforius How can that be done Pasquine Howe coulde it be done in the olde time that when they offered an Oxe conceyued God in their imgination and vnder the Image of that Oxe worshipped him Thinkest thou that men haue at any tyme bene so foolishe that they thought that an Oxe was God and notwithstanding that there was no maner of resemblaunce in the worlde betwene an Oxe and God they conceyued for al that God in their imagination through the Image of that Calfe and being so conceyued did worship him And this is y ◠subtile Hyperdulia of Thomas Aquine that thou ioyne God with a stocke and that thou worship the stock as God euen as the Iewes worshipped the Oxe for God Marforius This is in dede a very subtile but no Christian opinion Pasquine And yet is it defended in these dayes as an article of our faith Marforius I knowe that they will maintaine all such things as ought to be condempned cōdemyne all such as ought to be maintayned Pasquine This therfore was it which Saint Thomas of Aquine so botched vp for if the truth of his matter mighte be knowen abrode their carued stockes their pictures their Images their paintinges and their Idolls all would be in great daunger the gaine that is gotten thereby would sone he at an ende Marforius Thou sayest the very truth for euen for the religious care of their gaine not for any other cause doe the Priestes séeke to maintaine all that which God so much forbiddeth Pasquine Harde beside Thomas Aquine I saw his master sit to whome all the rest of his order vsed much reuerence Marforius Howe was he called Pasquine Me thought they called him Albertus Magus Marforius I know not who that should be Pasquine It is that holy Doctor whiche so profoundlye disputch of the secrets of women Marforius Thou vnderstodest them not wel he is called Albertus Magnus and not Magus who wrote also of the wonders of the worlde Pasquine It may be that I mistoke it albeit he may be called after which sorte you will for he was without cause called Magnus being a maruellous great Doctor and a great Magician Marforius And what did his Disciples there with him Pasquin They were entreating of him that he would goe Ambassador to the City of Coleyn Marforius For what purpose Pasquine Bycause it was sayde that the Byshop there fauoured to much the Gospell and did as became a true shepherde and went about with the helpe of Bucer Melanchton to reforme his Church according to the rule of the Gospell Marforius But what would they haue had Maister Albert doe there Pasquine That he should séeke if it were possible to let y ◠going forward of so holy a worke But he might haue gone thither and haue lost all his labour for albeit the City stande somewhat stiffe the shéepe for all that will follow their good shepherde Marforius Of such good Bishops should they much nede who hitherto haue bene deceyued by these false Gods But sawest thou any of those newe Doctours Pasquine Whom meanest thou to be the new Doctours Marforius Fysher B. of Rochester Ecchius Pighius Albert of Vdine Byshop of Chioggia Pasquine Rochester is not only a Doctour but also a Martir therfore shall we finde him in the Quéere of the Martirs But Iohn Ecchius and Pighius I saw not and by that I coulde learne they were yet kept in their Purgatory which they so stoutly defended Marforius Why are those defendours of Purgatorye serued with the same sause for their labour Pasquine I pray God they be not cast into the bottomelesse pitte of euerlasting fire for none can defende other Purgatory than Christes bloude without cruell iniurie and blasphemie to Christ for so it happeneth to such as serue cruel Tyrannes turnes that they them selues first féele the smart of their wicked deseruings Perillus Bull may teach them Marforius But doest thou thinke that they shall at any tyme come vp hither and be placed among the Gods Pasquine Of Pighius I dare not say bycause he is much estéemed among those Gods for his eloquence and singuler learning But sure I thinke that Ecchius shall neuer be able to climbe to heauen Marforius And why not Pasquine Bycause he had a fowle great paunch that hong a foote a halfe ouer his Codpiece and that will be a great let to him And thou knowest Marforius that naturall writers affirme that heauy things of their owne nature go down to the Centre which thing he right wel vnderstoode that made his
Anthonie of Florence and many other such like who haue deuised not hystories which ought to be the lightes of truth but fables of Lucian not liues of men but lies of Diuels with a barbarous yrkesome style haue intreated therof And he that taketh them not to be true woe be to him he is an Heretique let him go nay rather kyll him And so say I also of those doltishe deuises lately written of saint Katherine and of saint Thomas Aquine at the instance of that Ipocrite the Marques of Vasto Pasquine Thou séest therefore that we must not folishly beleue euery thing I coulde recken vnto thée a number of Gods of the aunciente heathen transfourmed into our Gods with the same errour and falsehode without changing any other thing than the name only and often times without changing the name at al. Beholde the Rotunda which in the olde time was called Pantheon bicause it was the dwelling house of al the Gods nowe haue they made it the dwelling house of all Saintes and in place of Cibele mother of al the Gods haue they set the virgin Marie for heade of alâ— the Saintes And here harde by thou knowest is the Minerua whiche was in the olde tyme the temple of Minerua and nowe haue they dedicated it to Saint Minerua the Uirgin euen as Pallas Minerua was a Uirgin The Temple whiche in the olde tyme was of Romulus and Remus they haue made nowe the Church of Saint Cosmus and Damian The temple that was of olde time of Castor and Pollux haue they nowe made the Church of Saint Geruays Prothays Those of old tyme that had Lucina to heale their eies these of our time haue Saint Lucie Those of old time had Ceres to be the Goddesse of Corne these of oure time haue Pancras Those of old time had Mars and Pallas to be Gods ouer the warres these of our time haue Saint George and Saint Barbara The Scafaring men in the olde time sawe Castor and Pollux in the ende of a tempest these of our time sée Saint Eremus Among those of olde tyme it was not lawfull for the Uirgins of Vesta to marry with these of our time it is not lawfâ—ll for Nunnes to mary Among those of old time the Church of Diana departed from Zante and together with the builders miraculouslye went into Spaine as a man may reade in Plinie with those of our tyme the Church of our Lady at Loretto came out of Sclauonie and is maruellously come into Italy as is to be read in the lying Legendes of these pickpurse priestes deuising Those of old time washed selues with fayre cleare water to clense them selues froÌ„ sinnes these of our tyme fillip with their finger a little holy water on their forehead They of old time had Iuno Feronia Iuno Lucina Iuno Saturnia Iuno Curites these of our time haue our Lady of grace our Lady of the myracles our Lady our Lordes mother our Lady of the people They of olde time filled their Churches with little Tables conteyning the vowes they made these of our time fill their Churches full of little Tables conteyning their vowes Those of old time said that in beanes dwelled the soules of y â— dead these of our tyme giue Beanes for the soules of the deade And euen so he that will go and search pointe by pointe the Popishe Religion eyther shall he find it altogether like to that of the olde Paganes or if there be any difference it differeth but in the names onely So that if wee will worshippe these oure Saintes bycause we will not be accoumpted Heretiques we fall to worshyppyng of Iuno Minerua Mars Hercules Polyphemus Briarius and an infinite nuÌ„ber of Diuelles vnder the name of Saint Anthony Saint Nichodeme Saint Christian Saint Nafissa Marforius Oh Pasquine thou haste well opened my vnderstanding nowe certainly thou sayest the truth these things are very clere I thought euer till nowe that I had done wel following y â— worshipping of those diuels Pasquine I haue other things without nuÌ„bre to say when I shal vtter theÌ„ I wil make al y â— world woÌ„der Marforius Oh happy day wheÌ„ y â— trueth shalbe sene to shine abrode Pasquin Happy therfore is this day for y â— seest how it is sproÌ„g vp how it goeth shewing it selfe abrode to the worlde in despite of the shauen Crownes Marforius Now proceede on a while to the other Quéeres Pasquine I wil so but first I must tell thée a fewe things that here I sawe heard Marforius Tel me them therefore Pasquine I sawe one of these martirs y â— warned the rest of his fellowes that they shuld do nothing against the Heretiques excepte they would beare the paynes therof theÌ„selues that they should take example by him who had felte the vengeaunce of God for that he had accused of heresie suche as he knew not and of suche thinges as he vnderstoode not if there be any they should rather be wonne by admonishing them to leaue it than with fire and tormentes to make them awaye For they be not al Heretiques that be so called but such as iudge contrary to the holy Scripture and that leaue the coÌ„maundementes of God and follow those of men and defende the same as heauenly commaundements and also preferre them before Gods commaundements these bâ— Heretiques And heaueÌ„ly things are the same onely that are contayned in the olde and newe Testament which if they wil not beleue the day of the Lord shall come that shall discouer all things shal make them repent it and their repentaunce shall not then helpe them Marforius Who was that that was so honest Pasquine It was Rochester about whome were two Martyrs the one was Peter Martir of the order of Fryers Bréechers Marforius Thou wouldest say Preachers Pasquine I alwayes misse in dede The other was Thomas of Canterbury eche of them confirmed Rochesters talke Marforius But had Rochester his redde Hat Pasquine He had in dede his heade red and his shoulders but it was with bloude not with a Hatte Marforius And I heard say that the Pope sent him a Hatte Pasquine Yea but when the King of England vnderstoode it he caused his head to be cut of before he shoulde haue to doe with that Romish harlotte whervpon the Papistes for that they thought he dyed for their defence and bycause he had written against the Lutheranes they put him in the number of these holy Martyrs Marforius It is very well And for one selfe cause as farre as I can perceyue both Peter Martyr a Dominicane Frier in Italy and Thomas of Canterbury in England dyed the one for persecuting after their Frierish fashion certaine poore Countrey men as Heretiques betwene Milaine and Como was slayne The other stryuing with the King for certaine iurisdictions was condemned to haue done against the estate Pasquine Thou sayest truth Marforius
mouth of the sonne of Man as the Reuelation sheweth But when I sawe the buylding in so manye places looke as it woulde fall I determined not to tarie anye longer there and by the same way that I came I retourned backe running away from this heauen as fast as I coulde for feare it shoulde fall vpon me hauing yet alwaies my guide with me And whē we came to the place where our Chariot was left I gate vp into it and so we take our way towardes Gods heauen and mounting vpwarde mine Aungell tolde me that he that wil go into the true heauē must haue his minde pure and lifted vp where al things are vnspotted and full of all cleanenesse and altogither contrarie to the first heauen And being nowe passed the sphere of the Moone as we came to that of Mercurie we founde a number of soules tormented in sundry sorts amongs which was one that was tyed betwene two Postes with a corde made fast about his middle so that he hong and coulde touche no grounde he had vpon his head two great harts hornes betwene the hornes was fastened a linnē cloth after the maner of a saile and at his féete hong a great pursse full of crownes and so went this ghost continually whirling about for as any winde blew it stroke in the sayle that was betwene the hornes and tourned him with his féete vpwarde and as the winde ceassed the contrepoise of the Pursse tourned him with his féete downe agayne and so the pore wretch was stil whirled about and one whyle was hys heade and another tyme his héeles turned vp on high to heauen Marforius Diddest thou knowe who that was Pasquine I knewe him not but myne Aungell tolde me that it was Erasmus of Roterodam Marforius Alas what is this thou tellest me and why was he that was so learned and so honest a man in this miserable case Pasquin The harts hornes signifie his fearefulnesse and the Pursse his couetousnesse which two things were so muche in him that the one whyle the one an other whyle the other made him bowe now this way now that waye so that it coulde not be discerned whether he drewe néerest to Gods heauen or to the Popes heauen therfore is he placed in the middes betwene them both Marforius In very déede no man muste thinke to hold one foote in heauen another in earth Pasquine O if it were Gods wil I would this thing were knowen beneath in the earth that so manye might not goe into that place where the paynes are much greater than any man thinketh for Marforius Thou sayest that there were manye other who were those Pasquine The most part were preachers that knowing the truth gaue all laude and prayse to God by Iesus Christ and al blame and confusion to men and afterwarde at a sodaine for feare of the Inquisitour they preached of eare confession of Purgatorie of the false authoritie of the Pope and of a thousande other Heresies and deceiptes to their pore hearers Marforius And how wouldest thou haue them doe Pasquine I woulde rather haue them suffer banishement from their country imprisonment or shed their bloud to mayntayne y ◠honor of Christ against Antichrist as of our country men Augustine Maynard Benardine Oclime of Siena Iulius of Myllaine Peter Martir the Florentine Paulus Lazisius of Verona Peter of Cittadella Baldus of Cherso and infinite other as well Frenchmen and Flemings as Dutchmen and Spaniards also haue done Marforius I haue hearde say that there are suche in Fraunce as will holde with the Hare and runne with the Hounde Pasquine It is true and I knowe one of them that is a man of great name vpon whome I feare that the fearefull sentence that Paule writeth to the Hebrues wil one day fall That such as hauing once knovvne and receiued the truth haue afterward forsaken it who sayth he it is not possible that they shoulde repent nor enioy the kingdome of God and so doe they offend against the holy ghost which sinne shall neuer be forgiuen as Christ affirmeth Marforius Maye he be named who he is Pasquine Whye wouldest thou haue me be affeard to name him who is not affeard to doe suche iniurie to my Lorde and Sauiour Iesus Christ and his holy church he is called Peter de Charles he is a Piccarde borne and hath played many leud partes in Geneua and in Losanna He hath alwayes bene very inconstant an euil speaker furious in all his preachings that one whyle hath defended one part an other whyle an other part and at an other tyme neyther of them both one that hath sought to corrupte the Churches euery where and bicause he coulde not doe as he would among the◠Svvychers he ranne to Mets where he heard that good man Farellus a sincere preacher had preached Christ to take awaye from thence the holesome séede of Gods word before it should take roote in the hearts of those of the Citie but let them take good héede what they doe lest they bring vpon thē the cursse of God as Balaam did who was hiered for to cursse Mar. Now I pray thée let vs leaue these Ribaldes knaues and théeues wicked and stinking Antichristes for I can not abyde anye longer to heare them to be spoken of and followe on thy voyage Pasquine Passing the Sphere of Mercury we were caried vp higher thorow other spheres And there I began more clearely to sée the maruellous workemanship of the circles and bodies celestiall and to tast with mine eares the harmonie and most pleasaunt concordaunce that is caused by the mouing of those circles the which concordaunce Plato affirmed and Aristotle denyed bicause he beleued rather his corporall senses than the capacitie of the ymagination and the diligent working of the minde the which whyle I considered there came into my minde a very sincere and profounde cogitation and thinking of God as it behoueth such to haue that search these places euen as myne Aungel at my first ascending vp thither had tolde me and being so occupied in beholding the varietie beauty and swéetenesse of those things almost before I was ware therof I sawe that I had passed all the planets and was come to the firmament whereas there begonne to appeare thinges muche more maruellous Marforius I am also of this opinion taking myne argumēt from this visible heauen that those things are much more beautifull and maruellous that are furthest off from the sense of séeing bicause that they doe most néerest approche to things that are true heauenly Pasquine Thou sayest well Marforius and I doe not thinke that this is the last or least part of Christian Philosophie and diuinitie that is to saye to séeke search out by the things that are creat and subiect to our senses the great goodnesse power and wisdome of god therfore to praise magnifie the maker therof And
feare y â— wilt neuer come to an ende Pasquine Then began I to consider the waye the whiche for ought y â— I could perceiue was sometime much more trodden than it is at this present for a man might sée euen in some parte of it the grasse growen vp I thought at y â— first beginning that this had bene caused by y â— spring-time which then was at hand then remembring that there was neuer no spring I asked the Aungell the â—ause therof who tolde me that euen as a man might haue séene long agone the people come from al partes of the worlde into this Citie for the Iubilie with the self same throng and greater also went they to Hel sent thither by Popes and among other these Popes them selues with their Iubilies but sythens that prophecie was fulfilled whiche saith That oute of the North shall come a plague vpon all the dvvellers of the lande the grasse hath begon to growe vp in this broad hie way Marforius I am wonderous glad that y â— art come to talke of this saying for I desire múche to vnderstand it of thée These Priestes of ours vnderstande that it thus signifieth That those nations of the North parts are cause of all euill heresie Pasquine Those Préestes of yours vnderstand the scripture quite awrye and for the authority they haue they cause it to be declared after their owne fashion But I saye to thee that this worde Al euil is in the scripture as muche to saye as That which is contrarie to the Gospell or to tell thée it more plainely it signifieth Antichriste for euen as by the Gospell Christ which is al goodnes is giuen vnto vs euen so againe it must néedes be that all euill is his directe contrary In the same signification saint Paule said that couetousnesse is the roote of al euill for thou séest that Antichrist which is all euill hath his rootes so fastened in Couetousnesse and al his membres also that for this cause many of them y â— know y â— truth of y â— gospel either thei hide it or else w t stand it bicause they wil not loose their liuings For the selfe same cause also doth Antichrist with al his whole power séeke to destroy it This prophecy therfore was thus much to say as That froÌ„ y â— North should bloâ— a wynde with so great force y â— it shuld take away froÌ„ the Wolfe his shepe skin make him to be knowen as a Wolfe or to tell thée the same more plainely that from those parts the Pope should be discouered for to be Antichrist Marforius I perceyue that God hath made thée to speake for my soule healthe I sée that thou sayest the truth Pasquine Sythens therefore that he who tooke him selfe to be y â— shepeherde is discouered to be the Wolfe the shéepe being affearde of his cruell looke knowing him to be their enemie haue fled away from him and haue folowed the good and true shepeherd Iesus Christ who is the waye that leadeth to the swéete pastures And this waye therefore that leadeth to perdition begynneth to shoute out grasse for it is not any more trodden but by the members of Antichrist who albeit thei be many as I tolde thee a lyttle before yet are they fewe in respect of those that sometime did folow him Marforius I rest fully satisfied in this point Nowe woulde I know how the walles were made that compasse in that place Pasquine There are no maner of walles at all Marforius What néede is there then to haue a gate can not euery one come in and oute that wyll Pasquine Thou knowest that Venice hath no walles yet cannot euery one come in and go out that will albeit the strength of this place is coÌ„trary to others for other are made that none should come in and this is made that none should go out for as thou hast herd the entrie is frée to euery man Marforius Is y â— place compassed about with waters as Venice is Pasquin It is compassed about with waters but not as Venice is for Venice is compassed with waters of the Sea and this place is compassed with waters of fyre Marforius How can this hang togither the water the fyre are directe contraries howe is it possible that they shoulde agrée togyther Pasquine How is it possible that soules whiche can not feele nor be felte should burne in the fyre and that the bodies should abide in the fyre and not be burned and yet this happeneth in Hell Euen as we sée that Christe witnesseth in the parable of the riche man and Lazarus the begger saying That the riche man was in Hel fyre yet his body was not in Hell for mens bodies must remaine in the earth vntil the daye of Iudgement after the which the bodies shal go togither with y â— soules into euerlasting fyre As may be séene in all the whole scripture and in that place where Christ saith That thou cut away thy hande that offendeth thée for better shall it be for thée that thou lacke a membre than that all the whole body shoulde be cast into Hell fyre The thinges of Hell are of an other manner of sorte than those of this worlde he that coulde tell howe to make these things of this nature knew also how to make those of an other nature so that thou must not maruell if I tolde thée that this place is compassed with waters of fyre Marforius Are these waters so broad as those of Venice Pasquine These be not all of theÌ„ togyther but are diuided into fiue great dyches The first whereof is called Lethe which is as much to saie as The forgetting of goodnesse the seconde Phlegeton that to saye desire of euill the thirde Acheron which is to say the vtter forsaking of al gladnesse the fourth Cocytus that is to saye wéeping the fifth is Palus stigia which is to wéete Euerlasting hate and miserie Marforius How do they passe in Charons boate Pasquine As I haue told thée of the gate euen so I tel the of these waters for to go thither thei passe without any businesse but to returne againe it is not possible to passe them Euen as thou séest that it fareth by the Ryuer Danubius and of many other waters that downe the streame they sayle wonderous easily but vp against the streame it is impossible In fine I tell thée that to go thyther there is no maner of let by the way no whether they haue their peny to paye Charon for his ferye nor whether thei haue ben buried or no nor of none other thing Marforius What a foolish deuise was that of them that thoughte that Charon must be paide and therefore put a peny in the deade mannes Mouth And of these other that thought that the soule could not passe ouer on the other side in
there and so much the more should I coufound my selfe in the imagination therof If I went about to shew them as y â— I found all the same so confused and disordered Marforius Is there no differeÌ„ce betwene the dampned soules in such maner as Danthe or Virgill speaketh of are not y â— princes at the least deuided from the base people or is there no order at all Pasquine The best obserued order that there is is the disorder and confusion that alwayes and euery where is there to be séene Marforius Is there at the least no difference in paynes some in more some in lesse Pasquine Yea that there is for thou knowest that the Lorde sayth You shall receyue the greater iudgement And many there are that are more tormented then other that in thys worlde were accompted happye men Marforius I pray the declare vnto me the whole euen in such sorte as thou thinkest best Pasquine The nerer still that we approched to these places of miserye the more did we féele our eares eyes and nose to be stricken with straunge and dolefull noyses with thicke and troublous smoke with stinke of Brimstone that could not be abidden and when we were come to those places we saw on euery syde woes there the pleasaunt noise of Insturmentes are woes swéete songs are woes feasting and baÌ„ketâ—ing are woes there discourses and loue toyes are woes playes and pastimes are woes huntings and goodly painted storyes are woes sights and triumphes are woes occupations and marchandises all sortes of pleasure and exercise and of euery other thing is nothing but woes and among all these woes there is one as if it were king and Prince of the other which is the vtter depriuation of al hope to come out of these woes All are tormented wyth fire and Brimstone as Saint Iohn sayth in his reuelation and the smoke of their tormentes ascendeth vp for euer and euer And they neuer haue rest neyther day nor nyght and they cry pieteously to the Lorde and the Lorde heareth them not Then knewe they playnly that all worldly thinges that were causes to bring them thether are but vanityes and they would repent but there repentance helpeth them not wherfore they blaspheme the name of God feling the dolor of their tormentes gnawe their owne tongues for sorowe and rage and féele an intollerable thriste and in so greate burning they drinke of the cuppe of Gods wrath for their greater torment they sée the happynesse of the blessed and from their eyes continually raine teares from their mouthes issue gnasshing of téeth and they still burne and neuer are burned and they séeke death and death flyeth from them and yet are they still in death and shall be for euer so that they styll dye and neuer giue ouer to death And in effect there is no trouble sorowe miserie vnhappinesse nor afflection what so euer it be in this worlde that in comparison of that they féele in hel is not pleasant And this know for truth that I can not by talke make thée vnderstaÌ„d the very least part of that which by sight I comprehended thinke thou then what that is that they must nedes continually comprehende by féeling Marforius Thou makest me tremble from toppe to toe hearing thée tell such horrible and fearefull torments the which do so much y â— more put me in feare as that I knowe them to be true for in the Apocalipse and in manye other places of the scripture a man may reade the things that agrée iust with thy saying But I woulde fame learne of thée whether they were naked or clothed Pasquine They are all naked and do shew the filthinesse of their nakednesse Marforius How can this hang together Didst thou not say that their bodyes are yet in the earth Howe do they then shewe the filthinesse of their nakednesse Pasquin Thou knowest that while we be in our mothers wombe we haue about vs a certayne fleshe that couereth vs the which so sone as we come forth into the light of this worlde it doth leaue vs and goe from about vs it is called in Latine Secundina That same is our owne laweful and naturall clothing the which for al that serueth vs not but while we be in the darknesse of our mothers wombe but as sone as we come into the light we remayne naked if we prouide vs not things from other and if therefore we wil couer our nakednesse we clothe our selues wyth the Woll of the shéepe Euen iust so is it of the nakednesse that nowe I tell thée of for while we be in the darkenesse of this worlde we may well couer our selues wyth our owne proper merites and good works but forthwith as we enter into the light of gods presence these merites of ours which are nothing else but flesh and syâ—ne goe from vs and forsake vs and we come to remaine naked vnlesse we cloth our selues w t the wol of that moste méeke shepe that without opening his mouth was led to the slaughter to cloth vs with hys woll and féede vs with his flesh and to giue vs drinke with his bloude euen with the bloude of that méeke Lambe of God that taketh awaye the sinnes of the worlde These men therefore of whom we spake bycause they were not clothed with this woll that is to wete the merites of Iesus Christ shewe forth the filthinesse of their nakednesse not that nakednesse of the body but that of the soule for as much as their sinnes mischieuous déedes there euil thoughts and all other their filthynesse are openly shewed and seene Marforius What kinde of people be they shewe me some particularity Pasquine There are some Hebrevves some Caldeans some ArabiaÌ„s some Indians some Africanes some Svvithians some Turkes some Moores some Christians as Dutchmen Frenchmen Spaniards Italians riche poore men women and finally aâ— sortes of people Marforius Of which sorte is there the greatest number Pasquine Of those that haue worshipped the beast and his Image and haue receyued his marke and haue committed fornication with hir and are dronken with the wine of hir whoredome Marforius I vnderstand not this talke of thine Pasquine In the middes of the bottomlesse pitte I sawe a very great Dragon of redde colour which had seueÌ„ heades and euery heade had a crowne and ten great hornes and a tayle of an vnmeasurable length with the which he had drawen to the bottomlesse pit an vnspeakeable incompreheÌ„sible nuÌ„ber of the people of y â— world Beside this Dragon I saw a beast with seauen heades ten hornes and euery horne had a crowne with a skinne like a Leoparde and hauing the féete of a Beare and the mouth of a Lyon and to thys beast the Dragon had giuen his full power his seate and great authority wherby y â— Dragon was worshipped bycause he had giuen power to
whore wyth whom the Kings of the earth haue committed fornication and with whose cuppe of hir abhomination all nations are dronke as the Apocalipse sayth 27 Whether the Pope be that litle horne that hath eyes and a mouth speaking great things that Daniel speaketh of 28 Whether the Pope being Antechrist maye be Christes Uâ—are 29 Whether Monkes Fryers and all the rest of the polleshorne Papists be those marchants of whom the Apocalipse speaketh 30 Whether the Popes Sea and the Courte of Rome which is so defiled with al maner of filthinesse may be called Babylon 31 Whether a man maye beleue that the Pope meaneth or can call a godly and frée generall Councell in the whiche so great an ouerflowing of euilles and mischiefes as he himselfe hath brought vpon the worlde may lawfully be purged 32 Whether Pope P. who is reported to be most couetous doe at any tyme thinke of God sith Christ sayth Where your treasure is there is your hart also 33 Whether the Pope that is guilty of heresie Idolatry and blasphemie may be heade and Iudge ouer a Councell 34 Whether Peter Luis the Popes sonne whom all men say to be a moste filthy Sodomite be worthy to be chiefe Champion and capitaine of the Church 35 Whether it be expedient for the Christian common weale to take awaye from the Pope his kingdomes dominions that thereby it may be sene whether he will returne to the auncieÌ„t office of the church 36 Whether the Pope would haue Germany yea rather all the worlde destroyed by warres than that his tyranny power should be any whit diminished 37 Whether it may be doubted that the Papaâ—â—â— and y â— great beast will not shortly haue an ouerthrow as the Scripture sayth sith long sithens Boheme and almoste all Germany all Denmarke Englande and Scotlande haue fallen from hir and secretly France and Italy 38 Whether the Frenche king haue iust cause to forbidde that no more money henceforward be caried to Rome sith Popes haue in tymes past being furnished with the ryches and armure of Fraunce made warre vpon the Frenche 39 Whether the Pope dispensing all things for money may be called Pope penny Father and therefore be suspected of Couetousnesse 40 Whether there maye be any hope of goodnesse conceyued of the Popes recouerie and of his sworne shauelings sith Christ denyeth that blasphemers and suche as withstande the truth against their consciences can be healed 41 Whether the primacie of the Popes sée be lawfully come by sith it was gotten of Phocas the Emperor who was a murtherer secretely and with great treason slewe the Emperour Mauritius his Lorde 42 Whether the Pope Cardinals and Bishops be or ought to be called Christes spouse sith they kéepe at home so many whores and boyes 43 Whether if Christ were in these dayes among the Papistes he should be crucified againe as he was by the Scribes and Pharisies 44 Whether that Pope that made the decretall De duobus luminaribus magnis be to be compared with them that built the Towre of Babilon 45 Whether Pope Innoceâ—t the eyght that was vtterly ignoraunt and vnlearned might be dispensed with to say masse 46 Whether Pope Iulius the seconde who was a warriour did playnely shewe that Antechrist was already come and that it néeded not any longer to looke for him 47 Whether Pope Lyon the tenth a verye Sardanapalus might be compared with the riche glutton 48 Whether Pope Clement the seauenth who was the match to kindle the fyre of warres betwéene Princes filled vp the measure of his forefathers 49 Whether Pope Paule the thirde who wholly was giuen to Necromancie may be excommunicate 50 Whether it be to be beleued first that the Pope wisheth from his heart y e concorde of Princes sithens his foregoers were euer the beginners of warres Then if â—he wishe it whether it be for the common weale sake or for his owne priuate cause Lastly whether peace made by his request maye eyther be of any continuance or else haue any good successe For that Christ sayeth that an euyll tree can bring forthe no good fruites 51 Whether the Popes purpose when he séemeth to goe about to reconcile Princes be lyke vnto that counsell which the Diuell put into Pilates wyues minde and that was not bicause the death and torments of Christ did anye whit grieue hir but bicause she sawe that hir kingdome and tirannie suffered violence and suche hurt as coulde not be recouered 52 Whether the ende of this alteration of our tyme can be anye other than sorowfull horrible and lamentable â—ithe the filthinesse of the Antechristian and Popish kingdome is so terrible and incomprehensible and the obstinacie so outragious as can not be spoken 53 Whether the writings of Sadoletus and other that hytherto haue valiauntly defended the Popishe church be to be accompted suspect sith now they suffer honors and dignities to be giuen by the Pope whether they will or no. 54 Whether the Pope that nowe at the last hath graunted a legate to Fraunce coulde wel skill of that which was wont to be sayde that is to saye Of two euils that is to meane the Patriarch and the Legate the least is to be chosen 55 Whether the Pope if he knewe that it woulde come to passe that the Emperour and the French king woulde not ioyne their forces togither and help him against the Protestaunts that he woulde once speake of peace or of a generall counsell 56 Whether it may be confessed that God for our wickednesse and ingratitude is not highely offended with vs sithe we sée all our counsels and deuises haue so euil successe and warre to arise in an others necke one mischiefe after an other and all our purposes vpon y e sodaine to quaile so to be eftsones confounded with newe lettes that we cannot sée which ende to begin at 57 Whether that kings and Princes who albeit in this moste cleare light in these dayes can not but néedes knowe Antechrist and yet doe not onely dissemble but also séeke by all wayes meanes to pleasure him and be at the becke of so open an enimy to the truth ought to feare y â— as in time past God tooke from many Kings both their kingdome and people so he will therefore deale with them 58 Whether it be to be beleued that Monkes and Fryers doe purpose or can finde out a true and godly reformation as long as to their counsels and deliberations they admit suche as for many causes are the Popes owne dearelings and that they will rather suffer any thing than eyther to léese any iote of their riches and commodities or else to haue their wickednesse and knauerie discouered 59 Whether the Pope who by Cardinall Contarine at Ratisbona after long contention in matters of religion willed that all things shoulde be referred to a generall Counsell And when the Princes of the Empire determined to haue a Nationall Counsell if the same general