The Brutish Thunderbolt, Declaration 1 · Part 3
The crime of mocking religion.
BVt ſome peraduenture will ſaie, it is onelyonly impietie & blaſphemie of words. Let vsus therefore bring to light the wicked factes of the ſame papacie, a few of many, as it were for examples ſake: that euerie one may vnderſtand, that the popes many yéeres ago did make but a mock and ſcoffe of Chriſtian religion. And firſt of all, that of Gregorie the ſeauenth, which we will lay downe in the words of cardinall Benno. The Emperour Henrie the third (ſaith he) was woont often to repaire to praier, to the church of S. Marie, which is in the mount Auentine. But Hildebrand, who being afterward made pope was called Gregorie the ſeauenth, when as by his ſpies he made diligent inquirie after all his works, he made the place be marked where the Emperour was woont to praie: and he perſwaded one by promiſing him money, to lay great ſtones vponupon the beames of the church ſecretly, and that he ſhould ſo order them, that he might throwe them downe from aboue vponupon the Emperours head as he was at praier, and ſo beat out his braines: which thing when he that was appointed to do ſo great wickednes, did make haste to accompliſh, and ſought to laie an huge ſtone vponupon the beames, with the weight thereof, the ſtone drew him downe, and the boorde being broken vnderunder the beames, both the ſtone, and the miſerable man by the iust iudgement of God, fell downe into the church floore, and by the ſame ſtone was he quite cruſhed to peeces. Of which fact after that the men of Rome knew, and of the order therof, they tied a rope to the wretches foot, & cauſed him to be drawen three daies through the ſtreetes for the example of others. But the Emperour of his woonted clemencie cauſed him to be buried. Thus far goeth Benno. Whence we vnderſtande how deteſtable the impietie of the pope was, who hauing no regard either of the place wherein the Emperour praied, and which the pope profeſſeth to be holie to himſelfe: nor of the time, wherein he praied, but ſeruing his blinde furie and madneſſe, ſought the deſtruction of the Emperour & his prince. But go too, let vsus cite another teſtimonie of impietie out of the ſame Benno. Iohn biſhop of Portua, (ſaith he) who was throughlie acquainted with Hildebrands ſecrets, went vp into Saint Peters pulpit, and amongst many things in the hearing of the cleargie and people, he ſaith, Hildebrand hath done ſome ſuch thing, for which we ought to be burned aliue: ſpeaking of the Sacrament of the Lords bodie, which Hildebrand, demaunding oracles from God against the Emperour, threw into the fire, though the cardinals his aſſistants did ſpeake against it. Theſe are the goodly teſtimonies of the papall pietie in Gregorie the ſeauenth. Now let vsus cite another touching Sylueſter the ſeconde, out of the booke of Iohn Stella a Venetian, written vntounto the patriarch of Aquileia, being cardinall prieſt of the church of Rome of the title of Saint Marke. Last of all (ſaith he) he was made pope of Rome through the deuill his aſſiſtance. Yet vponupon this condition, that after his death he ſhould be wholie his both in bodie and ſoule, by whoſe crafts he had attained vntounto ſo great dignitie. After this Sylueſter asked him how long he ſhould liue pope? He anſwered, thou ſhalt liue vntill thou ſhalt ſay maſſe in Hieruſalem. Last of all, in the fourth yeere of his popedome, when as in the Lent-time in the ſolemne feast of the holie croſſe, he ſong maſſe in Hieruſalem at Rome, he knew foorthwith that he ſhould die by destiny. Wherefore repenting himſelfe he confeſſed his fault before all the people: and he praied them all, that they would cut in quarters and peeces his body that was ſeduced by the deuils pollicie, and being cut and torne a ſunder, they would lay it in a cart, and that they woulde burie it there, whither the horſes ſhould carie it of their owne accord. Therefore they ſay that the horſes came by Gods prouidence (that wicked men may learne that there is place left for pardon with God, ſo they repent in this life) of their owne accorde to the church called Lateranenſis, and that he was buried there. Thus writeth Stella the Venetian. There is extant alſo a certaine ſermon made in the Eaſter time by Iohn Gerſon, gouernour of the Vniuerſitie of Paris, wherin he left it written that pope Iohn the xxij. did holde that the ſoules of the wicked are not in paine before the day of iudgement. Which hereſie of his the ſchoole of Sorbona in the ſame Vniuerſitie did ſtoutlie condemne, and cauſed that pope to recant his errour. Of the ſame ſort of impietie is that which we will ſet downe in the wordes of Raphaell Volaterane, out of his fift booke of Geographie, where ſpeaking of pope Sixtus the fourth, whoſe name this our Quintus tooke, and whoſe godlines alſo he doth follow, he writeth thus: The pope being priuie and helping thereto, the conſpiratours come to Florence, and they meete all togither in the church of S. Reparata at the maſſe and ſacrifice in the morning. In the meane while Saluiatus departing the church priuilie with his confederates being armed, he goeth into the court, that he might ſpeake vntounto the banner-bearer, feigning that he had ſome other buſines. Yet to this end and purpoſe, that when the murder ſhould begin in the church, he might be preſent and readie to ſet vponupon the court and magistrate. Therefore when the watch word was giuen, in the Eleuation time (marke the notable teſtimonie of the popes holines: The watch word, ſaith he, being appointed in time of the Eleuation) Bandinus did ſtick Iulian de Medicis brother to Laurence. Antonie, which was deſirous to be chiefe, ſetteth vponupon Laurence on the other ſide behinde his backe: and ſmote him a little below the throte. When as he forthwith turning himſelfe vntounto crieng did auoide the ſtroke, he fled with ſpeed from him as he was about to ſtrike again, into the vestrie of the church that was neere to him. Then the popes ambaſſador (who gaue that watch word to commit the murder in the time of the Eleuation) being caught by the citizens, and led by them out of the church into the court, was committed to ward, and was handled as he had deſerued. In the meane ſeaſon Saluiatus biſhop of Piſa, who of ſet purpoſe did protract his ſpeech with the banner-bearer, that he might ſee the ende, was foorthwith caught, and was the ſame day hanged vp at the court windowes: which meſſage when it came to the popes eares, he did excommunicate Laurence de Medicis, who (as we hauehave ſaid) was faine to ſaue himſelfe by flieng, bicauſe he had laid hands on Gods priests and legate, and he proclaimed open war against the Florentines. Thus writeth Volateranus. Whereby euerie man may ſée, what great account the popes vſe to make of their Euchariſt. And yet notwithſtanding they will hauehave all Chriſtian religion placed in worſhipping, carieng about, reuerencing, and honoring with all maner honor, the ſame. But we muſt bring foorth another argument. For what more certaine thing can be brought to ſhewe the impietie of the popes, than that which is common in eueryevery mans mouth, that the order at Rome is, ſo often as the popes go on progreſſe, that that Eucharist being laid vponupon ſome leane carrian iade, about whoſe necke a bel is hanged, is committed to ſome horſe-kéeper, and is ſent before amongſt the ſcullions and drudges, and other cariage, as a meſſenger to ſhew the pope was cōming. For in the booke of the popes ceremonies, 1. ſect. cap. 3. it is thus written. After them is led by a friend of the Sextins clothed in red, and carrieng a ſtaffe in his left hand, a white horſe, being gentle, carrieng the ſacrament of the Lords bodie, hauing about his necke a ſhrill little bell. Next after the ſacrament rideth the Sextin: who, as the other prelates, hath an horſe all couered with buckerom, &c. Alſo ſect. 12. ca. 1. After them is led a white horſe trapped, gentle, and faire, hauing a ſhrill little bell about his necke, which carrieth the coffer with the most holie bodie of the Lord. Alſo cap. 4. Before the pope is alwaies carried the croſſe by the Subdeacon, and after the croſſe is carried the bodie of Christ vponupon a white horſe with a little bell, &c. And theſe are the ordinances of the popes pompe, but they are but ordinances. For thoſe which frequent Rome, do with great conſent witnes both concerning the iade that is ſent before, and alſo touching the ſending of him amongſt other carriage. There is a booke extant written by Iohn Monlucius biſhop of Valentia, who was often ſent ambaſſador to Rome for the king of France, which booke was written touching religion to Quéene mother: whoſe words are theſe *, being Pag. 101.turned out of French into Latin; Quoties Papa, &c. So often as the pope goeth on progreſſe, least he ſeeme to giuegive too much honor to his Eucharist, he doth not carrie it in his hands: but he ſendeth it away before him three or fower daies before he himſelfe goeth out of the citie, being laid vponupon an horſes back, wherwith he ſendeth to beare it companie, ſingers, mulitors, horſe-keepers, and other ſuch of his garde of his court, that is, cookes, kitchingboies, and curtiſans (theſe are his words.) Then the pope who ſaith, that he is his vicar, followeth afterward garded and trouped with cardinals, biſhops, and other ſuch peeres. When he commeth to the towne, then that which he calleth the bodie of Christ, which hath rested it ſelfe a while there, is brought out of the towne to meet him: and ſtraightway they ſalute one another by becking, ſaieng not one word. And then he ſendeth it before him againe: but with how great honor? The pope is carried into the citie vnderunder a rich canapie: the bodie of Christ is carried open. What need was there to bring that out of Rome, and to carrie it into another citie, ſeeing there is no pariſh that is not full of this ſort? What need is there to ſend it away three, fower, ſixe, ten daies before the popes comming? If the pope hauehave instituted that to this end, that it may be brought to meet him to accompanie him, and to ſet forth his entrance into the towne, there is no towne ſo ſimple or poore, where there are not ſuch bodies to bee found. If it must needs be brought out of Rome, why doth not the pope himſelfe bring it foorth, or at least giuegive commandement that it be carried with him: rather than ſend it before him amongst packe horſes and his ſcullerie? But if for obtaining of rain (as they vſe to do at Paris, and in other places) they carrie the image of any Saint or Sainteſſe from one church to another, they vſe to do it with great pompe and aſſemblie of men: they hauehave torches, banners, croſſes, and other ornaments borne before them. Nay for the most part thoſe which carrie thoſe images are naked, and only clad in linnen, or at least they go bare foote. And the pope will not be aſhamed to ſend that before him, which he will hauehave men to beleeue to be the bodie of Christ, with a little lanterne, and ſhut vp in a pixe, being laid vponupon an horſe, and accompanied with the riff raff of his court? Who wil think it to be a thing like to be true, that he that profeſſeth himſelfe to be head of the church, would commit ſo great an offence, if he had verily beleeued that the bodie of Ieſus Christ was corporally vnderunder that ſacrament? Thus writeth Monlucius. Wherunto we may alſo adde that, which is approoued by the authoritie of many popes, and is openly receiued in the Romiſh church, out of the booke of the Conformities of S. Francis. As Frier Francis Fol. 72.was ſaieng maſſe he found a ſpider in the chalice: which he would not cast out, but drank hir with the bloud. Afterward as he rubbed his thigh, and ſcratched, where he felt it itch, the verie ſpider came out of his thigh without doing the Frier any harme. Alſo, One named Fol. 67.Bonelus would not beleeue that the conſecrated host was the bodie of the Lord: and he ſaid that his aſſe would eate the hosts: which when S. Anthonie heard, he ſaid maſſe, and brought a conſecrated host to the aſſe, and ſhewed it hir. Forthwith the aſſe kneeled downe, and bowing downe hir head did worſhip it. Which when Bonelus ſaw, he became a catholike. Doth it not ſéeme that the pope learned in the ſchoole of this aſſe, that, wherof we ſpake before, that when the Euchariſt is brought to him, he vſeth to becke and bow downe his head, and ſo to ſalute it.