Against the New Idol and Old Devil, Part 1 – Part 3
THe tyme ſhall come ye who ſoeuer dothe kyll you, ſhall wene that he dothe honoure and ſeruyce vntounto god. Forſothe this theyr noyſe ſhuld hauehave more worthy of ſylence / and pope Adryan with thoſe whiche do ſo buſelye promote and ſet forward the canonyſacyon of Benno, Pope Adryan.ought, (& not without great cauſe) to be hartely aſſhamed, yf there were but euen one lytle ſparke of wyſdome lefte in them, for that they hauehave not ben affrayed to put in wrytynge all thoſe holy maners and examples of Benno, and to reherſe them in the bulle, & openlye to publyſſhe them vntounto the hole worlde, ye is to wytte, howe he dyd ioyne hym ſelf to Gregory the. Gregory the .vii. Hēry the vii. Emperour.vii. and toke parte wt hym agaynſt Henry the .vii. Emperour / and dyd excōmunicate the Marchion of Miſnia and the Emperour alſo with hym / and than afterwardꝭ dyd ronne lyke a falſe traytour vntounto the Pope / I wolde hauehave ſayd went in pylgrymage to fulfyll his vowe. O howe worthy and ſemely a dede was this for a knyghte? For he ought of ryght to be called not onelyonly by ye name of an holy byſſhop: but alſo of an holy knight, & he were worthye to be dygged vp with golden mattockes and ſpades, that he myght be all togyther of redde gold. I wyll not here reherſe nor brynge forth the hyſtoryes, whiche do effectually ſhewe or declare, howe holelye ye Gregorye the .vii. dyd demeane hym ſelfe towardꝭ Henry ye .viii. Hēry the viii.doutles full lyke a traytour and a falſe diſceyuoure, yf a man do marke well ye faſſhyon of hym. For he dothe prouoke the ſone agaynſt the father, & depoſeth hym frō the Emperpall dignyte, and ſuffered hym at ye laſt to dye excōmunicate: and all onelyonly for cauſe of worldly ryches, honour and tyranny / vntounto ſuche maner Pope dyd Benno conuey hym ſelfe (as the bulle doth reporte & make boſt of hym) & ſuch a pope as this, he cōfyrmed and mayntayned in his peruerſytie & wyckedneſſe. Neyther was there ſo moch wytte in that holy man as to perceyue ye the pope dyd wyekedlye and wrongfully, whiche dyd ſtyrre vp the ſōne agaynſt ye father, to whome god had commaūded obedyence and honoure to be gyuen. But he is ſo deſperatly blynde, that he dothe ioyne hym ſelfe vntounto the pope, & dothe mayntayne & defende his parte, and togyther with hym doth excōmunicate the Emperoure and ye Marchion: where as he ought euen with the ieopardye of his owne lyfe to hauehave cryed agaynſt the pope, and to reſyſte and with ſtande hym / I wyll not (I ſaye) make reherſal of thoſe thynges. Themperour Henry.And let vsus graunte, that Henry had an vniuſt cauſe, & the Pope a rightuous cauſe, (which thing for all that the hyſtoryes do denye:) yet doubtles this thynge can not be denyed, ye Ceaſar embraſyd the faythe, whiche is accordynge to the worde of god. But (as I hauehave ſayd) al this buſyneſſe was onelyonly for cauſe of money and ryches beſydes this for honour and tyrannyes ſake / for whiche thynges hethen men are wonte to ſtryue among them ſelfes / here in this thyng (I ſay) the pope dyd not Euāgelycally. For els he ought not to hauehave reſyſted that euyll, but to hauehave let that thynge go which wolde not contynewe as Chriſt doth openly teache in ye .v. chapitre of Mathewe. yea more ouer all though themperour had done any thing alſo agaynſt the worde of god / yet for all that the Pope oughte to hauehave ſuffered / and as beynge the faythfull vycare of Chryſte his lord, he ought rather to hauehave ſuffered dethe in the cauſe. But here the Pope not onelyonly dyd reſyſt euyll, and dyd reuenge hym ſelfe: but alſo he dyd moch euyll and moche iniurye and vexacyons to his aduerſary. For he dyd ſhede ſo moche blode, & he broughte in ſo moche diſcorde and de bate: that a man wolde euen abhorre to rede of it. And yet dyd he not ceaſe nor take vp ſo, The Popesdede.vntyll he dyd ſpoyle the Emperour of his auctoryte / dyd ſpoyle hym and depryue hym of his Empyre, and of all his frendes, & alſo of all his honour / fynally of his body and lyfe, yea and (aſmoche as in hym was to do) alſo of his ſoule. And with ſuche a Pope doth that holy man Benno conſpire, whiche god wotte hath declared the goſpell euen with doynge of miracles alſo. Theſe are thoſe excellent & noble vertues, for whiche he was iudged worthy to be dygged vp out of the grounde we golden ſpades, ꝑaduenture to thentent that we alſo ſhulde lerne by his examples to kepe the goſpell after the ſame faſſhyon. And veryly I do ſuppoſe that this was the myracle & vertue of Bēno, which dyd moſt moue and ſtyrre the ſee of Rome, and whiche was princypally accepted of it. For had not this ben aduēture he ſhuld hauehave lyen yet ſtyll a great whyle in ye groūde. For who ſoeuer can worke ſuche a myracle that he can proue, and promote or ſette forwarde the ryches, the pompe, the auctorytie, & the honours of the ſee of Rome, that man alone dothe more than yf he dyd rayſe vp .x. deade men, yea & that though all the worlde in the meane ſeaſon ſhulde perryſſhe togyther with body, and ſoule, ſubſtaunce and honoure. But thou Benno a pleaſaūt hypocryte vntounto ye Pope, howe gayly well haſt thou deſerued to be canonyſed: which couldeſt fynde in thyne hert to be partener with the Pope of ſo many horryble & abhomynable ſynnes agaynſt ye goſpell / and all cōmon reaſon: and to charge & burthayne thy ſelfe with them. But verely (as I do ſuppoſe) theſe vertues of Benno are but fayned & forged of the Miſnianes to flatter the Pope with all, and to moue and ſtyrre hym to conſecrate and canonyſe hym a ſaynte: becauſe they knowe well, that the Pope hathe not a lytle delectacion and pleaſure in ſuche maner tyckelynge / and is not a lytle gladde, The amhicyon and vayne gforyouſneſſe of ye pope.whan he hereth ſuche maner ſō ges to be ſongen vntounto hym. And for this cauſe therfore they dyd forthwith euen at ye begynnynge laye theſe vertues forthe before, all myracles: that by that meanes the Pope myght be taken & made fonde / and that all thoſe other vertues & myracles beynge els vnparfyte, feble and of none efficacite or ſtrength in compary ſon of thoſe myracles of ye Miſniās (alas for very ſhame) ſhuld be ye more acceptable vntounto hym. Nowe yf it be ſo yt they do worke with lyes & falſe diſceytes: who can from henſforth doubte, that the canoniſacyon of this Benno is a mere diſceyte of the deuyll? ſo that nowe not Benno, but the deuyll hym ſelfe vnderunder the name of Benno dothe ſuffre hym ſelfe to be extolled and magnifyed as a ſaynt. And yf theſe thynges be true & vnfayned: this one thyng I may boldly ſaye and affyrme, that Benno, yf he dyed hauynge knowlege hereof, and dyd not repente hym and be ſorye for this ſynfull dede, was vndoubtedlye caſt downe hedlonge into helle. For the goſpell muſte nedes be truely, exactly, & perfectly, kepte and fulfylled. The goſpel is to be obſerued & kepte.For Chryſt ſayth, who ſoeuer ſhall breake one of theſe leaſte commaundementes: he ſhalbe called leaſte in ye kyngdome of heuyns.Math. v.
WHat maner thyng than do thoſe Miſnianes cōſecrate to vsus for a ſaynt? doubtles a ſtronge and an erraunte thefe, & a bloode ſheder / the cauſe of all the calamyties and myſeryes of all Germanie / the enemye of the goſpel, the felowe of Antichryſt / to whome he dyd conueye hym ſelfe, and was made parte taker of his impietie and wyckednes. And this thynge may euydently be gathered of the hyghe and excedynge great boſte, whiche is made in the bulle of our mayſter Adryan, of that excellent vertue, The bull of maſter Adryan.and holyneſſe, whiche dyd ſhyne in Benno / what other thynge I beſeche you is meaned by theſe wordes / we do cōſecrate hym for a ſaynt, which lyued contrary to the rule of yt goſpell, what other thynge (I ſaye) is this, than to ſaye: We Miſuianes are peuiſſhe, and vtterlye madde, whiche beynge diſtracte and beſyde our ſelfes do not conſidre nor marke what is the very goſpell ſelfe, or what is repugnaunt to the goſpell / and whiche do make that thyng holy which we do prayſe / and which do boſte hym for this cauſe, that he dyd lyue & demeane hym ſelfe contrary to the goſpell? But thus ſhall our woode prelates ſtumble and fall: which do perſecute the worde of god. A lyke thyng and of the ſame forte is that noble and dely cate myracle, whiche alſo is boſted in that excellent and goodly bulle, not without the great wyckedneſſe & ſhame of Benno / & not of Bēno alone, but alſo of all them, which do make hym a ſaynt. For the bulle dothe boſte, howe boldly & manfully Benno, for worldly ryches ſake, The Marchion of Miſnia.dyd rydde the Marchion of Miſnia out of ye world, whiche had gyuen hym a buffet / and that ſame day tweluemonth after yt he was ſlayne, lykewyſe as he had alſo before manaſed & thretened hym, that he wolde do. Here (god wotte) Bēno dyd well interprete that place of the goſpell, and alſo expreſſe it in his lyuynge, where Chryſt dothe ſaye: Mathe. v.do good vntounto them that are noyous vntounto you, and pray for them whiche do defame & purſue you.
BUt cōtrarywyſe ī this bulle thou ſeeſt, that Chryſt dothe with myracles confyrme and fortifye cleane contrary thynges to this doctryne, and with wordes dothe teache to ſuffre, and afterwarde with myracles doth compell the contrary, to be done. O worſhypfull bulle, O goodly canonyſers / whan wyll you ones be aſſhamed? but the bulle not contented ſo, The impietie & Bſaſphemye of the Buſſe.nor thynkynge it ynough that it doth extolle ſuch a blaſphemye for a myracle, procedeth further forthe alſo / & maketh of Benno a god, whan it ſayth: hereof it may eaſely be perceyued, that diuyne power was cōmunycated to that godlye mā. Almyghtye god ponyſſhe you, & forfende this, you moſt vngracyous & wretched blaſphemours / For here by theſe wordes they wyll that the ſayntes do worke myracles for them ſelfꝭ, and not Chryſt alone, ſo as it is redde in the .lxxi. pſalme, where it is ſayd, whiche onelyonly dothe worke great wonders.