The Bee Hive of the Romish Church, Part 2 · Preface · Chapter 16
The xvi. Chapter. VVherein Lent is proued by the Scripture: And further, that the Romish church must counterfeite Christ in all pointes: and lastlie, touching festiuall dayes, and the ordeining of the same.
Touching Lent seeke the decres Statuimus with the .2. folowing dist. 76. and cap. Solen. de consecra. dist. 1. and chefely cap. Quadra. de consecra. dist 5. where this argument is rehearsed. In the foresaid chap. here followeth the verie woordes of the Glosse vponupon the decrees, Can. Quadra. de consecra. dist. 5.ANd nowe, as touching the time of Lent, that is verie stronglie proued by our deare mother the holie Church out of the scripture. For it is written, That we are bound to offer vp vntounto GOD the tenth part of our goods. And now (saith the holie Church) Lent is the tenth part of the yeere: and therefore must wee necessarilie obserue the whole Lent, not presuming to eate anie fleshe at all: Considering that (as is before said) flesh proceedeth of the earth which is accursed: for nowe for the tenthes of three hundreth three score and fiue dayes wee must fast sixe and thirtie dayes: and yet there remaines fiue dayes & sixe houres: and of these fiue dayes we do fast foure, not for payment of tenthes, but for an other occasion, to wit, That the talies of good workes and merites might be full. So there remaineth yet one day and sixe houres, Occasion of the fasting daies.which maketh iust thirtie houres, whereof the tenth is not paid: but for recompense of that, we must go late to supper.
So nowe, is not this past verie iust? Now let God come and take a reckoning when soeuer hee will, and hee shall finde, that the holie Church of Rome is not one pennie in his debt: nay, shee hath rather paide him more than his duetie. For this reckoning you shall finde passed and set downe in the reckoning booke of the Decrees, if God will accept & allowe of that booke (as no doubt hee must) considering that his liefetenants the holie Popes are the makers of it, & then all is cocke sure on our side: & the Catholiks must into heauen, though they shuld go barefoote & bare leg. It helpeth to prate & pratle, the heauen is theirs, if they can gette into it, by meanes of obseruing their Lent well.
Nowe further, for fasting,In the booke of decrees. cap significa. de electione. ca. Deus omni. 2. q. 1. and the Glosse vponupon the argument of the .6. booke of decrees. wee find written also: That Christ did fast fourtie dayes in the wildernesse, Ergo, then wee must do the like, following the common rule: Omnis Christi actio, nostra est instructio, that is, after the meaning of our mother the holie Church,) all, whatsoeuer Christ hath done, we must counterfeite and do the like after him. For, notwithstanding that this was a miracle done for the establishing of his doctrine, as Moses and Elias had done before, which in deede we can not do after him: yet we must doe what we can, and so resemble Apes & Munkies, which, though they can not doe as men do, in speaking, and vnderstanding with reason: yet they will counterfeite men in anie thing that possiblie they can compasse. For so hath our deare mother the holie Church concluded, not onelie in this matter, but in all whatsoeuer Christ hath done.
For, as he did take spicle, and rubbe the blinde mans eyes withall, and said in the Syrian tongue, Epphatah, that is to say, Be open: euen so doe the Priestes rubbe the yong childrens nos… …ares with spicle, and say Epphatah likewise: although the eares and nostrels be open alreadie before.
And as hee came riding into Hierusalem vponupon an Asse, so must the Cardinals likewise ride vponupon Mules with their foot-clothes of red scarlet, euen downe to the grounde… and so must men likewise, vppon Palme Sunday,A woodden Asse drawen about. drawe a woodden Asse round about, with the Pharisees & Priests following.
And as Christ did washe the feete of his Apostles,Washing of feete. so doeth the Pope vppon maunday Thursday washe the feete of certeine poore men, and Abbattes wash their Monkes feete with great ceremonies and pronkings.
And as Christ did weare a crowne of thorne,The Popes crowne. so likewise doeth the Pope weare vponupon his head, a three double crowne of golde, brauelie set with pearles and pretious stones: ouer and besides other two f…ll of Rubies and Diamonds, which are alwayes carried before him, when as hee is borne about in his Pontificalibus vppon mens shoulders, like a woodden image or Saint.
Item, as Christ was loden with cariage of his crosse,The Popes crosse. so must the Pope likewise weare vponupon his coape or mantle, a crosse of pure golde, set full of pearles and pretious stones.
And as Christ did shedde his bloud, so nowe in figure thereof,Bloudie mantles and hattes of the Cardinals. must the Cardinals weare bloud redde scarlet mantles, or cloakes and hattes. For, whereas these Heretikes will say, that their garmentes looke so bloude red, by reason of the bloud of the Martyrs, which they hauehave shed: or else, that their clothes are red, for shame of the shamefull deedes which their maisters doe: all this can not bee true, seeing that Durandus, Innocentius, and all other Catholike men doe otherwise interprete it.
Item, like as Christ was betraied and solde for certeine round pieces of siluer, so must the Os…e or cake, wherewith they say Masse,Durandus ration. diuin. offic. lib. 4. r…b. de terr. num. be round like a pennie, as Durandus doeth set it foorth: and the rather, for that they doe there likewise sell him for readie monie: as is written in the booke called, Stella Clericorum, That those Priestes which say Masse for monie, doe euen as much, as though they should say with Iudas: What will you giuegive me, to deliuer you the man?
Item, because that Herod did clothe Christ in a white garment, therefore must the Priests weare a long white garment like a shirt vponupon their coates or gownes at such time as they must play their partes in the Masse.A white garment. And then, because the Iewes did afterwardes cloth him with purple, therefore they put on the cope aloft vppon that white cloth.Cope and stole in the Masse.
And because he was bound,Peruse ouer the exposition of Durand. Innocentius de offic. Miss. and Guidon de monte. Roch▪ the which hauehave expounded all this very neatly. therefore doe they weare the stoale about their neckes, & maniples about their armes, & girde their surplesse to them with a girdle.
And further, because he was nailed vponupon the crosse, with his armes stretcht abroad: therefore do they likewise stretch out their armes abroade in the Masse, as though they would be crucified.
And because hee was wounde in a fine white cloth, when he was buried, therefore doe they lay their litle god vppon a white cloth, fast by the chalice.
And because the souldiers did cut Christ his garments in pieces, and so dealt them amongst them for a prey, therfore it is that the Priestes do (vponupon good Friday) couer their altar with one single cloth, & then laie two other small clothes or napkins, at the endes of the altar: and as soone as they begin to sing these wordes: Partiti sunt vestimenta mea, They diuided my garments amongst them: so must likewise those two clothes or napkins by and by be stollen & pluckt away from the altar.
And because Christ after his resurrection did breath vponupon his Disciples, and gaue vntounto them the holie Ghost. Therefore it is that the Bishops and Suffraganes, at such time as they doe create anie Priest, doe blowe vponupon them: for with that same winde are the Priestes filled as full of the holie Ghost, as a Cowe turde is stuffed full of muske and ambers grease.
In summe, Christ hath not done anie thing in his death and passion, but they do plaie and counterfeite the same after him, so trimlie and liuelie, that no plaier nor iuggler is able to do it better.
Yea, do we not see likewise, that vppon good Friday they hauehave a Crucifixe, either of wood, or of stone, which they laie downe softlie vponupon the ground, that euerie bodie may cōme creeping to it, vponupon handes and knees, & so kisse the feete of it, as men are accustomed to doe to the Pope of Rome? And then they put him in a graue,Creeping to the Crucifixe and burying it. t…ll Easter: at which time they take him vppe againe, and sing, Resurrexit, non est hic, Alleluia: He is risen, he is not here: God be thanked. Yea and in some places, they make the graue in a hie place in the church where men must goe vp manie steppes, which are decked with blacke cloth from aboue to beneath, and vponupon euerie steppe standeth a siluer candlesticke with a waxe candle burning in it, and there doe walke souldiours in harnesse, as bright as Saint George, which keepe the graue, till the Priests come & take him vp: and then commeth sodenlie a flash of fire, wherwith they are all afraid and fall downe: and then vpstartes the man, and they begin to sing Alleluia, on all handes, and then the clocke striketh eleuen.
Then againe vponupon Whitsunday they begin to play a new Enterlude,The holy ghost on Whitsunday. for then they send downe a Doue out of an Owles nest, deuised in the roofe of the church: but first they cast out rosin and gunpouder, wt wilde fire, to make the children afraide, and that must needes be the holie ghost, which commeth with thunder and lightening.
Likewise, vponupon Ascension day, they pull Christ vp on hie wt ropes aboue the clouds,The Crucifix ascendeth to heauen. by a vice deuised in the roofe of the church, & they hale him vp, as if they would pull him vp to the gallowes: and there stande the poore Priests, and looke so pitifully after their God, as a dogge for his dinner.
In summe, a man doeth often spende a pennie or two, to see a play of Robin hood, or a Morisse daunse, which were a great deale better bestowed vppon these apishe toies of these good Priests, which counterfeite all these matters so handsomlie, that it will do a man asmuch good to see them, as in frostie weather to goe naked.
I speake not of their perambulations, processions, & going about the towne, cariing their crucifixes alongst the streetes, & there play and counterfeite the whole passion, so trimlie with all the seuen sorrowes of our Lady, as though it had ben nothing else, but a simple and plaine Enterlude, to make boyes laugh at, and a litle to recreat heauie or sorrowfull hearts: for these matters fal out onlie vponupon church holy dayes or solemnities, when the Catholikes are determined to be merrie, & drink thēselues so droncke, that they tumble frō their seat: as you shal see our Maisters of Louen doo eueryevery yere in their solemnitie, & especially at the seuenth yeres procession, which is, of the seuen sorrowes of our Ladie. All what soeuer Christ hath done, must bee set abroch to be counterfeite.
And after the same manner, wee play by the Lent. For, because Christ did fast fourtie daies lōg, therfore shal our dere mother the holie church bee content to fill her belly all sortes of fish onlie, not once touching one morsell of flesh, according to the special wordes of Paule, who saith, Eate it not: Taste it not: Handle it not. Col. 2.21.And so likewise Moses did fast fourtie dayes, for the establishing of the lawes of God, which he presented vntounto the people. And now, seeing the Bishops & Prelates do weare hornes, as Moses did, wherefore should they not as well faste fourtie dayes as he did? And if the Bishops doo faste, then are the Leye people much more bounde to faste, which hauehave no such power nor meane to obteine dispensations, bulles, or tollerations of our holie father the Pope, as these holie Prelates hauehave.
Therefore we do now conclude, without exception or contradiction, That the holie time of Lent is as firmelie founded vponupon the scripture, as all the rest of the articles of the faith inuented and founded by our deare mother the holie church of Rome: and therfore it is good reason, that our mother the holie church of Rome do maintein her Lent & fish dayes in great reputation, & not onelie to hold it for a good and holie work in it self, but for a meritorious work, whereby we may merit & deserue heauen, & the merciemercy of God, appease his wrath, and do & make sufficient satisfaction & recompense for all our sins. In so much that our deare mother doth esteeme her fasting: yea in a manner better, than the merites of the blessed bloud & passion of Iesus Christ, whervpon these Heretikes doe altogether boast themselues.In the Masse booke. For consider, this the holie church saith in one of her secretes, vponupon the Wednesday in the Ember weeke in the Aduent, and on Friday in the Ember dayes after Whitsunday, and vppon the Tuesday in Easter weeke:
O Lord, we beseech thee, that thou wilt accept this our fasting, and that by it we may be made cleane & purified, & worthie of thy merciemercy, & that it may bring vsus vntounto euerlasting saluation, &c.
What can a man wish or desire more? S. Iohn the Apostle will seeme to set foorth a speciall matter, when hee saith: That the bloud of Christ Iesus doth cleanse vsus of our sinnes, & maketh vsus acceptable before God the father: but this other nowe doth growe all vponupon our owne ground: for with our fasting we can obteine that well inough, which he doth attribute onelie to the bloud of Iesus Christ.
What shall I neede to make much a doe for the festiual daies, & obseruing of them?Festiual dayes. Of which our dere mother the holy church maketh so great account,This is sung in the .1. collect in the …mber weeke of the Aduent. that shee doeth yerelie pray vntounto God, that her festiuall dayes, may obteine for her meanes sufficient to liue wealthily in this world: and after assurance of eternall saluation, & that she may by the perfect obseruing of the said dayes, merit to enioye perpetuall saluation and blisse. And of the hallowing of Easter eeuen, shee doeth say plainlie as followeth:
Huius igitur sanctificatio noctis, This is sung the Saturday following nexte after.fugat scelera, culpas lauat, & reddit innocentiam lapsis, moestis laetitiam, fugat odia, concordiam parit, & curuat imperia:
That is to say:
The halowing of this night, doth driue away sinnes, doth purge faults, doth restore such as are fallen to their innocencie againe, and to the sorowfull giueth gladnesse, and expelleth all hatred, procureth concord, and doth bow Empires or Kingdomes, &c.
Consider nowe, what a power the obseruing of these festiual dayes hath. What a mischiefe ayles these Heretikes, that they so raile vponupon vsus, because wee make a difference and diuersitie of dayes? They make a doe with vsus, saying, That Iesus Christ with his precious bloud,Col. 2.14.16. hath clearlie adnichilated and taken away the instrument which was against vsus, which consisted wholie in such ceremonies and commaundements of the lawe, and hath made fast the same vntounto his crosse: so that no man else can hereafter iudge vsus, for our meates or drinkes, nor for the obseruing of anie holie dayes, of new Moones, or Sabbaoths: and still they are troubling of vsus with that, which Paule writeth to the Galathians, saying:
Gal. 4.9.10.Seeing that you hauehave nowe knowen God, or rather that you are knowen of GOD, howe doeth it happen, that you returne your selues againe to obseruing and worshipping of weake elementes, which you beginne and goe about to serue againe? You obserue dayes, monthes, times, and yeeres, I am afraied on your behalfes, that all my trauell amongst you, will be spent in vaine▪ &c.
But what hauehave we to do with this▪ seeing our mother the holie Church doeth attribute as much power to the obseruing of our festiuall dayes, as to the bloud of Christ it selfe: and therefore hauehave our Catholike Doctours reason, in teaching, That the obseruation of certeine dayes & feastes, heretofore vsed by the Iewes, are not in anie point taken away, by the death and bloud of Iesus Christ, as Paule goeth about to perswade, so alway as the dayes bee something altered:In his Enchiridion. as Eckius hath verie finelie set foorth. For in place of their Passeouer of the lawe, wee hauehave our Easter: and in place of their Pentecost, we hauehave a Whitsuntide of our owne deuising: and in steade of the feast of the newe Moone, wee hauehave our Ladies dayes: and in place of their Trumpet feasts, we hauehave the Apostles dayes: and in place of their feast of Tabernacles, wee hauehave our Church holydayes or solemnities: and so forth, as is plainlie to be seene in the booke of the said Eckius ▪ So that there is no other difference, but as though the diuell (to disguise him selfe) should put on a Friers cowle. And wheresoeuer in the olde Testament anie mention is made of feast dayes, our deare mother the holie Church of Rome, applieth it to the establishing of her festiuall, or holie daies and solemnities: so that the Heretikes can not iustly complaine of vsus in this case, & say, that we can not bring in any Scriptures for proofe of the matter: seeing that the olde Testament is full of such Scripture, as they them selues knowe well inough.