The Bee Hive of the Romish Church, Dedication
To the right worshipful, holie, profounde, and learned Doctor, and Magister noster, Maister Franciscus Sonnius, nowe most woorthie Bishop of Shertoghenbosch, health and blessing from God,Afterwarde Bishop of Antwerpe. and the Pope our most holie father.
RIght worshipfull, louing, and holie father and bishop, when I do well consider, & thinke vppon the noble, commendable, & woorthie deedes, which your honor (with the good helpe of the moste famous and deuoute Cardinall Grandvelle, and other good subiectes of the most holie Apostolicall Catholike Popish church of Rome,) hauehave (within these niene or ten yeares) taken in hande, and almost brought to passe, touching our ancient and wellnigh ouerthrowen Romish Religion, to proppe and vnderset the same with newe pillars, & strong styles▪ binding it with well twisted ropes, and cordes of the Spanish Inquisition: I must needes, and of right (in the name & behalfe of all my countriemen and inhabitants of the base countries of Germanie) geue you worthie thankes, for the great alterations and changes, whiche within these fewe yeares hauehave happened and chaunced to the proofe, within the said lowe countries. For, had not your Honor, about the yeare 1558. in the time of the most holie Pope Iulie the fourth, stoutlie and diligentlie trauelled and obteined that these our base coūtries might be prouided for with newe Bishops, to serue for Inquisitours and accusers of heretikes and Huguenotes. Surelie, the case was such, that the Popes holines, with all his boothes and shoppes, must out of hande hauehave bene trudging out of these countries, and all by reason of this newe Gospell, which men woulde needes set forth: whereof your Bishops Myter, crosier staffe, and your laudable Inquisition, hauehave not read much, (considering that your Honor can content your self with your Portesse, & a canne of good rennish wine) whereof if it had so come to passe, a most pitifull case must needes hauehave followed: As especiallie, that a man shoulde scarse afterwardes hauehave founde anie one, that would hauehave saide Masse for monie: yea, the Priestes themselues began to be so ashamed of their shauen crownes that in some places, they woulde hauehave beene glad to couer them with cowe doung, as in an olde prophesie is declared. The Bishops, the Prelates the holie Monkes and Chanons, the Inquisitoures and all idle officers of the spirituall courtes, shoulde not hauehave had anie more worke. I omit howe that the famous doctoures of Louen, the Licentiates and Bachelers of Diuinitie shoulde drinke no more Vinum Theologicum, or Vinum Cos, Vinum …, the … that … do … lie. Vinum Co…, … is to … good colo… smell, and ….that is to say, of the persons fatte: but must hauehave taken patience with small ale and single beare, whereof they might soo…e hauehave gotten the Collica passio. And where (I pray you) shoulde the foure holie begging orders hauehave become. And especially the deuout Franciscanes? should they not all (in generall) hauehave gone and hanged their cowles vponupon the hedge? And then what should hauehave become of all the godlie ornamentes of the Churche, as braue altars, gylte christes, holie reliques, braue images, Copes of gold, siluer, and silke, and other moe suche like iewels, wherewith all the Churches and holie Saints as well As well shee Saintes, as hee Saintes.Feminine, as Masculine, are decked vp and trimmed, which all the Byshops hauehave promised by solemne othe to mainteine and defend, to the vttermost of their powers. But what is all this to the purpose? The Masse, the Masse (I saie) yea, the holie blessed masse laie so extreemely sicke, that men began alreadie to sing a Requiem ouer her, the holie Saintes, did not get anie more liberall offrings, more sensinges, nor more pilgrimages. Yea, the people began alreadie to pul downe images from the alters. No man would geue any thing for pardons, nor for the Popes bulles: Yea, the hole staple of pardons, especially purgatorie, beganne to waxe coulde. The Pope himselfe was esteemed for an howlieglasse: The Decrees, and Decretals, the Sophisticall gloses, the sentences, the Quotlibets, and suche like toyes of the schollers and doctours of Louen, were cast behinde the benche: Satisfaction, and ful recompence were no more made anie accounte of: Auriculer confession was almost murdered: Shroue tuesday, and Iacke a lent had almost broken their neckes: all the holie and goodlie Processions with the stately stations, Perambulations & going about the streetes, were esteemed for boyes plaie: the holie Sacrament was no more deuoutlie caried vp and downe with fiffes and drummes. In conclusion, all the holinesse, of the Catholike Church of Rome beganne to fall in the ashes: and in place thereof you should heare nothing else, neither in the townes nor without, yea, nothing was read but the Byble, or Saint Paule. The people would pray to none other, but to GOD alone, neither woulde hauehave anie other mediatour, but Christe Iesus, no… put their trust and confidence in anie other thinges, but in his merites: No reioycinges but in his Crosse, death, and passion. They did onelyonly esteeme for Sacramentes, Baptisme, & the Lords Supper, yea, and did vse the same very simply without anie stately station or ceremoniall brauerie, without coniuringes of the diuell, without spittle, without salt, without greasinges, & also without albes, surpleses, or coapes, without singing of Per omnia saecula saeculorum, or Dominus vobiscum. They would go no more to shrifte vnde… their ghostlie Father, but to God aboue or else before the whole congregation: They did not passe anie more for absolution, they woulde not praie anie more for the sillie soules, whiche lie in Purgatorie, but euerie one would groūd his praier vponupon the holie scripture: They woulde acknowledge but one supreme heade of the Churche, namely, Iesus Christe the Sonne of God: They woulde hauehave Bishops, renouncing the name & office of tyrannical Inquisitors, to preache the gospell, to leaue of their trapt Horses and Mules, and goe on foote: They did esteeme all manner of meates, good and lawfull, first saying grace in their mother tongues: neither did they much regarde the eating of fleshe in Lent, no, not euen on Good Friday: In Summe, they went wholy about to bring in a new reformation of religion and discipline ecclesiasticall, the like whereof was neuer seene of the holie Churche of Rome, nor of our forefathers: They tooke in hande to restore all againe, to the olde and former state of the Apostles and Euangelistes. what pitie, what care, what sorowe, had this bene to our dearly beloued mother the holie Catholike Churche of Rome, and to all her good subiectes? But praised be our blessed Ladie of Antwerpe, your honour did well foresee, and in time diligently withstand that inconuenience, in that you hauehave placed the inquisition in the lande, driuen away the Gewses or Heretikes, laide the Magistrates in prison,They were called Ge…ses, … of …, against the Papistes. banished and brought to the Butchers stall the Gentlemen and good subiectes, made a way and open passage for the Spaniardes into the lande, set vp fire and swoorde in token of victorie, and in euerie corner reared vp gallowes, and plentifully shed the blood of those newe Euangelistes: In Summe, your diligence, your quicke expedition, your great zeale, your newe Bishoppes, and your holie Inquisition, hauehave so well aduised, counselled, perswaded (or rather forced) our Souereign Lord the king his Maiestie much rather to see the destruction of his Patrimoniall lande, the ruine of his Subiectes: yea, the imprisonment, and death of his owne onelie sonne, then to permit the holie Catholike Church of Rome to suffer suche shame: and that in place of the Popes decrees and decretals of the Masse booke Hortulus animae, and suche other seruice bookes, the Gospel, & holy Scripture, onelie should succeed, & take possession. Therefore your Honour is highly to be praised for such noble actes: And euerie man is duely bound herein, to assist & further you in your enterprise, to the vttermost of his knowledge & abilitie.
This (Right Honorable and blessed Bishop) is the cause, which hath moued me poore & vnworthie brother of Saint Frauncis order, to dedicate and sende this my simple present to your honour, to the ende that I (with this my small gifte of good will) may somewhat (though but a little) helpe to strengthen & repaire the decaied walles of the Romishe Church, and establish againe the right & perfect foundation of our most holie father, the Pope. Therefore hauing a while agoe: seene & marked that in the Citie of Antwerpe was a small booke sette foorth in French & Flemish, intituled & named A Letter Missiue: Or, An Epistle directed vntounto the Apostates & Backsliders, from the true Christian beleefe, compiled and made by Maister Gentian Heruet, &c: And for that the same booke was greatly desired, and verie much esteemed of all good and Catholike hearts: I hauehave (with all diligence and circumspection) perused and read ouer the same: wherein I hauehave founde in effect, that in the same is briefly declared and set foorth the whole grounde and foundation of the holie Romish religion, which your Honour, euen with fire and swoorde, to the subuersion and vtter ruine of the whole land, doth seke most zealously to mainteine. And I am thereby persuaded, that the same booke was most worthie to be read ouer of all men, to the ende that all startbackes from the faith, might returne into the right way: and the good faithfull Catholikes thereby strengthened & confirmed. But nowe considering the saide booke to bee verie shorte, and something darke for a matter of suche importaunce, and likewise had either none or verie few proofes out of the Scriptures, Councels, holie Fathers, and Decrees of the Popes: therefore I hauehave thought good to set penne to Paper, and to set foorth and declare the same at large, that nothing needefull should be lacking. Moreouer cōsidering that it is most necessarie, to declare something more at large, especially touching the woorthines, and authoritie of the holie Churche of Rome, and the true exposition of the holie Scripture: wherevppon the summe of all our matters doe depende, for that we hauehave alwayes beene forced to call vponupon the Church, & especially now, when there is none other shield or defence left vntounto vsus: therefore hauehave I traueiled brieflie to shew of this matter, where the sure grounde and foundation lies, by what Scriptures, by what holie fathers, by what Councels, & by how many Decrees euerie point is defended: and likewise howe and in what manner the Scripture and the holie Church of Rome are ioyned together, and Catholikelie vnderstoode in suche order, as the same shall in no wise serue the Heretikes anie thing at al to their purpose or aduantage. And forsomuch as this woorke is sucked out of sundrie sortes of flowres gathered together: therefore hauehave I named it, The Bee hiue of the Romishe Churche, thereby to geue to vnderstande▪ that as the honie Bee, doeth not gather her honie out of one flowre alone, but out of manie and diuerse: So doeth not the Churche of Rome stande vponupon one Scripture, Byble, Councels or bokes of Decrees, but doth catche and snatch out of eche of them, that which best serueth her purpose, as hereafter euerie man may plainelie perceiue, and in the ende of this booke shall vnderstande more at large, whereas the speciall causes are set foorth, why and wherefore we hauehave christened this booke with such a name. And now, hauing vnderstoode that your Honour did a good while agoe set foorth a certaine booke, against the confessiō of the faith of these newe Gospellers, I did verie earnestly trauell to gette the same, trusting that it might (perhaps) hauehave eased me of this my labour, for that I thought your Honour shoulde hauehave set foorth these matters there at large. But after that I had superficially and lightly reade ouer the saide booke, (not hauing the lucke to kepe the same lōg by me.) I was the more willing to set foorth this my Bee hiue, for that I sawe it shoulde serue verie well, to the opening and more plaine declaration of the foresaide booke, which your Honour hath made and published: considering that your honour is busie in euerie place with the aucthoritie and dignitie of the holie Churche, of her ordinances or constitutions, additions, or traditions, and of the spirituall exposition, which shee hath made vppon the Scriptures: & perceiuing nothing to be clearly set foorth, whereby one may finde out these constitutions and ordinances, whether in the Scripture, in the Fathers, in the Decrees, or in the Coūcels: so that a simple man might alway stande in doubt, what you will hauehave esteemed and holden for the commaundementes ordinances, or traditions of the Churche, and what men shall call the Churche, and likewise what rule or inuiolable order this holie Churche doth commonly keepe and vse in the exposition of the scriptures, but I thinke your Honour did leaue this vndone, as our saide Maister Gentian Haruet did, especially, because it was to small and slight a matter for you to trouble your mytered head with all. And therefore hauehave I gladlie taken vppon me this paine and trauell, and hauehave clearely sette forth in this my booke, vpō what ground and foundation all these thinges are builded: So that the necessarie vse of this booke is vnspeakeable as euerie good Catholike shall well perceiue of him self. And forsomuch as herein is not written anie thing, but it doeth agree aswell, yea, better with the said booke made by you, thē with Gentians booke, I would gladly hauehave it set forth, as an Exposition, Glose, or Cōmentarie vponupon your foresaid prettie booke: but considering that I had not anie copie of your said booke in my custodie, and fearing also least your Honor might hauehave bene offended, that any man should take vppon him to expounde or comment vponupon your writings, which are as cleare as hellishe sunne, euen as your owne name Sonnius doth signifie: so that I hauehave proceeded with my first determination, thinking it sufficient for me, if I might hide this my trauell vnderunder the winges of your Honor, like as vnderunder the same, all our newe Bishops hauehave beene hatched. Most humblie beseeching your Honor, to accept this my simple gifte in good parte, and as becommeth such a worthie Bishop to do, trusting yet (within short time) to set foorth more such woorkes, and thereby so preciselie to expounde all the bookes that are set out by your Honour, and other doctoures of Louen your companions, that a blinde man may feele them with his handes: yea, and without spectacles or candle, conceiue what greate holines lies hid in such coafers. You may (if it please you) in the meane space accept this my woorke, as an explanation and commentarie, vponupon your booke, which to doe resteth at your pleasure and good will. And herein I commende your Byshopps Myter and crosyers staffe vntounto the tuition of our holie Father the Pope, who preserue and keepe your Honour with all your brethren our new Byshoppes, in prosperous estate and proceedinges against all Heretikes.
Datum in our Musaeo, the v. of Ianuarie, being the euen of the three Kings of Collen, at which time all good Catholikes make merie, and crie, The King drinkes, in anno 1569. Your Honours welwilling seruant in all that lies in my simple power, Isaac Rabbotenu of Louen.