The Bee Hive of the Romish Church, Part 1 · Chapter 10
The x. Chapter. VVhichWhich concludeth, that the Church of Rome hath gathered all these before named pieces together, and taken out of them, what shee ha…h thought good, which are called [Traditiones Romanae Ecclesiae] that is to saye, The traditions of the church of Rome, and the foundation of our beleef….
BVt if I should now bring in all things particularly, to pro…e,Traditions of the holy church h…we that our deare mother hath (verie finely and subtily) brought in & mingled the Philosophie and Poetrie of the Ethnikes, with her Religion, and Gods seruice: I should hauehave worke inough for seuen yeeres. Therefore this is sufficient for vsus, that by this it may well bee perceiued, that she hath gathered her holines and ceremonies, as well out of the Heathen authours, as of the Iewes, & olde Heretikes, and brewed the same all together so cunningly, that it is a maruellous pleasant cup of drinke, to swallow downe without anie chewing. So that nowe wee may stoutly conclude vponupon the former question, what that is for a beast, which men call Traditiones Ecclesiae, The traditions of the Church of Rome. Seeing we now well perceiue, that her foundation & ground stands not vponupon the writings of the Prophetes and Apostles,Ephe. 2.10. (like as Paul would in his time hauehave mainteined:) much lesse then vponupon the Councels, Fathers, and decrees: but it is partly founded vponupon the Scripture, being first well glosed and sophistically handled: partly out of the chiefest writings of the olde fathers: partly out of the scomme of the Councels and decrees: partly out of the fine flower of olde Heretikes: partly out of the Caballa of the Iewes Rabbines: and lastly, out of the Theologie of Numa Pompilius, the Philosophie of Aristotle, and out of the examples of the Heathen.
This was euen thus concluded at the last councell of Trent, in the 3. session. where as the determination of the Church was made equall with the Scripture.Now all gathered together on a heape, and baked in a cake, are called Traditiones sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae, The traditions or commandements of the holy Church of Rome. Which vponupon paine of damnation of the soule, and the body, to be burnt in fire, must of necessitie be beleued of al men, and holden in as great reputation, as the worde of God it selfe, which is written in the holie Scriptures.
Therefore it is, that the bookes of the holy Catholike subiectes of the Church,The Indians hauehave in one part of the countrie a maner of garment made of the feathers of Popingates of all colours, & the more fantastical & changeable that their garment is, the more it is esteemed. as Eckius, Piggius, Hosius, Bunderius, Asotus, Ruardus Tapparde, Iohannes Latomus, Iohannes a Louanio Franciscus Sonnius, Gulielmus Blindasinus, Iodocus Rauestein a Tileto, and other more, are finely set forth and brauely decked with feathers of all colours after the Indian fashion, and trimmed vp with all costly stuffe, euen like Saint Iames wi…h his shelles: and sometime they fetch a witnesse or authoritie out of the Scripture by the necke, sometime out of the fathers: then a Councel out of a corner, & a decree of some Pope or Bishop: sometimes they bring out an example from the Iewes, and an allegorie, or some tri…le out of the Thalmoode: and nowe and then a sy…logisme out of Aristotle or Porphyrius, or else a verse out of Virgil, or Ouid, and such other like, skipping and leaping like Monkies, from one place to another, & so helpe themselues with handes and feete, and with all the …mes of their bodie. Prouided alwayes, that they hang still as fast on their principall foundation, as a theefe on the gallowes: to wit, That the holy Church cannot erre, nor by anie meanes go out of the right way. For as long as they holde that end fast, they can neuer loose the threede. And it is but follie to talke: the Heretikes must needes be taken in the trappe: for if by chaunce they scape out at one hole, they are by and by caught in another. After this, they brewe you a noble and pleasant drinke, iumbling the olde fathers and the newe together, the true with the false. And if they can once catche an Augustine, or an Ambrose, by the necke, then will they after that bring in a trimme toy, of the fine letters of Clemens, and Anacletus, which a dronken Monke, and vnlearned buffell, did babble out somewhere on a Saint Martins euen, and mingle therewithall the goodly fables of one Dionysius, whom they call Areopagita, which one of the seuen sleepers hauehave found (I wote not where) behinde a banke: then also come they lustily foorth with a Thomas de Aquino, or a Scotus, & ioyne with him a Bricot, or a Holcot, or a Peter de Broda, to keepe him companie. And lastly, for a sawce, they bring in vponupon that their Legendum Aureum, and then Dormi secure, and so make thereof a Compost, or, as it is called at Louen, a Brodium, such as the Heretikes must needes bur…, if they taste but one spoonefull of it. And this is the inuincible Panoplia, or Stratagēma, that is, The defensible furniture & fighting weapons of warre, which the right honourable Bishop Guilielmus Blindasinus vseth. This is the Verbum nō scriptum, the vnwritten worde or veritie, which all Catholike writers doe alwayes stande vponupon: this is Consuetudo sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae, that is to say, The vsage and old custome of the holy church of Rome, whereon they boast themselues a great deale more, than anie towne doeth of their priuiledges. This is Traditiones patrum, The traditions of the fathers, of which the children do boldly boast and bragge: In summe, this is the ground and foundation of the hellish Catholike Romish beliefe, wherevpon our dearely beloued mother the holy Church doth stande so fast, as it will be verie harde for all the diuels of hell to blowe her off with all their bellowes.