The Bee Hive of the Romish Church, Part 2 · Preface · Chapter 9
The ix. Chapter. Intreating of indulgencies and pardons, prouing and establishing the same by the Scripture.
NOwe it doeth followe, that we intreat of pardons and indulgencies,Indulgencies and pardons. which of necessitie must proceede out of the foundation of Purgatorie, especiallie if you do minister vntounto it a glister of parchement, waxe, and lead: for that hath a wonderfull operation in it, sithence it doth refresh againe, our deere mother the holie church of Rome, and maketh her lustie, though shee be something troubled with a laske: although in deede shee is nowe waxen so olde and vnweldie, as glisters can not helpe her greatlie, especiallie so long as these H…retikes are still gaping after Scriptures, and will beleeue nothing, vnlesse i… be set downe or confirmed by the Bible. Nowe therefore I wil send them the Epistle of Paul to the Colossians,Colos. 1.24. where they shall find, that Paul saith thus, Now ioy I in my sufferings, which I suffer for you, and fulfill that which is behinde of the passions of Christ in my flesh: for his bodies sake which is the congregation. Alway prouided, that they shal not vnderstand nor interpret this text after their mindes, nor after the letter: to wit, as though Paul did meane nothing els, but that he (as a member of Christes body) doeth followe Christ his head, in suffring for the louelove of the congregation, and strengthening of the same: for this interpretation is hereticall, & doth not wel agree with the interpretation and beleefe of our deare mother the church of Rome. But they must know & confesse, that Paules meaning in that place is, that the passion of Christ is not sufficient to satisfie for all our sins, which we hauehave cōmitted since: for those must eueryevery man make satisfaction for by good workes & pardons, & wt bulles & indulgencies: for to that end serue the merites of such Saints, as hauehave bin canonized by Popes, and the bloud of their martyrs, which suffered in defence of the holy church of Rome, & furthermore, all the meritorious works, which S. Francis, S. Benedict, S. Dominick, & other holie fathers hauehave laid vp for a help, which were superfluous & more than they were bounde to do. For all these merites & good workes,Petrus Asotes in Catholica assertione de lege. laid together vponupon a heape wt our merits & superfluous good works, which we hauehave in store,Looke for this in the Ex…rauag. of Pope Clement 6. Rubric. de poenitent. & remis. cap. vnige. Dei filius. Item in the writing vp of the treasure of Churches t…kē out of the Compilation of master Iohn de Fabrica super relax. Item the glosse cap. anti. ext. de poenit. & remis. ouer & besides those which must first answere for our sinnes: All these (I say) are shut vp in a chest together, wherof our holy father the Pope hath the keies to keepe: & doth distribute them to eueryevery person according to his discretion: which is commonly according as euerie man doth annoynt his hand with golden oyle: For this same golden oyle is of such strength & vertue, that there is no offence, knauerie, sinne, nor abhomination so great, but it will be heled & made cleane with the same, as is plainly to be sene in the Taxa poenitentiaria apostolica, that is, In the booke of reckoning, or taxe register, where the pardon and price of al sinnes is set vponupon certein summes of monie, which are set & taxed in the popish or apostolike penance chāber: but now among the rest, the Pope dealeth most liberallie with such as come to Rome, in the yeere of Iubilie, and doe there deuoutlie visite the graues or tumbes of Peter and Paul: for those hauehave full remission of all their sinnes, à poena & culpa: This is plainly set out in the glosse in capit. antiq. de poen. & r…mis.& therewith are the two Apostles maruellouslie recreated: for out of that may S. Peter note, that the prayer of Christ for him, when he said: I hauehave praied for thee, that thy faith should not fayle: doeth there receiue ful effect, when he seeth the people so deuoutlie disposed to go visit his tumbe and graue. And by this nowe is that likewise (which we alledged out of S. Paul) fulfilled: in so much (doubtles) that they hauehave great pleasure, when they see such deuotion vsed, and surelie do laugh wi…hall, as though they had the tooth ache. The holie Church of Rome doth yet bring forth other textes of importance, for the establishing of indulgencies, as speciallie, where Christ said vntounto Peter: I shall giuegive vntounto thee the keies of the kingdome of heauen: Math. 16.19.which are to bee vnderstood, the keies of the chest before mentioned,This standeth likewise plainly set foorth in the said glosse, and is confirmed by all those Catholike doctors. wherin that rich tresure is shut vp, which can neuer be emptied nor diminished: for if it were possible, that all the people of the worlde did go to Rome in one yeare of Iubilie, that euerie man might receiue full indulgence and pardon, yet should the same chest be no more emptied thereby, than the Ocean sea should be, with taking out of it one spoonefull of water: or Saint Goddards mountaine be diminished, by taking from it one handfull of sand: as is plainly sette forth by a verie trimme and fine verse, as followeth: Mille licèt sumant, deperit inde nihil.
That is to say:
Thogh thousands take & none said nay:
Yet nothing wastes or weares away.
And now, how necessarie and profitable this is, to our holie mother the Church of Rome, it doth appeare plainly out of this, That onelyonly the indulgencies, with the letters of pardon,In the booke called defensio Parisien. Curiae pro libertate ecc. Gal. Ludouico. 11. oblato aruc. 77. and the Reseruationes pectorales, mentales, regressus generales, & speciales accessus, with such other like trifles mo, are worth to the Pope of Rome in France onelie, aboue two hundred thousand Crownes a yeare: so that through all Christendome, it doth amount to aboue ten millions of Crownes, which is a prettie summe.
But what shoulde I talke much of the Pope? It is not long agoe, that a simple gray frier called Samson of Millan, being by Pope Leo, 10. appointed (amongst other) for one of the gatherers or receiuers of the monie for Bulles and Indulgencies, had within a little space, gotten so much monie for himselfe, that he did offer to giuegive a hundred and twentie thousand Ducats in redie monie,120000. Ducates offered to be made Pope. to be chosen Pope. In summe, all indulgencies, pardons, iubilies, & buls, with the rest of the Popes authoritie, are lightly to be proued and declared by scripture, if men will vnderstand them rightly, and according to the exposition of our deare mother the holy Church.