The Theater of the Popes Monarchy, Part 13 – Part 15
Of begging Fryers, their filthie Hypocrisie, cosonage, dissimulation, couetuousnesse, and abuses.
Stuperius.
FRyers quoth you? Yea I tell you, the Pope hath whole Legions of them, swarmyng lyke swarmes of Bees in eueryevery Countrie and Coaste. And as they bee manne in number, so bee they of diuers, and sundry names.
Phil.
What be those?
Stupe.
Some are called Franciscane Friers,Fryers of dyuers and sundry sorts and names. of S. Frauncis, Dominick friers, of S. Dominick, Benedictin friers, of S. Benedict. Barnardine fryers of S. B…rnard, Augustin… friers of S. Augustine, and so of the rest. Othersom are called White friers, Blacke fryers, Gray fryers. Obseruant fryers▪ Friers Mendicats, Smocked friers, & a thousande others the like, which for tediousnesse I lette passe, for as the saying is: pauca sapienti, to a wise manne a fewe things are sufficient. By these you may coniecture what the rest are▪ These friers with the rest of that filthie broode do all of them get their liuings by begging. By the practise whereof within few yeres they heape vp to themselues such mountaines of gold and siluer (and yet it is a marueilous thing▪ Fryers neuer handle money (forsooth) and yet hauehave whole mountaines of gold and siluerfor they neuer handle money neither, but belike it is geuen them by myracle) that they build them gorgeous houses, stately edifices, and sumptuous mansions to dwel in, furnished with all kind of necessaries supelle…iles, cōparable to any prince or noble man.How friers get their riches. And these riches they get with their hypocr…ticall prayers, longe seruice, selling of merites, & by their other apish …estures of …cking down the head, & the like, by their dissembling hypocrisie, filed eloquence,Prety practises for vices on stages. seuere grau…tie & austeritie of life, by these crossing and blessing, & by their deep profound flattery, and a thousand such deuises, wherein they are so skilfull, that they maye seem not practisioners, but masters, not masters but doctors. Out of these puddles proceedeth al their game. Thorow the exercise & practise whereof, they are grown so impudent,The impudency of fryers. that ther can be no marriage solemnized neither in towne, nor countrie, no feast, or good cheere any where, but these shamelesse friers are redy with boxes in their hands, begging,Begging friers scratching eueryevery man on the elbow. & crauing money, meate, drinke, and all things els of eueryevery one present. Neither can any mā sit quietly either at dinner, or at supper in his house, but in comme these beging friers, crossing, blessing, & so faring, that they wearie euerie manne and away will they not, till theyr bellies be ful and their hackes wel loaden also. Then when certaine holye times of fasting and praying commeth in, that the people must fast pray, and do pennance, then, and neuer vntil then, their gaines commeth tumbling in thicke and threefold. Then doth eueryevery man hyre thē too fast,How Friers gaines comes tumbling in. to pray and do penance for them, and pay them well for theyr labour. Besides these deuises they get abundance of their good dames of the coūtrie both of cheese puddinges,My good dames of the countrie the fryers beste friends porke, bacon, brawns, sowse, corne, hemp, flaxe, bread, pyes, custards, flawnes, tarts, and what not; for al is fish that commeth to net, and nothyng commeth amisse, that carryeth a pennie, or a halfpeny on his back. And because they may seeme to giuegive somewhat agayne,The pedlary ware of friers. they carrye about wyth them tootinge glasses, needles, pinnes, pointes, laces, ribbons, and other pedlary trifles, which they bestow vponupon their good dames of the country for bussing thē in the dark: Which thing when they be about leaste they should be cumbred with vntrussing of their pointes, they weare no hosen at all, but long side gownes to the foot: so that with litle adoe, they may go to their businesse. And if the good man chaunce to come in, in the meane time & find him at it, yet must he imagine that he is but in shriuing of her, and then al is wel.
Phile.
How many sorts of Friers are there?
Stupe.
There bee twoo sortes,Two sorts of fryers. the rich friers, and the pore begging friers. The richer sorte the Pope dispenseth withall, giuing them leaue that after they hauehave got their great riches togeather by theyr begginge throughe the world, they may builde them gorgeous houses, and stately buildyngs, plant orchardes, Gardens, Uineyardes and what they wil: purchase landes and liuings as much as they please. Then are they called by the names of Lordes beyng ashamed of the names of beggers any longer. The poore begging fryers are such, as by theyr orders are constrained to remaine in pouertie & to beg as long as they liue.The poore friers doe better seruice to the pope then the ryche. By thē the Pope vttereth his merchandize, and getteth himselfe into fauour of eueryevery one. For the better perfourmaunce whereof they make no conscience to tel lies, to preach fables,Fryers make no conscience of lyes. & to vtter Canturbury …ales for the word of God. They come & raunge all abroad eueryevery where, both by sea and land: they creepe intoo the bosomes of kings, princes, noblemen, gentlemē, subiects, & others, seeking by all meanes possible to withdraw them from the way of truth,The practise of fryers. & to establish their dads kingdom. And thus by this meanes, they vpholde the popes estate, and their owne credite and wealth.
Phil.
Whatfurther authoritie hauehave they?
Stup,
They hauehave cōmission graunted thē frō yt pope (for feare least their proud kingdom should catch any s…at…e) to enquyre after heretikes lollardes & other schismatiks,Commission to friers to en…uyre after heretikes. which deuide thēselues frō their blaspemous church. By force of which commission (like bloddy butchers dogs) they trouble good mē, & women, & in the end, suck their blood, by burning their bodies to ashes, if they wil not forsake the truth, & beleeue their lyes. But if there be any out of their iurisdiction, whō they cannot handle so, then fal they the yeere of our Lorde God. 1523. And comming to the Pope afterwarde, confirmed the same order of Iesuites by his Bulles. These holy Iesuites (forsooth) are vowesses as well as the reste, but whereas the others make but 3. vowes, they make foure.Iesuites ma foure vowes First, they vowe pouertie, secondarily, chastitie: thirdly, obedience, and fourthly, that they wyll trudge ouer all the world if they be commaunded eyther by the Pope, or any of their good masters els, to set abroch popery, to abandon Christianitie,The chiefest office of Ies…ites. to plaunt superstitiō, & to root out goodly religion, for this is their chiefest offce, as far as euer I coulde perceiue. And of suche perfectiō are they thought to bee, that in holines they are cōparable to ye maiestie of god,The pretense… holinesse of se…dicious Iesuit… in godlines excelling the angels & in rightuousnes far surpassing ye common nature of mankind. And therefore hauehave they taken to themselues a name deriued very blasphemously frō ye name of Iesus. To this end no doubt, that they may be thought to bee the seruaunts of Iesus and none els, and too holde the trueth, and none but they.
These seditious Iesuites, a … kind of vipers, run rouing, frō place to place, from countrie to countrie, now openly now secretly, sometimes in their priestly habite,…h deceitfull …elians, ha…ing al shewes …f godlines, & …et none at al. and, sometime in seruing mans attyre, now like lawiers, then like Courtiers, now like one sort of menne, and then like another, and all to roote vp (as I hauehave saide) christianitie and too plant poperye. And if they perceiue that the prince wyll not incline to theyr humours, nor agree to theyr ydolatrie, and papistrie, but mayntayne the true religion of God, then fall th…y to this pollicie. They creepe secretely into the mindes of the Nobilitie,…esuites creepe …cretly into …e mind… of …he nobility. Gentrie, and Communaltie, indeuoring by al means possible to draw theyr hearts from their alleageaunce, and obedience too theyr lawefull Prince, to di…like of all things and too sowe the seedes of Sedition, to moue Rebellion, Insurrection, Commotion, Warre, Mutunie, Murther, Bloodshed, and all kynde of trouble: to this ende, that they and their Complices may with more securitie make Inuast…s, and Incursions into that Realme, or mites, Lateranes, Georgeās, Ioannians, Trinitaries, Iudians, Ambrosians, Magdalines, or Lazarines, redde Augustines, Heleniās Sophians, Wincesbaterers, Gregorians, Cōstātinopolitanes, Columbins, crossed bretheren, Fratres clauorum, blacke friers, bretheren of the holy sepulchre, brethrē of ye vale of Iosaphat, brethrē of S. Ioseph. brethren of S. Rufines, & a thousande others. Also of womē, as Bagghines, Orders of … men.Cloke Nuns, sisters Chanonesses, Ancresses. Next come in their orders of Heremites, as Heremites of S. Antonie, Orders of H…remits.Heremites of S. Hillarie, of S. Macarins, of S. Theon, of S. Frontinean, S. Horns, S. Helene, S. Apolonia, S. Paule the Heremite, S. Piamotus, S. Casomianus, and infinite the like members of the same rabble, all which too recite, were, infinitum fi…ito comprehendere, that is, to comprehend that in number whiche is wythout number. Besides these, they hauehave also knightes of the Rhodes, or of Malta, Dutch knights, the knightes of Saynt Iames, our Ladies knights, S. Georges knights, knights of Herusalē, Calitrauenses. Montenienses, Gartarienses, Templers, Iesuites, and the like which for breuities sake I omit.
Phile.
I pray you what is the order and originall of these Iesuites?
Iesuites their order, originall, treason, hypocrisie, and sedition.
Stuperius.
…e order and …ginning of …suites.THE order of these dounghill Iesuites was first founde out in the yeere of our Lorde, 1537. by a Spaniarde borne in Biskey, named Don Egnatio Leguiola, who with twelue of hys companions, whom he called hys Apostles, went to Rome, from thence too Uenice, pretending to goe too Hierusalem, but finding no shipping at Uenice readie, returned to Rome againe, where he published and set abroche hys holy religion of Iesuitanisme, neuer heard of before since the beginning of the world. There was also one Iohn Peter Guarrassa, Bishop of Quietta, a little before found out a stampe or patterne of the same in they are kinges, and princes ouer sinne, that they hauehave cut of, and diuided them selues from the world, with many other like fanaticall mysteries.
Phile.
Are these fryers also annointed as others are, at the time of their initiation?
Stupe.
They are all annoynted, euen from the highest to the lowest, frō the meanest priest to the head ruler, & gouerner of all.Fryers all annoynted. But from whence they deriue this annoyling, and greasing I cannot tell, except it be from the ceremonies of Moses lawe: which if they doe, then denie they Christ to be come, and to hauehave fulfilled the lawe for vsus. For all ceremonies of Moses lawe ceassed,Their ceremoniall law of Moses abrog… by Christ. and were abrogate by Christe, as beeing but types and shadowes of things to come, and therefore may they not be vsed now vnderunder the Gospel without great impietie. And albeit that they grease and annoynt themselues at sundrie tunes, yet espeically doe they it, at three seuerall times:Friers annointed at three times especially. namely, the day of their christendom, the day of their consecration, or initiation (as they cal it) & at ye day of their death. Besides all this, the church, & church… walles are anointed, the high altar, the bels, & eueryevery thing els almost: for their holy oyle hath a wonderfull power, and force in it selfe, & therefore as without it they can almost cōiure nothing,…s holy oile …h appease … broyle. so with it they canne (in effect) doe any thing.
Phil.
What other orders of religiō hauehave they besides these that you hauehave spoken of?
Orders of religion amongest the papistes.
Stuperius.
THey hauehave infinite orders of religion, and religious men, as orders of the Basilians, … infinit or…rs of religō …mongest the …apists.Augustinians, Benedictines, Dominicās, Iacobines, Carthusians, Carmelites, Lady brothers, Seruitors, Obseruants, Conuētnals, Penitenciaries, Minimers, Capucines, Mendicants, Cluinares, Camaldulē ses, Valenbrosences, Cisteriences, Bernardines, Coelestines, Gibertenē ses, Milicenses, Castellenses, Mountoleuites, Castinenses, Armetes, Regulars, Premonstratēses, Whilliamites to making of filthie bookes, & raylyng pamphlets against thē, therby to discredit both them & the doctrine which they professe. They are also ghostly fathers, & do shriue as wel kings, princes, dukes, & noblemen, as also all others of what degree soeuer they bee of, & hauehave absolute power (or els they lye) to absolue them a culpa & poena, (as pleaseth them to distinguysh) from their sinnes, and the punishment due for the same, so soone as euer they hauehave whispered thē into their eares.Shrifte a brau… deuise for papists and such as maketh … theyr purpos…. This is a deuise, passing all deuises, for by this he knoweth and vnderstandeth the secretes of al both men, and women, of kings & princes, & if they perceiue any thing to bee intended againste the state of their vsurped kingome, they certifie the pope of it, who straight way sendeth out his flashing thunderbolts of excommunication,The popes curse is Gods blessing no doubt. neuer ceasing til the authours of that practise be cursed with booke bell and candle, as blacke as Hell pitch. These friers cary pardōs through the world, shriue & forgiue sin, certifie ye pope of the secrets, & estate of eueryevery coū trie, & often times return to Rome with their bags, and their caskets stuf… full of money like faithfull children of suche a cursed father.
Phile.
HaueHave these poling friers shauen crownes as the other theyr cousin germans the monks hauehave?
Stupe.
Yea, their crownes are shauen, but after an other maner. For loke how much holier they be then the mōks or any others,Friers crownes broder shorne thē any others because they are holier then any others. so muche broder are their crownes shorne than any others: and therefore is there no hayre permitted to growe all their head ouer, saue around ring or circle, compassing their pate like a headlace or band, with these shauen seō ses they raunge all abrode, despising all others that hauehave not their heads so shor… as theirs is.
Phile.
I wonder that they bee not ashamed to put off their hats, or to let their heads be seene bare?
Stupe.
They shame at nothyng. For knowe you not, that they hauehave brasen faces, and therefore cannot blushe. But if they hadde not, yet woulde they not blushe at this: for say they, hereby is signified great thinges: as namely, that …
End of the text · Philip Stubbes, The Theater of the Popes Monarchy (1585)