Ceremonies of the Monstrous Popish Mass, Part 2 · Chapter 4
Of their holy veſtiments, and of the conſecration and ſignification of them. CHAPTER IIII.
AFter all theſe preparations, the roge muſt alſo put on the masking garments which are appointed for him,Nicolas de Plo. tract. Sacer. de … expoſ Miſſ. Duran. Rat. l…b. 3 Inocen de Offic. Miſſ. Ber…ard. de Parenti. for the playing of his part in this enterlude (howbeit, there is great difference betweene the ſimple Prieſtes veſtimentes, and the Biſhops.) For a Biſhop putteth on nine, and a ſimple Prieſt but ſix. And for the firſt, it is ordained that euerie one be ſhod, ſo that it is not lawfull for him that hath vowed to goe barefooted, to ſaye Maſſe vnſhodde. For, as they ſay, the Prieſt that ſayeth Maſſe, is likened to a man of warre, and a valiant Champion, who goeth to fight with the Deuill, in the defence of Chriſtians. And therfore it is meete that he ſhould be armed & well furniſhed: for he hath to deale with a dangerous beaſt. And therefore the firſt thing that he muſt put on, muſt be hisſhooes, in ſteade of buskins of maile: which as they ſay, do ſignifie alſo the incarnation & humility of Ieſus Chriſt. Is not the humane nature of Ieſus Chriſt,Nicolas de Plo. de expoſ Miſſ. Duran. Rat. lib. 3 Rub. de Calig. which he tooke vponupon him for vsus, verie reuerently here honoured, as to be called a ſhoe, and compared vntounto it. And becauſe they would yet ſhewe them ſelues more horrible blaſphemers againſt it, they alleadge Saint Iohn Baptiſt for the authour of this iollie miſticall expoſition, ſaying, that he ſo called it. Doeth not this deſerue burninge? Is there anie deuill in hell, that is able more notablie to make a ieſte of the worde of the Lorde, and tourne it more villanouſlie into a ſtraunge ſenſe, then theſe blaſphemers hauehave done? But let vsus nowe leaue the feete, and come we to the head, whereon the Byſhop weareth an horned Myter in ſtead of an helmet & Beurgonet, where a ſimple Prieſt hath nothing on but his coyfe & a womans couerchefe: which ouer and beſides this, ſignifieth alſo accordinge to their expoſition, the wimple wherewith Ieſus Chriſt his face was couered,Mat. 27. Marc. 15. Luc. 23. when as the ſouldiers ſtroke him, ſayinge, Tell vsus nowe thou Chriſt, who is it that ſtrooke thee? Nowe, the Biſhops in verie deede, are a great deale more worthy to weare the miter, then the ſimple prieſts, becauſe it is a tokē of infamous & pillary knights, as hath beene ſayed elſewhere, becauſe they are more abhominable then they. Becauſe they are the men which make the Prieſtes. And therefore when Iohn Hus was burnt at Conſtance, becauſe they meant to make a laughing ſtocke of him, & declare him to be more infamous, they put a paper miter on his head, whereon two deuilles were pictured, and betweene them was written, Hereſiarcha, to wit, the Prince of hereſie. Thus here we ſee the true deuiſe agreeing not onelyonly with Iohn Hus, the ſeruant of Ieſus Chriſt, but with the Biſhops miters alſo, to the honouring of the order of Biſhops, with ſuch honour as belongeth vntounto them. But let vsus leaue nowe to ſpeake of the Biſhops miters, and of the Prieſtes coifes and kerchefes, and ſpeake of the reſt of the harneſſe of theſe villanouſe Champions. Where good labourers are wonted to caſt of their clothes when they go about their worke, for feare they ſhould be to hoate, the Biſhops and Prieſtes do cleane contrarie, putting garment vponupon garment when as they go to worke. But here we muſt vnderſtande, that to make an amendes for that, they caſt of their clothes when they goe to meate: For, there they intende to play their part in good ſad earneſt, ſo that they will eate till they ſweate withall. But here, where they meane to mocke God and his people, they put their mothers ſmocke, which they call an Abue, vppon their gownes, which, as they interprete it, is in ſtead of a ſhirt of maile, and therwith repreſenteth the gowne which Herode gaue to Ieſus Chriſt in a mockerie. For, theſe peeces of harneſſe ioyne iumpe together. And beſides the girdle wherewith he girdeth his ſmocke, doeth ſignifie the bowe, wherewith, theſe Archers ſerue in this bloudie warre: and the ſcourge wherewith they ſcourged Chriſt: and the little corde, wherewith the ſtole is tyed to his girdle, ſignifieth the quiuer wherein to put the Arrowes. The ſtole, that is to ſaye, the breſt plate, which goeth about the necke, and is croſſed ouer the bellie like a Saint Andrewes croſſe, as the ſwadling bandes of young children are, ſerueth for a launce to ſhake againſt the enemie: and alſo in ſteade of the corde wherewith Ieſus Chriſt was bound, when they ſcourged him. The manipule, that is to ſay, the young childes ſwadling bande, which is put about his arme as a braſelet, is his mace or courtelance: and the corde alſo wherewith Ieſus Chriſtes handes were bound. The chaſuble is his buckler or Curate, & the purple garment, wherein Ieſus Chriſt was skorned. The booke, is the ſworde to fight againſt the enemie. I meane not a… this time to ſpeake anie longer of the veſtementes and ornamentes, which the Biſhops hauehave ouer and aboue the ſimple Prieſtes. Neither will I any longer buſie my ſelfe in recompting the ſundrie expoſitions, nor yet the diuerſe, miſticall, and ſpirituall ſenſes, which the Doctors of the Romiſh Church ſet downe in their bookes, for the interpreting of the miſticall ſignifications of theſe holy reueſtiments. For, there are as many diuerſities of thē as their fond braines can dreame dolteries on. It is enough that I hauehave ſuperficially runne ouer thē, as ſlightly paſſing ouer that which hath bene already touched, that you might vnderſtand with what furniture, this valiant Champion & Popiſh knight, entreth into the field to battell, to fight with the Deuill, that is to ſay, to play his maiſters prize, & then like a Roge, ef…ſones to play the paſſion. Wherein he farre differeth from Ieſus Chriſt, who meaning to waſh his Apoſtles feete, would put on no more garmentes then he had at that time on: but rather put of thoſe which he had on, & ſone after offred vp him ſelf a ſacrifice, ſtark naked on the croſſe. Moreouer, we muſt alſo vnderſtand, that it is meete, that all this harnes, & all theſe maſking robes muſt, according to the maner be cōſecrated, that is to ſay coniured & charmed. for if they ſhold not ſo do, the deuil wold neuer be aferd of thē. But what mā is he that wold not ſone iudge, how fearfull they are on thē, when as in this behalf, they ſe thē ſo ſtrāgely diſguiſed, & ſo notably armed frō top to toe? Surely, they are ſo afeard of thē, as that they wil not once ſtep a fotoe either from them,Iohn. 13.19. Nicol. de Plo. de expoſ. Miſſ. or yet from their churches. Now, they make Pope Steuē the 1. the very author of the ordināce of the cōſecratiō of theſe habits: albeit the ordināces which hauehave bin aleaged vnderunder his name concerning this matter, hauehave bin no whit at all ſo ſpokē of, as in his place hath bin ſene. Neither do I know who were the authors of ſo many kindes of weeds.Li Conſi. We read amōgſt the Canōs of the 3. Bracarien coūſell which was ſolemnized about the time of Pope Vitalien, that by it was ordained: That no Prieſt ſhould ſay maſſe, or receiue the Sacrament without he did were the holy weed, which is there called oraciū, & couereth both his ſholders: but we do not reade any mentiō made of theſe which are now rehearſed, neither yet of any of theſe fooliſh toyes, nor of ſo many ſundry kinds of diſguiſings, as at this daywe ſe to be in al this Popiſh church.