A Censure of Simony, Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
Of the six euasions of the Simonist, whereby hee thinkes to elude the Oath.
BVt there is a new found Well, which may well bee called after that ancient Riuer Orcus (yet farre vnlike that ancient Beersheba) the Well of that Oath, betweene Abraham and Abimelech; it hauing sixe porches: which at a certaine time, being stirred by an Angell (called Legion) whatsoeuer diseased Ecclesiasticall person steppeth in first, and in stead of washing, taketh a draught of this Well (it springing from the Riuer Styx, by which, as Poets faine, the Gods drinking thereof were wont to sweare) hee passeth forth at any of these Ports or Porches a whole and sound man.foreign. Orcus, signifieth an Oath, and differeth onelyonly in aspiration from H…ll. Here to seemeth Homer to allude. Iliad. foreign. So sometimes a …ower oa…h may proue a stre…me of the riuer Styx. … cu…us turare timent & fallere …. The Morall is this: this Orcus, is the Oath of Simonie: the Angel, called L…gion, is easily knowne by his name, what metall he is of: Hee that first steps in vponupon the Angels motion, is the corrupt and diseased Simonist: This sicke and ill affected person taking a draught of this blacke Stygian water, the Oath of Simony passeth out at six Porches, by sixe euasions by himselfe inuented, perfectly cured (as he conceiueth) of two most desperate diseases; Simonie, and Periurie, and all other Symptomes of the same. Now all these sixe Porches, tend to make a cleere passage for one word in the Oath Simoniacall, wherein consists the whole power of the Oath.
First therefore, they plead Not-guiltie of Simonie, and so consequently, not of periury, because they buy onelyonly the Temporalls. This, I touched before: But now I retort it vponupon themselues. They buy the temporall Benefit, therefore it is Simoniacall. For euen Simon had a respect that way: Mercari vult, quod pluris reuendat, Hee would buy, to sell the dearer, saith Erasmus. So Augustine; Aug. in Ps. 130. Caluin in Act. 8.Emere volebat, quod vendere disponebat. Caluin also confesseth the same temporall respect to bee Simoniacall. For to imitate Simon in any such respect, is sufficient to proue the Act Simoniacall.
Secondly not Simoniacall (say they) because they bargaine not with the Patron. Why? no more did Simon: for Peter was not the Patron of the Holy Ghost, but God;Act. 8.15. Peter prayed, and God gaue. But this shift is all one, as if the Chap-man should deny hee bought such a Merchants wares, because hee dealt onelyonly with his Factor, and therefore no lawfull bargaine. Thy Solicitor in thy name and stead procureth it of the Patron, thou payest thy money to thy Solicitor. And wilt thou sweare thy purchase had no relation to thy Patron? Though I could cut off all thy reasons at one blow, with Phocion Axe, to wit, Directly, or Indirectly.
Thirdly, not Simoniacall (say they) because what they gaue, was but respectiuely to their Solicitors, for their paines imploied therein. But is not his paines valued according to the preferment, as it is more or lesse worth? as Clients fee their Lawyers, according to the value of their suit in hand? If so, is it not Simoniacal? But attendants must liue, either by their seruice, or by suits. So it hath beene the custome of the Court of Rome, that Simonie should goe vnderunder the name of Subsidiary or El…emosynary pension, Hist. Concil. Trident.either for the Popes Courtiers, or Cofers; But farre be it from the Court of England. What befell Gehezi? call Simonie a gratuitie, or what plausible name you will, yet it altereth not his nature; no more then the calling and ranking Father Garnet among the Saints & Martyrs of the Church of Rome, wil alter him from a Traitor▪ or the painting of him among the Saints in Heauen, free him from the fire of Hell. And doth not such a gratuitie or almes, reflect vponupon the Patron, as an implicite compact of Simonie, when the Patron respectiuely pleasures his seruant, and thy Solicitor, with the Collation of such a liuing, by meanes whereof he holds his seruant well appaid and recompensed for his seruice?
Fourthly, not Simoniacall: for the preferment came not by purchase, but by wager, as it were casually, or by buying a horse, to pay for him so much at the day of marriage. But who seeth not this horse to interfer betweene Directly and Indirectly? who seeth not, that this Merchant laid, purposely to lose? But enough of such horse-play.
Fifthly, not Simoniacall, sith he had the fauor to obtaine, vnderunder an implicite Faith, without explicite or expresse conditions; to saue his Oath and honestie, Quippe qui non adeo sit plumbei tardique cerebri, vt foro vti nesciat, and as wee say, Doe reason. Verbum enim sapienti. O, for a Phocion, refusing Alexanders Presents (though sent him, because he was an honest man) and saying, foreign: Let him suffer mee to be an honest man still. Pauper Fabricius quartam à Pyrrho regni partem sibi oblatam recusauit, ne fidem suam Romanam temeraret. Poore Fabricius refused the fourth part of Pyrrhus his Kingdome offered him, least hee should dishonour his Roman fidelitie. But this Roman fidelitie was, in diebus illis, when Rome was heathen. And Damianus saith, Simoniaci sunt, non solum qui paciscuntur, sed etiam qui pecuniam non pactam postulant: more Gihezi. Simonists are they, not only that bargain, but also that require mony, not of compact: as Gihez… did. For the condition, be it implicite, or be it explicite, Simoniacall it is, directly, or indirectly. Yea, this is met withall in the conclusion of the Oath, which forbids to performe any contract made by another,Eutrop. Rom. hist. li. 2. Epist. 2. lib. 2. though without thy knowledge: how much more should a man renonce all purpose to performe an implicite contract or condition, which his owne heart is conscious of, and priuy to?
Sixthly, not Simoniacall, because this was obtained before it fell, as it were in the nature of an Aduowson, by promise; which differeth from an Aduowson onelyonly, as a word of mouth, from writing. And an Aduowson is no Simonie. For answere: first, promise and Aduowson in common estimate and practise, differ much; for promise is expresly excepted against in the Oath; otherwise, what needed there be any Simonie, when as promise might preuent it? For Aduowsons, I referre to a more proper place, yet this I will say by way of anticipation, that if buying of an Aduowson (it passing vnderunder hand and seale) bee no Simonie: what reason is there, why a contract made onelyonly by word of Mouth, should bee accounted Simoniacall? Thus hauehave wee hunted the Simonist out of his six Meshes: and if hee hauehave or find any more, we will set him for him Directly, or Indirectly, which will be sure to catch this Foxe, and all his Cubs.