Whole Works, Tracts 1 · Tract 5 · Body of tract · Part 8 – Part 9
How the Pope receaueth hys kyngdome of the deuill and how he diſtributeth it agayne.
SHortly, the kyngdomes of the earth The Pope receaueth his riches and kyngdomes of the deuill.and the glory of them (which Chriſt refuſed (Math. iiij. dyd the deuill profer vntounto the Pope, and he immediatly fell from Chriſt and worſhipped the deuill, and receaued them. For by falſehead (as he maynteineth them) came he thereto, and by falſehead do all hys diſciples come therto. Who of an hundred one is pope, Byſhop or any great Prelate, but either by Nicromancy or Symonie or waytyng on great mens pleaſures & with corruptyng of Gods word & faſhioning it after their luſtes.
And the Pope after he had receaued The Pope diſtributeth his fathers kyng dome.the kyngdome of the world of the deuill and was become the deuilles Ʋicare, tooke vp in lyke maner all Chriſtendome an hygh and brought them from the mekeneſſe of Chriſt vntounto the hyghe hill of the pride of Lucifer and ſhewed them all the kingdomes of the earth, ſaying: fall downe and worſhyp me, and I will geue you theſe. Ʋnto the ſpiritualitie he ſayth: fall frō Chriſt and preach me and take thou that Car dinalſhip thou that Byſhopricke, thou that Abbotſhyp, and ſo forth: thou as many benefices as thou wilt and a diſpenſation for what thou wilt. And to Monkes and Friers in lyke maner, …ake thou that hole, and thou that neſt with what priuileges ye wil deſire and diſpenſations of your rules, if ye will preach me.
And vntounto the temporalitie he ſayth: Firſt to the Emperour, if thou wilt fall downe and kyſſe my feete and ſweare to hold of me and to defend me I geue thee the Empyre.
And to all kynges in lyke maner, if they will ſweare to defende his liberties, and to hold of him, he crowneth them. And euē ſo all temporall Lordes from the higheſt vntounto the loweſt and all officers and all maner ſubiectes, if they will enioy landes, rentes, offices, goodes and their very lyues they muſt …me the ſame way.
The very whores (Gods honour vnregarded) as lōg as they deſpiſe not him and his ordinaunces, they ſhall neſte in hys rentes and among hys Prelates. And the theeues and murtherers ſhall hauehave dennes in his ſanctuaries, whatſoeuer they do agaynſt God, ſo long as they hang on hym.
The Apoſtles choſe Prieſtes to The popes order compared with the order of the Apoſtles.preach Chriſt onelyonly all other thynges layde a parte, and choſe none but learned and vertuous.
The Pope ſhaueth whoſoeuer commeth, leuer out of the ſtues then from ſtudie, and when they be ſworne, he The popes Prieſtes.ſendeth them vntounto all great mens houſes to preach his godhed, to be ſtuardes, ſurueyers, receauers and counſellers of all maner miſchiefe: to corrupt wife, daughter and mayde, and to betray their owne maſter, as oft as it needeth to promote their falſhead withall. For thereto are they ſworne together. And when they hauehave done all miſchiefe, there ſhall no man were whence it commeth.
The Apoſtles choſe Deacons to miniſter the almoſe of the riche vntounto the poore. And to helpe the Deacons they The popes widowes.choſe widowes of lx. yeare olde, holy and deſtitute of frendes to tende the ſicke. And the Pope in ſtead of ſuch widowes, maketh whoſoeuer commeth whether ſhe be young or old, but none ſaue them that be rich and able to pay xx. xxx. or xl. pounde for their profeſſion, to whom for as much more he will geue a diſpenſation on the morow to mary againe. And in ſtead of ſuch Dea The popes Deacons.cons, he maketh both Deacons & ſubdeacons, which do nothing at all but are vaine names without office, except it be that on ſome holy day in ſtead of miniſtring ye goodes of the church vntounto the poore they ſing an epiſtle or goſpell to begge more from the poore.
And as his Deacons miniſter the goodes of the Church vntounto the poore: euen ſo do his Prieſts preach Chriſtes Goſpell vntounto the flocke.
And the almoſe that was geuen to How the Pope deuideth the poore peoples almes.the ſuſtentation of the poore, whiche thou ſhalt read in ſtories that it was in ſome cities aboue xx. xxx. xl. yea an hundred thouſand pounde, and all the landes geuen for the ſame purpoſe, they hauehave ſtollen from them and hauehave deuided it among themſelues. And therwith did they at the beginning corrupt the great men of the worlde, and clam vp to this heith where they now be. And for that hauehave they ſtrouen among themſelues this viij. hundred yeares. And to mainteine that which they hauehave falſely gotten, hath the pope ſturred vp a ſword of warre in al Chriſtendome this viij. hundred yeares, and hath taken peace cleane out of the worlde.
When the Byſhops, Prieſtes, and Deacons were fallen, and had receaued of the Pope the kingdome that pertayned vntounto the poore people, and had robbed them and parted their patrimony among thēſelues: then ſprang the orders of Monkes. Whoſe profefſion was, to abſtaine from ſleſhe all Monkes.their liues, to weare vile rayment, to eate but once in the day, and that but butter, cheſe, egges, fruites, rootes, and ſuch thinges that were not coſtly, and might eueryevery where be found. And they wrot bookes, and wrought diuers thynges to get their lining withall. When the laye men ſawe that the prieſtes were fallen into ſuch couetouſnes, and that the Monkes were ſo holy: they thought, theſe be meete mē to miniſter our almoſe vntounto the poore people. For their profeſſion is ſo holy that they can not deceaue vsus as ye prieſtes Monkes made miniſters to the poore,do, and made the Monkes tutors and miniſters vntounto the poore, & gaue great landes & riches into their hands to deale it vntounto the poore. When the Monkes ſaw ſuch abundaunce, they fell after the enſample of the Prieſtes, and tooke diſpenſations of the Pope for their rules, and ſtraite profeſſion, which now is as wide as their coules, and deuided all among them and robbed Monkes robbe the poore▪the poore once more. And out of the Abbayes tooke he the moſt part of byſhopprikes and cathedrall churches, and the moſt part of all the landes he hath, beſides that there remayne yet ſo many mighty Abbayes and Nunries therto.
Aſſoone as the Monkes were fallē, then ſprang theſe begging Fryers out of hell, the laſt kynde of Caterpillers, Begging friers.in a more vile apparell, and a more ſtraite religion, that (if ought of reliefe were left among the laye men for the poore people) theſe horſeleches might ſucke that alſo. Which dronebees as ſoone as they had learued their crafte, and had buylt them goodly and coſtly neſtes, and their limiters had denided all countryes amōg them to begge in, and had prepared liuinges of a certain tie, though with begging, then they alſo tooke diſpeuſations of the Pope for to liue as largely and as lewdly as the Monkes.
And yet vntounto the laye men whome they hauehave thus falſely robbed, and frō which they hauehave deuided themſelues, The charge of the …ay people.and made them a ſeuerall kyngdome among themſelnes, they leaue the pay ing of tolle, cuſtome, and tribute (for vntounto all yt charges of the realmes will they not pay one mite, and the finding of all the poore, the finding of ſcholers for the moſt part, the finding of theſe foreſayd horſeleches, and caterpillers, the begging Fryers, the repayring of the hye wayes, and bridges, the building and reparations of their Abbaies and Cathedrall Churches, Chapels, Coledges, for which they ſende out their pardons dayly by heapes, and gather a thouſand pounde for eueryevery hundred that they beſtow truely.
If the laye people hauehave warre or what ſoeuer charge it be, they will not beare a mite. If the warre be theirs (as the one part almoſt of all warre is to deſende them) they will with falſhead make thē beare the greateſt part, beſides that they muſt leaue their wines and children and go fight for them and loſe their liues. And likewiſe in al their charges they hauehave a caſt to poule the laye people. The Scottes caſt downe a caſtel of ye Byſhop of Durhams on the Scottiſhe bancke called Norant caſtell. And he gat a pardon frō Rome for the bulding of it againe, wherwith I doubt not but he gat for eueryevery peny that he beſtowed three.
And what do they with their ſtore that they hauehave in ſo great plenty eueryevery How the ſpiritualtie beſtow their treaſure.where: ſo that the very begging Fryers in ſhort ſpace to make a Cardinall or a Pope of their ſecte, or to do what feate it were for their profite, woulde not ſtick to bring aboue a kynges raū ſom? verely make goodly places and parkes of pleaſure, and gaye ſhrynes, and painted poſtes, and purchaſe pardons, wherewyth they yet ſtill poule and plucke away that little wherwith the poore which periſhe for neede, and fall into great inconueniences myght be ſomewhat holpen and releued. And lay vppe in ſtore to hauehave alway to pay for the defending of their faith, and for to oppreſſe the truth.
¶ How the Pope made him a lawe, and why.
AFter that the Pope with tyranny was clom vp aboue his brethren, and had made all the ſpiritualtie hys ſubiectes, and had made of them & hym a ſeuerall kingdome among thēſelues, and had ſeperated them from the lay in all things, and had got priuileges, that whatſoeuer they did no man ſhoulde meddle with them: and after alſo he had receaued the kingdomes of the earth of Sathan, and was become his Ʋicar to diſtribute thē: and after that the Emperour was fallen in like maner at his feete and had worſhipped him as God to receaue his Empyre of him, and all kinges had done likewiſe to be annointed of him and to be crowned of hym, and after that the worlde both great & ſmall had ſubmitted them ſelues to receaue the beaſtes badge: then becauſe yt Chriſtes doctrine was contrary vntounto all ſuch kingdomes, & therefore had no law therein how to rule it, he went and made him a ſeuerall lawe of his owne makyng, which The Pope maketh lawes.paſſed in cruelty and tyranny ye lawes of all heathen Princes.
And in his lawe he thruſt in fayned giftes of olde Emperours that were out of memory, ſaying yt the Emperor Conſtantinus had geuen vp the Empyre What ſubtiltie the Pope vſeth to ſtabliſhe his kingdome.of Rome vntounto Saint Silueſter which is proued a falſe lye for diuers cauſes: One that Saint Silueſter being ſo holy a man as he was would not hauehave receaued it contrary to his maſters commaundementes & doctrine: Another that the Emperours raigned in Rome many yeares after, and all Byſhops ſued vntounto the Emperour, & The Pope hath feined the gift of Conſtantine.not to the pope, which was but biſhop of Rome onelyonly, & not called father of fathers. Moreouer that no autentike ſtory maketh meution that any Emperour gaue them their patrimony, but that Pipine which falſely and wyth ſtrength inuaded the Empyre gaue it vntounto hym. Then put he in the graunt of Phocas, then the gift of Pipine confirmed by the great Charles: then a fayned releaſe of the election of the Pope geuen vp agayne vntounto Pope Paſchale by the Emperour Lewes. For they thē ſelues had graunted vntounto Charlemaine and his ſucceſſours, for euer the election or denomination of the Pope and Byſhops to flatter him withall, and to make him a faithfull defender, and that in a generall counſell which (as they ſay) cannot erre. Neuertheleſſe Pope Paſchall though he beleued the counſell coulde not erre, yet he thought them ſomewhat ouer ſeene to make ſo long a grannt, and therefore he purchaſed a releaſe of gētle Lewes as they pretend. But verely it is more likely that they fayned that graunt to excuſe their tyranny after they had taken the election into their handes againe with violēce, when the Emperours were weake & not able to reſiſt them: as they fayned the gift of Conſtantine, after they had inuaded the Empyre with ſubtiltie & falſehead. And laſt of all they brought in the othe of Ottho with the order that now is vſed to chuſe the Emperour.