After long instruction and teaching, they placed him on the altar of our Lady, knéeling on his knées within a chappell before the image of the holy virgine: Where one of the Monkes standing behinde a cloath, spake through a cane réede, as if it were Christ talking with his mother, in this wise: Mother why dost thou weepe? haue I not promised thée, yͭ whatsoeuer thou willest, shall be done? Wherto the image made answere. Therfore I wéepe, bicause this businesse findeth no end. Then said the image of Christ: Beléeue mee mother, this matter shall be made manifest. This doone, the Monke priuily departing, the chappell doores were shut. Assoone as these things were scattered about the citie, by & by there was a great thronging of people. Amongst whome also came foure monks, dissembling and fayning, that they knewe not what was there doone, and therfore they commanded the doores to be opened, and after asked the Frier howe and after what sorte he came there. He answered them that he was carried by a spirit. And moreouer told them what words the image had spoken, and that he could by no meanes moue out of that place before that foure of the chiefest Aldermen were come vnto him, vnto whom he had certaine things to be declared: he also desired to receiue the holy sacrament. The Aldermen were foorthwith called, and then the Frier declared vnto them, how the virgin Mary lamented and sorrowed, for that the citie of Berna should be shortly destroyed, for receiuing yearely pentiōs of the French king: Also for that they droue not the Franciscans out of their citie, who honoured her with the fayned tytle of vndefiled cōception. Vnto this hir talke the Aldermen answered very little. By and by the other Monkes gaue him the host infected with poyson, which when he refused to receiue, they brought him an other, which he tooke, then they led him with greate pompe into the quire, (for so they call the vppermost parte of the churche.) The Frier & the other foure Monkes were soone after called before the Aldermen, to testifie the truth whether those things were so or not. But the foure fearing exceedingly least he should betray something because they knew he suspected thē, endeuoured by all meanes to do him some priuie mischief by poyson giuen in his meate, & therefore they gaue him the sacrament dipped in poyson, which he presently cast vp againe by vomit: finally they so vexed and tormented him by so many wayes, that in the end he left the Colledge and ran away, and opened the whole matter to diuers and sundry men. In the meane time the Monkes dispatched two Legates or messengers to Rome, to obtaine a confirmation of these things of the Pope, that hereafter it should be vtterly vnlawfull for any man to contrary or mislike the same. And when these messengers were returned, (and as the Prouerbe is) thought themselues in a safe heauen, the noble Senate had commaunded the foure Monkes to be fast kept in prison: for they had learned the whole circumstance of the matter before of the Frier, whome they had committed to ward. And sparing neither labour nor mony, sent also vnto Rome, that they might perfectly knowe, what they should do in this matter. In the end both the Frier & the foure Monkes were all put to torments, and there confessed all the matter. And when they had bin openly conuicte of so many guiles, and horrible deeds, by the Popes permission they were first putte from the orders (which they commonly call degradation) and afterwards burned in the fire.
It was commonly reported, that in case the noble Senate of Berna hadde not prosecuted the matter with great constancie, and courage, the Cleargie woulde haue cloaked all the knauerie, and haue sette the authors at libertie. For they had greate cause to doubte, as it after came to passe, lest they should loose their credit and authoritie amongst many of the orders of Monks, and that these things whereon the Popedome resteth, as it were vpon pillers, should now be had in great suspition with all men. For it is most euident, that after the impietie, deceit & wickednesse of these Monkes began to be knowne abroad, the opinion of the Cleargie began to decaie, and to be suspected more and more euery day, of good and godly men: when as they sayd this or that soule required their helpe: that tapers lighted of their own accord: that this or that image spake, wept, or moued it selfe from place to place: that this or that Saint endowed their monasterie with precious reliques: or that Crosses were sprinkeled with the blood of Christ: yea and although they had obteined confirmation of these matters from the Pope, yet notwithstanding many afterwards would in no wise beléeue it to be so. Likewise they would not bee perswaded, that this holy father falling into a traunce, saw any miraculous things: or that Francis and Catherin of Sena, bare the markes of Christes fiue woundes in their bodie.
Furthermore, not without great cause, men began to doubt of transubstantiation of bread into the body of Christ, sith they had so often poysoned the Sacrament: and also of those things which they chaunted vpon with open mouth, touching pardons, vigilies, orders, purgatorie, holy water, and satisfaction. For that we let passe many things, it is clearer then the daylight, euen by this historie, that many things haue bene beaten into the peoples heads touching these foresaid matters, which were only deuised and inuented by these idle bellies.
CHAP. VIII.
Of a counterfait and deceiuing spirit at Orleance in France.
Nd that no man thinke the Friers Preachers alone to haue bene so bolde, and wicked, and so readie in deuising so many monsters, let vs hearken a while to a notable historie of the Franciscan Friers, reported by Sleidane in the ninth booke of his Commentaries, concerning the state of religion and the Common wealth in the time of Charles the fifth.
In the yeare (saith he) of our Lord 1534. the Franciscan Monkes played a bloodie and deadly pageant at Orleaunce in France. The Maiors wife of the same Citie, when shée died, commaunded in her will, that she shoulde be buried without any pompe or noyse, solemnely vsed at that time. (So also William Bude, a rare and singular ornament of Fraunce, lying on his death bedde at Paris, in the yeare of our Lord 1540. in the month of August, left commaundement with his friendes to bury him without any great solemnitie and pompe.) The womans husband, who reuerenced the memoriall of his wife, did euen as she had willed him, and because she was buried in the Church of the Franciscans, besides her father and grandfather, gaue them in rewarde only sixe Crownes, whereas they hoped for a farre greater pay. Shortly after, it chaunced that as he felled certaine woods, and solde them, they desired him to giue vnto them some parte of it fréely without money: which hee flatly denied. This they tooke very gréeuously, and whereas before they misliked him, they deuised this meanes to bee reuenged: forsooth to report that his wife was damned for euer. The chiefe workemen and framers of this tragedy were Colimannus, and Stephanus Atrebatensis, both doctors of diuinitie, and Colimannus a great coniurer, hauing all his implements in a readinesse, which he woonted to vse in such businesse: and thus they handled the matter. They place ouer the arche of the church a yong nouice: he about midnight when they came to mumble their praiers (as they were wont to do) maketh a great rumbling & noise: out of hand the Monks began to coniure & charme, but he answereth nothing, then being required to giue a signe whether he were a dumbe Spirit or no, he begins to rumble and stir again: which thing they tooke as a certaine signe. Hauing laid this foundation, they go vnto certain citizens, chief men and such as fauored them, declaring that a heauy chaunce had hapned at home, in their monasterie, not shewing what the matter was, but desiring thē to come to their mattens at midnight. Whē those citizens were come and that praiers were now begun, the counterfeit spirit beginneth to make a maruellous noise in the top of yͤ church, and being asked what he meant, and who he was, he giueth them signes that it is not lawful for him to speak: Therfore they commaunde him to make aunswere by tokens and signes, to certaine things they woulde demaunde of him. Nowe there was a hole made in the vaute, through the which he might heare and vnderstand the voyce of the coniurer: and then had he in his hande a little boord which at euery question he strake in such sort as he might easily be heard beneath. First therefore they aske him whether he were one of them that had bin buried in the same place, afterwards they reckning vp many by name which had bin buried there, at the last also name the Maiors wife: and there by and by, the Spirit gaue the signe that he was her soule. He was further asked whether he were damned or no, and if he were, for what desert or fault? Whether for couetousnesse, or wanton lust, for pride, or want of charitie, or whether it were for heresie, and for the secte of Luther newly sprung vp? Also what he meant by that noyse and sturre he kept there? Whether it were to haue the bodie now buried in holy ground to be digged vp again, and to be laide in some other place? To all the which points, he answered by signes as he was commanded, by the which he affirmed, or denied any thing, according as he strake the boord twise or thrise togither. And when he had thus giuen them to vnderstand, that the very cause of his damnation was Luthers heresie, and that the bodie must needs be digged vp againe, the Monkes request the citizens (whose presence they had vsed) that they would beare witnesse of those things which they had séene with their eyes, and that they would subscribe to such things, as were done a fewe dayes before. The citizens taking good aduise on the matter, least they should offend the Maior, or bring themselues in trouble, refuse so to do: but the Monkes notwithstanding take from thence the swéete bread, which they call the host, and body of our Lord, togither with all yͤ reliques of saints, and cary them to an other place, & there say their Masse. The bishops substitute iudge (whom they call Officiall) vnderstanding this matter, commeth thither accompanied with certain honest men, to yͤ intēt he might know yͤ whole circumstances more exactly, & therfore he cōmandeth them to make cōiuration in his presence, & also he requireth certaine to be chosen to go vp to yͤ top of the vault, and ther to see whether any ghost appeared or not. That Stephanus Atrebatēsis stifly denied, and maruellously persuading yͤ cōtrary, affirmed, that the spirit in no wise ought to be trobled. And albeit the Officiall, vrged thē very much, yͭ there might be some coniuring of the spirit, yet could he nothing preuail. In the mean while that these things wer a doing, the Maior, whē he had shewed the other iustices of the citie, what he wold haue thē do, tooke his iorny to the king, and opened the whole matter vnto him. And because the Monks refused iudgement vpon plea of their owne lawes and liberties: the king choosing out certaine of the Aldermen of Paris, giueth them absolute and full authoritie, to make enquirie on the matter.