What a Pope-boy of twelve yeares old, was Benedict the ninth? and after wrought by inchantments. Another Pope they had, whom they called Unum pecus, in co quod de mane faciebat gratiam, et de sero revocabat: A very Asse, for in the morning hee would grant many great kindnesses, and at night revoake them all agayne. What a thiefe was Pope Boniface the seventh? who robbed St. Peters Church? What a sodomiticall Pope was Sixtus the fourth; who builded Stewes of both kindes, granting his Cardinals the use of Sodomy, for three hote moneths. What an Atheisticall Pope, was Leo the tenth? who called the Gospell a Fable. What a Hereticall Pope was Honorius the first? who by sixe general Counsels, was [IX. 407.]condemned for a Monothelit: What a perjured Pope was Gregory the twelfth? and openly forsworne: What a Negromancer was Silvester the second? who gave himselfe both soule and body to the divell, to attaine the Popedome: What was Pope John the eleventh, but a bastardly brat to Pope Sergius? What a sorcerer, Charmer, and Conjurer, was Hildebrand, called Gregory the seventh? given to all beastlinesse, and diabolicall practices; this was he that threw the Sacrament in the fire: What was A tract of beastly Popes and cruell Villaines.Innocent the third? who was branded with this black marke, non est innocentius, imo nocens vere, he is not innocent; but very nocent: What a wicked and cruell murtherer was John the twelfth a Romane borne, who caused to cut off the nose of one Cardinall, and the thumbe of another Cardinall; onely because they had wrot the whole tract of his abhominable vices to the Emperour Otho.
What an inhumane and homicidious Pope was Stephanus the seventh? who after he had cancelled the decrees of his predecessour Formosus, caused to deterre his dead body, cut off his fingers, and lay him in the fields to be devoured with the fowles of the aire: What a beastly Pope was Sergius the third? that after he had imprisoned Christopholus his predecessor, he caused to draw out the corps of Pope Formosus his old compeditor from the grave, and cut off his head, as though hee had beene alive.
What a cruelty was shown upon John the 17. who after he was depraved his Papacy, had his eyes pulled out, his nose cut off and his members, and was hanged: What a poysonable Pope was Damasus? who poysoned his predecessour Clemens the second, to attaine the Papality, and yet dyed within a moneth there after being Pope: What [IX. 408.]a mercilesse Pope was Boniface the seventh, that after he had Rob’d Saint Peters Church and fled to Constantinople, hearing that Pope John the 14. was replaced, he returned, and pulling out his eyes, did cast him in prison, where he dyed of extreame hunger. What a persecution had Gelase borne in Gaetta neare Naples, who first by the Romanes was imprisoned, then stoned through the Citty, miserably dyed. Gregory the 8. succeeding him, was Deposed by Caliste brother to the Duke of Burgondy, who imprisoned the other, and starving him to Death, made him selfe Pope.
What devotion fell out from the braines of Rome, to stone Pope Lucius the second to Death: What a shamefull division was in your Papality; for fifty yeares, when Urbanus lived Pope at Rome and his Successours; and Clemens 7. and his Successors at Avigneon. Nay, you have had three Popes at one time; even when Sigismond King of Hungary and Boheme was elected Emperour, to wit. Three severall Popes living at one time.Benedict 3. at Avigneon; John 23. at Bullogna; and Gregory the twelfth at Rimini: I pray you, could every one of them open and shut the Gates of Heaven and Hell. What an Infidell, was Pope John 22. who denied the immortality of the Soule.
What was Clement the 5. but an open Whore munger and a drunken sot. What was Boniface the 8. he was called a Theefe, a Robber, and rooted in all unspeakable sinnes, the eight Nero of Rome. What a furious and wicked Pope, was Julius the second? who given more to Warre then to Christ, cast Saint Peters keyes (as they call them) into Tiber. What a prophaine skoffer of Christ, was Paule the third? who lying in bed with his owne Cousin Laura Farnesia, was sore wounded by her Husband; he lay with his owne Daughter, and poysoned her Husband; and then lay with his owne sister, and [IX. 409.]after poysoned both her and his owne mother. What was Julius the third? an open Sodomite, and horrible blasphemer. What was Pope Eugenius? a damnable scandalizer of the Church, and condemned by the Counsel of Basil, for an incorrigible and wilfull Hereticke. Pope John 23. was deposed by the Counsell of Constance, for Heresie, Symony, Murther, Enchantment, Adultery, and The Papists may looke here upon divellish Popes.worst of all for Sodomy. What was Pope John 13. a vilde monster in his life, committing incest with both his sisters, and fathers Concubine Stephana: Hee was a gamster, and playing at Dice, did call for helpe to the Divel, and would drinke to the Divels health; hee was repleate with all abhominable vices; at last being taken in the acte of Adultery, was wounded to Death.
Boniface the 8. afore named, came to bee Pope, by cousning his predecessour Celestine, in speaking through the Wall in a Reed (as if it had beene a voyce from Heaven) admonished him to surrender his Papacy; whose Epithit was thus: Intravit ut Vulpes, Regnavit ut Lupus, Mortuus est ut Canis: He came in like a Fox, he ruled like a Wolfe, he dyed like a Dogge.
At the sixt Counsell of Carthage, was not the treachery and falshood of Pope Zosimus, condignely sifted out, in corrupting for ambitious government the Counsell of Nyce. Bernard about 500. yeares agoe, complayned much of the Tyranny of popes in his time, calling them Defrauders, Raveners, Traytors, darknesse of the world, Pilats, Wolves, and Divels.
Albertus Magnus affirmeth, that they who now governe their Church, are for the most part Theeves and Murtherers. And Platina, calleth some of their popes vile Monsters, uncleane beasts, and strange creatures. And I remember it was noted by a Historian: Episcopos [IX. 410.]Romanos ne peccata quidem sine laude committere: The Popes could do nothing, were it never so mischievous, but it was commendable.
And even likewise are their prime Pardons, for Noxas preteritas, aut futuras: and their future potestatem, tam quo ad commissa, quam quo ad committenda crimina absolvenda; That his Holinesse hath all manner of power, as well to absolve them from crimes to commit, as from crimes committed. And I remember about twenty yeares A false cannonized Saint.ago Paulo Papa quinto, Cannonized Carolo Borrameo, the late Bishop of Milane for a notable Saint, being knowne to bee a notorious and scelerate liver: done sooner by fifteene yeares then their ordinary time, and that for the touch of forty thousand Duckats; allotting Prayers, Miracles, Pardons, and Pilgrimages to him, and erecting a new Order of Friers, and Monasteries unto him. And yet the poore Bishop of Lodi, a good and charitable liver by all reports, could never, nor cannot attayne to the dignity of a Saint, his meanes was so small when dead, and his friends so poore being alive.
And how wonderfull absurd is the Popes Bulla di Santa Cruzada, pro defunctis in Purgatory; that for one Pater noster, at a Masse saying, or a Masse sayd for them: Sicavano fuora dalla Purgatorio, tre anime qualche ci vogliano, viz. You shall relieve any three soules out of Purgatory whom you please. Nay, I have seene the Popes Edict so gracious, that induring one Masse, as many Paters as you can recite, as many soules you free from thence.