The Anatomie of the Romane Clergie or, a Discoverie of the Abvses Thereof. Written in Latine by sundrie Authors of their owne profession. And Translated into English verse by G. L. [i.e. George Lauder] |
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 | The Anatomie of the Romane Clergie |  |
EPIGRAMES.
Mantuanus of Sixtus 4. in hell.
Bald pated rascall thou, who liued'st onelyTo surfet in thy filthie lecherie,
Thinkst thou thy myter can thy doings couer,
Or make vs now to be theirs or thy louer?
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Pope Ioane being with child coniuring the diuell had this answer.
Thou mother of Popes bring forth this popish birth,And then Ile freely tell thee, when Ile come forth on earth.
Marullus in Innoc. 8.
What need this toyle, to trie this Pope a man,Behold his of-spring clearely if ye can:
Eight sonnes, as many daughters he begat,
Rome needs not doubt, his sect wer't but for that.
Pontanus of Alexander 6.
Pope Alexander sold the Altars, Christ and crosses,Why not, he bought them all before; t'was to make vp his losses.
Albericus de Rosata.
The Court of Rome, disdaines a sheepe without the skin,All they that bring are welcome guests, who bring nought come not in.
Conradus Grebelius of Iulius 2.
Can he be good, that was sonne to a Genoweys,Begot vpon a Grecian dame, and borne i'th raging seas?
Ligurians are all false, Greeks all men liers call,
The Seas inconstant: Iulio, in thee we see them all.
Pasquillus.
VVith bauds and whores Pope Iulius & Sextus both were led,And Leo with foule Sodomies desil'd his loathed bed.
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What hope of any good in thee? Paul shall with vs remaine.
Mantuanus of the Citie.
If thou wouldst liue a godly life, from Rome flie farre away,All villany in it is vsed, here goodnesse hath no sway.
Nothing is here now to be found, but fained lies and mockes,
For which they daily bring in gold, to fill the Churches boxe.
Vertue is banisht frō this Towne, all honestie is gone:
And wickednesse and vices now possesse the Romane throne.
Pasquillus of Paule 4.
What furie moues thee to take armes, in thy declining yeares?Old Carrafa thou'rt aged now, & age is full of feares.
The campe thou dost not know so well, as Cloysters exercise,
Thou wantst the nerues of warre, that's gold, to make the souldiers rise.
Why putst thou on thy head and backe, such heauie armes as those
Which thy weake bodie cannot beare, being vsde to better clothes?
Why troublest thou this wofull land, with wounds yet groning sore?
And dost appall the God of warre, to proue his valor more?
Giue rest we pray thee to thy flockes, and let vs liue in peace,
Our holy father if thou be, and from thy battels ceasse.
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Which he vnto Saint Peter spake, when he did vse his sword.
The Popes answer.
The words which Christ to Peter spoke, are no wayes said to me,You do mistake (by Peters leaue) you are deceiu'd, I see
For why, I no way do succeed to Peter in that case,
As many in the world haue thought, since I vsurpt his place.
The name of Paul I haue tane on, his armour with his name,
And follow him in euery thing, ere his cōuersiō came.
Christs words I do remember well, to me they nothing are,
I came into the world in peace, but for to stir vp war.
Gilberti Ducerij Epigram de Iul. 2.
When holy Iulius to the field did go,Against the Gaules, as old reports do show:
Each day the Citie sounding loud alarmes,
He mustred forth great troupes in glistring armes,
And in a rage before the peoples eyes,
In Tibers streames did throw the holy keyes:
Then pulling out his sword, he madly sayes,
Against the French my foes, since now adayes
Saint Peters keyes cannot secure my state,
Pauls sword all controuersies shall debate.
Io. Pannomus.
Once in thy Church, S. Peter, as we reade,A woman rul'd, and did possesse thy chaire,
Vntill a Frier her holinesse did leade
Into the Conclaue to the euening prayer:
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All are not Saints that outwardly seeme holy,
She in the sport did ioy beyond all measure,
Till time made vp the fruites of louing follie.
Then what a griefe procur'd the great disgrace,
To all who thought her father of the Saints?
She shamefully was hurled from the place,
And euer since Romes policie preuents
The like mishap; they now the Pope do place
In a rich chaire, hollow and bottomlesse,
Where priuately (to shun future disgrace)
By natures marks his manhood they expresse.
But some to cleare the doubt and shun suspects,
Before they come to climbe the Papall throne,
Giue full assurance of their manly sexe,
And make themselues first father of a sonne.
Cordus lib. 2. Epigram in Iul. 2.
VVhen Iulius ended here this mortall life,To heauē (tis said he went) but came too late,
Two keyes he had, with which he kept a strife,
To trie if those could ope the sacred gate:
But all in vaine, the locke did it withstand,
Nor would acknowledge his supremacie.
Saint Peter hearing him, came to demand
What sinfull mortall knockt so saucily.
The Pope said, Peter, knowest thou not my name?
Looke on my crowne and slippers all of gold.
Begone sayes Peter, you are much too blame,
To claime a title in the thing you sold.
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Stigelius in Sylua.
A monke there was who in a night did beare,By Moone-shine light a Leman to his bed,
Vnder his gowne, and no suspect did feare,
He thought she was so closely couered.
By chance a Frier meets him in the way,
Whose iealous eyes discries the wenches feete,
He to the Monke in merrinesse did say,
What load is that which makes you so to sweat?
He answers, tis a saddle I did borrow,
From one of my acquaintance dwels hard by,
For I must ride a little way to morrow,
Of some reports the certaintie to trie.
The Frier hearing what a fine excuse
The youth had forg'd, streight replies againe,
A little of my counsell prethie vse
Before thou go'st, it shall not be in vaine.
Let no man see what carriage you haue there,
Nor know what furniture you do prouide,
Lest some of your companions do prepare
Themselues with you vpon your mare to ride.
Cordus lib. 6. Epigram.
Sixe Monkes together sitting on a draught,Began to thinke vpon their miseries,
And how the world at all their Orders laught,
Scoffing their persons, slighting their Decrees.
Mong'st whom was one that seem'd to rule the rest,
An aged father, whose old ioynts did shake,
He from the bottome of his grieued breast,
Fetching a sigh, thus to his brethren spake.
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And for a time their shepheards do forsake,
Yet let vs neuer ceasse to God to pray,
That he some pittie of our state may take.
For since the Lord doth see his seruants wrong,
And will prouide to keepe them free from hurt,
Heele take vs vp to heauen e're it be long,
And drowne the heretickes into this durt.
This hauing said, the boords began to cracke,
The rotten floares fall from the walls and staires,
The Monks all tumbling downe lie on their backs,
And striue in vaine, so heauen had heard their prayers.
Cordus lib. 6. Epigram.
A countrie wench confessing once her sins,In time of Lent vnto a Cordelier,
And from a long concealed thought begins,
To speake, but hardly could she speake for feare:
He still exhorted her for to discouer
The secret secrecie of all her thought,
Affirming plainly, if she stroue to smother
The least offence, it would to light be brought.
The wench amazd, at last begins to say,
Last night, good Sir, at midnight I espi'd
One of your brothers as asleepe he lay,
A bed stretcht close downe by my mistris side.
The Frier mad to heare her speake so plaine,
Sayes, filthy hypocrite, dar'st thou this say,
Thy mistris reputation thus to staine,
It was S. Francis t' whom she then did pray,
He that makes all our suits in heauen go right,
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Who heares our cries by day, and sighes by night,
T'was he that in my brothers habit came.
The wench replied, then be what Saint he will,
He left his hose behind him in the place:
If Saints of heauen weare clothes, I haue no skill,
I'm but an ignorant in such a case.
Take heed (the Frier saies) thou do not touch
Those holy things, which relickes we do call,
And do pertaine but onely vnto such
As are confirmed in the Orders all.
To morrow to the Church they shall be carried,
As sacred relickes still to be adored,
By all such fruitlesse women as be married,
And haue no issue, then they shall be stored.
FINIS.
| The Anatomie of the Romane Clergie | |