A discouery of the great subtiltie and wonderful wisedome of the Italians whereby they beare sway ouer the most part of Christendome, and cunninglie behaue themselues to fetch the quintescence out of the peoples purses: discoursing at large the meanes, howe they prosecute and continue the same: and last of all, conuenient remedies to preuent all their pollicies herein.

Cap. 24.

How that this mony when it is transported to Rome, doth flie with an incredible swiftnesse.

YEt to prooue better that the name of Quintessence, is pro∣perly attributed to the gold that they share from other peo∣ple of Christendome, I pray thée gentle Reader, consider that the substance of Quintessence is of so celestiall a nature, that if it be not verie closely kept, and enclosed within some vessell for that purpose, it léeseth straight the vertue, and flieth away by vapours into the ayre: so this gold which they fetch so farre to Rome, hath such an excellencie more then all other money hath, and hath both value & vertue, none like it, that we haue: not onely for that it is leuied with such wonderfull celeritie, and vnusuall spéed. (For when they purchase any collection of mony, or any other Bull of an Abby or a Bishoppricke, they spare no Horse flesh to gather vp the summes taxed, & hauing gotten them vp once, they must go in post, and chaunge Horse so often, that it séemeth the Flie with a Swallowes wings: no height of mountaines, no rough, narrow, stéepe, stony, hellow, crooked, nor raggie waies, no depth of snowes, nor hardnes of yse or frostes, no riuers that can staie or stop the passage of this mony, it must to Rome, it must flie, it must not créepe on the face of the earth: and sure it is of a wonderfull swiftnes in com∣parison of the heauines, delaie, and long time that the monies of Kings, Princes, and other great Estates are in getting into their coffers, whē oftētimes before they can get it in, they must force the good wil of their subiects, & be driuen to chuse out men that shall sit vpon their Subsidies & other Imposts, & others to collect the same, they which will not take such charges vpon them but by great constraint, and being vrged by necessitie, and then the poore people paie such summes sore against their will, putting it of as long as they may. Then must there be strai∣ning of moueables, and much heauing & shouing to haue them againe, hatred, despleasure, anger, ill will, much adoo, and great delaie on euery side, so that it will aske commonly thrée, or foure

moneths at the least, to collect, and deliuer in these Deniers to the receipts, although it might easily be carried thither in thrée or foure houres: and in verie déede may be saide to march but with wodden legges, in respect of the swift course and great ce∣leritie, of that which is transported to Rome. This may verie well shew, that the qualitie and nature thereof, is farre more excellent and pretious, then of that coine which the Kings and Princes of the earth possesse. Yet some may peraduenture re∣ply, that that which commeth by the sale of offices, approcheth verie néere the nature thereof, I will confesse so, but I will al∣so answere, that such trafficke is but an Italian tricke and in∣uention, for that by all lawes and ordinances, both of God and man, all such sales are forbidden as most pernicious, and great∣ly damageable to the common wealth, and matters most vn∣worthie & vnbeséeming all good Christians, that haue the feare of God before their eyes.