A defence of the Apologie of the Churche of Englande conteininge an answeare to a certaine booke lately set foorthe by M. Hardinge, and entituled, A confutation of &c. By Iohn Iewel Bishop of Sarisburie.

The Apologie, Cap. 3. Diuision. 6.

The Olde Councel at Rome decreed,* 1.1 that no man should comme to the Seruice saide by a Prieste wel knowen to keepe a Concubine. These menne let Concubines to ferme to their Priestes, and yet

constreigne men by force,* 1.2 againste theire wil, to heare theire cursed paltry Seruice.

M. Hardinge.

‡ 1.3 VVe finde no sutche Canon in the olde Romaine Councels.* 1.4 Your allegations noted in the margent be false for the more parte, as your Doctrine is. Yet finde we that Nicolaus and Alexander Popes haue willed no man to heare the Masse of that Prieste, whom he knoweth vndoubtedly to kepe a Concubin••. * 1.5 But wise men in the Lawe thinke onely that to be an vndoubted knowledge, when either the iudge hath by open sentence published sutche a man to kepe a Concubine, or the facte it selfe is notorious.

‡ 1.6 VVhereas you saie, we let Concubines out to ferme to our Priestes, it is meete for you to saie it, because it is false and slaunderous.* 1.7 Neither was euer any man, or at this daie is driuen to heare his Masse, who kepeth a Concubine. For if he wil take vpon him to proue any Prieste to kepe a Concu∣bine, him selfe non beinge so infamous, as he maie not stande in iudgemente, it is certaine, he shal be hearde. If he cannot proue it, then is not he out of doubte by order of Lawe, that this Prieste kepeth a Concubine, and therefore he is bounde, as other Christian people be, to heare his Masse.‡ 1.8 VVhiche is no sacrilege as your sacrilegious heart thinketh, and blasphemous tonge vttereth, but the blessed and ho∣ly sacrifice, whiche Christe made at his laste Supper.

The B. of Sarisburie.

If it had pleased you, better to haue perused your Bookes, ye mought soone haue found these selfe same woordes in the Councel of Rome, holden there vnder Pope Nicolas the First: Whiche, although it be not so olde, as maie be compared with y^• Ancient Fathers Councelles, yet it is elder then somme partes, & brāches of your Newe Religion. To like pourpose writeth Pope Zacharie, Quis sapiens iudicabit, eos esse Sacerdotes, qui nec à Fornicationibus abstinent? What wise man wil recken them to be Priestes, that absteine not so mutche as from Fornication? If no wise man can iudge them to be Priestes, what man then is he, that wil authorize them to Minister Sa∣cramentes?

Nowe of the other side, M. Hardinge, consider you the Common, and ordina∣rie practise of your Churche of Rome. Firste, touchinge the Pope him selfe, your Glose saithe, Facta Papae excusantur, vt Adulterium Jacob: The Popes dooinges (or Aduouteries) are excused, as the Aduouterie of Jacob. And againe, Communi∣ter dicitur, quo'd pro Simplici Fornicatione quis deponi non debet: cùm pauci si∣ne illo vitio inueniantur: It is commonly saide, that a man maie not be deposed, or depri∣ued for Simple Fornication:* 1.9 For as mutche as fewe (Priestes) be founde without that faulte.

Againe, whereas the woordes of the Decree are these, Nullus audiat Missam Presbyte••, quem scit Concubinam indubitanter habere: Let noman heare the Masse of that ••neste, whom he vndoubtedly knoweth to keepe a Concubine, The Close vpon the same saithe thus, Hic Canon quando{que} fuit latae Sententiae: Sed hodiè non est: This Decree in olde times stoode as a ruled case: but now is it not so. Ideo licet notoria sit For∣nicatio, tamen non est propter eam abstinendum ab officijs Presbyterorum: And therefore, although the Fornication be notoriously knowen, yet maie wee not therefore refraine from the Seruice of the Prieste.

Hereunto very wel agréethe the Glose vpon Othoes Legantines:* 1.10 Quid ergo si Sacerdos mueniatur coire cum muliere? Respondeo: Adhuc dicitur occultū: nec pro∣pter hoc debet cum vitare in publico, nisi aliter Conuincatur: What if a man find the Prieste in the m••uoure with a woman? I answeare: Al that notwithstandinge, the faulte is pr••••e. Neither maie a man therefore aouid y^• Priestes Seruice, onlesse he be otherwise co••••cted.

And againe, in the same Glose vpon these woordes, Qui publicè detinet Con∣cubinas: it is noted thus,* 1.11 Tu dic Publicè, quando multitudini se patere non expauet. Se∣cùs ergo, si secretè intra domum propriam, vel alienam detineat hanc Concubi∣nam.

Nam tunc poenam huius Constitutionis non incurret.* 1.12 Dom us enim rem secretam, non aūt publicam denotat: By this word Openly, vnderstand thou, If he be not afraide, leste the world espie him. Therefore it is otherwise, if he keepe the same Concu∣bine secretely, whether it be in his owne house, or in somme other mannes. For then he is not vvithin the daunger of this Lavve. For a house betokeneth a thinge to be Secrete, and not open.

By this fauourable, and gentle Construction, onlesse the Prieste kéepe his wo∣man openly in the Marketplace, he is without al daunger of Lavves, and Ca∣nons: and wee maie not refraine to heare his Seruice.

It is no Sacrilege, you saie, but the Blessed, and Holy Sacrifice. Hereto I maie answeare with the woordes of S. Augustine:* 1.13 Quae sunt Sacrilegia, si illa erant Sa∣cra? Aut quae Inquinatio, si illa Lauatio? What is Sacrilege, if this be a Sacrifice? Or, what is staininge, if this be wasshinge? Verily your owne Pope Hildebrande hereof writeth thus:* 1.14 Imperamus vobis, ne eorum Officia, Orationes, & Cu••tus audiatis Quia Benedi∣ctio ••orum vertitur in Maledictionem, & Oratio in Peccatum: Testante Domino per Propheram, Maledicam Benedictionibus vestris. Qui vero huic Saluberrimo praecepto o∣bedire noluerint, Idololatriae poenā incurrent: Wee commaunde you, that you heare nei∣ther theire Offices, nor thire Praiers, nor theire Seruice. For theire Blessinge is turned into Cursinge, and theire Praier into Sinne: As the Lorde him selfe witnesseth by the Prophete: I wil curse your Blessinges, saithe the Lorde. And who so euer wil not obeie this wholesome Commaundemente, he shal fal into the paine of Idolatrie. Iudge yee nowe, M. Har∣dinge, whether this be Sacrilege, as wée saie: or, as you saie, a Blessed, and an Ho∣ly Sacrifice.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Concil. Rom. ca. 3.
• * 1.2

  A Prieste keepinge a Cōcubine
• ‡ 1.3

  Vntruthe. For it is easy to be founde.
• * 1.4

  Dist 25. Ca. Nullus.
• * 1.5

  Sutche vvise menne be the Proctours of filthinesse.
• ‡ 1.6

  Vntruthe, no∣torious, & ma∣nifeste to the worlde. The B. of Argentine hath a Florene by the yeere of euery Prieste, that keepeth a Concubine: and if shee beare a childe, he hathe foure.
• * 1.7

  Vntruthe. Reade the An∣svveare.
• ‡ 1.8

  Vntruthe. For Pope Hilde∣brande saithe, Benedictio eorū vertitur in ma∣ledictionem. Concit. Roman. sub Nicolao. 1. Concil. To. 2. pa. 795. Anno, 880. Zacharias pp. in Epist. ad Bonifa. Dis. 40. Non nos, In Glossa.
• * 1.9

  Dist. 81. Maxi∣mianus, In Gloss. Dist 32. Nullus.
• * 1.10

  De Concubinis Clericor. remo∣uendis. Licet ad profligandum.
• * 1.11

  Glossa in cūdem titulum.
• * 1.12

  A Prieste keepinge a Cōcubine
• * 1.13

  Augusti De Ci∣uitat. Li. 2. Ca 4.
• * 1.14

  Dist. 81. Si qui.