these brazen images they see."

And whilst the ruder sort are so carried headlong with blind zeal, are so
gulled and tortured by their superstitions, their own too credulous
simplicity and ignorance, their epicurean popes and hypocritical cardinals
laugh in their sleeves, and are merry in their chambers with their punks,
they do _indulgere genio_, and make much of themselves. The middle sort,
some for private gain, hope of ecclesiastical preferment, (_quis expedivit
psittaco suum [Greek: chaire]_) popularity, base flattery, must and will
believe all their paradoxes and absurd tenets, without exception, and as
obstinately maintain and put in practice all their traditions and
idolatrous ceremonies (for their religion is half a trade) to the death;
they will defend all, the golden legend itself, with all the lies and tales
in it: as that of St. George, St. Christopher, St. Winifred, St. Denis, &c.
It is a wonder to see how Nic. Harpsfield, that Pharisaical impostor,
amongst the rest, Ecclesiast. Hist. _cap. 22. saec prim, sex._, puzzles
himself to vindicate that ridiculous fable of St. Ursula and the eleven
thousand virgins, as when they live, [6580]how they came to Cologne, by
whom martyred, &c., though he can say nothing for it, yet he must and will
approve it: _nobilitavit (inquit) hoc saeculum Ursula cum comitibus, cujus
historia utinam tam mihi esset expedita et certa, quam in animo meo certum
ac expeditum est, eam esse cum sodalibus beatam in coelis virginem._ They
must and will (I say) either out of blind zeal believe, vary their compass
with the rest, as the latitude of religion varies, apply themselves to the
times, and seasons, and for fear and flattery are content to subscribe and
to do all that in them lies to maintain and defend their present government
and slavish religious schoolmen, canonists, Jesuits, friars, priests,
orators, sophisters, who either for that they had nothing else to do,
luxuriant wits knew not otherwise how to busy themselves in those idle
times, for the Church then had few or no open adversaries, or better to
defend their lies, fictions, miracles, transubstantiations, traditions,
pope's pardons, purgatories, masses, impossibilities, &c. with glorious
shows, fair pretences, big words, and plausible wits, have coined a
thousand idle questions, nice distinctions, subtleties, Obs and Sols, such
tropological, allegorical expositions, to salve all appearances,
objections, such quirks and quiddit