hym a monke It is a wonder they made hym not a monkas or some other monster Suppose ye also but that kyng IohnÌ„ Kyng IohnÌ„ of England handled lyke a warde of Englande was handled metely lyke a warde whiche was fayne to yelde vp his crowne to the pope make so shamefull an othe of allegyaunce to holde his crowne of hym / after that maner as I byleue verily no trewe herted subiecte may abyde to here of moche lesse than to reporte it Ye and what was the cause of the cruell handlynge of this good kynge Forsothe none other but for that that he right gentilly demauÌ„ded a certayne soÌ„me of money of the whyte monkes to ayde hym in his warres and nede agaynst the yrisshe men / whiche monkes answered ryght obstynately but clokynge their obstynate pride with the colour of obedyeÌ„ce towarde their religyon that they durste not so do without the consent and lycence of the generall and heed visytour of their religyon thabbot of Cisteaux in FrauÌ„ce The kyng notwithstandyng whan he retourned from Irelande compelled them as right was for their proude disdaynfull stubburnnesse to paye moche more than he demauÌ„ded before the settyng forwardes of his voyage towarde IrelaÌ„de An other cause was for that that the kynge wolde not admytte one Stephan Langton a man of no small pride fewe good vertues as it apereth right well by the cronycles to the archbysshoprike of Caunterbury whome the priour and couent of the same had electe and chosen agaynste the kynges wyll and sent their election to the pope / whiche the pope confyrmed and sacred hym at a cytie called Viterbi If these be reasonable causes oh good christen reder to enterdyte and accurse this noble realme of Englande the kyng and his counsayle with all the dukes erles barons lordes other his subiectes that fauoured hym I reporte me vnto the If these be reasonable and iust causes to pyll poll this moste honorable realme of Englande euer sens that yerely of a thousande marke to be payde to the courte of Rome as a trybute as the bysshop of Rome pretendeth / with other incouenyentes expressed in the cronycle of Fabyane the seuenth parte .xvj. leafe / Rede Fabyane and the cronycles of Englande and in the cronycles of EnglaÌ„de the. lxxxiiij leafe and the .lxxxv. leafe I reporte me to the and to all the worlde without questyon kynge IohnÌ„ was a good man and a moste vertuous kynge / but vngoodly handled and falsly dyffamed by a malycyous sorte of traytours of the clergy after his dethe / and his lyfe and hystory shamfully enterlased with most abhomynable lyes wherfore I coÌ„ntende it syngulerly vnto thy goodnesse to rede it with discrecyon and iudgement Here good and fauourable reder I appeale vnto thy very conscyence and adiure the in the behalfe of god and as thou wylt answere / for as moche as thou seest here depaynted and set forthe before thyne eyen the maners and fassyons of the proude bysshoppes of Rome whiche be suche that it mere able to make any cleane christened and good englysshe herte in the worlde to abhorre at them that thou from hence forthe be not so superstycious so insolent folysshe to thynke it well done and alowed of god what so euer the rauenyng bysshoppe of Rome shall do without or besyde the worde of god Ye I adiure the also in the same name and vertue that I dyd before that thou suffre not thyselfe to be led in blyndnesse dampned in hell with them that helde with the bysshop of Rome than named pope Innocent the thyrde / agaynst their liege lorde souerayne kyng IohnÌ„ but that thou endeuoyre thy selfe to knowe thy dutye vnto thy souerayne and lyege lorde / and to resorte vnto suche sermons and bookes as shall teache the the same vnto whom thou owest suche obedyence as to shede thy herte bloode in his cause and coÌ„maundement / ye agaynst an hole armye of bysshops and popes of Rome if the case shulde so requyre / as well as agayne an armye of infydels and turkes I meane where the bysshoppe of Rome wyll take in hande to play the tyrauÌ„t as he dyd with good kynge Iohan / there I saye thou art bounde vnder the payne of dampnacion to stryke ye I affyrme boldly that who so euer ones fauoured cursed Innocentes parte at that tyme was dampned for euer in hell / onlesse he repeÌ„ted and were sory therfore or he dyed That proueth the electe vessell of god saynt Paulâ— the .xiij. chapiter to the romaynes sayeng who so euer resysteth the power meanynge the temperall power onely resysteth the ordynaunce of god Nowe is it playne that who so euer resysteth the ordynauÌ„ce of god coÌ„mytteth dampnable synne / and shall receyue dampnacyon for his labour as saynt Paule saythe / onelesse he repent and be sory therfore And that the aydours fautours fauourers and coÌ„senters vnto synne be as well worthy of euerlastynge dampnacyon as the very doers of the fact is proued by thauthorite of saynt Paule in the last ende of the fyrst chapiter of the epystle to the romayns by these wordes The whiche saythe saynt Paule meanyng of the heathen gentyles in generall all be it they knewe the lawe naturall of god that all they whiche coÌ„mytte suche synnes / as be adnombred in the same chapyter before be worthy of dampnacyon / yet not onely they do the same but also consent vnto those that do them as who shulde say not onely the doer but also the coÌ„senter vnto synne is worthy of euerlasting damnacyon Neyther can any man pretende ignorauÌ„ce before god / for it wyl not serue as wytnesseth Chryst hym selfe in the gospell / saying If the blynde lede the blynde Math .xv. bothe shall fall in the dyche He sayth not that the one of them shall fall in the dyche but bothe ¶ Wherfore ones agayne I warne aduyse beseche hertely adiure all myne owne hertye welbeloued countreymen of Englande that they ê‘myt not themselues to be blynded with affection with hypocrysye or with superstycyon Blyndnes wyll not helpe / therfore let it passe Yf thou wylte knowe the bysshops power of Rome / otherwyse called the popes power / as it is coÌ„uenyent syttynge that thou do / resorte vnto the glasse of truthe to the booke named the determinacions of the vniuersities / where it is ryght excelleâ—tly and passynge well declared debated what the power of the pope is / how farre it extendeth / and what he may do And to tell the my mynde shortly Our metropolytane of Caunterburye within the realme of Englande is a farre better man than he / both by thautorite of scripture the doctours of the churche and the authorite of counsayles generall And as for the bysshop of Rome otherwyse called the pope that nowe is all the worlde knoweth well ynough what he is a bastarde a symonyake an heretyke a false vsurper of his dignyte wherfore I can not
meruayle to moche why my coutrey men of EnglaÌ„de whiche had wont euer more to be cyrcumspecte and haue wysdome in all thyngê and fyerse of corage to defende their kyng and realme manfully / shulde seynge no cause why but many and vrgent causes to the contrary / depende and leane to the vsurped authorite of suche a naughty and leude person what sayd I authorite ye tyrannye whiche bycause our moste gracyous and souerayne lyege lorde the kyng wyll permytte and suffre hym no lenger haue his vsurped iurysdyction within this realme and to carye awaye exhauste and deuoure the golde syluer treasure of his poore subiectes and coÌ„mens to molest and trouble them in his courte at Rome / dyuers wayes to oppresse and vse his tyraÌ„ny ouer them by hym selfe and his as he many yeres heretofore hath ben neglygently suffred to do For this our cause I say it is that he beareth so moche malyce vnto our moste benygne protectour defendour our sayd souereygne lorde the kyng our vndouted capitall heed vnder god / enforseth therfore as moche as lyeth in his frowarde vngracyous pollicy and power to bring his hyghnesse and his realme to his vsurped obedyence / whiche moste manfully lyke a most vyctorious christen kyng he dothe defende not onely for hym selfe but for the tender loue and pytie that he beareth to the weale of this his honorable realme and louyng subiectes the delyueraunce of the same from seruage and thraldome Here me thynkes I se euen the hertes of al true englysshmen leape in their bodyes for the loue that they beare vnto their most gracious liege lord thus shamfully cruelly handled for their sakes speke vnto them selues after this maner Shall we suffre our kynges moste gracyous hyghnesse thus malyciously cruelly and frowardly to be entreated and haÌ„dled mocked and deluded of a bastarde of a symonyake of a false vsurper and of an heretyke / and all for the loue and fauour that he beareth vnto vs his poore subiectes / and for bycause his grace onely myndeth and tendreth our coÌ„modite weale profyte No forsothe we wyll not suffre his grace to receyue such iniuryes wronges in any wyse so farforthe as it shall lye in our power to the coÌ„trary / but we wyll agayue like true louyng subiectes whan so euer his noble grace shall so coÌ„maunde vs ye but euen wynke vpon vs to testify our true hertes myndes / that his moste noble grace dothe not loue vs in vayne and suffre so moch iniuryes for our sakes onely for naught drawe out our swordes lyke englissh men trewe subiectes / and manfully fyght in his graces quarell to spende the best bloode in our hertê to be reuenged of such a false bloodsupper Antychrist Let vs well remembre note and poÌ„der what benefytes we haue receyued of the kynges most gracyous highnesse by the space of .xxv. yeres / what experyeÌ„ce we haue had of his procedynges howe we haue ben defended from all outwarde enemyes what glorious moste victorious actes our sayd souerayne hath opteyned in the said .xxv. yeres whyle he hath ben our king in what welthe we haue lyued vnder hym / besydes the thyng that he now gothe aboute as to defende vs from the theft robbery oppressyon and tyraÌ„ny of the bysshop of Rome that moste myscheuous tyrant Hath not his grace euer ben our protectour and defendoure our shelde and buckler bothe in towne and in felde agaynst the theftes and robberyes of stronge theues murderers who coulde passe out of his dores / ye who coulde abyde at home in his owne house vnrobbed or slayne were not for the feare of the sworde wherwith his hyghnesse moste myghtyly hath euer defended vs whose wyfe coulde be saued from raâ—ysshynge whose doughter and mayde from deflorisshyng who shuld defende vs from the incursyons of outwarde enemyes as of alyens who shulde se vs haue any right in the lawe who shulde defende the poore wydowe the innocent the fatherlesse and the motherlesse Fynally if we had not a gracyous prince as lauded be god no realme hath none such it were moche more pleasure for vs to be out of the worlde than to be in it to be beestes that to be men / coÌ„syderynge the mysery wherin we shulde lyue if the sayd bysshop of Rome and his myght optayne that he and his moste desyre The premysses therfore well consydred why shulde we not loue hym fauour hym and defende hym with our lyues and goodes to the vttermoste of our powers / as our lyege lorde souerayne as our protectour and defendour / ye as a very father vnto vs as he is without questyon And contrary why shulde we in any wyse loue fauour enclyne or depende any thynge to that tyrannouse Antychrist of Rome whiche wolde with all his herte se his grace his realme subiectes also vtterly not onely ruyned but also brought in perpetuall captyuyte and bondage / to th ende that he with his clyentes myght haue his dyuellysshe desyre and luste accomplysshed and all this is for our sakes onely what profyte haue we by that foule romysshe ratten but pyllyng pollyng pykyng robbyng stealyng oppressyon bloodshedyng tyraÌ„ny dayly exercysed vpon vs by hym his Dothe he not enforce to distroy and extynct vs as moche as lyeth hym why shulde we be thus blynde why shulde we be thus insensyble Alas for pytie let vs ones be wyse serue god truly and our kyng / and god shall loue vs fauour vs defende vs and be with vs / than who shall be agaynst vs Remembre good reder what I haue sayd I beseche the hertyly in goddes behalfe and as thou art a trewe subiecte / and away with Antychrist of Rome Here moste gentyll reder all be it I instauntly requyred the a lytell before as thou woldest answer before god to resorte vnto suche bookes as maye perfytely instructe the in the knowlege of the power of the romysshe popet or bysshop yet for bycause the mater is nowe in our handlynge also / and for as moche as I desyre nothynge more than that thou all other my couÌ„trey men may clerely se the playne truthe as consernynge what his power is in dede / and by that to stycke abyde I say boldly affyrme at fewe wordes The bysshoppe of Romes power that the bysshoppe of Rome hath no more authorite than hath any other bysshop in christendome gyuen hym by the scrypture To proue that it shall be necessary to recyte the place of Mathewe the .xvj. wherin all his hope and trust is But first thou shalte vnderstande that our sauyour Christe putteth a certayne questyon vnto his discyples and demaundeth of them what the fame and reporte of the people was of hym and howe they estymed hym toke hym in companye there as the apostels came / not for bycause that he was ignoraunt of the peoples talkynge for howe can any thynge be vnknowen to god
Charitas IVSTICIA Fides ¶ A mustre of scismatyke bysshoppes of Rome / otherwyse naming them selues popes / moche necessarye to be redde of al the kynges true subiectes Cum priuilegio PRVDENCIA SPES Obedientia Daâ—entia IB Iohan Byddell Londini in aedibus Thome Bertheleri typis impress Cum priuilegio adimprimendum solum ANNO. M.D.XXXIX ¶ Here foloweth the coutentes of this booke EIrst a prologue whiche discribeth and setteth forthe the maners fassyons and vsages of popes / ryght mete and conuenyent for the tyme that nowe is wherein also the popes power is breuely declared / and whether the worde of god written be suffycient to our saluacyon or not ¶ After that a goodly hystory worthy to be redde of al men of pope Gregory the seuenth / written in the latyne tonge by a ryght holy and vertuous prelate of the churche called Beno cardynall at that same tyme / newly translated into englysshe ¶ Last of al foloweth the lyfe of the fourth Henry emperour of Rome of Amayne newe turned also in to our mother tonge whiche Henry was cruelly imprisoned and deposed by the meanes of the sayde Gregyry The prologue of the translatour ¶ Iohan Robertes to the gentyll indifferent reder sendeth gretynge and well to fare COnsyderyng oh well beloued reder that so many noble authours / as well of science incomparable as of wytte most clere and excelleÌ„t haue in dyuers and sondry workes so lyuely and expresly depaynted and set forthe as a lyuyng ymage before a mans eyen the vse fruyte or coÌ„modytees of hystories / so that nothyng more as concernyng the coÌ„mendacyon of them can be well desyred / I thought it therfore a thyng lytell requysyte as at this tyme agayne of any suche thyngê to make declaracion And though I had attempted so to do yet I do not stande thaÌ„ked be god so hyghly in myne owne conceyte but whan I had done the best I coulde and sought all the corners of my wytte / I thynke not the contrary but there myght haue appered as great difference of eloquence beautye of oracyon bytwyxt my encomye or coÌ„mendacyon and theirs as bytwyxt the clerenesse of the sonne and the leest sterre in the fyrmament Therfore the premysses pondred I haue determyned to leaue that and to procede to my purpose shewe the cause of my labours ¶ There is a fonde folysshe fantasye ragynge in many mens heedes nowe a dayes that wolde to god they were so wyse as they be many in multytude that be troubled with it and that is this The pope saye they can not That the pope can not erre the traÌ„slatouâ—e entenoeth to disprouâ— erre Truthe it is that if he be in a fayre hyghway without any turnynges and wel hedged on bothe sydes vpon his mules backe I thinke he can not moche erre excepte he wolde cause his mule to take the hedge But that lyghtly he can not for a mule men say may abyde the spurre very well This fantastycall blyndnesse was neuer endued by any man of litterature but by some pekysshe pedler or cloutyng colyer it is so grosse of it selfe well be it neuer so grosse yet was I ones grossed therin my selfe For colyers be not grosse alone Than chaunsed to come to my hande the lyfe of Gregory the seuenth otherwyse named Hyldebrande herafter folowyng wherin whan I had redde a lytell way as a man wolde say one leafe and one syde in the latyne tonge se the abhomynacion that there was written I begon some thyng to be moued bote the lyppe scratched my heed and wexed excedynge wery yet forthe I went But whan I came to th ende and remembred the detestacyon execracion and myschefe that I had there met withall by chauÌ„ce / and agayne howe shamfully myserably and pytously the poore symple soules of Christes churche had ben seduced mocked / not onely my selfe and one or twayne mo but hundredes thousandes / ye al the hole worlde with this pestylent persuasyon that the pope can not erre / and dyd se before myne eyen the playne contrary so clere that it can not be denyed / me thought I was bounde in conscience no lesse than vpon the saluacion of my soule to declare vnto other the truthe that I had fouÌ„de and the darknesse out of the whiche by the redyng of this forsayd boke I was delyuered Of this conscyence zeale occasyon I toke vpon me to translate this hystory mencyoned / whiche although it be not so exquisytely done nor with suche eloqueÌ„ce of englysshe as some man wolde loke for in an hystory / yet shall I desyre all men whose chauÌ„ce shall be to rede it to admyt my good wyll endeuoyre And bycause no man in the worlde that nowe is can meane saye or do any thynge so well or with so clere conscience but that the poysoned pestyleÌ„t tonges of false detractours shall peruerte it to the worste therfore I The ê“testaryon of the traÌ„slatour protest here before god or I procede any further that I entende no derogacyon to holy churche holy popes holy bysshops holy fathers holy doctours holy man holy woman or any other holy thynge / but onely the disclosynge vtteraunce of them that be naught and yet notwithstandyng wyll be taken as holy wolde haue men byleue that what so euer they do is well and that they can not erre / â—â—d wyll if a man saye the contrary call hym heretyke and be redy to burne hym for other defence they haue none But truthe it is that a galde horse wyll kycke whâ—n he is rubbed vpon the gall and no man wyll make a prouder bragge souer than 〈◊〉 starke thefe / as Iudas said whan our sauyour Christ shewed his apostels that one of them had betrayed hym Not I good lorde quod he Here coulde I recyte many goodly ensamples of them that wolde be estymed good yet in very dede be starke naught were not for dyuers causes but amonge so many let vs be coÌ„tent with one In the tyme of kyng Henry Cardynall Iohan. the first kyng of Englande there came in to this realme a cardynall of Rome whose name was IohnÌ„ this cardynall made a greuous exclamacyon agaynste preestes concubynes / and sayde that it was a shamfull thynge abhomynable in the syght of god a preest to ryse from a strompettes syde to sacre the holy body of Chryst / whiche notwithstandyng the same daye after that he had songe masse in the mornyng was taken with an harlot hym selfe at nyght lyke a good euaâ—gelycall father This thyng was so opâ—n ly knowen that it myght not be forsaken nor hyd If any man be discontent with the productyon of this ensample I â—hall desyre hym to holde me excused / fyrste bycause I do it of no malyce god to recorde / secondaryly for that that no man entendyng to disclose the maners of them that be naught yet wyll be otherwyse taken can do any other but saye the
Sergius all that was done of Theodore / and condemneth bothe Theodore / IohnÌ„ the .ix. also Formosus / coÌ„maundyng Formosus body to be taken out of the graue ones agayne / and to be appareyled lyke a preest / and his heed to be smytten of in the seate apostolyque / and the body to be cast in the ryuer of Tyber Leo the fyfth was imprisoned of Christofer Leo the fyfthe / and had the papacye withdrawen from hym by maystrye and violence but Sergius the fourth thrust out Christofer and that ryght shortly / accordynge to the olde ê“uerbe Quade do / quade haue Here is a turmoylyng I trowe IohnÌ„ the .x. was sone to Sergius the IohnÌ„ the tenthe fourth / bothe in flesshe and spirite / than ye may be bolde he was no lytell honest Marke the lyfe of these that folow / by th ende / for it is an olde prouerbe If the ende be good / all is good man IohnÌ„ came by the papacye as moo of his felowes dyd / by vsurpacyon violence / I wyll vse no worse termes / and at the last accordyng to his lyfe dyed myserably in pryson his breth stopped with a quysshyon IohnÌ„ the .xvij. came vp by symonye / IohnÌ„ the xvii by the helpe of Crescentius consull of Rome / and afterwardes for no goodnesse had his eyes bored out of his heed / and the rest of his membres al to cutte hewed and mangled Damasus the second entred the poperyche Damasus the second by power and violence / and by all possibilitie lyued well / for he dyed sodeynly without howsell or shryfte IohnÌ„ the .xxj. was not vnlerned / but IohnÌ„ the xxi a very foole in maners / and dyed as folysshly Vpon a tyme belyke whan the cuppes were full / for than be men moost wysest he prophecyed that he sholde lyue many yeres / but it was not longe after ere he dyed wretchedly slayne with a chamber fallynge on his necke whiche was but euen newe buylded And here ye may se how true prophetes they ben Wherto sholde I recyte the greuouse InnoceÌ„t the fourth and intollerable exactions taskes paymentes wherewith pope Innocent the fourth bothe cruelly wrongfully and vncharitably pylled and vexed the Realme of Englande / for the whiche he was sharply rebuked of Grostheed bysshop of Lyncolne Bysshop Grostheed at those dayes in a lettre sente hym from the same Grostheed / for the whiche lettre and for bycause the bysshop wolde not admyt a neuewe of the same Inuocentes beynge but a boye to a Canonrye than voyde in Lyncolne he was accyted to Rome / and ther vpon accursed / and the bysshop appeled to the Throne of the Trinitie After the bysshop was deed there appered to the pope in the nyght one in a bysshoppes rayment / and smote the pope vpon the lyfte syde sayinge Aryse vp wretche coÌ„me to thy dome The pope was founde deed in the mornynge / his bedde all swymmyng with blode Bonyface the .viij. of whome we spake Bonyface the. viiâ— before dyed thus As he withstode the frensshe kynge / and enforced with all his myght and power to haue deposed hym Guyllyam de Longaret a wyse man and farre castynge / and other of Guyllyams frendes made theym stronge / and toke pope Bonyface whome after longe pynynge in pryson they set vpon a wylde horse without any brydell turnynge his face towarde the tayle / and makyng hym ronne and prycke so aboute tyll at the last he lost his wynde / and so was siayne but euen in a maner as I sayd deed before with hunger / agreable vnto the prophecye of Celestyne / as a foxe thou entred / as a lyon thou shalte reygne / and as a dogge thou shalte dye Iohan the .xij. by all lykely hode came IohnÌ„ the xiâ— of gentyll blode / for he loued well dogges and huntynge And as for women he kepte them but euen openly At the last as he was takyng a lytell pastyme with a mannes wyfe for the recreacyon of his spirytes / the deuyll kylled hym sodeynly euen in the doynge of thacte Constantyne the seconde entred vngracyously ConstaÌ„tyne the seconde lyued vngraciously to the great infamye and slaunder of all holy churche and was at the last vngraciously serued / bothe his eyen put out deposed by the charyte as writers say of good christen people for his vngracyous lyfe ¶ I fynde it a trewe sayeng oh good reder that who so regardeth his worke dilygently hath lytell mynde of other thynges In good faythe I was so besy with these popes that I had almost forgotten my selfe / and haue nye hande made halfe a worke in stede of a prologue but I pray the of thy curtesye to pardon my forgetfulnesse and than I wyll speake a worde or twayne of the deposycion of the emperour Henry the fourth with two or thremo and so make an ende Fyrste to remembre the moste cruell Henry the fourth / Emperour tyrannous and pityfull handlyng of the excedynge good vertuous prince Henry the fourth emperour of Rome and of Almayne whose lyfe and hystorye I haue hereafter translated alas it wolde make any mannes herte in the worlde to melte Oh good lorde what man is that lyuyng were he neuer so cruell or vnnaturall whose eyen wolde not braste out in wepynge / to se so excellent a prince so valyaunt and so vertuous to be so villaynously entreated mocked dryuen from place to place cast in prison deposed banysshed / and that euen of his naturall sonne lordes and subiectes The cause and doyng wherof was onely all togyder Hyldebrande otherwyse named pope Gregorye the seuenth / as but to playne if it pleased god otherwyse hereafter it shal be sene in both their lyues folowyng / and therfore I let it passe Than go to Innocent the thyrde / and Otho se how by the authorite of Quodcuque ligaueris he setteth vp putteth downe and maketh hauoke And fyrste of all he enhaunseth Otho the fourth and crowneth hym Emperoure but it was not longe or great varyauÌ„ce fell bytwene the pope and the emperoure Than marke howe that as sone as Otho ones displeaseth Otho is deposed Innosent / by and by he is accursed and thervpon deposed / and Frederyke the fourth is sette vp in his stede But not longe after cometh Innocent the fourth and he deposeth Frederyke / bycause he Frederyke is deposed began to withstande the pope and wolde haue taken no wronge at his handes as other had doone This Frederyke was slayne of his owne sonne / by whose encoragynge it is easy to coniecture was not the emperoure Lewes the Lewes the mylde deposed mylde caste in prisone also and deposed of his owne sonnes by the couÌ„sayle of Gregory the fourth Dyd not pope zacharias at the request Hylderyke deposed of Pypyn ruler of the frenche kynges house depose Hylderyke the frenche kynge at those dayes / and made