departed homeward to his owne syr Ierome Bomegardener a learned maÌ„ y â— feared god being sent to the said couÌ„sail froÌ„ the towne of NurreÌ„ myght haue ouercome subdued all Fraunce with out any notable losse of his men For the warriours of the Frenche kyng were become so faintharted y t they durst in no place resist their enemies To the which act themperour might haue ben greatly aduaunced by the meanes that the kyng of Englande saye also in Fraunce with a great power Howbeit through great intreataunce mediation of y e chiefe lordes of the parliamen at Paris the duke of Orleans the kinges sonne who did specially fauoure y e Emperour the matter was brought to a staye but on what coÌ„dicion I haue no certaintie of knowledge as yet for somuch as some say one thing some another Wherfore I wil rather write nothing theÌ„ I shuld therof affirme any thing vncertaine In this yere chaunced foure horrible Eclpses or darkenings The first of the Moone the .x. daye of Ianuary about .vi. of the clock in y e morning which lasted .iii. houres .xxviii. minutes the Moone was hidden .xii. pointes .xlvi. minutes The second of the SuÌ„ne the .xxiiii. day of Ianuary about ix of the clock before noone lasting .ii. houres .vi. minutes â–ª the SuÌ„ne was darkened about .xi. pointes .xvii. minutes when this darkenes was at the hiest it was so darke euerywhere as it is coÌ„monly at night wheÌ„ the Sunne is newely set insomuch that all fowles cattaile whiche were mery before became still sad as though they had mourned had compassion with the Sunne being darkened The third Eclipse was of the Moone the .xiiii. day of Iuly about half an houre after eight whiche lasted .iii. houres .xlii. minutes the Moone was darkened â–ª xvii â–ª pointes and .xxv. minutes The fourth was of the Moone the .xxix. day of december in the morning about half an houre befor seuen lasted .iii. houres .xxxvi. minutes the mone being depriued of her light by the shadowe of y e earth about .xiiii. pointes and .xviii. minutes But what effecte and operation the sayde Eclipses and darkenynges brought with them maye euery wyse man partely perceyue by the contentes of the Story of the yere next folowyng and partely by the dayly discourse and exercyse bothe of magistrates and of subiectes For without special alteration of earthely creatures suche constellacions are not wont to passe as experience doth sufficiently teache and declare This yere henry the eight king of England sent an armye into Scotlande in the moneth of May whiche landed at Lyth in Scotlande and so went burnyng and destroyeng the countrey about sparyng nether castel towne pyle nor vyllage vntyll they had ouerthrowen and destroyed many of theÌ„ as the borough and towne of Edenborough with the Abbey called Holy Rodehouse and the kynges Palice adioyned to the same The towne of Lyth also with the hauen and peyre The castell and vyllage of Cragmyller the Abbay of Newbottell and parte of Muskelborowe towne the Chappel of our lady of Lawret. Preston towne and the castell Harintowne wyth the Freres and Nunery and castell of Oliuer Sancklers the towne of Dunbar Laurestone wyth the Graunge with many other townes castels vyllages and pyles Also this yere thesayd kynges maiestie prepared an army into Fraunce thither he went his owne person beseged the stroÌ„g towne of Bullen in Fraunce and there wanne the watch toure otherwyse called the olde man the .xxviij. day of Iuly And the .xxix. day of the same moneth Basse Bullyn was wonne the .xiij. day of September the towne of hygh Bullyn was victoriously coÌ„quered by the said kyng of England whiche after the entreaty humble peticion made of the French men gaue them licence to take bag bagage with them so departe the .xiiij. day of SepteÌ„ber at .iii. of the clocke at after none y e towne gate was opened the people began to come out they helde on vntill .vij. of the clocke at night And there were in nombre of men women children iiiâ— M. of them .xv. C. able meÌ„ of warre they had with them as muche as they could cary both men women children that was able to beare any thing and their horses kine were loded with as much stuffe as they could beare away And they had .lxxv. wagens laden with them IN the yere of our lord 1545. was another couÌ„cell kept at Wormes where many thinges were discussed entreated as the breakyng vp of the same publyshed maketh mencion There was also coÌ„cluded as touching matters of religion that a coÌ„munication disputacion shuld be kept at Rainsburgh the next yere whereunto y e estates of the Gospel or Euangelical princes shoulde appointe viiâ— learned men on their partie and likewise the Papistes eyght men on theyr syde whose mutuall agreementes and conclusyons shoulde bee propounded and declared vnto the Emperoure That afterwarde he might coÌ„sulte vpon suche thinges as shuld seme to make for an vnitie concorde Whyle these and suche other matters were debated and determined at Wormes in the presence of the Emperoure and the kyng of the Romaines the ryght high and myghty Prince and lorde Frederike Palatine and Electour Imperiall by the Rene coÌ„sideryng pondring the necessitie of his princely graces poore subiectes wherein they lay miserably captiuated and clogged vnder the yoke of that wicked and detestable Papacy and how many soules might be lost and brought to dampnacion or euer such vnitie as should be made at Raynsburgh could be brought to passe And also howe many consultacions and disputacions had bene kept before this tyme wherein alwaies the papisticall secte had bene conuinced and ouercome â–ª and yet neuertheles had alwayes persisted in their Idolatry and defended it the longer the more violently whereby it myght be easely perceiued and concluded what hope of amendement or agreement there was to be loked for He determined and coÌ„cluded with hymselfe furth with to forsake all popysh abhomination and not to tarye the yssue or ende of the sayde conuocacion and disputacion but in asmuche as thorough the grace and mercy of God he had obtained knowledge of the truthe and lyght of the Gospell to canse the same without delay to be ministred and declared to his poore subiectes Wherefore he ordeyned and constituted in all his iurisdictions that the Popish abhominacion should be put downe and that in stede of the same the Gospell of Christ should be frely preached that his pore coÌ„mons might be taught and brought into the right and true way of saluacion Our Lorde and sauiour Iesus Christe preserâ—e hym and all the fauourers of his worde to procede and go forwarde in the settyng furth of hys wyll to the glory of his blessed name Amen This yere also died the doughter of kyng Ferdinando whiche was maried to Sigismunde the younge king of Pooles
tethe and yet resembled not the swynes in any other parte But the moost part of them were Lyons The Crosse the Camell and the Lyon whose head the Cocke dyd eate were sene last of all Henrye the eyghte oft hat name kynge of Englande whan he was by the Pope excōmunycated for makyng dyuorse wyth hys wyfe which was hys brothers wyfe before called the nobylytye and beste learned of hys Realme together and consulted wyth them In the whych consultatyon or parlyamente it was concluded that the Pope hadde none authorytye nor power ouer hym nor yet ouer the Churche of hys Realme but that the kynge hym selfe was both kynge of his Royalme and also supre me heade and defender of the same Churche Werefore he dyd vttterlye forsake the Pope and fell from hym He dyd also set furthe a booke of the authority and power of Christen Princes ouer their Churches agaynste the vsurped authorytye of the Pope and hys detestable abhomynatyon and procured afterward to be ioyned in confederatyon wyth the Euangelycall Prynces and townes agaynste the Pope and specyally wyth the towne of Lubeke Whithin a littel whyle after this his deputye in Irelande fell from hym and caused the whole Ilande to rebell agaynst theyr Prince In thesayed yeare the fyue and twentiest daye of September dyed Pope Clement the seuenth of that name beyng old syxe and fyftye yeares and foure monethes After hym was elected and chosen the twelft daye of October Paule the thyrde a verye olde man whyche before was called Alexander Farnesius a Romayne borne and had ben byshop of Ostia What Romysh touches the same hath wrought and vsed shalbe mentioned hereafter in place conuenient Whyle thys was a doynge in the Weste the bloudthurstye Mars was busy in the Easte For the moost myghty Sophy kynge of the Persyans inuaded the Lande of Armenia agaynst the Turke wyth a myghty army Wherefore the Turke sent hys chyefe Capytayne called Imbrai Bassa wyth a stronge hoost to defend Armenia from and agaynst the Persyans But whan they met by the Ryuer of Eufrates Imbrai Bassa wyth the moost parte of his hoost was slayne Then Soliman the Turky she Emperoure intendyng to reuenge the sayde losse receyued at the handes of the Persyans went out of the cytye of Epiphania whyche lyeth in the ende of the lande of Cilicia and abutteth vpon Syria wyth a great nombre of men well appointed and had a prosperons iorney and a lucky paspassage vntill he approched nygh vnto the costes of Armenia But as soone as he hadde attayned vnto it he was vnwarres enuyronned compassed and besyeged rounde aboute of the Persyans in the mountaynes on euerye syde in suche wyfe that thesayd Soliman had muche to do to saue hys lyfe and to escape wyth a fewe of hys men into Syria Whylest Solyman was thus pestered and busyed wyth the Persyans a certayne Pyrate or Sea roauer whome the Lombardes and the people of Mauritania do call Barbarossa rose vp in Grece and gate vnto hym a Turkyshe Armad a well appoynted intendynge to inuade and ouertunne the kyngedome of Tunise lyenge in Affrica where sometyme Carthago was buylded and at hys arryuynge he pilfered and spoyled syrste the Cytye of Ostia lyenge not farre from Roome After that he kept the sea aboute Genua a good whyle and whan they of Affrica suspected least of all they were of hym inuaded In so muche that he subdued vnto hym selfe all the lesser Affrica and expelled kynge Altzachenus from Tunise Thus hath thys Tyraunt ouercome Affrica wherein he reygned and tryumpheth yet at thys daye wyth greate pryde and arrogancy The fyfte daye of Iulye in the sayd yeare of M. CCCCC xxxiiii were burned at Breda in the lande of Brabant nyne hundreth and thre score houses by a sodayne fyre In the begynnyng of the Winter arose manye horryble and tempestuous Westerly and also Southerly wyndes wherby certayne quarters in lowe Duchelande and thinhabitauntes of Sealande dwellynge nygh the sea syde sustayned notable losses and dammages In the lande of Pole were all waters and ryuers so excedingly increassed that they brooke downe at Crakowe and at Casymyre myghtye stonebridges and walles wyth many other strong buyldynges notwythstandynge that in a maner thoroughoute all Europa besydes all waters were verye small and partely dryed vp thorough the greate heate of the same Sommer Thys yeare the Duke of Millan maryed the doughter of Cristerne captyue kyng of Denmarke whych was borne vnto hym of Izabell syster to the Emperour Charles IN the yeare of our Lorde 1535. the Emperoure Charles prepared hym selfe wyth greate power and made out a myghty Armada or nauy furnyshed wyth all maner of necessaries and thoroughlye manned wyth Duche French and Spanyshe warriours wherewyth he sayled fyrste oute of Spayne into the Ile of Sardinia From thence into Sicilia and from thence he sayled into Affrica in the moneth of Iune and recouered the cytye and kyngedome of Thunise agayne whyche Barbarossa had taken before whome the Emperoure expelled agayne from those quarters and restored the olde kynge Altzachenus agayne to hys kingedome on thys condytyon that he shoulde yearelye paye a certayne trybute to the Emperoure But the Castell of Golleta dyd themperoures Mayeste reserue to hys owne vse whyche he furnyshed also wyth men retaynynge the same onelye from the kyngdome of Tunyse All the residue of the sayde kyngdome dyd he delyuerer to the sayde king Thys battayll and affayres beynge ended themperoures Maiestye returned agayne wyth hys Nauy into Sicylya and arryued wyth a prosperous course at Palerrno whyche sometyme was called Panormus Whyle the Emperoure was busy to sett all thynges in ordre in the kyngdome of Tunise Barbarossa inuaded the Ile called Mynorca whyche is the leaste amonge the Iles of balearis destroyenge the same by spoylynge and burning very piteously Also the Affrycanes in the kyngdome of Thunyse dyd not behaue themselues verye faithefullye towardes themperoures Mayesty For when they woulde saue them selues from hys power and some of them wente aboute to make an insurrectyon The Emperoures Maiestye sente hys chiefe Capytayne Andrewe de Aurea vpon the sea towardes Affryca to punyshe and correcte the rebelles for the better establyshemente of all thynges in the kyngdome of Tunyse In the lowest partes of Ducheland dyd the Secte of the Anabaptistes myghtelye increase Wherefore the townes by the sea syde feared a great destruction on there behalfe Among the whych Secte some were so deuelysh and shameles that they dyd not onelye wythoute anye conscyence and shame take manye wyues but also went altogether naked euen as they were borne in thys worlde Suche is the ordre where the Deuell is Capytayne that neyther nurtour honestye nor yet the feare of God is regarded But they that were wythin the Towne of Mynster and had ben nowe more then a yeare therein besyeged were not very well at
ease allthough by the reason of theyr foolyshe Phantasyes and hardened hartes they coulde not nor yet woulde not perceyue it vntyll they were vtterlye destroyed For notwythstandyng that the sayed syege pressed them and an horrible and importunate famine as was mencioned before in the last yeare reygned among them Yet were they by the comfortable persuasyons of theyr false Prophetes so hardened that they mynded nothynge lesse then to yelde by the Towne and saue theyr lyues notwythstandynge that thereunto they were often tymes requyred wyth lyberall and gracyous promyses But contrary wyse they defended themselues the longer the fearcer and shot out of the Towne with ordinaunce as though the deuell had bene among them to the great auoyaunce of their aduersaries in so muche that not a fewe valiaunt warriours in the Campe were slayne with their ordinaunce And to declare the madnes of the said Anabaptistes I haue thought it mete not to omitte a folysh acte done by a certayne woman among them Forasmuche therfore as they within the towne had this opinion of the saied towne of Mynster that it was that new Ierusalem mencioned in the Apocalipse thorough the whiche all the heathen should be destroied so that the christians should reigne in peace a thousand yeres whiche sayeng although they must be vnderstande spiritually were they expounded by them carnally the said folysh woman would counterfette the acte of Iudith which slewe holofernes and deliuered her Citie Wherefore she made her boaste that if she myght be costely arayed and decked she woulde go furth if she were permitted into the hooste of her aduersaries and easely ouercome the byshop Whyle nowe the kyng the other in the town were so foolysh and made not only to beleue her but also to further her in the said affayres trustyng that their deliueraunce was at hand she went out and behaued her selfe in all pointes as though she had bene escaped and fled out of the citie But her dissimulacion beyng espied perceyued she was taken and brought before the Byshop and after her confession rewarded wit death accordyng to her deseruyng For asmuche nowe as the saied craft and practise bad no good successe the Anabaptistes within the citie ought to haue consydered that there was no fortune in their doyng seyng they were yet oppressed to the vttermost But they dyd herein resemble the Iewes in their last destructiōat Ierusalem for the more God plaged them with famine and dissention among them selues the more hard harted and stifnecked they were vntill at the last one escaped priuely out of the saied citie and brought in certaine of the byshops souldiours at the gate called the holy crosse gate which souldiours after they had slain the watchemen opened the gate and so made away into the citie for the other Thus was the citie of Mynster taken in again and deliuered from the powere of the Anabaptistes at the feast of S. Iohn the baptiste in the night And the next day folowing whatsoeuer would make any resistaūce being slayn with the sworde the kyng with his chief counsayllours craftyng and knipperdulling were taken prisoners These three were aftewarders for the space of certayne monethes caryed about in the countrey from place to place for a spectacle and example to all men And at the last on S. Vincentes day in the yere of our lorde MDxxxvi they were put to death with fyry tonges and their dead bodies hanged vp in yron baskettes or grates out of the steple of S. Lamberts Churche within the saied citie of Mynster the kyng in the middes somewhat hyer then his said two coūsailers for a perpetual memoriall and warning to all commocioner raysers of tumulte rebelles against y e lauful magistrates ordeined of God Thus toke this kyngdom of the Anaba pristes a shameful ende according to their desertes In Denmarke raged the duke of Oldenborough with the capitaines of Lubeke as he had begonne the yere before but the moste part of the germayne counsayll chose Christiane Duke of Holston to be kyng in Denmarke desyring hym to assiste them against the saied duke of Oldenborough and them of Lubeke While nowe the said request was easy to be graunted and the said duke of Holston had taken Iudland in possession all ready whiche is no small porcion of the kyngdome of Denmarke abutting vpon the lande of Holstone he passed with his army into the Ile of Funa ▪ otherwyse called Fion and ouercame the citie of Asnites But when the duke of Oldēborough with them of Lubeke assaulted him with an hoost of men well appointed both on horsebacke and on foote the said Christian obtayned the victory so that the duke of Oldēborough lost much people where among other was slayne Iohn count of Hoya and an Erle of Teckelburgh in Westphale and euen the same daye whiche was the .xi. daye of Iune they of Holstone toke from them of Lubeke an Armada of shippes and put the men of Lubeke whiche they founde in the same in captiuitie In somuche that the said Christiane had the ouerhande on euery syde whiche was vnto him a witnes from God that he should be kyng in Denmarke In Hungary and Austrich were diuers louedayes kept betwene Ferdinando and Iohn Weyda kinges of Hungary and the Turkes imbassadour to wete if Hūgary might be brought to apeaceable estate neuer theles there was nothing concluded that was notable and profitable Also in this yere 1535. there was a mariage cōcluded betwen y e king of Poles the king of Boheme For Sigismonde kyng of Poles maried Sigismūde his sonne to Elisabeth the daughter of Ferdinando kyng of Bohemy whiche in the yere of oure Lorde MDxliij folowyng was celebrated with great solempnitie as shalbe mentioned hereafter in place conuenient In the moneth of Nouember the second day the duke of Mylan departed out of this world And immediatly after Frauncis the Frenche kyng prepared hym selfe with all his power to recouer the dukedome of Mylan and entred into the land of Sauoy whereof ensued great warres the yere next folowyng in those quarters Frederike Duke of Baier Palatine by the Rene now electour imperiall toke to wyfe the right excellent princesses Dorothee daughter to Christierne late kyng of Denmarke whiche he had begotten of Izabel syster to Charles themperour the solempnitie whereof was kept at Bruxelles in Brabant In England in the moneth of Iune the byshop of Rochester and Sir Thomas More which had bene lorde chauncellour of Englande and in great aucthoritie vnder the kyng was beheaded for denieng the kyng to be supreme heade of the churche of Englande And in this yeare were there thre monkes of the Charter house executed in Englande for the same offence In the partes of Shlesy about and within the the towne of Olse arose the same yeare on Sainct Gyles day an horrible tempest in suche sorte that the bookes whiche were newely prynted were taken out of the Iewes houses
all thinhabitauntes of the same on sonday the .xxix. day of Marche which was on Palmesonday about .viii. of the clocke in the mornyng At what tyme there was heard suche a fearefull thonderclappe that the hole lande trembled After that there apeared in the east thre red crosses twoo of them aboue and the third vnder them both In the middes whereof apeared a man armed with a fyry sworde agaynst whom came a great multitude of warriours on horseback and on fote which fought with hym vntyll one of the clocke at after none and were in fine ouercome of hym that they al peryshed and vanyshed awaye he remaynynge alone in the fielde betwene the crosses Immediately after this came a terrible Dragon behynde the man and deuoured hymwith the sworde When this visiōwas past the skye waxed all red and of a fyry coloure whiche lasted about an houre euen vntyll twoo of the clocke or there about then arose there suche blacke cloudes vnder the skye that it was as darke as though it had bene nyght whiche continued so vntyll the next daye the thyrty daye of Marche in the mornyng about .ix. of the clocke And then the skye wyth the day appeare dagayne There appeared also thre goodly well fauoured Raynebowes one aboue another whereon sate an holy Aungell whiche appeared by the space of an houre and a half And after this it was fayre wether for the space of certayne dayes These thyngs were written out of the Lande of Pooles and afterward set furth in printe openly but the interpretacion thereof wyll I committe to the iudgement of other The rest of the Sommer of this yere was very propice and warme the frutes of the earthe were competent and the wynes had good successe and chaunced very good so that they caused muche dissentiō and debate and also manslaughter betwene suche as abused them This yere in the lande of Bullenois there camped in Iannuary on the West syde of Bullyn beyōd the hauen an army of Frenchemen to the nombre of 18000. lay there the space of .x. dayes the .vi. day of Febru they were all put to flight by the erle of Harforde the lorde Admirall with a small company of men and without any bloudshedyng on the Englyshe syde but diuers of the other were slayne they left al their ordinaunce with bagge and baggage behynde them This yere about the .xx. day of Iuly the Frenchmē with a greate nauy of shyppes muaded the Ile of wight in England where as they were driuen back and a great nomber slayne In the yere of our Lorde 1546. euen in the beginning of the yere was a conuocation of the Euangelicall confederation kept at Francke sorde on the mayne the disputacion to be kept at Raynsburgh was also begonne c. This yere was doctor Martyn Luter and doctor Iustus Ionas called too Isleven of the Erle of Mansfelde to caste of and accorde certayne debates and dissentions that were happened betwene them Where doctor Martyn Luter was ouercome with the olde impedimentes and diseases of his body whiche renewed vpon hym whereby he felt and perceiued his ende to be at hande Wherfore he called hartely vpon the name of our Lorde Iesus Christe and with open confession commended his soule into the handes of God oure heauenly father In so muche that the eighten daye of February he departed out of this miserable worlde into the handes of God with Christ whome he had boldely confessed before the worlde all moste thyrty yeares aswell by his paynfull preachyng and teachyng as by continuall wrytyng Hys body was at the commaundement of the Princely Electour caried from Isleven by the Erle of Mansfelde accompanied with fyfty horses to Wittenburgh and of all estates of the Princely Electours Court bothe of high and lowe degrees of the vniuersitie of the citie he was sorowfully but yet honorably brought into the Castell and reuerently buried besydes the burials of the Electours of Saxon the .xxii. day of February the .lxij. yere of his age This man so highly endued with knowledge from God was apointed and ordeined of our heauenly father to be a minister and teacher of his churche and a preacher of his Gospell euen as in al ages he hath raised and ordeined some to be Prophetes some to be Apostles and some to be teachers of hys congregacion For he opened and declared vnto the worlde by Gods grace the necessary and holsome doctrine of the Gospell and taught the true repentaunce and comfort of the harte whiche is feared with the knowledge of Goddes wrath He hath godly set furth the doctrine of Paule whiche saith That a man is iustified and made ryghteous by the faith in Christe He hath also declared the difference betwene the Lawe and the Gospel betwene the rightousnes of y ◠spirite of the outward workes He brought to light agayne the true worshypping of God whiche had bene vnknowen to the moost parte of the worlde by the space of a thousand yeres And brought the vniuersall Church from that fonde opinion whiche imagineth that God is worshypped although y ◠minde of man being suppressed with perpetual doubting abhorreth to come to god He taught also howe we ought to pray in faith with a good concience and ledevs to the only mediatour Christ the sonne of God ▪ whiche sytteth at the right hand of the father euerlastyng and maketh intercession for vs And not to the soules of dead men as the vngodly Papistes haue taught with fyre and fagot He declared also what good workes were acceptable to God He hath so garnisshed and establyshed the temporal lawes and gouernaūce that sence the Apostles tyme it was neuer so confirmed by Scriptures He dyd also abolysh the chyldysh custome and ceremonies of mans tradicion whiche hyndered true prayer and seperated them from the necessary workes To thyntent also that the heauenly doctrine should extende to hys posteritie and that the people whiche shall come after myght haue knowledge he translated the Propheticall and Apostolicall Scriptures into Dutch with suche lyght and clarite that the reder maye haue more knowledge thereby then by some mens expositions He made also many expositions whiche do farre excell many other as Erasmus of Roterdame witnesseth in his writynges And as it is writen of them whiche repayred Ierusalem that they buylded wyth one hande and helde the swoorde in the other Euen so warred Doctor Martine Luter with the enemies of the true doctrine and buylded neuertheles the heauenly doctrine Besydes thys he dyd helpe many mens conciences with good coūsayll And whylest a greate parte of his doctrine is aboue mans reason as the doctrine of remission of synnes and of faith it must nedes be graunted that he was taught of God In prayer for the vniuersall Churche of Christe was he very earnest and dilygent He dyd also eueryday chose a certaine houre to recite certayne Psalmes wherin also he mixed his prayer with great deuotion
dominiōs of thesaid Electour which mē did first inuade Voyt land there toke the townes vilages and liberties pertaining tothe Electour piteously spoyling roauingburning destroieng many men young olde And specially therwas an execrable madnes murther cōmitted vpō an honest Curate minister that feared God at Newechurche whom when thesaid husbād mē had mostcruelly martyred murthered and sawe that he was fatte they cut him in peces after the maner of a fatte Swyne casting the peces from one to another and sayeng Lo brother there hast thou a good roastyng pece of an hogge Of whiche innocent bloud are gilty all they that do helpe or consent to the sayde murtheryshe and intestine warres whereof doutles God wyll take vengeaunce in tyme conuenient Nowe when the matter as it was fyrst begonne and purposed against the Electour his dominiōs for Duke Maurice had bene first with the kynge in Bohemy toke effect and apeared euidently as though the kyng woulde ouercome and take in all the Landes and dominions of the Electour Duke Maurice exalted hymselfe with his army and first toke the townes lyeng to warde the mountaynes and then he went with thesayde Bohemians and husband men to besege the towne of Zwickowe But least I be demed to stande to muche in myne owne conceite and to take vpon me to Iudge other wise than it becometh me in this matter I will set hereafter the true Copye of his lettres whereby he required and admonyshed the towne of the Electour to yelde them selues vnto hym by the cōsentes whereof men of honestie and vnderstanding may easely perceyue what good grounde and sure foundacion he pretended in these affaires By the grace of God we Maurice duke of Saxō Land graue of During and Marquis of Myssene aduertyse you our welbeloued and trusty counsayl and commons of Saron c. That forasmuche as the myghty Prince our Cosyn Duke Iohn Frederike the Elder hath ben founde negligent in doing of hys dutie and it is manifest that men are about to bryng you from the house of Saxon into the power of straungers and we beyng a borne prince of Saxon hauing also parte in the lande wyth our for sayd Cosyn and be charged by earnest commaundement of the Emperoures Maiestie our moste gracious lorde for the auoydyng of greuous penalties and corrections and also by the losse of our Regaltie and preeminēce our seiues to take the same land in possession or elles to permitte and suffre other to do the same whereby oure owne Landes and dominions must nedes come in daunger and destruction Wherfore we require you to sutmitte your selues vnto vs as Prince of Saxon and to receyue vs accordingly with due solempuisation And we are prone graciously inclined to desen de you in the Christen religion wherein ye bee and lyke mayer your bodyes goodes and possessions and to leaue you by youre olde liberties and priuiledges And when the matter or controuersy betwene the Emperoures Maiestie the Romyshe kynges Maiestie and our forsayde Cosyn shall come to an agreement we shalbe ready as touchynge the landes whiche we shall haue taken in possession of hys by the knowledge and wyll of their Maiesties and as muche as maye be done without their preiudice thorough our owne dominions to be intreated ordered accordyng to ryght and reason But yf ye should refuse so to do it should apeare vnto vs as though ye would wylfully be put from the house of Saxon whiche may not be suffered of vs. Wherefore we require herein your directe aunswere by the bearer of the letter in hast whyle oure enemy is at hande that we may auoyde the daunger Geuen in our Towne of zwickowe the syxt daye of Nouēber Anno a thousand fyue hundreth fourty and syxe Duke Maurice of Saxon. Manu propria When zwickowe had yelded vnto him the syxt day of Nouember he toke also the townes lyeng there about and consequētly Aldenbourgh Ilenbourgh Grymme Torgawe c. the .xvi. day of Nouember duke Maurice sent a Trompetter with two lettres the one to the Deputie and the other to the Communaltie of Witten bourgh directed betwene thre foure of the clocke at after none before the Elue gate but before the lettres were receyued the suburbes were set on fyre whereby was sygnifyed that they intended to stande to their defence The same daye dyd he also aduertise thinhabitauntes of Torgawe whiche lay in gareson for the defence of Wittenburgh that oneles they woulde come home by the next daye before Sunne set he would sende their wyues and chyldren after them and besydes that depriue them of all their goodes The ende of the Appendix or addition compyled by Maister Iohn Funke Brefe Annotations added vnto the premisses gathered out of dyuers historiographers IN the sayd yere of our lorde MD. xlvi apeace was concluded betwene Englād and Fraunce whiche on Whitsondaye was proclaimed For conclusion whereof the Viscount Lisse high Admiral of England with the Byshop of Duresine and a goodly company of Gentylmen went out of Englande into Fraunce after whose retourne Monsure Denball high Admirall of Fraunce the Byshop of Eureux and two Erles came into Englande with the Sacre of Depe and .xij. galleyes and were honorably receiued The saide yere also in lent before was the Stewes at London put downe and abolysshed by the kynges commaundement the .ix. daye of Iuly was burned at London in smithfielde Anne Askew a gentill woman Iohn lassels of the kynges preuy chambre Iohn Adlam tayler of Suffolke and Nicolas Belenyam priest for opinions consonaunt to the trueth and contrary to the acte of the syx Articles At whiche tyme al so Doctour Nicolas Schaxton somtime Byshop of Salisbury recanted and denied the trueth whiche before he had professed Whiche thing also one Doctour Crome whiche had bene a great and famous preacher had done at Paules Crosse the xxvij daye of Iune before affirming openly that he had bene seduced by noughty bookes c. In England also in Nouember was the duke of Northfolke and his sonne the Erle of Surrey attaincted of treason for the which his sonne was put to execution in Ianuary after and hym selfe cōmitted to the Towre where he doeth yet remayne IN the yere of our lord God MD. xlvij there were in Germany dyuers and wonderfull innouacions of thinges chaūces of warres chaūges of fortune yeldynges of Princes ouerthrowinges and subuersions of townes and castelles fallinges of great men conuocatiōs of Synodes and counsayles which I do here omitte partely to auoyde prolixite and partely for that the certaintie of suche thinges taken by heare say onely is oftentimes deceiuable Trusting to haue occcasion and oportunitie hereafter to declare and set furth the same matter at large The inhabitauntes of the countie of Tiroll and Isebredge were this yere sore plaghed with wonderfull locustes and grashoppers both creping and flyeng whiche were there in suche aboundaunce that the creping sorte couered all
their lande the flyeng sorte couered that lyght of the Sune in so muche that thinhabiters of the lande were cōmaunded to go furth and to take gather thē that crept on the grounde which they did continually during the space of thre wekes gatheringe euery daye about 2400. quarters in a quarter of a myle for in euery quarter of a myle were appointed thre hundreth persons men and womē and euery hundreth persons gathered euery day 800 quarters during the space of 3. wekes And they came into Isebredge ouer the brydge with such a power as though they had ben an hoste of warriours that woulde haue entred into the towne In so much that the Magestrates commanded the inhabitauntes of the same towne to make resistaunce agaynst them before the gate with besomes and bromes and to swype them into the water as they came whiche they ded in suche sorte as they couered all the water with grasherppers that no water coulde be sene Thus did they resiste them kept them also from the brydge by the space of .iii. wekes after this the said locustes or grashoppers turned into the fieldes and there destroyed and wasted the corne and the grasse vndoynge in a maner all the people of the lande so that after thys the peopel resysted them no moore butt onelye trusted to the mercy of god with instaunt feruēt prayer The sayde Locustes or grashoppers were littell at the begynnyng and krepyng but afterwarde they grewe and began to flye doyng great hurte throughout the sayde lande In the meane season the Emperoures maiestie and the kyng of the Romaynes set furth a commaūdement that noman shuld be founde in dronkenes horedome aduoutery vsury and blasphemy but he should be punyshed by death and forfayte all hys goodes In a littell towne called Albers lyeng besydes Lyndawe in the Dukedome of Zweyburgh was this yere founde two clusters of grapes growynge vpon one braunce hauyng a long read bearde whiche was a wonderfull syght The same yere in flaunders and the countrees there about was a great scacitie of corne so that there was a great dearth in the lande And there dwelled besydes Beke aboue Gand a certayne farmer well prouided and stored with corne vnto whome his neyghbours came lamentyng and intreatyng hym to sel them some of his corne who refused so to do neuertheles he sent none away comfortles that had nede for he lent and delyuered vnto euery man accordyng to their necessite on this condicion that they should rendre and repaye hym agayne at the next haruest on this condicion did he lende corne to dyuers nedy persons After whiche tyme it chaunced that his corned fyelde beyng sowed was by Gods grace so multiplied and increassed that on euery stalke grewe an exceding nombre of eares laden with corne so that thorough the blessyng of God he was well rewarded By this may we see that the sayeng of Salomon is an vndoubted verite namely he that taketh pitie on the pore lendeth vnto the Lorde vpon vsury and loke whatsoeuer he layeth out it shalbe payd hym agayne There was also this yere a wonderfull vision sene and heard of many within the towne of Wittenbourgh in the Lande of Saron the .xviii. daye of September early in the mornyng betwene foure fyue of y ◠clocke For there appeareth in the ayre a figure and lykenes of a dead corse or beere couered ouer with blacke cloth and a read ribband auer the same and there went before the coarse six men with trompettes and a greate multitude of people folowed with croked instrumentes and trompettes blowyng whyche made a greate noyse in the ayre insomuche that many in the towne whiche laye yet in their beddes were thereby awaked out of theyr slepe thynkyng that the sayde trimblyng had bene in the towne After this the black cloth vanyshed awaye from the boere whiche then was couered ouer with awhyte cloth then appeared besydes the beare a man armed in harnas shewyng hym selfe very angry and pullyng the whyte clothe from the beere he rent it in twaine wynding the one half about hys arme and so pressyng it harde to hys body Wyth this the coarse vanyshed away The man armed dyd also apeare a lyttell whyle after so in lyke maner banished away After this were althynges quiet as before God graunte euery Christen man to remembre thys wonderfull sygne with feare for it is to be feared that it is a fearefull warnyng sent vs of God In Englande the nyntene day of Ianuary was the Erle of Surrey beheaded as was mencioned the yere before The seuen and twenty daye of the same moneth Henry the eyght kyng of Englande c. ended hys lyfe and was buried at Windsore Edwarde the syxt kyng of Englande c. succeded his father in the gouernaunce of his royalmes and dominions and was crowned the nintene day of February in the nyneth yere of hys age Vnder the sayde kyng in the tyme of his minorite his vncle Edwarde Duke of Somerset was made lorde Protectour of all hys Royaulmes dominions and subiectes and Gouernour of his maiesties persone who with the residue of his maiesties Counsayll gouerned the realme with great mercy and gentilnesse by whome to the surtheraunce of goddes worde and true religion cōmissioners were sent into al partes of the Realme with commaūdement to cause all Images to be taken out of churches for auoydyng of Idolatry and to wyll men women to leaue the vse of beades hauyng with thē also godly and learned preachers assigned whiche do exorted them to geue them self to true and vnfained worshippyng of God in the hart and minde with due obedience to their prince Richard Smith a doctour of diuinite recāted opēly at Paules crosse within y e citie of Lōdon diuers articles cōtained in two bokes which he had made one for the defence of the sacrifice of the Masse an other to proue vnwritten verities to be beleued vnder payne of damnacion This yere also in Enland commaundement was geuen that processions should be no more vsed This yere also in England the duke of Somerset then Lorde Protectour and the Erle of Warwyke went into Scotlande with a strong army requiring the Scottes to fulfyll their promyse made before to kyng Henry concernyng the mariage of their younge Quene with the younge kynge of Englande but the Scottes stubbournely came agaynst them with great puissaunce And not longe after the two armyes encountred in the fieldes of Muscleborough at a place called Pinker slough The Englyshe part not thynkyng as than to haue battayle at whiche tyme because the front of the Scottyshe armie was so terrybly set wyth pykes the Englyshe horsemen which gaue the fyrst onset were fayne to recule backe with losse of certayn gētylmen whiche reculing much abasshed the English footemen but yet by the great wysedome and dilygence of the Lord Protectours grace and the valiaunt hart and courage of the Earle of Warwike they