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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	henry_n	king_n	prince_n	7,937	5	6.0693	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56127	The antipathie of the English lordly prelacie, both to regall monarchy, and civill unity: or, An historicall collection of the severall execrable treasons, conspiracies, rebellions, seditions, state-schismes, contumacies, oppressions, & anti-monarchicall practices, of our English, Brittish, French, Scottish, & Irish lordly prelates, against our kings, kingdomes, laws, liberties; and of the severall warres, and civill dissentions occasioned by them in, or against our realm, in former and latter ages Together with the judgement of our owne ancient writers, & most judicious authors, touching the pretended divine jurisdiction, the calling, lordlinesse, temporalities, wealth, secular imployments, trayterous practises, unprofitablenesse, and mischievousnesse of lordly prelates, both to King, state, Church; with an answer to the chiefe objections made for the divinity, or continuance of their lordly function. The first part. By William Prynne, late (and now againe) an utter-barester of Lincolnes Inne.	Prynne, William, 1600-1669.	1641 (1641)	Wing P3891A; Wing P3891_vol1; Wing P4074_vol2_CANCELLED; ESTC R18576	670,992	826

sent an Ambassador to the Pope together with the Archbishop to grow to some reasonable conclusion ●ase●all the second who then was Pope would not yeeld one jot unto the King animated no doubt by Anselme a man so resolute in his quarrell insomuch that when the Kings Ambassadour William Wartlewast sayd he knew the King would rather lose his Crowne than this priviledge he answered Yea let him lose his head also if he will whilst I live hee shall never appoint Bishop but I will resist him what I may So without doing any good homeward they came The King understanding before-hand how the world went sent a Messenger to forbid Anselme to enter into the Realme presently seized all his goods movables and immovables into his hands After three yeares Exile Anselme at the importunate mediation of Adila Countesse of Bloys the Kings Sister was restored upon these conditions that hee should be content to consecrate the Bishops already nominated by the King and that the King should renounce all right to such nominations and investitures for time to come No sooner returned he againe but hee kindled a fresh combustion by enforcing all married Priests to forsake their wives depriving them of their goods Benefices and adjudging their wives Adulteresses The King upon their complaint pittying their case halfe of the Priests of England being then married mediates for them and protected them a while from Anselmes severity granting them Licenses to retaine their wives but hee a man alwayes most peremptory in his resolution would not be perswaded to yeeld one jot in this or any other thing hee intended so that notwithstanding the Kings inclination to succour them many of them were miserably vexed which ingendred a new quarrell betweene him and the King In a word this rebellious traytorly Prelate did so good service for the Pope against these two Kings whom hee caused to be in a manner excommunicated by the Pope and subjugate to his pleasure that in favour of him he afforded to his See this honour That whereas the Arch-bishop of Canterbury was wont to sit next the Bishop of Ruffine in Generall Counsels hereafter his place should be at the Popes right Foote and withall used these words Includamus hunc in Orbe nostro tanquam Papa alterius orbis Let us include this man in our world as the Pope of another world In a word King William Rufus was so vexed with Anselme William Bishop of Durham and other rebellious Prelates that William of Milmesbury records of him That he animated the Iewes at London to enter into a Dispute against our Bishops telling them in merriment as this Historian conceived that if they overcame the Christians by manifest Arguments that he would be of their Sect. Therefore this thing was acted with great feare of the Bishops and Clergie-men affected with a pious solicitude of the Christian Faith But in this Combate the Iewes obtained nothing but confusion although they often boasted that they were not overcome by Argumentation but by the Faction of the Prelates This fire-brand of Contention departing this life Ralph of Canterbury his immediate Successor an insolent cholerick proud Prelate offered two such notable affronts to King Henry the first his Soveraigne who advanced him to this Sea as no Age I thinke can parallell For King Henry having assembled all his Nobles to Windsor Castle to consult with them about his Marriage with Adelicia his second Wife Daughter to the Duke of Loraine the Bishop of Salisbury being requested both by the King and Queene to solemnize the Marriage betweene them and clad in his holy Vestments ready to performe this service this decrepit resty proud Arch-Prelate commanded him to desist contrary to the King and Queenes Precept and desire and committed that service to the Bishop of Winchester who performed it After which Adelicia being solemnly to bee Crowned Queene at London on the Feast of Pentecost in the presence of the King and Nobles this Arch-Prelate as hee was chaunting Masse at the High Altar in his Pontificalibus to grace this Solemnity espyed the King sitting on his Royall Throne with his Crowne upon his head Whereupon he grew into such choler that intermitting his begun Masse he goes to the King thus sitting in the Church on his Throne amidst his Nobles and demands of him in bigge words Who it was that had set the Crowne upon his head hee being Crowned by Thomas Arch-Bishop of Yorke in the absence of Anselme of Canterbury To which the King replyed It is no great matter to me who did it and it was done so long since that I remember not who it was But the Arch-Bishop enraged with choler auswered That whoever had done it did it wrongfully and unjustly therefore thou shalt either cease to weare thy Crowne or else I will desist from saying Masse The King nothing moved herewith answered with a pleasant and mild countenance If this Crowne as thou sayest be not lawfully set on my head you may doe that which you conceive to bee agreeable to Law I will not gaine-say it At which words the Arch-Bishop approached neerer him and lifting up his hands to pull the Kings Crowne from off his head whiles the King was untying the Button under his Chinne by which his Crowne was tyed on his head the Nobles admiring the Kings modestie and the Arch-Bishops anger and arrogancie cryed out with one voyce against the Arch-Prelate and earnestly ent●eated him That in the solemne Coronation of the Queene he would not uncrowne the King himselfe With who●e clamours Ralph being overcome desisted f●om this his insolent attempt and standing by the King began the Song Glory be to God on high and then proceeded in his Masse Higden and Speede out of him records That this testie old man could hardly be entreated by the Nobles to with-hold his hands from striking the Crowne off the Kings head and that even in the Church in the presence of all his Lords his Queene and God himselfe of such an high spirit then was this devout Arch-Prelate From hence writes Matthew Parker it may be discerned how unseasonably and impudently these kind of men abused the lenity of this Prince who thought themselves more worthy in holinesse than others and deemed they had an imperiall command over Princes This furious proud Prelate being dead William Corbell his next Successor was so good and trusty a subject to King Henry the first who advanced him that upon the Kings death hee was content to betray and dis-inherite of the Crowne his Daughter Maud the Empresse and contrary to his Oath to joyne with Stephen Earle of Bloys whom he Crowned with his owne hands but with such feare and terrour of Conscience that the consecrated Host fell out of his hands in the midst of Masse by reason of his trembling and fearefull amazednesse Raphael Holinshed his relation of this Fact is worthy observation Stephen writes hee was Crowned at Westminster

and that the King himselfe presently after his death was stricken with a Leprosie a manifest lye They likewise reported That a strange judgement hapned upon the Iudges who gave sentence against him Which fabulous lying Legends must not onely be generally bruited abroad to cheate the people justifie the Traytor disparage this honorable Act of Justice slander the King and Judges and all to secure the Bishops in their Treasons and Rebellions that this Act might never bee made a president to punish them capitally for such like offences in future times but likewise chronicled to delude posterity and animate all succeeding Prelates under hopes of impunitie to attempt any Treasons Trecheries or insurrections against their Soveraignes without feare And to make the thing more odious and the Prelates more presumptuous in this kinde the Pope himselfe excommunicates tbe Authors of his death and those that had any hand in his condemnation or execution who must all earnestly entreat for absolution before it would be granted Loe here the quintessence of all Traiterous Rebellious spirits and disloyall practises combined and infused into our Prelates in canonizing this Arch-Traytor scandalizing the very sentence of Justice pronounced and executed upon him with the King and Judges that were the Authors of it and making it a matter worthy an Anathema to condemne and execute a Traytor a Rebell too in the Suparlative degree What confidence can any Princes repose or what fidelitie can they expect from such a desperate generation of Vipers as these who cannot be content to plot to execute Treasons and Conspiracies but thus boldly to justifie them and the Traytors to when they are committed I shall therefore close this story with the words of Edward Hall our Chronicler What shall a man say of such foolish and fantasticall persons who have written of such erroneous Hypocrites and seditious Asses who have indited of such superstitious Fryers and malicious Monkes who have declared and divulged both contrary to Gods Doctrine the honour of their Prince and common knowne verity● such manifest lyes as the fore-cited miracles and reports concerning this Arch-Bishops death What shall men thinke of such beastly persons which regarding not their bounden d●tie and ●be●sance to their Prince and Soveraigne Lord env●ed the punishment of Traytors and torment of offendors But what shall all men conjecture of such which favouring their owne worldly Dignitie their owne private authority and their owne peculiar profit will thus juggle rayle and imagine fantasies against their Soveraigne Lord and Prince and put them in memory as a miracle to his dishonour and perpetuall infamy● well let just men judge what I have said So ●all Iohn Kemp Arch-Bishop of Yorke was a great opposer of the good Duke of Glocester a Traytor and evill instrument to King Henry the Sixth and the Kingdome and the meanes of the Duke of Gloucesters murther whose death was a most incomparable losse to the Realme of which more at large in Henry Beaufort Bishop of Winchester with whom he confederated against the Duke George Nevill Arch-Bishop of Yorke conspired with his Brother Henry Nevill Earle of Warwicke against King Edward the Fourth after hee had raigned almost nine yeares● to pull him from his Throne and being his hap to take King Edward Prisoner at Ownely in Northamptonshire hee carryed the King with him Prisoner first to Warwicke Castle then to Midleham Castle in Yorkeshire from whence the King at last having liberty to ride abroad an hunting escaped being rescued by his Friends and within halfe a yeare after so handled the matter as comming to London suddenly and entring this Arch-Bishops Palace by a Posterne Gate hee surprized at once King H●nry and the Arch-Bishop that had not long before taken him Holinshed and some others relate that the Arch-Bishop being l●ft by his Brother the Earle of Warwicke to keepe the Citie of London for King Henry against Edward the Fourth hee perceiving the affections of the people to incline to King Edward and how the most part of the Citie were much addicted to him sent forth secretly a Messenger to him beseeching King Edward to receive him againe into his former favour promising to bee to him in time to come and to acquit this good turn● heereafter with some singular benefit and service That the King upon good considerations was hereupon content to receive him againe into his favour of which the Arch-Bishop being assured● greatly rejoyced and well and truely acquitting him of his promise in that behalfe made● admitted him into the Citie where the king comming to the Arch-Bishops Palace he● pr●sented himselfe unto him and having king He●ry by the hand delivered him treacherously to king Edw●rd● custodie who being seized of his pe●s●n we●t to Pauls from Westminster where hee gave God heartie thankes for his safe returne and good successe Thereupon they were both sent to the Tower● where king Henry was pittifully murthered● but the Arch-Bishop the fourth of Iune●ollowing● ●ollowing● was set at Libertie About a yeare after his Enlargement hee chanced to bee hunting at ●●●●●ore with the king and upon occasion of some spo●t th●●●ad seene there hee made relation to ●●e king of some extraordinary kinde of G●me wherewith hee was wont to solace himse●●● at 〈◊〉 hous● hee had built and furnished very sumptuously called the Moore in Hartfordshire The King seeming desirous to be partaker of this sport appointed a day when hee would come thither to hunt and make merry with him Hereupon the Arch-Bishop taking his leave got him home and thinking to entertaine the King in the best manner it was possible sent for much Plate that hee had hid during the Warres between his Brethren and the King and borrowed also much of his Friends The Dea●e which the King hunted being thus brought into the toyle the day before his appointed time hee sent for the Arch-Bishop commanding him all excuses set apart to repaire presently to him being at Windsore As soone as he came hee was arrested of High-Treason all his Plate money and other moveable goods to the value of 20000. l. were seized on for the King and himselfe a long space after kept prisoner at Calis and Guisues during which time the King tooke to himselfe the profits and temporalties of his Bishopricke Amongst other things that were taken from him was a Miter of inestimable value by reason of many rich stones wherewith it was adorned that the King brake and made thereof a Crowne for himselfe This calamitie hapned to him Anno 1472. Foure yeares after with much entreatie he obtained his Libertie but dyed of griefe shortly after This proud Pontifician made so great a feast at his installment that neither our age nor any other before it ever heard or saw the like the particulars whereof you may read in Godwin too tedious here to recite Thomas Rotheram Arch-Bishop of Yorke being Lord Chancellour in Edward the fourth his Raigne upon his death resigned

a Towne called Tapsham and punishing him grieviously compelled him to eate with his teeth and swallow downe a Parchment Citation wax and all● written and sealed with the Archbishops seal● which he carried in his bosome wherewith to cite the Bishop Of which misdemeanor the Archbishop complaining to the King hee commanded William Courtney Earle of Devonshire to curbe these Rebells and to apprehend and carry them to the Archbishop who enjoyned them pennance and withall removed William Byd a Dr. of Law and Advocate of the Court of Arches from his Order and place because hee had given counsell to the Bishop of Exeter against the dignity of the See of Canterbury and thereupon prescribed a set forme of Oath to all the Advocates of that Court not to give any advice to any person against that See The Bishop of Exeter after much contention finding the Archbishop too potent for him and that his appeales were like to succeede but ill by reason the King favoured the Archbishop submitted himselfe to the Archbishops Iurisdiction and craved pardon for what was past In Edmund Lacyes time the 21. Bishop of this See there arose great contentions betweene him and the city for Liberties which by arbitrement were compounded After which Anno. 1451. King Henry the sixth came in progresse to the city of Exeter where after great entertainment there was a Sessions kept before the Duke of Sommerset and certaine men condemned to die for Treason and had judgement to be executed to death Edmond Lacy and his Clergy understanding hereof with open mouth● complained to the King that he caused a Sessions to be kept within his Sanctuary contrary to the priviledge of his Church and that therefore all their doings being done against Law were of no effect And notwithstanding the King and his Councell had discoursed to them the just and orderly proceeding the hainousnesse of the offences and of the offenders and the necessitie of their condigne punishment yet all could not availe for holy Church for neither holy Church nor the Sanctuary might be prophaned as they said with the deciding of temporall matters whereupon the King in the end yeelding to their exclaimes released a coupple of arrant Tray●ors reversed all his former lawfull proceedings and so departed and returned to London his Lawes and Justice being thus captivated to this Prelates will and trayterly encrochments upon his Prerogative so farre as even to exempe and rescuee notorious condemned Traytors from his Justice and condemnation even after judgement of death pronounced against them George Nevill the 23. Bishop of Exeter afterwards Archbishop of Yorke March the 4. 1460. after a solemne procession preached at Pauls Crosse where hee tooke upon him by manifold evidence to prove the Title of Prince Edward afterwards Edward the fourth to the Crowne to be just and lawfull answering all obje●tions that might be made to the contrary whereupon the ●aid Prince accompanied with the Lords Spirituall and Temporall and a great number of the common people rode the same day to Westminister Hall and there by the consent approbation of them all tooke possession of the Kingdome against King Henry the sixth who made him Bishop See more of him in Yorke part 1. p. 196.197 The Rebellion in Cornewall and Devonshire in Edward the sixe his raigne was imputed to Iohn Voysey Bishop of Exeter and other Priests who thereupon resigned his Bishoppricke into King Edwards hands having much wasted and impoverished it before Godwin writes of him That hee was Lord President of Wales and had the government of the Kings onely daughter the Lady Mary who afterwards proved a bloody persecuter by the Prelates cruell instigation tutership and evill counsell when she came to the Crowne Of all the Bishops of the Land he was accounted the best Courtier being better liked for his Courtly behaviour than his learning which in the end turned not so much to his credit as to the utter ruine and spoyle of the Chur●h For of 22. Lordships and Mannors which his Predecessors had left unto him of a goodly yearely revenew he left but three and them also leased out and where hee found thirteene houses well furnished too much for one Prelate he left onely one house bare and without furniture and yet charged with sundry fees and anuities So as by these meanes this Bishoppricke● which sometime was counted one of the best is now become in temporall lands one of the meanest Iames Turbevill the 32. Bishop of this See was deprived in the first yeare of Queene Elizabeh for denying the Queenes Supremacy and refusing to take the Oa●h of Allegiance William Cotton the 37th Bishop of Exeter was a great persecuter and silencer of godly Ministers in his Diocesse and so was Bishop Cary after him for a season but at last both of them being mollified with gifts and gratuities became more milde selling that liberty of preaching for money which they formerly restrained gratis of purpose to advance this sale to an higher price so as may apply that of Bernard to them Episcopi hujus temporis Christi approbria sputa flagella claues lancem crucem mortem haec omnia in fornace avaritiae conflant profligant in acquisitionem turpis quaestus Et praecium vniversitatis suo marsupio includere festinant hoc solo san● a Iuda Ischariota differentes quod ille horura omnium denariorum emolumentum denariorum numero co●pensavit isti vora●iori ingluvie lucrorum infinitas exigunt ●p●cunias his insatiabili desiderio inhiant pro his ne amittant timent cura amittunt dolent Animarum nec casus reputatur nec salus For the present Bishop of this See a man formerly much honored and deservedly respected both for his Writing and Preaching before he became a Bishop he hath much degenerated and lost himselfe of late not onely by his too much worldlinesse but by his over-confident defence of Episcopacy to be Iure Divino in some late Bookes he hath published and that upon such weake sandy grounds as vanish into smoake when seriously examined I read that Osbertus the second and William Warewest the third Bishop of this See became blinde in their latter dayes I wish this reverent Prelate may not doe the like who doth already Caecutire through the splendor of that Episcopall Lordly pompe and honour which some feare hath dazled his eye-sight I come now to Worceter The Bishops of Worceter Dunstan the sixteenth Bishop of Worceter afterwards of Canterbury put King Edgar to seven yeares penance for ravishing Wildfrid and kept him some twelve or fourteene yeares from the Crowne Which fact of Dunstans Mr. Fox thus expresseth you heard before how King Edgar is noted in all Stories to be an incontinent liver in deflouring Maids and Virgins three notoriously are expressed in Authors to wit Vlstride or Vlfride the second was the Dukes maide at Andever neere to Winchester the third

further revenge whereas Simon Langthon his brother by his procurement had beene elected to the Sea of Yorke a strange example to have an whole Kingdome ruled by two Brethren of so turbulent humors the Pope not onely did cassate his Election but likewise made him uncapable of any Episcopall Dignity placing in that Sea Walter Gray a trustie ●riend to the King and a professed enemie to the Langhtons whose Pall cost him no lesse than a thousand pound King Iohn having thus procured all his Barons to be excommunicated and the City of London siding with them to be interdicted and the Arch-Bishops suspension to be confirmed the Barons and Arch-Bishop held these Censures in such high contempt that they decreed neither themselves nor the Citizens should observe them nor the Prelates denounce them alledging that they were procured upon false suggestions and that the Pope had no power in Secular matters from Christ but onely in Spirituall and that Prelates had nothing at all to doe with Warres and thereupon sent for Lewis the Dolphin of France to receive the Crowne of England Who not so voyd of Ambition as to lose a Crown for want of fetching was not long behind landing here in England in despight of the Popes inhibition and threats of Excommunication to hinder him with a great Army and Fleete of sixe hundred Boates. After which he repaires to L●ndon electing Simon Langhton for his Chancelor the Arch-Bishops Brother the Arch-bishop being the chiefe man in this Rebellion and Trea●on against King Iohn by whose Counsell and Preaching the Citizens of London and Barons though all excommunicated by the Pope did celebrate Divine Service and drew on Lewis to doe the like King Iohn levying a great Armie and hasting to give Battaile to those Rebels and Enemies comming to Swinshed Abbey was poysoned in a Chalice by a Monke of that House who went to the Abbor and shrived himselfe telling him how he intended to give the King such a Drinke that all England should be glad and joyfull thereof at which the Abbot wept for joy and praysed God for the Monkes constancie who being absolved before-hand by the Abbot tooke the Cup of Poyson and therewith poysoned both the King and himselfe to doe the Arch-Bishops and Prelates a favour since this King could not abide the pride and pretended authority of the Clergie when they went about to wrest out of his hands the Prerogative of his Princely Government He dying Henry his young Son was received to the Kingdome Lewis forsaken the Barons absolved by the Pope and Clergie-men too after a composion payd by them After this Stephen Langhton enshrines his Predecessor Becket as great a Traytor as himselfe in a very sumptuous Shrine the King and greatest part of the Nobility of the Realme being present at the solemnity which done this Arch-Traytor after he had endeavoured to raise a new Warre betweene the King and the Nobles dyed himselfe Iuly 9. 1228. To obscure whose Treasons and Rebellions our Monkes who writ the Histories of those times have raised up many slanders and lyes of this poysoned King Iohn to his great defamation Richard Wethershed the very next Arch-Bishop withstood King Henry the 3. who in Parliament demanded Escuage of those who held any Baronies of him maintaining that the Clergie ought not to be subject unto the judgement of Laymen though all the Laitie and other of the Spiritualty consented to the King After this hee had a great controversie with Hubert de Burgo Earle of Kent concerning some Lands of the Earle of Gloucester the profits whereof the Arch-Bishop challenged as due unto him in the minority of the sayd Earle The Arch-Bishop complained of the pretended wrong to the King with whom Hubert was very gracious for the good service he had done him in defending Dover Castle against the French and finding no remedy answerable to his minde at the Kings hands who answered him truely That the Lands were held of him in capite and so the wardship of them belonged to himselfe not to the Arch-Bishop hee thereupon excommunicated all the Authors of this his supposed injury the King onely excepted and then gat him to Rome the common Sanctuary and receptacle for all Rebellious Traytorly Prelates this being the first Excommunication that was pronounced against any man for invading the Temporalties of the Church The King hereupon sends divers to Rome to stop the Arch-bishops proceedings and defend his Royall Prerogative The Pope notwithstanding delighted much with the eloquence gravity and excellent behaviour of the Arch-Bishop granted presently all his demands even in prejudice of the Kings Crowne and Right Little joy had he of his Victory for being but three dayes in his way homeward he fell sicke at Saint Gemma and dyed In this Bishops time the Italians had gotten many Benefices in England who being much spited at certaine mad fellowes tooke upon them to thresh out their Corne every where and give it unto the poore as also to rob and spoyle them of their money and other goods after which the Italians were not so eager upon English Benefices Saint Edmund Arch-Bishop of Cante●bury had many bickerings with King Henry the third hee was baptized in the same Font that Thomas Becket his Predecessour was and somewhat participated of his disposition Being consecrated Arch-Bishop he presently fell into the Kings displeasure by opposing himselfe against the marriage of Elianor the Kings Sister with Simon Moun●fort Earle of Leicester because upon the death of the Earle Marshall her first Husband she had vowed Chastitie to have which vow dispensed withall the King procured the Pope to send Otto his Legate into England betweene whom and the Arch-Bishop there were many quarrels This Arch-Prelate refused to appeare upon summons before the King went to Rome where he made many complaints not onely against Otto but against the King himselfe ●or certaine injuries received at his hands yet with ill successe and was foiled in two severall suites both with the Monkes of Rochester and the Earle of Arundel to whom he was condemned in a thousand Markes to his great disgrace and impoverishing Hee Excommunicated the Monkes of Canterbury for chusing a Prior without his consent The Popes Legate absolving them for money h● excommunicated them afresh and interdicted their Church till Otto decided the Controversie which Otto excommunicated Fredericke the Emperour first in the Monastery of Saint Albanes and then publickly in Pauls Church and collected infinite summes of money here in England to maintaine the Popes warres against him which the Emperour tooke very ill at the Kings hands This Arch-Bishop for a great summe of money obtained a Grant f●om the Pope in derogation of the Kings Supremacie that if any Bishopricke continued voyd by the space of sixe moneths it should bee lawfull for the Arch-Bishop to conferre it on whom he list which the King procured the Pope immediately to revoke Polichronicon writes that hee called

protesteth likewise that we neither intend nor desire as by Law we neither can nor ought neither doth any of them intend or desire to be present any way in this present Parliament whiles such matters are or shall be in debate but we and every of them will in this part wholly absent our selves And we further protest and every of them protesteth that for this our absence we neither intend nor will nor doth any of them intend or will that the Processe made or to be made in this present Parliament as the which we neither may nor ought to be present as farre as it concernes us or any of them shall in future times be any way impugned debilitated or infringed Which I recite to shew that Parliaments may be held and decree things without Bishops and to checke the pride of those Prelates who this Parliament pleaded hard to be present at the debate of the Lord Straffords Cause I cannot here pretermit the trecherous and bloudy practice of William Cour●ney against the true Saints of God and the Kings most loyall Subjects for he being not content solemnely to excommunicate and persecute Iohn Wiclife Iohn Ashton Nicholas Herford and Philip Repingdon both at Pauls-crosse and at Oxford for the true profession of the Gospell did mo●eover by all meanes possible solicite King Henry the fourth to joyn with all the power of his Temporall Sword for that he well perceived that hitherto as yet the Popis● Clergy had not authority sufficient by any publicke Law or Statute of this Land to proceed unto death against any person whatsoever in case of Religion but onely by the usurped tyranny and example of the Court of Rome Where note gentle Reader for thy better understanding the practise of the Romish Prelates in seeking the Kings helpe to further their bloody purpose against the good Saints of God This King being but young and under yeares of ripe judgement partly induced or rather seduced by importune suite of the foresaid Arch-Bishop party also either for feare of the Bishops for Kings cannot alwayes doe in their Realmes what they will or else perhaps inticed by some hope of a Sublidy to be gathered by the Clergy was content to adjoyne his private assent such as it was to the setting downe of an Ordinance which was indeed the very first Law that is to be found made against Religion and the Professors thereof bearing the name of an Act made in the Parliament holden at Westminster Ann. 5. Rich. 2. c. 5. commonly intituled An Act against the Lollards the Contents whereof you may read in the Statutes at large and in Master Fox This Act though it beares the name of a Statute both in written and Printed Bookes yet it was fraudulently and unduly devised by the Prelates onely and a meere pernicious forgery to advance their owne Episcopall power and Jurisdiction invade the Subjects liberties tread downe Religion and shed our Martyrs blood with which the Commons were so highly offended as they had just cause so to be that in the U●as of Saint Michael next following at a Parliament summoned and holden at Westminster the 6. yeare of the said King among sundry petitions made to the King by the Commons whereunto he assented there is one in this forme against this spurious Act of theirs● Item prayen the Commons that whereas an Estatute was made the last Parliament in these words It is ordained in this present Parliament that Commissions from the King be directed to the Sheriffes and other Ministers of the King or to other sufficient persons after and according to the Certificates of the Prelates thereof to be made unto the Chancery from time to time to arrest all such Preachers and their Fautors Maintainers and Abettors and them to detaine in strong Prison untill they will justifie themselves according to reason and Law of holy Church And the King wille●h and commandeth that the Chancellor make such Commissions at all times as shall be by the Prelates or any of them certified and thereof required as is aforesaid The which was never agreed nor granted by the Commons but whatsoever was moved therein was without their assent That the said Statute be therefore disannulled For it is not in any wise their meaning that either themselves or such as shall succeed them shall be further justified or bound by the Prelates then were their Ancestors in former times whereunto is answered Il plest an Roy. i. e. The King is pleased This supposed Statute thus fraudulently devised by the Prelates onely was in like manner most injuriously and unorderly executed by them for immediately upon the publishing of this Law without further warrant either from the King or his Councell Commissions under the Great Seale of Engl●nd were made in this forme Richard by the Grace of God c. Witnesse my selfe at Westminster the 26. day of Iune in the 6. yeare of our R●igne Without more words of Warrant under writ●en such as in like cases are both usuall and ●equisite viz. Per ipsu● Regem per Regem Concilium or Per breve de privato Sigillo Al or any of which words being utterly wanting in this place as may be seene in the Kings Records of that time it must therefore be done either by warrant of this fore-said Statute or else without any warrant at all And whereas the said Statute appointed the Commissions to be directed to the Sheriffe or other Ministers of the Kings or to other sufficient persons learned for the arresting of such persons they fraudulently procured the said Commissions to be directed to the Arch-bishop and his Suf●ragans being both Judges Accusers Witnesses and Parties in the Case authorizing them further without either the words or reasonable meaning of the said Statute to imprison them in their owne houses or where else pleased them Yea such was this Arch-Bishops and the other P●elates Treachery and villany in this particular notwithstanding this unjust and spurious Law was repealed upon the forementioned Petition of the Commons and the fraud of the framers thereof sufficiently discovered yet such meanes was there made by the Prelates that this Act of repeale was never published nor ever since imprinted with the rest of the Statutes of that Parliament Insomuch as the said repeale being concealed like Commissions and other Processe were made from time to time by vertue of the said Bastard Statute as well during the Raigne of this King as since against the Professours of Religion as Master Fox in his Acts and Monuments both shewes and proves at large Now what is this no●orious forgery this unjust and fraudulent execution of this pretended Act of Parliament even after its repeale by this Arch-Bishop and his Brethren but the very heighth of Treachery Villany Schisme and Sedition yea an In●ernall policy to advance Episcopall Jurisdiction erect a bloudy Inquisition and shed our Martyrs blood contrary both to the Lawes of God and the Realme To end with this

done for them before when the Commons in this Parliament required that all such Lands and revenues which sometime belonged to the Crowne and had beene given away by the King or by his predecessors King Edward or King Richard should be restored againe to the Kings use unto which request the Arch-Bishop and other the Prela●es would in no wise consent Thus by this Arch-Bishop Arundel that Petition of the Commons the ●pirituall Temporalities came to naught Afterwards in an other Parliament Anno 1410. the Commons of the ●ower House exhibited a Bill to the King and Lords of the Upper House containing in effect as followeth To the most excellent Lord our King and to all the Nobles in this present Parliament assembled your faithfull Commons doe ●umbly signifie that our Soveraigne Lord the King might have of the Temporall possess●ons Lands and Tenements which are lewdly spent consumed and wasted by the Bishops Abbots and Priors within this Realme so much in value as would suffice to finde and sustaine an 150. Earles 1500. Knights 6200. Esquires and 100. Hospitals more than now be which is more largely and particularly related in Fabian The King as some write mis-liked the motion and therefore commanded that from thenceforth they should not presume to study about any such matters Another thing the Commons then sued to have granted to them but could not obtaine That Clerkes convict should no● thenceforth bee delivered to Bishops Prisons Moreover they demanded to have the Stat●te either revoked or qualified which had beene enacted without their consent in the Second yeare of this Kings raigne against such as were reputed to be Heretickes or Lollards But the King seemed so highly to favour the Clergie that the Commons were answered plainely that they should not come by their purpose but rather that the said statute should be made more rigorous and sharpe for the punishment of such persons and all this by meanes of this bloodly Arch-Bishop Arundel of whom we have heard sufficient Henry Chichely being elected Arch Bishop by the Monks of Canterbury with the Kings consent immedia●ly after Arundels death hee refused to accept of this their Legall election and against the expresse Statutes of the Realme touching Provisions and Premuni●es accepted of the See onely by Colla●ion from Pope Iohn the 23. in affront both of the King and those Lawes which the Pope endeavored in vaine to get repealed and therefore opposed in point of practise all that he might reserving by a Decree of the Councell of Constance all vacancie to his own dispo●all bestowing all the Bishoprickes of England as soon as they were voyd at his own pleasure by the Arch-Bishops connivence in affront of the Lawes and the Kings royall Edicts This Arch-Prelate published throughout his Province Pope Martins Bulls for the extirpation of the Wicklevists and Hussites by force of armes and promised the same Indulgences to those who should take up the Crossado and warre against them as those enjoyed who went to the holy Land to fight against the Sarecens For which good service the same yeare Anno 1429. he received the Title of the Cardinall Presbyter of S. Eusebius●rom ●rom Pope Martin the 5. who also created him his Legate here in England without the Kings privity and contrary to Law But to colour the businesse lest he should seeme to receive that power Legatine without the Kings permission and Licence against the Lawes and Customes of the Realme one Richard Condray was made the Kings procurer that hee might appeale to the next generall Councell from all injuries grievances and prejudices offered or to be offered by the Pope or Court of Rome to the King and the Kingdome There●ore as soon as it was known that the Arch-Bishop had received this Legatin power without the Kings privity or licence Condray made this appeale to Humfrey Duke of Gloster Lord Protector and others o● the Kings privie Councell in writing In which he expressed that no Legate of the Sea Apostolicke ought to come into the Kingdome of the King of England or other his Lands or Dominions but at the vocation petition requisition or intreaty o● the King of England for the time being the Roman Pontifex tolerating and consenting thereto as well tacitely as expresly in which appeale notwithstanding if the sayd Arch Bishop not as a Legate but as a Cardinall would say open or propound any thing from the Pope to the King it might be lawfull for him to doe it In which the King would so farre assi●t as he migh● doe it by the Lawes and Priviledges of his royall Crowne and of his famous Kingdome of England The appeale being read the Arch-Bishop in the presence of the Prelates and Nobles there present confessed and protested That it was not nor is nor should be his intention by his entring into England nor by any things done or to be done by him spoken or to be spoken for to exercise the Legatine power which hee had undertaken without the Kings permission or to derogate in any thing from the rights priviledges liberties or customes of the King or Kingdome or t● contradict ●hem but to preserve defend maintaine and roborate all and every of them By this device he deluded both the King Counsell and Lawes how well hee kept this his protestation his subsequent Acts will evidence For immediately after hee made a Synodicall Constitution That no married man or Lay man should exercise any Ecclesiasticall jurisdiction or be Iudge or Register in any Ecclesiasticall Court in causes of correction of the soule under paine of incurring the greater excommunication ipso facto if they offered to intermeddle in any of the premises cont●a●y to the Councels prohibition which further makes voyd all citations processe and Acts whatsoever had and made by Laymen in the Cases aforesayd and suspends all Ordinaries from the exercise of Ecclesiasticall jurisdiction and ingresse into the Church who should grant any married or Lay man power to exercise any Ecclesiasticall Office or authority under them What the true intent of this Arch-Prelates Constitution was and how farre this Decree intrenched upon the Kings Prerogative Royall appeares by the Statute of 37. H. 8. c. 17. made purposely to repeale this Constitution which I shall here insert In most humble wise shew and declare unto your highnesse your most faithfull humble and obedient Subjects the Lords Spirituall and Temporall aud the Commons of this present Parliament assembled that whereas your Majesty is and hath alwayes justly beene by the Word of God supreame head in Earth of the Church of England and hath full power and authority to correct punish and represse all manner of Heresies errours vices abuses Idolatries hypocrisies and Superstitions● springen and growing within the same and to exercise all manner of Iurisdictions commonly called Ecclesiasticall Iurisdiction Neverthelesse the Arch-Bishop of Rome and his adherents minding utterly as much as in him lay to abolish ob●cure

that they did not onely promise them ayde and succour by words but also by their writings and seales confirmed the same After this Anno 1405. This Arch-Bishop conspiring with the Earle of Northumberland and others aforesaid devised like Articles as before of such matters as was supposed not onely the Commonaltie of the Realme but the Nobilitie found themselves grieved with which Articles he and his Confederates first shewed to such of their adherents as were neere about them and after sent them abroad to their friends further off assuring them that for redresse of such oppressions they would shed the last drop of bloud in their bodies if need were Whereupon great multitudes flocking to the Arch-Bishop to Yorke to take his part in this quarrell hee not meaning to stay after hee saw himselfe so well accompanied with so great number of men forthwith discovered his enterprise causing the Articles aforsaid to be set up in the publicke streets of the Citie of Yorke and upon the gates of the Monasteries that each man might understand the causes that moved him to rise in Armes against the King the reforcing whereof did not yet appertaine unto him Hereupon the Knights Esqui●es Gentlemen Yeomen and others of the the Commons as well of the Citie as of the Townes and Countries about being allured for desire to see a Reformation of the things mentioned in the Articles assembled in great number and the Arch-Bishop comming forth amongst them clad in armour encouraged● exhorted and by all meanes he could pricked them forth to take the enterprise in hand and manfully to continue in their begun purpose promising forgivenesse of sinnes to all them whose hap it was to dye in the quarrell And indeed the respect men had of the Arch-Bishop caused them to like better of the cause since the gravitie of his age integritie of his life● incomperable learning● and reverent aspect of his personage moved all men to have him in no small estimation The Earle of Westmerland and Duke of Lan●aster the Kings sonne being in those parts with the Kings Forces inquired of them in a peaceable manner What their intent should be in taking Armes The Arch-Bishop answered That hee meant nothing but the good of the Realme as hee would gladly certifie them if hee might have secure and safe conduct to them and thereupon shewed a writing containing certaine Articles which hee had devised wherein he charged King Henry with treason against his Soveraigne King Richard oppression of the Church and Common-weale whose Liberties hee had sworne to defend Tyrannie and cruelty in putting to death th● said King many of the Nobilitie and great numbers of the Commons with impietie and sacriledge in defrauding the Church of Rome of her Rights and lastly with ●vill government perfidiousnesse perjury and divers other like hainous crimes for which hee pronounced the King excommunicate requiring all men to joyne with that company whose endeavour should bee but to reforme what was amisse to seate and settle in the kingdome● the right Heire to establish peace in Wales and Ireland and to free the whole Realme from the great and intollerable burthen of exactions no longer to be endured The Earle of Westmerland having read this writing containing sundry treasons and conlumelies with a witnesse and fit for an Arch-Bishop to publish professed to allow of the Enterprise and praised it for honest and reasonable insomuch as meeting with the trayterous Arch-Bishop at a parley after a very few speeches they seemed to become friends shaking hands together and drinking to each other in the sight of both their Armies The Arch-Bishop now doubting of nothing suffered his men to disperse them for a time But the Earle contrary-wise waxing stronger and stronger and seeing him selfe able to deale with the Bishop came upon him suddenly and arrested him little thinking of any such matter The King by this time was come North and as farre as Pomfret Thither the Arch-Bishop with other prisoners arrested with him were brought and carryed with the King to Yorke or as some say to Thorpe where Sir William Fulford a Knight learned in the Law and another Justice called Gascoine sitting on an high Stage in the Hall condemned the Arch-Bishop to be beheaded without being judged by his Peeres Bishops being as some say properly no Peeres of the Realme and so not to be judged by their Peeres who certainely would have acquitted or saved his life had they beene Bishops they ever using to boulster out their fellow Bishops in their treasons and to save them from the Gibbet Presently after this judgement given the Arch-Bishop was set upon an ill favoured Jade his face toward the Horse taile and carried with great scorne and shame to a Field hard by where his head at last was chopped off by a fellow that did his office very ill not being able to dispatch him with lesse then five strokes Grafton writes that Thomas Arundel Arch-Bishop of Canterbury as great a Traytor as hee came to the King and said Sir if the Bishop of Yorke have offended you so greatly as it is said yet I pray you consider that I am your Ghostly Father and the second Peere in your Realme and that you ought not to hearken to any mans voyce before me wherefore I counsell to reserve the paine and punishment of the said Bishop to the Popes judgement and hee will take such order as yee shall be pleased And if ye will not so doe yet let him be ref●rred to the Parliament and keep your hands defiled from his bloud a sweet Counsellour Then the King answered I may not stay him for the rumour of the people whereupon the Arch-Bishop called for a Notary to make an instrument of the Kings answer that if need were it might be shewed to the Pope● but the King would not stay but caused execution to be done Though many of our Arch-Bishops and Bishops before him had beene desperate Traytors yet he is the first Bishop the more the pittie for that made them so presumptuous in their Treasons that was put to death by order of Law This just execution on such a Traytorly Rebell so unwontedly and extraordinarily performed on an Arch-Prelate in this contumelious though deserved manner without any preceding degradation was so distastefull to his fellow Prelates none of the best Subjects and so dangerous a president for the future that they accounted this Arch-Traytor no lesse then a Martyr ascribing many miracles to have beene done by vertu● of his holinesse both at his Tombe and at the place where he was beheaded pittie that more of them had not been so served that wee might have had more such Holy Saints and wonderous Miracles of this kind They reported abroad That the Bishop at the time of his Execution desired the Executioner to have five strokes in remembrance of the five wounds of Christ that the King at the same time sitting at dinner had five strok●s in his necke by a person invisible

Arch-Bishop being desirous to place his own Countrey-men in all roomes of speciall Authoritie and besides having a private grudge at Stigand for forcing him to yeeld Kentish men their ancient Liberties whereof see more in Canterbury procured him to be deprived of both his Bishoprickes upon this point that he had contrary to the Law held them both together He was deprived An. 1069. and dyed a prisoner in the Castle of Winchester soon after About the yeare 1107. King Henry the first taking upon him to bestow Bishoprickes giving investiture and possession of them by delivering the Ring and the Crosier placed divers of his Chaplaines in Bishoprickes without election commanding the Arch-bishop to consecrate them Among divers others hee appointed William Giffard Bishop of Winchester and required Anselme the Arch-bishop to consecrate him Anselme utterly denyed to afford consecration either to him or any other in the like case The King then sent unto Girard Arch-bishop of York whom he found nothing strange but G●ffard saith Matthew Westminster timens rigorem sancti Anselmi spernit consecrationem ejus stood so much in awe of Saint Anselme as hee durst not but reject the offer of the others consecration The King angry hitherto with the Arch-bishop onely was now much more incensed against this Giffard and in great displeasure banished him the Realme In the end the King and the Arch-bishop grew to this agreement that the gifts of the King already passed should be ratified and his Clerkes nominated to Bishoprickes have consecration upon promise that hereafter he should not disturbe Canonicall Elections and utterly renounce his pretended priviledge So after much adoe he was consecrated togegether with divers others An. 1107. Henry de Bloys being Bishop of Winchester when King Henry the first dyed although he with the other Bishops of the Land had sworne fealtie unto Maud the Empresse yet she being absent in Normandy this Bishop doubting left some other stepping up before her arrivall● the Kingdome might be rent away quite from his kindred and passe to some stranger● by vertue of his power Legantine called a Councell of the Clergie who swayed all in those dayes and drawing Roger Bishop of Sali●bury to his partie easily procured his Brother Stephen Earle of Boloigne to be elected King whom they crowned and submitted to as their Soveraigne disinhereting Maud the right Heire The King not long after falling out with these two Bishops seized upon their Castles and imprisoned the Bishop of Salisbury who dyed for griefe The Bishop of Winchester summons a Counsell there to which the Bishop was cited the Case of the Bishops concerning their Castles was there long debated betweene the Pope the Bishops and those on the Kings side he would yeeld to nothing whereupon they moved the Legate to Excommunicate him who replied he durst not doe it without the Popes privitie The Kings unthankefulnesse to the Bishops who onely had set him up did so alienate them from him that thereupon they joyned with Maud the Empresse against him who by their meanes became able to make her part good with Stephen and tooke him prisoner the Bishop of Winchester and a great part of the Realme too receiving her for their Queene Hereupon this Prelate accurseth and excommuncates al the opposites of Maud the Empresse who denying him a suite in the behalfe of his Brother Eustace He thereupon revokes h●s Excommunication secretly falls from her stirres up the discontented Londoners against her mans divers Castles to resist her equivocates in his words and actions with her to worke her ruine fiers Winchester upon her and at last entraps her Thus this turne-coat trecherous Prelate with the rest were Traytors and Rebels on both sides of which see more in William Corbell Arch-Bishop of Cante●bury and Roger of Salisbury and in the Historians hereunto quoted The Pope sent a Pall to this Bishop desirous to constitu●e a new Arch-Bishoprick at Winchester and to assigne 7. Bishops to him Peter de la Roche or de Rupibus Bishop of Winchester who was Protectour and had greatest sway in the Government of the Realme in the beginning of King Henry the 3. his Raigne by his evill Counsell to the King became the chiefe Incendiary and occasion of the Barons warres For having by his false accusations and policies wrought Hubert Earle of Kent out of the Kings favour and plotted his death that hee might solely raigne and predominate over the gentle young King The better to effect this his designe he procures him to displace the English Officers and in their roomes to surrogate Poictovines and Britons who comming over to the number of about 2000. hee stuffed his Castles with them and did as it were wholly intrust himselfe his Treasures strength and the Realme to them So that Judgements were committed to the unjust Lawes to the out-lawes● peace to wranglers and Justice to wrong-doers Such as would have prayed redresse for these abuses were interrupted and put off by this Bishop of Winchester Among them who were removed from their places in Court was one Sir William de Redune a Knight and Deputie Marshall to Richard Earle of Pembroke This was to the Earle very displeasant which joyned with a consideration of the publicke cause and danger hee associates to him certaine of the great Lords as was the fashion of those Lording times upon every discontent and in the company of them advanceth confidently to the King● whom in the hearing of many he reproveth for that hee had through finister advice called in the ●oictovins to the oppression of the Realme and of his naturall Subjects of their Lawes and Liberties humbly therefore hee beseecheth him that he would speedily reforme such abuses which threatned the imminent subversion both of the Crowne and Kingdome which if hee did not himselfe and other Lords would so long withdraw their attendance as hee entertained strangers The Bishop hereunto makes answer That the King might well and lawfully call in what strangers himselfe thought good for the defence of the Crowne and Realme and such and so many of them as might be able to compell his proud and rebellious people to due obedience When the Oracle would speake no otherwise they departed from Court greatly discontented firmly promising one to the other that in such a cause which did so touch them all they would like men stand together while any breath was in their bodies Those who were now most potent about the King nothing sorry for the discontentment of so great a Peere as the Earle Marshall but counting it a part of their strengths to use the Regall power towards the weakning of the English nourish in the King his aversion The Poictovins and other strangers thus bearing the sway● so as the Kings person went guarded with troopes of such the Earles and Barons being by the Kings command summoned to antoher Parliament at Oxford refused to come While the King was there one Robert Bacon who

used there to preach before the King and Prelates f●eely told him That if hee did not remove from him Peter Bishop of Winchester and Peter de Rivallis he could never be in quiet The King did hereupon a little come to himselfe and Roger Bacon a Clergie-man also of a pleasant wit did second Roberts advise telling the King that Petrae and Rupes were most dangerous things at Sea alluding to the Bishops name Petrus de Rupibus The King therefore as hee had the happinesse in his mutabilitie to change for his more securitie taking that good advise of Schollers which he would not of his Peeres summons a Parliament to be holden at VVestminster giving the World to know withall that his purpo●e was to amend by their advise whatsoever ought to be amended But the Barons considering that still there arrived sundry strangers men of warre with Horse and Armour● and not trusting the Poi●●ovine faith came not but presumed to send this message to the King that if out of hand he removed not Peter Bishop of Winchester and the Poictovines out of his Court● they all of them by the common consent of the Kingdome would drive him and his wicked Counsellours together out of it and consult about creating a new Soveraigne The King whom his Fathers example made more timerous could easily have beene drawne to have redeemed the love of his naturall Liege-men with the disgrace of a few strangers but the Bishop of VVinchester and his Friends infused more spirit into him Whereon to all those whom hee suspected the King sets downe a day within which they should deliver sufficient pledges to secure him of their loyalty Against that day the Lords in great numbers make repaire to London but the Earle Marshall admonished of danger by his Sister the Countesse of Cornewall ●lyes backe to VVales and chiefely for want of his presence nothing was concluded The King not long after is at Gloster with an Armie whither the Earle and his Adherents required to come refused the King therefore burnes their Mannors and gives away their inheritances to the Poictovines This Rebellion had not many great Names in it but tooke strength rather by weight then number the knowne Actors were the Earle Marshall the Lord Gilbert Basset and many of the inferiour Nobles The Bishops arts had pluckt from him the Kings brother and the two Earles of Chester and Lincolne who dishonourably sold their love for a thousand Markes and otherwise as it seemed secured the rest Neverthelesse they may well bee thought not to have borne any evill will to their now forsaken confederate the Earle Marshall who tooke himselfe to handle the common cause certainely hee handled his owne safety but ill as the event shall demonstrate The Earle hearing these things contracts strict amity with Lewelin Prince of Wales whose powers thus knit together by advantages of the Mountaines were able to counterpoise any ordinary invasion To the kings ayde Balwin de Gisnes with many Souldiers came out of Flanders The king now at Hereford in the midst of his Forces sends from thence by VVinchesters counsell the Bishop of Saint Davids to defie the Earle Marshall How farre soever the word defie extends it selfe sure it seemes that the Earle hereupon understood himselfe discharged of that obligation by which hee was tyed to the king and freed to make his defence the king notwithstanding after some small attempts and better considerations did promise and assume that by advise of counsell all that was amisse should at a day appointed bee rectified and amended About which time Hubert de Burgo having intelligence that the Bishop of VVinchester who was a Poictovine plotted his death escaped out of the Castle of Devises where hee was prisoner to a Neighbour Church but was haled from thence by the Castle-keepers The Bishop of Sarisbury in whose Diocesse it hapned caused him to be safe restored to the same place from whence by the Earle Marshall and a troope of armed men his friends hee was rescued and carryed into VVales The king at the day and place appointed holds his great Counsell or Conference with the Lords but nothing followed for the peace of the Realme it was not an ordinary passage of speech which hapned there betweene the Lords and Bishop of VVinchester For when the English Bishops and Barons humbly besought the king for the honour of Almightie God to take into grace his naturall Subjects whom without any tryall by their Peeres hee called Traytors the Bishop offended it seemes at Peeres takes the words out of the kings mouth and answers That there are no Peeres in England as in the Realme of France and that therefore the king of England by such Justiciars as himselfe pleaseth to ordaine may banish offenders out of the Realme● and by judiciall processe condemne them The English Bishops relished his speech so sharply that with one voyce they threatned to excommunicate and accurse by name the kings principall wicked Councellours but VVinchester appealed Then they accursed all such as alienated the heart of the king from his Naturall Subjects and all others that per●urbed the peace of the Realme Matthew VVestminster writes of this Peter de la Roche that hee was more expert in Military than Scholasticall affaires That the king by his Counsell removed all English Officers out of his Court and precipitately cast away all his Counsellours as well Bishops as Earles Barons and other Nobles of his kingdome so as hee would beleeve none but this Bishop whom hee adored as his God and his Darling Peter de Rivales Whence it came to passe that expelling all Gardians of Castles almost through all England● the King committed all things under the custodie of this Peter Then this Prelate drew into his confederacie Stephen de Segrave too much an enemie both to the kingdome and Church who had given most detestable counsell formerly to Stephen the Popes Chaplaine to the inestimable dammage of the Church many wayes and Robert de Passelewe who with all his might and with effusion of no small summe of money had plotted treason and grievances at Rome against the king and kingdome This man kept the kings treasure under Peter de Rivalis and so it came to passe that the Reines of the whole kingdome were committed to Strangers and base persons others being rejected Yet Godwin for the honour of his Rochet magnifies this Prelate for his notable Wisdome so as the Counsell of England received a great wound by his death though it and the whole Realme received such prejudice by his life The Earle Marshall writes Speed encreasing in strength and hatred against such as were the kings reputed Seducers makes spoile and bootie on their possessions and after joyning with the power of Leoline Prince of Wales puts all to fire and sword as farre as Shrewesbury part whereof they burnt to Ashes and sackt the Residue The king then

and Nudigate three Monkes of the Charterhouse a Priest neare Winsor the Abbots of Ierney and Rivers Freer Forrest Crofts and Collines Priests Thomas Epsara Monke five Priests of Yorkeshire and Robert Bockham John Tomson Roger Barret John Wolcocke William Alse James Morton John Barrow Richard Brune● Priests chiefe stirrers in the Devonshire rebellions● and principall doers therein and one Welch a Priest Vicar of St. Thomas neare Exbridge hanged on the Tower there in his Priests apparell with a holy-water bucket and sacring Bell a paire of Bedes and such other Popish Trinkets about him for his rebellion were all executed● This Bishop imploed by King Henry the eight with Sir Henry Knevet as his Embassador at the Di●t at Ratisbond he held private intelligence and received and sent letters under hand to the Pope whose authority the King had utterly abolished and had then mortall enmity with for which false and tray●erly practise of which the King had certaine intelligence he caused in all Pardon 's afterwards all Treasons committed beyond the seas to be excepted which was most meant for the Bishops cause whom he exempted out of his Testament as being willfull and contentious and one that would trouble them all and exempted also out of his said Testament the Bishop of Westmins●er for that he was Schooled in Winchesters Schoole whom this King before his death was certainely beleeved to abhorre more than any English man in his Realme He was found to be the secret worker● that three yeares before the Kings death divers of the Privy Chamber were indited of heresie for the which the said King was much offended Anno. 1548. he was committed Prisoner to the Fleet and after to the Tower for a Sermon preached before King Edward and disobeying the Kings Injunctions when he had there continued two yeares and an halfe he was by authority deprived of his Bishoppricke and sent to prison againe where he continued till Queene Maries time when hee was not onely restored unto his Bishoppricke but likewise made Lord Chancellor of England For the extreame malice he bare to our Religion he not onely cruelly burnt many poore men but likewise wrought all the meanes his cunning head could devise to make away our late famous Quueene Elizabeth saying often it was in vaine to strike off a few leaves or branches when the roote remained he not onely caused this innocent Princesse to be imprisoned and barbarously handled both in the Tower and after at Woodstocke being the Queenes owne Sister and heire apparent to to the Crowne procuring to her so great vexation by his rigorous usage that she wished her selfe borne a Milkemaide but proceeded so farre in his treacherous plots against her that in all probabilities his cursed policy must have prevailed had not God moved the heart of Queene Mary her Sister with a very kinde and naturall affection towards her and in mercy taken him the more speedily out of the way by death till which time she had no securitie release or hope of life The whole Story of his treachery and Gods mercy towards this blessed Queene is at large related by Master Foxe He was a bitter opposite and enemy to Cranmer Ridley and Latimer refusing to eate his dinner that day the two last of them were burnt at Oxford before hee heard from thence of their death He was the bane of Queene Anne the Lady Anne of Cleave the Lord Cromwell Dr. Barnes and others And though in King Henries dayes he proved Queene Mary a Bastard and the Bishop of Rome to be an usurper yet afterwards when Queene Mary came to the Crowne he was her chiefest instrument the forwardest man to advance the Popes Supremacy and the sorest Persecutor Anno. 1554. On the Cunduit in Gracious streete King Henry the eight was painted in harnesse having in one hand a sword and in the other hand a Booke whereon was written Verbum Dei delivering the same as it were to King Edward his Sonne who was painted in a corner by him hereupon was no small matter made for Stephen Gardiner Bishop of Winchester sent for the Painter and not onely called him Knave for painting a Booke in King Henr●es hand and specially for writing thereon Verbum Dei but also Traytor and villaine commanding him to wipe out the Booke and Verbum Dei too Whereupon the Painter fearing that he should leave some part of the Booke or of Verbum Dei in King Henries hand wiped away a peece of his finger withall England had great cause to blesse God for his death which happened so opportunity not so much for the great hurt he had done in times past in perverting his Princesse bringing in ●ixe Articles in murthering Gods Saints in defacing Christs sincere Religion as especially for that hee had thought to have brought to passe in murthering also Queene Eliz●beth for whatsoever danger of death it was shee was in it did no doubt proceede from this Bloody Bishop who was the cause thereof and if it be certaine which we heard that her Highnesse being in the Tower a writ came downe from certaine of the Counsell for her execution it is out of controver●ie that wily Winchester was the onely Dedalus and framer of that Engin. He was an enemy to this Queene and with divers of the Lords● strictly examined her at the Tower And when shee recovered from her dangerous sicknesse he and other Bishops repined looked blacked in the mouth and told this Queene they marvelled that she submitted not her selfe to her Majesties mercy considering that she had offended her highnesse Winchester after talking with her perswaded her to submit her selfe which she refusing he replied that she must tell another tale ere that she should he set at liberty least she should have advantage against him for her long and wrong imprisonment more English blood by his meanes was spilled in Queene Maries time by hanging heading burning and prisoning than ever was in any Kings raigne before her This treacherous Prelate who called King Edward his Soveraigne usurper being hated of God and all good men had a miserable death sutable to his life for the old Duke of Norfolke comming so visite him the same day that Ridly Latimer were burnt at Oxford the Bishop would not sit downe to dinner till one of his servants about foure of the clocke comming post from Oxford brought most certaine intelligence that fire was set to these Martyrs whereupon comming out rejoycing to the Duke Now saith he let us goe to Dinner They being set down meate immediatly was brought and the Bishop began merrily to eate but what followed The bloody Tyrant had not eaten a few bits but the sudden stroke of Gods terrible hand fell upon him in such sort as immediatly hee was taken from the Table and so brought to his bed where he continued the space of fifteene dayes in such intollerable anguish torments within rotting even above ground that all that while

Dei sunt decent Episcopum exequatur sed vices suas indignis et remissis executoribus committat ut terreno vel foro vel palatio totus serviat nam nec terreni Principis ratiocinia quisquam dimidius sufficienter administrat Quamobrem memoratus Pontifex cum jam esset grandaevus officio seculari suscepto in Australibus Angliae partibus ad publica totus negot●a recidebat mundo non crucifixus sed infixus writes Nubrigensis of him Roger Archbishop of Yorke deceasing A. 1181. delivered great summes of money to certaine Bishops to be distributed among poore people King Henry the second after his death called for the mony and seised it to his use alleadging a sentence given by the same Archbishop in his li●etime that no Ecclesiasticall person might give any thing by will except hee devised the the same whilst hee was in perfect health Yet this Bishop of Durham would not depart with 400 Markes which hee had received to distribute among the poore alleaging that hee dealt the same away before the Archbishops death and therefore hee that would have it againe must goe gather it up of them to whom hee had distributed it which himselfe would in no wise doe But the King tooke no small displeasure with this indiscreet answer in so much that hee seised the Castle of Durham into his hands and sought meanes to disquiet the said Bishop by divers manner of wayes King Richard going into the holy Land made this Bishop chiefe Justice from Trent Northwards and the Bishop of Ely Lord Chancellor and chiefe Justice of England betweene whom strife and discord immediately ar●se which of them should be the greater for that which pleased the one displeased the other for all power is impatient of a consort The Bishop of Ely soone after imprisoned him till hee had surrendred Winsor Castle and others to him and put in pledges to be faithfull to the King and Kingdome of which more in Ely At the returne of King Richard from Ierusalem hee found him not so favourable as hee expected and thinking that he grudged him his Earledome resigned the same into his hands For the redemption of which he afterward offered the King great summes of money whereupon the King knowing how to use him in his kind writ letters to him full of reverend and gracious speeches wishing him to bring up his money to London and there to receive the Government of the whole Realme which hee would commit to him and the Archbishop of Canterbury Being very joyfull of this ●avour he comes about Shrovetide towards London and surfeiting of flesh by the way died This Prelate who much troubled and oppressed the Commons and whole Realme had no lesse than three bastard sonnes whom hee endeavoured to advance but they all dyed before him Hee was oft in armes in the field and besieged the Castle of Thifehill belonging to Earle Iohn he tooke up the Crossado and went beyond Sea with King Richard the first to the warres in the holy Land but considering the danger got a dispensation and returned speeding better than Baldwin Archbishop of Canterbury and ten Archbishops and Bishops more who di●d at the siege before Acon and like warlike Prelates stirred up King Richard with sundry other Christian Princes to that bloody chargeable and un●ortunate warre wherein many thousands of Christians spent both their lives and estates and whereby Christians lost the verity of Christian Religion and Christ himselfe in a great measure whiles thus they warre to secure the place of his sepulcher which proved a sepulcher both to their bodies and soules * William K. of Scotland comming to visit King Richard the first afte● his release this Prelate and Hubert Archbishop of Canterbury went to Brackley where the Bishop had an Inne The King of Scots servants comming thither would have taken up the Bishops Inne for their King but the Bishops servants withstood them whereupon they bought provision for the King and dressed it in another house in that same Court When the Bishop came thither and his servants had informed him what had passed he would not retire but went on boldly unto his Inne and commanded his meat to be set on the table whiles he was at dinner the Archbishop of Canterbury comes to him and offers him his lodging and counsels him to remove and leave the Inne The King of Scots comming late from hunting when hee was told what had happened tooke it very grievously and would not goe thither but commanded all his provision to be given to the poore and goes forthwith to the King to Selnestone complains to him of the injury the Bishop of Durham had offered to him for which the King sharpely rebuked him Richard de Marisco Lord Chancellor of England and Archdeacon of Notthumberland an old Courtier was thrust into this See by Gualo the Popes Legate and consecrated by the Archbishop of Yorke in the yeare 1217. during the time of the vacancy This Richard was a very prodigall man and spent so liberally the goods of his Church as the Monkes doubting hee would undoe them and himselfe also went about by course of Law to stay him and force him to a moderation of expence But it fell out quite contrary to their expectation for hee being wilfully set continued Law with them appealing to Rome c. and continued his old course even untill his death The yeare 1226. in the beginning of Easter terme hee rid up to London with a troope of Lawyers attend●ng on him At Peterborough he was entertained in the Ab●ey very ●ono●rably and going to bed there in very good health was found in the morning by his Chamberlaine starke dead Hee deceased May the first leaving his Church 40000. markes indeb●ed though his contention and pr●digall factious humour Anthony Beake the 41. Bishop of this See a very wealthy man contented not himselfe with ordinary Titles Therefore he procured the Pope to make him Patriarc● of ●erusalem obtained of the King the Principality of ●he Isle of Man during his life Anno 1294. being Ambassador to the Emperor Iohn Ro●an the Archbishop of Yorke excommunicated him which cost him ●000 Markes fine to the King and his life to boote hee dying for griefe There was grea● stirre betweene him and the Prior and Covent of Durham Hee informed the Pope that the Prior was a very simple and insufficient man to rule that house and thereupon procured the government thereof both spirituall and temporall to be committed to him The Monkes appealed both the Pope and King who required the hearing of these controversies betweene the Prior and Bishop This notwithstanding the Bishops officers made no more adoe but excommunicated the Prior Monkes and all for not obeying their authority immediately Herewith ●he King greatly offended caused those Officers to be fined and summoned the Bishop himselfe to appeare before him at a day appointed before which day hee got to Rome never acquainting

with the rest of the Bishops and Abbots mitred and in rich Copes every one of them carrying Censers in their hands going in great solemnity before him and afterwards crowning both him and his Queene according to the custome of the Realme so officious were they to this usurper Cutbert Tonstall the 58. Bishop of Durham December 20. 1551. was committed to the Tower for his disobedience to King Edward the sixth where he continued all his Reigne The King was so farre offended with him that 7. Edward 6. the Bishopricke of Durham was dissolved by Act of Parliament and all the Lands and hereditaments thereof given to the King but he dying this Bishopricke was againe revived and erected 1. Mar. Parliament 2. cap. 3. and this Bishop thereunto restored Who in the first yeare of Queene Elizabeth for his contumacy and disobedience in maintaining the Popes Supremacie which he oppugned formerly and for refusing the oath of Supremacy which he had sworne unto in the raigne of King Henry the eight he was justly deprived and committed prisoner to Lambeth House where he dyed I finde this Tonstall highly applauded by some who lived since his dayes but M. Tyndall who knew him farre better than they writes thus of him And as for the Bishopricke of Durham to say the very truth he to wit Cardinall Wolsie could not but of good cougruity reward his old Chaplaine and one of the chiefe of all his Secretaries withall still Saturne that so seldome speaketh but walketh up and downe all day musing and imagining mischiefe a doubling hypocrite made to dissemble Which for what service done in Christs Gospell came he to the Bishopricke of Lond●n Or what such service did he therein hee burnt the New Testament calling it Doctrinam peregrinam strange learning The story of whose buying and burning of M. Tyndals New Testaments who with the money set forth a new and better Edition is related by M. Hall at large in his Chronicle 21. H. 8. f. 186. Yea Verily looke how strange his living in whose blood that Testament was made was from the living of the Pope even so strange is that Doctrine from the Popes Law in which onely and in the Practise thereof is Tunstall learned Which also for what cause left he the Bishopricke of London Even for the same cause he tooke it after that he had long served for it covetousnesse and ambition Neither is it possible naturally pray marke this passage that there should be any good Bishop so long as the Bishoprickes be nothing save worldly Pompe and honour superfluous abundance of all manner of riches and liberty to doe what a man left unpunished things which onely the evill desire and good men abhorre For the late Bishops of this See of Durham Neale Howson their dispositions and actions against goodnesse and good men and their turbulencie both in Church and State are so well knowne to most that I neede not mention it And as for the present Bishop Dr Morton whom I honour for his learning and workes against the Papists how farre hee hath degenerated of late yeares from his Pristine zeale and hatred of Romish Superstitions and Innovations and how farre he hath ingaged himself in the late Wars and differences between England and Scotland I leave to others to determine Onely this I cannot pre●ermit in silence that as the first Popish Innovations and superstitions which lately over-spread our whole Church had their Originall from Bishop Neale and his Chaplaine Dr. Cosens at Durham so God hath made that City and Bishopricke of Durham the onely County of England stiled by the name of a Bishoprick the seate of our late wars wherein the Scottish Armie now resides to manifest to all the world that these unhappie civill warres sprung from the Bishops since the seate of them is no where but in this Bishoprick the Scottish Generall for the most part hath kept his residence in the Bishop of Durhams own Palaces who for feare hath left them vacant and fled that Country which he hath much oppressed From Durham I proceede to Salisbury Salisbury Alstane or Adelstane Bishop of Sherburne which See was not long after translated to Salisbury turned warrior and led an Army into Kent against Ethelwolfe King o● that County and chased away both the King and all other that would not submit themselves to Egbert over the Thames out of their Country He fought oft against the Danes provided money and furnished out men to withstand them and tooke upon him to order all matters of the State under King Ethelwolfe When King Ethelwolfe returned from Rome Adelstane who bare no small rule in the Kingdome of the West-Saxons would not suffer him to be admitted King because he had done in certaine points contrary to the Lawes and Ordinances of the Kingdome as he conceived whereupon by this Bishops meanes Ethelbald this Kings sonne was established King in his Fathers steed and so continued till at last by agreement the Kingdome was devided betwixt them This Bishop was fervently set on covetousnesse and greatly enriched his See of Sherburne where he continued Bishop 50. yeares Roger the great rich Bishop of Salisbury advanced and specially trusted by King Henry the first for all the benefits that he and his friends received from him proved not so thankfull or faithfull to his Majestie as was to be expected For King Henry the first having lost his onely sonne and Heire apparent Prince William by mis-fortune upon the Sea and having no issue lawfully begotten to inherit the Kingdome but onely Mawd the Empresse thought good to take an Oath of all the Nobility wherein they promised to yeeld obedience to her as their Soveraigne and to none other This Oath Roger not onely tooke himselfe but likewise administred to all the other being then Chancellour of England yet notwithstanding forgetting all duties of Religion towards God of thankfulnesse towards his patron and Loyalty towards his Prince he was the first man who upon the death of the King fell to plotting for the advancement of Stephen unto the Kingdome who likewise had taken the former Oath and swore homage and fealty unto Mawde which by his perswasion he first attempted and much deale by his ungracious counsell at last obtained At the time of King Henry his death it hapned that Mawde was in Normandy with her Father wherefore Stephen Earle of Bologne taking this advantage wrought so with this Bishop and the Bishop of Winchester and they with him as they were content to set the Crowne upon his head who otherwise than by a kinde of election which they procured had no colour of right unto the same For if they regarded nearenesse of blood not onely Mawde and her sonne were nearer but Theobald also Earle of Bloyes Stephens elder brother Howbeit these Clergie men that bare all the sway in those times desirous to continue their owne greatnesse would needes make choyse

saw that there were swords drawne round about them for words were no jests but there was a contention almost about life and blood Yet the Legate and Archbishop gave not over but prosecuted the tenor of their office for casting themselves humbly downe at the Kings feete in his Bedchamber they beseeched him to compassionate the Church to compassionate his owne s●ule and fame that he would not suffer a dissention to be made betweene the Kingdome and Priesthood He rising up courteously although he removed the envie of the things done ●rom himselfe yet he made no effectuall performance of his good promises And so this great suite wherein the Prelates presumed to convent the king himselfe before them to try his title to Castles being temporall possessions ceased and the pretended execution of their owne Canons never pressed before that I read of vanished into nothing These bickerings betweene the Bishop his Nephewes and the king to whom he owed even the Crowne he wore caused all the Bishops to fall off from him againe and joyne with Maude This their treachery to King Stephen is most fully recorded by William Malmesbury who relates that the Bishop of Winchester brother to king Stephen and the Popes Legate taking some offence against the king came to a Parley with Maude in the fields neere Winchester where Maude the Empresse swore and vowed to him that all the greatest businesses in England and especially the Donations of Bishoprickes and Abbies should be at his disposall if he with the holy Church would receive her for their Soveraigne and be continually loyall to her some of the greatest Nobles of her party making the same oath Whereupon the Bishop made no scruple to receive the Empresse as Lady of England and to sweare to her by himselfe and some others that as long as she brake not this agreement that he would be faithfull to her which done the next day she was received by the Bishop in the Cathedrall Church of Winchester with an honourable Procession the Bishop of Winchester going on her right hand and Barnard Bishop of Saint Davids on her left there were other Bishops present beside these as Alexander Bishop of Lincolne Robert of Hereford Nigellus of Ely Robert of Bath with sundry Abbots● a few dayes after Theobald Arch-bishop of Canterbury came to the Empresse at Winchester being invited by the Legate but de●erred to sweare fealty to the Empresse without the kings privity being as hee thought a dishonour to his fame and person but after some conference had with the king by the Cardinall and most of the Prelates who intreated leave of him to yeeld to the necessity of the time they condescended to the Legates motion and fell off to the Empresse Whereupon about a fortnight after Easter Theobald Arch-bishop of Canterbury held a Councell of all the Bishops of England and of many Abbots in great state at Winchester wherein the Bishop of Winchester made this speech That by vertue of his Legatine power which he derived from the Pope he had summoned the Clergie of England to this Councell that they might consult in Common of the peace of the Country which was in great danger of Shipwrack that in the time of King Henry his Uncle England was a singular houshold of peace c. Which King some yeares before his death caused all the Bishops and Barons to sweare to the Empresse his Daughter and onely Childe that the whole kingdome of England with the Dutchy of Normandy should descend to her if he had no issue male by the Duke of Loraines daughter That dismall fortune envied his most excellent Uncle so as he dyed in Normandy without issue male Therefore because it seemed long to expect the Lady who resided in Normandy and delayd to come into England to provide for the peace of the Country my Brother was permitted to raigne And although I became a surety betweene God and him that hee should honour and exalt the holy Church maintaine good Lawes and abrogate evill yet it grieves me to remember it shames me to relate what a one he hath shewed himselfe in his kingdome how no justice hath beene exercised upon the presumptuous how all peace was presently abolished almost the same yeare the Bishops apprehended and compelled to a reddition of their possessions Abbies sold the Churches rob'd of their treasures the Counsells of wicked men heard of good men either suspended or altogether contemned You know how often I have convented him both by my selfe and by the Bishops especially in the Councell the last yeare summoned to that purpose and that I got nothing but hatred thereby Neither can it be unknowne to any who will rightly consider it that I ought to love my mortall brother but ought much more to esteeme the cause of my immortall Father Therefore because God hath exercised his judgement touching my brother that he might permit him without my knowledge to fall into the power of the Mighty left the kingdome should ●ottet if it wanted a king I have invited you all by the right of my Legation to assemble together at this place Yesterday the cause was secretly ventilated before the greater part of the Clergie of England to whose right especially it belongs both to elect and ordaine a king Therefore having first invocated as it is meete Gods assistance we have ●lected the Daughter of a peace-making king a glorio●s king a rich king a good king and in our time incomparable to be Queene of England and Normandy and we promise fidelity and maintenance to her When the Bishop of Winchester had thus spoken all the Bishops and Clergie present as William of Malmsbury then present at the Councell relates did either modestly give their acclamation to the sentence of Mauds election and Stephens rejection or keeping silence did not contradict it In this Councell many who tooke king Stephens part were excommunicated and by name William Martell who had intercepted some of the Legates goods a●ter this Councell the City of London formerly addicted to king Stephen and the greatest part of England willingly submitted to the dominion of Maude who was principally counselled by Robert her brother and by the Legate of Winchester who pretended that hee sought her welfare but within few dayes after there fell out a difference betweene the Legate and Maude which occasioned a great alteration and was the cause of many new mischiefes in Engl●nd Whereupon the Bishop Legate departed from the Court absolved all those whom he ●ormerly excommunicated in the Councell without the consent of the Bishops raised up a complaint against the Empresse that she intended to apprehend him and made no account of any thing she had sworne to Which report was spred over all England Whereupon he stirred up the Londoners and Barons against the Empresse whom he beseiged and restored S●ephen not onely to his liberty but to the Crowne In the meane time ●his Roger Bishop of Salisbury dyes of a Quar●aine Fever which

May the 13th This Bishop riding a horse somewhat too lusty for him was cast and so brused with the fall as he died by and by to wit May 13● 1254. Thomas Merkes the Fiftenth Bishop of this See amongst many unworthy preferred to Bishopprickes in those dayes was undoubtedly a man well-deserving that honour for he was both learned and wise but principally to be commended first for his constant and unmoveable fidelity unto his Patrone and preferrer King Richard then for his excellent courage in professing the same when he might safely yea and honestly also have concealed his affection Some other there were of the Nobility that remembring their duety and allegiance when all the world b●s●de forsoke this unfortunate Prince followed him with their best assistance even till the time of his captivity This man nothing regarding the danger might ensue not onely refused to forsake him when he had forsaken himselfe but defended him and his cause the best he could when he might well perceive his endeavour might hurt himse●fe much without any possibility of helping the other when the furious and unstable multitude not contented that King Richard had resigned his Crowne to save the head that wore it and their darling Henry the fourth seated himselfe in his royall throne importuned the Parliament assembled to proceed yet farther against him desiring no doubt that to make all sure his life might be taken from him This worthy and memorable Prelate stepping forth doubted not to tell them that there was none amongst them meete to give judgement upon so noble a Prince as King Richard was● whom they had taken for their Soveraigne and Leige Lord by the space of twentie two yeares and more And proceeding further I assure you quoth he I report his words as I find them in our Chronicles there is not so ranke a Trayter nor so arrant a theefe nor yet so cruell a murtherer apprehended or detained in prison for his offence but he shall be brought before the justice to heare Judgment and will you proceed to the judgment of an annointed King hearing neither his answere nor excuse I say and will avow that the Duke of Lancaster whom ye call king hath more trespassed to King Richard and his Realme the King Richard hath done either to him or us for it is manifest and well knowne that the Duke was banished the Realme by King Richard and his Councell and by the judgement of his owne Father● for the space of tenne yeares for what cause ye remember well enough● This notwithstanding without Licence of King Richard he is returned againe into the Realme and that is worse hath taken upon him the name title and preheminence of King and therefore I say that you have done manifest wrong to proceede against King Richard in any sort without calling him openly to his answer and defence This Speech scarcely ended he was att●ched by the Earle Marshall and for a time committed to ward in the Abbey of St. Albanes Continuing yet his loyall affection unto his distressed Master soone af●er his inlargement he trayterously joyned with the Hollands and others in a conspiracy against King Henry the 4th which being bewrayed to the destruction of all the rest he onely was pardoned peradventure in regard of his calling for it had seldome or never been seene hitherto that any Bishop was put to death by order of Law peradventure in some kind of favour and admiration of his faithfull constancy for vertue will be honoured even of her enemies peradventure also to this end that by forcing him to live miserably they might lay a punishment upon him more grevious than death which they well saw he despised The Pope who seldome denied the King any request that hee might afford good cheepe was easily intreated to translate forsooth this good Bishop from the See of Carlile that yeelded him honourable maintenance unto Samos in Greece whereof he knew he should never receive one penny profit he was so happy as neither to take benefit of the gift of his enemy nor to be hurt by the masked malice of his counterfeit friend disdaining as it were to take his life by his gift that tooke away from his Master both life and Kingdome hee died shortly after his deliverance so deluding also the mockery of his Translation whereby things so falling out he was nothing damnified Hall reports that hee died for feare more than sicknesse as one rather desirous to die by deaths dart than the temporall Sword which this his Treason deserved being a great blemish to his former fidelity Owen Oglethorpe the 31. B. of this See was deprived with divers other Bishops for withstanding Q. Eliza. proceedings and refusing to take the Oath of Allegiance in the yeare 1559. Of other Bishops of this See since his dayes I find little mention most of them being translated to other Sees I shall therefore proceede to the Bishops of Norwich The Bishops of Norwich Iohn de Gray the fifth Bishop of Norwich if we beleeve Matthew Paris was one of those three Court Bishops who were consiliarios iniquissimos most wicked counsellors to King Iohn during the time of the inderdict of the Realme who desiring to please the King in all things consilium non pro ratione sed pro voluntate dederunt gave the King counsell not according to Reason but Will and thereby wrought much trouble both to the King and Kingdome Pandulphus the next Bishop of this See consecrated by the Pope at Rome Anno. 1222. was the Popes Legate and the chiefe instument who perswaded King Iohn most ignominiously and shamefully to resigne up his Crowne and Kingdome to the Pope to become his Vassall to his eternall infamy and to submit himselfe to S●ephen Langhton and those other Trayterly Prelates who intardicted the Realme excommunicated this King published the Popes deprivation of him from his Crowne and instigated the French King to invade the Realme of England and usurpe the Crowne which the Pope had conferred on him upon King Iohns deprivation from it of which you may read more at large before in Stephen Langhton Archbishop of Canterbury p. 33. to 41. Onely let me informe you that during the time of this inderdict aboue six yeares space all Ecclesiasticall Sacraments ceased in England except Confession and the viaticum in extreame necessity and the Baptisme of Infants so as the bodyes of dead men were carried out of Townes and Villages and burried like dogges in Highwayes and Ditches without prayers and the ministry of Priests as Matthew Paris and others testifie Such was the Prelates piety and charity About the yeare of our Lord 1271. In the time of Roger de Skerwing 12. Bishop of Norwich there was raysed a dangerous sedition betweene the Citizens of Norwich and the Monkes of the Cathedrall Church the History whereof is briefely this At a Faire that was kept before the gates of the Priory there hapned

passed through England and having other learned men in his company did visite the King of England of whom hee was most honourably and courteously received from whence going into Scotland he was made Treas●rer which Office hee kept as long as his Brother was Governour whom he did further in all good Counsells at home and save and defend in the war●es abroade Anno 1598. In Iuly August and March there was an assembly of the Prelates and Clergie of Scotland held at Edenburgh in which certaine men and women of Edenburgh were accused of Heresie and burned at the towne crosse with ●aggots on their backes whereupon great tumults were raysed there for appeasing whereof the Lord Seton was made Governour of the Towne In this Councell of all the Prelates and Clergie of Scotland the Temporalty proponed divers Articles of re●ormation as to have the Prayers and administration of the Sacrament in the Scottish tongue the Election of Bishops and all beneficed men to passe by the voyces of the Temporall Lords and people and Parishes c. All which the Bishops refused to grant where through there arose shortly af●er great troubles in Scotland For they perswading the Queene Regent to sommon Master Iohn Knox and others to appeare before them at Striveling for lacke of appearance they were denounced Rebels and put to the home Whereupon they and the Burgesses of Perth with others pulled downe the Images and Altars in all Churches and suppressed the houses of Priors and other Religious places and Abbies both in Perth S. Andrewes Edenburgh and other places whereupon the Queene-Regent with the Arch-bishops of Saint Andrewes and Glascow the Bishops of Dulkenden Dublane with many other chiefe of the Clergie came to Perth and raised an Army against the Reformers who thereupon gathered an Army to resist them which being ready to mee●e on Couper More in battle by the labour of some Noble men the battle was stayed and Articles of agreement drawne betweene the Regent and the Lords of the reformed Religion the contents whereof you may reade in Les●e Buchanan and Holinshed Anno 1559. A Parliament was holden and a disputation appointed betweene the Protestant Divines and Popish Prelates at what time the Roman Prelates behaved themselves so well that they were commanded not to depart the Towne but to be present at the Sermons of the Ministers In the winter the Lords of the Counsell gave faculties of Benefices to divers of their friends who put forth the Prelates and received the fruites The Earle of Argile disposed Dunkeld and Dublane The Earle of Arran had the ordering of the Bishoprickes of Saint Andrewes and divers Abbies the like was used by other Noblemen through all parts of the Kingdome In the same yeare being the 17. of Queene Mary he was with the Queene beseiged in Leith Anno 1560. superintendents serving for the election of other Ministers were chosen at Edenburgh whereof Iohn Spursword was one chosen by the suffrage of all the people Anno 1562. this Arch-bishop of Saint Andrewes because after an Edict made thereof hee did no● abstaine from hearing and saying Masse was commit●ed prisoner to Edenburgh Castle This Arch-Bishop still following the Queenes part he with others meeteth her in the yeare of Christ 1566. at Muskleburow and so attendeth on her who no● long after in the yeare of Christ 1571. being about the fourth yeare of Iames the sixth was taken in the Castle of Dunbritaine and sent Prisoner into Sterling where being examined by the Regent Matthew Earle of Lenox about the mur●her of Henry King of Scot● sonne to the sayd Matthew he was there drawne hanged and quartered● being the first Arch-bishop that I have yet heard of writes Thin that suffered so ignominous a death the manner whereof Holinshed and Chytraeus doth thus more largely relate The Regent comming to Striveling caused the Arch-bishop of S. Andrewes to be examined upon certaine Articles as well ●ouching the murther of the la●e King Henry as also for the death of the Earle of Murrey the late Regent at what time there came in a Priest without compulsion of any and before the Regent declared that one Iohn Hamilton being in extreame sicknesse under confession told him that the Bishop did send him with three others to the murther of the King and as touching the murther of the Earle of Murrey the Bishops flat answere was He might have letted it if he would Therewith the people that heard him cryed Away with him hang him And so for these and other offences for the which he had been foresalted before that time he was now executed on a Gibbet set up in the Market place of Striveling Patricke Adamson alias Constance next succeeded in the Archbishopricke of Saint Andrewes in his time Anno 1573. there was a Parliament in Edenburgh wherein divers were made and Articles agreed upon touching Religion and against Popery ●he third whereof was That none of the adversaries and enemies of Gods truth shall enjoy the patrimony of the Kirke Afterwards Anno. 1578. the question touching the Bishops power was disputed in many assemblies and a● length Anno. 1580. in an Assembly holden at Du●die their office was found to be unlawfull not grounded on Gods Word but introduced by the folly and corruptions of mens inventions and thereupon una voce condemned and abjured Anno 1581. and 1582. there were many contentions betweene the Prelates and Presbyters of Scotland touching the Jurisdiction of Bishops which the assembly condemned and the setling and confirming of Religion to the great disturbance of the Realme which I pretermit for brevity sake The next yeare 1583. the Presbytery as they had many times done before did excommunicate their Metropolitane the Archbishop of Saint Andrewes and the rest of the Bishops also because they would not in all their actions support and confirme the Doctrine which the Presbytery had established and maintaine the use of their Episcopacy which they had ordered to be simply abjured and relinquished as an office to which they were not called by God which Excommunication the Presbytery did the more boldly pronounce because they were supported by the assistance of Master Lindseie a great enemy to this Patrick Adamson Bishop of Saint Andrews But the King in the beginning did assist him against them and the Arch-bishop did in like sort thunder an Excomunication against them which division writes Thin not being meete to be in the Clergie who ought to be as the Apostles were Of one heart and of one minde will in the end as Christ saith bring that Realme to confusion for Omne regnum in se divisum desolabitur At last this Bishop excommunicated by the Assembly at Edenburgh was enforced to renounce his Archiepiscopall jurisdiction and to make this publike recantation which quite subverts the pretended Ius Divinum of the Prelacy in the Synod of Fiffe Aprill the 8. 1591. I confesse with a sincere minde without

subjects minding of his high goodnesse and great benignity so alwayes to impart the same unto them as justice being duly administred all rigour being excluded and the great and benevolent minds of his said subjects largely and many times approved towards his highnesse and specially in their Convocation and Synode now presently being in the Chapiter house of the Monastery of Westminster by correspondence of gratitude to them to be requi●ed of his meere motion benignity and liberality by authority of this his Parliament hath given and granted his liberall and free pardon to his said good and loving spirituall subjects and the said Ministers and to every of them to be had taken and enjoyed to and by them and every of them by vertue of this present Act in manner and forme ensuing that is to wit The Kings Highnesse of his said benignity and high liberality in consideration that the sad Archbishop Bishops and Clergie of the said Province of Canterbury in their said Convocation now being have given and granted to him a subsidie of one hundred thousand pounds of lawful●mony currant in this Realme to be levied and collected by the said Clergy at their proper costs and charges and to be paid in certaine forme specified in their said graunt thereof is fully and resolutely contended and pleased that it be ordained established and enacted by authority of this his said Parliament that the most Reverend Father in God William Archbishop of Canterbury Metropolitan and Primate of all England and all other Bishops and Suffragans Prelates c shall be by authority of this present pardon acquired pardoned released and discharged against his Highnesse his heires successours and executors and every of them of all and all manner offences contempts and trespasses committed or done against all and singular Statute and Statutes of Provisours Provisions and Premunire and every of them and of all forfeitures and titles that may grow to the Kings Highnesse by reason of any of the same Statutes and of all and singular trespasses wrongs deceits misdemeanours for●eitures penalties and profits summes of mony paines of death paines co●porall and pecuniar as generally of all other things causes quarrels suits judgements and exactions in this present Act hereafter no● excepted nor soreprised which may be or can be by his Highnesse in any wise or by any meanes pardoned before and to the ten●h day of the moneth of March in the 22. yeare of his most Noble Raigne to every of his said loving subjects Provided alway that this Act of free pardon shall not in any wise extend or be beneficiall to the Reverend Father in God Iohn Archbishop of Dublin now being in the Kings Dominions of Ireland nor shall in any wise extend to pardon discharge or acquit the Bishop Hereford Peter Ligham Iohn Baker Adam Travers Robert Cliffe Rouland Philips and Thomas Pelles Clerkes who it seemes were guilty of some notorious crimes against the King and therefore excepted out of this generall pardon But to returne againe to Warham This Archbishop persecuted and shed the blood of some of our Martyrs and caused the corpes of VVilliam Tracy Esq. for some orthodoxe passages in his Will to be taken out of the grave and burn● for an Hereticke by an Order made in Convocation sending a Commission to Doctor Parker Chancellour of Worcester to execute this wicked sentence who accomplished the same King Henry the eighth hearing his Subject to be taken ou● of the ground and burnt without his knowledge or due order of Law sent for the Chancellour laid this to his charge as an high offence who excused himselfe by this Archbishops command then newly dead but in conclusion it cost the Chancellour 300● to pu●chase his pardon and would have cost the Archbishop more had not his death prevented this danger In fine this Archbishop VVarham and Fisher B. of Rochester gave credit and countenance to the forged visions revelations of Elizabeth Barton afterwards condemned of high Treason for the same as ●●nding to the reproach perill and destruction of the Kings pers●n honou● fame and dignity and Thomas Laurence Register to the Archbishop it is likely by his Masters privity proceeded so farre as to write a booke of her counterfeit miracles revelations and holinesse for which she and her complyces were afterwards execu●ed as Tiburne as they had justly deserved being attainted of treason by Parliament among which cursed c●ue Richard Maister Priest Edward Bocking Doctor of Divinity and Henry Deering Munkes of Canterbury Henry Gold Bachelor of Divinity Thomas Laurence Register to the Archbishop o● Canterbury Warham and Hugh Ric. a Frier observant who seduced this silly girle to effect their owne and the Prelates designes the better thereby suffered death as Traytors by hanging drawing and quartering at Tiburne The act of their attainder treasons and execution is at large related by M. Hall in his Chronicle 25. H. 8. f. 218 221 222 223 224. to which I shall referre the Reader Thomas Cranmer next to him in succession was made Archbishop by King Henry the 8. much against his will for in his Discourse with D. Martyn a little before his Martyrdome being charged by him that he had aspired to the Archbishopricke of Canterbury he replyed I protest before you all there was never man came more unwillingly to a Bishopricke than I did to that insomuch that when King Henry did send for mee in Post that I should come over I prolonged my journey by seven weekes at the least ●hinking that ●ee would be forgetfull of mee in the meane time Hee comming to the See tooke the like Oath to the Pope as his predec●ss●●rs had done and therefore was deeply charged of perju●y by Martyn for renouncing and swearing against the Popes Supremacie afterward though he answered that the first oath was against the Lawes of God of the Realme the Kings Prerogative and made void by Parliament and so not binding After the nullifying of which oath partly by his meanes but principally by the Lord Cro●wels whom the King made his Vicegerent Generall in all Ecclesiasticall affaires and causes and superiour to the Archbishop of Canterbury in place and Ecclesiasticall power the Popes Supremacy and usurped jurisdiction was by severall Acts of Parliament quite abolished out of England as prejudiciall and directly opposite to the Kings Prerogative Royall King Henry dying the Archbishop swore to his will by which Queene Mary was to succeed to the Crowne as next heire in case King Edward died without issue King Edward seeing the obstinacie of Q●●en● Mary in matters of Religion what a pillar she was like to prove to the Church of Rome and persecutor of the true Professors of the Gospell ordaines by his last VVill that Queene Mary should be put by the Crowne and the Lady Jane succeed him as next Heire to which Testament all the Councell swore and the Archbishop too at last after much adoe Whereupon King Edward and Queene

like the Ninivites they replied neither of these shall be because neither shall they repent neither shall God have mercy on them And I demanding when remission of so great calamities might be expected To this they answered concerning this it shall be so as in case of a greene tree if it be cut in the midest and the part 〈◊〉 off be carried farre from the Trunke when that without any helpe shall be reannexed to the Trunke and begin to flourish and bring forth fruit then a remission of such evills may be hoped for The truth of which prophesie writes Matthew Wstminster the English soone after had experience of in this that England became the habitation of strangers and the dominion of forreiners for a little after no English man was either a Duke Bishop or Abbot upon the comming in of the Conqueror neither was there any hope of ending this misery The Conqueror comming to the Crown had some contests with this Bishop whom he would have removed from his Bishoppricke for insufficiency in point of learning but being found more able than he was reputed he held his Bishoppricke and recovered some Lands from the Archbishop of Yorke taken by the Archbishops from this See which some three or foure Archbishops before had held in Commendam with Yorke The Cathedrall of Worceter being stately built a new from the ground in his time the Monkes thereupon forsaking their old habitation built by Oswald which they pulled downe betooke themselves to this new stately building Which Wulstan seeing burst out into teares and being demanded a reason thereof by some that told him he had rather cause to rejoyce our predecessors saith he whose Monuments wee deface rather I doubt to set up the banners of our vaine-glory than to glorifie God they indeede quoth he were not acquainted with such stately buildings but every place was a Church sufficient for them to offer themselves a reasonable holy and lively sacrifice unto God we contrariwise are double diligent in laying heapes of stones so to frame a materiall Temple but are too too negligent in setting forward the building of that lively Temple the Church o● God In King William Rufus time this Bishop arming such an number of people as the city of Worceter could afford caused to sally out and set upon Roger Earle of Mountgomery and others who attempted to take it whom they discomfited killing and taking a number of them prisoners Maugere the 36. Bishop of Worceter was one of those foure Bishops who Anno. 1208. upon the Popes command excommunicated King Iohn and put the whole Kingdome under interdict whereupon his goods and temporalities were seised and he inforced to flie the Realme dying at last in exile at Pontiniac in ●rance during the time of this interdict the King writes Matthew Parts had most wicked Councellors Qui Regi in omnibns placere cupientes cousiliura non pro ratione sed pro voluntare dederunt who d●sirous to please the King in all things gave counsell not according to reason but will among these he reckons up Tres Episcopi curiales three Court Bishops to wit Philip Bishop of Durham Peter Bishop of Wincester and Iohn Bishop of Norwhich Walter de Cantelupo the 40. Bishop of Worceter as he stoutly opposed the Popes exactions in England so in the yeare 1264. he tooke great paines to worke a peace betweene the King and the Barons in whose behalfe when he had offered the King conditions as he thought most reasonable which might not be accepted he addicted himselfe unto their party exhorted them to fight valiantly in the cause and promised heaven very confidently to them that should die in defence of the same For this he was after justly excommunicated by the Popes Legate and being sicke unto death repenting much this fault of disobedience unto his Prince he humbly craved and received absolution from that excommunication whereupon ensued bloody warres and rapines so● as Matthew Paris writes Nec Episcopi nec ahbates nec ulli religiosi de villa in villam progred● potuerunt quin à vespilionibus praeda●ontur And concludes this yeare thus Trans●it annus iste frugifer benè temperatus sanus● sed in cunctis eventibus Angliae dispendiosus propter bellum commune propter rerum coramunium privatarum flebilem direptionem Most of the succeeding Bishops of Worceter as Adam de Orleton that Arch-traytor and such like were translated to other Sees where I shall meete with them and therefore pretermiting them here I passe to those of Hereford The Bishops of Hereford Iune 16. An. 1056. Griffin King of Wales having overthrowne the forces of the Engishmen about two miles from Hereford immediatly assaulting the city tooke it slew Leovegar the Bishop and seven of the Canons there who denied him entrance into the Church and held it against him spoiled it of all the reliques and ornaments that were portable and lastly fired both Church City and all This See continued voyd foure yeares after the death of Leofuegar after which Walter Chaplaine to Queene Edith was consecrate at Rome by the Pope in the yeare 1060. his end was much more unhappy than his Predecessors He chanced to fall in love with a certaine comely woman that he met in the street A long time he contended with this vile and unseemely affection and he thought hee had quenched the same when a small occasion renewed it to his destruction having certaine linnen to cut out this woman was commended to him for a very cunning Seamster He sent for her and his old flame of filthy desire easily kindling by this little sparke he found errands to send his men out of the way while he set upon her first with words and they not prevailing by force she resisted what shee might but finding him too strong for her thrust her Sheeres into his belly and gave him his deaths wound The King being desirous it should be esteemed false forbid the report of it by a Proclamation which afterwards came to be Chronicled Raynelmus the 30 Bishop of this Diocesse received that Bishoppricke at the hands of King Henry the first who bestowed it freely on him and was invested into it as the manner of those times was by the delivery of the Ring and the Crosier Anselme then Archbishop refused to consecrate him and divers others who received their investitures in this manner from the King he was so farre from importuning him in this matter as being now perswaded this his election to be insufficient he renounced the same delivering againe unto the Kings hands the Ring Crosier that he had received Herewith the King was so offended as he had cause that presently he banished him the Realme after much ado betweene the King and Anselme a reconciliation was wrought and this man consecrated Gyles de Bruse the 30. Bishop of Hereford in the Barons warres was a great stickler wjth them against