vytayles but also of the fowles fode Amos. viij Whych is the veryte of God and sede of saluacyoÌ„ Marke chronicon Sigeberti Mathew Paris Mathew of Westmynstre Roger Houeden Scalamundi and chronicon chronicorum Yea to make the matter more playne vnto vs for the fulfyllynge of those hydden scryptures in our owne nacyon Radulphus de Diceto Sigebertus and Thomas Rudborne in their chronycles addeth thus muche to the storye Amonge the whych fallen starres saye these autours one which was the greatest of theÌ„ all semed to fall on the other syde of the sea in Fraunce as it had bene a blasyng fyre brand And whan the place was marked in Normandy and dylygently sought out the searchers behelde a fearful flutteryng and terryble boylynge in a serten water an horryble stynkynge smoke arysynge therof By thys partycular fallen starre is signyfyed first Lanfrancus afterwardes Anselmus ij Normandy moÌ„kes archebyshoppes of Canterbury by whome in those dayes was all the hurly hurly turmoyle and change in relygyon here in Englande Lanfrancus conteÌ„ding for transubstancyacyon of the Eucharysticall breade to aduaunce ydolatry and Anselmus condemnynge the marryage of prestes and autoryte of prynces for inuestynge of prelates to sett vp sodometry impunyte of synne in the clergye Wherby the one was constytute the adoptyue sonne of Antichrist and the other the pope of England as hereafter wyll apere The water betokeneth the wauerynge multytude and the stynkynge smoke the fylthie doctryne of those fallen starres ☞ Of a lecherouse byshop and ij supersticyouse earles RObert Bloet whyche had bene a monke of Euesham abbeye went not thens so poore but that he was able to gyue for the byshopryck of Lyncolne fyue thousand pounde in the yeare of our lorde a M. xcij. after the death of Remigius By lyke he had bene abbot of the place that he was so wele mouyed Never was Orpheus Palemon nor Sardanapalus more expert they saye in the fyne feates of lecherie than he was For Wylliam of Malmesbury reporteth that he was totus libidinosus all gyuen to fylthie lyuynge And yet he was brought vp in the cloystre vndre Saint Benets rule a great professour of chastyte and a worthie gouernour in that relygyon At the last he dyed sodenly and was buryed at Lyncolne where as the church kepers were sore anoyed they saye with his sowle and other walking spretes tyll that place was pourged by prayers Guilhelmus Malmesburiensis li iiij de pontifi Ranulphus Rogerus Thomas Rudborne ac Polydorus Whan Roger the earle of Shrowesbury perceyued ones that he coulde not lyue muche longar he sent Reynolde the pryour of Shrowesbury to Clunyake in Fraunce for the kyrtle of holy Hugh the abbot there that by lycence of Adelyse hys wyfe he myght for socour of hys sowle depart to God in the heate of hys holynesse As muche mede had he therof Treuisa sayth as had Malkyn of her maydenhede whych no man was hasty on Hugh the olde earle of Chestre beynge spoke vnto death in the same selfe yeare caused by the entysement of Anselme the prestes clerely to be expelled out of the high churâ—he of Westchestre and the monkes to be placed there for them So frantyck were the worldly rulers in thys age Henricus huntendune li. xi Ranulphus Rogerus Treuisa Fabianus alij ☞ Of byshop Herbert whych buylded Christes church at Norwych Thys Herbert was called by surname losinga the father whyche bigate hym was Robert the abbot of Wynchestre But who was hys mother the story telleth not to leaue it as a secrete matter within relygyon First was he here in Englande by fryndeshyp made abbot of Ramseye and afterwardes byshop of Thetforde by flattery and fat payment in the yeare of our lorde a M. xci For the which he is named in the chronycles yet to this day the â—yndelyng matche of symony and that noteth hym no small doar in that feate Notwithstandyng he so repented that symony they saye that he went to Rome and there resigned vp hys ryng pastorall hoke to Pope Vrbanus the seconde in the yeare of our lord a M. xciiij not without an other great summe of moneye ye maye be sure for there myghte nothynge passe without ready payment But here ye maye axe me whye the byenge of a byshoprycke was symony in England and not at Rome Wherunto I answere For in Englande a kynge receyued the moneye whych hath none autoryte to meddle in that marte of byenge sellynge wantyng the character or marke of the beast whych they haue at Rome Apo. xiij Also they haue lyberte in that generacyon to iudge blacke whyte euyll good sower swete and darkenesse lyghte also to wurke therafter Esa. v. And whan he had ones returned home agayne by vertu of Antichristes commissyon he remoued hys seate of poysenynge Christes flocke from Thetforde to Norwyche in the yeare of our lorde a M. xcvi dyspossessynge the prestes and theyr wyues and placynge the monkes in their rowmes to make that church a Sodome Guilhelmus Malmesburiensis Radulphus de Diceto Matthaeus Paris Matthaeus VVestmonasteriensis Ranulphus Rogerus Thomas rudborne Ioannes Eucresden Ioannes Capgraue Fabianus alij ☞ The robbery symony and sacrilege of the seyd Herbert OF thys byshop Herbert were many straunge thynges written but yet very couertly and craftely I thynke to hyde the open shewe of hys euyls because he was so great an abbeye foundar Some there were that scoffyngly bestowed vpon hys predecessour Arfastus and hym thys texte Non hunc sed Barrabam Ioan xviij Not hym but Barrabas For Arfastus had translated the byshopryck from Helmam to Thetforde whyche were in those dayes but vyllages But he traÌ„slated it froÌ„ theÌ„s to Norwych whyche was a famouse towne and of great occupyenge An other sort gaue thys texte by the waye Amice ad quid uenisti Mathae xxvi Frende wherfore art thou come Thus slyely they compared hym to Barrabas and Iudas whych both were theues Malmesburius Ranulphus Treuisa Moreouer a Poete or versyfyer of that age made these verses of hym Surgit in ecclesiam monstruÌ„ genitore losinga Simonidum secta canonum uirtute resecta Petre nimis tardas nam Simon ad ardua tentat Si praesens esses non Simon ad altauolaret Proh dolor ecclesiae nuÌ„misuenduntur aere Filius est praesul pater abba Simon uterque Quid non speremus si nummos possideamus Omnia nummus habet quod uult facit addit aufert Res nimis iniusta nummis fit praesul abba ¶ A monstre is vp the sonne of Losinga Whyls the lawe seketh Symony to flea Peter thou slepest whyls Simon taketh tyme If thou wert present Symon shulde not clyme Churches are prysed for syluer golde The soÌ„ne a bishop the father an abbot olde What is not gotten if we haue rychesse Moneye obtayneth in
the gyuynge of spirytuall promocyons in Englande for the losse of his crowne as thou hast sayd here Know thou tâ—ys determynatly I speake it here afore God that he shall not obtayne it at my hande though he wolde also gyue his heade and all O arrogaunt Antichrist ful ryghtly shewest thy selfe This hath Mathew Paris li iij. Anglorum historiae and Iohan Capgraue Whan Anselme was about to haue pleaded hys owne cause there thynkynge to haue had therin the assistence of Richarde the pryour of Helye whyche was a man that tyme both wyttie and learned he vtterly fell from hym and toke the kynges part very earnestly confutynge all hys false accusacyons and malycyouse detrectyons for the whyche in hys returne the kynge shewed hym muche fauer as Radulphus de Diceto reporteth Anon after Anselme intreated for hys dysgraded abbottes and vnconfirmed prelates whyche was graunted foorthwith and they restored to their dygnytees For that gentyll seate Mathew Paris sayth was neuer wonte to fayle whan eyther reade or whyte came in the way The nexte yeare after was Anselme clerely forbyd to returne into Englande vnlesse he wolde obserue the good lawes of the lande whyche he refused to do the seyd Mathew sayth ☞ The conueyaunces of Anselme by epistles and writynges Whan the kynges massengers were returned home agayne with these croked newes and with strayght commaundement from the cruell byshop of Rome that he shulde neuermore intermeddle with appoyntynge out of prelates or by gyuynge to them the rynge and pastorall hoke but to leaue it only to hys absolute autoryte he was sore displeased turnynge all the possessyons rychesse of Anselme to his own vse What letters crafty counsels blasphemouse bablyngâ—s and abhomynable wrastynges of the scriptures went betwyxt that lewde byshopp of Rome and Anselme for the space of iij. yeares after it wolde requyre a great felde of matter to shewe as I fynde in hys epystles Moreouer it is a wondre to beholde there the subtyltye that thys Anselme vseth to brynge hys deuylysh purpose to passe for demynyshment of the Christen prynces autoryte and augmentyng of Antichristes vsurpacyon That prynce he flattereth to gyue ouer hys ryghte and an other he commendeth in hys folyshness that hath done it already their folysh wyues alwayes suborned to put the cause forwarde That doltyshe preste he prayseth whych hath contempned hys prynces lyberalyte to an other he promyseth muche hyghar promocyon These are the ingynes of a crafty dâ—uyll if ye marke them Hys letters to syster Frodelina syster Ermengarda syster Athelytes syster Eulalia syster Madily and syster Basyle to Maude to abbesse of Cane in Normandy and to Maude the abbesse of Wilton here in Englande declareth hym to be very famylyar with nonnes Ex epistolis Anselmi He also made a treatyse about the same tyme called planctus amissae uirginitatis a bewaylynge of maydenhede lost ☞ The first ordre of typpet men or secular prestes IN the yeare of our lorde a M. a. C. vâ— beganne first the ordre of Sarisburianes Mathew Paris sayth What maner of ordre this shuld be I can not coniecture vnlesse it were the ordre of portasse men typpet knightes or newe shauen sir Iohans professynge the vnsauery vse of Sarum By lyke whan these men were ones clerely separated froÌ„ their marryed wyues they were at the last contented at their byshoppes suggestyon to lyue peaceably vndre hym to come as it were into a vnyformyte of relygion in outward aperaunce as the moÌ„kes ded in their cloysters and so to wynne agayne some fauer or good opynyoÌ„ of the people whych they for theyr wyues had lost Than begaÌ„ they first to shyne in one shewe or to muster in one lyuerye as the coltes of one mare one short an other longe one hygh an other lowe For afore that tyme were they dyspersed by many dysgysinges one dyuerse from an other As the monkes had their cowles caprones or whodes and their botes so had they than their longe typpettes their prestes cappes their syde gownes gyrt to them their portasses relygyously hangynge with great buttoÌ„s at their gyrdles They had also their crownes shauen and their heare docked lyke as the monkes had though not so muche as they to apeare also relygyouse rable WhaÌ„ they had onâ—â— receyued that marke of the beast in their foreheardes and ryghthandes by the profession of a false chastyte they were made free of Antichristes marte myght by hys autoryte both bye and selle Apoc. xiij Yet coulde they neuer obtayne of the saye multitude so great an opynyon of holye perfectyon as ded the monkes vnlesse it were here one hypocryte and there an other but in conclusyon contynued vndre the slendre name of secular prestes or hedge chaplaines For in most places they dwelt vploude and wanted relygyouse habytacyons to haue sâ—t them forewarde or made them moâ—e Pope holye ☞ How the emperour was vsed in the tyme of their sorceryes NEcessary were it to marke an other crafty conueyaunce of these holye helhoundes A questyon myghte here be axed where Henry the iiij Emprour was for the tyme if thys tragycall turmoyle that he loked not more narrowly to their haÌ„des being a man so wyse so godly Thys questyon is suffycyently answered by the chronycle writers of that age The prelates occupied him with such mortall warres from Hyldebrandes tyme hytherto that he knewe not which way to turne him They made hys owne subiectes in euery quarter to rebell agaynst him and his owne naturall sonne in the ende vpon desyre of the crowne imperyal most falsely to betraye hym subdue hym captyue him emprison him and cruelly at the lattre to murther him The storye is a matter very lamentable heauye as Athelboldus TraiecteÌ„sis Barnesridus Vrspergensis Ioannes Nauclerus hath described it Whan thys man whych was called Henry the v. was ones satled in the empyre tydynges were brought hym the next yeare after that Paschall the byshop of Rome helde a generall councell at Trecas in Fraunce agaynst hys father Wherin he prosecuting the former actes of Hildebrande prohybyted laye prynces the inuestyng of prelates and the prestes their wyues in the realme of Fraunce as he had done in other nacyons dysgradynge those byshoppes and abbottes whome the Frenche kyng and emprour had made The seyd emprour hearynge of thys sent learned men vnto him gentylly requyrynge that he wold not take from him that his predecessours without interrupcyon had vsed from the tyme of Charles the great by the space of more than CCC yeares The boshopp at that tyme deferred the answere tyll he came to Rome Godfridus Viterbiensis Albertus Crants Paulus Aemilius Iacobus Bergomas Ioannes Stella Ioannes Capgraue li. i. de nobilibus Henricis Robertus Barnes ☞ The homblye handelynge of prelates at Rome Whan thys emprour se his tyme he came into Italy with a great host of
the. iiij partes of my votaryes actes that my reader maye knowe the dyfference of them by theyr diuerse groundes and argumentes In the fyrste parte after longe engenderynge bredynge and brynynge my votaryes haue rysen faste by the craftye inuencyons of Idolatours In the seconde parte they haue buylded faste by the wyttye practyses of a monkes and chanons In the thyrde parte shal they holde faste by the busye calkynges of the. iiij orders of fryres And in the forte parte shall they fall faste by the myghtye assaultes of the preachers and wryters The fyrste parte comprehendeth all the tyme from the worldes begynning to a full thousand yeares after Christes incarnacyon The seconde parte contayneth CC. yeares more from that thousand of yeares to the reigne of king IohaÌ„ the third part shall contynue for CC. yeares after that which is froÌ„ the enterauÌ„ce of king IohaÌ„ to the reygne of kynge Henry the fort And the last parte shall conclude wyth an hondred and fyftye yeares whyche is from the fyrste yeare of kynge Henry the forte to the lattre end of this present yeare from Christes incarnacyon a. M. D. and. l. or thys next after that whyche is li. Thus maye these iij. bokes be knowne dyuerse the one from the other by theyr diuerse titles of fast rysyng fast building fast holding and fast fallinge though all they procede out of one only argument of Englysh votaryes He that shall wyth wysdome consydre in thys seconde part the wylye procedynges of these Babylon buylders howe they pranked vp their stought sturdye Antychrist aboue God and hys Christe he shal fynde that these were theyr chefe practyses of myschefe They perceiued that God of hys infynyte wysdome had placed ij hygh admynystracyons in the christianite for the conseruacion therof and that they were the publyque autoryte of noble prynces and the gracyouse office of godly preachers The one was for the outward welthe of the bodye the other for the inward welth of the sowle They thoughte if these ij were not peruerted and poysened they shulde neuer come to theyr full purpose Wherfore they sought firste of all to bring them vndre by sophistycall sorceryes And fyrste they began with the weaker concernynge the worlde whyche were the curates preachers or ministers of Gods wurd for they were as apered the more easie to ouercome Christe the sonne of God the holye Apostles and the godly fathers of the primatiue churche vpon diuerse consideracions permitted them to haue wiues S. Paule most earnestly wrote it both to Timothe and Titus that it shuld stande as a buildinge vnremoueable Oportet episcopuÌ„ irreprehensibilem esse unius uxoris maritum i Timo. iij. Tit. i. A bishop must be vnrebukeable A pastour must be the husbande of one wyfe Marke wele that Muste be If this wiuinge thought they might be brought to an yll opinion that the people might treckeÌ„ it nought thaÌ„ shuld we make that office of pastorall cure whiche afore serued God in paineful study of his wurd to serue vs in all vanitees and plesures of the fleshe To bryng this to good passe we must pretende a perpetuall chastyte We must outwardly professe neuer to towche a womaÌ„ what so euer we do els in that dark By thys shal we haue these commoditees We shall apere more holie than other people We shal haue the preachers obedient to our affectes They shall not rebuke our horryble darke doynges by the Gospell No for they shall for wante of women haue vncomelye lustes in theyr hartes wherby they wyll be gyuen ouer of God to themselues So shall they become buggerers and whoremaisters Yea and suche blynde bussardes and beastes as wyll be able to abyde no truthe So shall our wyckednesse in the syght of people become a lyfe of perfectyon and holynesse By these chefely and by other lyke practyses came that admynystracyon for the sowles behoue to an vtter decaye and ruyne as is shewed at large in thys former boke Now lete vs go to the other whych is the Christen regyment of prynces and declare by what wayes these wycked buylders brought that also to a counterfet shadowe of Christen gouernaunce they beynge made the dumme ymages of the beaste Apoca. xiij All for the publyque welthe and conseruacyon of Christen comâ—ynaltees had they their attorite and powâ—r Thys administracyon sought these enemyes to destroye an other waye They first toke from kynges the inuestynge of prelates or the power of admyttynge them to spirytuall offyces They made the great prynces beleue that they were but laye men and myghte not intermedle in spirituall causes or in the appoyntynge of the ecclesyastycall funccyons Se here how one myschefe grewe vpon another as that ouerthrowe of Christen princes autoryte vpon the condempnacyon of prestes marryage They seyd it was vnconuenyent that he whych had touched a woman as the kynges ded their wyues shulde laye handes vpon hym or admyt hym to offyce that shulde make Christes bodye O blasphemause buggerers Where founde these execrable hypocrytes that it was euer synne a man to touche that vessell whych was sanctifyed to his vse Eyther yet where was power graunted to their buggerysh generacyon to make Christes bobye O deuyls merydyane as the Prophete doth call yow whan wyll ye leaue to illude both God and man But to conclude By this meane at the last they had their full purpose and therby made the Christen prynces to become their slaues Yea to holde their stiroppes with cappe in hande to kysse their fylthie fete to leade their mules and their horses Yea they played with those worldly rulers for all their great power and wysdome as the bearwardes do with their apes and their beares They led them in the cheaues of their iniquyte and compelled them at tymes to do suche feates as they appoynted theÌ„ Moreouer whan they wolde not obeye to theyr myndes they feared them with the whyppe They terryfyed them with their blacke curses They fraybugged theÌ„ with the thundreboltes of theyr excommunycacyons and interdiccyons and threttened to set all other nacions vpon them But our noble kyng Edward and hys valeaunt father kinge Henry afor hym threwe of from theyr shulders the execrable yoke of those obstinate infidels Neyther nedeth he to feare to treade styll vndre hys fete that odyouse hydre and his singe serpent of Rome For the eternall God whiche hath giuen to him the power of a king is strongar than is Sathan their great maistre Long were it to treate how these lecherouse locustes haue vsed theyr kinges here in Englande bothe afore the conqueste and after Before the conquest they shewed fauer â—o none saue onlye to them that were monastery buylders The other lyke locustes they vexed and soughte by all meanes to suppresse them They haue not much rested sens theyr maistre the deuill was at large after hys thousand yeares inprisonment Fyrste