and set vp Otho Duke of Saxon. But when the said Otho began to bee so saucie to dispossesse the Bishops of their cities and lands which they had incrotched into their bands they could not beare that but incontinent they put him besides the cusheon The like also fell vpon Otho the 4. that followed after Philip who was suffered no longer then foure yeares to reigne about the yeare of the LORD 1209. At this time Fredericus 2. the sonne of Fredericus Barbarossa was but young whom the Bishops of Rome supposing to finde more mortified and tamed to their hand advanced to bee Emperour after his father But that fell out much contrarie to their expectation for hee perceiving the immoderate pompe and pryde of the Romane Bishops which hee could in no case abyde so netled them and cut their combs and waxed so stout against them intending to extirpe their tyranie and to reduce their pompous riches to the state and condition of the primitiue Church againe putting some of them to flight and prisoning some of their Cardinals that of three Popes one after another hee was accursed circumvented by tieason at last deposed and after that poysoned and last forsaken and died After this Frederick followed his sonne Conradus whom the foresaid Bishops for his disobedience soone dispatched exciting against him in mortall warre the Lantgraue of Thuring whereby at length hee was driven into his Kingdome of Naples and there deceast This Conradus had a sonne called Conradinus Duke and Prince of Swevill where this Conradinus after the decease of his father came to enjoy the Kingdome of Naples The Bishops stirred vp against him Charles the French Kings brother in such sort that through craftie conveyance both Conradinus which descended of the blood of so many Emperours and also Frederik Duke of Austria were both taken and after much wretched handling in their miserable indurance vnseeming to their state at length were both brought vnder the axe by the Popes procurement and so both beheaded and thus ended the imperiall stocke of Frederik the first surnamed Barbarossa The like also happened to Frederik the Emperour had almost fallen vpon Philip the French King by Pope Boniface 8. who because hee could not haue his commodities and revenewes out of France after his will sent out his bils and letters patents to displace King Philip aforesaid and to possesse Albertus King of Romans in his rowme And this hitherto of forraine stories Now touching our countrie Princes heere in England so speake somewhat likewayes of them did not Pope Alexander the third presumptuously taking vpon him where hee had nothing to doe to intermeddle with the Kings subjects For the death of Becket the rebell albeit the King fusficiently cleared himselfe thereof yet notwithstanding did he not wrongfully bring the said King Henry 2. to such pennance as it pleased him to enjoyne and also violently constrained him to sweare obedience to the Sea of Rome The like also was shewed before in this storie to happen to King Iohn his sonne for when the said King like a valiant Prince had held out the tyrranie of those Bishops eleven yeares together was not all the Churches of England barred vp and his inheritance with all his dominions given away by Pope Innocent the 3. to Lodovicus the French King and he afterward compelled to submit both himselfe and to make his whole Realme fedetary to the Bishops of Rome and moreover the King himselfe driven also to surrander his Crowne to Pandulphus the Popes Legate and so continued a privat person 5 dayes standing at the Popes courtesie whether to receive it againe or not And when the Nobles of the Realme rose afterward against the King for the same was not hee then glad to seeke and sue to the foresaid Pope for succour as by his owne letter taken out of the publicke rolles may appeare King Iohns supplication to Pope Innocent the third REverendiss domino suo patri sanctiss Innocentio dei gratia Ioanni eadem gratia R. Angliae c. Cum comites Barones Angliae nobis devoti essent antequam nos nostram terram dominio vestro subjacere curassemus ex tunc in nos specialiter ob hoc sicut publicè dicunt violenter insurgunt Nos vero preter Deum vos specialem dominum patronum habentes defensionem nostram totius regni quod vestrum esse credimus vestrae paternitati commissam nos quantum in nobis est curam solicitudinem istam vestrae resignamus dominationi devotius supplicantes quatenus in negotijs nostris que vestra sunt consilium auxilium efficax apponatis prout melius videritis expedire latores praesentium c. Teste meipso apud Dour 18. Septemb. 6. And yet notwithstanding that the said King Iohn did so yeeld to the Pope he was both persewed by his Nobles and also in the end w as poysoned by asubject of the Popes ownereligion a Monke of Swinsted as I haue sufficiently to proue not onely by William Caxton but also haue testimonie of the most part of Chronicles for the same a few onely excepted as of Thomas Gray in his French Chronicle also of another French Chronicle in meeter of Ranulphus Cestrenses Thomas Rudburne also doth witnesse the same So doth Richard Rid in novo Chronico ad tempora Hen. 6. the like also doth the Chronicle called Eulogium Monachi Cant. The words of Walter Gisborne an ancient Historiographer bee plaine No lesse is to be found in Ioan. Major de gestis Scotorum lib. 4. cap. 3. fol. 56. where hee not onely maketh mention of the Monke and of the poyson but also of the Abbot of his absolution and of the 3. Monks everie day singing for the said Monks soule To these I could also annex dyvers other wrytters both English and Latin without name which witnesse that King Iohn was poysoned one beginning thus Heere beginneth a booke in the English tongue called Bruce Another beginneth Because this booke is made to tell what tyme any thing notable The thrid in English beginneth the reigne of Britaine that now is called England c. Of Latin bookes which haue no name one beginneth thus Britannia quae Anglia dicitur ae Bruto nomen est sortita Another hath this beginning Adam pater gener is humani Besides this King Henry 2 and King Iohn his sonne what Kings haue heere reigned in England since their time vntill the reigne of King Henry the 8 who althogh they were prudent Princes and did what they could against the proud dominion of those Bishops were forced at length sore against their wils for feare to subject themselues together with their subjects vnder their vsurped authoritie in so much as some of them as M att Paris wryteth by King Henry the third were faine to stoup and kisse their Legats knee The image of Antichrist exalting himselfe in the Temple of GOD aboue all that is named God out of his owne decrees
Simon Magus and Nero the Emperour in Pauls time were great adversaries yet heere hee meaneth another besides these greater then all the rest not such a one as should bee like to Priest King or Emperour but such as farre exceeding the estate of all Kings Priests and Emperours should be the Prince of Priests and should make Kings to stoup and should tread vpon the necke of Emperours and make them to kisse his feete Moreover where the Apostle sayeth that hee shall sit in the Temple of GOD thereby is meaned not the personall sitting of the Pope in the Citie only of Rome but the authoritie and iurisdiction of his Sea exalted in the whole vniversall Church equall with GOD himselfe For let men giue to the Pope that which hee in his lawes decrees and in his pontificall requyreth and what difference is there betwixt GOD and the Pope If GOD set lawes and ordinances so doth hee If GOD hath his creatures so hath hee If GOD require obedience so doth hee If the breach of GODS commandements bee punished much more bee his GOD hath his religion the Pope also hath his Yea for GODS one Religion he hath an hundreth GOD hath set vp one Advocate hee hath an hundreth GOD hath instituted but a few holy dayes for GODS one hee hath instituted fourtie And if the holie day that GOD hath appoynted bee Simplex The feast that the Pope appoynteth is duplex triplex CHRIST is the head of the Church so is the Pope CHRIST giveth influence to his bodie so doth the Pope CHRIST forgiveth sinne the Pope doth no lesse CHRIST expelleth evill spirits by hispower so pretendeth the Pope by his holy water Furthermore where CHRIST went barefooted vpon the bare ground hee with his golden shooes is caried vpon mens shoulders And where CHRIST was called Sanctus Sanctorum Heeis called Sanctorum Sanctissimus CHRIST never practised but onely the spirituall sword hee claimeth both spirituall and temporall CHRIST bought the Church Hee both buyeth and selleth the Church And if it bee necessarie to beleeue CHRIST to bee the Saviour of the world so is it necessarie to beleeuethe Pope to bee the head of the Church CHRIST payed tribute vnto Caesar hee maketh Caesar pay tribute vnto him Finallie the Crowne of CHRIST was of sharpe thornes The Pope hath three crownes of gold vpon his head so farre exceeding CHRIST the Sonne of GOD in glorie of this world as CHRIST exceedeth him in the Glorie of HEAVEN The image and paterne of whose intolerable pryde and exaltation according as St. Paul doeth descryue him in his Epistle foresaid wee haue heere set foorth not only in these tables to bee seene and by his owne facts to be noted but also by his owne words Registers Clementines Extravagants and Pontificals expressed as in order the LORD willing shall follow The exaltation of Popes aboue Kings and Emperours out of Histories FIrst after that Italy and the citie of Rome were overrunne by the Gothes and Vandals so that the seate of the Empyre was remooved to Constantinople then beganne Ioannes Patriarch of Constantinople to put foorth himselfe and would needs bee called vniversall Bishop of the world but the Bishop of Rome in no case would suffer that and stopped it After this came the Emperours deputy and Exarch of Ravenna to rule Italy but the Bishop of Rome through ayde of the King of Lombards sone quailed him Not long after about the yeare of the LORD fyue hundreth came Phocas the murthrer who slew the Emperour of Constantinople his master Maureits and his children By which Phocas the Bishops of old Rome aspyred first to their preheminence to bee counted the head Bishops over the whole Church and so together with the Lombardes beganne to rule the Citie of Rome Afterwards when the Lombardes would not yeeld to him in accomplishing his ambitious desire but would needs requyre of the Bishop the said Citie of Rome hee stirred vp Pipinus but first deposed Childericus the King of France and so thrusting him into an Abbey set vp in his place Pipinus and his sonne Carolus Magnus to put downe the said King of Lombardes called Aistulphus and so translated the Empyre from Constantinople to France divyding the spoyle betweene him and them so that the Kings of France had all the possessions and lands which before belonged to the Empyre and hee to receiue of them the quyet possession of the citie of Rome with such donations and Lordships which now they challenge vnto them vnder the name of S. Peters patrimonie which they falsely ascrybe to that donation of Constantinus the great It followed then in processe of time after the dayes of Pipinus Carolus and Lodovicus who had indued these Bishops of Rome called now Popes with large possessions when the King of France were not applyable to their becke to ayde and maintaine them against the Princes of Italy who began then to push the saides Bishops for their wrongfull vsurped goods they practised with the Germans to redact the Empyre to Otho first of that name Duke of Spaine referring the election thereof to seven Princes electors of Germany which was about Anno 1002. Notwithstanding reserving still in his hands the negatiue voyce thinking thereby to enjoy that they had in quyetnesse and securitie and so did for a good space At length when some of these Germane Emperours also after Otho beganne a little to spurne against the said Bishops and Popes of Rome some of them they accursed some they subdued and brought to the kissing of their feete some they deposed and placed others in their possessions So was Henricus 4. by these Bishops accursed the Emperour himselfe forced with his wife and chyld to waite attendance vpon the Popes pleasure three dayes and three nights in Winter at the gates of Canossus Besids all this the said Pope raised vp Rodolpus to bee Emperour against him who being slaine in warre then the said Pope Gregory 7. not resisting this stirred vp his owne sonne Henricus 5. to fight against his owne naturall father to depose him which Henricus 5. was also himselfe accursed afterward and excommunicated and the Saxons at last set vp by the Bishops to fight against him After this the Emperours began to bee somewhat calmed and more quyet suffering the Bishops to reigne as they listed till Fredericke the first called Barbarossa came and beganne to stirre coales against them Howbeit they hampered both him and his sonne Henry in such sort that they brought first the necke of Frederick in the Church of Venice vnder their feete to tread vpon and after that the said Bishops crowning Henricus his sonne in the Church of S. Peter set his crowne vpon his head with their feete with their feete spurned it off againe to make him know that the Popes of Rome had power both to crowne Emperours and depose them againe Then followed Philippus brother to Henry aforesaid whom also the Popes accursed about the yeare of our LORD 1198.
decretals extravagants pontificals word for word as it is out of the said bookes heere alledged and quotted FOR as much as it standeth vpon necessity of salvation for everie bumane creature to bee subject to mee the Pope of Rome It shall bee therefore requisite nd necessary for all men that will bee saved to learne and know the dignitie of my Sea and excellencie of my dominion as heere is set foorth according to the trueth and very works of my owne lawes in style as followeth 2. First my institution began in the old Testament and was consummate and finished in the New in that my Preift-hood was prefigurated by Aaron and other Bishops vnder me were prefigured by the sonnes of Aaron that were vnder him 3. Neither is it to bee thought that my Church of Rome hath beene preferred by any generall Councill but obtained the Primacy onely by the voyce of the Ghospell and the mouth of the Saviour 4. And hath in it neither spot nor wrinkle nor any such like thing 5. Wherefore as other seats bee all inferiour to mee and as they cannot absolue me so haue they no power to bind mee or to stand against me no more then the axe hath power to stand or presume aboue him that heweth with it or the Saw to presume aboue him that ruleth it 6. This is the holy and Apostolick mother Church of all other Churches of CHRIST 7. From whose rules it is not meete that any person or persons should declyne but lyke as the Sonne of GOD came to doe the will of his Father so much yee doe the will of your mother the Church the head whereof is the Church of Rome 8. And if any other person or persons shall erre from the said Church either let them be admonished or els their names taken to bee knowne who they bee that swerue from the customes of Rome 9. Thus then for as much as the holy Church of Rome whereof I am governour is set vp to the whole world for a glasse or example reason would what thing soever the said Church determineth or ordaineth that to bee receaved of all men for a generall and a perpetuall rule for ever 10. Wherevpon we see it now verified in this Church that was foreprophecied by Ieremie Saying Behold I haue set thee vpover nations and kingdomes to plucke vp and to breake downe to build and to plant 11. Who so vnderstandeth not the prerogatiue of this my Preist-hood let him looke vp to the firmament where he may see two great lights the Sunne and Moone one ruling over the day the other over the night So in the firmament of the vniversall Church 12. GOD hath set two great dignities the authoritie of the Pope and the Emperour Of the which two this our dignitie is so much weightier as wee haue the greater charge to giue accoumpt to GOD for Kings of the earth and the lawes of men 13. Wherefore bee it knowne to you Emperours which know it also right well that yee depend vnto the judgement of vs we must not bee brought and reduced to your will 14. For as I said looke what difference there is betwixt the Sunne and the Moone so great is the power of the Pope ruling over the day that is over the spirituality aboue Emperours and Kings ruling over the the night that is over the Laytie 15. Now seing the earth is seven times bigger then the Moone and the Sunne eight times greater then the earth it followeth that the Popes dignitie 56 tymes doeth surmount the estate of the Emperours 16. Vpon consideration whereof I say therefore and pronunce that Constantine the Emperour did naught in setting the Patriarch of Constantinople at his feete on his left hand 17. And although the said Emperour wrote to mee alledging the words of S. Peter commanding vs to submit our selves to everie humane creature as to Kings Dukes and other for the cause of GOD. 1. Pet. 2. Yet in answering againe in my decretall I exponed the minds and words of S. Pet. to pertaine to his subjects and not his successors willing the said Emperor to consider the person of the speaker and to whom it is spoken for if the minde of Peter had beene there to debase the order of Priest-hood and to make vs vnderlings to everie humane creature then everie lack might haue dominion over Prelats which maketh against the example of CHRIST setting vp the order of Priesthood to beare domination over Kings According to the saying of Ieremie Behold I haue set thee vp over Kings and Nations 18. And as I feared not then to wryte this boldly vnto Constantine so now I say vnto all other Emperours that they receaving of mee their approbation vnction consecration and Crowne Imperiall must not disdaine to submitte their heads vnder mee and sweare vnto mee their alleadgeance 19. For so you reade in the decree of Pope Iohn how that Princes heeretofore have beene wont to bowe and submit their heads vnto Bishops and not to proceede in judgment against the heads of Bishops 20. If this reverence and submission was wont to be given to Bishops how much more ought they to submit their heads to me being superior not only to Kings but Emperours and that for two causes first for my title of succession that I Pope of Rome haue to the Empyre the rowme standing vacant Also for the fullnesse of power that CHRIST King of Kings Lord of Lords hath given to mee tho vnworthie in the person of Peter 21. By reason whereof seeing my power is not of man but of GOD who by his celestiall providence hath set mee over his vniversall Church maister and governour it belongeth therefore to my office to looke vpon everie mortall sinne of everie Christian man 22. Whereby all criminall offences al 's well of Kings as all other bee subject to my censure 23. In such sort that in all manner of pleading if any manner of person at any time either before the sentence given or after shall appeale to mce it shall bee lawfull for him so to doe 24. Neither must Kings and Princes thinke it much to submit themselues to my judgement for so did Valentinianus the worthie Emperour so did Theodosius and also Carolus 25. Thus yee see must bee all judged by mee and I of no man yea although I Pope of Rome by my negligence or evill demanure bee found vnprofitable or hurtfull either to my selfe or others Yea if I should draw with mee innumerable soules by heaps to hell yet no mortall man be so hardie so bold so presumptuous to reproue mee 26. Or to say to mee Domine cur it a facis Sir why doe yee so 27. For although yee read that Balaam was rebuked of his Asse by the which Afse our subjects by Balaam wee Prelats are signified Yet that ought to bee no example to our subjects to rebuke vs. 28 And though wee read in the Scripture that Peter who receaved power of the Kingdome and being cheife of