repetynge the same that in the yeare of our lord a M. a C. and x. the mone apered all darke without lyghte Wherby God declared in the open face of the worlde that hys church by the monkes hypocresy in that age was darkened with a beastly ignorauÌ„ce of hys lyuely doctryne For the mone betokeneth commenly in the scryptures the congregacyon of the lorde About thys tyme sayth Iohan Tritemius entered all the craftye learnynge Yea the subtyle phylosophye of the paganes began here to defyle our sacred theologye with her vnprofytable curyosytees The Gospell was put a part sauynge only to be red by parcels in the temple in a foren language without vnderstandynge and the corrupted doctryne of fylthie bastardes Peter Lumbarde Peter the great eater and Gracyane the monke which were thre chyldren of one bawdy nonnes fornycacion receyued and only had in pryce for it The monkes of that age sayth Iohan Carion in hys chronycles perceyuynge the knowledge of the holy scriptures to waxe faynt and to be nought set by for the study of the popysh lawers they thought also to practyse a newe kynde of dyuynyte and set vp scholasticall dysputacyons of diuyne matters But be ware of subtyle sophysters in the doctryne of the churche sayth Iohan Baconthorpe in prologo quarti sententiarum viij quest For their property is to withstande the veryte and to snarle mennys conscyences by darkenyng the clere lyghte therof If it be to the contrary reasoned sayth he that sophystycall argumentes are fytt to confounde heretykes by I vtterly denye that reason For only is it the open veryte that must confounde them As for sophysiues their wycked nature is to brynge in all errour and heresyes All thys hath Baconthorpe ☞ Raufe the archebyshop of Canterbury honoureth hys kynge IN the yeare of our lorde a M. a. C. and xiij the kynge was mynded to haue gyuen the archebyshopryck of Canterbury to Faricius the abbot of Abendon But at the instaunt request sute of the clergye in the counsell of Wyndesore he altered hys purpose and gaue it to Raufe the byshopp of Rochestre a ruffelar to their myndes Hym he adourned with hys owne pryncely handes mynystrynge vnto hym both the ryng and metropolycall crosse For than ones agayne Mathew Paris sayth he had taken an earnest stomake agaynst the byshop of Romes vnshamefast procedynges hys brother duke Robert imprysoned and hys other enemyes brought vndre In the yeare of our lord a thousand a. C. and xv was the seyd Raufe consecrated receyued hys patryarchal palle of Anselme the other Anselmes nephewe whych was thaÌ„ the popes great legate a latere As the kynge was same yeare marryed after his first wyfes â—â—sseace to Adelphe the duke of Loraines doughter and was agayne crowned with her by the byshop of Wynchestre thys heady archebyshopp fell into a palseye for wodenesse and sayd vnto hym the next day after that eyther he shulde leaue that crowne vnlawfull he sayd for so much as it was not taken of hym or els he wolde leaue of hys masse sayng which was no small matter And the lordes about him had much a do to staye the lunetyke prelate from strikynge downe the crowne from the kinges heade and stampynge it vndre hys fote Yet ded the gentyll kynge gyue him fayre wordes the chronycles sayth Loke Wyllyam of Malmesbury li. i de pontificibus Ranulphus li. xij ca. xv Rogerus li. vij and Iohan Capgraue li. ij de nobilibus Henricis And Treuisa addeth vnto it in fyne Englysh that thys hawtie prelate was a great Iaper the terme is sumwhat homelye Ded I not tell yow afore that kynges for their power had sped as yll as the prestes for their wyues And I thynke I tolde the truthe ☞ Of Pope Calixtus and the heade churche of Wales MVche were it to rehearce the turmoylynges of Pope Calixte the seconde for renuynge of the execrable actes of hellysh Hyldebrande and prestygyouse Paschall agaynst the marryage of prestes and power of prynces for inuestyture of prelates In the yeare of our lorde a M. a. C. and .xix. He helde counsel at Remis in Fraunce and in the yeare a M.a. C. xxiij he helde an other wyth CCC byshoppes at Rome And in these ij counsels he depryued all prestes of the commen Christianyte that held styll their wyues wyllynge them from thens fourth to be taken for no better thaÌ„ paganes and helhoundes and to want their ChristeÌ„ buryall The prynces that had gyuen out ecclesyastycall offyces he condempned of sacrilege preposterously allegynge the scriptures that they whych were admytted by them entered not by the dore but they scattered from Christe dyuydynge hys coote without seme As though in their exceding pryde and couetousnesse they had bene the same Christe whyche was full of Godly symplycyte and lowlynesse and their glytterynge synagoge that symple coote without seme In thys lattre yeare dyed Raufe the heady archebishop of CaÌ„terbury and Wylliam Curboâ—l which was a chanon succeded FroÌ„ the tyme of Augustyne tyll that daye by the space of more than fyue hondred and. xxiiij yeares none occupyed that seate but monkes and that caused so many corrupcyons to entre into the church of England for all they maynteyned Antichrist A lytle afore this that is to saye in the yeare a. M.a. C. and. ij bicame the archebyshopryck of Meneuia or Prymates seate of S. Dauid in wales fyrste subiect to the churche of Canterbury And from the dayes of kynge Lucy to the yeare a. M.a. C. and. xv none other were archebyshoppes there than Brytaynes or Welchemen and all that tyme had their ministers wyues But sens the Englyshe monkes occupyed they haue had concubynes for wyues and wyll not change at thys daye men saye Thus entered fylthienesse in that quarter also the time wolde be marked Suncon Dunelmensis Rogerus Houeden Giraldus Cambrensis Ranulphus ☞ Kynge Henry plaged for sufferinge marriage to be condempned ALl foren warres ended and controuersyes pacifyed in the yeare of our Lorde a. M. a C. and xx King Henrye the fyrst with great ioye and triumphe departed out of Normandye and entered after hys great victoryes by sea into Englande But within fewe dayes folowinge was thys gladnesse turned into a moste heauye and horryble sorowe For William and Rycharde his ij sonnes Marye hys doughter with Otwell their tutoure scholemaystre Rycharde the earle of Chestre and hys wyfe the kynges nece all the merye chaplaynes companions and ruflars of the courte chambrelaynes buffares and seruytours the Archedeacon of Herforde the Prynces playe fellowes syr Jeffrey Rydell syr Robert Malduyte syr Wyllyam Bygot wyth manye other greate heyres lordes knyghtes and gentylmen ladyes and gentylwomen to the nombre of a. C. and xl Besydes the yeomen and maryners whiche were more than halfe an hondred takynge passage by nighte were al drowned in the bottom of the
the least the fathers of them were neuer yet knowen Saynt Dubrice that was afterwarde the great archebyshoppe of Cairlegion and metropolytane of all the lande had a mayde to his mother called Eurdila but neuer wold she confesse hym to haue any father Saynt Kentigerne byshoppe of glasghon that ye now call Saynt Asses or Asaphes had in lyke case a fayre mayde to hys forth bryngar but farther would she graunt none to hym for no coÌ„pulsion Merlyne also the great sothsayer of wales was an holy Nonnes sonne in saynt Peters of Cairmardyne no father yet knowne to him but a sprete of the ayre The first ij sheweth Iohan Capgraue in Catalago sanctorum Anglie And this lattre wondre is mencioned of all famouse writers A great sort of these histories could I rehearse but these are ynough at this time ¶ Like examples are among the Turkes SOche an other knauerye is vsed among the Turkes religyouse buggerers to this present daye and those children that are begotten among them are holden for most holy sayntes as these were They take it for no maruele that Christ was borne of a virgine for they say they haue such among them at all times But to turne agayn to my purpose The cause why the fathers of the afore seyde chyldren might not than be knowne was this Iohan Capgraue sayth The â—â—w was that time in Britayne that if a yong wenche had be begotten with childe in her fathers howse or any where els this was her iudgement She shuld haue bene brought vnto an high mountayn and there throune downe headlonges her corruptour being byheaded Yf this law had still continued and neuer so bene put to the spirituall court without conscyence neuer had the vowe of their chastite ronne so farre as it hath done to many a thousandes dampnacion ¶ More Sayntes yet begatten in whoredome SAynt Dauid of wales the great archebyschop of Meneuia whiche had so manye prophecyers and so manye Angels sente afore to geue warnynge of his comming xxx yeares ere he was borne was begotten out of maryage in stinkynge whoredome For hys mother was a Nonne and his father the earle of a contrey there called Cairdigam shyre A prynce called Dyhocus in Kynge Arthurs tyme inflamed at the deuyls suggestyon with fleshlye loue of his owne naturall doughter begat of her saynt Kynede the holy hermyte that in Wales wrought so manye great myracles One Dubtacus an Irysh man begate holy saynt Brigide of his mayde seruaunt called Brocsech eueÌ„ vnderuech hys wyues nose to spyght her wyth it which had so many reuelacyon from heauen and so many popes pardons from Rome Saynt Cuthbert the great God of the Northe and he that was wonte to defende vs from the Scottes was a misbegotten also for his mother was vnmarried And his father in Irelande to haue the good occupieng of her slewe both her father and mother These were the spirituall beginninges of the Sayntes of that age If ye beleue not me loke Iohan Capgraue in Catalpgo sanctorum Angliae and he shall tell ye much more of the matter I coude shew yow many more yet of such holy sayntes birthes but lete these for this time suffise ¶ Whoredome estemed most holinesse MArke how abhominable whoryshnesse in all these whorish frutes is auaunced of that whorish Rome churche to the great blemyshynge of Godly marryage The spirituall Sodomites and knaues hath not bene ashamed to write it in the liues and lieng legendes of al these that is to saye of Dubricius Dauid Kinedus Kentigerne Cuthberth and Brigide with soche like and solempnely so to reade and sing it as Gods seruyce in their temples that they were sanctifyed in their mothers wombes Se what aduauncementes they haue for stynking whoredome and how litle deuocion to chast marriage instituted of God Neuer were the sonnes of Abraham Isaac and Iacob of Moyses Eleazar and Phinees so paynted out with miracles and wonders nor yet so pranked vp with tabernacles and lightes sensinges and massinges as these whoresbirdes Thus iudge they whoredom holynesse wholsome mariage sinne Come out of Sodome ye whoremongers and Hipocrites popish bishoppes and prestes for as yet ye haue not refourmed this abhominacion but still vpholde it for your Romish Gods seruice Come our theues and knaues come out ¶ Women greuouse and solaciouse What a do these holy sayntes of theirs had and their vowers whaÌ„ they come ones to vowes makinge for women and with womeÌ„ as to kepe them out of their monasterirs to make theÌ„ beare children whan they were barreÌ„ it were an infinite thing to write Saynt Dauids monkes were skeared way with naked women at a broke side in Rosidaeualle So were Saynt Theliaes hermites also in an other place not farre from thens Saynt Dubrices bretherne had many hote mouinges in their fleshe and were fayne oft tymes to stande naked in the colde riuer Saynt Kentigernes disciples toke great paynes vpon them to make baren women frutefull Whan saynt Brigida was at the very poynt of marryage she stole away preuely with her iij. maydes and wayted longe after vpon bishop Machill doing many great cures in his seruyce with holy water Saynt Modwen also after such an other sort wayted vpon bishop Hiber and his bretherne with her maydes A woman the same season accused Bishop Broon for begetting her wyth childe and Brigide like a good body by a charme or ij made all safe agayne As one of her maydes was going to her louer a prestes bed for returninge agayne in time she coude her muche thanke All these holy histories shall ye finde in Iohan Capgraue ¶ A spirytuall example of a votarye SAint Iltute or Elcute which had bene alwayes a moste valeaunte captayne amonge the Brytaynes at the suggestion of saint Cadoc an Hermite put from him his moste vertuouse and chast wyfe leauyng her nothing els to lyue vpon but barly breade and water on homelye repast for her that hadde bene a lady and tenderly brought vp And as she on a tyme resorted vnto him only to haue heard the swete worde of the Lorde her comminge thydre so sore discontented hys mynde that with a charme he put out both her eyes For I an certayn it came by no Godly power he beinge ledde of so Godly a sprete If this be saynt Paules learning a man so miserably to leaue his wife and so vngodly to vse her for axynge good counsell I report me to yow Yet must he be still a saynt in the Popes holy churche bycause he was a tiraunt to marriage for non other holynesse had he Such sayntes recken I more fit for hell than for heauen We le this story hath also IohaÌ„ Capgraue in Catalogo sanctorum Anglye ¶ Vrsula with her sort appoynted to marrye OF Vrsula and her xi thousande companions haue the spirituall hypocrites
meÌ„ Paschall the Romish bishop not pleased therwith to whom he sent this massage Gyue vnto Cesar that is Cesars meanynge the imperyall crowne and vnccyon with power of inuestynge prelates For he requyred also that he shulde confirme the byshoppes whome he had admytted afore whyche all he refused to do The emprour with that set hys men of warre vpon hym and hys calkers Cardynalles I shuld saye whyche toke the very breches from their arses Christianus Massaus sayth and committed them almost naked to pryson Wherupon in the ende in all thynges he consented to the emprour subscrybyng and sealyng vnto hym a perpetuall priuylege for admyttynge byshoppes and abbottes within hys whole dominyon cursynge all them that shulde at any tyme after that withstande it But as he was ones departed out of Italy he called an oâ—â—â—r synode at Laterane in Rome by counsell of our Anselme and suche other and dyssolued all agayne that he had grauÌ„ted excommunycatynge the seyd emprour and dysdaynouslye changynge hys pryuylege to the scornefull name of a prauylege or writynge that stode for nought For Gesnerus sayth in hys vnyuersall Biblyotheke that Paschalis wrote to Anselme an epystle for hys excuse By lyke than he had layed it sumwhat sharpely to hys charge Thus mocked they in that age the great prynces of the worlde depryued theÌ„ of power and trode their hygh dygnytees vndre their fylthie fete all contrary to the wholsome documentes by th of Christ and of hys Apostles Thys story is tenderly towched of the Italysh writers for hurtynge themselues yet hath Robert Barnes described it at large in uitis RomanoruÌ„ pontificum Ye shall vnderstande that thys was that emprour whych marryed kynge Henryes doughter that was called Maude the empresse Ioannes Capgraue li. i. de nobilibus Henricis ☞ Anselme bryngeth the kynge in subiectyon to Antichrist MAthew Paris sheweth in the third boke of hys large chronycle that after kynge Henry the first had taken hys brother duke Robert prysoner and obtayned other great vyctoryes in the yeare of our lorde as M.a. C. vij he receyued the archebyshop Anselme agayne into hys fauer at Becca in Normandy restorynge hym to hys olde possessyons And as touchynge the byshop of Rome sayth he the learned kyng neuer feared hym for hys spirytuall autoryte but only for hys temporall power In the same yeare was a great counsell holden in the kynges palace at London where as the prelates wer agreed by the space of iij. dayes that the kyng shulde holde styll the autoryte of admyttynge prelates and appoyntynge spyrytuall offyces as other kynges hys predecessours ded notwithstandynge the Popes late inhibicyon Thys hath Simeon of Durham and Roger Houeden But whan Anselme was ones come whiche was hygh president of that counsell and Pope of thys whole yle of Brytayne all was clerely dashed agayne and this contraryouse sentence of hys toke place that from that daye forward no byshop nor abbot shulde receyue rynge or pastorall hoke of the kynge or yet of any other laye mannys hande within Englande He added moreouer thys spyghtfull clause vnto it that whan a prelate was ones chosen the want of due homage to hys kynge shulde be no impedyment of hys consecracyon Loke Radulphus de Diceto Mathew Paris Mathew of Westminstre and Roger Houeden O manyfest traytour without all shame and honest obedyence Than coÌ„secrated he vij byshoppes at ones whych neuer was seane in England afore but at one tyme. Thus gote Anselme Iohan Capgraue sayth the vyctory longe loked and laboured for for the churches lyberte ☞ An other synode of Anselme for dyssoluyng prestes marryage IN the yeare of our lorde a M.a. C. and viij Anselme helde an other great synode at London wherin yet ones againe he made solempne processe agaynst all prestes deacons and subdeacons that had marryed wyues renuynge all hys former statutes and actes made agaynst them by consent of the kynge and hys barons For afore that tyme they ded all without their consent whyche they afterwardes founde not in all poyntes to their myndes commodyouse No women were from thens fourth permytted to dwell in howse with them sauynge only they whyche were so nygh of kynne as they myght not marry wyth though they laye with some of them at tymes as mother syster grandame aunte and suche lyke Vtterly was it forbydden them euer after to haue any talke with them that had bene their wyues vnlesse it were in the open stretes before two able witnesses Simeon Dunelmensis Rogerus Houeden Who wolde thus so vngodly and presumptuously haue taken vpon hym to haue separated those whom God had ioyned but proude Antichrist and his dyabolycal rable of sorcerouse Gomorreanes How stode this with the holy Ghostes doctryne vttered of S. Paule i. Corinth vij Vnto the marryed sayth he commaunde not I but the lorde that the wyfe be not separated from the man But what els went these execrable hypocrytes about in all these their vngracyouse procedynges but to make Gods holye coÌ„maundementes of none effecte for their fylthie rathers tradicyons and with their newe doctryne of deuyls in hypocresye to polute the Christianyte with the prodygyouse occupyenges of stynkynge Sodome ☞ The closynge vp of Anselmes vnsauery doynges ALl the next yeare after ded Anselme bestowe in a straunge kynde of scoldynge with Thomas the newly elected archebyshopp of Yorke tyll suche tyme as death clerely toke hym from the worlde He vtterly forbad hym the pastorall cure tyll suche tyme as he had submytted hymselfe to hys Papacye and professed a canonycall obedyence whyche he called a submyssyon to the churche of Canterbury If thou wylt not do thus sayth he we charge all the byshoppes of Englande vndre payne of the great curse that none of them presume to consecrate the neyther yet to receyue the for a byshop if thou any where els be consecrated with many other obprobryouse tauntes Matthaeus Paris Radulphus de Diceto Many ydell matters dysputed thys Anselme with very weake rawe and fryuolouse reasons as is to be seane in his feble wurkes of the sowles orygynall of leauen and breade vnleauened of the measurynge of the crosse of the mouynge of the aultre of Maryes concepcyon of the churches offyces and suche lyke whyche Christ calleth gnatt strayuynge I maruele with what conscyence Polydorus called him that good shepeherde whyche daungereth hys lyfe for the shepe and in the myddes of all his false packynges He doth Christ much wroÌ„ge therin whych only fulfylled it in effâ—ct He doth no pastours offyce that robbeth Christen kynges of their pryncely power autoryte to enhaunce the tyrannouse vsurpacyons of Antichrist as thys Anselme ded but rather he sheweth the fashyons and roberyes of a thefe I can awaye at no hand with so blasphemouse handelynge of the scriptures ☞ The mone was darkened and what it sygnyfyed MAthew Paris writeth Mathewe of Westmynstre