hym a monke It is a wonder they made hym not a monkas or some other monster Suppose ye also but that kyng IohnÌ„ Kyng IohnÌ„ of England handled lyke a warde of Englande was handled metely lyke a warde whiche was fayne to yelde vp his crowne to the pope make so shamefull an othe of allegyaunce to holde his crowne of hym / after that maner as I byleue verily no trewe herted subiecte may abyde to here of moche lesse than to reporte it Ye and what was the cause of the cruell handlynge of this good kynge Forsothe none other but for that that he right gentilly demauÌ„ded a certayne soÌ„me of money of the whyte monkes to ayde hym in his warres and nede agaynst the yrisshe men / whiche monkes answered ryght obstynately but clokynge their obstynate pride with the colour of obedyeÌ„ce towarde their religyon that they durste not so do without the consent and lycence of the generall and heed visytour of their religyon thabbot of Cisteaux in FrauÌ„ce The kyng notwithstandyng whan he retourned from Irelande compelled them as right was for their proude disdaynfull stubburnnesse to paye moche more than he demauÌ„ded before the settyng forwardes of his voyage towarde IrelaÌ„de An other cause was for that that the kynge wolde not admytte one Stephan Langton a man of no small pride fewe good vertues as it apereth right well by the cronycles to the archbysshoprike of Caunterbury whome the priour and couent of the same had electe and chosen agaynste the kynges wyll and sent their election to the pope / whiche the pope confyrmed and sacred hym at a cytie called Viterbi If these be reasonable causes oh good christen reder to enterdyte and accurse this noble realme of Englande the kyng and his counsayle with all the dukes erles barons lordes other his subiectes that fauoured hym I reporte me vnto the If these be reasonable and iust causes to pyll poll this moste honorable realme of Englande euer sens that yerely of a thousande marke to be payde to the courte of Rome as a trybute as the bysshop of Rome pretendeth / with other incouenyentes expressed in the cronycle of Fabyane the seuenth parte .xvj. leafe / Rede Fabyane and the cronycles of Englande and in the cronycles of EnglaÌ„de the. lxxxiiij leafe and the .lxxxv. leafe I reporte me to the and to all the worlde without questyon kynge IohnÌ„ was a good man and a moste vertuous kynge / but vngoodly handled and falsly dyffamed by a malycyous sorte of traytours of the clergy after his dethe / and his lyfe and hystory shamfully enterlased with most abhomynable lyes wherfore I coÌ„ntende it syngulerly vnto thy goodnesse to rede it with discrecyon and iudgement Here good and fauourable reder I appeale vnto thy very conscyence and adiure the in the behalfe of god and as thou wylt answere / for as moche as thou seest here depaynted and set forthe before thyne eyen the maners and fassyons of the proude bysshoppes of Rome whiche be suche that it mere able to make any cleane christened and good englysshe herte in the worlde to abhorre at them that thou from hence forthe be not so superstycious so insolent folysshe to thynke it well done and alowed of god what so euer the rauenyng bysshoppe of Rome shall do without or besyde the worde of god Ye I adiure the also in the same name and vertue that I dyd before that thou suffre not thyselfe to be led in blyndnesse dampned in hell with them that helde with the bysshop of Rome than named pope Innocent the thyrde / agaynst their liege lorde souerayne kyng IohnÌ„ but that thou endeuoyre thy selfe to knowe thy dutye vnto thy souerayne and lyege lorde / and to resorte vnto suche sermons and bookes as shall teache the the same vnto whom thou owest suche obedyence as to shede thy herte bloode in his cause and coÌ„maundement / ye agaynst an hole armye of bysshops and popes of Rome if the case shulde so requyre / as well as agayne an armye of infydels and turkes I meane where the bysshoppe of Rome wyll take in hande to play the tyrauÌ„t as he dyd with good kynge Iohan / there I saye thou art bounde vnder the payne of dampnacion to stryke ye I affyrme boldly that who so euer ones fauoured cursed Innocentes parte at that tyme was dampned for euer in hell / onlesse he repeÌ„ted and were sory therfore or he dyed That proueth the electe vessell of god saynt Paulâ— the .xiij. chapiter to the romaynes sayeng who so euer resysteth the power meanynge the temperall power onely resysteth the ordynaunce of god Nowe is it playne that who so euer resysteth the ordynauÌ„ce of god coÌ„mytteth dampnable synne / and shall receyue dampnacyon for his labour as saynt Paule saythe / onelesse he repent and be sory therfore And that the aydours fautours fauourers and coÌ„senters vnto synne be as well worthy of euerlastynge dampnacyon as the very doers of the fact is proued by thauthorite of saynt Paule in the last ende of the fyrst chapiter of the epystle to the romayns by these wordes The whiche saythe saynt Paule meanyng of the heathen gentyles in generall all be it they knewe the lawe naturall of god that all they whiche coÌ„mytte suche synnes / as be adnombred in the same chapyter before be worthy of dampnacyon / yet not onely they do the same but also consent vnto those that do them as who shulde say not onely the doer but also the coÌ„senter vnto synne is worthy of euerlasting damnacyon Neyther can any man pretende ignorauÌ„ce before god / for it wyl not serue as wytnesseth Chryst hym selfe in the gospell / saying If the blynde lede the blynde Math .xv. bothe shall fall in the dyche He sayth not that the one of them shall fall in the dyche but bothe ¶ Wherfore ones agayne I warne aduyse beseche hertely adiure all myne owne hertye welbeloued countreymen of Englande that they ê‘myt not themselues to be blynded with affection with hypocrysye or with superstycyon Blyndnes wyll not helpe / therfore let it passe Yf thou wylte knowe the bysshops power of Rome / otherwyse called the popes power / as it is coÌ„uenyent syttynge that thou do / resorte vnto the glasse of truthe to the booke named the determinacions of the vniuersities / where it is ryght excelleâ—tly and passynge well declared debated what the power of the pope is / how farre it extendeth / and what he may do And to tell the my mynde shortly Our metropolytane of Caunterburye within the realme of Englande is a farre better man than he / both by thautorite of scripture the doctours of the churche and the authorite of counsayles generall And as for the bysshop of Rome otherwyse called the pope that nowe is all the worlde knoweth well ynough what he is a bastarde a symonyake an heretyke a false vsurper of his dignyte wherfore I can not
meruayle to moche why my coutrey men of EnglaÌ„de whiche had wont euer more to be cyrcumspecte and haue wysdome in all thyngê and fyerse of corage to defende their kyng and realme manfully / shulde seynge no cause why but many and vrgent causes to the contrary / depende and leane to the vsurped authorite of suche a naughty and leude person what sayd I authorite ye tyrannye whiche bycause our moste gracyous and souerayne lyege lorde the kyng wyll permytte and suffre hym no lenger haue his vsurped iurysdyction within this realme and to carye awaye exhauste and deuoure the golde syluer treasure of his poore subiectes and coÌ„mens to molest and trouble them in his courte at Rome / dyuers wayes to oppresse and vse his tyraÌ„ny ouer them by hym selfe and his as he many yeres heretofore hath ben neglygently suffred to do For this our cause I say it is that he beareth so moche malyce vnto our moste benygne protectour defendour our sayd souereygne lorde the kyng our vndouted capitall heed vnder god / enforseth therfore as moche as lyeth in his frowarde vngracyous pollicy and power to bring his hyghnesse and his realme to his vsurped obedyence / whiche moste manfully lyke a most vyctorious christen kyng he dothe defende not onely for hym selfe but for the tender loue and pytie that he beareth to the weale of this his honorable realme and louyng subiectes the delyueraunce of the same from seruage and thraldome Here me thynkes I se euen the hertes of al true englysshmen leape in their bodyes for the loue that they beare vnto their most gracious liege lord thus shamfully cruelly handled for their sakes speke vnto them selues after this maner Shall we suffre our kynges moste gracyous hyghnesse thus malyciously cruelly and frowardly to be entreated and haÌ„dled mocked and deluded of a bastarde of a symonyake of a false vsurper and of an heretyke / and all for the loue and fauour that he beareth vnto vs his poore subiectes / and for bycause his grace onely myndeth and tendreth our coÌ„modite weale profyte No forsothe we wyll not suffre his grace to receyue such iniuryes wronges in any wyse so farforthe as it shall lye in our power to the coÌ„trary / but we wyll agayue like true louyng subiectes whan so euer his noble grace shall so coÌ„maunde vs ye but euen wynke vpon vs to testify our true hertes myndes / that his moste noble grace dothe not loue vs in vayne and suffre so moch iniuryes for our sakes onely for naught drawe out our swordes lyke englissh men trewe subiectes / and manfully fyght in his graces quarell to spende the best bloode in our hertê to be reuenged of such a false bloodsupper Antychrist Let vs well remembre note and poÌ„der what benefytes we haue receyued of the kynges most gracyous highnesse by the space of .xxv. yeres / what experyeÌ„ce we haue had of his procedynges howe we haue ben defended from all outwarde enemyes what glorious moste victorious actes our sayd souerayne hath opteyned in the said .xxv. yeres whyle he hath ben our king in what welthe we haue lyued vnder hym / besydes the thyng that he now gothe aboute as to defende vs from the theft robbery oppressyon and tyraÌ„ny of the bysshop of Rome that moste myscheuous tyrant Hath not his grace euer ben our protectour and defendoure our shelde and buckler bothe in towne and in felde agaynst the theftes and robberyes of stronge theues murderers who coulde passe out of his dores / ye who coulde abyde at home in his owne house vnrobbed or slayne were not for the feare of the sworde wherwith his hyghnesse moste myghtyly hath euer defended vs whose wyfe coulde be saued from raâ—ysshynge whose doughter and mayde from deflorisshyng who shuld defende vs from the incursyons of outwarde enemyes as of alyens who shulde se vs haue any right in the lawe who shulde defende the poore wydowe the innocent the fatherlesse and the motherlesse Fynally if we had not a gracyous prince as lauded be god no realme hath none such it were moche more pleasure for vs to be out of the worlde than to be in it to be beestes that to be men / coÌ„syderynge the mysery wherin we shulde lyue if the sayd bysshop of Rome and his myght optayne that he and his moste desyre The premysses therfore well consydred why shulde we not loue hym fauour hym and defende hym with our lyues and goodes to the vttermoste of our powers / as our lyege lorde souerayne as our protectour and defendour / ye as a very father vnto vs as he is without questyon And contrary why shulde we in any wyse loue fauour enclyne or depende any thynge to that tyrannouse Antychrist of Rome whiche wolde with all his herte se his grace his realme subiectes also vtterly not onely ruyned but also brought in perpetuall captyuyte and bondage / to th ende that he with his clyentes myght haue his dyuellysshe desyre and luste accomplysshed and all this is for our sakes onely what profyte haue we by that foule romysshe ratten but pyllyng pollyng pykyng robbyng stealyng oppressyon bloodshedyng tyraÌ„ny dayly exercysed vpon vs by hym his Dothe he not enforce to distroy and extynct vs as moche as lyeth hym why shulde we be thus blynde why shulde we be thus insensyble Alas for pytie let vs ones be wyse serue god truly and our kyng / and god shall loue vs fauour vs defende vs and be with vs / than who shall be agaynst vs Remembre good reder what I haue sayd I beseche the hertyly in goddes behalfe and as thou art a trewe subiecte / and away with Antychrist of Rome Here moste gentyll reder all be it I instauntly requyred the a lytell before as thou woldest answer before god to resorte vnto suche bookes as maye perfytely instructe the in the knowlege of the power of the romysshe popet or bysshop yet for bycause the mater is nowe in our handlynge also / and for as moche as I desyre nothynge more than that thou all other my couÌ„trey men may clerely se the playne truthe as consernynge what his power is in dede / and by that to stycke abyde I say boldly affyrme at fewe wordes The bysshoppe of Romes power that the bysshoppe of Rome hath no more authorite than hath any other bysshop in christendome gyuen hym by the scrypture To proue that it shall be necessary to recyte the place of Mathewe the .xvj. wherin all his hope and trust is But first thou shalte vnderstande that our sauyour Christe putteth a certayne questyon vnto his discyples and demaundeth of them what the fame and reporte of the people was of hym and howe they estymed hym toke hym in companye there as the apostels came / not for bycause that he was ignoraunt of the peoples talkynge for howe can any thynge be vnknowen to god
bysshop of Rome hathe put in execucion within this realme of EnglaÌ„de synce the tyme that he fyrst crepte in to it / is and hath ben nothynge els but stronge illusyon vsurpacyon and tyraâ—â—ye / and euery peny that he hathe had playne extorcyon thefte and robberye To this I adde that all be it the wordes of authorytye gyuen vnto all the apostles / and so consequently vnto Peter seme very large and to enclude alle maner of power in them where Chryste sayd What so euer Mathewe xviii ye shall bynde in erthe / shall be bounde in heuen c. Yet I saye that other places of scripture declare / that it ought to be vnderstande of the spirytuall power onely of byndynge and losynge of synne by prechynge the worde of god and mynystrynge the sacramentes That the foresayd wordes include no power ouer temporaltyes or temporall rule / is euydent by the .xviij. chapytre of Iohan where Chryst sayd vnto Pylate My kyngdome is not of this worlde / which is as moche to saye to any wyse man As I am no worldly kynge prynce or ruler nor haue any thynge to do in suche busynesse as concernynge my manhode and the mynystracyon of my fathers worde Here wolde I fayne lerne how the bysshop of Rome came by his temporall power to depose kynges and Emperours seyng that Chryste denyed suche power before good wytnesse I am sure that the bysshop of Rome hathe not more authorytye than Chryst had If Chryst had no temporall kyngdom rule nor power in this worlde / than dare I be bolde to saye that the popet of Rome hath none And for as moche as there be but two maner of condycyons or states in this worlde / that is to wyte / eyther the condicyon and state of a kynge or of a subiecte / it must nedes folowe that the bysshop of Rome who wolde fayne be called pope is nor can be of any other state and condicion than a subiecte / for as 〈…〉 he as he can be of no hygher estate that was Christe / whiche knowledged hym selfe to be but a subiecte before Pylate sayeng If my kyngdome were of 〈◊〉 .xviii. this worlde that is to saye if I were a kynge in this worlde as I am but a subiecte than wolde my mynysters surely lyght that I shulde not be delyuered vnto the iewes / but nowe is not my kyngdom from hence / as who shulde say the contrary is trewe that I am but a subiecte and therfore I may not fight resyst the power and ordynaunce of god but be obedyent thervnto as my father hath coÌ„maunded Ye to signify that as concernyng his manhode the admynistracion of his fathers worde he his mynisters what name so euer they beare must nedes be subiectes vnto the kynges power / in the .xvij. of Mathew he payeth tribute for hym and Peter ye in Peter for all other thapostels and mynisters of the clergye / whom Peter represented and fygured to teche declare and be an ensample to al that euer shulde succede him and his apostels of their due obedyeÌ„ce towarde their princes And this he dyd couertly signifyeng that there shulde come in the latter dayes suche false prophetes and Antychristes as wolde teache the contrary and withdrawe their dutye from their souereygnes Here is it euydent oh good reder that the bysshoppe of Rome can be but a subiect nor is but vnto whom Forsoth to themperour Than note my mynde in one thyng Euery man knoweth that what so euer subiecte maketh insurrectyon agaynst his liege lorde and souerayne must nedes be a traytour vnto him to god also The falsâ—â—ysshop of Rome that nowe is otherwyse called the pope hath done ye daily doth the same / ergo he is a traytour to god and themperour ye if thou enserche thystories with good dylygence thou shalte fynde that there haue ben very fewe other this .vij. hundred yeres If the bysshop of Rome be but the emperours subiecte / by what authoryte may he thinkest thou take vpon him to do that thyng that his owne liege lorde and souereygne themperour may not do at the leâ—st by good authorite and iustyce as to depose and sette vp this kynge and that kynge at his pleasure / whiche his lyege lorde and souereygne the emperour hym selfe can not do And than he beyng but a subiecte howe the dyuell cometh it to passe that he may do it were it a mete thynge that the archbysshoppe of Yorke shulde depose themperour or the kyng of Hungary Nowe seyng that euery bysshop hath as moche authorite one as an other by the lawe of god as we haue proued before / why shulde not the archbysshop of yorke depose the kyng of Hungary or suche another man as well as the byshoppe of Rome that somtyme was named Iunocent the thyrde in a maner deposed the moste vertuous prince kynge Iohan of Englande / and brought hym to that extremyte that he must nedes to saue his lyfe crowne and his realme from further inconuenyentes beyng a kyng knele downe before a knaue called Pandulph the bysshoppe of Romes legate and yelded vp his crowne to the sayde Pandulphe as in to the handes of that foule monstre and hoore of Babylone Innocent beforesayd / whiche crowne the sayd Pandulph receyued and kept fyue dayes in his handes My stomacke abhorreth to declare any further of the mater therfore I beseche the what so euer thou art good reder and the kynges trewe subiectes to seke the rest thy selfe In my conscyence if that same mater were well pondred and regarded with a trewe iudgement and a true subiectes herte of all them that maye and do rede it / with other moste shamfull abhomynacions that haue ben sythe that practysed by that babylonycall strompet of Rome and hers / as well in all partyes beyonde the sees as in our natyfe countrey and realme of Englande I doubte not that if all trewe englysshmen knewe them perfytely and pondred theym as they shulde do but that they wolde ye and therto myght with ryght good coÌ„seyence detest defye bespytte and abhorre that same foule tode of Rome as they wolde and myght the graunde dyuell and capytayne of hell Lucifer prince of darknesse Nowe to make an ende of this mater I haue proued that the bysshop of Rome called pope by vsurpacyon hath no more authorite than an other bysshop and that by scrypture doctours and the papystes owne gloses And that furthermore the power that he hath with all other bysshoppes is more spyrituall / and hym selfe but a subiecte with all his to the kynge and his lawes bothe morall iudyciall And that haue I dene by the authorite of Christes own wordes vnto Pylate in the xviij chapyter of Iohan where Christe saith Mykingdom is not of this worlde as who shulde say / I am no kynge or ruler of the worlde / and than must he nedes be a subiecte Seyng than that Christ was but a subiecte in this
Charitas IVSTICIA Fides ¶ A mustre of scismatyke bysshoppes of Rome / otherwyse naming them selues popes / moche necessarye to be redde of al the kynges true subiectes Cum priuilegio PRVDENCIA SPES Obedientia Daâ—entia IB Iohan Byddell Londini in aedibus Thome Bertheleri typis impress Cum priuilegio adimprimendum solum ANNO. M.D.XXXIX ¶ Here foloweth the coutentes of this booke EIrst a prologue whiche discribeth and setteth forthe the maners fassyons and vsages of popes / ryght mete and conuenyent for the tyme that nowe is wherein also the popes power is breuely declared / and whether the worde of god written be suffycient to our saluacyon or not ¶ After that a goodly hystory worthy to be redde of al men of pope Gregory the seuenth / written in the latyne tonge by a ryght holy and vertuous prelate of the churche called Beno cardynall at that same tyme / newly translated into englysshe ¶ Last of al foloweth the lyfe of the fourth Henry emperour of Rome of Amayne newe turned also in to our mother tonge whiche Henry was cruelly imprisoned and deposed by the meanes of the sayde Gregyry The prologue of the translatour ¶ Iohan Robertes to the gentyll indifferent reder sendeth gretynge and well to fare COnsyderyng oh well beloued reder that so many noble authours / as well of science incomparable as of wytte most clere and excelleÌ„t haue in dyuers and sondry workes so lyuely and expresly depaynted and set forthe as a lyuyng ymage before a mans eyen the vse fruyte or coÌ„modytees of hystories / so that nothyng more as concernyng the coÌ„mendacyon of them can be well desyred / I thought it therfore a thyng lytell requysyte as at this tyme agayne of any suche thyngê to make declaracion And though I had attempted so to do yet I do not stande thaÌ„ked be god so hyghly in myne owne conceyte but whan I had done the best I coulde and sought all the corners of my wytte / I thynke not the contrary but there myght haue appered as great difference of eloquence beautye of oracyon bytwyxt my encomye or coÌ„mendacyon and theirs as bytwyxt the clerenesse of the sonne and the leest sterre in the fyrmament Therfore the premysses pondred I haue determyned to leaue that and to procede to my purpose shewe the cause of my labours ¶ There is a fonde folysshe fantasye ragynge in many mens heedes nowe a dayes that wolde to god they were so wyse as they be many in multytude that be troubled with it and that is this The pope saye they can not That the pope can not erre the traÌ„slatouâ—e entenoeth to disprouâ— erre Truthe it is that if he be in a fayre hyghway without any turnynges and wel hedged on bothe sydes vpon his mules backe I thinke he can not moche erre excepte he wolde cause his mule to take the hedge But that lyghtly he can not for a mule men say may abyde the spurre very well This fantastycall blyndnesse was neuer endued by any man of litterature but by some pekysshe pedler or cloutyng colyer it is so grosse of it selfe well be it neuer so grosse yet was I ones grossed therin my selfe For colyers be not grosse alone Than chaunsed to come to my hande the lyfe of Gregory the seuenth otherwyse named Hyldebrande herafter folowyng wherin whan I had redde a lytell way as a man wolde say one leafe and one syde in the latyne tonge se the abhomynacion that there was written I begon some thyng to be moued bote the lyppe scratched my heed and wexed excedynge wery yet forthe I went But whan I came to th ende and remembred the detestacyon execracion and myschefe that I had there met withall by chauÌ„ce / and agayne howe shamfully myserably and pytously the poore symple soules of Christes churche had ben seduced mocked / not onely my selfe and one or twayne mo but hundredes thousandes / ye al the hole worlde with this pestylent persuasyon that the pope can not erre / and dyd se before myne eyen the playne contrary so clere that it can not be denyed / me thought I was bounde in conscience no lesse than vpon the saluacion of my soule to declare vnto other the truthe that I had fouÌ„de and the darknesse out of the whiche by the redyng of this forsayd boke I was delyuered Of this conscyence zeale occasyon I toke vpon me to translate this hystory mencyoned / whiche although it be not so exquisytely done nor with suche eloqueÌ„ce of englysshe as some man wolde loke for in an hystory / yet shall I desyre all men whose chauÌ„ce shall be to rede it to admyt my good wyll endeuoyre And bycause no man in the worlde that nowe is can meane saye or do any thynge so well or with so clere conscience but that the poysoned pestyleÌ„t tonges of false detractours shall peruerte it to the worste therfore I The ê“testaryon of the traÌ„slatour protest here before god or I procede any further that I entende no derogacyon to holy churche holy popes holy bysshops holy fathers holy doctours holy man holy woman or any other holy thynge / but onely the disclosynge vtteraunce of them that be naught and yet notwithstandyng wyll be taken as holy wolde haue men byleue that what so euer they do is well and that they can not erre / â—â—d wyll if a man saye the contrary call hym heretyke and be redy to burne hym for other defence they haue none But truthe it is that a galde horse wyll kycke whâ—n he is rubbed vpon the gall and no man wyll make a prouder bragge souer than 〈◊〉 starke thefe / as Iudas said whan our sauyour Christ shewed his apostels that one of them had betrayed hym Not I good lorde quod he Here coulde I recyte many goodly ensamples of them that wolde be estymed good yet in very dede be starke naught were not for dyuers causes but amonge so many let vs be coÌ„tent with one In the tyme of kyng Henry Cardynall Iohan. the first kyng of Englande there came in to this realme a cardynall of Rome whose name was IohnÌ„ this cardynall made a greuous exclamacyon agaynste preestes concubynes / and sayde that it was a shamfull thynge abhomynable in the syght of god a preest to ryse from a strompettes syde to sacre the holy body of Chryst / whiche notwithstandyng the same daye after that he had songe masse in the mornyng was taken with an harlot hym selfe at nyght lyke a good euaâ—gelycall father This thyng was so opâ—n ly knowen that it myght not be forsaken nor hyd If any man be discontent with the productyon of this ensample I â—hall desyre hym to holde me excused / fyrste bycause I do it of no malyce god to recorde / secondaryly for that that no man entendyng to disclose the maners of them that be naught yet wyll be otherwyse taken can do any other but saye the
in no wyse to be doubted And of this dyuellisshe drifte purpose they put forth this questyon to the blynde people sayeng Howe know ye that the byble which ye haue dayly in your haÌ„des and whiche ye rede is the true worde of god but by vs Or els to what other entent shulde they mone such questyons but that they mynded purposely to bring me in waÌ„hope doute of that thyng wherin they neuer douted before Oh good lorde why doest the suffre these wretches thyne enemyes so longe to reygne to rule to deuoure to murdre to sâ—â—e kyll bothe the body and soule of thy poore creatures Discende good lorde discende reuenge the bloode of the innocent with the slauÌ„drous blasphemy of thy holy name Thou hast here proued vnto the good christen reder that the bysshoppe of Rome otherwyse vniustly called pope may erre / howe that by the meanes of that same foule monstre bloodsupper and by his clientes this realme of EnglaÌ„de hath ben greuously vexed troubled pylled polled shorne shauen scraped euen to the very harde bones and mary and not onely this realme but other also / the heedes rulers wherof as before is declared haue ben of the same gargle faced Antichrist with his ministers shamfully handled vexed imprisoned deposed And this hath beâ—â— done wtout thautorite either of goddâ— lawe or mans by very power tyrannye hym selfe beyng but a subiect and of no power without his owne dyocese / whiche ought to extende no further than the dyocese of the next bysshop It is proued also by the authorite of scripture that all men ought to be obedyent to the kyngê power of what coÌ„dycion or state so euer they be / and that vnder the payne of euerlastyng fyre wherto I haue annexed that the worde of god writen is suffycient to the saluacion of our soules / that the vnwriten worde is but a dreame fantasye And nowe prepare thyselfe to the lyfe of Gregory the seuenth somtyme bysshop of Rome / of al tyrantes monsters vnfaythful mamalukes that euer was the moste wherin thou shalt se suche mischefe abhomynacion â—etestacion execrable maners pride tyraÌ„ny craft subtyltie ambytion symony poysonyng necromancy settyng vp puttyng downe preuenting supplantyng as hath neuer ben sene in no one mans lyfe that euer was written or redde And that not of Gregory alone but of many other mo suche monsters bysshops of Rome contayned in the same lyfe of his Finally most gentle and indiffereÌ„t reder by that tyme that thou hast perused it / I dare be bolde to affirme that thou woldest for no good worldly but that thou haddest sene it And if thou fynde not my wordes true blame me hereafter as it shall seme good vnto the. And to the ende that thou mayst gyue the more credence to the truthe of the history thou shalt vnderstande that it was written in latyne as I tolde the before by one of the most famous and vertuous cardynals that than lyued called Beno Thou doest lust longe peraduenture to se it / be of good comforte for with all the spede that may be possyble it shall be imprinted And thus in the meane whyle fare as well as I wolde my selfe ¶ The fawtes in the pryntynge Folio 2. pagina 2. linea 21. endued rede enduced Folio 7. pagina prima linea 24. vertue rede / vertitie Folio 9. pagina 2. linea 20. it with rede / it of with Folio 15. pagina 2. linea 17. mere rede / were Folio 30. pagina 2. linea 10. more rede mere Folio 34. pagina prima-linea 10. 〈◊〉 rede / proues Folio 36. pagina 2. linea secâ—da not sâ—c rede / non si◠¶ Imprynted by wynkyn de worde / for IohnÌ„ Byddell otherwyse Salisbury