that our lady gaue sucke to an olde byshopp a thousand yeares almost after her death Marke thys poynt for your learnynge ☞ The coÌ„ueyaunce of prelates in this age BVt ye must consydre that at Carnotus was a churche of our ladye in buyldynge whych coulde not wele be fynyshed without such clarkely coÌ„ueyaunces And by thys meanes bycame Canutus a great benefactour therunto The prelates as byshoppes abbotes and prestes for their coÌ„modyte ye must wele knowe were so good to this Danysh vsurper the cronycle sayth that they in receyuyng hym for their kynge at Southampton vtterly renouÌ„ced by othe the successyoÌ„ of their naturall Englysh kynge Etheldrede causinge the noâ—ylyte to coÌ„sent to the same Yea to bryng the spyghtful enterpryse of theirs to full effâ—ct they hyred a cruell traytour called Edricus to slee kynge Edmonde â—ronsyde hys naturall heyre and caused yeâ—eyd Canutus to sende his ij sonnes Edmonde and Edwarde into Denmarke to be slayne to extynguysh that successyon or â—yscent of Englysh bloude so to ouerâ—hrowe the maiestie of thys nacyon for there â—ryuate commodyte Alphredus Beuerlacenâ—is Ranulphus Rogerus Treuisa Ioannes Capâ—raue Polydorus atque alij historiographi By meanes of thys Achelnotus also an hunâ—red talentes of syluer and one talent of â—olde were gyuen at Papia in Italy for â—he wythered arme of S. Augustyne therâ—ith to augment the ydolatry here in Enâ—lande Guilhelmus Malmesburiensis li. ij de â—gibus And as concernynge Burye abâ—eye afore mencyoned It was first a colâ—ge of prestes founded by kynge Ethelâ—ane in the yeare of our lorde DCCCC â—â—v and nowe at the sute of Ailwyne â—yshopp of Helmam in Southfolke it â—as changed by kynge Canutus to a moâ—â—sterye of Benettes monkes in the yeare of our lorde a M. and xxi the prestes with their wyues and chyldren dyscharged Chronicon Buriense ac â—oannes Lelandus in commentario cygneae cantionis ☞ The Emprour maryed Canutus doughter IN the yeare of our lord a M. and xxxvi Henry the second Emprour of that name marryed Guynylde the doughter of the aforeseyd Canutus the kynge of Euglande Thys Henry had a systre whych was a professed nonne So inteyrly he loued thys systre of hys that oft tymes he wolde haue her to lye within hys palace very nygh to hys owne preuye chaÌ„bre In a wynter nyght a sowle chaplayne of the courtelaye with her which had bene dyuerse tymes complayned of afore In the mornynge least hys fotynge shuld be seane in the snowe newly fallen that nyght she toke hym vp in her necke and carryed hym out of the courte towardes hys chambre The Emprour chaunced to ryse at that houre as hys custome was to make water and se the pageaunt Anon after fell a byshopryck whych the prest gaped for and the gouernaunce of a nondrye whych the nonne desyred Wherupon the Emprour called them vnto hym the one after the other Take that benefyce to you sayth he to the priest but saddle no more the nonne And you the abbeye sayth he to hys systre and horse no more the prest Guilhelmus Malmesburiensis li. ij de regibus Ranulphus li. vi ca. xxi Polychronici Vincentius li. xxv ca. xviij Speculi historialis Here were a couple of no badde gouernours in that spirytualte but al was chast relygyon so longe as marryage was absent Thus coulde the worldely rulers thaÌ„ laugh vpon wyckednesse and suffre vertu and ryghteousnesse to dwell vndre contempt wyth Christ. ☞ Two dyuerse examples for that age ANother nonne was ther at the same very tyme whom a certen ryche maÌ„ toke out of the monastery and marryed not farre from the seyd Emprour bycause she complayned her that she could not lyue chast The byshopp of the dyocese hauynge knowledge therof by thys Emprours assystence dyssolued that marryage and sent her agayne to the cloystre Afterwarde thys man whan he se hys tyme toke her out agayne and kept her in howse with hym In the ende they were both excommunycated of the byshop and could neuer obtayne their absolucyon Antedicti autores cum Ioanne Treuisa This Emprour had also in hys chapell a syngynge maÌ„ a prest whych had both a good voyce and was wele learned but inordynatly he loued a certen whore not farre of whych was not vnknowne vnto him On a daye to proue a mastry the Emprour coÌ„maunded hym to saye masse before hym whych he vtterly refused to do for so muche as he had lyen with that whore the nyght afore If thou saye no masse sayth the Emprour I bannysh the both the courte and contrey I am wele contented sayth the prest and so by and by with hys stuffe departed The Emprour with that called the prest agayne and much commendynge hys constauncy rewarded hym with the next byshopryck that fell autores praefati cum Antonino Thus is whoredome muche made of styll but marryage whom God left for an honest yea and an holy remedy for that dysease is not yet by the doctryne of S. Paule persuaded i. Cor. vij ☞ Lecherie for lucre doth great myracles ALwinus the byshopp of Wynchestre in the yeare of our lorde a M. xliiij was of S. Edwarde the kyng commytted with imprysonment to the examynacyon of the clergye for beynge to famylyar with Emma his mother or for lyenge with her whether ye wyll she put to the nondry of Warwell tyll the daye of her purgacyon It was layed to her charge sayth Polydorus that she of myschefe had marryed Canutus the Tane whych was a cruel enemy to the land consequently that she had nothynge holpeÌ„ but rather hyndred her naturall chyldren in exyle whom she had afore by kyng Etheldrede fynally the rumour was that she had dysceytfully sought their destruccyoÌ„s to preferre the Danysh bloude to the crowne of Englande to the great derogacyon of the same Ricardus Diuâ—siensis reporteth that Robert the archebyshop of Canterbury gaue euydence agaynst her that she had coÌ„sented to the murther of her elder sonne Alphrede procured poyson for her yongar sonne S. Edwarde that she had ioyned her self in that treason with her louely peramoure the byshopp of Wynchestre afore named But se what folowed in the ende After she had ones commoned with the spirituall prelates and gyuen vnto S. Swythunes abbeye in Wynchestre the possessyon of ix lordeshyppes or mayners she was able by helpe of S. Swythune to go barefoted vpon ix burnynge plough shares of Iron for that byshoppes tryall and hers On. iiij for her selfe on v. for her swete louer to do other myracles besydes But ye must first coÌ„sidre that she was borne ouer them betwyn ij byshoppes whych knewe afore hande how to qualyfy those heates that the kyng beynge a simple man was easy to deceyue Ricardus Diuisiensis Guilhel Malmes Marianus Scotus Thomas Rudborne IoaÌ„nes Capgraue post uitaÌ„ vvlstani Robertus
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
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
all his successours kinges after him In the thyrd yeare after his deathe was he proclamed a saynt by the popes autoritie and his daye triumphasitly celebrated ouer all Englande hys masse beginnynge with Gaudeamus The king came in all naked sauynge that he hadde a liuen breche about hys nether partes He receyued of the monkes a discipline wyth roddes and was so absolued of them in theyr chaptre howse He resygned his power vpon their hygh aultre consented to their vsurped lybertees and professed him selfe a perpetuall subiect to Antichrist and the serpent Apo. xiij O blasphemers of God and shamelesse mockers of men But Cesarius sayth in the. viij boke of hys dyaloges ca. lxix that in the. xlvij yeare after hys deathe a questyon was moued in the open scholes at Parys whether he were saued or dampned Where as Roger Norman proued hym wurthie to be dampned for obstynate rebellyon against his kinge whiche was Gods appoynted mynyster Peter the great chauntre of Paris hauing nothinge to obiect in the churches quarell to the contrary but his miracles whiche were most manifest lyes and illusions ☞ Kynge Henry smelleth out Antichrist and is agayne blynded SVmwhat must I saye here of the kynge called Henry the seconde whyche was a verye wyse well learned and godly prince Petrus Blesensis sayth in epistola ad Gualterum archiepiscopum Panorimtunum Though he in the yeare of our lord a. M.a. C. and. lxvi permitted at the popes request a grote to be giuen of euery plough lande within all his dominions for ayde of the christen warres agaynst the Turkes yet perceyuinge â— yeares after the crafty bestowynge therof and how the seide pope had mayteined the treason of Becket agaynste him he caused all hys people to forswere his obedience from the childe of xij yeares to them of extreme age Loke Mathew of Westminstre li. ij de floribus historiarum In the next yeare after to please hym agayne pope Alexandre confirmed vnto him the bulle of Adriane the. iiij for the conquest of Irelande and made him the hygh lorde of that region vndre him the Peter pens for euerye chymney that smoked alwayes to hys fatherhede reserued And thys was Iohan hardynge sayth in hys chronycle for an errour whiche the Iryshe men helde against the spyrytualte and for certen heresyes wherwyth they hadde bene long infected In the yeare therfor of our lorde a. M.a. C. and. lxxi were bothe the nobylyte and clergye of the lande sworne vnto hym to take the kynges of Englande for their lordes euer after Rogerus Houeden A lyke chaunce hadde the Scottes in the yeare of our lorde a. M. a. C. and. lxxxviij Pope Clement the thyrde in hys hyghe dyspleasure subiectynge that whole realme to the crowne of Englande wyllynge their kinges nobylyte and clergye to gyue alwayes to the kynges of Englande theyr othe of obedyence as to theyr superioure lordes Nicolaus Treueth ☞ A patronage proued lawfull by v. marryed prestes NOwe wyll I brynge a matter whyche Barnes rehearseth in his boke of prestes marryage bicause it fell in thys age In the tyme of pope Alexandre the. iij. sayth he there was a controuersye for the patronage of a benefyce betwene the priour of Plympton in Deuenshyre and one Iohan de Valletorda Iudges were deputed to heare the master Rycharde the archebyshoppe of Canterbury and Roger the byshoppe of Wynchestre Before whome the priour of Plimpton proued his personage by reason that he was in possession therof had gyuen it out afore to dyuerse persones Fyrste he sayde there was a preste of Plympton called Alphege whych hadde by the gyft of the seyd pryour of Plympton the benefyce of Sutton nowe called Plymmouth Thys Alphege hadde a sonne called Cedda whyche hadde also the benefyce after hys father And after thys Cedda was there an other preste called Alnodus whyche hadde the benefyce lyke wyse Thys Almodus hadde a sonne called Robert Dunpruste which after the decease of hys father had also the seyd benefyce And after thys Robert Dunâ—rust William Bakon hys sonne enioyed the benefyce lyke wyse â–ª Ex monumentis eiusdem coenobij Thys is a wytnesse suffycyente to proue that it is no newe learnynge nor yet so longe a go sens prestes hadde lawfull wyues as the ydell headed papystes do make the ignoraunt multytude beleue And thys was in those dayes an vse throughe oute the realme that the sonne shulde in benefyces succede the father eyther els the next of his kinne that was learned tyll the monkes hypocresye procured the alteracyon for theyr bellye 's sake ☞ Examples dyuerse that prestes in that age hadde wyues FVrthermore the seyde pope Alexandre in hys epistles decretall sheweth manye of the â—yke examples And in one to Iohan of Oxforde than byshop of Norwyche he commaundeth that Wyllyam the newe person of Dysse for claymynge the benefyce by inheritaunce after the decease of his father person Wulkerell whyche begate him in his presthode shulde be dyspossessed no appellacyon admitted The deane and chaptre of Salisbury in an other place he chargeth not to admyt Hughe Howet to the prebende of Baphorde whyche was hys fathers afore hym least it so shulde growe agayne into a custome The lyke he wrote to the Archedeacon of Lyncolne and to other diuerse prelates of the realme specyallye to the byshoppe of Excestre of one Iohan a prestes sonne whyche after lyke sorte wolde haue succeded hys father To the byshop of Wyncestre he sheweth there also that the monkes of Lenton abbeye by Notyngham molested one Oliuer a prest whiche had peceably holden the benefyce of Mapleshalle by the space of xxx yeares The greattest matter they hadde agaynste hym was that he hadde bene that prestes sonne whyche had bene curate of the same parryshe afore hym But in thys he defeated the monkes and shewed hym fauer bicause he hadde there contynued so longe The exampels of thys kynde are so manye that I leaue them for tedyousnesse Lete those lewde papystes be ashamed than whyche folowynge the lowsye learninge of that bawdye dronkarde Iohan Eckius in hys folyshe Enchiridyon reporteth wyth hym and wyth doctour Coole in theyr ignoraunt frenesye that it hath not bene heard sens Christes ascensyon that a preste euer marryed or had a wyfe Questyonlesse theyr brutysh heades are to blockysh ☞ Remedyes taughte of S. Godrycke for vowes kepynge SAynte Godrycke borne at Walpole in Northfolke went firste abroade with pedlary wares and afterwardes on pilgrimage to Rome and Hierusalem In hys returne he professed the chast life of an hermyte at Fynkale by Durham and bicame the great fouÌ„der of dyspersed Hermytes here in Englande Muche was he tempted wyth the sprete of fornycacyon and had no small a do to kepe hys vowe of chastyte To abate the great heates of hys fleshe he soughte dyuerse remedyes but marryage was none of them for that was
Iob. They are holye votaryes that stryue for so many fat dyshes ☞ The abhomynable lecherye of the same monkes IN the dyocese of S. Dauid in Wales and within the prouynce of Goer the pryour of Langenith whych was a celle of the ordre of Clunyakes or monkes without botes beholdyng a certen yonge woman first by wanton lokes and after by other lewde entycementes made her at his pleasure to serue hys lascyuyouse purpose And whan it was ones growne to a publyque infamy that all men spake yll of it with moneye he corrupted the offycyals to escape the open reproche And whan none other waye els wolde serue he gaue her in marryage to a yonge man not farre of Yet left he not so her companye but abused her after as he had done afore tyll suche tyme as he was deposed by the dyocesyane and lo with shame exyled the contreye The lyke was done also by two other monkes of Northwales of whom one was priour of Sagia an other of Breckennoch both celles of Clunyakes and not farre froÌ„ the hauen of Myluerd Whych were for their whoredomes most shamefully deposed and bannyshed Yea the seyd Geralde reporteth it to be a commen thynge among them where as suche celles were buylded and wyshed for hys tyme that not one of them had bene within the whole realme of Englande for the myschefes that he knewe by them And whan they went abroade he sayth about the affaires of their religioÌ„ or howses they wolde in none other innes be lodged but where as they might haue whores at their pleasures Giraldus Cambrensis in Speculo ecclesiae li ij ca. i. Was not this thynke you an holye religion and an high profession of chastyte ☞ Of two Englysh votaries one a traytour the other a thefe AS Heraclius the patriarke of Hierusalem was returned home agayne out of England in the yeare of our lorde a M.a. C. and. lxxxvi an Englysh votary of the ordre of Templars called Robert of S. Albons betrayed that holye cytie with all the Christen inhabytauntes to Saladinus the souldane of Babylon vpon thys couenaunt that he shulde haue his nece to marrye And so it came to passe in the ende the kynge taken prysoner and the patryarke compelled to flee so that the kyngdome was destroyed foreuer An other Englyshe votarye of the same ordre of Templars called Gylbert Ogerstan kynge Henry appoynted with certen others to gather vp the moneye whyche he had determyned to be gyuen to releue the holye lande and cytie of Hierusalem agaynst the Turkes And whan he had deprehended him in an horryble thefte in doynge the same to the mayntenaunce of hys accustomed lecheryes where as he mighte iustlye haue hanged hym he onely commytted hym to the maystre of the temple at London that he shulde ponnysh hym accordynge to their statutes Rogerus Houeden libro secundo historiae Anglorum The hospytelers and Templars were two fygtinge orders instituted firste in the contreye of Palestyne or holy land as they call it for the only defence of Christen pylgrymes goyng to and fro In processe of tyme they grewe to so great rychesse that as the adage goeth the doughter deuoured the mother They exempted themselues froÌ„ the paâ—ryarkes iurysdyccyon whiche was their first father and foundar and bicame seruauntes to the great Antichrist of Rome Not onely to fyll all that lande with his fylthie supersticyons but also to brynge the profyghtes to his insacyable handes that were gathâ—red from all other nacyons For where as colleccyons were to maynteyne those warres Roger Hourden sayth that alwayes a Templar was one gatherer and an hospyteler was an other But in the ende about the yeare of our lorde a thousand thre hundreth and twelue they had their deserued rewarde for than were the Templars destroyed Matthaeus Paris Ranulphus Aegidius Faber Ioannes Paleonydorus Ioannes Nauclerus Paulus Phrigio atque Polydorus ☞ A crowne of Pecockes fethers sent to kynge Henrye ROger Houeden writeth it as a matter seryouse and earnest that in the yeare of our lord a M. a. C. and. lxxxvi Pope Vrbane the thirde hearynge tell that kynge Henry had appoynted his yongar sonne Iohan to the lattre conquest of Irelande sent hym a crowne of Pecockes fethers fynely wouen and wrought togyther with golde The next yeare after he sent one Octauian a Cardynall and Hugh Nouaunt whyche was byshopp of Couentry and Chestre as legates from hys ryghte syde to haue crowned the seyd Iohan kynge of Irelande But the kynge not beynge so Pecockysh as he iudged hym dyscretely and wysely deferred the tyme tyll the Cardynall was gone Se what fyue toyes these foÌ„de fathers had in their crafty heades to mocke Christen prynces with for aduauntage Here was a gnat workemanly strayned out to swalowe in a camell for it He was at great cost that sent Pecockes fethers So was it a precyouse kyngedome towardes whose kynge shuld haue bene crowned with them But I maruele that he sent not therwith a foxes tayle for a scepture and a whode with two eares Rightly hath the scriptures set out thys generacyon for mocâ—â—rs Hierem. xx A great dissensyon arose the same tyme at Canterbury betwene Baldewyne the archebyshopp and the couent of monkes bicause he had begonne to buylde a newe college of secular prestes next ioynynge to them They caused Pope Vrbane the thirde to dyssolue it agayne fearynge therby in processe to haue lost their pryuylege of electynge their archebyshoppes and so not to haue their pleasures as they had afore Wherupon he was compelled to remoue his buyldynge from thens to Lambheth by Westmynstre Radulphus de Diceto Rogerus Houeden Ranulphus Treuisa Fabianus ☞ A bishop made both an earle and high iustyce IMmedyatly after kynge Rycharde the fyrste was crowned and sworne to defende all Antichristes affaires in the yeare of our lord a. M. a. C. lxxxix the byshop of Durham Hugh Pusath for a great summe of moneye bought of hym the earledome of Northumberlande And whan the kynge shulde do the ceremonye ouer hym of makynge an earle and was girdynge the swearde about him Se saith he to his lordes and noble men what a miracle I can do I can make of an olde byshop a yong earle Am not I thinke yow a very connynge artyfycer Lyke frates he played manye in the same yeare in makynge prelates barons and vycountes to haue ryches to hys pleasure In thys the kynge thought he mocked them but they mocked hym after a farre other sort in the ende Thys dotyng byshop was not yet all satisfied but added therunto a. M. markes more to be admytted the high iustyce of Englande And for that he myght dwel at home wythoute checke and polle at his pleasure he gaue to the pope an vnreasonable summe of moneye to be dispensed wyth for his vowe to the holye lande and obtayned it After thys he decreed wyth
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
by helpe of their spyrituall father the deuyll practised innumerable lyes by them to make their newly sought out virginite to apere sumwhat gloriouse to the worldly dodypolles that neuer wyll be wise The veryte of the history is this after all iust wryters Whan our Britaynes had ones gotten by their warre the lande of Armorica that we now call the lesser Britayne and were put in perpetuall possessyon therof by their King Maximus aboute the yeare of our Lorde CCC and XC they acccorded amonge them selues through the assent of Conanus their captayne only to mary with their owne nacion and in no wise to haue a do with the Frenche women there for dyuerse parels Wherupon they sent vp and by ouer the see to Dionothus the duke of Cornewale which than in the Kinges absence had gouernaunce of al the realme instauÌ„tlye desperynge hym to make prouysyon for them Which immedyatly gathered from all partes of the lande to the nombre of xi thousande maydes and othâ—r women and so shypped them at London vpoÌ„ the Tham ys with hys owne dere doughter Vrsula for so much as Couanus desyered to haue her to wyfe And as they were abroode vpon the mayne seas suche contrary wyndes and tempestes fell vpon theÌ„ as drowned some of their shyppes and droue the residue of them into the handes of their enemyes the Hunues and the pyetes which slewe a great nombre of them as they founde them not agreable to theyr fleshly purposes Thys sheweth Galfredu Monemuthensis li. 2. cap. 4. Alphredus BeuerlaceÌ„sis Ranulphus CestreÌ„sis IoaÌ„nes Harding Robertus FabiaÌ„ Tritemius in coÌ„peÌ„dio Volateranus Polydorus ¶ An history to their ghostly purpose BVt se here the coÌ„ueyauÌ„ce of thyse spirtiual geÌ„till men in Playstering vp their vnsauery sorceries They say they all vowed virginite were persuaded of saynt Michael the archaÌ„gel of saint IohaÌ„ the EuaÌ„gelist neuer to marry as thoughe they were diswaders of marriage for their lecherouse vowes so weÌ„t froÌ„ thens religiously to Rome on pilgrimage with great deuocyon ij and. ij togyther and were honorably receyued there of the Pope and his clergy If this be not good ware tell me I think there wanted no spirituall occupienge for the tyme they were there yf the storye were true For Daniell sayth that the lust of that proude kyngedome shuld be vpon women Daniel 11. In all fleshly desyres saith Hieremye they are become lyke rauke stoned horse neyenge at euery mannis wyfe Hieremi 5. And in dede some writers haue vttered it that they were neuer good sens their beynge there Now marke the sequele In their returne homewarde agayne towardes Coleyne they hadde in their company say their writers pope Ciriacus yf there euer were anye suche Poncius Petrus Vincencius Calixtus Kiltanus Florencius Ambrosius Iustinus Christianus all cardnales Cesarius Clemens Columbanus Yuuanus Lotharius PaÌ„talus Mauricius Maurilius Poillanus Sulpicius Iacobus Guilhelmus Michael Eleutherius Bonifacius and. vij more of the Popes howsholde all Byshoppes besydes a greate nombre of Prestes and Chaplaynes Diuerslye is this holy legende handeled of Iacobus Bergomas in Li Declaris mulieribus of Sigebertus VincencÃus Antoninus HartmaÌ„nus Carsulanus Vorago Vuernerus Nauelerus Mantuanus Vuicelius Caxton Capgraue Hector Boethius Maior and a graet sort more scarselye one agreyng with an other ¶ Fyne workemanship to be marked HE that wolde take the payne to conferre their Chronycles and writynges but concerninge thys onlye matter obseruynge dylygentlye their diuerse bestowynge of tymes places and names with other thynges perceyuynge to the circumstaunce of hystorye shuld anon perceyue theâ—e subtyle conueyauÌ„ce in many other matters The solempne feast of these xi thousande she pilgrimes for their goynge to Rome is yet no small matter in their Idolatrouse churche and yet they poure sowles neuer came there as the most aucâ—entyue writers doth proue Their goynge out of Brytanye was to be come honest Christen mennys wyues and not to go no pylgrymage to Rome and so become byshoppes bonilasses or prestes playeferes Se what our auncient Englysh writers had sayth in thys matter whych more experimently knewe it and lere the foren liars go which beynge faere of cared the lesse to lye In dede thys is a very straunge procuringe of Sayntes if ye marke it wele but that the monkes and prebendes of Coleyne thought to do sumwhat for the pleasure of their Nonnes there whiche had gathered togyter an haeye of dead mennys bones For thier bones culde they not haue beynge drowned in the great Occeane sea as Galferdus and the other autours veryfyeth afore But both Christ and Paule ones tolde vs that we shuld be subtyllye cyrcumuented of that wylye generacyon whan they shuld worke thier deceytfull wonders Math. 24. and. 2. Thes. 2. ¶ Vowynges ded not yet constraynt ALl thys tyme were there no constraynynge vowes but all was fre to leaue or to holde For Constans the eldeste sonne of kynge Constantyne the seconde beyng a monke of Saynt Amphibalus abbeye in Cairguent that ye now call Saynt Swythunes in wynchestre was taken out of yt without dyspensacyon about the yeare of our lorde CCCC xliij and crowned kynge of Brytayne beynge in full lyberte of marryage Galfredus Ranulphus Hardyng Capgraue Caxton and Fabyan In lyke case Maglocunus as Gildas reporteth was first a monke and afterwarde constytute kynge in the yeare of our lorde CCCCC lij contynuynge still by the space of more than xxxiiij yeres and had for their he thyme ij wyues besides hys concubines Thys Maglocunus was rekened the most romelye persone of all hys regyon and a man to whom Gon had than geuen great victories agaynst the Saxons Norweyes and Danes Yet was he in hys age as was longe afore hym Mempricius hys predecessour geuen to most abhominable so dometry whiche he had learned in his youth of the consecrate chastyte of the holy clergy Galfredus Ranulphus Hardynge Fabian and Flores historiarum Very vehement was Gildas beinge than a monke of Beucornaburch not farre froÌ„ Chestre in his dayly preachinges both agaynst the clergy and layte concernynge that vyce and such other and prophecyed afore hande of the subuersyon of thys realme by the Saxyns for it like as it sone after folowed in effect Loke in both his bokes De excidio Britannie in scriptis Polidori Galfredi Ranulphi with the preface of William Cindals obedyence ¶ The Saxons entre with newe Christianite ANon after the Saxonâ— had gotten of the Brytaynes the full conquest of this lande the name therof was changed and hath euer sens bene called England of Engist which was than their chefe Captayn as wytneseth Iohan Hardyng IohaÌ„ Maior Hector Boethius CaxtoÌ„ Fabyan Than came there in a new fashioned christyanyte yet ones agayn from Rome with many more heythuysh pokes than afore And that was vpon this
occasion as all writers agre Gregory the first of that name now called Saynt Gregory behelde in the open market at Rome Englysh boyes to be solde Marke this ghostly mistery for the prelates had than no wiues And women in those dayes might sore haue distained their newely rysin opinion of holynesse if they had chaunced to haue bene with chylde by them and therfor other spirituall remedies were sought out for them by their good prouiders and proctours ye may if ye will call them applesquires And at this Gregory behelde them fayre skinned and bewtifully fared with heare vpon their heades most comely anon he axed of what region they were And answere was made him that they were of an yle called Englande We le may they be called Angly sayth he for they haue very Aâ—gelyck vysages Se how curyouse these fathers were in the we le eyenge of their wares Here was no circumstaunce vnloked to perteining to the sale Yet haue this Bishopp bene of all writers reckened the best sens his time This story mencïoneth Iacobus de Voragine Vincencius Antoninus Ioannes Capgraue Maior Polydorus an hondred autours more ¶ More English boyes sold at Rome AN other example like vnto this telleth theseyde Iohan Capgraue in his Cataloge That at one Macutus an English Brytayne and Byshop of Aleth in Irelande beynge at Rome about the yeare of our Lorde CCCCC perceyued serten Englysh boyes to be solde there openly He gaue the pryce of them and sent them home agayne Of a likelyhode he smelled the spyrytuall occupyeng there and pytyed the most dampnable castynge away of those poore innocentes whome Christ had so derely redemed with his blood Suche an other acte of christen pity wrought king Etelwolphus there after diuerse writers whan he in the yeare of our Lord. DCCC xlvij made sute to Pope Leo the fort to be clerely dispensed with forthe ordre of Subdeacon which he had in his yowthe receyued wholsome ware I warande yow of Helmestane than Bishop of wynchestre For by that time they had crepte into the seate of the Serpent Apoca. 13. and obtayned full autoryte to dyspense wyth all pactes professions promyses vowes athes oblygacyons and sealynges to the Beastes holy seruyce Marke alwayes the tymes This story hath Vuyllyam of Malmesburye li. 2. De regibus a Raulphe Hardyng Fabyan and Polidorus with other And that the one wanteth the other alwayes habundauntly supplieth Possession was taken of that seate of the Beast vndre phocas the emperour in the yeare of our Lord. DC and vij wean the papacy first begonne ¶ Augustine entreth with his Monkes NOw to returne agayne vnto Gregory He sent vpon the aforesayd occasyon into England in the yeare from Christes in carnacion CCCCC xcvi a Romysh monke called Augustyne not of the ordre of Christ as was Peter but of the supersticiouse secte of Beuet there to sprede abrode the Romishe faythe and religion for Christes fayth was there long afore With him entered Melitus Iustus Laurencius IoaÌ„nes Petrus Rufinianus Paulinus and a great sort more to the nombre of xl all monkes and Italyanes We le armed were they with Aristotles artilery as wyth logyck Philosophy and other crafty sciences but of the sacred scripturs they knewe lytle or nothyng If ye beleue not me reade in Iohan Capgraues Cataloge Inuita Augustini his interrogacions Ad Gregorium per laurencium Petrum ye shall find them voyd of all christen learnynge eyther of law or Gospell yea most insypient and folishe Yet was the seyd Augustine the best learned among theÌ„ These toke with them a great nombre of frenche interpretours bycause they were all ignoraunte of the language there Here was a noble christianite towardes whan the preachers knewe neyther the scrypturs nor yet the speache of the people Well yet they ded miracles Yea so sayd Christ they shuld do whan he bad vs in any wise to be ware of theÌ„ Math. 24. For this story marke specyally Iohan Capgraue in Catalogo sanctorum Anglie Sigebertus VinceÌ„cius Antoninus Tritemius Christianus Masseus and the churche legendary Dyuersly were they of women intreated ANd as concerning women greuously were they vexed with them commynge hytherward specyallye at a vyllage called Saye wythin the couÌ„tye of Angeuin fraunce In the whych was buylded immedyatly after a churche they say in the honour of the seyd Augustine where as no women come but are plaged with most sodayne death for the dyspleasure there shewed them than yet ded thy but laugh vpon theÌ„ This sheweth AlexaÌ„drethe prior of Esseby in hys Annuall of Sayntes by these verses Cetus aput Saye uexauit eos mulierum Quas peccasse probat lux noua foÌ„sque nouus Plebs parat ecclesiaÌ„ mulieribus haud reseraÌ„daÌ„ IntroituÌ„tentat una sed inde perit This story hath also Iohan Capgraue and the olde Englysh Festyuall of Sayntes whych was somtime the only taught Gospell of Englande Notwythstandinge thys dyspleasure of women abrode yet founde they women fauorable within England For Bertha the quene of Kent than beynge a Frenche woman caused Kynge Ethelbert to admit them wyth al theyr tyrlery trashe Yet for the small trust he had vnto them at their fyrst metynge he wolde in nowyse commen with them within any howse the story sayth least they shuld after any sorcerouse sort bywytche hym The fyrst poynt of Religyon they shewed was this They spred fourth a banner wyth a paynted crucyfyre and a syluer crosse thervpon and so come to the kynge in processyon synging the Letany We le myght thys be called a new chrystyanyte for neyther was it knowne of Christ nor of hys Apostles nor yet euerseane in Englande afore It came altogyther from the dust heape of their monkery ☞ Their fyrst spiriituall prouysyons here AS the kynge admytted their enteraunce he couenaunted thus wyth them and very wysely That hys people shuld alwayes be at lyberte and no man constrayned to their newe founde Relygyon sacrifices and worshyppynges But alac that fredome contynued not long wyth them as ye shall wele perceyue hereafter Then dyd Augustine get him into Fraunce agayn and caused one Etherius than Archebyshop of Arelas to consecrate hym the great byshop of all Englande without eleccion or consent of the people that we reade of And in the yeare of our Lorde euen DC dyd Gregorye sende vnto hym from Rome hys prymates pall with super altares chalyces copes candelstyckes vestymentes surplices alter clothes syngynge bokes rellyckes and the blessynges of Peter and Paule And so admytted hym for the fyrst metropolitane of all the whole realme appointing hys seate from thens fourth at Canterburye than called Doroberna the worthye cytie of London euer after depriued of her former tytle and so made an vnderlynge But the spirituall fathers knewe well ynough what they dyd beholdyng afore hande
head shauinge other vnsauerye ceremonies and wrote afterwarde an earnest treatyse agaynst Agilbertus a frenche man and at that tyme byshop of Wynchestre All thys myght not helpe then but in processe of tyme they had theyr whole myndes magry al their hartes Bedas Giruninus li. 3. ca. 25. De gestis Anglorum Guilhelmus Malmesburye li. 3. De Pontificibus Ranulphus lib. 5. cap. 17. Iohannes Caphraue and other ¶ Religiouse examples dysuadynge mariage After Laurentius folowed Melitus in the archebyshoppes seate of Caunterburye in the yeare of our lorde DC and. xix whiche they saye both alyue dead dysuaded yonge men from christen marryage As Saynt Columbanus a Scott about the same tyme came to the sell of an holye Nonne for ghostlye counsell She bad hym awaye least wanton youthe would bryng them togyther wylde they nylde they Saynt Edwyne kynge of Northumberland gaue vnto saint Paulinus the archebyshop of yorke hys yonge doughter Eanfleda so sone as she was baptysed in the yeare of our lorde DC and. xxvi that he shuld make her an vnholye Nonne And the daye after the said Edwyne was slayne he toke with hym both the doughter and mother and so fled with them vnto Rochestre in kent be water neuer returning thydre agayne Saynt Fiacre a Scottysh heremyte had so great malyce vnto women that he plaged so many of them with the fowle euyll as came within the precynct of hys monasterye because one woman had ones complayned to the byshop of hys prodygyouse charmynges Hector Boethius Saynt Foillanus an Irysh Byshop with his brethren was very famylyar and seruysable vnto Saynt Gertruyde and her nonnes at Nigella made dyuerse barren women full graciouslye to conceyue Saynt keynwirye a virgyne of wales contempnynge marryage fled from thēs to Saynt Myhels of the mounte to kepe her vowed virginite amonge the holye fathers there as vower with vowers All these storyes hath Iohan Capgraue ¶ Other relygyouse examples of that age SEbba kyng of the East Saxōs was so by wytched of the Byshop of Londō and his calkyng collygeners there for hys substaunce that he had made hymselfe a monke leauynge vnto them both hys wyfe and possessyons yf she had bene no wyfe then he nor more godly dysposed Yet was she by their incantacyons at the last deceyued they hauynge of hym an innumerable summe of money and he nothynge of them agayne but a mangye monkes cowle and hys buryall in Paules Whan Saynt Egbynes father was ones departed in wales his mother resorted wyth hym to the Abbeye of Saynt Sampson and there receyued of hym the habyte of a Nonne bestowyng the rest of her lyfe amonge the good bretherne there Saynt Eanswyde abbesse of Folkstane in kent inspyred of the deuyll dyffyned christen marryage to be barren of all vertues to haue but transytoryouse frutes and to be a fylthye corruptyon of virginite Yet ware Marye Iohan Baptyst and Iesus Christ swete frutes therof the iust fathers of the olde lawe not rekened Saynt Paule sayeth also that by vertue of marryage the vnfaythfull man is sanctyfyed by the woman that is faythfull i. Cor. vij Neither dyd he at anye tyme teache marryage to be eyther a corrupcion or yet an impedyment of christen virginite whan he coupled the Corintheanes whiche continued styll marryed a chaste virgine to Christ. 2. Cor. ii But thys gentylwoman Eanswyde was muche better acquaynted with the monkes learnyng then with Christes and with a chastyte rather to their behoue than to hys Yet droue she out all the gantes or bystardes there yf their churche legende be true These storyes shewed Iohan Capgraue ¶ The wanton toyes of the holye fathers ABout thys same tyme sent Pope Bonyface the fyft a shyrte with a golden collor and a fyne petycote of straunge makynge vnto kynge Edwyne with the blessynges of Peter and Paule And vnto hys wyfe Ethelburge a syluer glasse and a combe of yvorye with the same to vpholde them in thys newe christianite Se these wanton fathers what toyrs they vse to set vp their kyngdome here Neuer shall ye reade that Christes dysciples had anye suche wyttye polycyes Saynt Petrock an her myte of Cornewale was fayne euerye nyght from the crowe of the cocke to the sprynge of the mornynge to stande naked in a pyt to abate the hote mouynges of hys fleshe And neuer coulde he haue remedy of that dysease tyll he went onpilgrimage to Rome and Hierusalem Here was a newe sought out salue for that sore Saynt Pyrane a Byshop also in Cornewale had a fayre dammesell in the monastery of hys mother wyngell called Brunet whom the Lord of the soyle toke vp for his occupieng At the last he agreed with him no longer to haue her then the bernacle or butture shuld breake him of his slepe which chaunced sone after thā he sent her home agayn If these be not good honest legendes to be redd in the Popes holy church tel me Plēteouse shall ye finde Iohā Capgraue in the rehersall of them and suche other The ghostly bestowing of their vowes A Nonne belonging to saynt Cota and a monke perteyning to saynt Pyrane about the same tyme strake vp a couenaunt of loue And as they met in a wode for performance of the same a yong pigeon fell betwixt them and made them both ashamed so they went home agayne A lyke matter Such an other pagent was played at yorke but it was longe after The monkes of saynt Mary abbeye and the nonnes of Clement thorpe mett togyther there at hay making the abbottes fole being wyth them And as the abbot enquired of him at supper for pastyme where he had bene all that daye He fell in a great laughynge and declared before all hys gestes that a sore battayle had bene foughten that after none betwixt hys monkes and the monkes of clement thorpe But he thanked God that hys monkes had the best for they laye euer aloft Bycause that one of Saynt modwens maydes had layed her beste beloues shoes at her beddes head the spretes of heauen that were wonte to vysyte her wolde not come there that nyght After she had bene at Rome and was comen home agayne she dwelt at Scaleselyf where as an holye hermyte ded oft tymes vysyte her and muche refreshe her wyth a legende boke of sayntes lyues But no tydinges was there among them of Christes holy Gospell Loke Iohan Capgraue ¶ Erkenwalde and Osith with their Nondryes SAynt Erkenwalde the sonne of Vffa the fyrst King of the east angres abbot of Chertesye and Bishop of London buylded a Nondrye at Berkynge And bycause there were at that time in Englande no Nonnes to his mynde for Hilda hys kynswoman was to great a scripture woman in those dayes he sent ouer the see for an old acquayntaunce of hys called Hildelitha learned in arte
counterfett presthyde was than throughly salted and placed there the Actes of the. iiij generall counsels receyued in stede of the. iiij Euangelies In the next yeare following was a generall Synode kept at Constantynople in Grece where as marryage was for euer permytted vnto the Greke prestes and vtterly forbidden the latynes or all other besydes them the latine masse receyuynge there his first confirmacion But Theodorus hys monkes were at a good indyfferent poynt for that which had veyled wythin in one monastery in the I le of Thanete lxx Nonnes makynge fayre Myldrede their abasse Loke IohaÌ„ Capgraue Ranulphe and other English autours In spight of the former acte dâ—d Vitiza the king of Spayne permyt hys prestes by a lawe newelye made to kepe so manye concubines as ther wolde Michael Ricius de regibus Hispanie Paulus Constantinus Phrâ—gio in Chronidis regnorum ¶ Chastyte Monkes Monasteries and Penaunce Wernerus Cartusiensis sayth in Fasciculo temporum that vowynge of chastyte was fre wythout constraynt in the tyme of saynt Gregory and sumwhat after Bedas reporteth li 3 ca. 6 De gestis Anglorum Ioannes Maior in gestis Scotorum li. 2. Ca. 11. That a monkes cowle after they had ones vowed chastyte was holden in suche reuerence that no maÌ„ wolde in a maner than iourney vnlesse he had their blessinges Into a most wonderfull madnesse were the people than brought by their hypocryticall wytcherye the verye elect persones scant frefrom that damnable errour Math. 24. Marcy 13. For the vnthankefulnesse of men sayth Iob in settynge his veryte lyght doth God permytt the Hypocrytes to reigne ouer them in all power of deceytfull wonders Iob. 34. Thessal 2. They ded than spedelye set vp monasteries without nombre all the realme ouer Iohan Hardynge sayth in his Chronicle that King Oswye buylded within Northumberlande xij in one yeares space In the yeare of our Lorde DC and lxxxiiij helde Theodorus yet an other counsell in the North partyes at Twyforde where as he publyshed a serten boke of his owne makynge called A penytencyall summe commaundynge his clergye to put it euerye where in practyse Therin were contayned all maner of synnes and excesses with aggrauacions reseruacions penaltes sorowes penaunces and ponnishmentes And this was to terryfye captyue and snare the wretched consciences of men euen to vttre desperacion And where coude haue bene sought out a practyse of more deuilishenesse Sigebertus Sabellicus Tritemius Scriptores ferme omnes ¶ The foundacyon of their Purgatorye AT the same verye tyme was there one Drithelmus in Nortoumberlande whych leauynge both wyfe and children in the yeare of our Lorde DC and. lxxi made himself a monke at Mailros Saynt Cuthbert than beynge abbot there The sayd Drithelmus fayned himselfe on a tyme to be dead here was knauerye vpon knauerye and reported in his returne that he had seane by an Angels demonstracion both purgatory and paradise hell and heauen After that he had subtillye declared thys vnto Kynge Alphrede and other greate men of the contreye there at the request of the monkes muche people resorted vnto hym for counsell for their sowles from all quarters of Englande So redy are the foles of thys worlde to heare lyes and illusyons whyche neuer had loue to the veryte Thys knaue euermore commended vnto them confessyon and penaunce fastynge prayer and almes dedes specyallye and aboue all other masse saynges and monasteryes buyldinge Was not thys thynke yow a vertuouse chrystyanyte of these chaste fathers to kegynne theyr holye churche wyth Were yt not pytye but they were canonysed sayntes and their feastfull dayes solemnysed twyse in the yeare wyth ryngynges syngynges sensynges and massynges as thys Cuthbertes wer and are yet to thys daye I thynke the Turkes churche had neuer more knaues to their Sayntes than these For this Drithelmus ys one of their sayntes also Iohan Capgraue post uitam Adriam Sigebertus Vincencius Antoninus wyth dyuerse other ¶ Chastyte of Cuthbert and doctrine of Colfride SO cruell was this Cuthbert vnto women after he became a Saynt of theirs that non might come wythin hys sayntuaryes they say at Doilwem Cornen and Mailros in Scotlande nor yet at Durham Tyâ—mouth and Lynde farne here in Englande vndre payne of soden death their chambers and selles exempted alwayes Yet was the seyd Cuthbert verye famylyar in his time wyth Ebba Elsteda and Verca iij holy abbasses and builded for his pleasure a solempne uondry at Carliell Fynallye for the specyall good loue he had vnto Verca aboue all other he commaunded in hys testament that his bodye after his departinge shuld be wrapped in the fyne lynnen clothe that she had geuen hym Ye may se by thys that these chast fathers had their louers and set sumwhat by their owne precyouse bodyes Saynt Colfride abbot of Girwin in Northumberland wrote vnto Athon kinge of the Pyctes that it was as necessary for the vowe of a monke or degre of a prest prestes were than no vowers to haue a shauen crowne for restraynt of their lustes as for any christen man to blesse him agaynst spretes whan they come vpon him What wise learning thys ys I report me vnto yow Yet yt ys regestred of Bedas in hys v. boke De gestis Anglorum and also of Thomas Vualden in hys volume De sacramentalibus ii 9. Ca. 80 to stoppe heretikes mouthes with besydes that IohaÌ„ Capgraue hath sayd in yt ¶ The fallen starre and. ij Hornes of the Beast ABout thys tyme were many wonderfull thynges seane in dyuerse quarters of the worlde specyally a great Comete or blasyng starre which semed wyth flamynges of fyre to fall in to the sea great morren folowynge both of beast and man Not all vulyke was thys to that is described Apoca. 8. And betokened than in my opynyon both the vttre fall of the pryncelye gouernaunce and also the christen presthode or of both vndre one as powers of one God For both they beynge as starres in the firmament or powers from aboue Romano 13 most wredchedly than delcined from the true obedyence and faythfull admynystracyon of Gods eternall veryte vnto the beastly subieccyons and tradycyons of that execrable Pope Sens that tyme haue they comen from the sea They haue taken their autoryte of that Beaste â—hych rose out of the sea Apoca. 13 tyll now at late dayes the. ij hornes of the other Beast that is to saye of hypocresye pryckynge them than forewarde Those ij hornes of that earthlye Beaste were here in England the. ij monkysh sectes that in those dayes fyrste entered The fyrste of them were the blacke monkes of Saynt Bernet whych entered first of all wyth the afore named Augustyne in the yeare of our Lord. CCCCC and xcvi to peruerte the South Saxons and kentysh men The other were the blacke Chanons of the
other Saynt Augustyne both blacke which came in wyth Byrinus the Archebyshop of Dorcestre in the yeare of our Lord. DC xxxvi from Pope Honorus the fyrste to deceyue the west Saxons For yche Pope and byshopp preferred euermore the secte he was of These ij wrought so their wycked feates in those dayes with lyenge sygnes in hypocresy that they caused the afore named starres Regnum et Sacerdocium Regalite and presthode to fall clerely from heauen Iohan Capgraue Ranulphus et Polidorus ¶ The fall of kingdoms and rayse of the Papacy MArke in the Chronicles and ye shall fynde thys moste true That lyke as the Papacye had hys fyrste rayse in and of the fall of the Empyre so had those kingdomes whiche fyrste obeyed it their orygynall begynninges of the ouerthrowe of the inferyour kingdomes As Englande vndre King Inas by the fall of the Brytaynes and Fraunce vnder Kinge Pypyne by the puttinge a sydy of the Merouyngeanes Sens these lecherouse locustes crepte first into Englande neuer throne that kingedome of the auncyent Brytaynes whose spyrituall heade was God alone but euerye daye more and more decayed tyll it was fullye ended Marke it hardelye from the fyrste comminge hither of the seyd Augustyne tyll the yeare of our Lord. DC lxxxix wherin Cadwallader their last Kyng dyed a most desolate pilgrime at Rome offeringe hymselfe vp there moste myserablye to the Pope Euer sens hath yt bene to hym obediente in all blasphemouse errours and doctrynes of Deuilles by the space of DCCC and. xliiij yeares tyll the yeare of our Lord. M. CCCCC and. xxxiij wherin at our noble kynges moste wholsome request we vtterlye by othe renounced that odyouse monstre Nowe is it Gods owne kingdome agayne and our King his immedyate ministre That Lorde graunte of hys infynyte mercye that lyke as we haue put a syde hys name we maye euen frome the harte also cast ouer hys Idolatrouse yokes folowing from henceforth the vncorrupt rules of the Gospell A like comparison hath Paulus Orosius lib. 2. Cap. 4. Historiarum mundi of Babilon and Rome Very like begynnynges sayth he had Babilon and Rome like powers like prides like continuaunces like fortunes and like ruynes sauynge only that Rome arose of the fall of Babilon and so fourth ¶ An olde prophecy of Merlyne disclosed AS I was in wrytynge this matter an old Prophecy of Merline came vnto my remembraunce That after the manyfolde irrupcions of straungers the kinges of thys realme shuld be ones agayn crowned wyth the Dyademe of Brute and beare his auncyent name the new name of straungers so vanishinge awaye He that applyeth vnto this a right vnderstandinge shall fynde it very true The Diademe of Brute is the pryncely power of thys whole region immediatly geuen of God without any other meane mastry worker to Antichristes behoue Fre was that power from the great whores domynyon which is the Rome churche tyll the violent conquest of the English Saxons which they had of the Brytaynes for their iniquities sake And now prayse be vnto that Lorde it is in good waye to that fredome agayne and would fullye attayne therunto were here heythnysh yokes in religion ones throwne a syde as I doubt it not but they will be within short space As well may ye geue credeÌ„ce to this Merlyne whan he vttereth the verite as vnto olde Balaam the sothsayer whiche at a tyme prophecyed the commynge of Christ. Num. xxiiij And as coÌ„cernyng the returne of the name marke in thys age the wrytynges of lerned meÌ„ ye shall wel perceyue the change for now commonly do they wryte vs for Englyshemen Brytaynes ¶ The whores fleshe eaten of the. x. hornes THE. x. hornes of the first Beast whiche were kyngdomes maynteynyge that whore now ioyned all into one doth mortallye hate her at this present instaunt is makynge her desolate and maked in Englande In the ende they shall eate her fleshe and clerely consume her with the fyre appointed Englande was sumtyme into vij kyngdomes deuyded by the consent of al writers and wales into ij called Venedotia Demetia or north wales South wales Ireland makyng vp the truth Or if ye holde wales but for one let Scotland supplye that rowme whiche oweth vnto Englande perpetuall homage â–ª As all these are now in one moste worthye and victoryouse Kyng but one so wyll God put into all their hartes one consent to fulfyll hys will and to geue her kyngdome vnto the beast or to sende it agayn to the deuell from whens it fyrst came Apoca. xvij Consydre with your selues the late ouerthrowe of the monasteries couentes collegis and chaunteries alleages of vncleane spretes and holdes of moste hatefull byrdes by the manifest worde of God And thynke not but the fyltye habitacions of the great mastre deuyls wyll folowe sone after Apoca. xviij Let the gogle eyed Gardyner of wyncestre gyrde at it tyll his rybbes ake and an hondred dyggynge deuyls vpon his syde yet shall not one Iote of the lordes promes be vnfulfylled at the tyme appoynted for that blasphemouse whores ouerthrowe hys moste holye mother Praye in the meane season good christen readers praye praye praye that hys heauenly wyll be done in earth and not mannys and fashyon your lyues to the fourme of his moste dere sonne Iesus Christes doctryne Amen ¶ Actes of vowed virginite for that age NOw to returne agayne to their spiâ—ituall actes of chastyte for that age WhaÌ„ one Sedia the father of saynt Aidus perceyued that he by no meanes could haue a chyld by his wyfe he brought her to these continent fathers for remedy of her barrennesse she was spede the next nyght after by a miracle for all were miracles they dyd IoaÌ„ Cap. Guenhera a Cornysh woman whoÌ„ som writers call fayre Elyne that made king Arthure a cuckolde was after his death deuoutely receiued into Ambesbury non drye as a penitent to their spirituall vse Guilhelmus Malmesbury Saynt Oswalde sayd his wyfâ— Bebla in bed with a relygiouse hermyte And wheÌ„ the great heate came vpoÌ„ him as the spiritual fathers are hasty she found the meanes that he was cast in cold water to abate his hote corage This is one of the holy actes wherupon the pope hath made the sayd Oswald a saint IohaÌ„ hardyng Saint Ebba whiche was in those dayes the mother of all noÌ„nes was generate of an whore as were al her fathers childreÌ„ besides her ij of theÌ„ only excepted This Ebba had in the monastery of Coldyngham not farre â—â—om Barwyck both men womeÌ„ dwellyng togyther fell by fell as the maner was than of all Nondryes in England which exercysed the battayles of chastyte so longe that in their nyght metynges they went to bed togyther by couples theyr religiouse loue was then so great tyll God sent a wylde fyre vpon them for that contempt of
marryage Ioannes Maior libro secundo Capite 12. Ioannes Capgraue in catalogo sanctorum Anglie ¶ A spirituall conueyaunce to be marked ETheldred whom ye cal Saynt Andrye of helye marryed ij great prynces Tombert of the South Girwyes and Egfride the Kyng of Northumberlande mockynge them both by the space of more then xiij yeares in not geuynge them due beneuolence accordyng to the holy doctrine of saynt Paul i. Cor. vij And in occasioninge them to aduouterouse lyuynge The lattre of theÌ„ knowynge that she mynded wylfryde then byshop of yorke muche more then hym for the storye sayeth that she loued that monke aboue all the men lyuyng requyred him in Gods behalfe to admonysh her of her dewtye that he myght accordyng to hys lawes haue increase of succession by her And he lyke a false traytour knaue notwithstandinge hys promes to the contrarye perswaded her to perseuer in her obstynacye and vtterlye to resyst hym allegynge her vowe and requyrynge a diuorcement from hym Wherupon he was then compelled to marrye an other wyfe called Ermenburgis and Etheldrede was professed a NoÌ„ne in ColdynghaÌ„ with Ebba by the sayd wylfryde This kyng after that perceyuynge his knauerye by assent of Theodorus the archebyshop of Caunterbury bannyshed hym out of hys lande Then folowed she after a pace and whyles he was byshop of Eastsexse she became abbasse of hely not farre from his elbone Marke thys conueyaunce for your learnynge If this were not knauerye where shal we fynde knauery Yet was this gentylman conueyer admytted for a saynte because he buylded a college at Rippon where my selfe was ones bayted of his Basan bulles for mainteining the kynges prerogatiue agaynst their pope as good mastre IohaÌ„ Hercye can fulwell tell Ioannes Capgraue in uitis Etheldrede Vuilfridi ¶ Kynges became pylgrymes and their wyues Nonnes A Verye proper cast the women had in those dayes by the ghostlye counsell of the prelates They sent theyr hâ—sbandes to Rome on pylgrymage by heapes whyls they kept them spyrituall company at home Ethelburg made great haste and left no callyng on tyll her husbande kyng Inas was thydrewardes with scrippe haâ—â—e and staffe she lokyng for his no more coming home in the abbeye of Berkynge Thys Inas became a monke there and was the first that clogged the west Saxons with payment of the Rome shott or Peter Pens to the Pope Volateranus Fabiane After hym folowed Ethelrede kynge of Mercia in lyke fashion of pylgrymage and became afterwarde abbot of Bardeney Iohan Capgraue Conredus also kyng of the same prouynce dyed a folyshe monke at Rome So dyd kynge Offa of the East Saxons the selfe same yeare of our Lorde DCC and. ix besydes KeÌ„redus Ethelwolphus and a great sort more Hermannus Contractus Platina Polidorus Colwolphus kynge of Northumberlande returned agayne to Gyrwyn and there dyed a monke Robert Fabiane Great layser would it requyre to shewe here how many of suche kynges the ghostly fathers sent at dyuerse seasons vnto Rome that they for the tyme might haue the spirituall occupyenge of theyr wyues and how many of their own bastardes they made kynges for them And therfore at thys tyme I passe them ouer Innumerable knaueryes wrought they in those dayes and all vndre the coloure of vowed chastyte ¶ Great experymentes of virginite AS Saynt Aldelmus the byshop of Sherborne that ye now cal Salysbury chaunced to be at Rome the people there made a fowle exclamacion vpon Pope Sergius the first for begettynge a wenche with chylde whyche he they saye by a lytle straunge workynge pacyfyed In whose returne a Synode was holden in Englande agaynst the Brytaynes or welshe men for not conformynge their churches to the Romysh obseruacions he there required to inueye agaynst them Vpon the which mocion he wrote then two bokes one for the Eastre celebracion and an other in the prayse of virgynes to blemyshe the marriage of their priestes there and also to aduauÌ„ce their newlye professed chastyte For that he had also in commandement of Sergius notwithstandynge hys owne knowne lecherye This Aldelmus neuer refused women but would haue them coÌ„monly both at borde at bedde to mocke the deuyll with In the tyme he was abbot of Malmesbury he appoynted oft tymes to hys fleshe this martyrdoÌ„ As he felte any sore mouynges therof he layed by him naked the fairest mayde he could get so longe tyme as an whole Dauids psalter was in saynge And when hys heate was past he sent her home agayne as good a mayde as he left her Is not this thynke you a stronge argument to proue that all priestes may lyue chast This telleth Bedas Ranulphus Iohan Capgraue and manye other Englyshe autours more ¶ Images admytted with chast examples ABout the same tyme saynt Egwine abbot of Euesham and byshop of Worcestre then called wickes hearynge tell that labour was made to the pope to haue the christen temples replenyshed with Images to promote that market forewarde he hyed hym a peace to Rome And there he declared to the holye father the secrete reuelacions and commaundementes of our ladye that he had to set vp an Image of her to be worshypped at Worcestre delyueryng hym a booke whiche he had written of the same apparycyons besydes the lyfe of Aldelme The pope then called Constantine the fyrst hearing this newe wondre sent hym home agayne with hys bulles of autoryte commaundynge Brithwalde then Archebyshop of Caunterburye wyth all haste to call a generall Synode of all the clergye for confirmaâ—â—on of the same the kynges required not to be absent that daye And this was done in the yeare of our Lorde DCC and ix This Brithwalde beynge also a moÌ„ke was the first Englysh man that was Archebyshop of Caunterburye Marke it Saynt Guthlake an heremyte of Rependon tolde a certayne abbot the same tyme that goynge homewarde he shuld fynde in a wydowes howse ij of his holy monkes whiche had lyeu with her the nyght afore for easement of their chastite Saynt Bartellyne heremyte of Stafforde stale out of Irelande the kynges doughter there And as she was afterwarde trauelynge of chylde in a forest whyles he was sekynge the mydwyfe a wolfe came and deuoured both her and her chylde These storyes hath at large Iohan Capgraue in Catalogo sanctorum Anglie Guilhelmus Malmesbury et Ranulphus ¶ Englysh monkes become Antichristes Apostles IN those dayes the moÌ„kes of Englande were becomen so myghtye in supersticiouse learnynge that they were able to peruert all other christen regyons as they dyd then in dede Some of them went into Germanye some into Fraunce some into Italye and Spayne and became the Popes instrumentes of all falshede fasshioning hym vp there a newe kyngdome of all deuylyshnesse to withstande the manyfest glory of God and subduynge therunto an pryncely Powers Yow
euer after the names of iij. Goddeses He called Bezola venus Roza Iuno and Stephana Zemele Of these harlottes one made Boso her bastarde Byshop of Placencia the other made Theobaldus her mysbegetten the archedeacon of Myllayne and the third was not all behynde with her fylthye frute also LiuthyraÌ„dus TicineÌ„sis li. 3. Ca. 6. That vowe of chastite I trowe is sumwhat worth whan it hath suche feates in bawdye bytcherye as all the worlde besydes is ignoraunt of It were great pytie but it were so hygh aduaunced and maynteyned by pryncelye polityque lawes they becommynge seruauntes therunto by makynge lawes for the vpholdynge therof ¶ A most hygh example of holye churches chastyte ALbericus the sonne of Marozia by her first husbande Albert beynge Marques of Hetruria and kynge of Italye compelled the Romanes hys subiectes partlye by great rewardes partlye by stronge threttenynges to admyt hys sonne Octauyane to the papacye whiche was geuen to al ryot and vyce from his very infancye Notwithstandynge for hys pleasure they agreed thervnto in the year of our lorde DCCCC and. lvi and named hym Iohan the. xij Thys holy successour of Peter and vycar of Christ as they call popes was accused of his Cardinalles and Byshoppes vnto the Emperour Otho in the generall Synode at Rome that he woulde saye no seruice he massed without consecracion he gaue holye orders in hys stable he made boyes Byshoppes for money he woulde neuer blesse hymselfe he forced not to be periured and made the holy palace of Laternense a verye stewes For he kepte therein Raynera the wyfe of hym that was knyght for hys own body and gaue her great possessioÌ„s with benefices goldeÌ„ chalyces and crosses He helde also Stephana and her syster whiche had bene his fathers concubine and had by her a bastarde not long afore He occupied at hys pleasure Anna a freshe wydowe her doughter also and doughters doughter He spared neyther hygh nor lowe olde nor yonge poore nor rytche fayre nor foule they sayd so that no womeÌ„ durst come vnto Rome on pylgrymage in hys tyme. Neyther reuerenced he anye place but would do it euery where yea vpon their very aulters He woulde hawke hunte daunce leape dyce sweare fyght ryot ronne straye abrode in the nyght breakynge vp dores and wyndowes and burne manye mennes howses One of hys Cardynalles he gelded he put out an others eyes whiche had bene hys Godfathers Of some he borowed an hande of some a tounge a fynger a nose an eare In his dyce playnge would he cal vpon yll spirites and drynke to the deuyll for loue Thus was he in the ende deposed tyll his dere diamondes sett handes vnto it for they ruled all and caused the Romaynes to set hym in agayne ¶ Dunstanes autoryte against marryed priestes THe papacye helde this Iohan the xij for the space of ix yeares iij. monthes and. v dayes and was striken of the deuyl they saye as he was lyenge in bedde with a mans wyfe and so dyed within viij dayes after without howsell or shrift they saye All this writeth of hym the forsayd Liuthprandus lib. 6. Cap 6. and so furth v. chapters more to the ende almoste of his boke whiche at the same self tyme dwelt at Ticina in Italy This is he of whom the byworde ryse As myrye as Pope Iohan. Vnto thys holye vycar of Sathan successour of Symon Magus went Dunstane out of Englande in the yeare of our Lorde DCCCC and. lx to be confirmed archebyshop of Caunterburye And there receyued therewith for a great summe of money autorise power of the Beast Apoc. 13. vtterlye to dyssolue priestes maryage that hys monkes by that meanes myght possesse the cathedral churches of Englande as within a whyle after they did This Dunstane as witnesseth IoaÌ„ Capgraue was the first that in this real me compelled men and women to vowe chastyte and to kepe claustrale obedyence agaynst the fre doctryne of Saynte Paule 1. Cor. 7. Gal. 5. Forbyddynge marryage instytuted of God whiche is the verye doctrine of deuyls 1. Timot. 4 Thys is the worthye orygynall and first foundacion of monkes and priestes professed chastyte in Englande Marke it with the sequele and tell me hereafter whethâ—r it be of the deuyll or naye ¶ Dunstane execute hys deuylyshe commission THis craftye merchaunde Dunstone as he was returned agayn into England by autorite of this most execrable monstre and wycked Antichrist gaue a strayght commaundemeÌ„t that priestes out of haÌ„de shuld put away their lawfull wyues whoÌ„ that brent coÌ„scienced hypocryte called the vessels of fornycacyon els would he he sayd accordyng to hys commission put them both from benefyce and lyuynge And where as he perceyued the benefyces most welthye there was he most gredye â—pon them and shewed most vyolence â—yranny For whan the hygh deanes of â—athedrall churches masters of colleges prebendes persones and vycars would not at so beastly a commaundement leaue their wyues and chyldren so desolate without all naturall ordre he gote vnto hym the great power of kyng Edgare to assyst that cruell commyssyon of hys procured for moneye of the former Antichrist of Rome and by force thereof in manye places most tyrannously expelled them IoaÌ„nes Capgraue In Catologo sanctorum Anglie Reade all the Byble and Chronycles ouer of Nemroth Pharao Antioche Nero Decius Traianus with other lyke and I thynke ye shall not fynde a more tyrannouse example No not in cruell Herode hys selfe For though he slewe the innocent babes yet demynyshed he not the lyuynge of the fathers and mothers but thys tyraunt toke all with hym If he had sought a Godlye reformacion where marryage was abused it had bene sumwhat commendable But hys huntynge was to destroye it all togyther as an horryble vyce in priestes and in place therof to sett vp Sodome and Gomor by a sort of Hypocryte Monkes so chaungynge all Godlye ordre ¶ Kynge Edgare is brought vndre thereby THus became the face first of the Brytonysh and then of the Englysh churche sore changed blemyshed and by whoryshe commyssions froÌ„ the whoryshe byshoppes of the whorysh Synagoge of Rome was made all togyther whoryshe Proue me here in a lyer and an heretike if ye can for I wyl by the helpe of God stande by that I write here to the ende of my lyfe If ye can not I speake onlye to yow papistical byshoppes and priestes graunt your selues to be the most theues heretikes seducers of the people that euer yet reigned vpon the earthe for maynteynynge for holynesse so deuelysh a knauerye Immediatlye after thys be fell a sore chaunce as God would Kyng Edgare which was euer a great whore mastre and a tyraunte as the Chronycles report hym had a do with a yonge mayde called wilfrith brought vp in the nondrye of wylton parauenture to their
vse wherupon by force of the former commyssion he was condempned of Dunstane to vij yeares penaunce and myght in no wyse be dyspensed with tyll he had buylded for their commodyte the great nondrye of Shaftesbury with xij other monasteryes besydes Specyallye tyll he had fullye graunted to the vtter condempnacion of priestes marryage through out al hys realme and fyrmelye promysed to put the monkes in their rowmes in the great cathedrall churches wrytynge to the pope for the same For as witnesseth both WylliaÌ„ of Malmesbury Ranulph of Chestre Guido de columna and Robert Fabiane he was not crowned tyll the. xij yeare of hys reigne ¶ Dunstane fashyoneth the kynge to his purpose IN the ende thys aduoutrye of the kynge made greatlye for their purpose For whan it was ones openlye knowne Dunstane with hys Bulle went by and by vnto hym and by force therof denounced hym accursed The kynge of gentylnesse as he was commynge towardes hym arose out of hys regall seate to take him by the hande and geue hym place The hystory sayth that he then dysdayned to geue hym his hande And lokynge vpon hym with bende browes and most spyghtfull countenauÌ„ce he sayd thus vnto hym Thou that hast not feared to corrupte a vyrgyne made handefast to Christ presumest to towche a knaue the consecrate handes of a byshop Thou hast defyled the spowse of thy maker a monkes whore and thynkest by flatterynge seruyce to pacyfye a thefe the frynde of the brydegrome No speake not of it Hys frynde wyll not I be O colour of dyssymulacion whiche hath Christ to enemy This sayd he to make hym beleue that she was a professed nonne But the craftye knaue lyed falsely and so mocked hys kynge to make of hym a very dysarde fole For the Chronycles all agre in a maner that she was no nonne but a weÌ„che soiornauÌ„t in the nondrye Thus when he founde hym well fauerdlye submytted and well brought vndre he put hym to hys penaunce and depryued hym of his crowne for the terme therof as afore is specifyed Vincencius Antoninus Guilhelmus Malmesburye Ranulphus Cestrensis Guido de columna et Ioannes Capgraue ¶ The wyles of the serpent preuayle THys craftye pageaunt was played of Dunstane to put all other inferrioure subiectes the more in feare to dysobeye the popes fylthye commyssion For whan the kynge was ones brought vndre as they are not ashamed to write it who durst hysse ther against For Wylliam of Malmesbury sayth Ranulphus allegete the same li. 6. Ca. 10. of hys Polichronicon That by thys meanes he aswaged the grudge of the great men the murmoure of the commoÌ„s and the malyce of the priestes O wylye serâ—â—ntes I trowe the deuyll of hell hys â—elfe can not go beyonde yow in subtylte and craft for your beastlye generacyon Whan thys victorye was ones gotten then went the priestes out by heapes froÌ„ the cathedrall churches and colleges with their wyues and chyldren and the monkes came in as fast with all prodygiouse lecherye but all their feates were done in theÌ„ darâ—e Than was it blowen abrode as all suche knaueryes must haue a pretensed coloure that priestes lyued wantonlye and woulde not serue God with suche lyke But they coulde not in those dayes accuse them so largely of occupienge other mennys wyues nor yet of abhominable sodometrye as they haue bene knowen of sens that constrayned fylthynesse ¶ Dunstane chefelye loued the frutes of aduoutrye IOhan Capgraue Vyncent and Antonyne reporteth in their wrytynges that thys aduouterouse chylde was Edwarde surnamed the martyr whom Dunstane toke for hys own as paraduenture he had iust cause or els for that he was hys Godfather Not wythstandynge dyuerse other auctours hold that Editha was that chyld But what matter maketh it whiche of them it was whan all they are allowed now for canonysed Sayntes in the Popes whoryshe churche Yea the whoremonger the whore the whoryshe bastarde and all to set whoryshnesse forewarde and make it appeare holye where marryage is thought vnholye And as for the mother of Edwarde IohaÌ„ Hardyng nameth her Elflede Polidorus Elfrede Wylliam of Malmesbury Ranulphe Fabiane calleth her whyght Egelflede and Caxton dare geue her no name and therfore the matter is doubtful As Dunstane was on a tyme hallowynge of a churche in the honoure of Saynt deuyl saynt Denis I should saye he beheld the ryght thombe of the foreseyd Edithe thaÌ„ beynge abbesse of Wylton as she was crossyng and blessynge her forhead And muche delyghtynge therin he toke it in hys hande and sayd Neuer myght this thombe peryshe Immedyatlye after he beynge at Masse and dolorouslye wepynge sayd vnto the deacon that serued hym Alas thys floryshynge floure wyll fade this redolent rose wyl be gone this dayntye Dyamonde wyll peryshe thys swete byrde wyll awaye for euer And after her deathe he founde all her bodye resolued into ashes except that thombe and the secrete part vnder her bellye for those ij partes of her he had blessed afore In dede he was verye homelye to serâ—he so farre But the cause of thys they saye she afterwarde declared vnto him in a secrete vysyon Thys story sheweth VuilliaÌ„ of Malmesburye li 2. de pontificibus Ranulphus in polichronico li. 6. Ca 9. Vincencius li. 25. Ca. 33. Antoninus par 2. li. 16. Ca. 8 Iohannes Capgraue in uita Edithe ¶ Kynges become the Beastes Images Whan Kynge Edgare had ones perfourmed his vij yeares penaunce for hys aduoutrye wyth fayre Wilfrith whom Dunstone paraueÌ„ture prepared for hys owne store he became altogyther the dumme Image of the Beast and myght not vttre from theÌ„s fourth but as they gaue hym sprete Apo. 13. Than caused they hym to call a generall counsell at London some saye in the yeare of our Lorde DCCCC and. lxix by the vngracyouse autoryte of the afore seyd pope Iohan. And there was yt fullye enacted and establyshed for a lawe euer to endure that all canons of cathedroll churches collygeners persons curates vycars prestes deacons and subdeacons shuld eyther lyue chast that ys to say become Sodomytes for that hath bene their chastyte euer sens or els be suspended from all spyrytuall iurisdiccion This more than Pharaonyâ—all constitucion was the King sworne to ayde maynteyne and defende wyth the materiall swerde by the popes autorite Than were there chosen oute ij principall visitours Ethelwolde the Byshopp of Wynchestre that nest is oft vngracyouse and Oswalde the Bishop of Worcestre both monkes to sâ— this through out the whole realme executed Vincencius li. 24. Cap 83. Antoninus par 2 ti 16. Cap. 6. Guilhelmus Malmesburye Ranulphus Guido de columna Ioan Capgraue opus nouum de utraque potestate â—o 57 ¶ Dunstane is accused of yll rule IN this counsell were some wise men as all these writers witnesse though it be sumwhat fayntly which layed
for their marriage the scripturs and substancially proued themselues the maynteyners of vertu therin and not of aduouterye as they were there vncharitably noted But that wolde not serue them The holy Ghost might in no wise preuayle the popes bawdye bulles beynge in place but they must nedes haue the preferment no remedy An other sort were there which accused Dunstane of yll rule in the darke For Petrus Equilinus sayth in Catalogo Sanctorum li 8 Ca 49. that he was put to hys purgacyon of many things there layed agaynst him Of a likelyhode therfore they had smelled oute sumwhat that was not all to his spirituall honesty Neyther wolde these accusacions helpe the popes Power ones so largely published The King durst vtter nothynge that was against hym for feare of newe penaunce and for as muche as it was wele knowne that in the time of his olde penaunce he had occupied one minion at Wynchestre an other at Andouer besides alfrede whome he at the lattre gote to wife by the crafty mouther of her husbande Ethelwolde an earle ¶ The king defendeth Dunstane destroyeth wolues BVt to pacyfy and please this Dunstane Kinge Edgare in his oracion there to the clergy rebuked the prestes very sore for banketinge with their wiues for slacknesse of their masse saynges for pretermytting their canonicall houres for their crownes shauinges with their vnprestly aparellinges and suche other like More ouer he alleged vnto them in the seid oracion the lamentable complayntes good knauery I warande yow of his fathers sowle aperynge to Dunstane and reprouing the wanton behauer of the prestes with their wiues He also tolde them in repressing their former accusementes that hys sayd dead father in that vysyon reported Dunstane to be the pastoure byshop and keper of hys sowle Christ was nothynge makynge hym styll to beleue that the buyldynge of monasteryes was alwayes the moste helthsome good worke expedyent helpe pryce remedye redempcion and deliueraunce of the sowle from dampnacion Ex oratione regis Edgari ad clerum Anglie Loke the boke of both iurisdiccions Of this kinge Edgare ys it veryfied by Ranulphe that by a yearlye trybute of C C C. wolues out of Wales he destroyed all the wolues in that lande But within hys owne lande the fearce gredye wolues that deuoured Christes flocke Acto 20. and the wylye foxes that destroyed the swete vyneyardes of the Lord. Can. 2. he left vntouched yea rather he set them vp maynteyned them and fedde them at hys owne table wyth most wicked Iesabel 3. Reg. 18. For in hys tyme they obtayned more than xl great monasteryes As were Glastenburye Abindon Thorneye Ramseye Peterborowe Wenton Wylton Shaftesburye Sherborne Worcestre Wynchestre Hyde Helye Saynt Albons Beanflede and such other besides innumerable giftes and promocions els ¶ Ethelwolde with his lewde commission FRom thys afore named generall counsell went fyrste Ethelwolde with his commission whych had bene abbot of Abyndon and was than Byshopp of Wynchestre beynge hastye headye subtyle wytted learned in Prophane letters as the hystoryanes wryteth of hym Thys busye whelpe of antichirst leauynge Christes pure wayes to folowe the fote steppes of the Esseanes Tacyanes Priscyllyanystes Marcyanystes and other heretykes more beganne fyrst hys feates at Wynchestre in the old college And there droue out the prestes with their wiues and poore children and put in monkes of Abyndone for them And thys was hys suggestyon abrode to coloure the matter They kepte verye yll rule there he sayd they wolde not do their masses in due ordre and they semed no holier then the other laye people But Polydorus reporteth li. 4. Anglice historie that they were men of an honeste lyfe From thens he went vnto other townes and cytyes and there ded lyke wyse and bare the name to be a vygylaunt father ouer Nonnes and relygyouse women Thys same one Byshop ded more sayth Vincent than could the King of the realme wyth all hys whole power In the ende he wrote to pope Iohā the. xiij which was the bastarde of pope Iohan the. xij by his peramoure Stephana of his dreames and vysyons for the tyme of hys progresse desyering his power against the prestes also with many other wōders Iohānen Capgraue in Catalo Guilhelmus Malmesbury Vincēcius Antoninus Ranulphus Guido de colūna et Polidorus ¶ Oswalde wyth hys Beastly autorite ON the other syde went Oswalde wyth hys autoryte from that wycked counsell whych had stodied necromancye wyth other vnpure scyences at Floryake besydes Orleaunce in france where he was fyrst made monke and afterward in England bycame Byshop of Worcestre Thys fellawe so wel armed with deceytes as euer were Pharaoes sorcerers was thought a man mete to deceyue wyth lyenge sygnes the common sort So trudged he fourth wyth hys craftye calkynges and fyrst expelled the Canons of the cathedrall churche of worcestre wyth their carefull wyues and children and out of vij other churches more within that hys dyoces and there placed for them the laysy leaue locustes which not long afore had leaped out of the bottomlesse pyt Apoca. 9. the monkes which at that tyme were bare and nedy Than went he farther abrode and wrought there lyke masteryes wherof England hath depely felt euer sens His suggestions were lyke the other as that the prestes liued wantonly and wolde not masse in due forme For his trauayle in this was he made Archebishop of Yorke by the laboure of Dunstane To tell his other feates it wolde are to muche time and therfore I passe it ouer These ij promoted the seyd Dunstane aboue all other as men hauinge most wily craftes to assiste him in his businesse These iij. Monkes brought the Kinges so vndre that they had than all the realme at their pleasures Ioānes Capgraue Malmesburye Vincencius Antoninus Ranulphus Guido de Columna et Polidorus ¶ Dunstane maketh a king at his pleasure AFter the decease of King Edgare in the yeare of our Lorde DCCCC and. lxxv was a wonderfull varyete and scisme through out the whole realme partly for him that next shuld succede King and partly for the great iniury done to the marryed prestes The quene Alfrede with Alpherus the duke of Mercia and other great lordes fauorynge her quarell wolde nedes haue Ethelrede Kynge which was her sonne by Edgare on the one syde Dunstane and his monkish Bishoppes with the earle of East sexe and serten other Lordes suborned by them on the other syde wolde nedes haue Edwarde whome some reported to be Edgares bastarde Anon as Dunstane perceyued the quenes part to preuayle for she had the most of the lordes he called for hys metropolytanes crosse and there lyke a bolde yeman and a tall shewed himselfe amonge them as the popes high legate from hys owne ryghte syde For he had by that tyme procured
of Pope Iohan the. xiij whyche was the other popes bastarde a renouacyon of hys former autoryte to double the whoryshnesse therof And by force of the same he made Edwarde kinge in spyght of them all and shewed himselfe Iohan Capgraue sayth a verye naturall father vnto hym euer after Neuerthelesse yt coste hym hys lyfe in the forth yeare of hys reygne Than to make all holy towardes their side and to blemyshe the other partye specyallye to stoppe mennis mouthes abrode for many thynges were in those dayes spoken they canonysed hym a Saynt fyndynge the meanes to shewe myracles for hym and that made all whole euerye waye Prefati Autores ¶ The prestes with their wiues restored ANon after this kinges coronacion Alpherus the Duke of Mercia wyth other great men by counsell of the quene droue the monkes out of the cathedrall churches and restored agayne the prestes wyth their wyues and chyldren For the prestes had layed for them selues that it was vncomlye vncharitable yea and vnnaturall to put oute an olde knowne dweller for a newe vnknone A neyber a cytyzen and a chylde brought vp amonge them for a forouer a straunger They knewe it they seyd to be vnpleasynge vnto God that man shuld take from them that he had ones geuen them Fynally they alleged this grounded precept of God for them selues Lete men do non otherwise than they wolde gladlye be done to The Monkes on the other syde layed for their parte that Christ cared not an half peny for the olde dweller but allowed hym onlye that wolde take the crosse of penaunce vpon hym Whether that be in a monkes cowle wythoute iust tyttle to enter into an other mannys possessyons or no. I put it to the iudgemente of them that are christenlye learned The troblouse cares in marryage as are the necessarye prouisyons for howse kepynge the vertuous bryngynge vp of children and the daylye helpynge of pouertie shulde rather seme a christen crosse to Godly wyse men than easye Idelnesse in monkerye In the rude of thys controuersye the greatter part both of the nobles and commons iudged the prestes to haue great wronge and sought euery where by all meanes possible to bringe them agayne to their olde possessions and dignitees Yea sumwhere with good ernest blowes and buffettes Robertus Fabiane cum antedictis Autoribus ¶ Dunstane maketh an Idoll to speake THis caused Dunstane in the yeare of our Lorde DCCCC and lxxv to call an other solempne counsell But that was where they thought themselues most stronge and might best do their feates at Wynchestre Where after great wordes had betwen the duke of Marche and the earle of East sexe which were than appoynted as arbyters Dunstane perceyuynge all to go with the prestes brought fourthe his former commission thinkinge therby to stoppe their mouthes And whan that wolde not serue they sought out a practyse of the olde Idolatrouse prestes which were wont to make their Idolles to speake by the art of Necromancy wherin the monkes were in those dayes expert A roode there was vpon the frayter wall in the monâ—stery where the counsel was holden and as Vincent Antoninus testifieth Dunstane required them all to praye therunto which was not thaÌ„ ignoraunte of that spyrytuall prouysyon In the myddes of their prayer the roode spake these wordes or els a knaue monke behynde hym in a truncke through the wall as Boniface ded after for the papacye of Celestyne God forbyd sayth he ye shuld change this ordre taken Ye shuld no do wele now to alter it Take Dunstanes wayes vnto ye for they are the best All thys worke of the deuill at al they were astayned that knewe not therof the crafty conueyaunce If thys were not cleaue legerdemayne tell me Oh that there was not a Iohan Boanerges at that time to proue the spretes of that workemanshyp 1. Ioan. 4. If there had bene but one Thomas Cromwell they had not so clerelye escaped wyth that knauery Polidorus Vergilius whych alloweth them in many other lewde poyntes smelled out their bouery in this and reporteth diuerse other to do the same at that day ¶ That Idoll is crowned King of England IN remembraunce of this knauery myracle they say were afterward written vpon the wall vndre that roodes fete these verses folowing Humano more crux presens edidit ore Coelitus affata que perspicis hic subarata Absit ut hoc fiat cetera tunc memorata Wyth lye and all Whom Iohan Capgraue reporteth that he se there more thaÌ„ CCCC years after the roode translated from thens into the churche for hys myracles sake Aboute the yeare of oure Lorde a. M. and. xxxvi as Kynge Canutus beynge at Southampton was boasted of one of hys knyghtes to be the great Lorde of the sea he thought to proue it by a commaundement of obedience And as he wele perceyued that yt wolde obeye hym in no poynt he toke the crowne from hys owne head acknowlegynge that there was a Lord much hygher of more power than himself was And therefor he promised neuer more to weare yt but to rendre yt vp vnto hym for euer Wyth that Egelnothus than Archebyshopp of Caunterburye infourmed him of thys roode whyche had dysolued prestes matrimonye and done manye other great miracles Whyche prouoked hym anon after to go to Wynchestre and to resygne vnto hym his regall crowne constytutynge hym than King of this realme Was not thys thynke yow good wholsom counsell of thys Idolouse Byshop Zachary II. yf a man had nede of it A playne token is it that they were than the Images of the Beaste Apoca. 13. no godlye gouernours yea verye Idolles no Kinges that were vndre suche ghostly fathers Henricus Huntyngtonensis Archidiaconus li. 6. Ranulphus li. 6. Ca. 20. Fabianus li. 1. Ca. 206 Polydorus li. 7. with other autours more ¶ An example of Claustrall virginite MArianus Scotus and serteÌ„ other writers besydes do testyfye in their Chronycles that whan thys Canutus coulde haue no frute by hys wyfe Elgiue of hampton and was not trouglye contented therwyth She fearynge that he shulde eyther caste her vp or els resort to some other gote her amonge relygyouse chast women to knowe what good chere was amonge them And anon she founde one to her mynde whyche was bygge with childe by a monke not wythstandynge the great chastite that was boasted afore But Marianus sayth she was a presbyteresse or a prestes leman to saue the honoure of that ordre bycause he was a monke hys selfe Algyne had thys nonne be of good chere and yf she wode agre vnto her it shulde be to her great honoure But yt must she sayd be kept wonderfullye close Immedyatly after the quene fayned herselfe to be great wyth chylde and by the conueyaunce of a mother B. goynge
betwixt them both at the tyme appoynted of labourynge she was delyuered of the nonnes childe making the King to beleue it was his to no small reioyce of them both This childe was called Sweno and the yeare afore Canutus died was constitute King of Norwey Some writers haue thought that Heraldus the first which after succeded King of Englande to come fourth also the same way and his owne brother Harde canutus reporte it no farre otherwise Ranulphus li 6 Ca 20 cum ceteris autoribus ¶ Dunstane disputeth with sorcerye and murther NOw let vs returne vnto Dunstane agayn Though the aforesayd controuersye betwene the prestes and the monkes ceased for a time by reason of their legerdemayne in the roode yet was it not all finished For some men of wysdome there were in those dayes which smelled somwhat as Polydorus reporteth iudging it to be as it was in dede verye subtyle knauerye And playnely Ranulphus saith that the spech came from the wall Marke it hardelye Wherupon Alpherus the Duke of Marche with his company in the yeare folowing whych was from Christes incarnacyon DCCCC and. lxx vi sent into Scotlande for a certen learned Bishop whych was knowne both eloquent and wytty to dispute the matter wyth them Than was the place appoynted in a strete or vyllage of the Kinges called Calna for they trusted no more close howses in the monasteries And whan the Bishopp had layed for the married prestes suche inuincible scripturs reasones and argumentes as Dunstane and his dodypoll monkes were not able to auoyde the blinde asse had non other shift but to laye these faynte excuses for him self As that he was an aged man sore broken in the labours of holy churche and that he had at that tyme geuen ouer all studye and onely addycted hym self vnto prayer But for as much he sayd as they wolde not leaue the disquietynge of hym but styll vexe him with olde quarellynges they might wele sem to haue the victory yet shuld they not haue their mindes And with that he arose in a great furye for a colour committinge his cause vnto Christ but he sett the Deuill by his necromancy to worke For so sone as he was gone with such as it pleased his pontificall pleasure to call with him sodenly sayth Fabyane Antonyne Vincent and Iohan Capgraue the ioystes of the loft fayled and they that were vndre it peryshed there ¶ Dunstanes prouysyon in Englande for Sathan THys haue thys moste cruell and wycked generacyon contynuallye buylded their synnefull Syon in blood Michee 3. and are not yet ashamed of these their manyfest knaueryes For those belly founders theues and mourtherers of theirs yet aduaunce they for their pryncipall Sayntes And whan theyr feastfull dayes come they are yet in the papystyck churches of Englande with no small solempnite mattensed massed candesed lyghted processyoned sensed smoked perfumed and worshypped the people brought in beleue that the latyne readynge of their wretched actes there in their legendes ys Gods dyuyne seruyce beynge without fayle the most dampnable seruyce of the deuyll Like as holye Iohan Baptyst by preachyng repentaunce prepared a playne pathwaye to Christ and hys kyngedome Luce. 3. So ded thys vnholye Dunstane by sowynge of all superstycyons make redye the waye to Sathan and hys filthye kyngedome agaynste hys commynge fourth from the bottomlesse pytt after the full thousande of years from Christes incarnacyon Apoca. 20. whych is the sprete of Antichrist He raysed vp in Englande the pestylent ordre of monkes he buylded them monasterieâ— he procured them substaunce innumeâ—â—ble finally he brought â—nto theâ—r handes the cathedral churches with the fre elecciâ—n of byshoppes that nothing should there be donâ— within that realme but after their lust and pleasure Theâ— was Christes kyngdome cleâ—elye put a syoâ— and his immaculate spouse or churche vpon hys worde only dependynge compelled to flee into desart Apoc. xvi Men and women that ryghtly beleued durst not than confesse their fayth but kept al close within them For then was Sathan alâ—â—de these monkes euery where assistynge hym in the fournyshynge out of that proude paynted churche of Antichrist Supersticion hypocresye and vayne glorye were afore that tyme suche vyces as men were glad to hyde but now in their gandyshe ceremonyes they were taken for Gods dyuyne seruyce ¶ Sygnes and plages folowynge these myschefes BVt now se what folowed of these afore rehersed myscheues In the yeare of our lorde DCCCC and lxxxviij which was the. xij yeare before that full thousande departed this Dunstane as warme of deuyls frequentynge hys tombe as I shal in the next boke shewe more playnelye Within the same yeare aptare a bloudye cloude in the skye whiche couered all Englande â—as witnesseth Iohan Hardinge with diuers other Chronyclers and it rayned bloud ouer all the lande After that entered the Danes so fast sayth Ranulphe at euery porte that no where was the Englyshe nacyon able to withstande them And the monkes to helpe the matter we le forewarde by counsell of theyr Archebyshop Siricius gaue them x. thousande pounde to beginne with that they might lyue in rest and not be hyndered For lytle cared they what became of the reste so their precious bodies were safe After thys by dyuerse compulsyons they augmented that summe from x. to xvi to xx to xxiiij to xxx â—nd so fourth tyll they came to the sharpe payment of xl thousande pounde and tyll they had nomore money to geue For the more the Danes had the more couetouse and cruell they were euermore Thus dyd they to the lande innumerable harme in sekynge their owne priuate commodite so brought their owne natyue people in moste myserable thraldome For by that meanes were the Danes made stronge and the Englyshe nacion became feble and weake yea so wretched at the last that they were fayne to call euerye vyle slaue amonge the sayde Danes theyr gâ—oâ— lorde But now â—arke the ende â—â—cernynge these monkes In the yeare of our lorde a thousande xij whyche was the. xxiiij yeare from Dunstanes departynge and the. xij from the deuyls goingge fourth the Danes after manye great vyctoryes within the realme fyered the cytie of Caunterburye and enprysoned the Archebyshop than Elphegus And as he and hys monkes were able to geue no more money they tythed them after thys sorte They slewe alwayes ix and reserued the tenth to perpetuall sorowe and seruytude tyll they had mourtered of them to the nombre of more than ix hondred there and in other quarters abrode And the moste part of them they hynge vp by the members whiche was a playne sygnifiâ—aon that plage to come then vpon them for their Sodometrye and moste violeÌ„t contempt of christen marriage Ranulphus Cestrensis lib. 6. Ca. 13. et 15. Fabianus par 1. Ca. 199. ¶
receyued answers as that he shulde be Pope and that be shulde not dye tyll he sange Masse at Hierusalem ☞ The Popes eleccyon from hen◠fourth IMmediatly after thys solucyon or settynge at large of Sathan many wonderfull thynges folowed to the perfourmaunce of hys wycked kyngedome in the Romysh Papacy First the eleccyon of their monstruouse Pope the next yeare after was taken clerely from the commen people by the clergye and gyuen to hys owne famylyars which anon after were called the college of calkers Cardynalles I shuld saye with these ij crafty clauses Docendus est populus non sequendus The people is to be taught of vs but not folowed Maior est dignitas legis quae regit spiritu sancto quam legis saecularis More worthy is that lawe whych gouerneth by the holy Ghost than the lawe secular or the lawe whereby the multitude is gouerned By this they iudged God to be the auctor of their deuylysh decrees and the cyuyle lawes of prynces a thynge of nought Loke Iohan Baconthorpe in prologo quarti sententiarum quaest x. Not longe after thys was the empyre of Rome in theyr hygh dyspleasure translated from their olde fryndes the French men to the sturdy Germanes as afore from the Grekes to the French men as they founde thē not fytt for their turne And this was their polycy They perceyued the Germanes to be the strongar people and at that daye theyr hygh fryndes by the mōkes conueyaunces and therfore most fytt to defende their fleshely lybertees Anonymus quidam de nobilitatis origine cap. xi Thus became the Frenche kynge Antichristes yonger sonne whych afore tyme had bene hys whole ryght hande in Pipyne in Charles the great Rīngmannus Philesius in descriptione Europae cap ix ☞ The electours and confyrmacyon of the Emprour IN the seconde yeare after a thousande from Christes incarnacyon the electours of the Emprour were appoynted vij for that great Antichristes commodyte hys confirmacyon othe and coronacyon alwayes reserued to his owne precyouse fatherhede Of these vij electours thre were archebyshoppes thre wer temporall prynces the last was a kynge The archebyshop of Magunce ouer all Germany the archebyshop of Tryere ouer all Fraunce and the archbyshop of Coleyne ouer all Italy were constytuted hygh chauncellers of the Empyre as watche men to take hede least any thynge shuld in those quarters passe to the holy fathers dyshonour The marques of Brandenburg was ordayned chamberlayne the duke of Saxon the swerde bearer and the Palatyne of Rhene the chefe seruytour at the Emprours eleccyon with cuppe keye and swerde afterwarde to dyspatche hym as hath bene seane if he were not to holy church profytable The kynge of Beme beynge butler cometh in last of all as an arbiter or vmpere if they can not agre to their spirituall behoue After that foure dukes four marquesses four landgraues four burgraues four earles four barons four fre lordes foure knyghtes four cyties four borowes and four carles were appoynted as stronge myghty buttrasses to assist this newe ordynaunce Martinus Carsulanus in chronico Ringmannus Philesius in praefato opere Rodolphus Gualtherus in Homilia ij de antichristo By thys occasyon sayth Wyllyam Caxton in hys Englysh Cronicle Par. vi the Egle lost many fethers and in the ende shall be left all naked ☞ Masse Purgatory and musycke ABout thys tyme sayth Iohan Wycleue beganne the heresy of the consecrate host or brede God of the Papistes wherby they sought the vtter destruccyon of faythe by settynge vp of a most parelouse ydoll of their owne makinge in the place of Iesus Christ our sauer and redemer Whych heresy anon after Berengarius Turonensis by the word of God most strongely wythstode so ded one Bruno the byshop of Angew and VValeranus the byshop of Medburg which were men of most excellent lyfe and learnyng as their very enemyes witnesseth Hildebertus Cenomanensis Thomas VValden and Ioannes Tritemius Odilo the abbot of Cluniake practysed about the same very tyme by helpe of ij most crafty knaues an anker and a pylgryme to delyuer sowles by Masses and diryges from the terryble tormentes of a flamynge purgatory whom they had conceyued by S. Gregoryes dyaloges and by the boylynge mounte of Ethna in the lande of Cycyle Thys Odilo procured of Pope Iohan the xix the commemoracyon of sowles to be celebrated in the church the next daye after the feast of all sayntes Ranulphus Cestrensis li. vi ca. xv Petrus Equilinus Osbernus a monke of Canterbury whych had bene famylyar with Dunstane practysed newe poyntes of musyck and hys example in Italy folowed Guido Aretinus to make the veneracyon of ydolles more pleasaunte Guilhelmus Malmesburiensis Vincentius Tritemius Thus beganne the hypocresye of Lecherouse monkes and prestes to abuse the symplycyte of the ignoraunt people and strongely to confounde theyr Christen beleue by tryfelynge superstycyons and ceremonyes Anone after ded they adde the crafty inuencyons of profane phylosophers that they myght the more wyttely deceyue the playne sort and the more craftely depraue the holy scriptures ☞ A prest and hys louely doughter ALl thynges in the Papacy and empyre to their carnall commodyte thus dysposed the Romysh clergy satled themselues all the worlde ouer in the abundaunt pleasurs of Sodome whych were as the prophete rehearceth pryde plenty of feadynge solacyouse pastymes ydelnesse and crueltie Ezech. xvi Gyuen were they to lascyuyouse lustes and most prodygyouse occupyenges in the fleshe burnynge in aduoutry for contempt of marryage as it were an ouen that the baker heateth Osee. vij Marke our Englyshe hystoryes in confyrmacyon of the same For aboute thys tyme Iohan Capgraue sayth in catalogo sanctorū Angliae a deuoute holy prest an ydell kneane yow wyll saye went fourth euery mornynge into hys churche yearde and hallowed the granes there with the. vij Psalmes the Letany for all Christen sowles On a tyme thys prest founde a mayde chylde a◠the crosse there all wrapped and swadled in cloutes for whome he not only prouyded a nurse but also brought her vp in nourtour and learnynge takynge her euer after for hys doughter as I doubt it not but he had iust cause As thys wēche ones grewe to conuenyent age her bewtie so tāgled his fleshely harte that he vnfacyably brent in her concupiscens And as he on a daye had cowched her naked in his bedde anon he remembred his chast vowe they saye and so turned hys face to the dore dysmembrynge hymselfe with a sharpe cuttle in her presence And so throwynge fourth that trashe whych tempted him if the legende be true at the last he made her an holy vowesse veyled nonne to serue the spiritualte Thys acte of prestish maydenhede was dysclosed first in Irelande by a parlement of deuyls within the garden of an olde father Hermyte not farre from S. Partrykes purgatory where as they
were sumtymes cast in the tethe that their conuersacyon was not accordynge to the Apostles lyuâ—s they made a mocke at it commenly excusynge themselues by thys hombly verse Nunc aliud tempus alij pro tempore mores Now is it an other maner of tyme than was than and requyreth a farre other fashyon of lyuynge Marianus Scotus Ranulphus lib. vi ca. xxiiij Pabianus par vi ca. ccxij Polydorus li. ix About the yeare of our lorde a M. and. lxxxij one Wyllyam byshopp of Durhan dyspossessed the prestes of the college or cathedrall church of Durham bycause of their wyues and placed the monkes there in their rowmes as witnesseth Polydorus li. ix Anglicae historiae as he had hearde that kynge Edgare had done long afore in the churche of Excestre Olyuer a monke of Malmesbury of some authours called Elmer was at the same tyme so we le seane in Necromancy that he couâ—de with wynges flye abroade and worke many wonders Ranulphus li. vi ca. xxviij Vincentius Nauclerus alij ☞ Saynt Freswydes and Westmynster sanctuary IN the yeare of our lorde a M. and lx was the church of S. Frideswyde in Oxforde gyuen vnto the moÌ„kes by the chast kynge Edwarde of whoÌ„ we haue spoken afore at the request of Pope Nycolas the. ij in recompence of hys pylgrymage that he vowed to Rome the prestes wyth their wyues dysplaced vtterly Yet was it afterwarde restored to them agayne by hys successour kynge Haralde whyche with other lyke matter agaynst our prelates cost hym parauenture hys lyfe the monastery at the last consumed with fyre Ioannes Capgraue in uita Pridesoâ—dâ—e This Romysh Antichrist Nycolas coÌ„stytuted kyng Edward hys vycar here in Englande bycause he was a chast vower that he and hys successours shuld se that hys sodometrouse chastyte were wele there maynteyned Moreouer he gaue fredome to the sanctwary of Westminstre for theues and for whores not only to be vnto them a place of refuge but also a sauegarde from ponnyshment for terme of their lyues Ioannes Capgraue in uita Edâ—uar di cum alijs autoribus O â—hostly founders of chastyte Thys great patryaeke of Sodome sent fourth Petrus Damianus a monke and Cardynall to preache S. Gregories Dyaloges agaynst marryed prestes For he afterwarde wrote a boke Antoninus sayth par ij â—i xvi ca. viij De direptione nuptiarum of the takynge awaye or vtter dyssoluynge of marryage Tritemius mencyoneth also that he wrote ij bokes agaynst marryed prestes one de incontinentia sacerdotum an other de clericorum uxoribus and. ij for the vnmarryed monkes the one called regula solitariorum the other de monachorum profectu ☞ Berengarius and the synode of Wynchestre MVche a do had Berengarius Turonensis the archediacon of Angew with the foreseyd Popet Nycolas for Christes naturall presence in the eucharisticall breade whych he had in opeÌ„ preachynge and disputacyon denyed callynge both hym hys masmongers pulpifices that is to saye fleshe makers in his boke de Eucharistia Truely not an holy churche sayth he haue the veryte proued that congregacyon but a malignaunt churche a counsel of vanyte and the very seate of Sathan Lanfrancus contra Berengarium Whych opynyon he afterward compelled hym to recant not by force of argument but by terrour of cruell threttenynges Notwithstandynge he returned agayne persystyng more stroÌ„ge than afore Anon after in the yeare of our lorde a M. and lxix in the generall synode at Wynchestre were many byshoppes and abbotes deposed by the legates of Pope Alexander the seconde for yll rule kepynge in bankettes of baudry Amonge whom Stigandus was one whych myserably dyed in preson Ricardus Diuisiensis Guilhelmus Malmesbu li. i. de pontificibus Ranulphus lib. vij ca. i. Fabianus Polydorus li ix Thys Alexander made a constytucyon generall that none shuld heare the masse of prest whych kept a concubyne vndre payne of excommunycacyon meanynge a marryed wyfe Gracianus monachus in uolumine decretorum VVernerus in fasciculo temporum Iacobus Bergomas Yet graunted he that prestes sonnes myght by the Apostles autoryte receyue holy orders whych includeth contradiccyon Idem Gracianus ☞ Lanfrancus and hys lowsye legerdemaynes A Yonge monke assystynge Lanfrancus the archebyshopp of Canterbury at hys masse not farre from the shryne of Dunstane beheld a swarme of deuyls and was sodenly possessed of one of them Anon he opened hys mouthe and vttered the good rule of hys lecherouse bretherne suche matters sayth the storye yea so abhomynable and fylthie as are not to be spoken Than were they all called to the chapterhowse where as it was amonge them decreed that all the holye bretherne shuld be shryueÌ„ of Lanfrancus Wherby they were anon so newe bournyshed that in their returne the deuyll had nothynge to laye agaynst them For the vertu of confessyon and absolucyon is suche they saye that it taketh from the â—euyll both hys wyttes and remembraunce that he hath no longar any power to accuse them Forget not thys workemanshypp but marke it wele So good was the foreseyd Dunstane they saye to thys Lanfrancus that iiij score yeares after hys death he taught hym how to recouer agayne the possessyons and landes pelfered awaye by the kynges from hys archebyshopryck He made open vnto hym if dead men maye speake the craftes of all hys enemyes and shewed good wayes to recouer at their handes to auoyde their cantels Ioannes Capgraue in uitis Dunstani Lanfranci Vincentius li. xxv ca. xxxvii Antoninus par ij ti xvi ca. x. The whyche Antoninus sayth that Lanfrancus played the same part agayne at Rome suche tyme as he impugned there the doctryne of Berengarius concernynge the sacrameÌ„t For the whyche lordely acte Pope Alexander gaue hym ij maÌ„tels or Legates robes one of honour an other of loue Ranulphus cum caeteris autoribus ☞ Byshoppes change their seates and tytles IN the dayes of kynge Wyllyam the bastarde the Popes baâ—tard byshoppes here in Englande changed their seates and tytles from the meane vyllages to the most famouse cities of the realme to apere more gloryouse in the reigne of their father Antichrist As from Dorcestre to Lyncolne froÌ„ Lychefelde to Westchestre from Thetforde to Norwych froÌ„ Shirborne to Salysbury from Wellys to Bathe from Kyrton to Excetur froÌ„ Selwey to Chychestre with such lyke And this was done some writers sayth in the yeare of our lorde a M. and lxviij by a decre of the Popes canons Ranulphus li. i. ca. lij Vndre the same kynge also a solempne othe and profession by writynge to the bastarde byshop of Rome was demauÌ„ded and taken by hys vycar Lanfrancus in the yeare of our lord a M. and lxix and so euer after continued from thens fourth A sore stryfe besell in the same selfe yeare betwyn these bastarde byshoppes specyally betwyn
Lanfrancus of Canterbury Thomas Norman of Yorke whych of them shuld be hyghest in that mytred kingdome of ydelnesse And as they mette at Rome they fell into a great dysputacion of that matter afore Pope Alexandre Where as Lanfrancus to amende hys owne matter proued the seyd Thomas to be a prestes sonne Remigius the byshopp of Dorsett beynge present whych Fabyane sayth was a prestes sonne also In the ende thys Lanfrancus by the helpe of Aristotles logyck Gregoryes olde constytucyon and the popes authoryte obtayned both at Rome at Wyndesore in Englande that Canterbury shuld from thens fourth haue the superporyte ouer the see of Yorke He that wyll beholde the mad folyshnesse of thys doltysh disputacyon lete hym loke Wyllyam of Malmesbury li. i. de pontificibus Ranulphi Polychronicon lib. vij ca. ij Antoninum Fabianum atque Polydorum li. ix ☞ An olde bawdy byshopp slayne of a wenche IN the dyocese and cytie of Herford was a graye headed byshopp called Walter that inordynatly loued a yonge wenche there whych was very connynge sowster in the yeare of our lord a M. and lxx Yet remembrynge in hym self sayth the storye that nothynge was more busemynge than an olde dottynge fole specyally a byshop so to rage oft tymes withdrewe froÌ„ folowyng that affect At the lattre as the deuyll wolde she entered the byshoppes bed chambre by entycementes of hys chamberlaynes the preteÌ„ce beynge that she shuld there cutt them out shyrtes and napkyns And as she was in doynge her werke those preuy prouyders auoyded and the old bawdy byshop came in as was appoynted He fell to the talke of as fyne brothelry as anye craftes man in that art myght vtter And whan that wold not helpe he fell to her by force wrastelynge and tomblynge with her for the best game But se what folowed immedyatly As she perceyued her self ouercomen and that she was no longar able to withstande hys lecherouse purpose she thrust her sharpe sheres whom she had in her haÌ„des vp into hys share or vndre hys preuy meÌ„bers with vyolence and so slewe that Babylonysh bore or ij horned gote of the deuyll as chast Iudith ded Holophernes Guil. Malmes li. iiij de pontificibus Ranulphus li. vij ca. ij A commen practyse of chast relygyon kepynge haue thys bene amonge the horned prelates and oyled prestes in all ages of Antichrist Wold God those ydell bellygoddes had alwayes in that fylthie occupyenge bene thus worthely handeled For than had not the worlde bene so depely deceyued in them and their knaueryes ☞ Cecila kyng Wyllyams doughter and Thurstinus MAtthaeus VVestmonasteriensis in the floures of hystoryes and Polydorus Vergilius in the ix boke of his chronycle reporteth that Cecyly the doughter of kyng Wyllyam Bastarde professed her self a nonne in the yeare of our lord a. M. and. lxxv to serue the deuyll in the monkes hypocresy in the burnynge heates of Sodome So daynty mowthed wer these greasy grouteheades and so crafty in their generacyon that they could fynde out kynges doughters to serue their lustes and yet apere chast ghostly fathers to the world Thurstinus a monke of Cane in Normandy was of the seyd kyng Wyllyam constytute abbot of Glastenbury for a great summe of moneye in the yeare of our lorde a M. and lxxxiij Thys holy abbot consumed the substaunce and possessyons of that ryche abbey in all kyndes of lecherie and other prodygyouse fylthynesse On a tyme there fell betwyn hym hys monkes a great stryfe for that he had restrayned their accustomed fare He brought in men of armes to defende hys cause the monkes layed about them lyke praty men with stoles pottes and candelâ—â—yckes tyll the warryours heades were wele fauerdly broken In the ende of the batayl were iiij monkes founde slayne and xviij greuously wounded their bloude flowing on the pauyment Henricus huntington li. vi Guilhel Malmes li. ij de pontificibus Matthaeus Paris in historia anglorum Ranulphus li. vi ca. iij. Fabianus par vij ca. ccxxij Was not thys thynke yow a relygyouse rule Had it not bene muche pytie but the commens of this realme had bene beggered for their mayntenaunce beynge suche ghostly vowers O blyndnesse and madnesse of vngodly gouernours ☞ Hildebrande by sorcery and murther obtayneth the Papacy HIldebrandus a monke of Clunyake beynge hygh archedeacon of Rome was taught the arte of Necromancye by Theophilactus afore mencyoned whose custome was in wylde forestes and on hygh hylles to do sacryfyce to deuyls by magycall arte to make women both to loue hym and folowe hym Other instructours he had besydes sayth Cardynall Benno whych had bene Syluesters dyscyples were most connynge in that speculacyon that is to saye Laurence an archebyshop Iohan Gracyan afterwarde called Pope Gregory the syxte In shakynge hys sleues or myttaynes to delude the eyes of the symple many tymes he sent out sparkles of fyre whyche was iudged a wonderfull myracle a signe of holynesse in hym For so muche as the deuyll sayth Benno coulde not persecute Christ in the open face of the worlde he sought fraudulently to deface his name honour by thys hypocryte false monke Hyldebrande vndre a monasticall coate coloured pretence of relygyon Thys Iudas â—ote of hys maistre Pope Gregory the sixte to be the hygh stewarde of S. Peters aulter so receyued the offerynges of pylgrymes tyll all hys bagges were full Than hyred he one Gerardus Brazutua a man gyuen to myschefes incomparable This forcerouse wurker to make hym Pope in the space of xiij yeares poysened vi of hys predecessours one after another that is to saye Clement the. ij Damasus the. ij Leo the. ix Victor the. ij Steuen the. ix Benedict the. x. Nycolas the. ij hys owne selfe poysened and vyolently murthered Alexander the. ij in preson Thus by great and outragyose murthers he enioyed the papacy was called Gregory the. vij hys first ordynaunces were these He transubstancyated the Eucharistycall breade condempned the marryage of prestes commaunded monkes to abstayne from flesh Valerius Anselmus Ryd ☞ The first busy buyldynges of this Hyldebrande BEnno Cardinalis reporteth of thys hellysh Hyldebrand that in the first entraunce of his Romysh Papacy he had all these deuylysh prouysyons to wurke hys myscheues with The scriptures he had so trayned with the rules of logycke that by them he was able to maynteyne all falshede The temporall powers he prouyded by all flattery false fryndeshyp gyftes and other subtyle meanes to depresse He had for moneye hys secrete spyes and trayterouse searchers in the emprours and euery great prynces howse to knowe thynges to hys mynde After demaundes and answers agayne from deuyls he toke vpoÌ„ him to prophecie lyes in hypocresye Hys excedynge tyranny was suche that hys enemyes he neuer spared but gaue them death without remyssyon to the terryfyenge of
terrestryall aungelles of the folyshe worlde whan they were the very drosse of the deuyll and poyson of all Christyanyte A great nombre therfore of godly men both in Germany Fraunce perceyuynge the great abhomynacyons that wolde folowe therof myghtely styll resysted both Hyldebrande the Pope and also hys great synode of Italysh prelates callynge hym a cruell heretyke and authour of pernycyouse doctryne and them the malygnaunt counsell of Sathan This wyckednesse is wrought saye they not by any sprete of God but by the only suggestyon of Sathan For their most deuylysh decre is directly repugnaunt to the worde of God Christ sayde that no man can awaye with that sayenge saue they to whoÌ„ it is gyuen S. Paule had no commaundement for virgynyte The Apostles wolde not requyre it the olde counsels durst not attempt it But alwayes was marryage fre to them that could not refrayne What meane these hypocrites than to compell naturall men by force of tyranny to lyue the lyfe of Angels whych is a thynge impossyble to their weake nature By thys cruell constytucyon they make open the way to all fylthynesse in the fleshe If they wyll haue such mynysters lete theÌ„ fatche them from heauen for in the earth they are not to be had Thys was the clamour of them whych in that age feared God doubted the myschefes of Antichrist Lambertus Sigebertus Vrspergius Nauclerus Robertus Barnes ☞ Hyldebrande made the church a full Sodome NO small commendacyons hath thys sorcerouse monke and vicar of the deuyll among the hystorianes and chronycle writers after his tyme. As were Otho Frisingensis Platina Stella Sabellicus Blondus Bergomas Aeneas VVicelius and suche other He is magnyfyed aboue the starres for his rebellyouse treason and tyranny agaynst the vertuouse emprour holden of them for a most earnest myghty and constaunt defender of Antichristes oyled kyngedome whyche they call holy churche Thys maistre of myschefe and organe of the deuyll brought by that meanes the mynysters to an ydelnesse and defyled the church with most execrable buggery Amonge all his canon lawes and synodall constytucyons he gaue out no commaundement that prestes shulde do no lecherie nor yet get chyldren but only that they shulde not marry And thys was to put in full practyse that God had afore premonyshed hys churche of by his sonne Iesus Christe by hys holye Angell by Iohan hys electe Apostle thre able wytnesses Apoca. i. That is to saye the great cytie whych is called a spirytualte and is the churche malygnaunt shulde be in effecte a very Sodome and Egipte Apoca. xi Of necessyte myghte that be no fable that was of so able witnesses vttered afore hande so earnestly Some therfore must haue fulfylled it no remedy and none so effectually as thys hellysh sodomyte Hyldebrand by forbyddynge of marryage in hys clergy and by deifyenge the Eucharistycall breade These ij poyntes chefely made the Romysh churche a Sodome and an Egipte by dyssemblynge vowes and a couÌ„terfet presthode How nondryes anon after were buylded boyes apes and bytches prouyded to qualyfie the breche heates of these holy buggerers and to saue the outward shyne of their boasted chastyte it requyreth further processe to be declared ☞ Marryed prestes are bayted wyth a bulle ROger Houeden plainely reporteth it in the first boke of hys chronycles that the clergy contempnyng the byshop of Romes malycyouse threttenynges chose rather to dwell styll vndre hys great curse than to leaue their marryed wyues ThaÌ„ practysed the seyd byshop to vexe them and to ponnysh them by others as testyfieth Mathew of Westmynstre in the thyrde boke of hys flowres of historyes procurynge the commen people to be the instrumeÌ„tes of his tyranny That he myght the more fearcely chastyse them sayth he and so vtterly dryue them from the embracinges of their wyues he forbad the laye people to heare their masses and charged them fynally to destroye their lyuynges by thys bulle folowynge Gregory the Pope otherwyse called HyldebraÌ„â— the seruaunt of the seruauntes of God sâ—ndeth the Apostles blessyng to all theÌ„ within the kyngdomes of Italy Germany that sheweth their true obedience vnto S. Peter If there be any prestes deacons subdeacons that styll wyl remayne in the synne of fornycacyon we forbyd them the churches enteraunce by the omnypotent power of God and by the autoryte of S. Peter tyll tyme they amende and repent But if they perseuer in their synne we charge that none of yow presume to heare their seruyce For their blessyng is turned into a curse and their prayer into synne as the lorde doth testifye by hys prophete I wyll curse your blessynges ce Thys bulle hath Symeon of Durham and Roger Houeden the one in the seconde the other in the first boke of their chronycles besydes other wryters ☞ Laye people worshyppeth the beast and hys Image MVche good stuffynge is in thys bulle whan it iudgeth marryage a fornycacyon condempnyng it by S. Peters autoryte whose doctryne to thys daye both alloweth it and commendeth it for a state of ryghteousnesse coÌ„parynge the marryed persones to AbrahaÌ„ and Sara i. Pet. iij. Neyther is the blessyng of any man turned into a curse or his prayer into synne for marryage but rather for seducynge of Gods people by supersticyons and hypocresy wylfully resystyng the holy ghost Mala. ij Psal. cviij as in thys handy bulle maker and hys other bullish begles whose blasphemouse actes are wele knowne Radulphus de Diceto sayth in hys Image of storyes that in the yeare of our lorde a M. and lxxv thys terryble turmoylyng agaynst prestes marryage gaue more occasyon of blasphemouse slaundre than euer ded heresy in the church For by that meanes sayth he the laye people contempned holy orders they reiected ecclesyastycall subiectyon and abhorred the mysteryes of God They despysed the presthode of their curates in fury madnesse they brent their tythes trode vndre their fylthie feie their consecrate hostes Thus honoured they the fowled beast and hys ymage Apocal. xiij But thys gaue a great rayse to Antichristes proude and ambycyouse reigne as herafter shall apere Thomas Rudborne and Mathew of Westmynstre sayth that in the nexte yeare folowynge was a terryble earthquake with a certen blusterynge noyse ouer all EnglaÌ„d wherby God declared to the worlde hys anger for suche excedyng wyckednesse as he hath done other tymes more at the lattre daye to be reuenged vtterly ☞ The treason of prelates and extorsyon of byshop Walter BYshoppes abbotes and prelates of the Englysh brode not hauyng Wyllyam conquerour a kynge to their myndes caused it by lytle and lytle to be noysed a broade amonge the people in the seyd yeare of our lorde a M. ixxv. how it neither stode with reason nor yet with conscyence that a bastarde or mysbegetten man as he was shulde haue the Englysh nacyon in gouernauÌ„ce what
euery busynesse In Herbertes waye yet it is a fowle blot That he by symonye is byshop abbot Guilhelmus Malmesburiensis li. iiij de regibus Great sute made the monkes of Norwych to haue had thys Herbert a canonysed saynt But suche impedimentes were alwayes in the waye that it coulde not be obtayned ☞ Other anoynted prelates of the lame race SImon the hygh Deane of Lyncolne occupyed that rowme not without a cause For his father Robert Bloet was the lecherouse bulle byshop I shuld saye of that large dyocese This Simon was a lusty bloude the scory sayth as good a treadyng cocke as euer was his father with sterne lokes on both sydes as proude as a pecock Henricus huntendunensis in libro de contemptu mundi Ranulphus in polychronico Guilhelmus Horman in fasci rerum Britannicarū It is also reported of Radulphus de Diceto in hys chronycle called Imagines historiarum that Robert Peche the byshop of Chestre Couentre and Lychefelde begate Richarde Peche the archedeacon of Couentre whyche afterwarde as reason was succeded hys father as byshop on same dyoceses by inheritaunce Radulphus praefatus Guilhelmus Malmesburiensis in opere de pontificibus Guilhelmus Hormā in abreuiatione etusdē The thyrde example wyll I there bryng iii though it chaunced longe afore whych I haue left out in the first part of my votaryes Ethelwolf the sonne of kynge Egbert was professed a monke at Wynchestre and receyued the ordre of a subdeacon vndre byshopp Helmestane Afterwardes ascendynge from one degre to an other he was constytute byshop of Wynchestre and a Cardynall as some chronycles hath about the yeare of our lorde viij hundreth and iij. By dyspensacyon of Pope Gregory the fourth he reygned kynge after hys father and marryed Osburga hys owne butlers doughter by whom he had foure sonnes whyche all reygned kynges after hym and one doughter In the tyme of hys monkery afore he was marryed he begate a bastard called Adelstane whome he made vndre him the duke of Westsaxons Rogerus houeden Matthaeus VVestmonasteriensis Henricus Bradsha Iacobus Mayer Ionnnes Scuysh ☞ Of Wulstane the mysbegotten byshop of Worcestre Wulstanus the canonysed bishop of Worcestre had a monke of that abbeye to hys father called Estanus and a nonne not farre of to hys mother that was named Vulgena By byshop Brithegus was he made a monke so was sent fourth to the monastery of Peterburg to be instructed and so brought fourth in the ydel rules of monkery Whā it came to passe that he was ones byshop muche loue they saye he had of fayre women and yet lyued alwayes a vyrgyne whych is a matter very harde to be beleued The pontyfycall rynge wherwith he blessed the stretes in stede of Christen preachynge he wolde neuer put from him no not at hys very death but commaunded it to be buryed wyth him I thynke to blesse therwith whan he shulde aryse at the lattre daye Matthaeus paris Guilhelmus Malmesburiensis Ranulphus Rogerus Radulphus de Diceto Thomas Rudborne Ioannes Capgraue alij Olde wyues in Worcestre shyre by the helpe of ydle headed monkes to whom parauenture they had bene bawdes practysed vpon the Ethymology of hys name a most shamefull and folyshe fable whych yet remayneth amonge them Hys father they sayde wyllyng to haue a do with hys mother vpon good frydaye and she not consentynge therunto for the dayes sake was compelled to leaue his begettynge vpon a stone which she fyndyng there lamentynge the losse therof wrapped it vp in a locke of wolle and so noryshed him vp vndreneth her arme hole By this meanes they saye he was first called Wulstone Thys had bene a straunge begettynge of a chylde but that it was in monkery whose wayes were not in that wurkynge lyke other mennys wayes O most prodygyouse sodomytes how haue ye illuded the symple with hypocresye and lyes ☞ Of Steuen Hardynge and hys Cysteanes STeuen Hardyng was first a monke of S. Benets errour ordre I shuld saye at Sherborne not farr from Salysbury Thys man to sprede abroade the braunches of hypocresye went from thens into Scotlande and so fourth into Fraunce and Italye tyll he came to Rome We reade not all thys tyme that euer he taught any Christen doctryne by the godly offyce of preachynge or yet of writynge But after he had visyted Rome and wandered ouer all Italye muche good stuffe ye maye thynke he gathered there he returned into the prouynce of Burgundy and there made hymselfe a monke agayne Yet was he not so quyeted marke the subtyle workynge of Sathan but he toke with hym a certen of hys ydell companyons and fled into the wyldernesse of Cistercium and there he began the wycked secte of Cisteanes otherwyse called the whyte monkes to be noysed abroade a newe authour of relygyon And thys was in the yeare of our lorde a M. xcviij It remayneth yet to the glory of Englande sayth Wyllyam of Malmesbury that the ordre of Cisteanes was firste begonne by an Englysh man Vincentius Antoninus Houeden Capgraue Bergomas Aegidius Faber Thomas Scrope Ioannes Paleonydorus ac Polydorus Vergilius de iuentoribus rerum Of the ambycyon lecherie and couetousnesse of thys abhomynable secte and how it came first into Englande I wyll shewe more at large hereafter About thys tyme arose other sectes of perdycyon as the Grandimontensers Camalduleanes Cartusyanes darke alleye bretherne Rhodyanes Templers Hospytelers Premonstrates Iosephytes and others with innumerable swarmes of their laysye leaue locustes crepynge slowly out of the smoky bottomlesse pytt Apocal ix ☞ Graue sentences declarynge the malyce of thys age Wernerus Roleuinke a Charterouse monke of Coleyne thus reporteth in hys wurke called fasciculus temporum that we commynge after shulde marke therof the daunger A wanton tyme sayth he beganne about the yeare of our lorde a thousande and so folowed on For than the Christen fayth very muche decayed vtterly declynynge from her accustomed strengthe and olde manlynesse to a feble faynt folwyng as mayde Hildegarde sheweth in her prophecye For in many regyons of the Christianyte were the rytes of the church poluted with mennys inuencyons and the sacramentes wyth sorceryes defyled the mynisters becommynge both sothsayers and coniurers So that many thought and not without cause that Antichrist was than in full power Benno sayth also in the lyfe of Hilbebrand that the relygyō of the clergy was none other in those dayes thā a very treason or vtter betrayenge of the worldely gouerners to maynteyne their insacyable ambycyon couetousnesse lecherie Thus were the golden calues had in honour in that age sayth Wernerus meanynge the glytterynge prelates And the other sort slayne or yll handeled by them vnderstandynge the true symple preachers as was Berengarius Oclefe and such other lyke impugnynge their newe ydolatryes Iohan Capgraue writeth that a great reformacyon a dyfformacyon he
was this counsell els but the mouthe of the beast speakyng blasphemyes Daniel vij Apocal. xiij Though these matters were first proponed at Cleremount in Fraunce and after enacted at Baren in Apulia yet were they not so strayghtly knyttt vp tyll they came to Rome Marke the good conueyaunce ☞ Anselmus made Pope of Englande for hys practyses FOr the wyttie inuencyons forecastynges polecyes dysputacyons other laboryouse affayres of Anselme about the ouerthrowe of pryncely autoryte and vprearynge of Antichristes tyranny and for hys earnest prouocacyons to haue them perfourmed in the crafty wurkynges of Sathan to se hym horrybly honourably I shulde saye rewarded for hys paynes Pope Vrbanus appoynted both hym and them that shulde afterwarde succede in the patryarcall seate of Canterbury to sytt at hys ryght fote in euery generall counsell and that he also ratifyed by a specyal decre And thus was it proclamed whan that place was gyuen hym in the opē synode Includamus hunc in orbe nostro tanquā alterius orbis Papan◠Lete vs include or admyt thys man in our worlde here as the Pope of an other worlde meanynge great Brytayne or England whych the old cosmographers and famouse hystoryanes called an other worlde for so much as it semed from the great worlde by sea dyuyded as Virgyll also sheweth in his Bucolyckes Neuer was there any place peculyarly appoynted to the archebyshoppes of Canterbury afore that daye All this hath Thomas Rudborne in medulla chronicorū Iohan Capgraue in a maner confirmyng the same where as he calleth him the Apostle and patryarke of the other worlde I haue alwayes bene of thys opynyon that S. Iohans Apocalyps hath as wele hys fulfyllynge in the partycular nacyons as in the vnyversall churche I speake it here for Anselme whych was the great Pope or Antichrist of Englande Marke it hardely in hym and a great sort more of hys wycked successours ☞ The chastyte of Anselme and death of kynge Wyllyam ANselme anon after departed frō hys holy father Vrbanus as he myghte wele spare him whan his turne was ones serued and so came to Lyons where as he remayned tyll the death of kyng Wyllyam Rufus In the meane tyme for hys recreacyon Iohan Cagraue sayth he sumtyme resorted to Hugh the abbot of Clunyake and to hys praty nōnes at Marceniacum I thynke not the cōtrary but it was to ease hym of some great burdene For Roger Hourden Mathew Paris other writers affirmeth that he had a nephewe called Iunior Anselmus whych after the rule of the Romane prelates is as muche to saye as a sonne He behelde it in a visyon at Lyons they saye how S. Albone and other Englysh sayntes sent fourth an euyll sprete to slee the seyd kyng Wyllyā for oppressynge their abbeyes But I beshrewe their cruell hartes their preuy legerdemaynes were not muche to be trusted that kynge so sodenly slayne They feyne in an other fable that he tare with his tethe Christes fleshe from hys bones as he hyng on the roode for witholdynge the landes of certen byshopryckes and abbeyes Polydorus not beynge ashamed to rehearce it Some where they call hym a reade dragon some where a fyery serpent and a bloudy tyraunt for occupyenge the fruites of their vacaunt benefyces about hys pryncely buyldynges Thus rayle they of their kynges wythout eyther reason or shame in their legendes of abhomynable lyes Loke Eadmerus Helinandus Vincentius Mathew of Westmynstre Rudborne Capgraue Wyllyam Caxton Polydore and others Wher euer hearde ye afore that their superfluouse ydell and slowe belly liuynges were Christes fleshe eyther yet that an olde paynted roode had fleshe Lete not thys be forgotten ☞ Kyng Henry marryeth a votary without dyspensacyon HEnry the first of that name constytute kynge Anselmus returned into England agayne marryed hym to a professed nonne of Wynchestre called Maude whych was the doughter of Malcolme the kyng of Scottes Much a do had her father and mother cōfessour and abbesse Mathew Paris sayth to perswade her to thys marryage and to obtayne her consent in the ende by reason of her former professyon and vowe Yet cursed she the fruite that shulde come of her body whyche afterward turned her chyldren to great mysfortune Polydorus sayth for therupon were her two sonnes Wyllyam and Richarde drowned in the sea and her doughter Maude the empresse an infortunate mother in bryngynge forth Henry the seconde whyche put vnto death holy Thomas Becket Here was I trowe no bad iudgement As scrupulose as Anselme was in other causes yet founde he no faulte in thys marryage whan he coupled them togyther neyther sought he to haue that vowe dyspensed with If Ranulphus and Treuisa he brought in to proue her vowe a dissymulacyō and that the seyd Anselme so founde it I haue Mathew Paris Rudborne Polydore and other autours more to confound them which largely hath declared it a full vowe professyon But of one thynge I sumwhat maruele why they and Wyllyā of Malmesbury shulde iudge it an vnwor thie marriage cōmende her for spending her substaūce so prodigally vpō syngars mynstrels poetes delyghtynge in their balettes and vayne praysynges oppressynge her tenauntes to maynteyne them Guilhelmus Malmesburiensis li. v. de regibus Ranulphus li. vij ca. xvi ☞ Anselme wurketh wyles and Randolfe playne treason SOme writers haue thought specyally Mathew of Westminstre that Anselmus bare with kynge Henry in thys matter concernynge hys marryage to wynne hym in an other muche more wayghtie profytable purpose For in that generacion they are more wyly Christ sayth than are the chyldren of lyghte Luce. xvi But he fayled of hys purpose at that present For immedyatly after the kynge made Reinalmus the quenes chaūcellour byshopp of Herforde without the clergyes eleccyon and put hym in possessyon without the Popes autoryte contrary to the othe of hys coronacyon as testyfyeth Radulphus de Diceto Mathew Parts and Roger Honeden But whan Randolfe the byshop of Durham whome the kynge put in the Tower of London for oppressyon and yll rule kepynge had ones broken out of the pryson in the dronkēnesse of his kepers and fledde into Normandy persuadynge duke Robert Courtoys to subdue the kynge hys brother and so to vsurpe hys crowne promysynge also that he had made hym fryndes within the lande by hys secrete counsell and letters In hys commynge as the seyd duke toke it ones vpon hym a great commocion was within the realme the prelates freshly reioycynge therat and causynge it to be noysed a broade that thys soden inuasyon was for that kynge Henry had dysobeyed their holy father of Rome defeated hys eldar brother and marryed Christes professed spowse And al this they subtylye had practysed to take the peoples hartes from him that he myght the more easely haue bene subdued as they thought to their commodyte Yet God of hys great mercye gaue hym than as he hed
oft after that the victory ouer hys enemyes vnloked for to their vtter shame and confusyon Matthaeus Paris alij ☞ The chast procedynges of dyuerse holy prelates IN the same very yeare whych was the yeare of our lorde a M. a C. and one Thomas the archebyshopp of Yorke surnamed the eldar whome Lanfrancus proued a prestes sonne afore pope Alexandre the seconde as is vttered afore departed the worlde Thys Thomas had a nephewe Ranulphus sayth called also Thomas the yongar Ye knowe what a nephewe is by the rules of Rome whose fotesteppes the fathers most studyously folowed in that age as naturall subiectes and chyldren of their creacyon By ryght he shulde haue folowed hys father in that offyce as a naturall inheritour to the myter but he was preuented by one Gerarde Wyllyam of Malmesbury Ranulphe Roger of Chestre saith which was a man as the commen same went gyuen all to lecherouse lyghtnesse to sorcerouse witchcraftes For whan he on a tyme was fouÌ„d dead in an herber a boke of curiouse artes was fouÌ„d vndre his pyllowe made by Iulius Firmicus whom he vsed to reade to himelfe in the none tyde For the whych his owne clergye wold scarsely suffer hym to be buryed wtout the church vndre tyrfes or soddes of the grasse Roger HouedeÌ„ sayth that thys yongar Thomas at the last beynge archebyshop of Yorke and lyenge in extremes was a persuaded of hys phesycyanes to take to hym a woman for remedy of hys dysease whyche he vtterly refused to do and so dyed If thys were true as I much doubt of it than was he a phoenix in that generacyon for Danyel sayth that their hartes shulde be set all vpon women Danie xi But who so euer shall resort to hys doctryne and fruytes in Antichristes prelacie shall fynde hym a virgyne of a farre other sort than Christe hath allowed in the scryptures ☞ Prestes marryage condempned of our Anselme HEnry of Huntyngton in the first boke of hys chronycles sayth that in the yeare of our lorde a M. a C ij which was the iij. yeare of kyng Henry the first at the feast of S. Michael the archangell Anselme the archebyshopp of Canterbury helde a great counsell at London at Westmynstre some chronycles hath whyche is all one Kynge Wyllyam Rufus for hys tyme wolde suffre the clergye to holde no such assemblyes and therfore they mortally hated hym In the which counsell sayth the seyd Henry Roger of Westchestre confirmynge the same he forbad the prestes of Englande their wyues neuer afore the daye prohybeted Mark this Whyche semed to many saye they a very pure relygyon but some men there were whyche thought it a matter full of parell and wolde not haue had it so passe least the prestes professynge a chastyte aboue their strengthes shulde therby fall into most horryble â—yndes of fylthynesse a Christen sentence to the great blemysh and shame of Christianyte And bicause I wolde thys poynt to be the more earnestly marked of my readers to the confusyoÌ„ of antichristes bullish buggerers of Anselmes Hildebrandes brode I put here the vâ—ry wordes of those autours as they staÌ„d in their latine workes In quo concilio inquiuÌ„t Anselmus prohibuit uxores sacerdotibus Anglorum antea non prohibitas Quod quibusdaÌ„ mundissimum ursum est quibusdam periculosum ne dum munditias uiribus maiores appeterent â–ª in immunditias horribiles ad Christiani nominis summum dedecus inciderent For other Englysh writers sheweth not the matâ—er so lyuely as doth thys Henry Roger. ☞ The actes of Anselmes great synode FIrst they enacted in thys counsell by vertu of Hyldebrandes constytucyon and Vrbanes Bulle that the horryble vyce of symony shulde be condempned for euer whyche was not commytted whan they solde bishopryckes abbeyes deaneryes prebendes orders dedycacyons consecracyons benefyces or any other ecclesyastycall doynges or promocyons but only whan the kynge or any other laye persone ded gyue them or dispose theÌ„ Thys was their spirituall meanynge Next vnto that they enacted that no archedeacon thâ—y spake of no byshoppes preste deacon subdeacon collygener nor canon shulde from thens fourth marry a wyfe nor yet kepe her styll if he had bene marryed to one afore They ordayned also that a preste kepynge company wyth hys wyfe shulde be iudged vnlawfull that he shulde saye no masse if he sayd masse that it shuld not be hearde They charged that none were admytted to orders from that tyme forward marke the tyme vnlesse they professed a chastyte neyther yet that any prestes sonnes shulde clayme by heretage the benefyces of their fathers as the custome had alwayes bene Other actes they made there els concernynge prestes garmentes shauynges shopynges offerynges tythynges buryenges buyldynges confessynges eatynges and slepynges no preachynges to folyshe to be rehearced Loke the boke of Anselmes ccc lxvij epystles Se here hardely if the kyng were not as wele dyspatched of hys pryncely power and autoryte one waye as the prestes of theyr wyues an other waye O wylye wurkers in that kyngedome of inyquyte Nothynge was done here by the worde of God to hys glorye but by the byshop of Romes autoryte to their vayne glorye ☞ Penaltees for them whych broke these actes BEsydes their synodall actes these iniunccions gaue they to the prestes whych were dyvorced First that they and their wyues shulde neuer more mete in one howse neyther yet haue dwellynge within their parryshes If any of them shulde be accused by ij or iij. wytnesses and coulde not pourge hymselfe agayne by sixe able men of hys owne ordre he shulde be iudged a transgressour of the statute depryued of hys benefyce and made an infame or be put to the open reproche of all men He that rebelled or in contempt of their newe statute helde styll hys wyfe and presumed to saye masse vpon the. viij daye after shulde be solempnely excommunycated All archedeacons and deanes were strayghtly sworne not to colour their metynges neyther yet to beare with them for moneye And if they wolde not be sworne to thys that than they shulde lose their offyces wythout recouer All the moueable goodes of them that were proued to transgresse the former statute remayned as forfaytes to the byshoppes their poore wyues condempned for commen whores Anselmus in epistolis Neuer was there any tyranny agaynst the let ordynaunce of God lyke vnto thys tyranny of Antichrist sens the worldes begynnynge neyther vndre Pharao Antiochus Nero nor yet Dioclecyane All thys tyme was not the shamefull sodometry whych secretly lurked among the ydell monkes ones refourmed nor yet spoken of Was it not happye thynke yow for Englande that these fylthie buyldynges of Antichrist had the good helpe of Whynchesters vowes of xxi yeare to vphold theÌ„ whan they were droppyng away in this lattre age If ye consydre it well ywys it hath passed all stage playe ☞
laicus ut in toto regno Anglie legali sua condignitate priuetur Et ne huius criminis absolutionem ijs quise sub regula uiuere non nouerunt aliquis nisi episcopus deinceps facere praesumat Statutum quoque est ut per totam Angliam in omnibus ecclesijs in omnibus diebus dominicis excommunicatio praefata publicetur ac renouetur It is enacted that what so euer he is that is noysed or proued to be of thys wyckednesse if he be a relygyouse persone he shall from thens fourth be promoted to no degre of honour and that whych he hath already shall be taken from hym If he be a laye person a secular preste he meaneth he shal be depriued of al his fredome within the lande of benefyce he meaneth and be no better than a foroner And bicause that none els but a byshopp shal presume to assoyle them that be not professed monkes it is also enacted that on euery sondaye in the yeare and in euery pareysh church of Englande the seyd excommunycacyon or generall curse be publyshed and renewed Thys shall ye fynde in the volume of Anselmes epystles Beholde I praye yow how nycely this matter is touched I wys poore matrymonye thou cannyst fynde no suche tendre handelynge No thou shalt not dwell in the monasteryes neyther yet abyde within the dyocese ☞ A ryght vnderstandyng of the same SE how thys most shamefull matter of bugrery is vntowardly tossed and conuayed here of these beastly buggerers the complayners therof fynely lawhed to scorne So haue these holye fathers by their good discressyons qualyfyed the matter that by confessyon and penaunce without repentaunce of their owne appoyntynge maye be able to dyscharge them If he be a relygyouse father as they haue appoynted relygyon he shall haue no more harme but the losse of his dignyte tyll they restore hym agayne But if he be a laye man he shal lose his fredome that is to saye if he were a secular prest or one vnprested by them he shuld clerly lose his benefyce prebende or other lyuynge some sodometrouse monke takynge the profyghtes therof None myghte dyspence with a laye preste but hys byshop whych than was most commenly a monke to dyspatche hym of hys lyuynge at hys pleasure A buggerysh monke myghte be assoyled of his owne abbot at home remayne styll a fylthie buggerar for terme of lyfe neuer fele harme of it This generall curse was only for prestes deacons subdeacoÌ„s canons and college men whych the yeare afore thys lyued honestly in marryage and now were becommen prodygyouse buggerers as the monkes were in their cloysters for want of their naturall wyues The monkes were not threttened to be vndre thys curse bicause they had vowed a symulate chastyte and bicause that what myschefe so euer they ded the monastery walles were able to hyde it ☞ This curse is publyshed and agayne dysolued ANselmus after this declared by a large epystle to his archedeacon Wyllyam what ordre he and the curates shulde take in the publyshynge of thys generall curse or excommuicacyon for buggerye He wylled them to shewe fauer in penaunce geuynge vndre hys autoryte as we le to them that were ignoraunt of the constytucyon that was made as to them that synned afore the acte He admonyshed them also to consydre their ages and to waye their contynuaunces in that synne with other cyrcumstaunces more and whether they were such as had wyues afore or naye that they myght so lose their benefyces Anselmus in epistola CC. lxxviij Ye wold wondre to heare the whole tragedye Here was a great reformacyon of thys horryble synne wythout takynge awaye of the cause O wycked and abhomynable hypocryte though thou be now a canonysed deuyll But marke I praye yow what it came to in the ende Thys generall curse was called backe agayne at the instaunt sute of the monkes Ye must knowe than it towched them They persuaded to Anselme that the publycacyon or openynge of that vyce gaue kyndelynges to the same in the hartes of ydel persones mynystryng occasyon of more boldenesse to do the lyke So that it hath contynued euer sens in the clergye vnponnyshed Ranulphus Cestrensis Rogerus Cestrensis Ioannes Treuisa I wold they had as wele consydered that the secrete occupyenge therof amonge themselues had bene a most manyfest sygne of their dampnacyon But that the blynde beastly asses remembred not for styll it was noryshed in the monasteryes none yll spoken of it to the vtter perdycyon of thousandes ☞ Anselmus is at contencyon wyth the kynge IN the ende of thys yeare a contencyon fell betwyn Anselme and the kynge and thys was the full occasyon â—herof The kynge had made one Roger which was his chauÌ„cellour bishop of Salisburye and an other Roger whyche was hys larderer the byshop of Herforde for Reinalmus had gyuen it ouer he made also Wyllyam Gyfforde the byshopp of Wynchestre Thys myghte the kynge do by the lawes of God for Dauid SalomoÌ„ Iosaphat and Ezechyas amonge the people of God had done the lyke were allowed in it But bicause it was restrayned by the byshopp of Rome thys Anselme swelled fretted and waxed so madde that he wold neyther consent to it Radulphus de Diceto sayth neyther yet confirme theÌ„ nor communycate or talke fryndely wyth them But spyghtfull and malycyously he called them abortynes or chyldreÌ„ of destructyon dysdaynously rebukynge the gentyll kynge as a defyler of relygyoÌ„ and polluter of their holye ceremonyes as wytnesseth Polydorus With this vncomely outrage the kyng was muche dyspleased as he myght full wele requyred Gerard the archebishop of yorke as he ought him allegeauÌ„ce to coÌ„secrate theÌ„ which without delaye he perfourmed sauyng to Wyllyam Gyfforde whych refused it for doubte of Anselme Thus in a great heate he ones yet agayne departed the realme with his dysgraded abbottes and the seyd Wyllyam Gyfforde making of the kyng a sore complaynt to hys holye father as he came ones to Rome The kyng anon after sent hys messengers after hym to declare the truthe that is to saye byshop Herbert of Norwych byshopp Robert of Lychefelde and Wyllyam Warelwast hys trusty and famylyar counsellour whyche in the ende depryued hym both of landes and goodes in the name of the sâ—yd kyng Simeon Dunelmensis Rogerus Houeden Matthaeus Paris Matthaeus VVestmonasteriensis Ricardus praemonstratensis Ranulphus Euersden Capgraue Caxton Fabiane ☞ The matter on both sydes debated at Rome VPon a daye whaÌ„ the matter shuld be reasoned afore Pope Paschall Willyam Warelwast the kynges aturneye stode fourth in defence of hys cause constauntly allegynge in the ende that the kynge wolde not lose the autoryte of inuestynge or admyttynge hys prelates within his owne domynyon for the crowne of hys reaâ—me Wherunto that proude byshop of Rome made this spightfull lewde answere Though thy kynge sayth he wolde not lose
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
Praefati autores cum Polydoro Fabiano ☞ The kyng derydeth the byshoppes procedynges NOt all forgetfull of their wycked fathers affayres the prelates of Englande in the yeare of our lord a M.a. C. and. xxix gathered themselues togyther at London yet ones agayne in the first daye of August to put the prestes clerely from their wyues At this great counsell sayth Ricardus Premonstratensis were all the bishoppes of England except iiij whych dyed as it chaunced the same yeare that is to saye of Wynchester Durham Chestre and Herforde Their processe was all agaynst the cocasses or she cookes of the curates that they shuld not dwell in house with them For after the prestes had bene compelled to renounce the tytles of their wyues they kept them in most places vndre the name of their cocasses lawnders and seruyng women The kyng perceyuyng the malyce of the bishoppes and seynge aduauntage to growe therupon by thys propre polycye deceyued them He toke vpon hym the correction of them and promysed to execute true iustyce But in the ende Mathew Paris sayth he laughed them all to scorne and takyng a pensyon of the prestes he permytted them styl peaceably to holde their wyues Polydorus reporteth that the kynge gote of the clergye thys autoryte ouer the prestes by a fyne craft of conueyaunce And whan he had so done mysused it A very fyne iudgement of a man learned so to dyffyne of a prynces power The kyng deceyued them Roger Houeden sayth by the symplycyte of Wyllyam the archebyshop of Canterbury For whan they had ones vncircumspectly graunted hym to execute iustyce vpon the prestes wyues it turned in the ende to their rebuke and shame the prestes for moneye set agayne at lyberte for them Praedicti autores cum Ranulpho Matthaeo VVestmonasteriensi Rogero Cestrensi ☞ A myddle swarmynge of Antichristes sectes in England FOr causes dyuerse whych some of my readers shall fynde necessary to be knowne I haue added here the tymes wheâ—in the seconde swarme of locustes or synnefull sectes of Antichrist hath entered into this realme of England The first swarme was of the Benedictynes and chanons of S. Augustyne called the blacke monkes and blacke chanons of whose fattynge vp I haue reasonably treated both in the first part of this wurke and also in thys seconde The first of this lattre swarme â–ª were the Cisteanes otherwyse called yâ— whyght moÌ„kes which came into this lande in the yeare of our lorde a M. a. C. and. xxxij settynge their first foundacion in the deserte of Blachoumor by the water of Rhie wherupon their monastery was called Rhieuallis Saint Robertes fryres began at Gnaresborough in Yorke shyre in the yearr of our lorde a M.a. C. and xxxvij And the ordre of Gilbertines at SempynghaÌ„ in Lincolne shire in the yeare of our lorde a M.a. C. xlviij The Premonstratensers or white chanoÌ„s came in to the realme buylded at Newhowse in Lyncolne dyocese in the yeare of our lord a M.a. C. and xlv The Chartrehowse monkes came into the lande were placed at Wytham in the dyocese of Bathe in the yeare of our lorde a M. a. C. lxxx I recken not the hospytelers Templars with such lyke Ioannes Hagustaldensis Ricardus Praemonstratensis Ioannes Capgraue Thomas Scrope Polydorus Vergilius All these at their first enteraunce were very leane locustes as they are in S. Iohans reuelacyon described barren poore and in outwarde aperaunce very symple But in processe of tyme through symulate holynesse they grewe fat lyke their fellowes They gote them lyons faces and were able to buckle with kynges Their lecherouse actes I shall hereafter declare ☞ Kynge Steuen professeth a slauery to Antichrist HOw kyng Steuen bicame an instrument to their wycked vse in the yeare of our lorde a M. a. C. and xxxv it is easely knowne by the othe which they compelled hym to make at hys coronacyoÌ„ what though he ded not in all poyntes obserue it Thys is the othe as Ricardus prior Hagustaldensis hath written it in hys small treatyse de gestis regis Stephani Marke it I Steuen by the grace of God good wyll of the clergye and consent of the commens elected kynge of England and by Wyllyam the archebyshop of Canterbury and legate of the holye Rome church vndre Pope Innocent the seconde confirmed make faithful promyse to do nothing here in Englande in the ecclesyastycall affayres after the rules of symonye but to leaue admyt and confirme the power ordre and distrybucyon of all ecclesyastycal persones and their possessyons in the handes of the byshoppes and prelates of the same The auncyent dignitees of the church confirmed by olde priuyleges and their customes of longe tyme vsed I promyse appoynt and determyne inuiolably to contynue All the churches possessyoÌ„s holdes and tenementes which they hytherto haue had I graunt them from hens forwarde without interrupcyon peaceably to possesse etc. Beholde here what popettes these lecherouse luskes made of their kynges se I praye yow if they sought any other commen welthe than of their ydell bellyes in that proude kingdome of Antichrist Was thys a folowynge of Christ after the Gospell thus to illude their Christen gouernours Naye it was rather a ronnyng after Sathan in the blasphemouse imytacyon of the byshop of Romes decrees The last plage of God lyghte vpon thys vnfaythfull generacyon if they wyll not yet beholde these euyls of their wycked fathers and abhorre them from the harte ☞ The rebellyon and cantels of byshoppes agaynst the kynge IN the next yeare folowynge notwithstandyng thys othe kyng Steuen reserued to hymselfe the inuestynge of prelates Mathew Paris sayth and shewed vnto the clergye many other displeasurs Wherfore in processe they caused Maude the empresse contrary to their othes of allegeaunce to come into the realme and to make clayme to the crowne and strongely to warre vpon hym For the whych he enprysoned and bannyshed certayne of the byshoppes chefely Alexandre of Lyncolne Nigellus of Helye and Roger of Salisbury He feared not to go vnto Oxforde and to sytt there in open parlyament whyche no kynge myght do they sayde wythoute a shamefull confusyon From Roger the byshoppe of Salisbury he toke the. ij Castels of Vyses and Sherburne fyndynge in them more than xl thousande markes in moneye wherwith he perfourmed the greate marryage betwene Constaunce the Frenche kynges sistre and Eustace hys sonne and heyre Thys byshoppes sonne by lyke he hadde a wyfe whyche had bene the other kinges chauncellour this kinge handeled harde to come to hys purpose He kepte hym fastenynge threttened him hangynge and at the lattre bannyshed hym the realme whyche cost the byshoppe his lyfe A naturall father Anon after the byshoppe of Wynchestre beyng the popes great legate and perceyuynge the clergye not to be regarded the realme beynge than in diuysyon betwixt them bothe that is to saye
the kynge and Maude the empresse he called a counsel of prelates and enacted it for a lawe that what so euer he were that layed violent handes vpon a churche man he stode accursed wyth boke belle and candell and mighte of none be assoyled but of the popes owne persone He ordeyned also that no preste froÌ„ thens fourth shulde assiste any kinge in his warres Ioannes Hagustaldensis in historia xxv annoruÌ„ Rogerus Houeden Giraldus Cambrensis Mattheus Paris Polydorus Ranulphus ☞ The kynge enprisoneth the canons wiues of Paules RAdulphus de Diceto doth shewe it plainely in his abreuiacioÌ„s of chronycles that in the yeare of our lord 1137. The kinge was in displeasure with William the deane Raufe Langforde Richarde Belmeis and thâ— other canons of Paules at London about the eleccion of their bishop For coÌ„trary to his expectacion they had chosen Amselme the other Anselmes nephew which was than abbot of Burie a man of suspected liuing as witnessed Turstanus in an epistle to the pope Wherupon the king toke all their wiues otherwise called their kichine maydes for doubt of the spiritual lawes in their best apparelinges and put theÌ„ all in the tower of London Where as they were kept very straightly and not deliuered againe withoute bodily shame deminishment of their fame and greuouse expenses the storie saith The bishoppes archedeacoÌ„s chauÌ„celloures deanes were in those daies most coÌ„menly al of one kindred as the seide Radulphus reporteth The bishop of Ro. InnoceÌ„t than wrote into England that Peters litle ship being long tossed on the water vexed troubled oppressed of enemies was very like if remedy were not fouÌ„d in time to be ouer rowne drouned the shourges of scismatikes of heretikes wer so great Loke Ricardus Hagustaldensis in hys small treatyse de bello Standardico IoaÌ„nes hagustaldeÌ„sis in descriptione eiusdem belli By the scysmatykes he ment those prestes whych wolde not leaue their wyues at hys wycked persuasyons and by the lytle shyppe hys owne sorcerouse synagoge of besmered shauelynges ☞ An other counsell holden agaynst prestes and their wyues VPon thys occasyon came Albericus the byshop of Hostyense in post from Rome in the yeare of our lorde a M.a. C. and. xxxviij as the vycege rent of Pope Innocent the second in Englande and Scotlande Thys Albericus called a synode at Westmynstre in the xiij daye of Decembre for thys whole regyoÌ„ wherin he had to assocyate hym xviij byshoppes and. xxx abbottes besydes the greate nomber of other dysgysed prelates Hys chefe actes were that no preste deacoÌ„ nor subdeacon shulde holde a wyfe or woman within hys howse vndre payne of dysgradynge from his Christendome and playne sendynge to helle That no prestes sonne shuld clayme any spirytuall lyuyng by heretage That none shulde take benefyce of any laye man That none were admytted to cure whyche he had not the letters of hys orders That prestes shuld do no bodyly labour And that their transubstancyated God shuld dwell but. viij dayes in the boxe for feare of worme eatynge mowlyâ—ge or stynkynge with such lyke In all their counsels they songe styll one song folowynge the rustye voyces of HyldebraÌ„de and Paschall Ricardus Ioannes Hagustaldenses Wonders were seane in the skye about thys tyme Mathew Paris sayth In England was felte a palpable darkenesse with a terryble earthquake the sunne aperynge lyke sacke clothe Apo. vi Such an horryble eclyps sayth he was ouer all thys lande that men feared the heauens to haue bene decayed The sunne in some places Ioannes HagustaldeÌ„sis sayth apered lyke quycke syluer to the wonderynge of manye These maruels wolde be marked of them whych couete to vnderstande the mysteryes of tymes after the holye scryptures ☞ The true meanynge of sygnes in the firmament declared BY thys tyme had the prelates a nombre of crafty wyttes in the vniuersytees whych were as able by schole learnynge to defende a falshede as euer were Christes dyscyples by hys heauenly doctryne to maynteyne a veryte These by a contynuall exercyse in disputacyons bicame very crafty and subtyle They toke it for an ornature of learnyng and for a thynge very conducyble to the vnderstandyng of the scriptures to define and diuyde all thynges as ded the peripatetyckes or naturall philosophers of Aristotles secte and so to proue them by naturall demonstracyons Gloryenge in the sublymyte of their wyttes they wolde be taken for men much wyser than were the Apostles and prophetes and in their doynges preferred the Idees or ymagynacyons of Plato to the eternal sprete of Christ. In the rowme of the lyuely phylosophie of God they placed faynt and vnfruitefull allegoryes as ded the olde Esseanes and as doth in our tyme the wycked secte of Anabaptistes imputyng those thynges to our synnefull wurkes whych only pertayneth to the kyngdome of faythe Thus ded the wysdome of the fleshe erect her selfe agaynst Gods heauenly wysdome preparynge a waye to Antichrist and the deuyll These doctours busyly dysputed of Peters autoryte and of the worthienesse of monkery to make good the pryde of the byshopp of Rome and to confirme the shynynge shewe of hypocresye Of thys nombre was Ricardus de Sancto Victore a Scott in Paris Alexandre Nequam and Robert Crikelade here in England all regular chanons By thys maye ye vnderstande what it ment that the sunne apeared so darke in the skye For the heauens Dauid sayth declareth the glorye of God and the firmament sheweth hys handye wurke or dedes of hys permyisyon Psal. xviij ☞ More examples declarynge those marueyles ABout the same tyme were the byshop of Romes lawes brought into thys realme by Baldewyn the archebyshop of Canterburye But so sone as kynge Steuen had knowledge therof he condempned them by acte of Parlement commaundynge by proclamacyons and streygth iniunctyons that no man shulde retayne them vndre great penalte By meanes whereof they were in some places torne to peces and in some places brent in the fyre as by good mennis iudgement they were no lesse worthie For they were verye muche agaynst the commodyte of kynges and their commeÌ„ welthes christeÌ„ magistrates powers Ioannes Sarisburiensis in Polycratico de nugis aulicorum libro viij cap. xxij Both the monke Gracianus whych collectyd togyther the Popes decrees into our volume called the concorde of lawes dyscordaunt and also Peter Lombarde hys brother in the rablement of hys vnsauery sentences complayned very sore that many in their tyme beleued the only substaunce of breade to remayne in the sacrament of Christes bodye Yea the best learned maisters of Paris Iohan Tyssyngton sayth in his boke agaynst the confessyon of Wycleue were at the same season of thys opynyon that in the sacramental wordes Esse was to be taken for significare Agaynst whom these adulterouse chyldren Gracianus and Petrus brought forth thys smokye conclusion not out of the scriptures but froÌ„ their
the sea into frauÌ„ce and made hym selfe there a regular chanon becommynge at the lattre the abbot of S. Rufus in prouynce Thus clome he vp from one degre to an other tyll he gote the Papacye wherin he wroughte suche wonders as ded hys predecessoures Oft tymes in famylyare talke with Iohan of Salisbury hys contrey man he had these fyne tryckes and sentences most true To take the Papacye sayth he is to succede Romulus in murther and not Peter in shepe fedynge For neuer is it gotten wythoute the shedynge of oure brothers bloude None is more wretched than the Romyshe byshoppe nether is any mannis condicyon more myserable than hys The seate is thornye and hath sharpe pryckes on euerye syde and the crowne is fyerie fearce and as hote as helle wyth suche other lyke Thys hath Helinandus Monachus Radulphus de Diceto Ranulphus of Chestre and chefely Ioannes Salisburiensis lib. viij ca. xxiij De nugis aulicorum At the last was the breathe of this Adriane stopped vp with a flye whiche entered into his throte and the Papacye left to an other in the fyft yeare of the same ☞ S. William of yorke S. Wulfryck and S. Robert ME thynketh it is a very straunge thynge to consydre the ende of S. William the archebishop of Yorke whiche dyed in the yeare of our lorde a. M a. C. and. liiij conplynge it with the degre of hys sayntwode For he dyed a martir and is allowed in theyr temple seruice but for a confessour only But I thynke there hangeth some mystery in it Roger Houeden sayth that he was poysened at hys masse by the treason of his owne chaplaynes And Mathewe Paris sheweth that in the tyme of hys celebracyon suche a deadely venym was put into hys chalyce as depâ—yued him of lyfe Iohan Euersden commeth after and he declareth the same Whye shulde he not than be allowed for a martyr I suppose the answere to rest in this poynt They were no laye men that put hym to deathe but anoynted and spirituall confessours And the shepe of theyr slaughter can become no martyrs as apereth by al them whome they haue slaine and brent sens Sathan went at large It is ynough I trowe that they haue made hym a saynt for hys recompens for other vertues we reade none that he hadde If yorke minstre had had afore as other great churches had a shryned patrone he might wele haue chaunced to haue lost that promocioÌ„ O subtyle sorocerers your craftes now apere so that ye can not hyde them I shulde wryte of S. Wulfrycke whyche dyed the same yeare bicause he so conningly with colde water could quenche the whote flames of hys fleshe and dyscharge so manye prestes of theyr lecherouse heates I shulde also shewe the vertue of S. Roberte the religyouse abbot of Guaresborough that so familiarly ded visite good wholsome matrones But at thys tyme I leaue it to Iohan Capgraue and such other for want of layser ☞ The marryage of Marye the abbesse of Ramseye MArye the doughter of kynge Steuen beyng a professed nonne and abbesse of the famouse monastery of Ramseye in the yeare of our lord a M. a. C. and. lv bicame werye of her professyon and coÌ„sented to marry with Mathew the earle of Bolayne preferrynge gods holye instytucyon to the vngodly yoke of the Romysh byshop Mathew Paris Thomas Rudborne sayth that beynge in the cluystre she was afore that infamed of lyghte conuersacyon Coulde there be any better waye than for cuttynge of that vncomely slaundre than Gods first ordynaunce Well she marryed hym he her some writers saye by dyspensacyon and some saye without dyspensacyoÌ„ But how so euer it came to passe she had two doughters by hym called Ida and Matilda Thomas Becket that tyme beynge hygh chauncellour of Englande shewed hym selfe to thys marryage a contynuall aduersarye but he could not therin preuayle the kyng and the great lordes of the realme so depely holdynge therwith But of thys arose the first grudge that the kynge had agaynst hym as some of the historyanes reporteth it In the ende after that she had contynued with her husband by the space of xvi yeares she was compelled by the byshop of Romes tyrannye Beckettes callynge on to returne agayne with manye slaunderouse rebukes of the world to her cloystre Thys hath Robertus Montensis in additionibus Sigeberti Ricardus Premonstratensis in annalibus Anglorum Thus ded that wycked Antichrist treade vndre hys fylthie fete all power in heauen and in earth exaltynge hymselfe aboue the great God of all ij Thes. ij ☞ The begynnynge of the ordre of Gylbertynes IOcelyne a knyght of Lyncolneshire perceyuynge hys sonne Gylbert to be a man muche deformed not fyt for the worlde procured hym to be made a preste gaue hym the two fat benefyces of Sempyngham and Tiryngton within hys owne domynyon The exercyse of this Gilbert was chefely to teache boyes and gyrles of whom as they were growne to more persyght age he made a newe relygyon called of his name the ordre of Gilbertynes As he ones became person of Sempyngham with hys pâ—rrysh prest was he hosted in the howse of one whych had a fayre doughter as the custome hath bene alwayes of prestes for the most And beyng tangled with her bewtie on a tyme as she had serued at the table he a dreammed the nyght folowynge that he had put hys hande so farre in her bosome as he coulde not pull it backe agayne Thys mayde sayth the legende was one of the fyrste vij of whome he began that holye religyon He secluded them from the talke of the worlde and from the syght of men enclosynge them vp within hygh walles teachynge them monasterye rules Hys buyldynges were suche that thoughe he had both men and women wythin one monastery yet were the men so disseuered froÌ„ the women that they coulde not mete and they hadde dyuerse rules The monkes obserued the rule of S. Augustyne and the nonnes the rule of S. Benedyct but who kepte S. Christes rule there I can not tell Thyrtene couentes he had wythin the realme containing afore his death to the nombre of DCC bretheren and a. M and. D. systers Loke Iohan Capgraue in uita Gilberti confessoris ☞ A nonne at watton biget with chylde by a monke EThelredus the abbot of Ryenall vttereth in hys small treatyse de quodam miraculo that in an howse of the same ordre at Watton in yorke shire was a yonge nonne put thydre by Henry Murdach the archebyshop a Cysteane monke whan she was but. iiij yeares olde I praye God she were not hys doughter in the darke for of suche packynges were plenti in those dayes As thys wenche grewe in yeares so grewe she in lascyuyousnesse Her eyes her talke her pase all were vnsober wylde and wanton Thys nonne fel in loue with a yong moÌ„ke of that
was of great vertu in thys age byleke For Iohan Capgraue sayth that Ethelredus the abboth of Rieuall not only by it abbated the ardent heates of his fleshe but extynguyshed also the flames of all other vyces Sentences wonderful in those dayes vttered PEirus Blesensis a worthye learned man beynge at sondry tymâ—s the archedeacon of Bathe of London and of Canterbury spared not at tymes sharpely to reprehende the enormitees of the clergye Dyuerse of hys epistles are yet to be seane wherin he eloquently towcheth and rebuketh the puffed vp arrogancye of Thomas Becket the archebyshopp of Canterbury Oft he compared the clergy to Samaria and Edom and called our hyghe countenaunced prelates sumtyme the glytterynge calfes of Bethell and the ydolles of Egypte sumtyme the fatt hulles of Samaria the chaplaynes of Baal and those iudges whyche made wycked lawes wyth such lyke To take the lord with the housholde sayth he nothinge is more dampnable than is a byshoppes howse if ye seke vertu Nothynge further from honestye if ye loke for maners Nothinge more fylthye if ye iudge after conscience Nothynge more rebukeable if ye respect fame Nothynge more pernycyouse if ye marke the example O lorde sayth he delyuer thy howse from the greate ydoll breake the hornes of that synnefull one At Rome filthy lucre peruerteth all thinges suffereth moÌ„kes to perfourm theyr lykynges in all kyndes of fleshely abusyons whyche they redeme by a yearlye pensyon Theyr lewdenesse is tolde in the Pauylyons of Geth and publyshed also in the open stretes of Ascalon Thus is theyr head captayne becomen the prynce of Sodome hys dyscyples accompanyenge hym in the chayre of pestylence wyth a great nombre more of the lyke Wernerus coucludeth in fasciculo temporum that it was than a rare thynge to fynde a chaste monke in the cloystre and a more rare thynge to fynde an honeste preste abroade ☞ The freshe and lustye begynnynges of Thomas Becket AS those autours reporte whyche chefely wrote Thomas Beckettes lyfe whose names are Herbert Boseham Iohan Salisbury Wyllyam of Canterbury Alen of Tâ—ukesbury Benet of Peterburgh Steuen langton and Rycharde Croilande he bestowed hys youth in al kindâ—s of lasciuiouse lightnesse and lecherouse wantonnesse After certen roderies rapes and murthers commytted in the kyngâ—s warres at the siege of Tolouse in Lâ—nguâ—docke and in other places els as he was commen home againe into Englande he gaue hymsâ—lfe to greate studye not of the holye scriptures but of the byshoppe of Romes lowsye lawes wherby he fyrste of all obtayned to be archedeacon of Canterburye vndre Theobalde the archebyshop than hygh chauncellour of Englande metropolyâ—ane archebyshop prymate pope of Englande and greate legate from Autâ—christes owne ryghte syde In the tyme of hys hyghe chauncellourshyppe beynge but an ale bruars sonne of LondoÌ„ Iohan Caâ—graue saith that he toke vpon him as he had ben a prince He played the courtyer all togyther and fashyoned hymselfe wholly to the kynges delyghtes He ruffled it out in the whole clothe wyth a myghtye rable of digised ruffianes at his tayle He sought the wordly honour with him that soughte it moste He thoughte it a plesaunt thinge to haue the flatteringe prayses of the multytude Hys brydle was of syluer hys saddle of veluet hys styruppes spores and bosses double gylte hys expenses farre passynge the expenses of anye earle That delyghte was not on the earthe that he hadde not plentye of He fedde with the fatteste was cladde wyth the softeste and kepte companye with the plesauntest Was not this thinke yow a good meane to lyue chaste I trow it was ☞ Hys chastyte at Stafforde and stoughtnesse at Clarendon IN the towne of Stafford was Willyam of Canterbury sayth Iohan Capgraue confirmynge the same a lusty mynion a trulle for the nones a pece for a prynce with whome by report the kynge at tymes was very famylyar Betwixt this wanton damsell or prymerose peerlesse Becket the chauncellour went store of presentes and of loue tokens plentye and also the louers met at tymes For whan he resorted thydre at no place wold he be hosted and lodged but where as she helde resydence In the dead tyme of the nyght the storye sayth was it her general custome to come alone to hâ—s bedchambre with a candell in her hande to toye tryfle with hym Men are not so folysh but they can wele conceyue what chastyte was obserued in those praty nyce wanton metynges But they saye he sore amended whan he was onâ—s consecrated archebyshop of Canterburye and left weâ—e hys accustomed enbracynges after the rules of loue became in lyfe relygyouse that afore in loue was lecherouse At hys seyd consecracion was he made a preste which requyâ—ed a change of lyfe He receyued a monkes cowle from Pope Alexandre Mathew Paris sayth made our ladye hys generall aduocate and shryued the body of S. Edward a vyrgyne and therfor he could no longar be vnchaste In the yeare of our lord a M. a. C. lxiiij at Clarendon Iohan of Oxforde beynge hygh presydent of the counsell many thynges were proponed concernynge the inuestytures offyces and enormytees of the clergy and lawes made therupon Wherunto the archebyshopp Becket with the other byshoppes condescended and were sworne But whan he ones perceyued that they were repugnaunt to the terrestryall godhede of the byshop of Rome he fretted for wodenesse and was angrye with himselfe addynge to hys othe thys subtyle clause to make it of none effecte salou in omnibus ordine meo honore sanctae ecclesiae myne ordre saued alwayes and the honour of holye churche reserued By thys he was able to denye all agayne at hys pleasure Matthaeus Paris alij ☞ Antichrist he preferreth to hys kynges obedyence WHithin the same yeare the kynge made an acte that men of the church commyttynge offences notable shulde be exautorysed or dysgraded by the byshop of the dyocese a iustyce beynge present so delyuered to secular kepyng tyll he suffered accordynge to hys demerytes The occasyon of thys acte was one Philippe Broic a preste and canon of Bedforde whych conwardly had kylled a man Thys proude sturdy canon bearyngâ— him selfe very bolde vpon his Romysh orders was at vtter contempt and diffyaunce of the iustyce geuyng him full many obprobryouse wordes as though hys offyce had bene but a slauerye to hys oylye presthode Than stirt vp Becket and starkeled lyke a lyon sekynge by all trayterouse meanes to brynge the kynge vndre and to exalte the tyrannouse kyngedome of Antichrist to the very heauens He furyously contended with hym to the very death that prestes and other within oylye orders ought not for thefte murther buggery and other lyke deadly offences to be examyned and ponnyshed by the publyque magistrates as the laye sort were He affirmed it also with stomache that the churches fredom was suche as the temporall kynges
hâ—d nothynge ado with theÌ„ whiche were anoynted and shauen they beynge therby the Romysh Popes creatures and not hys Radulphus Niger Radulphus de Diceto Matthaeus Paris Matthaeus VVestmonasteriensis Rogerus Houeden Ricardus Croilande Nicolaus Treueth alij plerique An excedyng great thynge were it to declare the subtyle practyses deuâ—ses dysguysynges craftes colours conueyauÌ„ces other tryfelynges to brynge all hys matters to pâ—sse agaynâ—t the kynge and a werynesse to the reader to rehearce them wherfore I lete them ouer passe ☞ Artycles for whome Becket is admitted the Popes martyr DIuerse of our chronycle writers doth testyfye in their workes that these were the artycles wherfor he stroue with the kynge That no spirituall cause ought to be pleaded in the temporall court No clarke may be compelled to answere in matters before the kynges offycers Patrâ—nes maye lawfully and frely gyue benefyces without the kynges allowance A byshop or pastour maye frely go out of the realme without the kynges lycens for the ryght of his churche He that is ones excommunycated must haue hys discharge of the spirituall court and not of the kynge The clergye and layte must be clered of their offences by the ordynaryes and not by the kynges iustyces Appellacyons made from one degre to an other as from lowar oâ—dynary to the hyghar maye be ended without the kynges consent Landes and teneamentes maye lawfully be gyuen to the clergye in almes wythout the kynges commyssyon Spirytuall promocyons ought only to remayne in the handes of the superiour ordynaryes whaÌ„ theyr occupyers are dead till others succede in their roumes and not in the handes of teÌ„poral meÌ„ Religiouse men men ought not in the quarell of their kynges to go to the warres They that flee vnto sayntwaryes ought there to be socoured agaynst the temporall power their dedes made open to the iudge ecclesyastycall Clarkes curates and prestes are not bounde to come to the commen iudgementes at sessyons or assyses neyther yet to be at them though they be commaunded Se what good stuffe here is to make a martir All is to demynyshment of a kynges power and nothynge els ☞ Becket stayeth the Popes churche by confoundynge heretykes IN the same yeare of our lorde a M. a C and. lxiiij was Thomas Becket reckened Mathew Paris sayth suche a mightye stedefast and strong sure pyllour as the whole church both leaned vpon and was also staied by But ye must consydre that it was the Popes churche that he ment and not Christes for that hath a staye stronge ynough of him without mannys helpe Marke the forseyd artycles The church sayth he shaken was ready to haue fallen and the Pope which was set vp as a staffe to haue staied it was at that tyme so broken that the shyuers or peces wounded him Thomas lokyng for nothynge els but martyrdome for the churche In the same yeare were in England certen godly men whome some Popysh writers dysdaynously calleth Waldeanes some publycanes some false Apostles Thâ—se were at Oxforde straightly examyned of the byshoppes and so brought to iudgement by this Becket for holdynge these opynyons That the churche of Rome was that whore of Babylon whych had forsaken the fayth of Christe and that barren fygge tree without fruite whych he reproued and that no Christen man was bounde to obeye the Pope and hys byshoppes That monkerye was as the dead carreyne that stynketh and that their vowes were fryuolouse ydell and abhomynable beynge the vpspryngynge braunches of Sodome That their orders were the great beastes characters and their temples the wurse for their hallowynges That purgatory sayntes worshyppyng masses and prayenges for the dead with such lyke were most deuylysh inuencyons For maynteynynge these and other lyke opynyons agaynst the proude synagoge of Rome they were sealed in the faces at Oxforde wyth whote fyerye keyes and so bannyshed the realme for euer Radulphus de Diceto Matthaeus Paris Guido Perpinianus de heresibus Thomas VValden ad Martinum quintum Bernardus Lutzenburgus ☞ Hys trayterouse ende and aduauncement aboue Christ. Whan Becket was returned again into Englande in the yeare of our lorde a. M. a. C. and. lxxi after vi yeares exyle he outragiously troubled certen of the byshoppes to the kynges great dyshonour Mathewe Parys sayth For the only cause why he so hatefullye persecuted them was for that they hadde fulfylled the kynges desyre in anoyntynge his sonne Henry the yongar to raygne after hym not hauynge hys consente beynge pope of Englande For thys he entered the pulpet more lyke a mad Bedlem thaÌ„ a sober preacher Not to teache Chryste in mekenesse but in hys wode furye to execrate those byshoppes to curse theÌ„ wyth boke belle and candell and by the popes autoryte to condempne them to helle Vpon thys the kynges seruauntes fell on hym in purpose as they toke it to reuenge their liege lordes great iniury and hys sonnes dyshonoure They pared his pylde crowne wyth theyr swerdes and cut of the popes marke to hys very braiue whyls he in ydolatry coÌ„mended himselfe and the cause of hys churche to hys patrone S. Deuyse beynge but a deade ymage there standyng vpon the aultre Stephanus Langton Richardus Croilande Rogerus Houeden Nicolaus Treueth Ioannes Capgraue Thus ended he his lyfe in most ranke treasoÌ„ was for his labour made a god of that papistes Yea they charged christ in the ende by coÌ„maundement to delyuer vs heauen frely by the shedynge of Thomas bloud as though that had bene a payment of satisfaction for our synnes And as therby apered they put Christ cleane out of office for him by this coÌ„iuracion Tu per Thome sanguinem queÌ„ pro te impeÌ„dit fac nos Christe scandere quo Thomas ascedit O thou Christ suffre vs to clyme vp to that place by the bloud of Thomas whych he shed for that to the which Thomas maÌ„fully asceÌ„ded Marke this hardely for suche a defeccyon froÌ„ Christ as Saynt Paul speaketh of and for the stronge delusyon that they shulde haue whyche beleued lyes that they myghte be dampned ij Thessalo ij For here Thomas redemeth Christe and ascendeth to hauen leauynge vs hys bloude to clyme thydre by Were there euer greater heretykes theues sowle murtherers than were our Papistes I can not thynke it ☞ The false miracles and canonisacyon of Becket OF Christe and of all hys Apostles and prophetes are not written so many great miracles as of this one Becket As that so many sycke so many blynde so many bleare eyed bedred croked broused mangled lamed drowned palseyd leprosed sorowful exyled wyth chylde enprysoned hauged and deade were by them as by him deliuered Neyther were there euer so many writers of any popyshe saintes lyfe or so manye great volumes made as of hys as is shewed afore And all thys was to blemyshe the kynge and to depresse the hygh power both in hym and in
to come and to se a maruele for he had founde he sayd a man in a woman Hys seruauntes therwith drewenygh and with gentyll wordes pacyfyed this fysher Anon after approched two women requyrynge to knowe the pryce of hys lynen clothe He played momme chaunce and wolde make none answere With that they suspectynge the matter plucked of hys mufflar from hys face and so perceyued hym to be an olde man newly shauen Than called they to them more company and cryed with lowde voyces Lete vs stone thys wylde monstre whiche hath deformed both kyndes Than threwe they of all that was vpon hys heade and made hys prestes crowne all bare They rated hym reuyled hym rayled vpon hym byspatled hym and byspitted him Yea they threw hym downe on the grâ—unde and dragged hym from place to place vpon the sandes some by the armes and some by â—he legges Hys seruauntes not able in anye wyse to helpe hym Aâ— the last they brought hym into a darke sellar where as they cawched hym wyth rebuke and shame tyll the hygh counsell of the realme sent for hym Hugo Nouaunt Rogerus Houeden in praefatis opuscalis ☞ He dieth is lamented of an old rood AFter thys was he brought to the Tower of London enprysoned examyned depryued dyscharged of his gouernaunce and so permytted to depart out of the lande and Walter Constaunce the archebyshop of Rohan beynge an Englysh man borne by the kynges letters was placed in hys rowme He that wyll se this storye treated of more at large lete him resort to the forseyd wurkes of Hugh Nonaunt and of Roger Houeden Dyerse other aunours maketh mencyon of the same as Radulphus de Diceto Ricardus Praemonstrataensis Mathew Paris Iohan Euersden Iohan Scuysh Robert Fahyane and Polydorus Vergilius but not so copyously Hugh Nouaunt wysheth in the ende of hys small treatyse the excesse of thys lewde prelate so to be ponnyshed that the kynges dignyte myght be conserued and the order of presthode not vtterly confounded After longe trauayle in the yeare of our lorde a M. a. C. and xcvii He came to the cytie of Pictanis or Potyers where as he ended his lyfe And so longe as he laye in extremes a certen rode they saye in the cathedrall churche there whiche was called the churche of Saint Marâ—yale ded pyteously wepe lament so that the teares fell downe from his eyes as it had bene a floude of water Belike the byshop had bene some great frynde to that rode that he toke his death so heauylye But they saye it was his accustomed vse alwayes to mourne whan a byshopp departed Loke Roger Houeden And it maye wele be for the scripture sayth that both they are ydolles that is to saye both the paynted rode and the bishop that preacheth not Baruch vi Zacha. xi ☞ Antichrist detected by Ioachim abbas Wils kynge Richarde was yet in the lande of Palestyne he sent to the I le of Calabria for abbas Ioachim of whose famouse learnyng wonderfull prophecyes he had hearde muche Among other demauades he axed hym of Antichrist what tyme and in what place he shulde chesely apere Antichrist sayth he is already borne in the cytie of Rome and wyll set hym selfe yet hyghar in the seat Apostolycke I thought sayd the king that he shuld haue bene borne in Antyoche or in Babylon and to haue comen of the stocke of Dan. I reckened also that he shulde haue raigned in the temple of God within Hierusalem and only haue trauayled for the space of thre yeares and a halfe where as Christ trauayled and to dispute agaynst Enoch and Helias Not so sayth Ioachim but as the apostle reporteth he is that onely aduersary whyche extolleth hymself aboue all that is called God For where as the lorde is called but holye he is called the most holy father Thus Antichrist shall be opened and him shall God destroye with the sprete of hys mouth and lyghte of his commynge WhaÌ„ thys was ones knowne in Englande and in other quarters of the kynges dominyon the prelates begonne to starkie Yea Walter Constaunce the kynges deputie with other archebyshoppes byshoppes abbottes and prelates of the clergye cast their heades togyther impugnynge thys newe doctryne with all power possyble And though they brought fourth many stronge argumentes in aperaunce saith Roger Houeden yet coulde they neuer to thys daye brynge their matter to a full conclusion but left it alwayes in doubt Rogerus Houeden Radulphus Cogeshale ☞ Antichrist apereth in hys full pryde CElestine the thyrde Pope of that name crowned that Emproure at Rome called Henry the. vi and gaue hym a votarye to wyfe whyche was named Constantia a professed nonne of Panorme in Cycyll and the doughter of kynge Roger Thys coronacyon was celebrated on this wyse He first met the Emprour without the churche dore and afore hys enteraunce toke a solempne othe of hym that he shulde for tearme of lyfe with swerde defende holy church support all her customes lawes and lybertees fynally preserue the patrymony of S. Peter WhaÌ„ this was ones graunted the entered into the churche where as the same Pope erected into a trone of magnificence most maruelouse toke the imperyall crownes betwixt hys ij fete and with them crowned first the emprour and than the empresse hys wyfe Thys done with hys ryght fote he spurned the Emprours crowne of his heade agayne addyng thys vnshame fast clause that he had as we le power to depose hym as to crowne hym And the crowne fell to the grounde The Cardynalles standyng by toke it vp agayne set it vpon the seyd emprours heade Rogerus Houeden Ranulphus Rogerus Cestrensis ac Treuisa Thys story haue I here rehearsed that my readers might therby know the Antichrist was now at the highest in the full of hys abhominable pryde both in this Celestyne and also in hys predecessour Alexandre the thirde â–ª whyche Alexandre made the father of this emproure called Fridericus Barbarossa in S. Markes churche at Venyce to lye flat at hys fete vpon the pauymente he settynge hys fote in hys necke and vnsesonably vtterynge thys sentence Vpon the adder and cockatryce shalt thu walke the lyon and dragoÌ„ shalt thu treade vndre fote Psal. xc Loke Iacobus Bergomensis HartmaÌ„nus Shedel Ioannes Nauclerus Ioannes Stella and Barnes ☞ An archebyshop execrated and a byshop wounded IN the next yeare followynge whych was the yeare of our lord a. M.a. C. xcij. Geffrey the archebishop of yorke which was the kinges bastard brother resorted to LondoÌ„ by coÌ„maundemeÌ„t And as he came towardes Westmynstre with his crosse borne afore him the bishop of LondoÌ„ with certen other prelates met him full in that face without frindely salutacion excoÌ„municated him for that only acte suspended the newe teÌ„ple both from synging rynging where he was lodged so that he was compelled
to depart again froÌ„ London the purpose of his coÌ„ming not perfourmed Rogerus HouedeÌ„ Lo here was much a do for a thynge of nought And no smal matter was it in those daies to breake their apishe tradicions about the same tyme Hugh Nonaunt the byshop of Chestre droue all the blacke monkes out of Couentre and turned their monastery into a college of prestes sortyng their lyuynges into prebendes The cause was this They had kepte noughty rule and wolde not be refourmed Moreouer they were in dayly contencyon with the byshopp so that on a tyme not only they vyolently strake him but also they drewe bloude of hym afore their high aultre Radulphus de Diceto Radulphus Cogeshale Ricardus Diuisiensis Ricardus Praemonstratensis Rogerus Houeden Matthaeus Paris Ranulphus Treuisa Fabianus About vij yeares after thys at the coÌ„maundement of Pope Celestine the third the monkes were restored agayne and the prestes reiected by Hubert the archebyshop of Canterbury Hugh the byshop of Lyncolne Samson the abbot of S. Edmondes Bury Radulphus de Diceto IoaÌ„nes EuersdeÌ„ in AngloruÌ„ aunalibus atque Polydorus ☞ Prestes prouyded poysons dyuerse wayes AS a certen chaplayne belongynge to the archebyshop of Yorke and called Raufe Wygetoft in the yeare of our lord a. M.a. C. and xcvi laye vpoÌ„ his death bed at Rome he openly coÌ„fessed that he had sent into Englande false letters and poysons to the dyspachement of hys enemyes And whan diligent searche was made at London by them that folowed Roger of Rippun a prest which was the conueyar therof it was so founde in dede This poyson was brought thydre to haue destroyed maistre Simon the deane of Yorke and certen of the canons there And chefely it was in a rynge and girdle which both were brent at Totehyll before a great multytude of people the prest enprisoned This myschefe was layed to the archebishop Geffreye of hys enemyes but it was founde otherwyse Rogerus Houeden Radulphus Cogeshale Was not thys thynke yow a vertuouste studye of these holye votaryes At the same tyme was there a crafty knaue an holye monke I shulde saye in the abbeye of Euesham whiche laye long in a traunce And afterwardes he wrote a newe Apocalips or boke of reuelacions concerning the paynes of helle and ioyes of heauen not vnlyke to Tundalus praefati autores cuÌ„ Ioanne Scuish An other false tole was there in the dyocese of London whyche about the same season had visyons wonderfull they say of the peynes of purgatorye Thus went the deuyll about in this doubtfull age after dyuerse sortes to deceyue the ignoraunt multytude and very fewe there were thaÌ„ whiche in the true fayth resysted him ☞ A byshop and an archedeacon taken in the warres IN tyme of the warres whych were betwixt the frenche kynge and kyng Richarde Cor de lyon Iohan the kynges brother and Marchades a great captayne went abrode with a nombre of horsemen to â—roue mastryes Anon as Phylyp the byshop of Beluace a man more gyuen to warre than to preachynge had knowledge therof thynkynge them to be a mete praye for him came freshly out of the cytie with sir Wyllyam Marlon and his sonne and a great nombre more of valeaunt warryours In the ende the byshop the archedeacon and all the chefe captaynes were taken the resydue all slayne and dyspersed These ij prelates IohaÌ„ presented with great tryumphe to the kynge hys brother as those whyche had bene afore tyme hys great enemyes I haue gotten sayth he the great chaunter and a good quere man to answere hym in tâ—e same note and here I delyuer them to you The kyng smyled as one very glad that they were taken consyderynge the displeasurs whiche they had done and commaunded them armed as they were to be enprysoned Pope Celestyne hearynge therof by the canons of that churche commaunded hym to delyuer agayne hys sonnes To whome he sent their armour with thys massage in questyon Are these the garmentes of thy sonnes or mete apparelynges for thy chyldren No sayth the Pope nor yet of my bretherne but rather they are the vestures of the chyldren of Mars And so he lete them be styll at the kynges pleasure Where as they remayned for the space of iiij yeares after Matthaeus Paris Matthaeus VVestmonasteriensis Rogerus Houeden Rogerus Cestrensis Ranulphus Treuisa Nicolaus Treueth Ioannes Euersden Ioannes Scuish ☞ Fulco for the marryage of iij. spirituall wyues Wyls these warres yet endured theee came vnto kynge Richarde one Fulco a frenche prest whiche had preached very muche against vsurers and whores This Fulco required the kyng in any wyse to put from hym iij. abhomynable doughters whych he had and to coÌ„myt them to marryage least God ponnyshed hym for them Lytle was marryage beholden to suche a preacher Thou lyest hypocryte saith yâ— kinge to thy very face for all the world knoweth that I haue not one doughter I lye not sayth Fulco for thou hast iij. doughters One of theÌ„ is called Pryde an other couetousnesse and the third lecherie With that the kynge called vnto him his lordes his barons This hypocryte sayth he hath requyred me here to marry fourth my thre doughters And now that I haue founde out apte husbandes for them I wyll do it in effecte I therfore biquethe my pryde to the hygh mynded Templars and Hospytelers for they are as proude as helle My couetousnesse I gyue to the Cisteane monkes for they couere the deuyll and all My lecherie I commytt to the prelates of the church for they haue therin most felicyte Wyth this was the preacher coÌ„fused for he knew it was no lye Compendium noui chronici Matthaeus Paris Matthaeus VVestmonasteriensis Rogerus Houeden Radulphus Cogeshale Ranulphus Rogerus Treuisa Ioannes Scuish To this agreeth that which Giraldus Cambrensis writeth li iij. ca. xij Speculi ecclesiastici Which is that Pope Alexandre the thirde was wont to saye that he had iij. howses whome he inteyrly loued that aboue all others enioyed hys specyall protection Whyche were the thre religyons of Templars Hospytelers and Cysteanes Ye maye be sure it was for no goodnesse that they so highly stode in his fauer ☞ Men possessed of deuyls and Ciâ—teane monkes ROger Houeden sheweth li. ij historiae Anglorum that in the yeare of our lord a. M. a. C. and xcviij many were possessed of deuyls vexed with horryble freuesyes For remedye of this many monkes were sought to as men of most holy conuersacyon chefelye the Cysteanes Amonge whome there was an abbot whyche toke vpon hym to expell them in the name of Christ. And as he was doyng with one the euyll prete spake in him and said We are the same legion of deuils whiche Christe droue out of the Gergesytes into the heard of swyne and that drowned them in the sea Math. viij A power we haue receyued to entre
into all blasphemers as we haue found some in this citie If we therfor be expelled out of these mad men we will next of all entre into the thu hipocryt and into thy dyssemblyng ordre and torment yow as we haue done the others Not passinge iij. yeares afore sayth the seyd Roger certen paganes wastinge the lande of Sanctius the kyng of Portingale came towardes an abbeye of the Cysteanes to destroy it The monkes hauing knowledge therof came fourth and submytted themselues desyerynge their liues with teares The paganes coÌ„mended their conuersacyon and sayde that they myght in that ordre be saued if they hadde women The monkes iudged of thys true sentence as they hadde done of marriage that it was verye whoredome But the paganes thoughte of the monkes as the truth was that vndre that colour of religion they were filthie buggerars And so the paganes were much better than the sodometrouse monkes were Ex eodem Rogero ☞ Two archebyshoppes rebuked for collegys buyldynge MAnye greuouse accusacyons were made the same yeare to pope Innocent the thyrde by the monkes of Canterburye agaynste Hubert their archebyshop Chefely that he hadde builded a chapell at Lambeth to the horryble preiudyce of the mother churche of Canterbury placynge prestes or secular canons therin and appoyntynge them lyuynges oute of theyr yearlye rentes to theyr vtter vndoynge For there he intended they sayed to consecrate byshoppes and to depryue them of theyr eleccyons contrarye to their auncyent customes So that they much feared that the dygnyte of there churche whyche alwayes had bene a true handemayde to the church of Rome shuld haue bene traÌ„slated to that chapel Apostatrice as they thaÌ„ called it ful wisely Thus was the archebishop at the last coÌ„pelled as was Baldewin his predecessour to stryke it downe flat to the grounde whome after lyke forte they had also vexed for buylding the like at Canterbury Neyther was the kynge nor yet all the realme at that daye able to staye them Raufe Cogeshale sayth For they feared therby also to haue lost their prerogatyue in chosinge alwaies the archebishop They muche disdayned prestes in those dayes Ranulphus saith iudged them men of much lesse perfection than they were of for their monkish cowles sake But these ij archebishoppes were men of good knowledge Treuisa saith for they vnderstode that Christ which was the only heade of the church reckened no perfeccioÌ„ in moÌ„kes frires whaÌ„ he left his poor Apostles the gouernours therof Loke Roger HouedeÌ„ Mathew Paris Mathew of Westmin Raufe Cogeshale Ranulphus Treuisa Fabian and Iohan Scuish ☞ A lecherouse votarye assoyled at Rome for money IN an olde boke of confessyon reckenynges and of absolucioÌ„s sought at Rome by bawdye prestes and monkes of thys realme and obtayned for moneye I founde thys abhomynacyon to close vp my boke wyth wherat I much wondered The petycyon of an holye votray of England it shuld serue that he was a prebeÌ„d of Lincoln to Anselme the bishop of Albanense coÌ„tained this heauy coÌ„plaint That he at times by the deuils suggestioÌ„ had accupied al sortes of womeÌ„ as wele in the churches as in other sacred places He began first with the mothers and thaÌ„ folowed on with the doughters neces nigh kinswomen From theÌ„ he went to the nonnes and had to do with a sort of them also For the whiche he honestly desyereth absolucyon for his moneye and hath it as honestly of this byshopp beynge the Popes deputie after this fourme To your discressyon sayth thys byshop by writing to the byshop of Lyncolne do we commit it to assoyle this clarke in forma ecclesiae from the sentence of excommunicacyon in case he hath ronne into the daunger therof for hys fornycacyons aduoutryes incestes and other synnes We wyll yow also to enioyne hym penaâ—ace as ye shall se it conuenyent for the helthe of hys sowle Datum c. A great nombre of these bawdy bruynges founde I in that boke called poenitentiarium Romanum Se how tendre these fathers are to their owne lecherouse occupyenges and maryage amonge them is yet indyspensable O deuyls byrdes and promoters of all prodygyouse whoredomes and knaueryes The conlusyon of thys seconde boke THus haue I broughte to an rude the seconde part of the actes of my Englysh votaryes whych is a contynuacion of them for CC. yeares space from Sathans comming fourth froÌ„ the bottomlesse pytt Apocal. xx after the full thousand of yeares from Christes incarnacyon to the reigne of kynge Iohan in the yeare of our lorde a M. and. CC. If it be marueyled of that the first part shuld be so short contaynynge so many yeares and this part so longe of so fewe yeares I desyre them that so maruayle to take this for a full reason therof He that is in pryson can not buylde so fast to hys contentacion as he that is abrode and at lyberte I tolde ye afore that Sathan was tyed vp for the tyme. Not from doynge of myschefe for â—hat hath he wrought in all ages of the world But he was sequestred from doynge thys greatest mischefe of all in the Christen churche for their vnthankefull receyuynge of the Gospell of saluacyon whyche had professed the same Whan Noe by hys preachynge had admonyshed the people longe afore of the floude that was commynge if they repeÌ„ted not theyr synnes it layserlye came forwarde But whan it was ones entered than was there no stoppe but in it flowed apace In lyke case was it wyth thys floude of darkenesse and beastlye ignoraunce prescrybed of S. Iohan the Euangelyste at the tyme appoynted it fell faste vpon them that were drowned therin for theyr vnbeleues sake That Sathan ded afore for the more parte was secrete But that he hath done sens hath bene open and aparaunte bothe wayes Idolatry and supersticyon which are the deuils owne frutes by the space of those CC. yeares and of more thaÌ„ CCC yeares after them hadde a bewtiful shew and a gloryouse shynâ—e of relygyon holynesse perfeccyon and of Gods onlye hyghe seruyce Suche craftye colours and deceyuable mystes were caste vpon them by Sathans subtyle sophisters and sorcerouse dyuynes Thus were they seane wondered at worshipped and had in greate honoure for that v. hondred yeares space but not knowne a ryghte for lacke of godlye dyscressyon and knowledge of Gods wurde wherby all spretes are discerned and proued But now in this lattre age by the lyghte of the lordes aperaunce they are bothe seane and knowne what they are in dede The wurdes of the lordes owne mouthe in the sacred scriptures hath declared and manifested them to be most filthy abhominacions in their best aparellynges More copye of wryters in thys age than in anye other afore is also a lyuely profe and declaracyon of the same Therfor am I nowe compelled ere I passe any further to shewe in fewe wurdes the summarye contentes of
in Alpaida the harlot admytted by Pope Zachary to the crowne as testyfyeth Robertus Goulet in compendio sexaetation mundi ¶ Necessary is it that sumwhat be sayd here of their chast relygyon also In Rome were and are yet certen temples into whoÌ„ neyther honest matrone nor yet chast vyrgyne were suffered to entre what was permytted to commen whores oppressers of the people and Sodomytysh prestes in that behalfe I thynke all the worlde knoweth at thys daye Thys madde superstycyon sayth Iacobus Zieglerus in sua Syria had her fyrst orygynall in the mounte of Olympus within the yle of Cypres wher as a solempne temple was dedycate to Venus into whom no woman was permitted to entre and passed from thens to the Romanes beynge there admytted for a most hygh relygyon Neuerthelesse the commen whores had there allowed them for theyr lascyuyouse occupyenge most fayre mansyons in a strete called Suburrs as both Martialis and Pamphilus hath vttered Neyther hath any mannys doctryne sens the worldes begynnynge bene more hyghly accepted of the Romanes and theyr clergye than the crafty and darke learnynge of bawdy Aristotle whych not only besydes hys Sodometry kept a most fylthy whore called Hermia but also after her deathe ded sacryfyce vnto her as to a great Goddes and made hymnes in her prayse Thys sheweth Origene and Iohan Textor in hys offycynes Both Simon Magus and hys whore Selenes whych at Tyâ—us a cytie of Phoenices had maynteyned the brothell howse or stues were admytted of the Romanes for their execrable sorceryes to be worshypped for Goddes wyth yearely sacryfyces Loke Iustinus Irenaeus and Eusebius Caesariensis all auncyent writers ☞ In Englande here sumtyme myght no byshop ryde but vpon a mare as testyfyeth Bedas li. ij ca. xiij CestrieÌ„sis li. v. ca. xij Robbert Fabiane Pa. v. ca. cxxx Which holy obseruacyon they had from Rome it is not without mystery of theyr buggerysh beastlynesse The great aduouterer Pope Sergius after certen reuelacyons and myracles of the deuyll broughte fourth a great chyste full of dead mennys bones and caused the people both to kysse them and to worshypp them in the heade church of Rome to double the whoredome there Thys wytnessyth first Bedas de temporum ratione and than both Platina and Petrus Equilinus All these vncomely hystoryes consydered Rome with her vnchast vowes and votaryes is that blasphemouse Babylon Apocal xvo that Sodome and Aegypt Apo. xi whom all the scriptures detesteth Her cytezens are they whom God hath gyuen vp into most prodygyouse lustes of vnclennesse for changynge hys truthe to a lye For they vndre the professyon of chastyte leauyng the naturall vse of women sayth S. Paule haue brent in their owne lustes one to an other that man wyth maÌ„ that is to saye monke wyth monke nonne with nonne fryre with fryre prest with prest wrought fylthynesse Roma i. besydes that they ded with boyes bitches and apes with other beastes yea the holyeâ—t fathers of theÌ„ If ye spell Roma backwarde ye shall fynde it loue in thys prodygyouse kynde for it is preposterus amor a loue out of order or a loue agaynst kynde I shame no more to tell thys to the Popes remnauÌ„t here in England than they shame to blaspheme marryage whych is Gods holy instytucyon and to playe styll the whoremasters Sodomytes in euery corner The eternall God ones clerely delyuer thys ChristeÌ„ laude froÌ„ that monstruouse generacyon Amen Iohan Bale to the Reader IT wyll be thought of many most gentyll reader that I haue not herin done wele in bryngynge so many fylthy examples of the Popes vnchast masmoÌ„gers to lyght whych ought rather to haue bene buryed in oblyuyon I wyshe these to consydre whose vyces the scripture hydeth and whose it detecteth to rebuke and shame The same God whych couered the nakednesse of Adam and Eue with skynnes after their fall Gene. iij. The same God hath dyscouered the shame of Babylon whych now is the Romysh churche and shewed fourth her vncomely preuytees accordynge to promyse Esay xlvij Beholde sayth the lorde of hostes I wyll brynge thyne owne wayes vpon thyne heade Ezech. xvi I wyll vpon the thou bewtyfull harlot and maistres of witchcraft sayth God and wyll pull thy clothes ouer thy heade that I maye shewe thy nakednesse amonâ—e the Heythen and thy shame amonge the kyngedomes I wyll caste durte vpon the to make the be abhorred and a gasynge stocke Nahum iij for he that commytteth aduoutry getteth hym selfe shame and dyshonour such as neuer shall be put out of memory Prouer. vi Partly haue these with a great sort more of the scriptures prouoked me to fynysh thys worke partly the incessaunt callynge on of a great nombre of men both worshypfull godly and learned whych with Dauid Psal. Cxxxviij do perfyghtly and throughly hate these bandy brothels contempners of marriage and vtter enemyes of God I haue oft tolde them I hope in the zele of God that I wolde as lyttle abashe to shewe their fylthy actes by the wytnesse of their owne legendes Chronycles as they haue abashed to do them I haue tarryed these foure yeares sens I wrote the fyrst part of thys worke to beholde their repentaunce for this kynd of wyckednesse and I fynde them now more wyllfull and peruersed in their deuylysh opynyon than afore Therfore wyll I now ernestly detect the Sodometrouse actes of their holy Romysh chastyte The admonyshementes of S. Paule to their forefathers the Romanes of their hypocresy lyâ—s falsehede vnclennesse ydolatry prodygyouse lustes defylynges of bodye chaungynge of the naturall vse into an vse agaynst nature and other vnspeakable beastlynesse Roma i. haue they not regarded but haue wrought those most execrable myscheues and worke them styl in effect without repentaunce Therfore wyll I declare them in effect to cause gods people as necessary it is effectually to abhorre them Iudge me not herein to gyue a doctryne of vyce but rather an earnest doctryne to the contrarye in conteÌ„pt of such abhomynacyons as that college of the deuyll hath offered to the worlde for precyouse fruttes of spirytuall holynesse Vale. ¶ The shame of Aegipt shall be dyscouered They that dwell in the yles shall se euen the same daye Esay xx Ad illustrissimum Anglorum regem Edvuardum sextum Ioannes Balaeus Of olde hystoryes we haue it not only to consydre what thynges hath happened vnto vs afore but also to be ware in tyme to come that we maye make the kyngdome guyet and peaceable for all men Hester xvi ¶ The second part or contynuacyon of the English votaries comprehendynge theyr vnchast examples for CC. yeares space from the yeare a thousande from Christes incarnacyon to the reigne of kyng Iohan collected of theyr owne wryters by Iohan Bale ¶ The rynge leader of our votaries IN the. xx chaptre of S. Iohans reuelacyon is it sayd that whan
the thousand yeares are ones expyred SathaÌ„ shall be losed out of hys preson and shal go out at large to deceyue the people whych are in the. iiij quarters of the earthe Gog and Magog By Syluester the secoÌ„d of that name sumtyme a monke of Floryake whych by hys Necromancy obtayned the Papacy of Rome or generall vycarshypp of the deuyll in thys full thousande yeare from Christes incarnacyon was that commen aduersary set at large to wurke hys vnspeakable myscheues by the lecherouse locustes of the pytt bottomlesse the byshoppes monkes and prestes Benno Cardinalis in uita Hildebrandi Thys Syluester and his successours were those Angels of darkenesse whyche toke from hym the chayne wherwith Christ had tyed hym vp for that thousand yeares space whych was the true ministracyon of hys myghty worde so sent hym forth abrode by most deuylysh doctrynes in hypocresy to maynteyne all kyndes of ydolatry and fleshely fylthouse lyuynge For the more lucky spede of thys newe enterpryse thys Syluester relygyousely gelded hym selfe as Saturnus ded hys father as the olde poetes fayne and as was also seane by the wanton examples of Nero Aurelius and Palumbus the prest dedycatyng hys stones in a foule sacryfyce to Sathan that the pretensed chastyte of hys vnchast clergye myght therby haue the more prosperouse successe Thys stone offerynge of Syluester founde I regestred in an olde written Chronycle at Calys xxviij yeares ago Martinus Carsulanus Vincentius Vuernerus and Albertus Crants agreynge sumwhat to that same In the same thousande yeare from Christes incarnacyoÌ„ a most terryble earthquake befell a most horryble comete or blasyng sterre was sent in the skye the. iiij daye of DeceÌ„b. as testyfieth Christianus Massaeus Vincentius Antoninus ☞ The former hystoryes declared FOr a further manyfestacyon of the matters alleged concernynge Saturnus Nero Aurelius Pasumbus ye shall fyrst vnderstaÌ„de that Saturnus beynge the sonne of Coelum and Vesta with a syckle cut of the preuye partes of hys father and threwe them into the sea Wherof with the froth of that ragynge gulfe the fabulouse Poetes reporteth Venus to be engendered whych was the first mother of the pagane prestes chastyte and Vesta the begynnar of their nonnes of her called Vestalles Thys writeth Marcus Cicero in libro ij de natura deorum Macrobius in saturnalibus â—ebastianus Murrho in commentarijs Mantuani So was Nero and after hym Aurelius gyuen to lascynyousnesse that the one gelded male chyldren to vse them in stede of women and the other whan hys lustes were past gelded hym selfe into a preposterouse offyce of Venery Ioannes huttichius in uitis Caesarum Palumbus was a prest of Rome in the arte of Necromancye most depely learned Thys chaplayne of the deuyll was a generall prouyder for the oyled fathers there that their fleshly heates myght be quenched in the darke by other mennys wyues and doughters without blemysh of theyr virgynall vowe Whan thys prest shuld dye he slytt of hys genytalles and threw them to the deuyll as a rewarde for al hys labours taken in that conueyaunce as wyll hereafter apere more at large Ex Guilhelmo Malmesburiensi Ranulpho Cestrensi Matthaeo VVestmonasteriensi Vincentio VVernero ☞ The study and successyon of Prelates BEnno the Cardynall sayth in the lyfe of Pope Hyldebrande that thys most deuylysh Syluestre after the full accomplyshement of thys myllenary of yeares rysynge out of the depe pyt of Gods permyssyon ded many tymes to hys dyshonourynge make sacryfyce to the deuyll obtaynynge therby an ende sumwhat lyke hys deseruynge Yet left he discyples many behynde hym whom he had dylygently taught in the most deuylysh art of Necromancy to holde the Romysh churche in that scole and to prospere the kyngdome of Sathan in hys goynge forth at large most specyally ij Theophylactus Laurentius whych poysoned all the worlde with that myschefe After the death of this Syluestre contynuall stryfe was amonge hys dyscyples who shuld obtayne the Papacy But he that had Theophylactus and Laurentius on hys syde he went awaye with the garlande most commenly and sate in that seate of Pestylence tyll a poyson were prouyded to fatche hym awaye if he wrought not to their commodyte Thus folowed in that race Iohan ye. xviij whych within fyue monthes was poysened than Iohan the xix that tasted of the same ere the yeare came out than Sergius the. iiij than Benedict the. viij and Iohan the. xx whych both were vncles to Theophylactus After that folowed the seyd Theophylactus called Benedict the ix whych after xv yeares solde the Papacy to Iohan Gracyan hys sorcerouse companyon for a great summe of moneye was in the ende strangeled of the deuyll as he was doynge his feates in a forest The rest of thys rable wyll I shewe in HyldebraÌ„de whych was of them in that art a most dylygent dyscyple Martinus Carsulanus and Baptista Platina in uitis pontificum doth playnely report that Otho the thyrde Emprour and Robert the Frenche kyng were Syluesters dyscyples in the scyence of art Magyck and ded theyr true seruyce in the kyngdome of Antichrist becommynge his two sonnes in theyr posteritees ¶ The sorcerouse procedynges of Syluester NEcessary do I thynke it not to leaue thys sorcerouse Syluester thus but further to declare hys vngodly begynnynges and procedynges Wyllyam of Malmesbury Vincentius Ranulphus Rogerus Cestrenses Mathew of Westminster reporteth in their famouse writynges that he was a Frenche man borne called Gerebertus first of all and also that he was a professed monke of Fleryake not farre from Orleaunce where as he tasted the first pryncyples of Necromancy FroÌ„ thens he went to Hilpalis in Spayne and so longe remayned ther with a Saracene most expert in that arte tyll he had coppyed out and stollen all hys bobes by helpe of hys doughter with whom he had bene famylyar specyally one boke whyche was to hymselfe most secrete To prospere in thys pelfe chefely to escape the mortall daunger of thys Saracene tyll he were on the other syde of the sea he gaue hymselfe wholly to the deuyll promysynge to be hys perpetuall seruaunt Manye dyscyples he had in thys arte as is sayd afore Chefely Constantyne the Abbot of Saint Maximyne by Orleaunce Lotharius the archebyshop of Senona Adelbolde the byshopp of Wirtzenburg Otho the Emprours sonne and Robert the sonne of Hugh Capet the Frenche kynge By thys Robert was he first made archebyshopp of Remis in Fraunce than by Otho archebyshopp of Rauenna in Italy and last of all the great byshopp of Rome by the deuyls prouysyon Accordynge to thys olde verse Scandit ad R. Gerebertus ab R. post Papa uigens R. He clymed from R to R tyll he thryftely came to R. That is to saye from Remis to Rauenna and from Rauenna to Roâ—e He set vp a brasen heade of whome he alwayes