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
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
Fabiane parte vi cap. ccx ☞ S. Edwarde voweth chastyte in bedde REported it is in the legende of lyes which was wonte with solemnyte to be redde in temples of the Papistes that after thys kynge Edwarde was marryed to Editha the doughter of earle Goodwyne they both brynge togyther in bedde vowed a perpetuall chastyte and therin perseuered to the end of their lyues There contynued in them sayth the legende a coniugall loue without coniugall act and fauorable imbracynges without the deflourynge of byrgynite As though marryage were an enteraunce into vyoleÌ„t whoredome a fylthye deflourer of virgynyte whych rather sanctyfyeth it to increace to Gods honour as in Abraham Sara Zachary and Helisabeth For in theÌ„ was marryage a great blessynge of God Gene. xxi and a waye of ryghteousnesse without reproue Luce. i. as it is in all theÌ„ whych be of lyke faythe Edwarde was beloued sayth the legende but not corrupted Editha had fauer yet was she not touched As a newe Abisag she warmed the kyng with loue but she lowsed hym not by lecherouse lust She delyted hym wyth swete obsequyes yet made she hym not plyaunt to fleshly desyres In the same lowsy legende more ouer is it written that thys Edwarde called marryaged a fearfull shyp wrecke of maydenhede comparynge it to the fyery fornace of the Caldeanes Dani. iij. to the mantell whych Ioseph left in the handes of an whore Gene. xxxix to the lascyuyouse outrage of the. ii false prestes whych wolde haue oppressed Susanna Dani. xiij and to the fylthy intycementes of dronken Holophernes towardes fayr Iudith the seruaunt of God Iudith xij Of a farre other sprete was S. Paule than was thys Edwarde whan he called the marryed Corintheanes a chast virgyne coupled to Christ for their ChristeÌ„ beleues sake ij Cor. xi ☞ The Chronycles confuteth this deuylysh dreame FOr a confutacyon of thys practysed fable most deuylysh errour lete vs se what the Chronycles sheweth of the matter whych contayne muche more truthe than their quere legendes Ricardus Diuisiensis sayth that by feare terrour of deathe Edwarde was compelled to the marryage of Editha And Polydorus reporteth that for hate of her father whyche had slayne hys elder brother Alphrede he vtterly refused her agayne feysynge her goodes at hys pleasure Ranulphus and Anonymus sheweth that he depryued her of all quenely honour and put her into the abbeye of warwell with one only mayde to wayte vpon her so coÌ„myttynge her to the streyght kepynge of the abbesse there Wyâ—lyam of Malmesbury Marianus Scotus sayth that after he had marryed her he neyther put her froÌ„ hys bedde nor yet carnally knew her But whether that was for hate of her kyndred or in purpose of chastyte they can not dyffyne And Robert Fâ—byane confesseth the same in hys chronycle parte vi ca. ccx These testymonyes consydered se what sure grounde these oyled hypocrytes the monkes and the prestes haue to aduaunce in Edwarde their sodomytycal chastyte agaynst Gods fre instytucyon magnyfyenge hys wyfe to the starres in their letanyes with Sancta Editha ora pro nobis Iohan Capgraue rehearceth that the peeres of his realme had persuaded hym to marry that hys owne lawfull chyldren myght succede hym in that gouernaunce therof to the godly quetyng of the same as ded Dauid Salomon Ezechias Iosias and other holy kynges of the Hebrues But se what plage folowed of this Edwardes hypocresy by the peruerse counsell of those ydell whysperers and lecherouse leaders Such an whores byrde bastarde straunger enemy obtayned the crowne as brought Englysh people in most myserable subieccyon that wele was he which within hys owne nacyon myght saye I am none Englysh man Ranulphus Mattheus Paris Capgraue Fabianus Polydorus ☞ A voyce hearde but not much regarded NEuerthelesse it is redde of thys Edwarde the lyenge on hys death bedde he hearde thys voyce in a dreame The inyquyte of Englande of the clergy it wuld haue sayd prouoked God to wrathe The prestes haue swerued froÌ„ the lordes testament with poluted herte handes do their offyce vnpurely These be no natural shepherdes but hyred strauÌ„gers These defende not the flocke but suffer the wolffe to take hys pleasure of theÌ„ They only seke the mylke the wolle the shepe they care not for that helle is now redye to swellowe them in both The gydes of the people are bycome vnfaythfull next coÌ„panyons to theues robbers of their contrey Neyther feare they God nor regarde the lawe The veryte they hate the ryght they conteÌ„pne cruelte they only regarde Neyther haue the prelates ryghteousnesse nor their chaplaines curates any godly discipline Therfor wyll the lord whet his swerde hys bowe hath he bent made it redy Hys yre indignacyoÌ„ wyll he shewe to the people send them yll angels to vexe them accordynge to hys appoyntment All thys and much more hath Iohan Capgraue in Catalogo sanctorum anglicorum Yet were not those lecherouse lubbers by these forewarnynges amended But thys Edwarde they exalted aboue the mone and for hys vnprofytable chastyte yea most hurtefull myschefe vnto thys whole realme they haue euer sens placed hym next Mary the mother of Christ and the holy Euangelist Iohan. Neyther omytted they Editha in their letanyes nor yet Emma hys mother in their commendacyons whych had bene so depely in loue with Alwyne the forenamed byshop of Wynchestre that she both forgate hym and hys brother Ricardus Diuisiensis cum caeteris autoribus ☞ The Papacye ordre of Cardynalles and Swanus GRegory the vi about the same tyme founde the Papacy so impoueryshed and the possessyons therof so demynyshed by the lecherouse rule ryot excesse of hys bawdy predecessours in the yeare of our lorde a M. and xlvi that he had nothynge left hym to sustayne hys owne holy fathered and hys Cardynalles with in the relygyon of spirytuall ydelnesse but the bare offerynges and a fewe rentes there besydes Guilhelmus Malmesburiensis de regibus Vincentius li. xxv ca. xxij Ioannes de columna Antoninus parte ij tit xvi ca. i. About thys tyme Iohan Carion sayth the gloriouse name of Cardynalles came into an vse estymacyon or fame and so was noysed abrode Whose proude estate to maynteyne in all voluptuouse pleasurs thys Gregory toke in hande the materyall sworde and ded therwith suche murther and myschefe that the prelates their selues denyed hym Cristen buryall Ranulphus cestriensis ac Platina in uitis ponti ficum Swauus the first sonne of Goodwyne the earle of West saxons of Kent laye many tymes with Edgyne the abbesse of Leof about the yeare of our lorde a M. and xlix myndynge in the conclusyon to haue marryed her And was therfore compelled of kynge Edwarde to flee the realme of EnglaÌ„de into Flanders tyll such tyme as hys peace were procured by Aldrede than
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
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
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
of lyfe She left her owne howse and buylded her an habitacion by the churche louyngly intertaynynge men of holye orders In conclusyon whan she departed the worlde she left her great coffers and treasure bagges with Dunstane to dyspose for her soule she had heard of Kyng Edwyne with the which he after that buylded fyne monasteryes Ioannes Capgraue in Cat sanct Anglie ¶ Dunstane kepeth the kynges of Englande vndre DVnstane was excedyngly beloued with Cadina Kynge Eldredes mother these are the playne wordes of the history and he loued her excedyngly agayne And wheÌ„ he ones became the kynges corectour mastre yea rather his kynge Emperour sayth the text by her meanes he was elected Byshop of wynchestre after the decease of Eâ—phegus But he enioyed it not by reason of his tyranny against kynge Edwyne that succeded hym Whose coÌ„cubynes he can sed the archebyshop Odo as is sayd afore to seale in the face with hote Irons and to bannysh theÌ„ specially one he sore blemyshed sent into Ireland And wheÌ„ Dunstane was for this presumptuouse pageant exyled the moÌ„kes caused the coÌ„mons to ryse against him from the water of Humbre to the flood of Thamis so to depose hym Ioannes Capgraue in uitis Dunstani Odonis Neuer were the coÌ„cubines of Dauid Salomon thus ordered of Samuel Achimelech Abiathar Sadoch the byshop of that age In a serten vision receyued Dunstane iij. swerdes they saye of iij. apostles Peter Paule Andrewe with the administracioÌ„ of iij. byshoprickes in EnglaÌ„d Worcestre LoÌ„don CauÌ„terbury to kepe the kynges vndre to bringe moÌ„kes into the plentuouse possessions of the cathedrall churches that priestes with their wyues children by violeÌ„te expelled Of him also yâ— forsayd Odo thus prophecied at his coÌ„secracioÌ„ This will be a most mighty captaine come downe knawes come downe valeaunt warriour against the worldly pryncâ—s VinceÌ„cius Antoninus Capgraue Thus grewe the hoÌ„gry leane locustes into most sturdy wild horses with lyoÌ„s heades Apo. ix neyeng after mennis wyues Hiere 5. What rule was at Rome in those dayes TO fatche thys matter where about we go from the very well sprynge or fyrst oryginall as the frute from the tree and the tree from the roote we wyll sumwhat shewe what chast ordre was at Rome in those dayes In the yeare of our lord DCCCC and vij was one Sergius a man without all vertu and learnyng made Pope and became the thirde of that name This Sergius kepte a yonge whore in the tyme of hys holy papacye called Marozia had by her a bastarde which was pope loÌ„ge after hym called IoaÌ„ the. xi and reigned in all fylthinesse more theÌ„ vij yeares Some writers holde that he begate of her IohaÌ„ the. x. also but the coÌ„trarye of that shall apeare herafter This filthy tyrauÌ„t caused pope formosus whom his predecessour Steuen had afore disgraded buried among the profane laye multidude to be taken vp agayne decked lyke a pope set in a chayre to be byheaded and hys iij. fyngars cut of hys carkas so to be throwne into the ragynge flood of Tiber Se if there were euer any tyrannye lyke vnto the tyranny of these spirituall Antichristes thus cruelly handelynge â— man that is dead This sheweth more at large Liuthprandus Ticinensis lib. 2. Capi. 13. ac lib 3. Cap. 12. rerum Europicarum BloÌ„dus Flauius Baptista Platina Ioannes Stella abbas Vrspergensis Ptolemeus LuceÌ„sis Vincencius Antoninus Bergomas alij ¶ The chastite of holy churche there THeodora a most execrable whore and aduouterouse mother to the forsayd Marozia Theodora the yongar both vnshamefast whores also so burned in concupiscens of the bewtye of one Iohan Rauennas a priest theÌ„ sent in massage to the pope by Peter the Archebyshop of Rauenna that she not only moued hym but also compelled hym to lye with her and so become her peramoure dere This whore for hys lecherouse occupyenge of her made hym first Byshop of Bononye than Archebyshop of hys owne natiue cytie Rauenna and fynally Saynt Peters vycar in Rome called Iohan the. x. Pope of that name that she myght at all tymes haue hys companye nygher home This was done in the yeare of our Lorde DCCCC and. xv and he gouerned the papacye there xiij yeares and more Liuthprandus Ticinensis lib. 2 Cap. 13. rerum per Europam gestarum It is easye to se by this open experiment that she and her ij doughters myght do muche in the holye college of cardynalles He that iudgeth not that churche to be whoryshe whiche was so depelye vndre the rule of whores that they at their pleasure might appoint ther vnto what head rulers they would hath litle good iudgement in hym I thynke ¶ A popes bastarde is made Pope GVido the marques of Thuscia at the lattre marryed Pope Sergius whore Marozia Whiche willynge to preferre vnto Saynt Peters seate the bastarde whome she had by the sayd Pope caused hym to enpryson her mothers dere peramoure Iohan the. x. and to stoppe vp hys breathe with a pyllowe Immediatly after which was the yeare of our Lorde DCCCC and. xxix was he constytute pope and called IohaÌ„ the. xi but the same self yeare he was deposed agayne Wherupon she clerly left all spirituall occupienge and in displeasure of the prelates maryed her self sone after her husbandes deathe to one Hugh the Kynge of Italye whiche was her other husbandes brother by the mothers syde and made hym the monarke of Rome to recouer agayne thys lost dignyte for her bastarde Thus shewed she her self to be a playne Herodias besydes her other vnshamefast whoredomes in the spiritualte Liuthprandus li. 3. Ca. 12. Pope Leo the. vi which folowed the next helâ— the papacy not iij. quarters of a yeare And after hym Steuen the. vij litle moâ—e then ij yeares They myght not longe tarrye here but had a cast of sowre physycke to sende them well hens that they myght geue place to the ryght heire For next them he succeded agayne and contynued almoste v. yeares after All that hath wrytten sens platynaes tyme haue bene fowlye deceiued with hym concernyng this Iohan the. xi some of them takyng one Iohan for another and some two for one forwante of the afore seyde worke of Liuthprandus whiche wrote about the same verye tyme. ¶ Thre whores made Goddeses for whoredome AT Rome were iij. whores of name notable aboute the yeare of our lorde DCCCC and. xxx called Bezola Roza Stephana Whiche in all prodygyouse lecherye has bene brought vp there amonge the relygyouse Cardynalles Bysshoppes monkes priestes from their verye youthe As these whores came ones to the occupyenge of kynge Hugh he euer after abhorred hys other wyfe Berta a ladye most fayre and bewtyfull And for their connyng feates in that bawdye occupacyon he gaue them
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
The conclusyon of thys fyrst boke HEre haue I paynted out before your eyes most derely beloued contrey meÌ„ the chast holy coÌ„secrate spirituall actes of your Enâ—lyshe votaryes priestes monkes byshoppes from the worldes begynnyng to a full complete thousande years sens Christes incarnacion Not all haue I here rehersed for that were a laboure without ende they beynge so innumerable but a serten of them for euerye age that ye maye vp them perceyue what the rest hath bene In the next part or boke which shal begynne at Sathans goynge fourth at large after hys thousande yeares tyenge vp Apoca. 20. and so contynue to thys yeare of our Lorde a. MD. and. LI. that ye maye knowe what chere hath bene amonge them what occupyenge they haue had what masteryes they haue played what miracles they haue done for that thyme and space also I thynke it wyll apere an other maner of thynge then that which hath gone afore For so muche as Sathan their ghostlye gouernoure hath for that tyme wrought moste strongely No more wyl I be ashamed to reherse their fylthye factes lett them trust vpon it then they haue bene to do them in effect and to set them four the for holye spirituall coÌ„secrate chast honorable and ghostly good workes beynge abhominable and most stynkynge knaueries The worlde shall well knowe what Sodomytes and Deuyls they are that haue all this tyme contempned christen marryage instituted of God and do not yet repent their moste dampnable doynges in that behalf but contynue styll the same leadyng their lyues in vnspekeable fleshlye fylthynesse Christ promysed ones to all suche as they are that al their hydden mischeues should come to light if they would not at the call of his moste holye Gospell repent Nothyng sayeth he is so closelye hydden amonge those spirituall murtherers but wylbe clerely openeed neyther yet so secretly coueted but shall apere manifest and be knowen to the worlde Mat. x. Marc. iiij Luc. xij Christ suffered verye longe the Phaâ—ysees and Byshoppes the lewde predecessours of our proude spirytualte But whan he ones perceyued none other in them but conteÌ„pt of his verite with wylfull resistauÌ„ce of the holy Ghost he weÌ„t fearcelye vpon them with wo vpon wo callynge them all that nought was As hypocrytes dyssemblers dodypolles fooles blynde beastes bellygoddes scorners false prophetes periures vypers serpentes deuourers rauenours brybers theues tyrauntes murtherers and fyre brandes of hell Loke the. xxiij chapter of Mathewe and ye shall fynde that he poured all this vpon them and doubled it in the captyuyte of Hierusalem when the great vengeaunce of all innocent bloud lyght greuouslye vpon them For in the syege of that cytie were slayne by Vespasianus Titus to the nombre of x. hondred thousandes of Iues Not onlye of the inhabitauntes of that regyon there but from all quarters of the worlde about whiche at that tyme came thyder to their Eastre celebracyon Besydes these were there ledde fourth from thens captyue xcvij. thousande of whome some were solde to the Romanes to become their contynuall seruauntes and slaues and the resydue geuen vnto the Lyons and wylde beastes that they should dayly deuoure them and be fed with theyr fleshe All thys witnesseth Egesippus Iudeus li. 5. Ca. 49. De Hierosolimorum excidio And now after his moste manifest example Christ wylleth vs also extremelye to rebuke these cruell corrupters of the christyanite for their moste spyghtfull contempt of hys wholsome warnynges the Christen magistrates hereafter or els some other enemye of theyes folowynge with double vengeaunce vpon the heades of them Apoc. xviij This plage when it shall fâ—ll as it is not farre of wyll be the moste ryghtouse hande of God vpon that malygnaunte generacion Great wondre wyll it be vnto manye I knowe it wele to be holde theyr chefe Englyshe Sayntes thus rebuked And parauenture they wyll thynke that I myght as well speake agaynst Peter and Iohan Paule and Iames with the other Sayntes Apostles and Martyrs of the prymatyue churche as agaynste these vngodlye hypocrytes of theirs But I tell those menafore hande that they are wretched lye blynde for want of lyuelye knowledge in the sacred scryptures They haue no true iudgement in them to dyscerne the fallen starre from the starre so fyermelye fixed in the fyrmament as neuer coulde be yet from thens remoued Neuer shall he that declyneth to mennes inuencions be all one wyth hym whyche onlye foloweth the pure worde of God But vndoubtedlye of no small tyme haue the fallen starres darkened the clere starres of heauen the popes hypocrytysh Sayntes the true Saintes of Christ and perfyght chyldren of Abraham The chefe cause of thys hath bene the cruell contempt of holye wedlocke and the bragge boastynge out of theyr vnholoye chastitie Neuer sawe ye yet any holye dayes made of Adam Seth Enos and Enuch for the first age Neyther yet of Noe Abraham Isaac Iacob Ioseph Moises Dauid Zorobabel and suche other for the other ages I thynke if Peter and Paule with the other Apostles had bene knowen meryed men they had neuer had so many perfuminges and sensynges It is only marryage that hath made men secular abiectes and vnholye lowsye lewde laye people In spight of that haue the spirituall Sodomytes in the legendes of their sanctyfyed sorcerers disfamed the Englyshe posterite with tayles as I haue shewed afore That an englysh man now can not trauayle in an other lande by waye of merchaundise or anye other honest occupyenge but it is moste contumeliously throwne in his â—ethe that all Englyshe men haue tayles That vncomly note and report haue the nacion gotten without recouer by these laysye and Idell lubers the Monkes the priestes whiche could fynde us matters to aduauÌ„ce their Canonysed Cayâ—sby at their Sayntes as they call them but manyfest lyes and 〈◊〉 In the meane tyme haue they boosted their own most fylthye whores their Nonnes and veyled systers for sanctyfyed vyrgynes and the pure spowses of Christ. Neuer was there yet so precyouse and oryent a coloure to hyde all their knaueryes as was that counterfeit chastite of theyrs That fayre face of the subtyle serpent hath hytherto deceyued all the worlde and wrought innumerable myschefes therin But if those their sorcerers be Sayntes as they saye they are then may the Deuyls of hell be Sayntes also Let Dunstanes deuyll stande than checkemate with Dunstane hys mastre and be a popysh Saynt as he is for he neuer did a quarter of so muche mischefe as he hath done Stande vp ye noble men and women in the true knowledge of youre lord God if ye wyll hereafter be noted valeaunt Be not as your fore fathers haue bene afore yow beastlye ignoraunt in the wayes of hys truthe Folowe the Christen pryncyples of your most worthy IouÌ„as kynge Eduward the syxt and
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
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
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
though they had afore with all practyses possyble assysted hym to the same Wherupon grewe wonderfull commocyons in dyuerse quarters of the realme specyally at Norwych Helye and Yorke the great earles Raufe Roger and Waldeof aydyng the rude coÌ„mens in that rebellyon whyche prouoked hym to shewe double hatred to the Englysh nobilyte The next yeare folowyng as the earle Waldeof of NorthumberlaÌ„d was worthely depryued and at Wynchestre byheaded for the same Walkerus a lecherouse monke ambycyouse prelate not fyndynge hymselfe satisfyed with the ryche byshopryck of Durham bought thaÌ„ of the kynge that earledome to augment hys pompe possessyons and vayne gloryouse dygnite He brought thydre a swarme of ydell and lascyuyouse monkes out of other partyes thynkynge therby to be eueÌ„ with God and with their howlynge and wawlynge to pacyfie his anger what mischefe so euer he had done afore But se what folowed about v. yeares after For his outragyouse oppression and tyrannye the commens fell vpon hym and slewe both hym and an hundred of hys best meÌ„ Simeon Dunelmensis Henricus Huntendunensis Matthaeus Paris Rogerus houeden Thomas Rudborne alij ☞ The monkes dyspossesseth the prestes at Durham AFter hym succeded in the byshoprycke one Wyllyam an abbot a man of more wordes the story sayth than of godly wytt Thys prelate as Simeon wryteth in chronicis Dunelmà persuaded the kyng that the prestes of the church of Durham were vycyouse lyuers bycause they had wyues and wold not leaue them and that byshopp walkers monkes were the holye Ghostes chyldren most fytt to kepe S. Cutbert bicause they were wyuelesse watchemen He recyted vnto hym by the chronycle of Bede and by other olde writynges that from the tyme of Aidanus their first byshop tyll the vyoleÌ„t slaughter of the Danes it had bene possessed of monkes The kynge not muche regardynge the matter had hym consulte with Pope Hildebrande as he resorted vnto hym to Rome for hys confirmacyon as all bishoppes were than confirmed by the great Antichrist of that synnefull synagoge The whyche ones perfourmed to hys mynde he returned home with Hyldebrandes commyssyon And in the yeare of our Lorde a M. and lxxxiij obtaynynge therwith the whole consent of the prelates in the kynges parlemâ—nt at Westmynstre he droue the marryed canons their wyues out of hys cathedrall churche of Durham and placed ydell monkes in their rowmes to kepe Saint Cuthbertes shryne vniustly depryuynge them of all possessyon Rogerus houeden li. i. Polydorus li. ix Other prelates anon after ded wurke the lyke in dyuerse other quarters of the realme and fylled all the land with the secrete occupyenges of wycked Sodome and Gomor as wele apered in their last vysytacyon in our tyme the regestre yet remaynynge ☞ The vysyon of Boso and acte of Tostius chaplayne IOHAN Capgraue reporteth in Saint Cuthbertes lyfe that one Boso a knyghte was rapte or deprâ—â—ed of all maner of felynge by the space of more than two dayes And in the thyrde daye as he was commen agayne to hym selfe he instauntly desyred to be confessed to the pryour of Durham at the tyme called Turgotus to whome he declared what vysyons he had in that wonderfull traunce He behelde he sayd on the one syde of helle all the monkes of his abbeye goynge sadly in processyon on the other syde a sort of wanton gyglot wenches reioycinge in fleshely delyghtes and vncomely entycementes He sawe there also in a darke desolate place an hygh howse all of yron And whyls the dore therof oft tymes opened and speared agayne at the last he behelde Wyllyam their byshop which had bene HildebraÌ„des commissyoner puttynge forth hys heade callyng for Godfrey the monke whych was at that tyme the generall procurator of hys whole dyocese And thys was iudged a token that they two shulde not lyue longe after Se what noble successe thys decre of Hildebrande had here in thys realme The wyfe of Tostius sumtyme earle of Northumberlande called Iudith gaue many ryche ornamentes about the same tyme to S. Cuthbertes churche Thys lady bad a lusty chaplayne whych commyng of deuocyon to Tynmouth abbeye to se the translacyon of the body of S. Oswyne kyng martyr as martyrs went than could within the towne haue no lodgynge for the excedyng resort of people that than was there Howbeit vpon acquayntaunce he founde suche fauer that a bed was prepared for hym within the parrysh churche And bycause he thought it not pleasaunt to lye a loue he conuayed in a wenche in the darke to kepe hym company that nyghte But as he began to fall to hys accustomed nyght worke all the whole churche moued the story sayth as it wolde haue fallen vpon them Wherby he was than compelled to leaue hys occupyenge Ioannes Capgraue in uita Osvuini martyris ☞ The myracles of Lanfrancus the archebyshop LAnfrancus the archebyshop of Canterbury helde a synodall counsell at Paules in London in the yeare of our Lorde a M. and lxxvi Where as it was enacted by their coÌ„men consent that byshoppes from thens forth shuld sytt in counsels parlementes by lyke they stode on fote afore with cappe in hande that they shulde generally remoue their seates from the meane vyllages to the cyties of name as some had done afore to apere more notable and to augment their autoryte and fame Was not thys a great study thynke yow for the Christen commen welthe Thus clome they vp from one degre of pryde to an other tyll they bycame here in EnglaÌ„d lyke their father at Rome exaltynge themselues as S. Paule prophecyed of them aboue God and hys Christ ij Thes ij Thys Lanfrancus the next yeare after made one Paulus a yonge monke of Lane in Normandy the abbot of S. Albons This Paule was his nephew some saye hys sonne whych is all one amonge the Italyane prelates as he was one sauynge that nephew is a name more spirytuall Other great myracles thys LanfraÌ„cus ded in hys lattre age At Canterbury he enryched the monkes with great landes sumptuouse buyldynges and with precyouse ornamentes He repared their temples appoynted straunge worshyppynges He wonderfully augmented the pryde here of the clergye fynally buylded ij great hospytalles for pylgrymes to encreace the dayly ydolatryes whych thaÌ„ began to spryng Simeon Dunelmensis Matthaeus VVestmonast Matthaeus Paris Ranulphus CestreÌ„sis Rogerus Cestren Thomas rudborne Ioannes Capgraue Fabianus alij ☞ Of Osmunde the byshopp and of Salisbury vse OSmundus was a man of great aduenture polycye in hys tyme not only concernynge roberyes but also the slaughter of men in the warres of kyng Wyllyam coÌ„querour Whervpon he was first the grande captayne of Saye in Normandy afterwardes earle of Dorsett and also hygh chauncellour of Englande As Herman the byshop of Salisbury was dead he gaue ouer all and succeded hym in
that byshopryck to lyue as it were in a securyte or ease in hys lattre age For than was the church become Iesabels pleasaunt and easy cowche Apoca. ij hys cantels were not so fyne in the other kynde for destructyon of bodyes but they were also as good in thys for destructyon of sowles To obscure the glory of the Gospell preachynge and augment the fylthynesse of ydolatry he practysed an ordynary of Popysh ceremonyes the whyche he entytled a Consuetudynary or vsuall boke of the churche Hys fyrst occasyon was thys A great battayle chaunced at Glastenburye whyls he was byshopp betwene Turstinus the abbot and hys monkes wher in some of them were slayne and some sore wounded as is sayd afore The cause of that battayle was thys Turstinus contempnynge their quere seruyce than called the vse of Saint Gregory compelled hys monkes to the vse of one Wyllyam a monke of Fiscan in Normandy Vpon thys Osmundus deuysed that ordynary called the vse of Sarum Whyche was afterwardes receyued in a maner of all Englande Irelande and wales Euery syr Sander Slyngesby had a boke at hys belte therof called hys portasse contaynynge many superstycyouse fables and lyes the testament of Christ set at nought For thys acte was that brothell byshop made a Popysh God at Salisbury Guilhelmus Malmesburiensis Ranulphus Rogerus Capgraue Houeden alij ☞ Of Kenredus a prest whych was gelded AN acte was made in the yeare of one lorde a M. lxxxvij by kyng Wyllyam conquerour that who so euer were founde stelynge of dere he shuld lose one of hys eyes and he that was deprehended in rauyshynge a woman shulde lose both his stones without redeÌ„pcyon This hath Henricus Huntendunensis li. v. Ranulphus Cestrensis li. vij ca. iiij Rogerus Cestrensis li vij Ioannes Treuisa Not many yeares after a preste called Kenredus was taken in the I le of Anglesey by the Englysh captaynes and gelded some saye for offendynge the statute though the monkysh chronicles farre of otherwyse interprete that matter By reason of this and many other lyke examples for he was not alone in that age ye maye be sure whan they were so strayghtly sequestred from women the clergy sought busyly to be exempted from the laye or secular power in fyne made lecherie a spiritual matter to haue the correctyon therof in their spirytual courtes I thynke the deuyll was neuer more crafty than they haue bene to shadowe their fylthie enormytees by a vayne shewe of holynesse whyche is playne hypocresy But how so euer they prospered in those dayes the nobylyte and commens of this realme were wonderfully oppressed Mathew of Westmynstre sayth so that both noble men and gentyll men of the Englysh bloude depryued of their possessyons and beynge ashamed to begge were with their chyldren and famylyars compelled to spoyle and robbery whan huntynge wolde no longar serue them Of thys preste Kenredus writeth Simeon Henry Huntendune Ranulphus HouedeÌ„ Iohan Capgraue and Fabyane ☞ Prestes payed a trybute for theyr wyues MVche a do had kynge Wyllyam Rufus with Odo the proude byshop of Bayon hys vncle which was also earle of Kent with Egelwinus the byshop of Durham with Raufe the byshop of Chichestre and with other lyke heady prelates specyally with Anselme whome of a beggerly monke he had made archebyshop of Canterbury The seyd Anselme sought vtterly to depryue hym and all hys successours of the inuestynge of prelates or makyng of byshoppes and abbotes within hys own realme labouryng to turne that autoryte from the lawful power of Christen princes to the vsurped iurisdictyon of the proude Romysh byshop as it anon after came to passe for the whych he was worthely exyled this realme This kyng WyllyaÌ„ Rufus partly of pytie but chefely of couetousnesse for he had thaÌ„ many buyldynges in hande permytted the prestes for an yearly trybute to holde styll their wyues in spyght of the prelates specyally in suche dyoceses as had monkes than to their byshoppes whych strayghtly had commaunded Hyldebrandes wycked constytucyon to be obserued that no preste hauynge a wyfe shulde holde hys benâ—fyce Raufe the byshop of Chichestre than stode vp lyke a praty man not only rebuked the kynge for takynge that trybute whych lyke an a dust conscyenced hypocryte he called the fyne of fornycacyon but also he withstode his offycers stoppynge vp the churche porches with great stakes thornes and bryres and interdyctynge the temples But whan the gentyll kynge had ones gyuen hym that trybute for hys owne dyocese he coulde take it wele ynough and make no great noyse therof Guilhelmus Malmesburiensis li. ij de pontificibus Ranulphus li. vij ca. ix Rogerus li. vij Fabianus ☞ Varyaunce amonge byshoppes for marryed prestes A Lytle afore that is to saye in the yeare of our lord a M. and xc a sore contencyon had bene amonge the byshoppes They that had bene prestes and no monkes fauourably permytted the prestes to remayne with their wyues in their dyoceses at the least sayth Roger of Chestre some of them helde their peace and wolde not se them The other sort whych had bene monkes vexed them troubled them and most greuously molested them depryuynge them of their lyuynges and most cruelly bannyshynge them out of their contreys For the which vyolence some of those byshoppes that had bene prestes thrust the monkes out of their cloysters and put in secular prestes as they called them in their rowmes Of this bande or factyon was Walkinus the byshopp of Wynchestre the chefe doar or begynner hauynge the kynges agrement â—o the same But in the ende they preuayled not first Lanfrancus and than Anselmus beynge both monkes and archebyâ—hoppes of Canterbury and wrytynge â—o the Romysh NeÌ„roth agaynst theÌ„ Notâ—ithstaÌ„dyng whan Walter was byshopp of Durham whyche succeded Egelwinus and had bene the kynges chaplayne to spyght the monkes therwith he compelled them to leaue their frayter to dyne in hys open halle and to eate such meates as by their rule were forbydden them He also caused them to be serued at the table with women whych were not very sober neither in aparel nor yet in gesture or couÌ„tenaunce And all was to trye out their hypocresye But some of theÌ„ I thynke toke not the matter very greuously Guilh. Malli i. iij. de ponti Ranulphus li vij ca. xi xi Polychronici Rogerus li. vij Ioannes Treuisa alij ☞ God by sygnes manyfesteth the myschefe of thys age BVt marke how God fulfylled in thys age that he had secretly shewed afore to S. Iohan the Euangelist Apoca. vi viij For a fore warnynge to hys electes Many starres were seane fallynge downe from heauen in the yeare of our Lorde a M. xcv specyally a blasynge starre in lykenesse of a great burnyng beame reachynge from the south to the north a wonderfull derth folowynge not only of
vytayles but also of the fowles fode Amos. viij Whych is the veryte of God and sede of saluacyoÌ„ Marke chronicon Sigeberti Mathew Paris Mathew of Westmynstre Roger Houeden Scalamundi and chronicon chronicorum Yea to make the matter more playne vnto vs for the fulfyllynge of those hydden scryptures in our owne nacyon Radulphus de Diceto Sigebertus and Thomas Rudborne in their chronycles addeth thus muche to the storye Amonge the whych fallen starres saye these autours one which was the greatest of theÌ„ all semed to fall on the other syde of the sea in Fraunce as it had bene a blasyng fyre brand And whan the place was marked in Normandy and dylygently sought out the searchers behelde a fearful flutteryng and terryble boylynge in a serten water an horryble stynkynge smoke arysynge therof By thys partycular fallen starre is signyfyed first Lanfrancus afterwardes Anselmus ij Normandy moÌ„kes archebyshoppes of Canterbury by whome in those dayes was all the hurly hurly turmoyle and change in relygyon here in Englande Lanfrancus conteÌ„ding for transubstancyacyon of the Eucharysticall breade to aduaunce ydolatry and Anselmus condemnynge the marryage of prestes and autoryte of prynces for inuestynge of prelates to sett vp sodometry impunyte of synne in the clergye Wherby the one was constytute the adoptyue sonne of Antichrist and the other the pope of England as hereafter wyll apere The water betokeneth the wauerynge multytude and the stynkynge smoke the fylthie doctryne of those fallen starres ☞ Of a lecherouse byshop and ij supersticyouse earles RObert Bloet whyche had bene a monke of Euesham abbeye went not thens so poore but that he was able to gyue for the byshopryck of Lyncolne fyue thousand pounde in the yeare of our lorde a M. xcij. after the death of Remigius By lyke he had bene abbot of the place that he was so wele mouyed Never was Orpheus Palemon nor Sardanapalus more expert they saye in the fyne feates of lecherie than he was For Wylliam of Malmesbury reporteth that he was totus libidinosus all gyuen to fylthie lyuynge And yet he was brought vp in the cloystre vndre Saint Benets rule a great professour of chastyte and a worthie gouernour in that relygyon At the last he dyed sodenly and was buryed at Lyncolne where as the church kepers were sore anoyed they saye with his sowle and other walking spretes tyll that place was pourged by prayers Guilhelmus Malmesburiensis li iiij de pontifi Ranulphus Rogerus Thomas Rudborne ac Polydorus Whan Roger the earle of Shrowesbury perceyued ones that he coulde not lyue muche longar he sent Reynolde the pryour of Shrowesbury to Clunyake in Fraunce for the kyrtle of holy Hugh the abbot there that by lycence of Adelyse hys wyfe he myght for socour of hys sowle depart to God in the heate of hys holynesse As muche mede had he therof Treuisa sayth as had Malkyn of her maydenhede whych no man was hasty on Hugh the olde earle of Chestre beynge spoke vnto death in the same selfe yeare caused by the entysement of Anselme the prestes clerely to be expelled out of the high churâ—he of Westchestre and the monkes to be placed there for them So frantyck were the worldly rulers in thys age Henricus huntendune li. xi Ranulphus Rogerus Treuisa Fabianus alij ☞ Of byshop Herbert whych buylded Christes church at Norwych Thys Herbert was called by surname losinga the father whyche bigate hym was Robert the abbot of Wynchestre But who was hys mother the story telleth not to leaue it as a secrete matter within relygyon First was he here in Englande by fryndeshyp made abbot of Ramseye and afterwardes byshop of Thetforde by flattery and fat payment in the yeare of our lorde a M. xci For the which he is named in the chronycles yet to this day the â—yndelyng matche of symony and that noteth hym no small doar in that feate Notwithstandyng he so repented that symony they saye that he went to Rome and there resigned vp hys ryng pastorall hoke to Pope Vrbanus the seconde in the yeare of our lord a M. xciiij not without an other great summe of moneye ye maye be sure for there myghte nothynge passe without ready payment But here ye maye axe me whye the byenge of a byshoprycke was symony in England and not at Rome Wherunto I answere For in Englande a kynge receyued the moneye whych hath none autoryte to meddle in that marte of byenge sellynge wantyng the character or marke of the beast whych they haue at Rome Apo. xiij Also they haue lyberte in that generacyon to iudge blacke whyte euyll good sower swete and darkenesse lyghte also to wurke therafter Esa. v. And whan he had ones returned home agayne by vertu of Antichristes commissyon he remoued hys seate of poysenynge Christes flocke from Thetforde to Norwyche in the yeare of our lorde a M. xcvi dyspossessynge the prestes and theyr wyues and placynge the monkes in their rowmes to make that church a Sodome Guilhelmus Malmesburiensis Radulphus de Diceto Matthaeus Paris Matthaeus VVestmonasteriensis Ranulphus Rogerus Thomas rudborne Ioannes Eucresden Ioannes Capgraue Fabianus alij ☞ The robbery symony and sacrilege of the seyd Herbert OF thys byshop Herbert were many straunge thynges written but yet very couertly and craftely I thynke to hyde the open shewe of hys euyls because he was so great an abbeye foundar Some there were that scoffyngly bestowed vpon hys predecessour Arfastus and hym thys texte Non hunc sed Barrabam Ioan xviij Not hym but Barrabas For Arfastus had translated the byshopryck from Helmam to Thetforde whyche were in those dayes but vyllages But he traÌ„slated it froÌ„ theÌ„s to Norwych whyche was a famouse towne and of great occupyenge An other sort gaue thys texte by the waye Amice ad quid uenisti Mathae xxvi Frende wherfore art thou come Thus slyely they compared hym to Barrabas and Iudas whych both were theues Malmesburius Ranulphus Treuisa Moreouer a Poete or versyfyer of that age made these verses of hym Surgit in ecclesiam monstruÌ„ genitore losinga Simonidum secta canonum uirtute resecta Petre nimis tardas nam Simon ad ardua tentat Si praesens esses non Simon ad altauolaret Proh dolor ecclesiae nuÌ„misuenduntur aere Filius est praesul pater abba Simon uterque Quid non speremus si nummos possideamus Omnia nummus habet quod uult facit addit aufert Res nimis iniusta nummis fit praesul abba ¶ A monstre is vp the sonne of Losinga Whyls the lawe seketh Symony to flea Peter thou slepest whyls Simon taketh tyme If thou wert present Symon shulde not clyme Churches are prysed for syluer golde The soÌ„ne a bishop the father an abbot olde What is not gotten if we haue rychesse Moneye obtayneth in
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
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 ☞
Abbotes deposed and prestes in Northfolke depryued IN this solempne counsell a great nombre of abbottes were deposed and dysgraded chefely these by name Guye the abbot afperscour Aldewyne the abbot of Ramseye Wymunde the abbot of Tauestoc Godryck the abbot of Peterburgh Haymo the abbot of Ceruel Agelryck the abbot of MydeltoÌ„ Richard the pryour of Hely Robert the abbot of S. Edmondes Bury the abbot of Mycelney the abbot of Stoke certen others I thynke it was for hauntyng of whores or for bandy rule kepynge For Simeon of Durham Radulphus Niger Roger Houeden Iohan Euersdene and other historyanes report that they lyued without all honestie Byshopp Herbert of Norwych had muche a do with the prestes of hys dyocese anon after this counsell For they wolde neyther leaue their wyues nor yet gyue ouer their benefyces Wherupon he wrote to Anselme the archebyshopp for counsell what was to be done therin Whyche Anselme requyred hym by writinge to persuade the people of Northfolke and Southfolke that as they professed a Christianite they shuld subdue them as rebelles agaynst the churche and vtterly dryue both them and their marryed wyues out of the contreye with rebukes and shame placynge monkes in their rowmes Loke the C. lxxvi epystle of Anselme This was the reuerence that the fallen starres had in those dayes of hypocrâ—sye to that holye ordynaunce of marryage whych God had prouyded for mannys naturall necessyte O subtyle Sodomytes how deuylyshely demented yow mennys eyes in that age that they ded not perceyue your wycked sorceryes ☞ The raylynge ryme of a folysh monke ABout the same tyme as malycyouse moÌ„ke or beast without all good learnynge made these folysh verses in dyspyght of the marryed prestes and set them vpon doores and postes to cause the people to abhorre theÌ„ for their marriages O male uiuentes uersus audite sequentes Vxores uestras quas odit summa potestas Linquite propter euÌ„ tenuit ê— morte trophaeuÌ„ Quod si non facitis inferni claustra petetis Christi spoÌ„sa iubet ne presbyterille ministret Qui tenet uxoreÌ„ domini quia perdit amorem Contradicentem fore dicimus insipientem Non exrancore loquor haec potius sed amore Ye prestes that lyue so naughtyly Heare these my verses by and by Your wyues forsake whome God doth hate For the lambes sake immaculate If ye do not ye shall to helle The spowse of Christ bad me so telle She wylleth no prest any masse to saye Whych hath a wyfe but that he decaye We call hym a fole that beleue not thus I speake not of hate by swete Iesus Thys founde I at Ramseye abbeye in a lyttle treatyse de monachatu Was it not good stuffe to confounde prestes marryage with Where founde thys raskal moÌ„ke that marryage was a naughty lyfe eyther yet that God euer hated the wyfe of a preste consyderynge that Abraham Aaron and Peter pleased their lorde God in marryage Who wolde for righteousnesse thretten helle but a fylthie Antichrist knaue Neuer was it Christes dere spowse that forbad the mynystracyon of a marryed mynyster but the sorcerouse synagoge of the deuyll They are godly wyse that withstande this hypocresy of SathaÌ„ and no foles though thys beastly fole so call them of a spyghtfull hate agaynst the veryte of the lorde ☞ The earnest resystaunce of Yorke dyocese GErarde the archebyshop of Yorke whan he was ones satled at home after the aforesayd great counsell laboured to sett that waye of wyckednesse in hys prouynce of Yorke that Anselme had planted afore hym in the prouynce of Canterbury For as the kynges had their regyons of God so had these sorcerers their sorted out prouynces of the tyrannt of Rome and wolde be aboue them within their owne nacyons as their wycked maistre wolde be aboue God in hys monarchycall meddelynges Whan thys Gerarde had begonne hys feates to depryue the prestes of their wyues not only ded they knytt hym vp with bytynge wordes but also they manfully reasoned argued and dysputed with hym And whan that wold not helpe they sharpely threttened hym and reuyled hym saynge if they myghte not by the newe statute holde wyues of their owne they wolde not spare the wyues of their neybers make what lawes they wolde Professyon of chastyte wolde they none make otherwyse than was their olde custome Neyther coulde he cause them by any persuasyon to take their newe orders whyche had none orders afore for doubt of the vowe annexed newly to them And muche a do he had with the archedeacons sonne whome for a certen summe of moneye he had made sure of hys fathers lyuynges afore hys dysseace Bicause it was done afore that great synode he wolde gladly haue dyssolued it but it wolde not so come to passe Loke the epystles of Anselme in the lattre ende ☞ An other Synode at London for Sodomytes IN the next yeare after thys great counsel at Westmynstre for prestes diuorcementes which was the yeare of our lorde a M.a. C. and. iij. rumours and complayntes were brought to Anselme that the lande was sore replenyshed with the execrable vyce of Sodometry sens the clergye was inhybyted marryage Thus entered in thys plage here with the wyckednesse of the Romanes for our vnbeleues sake as S. Paule afore prophecyed Roman i. Than was Anselme compelled to call an other counsell at Paules within London where as he specyally enacted it amonge other matters that euery sondaye in the yeare the Sodomytes shulde be pronounced excommunycate Ranulphus Rogerus Treuisa He ordayned also that no cattell shulde be sold that daye to seme to sytt vpon other matters so wele ae vpon that sumwhat to shadowe the filthienesse of his masmoÌ„gers Wilye wer the wurkers in that wicked generacioÌ„ to blind so the syght of the simple The acte for Sodometrye was this Sodomiticum flagitium facientes eos in hac uoluntate inuaÌ„tes graui anathemate damnamus donec poenitentia confessione absolutionem mercantur Wyth a greuouse curse we condempne both them that occupye the vngracyouse vyce of sodometrye and them also that wyllyngly assyst them or be wycked doars with them in the same tyll suche tyme as they maye deserue absolucyon by penaunce and confessyon Is not here thynke yow good matter and relygyously handeled Wher was the learnynge of the lorde yea where were godly gouernours in thys wycked age Oh that the people of God shulde be ledde by such helhoundes and theues as these sodometrouse shauelynges were ☞ A generall curse agaynst Buggerers NOw foloweth the rest of thys acte marke it good reader thou shalt beholde these holy canonysed deuyls in their owne ryght colours Qui uero in hoc crimine publicatus suerit statutum est siquidem fuerit persona religiosi ordinis ut ad nullum amplius gradum promoueatur si quem habet ab illo deponatur Si autem
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
sea excepte one man theyr bodyes neuer founde Guilhelmus Malmesbury Simeon Dunelmensis Rogerus Houeden Matthaeus Paris Ioannes Capgraue Libro ij De nobilibus Henricis Some monkyshe wryters hath iudged the curse of quene Mande whyche was a professed votarye to be the cause of thys ruyne as is sayde afore some other attrybuteth it to the vyce of sodometrye whyche manye of them hadde learned of the monkes and the prestes after the solempne professyon of theyr newe vowe of chastyte But I do thynke it to be a plage of God vpon the kynges posteryte for sufferynge so greate a myschefe to entre in hys tyme wythoute contradyccyon as that sodometry was and as was the condempnacion of the Christen ministers marryages For in hym Polydorus sayth vtterly ended the dissent of the Normannes bloude in the male kynde accordynge to the wyse mannys sentence Sap. iiij The plantes of aduoutry shall take depe rotynge As he was the sonne of a bastarde and suffered thys preposterouse religyon or bastardye of prestes without wyues to take place here in hys dayes to the vprayse of buggery and neuer resysted it beynge gods immedyate mynistre ☞ Celsus an archebyshop had both a wyfe and chyldern CElsus the great archebyshop of Armach and hygh prymate of IrelaÌ„d had both a wyfe and chyldren in the tyme of hys archebyshoprye accordynge to the vsage of that contreye That archebyshopryck S. Bernard sayth with the primacye of the whole lande was holden as an inherytaunce in one kyndred by xv generacyons the sonne alwayes succeding hys father And. viij of them he reporteth to be wonderfully wele learned but allwayes they toke their orders for that long season without any vowe of professyon Neyther wolde the people suffer any other to take that hygh offyce saue only them whyche were of the same howse and progenye Thys hath S. Bernard in uita Malachiae so hath Vincentius Antoninus Petrus Equilinus and Iohan Capgraue in their historyes of sayntes What a beastly fole is Iohan Eckius than whyche reporteth in hys Enchiridion that it hath not bene hearde sens the death of Christe that any prest hath married a wyfe doctour Coole and other Papistes maynteinynge the same here in England Thys Celsus at the lattre beynge an olde dottynge man and seduced by them whyche taught lyes in hypocrisye was the first that brought into that regyon that doctryne of deuyls whyche condempned marriage in the clergye For he sent hys wyfe in a vysyon they saye a woman of a large and reuerende countenaunce to surrendre as he laye a dyenge he pastoral crosse to one Malachias which had professed chastyte about the yeare of our lord a M.a. C. xx Many mad packynges were amonge these Romysh sayntes whan the byshopryckes waxed fatt Pope Adryane the. iiij xxxiiij yeares after whych was an Englysh man and Pope Alexander the thirde xvi yeares after that in their tyrannye commaunded kyng Henry the seconde to subdue the Iryshe nacyoÌ„ as heretykes and rebelles bicause the people there withstode their procedynges for their byshoppes and prestes marryages And for that victory they confirmed hym lorde of Irelande Loke the chronycles of Nicolas Treueth and Iohan Hardynge ☞ A lecherouse Cardynall condemneth prestes marryage IOannes de Crema the prest Cardynall of S. Grilog in Rome was sent into England and Scotlande from Pope Honorius the seconde as high commissyoner and legate from hys ryght syde in the yeare of our lord a M.a. C. xxv to se that all thynges were wele there in the clergye to hys behoue Besydes hys generall commissyon he sent pryuate letters to the kynges and the prelates of both those regyons to receyue hym as his own dere sonne and as S. Peters holy vycar whyche declareth his autoryte not small This legate with great pompe thus enterynge into Englande about the feast of Eastre was horrybly honorably I shuld saye receyued of the prelates and went banketynge and prowlynge from byshop to bishop and from abbot to abbot tyll he came to the water of Twede and the towne of Rorburgh in Scotlande where as he founde Dauid the Scottysh kynge His legacye there perfourmed and all his bagges weâ—e stuffed he returned agayne to London and at Westmynstre vpoÌ„ the ix daye of SepteÌ„b he helde with ij archebyshoppes xxiiij byshops xl abbottes an innumerable multitude of the clergye and commen people a great synode Where as he rygorously and stoughtly replyed agaynst those prestes that wold for no commandement forsake their marryed wiues repetynge oft this vnsemynge sentence that it was a shamefull matter to ryse froÌ„ the sydes of an whore to make Christes bodye A clause was this in qualyte not vnlyke to hym that vttered it whyche was an ydolatrouse whoremonger He ordayned in that synode that prestes shuld kepe company with no kynde of women he condempned marryage to the. vij degre in bloude and that no prestes sonne shulde clayme churche or prebende by inherytaunce folyshely concludynge with thys verse of Dauid Psal. lxxxii Pone illos ut rotam c. Make of them a whele lorde that saye we wyll haue the howses of God in possessyon Simeon Dunelmensis Rogerus Houeden Henricus Huntendunensis Radulphus de Diceto Matthaeus Paris Ranulphus Rogerus Cestrensis atque alij ☞ This Cardynall sheweth the first fruites of that chastyte THe prestes beyng moued with the furiouse acte of this Cardinal therwith perceyuyng him to be a maÌ„ of lighte conuersacion so narrowly watched him the night folowyng that they â—oke him in bed with a notable whore The matter was very open sayth Roger Houeden for it was done at London where great plenty is of wytnesses It coulde not wele be hydden sayth Henry of Huntyngton in the viij boke of hys chronycles neyther was it fyâ—t to haue bene kept secrete from the knowledge of men If any be offended sayth he that a prest shulde marry lete him kepe it to him selfe leest he fall in lyke daunger as ded thys lordely legate Thys Cardynal was he Polydorus sayth that behelde a small mote in an other mannys eye and could not perceyue the great beame in hys owne The prestes ded hym no wronge that in thys case dysobeyed hys vniust procedynges Nothyng was found more vnfytt than to require to strayghtly of others that hys leife could not do Thus he that entered with honour and pompe went home agayne to his father with shame and confusion The actes of S. Peters vycar were all turned ouer and the religyouse syttynges of the prelates there were vtterly laughed to scorne The byshoppes and fat abâ—ottes departed thens wyth reade chekes not glad of the bawdy chauÌ„ce that happened and they lete that matter passe for the space of more than thre yeres after For the slaundre was not small Mathew Paris sayth So returned the prestes ones agayn to their wyues were muche more bolde than afore
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
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
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
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