"Twenty-four years after that, (which was A.D. 947) Eldred the king our progenitor, Athelstane's brother, received homage of Irise, then king of Scots.

46

Thirty years after that, (which was A.D. 977), King Edgar our predecessor received homage of Kynald king of Scots. Here was a little trouble in England by the death of St. Edward king and martyr, destroyed by the deceit of his mother-in-law, but yet within memory.

Forty years after the homage done by Kynald to King Edgar, (that is to say, A.D. 1017,) Malcoline the king of Scots did homage to Canute our predecessor. After this homage done, the Scots shewed some piece of their natural disposition, whereupon (by war made by our progenitor St. Edward the Confessor, thirty-and-nine years after that homage done, (that is to say, A.D. 1056) Malcoline king of Scots was vanquished, and the realm of Scotland given to Malcoline his son by our said progenitor St. Edward, unto whom the said Malcoline made homage and fealty.

Within fifty years after that, William the Conqueror entered this realm, whereof he accounted no perfect conquest until he had likewise subdued the Scots; and therefore in the same year (A.D. 1068), the said Malcoline king of Scots did homage to the said William the Conqueror as his superior, by conquest king of England.

"Twenty-five years after that, (which was A.D. 1093) the said Malcoline did homage and fealty to William Rufus, son to the said William the Conqueror, and yet after that, he was for his offences and demerits deposed. and his son substituted in his place; who likewise failed in his duty. Edgar brother to the last Malcoline, and son to the first, was ordained king of Scotland by the said William Rufus, who did his homage and fealty accordingly. Seven years after that, (which was in A.D. 1100), the said Edgar, king of the Scots, did homage to Henry I. cur progenitor.

Thirty-seven years after that, David king of Scots did homage to Matilda the empress, as daughter and heir to Henry I. Wherefore being after required by Stephen, then obtaining possession of the realm, to make his homage: he refused so to do, because he had before made it to Matilda, and thereupon forbare. After David's death, which followed shortly after, the son of the said David made homage to King Stephen.

"Fourteen years after that (which was in A.D. 1150), William king of Scots, and David his brother, with all the nobles of Scotland, made homage to the son of Henry II., with a reservation of their duty to Henry II. his father. "Twenty-five years after that (which was in A.D.1175), William king of Scotland, after much rebellion and resistance, according to their natural inclination (king Henry II. then being in Normandy) acknowledged finally his error, and made his peace and composition, confirmed with his great seal, and the seals of the nobility of Scotland, making therewith his homage and fealty.

"Within fifteen years after that (which was in A.D. 1190), the said William king of Scots came to our city of Canterbury, and there did homage to our noble progenitor King Richard I.

"Fourteen years after that, the said William did homage to our progenitor King John, upon a hill besides Lincoln, making his oath upon the cross of Hubert, then archbishop of Canterbury, being there present, and a marvellous multitude assembled for that purpose. "Twenty-six years after that (which was in A.D.1230), Alexander king of Scots married Margaret the daughter of our progenitor Henry III. at our city of York, in the feast of Christmas. At which time the said Alexander did his homage to our said progenitor, who reigned in this realm fifty-six years. And therefore between the homage made by the said Alexander king of Scotland, and the homage done by Alexander, son to the said king of Scots, to us at our coronation at Westminster, there was about fifty years. At which time, the said Alexander king of Scots repaired to the said feast of our coronation, and there did he his duty as is aforesaid."

In the year 1303, William Wallace in his rebellion, gathered great multitudes of the Scots to withstand the king, till at length he was taken, and sent up to London,

and there executed. After which the king held his parliament at Westminster. Shortly after, Robert Bruce, forgetting his oath to the king, within a year or two after this, by the counsel of the abbot of Stone, and the bishop of St. Andrews, sent to Pope Clement V. for a dispensation of his oath; insinuating to him, that King Edward vexed and grieved the realm of Scotland wrongfully. Whereupon the pope wrote to the king to leave off such doings. Notwithstanding which inhibition of the pope, the king prosecuting his own right, gathered his men, and set off to Scotland, where joining battle with Sir Robert and all his army of Scotland in a plain, near to St. John's Town, he put him to flight, and so chased the Scots, that there were slain of them to the number of seven thousand. In which victory, such bishops and abbots as were taken he sent to the pope; the temporal lords and other Scots he sent to London. Sir Robert Bruce after this discomfiture, when he had thus lost both the field and his chief friends, fled into Norway. When this noble Edward had thus subdued the Scots, he yielded thanks to God for his victory, and returned to London, which was the thirty-fifth and last year of his reign.

Now touching the variance and dissension between Philip the French king, and Pope Boniface VIII. After the bishoprick of Rome had been vacant through the dissension of the cardinals, for the space of two years and three months; at length Pope Celestine was chosen successor to Pope Nicholas IV. Celestine in his first consistory began to reform the clergy, by which he procured to himself such hatred among his clergy, that this Boniface, speaking through a reed in his chamber wall at midnight, warned him, as it had been a voice from heaven, that he should give over his papacy, as being a burthen greater than he could wield.

This Pope Celestine after he had sat six months, was induced by the treachery and falsehood of this Boniface, to resign his bishoprick, partly on account of the voice spoken of before, partly from fear; being told of certain persons craftily suborned in his chamber, that, if he did not resign, he should lose his life.

This Pope Boniface succeeding after Celestine, behaved himself so imperiously, that he put down princes, and excommunicated such kings as did not take their confirmation at his hand: many of his cardinals he drove away for fear, some of them he deposed as schismatics and spoiled of all their substance. Philip the French king he excommunicated, for not suffering his money to go out of the realm; and therefore cursed both him and his to the fourth generation. Albert the emperor, not once or twice, but thrice sought at his hands to be confirmed, and yet was rejected. This pope first ordained the jubilee in Rome, in the solemnizing whereof, the first day he shewed himself in his pontifical robes, and gave free remission of sins to as many as came to Rome out of all the parts of the world. The second day (being arrayed with imperial ensigns) he commanded a naked sword to be carried before him, and said with a loud voice, Lo, here the power and authority of both the

swords!"

These things thus premised of Pope Boniface, now I will come to the occasion of the strife between him and the French king. In A. D. 1301, the bishop of Oppanuham, being accused of a conspiracy against the French king, was brought up to his court, and so committed to prison. The pope hearing this, sends word to the king by his legate to set him at liberty. The French king, not daring to the contrary, released the bishop; but at the same time, he dismissed both the bishop and the legate, commanding them to leave his realm. Upon this Pope Boniface revoked all the graces and privileges granted either by him or his predecessors to the kingdom of France; and not long after he thundered out the sentence of his curse against him. Moreover, he cited all the prelates, all divines, and lawyers both civil and canon, to appear personally before him at Rome, at a certain day. Against this citation the king provided and commanded by proclamation, that no person should export out of the realm either gold, or silver, or any ware or merchandise, upon pain of forfeiting all their

goods, and their bodies at the king's pleasure: providing at the same time, that the roads and harbours or seaports, should be diligently kept, that none might pass unsearched. Besides which, the king defeated the pope in giving and bestowing prebends, and benefices, and other ecclesiastial livings, contrary to the pope's profit. For which cause, the pope wrote to the king in form and

effect as follows.

"Boniface, bishop, and servant to God's servants, to his beloved son Philip, by the grace of God, king of France, greeting and apostolical blessing.

"Boniface, the servant of God's servants. Fear God, and observe his commandments. We will thee to under

stand, that thou art subject to us both in spiritual things, and temporal; and that no gift of benefices or prebends belongs to thee; and if thou have the keeping of any being vacant, that thou reserve the profits of them to the successors. But if thou have given any, we judge the gift to be void, and revoke how far soever thou hast gone forward. And whosoever believes otherwise, we judge them heretics."

To this letter of the pope, King Philip made answer as follows:

Philip, by the grace of God king of France, to Boniface not in deeds behaving himself for pope, little friendship or none.

"To Boniface, bearing himself for chief bishop, little health or none. Let thy foolishness know, that in temporal things we are subject to no man, and that the gifts of prebends and benefices, made and to be made by us, were and shall be good, both in time past and to come. And that we will defend manfully the possessors of the said benefices, and we think them that believe or think otherwise, fools and madmen. Given at Paris the Wednesday after Candlemas, 1301."

After these and other writings passing to and fro, between the French king and the pope, within a year and a half after, the king summoned a parliament, sending down his letters to his sheriffs and other officers, to summon the prelates and barons of the realm to the court of parliament.

A declaration of master William Nagareta, made against Pope Boniface the Eighth, with his appellation also made at Paris, before the king and his council in the church of Paris.

In the name of God, amen. In the year of our Lord, 1303, the 12th day of March, and the ninth year of the popedom of the most holy father the Lord Boniface VIII., by God's providence pope, and in the presence of us common notaries, and witnesses under written, the nobleman master William Nagareta, (or de Nogaret), knight, a worshipful professor of the laws, standing before the most excellent prince the lord Philip, by the grace of God most noble king of France, spake with lively words, and gave in writings these things that follow:

"There have been false prophets among the people, as there have been also false teachers among you. St. Peter, the glorious prince of the apostles, speaking to us by the Spirit, told us things to come; that likewise as there were false prophets aforetimes, so there should come among you false teachers, bringing in sects of destruction; by the which the way of truth shall be defaced; and covetously they shall make merchandise of you with feigned words; such masters follow the way of Balaam, the son of Bosor, who loved the reward of wickedness, and had his bridled ass to correct his madness, which speaking in a man's voice, did stop the foolishness of the prophet. All which things as they are shewn to us by the greatest patriarch himself; your eyes see them fulfilled this day

according to the letter. For there sits in St. Peter's chair the master of lies, causing himself to be called 'Boniface,' that is a well doer,' when he is notable in all kind of evil doing, and so he has taken to himself a false name; and where he is not a true ruler and master, he calls himself the lord, judge, and master of all men. And coming in contrary to the common order appointed by the holy fathers, and also contrary to the rules of reason, and so not entering in at the door into the Lord's sheepfold, he is not a shepherd nor even a hireling, but rather a thief and robber. For he (the true husband of the Romish church yet living) deceived him that was delighted in simplicity, and enticed him with feigned flatterings and gifts to let him have his spouse to be his wife, against truth, which cries, Those whom God hath joined together, let no man put asunder;' and at length laying violent hands upon him, persuading him falsely that which the deceiver said was come from the Holy Spirit, was not ashamed to join to himself with wicked practice that holy church, which is mistress of all churches, calling himself her husband, whereas he cannot be so; for Celestine, the true Romish bishop, agreed not to the divorce, being deceived by so great subtilty; nothing is so contrary to agreeing as, error and deceit, as man's laws bear witness, therefore I need not speak of his violence. But because the Spirit inspires whom he will, and he that is led by the Spirit, is not under the law; the holy universal church of God, not knowing the crafts of that deceiver, stumbling and doubting whether it came from the holy ghost that Celestine should leave off his government, and the sins of the people deserving it, for fear of a schism suffered the foresaid deceiver: although, according to the doctrine of our Lord, By his fruits he might be known,' whether he came to the said government by the holy ghost or otherwise: his fruits (as it is plainly here written beneath) are now manifest to all men, by which it is apparent to the world, that he came not in by God, but other ways; and so came not in by the sheepfold. His fruits are most wicked, and his end is death; and therefore it is necessary that so evil a tree, according to the Lord's saying, 'should be cut down and cast into the fire. This cannot avail to his excuse, which is made by some men, that is, that the cardinals agreed upon him again, after the death of Celestine the pope, seeing he could not be her husband, whom it is manifest he defiled by adultery, when her first husband was yet living, and she being worthy to have the promise of marriage kept to her; therefore, because that which is done against the Lord turns to the wrong of all men; and especially in so great a mischief, I, like a bridled ass, by the power of the Lord, and not by the voice of a perfect man, being not able to bear so great a burthen, take in hand to rebuke the madness of the said false prophet Balaam, who at the instance of King Balak, that is, of the Prince of Devils, whom he serves, is ready to curse the people blessed of the Lord. I beseech you, most excellent prince, and Lord Philip, by the grace of God, king of France, that like as the angel of God in time past met the prophet Balaam in the way, with a drawn sword, as he was going to curse God's people; so you, who are unwilling to execute fierce justice, and are therefore like the angel of the Lord, and minister of power and office, would meet with a naked sword this said wicked man, who is far worse than Balaam, that he perform not that evil which he intends to the people.

"1. I propound that the foresaid man, who names himself Boniface, is no pope, but wrongfully keeps the seat which he has to the great damage of all the souls of God's holy church. I say also, that his entering was faulty in many ways, and he entered not in at the door, but otherways, and therefore is to be judged a thief and a robber.

"2. I propound also, that the said Boniface is a manifest heretic, and utterly cut off from the body of the holy church, because of many kinds of heresies, which are to be declared in convenient time and place.

"3. I propound also, that the said Boniface is an horrible simoniac, and such a one as has not been since the beginning of the world: and the mischief of this sin

in him is notorious to all the world, (which thing is manifest to all that will plainly understand) insomuch that he, being openly slandered, said openly, that he could not commit simony.

"4. I propound also, that the said Boniface, being wrapt in many manifest and heinous sins, is so hardened in them, that he is utterly impossible to be corrected; and lies in dungeon of mischief so deep, that he cannot be suffered any longer, without the overthrow of the church. His mouth is full of cursing, his feet are swift to shed blood. He utterly tears in pieces the churches, which he ought to cherish; wickedly wasting the goods of the poor, and making much of wicked men that give him rewards; persecuting the righteous, and not gathering but scattering among the people, bringing in new sects of destruction that have not been heard of; blaspheming the way of truth, and by robbery thinking himself equal to the Lord Jesus Christ who is blessed for ever. And he being most covetous thirsts for gold, covets gold, and by some device gets gold of every people; and utterly disregarding the worshipping of God, with feigned words, sometimes by flattering, sometimes by threatening, sometimes by false teaching, and all to get money withal, he makes merchandise of us all; envying all things but his own; loving no man, nourishing war, persecuting and hating the peace of his subjects. He is rooted in all unspeakable sins; contrarying and striving against all the ways and doctrines of the Lord. He is truly the abomination of the people, which Daniel the Lord's prophet described.

'Therefore I answer, that laws, weapons, and all the elements ought to rise against him, who thus overthrows the state of the church; for whose sins God plagues the whole world. And finally nothing remains to him, being so unsatiable, to satisfy him withal, but only the unsatable mouth of hell, and the fire that cannot be quenched, continuing for ever. Therefore seeing that in a general council it so becomes, and I see this wicked man to be damned, who offends both God and all men: I ask and require as instantly as I can, and I beseech you, my lord and king aforesaid, that you would declare thus much to the prelates, doctors, people and princes, your brethren in Christ, and chiefly to the cardinals and all prelates, and call a council. In the which (when the aforesaid wicked man is condemned) by the worshipful cardinals, the church may be provided with a shepherd: and for that council I offer myself ready lawfully to pursue the aforesaid things. And whereas the said man, being in the highest dignity, in the mean time cannot be suspended of his superior; therefore he ought to be taken, suspended indeed for the things aforesaid, seeing his state is called into judgment, by the means aforesaid. "I beseech and require the said cardinals by you, and I presently require them and the church of God, that this wicked man being put in prison, the church of Rome may be provided with a vicar, who may minister those things that shall appertain, until the church of God be provided with a bishop, utterly to take away all occasion of a schism. And lest the said wicked man should let and hinder the prosecuting thereof, I require these things of you, my lord king, affirming you to be bound to do this for many causes. First, for the faith's sake. Secondly, for your kingly dignity, to whose office it belongs to root out such wicked men. Thirdly, for your oath sake, which you made for the defence of the churches of your realm, which the aforesaid ravener utterly tears in pieces. Fourthly, because you are the patron of the churches, and therefore you are not bound culy to the defence of them, but to the calling for again of their goods, which this aforesaid man has wasted. Fifthly, following the footsteps of your ancestors, you ought to deliver your mother, the Romish church, from so wicked a band wherein by oppression she is tied and bound. I require that a public instrument may be made of these requests by the notaries here present, under the witness of the worshipful men that be here present. These things were done and spoken as is aforesaid, at Paris, in the king's house of Lupara.”

After this protestation of Master Nagareta, immedi

ately ensued the appeal of the king, pronounced and published against Boniface, recapitulating and amplifying the same charges as are in the appeal of Nagareta.

Then King Philip made his appeal to a general council, in form as follows:

"We, Philip, by the grace of God, hearing and understanding the objections propounded by our beloved faithful knight, William of Nagareta, against Boniface, now having the government of the Romish church: although we would gladly cover with our own cloak, the filthy parts of such a father; yet for the love of the catholic faith, and great devotion that we bear to the holy Romish and universal church our mother, and all faithful men, and spouse of Christ, following the steps of our ancestors, who hesitated not to shed their own blood for the increase and defence of the church's liberty, and the faith; and desiring to provide for the purity of the faith and state of the church; as also to avoid the hurt of the general slander, not being able any longer to pass over these things with winking and dissembling, and my conscience driving to the same; seeing this estimate and opinion of this Boniface in these matters is not rashly conceived by us, but vehemently and plainly increased by the many and continual complaints of credible men, and fearing, moreover, the destruction of the faith, both of us and of all other subjects, and especially of kings and princes of the world, who ought to reprove negligence, who acknowledge that we have received power given us from the Lord, to the promoting and increasing of it; we agree to your request in this behalf, and to the calling and assembling a council for the glory of God (saving the honour and reverence that is due to the holy Romish church in all things) whereby the truth may appear in the premises, and all error avoided: that the state of the universal church, and all christianity, and the matters of faith, and the holy land may be provided for, and the slanders and jeopardies hanging over us may be withstood; we are ready, and offer ourselves gladly, as much as in us lies, to bestow our labours and diligent pains thereabout; earnestly requiring and beseeching in the merciful bowels of Jesus Christ, you archbishops and other prelates here present, as children of the church and pillars of faith, called of the Lord to the promoting, increase and preserving thereof, to care for the same, that with all diligence you would give heed, as becomes you, and that you would effectually labour by all ways and fit means, to the calling and assembling of this council, in which we intend to be personally present. And lest the said Boniface, who has boldly and wrongfully many times threatened to proceed against us, stopping and hindering our purposes and intent, lest any of his works of darkness (if there be any) should come to light, directly or indirectly hindering the calling and gathering of this council; or lest any state being in the same realm that will indeed proceed against us, or our state, churches, prelates, barons, and other faithful vassals, our subjects, our lands, or our realm, and the state of the realm, by abusing any spiritual sword, in excommunicating, suspending, or other ways, by any means: for us and our well-willers, and them that will follow us, we provoke and appeal in writing to the aforesaid general council (which we instantly desire to be called) and to one lawful chief bishop that shall be, or to any other to whom we should appeal; and yet not going from the appeal made by William of Nagareta, to whom we adhered then, and also yet adhere: requiring earnestly a witness of our appeal by you prelates and notaries, expressly to renew such provocation and appeal, when and before whom it shall be thought meet to you."

Then the archbishops, bishops, abbots, and priors, make their appeal in like manner with the king to a general council.

These things being done, then followed the year 1304. In the which year, a garrison of soldiers, sent partly by the French king, partly by the cardinals of Columna, came to the gates of Arvagium, where the pope hid himself. The captains of which army were one Schaira, brother to

the king had similar variance. And as this king was troubled in his time with both the archbishops, John Peckham, and also Robert Winchelsey; so it happened to all other kings for the most part, from the time of Lanfranc (that is, from Pope Hildebrand) that every king in his time had some trouble or other with that see. As William Rufus, and Henry I. were troubled with Anselm; Henry II. with Thomas Becket; King Richard and all England, with William, bishop of Ely, the pope's legate; King John, with Stephen Langton; King Henry III. with Edmund, archbishop, called St. Edmund; likewise this King Edward I., with John Peckham and Robert Winchelsey. And so other kings after him, with some prelate or other.

After Pope Boniface succeeded Benedict XI. and then Pope Clement V., who translated the pope's court to Avignon in France, where it remained for seventyfour years after. At the coronation of this Clement, was present Philip, king of France; Charles his son; and Duke John, duke of Brittany, with a great number of other men of state and nobility. At which coronation, in the middle of the pomp and procession, a great wall break down and fell upon them: by the fall of which, Duke John, with twelve others, were slain; King Philip, hurt and wounded; the pope struck from his horse, and lost out from his mitre upon his head, a carbuncle, esteemed to the value of 6000 florins. By this Clement it was ordained, that the emperor, though he might be called king of the Romans before, yet he might not enjoy the title and right of the emperor, until he was confirmed by him. And that the emperor's seat being vacant, the pope should reign as emperor, till a new emperor was chosen. By him the order of the Templars (who at that time were too abominable) was put down at the council of Vienna. He also ordained and confirmed the feast of Corpus Christi, assigning indulgences to such as heard the service. And as Pope Boniface before heaped up the book of decretals, called Sextus Decretalium, so this Clement compiled the seventh book of the decretals, called of the same Clement, The Clementines. In the time of this pope, the Emperor Henry VI. was poisoned in receiving the sacrament, by a false dissembling monk called Bernard, that feigned himself to be his familiar friend; which was thought to be done not without the consent of the pope's legate. The emperor, perceiving himself poisoned, warned him to flee and escape away; for the Germans would surely have slain him; although he escaped himself, yet many of his order were slain with fire and sword.

This Pope Clement V. had well provided against the empire of Rome to bring it under his girdle, insomuch that, without the pope's benediction, no emperor might take the state upon him, and now he proceeded to intermeddle with the empire of Constantinople; where he first exercised his tyranny and power of excommunication against the emperor Andronicus Paleologus, (A. D. 1306), declaring him to be a schismatic and heretic, because he neither would nor durst suffer the Greeks to make their appeal from the Greek church to the pope, nor would acknowledge him for his superior. From this it may appear, that the Greek church did not admit the pope's superiority as yet, nor indeed at any time before, except about the time of Pope Innocent III. (A. D. 1202), when Baldwin, earl of Flanders, joined with the Venetians, and went against the Greeks, to place Alexius in the empire of Constantinople, upon condition (as writes Platina) of subduing the Greek church under the church of Rome. Alexius being restored, and shortly after slain, the empire came to the Frenchmen, with whom it remained the space of fifty-eight years, till the coming of Michael Paleologus, who restored the empire to its pristine state. After this, Michael, emperor of Constantinople, being called up to a council at Lyons by Pope Gregory X., about the controversy of the procession of the Holy Ghost and obedience to the church of Rome, submitted himself and the Greeks to the subjection of Rome, and he thereby procured to himself such grudge and hatred among the Greek monks and priests, that after his death they denied him the due honour and place of burial. The

son of this Michael Paleologus was Andronicus above mentioned: who was constrained by the Greeks not to admit any appeal to the bishop of Rome, and was therefore accursed by the pope's censures for a heretic. Whereby it appears, that the Greeks, recovering their state again, refused all subjection at this time unto the church of Rome, which was A. D. 1307. After this Clement V. followed Pope John XXII, with whom Lewis the emperor had much trouble. After whom next in course succeeded Pope Benedict XII. Now to return to the English history in the year 1307, which was the thirty-fourth of the reign of this king, the king kept a parliament at Carlisle, where great complaints were brought in by the nobles of the realm, concerning the manifold and intolerable oppressions of churches and monasteries, and exactions of money by the pope's legate, William Testa. The pope sent this legate into England with his bulls, in which he reserved the first fruits of all churches vacant at any time, within the realm of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, and also the fruits of abbies and priories, &c. The king, with his nobles, seeing the inconvenience and injury of this to the whole realm, in the parliament held at Carlisle, withstood the legate, commanding him by the assent of the earls and barons, that henceforth he should abstain from all such exactions. And as concerning his lord the pope, the king wrote, declaring and admonishing the pope, that he should not exact the first fruits of the churches and abbeys, founded by his predecessors and the noble men of the land, for the honour and maintenance of God's service, for alms and hospitality.

During this parliament, as men were talking of the pope's oppressions, there suddenly fell down among them a certain paper, with this superscription.

An Epistle of Cassiodorus to the Church of England, concerning the Abuses of the Romish Church.

"To the noble church of England, serving in clay and brick, as the Jews did in time past under the tyranny of the Egyptians; Peter the son of Cassiodorus a catholic soldier, and devout champion of Christ, sends greeting, and wishing it to cast off the yoke of bondage, and to receive the reward of liberty.

But

"To whom shall I compare thee, or to whom shall I liken thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? To whom shall I match thee, O daughter of Sion? Great is thy troubled state, like to the sea. Thou sittest alone without comfort all the day long, thou art confounded and consumed with heaviness. Thou art given up into the hands of him from whence thou canst not rise without the help of one to lift thee up: for the scribes and pharisees sitting upon the chair of Moses, the enemies of the Romans are as thy heads and rulers: enlarging their guarded phylacteries, and seeking to be enriched with the marrow of thy bones, laying heavy burdens, and not able to be borne upon thy shoulders, and on thy ministers, and they set thee under tribute, (who of old time hast been free) beyond all honesty or measure. marvel not thereat, for thy mother, which is the lady of people, like a widow having married and coupled herself to her subjects, has appointed him to be thy father: that is to say, the bishop of Rome, who shews no point of any fatherly love towards thee. He magnifies and extends to the utmost his authority over thee, and by experience he declares himself to be the husband of thy mother. He remembers oft with himself the prophetical saying of the prophet, and well digested the same in the inward part of his breast: Take to thee a great book, and write therein quickly with the pen of a man;' take the spoil, rob quickly.' But is this it which the apostle says that he was appointed for, where he writes thus? Every bishop, taken from among men, is appointed for men in those things that belong to the Lord:' not to spoil, nor to lay on them yearly taxes, nor to kill men, but to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins,' and to sorrow with them that be ignorant and do err. And so we read of Peter the fisherman (whose successor he boasts himself to c