who folowyng hys predecessors, MarginaliaPope Paule the first.
Images againe maintained by the Pope against the Emperour.thundred out great excommunications agaynst Constantinus Themperour of Constantinople, for abrogating and plucking down images set vp in Temples. Notwithstandyng this Constantine neglectyng the Popes vayne curses perseuered in hys blessed purpose, in destroying idolatrie til þ^e end of his lyfe. MarginaliaA lay mā Pope who was deposed, & had his eyes put out.Thē came to be Pope, Constātinus the ij. a laye man, and brother to Desiderius the kyng of Lombardy: for the whiche cause he was shortly deposed, & thrust in a monastery, hauing hys eyes put out.

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MarginaliaPope Steuen the thyrd.In whose stede succeded Steuen the iij. who ordeyned that after that, no lay man should be Pope: MarginaliaThe councel of Constātinople the 7. condemned of the Pope, for condemnyng images.
This Pope also ordeined Gloria in excelsis to be song in the masse, at S. Peters altar by the Cardinals.cōdemnyng moreouer the Councell of Constantinople the vij. for hereticall: because in that Councell the worshipping of images was reproued and condemned. Contrary to the which Councell, this Pope not onely maintayned the filthy idolatrie of images in Christen Temples: but also aduaunsed their veneration, commaundyng them most Ethnically to be incēsed. &c. At this tyme Carolus Magnus called Charles the great a litle before mentioned, began to reygne, by whō this Pope caused Desiderius the Lombard kyng, to be depriued.

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MarginaliaPope Hadrian the fyrst.
Images agayn maintained by the Pope to be mens KalēdersThen in this rase of Popes,  

after this Steuē the iij. commeth Hadrianus the first, who lykewise folowyng the steppes of hys forefathers the Popes, added and attributed to the veneration of Images more then al thother had done before: writyng a booke for the adoration and the vtilitie procedyng of them, commaūdyng them to be taken for lay mens Calenders, holdyng moreouer a Synode at Rome against, Fœlix, & al other that spake agaynst the setting vp of such stockes and images. And as Paul the first, before hym made much of the body of Petronilla S. Peters daughter: MarginaliaThe body of S. Peter clothed in siluer.so thys Hadriā clothed the body of S. Peter al in Siluer, and couered the altar of S. Paul with a Palle of Gold. This Pope Hadrian was he, whō we declared in the former part of this treatise, to ratifie and cōfirme by reuelation, MarginaliaThe order of the Romishe Massebooke whē it came inthe order of S. Gregories Masse, aboue the order of S. Ambrose Masse: for vnto this tyme whiche was about the yeare of our Lord 780. the Liturgie of S. Ambrose was more vsed in the Italian Churches. The story wherof, because it is registred in Durandus, Nauclerus, and Iacobus de Voragine, MarginaliaEx Durando Nauclero. Iacob. de Voragine, in vita Greg.I thought here to inserte the same, to this especial purpose, for the reader to vnderstande, the time when this vsual Masse of the Papistes began fyrst to be vniuersal and vniforme, and generally in churches to be receaued. Thus it followeth in the story by the foresayde authors setforth. Iacobus de Voragine, in the life of pope Gregory the first telleth a tale concerning this matter.

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In times past (sayth he) when the seruice, which Ambrose made, was more frequented and vsed in churches, then was the seruice which Gregory had apoynted: the bishop of Rome then called Adrian, gathered a Councel together: in the which it was ordayned, that Gregories seruice should be obserued and kept vniuersally: whych determination of the Coūcel, Charles þ^e Emperour did diligētly put in executiō while he rā about by diuers prouinces, & enforced al the clergy, partly w^t threatnings, & partly w^t punishmēts, to receiue þ^e order. And as touchīg the bookes of Ambrose seruice, he brent them to ashes in all places, and threw into prison manye priestes that would not consent and agree to the matter. Blessed Eugenius the bishop comming vnto the Councell, founde that it was dissolued three dayes before his commyng. Notwithstanding through his wysdome, he so persuaded the Lord Pope, that he called agayne al the prelats that had been present at the Councell, and wer now departed by the space of three daies. Therfore when the Councel was gathered againe together, in this all the fathers did consent & agree, that both the Masse bookes of Ambrose and Gregory should be layd vpon the altar of blessed Peter the Apostle, and the church doores dili-Marginalia Et tamen ipsis commentū placet. Te rēt.gently shut, and most warely sealed vp with the signets of many and diuers bishops. Againe, that they shoulde all the whole night geue them selues to prayer, that the Lord might reueale, declare, open and shewe vnto them by some euident signe or token, which of these two seruices he would haue vsed in the temples. Thus they doing in all pointes, as they had determined, in the morning opened the church doores, and found both the Missals or Masse bookes open vpon the altar: or rather, as some say, they founde Gregories Masse booke vtterlye plucked a sunder one peece from an other, and scattered ouer al the Churche. As touching the Ambrose booke, they onely found it open vpō the altar in the very same place where they had before layd it. MarginaliaNote well the practise of prelates in plāting theyr popyshe masse.This miracle Pope Adrian like a wyse expounder of dreames sayth, that as the leaues were torne and blowen abroade all the Church ouer: so should Gregories booke be vsed throughout the world. Wherupon they thought themselues sufficiently instructed & taught of God, that the seruice which Gregory had made, ought to be set abrode and vsed through out al the world: and þ^t Ambrose his seruice should onely be obserued and kept in his own church of Mediolanum, where he sometime was bishop.

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Thus hast thou heard (brother Reader) the full and whole narration of this mistical miracle, w^t the Popes exposition vpon the same: which seemeth to bee as true, as that which Daniel speaketh of, howe the Idole Bell did eate vp al the meate þ^t was set before him al þ^e night Daniel. 14. Concerning the which myracle, I neede not admonish thee to smell out the blinde practises of these night crowes, to blinde the world with foreged inuencions, in steede of true stories. Albeit to graunt the myracle to be most true and vnfallible, yet as touching the exposition therof, an other man beside the Pope, percase might interprete this great miracle otherwise, as thus: That God was angry with Gregories booke, and therfore rent it in peeces, and scattered it abroad: and the other as good, lay sound vntouched, and at the least so to be preferred. Notwythstanding what so euer is to bee thought of this miracle with the exposition therof, thus the matter fel out, that Gregories seruice had onely the place, and yet hath to this day in þ^e greatest part of Europe, the seruice of Ambrose being excluded. MarginaliaGregories maister taketh place in Europe.And thus much touching the great act of Pope Adrian, for the setting vp of the Masse. By the relacion whereof, yet thys knowledge may come to the Reader, at least to vnderstand, how that commonly in Christen nacions abrode, as yet no vniforme order of any Missall or masse booke was receaued, as hath been hetherto discoursed.

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Now from the Popes to returne agayne to the Emperours from whence we digressed, like as Pipinus the father of Charles (as hathe beene before sufficientlye told) had geuen to the see Papall all the princedome of Rauenna with other donations & reuenewes, & landes in Italy: MarginaliaCarolus Magnus beneficial to the see of Rome.so this Carolus folowyng his fathers, deuotiō did cōfirme the same, addyng moreouer therunto the Citie and dominion of Venice, Histria, the Dukedom Foroiuliense, the Dukedome Spoletanum, and Beneuentanum, and other possessions moe, to the patrimonie of S. Peter, making him þ^e prince of Rome & of Italy. MarginaliaRex christianissimus intituled to France.The Pope again to recompense his so gentle kyndnes, made hym to be intituled most christen kyng, & made him Patriciū Romanū, Moreouer ordeined him onely to be takē for Emperor of Rome. For these & other causes mo, Carolus bare no litle affection to þ^e sayd Hadrian aboue all other Popes: as may wel appeare by this letter of Carolus Magnus sent to kyng Offa, what tyme the sayd Offa (as is aboue prefixed) sent to hym Alcuinus for entreaty of peace: wherunto the foresaid Carolus aunswereth agayne to the message of Offa in a letter, the contentes wherof be these.

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