Thus Formosus sitting fast about the space of 4. or 5. yeares, folowed his predecessors: after whose tyme (as I sayd) within the space of ix. yeares were ix. bishops as foloweth. But in the meane tyme concernyng the story of this Formosus declared by Sigebert, and many other chroniclers: this thyng would I gladly aske, and more gladly learne of some indifferent or egall catholique, which not of obstinacie, but of simple errour being a papist would aunswere his conscience. Whether doth he thinke the holy order of priesthoode, which he taketh for one of the 7. sacramēts, to be MarginaliaCharacter indelebilis.character indelebilis or not? yf it be not indelebilis, that is, yf it be such a thyng, as may be put of: why then doth the popes doctrine so call & so hold the contrary, pretending it to be indelebile, vnremouable? yf it be in dede, so as they teache & affirme, indelebilis character, why then dyd Pope Iohn, or could pope Iohn, adnichilat & euacuat one of hys seuen popeholy Sacramentes: making of a priest a non priest, or a layman: vncharacteryng his owne order, which is (as he sayth) a character, whyche in no wyse maye be blotted out, or remoued? Agayne howe so euer pope Iohn is to be iudged in this matter, to do eyther well or not wel. This would I know, yf he did wel in so dispriesting and discharactering Formosus, for such priuate offēces? If yea, how thē stādeth his doing with his own doctrine, which teacheth the contrary? If he dyd not wel, how thē standeth his doctrine w^t his doings to be true, MarginaliaWhether the Pope with his cardinals may erre.which teacheth that the pope with his sinode of Cardinals can not erre? Moreouer if this pope Iohn did not erre in hys disorderyng Formosus: how then did Martinus his successor not erre, in repealing þ^e said doing of his predecessor? Or how did not pope Formosus erre him self, who beyng vnpriested by pope Iohn: afterwarde without reiteratyng the character or order of priesthode, tooke vpon him to be pope, and made actes and lawes in the church? Againe, if Formosus nowe pope did not erre, how then did pope Stephen his successor afterward not erre: who did annichilate the consecration, and all the actes of the sayd Formosus, as erroneus? Or agayne if we say that this Stephen with his sinode of cardinals did ryght: thē how coulde it be, that pope Theodore, and pope Iohn the tenth, whiche came after the foresaid Stephē, did not plainlye erre. Who approuing þ^e cōsecratiō of Formosus: dyd cōdemne, & burne the actes sinodale, of Stephen and his cardinals, whiche before had condēned Formosus: according as in story here cōsequētly may appeare.

MarginaliaBonifaci⁹. 6.

Pope
Stephen. 6
Pope.
Ex chroni. Martini pœnitentiarij. Sigibert.
Ex polich. et alijs.After Formosus had gouerned the see of Rome fiue yeares, succeded first Bonifacius the vi. who continued but 25. dayes, then came Stephen the vi. which so enuied the name of his prededessor Formosus: that he abrogated & dissolued his decrees. And taking vp his body, after it was buryed, cut two fingars of his ryght hande, and commaunded them to be cast into Tiber, and then buried the body in a priuate or laymans sepulchre.

This Stephen after he had set in the chaire of pestilēce one yeare: succeded in the same chaire, pope Rhomalius, and sat iij. monethes: repealing the actes decreed by Stephē his predecessor, against Formosus. MarginaliaPope Theodorus 2.
Pope Iohn. 10.

The original councel burneth an other.Next to whō came Theodorus. 2. who likewise takyng part with Formosus agaynst the foresayd Stephen, reigned by 20. dayes. Then sat pope Iohn the 10. who did fight and repugne agaynst the Romanes, And to confirme þ^e cause of Formosus more surely, did hold a sinode at Rauēna of 74. bishops, with the Frēch king Endo and his archbishops being present at the same. At the which councel, were ratified all the decrees and doyngs of Formosus: and the contrary actes of the sinode of Stephen the sixt, were burned. This pope lyued not pope fully ij. yeares: MarginaliaPope Benedict⁹. 4
Pope Leo 5 emprisoned & vnpoped by his own chaplayne.after whom succeded Benedictus the 4. whiche kept the chaire iij. yeares. After whom Leo 5. was next pope, who within xl. dayes of his papacye, was with strong hand taken and cast in prison by one Christofer his own houshold chaplaine, whom he had long nurished before in hishouse. Whiche thyng (sayth Platina) could not be done without great conspiracie and great slaughter of men. MarginaliaPope Christopherus. 1.Whiche Christofer beyng pope about the space of seuen monethes, was likewise himself hoysted from his papal throne by Sergius, lyke as he had done to his master before. And thus w^tin þ^e space of ix. yeares, had ben ix. popes one after an other. MarginaliaPope Sergi⁹. 3.Then Sergius after he had thrust down pope Christofer, and shorne him monke into a monastery, occupyed the rowm vij yeares. This Sergius a rude man, and vnlearned, very proud and cruell: had before bene put backe from the popedome, by Formosus aboue mētioned. By reason wherof, to reuenge Formosus agayne now being in hys papacie, caused þ^e body of Formosus, where it was buried to be taken vp: and afterward set in þ^e papall sea (as in his pontificalibus) first disgraded him, thē MarginaliaPope Formos⁹ after his death beheaded of Pope Sergius.cōmaūded his head to be smit of, with þ^e other iij. fingars þ^t wer left (as Sigebert⁹ writeth) which done, he made his body to be thrown into Tiber, deposīg likewise al such, as by þ^e said Formosus, before had been consecrated, & inuested. This body of Formosus thus thrown into Tiber, was afterward (as our storye writers say) found & takē vp by certain fishers, & so brought into s. Peters tēple. MarginaliaA false fayned miracle vpon the body of Formolus.At the presence wherof (as they say) certayne images there standyng by, bowed dowen them selues, and reuerenced the same, with lye & all. MarginaliaPopyshe miracles not to be credite.But such deceauable miracles of stockes and images in monkysh and frierly temples, be to vs no newes, especially here in England: where we haue bene so inured with the lyke, and so many, that such wylye practises can not be to vs inuisible: though this crownshorne generation, thynke them selues to daunce in a net. But the truth is, while they thinke to deceaue the simple, these wylye begely most of all deceaue them selues, as they will finde except they repent. MarginaliaBearing of candles on Cādlemas day howe it came vp.By this pope Sergius, firste it came vp to beare about cādles on Cādelmas day: for the purifieng of the blessed virgin. As though the sacred conception of Iesus the sonne of God, were to be purified as a thyng vnpure: and that with candel lyght.

MarginaliaPope Anastasius. 3.After Sergius, entred pope Anastasius, in whose time þ^e body of Formosus forenamed, is thought to be foūd of fishermē in þ^e riuer of Tiber, & so brought, as is said, into þ^e temple to be saluted of the images, whiche thyng may quickly be tainted as a lie. For how is it to be thought þ^t the body of Formosus so long dead before, & now lyeng vij. yeares, in the ryuer: could remayne whole all that while, that fishers might take it vp, and discerne it to be the same? After Anastasius had sat two yeares, folowed MarginaliaPope Lando. 1.pope Lando, the father (as some stories thinke) of Pope Ihon, whiche folowed after. Thys Lando reygned vi. monethes. After hym succeded hys sonne & bastard, MarginaliaPope Iohn. 11.pope Iohn the xi. whyche Iohn is sayde to be the paramoure of Theodora a famous harlot of Rome, and set vp of þ^e same harlot either agaynst Lando, or after Lando hys father to succede in his rowme. MarginaliaHarlots at this tyme ruled all at Rome.There is a story writer called Liuthprādus, who writing de Imperatoribus Lib. 32. cap. 13. maketh there mention of this Theodora, & pope Iohn. xi. and sayth moreouer that this Theodora had a daughter named Marozia: whiche Marozia had by pope Sergius aboue mentioned a sonne, whiche afterward was pope Iohn the. xij. The same Marozia afterward it chaunced to mary w^t Guido Marques of Tuscia: through the meanes of which Guido & his frends at Rome, she brought to passe þ^t this Pope Iohn þ^e xi. was smothered with a pillow laid to hys mouth, after he had reigned xiij. yeares. And so the foresaid MarginaliaPope Ioan. 12.
Pope Leo. 6.
Pope Stephā 6.
Pope Iohn. 12. restored.Iohn the xij. her sonne, to succede next after him. But because the clergie and people of Rome dyd not agree to his electiō, therfore was pope Leo þ^e vi. in his place set vp. Thus pope Iohn the sonne of Sergius and Marozia beyng deiected, then reigned pope Leo vij. monethes. After him pope Stephē ij. yeares. Who beyng poysoned, thē was pope Iohn the xij. aboue rehearsed, the sōne of Sergius and Marozia