Thematic Divisions in Book 4
1. Lanfranc2. Gregory VII3. William the Conqueror4. William Rufus5. Henry I6. Stephen and Henry II7. Frederick Barbarossa8. Thomas Becket9. Becket's letters10. Becket's martyrdom and miracles11. Events of 1172-7812. Waldensians13. Other incidents of Henry II's reign14. First year of Richard I's reign15. Strife at Canterbury16. Richard I and Third Crusade17. William Longchamp18. King John19. Henry III's early reign20. Innocent III and mendicant orders21. Papal oppression of the English Church22. Albigensian Crusade23. Hubert de Burgh24. Gregory IX25. Schism between Greek and Latin Church26. Papal exactions from England27. Louis IX on Crusade28. Frederick II29. Opponents of Papacy30. Robert Grosseteste31. Aphorisms of Robert Grosseteste32. Persecution of Jews33. Papal oppression and Alexander IV34. Conflicts in universities and mendicant orders35. Henry III and the barons36. Battle of Lewes37. Battle of Evesham38. End of baronial war39. Ecclesiastical matters and Edward prince of Wales goes on crusade40. Foreign events in Henry III's reign41. First seven years of Edward I's reign42. War with Scotland43. Philip IV and Boniface VIII44. Events of 1305-745. Cassiodorous's letter46. Pierre de Cugniere47. Death of Edward I48. Piers Gaveston49. The Despensers and the death of Edward II50. John XXIII and Clement VI51. Rebellion in Bury St. Edmunds52. Edward III and Scotland53. Edward III and Philip VI54. Edward III and Archbishop Stratford55. Events of 1341-556. Outbreak of the Hundred Years War57. Anti-papal writers58. Quarrel among mendicants and universities59. Table of the Archbishops of Canterbury
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Commentary on the Woodcuts
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The description of the poysoning of King Iohn by a Monke of Swinestead Abbeye in Lincolnshire.
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Commentary on the Woodcuts   *   Close
This image is unique in the work in being composed as a series of six separate panels, somewhat in the form of a narrative strip, as used in early sixteenth century woodcuts. Each panel accordingly bears its descriptive text, but the pictorial presentation is complicated by the central scene at the top of the poisoned king being portrayed within a cartouche, framing it as an image within the image. Rather oddly, it may seem, the narrative sequence runs serpentine fashion from top right to bottom left, starting with the absolution of the poisoner and ending with the mass for his soul. The foldout form of the illustration in 1563 perhaps made this order more obvious. It is to be noted that the illustrator set the elevation of the host by the monks of Swineshead not only at an altar with lit candles but also in a church or chapel with stained glass windows (an art form that remained visible in English churches in Foxe's day, to the anguish of Puritan purifiers). The central scene of the king receiving the poisoned cup has been seen as a parody of transubstantiation and the mass. Possibly the woodblock for this image ended up serving other uses, after leaving Foxe's book and being cut up. The British Musuem has a print of the two left panels which at first glance could be taken to be self-sufficient, though small traces of the hatching of the adjacent panel point to its lost neighbours. As with the previous illustration, this one appears to have inspired authors of the seventeenth century. In his play The Female Prelate (1680), for example, Elkanah Settle describes the Duke of Saxony: 'Poisoned by a Priest, his savage Confessor, / That curses Slave that fed upon his Smiles, / Fill'd the dire Bowl, and whilst the canting / Villain was whispering Heaven into his Ear, could lift / Damnation to his Lips.' Later in the play, the son and successor of the slain duke declares to the murderer, 'I will bequeath my dukedom to paynters and engravers to revenge me. There's not the humblest roof in all the principality of Saxony, that shall not have thy face drawn to the life in hell'. CUL copy: the monks' outfits are in greyish black. There is some considerable attention to detail in these robes – particularly in the scene of the monk removing the lid from the cup in the bottom central scene. Note that in the bottom left image, the stained glass windows have not been coloured in, except for the top left figure, which is covered crudely with blue paint.The priest elevating the host is dressed in white with a purple robe, which has blue lining. Note also the attention to detail in the frog from which the monk is extracting poison: it has a green belly with reddish limbs and head. WREN copy: the stained glass remains uncoloured and there is some poor detailing in black ink.