met Fridericke at the ryuer of Rhene, and to haue stopped his passage: but he was deceyued of his expectation, and Fridericus was crowned as the manner of Aquisgraue is, before he came. MarginaliaThe death of Otho.And after that, in the wynter tyme he tooke his iourney to Francofert, & after many meetings in Norico had, and that Otho was deade, he set the Empyre in stay, and the whole countrye of Germany he in maner apaysed: MarginaliaThe consecration of Frid. the Emperour.And then w^t al his nobles & princes he returned to Rome, & of Honorius the thyrde was wyth great solemnitie consecrated and called Augustus. Which Honorius succeeded Innocentius. 3. in the papall see: and was a great helpe to Fridericke (although he loued hym not) in this behalfe, to reuenge him selfe vpon Otho.

MarginaliaThe liberal munificence of Frid. to the pope & church of Rome.After the consecration of Fridericke the second, he gaue many great and liberall giftes, as well to the byshop of Rome him selfe, as also to the court of Rome besydes. Also he gaue and assured, by hys Charter to the church of Rome, the dukedome of Fundanum. For by the vnsatiable couetousnes of the Romish bishops, thys wycked vse and custome grewe: that vnles the Emperours elect and crowned, would geue vnto them suche lyke great and large gyftes: they coulde not obtayne of them theyr consecration or confirmation, whyche for that intent they deuised.

MarginaliaFriderick gaue through his liberalitie a sword to cut his own throte.Furdermore, Fridericke the Emperour, wylling to shew himselfe more bountiful and liberal to the church: neither yet to restrayne any priueledge that myght benefite the same, gaue and admitted those constitutions which the Pope himselfe would desyre, and are yet extant in their Ciuil law: By which his doings, he deliuered to theyr hands a swoorde as it were, to cut his owne throte. For þ^e bishops of Rome, now hauyng euen what they listed, and all in theyr owne handes: Might by the payne of proscription, bryng what Emperour or Kyng vnder coram nobis that them lysted, and keepe them by theyr owne lawes, as it were bound in certain bandes out of the which they might not start. For what soeuer he were, whych for the diminution of the liberties of the church were excommunicate, and so continued a yeres space: That thē, he should be within the daunger of this proscript, and should not be released before he had made satisfaction, & were admitted by the Pope to the church and congregation of good men agayne. MarginaliaThe canon of proscription graūted & cōfirmed by Frid.Whereby it came to passe, that what so euer Emperour in the gouernmēt of his dominions, should in any point displease or do contrary to the lust of the bishop of Rome: he then as an enemy to the church, was excommunicate. And vnles wythin a yeare he were reconsiled to them againe (by thys theyr principall lawe) he was in the proscript. And often it chaunced, that princes to auoyd the paine of thys proscript, were ready to do whatsoeuer the pope would haue them, and commaund them to do.

MarginaliaFrid after hys cōsecration directere his prouinces and dominions.After the consecration of Friderick was with great solemnitie finished, and þ^e Pope & churche of Rome in all ample maner (as is partly described) were gratified, and yet larger constitutions to them confyrmed: he departed from Rome and went into Italy, there to set in order and stay the Cities and great townes, for the better tranquilitie of hymselfe and safetye of hys subiectes, and from thence into hys own prouinces and dominions: where he heard of certayne, that beganne to rayse and make newe factions agaynst hym. Amongest whom, were found Thomas and Richard, the brethren of Innocentius the thyrde, Earles of Anaquinos, that held certayne castels in the kingdome of Neopolitanes frō hym by force: MarginaliaThe liberalitie of Frid. wel recompensed of Honorius. 3.which castels, he beseged & bet downe, and toke from them all that, he in them found. Richard he tooke, and sent as a prisoner into Sicilia: But Thomas escaped and came speedely to Rome, whither also repayred certayne Bishops and others that were conspiratours agaynst Fridericke, as also suche otheras the feare of the Emperours lawes, and their owne gilty consciences caused to flee: and were that notwithstāding, of this bishop of Rome Honorius. 3. (to gratifie agayne the liberalitie of the Emperour bestowed vpon hym) vnder hys nose succored, mayntayned and defended. Whych thyng when Fridericke vnderstood, he began to expostulate wyth the hishop, considering the vnsemelynes of that hys fact. MarginaliaFrid. expostulated, the pore curseth.Agaynst whom, the Pope on the other syde was so chafed and vexed, that he immediately without farther delay thūdereth out against hym lyke a tyraunt, hys curses and excommunications.

Thomas Fazellus declareth, thys detestacion or defiaunce to happen betwene them somwhat otherwyse. There were sayth he, amongest those which were found traytors to the Emperour certayne bishops, which fleing to the Pope, requested hys ayde: wherupon, the pope sent hys Legates to the Emperour, and requested hym that he would admit & receaue to fauour those bishops, whych he had banished and put from theyr offices, and that he woulde not entermedle with anye ecclesiasticall charge wherewyth he had not to do: And sayd further, þ^t the correction and punishment of such matters pertayned to the bishop of Rome, and not to hym: and more ouer, that the ouersight of those Churches in that kyngdome, from the whych he had expelled the bishops, pertayned and belonged to hym.

MarginaliaThe Emperour replyeth to the popes demaundes.Whereunto Fridericke thus replieth: That for as much as now. 400. yeares and more (from the tyme of Carolus Magnus) all Emperours and kynges in theyr dominions myght lawfullye committe to apt and fyt men for the same, suche ecclesiasticall functions & charges as wythin theyr territories & kingdomes fel: That he looked to haue the lyke priuiledge and autority also, that other hys predecessours before hym had. And farther sayd, that he had the same and lyke autority in the Empyre that hys father Henrye, and Fridericke hys graundfather, and other hys predecessours before them had: nether had he so deserued at the hands of the church of Rome, eyther of Honorius hymselfe, to be depriued of those priuilegies whych hys auncitours before hym had had, and kept. MarginaliaThe Emperour speaketh but reasō howsoeuer it pleaseth the pope to take it.And further, Fridericke being chafed and moued wyth these demaundes of the Pope, breaketh forth and sayth: how long wyll the bishop of Rome abuse my pacience? when wyll his couetous hart be satisifed? wherunto wil thys his ambitious desire growe? wyth such lyke wordes more, repeatyng certaine iniuries and conspiracies, both agaynst hym and hys dominions, as wel by Honorius as Innocentius. 3. hys predecessor, as also other lyke iniuries of popes to hys auncitours practised. What man sayth he, is able to suffer & beare thys so incredible boldnes and intollerable insolencie of so proud a bishop. Goe sayth he (vnto the Legates) and tell Honorius, that I wyll hazarde both the seigniorie of my Empyre, and crown of my kingdome, rather then I wyll suffer hym thus to deminish the autoritie of our maiestie. Thomas Facellus libr. 8.MarginaliaThe strife betwene the pope and the Emperour for the electiō & depriuation of byshops.

Now, because much disquietnes and cōtrouersie hath arisē (for the most part throught al christendome in euery kingdome and realme seuerally) for and about the autoritie as chusing & depriuing of bishops (as may be sene by the example of this Fridericke) whiche the pope onely and arrogantly chalengeth to him selfe, and not to apertaine to any other: I thought good not with silence to ouer passe but somwhat to say: and to proue the auctoritie of christen kyngs & princes in this behalf, to be both sufficient & good: Which thing, not onely by the holy Scriptures is right easie to be done, but also by Synodall decrees and councels (diuers and sondry) to be established & confirmed may easlye be proued: as also by the auncient custome & maner of the primitiue church, may farther be corroborated and made good.

Wherunto apertaineth certaine places collected and