shold apprehend and take you as a prisoner: which thing to chaunce God forsend.

Thus whilest the host of this hostile enemy the Pope was encamped in the dominions of Friderick, he receaued the letters whiche Fridericke by his legates sent into Europa as you hard: wherby, he vnderstoode the good successe he had in Asia. Who not only tooke no delectation at all therin, but was also in a vehement perturbatiō therwith: MarginaliaThe meaning the pope had to send Frider. to fyght agaynst the Turke.Wherby manifestly it may appeare, what was the cause and meanyng of the pope, that he was so solicitous and vrgēt to haue Fridericke the Emperour make a viage into Asia. Doubtles euē the same, that Pelias had when by hys instigation he procured Iason w^t all the chosen youth and floure of Grecia, to sayle into Colchos to fetch away the golden flease: and that by the oportuntie of hys absence he might vse, or rather abuse his power and tyranny: And that Fridericke, might eyther be long afflicted and molested in the Asian warre, or that he might perish and lease his life therin, was that he sought and all that he desired.

And when he saw, that fortune neither fauored hys fetches, nor serued to his lōging lust, he was as a mā bereft his wittes, specially at these tidings of þ^e prosperous succes of þ^e Emperour. MarginaliaHow the pope chafeth and fretteth at the prosperous successe of the Emperour.He teare & threw his letters on þ^e ground: and with all opprobrious wordes rebuked and reuiled the legates for þ^e Emperour their maisters sake: which thing also Blondus himself denieth not, although he write all together in the fauour of the Pope. And to þ^e intent that he myght couer this hys rage and vnbridled furie with some cloke &colour of iust deserued dolour: He fained him self therfore so much to mislike therwith, as though the Emperour therin, had onely respected his own priuate cōmoditie, not regarding the vtilitie of the Christians: for that, the Saracens had licence (although without armour and weapon) to haue repayre vnto the Sepulcher of Christ, and had left for thē somewhat nere the same an hosterie or lodging place: For which occasion sayth Blondus, his Lord Pope rebuked the Emperours legates by the name of traytours and such like other opprabrious wordes. MarginaliaBlondus reproued that wrote so greatly in the popes fauour.Now go to frend Blondus, by what strong argumentes proue you and your Lord pope, that the peace whiche the Emperour hath concluded, to be either agaynst the Christian common wealth, or that the Emperour was a traitour. But who is it þ^t seeth not these thinges either by reading of old and aūciēt writers, or els partly by me that haue gathered and collected the same out of diuers monumentes and histories: and plainlye perceiueth not, the conspiracies and treasons, of your good Lord the pope so notable and filthie, as also his manifest shame & infamie. What? ther be diuers that write, how the Pope commaunded these legates of Friderick, to be made secretly out of þ^e waye: and also howe he commaunded diuers souldiers returnyng out of Asia to be slayne, to the intent that none should heare the report of those good newes which were in Asia, nor none go thether to tell the fetches he had in hand at home. But I wil make report of no more thē of those thinges which all the writers with most consent agree vpon: This is most certeine, that the Pope caused this rumour to be spread of the death and takyng of the Emperour vpon this cōsideration, that he myght allure vnto him þ^e fidelitie of those cities in þ^e kingdome of Naples, which yet kept theyr alleageance vnto Friderick, of whō they should now hope for no lōger refuge. And of that doth the Emperour in his Epistle intituled Leuate oculos, greatly against him complayne.

MarginaliaThe thyrd practyse of pope Gregorye agaynst the Emperour.Great are these iniuries of the Pope against Friderick, and most wicked treasons: but herewyth coulde not the cruel and tyrannicall mynde of hym be contented, nor yet hys luste satisifed: but so farre exceded, as scarce is credible that it could. For he presumed not only to set variance betwene Henry (whom Friderick hisMarginaliaThe pope setteth the sonne against the father as a good father of peace.father had caused to be made king of Germanye) and him: but also by hys allurementes, caused hym to become an enemy vnto hym. To whom, when hys father had assigned the Duke of Boioria (named Ludouicus) to be hys ouerseer and counseller: neyther knewe hee amongest all the princes of Germanie a man more faithfuller to hym in hys office and dutie, or els more vertuous, or els more grauer and apt to be in authority: MarginaliaHenry Cæsar at the popes intisement putteth from him his trustie coūsailer Ludouicus.Henry, fearing least he should vnderstand and know of these secrete counsels whych he wyth hys conspiratours had in hand agaynst hys father: or that he shoulde vtter the same vnto hym, or that he should go about to disswade hym from that he was purposed to doo: by autoritie of the courte and senate of Rome, he put him out of office. And thys was the fetche of all their policie: that together and at one instaunce (but in diuers and sundrye places far one from an other) sharpe and cruell warre myght be made agaynst the Emperour: so that his power being distract to the appeasing of varible contencion, might be himselfe the easiyer oppressed of a few.

MarginaliaThe Emperour hearing of the popes practises returneth secretly out of Asia.When the Emperour now vnderstoode what styrre the Pope kept in all hys dominions in his absence, and that he had somwhat reformed and appeased the troubles whych he secretely had wrought hym in the kyngdome of Ierusalem: thinking to preuent the Popes purpose in that he went about, & also to confirme the frendship towards him of thē, whō in his absēce he found his trustie subiects: He left in Asia Renaldus w^t his garisōs, commaunding all the other bandes to be vnder hys appointment, & wyth all speede came w^t certaine Gallyes to Calabria. During þ^e tyme of his there beyng, whych vnlooked for came thether: he assembled his power and made wyth hys frendes all the spedye preparation that he might. From thence he went to Barleta, wher he taried. xx dayes: to whom came to Duke of Spolitanum wyth all his garrisons. MarginaliaIohn Brennus remoued from the siege of Calatia.And so from thence, wyth al hys power he came into Apulia, & remoued Iohn Brēnus hys father in law, from the siege of Calatia: and wythin short tyme by Gods helpe, recouereth agayne all hys holdes and dominions there. MarginaliaGod prospereth Fridericke in all hys affayres.And from thence goyng in to Campania, he wynneth Beneuentum, and as many other townes and holdes as the pope had there, euen allmost to Rome, and so after that, Vmbria and Picena. And now, although the Emperour (being moued therunto vpon good occasion, and vpon the popes worthy desert) had gotten and recouered this so lykely an entrāce vpon the popes dominions, whereby he myght haue reuenged hym of all the iniuries done to him: yet notwithstanding, for that he preferred nothing before the Christian and publique tranquilitie (for the loue of which, he restraynyng hys wrath so vehementlye vrged & kindled) sendeth vnto hym hys Legates to intreate a peace: MarginaliaFriderick entreateth for the popes fauour although he haue no neede.declaring vnto him, that if no other cōceiued grudge towardes hym were, then that he simuled and pretended: he promiseth that he woulde make to hym an accompt voluntarely, of all thynges that euer he had done in hys lyfe, and that he woulde, and was contented to submyt hymselfe vnto the churche: and also that for thys cause he wyllinglye offeered vnto hym both dutie and obseruancie. Furdermore, to the intreating of this peace & deciding of all controuersies, he sent to the pope eight or ten of the noblest and chiefest about him, that wer princes and Dukes of the Empyre. As Bartoldus the Patriarche of Aquileia, & his brother Otho prince of Dalmatia and Histria, Eberhardus Iuuauensis, Sigifridus, Reginoburgensis, Sibottus Augustanus, a woorthy prelate, Leopoldus of Awstria and Stiria, & Bernhardus being all Dukes, besides others of the nobilitye to accompany them.

MarginaliaThe pope refuseth a peace with the Emperour.But yet so great was the insolency and pride of that stubburn pope, þ^t by no gētlenes or benificēce, he of those princes could be brought that yeare to the profitable cō-