fection and backsliding of all or most part of Lumbardie from him: he determined to take his iourney into Apulia, and when he had there leuied a strong and sufficient power, he purposed to make his speedy return again into Lumbardie. MarginaliaCapras besieged and takē of the Emperour.Therefore, in his journey through Hetruria into Apulia, he ioyned with his sōne Fridericus, which besieged Capras, and toke the same: and led with him diuers of the chiefest captaynes prisoners, and after that subduing vnto the obediēce of the Empire Miniatum, he came into Apulia.

When newes was brought him thether, that Encius his sonne (comming to ayde the Mutinenses against the Bononiens) was taken prisoner, two miles of from Mutina: and that in his absence, the Popes captaynes with their bandes and garrisons went throughoute all Lumbardy, Aemilia, Flāminia, and Hetruria, to styr & procure the Cities to reuolt frō the obedience of þ^e emperour: And þ^e same, partly working by subtile policies, and partly by force and sinister meanes to bring them to hys purpose: determined with himselfe, that with all the force and power he might by anye meanes procure and make, to haue begone a fresh & prosecuted this war to the vttermost. MarginaliaThe Emperour purposeth to make some great attempt.Neyther was it to be doubted as Pandolphus Colonucius writeth, but that he woulde haue wrought some merueilous exploit and great attempt, but that he was of this his purpose (whereunto he was both willing and bent) preuented by vnlooked for death. For when he fel in this Ague, being at a certayne castel of hys in Apulia called Florentinum, and saw by the extremitie thereof his daies to be but short: he remēbred þ^t which was once shewed him, how he should die at Florence. Wherupō, he made & ordained his testamēt: and whē vnto Conradus & other of hys childrē he had geuen & appointed the great and innumerable masse of mony which he had collected and leuied for the maintenance of his wars (& godly purpose as it is called) MarginaliaThe Emp. preuented by death.And vnto them also had geuen, all other his kingdomes & dominions (to euery one according to their ages and yeares) departed thys wretched and miserable world.

Pandolphus writeth, that Fridericus was very willing to dye, and as they made certayne reporte to hym which were present at his death: that his mynde was al together set and bent vpon the heauenlye ioy and felicitye. Which thing also Guilhelmus Putranus, Andreas Pandalus, and Manardus the bishoppe, being Italian writers do all affirme: MarginaliaFrid one of Gods elect.of whom thys last wryteth, that he assuredly beleueth Fridericke to bee one of the number of Gods elect.

The writers notwithstāding are of sundry iudgemēts & opinions touching this good emperours death: Some write þ^t he was traiterously poisoned by his cup bearer, being hyred therunto. Some other, þ^t he was strāgled w^t a pillow of Manfredo the sonne of Pherus. MarginaliaSondry opinions of the death of Fridericke the Emp.But Pandolphus as good a wryter as the best, maketh no mencion of any poison that was geuen hym, but onely that he dyed of an Ague. The laste opinion of Manfredus, he manifestly refuteth, and that there is no maner of likelyhode of the same: and further, that the contrary is affirmed by diuers other writers that were of that tyme. He dyed in the yeare of our Lord. 1240. the. xiij. daye of December, in the. 57. yeare of hys age, and. 37. yeare of hys raygne, whose corps was brought to Panormum, and there intombed.

MarginaliaThe issue of Frid. the Emperour.Fridericke had three wiues: the first was Constantia, the daughter of the kyng of Arragon: of whom he begat Henry þ^e duke of Sueuia and kyng of þ^e Romans: The other Iole the daughter of Iohannes Brennus, king of Ierusalem, by whom he had the inheritance of Ierusalem, Naples, and Sicile: of whom he begat Conradus (duke of Sueuia, kyng of Ierusalem and Naples being Cesar. The thyrd, Isabell the daughter of Kyng Ihon of Englād, by whō he had a sonne named Henry, whichis sayd to dye in his childhood. MarginaliaFrid a most puisant prince in marshall affayres.This Fridericus, had not his peere in marshiall affaires to be compared vnto him and warlike pollices amongest all þ^e princes of that age: A wise & skilful souldier he was: a great indurer of painfull labours and trauels: most boldest in greatest perils: prudent in foresight: Industrious in all his doings: prōpt and nymble about that he tooke in hand: and in aduersitie most stoute and couragious. But as in this corruption of nature few there be þ^t attayne perfection: neither yet is there any prince almoste of such gouernment and godly institution, both in life and doctrine as is required of them: So neither was this Friderick, w^tout his fault and humane fragilitie. MarginaliaFrid was not without hys fault of human fragilitie.For, the writers impute to hym some fault of concupicence, wherewith he was stayned and spotted. And it appeareth that he was not all cleare therof, for as much as by sondry concubines he had sondry children: As Encius, the king of Sardinia. Manfredus, the prince of Sarentinum: And Friderick, kyng of Antioche. And this is all that I find of the description of Fridericke by Colonucius, which he affirmeth to haue gathered out of good & probable autors. But as touching þ^e haynous actes and flagitious deedes, which the Pope burdeneth him withall, and in his sentence agaynst hym maketh mention of: Fridericus not onely purgeth hym self therof, but also diuers historicians (as well Germain writers as Italians) affirme the same to be false & of the Popes own braynes, to do hym skare and teene, withall inuented: Of whiche matter, those thinges whiche Pandolphus (touching the commēdacion or dispraise of Fridericus writeth) I thought good out of Italian, to translate whose wordes be these.

MarginaliaThe wordes of Pandolphus touching the prayse and disprayse of the Emperour Fridericke.Albeit the Emperour Fridericus was endewed with many goodly giftes and vertues, yet notwithstandyng was he accoumpted an enemie of the churche and a persecutor of the same: of which, both Innocentius the iiij. in his sentence hath pronoūced hym giltie, and the same sentence haue other Popes registred in theyr sixe booke of Decretals and stablished þ^e same for a law, how that he ought to be takē for no lesse. Therfore peraduenture, if it should not be come me to falsefie or call in question þ^t, which other haue confirmed, or els to dispute and argue much of that matter. Yet notwithstandyng, as much as his actes and dedes in writyng declare, & the bookes of þ^e chiefest autors affirme, and also hys owne Epistles do testifie: I cannot presisly say, whether the bishop of Rome so call hym and iudge hym therefore: Or els for that, he was somewhat to bolde in speakyng and tellyng them but the truth, and reprouyng the ecclesiasticall order of their great abuses. Or els whether for þ^t, he would haue had them gone somewhat more neare the conditiōs and liues of the aūcient fathers of the primatiue church and disciplies of Christ: Or whither for that, he defended and stood with them for the prerogatiue and dignities belonging to the empire or not: Or els, whither that they stood in feare and awe of the great power he was of in Italie (which thing in dede) Gregory the ix. in a certein Epistle of his confesseth. But of these thinges let thē iudge & decerne, þ^t shall read the monuments and histories of Fridericke. MarginaliaThe popes church cōpared with Christ his church are as as lyke, blacke as whyte.Truly sayth he, when I consider with my selfe that Christ (whose vicar the Romane Bishops bost them selues to be) sayd vnto his disciples, that they should folow hym and also imitate hys example as of their maister and teacher: and commaunded them farther more, how they should not draw þ^e sworde, but put vp the same into the scaberd: and farther gaue them in precept, that they should not onely forgiue iniuries seuentymes, but 70. tymes seuen tymes to those that offended them: And when I now compare the lyues of the bishops of Rome, how nere they folow hym whose vicar they say they be: And consider so many and great conspiracies, treasons, rebellions, disloyalties, lyengs in wayt, and trecherous deuises: So many legates of the Popes (beyng ecclesia-