geance, shed by the sword (that is) the miserable trechery of his toung. For which things (and that iustly) the Church refused to communicate with hym. Hæc Bēno.

MarginaliaAn other letter of Benno.TO the reuerend fathers of the Church of Rome, and to his beloued in Christ, and to his brethrē that shall for euer be beloued: Benno the cardinal of the church of Rome, wisheth faythfull seruice, health and communion with the seruaunts of the catholicke Church. Of the which communion, discipline and power, he vaynly braggeth, that by the presumption of his authoritie shall vniustly bynde or lose any maner of person. And he doth vniustly bynde whatsoeuer he be, that curseth any man, (beyng willing to make satisfaction, and bewayling his boldnes, beyng also vnconuict, and not confessyng the crime) but rather cursing that party in vayne: he curseth and condemneth himselfe, turnyng his weapon vpon his owne person to destruction. O straunge and new founde trechery, procedyng from the sanctuary: nay rather from him which as hygh Priest seemeth to rule the Church, and to be a iudge ouer the Iudges.

Hildebrand was earnestly in hand with the Emperour, that he should depriue those Byshops which came in by simonie. The Emperour (thinkyng as a zealous prince, that this commission had proceeded from the throne of God) MarginaliaA deuilish practise of Hildebrand in setting the Byshops against the Emperour.without delay obeyed the same, and forthwith without any consideration or iudiciall order, depriued certaine Byshops: and thought that by this his obedience to Hildebrand, he offered an acceptable sacrifice to God, not knowyng the crafty hādlyng of him. But Hildebrand then agayne placed those whō the Emperour for Simony at his commaundement had before deposed: and those whom by that meanes he made to beare a hatefull hart to the Emperour, he reconciled againe vnto himselfe in great familiarity: And by many and great othes taken of them for their fidelitie towardes him, he promoted aboue all the rest. And thus by these prākes, the emperiall seate of the kyng beyng shortly after impayred, & destitute almost of friendes, he craftely purchasing the frendshyp and fauour of the greatest Princes, the better to bring hys matters to passe: sodainly agayne, without any lawfull accusation, without any canonicall vocatiō, without all iudiciall order, excommunicated the Emperour (so obedient alwayes vnto him) and set the Princes of the Empire all agaynst him. And notwithstanding (as the Apostle sayth) that no man ought to circumuent his brother in his busines: as much as in him lay, he rather mortified and killed him then brotherly corrected him. Thus the Emperour beyng many wayes circumuented: as, excommunicate besides the canonicall order: and by the consent and counsell of Hildebrand, spoyled of the greatest part of his imperiall honour: MarginaliaThe Emperour caused by Hildebrand to accuse himselfe.and ouercharged with great warres and slaughters of his owne subiectes, in vayne desired he & sued for, to haue the canon read and heard: causing him by force and violence at Canusium, in the presence of Hildebrand, to accuse hymself by his owne confession.

Say you now (I pray you) all such as loue iustice, and loue not to leane either vpon the left hand, or els the right hand in the fauour of any person: say your myndes, whether that such a confession beyng inforced vpon neuer so poore a man (much lesse vpon an Emperour) ought at such a tyme to be preiudicall or not. Or whether he which extorted the same confession, is gilty of the canon? Or els he, which beyng so peruersly iudged, suffered the iniury of a most peruerse Iudge? MarginaliaThe great pacience of the godly Emperour.Which also most paciently and publikely suffred this violence with lamentable affliction vpon his bare feete, clothed in thinne garmentes, in the sharpe winter, which neuer was vsed, and was three dayes together at Canusium, made a spectacle both of aungels and men, and a ludribrious mocking stocke to that proud Hildebrand. Neuer trust me if that. xiiij. Cardinals, the Archdeacon hymselfe, and he that is called Primicerius, being all wise and religious mē, besides many other of the Clarkes of Lateran, to the iudgemēt and priuilege of whose holy seate the whole world is obedient (waying and consideryng his intollerable apostasie) departed not from participating, and refused from communicatyng with hym.

This glorious Hildebrand & his affinite, by their new authoritie breakyng the decrees of the Chalcedone Councell, not onely in wordes, but also in publicke writyngs haue agreed, that it is tollerable both to baptise and communicate beyng out of the Church of God: and how blind these men were, & also what heretickes they be, their owne writyngs do declare. What a mischief is this (sayth Benno) they presume to iudge of the Church, which swarme them selues in all errours: who also esteeme the veritie, but as a lye: and least their poysoned falshode both in wordes and writyngs should appeare, they haue (lyke subtill poysoners, the sooner to deceiue) mixed hony therewithall. MarginaliaMendacium quid.A lye sayth S. Augustine is euery thyng pronounced with the intent of disceiuyng other.

It were to long and tedious here to recite all the detestable doynges, and diabolicall practises, of cuniurynges, charmes, and filthy sorceries, exercised betwene hym and Laurentius, MarginaliaPope Hildebrand a worker of sorcerye and coniuring.& Theophilact, otherwise named Pope Benedict the 9. wherof a long narration followeth in the foresayd epistle of Benno to the Cardinals to be sene, to whome the reader may repayre, who so hath either laisure to read, or mynd to vnderstand more of the abhominable partes, and diuelish artes of this Hildebrand.

Thus hauing sufficiently alledged the wordes and testimonies of Benno and Auentinus, concernyng the actes and factes of this Pope: now let vs proceede (in the order as followeth in his story) to set forth the miserable vexatiō which the vertuous and godly Emperour, sustayned by that vngodly person.

MarginaliaHenricus 4.the emperour.About what tyme Hildebrand was made pope, Henricus 4. the Emperour was incombred and muche vexed with ciuill dissension in Germany, by reason of certayne greuances of the Saxons agaynst him and his father Hēricus the 3. Whereupon the matter growyng to sedition, sides were taken, and great warres insued, betwixt Ottho duke of Saxony, and Henricus the Emperour. The busy tyme seemed to Hildebrand very oportune to worke hys feates: whose study and drift was euer from the beginning, to aduance the dominion of the Romish seat aboue all other byshops: & also to presse downe the authoritie of þ^e temporall rulers, vnder the spirituall mē of the church. And although he went about the same long before by subtile traines and actes set forth concernyng simonye: yet nowe he thought more effectuously to accomplishe hys purposed intent, after that he was exalted thither where he would be. And therfore now bearyng himselfe the bolder, by the authority of S. Peters throne, MarginaliaMuch boast made of Peters throne, but his life they let alone.first he began to pursue the act set out by his predecessor, as touching simony: cursing and excommunicating, whosoeuer they were that receyued any spirituall liuyng or promotion at lay mens handes, as all such as were the geuers therof. For this he called than Simony, that vnder that colour he might defeat the temporal potestates of theyr right, and so bryng the whole Clergy at length, to the luer of Rome. And for as much as the Emperour was the head, thinkyng first to begin with hym: he sendeth for hym by letters and legates to appeare in the councell of Laterane at Rome. But the Emperour, busied in hys warres agaynst the Saxons, had no leasure to attend to Councels. Notwithstandyng Gregorius the pope, procedeth in his councell: rendryng there the cause and reason before the bishops, why he had excommunicate dyuers of the Clergie, MarginaliaHermannus excommunicate of Hildebrand.as Herman bishop of Bamberge, councellor to the Emperour, and other priests mo for Simony. And there moreouer in the sayd Councell, he threatneth to excommunicate lykewise the Emperour hymselfe, and to depose hym from hys regall kyngdome, vnlesse he would abrenounce the heresie of Simony, and do penance. The coūcell beyng ended: Guibertus Archbishop of Rauenna, perswadeth wyth one MarginaliaCentius.Centius (a Romayne, the Captaines sonne, whome the Pope had excommunicate) to take the Emperours parte agaynst the Pope. Who watchyng hys tyme, in the temple of S. Mary, MarginaliaHildebrand cast in the tower.vpon Christmas day in the mornyng, taketh the Pope and putteth hym fast in a strong tower. The next day, the people of Rome hearyng this, harnesse themselues with all expedition to helpe the bishop: whom when they losed out of prison, they besieged the house of Centius, and pluckt it downe to the ground. His family hauyng their noses cut of, were cast out of the citie. Centius hymselfe escapyng, fled to the Emperour. MarginaliaGilbertus Archbishop of Rauenna.Guibert the Archbishop pretendyng good wil to þ^e Pope, departed frō Rome: who likewyse had wrought w^h Hugo Candidus Cardinall, and with Theobaldus Archbishop of Millaine, also with diuers other bishops about Italy to forsake the Pope, and take the Emperours part. Gregory the Pope called Hildebrand, hearyng the conspiracy, layeth the sentence of excommucation vpon them all, and depriueth them of their dignitie. The Emperour beyng moued (and worthely) with the arrogant presumption of the proud prelate, calleth together a councell at Wormes. In which Councell all the Bishops not onely of Saxony, but of all the whole Empire of Germaines, agree and conclude vpon the deposition of Hildebrand: and that no obedience hereafter should be geuen to hym. This beyng determined in the coucell, Rolandus a Priest of