of, seing the pouertie of the Church is the cause, and why it is so slaundered and ill spoken of: it is therfore conuenient, that you (as naturall children) should succour your mother. For vnlesse wee should receiue of you and of other good men as you are: we should then lacke necessaries for our lyfe, which were a great dishonour to our dignitie, &c.

When those petitions and causes of the Legate were propounded in the foresayd assembly at Westminster on the Popes behalfe (the Bishops and Prelates of the Realme being present) auswere was made by the mouth of maister Iohn Bedford, on this wise: That the matter there proponed by the L. Legate, in especiall concerned the kyng of England, but in generall it touched all the Archbishops wt their Suffraganes, the Bishops and all the Prelates of the realme. Wherfore, seing both the king by reason of his sicknes is absent, and the Archbishop of Canterbury with diuers other Bishops also were not there: therfore in the absence of them they had nothing to say in the matter, neither could they so do without preiudice of them which were lacking. And so the assembly for that tyme brake vp.

Not long after, the said Otho Cardinall De carcere Tulliano, comming agayne from Rome cum autentico plenariæ potestatis, MarginaliaA counsell at Lōdō called.indicted an other Councell at London: caused all Prelates, Archbishops, Bishops, Abbotes, Priors, and other of the Clergy to be warned vnto the same Councell, to be had in the Church of S. Paules at London, about the feast of S. Martin: the pretence of which Councell was for redresse of matters concerning benefices and religiō, but the chief and principall was to hunte for money. For putting them in feare and in hope, some to lose, some to obteine spirituall promotions at his hand, he thought gaine would rise thereby, and so it did. For in the meane time (as Parisiensis in vita Henrici.3. writeth) MarginaliaGreat rewardes geuen to the Cardinall.diuers pretious rewardes were offered him in Palfreis, in rich plate and iewels, in costly and sumptuous garmentes richly furred, in coyne, in vitals. &c. In somuch that onely the Bishop of Winchester (as the story reporteth) hearing that he would winter at London, sent him L. fat Oxen, an C. come of pure wheate, 8. tunne of chosen wine, toward his house keeping. Likewise other Bishops also for their part offred vnto the Cardinals boxe, after their habilitie.

The time of the Councell drawyng nye: the Cardinall commaunded at the West end of Paules Church an high & solēne throne to be prepared, rising vp with a glorious scaffold vpon mighty and substantiall stagies strongly builded, and of a great height. Thus against the day assigned, came the sayd Archbyshop, Bishops, Abbotes and other of the prelacy, both farre and neare throughout all England, weried and vexed with winters iorney, bringing their letters procuratory. MarginaliaContention for sitting on the right hand of the Cardinall.Who being together assembled, the Cardinall beginneth his sermon. But before we come to the sermon, there happened a great discord betwene the ij. Archbishops of Canterbury and of Yorke, for sitting at the right hand and left hand of the glorious Cardinall: for the which the one appealed agaynst the other. The cardinall to pacifie the strife betwene them both, so that he would not derogate from either of them, brought forth a certaine Bull of the Pope: in the middest of which Bull was pictured the figure of the crosse. On the right side of the crosse stode the image of S. Paule, and on the left side, S. Peter. Loe saith the Cardinall (holding open the Bull with the crosse) here you see S. Peter on the left hand of the crosse, and S. Paul on the right side, and yet is there betwene these two no contention. For both are of equall glory. And yet S. Peter (for the prerogatiue of his keyes, and for the preheminence of his Apostleship and Cathedrall dignitie) seemeth most worthy to be placed on the right side. MarginaliaWhy saint Paule standeth on the right hand of the Popes crosse.But yet, because S. Paul beleued on Christ, when he saw him not, therfore hath he the right hand of the crosse: for blessed be they, sayth Christ, which beleue and see not. &c. MarginaliaWhy the Archb. of Cant. hath the righthand & the Archbish. of Yorke the left hand.And from that time forth, the Archbishop of Canterbury inioyed the right hand, and the archbishop of Yorke, the left. Wherin yet, this Cardinall is more to be commended then the other Cardinal Hugo, mentioned a litle before. pag. 231. which in the like contention betwene these Archbishops, ranne his way.

Thus the controuersie ceased, and composed betwene these two: Otho the Cardinall sitting a loft betwene these. ij. Archbishops beginneth his sermon, taking his theame of the Prophet, MarginaliaNote the theme of the Cardinal applyed to God how he applyeth it to hym selfe.In medio sedis, & in cirtuitu eius quatuor animalia plena, oculis ante & retro, &c. That is.

In the middest of the seat, and in the circuite about the seat, were foure beasts ful of eyes before and behind. &c. Vpon this theme, the Cardinall proceded in his sermon: sitting like a God in the middst. MarginaliaScripture clerklye applyed.He compared them about him, to the foure beastes about the seat, declaring how they ought to haue eyes both before & behind (that is) that they must be prouident in disposing of secular thinges, and circumspect in spirituall matters, continuyng & ioyning wisely thinges past with things to come, & this was the greatest effect of this Clerkely Sermon. That done, he geueth forth certaine statutes for ordering of Churches: as for the dedication of temples, for seuen Sacramentes, for geuing of orders, for ferming of benefices, collations and resignatiōs of benefices and vicarages, priestes apparell, and single life, for eating of flesh in religious houses, for archdeacons, bishops, proctors, and such other like matters. But the chiefest intēt of all his proceeding was this: that they should be vigilant, prouidēt, and circumspect, with all their eyes (both before & behind) to fill the Popes pouche: as appeared not onely by this, but all there other trauels besides. In so much, that the kyng dreading the displeasures of his commons for the doings of the Legate, willed him to repaire home to Rome agayne: but yet could not so be rid of him. For he, receiuyng new commaundementes from the Pope: applied his haruest, still glening and taking whatsoeuer he might scrape, writyng and sending to Bishops and Archdeacons in this forme and tenour.

MarginaliaA letter of the Cardinal to byshops & archdeacons. Censure of the Church, well applyed.Otto miseratione diuina &c. discreto viro N. Episcopo vel N. Archidiacano sal. Cum necesse habeamus de mandato summi pontificis moram trahere in Anglis longiorem nec possimus propriis stipendiis militare, discretionem vestram, qua fungimur autoritate rogamus, vt procurationes uobis debitas in Episcopatu, vel Archidiaconam, vestro colligi facias nostro nomine diligenter, eas quam citius poteritis nobis transmissuri, contradictores per censuram Ecclesiasticam compescendo. MarginaliaFoure markes to be payd to the Pope of euery procuration.Prouiso, quod quælibet procuratio summam 4 mercarum aliquatenus non excedat, & vbi vna Ecclesia non sufficiet ad procurationem huiusmodi habendam, duæ pariter vnam soluant. Datum Lond. 15. Kal. Mart. Pont. D. Grego. Papæ 9.

MarginaliaNote the crafty practise of the Romishe prelates to proyle for money.And moreouer note agayne the wicked & cursed traines of these Romish rakehels: who to picke simple mēs purses, first send out their Friers and preachers to styrre vp in all places and countreys men to go fight agaynst the Turkes. Whom, when they haue once bound with a vow, and signed them w^t the crosse: thē send they their Buls to release them both of their labour, and their vow for money. As by their owne stile of writyng is here to be sene, thus procedyng.

N. Episcopus dilectis in Christo filijs omnibus archidiaconis per Diocesim suam constitutis sal. Literas Domini Legati suscepimus in hæc verba. Otto miseratione diuina. &c. Cum sicut intelleximus nonnulli cruce signati regni Angliæ, qui sunt inhabiles ad pugnandum, ad sedem Apostolicam accedant: vt ibidem a voto crucis absolui valeant, & nos nuper recepimus a summo pontifice in mandatis, vt tales nō solum absoluere, verum & ad redimenda vota sua * Marginalia* Note the stile of Rome.compellere debeamus, volentes eorum parcere laboribus & expensis, fraternitatem vestram qua fungimur, monemus, quatenus partem prædictam a summo pontifice nobis concessam faciatis in nostris diocesibus sine mora qualibet publicari, vt præfati cruce signati ad nos accedere valeant, * Marginalia* Immo maleficiū & naufragium pecuniæ.beneficium super his iuxta formam nobis traditam accepturi, Datum Londini. xv. kal. Marc. Pont. D. N. Papæ Grego. 9.

The cause why the Pope was so gredy & needy of money, was this: because he had mortall hatred, & waged continuall battaile the same time agaynst the good Emperour Fridericke the ij.: MarginaliaFridericke the Emperour maryed kyng Iohns daughter.who had to wife kyng Ihons daughter, and sister to this kyng Henry the 3. Whose name was Isabell. And therfore because the popes warre could not be susteined without charges: that made the Pope the more importunate to take vp money in all places, but especially in Englād. MarginaliaThe fifth parte of euery spirituall mans liuing geuē to the Pope.In somuch that he shamed not to require the fifth part of euery Ecclesiasticall mēs liuing, as Parisiensis writeth. And not onely that but also the sayd Pope Gregory (conuentyng with the Citizens of Rome) so agreed with them: that if they would ioyne with him in vanquishing the foresayd Fredericke, he would (and so did) graūt vnto thē, that all the benefices in England which were or should be vacant (namely pertayning to religious houses) should be bestowed at their owne will & commaūdement to their children & kinsfolkes. Wherupon it followeth in the forenamed history, MarginaliaThree hundred Romanes to be placed in the best benefices in England.vnde infra paucos dies misit D. Papa sacra præcepta sua Domino Cant. Archiep. Eliensi, & Lincōl. & Salisb. episcopis vt trecentis Romanis, in primis beneficijs vacantibus prouiderent, scientes se suspensos a beneficiorum collatione donec tot competenter prouideretur. That is.

The Pope sent in commaundement to the Archbishop of Cant. and iiij. other Bishops: that prouision should be made