for the liberties of the Clergy and of the people, as knoweth God. &c.

At length, the Ambassadours which were at Rome, came home about the latter ende of December, bringyng word, that the pope hearing what was done in the councell of Winchester and of the king, was greatly displeased with him and with the realme, saying: MarginaliaThe Popes saying against kyng Henry.Rex Anglorum qui iam recalcitrat & frederisat suum habet consilium, ego vero & meum habeo, quod & sequar. &c. Wherupon, when the Ambassadours began to speake in the kinges behalfe: frō that time, they were halfe counted for schismatickes, & could no more be heard in þ^e court of Rome. The king hearing this, was maruelously incensed therewith, commaunding by general proclamacion through all this realme: MarginaliaK. Henry agayne restraineth the popes taxes.that no man shoulde hereafter cōsent to any taxe or subsidie of money for þ^e court of Rome. When this came to the popes eare, vpon a cruell rage, he directed his letters to the Prelates of England, MarginaliaThe pope rageth agaynst the kyng.charging that vnder payne of suspence or interdiction, they should prouide the same summe of money to be collected agaynst the feast of the Assumption, the charge being geuen to the byshop of Worcester to be executer of the sayd cursse. The kyng, that lately intended to stand to the libertyes of the Church: MarginaliaThe kyng cōpelled for feare to geue ouer to the popenow for feare of the Pope, and partly for perswasions of the sayd Byshop of Worcester and other Prelates, durst not stand to it, but gaue ouer. Moreouer, the greedy gulfe of the Romish auarice waxt so vnmesurable, MarginaliaThe pope asketh the 3. part of the church goodsthat at length the Pope shamed not vpon the censure of his cursse, to aske the third parte of the Chuch goods, and the yerely fruite of all vacant benefices. The chiefe doers & Legates in England, were Otho, Stephanus Capellanus, Petrus Rubeus nuncius, Mag. Martin. & Mag. Marinus, Ioannes Anglicus Episcopus Sabinensis. Of whom to speake further (for that I haue matter much more to write) for this present time I thinke best to surcease: least in opening all the detestable doinges and pestilent workinges of those men, I might perhaps not onely molest good eares: but also infect the ayre. Yet on thyng concernyng the sayd Otho, I can not well ouerpasse.

MarginaliaA story of Cardinall Otho at Oxford.Thys Otho, as he left no place vnsought, where any vauntage might be got: so amongest all other he came to Oxford. Where, lying in the house of Osney, he was receyued with great honour: the scholars presenting hym honorably with such dishes and rewardes as they had , thinking to gratefie the Cardinall after the best maner. This beyng done before diner, & the diner ended, they came reuerently to see & welcome hym, supposing þ^t they also should with like curtesie agayne of hym be entertayned. As they came to the gate, the porter (beyng an Italian) with a loude voyce asketh what they would haue. They sayd they came to see þ^e Lord Legate. But Cerberus the porter holding the dore halfe open, with proude and contumelous language thrust them out, and would not suffer them to enter. MarginaliaA skirmish betwene the scholers of Oxford & the Cardinals men.The scholars seyng that, by force thrust open the gate and came in: whom, when the Romaines which were within woulde haue repelled with their fistes, and such staues as they had in their hands, they fell to alarme & by the eares together, w^t much houiyng and shouing, & many blowes on both sides. In þ^e meane tyme, whyle some of the scholars ran home for their weapōs, there chaūced a poore scholer (an Irishmā) to stand at þ^e gate wayting for hys almes Whom when the maister Cooke saw at the gate, he takyng whote skaldyng water out of the pan, where the meat was sodden: did cast it in hys face. One of the scholers a welchman, that came with hys bow and shaftes, seyng that: letteth driue an arrow, & shoteth this Nabuzardan (that is maister of cokes) cleane through the body, and slayeth hym out of hand. The Cooke fallyng dead: there was a mighty broyle, & a great clamor throughout all the house. The Cardinall hearing þ^e tumult and great noyse about hym, MarginaliaThe Cardinal runneth away.lyke a valiant Romaine runneth as fast as he could into the steple: and there locketh the dores fast vnto hym, where he remayned till midnight. The scholars in the meane while not yet all pacified, sought all corners about for the Legate, exclaming and crying out: where is that vsurer, that symoniake, that piller and poler of our liuyngs, the proylar and extorcioner of our money, which peruerteth our kyng, and subuerteth his kingdome, enrichyng himselfe with our spoyles. &c. all this heard the Cardinall, and held his peace. When the night approchyng had broken vp the field: the Cardinall commyng out of his forte, and takyng hys horse (in silence of the night) was priuely conueyed ouer the riuer, toward the kyng, conueying him self away as fast as he could. After the kyng heard this, he sendeth to Oxford a garrison of armed men, to deliuer the Romaynes which were there hidden for feare of the scholers. Then was maister Odo a lawyer, with 30. other scholersMarginaliaxxx. scholars takē and had to prisō.apprehended, and caried to Wallingford Castle: & frō thence had in cartes to London, where at length (thorough much entreaty of the bishops) beyng brought barefoote to þ^e Legates dore, had their pardon, and the vniuersitie released of interdiction. And thus much concernyng the Popes Legates in England.

Thus partly you haue heard, and doe vnderstand the miserable thraldome and captiuitie of this realm of England and the clergie of the same: who (before) refused to take part with kyng Iohn their naturall Prince agaynst the forreyne power of the Pope: and now how miserably they are oppressed & scourged of the same pope. Whose insatiable extorcion & rapacity did so exceede in pillyng & polling of thys realme long after thys, that neyther the kyng now could helpe them, neyther could the Pope with any reasonable measure be content. In so much (as writers record) in the dayes of Sudbury Archbishop of Canterbury an. 1360. MarginaliaThree score thousand Florens contributed to the pope in one yeare of the clergie.the Pope by hys proctors gat from the Clergie in lesse then one yeare more then. lx. M. florences, of mere cōtribution: besides his other auayles and common reuenues out of benefices, prebendaries, first fruites, tributes, Peter pence, collations, reseruations, relaxations, and such marchandise. &c.

Mention was made a litle before pag. 235, and 262. of Albingenses keeping about the Citie of Tholouse. These Albingenses because they began to smell the Pope, and to controle the inordinate procedings and discipline of the see of Rome: the Pope therfore recountyng them as a people hereticall, excited and stirred vp, about this present tyme & yeare an. 1220. MarginaliaLudouike the French kyng.Ludouicke the young Frēch king through the instance of Philip hys father: MarginaliaLudouike fighteth agaynst Albingenses.to lay siege agaynst the sayd citie of Tholouse, to expugne and extinguish these Albingenses hys enemyes. Wherupon, Ludouicke (according to hys fathers commaundement) reared a puisant and a mighty army, to compasse about and beset the forenamed citie: and so did. MarginaliaLudouike besiegeth Tholouse.Here were the men of Tholouse in great daunger. But see how the mighty protection of God feighteth for hys people, agaynst the myght of man. For after that Ludouicke (as Mathew Paris testifieth) had long weryed himselfe and his men in waste, and could doe no good wyth all their ingines and artilery agaynst the citie: MarginaliaThe hand of God fighting for his people.
Ex Math. Paris. in vita Henrici. 3.there fell moreouer vpon the French hoste by the hand of God, such famine, and pestilence both of men and horses, beside the other dayly slaughter of the souldiours: that Ludouick was enforced to retire, and wyth such as were left to returne agayne home to Fraunce from whence he came. MarginaliaThe generall of the army slayne.In the slaughter of which souldiours beside many other, was Earle Simon de monte forti, generall of the army, MarginaliaThe siege agaynst Albingenses broke vp.to whom the landes of the Earle of Tholouse was geuen by þ^e Pope, who was slayne before the gate of the citie wyth a stone. And so was also the brother of the sayd Symon the same time in besieging a castell neare to Tholouse slaine with a stone in lyke maner. And so was the siege of the Frenchmen agaynst Tholouse broke vp. Ex Mat. Par.

As the siege of these French men could do no good agaynst the citie of Tholose: MarginaliaThe expugnation of a certayne stronge castle of Dameta, in Egipt by the Christians.so it happened the same tyme that the christiās marching toward the holy land, had better lucke by the way in laying their siege to a certaine tower or castle in Egypt, neare to the citie Damieta: which semed by nature, for the situation and difficultie of the place inexpugnable: as which beyng situate in the middest of the great floud Nilus (hard by the citie called Damieta) could neyther be come to by land, nor be vndermined for the water, nor by famine subuded for the nerenes of the city. MarginaliaDamieta takē by the Christians.Yet notwithstandiyng, through the helpe of God and policie of man, in erecting scaffoldes and castels vpon tops of mastes, the Christians at last conquered it: and after that the citie also Damieta, albeit not wythout great losse of Christen people. In the expugnation of thys citie or forte, among other that there dyed, was the Lātgraue of Thuringe named Ludouicke, the husband of Elizabeth whom we vse to call S. Elizabeth. MarginaliaThe story of S. Elizabeth.
Elizabeth daughter of the kyng of Hungary.
S. Elyzabeth prouoketh her husband to go & fyght for the holy land.This Elizabeth (as my story recordeth) was the daughter of the kyng of Hungary, and maryed in Almayne, where shee lyued, wyth the forenamed Ludouicke Lantgraue of Thuringe. Whom she through her perswasions prouoked and incensed to take that vyage to fight for the holy land, where he in the same viage was slayne. After whose death, Elizabeth (remaynyng a widow) entred the profession of cloysterly religion, & made her selfe a nunne. So growing and increasing from vertue to vertue, that after her death, all Almayne did sounde with the fame of her worthy doinges. Mat. Paris. addeth this more, MarginaliaThe mother of S. Elizabeth accused of adultery.
The sentence of a double meaning.that shee was the daughter of that Queene, who beyng accused to be nought wyth a certayne Archbyshop: was therfore condemned wyth this sentence pronounced agaynst her. Reginam interficere nolite timere