the pope had called, wherin he was hymselfe both plaintife and Iudge: and at the same Councell those which he had by bribes allured, pretended the destruction of the Emperour: with many other such euident demonstrations, both of hys enuious and hatefull hart towards hym: yet the most modest emperor vsing þ^e innocēcy & vprightnes of his cause, & as one most desirous of peace & christiā concord: sent the Patriarch of Antioch, which lately was come out of Syria, the bishop of Panormia, and Thadeus Suessanus the president of his Court (a most skilfull and prudent Ciuilian) to the councel at Lions: which signified vnto them, that the Emperour would be there for the defence of hys owne cause: & for that the day was very short, required a tyme more conuenient for hym thither to make hys repayre. MarginaliaThe Emp. commyng to make hys apparāce before the pope.The Emperour also, beyng onward of his way and come as far as Taurinum, sent before other messengers (as the maister of the Flemish order, and Peter de Vincis) to geue them vnderstanding of the Emperours commyng: and that he would proroge the day of hearyng, till that he might conueniently trauall thither. But for any thing that could be either sayd or done, or vpon how iust cause so euer required: the pope would not geue so much as three dayes space in the which time the Embassadors assured them of the Emperors presence: As though there had bene no common prouiso for euery man in that case, by the law to haue vsed vpon any reasonable let. MarginaliaThe extremstie of the pope to the Emperour.What should I longer protract the tyme: when the daye by them appointed was come, the Pope with hys confederates (whom for money and bribes he had gotten to that Councell) against gods law, agaynst Christian doctrine, agaynst both the prescript of the law of nature and reason, agaynst the rule of equitie, agaynst the order of law appointed, agaynst the constitutions of Emperors, and also the decrees of the Empire, without any obseruation of the law, or grauntyng dilatorie dayes, without probation of any crime, or hys cause suffered to be pleaded vnto, or heard what might be aunswered therein: takyng upon hym to be both aduersary & Iudge, cōdemned þ^e emperour beyng absent. What more wicked sentence was euer pronounced, what more crueller fact (consideryng the person) might be committed: Or what thyng more brutishe & beastly could haue ben imagined or deuised. And yet heareat, were these Bishops nothyng ashamed: but meanyng to leaue their doynges in writyng (as an impudent testimony to their posteritie) established the same for a law to continue.

MarginaliaVengeance falleth vpon the pope for his false iudgement.But marke what vengeance God toke vpon this wycked iudge. The writers of the Annales recorde, that when Fridericus the Emperor and Conradus hys sonne beyng Cesar were both dead: He gapyng for the inheritaunce of Naples and Sicile, and thinkyng by force to haue subdued the same, came to Naples with a great host of men: where was heard in the Popes court manifestly pronounced this voyce, Veni miser ad iudicium dei. Thou wretch, come to receyue thy iudgement. And the next day after: the Pope was found in hys bed dead, all blacke and blew as though he had bene beaten with bats, as before in the history of king Iohn is declared.

When the Emperor had vnderstanding of this cruel and tyrannicall sentence of the Pope, passed and pronounced against hym (considering his furious purpose and mynd therin) thought good by his letters to let all christiā princes and potentates vnderstand, as well what iniuries and manifold displeasures he had susteined by the foure Popes in all their tymes, as also the crueltie and tyranny of this Pope in pronouncyng the sentence of iudgemente and condemnation agaynst him (passing the boundes both of iustice, equitie, and reason) which letter, as he wrote the same, here vnder followeth to be sene.

ALthough we suppose not the contrary, but that both by true certificat and common rumor you haue heard of the indifferencie of our cause and good handling therof: yet for that more credite is commonly geuen to that the eye seeth then to that the eare receaueth: we thought good to present vnto you the naked truth of such thinges, which the Popes successiuely haue put forth, and forged agaynst vs. To the perusing and consideratiō of which my case and letter, I beseech your gentlenes amongest other tymes of laysure, you will spie out some fit and conuenient time therfore. And all other whatsoeuer that shall haue desire to heare princes counsels and affayres, let them in lyke sort attentiuely consider. First, whether our predecessours haue bene destitute or not of godly zeale, iust dealyng & righte-ousnes: or whether we may not lawfully reuēge our selues beyng so much prouoked, of such euils and iniuries as haue bene wrought agaynst vs. Secōdly, let them cōsider whether Christes vicare doth follow Christes steps or not, and whether Peters successosurs do follow his example or not: and also, by what law, equitie, & right, that sentēce which they haue pronounced against vs, may be mayntayned and allowed. As also what name they may iustly geue it, and whether that may be sayd to be a sentence which is geuen by an vnsufficient iudge or not. For, although we acknowlege that the Lord hath geuen full power in spirituall thynges vnto hys Church: that whatsoeuer the same byndeth in earth is bonnde in heauē, and whatsoeuer the same looseth, is also loosed: yet we read neyther by Gods lawe nor by any law of man that we ought of dutie to be subiect vnto hym: or that an Empire ought at hys pleasure to be transformed and transposed: or that he may geue any such sentence or iudgement to punish Princes temporally, and depriue them of their kyngdomes. For why, although our consecration belongeth vnto hym by right and custome (as he challengeth) yet our deposing & depriuyng doth no more belong to hym then doth that presumption belong to any other prelate of other Realmes, which do consecrate and annoynt their kinges, as the custome and maner is. Or purcase it were so (we nothing hindered thereby) that he had such power: Hath he that power to the intent to reuenge hymself vpon whomsoeuer his malicious minde cōsenteth, and without all equitie and lawe to bring them vnder Hys iurisdiction: He hath proceeded of late against vs as is said, but not by the order of accusation: for so much as neyther was there any sufficient accuser, neyther wēt there out any inscriptiō or proces before. Neither yet by denunciation, for so much as there lacked a lawfull denouncer: neither yet by way of inquisitiō for that there wēt before it no manifest accusation. But he peraduēture will say, that all things that he layeth against vs were manifest and notorious, but that doe we deny, and nothyng to be notorious but that, which may by a sufficient nūber of witnesses be approued & tryed. For so may euery iudge hymselfe (contemning the order of law) affirme what he list to be notorious, and thus condemne whom he list. There were against vs (as well it may be sayd in councell) certayne false witnesses although not many: of whom, the Byshop of Calin was one, whose neare kinsman or nepheue (by our lawes condemned for treason to be hanged) maketh also to vs an infestiue enemy. Wyth such lyke effect prosecutyng the rest of his epistle, which for breuitie sake I omit.

This pollicie vsed the Pope to vexe and disturbe both the country of Germany and the whole Empire, and not so onely, but also vtterly to destroy and subuert the same: by the ruinous decay whereof, the Pope and hys prelates thought to make vp their mouthes. And thus, whilest that Germany was now newly agayne deuided, some takyng part with Fridericke the emperour, and Cōradus Caesar hys sonne and other nobles and princes of the empyre: MarginaliaAltogether in hurly burly through the popes malicious minde.some with those that should by the Popes procurement be the electours of the new emperour: othersome, with neyther of both, as men not mynding nor tendyng the publique vtilitie, but to serue their owne purposes, armed themselues: And thus was the publicke peace and quiet broken and disturbed, and altogether in tumult and hurleburly. For whylest the one part laboured by all force to retayne the dominion by publique and common consent first to hym committed: the other part in like sort indeuored thēselues with all their force and power to vse and occupy the same, according to the decree of the bishop of Rome, and to take it from Fridericke, and thus great conflicts grew on all partes.

MarginaliaGermany spoyled by ciuile discention through the popes only practise agaynst the Emperour.By these ciuill warres, Germany suffered no litle calamitie: In euery place was manslaughter and murder, the countrey spoyled, the townes and villagies set on fire and brent, the Churches and temples violated & robbed, wherin the husbād mē had put their goods & substance: houses were pulled downe, the goods deuided, & euery mans cattell driuen away. To conclude, in this turmoyle & contention of deposing & chusing another emperor in this factiō of princes, in this liberty of wearing armour, in this licēce of hurting & sinning: The impudent boldnes of diuers priuate soldiours, & especially of such as were the horsemē thē coūted þ^e better sort of souldiours, was so great: and their vnbridled & vnsatiable desire in robbing, spoyling, and taking of booties, catching and snatching al that came to hand, so much: that nothyng coulde be sure and in safetie that any good mā enioyed. Wherfore, a little before the death of Wilhelmus the kyng. 60. Cities and townes, which were belongyng to Ludouicus Palatinus Duke of Boioria and Rhenus,