he is reported to haue had two bastardes by her, and so goeth the common bruite of hym.

25. Item, he is commonly reported that he handled vngētly his predecessor Celestinus of holy memory, leading a holy lyfe (peraduenture knowyng in conscience that he could not forsake hys popedome, & therfore Boniface hymselfe had no lawful entrance to the sea) and prisoned hym, & there quickly & priuely caused him to die. MarginaliaPope Boniface a murderer of his predecessorAnd of this the common brute and report is through all the world, that he caused many a great learned men liuyng a reguler lyfe (which disputed of this, whether he might renounce the Popedome or not) to be set in prison, and there to die.

26. Item, he is reported to haue rayled at religious persons, leadyng a regular lyfe without a reasonable cause to the world, to the slaunder of many.

27. Item, he is reported to haue sayd that he would within short tyme make all the Frenchmen eyther Martyrs or forsakers of their fayth.

28. Item, he is commonly reported, that he seketh not the helth of the soules, but the destruction of them.

These thinges beyng propounded & red, the same Williā protested, sayd, declared, appealed, and added these wordes, readyng them in writyng.MarginaliaThe protestation of W. Plesiano.

I Williā of Plesiano knight, protest that I do not propound nor speake the foresayd things for any speciall hate of Boniface hymselfe (for I hate not hym, but his foresayd euill dedes) nor I seke not hys iniury nor slaunder, nor any mans els: But I speake it for the zeale of the fayth, and for the deuotion that I haue to the holy church of God, and the holy Romish see, aswell for those thinges that I haue seene and heard of credible men of hys doynges, and by likely presumptions gathered of the foresayd thinges, and many diuers other thinges to be declared in his due place and tyme. MarginaliaPope Boniface proued an hereticke.And I sweare by the holy Gospell of God (which I touch with my hand) that I beleue hym to be a ranke heretike, & that I also beleue that the foresayd thinges and such other, may proue agaynst him such thinges as shall be sufficient to proue hym an hereticke, accordyng to the state of the holy fathers. I sweare also, that I will pursue agaynst hym by the lawes, the foresayd things in the generall counsell that shall be assembled, in a place that shall be safe & and sure for me, to the honour of God, & increase of the christian fayth, sauyng the right, honor & state of the holy Apostolicall see, in all things. Wherfore, earnestly and with reuerence I require you my Lord the kyng (to whom belongeth the defence of the holy mother the church, and the Catholike fayth, for of that ye shal make accompt in the last iudgement) and you my lordes the Prelates which be pillers of the fayth, and whiche ought to be iudges of the foresayd thinges, together with other reuerent fathers, the Catholike Prelates of the holy church, in the generall councell to be assembled: that ye wold procure and take diligent payne that a generall councel may be gathered in a fit and safe place, and conuenient tyme, afore which the foresayd things may be propounded, broght forth, and proued agaynst the sayd Boniface, as is promised. And I earnestly also require you my Lord king, that ye would require the same prelates present and absent, in what country so euer they be, or to whom it belongeth: & that ye would effectually induce them manfully to labour, and to require other faithfully, that the foresayd councaile by the foresayd matters might be gathered in such sort as is aforesayd. And because so long as this is deferred to proue, I suspect Boniface hymselfe, lest he beyng angry & mooued for þ^e foresayd things agaynst me and my partakers, procurers & helpers, my frindes and familiars: should go about by some means, wherby to stay and stop my good purpose & theirs for goyng forward. Therfore, by these writings afore you my lord the kyng, & diuers prelates, and afore your cōmon notaries here present: I prouoke & appeale to þ^e sayd holy general councell Apostolicall and Catholicke that shall be, & to the holy Apostolicall see, and to hym and them to whom of right I may or ought: and I earnestly require once, twise, and thrice, that testimoniall letters may be geuen me from you: supposing my selfe my followers, fauourers, familiars, friendes, my procurers, and all them that will hereafter follow me, my goods and theirs to be vnder the protection and kepyng of S. Peter and Paule, and the sayd holy Councell to be assembled by the holy Romish see, and the catholike Apostolicall Pope that shall bee: stickyng neuerthelesse and willyng to sticke to the appellation and appellacions, processe and processes made hereupon, by the noble man Maister William of Nargareta knight, in as much as they shall be found and made lawfull, and yet not forsakyng this present appellation.

When these thinges were thus red and done, the fore-sayd king aunswered and required the foresayd Prelates, prouoking and appealing and makyng request, prouocation and appellation, as is conteyned in the paper vnderwritten, both there and then with other Prelates: which things all are more fully conteyned in these writings followyng, and were red to them that heard it, whose tenor is such.

MarginaliaThe kynges aunswere.
The appeale of Phillip the French king from the Pope.We Philip by the grace of God, hearing and vnderstandyng the obiections propounded by our beloued faythfull knight William of Nagareta, agaynst Boniface now hauyng the regiment of the Romish Church: although we would gladly couer with our owne cloke, þ^e filthy partes of such a father: yet for the loue of the Catholicke fayth and great deuotion that we beare to þ^e holy Romish & vniuersal Churche our mother, and all faythfull men and spouse of Christ, followyng the steps of our auncestors, which doubted not to shed their owne bloud for the encrease and defence of the Churches liberty and the fayth: & coueting to prouide for the puritie of faith and the state of the Church, as also to auoyde the hurt of þ^e generall slaūder, beyng not able to passe ouer any longer þ^e premisses with winckyng and dissembling, and my conscience driuyng to the same: seeyng this estimate and opinion of hym in these matters, is not rashly of vs conceiued, but vehemently and plainly increased by many and continuall cryings of credible men, and great authoritie oft and oftentymes beaten vnto vs, fearing moreouer the destruction of the fayth, both of vs, and of all other subiectes, and specially of kings and princes of the world, which ought to reproue negligence, which acknowledge that we haue receyued power geuen vs from the Lord, to the promoting & increasement of it, we agree to your requests in this behalf, and to the callyng and assemblyng of a councell for the glory of God (sauyng the honour and reuerence that is due to the holy Romish church in all thinges) whereby the truth may appeare in the premisses, and all errour auoyded: that the state of the vniuersall Church and all christianitie and the matters of fayth, and the holy land may be prouided for, and the slaunders and ieoperdies hanging ouer vs may be withstanded: we be redy and offer our selues gladly, as much as in vs is, to bestow our labour & diligent payne therabouts. Earnestly requiring and besechyng in the mercifull bowels of Iesu Christ, you Archbishops and other Prelates here present, as children of the church and pillers of fayth, called of the Lord to the promotyng, encrease, and preseruing therof, to care for the same: that with all diligence ye would geue hede, as becommeth you, and effectually you would labor by all wayes and fit meanes, to the callyng and assemblyng of this Councell, in which we intend to be personally present. And lest the sayd Boniface, whiche hath boldly and wrongfully many tymes threatned to procede agaynst vs, stopping and hindring our purposes and intent: lest any of his works of darkenesse (if there be any) should come to light, directly or indirectly hindering the callyng and gatheryng of thys councell: or lest any state beyng in the same realme that will in dede procede agaynst vs, or our state, churches Prelates, Barons and other faithfull vassals, our subiects, our lands, or our realm, and the state of the realme: by abusing any spirituall sword, in excommunicating, suspending, or otherwais by any meanes for vs and our welwillers, and thē that will follow vs: we prouoke and appeale in writing to the foresayd generall councell (which we instantly desire to be called) and to one lawfull chiefe bishop that shalbe, or to any other to whom we should appeale: and yet not goyng from the appellation made by Maister William of Nagareta, to whom we sticked thē, and also yet sticke: requiring earnestly, a witnesse of our appellation of you Prelates and Notaries, expressedly to renue such prouocation and appellation, when and afore whom it shall be thought meete to you.

Than the Archbyshops within written, byshops, Abbots, and Priors, aunswered the premisses (as it is founde in the actes) prouoked and appealed, agreed to, and protested, and made prouocation, and appellation, agreement, and protestation, as is contayned more fully in a certayne paper there openly and plainly red, whose tenor followeth wyth these wordes.

MarginaliaThe protestation of prelatesWe Archbyshops of Nicosien, Remen, Senoren, Narbonen, turonen, and byshops of Landuiren, Belnacen, Catolacen, Antisiodoren, Meldimen, Nurmen, Carnotē, Aurelianen, Ambiauen, Morinen, Silanen, Andeganen, Abricen, Constant, Ebroicen, Lexonicen, Sagien, Caloromont, Lemonicen, Auicen, Masticoren, And we Abbots of Cluniac, premostraten, of the greatest monasterie of the court of S. Dionise in Fraunce, Camped S Victors. S. Genoueue, S. Martē, Lādmoon. Figiacem & Bellicē in Lemocinio, & Frier Hugh