MarginaliaThe bynding vp of Sathan. The bindyng vp of Sathan after peace ge- uen to the church countyng from the 30. yeres of Christ, began an.	294.
MarginaliaThe tyme of loosing of Sathan. And lasted a thousand yeres, that is, coun- tyng from the thirty yeare of Christ, to the yeare.	1294.
MarginaliaThe tyme of Antichrist, examined. About which yeare Pope Boniface the 8. was Pope, and made the vj. booke of the de- cretals: confirmed the orders of Friers, & pri- uileged them with great fredomes, as appea- reth by his constitution: Super cathedram. an.	1294.
Vnto the which count of yeares doth not much disagree that I found in a certayne olde Chronicle prophesied and written in the lat- ter end of a booke, which booke was written as it semeth, by a monke of Douer, & remay- neth yet in the custody of William Cary a ci- tizen of London: alledgyng the prophesie of one Hayncardus a gray Frier, groā;;ded vpō; the autoritie of Ioachim the Abbot, prophesiyng that Antichrist should be borne the yere from the Natiuitie of Christ. 1260. Which is, coun- tyng after the Lordes passion, the very same yere and tyme, when the orders of Friers both Dominickes and Franciscans began first to be set vp by pope Honorius 3. and by pope Gre- gorius ix. which was the yeare of our Lord countyng after his passion.	1226.
And countyng after the Natiuitie of the Lord, was the yeare.	1260.

Wherof these verses in the author was written.

MarginaliaVerses prophecieng the comming of Antichrist.

Cum suerint anni completi mille ducenti,
Et decies seni. post partum virginis almæ:
Tunc Antichristus nascetur dæmone plenus.  

And these verses were written, as appeareth by the said author. an. 1285.

These things thus premised for the loosing out of Satan, according to the prophesie of the Apocal. now let vs enter (Christ willing) to the declaration of these latter times, which folowed after the letting out of Satan into þ^e world Describing the wondrous perturbations and cruell tiranny stirred vp by him against Christes Church. Also the valieant resistance of the church of Christ agaynst him and Antechrist, as in these our bookes here vnder following may appeare.

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MarginaliaThe argument of the bookes after folowyng. The argument of which booke consisteth in two parts, first to entreate of the raging fury of Satan now loused, & of Antechrist: Agaynst the sayntes of Christ fightyng and trauellyng for the maintenance of the truth, and reformatiō of the Church: Secondly, to declare the decay and ruine of the sayd Antechrist, through the power of the worde of god beyng at length (eyther in a greate parte of the worlde) ouerthrowen or at least vnyuersally in the whole worlde detected.

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MarginaliaAn. 1360. Thus then to begin with the yeare of our Lord. 1360. wherein I haue a litle as is aforesayd, trā; sgressed the stint of the first lousing out of Satan: wee are come now to the time wherin the Lord, after long darckenes beginneth some reformation of his Church, by the dilygent industrye of sōdry his faythfull and learned seruauntes:MarginaliaA briefe rehearsal of faythfull learned men, which withstoode the proceedinges of the Pope. of whome dyuers already we haue foretouched in the former booke before, as namely Guliel. de Sancto Amore, Marsilius Patauinus: Ocam: Robertus Gallus: Robertus Grosted: Petrus de Cugnerijs: Ioannes Rupescissanus: Conradus Hager: Ioannes de Poliaco: Cesenas, with other mo: which withstode the corrupt errours, and intollerable enormities of the Bishop of Rome. Beside them which about these tymes were put to death by the sayd bishop of Rome, as Chastilion, & Franciscus de Arcatara in the booke before recorded: also the two Franciscanes, Martyrs, which were burned at Auinion, mentioned pag. 395.

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Now to these (the Lord willing) wee will adde such other holy Martyrs and confessors, who following after in the course of yeares with like zeale and strength of Gods word, and also with like daunger of their liues, gaue þ^e lyke resistaunce agaynst the enemie of Christes religion, & suffered at his handes the lyke persecutions. First begynning wyth that godly man Iohn Wickliffe and hys felowes, taking by order of yeares as I go, such thinges by the way as both happened before the said tyme of Wicleffe, and also may the better prepare the minde of þ^e reader, to the entring of that story. Where first I thinke it not incōuenient to inferre a propheticall parable  

, writen about this time, or not much before, which the author morally applyeth vnto the Byshop of Rome. To what author this prophecie or morall is to be ascribed, I haue not certenly to affirme. Some say, that Rupescissanus   (of whom mention is made before pag. 394.) was þ^e author therof, & alleadge it out of Froysard   . But in Froysard, as yet I haue not found it. In the meane seasō, as I haue found it in Latin expressed, because it painteth out the Pope so rightly in his fethers and coulours, as I thought the thing not to be omitted, so I tooke thys present place, as most fit (although peraduenture missing the order of yeares a litle) to insert the same. The effect of which parable foloweth here vnder written.

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In the tyme of Pope Innocent the vi. aboue specified, this Ioannis de Rupe scissa, a Frier, among other his prophecies meruelously forespake (as alledgeth Froysard, who both hard and saw hym) of the taking of Iohn the French kyng prisoner, and brought forth many other notable collections concerning the perils, mutations, and chaunginges in the Church to come. And at what tyme the Pope kept hym at Auinion in prison (where Froysard is sayd to see hym and to speake with him) the sayde Froysard heard in the Popes court this example and parable, recited by the foresayd Frier Rupescissanus, to ij. Cardinals, to wit, Cardinall Hostiensis, and Cardinall Auxercensis. Which foloweth in these wordes.

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MarginaliaA parable prophesiyng the destruction of the pope. ¶ When on a certaine time, a byrde was brought into the world all bare and without fethers, the other byrdes hearing therof, came to visite her: and for that they saw her to be a merueilous fayre and beautifull byrde, they counsailed together how they might best doe her good, sith by no meanes without fethers, she might eyther flee or liue commodiously. They all wished her to liue for her excellent forme and beauties sake, in so much that among them all there was not one, that would not graunt some part of her owne fethers to decke thys byrde wythall: yea and þ^e more trim they saw her to be, the more fethers still they gaue vnto her, so that by this meanes shee was passing well pþ^tned and fethered, and began to flee.MarginaliaThe Pope compared to a birde fethered wyth other birdes fethers. The other byrdes that thus had adourned her with goodly fethers, beholding her to flee abroad, were maruelously delighted therwith. In þ^e end, this byrde seeing her self so gorgiously fethered, & of all the rest to be had in honour: began to waxe proude & hauty, in so much that she had no regard at all vnto them, by whō she was aduaunced:MarginaliaThe first rising of the pope.
The proud prosperitie of the Pope. yea, shee punged them with her beak, plucked them by the skinne and fethers, and in all places hurted them. Wherupon, the byrdes sitting in councell agayne, called the matter in question, demaunding one of an other what was best to be done touching this vnkynd bird whom they louingly wyth their owne fethers had decked & adourned: Affirming, that they gaue not their fethers to þ^e intent that she therby puft vp wyth pride, should contemptuously despise them all.MarginaliaThe decay of the Pope described. The Pecocke therfore aunswereth first. Truly, sayth he, for that she is brauely set forth with my painted fethers, I will againe take them frō her. Then sayth the Falcon, and I also will haue mine againe. This sentence at length tooke place among them all, so that euery one plucked from her those fethers which before they had geuen, chalenging vnto them their owne againe: Now this proud byrde seeing her selfe this to be dealt wythall, began forthwith to abate her hauty stomacke, and humbly to submit her selfe openly, confessing and acknowledging þ^t of her selfe she had nothyng: but that her fethers, her honor and other ornamentes was their gifte: she came into the world all naked & bare, they clad her wyth comely fethers, and therfore of right may they receaue them againe. Wherfore in most humble wise she desireth pardon, promising to amend all that is past, neither would she at any time hereafter commit, whereby through pride shee might loose her fethers agayne. The gentle byrdes that before had geuen their fethers, seeing her so humble and lowly, beyng moued wyth pitie, restored agayne the fethers which lately they had taken away, adding withall this admonition. We will gladly, say they, behold thy fleyng amōg vs, so long as thou wilt vse thine office with humblenes of minde, which is the chiefest comelynes of all the rest: But this haue thou for certainty, that if at any tyme hereafter thou extoll thy selfe in pride, we wil straight wayes depriue thee of thy fethers, and reduce thee into thy former state wherin we found thee. Euē so oh you Cardinals (sayth Iohannes Rupescissanus) shall it happen vnto you. For the Emperour of Romaines and Almayne, and other Christian kynges, potentates, & princes of the earth, haue bestowed vpon you goodes, landes,

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