The Acts of English Votaries, Religious tract · Part 52 – Part 67
¶The fallen starre, and .ij. Hornes of the Beast.
ABout thys tyme were manye wō derfull thynges seane in dyuerse quarters of the worlde, specyallye a great Comete or blasynge starre,A comete. which semed with flamynges of fyre to fall into the see, great morren folowynge both of beast and man. Not all vnlyke was thys to that ys described, Apoca. 8. And betokened than (in my opynyon) both the vttre fall of the pryncelye gouernaunce and also the christen presthode,Regnū et sacerdotium. or of both vndre one, as powers of one God. For both they heynge as starres in the firmament or powers from about. Romano. 13. most wretchedlye than declyued frō the true obedyence and faythfull ad ynystracyon of Gods eternall veryte, vntounto the beastlye subieccyon and tradycyons of that execrable Pope. Sens that tyme hauehave they comen from the see. They hauehave taken their autoryte of that Beast whyche rose out of the see. Apocal. 13.Apo. 13. (tyll now of late dayes) the .ij. hornes of the other Beast, that is to saye, of hypocresye, pryckynge them than forewarde. Those.ijhornes .ij. hornes of that earthlye Beast were here in Englande, the .ij. monkysh sectes that in those dayes firste entered. The first of them were the blacke monkes of Saynt Benet, which entered first of all with the afore named Augustyne in the yeare of our lorde .CCCCC.Augustinus. and xcvi.696. to peruerte the South Saxons and kentysh men. The other were the blacke Chanons of the other Saynt Augustyne (both blacke) which came in with Berinus the archebyshopp of Dorcestre in the yeare of our lorde .DC.xxxvi.Berinꝰ from Pope Honorius the firste,636. to deceyue the west Saxons. For yche Pope and byshopp preferred euermore the secte he was of.ij. sectes These .ij. wrought so their wycked feates in those dayes, with lyenge sygnes in hypocresye, that they caused the afore named starres, Regnum et Sacerdocium, Regalyte and presthode, to fall clerelye from heauen. Iohan Capgraue, Ranulphus, et Polydorus.
¶The fall of kyngedoms, and rayse of the Papacye.
MArke in the Chronycles, and ye shall fynde thys most true.Papacye. That lyke as the Papacye had hys firste rayse in and of the fall of the Empyre, so had those kyngdomes which firste obeyed yt, their orygynall begynnynges of the ouerthrowe of the inferyour kyngedomes. As Englande vndre kyng Inas by the fall of the Brytaynes,Kyngedomes popysh… and Fraunce vnderunder kynge Pypyne by the puttynge a syde of the Merouyngeanes. Sens these lecherouse locustes crepte first into Englande, neuer throue that kyngedome of the auncyent Brytaynes (whose spirytuall head was God alone) but euerye daye more and more decayed,Brytaynes. tyll yt was fullye ended. Marke yt hardelye from the first commynge hyther of the seyd Augustyne,cadwal tyll the yeare of our lorde .DC.lxxxix.lader. 689. wherin Cadwallader their last kynge dyed a most desolate pylgryme at Rome, offerynge hymselfe vp there most myserablye to the Pope.
Euer sens hath yt bene to hym obedyent in all blasphemouse errours and doe …ryues of Deuylles, by the space of .DCCC. and .xliiij. years,Marke yt. 1533. tyll the yeare of our lorde .M.D. and .xxxiij. wherin at our noble kynges moste wholsome request, we vtterlye by othe renounced that odyouse monstre. Now ys yt Gods owne fre kyngedome agayne, and our kynge hys inmedyate mynystre. That Lorde graunte of hys infynyte mercye,englāde that lyke as we hauehave put a syde hys name, we maye euen frome the harte also cast ouer hys Idolatrouse yokes▪ folowynge from henceforth the vncorrupt rules of the Gospell. Amen. A lyke conparyson hath Paulus Orosius, li. 2. Ca. 4. Historiarum mundi, Roma et Babilon.of Babylon and Rome. Verye lyke begynnynges (sayth he) had Babylon and Rome, lyke powers, lyke prydes, lyke contynuaunces, lyke fortunes, and lyke ruynes, sauynge onlye that Rome arose of the fall of Babylon, and so fourth.
¶An olde prophecye of Merlyne dysclosed.
AS I was in wrytynge thys matter an olde prophecye of Merlyne came vntounto my remembraunce.Merlyne. That after the manyfolde irrupcyons of straungers, the kynges of thys realme shuld be ones agayne crowned with the Dyademe of Brute,Brute. and beare hys auncyent name, the newe name of straungers so vanyshynge awaye. He that applyeth vntounto thys a ryght vnderstandynge, ſhall fynde yt verye true. The dyademe of Brute ys the pryncelye power of thys whole regyō,of God inmedyatlye geuē of God without anye other meane mastrye worker to Antichristes behoue. F…re was that power f…m the great whores domynyon (which ys the Rome churche) tyll the vyolēt conquest of the Englysh Saxōs▪ Saxōs.whiche they had of the Brytaynes for their iniquitees sake▪ And now (prayse be vntounto that Lorde) yt is in good waye to that fredō agayne, & wold fully attayne therunto, were her heythnysh yokes in relygyō ones throwne a syde, as I doubt yt not but they will be within short space. As wele maye ye geue credēce to this Merlyne whan he vttered the veryte,Merlyne. as vntounto olde Balaam the sothsayer,Balaā ▪ which at a tyme prophecyed the commynge of Christ. Numeri 24. And as concernynge the returne of the name, marke in this age the wrytinges of lerned men, and ye shall wele perceyue the change, for now cōmonlye do they write vsus for Englysh men, Brytaynes.
¶The whores fleshe eaten of the x. hornes.
THe .x. hornes of the first Beast (which were kyngedomes maynteynynge that whore (now ioyned all into one,The .x. hornes of the Beast▪ doth mortallye hate her at this present instaunt▪ & ys makynge her desolate and naked in Englande. In the ende they shall eate her fleshe, and clerelye cōſume her with the fyre appoynted. Englande was sumtyme into .vij. kyngedomes deuyded, by the consent of all writers, and wales into .ij. called Cambria & Demecia or north wales & South wales; Irelande makynge vp the tenth. Or yf ye holde wales but for one, lete Scotlande supplye that rowme, which oweth vntounto Englande perpetuall homage. As all these are now in one most worthye & vyctoryouse Kynge but one, so wyll God put into all their hartes one consēt to fulfyll hys will, and to geue her kyngedome vntounto the Beast, or to sende yt agayne to the Deuyll from whens yt first came. Apoca. Apo. 1717 Consydre with your selues the late ouerthrowe of the monasteryes, couentes, collegys, and chaunteryes, alleages of vncleane spretes, and holdes of most hatefull byrdes by the manyfest worde of God. And thynke not but the fylthye habytacyons of the great mastre deuyls wyll folowe sone after. Apoc. 18.Apo. 18 Lete the gogle eyed Gardyner of wyncestre gyrde at yt tyll hys rybbes ake, ād an hondred dyggynge deuyls vponupon hys syde,Wynker of wyles yet shall not one Iote of the Lordes promes be vnfulfylled at the tyme appoynted for that blasphemouse whores ouerthrowe, hys most holye mother. Praye in the meane season (good christen readers) praye, praye, praye, that hys heauenlye wyll be done in earthe and not mannys, and fashyon your lyues to the fourme of hys most dere sonne Iesus Christes doctryne. Amen.
¶Actes of vowed virgynyte for that age.
NOw to returne agayne to their spirytuall actes of chastyte for that age.Sedia. Whā one Sedia the father of saynt Aidꝰ, perceyued that he by no meanes coude hauehave a chyld by hys wyfe, he brought her to these cōtynēt fathers for remedy of her barrennesse, & she was spedde the next nyght after by a myracle, for all were myracles they ded. Ioā Cap, GuenheraGuenhera a Cornysh woman (whom some wryters call fayre Elyne) that made Kynge Arthure a cuckolde, was after hys death deuoutelye receyued into Ambesburye nondrye, as a penitent to their spirytuall vse.Oswaldus. Guilhelmus Malmesburye. Saynt Oswalde layed hys wyfe Bebla in bed with a relygyouse hermyte.Bebla And whan the great heate came vpō hym (as the spirytuall fathers are haſtye …he founde the meanes that he was cast in colde water to abate hys hote corage. This is one of the holy actes whervpō the pope hath made the seyd Oswalde a saynt. Iohan Hardyng. Ebba.Saynt Ebba which was in those dayes the mother of all nonnes, was generate of an whore, as were all her fathers chyldren besydes her ij. of thē onlye excepted. This Ebba had in the monasterye of Coldyngham not farre from Barwyck, both men & womē dwel lynge togyther sell by sell) as the maner was than of all Nondryes in Englande) which exercysed the battayles of chastyte so longe, that in their nyght metynges they went to bed togyther by couples, their relygyouse louelove was than so great, tyll God sent a wylde fyre vponupon them for that contempt of marryage. Ionnes Maior. libro secundo. Capittulo. 12. & Ioannes Capgraue.
¶A spirytuall conueyaunce to be marked.
ETheldred (whom ye call Saynt Audrye of helye) marryed .ij.Etheldreda great prynces, Tombert of the South Girwyes, and Egfride the Kynge of Northumberlande, mockynge them both by the space of more than .xiij. years, in not geuynge them due beneuolence accordinge to the holye doctryne of saynt Paule 1. Cor. 7. And in occasyonynge them to aduouterouse lyuynge. The lattre of them knowynge that she mynded wilfryde thā Byshop of yorke moche more than hym (for the storye sayth that she loued that monke aboue all the men lyuynge) requyred hym in Gods behalfe to admonysh her of her dewtye,Wilfridus. that he myght accordynge to hys lawes hauehave increase of successyon by her. And he lyke a false traytour knaue, not withstandynge hys promes to the contrarye,Knauerye. persuaded her to perseuer in her obstynacye and vtterlye to resyst hym, allegynge her vowe and requyrynge a diuorcement from hym. Wherupon he was than compelled to marrye an other wyfe, called Ermenburgis, and Eteldrede was professed a Nonne in Coldynghā with Ebba, by the seyd wilfryde. This Kynge after that perceyuynge hys knauerye,Theodorus by assent of Theodorus the archebyshop of Caunterburye, bannyshed hym out of hys lande. Than folowed she after a pace, and whyls he was byshop of Eastsexe,A waytynge hounde. she bycame abbasse of hely, not farre from hys elboue, Marke this conueyaunce for your seruynge. If this were not knauerye, where shall we fynde knauerye: Yet was this gētylmii cōueyer admytted for a saynte, bycause he buylded a college at Rippon, where my selfe was ones bayted of his Basan bulles,The autour. for maynteynynge the Kynges prerogatyue agaynst theyr Pope, as good mastre Iohā Hercye can full wele tell. Ioannes Capgraue in uitis Etheldre de, &. Vuilfridi.
¶Kynges became pylgrymes, and their wyues Nonnes.
A Verye proper cast the womē had in those dayes, by the ghostly counsell of the prelates.Pylgrimes. They sēt theyr husbandes to Rome on pylgrymage by heapes, whyls they kept them spyrituall cōpanye at home. Ethelburge made great hast and left no callynge on, tyll her husbande Kynge Inas was thydrewardes,Inas with scrippe hatte and staffe, she lokynge for hys nomore comynge home in the abbeye of Berkynge, This Inas became a monke there, and was the first that clogged the west Saxons with payment of the Rome shott, or Peter Pens to the Pope. Volateranus, and Fabiane. After hym folowed Ethelrede Kynge of Mercia in lyke fashyon of Pylgrymage,Ethelredus. and became afterwarde abbot of Bardeneye. Iohan Capgraue. CōredꝰConredus also Kynge of the same prouynce, dyed a solys he monke at Rome. So ded Kynge Offa of the East Saxons,Offa the selfe same yeare of our Lorde .DCC. and .ix.709 besydes Kē redus,Kenredus Ethelwolphus, and a great sort more. Hermannus Contractus, Platina & Polidorus. Colwolphus Kynge of Northūberlande,Colwolphus returned agayne to Gyrwyn, and there dyed a monke. Robert Fabiane, Great layser wolde yt requyre, to shewe here how manye of soche Kynges, the ghostlye fathers sent at dyuerse seasons vntounto Rome, that they for the tyme myght hauehave the spirytuall occupyenge of their wyues, and how manye of their owne bastardes they made Kynges for them.Bastardes. And therfor at this tyme I passe them ouer. Innumerable knaueryes wrought they in those dayes, and all vndre the coloure of vowed chastyte.
¶Great experymentes of virgynyte.
AS Saynt Aldelmus,Adelmus. the byshop of Sherborne (that ye now call Salysburye) chaunced to be at Rome, the people there made a fowle exclamacyon vponupon Pope Sergius the first, for begettynge a wenche with chylde, which he (they saye) by a lytle straunge workynge pacyfyed.Synodus In whose returne, a Synode was holden in Englande agaynst the Brytaynes or welche men, for not cōformynge their churches to the Romysh obseruacyons, he there requyred to inueye agaynst them. VponUpon the which mocyon, he wrote than two bokes,ij. bokes one for the Eastre celebracyon, and an other in the prayse of virgynes, to blemyshe the marriage of their prestes there, and also to aduaunce their newlye professed chastyte. For that he had also in commaundement of Sergius,Sergius. not withstandynge hys owne knowne lecherye. This Aldelmus neuer refused women, but wolde hauehave them cō mōlye both at borde and at bedde, to mocke the deuyll with. In the tyme he was abbot of Malmesbury, he appoynted oft tymes to hys fleshe this martyrdō. As he felte any sore mouynges therof, he layed by him naked, the fairest mayde he coude lōge tyme as an whole Dauids pſalter was in saynge. And whan hys heate was past, he sent her home agayne as good a mayde as he left her. Is not thys (thynke you) a stronge argument to proue that all prestes maye lyue chast? This telleth Bedas, Ranulphus, Iohan Capgraue, ād manye other Englishe Autours more.
¶Images admytted, with chast examples.
ABout the same tyme,Egwinus saynt Egwine abbot of Euesham, and byshop of Worcestre (than called wyckes) hearynge tell that labour was made to the pope, to hauehave the christen temples replenyshed with Images,Images to promote that markett forewarde, he hyed hym apace to Rome. And there he declared to the holye father, the secrete reuelacyons and commaundementes of our ladye that he had, to sett vp an Image of her to be worshypped at Worcestre,Ladye of worcestre. delyuerynge hym a boke which he had wrytten of the same apparycyons, besydes the lyfe of Aldelme. The pope than called Constantyne the first, hearynge this newe wondre sent hym home agayne with his bulles of autoryte,Brithwaldus cōmaundinge Brithwalde than Archebyshop of Caunterburye (wythe all hast) to call a generall Synode of all the clergye for confirmacyon of the same,sinodꝰ the kynges requyred not to be absent that daye. And thy… was done in the yeare of our lorde. Dcc and .ix.709. Thys Brithwalde beynge also a monke, was the first Englysh man that was Archebyshopp of Caunterburye. Marke yt. Saynt Guthlake an hermyte of Rependon,Guthlacus. tolde a serten abbot the same tyme, that goynge homewarde, he shuld fynde in a wydowes howse .ij. of hys holye monkes whych had lyen with her the nyght afore for easement of their chastyte.Bartellinus. Saynt Bartellyne hermyte of Stalforde, stale out of Irelande the kynges doughter there. And as she was afterwarde trauelynge of chylde in a forest, whyls he was sekynge the mydwyfe, a wolfe came and deuoured both her and her chylde. These storyes hath at large Iohan Capgraue in Catalogo sanctorum Anglie, Guilhelmus Malmesburye et Ranulphus.
¶Englysh monkes become Antichristes Apostles.
IN those dayes the mōkes of Englande were becomen so myghtye in superstycyouse lernynge,Mōkes Dyſpersed. that they were able to peruert all other christen regyons, as they ded than in dede. Some of them went into Germanye, some into Fraunce, some into Italye and Spayne, and became the Popes instrumentes of all falshed, falshyonynge hym vp there a newe kyngedome of all deuylyshnesse to withstande the manyfest glorye of God, and subduynge therunto all pryncelye Powers. Yow that are exercysed in Chronycles and Sayntes Lyues, marke for that age what ys written of Columbanus, Colomannus, Totimannus, Vuenefridus, Vuilibrordus, The popes apostles.Vuilibaldus, Vuenebaldus, Burghardus, kilianus, Vuigbertus, Egbertus, Heuualdus the whyght and the blacke, Etto, Bertuuinus, Eloquius, Lullius, Lebuinus, Liuinus, Ioānes, Embertus, Gallus, Gaudus, Ga…abaldus, Gregorius, Megingolus, Sturmio, and a great sort more with their women, and ye shall se in them practyses wonderfull. I wyll geue ye out one here breuelye for an example, for to moche yt were to write of them all.Wenefridus. Wenefridus was admytted of Pope Gregorye the seconde, for the Archebyshop of Magunce & great Apostle of all Germanye, and for hys bolde countenaunce was of hym named Bonifacius. Bonifacius.In London was he first borne, and professed a blacke Monke at Cissancestre (now called Chichestre) vndre abbot wolfharde. After the great Synode holden at London by the afore named Brithwalde,Synodus. about the yeare of our Lorde .DCC. and .x.710. where as prestes Marryage was iudged fornycacyon, and the honourynge of Images accepted for a christen relygyon.Daniel Daniel than Byshopp of Wynchestre, sent thys wenefride to Rome with hys letters of commendacyon for hys manfulnesse there shewed. Iohannes Capgraue. et Georgius Vuicelius in Hagiologo de sanctis ecclesie.
¶The great Apostle of all Germanye.
THe Pope after certen conmunycacyons, perceyuynge hym in all poyntes fytt for hys purpose,apostle of Germanye. sent hym anon into Germanye with hys fulle autoryte (as afore ys specyfyed) to do hys false feates there, and to brynge that styffe necked people vndre hys wycked obedyence, whom they call the holye Christen beleue. I thynke sens Christes incarnacyon was there neuer non that more lyuelye wrought the Propertees of the other Beaste in Saynt Iohans Apocalyps,Alia Bestia Apo. 13. whyche ryse out of the earthe hauynge .ij. hornes lyke the lambe, yf ye marke yf wele. Apocal. in the .13. chapter. For he was next in autoryte to the Pope, by the Popes owne witnesse, soche tyme as he came with the hyghe legacye from hys owne ryght syde, into all the quarters and Prouynces of the seyd Germanye. page missing hym concernynge vowed chastyte, rellyques, Images, the Popes prymacye, Kynges deposycyons, othes breakynge, and soche lyke errours.errours Loke the workes of Nauclerus, Vuicelius, Bernardus Lutzenburg, and Alphonsus de castro.
¶Doctryne of Bonyface, with sale of whores.
MOst dampnable was the doctryne of thys Bonyface,Doctryne. concernynge the Pope. In a sertē Epystle of hys we fynde thys most execrable sentence. That in case the seyd Pope were of most fylthye lynynge, and so forgetfull of hym self and of the whole christente, that he ledde with hym to hell innumerable sowles, yet ought no man to rebuke hys yll doynge. For he (he sayth) hath power to iudge all men, and ought of no man to be iudged agayne. Thys hauehave the Canonystes regestred in the popes decrees for a perpetuall lawe,Canonystes. and for a necessarye artycle of Christen beleue. Dist. xl Ca. Si Papa. Yet wrote he at another tyme to Pope Zacharye, to se the manyfest abusyons of Rome reformed,Rome. specyallye their maskynges in the nyght after the paganes maner,Opē sale of whores. and their open sellynge of whores in the markett there. For they were (he sayd) sore impedymentes to hys preachynges. For they that had seane those reuelynges there, mystrusted moche that faythe. He wrote also vntounto kynge Ethelbalde and other great mē in Englande,Ethelbaldus. requyrynge them to leaue the aduouterouse occupyenge of nōnes, least soche a plage fell on thē, as chaūced vpō kynge Colfrede and kynge Ofrede for lyke doynges. Colfredus. Osredus.And though thys Bonyface allowed not christē matrymonye in prestes but hated yt, yet after that one Geraldus a marryed byshop was slayne in Thuringia in tyme of the warres there,geraldꝰ he permytted hys sonne Geilepus to succede hym in that offyce.geilepꝰ Helinādus monachus, Vincēcius, Antoninus, Capgraue. &c.
¶The monasteryes of fulda & floryake.
HE buylded the great monastery of Fulda in Germanye,Fulda. in the yeare frō Christes incarnacyon .DCC. & .xliiij.744. Into the which no womē myght entre, but onlye Lieba & Tecla .ij Englysh nonnes hys best beloues.Lieba. The bodye of the seyd Lieba, he commaunded by hys lyfe, of most tēdre louelove, to be buryed in one graue with hys owne precyouse body.Monasterium fuldēse. So rytche was that monasterye within fewe years after, that yt was able to fynde the ēprour in hys warres .lx. thousāde mē. For the which the abbot had alwayes thys pryuylege, to syt vpō the ryght hande of the seyd emproure at the hygh feastes. An other abbeye was buylden afore that at floriake in fraunce,Floriacus. and not farre from orlyaunce, in the yeare of our lorde .DC.li.651. These .ij. monasteryes floriake and fulda with their olde inhabytauntes, wolde I counsell all Chronycle readers to marke, as they fall in their waye, for wonders whiche hath comen from thens, as wyll apere after. A custome the holye fathers had in those dayes,To ease their vowes. to leade nonnes aboute with thē in straunge lādes where they went. As we reade of walburga, Hadeloga, Lieba and soche other. I thynke yt was to helpe thē to beare their chastyte, whose carryage was sumtyme verye comberouse vntounto them, and they founde not than in all contreyes soche plentye of Nondryes as hath bene sens. Sigebertus, Capgraue, Tritemius, Nauclerus, Vuicelius.
¶Oxforde shurned. And Aleuinus monkes.
AShamed are not these prestygyouse Papystes, to vtter yt in their storyes and reade yt in their Sayntes legendes, in contempt of their christē gouernours, that no kynge maye entre the towne of oxforde without a myschefe,Oxforde bycause one Algar a Prynce aboute thys age wolde hauehave had Saynt frideswyde to wyfe.Frideswyde. As though to be a kynge were a farre vyler or vnworthyer offyce, than to be a pylde shytten Nonne. O blynde bludderynge Balaamytes, without all iudgementes godlye. Of God only ys the worthy office of a Kyng.A Kynge. Prouer. 8. where as your fystynge Nōnes, were of Antichrist ād the deuyll. Capgraue, Fabiane, Polidorus. Aboute the same tyme, was Alcuinus a doctour of Englande, made abbot of Turonia in Fraunce by the gyft of Charles the great,Alcuinus. which on a nyght founde all his monkes dead in the dorter, by the soden stroke of God for their Sodometrye, one only excepted. Odo cluniacensis, Guilhelmus Malmesburye Vincencius, Antoninus, Ranulphus, & Capgraue post uitam Ythamari. Autours.A great matter had yt bene in the popes bokes, yf these men had had wyues. For thā he coud not hauehave sent them to the deuyll so fast, accordynge to generall commyssyō, which he had of Sathan hys great mastre; in that vycarshypp of hys.
¶Englyshe men ponnyshed at Rome.
AFter Kynge Ethelwolphe beynge subdeacon,Ethelwolphꝰ through wanton occupyenge had had a bastarde, by the popes dyspensacyō he marryed Osburga hys butlers doughter, and had by her iiij. sonnes, which all succeded Kynges after hym. Guilhelmus Malmesburye, & Ioannes Harding. As this Kynge on a tyme chaunced to be at Rome, he se manye Englysh men there wearynge fetters and gyues page missing delyuered of chylde without mydwyfe and so dyed. Wherin God declared manyfestlye to the worlde, that their glytie rynge churche was altogyther an whore,An whore. to make good that was written in the reuelacyon of Saynt Iohan. Apo. 17. Oh he that had seane the coūtenaunce of the prelates than, shuld hauehave beholden a great change.
¶Popes chosen from thens fourth by their. N.
SEns that tyme hath popes alwayes bene chosen,Popes chosen by their stones as stoned horse are in a colte feyer, by their dontye dymyceryes, that they can nomore be deceyued that waye. For at the solempne stallynge of them, the last deacon Cardynall doth grope them brechelesse, at an hole made in the seate for that ghostlye purpose, and than cryeth yt out before all the multytude, that he hath ware suffycyent to proue hym no woman. More ouer the strete where she was delyuered, hath euer sens bene shurned in all generall processyons, for feare of yll happes.An exā ple. As ys of women a sexten brydge in a Scottyshe Ile called Leuissa, where as yf but one woman shuld passe ouer (they saye) there are no salmons seane in that ryuer, all the yeare after. Hector Boethius in Scotici regni descriptione. For the hystorye afore reherced of this woman Pope, was yt partlye my desyre that ye shuld marke that monasterye of fulda.Fulda For she was one chast frute of our Englyshe clergye, yssuynge from thens, ye maye chaū ce after this yet to heare of more. Soche an enemye to prestes marryage was not in hys tyme, as was that Boniface, which was therof the first buylder. For euerye where ded he, in all his generall Synodes,Matrimonye cōdempned. condempne yf for aduouterye by the popes canon lawes, For the scripturs wolde not serue hym. The lyfe of this female pope sheweth more at large, Iacobus Bergomas in li. De claris mulieribus, Platina, Sabellicus, Martinus Carsulanus, Volateranus, Nauclerus, Mantuanus, Iohannes Stella, Ioannes textor, & Robertus Barnes in uitis Romanorum Pontificum.