A Blow for the Pope, Part 3 – Part 4
The exaltation of Popes aboue Kings and Emperours out of Histories.
FIrst, after that Italy and the citie of Rome were overrunne by the Gothes and Vandals, so that the seate of the Empyre was remooved to Constantinople, then beganne Ioannes Patriarch of Constantinople, to put foorth himselfe, and would needs bee called vniversall Bishop of the world: but the Bishop of Rome in no case would suffer that, and stopped it. After this came the Emperours deputy, and Exarch of Ravenna to rule Italy: but the Bishop of Rome, through ayde of the King of Lombards sone quailed him. Not long after about the yeare of the LORD fyue hundreth, came Phocas the murthrer, who slew the Emperour of Constantinople his master Maureits and his children. By which Phocas, the Bishops of old Rome aspyred first to their preheminence, to bee counted the head Bishops over the whole Church, and so together with the Lombardes beganne to rule the Citie of Rome: Afterwards when the Lombardes would not yeeld to him, in accomplishing his ambitious desire, but would needs requyre of the Bishop the said Citie of Rome: hee stirred vp Pipinus, but first deposed Childericus the King of France, and so thrusting him into an Abbey, set vp in his place Pipinus and his sonne Carolus Magnus, to put downe the said King of Lombardes called Aistulphus: and so translated the Empyre from Constantinople to France, divyding the spoyle betweene him and them: so that the Kings of France, had all the possessions and lands which before belonged to the Empyre, and hee to receiue of them the quyet possession of the citie of Rome, with such donations and Lordships, which now they challenge vntounto them, vnderunder the name of S. Peters patrimonie, which they falsely ascrybe to that donation of Constantinus the great.
It followed then in processe of time, after the dayes of Pipinus, Carolus, and Lodovicus, (who had indued these Bishops of Rome, called now Popes, with large possessions) when the King of France were not applyable to their becke, to ayde and maintaine them against the Princes of Italy, who began then to push the saides Bishops for their wrongfull vsurped goods, they practised with the Germans, to redact the Empyre to Otho, first of that name Duke of Spaine, referring the election thereof to seven Princes electors of Germany, which was about Anno 1002. Notwithstanding reserving still in his hands the negatiue voyce, thinking thereby to enjoy that they had, in quyetnesse and securitie, and so did for a good space.
At length when some of these Germane Emperours also, after Otho beganne a little to spurne against the said Bishops and Popes of Rome, some of them they accursed, some they subdued and brought to the kissing of their feete, some they deposed, and placed others in their possessions.
So was Henricus 4. by these Bishops accursed, the Emperour himselfe forced with his wife and chyld, to waite attendance vponupon the Popes pleasure three dayes and three nights in Winter at the gates of Canossus. Besids all this the said Pope raised vp Rodolpus to bee Emperour against him: who being slaine in warre, then the said Pope Gregory 7. not resisting this, stirred vp his owne sonne Henricus 5. to fight against his owne naturall father, to depose him, which Henricus 5. was also himselfe accursed afterward, and excommunicated, and the Saxons at last set vp by the Bishops to fight against him.
After this the Emperours began to bee somewhat calmed, and more quyet, suffering the Bishops to reigne as they listed, till Fredericke the first called Barbarossa came, and beganne to stirre coales against them. Howbeit they hampered both him and his sonne Henry in such sort, that they brought first the necke of Frederick in the Church of Venice, vnderunder their feete to tread vponupon: and after that the said Bishops crowning Henricus his sonne in the Church of S. Peter, set his crowne vponupon his head with their feete, & with their feete spurned it off againe, to make him know that the Popes of Rome had power both to crowne Emperours, and depose them againe.
Then followed Philippus brother to Henry aforesaid, whom also the Popes accursed, about the yeare of our LORD 1198. and set vp Otho Duke of Saxon. But when the said Otho began to bee so saucie to dispossesse the Bishops of their cities and lands, which they had incrotched into their bands, they could not beare that, but incontinent they put him besides the cusheon. The like also fell vponupon Otho the 4. that followed after Philip, who was suffered no longer then foure yeares to reigne, about the yeare of the LORD 1209.
At this time Fredericus 2. the sonne of Fredericus Barbarossa, was but young, whom the Bishops of Rome supposing to finde more mortified and tamed to their hand, advanced to bee Emperour after his father: But that fell out much contrarie to their expectation: for hee perceiving the immoderate pompe and pryde of the Romane Bishops, which hee could in no case abyde, so netled them, and cut their combs, and waxed so stout against them, intending to extirpe their tyranie and to reduce their pompous riches to the state and condition of the primitiue Church againe, putting some of them to flight, and prisoning some of their Cardinals, that of three Popes, one after another hee was accursed, circumvented by tieason, at last deposed, and after that poysoned, and last forsaken and died.
After this Frederick followed his sonne Conradus, whom the foresaid Bishops for his disobedience soone dispatched, exciting against him in mortall warre the Lantgraue of Thuring, whereby at length hee was driven into his Kingdome of Naples, and there deceast.
This Conradus had a sonne called Conradinus, Duke and Prince of Swevill, where this Conradinus after the decease of his father, came to enjoy the Kingdome of Naples. The Bishops stirred vp against him, Charles the French Kings brother in such sort, that through craftie conveyance, both Conradinus which descended of the blood of so many Emperours, and also Frederik Duke of Austria, were both taken, and after much wretched handling in their miserable indurance vnseeming to their state, at length were both brought vnderunder the axe, by the Popes procurement, and so both beheaded: and thus ended the imperiall stocke of Frederik the first surnamed Barbarossa.
The like also happened to Frederik the Emperour, had almost fallen vponupon Philip the French King, by Pope Boniface 8. who because hee could not hauehave his commodities and revenewes out of France after his will, sent out his bils and letters patents to displace King Philip aforesaid, and to possesse Albertus King of Romans in his rowme.
And this hitherto of forraine stories: Now touching our countrie Princes heere in England, so speake somewhat likewayes of them: did not Pope Alexander the third presumptuously taking vponupon him where hee had nothing to doe to intermeddle with the Kings subjects.
For the death of Becket the rebell, albeit the King fusficiently cleared himselfe thereof, yet notwithstanding did he not wrongfully bring the said King Henry 2. to such pennance as it pleased him to enjoyne, and also violently constrained him to sweare obedience to the Sea of Rome. The like also was shewed before in this storie to happen to King Iohn his sonne, for when the said King like a valiant Prince, had held out the tyrranie of those Bishops eleven yeares together, was not all the Churches of England barred vp, and his inheritance with all his dominions given away by Pope Innocent the 3. to Lodovicus the French King, and he afterward compelled to submit both himselfe, and to make his whole Realme fedetary to the Bishops of Rome, and moreover, the King himselfe driven also to surrander his Crowne to Pandulphus the Popes Legate: and so continued a privat person, 5 dayes standing at the Popes courtesie whether to receive it againe or not? And when the Nobles of the Realme rose afterward against the King for the same, was not hee then glad to seeke and sue to the foresaid Pope for succour, as by his owne letter, taken out of the publicke rolles may appeare.
King Iohns supplication to Pope Innocent the third.
REverendiss. domino suo & patri sanctiss. Innocentio, dei gratia Ioanni eadem gratia. R. Angliae &c. Cum comites & Barones Angliae nobis devoti essent, antequam nos & nostram terram dominio vestro subjacere curassemus, ex tunc in nos specialiter ob hoc, sicut publicè dicunt, violenter insurgunt. Nos vero preter Deum, vos specialem dominum & patronum habentes, defensionem nostram & totius regni, quod vestrum esse credimus, vestrae paternitati commissam, & nos quantum in nobis est, curam & solicitudinem istam vestrae resignamus dominationi, devotius supplicantes quatenus in negotijs nostris, que vestra sunt, consilium & auxilium efficax apponatis, prout melius videritis expedire, latores praesentium &c. Teste meipso apud Dour. 18. Septemb. 6.
And yet notwithstanding that the said King Iohn did so yeeld to the Pope, he was both persewed by his Nobles, and also in the end w as poysoned, by asubject of the Popes ownereligion, a Monke of Swinsted: as I hauehave sufficiently to proue not onelyonly by William Caxton, but also hauehave testimonie of the most part of Chronicles for the same, (a few onelyonly excepted) as of Thomas Gray in his French Chronicle, also of another French Chronicle in meeter, of Ranulphus Cestrenses, Thomas Rudburne also doth witnesse the same: So doth Richard Rid in novo Chronico ad tempora Hen. 6. the like also doth the Chronicle called Eulogium Monachi Cant. The words of Walter Gisborne an ancient Historiographer bee plaine: No lesse is to be found in Ioan. Major. de gestis Scotorum. lib. 4. cap. 3. fol. 56. where hee not onelyonly maketh mention of the Monke and of the poyson, but also of the Abbot, of his absolution and of the 3. Monks everie day singing for the said Monks soule. To these I could also annex dyvers other wrytters both English and Latin, without name, which witnesse that King Iohn was poysoned, one beginning thus, Heere beginneth a booke in the English tongue, called Bruce. Another beginneth: Because this booke is made to tell, what tyme any thing notable. The thrid in English beginneth the reigne of Britaine that now is called England, &c. Of Latin bookes which hauehave no name, one beginneth thus, Britannia quae & Anglia dicitur, ae Bruto nomen est sortita. Another hath this beginning, Adam pater gener is humani.
Besides this, King Henry 2 and King Iohn his sonne, what Kings hauehave heere reigned in England since their time, vntill the reigne of King Henry the 8, who althogh they were prudent Princes, and did what they could against the proud dominion of those Bishops, were forced at length sore against their wils, for feare to subject themselues together with their subjects, vnderunder their vsurped authoritie, in so much as some of them as M att. Paris. wryteth by King Henry the third, were faine to stoup and kisse their Legats knee.