The Practice of Prelates, Part 13
¶By what craft the pope kepeth the Emperour doune.
Marke an other practise of our most holy prelates. When the empyre was translated vntounto the germaynes / though the emperour was fallen doune, and had kyssed the Popes fete, and was become his sworne seruaūt: yet there was much strife and open warre oftimes betwene the popes and the emperours. And the popes hauehave put doune many good Emperours / by helpe of the Bisshopes, wc eueryevery where secretly persuaded ye lordes, to forsake the emperou…s / & to take dispensaciōs of the pope for their othes.
And cōtrary wyse, the emperours hauehave now and then deposed dyuerse popes at request of the Cardinalles & other great prelates, by whose helpe onelyonly they were able to do it. For els verely though al Kynges christened / had sworne to depose one Pope out of his seat, if they had not y• fauour of other prelates therto, they might haply by the secret practise of them, to be put out of their own seates in ye meane tyme. The pope therfore, to be sure of him self & out of ye feare & daūger of ye emperour, were he neuer so mighty, & that ye emperour shuld not se / his dayly open pastimes, made frendship and amytye with the Uenecian… on the one syde of him, and let them com in to certayne cyties of the Emperours in Italy and with the French king on the other syde / and late him also vp into certayne Cytyes and possessyons of the Emperoures: and he himselfe in the middes: And shotte out the Emperoure frō cōminge any more to Rome, and euer sent him his coronacion home to hym.No mā rebuk ye pope And then he made a lawe that no man shuld rebuke the Pope for what so euer myschefe he dyd, sayeng, that the Pope was aboue al / and iudge ouer all, and none ouer him, and therfore forbade in his law. Distinctio .xl. Si Papa. sayenge: though the pope be proued negligent aboute him self / ād also the soule helth of his brethern, and slacke in his worke and speachlesse as concernynge anye good, and drawe with him by his ensample inumerable people to hell to be punished with him with diuerse tormētes euerlastingly: yet se that no mortal mā presume once to rebuke his fautes here. For he shall iudge all men and no man him. O antichryst. Is he not ātichrist that wyll not hauehave his lyfe tryed by Gods worde?
…enecians.Yf the Uenecians catch any of our holy fathers townes or possessions whether by warre or that they hauehave bought it, or that it be layde to morgage vntounto them or that ye olde Pope hath geuen it with the mariage of som doughter vntounto the duke of Uenyce: then the holy father that succedeth, whē he seeth his ceason, sendeth for it agayne, sayenge that it is not laufull for lay men to with holde sainct Peters patrimony. Yf they allege that they bought it and so forth: his fatherhod answereth that the old Pope had none auctoritie to make any such cheuisaunce with sainct Peters enheritaunce: he coude hauehave but the vse of it his lyfe longe / and after it must nedes returne vntounto his successoure agayne. And vpō that he interdyt…th them and curseth them as blacke as coles / and doune to the pyt of hell.
But the Uenecians knowing more of oure holye fathers practyse, for their nyenes then we which dwel a farre of / and wyser then we of cold contrees / perceauing also that their colour chaūgeth not with his cursynge, and that they syncke not, ād that their meate digesteth as well as before / and that (as Erasmus sayeth) they s…yte as easyly as before (with reuerence of the holy course I speake it) & therfore feare not his interdiction nor excommunicatyon.
Then our holy father raiseth vp all his power that he is able to make in Italy, agaynste them / & sendeth for the zwytzers to come and helpe. Yf he be not yet strong ynough / then he sendeh vntounto the bysshops of fraunce, warning them that if hys seate decaye / theyrs can not longe prosper, and therfore that they put theyr kynge in remē braunce how that he is called most chrysten kyng and that they desyre hym to do somwhat for hys tytie against this disobediēt rebellyons, vntounto the most holy se of Rome our mother holy churche.
FrēchmenYf an other tyme the frenchmen come to nye our holy father, as they be euer gaping for Italy, to brynge the empyre home agayne to fraunce. Then the moost holy vicare bryngeth his whole power agaynste them with the power of the venecians, and with hys old frendes the zwytzers. If he be not yet stronge ynough / then he sendeth to the bisshops of England,Englishmē to help their god, and to moue their kyng to do somwhat for holy churche, puttyng him in remembraunce of whom he holdeth his croune & of hys othe, and how many cappes of mayntenaunce hauehave bene euer sent vntounto hys forefathers, and what honour it was vntounto them, and that he maye easely gett as greate honoure as they / and happly a more excellent title / yf he wyl take our holy fathers parte, besydes that he shall purchase remyssyon of all hys synnes.
Then must the peace and all the apointementes made betwene vsus and fraunce, be broken, and the kynge must take a dyspensacion for hys oth. For the kynge of fraunce wyll attempte nothing in Italy, vntyll he hauehave sent hys ambassadours / and hauehave made a perpetuall peace wyth oure kynge, the Sacrament of the bodye of oure sauiour broke betwene them, to confyrme the appointement. But I suppose that the breakyng signifyeth that the appointemēt shall not long endure / for a greate deale of flower wolde not make so manye hoostes,The abuse of the sacrament. as they call them, or synginge loues, as hathe bene broken in our dayes betwene christen princes (as they wylbe called) to confirme promises that hauehave not long bene kept. Other vse of that blessed sacrament wyll the prīces none know: but christ ordeined it to be a perpetuall memorye yt his bodye was brokē for oure sinnes vpō ye crosse, & yt all that repent shuld receaue as oft as they ea…e of it / forgeuenes of their misdeades thorow fayth. Yf ye kīgs of ye earth whē they breake that sacramēt betwene them, do say on this wyse: The body of our sauiour (which was broken on ye crosse for the synne of al ye repēt & hauehave good harts & wold faine kepe his law) be brokē vntounto my dānacion, if I breake this oth: thē is it a terrible oth, and they had neade to take heade how they make it. …d if it be lawfully made, not to breake it at all. But as they care for the …rothe / whiche they make in wedlocke… so they care for this.
Whatsoeuer nead the pope hath, he wyl not send to the Emperour to come & helpe hi… in Italy, for feare lest he wold take to hīself what soeuer he cōquered of ye frēchmen / and waxe to strong and minish oure holy fathers power, and become our holy fathers vicar / as he is saint Peters. Neuerthelesse if we englishmen will hyre the Emperour to com and fyght agaīst fraū ce for the right of the church in these quarters that …e next vntounto vsus, his fatherhod is cōtent to admyt his seruice.
When our king hath graunted to take our holy fathers part / then the pretence & cloke out ward must be, that the kyng wil …alenge his ryghte in fraunce. And to ayde the king in his ryght, must the commens be mylked tyll they blede agayne. Then to do the king seruice, the lordes sell or laye their landes to morgage. Then is cleane remission geuen to sleo french dogges.Remissio… of synnes. He that dyeth in the quarell shall neuer see purgatorye / but file tor heauen streyght, euen with a thought.
WHen the Pope hath what he desyreth in Italye, then muste we make peace wyth the Frenchmen agayne immediatlye / that fraunce be not all together trodē vnderunder the fete: but that it rema… alwaye in a meane state / stronge Inough to match the emperour & to kepe hym doune, but not to myghtye for oppressinge the pope, and then oure prelates to bringe the peace about / sende immediatly a fryer forest / or a vicar of croiden / to preach before y• king & his lords / which preacher roreth ād cryeth vntounto thē as though he halowed hys houndes and maketh exclamations, sayenge: Alas what wyll ye do? spare Chrysten bloude: wyll ye slea youre owne soules? Be not the frēchmē as well christē as ye? Moreouer ye slea pore innocents that neuer offēded? make peace for ye passiō of christ, kyll not one an other as though Christ had not dyed for you: but fyght rather agaynst the turkes.
Thē come in the Ambassadours of fraū ce, and money a fewe prelates and certayne other the kynges playfellowes / y• be sworn with them to betraye both the kinge and ye royalme too: And then is peace concluded. But outwardelye there is nothinge saue a truce taken for halfe a yeare / tyll our souldiers be at home again / for feare least they wold not be contēt▪ Then cōmeth the whole host home beggerd both great and smal And the poore that can not sodenlye gette work, fall to stealyng and be hanged at home. Thys could More tell in hys Utopia before he was the cardenalles sworn secretarye, and fallen at hys fete to betraye the truth / for to gett promocyon.
Hēry ye .v.Take an ensāple: the bysshops sent king Henrye the fyft out to conquere Fraunce. The cause was (sayth the chronicles) that the kynge went about to take theyr temporallyes from them. And therfore to bringe the kynge into an other imaginacyon, they monyed hym, and sent him into fraunce.
When they had sent out the kyng, he cō quered more then was theyr will and more then they supposed possible for hym in so shorte space / and brought fraunce cleane vnderunder fete: so that oure prelates had much secrete busynes, to set it vp agayn, but what is impossyble vntounto so great Gods?
In kynge Henryes dayes the .vi. oure holy father of Rome made the bysshop of Wynchester a cardynall,Hēry ye .vi which went shortly after into fraunce to treate of a truce betwene Ingland & fraunce. And him mette a legate of Rome, a cardinall also: after which meating / Inglyshmen had euer the worse in fraunce, and theyr chefest fryende the duke of Burgayne forsoke them. For whē cardinalles & bysshops mete together, they hauehave their secrete counsell by them selues, wherin they conclude neyther what is good for Inglande, nor yet for fraunce, but what is best for our holy fathers proffytt to kepe him in hys state.
When kynge Henry was of age, there was a maryage made betwene hym and ye earle of Arminackes doughter in Giā, wt the which shuld hauehave bene geuen manye castels and townes in Gian and a greate sō me of money therto. But ye maryage was broken not without the secret workyng of oure prelates and dyspensation of our holye father thou mayest be sure. And a mariage was made betwene hym and the kinges doughter of Cecyle, for which Ingland gaue vp the whole dukedom of Gyan and Earledom of Mayme / wherby we lost all Normandye, wherof they were the kaye. And besyde y•, the cōmunes gaue a, xv. & an half to …ette her in wyth pompe. And then was the good duke of Glocetter traytourously murthered / partely because he could iudge false myracles, & partely because of the delyueraūce of these two contreys. For he being a lyue, they durst not do it.
And when kyng Edward had put doune kyng Henry…, a mariage was made and cōcluded betwene hym & the kynge of spaiue this quenes mother y• nowe is. But yer the Ambassadours were come home, oure Prelates had be witched kynge Edwarde by theyr apostle Fryer bongay / and maried him vntounto a wyddowe that was a knyghts wyfe / lest yf spayne and Ingland had bene wyned together / kynge Edward shuld hauehave recouured fraunce agayn. But what followed after ye breakīg of yt mariage, betwene kynge Edward & the earle of warwick ād what came of his chyldren? ye ād what came on king Hēry of windsores children also? But what care our prelates what v… geaunce or mischefe fa…e on princes or on theyr royalmes / so theyr kyngdome prospere?
In Kynge Henryes dayes the .vij. the cardinall Murton & bysshop …ox of winchester, delyuered vntounto the kinges grace the confessions of as many lordes as hys grace lusted. Who soeuer was mistrusted, it he shroue hym self at the chart…rhouses sy…n Grenewich / at sainct Iho…s,Cōfession or where soeuer it wa…, the confessour was comaunded by the aucthorite of the pope to delyuer his confession wrytē & sworne that it was al. And cardinal Murton had a lyc…nce of the pope for fourtyne, to study nycromancy…, of whych he him selfe was one / and other I hauehave heard named whiche at thys tyme I passe ouer with scilence. And how the holy fryers obseruauntes caryed feyned letters to trye who was true, I passe ouer with silence also. How beit such temptacions and fained profers were ynough to mo…e them that neuer wold hauehave thought amysse: yea and in confession men wyll shryue them s…lues of thoughtes which they neuer went about in the outwarde dead.
Whē any great mā is put to death how his cōfessour entreateth him & what penaunce is enioyned him, concerninge what he shall say, when he comēth vntounto the place of executiō / I coud gesse at a practise yt might make mens eares glowe
And did not the subtil counsell of the sayde two prelates fayne the sege of Bolen to make a pretence to gather in a fiftene, whē there was no more warre betwene ye king of Fraunce and of Englond, then is betwene a mans head yt hath lust to slepe, & his pilow? Which sege yet cost many a mā their lyues, yea & some great men therto, which knew not of that faining. The kinges grace went ouer with a ten thousād men to cō quere all Fraunce and spent haply an hū dred thousand pound, of which he saued ye fourth part in the dādyprattes and gathered at home .v. or .vi. hūdred or more. And two other such fayned viages could I happly reherse, which I passe ouer for diuerse causes, where many an Englishe man lost his lyfe. But what care they for mens lyues?
And did not our cardinall with like polycy thīcke ye / to gather y• which he thoght wolde not well be payed, excepte the commens sawe som… cause, brīg a great multitude of scottes vntounto the english pale eth… by some bysshopes of Scotlande or by some great man, whom he corrupted with some yerelye pencion? agaynst which the po… re northen mē / must goo on their owne cos… to kepe them out. And generall processyon was commaūded at London / thryse in the weke, and thorow out all the lande, while … Kynges receauers gathered the taxe of the comen people. Which plage and such like after the thretning of god. Leui. xxvi. & Deute. xxviij. ād .xxix. I am sure wyll faule on all christendome without cease, vntyll they ether defye the name of chryst with the turckes, or if they wylbe called christen, they turne and loke on his doctrine.
Yea and what fayned the cardinall at the great louelove to begyle his owne pryestes / to make thē swere what they were wroth and the better wyllyng to paye, for the comen priestes be not so obedient vntounto theyr ordinaryes, that they wyl pay money excepte they know why. Now it is not expedyēt that eueryevery rascall / shulde know the secretes of the very true cause, for many cōsyderacyons. And therfore ā other pretence must be made ād an other cause alleaged. And therfore the priestes were charged by theyr ordynaryes to appeare before the gentelm… of ye court and t…mporal officers / & swea…e what eueryevery mā was worth. Now the pryestes had …euer be slayne and dye marters after the ēsample of sainct Thomas of Caū terbur…, then to sweare before a laye iudge, for they thinke it greater synne / then to slea their owne fathers, and that then the lyberties of the church were clean lost, and they no better then the vyle lay peple. And whē they were in yt perplexitie that they muste eyther sweare or runne into the kyngs daū ger & lose theyr goddes (I wold say theyr goodes) then my lorde cardenall sent downe hys graciouse powr y• they shuld swear… vntounto theyr ordinaryes onelyonly. And then the pryests for ioye that they were ryd out of y• laye mennes handes, were so glad and ioyous, that they wyste not what thankes to geue my lorde cardinall / and so were obedyent to sweare and to lende, or els for all the curses that my lord Cardinall hath and the Pope to, they wold neither hauehave sworne or payde a penny.