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A breue Cronycle of the Bysshope of Romes blessynge, and of his Prelates beneficiall and charitable rewardes, from the tyme of Kynge Heralde vnto this daye. | |
¶Imprinted at London by Iohn_Daye, dwellyng in Sepulchres parish at the signe of the Resurrection a lytle aboue Holbourne Conduite. | |
¶ Cum priuilegio Regali, Ad imprimendum solum. | |
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¶The preface. |
|
WHo lyst to loke aboute | |
May in Cronicles soon finde out | |
What sedes the Popysshe route | |
In England hath sowen | |
5 | Because the tyme is shorte |
I shall bryuely reporte, | |
And wryte in dewe sorte | |
Therin what I haue knowen. | |
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¶ Kynge Herolde. |
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IN the tyme of Herolde the Kynge | |
Robert of canterbury had his banyshinge | |
Ye may be sure for no good lyuynge | |
That euer man harde saye | |
5 | To Wyllyam_Conqueror the byshop went |
To whom Alexander a banner sent | |
Of clene remyssion theyr wycked entent | |
Was Englande to dekaye. | |
¶ William_conqueror. |
|
THe abbeys of Englande great and stoute | |
10 | This kynge caused to be serched oute |
The money there founde all rounde aboute | |
Was brought to the kynges treasure | |
The byshop of canterbury with many mo | |
And dyuers abbottes were depryued also | |
15 | And were made quondams ye may well know |
For no good demenure. | |
¶ William the seconde. |
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WIth william the .ii. what stryfe dyd make | |
Byshop Ancelme and howe stoute a crake | |
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Made Rafe of chechester for the trybutes sake | |
20 | For women that priestes dyd paye |
This kynge in posession had certayne | |
The byshoprycke of canterbury and dyd retayne | |
Wynton and Sarum in his full mayne | |
Tyll the houre of his death. | |
25 | The abbays he solde or to farme dyd lette |
The styffe-necked prelates he vnder kepte | |
And with theyr popery he euer mette | |
So longe as he had brethe. | |
¶ Henry the fyrste. |
|
A[n]celme also dyd lykewyse crake Ancelme] Alcelme 1549 | |
30 | With Henry the fyrst and out dyd shake |
Moche disobediens, and woulde not forsake | |
To withstande the kynges wyll. | |
¶ Stephyn |
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BY a false othe lyghtly taken | |
Of wyll[ia]m of canterbury stephen was not forsaken wylliam] wyllmm 1549 | |
35 | Kynge of Englande, but shortly shaken |
Or his mynde he could fulfyll. | |
¶ Henry the seconde. |
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THat poyson prelate Thomas_becked | |
A saynt by name, but with treason decked | |
And with popery all to_specked | |
40 | To his later ende, |
Proude and stoberne in all assayes | |
With ye neuer, but euer with nayes | |
His prynce to withstande thus he alwayes | |
His mynde dyd fully bende. | |
¶ Rycharde the fyrste. |
|
45 | TO the holy-lande archbyshop baldwyne |
Of canterbury went full fyne | |
The kynge taryed not longe behyne | |
But thether also went | |
And not without the pryuie councell | |
50 | Of the byshoppes yf I dare it tell |
That they myght rule and beare the bell | |
Was theyr full entent, | |
Th'archebyshoppe of yorke alas alas | |
Was the kynges brother who endly dyd pas | |
55 | His lyfe of byshoppes as the maner was |
Nowe it is not so. | |
All the chaleses gyuen were | |
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To raunsome the kynge beyng prisonere | |
With Th'emperoure more than a yere | |
60 | Fro thens or he myght go. |
¶ Kynge Iohnn . |
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WHat mysery also a longe tyme was | |
In kyng Iohnn tyme, by that wyked as | |
Stephen_Leigton of Canterbury alas, alas | |
That euer he was borne. | |
¶ Henry the thyrde. |
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65 | IN the fyrste yere of this kyng |
The sayd Stephen dyd in bryng | |
The Legate Pandulphe with his blessyng | |
The kynge an othe to take | |
Whiche was theyr churche for to defende | |
70 | But suche rebellions against hym dyd bende |
That euer after to his lyfes ende | |
Peace he coulde not make. | |
¶ Edwarde the fyrste. |
|
THe bishop of saint_Andrewes in scotland | |
With the bishop of baston made a gret band | |
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75 | Of dyuers lordes and toke in hand |
Agaynst this kynge to fyght | |
As periured rebelles the byshoppes were sent | |
By the kynge to the fyfte Innocent | |
The lordes were heddyd and in peaces rent | |
80 | As traytors shulde be dyght. |
¶ Edwarde the seconde. |
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SUche stryfe and rebellione | |
Had Edwarde the secone | |
With his lordes eche one | |
Tyll his latter daye | |
85 | That yf his prelacy |
With theyr priuie popery | |
Had not stonde therby | |
His lordes had made no fray. | |
¶ Edwarde the thyrde. |
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IN this kynges tyme the .vi. Innocent | |
90 | Gaue in Englande benefyce and prebent |
Untyll this kynge sent contrary commaundment | |
To his byshoppes all | |
This kynge forbadde that Peter-pens | |
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Shulde to Rome be gathered from hens | |
95 | His mynde was and whole pretens |
To gouerne great and smale. | |
¶ Richarde the seconde. |
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ARundell of canterbury in this kynges tyme | |
And the erle of darby for no smale crime | |
Banyshed were who after dyd clyme | |
100 | And the kynge was ouerthrowen. |
¶ Henry the fourth. |
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THen was the Erle crowned kynge | |
Henry the .iiii. this is no lesynge | |
Of whom the byshops had the rulynge | |
After theyr owne mynde. | |
¶ Henry the fyfte. |
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105 | HEnry the fyfte they dyd not let go |
Out of theyr rulinge, they wel dyd know | |
That yf they dyd a mortuall fo | |
No doubt they shulde hym fynde | |
This kynge went aboute to take awaye | |
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110 | Theyr temporalties, but nyght and daye |
His mynde to turne they dyd assaye | |
With money to conquere fraunce | |
So in-to fraunce the kynge dyd go | |
Where in short tyme he subdued so | |
115 | Townes and Castelles he dyd ouer-thro |
To Fraunce a bytter chaunce. | |
¶ Henry the .vi. |
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IN Henrys dayes the .vi. this is no naye | |
The good duke of gloceter was cast away | |
By the byshop of wynchester that prelate gaye | |
120 | In stryfe dysdayne and pryde |
A cardynall this prelate was made | |
Who shortely after to Fraunce yade | |
Betwene both kynges a peace to be hadde | |
And there he dyd abyde | |
125 | With the romyshe legate to haue his fyll |
Of the popyshe power was all his wyll | |
But of peace he made no skyll | |
And that dyd well appere | |
For euer after to Englande fell | |
130 | Muche misery, the deuyll of hell |
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Rewarde suche prelates that so doth sell | |
The truth both farre and nere. | |
¶ Edwarde the .iiii. |
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THis kyng wold had gotten fraunce agayn | |
But the prelates therat dyd sore disdayn | |
135 | And from that purpose dyd hym refrayne |
Whiche caused bate and stryfe | |
Who lyst the Cronicles for to rede | |
Shall se to death howe many dyd blede | |
And howe the prelates helped at nede | |
140 | With swerde spere or knyfe. |
¶ Rycharde the thirde. |
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THis kynges tyme was so shorte | |
That with hym to haue theyr sporte | |
The Popyshe prelates had no comforte | |
So feable was theyr myght. | |
¶ Henry the .vii. |
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145 | THe Deane of Paules with the prouinciall |
Of the blacke-fryers and other great and smal | |
And the Pryor of Langley by treason dyd fall | |
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For lacke of godly syght | |
The Cardynall Morton and Fox of wynchester | |
150 | By theyr subtyle councell conf[e]dred togyther confedred] confydred 1549 |
Caused Bolen to be seged with fyre and spere | |
And many was there stroyed. | |
¶ Henry the .viij. |
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LIke cautell vsed Cardynall Wolsey | |
By causyng the scottes to ronne and flye | |
155 | To the Englyshe pale but them quickeley |
The Norden men anoyed | |
And what craftye prankes the prelates dyd playe | |
To turne the kynges mynde clene awaye | |
When on the petycottes he wolde them paye | |
160 | Accordyng to theyr deserte. |
Moche therof I nede not wryte | |
Theyr Popyshe Iuggelynge is in syght | |
And howe agaynst the streame they fyght | |
Whiche causeth them to smerte | |
165 | In this kynges tyme ye do well know |
Howe great an enmye and mortall fo | |
The Popyshe prelates hath bene also | |
Agaynst Gods worde so pure | |
For whiche wordes onely sake | |
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170 | Many an hert full often to quake |
Ryght piteously they dyd make | |
And for that thynge I you ensure | |
To the whiche with legge, fote, and toe | |
They cease not a_pace nowe to goe | |
175 | full mekely crouchyng and full lowe |
Gladly agreyng there-to | |
As the kynge in earth supreame | |
Heade of the Churche oft his realme | |
Onely to be oure Ioyfull beame | |
180 | We must obey and knowe |
And all suche that in autoritie | |
His grace hath assigned to be | |
We must obey in eche degre | |
Or elles we get damnacion | |
185 | Unto oure-selfes, this is no ly |
The power is gods mynyster to vs truly | |
Yf we do euyll he reuengeth frely | |
And all for oure saluacion | |
190 | The pardons also for purgatory |
With the detestable synne of buggary | |
And all kynde of Idolatry | |
Gods worde hath put to flyght | |
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And much popery I tell you playne | |
195 | That ranckely dyd priuely raigne |
As nowe is knowen abrode certayne | |
Gods worde hath brought to lyght | |
Many thynges mo were hydden | |
And by the papystes ouer-strydden | |
200 | Whiche abrode be nowe spredden |
Dayly before your eye, | |
Wherat some whyne full sore | |
But spesially that theyr popyshe lore | |
Whom they had so longe in store | |
205 | Awaye nowe do flye |
Had not the poore sely soulles | |
So often brought forth to powlles | |
Spred abrode the popyshe rolles | |
Of theyr olde fassyon | |
210 | The shameles popyshe clargye |
Wolde styll haue bene hardye | |
And nothynge at all tardye | |
In theyr habomynacyon | |
This is no lye that I you tell | |
215 | Full cruell were they and full fell |
Agaynst them that of the Gospell dyd smell | |
And forsoke theyr fusty popery | |
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They knowe now the lawe they know the payne | |
They can no longer clocke nor fayne | |
220 | And yf they do I tell you certayne |
Theyr rewarde is playne ropery | |
Hereof I nede not moche to saye | |
Many assayde the game and knewe the playe | |
It were best they turne theyr mynde awaye | |
225 | And stryfe not agaynst the ryght |
Yf theyr lordly power myght ones abate | |
Then wolde they quyckely open the gate | |
Of true doctryne whiche of late | |
Kynge Harry hath brought to lyght | |
230 | God saue kyng Edwardes noble grace |
And sende his hyghnes tyme and space | |
To contynewe forth his fathers trace | |
With force strenght and myght strenght: =strength | |
And sende euyll chaunce and croked happes | |
235 | To all suche Popyshe forked cappes |
That gaue so many cursed flappes | |
For Gods blessed worde | |
So hath he done it is certayne | |
They haue not wone I tell you playne | |
240 | And neuer shall tyll they haue agayne |
The Pope to be theyr Lorde. | |
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¶ God for_bydde. | |
¶Thus endeth this breue Cronycle. |