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.
¶Cumpriuilegio Regali, Ad imprimendum solum.
¶ The preface.
WHo lyst to loke aboute
May ī Cronicles soon fīde out
what sedes the Popysshe route
In England hath sowen
Because the tyme is shorte
I shall bryuely reporte,
And wryte in dewe sorte
Therin what I haue knowen.
¶Kynge Herolde.
IN the tyme of Herolde the Kynge
Robert of cāterbury had his banyshinge
Ye may be sure for no good lyuynge
That euer man harde saye
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 & stoute
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
And were made quōdams ye may well know
For no good demenure.
¶William the seconde.
WIth william y
e .ii. what stryfe dyd make
Byshop Ancelme & howe stoute a crake
[Page]Made Rafe of chechester for the trybutꝭ sake
For women that priestes dyd paye
This kynge in posession had certayne
The byshoprycke of cāterbury & dyd retayne
Wynton and Sarum in his full mayne
Tyll the houre of his death.
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.
ALrelme also dyd lykewyse crake
With Henry the fyrst & out dyd shake
Moche disobediens, and woulde not forsake
To withstande the kynges wyll.
¶Stephyn.
By a false othe lyghtly taken
Of wyllm̄ of cāterbury stephen was not forsaken
Kynge of Englande, but shortly shaken
Or his mynde he could fulfyll.
¶Henry the seconde.
[Page]THat poyson prelate Thomas becked
A saynt by name, but w
t treason decked
And with popery all to specked
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.
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
Of the byshoppes yf I dare it tell
That they myght rule and beare the bell
Was theyr full entent,
Tharche byshoppe of yorke alas alas
Was the kyngꝭ brother who endly dyd pas
His lyfe of byshoppes as the maner was
Nowe it is not so.
All the chaleses gyuen were
[Page]To raunsome the kynge beyng prisonere
With Themperoure more than a yere
Fro thens or he myght go.
¶Kynge Iohn̄.
WHat mysery also a longe tyme was
In kyng Iohn̄ tyme, by that wycked as
Stephen Leigton of Canterbury alas, alas
That euer he was borne.
¶Henry the thyrde.
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
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 ī scotlād
with y
e bishop of bastō made a gret bād
[Page]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
As traytors shulde be dyght.
¶Edwarde the seconde.
SUche stryfe and rebellione
Had Edwarde the secone
With his lordes eche one
Tyll his latter daye
That yf his prelacy
With theyr priuie popery
Had not stonde therby
His lordes had made no fray.
¶Edwarde the thyrde.
IN this kynges tyme the .vi. Innocent
Gaue in Englande benefyce and prebēt
Vntyll this kynge sent contrary cōmaūdmēt
To his byshoppes all
This kynge forbadde that Peter pens
[Page]Shulde to Rome be gathered from hens
His mynde was and whole pretens
To gouerne great and smale.
¶Richarde the seconde.
A Rūdell of cāterbury in this kyngꝭ tyme
And the erle of darby for no smale crime
Banyshed were who after dyd clyme
And the kynge was ouer throwen.
¶Henry the fourth.
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.
HEnry the fyfte they dyd not let go
Out of theyr rulīge, they wel dyd know
That yf they dyd a mortuall fo
No doubt they shulde hym fynde
This kynge went aboute to take awaye
[Page]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
Townes and Castelles he dyd ouer thro
To Fraunce a bytter chaunce.
¶Henry the .vi.
IN Henrys dayes the .vi. this is no naye
The good duke of glocet was cast away
By the byshop of wynchester y
t prelate gaye
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
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
Muche misery, the deuyll of hell
[Page]Rewarde suche prelates that so doth sell
The truth both farre and nere.
¶Edwarde the .iiii.
THis kyng wold had gottē fraūce agayn
But the prelatꝭ the rat dyd sore disdayn
And from that purpose dyd hym refrayne
Whiche caused bate and stryfe
Who lyst the Cronicles for to rede
Shallse to death howe many dyd blede
And howe the prelates helped at nede
With swerdespere or knyfe.
¶Rycharde the thirde.
THis kynges tyme was so shorte
That with hym to haue theyr sporte
The Popyshe prelates had no comforte
So feable was thyr myght.
¶Henry the .vii.
THe Deane of Paules with y
e prouinciall
Of the blacke fryers & other great & smal
And y
e Pryor of Langley by treason dyd fall
[Page]For lacke of godly syght
The Cardynall Morton & fox of wynchester
By theyr subtyle councell consydred togyther
Caused Bolen to beseged with fyre and spere
And many was there stroyed.
¶Henry the .viij.
LIke cautell vsed Cardynall Wolsey
By causyng the scottes to ronne and flye
To the Englyshe pale but them quickeley
The Norden men anoyed
And what craftye prākes y
e prelatꝭ dyd playe
To turne the kynges mynde cleue awaye
When on the petycottes he wolde thē paye
Accordyng to theyr deserte.
Moche therof I nede not wryte
Theyr Popyshe Iuggelynge is in syght
And howe agaynst the streame they fyght
Which causeth them to smerte
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
[Page]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
Full mekely crouchyng and full lowe
Gladly agreyng there to
As the kynge in earth supreame
Heade of the Churche of this realme
Onely to be oure Ioyfull beame
We must obey and knowe
And all suche that in autoritie
His grace hath assigned to be
We must obey in eche degre
Orelles we get damnacion
Vnto 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
The pardons also for purgatory
With the detestable synne of buggary
And all kynde of Idolatry
Gods worde hath put to flyght
[Page]And muche popery I tell you playne
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
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
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
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
Full cruell were they and full fell
Agaynst them that of the Gospell dyd smell
And forsoke theyr fusty popery
[Page]They knowe now y
e lawe they know y
e payne
They can no longer clocke nor fayne
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 y
e playe
It were best they turne theyr mynde awaye
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
God saue kynge Edwardes noble grace
And sende his hyghnes tyme and space
To contynewe forth his fathers trace
With force strenght and myght
And sende euyll chaunce and croked happes
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
And neuer shall tyll they haue agayne
The Pope to be theyr Lorde.
[Page]¶God for bydde.
¶Thus endeth this breue Cronycle.