A breve chronicle of the bishop of Rome's blessing, and of his Prelates beneficial and charitable rewards, from the time of King Herald unto this day.  
¶ Imprinted at London by john day, dwelling in Sepulchres parish at the sign of the Resurrection a little above Holborn Conduit.  
¶ Cumprivilegio Regali, Ad imprimendum solum.   

¶ The preface.  
WHo list to look about  
May in Chronicles soon find out  
what sedes the popish rout  
In England hath sown  
Because the time is short  
I shall briefly report,  
And write in dew sort  
Therein what I have known.   


¶ King Herolde.  
IN the time of Herolde the King  
Robert of canterbury had his banyshinge  
Ye may be sure for no good living  
That ever man hard say  
To William Conqueror the bishop went  
To whom Alexander a banner sent  
Of clean remission their wicked intent  
Was England to decay.   

¶ William conqueror.  
THe abbeys of England great & stout  
This king caused to be searched out  
The money there found all round about  
Was brought to the kings treasure  
The bishop of canterbury with many more  
And divers abbots were deprived also  
And were made quondams ye may well know  
For no good demenure.   

¶ William the second.  
WIth william the ii what strife did make  
Bishop Ancelme & how stout a crack  
Made Ralph of chechester for the trybutꝭ sake  
For women that priests did pay  
This king in possession had certain  
The bishopric of canterbury & did retain  
Wynton and Sarum in his full main  
Till the hour of his death.  
The abbays he sold or to farm did let  
The stiff necked prelate's he under kept  
And with their popery he ever met  
So long as he had breath.   

¶ Henry the first.  
ALrelme also did likewise crack  
With Henry the first & out did shake  
Moche disobediences, and would not forsake  
To withstand the kings will.   

¶ Stephyn.  
By a false oath lightly taken  
Of wyllm of canterbury stephen was not forsaken  
King of England, but shortly shaken  
Or his mind he could fulfil.   

¶ Henry the second.  
THat poison prelate Thomas becked  
A saint by name, but with treason decked  
And with popery all to specked  
To his later end,  
Proud and stoberne in all assays  
with ye never, but ever with nays  
His prince to withstand thus he always  
His mind did fully bend.   

¶ richard the first.  
TO the holy land archbishop baldwyne  
Of canterbury went full fine  
The king tarried not long behyne  
But thither also went  
And not without the privy council  
Of the bishops if I dare it tell  
That they might rule and bear the bell  
Was their full intent,  
Tharche bishop of york alas alas  
Was the kings brother who endly did pass  
His life of bishops as the manner was  
Now it is not so.  
All the chalese given were  
To ransom the king being prisonere  
With Themperor more than a year  
From thence or he might go.   

¶ King Iohn.  
WHat misery also a long time was  
In king Iohn time, by that wicked as  
Stephen Leigton of Canterbury alas, alas  
That ever he was borne.   

¶ Henry the third.  
IN the first year of this king  
The said Stephen did in bring  
The Legate Pandulphe with his blessing  
The king an oath to take  
which was their church for to defend  
But such rebellions against him did bend  
That ever after to his lives end  
Peace he could not make.   

¶ Edward the first.  
THe bishop of saint Andrew's in scotland  
with the bishop of baston made a great band  
Of divers lords and took in hand  
Against this king to fight  
As perjured rebels the bishops were sent  
By the king to the fift Innocent  
The lords were headed and in pieces rent  
As traitors should be dight.   

¶ Edward the second.  
Such strife and rebellion  
Had Edward the secone  
With his lords each one  
Till his latter day  
That if his prelacy  
With their privy popery  
Had not stand thereby  
His lords had made no fray.   

¶ Edward the third.  
IN this kings time the vi Innocent  
Gave in England benefice and prebent  
Until this king sent contrary commandment  
To his bishops all  
This king forbade that Peter pens  
Should to Rome be gathered from hens  
His mind was and whole pretense  
To govern great and small.   

¶ Richard the second.  
A Rundell of canterbury in this kings time  
And the earl of derby for no small crime  
Banished were who after did climb  
And the king was over thrown.   

¶ Henry the fourth.  
THen was the Earl crowned king  
Henry the four this is no losing  
Of whom the bishops had the ruling  
After their own mind.   

¶ Henry the fift.  
HEnry the fift they did not let go  
Out of their ruling, they well did know  
That if they did a mortuall foe  
No doubt they should him find  
This king went about to take away  
Their temporalties, but night and day  
His mind to turn they did assay  
With money to conquer france  
So in to france the king did go  
Where in short time he subdued so  
Towns and Castles he did overthrow  
To France a bitter chance.   

¶ Henry the vi  
IN Henrys days the vi this is no nay  
The good duke of glocet was cast away  
By the bishop of winchester that prelate gay  
In strife disdain and pride  
A cardinal this prelate was made  
Who shortly after to France yade  
Between both kings a peace to be had  
And there he did abide  
With the romish legate to have his fill  
Of the popish power was all his will  
But of peace he made no skill  
And that did well appear  
For ever after to England fell  
Much misery, the devil of hell  
Reward such prelate's that so doth sell  
The truth both far and near.   

¶ Edward the four  
THis king would had gotten france again  
But the prelatis the rat did sore disdain  
And from that purpose did him refrain  
Which caused bate and strife  
Who list the Chronicles for to read  
Shallse to death how many did bleed  
And how the prelate's helped at need  
With swerdespere or knife.   

¶ richard the third.  
THis kings time was so short  
That with him to have their sport  
The popish prelate's had no comfort  
So feeble was thyr might.   

¶ Henry the vii  
THe Dean of Paul's with the provincial  
Of the black friars & other great & small  
And the prior of Langley by treason did fall  
For lack of godly sight  
The cardinal Morton & fox of wynchester  
By their subtile council considered together  
Caused Bolen to besieged with fire and spear  
And many was there stroyed.   

¶ Henry the eight  
LIke cautel used cardinal Wolsey  
By causing the scots to run and fly  
To the english pale but them quickly  
The Norden men annoyed  
And what crafty pranks the prelatis did play  
To turn the kings mind cleave away  
When on the petycottes he would them pay  
According to their desert.  
Moche thereof I need not write  
Their popish juggeling is in sight  
And how against the stream they fight  
Which causeth them to smart  
In this kings time ye do well know  
How great an enemy and mortal foe  
The popish prelate's hath been also  
Against God's word so pure  
For which words only sake  
Many an heart full often to quake  
Right piteously they did make  
And for that thing I you ensure  
To the which with leg, foot, and toe  
They cease not a pace now to go  
Full meekly crouching and full low  
Gladly agreeing there to  
As the king in earth supreme  
Head of the Church of this realm  
Only to be our joyful beam  
We must obey and know  
And all such that in authority  
His grace hath assigned to be  
We must obey in each degree  
Orelles we get damnation  
Unto ourselves, this is no lie  
The power is god's minister to us truly  
If we do evil he revengeth freely  
And all for our salvation  
The pardons also for purgatory  
With the detestable sin of buggary  
And all kind of Idolatry  
God's word hath put to flight  
And much popery I tell you plain  
That ranckely did privily reign  
As now is known abroad certain  
God's word hath brought to light  
Many things more were hidden  
And by the papists over strydden  
Which abroad be now spredden  
Daily before your eye,  
whereat some whine full sore  
But spesially that their popish lore  
whom they had so long in store  
Away now do fly  
Had not the poor silly souls  
So often brought forth to powlles  
Spread abroad the popish rolls  
Of their old fashion  
The shameless popish clergy  
would still have been hardy  
And nothing at all tardy  
In their abomination  
This is no lie that I you tell  
Full cruel were they and full fell  
Against them that of the Gospel did smell  
And forsook their fusty popery  
They know now the law they know the pain  
They can no longer clock nor fain  
And if they do I tell you certain  
Their reward is plain ropery  
Hereof I need not moche to say  
Many assayed the game and knew the play  
It were best they turn their mind away  
And strife not against the right  
If their lordly power might once abate  
Then would they quickly open the gate  
Of true doctrine which of late  
King Harry hath brought to light  
God save king Edward's noble grace  
And send his highness time and space  
To continue forth his father's trace  
With force strength and might  
And send evil chance and crooked haps  
To all such popish forked caps  
That gave so many cursed flaps  
For God's blessed word  
So hath he done it is certain  
They have not won I tell you plain  
And never shall till they have again  
The Pope to be their Lord.  
¶ God for bid.  
¶ Thus endeth this breve chronicle.