¶ But to declare all the practises of this the popes agent, as it would be too long and tedious a processe, so it is nothing strange that these his landloping legats and Nuncios haue their manifold collusions to cousen christian kingdoms of their reuenues. For if they were not furnished with forlike fraud and wooluish rauine, they were no fit factors for him; sith it is required that like maister haue like man. And therefore he is aptlie described in the likenesse of a man, his head and face excepted, wherein he resem|bleth a woolfe; besides that, he is set foorth with a cro|siers staffe in his hand, at the hooke whereof hangeth his Iudas pursse, wherein are powched vp his pilfe|red Peter pence, and I wot not what extorted pai|ments and pretended duties. As for his deceits and crafts, he hath more varietie of them, than the cat of the mounteine hath spots in his skin, or the pecocke hath eies in his taile. Wherevpon it is trulie said of a late poet,

Sydera nemo potest quot sunt numerare polorum,

Antichasis de Christi & papae facinorb. sub au|thore an [...]nymo.Quot ne vere nouo gramina campus habet,

Sic quo nemo potest vafri ludibria papae

Eius & innumeros commemorare dolos:

Huic scopus immension seducere fraudibus orbem,

Huic scopus humanum ludificare genus.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 But to proceed,The nobles complain [...] [...] the king [...] popes [...] when men saw such vnreasonable couetousnes and polling, by the popes procurement; some of the nobilitie of the realme, not able longer to beare it, came to the king, and exhibited to him their complaint hereof, namelie for that the popes procu|rator bestowed diuers rith prebends and other rooms in churches vpon strangres knowne to be infamed for vsurie, simonie, and other heinous vices, which had no respect to preaching, nor to keeping of any hos|pitalitie, for maintenance whereof their ancestors had giuen foorth their lands to the inriching of the church, not meaning to haue the same bestowed on such maner of persons.The king writeth to the pope. The king vnderstood that truth it was which was told him, and therefore writ to the pope in humble wise, beseeching him of his fatherlie care to take order for some redresse therein.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 About this time the king began to renew his ima|gination for the following of the warres against the French king, Polydor. The king as [...]keth counsel how to proc [...] in his warres against the French kin [...] and therefore asked the aduise of his councell how he might best attempt the recouerie of those lands in France which were wrongfullie detei|ned from him. The most part of all his ancient coun|cellors were of this opinion, that to make warre a|gaine in trust of others aid, as had beene attempted so often before without any profit, should be no wise|dome, and therefore he ought either to forbeare, or els so to prouide himselfe of power sufficient, without trusting to the support of strangers, as he might be able with his owne puissance and force to atchiue his enterprise, for otherwise his trauell should prooue but vaine and to verie small effect. The king persua|ded with these sound reasons, thought not good to at|tempt any thing more touching the said warre vn|aduisedlie: and to the end it should not be said how he trusted in vaine vpon the aid of strangers, he cau|sed all such possessions as the Normans held in Eng|land to be confiscated,The posses [...]ons of the Normans confiscated. to the intent that as well the Normans as Britons and Poictouins might well vnderstand, that he minded not from thencefoorth to credit the false promises of rebels, as he that would now vse onelie the seruice of his owne people the Englishmen, which in respect of others painted pro|mises he had before contemned.