Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 A legat from the pope na|med Ruscand a Gascoigne.About the same time came another legat from the pope, namelie, one Ruscand a Gascoigne borne, to whom, with the archb. of Canturburie, and the bi|shop of Hereford, the pope had granted authoritie to collect and gather the tenths of the spiritualtie within England, Scotland, and Ireland,Tenths ga|thered for the pope. to the vse of the pope and the king, notwithstanding all priuiledges, for what cause or vnder what forme of words so euer the same had passed. This Ruscand also absolued the king of his vow made to go into the holie land, to the end he might go against Manfred king of Sicill. He also preached the crosse against the same Man|fred,The crosse preached a|gainst Man|fred. promising all those remission of their sins which should go to war against Manfred, as well as if they should go into the holie land, to warre against Gods enimies there, whereat faithfull men much maruel|led, that he should promise as great méed for the shed|ding of christian bloud, as the bloud of infidels.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 The craftie and slie fetches which were vsed in this season by this Ruscand the bishop of Hereford, and o|ther their complices, to get monie of the prelats and gouernors of monasteries within this realme, were wonderfull, & verie greeuous to those that felt them|selues oppressed therewith; and namelie, for the debt which the said bishop of Hereford had charged them with, they being not priuie to the receipt, nor hauing any benefit thereby.A councell called at Lon|don by the le|gat. Ruscand called a councell at London, & propounded great causes why the prelats ought to aid the pope, and so therevpon demanded great summes of monie. Amongst other summes, he demanded six hundred marks of the house of S. Albons.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 To conclude, his demands were estéemed vnrea|sonable, Matth. Paris. The church|men being pinched by their pursses, fret and fume against the popes procé [...]|dings in that behalfe. so that the bishops and abbats were in a mar|uellous perplexitie, perceiuing into what miserable state by reason of immoderate exactions the church of England was brought. The bishop of London stic|ked not to saie, that he would rather lose his head, than consent that the church should be brought to such seruitude as the legat went about to inforce. And the bishop of Worcester openlie protested, that he would sooner suffer himselfe to be hanged, than to sée the church subiect to such oppression by their examples. O|ther also taking a boldnesse vnto them, affirmed,The bishops would rather become mar|tyrs, than lose their monie. that they would follow the steps of Thomas sometime archbishop of Canturburie, which for the liberties of the church suffered himselfe to haue his braines cut out of his head. Yet were those prelats euill troubled, for the king was against them on the one side, and the pope gaping after monie was become their vt|ter enimie on the other: neither were the Noble men much mooued with pitie towards the church their mo|ther (as the terme then went) now thus in miserie.