12.31. The discord of the kings. Chap. 31.

The discord of the kings. Chap. 31.

A Sudden discord rose betwene the kings and that (which was woorse) betwéene the fa|ther and the earle, through the working of the old enimie, & their sinnes deseruing the same, to the great hinderance of their noble enterprise: as though they bring vnfit for it, the honor thereof was reserued for other; or perchance according to the sen|tence of Gregorie: Aduersitie, which is obiected a|gainst good vowes, is a triall of vertue, and not a signe of disproofe. Who is ignorant how happie a thing it was that Paule was driuen into Italie, and yet he suffered shipwracke? But the ship of his heart was safe among the surges of the sea. Likewise therfore as vertue is perfected in infirmitie, and gold tried in the fire: so the constancie of faith that can|not be craized with tribulations, dooth increase more as sinapis; and the courage of the mind is more va|liant againe than troublous assaults of fortune. O how much rather would I, that these kings accom|panied with a few men acceptable to God, had ta|ken vpon them this laborious, but yet a glorious iourneie, than to war proud for the great wealth that they had gathered of manie people to this end. Read ouer the whole bible, and consider thése latter times, and you shall find, that victorie hath béene gained, not with force and humane power, but with Gods grace and store of vertues. For as Cassiodorus saith: An armed people without the Lord is vnarmed. And as Seneca saith, Not the number of the people, but the vertue of a few get the victorie. Of the foure before named, the emperour Frederike, albeit he was the last croised, yet in the execution thereof he was the first: whome therefore I account so much the more woorthie of victorie in heauen, and glorie in earth, that he forsaking large kingdomes and his empire, delaied not out the matter.

12.32. A vision and exposition thereof. Chap. 32.

A vision and exposition thereof. Chap. 32.

THerfore I thought it not inconuenient to set downe a vision, which he that hideth much from wisemen & reuealeth it to babes visited me withall, being a most simple and vile wretch. In the miserie of this time, in that ciuill and detestable discord betwéene the king and the erle of Poitiers, I being with the king at Chinon castell the seuenth ides of Maie: at night in my sléepe a|bout the cocke crowing, me thought I saw a great multitude of men looking vp into heauen, and as it were woondering at somewhat. So I lifting vp mine eies to sée what the same was, I saw a bright light breake out betwéene the thickenesse of the A strange vision. clouds, and the clouds being incontinentlie seuered asunder, and the lower heauen as it were being o|pened, and the sight of mine eies pearsing through that window to the empeireall heauen, there appered the court thereof in great multitude, wide open as it were to be spoiled, all kinds of munition being bent against it. You might haue séene there a head cut from one, an arme from another, and some stri|ken through with arrowes, some with lances, and some with swords. And when manie of the beholders either for the brightnes, or terror, or pitie, had fallen flat on their faces: me thought that I (to see the end of the matter) did view it longer than the rest. So they hauing gotten the victorie ouer all the other, the bloudie slaues fell vpon the prince of the heauenlie orders, sitting in his throne as he was woont to bee pictured, and drawing him from the throne on the right hand, hauing his breast naked, they thrust him through the right side with their lances, and immedi|atlie there followed a terrible voice in this maner, Woch, woch, OHoli-ghost! But whether it came frõ heauen, or was vttered by the people beneath, I can not tell; and so the terror of this voice & the vision a|wakened me.

EEBO page image 51 I call him here to witnesse, to whome all things are apparant and manifest, that immediatlie as I sat in my bed, & reuolued these things in my mind, I was in so great an horror both of bodie and mind, for halfe an houre and more, that I feared least I should haue fallen besides my selfe. But recoursing deuout|lie to the onlie refuge of humane saluation, & blessing my forehead with the crosse estsoones, & fortifieng my mind thereby, I passed the rest of the night without sléepe, & so through Gods grace returned fullie to my selfe: yet to this daie I can neuer remember that vi|sion without horror. What may be more terrible to a creature than to see his creator smitten through with weapons? What man without gréefe can abide to sée the seruants of God, & patrons of men to be murthe|red? Who can behold the Lord of nature to suffer, & dooth not suffer therewith? What this vision porten|deth, The meaning of the foresaid vision. without preiudice to anie I will shew brieflie. He that suffered once in his owne person for all, gi|ueth vs to vnderstand, that he now suffereth againe, but that in his flocke. And he that by triumphing o|uer the crosse, and ascending to the right hand of his father, hath victoriouslie entered his kingdome; his enimies now go about to depriue him of his king|dome, and subuert his church, which he gathered vnto him by the shedding of his bloud. Therefore, as I doo suppose, this passion did not appeare vpon the crosse, but his maiestie: as though the crosse now being taken awaie, his enimies go about to take that glorie from him, which he got on the crosse. Or else that his faithfull had suffered, not in the crosse, but with weapons in that holie land, which he af|ter so manie miracles had consecrated with his bloud. So likewise he declared this his passion which he for his susteined, not in the crosse, but in his maie|stie: so he signified, that all the court of heauen suffe|red with the like compassion, mouing his to reuenge|ment with the shewing of so great greefe. As concer|ning that voice beginning in a barbarous language and ending in Latine, what I thinke I will shew. Woch, woch, in the Germane toong, is a signe of gréefe doubled. And where that wofull mourning voice began in the Germane toong, and ended in La|tine, it maie be signified thereby, that onelie the Al|mans and the Italians take this the affliction of their Lord more grieuouslie than other nations, as their hasting declareth. God forbid that the passion or la|mentation be here vnderstood by anie slaughter of the christians and people in this expedition.

12.33. The memorable euents of our time. Chap. 33.

The memorable euents of our time. Chap. 33.

I Thinke it not impertinent to set downe here (by occasion) the aduentures and nota|ble euents in England: and first of all, the sudden death of the deteiners of the king|dome of England against the lawfull heire, the ne|phue of Henrie by his daughter Matild: as well the death of the woorthie knight Eustashius the son of king Stephan, and son in law to Lewes the French king: as of his mother quéene Matild the countesse of Bullogne. Then the concord adoption made be|twéene king Stephan, and Henrie duke of Nor|mandie. And then after the death of king Stephan, the mariage of quéene Elianor, and the translation from crowne to crowne. Immediatlie, the aduance|ment of the duke to the kingdome, and the corona|tion of king Henrie the second. The assiege of the castell of Bridgenorth vpon Seuerne, and the com|pulsion of the woorthie knight Hugh Mortimer to dedition, to the terrible example of all. What née|deth manie words? To confound the mightie, and to make euen the rugged, there were prosperous suc|cesses. And as destruction fell vpon the deteiners of the kingdome, so likewise it fell vpon the peacebrea|kers of the same, as well of the brethren, as also of the sons.

The subduing of prince Oeue at Colshull in Northwales in a wooddie strei [...], not without the losse of manie knights. A sumptuous expedition to Tholouse, albeit it was vnprofitable. An altercation & warre betwéene the king of England and Lewes of France, through the doting of both parts. The yéelding vp of prince Rhese by the means of his vn|cle Oene at Pencador in Southwales, the king of England comming thither. The vnwilling & wrested confession onelie by word & by writing (as some say) of Thomas of Canturburie, and his suffragans at Clarendon, as concerning annates: when that pro|phesie of Merlin Ambrosius séemed to be fulfilled; The buls toongs shall be cut out. The inturions cri|eng out of all the court at Northampton against the A prophesie of Merlin ful|filled. father, bearing the crosse, & mainteining the rights of the crucifix, and the priuie departure of him to exile that night. The ambassage of Reinold archbi|shop of Cullen, & chancellor to the emperor, from the said emperor to the king of England: who was an effectuous persuader of mariage to be had betwéene Henrie the emperors nephue duke of Saxonie and Bauier, and Matild the kings eldest daughter: he mooued also, but in vaine, to set cleare the Almains schisme. Not long after the publike periurie through out all the realme, by the kings proclamation a|gainst the sée of saint Peter, and the archbishop of Canturburie. And incontinentlie the countie Gun|celine, and other states of Saxonie came from the duke into England for the kings daughter.

The coronation of king Henrie the third, son to king Henrie, solemnized in London by the archbi|shop of Yorke, to the preiudice of the church of Can|turburie. Ambassadors came from Spaine, and ob|teined the kings daughter Elianor, to be maried vnto Ansulfo, king of Toledo and Castile. The comming of Dernicius (being expelled) to the king, and the sailing ouer into Ireland of Fitzstephans, & earle Richard. The expedition of the lord of Albi mona|sterij. Oswal|stre in Powes, and his returne by occasion of rame: not without his hurtfull dismembring of the pled|ges, and great slaughter of his enimies. The mar|tyrdome of Thomas. The often shining miracles. The departure of the noble Henrie bishop of Win|chester, descended of the kings bloud at Winchester. The viage of the king into Ireland. The conspira|cie of the states against their prince, and the chil|dren against their father. The comming of two cardinals into Normandie, to make inquirie of the death of the martyr. The sudden returne of the king out of Ireland into Wales, and so into England, thense into Normandie; with an appeasing of the said cardinals, and the French king. The first de|parture of the yoong king with his two brethren from his father into France. The victorie of the ci|uill and two yeares warre, and the kings mercie towards the vanquished, as we haue shewed before. The comming of Huguntio Petie Leon cardinall of the title of saint Angelo into England, and the celebration of a councell vnder him of all the clear|gie of England, at London, as concerning the con|tention of supremasie betweene Richard archbishop of Canturburie, and Roger of Yorke: but the alle|gations on both sides with fists and staues brake it off. The bishop of Capua, and Diaferus elect of Croia, and earle Florius, came from William king of Sicill, to haue mariage betwéene him and Ioane the kings yoonger daughter.

EEBO page image 52 The ambassadors of the kings of Spaine, Ca|stile, and Nauar, came into England: who as con|cerning lands and castels (whereof they contended) promised altogither to stand vnto the king of Eng|lands arbitrement. Wherefore the king assem|bling at London all the lawyers & wise men in the land of both orders; when the cause was proposed, and the allegations heard on both sides, by famous aduocats; among whome, Peter of Cardon, that came in the behalfe of the king of Nauar, excelled in eloquence: the king vsing wise counsell, and in|tending to end the contention by transaction, that giuing somewhat from one, and keeping somewhat from an other, he would hurt neither partie much. But as he was appointed iudge by both, so he was carefull for the commoditie of both as much as could be. So making a transaction, and ingrossing it in writing, he writ the iudiciall examination for a pro|uiso; That if either part refused to stand to his arbi|trement, the definitiue strife might be dirempted by sentence. The comming of Lewes king of France into England, who went on pilgrimage to Canturburie, to the martyr Thomas, to require his helpe deuoutlie, whome he in the time of his exile had helped: and offering a cup pretious both for matter & substance in the place where the holie bodie was buried, when he had declined a while prostrat on his face, and had laid his bare head a while in the right side hole of the marble stone that standeth therby; at last, rising from his praier (that he might confirme the memorie of his pilgrimage with euerlasting record) in the presence of the king of England, the earle of Flanders, the archbishop of the see, the prior of the couent, and other men of state, he gaue yearelie vnto Canturburie abbeie an hundred tuns of wine.

The second defection of king Henrie the third, and earle Geffreie, with the sudden death of the yoonger king at Marcels. The comming on pilgrimage of Godfrie archbishop of Cullen, and Philip earle of Flanders vnto Canturburie. The death of earle Geffreie. The comming of Heraclius the patriarch, and the sailing of earle Iohn into Ireland. Al|most all things as they be here set in order, chanced in our time, in no great distance betwéene, in and about the space of thrée and thirtie yeares. O how glorious had all these things béene, if they had sor|ted to a good end! Which surelie would haue hapned, if he setting other things aside, had followed Christ, when he was called, of whome he receiued all these benefits; and had spent the last fiue yeares reigne in his seruice. But these things being before rehearsed by the way, let vs returne to the historie.