This furie of souldiours executed in a place of so great riches and profit, could endure no dispensati|on of anie sort or qualitie of men, seeing the prelats and cardinalles, Spanish and Germans, who made themselues assured that the souldiours of their nati|on would spare them from oppression and taxation, were taken and passed by the same measure of mi|serie and calamitie as others did. Right pitifull were the criengs and lamentations of the women of Rome:The shame|full and la|mentable ab|use which the souldiors offe|red to the fe|male sex. and no lesse woorthie of compassion, the calamitie of nunnes and virgins professed, whom the souldiours rauished by troopes out of their houses to satisfie their lust, no age, no sex, no dignitie or calling was frée from the violation of souldiours, in whom it was doubtfull whether bare more rule, the humor of crueltie to kill, or the appetite of lust to defloure, or lastlie, the rage of couetousnesse to rob and spoile: yea in the violation of these women might be discer|ned a confirmation of the iudgements of God hid|den from mortall men, for that he suffered to be deli|uered vp to the vilenesse of men, barbarous and bloo|die, the renowmed chastitie of women professed and virgins.

To this compassion was ioined the infinite cla|mors of men forced against all law of humanitie, partlie to wrest from them vnreasonable ransomes, and partlie to disclose their goods which [...] had hid|den from the rauine of the souldiors. All [...] things, sacraments and reliks of saints, whereof the chur|ches were full, being despoiled of their ornaments, were pulled downe, and laid vpon the earth, suffring no small prophanations, by the vile hands of the lanceknights. And whatsoeuer remained vpon the preies and spoilings of the imperialles, which were things but base and vile, were raked and caried a|waie by the pezants and tenants of the lands of the Colonnois, whose insolencie caried them into Rome during the generall furie. Onelie the cardinall of Colonno arriuing the daie after, preserued in his compassion the honor of manie women that happilie were fled for rescue into his house. The rumor went that the valuation and price of this sacke in gold,The value of this sacke in gold, siluer, and iewels. sil|uer, and iewels, amounted to more than a millian of duckats, but the matter of ransomes conteined a greater quantitie.]

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 When Rome was thus taken by the imperials, and the pope brought into captiuitie, therewith the king was so incensed against the emperour by the instigation of the cardinall, that he had determined not to spare anie treasure for the popes deliuerance. There rose a secret brute in London that the kings confessor doctor Longland,The kings marriage brought in question. and diuerse other great clerks had told the king that the marriage betweene him and the ladie Katharine, late wife to his brother prince Arthur was not lawfull: wherevpon the king should sue a diuorse, and marrie the duchesse of Alan|son sister to the French king at the towne of Calis this summer: and that the vicount Rochford had brought with him the picture of the said ladie. The king was offended with those tales, and sent for sir Thomas Seimor maior of the citie of London, se|cretlie charging him to sée that the people ceassed from such talke.