The prolocutors answer to the popes legat.
The prelats appeale.
Marke the cause of martyrdome.
When the feast of saint Hilarie was come, the cleargie met againe at London, and fell to intreat of their former businesse, at what time one maister Leonard aliàs Reignold that was chosen prolocutor for all the prelats, amongst other answers made to the legat Ruscand, when the same Ruscand alledged that all churches were the popes; "Truth it is," said Leonard, "to defend, and not to vse and appropriate them to serue his owne turne; as we saie, that all is the princes, meaning that all is his to defend, and not to spoile: and such was the intent of the founders." Ruscand sore offended herewith, said, he would that euerie man should speake afterwards for himselfe, that as well the pope as the king might vnderstand what euerie man said in their businesse and matters. The prelats were striken in a dumpe herewith, for they perceiued how the matter went: they appealed yet against the demands that were made by Ruscand, who would not change a word of that he had written, in which was conteined, that the prelats had acknowledged themselues to haue borrowed of the merchant strangers, no small summes of monie, and the same to be conuerted to the vse of their churches, which was most vntrue as all men well vnderstood: wherevpon the prelats affirmed, and not without reasonable cause, that there was a greater occasion in this cause of martyrdome, than in that of Thomas sometime archbishop of Canturburie.
The deane of saint Paules sent to Rome on the behalfe of the prelats.
Ruscand at length, perceiuing their manner, became somewhat more mild, and promised that he would talke with the pope of this matter. But first there was sent to Rome the deane of Pauls in London, and certeine others, as attornies or agents for the whole cleargie of England. These sped so in their suit, that the pope tooke order that if the prelats paid the monie by force of the contriued writings, whereby they stood bound for them, their houses, and churches; then, to ease their burthen, they might reteine in their hands such parcell of tenths as they ought to paie to the king, for furnishing of his wars against the Saracens, amounting to the summe which they should be constreined to paie for the bonds made to the merchants, by the bishop of Hereford (as before is recited.)
Mens deuotion towards the pope waxeth cold.
In this season the deuotion, which manie had conceiued of the pope and the church of Rome, began to wax cold, reputing the vertue which he shewed at his entring into the papasie, to be rather a colourable hypocrisie, than otherwise, sith his procéedings answered not to his good beginnings: for as it was manifest, where sutors brought their complaints into the court of Rome, such sped best as gaue most bribes, and the two priors of Winchester, the one expelled, and the other got in by intrusion, could well witnesse the same: and all the world knoweth that the viperous generation of Romanists, reckoning from the ringleader to the simplest shaueling, haue made gaine the scope of their holinesse, and as it is truelie said,
Antith. de precl. Christi, &c.