Here begynneth a shorte and abreue table on the Cronycles ...

¶Nota Machomitum.

¶Machomite the duke of Sarrasyns and Turkes was this tyme. And he was y^e dyssey∣uer of all the worlde / a faulse profete / y^e messen¦ger of the deuyll. The forgooer of antecryst y^e fulfyller of herecye / & of all fals men the mer∣uayllest· Of whome the dominacyon thus be∣gan· ¶There was a certayne famous clerke at Rome and / coude not spede in his maters y^t desyred to haue spede in. Thene he recedde frō Rome ouer the see and procured many a man to haue gone with hym. Amonge whome was this Machomyte a grete man of wytte. And this clerke promysed hym to make hym duke of the coūtree yf he wolde be gyded after hym ¶There he nouryssed a douue / and put alle the corne that y^e douue ete in Machom•• ee••e and so this douue had neuer noo meete but in his eere The foresayd clerke on a daye called the people & meued thē to these suche a p••••nce as the holy gost wold shewe to them in lykenes¦se of a douue. And anone this clerke secretely lete flee this douue / the whiche after his olde custome that he wonte to / fell anone to y^e shol∣dyr of Machomyte & put his bylle in his eere. And the people sawe this / anone he was chosē duke of that people of Corosame / he sayd that he was the very prophete of god ¶Thenne he made a boke of his lawe that was called Alka¦ron. But he dyde it by Informacyon of thre of his maysters. To whome the deuyl minystred the autoryte and the connynge. ¶The fyrste mayster was a Iewe a grete Astronomyer & a Nygramancer. The seconde was Iohn̄ de An¦thiochia. The thurde was Sergius an heryty¦ke. And these thre made an vngracyous lawe and an vnhappy. ¶And what someuer was harde of beleue and noyous to doo / they lefte that out of the lawe / and they put that thynge in the lawe / the whiche the worldly men were

proue and redy to do. That ys to saye. Gloto∣ny / Lethery / repyne / and suche other. And al¦so thys Machomyte ordeyned that a man shol¦de haue as many wyues as he myght occupye and fynde / and refuse them twyes or thryes / or foure tymes / and take them agayye / & ma∣ny meruayllous & fals thinges ht made in hys lawe / the whiche were to longe to reherce here But they be playne in his booke of. Alkaron· And euer he wrote in hys boke / that our lorde spake to. Machomyte hys prophete / sayenge on this wyse / or on this. ¶Thus by hys false meanes he dysceyued the people. And whan his maysters & he had made this that was soo delectable. He wrote it in a boke with letters of golde· And also he nourysshed a myghty ca∣mell secretly in a pryue place / & alonly wyth y^e hondes of. Machomyte was alwaye fedde / & there pryuely he tyed this boke of the law that he had made about the camels necke \ and put this camel forth on a tyme in to the felde afore daye. And thys camell Ioyed in hys lyberte for he was neuer lose afore. And he wolde suf∣fre noo man to come and touche hym. And so there was a grete fame of suche a camell / and the people ranne to see hym. Amonge whome was this Machomyte. But whan the camell sawe hym that had fedde hym al waye. Anone he ranne vnto hym. And he had taught this ca¦mell afore tyme to falle downe on his knees & lycke his hondes. And so he dyd afore all that people. The people thenne cryed & sayde / that there was a very ensample y^t he was the true prophete of god. ¶Thenne they prayed Ma∣chomyte to open that holy boke with hys holy hondes / the whiche was sent from heuen euer more to be kepte. In y^e whiche boke is shewed how the peple shail worshyp god. ¶And Ma¦chomyte sayd / this boke was wryten wyth aū¦gels honde / Soo by these fals meanes / he tor∣ned to his lawe all the londe of. Perse / and all the Eest Imperyall agaynste. Heraclium the Emperour· And he occupyed vnto the ende of Ale••dndre and Egypt. Libya. Arabya and Si¦ria. Thenne after he enfected alle Affrycam. And but the grace of god wythstode hym / He had enfected all Spayne and Fraunce. And many other thynges he dyde whyche were to moche to wryte in this boke.

COnstantyne the thyrde / the sone of He¦raclii was Empour .xxvii. yere. Thys Constantyne was a grete tyraunt & a cursyd man / and an heretyke. Fals / subtyll / and ody¦ous to crysten men. Ne he gaaf no place to po∣pe. Mertyne / & he reysed a grete hoste agaynst the Lombardes. And there he loste the felde / & fledde vnto Rome. And honourably was re∣ceyued of the pope Viteliianus / & other of the the cyte. And he rewarded not them lyke after theyr merytes as a prynce sholde haue done. But vsed forth tyrannye and heresye. wherfo¦re at the last he was slayne of his owne knygh¦tes in a bath / the whyche wolde no lenger suf∣fre his tyraunye. And so he wretchedly lyued / and deyed vnhappely. ¶Martinus the fyrst was pope after Theodorum .vi. yere. Thys Martynus was a very holy man / & ••rongely stroue for the fayth of god And wh••n ••e ••ge masse oon a certayne daye a•• the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 / there pursewed hym to slee▪ him a man y^t was called Spataryus of Olymphe. And whan he wolde haue smyten hym / he was blynde sodaynly. This same man called a Synody in the Cyte of Rome: and dampned Syrum. Alexandrun Sergium. Pyrum: and Paulum heretykes. wherfore. Constantyne the Emperour exyled hym: and he deyed a saynt. ¶Eugem{us} a Ro∣mayne was pope after Martyne almoost thre yere: and was an holy man: but of hym lytell actes is wryten. ¶Vitellianus was pope af∣ter hym .xiiii. yere. Thys man made the songe that the. Romayns vse: And accorded it also with the orgayns. And he also had the grace of the emperour: the whiche was worth wyth his predecessours. Neuerthelesse after warde he stode not ī his concorde. Ne hetherto I cou∣de not fynde that euer the chyrche of Rome. hadde fully after the dethe of. Constantyne the myghty lordshyp of the cyte and of other the whiche he yaue to the chyrche.