The pageant of popes contayninge the lyues of all the bishops of Rome, from the beginninge of them to the yeare of Grace 1555. Deuided into iii. sortes bishops, archbishops, and popes, vvhereof the two first are contayned in two bookes, and the third sort in fiue. In the vvhich is manifestlye shevved the beginning of Antichriste and increasing to his fulnesse, and also the vvayning of his povver againe, accordinge to the prophecye of Iohn in the Apocalips. ... Written in Latin by Maister Bale, and now Englished with sondrye additions by I.S.

163. Leo the tenth.

[ 228] LEo the tenth was a Florentine borne, of the noble house of Medicea, and called ere he were Pope Iohn Medi∣ces. He being Deacon and Cardinal of saint Maries, con∣trarie to all hope was chosen to succede Iulius. He beinge diligētly from his youth trained vp in learning vnder lear∣ned schoolemaisters, and especially one Angelus Politia∣nus, did afterward greatly fauour learned men.

When he was but .xiij. yeres olde he was made cardinall by Innocentius the .viii. and at the yeres of xxxviii. he ob∣tained the papacie. This Leo was of his owne nature a gentil and quiet person: but often times ruled by those that were cruell and contencious men, whom he suffered to do in many matters according to their insolent will. He ad∣dicting him selfe to nicenesse, and takinge ease did pamper his fleshe in diuerse vanities and carnal pleasures: At ban∣queting he delighted greatly in wine and musike: but had no care of preaching the Gospell, nay was rather a cruell persecutour of those that began then, as Luther and other to reueale the light thereof: for on a time when cardinall Bembus did moue a question out of the Gospell, the Pope gaue him a very contemptuouse aunswere saiyng: All ages can testifie enough howe profitable that fable of Christe hath ben to vs and our companie: Sleidan saith he sente letters and hulles of pardons into all nations for suche as

woulde giue money for them, the effectes of his pardons were diuerse, some especially to sell licence to eate butter, chese, egges, milke, and fleshe vpon forbidden daies, and for this purpose he sent diuers treasurers into al coūtreis, and namelye one Samson a monke of Millaine into Ger∣many, who by these pardons gathered out of sundrie pla∣ces such hewge sommes of money that the worlde wonde∣red at it, for he offered in one day to geue for the Papacie a∣boue an hundred and twentie thousand duckates. Ma••••in Luther being singulerly wel studied in the scriptures, and cōtinuing at Wittemberge in Germanye (where these par¦dons polled maynely) began to enforme and teache the peo∣ple howe muche they were abbused, to giue suche greate sommes of money for suche trifles as were nothing profita∣••le, and wished thē to be better aduised in bestowing theyr money, wherevpon he purchased the Popes bitter curse a∣gainst him and his adherents, to the no littell disturbance of the whole estate of Germanye: for because by the prea∣ching of Luther, and his bookes painting out the treache∣rie of the court of Rome, the princes of Germanye, as the Duke of Saxony, the Lantgraue and other wold not yelde so muche as in time past the Pope had commaunded by v∣surpation. The Emperour and they in the ende fell toge∣ther by the eares, by the Popes procurement, as at large is set forth in Sleidan, and can not so aptly in this place be reported. Other enormities which in the Popes pardons moued Luther were these: The people were perswaded that if they bought these pardons they nede not to seke any further for saluation, and that no sinne coulde be so horry∣ble, but that by these indulgences it shuld be forgeuen, and that the sowles that lye tormented in Purgatorie shoulde flie into heauen forthwith, as sone as the money receyued for these pardons at the charge of their friendes shoulde be put into the Popes cofers. But to returne to Pope Leo: he made xxxi. cardinals in one day, wherby he gat greate

bribes and muche treasure, but the same day appeared ma∣nye horrible sightes and great tempestes arose, with vehe∣ment windes, thonders and lightninges, vehementlye ru∣shinge vpon the Churche where the Pope and his Cardi∣nals were with such force, y^t it shooke downe an idol made for the picture of Christ like a child in the lappe of the vir∣gin Marye: also it stroke S. Peters keyes out of his hand. These thinges were enterpreted to prognosticate the decay of the Popes kingdome, and thereupon many wrote bitter verses.

Anno 1521. the same yeare that in Christmas holly∣dayes Solyman the Turke wan the Rodes, as the Pope wente out of his closet to morrowe masse, a great roofe of Marble stone fell downe sodeinlye behinde his backe, and slewe manye of his guarde. This Leo did enriche aboue measure his bastardes and cosins, aduauncing them to dig∣nityes both spirituall and temporall with robbing and vn∣doinge other. For he made Iulianus his sisters sonne duke of Mutinensis, and Laurētianus duke of Vrbin, maryinge the one to the sister of Charles duke of Sauoye, & the other to the duchesse of Polande: for he deposed the duke of Vr∣bin to the entente to aduaunce the one of these in his place: which also he attempted against the duke of Ferraria, but was disappointed. He made one of his nephewes called Iulius a Cardinal. In the yeare of our Lord 1571. and the first day of December, as sone as this Leo in deede a Lion heard it reported to him that the Frenchmen were by hi•• meanes slaine, taken and driuen out of Italye, he reioysed and laughed at this newes so vehementlye, that therwith∣all he fell downe dead at his table, being a man that in his life time thought that there was neither heauen nor hell, & countinge the Scripture sa is aforesaid to be but a fable. One Actius Sannazarius wrote these verses of him.

Sacra sub extrema, si fortè requiritis, hora Cur Leo non poterat sumere? Vendiderat.

¶Pasquil against Leo.

Pastor vt ambiguo Proteus dignoscitur ore, Et dubius liquidis saepe vagatur aquis: Sic Leo nulla fides tibi▪ nec constantia rebus, Facta{que} promissis sunt odiosa tuis. Nec bona, nec mala sunt dubio credenda Leoni, Est etiam in verum vix adhibenda fides. Quum ventrem imprudens auido natura Leoni Fecisset, rimas praebuit huic geminas. Non excrementis fuerat satis vna: sed harum Altera nunc clausa est, nec minus illa vorat. Gaude Roma, breui hac solueris peste: fatiscet Aluus, tàm magni ponderis impatiens. Differat à Decimo quàm Iulius ipse Leone, Dis••ere ab amborum nomine Roma potest. Iulius est hominis, bruti Leo. Iulius egit, Quae suasit ratio: quod libet, iste facit.

In the time of this Leo doctour Benbrick an English∣man Archbishop of Yorke and Cardinall, lyeng Embassa∣dour in the seruice of K. Henry y^e eighte, was poysoned by report at Rome and dyed there.