vvise and Politique in Ciuile, and Martial affaires: of a Princely Maiestie of coune∣nance:
wherein he excelled al others, and was moste vvoorthy of the Empiere.
Vrspergensis saithe, He was Noble, doughty, and Venterous: & was séene
thrée score and twoo sundrie times in fought fielde: wherein he passed bothe Mar∣cellus,
and Iulius Caesar, & al other Kinges, and Emperours, that had benne be∣fore
him.
The greatteste cause of falling out bitwéene him and the Pope was this: Or∣der
was taken before, and had stil benne keapte from the beginninge, that the E∣lection
of the Pope should be ratified by the Emperoure, otherwise not to stand.
And Platyna saith, The Pope Elected vvithout the Emperours letters patētes
vvas no Pope. An other Aunciente order was this, that the Emperoure might
bestowe al the Bishoprikes, and Abbles of the Empiere, when so euer they should
happē to be voide. These Ancient Orders Pope Hildebrand presumed to breake.
For neither would he suffer his owne Election to be ratified by y• Emperoure: nor
y• Emperoure to bestow y• Bishoprikes, or Abbies within his dominions. In these
attemptes y• Emperoure withstoode him, claiminge vnto him selfe the same right
of enheritance, that al other Emperours his Predecessours had lawfully, and pea∣ceably
enioied before him. Therefore the Pope Excommunicated him: interdited
his Lande: & called him Archepirate, Archeheretique, and Apostata: Therefore
he deposed him: raised vp the Duke of Sueuia, and al the worlde againste him: and
armed the Sonne againste the Father: and wilfully disquieted the whole State of
al Christendome. Auentinus saithe, Multi tum priuatim, tum pub licè, &c. Many there
were, that bothe priuately, and openly cursed Pope Hildebrande: and saide, that with his
hatred, and ambition he troubled the worlde: and that vnder the coloure of Christe, he
wrought the seates of Antichriste.
The Emperoure tooke a longe iourney into Italie to submit him selfe vnto the
Pope: and beinge at Canusium, as it is saide before, in the deapthe of winter, and
In the harde froste, he waited patiently thrée daies togeather with bare heade, and
bare foote before the Popes gates, to winne his fauoure. In the end Pope Hilde∣brande
beinge sicke, and findinge him selfe in case not to liue, sente vnto the Em∣peroure,
and besoughte him Pardonne for al his Iniuries. After that, the Popes,
that succeded, neuerthelesse continewed this quarrel stil. And thus by the Popes
entisemente, The Sonne raised a power, and deposed his Father: The Bishoppes
discobed him of his wéede of State: & pulled the Crovvne Emperial from his head.
The Auncient Reuerende Prince, hauing nowe continewed in his Empiere fiftie
whole yeeres, bare al these thinges quietly, and saide vnto them, Videat Deus, &
iudicet: Let God see, and Judge your dooings. At the laste, beinge leaste naked, and
out of al, he turned him selfe to the Bishop of Spira, and saide vnto him: Novve I
beseeche you, for Goddes sake, geue me a prebeude in your Churche. For I am
hable to reade, and can doo somme good in the quiere. But he was keapte stil
in close prison at Leodium, vntil he died. And beinge deade, he was keapte fiue
whole yeeres togeather aboue grounde, at the Popes Commaundemente, & might
not be buried: Sutche courtesie founde that woorthy Emperoure at the Popes
hande, onely for claiminge of his right.
Pope Hildebrande is commended by many for sundrie vertues. But no man, saie you, hathe
more set foorth his woorthinesse, then Onuphrius, a man yet aliue, and one of al menne,
that would be right lothe in any pointe to displease the Pope. Perhaps he thought
to winne somme credite, by aduenturinge his wittes in a desperate cause: as
did he, that bestowed so mutche eloquence in the praise of Baldenesse: or he, that
praised the Feuer quartane: or Erasmus, that of late yeeres wrote so mutche in
the praise of Folie.