The foreste or Collection of histories no lesse profitable, then pleasant and necessarie, dooen out of Frenche into Englishe, by Thomas Fortescue.

¶ Of certaine greate personages, whiche died, called hēce by those, whiche before them selues, vniustly had caused to be executed, euen in the instante, and tyme to them assigned, as also some what of the Archebishoppe of Magonce or Ments. Chap. 12.

WHen the aide of man faileth those, to whom by man some wrong, and grief is doen, God assuredly notwithstandyng, neuer leaueth to assiste theim: and although it chaunce not at suche tymes, so sone, and so apertly, as

percase some would, or could in harte desire, yet God that knoweth when, and howe, he shoulde auenge hym, on those that haue vniustly opprest, or wronged the innocente, so woorketh that at tymes suche tre∣cheries come to lighte, and eke mannes falce iudgemen∣tes, to his heauie condemnation. Whereof wée could re∣member many true, & straunge examples, emong which we reade of a certaine knight, of the house of the Tem∣pliers, executed as is supposed, very vniustly: this knight an Italian, borne in Naples, beholding as he paste to the place of execution, Pope Clement the fifte of that name, aduaunced in a windowe, as pleasyng in this spectacle, whiche onely did this sentence, to passe againste hym wrongfully, and nigh to hym Philippe, surnamed Bel∣lus, kyng then of Fraunce, saied to hym with a high, and loude voice incontinently: O thou cruell, and merci∣les Clement, for as muche as in the worlde, none other iudge is, to whom, from thy vniust sentence, I might ap∣peale, I appeale yet from thée, and from thy greate iniu∣stice, vnto him that all séeth, that true, and vpright iudge Iesus Christe the rightuous, before whom I thee asso∣men, as also the kyng there (at whose sute, thou hast sen∣tensed me to death) to appere in persone bothe, before his tribunall seate, there to receiue, as ye by me haue deser∣ued, without fauour, or perciallitie, without respecte of persones, and that also within the space, of one yere fol∣lowyng. And so it came to passe, that as he there had ci∣ted them, the Pope died, iuste at the tyme appoincted, as also the kyng to holde theother companie. Whiche thing assuredly, onely proceded, from the inscrutable iudgemē∣tes, and iustice of God. The semblable also happened, to Ferdinande the fowerth kyng of Castile, whiche also did to death, twoo other worthie knightes, of pretensed ma∣lice, not hauyng any shadowe, or pretexte at all of iustice whom no sorowfull teares, or often supplications could, or might deliuer, from the blouddie miser. In fine there∣fore

arrestyng, without more, on this extremitie, cited the king in like maner, as before, within thirtie daies fo∣lowng, to appere before that iudge, the laste of whiche in déede, he made chaunge of life for death, and so departed hence. Suche was the happe also, of a capitain, of certain gallies, of the toune of Genua, of whiche Baptista Fulgo∣sius, in this sorte reporteth, that he tooke a little Boate, or Barke of Catelongna, in whiche also was an other, or capitaine, or gentleman, which neuer had dooen to the in∣habitātes of Genua any wrōg, or iniurie, neuerthelesse, for that priuate malice, y^t this Capitaine of Genua, bare to the Catelanes, cōmaunded that he should incōtinently be hanged, who mournfully besought hym, not to do him that, or any so greate vilanie, for that he neuer had of∣fended, nor hym, ne yet his countrie, but findyng in the ende no kinde of grace, or fauour, his laste recourse was vnto the diuine Iustice, saiyng to this cruell, and to this merciles capitain. that sith he nedes would take his life, for no cause from hym, that he then presently appealed, for iustice vnto God, assummonyng also hym, with hym that daie to appere, before the Iudiciall seate, or throne of the moste highest, to yelde to hym accompt, of that his greate iniustice, in whiche same daie as the others, this capitain also died and past to plaide his cause, in the true courte in deede of iustice, where as well maie bee presu∣med, suche was his rewarde, as his tretcherie had deser∣ued. I could here longer dwell, in others like to these, but for a finall example, I will one, onely, more, remember you, no lesse perchaunce straunge, then very true, and certaine, whiche happened at Magonce in Almaignie, troublyng, & disorderyng the whole state of that citie, as briefly remembreth Gontier the Poete, in his descriptiō of the life, and geastes of Fredericke the Emperour, the firste of that name, as he recordeth. The bishoppe Con∣tadus in his historie also recordeth it, as also Henry the sixte, soonne to the saied Fredericke. In this fore saied

toune then, of Ments, or Magonce, in the yere of our Lorde a thousande, a hundred, fiftie, or some thyng more, there dwelte an Archebishop, who had to name Henrie, a man for his vertues, of all men eche where renoumed: this Archebishoppe then as became a good pastour, pu∣nished synne, and vice seuerely, with a speciall regard to his flocke, and charge, true seruaunte vnto GOD, and friende vnto his neighbour: by occasion whereof, some li∣bertines, and enemies of Gods honour, beganne to ma∣lice, & to enuie his estate and conditiō, so that he was ac∣cused of euill demanure before the Pope, and saied to bée lesse worthie, of suche an office, or honour, chargyng him with many open, and slaunderous infamies, whiche vn∣derstoode by the Pope, although in trouthe, he thought hym to bee bothe iuste, and vertuous, yet would he not deny audience, to those that craued it, and hauyng heard their plaint, aduertised thereof incontinently the Arch∣bishop. By meanes whereof, the better, to discharge, and pourge hym, he chose out emong his friendes, suche a one as he loued moste, for whom also he had doen, more then for any other, this was a Prieste, or Prelate, and had to name Arnoulde, highly aduaunced, to sundrie dignities, by the bishop. This Arnoulde now was riche, eloquent, and learned, and beyng entered into Rome, suborned by the deuill, determined on a sodaine, to depriue his lorde, and maister, inrichyng hym self with that honour, if it were possible: whiche thyng the better to accomplishe, with greate summes of money, he corrupted twoo impi∣ous, and twoo accursed Cardinalles, before whom (to the hearyng of this cause deputed) in place to haue spokē the truthe, as bothe faithe, and loialtie willed, he vttered a∣gainste hym, what so he fasly could imagine, saiyng, that he more stode bounde to god, & to the truthe, then in any wise he was, or could be vnto man, and therefore muste nedes confesse, that the bishop in deede was suche, as he to be was accused: by meanes whereof, the Pope, as ab∣used

by this Arnoulde, sente vnto Magonce, these twoo honeste Cardinalles, there to depriue, and remoue the Archebishope, whiche beyng arriued, caused by prorses this good manne to appere before theim, whose matter was there in suche order handeled, that sentence was there in fine pronounced againste hym, depriued of that honour, and of that postorall dignitie, in whose rome this Arnoulde, was presently then substituted, whiche so had solde his maister, as Iudas did our sauiour: at which sen∣tence vttered, the Archebishop saied, God knoweth that I am vniustly here condemned, how bee it, I minde not to appeale from this your sentence, for that I surely knowe, that you soner shal be credited though liers, then I in truthe, wherefore I receiue this sentence, a punish∣mente for my synnes, appealyng neuer the lesse from you, vnto the eternall Iudge, before whom, I assomon you all three to appere, at whiche woordes, these Prela∣tes burste out into a laughter, saiyng: that when so he wente before, thei incontinently would followe hym. This chaunsed in the yere of mannes redemption, a thousande, a hundred, fiftie and sixe, whiche wronge this good priest tooke verie paciently, withdrawyng hymself into a certain monasterie, where he obserued the straite rules of that order, without any coule, or habite religi∣ous. But to conclude, God neuer long permitteth suche tretcherie, and iniustice any where vnpunished, to the intente especially, that the innocencie of the iuste, might the better alwaies be knowen. One yere and a halfe af∣ter this, this Henry died very vertuously in his Abbey, mountyng straight into heauen, as maie well bee presu∣med. Newes hereof was broughte, and of his death to Rome, whereat these twoo Cardinalles, foorthwith be∣gan to ieaste, either chargyng other, to séeke and searche out the Archebishop according as thei had promised. And beholde immediatly, or within very fewe daies after∣ward, the one of them was so brused, by mishappe of his

owne seruaunte, that his bowelles, and intrailes burste out at his foundment. The other fel madde incontinent∣ly in suche extremitie, that he brake his bones, eatyng, and deuouryng his owne wretched carrion, and as con∣cernyng Arnoulde, in recompence of his disloialtie, and sedicious tumultes, whiche he moste carefully fostered eche where emong the people, he became so odious, and lothsome to the multitude, that about that tyme, thei al∣so inuironed hym, shutte vp into a monasterie, where in fine thei tooke hym, and mangled him most miserablie, castyng his carriō into the diche of the citie, where it laie full thrée daies followyng, all the people, as well womē, as menne, doyng to it, though dedde, the moste villanie that was possible,