HOwe heuily I toke thy departure from the citie brother Marke, both at thy goyng awaye, and sence by letters y^u know­est well ynough. In so­muche that yt the Pope had not feared me more absent than presente, I muste nedes haue goen with thee, or els dyed, yf I had be mortall. The Pope durste not stryue with me beyng presente, be­cause he remembred to howe greate a foyle I putte Adrian the sixte, and Cle­ment the seuenth. For whan God made me Maister of Byshops and Prelates, he gaue me also suche a nature and cō ­diciō, [Page] as could fele no death, chiefely be­cause it is ordeyned by nature that men shall dye but once, whiche I haue once done already, & therfore I shall lyue al­waye to set a worke, and correct the pre­lacie for euer. But thou art happye, O marke Forius, whose chaunce it was to haue so sone witnesse of y^u heauenly dis­cipline whiche y^u learnedst through out accompanying, whā as Pope Paul be­yng in a rage, & callyng y^t either to recāt or dye, thou escapedst with a fewe. For what more certayn witnesse can any mā haue of Gods fauour toward hym, & of hys owne allowaunce, than that the by­shops priestes & phariseis (as they dyd to Christ himself) bitterly curse, trouble, vexe, & endeuour to torment & kyl hym? But to let passe this, which thou taught from aboue knowest welynough, let vs come to the pith of the matter, for which I wryte nowe. Thou remēbrest (I sup­pose) that whā we commoned of the cō ­mon [Page] weale in heauē, thou madest me to promisse y^t if I shoulde at any tyme (as I once dyd walke through the vpper coastes) chaunce, to passe through the neither, that is to say, the secretes of hel, & of spirites, I should lykewyse certifie the therof. Which thing now hath hap­pened wonderously well. For after that this dottrel (I meane Paule Farnesius) was buryed & caryed into hel, I also de­cēded thyther, & saw there many thīges, which if byshops and other men would beleue, they woulde neyther persecute Christe Iesus, and waste his church as they do, nor yet suffer thēselfes to be led away frō Christ with folish tryfles & su­persticions. But for as much as I can­not nowe be present to talke with the, & shew y^e those thynges, I will in this E­pistle as briefely as I can, describe the whole tragedie. Wherefore as thou art wont marke thou wel, & consider in thy minde the thinges which y^u shalt reade.

[Page]PAule whiche is also Saule began to dye in the fift Ide, that is the. ix day of Nouember, about the first watche of the nighte. At what tyme I was with Titus Polibius, whom thou knowest to be a man of singuler sobrie­tie among all the rest of the Citezins of Rome, and suche a one as may worthely be called a wiseman: With hym I held communicacion of the calamities of the Christen common welthe, and of the re­medies of the same. But before our talk was ended, and therfore deferred tyl an other time, it pleased Polibius to make me lodge at his house that night. But eare I was on slepe, beholde Genius that ghost, which ten yeares agone had caried me into heauen, semed to be pre­sent before me and sayde: Up Publius; arise, yf thou desire to see with what pompe, and what preparacion, Paule is receiucd of Dites the prince of dark­nes, and of the other fyendes. What, [Page] (quod I than,) is our most holye father dead? Yea (sayed he) he is dead nowe at last, yf at the least wyse he euer lyued.

But all his holynesse he left for Christe and his saintes, thinking it ynough for hym, yf but in title and name he mighte be called moste holy. I come than (quod I) my moste trusty guyde, and gladlye and willingly I do followe thee. Forth we wente tyll we came vnto the Popes palace, where we founde Paule brea­thyng a litle, for he was at the poynt of death. About hym were many diuelles, but fewe men. For they beyng sure he wold dye, were othcrwise occupied, some in riflyng his coffers, and other some in stealyng his costly apparell, with his siluer and golden vessell, some aboute one thing, and some about another, as commonly menne are wonte to bee at so good a season. Whyle these thynges were in doyng, our holy father gaue vp his ghoste. Then was there one, whiche [Page] semed to be captaine of the fiendes, and to be in authoritie aboue the reste, who comming to hym, sayd: Sathanas saue thee, thou pyller and worshippe of oure kyngdome. And than takyng hym by the hand, led hym downe into a certaine shadowed valleye: The sydes whereof were so full of mooste hyghe Cypresse trees, that the pleasaunte lyghte of the Sunne coulde no where gette in. In the heade of this valleye was a verye stynkyng lake, whiche I thinke eyther be Auernum, or some other lyke. Here Dracolicus (for that was that Cap­tayne Deuylles name) because Paule wente naked, commaunded a womans garmente of yron graye, brodered with fiery serpentes, to be broughte hym, a­bout y^t borders wherof wer Scorpiōs after the maner of a garde. Than loe, Paule semed to me to be wholy chaun­ged, into a most foule & doting old trot. Contrary to Pope John, who counter­fayting [Page] y^e mā, declared her selfe, in brin­ging forth a sonne, to be a very womā. But I wondred muche at one thynge: For in this garment I saw figured his most notable mischieues, as māstaugh­ter, poysonynges, treasons, Incest, & ab­hominable aduoutries. Than they put hi on shoes, or rather bootes, of swynes leather. And set vpon his heade a foxe furre nyghtcap, whereon they put a my­ter, mete for thre crownes: of whiche the first that wēt about his forhead & tem­ples, was an * Amphisbene. The secōd was of an Aspis, the thirde was a Ce­rast with two hornes, whiche did well set forth y^e top of the Mytre. About his necke hong a chayne made of two wre­thed Adders. At his eare in stede of his earetyres, crocked. ii. speckled frogges. To this they gaue him loaden gloues, and bracelettes of vipers, that he shuld lacke nothyng of an whores attyre and garnishmēt. Thē did thei set him vpō a [Page] great beast, which had heare growē out of mās bloud, which semed diuers, with diuers coloured spottes. In these spot­tes myght be read as they had be prin­ted with a burnyng yron, the names of al erroures and reuilinges of god and Christ, y^t haue bene at any time sēce men were borne, bothe of the Egipcians, Phariseis, Hessenes, Hebeonites, Ma­niches, Arrians, Maometans, and Pe­lagians, besides those whiche the Pa­pistes haue inuented to the reproche of God and Christ. This beast had seuen heades, and ten hye lyfted hornes, and on euery horne a croune which signifi­eth a kynges power. But Paul had ca­ried with hym a golden cup, lyke vnto these whiche the priestes lyft vp at the altare, whyle they are at worke aboute his holy seruyce. This Chalice caried he in his hande with suche gesture as the Germaynes be wont, when they bid any man to drinke. The ministers of [Page] hell led downe the hye by shoppe beyng thus decked through the lowe vallcye. But Genius my ghost guyded me ve­ry pleasauntly by the righte side of the mountaine: So that we lurking amōg the Cypres trees, did y^e easilyer beholde from an higher place, all thynges that were done, and all the whole pompe of his Triumphe. And whan we had goen a litle farther, we hearde a greate noyse of horsemen that were cummyng. And not long after through the monicion of Genius my ghoste, I knewe Peter A­loysius the bishops sonne, who hauing hearde of his fathers comminge, came forth before to meete him for honoures sake. And be beyng wrapped in a Goates skinne, tyd vpon a Goate, that was so byg, that he semed to be greater then a bul. At his brest in stede of a gol­den Bull, hong a great Priapus. And this Priapus (whiche I greatly won­dred at, had a naked Pintell hanging [Page] in the middle parte of his body. About Peter Aloysius were Catamites innu­merable, hauyng all the partes of theyr body finely clothed, saue only theyr at­ses, which beyng naked lyke Apes, they shewed forthe. The rest that were with hym, tode vpon very great she goates. And in theyr banners (whether it were to fraye byrdes or no I know not) they had images of Priapus. There Petrus Aloysius with Constance his sister, who also was his stepdame, skarce knewe his father in that blacke band of horse­men. For he had not that apparell, that face, that white horse, nor that trayne after hym, which he was wonte to haue in his lyfe time. Neither coulde he haue knowen hym at all, yf he had not mar­ked well a certayne shape of a byshops mytre (whiche they call a kyngdome) & his voice and speche. But whan he was come nerer hym, and that they had sa­luted one an other, he sayde: O father, [Page] art thou also come downe hither? whom I wold haue thought, yf soules myght lyue longer than the bodyes, (whiche now alas to my payne I fele) wouldest haue flyen vp into heauen: For manye and that a great company of men wor­shipped the as a GOD. Thou promy­sedst heauen to them that worshipped thee. Thou calledst vp soules agayne from hell. Thou forgauest them muche punishment and peynes, (accordyng to the aunciente seueritie) whiche returned to thy holy seate & deuocion, as of late dayes thou shewedst the prynces and people of Germanie (whiche fell from the to a certayne (I knowe not what) doctryne of the gospel) by thre by shops whiche were thy Legates a late [...]e. Not­withstandyng those whiche were nerest about the, (as was I with fewe other) knewe well & to well; that thou trustedst not thy selfe to those thynges whiche thou so muche boastedst of, & souldest to [Page] other, but estemedst them as tales of Robin hode. For I remēbre when thou affirmedst that there were no soules, nor any hell at all, but that thou didest defend them and saye there were suche, because they were excellente and verye mete to deceyue men: and not onelye to saue and defende riches and Empyres, but also to get and obtayne them.

¶ I thy sonne beynge instructed and seasoned with this noble doctrine, thoughte nothing vnlawfull for me to do. Hereof came my so many adultries both with mē and women, Hereof came the slaughters and robberies, frō hence came the sacrileges, and blasphemous reuilinges agaynste God, Christe, and his mother the virgin and agaynste all the heauenly sayntes, from hence came the innumerable myschiefes, and all kynd of vngracious dedes, which I fo­lowyng y^t my father, haue cōmitted: In which I beyng so drouned, that neither [Page] god nor mā could any longer suffer me at the last after the maner of other Ti­rās, without whose murder & woūdes, fewe descēd hyther, I fell into this pit, where I haue experience in verye dede that there is an hel, that there be furies, and fiendes, and that there are punysh­mentes for wycked dedes, with euerla­styng fyer: which thinges whyle I was in lyfe, beeyng noseled in thy instruc­cions, and housholde doctryne, I ne­uer thought vpon at any tyme nor yet feared, Wherefore (O father) there is nought els for vs to looke for here, but miserye, and euerlastyng desperation. At this his father sighed and helde his peace, attendyng only to see the ende of his owne matter. And beholde whyle they wente on, a greater neyghynge of horses, and roryng of Lyons was hearde, whiche were certayne Empe­rous, Kynges, Tyrannes and other prynces, but chiefly those which had ge­uen [Page] theyr power to the beast, & whiche ha­uyng drounken in the louely cuppe of the whore of Babilon, had committed fornicacion with her. These came to meete him, and bewayled his wretched­nesse. After these came forth a muche greater company, of Popes, Cardinals, Byshops, Abbotes, munkes, priestes and friers, al these rode vpon Locustes, lyke vnto horses, whiche are prepared to battaile, vpon whose heades was the shape of a certayne golden Crowne. Theyr face was lyke a mannes, theyr heare lyke womennes, but they semed to be armed with Lyons teeth, and yron Habetions: with the clappyng of theyr winges, they counterfayted Charettes goyng forwarde to battayle. They had tayles, and in theyr tayles stynges of Scorpions. And nowe to withhold the no longer, with this company we wente to the yron citie of Dites, or Pluto, and his vnpleasaunt kingdome: where there [Page] were Arches, great pillers, and notable memorials set vp. In whiche the titles, and noble mischiefes of our holy father Farnesius, were wrytten, and graued.

The firste Arche before the gate of the Citie, shewed the first beginninges of his noble mischiefes. That buyldyng was all of moste heauy leade. And there in scyled worke, I sawe Paule geuing his sister to be defiled of Alexāder Bor­gias, the chiefe byshop, to deliuer hym­selfe out of other mens det. On the o­ther syde of that Arche, thesame Paule poured in, (but gaue not poyson) to his other sister, because she folowed to opē ­ly the maners of the familie of Fregne­sia, and semed to loue other more than her brother Paule. But they cannot chose but lyue wastefullye, whiche hope for other mens goodes, while the waste theyr owne. And the frunte and vpper part of the Arche, declared playnly that with thesame cup he broughte his mo­ther [Page] to her longe slepe. This was the tytle of this Arche. To Paulus Farnesius a singuler Patron of Baudes and manquellers.

When we were come from thence into the citie, appeared the other buyldynge made of sounde brasse, in whiche oute Paule triūphed ouer a certayne wēche, an Anconitane. For whan now with his accustomed baude playing, and gyles, he had deserued a red hat, and was the Legate of Anconia: there, vnder the co­loure of a certayne merchaunte, he de­ceyued a noble Damoysell, and whan she was promised hym, maried her for his wyfe: whiche woman after that she knewe hym to be that, whiche he was in dede, and that she was not his lawefull wyfe, but his concubine, (whiche out of the decrees thou knewest very well,) It fayled but litle that she fell not madde. But yet by that mariage he gat Peter Aloysius, a worship forsothe and a sin­guler Ornamēt of the Romanes name. [Page] The mayse of this dede was this.

To Paul Farnesius Cardinall, a Knaue moste reue­rent, defrauders haue set vp this. Then wente we further, and beholde another monu­mēt, made of a myxture of leade, brasse, and tynne all together. There in caste worke, I sawe Paule nowe the chiefe Byshop, with his daughter Constans, whiche was more pleasaunt and obedi­ent to hym, than a daughter shoulde be to her father: on the backesyde of this, This Goatishe olde manne prouoked to Aduoutrie a certayne chosen Da­moysell, a niece of his, whiche was a Kyngly Matrone, no lesse excellynge in Maydenly shamefastenesse, than in good shape and beawtie. In the vpper parte of this Arche, Peter Aloy­sius, wroughte by force vnnaturallye with the Byshoppe Fanensis, whereof that good yong man dyed. And there his father Paule smylyng, dyd absolue hym. And therefore for these ientle mis­chieues, [Page] the fyendes wrote vpon the Arche.

To Paule the thirde, chiefe Bishop, and to his sonne bothe Aduoutrers, Incestuous, Buggers, defilers, A­busers, and of all Ruffians the chiefest. The com­pany of Lechers haue set vp this, for an euerlastyng memoriall. From hence we came into Plutonium the greateste fielde of all the Citie, where were two noble memo­rials, whiche semed to be made of har­deste salte, and that somewhat reade.

In the one the Perusmes were ouer­come and oppressed. In the other Ascanius Colona, a moste righteous Prince was of this olde Knaue in a great furie dryuen oute of his kynge­dome. To these was a superscrip­cion after this fourme.

To Paule Farnesius chiefe Byshop, a moste cruell Tyran, Tyrannes haue set vp this.

Not far from these on the other syde y^e fyeld, were two pillers, square & broade [Page] the stuffe wherof I coulde not knowe. For they were not of any accustomed or vsed matter. In one of thē he toke Ca­merine, after he had driuē out the prin­cesse therof, a woman endewed with sin­guler wisedome and religion. In the o­ther I mighte see by what craftes he drewe the College of Cardinalles to holde with him, as touchyng Placencia and Parma, by makyng an exchaunge with them of Cametine, that was not his, for Parma and Placencia, whiche was not theyrs: whiche afterward was the cause & that deseruedly, of his sonne Peter Aloysius death. Whom he made Lorde of those two moste noble Cities. And of these bothe, the tytle was this. To Paule the thyrde, chiefe Bisshop, the moste no­table in innumerable and most great treasons, Iudas Iscariotes, with other trayters, haue set vp this.

In the thyrde parte of the field, and in the syde, was an Arche made in shape lyke heauen, there were the seuen Pla­nettes, [Page] and the. xii. signes, so wel knowē of the Astronomers, and innumerable starres. Ther was our Paul with Dio­nise Seruita, and Gaurico, & certaine other, whiche all searched the destinie of the Byshop and of his frendes, in He­coscopes, in Aspectes, and in the houses of the starres, in whiche they were ama­sed with suche astonishment, that they semed to fall into madnes. This was the Title To Paul Fernesius, the chiefe Bisshop, an Astrosogian, a wysarde and the chiefest diuiner, the Caldeyes haue set vp this. In the courthe angle or the tield there was a buylding made of red waxe, in whiche were many mitred: of whiche, thre in purple, higher than the test, and as it were iudges, sat downe together. The place and cause were noted with these letters. S. S. T. C. The place and sitting yelded the shape of some moste holy counsell: In whiche as it appered by certaine letters whiche were there bothe red and writtē, [Page] at the instaunce of a fewe, was deuised howe the truth myght be thrust downe, and the Emperoure deceyued. There myght ye haue seen some hyssed out of counsayle, because they were so boldc but slenderly to defende the truth, and hold against theyr peruerse counsayles. Ther saw I a certayn wellearned Phi­sicion, but a better astrologien. F. C. Corrupted with money, to thentente he should testifie with his mouth & wry­tyng, that the ayer there was vnwhol­some for the fathers: that to deceyue the Emperoure, they myght transfer the counsayle to some other place, where they might either bryng more certayne, & more free suggestions, for the Popes tyrannye, or els at the least wyse delaye the counsayle. Alexander. T. no cōmon phisiciō, gaynsayed this corrupted Phi­sicion, and that learnedly, prouyng the ayre and all other thinges there, to bee very holesome, and that there was no­thing [Page] in the nature & disposicion of the place, whiche should seme to be able to fray them from kepyng theyr counsaile there. Yet notwithstandyng the gayn­saying of the Phisicion, and the vehe­ment repugnyng of the Emperour, it was brought to passe with corrupt and stynkyng suffrages, that the greatest parte of the blessed fathers wente theyr way. Neyther dyd this Arche lacke his tytle. For in it were these woordes.

To Paule the thyrde, chiefe Byshop the troubler of counsayles, and common peace, thirtie Popes haue set vp this. About the myddle of Plutoniū was a piller of sounde Adamante, at whiche I could not maruayle ynough whan I sawe the warres, and bluddye lightes agaynst the sainctes, so shyne, they seemed to be in doing, rather than shewed by Imagerye, but after a newe & vnwunted kynde of fyghtyng. For there were to be sene two fortes of bat­tayle.

[Page]Fyrst there were flockes of moste meke chepe clothed in white garmentes. Upō the shepes heades were goldē crownes, glistering with a wonderfull shyne.

These flockes hadde to theyre guyde a lambe whiche had seuen hornes, and as many iyes. On the other parte were ra­ueninge wolues, wolues truly, but not all in one sorte of apparell. For some had on theyr heades redde cappes, some two topped myters, some Cooles, and that diuerse, other some after another sorte. But one amongest them was a­boue the rest, whiche bare on his heade a triple crowne, which differed nothing at all from the myter and kyngdome of the hye Bishop. All ware one kynde of garmente, some of purple, some violet, some blacke, some graye, some white.

This was the kynde of theyr battayle. The wolues in diuers places brake in vpon the flocke, and euerye one toke a chepe, tare hym & deuoured him. The [Page] fearfull shepe dyd noughte saue some­tyme holde themselues together, and sometyme flye awaye, and lyftinge vp theyr heades into heauen, bleat misera­bly, and loke vpon the lambe. The lābe alone with a speare like a crosse, fought: and sometimes so draue away and cha­sed the wolues, that he constrayned thē to fall headlyng into a certayne bottom les pit. The other battayle was after this sorte. Not far from hence, were le­gions and crues of armed men, lyke to al these which (as I sayed before) came forth to mete Peter Aloysius, saue that those semed to haue Paule the thyrd to theyr chiefe Captayne and Emperour. Of these some catyed drawē sweardes, some kyndeled fyerbrandes, and some cuppes myngled with deadly poyson.

They whiche fought with sweardes, & common weapons, hadde to theyr Cap­tayne a certayne Cardynal the byshops Legate, a yong man, desirous of vayne [Page] glorye, vpon whose garmente, these woordes were wrytten: I wyl go and make such a slaughter, that my horse shall swym me in the blood of Lutherians. All these had in theyr standard the world betwene two kayes. Agaynst these, with greate courage of mynde and spyryte, stroue men, wyth­out any maner of harnesse or weapon, saue that a good parte of them, helde vp against theyr strokes with one hand a penne, and in the other a booke. And parte after the maner of peticioners, lyfted vp pure handes to a certayne mountayne. For these armies were scat­tered about a certayne mountayne: vpō the top wherof, I sawe a crosse fastned and lyfted vp, so high that it femed to touche heauen with the toppe, and vpon it was Christe Iesus that sonne of god crucified. And there was a tytle fastned to the head of the Crosse after this te­noure. This is the victory that ouercummeth the Worlde our fayth. This was a cruell bat­tayle, [Page] and a newe kynde of ouercom­myng. For here myght we see some to bee bounde of theyr enemyes, and shut vp in darke prisons, some to bee slayne with the swearde, some dispatched with poyson, some in the myddest of the syer syngyng the prayses of GOD and Christe, some bounde and throwen into the water, some banished and bounde to the Galeyes, some to exile. At whiche thynges theyr enemies were so astony­shed, and so disdaynfull, that they bote theyr toungues with theyr teeth, and plucked awaye the heares of theyr beardes. These thynges and manye o­ther were in that greate pyller, which I know not how for to vtter. For there I knewe manye of the Popes Knyghtes and ministers of his crueltie, some dead, and some yet alyue: whom yf I should name, y^t whole worlde would wondre at it. Notwithstanding some of thē are so wel knowē by their wicked & mischeuus [Page] dedes, that it nedeth not to name them. The other I wyll passe with silence, least it shoulde appere that I name thē rather for the hatred I beare them, that for the loue of y^e christen cōmon weale.

But I had almoste ouerskipt the wry­tyng of this piller, whiche. aboute the shrine, was this. To Paule the thyrd, the chiefe Bysshop, for his singuler hatred of Christ and chri­stians, and for that whiche he hath luckelye doen a­gaynst them, whiche prisons, galeyes, ryuers, ashes, exiles, murthers, and slaughters, in Italy, Fraunce, Spayne, Englande, and in vnconquered Germanie, do witnes: insomuche that he hath wurthely deser­ued the name of Antechrist, Emperours, Kynges, and other Princes, Prelates, Cardinals, Bysshops, and all other Fautours of the Sea of Rome, and al the annoynted that are here, haue consecrate this re­noumed, wonderfull and euerlastyng tytle on harde Adamant stone. While I was greatiye inatuayling and musynge vpon those thynges whiche I had reade, Genius counsayled me to loke vpon that parte [Page] of the fyeld whereas Pluto his palace was. And beholde I sawe innumerable ministers, of which some caried tables & tresties, some table clothes & napkins, some dishes and cuppes, and some dres­syng knyues, and by and by the tables were set and prepared throughoute the whole fielde, & theyr seates made ready: but one was higher thē al the rest, more full of worke, and better decked, whiche in stede of a base grounsell, a she wolfe and a Dragon stayed vp. Therin was set the whore, Our holynes, holdyng in bothe her handes the golden cup, which we spake of before. Into the which cup, she shead fyrst the filth of her menstrue, and after her all the deuils put in theyr engendryng seede. Than came the kin­ges of the yearth crepyng vnto her, to whome after they had kyssed her blessed feete, she retched her louesome cup. Of whiche they drunke, and whan they had doen, all the kynges medled with her, [Page] with abhominable aduoutry. But whā this act was finished, came Pluto his ministers, and whan they had caughte that whore Babilon, that is, the chiefe Byshop, (an horrible thing to be heard) they drewe her into the butcherye and there played the butchers with her, and than brought her to the table, and sette her before the kinges to be eatē. Which fed straight vpon the fleshe of the Ro­myshe whore, and in a while after pro­uoked to vomite, they spewed vp theyr Gobbettes of flcshe, smellyng of that moste filthy wine. Of whiche Gobbets (a wonderfull matter) put together, I sawe the Byshop newe made agayne.

Whan this feast was doen, and Dra­colicus had geuen them warnyng, all rose vp from the table. Than was the Whore with her louers & seruauntes, led out of the Citie, to a certayne ponde whole kyndeled with fyre of brinstone. Genius gaue a signe that we shoulde [Page] folowe, for the ende of the tragedie was nowe at hande. When they were come thither, the whore with her baudes, flat­terers, louers and companies, wer thro­wen headlong into the ponde, there to be punished for euer. This is the ende of the great Byshop Paul: This is the porcion of his cup, and of all other wic­ked folkes. Genius my ghoste allowed not that we should returne into Dites Citie, but ascendyng by a certayne na­rowe pathe, warned me that at no hand I should stand still, neyther loke backe warde. That yf I dyd, the faulte wer not in him, though he perfourmed not his promise. When I remembred what betyded Lottes wyfe because she obeyed not the ghoste, what tyme they went from the burning of Sodome in­to the next mountaynes, I obeyed: and clymyng vp with him, I loked no whi­ther, but both with iyes and steppes fo­lowed onely my forgoer. By that path [Page] we came to the way, which leadeth into the heauens. And behold there went be­fore vs one of Plutoes seruauntes leadyng the seuen headed beast whiche Paule had ryd vpon: on whose backe was set that byg and mightye cuppe in whiche all kynges had dronke, full of the filthines of the whore. Than asked I my gyde what this should be. They are gyftes. (quod he) which Pluto doth sende to the newe byshop, Paules suc­cessout: The fower foted beast is for him to ryde vpon, & the cup, to get hym (through the drynke therof.) the loue of prynces & naciōs, as other Popes haue doen. But I feare me lest y^t strength be not in the drynke, which hath been here tofore, whē mē knew none other drinke & whā through y^e Popes meanes Chri­stes cup was hid. But now whan many begin to sauout the most swete & whole some liquour of the Lord, the fewer wil come to y^t whores cup. I graunt (q I) [Page] moste faythfull gyde it is true that ye say: For not only the common people & some learned men haue tasted Christes swete drynke, but also prynces, yea (and that whiche is a greate metuayle) some Cardinals & Byshops. Thou knowest how Fregosius &. C. Cantarene, Car­dinals bothe, w^t John Baptist Uerge­rius the Byshop of Polen, were for this cause poysoned of oute moste holy father Paul. And Peter Paul his bro­ther, the Byshop of Justinopolis, was for the same cause brought in great daū get of his life. Who neuertheles Christ as it wer an other S. Paule, called and reserued for many commodities of his churche. For thou knowest in howe litle tyme he set forth many excellent godlye workes. Insomuche that this man ap­pereth in my Judgement to haue bene stiered vp of the Lord to be the teacher and lyght of our Countrey Italie. Be­sides these there be other many whome [Page] purposely I ouerskip. It is euen so as thou saiest (quod he) but perceiuest thou not that we be come to the Citie? Yes (quod I) I see it, and I am so weary of it that it lotheth me. For it is not nowe Rome, but Babylon the disworship of al christendom. Then (quod he) O Pu­blius Esquillus, doubte thou not but this Papacie of Rome, y^e very enfeccion & head of al mischief, shal shortly be ta­kē away, which goen, not onelye Rome, but al Italy besyde, shal receiue her old dignitie & holines againe and Christes churche shal florishe. And nowe sithe I haue brought thee home agayne safe, I wyl w^t thy licence departe, & be thou (O Publius) diligēte in thine office, & ear­nestly admonish princes, y^t yf they desire to bryng themselues, and the shyppes wherof they haue the gydyng, vnto the hauen of helth, and porte of saluacion, they beware of y^e deadly cup, flatteries, & song, of this whore. Whā he had said this, he departed. But I (O my best be­loued [Page] Forius) dyd for thy sake strayte­waye write this, y^t thou mightest know of me the trueth both of those thynges whiche be doen, and also that be in do­yng. The Cardinall Farnesius, as sone as his graundfather was deade, toke, & kepeth saynt Angels tower. The Col­ledge of Cardinals prepare themselues to creat a new Bishop, & there is muche styrtyng of those y^t gape for it. Princes are not in slepe, but euery one is earnest for his owne part, and I feare that thre Byshops shal be created at once, except some prince mightier than his felowes, bowe to his wyl the consentes of many. Which if it come to passe, the beast shal shortely fal. For the greater that the cō ­fusion and hurly burly of all thynges shall be, so muche the nerer and greater shall be the health and hope, to haue a redresse of the christen common welthe. But whyle they striue and fight amōg thēselues, let vs passe merely these Hal­ciō & [Page] fexiall daies, which god of his goodnes hath graūted vs. For me thinketh thou mayest nowe safely returne to the citie. For this truly I assure thee that in this most great gladnes of the whole Citie, or rather of all the world, & in the death of Pope Paul, that was most to be de­sired, I wanted only thy syght and em­bracyng to augment my ioye withall. Whiche yf I maye once get, I will ne­uer let go agayne. And excepte I shall hereafter set furthe all the fruites of thy pleasauntnes in tyme passed, whiche hi­therto I haue omitted, surely I shulde iudge my selfe muche vnworthy of this thy good wyll towardes me. Adieu.

¶ At Rome the. xi. daie of No­uembre, the yeare of our Lord. M. D. Xlix.