University of Virginia Library

I now go out from Superstitions Fold
And enter do into the Shambles bold
Of Cruelty. And see would fain how there
Choice Patience butcherd lies nigh ery where.
Yet here 'twould be too long to trace this Story
From Realm to Realm, I'le chiefly set before yee
How Peters Chair is crusht with Cruelty
Untill the Elbow Stayes thereof Cry Fy.
Pope Christopher, the houshold Chapling blade
Unto the former pope hands on him laid,
And laid him in cold irons in the jayle
Untill hee dies for griefe to see the taile
Of his own house thus Sting him, and in Sum
Good Peters Chaire after this Sort to bum.

Pope Sergius then takes Christopher to taske
And as the Peoples hate, being a Cask
Of Cruelty, he him a Shavling thrusts
Into a monkish Stie. Yet thence he's rusht
Into a jayle laden with irons till
His Soule doth from his body thereby drill[.]
This Sergy's judge, Scarce any whit below
In Cruell Tyranny to Nero, who
Rak'd Pope Formosus eighty years dead and gone
Out of his grave, Pontifick robes put on,
And set him on the Papall throne though dead,
And then comanded to cut off his head
And of his fingers three, and then to cast
His Carkass into Tyber at the last.
Pope John the leventh, Lando's bastard vile
Drove Alberick from Rome, who back doth quile
To Italy with an Hungarian aide
Who makes more Spoile, than th'Saracens had made.
The Saracens being bangd by Guido, he
Upon this Pope his master needs must bee.
He takes his brother Peter 'fore his eyes,
And putteth him to death in cruell wise
Then into Prison claps his Headship, Covers
His mouth ore with a Pillow, and him smothers.

Leo the Sixt, Stephen the Seventh too
A Spiced Cup, or Ratsbain, over threw.
Now John Octavian popes it, whom they Style
A monster, Limb o'th'Divell: yea most vile.
His Tyranny thus Sparkles. He did take
Benit his Spirituall Dad and's eyes out brake
Whose pain him slew, One Cardinall he took
Cut off one hand: another made a Mute
Whose tongue, nose, and two fingers he off pares.
Did make a Capon of another fair
By shaving off his manliness whereby
He could not tread. But oh! this Cruelty
The fourteenth Pope nam'd John, one Peter who
Was Rome's Lievetenant, and one Godfry too
Earle of Campania, two Consulls, and
Twelve Senators, and many Nobles stand
Up and lay hands upon and cruely
Imprison for eleven months well nigh.
Greate Otho comes for his reliefe, but while
He came, Earle Gotfry, and his Son requoile
Into Deaths Cabin. (Some do think and say,
They were took down by th'Prince of Capua)
When Otho came he those twelve Senators
Doth Crucify: The Consulls two debars
And banisheth, rakes up again the bones
Of Gotfry, and his Son. And them like Stones
Throws up and down, but this Lievetenant must
Unto the Pope be brought, who him untrust,
And ty'de him naked by the Hair all day
To Constantines own Steed, by th'Hangman, nay,
Then Set him on an Ass, with's face there found
Towards the taile, his hands thereto hard bound
He's thus Scourg'd through the City quite, thus Spoild
He into Germany at last's exild.
Pope Benit Quint a Wealthy man of Rome
Did Captivate, and bring unto his tombe
Some say by famine, others rather sound
It by an halter. And was never found.

Pope Boniface the Seventh whom men call
An Horrid Monster, who exceeded all
In wickedness, di'de Crimson in the blood
Of's Predicessour who was not ore good
Put out the Eyes and in his cruelty
Of John a Cardinall: whose cruelties
Return upon him, down he suddenly
Fell by Death's axe. His Carkass out they high
Into the open Street as Carion,'s Spew'd
And Stobd by Spears, and Swords by all men rude.

The fifteenth John is caught, and they out put
His eyes and famish in the Prison Shut.

The Sixteenth John by hunger too doth die
As he a jayle bird did in prison lie
John Placentine Crescentiu's pope his foes
Put out his Eyes, Cut off his Ears, and nose
Strip of his Dignities, and headlong cast
Him from the Capitall down down at last.
Crescence they on a base Steed in disgrace
With face towards its taile in Scorn do place.
And carry round the City, then they pare
By little off, and little (oh hard fare)
His members: and before the Citie Wall
Do hang him up in Gibbets seen of all.
And thus we se what mercys now reside
In Pope's rich Miters as they're Petrifide
For though the Finger of bright Justice's here
Yet Patience groans under such Cruell geer.
But take an instance now or two I pray
Of other Sort that here I shall display
Mistave the Vandall King with aide did goe
With Bernard Duke of Saxony into
Calabria, and pleasd him there so much
That he his daughter promisd him though Such.
Where at the Marquess brave of Branden burgh
Replied so as did the Promise Curb
A maid so noble ought not to be gi'n
Unto a Dog, a Pagan. Oh! this thing
Breaking the neck thereof. Mistave out brake
Upon the Christians: Cruell work did make
At Aldenburgh he Sixty priests did slay
Whose Skin he in Such Sort did Cut and flay
Like to the Cross of Christ upon: their head
Thrusting the knife full deep: and thus them led
About, and loaded them with Scorns and Stripes
Untill they breath their last by Such hard gripes.
And cut the throats of many Canons too
After Such Sort as butchers fatware doe
At Hamburgh too Such Cruell Cruelty
He also usd. And in Such sort did fly
On them at Brandenburgh and Havelbergh.
His Cruelty in horrid acts out flurd.

Mary of Arrogon the Emperess
Of Otho, third, a Cask of Lust did dress
A Sparkling blade in Womenly array
To Serve her filthy lust even day by day.
At length the bird is Cought and burnt alive
Yet Otho Spares his Yolly to Survive.
She goes to Kick again, allures also
An Earle to tup her, Which he will not do.
Its grand abuse unto the Emperour.
To whom shee goes (Oh! cursed flatterer)
And doth Complain, as if this Earle so just,
Would violently force her to his Lust.
The Emperour hereat enrag'd, commands
And off his head doth fly. No man withstands.
The mournfull Countess to the Court doth goe,
When Otho was himselfe therein. Would know
What punishment he did deserve to 'bide
Who hangs an Innocent, his Case not tride?
He ought, saith Otho, to be hangd indeed.
To whom the Countess: answer did proceed
Thou art this judge thyselfe, Oh! Cesar bright!
Who didst my righteous husbands head off Smite,
Not trying of his Case. Which thing most true
She would, she said, by fire Ordeall Shew.
Otho amaizd, the matter out did search
And finds his Mollie's pranks. She now hath burch.
He Charges that she should be burnd in fire
And openly. Her lust shall Swell no higher.

Although here's brightsom Justice Streaming in
These Instances, yet Cruelty, the thing
Did hatch and bruddle up, in such a way
That Patience doth most glorioulsy display
By these and other such as these, that rise,
Se Patience spread her glorious Exercise
Through out this Century, and at this stile
We Shaking hands, do leave her for a while.