knowing of this her father's vnseasonable comynge, brought vp her lover out of the cave into her chamber. There her father espiyng their secrett love, and he not espied of them, was vpon the sight striken with marveilous grief, but either for that the sodein despite had amased him and taken from him all vse of speche, or for that he reserved himself to more convenient revenge, he then spake nothing, but noted their retorne into the vawte and departed secretly. After great bewailing his vnhapp, and charging his doughter with all, he comaunded the Erle to be attached, emprisoned, strangled, debowelled, and his harte in a cuppe of golde to be presented to Gismonde: She filled vp the cupp, wherein the harte was brought, with her teares, and with certen poisonous water by her distilled for that pupos, and dranke vp this deadly drinke. Which her father heering, came to late to comfort his dying doughter: who for her last request besought of him, her lover and herself within one tomb to be buried together, for perpetual! memory of their faithfull love; which request he graunted, adding to the buriall himself slaine with his owne hande, to the reproche of his owne, and terrour of others crweltie.

ART. VI. The Abbreuyacyon of all generall councellys holden in Grecia, Germania, Italia, and Gallia; compyled by John le maire de belges, most excellent Hystoryograffer to kynge Lowys the xij, of late frenche kynge dedycated to the sayd kyng lowys, Anno dni 1519. ¶Translated by Iohn gowgh the prynter herof, by the kynges gracyous priuilege, for vii yeres ensewynge, dwellynge in Lumbarstrete agaynst the stockys market. Small Octavo to sig I iiii, b. l.

At the back of the title commences

"The prologue of the translator John gowgh vnto all chrysten readers.

"Where as it is dyew and expedyent for all Chrysten people, to haue the perfyte knowledge and puryte of chrysten lyuyng, whiche oughte to be in the catholyke churche mylytant here in erthe. In the whiche churche hath ben great abuses by the mynisters and hedes therof, to whom we haue gyuen great cofydence, and specyally to theyr prophane ceremonyes, decres, tradycyons, fantasyes, and dremes, engendred and spronge vp by the vsurped hed therof, very Antecrystes bysshoppes of Rome, whiche many yeres hath ben called popes, as in this present lytell boke is euydently to be red & sene, vsurpynge the dygnyte of Emperours & kynges, takynge on them to be hedes and gouernoures ouer all kynges regyons and nacyons, resystynge all auctorytes temporall, ordayned of God and by his dyuyne Jawes. The whiche abhomynacyo's (I of a very zele and loue) and for the honoure of God, and

that

that all englysshe men may the more perfyter se what other noble prynces hath don of late dayes, haue of my symple capacyte translated this lytell worke out of Frenche into our maternall tonge and language, whiche was compyled of an noble and worthy historiograffer, named Iohn le maire xix yere paste at the request of kynge Lowys frenche kynge, the last of that name whiche maryed the moste worthy lady Mary suster to our most redouted Kyng Henry the viii, whiche had as then great warres to defende the armye and warre made by the pope Julius, whiche with great crueltye oppressed Kynge Lowes domynyons & coutres. [After stating the blood shed by "wycked antecryst Juliuslyke to his predecessours in tymes passed-to support his execrable lyfe, vsurped power, dygnyte emperyall, and regall, which nothing lesse pertayned to the church of Rome, as playnly apperyth in this lyttle boke abbreyated out of dyuers autentyke cronacles & storys"— it prays] "vs most crysten people with our hole mynd, hart, & affexion, draw, in one lyue, in one fayth and lawe, with one god whiche is only in heuen, and fyx our hartes with one accorde vnder our onely Kynge Henry the viii, whose actes sheweth hym that he hath ben, is & shalbe euen preserued of God, and sent to vs as an Angelycall Kynge to gouern the people of God from all Babylonytys, Ydolaters, Murderers, Destroyers of the Israelytys; also ye shall not fynde, yf ye ponder well in your myndes yt. God of his infynyt power hath not wrought in one kynge so hye and wonderfull actys cyuyll and dyuyne & worthy of memorye both farre and nere, byyond the sees, and on this syde the sees, as he hathe wroughte in this our moste right and worthy Kynge nowe raynginge ouer vs, passynge all kynges wrytten

A A 4

wrytten of in the olde Testamente, as Josue, Gehew, Josyas, Ezechias, kinges sent from God to gouerne greater regyons then this is; and yet to stable and con- . fyrme vs the Lord God hath sent this our most noble kynge a prynce to gouerne vs, when so euer it please hym to cal. [This over strained panegyric on the Bluebeard of his age is followed by a pious exhortation to awake the attention of the reader to the many blessings he enjoys, and to receive his statutes injunctions and ordinances concluding to] "gyue God thankes laude, and prayse, through his omnypotent power wy'll preserue the honoure, helth and prosperyte, of our moost noble kynge Henry the viii, with our prynce Edwarde and his moste prudent counceyl, may longe contynewe and endure to his hye honoure and glory, and the hole comforte of this Realme nowe and euer. Amen."

The learned printer has divided this history of the church of Rome into parts and sections, commencing with the time when the treasure was amassed from the Emperour Constantine and his successours, with an account of the various schisms in the church, the councils held at Troys, &c. &c. and continuing the narration to the period of the translator performing his task.

This work is unnoticed by Herbert, and the following copy of the letters patent has a slight variance from the one given by that Editor.

"The tenour of the kynges preuylege.

"Henry by the grace of God Kynge of Englande and of Frace defensor of the fayth, lorde of Irland, supreme hede vnder Crist ouer the catholyke church of Englande. To all maner of people exercysing the

art

art of pryntyng we gyue gretynge, and to vnderstande that we haue onely graunted and lycensed vnto Iohn gowgh cytesyne and stacyoner of London, that he onely to prynte vnder our pryuelege all maner of bokes new begon, translated, or compyled, by the said Iohn gowgh, & all suche as he doth cause to be translated and prynted by his procurement, cost, or charge, we graunt lycence & auctoryse to the sayd Iohn gowgh his assigners & factors to prynte all such storyes newe begonne lawful and not prohybyted, so that all such storyes or bokes, be perused and ouersene by our cou ceyl or by such as we shal admyt, we graunt to the sayd Iohn gowgh the makyng, pryntyng, and vtterance of al such bokes, newe set forth to his owne aduantage for ye. space of vii yeres imedyatly ensewynge the pryntynge and settynge forth of all such bokes or` processe new begonne, and not afore prynted, and thus duryng the tyme afore lymyted that in ony wise no person vsyng the scyence of printing, or not vsyng, do by any maner of crafte or delay prynte within this our Realm, or cause to be prynted els where no such bokes, but that the forsayd Iohn gowgh haue the onely auantage accordynge to the tenor of this our forsayd lycense and pleasur (to hym onely graunted) vpon payne of forfayture of all such bokes contrary imprynted to the effect of this our lycense, com aundyng therfore all subicctes, offycers, and mynysters, to ayde and fauourably assyst the sayd Iohn" gowgh in the executing of this our lycense and auctorite yf nede requyre. God saue the Kynge. Cum priuilegio regali ad solu imprimendum p septennium. Imprynted by me Iohn gowgh dwellynge in Lumbard strete, agaynst the Stockes

market