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The Emperor comming out of his Pallace, there went before him, the Metropolitan, Archbishops, Bishops, and chiefest Monkes, and Clergie men, with very rich Copes, and Priestes garments vpon them, carying pictures of our Ladie &c. with the Emperours Angell, banners, censers, and many other such ceremonious things, singing all the way.
Thirdly, the exemption of these, and of all other Priests, and of all Monkes, and Fryers, from the Power of the Civill Laws.
In that chirche were wont to ben blake monkes, that hadden hire abbot.
Fro that abbeye men gon up the mountayne of Moyses, be many degrees: and there men fynden first a Chirche of oure Lady, where that sche mette the monkes, whan thei fledden awey for the vermyn aboveseyd. And more highe upon that mountayne is the chapelle of Helye the prophete. And that place thei clepen Oreb, where of Holy Writt spekethe.
And from that mountayne men passen a gret valeye, for to gon to another mountayne, where Seynt Kateryne was buryed of the aungeles of oure Lord. And in that valey is a chirche of 40 martyres; and there singen the monkes of the abbeye often tyme. And that valey is right cold. And aftre men gon up the mountayne of Seynt Kateryne, that is more highe then the mount of Moyses.
From that cytee, men gon be watre, solacynge and disportynge hem, tille thei come to an abbey of monkes, that is faste bye, that ben gode religious men, after here feythe and lawe. In that abbeye is a gret gardyn and a fair, where ben many trees of dyverse manere of frutes: and in this gardyn, is a lytille hille, fulle of delectable trees.
How men knowen be the Ydole, zif the sike schalle dye or non. Of folk of dyverse schap and merveylously disfigured: And of the Monkes, that zeven hire releef to Babewynes, Apes and Marmesettes and to other Bestes. In that yle ben folk of dyverse kyndes; so that the fadre etethe the sone, the sone the fadre, the husbonde the wif, and the wif the husbonde.
And so upon a day I asked of the monkes, bothe on and other, how this befelle. But thei wolde not telle me no thing, in to the tyme that I seyde, that thei scholde not hyde the grace, that God did hem; but that thei scholde publissche it, to make the peple to have the more devocioun; and that thei diden synne, to hide Goddis myracle, as me seemed.
The petitioner goes on to tell how they steal wives and all their goods with them, and if any man protest they make him a heretic, "so that it maketh him wisshe that he had not done it". Also they take fortunes for masses and then don't say them. "If the Abbot of westminster shulde sing every day as many masses for his founders as he is bounde to do by his foundacion, 1000 monkes were too few."
Francis Bouadilla was chiefe Marshall: who all of them had their officers fit and requisite for the guiding and managing of such a multitude. Likewise Martin Alorcon was appointed Vicar generall of the Inquisition, being accompanied with more then a hundreth Monkes, to wit, Iesuites, Capuchines, and friers mendicant.
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