Penny Dreadfuls, 1602 · page 325 of 400
Penny Dreadful Cover — page 325: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Page 303, Chapter 73, from "Albions England" This is a **page of running verse prose** — specifically Protestant polemical poetry attacking the Roman Catholic Church and papal authority. The visible text is a sustained historical attack on Rome's religious corruption. It describes how non-Constantine bishops left Rome to live in woods; how subsequent Popes wielded golden ritual and schismatic heresy; how they accumulated dispensations, jubilees, and pardons of no worth; and how they gradually made emperors and kings submit to Church authority, kissing the Pope's feet. The passage then catalogs papal wickedness—poisoned, exiled, and strangled Popes—before pivoting to argue that God punished Rome's pride through barbarian invasions: the Goths, Danes, Vandals, and Huns repeatedly sacked Rome. The text concludes that Rome has never recovered since (suggesting this is from William Warner's *Albions England*, a lengthy historical poem).
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
2) wy } Je f; | NCe = Te wo) Yy Pa ¥ ? ‘ } Kak : “i eed ait a er “ in| é ‘ 7 teal ke ‘ re ’ . , Oars 4 A THs # <4 : re oe £ - ePAETA, Y / \ ae i 4 , ‘=, rt a , p 4, i Non as Conpiantine left Rome,to oBithop to Sylaeler ; ; A‘ cal’d of Jiuing in, the Woods, whence earft hedurft not =) } For confecrating after-Popes they golden Rites prefer, And, hanfling Romewith Herefies,in factious Schifmesdiderre. ie Scarfe was itto come vnto the Third,when Popes, that liu’d before, (But fewe efcaping Martyrdome)in Deferts,meeke and poore, Did wrangle for Saint Peters keyes,and Primacie of all : The chriftia Church: which to their Sea,though long, atlength did fal. | Hence Difpenfations,[ubilees,Pardons,and fuch rack’t a Weare had at Row? : nothing, naught worth, theare had, not payd for Yeat not, till long, the Emperours they dared to prouoke, - Sa 5 That now in choyce of Emperours did labor greateft ftroke : ia Anfl Seculers from church-Affayres in all did fequefter, 4: : “But wrought that Seculers fhouldallvntothe Churchrefers EffeGing fo,that Emperours and Kings did kiffe their fete, . Depofing,and difpofing them and theirs,as they thought meete, When now the blind feduced World was brought vnto their bent, And more their bufie heads could not,ambitioufly inuent. Was Pope,& Pope,& fomtimes Three: Popes poyfond,Popes exild, Popes ftrangeld,cozen’d Popes,a Pope deliuered ofaChilde: ™ Was neuer heard fuch Tyrants, or of other Potentates J oe So many did mifcarrie through Ambition,and Debates. _ a _ ~ Batbe obferu’d,in higheft pitch of PrideinClergie-men, = 5 _ God ftill hath wrought, Religion,Realmes,and all haueruin'd then, 4 _. So, in her Roofe,it far'd with Rome : he whifel'd,and didfwarme _ Fromoutthe North Barbarians that gainft Italie did arme. ee At fundrie times the Gorh,the Dane,the Vandale,and the Hunne, “i me -. With others, foure times facked Rome,and oftthe Land ore-runne:. Nor onely fo but raigned there, in {pight of who faid nay: : - Whence Gi/-adpine is ; Lumbar die vnto this prefentday: | | And Rome (which fince out Brenawsnone durft enterprife)was made i ‘. ComiGbooks: