Of his mynde and vayngloryouse dispicious of Rome

NOw had he ben.vij. yere conuersaunt in these studies whan full of pryde & desyrous of glory and mannes prayse (for yet was he not kendled in ye loue of god) he went to rome and there (couetynge to make a shew of his cōnynge: & lytel consideringe how grete enuye he sholde reyse agaynst hym selfe).ix.C. questions he purposed / of dyuerse & sondry maters. as well in logike and philosophye as dyuynyte / with grete study piked and sought out as well of the laten auctours as the grekes. And partly set oute of the secrete misteryes of the hebrewes / caldeyes / & arabics. And many thȳges drawen out of y• olde obscure philosophye of Pythagoras / trimegistus / and orpheꝰ / & many other thynges straunge: and to all folke (except ryght fewe specyall excellente men) before that daye: not vnknowen onely: but also vnherde / of all whiche questions in open places (yt they myght be to all people ye better knowen) he fastened and set vp / offeryng also hym selfe to bere the costes of all suche as wolde come hyther out of ferre countrees to dyspute / but thorughe ye enuye of his malicyous enemyes (which enuye lyke ye fyre euer draweth to ye hyghest) he coude neuer brynge aboute to haue a day to his dyspicions appoynted. For this cause he taryed at Rome an hole yere in all whiche tyme his enuyours neuer durste openly with open dispicyons atempt hym but rather with crafte and sleyght and as it were with pryuey trenches enforced to vnder myne hym for none other cause but for malice and for they were (as many men thought) corrupte with a pestylent enuye.

This enuye as men demed was specyaly raysed agaynst hym for this cause that where there were many whiche had many yeres: some for glory: some for couetyse: gyuen them selfe to lernynge: they thought that hit sholde happely deface theyr fame & minysshe thopynyon of theyr cōnynge yf so yonge a mā plenteouse of substaunce & greate doctryne: durste in the chyefe cyte of the worlde make a profe of his wyt and his lernyng aswell in thinges naturall as in diuinit[…] & in many suche thynges as men many yeres neuer attayned to. Nowe when they perceyued that they coude not agaynst his connynge ony thynge openly preuayle: they brought forth the serpentynes of false crime. And cryed out that there were.xiij. of his.ix.C questyons suspecte of herysye. Then Ioyned they to them some good symple folke that sholde of zele to y• fayth and pretence of relygion impugne those questions as newe thynges & with whiche theyr eres had not be in vre. In whiche impugnacyon though some of theym happely lacked not good mynde: yet lacked they erudycyon and lernynge: whiche questyons: notwitstondynge before that / not a fewe famous doctours of diuynyte had approued / as good and clene and subcribed theyr names vndre them. But he not berynge the losse of his fame made a defence for those xiij. questyons. A werke of greate erudicyon and elegant and stuffed with the cognytyon of many thynges worthy to be lerned. whiche werke he cōpyled in xx. nyghtes. In whiche hit euedently appereth: not onely that those conclusyons were good and stondyng with the fayth: but also yt they: whiche had barked at theym: were of foly and rudenesse to be reproued / whiche defence and all other thynges that he sholde wrytethe cōmytted lyke a good chrysten mā to ye most holy iudgement of our mother holy chy[…]che / which[…] defence receyued: & ye.xiij. questions duly by delybera […]yō examyned: our holy father ye pope approued Picꝰ and tenderly fauoured hym / as by a bull of our holy father pope Alexandre the.vj. hit playnly appereth: but the boke in whiche the hole.ix.C. questions with theyr conclusions were conteyned (for as moche as there were in them many thynges straunge and not fully declared and were more mete for secrete communycacyon of lerned men then for open herynge of commune people whiche for lacke of connyge myght take hurte therby) Picꝰ desyred hym selfe y• hit sholde not be redde. And soo was the redynge therof forboden. Lo this ende had Picus of his hye mynde and proud purpose / that where he thought to haue goten perpetual prayse: there had he moche werke to kepe hymselfe vpryght: that he ranne not in perpetual infamye and sclaundre.