But when he began to practise, after the manner of legats in those daies, somewhat largelie for his owne aduantage, in the churches of that simple rude countrie, the English capteins commanded him either to depart, or else to go foorth to the wars with them: whervpon he returned into Scotland, hauing his bags well stuffed with Irish gold, for the which it seemed he greatlie thirsted. ¶ Where we haue to note the drift of the pope and all popelings to be far otherwise than they pretend. For who (vnlesse he will be wilfullie ignorant) knoweth not, that he and his neuer attempt any thing, but the same beareth the hew and colour of holinesse and honestie? Hereto tend the sendings out of his legats and cardinals to make pacifications, to redresse disorders, to appease tumults, & I wot not what infinit enormities (for he must haue his ore in euerie mans bote, his spoone in euerie mans dish, and his fingers in euerie mans pursse) but the end and scope of all his doings consisteth in this; namelie, to set himselfe aboue all souereigntie, to purchase and assure to himselfe an absolute and supereminent iurisdiction, to rob Christian kingdomes, to impouerish churches, chapels, and religious places. Our chronicles are full of these his pranks, and here we haue one practised by a lim of his, who (as you sée) verie impudentlie and licentiouslie preied vpon the church-goods, and conuerted the same to his owne profit and commoditie: which he had if not trembled, yet blushed to doo, considering that the goods of the church are the treasurie of Christ (or at leastwise ought to be) and that none ought to alienate or change the propertie of such goods, as the canon law hath prouided. Besides, the wretch ought to haue remembred that which euen the verie pagans did not forget; namelie, [Sidenote: _Prop. lib._] Haud vllas portabis opes Acherontis ad vndas, Nudus ad infernas stulte vehere rates. But now to the dooings of John de Curcie, and of those Englishmen that were with him, who did not onelie defend such places as they had woone out of the Irishmens hands against those kings and their powers, but also inlarged dailie more and more their frontiers, and wan the towne of Armach (wherein is the metropolitane see of all that land) with the whole prouince thereto belonging.