“You yourself, moreover, among other grave enormities and abominable crimes whereof you are guilty, and for which you are noted and diffamed, have, in the first place, admitted a certain married woman, named Elena Germyn, who has separated herself without just cause from her husband, and for some time past has lived in adultery with another man, to be a nun or sister in the house or Priory of Pray, lying, as you pretend, within your jurisdiction.  You have next appointed the same woman to be prioress of the said house, notwithstanding that her said husband was living at the time, and is still alive.  And finally, Father Thomas Sudbury, one of your brother monks, publicly, notoriously, and without interference or punishment from you, has associated, and still associates, with this woman as an adulterer with his harlot.

“Moreover, divers other of your brethren and fellow monks have resorted, and do resort, continually to her and other women at the same place, as to a public brothel or receiving house, and have received no correction therefore.

“Nor is Pray the only house into which you have introduced disorder.  At the nunnery of Sapwell, which you also contend to be under your jurisdiction, you change the prioresses and superiors again and again at your own will and caprice.  Here, as well as at Pray, you depose those who are good and religious; you promote to the highest dignities the worthless and the vicious.  The duties of the order are cast aside, virtue is neglected; and by these means so much cost and extravagance has been caused, that to provide means for your indulgence you have introduced certain of your brethren to preside in their houses under the name of guardians, when in fact they are no guardians, but thieves and notorious villains; and with their help you have caused and permitted the goods of the same priories to be dispensed, or to speak more truly to be dissipated, in the above-described corruptions and other enormous and accursed offences.  Those places once religious are rendered and reputed as it were profane and impious; and by your own and your creatures’ conduct are so impoverished as to be reduced to the verge of ruin.

“In like manner, also, you have dealt with certain other cells of monks, which you say are subject to you, even within the monastery of the glorious proto-martyr, Alban himself.  You have dilapidated the common property; you have made away with the jewels; the copses, the woods, the underwood, almost all the oaks and other forest trees, to the value of eight thousand marks and more, you have made to be cut down without distinction, and they have by you been sold and alienated.  The brethren of the abbey, some of whom, as is reported, are given over to all the evil things of the world, neglect the service of God altogether.  They live with harlots and mistresses publicly and continuously, within the precincts of the monastery and without.  Some of them, who are covetous of honour and promotion,