A Chronicle of the Kings of England from the Time of the Roman Government, Royal biography 7 · Part 7
Affaires of the Church in his time.
KING Edward upon some displeasure had imprisoned divers Clergy men; whereupon Iohn Stratford Arch-bishop of Canterbury writes him a Letter, charging him with violation of the Rights of the Church, and with the breach of Magna Charta; and after much good counsell given him, threatens, that if he amend not these disorders, he must and will exercise his Ecclesiasticall authoritie, and proceed to Excommunication of his Officers, though not of himselfe, Queen, or children. The King answers, and sends his Letter to the Bishop of London; charging the Arch-bishop to be the c…se of all this disturbance, having beene the man that first set him upon the warre with France; assuring him he should want no money, and now had beene the hinderance, that monies given him by Parliament, were not duly levied: and after many remonstrances to such purpose, concludes, that if he desisted not from his re…llions obstinacie, he would use his Temporall authority, and prooceed … as against a Rebell. But this difference betweene them was not long after, upon the Arch-bishops submission, reconciled. And indeed the great account which this King made of Clergy men, may appeare by his imploying almost none but Clergy men in all his Offices of account… Simon …gham Arch-bishop of Canterbury, was Chancellour of England; William Wickam Arch-deacon of Lincolne, keeper of the Privy Seale; David Willer Parson of Somer…, Master of the Rolles; ten Beneficed Priests, Civilians, Masters of the Chancery; William Mulse Deane of Saint Martins le Grand, chiefe Chamberlaine of the …, Receiver and keeper of the Kings Treasure and Jewels… Will…am A…y Arch-deacon of Northampton, Chancellour of the Exchequer… William Di…ht… … of Saint Mar…ins, Clerke of the Privy Seale… Richard Chesterfield P…eb…nd … Stephens … Treasurer of the Kings house; Henry Snatc… Parson of … of the Kings Wardrobe; Iohn N…w…ham Parson of Fen…y-sta…on, one of the … of the Exch…quer; Iohn …ouseby Parson of …, Surveyor and … of the Kings workes; Thomas Brittingham Parson of Asby, Treasurer … King, for the parts of Guisnes, and the Marches of Callice, Iohn Troys a Priest, … of Ireland.
… the seventeenth yeare of his Raigne, in a Parliament holden at West…inster, … is made of the great inconvenience that came by the Popes Collation of Benefices in England, conferring them upon Strangers who understood not the …; and therefore not fit to be Pastours over a Flocke they could not feed: and hereupon Sir Iohn Shordich is sent to Pope Clement the sixth, to require him to fo…eare such Collations, and to signifie his consent therein: but this Message was … welcome to the Pope, that the Messenger came backe, unheard, at least unanswered… and the King taking his silence for consent… or perhaps not much caring whether he consented or no; proceeded to a Prohibition of all such Collations within his Realme, on paine of Imprisonment, or death, to whomsoever should in time to come, present or admit any such person, who by the Pope were so preferred to the prejudice of the Kings Prerogative. These were disturbances in matter of Discipline; but towards the end of his Raigne, there fell a disturbance in matter of Doctrine, for a certaine Divine, named Iohn Wickliffe, inveighed in his … and other Acts in the Schooles, against the abuses of Churchmen, Monks, and other religious Orders; and had by his Doctrine wonne many Disciples unto him, (who after were called Lollards) professing poverty, going bare-foot, and poorely clad in Ru…et; amongst other his Doctrines, he taught that neither King …r other secular Lord, could give any thing …n perpetuity unto Church-men; and th… Temporall Lords, if they needed, might lawfully take the Goods of Religious Persons to relieve them in their necessities, by the example of William Rufus, and others. This man, the Duke of Lancaster, and Sir Henry Percy Marshall, much favour and cherish, extolling him for his learning and integrity of life; which made him so farre to presume, that daily in one Church or other, he published his Opinions; whereupon at length he is cited to answer before the Arch-bishop, the Bishop of London and others in …auls. At the day appointed, the Duke of Lancaster and the Lord Marshall goe to conduct him; when they were come to our Ladies Chappell, the Duke and Barons with the Bishops sitting downe, Iohn Wickliffe was by the Lord Marshall willed to sit downe, in regard (he said) the man had much to answer, and needed a convenient seat. The Bishop of London told him; It was against all Law and Reason, that he who was there …ited before his … should sit. Hereupon contumelious words arose betweene the Lord M…hall and the Bi…op; the Duke takes the Marshals part, and sharpely reprehended the Bishop; the Bishop returnes the like to the Duke; who in a gre… rage … he would pull downe the pride of him, and of all the Bishops of E…gland … and whispering in his eare, told him he had rather pull him out of the Church by … of the head, then to suffer such indignities; which words, the Londo…ers over-hearing, swore with a loud voyce, they would rather lose their lives the… suffer …eir Bishop to be thus injuriously used. Their fu…y was the more against the Duke, for that the day before in the Parliament (whereof he was President) it was … in the Kings name, that from thenceforth …h…re should be no more a Major of London, but a Captaine appointed for the Government of the City, and that the Lord Marshall of England should arrest Offenders within the Liberties, as in other places. The morrow after the Citizens assembling to consult of this businesse, it happened the Lord Fits-water, and Guid… Bryan, came into the City; which the People seeing, furiously ranne upon them, and were like to beate them downe for comming at that time. The Lord Fits-water protested, he came to no other end, but to offer his service to the City, being by inheritance their Standard bearer, and was to take injuries offered to them, as to himselfe; and therefore willed them to looke to their defence. Whereupon they pres…ntly take Armes, assaile the Marshals Inne, bre…ke open the Ga…es, brought fo…th a Prisoner in his Gives, and set him at liberty, but found … the Lord … with th… Duke, was that day to dine with one Iohn de …. T…n this furious multitude ranne to assaile the Sav…y; which a knight of the Duk… …ing, ha…tes to the plac… where his Lord dined, and acquain… him with this … in the C…y. The Duke upon hearing it, leapes from the Table so hastily, that he hurt bot… his shinnes on the fowrme; and with Sir Henry …ercy alone takes boate, and goes to, Kennington neare Lambe…h, where the Princesse with the young Prince lay: to whom he complaines of this Riot, and the violence offered him. In the me…ne time the multitude comming to the Savoy, a Priest inquisitive to know the businesse, was answered, they went to take the Duke, and the Lord Marshall, and compell them to deliver Sir Peter de la Mar…, unjustly kept in Prison. The Priest replyed, th…t Sir Peter was a Traytor to the King, and worthy to be h…nged. At which words they all cryed out, This is Percy, This is the Traytor of England, his speech bewrayes him, though his App…rell be disguised, and presently they r…n upon him, and wounded him to death. The Bishop of London hearing of this outrage, leaves his dinner, hastes to the Sav…y, admonisheth them of the holy time being Lent; assuring them all should be fairely ended for the good of the City with whose perswasions they were somewhat pacified; but yet they tooke the Dukes Armes, and hung …hem up reversed, in signe of Treason, in all the principall stree…s of the City. Upo… the Princesses advice, the chiefe Citizens send to the sick… King, to excuse this tumult; saying, it was not in their power to suppresse it, the Commonalty being in commotion, upon an information that their Liberties should be taken from them by Parliament. The King told them, it never was in his thought to infringe their liberties, but he rather desired to enlarge them. But this affr…nt of the Citizens would not downe with the Duke, till he had pulled downe som… of the Principall of them; for he caused the Major and Aldermen to …e displaced, and other put in their roomes: a revenge he had better beene without, for he never had the love of the City after: and to want their love is a kind of banishment. Wickliffe himselfe, censured by the Bishops to abjure his Opinions, chose rather to leave his Country then his Doctrine, and going over into Bohemia, was there much honoured while he lived, and hath beene more since he dyed; at least, a great part of his Doctrine continues in veneration amongst that people to this day.