Vindication of Ecclesiastical Volume 3, Volume 2 · Book 3 · Chapter 1 · Document 28 – Document 29
REX, &c. Omnibus, &c. Noverit univerſitas veſtra, quod cum Dominus Phil. Pat. 6. Johan. Regis m. 3.Dunolmenſis Epiſcopus, Decanus & Capitulum Sanctae Mariae Eborac▪ de Seleby, de Witeby, de Fontibus, de Riveal, de Rupe, de Ruchford, Abbates de Bridlinton, de Wirkſope, de Blithe, de Novo Burgo, de Kirkham, de Marton, de Beolton, de Sancto Oſwaldo, Priores, coram nobis apud Eboracum, eſſent conſtituti, in praeſentia noſtra propoſuerunt, quod in omnibus erant parati Domino Archiepiſcopo Eborac. Canonicam obedien…m exhibere, ſalva reverentia quam debent *The Biſhop of Durham being formerly Exempted by Pope Clements Bull from obedience to him, to whom Pope Celeſtine with a Non obstante, by another Bull commanded him to ſubmit. Chron. Johannis Brompton, Col. 1224.Romanae Eccleſiae, & ſalvis privilegiis ſuis & libertatibus Eccleſiarum ſuarum. Ne autem praedictus Archiepiſcopus motu propriae voluntatis in terram noſtram ſive homines noſtros, ſive in ipſos vel homines ſuos, vel poſſeſſiones eorum aliquam ſententiam excommunicationis, ſuſpenſionis, vel interdicti poneret, coram nobis ad ſedem Apoſtolicam appellarunt, terminum in Octabis Sancti Andreae, appellationi proſequendae praefigentes. Et quia appellatio illa coram nobis interpoſita, eidem per literas noſtras teſtimonium perhibemus. Acta ſunt iſta apud Eborum, ſexto die Marcii. Anno, &c. Sexto.
To conclude the ſtory of this turbulent Archbiſhop of York, about two years after (Anno Dom. 1207.) *Mat. Weſtm. An. 1207. Mat. Paris An. 1207. p. 212. Thomas Stubs Actus Pontif. Ebor. col. 1724. Holinſhed, p. 163, 170. Godwins Catalogue of Biſhops, p. 587, 588.King John and his Nobles meeting at Wincheſter, placing his hope and ſtrength in his Treaſures, required and received through all England, the 13. part of all movables and other things, as well of the Laity as of all other Eccleſiaſtical perſons and Prelates; all of them murmuring at it, imprecating and *They had forgotten Rom. 13. 6, 7, 8.wiſhing an ill event to ſuch rapine, but not daring to contradict it. Only Geoffry Archbiſhop of York, not conſenting, but openly contradicting it, privily departed from England, and in his receſſe, Anathematis ſententia innodavit, actually excommunicated all men specially within his Archbiſhoprick, making this rapine and levying this Tax, and in general all Invaders of the Church or Eccleſiaſtical things, for non-payment of this Tax. Wherewith the King was ſo highly offended, that he ſeized his temporalties, and baniſhed him the Realm till his death, about 7. years after; poſtquam per ſ…ptennium pro libertate Eccleſiae & executione juſtitiae exilium paſſus eſt, write *Hiſt. Angl. An. 1213. p. 224. Mat. Weſtm. p. 92.Matthew Paris, and Matthew Weſtminſter. Such was this Archbiſhops oppoſition to the Kings Prerogative and legal aydes eſteemed by the diſloyal Monks and Clergy of that age.
I am now arrived in my Chronological Method at the original occaſion of the higheſt, longeſt-laſting, and moſt tragical conteſts between King John, and his traiterous perjured Monks, Biſhops, Clergy, and the Pope confederating with them, and their moſt notorious Uſurpations upon the undoubted Prerogatives of the Crown; King, Kingdoms of England and Ireland, ever acted on our Engliſh Theater in any age: the ſumme whereof is this.
Upon the death of Hubert Archbiſhop of Canterbury, Anno Dom: 1205. (the 6.Anno Domini 1205. of King Johns reign) there fell out an unhappy difference about the Election of a new Archbiſhop without the Kings licenſe, againſt his Prerogative Royal, and afterwards upon a double election, which Pope Innocent the 3d. taking advantage of, vacated both, & forced the Monks at Rome againſt their wills, oaths, to elect Stephen Langton a Cardinal (his creature) whom he recommended to them, and conſecrated Archbiſhop againſt the Kings conſent; who refuſing to admit him Archbiſhop, thereupon the Pope interdicted the whole Kingdom ſeveral years, next excommunicated, after that depoſed the King from his Crown, which he gave to the King of France, abſolved all his Subjects from their allegiance, and at laſt by force, menaces, and ſubtil perſwaſions, induced the King to reſign his Crown, kingdoms to the Pope, and reſume them from him as his feudatory. The Monks, Biſhops, Popes Antimonarchical gradual Proceedings herein, with this Kings ſtrenuous Oppoſitions againſt them for 8. whole years ſpace, are briefly recorded by aHenry de Knyghton, de eventibus Angliae, l. 2. col. 2414, to 2424 Antiqu. Eccleſ. Brit. and Godwin in the Life of Stephen Langhton, Mr. Fox Acts and Monuments, Edit. 1640. vol. 1. p. 3…0, to 333. the fulleſt of all others. Fabian, Holinſhed, Caxton, Cr…fton, Daniel, Speed, Stow, Baker, and others in the life of King John.many of our Hiſtorians, but moſt fully by Matthew Paris, and Matthew Weſtminſter, from whom they extract their Narratives; whoſe relations thereof I ſhall preſent you with at large in their own ſtile, enlarged with additional Records not extant in them or other Hiſtorians, becauſe the ground of all ſubſequent over-bold Papal and Prelatical Uſurpations on the Crown, Kings, Kingdom, Church of England and Ireland.
bMat. Paris, Anno 1205. p. 204, 205. Mat. Weſtm. p. 82.DEfuncto ita que Archiepiſcopo Huberto tertio Idus Maii, antequam corpus ejus ſepulturae traderetur, adoleſcentes quidam de conventu Cantuarienſis Eccleſiae, (timentes ne Rex more ſuo electionem ſuam impediret, adds Matthew Weſtminster) Rege non inquiſito, ſo one; or as another of them expreſſeth it, Regis conſenſu *No… is omitted in the printed Copies of Mat. Paris.non requiſito, Reginaldum Subpriorem ſuum in Archiepiſcopum eligerunt, & media de nocte poſt factam electionem, Hymno, Te Deum Laudamus cantato, prius ſuper majus altare, ac deinde in Archiepiſcopali Cathedra poſuerunt; Verebantur enim, quod ſi electio ſine Regis conſenſu ad ipſius aures perveniſſet, ipſe proceſſum negotii impedire laboraret: (as he had cauſe) Unde nocte eadem idem Subprior, praeſtita cautione juratoria, quod ſine licentia & literis ſpecialibus Conventus ſe electum non gereret, vel literas Conventus de rato quas habebat, alicui promulgaret, aſſumptis ſecum de Conventu quibuſdam Monachis, Curiam Romanam adivit. Hoc autem totum factum eſt, ut electio illa Regem lateret, donec probarent ſi rem inchoatam in Curia Romana poſſent perducere ad effectum. Sed electus praefatus, ſtatim ut in Flandriam applicuiſſet, ſpreto quod fecerat juramento, ſe Ca…t…arienſem eſſe electum, clara voce confitetur; & ad hoc Romanam ſe adire Curiam, ut factam electionem confirmaret. Literas inſuper Conventus, quas de rato habebat, quibuſlibet oſtendit; credens in hoc cauſae ſuae meritum non mediocriter promoveri. Tandem vero Romam perveniens, Electionem ſuam Domino Papae, & ejus Cardinalibus illico publicavit, literaſque ſuas de rato palam omnibus oſtendens, conſtanter a Domino Papa exegit, ut electionem factam, benignitate Apoſtolica confirmaret. Papa vero cum feſtinatione reſpondens; dixit ſe velle deliberare donec majorem haberet certitudinem de premiſſis, being glad of ſuch an opportunity to wreſt the diſpoſition of this fat Archbiſhoprick out of the Monks and Kings hands too, to ſubject both the Church and Crown of England to his uſurping power, which King John ſo ſtrenuouſly oppoſed. To carry on this buſineſſe, with as much art and diſguiſe as was poſſible; Per idem tempus ad Monachos Eccleſiae Cantuarienſis contuendos, Papa Innocentius ejuſdem Eccleſiae ſuffraganeis ſcripſit ſub hac forma.