Vindication of Ecclesiastical Volume 3, Volume 2 · Book 3 · Chapter 2 · Document 1 – Document 3
HAving preſented you with King Johns moſt heroick, vigilant, ſtrenuous defence of his ſupream Eccleſiaſtical Juriſdiction over all perſons, cauſes, within his Realms and Dominions, for 14. years ſpace; I ſhall in the next place inform you, by what arts, menaces, fears, terrours he was at laſt (by the intoxications of the Pope, and his Legate Pandulphus, when he had raiſed ſuch a puiſſant Army as might have ſecured him againſt all Foreign Invaders, (aMat. Paris, p. 2.) a ſmall part of his Navy burning and ſinking all the French Kings Fleet in Flanders, ſoon after the ſurrender of his Crown) ſuddenly emaſculated, and totally metamorphoſed into a quite contrary perſon, reſolution, and induced not only to part with moſt of the antient Eccleſiaſtical Prerogatives united to his Crown, but with his very Crown, Kingdoms themſelves, which he reſigned to the Pope, becoming his ſworn Vaſſal, Tenant for his own Kingdoms, under an annual rent, which rendred him a ſcorn, deriſion to his Biſhops, Barons, Subjects, and all other Chriſtian Kings; with the Arguments and Policies by which the Pope and his Legates effected theſe their unjuſt deſigns.
You heard in the precedent Chapter what a puiſſant Army and Navy King John had provided to reſiſt the Invaſions of the French King and all his Confederates, who conſpired to deprive him of his Crown, Kingdoms; and what ſecret Agreements, Articles, Inſtructions the Pope had given to Pandulphus to communicate to K. John, whereby he might purchaſe his peace at Rome, if condeſcended to by him, without any heſitation. I ſhall now proceed to inform you out of Matthew Paris, how Pandulphus proceeded to accompliſh the Popes deſigns, and decoy King John to ſubmit to his moſt unworthy Propoſals.
DUm autem Rex Anglorum cum innumera Armatorum copia circa maritima, Regis Mat. Paris Hiſt. Angl. p. 225. Mat. Weſtm. p. 92, 93.Francorum preſtolaretur adventum, applicuerunt duo fratres de Militia templi apud Doveram, & venientes amicabiliter ad Regem dixerunt ei, Miſſi ſumus ad te, O Rex potentiſſime, ex parte Pandulphi ſubdiaconi ac Domini Papae familiaris, qui pro utilitate vestra, & Regni veſtri, vobiſcum petit habere colloquium: proponet enim quandam tibi pacis formam, qua poteris Deo & Eccleſiae reconciliari: licet in Curia Romana … jure Regni Angliae abjudicatus fueris, & ſententialiter condemnatus. Rex vero cum Templariorum verba intellexiſſet, miſit Templarios memoratos propter Pandulphum quantocius transfretare. Venit ergo Pandulphus, (ut dictum eſt) invitatus ad Regem, & apud Doveram, cum ipſo loquutus eſt, dicens: Ecce Rex Francorum potentiſſimus in Oſtio Sequanae fluminis cum innumera navium multitudine & maximo, militum, equitum, peditumque ſtipatus agmine ad hoc expectat, ut majoribus adhuc vallatus catervis, ſuper vos & Regnum veſtrum hoſtiliter veniat, & quaſi Domino & ſummo Pontifici rebellem, a Regno te violenter depellat, atque authoritate ſedis Apoſtolicae Regnum Angliae perpetuo jure poſſideat. Veniunt & cum illo omnes Epiſcopi dudum ab Anglia proſcripti, cum Clericis & Laicis exultantibus: ut ipſo duce ſedes Epiſcopales, cum rebus aliis, te invito recipiant, & obſequium vobis olim & anteceſſoribus veſtris exhibitum, ipſi de caetero reverenter impendant. Jactat ſe praeterea idem Rex Chartas habere omnium fere Angliae Magnatum de fidelitate & ſubjectione, unde plenam concepit ſecuritatem ad finem optimum rem perducere inchoatam. Conſule ergo ſaltem nunc quaſi in extremis agenti, utilitati tuae, ut ad poenitentiam redeas, & Dominum quem contra te ad vindictam provocasti graviſſimam, placere ne differas, ſi enim ſufficientem volueris praestare cautionem, judicio Eccleſiae parendi, & humiliari pro ipſo, qui ſe pro te humiliavit, poteris ex Clementia ſedis Apoſtolicae Regnum recuperare, a quo pro contumacia Romae abjudicatus fuiſti. Nunc autem ne ſupergaud… ant de …e inimici tui, revertere ad cor tuum, cavens ne te in talem difficultatem inducas, de qua te volens expedire non valeas.
Rex denique Johannes his auditis ac medullitus intellectis, confuſus est valde, & mente nimis perturbatus, videns undique ſibi periculum imminere. Erant enim quatuor cauſae principales quae ipſum ad poenitentiam ſimul ad ſatisfactionem compulerunt. Prima▪ Quod jam per quinquenium excommunicatus permanſerat. Deumque & Sanctam Eccleſiam in tantum offenderat, quod de ſalute animae penitus deſperabat. Secunda, Quod Regis Francorum adventum metuebat, qui circa maris littora cum innumera Armatorum copia expectans, inſidias ſuae dejectionis parabat. Tertia, Quod ſi forte cum hostibus ſupervenientibus belli certamen iniret, Verebatur ne a Magnatibus Angliae, & propria gente, ſolus in Campis relinqueretur, aut inimicis ad perdendum traderetur. Quartam, Vero cauſam aliis plus omnibus timebat: Instabat enim dies Dominicae Aſcentionis, in qua juxta Prophetiam, P. Heremitae, de quo ſuperius relatum eſt, cum ipſa vita Regnum, tam temporale quam aeternum amittere verebatur. His autem & conſimilibus cauſis in deſſerationem dilapſus, perſuaſionibus Pandulphi & quievit, & ſubſcriptam pacis formam non ſine dolore conceſſit. Iuravit ergo Rex, tactis Sacroſanctis Evangeliis in praeſentia Pandulphi, ſe judicio Eccleſiae pariturum, & ſexdecim cum eo Comites & Barones ex potentioribus Regni in animam ipſius Regis, Quod ſi forte facti poeniteret eum pro poſſibilitate ad ſatiſfactionem compellerent.
Hereupon this perplexed King, intoxicated by Pandulphus, entertained the moſt diſhonourable terms of Peace that ever were formerly propoſed to him.
COnvenerunt apud Doveram, decima tertia die Maii, videlicet die Lunae proximaMat. Paris Hiſt. Angl. p. 2. 5, …26. Mat▪ Weſtm. p. 9… ▪ 93. ante Aſcenſionem Domini, Rex & Pandulphus, cum Comitibus, Baronibus, & turba multa nimis, ubi in ſubſcriptam pacis formam unanimiter conſenſerunt.