Vindication of Ecclesiastical Volume 3, Volume 2 · Book 3 · Chapter 2 · Document 29 – Document 31
EOdem Anno, circa Feſtum Sancti Michaelis, venit in Angliam Nicholaus Thuſculanenſis Mat. Paris Hiſt. Angl. p. 236, 237.Epiſcopus, & Apoſtolicae ſedis Legatus, ut diſſenſiones inter Regnum et Sacerdotium authoritate Apoſtolica reformaret? Et licet terra Interdicta fuiſſet, ubique tamen cum proceſſione ſollemni & cantuum modulatione & indumentis feſtivis, honorifice receptus eſt. Cumque ad Weſtmonaſterium perveniſſet, Willielmum Abbatem dilapidationis & incontinentiae a Monachis ſuis accuſatum illico degradavit. Venerunt autem ad eum Oxoniae Burgenſes quorum inſtinctu & praeſumptione duo Clerici (de quibus ſuperius fecimus mentionem) ſuſpenſi fuerant abſolutionem poſtulantes. Quibus indicta poenitentia inter caetera praecepit, ut ad ſingulas Civitatis Eccleſias, depoſitis indumentis, pedibuſque nudis flagella portantes in manibus euntes, a Presbyteris Parochianis abſolutionis beneficium cum Pſalmo Quinquageſimo impetrarent. Nec licuit eis niſi diebus ſingulis, ſingulas petere Eccleſias, ut tam ipſi quam aliitalia praeſumere formidarent. Legatus itaque cum ſeptem tantum equitaturis in Angliam veniens, *A very Royal Guard.quinquaginta in brevi & familia multa ſtipatus inceſſit. Conveniente tandem Archiepiſcopo Cantuarienſi, cum Epiſcopis, & Magnatibus Regni Londonii, in praeſentia Regis & Cardinalium, tractatum eſt ibidem, pec triduum inter Regnum et Sacerdotium de damnis Epiſcoporum et Ablatis, facta ex parte Regis oblatione Epiſcopis praefatis ad plenariam reſtitutionem? Centum Mille Marcarum argenti continno numerandarum? (A vaſt ſum, beſides what they formerly received.) Etſi vero poſt inquiſitionem inveſtigari poſſit, Cuſtodes Eccleſiarum, alioſve Regis Miniſtros amplius abſtuliſſe, Iuratoriam obtulit Rex et fide juſſoriam cautionem, quod pro Epiſcoporum, et ipſius Legati arbitrio, infra ſequens Paſcha ſatisfactionem plenam omnibus faceret ablatorum. Ad hoc autem Legatus conſenſit, (being moſt juſt and ſatisfactory) volens inſtanter hoc fieri, indigne ferens quod non ſtatim ſuſcepta fuit oblatio. Vnde protinus ſuſpicatum eſt, Legatum plus aequo parti Regis conſentire. Epiſcopi quoque negotium protrahentes, ablatis conditionibus obviabant. Habito conſilio, ut prius inquirerent de ablatis & damnis, & ſummam diligentius Regi inquiſitam oſtenderent, & ſic ſimul acciperent quod quaerebant. (Such was their unſatiable avarice and perverſeneſſe, thus to continue the Interdict on the whole Realm on this account.) Audiens itaque Rex dilationem ſibi dilectam, praebuit illico conſenſum. Et ſic eo die, infecto negotio receſſerunt.
The next dayes proceedings clearly demonſtrate that the true deſign of this meeting by ſecret compact between the Legate, Archbiſhop, and Biſhops, under pretext of ſatisfying their damages, and releaſing the Interdict, was only to decoy and enforce the King to a new reſignation of his Crown, in the preſence of the Archbiſhop, Biſhops and Clergy, (not preſent at the firſt reſignation, if really made) and procure a ſecond Charter of ſurrender of his Kingdoms of England and Ireland, to the Pope and his Succeſſors, and reſumtion of them from him under an annual rent, and new Oath of Homage to him, the firſt Charter being either forged, or not really ſealed or delivered, and a meer nullity. Which laſt Charter though the Archbiſhop, Biſhops and Barons totally diſliked, diſclaimed, and never aſſented to, after it was ſealed and delivered, yet they covertly promoted, and never diſſwaded him from it, to render him odious and deſpicable to all his Subjects, and foreign Princes, to effect their own deſigns upon him.
VEniente vero die craſtina, convenerunt omnes iterum ad Sanctum Paulum in Eccleſia * Mat. Paris. p. 237.Cathedrali: ubi poſt multos, et varios de Interdicti relaxatione tractatus, ante majus altare coram Clero et populo exacta eſt a Rege et innovata, illa non formoſa ſed famoſa ſubjectio; qua in manum Domini Papae Diademate cum Regno reſignato, tam Dominium Nyberniae quum Regnum ſubdidit Anglicanum. *It ſeems there was but one Charter, yet twice ſealed and delivered, as this paſſage intimates.Charta quoque Regis, de qua ſuperius diximus, quae prius cera ſignata fuerat, et Pandulpho tradita; nunc auro Bullata eſt, et Legato ad opus Domini Papae et Romanae Eccleſiae reſignata. Super ablatorum vero reſtitutione, tertio nonas Novembris apud Radingum diem ſtatuerunt. Cumque die jam praelibato, omnes ut ſuperius, conveniſſent, Rex die illa non comparuit, ſed die tertia apud Wallingford, iterum pariter convenerunt. Vbi Rex ut ſupra de omnibus ablatis, Epiſcopis et aliis univerſis ſe ſatisfacturum gratanter ſpopondit. (Yet lo the unſatiable covecouſneſs and perverſeneſs of the Biſhops.) Sed hoc illis quorum Caſtella diruta, domus ſubverſae, pomeria cum nemoribus ſucciſa fuerant, parum videbatur. Vnde Rex et Epiſcopi in hoc pariter conſenſerunt, ut in arbitrio quatuor Baronum ſe ponerent; et ſic ipſorum judicio ſatisfaceret univerſis. After this, Convenerunt iterum Rex cum Legato, Archiepiſcopo, cum Epiſcopis, Magnatibus, ac omnibus viris Religioſis, ad Interdicti negotium contingentibus, apud Radingum, octavo Idus Decembris: Ʋbi ſinguli Chartam porrexerunt in publicum, omnium ablatornm pariter & damnorum ſummam continentem. Sed Legato Regifavorem praebente, ſolutio omnium dilationem accepit, excepto quod Archiepiſcopus & Epiſcopi, dudum ab Anglia proſcripti, ibidem quindecim Millia Marcarum Argenti perceperunt.
By which relation we may diſcover, 1. The inſatiable avarice, obſtinacy, perverſneſſe of the Biſhops, to any cordiall, dutifull agreement with the King; and the great trouble, vexation, delayes, and frequent meetings they put the King and Nobles to, about their pretended damages. 2ly. Their tranſcendent impiety, in robbing God and the whole Kingdome of his Divine publick ſervice, by deferring the releaſe of the Interdict from time to time, till all their unreaſonable demands were ſatisfied. 3ly. Their execrable Treaſon and diſloyalty, in enforcing the King once or twice actually to reſign his Crown to the Pope, and ſwear Homage to him, to procure a future diſcharge of the Interdict, and yet maliciouſly keeping it on foot till, or after full ſatisfaction made by the King of all their exceſſive damages, and unreaſonable demands.
Before I proceed further in this Chronological Hiſtory, I ſhall preſent you with a true Tranſcript of the ſecond Charter of Reſignation, made by King John at Pauls, out of the Charter Roll in the Tower of London; and of the Homage he then ſwore to the Pope, being almoſt the ſame in ſyllables with the firſt, (if any ſuch) but different in ſome material words, clauſes, here noted in the Margin, which ſecond Charter is not printed in any of our Hiſtorians.
JOHANNES Dei gratia &c. Omnibus Chriſti fidelibus praeſentem Carta 15 Johannis Regis, num: 31: intusChartam inſpecturis, ſalutem. Vniverſitati veſtrae per hanc Chartam *Sigillo noſtroAurea Bulla noſtra munitam volumus eſſe notum, quia cum Deum et Matrem noſtram, Sanctam Eccleſiam offenderimus in multis, et proinde divina miſericordia plurimum indigere noſcamur, nec quidem quod digne offerre poſſimus pro ſatisfactione Deo et Eccleſiae debita facienda, niſi noſipſos *Humiliemus.humiliare pro eo qui ſe pro nobis humiliavit uſque ad mortem, gratia Spiritus Sancti inſpirante, non vi *Interdicti.inducti, nec timore coacti, ſet noſtra bona ſpontaneaque voluntate, ac commnni conſilio Baronum noſtrorum *Conferimus.offerimus, et libere concedimus Deo et Sanctis Apoſtolis ejus, Petro et Paulo, et Sanctae Romanae Eccleſiae matri noſtrae, ac Domino noſtro Papae Innocentio tertio, ejuſque Catholicis ſucceſſoribus, totum Regnum Angliae, et totum Regnum Hiberniae, cum omni jure et pertinentiis ſuis, pro remiſſione peccatorum noſtrorum, et totius generis noſtri, tam pro vivis quam pro defunctis, et a modo illa *ab eo.a Deo, et ab Eccleſia Romana tanquam *Secundarius▪Feodum recipientes et tenentes, *not in the firſt▪in praeſentia Venerabilis Patris noſtri Domini Nicholai Tuſculanenſis Epiſcopi Apostolicae ſedis Legati, & Pandulphi Domini Papae Subdiaconi, et Familiaris; *not in the firſtFidelitatem, Exinde praedicto Domino noſtro Papae Innocentio ejuſque Catholicis ſucceſſoribus, et Eccleſiae Romanae ſecundum ſubſcriptam formam fecimus et juravimus, et homagium ei ligeum *not in the firſtpro praedictis regnis Deo, & Sanctis Apoſtolis Petro & Paulo, & Eccleſiae Romanae & eidem Domino nostro Papae Innocentio tertio, per manum praedicti Legati loco & vice ipſius Domini Papae recipientis, publice fecimus. Succeſſores & Haeredes nostros de Uxore noſtra, in perpetuum obligantes, ut ſimili modo, Summo Pontifici qui pro tempore fuerit, et Eccleſiae Romanae ſine contradictione debeant fidelitatem praeſtare, et homagium recognoſcere. Ad indicium autem hujus noſtrae perpetuae *Obligationis.oblationis et conceſſionis, volumus et ſtabilimus, ut de propriis et ſpecialibus Redditibus noſtris praedictorum Regnorum pro omni ſervitio et conſuetudine quod pro ipſis facere debemus, (ſalvo per omnia denario Beati Petri) Eccleſia Romana Mille Marcas Sterlingorum percipiat annuatim, ſcilicet in feſto Sancti Michaelis, Quingentas Marcas, et Paſch. Quingentas Marcas, ſeptingentas ſcilicet pro Regno Angliae, et trecentas pro Regno Hyberniae, Salvis Nobis et Haeredibus noſtris Juſtitiis, Libertatibus et Regalibus noſtris. Quae omnia ſicut ſupradicta ſunt, rata volentes eſſe *not in the firſtperpetua ac firma: Obligamus nos et ſucceſſores noſtros contra non venire; et ſi nos vel aliquis ſucceſſorum noſtrorum hoc attentare praeſumpſerit, quicunque fuerit ille, niſi rite Commonitus reſipuerit, cadat a jure Regni: Et haec Charta *Obligationis.oblationis et conceſſionis noſtrae, ſemper permaneat.