Vindication of Ecclesiastical Volume 3, Volume 2 · Book 3 · Chapter 2 · Document 33 – Document 34
Circa hos dies, cum denique Barones, qui jam omnia amiſerant, quae propenſius inHiſt. Ang. Edit Londini p. 278 279. mundo diligebant, & ſpem bom melioris penitus non habebant, ut per ſe recuperarent amiſſa, tacti ſunt dolore Cordis intrinſecus, & quid agerent ignorabant, maledicentes Regis verſutiam, tergiverſationes et infidelitatem, et ducentes ſuſpiria geminando: Veh tibi Iohannes Regum ultime, Anglorum Principum Abominatio, Nobilitatis Anglicanae Confuſio. Heu Anglia jam vaſtata, et amplius vaſtanda: Heu Anglia, Anglia omnibus bonis hactenus Princeps provinciarum, facta es ſub tributo, non tantum flammae, fami, et ferro, ſed ſervorum ignobilium et advenarum imperio ſubjecta, et ſuppeditata: cum nihil infelicius quam ſervorum ſubjici ſervituti, Legimus quod multi alii Reges, immo ut Reguli, uſque ad mortem pro liberatione terrae ſuae ſubjectae dimicarunt: ſed tu Iohannes (lugubris memoriae pro futuris ſeculis) et terra tua ab antiquo libera, ancillaret excogitaſti, et operam impendiſti, et ut alios tecum traheres in ſervitutem, quaſi cauda ſerpentina medietatem ſtellarum a firmamento te ipſum primo depreſſiſti, factus de Rege liberrimo, Tributarius, firmarius, et vaſſalus ſervitutis; terrarum nobiliſſimam Chirographo ſervitutis aeternae obligaſti, nunquam a Compede ſervili liberandam niſi miſeratus ille, qui nos et totum mundum, quos ſub pecc Iugo vetuſta ſervitus tenuit, dignetur quandoque liberare. ati Et quid de te Papa? qui pater ſanctitatis, ſpeculum pietatis, tutor Juſtitiae, & custos veritatis, toti mundo deberes lucere in Exemplum, tali conſentis, talem laudas, & tueris? Sed hac cauſa Exhauſtorem pecuniae Anglicanae & Exactorem Nobilitatis Britannicae tibi inclinantem, defendis, ut in Barathrum Romanae Averitiae omnia demergantur: ſed haec cauſa & excuſatio, eſt ante Deum culpa & accuſatio; Et ſic Barones Lachrymantes, & Lamentantes Regem & Papam maledixerunt, peccantes inexpiabiliter, cum ſcriptum ſit. Principi non maledices; & veritatem & reverentiam tranſgredientes, cum illuſtrem Johannem Regem Angliae ſervum aſſerverunt, Cum Deo ſervire regnare ſit Tandem decretum est, ut aliquem potentem in Regem eligerent per quem poſſint ad poſſeſſiones priſtinas revocari, credentes quod nullus Johanne peſor vel durior poſſit dominari, & tale miſerabile ſtatuentes Argumentum,
—Fortuna miſerrima tuta, Nam timor eventus deterioris abeſt.
Cumque aliquandiu, quem oligerent haeſitaſſent, demum in hec pariter conſenſerunt, ut Lodovicum filium Philippi Regis Francorum ſibi praeficerent, & ipſum in Regem Angliae ſublimarent.
Beſides King John himſelf in his Letters to the Pope complains, that his Earls and Barons were devout and loving to him till he had ſubjected himſelf to his Dominion, but ſince that time, & ſpecialiter ab hoc, they did all riſe up againſt him. And, when he* Mat. Paris p 256. alleged to them, that the Realm of England was St. Peters patrimony, and held of the Pope, &c. they ſlighted it ſo, as to return no anſwer to it. Yea Pope Innocent himſelf in his Epiſtle to all Chriſtian people wherein he Nulls the Great charter of Liberties complains thus of the Barons; ut ordine perverſo in illum inſurgerent poſtquam Eccleſiae ſatisfecit, qui aſſiſtebat eidem quando Eccleſiam offendebant. And the French Kings Barons, H. the 3. and his Proctors in the Council of Lyons, with the Parl. of 40 E. 3. peremptorily affirm, that the Barons never aſſented to it: Therefore this clauſe inſerted into the Patent that it was made, Communi Conſilio Baronum Noſtrorum, muſt needs be a falſe ſuggeſtion and untruth, which makes it Null in Law.
duplicate page duplicate page 8ly. There is an antient Manuſcript ſtiled *Dr. Crakenth▪ of the Popes Temporal Monarchy, ch 12. d. 348, 349. Speeds Hiſtory, p. 581.Eulogium in the famous Library of Sir Robert Cotton, which records, that in the year 1214. (ſoon after this Surrender and Charter of King Iohn) there was a Parliament called at London, wherein Stephen Archbiſhop of Canterbury, and all his Clergy, cum tota laicali ſecta, with all the Lay ſect being preſent▪ Per Domini Papae praeceptum illa obligatio praefata, quam Rex Domino Pap… ſecerat, cum fidelitate et homagio relaxatur omnino, primo die Julii. i… then Pope …nnocent himſelf in full Parliament totally releaſed King Iohns Charter, Obligation, Rent, Homage and Fealty made him for theſe kingdoms, immediately after their making (upon the Archbiſhops appeal againſt it, …or as extorted from him by ſuch atheiſtical impious Interdicts, Excommunications, menaces, frauds, circumventions, Croſſadoes, and foraign forces raiſed againſt him, and fraught with nothing but untrue ſuggeſtions, not upon any real conſiderations, as the Author of this Treatiſe poſitively aſſerts) How any of his Succeſſors or Roman Advocates (eſpecially in this Age) can in juſtice or equity inſiſt thereon to intitle themſelves to the Soveraign Temporal Dominion, Juriſdiction of England and Ireland as St. Peters Patrimony, without the greateſt abſurdity and ſhameleſſe impudence, no rational creature can diſcover.
9ly. After King Iohns ſurrender of his kingdom, and confirmation of the Charters to the Kingdom and Biſhops, with the Popes ratification of them too, his friends, courtiers, flatterers, ſoldiers, and common people; for this his Reſignation of his Crown, did thus deride and jeer him to his very face, to exaſperate him againſt the treacherous Biſhops and his Barons, as well as againſt the Pope, and raiſe New Commotions.
HIS peractis & ex utraque parte approbatis, exultaverunt omnes, credentes Deum,Mat. Paris Hiſt. Angl. p. 253. 254. miſericorditer Cor Regis tetigiſſe, Cor ab eo lapideum abſtuliſſe, & Cor Carneum addidiſſe, & ut in eo fieret optima dextrae Excelſi permutatio. Speraveruntque omnes & ſinguli Angliam quaſi Aegyptiaco Jugo, quo diu ante premebatur, per Dei gratiam ſuis temporibus liberatam, tam per Romanae Ecceſiae protectionem, cujus alis ſe credebant obumbrari, & ſic velut ſub Clypeo Divinae Militiae, cui ſervire regnare eſt, pace & libertate gaudere, tum propter Regis humilitationem deſideratam; quam ſperaverant omni manſuetudini & paci faeliciter inclinatam. Sed longe aliter, proh pudor, et proh dolor, et nimis diſſimili quam ſperatum fuit evenit. (Treachery, Perjury, Fraud, Rebellions, Hyporcriſy and Accords obtained by wicked Machivilian Policies, never ending in expected Tranquillity and ſecurity) Credebatur fortuna arridendo Nectar propinaſſe, cum fellita pocula, & venena preparavit. Ecce enim filii Belial (diabolo procurante) qui ſucceſſibus hominum ex antiqua ſua conſuetudine, videlicet ruptarii nequiſſimi qui bella potius quam pacem voluerunt, regiis auribus verba diſcordiae ſuſurrando inſtillarunt. Dixerunt enim grunniendo et deriſionibus multiplicatis ſubſannando: Ecce vigeſimus quintus Rex in Anglia, ecce jam non Rex nec etiam Regulus, ſed Regum opprobrium: malle deberet non Rex: quam ſic Rex eſſe. Ecce Rex ſine regno: Dominus ſine dominio: Ecce Alficus nauci et angularis, rota quinta in plauſtro: Regum ultimus, et populi abjectio. Heu miſer et ſervus ultimae conditionis, ad quam ſervitutis miſeriam devolutus es? Fuiſti Rex, nunc faex: fuiſti maximus, nunc minimus. Nihil infaelicius quam fuiſſe foelicem. Et ſic iram provocantes, addendo flammam vento ab igne ſulphureo ſcintillas excitarunt. Therefore there was certainly no common univerſal conſent to this ſurrender, Charter, but a generall deteſtation of, and declaration againſt it in the higeſt degree; which made it null in Law.
10ly. Whereas it is recited in the Charter: Nos gratia Spiritus Sancti inspirante, non vi inducti▪ nec timore coacti, ſed noſtra bona et ſpontanea voluntate offerimus et libere concedinius Deo et Sanctis Apoſtolis. &c. & Domino noſtro Papae Innocentio tertio, ejuſque Catholicis Succeſſoribus, totum Regnum Angliae, & totum Regnum Hiberniae, &c. This is moſt falſe and untrue: For as King Iohn was enforced to it ſore againſt his will to his great grief, as the premiſes evidence; So he was ſo much aſhamed of, and exceedingly diſcontented at it, that rejecting all the Engliſh, he deeply lamented that ever he was born into the world, or that ever his mother nurſed him to do ſuch deteſtable, unroyal, ſhamefull actions, and was almoſt quite diſtracted with the thoughts thereof; which Matthew Paris thus expreſſeth.