Vindication of Ecclesiastical Volume 3, Volume 2 · Book 3 · Chapter 2 · Document 36
IN craſtino itaque procurante Rege Francorum ſupervenit Lodovicus ad colloquium,Mat. Paris, p. 270. 271. & torvo vultu reſpiciens Legatum juxta Patrem ſuum reſedit. Quo facto, Legatus multis precibus caepit rogare Lodovicum, ne iret in Angliam ad invadendum, vel occupandum patrimonium Romanae Eccleſiae, et patrem ejus, ut prius fecerat, ne ipſum permitteret ire. Rex autem Francorum Legato protinus reſpondit, dicens; Ego Domino Papae, & Eccleſiae Romanae devotus ſemper fui, & fidelis, & in omnibus agendis ſuis negotia ſua omnia efficaciter hucuſ que promovi: Sed nec modo per conſilium meum, vel auxilium Filius meus Lodovicus contra Romanam Eccleſiam aliquid attentabit. Veruntamen ſi jus aliquod de regno Angliae ſibi vendicat, audiatur, & quod juſtum fuerit, concedatur eidem. Ad haec miles quidam, quem Lodovicus procuratorem ſuum conſtituerat, ſurgens, audientibus cunctis reſpondit: Domine Rex, res notiſſima eſt omnibus, quod Johannes dictus Rex Angliae, pro Arthuri nepotis proditione, quem propriis manibus interemit, in curia veſtra, per judicium Parium ſuorum ad mortem ſit condemnatus: ac poſtmodum a Baronibus Angliae pro multis homicidiis & enormitatibus aliis, quas ibidem fecerat, ne regnaret ſuper eos reprobatus. Unde Barones contra eum guerram moverunt, ut ipſum a ſolio regni immutabiliter depellerent. Praeterea Rex ſaepe dictus, praeter aſſenſum Magnatum ſuorum, regnum Angliae Domino Papae contulit et Eccleſiae Romanae, ut iterum illud reciperet ab eis tenendum ſub annuo tributo mille marcarum. Et ſi coronam Angliae ſine Baronibus alicui dare non potuit, potuit tamen dimittere eam. Quam ſtatim cum reſignavit, Rex eſſe deſiit, et Regnum ſine Rege vacavit. Vacans itaque regnum ſine Baronibus ordinari non debuit. Unde Barones elegerunt dominum Lodovicum ratione uxoris ſuae; cujus mater, Regina ſcilicet Caſtellae, ſola ex omnibus fratribus & ſororibus Regis Angliae vivens fuit. Tunc Legatus propoſuit, quod Rex Johannes erat Cruce ſignatus, unde ex conſtitutione generalis Concilii pacem habere debuit uſque in quatuor Annos, & omnia ſub protectione ſedis Apoſtolicae ſecura permanere: unde medio tempore Lodovicus non debuit guerram dicto Regi movere, nec eum a regno privare. Ad haec procurator Lodovici reſpondit: Rex Johannes ante crucem ſumptam guerram moverat Domino Lodovico; & caſtrum de Buncham obſederat & illud deſtruxerat, &c. Legatus itaque his rationibus non contentus; prohibuit, ſicut prius, ſub paena excommunicationis, ne Lodovicus Angliam intrare praeſumeret: & patrem ejus, ne ipſum ire permitteret. His auditis, Lodovicus Patri ſuo dixit: Domine: etſi ego homo veſter ligeus ſum de feudo quod mihi dediſti in partibus Ciſmarinis, de regno Angliae ad vos non pertinet ſtatuere quicquam: unde me ſubjicio judicio Parium meorum, ſi debetis cogere me ne proſequar jus meum: quia pro haereditate uxoris meae uſque ad mortem, ſi neceſſitas coegerit, decertabo. Et his dictis Lodovicus cum ſuis a colloquio receſſit: Quod videns Legatus, Rogavit Regem Francorum, ut ſalvum ſibi conductum praeberet uſque ad mare. Cui Rex reſpondit: Per terram noſtram propriam conductum libenter praeſtabo; ſed ſi forte incideris in manus Euſtachii monachi, vel aliorum hominum Lodovici, qui cuſtodiant ſemitas maris; non mihi imputes, ſi quid ſiniſtri tibi contingat. Haec audiens Legatus, iratus a Curia receſſit.
By which paſſages it is apparent, that the King of France, his Son Lewis, and all the Nobility of France, unanimouſly reſolved, with higheſt indignation and deteſtation, this Charter to be a meer nullity, becauſe made by King John, then no lawfull King, and without the Barons conſent, and of dangerous preſident to all other Kingdoms; thereupon thus ſlighted the Popes command, and his Legates, not to War upon King John, or invade England, being St. Peters Patrimony. And dare any Pope or other Champion of the Church of Rome, now own or juſtifie ſuch a univerſally condemned Charter as this?
12ly. King Henry the 3d. (King Johns heir, and next ſucceſſor) though much devoted to the Pope and his Legate, as *See Mat. Paris, Mat. Weſtminſter, Holinſhed, Daniel, Speed, & others Anno 1 H. 3.inſtrumental to Crown and restore him to the actual poſſeſſion of his Kingdoms, after his Fathers death, not only diſclaimed and endeavoured by the aſſiſtance of his Chancellor and whole Kingdom, to free himſelf from the Vaſſallage of this pretended Rent and Charter, Anno 1231. as you have heard, but in the general Council of Lyons, Anno 1245. (about 31. years next after this grant and Oblation) by his Ambaſſadors and Advocate, made a ſpecial proteſtation againſt it, as a meer Nullity, extorted by War, Force from King John, againſt the Archbiſhops proteſtation, and againſt the Barons conſent; thus related by (a) Matthew Paris, and (b) Matthew Weſtminſter.a Hiſt. Angl. p. 639, 646. b Flores Hiſt. pars 2. p. 193, 195.