Vindication of Ecclesiastical Volume 3, Volume 2 · Book 3 · Chapter 2 · Document 66 – Document 68
EOdem tempore Innocentius Papa, Nicholao Apoſtolicae ſedis Legato, Literas ſubMat. Paris▪ Hiſt. Angl. p. 237, 238. hac forma direxit. Cum non poſſit Eccleſiis Domini melius provideri, quam ſi eis Paſtores pr…ficiantur idonei, qui non tam praeeſſ…piant quam prodeſſe; fraternitati tuae, de qua plenam fiduciam obtinemus, per Apoſtolica ſcripta mandamus: quatenus Epiſcopatus et Abbatias Angliae nunc vacantes, facias cum tuo conſilio de perſonis idoneis per electionem vel poſtulationem Canonicam ordinari; qui non ſolum vita, ſed et ſcientia ſint praeclari, verum *This clauſe was formerly inſerted into all the Kings Conge deſliers, or Licenſes to elect.etiam Regi fideles et Regno utiles, nec non ad auxilium et concilium efficaces, aſſenſu Regio requiſito. (Now inſerted only to court the King out of his right, rather then to preſerve it, as the ſequel proved.) Cum ergo vacantium Eccleſiarum Capitulis, noſtris Literis demus in mandatis, ut tuo conſilio adquieſcant; tu Dominum habens prae oculis, conſulas ſuper his viros providos et honeſtos, qui plene norint merita perſonarum; ne te cujuſquam aſtutia circumvenire contingat. Si qui vero contradictores fuerint vel rebelles, tu eos per Cenſuram Eccleſiaſticam, appellatione remota, compellas. Datum Laterani Calendis Novembris, Pontificatus noſtri Anno Decimo Sexto▪ Legatus vero cum hujuſmodi authenticum à Domino Papa accepiſſet▪ factus de Rege Tyrannus, ſpreto Archiepiſcopi et Epiſcoporum Regni conſilio, …um Clericis Regis et Miniſtris ad vacantes accedens Eccleſias, ordinationes earum, ſecundum antiquum Angliae abuſum, de perſonis minus idoneis celebrare praeſumpſit. Nonnullos vero diverſi ordinis, pro gravamine manifeſto ad audientiam ſummi Pontificis appellantes, ſed ſuſpenſos ad Curiam Romanam deſtinavit. Quibus adeo ſe inhumanum exhibuit, quod de rebus propriis, nec quidem denarium unum ad expenſas itineris portare permiſit. Parochiales inſuper Eccleſias in locis diverſis vacantes, Clericis ſuis diſtribuit, Patronorum conſenſu minine requiſito. Vnde multorum indignationem, et multorum maledictionem pro benedictione promeruit: dum juſticiam in injuriam, judicium in praejudicium commutavit.
This was the very original of Popes Proviſions, and diſpoſals of Biſhopricks, Abbies, with all ſorts of ſpiritual Promotions and Benefices in England, (*Here p. 234, to 239. formerly attempted▪ reſiſted, but not obtained till now) no Pope preſuming to conferre any Biſhoprick, Benefice, or Prebendary, in *Mat. Paris, Additamenta, 135. Sir Roger Twiſdens Hiſtorical Vindication, p. 59.France or England, Uſque ad tempora Domini Innocentii …. qui primus aſſumpſit ſibi jus iſtud in tempore ſuo; as the French Agent remonſtrated to Pope Innocent the 4th. Theſe Proviſions after this Legate had thus once introduced with an high Tyrannical power, by pretext of Pope Innocents Bull▪ ſoon over-flowed the whole Church of England (and France too) like a general deluge, for many ſucceeding ages, notwithſtanding all oppoſitions and bootleſſe complaints againſt them. Which the Archbiſhop & Biſhops fore-ſeeing, (though the chief inſtruments to dethrone their lawfull indulgent King, and ſet up theſe Romiſh Tyrants in his Throne) to obviate this intollerable Papal innovation, and cruſh this Crocodile in the ſhell, perceiving withall the Legate more ready to gratifie the King and his Clerks in the diſpoſal of Biſhopricks & Eccleſiaſtical preferments, then themſelves or their Confederates, meeting together at Dunstaple, drew up an Appeal againſt his proceedings, which he ſlighting, and ſending to Rome by Pandulphus, together with K. Johns Charter, ſo highly magnified the King, and made ſuch complaints to the Pope againſt the Archbiſhop and Biſhops, as fruſtrated their Appeal; witneſs this relation.
DEinde poſt octavas Epiphaniae convenerunt apud Dunestapliam Stephanus Cantuarienſis An Dom. 1214 Mat. Paris Hiſt. Angl. p. 238.Archiepiſcopus, cum ſuis Suffraganeis, ut de negotiis Eccleſiae Anglicanae tractarent ibidem. Moleſtè enim ſupra modum ferebant, quod Legatus ſupradictus, ut praediximus, illis inconſultis, Regiis favens voluntatibus, in Eccleſiis vacantibus Praelatos minus ſufficientes poſuerat, intruſione magis quam electione Canonica. Tandem cum hinc inde varia ſorte tractaſſent, Archiepiſcopus Cantuarienſis duos Clericos, apud Burtonam ſuper flumen Trente, ubi tunc Legatus erat, miſit, qui eidem ex parte Domini Cantuarienſis interpoſita appellatione prohibuerunt, ne contra dignitatem ſuam, ad quam ordinatio Eccleſiarum ſuae Diocaeſis de jure ſpectabat, Praelatos in Eccleſiis vacantibus inſtituere praeſumeret. Legatus autem appellationi factae non deferens, miſit aſſenſu Regio Pand…lphum jam ſaepe dictum, ad Curiam Romanam, ut Archiepiſcopi et Epiſcoporum propoſitum irritaret. Quo cum perveniſſet, famam Archiepiſcopi Cantuarienſis in conſpectu ſummi Pontificis non mediocriter denigravit: Regem que Anglorum tantis ibidem extulit laudum praeconiis; aſſerens ſe Regem tam humilem tamque modeſtum eatenus non vidiſſe, ut in oculis Domini Papae idem Rex gratiam admirabilem obtineret. Reſtitit autem Pandulpho ibidem Magiſter Simon de Nota.Langetuna, frater Archiepiſcopi Cantuarienſis. Sed quoniam Charta Regis auro Bullata, Domino Papae de ſubjectione et Tributo Regni Angliae et Hyberniae a praedicto Pandulpho nuper delata fuerat, Magiſter Simon in ſuis contradictionibus non potuit exaudiri. Aſſerebat praeterea Pandulphus memoratus, in praeſentia Domini Papae, Archiepiſcopum et Epiſcopos in exactione, et ablatorum reſtitutione tempore Interdicti, nimis eſſe rigidos et avaros, quodque ipſum Regem et Regni Libertates plus aequo deprimebant. Et ſic propoſitum Archiepiſcopi & Epiſcoporum ad tempus accepit dilationem. A juſt reward for their former complyances with the Pope, againſt their moſt humble and modeſt King, thus highly applauded by Pandulphus, though moſt untruly aſperſed by the Biſhops and our Monkiſh Hiſtorians.
Upon Pandulphus his information of the extraordinary covetou…neſſe and unreaſonableneſſe of the Biſhops, touching the Kings ſatisfaction of all their particular damages, beyond the rates of Juſtice or Conſcience, before the Interdict releaſed; and at the earneſt ſollicitation of the Kings Ambaſſadors and Procurators, ſent to the Pope to reduce the Biſhops damages to certainty; and the Kings caution both by his Oath and Patent to pay them, that ſo the Interdict might be releaſed: The Pope upon hearing all parties, made this agreement between them▪ which he ſent to his Legate, with orders to releaſe the Interdict, the more to ingratiate himſelf with the King, Nobles, and Commons of the Realm, now become his Vaſſals.
Clirca dies iſtos Papa Innocentius, Nicholao Thuſculanenſi Epiſcopo, pro relaxationeAn. Dom. 1214 Clauſ. 16 Johannis Regis, pars 1. memb. 2. dorſo. The Clauſe Roll differs in ſome particulars from the print in Matthew Paris. Interdicti, ſcripſit in haec verba.