Vindication of Ecclesiastical Volume 3, Volume 2 · Book 3 · Chapter 2 · Document 84 – Document 85
JOHANNES Dei gratia Rex Angliae, &c. Archiepiſcopis, &c. Sciatis nos Carta. 16 Johannis Regis▪ m. 6. intus in cedula.pro ſaluto animae noſtrae, & anteceſſorum, & ſucceſſorum nostrorum Regum Angliae, de communi conſilio Epiſcoporum, Comitum, Baronum, & aliorum fidelium noſtrorum reddidiſſe & conceſſiſſe Deo & Eccleſiae Chriſti Cantuar. & Venerabili Patri noſtro S. Cantuarienſi Archiepiſcopo, totius Angliae Primati, & Sanctae Romanae Eccleſiae Cardinali, Patronatum Eccleſiae Epiſcopatus Roffenſis, cum omnibus pertinentiis, dignitatibus, libertatibus, & liberis conſuetudinibus ſuis; Ita quod vacante illa ſede Epiſcopali cuſtodiam, et ordinationem illius Eccleſiae, idem Archiepiſcopus et ſucceſſores ſui habeant libere et pacifice in perpetuum ut Patroni. Ita quod in Ordinatione illius Eccleſiae de Epiſcopo et Epiſcopi electione, nec ante, nec poſt electionem Epiſcopi (marcke it) Regius requiretur aſſenſus, ſet totum ad Archiepiſcopum quicunque fuerit pertinebit. Epiſcopus autem vel electus loci illius temporalia quae prius vocabantur Regalia, de manu praedicti Archiepiſcopi et ſucceſſorum ſuorum plenarie recipiet, et fidelitatem ei faciet de feodis pertinentibus ad Eccleſiam illam Epiſcopalem tanquam Patrono ejuſdem Epiſcopatus: ſervitia autem quae nobis inde et Heraedibus noſtris debentur, Epiſcopus, qui pro tempore ibi fuerit facerit predicto Archiepiſcopo & ſucceſſoribus ſuis in perpetuum tanquam Dominis et Patronis, et ipſe Archiepiſcopus et ſucceſſores ſui eadem ſervitia per manus ſuas nobis et ſucceſſoribus noſtris facient. Faciet quoque Epiſcopus Roffenſis nobis et Heredibus noſtris fidelitatem tanquam Principi, ſet non propter feodum. Quare volumus et firmiter precipimus, quod predictus Archiepiſcopus et ſucceſſores ſui predictum Patronatum Epiſcopatus Roffenſis cum cuſtodia et ordinatione ejuſdem, cum vacaverit, habeant et teneant libere et quiete, pacifice, integre, et plenarie, cum omnibus pertinentiis dignitatibus, Libertatibus, et liberis conſuetudinibus imperpetuum ſicut praedictum eſt. Prohibemus autem ex parte Dei omnipotentis, et Beatae Mariae, et omnium Sanctorum, et noſtra, ne quis contra hanc piam et liberalem redditionem et conceſſionem noſtram venire praeſumat. Quod ſi quis fecerit maledictionem Dei et Beatae Petri, et omnium Sanctorum ac noſtram incurrat. Teſtibus Dominis W. Londonenſi, P. Wintonienſi, R. Elyenſi, E. Herefordenſi, J. Bathonienſi & Glaſt. H. Hunting. Epiſcopis, R. Comite Ceſtriae, W. Marr. Comite Pembroc, W. Comite Arundell, W. Comite Warren. W. Comite de Ferrariis, S. Comite Winton. W. Briwerr. Roberto filio Walteri, Galfrido de Mandevill, Richardo de Muntificher, Thoma de Erdington. Dat. per manum Magiſtri Richardi de Mariſc. Cancellarii noſtri, apud Novum Templum London. xxij. die Novembris, Anno Regni noſtri Sexto Decimo. How well he requited the King, by betraying Rochester Caſtle to the Barons, ſoon after you ſhall *Here▪ p. 34…hear more.
The Archbiſhop, Biſhops, and Barons, having by treachery fraud, and force thus wreſted all theſe Charters, and confirmations from King John, thereby in a manner totaly deveſted him of all his Eccleſiaſticall and Civil Royal authority in Church and ſtate, deemed themſelves, the Church and Kingdom in a moſt happy ſecure, flouriſhing, proſperous condition for the future; when God by his providence ſodenly blaſted all their hopes, by alienating the Kings heart from them, and by making uſe even of the Popes uſurped power, intereſt in England, (which they were the principal inſtruments to promote to dethrone their Lawful King,) the inſtrument to ſcourge, excommunicate, puniſh, and revenge their Rebellions againſt the King, and null moſt of the Charters wreſted from him, by his Bulls. For King John with drawing and obſcuring himſelf from his Biſhops and Barons in the Iſle of Wight, ſent meſſengers ſecretly to Rome, to complain and appeal to the Pope againſt their Treaſons, rebellions, and the Charters forcibly extorted from him, whiles under the Popes protection; who thereupon vacated the Charters, thus recorded by Matthew Paris.
PER idem tempus ſteterunt Romae in praeſentia Domini Papae, nuncij Regis Anglorum; Hiſt. p. 255. 256 Clauſ. 17. Johan. Regis. m. 22. dorſ.allegantes coram eo rebelliones et Iniurias, quas Barones Angliae (by the Archbiſhops initigation) excitaverant adverſus Regem memoratum, exigentes ab eo quasdam Leges et libertates iniquas, quas dignitatem Regiam non decuit confirmare. Et cum poſt motam inter eos diſcordiam, Rex et Barones de pace tractaturi multoties conveniſſent; idem Rex publice proteſtatus eſt coram eis, Regnum Angliae ratione Dominii ad Romanam Eccleſiam ſpecialiter pertinere. (which he only complementally affirmed, but the Barons utterly denied it.) Vnde nec potuit nec debuit praeter conſcientiam Domini Papae de novo aliquid ſtatuere, vel quicquam in ejus praejudicium in Regno immutare. Quocirca cum interpoſita appellatione, ſeipſum et omnia jnra regni ſui ſub protectione ſedis Apoſtolicae ſuppoſuiſſet; dicti Barones appellationi factae non deferentes, civitatam Londoniarum, quae caput regni ſui eſt, proditione ſibi traditam occuparunt, et adhuc detinent occupatam. Quod cum factum fuiſſet, ad equos convolantes et arma, exegerunt a Rege libertates praeſcriptas ſibi confirmari. Ipſeque eorum metuens impetum, quod petebant non auſus eſt denegare. Porrexerunt ergo nuncij memorati Domino Papae quaedam capitula de charta praedicta, in ſcriptum redacta, quae cauſae Regis magis videbantur congruere. Quae cum diligenter inſpexiſſet, cum admiratione reſpondit, rugis contractis indignationem teſtantibus: Nunquid Barones Angliae Regem cruce ſignatum, et ſub protectione ſedis Apoſtolicae conſtitutum, a ſolio regni nituntur expellere, et Dominium Romanae Eccleſiae ad alium tranſferre? *Popes cannot only ruffle but prophanly ſwear, when their own Uſurped intereſts are concerned.Per ſanctum Petrum, hanc injuriam non poterimus praeterire impunitam. Tunc Papa habita deliberatione cum Cardinalibus, chartam ſaepe dictam de libertatibus Regni Angliae conceſſis, in perpetuum per ſententiam diffinitivam damnatam caſſavit, et in illius rei teſtimonium, Regi Anglorum privilegium ſubſcriptum tranſmiſit.
(By which ſentence, and the ſeveral grounds, reaſons therein alleaged for avoyding the great Charter as obtained from the King through force, fear, circumvention, rebellion, this Pope totally nuls and ſubverts King Johns Charter of Reſignation and oblation made unto himſelf by like means but the year before.)