Vindication of Ecclesiastical Volume 3, Volume 2 · Book · Chapter 1 · Document 132 – Document 133
MAne vero facto, cum Rogerius Londinenſis Antiſtes cognoviſſet, quo ordine Hubertus extractus fuiſſet de Capella, venit celer ad Regem, increpans eum audacter, quod pacem Sanctae Eccleſiae violaverat, dixitque, quod niſi ipſum cum feſtinatione a vinculis liberatum remitteret ad Capellam, a qua erat violenter ejectus & extractus; ipſe omnes hujus violentiae auctores excommunicationis ſententia innodaret. So inſolent were the Biſhops then grown by the Popes example. Whereupon Rex autem, licet invitus, reatum ſuum intelligens, remiſit Hubertum ad capellam, ubi captus fuerat, a militibus armatis, reſtituitur ab eiſdem, Quinto Calend Octobris. Quo facto, Rex dedit vicecomitibus Herefordiae & Eſſexiae in mandatis, ſub poena ſuſpendii, quatenus in propriis perſonis, & cum omnibus hominibus duorum Comitatuum, capellam obſidione vallarent, & ne Hubertus evaderet, vel a quoquam cibum acciperet, explorarent. At Vicecomites praefati, ſicut eis praeceptum fuerat ad locum venientes, Capellam cum domo Epiſcopi, quae prope erat obſidentes, cinxerunt Capellam & locum per gyrum foſſato lato ſatis & alto, decernentes ibi Quadragimta dierum excubias obſervare. Et Hubertus haec omnia aequanimiter ferens, puram habens conſcientiam, ut dicebat, cauſam ſuam Deo ſecretorum conſcio commendabat, rogans jugiter divinam clementiam, quatenus illum ab inſtanti periculo liberaret: ſicut ipſe ſuper omnia honorem Regis ſemper dilexerat, eatenus & ſalutem. Et in praedicta Capella die ac nocte precibus incumbebat indefeſſus. Sed Rex, ipſius meritis male reſpondens; cui tanto ſervierat ſtudio, quod Regi ſoli ſibi placere ſufficiebat, nunc in tali ſtatu conſtitutus eſt, quod Rex omnibus generaliter prohibuit, ne quis pro eo rogaret, vel de Huberto in ejus praeſentia faceret mentionem.
After this (Anno 1233.) the Biſhop of Wincheſter conſpiring Huberts death, heAnno 1233. Mat. Paris Hiſt, Angl. p. 388. Holinſhed, Speed. procured a Souldier to carry him out of the Caſtle, where he was kept cloſe Priſoner in Chains, into the Church adjoyning; the reſt of the Garriſon Souldiers thereupon running tumultuouſly to the Church, Invenerunt eum ante Altare Crucem Dominicam manibus bajulantem. Quem atrociter arripientes, & fuſtibus pariter ac pugnis impie caedentes & pellentes, cum duobus liberatoribus ſuis illum ad Caſtellum raptim reducunt; & graviori quam prius cuſtodiae committunt. Sed res geſta cum ad aures Roberti Saruburienſis Epiſcopi perveniſſet, (He in imitation of the Biſhop of Londons preſident) venit celeriter ad Caſtellum, praecipiens ipſis Eccleſiae violatoribus, ut Hubertum ad pacem Eccleſiae quantocius reductum, in illo ſtatu quo illum invenerant, dimitterent abſolutum. Sed Caſtellani tumultuoſe ſatis Epiſcopo reſpondentes, dixerunt, ſe malle quod Hubertus ſuſpenderetur, quam ipſi. Et cum illum reducere noluiſſent, Epiſcopus de commiſſa ſibi poteſtate, omnes nominatim excommunicavit qui eum detinebant, et qui in eum manus in…icerant violentas. Tunc Epiſcopus ille, conjuncto ſibi Rogero Londinenſi Epiſcopo, & quibuſdam aliis Epiſcopis, venit ad Regem, ſuper injuria Huberto illata coram eo querelam deponens; nec prius ab eo receſſit, quam Huberti liberationem impetravit: & ſic in Eccleſia concedente, ſed invito Rege, remiſſus eſt decimo quinto Calend. Novembris. Sed Rexiratus, Vicecomiti provinciae illius dedit per Literas in mandatis, ut Eccleſiam obſideret, donec Hubertus in ea ex ciborum inedia moreretur. Such was the inſolency and uſurpation of theſe Prelates upon the Crown, as thus to reſcue a Priſoner impeached of High Treaſon, even againſt the Kings will, and to excommunicate all his Officers, who apprehended him by the Kings command; when as *26 H. 8. c. 13. 27 H. 8. c. 19. 28 H. 8. c, 7. 31 H. 8. c. 10. 33 H. 8. c. 15. Keilway, fol. 188, to 192. Stamford, lib. 2 cap. 38. Halls Chronicle, fol. 9, 87. 21 E. 3. fol. 17. 1 H. 7. f. 10, 23. and Brooke, Sanctuary.Sanctuarie extended not to every Church or Chappel, nor yet to Caſes of Treaſon, and was a moſt groſſe abuſe and uſurpation upon the Crown.
The like inſolency and encroachment the Biſhop of London uſed, in the caſe of the Biſhop of Carliſte.
PEr idem tempus, Walterus Carleolenſis Epiſcopus, quibuſdam injuriis a Rege ſibi,Mat. Paris, Hiſt. Angl. p. 374. ut dicebat, illatis, apud Doveram navem erat ingreſſus, ut transfretarer. Supervenerunt autem quidam miniſtri Regis, ejicientes eum cum ſuis omnibus de navi: & firmiter ex parte ipſius Regis prohibebant, *Here p. 366. Magna Chatta c, 30.ne abſque illius licentia de Regno exiret. Applicuit autem tempore quo haec facta erant ibidem, Rogerus Londinenſis Epiſcopus, a Curia Romana reverſus: qui videns injuriam, quae praefato inferebatur Epiſcopo, (though Dover was out of his Dioceſſe and Juriſdiction) excommunicavit omnes qui in eum manus injecerant violentas. Et inde profectus ad Regem, invenit eum apud urbem Herefordenſem in Wallia cum exercitu copioſo. Ubi in praeſentia Regis, & quorundam Epiſcoporu…, de violentia Carleolenſi Epiſcopo illata, ſupradictam excommunicationis ſententiam innovavit: (though quite out of his Dioceſſe) non mediocriter Rege murmurante, et ne talem ferret ſententiam prohibente: (an intollerable inſolent preſumption and Ʋſurpation on his Royal Prerogative.) Cum quo etiam omnes qui affuerunt Epiſcopi, illos excommunicaverunt univerſos, qui huius perturbationis occaſionem praeſtabant. Every Biſhop being then grown a ſecond Pope, and ſending abroad their Thunderbolts of Excommunication againſt the Kings Officers, for obeying his Regal commands, as prejudicial to their pretended privileges.
The Pope this year to enlarge his Juriſdiction over all Monaſteries throughoutAnno 1232. England, and other parts of the world, to gain monies by Appeals to Rome, and make them more ſubmiſſive to his Exactions, appointed ſpecial Viſitors over them in all places by his Bulls, expreſſing in general terms, the viciouſneſſe and enormities of Monks and Monaſteries in that age, which he held himſelf obliged both in duty and conſcience to redreſſe, though not to reform his own or Agents rapines and exceſſes.