Vindication of Ecclesiastical Volume 3, Volume 2 · Book · Chapter 2 · Document 223 – Document 224
HENRICUS Dei gratia, &c. Univerſis Abbatibus & Prioribus conſtitutis inLiterae Regis ad Praelatos Angliae. Comitatu Eſſexiae & Hertfordiae, ſalutem. Si Regiae Majeſtatis dignatio, pro juribus Regni tuendis devotorum ac fidelium ſuorum amicitiam experiri voluerit, vel ſi ipſi ſuum Principem, ſub cujus alis protecti reſpirant, obſequio corporali, & munerum oblatione frequenter honorent, temporibus congruis, non eſt mirum. Cum igitur jam deficientibus treugis inter Dominum Regem Francorum, & nos, pro recuperatione & defenſine jurium noſtrorum tam in ciſmarinis, quam tranſmarinis, partibus, ad quas nuper miſimus comitivam, oporteat nos magnos ſumptus, & ob cauſas diverſas, liberalitatis manum pluribus aperire; dilectum & fidelem noſtrum Simonem Paſſeleve, una cum ſingulis Viceco mitibus dictorum Comitatuum ad vos tranſmittimus, rogantes attentè, quatenus ipſosin negotio noſtro, quod vobis exponent, imo… nos in eis favorabiliter audientes, ad alleviationem ſumptuum praedictorum nos depecunia veſtra tum abundanter juvetis, quod id vobis debeamus retributione compenſare.
The King upon theſe Letters, received very little pecuniary aſſiſtance from the Abbots, or Prelates, & that with great reluctancy; to avoid which the Biſhop of Durham procured a licence from the Pope to reſign his Biſhoprick, yet to retain three Mannors belonging to it during his life, and the reſt to be held by proviſors.
Purificatione beatae Mariae imminente, Epiſcopus Dunelmenſis, Nicholaus, Mat. Paris p. 730. 743. Mat. Weſt. an. p. 1249. p. 138. Godwins Catalogue of Bps. p. 519.ſentiens ſe annoſum, valetudinarium, & infirmum, malens relinquere divitias, quam à divitiis derelinqui, Epiſcopatum ſuum Dunelmenſem, obtenta tali a Domino Pa. pa licentia, reſignavit, & datis ad hoc proviſoribus Archiepiſcopo Eboracenfi, & Londinenſi, & Wigornienſi Epiſcopis, aſſignata ſunt ei tria Maneria, videlicet de Hovedia cum pertinentiis, Stocton, & Eſſingtuna. Recedens igitur à Dunelmo, accepta ibidem à fratribus licentia, ad alterutrum dictorum maneriorum manſurus perrexit, ut in pace ibidem ſine querelarum vel cauſarum ſtrepitu, exutus à ſollicitudinibus mundanis, ſibi jam expectanti donec ejus veniret immutatio, liberius vacaret orationi, & contemplationi penitus intendendo. Super hoc Dominus Rex certificatus, omnia reſidua non ſegniter haud invitus in ſuam caepit cuſtodiam & poteſtatem, ut ibidem uberrimos pecuniarum fruaus ſemper tamen jejunus & avidus deglutiret. Ad quae ſibi amplexanda & congerenda illico miſit uunm de Clericis ſuis, Thomam videlicet de Newerca. Hereupon the King was enforced to ſtrain his Prerogative further then uſual to raiſe monyes.
Rex interea vigil, & indefeſſus lucri ſpeculator & perſcrutator timore Dei, ſecus quàm deceret, poſtpoſito, convenuti Dunelmenſi, ad quem jus electionis pertinere dignoſcitur, preces precibus tranſmittit accumulatas, per nuncios ad circumveniendum etiam prudentes & circumſpectos ſatis eruditos, conſulens, implorans et minis interpoſitis praecipiens; ut frater ejus uterinus Aethelmarus, ab ipſo conventu unanimiter & favorabiliter in Epiſcopum Dunelmenſem, & ſuarum Paſtorem animarum eligatur, & ut hoc foeliciter fieret, ſecundùm illud Poëticum,
Imperium, promiſſa, preces, confudit in unum.
Cui Conventus humiliter reſpondit; Domine Rex, Regum Chriſtianiſſime, mementoEpiſcopus Dunelmenſis Epiſcopatuum ſuum reſignat. ſi placet, juramenti quod juraſti coronandus, primi videlicet & praecipuè, permitte ſanctam Eccleſiam ſua ſaltem aliquando gaudere libertate ut ſecundum Dominum nobis Patrem & Paſtorem animarum noſtrarum idoneum eligamus. Noſti, & novit mundus, quod & ſcientia & aetate inſufficiens eſt frater veſter memoratus, ut tam arduo officio colla ſupponat ſpirituali. Cui Rex reſpondiſſe perhibetur, Et ego potens ſum, et bene mihi complacet, ut ipſum Epiſcopatum in manu mea teneam octo vel novem annis vel amplius, ut ſaltem tunc maturus aetate, vobis acceptetur. Which he might do by his Prerogative, to ſupply his preſſing neceſſities. But he was not ſo good as his word; for the next year Walter de Kirkham, by his royal licence and aſſent, was elected and conſecrated Biſhop of this See.
The King by reaſon of his Royal Prerogative during the vacancy of the See of Canterbury, preſented William de Pleſſetis to the Church of Eneford then void, belonging to that See, who after his inſtitution was oppoſed by Robert de Gloucester, claiming a right thereunto by the Popes Proviſion, and commenced a Suit thereupon; which the Pope willing to determine, brought the examination of the cauſe before himſelf, and after many altercations, gave a definitive ſentence for his own Proviſor, againſt the Kings Clerk, without conſidering the Kings right, commanding the Biſhops of London and Lincoln to put him into corporal poſſeſſion thereof, to the manifeſt prejudice of the Kings Crown, Right, and Dignity; whereupon the King iſſued this memorable Prohibition to the Biſhops, ſetting forth the antient Right, Prerogative of his Crown, the deſtructiveneſſe of this Proviſion and proceedings of the Pope thereunto, and his duty to obviate the ſame; commanding them according to their Oath of Allegiance to defend the Rights of his Crown, and not to proceed or attempt any thing therein to its prejudice, under pain of ſeiſing their Baronies, as this memorable Record atteſts.
REX Epiſcopis London. & Lincoln. ſalutem. Olim Archiepiſc. Cantuar. vacantePat. 33 H. 3: m. 9. dorſo. & nobis cuſtodiam ipſius habentibus, Willielmum de Pleſſetis dilectum Clericum ratione vacationis ejuſdem ad Eccleſiam de Eneford tunc vacantem, duximus praeſentandum. Cui inſtituto ad noſtram praeſentationem in illa Magister Robertus de Glouc. ſe …ppenens, aſſeruit, ſibi per Abbatem de Boxleya auctoritate Literarum Domini Papae eodem tempore fuiſſe proviſum in eadem Eccleſia: (the Popes new Proviſion being preferred before the Kings old Royal Juriſdiction.) Super quo inter ipſos poſtmodum lis eſt orta, quam Dominus Papa terminare volens, cauſam ipſam ad ſuum revocavit examen. In qua contra eandem Willielmum poſt multas altercationes habitas, quarum ſeriem praeſentibus longum foret inſerere, diffinitivam tulit ſententiam, Iure noſtro in judicium non deducto: Mandans vobis, ut amoto quolibet detentore, praefatum Magiſtrum in ipſius Eccleſiae poſſeſſionem corporalem mittatis, ut dicitur, non ſine noſtrae dignitatis praejudicio manifeſto. Cum enim ex approbata conſuetudine et antiqua, debeamus ad hujuſmodi Eccleſias vacantibus ſedibus praeſentare, patenter advertitur, quod ſi praemiſſa ſententia ſperatum ſortiretur effectum, contingeret eundem Clericum noſtrum Eccleſia memorata deſtitui, et Ius noſtrum quod in ipſa praeſentatione habuimus, et in conſimilibus praeſentationibus habere debemus, per conſequens enervari, ſic que proculdubio noſtrae …aederetur Coronae dignitas, et noſtra gravis ac enormis exhaeredatio ſequeretur. Verum diſcriminis tanti periculo volentes occurrere, ſollempnem Nuncium cum Literis noſtris ad Apoſtolicam ſedem tranſmiſimus, quibus Domino Papae factum et Ius noſtrum in praemiſſo negotio referamus. Quapropter vobis, quorum eſt Iura noſtra tueri, prohibemus diſtricte in virtute Iuramenti fidelitatis, quo nobis eſtis aſtricti, firmiter injungentes, ne ſuper Eccleſia praefata aliquid attemptetis vel exequamini contra nos, aut noſtrum Clericum ſupradictum: Scituri quod ſi ſecus egeritis, contra vos ſuper Baroniis veſtris, juxta quod decet Majeſtatem Regiam, procedamus.
The Canons of York being by the Popes authority queſtioned in the Spiritual Court by the Abbot of St. Genovefe and his Covents, for the ſale of the Mannor of Brumford within the Realm, when as Spiritual Courts ought not to hold Plea of any Lands or Chattels, but only of Matrimony, Teſtament, and Tythes; the King thereupon iſſued this Prohibition and Superſedeas to them.