Vindication of Ecclesiastical Volume 3, Volume 2 · Book · Chapter 2 · Document 241 – Document 243
INNOCENTIƲS Epiſcopus, &c. Venerabili fratri Epiſcopo Lincolnienſi, ſalutemAdditamenta Matt. Paris p. 179. & Apoſtolicam benedictionem. Tua nobis fraternitas intimavit, quod nonnulli Religioſi quampluret Eccleſiarum p…ſſeſſiones ac Decimas, in proprios uſus praeſumunt convertere, licet ad id non acceſſerit Capituli tui conſenſus. Quocirca fraternitati tva praeſentium authoritate concedimus, ut praedicta valeas legitimè revocare; contradicentes per Cenſuram Eccleſiaſticam, appellatione poſtpoſita compeſcendo. Datum Lugduni, decimo ſexto Kalendas Julii; Pontificatus noſtri, anno. ſexto.
The Religious perſons hereupon appealling from the Biſhop to the Pope notwithſtanding this Bull, the Biſhop ſoon after croſſed the Seas to the Popes Court upon this occaſion, to diſmiſſe their Appeals and complaints againſt him.
Cauſa autem ſolius Epiſcopi Lincolnienſis, quare transfretaret patuit; vigilanterMatt. Paris. Hiſt. Angl. p. 747. Epiſ. Linc. curiam Romanam accedit. laboravit, ut eos quos vocaverat ad Papale mandatum, ut praetactum eſt, & contra inaudita gravamina ſua ad ſedem Apoſtolicam appellaverant, ſtrictius ſuae flecteret voluntati. Appellaverant enim exempti, Templarii, Hoſpitalarii, et multi alii, qui poſtea a Domino Papa pecunia interveniente, caute ſibi pacem redimerunt, ſecundum illud Ethici,
Judicis auxilium ſub iniqua lege rogato▪
Quod cum Epiſcopo poſt multas expenſarum effuſiones, & labores inutiles innotuiſſet; confuſus & triſtis venit ad Dominum Papam, dicens: Domine ſancte Pater, erubeſco confuſus in propoſito meo, quod in literis et pollicitis veſtris confidenter ſolidadi; ſpe fruſtror praeconcepta, quia quos credideram edomuiſſe, liberi in meam recedunt confuſionem. Cui Papa torvo vultu dicitur reſpondiſſe. Frater quid ad te? liberaſti animam tuam, fecimus eis gratiam. Nunquid oculus (tuus) nequam eſt, quia bonus ſum? & cum Epiſcopus ſuſpirans in ſeipſo diceret, tamen auditus a Papa: O pecunia, pecunia quam potens praecipue in Curia Romana: exaſperatus Dominus Papa reſpondit. O Anglici, hominum eſtis miſerrimi. Quilibet veſtrum alium corrodit ac ſtudet depauperare. Quam multos elaboraſti reliogioſos tibi ſubjectos, tuaſque oves & indigenas ac domeſticos, orationibus & hoſpitalitati intendentes, deprimere, ut de bonis eorum tyrannidituae ac cupiditati ſatisfaciens, alios et forte alienos reddas locupletes! Et ſic confuſus, & ab omnibus protervius acclamatus, receſſit Epiſcopus, & ne nihil feciſſe videretur aliis negociis intendebat. *Mat. Paris p. 754.Remanſit autem in Curia Romana Lincolnienſis, utverſus Papam propoſitum perficeret praeconceptum. Which he was utterly unable to effect, the Religious and exempt perſons out bribing him there.
The Biſhop having incurred the Popes diſpleaſure by his forecited reprehenſion; and the King complaining againſt him to the Pope by ſpeciall Meſſengers, that he had, againſt the Right of his Crown, excomunicated the Sheriff of Rutland, for not taking and impriſoning one Ranulph a Clerk, whom the Biſhop had deprived and excommun cated for incontinency; upon his ſignificavit directed to the Sheriff, the Pope thereupon iſſued a memorable inhibition to him, and all other Biſhops and Officials, thus Recorded by Mat. Paris.
Eodem quoque anno, contigit, quod Epiſcopus Lincolnienſis privavit quendamMatt. Paris. Hiſt. Angl. p. 751. Deterioratur Eccleſiaſticae libettatis conditio Clericum beneficiatum, in Epiſcopatu ſuo, accuſatum de incontinentia, nomine Ranulphum, & privatum excommunicavit, quia condemnatus, cedere recuſavit. Nunc cum in ſententia excommunicationis ultra quadraginta dies perſeveraſſet, ſignificavit Epiſcopus Vicecomiti Rotholandiae, in cujus Vicecomitatu idem clercus manebat, ut ipſum captum teneret tanquam contumacem. Vicecomes autem eo quod fortè amicusd…cti Ranulphi fuerat, hoc facere diſtulit vel recuſavit, nuncemm erat Epiſcopo favorabilis. Quia enim, ut a…t Seneca, qui diu diſtulit, diu noluit. Epiſcopus igitur Vicecomitis comperiens ſimultatem, ipſum excommunicavit ſolenniter. Vicecomes igitur ira us & verecundatus, Regem illico adiit, gravem ſuper h…c reponens querimoniam. Quod cum audiſſet, & ſui omnes aulici, commoti ſunt univern, Rex autem iratus nimis, reſpondit addito maximo juramento: ſiquis meorum verſus Epiſcopum illum vel quempiam foris feciſſet, coram nobis querimoniam deberet repoſuiſſe. Sed ut videtur, me habuit contemptui. Miſſus igitur ad Romanam curiam Legatis ſolennibus, hanc meruit literam in Eccleſiaſticae libertatis praejudicium, interveniente pecunia, celeriter impetrare.
INNOCENTIƲS quartus Epiſcopus, &c. Dilectis filiis Abbati WeſtmonaſterienſiLiterae Papales. Londini, ſalutem. Celſitudinis chariſſimi in Chriſto filii Regis Angliae illuſtris votis liberaliter annuimus, ut ei in his quae dignè depoſcit nos favorabiles exhibeamus. Cum igitur ſicut ex parte ſua fuit propoſitum coram nobis, nonnulli Pontifices et alii Praelati Regni ſui Ballivos ſuos, ſuper his quae ad juriſoictionem Regiam pertinent, coram ſe pro ſuo compellant libito litigare, ac in eos niſi coram ipſis litigent excommunicationis ferant ſententias, in ipſius Regis praejudicium et gravamen, Nos ejus ſupplicationibus inclinati, ut nullus ipſius Regni Archiepiſcopus, Epiſcopus, vel alius Praelatus, Ballivos ipſos coram ſe ſuper his, quae ad Regiam jurisdictionem pertinent litigare compellat, vel hac de cauſa in eos hujusmodi ferant ſententias, auctoritate literarum diſtricte durimus inhibendum. Quocirca diſcretioni veſtrae per Apostolica ſcripta mandamus, quatenus praedictum ſuper his, contra inhibitionis noſtrae tenorem, non permittatis ab aliquibus indebite moleſtare Malefactores, &c. Datum Lugdini, 7 Idus Martii, Pontificatus noſtri Anno 7. Hoc tamen non ſine redarguatione peritorum, haec fecit Dominus Rex, Quod ſcilicet conqueſtus eſt ſuper hoc Dominus Papae. Having royal power to redreſs it himſelf by his own Writs of Prohibition, asis evident by this remarkable Writ of K. Henry the 3d. in the 20th. year of his Reign, (caſually omitted in its due place) directed to the Official of the Biſhop of Wincheſter, enjoyning him to abſolve the Kings Bayliffs, whom he had unjuſtly Excommunicated at the ſuit of the Prior of St. Swithin in Winchester, for ſeiſing upon a Royal Fiſh, (belonging to the King by his Prerogative) which the Prior claimed, becauſe drawn on ſhore upon his Land.
REX Magiſtro W. Officiali P. Winton. Epiſcopi, ſalutem. Ad nostram pervenitClauſ. 20 H. 3. m. 3. dorſo. noticiam, quod cum quidam Piſcis Regius nuper applicaret in terra Prioris Sancti Swithinis Winton. & conſtantibus illuc tàm Ballivis noſtris, quàm Ballivis ipſius Prioris, manu communi eſſet ad terram tractus, & unanimi aſſenſu Ballivorum noſtrorum, & ipſius Prioris eſſet in quadam domo depoſitus & ſale conditus, quia Ballivi noſtri tandem non permiſerunt dictum Priorem pro voluntate ſua de dicto Piſce diſponere, reſumentes eum ad opus Regium; delata inde vobis querela per praefatum Priorem, ſententiam Excommunicationis in Ballivos noſtros praecipitatis, unde ſi miremur et movemur minime mirari debetis, cum nullus in Regno noſtro jus habeat hujuſmodi Regium Piſcem vendicandi ubicunque applicuerit, niſi de jure ſpeciali a nobis vel Praedeceſſoribus noſtris … fuerat indultum: Et licet Ballivi noſtri graves exſtitiſſent ipſo Priori vel … ſuper conceſſa ei à Regia poteſrate libertate, ob Regiam tamen reverentiam requirendi eſſemus, ut id emendari faceremus, et tunc demum ſi negligentes eſſemus in hac parte, poſſet in Ballivos noſtros honeſtius animadverti. Et ideo vobis mandamus rogantes, quatenus praefatos Ballivos noſtros a dicta ſententia Excommunicationis faciatis abſolvi: Et ſi memoratus Prior oſtendere velit, quod jus habeat in hujuſmodi Regio Piſce, paerati ſumus ipſum audire, & ei per conſiderationem Curiae nostrae Juſtitiam exhibere. Teſte Rege apud Doncaſtr. 27 die Septembris.
By which Writ, and the Kings forecited complaint and Popes Letters in purſuance thereof, it is apparent: Firſt, That no Biſhop, nor Eccleſiaſtical perſon or Court, ought to draw any of the Kings Officers or Bayliffs into their Eccleſiaſtical Courts, for any matter belonging to the Kings proper Juriſdiction or Temporal Courts, nor for the execution or neglect of their Offices. 2ly. That they ought not to Excommunicate them in their Courts for any Temporal cauſe, or executing their Offices; and that the King by his ſpecial Writs may command them to abſolve them if Excommunicated. 3ly. That *Bracton l. 2. c. 5. ſect. 7 f. 14. a. &c. 14. ſect. 1. f. 55. b. Britton l. 1. c. 17. 17 E. 2. c. 11. 39 E. 3. f. 35. b. Cooks 7 Report 16. a. Brook Prerogative 35. Stamford Prerogative c. 11.Royal Fiſhes (as Whales and Sturgeon) belong only to the Kings of England, wherever caſt on ſhore, by vertue of their Prerogative; and that none can claim them but by ſpecial grant from the Crown; and that they ought to ſue for them only in the Kings own Courts. 4ly. That in that age Abbots, Prelates, and Eccleſiaſtical Courts were very inſolent, ingratefull, ſevere, and uncivil in vexing, Excommunicating the Kings Bayliffs, Sheriffs, Officers, upon every trifling occaſion, without complaining firſt to the King, notwithſtanding they claimed all their Priviledges, Royalties, Lands from the Crown. 5ly. That the King was very ſenſible of theſe affronts to him and his Officers, and induſtrious to redreſſe them by Writs out of his Temporal Courts, for the maintenance of the Rights, Prerogatives of his Crown, and encouragement of his Officers to diſcharge their duties.
The forementioned high-ſpirited Biſhop Groſthead in the ſecond year of his Conſecration, offered an high affront to the King, his Crown and Dignity, by prohibiting Clerks attached for holding Plea in the Spiritual Court of a Temporal matter, contrary to the Kings Prohibition, to appear or anſwer their contempts in the Kings Courts, whereupon he iſſued this notable Writ to him and his Juſtices of the Bench to maintain the Rights of his Crown againſt this Innovation and enchroachment.