Vindication of Ecclesiastical Volume 3, Volume 2 · Book · Chapter 3 · Document 316
REX Ballivis ſuis de Coleceſtria, ſalutem. Cum occaſione Contentionis &Ibidem. diſcordiae inter Priorem & Conventum de Norwico, & Burgenſes noſtros, ac Communitatem villae noſtrae de Norwico ſubortae, capi fecerimus in manum noſtram eandem Villam de Norwico donec aliud inde ordinaverimus. Vobis mandamus firmiter injungentes, quod ſi aliquos de Burgenſibus ejuſdem Villae de Norwico in partibus veſtris inveniri contigerit, vel per partes veſtras tranſitum faciant, ipſos arreſtetis, & eorum bona, Catalla & mercimonia in quorumcunque manibus inventa fuerint, ſine dilatione capiatis in manum noſtram, & ea una cum corporibus ipſorum ſalvo cuſtodiatis, donec aliud indè praeceperimus. Diligenter etiam inquiri & ſcrutari faciatis, ſi aliquis de Balliva veſtra praedictos Burgenſes, ſeu eorum mercimonia vel alia bona receptaverit, ſeu ea penes ſe detineat, & ea omnia quae in hac parte inveneritis & feceritis, diſtinctè & apertè conſcribi faciatis. Ita quod nos certiorare, & nos inde reſpondere poſſitis ad mandatum noſtrum; ita viriliter & diligenter vos habeatis in hac parte, quod fidelitatem & diligentiam veſtram merito commendare debeamus. Et ne pro defectu veſtri in hac parte dampnum incurramus, propter quod ad vos & omnia bona veſtra graviter capere debeamus. Teſte ut ſupra.
Mr. John *Acts and Monuments. vol. 1. p. 442.Fox Relates, that this controverſie between the Monks and Citizens of Norwich, fell out about certain Tallages and Liberties, that after much altercation and wrangling words, the furious rage of the Citizens ſo much increaſed and prevailed, that ſo little was the fear of God before their eyes, that altogether they ſet upon the Abbey and Priory, and burned both the Church and Biſhops palace. When this thing was heard abroade, the people were very ſorry to hear of ſo bold and naughty an enterpriſe, and much diſcommended the ſame. At the laſt King Henry calling for certain of his Lords and Barons, ſent them to the City of Norwich, that they might puniſh and ſee Execution done on the chiefeſt malefactors, inſomuch as ſome of them were condemned and burnt, and ſome were drawn by the heèls with horſes through the Streets of the City, and after in much miſery ended their wretched lives.
The *page 977. Hiſtory of Englands Monarks book 9. ch. 9. ſect. 105. p. 642Continuer of Matthew Paris, and John Speed inform us, that King Henry as ſoon as he could, having in his Company the Biſhop of Rocheſter, and the Earle of Glouceſter, followed his Juſtice Thomas Trivet to Norwich, where beholding the deformed ruines of the burned Church totally conſumed, he could hardly refrain from tears. The Biſhop having therefore excommunicated all who conſented to this wickedneſſe, and the Judge executed the nocent, Next the King condemned the Town in three thouſand Marks of ſilver, to be paid by a day, towards the reparation of the Church ſo burnt, and alſo to pay one hundred pound in ſilver towards the repair of a Cup ariſing to twenty pounds in Gold. Cum Rex Henricus condignam ultionem Norwicenſibus dediſſet ſacrilegis, (this publick Act of Zeal to Religion and Juſtice being the laſt act which he did as a King,) he returning thence towards London, fell grievouſly ſick at the Abbey of St. Edmunds in Suffolke, where after he had in a religious manner prepared his ſoul, by acknowledging his fins, he rendred up the ſame to his Redeemer, when he had reigned almoſt an old mans age, and more years then ever any King of England reigned either before or ſince, to wit fifty ſi… years and twenty dayes. A Prince (writes Speed) whoſe devotion was greater then his diſcretioni, as we ſee in permitting the depredation of himſelf and his whole Kingdome by Papal overſwayings, the error of whoſe Government concurring with the tumultuous Treaſons of his Nobles, did precipitate him into many miſchiefes▪ out of which God Almighty did ſtrangely deliver him; for if he had not been divinely protected, there is no cauſe for a reaſonable man to doubt, but that his end had proved as headlong, as ſome of his own and his Barons actions ſeemed to threaten.
I muſt acknowledge, that this King Henry in the beginning and latter end of his raign, not out of any devotion to the Pope, but meer Policy and pure neceſſity, did more comply with and connive at the incroaching innovations, Uſurpations, exactions of the Popes and Court of Rome, then all his progenitors or ſucceſſots, upon theſe ſeveral accounts, 1. By reaſon of the deplorable and almoſt deſperate condition wherein his Father King John, left him and the whole Realm at the time of his death; for the Roman Pontifs having but 3 years before by Menaces, Wars, Cenſures, interdicts, rebellions of his Prelates and Nobles, enforced him to enthrall himſelf and his Realms to their vaſſallage, *See he…e p. 360. to 372▪ Mat. Paris Hiſt. p. 277.left him an infant but nine years of age under the general diſguſt, hatred, diſaffection of moſt of the Engliſh Nobles and Clergy, the hoſtile Power of the French intruder Lewes, before called in with a potent Army, Crowned King of England by the Barons, John being but * Regis Imago, as his Epitaph ſtiled him, & Papae Vaſſallus, for that little part of the Realm he had poſſeſſion of, having no Treaſure at all and ſcarce any revenue to ſupport himſelf, to raiſe ſorces, or renumerate ſuch perſons as ſhould engage their lives & fortunes in his quarrell. In reſpect of all which concurrent difficulties; he had no other probable meanes left to expell the French, reduce the revolted Biſhops, Nobles to obedience, and recover the actuall poſſeſſion of the City of London, orother Gariſons of his Kingdome, but by the Popes aſſiſtance; which he and his Legats readily afforded him, for preſervation of his own uſurped intereſt therein wreſted from his Father by force, fraud, treachery, rather then out of any affection to this young King. 2. The frequent conſpiracies, rebellions of his Biſhops, Barons againſt him, & their obſtinate refuſals to grant him ayds or ſubſidies in Paliaments in a legal way, when his and the Kingdoms neceſſities required them, or upon diſhonorable termes; which ſeverall times enforced him, not only to overſtrain his regal Perogative, but likewiſe to make uſe of the Popes Uſurped Authority, Legates, Agents, to excommunicate the Barons and other oppoſers, reduce the Prelates and Clergy (his grand Antagoniſts) to obedience, and ſupply his neceſſities by Croyſadoes, Diſmes, and other extravagant meanes, whereof the Pope and his Agents uſually got the greateſt ſhare; who made uſe of his regal, as he did of their Papal power, to fleece and poll the Clergy, by ſundry impoſitions and rapines. 3. The frequent uſe he had of the Popes favor, mediation, power, Legates, to maintain his intereſt in France, to make Leagues, Truces with the French King, and other forraign Princes, States; to obtain the Kingdom of Sicily and Apulia for his youngeſt Son, (wherein he was groſly cheated by the Pope,) to gain the German Empire for his Brother Richard, and Biſhop…icks or other Eccleſiaſtical preferments for his Queens forreigne kindred, who were no waies qualified for them; elſe when he was free from ſuch neceſſities and entanglements, he alwaies joyned with much gallantry and reſolution with his Nobles and People in oppoſing all the Popes Uſurpations, encroachments, innovations, exactions, and his own Prelates invaſions of his and his Subjects Prerogatives and rights, as much as any of his Predeceſſors, as his premiſed Letters, prohibitions, proceedings againſt them from time to time demonſtrate; eſpecially his embaſſy, and Letters to the Pope at the Council of Lyons, and baniſhing *See here p. 619, 620, 664.Martin the Popes oppreſſing Nuncio out of the Kingdom, thus briefly related by Walſingham aYpodigma Neuſtriae. p. 60 See here p. 644 to 648. 674.Anno 1245. Innocentius Papa celebravit Concilium apud Lugdunum; Ad quod miſſi ſunt per Regem Angliae de conſilio Praelatorum, Comitum & Baronum viri Nobiles▪ 4. dato eis advocato Magistro Gulielmo de Powike, ut conceſſioni Regis Johannis de C…nſu annuo pro Anglia & Hybernia contradicerent, eo quod de Regni aſſenſu non proceſſerat; ſed & per Cantuarienſem Archiepiſcopum fuerat reclamatum vice totius Regni: ſed Papa hoc indigere moroſa deliberatione reſpondens, negotium poſuit in ſuspenſo. Praelati Angliae hoc anno conqueſti ſunt Regi de oppreſſione Eccleſiae Anglicanae, cujus proventus omnes & redditus Italici occupabant, propter quod Magiſtro Martino Domini Papae conſanguineo, qui Major inter caeteros, aliorumque tutor in hujuſmodi negotiis videbatur & defenſor, ut evacuet regnum indilate regio mandatur edicto. Yea had not the Biſhops then moſt unworthily betraied both the Kings & Emperors Rights, Crowns, in ſubſcribing the *See here Book. 3. c. 2. p. 299. 300. & 674. 677, 678. 47… &c.Popes new draught of King Johns ſurrender of his Crown, when the old was burnt, and publiſhing his excommunication and deprivation of the Emperor, and yeilded up their own Rights by their inexcuſable cowardiſe, the Pope, had then loſt all his former uſurped intereſt and authority within our Realms. But what any Popes unjuſtly gained, extorted by theſe neceſſities, fears, weakneſſes, excommunications, interdicts or inteſtine wars, either from this King Henry, or his Father King John, they ſoon after gradually loſt by the courage, wiſdome, reſolution, vigilance of his Son, Grandſon, and great Grandſon King Edward the 1. 2, & 3d. as I ſhall (God aſſiſting me) undenially evidence by irrefragable yet unpubliſhed Records during their ſucceſſive Reigns, in my next enſuing volume▪ In the mean time I ſhall cloſe up his life with bYpodigma An. 1272. p. 67Wal…inghams, and cContin.▪ Mat. Paris. p. 977.Riſhangers Character of him (which will pleaſe our Pontificians) Iſte Rex, quantum in actibus ſaeculi videbatur minus prudens▪ tanto apud Dominum majori devotione pollebat; ſingulis namque diebus tres miſſas, cum nota ſolebat audire, et privatim plures audire cupiens, aſſidue aſſiſtebat celebrantibus. Et cum ſacerdos corpus Dominicum elevaret, manum ſacerdotis tenere, & illam oſculari ſolebat. Contig it autem aliquando S. Lodowicum, Francorum Regem, cum eo ſuper hoc conferente, dicere, quod non ſemper miſſis, ſed frequentius ſerrmonibus audiendis eſſet vacandum. Cui faceta urbanitate respondens, ait: Se malle amicum ſuum ſaepius videre, quam de eo loquentem, licet bona dicentem, audire. Now to recreate my tyred Readers, of this Voluminous Tome, I ſhall conclude it with this lively Poeticall Deſcription of the Citie, Popes, and Court of Rome, written by *Balaeus Scrip-Brit. Centur. 3. c. 59. Appendix p. 251. 252.Gualther Mapes Archdeacon of Oxford, flouriſhing under King Henry the Second, Richard the Firſt, and King John, an eye witneſs of them whiles he was in Rome, Anno Dom. 1201.
ROMA Mundi caput eſt, ſed nil capit mundum:
Quod pendet a capite, totum eſt immundum.
Trahit enim vitium primum et ſecundum;
Et de fundo redolet, quod eſt juxta fundum.
Roma capit ſingulos, et res ſingulorum,
Romanorum Curia non eſt niſi forum.
Ibi ſunt venalia jura Senatorum,
Et ſolvit contraria, copia nummorum.
In hoc Conſiſtorio ſi quis cauſam regat,
Suam vel alterius, hic in primis Legat:
Niſi det pecuniam, Roma totum negat;
Qui plus dat Pecuniae, melius allegat.
Romani capitulum habent in Decretis,
Vt potentes audiant manibus repletis.
Dabis aut non dabitur, petunt quando petis,
Qua menſura ſeminas, eadem tu metis.
Munus et petitio currunt paſſu part,
Opereris munere, ſi vis operari.
Tullium nec timeas, ſi velit cauſari;
Munus Eloquentia gaudet ſingulari.
Nummis in hac Curia non eſt qui non vacet.
Crux placet, rotunditas placet, totum placet,
Et cum ita placeat, et Romanis placet,
Vbi munus loquitur, et lex omnis tacet.
Cum ad Papam veneris, habe pro conſtanti:
Non eſt bonus pauperi, ſoli favet danti.
Et ſi munus praeſtitum non ſit aliquanti,
Reſpondet hic tibi ſic, non eſt mihi tanti.
Papa quaerit, Chartula quaerit, bulla quaerit,
Porta quaerit, Cardinal quaerit, Curſor quaerit,
Sed ſi dares omnibus, at uni deerit;
Totum mare ſalſum eſt, tota cauſa perit.
Laus Deo, Vivat Rex in Secula.
FINIS.