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About Google Book Search Google's mission is to organize the world's information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers discover the world's books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web at|http: //books .google .com/I I BOHN'S ANTiaUARIAN LIBRARY. MATTHEW PARIS'S ENGLISH HISTORY. VOL. n. * .'■-■•" • ' . ■ • «' :;:■■ '^'. ■•''.'/•'•::■ ;:..•■■;.. :."'•■•■ ;.;■.: .■ !,:::;5-:'. I* f *' ''.'■■ ■ MATTHE^P KENGLISH HI ST GET. ■.'^•'Ok:'' FROM THE YEAR 1235 TO 1273. TRANSLATED IBOM THE LATIN, V-.;::: BY THE EEY. J. A. GILES, D.C.L., Late Fellow of Corpus Chritti College, Oxford, * J J J J • • • J J J J J jJ J J > J * 1> » * ' 4 . •.!_.: •: ' ». • •• / • » J J ■» -> J ^ * w J •> ^ -i ■* ^ % ;•■■? LONDON: illi^ENEY a. BOHN, YOEK STEEET, COVENT GAEDEN. 1853. :.■•>- • . '. ■ ' •*' ■ I :. ■ •; ■?■■ ••■. • -.■. ••• 1 • •••••• • • • • • • • •• • • •• • • • • •• • • • •" • •• • >• • • • • •• • • •• • • • • • • • • • • ••• •• '••• • • • • • • « • • • « • • • • • • • • 119638 MATTHEW PARIS'S ENGLISH HISTORY. How the pope secretly took to flight. Whilst the year's orbit was revolving amidst these worldly changes, the emperor Frederick, urged on by the goadings of pride, began to repent of having, as above mentioned, humbled and bound himself to submission to the Church, and he now laid traps for the feet of the pope, and planned secret treachery, which afterwards, however, became evident enough. The pope, on the other hand, being forewarned of this, avoided as much as possible the fox-like meanderings of the emperor, and kept vigilant watch against them, nor would he put any trust in him or his Mends, as he knew them all well, and thought of the future in comparison with the past. On the day of the Holy Trinity, the pope, wishing to strengthen his party, because he had so few companions in his labours and participators in his anxieties, created ten cardinals ; namely, Master John of Toledo, an Englishman by birth, and some others of distinguished family and morals. On the eighth d^-y before the feast of St. John the Baptist's Nrtivity, he went "With all the cardinals to the city of Gas- tellana, eighteen miles from the city, in order to be nearer the emperor, to settle the peace, which was now become a suspicious, indeed a hopeless, matter ; and on the eve of the day of the apostles Peter and Paul, he arrived at the city of Sutri. The emperor, however, kicking against him, sent him word that he would do nothing in the matters agreed on, unless he first received letters of absolution, and as the pope reftised to do this, replying that it was dissonant to reason, a disagreement arose between them. The pope, therefore, foreseeing the results of his anger, determined on making a sudden and clandestine flight, and without any VOL. II. B 2 KATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1244* one's being privy to his plans, lest the emperor should dis- cover them and throw obstacles in the way of his retreat. There were some, however, who asserted that he did this more out of his love for the presents which people from this side of the Alps were about to bring to him, but who dared not pass through the emperor's iierritory, and that he fled more for the purpose of meeting and receiving them in his ever-open bosom, than from the fear of any one persecuting him. He therefore made some pretext or other, and dili- gently directed his steps towards Genoa, which was a country congenial to him, as the following narrative will show. On that day, therefore, that is, on the eve of the Apostles' day, it was intimated to the pope (so he afterwards asserted), that three hundred Tuscan knights were coming on that night to seize him. At this news he was greatly astonished, and put on a look of great alarm, and, at the time of the first sleep,, leaving his papal ornaments, and again becoming SenebaLd, and but lightly armed, he mounted a swift horse, and with well-filled purse, and almost without the knowledge of his attendants, suddenly and secretly took his departure ; nor did he spare his horse's sides, for before the first hour of day he had travelled thirty-four miles unattended by any one ; indeed no one was able to follow him. In the middle of the night, the cry of" The pope has gone away," was raised, and nobody was aware of his departure «xoept some, and those yery few, of the cardinals. On this, Peter of Gapua^ with only one attendant, followed him at great risk, and on the same day found him at a castle on the coast, called Civita Yecchia. At that place the pope had been met by twenty- three galleys and sixteen barges, each of the former of which, carried sixty well-armed men and a hundred and four rowers, besides sailors; and, owing to this, suspicious people oon- jectured that the pope had been for some time before ex- pecting and wishing for their arrival They were aU manned by armed men, and were commanded by the podesta of Genoa, whom they called admiral, and the chief men of the city, who all boasted that they were related by kindred or blood to the pope, in order that they might get a reward. The pope now embarked late in the day, on one of these galleys, accompanied by seven cardinals and a few attendants^ and put to sea Bcaroely, however, had the voyagers reached A.D. 1244.1 THB EHPEBIA AlffHOTXD AT THE FOF£*S FLIGHT. 3 » the^open sea, when iAiej were attacked by a heavy storm, the wind, however, not being against them, and with sails spread, though not without fear and great danger, they were carried by the force of the storm for a hundred miles on the same course as the prelates had sailed who were taken pri- souers by the emperor, and on the Friday following arrived at a harbour in an island belonging to the Pisans, where they passed the night. On the morrow, however, having been absolved from their sins, and heard the mass of the Virgin Mary, as they were in great dread of the Pisans, they set sail and arrived at an island of the Genoese, performing a hundred and twenty-four miles on that day. Escaping the dangers of the sea with much difficulty, owing to the storm, they made their way to the Port of Venus, and there stayed the Sunday and Monday ; and on the Wednesday, to their great joy, they arrived at Genoa, and the pope was now fifteen days' journey distant from the city. In this city, where he was bom, he was received by his fellow-citizens, relations, and kindred, with ringing ot bells^ with songs, and musical instruments, all crying out» " Blessed is he who oometh in the name of the Lord;'* to which they again replied, ''Our soul is Uke a sparrow escaped fix>m the toils," &c Sic &c 7%$ emperor if annoped at ihe papers JUffki. When the fact of the pope's flight became known to the emperor, he gnashed his teeth like a sat3rr, saying; ''It is written, ' The wicked fleeth when no man pursueth ;'" and being overcome with astonishment and grief, he accused the guardians of the ports and citizens of sloth and idleness, for having permitted his enemies so easily to escape through them. He then ordered a most strict watch to be kept over all the ways of exit around Genoa., especially towards IVance, in order that no money might be carried to the pope. A nd now the emperor proclaimed himself the open enemy of the pope. The latter, too, now no longer considered Crenoa a safe refuge for himself, being well aware of the em- peror's power, and rememberin|; the words of the poet. An nescis longas re^bus esse manus ? [Know yoa not the hands of kings, Are mighty oterreaching things ?] ^ b2 •J 4 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1244' l%e emperor gams thefiiendihip qf several prmee$ and nobles. About the same time, namely whilst the pope was staying at Genoa, the Milanese and the ligurians, as well as some Italians and Eomans, and many of the nobles of Crermany, conspired together, at the instigation of the pope, and one of the most powerful chiefs of the latter coimtry, whom they call the landgrave, was encouraged to assume the imperial dignity, until he should be regularly elected, and, relying on the manifold assistance of the prehites and nobles, to make war against the tyrant Frederick, as a declared and general persecutor of the Church. His good name was blackened in no sliffht degree, and it was asserted that he did not walk with a fiimltep in the law of the Lord, being a confederate of Saracens, keeping Saracen harlots as his concubines, and doing other things unfit and too numerous to mention. But when the said landgrave was about to make this attempt, and was deliberating with his fellow-nobles, who had been summoned together for the purpose, as to what they should do, his friends told him that it would be rash to attempt it, and to trust himself to dubious chances when he now enjoyed peace and tranquillity, notwithstanding whatever the pope's party promised him. And whilst their opinions were thus hanging in the balance of suspense, the emperor, by making a rapid journey, came suddenly amongst them, with only a few attendants, who knew of these occurrences, and by his arguments diverted the effeminate mind of the said land- grave from his intentions, and before they parted, he and the landgrave became the closest friends and allies, and they mutually exchanged presents. Having thus managed this af^r, then the emperor went away as secretly and suddenly as he had come. Whilst these events were passing, the emperor, in order to strengthen his party, which his enemies believed was now greatly weakened, gave his daughter in marriage to one of the most powerful Greek chiefs, named Battacius, a man hateful and disobedient to the Church, and a schismatic ; on hearing of which, the emperor's enemies were struck dumb with confusion. Of ike relellion and base treachery of the Welsh, About this time of the year, the petulant Welsh, not A.D. 1244.] RUMOUKS REACH THE KING AT ST. ALBANS. 5 knowing how, and being unwilling to submit their necks to the unknown laws of the kingdom of England, appointed David, the son of Llewellyn, and some other princes of Wales, as their leaders, and made a most bloody war against the king of England and his marquises, forgetting their charters and their oaths. They, however, were, by the king's com- mand, for the preservation of his territories, bravely resisted by the earl of Clare, the earl of Hereford, Thomas of Monmouth, Roger de Michaut, and some other powerful and illustrious marquises, who, although they at the commencement of the contest got the worst of the battle, yet at length, as is the usual case in war, gained a victory over some of their enemies. In this battle a hundred men and more fell on both sides. Divers rumours reach the king at St, Albans. At the feast of St. Barnabas, the king was at St. Albans, where he stayed three days, and whilst there, rumours of the insolence of the Welsh became frequent, and some messengers came to him with news which greatly disturbed and grieved him ; namely, that the election of Robert Passlow, his clerk, who had been elected to the bishopric of Chichester, was annulled, and that another person, named Eichard de Wiche, had been suddenly appointed in his place ; for Master Martin, a prompt clerk of the pope, had been there to lay his hooked fingers on the revenues for the use and benefit of the pope. Besides the aforesaid reports, he heard others ; namely, that the king of Scotland had saucily sent a message to him that he did not hold the least particle of the kingdom of Scotland from him, the king of England ; that he ought not to do so, and would not. ^he friendship between these two kings had become very much lessened since the king of Scot- land had formed a matrimonial alliance with the daughter of Engelram de Coucy, who, like all the French, was known to be one of the chief, if not the chief one, of the king of Eng- land's enemies. The king, therefore, determining to revenge the injuries done to him, readily encouraged and assisted those who were sustaining the contest against the Welsh, and promised them more effectual assistance with troops and money. After arranging the business connected with the state of affairs in Scotland, he took the bishopric of Chichester into his own hands, and would not allow the new bishop elect 6 MATTHEW PASI& [a.D. 1244. to exercise any authority ; lie also conceived great anger against those who had brought this matter about, and con- sented to it, but, above all, against the archbishop elect of Canterbury, whom he bitterly accused of ingratitude, and of being a plotter of treason ever since the commencement of his promotion. And that he might not appear to reply in a lukewarm way to the message and insolence of the king of Scotland, he sent word confidentially to the coimt of Flan- ders (sA being a faithful ally, and one bound to him Ixy mani- fold obligations) to come with a body of troops to assist him against the king oi Scotland, which request the count readily complied with. The recall qfthe hkhop of Wmchegter and his reeoneUiaium with the king of England, About the same time, the king, taking wise counsel, recalled the bishop of Winchester in an amicable way from the con- tinent, and, at the instance of the pope and some of his own nobles, who earnestly requested this fkvour for the bishop, he promised him his &vour and the restitution of the property taken from him. The bishop then, with better expectationst, took leave of the French king, returning him thanks for the benefits conferred on him by the king, in having received and protected him when an exile in 1^ kingdom, and re- turned to England, where, after a prosperous voyage, he landed at Dover on the fifth of April. On his arrival, all the English, with the exception of those clerks and courtiers of the king who had sown the seeds of discord, and who were wounded by their own conscience, gave him their congratu- lations, saying, ^ Blessed is he who cometh in the name of the Lord." For hopes were confidently entertained that he wotdd, by his prudence and good sense, with which he abounded, strengthen the king, consolidate the kingdom, and bring his bishopric also to the best conditions. On his joy- fully presenting himself before the king, he was received by him with a smiling and pleased look, as though he had always been free from all offence against the king ; and their alSection and pleasure increased in an extraordinary way, fi:om day to day, according to the words of the poet> Post inimicitias clarior extat amor, Sec, [When clouds of qnarrel disappear, A£fection's son becomes more clear.] A.D. 1244.] THB KINO DSIflirDS ASBI8TAKGB. 7 About this time R arohbisbop elect of Caoterbnrj, began, contrary to tbe expectations of all wbo bad created bim, to oppress tbe monks of Canterbury, witb great severity and in a manner little becoming bim, disposing everytbing in tbe priory more at bis own pleasure tban witb any regard to reason. Th§ wreteMl death qfBngelrmm d§ Couey. About tbe same time, as tbe montb of August drew on, Engelram de Coucy, &tber of tbe queen of Scotland, met witb bis deatb in a remarkable way ; wbereupon Jobn, bis son, sent a body of troops by sea to assist tbe Idng of Scotland ; but tbe king of £ngland drove all wbom be sent away by force. I say tbat tbe said Engelram, tbe old persecutor of tbe Cburcb, but especially of tbe cburcb of Clairvaux, wbicb bis ancestors bad magnificently founded and built on bis fee, died in a remarkable way ; for be died, as it were, by a double deatb. Wbilst living, be was a zealous builder up in mate- rial matters, but in spiritual matters a sad dissdpator. One day, wben travelling, be bad occasion to cross a certain ford, wben bis borse's foot stumbled over some obstacle, and be fell backwards into deep water, into wbicb be was unfortu- nately dragged by bis stirrups ; as be fell beadlong, bis sword escaped from tbe sbeatb and pierced bis body, and tbus drowned and pierced by bis sword, be departed tbis life to reap tbe frnits of bis ways. Jobn, bis son and beir of all bis property, out of affection for bis sister, tbe queen of Scotland, gave bis advice and assistance as before stated, to the king ber busband, and tbe latter also fortified tbe castles on tbe confines of England^ and earnestly begged tbe assistance of tbe nobles bis relations and neighbours against tbe king of England, wbo was plotting against bim. Tbe aid wbicb was tbus demanded in bis time of need, was granted witb a willing heart by some of the nobles, and the promised troops were sent to bim in great numbers. The king demande pecuniary aaittanee. In tbe same year, by a summons from the king, all the nobles of the whole kingdom, consisting of archbishop*?, bishops, abbats, priors, earls, and barons, were convoked at London, where, at a coimcil held in the refectory of West- minster, the khig, in the presence of tbe nobles, with his own 8 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1244. mouth, asked for pecuniary assistance, passing over in silence his design of making' war on the king of Scotland. The reason which he openly gave to them for his demand was, that in the past year he )j|d gone over into Gascony, by their advice, as he said, whdre he got indebted in a large sum of money, and that he could not release himself from that debt unless he was most efifectnally assbted by them ; to this the nobles replied that they woiild consult on the matter. When the nobles left the refectory, the archbishops, bishops, abbats, and priors met together in a private place by them- selves, to deliberate on the matter, and (at lengt^ asked the earls and barons if they would a^ee to their advice, in giving an answer, and making provision in this case ; to which the latter replied, that they would do nothing without the com- mon consent of the whole community. By unanimous con- sent, therefore, there were chosen, on the part of the clergy, the archbishop elect of Canterbury, and the bishops of Win- chester, Lincoln, and Worcester ; qn behalf of the laity, Earl Richard, the king's brother, Earl Bigod, Simon de Montfort, earl of Leicester, and Earl W. Marshall ; and on the part of the barons, Eichard de Montfichet and John Baliol, and the abbats of St. Edmonds and Eamsey ;Cso that what- ever those twelve might determine on, shoula be published to all in general, and that no terms shouM be offered to the king, unless by the general consent of all.^ ULnd because the charter of liberties which the king had formerly granted, and for the observance of which Edmimd, archbishop of Canter- bury, had given his oath, and become security, and had faith- fully promised that the king would observe, was not yet put in force, andj the assistance which they had so often given to the king had been productive of no advantage to him or the kingdom ; and because, through the want of a chancellor, briefs had been often granted contrary to justice, when they asked that a justiciary and chancellor should be appointed on their election, by whom the kingdom might be consoli- dated, as was the custom, he, the king, that he might not appear to adopt any new plan of proceedings on compulsion, refused to agree to their petition, but promised th8|,t he would amend the things complained of on their parts ;\vherefore they were ordered to meet there again at the end of three weeks from the Purification of the Blessed Virgin ; they, the A.D. 1244.] THE pope's lettek. 9 nobles, now declared that, if the king would, of his own free will, elect such counsellors, and would so ipanage the laws of the kingdom, they would be content, and would, at the stated time, give him a reply, and provide him with assistance, on condition, however, that, whatever money was granted to him should be expended by ^he twelve above-mentioned nobles for the king's benefit.^ The king, however, after putting them off for some days,'' endeavoured to weary them into consenting to give, him their assistance without putting it off till a future time, and summoned them to meet him repeatedly ; but he did not, however, overreach them ; for the nobles, wisely weighing the matter in their minds, remained immovably fixed in their determination. The king, at length, hoping to incline the clergy at least to consent to his wishes, convoked the prelates, and publicly showed them letters from the pope to the following effect. The pope's letter to th^frelates of England, *' Innocent, hiakop, er- ties. [And whereas the promise which had been made at that Miime had not as yet been fulfilled by the king, thus paying no regard to the virtue of the oath he had takeiO nor showing any fear of the sentence pronounced by the holy man Edmund, mi order that danger of this kind might not occur in future, and thus new dangers arise worse than the former ones, it was agreed, four of the most discreet persons, of rank and power, should be chosen by common consent, who should be of the king's council, and sworn feithfiilly ta dispose all matters connected with the king and kingdom. ^_and to show justice to all, without any respect to persons?) [These shall remain by the king, and if not all of them, at least two shall always be present to hear the complaints of each and all, and, as soon as they can, to afford relief to those who are suffering injury. 'By their inspection, and on I their evidence, the king's treasury shall be managed, and the money granted to him by the commimity in general shall be expended, for the benefit of the king and kingdom, according as they shall see to be most expedient and advantageous; and they shall be the preservers of the said liberties ; and as they are elected by the common consent of all, so no one of them shall be removed or deprived of his office without the general consenty And if one of them is taken from amongst us by deatr^ then another person shall be substi- tuted in his place, by the consent and election of the other three, within two months. And the whole community shall not again a^emble without these said four persons, unless when necessary, or at their request. T Briefs which have been obtained in opposition to the king, sdid cpntrai^ touthe cus- tom of the kingdom, shall be entirely revoked and abolished.; Mention should also be made of the sentence to be pronoimced against gainsayers ; also of the obligation of an oath between parties ; also that, with respect to the ckcuits of the jus- ; ticiaries, a justiciary and chancellor shall be elected by all ; - and as they ought to be frequently with the king, they shall also be amongst the number of the preservers of the liberties. fAnd if on any occasion the king shall take away his seal from the chancellor, whatever is sealed in the interval shall " be considered null and void; and afterwards the seal shall be given back to the chancellor^ \ No chancellor or justiciary shall I be appointed in the place of another, unless by a special and r^' A.D. 1244.] HASTER MARTIN SENT TO ENGLAND. 13 general convocation, and by the free consent of all Two I justiciaries shall be elected in the Bench, and two barons also shall be appointed in the Exchequer, and at least one person shall be appointed justiciary of the Jews.) On this occasion, all the aforesaid officials shall be made and appointed by the common, universal, and free election of all ; so that, as they will have to settle the affairs of all, so the assent of each and all shall concur in their election. . And afterwards, when there is necessity for any one else to be substituted or appointed in the place of any of the aforesaid officials, the substitution or appointment shall be made on the provision and by the authority of these four councillors aforesaid. Those who have been hitherto suspected, or who are leaat necessary, shall be removed from the side of the king." The pope sends Master Martin into England invested with new and extraordinary powers, Whilst the nobles had for the space of three weeks been diligently arranging these matters for the advantage of the commonwealth, that old enemy, that disturber of peace and originator of schisms, the devil, impeded all the said matters by means of the pope's avarice. For the pontiff thinking that the pliant English would, according to their usual custom, submit their necks to the already- mentioned contribution, both on account of the king's eagerness, and also on account of the urgency of this request, sent a clerk of his (i IcUere, one Master Martin, whom, owing to his infamous rapacity, many called Master Mattin,* who was invested with new and extraordinary powers, greater than we ever remember any legate to have had before. For he ex- tended his hands to exact contributions, to make provisions for imknown purposes, in accordance with the impulse of his own mind, without any regard to reason, and, being armed with cruel authority by the pope, from whom he showed new charters every day, according to his desires, or adapted to any sudden case of emergency, he forcibly extorted revenues, to be conferred on the pope's relations. Hence many said that he had a number of parchments not written, but sealed with the papal bull, so that he might write in them whatever he pleased, which God forbid. This sophist of a * The French translator reads ** Marin," pirate. 14 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1244. legate, then, was sent, in the first place, to the king, b^- ging him to do a good turn to the pope, and diligently to use his most strenuous endeavours to persuade the prelates of England to give a general consent to grant this contribu- tion to the pope, or at least to promise a speedj pajment of ten thousand marks ; to which demand the kmg replied, that his nobles, prelates and clerks, as well as earis, biut>n8, and knights, had been so often despoiled of their propertj- by divers devices, that they had now scarcely enough Idt for themselves ; and, said he, " They now will not^ or cannot^ give anything to me their king, or to the pope ; however, as I have hiunbled myself to them, and inclined to their wishes^ they reply with more moderation, and have promised me assistance according to their means." When Master Martin heard this, he went away with a dejected look, not con- ceiving any expectations from the king's assistance; he, however, summoned the prelates^ and showed apostolic letters^ in the form contained in the ensuing chapter, first to the archbishops and bishops, and afterwards to the abbats, both those exempt and not exempt. The pope* 9 letter to tkeprelatee qfEngkmd, demandtng amiriiutiomm *' Itmocent, bishop, aervarU of the aervcmts of God, dec, d:c, to the ahbcUa, both exempt cmd non-exempt, and their convernhaaZ brethren i/n the diocese of Canterbv/ry, Health cmd the apostolic benediction. — In your sincere affection we conceive such hopes and feel such confidence, that when a case of necessity hangs over the Apostolic See, your mother, we can have recourse with all confidence to you, as her beloved and devoted sons, who are alwa3rs prompt and ready to relieve her burdens. Inasmuch, therefore, as the aforesaid Apostolic See is not yet able to relieve itself from the burden of those debts which it has contracted for the defence of the Catholic faith, the liberty of the Church, and its own patrimony, by means of the sums which have been collected and bestowed for its assistance in England and other kingdoms of Christen- dom, by authority of our predecessor Pope Gregory, of pious memory, we now, urged by necessity, resort with confidence to your affectionate devotion, and, by the advice of our brethren, ask and warn, and by these apostolic letters com- mand, your conmiunity, out of your filial affection, to con- AJ>. 1244.] MESSENOEBS ABRIYB FBOM THS ESIPEBOB. 10^ aider, as becomes you, the urgency of the necesnty and the heaviness of the burden by which the Roman church, your spiritual mother, is severely oppressed, afflicted, and almost overwhelmed ; to have due compassion towards her in this matter ; and, for the payment of the aforesaid debts, to assist us and the said see with such a sum of money as, and in the manner whidi, our well-beloved son Master Martin^ derk of our chamber and the bearer of these presents, shall think right to express and declare on our behalf We also oommand you to assign the money contributed by you to the said Master Martin, or to his messengers, within the period which he shall fix on for your so doing ; and so to fulfil our commands, that we may have good reason to commend jour devotion, and may not be compelled to have recourse to other means in this matter. Given at the Lateran, the seventh of January, in the first year of our pontificate." When this was published at London, and was well imder- stood by all the prelates, and abbats in particular, the latter refused to give a reply by themselves alone, but in conjuno- tion with others ; for a letter had been written to them in the same style. They therefore held a careful deliberatum on the matter, and, giving vent to their complaints amongst themselves, said, " We are placed in a difficulty ; our kmg and patron, the founder and renovator of many of our churches, is helpless, and asks assistance firom us for the defence and protection of the kingdom, that is, for the common weal ; and the pope also asks the same, on the king^s behalf : this is a double petition, and equally valid «nd effective on both sides. And now another and an unex- pected demand on the part of the pope comes upon us. The first, as it is doubly supported, preponderates, and is more worthy to be fevourably acceded to. Prom the king^s libe rality we may expect some remuneration ; from the pope, none. We are assailed and harassed on either side ; on the one we are oppressed, and on the other we are bound, and are bruised, as it were between the hammer and the anvil, and are ground as between two millstones." Meuengert from the emperor forbid the Emglith to gwe thit eoutridution to the pope. Whilst such events were in the course of occurrence, not 16 MATTHEW PAKIS. [A.D. 1244. without causing bitter anxiety in the blood-stained hearts of many, and had reached the knowledge of all the nobles, a murmur arose amongst the people, and, not knowing what to do, they all resorted to the prelates, in order that they might adopt the same plan in all things ; for this matter concerned the general wel&re of the kingdom. On a sud- den, however, Master Walter de Ocra and some other special messengers from the emperor, arrived at London, and going at once to the coxmcil, produced a letter from their lord, which was, notwithstanding the disapprobation ^uid grumbling of Master Martin, read throughout in the presence of the king and the whole coxmcil. In this letter the emperor cleared himself from the charge of contumacy, by which the pope had defamed his character, and declared that he would obey ^justice with all humility, and would stand by the commands of the Church, and give satisfaction to it. To the truth of this assertion, also, the emperor of Constantinople and the count of Toulouse bore evidence by letters imder their seals, which were there publicly produced. In justification of himself, too, the emperor Frederick declared, both in these letters and by the mouth of his messengers, who repeated the same, that the pope imperiously required to be made seised of certain cities, castles, and lands, with respect to which it was not yet clear whether they belonged to the empire or to the Church, and also demanded the liberation of some persons whom he, the emperor, detained prisoners, as being traitors to himself; and this, too, even before he should himself be absolved from excommunication. Fearing, therefore, as he said, that he would be ensnared in the pope's toils, he submitted himself to the opinion and decision of the kings of France and England and the barons of their two countries ; for he stated that his genuine humi- lity could never be attended to or properly appreciated by the pope — and of this he complained bitterly to all. At the end of the letter the emperor added a message with some- thing like a threat, that all money sent to the pope's assist- ance would be added to the imperial treasury. He, therefore, by every means in his power, begged that the EngUsh would not contribute anything to his rival the pope, to his pre- judice. He also added, that if the king of England would abide by his counsels, he would by force, and justly, free A.D. 1244.] THE NOBLES CONSENT TO GIVE ASSISTANCE. 17 England from the tax which Pope Inno<%nt the Third had saddled on it, and would also rescue it from other burdens with which it was daily oppressed by the pope. By this, the emperor regained the affections of many ; for it was also insei'ted in the said letter, that if the king would not obey his, the emperor's orders, he would visit with heavy vengeance whatever subjects of his he found in his imperial dominions. HwD the nobles of England consented to gice pecuniary assistance. The nobles and prelates all assembled in council, at London, on the day appointed, namely three weeks from the day of the Purification of St. Mary, and held a cai*eful deliberation on the matters above mentioned. There were there present the proxies of some absent prelates, naim^y^of the arch- bishops t)f Canterbury and Tort, and of the three vacant episcopal sees, on behalf of the chapters of Coventiy, Chi- chester, and Norwich.* The king's request for pecuniary aid wa^ then renewed ; and conceniing this matterfthe king summoned them fix)m day to day, 'both in his own person and by special messengers, through whom he promised tliat he would preserve in their fullest force the liberties which he had at his coronation sworn to grant, and for which he had given a charter. And for their preservation, he asked that the bishops, each in his own diocese, would pronounce sentence of excommunication against him and all persons who shoidd in any point oppose the said liberties. At length, as they could in no way be bent to any other terms, they granted to the king, for the purpose of giving his eldest daughter in marriage, a scutage of twenty shillings from each knight's fee, from all who held possession in chief of the king, one portion of which was to be paid at Easter, and the other at Michaelmas. When the king was told to recall to memory these things, as well as past occurrences, he recollected how many times he had relentlessly made similar extortions from his faithful subjects, whom it was his duty to cherish — not to impove- rish, and that, too, without any fulfilment of his promises to them. After the capture of Bedford, a carucagef had * In tht original, Coventry occurs twice, which is evidently a mistake, f A tax on plough-land. VOL. II. O \'" ■» 18 MATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1244. been at once granted to bim from all England of two ahil- lings for each plough ; in the following year, the fifteenth part of all moveables had been granted to him ; again, when he was about to go into Brittany, he received a large sum of money from the prelates and religious men, from the bur- gesses, and Jews ; on his return from Brittany, he took a- scutage of three marks frt)m each scutcheon. After thi% the fortieth part of all moveable property was granted ta him ; and again, a thirtieth part. Again, when he gave his sister Isabella in marriage to the emperor, he received as a marriage portion for her, a carucage of two marks from each plough. On the birth (^ his son, he, to his great disgrace, shamelessly extorted by force many presents, which alto- gether amounted to a large sum of money. Again, when, going into Crascony, he received a large, indeed almost an endless, sum of money from the pelates, religious men, bur- gesses, and Jews, and from all whom he could scrape it together from. When he returned from Gascony inglo- liously, and a deceived man, he ordered the nobles and pre- lates to meet him at the sea-coast ; and after awaiting his arrival there a long time in vain, they received him, when he did come, with many and invaluable presents. The same was done by the London citizens^ and others ; and whoever was found not to have given a handsome present, was accused on some pretext or other, and puni^ed. And how the king will fulfil his promises and agreements, in return for this present contribution, and for all the others, He alone knows who is not ignorant of anything. The reply of the prelates to the demands of Master Martin, When Master Martin, the pope's messenger, learnt that the nobles of England had given a general consent to the contribution to the king, he became more eager to accom- plish the purpose for which he had been sent, and which was still remaining in a state of uncertainty ; namely, the procur- ing of assistance for the pope. Having therefore summoned them all together, he said to them : " Men, brothers, and lords, well-beloved sons of the Boman church, in whose bosom reposes all the papal hope, what answer do you give to your spiritual father in the matters of the Boman church, — your mother, oppressed as she is, as you are informed by the ▲.D. 1244.] BEPLY OF THE PBELATES. 19 letter of the pope f You have willingly obeyed your temporal fkther, that is, the king your lord, and Qod forbid that you ahould not put forth a hel^mig hand to your spiritual one, the pope, who rests his confidence on you, and is fighting, on behalf of the Church universal, against his rebellious children.** The prelates^ however, wisely considering that his speecheGf, although honeyed and softened for the occasion, sweeter than the honeycomb and softer than oil, were in the endmore bitter than gall and more piercing than anows^ were not to be turned from their purpose, but, after holding due deliberation, they appointed the dean of St Paul's^ at London, a discreet and doquent man, to give the answer they had agreed to in common, and through him returned the following answer io the aforesaid Master Martin : " Your grace, the com- munity of English prelates begs to reply to you, both with respect to the afiording of pecuniary aid to the pope, and also concerning the revenues which, through you, lus hohness demands from each of the churches, ^e matters which yon set forth to us concern our lord the king of England in particular, but all the patrons of churches in general They also concern the archbishops and their sufi&agans, as well as all the prelates of England. Inasmuch, therefore^ as the long is kept away by sickness, and the archbishopei, bishops, and other prelates of the churches, also are absent, we ou^t mot and cannot give a reply ; for if we should presume to do 80^ it would be to the prejudice of those preLates who are absent." After they haid thus spoken, John Marshall and other king's messengers, went to all the prelates who held baronies from the king in chief, and strictly forbade them to pledge their lay fee to the Boman church, as he, the king, would thereby be deprived of the service due to him. When Master Martin heard this, he appointed a day in the middle of Lent for those who were then present to meet him, and he himself, in the mean time, would procure the presence of the king and the absent prelates, in order to bring the business to a conclusion. They, however, without the con- sent of the king and the other prelates who were absent, refused to agree to the day fixed on, and all then returned home. Again, by the authority of new letters, of which Master Martin possessed an abundance to use at his pleasure, were some of the prelates convoked; but they not only c2 20 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1244. refused their consent to the contribution, but opposed it more strenuously than before,, and gave the same reply as before, saying : " In the first place, the poverty of the king- dom of England, over which the perils of war are hanging, does not allow us to consent to this exaction, which threatens the whole kingdom ; and on account of this poverty, several churches, and especially the monasteries, were burdened with heavy debts. Again, when lately a contribution was made at the demand of the cardinal legate, owing to the debts with which it is said the Boman church was burdened, it imposed a heavy burden on us, and nevertheless did not tend to the advantage of the Church, and now, when a simple messenger makes the demand, there is much stronger reason to fear that a similar, if not a worse result, will ensue on this occasion. Also, if a contribution is now again made, there will be grounds to fear that it will become a custom in consequence, as a thing twice done constitutes it a custom. Again, as it is believed— or at all events so reported — ^that the pope is in a short time about to hold a coimcil, at which the prelates will, one and all, without doubt, be burdened with expenses, as well by long journeys as by expensive toil, and also by making visitations, agreeable, or not agreeable, to the pope, or some others, whom we never found to reject any presents, it may happen that, owing to troubles being heaped upon troubles, there will be found but few who can endure such unbearable burdens. Again, as our mother, the holy church of Home, is burdened with debts, it would be just and honourable, as she cannot sustain that burden, for assistance to be granted to her by all her devoted children in common, who, it is believed, will meet in council in a short time. And what chiefly concerns all, should be approved of by all, in order that the Church may thus be the better relieved, and each of us singly may be the less burdened." When Master Martin heai*d these effectual arguments against any exaction of pecuniary aid from the churches and prebends so determinedly declared, he is said to have burst forth into violent threats against them ; the prelates, however, endui-ed this patiently, and, the council being dissolved, went away, adding also, at the , end of their discourse, that, if they contributed, they feared the threats of the emperor more. The treacherous Master Martin then clandestinely laid his A.D. 1244.] DEAD BODY FOUND AT LONDON. 21 greedy hands on the revenues of the vacant churches; amongst others, of the treasurership of the church of Salis- bury, which he caused to be given to a nephew of the pope, and he also seized on several others ; but of these takings and givings away, it is better, out of respect to the Koman church, to be silent, than to relate them for the purpose of exciting scandaL The dead body of a boy found at London. On the first of August, in this year, there was found, in the cemetery of St. Benedict, in the city of London, the unburied body of a boy, on whose legs aild arms, and under the chest, was an inscription written regularly in Hebrew characters. Many having assembled, wondering at this sight, not being able to read the inscription, but knowing that the letters were Hebrew, they sent for some converted Jews who inhabited the house which the king had founded at London, and ordered them, as they regarded their lives and limbs, out of their honour, affection, and fear of the king, to reveal the meaning of the writing without any prevarication ; for there were some of the king's bailiffs present, who were preservers of the peace. They also thought, and not without reason, that the Jews had, as a taunt and insult to Jesus Christ, either crucified this little boy (a circumstance stated to have often happened), or had tortured him in various ways previous to crucifying him, and, as he had died under their tortures, thinking him not worthy of a cross, had thrown his body where it was found. Besides, there appeared livid marks on the body, and the indentations made by rods, and manifest signs and traces of some other punishments. When the aforesaid converts were brought forth to read the inscriptions, they examined and endeavoured to read them for some time with- out effect ; for, owing to the extension and contraction of the skin and flesh, the letters were spread abroad here and there, and much disordered and defaced, and some not legible. At length, however, they discovered the name of the father and mother of the child written, but without the surname, and words to the effect that he had been sold to the Jews, but by whom, or for what purpose, they could not find out. Some of the Jews of London, who had drawn down suspicion on themselves in this matter, in the mean time suddenly and 22 HATTHSW PARIS. [A.D. 1344. dandefitinely took to flight, and never returned. Some aho asserted that the Lord wrought miracles in fikYOor of the boy j and it was discovered that the Jews had sometimes perpe- trated such crimes, and that the holy bodies, when crucified, had been received in their churches^ and had also become renowned by miracles ; so that, although the marks of the five wounds in the side, hands, and feet, were not "visible in the body of the said boy, yet the canons of St. Paul's hurried the body away and buried it, with the proper ceremonies, near the great altar in thdr church. New taints spring up m England, About the same time miracles were said to display them- selves, and the benefit of health to be restored to the sick, to the praise of Christ, at the tombs of Boger, bishop of London, of pious memory, and of Master John Foxtone, guardian of the church of that city ; as also at those of Master Bobert, the brother of !E)dmund, archbishop of Canterbuiy, and St. Bobert of Karrebrag.* Arrival of the count of FUmdere to auitt the king qfBngkmd, About the same time the count of Flanders landed at Dover, having come to assurt the king of England in his, design of malnng war on Scotland. His arrival excited great indignation and derision in the hearts of the English nobles, for, they said, England was capable of utterly uprooting Scot- land without hinL The said count brought with him sixty knights and a hundred retainers, well equipped with arms, and all of them eagerly gasping after the king's money. The count, together with his brother, the archbishop elect of Canterbury, proceeded to St. Alban's, where they were met by Master Waltar de Suffield, bishop elect of Norwich, who was at once confirmed in that see by the said archbishop elect. In this same year the Lady Blanche caused the church which she had foxmded at Pontoise to be dedicated. About the same time Master William de Burg, a benevo- lent and inoffensive man, and one of imstained reputation, was elected bishop of LlandafF. * Probably Carisbroke. The French translator reads Knaresborough. ▲.]>. 1244.] A DISPUTB ABI8BS. 33 Of the extraordinary extortioru qf Matter Martm, At this time imusaal extortions of money and revenues were practised by Master Martin, who was stajdng at the New Temple in London. Carrying himself like a legate (although not invested with the legate's robes, which was a cunning device to save the king's privilege), he sent word in all directions to such and such an abba^ such and such a prior, ordering them to send him costly presents of hand- some palfireysy meats and drinks, and ornamental dresses ; and when they had done so, Master Martin sent back to them what they had forwarded to him, declaring that they were insufficient, and ordered them to send more handsome gifts, trnder penalty of suspension and anathema ; he also suspended :all from the bestowal of benefices worth thirty marks and upwards until his cupidity should be satisfied. Hence the wretched FiUgliab suffered worse than the sons of Israel of old, and grieved that they were obliged to endure slavery in the £^pt of Britain. Of the dUpttte between the Englieh and Scotch hinge. In the course of the same year the king publicly issued a proclamation, and by a general summons caused it to be notified throughout all ^gland, that each baron who held in chief from the king, was to hold all his militaiy services which were due to the king, ready to be discharged on the royal mandate, and the bi^ops, abbats, and lay barons as welL He then set out with a numerous army towards New- castleon-Tyne, alleging, as his principal motive for so doin^ that Walter Gumming^ an illustrious and very powerful baron of Scotland, and some others of that kingdom, had jfortified two suspected castles in Galway and Lothian, to the prejudice of the king of England, and contrary to the charters of their ancestors ; also that the above-named noble had entered into a confederacy with the French, and had received some banished men and fugitive enemies of his ; for instance, GreoflBrey Marsh at this present time, and some others formerly ; thus, as it were, knowingly endeavouring to with- draw from him their allegiance, which was due to him alone. Having, therefore, assembled the whole eommunity of the nobles of England near the aforesaid castle, a council was held about the time of the Assumption of the Blessed Mary, 24 MATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1244. and a careful deliberation was entered into on the matter. At this council, by the management ot Earl Hichard, and by the wise and prudent intervention of some other nobles on both sides, terms were agreed on between the two kings ; for the king of Scotland, a good, upright, pious and liberal-minded man, was justly beloved by all the English, as well as his own people.^ He also had a very numerous and powerful army, consisting of a thouq^nd armed knights, well moimted, although not on Spanish or Italian, or other costly horses, and well protected by armour of steel or linen, and about a hundred thousand foot-soldiers, who were all of one mind, and who, having made* confession, and been encouraged by the consoling words of their preachers, that they were about to fight in a just cause on behalf of their country, had very little fear of death. In order, however, to prevent the blood of so many Christians being shed, and calling on the Lord for vengeance, and thereby giving offence to him into whose hands it is dreadlul to fell, peace was happily re-established, as the imderwritten charter testifies. About this time, namely on the day after the feast of St. Lawrence, the illustrious baron Richard de Stuteville died. , The Icing of 8cotland*s charier. " Aleocander, hy the grace of God, Jdng of Scotlcmd, to aU the faithful followers of Chriat who shall see or hear the con- tents of this instrument, greeting. — ^We would have you to know that we, on our own behalf, and on behalf of our heirs, have agreed and given our promise to our weU-beloved and liege lord, Henry the Third, by the grace of God, illustrious king of England, lord of Ireland, duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, and count of Anjou, and to his heirs, that we will for ever keep good faith with him, and observe due affection for him ; also that we will never, ourselves, or by means of any other persons on our behalf enter into any alliance with the enemies of our said lord the king of England or his heirs, either to bring about or to make war, whereby injury may or can in any way accrue to them or their kingdoms of England and Ireland, or to any other territories of theirs, unless they shall injure iis ; and that those agreements are to remain in their full force between us and our said lord the king of England, which we lately entered into at York, in the pre- A.D. 1244.] THE KING OF SCOTLAND'S CHARTEE. 25 sence of Otto, cardinal deacon of St. Nicholas in tlie Tulliaix prison, the then legate in England of the Apostolic See ; saving also the covenants made on the marriage being contracted between our son and the daughter of our said lord the king of England And that this our agreement and promise, on behalf of ourselves and our heirs, may be strengthened and confirmed, we have caiised our doorkeeper Alan, Henry Baliol, David Lindsay, and William Gif^rd, to swear, on our soul, that we will strictly and in good faith observe all the aforesaid conditions. We have also caused a like oath to be taken by the venerable fathers David, William, Greoffi:ey, and Clement, the bishops of St. Andrews, Glasgow, Dunkald, and Dumblane. We have also caused an oath to be taken by the following nobles, our feithful subjects, Patrick earl of Dunbar, Malcolm earl of Fife, Malise earl of Stratheam, Walter Comyn of Monteith, William earl of Mar, Alex- ander earl of Buchan, David Hastings earl of Athol, Eobert Bruce, Alan our doorkeeper, Henry Baliol, Eoger de Mow- bray, Laurence de Abrinthia, Bichard. Comyn, David Lind- say, Bichard Seward, William Lindsay, Walter of Moray, William Gifiard, Nicholas de Sully, William Oldbridge, Wil- liam Bevire, Aleome de Mesne, David Graham, and Bichard Smingham, who have all made oath to the following effect ;. namely, that if we or our heirs shall act contrary to the terms of the aforesaid a^freement and promise, which God forbid, they znd their heL wiU give no advice ov assistaace to us and our heirs contrary to the aforesaid agreement and promise, and, as far as they can prevent it, wiU not allow it to be afforded us by others ; but that they and their heirs will, with respect to us and our heirs, make it their business- to see that the aforesaid terms be strictly and faithfully ob- served by us and our heirs, and also by them and their heirs. In witness whereof we, as well as the aforesaid pre- lates, earls, and barons, have confirmed this writing by the affixing of our seals thereto. Witness the prelates, earls, and barons above mentioned Li the year of our reign,. &c. &c." To this were at once affixed the seals of Alexander, king of Scotland, William de Bevire, William Oldbridge, WiUiam Lindsay, and Stephen Smingham. The seals of the others were afterwards affixed The document was sent to the king of England at the following Christmas, in the 26 XATTHXW PABIS. [a.ix 1244. liands of the ponor of Tynemoath, who had diligently used his best endeayoors to effect this anangement, to the honour of both parties. This wilting, as well as the otiiers mentioned below, was, in order that it might be the better confirmed for ever, sent to the popet^ in a letter to the following effect: — TJkepcp^s conjirmation of ike mhove, ^^ To the most hofy father m Chriai Innocent, hy the grckoe of God supreme pont^l Alexander, by the eame grace, king of ScoiUmd, Earl Patrick, the earl of Stratheam, the earl of LevencUh, the earl of Anegria, the earl of Mera, the earl of Athoi, ^ earl of Roes, the earl ofCa/Uhnua, the earl of Bute, Bogert de Mowbrag, Laurence ofAlberinth, Peter de Mauvere, j^dutfrd CoTwyn, WUHam Oldbridge, Eobert Bruce, Roger Avend, Nichclas of SuUvng, WUUam Murray, of Dunfiild, William Muref, . . . cfPetene, JohnBieeett the younger^ WiUiam Lindsay, John de Vafux, Ikmd Lindsay, William Qiffbard, Duncan de ErgatHa, John de Matervdlle, omdAyhner his son Roger earl of Winchester, ff, earl of Oxford, W, de Vescy, Richard SenMurd, WHUam de Roos, Roger de Cloflre^ Henry, son of the ooumt de Britter, Eustace de SttUemUe, Mai- cohn earl of Fife, the earl of Menethshire, Walter FitaAkm, Walter Ohphard, Bernard Eraser, Henry Baliol, David Co" myn, David Ma^shoM, Devoid FitzRalph, William de FoT" there, John BaUol, and Robert de Roos, Health, and aU due respect and hom/ofwr, — ^We beg to inform your holiness, that we have made oath on our bodies, before the venerable &,ther Otto^ cardinal deacon of St. Nicholas in the TulHan prison, l^ate for the time being of the Apostolic See in England, Scotland, and Ireland, and have also made a charter, the commencement of which is as foDows : ' Ktuad aU present cmd to come, that it has been thus agreed in the presence of his grace Otto, ^c. icc^ Which charter, attested by our own handwriting, is left in the possession of his majesty the king of England. And also another charter, commencing, * We would hofce you aU to know, dec. &e^ Whereas from the terms of our aforesaid obligations it is binding upon us, we have submitted ourselves to your jurisdiction, in order that you may have power to restrain us and our heirs by the Church's censure, if we should at any time act in opposition jlb. 1244.} iKcuBnoars of the welsh. S7 to ike aforanad tenns of peace ; and if it at any time hap- pens that some of our subjects, or all or any one ot *themy should rashly presume to oontiiayene them, or attempt such presumption, or shall attempt to do so, whereas from this, se- rious peril would arise to our soul and those of our heirs, and Bo slight hann would accrue to our persons and property; we beg you, holy fiither, to give orders to some one of the suffra- gans of the archbishop of Canterbury, to compel us to the ob- servance of the aforesaid tenns of peace, as is more fully oontained in the instruments executed in that matter ; other- wise, to order whatever may be according to canonical rules with respect to the said terms of peace, checking gainsayers^ Jk, And for the fulfilment of this our petition we have to the present writing affixed our seals." When these arrange- ments were completed, the kings of England and Sootlaad became friends, and it is to be hoped, inseparable ones, with- out any pretence or quibbling contraitious speeches. King Henry then took leave of the king of Scotland, and went to the southern parts of England, and it was immediately thought that this army was to march against the Welsh, and the king of Scotland betook himself to the interior of his territories. At the departure of the king of England from Newcastle-on-Tyne, his army was reckoned to consist of «bout five thousand well-armed knights, besides a very nu- merous and powerful body of foot-soldiers. Of the ineuniom qftke Welsh, During all this time, the Welsh, swarming from their lurking-places, like bees, spread fire and slaughter, and un- ceasingly ravaged the coimtries adjoining their own ; the king, however, who was hastening on his return to London, woT^d not, although he heard of these excesses, turn out of his way and proceed there with the army he then had ready prepared ; but, following the woman's plan, he hurried to Westminster, to his usual retirement and pleasures, sending three himdred knights, under the command of Hubert Fitz Matthew, with the necessary money and supplies for the road, to check the insolence of the Welsh. Before, however, he reached London, the Welsh, assuming boldness because the king had dismissed his army, and was indulging in re- tirement, and had not, as they feared would be the case, 28 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1244. united the Scotch army with his own and attacked them, boldly assaulted the army of the English nobles on the borders, namely that belonging to the earl of Hereford, who had been the cause and fomenter of all the hatred and dis- cord, because he would not give his third sister, who was married to David, her third portion ; and they also attacked the army belonging to Balph and Mortimer, and after cutting two brave and noble knights to pieces, cutting oflf the head of a third, slajdng about one hundred foot-soldiers, and putting the whole English army into great confusion, they retreated agjdn to their hiding-pla<5es, rejoicing in their victory. The said Bobert on hearing of this, marched on the day after- wards against them, accompanied by three hundred knight» in his pay, thinking to surround the Welsh, and attack them in that condition ; but, being surprised by the enemy, he wa» defeated, and retreated, not without great loss of men and horses, to his own towns, and even there was hardly safe fix)m his enemies. How Peter f an archhuhop of Russia, was put to flight hy the Tartars, Whilst the die of fate was thus revolving the affairs of the world, a certain archbishop of Russia, named Peter, an honourable, devout, and trustworthy man, as far as could be judged, was driven from his territory and his archbishopric by the Tartars, and came into the Cisalpine provinces, to obtain advice and assistance, and comfort in his trouble, if, by the gift of God, the Roman church and the kind favour of the princes of those parts could assist him. On his being asked about the conduct of the Tartars, as far as he had experi- enced, he thus replied ; " I believe that they are the remains of .the Madianites, who fled from before the face of Gideon, to the most remote parts of the east and the north, and took refuge in that place of horror and vast solitude, which is called Etren." They had twelve leaders, the chief of whom was called Tartar Khan, and from him they derive the name of Tartars, though some say they are so called from Tarrachonta, from whom descended Chiarthan, who had three sons, the eldest named Thesir Khan, the second Churi Khan, and the third Bathatar Khan, who all, although they were bom and brought up amongst the most lofby, and, as it were, impenetrable moimtains, rude, lawless, and inhuman A.I>. 1244.] AN ARCHBISHOP OF RUSSIA PUT TO FLIGHT. 29 beings, and educated in cavems and dens/ after expelling lions and serpents therefrom, were, nevertheless, aroused to the allurements of the world. The &.ther and sons, there- fore, came forth from their solitudes, armed in their own way, and accompanied by countless hosts of warriors, and laying siege to a city called Emac, took possession of it, and seized the governor of the city, whom they immediately put to death, and his nephew Cutzeusa, who took to flight, they pursued through several provinces^ ravaging the territories of all who harboured him ; amongst others, about twenty- six years ago, they devastated a great part of Bussia ; where they became for a long time shepherds over the flocks they had carried off, and, after conquering the neighbouring shep- herds, they either dew them or reduced them to subjection to themselves. Thus they multiplied and became more powerful, and, appointing leaders amongst them, they aspired at higher things, and reduced cities to subjection to them, after conquering the inhabitants. Thesir Khan proceeded against the Babylonians ; Churi Khan against the Turks ; and Bathatar Khan remained at Emac, and sent his chiefs against Bussia^ Poland, Hungary, and several other kingdoms ; and three, with their numerous armies, are now presumptuously invading the neighbouring provinces of Syria. Twenty-four years, they say, have now elapsed since the time when they flrst came forth from the desert of Etren. The archbishop, when asked as to their mode of belief, replied, that they believed there was one ruler of the -world ; and when they sent a messenger to the Muscovites, they commenced it in these words, " God and his Son in heaven, and Chiar Khan on earth." As to their manner of living, he said, " they eat the flesh of horses, dogs, and other abominable meats, and, in times of necessity, even human flesh, not raw, however, but cooked ; they drink blood, water, and milk. They punish crimes severely ; and forni- cation, theft, lying, and murder with death ; they do not abominate polygamy, and each man has one or more wives ; they do not admit people of other nations to familiar inter- course with them, or to discuss matters of business, or to their secret councils ; they pitch their camp apart by them- selves, and if any foreigner dares to come to it, he is at once slain." With respect to their rites and superstitions, he 30 KATTHSW PABIS. [a.D. 1244* said, ^ Every morning they raise their hands towards heaven, worshipping their Creator ; when they take their meals, they throw the first morsel into the air ; and when aiboat to drink, they first pour a portion of the liquor on the ground, in worship of the (>eator. They say, also^ that they have John the Baptist for a leader, and they rejoice and observe solemnities at the time of the new moon. They are stronger and more nimble than we are, and better able to endure hardships, ms also are their horses, and flocks, and herds ; the women are warlike, and, above all, are very BkUful in the use of bows and arrows ; they wear armour made of hides, for their protection, whidi is scarcely pene- trable, and they use poisoned iron weapons of <^noe. They have a great variety of engincB, which hnri miasile. with great force, and straight to the mark. They take their rest in the open air, and care nothing for the inclemency of the weather. They have already enticed numbers of all nations and sects to them, and intend to subjugate the whole world ; and they say that it has been intimated to them firom heaven that they are to ravage ihe whole world for thirty-nine years ; asserting that the Divine vengeance for- merly purged the world by a deluge, and now it will be purified by a general depopulation and devastation, which, they themselves will put in execution. They think, and even say, that they will have a severe straggle with the Romans, and they call all the Latins Romans; they fisar the miracles wrought by the Ohurdi, and that sentence of future condemnation may be passed against them. They declare that, if they can conquer them, they will at once T)ecome lords over the whole world. They pay proper respect to treaties, in the cases of ihoae who voluntarily give themselves up to them and serve them, selecting the best soldiers from amongst them, whom, when they are fighting, they always station in front of them. In the same way, also, they retain amongst them the vanoos workmen. They show no mercy to those who rebel against them, reject the yoke of their domination, or oppose them in the field. They receive messengers with kindness, expe- dite their business, and send them back again.** The said archbishop was finally asked as to their method of crossing ■eas and rivers, to which he relied, that they cross rivess AJX 1241] BECONCIIIATIOK OF WIVCHESTEB. 31 on horaebacky or on skins made for that purpose ; and that in three places on the sea-ooast they build iJiips. He also nid that one of the said Tartars, named Kalaladin, son-in- law of Chiar Khan, who was discovered to have told a lie, was banished to Russia, his life having been spared hy the Tartar chiefs, out of kindness to his wife. A terrible meeeage/rom ike Teriare. In the same year, at the decline of summer^ the chief king of the Tartars twice sent a message by different messengers to the prince of Antioch, ordering him to obey lus widiea in three things, otherwise a bloody sword should wreak his vengeance on him. The first order was, that he was to destroy the walls of his cities and castles ; the second, that lie w&s to send him all the revenues in gold and silver pro- ceeding from his principality ; and the third, that he was to send him three thousand virgins. When the prince heard this message, he was overcome with grie^ and said, — '' As God lives, and as his saints live, I will never comply with any one of these demands : I would rathdt that we fought for our lives, and that this quarrel between us be determined in the sight of God." On this the messenger, after giving vent to threats, returned to their king. A like message was carried by the aforesaid Tartar messengers to the king of Armenia, and some other powerful Saracen sultans ; bat we do not know what message was sent in reply to their demands. 7%e chureh qf Wmeheeter beamut reconciled to ite bUkop. About this time, the bishop of 'Winchester took leave of the king of the French, and those who had opened the bosom of compassion to him in his exile, and, after returning thanks to them, being now sure of the king of England's favour, hastened to Winchester, to devote himself to the pastoral care of his desolate church, and to reform its disor- dered condition. The prior of that place, on hearing of his approach, made a virtue of necessity, although late, and bumbled himself to him on his arrival In the same way also, the others — seculars as well as monks — who, trusting too much to the king's protection, had been the disturbers of peace and disseminators of discord, now made atonement, 32 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1244. and turned their affections towards their bishop. And soon afterwards, on the day of the Decollation of St. John the Bap- tist, the sentence of interdict pronounced by the bishop on the church and city of Winchester, under which they had long lain, was withdrawn, and the inhabitants were freely absolved by form of law. The aforesaid prior, John de Cauz, however, though he was together with his colleagues absolved in the same way, was deposed, and some others with him, whom he, the said prior, had daringly installed as his officials and secular ^ xigents. The mayor of thiS city, who had given the gi-eatest offence, was subjected to a heavier atonement and punish- ment. On the 7th of November, Adam, bishop of Connor, died at WaredoKL, where he had been sometime abbat. In the octaves of Martinmas, the bishop of Lincoln set sail, in order to have a secret and careful deliberation with the pope, for the purpose of determining the injurious contention between him and his canons ; and soon afterwards the dean of that church, attended by some of the canons, set sail, for the purpose of defending his cause against the bishop. The consecration of Roger to the tee qf Bath. On the 11th of September, in this year. Master Roger, precentor of the church of Salisbury, a man of polite man- ners, and endowed with great knowledge in theological sub- jects, was, at Evading, consecrated to the see of Bath ; on the*revenues of which see, whilst vacant, the pope's clerk, Master Martin, relying on his holiness's authority, had laid liis greedy hands, for the purpose of bestowing them on some relation of the said pope. The arrival of the king of France at the chapter of Cistercians, As Michaelmas drew near, when the abbats of the Cistercian order, from the various provinces, assembled at their general chapter, as was their custom, the French king devoutly went tluther to ask the aid of the prayers of all the monks there assembled. He was accompanied by the noble Lady Blanche, his mother, who had obtained from the pope the privilege of being allowed to go into the religious houses of the Cistercian order, attended by twelve other A,D. 1244.] ARRIVAL OP THE KING OP FRANCE. 3 ose of releasing- the church of Canterbury, which they said (much to the injury of their predecessors, who had been at the head of that church, and had always governed it blamelessly) the preceding archbishops had almost irremediably burdened with debts. Boniface also obtained from the pope an extra- ordinaiy privUege, such as we never remember to have beea granted to any one before ; his brother Philip, too> who had devoted himself to arms in this matter, obtained at great, expense a privilege from the Boman court, giving him per- mission to hold the revenues which he had obtained ia. England, and also the produce of the bishopric of Valencia, as well as some other larger ones, which would then benefit him ; but of this the following narrative will elucidate the particulars. TAe queen of England gives birth to a son. On St. Marcellus's day. Queen Eleanor gave birth to a. son, who was, by the king's order, named Edmund. Death of the countess of Oxford, On the day of the Purification of St. Mary, the countess of Oxford, formerly Isabella de Belbec, departed this life, and was buried in the church of the Preacher brethren, at Oxford, of which she was the foundress. Death of Baldwin, earl of Devon, On the morrow of St. Valentine's day, died, in the prime of his youth, Baldwin, earl of Devon, commonly called " Dec JUD. 1245.] SLAUGHTER OF THREE HUNDRED WELSH. 45 L'isle," .whose death was an event to be lamented, even by his enemies, if he had any. The emperor t* again excommunicated in France, At the commencement of Lent, the pope ordered the emperor to be again excommunicated throughout the whole of France, on account of some fresh injuries done by him to his, the pope's, relations and some ecclesiastics. On this order being sent by his officials to a certain priest living at Paris, he felt great grief at its falling to his duty to excom- municate the emperor, whom, we do not know why, he had a regard for, and cursed the Roman court, of which he had had experience j he, therefore, on a feast-day, said, in public, to his parishioners, who were present in great numbers,— « Give ear, all of you ; I have received orders, with candles lighted, and beUs ringing, to issue a solemn sentence of excommuni- cation against the emperor Frederick ; of the reason for this I am ignorant ; but I am not ignorant of the serious con- troversy and unquenchable hatred that has arisen between him and the pope ; I am also aware that one has done harm to the other, but which is the offender against the other, I know not ; him, however, I, as far as my authority extends, excommimicate and denounce as excommunicated, who does wrong to the other, be it whichever of the two it may ; and I absolve the one who suffers under the injury, which is so injurious to the cause oi Christianity." These Ught words, pronounced jestingly, after the manner of the French, were soon in the mouths of many, and were wafted far and wide, till they at length came to the know- ledge of the emperor, who, after considering their probable effect, commended the said priest, and sent him some hand- some presents ; but the pope accused him of scurriHty and lightness of speech, and punished him. 2%e slaughter of three hundred Welsh. In this same Lent, three hundred Welsh and more were slain at Montgomery by the English under the command of the chastelain of the castle of that place, who had cunningly placed an ambuscade in their rear, and then, showing a semblance of alarm, retreated before the Welsh, when the English, who lay concealed, attacked them in the rear, and put them all to the sword. 46 MATTHEW PAEIS. [a.D. 1245^ The capture of Monthaut by the Welsh, In the same week, David, wishing to redeem his losses^ harassed the English by continued nightly incursions, and vigilantly employed himself in slaughter and rapine. But when the brave English knights on the borders came to oppose them with the borderers subject to them, the Welsh, as was their custom, flew to the crags and inaccessible parts of the mountains, to lie in ambuscade for their passing^ enemies. From the summits of rocks they hurled stones and weapons, wounding many of the English ; amongst others, one of the English nobles, named Herbert Eitz-Matthew, was overwhelmed by a mass of rock, which broke his neck and crushed him to death. To this same Herbert a wonderful occur- rence happened, worth being told and handed down in writing. After it had been agreed and determined by the English on the preceding day that they should on the morrow proceed in order of battle against David and his Welsh troops, the said Herbert was so disturbed in his sleep by dreams, or rather apparitions, that he awoke in a state of great fear and tremor, and continued restless and sleepless the whole of the rest of the night. Early in the morning he sent for a pnest, to whom he made full confession, and also fortified himself by partaking of the wholesome viaticum ; and when asked the reason for so doing, he, with a sigh, ad^essod his friends, as if with a forewarning spirit, and related to them the par- ticulars of his terrible dream, and at the same time said, " Many times have I indulged in the use of arms, and exposed myself to the dangers of war, but to-day, as I sincerely believe, my oft-repeated feats of arms will be brought to a final close." On hearing these words, his companions in arms, putting a good interpretation on everything, and declaring that very little fSdth ought to be put in dreams, took him away with them, in order that he, who had so often defeated his enemies, might not be accused of fear ; but on that same day, as they were passing through a narrow place, commonly called a pass, the before-mentioned calamity hap- pened, and he fell, overwhelmed by a mass of rock. The English were greatly grieved at this, and all the troops halted and buried his body with solemn rites. His death occurred on the morrow of the Purification of St. Mary. A.D. 1245.] A TREACHEROUS C0X7KCU. IS HELD. 47 Ofiht tmretched death of Herbert Fitz^Matthew, Other persons state that the said Herbert Fitz-Matthew fell iroTXL his horse, and whilst still alive the Welsh cam^ up and contended with one another as to whose captive he ought to be, for the sake of the ransom, and one of them, wishing to put an end to the strife, ran Herbert through Ids body from behind, saying, " Now, whoever chooses may take him." On the morrow he was found with his body pierced through, and with his hand placed on the wound, 8^, being naked, was only recognised amongst the other dead by an emerald ring. The Wel^ were much inspirited by this event, and indulged more daringly than usual in destroying their enemies, and frequently got the upper hand in their incursions. However, by an unexpected event, three hundred of the Welsh fell skin at Montgomery, o^ to an ambuscade being pkced ia their rear ; but David, and some of his companions, escaped and laid siege to the castle of Monthaut, which he took in a short time, and, after putting to death or bringing over to his own side, all whom he found there, enjoyed his triumph at his pleasure j but the lord of the castle, Boger de Mont- haut, they did not find there, because he had betaken him- self to a place of safety. From that time the war became a most bloody one, neither party showing any respect to sex, age, or rank, but involving all alike in one common, destruction. A treacherous council held by some of the cardinals. About this time, at the instance of the pope, but secretly,, some of the cardinals, who loved only money, with a semblance of great' friendship, sent a letter to the king, the purport of which was as follows : — " We beg, in a friendly way, to recommend a plan to you, which will be beneficial and honourable to yourself, and glorious and of no slight advantage to your kingdom ; that is, that by special mes- sengers you send a request to the pope that he will deign to honour with his presence the kingdom of England, in which he is known to have a special right ; and we will, as far as- lies in our power, second your entreaties and render him &vourable to your request, as we are desirous to promote the advantage of your kingdom. For it would be a most dis« tinguished honour to you, and to your immortal glory, lor the 48 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1245. pope, who is the father of all fathers, to appear in person during your time in the English territory ; a circumstance which is not remembered to have happened at any former time. "We remember, indeed, to have heard him say that it would give him pleasure to see the enjoyments of West- minster and the riches of London." "When this was made known to the king, he was delighted, and would easily have been bent to acquiesce in this treacherous plan, had he not been encouraged to oppose and to disagree to it by the advice of wise counsellors, who said, that the purity of England was already enough, indeed too much, defiled by the usuries of his Caursins, and by the robberies and simony practised by the Bomans and Italians, although he himself did not in person squander the property of the Church, and prey upon the good things of the kingdom. In the same way also he was denied admission to the kingdoms of France and Arragon, which he sent to ask for by special messengers ; for the evil name of the papal court, the stench of which exhaled its foul smoke even to the clouds, deserved that such a result should ensue. The pope convokes a general council at Lyons, About midlent of this same year, the pope's messengers came into England for the purpose of convoking a general council, and were the bearers of the following papal man- date : — " InnocerU, hisJwp, servant of tJie servants of God, to Ms well-beloved sons the abbats ami priors throtigJumt aU England, Health and the apostolic blessing. — The virtue and wisdom of God, to whose unspeakable majesty all things are subject, has, from the beginning of the world distinguished his Church by the splendour of his good works. And the singular privilege of power has rendered it thus remarkable, that, by its agency, justice may be brought to effect, the whirlwinds of wars be lulled to rest, and tranquillity be established through- out the whole world. And whilst we, who, although un- worthy, are appointed by divine providence to preside over the government of the Church in general, pay all due reve- rence to the pre-eminence of that dignified station, yet we become anxious at heart that the fierceness of the tem- pest by which the Church is disturbed and the Christian religion shaken to its foundations, should, with the fayouring A.D. 1245.] AN AGENT SENT TO THE EOMAN COURT. 49 affection of Heaven, be averted by the help of our arrange- ments. Hence we have determined to convoke the kings of the earth, the prelates of the churches, and other magnates of the world in general, in order that the Church itself may, by the wholesome counsel and beneficial aid of all true Christians, receive all due honour ; that assistance may be speedily afforded to the Holy Land in its deplorable peril, and to the afflicted Koman empire, and that we may find relief against the Tartars and other despisers of the taith and persecutors of the Christian people, as also to determine the matters in dispute between the Church and the emperor. We also beg of, and exhort you in your devotion, and by these apostolic letters command you, laying aside all pretexts and excuses, to appear in person in our presence at the next festival of St. John the Baptist, in order that the Church may conceive spiritual joy by the honour of your visitation and profitable coimsel from our industry. We also have to inform you that we have, in our preaching, cited the afore- said emperor to appear in person, or by his messengers, at the council about to be held, there to answer to us and to others who may set forth anything against him, and to give proper satisfaction for the same. And with regard to a moderate number of attendants and conveyances when you come thereto, exercise such prudence as will prevent your churches from being too much burdened with expense. Given at Lyons, this thirtieth of January, in the second year of our pontificate." How the king of England sent an agent to the Roman court. About this time the king suffered what appeared to him and his friends an enormous injury, inasmuch as several bishops were created without his consent ; he, therefore, in order to complain of this, and to prosecute hLs claim, which he had obtained, and which was established in times of old, sent Master Laurence, of St. Martin's, his clerk, a circum- spect man, and one skilled in the law, as his agent to the court of E/Ome for that purpose, and, at the same time, to expedite some other difficult business concerning the king and the kingdom. His chief business, however, was con- nected with the affair of Robert Passlow, bishop elect of Chichester, whose election was, without the king's being con- VOL. II. E 50 KATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1245. suited on the matter, so precipitately annulled at the chapter of Chichester in the very middle of the kingdom, and the said Robert deposed by Bomface, archbiBhop elect of Canterbury, whom he, the king, had lately summoned into his kingdom, and promoted to such a high station, not without great murmuring and discontent being excited amongst a great many people. The king would deservedly have had no slight &vour to his side of the question, but, because he had so often, by cunning arguments and firivolous pretexts, rejected several proper men, especially religious men, whom he was bound rather to promote and to protect, as the holy kinga had done of old, a remedy for such a great evil was obtained, which was that, without the knowledge of him who designed so much evil, or even if he opposed it, provision sHonld be^ made for the widowed churches, over which fit and proper persons should be set as soon as possible, that the Lord's fiock might no longer be injured ; which seemed consonant to reason. The nobles, however, grieved over these disturbances, and at the ruin of the kingdom, more than at the king's troubles. Excutes made by the king for tomeprelatet not going to the council. When the general summons to attend the council reached the ear of the prelates, numbers of them made preparations tor the journey. Some, however, who were attending to the king's business, and others who were sick or old, excused themselves from attending, either through the king,' or by sending competent proxies. To the king, who had with all humility begged leave of absence for some of them from the^ pope, his holmess replied favourably as follows : — The pope's letter, " InnocerU, bishop, d:c. d;c., to hia loeH-bdoved son in Christ the illustrious king oj Englcmdj Health cmd the apostolic bene- diction.— Towards your person, as a devoted son of the Apostolic See, we feel a special paternal regard, and to your entreaties, as far as is compatible with our reverence to €rod, we give attentive ear, and grant a willing assent. Whereas you have, by our well-beloved Master Laurence, your appointed messenger to the Apostolic See, as also by your royal letters, humbly begged of us, that, as you purpose in A.l>. 1245.] SOME PBELAT^BS BEMAIN EXCUSED. 51 • tke approaching summer to proceed with an army to punish the pcifidy of some of your rebellious subjects, we should hold as excused from attending the council which we shall, with God's permission, hold, at the ensuing feast of St. John the Baptist's Nativity, our venerable brother the bishop of Carlisle, and oor beloved son the abbat of Westminster^ whom you wisely i^ypoint to take charge of your kingdom whilst you are absent on that expedition, and also our vene- ' rable brother the bishop of Llandaff, who has been deprived of all the wealth of lus bii^opric by the enemies of your majesty, and our well-beloved sons the abbat of St. Edmund's, who is suffering from gout, and the abbat of Waltham, who is broken down and worn out by old age ; we, in our earnest desire to promote the wel&xe and establish the peace of your kingdom, are ready to show all favour and grace to you, and, on your behalf to your friends, as &r as we can do so com- patibly with our duty to God, and therefore, by authority of these presents, grant your request, at the same time earnestly begging your majesty not to be offended at our not having thought proper to admit of your excuse on behalf of our Tenerable brother the archbishop of York, as mentioned in your royal letters aforesaid, and also urged on us by the aforesaid Master in your name ; for, as he is an honourable member of the church of God, we consider his presence as necessary to the aforesaid counciL Given at Lyons, this twentieth of May, in the second year of our pontificate." How some of the English prelates remained excused, and how the abbat of Peterborough, who was compelled to go to the Roman court, was accused and ill-treated. In the same way, also, some other English prelates, Y>ishops as well as abbats (amongst others the bishop of Ely and the abbat of St. Alban's) were prevented from attending the council by divers expressed reasons, and sent reasonable ex^ cuses, either that they were unwell, or old, or infirm, hf their agents, through whom they also sent their greetings to the pope and cardinals, as well as some handsome presents ; and, rendering them compliant by these means, they were allowed to remain at home. The abbat of Peterborough, however, a harmless man, who had received frcmi the pope a more special order than oth^s on this matter, went to the Koman court, and on his arrival there a heavy charge was E 2 52 MATTHEW PARIS, [a.D. 1245. made against him by Master Martin, the pope's clerk, who was residing in England ; namely, that he had revised to give up (as, indeed, he ought not to have done) to him, the said Master Martin, for the use of a relative of the pope, a certain church which he, the abbat, had given to a competent and proper person. When, therefore, the abbat appeared at the Koman court, the pope, or the friends of the pope through him, insultingly reproached him, and ordered him to be dis- graceftilly and irreverently turned out of his palace ; owing to which he never afterwards took comfort, but was, through grief, thrown into an incurable sickness, and in the same year went the way of all flesh, to the great loss of his church, which he had governed with great wisdom and prudence. J)€ath of Gilbert de Hunfrunville, About the same time, namely in the week of our Lord's Passion, died Gilbert de Hunfrunville, an illustrious baron, the governor and flower of the northern provinces of Eng- land, leaving a son, a child, as heir to his possessions. His governorship the king at once bestowed on Simon, earl of Leicester, which much annoyed Earl Richard, who was longing for the same. Death of Cardinal Geoffrey de Tume. Li this same year, too, died Cardinal Geoffrey de Tume, a most particular and useful friend of the pope, than whom no one was more renowned for his learning and morals. ^011^ Earl Richardf the French king^ and some othert, sent succour to the Holy Land. About the same time, the most imfavourable reports were frequently brought from the Holy Land, so much so, that it was feared that the whole country was exposed to danger ; therefore Earl Richard, with the munificence innate in him, sent a thousand pounds thither in aid of the country, through the Hospitallers. Also, in order to dry up the tears from the cheeks of our mother the Church, who was weeping over her children lately slain, the French king, and the Templars and Hospitallers, sent thither in all haste some newly-created laiights, and a body of troops, together with a large sum of money, for the consolation and assistance of those dwelling there, who were enduring daily attacks from the Choros- A.D. 1245.] A GUARD SET OVER THE PORTS. 53 mins and other infidels. The French king also procured the presence of an eloquent legate and discreet preacher in France, to preach a crusade thither. The watchfulness of Master Martin in collecting revenues. The oft-mentioned Master Martin, the pope's clerk, was in the mean time most watchfully and unceasingly busying himself in collecting revenues in any way he pleased for the use of the pope, and in bestowing them on the pope's rela- tives. But of his daring and injurious rapacity, I think it more honourable and safer, out of respect to the holy church of Rome, to be silent, than to offend the ears of my audi- tors, and to disturb the minds of Christians by the relation of such things. The revenues of the treasury of Salisbiiry, with many others, as above mentioned, were seized on by force, and were especially taken from religious men. Procu- rations and presents were required to be sent to him imme- diately, and those who refused compliance were severely punished. The king, too, favoured his cause, and protected him against all parties, perhaps from a hope of remunera- tion ; and thus the condition of the kingdom became most wretched. How a guard was set over the ports to prevent the pope* s couriers from entering the kingdom. In this most critical state of the kingdom of England, an order was given by some of the nobles, who lamented and compassionated the manifold and ceaseless oppression and pillage of the kingdom, that all the seaports should be diligently and closely watched, in order that the pope's letters, which were daily brought to England to extort money, might be seized on. It happened about this time, that one of the pope's messengers arrived, and landed at Dover, laden with letters for this purpose, imder the pope's bull; and the governor of that port, and the provost of the town, immediately seized him, as they had been ordered, and after taking from him all his bulled letters and others, which contained many abominations in the shape of divers pretexts for extorting money, imprisoned the messenger himself in Dover Castle. When Master Martin heard of this, he went to the king to make a com- plaint to him of this proceeding \ the king at once denied 5i HATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1245. that he was the instigator of it, and, to the injury of the kingdom and detriment of his own honour, he ordered the messenger to be liberated, and the letters to be forcibly taken from the mayor of Dover, and presented to Master Martin, lor him to rejoice at pleasure in the effects produced by some of them. The pope* » chmnier bwnt. In Rogation week, as a sad presage, a chamber of the pope's house at Lyons, which was his private room, that is, his wardrobe, was biSnt, with everything in it;^d some evil interpreters of things declared that it was set on fire purposely, in order that the pope might by this have a pre- text for asking and extorting money from the prelates, who were coming to the coimcil. The £u:e, however, raged more extensively than was expected, and some things which were held in particular estimation by him were burnt, and a state- ment went the round of many people, that that detestable charter, concerning the English tribute, which was made in the time of King John, of lamentable memory, was reduced to ashes by this same foe. How the pope was opposed by the canons of Lyons in his endeasfoure to invade certain vacant prebends. About the same time, the pope wishing, without consult- ing the chapter, to intrude some foreigners, relatives or friends of his, into certain vacant prebends of the church of Lyons, the canons of that church opposed him to his face, and threateningly declared on their oaths, that if any such persons made their appearance in Lyons, neither the arch- bishop nor the canons would be able to protect them from being thrown into the Bhone ; therefore, those who had been about to accept the benefices did not appear there any more. About the same time, a certain doorkeeper of the pope's, more radely and saucily than he ought, refused admission to one of the citizens of Lyons, who asked it with humility and civilly, on which the citizen, becoming angry and indignant, cut the doorkeeper's hand completely off The wounded man at once laid a serious complaint before the pope, showing at the same time his mutilated arm, whereupon his holiness demanded vengeance, according to the law of the city ; which Peter de Savoy, the guardian of the A.D. 1245.] MESSENGERS SENT TO THE COUNaL. 55 peace of the Church, managed in some sort of way or other, so that the pope's honour was, at least superficially, healed. About this time, too, Master Elijah, of Durham, a canon of Salisbury, died, and on his vacant 1-evenues Master Martin at once laid his rapacious hands lor the pope*s use. How ike king conferred the honour ofkmghihood on Richard de Clare at London, On Whitsunday, the king kept that festival with great splen- dour at London, where he conferred the honour of knight- hood on Eichard de Clare, now an earl, in the presence of about forty young nobles ; the new knight therefore cele- brated and consummated his initiation with great rejoicings amongst his fellow-knights. The king, at the same time, instituted a diligent inquiry throughout all the counties as to the amount of revenues received by Romans, and as to the number of Italians whom the Roman court had fiuudulently and by force enriched in England. These revenues were found to amount annually to sixty thousand marks, a sum more than equal to the annual revenue of the whole of England ; wherefore the king, late as it now was, was aroused to astonishment, and provoked, not without good cause, to anger. About this time, also, the abbat of Clugny gave the pope thirty good and handsome palfreys, suitably accoutred, with the same number of beasts of burden, which we call " sump- ter-horses," and these also equipped as became them. How messengers were sent by the community of England in general to the council. Then, indeed, although late, the king began to reflect somewhat, and was struck with abhorrence at the insatiable cupidity of the Roman court, and at the injurious seizures and unlawful robberies perpetrated by it on the Church, and, indeed, on the whole kingdom. An effective letter was, therefore, prepared by the community of the kingdom in general, in which was contained and set forth, as the follow- ing narrative will show, an account of the execrable extor- tions of the pope, and the manifold exactions of his legates and certain clerks invested with unheard-of powers. With this letter, then, some noble and discreet men were sent to 56 MATTHEW PXRIS. [A.D. 1245L the council, to lay before it a heavy complaint of these mat- ters, and especially of the exaction of the tribute, to -vrhich the general community of England had never consented, and to beg for relief for the kingdom of England from such insupportable burdens. For this purpose were chosen, in the name of the community of the kingdom of England at large, and sent to the council at Lyons, Earl Roger Bigod, John Fitz-Geoffirey, William de Cantelupe, Philip Bassett, Balph Fitz-Nicholas, and Master William de Poweric, a clerk. How Master Martin departed from England in alarm. About this time, the king having, prohibited some tourna- ments from being held by some persons assembled at Luton and Dunstable, whose designs were malicious, on account, as he said, of their danger, Fulk Fitz- Warren, on behalf of the general community of the kingdom, was sent, on the morrow of the feast of the apostles Peter and Paul, to Master Martin, the offc-mentioned pope's clerk, who was staying at the New Temple at London. On coming into his presence, the said Fulk, eyeing the clerk with a scowling brow, thus addressed him : — " Depart, and leave England immediately." Master Martin then asked him, — " Who orders me to do so ? Do you do this on your own authority ?" To which, Fulk replied, — '' You are ordered to do so, through me, by the community of armed knights, who lately met at Luton and Dunstable ; and if you listen to prudent counsel, you will not stay here till the third day from this time, lest you and all your companions be cut to pieces." On the said Fulk's departing in anger, after heaping threat upon threat with a terrible oath, Master Martin immediately went, breathless with alarm, to the king, and said to him, — " My lord, I have just heard such and such things j is this done by your authority, or is it by the audacity of your subjects'?" To this the king replied, — "I declare that I am not the author of this proceeding ; but my barons can scarcely restrain themselves from rising against me, because I have hitherto tolerated the depreda- tions and injuries committed by you in this kingdom on them, and which exceed all measure and justice ; and with difficulty have I hitherto prevented them in their fury from attacking you, and tearing you limb fr'om limb." With a trembling and a low voice, Master Martin then said,-—" I, A.D. 1245.] MASTER MARTIN DEPARTS IN ALARM. 57 therefore, ask your majesty, out of your love to God and reverence for the pope, to allow me a free exit, and to per- mit me to depart in safety under your conduct." To which request the king, who was much excited, and provoked to anger, replied, — " May the devil take you, and carry you to hell, and through it." When the nobles, who sat round, had appeased the king's anger, he ordered Robert Norris, seneschal of his palace, to conduct Master Martin in safety to the sea-coast. Master Martin, therefore, set out on his journey, and kept close by the side of his guide, Robert, and whenever he saw any persons riding or parsing by them, he was seized with such fear and trembling, that! if the e^rth had opened, he would have hidden himself xmder the turf. As they were proceeding on their way, they came to the borders of a wood which the archbishop elect of Canterbury had offered for sale, and where some coimtrymen had assem- bled to choose out the trees they wished to buy ; at sight of whom. Master Martin said in alarm to Robert, his guide, *^ Alas ! alas ! what I feared has come to pass : see, they are about to attack us. My lord and friend, Robert, have you any son, nephew, relation, or friend, whom you desire to be benefited with an ecclesiastical revenue ? I am ready to grant any request you may make. Behold, they are lying in wait to taie my life : protect me xmder the shadow of your wings." Robert replied, — " God forbid that any one of my relations should, through my means, be thus admitted to an ecclesiastical benefice : I do not know who they are ; but do ydu await me here, and I will hasten to them, that, if they be evil-disposed persons, I may check any rashness on their part, by showing them the king's warrant." When, therefore, he came up to them and learned the truth, he soon returned to Master Martin ; but in order to impose upon him, he said, — " It was with difficulty I checked their fury, and prevented them from tearing you to pieces ; but now let us walk stealthily and cautiously, lest anything worse happen to you ; but when you set sail, you will, if you are wise, never return, lest you should fall into the hands of those who seek your life." From that time. Master Martin did not spare the sides of his horse, but made all haste to the sea-coast, reproaching his conductor for delay ; and on his arrival at Dover he at once embarked, and by ^8 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1245. bis departure rejoiced the hearts of many. But to the efiect that the force of this virulent plague might not entirely cease, he gave authority to one Master Philip still to exercise all the powers granted to himself in the extortion of revenues, and thus he left his foul traces behind him. Thus much I have saidy that every one may know how timid these gapers after money «te, when wounded in their own consciences. These things soon reached the ears iy£ numbers of Italians who were fattening on the ridiest revenues in England, on which they at onoe disappeared, and sought concealment in out-of-the-way places. MJaaij of the Caursins, too, who had till now been spreading ihe deadly poison of their usuries amongst the western provinces, which were ignorant of these proceedings, now secretly took iheic departure. How Geoffrey Marsh died in exile and poverty, a banished man. About this time, Geoffrey Marsh, a man who had been formerly a noble, and not the least one amongst the mag- nates of Ireland, who had incurred an indelible stain by the treacherous murder of Earl Eichard Marshal, and who was now an exile, and a wretched and proscribed man, having been expelled from Scotland, banished from England, and disinherited in Ireland, after the ignominious death of his son and the loss of all his friends, was himself taken from amongst us; thus finally ending so many deaths by his own« Master Martin complains to the pope. Master Martin in the mean time had come to the f>ope, and given him a fiill account of all the events above described ; at hearing which, his holiness ground his teeth, and broke into a violent rage. And recollecting that the kings of France and Arragon had reftised him ingress into their territories, and also that the king of England would not suffer him to go to England, but also, what was worse, had cursed his messenger, and ignominously expelled him from England ; he said in a voice which shrieked with vehement rage, and with a scowling brow, and wrinkling his nostrils, " It is expedient for us to make terms with your prince, in order to crush these petty princes, who are kicking against us ; for when the dragon is crushed or pacified, the little serpents \rill be easily trodden under-foot." This saying was 4-X). 1245.] THE BISHOP OF COTiarrilY RESIGNS HIS CLAIM. 59 soon published abroad, and caused great indignation in the hearts of nmny. i The king of England prepares for an expedition into Wales. ^ Y Just before the oomm^acement of July, the king, by his royal letters, summoned and convoked all the earls, barons, knights, and other norbles of England, who owed him mili- tary service, to follow him into Wales, whither he was about to set out, being unable as well as unwilling any longer patiently to endure the sadden incursioiis and outbreaks of the Welsh ; at the same time, he made preparations himself to join the expedition to invade their territories, attended by a large body o[ knights. He therefore came to St. Paul's chuvdb, at London, to take leave of the citizens of London, and all who might be ass^nbled th^e. How WUliamy bishop elect qf Coventry, rmgned his claim. In these days, whilst the revdhrtion of time was dragging with it the revolution of events, William de MontpeOier, a monk and preoentor of Coventry, a good man, without &uit or ambition, had been elected to the see of Oovmi- try ; but Master William of Drouhedale, who had been his zealous advocate in England, now dying; the king would not accept his appointment, and Master Laurence, of whom we have before spok^ continually opposed him, and laid accu- sations at his door; the canons of Lichfield also took a hostile part against him ; and he, perceiving that the house of Coventry was suffering for his election, was bitterly jmeved that ever he had been elected at all Li this strait, he went to.the pope, and, intenninglmg his words with sighs! said, — " Holy father, I am attacked on all sides, and totally upset. The king of England with his councillors impugns my innocence in a great degree, aud God knows I have never deserved such persecution; and even if I were to obtain the dignity to which I have been duly elected, I should never enjoy peace in England. I therefore nesign ' everything into your hands : Grod forbid that I should any longer be a source of loss and disturbance to my church. Your paternal care must watch over that church whilst deprived of that of a pastor." The pope agreeing to this, the bishop elect took his departure, as if relieved of a heavy 60 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1245. load. Those who sincerely desired the salvation of the king of England's soul were grieved to see this, greatljr fearing that imminent peril would accrue to themselves as well as to the kingdom, on this account as on many others, because he had taken a strong part in the matter. Election qf Roger de Weseham, dean o/IAncolny to the see of Chester, When this became known, Master Robert de Weseham, dean of Lincoln, a man distinguished for his morale and learning, was, chiefly at the instance of the bishop of Lincoln, elected and appointed bishop of Chester, or Coven- try, in the stead of the said William de Montpellier (who, as was stated, had voluntarily resigned his claim) ; this was done without asking the king's consent, in order that he might not, by cavilling pretexts and excuses, as was his custom, impugn or impede this election, to the injury of his soul and the prejudice of his good name. The bishop of Lincoln, then, having obtained the accomplishment of his wishes in this, entirely sequestered and alienated the church of Aylesbury,, which he had long wished to do, from the deanery of Lincoln (because he believed that the dean would, owing to the rich condition of that church, assume boldness and kick against him, the bishop), and at once gave it to Master Robert Marsh ; not, however, without great prejudice and injury to his church, as was evident to many, since it was known to have been united to the deanery of Lincoln from time immemorial. 0/ the consecration^ at Lyons^ of Boniface of Provence to the arch- bishopric of Canterbury i ofR. de Witz to the bishopric of Chichester ^ and ofR. de Weseham to that of Chester. In the course of this year, Boniface, a Proven9al by birth, was consecrated archbishop of Canterbury by the pope at LyomJ This Boniface wa* a maa distinguished more by his family than his learning, a man more to be feared in temporal than spiritual warfere, and was promoted to this dignity (would that it had been a fortunate promotion) by the influ- ence of the king of England and his own niece, the queen. "His brother, Philip Bal, bishop elect of Valencia, was at this same time promoted to the possession of the archbishopric of Lyons, the prior yielding to this for reasons to be stated. He obtained this great dispensation from the pope on these con- A.D. 124:5.J ADDITION TO THE KING'S TREASURY. 61 ditions.; namely, that he was to retain the powers of this archbishopric, with all its advantages, and the pope was to receive the revenues of his bishopric of Valencia, as also some other rich ones, which he had held in England and Flanders (which, as was evident, was done more for secular reasons than spiritual ones), and he should be freely allowed to con- vert them to .his own use, and should also hold possession of the provostship of Bruges. This man, therefore, of hand- some person, well skiUed in the use of arms, and fettened on abundant revenues, was, at the council held at Lyons, made, as it were, the chief of the papal chivalry, and a powerftd guardian of the peace ; and the chief reason for this was, that he was distinguished by his nobility of birth. There were also two other prelates consecrated by the pope at Lyons ; namely. Master Richard de Witz to the see of Ghichester, and Master Robert de Weseham, dean of Lincoln, to that of Chester ; both of them men of learning and good morals. Nothing was omitted in the way of appeal by the king's agent, who perseveringly exclaimed against this proceeding, because the king's assent was not asked for in the matter of their promotion ; he was, however, told to his face, that as the kmg abused the high office and privilege granted to him, he had rendered himself unworthy of enjo3^g thi^ honour. Thus, owing to the sins of the king, his own dig- nity as well as that of the kingdom was tottering ; but when these things came to his knowledge, he ordered the property belonging to the two bishoprics of Chichester and Chester to be confiscated. Of the addition to the king* 8 treasury by the inquitition of the forests. Meanwhile the king's clerk, Robert Passlow, with his colleagues, was diligently busying himself for the king's emolument ; carrying off the small substance of the poor and increasing the king's money, draining the little wells of the needy with the draw-bucket of his cupidity, in order that, by the drops of those in want, the sea of those living in abundance might be increased, he unceasingly went the circuit of the different provinces of England, discharging his duties ot justiciary, and especially where the forests aboimded and people dwelt on the borders of them. By a diligent scrutiny, ie examined into new occupations rashly made in the forests, 62 MATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1245. and any found guilty of so doing be burdened with a heavy pecuniary fine, so that he drove many from their dwellings and rendered them homeless and beggars. Amongst others, as we before stated, John de Neville was the subject of many, and being disgracefully convicted, was reduced from riches to poverty ; he, however, did not receive the pity or compassion of any one. For when he returned from the Holy Land same W yea« back, he, by cunningly-de^ and cLillmg pretexts, des^xjiled of their property all who were subject to him, and now deservedly feH into the same snares himself. The articles of the forfeiture will be found written in the Additamenta annexed to this work. How the king ordered the ehureh at Westnuntter io be enlarged at his oum enpeme. . In the same year the king, inspired by the devotion which he felt towards St. Edward, ordered the church ot St. Peter, at Westminster, to be enlarged. He therefore caused the old walls, with the tower on the eastern side, to be pulled down and new and handsome ones to be erected by clever architects at his own expense, and the remainder of the building on the western side to be altered to suit the other. The pope receives handsome preaente from several of the prelates. The pope now continued to make bitter complaints to his friends, that the Eoman church was almost irrecoverably oppressed, and borne down by debt ; this complaint was soon waited abroad by their means, and as on this occasion he gave it to be understood that he was in the greatest need of pecuniary aid, numbers of the prelates who abounded in the good things of this world, eager after more ample pos- sessions, came to him asking his favour, as that of a father, and lamenting his sufferings and perils, and now that he had escaped the emperor's toils, and had arrived amongst his devoted children, they eagerly hastened to congratulate him, and offered him the most costly presents, in the shape of horses, vessels, garments, gold and silver, and all kinds of useful ftimiture. Amongst these, the abbat of Clugny, not wishing to be the most backward, lest he should be considered idle, by impoverishing his church, and by oppressins: and des^oiHng iTpriories, presented su^h a la^e ^ of money to the pope, that it caused great wonder, and with good A.P. 1245.] TH£ POPE BEGEIYES PRESENTS. 63 reason, amongst all who heard of it ; and for this he was rewarded by being elevated to the dignity of bishop of Lan- gres. Indeed we learned from the narration of the prior of Westacre, who was formerly a monk of Clugny, that the aforesaid abbat gave the pope eighty handsome palfreys, most handsomely accoutred, and to each of the cardinals, of whom there were about twelve, he gave one palfrey, and one choice sompter^iorsa The pope, pr^erring that this said abbat should be his stable-keeper rather than any one else, ordered him to take good care, for his use, of the horses he had given him. The said abbat also gave the pope a large amount of treasure in ready money imd coetiy vessels. It is also stated that the abbat of Giteaux, fdlowing his example, urged on by filial devotion, and not wishing to be considered second to any one, offered juresents of no less value to his afflicted and needy feither, the pope. The archbishop of Bouen, too, desiring to please his hohness^ and that he might not be accused of being the most backward, involved him- self as well as his church in some heavy debts for this pur- pose, and increased the papal treasury by a no small sum of money. On hearing of these proceedings^ the abbat of Si, Jknaa, who was loi^ing and making interest for the archi- episcopal dignity, through extortion, and by cheating his church out ci many thousand pounds, which he charitably bestowed on the pope, was, as a reward, elevated to the archi- episcopal see of Eouen^ through the effectual interest of his. predecessor^ now a cardinal. The French king, who was the special manager and patron of the church of St. Denis, on hearing of the said abbat's proceedings, compelled him to beg tliis money in some other quarter. Thus these two persons, the abbat and the arehbidiop, left their foul track behind them to fly to loftier stations, and, by impoverishing the churches which they had undertaken the rule of, originated scandal throu^iout many kingdoms. Shortly afWwards the archbishop of Lyons, a tameless man, now verging on old age and infirmity, resigned aH his c^ces into the pope*s hands. Other prelates now, day by day, fiocked to the Boman court, vieing with one another in offering the most costly presents to the pope, which justly excited the astonish- ment of all who saw them, so that it was evident to many, and openly asserted by them, that the pope had come to Lyons 64 MATTHEW PAKIS. [a.D. 1245-. ■willingly, rather than for the purpose of fleeing jfrom any one. To all these presents the pope opened his receiving bosom, that no contempt or pride might appear in him, and he declared that he was in need of a great deal more, con- tinually putting forth good reasons for his necessity, since, according to his assertion (we know not whether it be true), the Roman church was indebted in the sum of more thaiTa hundred and fifty thousand pounds of sterling money, besides interest, which amounted nearly to as much as the principal debt. In the year of grace one thousand two hundred and fifteen, in the time of Pope Innocent the Third, a general council was held, at which it was decreed and committed to writing, that a general council ought, by right, only to be held once in fifty years, which is the period of a jubilee. In the year of the jubilee, or within the space of fifty years, a general council ought to be held, at which all abuses were to be reformed, and everything restored and confirmed in good order. Commencement of the proceedings at the council qf Lyons, When the sun's orbit traversed its course at a higher alti- tude, that is, about midsummer, there assembled at Ivyons, to hold this council, the venerable prelates from almost the whole extent of Christendom, or their competent proxies ; the proxies also of the emperor, and many other princes and others, attended in accordance with the pope's especial man- date. A great number of prelates who did not attend gave sufficient and lawful reasons for excusing themselves through their agents, whom they sent in their places ; some, for instance, of the kingdom of England, as has been more fully stated above, amongst whom the abbat of St. Alban's, who was a corpulent man and now verging on old age, sent reasonable excuses for his absence by a monk of his convent, named John de Bulum, and Master Roger de Holden, a clerk, and to the truth of his statements in this matter. Master Martin, who was at the time dwelling in England, gave this testimony, and thus he re- mained indemnified and peaceable, sending civil greetings to the pope by the said messengers of his. From the kingdom of Hungary, however, which had, to a great extent, been laid waste by the Tartars, none came. From Germany, AJD. 1245.] THB POPE INSTKUCTS THE COUXaJL G5 which was disturbed by a war with the emperor, but veiy few prelates could assemble ; and from the Holy Laud, which was exposed to great peril, no one at all could come to it, nor were they summoned. By chance, however, there came thither from the Holy . Land, one only, the bishop of Beyrout, the general messenger of the whole of Syria, and syndic of all the Christians in the Holy Land, who brought a lamentable account of the destruc- tion perpetrated, by God's permission, in that country. How the pope, on thejini day^ gave uuiructiont to the counciL When the pope saw that a great many of the prelates, although not all of them, were assembled, he, on the Mon- day next after the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, entered the refectory of the religious brethren of St. Just, at Lyons, attended by the cardinal brethren, the patriarchs, archbishops, bishops, and other prelates summoned to the council, and also by the proxies of the absent prelates and princes. There were there present, besides the cardinals, two patriarchs ; namely, he of Constantinople, who was also patriarch of Antioch, and he of Aquileia, who was also patriarch of Venice ; the emperor of Constantinople, the count of Tou- louse, and, as proxies from England, Earl Bigod with some of his fellow nobles, and a hundred and forty archbishops and bishops. The patriarch of Constantinople then set forth the condition and necessities of his church, declaring that he formerly had more than thirty su&agans under him, of whom there now remained but three. He added, moreover, that the Greeks and some other enemies to the Boman church had already taken forcible possessio9 of the whole empire of Bomania^ almost up to the gates of Constanti- nople ; that they obeyed the Boman church in nothing, but in their detestation of it opposed it by every hostile means in their power : that, owing to this, grief and confusion was impending over all Christians, as his said church was the first privileged one, and deserved to be more honoured than others. For, in the first place, it was a fiict, that St. Peter, in time of old, abode at Antioch (which city was subject to the empire or kingdom of the Greeks), and had put to con- f osion and flight therefrom Simon Magus and other here- tics. On this the pope preserved silence. Afterwards was VOL. II. P 66 HATtHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1241^* preached a true sermon, worthy of all aoceptatioti, conoem- ing the canonization of St. Edmund, formerly archbishop of Canterbury, whom the Lord had rendered famous by the most manifest miracles ; to the truth of which assertion, eight archbishops and about twenty bishops bore evidence, and earnestly begged that he should be canonized with greater solemnities at this council. To this, however, the pope was adverse, not by his own inclination, but urged thereto by the envious spirit of others, and replied, " Some arduous matters concerning the Church now press upon us, which do not admit of delay, therefore this matter ought to remain suspended for a time ; however, whilst we are alive, he shall never hereafter be doomed to neglect ; and we rejoice in the Lord, and give abundant thanks to him, that God and the whole world bear testimony to his holi- ness and virtues.'' There was also present at the ooonoil, as an agent from the emperor Frederick, Thaddeus de Sesaa^ a man of prudence and singular eloquence, a knight and doc- tor of law, and the judge of the imperial palace, who came to answer boldly as well as carefully for his lord. To make peace with the pope, and to re-establish their former Mend- ship, he confidently offered to recall the whole of Bomania^ that is, the empire of Greece, to the unity of the Roman church, and to oppose in person, as a Mthful soldier of Christ, the Tartars, Chorosmins, Saracens, and other enemies^ and despisers of the Church ; also that, as &r as he wbb able, he would, at hiB own expense and in person, re-esta- blish the condition of the Holy Land, now exposed to sueh great and imminent peril ; and at the same time restore to the Roman church the possessions he had taken from it, and also ^ve fiill satisfaction to it. In reply to all these offers, the ])ope exclaimed, " Oh, how many and what great promises, never and in no way frilfilled, or to be fulfilled. And now it id evident that these promises are made in order that, by deceiv- ing and breaking up the council, the axe, which is now laid at the root, may be turned aside by delay. Let him observe the ttirms of peace lately sworn to on his soul, according to the purport of his given oath, and I agree to his offers. But — Qoo teneam nodo mutantem fVotea VHltvs. [How bhall I bind thiis erer-ohangiiig Proteus i] A.I>. 1245.] PBOCEEDINaS OK THE FOURTH DAY. 67 If I were now to gzaat his request, and he should choose to retract from his agreement, who would be secnriiy for him to compel him, if he shrunk from the performance of his com- pact ?** On Thaddeus promising that the two kings of France and England would be security in this matter, the pope replied, ^^ We do not choose to accept of them ; for if he were at any future time to modify the bargain, or entirely annul it (and we expect no other result, from his haying frequently done so), we should be obliged to ani- madvert on them ; and the Church would have three enemie% who are exceeded by none— -indeed, without equals — in. secular power.** As the arguments of Thaddeus were no^ sufficient to answer this, and as there was not suffident time, he observed a melancholy silence. Qftke httd iMMt Jroim the Holy Land, which wot jprnbHthed m the eotmcii. Walleran, bishop of Beyrout, who had endured the trou- bles of a journey six months amidst the perils of the sea, and one by land, in order, as has been stated aboTe, to bring word of the calamities of the Holy Land^ and to ask counsel and assistance, now ordered Amulph, one of the Preadier brethren, publidy to read the letters which the nobles left in the Holy Land had sent to all the Christians of the West. Thieee letters have been inserted in a former part of this work ; and their mournful contents now excited all who heard them to tears, and not without good reason. The proceedings on the fourth day of the week. On the follo¥ring Wednesday, the pope, clad in his ponti- fical robes, entered the church of St. John^ attended by ail the other prelates above mentioned, also dreaaed in sock festive robes as pertained to eacL After an invocation of the Holy Spirit, followed by the Litany, and other prayers havkig been duly read, the pope preached * sermon, pre-< fiuong it with the following text : — " Oh, all ye who pass by the way, attend, and see if there is any grief like mjr grief." He then proceeded with an eloquent sermon, ift which he compared his five principal gnefs to the fiiii wounds of the Crucified One. One of these gcieh was the croelty of the inhuman Tartars^ who were devaaiaXvag Ohris- toudom ; another was the schism of the churdb of Tk^mania, p 2 68 MATTHEW PABIS. [jLD. 1245. that is, the Greek church, which had, in our times, only a few years back, been torn away from the bosom of its mother, as if she were a stepmother ; another grief was caused by the creeping in of new heresiies, namely, those of the Paterins, Bugarians, Jovinians, and other schismatic and erroneous sects, which "had by degrees polluted many cities of Christendom, and especially of Lombardy. Another cause of grief originated with the Holy Land, where the detestable Chorosmins had levelled to the ground and utterly destroyed the houses of the Templars and Hospi- tallers, the dty of Jerusalem, and many other Christian cities, and caused a great efiusion of Christian blood, even to a general massacre. And another grief was caused by the prince, that is, the emperor, who, although he was bound to be the chief manager of secular affairs and protector of the Church, was now become an active and powerful enemy of the Church of Christ, indeed its chief one, and an open opposer of its ministers. The pope then, proceeding with these subjects as far as seemed expedient^ wholesomely touched all his hearers with gne^ for their eyes poured forth abimdance of tears, and their sighs broke in on his discourse ; and at the conclusion of his sermon he set forth the enormities of the emperor Frederick, namely, heresy and sacrilege. Amongst other sins of his, he stated that he had built a new, large, and powerful city in Christendom, and peopled it with Saracens, using, or rather abusing, their customs and superstitions, and rejecting all Christian counsel and religion ; that he had con- tracted, as his holiness asserted, a £Eimiliar friendship with the sultan of Babylon and some other Saracen princes ; that he was distracted and led away by obscene allurements, and shamelessly polluted himself by connection with Saracen women, or rather harlots, indiscriminately. He imputed manifold acts of perjury to him, and that, without any regard to truth, he never kept his agreements, nor in any way fulfilled his promises ; concerning which accusations he, in order the more strongly to convince his hearers, showed many and manifold letters under the golden seal of the emperor, by which he clearly proved him guilty of perjury. Thaddeus then, rising imdismayed before the whole assembly, contradicted these words of the pope, and showed letters. A.I>. 1245.] PBOCEEDINGS ON THE FOURTH DAT. 69 under the pope's bull, in reply, which appeared flatly to con- tradict the ones previously shown by the pope. However, on a diligent inspection of the contents of the letters on both aides, which it would be too tedious to elucidate and demon- strate fully in this chapter, they did not positively contradict one another, as the pope's letters were conditional ones, and the emperor's were positive ; and the breach of &ith appeared to be on the part of the emperor, who, although he had positively promised everything, yet had never fulfilled anything according to his promises. To this Thaddeus strenuously endeavoured to reply by various arguments, ap- parently at least well grounded, in order to clear his lord the emperor from the cIuEU^'ges ; and showed other letters &om the pope in reply, declaring that what was contained in them had not been observed, and therefore that the emperor was not bound to abide by his promises. To the charge of heresy made against the emperor, he replied as follows, looking round on all present, as if addressing all : — *^ My lords, on this matter of accusation, which is a most serious one, no one can be fuUy convinced, unless the emperor himself were pre- sent, that what is locked up in the secret recesses of his own bosom might be elicited from his own mouth ; but that he is not a heretic a probable proof may be adduced ; for he does not allow any usurer to dwell in his empire or his realms ; thus throwing an accusation in the teeth of the Eoman court, which it is clear is much oppressed with this vice. In reply to the charge made against the emperor of holding a special and suspicious familiarity with the sultan of Babylon and some other Saracens, whom he allows to dwell in his territory, he declares that this was done voluntarily and from motives of prudence, to check the rebellious proceedings and insolence of certain people subject by right to him, and to quell sedition. In his expeditions he employs them, as he thmks that any misfortune which happens to them will not be lamented by any Christian, and by so doing also he spares the useless ef^- sion of Christian blood. He does not indulge in connection with Saracen harlots — ^who can prove it? but he amuses himself with the jests and certain performances of some, women, whom he has, however, now dismissed, never to return, because they became a source of suspicion." When Thaddeus had concluded his speech, he begged for some short 70 ICATTREW PARIS. [a.D. 1245. time of respite to be allowed him, that he might be able to send "woni to the empelnor, and to use effectual means to persuade him to oome in person to the oooncil, which ex- pected him, or else to grant him some fnrUier powers. To this the pope repBed, " God forbid ; I fear the snares which I have aheady had some difficulty to escape ; and if he comes, I will depart ; I do not wish for blood, and I do not feel myself fit or ready lor martyrdom, cnr finr imprisonment.** On tlie following day, however, at tiie instance of the proxies of the fVench and Engligh kings, who grieved for the peril and disgrace of such a great prince, and espedaHlj of the English Idi^'s proxies, owing to the relationship and the allmnce contracted between their lord and the emperor, a respite of a fortnight was granted to Hiaddeus, mttch to the injury c^ the many who were waiting at Jjpms, When these things were told to the emperor, he is reported to have said, in great trouble of mind, '^ I see as dear as the light that the pope is aiming with all his efforts at my degradation. He is stimu- lated by an eager desire and an itdui^ to revenge himself on IBB, because I caused his relatives, Genoese pirates, old and open enemies of the empire, to be seized at sea and im- prisoned, together with the prelates, who were their leaders and protectors. For it is evident that he has convoked the council for no other purpose ; and it is not becoming for the boly empire to abide by the decision of a synod, especially one hostile to it." When it came to the knowledge of the pope, and of the whole community assembled, that the emperor had spoken thus, and r^sed to attend to or abide by their decision, many withdrew their favour from him who had heretofore vied with one another in supporting him, the Bfiglish especially being greatly blamed for their taking his part. Most severely and most bitterly, then, was the emperor Frederick, in full council, accused by the inhabitants of the four quarters c^ the world as a contumacious rebel against the whole Church ; and one archbishop arose, and more earnestly than the rest accused him of the enormous crime of treason, in the matter of the seizure of the aforesaid prelates, and other heavy charges. On this, however, Thad- deus, who now stood almost alone, replied on the emperor's behalf, and, looking on his accuser, said, " No confidence is to be reposed in yon, and yet your words must not be passed iUD. 1245.] PBOCEEPINOS ON THE FQUBTH DAY. 71 bj in silence j for you are the son of a traitor, legally con- Tieted at the court of my lord the emperor, and hung ; and you, following his ^ps, endeavour to take after your father in everything.'' At this the accuser was silenoed, and dared not^ nor was he allowed, to utter another word. In the same manner, also, Master Thaddeus prudently but boldly contradicted and refuted the accusations of some others. The discourse waa^ however, taken up with renewed spirit by a great number of the relations and Mends of those who had been drowned or imprisoned, who reproached the emperor for the aforesaid seizure the more bitterly and the more boldly, as they saw that he was declining in favour ; to whom Thaddeus replied, '' My lord is truly sorry fbr that affiur* which happened by chance and contrary to his intentions ; but he could not, as may be well known, in a sudden and fierce engagement by sea, separate those prelates from his «nemiefl^ so as to preyent them from being indiscriminately involved with his enemies ; but if my lord the emperor had been there, be would have used his utmost efforts for their joreservation.'' To this the pope replied, '' After their seizure why did he not allow the innocent, although oppressed by maiiifold injuries^ to depart free, and retain only the others T Thaddeus replied, " It must be remembered that the form of the summons was altered, as well as of the meeting of the prelates summoned to the council held in the time of Pope Qxegoiry, and this alteration was for the worse; and the «mperor, unchangeable as his feelings are, was justly exaspe- rated. For that the pope, although he ought only to have con- voked those who were summoned, called together the open enemies of the empire, laymen, forsooth, supported by an armed band, and amongst them the count of Provence and others, as is plainly shown in the letter to the king of England, which we have given above. And it is clear that they were summoned, not on account of their wisdom, or for the pur- pose of arranging a peace, but rather to promote sedition. Thereupon, my lord the emperor sent letters to Englaud as well as to other countries, begging the prelates in a friendly way not to come to such a treacherous council, warning them beforehand, that, if they did come with the enemies of him- self and the empire, they would be attacked ; he also re- fiised tham safe transit through bis dominions, and civilly 72 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1245. forewarned tliem of the impending danger. Wherefore the Lord justly delivered them into the hands of him they had despised. Yet, angered as he was, he remembered mercy, and, softened by the counsels of his faithM advisers, wished to dismiss those prelates, and other unwarlike persons, in peace, when, lo ! *he bishop of Preneste, and some other saucy prelates, heaping threat upon threat, although prisoners^ hesitated not to excommunicate the emperor to his face, heedless of that salutary counsel, 'Humble yourselves to the hand of power.' Thus, fix)m being rebels they became harmless, and even imbecile, and, from being friends, enemies, and deserved imprisonment." The pope replied, " Your lord the emperor ought to have been convinced, unless he dis- trusted his own cause, that such a large assembly of such cood men would rather have released than bound him, if he deserved to be released ; but from hia proceedings it i;iainl7 appears that his conscience gnawed him, and the offence of which he was guilty wounded him." To this Thaddeus replied, " How could my lord expect, at the council where Pope Gregory, his chief enemy, presided, to find those fiivouriable to him who were confederated with his enemies, when he saw them kicking against him and threatening him when prisoners 1" The pope answered, "Although one, by rebuking him, had forfeited his favour, why did he involve the other innocent ones in the common calamity 1 Through his mani- fold deserts, his ignominious and complete deposition is imminent." When the English heard this, they cried out on behalf of his children, exclaiming against the Son's being made fco suffer for the iniquities of the father, and the whole river being contaminated owing to its spring. At the third sitting of the coimcil, Thaddeus appeared before it to answer and make an appeal on the emperor's behalf ; for he was grieved and alarmed at his peril, and especially because the daughter of the duke of Austria was either married or about to be immediately married to the emperor ; and if the danger of deposition, in addition to excommunication, were imj>end- ing over him, she would shun his embraces with abhorrence. But as he was not listened to when he began to plead various excuses on the emperor's behalf, he appealed to the next general council to be held ; for neither did all the prelates, nor their proxies, nor those of the princes, appear at the . A.D. 1245.] LETTER FROM THE COMMUNITY OP ENGLAND. 7S present on& To this appeal the pope replied, " The general conncil of the many patriarchs, archbishops, bishops, and other nobles from various parts of the world, who have all been waiting for your lord the emperor to humble himself, is fully satined : those who are absent are prevented from attencLg by becoming ensnared in the toik laid by your master. Therefore it is not proper for the sentence of depo- sition, which is to be pronoimced against him, to be any longer retarded, lest he should appear to gain advantage from his malice ; as deceit ought not to profit any one.'* The complaint made by agents of the community qf England at the council oj Lyons, When the before-named agents of the English community had taken their seats in the council, Master William do Poweric, their spokesman, rose, and, in the name ot the whole English community, made a serious complaint of the oppressions practised in that kingdom, setting them forth in an eloquent speech ; namely, that in time of war an inju- rious tribute had been extorted by the Koman court, to which the ancestors of the nobles of the kingdom had never consented, nor did they themselves now consent to it, neither would they for the ftiture ; for which they now asked justice and relief to be afforded them. To this demand the* pope answered not a word, nor did he even raise his eyes ; and, after a short silence, the said William gave an account of the manifold extortions of revenues in England practised by the Eoman court, at the same time showing the following letter : — Letter from the community of England on the extortions of the Roman court, " To the reverend fath&r in Christ Innocent, hy the grace of God, mpremie pontiff, the nobles amd the geineral coTivmunity of England, their cormnendation, and kisses to his blessed feet. — Our mother the Eoman church we regard and love with our whole heart, as we ought to do ; and with all possible affection we aim at the increase and advancement of its honour ; with it we ought to have a refuge at proper times, that the oppressive sorrow of the son may be alleviated by the consolation of the mother. And this comfort the mother is bound to afford to the son the more mildly and '74 MATTHEW PABI8. [a.D. 1245. easiljy as, in return for the nourishment of her maternal kindness, she requires the son's gratitude and devotion. The mother, indeed, cannot be ignorant of the gratitude whioh for many years past the kingdom of England has shown to her; granting proper and fruitful supplies for its own exalti^ tion^ and for its greater security, in order that by these measMs an alliance of affection may be more firmly established be- tween the Church and the said kingdom. This supply, in process of time, was called ' Peter's pence.' The said Ohurch, however, was not satisfied with assistance of this kind, but in later times^ both by her legates and by other repeated messengers, asked assistance in divers ways in the aforesaid ]dBgdoI,^hicb assistance was freely and^benOly givea by her devoted sona^ as it were embracing their mother with the arms of sincere affection. We believe, also, that your holiness is not ignorant that our ancestors^ as true Catholics, alike loving and fearing Ckxl, and desiring to insure the salvation of their souls, and those of their ancestorst, as well as their posterity, founded monasteries, and enriched them out of their own possessiouEf, both with demesne lands and the patronage of churches, in order that reUgious men, laudably fulfilling their religious duties in those monasteries, and di%ently serving the Most High, might enjoy peace and full security, as is meet in the service of religion, receiving the necessary means of support, such as befitted their religious duties, from the said domains ; and that their clerks might hold the churches under their patrons^, and fiilfil the labours outside, and, adhering to the second branch of reli- gion, might protect them from the incursions of others. Wherefore it is not without great annoyance and intolerable injiuy to us, that the aforesaid religious men should be in any way defrauded of their rights of patronage and collation to churches. But now, by you and your predecessors, having no consideration, besides the aforesaid supplies, Italians (of whom there is an almost endless number) are now enriched on the churches belonging to the patronage of those very religious men, who are called the rectors of the churches, thus leaving those whom they ought to defend entirely tmproteoted, giving no care to the souls of the people, but allowing these most rapacious wolves to disperse the flock, and carry off the sheep. Hence they can say with truth. A.I>. 1245.] LETTER FBOM TBS OQHXUNITY OF ENGLAND. 75 that theee persons are not good shepherds^ as they do not know their sheep, neither have tiie ^e^ any knowledge <^ the shepherd They do not practise ho^^tality or the bestowal €i alms enjoined on the Churchy but they only receive the £niits to carry them out ci the kingdom, im- poveridking it in no slight degree, by possessing ^emselves of its revenues^ by whid^ our brothers^ nephews, and other relations, well-deserving men oi the said longdom, ought to be benefited ; and they both could and would compassionately and piously put in practice the said works of charity, and several others, and would in person serve the said churches^ that, according to the w(»rds of Paul, those who serve the altar may live by the altar ; but tiiey, urged by necessity, are now become laymen and exiles. But in order that the truth may be known to you, these Italians, receiving sixty thousand marks and more annually in Ekigland, besides divers other receipts^ carry oft more clear gain in revenuea &om the kingdom than the long himself who is the protector of the Church, and holds the reins of government in the kingdom. Moreover, we hoped that, after your creation (and we still hope the same, as we repose confidence ia you), by the intervention of your paternal compassion, we should rc^ce in the re-establishment, during your time, (^ our aforesaid almsgiving in its former proper condition. << We cannot, however, pass over in silence our own oppres- sions ; for we are not only injured, but oppressed beyond measure. In the fijnst place, Master Martin, who lately came into the kingdom, without the king's permission, invested with greater powers than we ever remember any legate asked for by the king to have had before (although not possessing the insignia of the legateship, yet performing the manifold duties of that office), is daily putting forth new and hitherto nnheard-of powers, and, in his excess of power, is continu- ally making encroachments. He has bestowed some vacant benefices^ with thirty marks and more, annually, on some Italians ; and when they die, others wiU be appointed in their places, without the knowledge of the patrons ; and thus are the latter cheated of their right of gift. Even more^ also, does the said Master Martin attempt to aiasign similar benefices, when they happen to be vacant, to divers persons ; and reserves to the Apostolic See the right of gift of some ; 76 UATTHEW PABIS. [a.]>. 1245. and, moreover, extorts immoderate pensions from religions men, pronouncing sentences of excommunication and inter- dict in all directions against gainsajers and opposers, to the great risk and peril of their souls. Inasmuch, therefore, as the said Master Martin, to the great disturbance of the whole kingdom, exercises the said jurisdiction, which we (cannot believe to have emanated from you knowingly, be- cause he discharges higher duties than we ever remember a legate to have discharged before, which greatly detracts from the privilege especially granted to his majesty the king, by the Apostolic See, by which it is decreed that no one shall fill the office of legate in England, unless especially asked for by the king ; we therefore, with all possible humility and devotion, beg of your holiness, inasmuch as the affec- tionate fetther is bound to extend the hand of compassion to relieve the oppression of the children, by an effectual and seasonable assistance, soon to relieve us> in your paternal kindness, from the above-mentioned injuries and oppressions. For although our king, who is a true Catholic, and zealously attends to his religious duties, without considering the wast- ing away of his body, wishes, in the performance of his duty to Jesus Christ, to reverence the Apostolic See, and desires to promote an increase of honour and advantage to the Boman church, as its well-beloved son ought, but at the same time preserving the royal rights and dignities ; yet we, who endure the labour and heat of the day in h^ service, and whose duty it is, in conjunction with the said king, to see to the preservation of the kingdom, cannot endure with patience these said oppressions, detestable alike to God and man, and such imendurable burdens ; and, by €rod*s grace, we will no longer endure them, through the interposition of your affectionate assistance, which we hope and trust to receive speedily and opportunely. May it therefore please your holiness to give a &vourable ear to our entreaties, that you may deservedly obtain special thanks from the nobles and the general community of the kingdom of England, as your most beloved sons in Christ.** The pope delays giving a reply to the ambassadors from England. Although this letter had been read and published openly amidst a general silence, the pope did not reply, because, he \ jLD. 1245.] THE EMPEROB EXCOMMUNICATED. 77 asserted, such a difficult matter required prolonged delibe- ration ; he therefore postponed giving a reply for a time ; and, although the aforesaid nobles, the special messengers, vehe- mently urged him to do so at once, he would not accede, but promised he would do so at no distant period. In addition to the former complaints, also, the said messengers added another heavy one ; namely, of the virulent oppressions, intolerable injuries, and shameless exactions which were practised, owing to that hated additional clause so frequently inserted in the papal letters, '^ Notwithstanding,*' &c. <&c. But the pope was intent on matters of greater importance; and although Master Thaddeus, the emperor's agent, elo- quently pleaded against it, now, without any hesitation, dissimulation, or delay, he thundered forth the sentence of excommunication against the emperor Frederick in full council, to the amazement and dread of all his hearers. How the pope excommunicated the emperor Frederick at the council ofLyona. " Innocent, bishop, servant of the servants of Crod, &c, — In the presence of the sacred council, in lasting memory of the event, and for the exaltation of the Apostolic See, we, who, unworthy as we are, have been raised to office by the dispensation of the Divine Majesty, ought to give our sedu- lous and watchful attention to the care of all Christians, and with the eye of deep consideration to distinguish the acts and words of each and every one, and to weigh them in the scale of prudent deliberation, in order that we may exalt to becoming fEivour those whom a strict examination may prove to be worthy of it, and may inflict due punishment, accord- ing to the nature of their fault, on all those whom we And guilty or culpable in any way, always weighing their merits^ and reward with an equal scale, repaying to each the amount of reward or punishment accordmg td the nature of his works, whether good or bad. Whereas the commotions of protracted wars have long disturbed some provinces and countries professing Christianity, we, desiring with our whole heart to restore tranquillity and peace to the holy Chm-ch of God, and to all Chnstians in general, considered it worth our while to send special messengers to the chief secular prince, who was the author of this dissension and trouble, and who had been, for his excesses, excommunicated 78 ICATTHEW PA£I& {a.D. IMS^ by our predecessor. Pope Gregory, of happy memory ; accordingly sent on oitr behalf men h^ in authority, namely, our venerable brother P., abbat of Albano, at that time archbishop of Houen ; W., then Inshop of Sabina^ hoSL £)rmerly of Modena; and our well-beloved son William, oar* dinal-priest of the church of the Twdve Apostles, at that time iDbbat of St. Facundus, all of whom were inspired with aeal for the salvation of the said prince. Through them we stated that we and our brethren, as &r as lay in our power, endeavoured to be at peace with him in every way, as wb were ready to be with all men, and we wished to allow peace and tranquillity to him and to the whole world. And as a restoration of the prelates, d^ks, and all others whom lie was detaining prisoners, and also of all the clerks as well as laymen whom he had taken in the gallejB, would be very conducive to a peace and reconciliati heavy anger, dared to lay his aa^rilegious haadsupon them, some of the prelates and other persons being drowned at the time of capture, some slain, and others put to flight and pursued by their enemies ; the rest were deprived ot all their property, ignominiously carried about fiK)m place to place in the kingdom of Sicily, and were afterwards con* signed to prison there, and some of them, worn away by sickness, and oppressed by want, have fallen away to a wretched condition. With good cause, moreover, had a sus- picion of heresy arisen against him, since, after he had incurred the sentence of excommunication issued against him by the aforesaid J., bishop of Sabina, and Cardinal Tho- masius, and the aforesaid Pope Gregory had pronounced an anathema upon him, and after the capture of the Boman cardinals and the prelates and clerks of the churches while on their voyage from various quarters to the Apostolic Se^ ho despised, and still despises the keys of the Church, causing as iar aa he can effect ity divine service to be perfcnmedy o2 Si MATTHEW PARI& [a.D. 1245. or rather pro&ned, before him, and boldly asserting^ above stated, that he does not fear the sentences of ex* communication pronounced against him by Pope Gregory. Besides, he is tmited by a detestable alliance with the Saracens, — ^has ofttimes sent messages and presents to them, and in tarn received the same &om them with respect and alacrity ; he embraces their customs, notoriously keeping them with him in his daily service, and, after their fashion, he shamelessly appoints as guards over his wives, whom he has received from the descendants of a royal race, certain eunuchs, especially those whom he has lately caused to be castrated ; and what is a more execrable offence, he, when formerly in the country beyond sea, made a kind of arrange- ment, or rather collusion, with the sultan, and allowed &e name of Mahomet to be publicly proclaimed in the temple of the Lord day and night ; and lately, in the case of the sultan of Babylon, who, by his own hands, and through his agents, had done irreparable mischief and injury to the Holy Land and its Christian inhabitants, he caused that sultan's ambassa- dors, in compliment of their master, as is said, to be hononr- ably received and nobly entertained in his kingdom of Sicily. '' He also, in opposition to the Christians, abuses the per- nicious and horrid rites of other infidels, and, entering into an alliance of friendship with those who wickedly pay little respect to and despise the Apostolic See, and have seceded from the unity of the Church, he, laying aside all respect to the Christian religion, caused, as is positively asserted, the dnke of Bavaria, of iUustrious memory, a special and devoted ally of the Boman church, to be murdered by the assassins. He has also given his daughter in marriage to Battacius, an enemy of God and the Church, who, together with his aiders^ coimsellors, and abettors, was solemnly expelled from the communion of the Christians by sentence of excommunication. Bejecting the proceedings and customs of Catholic princes, neglecting his own salvation and the purity of his fame, he does not employ himself in works of piety ; and what is more (to be silent on his wicked and dissolute practices), although he has learnt to practise oppression to such a degree, he does not trouble himself to relieve those oppressed by injuries, by extending his hand, as a Christian prince ought, to bestow alms, although he has been eagerly aiming A.D. 124^.] THE EBIPEROB EZCOMHUKICATED. 85 at the destruction of the churches, and has crashed religions men and other ecclesiastical persons with the burden and persecution of his yoke ; and it is not discovered that he ever built or founded either churches, monasteries, hospitals, or other pious places. Now these, then, are not light, but convincing grounds for suspicions of heresy being entertained against him ; since civil law declares that they are contained in the list of heretics, and ought to submit to the sentences pronounced against them, who have been detected in deviating; even in a slight degree, from the judgment and rule ot the Catholic religion. Besides this, the kingdom oi Sicily, which is the spiritual patrimony of St. Peter, and which he, the said prince, holds in fee from the Apostolic See, has been reduced by him to such a state of emptiness and slavery, as respects both clerks and laymen, that they are ejected from their homes, and expelled the country with insults, after being deprived of all their possessions, and those who remain there, he obliges to live in a state of slavery as it were, and 'to insult and attack the Homan church in manifold ways, whose subjects and vassals they for the most part are. He ought, also, with good reason, to be blamed, because he has omitted, for nine years and more, to pay the annual pension of a thousand sequins^ in which he is bound to the Koman church for the tenure of the said kingdom. We, therefore, having maturely and carefully deliberated with our brother t^rdinals and the holy council on the above-named and other ne&rious deeds of his, seeing that we, undeserving as we are, hold on earth the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, who said to us in the person of St. Peter, * Whatever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound also in heaven, and, <&;c.,' do hereby declare the above-named prince, who has rendered himself unworthy of the honours of sovereignty, and for his crimes has been deposed from his throne by Grod, to be bound by his sins and cast off by the Lord, and deprived of all his honours, and we do hereby sentence and deprive him, and all who are in any way bound to him by an oath of allegiance, we for ever absolve and release from that oath, and, by the apostolic authority, strictly forbid any one from obeying him, or in any way whatever attempting to obey him as an emperor or king ; and we decree that any who shall henceforth give him assistance or advice, or show 86 MATTHEW PAfiia [a.d. 124& favour to hhn, as an emperor or kijig, fihall be, ipso fatdoy excommimicafced ; and those in the empire on whom the election of an emperor devolves, may freely elect a successor in his place. With respect to the aforesaid kingdom of Sicily, we, with the advice of our brother cardinals, will make such provision for it as may seem expedient to vol Given at Lyons, the 16th of July, in the third year of our pontificate." The etiyferor*s agents dqpart in eofrftuion. When this letter was published in open council, it siamek terror into all who heard it, as if it were flashing lightning ; and Masters Thaddeus de Sessa and Widter de Ocra^ and other agents of the emperor and their attendants, with ex- clamations of sorrow, and beatii^ their thi^ and IneasH could scarcely refrain from shedding tears ; and Mastw Thaddeus exdaimed, ^ Oh ! dreadful day, day <^ angex^ calamity, and misoy 1" But the pope and the prelates sitting round him in couiual, wit^ lighted tapers, thundered fortk dreadful sentences of exoommunication against l^e mnperor IVederick, whilst his agents retreated in confusion. Decreet for ther^tfofihe Holy Land, and on the affairs of the crass. The pope, being full of anxiety for the relief of i^ Holy Land, and concerning the afiairs of the cross, made the follow- ing decrees in those matters. — ^^ Pierced to the heart as weave at the deplorable perils of the Holy Land, and especially at those which are known to have recently happened to the Christians living there, we desire, with our whole heart, to release it, by God's assistance, from the hands of the wicked, and, with the approbation of the sacred council, we deter- mine, by means of the Preachers and our special messenger^ to intimate to all true Christians who have made arrange- ments to cross the sea, that they are to prepare to assume the cross, and to meet at a convenient time for this purpose, and at suitable places^ whence they may proceed to the assistance of the Holy Land, attended by the divine blessing as well as that of the Apostolic See. Let the priests and other clerks who may be with the Christian army, inferior ones as well as prelates, diligently employ themselves in exhortation and prayer, teaching the people, by word as well as example^ always to have the fear and love of €k>d before JUX 1245.] DECREES FOR THE BEIJEF OF THE HOLT LAND. £7 their eyes, and not to say or do anything which may oflend the majesty of the eternal King. And if at any time they fall into sin, let them soon rise again by true penitence, con- ducting themselves with all humility, both of heart and body, observing moderation in their food as well as clothing, en- tirely avoiding dissension and rivalry, and dismissing all hatred and envy from them ; so that, being protected by spiritual as well as temporal arms, they may fight more securely against the enemies of the faith, not, however, pre- suming on their own power, but trusting in the divine virtue. Let the nobles and chie& of the army, and all who possess ^buadance of money and wealth, be ur^ by the pious^am- ings and exhortations of the prelates, to abstain, as they reverence Christ, on whose behalf they have assumed the sign of the cross, from all useless and superfluous expenses, — especially from those incurred by too much feasting and ex- pensive food, — and to convert their money to the use ot those persons by whose means the aflairs of God may prosper ; and to them, on this account, remission of their sins will be granted according to the discretion of the said prelates. To the aforesaid clerks we grant the indulgence of holding their benefices for three years in their entirety, as though they were residing in the churches ; and, if necessary, they may put them on pledge during that time. In order, therefore, that this holy design may not be retarded or impeded in any way, we strictly order all the prelates, each in their own places, diligently to warn and induce those who have laid aside the cross to resume it, to sign them as well as others with that holy symbol, and those who still continue to wear it to fulfil their vows to the Lord, and, if necessary, to com- pel them to do so by sentences of excommunication and interdict, laying^ aside all excuses. « For ;hi8%uVse, that no contingencies may be omitted in the afEoirs of our Lord Jesus Christ, it is our will and com- mand, that patriarchs, archbishops, bishops, abbats, and others who have the cure of souls, zealously preach the word of the cross to the people committed to their care, and in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, the one true and only God, earnestly beseech kings, princes, dukes, marquises, eavls, barony, and other nobles, as also the trainbands of cities, towns, and villages, those who have not gone in 2>eJ^on to 88 MATTHEW PARIS. [A-D. 1245. the assistance of the Holy Land, to supply a proper number of troops, with the necessary expenses, for three years, accord- ing to their means, for the remission of their sins ; according as is expressed in the general letters which we lately sent' throughout the world, and wliich will, for greater security, be expressed below." NoU concerning the letter. " All these were written in the year of grace one thousand two hundred and thirty-four, preceded by an eloquent ser- mon."— See after death of Eichard MarshfdL " In this remisdon we wish to be participators not only those who will provide their own ships for the expedition, but those also who employ themselves in building ships for the occasion. But to those who revise, should there per- chance be any so ungrateful to the Lord our Crod, let them protest on behalf of the Apostolic See, that they may know that at the last day of strict judgment they will have to answer to us for this before an awful judge. Previously, however, biddiug them consider with what conscience or what hopes of safety they will be able to appear before the only-begotten Son of Grod, into whose hands the Father de- livered all things, if they refuse in this matter, so peculiarly their own, to serve him who was crucified for their sins, by whose gift it is they live, by whose kindness they are sup- ported, and by whose blood they were redeemed. " But, with the approbation of the council in general, we decree that all clerks, inferiors as well as prelates, shall con- tribute the twentieth part of all church revenues for the assistance of the Holy Land for three whole years, by the 'hands of such persons as shall be ordained by the wisdom of the Apostolic See for the purpose, excepting, however, some religious men, who may be exempted from such contribution on good grounds, and those also who have assumed, or are about to assume, the cross, and to proceed to the Holy Land in person ; but we and our brother cardinals of the holy Boman church will pay a full tenth part. And we would have all people to know that they are bound to this under penalty of excommunication ; so that those who knowingly practise deceit in this matter will incur the sentence of ex* cotnmuuication. A.D. 1245.] NOTE CONCERNING THE LETTER. 89 " And whereas, by a just dispensation, it is proper for those labouring in the service of the heavenly ruler, to enjoy a special prerogative, those who shall assume the cross shall be exempt &om contributions and talliages, and from other bur- dens, and after they have assumed the cross, we receive their persons and property into the protection of St. Peter and ourselves, decreeing also that their property shall continue under the protection of the archbishops, bishops, and all the prelates of Grod's Church, proper protectors being neverthe- less appointed for this especial purpose by themselves, so that their possessions may remain quiet and entire, until cer- tain intelligence is obtained of their return or their death. And if any one shall presume to act contrary to this, he shall be restrained by the Church s censure. " If any of those who set out on this expedition shall be bound by oath to pay any interest, we order their creditors, under the aforesaid penalty, to remit to them the oath they have made, and to desist from demanding interest. And if any of their creditors shall compel them to pay interest, we order him to be compelled to restore the same imder penalty of a similar sentence. It is our order that Jews be com- pelled by the secular power to remit interest, and, until they shall remit it^ that all communication with Christians shall be denied them by means of the sentence of excommunica- tion. With respect to those who cannot lit present pay their debts to the Jews, the secular rulers shall, by a isalutary delay, make such arrangements that, from the time when they set out on the expedition until intelligence is gained either of their return or their death, they shall not incur the inconvenience of accruing interest ; the Jews being compelled, after deducting all necessary expenses, to reckon the proceeds of the money pledged, which they have received in the mean time, as part of the debt ; since a benefit of this kind does not seem to have much loss attending it, for, although it postpones payment, it does not do away with the debt. Be- sides this, the prelates of the churches who shall show them- selves negligent in affording justice to those who have taken the cross, or to their families, may rest assured that they will be severely punished. Again, whereas corsairs and pirates much obstruct us in sending supplies to the Holy Lsuid, by capturing and pillaging those going to and returning from ^0 ICATTUBW PABI& [a.D. 1245. that country, we excommimicate them and their principal aiderg and abettors, forbidding any one, if he is aware of it, under penalty of anathema^ from holding any communica- tion with them in any matter of buying or selling ; and we enjoin on the governors of cities and other places to with- hold and restrain those said pirates from practising such annoyances ; otherwise^ since to refuse to disturb the wicked is nothing less than to favour them, and whoever refiuins from opposing a manifest crime is not free from suspicion of secret connivance with the perpetrator, it is our will and qrdeTy that rigorous ecclesiastical measures be put in practice by the prelates of the churches. We moreover excommuni- cate and anathematiEe those false and wicked Christians who, in opposition to Christ and Christ's people, carry arms to the Saracens, and iron and timber for their galleys ; those ^also who sell them galleys or ships, as well as those who fill the offices of commanders in the Saracen ships, and also those who give them any advice or assistance in their engines of war, or in any other matters, to the injury of the Holy Land. We decree thiat such shall be mulcted of all their goods, and -shall be the servants of those who seize them ; and it is our oirder, that such sentence be publicly renewed against them xm each Sunday and faeat-day throughout all the dties on the sesrcoast, and that the bosom of ihe Church shall not be 'Open to such persons, unless they shall transmit all they have received by such a damnable traffic, and as much again of their own property, for the assistance of the Holy Land ; that thus they may be punished on an impartial judgmesnt^ according to their fiiult ; but if by chance they cannot pay thifl^ whoever is guilty of such actions shall be punished in «ome other way, so as to prevent any one else from presum- ing on similar audacious proceedings. Moreover, we pro- hibit and interdict all Christians, under penalty of anathema^ from transmitting their ships into the territory of the Sara- oens who dwell in the East within the term of four years, that by these means a greater quantity of shipping may be procured for those wishing to go to the assistance of the Holy Land, and the Saracens may be deprived of that assist- ance which, by these means, has been usually given to them in no slight degree. Although at various councils tournaments in general may have been interdicted under a certain A.IX 124d.] KOTE COSCBSjnXQ THE LETTER. 91 penalty, yet, inasmuch as at this time the crusade is very much impeded by them, we strictly prohibit their being held for a period of three years^ under penalty of excom- munication. And whereaa, in order to carry out these matters, it is above all things necessary that Christian princes and nations should be at peace amongst themselves, we, by the advice of the general synod, decree that peace be observed in general throughout the whole Christian world for at least four years, and that, hj the intervention of the prelates of the diurches, those at variance may be induced inviolably to observe a full peace, or at least a lunding truca And if any shall ref ase to acquiesce in this, they shall be com- pelled to it by sentence of excommunication against their persons, and interdict on their lands, unless the malice of their injuries is such that they ought not to enjoy such a peace. And if they should pay little or no regard to the Church's censure, they will have good reason to fear that, by the influence of the Church, the secular power may be brought to bear upon them, as disturbers of the a&irs of the crucifled one. We, therefore, by the compassion of the omnipotent God, and relying on the authority of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul, and by that power which God has given us^ unworthy as we are, of binding and loosing, gcsnt to all those who shall enter upon this duty in their own persons, and at their own expense, full pardon of their sins, of which they shall xepent and make true confession with a contrite heart, and ia reward of the just we promise an increase of eternal salvation. To those also who do not go there in person, but shall neverthe- less send proper persons thither at their own expense, accord- ing to their means and rank, we also grant full remission of their sins, as well as to those who shall go there in person, although at the expense of another. In this remission we wish and allow to be participators (according to the extent of their assistance and the nature of their devotion) all those who shall furnish adequate assistance to the Holy Land out of their property, or shall give opportune aid and advice on the aforesaid matters. To all those who piously aid in . this work, the holy and universal synod will impart the assistance of its prayers and good wishes, that it may have due weight towards insuring their salvation. — ^Amen." 92 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 124dw Concerning the ienience of exeommumcation. " Judges injuriously misapply the Church 's censure when they indiscreetly endeavour to tear away the innocent from the bosom of the mother Church, owing to the fault ci another party, by which the person who is improperly- branded is not hurt, but becomes an accusing party. Wish- ing, therefore, to obviate the arrogance, or rather unskilful'- ness, of such persons, we by these presents establish a decree that no judge shall, before commimicating with the canons, presume to excommunicate by any minor excommunication those who become partidpators with the man excommuni- cated by them, by holding conversation with him, or any other means which render them participators ; sa'nng, how- ever, the constitutions legally promulgated against those who dare to participate in the crime of another which has. been condemned. " But if by conversation, by despising holy things, or any other means by which a participator with the excommuni- cated person &l]s under the minor sentence, he shall have incurred the penalty of the greater excommnnicatioii^ in order that he may be the more easily recalled by previous atonement to obtain absolution, the judge may, after canonical communication, visit the participators with that same person with a similar censure ; otherwise, excommunication 'mil not hold good against participators, and those pronouncing the sentence will have reason to fear lawful punishment." The punishment Jbr contumacy in an absent person. '* Xf any person is litigating with another possessor con- cerning the holding of any dignity, parsonage, or any other ecclesiastical benefice, on account of the contumacy of the adverse party for the sake of keeping possession of the same, we decree that he shall not be put into possession, lest admission to them by these means may appear faulty. It may, however, be laVful in this case, as the Divine Presence makes up for the absence of the contumacious party, even though the matter be not brought to trial, to make a careful examination, and duly to determine the same." No hinderance to be caused to the trial of the matter in dispute, *' The interposition, before the matter is brought to trial, of 4.1). 1245.] BE6ULATI0NS CONCEBNIKQ SICILY. 93 peremptory exceptions, or any principal defence pertaining to or containing recognisance of the matter, unless the litigator shall make exception in the case of a matter adjudged, transacted, or determined^ shall not obstruct or impede the trial of the matter, although the objector may say, that a reply has not been obtained, in the case where the grounds of opposition to the claimant had been ,made known to the defendant.'' Cauteanot to be iniruited to depuiy judge*, unlese in weil'-known places, ** In the unravelling and final settlement of the business of eauses, obscurity is hateful, and to be avoided ; but that there should be none about persons and places, is very expedient and commendable. In this matter, therefore, we have thought proper to decree, and most strictly to ordain, that no causes shall be intrusted by the Apostolic See, or its deputies, to any parties, unless to persons who are endued with proper qualifications, or appointed in cathedral churches or other venerable assemblies ; and that such causes shall not be argued in any places but in cities, or large and dis- tinguished places, where the number of those sldlled in the law may be available. And judges, who, in opposition to this decree, shall cite either of the parties, or both, to any other places, may be disobeyed with impunity, unless the citation shall have, been issued with the common consent of both parties." No eummoru to be allowed to a eoniumacioue plainti;^, " K any plaintiff neglect to appear at the period for which he has cited his opposer, he shall be lawfully condemned to pay to the accused party, if he appear, the expenses incurred by him in the matter ; and he shall not be allowed to give another summons, uidess he gives sufficient security that he will appear at the period determined on." That no one ie to be dragged bqfore different judges for different personal actions, ''Wishing by all possible means to diminish, and keep within the boimds of equity, the costs of causes in dispute, we, enlarging on the decree of Pope Innocent the Third, of happy memory, promulgated on this matter, decree and ordain, that if any one chooses to bring several personal actions against another, he shall endeavour to obtain war- 94 XATTHBW PABIS. [a.D. 1241^ TKOts coDceming all the causes, not from several judges, bat from one only ; and if any one shall act contlrarj to this decree, he shall be depriyed of all advantage of the warrants^ and the proceedings obtained on the strength of them shall be invalid ; otherwise he sh^ be condemned to pay all lawful expenses to the defendant, if he has harassed him by means of them. Also i^ during the trial, the defendant shall say that the plaintiff is bound to hhn by a bond <3i recompense or covenant, if he has wished to obtain a war- rant against the defendant, he shall try his right before the same judges, unless he can reject them as suspected ; and wboever shall contravene this regulation, shall be similarly- punished.'' Of thepertoni who shaU be compelled to appear on Judgment. *' It ^eems not to be an ambiguous point of law, that a deputed judge, who has not received a special command from the Apostolic See for the purpose, cannot order either of the parties to appear in person before him on trial, unless it is a criminal cause, or he shall order the parties to appear personally before him for the purpose of stating the truth ot Tna-THng oath of their claun.** Ooneeming negaiive prqposiHone. ''We decree and ordain, that judges shall not admit of negative testimony, which cannot be proved, unless by acknowledgment of the opposing party, when in equity they shall see expedient." Ofeleetiont. " Whereas the days and other circumstances of legal pro-' ceedings need no legal sanction, and amongst legal proceed- ings the election of pontiff is held to be of the greatest importance, inasmuch as by it certain bonds of, as it were, spiritual marriage are contracted between the electors and the elected, we reprobate and prohibit, in elections, nomina- tions, and scrutinies, from which the right of election ema- nates, all votes which are conditional, alternative, and unoer-^ tain ; decreeing that all votes of this kind are to be held at if not given at all ; and the elee^n must flow from the free consent of all.** A.D. 1245.] THE SAHB SUBJECT OOlfTINUED. 9^ A diffftirion reUxHng to the ptinee$ of Germanf. '^The nobles of Germany who are non-electors of the emperor, are, — The king of Bohemia. The duke of Lorrain. The duke of Brunswick. The doke of Swabia. The landgrave of Tboringia. The duke of Lembnrg. The duke of Carinthia. The dnke of Saxony. The count of Gueidrea* The electors of the emperor are as follow : — LATXSN. i PKELATSS. The duke of Auetria. The dnka of Bavaria. The dnke of Saxony. The duke of Brabant (who is also duke of Louvain). The archbishop of ^ Cologne. I The archbishops of >The principals.. Mayence and | Salzborgh. J ^^ These electors shall be taken to aii island in the Ehine^. and lefib on it by themselves ; all boats shall be removed^ and there they ^lall discuss the election of an empenn*, and no one shall go to them till they are agreed in their choice. At the head of this matter shall be the archbishop of Co- logne, he of Mayence the second, and he of Salzburgh the third." To these electors most urgent warnings and entreaties were sent by the pope, that they would elect another em- peror over them, and he promised them the advice and assistance of himself and the whole Church ; and, in the first place, with the hope of succeeding better, he promised them fifteen thousand pounds of silver. This, however, was prevented by the overpowering dissuasions of the emperor Frederick, who was united to them by the bonds of rela* tionship, and especially to the duke of Austria ; wherefore the electors showed but little obedience to the wamiugs or entreaties of the pope. T^t people are not to be brought more than three or four days* journey to stand trial. ** In many points of law, multitude and infinity is to be reprobated. We have therefore thought proper wisely U> decree, that, according to the general clause, commencing^ ' Borne others^ &&,' which is firequ^ntly inserted in our letten^ 96 UATTHSW PARIS. [a.d. 1245. « people shall not be brought more than three or four days* journey to trial; decreeing also, that if the protectors, whom we grant to several parties, can defend from violent and open injury those whom we intrust to their protection, they shall not have power to extend that protection to other things which require judicial examination." No one to impede elections or nominationt. " We decree, that if any one shall impugn elections, nomi- nations, or provisions niade, by making any objection to forms or persons, and an appeal is in consequence made to us, both the party who opposes and the one who defends the appeal, as well as all in general who are concerned or con- nected with the cause, shall set out to the Apostolic See within a month from the time of the objection being made, either themselves in person, or shall send agents instructed in the cause. But if any party who is waited for does not appear within twenty days after the arrival of the other party, the matter of the election shall be proceeded with according to law, notwithstanding the absence of any one. And it is our will and command, that these rules be observed in dignities, parsonages, and canonicals." The penalty on those who fail in their proofs. " We have to add, that if any party fails in fully proving what he sets forth in the form, he shall be adjudged to pay the expenses which the other party can prove that he hag incurred in this matter. And whoever shall fail in proving the objection he has made to the person of any one, he may rest assured that he will be suspended from ecclesiastical benefits for three years. And if within that time he shall intrude himself by his own rashness, he shall be in justice deprived of them for ever, without any hopes of obtaining mercy therein, unless it shall be shown by the most clear ' proofs that a reasonable and sufficient cause exculpates him from the fault which he has committed." Of the duty of the legate. " It is the duty of our office to provide for the relief of our subjects ; for wlnlst we shake off their burdens and remove their causes of offence, we enjoy rest in their tranquillity, and are nm^sed by their peace. Therefore, by these pre- sents, we decree that the legates of the Boman church. A.D. 1245.] OP THE RESTITUTION OP STOLEN GOODS. 97 whenever they hold the full rank of legate, whether they are sent by iis or on the business of their own churches, shall assume to themselves the full duties of the legateship, and shall not by virtue of this legatine office have any power of conferring benefices, unless we shall have thought proper especially to grant this power to them. This, however, we do not mean to be observed in the case of our brethren when performing the duties of the legateship, for, a^ they enjoy the prerogative of honoiu*, so we wish them to hold fuller powers." Cfthe restitution qf stolen goods, '^ A frequent and iu*gent complaint soimds in our ears, that the plea of spoliation is sometimes falsely put forth in prosecut- ing a claim, which greatly impedes and disturbs ecclesiastical causes : for whilst the plea is ursed, it happens sometimes that appeal are interposed: and th^e heiSg of the principal cause is interrupted, and sometimes done away with. And moreover, as we apply our endeavours voluntarily to procure tranquillity for others, and desire to put an end to litigations, and to <;ut off all materials of such daims, we decree, that in dvil causes, the judge shall not postpone proceeding in the principal cause on account of the plea of spoliation which is set forth by any one except the plaintiff; but if in civil causes the plea is to be set forth by the plaintiff, in criminal causes, if the accused declares that he has been despoiled by any one, he shall prove his assertion within fifteen days from the day on which the assertion was made '; otherwise he shall be condemned in the expenses which the plaintiff has incurred in the mean time owing to it, judicial taxation having been previously made ; and he shall also be punished in some other way, if it seem just to the judge. By the despoiled person in this case, when the charge is a criminal one, we wish to be imderstood him who affirms that he has been despoiled of all his substance, or the greater part thereoj^ by force. And according to this, it must be believed that the canons say wisely, that being naked, we ought not to con- tend ; and being unarmed, we ought not to make opposition in a case of error ; for the despoiled party has this advantage, namely that, being naked, he cannot be stripped. It is generally a matter of doubt amongst scholastics, whether, if a, party that has suffered a third act of spoliation, pleads^ VOL. II. H 98 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.P. 1245- spoliation against the accuser, a certain time ought to be allowed him by the judge, within which to claim restitution, lest perchance he should thus wish to elude every accuser ; and this we think consonant with justice. And if within the time granted he does not ask restitution, and does not> when he can, bring the cause to a determination, he may firom that time forward be accused, notwithstanding his de- murrer of spoliation. In addition to this, we decree that spoliation of private property shall in no ways be pleaded in ecclesiastical causes, or the contrary." Of accutatioru, ^' With affectionate consideraticoi the mother Church has de- creed, that the plea of the greater excommunication, in what- soever part of the trial it is put in, shall delay the suit and bar the parties ; that from this the Church's censure maybe more feared, the risk of excommunication may be avoided, contumacy may be checked, and excommunicated persons, whilst they are excluded from common proceedings, being overcome with shame and confusion, may be the more easily inclined to humiliation and reconciliation ; but as the malice of mankind inci-eases, what was provided as a remedy tend& to then: injury ; for very often, when this plea is put forth in ecdesiasticsd causes through malice, the business is delayed and the parties are harassed by trouble and expense. Therefore, since this has crept amongst us as a common disease, we have thought fit to apply a common remedy. I^ therefore, any one makes opposition on the ground of excommimication, he shall express the kind and the name of the excommunication,, and he must know that he is to bring the circumstance to- public notice, and must prove it by the most clear documents^ within the space of eight days, not including the day on which it was set forth. And if he shall not prove it, the judge shall proceed in the cause without hesitation, and condemn the accused in the expenses which the plaintiff shall prove that he has incurred during those days on that account, be- sides taxation to be previously taken. But if afterwards, whilst judgment is pending, and the time for adducing proof arrives, the plea again be put i|^ concerning the same excom- munication or a different one, and the case be proved, the accuser shall be barred in the ensuing proceedings until he: ▲.D. 1245.] CONCERNING ACCUSATIONS. 99 obtains absolation, the foregoing proceedings, however, to remain in full force. Proviso, that this demurrer shall not be set forth more than twice, except when a fresh excom- munication shall have arisen, or clear and ready proof of the old one be adduced. But if, afber the matter is adjudged, such a plea be put forth, it shall be taken as an excuse, and the sentence which has preceded it shall not the Jess obtain strength, savings however, that if the plaintiff be publicly ex- conmiunicated, and the judge shall learn this at any time, although the defendant shall not enter this plea, the judge shall, without delay, expel the plaintiff from his office.** Of the tentenee and suiffeet matter thereof. ^' Since the tribunal of the eternal judge does not hold him guilty whom a judge has unjustly condemned, as witness the prophet, who says, 'Neither shall he condemn him when fudjment ahall Q passed upon hixu,' ecclesiastical judges must beware and take wise caution that no undue regard be had either to hatred or favour ; let all fear be removed, and let no reward nor hope of reward overturn justice. But let them carry the scale in their hands, and evenly balance between the parties, that in all matters to be brought forward in the causes, especially in determining on and pronouncing sentences, they may have God alone before their eyes, imitating the example of him who, enter- ing the tabernacle, referred the complaints of the people to the Lord, for him to decide them by his judgment. But if any ordinary ecclesiastical judge, or even a deputed one, who is prodigal of his good name, and the destroyer of his own honour, shall, contrary to the dictates of his own conscience and to justice, come to any decision to the injury of either party, through fiavour or for the sake of filthy lucre, he shall be suspended from performing the duties of his office for a year, and, notwithstanding this, shall be condemned to pay the injured party according to the amount of the injury. We would also have him to ^ow, that if he intrudes himself during the time of his suspension in divine services, he will incur the charge of irregularity, according to the canonical roles, from which he can onify be released by the Apostolic See ; saving, however, other decrees which direct and inflict punishment on judges who give improper decisions. For it h2 100 MATTHEW PABI& [a.D. 1245. k proper that any one who offends in so many ways should he visited with manifold punishment." Cbneeming appeals. " It is the wish of our heart to diminish litigations and to relieve our subjects from their troubles. We therefore decree, that if any one on trial or out of court shall think proper to appeal to%us concerning interlocutory proceedings, or any injury done him, let him at once commit to writing the cause of appeal, and demand letters dismissory, which we order to be granted to him, and in which writing the judge shall express the cause of appeal And when the appeal is not admitted o^ or any delay is made in the matter of it out of respect to a superior, after this, time for prosecuting the appeal shall be granted to the appellant, according to the distance of the places and the nature of the business, if the appellant wishes it, and the principals shall either themselves, or by agents, demand conveyances, orders to proceed, grounds and documents relating to the cause, and let them go thus pre- pared to the Apostolic See ; so that, if it seem expedient to us, when the matter of appeal is deteimined, or is dropped by consent of both parties, they shaU proceed in the prin- cipal cause as far as they can and ought by right ; not, how- ever, altering the decrees which have been made of old re- specting appeab made from definitive sentences. But if the appellant shall not observe the foregoing decreesf, he shall be considered as non-appellant, and shall return to the decision of the former judge, and at the same time be condemned in all legitimate costs. But if the person appealed against shall neglect this statute, proceedings shall be taken against him, as a contumacious person, as ^x as is allowed by law, both in the expenses and in the cause itself For it is but just that the laws should rise up against him who deceives the law, the judge, and his opponent." Cffthe sentence qf excommunication. " Since excommunication is meant to heal, not to kill ; to correct, and not to destroy, provided, however, that he against whom it is pronounced does not despise it, the ecclesiastical judge should take great care, in pronouncing the same, to show that he follows the cotirse of a corrector and healer. Whoever, therefore, excommimicates any one, let him set it ibD. 1245.] CONCEBNINO EXCOKMUKICATIOK. 101 forth in writing, and he must expressly add, in writing, the cause for whi(£ the sentence of excommunication was pro- nounced j and a copy of this writing he shall be bound, if required to do so, to deliver to the excommunicated person within a month from the day of the issuing of the sentence ; an4 concerning this requisition, it is our will that a public instrument should be drawn up, or testimonial letters, sealed with an authentic seal be written. J£ any judffe shall rashly Tiolate this decieeThe shidl be sospencbd W entermg a church, and from hearing divine service, for one month ; and the superior who is resorted to shall, without opposition, withdraw the sentence, and shall condemn the promulgator of it to pay all expenses, and visit him in other ways with condign pLiahme^, in order tluit, from the pun4ment, the judges may learn W serious a thing it is to fulminate sentences of excommumcation against any one without mature deliberation ; and it is our will also, that these same rules should be observed in sentences of suspension and interdict. Let, however, all the prelates and judges beware that they do not incur the aforesaid penalty of suspension ; for if they should ever perform divine services as formerly, when thus suspended, they will not escape the chaige of irregularity, according to the canonical rules ; in which case they will not be able to obtain a dispensation unless through the supreme pontiff:" On the same matter, ^ It is generally a matter of doubt with some, whether, when any one demands to be absolved by a superior on giving bail, and at the same time declares that the sentence of excommunication against him is invalid, the benefit of ab^ solution ought to be granted to him without any opposition ; and whether, before this said absolution, any one who offers on trial to prove that he was excommunicated after a lawful appeal, or that a palpable error was evidently committed in the sentence, ought to be avoided in other matters, except in that of the said proof With regard to the first matter of doubt, we decree that absolution shall not be denied to any one assking it, although the excommunicator or adversary may oppose it ; in which case only three delays of eight days shall be allow^ to the one who makes this statement, unless he proves what he pleads in opposition ; nor shall the sentence 102 MATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1245. be withdrawn, xinless sufficient satis&ction be previous]]^ given, or adequate Hecurity, to abide b j the right, if a doul^ of the offence is brought forward. With r^ard to the second question, we decree that any one who is admitted to proof shall, during the said proo:^ be avoided in other matters which he may have accepted as a party in the cause. But after trial he shall, nevertheless, be admitted to his duties^ to nominations, electionsf, and other lawM proceedings."* Concerning the matter of the crwade. When these statutes were made known to the assembly, they gave satis&ction to all the wise part of the community, and in this matter, indeed, the pope deservedly obtained the thanks and favour of all in common. Tet some statut^^s were made before the council, some during the council, and some after it ; and some decrees were wisely and prudently made at the council concerning the matter of the crusade ; but when mention was made of a contribution of money, the pope was refused to his fiice, chiefly on account of that universally detested clause, ''They shall give their assistance by the hands of those who are appointed for that purpose by the foresight of the apostles." For many times, and in mani- fold ways, have the fidthful followers of the Church complained that they had been cheated by the Boman church of the money which they had contributed for the assistance of thQ Holy Land. But the other decrees, which were wisely ordained, and gave satis&ction to the hearts and ears of Christians, were written word for word according to those made by Pope Gregory in the year of our Lord one thousand two hundred and thirty-four ; under which date will also be found a most eloquent sermon composed by Pope Gregory ; and that same sermon was now repeated at this council by Pope Innocent the Fourth, as if it were a new one. His holiness also declared that he should irrevocably observe all these decrees, especially those concerning the emperor. * I have translated the statutes of tliis council as well as lay in my power : many passages are perfectly unintelligible to me in the original, and will, it is feared, be equally so to the rea£r in the translation. The Latin text is, I believe, fall of corruptions, and the general reader will, perhaps, be satisfied with the version given above ; but those who wish to study the subject more carefully, must consult a more experienced canonist than I am. A.D. 1245.] FREDERICK CROWNS HIMSELF. 103 Master Thaddeus, on hearing this, said with a sigh, '' I seo that there is no remedy open for this peril ;" and then added^ with weeping and lamentation, " Truly was that day a day of anger," as he had said before when all the prelates in i^U counol had inverted their lighted tapers, and extinguished them when deposing the excommunicated emperor Frederick At the end of his speech Master Thaddeus said, " Erom this time forth heretics will sing, the Chorosmians will reign su- preme, and the Tartars will rise in their strength and prevail ;" and he then returned to tell all these proceedings to the emperor. The pope then publicly said to aU, ''I have done my duty, now let Crod do what he pleases, and proceed as he wills in these matters.'' How Frederick, on being deposed by the pope, croumed himseff. When the emperor Frederick heard and was made fully aware of all these proceedings he could not contain himself but burst into a violent rage, and darting a scowling look on those who sat round him, he thundered forth, ^ The pope in his sfynod has disgraced me by depriving me of my crown. Whence arises such great audacity ) whence proceeds such rash presumption ? Where are my cases which contain my portable treasures ?" And, on their being brought and un- locked before him by his order, he said, ** See if my crowns are lost now ;'' then finding one, he placed it on his head, and being thus crowned he stood up, and, with threatening eye% a dreadful voice, unrestrainable £rom passion, he said aloud, ** I have not yet lost my crown, nor will I be deprived of it by any attacks of the pope or the synodal council, without a bloody struggle. Does his vulgar pride toss him to such heights as to enable him to hurl from the imperial dignity the, the chief prince of the world, than whom none is greater,-^- yea who am without an equal 1 In this matter my condition is ameliorated : in some things I was bound to obey, at least to respect him ; but now I am released from all ties of affec- tion and veneration, and also from the obligation of any kind of peace with him." From that time forth, therefore, he, in order to injure the pope more effectually and perse^ veringly, did all ^nds of harm, to his holiness, in his money, .as weU as in his Mends and relations. He, therefore, in order the more to strengthen his party, 104 MATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 124^. conceived a design of marrying the daughter of the duke of Austria ; and, to bring this about, he sent special messen- gers, with all haste, to the said duke. But when this came to the knowledge of the lady, she fbrmlj refused all connec- tion or marriage with the emperor Frederick until he should be absolved. This also was approved of by her &ther, and word was sent to the emperor to that effect, who was much ashamed at his being refdsed hj both of them. He, however, became hardened, and endeavoured to turn the hearts of kings and princes from their devotion to, and reverence for, the Church, as well as from the prelates, especially the pope ; and to effect his purpose, he wrote a very reprehensible letter, m which he vomited forth the long-concealed poisonous designs of his heart. The emperor Frederick's letter. *^ Frederick, d:c, to the king of EvigUmdy ikc-^An old saying describes those as fortxmate who take caution from the peril of others ; for the condition of the successor is strengthened by the principle of the predecessor ; and as the wax receives impression from the sefJ, so the mortality of human life is formed by example. I would that your majesty had antici- pated or preceded me in this good fortune, and that the expe- rience of the caution which we now leave to you, O Christian kings, from the great injury done to ourselves, had been rather left to us by other kings and princes who have been similarly injured. Moreover, those who are now considered as derksy who have fattened on the charities of our Others, now oppress the sons of their bene&ctors ; and the sons of those subject to us, forgetful of their Others* condition, do not deign to show any due respect either to emperor or king, as soon as they are ordained to bear the titles of apostolic fathers. The truth of what is here hinted at in these cir- cumlocutory words of ours is now fully proved by the pre- sumption of Pope Innocent the Fourth, who, having sum- moned a general council, as he called it, dared to pass sen- tence of deposition against ub, who were neither summoned to the said council, nor proved to be guilty of any deceit or wickedness, but which sentence he could not establish with- out great prejudice to all kings. For what will there not remain for each of you Idngs of e^h kingdom to fear from A.I>. 1245.] THE BMPEBOR*S LBTTER. 105 the £9436 of such a prince of priests, if he attempts to depose us, -who have been honoured^ as it were, from heaven with the imperial diadem, by the solemn election of princes, and with the approbation of the whole Church, when the clergy were flourishing in Mth and religion, and who are also governing many other noble kingdoms ? For it is not Ina business to exercise any severity against us, as &r as tem- poral injury is concerned, even though lawM causes might be adduced. But we are not the first, nor shall we ]be the last, whom this priestly abuse of power harasses, and is en- deavouring to hurl downwards from the summit. This, in- deed, you are doing, you, who show obedience to these pre- tenders to holiness, whose ambition hopes that ' the whole Jordan will flow into their mouth.' Oh ! if your simple cre- dulity would, according to the words of our Saviour, ' turn from the leaven of the Scribes and Pharisees, which is hy- pocrisy,' and take heed to itself, how many basenesses of that court would you have it in your power to execrate, the recital of which is forbidden by honour and shame t The copious revenues by which they are enriched, to the impoverishing of several kingdoms, as you yourself know, cause them to rage in their pride. Christians or pilgrims beg of you, that the Paterinians may eat among us. There you are destroying the houses of your people, that you may here build towns for your enemies. Thus, by your tithes and almsgivings are these poor followers of Christ supported, but by what recom- pense, or even what show of gratitude, do they show them- selves to be conscious of these kindnesses? The more readily you extend your hands, the more eagerly do they grasp, not only the hands, but also the arms, detaining us in their toils, like a little bird, which, the stronger the attempts it makes at escape, the more firmly is it entangled. For the pi'esent we have made it our business to write so far, although but insufficiently explaining our wishes ; we will give you further information more secretly, namely, of the uses to which the prodigalil^ of these avaricious people devotes the riches of the poor ; what designs we have conceived our- selves obliged to make concerning the imperial power, and how it is intended, by means of mediators, to re-establish peace at least superficially between us and the Church ; how we propose to arrange concerning the affidrs of kings 106 MATTHSW PABIS. [a.D. 1245. in general, and of each one in particular ; what arrangement has been made respecting the islands in the ocean ; and how that court is plotting against all princes in common by cer- tain planS) which, although clandestinely arranged, could not escape our notice or that of some persons, subjects and Mends of ours, whom we had there. How, with all our troops ready for war, and by using all our endeavours, we hope, in the spring now approaching, to be able to oppress those who now oppress us, ay, though the whole world should oppose us. But whatever our Mthful subjects, the bearers of this letter, may state to you, you may safely believe, and place the firmest confidence in the same, as though St. Peter had sworn to it. We b^ you, however, not to consider that the i^^ty of our high station is in any way depressed by the sentence pronounced against us by the pope ; for we are pure in conscience, and consequently have God with us, on whom we call to bear testimony to the truth of our words. For it has always been our intention and wish to induce the clerks of every order, and chiefly those of the highest rank, to con- tinue such to the end as they were in the primitive state of the Church, leading an apostolic life, and imitating our Lord's humility. For tli^y used to see angels, to shme forth in miracles, to heal the sick, to "bring ti^e dead to life, and to reduce kings and princes to submission to them, not by arms, but by holiness. But these men, devoted to the world, and intoxicated by its pleasures, put away the Lord ; and by the superabundance of their ricjhes and possessions aU religion is choked. To take away from such persons the injurious wealth with which they are burdened to their own damnation, is a work of charity. For this purpose, therefore, you and all princes ought to unite with us, and use all diligence to make them lay aside all superfluous wealth, and to serve God, <^ntented with moderate possessions." How Frederick*8 reputation daily diminished. When this news reached the ears of the Christian kings of France and England, it appeared as clear as the light to them and their nobles that Frederick was endeavouring, by all the means in his power, to destroy the liberty and nobility of the Church, which he had never augmented, although his noble ancestors had done their best to establish it j and by A.D. 1245.] fredebick's reputation diminishes. 107 this very fact rendering himself suspected of heresy, he had, destroyed eyery spark of good opinion and respect for his wisdom, which had heretcfore existed amongst the people. But these kings, because it would appear womanlike and dis* honourable at once to attack one whom they had formerly protected, some time concealed their anger and kept silence, although not without grumbling. Thus, by this proceeding, the pope's condition was ameliorated, and he began to recover breatL One grievous wound, however, pressed upon princes as well as prelates in a heavier degree than all others ; this was, that although the emperor Frederick was deserving, on too many accounts, of being humbled and deprived, of all his honours, yet if, by God's aadstance, the papal authority should iire- vocably depose him, the Boman church, abusing God's favour, would in future be puffed iip to such a degree of haughtiness and intolerable pride, that it would, on some light cause or other, either depose Catholic chiefs,-— especially prelates,-*-*- although just and innocent, or opprobriousiy threaten to depose them ; and the Somans, although sprung from ple- b^an blood, would,, with lofty talk and boasting, exclaim, *^ We have trodden down the most powerful lord and em- peror Frederick, and who are you that rashly think to resist us ) " And the nobles, being thus provoked, will raise the heel against them, and, by God's vengeance, the Roman authority will stand a chance of beiag destroyed. How the attempts of the agents qf the English community were deprived ^effect. To the agents of the English community, namely Fail Bigod and his beforenamed colleagues, who were awaiting a favourable answer from the pope, as he had promised, it was at length given to understand that they would not obtain their demands. They therefore departed in great anger, giving vent to threats, and swearing with a terrible oath that they would never satisfy the ever detestable avarice of the Bomans by paying the tribute, neither would they allow it to be paid, nor would they any longer suffer the produce and revalues of the churches (especially of those of which the nobles of the kingdom were known to be patrons) to be any 108 KATTHEW PARIS. [▲.&. 124dc longer extorted from them as heretofore. Nevertheless, the pope dissemblinglj passed by all these things with a patient mind and with the eyes of conniyance, and qnietly awaited a time for proceeding with greater severity, when prosperity smiled upon him. He therefore sent to all the bishops c^ England, most strictly ordering each one to affix his s^ to that detestable charter of the tribute, which King John, of unhappy memoiy, had made, notwithstanding the opposition of Stephen, archbishop of Canterbury, in order that by their so doing it might be confirmed and perpetuated ; and this^ alas ! these bi^ops, who were become inexcusably eflSsminate through fear, did, to the enormous prejudice of the king and kingdom. The king, on hearing of this, flew into a most violent rage, and swore that, although the bishops had dis- gracefrilly submitted, he would boldly stand up for the liber- ties of the kingdom, and would never, as long as he drew the breath of life, pay any tax to the Eoman court, under the name of tribute. Eulk, bishop of London, was the last one to lend himself to this wicked plan, and to affix his seal to this charter ; hence he deserved less blame than the others. In like manner also, for the better confirmation of the sentence of deposition pronounced against the emperor Frederick, and in lasting memory of the circumstance, all the prelates affixed their seals to a large charter relating to the same, which was copied word for word from that sealed with the papal bulL The council being then broken up, those who had assembled there returned with a blessing to their homes, excepting those who were detained by special business, which the pope had postponed till after the council The papal mandate to the Cistercian chapter. Whilst the revolutions of the world were dragging these events with them, the Cistercian abbats of various countries, as was their custom, when the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross drew nigh, came in crowds to their chapter ; and when they were all assembled, they received a message from the pope, the purport of which was as follows : — "We would have your brotherhood to know that the Church is in a state of fearful peril, and in need of your urgent prayers more perseveringly ; for a crisis is at hand A.D. 1245.] PROCEEDINGS AT CANNOCK. 109 which threatens all Christianity in a fearful way. Hence- forth we shall not trouble to employ the sword of steel against the Boman emperor Frederick, that powerful and obstinate enemy of the church of Christ, but only the spiritual one. The mouth of those speaking evil is closed. Let not, we beg of you, the reproaches of ignorant and truthless men induce you to think that this sentence has been pronounced by us iainst the said l^erick in a headlong Jj «i it were/and without a deliberate and lengthened consultation with our brethren and many other learned men. For we do not remember any cause to have ever been discussed with so much deliberation and such diligent examination, or to have been so carefully weighed in the minds of skilful and holy men ; so much so, indeed, that, at our secret councils, some of our brethren assumed the characters x>f advocates for him, and some, on the other hand, pleaded against him, in order that, by the pleas and replies of the inquirants and disputants, as is the custom in schools, the truth of the cause on either side might be discovered from the very bottom. But we could not, without injury and serious offence to Gk>d, and alarm to bis Church, or without wounding our own conscience, find any other way of proceeding than as we have acted, however unwillingly, and much as we pitied the miseiy of the said offender. We are therefore prepared^ in and for this cause, to stand firm to the death ; and in it and for it all our brethren as well as ourselves, are ready to die, un- dauntedly fighting on behalf of God and his Church.** This message having been fuUy published to the whole chapter and the brethren in general, they abandoned the cause of the emperor Frederick, and wonderfuUy inclined to the side of the pope, praying to God that he would by no means suffer his Church, which he had established on a firm rock, to fidl eternally, although it was now somewhat tottering. Of the proceedings at Ga$inock whilst the king was staying there. The king, in the mean time, had been now sta3ring for nearly two months on the lower confines of Wales, near a river flowing between the mountains of Snowdon, where he was employed in building a castle, impregnable in its walls and its position, and on the 24th of September, a certain 110 MATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1245. noble of his army, vishing to inform his Mends who were atizious about this matter, wrote to them as follows : — ^' Health. — His majesty the king is staying with his army at Crannock, for the purpose of fortifying a castle which is now built in a most strong position there ; and we are dwelling round it in tents^ employed in watchings, fastings, and prayers, and amidst cold and nakedness. In watchings, through fear of the Welsh suddenly attacking us by night ; in fastings, on account of a deficiency of provisions, for a &rthing loaf now costs five pence ; in prayers, that we may soon return home safe and uninjured ; and we are oppressed by cold and nakedness, because our houses are of canvass, and we are without winter clothing. There is a small arm of the sea which flows and ebbs under the aforesaid castle, where we are staying, and forming a sort of harbour, into which, during our stay here, ships have often come &om Ireland, and from Chester, bringing provisions. This arm of the sea lies between us and Snowdon, where the Welsh quarter them- selves,, and is, at high tide, about a crossbow-shot wide. On the Monday next before Michaelmas, in the afternoon, a ship fix>m Ireland, bringing provisions to us for sale, was coming up towards the entrance of the harbour, but being incautiously steered, as the sea receded, it remained aground imder our aforesaid castle, but on the opposite bank, towards the Welsh, who* immediately rushed down and made an attack on it as it lay on dry ground. We therefore, seeing this proceeding from the bajik on this side, sent three hundred Welsh, our borderers from Cheshire and Shropshire, across the water in ,/ boats, together with some crossbowmen, to defend the said ship j on seeing which, the Welsh hurriedly retreated to their accustomed and well-known hiding-places in the moun- tains and woods. Our knights, attended by their followers, pTusued them for a distance of two leagues, and, although they were on foot (for they had not brought their horses across the water with them), they wounded and slew many of the Welsh. Our people then returned, after defeating their enemies, and, like greedy and needy men, indulged in plunder, and spread fire and rapine through the country on the other side the water, and amongst other profane pro- ceedings, they irreverently pillaged a convent of the Cister- ciaos <^ed Aberconway, of all its property, and even of the ▲.D. 1245.] PROCEEDINGS AT GANNOCK. Ill chalices and books, and burnt the buildings belonging to it. The Welsh, in the mean time, having assembled a large host of their countrymen, suddenly rushed with noisy shouts on our men, who were laden with booty acquired by the mostr wicked means, and impeded by their sins, and put them to flight, wounding and slaying many as they retreated towards the ship ; some of our people, choosing rather to trust to the billows, and to perish by drowning, than to be slain at will by their enemies, threw themselves of their own accord into the waves, there to perish. Some of our knights they took alive, to imprison them ; but, hearing that we had slain some ci their nobles, and above all, Naveth son of Odo, a handsome and brave youth, they also hung these knights of ours, after- wards decapitating and mangliiig them dreadfully : finally, they tore their miserable corpses Umb from limb, and threw them into the water, in detestation of their wicked greedi- ness in not sparing the church, especially one belonging to religious men. ^^ There fell in this conflict on our side some knights of the retinue of Eichard, earl of Cornwall ; namely, Alan Buscel, Adam de Moia, Lord Geoffrey Sturmy , and a fourth, Raymond, a Grascon crossbowman, of whom the king used often to make sport ; and about a hundred retainers were killed, besides ^ose drowned, and the same number of the Welsh, or more. In the mean time Walter Bissett, who was on board the ship with his followers, bravely defended it, and was engaged till about midnight in continued fight with the Welsh, who fiercely attacked him on all sides, and if our men had not had the sides of the ship for a wall, they would have alto- gether Mien into the hands of the enemy. At length, as the sea rose, the ship began to roll, and it being now inac- cessible, the Welsh withdrew, lamenting that our people had been snatched out of their hands. On board this ship were sixty casks of wine, besides other much^esired and season- able provisions, of which we were at the time destitute. When morning came, and the tide receded, the Welsh re- turned with alacrity, thinking to seize on our people in the vessel, but, by God's providence, they had, during the ni^t, when the tide was high, made their escape to us by means of our boats, before the arrival of the Welsh, leaving only the ship ; the Welsh, however, approached, carried off nearly all 112 KATTHEW PAIUS. [a.D. 1245. the wine and the other things on board, and, leaving it as the tide rose, set fire to the sMp, a portion of which was con- sumed ; the other part, however, was saved, in which were seven casks, which we dragged to the near shore. " Whilst we have continued here with the army, being in need of many things, we have often sallied forth armed, and exposed ourselves to many and great dangers, in order to procure necessaries, encoimtering many and various ambus- cades and attacks fbom the Weldb, suffering much and often, by the fortuitous chances of war, doing damage to them. After one conflict, we brought back in triumph to our camp the heads of nearly a hundired decapitated Welsh. At that time there was such a scarcity of aU provisions, and such want • of all necessaries, that we incurred an irremediable loss both of men and horses. There was a time, indeed, when there was no wine in the king's house, and, indeed, not amongst the whole army, except one cask only ; a measure of com cost twenty shillings, a pasture ox three or four marks, and a hen was sold for eightpence. Men and horses consequently pined away, and numbers perished from want." The pope comes to a conference with the French king at Clugny, About the same time of the year, the pope went to Clugny, on a summons from the French king, who wished for an interview with him. His holiness, however, was not allowed to proceed any further into France. About the feast of St. Andrew, the French king came there to him, after he had been waiting for him for fifteen days, and there they held a secret coimcil for seven days, no one being privy to the business but themselves ; namely, the pope and the French king, and the Lady Blanche, the mother of the latter. It was most undoubtedly believed that they were deliberating as to arranging a peace between the Church and the empire, and on the way in which an honourable reconciliation could be effected ; for the French king had come to a fixed determi> nation to set out to Jerusalem in company with many French nobles and chiefs who had now assumed the cross, both on account of the king and on behalf of God ; and they could not, unless the emperor were pacified and fiilly reconciled to the Church, travel by sea or through his territories, witibout great danger to all Christendom. And even if they could do A.D. 1245.] DBATH OF RAYMOND^ C0U2IT OF PROVENCE. 113 SO, it would not be expedient to fight for Christ in the Holy Land, when they left behind them in a Christian conntiy such an inveterate and injurious quarrel between persons of such high stations. Again, it was firmly believed that they were treating of a re-establishment of peace between the kings of France and England, or at any rate of prolonging the truce, in order that he, the French king, might proceed on his pilgrimage in greater security. At the conclusion of tiiis interview, the French king, when about to depart, appointed a day in the fortnight of Easter for a conference with his holiness, at which the presence of the said emperor Frederick should be procured. From this place, the French king went to the dty of M&con, which city, with the whole province, had in this year Men under his power and rule in the following way :— When that inheritance fell into the possesdon of the countess of Macon, she at once sent word to the king that she would willingly sell him all the right which she held in the said city and province, for she purposed taking the reli^ous habit. To this offer the French king agreed, and bought the terri- tory for an immense sum of money, the whole of which the countess liberally expended for the benefit of the poor, and on other pious purposes, and soon after took the religious habit in a nimnery which the Lady Blanche had founded at Pontoise ; thus leaving behind her a memorable example of humility for all ages to all nobles, and especially to women. * Death qfRaymond^ eonnt qf Provence. About the same time, Ba3rmond, count of Provence, paid the debt of nature ; an illustrious and distinguished man, who had been wonderfully tossed about on the wheel of for- tune, and who left an unusual source of wonder to all ages in the excelling beauty of his daughters, to the youngest of whom he, in his last words, left Ins coimty of Provence as a bequest. But when the French king heard this, he sent five hundred chosen knights, provided with arms and other neces- saries, to take possession of the aforesaid county of Provence, by reascm of the eldest daughter of the lately-deceased count, whom he had married, as above mentioned ; as he considered the aforesaid will of the said Count Baymond to be null and void, as being illegal. The king of England, on hearing of VOL. II. I 114 MATIHEW PARIS. [A-H. 1345. the oooDt 8 death, urged hy feelings of afiectum, perfiormed his fbneral obsequies with great qplendour, amidist bountifiil aliiiflgiviiig, devoai prayers, with tapers lifted and bells ixDging, — at the same time strictly forbidding every one from annoandng this event to the qneen his wife, lest she should be overocMne with grie£ l%e eify ofDmHOicm Ukem hf the BtkfUmimu. In this year, in the week next preceding Michaelmas-day, the noble city of Damascus, which is said to have been the chief city of Syria in times of old, was taken from the Chris- tians, to their great confusion and deplorable desolation, by the treacherous infidels the Babylonians, and their aco(»n- plices the Chorosmians, the enemies most hostile to the Chris- tian name. For although this city had been polluted by the &ith of Mahomet, it was in alliance with the Christians, and inJTured none of them, and was very profitable and convenient to them, from the mutual traffic and intercourse carried on between them ; but now, from being a friendly dty, it became most unfriendly and most hostile to them ; its sultan was ex- pelled, and with difficulty found a safe hiding-place in the eastern part of the country, whilst the city itself together with the country round on all sides, became subject to the Babylonians and Chorosmians. The king qf BngUmd, qfler ravagimg that pari of Waiet called Angleeea^ purpoeee to return to EngUmd. On the morrow of the feast of the apostles Simon and Jude, the king being unable, as well as unwilling, to make any longer stay at Gannock, owing to the want of provisions, and the near approach of winter, after a stay of about ten weeks there, forti&ed and stored his aforesaid castle of €^- nock, which he had built, and made preparations to return to England, in order that he, as well as his army, might recover breath. He was now well convinced of the irreparable ruin of his enemies the Welsh ; for, on his arrival, the Irish had ravaged the whole of Anglesea, which is^ as it were, the pro- tectress and place of refuge for all Welsh ; and at his departure, he cruelly put to the sword and reduced to ashes everybody and everything that remained there ; so much so, that the whole country seemed reduced to one vast and uncultivated desert solitude. He also caused the salt-pits at Witz to be* ▲.D. 1245.] THE KINO LEATES 6AKN0CK. 110 £lled up and desAxayed ; and in order that the Welsh might not obtain prOTiaions from the neighbouring provinces, as thej used to do, even in time of war, either hy purchase, gc by robbery, through friendship, relationship, or kindred, he caused the inhabitants of that country, and those in subjec- tion to him, to be impoverished, and especially deprived of food, so much, so^ that, in Cheshire and other neighbouring provinces, &miiie prevailed to such a degree, that the inhabi- tants had scarcely sufficient means left to prolong a wretched existence. He also prohibited, under pain of death and loss of property, any provisions from being b«>nglit, or aUowed to be brought, for sale from the English or Irish provinces. This castle of Grannock, too, well supplied with men, provi- sions, engines of war, and arms, was, as it were, a thorn in the eye of the wretched, yea, most wretdied Welsh ; and they could not, by any means, pass into England without being intercepted by the castellams, who were, by the king's order, obediently followed by the whole country ; nor could they stay in their own coimtry for want. How the king Irft Gannock, after fortifying the castle there. Having prudently disposed all matters, the king retiimed to England in safety, and crowned with good fortime, except that die fiune of his brother, Earl Eicluard, was clouded in no slight degree by this expedition, and sinister reports were spread about him. For it was ^ted everywhere, both in tiie army, and throughout the whole kingdom, that the said earl, to the dishonour, loss, and injury of the king, had, on the plea of affection and relationship, favoured his nephew David with greater friendship than was either proper or expedient, and had at one time secretly entertained the said David, when wearied, harassed, and in bad health, in his castle of Tintaiol, that he might recover breath, and, when restored, rise with greater strength against the king ; also, that he had promoted the cause of the said David, by his counsel and assistance, because the king, at the instance of the queen, had refused to bestow Chester, with the honours pertaining to it, on him when he asked for it. It was also stated that it was because he met with a refrisal through the queen's interference, when he asked for Gasoony as a g^ from the king, that he left the king in anger, and with un- i2 116 ICATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1245. becoming threats, at Bordeaux. These assertions ought not, however, to be believed ; for when the king had been in need of money for the building of his castle at G^nock, and for the support of the army, the aforesaid earl, touched with fraternal compassion, liberally lent him three thousand marks on the security of his jewels ; and thus the mouth of evil speakers was stopped. The Idng then returned £rom Wales as the winter drew near, and set out on his march on the morrow of the feast of the apostles Simon and Jude, in order, as has been before stated, that he himself, as well as his over-wearied army, might recover breath, but intending to return to the same labour after the severity of the winter was past. The unhappy Welsh, therefore, as the inclemencies of winter set in on them, were oppressed by want in all shapes, homeless and destitute of all kinds of provisions, nor were they buoyed up by any hopes of an amelioration in their con- dition, as all their lands were lying imcultivated and rotted ef their own accord, and thus, overcome with hunger and cold, as well as by mental and bodily despair, they pined away and died JDepoiUion qf Maurice from tkejuaiieiarythip qflreUmd, The king now deposed Maurice, justiciary of Ireland, ^om his office, being ve^ angry and indignant at his being so slow in coming to his assistance when he had as &ir a wind as he could wish, and in his stead he appointed and authorized John Fitz Geoffirey. Maurice, however, patiently endured all this, because, since the death of his son, he despised all the glory and dignities of this world. A legate sent into France to promote the cause qfthe crusade. In the same year, at the request of the king of France, whom the Lord had restored to health, as it were with a renewed spirit, and who had assumed the cross, a legate was sent into France by the pope for the purpose of more effec- tually promoting the crusade by his preac^iing. About the same time, too, the bishop of Beyrout, before mentioned, accompanied by A., one of the Preacher brethren, came from the Holy Land to England, and, after informing the king of the lamentable state of affitirs and the' sufferings of the Holy Land, he begged that they might be allowed to A.b. 1245.] A TITHE EXTORTED PROM THE PRIORIES. 117 promote the canse of the crusade in England by preaching. On inaMng this request, they, in evidence of the truth of their assertions, showed a charter which they had brought from the Holy Land, and also one of indulgence which they had brought from the court of Home ; on seeing which latter the king said, ^' Although you may be true and able messen^ gers, yet we have been so often deceived by the Boman court, through its agents and proctors sent on this same business, who have only employed themselves in extorting money, that you will scarcely find any who wiU put faith in you.** When, in order to interest the king in their fiivour, they went on to state that almost all the nobility of France had assumed the cross, the king said, ^* The king of France has taken the cross, and if his subjects follow him, who is to wonder at it ? I am surrounded by my enemies ; the king of France is an object of suspicion to me, and the king of Scots is still more so ; the prince of Wales is in open hos- tility against me ; the pope protects those who rise against me ; I do not, therefore, choose that my territory should be emptied of its soldiery or money, so as to be depiived of aU its strength.** The bishop and the Preacher, thus balked in all their hopes, then went away. 7%0 abbai of Clugny extorts a tithe from his priories. About this time, when the pope was a guest at the con- vent of Clugny, before his departure from that place to seek refuge at Lyons, the abbat of Clugny obtained from him a license and a warrant to exact a tithe for one year from the whole of the brethren at that place. This was granted for two reasons ; namely, because the said abbat had made some handsome presents to the pope when an exile and coining to the cisalpine provinces (for he had given him thirty palfreys well accoutred, and the same number of pack-horses), and also because he had magniflceivtly and courteously received him and entertained him for nearly a year. And this tithe the aforesaid abbat was to receive from aU members, notwith- standing the opposition of any ordinary person. Of this money the pope was to receive three thousand marks, and the rest to be given to discharge the debts which the church of Clugny is &own to have incr^rred for the advancement of the cause of the Roman church. And the pope made this 118 MATTHEW PABIS. [A-D. 1245. grant to the abbat, that he might make for himself a broad strap out of his own skin. How teveral noblet took the sign qfthe cross. Directly that the French king led the way and set the example, as if he were standard-beiEurer, many of the French nobles assumed the cross ; amongst others his brother Bobert^ count of ArtoiSy the duke of Burgundy, the duke of Brabant, the countess of Flanders, with her two sons, Peter count of Brittany, his son J count of Brittany, the count of Bar, the coimts- of Soissons, St. Paul, Dreux, and Bethel, Philip de Courtenay, Walter de Joigny, Gilles de Mailly, the advocate of Bethune, and many other nobles, whose numb^ daily in- creased, because the ^ng, by taking on himself the functions of a preacher, incited them to it. Some of the prelates also, aroused by a similar zeal, in order to set a pious example to the laymen, took the sign of the cross on their shoulders, to avenge the cause of Christ. Amongst these were the arch- bishop of Bheims, the archbishop of Sens, the archbishop of Bourges, the bishop of Laon, the bishop of Beauvids, and many others whom Christ daily called and incited to enter in his service. The Saracens are reported to ha»e poisoned the pepper. The Sarac^is, on hearing of these proceedings, made many preparations for defence, and, devising plans of evil, they poisoned the pepper, which they knew was to be sent to the Christian provinces, whereby many people in France, being imawarel of this evil deed, were Hlled. But as soon as it was found out, proclamation was made by the herald in all the chief cities in France and England, in order that this danger mi^t be more carefully avoided Other persons, however, said that the traders did this, in order that the old pepper, which had been kept for a long time, might sell the better. The consecration ofBichard, chancellor qf the church af Exeter ^ to the see of that place. About this time, namely near about the beginning of December, Master Bichard, chancellor of the church of £xeter, a man without blame, and of praiseworthy morals and leaming, was consecrated bishop of Exeter, at Beading, A.D. 1245.] A BEMABKABLE OCCUBBENCE. 119 Death of Walter, earl marshal. On the 4th of December in this same year, or as others say, on the 24th of November^ Walter, earl marshal, went the way of all flesh at London, and was bniied at Tintem, near Stiigoil, where many of his noble ancestors were entombed.' Death ofAnselmf brother of the above. Soon afterwards, on the third day before Christmas-day, died Anselm, the next younger brother of the above ; and as both these two died without any children, that noble inherit- ance was scattered about in nLifold ^ys, and feU to the possession of many, by reason of their sisters, to whom it severally belonged. The scutcheons which, alas I were at this time laid low in England, THOSE OF The marshal. The earl of Chester. The earl of Arundel. The earl of Mandeville. The earl of Huntingdon. D^ubeney. Hugh de Lacy (in Ireland). Count Raymond (in ProTence). William of Lancaster. Osbert Gififard. Walter, son of Gilbert de Bohun, and' his brother. Alexander Arsic. Robert of Ropesle. Robert de Burgate. Robert de Tumham. William^ Nicholas >de Stuteville. Eustace J Roger de Montbogunt. Phnip d'Ulecote. Fanlkes de Breute. Richard Percy. Henry de Trubleville. Philip Daubeney. Ralph de Trublenlle. Richard de Rivers. Richard, son of Rob^ de Chil* cham, and Richard of Dover, his son. The earl of Warwick. A remarkable occurrence connected with the great W, Marshal and hisfnewM. A wretched and lamentable misfortune, and one hitherto unheard o^ happened to the five sons of the great W. Mar« shal, who were all, in the order of their birth, taken from amongst us childless, whilst prosperity was smiling upon them in the midst of their possessions, and in the prime of life, which accorded with a prophecy of their mother, who said, that '' all of them would be earls of one earldom," for, although Anselm was not invested with the earldom, it de- volved on him ; and thus their mother proved herself a sibyl. I do not think, however, that we should believe that this occursisd without the divine interposition, and as this occurrence is worthy of mention, we have thought &» "^ 120 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 124^. insert an account of it in this work. When the aforesaid brave and warlike William, sumamed the ^' Mareschal" (aa though ^' Seneschal of Mars*^, was indulging in slaughter and pillage in Ireland, and was acquiring a large territoiy, he presumptuously and hj force took away from a certain holy bishop two manors which belonged to lus church, and held possession of them as if they were his own by a just claim, because they were acquired in war. The bishop in conse- quence^ after frequent warnings, to which the earl replied with insolence, stUl retaining possession of the said manors, and contumaciously persisting in his sin, fulminated sentence of excommunication against him, and with good cause ; but this the earl despised, and, pleading as an excuse that it was in the time of war, he heaped injury on injury. It was owing to these proceedings of his, that one Master Gervase de Melkeley, composing verses on him, and speaking as if in the person of ^e earl, said, — Sum quem Satumum libi sensit H jbemia ; Solem * Anglia ; Mercnriiim NonnaiiDia ; Gallia Martem. [In Ireland I am Saturn ; in England the Son's rays snrround me : In Normandy I'm Mercury, bat France for ever Mars has fonnd me.] The said earl, then, held these manors under his jurisdic- tion all his life. After some years he died, and was buried at the New Temple, in London, which circumstance coming to the knowledge of the aforesaid bishop (it was the bishop of Femes, who had been a monk of the Cistercian order, an Irishman by birth, and a man of remarkable sanctity), he, though not without much personal labour, went to the king, who was at the time staying at London, and, making a heavy complaint of the abovementioned injury done to him, de- clared that he had excommimicated the said earl for the- same, not without good cause : he then begged of the king, by his royal authority and warrant, for the release of the soul of the said Earl William, to restore his manors to him, that the deceased might obtain the benefit of absolution. The king; touched with sorrow at hearing this, asked the bishop to go to the earl's tomb and absolve him, promising that he would himself see that satis&ction was given him. The bishop therefore went to the tomb, and, in the presence of the long and many other persons, as if a live person was A.D. 1245.] OF A BEMAKKABLE OOCURBENCE. 121 addressiiig a living one in the tomb, said, " William, jou who are entombed here, bound with the bonds of excommunica- tion, if the possessions which you wrongfully deprived my church of be restored, with adequate satis&ction, by the agency of the king, or by your heir, or any one of your relations, I absolve you ; if otherwise, I confirm the said sentence, that, being involved in your sins, you may remain in hell a condemned man for ever.** The king, on hearing this, became angry, and reproved the immoderate severity of the bishop. To this the latter replied, ''Do not be asto- nished, my lord, if I am excited ; for he despoiled my church of its greatest advanta^."* The king then, privately, spoke to WiUiam, the earl's era^ son, and heir of all his property, who was now invested wmK^e earldom, and also to some of his brothers, and begged (»^em, by restoring the afore- said manors, which had been unjustly taken away, to release the soul of their father. To this William replied, '' I do not believe, neither ought it to be believed, that my fistther took them away wrongfully ; for what is taken in time of war becomes a just possession. K that old and foolish bishop has pronounced the sentence unjustly, may it be hurled back on his own head ; I do not choose to diminish the inheritance with which I am invested. My &ther died seised of these manors, and I, with good right, entered into possession of what I found." In this decision all the brothers agreed, and the king, being at the time a young man, and under a guardian, would not on any account give offence to such a powerful noble. When this afterwards became known to the bishop, he grieved more at the contumacy of the sons, than at the injury done him in the first place by the fistther ; he then went before the king, and said to him, " What I have said, I have said ; and what I have written, I have written indelibly. The sentence is confirmed. A punishment has been inflicted Ion male&ctors by the Lord, and the male- diction which is described in the psalm is imposed in a heavy degree on Earl William, of whom I complain, — ' In one ge- neration his name shall be destroyed,' and his sons shall be without share in that benediction of the Lord, ' Increase and multiply r Some of than will die by a lamentable death, and their inheritance will be scattered ; and all this, my lord king, you will see in your lifetime, ay, in the prime ot 122 MATTHEW FABia. [a.d. 1245. jpur life." After deliyering this speech in the bitterness of his heart, as if inspired by a prophetic spirit, the bishop went away in sorrow. Thus was the noble Eari William Marshal, who had placed his confidence on an arm of flesh, left entangled in the bonds of the anathema. As an evident proof of this circumstance, some years afterwards, after the death of all his sons, when the chnrch of the New Temple was dedicated, in the year 1200, the body of the said earl, which had been sewn np in a bull's hide, was found entire, but rotten, and loathsome to the sight. The last of the brothers but one, Earl Walter Marshal, followed in his steps ; lor althou^ he had most &ithfnlly promised a revenue of sixty shillings to the house of St. Mary, belonging to the monks of Hert- ford, and had given a written promise thereof because his brother Earl GUbert died there, and his bowels still remained buried there, he forgot the pledge and promise which he had made for the redemption of his brother, and, affcer causing much useless vexation to the prior of the said house, he proved himself a manifest deceiver and transgressor. How the emperw Frederick proceeded agamtt the MUanete, About this time, the pope having persuaded the nobles of Germany, to whom the right of election belonged, to elect a new emperor over them, some of them, the chief of whom was Conrad, archbishop of Cologne, agreed in fixing on the landgrave of Thuringia, who, however, refused to acquiesce or agree to such a piece of temerity, being content with his own duchy, and preferring to enjoy peace and secmrity rather than trust to the risks and dangers of a doubtful war, espe- cially against the emperor Frederick, whose prowess he had often tried, and whom he had found to be ftdl of fox-like cunning. The pope, however, to encourage and inspirit him, promised him his protection, and that of the universal Church; the Milanese, also, and the Italians aUied with them, sent their special messengers, and, calling his prudence pusillanimity, promised him their effectual assistance and coimsel in eveiything, if he would consent to this election in the place of the said Frederick, an apostate, an excomr municated and deposed man, and t>ne ignominiously repro- bated by God and the Church. The emperor Frederick, on hearing of this proceeding, groimd hfis teeth with rage, and A.D. 124d.] ILL-USAGE OF THE POICTEVINS. 123 grieved to see that his enemies raised their heads from his adversity, and heaped insult on insult, and threat upon threat on him ; and, aiming wholly at vengeance, he drew out his troops in order, and being aware of their movements beforehand, cunningly placed an ambuscade in the rear of the enemy, under die command of his son Henry, king of Sardinia, and provoked the Milanese to battle as they were about to sally forth in their usual way. The Milanese, sally- ing forth in crowds, and imaware of the ambuscade, rushed undismayed and with alacrity on the emperor Frederick; seeing which, the king of Sardinia interposed his army be- tween the Milanese and their city, and attacked them at the sword's point, conmiitting a great and pitiable slaughter amongst them. The citizens, on looking back and seeing the means of retreat cut of^ and the approach to their dty blocked up, were thrown into despair, and numbers of them fell slain, leaving, however, a bloody victory to the emperor. Countless numbers fell on both sides, and people, on hearing of it, inconsolably lamented the slaughter of so many Christians. The archdeacon of York murdered in the vettihuie qfihe church. About this time, a canon of the church of York havings by insults and reproaches, provoked the anger of a certain knight, was slain by him in the vestibule of the church. The knight, who was not of ignoble descent, was taken and committed to prison, where he awaited the punishment to be inflicted on him for his crime. The iU'Usagejifthe PoiUtins by the French, During all this time, the wretched, although* not to be pitied, Poitevins, in whom treachery was innate, became so loathsome in the sight of the French, that they did not dare, nor were they allowed, to give their daughters in marriage, without permission of the French ; and as they were lorded over by people who hated them, they fell into the very lowest condition, and deservedly reaped the fruits of their ways under the manifold yoke of Egyptian slavery. Now, there- fore, they repented of having traitorously received such large siuns of money frt>m both kmgs, and of having deceived and expelled from his territories their natural lord, who believed that he had found faith in faithless men, who, as they thirsted 124 KATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1245. for gain, fell into a snare. Their castles also, which were aboat to be destroyed at the wiU of their enemies, were with difficulty allowed to stand, after a large sum had been paid by way of ransom-money, and a garrison of French was put in them ; for Senriet tftemo, qui ptnro nesciet uti. [For he shall ever be a sknre, Whose mind for riches still doth crave.] The privilege obtained by the bishop qflAneolnJrom the pope. About this time, as winter was approaching, Robert, bishop of Lincoln, like Ismael, knowing no rest, opposing many, and himself opposed by very many, after much expense and trouble, obtained his request against his canons, as is men- tioned in the following letter from the pope, whom he rewarded with some costly presents : — ^ Innocent, dsc, to his veneraible Irother the bishop of Lin- coln, Health cmd the apostolic benediction. — Amongst other things which frequently attack our mind, who, unworthy as weZ, by God^dispeLation preside ovlr the maiiagem^ent of the (Wh unive^ this drcumstance presZTus in our frequent meditations ; namely, that churches which are disturbed by disputes should not break down under the costs incurred by them, and that a proper end should be put to suits, which, owing to the endeavours and subterfuges of the parties, seem in a manner inmiortaL Whereas a matter of dispute has arisen between yourself on the one part, and the dean and chapter of Lincoln on the other, concerning the dignities and common right of them and their prebendal and oi£er churches, also concerning the visitation, and the cor< rection and amendment of the morals, as well of the deans as of the canons and clerks of the choir, and also of the ministers, vicars, jchaplains, and parishioners of all the said churches, and also concerning the respect and canonical obedience which ought to be paid to you by them, and also concerning some other dignities and matters pertaining to the episcopal office ; we, after divers commissions on one side and another, obtained from the Apostolic See, before judges, and by processes held by them, desiring to put on end to that cause, have thought proper to bring it under our own inspection. And whereas you and the proctor of the A.D. 124:5.] THE BISHOP OF UKCOUT OBTAINS A PBIYILBGE. 125 other party appeared before us, and it was set forth on your part, that, although by yirtue of your pastoral office you are bound by common right to visit the chapter of Lincoln, and ^ the prebendal churches with respect to their dignities and common rights, and to fulfil those duties which pertain to the office of visitation, according to form of law, and although, as the chapter as well as the churches are by common right ■subject to you, you are bound to correct the &ults of the dean as well as of all the canons and the clerks of the choir, and the minist^n of the same, and also of the vicars, chap- lains, and parishioners of the aforesaid churches, and to reform their morals, that their blood might not be required at your hands, and also to examine into and decide the cause of all the aforesaid persons^ 'whenever a dispute arose amongst themselves, or against any who were opposed to your episcopate, or others against them, whether they were civil or criminal causes, properly belonging to you as ordinary, yet appertaining to ecclesiastical jurudiction, the dean and chapter, contra^ to justice, opposed you in these matters^ because you couhl not, as the duties of your office demanded, ^ceelj fulfil the foregoing duties. You moreover added, that^ as you were the head of the church of Lincoln, your consent ought by right to have been asked of you, as the head, before making an election of a dean of Lincoln ; yet they assert that they are at liberty to proceed to the election of a dean without asking your leave, and you asked justice to be shown you in this matter. You also said, that although the dean, on his confirmation, and the canons^ when prebends were conferred on them, were bound by right to swear canonical obedience to you, they, void of due respect, had not troubled hitherto to do so. You moreover alleged, that although, by the diocesan law, the sequestration of the deanship, dignities, and vacant prebends by right belonged to you, the afore- said dean and chapter, contrary to justice, opposed you in these matters. Wherefore you a^ed for your rights in the aforesaid matters to be declared, and an adjudication to be made by a definitive sentence, and that you might be admitted to the office of visitation in the chapter of Lincoln and the prebendal churches, with regard to the dignities and common rights, and also allowed to correct the faults and reform the morals of all the aforesaid 126 MATTHEW PABI8. [a.D. 1245. parties, notwitliBtandiiig the opposition of the dean and canons, and that a definitive decree might be pro- nounced in these matters^ and silence be imposed on them for ever, unless they could hy a privilege from the Apostolic See, or some other special right, defend them- selves in their aforesaid opposition. You also asked that an adequate procuration siiould be granted to you by reason of the visitation of the chapter, and that the expenses incurred in this suit should be allowed to you, and that whenever you should come to the chtuxsh of Lincoln, they should cause the church bells to be rung for you, and diould show respect to you as to a £Bbther ; that the dean should not henceforth compel any canon to swear canonical obedience to him, unless the episcopal dignity and authority were excepted ; nor to oblige the canons to swear to observe any customs which were contrary to canonical decrees ; and that he should not henceforth, in that chapter, issue any decrees which might be contrary to rules, and the episcopal authority and dignity. You also requested that, as ^e visitation of the prebends and churches with respect to their dignities and common rights pertained by right to you, the dean should be by sen- tence compelled to desist frcun the visitation of them. The proctor of the other party, however, contesting the matter, replied, that the statements made were not true as they were put forth, and that these demands ought not to be ac- ceded to. The cause, therefore, having been legally dis- puted, and having carefully listened to the all^;ations of both parties, we, at the conclusion of it, after holding due delibera- tion, by the advice of our brethren, pronounced a decree, that you are to be freely admitted to the visitation of the dean and chapter, as well as the canons^ clerks of the choir, minis- terEf, chaplains of the churches, and parishioners pertaining to all the aforesaid churches, and also to correct the hxilta and reform the customs. No procuration, however, shall be given by the chapter. for the making of the visitation in the cathedral church. The &ults of the canons of the cathedral church, which have usually been corrected by the chapter, shall be corrected by it, according to the custom of the church, which has been hitherto peaceably observed, at your suAmions and order, and at that of your successors, within a proper period, to be assigned to them by you or your said successors. Otherwise, from that time you or your successors, A.2). 1245.] PIOUS DECEIT OF THE FRENCH KING. 127 having Almighty God before your eyes, shall correct them by the Church's censure, as the cure of souls requires. '^ We also command the aforesaid canons to pay and observe caDonical obedience and reverence to yon : they shall not, however, be obliged to bind themselves to this by oath, by giving the hands, or by promise, as you are not entitled to this by custom. In the other matters demanded in your petition, we absolve the aforesaid dean and chapter. No one, there- fore, shall be allowed to infringe or rashly cbntravene this, our definitive writing ; and if any one presumes to attempt so doing, he will incur the anger of Almighty God, and of his blessed apostles Peter and PauL Given at Lyons, this twenty-fifth of August, in the third year of oiir pontificate." Death of John, biskop qfHerifard. On the 14th of October in this year, John, bishop of Hert- ford,* paid the debt of nature, having lived thirty years since he was deprived of his bishopric by the pope's order, retain- ing, however, his episcopal dignity. As he was happily closing his mortal career, not forgetting the benefits conferred on him by the church of St. Alban's, he, in his will, left to that church his books and some church ornaments ; whereby he was rewarded with a participation in all the good worh^ which are done in it, as if he were another abbat, and also •was buried therein, before the altar of St. Amphibalus, with all due solemnities. Death of Walter, abbat of Bourg. On the 22nd of December in this year, after much im- worthy vexation and trouble, and a heavy sickness, which he had brought on at the court of Home on that account, Walter, abbat of Bourg, went the way of all flesh, to the great loss and trouble of his churcL Of the civil and pious deceit qfthe French king. As the feast of our glorious Lord^s Nativity drew near, at which time the nobles usually made a custom of distributing fresh changes of raiment, which we commonly call new clothes, to their domestics, the French king, the standard- bearer of the cross, took on himself the office of preacher and agent in the matter of the crusade in a new form ; for lie ordered cloaks, with their appurtenances, a great many * It is doubtful what bishop is here meant. 128 ICAITHEW PARia. [a.d. 1245. more than was tunial, to be made of the most costly cloth, with divers skins let into them, and crosses made of iane gold-work, to be sewed on the dionlder part of the cloaks. This work he caused to be efiected secretly, and by night, and early in the morning, before the sun rose, he ordered the knights, wearing their royal cloaks, to appear with him in the church, to hear mass, which they did early in the morn- ing, that they might not be rebuked for idleness or sloth ; and whilst they were intent on the service. And o'er the world fhe blitbesome sun Again began hit course to run, and according to the proverb of Persius — Melius spectatur mantica tergo,— [Each sees the wallet on his neighbour's baek,^-] each knight beheld the sign of the cross worked on the shoulders of his neighbour ; and at length they found out that the king had thus practised a pious deception on theib, and, entering upon a new and never before heard of method of preaching the crusade, had become a preacher by deeds^ rather than -by words. And as it would seem imbecoming and disgraceful, as well as unworthy, for them to lay aside these crosses, they, with a smile, not however of derision, and with floods of pleasant tears, caUed the French king, on account of this occurrence, a hunter of pilgrims, and a new flsher of men. Summary qfthe whole year. This year throughout was remarkable for an abundance of com, increased by the greater fertility of the preceding year ; so much so, that the price of a measure of com fell to two shillings only ; but, owing to the unseasonableness and inclemency of the atmosphere during the summer, the fruit- trees did not produce any fruit. The events of it were pro- ductive of prosperity and increase to France ; of trouble and loss to England ; to the Holy Land, of enmity and danger ; to the Iridi, of labour and toil ; to the Welsh, of blood and misfortune ; to the Poitevins, of such treatment as children get from their stepmothers ; and it made the whole empire and court of Home tremble. A.D. 1246.] THE pope's DIDIGNATION. 120 The papers indignation against the English because they dared to complain at the council. Anno Domini 1246, the thirtieth year of the- reign of King Henry the Third, the said king was at London, at Christmas, in company with many of the nobles of the king- dom, his brother Earl Richard, the queen, and her sister the countess of Cornwall, who all, after having endured the toil and heat of the day together with the king, in Wales, cele- brated the festivities of Christmas with much rejoicing ; and thus those who had been companions in trouble were now participators in pleasm*e and rejoicing. But at this time, in order that pleasure might not smile on mortals xmmixed with grief, a sinister rumour arose, and out of this rumour a no slight suspicion, that the pope still retained feelings of rancour in his heart, although no reasonable cause remained for his doing so ; indeed he was very much enraged, and began to threaten the king and kingdom of England in manifold ways, declaring that, if he could subdue the emperor Fre- derick, he woiUd afterwards tread down the insolent pride of the English, who were kicking against him, for having com- plained at the council of the oppressions of the Roman court, and especially of the tribute. For it did not appear to him that the wretched English ought to b^ allowed to weep or groaik under the infliction of the manifold injuries done to them. And at the long and secret conference which he had with the French king at Clugny, he endeavoured to persuade and provoke that monarch to take adequate vengeance for such a great injury by attacking the petty king of England, and depriving him of his inheritance, or at least to punish him in such a way as would make him bend, willingly or imwillingly, to the will of the Roman court. In this, his holiness said that the Church and the papal authority would assist him with their utmost endeavours. This, however, the French king is said to have positively refused to do, because they, the two kings, were relations, and their queens were sisters j also, because the French king had no manifest claim upon the kingdom of England ; again, because there was a truce between them ; and this he would rather pro- long, on account of his pilgrimage, than treacherously rescind ; also, because there was a more powerfiil enemy to be tamed VOL. II. K 130 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1246. and one much more injurious to the Roman church, and that was Frederick ; also, because a no slight quantity of Christiaa blood would be shed before the kingdom of England would yield to the French ; and because the Christians in the Holy Land, oppressed and beleaguered by the pagans, were await- ing his expected coming like men in danger of shipwreck; looking for a more gentle and favourable breeze. J%e anger qftke king of England at the h^rg done to kim by the eounteee qf Provence. Just before the feast of the Epiphany had completed the* solemnities of our Lord's Nativity, reports were brought from Provence, which disturbed the king's mind in no slight degree ; for Beatrice, countess of Provence, the queen's mother, who had for five years received annually four thou- sand marks from the king, for the purpose of fortifying sixteen castles in Provence, which belonged to the king by reason of his marriage, had now, unmindftd of justice, of her fisdth and agreement, and forgetful of the maniifold honours so liberally conferred on her when she went to England^ given up Provenoe and its castles to the French king ; and^ making no mention of the right of the king of England, or her agreements with him, had given her youngest daughter, who was now free ancl safe from all plots against her, to the French king, to be marded to his son Charles. The said countess by this broke her £Edth in a worse degree, inasmuch as she had firmly and Mthfully promised the king of England that she would never on any account give up the said castles to any one, except to him. The kii^, however, did not meet with compassion or condolence from any one on account of this loss and disgrace, for when the Countess Beatrice some time since came to England in great pomp, the king, without any r^ard to what was proper or expe- dient, and in a very unusual and indiscreet way, subjected himself and his followers and their property to the most lavish expense, as has been before stated in its proper place ; whereupon the said countess, after cunningly weighing the king's actions and words, is reported to have said,— "I am sorry that I have given my daughters (whom, according to the vulgar phrase in Provence, she called her boys) in n^iar- xi<)ge to this king and his brother.'* iuB. 1246.] LETTEE OF THE K8H0P OF LINCOLN. 131 7^ Frmeh khtg OMi^Jbr ttprohngiUUm i(fth€ truce. As the feast of St. Hilary drew near, the French king, who was employed in preparing for his pilgrimage, being anxious that all matters should be consolidated and arranged peaceably in his kingdom, and that he might not, when he set out on his expedition, leave any suspected snares behind his back, asked for a prolongation of the truce which had been made in Poitou between him and the king of England. He also, although secretly, as is reported, offered certain terms of peace, which, however, the king of England hesi- tated to receive : these were, that all the territory on the continent, which had formerly been in his possession, except Normandy, should be freely restored to the said king of England, on consideration that he should give over Nor- mandy, in which he believed he had a right, to the French kingdom in quiet possession for ever. To one part of this message the king of England replied, but the other he left for more mature deliberation ; to the fii*st part he replied that he would willingly grant a longer truce to the French king at the will of the latter, that he, the king of England, might not appear to impede the matter of the crusade ; but on condition that the French king would not injure him, but would peaceably resign to him possession of that part of Provence, together with the sixteen castles before mentioned, which belonged to him by reason of the marriage contracted between him and Eleanor, the daughter of Baymond, count of Provence, lately deceased. A dispensation obtained hy the archbishop qf Canterbury* About the same time, the following letter emanated from the bishop of Lincoln, for the better information of people on the foregoing matters. ** To aU the sons of the Tnother Chv/rch to whom these presents shaU come, Robert, hy divine vnercy, bishop of Lmcoihh, Etervud heaUh m the Lord. — Be it known to you in general, that we have examined a man- date from the pope, not cancelled or aboli^ed, or vitiated in any respect^ the purport of which is as follows :^-* IrmocerU, bishop, servarU of the servcmts of God, to his venerable brethren the bishopSy amd his weU-bdoved children the ahbaJts, priors, a/rchdeacons, deems, chapUdns. and othefr prelates cmd clerks of £2 132 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1246. the churches throughmd the city, diocese, and province of Ccmterbv/ry, ffeaUh and Benediction. — The profoundness of the celestial plans, which by an incalculable and inscrutable providence arranges all things, not without a dispensation, of sure grounds alternates the vicissitudes of affairs, so as at one time to render the aid of inferiors necessary to superiors, at another that of superiors to be necessary to inferiors, in order that, by changes of this kind, the human race may see the instability of its condition, and by compassionating and assisting one another, may fulfil the law of Christ, by which each is ordered to love his neighbour, and to bear the burdens of his fellow. Since, therefore, as our venerable brother, the archbishop of Canterbury, has set forth to us the church of Canterbury, as well in the time of his predecessors, who suffered innumerable troubles, and were annoyed by the dis- advantages of several necessities, as abo during the long vacancies of that church, during which times both friends and strangers alike went out of their way to plunder and carry off her property, was oppressed with such a heavy weight of debt that it could with diflGiculty free itself without applying to the providence of the Apostolic See, he has humbly begged of us, in our usual kindness, to deign to assist the said church, lest, through accumulating interest, its loss should become more severe, and, as it were, irremediable. But as the said church of Canterbury above all others in the world is held in such honour, that it is regarded with sincere affection as a particularly beloved daughter, and distinguished with marks of singular favour by the Roman church, by the sweet odour of which it is refreshed, restored to a state of tranquillity, and advanced in prosperity, let us also treat the said church of Canterbury with that special prerogative of favour and grace, that, in compliance with the urgent request of the said church, and chiefly in consideration for the said archbishop, who, as a devout son and noble limb of the Church, fervent inhisdevotion,pureinhismodeof life, and distinguished by his nobility, is held in the highest esteem and affection by us and our brethren, we, by the advice of our brethren, give a favourable assent to his entreaties, and, by these our letters, give orders to our Venerable brother, the bishop of Hereford, that for seven years, and no more, he shall collect the revenues of the first year of all the ecclesiastical benefices A.D. 1246.] THE kikq's akoer. 133 which shall &om this time become yacant in the city, diocese, and province of Canterbury, to the amount of ten thousand marks ; but if this sum can be raised before the expiration of the seven years, nothing further shall be demanded ; also that he shall collect two thousand marks annually from the revenues of the said archbishop, and shall faithfully apply the aforesaid sums to the payment of the debts of the afore- said church ; provided, however, that he, the said bishop, shall cause a sufficient portion out of the aforesaid revenues to be assigned to the persons doing duty in the said benefices for their support, that they may not be defrauded of the benefits due to them. And if it should happen that these revenues of the said benefices of the first year should belong, according to the custom of the coimtry, to persons dying, the said bishop shall collect the proceeds of those benefices in the following year, checking all gainsayers by our authority, and putting asdde all appeal Wherefore we beg, warn, and exhort, and by these apostolic letters order the whole com- munity of you, giving heed to the fact that it is proper for the necessity of the mother to be relieved by the wealth of the children, and that they ought devoutly and kindly to support her burdens, to show yourselves prompt and ready, both by word and deed, in collecting and paying these said revenues to the said bishop, that you may thus at a future time have a claim on the favour and good-will of the said archbishop, and that you may find him more ready on this account to promote the advantage of you and your churches. Given at Lyons, the twenty-seventh of August, in the third year of our pontificate. In witness whereof we have to these presents affixed our seal' " How the king became enraged, but his anger was soon calmed. When these things came to the king's knowledge, he was at first astonished, and being much provoked and enraged, he loudly gave vent to his feelings, saying, " I wonder that Bonifiice, archbishop of Canterbury, whom I promoted to that station, has caused such expense to my kingdom, and that he is not satisfied with having saucily hurled from the bishopric of Chichester Robert Passlow, whom I had selected, and whose promotion I had brought about, but is daily engaging in war, like a freebooter, and is now about to devise 134 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1246. pkns against me, to my loss and dishonour, in Provence as veil as in En^and. Here, now, is a new and hitherto imheard-of pecuniary extortion ! How manifold are the snares of the hunters to deceive the simplicity of their sub- jects ! By this machination my nobles, to whom the patron- age of churches pertains, are defrauded ; the land is despoiled of its revenue, and a recurrence of similar extortions is to be feared.** When, however, it was at length whisqpered to the king that he had very little reason to be angry with the archbishop for annulling the election of the said Robert, both because on his examination he was found to be incompetent^ and also because the annulling his election was advantageous and profitable to him the king, because he, Robert, was now daily diligently employed for the royal emolument, woman- like, his resolution to oppose this proceeding was broken, and, as was reported, he was shan;iefully softened by a woman's intercession. How truly is woman so called, as bringing woe and weakness to man.* Neither did the king (with shame I say it) stand up boldly as he ought for the indemnity of the church, as it was not clear that the church of Canterbury was oppressed to such a great degree by Archbishop Edmond, espein any resolution with the same fiusility as he wa» indooed to make it. How a fine wom levied tm the Londanert. About this same time, although the calmness of a vernal atmosphere smiled on men, yet the world in opposition disturbed the state of them. For the citizens of London, whom the royal clemency was bound to keep under the wings of its s^e protection were compeUed, in bitterness of Leart, and to the great injury of themselves and diminution of their property, to redeem themselves by the payment of a Tthousand marks, under the title of a talliage; and many people agreed with the prophecy of Merlin, and bore testi* mony to the truth of it, declaring that this king Henry wai -truly a *^ lynx penetratini? all thinirs with its eye :** that is to say/peeri^ into and pZtmtiBg^e ptoaes iaIL The eonvocatioH qfthe noblet of England, Whilst the stream of time wbb thus measuring out the age of man, the king issued letters summoning the nobles of the whole kingdom to assemble at London on the day on which is chanted '^ Let Jeiiisalem rejoice,** namely, at Mid- Lent, to arrange the affidrs of the kingdom in general Qfthe ambition of the Preacher brethren. About the same time, the Preacher brethren, pasGong the bounds of the poverty which they had lately professed, began to ascend to higher grades, aspired at being revereneed and feared by ecclemastic prelates, and aimed at being not merelj preachers, but confessors as well, usurping to themselves the cluties of ordinaries, whom they caused to be held in contempt, as though they were incompetent both in learning andpower to rule the people of God and to hold the reins of the Church. By this proceeding they appeared to many discreet men to i)e enormously disturbing the arrangement of the Church universal, as was established by the sainted apostle, and the holy doctors, our ancestors, whose sanctity was evident to the whole world. It was even testified that neither the order of St. Benedict nor that of St. Augustine had broken out into such excesses during a course of many years as the order of these Preachers, who had only transplanted their shoots into England within these thirty years. After the lapse of a few years, they obtained an unheard-of privilege 136 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 124Gi. from Pope Gregory, who was a particular favourer of theiUy and now at this present time they obtained from the pope this new one to strengthen the first, to the great loss and prejudice of the ordinaries. The first privilege of the Preachers, " Grregory, bishop, servant of t1^ servants of God^ to his vefn/erdbU brethren tJie arcfibishops, and bisliops, amd to his beloved sons ^ ahbatSy priors, provosts, deans, a/rdhdeacons, arcJipriests^ a'nd other prelates of cimrches to wluyin tliese letters shall come, Health amd Hie apostolic betiedictiovu — Whereas iniquity abounds, and the charity of great numbers lias grown cold, see the Lord has brought to life the order of our well-beloved brethren the Preachers, who, seeking not what is their own, but what is Christ's, have, for the purpose of putting an end to heresies and exterminating other deadly plagues, devoted themselves to the preaching of the word of Grod, in the de- basement of vohmtary poverty. We, therefore, to aid thdir holy purpose and necessary ministry with our fevour, ear- nestly commend them to your community, begging and pray- ing, in the Lord's name, for your charity towards them, and by these apostolic letters we order you, as you reverence God, kindly to admit our beloved sons, the brethi*en of this order, to the duties of preaching, for which they have been deputed ; and to allow the people intmsted to you devoutly to receive the seed of the word of God from then' mouths, and to con- fess to them, as they are allowed by our authority to hear confessions and to enjoin penances ; and we sedulously ad- monish you in your i^everence for us and the Apostolic See, liberally to assist them in their necessities, that the people,, being prepared by your exhortations to receive the aforesaid, may, like good and fi-uitfril land, begin to put forth the har- vest of virtues, instead of the thistles and brambles of vices, and that the said brethren, by your co-operation, may happily- consummate the course of the ministering they have under- taken, and may reap the wished-for fruit of their labours ^ namely, the salvation of soids. But inasmuch as vices often enter by stealth, under the semblance of vui;ues, and the angel of Satan often falsely transforms himself into the angel of light, we, by authority of these presents, give orders, that if any, who say that they are of the order of Preachers, shall Jij), 1246.] REPLY OP THE ARCHDEAOOX OF ST. ALBAN's. 13T preach in your provinces, converting their discourse to the purposes- of obtaining money, by which the religion of those* who have made profession of poverty would be disgraced, you at once seize on all such, and punish them as false preachers. Given at Anagni, the twenty-eighth of Septem- ber, in the first year of our pontificate." A second privilege confirming the first, " Innocent the Fourth, bishop, servant o/tlie servants of God^. to the venerable brotliers the bisJwps of WincJiester, Worcester^ and Norwich, Health and the apostolic benediction. — Whereas some people so delight in wickedness, that, breaking the bonds of abstinence, they give a free loose to unlawful actions, and, laying aside all fear of God, presume to molest religious persons in manifold ways, the affectionate mother Church has- made a practice of charitably assistmg those persons against such wickedness, by granting them the means of defence,, whereby the rashness of these disturbers may be checked, the same persons may remain in safety, and others may be precluded from the means of committing similar offences.. Inasmuch, therefore, as the provincial prior and brethren of the order of Preachers in England (as has been intimated to us on their behalf) are suffering manifold injuries from some who fear not to take the name of the Lord in vain, we, wish- ing to protect the same against the insolent attempts of evil- minded persons, by these apostolic writings command your brotherhood, by the protection of your favom-, effectually to assist the aforesaid jDrior and brethren against the boldness of wicked men, and not to allow them to be improperly mo- lested by any, in oi^position to the pri^dleges granted them by- the Apostolic See, hindering all such persecutors of them by the Church's censure, postponing all appeal, notwithstanding^ the decree concerning two days' journey issued at the general council, the present to be of no effect after a period of ten years. And if you caimot all be present at the carrying,, these matters into effect, two of you shall, nevertheless, see to the fulfilment of them. Given at the Lateran, the seven- teenth of May, in the first year of our pontificate." The reply of the archdeacon of St. Alban's. Delighted and elevated by this privilege, the Preachers, insolently addressing themselves to divers prelates o£ 138 MATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1246. cimrches, bishops, and arcbdeacons, when presiding at their councils, where many influential men, such as deans, priests^ vicars, and rectors of churches had assembled, publicly showed them these privileges granted to them, stiff-neckedly demanding that they should be recited and received with reverence, and recommended in their churches j and thait they, the Preachers themselves, should be admitted, without any opposition, to preach to the people at the synod, and in the parochial churches, as being legates, and even angels of (Jod. With an insolent bearing, also, they were continually asking every one, and even reUgious men, " Have you been confessed?" and if they answered in the affirmative, the Preachers asked them, " By whom V and on the reply being given, " By my priest ?" they added, '* Who is that idiot ! he has never listened to theology, he has never studied the decrees ; he has never learnt to unravel any one question. They are blind, and leaders of the blind ; come to us, who can distinguish one leprosy from another, to whom the ar- duous, diS, and LZ mysteries of 'Ood axe revealed; confess without alarm to us, to whom, as you see and hear, such great power has been granted." Many people, there- fore^ especially the nobles and their wives, despising their own priests and prelates, made their confessions to the Preachers, whereby the dignity and condition of the ordi- naries became of very little consideration ; and, in great con- fusion, they grieved at their being held in such contempt, and not without evident reason; for they saw that the ecclesiastical order was much disturbed ; that order, which, for a long time past, walking in the Lord in calm simplicity, had evidently presented to God many saints on their depart- ing from this world, of whose holiness I think it wicked to entertain doubts. They also saw then* parishioners sin boldly and impudently, because they knew that they would not be exposed to shame before their own priest, when con- fessing their sins, which was considered a great danger, inas- much as shame and confusion in confession are the chief and greatest part of penitence ; and when about to commit any sin, they said in a whisper one to another, " Let us do what- ever seems pleasant and voluptuous to us, and after we have done what we desire, we shall confess, without any annoy- ance, to some of the Preachers or Minorites when passing A.I>. 1246.] BEPLY OF THE ARCHDEACON OF ST. ALBAN's. 139 near us, whom "we have never seen yet, and shall never see again /' and thus, as the ordinaries and their disciplines were despised, sin abounded. Whilst the world, then, like the sea, was heaving and tossing with such agitations, certain Preachers, armed with then* privileges, assu^ boldness, and entered the church of St. Alban's (where the archdeacon of that church, as was the custom, was duly holding council), and showed their privileges, by which they were invested with new and unheU-of ^^we^ and dignities ; and one of them, who seemed to be of higher authority than the others^ demanded that silence shoidd be observed, as he was going to preach ; whereupon the archdeacon replied, ''Conduct yourself more moderately, brother ; wait a little, till I explain my opinions to you. We ample persons, who are used to old and approved customs, wonder at this sudden innovation ; nor is it to be wondered at that such an unheard-of innovation should produce astonishment and alarm. Why do you so pertinaciously consider us unworthy or incompetent to dis- charge the duties of the office assigned to us? Do you think that you alone will be amongst the number of those to be saved ? for the apostle says, * No man knows whether he is deserving of hatred or love.' You are now intruding jourselves not only to preach, according to your name of Preachers, but also to receive, or rather, to extort, confessions, that you may add to your other title, that of 'Brothers Confessors.' My brethren, I do not think it is wise to leave a certainty for the sake of an uncertainty, to recede fiiom what you have been used to, to adopt what you are unused to, without further deliberation and consulting with your prior ; I will not yet allow you to preach to, or receive the confessions oi^ those over whom I am appointed by the abbat's order. For it is clear to the whole Church, that those decrees, which I shall show to you and all around me, were made and confirmed by a general council, held in the time of Innocent the Third, in the year of grace one thousand two himdred and fifteen, at which were present the primates of the whole community of Christendom, sixty-one archbishopG^ four hundred and twelve bishops, and eight hundred abbats and priors ; and these decrees were ordered to be inviolably observed at all times. " Then opening the book, he pointed out and read the decretal on this matter. 140 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1246. The decretals on the aforesaid matters* " All Christians, of either sex, when arrived at years of dis- cretion, shall privately confess all their sins, at least once in a year, to their own priest, and shall endeavour, as &r as lies in their power, to fidfil the penance enjoined on them ; and shall reverently receive the sacrament of the Eucharist, at the least at Easter; unless, perhaps, by advice of their own priest, they shall think proper to abstain from receiving it for a time, for some reasonable cause, otherwise they shall, whilst living, be denied admission to the church, and when dead, shall be refused Christian burial. This salutary decree, therefore, should be published frequently in the churches, lest any one, out of the blindness of ignorance, should assume the veil of some excuse. K any one wishes, for some just reason, to confess his sins to a strange priest, he must first ask and obtain permission of his own priest ; for if he does not this, the strange priest cannot loose or bind. The priest should be discreet and cautious, that, like a skilful physician, he may pour oil and wine into the wounds of the injured man, carefully inquiring into the circumstances of the sinners and the sin, by which he may understand how to give such coimsel to the person confessing as he ought to receive, and to apply some kind of remedy, making divers experiments, to heal the sick man. He must, however, take all possible care that he do not by word or sign, or in any way what- ever, betray the sinner ; but if he, the priest, needs advice from any wiser person, let him ask it carefully with- out mentioning the man's name ; and whoever shall presume to disclose any sin revealed to him at the penitential tri- , bunal, shall not only be deposed from his sacerdotal office, but shall also he immured in some strict monastery, to undergo perpetual penance.' n The death of David, prince of North Wales. About the commencement of spring in this year, when those about to engage in war are usually more prompt than usual in making the necessary preparations, David, prince of North "Wales, and nephew of the king, on his sister's side, a perjured man and fratricide, as, if worn out by various trou- bles, departed from this valley of mortals to the vale of A.D. 1246.] ANOTHER PBIYILEGE. 141 death, after enduring innumerable sorrows of mind, seeing the destruction of his territory, and witnessing the various slaughters and sufferings of his subjects from hunger, and even now leaving "Wales in a disturbed and wretchedly deso- late condition. In his stead the Welsh elected the son of Griffin as their chie^ who, when he heard of this, at once left the king of England, and took sudden flight, like a hare, to the lur£ng-places of the "Welsh, although the said king had received him in the bosom of his compassion, had honourably brought him up for a length of time past, and raised him to rank. A parliament held at London, In this year, certain laws were made with an increase of severity against all those who clandestinely perpetrated injuries in the parks or warrens of others, a fuller descrip- tion of which is given in the book of letters after that of the inquisition concerning the offences connected with the forest. About Mid-Lent, namely on the day on which is chanted "Let Jerusalem rejoice," all the nobility throughout the whole of England, consisting of the prelates, abbats, priors, and bishops, as also the earls and barons, assembled at a general parliament at London, on a summons by royal war- rant, to make effectual arrangements, as necessity demanded^ of the a£&irs of the kingdom, which was now in a tottering condition : for the people were harassed by the intolerable oppression incessantly practised upon them by the Koman court, and which they could not any longer endure without incurring the charge of cowardice, and without bringing ruin on themselves. And they were the more severely hurt in their minds because the pope, violating his promise, exas- perated and oppressed them daily more heavily than he did before they made their complaint. The following are the promises which were made by him at the coimcil of Lyons : — Another privilege. " Irmocent, o&c, to aU tlie prelates in general, both of cathe- dral cmd odier chwrches, a/nd also to the clerical and lay pciit/rons of chwrches throughout England, Health cmd tJie apostolic benediction, — "Whereas we are unwilling that 142 MATTHEW PABIS. [iuIX 1246 injuries should be inflicted on yoii, either by ourselves or hy others on our authoiitj, but would rather endeavour, as ia our duty, to protect you from the annoyances of certaiii people, be it faiown to you by the tenor of these presents^ that if our well-beloved son, Master Martin, derk of our chamber, shall have, by our order, suspended any of you from the collation or presentation of benefices, we have determined to withdraw such suspension, unless it has been specially enforced, for certain persons^ whom, however, we determine to limit to twelve ; provided that amongst Uiose twelve persons those shall not be reckoned on whom any of the aforesaid benefices have been bestowed, or who have letters concerning the holding of them from their patrons^ or from those to whom the collation of them belongs.** Another. '^IfmocenC, ^c, to the venerable hretlvren tka ao'chbiahopa and bishops throughov/b tlie kingdom of Mnglcmd, Health and the apostolic benediction. — Whereas the Apostolic See is influenced by such an affection towards the English, that she designs to raise them above their brethren by manifold £stvours^ and to honour them by a special mark of good-will ; it is our great and earnest desire that the said English should perseveringly continue in the pursuit of devotion, and laudably promote the practice of good works, that they amongst the rest may be held worthy and acceptable. Hence we beg, advise, and exhort, and by these apostolic writings command, the community of you, by urgent and continued exhortations to induce the clerks of your cities and dioceses, and those who ought to be considered amongst the clerical knighthood, especially the sons of the nobles and men of rank, strenuously to practise honesty of morals, and to cultivate a knowledge of letters and of the virtues, studying with all diligence to make themselves gratefal, and fit to lay claim to the fiivour of the aforesaid see, and the good wishes of others, as a reward for their probity. For we are ready liberally to open the hand of ecclesiastical provision to the well-deserving clerks of England, and also to make a dis- pensation of a plurality of benefices on those whom, as being more noble and of better morals, we know to be deserving of a larger share of our favour." A.I>. 1246.] ANOTHSR FBIYILEGE. 143 Another. '' Irmocent, dtcy to all the (vrchhishops amd bishops througho^ the kingdom of Englamdf Health amd the a/postolic henedM- tiofi, — ^x our devotion well deserves that the Apostolic See should strengthen you by opportune &vour, and should exalt you by a privilege of especial grace. Hence we, inclining to ^ your supplications, and wishing to preserve your rights unin- jured, advise, warn, and exhort, and by the apostolic autho- rity order your community, and by the same authority grant you permission, as far as concerns you, freely and without any opposition, to bestow the ecclesiastical benefices in your gift, when they fall vacant, on fitting persons, who shall have the wish as well as the power of fulfilling the duties of them to advantage. Let no one, therefore, m the .empire but water, aad the right to cross it. How some of the usual extortions were relaxed in severity. About this time, by the industry of the proctors of the king of England at the Roman court, it was arranged that, although the pope at his own pleasure indiscriminately and -everywhere disposed of the church benefices to the benefit of the Italians, and the intolerable injury of the kingdom of England, yet now, by God's fevour, the storm in that part was so abated that, whenever the pope wished to give a benefice there to any one, or to any of his relatives, or to the relatives of his cardinals, he, the pope, as well as the cardinals, should ask the king's permission, so that whatever pleased him would be carried into effect. How the Preachers and Minorites became the pope^ s messengers, Frederick at this time, finding that the pope abounded in English money, stationed guards and ambuscades on the roads and bridges and in the ports, to prevent any one bring- ing assistance to his rival the landgrave, fix>m him. The latter, therefore, sent consolatory letters and other assistance, to him by the Preachers and Minorites in disguise. Fre- ex ea daos filios cum progenerasset, et ex tertio infantulo eandem gravidam reddidisaet, ipsa mater talis peccati noTam detestans deformitatem, reatom. utriasque palam prote8tata,idiamcompulit ad plenam rei geste eminus con- fessionem. Quae calpam propriam turpiter palliaDdo, et se impudenter accusando, suam accusavit genitricem, affirmans ipsam eodem vicio labo- rasse. Talium yero mentionem facit glossa super hunc locum in Genesi scripta: 'Masculnm et foeminam oreavit eos/ dicens quod sunt homines ' Androgen!/ vel ' Androgamel;' videlicet, quoddam genus ' Hermapliro- -ditorum/ dicti ab * Andros/ quod est vir, et * Gyne,' quod est foemina ; eo quod patiantur et agant coeundo, pariant generentque vicissim. QuonUn dnemoria detestabilis et immunda, ubique locomm merito judicator/' 168 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1246w derick, on the other hand, caused ])rovisions to be trans- ported to the Holy Land. The king of Man receives the honour of knighthood. In this year, the king celebmted the festival of Easter with great magnificence, at London, and on Easter-day conferred the honour of knighthood on Harold, king of Man. About that time, too, some of the chief nobles of the Welsh, wishing to make their peace with the king, sent an embassy to him, begging him, with the most humble en- treaties, to grant them teims of peace. The departure for Rome qf meutngers from the community of England. On the morrow of Easter-day, the nobles to whom had been intrusted the duty of carrying the before-mentioned important message to the pope, namely. Master William do Poweric, a man skilled in the law, and Henry de la Mare, a knight, set out on their journey to Rome, caiTying the before-mentioned letters. The burden of the business, how- ever, was laid on the shoulders of the prior of Wenlock, who had gone to the Roman court against the bishop of Rochester, owing to some injuries done him by that bishop. Of the injury done by the frost and snow. On the day and during the night of the feast of St. Mark the Evangelist, the frost and snow covered and bound the earth with such intensity of cold, and so weakened the shoot- ing branches of the trees, together with their foliage, that the leaves as well as the grass irreparably faded away. The restoration (if his barony to the bishop of Chestei'. '" About the same time, the king, softened down by the entreaties of friends, kindly restored peaceable possession of his barony to Roger, bishop of Chester, because he was a most kindly-disposed man, and had the favour of all parties. A new and extraordinary decree of the pope* s. About this time, the pope heard that certain clerks in England had died rich and intestate ; amongst whom were Master Robert Hales, archdeacon of Lincoln, who had died a few years before, intestate, and had left several thousand A.D. 1246.] DEATH OF HUGH 6IFFABO. 169 marks and some silver cups to fall into the possession of seculars ; Almaric, also^ archdeacon of Bedford, who had died, leaving a large sum of money behind him in an unbe- coming way; and lastly, Master John de Hotofp, arch- deacon of Northampton, who was seized with a sudden illness, and imprudently and unbecomingly died intestate^ leaving about five thousand marks, and thirty gold and' silver cups, and jewels to an immense amount. His holi- ness therefore promulgated a new and unheard-of decree in England, and not without incurring the charge of cupidity ; which was, that if any clerk shoul(^ from that time forward, die intestate, his property should be converted to the use of" the pope ; and he gave orders to the Preachers and Minorites to carry this decree into effect. But when the king heard of this, in Ills abhorrence of the increasing manifold cupidity of the Roman court, he forbade the decree being fulfilled, seeing that it redounded to the injury of the kingdom, and to his own prejudice. About tins time. Master Robert of Arundel, a man well skilled in the Hebrew language, and who had truly trans- lated many writings from Hebrew into Latin, was released. from all human troubles, and took leave of the world. T^e preceptor qfthe king* 8 tons seized with apoplexy. In Rogation-week, the king, in order the more strongly to secure the affections of the people of the provinces on the sea-coast, went to Dover, and thence to Canterbury : on his return therefrom, a nobleman of his household, named Hugh Giffard, the preceptor of his majesty's sons, was seized with a sudden fit of apoplexy, fell to the ground, and expired in great pain. Many said that this event was brought about- by the vengeance of St. Edmund the Confessor and arch- bishop of Canterbury, that by the sudden death of one at his side, the king might be alarmed and aroused to make satisfaction for the many injuries he had inflicted on the^ chiu'ch of Canterbury, chiefly, however, oh account of his- having rashly elevated Boni&x^ to the archiepiscopal dig- nity, not permitting the monks of Canterbury, as was their just right, to have free power of electing whom they chose. For the said Boniface, by mixing himself up in a very imbe- coming and inexpedient way in wars on the continent, and 170 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1246. never visiting, but only impoverishing hia church, had shamelessly wandered from the tracks of his predecessors. How the king qf England forbade the payment of the talliage to the pope. About this time, also, the king issued his royal letters prohibiting the prelates from paying a talliage to the pope. To the lord abbat of St. Alban's, and to others as well, he wrote in the following words : — " -fiT., bt/ tlie grace of Gad kvrvg of Engla/nd, to his wdl-bdoved in Christ the abbot of St. AlbarCsy greeti/ag. — ^We have heard that the venerable father Fulk, biiiop of London, is compelling you to pay a talliage for the use of the pope ; at which we are much astonished and disturbed, since it had been generally determined at the aforesaid convocation by the said prelates and noblea. that nothing should be done concerning that talliage before the return of the messengers fit)m the Eoman court, to which they had been sent, as you know, on special business con- cerning our whole kingdom. Wherefore we command you and strictly prohibit you from attempting anything contrary to the aforesaid provision at the command of the said bishop, or of any other, as you regard the peaceable possession of your barony, which you hold of us ; since we will not nor can we endure any attempt of this kind. Witness myself at Westminster, this first day of April, in the thirtieth year of our reign." Pe^al letters of execution tent to the bishops ofBnglamh And about the same time, that the pitiable tribulation of the English might not cease, the pope made a most urgent demand for money in a no slight sum, placing his confidence in gold and silver; treating with contempt the mournful complaints of the king of England and the whole community of that kingdom, who were continuaUy writing and com- plaining; and paying no heed to that wholesome and wise saying, '' Blessed is the man who has not gone out of his way after gold, nor placed his hopes in stores of money." He appointed as agents to extort and collect this talliage, Walter, bishop of Norwich, and some others, whom he de- puted as special measengers for this purpose. The bishop of Norwich, therefore, wrote to the abbat of St. Alban's, as he A.D. 1246.] LETTERS SENT TO THE BISHOPS OP ENGLAND. 171 did also to some others, in the following words, which com- prised the oontents of the papal letter : — " WaUeTy by the grace of God bishop of Norunch, to the venerable the abhat - 172 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1246- rity by our well-beloved son Master Martin, clerk of our chamber, and which order we have now sent to you under our bull : checking all opposers by the Church's censure : and putting off aU appeal, any indiigence, or privilege, or decree concerning two days' journey, issued at the general council, notwithstanding. And you will send a rescript to us with- out delay, informing us of what has yet been done^ or what may be done in this matter, by our well-beloved son Una- sius, our writer, the bearer of these presents ; and see that in the foregoing matters you show yourselves so diligent that you cannot be accused of negligence therein, but may rather be commended for diligence. And if you shall not both be able to be present at this business, one of you, nevertheless, shall fulfil it.' By authority, then, of this mandate, we warn and exhort you in the name of the Lord, and strictly enjoin on you, by virtue of the obedience by which you are bound to the Apostolic See, that, concerning the portion of the pope's subsidy assigned over to you, our messengers^ bringing letters patent concerning the payment of the same, shall receive satis&iction from you for three weeks, reckoning after Easter, and that you show such diligence in this pre*- sent matter, that we may have reason to commend your devotion to the supreme pontiff. Your ix)rtion is eighty marks sterling. Farewell in the Lord. Given at London, the twenty-fourth of March, a.d. 1245. We alone^ write to you^ because our venerable brother and colleague, the bishop of Winchester, has excused himself for a time." The king forbids the talliaye to he paid to the pope. This mandate, on coming to the ears of the prelates and nobles, caused great excitement in the hearts of all who heard it, especially because the messengers of the EngUsh community had complained of such oppression at the council of Lyons. And afterwards, at a parliament held by the king of ihgland, at which the whole community of the clergy as well as the body of knighthood had been assembled, it was determined, out of reverence for the pope, that another mes- senger still should be sent from the community to him, to induce him to apply the hand of correction to such injuries, not the weight of oppression ; they were, therefore, overcome with asto- nishment, because when they expected an alleviation of theur A.D. 1246.] THE KING FORBIDS THE TALLIAQE. 17 troubles, their hopes were^ frustrated, and they only gained this additional oppression. When, therefore, the above letter came to the king's knowledge, he broke out in violent anger and surprise, and wrote to the bishops of England as fol- lows : — " JET., hy the grace of Gody now lefb a plain example to the inhabitants of this world not to trust to the favour of kings, and to avoid the fluctuations of a court. For in the prime of his manhood, when he waft high forester of all England, many heavy accusations were made against him by Eobert Passlow, d unlawful occupa- tions of the forest and other transgressions, and as he failed in his replies in clearing himself he was condemned on the^ testimony of his fellow-countrymen, his jurors, and fell into such great disgrace, that from that time his life was a species, of death. For he was judicially condemned to pay two thoit* sand marks, besides the immense debts of his &ther which feU on his shoulders ; besides this, he was ignominiously and irrevocably deprived of his barony. He therefore languished and pined away through grief, and about the middle of sum- mer, breathed forth his wretched spirit at his manor of Wei- perfield, aud was reverently buried, near the tomb of his. £tther in the conventual church of Waltham. How the bUhdp qf Carlisle ammed the habU qfthe Prmcken. On the day of the apostles Peter and Paul, Walter, bishop of Carlisle, renounced the world, which he had so long clung to, and aU worldly affiurs, and, at Oxford, took on himselT tiie habit and order of the Preachers, because he feared that*' his admission to that bishopric was not lawful, and fied^ leaving his doak in the hands of the Egyptian woman. Papal letters sent to the Mhwriie brethren. In the same year, after the pope had made the decree* above mentioned namely, that the property of those dying- intestate should fall to his use, and had appointed the Preacher brethren to carry it into effect, he became anxiouA. about the empire of Constantinople, and troubled by the in- solence of the Greek schismatics ; he therefore sent letters, containing a papal mandate with other articles, to the pro* vincial minister of the Minorites in England, constituting^ the Minorite as well as the Preacher brethren his proctors ; thus estranging them from the path of humility and volun- tary poverty, of which they had professed themselves fol- lowers. The tenor of one of these letters was, that '^ he 0!ir A-D. 1246.] THE POPE BEQUESTS PEACE. 179 his brethren shotdd inquire into the concerns of usurers who were lining, and into their gains bj the sin of usury, and to collect them for the benefit of the empire of Constantinople, checking gainsajers by the Church's censure." Of another the purport was, that "those who should be willing to assume the cross for the liberation of that empire, or to send a sufficient quantity of their property there, should be absolved firom thdr sins." Of another, '' that they should col;« lect for the assistance of the said empire property left by the testaments of dying persons, which had been acquired br usury, checking all gainsayers and opposers." The tenor of another was, that " they i^ould collect for the aid of the aforesaid empire, the property left by the wills of dying per- sons, or what should be left for three years for the restora- tion of their property, which the deceaased persons had acquired by malpractices, checking all gainsayers and oppo* sers." Another was to the effect, that " the property left to be distributed on pious purpoe^ according to the wiQ of the executors of the deceased, and that has not been appointe excellencies, learning andjudg" ment — the Mng of tvoo seas, lord of the north and the south, ^^ of the regions of Egypt and Syria, Mesopotamia, Media, Idumcea, and Ophir, Jemg of Sodoph, Behdpeth, Aycib- — son of the suUan of Ccmiyle, Hemevaphar, and Mehameth, the son of the sultan and king of Hadel and Bobethre, the son ofAyob — whose kingdom may God love, — ^In the name of God the merciful and compassionate — ^there have been presented to us letters from the jiope, the noble, the great, the spiritual, the benevolent, the thirteenth of the apostles, the universal mouthpiece of Christians, the maintainer of the worshippers of the cross, the judge of the Christian people, the leader of the sons of baptism, the supreme pontiff of the Christians. May God make him one of those who aim at good, and who do it, and of those who wish for peace and persevere in its courses, and may God assist him in those matters which are becoming to those who are of his worship and religion, and to others. We have seen the said letters, and understand the said articles which are inserted therein and their con- tents. We were pleased, and oiu* ears were delighted at the hearing of them. A messenger also came to us, sent by the holy pope, whom we met with honour, regard, and reve- rence ; and we summoned him into our presence, and in- clined our ear unto his words, and we put feith in his words when he told us of Christ, to whom be health and praise ; concerning which said Christ we know more than you, and we glorify him more than you do. With respect to what you say, that you desire to have tranquillity and peace and quiet^ A.D. 1246.] EXTRAORDINARY THUNDER-STORMS. 181 to have means of calling the people to peace^ we likewise desire the same, nor do we wish to oppose your wish, for it is always our wish and desire. But the pope, whom may Crod strengthen, knows that a friendship and mutual regard and good-will have been long established betwe^i us and the emperor, since the time of the sultan my father, whom may Gk)d place in the brightness of his presence ; and between you and the emperor you know how matters stand. Where- fore we are not at liberty to make any agreements with the Christians without first having his opinion and consent in the matter. And we wrote to our messenger, who is at the court of the emperor, for reasons which he has stated to the pope's messengers, telling him the terms of the proposals ' made by your messenger. This messenger of ours will come to you, will speak with you, and bring a reply back to us, and when he has done so, we will act upon the tenor of that reply. And we will not disagree to what shall appear to be to the advantage of all in general, that we may receive our deserts from God. This is our message to you, and, by God's permission, good will be multiplied. This is written on the seventh day of the month Maharan, which was the seventh lunation of August. Praise be to God alone, and his blessing on our lord Mahomet, and on his race, and may he be our portion." Doubts are entertained as to the authenticity qf the foregoing letter, "When this letter reached the pope, he declared that that many-shaped deviser of deceits, Frederick, had cimningly <»used this to be done, in order the more easily to incline him, the pope, to a re-establishment of peace ; but this did not seem to be true, since the pope had sent his own mes- senger, a trustworthy man, and one well known to him, to carry his message, and to bring back a reply, and he had &ithfully returned to him safe and sound. Extraordinary thunder-storms. In order that the elements might be conformable with the aflEedrs of the world, about this time, namely on the day pre- ceding the feast of St. Margaret, there arose a dreadful storm, attended by thunder and lightning, and also by hail, the stones of which were angular and most hard, and larger than almonds, which destroyed birds, and even some animals^ 182 MATTHEW PABJS. [a.D. 1246. disturbed the whole conntry throughout, tearing up oeJui, throwing down buildings^ burning men, destroying flocks and herds, Inreaking down bridges with the rush of water ; and all this continued for sixteen houn^ which was a whole night and part ci a day. A wn bom to Earl Rickardf which dies joon qfter ; mUo the inirodueiion of an assembly of monJks to the house if the Cistercian order at Wjfchecombe, In this year, Cynthia, countess of Cornwall, the wife of Earl Bichard, gave birth to a son, and after her confinement, the king and queen and many nobles of England assembled at WalHngford, on the day of her purification^ and held a solemn festival, at which 'Earl Bidbard gave thanks to (ilod for the fikvour conferred on him. About the same time, too, the king having caused ihe church of the Cistercian order, which we called " Beaulieu,* which was founded by King John, to be solemnly dedicated^ the said earl took therefrom about thirteen monkey and having restored a house of the same order, which he, the said earl, had founded, enriched, and endowed with suitable possessions, he, with the authority of the Cistercian chapter, installed them therein, to serve Ood with pndse for ever^ and properly and laudably to observe the rules of St. Bene^ diet ; and thus he fulfilled the vow which he had made to God when exposed to iikae perils of the sea. However, that worldly joy might not be fi:ee from sudden and frequent griefs, the son, whidi the coimtess of ComimU had presented to the earl, her husband, died after living only one month. All these things happened about the Assumption of St Mary, at harvest time. About the feast of St. Giles, Master Sylvester, a derk of the king, and holding the office of chancell(»r, a man of pure fame and conversation, and one skilled in the customs of a court, especially in the duties of the chancellorship, was duly elected bishop of Carlisle ; but, because he possessed richer revenues, and also because he feared to undertake the burden of the office, he absolutely refused the offered honour. How the Emperor Frederick discovered treachery against himself f and escaped the snares of the conspirators, "Whilst the revolutions of the world were thus varying itLD. 1246.] TREACHERY ACAISRBT THE EMPEROR. 183 the proceedings of mortals^ Frederick, whom, the Eomaa court had hurled from his imperial dignity, transmitted the following letter to the king of England, and his brother Earl Bichard, whom he considered amongst his femiliar friends. '< Frederick, 4;c,, to the king ofEn/glamd, had adhered to the conspirators, through a faJsely-spread report of our death, as soon as the light of truth shone forth, and they saw that the matter was contrary to what they expected, refused to have .any share in their crafty designs, and abandcmed them, when thus deprived of even the shadow of a hope. And as they had only found refuge" in two castles, as we have before mentioned, namely those of Scala and Capaccio, the prompt devotion of our faithful subjects^ by a vigorous and immediate attack, restored one of those castles, that of ScaJa, to our authority, and Thomas de St. Severino and his son, traitors against us, were there consigned to prison. And thus, as only one of the aforesaid castles, namely Capaccio, was left to take vengeance upon, we caused this fortress to be besieged by our faithfiil subjects, and thus the aforesaid traitora, who evidently had no resource, now that one of their castles was taken and they could not fortify any others, could not escape us in any way.. And thus by a judgment, speedy as it was just, vengeance was taken on the aforesaid traitors and their associates, and we now felt confidence in disposing matters in a short time, to insure the lasting security of our kingdom, so that for the future no uncertainty might remain in the minds of us or our successors, or of our agents out of the kingdom. You must not, however, think that our purpose of following up the punishment of the rebellious Lombards was given up, or even left off for a time, but, by our well-beloved sons, Henry, the illustrious king of Sardinia, and general legate of the sacred empire of Italy, and Frederick of Antioch, who pre- sided over the province of Etruria, until we could return to Italy after making a salutary arrangement of the affairs of our kingdom, we so crushed the relics of the aforesaid rebels with the unceasing hammer of our power, that they did not find the least advantage accrue to them from our absence, which, as we found out for certain, they had procured by secret and long-planned treachery ; but they now grieve at our present power rather J^than boast of our fabsence y fou A.I). 1246.] TREACHERT AQAIKST THE EMPEBOR. 185 none of the events which have lately happened have caused any diminution to our magnificence, nor is our treasury de- creased thereby, but our power is so much the more in- creased, and our wealth is become much greater, because, on account of the enormity of this deeply-devised crime, which threatened the j)erils of war amongst the nations after tasting the sweets of peace, the devotion of our faithful subjects, especially of the lower orders, is become warmer towards us, and fcheir confidence is more strengthened. From the addition, too, of the revenues, of which the iniquity of these traitors has, by their voluntary offence deprived them, and with which our liberality had enriched them far and wide, the bulk of our wealth is increased, although this increase came to us against our wish. From this it is plainly to be deduced, that the large promises made by our open enemy to the aforesaid traitors had the effect, although to no puqx^se, of inciting them to the deed, the name of which enemy and his title we would most willingly pass over in silence, did not the public voice disclose it, and the evidence of facts accuse him, although we would wish to conceal him by our silence, or excuse him by obscurity of language. For the perpetrators of the aforesaid crime, both those who fled and those who were besieged, were accompanied by some of the Minorite brethren, from whom having received the cross, they pre- tended that they had the authority of the supreme pontiff under apostolic letters for acting against us, and openly declaimed that they were acting in the matter on behalf of the holy Koman church their mother, and thus they declared that the supreme pontiff was the promoter of the aforesaid attempt on our life, as well as of our disinheritance. This fact also the captives, whom, at the taking of the castle of Scala, the prompt devotion of our faithful subjects had made prisoners, acknowledged by a spontaneous and free confession, when, as they were dying in our presence, they thought it would be wicked to lie. The bishop of Bamberg also, when, after his purchased consecration, or rather execration, he was returning mitred from the Koman coiui;, before he was taken by our subjects in Germany, openly declared that it would infallibly come to pass that we should, within a short time, die a most disgracefiil death by the hands of our familiar friends and domestics. We speak these things with shame, 186 MATTHEW PABia. [a.d. 1248. «8 the sapreme Judge for pur witness ; for we believe that we have never se^i or heard of nach. a orime durii]^ oar dtLjn, namdy, that our pe<^le and our sapreme ponlSfl& shoakl baselj wish to consign anj one to sadi a eroel deaiL For, as the Moet High fiiows, the abominable idea has alwa^ he&OL &r from oar thoughts that, even after the spcmtaneoos and onjust proceedings taken bj the pope against as at the council of LyonSy we should consent to any attempt on his life or on that of any of his brethren, although we were often asked on the matter by some warm and zealous persons in our o(mfidence ; but we always continued contented with the m^re sounding ^nrth of our injuries, and consid^ml it suf- ficient to defend ourselves justly, without taking vengeance. For it is most clear that God fi^ts for us ; for not only does he save our life fixHu the hands of our enemies, but also delivers their strength and persons into our hands. For lately, when Cardinal Begnier, the enemy of our name and honour, at the instigation of the aforesaid traitor, James de Morra, and to the injury of our fidthful subjects, joined the Peru- sines and Assisenates, our rebellious subjects, on the last day of March last past, near the castle of Ascoli, Marinus de Eboli, a subject of the sacred empire, and our chief in com- mand, with the aid of the stipendiary troops and other faith- ful subjects of ours, who could be collected on the moment, and suj^rted by the virtue of our name and our usual good fortune, vigorou^y attacked those enemies of ours, and, more by confidence than by the niunbers of his troops, entirely defeated them ; and with such loss, too, that besides those who fell by the swords of our fiiithiul people, more than five thousand of the rebels were taken by our men and consigned to our prison. All these things we inform you, to give you joy, as we believe, nay, we know, that you sympa^uze with us in adversity, and rejoice with us in tiie prosperity of emc- cess. Neither has the abundance of good fortune, and of the justice due to us, allowed our and your joy to be closed with these events ; for on the 18th day of the present month of April, the city c^ Oapacdo, on the side towards the land, where it was bedded, was speedily breached by our &ithful subjects, who were kindled with a kind of madness to slaughter the traitors, to avenge their own, not less than our injuries ; whereby it came to pass, that as the bedded felt JLD. 1246.] WALTER DE OCBA's LBTTIB TO THE KINO. 187 lOur poir^ both tut and near, they oould onlj escape the in- fliction of our jfist vengeance by killing Ihemselves with their ewn swords, or by throwing themselTes from a hi^ rock on ^e sea side of the place. Given at Salerno this fifteenth** day of April, fourth indiction." Walter de Oer^ wriies to the king ^England on the same sentence. Master Walter de Ocra^ a derk of Frederick's, beUeving^ 4k8 did also his lord, that the king of England would remain £xed in his purpose of boldly resisting the importunity of the It<»cian court, transmitted the following letter to him to console him, and to remove all grounds of fear : — ** To tiie iUuairious kmg of EngUmd, Master Walter, greetrng^ — Because I know that you rejoice in the prosperity of my lord, I beg to inform your majesty that our said lord, vabout eight days before the end of last July, laid siege to th0 castle of Oapacdo, in which w^re Theobald Francis, WilUam de Mann, William de St. Severino, Geoffirey de Morra» Robert and Bichard de FasaneUa, traitors to ham, and who had attempted his life, with a hundred and fifby others^ including knights, crossbowmen, and other Mends of theirs, forty of whom were Lombard hostages, released by the said Theobald at the time of the con^iracy, all of whom our said lord, by uninterrupted dischaiges of misdles, day and night, from ^ven well-ordered trebuchets, and by vigorous and unceasing a.s8aults also made day and night, reduced to such a helpless and powerless state, that they could not assist one another, either m the matter of their person or their limbs. Finally, by the aforesaid assaults, the castle was taken, together with the above-mentioned persons, all <3i whom, before they weps taken to our lord, were, saving the mandate of the pope, deprived of their eyea^ and each and all ci them also of a hand, nose, and leg. Our lord then determined to send the aforesaid Theobald and the five othears who attempted his life to all the kings and princes throughout the various countries of i^ world, with the impression of the papal bull, which was found there, stamped on their foreheads, to give public notice of their treachery. There were taken at this •castle twenty-two noble ladies, — married, widowed, and girls,^ — * This must probably be the 25th, as the 18th is mentioned as the day on which the siege took place. 188 MATTHEW PARIS. rA.D. 1246L L who were, by command of our lord, consigned to safe custody, and the castle itself was destroyed to the very foundation- stone, and whatever was found within it, except living beings, was reduced to ashes on the spot. Our said lord, then, having arranged all matters, and established a peace with the Bomans and Venetians, swore that, about Easter, he would, without Ml, proceed with a large body of knights into Ger- many, and made preparations for so doing ; in which country the king, his son, having incautiously given battle to his enemies on the feast of St. James last past, was betrayed through the treachery of two Swabian counts, namely those of Wirtem- berg and Gruninghen, who had received from the supreme pontiff seven thousand marks of silver, besides a promise, made and confirmed by apostolic letters, of a portion of ^ duchy of Savoy to each, on condition that they should draw the king into the field, and, leaving him there at the hour of battle, they should suddenly leave the army without fighting. Accordingly, as they had agreed, on the fiirst onslaught they lowered their standards, and, fording a river, took to flight and abandoned the army, with about two thousand knights and crossbowmen. The king himself was in great danger, remaining in the midst of the enemy with only about a thousand knights ; but he and his followers who remained with him continued to fight bravely ; but at length, after losing two himdred of his followers, he took reftige in the city of Frankfort. After a few days, however, all the afore- said captives having been released on security, or by hostages, or ransomed, he resumed courage, and vigorously followed up and attacked his enemies. And there are about to go to him from the kingdom of France, the province of Burgundy, on this side the Saone, five hundred knights from amongst the relations and friends of our lord the emperor, with whom also march the dukes of Burgundy and Lorrain, and the counts of Chalons and Barremia.*' The king again allows the Romans to collect money in England at will. About this time, the firm determination which the king had boldly conceived of checking by force the fix)wardness of the Roman court, which it was hoped and believed he would persevere in, became weakened, and this, as was truly stated, was efiected by the counsels of those who were greatly afraid Jk.D. 1246.] THE POPE BEBUKED. 189 that they would lose their revenues through the pope's anger ; for the things they loved in their heart they feared would slip from them, according to the words of the poet : — Res est soliciti plena timoris amor. [LoTC with alarm is ever full.] With averted eyes and closed ears, then, the king, to the great impoverishment of the whole of our country, allowed the EngHsh church to be robbed of six thousand marks, at the will and pleasure of the Bomans, the enemies of his kingdom and of the common weal ; which simi the papal messengers and traders carried off to the assistance of the landgrave; but they did not entirely escape Frederick's snares. The latter severely rebuked the effeminate English for allowing every kind of people to be fattened by their im- poverishment ; he also laid a heavy complaint before his companions in arms of the effeminate connivance of Earl Richard in giving his consent to this, for he appeared to be coalescing with the pope's party to the ruin of the English kingdom and the detriment of the empii'e, because, out of the small substances of the cnisaders, he had, by the pope's per- mission, increased his own large stock of wealth. The bold presumption of the Eomans, therefore, increased the more as they met with no one to oppose them in their robberies. Fugitives put to flight, and those who had put them to flight, flee in their turn ; and the hopes of the English, who had their enemies for their judges, were trodden imder-foob. How the king ofArragon cut out the tongue afa certain bishop. Whilst fortune was thus sporting with the world, the king of Arragon cruelly cut out the tongue of a certain bishop, because he, perhaps justly, reproached him; for which, unless, when there is a number concerned in the murder, severity ought to be somewhat relaxed, he, the said king, deserved to be severely punished, and his kingdom laid under interdict. But by sending special messengers who were de- serving of favour, he effected a reconciliation with the Church, because he had fought faithfully for God against the Spaniards and Saracens, and had gloriously triumphed over them. The pope is rebuked by John, a cardinal of English race. Whilst the storms of the sea of this world were thus 190 ICATTHEW PABI8. [a.D. 1246.. raging, the pqpe heard that the king of England was pre- pared boldly to qppose his exactions (for the mesaengers had not yet arrired to tell him of that monarch's effeminate fear and flexibility) ; whereat he burst into a violent passion, and purposed, in revenge, to lay the kingdom of England under an interdict. But whilst he was in his foolish spirit making this resolution, Master John, an ^Englishman by birth, a monk of the Cistercian order, and a cardinal, qsposed it^ saying : '^ My lord, for God's sake spare your anger, which is, if I may say so, indiscreet, and check these voluntary impulses by the curb of moden^on, cousideriDg how evil the times are. The Holy Land is exposed to danger ; the Greek church has seceded &om us ; Frederick is opposed to us, who has no superior, indeed no equal, amongst Christian princes. Tou and we, who are the head of the Church, have been expelled from the papal see — ^indeed from the city, and are living in exile. Hungary, with its conterminous lands, ex- pects nothing short of nun from the Tartars. Crermany is shaken by its internal wars. Bpain has shown madness, even to the cutting out of the tongues of bishops. France, which also has conspired against us, is now impoverished through us. England, too, so many times hurt hy our injuries, like Balaam's ass, wounded by the spurs and blows of the stick, at length speaks and rebukes us, and complains that she is* intolerably wearied and irremediably injured ; beiog, there- fore, like the Ismaelites, hateful to all, we provoke all to hate us." The pope's mind, however, was not moved to com- passion or humiliation by these words, but he still burnt for punishment and vengeance, and whilst he was in this state, messengers arrived from England, who softened the grasping, mind of the pope by expectations of gain, and affirmed that, through his most particular friends in England (whose names I who write this work am not allowed to mention), the reso- lution of the king was bent, so that his wishes might speedily be brought to effect ; at hearing which, joy wonderfully calmed his mind and his countenance. The king /orbid$ inquisitions to le instituted by the bishop of Winchester. About this time, the bishop of Winchester, at the sugges- tion of the Preachers and Minorite^ as is stated, practised: JUP. 1246.] THE KING FBOHIBITS ANOTHER EXACTION. 191 oippressions on those subject to him, more than was either becoming or expedient, so much so, that he caused strict in- quisitions to be made in his bishopric by his arohdeapeons and deans, concerning the continence and morals of the noble as well as ignoble, to the enormous injury of the good name, and to the scandal of many ; for such had never be^ a custom before. The king^ therefore, hearing the heavy com^^Udnts of the people, by the advice of his court, wrote to the sheriff of Hei^onl as follows : " Henry, by the grace of God kmg of England, d^c — ^We order you, as you regard yourself and all your property, not to allow any laymen of your bailiwick, at the wish of the bishop of Lmcoln, the archdeacons, other officials, or rural deans, henceforth to assemble at any place to make recognizances in oath or any attestations, unless iu matrimonial or testamentary causes." The bishopy on hearing this, declared that the king was about to follow in the steps of certain conspirators, who had already broken out into gimilar audacity in France (of whom a fuller account is given in a further page of this work). Cfthepop€^$ tyranmctd exaction qf money. Assuming boldness, therefore, from past successes in tram- pling on and impoverishing the wretched English, the pope now imperiously, and more imperiously than usual, demanded that all beneficed persons in England who resided in their benefices should give a third portion of their property to him the pope ; and those non-resident, a half; with the addition of many most severe conditions, binding the afore- said mandate by the agency of that detestable word, '^ not- withstanding f the addition of which extinguished all the justice whidi had gone before. To carry this decree into effect, he at once appointed the bishop of London. The king prohibit* the qforeeaid exaction. The bishop above mentioned, then, after having publicly / made this matter known in St. Paul's church at London^ in company with some others whom he had called together for the purpose, determined on St. Andrew's day to discuss tills dr€»dfiil contribution; and whilst they were grieving that he was ordered to do what seemed to be, and really was impossible, there came amongst tiiem John of Lexington, a knight, and Master Lawrence de St. Martin, one of the Idng's.. 192 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1246^ clerks, who were sent to them on the part of the king, strictly forbidding them on any accoimt to consent to the above-mentioned contribution which was demanded, to the undoing of the whole kingdom. They therefore, after a murmur and appeals from all assembled, joyfully broke up the conference. But that we may not pass over in silence the very efficacious words of those who opposed this decree, we have thought proper to insert them in this work. How- •never, although they did answer boldly, they might have answered still more boldly and effectually if they had had any confidence in the wavering words and acts of the king. The reply of the clergy concerning the unreasonable exaction of the pope* ^^ If the state and condition of the kingdom of England had been known to the pope and his brethren, at the time of the council, he would never, on any account, have proceeded to promulgate that statute ; and if the perils and disadvantages which were likely to impend over the English church by reason of such a statute had been explained to him, he would by no means have been induced to make the decree. For in cathedral churches a custom has prevailed and been observed, namely, that by the canons residing in them, of whom there is but a small number in some churches, minor clerks and other ministei*s of the church are paid out of the revenues of the ecclesiastical benefices which the said canons hold in divers places ; and if their portion should happen to be deficient in half the amount, the services of the church would be abandoned, through the canons not being able to pay them, since the canons themselves, owing to such a great 'deficiency, would not be able to reside in the churches. And if they should think proper to reside in them, they 'Could not support others, or even themselves, out of a portion of their out-benefices ; and especially as the pope •purposes applying a share of the portions of absentees to the use of the territory of Eomania, the portion of the non- resident being reckoned a« though he did reside himself, not even deducting the burdens or expenses which are attendant on the collection of profits, and many other matters ; and if they are not deducted, scarcely a fourth part would remain in possession of the canons." A.D. 1246.] OONCEBNING RELIGIOUS PLACES IN ENGLAND. 193 Another cause and reason. " Again, since the religious places established throughout the kingdom of England are founded on the proceeds of the parochial churches, and in the present case the benefices thus conferred, together with other possessions, are scarcely sufficient for them, if a part of their benefices were taken away, one part would be obliged to live on charity, or hospita- lity would perhaps be done away with, or both might happen in some places ; which could not occur without great scandal and peril to souls, inasmuch as some of them would perhaps be wandering through the world ; and on the plea of this vagabond state, would fall into manifold sin, not observing the rules of the holy fathers, to which they are boimd." Another cause and reason, '< Again, since a custom has heretofore prevailed and been observed in England, that the rectors of parochial churches have always been remarkable for hospitality, and have made a practice of supplying food to their parishioners who were in want, and by those means have endeavoured to please not only the Supreme Creator, but also laymen of all kinds, by whom the clerks in the town were troubled ; and if a por- tion of their benefices be taken away from them, they will be under the necessity of refusing their hospitality, and abandoning their accustomed offices of piety. And if these be withdrawn, they will incur the hatred of those subject to them, and will lose the favour of passers-by and their neigh- bours; the rectors of churches will be deprived of their rights, and not being able to defend them, owing to their poverty, they will be oppressed by those very laymen, to the disgrace and loss of the Church universal. Some of them whose benefices do not suffice for a residence of six months, and who can scarcely find food in other quarters, if a portion of their benefices be cut away from them they will be com- pelled to beg, and divine service will cease in their churches ; and if they cease, their parishioners will fail in the payment of tithes, and revenues, and there wiU be no one to prosecute the claims of that church, for want ; the dignity of the Church will become debased ; the community of clerks will fell into contempt ; preaching will cease, and the cure of VOL. II. o 194 MATTHEW PABIS. [A.I>. 1246. souls will he left unattended to ; hence the £dth will be endangered by the people's treating the doctrines and cor- rections of the prelates with contempt.'' Another emue and rMwm* '^ Again, sinoe the pocnr, of whom there is an endless num* bar, are sustained during the year out of the property of eode^ siastioal persons^ and many gentl^nen, kinsmen of theirs, and others who stay in their servioe, receive food, and pay out of their property, if a portion of their profits be tsiken from them, alms will cease to be given ; fiEumilies wiU grow licen- tious ; and if matters come to that pass, the poor will die of hunger; and some, as they cannot dig, and to b^ are ashamed, will find it necessary, rather than peri^ of hung»v to indulge in theft, rapine, and pillage ; from which will ensue the murder of many ; a timiult will arise amongst the people ; and a disturbance of the whole kingdom of !^gland wiU necessarily follow." Another eauee and reason, ^^ Again, as there are many clerks in England heavily bur- dened by debt, if, without deducting the debt and the expenses, the amount of which exceeds a sixth part of their revenues, which deduction is scarcely ever opposed in any case ; i^ without deducting the burdens on the church, consistmg of pensions^ procurations of prelates, and the repairs of churches and ornaments, a portion of their profits be with* drawn from them, as they cannot live on what is left, they will be reduced to want ; but in the case of such personsf, care ought to be taken that they shall not be in want, espe* cially where a scandal on the imiversal Church would be likely to ensue." Another cause and reason. " Again, inasmuch as, under the name of a twentieth part, six thousand marks were lately paid to the pope, and on com- parison of the amount of the twentieth part with that of the moiety demanded, the sum total of money demanded wiU exceed sixty thousand marks, including tjie sixth part of the revenues, which is refunded at the collection of the profits, since he does not deduct that portion ; and since, besides these, he endeavours to obtain from the persons excepted in the first mandate, from those who receive revenues of a A.B. 1246.] TWO MUKDEREBS SENT TO ROME. 195 • hundred marks, the twentieth part ; and from those who have larger revenues, a third part ; it would be necessary ftunuAlly to collect from the revenues of the clerks, the sum of eighty thousand marks, which sum the whole kingdom of En^and would scarcely be able to pay ; how much less, then, can the clerksi, whose property consists only in the profits, which, although they are generally exposed fi>r sale annually, lead to many purchases being made from the said money, since the money passes from hand to hand, and remains in the kingdom ? And if money should be deducted from each . of the sales and carried out of the kingdom, the purchasers would be deficient ; and it might happen that such a large amount of money could not be found in the kingdom, which has been proved by experience in a pressing emergency at a former time, namely, when Eichard, king of Inland, of illustrious memory, was formerly made prisoner and detained in a foreign country, sixty thousand marks were demanded for his release ; and although the whole kingdom had contri- buted, it could not have been paid in full, had not the crosses and chalices of the churches been given in part pay- ment ; how much less chance was there now of such a large sum of money being collected from the goods of clerks only, when too it would be three times as much within three years 1 Since, therefore, the English church, by its proctors, opposes this exaction, be pleased to intimate to the pope this general opposition on behalf of the whole church, appealing to the presence of Jesus Christ, and of the general coundl when summoned at any time by Grod's grace." How two murderers were sent to Borne, About this time, two daring murderers were sent by the emperor Frederick to the Koman court, for the purpose of kilfing the pope by secret treachery, after the manner of the Assassins. By an unforeseen event, however, they were seized and imprisoned, to await sentence for the crime of treason. There were some who said that this report was cunningly invented and fraudulently arranged, in order that Frederick, who declared that it was by the pope's con- trivance that a similar occurrence had hitely happened to him, might be defamed by a similar crime. o2 196 MATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1246. Death of the bishop of Salisbury. About the same time of the year, namely on the morrow ef All Souls' day, died Master Hobert de Bingham, of pious memory, bishop of Salisbury ; a man surrounded by virtues, full of years, and fully accomplished in literature ; he how- ever left his house in debt to the amount of seventeen, hun- dred marks. Death of the abbot of Westminster. And about the same time, too, that is to say on the first of December, died Eichard de Berking, abbat of Westminster, a prudent, learned, and religious man, who, during his life, increased the revenues of his house by about three hundred marks. The canonization ofEdmundf archbishop of Canterbury. About the same time, namely on the Sunday next before Christmas, when is chanted the psalm, "Kejoice in the Lord," the pope solemnly canonized Edmund, archbishop of Canterbury, and enrolled him in the catalogue of saints, for he feared lest the said saint should punish him for neglecting his canonization, which he had put off day after day, owing to the whispers of slanderers. When the king heard this, he was greatly pleased ; and, immediately on being informed of it, gave orders that all the clerks of the royal chapel should put on thieir festive robes, and, with great niunbers of tapers lighted, should solemnly perform mass, commencing it with the psaJm, " Let us rejoice," by these means^ recalled from their above-mentioned presumptuous proceedings. Many, however, were frightened by the contents of a letter, which was believed to have emanated from some one with the con- sent of Erederick, especially as the final clause of this letter agreed with the letter which he sent to many of the princes^ at the end of which he say% '< It has always been our inten*> tion and wish to induce the clerks of every order, and chiefly those of the highest rank, to continue such to the end, as they were in the primitive state of the Church, leading an apostolic Hfe, and imitating our Lord's humility ; for such •clerks used to make it a practice to look npon the angels, to shine forth in miracles," &c. Ac See the letter sent by the emperor SVederick to the king of England and to all the other princes in the year 1245 [page 106]. (^ the parliament held at London, at which eon^kmUs were hetgted on complaints, qf the pope* e enactions. On the morrow of the Purification of St. Mary the king held a careful deliberation with his nobles, and prolonged the ooimcil, as it was on urgent matters, for several days ; for it was greatly feared, and was reported as a fiict to the king, that the French king was preparing to reduce Gaseony to subjection to him : to lose which province appeared evidently dii^racefnl as well as a great loss of the !^glish king, since he usually received a thousand marks annually from Bor- | deaux alone. There had also assembled there, as above ^ stated, the archdeacons of England, besides a large portion of j the clergy and the nobles, who all in common complained of ; the frequent and intolerable exactions of the x)ope ; in which the king also sympathized with them and joined in their grief: for the whole state was in peril, and the matter con^ cemed the whole kingdom, and great and hitherto unheard- r 2D1 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1247. of desolation was m&ifest amongst the clergy. A lamentable complaint was therefore laid before the king, whose business it was to protect the commonwealtli, and to avert such injuries and dangers. At length it was by the general opinion arranged that discreet messengers should be sent to the Roman court to point out this series of oppressions to the pope, and to deliver the underwritten on behalf of the corn- munity of the clergy and people to the pope and cardinals. The letter tent to the pope m the name qfthe eommumiy qf England at large. " To the most holy fcUher in Christ cmd lord, /., by GocTs provideTice su/preme Fontiff^ tJie commtimty of the clergy cmd people of the province of Gafnterbury, Devoted kisses to his holy feet. — ^Whereas the English church, from the time when the Catholic Mth was first given to it, has endeavoured to please,; and has always adhered to and devoutly served God and the holy Boman church our mother, without attempting to depart from the duties they had imdertaken, and always profiting by an increase of morals, she now oLsts herself at the feet of your holiness, and eamestiy supplicates that, with regard to the demand for money which is required of it in divers ways and with great coercion, by command of your holiness, for the assistance of divers nations, you in your ctffection will deiirn to show mercy to her. For the burden of what is deeded is insap^rtable, and, owing to a deficiency of property, impossible ; for although our country sometimes produces crops which are devoted to the support of the people of it, yet it does not produce abimdance of money, nor would it for a long time produce as much as is demanded at this present time. But it has also been oppressed by a similar burden, although not so heavy a one, in past times, and can no longer endure these exactions.. Besides this, by your holiness's command, assistance is at this present moment required from the clergy for our lord and. temporal king (whom we ought not and cannot with honour fail in his adversities), in order to enable him to ward off the incursions of enemies (which God avert from us), to defend the rights of his patrimony, and promptly to recover what has been seized upon. We therefore send the bearers of these presents, together with our entreaties, to your holiness's presence, to set forth to you the perils and disadvantages. a1t)/1247.] letteb sent to the cardinaia 305 whicli would ensue from such exactions as above mentioned, and which we can on no account endure, although we are bound- to you by every tie of affection, devotion, and obedi- ence. And because our community has no seal, we send these presents to your holiness, signed with the mark of the community of the city of London." . The letter tent in the name qfthe same community to the cardinals, ** To the inost reverend fathers in Christ a/nd lords, the ca/rdvncds of the holy Rorrum church, their devoted servants, dkc, Health omd due respect amd honour. — ^To your brother- hood as the bases supporting the church of Grod, we fly with hiunble entreaties, and earnestly beg of you to give heed to the oppressions imder which we are labouring, and to give us aic^ in order that the English church may be enabled to recover breath after the repeated troubles wluch she has met with in times past, and that we may be bound to return you due thanks. Since the last Lateran council, the English church, by command of the Apostolic See, has been harassed by the payment of, first, the twentieth part in aid of the Holy Land ; next, a tenth part for the aid of the pope ; and afterwards various other gifts in divers ways and for divers uses, and yet she has promptly poured forth all she could collect to her hand. To our kmg and temporal patron also she has,^ at the command of the Apostolic See, repeatedly given succour as far as lay in her power ; and at this present moment, at your entreaties, assistance is again demanded for the said W (whom we c^ot a.d ougS not to M in his necessities), to enable him to repel the incursions of his enemies, to protect the rights of his kingdom, and to recover those it has been deprived of. Finally, a demand is now made on the same, church, which she cannot endure, as the scantiness of her property docs not allow her to comply with the demand. From some is demai\ded a half^ from others a third, and from the rest a twentieth part of all the pro- perty they p>ssess, a part of which is to be devoted to the use of the French, who are always persecuting us and our nation, for the conquest of the empire of the Greeks ; a portion to the assistance of the Holy Land, which might, as the world loudly declares, be regained from the enemy with less risk j and a part to such other uses as the Apostolic See may order. 206. XAJTHEW PAEIB. [a.I>. 1247; It seems Iwrd, indeed, and absurd, that, whilst others possess abundance from our goods and labours, we, and our country- men, and the poor of our kingdom, to whom the gift more Bearly belongs, should be &ating and without goods. Our king and his soldiers, too, would not be able to repel the incursions and guard against the treachery of our enemies, which God avert ; nor could any assistance be afforded to those perishing and in want, if all the money of the kingdom is exhausted. Indeed, if everything which the clergy pos- sess were to be exposed for sale, the sum of money now demanded could not be foimd amongst u& Many misfortunea would ensue from such a coxurse as the foregoing, i^ which God forbid, it should be persisted in. . For the purpose of setting forth these matters to you, we send the bearers of these presents, as our common messengers, to your presence, and earnestly beg of you, for the sake of the Lord and the Apostolic See, to recall the mind of the pope, and to restrain your hands and counsels from such oppresoon, and to con- descend, if it please jou, to recall those wandering and scat- tered abroad, to the bosom o^ and obedience to, the mother Qhurch, in such a way that you may not scatter abroad and estrange from her those who were formerly gathered together in affection and devotion. And whereas our community has not a seal, we send these presents to your holy brotherhood signed with the mark of the community of the city of London.** JTie king obtains an obscvre privilege from the pope. About the same time, the king, unaware that he was by the cunning of the Romans underhandedly ensnared in the meshes of their deceitful words, obtained, by the agency of some of his courtiers who wished to please him, a kind ef privilege for himself frt)m the Eoman court, the purport of which was as follows : — ^^ Although the pope has, at his own will and pleasure, to the intolerable oppression of the English chmrch, made decrees, everywhere and indiscriminately dis^* posing of the ecclesiastical benefices in England to the use of Italianat, now, by God's &.vour, the storm is lulled so much, that when he, the pope, makes provision for any one or more of his relatives or those of his cardinals, he or his car- dinals shall ask the king's permission and {deasure aA to sueh |»rovision being made.'' By this obscure^ and dec^vtive pri- AJIu 12i7.] TWO MINORITE BBBTHBIK EXTORT MONEY. 20T Til^e the parasitical £ri@ads of tbe king sootlied his feelingSy aad bound him more closely in^ their tmla. For the notaries and accountants of the Boman court yield Uke wax to brib^y and hire ; and if they by the pope's orders transmit pressing letters full of rhetorical arguments to our lord the king, to ^orich th^nselves and pauperize him, how is it the worse for them ? I therefore look upon the aboveHoamed privilege as nothing but a hook with a bait upon it. How foreign ladies were brought over to be married to the nobles of England. Before the said council was broken up, Peter of Savoy, earl of Eichmond, came to the king's court at London, bringing with him from his distant province some unknown ladies, for the purpose of giving them in marriage to the nobles of England whom the long had brought up in his guardianship ; which circumstance was evidently annoying and unpleasant to many of the native nobles of England, who considered that they were despised. Two English Minorite brethren sent by the pope to England to extort money. Whilst ever-<}hanging fortune was deceiving the world with siM^ £Edlacies, two brothers of the Minorite order, named John and Alexander, Englishmen by birth, obtained from the pope the power of extorting money for the use of his holiness, and were sent into Ei^land by the pope himself. These men, then, armed with a great number of letters imder the papal bull, and concealing the rapacity of the wolf under the wool of the sheep, came before the king with simple looks, downcast eyes, and bland speech, and begged his permission to wander through the kingdom to ask charity for the benefit of the pope, declaring that they would not make use of any coercion. Having obtained this permission from the king, who saw nothing sinister in this proceeding, the said brethren now become sophistical legates, and, elated with the gifts of the king's clerks, -set out from the royal court, moimted on noble palfreys ornamented with saddles set in gold, and themselves dressed in most handsome robes, and wearing knightly boots and spurs, commonly called heuses [hose ?], to the injury and disgrace of their oi-der and professions ; and, discharging the duties and practidi)g the tyranny of legates, 208 MATTHEW PARIS. [a,D. 1247. demanded and extorted procurations, and thought little of exacting twenty shillings for each one of these. In the first place they went to the higher orders of the English prelates, and imperiously demanded money for the pope's use, under a fearfiil penalty, allowing but a very short time for a reply or for payment, and showing the fulminating letters of the pope, which they held forth as if they were threatening horns. On their coming to the bishop of Lincoln, who had always been a particular lover and follower of their order, so much so, that he had once conceived a design of retiring into it, he was overcome with astonishment at seeing such a transformation of the Minorite brethren, both as to habit, behaviour, and office, for it was not easy to find of what order or condition they now were ; and when they swore to the contents of the papal mandate especially for the credit of many, and urgently demanded a small sum, namely six thousand marks, fix)m his bishopric, he replied with great astonishment and grief, " Brother, this exaction, saving the papal authority, is dishonourable, and not to be listened to ; for it is impossible to fiilfil your request ; nor does it concern me alone, but the whole community of the clergy and people, and the kingdom in general. I consider it would be rash and absurd for me precipitately, by giving you a positive answer on this matter, to give you a definite consent to such a dan- gerous proceeding, without consulting the commamity of the kingdom in general." With this answer they then went away, and proceeded, accoutred and transformed (as above stated^, to the church of St. Alban's ; but not caring to descend so far in dignity as to go to the usual place of lodg- ing, which, with its appurtenances, was built inside the gate of the court, for the special use of the Preachers and Minor- ites, they turned out of their way to a more noble place of abode, where bishops and men of high rank resorted, and were reverently received there. Then, in the same way as they had demanded six thousand marks from the above- mentioned bishop, they now demanded four hundred from the abbat, for the pope's use, and imperiously demanded that they should be paid in a short time, and under a heavy penalty :* but on the abbats replying to them in the same way as the aforesaid bishop had done, although with all humility, these * ** Nisi ipn ordinando providerent/' the original obscurely adds. A.I). 1247.] A CHAPLAIN SENT TO ENOLANB. S09 brethren put on the secular habit and gesture, and mount- ing their noble horses, went away with murmurings and threats. The pope aaka theprelatet qf France to lend him money. At this time the pope, by his special messengers the Preachers and Minorites, sent his authentic letters to all the prelates of France, one by one, begging each of them to lend hiiT> a sum of money according to his means, promising that, when he could recover breath, he would without fail pay to each his due. On this becoming known to the French king, who had suspicions of the avarice of the Eoman court, he forbade any prelate of his kingdom, under penalty of losing all his property, to impoverish his territory in such a way ; and thus the sophistical papal legates, on whose shoulders the burden of this duty was imposed, left the kingdom empty-handed, amidst the sneers and derision of all parties. C(f the promotion and exaltation qf John Man»el. Whilst time was thus gliding on amidst these unlooked- for events, John Mansel, chancellor of St. Paul's church at London, by the wish and at the request of the king (whose petition is imperious and compulsory), undertook the charge of the king's seal, to discharge the duties and fiU the office of chancellor. Besides this, the provostship of Beveriey was conferred on him by the archbishop of York ; and the king, although he was sorry that this office was not given to his uterine brother, yet, because he found the said John faithful and necessary in supporting his cares and solicitudes, he did not wish him to be grieved or robbed of any honour conferred on him. Marin, a chaplain^ sent to England. Whilst the wheel of fortune was thus continually converting the lowest into the highest, our lord the pope, thinking that the different money collectors already sent were not sufficient to gather money, sent into England one Master Marin (another Martin), his chaplain, who, from the signification of his name, had wisely chosen to be a fisher, not of men, but of their possessions, in this sea of the world, and came with the intention that, whilst others were hunting, he might hook the English at a distance, or, by deceiving them, might more eautiously take them in his net. He, although he was not VOL. II. p 21Q MATTHSW PARIS. [A.9. 1247% inyested with the inaignia of a legate, jet was strongly armed with the power of o&e, that the priyilege of the kuig might be eluded. Go^yr^ff Mikqp eieet (^Bethkhtm, 9eni oi legate mfo Scotland. Abouii this time too, Godfrey, son of the prefect of Rome, and bishop elect of Bethlehem, was sent by the pope as legate in to Scotland ; but it is not known for what parposey since the Catholic £aith flouridied nncantaminated in that kingdom, and peace was firmly established both amongst the clergy and the people. It was therefore believed that, according to the Boman costcmi, the aforesaid Gkxlfrey, as adamant attracts iron, would draw to him the abundant and much-coveted revenues of the Scotch. Master John aent to Ireland. And at the same time Master John the Bed was sent to Ireland to collect money, with fiill powers as though he were a legate, but not invested with the insignia of that o^Qlce, lest the pope might appear to be giving cause of o£fence to the king of England, who, delighted that he was protected, as he vainly fended, by the privilege that no legate should eome into his territory, unless asked for by him. This said John then so diligently carried the pope's orders into effect, and enlployed himself for his own advantage and gain, that he extorted sLk thousand marks from Ireland, which he sent to London at Michaelmas, in charge of some religious men, to be added to the pope's treasure ; but aU these proceedings did not escape Frederick's notice. 0/ an earthquake in England, On the 13th of February in this year, that is on St. Yalentine's day, at various places in England, especially at Ix>ndon, and there mostly on the banks of the Thames, an earthquake was felt, which shook buildings, and was very in- jurious and terrible in its effects ; for, as was believed, such an occurrence was significative, iDasmuch as it was unusual and unnatural in these western countries, since the solid mass of England is free from those under-ground caverns and deep cavities (in which, according to philosophers, an earthquaJ^e is generally produced), nor could any reason for it be discovered. It was therefore expected, according to JiJK 1247.] CONCEBXINO PERSONS BTIirG INTESTATE. 211 Hit threats of the Gospel, that the end. of the w(»rld was at hand, and that this movement of the earth indicated corre- sponding movements in the world, so that the elements might be agitated and disturbed by frequent motions. In this year also, the sea^ as has been before stated, for a few days previous, ebbed and flowed but little, if at all, for a great distance along the coast, during the course of three months, a circumstance which no one remembered to have ever seen before ; nor had there been an earthquake in England since the year 1133, which was the third year before the death of King Henry the Second. This earthquake was followed ]by a protracted inclemency of the atmosphere, and by an onseasonable and winterly roughness^ disturbed, cold, and rainy, so that the husbandmen and gardeners complained ihat the spring by a backward movement was changed to ^nnter, and entertained great fears that they would be de- ceived in their hopes of their crops, plants, fruit-trees, and com. This disturbed state of the weather lasted uninter- iruptedly with scarcely the intervention of a single cabn day, till the feast of the Translation of St. Benedict. Death qfthe hiight Fulk. On the morrow of the Purification of St. Mary, there died at London, Fulk, of Newcastle, a distinguished knight, a cousin of the king's, and on succount of his nobility of birth, his body was solemnly and honourably buried in the church at Westminster with ftdl burial services, by order of the king, who happened to. be present in consequence of the above-mentioned parliament. The revoking of the decree concerning persona dying intestate. About this time, on account of the unbecoming scandal which was wafbed alHX)ad throughout various countries, on the compulsion of the cardinals^ the decree was revoked, which had been a Uttle while before made by the pope at the manifest iustigation of avarice, and toxarry which into effect he had constituted the Minorite brethren his agents^ to the loss and scandal of them and the injury of their <»*der, and by which he, the pope, claimed for his own uses the properly of persons dying intestate. This decree re- dounded to the harm and loss of many of the noble^ on account oi that iniquitous additional clause, which, c(mtrarj p 2 212 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1247* to all laws and all piety, had been added to it, and which ran as follows : — " But if a sick man, when about to make his will, should be prevented by sudden weakness from being able plainly to express the words of his will, and should ^point one of his friends to express it for him, and to act as his agent, such a will should not stand, but should be con- sidered null, and such a testator should be considered as an intestate person, and the papal Charybdis should swallow down all his goods." 7%e discovery of a treacherout conspiracy against the pope's life* Whilst the revolutions of time were thus proceeding onwards, a certain knight in the service of Frederick, named Halph, being enraged at not receiving his pay from the emperor in due time, left his lord's service with threats. This man was of astute mind, of great bodily strength, and skilfiil in war, and, being desirous of injuring his late lord [Frederick, went to Lyons to seek another, imder whom he eould fight as a stipendiary to greater advantage, as he had no fixed place of abode. On his arrival, he took up his abode with a certain host, named Eeginald, and after a few days Master Walter de Ocra, the special clerk and coun- sellor of Frederick, happened to pass that way, and took up his lodgings in the same house. On seeing the said knight Balph there, he greeted him familiarly by name as an acquaintance, inquiring what he was doing there, and why he had thus left his lord^ whom he had served so long. On teaming the fiill particulars. Master Walter asked him if he had yet met with another lord, to which he replied, " No, because I am not known." Master Walter then said, ** Betum, my friend, to your allegiance and to the service of my lord, who is now much in want of such men, and I will restore to you all that is due, and will even add more." To this Ealph joyftdly agreed, and Master Walter then said, ** My lord would consider himself lucky if he was not dis^ turbed, indeed attacked, by his deadly enemy and unwearied persecutor the pope, and if you will and can take away his guilty life, I will multiply rewards upon you ; what I havfe }HX)mised I will ftdfil without fail, and will add three hun- dred talents to the many revenues I have promised to restore to you, together with the favour of my lord, which is a source A.D. 1247.] CONSPIRACY AGAINST THE POPE. 213 of much, gain to you ; for by this the trouble of my lord, indeed the tempests of the whole world, would be set at rest. Do not think either that there is any sin in this deed, since the pope, who ought to be a pattern and example of s^ religi(»^ is become a manifest usurer, a fdmace of simony, a thirster after and plunderer of money, and his court is a market- place for hucksters, or rather a brothel for harlots.** To this Balph answered, " If you will prove your words by your deeds, and will recompense me, I will do what you ask ;" and on Master Walter's promising and binding himself by oath, hQ consented to perpetrate the crime, being overcome by the presents now made him, and the promise of more. To this secret plan they, by a similar obligation, at length induced their host Keginald, who was known to the supreme pontijQT and his servants, to give his consent and assistance ; they bound him to find out, by lying concealed somewhere, the time when and where the pope might be slain, and to introduce the murderer; and on this Master Walter departed Within a few days after, the said Reginald was suddenly seized with a severe illness, and brought to the point of death, and seeing that he was about to die, he at his confes- sion disclosed all these things to his priest ; and after thus repent; ingresigned himself to 1^ £eite. The priest at once gave intimation to the pope of this imminent peril, and speedy messengers were sent, and the aforesaid Ralph was seized. He at first positively denied everything concerning it, but, being at length put to the most exquisite tortures, he vomited forth the poison of the treachery above mentioned, and revealed the truth of the matter to the whole papal court. All these things were committed to writing under the buH to the injury of Frederick, that he might be the more severely scandalized and condemned. How two others were taken prisoners for the same crime. About the same time, too, two Italian knights were seized at Lyons for the same offence, who, after their capture, de- clared that about forty daring koights had conspired together on oath to take the pope's life, who, even though Erederick were dead, would not for any penalty, even that of death, fail to cut the pope to pieces, the disturber of the world, and defiler of the Church, and they believed most unhesitatinglfr ! 1 \ ^14 XATTHEW PARIS. [a.I>. 1247. tiiat, if they could happily have cut the throat of such a one, they would have consummated a deed pleasing both to God and to man. From this time the pope kept dose in his chamber, carefully guarded by fifty armed men day and night, and. did not dare to go out of his room or castle, or palace, so much even as to go to perform mass : for it is a case of necessity, that he should fear many who is feared by- many, and that the disturber <^ many should be disturbed in manifold ways. Of a grand parliament held in France, In the same year, about Mid-Lent, the French king, by "^ ( n^al warrant, summoned the nobles of his kingdom in general, clergy as well as laity, to assemble at a parliament to discuss carefully certain arduous matters concerning the state of the kingdom ; for he was anxious about the assump- tion of the cross by himself and his nobles, and the invio- lable obligation of such an important vow. He had also, it was stated, received an order from the king of the Tartars to become subject to him, which said king, with daring and pro&ne moul^ called himself in his letter " immor- tal,'' and declared that he and his followers were those of whom it is written that '^t)ie Lord gave the. earth to the aons of men." The French Idng, however, left all this matter to the Divine disposition, and after, in the first place^ wisely and prudently arranging all matters whidli are due and ought to be paid, by which sdl the adversities which the wiles of the devil or man can devise, will be brought to nought, immutably determined and arranged, that at the expiration of a year from the feast of St. John the Baptist then next ensuing, he would, if living, set out on his pil- grimage, in company with his fellow-criasaders, faithfully to ftdfil his vow that he would worship in the Holy Land the footsteps of the Crucified One, who had restored him to life j and this he in. public swore he would do, and made his nobles take the same oath, unless, which God forbid, some unforeseen event, which mortal weakness cannot avoid, should delay him ; and he declared that whoever opposed this wholesome decree, should be both excommunicated and considered as a public enemy. When this readied the knowledge of the CSioaro»- mins and other Saracen nations conterminous with tihe JuJ>. 12^.] PEACE GRAITTBI) TO THE MILANESE. 215 Christiaiis in the Holj Land, and wliich were lately rednced to subjection to the infidels, they strongly fortified their <»stles and cities. The said king, moreover, because he had seen that the English money, which was very advantageotis to traders in several ways of business, by reason of the metiil, was very much diminished in vahie and impaired by faJse dealers, called ^ money-clippers," gave orders that what- ever coin should thereafter be found in his kingdom not of legal weight, should at once be melted down, that neither conmierce nor the merchants themselves should be any longer troubled by such spurious money. This was also a matter of fear in England, owiug to the immoderate diminu-^ tion of the money in value. It was also said, and found to be a fact, that the coins were cut round by the circumcised and infidel Jews, who, on account of the heavy taUiagesj imposed by the king, were now reduced to beggary; and' other crimes also were said to have emanated from them. Peace (ffeeted between the churches qf Durham and Si. Albans. In this year, also, a peaceable arrangement was made between the churches of Durham and St. Alban's, concerning the visitation of the parochial church in the monastery of Tynemouth, about which a disturbance arose in the time of Nicholas, bishop of Dxu:ham, and the second John^ abbat of St. Alban's, which matter is more fiilly given and sKplained in the book of Additaments, an example of which also you win find in the second page after this towards the end.* About this same time of the year, also, Frederick, finding that the world was murmuring and rising agaiast him^ by wise [counsel kindly granted a peace to the Milanese, who asked it of him with due submission and reverence. The citizens were most urgently compelled to beg it humbly, because in the last battle fought between them and Conrad, Frederick's son, they got the worst of the battle, and a great number of them fell, besides many who were taken prisoners by an attack on their rear by a body of men lying in am- busL When, however, they were taken, and about to be imprisoned, iVederick, in his innate nobility, showed mercy to them, in order to recall them to submission by forbearance^ as he could not tame them by force. He had given ordens, * See page 220. 216 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1247. when they had entered their city, that all the roads should be stopped against them. The citizens, therefore, whose, means of subsistence was derived from trade, were shut up as if they were besieged or imprisoned ; for they could not pass at liberty to the markets, the ports, or the neighbouring cities, without danger to their persons, their cattle, or their property. As many of them now returned to their allegiance to their old and proper lord, Frederick opened the bosom of mercy to them, and thus, after a long and injurious struggle, he by prudence recalled them, even against their will, to the unity of the empire, and to a peace advan- tageous to them as well as himself. Nor did the Milanese from that time forth trouble themselves to adhere to the ])ope, who had deceived them by false promises. The death qfthe landgrave who had been elected king qfRome, During this same Lent, that the above-mentioned earth- quake might not fail in its threatening signification, the pope, who, vainly trusting to the immense siuns of money he had plundered from all directions, had purposed and wished to promote his friend the landgrave to the imperial dignity, now thought of raising him to the dignity of king of Germany, and of solemnly crowning him without opposition from any one ; but Frederick's son Conrad, being informed of this by his spies, and having learned all par- ticulars, suddenly came with an immense army collected from all quarters, to the place where, by the pope's arrangements, the landgrave was about to be crowned, and where all the necessary preparations had been made for such a great so- lemnity. Fearing, however, to enter on a doubtful contest, the said Conrad placed fifleen thousand of his soldiers in ambuscade, at an out-of-the-way place not far ofl^ who might, if necessary, come to his assistance at a proper time, on the sound of a trumpet. The festive joy, then, was unexpectedly interrupted, and a most fierce and bloody battle ensued, at the commencement of which, Conrad lost many of the most noble of his followers, as the weight of the battle was turned on him. But when the peril was imminent of his being put to confusion, a signal was quickly given, and the eager sol- diers, who had been waiting for/- it inj their place of ambus- cade, came up '^ swift as the rapid air," and manfully made A.1): 1247.] DEA.TH OP THE LAITOGRAVE. ^ 217 up for the ill-brooked delay, and attacking the enemy, who were on the point of gaining a victory, slew all who opposed them at the sword's point. On their coming up, Conrad again breathed freely, Ut solefc infdso vena redire mero. [As energy restring^ the sool Of him who freely quaffs the bowl.] The struggle of war was now renewed, and the very aii* seemed to be disturbed by the ringing of armour, the shiver- ing of spears, the crash of blows, the neighing of horses, th6 ' shouts of the combatants exhorting one another, the cries of the wounded, and the groans of the dying, together with the clouds of dust raised, the steam from panting bodies, and the streams of blood. Such a vigorous onset, however, the Germans, and those who were with the landgrave, could not withstand, and gave up the contest, either disgracefully taking to flight, or being mortally wounded ; great numbers of them were made captives and committed to prison at the will of their enemies ; a pitiable slaughter ensued, and, after an irreparable loss of Christian blood, the landgrave took to flight, and betaking himself to a place of safety, there pined away in grief. Now, indeed was verified, in a great mea- sure, the speech of Thaddeus, Frederick's proxy at the Council of Lyons, when the pope fulminated the sentence of excommunication against his lord : — ^^ Alas ! alas !" said he, " truly is this day a day of anger, misery, and calamity 1" The landgrave, then, who, according to his own reckoning, was to have been crowned king of Cermany on the following day, now seeing his glory thus changed into confrision and disgrace, his relations and friends with their followers, defeated and slain, and that all the money sent him by the pope was taken from him by his enemies, was touched to the heart with grief, lost his courage, and, wounded by no strange stroke, but only by that of his own grie^ breathed forth his womanly spirit, lamented by no one. The victo- rious Conrad, then, desiring to take fiill vengeance for the injury and loss he had suffered in his late flight, after being conquered in Germany, either ignominiously hanged all the captives who had escaped the sword, especially the relatives, 318 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1247. kinsmen, and friends of the landgrave, or ordered them, to he imprisoned in fetters, to be ransomed for a heavy smn. The pope sends four cardinal legates ihrougkoui the whole qf Europe. The pope, on hearing of these events, was overcome with grief, and sent four cardinals, as special legates, through the four quarters of Christendom, for the purpose of defaming the said Frederick and his son Conrad, for having dared to attempt such proceedings, and to encourage all Christians, in remission of their sins, to attack and harass the said Frederick, and, if posable, to crush him ; and also to en- deavour, hj all the modes in which the Boman court was usually well skilled, by cunninir avarice, and avaricious cun- niBg, to extort mm^, forthe purpo;e of sabdoing the hateful Frederick. One, therefore, he sent into Qeimany, another into Italy, a third into Spain, and the fourth into Norway, besides certain other sophistical legates, invested with great power, whom he underhandedly sent into England, without their insignia^ that he might not seem to in&ingo the king's privilege. Amongst others, the Preacher and Minorite brethren, whom, not without injury and scandal to tiieir order, he made tax-collectors and bedels. The legate who was sent into Norway, was the bishop of Sabina, who was also sent [to anoint and to crown Haco^ king of Norway, and perform the functions of legate in that country and in Sweden, to the injury of the aforesaid Frederick, and not without great expectations of gain. How Frederick made the ApulianSf SieilianSf and Calabrians do homage to Henrys his son by Isabella, In the mean time, Frederick, of suspected memory, whom we are forbidden to call emperor, mkde all the Apulians, Sicilians, and Calabrians, to liege homage to Henry, his son by his beloved wife the empress Isabella, sister to the king of England ; at hearing, which the latter, the boy's unde, was highly pleased, and not without good reason. Frederick, on hearing that the said legates were sent throughout the various quarters of the world to injure his &me and dignity, sent word to his son Hensius, king of Sardiiiia, to lay snares for, and even to put to death, the Genoese, especially the relatives, kinsmen, and fHends of the pope; which order the latter effectuaDy foMlled, that ke A.D. 1247.] NEW STATUTES ENAOTED. 219 Hiight not show himself disobedient to his &ther. In con^ sequence of this he seized and hanged a near relation of the pope^ one whom his holiness, although he loved all beyond measure, regarded with more affection than all the rest. When the pope heard of this proceeding, his anger was over- powering, and on the day of the Preparation, he excommu- nicated Frederick and his son Henry, with such dreadM denunciations, that he struck horror into all who saw and heard him. When Frederick heard of it, however, he groaned and said, " Thus did the Jews, who crucified Christ, and after he was crucified, pierced hJTn -with a lance." New statutes made hy the king ofEnglmd. In this year the English king, fi)llowing the example of those barons who had enacted statutes in France, to which the king of that country had both given his consent and affixed his seal, made the following statutes, to be in« violably observed throughout England, in order to restrain in some measure for the present the insatiable cupidity of the Boman court. All suits in cases of breach of fidth and perjury are pro- hibited by the king, when laymen are convened in such cases before an ecclesiastical judge. Ecclesiastical judges are for- bidden to try any causes against laymen, unless in cases of marriage or of wills. Item, the king prescribes anew to the bishop a certain form concerning bastardy, whether the chil- dren be bom before marriage or after. Clerks are forbidden by the king's brief to institute their actions concerning tithes before an ecclesiastical judge, and that brief is intituled * In- dicavit." Concerning the oaths which are exacted from clerks^ to be taken before the king's justices, because they are under- stood to have proceeded in their suits contrary to the king's prohibition, inasmuch as clerks are not bound to miake oath unless before an ecclesiastical judge, especially in spiritual causes. Item, in the case of derks whom the king's officers make prisoners on accoimt of a report brought against them by laymen. Hmo peace was made between the kishop of Durham and the aibat i\f St. Alban*s. In this year, too, the discord which^ had existed betweea 7 I ! ??0 MATTHEW PABIS. [a,D. 1247^ the bishop of Durham and the abbat of St. Alban's was setc at rest in the following terms : — " To the sons of the vmiversal and holy motlier Chv/rch, to wJuym these preserUs shall come, Micluid, archdecuoon of Stow ^ a judge de/puted hy our lord the pope, a/nd NichoUis, chanceUor of Lincoln, a stib-delegate of tJie archdeacon of Northampton, jvdge and colleague of the said wrchd^a^con of Stow, Health in tfie Lord, — Be it known to the whole community, that whereas a suit has been instituted by the apostolic authority before us, — ^the treasurer of Lincoln, one of us three judges, having been wholly excused — ^between the venerable fsEither Nicholas, by the grace of God bishop of Durham, in the name of his church of Durham, of the one part, and John, by the same grace abbat of St. Alban*s, and the brethren of the same place, and the prior and conventual assembly of Tynemouth, in the name of the monastery of Tynemouth, on the other part, concerning the visitation of the parochial church of Tynemouth, and the obedience exacted by the said bishop, from the prior of Tynemouth and other parochial churches in his diocese, held by the said monks of Tynemouth, at length by the consent of the chapter of Durham, the strife has been brought to an amicable termination for ever, as foUows : — ^That is to say, that the aforesaid bishop of Durham and his successors, either shall themselves or by their officials exercise that office in that portion of the church of Tyne- mouth in which divine services are performed, to the parishioners without the imposition of a procuration ; on condition that they shall on no accoimt intrude themselves amongst the monks, or in any other part of the church, or even in the cell itself saving, in all points, other privileges and indulgences granted to the aforesaid monks. But the priors of the ceU of Tynemouth shall be appointed or removed by the aforesaid abbat, or, if the abbat*s chair is vacant, by the prior of St. Alban*s, with the consent of his chapter^, ac- cording to the tenor of their privileges ; and those who are appointed shall go to the bishop and be presented to him, at the same time promising canonical obedience to him, with respect to the parochial churches, as far as the privileges granted to the monastery of St. Alban's allow, on condition, however, that the priors of Tynemouth shall not, on the plea of that obedience, be summoned to any synod, chapters, or A.i). 1247.] THE POPB'd iXACnON toPORCED. 221 ^Buy iecclesiastical assembly, contrary to the tenor of their privileges. The vicars in the church of Tynemouth shall be appointed in succession by the prior and conventual assembly of Tynemouth, with the consent of their abbat, and shall be presented to the aforesaid bishop and his successors ; those who are admitted shall answer to the said bishop in spiritual matters, and to the said monks in temporal ones. In witness of the foregoing, to this writing, drawn up in due legal form, that is to say, to the ]X)rtion which is left with the aforesaid abbat and brethren of St. Alban*s, and prior and brethren of Tynemouth, and to that portion left in possession of the church of Durham, the aforesaid bishop and chapter of Durham, and the aforesaid abbat and brethren of St. Alban's and the prior and brethren of T^emouth, have respectively set their seals in conjimction with ours. Done in the year of our Lord one thousand two hundred and forty-seven, in the month of May, in the presence of the above-named bishop and abbat ; there being also present the abbats of New Minster, the archdeacons of Nottingham, St. Alban's, and Shrewsbury, Masters Hugh de Stanbridge, William de Bourg, Odo of Kilkenny, John, a Frenchman, and many others." Thtp(ipt^% exaction enforced ly an English Minorite named John, In the same year, at the beginning of Lent, that is to say after the feast of the Decollation of St. John the Baptist, there came to London one of the order of Minorites, named John, of whom mention has been made in preceding pages, who extorted four himdred marks from the abbat of St. Alban*s by the apostolic authority ; and because the said abbat had appealed to the [Apostolic See and to the cardi- nals concerning such an intolerable oppression, he was now the bearer of mandates from that see newly obtained accord- ing to his wishes. He, therefore, by authority of this new mandate, cited the said abbat to come to London on the third day from that time, namely on the morrow of the feast of St. Giles, or to send thither some competent agent fully in- structed in the matter, to satisfy him, the said John, in the matter of the subsidy long ago demanded by the pope. On the day appointed, therefore, the abbat sent his archdeacon thither as his proxy, who at once asked for a copy of the 322 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.d. 1247. new mandate, which he obtained after some difficulty, and transcribed it : it is as follpwg : — '< Irmoce/ni, bishop, d^c, to Ma beloved son John, abbiU of St AJboffCs, m the diocese of Lincoln, Health cmd the apostoUc benediction. — ^Daily instances of secular persecution compel VB, by their severity, in our resistance to them, to have re- course to the aid of those subject to us for the succour of the Apostolic See. Wherefore, by the advice of our brethren, we ask, warn, and exhort, and by these apostolic writings command you, to give full credence to what our well-bdioyed son John the Englishman, provincial minister of the Mino- rite brethren of Provence, the bearer of these presents, and our messenger, shall set forth to you in opr name concerning the subsidy for the see, and to take notice that the Church by this resistance, defends the common interest of all churches and churchmen j to do all that he shall point out to you, so that it may give satis&ction to us and to our brethren, and that your devotion may be displayed in action, which is the best possible evidence of the truth. Given at Lyons, this twelfth of October, in the fourth year of our pontificate." By authority of this, brother John enjoined on these agents to appear on the eighth day thence, ensuing at the place where they formerly appeared, to pay him the sum of three hundred marks ; otherwise he should carry into effect the pope's order by excommunicating them, and by interdicting their church. The agents replied that the abbat was on the point of sending his special messengers to the pope to explain to him his oppressions, and to satisfy him according to the means of his church and those subject to him, without, how- ever, receding from his appeals previously made. These events occurred when the year was far advanced. Our order of events has been somewhat preposterous^ but we could not help it ; for where there is pain, the finger is sure to tell it."* How the power qf Brother John inereaeed, owing to thepop^e warrant. To the greater depression and injury of the English, the power of the said brother John was increased, and he was urged on by the pope to make greater exactions by the following letter : — * Ubi enim est dolor, ibi et digitus — ^ ou est la dooleur, lii est le doigt. Perhaps it means that the finger is sure to scratch the part tliat itdies. A.P. 1247,] AN UNHEABD-OF OPPBESSION. 223 0 <' IrmooevUy <£;a — On considering tlie matters which yoa have intitnated to me by your letters, we^ by authority of these presents, command you, if, in the matter of fiunishing the subsidy to the Eoman church, which has been demanded by you on our authority, the majority of the ecclesiastic pre- lates of England reply that they are exempt and free from it, to make them pay to whomsoever you choose, and within a proper period, a greater sum of money for the af(»:«said sub- sidy than you a^ed of them previously, checking all gain- sayers by the Church's censure, and putting off all appeal, notwithstanding any privilege or indulgence, although these presents may not- make express mention of them. Given at Lyons, the seventeenth day of July, in the fourth year of our pontificate." Whoever wishes to see what the former powers of the said brother John were, may find them set down in the book of Letters.* The fear of the eqclesiastica lest tTtey should lose their property. When it came to the knowledge of the many, that this frequent compulsory extortion was practised by the pope and his sophistical and transformed legates, and that the privileges and indulgences of the holy £a.thers were of no avail to defend them, they were in great fear lest the laymen and secular princes and nobles, who, or whose ancestors, had founded, endowed, and enriched the churches, for which purpose they had, in a great measure, dilapidat^ their own {xWadoni, and had given their charters thereof, being taught by the example of the pope, would retake possession of the property of the churches, '^ notwithstanding" the tenor of such and such a privilege ; eq>ecially as, contrary to the intention of the founders, the pope and his followers, whomsoever he chose, Italians and other foreigners, were fiittened on l^em, whilst the natives themselves went hungry. An unheard'Of oppression. When the conventual assembly of the said church, namely of St. Alban's, saw that they were opposed on all sides, they, by advice of the abbat, appealed to the Apostolic * Among the Additamenta which Matthew Pftris published in a separate work. 224 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1247^ See, whose duty it was to relieve the oppressed fifom their burdens, and sent one of their monks, John Bulum, and Master Adam de Bern, to the Apostolic See, namely to Lyons; but, before they returned, the said brother John transmitted a mandate to the abbat of St. Alban*s to the fol- lowing effect : — " To the venerable John, hy the grace of God abba>t of St AIhan% brother John, meseenger of ov/r lord the pope in Eng- land, Health in the Lord, — Although we have ere now often written to you, yet, as we have received a cogent command to do so, we liave determined to write to you once again ; we therefore ask and advise, and, by authority of our lord the pope, command you, by virtue of your obedience, laying aside all excuses, to come, on the Tuesday next before the feast of St. Thomas the Apostle, to Bedford, to the house of the Minorites there, to give satisfaction in full for the sub- sidy to the Eoman church ; and see that you act in such a way that we may itot find it necessary to proceed, however unwillingly, according to the contents of the aforesaid man- date ; nor must you omit to do so on accoimt of the appeal which has been made by you, as we have received a special order as regards that. FarewelL What you intend to do in this matter send a rescript to inform us by the bearer of these presents." The appeal to the pope. An appeal was therefore made to the pope ; for the abbat, as well as the conventual assembly, preferred to imdergo the trial of that most excellent of men the pope, than of one who, under the garb of humility and poverty, concealed such harsh severity ; but whilst the messengers were sent to the Koman court in the fortnight of Michaelmas, Master John threatened and (^pressed them more severely. The arch- deacon of St. Alban's and some of the brethren were there- fore sent to him, to mitigate his severity ; but he replied that he would fully exercise what severity justice and his power would permit, because, when he had been at St. Alban's, the monks had not paid due respect to him as a legate, or even as a papal messenger ; indeed, by some he was rebuked for transgressing the rules of his order, because he had changed his habit, although he was received respectfully and cour- A.D. 1247.] CONVOCATION OF THE NOBLES. 225 teously Plough as r^arded eating and drinking, and mild and diacreet words: With some difficulty then, on bended knees, and with deprecatory speeches, they at length obtained a respite, until something certain, shoidd be heardfrom the mes- sengers sent to Kome ; but as to the consummation of their business there, brother John assured them that they would obtain nothing good or fayourable. For he had written to the pope exciting his anger, and declaring that the abbat of St. Alban's was the only one amongst all the abbats of Eng- land who kicked against and would not obey the papal man- date, which was plainly apparent by his sending his messen- ger to the pope. Owing to this, the messengers sent to the court of Bome, being lundered by some obstacle or other thrown in their way, were delayed longer at the court, and found more difficulty in settling their business. At length, by the intervention of mercenary Mends and pleaders at that court, they compromised the matter, and paid a fine of two himdred marks to the pope ; and tiius, reckoning all presents and expenses, the insatiable Charybdis of that court swallowed up three himdred marks. Thus the church of St. Alban's, which ought to have breathed more freely and safely under the especial protection of the papal wings than other churches, was incessantly harassed more severely by these continued oppressions. For the bishops in whose dioceses our convents were, did not consider that the papal letters were valid, and they harassed the priors of convents, not considering, or else concealing their knowledge of, the contents of the letters, which expressly stated that they were exempted from the tribute of the aforesaid ele\sen marks, and reserved, as well as three clerks, for the pope alone to im- poverish. The whole contents of these letters are given in the book of Additaments. At length, checked by the con- tents of these letters, and by those of the said brother John, the bishops desisted, although imwillingly, from any longer oppressing the convents, but did not, however, restore what had been previously plimdered from them. Of the convocation of the nobles of England to a parliament. About this time, as the king foimd his kingdom was exposed to great peril, he ordered all the nobility of the kingdom to be convoked at Oxford, on the day on which is VOL. II. Q 236 MATTHEW PABISk [a.D. 1247. dianted, '^ Quasi modo genitd," to discnse the state <^ mat* ters in their now criti<»kl position. To this pariiament he ei^>eciall7 and strictly summoned the bishops^ because he saw that they were so frequently impoverished by the pope's extortions, and because the money of England was so fre- quently carried away from it, whilst no advantage accrued to ^e Gkarch therefrom, but it rather was a source of loss and disadvantage. Hence it was truly considered that such ex- tortion caused the greatest possible displeasure to theSupreme Creator, and it was now most confidently hoped that at this parliament some resolution would be come to, beneficial to the Church as well as the kingdom ; in which, however, the hopes of aU were deceived : for although some ^f the pre- lates had previously determined to oppose the aforesaid con- tribution^ yet they all, except the exempt abbats and the three der^ at this council agreed to a contribution of eleven thousand marks; and by this privilege these derks ren- dered themselves objects of suspicion to the whole kingdom. The said money then was paid and received by the bishops of Winchester and Norwich, who were armed with the papd authority, and the clergy were compelled to pay the same in fulL The exempt abbats were exposed to the pope's will, and he showed little mercy to them, but wearied them out with frequent losses and injuries by the agency of brother John, as before stated ; nor did he act any more leniently towards the abbat of St. Alban's in consequence of his having sent eighty marks to him in the year last past Fears also were entertained that the king would, from the mutual per- mission and connivance between him and the pope, compel the Church and the kingdom to comply with this exaction, as the pope had lately written to the nobles of England on the king^s behalf to promote his cause in the collecting of money. Ambaaaadors sent into Brabant, About this time, the abbat of Westminster and Master John Maunsell were sent a latere by the king into Germany, to arrange preliminaries with the duke of Brabant for con- tracting a marriage between the king's son Edward and the daughter of the said duke. Owiug to some secret impedi- ments, they returned in sorrow, with empty saddle-bags, and JL^. 1247.] COXTKT WILLIAM ELBCfTSD KINO OF OEBMANY. 227 each of them grieved that he had uselessly wasted his trou- ble and his expenses. The pope cauaee WilUam, count qf Holland, to be elected king of Gennany, About this tune, the pope, bj the promise of a large sum of money, extorted from all quarters, and collected to effect the ruin of Frederick, procured the election of William, count of Holland, a man in the prime of life and strength, and of illustrious descent, to the dignity of king of Ger- many. The said count and the bishop of Li^ge were cousins ; the duke of Brabant was his uncle, and the arch- bishop of Cologne was his inseparable friend, and allied to him by some d^ree of affinity. For the pope considered that, in the creation of the landgrave of Thuringia, who had suddenly died as before stated, he had lost a no small sum of money, indeed a sum that would cause astonishment in the minds of all who heard it (no less indeed than fifty thousand pounds of Viennese pence, of which each one is worth three farthings sterling, and all which had &llen into the power of his enemies) ; he therefore now endeavoured to manage matters more cautiously, and therefore secretly sent the money he had promised to the new king elect, Count Williaxn, by the hands of prudent messengers, of whom he entertained no suspicions ; and he appointed Octavianus, a cardinal, to carry out this business. He also sent consolatory messengers to the Milanese and Parmese, and others whose hearts he thought were wavering, exhorting them to dismiss all feelings of diffidence and desolation. But that the joys of this world might not come unmixed with griefs, the count of Savoy, who was an open enemy of the Church, under a deceitful appearance of peace was waiting till the pope's messengers, who were also attended by soldiers, should pass through the valleys and abrupt difficult passes of the moun- tains, which he allowed them to do without injury, and when their retreat and all means of escape were thus treach- erously cut ofl^ the pope's money was lost, and the soldiers, who, besides their arrears of pay, had received a large sum in payment for two months in advance, were dispersed and put to flight ; and thus again disgraoeMly enough was aU this supply converted to the use of the enemy. q2 228 MATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1247. In the flame year the Preacher brethren obtained a privi- lege from the pope, that none of their brethren should be allowed to pasfl from their order to any other, and that no abbat or prior should be allowed to receive any such, although they themselves received deserters from the monks : and this is evidently dissonant with reason, and contrary to the rule of St. Benedict, as well as to the natural precept, *^ Do not to another what thou wouldst not should be done to thee.** Many persons, too, distinguished for their morals and learning, and of good descent, who had retired from the world to their order, on finding it not to be such a form of reBgion as they hoped, but the whole wide world instead of a cloister (especially as at the beginning of his rule St. Benedict reprobates that kind of monks who go about the coimtry), began to repent and grieve that they had entered into such an order, and to seek subterfuges for turning in a contrary direction ; owing to which those persons are considered the greatest in their order who observe the moderate middle course. How certain nobles came to England to ask presents from the king. At this time, too, there arrived in England some empty and hungering foreign nobles, gaping with open mouths for the king's money ; amongst whom were Baldwin, the so-called emperor of Constantinople, with some of his supporters, he having been forcibly expelled from the Greek territories. A few years back, this said Baldwin, after having sold all the sacred relics he could lay his hands upon, and borrowed money wherever he could get it from, inglo- riously fled from that coimtry, a poor man and an exile, and despoiled of all his property, although the pope had begun to espouse his cause, and had rendered him effective assist- ance when making war against Vastagius ( ? ), a son-in-law of Frederick. Now, indeed, he began to be in need, and he asked pecuniary assistance of the king of England, whose magnificence he had had previous experience of; and that he might meet with more favour from him, he declared that he, the king, was his relation. The arrival in England qfthe bishop qf Sabina as cardinal legate'. There also arrived in England the bishop of Sabina^ a cardinal of the Eoman churdi, who was on his way to the 40D. 1247.] THE king's BBOTHEBS ABRJVE IK ENGLAND. 229 northern countries, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, as a legate, and for the purpose of anointing and crowning Haco, kmg of Norway. When about to come to England, he at £rst met with some difficulty in obtaining leave from the king,, because the legates, of whatever rank they were, and all the pope's messengers, always madk a practice of impoverishing the kingdom they made their way into, or to disturb them in some way or other, until at length he swore on his soul that he was coming to Engl'end for no harm to the king, the kingdom, or the Church, but only to pass peaceably through the country, from the port of Dover to Lynn ; and that he would take his departure to the distant kmgdoms to wKich he was bound, as soon as he met with a seasonable oppor- tunity and a &.vourable wind. After he had obtained per- mission in this way, he entered the kingdom without fear^ and having paid Ins respects to the king, and received some presents from him, he hastened his journey to Lynn, where he stayed for three months. During his stay there, however, he could not restrain the innate Eoman cupidity, but clau" destinely sent messengers to the bishops, abbats, and priors, demanding large procurations and costly presents, — amongst the houses of a manor belonging to the bishop of Norwich, called Gkiywood, to such an extent that his) gains were said to amount to four thousand marks ; nevertheless, in order to cloak all his proceedings with an appearance of sanctity, he frequently preached to the people. When about to embark^ in a ship which he had richly stocked with a large quantity of comr a great xnany a^^m of choice wine%^d ot J provisions, he ordered a brother of the order of Preachers to perform mass in it, which was done, causing great wonder amongst many who had never before seen that service. On board that ship, as we read was the case in Noah's ark, there were passages and decks one above another, chambers and dining-rooms, which had been constructed on purpose for him. Li this manner, therefore, after having become rich, he committed himself to the North Sea, with a fail* wind blowing, after bestowing his blessing on England, and the prodigal English. The arrivai in England of three uterine brothers and a sister qfthe king. At the same time, imd in company with the said legate. 230 MATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1247. three uterine brothers of the king arrived in England, on his invitation, in order to be enriched £rom the pleasures and wealth of England. These were Guj de Lusignan, the eldest, a knight; William de Yalence, a younger one, not as yet made a knight, and Ethelmar, a clerk. Besides these, came a sister of theirs and of the king, named Eliza^ who was the daughter of Isabella, formerly queen of England and coun- tess of Provence, by Hugh Brun, earl of March. For they were tired and ashamed of staying in Poitou, which the French now began to trample on in a wretched way, and to despise the inhabitants, who used formerly, under the pro- tection of the king of England, to be free, and to enjoy all kinds of prosperity ; calling them traitors, and pointing at them with the finger amidst laughter and derision. On the arrival of his brothers and sister, the Idns went to meet them mth every sign of joy, and roshedto give them the paternal embrace and kiss, promising them handsome pre- sents and ample possessions; and this promise he faith&lly fuMUed, more abundantly even than he had promised, as the following narrative wiU more fully show. Haw some Provenfol ladies were fnarried io some nobles qfJBngland. At the beginning of the month of May, the king having stayed at Woodstock from the feast of St. Vitalis till the morrow of that of the apostles Philip and Jamest, two ladies of Provence were, by the forethought and arrangement of Peter of Savoy, married to two noble youths, namely, Edmund earl of Lincoln, and Eichard de Bourg, whom the king had for some years brought up in his palace. At this marriage the soun<^ of great discontent and anger were wafted through the kingdom, because, as they said, these females, although unknown, were united to the nobles against their wiU. Marriage qf Johanna, daughter of Warin, to the king's uterine brother William, In the same year, on the 13th of August, by the wish and proposal of the king, Johanna, the daughter of Warin de Muntchesnil, was married to William de Vtdence, the king's uterine brother ; for, the eldest son and heir of the said Warin being dead, a very rich inheritance awaited this daughter Johanna, who was his only daughter left ; and thus in a great measure the ETigliah nobiHty fdl to the lot of foreigners and JLD. 1247.] SOME NOBUSS TAKE THE CROSS. 231 unknown persons. Eliza^ the uterine sister of the king, was also married to the young John, Earl Warrenne. 7^ death of Odo, archbishop of JBotcm. In the same year Odo, archbishop of Rouen, formerly abbat of St. Denis, died suddenly, being struck, it was said, by the divine jud^ent, having scarcely presided over the archiepiscopal see for one year, having usurped to himself only the name and office, and distributed all the proceeds of the archbishopric to Peter, his predecessor. He was an Englishman by birth, and had formerly been, abbat of St. D^ois ; but he was so hurried away in his desire tO' obtain the archiepiscopal dignity, that he left his house irremediably in debt, and, to his own ruin, obtained the aforesaid dignity through simony. The assumption of the cross by William Longue^ee and some other nobles. About Rogation-week in this year, the bishop of "Wor- . cester, with William Longuespee, and Geoffirey de Lucy, of the ^ bishopric of Worcester, and many other nobles of the king- dom of England, took the cross, being encouraged to this by the example of the French king and nobles. William Lon- guespee, in order to collect money from those who had assumed the cross, like Earl Richard, wisely went to the Roman couxrt, and, addressing the pope on the matter of the crusade, said to him, ^ My lord, you see that I have taken the sign of the. cross, and am in readiness for the journey, to join the king of France in his pilgrimage, and to fight for God. I bear a great nieone, and one well known, namely, William Longuespee ; but my property is smalL The king of England, a kinsman of mine and my liege lord, has taken from me my title of earl, together with all my substanoe : this, however, he did judicially, not in his anger, or by any violence of self-will ; iheitefoTe I do not blame him. I am obliged to fly to the paternal bosom of your compassion, to ask aid from you in this state of necessity ; for we look at the case of the noble Earl Richard, who^ sdthough he did not assume the cross, protected by your fiivour, which was abundantly productive in his case, collected a large sum of money in England from the people who had taken the cross ; and I, who have taken the cross, and am in need, take 232 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1247. hopes from his case, and ask the same favour to be granted to me." The pope, therefore, on considering the eloquence of the speaker, the efficacy of his reasoning, and the hand- someness of his person, ^owed himself Bstvourable to the petitioner, and in part granted what he demanded, that is to say, a thong out of another man's skin. Wittiam de Bueleg appamied governor qf Gtucony. . In this year the charge of Gascony was intrusted to Wil- Jiam de Bueles, a knight who had formerly been marshal of the king*s household. He, according to the custom of his coun- try, being a Neustrian, was great in talk, but slow in deeds, and pusiUanimous. Hence, under his care, that province began to be exposed to danger, and to be much disturbed by wars; and of all others the most active enemy of the king of England was Guasto, the son of the Countess Biard, the most ungrateful of all those whom the king's lavish bounty had enriched. Qfthe irofulation qfSt, Edmund the Confessor, During this year, St. Edmund the Confessor, formerly arch« bishop of Canterbury, was translated at Pontignac, with great honours, in the conventual church of the monks of the Cistercian order, in presence of Louis, the most Christian king of France, and a great number of nobles and prelates, as well as others. Amongst all of both sexes there present the Lady Blanche, mother of the king of France, was the most conspicuous in her devotions to God and that saint : she kept watchings, with i^iiigs, prayers, and an abun- dance of wax-lights ; and often in her devotions she repeated these words : — " Most holy fether confessor, who, when thou wast alive and in exile, didst, at my entreaty, bless me and my sons, and at my request didst cross over into France, complete in us what thou hast begun, — establish the kingdom of France in the firmness of peace and triumph." On the following day, which was the seventh of June, on which same day the translation of the body of the most blessed bishop and confessor Wulstan of Worcester took place (and I think this was brought, about by the Divine will), the body of the glorious Edmund was trans- lated at Pontignac, though numbers of years had passed between the two events. It should also be known, and A.V, 1247.1 THE ENGUSH HONEY COBBUFTED. 233 indeed published to the whole world, that his body was found entire, uncorrupted, and beariug a sweet smell ; and, what is more wonderful in a dead body, flexible in all the limbs, as is the case with a person sleeping ; and his hair and clotldng were untainted in colour and substance. From that time fbrth it was determined, the king of France first making the proposal, that leave should be given to the English, more freely than to the people of other nations, to come to visit his body, and to offer up their prayers there ; it was also determined that his tomb should be honoured by offerings of lighted tapers, and with elaborately-worked effigies ; but of the proceedings in this case a description ia given in the book of Additaments. How Earl Richard vowed to build a fourth part qf St. Edmund* s shrine. These occurrences having become known to Earl Bichard, from the report of credible and trustworthy persons, he said with a sigh : — " Alas ! that it was not ordained on high for us, that is, the king my brother and myself to have been present at this glorious and solemn translation. For he was our saint by birth, education, and promotion, although, owing to our sins, he withdrew from England. However, what I was not present to do there, I will do absent, — ^I will pay due reverence and honour to him." And from that time he began to love the saint more sincerely, and to honour him more devoutly. Happening to be oppressed by a severe and secret ilbiess, which endangered his life, l^e invoked his assistance with confidence, and was happily freed from his disease ; whereupon, in his gratitude to God and the saint, he took upon himself to build a fourth part, that is, the front of the shrine. How the English money was corrupted. In the same year, the sterling coin, owing to the good metal of which it consisted, was by a detestable mode of cutting it round the edges, dimioished in value and falsified by those fled^ers of money whom we call cKppers ; so much so that the inner circle was barely left remaining, and the lettered border wholly cut off. The authors of this fraud were the merchants of the countries adjacent to England, especially the Flemings, and were clearly discovered to be giulty of it more on the continent than on this side tho 234 MATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1247* Channel ; therefore, the French king punished these parties more severely in his territories than the king of Englaad in our country. But as the money was now adulterated and &lsified beyond measure, the king began to deliberate on some remedy for this ; namely, whether the coin could not be advantageously altered in form or metal ; but it seemed to many wise persons that it would be more advantageous to change the metal than to alter the shape, since it was for the sake of the metal, not the shape, that the money -was sub- jected to Budi corruption and injuiy. Of the truth of which the French money and that of many foreign princes affords evident testimony and proof Of a tournament between the earl of Gloucester and Guy, the hinges brother. About the same time a tournament, although a very bloody sport, was arranged to take place at a spot between Dunstable and Luton, between Bichard, earl of Gloucester, and Guy de Lusignan, son of the Count de la Marche. The king, however, who showed more favour to his brother Guy and his other Foitevin followers than to his natural English subjects, began to be in great alarm lest, if the tournament took place, his brother and followers would be cut to pieces : he therefore forbade the tournament, under penalty of disinheritance ; which prohibition the English bore with patience, for many sincerely loved the said Guy. He it was who forewarned the king of England, when at Santonge, to take at once to flight, at the time that his, Guy's, father, the Count de la Marche, had sold the said king to the king of the French. Thus this disturbance, so dangerous in its beginning, was, by the Lord's will, set at rest. 2%e destruction of the Chorosmins. Li this same year, too, the whole race of the detestable Chorosmins, after spreading fire and slaughter and bringing manifold destruction on the Holy Land, after besieging and reducing Acre to a state of poverty, — the whole race, I say, was, by the vengeance of God, so enervated and weakened that they fidled themselves. For they had begun to kick against the sultan of Babylon ; and, b^g thus deprived of his aid, they Med from want, and were overcome and A B.. 1247.] FLIGHT OF OONBAD FROM GERMANY. 2^ defeated by their enemies, who multiplied in all directions ; so that at length their name was utterly destroyed from the £su^ of the ei^h^ and no traces of them were visible, except that they had irremediably defiled the Holy Land with the foul stench of their footsteps. (if the flight of Conrad from Germany, About this time, too, Frederick's son Conrad, — ^wicked son of a wicked sire, — fied from Germany to his father in Italy, being unable to withstand the attacks of his enemies and the daily increasing power of the Church. For a legate, rel3ning on the assistance of the ardibishop of Cologne, after extorting an immense sum of money from the church in Germany, brought with him an army of about ten thousand soldiers, and imceasuigly attacking the adherents of the said Frederick, indulged in fire and slaughter. By frdminating sentences of excommunication, now against some, now against others, this legate amassed money to supply the numerous army of the archbishop's, by extorting it, wherever he could, from bishops, abbats, priors, and other prelates of the churches, to such a degree that they were obliged to redeem even their bells. When Frederick heard of this, he was disturbed, even to bitterness of heart, and diligently sought for the means of vengeance ; and fears were entertained by prudent persons, who weighed future perils in the scale of reason, lest he, Frederick, should be so carried away by anger and indignation as to apostatize, or would call in ijie Tar- tars, from Bussia, to his aid, or would treacherously allow the sultan of Babylon, with whom he was on the most friendly terms, to come into the empire with a host of his pagan followers, to the confusion of all Christendom. It was plain to see the misery in store for them, that scandal was heaped on scandal, and evil crowded upon evil, inas- much as some adhered to Frederick as though to the commonwealth, i, e, the empire, and others to the pope, as if to the Church; and hence they stirred up contentions and bloody war& Even now in Germany, as well as in Sicily, Calabria, and all Italy, the bishops and other holy men, whom the Church had chenshed in the bosom of her maternal affec- tion, were compelled ignominiously to beg and to demand the necessaries of life by preaching in foreign and distant 236 ^ MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1247. countries. Even tlien the people insulted them, and refused to comply with their requests, saying : — " (Jo to your pope ; go to him whoi possesses abundance in the immense sums he has plimdered." Indeed, the pope did not cease amassing money, as well at his own court as in distant countries, making the Preachers and Minorites, although unwillingly, fishers, not of men, but of money. How they prevaricated in fulfilling this business, will be found in the book of Additaments. How Earl Richard collected money from those who had taken the croM. About this time. Earl Eichard, by authority of the pope,^ whose demands he had secretly and wisely satisfied, collected an immense sum of money from those who had assumed the cross; indeed, from one archdeaconry he is said to have carried ofi^ six himdred poimds, relying on the authority of the pope's letters. And under a similar protection, as before men- tioned, William Longuespee collected a thousand marks and more from the crusaders. Of the extortion qf money by Boniface, archbiehop qf Canterbury, About this same time, Boniface, archbishop of Canterbury, by authority of the Apostolic See, suspended some of the bishops of the province of Canterbury because they would not submit to a new and unheard-of contribution, for which he had obtained a privilege from the pope. This was, that the profit of the revenues of vacant churches should, during the first year of their being vacant, be given to the said archbishopric, to release it £rom its debts, with which, as he stated, as well as with a heavy amount of interest, his pre* decessors had burdened the church of Canterbury ; whick statement was evidently false, and to the injury of his imme* diate predecessor Edmund and other holy men. The bishops, therefore, being imwilling as well as unable to kick against the pope's mandate and authority, at length consented, although unwillingly and with bitterness of heart, in order that they might be released from their suspension. After- wards again they received a mandate through the dean of Beauvais, the agent in this matter, which was, that all rebukers, all detractors, and any who practised deceit in the matter of the aforesaid privilege granted by the pope's favour, would be excommunicated by him, the pope, and denounced 7l,J), 1247.] SIEGE OF PARMA. 237 as excommunicated throughout the province of Canterbury, except the king, his wife an(l children, and the noble Eichard «arl of Cornwall. Siege of Parma by the emperor. When the sun was verging towards the autumnal equinox, Frederick crossed the Alps, and hastened with a large army towards Lyons, where the pope was residing ; from which circumstaace it was greatly feared that he would make a hostile attack on the persons of the pope and cardinals and other ecclesiastics. But owing to the wise management of the pope, who had encouraged the Parmese, and promised them a large sum of money and effective assistance, the whole of tlwt state, which had formerly adhered firmly to Frederick, now on a sudden entered into a confederacy with the Milanese and others ^rho hated the emperor, and boldly made prepartions to resist him. On hearing of this, Frederick could scarcely contain himself, but was entirely overcome with anger at being recalled from his purpose by these rebels ; he therefore returned with his army, for the purpose of besieging the Parmese, and of visiting them with his heaviest vengeance ; and the pope was then somewhat relieved from the great fear with which he had been seized. The city of Parma then was laid siege to, and the emperor commenced building a large and as it were populous city outside it, so that it seemed to equal the city of Parma itself, and he gave it thfe name of " Vittoria ;" he also swore that he would not depart therefrt)m till he had subdued the besieged and taken possession of their city. Within a short time he deprived them of all benefit from the river ; nor could the Milanese, or any others in whom they placed their confidence, give any assistance to the besieged. Under these circumstances, they, within three months, desired to give the right hand of reconciliation to Frederick, and asked for terms of peace ; but, as he had suspicions of the citizens, he refrised to accept their humiliation. They then began to feel their critical position, and said amongst themselves, '^ These sufierings are justly brought upon us for traitorously attacking our lord, who confided in us. We are punished, and not without good reason, and our city is in imminent danger — ^that city in .which the holy Roger, bishop of London, whom it is nowsaid the Lord honours by working miracles for him, was cruelly robbed 338 MATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1247 ol bis necessaries for his journey and other property held in estimation by bim, whilst he was on a pilgrimage to the Boman court, and no restoration of the property was made to him ; wherefore, at his departure on the morrow, he uttered a malediction on the city and its inhabitants." How the French king gave eoHrfaction to all who had wfftred injuries. During this same autumn, the pious Louis, king of the French, sent the Preacher and Minorite brethren throughout the whole of his kingdom to make diligent inquiries, and he also ordered an examination to be instituted by his bailiff, in order that if any trader or other person had suffered injury by any forced loan, or extortion of money or pro- Tisions> which is often put in practice by royal agents, he might give in a written statement or list of his grievances, or give evidence thereof; and if he would swear to the truth or give any other legal proof of the same, he the king was ready to make him a fall restitution of everything ; and this was donet. The illnese ofBdwardf the king'e eldeet eon. On the eve of St. Matthew, the king's eldest son and heir Edward being sick, the king wrote to all the religious men residing in and near London to pray for the preservation of his son : amongst others, he wrote in particular to the abbat and brethren of St. Alban's, begging diem to put up prayers for him, and that all the monks would solenmly chant the |)6alm, *^ Almighty and everlasting Crod, eternal hope of those who believe," &c., the first portion of which would be of St. Alban, and the second on behalf of the sick youth. By God's favour, the youth was restored to health. I have said tills much on account of a murmur which arose amongst the people, who exclaimed, " See, laymen pray to the Lord, and their prayer is granted ; why, therefore, does not the pope pray, and act on his own behalf; nay, on behalf of us and the universal Church ? but instead of this, he is inde&tigable in his eager pursuit after money." It was also said and affirmed, which I write not without tears, that he put his trust more in stores of money than in the prayers and alms- givings of Christians. AJ>. 1247.] SOME OF CHBIST^S BLOOD BROUGHT TO LONDON. 239 How WiUiatn, count qf Holland, was elected king of the Romans, On the morrow of Michaelmas-day, the majority of the German nobles to whom the right of election belonged, elected as king of Grermany, William coont of Holland, a young man about thirty years old, handsome in appearance, and of noble birth, and afterwards did homage to Imn. The duke of Saxony, however, and some other nobles, did not agree to this election ; whereby a great schism broke in amongst the people, who gave vent to their feeUngs in these words : " See, knighthood is opposed to priesthood through pride, and for the same reason the priesthood is adverse to .kni^thood." Some qf Chriefe blood brought to London, About the same time the king wrote to all the nobles of his kingdom, ordering them all to assemble [at London] on the feast of St. Edward, namely that of his Translation, which is celebrated in the fortnight of Michaelmas, to hear the most agreeable news of a holy benefit lately conferred by heaven on the English ; secondly, to do honour to the trans- lation of that glorious king and martyr ; and thirdly, that they might be present at the initiation of his uterine brother, William de Valence, on whom he was, on that day, about to confer the honour of knighthood, as well as on some other noble youths; that thus this manifold festival might be more agreeably enlivened by the presence of the nobles, prelates as well as others, to the honour of the king and kingdom. On the day previously fixed on, therefore, the nobles assembled at Westminster, and after having been informed that it was St. Edward's day, and also of the initi- ation of the said William, they inquired what the agreeable news was that they came there to hear, and which was stated to be true and worthy of all acceptation : for the master of the Templars and Hospitallers, with the testimony of a great many seals, namely, those of the patriarch of Jerusalem, the archbishops, bishops, abbats, and other prelates and nobles of the Holy Land, had sent a portion of the blood of our Lord, which he shed on the cross for the salvation of the world, inclosed in a handsome crystalline vessel, inlaiisted to the care of a certain well-known brother of the Temple. -240 MATTHEW PAKIS. [a.D. 1247. And the king, as a most Christian prince, had obtained it firom the august Heraclius, the most victorious and potent emperor, following the example of the then living French king, who was showing all honour, at Paris, to the cross of the same, as is before mentioned ; and with a devout and contrite spirit, he, on the eve of St. Edmund,* kept watch, fasting on bread and water, with a number of tapers lighted, and, in devout prayer, prepared himself for the solemnities of the morrow. How the kinff eorried the blood qf Chriit to St. Peter* 9 at Westmifuter. The king then gave orders that all the priests of London should assemble with due order and reverence at St. Paul's, early in the morning of the following, which was St. Edward's day, dressed as for a festival, in their surplices and hoods, attended by their clerks, becomingly clad, and with their symbols, crosses, and tapers lighted. Thither the king also went, and, receiving the vessel containing the aforesaid trea- sures with the greatest honour, reverence, and awe, he carried it above his head publicly, going on foot, and wearing an humble dress, consisting of a poor cloak without a hood^ «nd preceded by the priests clad as aforesaid, proceeded with- out stopping to the church of Westminster, which is about a mile distant from St. Paul's church. Nor should it be omitted to be mentioned, that he carried it with both hands when he came to any rugged or uneven part of the road, but always kept his eyes fixed on heaven or on the vessel itself. The pall was borne on four spears; and two assistants supported the king's arms, lest his strength should fail in such a great effort. On his arriving at the gate of the bishop of Durham's court, he was met by the conventual assembly of Westminster, accompanied by all the bishops, abbats, and monks who had assembled (who were reckoned to amount to more than a hundred), singing and exulting in a holy spirit, and with tears. They then returned in pro- cession, as they had come, to the church of Westminster, which could scarcely hold them all, on accoimt of the multi- tude assembled. The king, however, did not stop, but, unweariedly carrying the vessel as before, made the circuit * Evidently a mistake for ** Edward. »> A.D. 1347.] CONCERNING THE BLOOD OP CHRIST. 241 I of the church, the palace, and his own chambers. Finally, he presented and mieide an offer of it, as a priceless gift, and one which had made England illustrious, to Gkni, the church of St. Peter at Westminster, to his beloved Edward, and the holy brethren who at that place minister to God and his saints. The bishcp of Norwich preaches a eermon to the people on the virtues of the blood qf Christ. The bishop of Norwich, who performed mass on that day, also delivered a sermon to the people, in which he stated that, of all things held sacred amongst men, the most sacred is the blood of Christ ; for it was the price of the world, and the shedding of it was the salvation of the world ; and in order to magnify the circumstances the more, he added that saying of the philosopher :— Omne propter quod digniuB quam illud quod. [Every end is higher than its meant.] In truth, the cross is a most holy thing, on account of the more holy shedding of Christ's blood made upon it, not the blood-shedding holy on account of the cross. These things we believe, he said, that England might have as much joy and glory in the possession of this great treasure, as France had felt in obtaining possession of the holy cross, which the king of Prance reverenced and, not without good cause, loved more than gold and jewels. He also added, that it was on accoimt of the great reverence and holiness of the king of England, who was known to be the most Christian of all Christian princes, that this invaluable treasure had beea sent by the patriarch of Jerusalem (the certainty of which fact was sufficiently proved), in order that it might be reve- renced more in England than in Syria, which was now left nearly desolate ; for in England, as the world knew, feith and holiness flourished' more than in any other country throughout the world. On an examination being entered into, as some were still slow of belief, Theodoric, prior of the Hospitallers of Jerusalem, addressed the bishops and others sitting round in these words : " Why do you stiU hesitate, my dear lords 1 Does any one of us, Templars, Hospitallers, or even the brother who brought it, demand any benefit for the VOL. II. R 212 MATTHEW PARIS. [A.D. 1247. same ? does lie ask any remuneration in gold or silver from the king or any one else, or even the smallest reward 9'* To this the long replied, <^By no means;" and then added the brother, ^ Why should so many men of such high rank, to the damnation of their own socds, bear testimony to such an assertion, and affix their seals to it, which are manifest pledges of their good falih, ?" These words^ although spoken by a layman, were approved by idl the hearers, bishops as well as others. But now let us return to our narrative; When the aforesaid bishop had fiipshed an eloquent sermon, he announced to the exulting people, that whoever should come to worship the most holy blood there kept, would, by the gratuitous permission of all the prelates who had come there, obtain free remission from the penances imposed on them for six years and a hundred and forty days. After some discoiu*se amongst them, some of those sittmg round still persisted obstinately in their doubts^ and mooted this question, " How could the Lord, when he rose again full and entire in body on the third day after his suffering, have left hu blood on the earth 1" which question was at once deter- mined to a nicety by the" bishop of lincdn ; which argument IB written in the book of Additaments, as the writer of this work himself heard and put down carefrdly word for word. How William de Valence was made a belted knight. Whilst this great solemnity was proceeding in the church of Westminster, the king, clothed in a garment made out of the most costly baudMn cloth, and worked in gold, and wear- ing a small golden crown, commonly called a garland, took his seat on his royal throne, and ordered his uterine brother to be summoned before him, who at once appeared, accom- panied by a great number of his associates, who had come with him to receive his arms with becoming pomp and so- lemnity j and the king then conferred the honour of knight- hood on him and some of his companions. I%e king ordere all these proceedinge to be committed to writing. The king, whilst sitting on his royal throne, as be&re mentioned, saw the writer of this work, whom he called to him, and, ordering him to take his seat on the intermedate step between his throne and the hall of the building, said to him, '^ You have seen all these things, and is what you have AJD. 1247.] BETUBK OF EABL BIGHABD. 243 seen firmly impressed on your mind 1** To which he replied, " Yes, my lord ; for they are worthy of being retained ; thie proceedings of this day are indeed glorious.'! And he added, *' I certify as a hct that the Lord, as an earnest of more abundant kindness, and of future good works, has, in his &vour, deigned to work a miracle this day. This happened early in the morning, and I wish you joy in this matter. I therefore beseech and order you to write a plain and full account of all these proceedings, and insert tikem in indeli- ble characters in a book, that the recollection of them may not in any way be lost to posterity at any future ages." The king then invited the person with whom he spoke to break- &st, together with three of his companions. And on the same day also, hq ordered all the monks who had eome thither to be richly entertained in the refectory, at his own expense, with the brethren of the convent of Westminster and some others. ' Consecration qfSylvnter, bithop of Carlisle. In this year Sylvester, bishop elect of Carlisle, was con- secrated as bishop on St. Agatha's day. On St. Edward's day the earl of Leicester arrived from the continent, whither he had gone on secret business of the king's. Ambassadors sent by the king of England to Brabant* About this time, the abbat of Westminster and John Maun- seU, provost of Beverley, were sent to the continent on the same or other secret business of the king's ; but, as there was reason to conjecture, on matters connected with the marriage talked of between his son and heir Edward, and the daughter of the duke of Brabant, which was not yet brought to a final arrangement. The return of Earl Richard from the continent. On the day of the apostles Simon and Jude, Earl Eichard returned fix)m the continent, accompanied by his son Henry, whom he had taken there with him. It was stated that he had had a friendly and lengthened conference with the French king. The latter had made a firm resolve to set out on his pil^mage at the ensuing Easter, and had prudently made all arrangements, both in spiritual and temporal matters, and also had restored his rights to every one who had any juist R 2 { 244 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1247. claiin j the earl, therefore, demanded the restoration of the king of England's rights, as he was ready and willing to do whatever he ought. The French king would easily have acceded to his entreaties, had it not been for the obstacles thrown in the way by the envy and cupidity of certain French nobles, his advisers, in whom pride is innate. The messengers of the king of England were therefore told to their &ce, especially in the case of Normandy, that the king of France had continued in peaceable possession for a length of time, namely about forty years, and it had not been effec- tually reclaimed on behalf of the king of England, nor had any appeal been made to the Roman court, where arduous and intricate matters were usually determined ; wherefore it appeared to the French that the English king o^ght to be deprived of his claim. However, as the pure conscience of the French king was not satisfied with these reasons, he referred it to the bishops of Normandy, that the truth might be arrived at by an inquiry into this doubtful matter. These prelates, on being interrogated on this matter, declared it to be their firm belief that the French king had a greater claim . 1247.] SUFFERINGS OF THE PABMESK 245 through want ; unwillingly, too, did they bend to the yoke of the English laws ; their ancient pride of nobility faded, and even the hiirp of the ecclesiastics was turned to grief and lamentation. The bishop of Menai, or St. David's, died, as though he pined away for griei^ and William, bishop of Llan- dafl^ was struck with blindness. The bishops of St. Asaph and Bangor, owing to their bishoprics being ruined by &:e and slaughter, were compelled to beg and live upon the property of others. Election of Thomas^ a Welshman^ to the bishopric of St, David's. The see of Menai having thus become vacant, after innu- merable sufferings endured by the Welsh, owing to the war and the death of their chiefs. Master Thomas, sumamed Welsh, archdeacon of the church of Lincoln, was elected to that see, because he was a native of Wales ; to which election, although the see was in a very poor condition, he consented, for one reason, because the bishop of Lincoln had got the upper hand of his canons ; for another, because he was called to the cure of souls in his native country, as every one is naturally attracted to the sweet recollections of his birth ; and also, because, by his presence, advice, and assistance, he might console his wretched countrjrmen. The king also willingly gave his consent to this election, and accepted of the bishop elect, not making much difficulty in the matter, seeing that it was a very slender bishopric. The sufferings of the Parmese. During all this time, the city of Parma, besieged on all sides, was suffering dreadfully from femine and want in manifold ways, for they could not leave the city on the side where the besiegers had built a large city instead of pitching a camp, to which city Frederick had given the name of Vit- toria j nor could they by the river, as Frederick guarded it most strictly : nor coidd any assistance or counsel reach them from the pope, who had encouraged them to rebellion, because the roads were closely watched ; and as Frederick had prepared to winter there, and to prolong his stay till he should triumph over his enemies, the hopes of the besieged died away. One day, therefore, compelled by want, they determined to make a sudden attack on the emperor's army, in order that they might not be thought Idle ; accordingly. 246 MATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1247. about a hundred and forty of the higher ranks of the citi- zens armed themselves and suddenly sallied forth; but, making the attack incautiously, they were received at the sword's point by the army, who were forewarned of the attack j and on their endeavouring to return into their city, their retreat was cut off by the enemy, and some of them were made prisoners and the rest were slain. It was then unanimously decreed at the court of Frederick, at the wish and by the advice of Thaddeus, the judge, that in future none of the enemy who might be made prisoners should be imprisoned for the purpose of being ransomed ; but should at once be beheaded ; Frederick's anger being now- more fiercely kindled, because a firesh king was lately created in Germany. The dismayed citizens, therefore, see- ing themselves abandoned on all sides, and entirely disap- pointed in their hopes of the succour promised them by the })ope, sent an embassy begging for terms of peace, and asking mercy, not judgment. The merciless Frederick, however, inflamed with anger and elated to arrogance, closed his bowels of compassion against their supplications, and deigned not to lend the ear of kindness to these wretched people, thus exciting God's displeasure; but actiog on secret and severe advice, he sent word back to them ironically, that they must use their com sparingly. and prudently, for that they would not get any more to eat whilst he, Frederick, lived ; and this severe message is believed to have emanated from Thaddeus. 2%€priparation8for a ioumamentt wMeh wot forbidden by the king. About Martinmas of this year, !R., earl of Gloucester, relying on the concession obtained from the king, and pro- dauned in his name on the day on which he knighted his brother William, namely, the fall and fr-ee permission of holding a general tournament, challenged the said Wil- liam to meet him in the lists at Northampton, in the week preceding Advent, in order that the said William and his fellow novices might gain experience in the deeds of chi- vahy. For the Poitevins, assuming boldness from iheir familiarity with the king, and relying on his protection, began to put themselves on a par with the Englisl^ and even to despise some of them. However, i^ fears were enter- A.D. 1247.] THE KING SZnUCHBS HIS BBOTHEBS. 247 tained that the proud boasting of these men and some others from the continent might arouse strife and battle, and that, after the q>ears were shivered, bloody swords might flash forth, the kmg, by the advice of prudent counsellors, strictly forbade the tournament, with the intimation that the heirs of any transgressors of his prohibition might be deprived of the enjoyment of their fethers' inheritance. When, there- fore, they came to the place fixed on for the tournament, and found themselves deceived in their expectations, and that they had been at such expense to no purpose, they went away in anger and detestation of the king's fickleness of speech ; nor was this prohibition unnecessary, for the pride and insults of these foreigners had provoked the determined hatred of the English. The marriage of Thomas qf Savoy with the daughter qf Frederick, About this time, fVederick gave his daughter in marriage to Thomas of Savoy, brother of the archbishop of Canter- bury ^ he also gave him Yercelli and Turin, with the adja- cent provinces, and the charge of the barriers prepared to oppose the pope and his adherents who might pass through those provinces. How the king enriched att hie broihere. When Guy de Lusignan, the king's brother, took his departure from England, the king filled his saddle-bags with such a weight of money that he was obliged to increase the number of his horses. To his other brother, William de Valence, he gave the castle of Hertford, with the honours pertaining thereto, and a large sum of money ; so that he, the king himself appeared to be in need, and to plunder or beg his own food ; wherefore, those who loved the king truly and without pretence, were in no slight fear lest his almsgivings would be of no effect, as the poor heaped curses on his head, and his prayers in the church would be' attributed to him, which God forbid, as a sin. For Ethel- mar, the third of his brothers, he made provision out of thie rich and abundant revalues which he had, by imperious entreaties, extorted from each bishop and abbat, one after another ; so that he seemed now to exceed the Komaus in audacity, and the said.Ethelmar to surpass the bishops in wealtL i 248 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1247. Of the coronation ofHacOf king of Norway. In tliis year, on the 29tli of July, which is the festival of the most holy king and martyr Olavus, a most distinguished fiaint amongst the Norwegian regions and islands, Haco was solemnly crowned and anointed king, at Bergen, by the bishop of ^bina, the then legate of the Apostolic See in those parts ; and for this honour and kindness the kmg paid fifteen thousand marks of sterling money. The legate, too, besides receiving many invaluable presents, extorted ^yq hundred marks from the churches of that kingdom. How- ever, the said king assumed the cross, and obtained a dispen- sation from the pope to take the third part of their revenues from the ecclesiastics of his kingdom, to provide the neces- saries for his pilgrimage. When this circumstance was brought by report to the knowledge of the French king, he wrote in fiSendiy terms to the king Haco, begging him, out of affec- tion, and for the advancement of the Church's welfero, and the honour of the holy cross, the sjrmbol of which he bore, to proceed without delay to the Holy Land, in company with him, the French king; for that the management and command of the whole of the French fleet would be intrusted to him, as he was a prince skilled in nautical affiurs, and that the French army, too, would thenceforth be in a great measure inclined to obey his will. When the letter containing this message, of which the writer of this book was the bearer, reached the king of Norway, he, after reading the contents, replied to the person who delivered it, for his soul trusted in him, in these words : '' I return abundant thanks to the most pious king of the French for desiring my company in his'pilgrimage, but I am in a measure aware of the nature of the French, as the poet says, — Omnisque potestas Impatiens consortia erit. [Each one in power is jealons of his fellow.] But I say, Omnisque superbus Impatiens consortia erit. [All pride is jealons of its fellow.] My people are impetuous and imprudent, impatient under any kind of injury, and also impatient of restraint ; if^ A.l>. 1247.] DANGER OF THE EARL OF WINCHESTER. 24^ therefore, any strife should arise, being such people as his and mine, both of us would incur irreparable injury ; let therefore each of us go by himself, and act as the Lord dis< poses. However, I harve written to the said king, begging him in his kindness to grant me a privilege, by his letters patent, which js, to give me permission, when sailing along the coast of his kingdom on my pilgrimage, if I or any of my people should be seized with illness, or if I should be in want of provisions or other necessaries, to land peaceably in. his territory to provide myself with what is required." On this, the person who was holding the interview with him, namely the writer of this present work, gave him the follow- ing letters patent. The French Huff's letter to the king of Norway, " Louisj hy the grace of God Mng of the French, to aU his friends cmdfmJtkfal srd^jects, ihs ha/iliffs, mayors, amd provosts, to whom, these letters present shaXi come, greeting. — ^Whereas our illustrious fnend Haco, king of Norway, purposes, as he has intimated to us by letter, to sail to the assistance of the Holy Land, we command you, if the said king or his fleet should happen to take their course over the sea contiguous to the coasts of our territories, or should happen to touch at any place in our dominions, to receive him and his people kindly and honourably, and allow them to purchase provisions in our territory, and to provide themselves with necessaries by legal traffic. " Done at St. Crermains, in the year of our Lord one thou- sand two hundred and forty-eight.*' When the king of Norway, who was a discreet, modest, and learned man, read this letter, he was greatly delighted, and returned thanks to the bearer of it, besides rewarding him with rich and royal presents. Of the danger to which the earl of Winchester was exposed. About this time, Roger, earl of Winchester, who was^ residing in his territory of Galway, which belonged to him in right of his wife, the daughter of Alan of Galway, and was exercising more than usual tyranny against the noble- men of that country, was besieged on a sudden in one of his castles, when unprepared, and without supplies or the means of defence. Seeing, then, that he was exposed to an igno-' 250 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1247. minions death, and preferring to be killed in battle rather than to pine away with hunger, he mounted a valuable horse armed to the teeth, and, suddenly opening the gates of the castle, with a few daring followers, he rushed into the midst of the enemy, opening a way with his sword ; numbers fell around by his hand, and he finally succeeded in cutting his way through and dispersing the enemy, and narrowly escaped witibi his life. He con^ued his course without draw- ing rein till he reached the king of Scotland, to whom he made his complaints, and the latter thereupon punished the rebels, and peaceably reinstated the earl in his possessions. How William, the king elect, was denied admission to Ai»'la'Chapelle. About this time, William, count of Holland, the lately- elected king of Germany, was prevented from entering the city of Aix-la-Chapelle, where he was about to be crowned, and where he expected to be received and honoured with the regal diadem, according to the custom of the Germans ; for Frederick's son Conrad, the deposed king of Germany, vigo-. rously opposed him. However, a Mendly message was sent to hifn by Octavian, the lesate there, the archbishop of Cologne, and some o^ nobles of Oem^y, advising him not to take after his &ther, and follow the track of an excom- municated and deposed man, lest he should be involved in a similar punishment. To which message Conrad replied : " Never wiU I desert my father for you, traitors that you are." The city, therefore, was laid siege to, and a most bloody battle commenced between the adherents of both parties. However, the strength of the Church increased, by the agency of the Preachers and Minorites, and of the money collected and sent by the pope and from the German pro- vinces and those adjacent to them, and the army of Conrad daily decreased in strength : for the abovenamed king-elect was allied by affinity and relationship to many nobles of the highest rank in Germany ; he and the bishop of li^ge were cousins, the duke of Brabant was his uncle, and many other nobles were bound to him by various ties, as well as by gifts. Qf a pestilence which raged at this time. In the dog-days, and when the sun was declining in the zodiac, espedaily in the month of September, a pestilence A.D. 1248.] THE SING KEEPS CHBISTHAB AT WINCHESTEB. 251 and mortality b^an to rage amongst men, which lasted for three months ; and so virulent was it, that nine or ten corpses were buried in one day in the cemetery of one church, namely that of St. Peter, in the town of St. Alban's. The death of Earl Ferrers and some other nobles* In this year certsdn nobles died in England, amongst whom was William Earl Ferrers, a peaceable and good man, who died at a grea1> age, about St. Catherine's day, after having suffered for a long time from gout. His marriage with his wife the countess was solenmized by St. Thomas, archbishop of Canterbury. In the same moniJi also died his wife M., countess of Ferrers, of the same age and of equal hme and goodness. The said earl therefore was succeeded in the earldom by his eldest son and heir William, a good and discreet man, but who was miserably afflicted with the same disease as his &ther. The bishop of St. David's also died ; a holy and pious man, and had formerly been a brother of the Minorite order ; he was most generous amongst all the nobles of Walesf, where he was bom, and of handsome per^ son j he was worn away by trouble and grief at witnessing the ravaging and destruction of his native countiy. Besides them, oUier nobles died, and amongst them the knights Sichard de Bourg and William Fitz Ham. A brirf description qf the whole year. This year throughout was very abundant in com, but barren of fruit ; was productive of injury to England, of tyranny to Wales ; was hostile to the Holy Land, a turbu- lent despoiler of the Church ; a source of bloodshed to Italy, and warlike and hostile to the empire and the Boman court, and especially so to the kingdom of Germany ; generated hatred in the hearts of prelates and several others against the pope, because he forcibly despoiled their patrons, and suspended them from the collation of benefices, a circum- stance hitherto unheard o^ and adverse to the king, because he tolerated such proceedings. How the king iept Chrkimas at Wineheiter. Anno Domini 1248, the thirty-second year of the reign of Kine Henry the TMrd, the said kin^ was at Winchester at Oi^tma^t ^ch^ he obaerv^ the festivities of that season in the company of a great many of his nobles. On 252 MATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1248. the morrow of Christmas-day he breakfasted with William, bishop of that city. Z^How the earl ofLeiceeter and many other nobles assumed the cross. About this same time, the earl of Leicester took the sign of the holy cross, in order that he might be absolved from his sins and gain admission to heaven ; from reflecting within himseli^ he was in great alarm concerning the marriage he had contracted with his wife, who had formerly, in the pre- sence of St. Edmund, archbishop of Canterbury, made a vow of chastity. The countess too, influenced, it is believed, by the same spirit, as soon as she saw her husband bearing the fflgn of the cross, flew with all speed to assume it also. Many knights and others of their household too received the same holy symbol, to obtain the reward of eternal salvation. Besides these, many of the nobles did the same, purposing to set out on their journey in company with the most Chris- tian king of the iVench, whom the Lord had deigned mira- culously to recall from the gates of death, or rather from death itself; which seemed to have been done not without purpose, for it was stated as though prognostically or in a prophetic spirit, and was everywhere asserted as a &ct that the Lord had restored the said king to life that he might forcibly rescue his inheritance from the hands of the enemies of the cross. l^e bishop of Bangor flees to the abbatqfSt. Alban*s. About this same time, Richard, bishop of Bangor, came to the abbat of St. Alban's, begging that abbat to open the bosom of compassion to him in his poverty, and that he might dwell with him until his bishopric, which was ruined by war, should be restored in some slight degree, in order that he and his clerks might recover breath after their trou- bles and oppressions which had surrounded them, in the same way as the bishop of Hereford, who remained there and was honourably supported for about twenty years. The dangerous illness of Richard Seward, About the same time, Eichard Seward, a distinguished knight, of whom much mention has been previously made in this book, was seized by an incurable palsy, and took to his bed in a hopeless state, trusting that, by God's favour, he A,J), 1248.] THE FRENCH KING RE-ASSUMES THE CROSS. 253 might, during his protracted illness, be cleansed from his former sins and fly to the life eternal. 7%e arrival in Bngland qf Beatrice ^ countess of Prwence* In this year too, Beatrice, the widow of Baymond, late count of Provence, came into England, accompanied by Thomas of Savoy, formerly count of Flanders, as if to visit her friends and relatives ; but that the true reason of their coming may be explained to those who wish to know it, in order that she and the said Thomas, being thirsty, might re- sort to the same spring, and might, from the king's abundant riches and from his prodigality, flU their empty and gaping saddle-bags at their departure. The death qf Robert, bishop of Bath, About the same time, that is about the feast of St. Hilary, Egbert, bishop of Bath, went the way of all flesh ; whereupon the king, according to custom, laid his greedy hands upon the property of his bishopric^ to carry off whatever he could scrape together from it. The French king re-assumes the cross. At this time, the king of the French, who it was well known had assumed the cross, was severely blamed and re- proached by his nobles because he would not, in accordance with their advice, redeem or alter his vow in any way what- ever. Amongst others, the Lady Blanche, his mother, and the bishop of Paris, who were aware of his imbecility, became more urgent, and persevered diligently with their arguments ; the bishop saying to him, " My lord, recollect, when you assumed the cross, you made the vow suddenly and unadvisedly, — ^you were ill^ and, to speak the truth, were deprived of your senses ; your blood was carried to your brain, and you were not of sound mind, wherefore the words you then uttered were devoid of the weight of truth and influence. His holiness the pope will benignly grant us a dispensation, when he knows the necessitous condition of the kingdom and the weak state of your bodily health. In one quaurter we have to fear the power of the schismatical Frederick ; in another the wiles of the wealthy king of Eng- land ; here the treacherous deceit of the Poitevins, although only lately conquered ; there the cavillings of the Albigenses are a matter of suspicion. Germany is in a disturbed state, 354 XATTHEW PABISL [A.D. 124:8. Italy is restlesSy the means of acoess to the Hoi j Land are difficult, and scarcely is there any place therein to receive you, and behind you you leave the inexorable hatred and implacable enmity of the pope and the emperor Frederick. For whom do you leave us desolate V His mother also more effectually pressed him with her soUdtations, for, said she, " My dearest son, hear and give heed to the counsels of your discreet frienda, aad do not strive against your own prudence ; remember what a virtue it is, and how pleasing it id to God, to obey and to comply with the wishes of your mother. Kemain in your kingdom, and the Holy Land will suffer no detriment there&om. A much larger army will be sent there than if you went there in person. God is not calumnious or cavilling. Tou, my son, are sufficiently ex- cused by the loss of your reason, the dulling of aU your senses which came on you in your illness, or even by death itself or estrangement of mind." To these arguments the king, in no slight degree disturbed, replied : '' Tou plead that the loss of my senseswas the cause of my assuming the cross, therefore, according to your desire and advice, I lay aside the cross, — ^I resign it to you '/* then, raising his hand to his shoulder, he tore away the cross therefrom, saying, *^ My lord bishop, here is the cross which I have assumed ; I voluntarily resign it to you." On this, all who sat around were seized with unspeakable joy, when on a sudden the king, with an altered countenance and tone, said : " My Mends, now I am not devoid of reason or sense ; I am not powerless or infirm; therefore I now require my cross to be restored to me. For He who is ignorant of nothing knows that nothing eatable shall enter my mouth till I again bear the sign of the cross." Those seated round, on seeing this, declared that the finger of the Lord was in this proceeding, and that the Divine power had effected this from heaven, and no one dared to raise any further dispute on the aforesaid matters. We have fdUy and expressly stated all things, that every one may be made aware of the constancy of the most Chnstian king of ihe French in continuing in the service of Christ. 0/the general parliament held at London, P About the beginning of the year, in the octaves of the Purification, the nobles of all England were convoked at A.P. 1248.] OF THE PABUAMEMT HELD AT LONDON. 255 London, to confer with the king on the afiyrs of the king- dom, which was now greatly disturbed, impoverished, and injured. In accordance with this summons, therefore, there came thither nine bishops and nine earls, besides a great number of barons, knights, and other nobles, and also of abbats, priors, and clerks. Amongst them were the arch- bishop of Tork, and the bishops of Winchester, Lincoln, Norwich, Worcester, Chichester, Ely, Bochester, and Car* lisle j Earl Eicbard, the earls of Gloucester, Leicester, Winchester, and Hereford ; Boger Bigod earl marshal, the earl of Oxford, and besides them the earl of Lincoln, Earl Ferrers, Earl Warrenne, and P. of Savoy, earl of Bichmond. The prelates who were not present at this great assembly were Boni&ce, archbishop of Canterbury, who was fighting for the pope on the continent, the bishop of Durham, who was ill at a distance, and the bishop of Bath, who had lately died. The king then explained to them his pur- pose, which indeed was not a secret to the community in general, and asked pecuniary aid from them; where- upon he was severely rebidked and reproached, in that he was not ashamed to demand such' assistance at that time, especially because on the last exaction of a similar kind, to which the nobles of England were with dif- ficulty induced to give their consent, he gave his charted that he would not again make sudi an exaction. He was also most severely blamed (and no wonder) for the indiscreet way in which he summoned foreigners^ into the kingdom, and for lavishly and indiscreetly scattering the property of the kingdom amongst them, and also for marrying the nobles of the kiogdom to ignoble foreigners ; thus despising and putting aside his native and natural subjects, and without asking the consent of both parties, which is necessary to the completion of a marriage. He was also blamed, and not without reason, because he seized by force on whatever he used in the way of meat and drink — especially wine, and even clothes — against the will of those who sold those things, and were the true owners ; wherefore the native dealers withdrew and hid themselves, as also did foreigners, who would otherwise bring their goods for sale to that country ; thus a stop was put to trade, by which different nations are mutually enriched and strengthened, and thus we are defamed 256 ICATTHEW PARIS. [a.d. 124:8. and impoverished, because they obtain nothing but lawsuits and anger from the king ; and by this, he the said king incurs awful maledictions from numberless people, to the peril and disgrace of himself and the whole kingdom. From these traders, moreover, he, in order that he may bestow alms indiscreetly, and may make immoderate illuminations, forcibly aeizes waxf dlk, s(u4, and other thmgs, without in^g anjr terms of pacification ; thus bringing scandal on himself, hiis kingdom, and all who inhabit it, and not without giving serious offence to God, who holds rapine in abhorrence when connected with an offering. In all these proceedings he tyrannizes and oppresses to such a degree thiat even on the sea-coast he does not allow the herrings and other fish to be disposed of at the will of the poor fimiermen, nor do they dare to appear in the places adjoining the sea-coast, or in the cities, for fear of being robbed ; so that they consider it safer to trust themselves to the stormy billows, and to seek the further shore. The miserable traders also are so cruelly oppressed and annoyed by the royal agents, that punishment is added to loss ; and injury is heaped upon injury, both as ^/-•vegards their own persons, and as regards their carriages and / their horses already jaded. The king was, moreover, repre- ' hended, in that he, contrary to the first and chief oath which he made at his coronation, impoverished even to their ruin the bishoprics and abbacies, as well as the vacant ward- ships founded by the noble and holy fiithers, which he for a long time detains in his own hands, of which he ought to be the protector and defender ; and therefore they are said to be in his hands, that is, imder his protection. Another com- plaint also was made against him by each and every one, and which was no slight one ; and this was, that, unlike his noble predecessors, he never appointed either a justiciary, a chan- cellor, or treasurer, in consonance with the advice of the kingdom in general, as he ought and was expedient, but only such persons as obeyed his pleasure in everything, provided that it was advantageous to himself, and who did not seek the advancement of the common weal, but only their own especial benefit, by collecting money and obtaining wardships and revenues for themselves. A.D. 1248.] OPPBESSION OF THE CHUBCH OF TTmCHOUTH. 257 The king endeavours to t^ppeaae the community of England by promisee. The king^ at hearing these complaints, was confused and ashamed of himself, as he knew that all the charges were true. He therefore promised most faithfully that he would willingly amend these matters, hoping by this humiliation, although only feigned, more easily to bend the hearts of all to accede to his demand. To this, however, the community, who had been ofbeii ensnared by such promises, replied, " This will be seen plainly enough, and within a short time ; we will still wait patiently, and as the king shall conduct and bear himself towards us, so we will obey him in all mat- ters." Everything then was put o% and referred to consider- ation until the fortnight of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. The king, in the mean time, either of his own accoixi, or at the instigation of his courtiers, who did not wish their power to be weakened, became obdurate and more exasperated against his subjects, and took but very little trouble to make any amends to them for the above-men- tioned excesses, as he had promised to do. How the biehop of Durham oppressed the church qf Tynemouth, At this time, Nicholas, bishop of Durham, in a very im- proper and inexpedient manner, as consistent with his own. honour and the fraternity established between him and the house of St. Alban's, after the arrangement of peace between them in the matter of the visitation of the church of Tyne- mouth, began to harass that church in temporal matters to the utmost of his power, and, to the injury and expense of both parties, to inMnge its liberties, granted and confirmed to it by the charters of noble kings, and enjoyed by it for many years. One of the brethren of the church of St. Alban's was therefore sent to entreat him to desist from such annoyances ; but he, despising alike the warnings and en- treaties of this said brother, and the letters which he brought from the abbat and conventual assembly of St. Alban's, de- clared that he had just reason in mooting such a question, which was, however, clearly false, although he declared that it had been determined by twelve knights, chosen by imanimous consent of both parties ; and as this can be plainly seen by any one who carefully examines the liberties of the church VOL. II. s 258 MATTHEW PABIS. [a.P. 1248. of St. Alban's, which liberties he had in a measure inMnged in spiritual matters, and which he was now infringing in temporal ones, we think it worth while briefly to mention them in this work. The liberties and privileges qf the church qf St, Alban's. " The church of St. Alban's, and its C(»iyent8, and everj- tiiing pertaining to them, shall be free from all tribute to either king, biB^)p, earl, duke, judge, or agent, and frx)m all seryioes which are usually imposed. It is our w31 that they be hot obliged to answer in any matter to any one except to the Boman pontiff. Item, we forbid any ardibishop or bishop to presume to make any exactiona, or any dLaim, or to exercise episcopal functions in your oonipenta. Item, that those in which you have not pontifical rights, whet^ char pels or cemeteries, be free frx>m all exactions, in which, whe- ther churches or chap^ you and your brethren shall ha¥e the liberty of choosing priests, cm ocnidiiioffl. that they shall receive the cure <^ souLb from the bishops themselves, or their vicars, without any purchase ; and afiber you have assigned to these priests sufficient to provide themselves with the neces- saries of food and clothing in a proper way, you shall be at liberty to convert what remains to your own vses. Whereas we have, by our apostolic writings, sent orders to you and to other prelates to afford aesistanoe for the relief oi the Holjr Land, and you, as we have heard, influenced by our admoni*- tions, devoted a tenth part of the revenues of your church and convents, as well as of those subject to you, to that pious purpose, wherefore we, commending your charity in the Lord, hold your laudable purpose as ratified and pleasing, and by authority of these presents, and on account of this pious and necessary action, strictly forbid, under penalty of anathema, any ecclesiastic or secular person henceforth to compel you or your church, to that or any other similar mat- ter, or to harass you or your church, or your convents, in any way whatever, lest (which God forbid) you be some day or other forced, in spite of yourself, to repeat an action which you have already done out of sincere liberality and pure benevolence." (However the said bishop compelled the church of Tynemouth to contribute to the building of the A.D. 1248.] PBIYILEGES OF THE CHtJBCH OF ST. ALBAN'S. 259 (^urcli of Durham, in the same way as he did all ecclesiastics throughout his bishopric.) ^' To all the prelates tkraughout Englamd, d^c. — Because the church of St. Alban'8 pertains to the right and ownership of St. Peter, &q, &c. If any persons oo: priests belonging to the churches shall revise to answer to the aforesaid abbat or brethren as to temporal matters, or pay them their due pension, we giast to the said abbat and brethren full power t» take from them, without any opposLtiou or license of a|^>ea], whatey^r ihsj haTe in their ohurdies at chapelfl, and whidi they detain from them, until thdey be oompelled, e^en against their will, to answer to them conoeming temporal msiteirs, and. to pay them their due pencdon.** (The said lashop, howeveiv prohibited certain Ticars from paying the prc^per pension t» tiie <^Arc^ of Tynemouth.) ^ We, willingly acquiescing in your just demands, hj the apostolic authmiy and the pro- tection of this present docunu^t, confirm and ratify to yoi^ and through you to your church, as it is a portion of the said monastery, the possessions bestowed on you by liie pions liberality of those of tiie &ith, and also the liberties and other benefits granted to your church by King Bichard, of iilustaious mem(My, and by our well-beloiFed son in iSkruA, the illustrious John, king of England, as you justly and. peaceably possess them, imd as is fully oimtained in th^: warrants ; as also the chiurdies and their pensions confirmed by letter by the metr(^>dlian and diocesan bishc^, as well as the liberties and immunities granted to the monastery of St. Alban's on behalf of its convents. Let no one, therefore, 4xx ; and whoever, kc. ^c." But after peace was re-establiidied, on the terms before mentioned, between the aforesaid bishc^, who rashly infringed the above-mentioned privileges, and the prior and conventual brethren of Tynemouth, wIk) had beoi harassed by him in manifold ways, the said bii^c^ apj^ed himself to annoying and injuring the said pior and his con- Tent in temp<»nil mattes, and infringing the especial privir leges granted to them by those pious kings. And how in- jurious this rasii presumption was, will plainly a{^)ear by the following letter of the king's, whom the complauiing cry cC that church had reached. s2 260 MATTHEW FABIS. [a.D. 1248. Letter of the hing of England to the bishop qf Durham. " Hemry, hy the grace of God, d;c, <{rc., to the bishop of Dv/rhmn. — ^We cannot but wonder that, although we have in full affection begged of you once, and a second time, to desist from harassing our well-beloved in Christ, the prior of Tynemouth, who, as you know, fights under our special defence and protection, you have not troubled yourself to accede to our entreaties on his behalf j and we are unwilling to recall to your mind that out of respect to you we have deferred to you in this matter^ as We firmly believe and hope that your prudence and kindness would induce you to do volun- tarily that which you will be obliged to do by the law of the kingdom and the royal authority. But in order that it may be plainly evident to you that we have hitherto deferred to you in this matter, we hieive determined for the third time earnestly to entreat you, out of your regard to our entreaties, and the respect which is due from you to your prince, to give up, freely and without delay, the property of the said prior, which you have seized contrary to the law of the lanc^ and which you are unjustly detaining, which will be clearly proved by his liberties, which he holds by the charters of the kings of England our predecessors, and especially by that of our imcle King Bichard^ and which they freely enjoyed in the times of our predecessors. And rest assured that, unless you carry the object of our entreaties into full effect before the octaves of St. Hilary next ensuing, however much we have deferred to you, and by right still wish to defer to you, we will forthwith (notwithstanding your liberty, under pre- text of which even we ought not to and cannot allow the injuries inflicted on you by others to pass without correction from the royal authority) cause the aforesaid property to be given up, and the losses which the said prior has sustained by reason of the injury done him by you, to be made good to him, and will compel you to do him ftdl justice. Witness myself, , 1248.] MABKIAOES OF FBEDEBICK AND HIS SON. 263 based by money-dippers and forgers, that nether natives nor foreagners could look upon it with other than angry eyes and disturbed feeliiura. For it was clipped round almoBt to the inner part^ the ring, and the bb^ whi«b bore the letters was either entirely destroyed or enormously ^eGauxd. Proclamation was ther^ore made by herald in the king^s name in all dties, boroughs^ and markets, that no penny should be taken which was not of legitimate weight and circumference, nor be received in any way> either in Imying, selling, or exchange, and that all transgressors of thiis order would be punished. Great diligence was used to dascover the aforesaid &ke dealers, that, if found guilty o£ the crime, they might meet with condign punishment^ acccnrding to the decision of a court. A careM inquisition, therefore, was made, and there were found to be guilty of ibis Gxime certain Jews and notorious Caursins, and also some Flemish wool-merchants. The French king also ordered all persons guilty of this crime who were found in his kingdom to be suspended on gibbets and exposed to the winds. The death of Walter Manclerc and two other qf the Preacher brethren. In the same year, about the feast of the apostles Simon and Jude, Walter Mauclerc, formerly bishop of Carlisle^ commendably terminated his mortal career, and, throwing oS the burden of worldly cares and riches^ went the way of all flesh. In the same year also there departed from this world to the Lord two brothers of the same order, who were, as it is believed, unsurpassed, indeed unequalled, whilst livin|^ in theology and other sciences : these were the brothers Robert Bacon and Eichard de Fishakele, 'who had for many years lectured in that same &culty, and^were distinguished in preaching the word of the Lord to the people. Of the marriages of Frederick and his son Conrad, In this year, Frederick, in order to strengthen his cause in the contest he had engaged in against the pope, entered into a confederacy with certain chiefs, and married a lady rich in money, of pleasing appearance, and illustrious birth : his son, also influenced by a similar intention, espoused the daughter of the duke of Bavaria. On learning this, the archbishop of Cologne and those who held by the party ol the newly-elected ^ng of Crermany, more than usually urged 264 MATTHEW FABIS. [a.D. 1248. the necessity of William, the said elect, being fully jmd solemnly crowned at Aix-la-Chapelle ; but, owing to the opposition of the said Frederick and his son Conrad, he was precluded from all access to that city. The archbishop of Cologne, therefore^ and the legate, in conjunction with innu- merable prelates and nobles who &.voured the cause of the Church (the greatest part of whom had received the sign of the cross at the hands of the Preachers and Minorites), most vigorously besieged the said city of Aix-la-Chapelle, where frequent conflicts, attended with various success, ensued between the two parties, and many fell on both sides. The siege continued, attended with great bloodshed and loss on both sides, and the nimiber of the besiegers daily increased, as a river which is increased by the torrents ; yet the con- fidence of the besieged was kept up by letters which were frequently sent by Frederick and his son Conrad, exhorting them not to lose courage, for that their release, as they declared, was at hand. Cfa tournament held at Newbury. On Ash-Wednesday, a grand tournament was held at Newbury amongst the knights of England, to try their knightly prowess and strength ; and as the king was favour- able to it, it began and ended well. At this tournament, William de Valence, the king's uterine brother, a novice, conducted himself with great daring, in order to acquire a fiimous name in chivalry ; but being of tender age, and not able to sustain the force of the hardy and marshalled knights, he was thrown to the groimd, whereby he suffered consider- able losses, and was well batoned, in order that he might receive his apprentisa'ge in knighthood. Of the trouble and vexation of the people ^ owing to the changing of the money. In the course of this year the people were so troubled by divers precepts of the king concerning the receiving of money, proclaimed by the voice of a heiald throughout the cities of England, that they would rather a measure of corn had cost more than twenty shillings ; for exchange was car- ried on but in few cities ; and when they got there, they received a certain weight of new money for a certain weight of old, and were obliged to pay thirteen pence on every A.D. 1248.] CONOERNINO THE CHANaiNG OF MONET. 265^ pound for the smith's work, or monejing, which was com- monly called whitening. The form of this money differed from the old, insomuch that a double cross traversed the border where the letters were marked; but in other respects, namely, as to weight, chief impression, and the lettered characters, it remained as before. The people were therefore reduced to great straits, and suffered no idight injury, inas- much as twenty shillings could scarcely be obtained from the money-changer s table for thirty, without a trouble and expense of several days' duration and tedious expectation. As a great increase of profit accrued to the king by these matters, his brother, Earl Bichard, to whom he was deeply indebted, came to him, like another Jacob and a subtle sup- planter, and said to him, " My king and brother, pay me the debts you owe me." And as he perseveringly continued to press his demand, the king replied : " My only brother by the same parents, you see my necessities on all sides. The veiy small portion of territory which remains to me on the continent is exposed to peril and injury. Gascony is protected by the shield of Bordeaux alone ; to liberate which province I find it necessary to expend a no small sum of money." The earl, however, with an insolently loud voice, demanded satisfieiction for his debt out of the profits arising from the money coinage ; and as he unceasingly reiterated his demands with importunity, he obtained a promise that he should receive the profits arising from the coinage, which, according to the exchangers, would continue for seven years, and the profits themselves would amount to twenty thousand pounds, a third portion of the proceeds only being reserved to the king ; and thus he was freed from his debt to the earl. The earl, having obtained this, procured preceptory letters from the king, that no coin which had been clipped should be passed in England, — ^indeed, that all clipped money should be bored through ; and if any exchanger should be anywhere discovered giving two pence for one, or three for two, that he should be taken and severely punished, both in his pro- perty and person, as being an offender against the king, and a transgressor of the royal precept. The form of this brief, which was sent to the sheriffs, may be found fully given in the book of Additaments. M6 HATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1248. An eclipse of the moon. On tlie feast of June in this year, just after sunset, tlie moon underwent an almost total eclipse. Of the proeeedinga of the grand parliament held at London. In the month of June, as the fortnight of the feast of St. John the Baptist drew near, all the nobility of England assembled in London, firmly belieying, from the positive promises of the long, that he would amend his&iults, and, by the grace conferred on him from above, would incline his ear to wiser cotmsels: On the assembling, therefore, of all the chief men of England, the following graceless reply to their fbrmer complaints flowed from the king^s mouth : ^' All you, the chief men of Eugland, have endeavoured to bend your lord and king to your will, little courteous as it is, and to impose on him a very servile condition ; whilst whatever any one chooses is insolently denied him, but every one is allowed to adopt what and whose plans he chooses. Again, every £a.ther of a &mily is allowed to appoint any one soever to this or that d£ce in his house, or to suspend or even to depose them j but this liberty, forsooth, you rashly presume to deny to your Mng, especially as servants ought not to judge and bind their master to their conditions, nor opght vaanis their prince, but those who are considered as i£ferioTs ought rather to be ruled and governed at the will and pleasure of their lord. Por the servant is not above his lord, not is the pupil above his master; and your king, therefore, would be no longer so, hut would be, as it were, a slave, if he were thus to incline to your wilL Wherefore he will not dismiss either the . 1248.] THE KING QSP VXQLAXD SELLS HIS TREASUBE. 267 again uselesdy impoFoisb them&Ayea, that fyr&gBers might refvel in their piide on their property, xad th^ enemies of the king as well as the kingdom be strengthened^ as was latefy* the case in Poiton* and also in Gas^y, whither he had precipitately and indiscreet^ fanmed, ^mtn^y to their advice and wish, whereby he had met with adversity. And we truly believe, for it 'so appears from the king's greediness and state of nec^, that he was secretly made md detained a priscmer, but, on quietly paying a £be, pledging his &i^ and giving his oath and chintars, he was caniionsly set at Hberty and dismissed when thus deprived of his honour, and money, and temtory, and was allowed to depart in^oriooi^ amidst all kinds of insult. The council therefore broke up in anger, and all of them were thus deceived in the hopes which they had long eonceived from this parliament, and after all their trouble and expenses to no purpose, gained nothing but derision and Mvolous answers to their com- plaints. How the king qf England aoid his tretmure. When the king saw this result to his proceedings^ he burst out into violent anger, and said to his counsellors : '^ It is l^ you that the affections of my nobles are estranged from me ; here I am about to lose Grascony; I have been deprived of Poitou ; and, being destitute ol money, what am I to do P After hdkiing a pusillanimous council, therefore, it was deter- mined, without any prudence, that all the vesseki, utensils^ and je¥rels of the royal treasury should be sold by weight, without regard to the gold or silver, or to the laboriouB artificial work, although the work excelled the material, in order that money might be obtained by these means* The royal councillors, moreoTer, added the fdilowing consolatoiy speech, and to sooth the king, insinuated to hun, ^ That, as all rivers flow back to the sea, so everything which was now s<^ will at some time return to you in remunerative gifts ; therefore, let not our lord the long be disturbed." After tiie sale of the above-mentioned treasure, the king inquired where and to whom they were sold, and on the reply being given, " At London," he said, " I faiow, I know that if the treasure of Octavian were for sale, the city of London would purchase and suck it all up ; for these ill-bred Londoners^ who call themselves barons, possess abundance even to a 268 ICATTHEW PARIS. [a.d. 1248. surfeit : that city is an inexhaustible well.'' He then imme- diately conceived a design, on the slightest opportunity arising, to despoil them of their property ; of which sub- sequent events have fully proved his fulfilment, and the following narrative will fidly relate. How the French king set out on hit expedition to Jerusalem. As the equinoctial season proved £a.vourable, with pleasant weather, and autumn furnished an abundance of com and wine, the French king, having obtained special license at St. Denis and other holy places in his kii^om, and having made a vow, set out on his joiumey to Jerusalem. Passing through Lyons, where the pope was residing, he humbly and devoutly paid his respects to him, and earnestly begged of him, saving the honour of the Church in all matters, to con- descend to accept the humiliation of Frederick, who demanded his pardon, and to grant him the favour of a reconciliation, and to open the bosom of his paternal affection to him, a penitent ; " At least,'* said he, " that the passage may be safer to me on my pilgrimage." As, however, he saw the pope assuming a look of refusal, he went away in sorrow, saying : " I am afraid that, when I am gone, hostile treachery will be planned against the French longdom, owing to your inex- orable severity. It will lie at your door, if the progress of the affidrs of the Holy Land is impeded. However, I will guard France as the pupil of my eye, because on the condi- tion of that kingdom depends your prosperity, as well as that of all Christendom." To this the pope replied : " I, as long as I live, will stand by France against this schismatic Frederick, whom the Church has condemned and hurled by a general council from the imperial dignity ; and indeed I will act the same against the king of Englsmd, our vassal, if he presumes to kick against the kingdom of France, or the rights pertaining to it ; as I also will against all the enemies of the said kingdom." The king, somewhat soothed by these words, then replied : " As you make such promises, I intrust the reins of government of my kingdom of France to you ;" and it was forthwith arranged that a special messenger should be sent to the king of England to forbid him from attacking or in any way harassing any of the dependencies of the French kingdom ; and for this purpose. Masters Albert and A.D. 1248.J THE FRENCH KING SETS OUT FOR JERUSAXEM. 269 Paul were sent especially, who came to the king at Windsor, on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, to deliver their message to him; but this circumstance was kept a secret, in order that the king might more easily exact money for the purpose of reclaiming and recovering his rights by force of arms. The French king, then. Having made a loug and deliberate confession to the pope, and obtained from him a remission of his sins, took leave of his holiness, and departed, with his blessing, from Lyons, directing his course with his army towards Marseilles. When he was drawing near the city of Avignon, the inhabitants of that dty, not choosing to endure the insults of the haughty French, who called them Albigenses, traitors, and poisoners, made an attack on them in the narrow passes well known to themselves ; and, their hatred and anger being roused by their long-standing enmi- ties, pillaged some of the French army, and put to death those who opposed them. On this, some of the French nobles suggested to the king that he should lay siege to the city, if for no other purpose, at least to take just and vigorous vengeance for the murder of his father, who was poisoned there, or if he proceeded on his journey, that he should allow them to do it under his favour. The king with difficulty restrained their fury, and said to them : "I go from France, not to avenge my own injuries, or those of my fiither, or mother, but those of my Lord Jesus Christ." This most Christian monarchrthen proceeded immediately on his journey, and suffered much greater losses at Marseilles ; so much so, that the French nobles were much provoked, and, had they not been restrained by the discreet aud holy moderation of the king, would, in their anger, have vigorously besieged Mar- seilles. The king, however, said : " fiie time for oiu* passage is close at hand ; God forbid that Satan should prevail ; for he is grieving on that account, and is seeking to interpose some obstacles to impede it." Having with difficulty appeased their disturbed feelings, the king; on the morrow of St. Bartholomew, took with him some picked soldiers, leaving more than a thousand crossbowmen behind him, and a great many more knights and retainers. These returned in great shame and anger, and with difficulty restrained themselv^ from joining the, king of England, and from voluntarily stirring up war against the king of France j but, on weighing 270 KATTHEW PABIS. [▲.D. 1248. ftitore perils an the scale of reason and pmdence, thejr returned peaceably to the pope, and offered to enter his s^- vice^ to fight for him, at his command, against any one soeyer. Being, however, Gircnmvented by the pope's argu- ments, and those of his court, who knew tiliat they had abundance of money, they laid aside the eymbols of the cross, resigned their travelling supplies to the pope to obtain remis- flion from their pilgrimage, and, with their pockets emptied, that they might travel more lightly, they xetnmed to ihear homes with only a v«ry small portion of their property remaining, wherewith to support themselves on tiieir journey. The French king in the mean time put to sea^ and wi^ spreading sails direoted his course with a fiur wind towards Cyprus, which abounded in aU Ininriea, in order to p»i the winter there in peace, and recover breath. In the summer of this year, as was reported, Seville, a noble city of Spain, was taken by the victorious Idng of €Sas- tile. This city was worth nine thousand talents to its lord each day in the week, but on the sixth day, ^ven tiiousaDd. Of the Ciq>ture qf Aup-lO'Ckapellef and eonmation qf WiUiam, eomit ^Holland, as king qfBome. Whilst the asperity of winter was hangfng over the frozen world, the besieged inhabitants of the dty <^ Aix4a-Ghapelle were suffering severely : for they were denied all means o£ exit and ingress, all kinds of aid and counsel, and all supplies of provisions ; thdir wheat failing them, their bread was coarse, and their meat was putrid; their weapons were broken and consumed by rust, and their clothes worn out ; the nature of the women was changed ; diildren asked for meat, and there were none to break and give it to theuL The besiegers, therefore, consisting of the nobles of Germany, together with the legate, the archbishop of Cologne, and the bishop of Liege, who brought with them an im- mense host, diligently prosecuted their purpose, whilst oiliers who had assumed the cross on the preachiug of the Preacher brethren daily flocked to them from different parts of the world, so that the numerous army of the prelates covered the whole country like locusts. They therefore, night and day, by turns, incessantly battered the walls and fortresses of the city with mangonelles, petrarias, and other A.]>. 1248.] HOW CON&AB FLED TO HIS FATHER. 271 projective engines, which were erected on all sides of it; cnffihed the people, who were exposed and defenceless ; {lifiroed them with thdr arrows, and annoyed them by all the means in tbdr power ; and thus the city was therefore com- pelled; by necessity to surrender to the enemy, to be dealt with at their pleasure. A^ter &e city was thus taken by force, Count WiUiam of Holland, the king elect of Grermany, was fiolenudy orowned there on the day of All Saints, i^ the hand of Conrad, arohbiahop of Cologne, according to the ancient custom of the kings of Germany. In the mean time, many of the natiye inhabitaiits, as well as the mercenariea whom Frederick had placed there fiir its protection, £ed from the captni«d city, which was reduced to ruin and poverty, themselTes worn away and half-dead from want. This coiona^n, howeyer, was considered by many to be invalid, because all the electors were not present there, and did not even consent to it; amongst others, the duke «f Saxony, who had entered into a confederacy with Eredericky in consideration of his, the duke's, dau^ter, whom he was about to marry, if he could effect a reconcaUation with the €%iurch ; nor did the duke of Bavaria, whose daughter was married to Conrad, Frederick's son, give his consent to it ; and many oiiiers also refused their consent. Hoio Conrad, Frederick's son, fled to his father. _ * When the archbishops, bishops, prelates, and other nobles^ had thus effected their purpose, Conrad, Frederick's son, who was hastening to the rescue of the ciby, was met on his approach by the other army of the Germans raised by the legate, numerous and strong, which attacked him at the sword's point. This army was commanded by the arch- bishops of Mayence, Metz, Lorrain, and Sirasburg, and consisted of innumerable bands from their provinces and from. Friesland, Gothland, Hussia^ Dacia, and from the provinces of Germany, and those conterminous who had assumed the cross^ and who all, influenced by one spirit, and as it were one man, impetuously attacked the said Conrad, and trium- phantly put him to flight with his whole army. The son then retreated in confusion, and not sparing his horse's sidesf, flew with all speed to his Neither, without the consolation of the Holy Ghost. 272 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1248 How the wamn qfSt. Albania was invaded, but was at length/reed. In this year the church of St. Alban's suffered much per- secution, loss, and injury from the knights whom it con- £dently believed to be its faithful friends. For although hunting was judicially forbidden to some of them in par- ticular, under penalty of ten pounds, it appeared to others, who were not named, that they were allowed hl\ license to hunt hares in the said warren ; for they said that that which was to the detriment or advantage of others ought not to redound to their prejudice. In consequence oi this, twenty belted knights were chosen by consent of the parties to give a true verdict in this matter, and put an end to the contro- yersy. Five of these, however, who were foolish men, ignorant of the truth, and of hesitating minds, on being sworn, said that they did not know the truth of the matter for certain ; however, they believed that the abbat's oppo- nents had a right to what they laid claim, unless the abbat had obtained another charter in the case, which they did not yet know anything at all of ; and when they were informed of the charter which the abbat held from the present king, besides the old ones, his adversaries were confrised and silent. And had not Henry Bath, the justi- ciary, out of pity protected them, they would have been condemned to a isentence of being disinherited ; but the justiciary, with the abbat's consent, put off the sentence. This was the last relic of an old persecution which the said church suffered in the year 1240, in which year a fuller account of it is given to those wishing to read the same. A new market established at Westminster. On the 13th of October in this year, in the fortnight of Michaelmas, the king proceeded to London, to keep Uie feast of St. Edward, that is, of the translation of that saint, and sent word to a great number of the pre- lates and nobles, begging them, out of their friendship and devotion to him, to make their appearance at West- minster, to join with him in solemnly and devoutly celebrating the feast of St. Edward. At this summons, therefore, there came thither Earl Eichard, Roger Bigod, earl marshal, the earl gf Hereford, some select barons, and A.D. 1248.] UNUSUAL INUNDATION OP THE SEA. 273 certain knights ; the bishops of Winchester, London, Ely, Worcester, and Carlisle, and a great number of abbats and priors. The king then declared it as his pleasure, and ordered it to be proclaimed by herald throughout the whole city of London, and elsewhere, that he instituted a new fair to be held at Westminster, to continue for a fort- night entire. He also strictly interdicted, under penalty of heavy forfeiture and loss, all Mrs which usually lasted for such a length of time in England ; for instance, that of Ely and other places, and all traffic usually carried on at London, both in and out of doors, in order that by these means the Westminster fair might be more attended by people, and better supplied with merchandise. In conse- quence of this, innumerable people flocked thither from all quarters, as to the most &mous fair, and the translation of St. Edward was celebrated, and the blood of Christ wor- shipped to an unexampled degree by the people there assem- bled. But all the merchants, in exposing their goods for sale there, were exposed to great inconveniences, as they had no shelter except canvas tents ; for, owing to the changeable gusts of wind assailing them, as is usual at that time of the year, they were cold and wet, and also suffered from hunger and thirst ; their feet were soiled by the mud, and their goods rotted by the showers of rain ; and when they sat down to take their meals there, those who were accustomed to sit down to their meals in the midst of their £amily by the fireside, knew not how to endure this state of want and dis- comfoii;. The bishop of Ely, in consequence of the loss of his fair at Ely, which was suspended by the king's war- rant, made a heavy complaint to him in the matter, for intro- ducing such novelties ; but he gained nothing but words of soothing promises of future consolation. Of an iinumal inundation of the sea. On the 24th of November in this year, the sea overflowed its bounds to a great distance, and caused irreparable injtiry to those dwelling near the coast ; for when the moon, accord- ing to the computation of the calendar, was in its fourth quarter, the tide flowed with swollen waters without any visible ebb or decrease. This is believed to have occurred in consequence of the strong wind which blew from the sea ; VOL. II. T 274 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.d. 1248» but as it had often happened that the wind blew in eibraog from the sea, and yet the sea itself did not rise in such a way, even old persons were astonished at this new and un- usoal occurrence. Q^a dreaelful earthquake in Savoy, In this year an awful earthquake occurred in Savoy, in the valle3rs of Maurienne, by wiiich five villages were over- whebned, with their cowsheds, sheepcots, and mills ; and the mountains and rocks in the neighbourhood were torn away from the places where they had stood since the crea- tion, and were swallowed up in some of their own caverns. It is not known whether this destruction of mountains oc- curred, and the earthquake vented its fury on the said vil- lages, by a miracle or naturally ; but, inasmuch as it destroyed about nine thousand men, and animals without number, it seems to have been caused by a miracle rather than the com- mon course of events. It was said that the severity of divine punishment justly vented its fury on the abodes of the inha- bitants of those parts, because they so shamelessly and indis- criminately practised the disgraceM trade of usury, and were so contaminated with the stain of avarice, that, in order to cover their wickedness with an appearance of virtue, they did not hesitate to call themselves money-merchants. They had no horror of simony, and fearlessly and without mercy en- gaged in theft and pUlage. Traders or scholars compelled to go to the Bomun coinij, who passed their way or dwelt with them when on their journey, they never failed to cut the throats of or to poison ; not being aware that the more tardy the Divine vengeance is, the more severely it is said to exer- cise its fury, as witness the blessed Gregory, who says, " Divine rigour proceeds to punishment with a slow step, but it after- wards makes up for its tardiness by its severity." How the prior of The(ford was ^tabbed by one of his monks. In order that what is written in the Gospel may be fulfilled, a is necessary, that is to say inevitable, ^* that scandal should, woe to the wodd, proceed from scandal :" in the month of December in this year, the prior of Thetford, a Savoyard by- birth, and a monk of Olugny, who declared himself to be a relation or kinsman of the queen, and had assumed airs of pride from that circumstance, invited his brothais, Bernard,. A.D. 1248.] MURDER OF THE PRIOR OF THETFORD. 275 a knight, and Guiscard, a beastly clerk, to come to bis bouse at Tbetford. There he remamed, according to custom, the whole night till cock-crow, indulging in immoderate eating and drinking with them, and forgetting his matin devotions : seldom did he trouble himself to be present at mass, even at ihe little masses ; seldom did he appear at canonical hours ; but in the morning, being surfeited with food, he vomited forth his nightly potations. If the cry of the hungering poor sounded in his ears, this was a min(H* care in his breast, and wh^oever Bernard, one of his said biothera, went away, Guiscard, the other, whose belly was like a bladder in frosty weather, and whose body would load a waggon, stayed longer with him, and swallowed up all the food of the monks in the Charybdis of his belly, and afterwards, when well gorged, despised and loaded them with insults. Whilst the saad prior then was thus entertaining his brothers, who had borne the toil and heat of the day, in a manner unbecoming to him, and was disgracefully wastiiig the substance of his little church, transgressing, as was stated, the bounds of aU moderation in his gluttony, a dispute and strife arose betwe^i him and one of his monks, a Welshman by birtk This monk, whom he, the prior, had some little time before summoned from Clugny, he was now endeavouring to send back thither against his will, not out of charity, but from hatred, although the said monk opposed the proceeding and excused himself on reasonable grounds. But when the prior with a loud voice swore hor* libly that the said monk should proceed on a pilgrimi^ with the scrip and wallet, this demoniac monk, inflamaed with violent anger, or rather with madness, drew a knife and plunged it into the prior's belly, without the least hesitation at perpetrating such a crime witiiin the precincts of the church- The wounded prior, with the very death-rattle in. his throat, endeavoured to call the monhs to his aid by his canes, or, at any rate, to arouse them ; but he was mutl^ to do 80, owing to the stoppage of the arteries ; whereon, die tmd monk again rushed upon him, and with heavy Uowi, l^uree or four times repeated, buried the knife op to tiie iiandle in his lifeless body ; and thus iMs wretch, to the enor- mous injury and disgrace c^ the monastic order^ sent ike wretched prior to hell, beneath the anger of an offended God. These circumstances I have related frdly, that those who read t2 276 MATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1248. may be warned and cliastened, and prevented from perpe- trating such crimes, lest they be hurled by an angiy God into a similar ruin. The author of this crime was seized by persons who came to the spot, and, being well secured, was committed to prison. When the circumstance came to the knowledge of the king, worried by the continual complaints of the queen, he ordered the murderer to be chained, and, after being deprived of his eyes, to be thrown into the lowest dungeon in the castle of Norwich, notwithstanding the prin- ciple for which St. Thomas the Martyr combated in defence of a certain priest who had committed homicide, shedding even his blood and his brains, that a derk, and especially a priest, could not be condemned before a lay tribunal, or himged after his orders had been taken from him ; a principle for which he suffered martyrdom 3 that God does not punish twice for the same offence ; that He puts a limit upon the punishment of the wicked, and rewards &r beyond a man's deserts ; and that a single &,ult is sufficiently and reasonably atoned for by a single punishment. These occurrences having been mentioned by an enemy of the monks, as an op- probidum to reUgious me^ a certain"^ person, a £d^d to the^ and a lover and special advocate of religion, said in reply, ** Amongst the angels the Lord found a rebel ; amongst the seven deacons, a deviator from the right path ; and amongst the apostles, a traitor : God forbid that the sin of one or of a few should redound to the disgrace of such a numerous community." This moderation is taught by the heathen poet, who says : — Pardte paucorom diffandere crimen in omnes. [Let not the crime of some redound on all.] 0/a quarrei and battle between the monks qf Selby and John Francis, In the same year, a quarrel having arisen between the monks of Selby and John Francis, a clerk of the king's, as to the collection of hay and com, one monk was slain, and several oth^t^ were wounded and beaten. And in order that scandal might not come singly, in this same year, in the priory at Canterbury, one monk mortally woui\ded another. A.D. 1248.J PUNISHMENT OP AN ADULTERER. 277 Cfthe miserable death of the prior ofBenethly, In the same unfortimate month a prior of the canons of a small church near the monastery of St. Alban's happened to be inspecting a heap of wheat, which we commonly call a rick,* and reckoning the value of it, when the rick, being improperly built, suddenly tottered and fell upon him ; and before the sheafs which were heaped upon him could be dis- persed, this prior, a simple-minded man of small substance, died of suffocation. Others who were by, the servants and companions of the prior, escaped ; as only smaller masses had fallen upon them, but did not overwhelm them. Of the severe punishment qfan adulterer. The following circumstance I think ought not to be passed over, although it may appear ridiculous. In this same un- lucky month, in order that it might not be said that scandal rose against religious men only, disgrace and irreparable loss was brought on certain members o^the order of knighthood. For a certain knight of Norfolk, named Godfrey de Millers, of noble birth and distinguished in knightly deeds, being shamefully led astray, secretly entered the lodgings of John the Briton, a knight, for the purpose of lying with his daughter, but was seized by some persons concealed, with the connivance of the harlot herself who was afraid of being thought a married man's mistress, violently thrown to the groimd, and severely beaten and wounded. After this he was suspended to a beam, with his legs stretched apart, and, when thus exposed to the will of his enemies, he was disgracefully mutilated to such a degree that he would have preferred de- capitation, and, thus wounded and mutilated, was ejected, half-dead, from the house. A complaint of this proceeding having reached the king, the authors of this great cruelty were seized, and John the Briton being found guilty of it, he was disinherited and banished for ever. The adulteress, however, could not be foimd, as she secreted herself ia inac- cessible places, and thus, with some trouble, escaped the plots which were laid against her life. All who were present at the perpetration of this deed of enormous cruelty, were dis- 1* Tassum, in the Latin ; tas^ in French or Anglo-Norman, a language much spoken at this time in England. 278 MATTHIBW PASIS. [a.d. 1248. persed in exile, homeless fugitives ; and thus this inhuman and merciless crime involved many nobles in a lamentable calamity. About the same time, too, a certain handsome ^ 1248.] OPPRESSIONS PRACTISED ON THE ENGLISH. 281 church except a rich one, quietly waited, concealing his in- tentions, till some noble and rich church should be vacant. The first which became so was the church of St. Helen, in the town of Abingdon, which was reckoned to be worth a hundred marks, and supplied with every advantage, as being in a borough which was subject to the said monastery. The said Eoman, who had been so long quiet, at once demanded this church, and urgently pressed his demand that it should be given to him on the authority of the Apostolic See. On the day on which the church became vacant, the abbat received a most urgent order from the king, intermingled with threats, entreaties, and promises, that he should give that church to his, the king's, uterine brother Ethelmar, although the latter now held such an abundance of churches and revenues that we should not wonder if he himself did not know their number and value. The abbat, therefore, being in a state of perplexity, and as if crushed between two revolving millstones, consulted the brethren of his convent, and some discreet and &ithful Mends in the matter, who replied, " It is clearly a case of hardship both ways ; but if the king is willing to protect you from the pope's violence, we think it will be more endurable to give the church to this brother of his, as he is our prince and patron, than to this Eoman, who would always be sedulously plotting against you, an inde- fatigable persecutor, and, as it were, a thorn in your eye."^ This determination was therefore signified to the king in due time, who at once promised the said abbat his certain pro- tection, together with indemnity from loss, and the abbat accordingly, relying on these deceitful words, gave the church to the said Ethelmar at the king's entreaty. The aforesaid Eoman, then, in great anger, immediately went to the pope with a heavy complaint, and related to him the particuhu*s of the afiair, with additions of his own to provoke the pope's anger. Bis Holiness then cited the said abbat to appear before him, to answer to the charge of disobedience, and the latter being d^itute of all consolation and assistance from the king, although it was often asked for, although an old and infirm man, went, in great sorrow, fear, and bitterness of heart, to the Roman court, where, after much suffering and no slight expense, he was made to give satisfaction to the said Eoman, according to the decision of the pope, by paying 2&2 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.]>. 1248. Imn fifty marks animallj from his chamber, to the great iBJury of his ehurdb. ()fmioiher enormous Ofprtnion ofthefope. In this same year, too, the abbat of St EdmoncTs having been taken from amongst ns, the king, laying aside all i&ast of Crod and respect for the martyr, whom he was especially bound, £:)r manifold reasons, to worship, took such a large som of money from that house, on its becoming vacant, that he seemed entirely to have lost the bowels of mercy ; for, besides the pay of the royal bailifis, he cmelly extorted one thousand two hundred marks from it ; and when the bre- thren, having elected another to take the place of the abbat lately deceased, sent some of their community to the Eoman ooort to obtain a confirmation ci the same election, a cavilling examination was instituted, and both the election and the efected abbat were rejected, to the end that he who had been ao rejected, shoxdd be placed in a pitiable condition ; which look^ like anything rather tJum pity. And when the monks had gone away in sorrow and shame, the pope recalled tbem, and said, '^ Inasmuch as the wretched are in need of compassion, we, merely out of &vour, and in order that yon may not be disturbed, allow you this elected abbat for the present, and freely and willingly give him the monastery of St Edmund's ; but he must pay the sum of ei^t himdred maiks, and must answer for it to the merchant whom we win send to him for the purpose, to whom we are so deeply inddbted" Thus entrapped, the monks went away ; but being worn out by so many injuries and oppressions, they grieved inconsolably, and one of them died at Lyons before they left the Roman court, and the other, with bitterness of hearty went the way of all flesh at Dover, on his return from that uncourteous court. Death of the abbat qf Waltkam, About this time, also died the abbat of Waltham, of most pious memory, one of the order of canons of St. Augustine, a man of distinguished sanctity. Death of Sinum Langion, In this year died' Master Simon Langton, brother of Stephen, archbishop of Canterbury, of illustrious memory, JlD. 1248.] BBOTHEB MATTHEW SEZIT INTO NORWAY. 283 and ar^Kleacofi cf the dnirch of tiiat eity, wiio was a per- secutor stfid disturber of las dnircli of CBaoiexhtgaj ; bat it is not to^lae wondered at : indeed, lie excited and disturbed the French kii^om as well as tliat of England, whai it was nrack harassed by war, as has been fidlj stated before in its proper place. Death qfjohn Bltmd, In the same year, also died Master John i^knnd, chancellor of the ehurch a£ York, a distinguished theologian, who was oaee elected archbishop of Cant^bory ; bat h^ election was amralled by the above-mentioned Simon. The distnrber, therefore, and the disturbed went together to join the crowds of the dead. Earl Patrick also died, who was held to be the most powerful amongst the nobles ci Scotiand. This noble died bearing the symbol of the ctose^ whilst on a pilgrimage in company with the French king ; and he is belieyed to have assumed the cross that he might become reconciled to God and St. Oswin ; for he had unjustly harassed and in- jured the church of Tynemouth, a convent devofced to St. Alban, and the especial domicile of the blessed kii^ and martyr Oswin, and where the body of that saint lies binaed» How Brother Matthew was aeni tiUb Norway. In this year great peril was impending over a certafa noble monast^y in Norway, which was called the monasteiy of St. Benedict of Holm, founded by the most noble king Cnut, who had also founded one of the same name and order in England; for it was much impoverished, the brethren were dispersed, and the whole monastery itself was almost destroyed, with its appurtenances ; the abbat abanr doned the order, and went away clandestinely, taking with him the seal of the chapter, and, under an appearance of fidelity, either sold almost all the possessions of the monas- tery, or fraudulently jde^ed them ; he also took with hhn one of the brethr^ the sacristan, who had charge of the seal, and who was privy to and an accomplice in his crime, and he was now in company with the abbat, an apostate and a fugitive. In consequence of this, the archbishop of Dron- theim, in whose diocese the said monastery was, took it into his own hands, together with all its appurtenances, accusing the monks of being monks only in garb, of being entirely 284 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1248. ignorant of the rules of tlie monastic order and St. Benedict, manifest transgressors of the monastic statutes, and some of them thieves and fugitives. But the monks, who, although they were without an abbat, still fought for God in some kind of way under the government of their prior, resorted to an appeal, and flew to the supreme pontiff to protect themselves; for it was imjust and dissonant fi^m reason that the fault of one or two, or even a few, should redound on the whole community. Pending the appeal, the arch- bishop did not dare to annoy them any further, or to make any innovation. The prior, therefore, having wisely recovered some of their possessions, and raised some money, went to the Eoman court ; but lo, the apostate abbat and his accom- plice had been there some short time before, and by giving charters sealed with the stolen seal, had laid the said house under a debt of about five hundred marks. The prior therefore returned home confused and sad ; but, before he reached there, he heard that this wretch of an abbat had died at the monastery of St. Alban, in Zell, in Norway ; and on gaining this intelligence, he and the brethren elected another abbat. The prior was then sent back with one of the brothers accompanying him, and with a sum of three hundred marks, and also bearing letters directed to brother Matthew of Paris, begging him to use his diligent endeavours to free them from their debt, and in the end it was happily arranged that the said house should be released on payment of the debt only. After having obtained all writings and instruments by which the convent of Holm was held indebted to the Caursins, who were then at London, he returned safely within a year, entirely free. But although they breathed freely in temporal matters, they were still lan- guishing in a confused state in spiritual concerns, and, lying concealed, they with difficulty, by repeated presents, obtained a brief respite, lest the archbishop should take into his own hands the whole island, which was the property of the said monastery, and the monastery itself, which was situated in the island, with its appurtenances, and should put the monks to flight, who, he said, were monks only in name. It was about this time that the bishop of Sabina, cardinal of the Eoman see, came, as before stated, as legate into Norway, and to him] these monks, who were severely A.D. 1248.] THE pope's WAKRAlTr. 285 oppressed by their archbishop, at once flew, to receive con- solation in their trouble. In reply to their complaints, he said : " My sons, I am entirely ignorant of the statutes, observances, and rule of St. Benedict ; but I advise you in good faith to go to the Eoman court, and entreat his holiness the pope to provide you with a fit person to reform your order, and a suitable instructor, and I will write to him earnestly in your behalf, and entreat him kindly to listen to your request in this matter. And this matter admits of no delay, for your archbishop is more strenuous in his endeavours to expel you on account of your igno- rance.'^ The abbat therefore went to the court, accompanied by the prior, on the matter ; and, after fully intimating to him their wishes, they produced the letters of entreaty from their king and the legate. In reply to their request, the pope said : " My sons, if you are ignorant of the things which you ought to know, \we deliberation, and choose some person to inform you of them, from whatever country or house, and whomever you prefer, and your request shall be granted ; and study to gain information, that your enemy may not prevail against you." On the following day, after a deliberate consultation with other discreet men, they gave their answer to the pope as follows : " Your holiness, we have learnt by experience that the monks of our order are not so well ordered anywhere throughout the whole world, as we believe, as in England ; nor is there, as we hear Jrom report, any house so well arranged in the kingdom of England as that of St. Alban, the protomartyr of the EnglisL We therefore ask for a certain monk of that house, named Matthew, whose wisdom and fidelity we have had experience of, to inform and instruct us; besides, he is a most particular friend to our king, who wOl be able by his means, if he thinks necessary, to subdue any rebels against him." As this reply pleased the pope, these monks obtained the following warrant, to be delivered to the abbat of St. Alban's. I%e pope's warrant to the abbat qfSt, Alban* s, ** Innocent, at of the monasteiy of Holm, of the Benedietme order, in the dioceee of Drontheim, the said monastery has, owing to the neglect of his predecessors, £Etllen into disorder, as regaadB the matters which pertain to the monastic order, and no <»ie can be foond in those parts who is well versed in the statutes and observances of the said order, we, at the entreaty of the said abbat, earnestly beg and exhort, and hy these apostolic letters order you to send to the saad mcHiastery our well-beloved son Brother Matthew, a monk of your community, who is said to be of an approved mode of life, and of tried religious habits, that he may inform and instruct the said abbat in the regular statutes and disciplineB which pertain to that order ; and this you will delay not to do out of your reverence to God and the Apost<^ 8ee." The abbat of St. Alban's therefore obeyed the pope, as he justly ought; and the said monk obeying his abbat, the Ininness went on, and was arranged prosperously, so that the abbat of Heared in tiie rained wallsL The vaulted roof which had been placed on the t(^ of the church o£ Wells by the great e&xis of the builder, a masB of great size and weight, was hurled &oan its place, doing much damage, and fell on the church, making a dreadful noise in its fall from such a height, so as to strike great terror into all who heard it. During this earthquake a remarkable occurrence happoied : the tops o£ chimneys, pampets, and pyiars were thrown from their {daces, but the bases and foundations of them 'were not at all disturbed, ▲.D. 12id.] THE KING ASKS FOB PRESENTS. 287 although the reverse ought naturally to have happened. This earthquake was the third which had oocurred within three years on this dde the Alps : one in Savoy, and two in England ; a circumstance unheard of since the beginning of the world, and therefore the more terrible. J%e concbtntm of the year. This year passed, temperate and calm, filling the bams with abundance of com, and making the presses flow witk wine ; so much so, that a measure of com fell in price to two shillings, and a cask of choice wine was freely sold for two marks ; the orchard fruit was very abundant in some places, but scanty in others ; but the gourd-worms entirely destroyed everything green where the disease made its way into the shrubs. The events of the year proved hostile to the Holy Land, inimical to Italy, deadly to Germany, adverse to England, and destructive to France ; and, to sum up mu(^ in a few words, consumptive of money in almost every country of Christendom : by many indications it gave tokens of the end of the world approaching, as we read, " l^ation idiall rise against nation, and there shall be earthquakes in places," and other similar prophecies. To the Homan court it was a source of disgrace, pestiferous, and injurious, and evidently threatening the divine anger. The temperature of winter was entirely changed to that of spring, so tluub neither snow or frost covered the fiwe of the earth for two days together ; trees might be seen shooting in February, and the birds singing and sporting as if it were ApriL How the king oMked for pre$erU8 from the London cUizem. Anno JDomini 1249, the thirty-third year of the reiga of King Henry, he q)ent Christmas at London. His bla- ther Eu*l Bichard was at Wallingford at this 8(^emn cieaBoa, celebrating the days of the Nativity in company with a great number of nobles, his guests. The earl of Gloucester at the same time held his court with no less worldly mag- nificence near Gloucester, on the confines of Wales. Bodk the king, shamelessly transgressing the bounds of royal dignity, on the day of the Circumcision exacted from eaok <^ the citizens of London, one by one, the first gifts> whicb the people are accustomed superstitiously to call New Year'a gifts. 288 MATTHEW PABIS. [A.D. 1249. Ofiht magnijicent celebration of St. Edward's day. As the feast of St. Edward, which fell on the eve of the Epiphany, drew nigh, the king, by his letters, summoned a large number of nobles to celebrate that feast together with him in St. Peter's church, at Westminster; and he himself, on the eve of that feast, which was Monday, fasted on bread and water, according to his usual custom, and dad in woollen garments. Great numbers of them, therefore, assembled there, as well Out of the devotion and love they felt towards the saint,^ as for the sake of worshipping the lately-obtained blood of Christ, and the pardon for sins to be obtained there ; and also out of respect to the king, who invited them. There were now assembled there with the king and queen, Earl Bichard, Eoger, earl marshal, and four others, and the same number of bishops. The return of the earl of Leicester, Whilst the king was staying at Westminster, during Christmas, Simon, earl of Leicester, returned from Grascony, with some other nobles, knights, and retainers, who had been Mthfully fighting there for the king; and their arrival delighted the king and his whole court in no slight degree : for the said earl had compelled Gaston, son of the Countess Biard, a traitor to the king of England, to come to terms of truce, even against his wiB. This Gaston had done much injury in that province, by plotting harm against the king ; had ruined and corrupted nearly the whole country, and had fraudulently and traitorously seduced the people from their allegiance to their monarch; for he, the said Gaston, abounded in money, which he had, by deceitful promises, obtained from the king when in Gascony. His deceitful mother had connived at and agreed to the proceedings of her deceitfrd son, although she also had, at the same time, basely obtained an immense sum of money from the bewitched king, which was drained from England, to the subversion and impoverishment of the kingdom, as well as its nobles and prelates. The aforesaid earl, moreover, strengthened by the assistance of those faithful to the king, had taken prisoner a public robber, a traitor and most bloody enemy of the king, named William Bertram of Aigremont, who A.D. 1249.] OPPRESSIONS OP THE CITIZENS OP LONDON. 289 had perpetrated many crimes in Gasconj and the neigh- bouring countries ; but he, the earl, had now consigned him to close imprisonment in the tower of E^le, imtil he, the earl, should, if the king's pleasure were such, return to Crascony to crush him and the other enemies of the king. Of the heavy cppreuumi qf the citizens qf London ly the king. The king, however, did not, as he ought, give glory to God the Lord of Hosts for the victory granted to him ; but began now sedulously to think how he could entirely dry up the inexhaustible well of England. For, on meeting with a just repulse from the community of nobles, as above men- tioned, who stated that they would no longer lavish their property to the ruin of the kingdom, he studied, by other cunning devices, to quench the thirst of his cupidity. Imme- diately after the festivities of the said season, he entered upon the following plan of harassing the citizens of London : he suspended the carrying oni of traffic in that city, as has been before mentioned, iov a fortnight, by establishing a new fair at Westminster, to the loss and injury of many ; and immediately afterwards he sent letters by his agents, containing subtle and imperious entreaties, asking them for pecuniary aid. On receipt of this message, the citizens were grieved to the heart, and said : — '^ Woe to us, woe to us ; where is the liberty of London, which is so often bought ; so often granted ; so often guaranteed by writing ; so often sworn to be respected ? For each year almost, like slaves of the lowest condition, we are impoverished by new talliages, and injuriously harassed by fox-like arguments ; nor can we discover into what whirlpool the property of which we are robbed is absorbed." At length, however, although immense sums were demanded, the citizens, although im^willingly and not without bitterness of heart, yielded their consent to a contribution of two thousand pounds, to be paid to the king at a brief period. His usual oppression, moreover, raged without any moderation ; for all vendible articles, if they were not concealed, as if they were stolen goods, especially meats and drinks, were seized for the use of the king ; and yet his house did not acquire any increase of hospitality therefrom ; but, banishing all shame, he stinted himself more every day, with a reprehensible sparingness ; the ancient VOL. II. U 290 XATTHEW PABIS. [a.d. 1249. kingly hospitality was expelled from his door, and the cus- tom of the Boman table made its way in, obscuring in no slight degree his fisune and honour as a king. Hm» ike king begged money from hie noblegf one by one. At this time, the king, as he could not bend the nobles of the kingdom to consent to his demand when united, resorted to the usual cavillings of the Eomans, and either sent for, or wrote to, each of them, addressmg them with shameless entreaties, saying, — " I am a poor man, and entirely desti- tute of money ; I find it necessary that each one of you ^ould give me effectual assistance, for I am indebted by my charters in a sum of thirty thousand marks ; but I do not exact anything, except as a favour ; and whoever will do me this &vour, to him will I return it, when an opportunity occurs ; and whoever denies me the &vour, to him will I also deny any." But although he pleaded a &lse reason for this, which was, that he was about to make war against the king of France, as the truce was expiring, to reclaim his rights by force, he only excited the derision and sneers of the prudent. For he had been lately forbidden by Master Albert, in the^ name of the pope, to attack in any way whatever any ter- ritory, held under any title, by the king of France, who had assumed the cross, and was fighting in the Holy Land, for Qod and the Church universal. And even if he had not been forbidden to do so, it was believed that his military skill, or strength, or money, whencesoever extorted, would not have been sufficient to deprive the French king of even his smaUest possessions ; for it was not thought that France was entirely destitute of soldiers or money; hut, in order that the message of the aforesaid master might be con- cealed from all, the king did not allow it to be made public in any way. It was also stated that the said Master A. had received the power of laying an interdict on England by the papal mandate, if the king should prove rebellious ; but all these things were covered by the veil of mystery, that the king might cunningly impose upon the ignorant. How ike king begged money fivm ikeprelaiee and abbots. Whilst the king, with open mouth, was thus eagerly gapiag after pecuniary gain, he happened to go to Hunting- don, about the^ feast of St. Hilary ; and when on his way A.D. 1249.] THE king's letteb. 291 I there, he sent for tKe abbat of Kamsey^ and secretly addressed him as follows : — " My Mend, I earnestly entreat of you to \ assist me by giving, or at least lending me, a hundred pounds ; for I am in need, and must have that sum without delay." The abbat, as he could not honourably reply other- wise, answered, — " I haye sometimes given, but never lent : nor will I now !" and he immediately borrowed that Bom from the CaiusiiiB, at hea^ interest, that he might satisfy the wants of this beggar-king. About the same time, too, the king worried the abbat of Peterborough with similar entreaties for money, declaring that it would be greater charity to bestow pecuniary asdstance on him than on any beggar at his door ; but as the abbat excused him^ sel^ and did not yield to his entreaties, he was loaded with reproaches; whereupon he secretly left the kiug's house. At the same time, by similar arguments^ he extorfced sixty marks from the abbat of St. Alban's, although he had, by his cunning arguments, cheated him out of a no small sum of money, both in this year and the last. The king, therefore, seeing that no one could or would oppose him, conceived certain hopes that none of the abbats or priors would show him any resistance. And although the nobles threw obsta- cles in his way, he wrote to the prelates who were bent te his win, although unwillingly, as follows : — The iing^s letter to the prelates of England, " JELervry^ hy the grace of€M, o^c, to all the brotherhoods of aihixts mvi priors in the counties of Essex amd Hertford^ greeting, — ^If we, in our royal condescension, wish to try the friendship of our devoted and faithful subjects for the defence of the rights of the kingdom, or if they at fittiQg times frequently show their respect for their prince, under the protection of whose wings they breathe freely, by bodily service, or by the offer of gifts, it is no wonderful circumstance. Whereas, therefore, the truce between the French king and us has expired, and we, for the recovery and protection of our rights on this side of the Channel, as well as in the pro- vinces on the continent, to which we lately sent a body of soldiers, are under the necessity of incurring great expense, and of opening the hand of liberality to many, for divers causes, we send our Mthfol and well-beloved subject Simon u 2 292 MATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1249. Passlow, together with the sheriffs of the different countieSy each in his own, earnestly begging you to give a &,yourable ear to them, and through them to us, and to listen to what they shall state to you in this matter; and in order to alle- viate the burden of the aforesaid expenses, freely to assist us out of your money ; thereby imposing on us a debt for which we will hereafter make due recompense." When this reached the knowledge of prudent persons, they considered it as clear as the light, that when he was in Poitou and Grermany, those people, to whom he had iU-advisedly intrusted himself, loaded with money only, and without the protection of his fidthful English subjects,' had caught him in their toils, seized him, and reduced him to poverty, basely extorting all that he possessed, and what he should obtam at a friture time ; namely, that he was irremediably bound by oath and by charter signed by him, to send to them whatever he could scrape up from England ; and thus the grief and sorrow of the English day by day increased. How the bishop of Durham retigned his see. As the Purification of St. Mary drew near, Nicholas, bishop of Durham, finding himself old, weak, and in ill health, and choosing rather to abandon his wealth than to be abandoned by it, resigned his bishopric of Durham, having obtained license to do so from the pope. Trustees * were therefore appointed in the matter, namely, the archbishop of York and the bishops of London and Worcester, and three manors were assigned to him, — those of Hovedey, with its appurtenances, Stockton, and Esington. He therefore, after taking leave of his brethren at Durham, left that city and went to live at one of the said manors, in order that he might put off all worldly cares, and, being at peace, and free from the bustle of complaints and litigations, might be more at leisure to employ himself in prayer and contemplation until the change which he was awaiting should come upon him. The king, on being informed of this, was not slow to take into his own charge and possession all the remaining property of that see, that he might, hungry and greedy as he ever was, swallow down the rich pecuniary profits ; and to collect this property he sent thither one of his clerks, Thomas of Newark. * ** ProYisoribus '' is the Latin term. A.D. 1249.] ELECTIOK OP THE BISHOP OP DURHAM. 293 How a tournament wot prevented ly a heavy fall of snow. About the same time, a general tournament was appointed to be held at Northampton on Ash-Wednesday ; but it was prevented by the king's prohibition and his threats, and by the inclemency of the season. The knights grieved much at this, and especially the novices, as they eagerly desired to enter upon the initiatory contest in knightly discipline ; and William de Valence, the king's uterine brother, who was a novice, sent word to them, that, notwithstanding the king's prohibition and frivolous suspicions, they should not &dl, if a fine season smiled on them, to hold the tournament ; for that he would interpose himself as a security between the king his brother and them, to prevent his venting his rage on them ; and this message gave to the said William a no slight claim to knighthood, and added much to his honour. How- ever, on that day, Ash-Wednesday, a heavy fell of snow took place, and continued for two days, to such a degree that it covered the face of the earth to the depth of a foot, broke down the heavily-loaded branches of the trees, and then melting, caused the furrows in the fields, now dilated like caverns, to fill with the rivulets which ran down them ; and thus the said tournament was ruined by a double disad- vantage. Hovf the king wished his brother Ailmar to be elected bishop qf Durham, In the mean time, that vigilant and indefetigable searcher afber money, the king, laying aside all fear of God,^ a man- ner little befitting him, although the right of election belonged to the conventual assembly of Durham, sent entreaties heaped upon entreaties to that community, by prudent and circumspect messengers, well skilled in imposition, advising, imploring, and threateningly giving orders that his uterine brother Ailmar should be unanimously elected by their community as bishop of Durham and pastor of their souls ; and in order to succeed in his purpose, according to the words of the poet : — Imperiunii promissa, preces, Gonfddit in unmn. [He mingles ordersi promises, and prayers ; And thus by turns a lord and beggar he appears.] 294 MATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1249. To this request the brethren humbly replied, " Kemember^ your majesty, most Christian of kings, remember, if it please you, the first oath which you took when you were about to be crowned, which was, above all things, to permit the holy Church to enjoy its liberty, at least sometimes, of electing^ with the Lord's &vour, a fit and proper father and pastor of eur souls. Tou know, and the world knows, that your said brother is incompetent, both as regards knowledge and age, to undertake the burden of such an arduous spiritual office." To this the king is said to have replied, " I am able, and quite willing, to hold this bishopric in my own hands for eight or nine years or more, thiBit he may then, being of mature age, be accepted of by you.** A complaint of the robberies committed in England, As Lent drew near, the king having come to Winchester, there came to him there two merchants of Brabant to make a complaint, who addressed him in the following words, mingled with lamentations and tears : " Most peaceful and just king, we, being merchants from Brabant, were passing through your territories, which we believed to be peaceful, to prosecute our trade, when we were attacked on our journey, imdefended as we were, by some fineebooters and robbers, whom we know by their ieJcea, and whom we foimd at your court, who basely and robberlike took from us two hundred marks by force; and if these men presume to deny the eharge, we are prepared, with God for our judge, to discover the truth by the ordeal of single combat against them." The suspected parties were therefore taken, and, after it was determined that their case should be decided by the report of the people of the coimtry,the oath of the country released them. And what wonder is it ? the country was suited to them, for the whole of it was infected with robbery. But as the afore- said merchants still pressed their charge, and importunately demanded their money at the hands of the king, he began to be disturbed, and, summoning his advisers, said to them, " What is to be done ? my bowels are disturbed at these men's tribulation." To this his counsellors replied, '* Your majesty, we have heard, and we know, that a similar sus- picion is entertained of all the provinces of England. For very frequently are travellers here robbed, wounded, made A.I>. 1249.] BOBBERIES COMMITTED IK ENGLAND. 295 prisoners, and murdered ; and we wonder tliat your justices in eyre, whose especial duty this is, have not cleansed this country of such a disgrace. We believe, therefore, that the robbers of this country, who abound here beyond measure, have craftily entered into a conspiracy amongst themselves, that no one of them shall, on any account, accuse another ; and thus their conspiracy and cunning has escaped the know- ledge of you, as weU as of your justiciaries and other bailiffit of yours. Henry de Mara, your justidaiy, was here, with his colleagues, and did no good. Those persons, too, whom he had appointed as inquisitors, were confederates and abet- tors of robbers. We must, therefore, deal cautiously against such manvHshaped traitors, that cunnint? may be deceived by caiming. Format numbers of triers, ^espedaUy tho^ from the continent, pass to and fro here, on account of the adjacent port, as also on account of its being the royal city^ and for the sake of the market. These men, who have been robbed, also declare, that if the money, for which they are prepared to prove the truth by single combat, is not restored to them, they will forcibly reclaim it by seizing all property belonging to the merchants of your kingdom in their country, to the loss of your said merchants, and to yotur own disgrace ; and the duke of Brabant, whose friendship we desire, will, and not without good cause, treat you with disdain." The king, therefore, summoned the bailifSs and free-men of tha4f country, that is to say of the district of Southampton, and with a scowling look said to them : " What is this I hear of you 9 the complaint of despoiled persons has reached me ; it is necessary for me to listen to them. There is no county or district throughout the whole extent of England so in&mous as this, or polluted by so many crimes ; even when I am present in the city or the suburbs of it, or in neighbouring places, robberies and murders are committed. Nor are these crimes sufficient ; but even my own wines are exposed to robbery and pillage, and are carried off in stolen carts by these male£9u;tors, who laugh and get drunk on them. How can such proceedings be any longer tolerated ? To eradicate these and similar crimes, I have appointed wise persons to join me in ruling and guarding the kingdom. I am only one man, and do not wish, nor am I able, to support the burden of managing the whole kingdom without the aid of coad- 296 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.I>. 1249. jutors. I am asliamed and wearied of the foul stench of this city and the adjacent districts ; I was bom in this city, and never was so much disgrace brought on me any* where as here. It is probable, and I must believe, — ^nay, it is now quite clear, — ^that you, the citizens and inhabitants of the province, are inflEunous accomplices and confederates. I shall convoke all the counties of England, that they may try you a« traitors to me, and may detect your crimes ; nor will the arguments of cunmng profit you any longer." This took place in the hall of the castle of Winchester, in the presence of W., bishop of that city. The king then suddenly exclaimed in a loud voice, " Shut the gates of the castle, ^ut them immediately." The bishop then rose and said : '* Stay, my lord, stay a little, hear me patiently, if it please you : there are in this castle some strangers, good Ln ami of pure fame, and friends to you, wbom it does not become you to shut in; you accuse the citizens of Winchester only and their abettors." Then, continuing his speech, the bishop turned his face to the multitude, and said : ** I am your pastor and spiritual &ther, having power over your souls in spiritual matters, and, in a great measure, in temporal ones. I excommunicate all conspirators in this infiskmous crime, and also those who, out of fiivour, through fear, or for the sake of reward, shall, when asked, in any way conceal the truth concerning this matter." There were therefore elected twelve persons fix)m amongst the citizens of Winchester, and from the coimty of South- ampton, who were sworn to give the names of any thieves whom they knew; and these men, being removed to a. private place, held a long discussion, but were closely guarded. After a long deliberation, they were again sum- moned, but would not mention any of the names of the thieves, which greatly displeased the king, for he was well aware that they knew something of the plans of the rob- bers ; and, as it were infuriated with anger, he said : " Seize these deceitful traitors, chain them, and throw them into the lowest dungeon, for they refuse to speak, and con- ceal what they ought to make known ; they are doubtless excommunicated by their bishop ; see how they give these men their favour and coimtenance ; select me twelve others of the citizens of Winchester, and from the county of South- A.D. 1249.1 BOBBEBIES COMMITTED IN ENGLAND. 297 ampton, who will not be opposed to truth, to discover to me the truth in the matters on which I shall question them." Twelve others were accordingly sent for, who, when they found that the former twelve were imprisoned and condemned to be hung because they suppressed the truth, began to feel great alarm, and said to one another : " We also shall suffer a similar punishment if we suppress anything of the truth when asked." After a long and secret consulta- tion held amongst them, they came forth into the middle of the assembly, and, giving loose to their tongues, they disclosed the thefts and other crimes of many persons, of whom a great many belonged to the neighbouring districts, especially to Alton and the liberty of the bishop at Tanton. On this, some of the citizens and many of the 'inhabitants of the district, who were formerly considered good and hege men,who abounded in rich possessions, and some whom the king had deputed, as guardians and bailijO^, to protect that part of the country, and to apprehend or drive away robbers ; others who possessed horses and rich clothes, who had house& and femUies, and rejoiced in the possesaion of fifty or eighty librates of land, and some even who were supeiintendents of the king's household, and crossbow-men in Ins service, were made prisoners, and, bemg proved guilty, were hung. Some, however, took refuge in the churches, and others suddenly and secretly took to flight, and never again made their ap- pearance. Some persons belonging to the city itself, who were then present, attending as king's yeomen to keep back the people, who were assembled on account of the novelty of this proceeding, and were much crowded together, cunningly mixed with the people, and, suddenly leaving the castle, either kept themselves out of sight, or flew to the nearest churches. When those who were taken were more closely questioned, they confessed that they had committed unheard- of crimes, both robberies and murders, with the connivance and assistance, and by the advice of others. Of those ac- cused and clearly proved guilty, about thirty were taken and himg, and the same number, or more, were imprisoned, awaiting a like punishment. Those who had belonged ta the kill's household, when about to be himg, said to the officers who had charged them : " Tell our lord the king that he is our death and the chief cause of it^ by having so long, 398 KATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1249. withheld the pay which was due to us when we were in need ; we were therefore obliged to turn thieves and free- bootersy or to sell our horses, arms, or clothes, which we ootdd not possibly do without.** At receipt of which message, the king was touched with shame and grief, and gave vent to his sorrow in protracted sighs. Amongst the other detestable thieves who were taken, was one who made an appeal, — this was one William, sumamed Pope, a man abounding in household goods, so much so, that, on examining his house alter he was taken, there were found about fifteen casks full of wine in his cellar : this man made an appeal, but, being found guilty, was immediately hung. One man had done the king good service in battle, and had freed the country from six thieves. Thus, therefore, were' these malehctom, who had disgracefully polluted that part of the country^ driven away from it, by the merciful dispensation of God, the Lord of Vengeance. However, Winchester, Southamp- ton, and the whole of that county, incurred an indelible stain of infamy and opprobrium from these occurrences. I have described these events fully and diffusely, that it may be clear to all how weak is any confederacy, and how easily dissolved is any conspiracy amongst evil-doers, for they travel in a circle, and in time of necessity cause confusion amongst themselves, that the punishment in the end may be the more severe. Qfihe serioui drfamation of the emperor. About the same time, the name of Frederick became so notorious in different parts of the world, that he was worse than Herod, Judas, or Nero. For the deadly stench ex- haling from his deeds, as mentioned in the following letter, provoked the ears and hearts of Christians, and filled them with astonishment and grief. An inveetwe letter qf CardnuU Reimer againit the emperor Frederici. ** Great crime, nefarious presumption, bestial cruelty, un- heard-of wickedness, and execrable baseness, have been prac- tised in these days, showing a dreadful spectacle, to God, his angels, and to men ; at which the sun ought to grow pale, and its rays to be concealed by the clouds, the stars be tdirouded in darkness, and, as it were, closed with a seal, the earth to tremble, the sea to swell with anger, the ears of A.D.1249.] LETTER AGAINST THE EMPEBOB. 299 those who hear of it to ring, the hearts of the &ithM to be disturbed, the intestines of Christians to quake, and Hbe hearts of all kings, princes, knights, and all &ithfiil ones who profess Chri^danily to be aroused to Tengeance. Be- hold how the preacher of the devil, the Ticar of Satan, the forerunner of Antichrist, the deviser and agent of all cruel- ties, has rayed, and assailed the anointed of the Lord, and the high pontifSs who are anointed with the holy chrism. When the holy Marcellinus, bishop of Arezzo, perceived that the caldrcMi of persecution, violently heated by the blasts of the north wind, was fiercely boiling up against him in his own city, he yielded to the cuirent of its fury, and lived in exile and poverty for many years, at Ancona^ a most devout daughter of the Apostolic See. At length, on receipt of an apostolic precept, he laboured diligently to rescue the marsh- people from the jaws of the poisonous dragtm, from the toils of the demons who were pursuing them, and from the yoke of tyranny ; in which labour he, by God's grace, seemed to have made some little progress. It happened, however, God so permitting, that he fell into the hands of his enemiefl^ and was sorely oppressed in prison and chains for three months, or more, by the satellites of Pharaoh. At lengiiiy that man of blood, Frederick, who goes about as a raging dragbn, and ' like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may de- vour,' wet with the blood ci the innocent, and intoxicated with the gore of holy men, exulted much at hearing of thifl^ and, with the feelings of a wild beast, aspired at the destmo- tion of this priest of God. This impious, pro&ne chie^ doubtless feeling, like his &ther the devil, great anger against God's Church, as he knew that he had but a short time, im- mediately broke out into ftuy, and with rapid speech thun- dered forth the sentence of hanging and throat-cutting against this anointed one of the Lord, at the city of Yictori% founded by him ; which title ought to be enrolled amongst those of the fidthfrd. This, by an astonishing miracle, took place on the third day before the triumphant destruction of him and of that city. For this Victoria, contrary to the de- signs of this raging chiei^ who gave it that name, gave pre- vious indication by its name that it would yield from itself the exultation of victory to the cause of the Church. Again, the hellish Cyclops and satellites of Yulcan, having received 300 MATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 124^. from their chief an order to do so, urged the bishop pub- licly to excommunicate the pope, the cardinals, and other prelates of the Church, before all the people, and to swear fealty to the perfidious Frederick, promising him impunity and much wealth for so doing. But he, strengthened by the spirit of the Lord, boldly asserted that he had often excom- municated the said Frederick^ the son and pupil of Satan, and' his followers^ and then also repeated the same sentence of anathema agidnst him. When this priest was being led to martyrdom, he, for the first time, strengthened himself by the tears of repentance, and all the sacraments. And when, thinking that he was about to be plunged into the abyss, he learned from the bystanders that he was to be dragged through the town to die on the gibbet, he- conmienced dianting, in a loud voice, ' We praise thee, O Lord,* and the Hymn of the Angels. Then he wished to be dragged to the gibbet, like Clmst to the cross ; but owing to the women and children weeing round him, he was not allowed to be stripped entirely. The Saracens^ moreover, bound his holy hands and feet and covered his eyes, and his head was placed near the tail of the animal which dragged him,, that any^ dung proceeding from the animal might defile his holy head. But again, that brute animal, though goaded with spurs, could not be made to move, until this chsunpion of the Lord had finished the psalm and prayer he had begun, and leave was given him to proceed, by the bishop himself. And thus these Saracens dragged him to the gallows, through the castle of St. Plamiano, as though he were an ignoble ple- beian, the refuse of the vile, or a perfidious parricide, an assassin, a manstealer, or a nocturnal ravager of the fields. Amongst other things, he did indeed confess to Christ, and to the Minorite brethren who stood around, that the prompt- ings of human frailty urged him, if he could do so, to escape the martyrdom which he had desired when he was at liberty ; and he himself continued openly to confess this and some other trifles which occurred to lus memory ; and dismissing from his heart all feelings of ofience against those who injured him, he patiently endured all the harm they were doing to him. He was hung on a gibbet on the first Simday of t£as present Lent, and near about the same hour as our Bedeemer ascended the cross. Guards having been stationed A.D. 1249.] LETTER AGAINST THE EMPEROR. 301 * near, he remained for three days suspended on the gallows^ till the Minorites at length stole his body ; the executioners^ however, extracted it from the tomb, an(^ after dragging it through the mud, again suspended it, not to be again removed without the special permission of the n^w Pilate, to the greater opprobrium of Christianity, the contumely of the clergy, the lasting disgrace of the order of the priest- hood, and the ruin of pontifical honour. The body of the martyr, although previously rotten from the insulting pu- nishments it was exposed to previous to burial, is now dis- tinguished by miracles, as the religious brothers testify who come from the place, and they positively assert that, al- though ten years have now elapsed, it does not emit any foul smell. The same statement is made by wise men with respect to Master Hugelin Remocdo, a worthy man, who, by a &lse step of his horse, was thrown to the ground, taken prisoner in battle, stripped by his impious enemies, and cruelly slain. Listen, ye Christian people, and see if there is any grief like that of the Church your mother, or, indeed, your own. For who has ever heard or seen any such proceeding, or any like it? What faithful servant of Christ, on reflecting on these things, can contain his tears, or check his groans and sighs ? Can there be any hearts so hard as not to grieve and be sorrowful, when struck with the ham- mer of such great cruelty ? Will not the stony hearts of some Christians be crushed, liid their adamantine breasts not be cloven, and moved to compassion ) Wliere is the zeal of Christian faith ? where is the fire of the love of Christ, who is now suspended in the person of his minister and high priest ? As he said to Peter, * Go to Some, to be again crucified;' and to Saul, *Saul, Saul, why persecutest Qiou me?' and again, in the Grospel, concerning his disciples, he says, ' Whoever rejects you, rejects me ; "and whoever touches you, touches the pupil of my eye.' This wicked wretch, therefore, to add to his mass of wickedness, and to rebuke the hardness of our heart, which was scarcely excited at such horrid crimes, did not hesitate frequently to repeat similar offences, affirming, because his iniquities were fio fre- quently Committed without retaliation, that chaniy had grown entirely cold amongst Christians, that the bowels of affection had become dry in all of them, and that all zeal 302 KATTHEir PABIB. [A.IX 1249. for the fiuth had died away. For in about two yean lie oaofled the bishop of Giraoe, in Calabria^ to be drowned in a bath that was made too hot ; and in this year, too, in the city, at the Lateran, he caused the bishop of Cephaledi, in fifidly, of cherished memory, who had been expelled from his see by this said impioiis man for fifteen years, to be pot to death hy the sword, at the hands of a Sicilian bravo ; which prelate's yenerable hoary locks, after a Icmg sojourn in the cabin of poverty, under i^e chilling air of exile, were alrea^ sinking of themselves into the grave. The aforeflaid bravo had not only been sent for this purpose, but also, if he could, to lay his bloody hands on any one of the great pillazB of the Church. Nor is it to be wondered at, if he put to death the less distinguished prelates, when he fbrmeriy brought over hired murderers and assassins to slay the bo- preme vicar of Christ, and some brothers of Ids, and as he has already made similar attempts on some princes. Alas I how has the fear of Qod gone to sleep in Christian princes^ and how entirely lukewarm has the love of the Saviour be- oome. Some time ago, in the time of the Gentiles, if any demon who gave replies in idolatrous countries was denied worship by any one,.that person was torn to pieces and killed by many tortures ; and now &ith is despised, heretics begin to prevail, and are protected by this impious man. Heresies are preached in the dominions of this wicked wretch, i^pos- tates increase there, the enemies of the Lord are protected, the sacraments and keys of the Church are despised, ecde- oastical liberty is trampled upon, and no care is taken of souls. Some time since, When the Christian army, which, was intent on the capture of Babylon, was cut off from, retreat by the overflowing waters, was it not, by the kind- ness of the sultan, supplied with provisions, preserved in safety, and sent back home without injury ? and with that army were the bishops of Albano and Acre, of illustrious memory, some other bishops and prelates, and John de Brienne, king of Jerusalem, of illustrious memory. Was not John de Colonna, of illustrious memory, the cardinal priest who had gone to Greece with the emperor of Constantinople to recover possession of that country, and was made prisoner by Theodore Comnenus, was not he, I say, respectfully treated, and set at liberty ? See how the madness of this most cruel A.]>. 1249.] LETTEB AOAIK^ THE EMPEROB. 305 enemy, not content vnih theae evil deeds, has caused the eburches to be pro&ned by Saracens, tbe altars to be over- thrown, the sacred relics to be dispersed, and Christian vir- gins, widows, and married women to be violated in the holj places. Moreover, by his order, the Minorite brethren, and other religious men, who were travelling about amongst the Christian troops, to assign penances, and to bury the bodies of the slain, were slain by the swords of his impious follow- ers. Besides this, that the anger of the Lord might kindle more fiercely against this wicked man, the Saracens lately^ at Hamia^ in the sight of the multitude, dragged about at the ass's tail, the images of the Crucified One, the blessed Mary, and other saints. They afterwards cut off the legs and arms of the image of Christ, and fitted it and other images to their shield^ that the Christians might be obliged in battle to pierce them with their spears and arrows. Why, then, did the crusaders, paying no heed to these insane acts^ plough the rivers with their arm&f, or cross the sea to attack the Saracens or Tartars, who vent their fury at a distance, when their cruelty is considered much less than these pro- ceedings of his ? This villany of the Saracens should be first- exterminated, together with their leaders and abettors ; and afterwards let them proceed to others ; as the cause is at home, which is sought for abroad ; and now the pagan perse- cuticm is carried on in the very bowels of the Church, in the cloisters of the Christians, and within the bounds of Chris- tianity. It seems expedient that the perpetrators of such great crimes should be first expelled from Italy, lest the ser* pent should be cherished in the bosom, the mouse in the sack, and fire in the womb, and they should then proceed te &rther extremities. For the Lord has not chosen his people with regard to place, but rather the reverse, as appears firom St. Peter and the ot^er apostles leaving Jerusalem and pass- ing to the nations. Consider, therdbre, if there is any Omnisque potestas Impatlens conBortis erit. [No ruler brooks a partner in his power.] And in the same manner, also, it may be said, Omnisqne superbus Impatlens consortis erit. [No proud man brooks a partner.] What was more, their pride excited mutual hatred and envy amongst themselves ; by which their lord was much hindered in his progress, as will hereafter be fully stated. How the GaacoM were eubdued by the earl ofLeieeeter, About the same time, Simon de Montfort, earl of Leicester, either changing or putting off his design of pilgrimage (for he had assumed the cross), set sail to subdue the king's ene- mies in Gascony. He arrived in that province in great force, attended by a large body of troops, and supplied with a good sum of the royal money, and at once proceeded to attack the king's enemies, who had traitorously raised the he^l against him. He subdued Gaston, Bustein, William de Solaires, and all the more distinguished nobles of Bordeaux, and behaved with such bravery and fidelity that he deservedly obtained the praise and fiivour of all the king's friends, and . was said to take after his fiither in all respects. Capture of the brfore-mentioned Enaiui by the Boloynese* In the month of May in this year, as Frederick's natural son Ensius, king of Sardinia, was on an expedition through the neighbouring provinces of Bologna, for the purpose of doing injury to his enemies, in company with some Oremonese and people from Beggio, the Bolognese, having been fore- warned of his approach, laid an ambuscade, and made a sudden attack on him, as he was proceeding carelessly on his march, at the bridge of St. Aonbrose, which is half-way between Bologna and Cremona. A fierce conflict ensued, attended with no dight slaughter, and the party of Ensius was defeated, he himself being taken prisoner, with the prin- A.D. 1249.] OONGERNIKa SCHOOLS OF THE UKIYEBSITIES. 313 cipal persons of his retinue, to the number of about two hundred knights, and a great many of the Oremonese said inhabitants of Beggio, and a host of common soldiers, who were all carried off to Bologna to be imprisoned. Being exposed to the will of their enemies, and cruelly and inhu- manly treated, the prisoners, in order to obtain milder treat* ment, and procure some slight relaxation of the ligour of imprisonment, paid to the Bolognese the sum of eighteen thousand pounds of imperial money, which is worth as much as sterling money. Another 9, then, mth increased strength, which he had gained in all quarters, by giving money and granting full indulgence from sins, did much injury to Frederick, and recalled many nobles from their allegiance to him. How the Ciitereian monke held echoole of the univenitiee. About the same time, too, the Cistercian monks, that they might no longer be held in contempt by the Preacher and Minorite brethren, and secular learned men, especially lawyers and decretalists, obtained a new privilege. For this purpose, they erected noble buildings for themselves at Paris and elsewhere, where schools flourished, in order to hold schools for the study of theology, decretals, and laws, 314 KATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1249. that ^ey might not appear inferior to others ; for, the world having now become more elate with pride, despised the reli- gion of the cloisters, and aimed at the despoiling of religioiis men of their property ; and thos, owing to the wickedness of the world, the rigour of the monastic order was in a mea- sure enervated ; for we do not read that this emanafbed fixnn the role of St. Benedict, who, as witness St. Gregory, is said to have existed in the spxit of all the saints ; what is moie, we read and sing of him that he abandoned literary stadies, and determined to seek the desert. Tke mtiromzaium o/Bom^faeet arehbuhop of Canterhay, On the day of All Saints, Boni&ce, archbishop of Canter- bury, was enthroned with great honour and pomp, in the presence of the king and queen, and almost all the prelates of England, who had been convoked for this great solemnity. As the king was hastening tiiither, with his attendants, Jolm Mansel, his special coundUcnr, was taken seriously ill at Maid- stone, being, as was stated, infected with poison, from the effects of -^^ch he suffered for two days, and was with diffi- culty snatdied £rom the gates of death by the diligent core of the physicians. Qf on ttneertain report wMch was spread. About this time, rumours became Sequent, we do not know whether they were true, although eloquent letters were sent to the king on the matter, of the conversion of the king of the Tartars. These letters above mentioned, the careful reader may find in the book of Additamenta. The return qfthe hishop itf Norwich ftrom the Roman court. About this time, Walter, bishop of Norwich, returned from the Boman court, having, as was reported, obtained an in- famous privilege to extort money from his bishopric Tike reporM capture qf Xkimietta, About Michaelmas, and afberwards, the most joyful reports gained ground throughout the countries of the West, and the first person who brought them to England was Boniface, archbishop of Canterbury, who arrived on the feast of St. Matthew : these were, that the most Christian king of the French, having landed on the coast in great strength, had repulsed and conquered the Saracens, and taken Damietta ; A.D. 1249.] OF CERTAIN SUPEBHATUEAL BIRTHS. 315 and that we might be more firmly convinoed of this iBuct, the king of England received a letter, which may be found in the book of Additamenta. The aswmbUng of the brethren of the Black order. About the same time, on the feast of St. Calixtus, the abbats of the Black order, or their proctors, assembled at Bermondsey, where, by God's inspiration, a reformation, the particulars of which will be found in the book of Addita- menta, was agreed on by common consent. One thing, how- ever, worthy of note, and which is not contained amongst those statutes, I think ought not to be passed by, which was^ that the king, although he made no allowance to them for so doing, obtained from all of them that, at the mass which is daily chanted tin their churches in honour of the Blessed Virgin, the collect commencing, ^ O Crod, in whose hands are the hearts of kings," should be read on behalf of him and the queen daily. Cfa stone which bore thefoofmarhe of a nuau About this time, too, the Preacher brethren brought to England a stone of white marble, which had been in the Holy Land since the time of Christ, and which bore the im- pression of our Saviour^s foot on it, which, as if it were made of soft wax, plainly showed the form of half a human foot. This impression or shape, the inhabitants of the Holy Land declare to have been the footmark of Christ, when about to ascend to heaven, after taking leave of his disciples^ that by this sign might be perpetuated to his disciples the memory of him whom they there looked upon for the last time on earth, and whom they would not see again till he should come to judge the world. Li the same way, also, Christ is said to have made the impression of his £ayce, which he is reported to have done for St. Veronica, that his memory might be cherished on earth. The king presented this noble gift to the church of Westminster, as he had lately done the blood of Christ. €f certain supernatural births. About the same time, there was found in the Isle of Wight, a small boy, named John, who was not a dwarf^ inas- much as his limbs were of just proportions, but although eight years old, did not increase in size at all, being scarcely I 316 H MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1249. three feet high ; and the queen, to excite the astomshment of beholders, ordered him to b6 taken about with her as a natural prodigy. About the same time, too, in the territory of the earl of Hereford, on the confines of Wales, a male child was bom, begotten by a demon, as was reported, and, within half a year, was entirely supplied with teeth, and grew to the height of a young man about seventeen years old ; his mother, after giving birth to him, was seized with illness, pined away, and died. Both of these children were prodigies of nature, the one exceeding the natural size of a human being, and the other not attaining to it. Qfajouaimg^match held at Bradley. About this time, a jousting-match was held at Brackley, at which many of the knightly community of England, who are \ised to be called Bachelors, were injured. Bichard, earl of Gloucester, who had always made it a practice to oppose the foreigners, and to espouse the cause of the natives of England, at this tournament joined these foreigners, to the great injury of his cause and honour ; for by his so doing, the party of the English suffered a defeat, and in the conflict, William de Valence, the king's brother, with the assistance of the said earl, overcame and badly injured William de Odingesseles, a bold knight belonging to the Bachelors' com.- munity. I%e consecration of Walter o/Kiriham, ae bishop of Durham, On the first Sunday in Advent, Walter de Kirkham, bishop elect of Durham, was consecrated at York by Walter, archbishop of that city, whose suffiragan bishop he was. Cfthe dispute between the abbat of Westminster and his convent. About the same time, a dissension arose between the abbat of Westminster and the brethren of his convent, which, brought scandal and disgrace on the whole of the Black order, the cause and particulars of which are fully related ia the book of Additamenta. By the intervention, however, of the king, who had a special regard for that convent, a peace and concord of some kind or other was re-established between thein. A.D. 1249.] HOW ROBERT PASSLOW ABANDONED THE COURT. 317 €tf another dispute^ which occurred between the abbot of Peterborough and hie convent. To increase the aforesaid cause pf scandal, a dissension broke out at tliis same time between William, abbat of Peterborough, and his conventual brethren ; for although called to ax^count concerning his expenditure of money in the enrichment of his relations, by an immoderate number of whom he was surrounded, which caused enormous loss^to his church, he did not amend his fetult; and the brethren, grieved at this, applied to the bishop of Lincoln, who was always ready and willing to punish those who strayed from the right path, and laid before him a heavy complaint of their abbat's excesses. The latter being proved guilty of the charge, and seeing that his deposition was imminent, resigned, as if of his own free will, his office and dignity of abbat, into the hands of the bishop ; whereupon a portion of that abbacy, comprising one manor, was assigned to him, although he did not deserve it, that he might live honestly and honourably, like a hermit, in repentance ; but the king^s agents were immediately sent thither by him, who, bent on gain, and gaping after the revenues of the abbacy, set them- selves to work to pillage and ruin that house. The king, moreover, was highly enraged, and wished for an opportunity of acting against that house, because he had been told that the monks persecuted their abbat, and blamed him, because he was &vourable and liberal to him, the king. The election of John of Caen ae abbat of Peterborough, The brethren, then, in order to avert the anger of the king, who was confiscating all their property, at his wish and command, elected, willingly or imwillingly, as their abbat, John of Caen, prior of the church of St. Swithin, at Win- chester (although he belonged to another order, and was a foreigner by birth, being a Norman), How Rofiert Paselow abandoned the court. On the Thursday before the feast of St. Lucia, Robert Passlow (of whom much mention has been previously made in this volume), in detestation of the fickle changes of the court, flew to reap the firuits of a better life, and was promoted to the rank of the priesthood ; in consequence of which, the 318- MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1249. bishop of Ely gave him the rich church of Derham, which had belonged to Jeremiah, a lately-deceased clerk of the king's. The king, however, pursued with inexorable hatred both the bishop the giver, and Robert the receiver, because the bishop did not voluntarily bestow that church on Ailxnar^ the king^s brother. Earl Roger Bigod order* the count qf Guisne to be taken. In this same year, the count of Guisne being on his way through England to go to the king. Earl Boger Bigoc^ hearing of the &ct, ordered him to be made prisoner, and the count, on becoming aware of this order, made a severe com- plaint about it to the king. Earl Boger was therefore sum- moned, and, in reply to the charge, said publicly to the king : ** My lord, when I was sent to the council of Lyons as a messenger £rom you and the whole kingdom, and was peaceably travelling through the territory of the count de Guisne, having incurred much expense, I felt assured that I should receive from him some honour and consolation, out of bis respect for you, and in return for the many kindnesses often done to him by us ; &r differently, however, did he act ; for, to my loss and disgrace, or rather yours, he forcibly stopped the progress of my horses and followers, untH he had extorted a toll Q. know not for what or on what grounds), as much as his agents chose to demand, nor did he spare me, out of d-vility or respect to you. When, therefore, the count came to this side of the Channel, and was passing through my territory, I, with justice, retaliated on him ; for I hold my territory from you, my lord king, as freely as he does his from the Erench king, and I am an earl as well as he ; and whence does he derive his right to practise this system of robbery, namely, of selling the roads and the air to travellers f* The count de Guisne, on hearing this, was sUent for shame, and could not reply with any reason' to the charges. When the said count's proceedings came to the knowledge of the pious French king (they happened a little while after the council), he gave a yearly allowance to the said count, that he might not incur any loss, and ordered the aforesaid toU, as disgraceful as it was injurious, to be abandoned. The dedication of the church qfBeaulieu, In this year, the abbat of Beaulieu, with great solemnity. A.D. 1249.] CONVERSION OF THE KING OF THE TABTABS. 319 dedicated his church in the presence of King iELenry (whose &ther, King John^ had founded and built the same), and of Earl Bichard, his brother, and many other nobles and pre- lates. On this solemnity, he expended five hundred marks and more ; but the king did not, on that account, spare him, but compelled the said abbat to pay him a very heavy fin^ for an offence he was reported to have committed against him, in respect of his occupation oi the forest land. The aforesaid abbat, moreover, to the great loss of his church, sent twenty picked monks and thirteen brothers, to inhabit th^ new house of the Oisterdlan order, which Earl Hichard had lately founded near Wychecombe, to fulfil a vow which he had made when at sea. BeporU qfthe conversion of ike Hng qfthe Tartars, About the same time, the most gratifying reports became frequent ; namely, that the most potent king of the Tartars, influenced by iJie diligent preaching and persuasions of Peter, an Indian monk of the Black order (of whom much mention has been previously made in the letters about the Tartars), was converted to Christianity and baptized, on account of the purity, honesty, and perfect holiness which are preached and taught in it. The said king also sent con- solatory messages to the French king, who was staying at Damietta^ encouraging and persuading him vigorously to carry on the war against the Saracens, and to purify the whole land of the East from their impurities ; and he also promised effectual and speedy assistance, as a faithful Catholic and baptized novice of Christ. The letter concerning all these matters, which, translated frt)m the Arabic into Latin and French, was sent to the French king, is fully given in the book of Additamenta. The French kmg was delighted at this addition to the Christian fidth, and sent him a valuable chaplet of his own, and some cherished relics, and also sent some of the Preachers and Minorites to obtain fuller information on the matter. At the same time, also, some other fidse reports, invented to comfort the Christians, and perhaps to animate the Crusaders to set sail and join the French king, flew through the kingdoms on this side the sea. The chief disseminator of these reports was the bishop of Marseilles and some illustrious Templars ; and as they 320 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1249. were committed to writing under their seals, they were more credited ; but when the truth of the matter was known, people were more deeply wounded by them. However, the rei^peared to be truth in them, so far that the Saracens and their chiefs, after the capture of Damietta, were stupified, and offered to give up to the Christians whatever territory had ever belonged to them, and more in addition, provided that they would restore to them iminjured the city of Damietta and the territories they had now taken ; but the pride of the count of Artois did not allow of this, nor would he agree to any of the terms offered by the humiliated ^Saracens, imless the Christians were allowed to retain peaceable possession of Damietta, and to take Alexandria besides ; and to these heavy conditions the Saracens would by no means consent ; wherefore we believe that the Lord was offended ; for the Christians crossed the sea for no other purpose than to gain possession of Christ's inheritance. The Saracens, conversing amongst themselves, said : '^ Wait awhile, wait ; this pride and avarice, which are especially hateful to Jesus Clmst their God, will destroy them all ;" ^tnd so it turned out, as the following history will fully show. Of the lamentable death qfthe king of Scotland, On the 3rd of July in this year, died Alexander, king of Scotland, a wise and modest man, who, after reigning justly, happily, and in peace for many years, towards the latter part of his life, instigated by avarice, was reported to have wandered from the path of justice. Seeking some op- portunity of venting his fiuy, he conceived violent anger ^igainst one of the higher nobles of his kingdom, named Owen of Argyle, a bold and accomplished kmght ; and as he designed to disinherit him, he accused him of treachery, in that, during the year last past, he had done homage to the king of Norway, for the tenure of an island belonging to that king, which the &ther of the said Owen had held from the same king, and had peaceably enjoyed possession of for many years, on condition of doing such homage ; which island was situated between the Orkneys and Scotland. Owen, therefore, in alarm at the threats of the Scotch king^ his lord, signified to him that he would render the full ser- vice which he owed, both to the king of Scots as well as to A.D. 1249.] OP VABIOUS DEATHS. 321 the king of Norway ; and when the Scotch king replied in anger, that " no man could serve two masters," he received for answer from the said Owen, that any one could properly serve two lords, when the lords themselves were not hostile to one another. On this the king of Scotland raised an army for the purpose of attacking hun, but Owen, fearing to offend him, entreated that he might be allowed time to resign his homage and the aforesaid island to the king of Norway. This being refused him, the wanton cruelty of the king of Scots became apparent, whereby he incurred the anger of God and St. Columkil, who lies buried and is held in honour in those parts, and of many nobles. The king then defied the said Owen, and pursued him by sea as far as Argyle, stimulated, it is said, by iu*gent importimities of a certain indiscreet bishop of Strathune, a brother of the order of Preachers ; but, on leaving his ship, before he could mount his horse, as if by a visitation of divine vengeance, he was seized with a sudden and mortal disease, and whilst thus wishing to disinherit an innocent man, he breathed forth the breath of life and his ambition together. Death of Hugh Brunt ^fl*"^ of March, In the same year, after the French king had landed at Damietta, Hugh Brun, earl of March, was released from all worldly troubles. This noble was deservedly but little la- mented, because l^e plotted treachery in Poitou against his son-in-law, the king of England, who trusted in him, inas- much as, after sending for him thither, he fraudulently sold him to the French Jang. However, it is to be charitably hoped that he expiated that and all his other crimes op. this his pilgrimage. Death qfthe count of St. Giles, or, of Toulouse. In this year, as the summer was drawing to a close, the cause of th^ pope declined, and became weakened in no ^ight degree, and the good fortune it had experienced at the com- mencement of the contest with Frederick began to change. Moreover, William of Holland, who during the pope's life had been raised to the dignity of king of Germany, having been defeated by Frederick's son Conrad, had taken to flight and concealed himself. Raymond, count of St. Giles or Toulouse, a courageous and circumspect knight, and a great VOL. II. Y 322 MATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1249. Mend of the pope, was taken seriously ill, and in great danger, and sent back to the pope the money intrusted to hitn by his holiness for the purpose of making war on. the enemies of the Church, and especially the count of Savoy ; for he declared that he was oppressed by a heavy and deadly disease, that he was expecting death, and that there only remained to him the tomb. He therefore nobly made his will, and ordered his body to be buried in the house of the nuns at St. Evraud, at the feet of King Bichard^Vhose rela- tion he was ; and, with his body, he bequeathed five thou- sand pounds of silver to that house. The death of Peter de Geneure, In the same year, also, died Peter de Geneure, a Proven9al by birth, and, although of humblie origin, a great friend of the king's, who proved the same by his deeds, for he had given to the said Peter the noble Lady Matilda, the hand- some daughter of William de Lacy, together with all her inheritance, and the honours contingent to her, in Lreland j and by this lady he had a son and daughter. The death of Master Simon the Norman. In this year, too, died Master Simon the Norman, formerly the king's chief adviser, and the master and keeper of the royal s^ ; who, although he had been proud, yet at last he incurred the king's anger for the honourable course he fol- lowed. For when the king wished to give a charter to Thomas, count of Flanders, which was contrary to the dig- nity of his crown, and tended to the enormous injury of the kingdom of England, the said Simon refused to sign it on any account. In this he was faithful, and deserved praise, and by this deed all his other acts of violence were rendered excusable. The death of William of Durham. In the same year, also, there died at Rouen, on his return from the Roman court. Master William of Durham, a man much distinguished by his learning, and abounding in many revenues, although he eagerly craved more. He had been rector of the noble church of Wearmouth, situated near the sea ; and immediately on his death the king so effectually managed matters that that church was given to his brother Ailmar, without any inquiry being made in the matter. A.i>. 1249.] DEATHS OF SEVERAL FRENCH NOBLES. 323 This Ailmar, on account of the abundance of his revenues, especially in the northern parts of England^ appointed Martin De Sainte-Oroix to be his seneschal, a derk and a prudent man. 7%c death qf Roger Fitz-John, In the same year, about Whitsuntide, died one of the noble barons of the north of England, named Boger Fitz- John, who left a little son as his heir, the charge of whom the king gave to William de Valence, his brother, although the mother wished to purchase the guardianship of the child for twelve hundred marks. The mother's name was Ada de Baliol, and the child had received the name of N. Cfthe deaths qf several qfthe French nobles. Whilst the French king had been passing the winter in Cyprus, there departed to the Lord several illustrious French crusaders, to enumerate whom would be tedious and imper- tinent to the history of the English : many also died on the journey, both by land and sea. Amongst them there died, on board ship, near Cyprus, the noble bishop of Noyon, the count Palatine, and one of the twelve peers of France. There also died on the journey, at Avignon, Hugh de Chate- lion, count of St. Paul and Blois, who was killed by a stone hurled from a mangonelle, at Avignon, in the contest which the king was engaged in with the citizens of that place, before he set sail ; a sad presage of the prosecution of the crusade; for there was -not in the whole French army a more noble man, or one more powerful in battle. He had in his retinue fifty chosen knights as his standard-bearers in battle, but when he died, all of them were dispersed and left desolate. This Count Hugh had built a handsome ship at Inverness, in the county of Murray, and in the kingdom of Scotland, in which he might be able to cross the sea with the Bolognese and Flemings, and those commonly called men of Avalterre ; but all these preparations were cut short before completion, as a weaver cuts his web. There also died at Cyprus, John de Dreux, a yoimg man most brave in war, the flower of all his family, and of most noble extraction, as a feital and mournful prognostic of the future. Besides these, other nobles, of both sexes, died, who were taken iU owing to the change of food and air, which nature generally dreads, t2 324 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1250. and flew like martyrs to the celestial kingdoms. We have thought proper to make mention of them in this book, be- cause they ended their lives happily for the advancement of the cause of the Church universsd, and in the service of the cross. How the king kept Ckriitnuu at Wmchetter, Anno Domini 1250, the thirty-third year of the reign of Eling Henry the Third, he spent Christmas at Winchester, where, according to custom, he celebrated the festivities of that season with great solemnity. On the day after, he breakfasted with William, the bishop of that city, whom he now generally became the guest o^ wishing to give him plea- sure by the honour of his presence. He afterwards hastened to London, where he consummated the feast of St. Edward with due solemnity, having summoned thither Boni^eu^ archbishop of Canterbury, who performed mass there ; seven bishops, and a great many nobles of the kingdom. The eountees of Cornwall gives birth to a son. About the same time, in the Christmas week, Cynthia^ countess of Cornwall, the wife of Earl Eichard, presented him with a son, at Birkhampstead, to baptize whom the earl sent for Boni&ce, archbishop of Canterbury, the child's uncle. The infetnt received the name of Edmimd, in honour of St. Edmund the Confessor, formerly archbishop of Can- terbury. The death of the iing*i councillor Jeremiah. Within the same Christmas week, also died Jeremiah Caxton, a clerk, and especial councillor of the king's. TTift rich church was at once given by the bishop of Ely, to Ro- bert Passlow, in hopes that he would, after a long fruitless life, become a holy priest. Of the heavy fine imposed on Walter de Clifford, About the same time, too, Walter de Clifford, who was one not of the least importance amongst the barons of the Welsh borders, either in power, wealth, or liberties, was accused before the king, of having, in contempt of the said king, violently and improperly treated his messenger, who bore his royal letters, and of having forced him to eat the same, with the seal Walter, being proved guilty of this before the king, did not dare to stand trial, but threw himself on A.D. 1250.] MEETING AT LEICESTER. 325 the king's mercy, whereby he, although with difficulty, escaped death or disinheritance, but lost his liberty and all the money he possessed or could procure, amounting to about a thousand marks, and was then allowed to return home without being imprisoned, on the bail of some especial secu- rities. The re'estahliakmmt qf peace between the abbot qf Westminster and hie convent. At the same festival, the king diligently employed all the means in his power to effect the re-establishment of peace between the abbat of Westminster and the conventual as-r sembly of the same place ; for the scandal caused by this dis- cord was wafted abroad, and had infected the whole religious community, indeed the whole country; and the king had been told that he had exposed himself to trouble and ex- pense to no purpose in the rebuildrag of the church of West- minster — ^that is, in the carving and putting together of the stones — ^if the persons belonging to the church, namely, the shepherd and his flock, the abbat and his conventual bre- thren, who are usually the living stones in such a noble building, were so irregularly at variance. Thus, by the in- tervention of the king, who had a regard for that church, peace was re-established amongst them. How the bishop of Lincoln cited the religious men qfhis diocese. About the same time, too, that inde&tigable persecutor of religious men, Robert, bishop of Lincoln, cited all the reli- gious men of his diocese to assemble at Leicester, on St. Hio lary's day, there to hear a mandate from the pope'; for he, the bishop, with his utmost endeavours, aspired to recall into his own power, which would be injurious to many people, the churches and revenues of the religious men throughout his dio- cese (to the holding of which the said religious men had not the consent of the chapter, nor had they any documents giving evident proof in the matter) ; and to obtain this end, he had, at the expense of a large sum of money, sent Master Leonard, his clerk, a frequent messenger to Rome, to the Boman court. This court, as I have said before, was like a gul^ and had the power and made a custom of swallowing up the revenues of all persons, indeed, almost all the pro- perty which bishops and abbats possessed. The letters con^ 326 HATTHEW PiJtIS. [aJ>. 1250. taining this privilege of the bishop may be found in the book of Additamenta. How many qfthe EnglM nohles crossed the sea. About the same time, many of the nobles of the kingdom set sail from England ; but the reason of their doing so was not made known to any of the people. Amongst them were Earl Richard, the earl of Gloucester, Henry Hastings, a baron, Roger de Thurkby, and many others : of the prelates, the bishops of Lincoln, liondon, and Worcester, and jdth them the archdeacons of Oxford and Bedford, and many other clerks, from the diocese of Lincoln. Earl Richard travelled through the kingdom of France, accompanied by the countess his wife, and his eldest son Henry, and a nu- merous suite, and attended by a large retinue, in great pomp, consisting of forty knights, equipped in new accoutrements!, all alike, and moimted on beautiful horses, bearing new har- ness, glittering with gold, and with five waggons and fifiby sumpter-horses ; so that he presented a wonderful and honourable show to the sight of the astonished French be- holders. He was met on his arrival by the honourable Lady Blanche, with the highest respect, who expressed her joy at seeing him, and offered him handsome presents, as one rela- tive to another, or rather as mother would do to a particu- larly-beloved son. The bishop qf Lincoln goes to the Roman court. The cause of the bishop of Lincoln's crossing the sea was clear to all ; for, although an old man, he perseveringly endea- voured to bend to a strict obedience to his will the religious men whom he had summoned, as before mentioned, to hear the pope's mandate, and who had appealed to the Apostolic See against his unheard-of oppressions. The exempt abbats, as well as Templars and Hospitallers, had all appealed, and many others, who afberwai^ds, by the agency of money, wisely purchased peace for themselves from the pope, according to the words of the heathen poet, Jadicis aqxilinm sab iniqua lege rogato. [The judge's aid is sought when laws are harsh.] When this became known to the bishop, afler his great expenditure of money and useless trouble, he went to the pope A.D. 1250.] MANY NOBLES SELL THEIB FABMS. 327 in sorrow and concision, and thus addressed him ; '* My lord and holy Either, I bln^ at being defeated in my purpose, for the effecting of which I confidently relied on your letters and promises, and now I am deceived in my expectations, for those whom I believed I had subdued have gone away free, to my disgrace and confusion." To this the pope is said to have replied^ with a scowling look, ** Brother, what is it to you? you have fireed your soul; we have done them a favour. Is thine eye evil because I am good ?" The bishop, then, with a sigh to himself " Oh money, money, how mu^ power ymL have, especially at the Homan court ;" but being overheard by the pope, his holiness was exasperated, and replied, " Oh ye l&iglish, most wretched of men are you. Each one of you gnaws his neighbour, and' endeavours to impoverish his feUow. How many religious men, who were subject to you, like sheep, your native countrymen, and yoTU* domestics, whiLst intent on prayer and showing hos- pitality, have you laboured to depress, in order to satisfy your tyranny and cupidity out of their property, and to enrich others, perhaps foreigners." Thus baffled, the bishop went away amidst the insulting cries of all present, and that he might not appear to have effected notlung, he pro^ ceeded with some other business. How many of the nobles of England sold their farms. • In this year, Eoger de Monthaut, one of the higher rank of nobles in the kingdom of England, assumed the cross, and let the share which he held in the woods and other revenues at Coventry to the prior and convent of that place on fee- farm, for a large sum of money, in order to provide himself with travelling necessaries ; he also alienated much of his other property, and a great quantity he sold entirely ; as also did other nobles, both on the continent and on this side the Channel Besides this said Eoger, a great number of the English nobUity, prelates as well as Imights, assumed the cross about this same time, for the purpose of promoting the cause of the cross, and following and assisting the French king ; amongst these were the bishops of Worcester and Hereford, the earls of Leicester and Hereford, Geoffirey de Luci, Eobert de Quincy, and many others, too numerous to mention. Great numbers, too, who, through fear of the 328 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1250. wiles of the Boman court, refused to receive the sign of the cross publicly, or to wear it on their shoulders, secretly and firmly determined and vowed to assist the Holy Land with all their devotion and strength. Of the sufferings qfthe Parmans, About the same time, the power of Frederick increased so much that, after having expelled William of Holland and Peter Oabouche, his ambassador, many nobles submitted to him, and tendered him their allegiance. The Parmans and Beggians, too, as well as the Bolognese and other rebels, were so closely pressed by him, that they did not dare to show themselves far from their city, through fear of Mling into his toils ; wherefore the merchants of those citizens, who usually abounded in wealth, owing to the hinderance to their markets, the blockading of the ports, and the stoppage of the roads, were now in a state of want, and began to wi^ for peace with Frederick, and to detesfc this papal war ; many, too, we^e urged to this by the constant patience and humiliation' ol^ Frederick, and the satis&ction which he was said to have offered with .due devotion to the pope ; for he desired, and humbly asked permission, to make war on the enemies of Christ, and to fight for the Church in the Holy Land, for the remainder of his life, at least until he could, by force of arms, restore to the Christians whatever posses- sions had belonged to them at any time, on condition that his son Henry, the nephew of the king of England, whom he loved above all his other children, should be allowed to rule the empire after him. He, moreover, offered to restore much of the Church's property, of which it had been de- prived, and to recompense it for its losses. To these offers, however, the pope obstinately persisted in the reply, that he would on no account so easily restore to his former con- dition him whom the general council of Lyons had deposed and condemned. By some it was positively affirmed, that the pope eagerly desired, above all things, to overthrow Frederick, whom he called the great dragon, in order that, he being trampled under- foot and crushed, he might more easily trample down the French and English kings, and the other kings of Christendom (all of whom he called " petty princes," and " the little serpents "), who would be A.D. 1250.] THE KING ASKS PARDON OF THE CITIZENS. 329 frightened by the case of the said Frederick, and might despoil them and their prelates of their property at his plea- sure. These speeches, together with the enormous deeds which bore powerful evidence to the meaning of his words, generated offence in the hearts of many, and strengthened the justice of Frederick's, so that his cause began to improve daily. Calculation of the wealth o/B,, archbishop of Canterbury . About this same time, the bishops of the province of Can- terbury met at Oxford, to reckon whether the money collected throughout their bishoprics for the use of the archbishop of Canterbury amounted to the sum allowed to him. This they knew from the collectors appointed in each of the dioceses ; but the archbishop appointed many more, in order that all expenses might be reckoned to his benefit. The bishops, therefore, although unwillingly, granted what he demanded, as they saw that the pope was Sivourable to him in everything. How the king asked pardon qfthe London citizens fir his firmer proceedings. On the Sunday next preceding the feast of St. Perpetua and Felicitas, by order of the long, all the citizens of Lon- don, with their families, even to the boy of twelve years old, assembled before him at Westminster, in the great palace, which is called the great hall, and such was their number, that the hall, as well as the palace, was filled to crowding by the assembled multitude. When they were all assembled, the king humbly, and as if with rising tears, entreated that each and all of the citizens would with mouth and heart forgive him for his anger, malevolence, and rancour towards them ; for he confessed openly, that he often, and his agents ofbener, had done them manifold injury, by unjustly ts^ing from them and retaining possession of their property, and by often violating their liberties, for which he now begged them to grant him their pardon. The citizens, therefore, seeing that it was not expedient for them to act otherwise, assented to his request ; but no restitution of the property taken from them was made to them. The king and many qfthe nobles assume the cross* On the same day the king received the cross at the hands 330 MATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1250. of Boniface, archbishop of Canterbury, and the same arch- bishop afterwards bestowed that holy symbol on some of the nobles ; amongst whom were Fitz-Nicholas, the king's sene- schal ; William de Valence, his uterine brother ; Pointz Pepper, a special councillor of his ; and many other nobles and oourtiers. The abbat of St Edmimd's, whose name was Edmimd too, to the derision of all, setting a pernicious example to the monks, and to the injury of the holy order, violated every vow, and also assumed the cross ; also John Maunsel and Philip Lovel, the king's clerks and councillors, and many others too numerous to mention. Some evil in- terpreters of this presumed to assert that the king assumed the cross for no other purpose than that he might on that account forcibly extort money from the nobles who had for- merly refused it to him at his request, under the pretext of acquiring possession of the Holy Land and promoting the crusade ; but discreet and more reasonable persons reserved their opinion on these matters to be proved by his subse- quent proceedings. For it is the proper duty of a good mind to put the best construction on doubtful matters till the contrary is proved ; and who, except Grod, knows the thoughts of mortals ? The groimds'for this doubt were sup- plied by the pernicious example of the French king, who had scraped from his kingdom an immense sum of money, little however to his profit at the hands of an avenging God, in order to prosecute his pilgrimage ; but what the finoits were which he gathered from that proceeding, the following nar- rative will show. 0/ihe unanifnow determination of the Cntsaders. On the 27th April in this year, the chief men amongst the Crusaders of England met at Bermondsey, in London, to make arrangements for setting out on their expedition, as they declared that they would not fail to do so on the king's account. Lideed, they considered that it was imworthy of them to neglect the »edvation of their souls, and to put off their duty to the heavenly king for the service of any earthly king ; and they therefore appointed the feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist as the time for setting out. There were reckoned to have been there assembled five hundred knights with their followers, besides a countless multitude of A.D. 1250.] THE GASCONS SUBDUED. 331 dependants, and the people connected with them ; for all of the kingdom of Englaiid, and many of France, who had made their preparations before the king of England took the cross, were expecting this glorious movement. But the king, who like a vigilant spy had gained foreknowledge of these proceedings, by presents of money and promises of more, immediately obtained letters from the Homan court, by authority of which he might delay their departure at his plea- sure, till he, as being the chief leader in his own country, could proceed in great force to the countries beyond sea, that he might proceed there more becomingly and safely. To this the Crusaders replied, that it would be proper and safe for those who had assumed the cross before the king did so, who had supplied themselves with horses, arms, and travel- ling necessaries by pledging their land, sold much of their property, and taken leave of their friends, to set out on their jooimey first, and proceed in advance of him, and that they would thus meet with a more abundant supply of provisions; and the foreigners, seeing this, would say, " If so many peo- ple of such high rank come in advance of the noble king of England, how many are we to &ncy will accompany and follow Hm when he himself comes ?" and thus respect for the king would increase amongst his neighbours, and fear of him amongst his enemies. The threatening letters of the pope, however, and the imperious entreaties of the king changed all their purposes, and they remained. Although this proceeding was not praiseworthy at the time, yet on this occasion it afterwards turned out fortunate for them ; but because they did not, as they had eagerly desired, go to the assistance of the French king at an opportune time, the cause of the crusade, from one cause and another, languished and was unhappily ruined. How the Oascons who had rebelled against their lord were nibdued by the earl of Leieeeter* In the same year, Gascony was so far tamed by Simon de Montfort, earl of Leicester, that Craston de Biaid, the most powerful of the king's enemies, or one .of the most powerful was taken prisoner and humbled, and, at the (H*ders of the earl, he went to England, to his offended king, who was then staying at Clarendon, humbly to beg pardon for his life, 332 ^ MATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1250. limb, and tenement ; and there, throwing himself entirely on the king^s mercy, not his judgment, he met with clemency from him, although he did not deserve it : for kingly anger is conquered, and he is diverted from his vengeance when he sees that he has conquered his enemies ; according to these words of Ovid, — Corpora magnanimo satis est stravisse leoni ; Pugna suum finem, qwam jacet hostis, habet. [His victim slain, the lion is content ; The battle then is o'er, and all his rage is spent.] Through the said earl, therefore, the king took into his own possession certain castles belonging to the said Craston and his accomplices ; amongst which were those of Fronsac and Aigremont, and many others. After his humiliation, although only feigned, by the intercession of the queen, whose relation he made himself out to be, Gaston was received into such favour with the king that he was restored to the possession of his territory, although bound by the most strict conditions. The said earl^ studying to take after his noble father in all re- spects, and to f[>llow in his footsteps or to go beyond them, so checked the insolence of the king's rebeUious subjects at Bordeaux, and throughout the whole of Grascony, that he put to flight, disinherited, and condemned to bamshment William de Solaires, Bustein, and other proud men who were raising the heel against the king ; and many too he consigned to the gallows. How the Gascons had extorted by force a large turn of money from the king ^England. Be it known that, when the king was in Gascony, and thought to depart free, the Gascons, and especiaDy the people of Bordeaux, seeing that he was in a critic^ position, before they would allow him to depart, extorted from him a grant of forty thousand marks, for the fulfilment of which they also forced frt>m him his pledged word, lus oath, and also a charter. Afterwards, immediately on his arrival in England, the king screwed this money out of the prelates ; and thus impoverished England even after he had lost Poitou ; and therefore, as he hated the Gascons, he sold his treasure that he might be extricated. A.D. 1250.] TERMS OF PEACE OFFERED BY THE SULTAN. 333 Of the sally made by the French against the Saracens. On the Monday before Ash- Wednesday, the French army suddenly sallied forth in great force from the castles of Damietta, and, rushing on the Saracens who were besieging them, slew great numbers of them, and, after obtaining a victory, returned with their spoil, safe and rejoicing, to the city. On the following day they hoped to gain similar good fortune in battle, but as the numbers of the enemy had in- creased, they got the worst of the battle and lost ten times as much as the spoil they had rejoiced in on their return to the city the day before ; and returned covered with blood, wounded, and maimed, and with their numbers diminished. From that time the Saracens began to exult in their hearts and to carry their heads high before the Christians^ blocking up all the roads through the country in all directions ; and the sultan being now in better hope£f, collected galleys from Alexandria and the other places on the coast, whencesoever he could pix)cure them, and ordered a diligent watch to be kept over the seas, the coasts, and all pla^ from whence relief was open to the French, and used more than ordinary care to prevent provisions being brought to them. 0/the terms qf peace offered by the sultan. At length counsel having been taken, and conference held on both sides, the sultan sent word to the French king that, to settle all disputes, it would be wise for him to resign the city of Damietta with its supplies, which are commonly called " garnitures," and that the whole country of Jerusalem with the Christian slaves should be amicably restored to him, and he said that he, the king, ought not to aspire to anything more than the restoration of the Holy Land to the Christians. To this plan then many of the Christians, namely, those of the middle ranks and the lower classes, who were in need, and even some of the nobles, gave their con- sent, declaring that, if these terms of peace, humble as they were, were not agreed to, the pride of the nobles would in- jure the whole army. The king, on learning this, would have been inclined to this advice, had he not been obstinately op- posed by the pride of the count of Artois, who still demanded Alexandria besides ; but the sultan would not on^ any 334 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1250. account give up tliat city to the Christians (as it was a most noble ci^, and the resort of all the eastern and southern merchant), nor, as he stated, would the Alexandrians or Egyptians suffer it. How great numbers qfthe French died by famine and the sword. The condition of the French, who were besieged on all sides, now began to deteriorate in no sUght degree, for they,— who were usually clean and delicate in their food and drink, — were now obliged to eat impure and hateful food , nor could Frederick, or any Christian prince &om the neighbouring countries, assist them. To sum up briefly, they were so much pressed for provisions, tiiat, in Lent, they were obliged to eat even their valuable horses, which were very necessary to them : and this was a pitiable sight. And, what was worse^ a schism and hatred sprung up between the nobles and pie- beians, because the former had obstinately refused the reason- able terms of peace which had been offered. Moreover, the Saracen princes, detesting the frowardness of the Christians, became more firmly allied, and pressed them more closely than before ; hence, many of the Christians in this time of affliction secretly left the castles and the city, and joined the crowds of Saracens on mild conditions, and effectively opposed our people ; for the Saracens exultingly received them, and supplied them, as they were failing from hunger, with suf- ficient daQy allowances of food. Nevertheless great niun- bers of these Christian deserters, out of the tolerance of the Saracens, continued in their own faith and law, but some apostatized and adhered to their filthinesses, confirming it by doing homage to them ; and these were abundantly enriched, provided with wives and castles, and were raised to many honours; and these men did mortal injury to the Christians, Inasmuch as they revealed their secret designs to their enemies. How many of the French became apostates. The manifold want of the Christians having become fully known to the sultan by means of these apostates, he ironically sent word to the French king, asking him why he had brougbb in his vessels to the coimtries of the East, spades, pitchforks^ carts, ploughs, and other implements of tillage which he did not know how to use, as they would be destroyed by rust ? A.D. 1250.] HOW THE FAITH OP MANY WAVERED. 335 and stating that, if he, the Fr^ich king, would become his Mend, he would eaaly find plenty of support for his army whilst it stayed there, in the way of com, wine, oil, and meat. The king, however, although not without deep grie^ with- stood all the temptations of his enemies, and prudently con- cealed the wound of his heart under a calm countenance. The death of the eultam Soon afterwards the said sultan died, poisoned, as was said, by his own chamberlains, because he was become hateful to his own people and all the chiefs, his neighbours ; for he was proud, avaricious, and unjust to all. At hearing of this cir- cumstance the Christians rejoiced much, although they ought rather to have grieved ; because many of the Saracens only pretended to adhere to him, whilst they annoyed him in their concealed hatred. Soon afterwards, another sultan was ap- pointed in his place who possessed the good-will of almost all the people of the East ; this man vigorously, and even more fiercely than his predecessor, carried on the war against the Christians, and absolutely refused to gnmt the terms of peace which had been previously offered, and which almost all the Christians had desired and askecL From that time, the condition of the Christians began to deteriorate in no sUght degree, and their fame to become of small repute in the eyes of all the people of the East. How the faith of many wavered. Many, therefore, who were not firmly established in the Mth, now began to yield to despair, and give vent to blas- phemies, as well as to pine away firom hunger, and, sad to say, the Mth of many began to waver ; for they said to one another, " Why has Christ abandoned us who have hitherto fought for and with him ? Often are we now in our time defeated and put to confusion, and our enemies, indeed the enemies of Christ, triumph and glory in our blood, and the spoil taken from us. In the first place, when surrounded by the overflowing of the Nile, at Damietta, we were com- pelled to give up that city, which had been gained at the cost of so much blood. Again, near Antioch, the renowned knights of the Temple were defeated and dispersed, with the loss of their standard-bearer, who was decapitated. Again, a few years back, we were conquered by the Saracens at 336 MATTHEW PABI8L [A-B. 1250. Qazara, after baying been once redeemed by tbe Englishnian Earl Richard. Afterwards, ahnost tbe wbole Obristdan oomr mnnity in tbe Holy Land were cat to pieces by tbe Choros- minSy wbo polluted and destroyed all tbe pbuses wbic^ are called boly. And now, wbat is worse tban all, our most Cbristian king, wbo was miracnloosly raised from tbe dead, is exposed to ignominious peril, together witb all tbe nobility of fVanoe, and tbe Lord bas become as it were an enemy to ns ; and be wbo is nsoally called tbe Lord of Hosts is now, alas ! despised by bis enemies, as baying been so many times defeated. Wbat does oar devotion profit as ? wbat advan- tage do we gain from tbe prayers of religions men, and tbe almsgiving of oar friends ! Is tbe law of Mabomet better tban tbat of Cbrist )" And tbns tbe words of raving resounded from tbe tottering faith, and Lent seemed a time of punish- ment more tban of repentance. Of ike deteriorated eondUum qfthe Ckmreh's liberty. In tbe same year it happened tbat tbe bishop of Lincoln deprived a certain clerk in bis diocese, named Italpb, of bis benefice, because be was accused of incontinence, and as be refdsed, altbougb condemned, to give up tbe same, excom- municated him. As tbe clerk bad now lam under sentence of excommunication for more tban forty days, tbe bishop sent word to tbe sheriff of Rutland, in whose jurisdiction tbe said clerk dwelt, to take him prisoner and detain him as being contumacious ; but the sherifi^ wbo was a great friend of tbe said Ralph, eitber delayed or refused to do so ; for be was no friend to the bishop, as Seneca says, '^ He wbo delays for a long time, refdses for a long time.** Tbe bishop, tbere- fore, seeing tbe concealed hatred of tbe sheri^ solemnly ex- communicated him also, on which the sheriff in anger and shame, went to the king and laid a heavy complaint before him in tbe matter. "V^en he and his courtiers beard this, they were all much excited, and the king replied in anger, and witb a great oath, '' If any of my people had rendered themselves liable to forfeiture to this bishop, or to any one eke, be ought to have made his complaint to us ; but, as it seems, he holds me in contempt.** He therefore sent special messengers to the Roman court, where, by the agency of money, he quickly obtained tbe privilege contained in tbe following letter, to tbe prejudice of ecclesiastical liberty. A.D. 1250.] KBTUBN OF EARL RICHARD. 337 Thepope^s letter. " Iwnoeent the FaiMrth, bishopf ike, to his helovedl son the ahbcU of Westminster aJb Lomdon, greeti/ng, — ^We have freely- assented to the wish of our well-beloved son in Christy his highness the illustrious king of England, to show ourselves favourable to him in the matter which he with justice re- quires of us. Whereas, therefore, as has been stated to us on his behalf, some pontiff and other prelates, to the preju- dice and injury of him, the said king, compel the bailiff of his kingdom to plead their causes before them, at their pleasure, in matters which belong to the royal jurisdiction, and pronounce sentences of excommunication against them unless they do so, we, inclining to his entreaties, by authority of these oin'l etters, have thought proper strictly to forbid any archbishop, bishop, or other prelate of that kingdom, to compel his baUi£& to try their causes before them in matters which belong to the royal jurisdiction, or on that account to pronoimce such sentences against them. Wherefore, by these apostolic letters, we order you, in your discretion, not to allow the aforesaid king to be improperly annoyed by any of your commmuty in these mattora, in opposition to the purport of our prohibition. Evil doers, &c. &c Given at Lyons, this ninth of March, in the seventh year of our pontificate.** The king did this, not without incurring the blame of prudent men, because he had complained to the pope in the matter. The return qfEarl JUchard, On the Monday next before Eogation week. Earl Eichard arrived from the Boman court, and, on coming to London, was received with all honour and respect, in order that no less honour might be shown to him here than on the conti- nent. For the Lady Blanche had paid him all the respect in her power, and had opened the bosom of all France to him, and it was made known to all by the said earFs account, and that of his followers, how many and what great honours had been conferred on him by the pope on his arrival at Lyons. For on his approach to that city he had been met by almost all the cardinals and clerks of the Koman court, so that only one cardinal and a few clerks remained with the pope. And, what with his own followers and those who VOL. IL, z 338 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D; 1250. came to meet him^ there was such a press and assemblage of men and horses, and the number of his pompously-equipped retinue and his sumpter-horses was so great, that the citi- zens, as well as all who had come to the court to transact business, were astonished at the arrival of such a great prince. On his entering the house, the pope rose from his seat, and, going to meet him, saluted him, and, with respect- ful joy, received him in his embrace ; then^ assuming a calm countenance, he asked him to break&st with him on that day. This the earl willingly agreed to, and was placed at table at the pope's side, Bicha^, earl of Gloucester, being seated at no great distance ; they then partook of the ban- quet agreeably and courteously, and indulged in eating and drinking, intermingled with friendly conversation, after the custom of the French and English. Afterwards they held many secret and lengthened conferences between them ; and all who witnessed these proceedings wondered at them, and especially at the great and unusual hospitality of the pope. At the end of April, after having paid his devotions to St. Edmimd the Confessor at Fontignac, he joyfully returned, as above mentioned, to England. Of the variotu opinions entertained about the pope* s conference with Earl Richard. There now arose divers opinions and conjectures as to what this feimiliar and lengthened conference tended to, many asserting that the pope wished him, the earl, to assist in checking the insolence of the Greeks, and promoting their recall to the Koman domination, knowing that he was greedy and ambitious, and abounded in wealth, which he, the pope, wished to employ for that purpose. Others unhesitatingly declared that the pope studiously aimed at obtaining the f&Yowc of the earl, in order to meet with a fsivourable recep- tion in England, whither he wished to come. How Earl Richard purchased a cerfain priory. As the earl was returning by the abbey of St. Denis, he paid the abbat of that place a sum of money for the purchase of a certain priory in England, which belonged to the church of St. Denis ; this priory was called Hurst,* and is situated near Gloucester, at which some monks were then living. To this priory belonged eight rich villages, the church of which * Deerhurst, a Benedictine priory near Gloucester. A.D. 1250.] MIBAGL£ OF ST. EDMUin> THE CONFESSOB. 339 was worth about three hundred marks annuallj, together with a park and appurtenances, according to the return of one mark for every thirty shillings in the Bench. He procured the ratification of this sale and purchase at the Boman court, and, after his arrival in England, he imme- diately expelled the monks, destroyed all the buildings, and iLk Se priory into his own JoBsesdon. After t^s he did not fear any of his neighbours, especially religious men, but, relying on the pope's protection, disposed every- thing at will ; and thus the condition of the church began to grow worse daily. He also determined to build a castle there on the river Severn. Of the miracle worked by the arm qf St. Edmund the Confessor, In this same year, the monks of Pontignac, either wearied by the firequent arrival of pilgrims, especmlly English-women (for permission was not granted to any other woman to do so), who flocked in crowds to the tomb of St. Edmund, or stimulated by cupidity, horrible to relate, with rash pre- sumption cut off the right arm of the saint. But by this proceeding they did not prevent numbers of people of both sexes from flocking in crowds to see and worship his body ; and thus they were deservedly defeated in their purpose. Moreover, what seemed to be a defect of &ith, they had, from want of confidence or from pusillanimity, and also (saving the respect due to their order) fit)m want of faith, presumed to embalm in oil the body of the saint, which the Lord had hitherto preserved entire ; and whatever part of the body was so embalmed, was turned to a most foul colour. Reiterated reproaches were therefore heaped on the monks of Pontignac, and indeed on the whole Cistercian brother- hood, and many grieved that such a venerated body was placed in a church belonging to the Cistercians, considering that the bodies of saints >were gnarded with all reverence in the churches of the monks of the Black order. Oh rash presumption ! What the Lord had preserved entire and uncorrupt, man dared to mutilate. As the pious French king, when about to set out on his pilgrimage, replied, when a part of the body was offered to him, " It is not my plea- sure that what God has preserved entire should be maimed for me." Oh renewed want of feith ! What the Lord had z2 340 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1250. preserved tincorrupt and beautiful, these monks embalmed in oil, and thought to protect it better by such anointing ; wherefore the colour of flesh was changed into that of earth, and the Lord, justly enraged, began more rarely than usual to work these miracles, wldch were formerly of such frequent occurrence there. The venerated religion of the Cistercian prelates and clerks therefore became of small repute in the sight of the nobles ; and this is believed to have happened as a sad foreboding to all Christianity. How the king put a rettramt on the hofpitalitif qf his table. In this year the king, shamefully deviating from the track of his ancestors, ordered the expenses of his court and the amusements of his usual hospitality^to be lessened ; an inex- cusable act, and bringing on him even the charge of avarice. He also ordered the quantity of his usual alms and the nimiber of tapers in his church to be diminished. However, what was praiseworthy in him, he wisely freed himself from the debts in which he was involved to many merchants. Qf the fine in^osed on the Jews, About this time the king became dry with avaricious thirst, and, laying aside all mercy, he ordered money to be extorted from the Jews to such a degree that they appeared to be entirely and irreparably impoverished ; for he exacted from them whatever they had in their chests. However, wretched though they were, none of them deserved pity, for they were proved to have been frequently guilty of Halae coinage and forgery of seals. To be silent on the crimes of the rest of that community, we have thought proper to men- tion a &ct concerning one of them, that their wickedness may be more apparent to more people. Qfthe crime committed by a certain Jew. There was a certain moderately rich Jew, Abraham by name, but not Abraham in faith, who had a house and resort at Berkhampstead and Wallingford, for he was, for some improper reason or other, as was said, intimate with Earl Kichard. This man had a beautiful wife, and one who was faithful to him, named Floria ; and, in order to heap more insults on Jesus Christ, he purchased an image of the Blessed Virgin, handsomely carved and painted, as usual, and nurs- ing her son in her bosom. This image the Jew placed in A-D. 1250.] CONCERNING THE JEWS. 341 his privy, and wliat it is disgraceful and ignominious to mention, he, as if in blasphemy of the Virgin Mary, perpe- trated a most filthy and immentionable act upon it day and night, and caused his wife to do the same. But when, after some days, his wife saw this, she, by reason of her sex, was touched with sorrow, and, secretly going to the place, washed the dirt from the fece of the image, which was enormously defiled ; but when the Jew, her husband, found this out, he secretly and impiously smothered his wife. When these crimes were detected, and he was clearly proved guilty of themi^ although there were not wanting other grounds for putting him to death, he was thrust into the foulest dungeon of the Tower of London. In order to obtain his release, he faithfully promised to prove all the Jews of England to be base traitors; whereupon a heavy accusation was made against him by abnost all the othcF Je'^s of England, and as they endeavoured to cause him to be put to death, Earl Bichard spoke for ^ him. The Jews then accused him of money -clipping, and other heavy crimes, and offered the earl a thousand marks not to protect him, which, however, he refused, as the Jew was said to be a friend of his. The said Jew Abraham then gave the king seven hundred marks to free himself from perpetual imprisonment to which he had been condemned, and by the aid of Earl Eichard he efiected this. How justiciaries were sent to examine into the amount of money belonging to the Jews, The king, about this same time, sent justiciaries to examine into the whole amount of money which belonged to the Jews, both in debts due to them and the money they actually possessed ; with them also was sent a base and merciless Jew, in order that he might accuse all the others, even at the price of transgressing the truth. This man rebuked all Christians who lamented and grieved at the affliction of his fellow-Jews, and called the king's bailiff lukewarm and effeminate ; and, gnashing his teeth with fiiry at each one of them, he declared, with great oaths, that they could give twice as much to the king as they had done, although he lied in his teeth, and in order to injure them more effectually, he daily revealed secrets of theirs to the Christian agents of the king. 342 MATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1250. Of the death qfa certain Armenian in England, About the same time some Armenian brethren, who had been driven from their country by the devastationB of the Tartars, came to England on a pilgrimage. On their readi- ing St. Ives, one of them was seized with illness in that town and died, and was honourably buried near the fountain of St. Ivo, the water of which was said to possess great yirtoes. The said brethren were men of most honest life and of re- markable abstinence, passing all their time in prayer, having simple and sober-looking countenances, and wearing beards. The brother who died was their chief and niaster, and, as is believed, had been a most holy man and a biahop, and he now began to be distinguished by miracles. Of the large sum of money sent to the French king. About the same time a large sum of money was sent to the assistance of the French £ng, who was in great straits, and was dwelling in his camp, pitched round Damietta, sur- rounded by trenches, in a state of need and destitute of pro- visions : for he was disturbed night and day, and had to endure the attacks made by the ambuscades of the number- less Saracens infesting the mountainous districts around, although there was no want of a vigilant guard during the night. To guard the city, he had placed in it five hundred knights, with a large body of foot-soldiers, who remained there with the legate, some bishops, and the queen, and some other noble ladies. There was now sent to him as much money in talents, sterling coin, and approved money of Cologne (not the base money of the Parisians, or of Tours), as eleven waggons, to each of which were four strong horses, could be loaded with, together with some beasts of burden-, by which it was carried to the sea-coast, where it was re- ceived on board some Genoese ships, to be transported to the needy king, with also a no small quantity of provisions. Each waggon carried two large iron-hooped casks, prepared for the purpose, filled with the aforesaid money, all of which had been extorted from the property of the Church during a period of three years ; and what end was gained by it the following narrative will fully show. A.D. 1250,] UNFOUNDED BEPORTS. 343 T%€ return qfthe nobles of England, In Bogation "Week, there returned from the continent Earl Kichard, the earls of Gloucester and Leicester, and other nobles. Besides them, the bishop of London and some other prelates, who had crossed the sea, as before mentioned, returned safely to England ; two bishops remaining abroad, namely, those of Winchester and Lincoln. The bishop of Winchester remained in France, living with a small house- hold, in order to save expense ; and the bishop of Lincoln continued at the Boman court, in order to obtain the accom- plishment of his preconceived design from the pope. As to the cause of Earl Bichard's journey, the opinion of some was, and not without reason, that the pope had sent for him to advance his cause in obtaining the empire of Bomania, which he knew abounded in money ; others thought, and this be- came probable from subsequent &cts, that he went for the purpose of hindering the crusaders from setting sail. Others again declared it to be more likely, and which was soon afterwards clearly proved to be the case, that he went for the purpose of purchasing Deerhurst from the abbat of St. Denis, and to procure the necessary travelling supplies for the cru- saders. The reason of the pope's showing so much favour to him, it was believed and stated, was that he, the pope, who knew that he was coming into England, might obtain a kind and respectfril reception from him, and that he, the earl, might incline the king, his brother, and the nobles of the country (especially those who were of the king's council), to send for him thither. But these matters have been touched on in the foregoing pages. Of the unfounded reports which were spread. About the same time, either for the purpose of affording false consolation to the Christians, or of encouraging the crusaders, who were putting off their departure on their pilgrimage, private letters were sent from the Holy Land, written by influential and credible persons, namely, the bishop of Marseilles and some of the Templars^ containing the most pleasing reports, which inspirited the credulous hearers by unfounded good news. This was, that Cairo and Babylon were taken, that the Saracens were put to flight, and Alex- 344 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.1>. 12d(X andria was left helpless ; and these reports, I say, wounded the credulous hearers the more deeply in the end, the more that they had soothed them by their agreeableness at the beginning ; and from that time we held the letters 'which arrived, even though they were true, in greater suspicion and detestation. Of the advowaon of the church qf Wengratfe. In Bogation week of this same year, a dispute, which had arisen between the abbat of St. Alban's and John de We- done, concerning the advowson of the church of Wengrave, then vacant, was set at rest, and peace was established be- tween the two parties. The said John, in the presence of the king's justiciaries, Roger de Thurkesby, Robert Bruce, and others of their colleagues, acknowledged that the right of the said church belonged to the gift of the aforesaid abbat ; but the said John had obtained the following brief of sum- mons against the abbat : " The king to the sheriff qf Buck- inghomi, greeting, — Issue an injunction to the abbat of St. Alban's, that he duly and without delay allow John de We- done to present a fit and proper person to the church of Wengrave, which is vax^nt, and which, as is stated, belongs to his gift, and of which a complaint is made by him that the said abbat imjustly opposes him. And imless he gives you security that he will prosecute his claim, then smnmon, by good and lawful simimoners, the said abbat to appear before our justiciaries on the morrow of our Lord's Ascen- sion," &c. &c. But what benefit or disadvantage did the church of St. Alban's meet with in this case ? for the Ro- mans and king's agents forcibly took possession of all the vacant churches, especially those of religious men, each party vying with the other. How Bonifacet archbishop qf Canterbury ^ determined to make a visitation. About the same time, too, Boniface, archbishop of Can- terbury, stimulated by the example of the bishop of Lincoln, who had obtained the power of visiting his canons, attempted to make a visitation of the bishops, abbats, clergy, and peo- ple in his province. He, therefore, in the first place, made a visitation in the chapter of his monks at Canterbury, with great strictness and without mercy, so that the monks said A.D. 1250.] TYRANNY PRACTISED UPON THE CLERGY. 345 amongst themselves, " We suffer this fix)m our own deserts, because we sinned against his predecessor St. Edmund, whom we considered austere and froward ; we endure what we have justly deserved for electing a foreigner, an illiterate, unknown, and inexperienced man, and one adapted to and versed in warlike rather than spiritual matters. Oh what excellent men were his predeceasors, martyrs, authorized teachers, and holy confessors of Grod. Alas ! why did we in this election obey our earthly, rather than our heavenly king ?" From thence the archbiahop went to the abbey of Fever- sham, the pusiUanimous monks of which place, through fear of his tyranny, did not dare to oppose his visitation. Thence he went in great anger to the priory of Rochester, and ex- torted more than thirty marks from that poor house. Hence it appears that he exercised this office of visitation more from a greedy desire for money, than for the reformation of the order or its customs, for he was ignorant of the rules and customs of the order, and also devoid of learning. 0/the tt^anny practised by Archbishop B. upon the London clergy. On the 12th of May, which was the day of St. Pancra- tius and his feUow-saints, the said archbishop came to Lon- don^ to visit the bishop and his chapter and the religious men of that city. Without leave from any person, he took up his abode in the noble house of the bishop of Chichester, near the houses of the Converts, and did not go to his own house at Lambeth ; he also ordered his marshals to procure him provisions by force at the long's market, which they did, at the same time heaping threats, reproaches, and insults on the traders ; he did not, however, invite any guests. On the following day he visited Bishop Fulk, the shameless extortions practised on whom by the said archbishop, in his demands of food, drink, and harness, that is to say^ harnessed horses, would, if any one could relate them, offend the ears and minds, and wound the hearts of all who heard them. When about to visit the chapter of St. Paul's, at London, the canons opposed him, and appealed to the supreme pontiff; wherefore he excommimicated the dean and some others. 346 MATTHEW PABIS. [A,lk 1250. Of the opposition made by the church of St. Barthohmew to ike vieiiation of the archbishop. On the following day, still swelling with anger, and dad in armour under his robes, as those who saw him asserted, the archbishop went to the priory of St. Bartholomew's, to visit the canons there. But on his arrival, as he was enter- ing the church, he was met by the sub-prior (the prior not being then in the house), attended by the brethren of the convent in solemn procession, bearing numbers of lighted tapers, and amidst the ringing of bells ; the brethren them- selves dressed in their rich choral cloaks, the most handsome one of which was worn by the sub-prior. The archbishop did not pay much attention to this honour being paid to him, but said that he came thither to visit the canons. All of the latter were now assembled in the middle of the church, that is, in the choir, as well as the archbishop with the greater portion of his retinue, who were squeezed together in a disorderly way. One of the canons, then, on behalf of all, replied, that they had an experienced and carefiil bishop, who held the office of visiting them when * it was necessary, and they would not, and ought not, to be visited by any other, lest he should appear to be held in contempt. On hearing this, the archbishop burst into an unbecoming fit of anger, and, rushing on the sub-prior, forgetM of his station and the holiness of his predecessors, impiously inflicted a blow with his fist on this holy priest and religious man, whilst standing in the middle of the church, and crueUy repeated his blows many times on his aged breast, his vene- rable face, and his hoary head, exclaiming with a loud voice, " Thus it becomes me to deal with you English traitors ;" and then, raving more horribly, with immentionable oaths, he demanded a sword to be brought him immediately. As the tumult increased, and the canons were endeavouring to rescue their sub-prior from the hands of his violent aggressor, the archbishop tore the valuable cloak which the sub-prior wore, and broke away the fastening, commonly called a clasp, which was rich with gold, silver, and jewels, and it was trodden under-foot in the crowd and lost ; the noble cloak itself was also trampled on, torn, and irreparably injured. Nor was the fury of the archbishop yet appeased ; for, like a madman rush- A.D. 1250.] THE ABCHBIBHOP'S TYRANNY. 347 ing t>n this holy man, wiUh. great violence, and fordng him backwards, he pushed his aged body with such force against a spondam, whidi divided two of the stalls, and was made for a podium, that he crushed his bones to the very marrow, and injured his lungs and the parts about his heart. The rest of the assembled persons, when they saw the immoderate vio- lence of the archbishop, rescued the sub-prior, with much difficulty, from, the jaws of death, and thrust back his ag- gressor, and, as be fell back, his robes were thrown aside and his armour was plainly visible to the multitude, who were horror-struck at seeing an archbishop in armour, and many declared that he had come thither, not to visit or to correct errors, but to excite a battle. His impetuous followers, fellow-countrymen of his, in the mean time, had cruelly attacked the rest of the unarmed and unprepared canons, and by the orders and following the example of the archbishop, cruelly treated them, strSdng and woimding them, and throwing them down and trampling on them. With bruised and bloody feet, and disordered, maimed, and otherwise badly injured, the canons then went to the bishop of the city, and, amidst tears, made a heavy oomplamt to him of this detestable proceeding, in reply to which the bishop said, " The king is at Westminster ; go to him and see if this public and violent disturbance of lus peace in his chief city will arouse his anger." The king refuses to listen to the eonqflaints of the archbishop's tyremny. Four of the canons, therefore (the rest being unable to go, from the pain of their wounds), ^went to the king at West- minster, and showed him their torn garments, and the traces of the blows, which were visible from the blood, and the lividness and swelling of their flesh, in the presence of many people, who compassionated their sufferings and detested such an enormous deed. A fifth of them, — the said sub-prior, was unable to go to the court either on foot or on horadback, but was carried, groaning, to the infirmary, and, taking to his bed, passed the rest of his life in a state ci feebleness. The king, however, refrised to see the aforesaid canons, although they waited for a long time at the door of his chamber ; nor would he listen to their complaints, and they therefore re- turned in greater trouble of mind to their chiirch, which the 348 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1250. archbishop had polluted and profeined with the blood of priests and religious men. The city in the mean time was greatly excited, and, as if a sedition had arisen, the citizens proposed to ring the common bell, and to cut the archbishop to pieces, whatever afterwards might happen. Insults and reproaches resounded, and the people, who were rushing in crowds in search of him, cried after him, as he was hastening to his house at Lambeth, '* Where is this robber ? this im- pious and bloody aggressor of our priests, not a gainer of souls, but an extorter of money, whom not God nor a free election promoted to his dignity, but who was illegally thrust into it, illiterate and married as he is, by the Idiig, and whose foul infamy has already infected the whole cityl" Soon afterwards he embarked secretly on the Thames, and going to the king, laid a heavy complaint on the matter before the king, justifying himself and accusing the others, and then hurried to the queen and made a more serious com- plaint to her. The king then, being in great fear of a sedi- tion arising in the city, ordered proclamation to be made by herald, forbidding any one, on his life and limbs, to interfere in the controversy. Thus rejected by the canons of St. Bar- tholomew's as well as those of the Holy Trinity, who boldly appealed against his proceedings, the archbishop, taking cou- rage from the king's favour, proceeded to Lambeth, and in the chapel there solemnly renewed the sentence he had pro- nounced against the canons of St. Paul's, involving also ift it the bishop of London, as being an abettor of the said canons. They therefore, as they suffered harm and injury on all sides, with pitiable complaints intrusted their cause to St. Bartholomew, whom they served continually day and night, and prayed that Grod, the Lord of vengeance, as man either could not or would not, would deign to punish such great offences. The archbishop prepares to go to the Roman court. The archbishop, still full of the gall of anger, proceeded on the following day to a manor of his called Harrow, about seven miles fr^m the convent of St. Alban's, in order to hold a visitation there, and at that place he renewed the aforesaid sentence. And although he had been told by his friends and clerks, learned and eloquent men, of the noble privileges granted to that church by the Apostolic See, he concealed A.D. 1250.] THE BISHOP OF LONDON'S LEITEB. 349 his knowledge of them and superseded them. He then returned and made preparations to cross the sea, that he might lay snares for the innocent at the Boman courts where he had great influence^ and where he made a practice of taking up his abode more than presiding over his flock, as a good shepherd ought to do. The dean of St. Paul's at London, however, a good and old man, and one of experience, Master Bobert Barton, and Master W. of Lichfleld, eloquent and learned men, and canons of the said church, in company with the proctors of their bishop and of the aforesaid canons, also went to the Boman court to make a heavy complaint to the supreme pontiff of all the above- mentioned proceedings, being properly instructed in the matter and strengthened by the testimony of many, to prove the truth of their complaint. The bithop qf London's letter to the abbot qf St. Alban'e, The bishop of London was in no slight d^p^ee troubled by these disturbances, and much dreaded, and no wonder, the pope's avarice on the one hand, on the other the dubious friendship of the king towards his natural subjects, and in another quarter he dreaded the Savoyard nobility, whom he did not dare to offend. Li this case of emergency, wishing to have the advice and assistance of the abbat and bre- thren of St. Alban's, he wrote to that abbat in the following terms: — '^ To his venerable a/nd weU-beloved Jriends in Christy «/*., hy tiie grace of God aibat of St Alb(m% ed incftease of sincere affection, — ^Fame with its &r- wandering step is gliding through the earth, and threatening us with the voice of the public opinion, whilst it spreads in numberless parts the news of the recent danger. The long tranquillity of our diocese has been assailend by our venerable father and archbishop ; and, as we believe, we are only taking just measures of defence, as your warriors, who have to b^ the first brunt of the battle on behalf of all and each in the province ; and we foretell that the war imposed upon us will, unless we have the aid of God and you, fidl still more heavily upon yourselves. For the said 350 ICATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1250. archbishop, as has perhs^ been made known to you, held a visitation of all the clergy and people in our diocese, and as he demanded procurations, in the first place, from them and from our chapter, and again from the two priories of the city, he met with opposition and a repulse, although in a courteous manner ; on which he excommunicated them, in the first place, for not admitting him to make the afore- said visitation ; in the next place, because we ordered some persons under our jurisdiction not to admit him to the same, to the prejudice of our church, he frilminated sentences against our person, although he was opposed by legal ap- peals, and the statement of just, true, and reasonable causes. Nor is it by this alone that he invades our rest, for he causes the sentences thus originated to be published in his diocese and elsewhere, as we learn frx)m report. We> there- fore, after sending proctors to the court, have addressed our- selves to some of our fellow-bishops on the foregoing mat- ters, who have assumed boldness, and put themselves forward to defend their rights and liberties. Wherefore, also, we have thought proper to beg of you, in your affection, that, considering the grounds for this request, and your own honour and indemnity, your goodness may not grow luke- warm, nor your courage become cold ; but that, placing your confidence in him who protects the oppressed from the injuries of unjust men, you will stretch forth the hand of salutary assistance and coimsel to us. May yoiu* brother- hood ever fare well in the Lord." The decretals from which the archbishop assumed a pre- text for this design of his are frdly given in the book of Additaments, together with the objections of the parties. (if the general cTutpier ^f the Preacher brethren. About the same time, namely, about the feast of the Nativity of St. John the B^tist, the brethren of the Preacher order, at a general summons, assembled from ail the countries of Christendom, and even from the country of Jerusalem, and met at their house at Holbom, in London, to hold a general discussion on their condition and office. As they had no means of their own, the nobles and prelates^ in their liberality, found them in provisions, and especially the inhabitants of the city of London and the neighbour- A.B. 1250.] NEW CHABTEBS GRANTED. S5l ing places, the abbats of Waltham and St. Alban's, and such- like people. This chapter was held in the Whitsun week, and the Holy Spirit was called upon, which was sent at that time to the disciples ; and there were about four hundred brethren present. On the first day, the king came to their chapter to ask the assistance of their prayers ; he also sup- pUed them with food, and, out of respect to them, took his nieals in their company on that day. They were afterwards supplied with food by the queen ; then by the bishop of London ; then by John Maunsell ; and afterwards by the other prelates, namely, the abbat of Westminster and others, whom they entreated by letter to alleyiate the wants of the* needy out of the abundLoe of their riches. Of ihcdUturdanee amongst the eiiizetu qf London* About the same time, the city of London was excited in no slight degree, because the king exacted some liberties, from the citizens for the benefit of the abbat of Westmin- ster, to their enormous loss, and the injury of their liberties. The mayor of the city and the whole of the community in general, as far as lay in their power, opposed the wish (or* rather violence and raving) of the king ; but he proved harsh and inexorable to them. The citizens, therefore, in a state* of great excitement^ went with sorrowful complaints to* Earl Bichard, the earl of Leicester, and other nobles of the kingdom, telling them how the king, perhaps bent into a bow of wickedness, by the pope's example, shamelessly vio- lated their charters, granted to them by his predecessors. The said nobles were much disturbed at this, feanng that the king would attempt a sinular proceeding with them ; they therefore severely reproached him, adding threats to their reproaches, and strongly blamed the abbat, who, they believed, was the ori^tor and promoter of this wrong, heaping insult upon insult on him ; which, however, it does not become us to relate, out of respect to the order. Thus the prudence of the nobles happily recalled the king^ from his conceived design. How the king granted new charters to the abbat of Westminster, About this time, also, the king, influenced by a similar spirit, contrary to the charters of his predecessors, and also- 352 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1200. of those who had reigned in England before the Conquest, and in violation of his faith and his ^ist oath, granted a new charter to the abbat of Westminster, to the loss and mani- fest injury of the church of St. Alban*s, in the ancient village of Aldenham, firom which the village also derived its name ; for " Aid," being interpreted, means " old ;" and hence, it seems probable, if all charters should be silent on the mat- ter, that the said village was given in times of old to Alban, the English protomartyr. Besides this, the king granted and gave a charter of the liberty of warren in the land of St. Alban's, and near that town, to a certain knight, named Gteofficey (although not descended iram noble or knightly ancestors), who held in chief of the church of St. Alban's, contrary to the ancient liberties of that church and the charters obtained from the pious kings of old, and uninter- ruptedly enjoyed, and also contrary to the charter of the present King Henry, merely because the said knight had married the sister of his clerk, John Maunsell. Nor did the said Geof&ey Kufas hesitate to kick against the Church, his mistress, winch had educated and raised him to rank ; so that he was branded with the mark of paternal, not maternal, treachery ; for he unjustly and shamelessly injured the mother who bore him, as he did the Church which had enriched him, and his &thers before him. He was inspired with boldness to act thus by the aforesaid special clerk of the king, whose wealth equalled that of a bishop, and whose sister he, the said Kufus, had married, as above stated. This lady's name was Clarissa ; she was the daughter of a country priest, and was still childless, but exalted herself in her pride above her station, to the derision of all ; and her hus- band was believed to have been in&tuated by her suggestiona However, I do not think that he is excused by this, but ought rather to be accused, according to the words of the Lord, when he fulminated his curse on our first &ther, Adam^ — " Because thou hast obeyed the voice of thy wife more than mine, cursed be the earth for ever." When the writer of this book, namely brother Matthew Paris, reproached the king for these proceedings, undismayed, the latter said, — " Does not the pope act in the same way, subjoining in his letters, 'Notwithstanding any privilege or indulgence?'" However, at length speaking more modestly, he added. A.D. 1250.] THE FBSNCH BECOME ENVIOUS OF THE ENGLISH. 353 " Wait awhile, wait ; we will think on the matter." But all recollection of his words and promises passed away with the sound of his voice. How the king's seal was intrusted to the charge of W. of Kilkenny. In the course of this year, the king, taking wise counsel, gave the charge of his seal (which is proved to be, as it were, the key of the kingdom) to Master "Walter, of Kil- kenny, a modest, faithM, and learned man, and one well skilled and prudent in canonical as well as dvil law. How the French king proceeded further to the East, About this time, the French king made a sally from Damietta, after having placed a careful garrison in thkt city, consisting of the duke of Burgundy and a great many other nobles and knights, and a large body of foot-soldiers, together with the legate and some bi^ops and clerks, the queen, and other noble ladies and their families ; for, Non minor est virtus quam quserere, parta tueri. ['Tis no less merit to retain What you have got, than make fresh gain.] He himself then proceeded with his army towards the more eastern districts, and was followed by William Longuespee, with his associates who adhered to him, namely, Kobert de Vere and others too numerous to mention, and some knights and followers whom he retained on pay. How the French became enviotts of the English, The French, however, from their innate pride, despised and hated the said WilHam and his followers, and treated them with derision, although the pious French king had especially forbidden this, and he thus addressed them : " What madness excites you. Frenchmen ? Why do you persecute this man, who came hither from a distant country to the assistance of myself and you, and who is a pilgrim, and fights feithfrilly for God, as well as yourselves V The king, however, could not pacify the hearts of the Frencli by these arguments, or by entreaties j but they continued to despise and persecute the English, as the poet says : — Omnisque superbus Impatiens consortis erit. [All pride is jealous of a sharer.] VOL. n. 2 a 354 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.I>. 1250. The origin of all this envy and hatred was as followa The said \¥il]iain had taken, not by force, but by a fortcdtoas and fortunate chance, a strong tower near Alexandria, whi<^ was filled with ladies, the wives of certain noble Saracens, entirely without the knowledge of the French ; owing to which his fame became distinguished, and fear of him fiew abroad even to the distant parts of the East ; and becaose he had obtained much money here, as he had done every- where else, by ^ivour of the fortune of war, and had en- riched his household, and increased his honours (which the French, although uumerous and powerful, had not done), they envied and slandered him, and persecuted him with their hatred ; nor could they hold any firiendly intercourse with him. Ofihe Mtratagem practised by WiUiam Longuetpee. It happened, also, agaro, that the said WOliam secretly learnt from some cunning spies he had sent out, that certain very rich merchants of the East were going, imprudently enough, under a small escort, to some markets held near Alexandria, at which they most confidently hoped to increase their wealth. He, therefore, taking a body of his soldiers with him, hastened thither secretly by night, and suddenly rushed like lightning on them unawares, slew the merchants on the spot, dispelled the escort, and made prisoners of all that company, which is commonly called a caravan. He found amongst them camels, mules, and asses, laden with silks, paintings, images, gold, and silver; besides some waggons with their buf^oes and oxen, and also the necessary food both for horses and men, of which they were much in need ; and although in the conflict the said William slew and made prisoners of a great many of his adversaries, yet he only lost one knight and eight retainers, who were slain ; some, however, were wounded, whom he brought back to be restored to health by medical aid ; and thus victorious, he returned, fejoicing in his riches, to the army. The French, who had remained inactive, and were in great want, stimu- lated by feelings of envy and avarice, met him, on his arrival, in a hostile way, and, like dariug robbers, forcibly took from him aU that he had gained, imputing it to hinn as a sufficient fault, that, in his rash presumption, contrary to the king's order, and the ordinances of the chiefs of the A.D. 1250.] STRATAGEM OF WILLIAM LONGUESPEE. 355 armj, and also to military discipline, he had proudly and fool> ishly separated £rom the whole body of the army. When William heard this, he promised to give them satisfaction in every way, by allowing all the food that he had obtained to be distributed amongst the needy army; but the French cried out against this^ claimed it all for themselves, and seized on all of it immediately ; thus adding insult to injury. William, therefore, grieved in bitterness of spirit at suffering such an injury, made a heavy complaint to the king in the matter, adding that his brother, the count of Artois, was the head and chief of this violent transgression and robbery. The king, then, with a most pious spirit and look, replied in a low voice, " William, William, the Lord, who is ignorant of nothing, is aware of the injury and harm done to you, and I greatly fear that our pride, together with our other sins, will confound us. You are aware how serious a thing it would be for me in any way to offend and excite my nobles, in the perilous position in which I now am placed." Whilst he was thus speaking, the coimt of Artois arrived, excited and furious, like a madman, and, without saluting the king, or those sitting round, he raised his voice, and exclaimed in great anger : " What does this mean, my lord king ? Do you presume to defend this Englishman, and to oppose your own Frenchmen ? This man, in contempt of you and the whole army, Tirged by his own impetuosity, has of his own accord clandestinely carried off booty by night, contrary to our decrees ; and owing to this, the fame of him alone, and not of the French king or his people, has spread through all the provinces of the East ; he has obscured all our names and titles." On hearing these words, this most Christian king averted his face, and throwing a look on William, said in a mild tone : " You may now hear, my jfriend. Thus easily can a quarrel be originated, which God forbid should occur in this army. It is necessary at such a critical time to endure such things with equanimity, and even worse things than these." To this WilHam replied : " Therefore, you are not a king, as you cannot justify your people or punish offenders ; although I promise, that if I have offended, I will give every satisfaction for my fault ;" and he added, being wounded to the heart by the injury done him : " Henceforth I serve not such a king, — ^to such adord I will not adhere ;" 2 a2 356 MATTHEW PABIS. rA.D. 1250. L. and, to the great sorrow of the king, lie went away in anger. He then went to Acre, and stayed there several days with his companions in arms, publishing to all who dwelt there the injury he had suffered ; whereby he excited the compas- sion of all, especially the prelates, for himself, and provoked their anger against the French. Those of experience and un- derstanding, and who were well approved in warlike matters, imhesitatingly foretold that this was a sad presage of future events, and that the heavy anger of the Most High would he ' provoked by such offences. The count of Artois is reported even to have said concerning these matters : " Now the army of the noble French is well purged of these tailed* English ;" which speech gave offence to the ears of many. William then determined to remain with the citizens and the Tem- plars and Hospitallers, at Acre, and to await the arrival- of the crusading nobles of England, in order to make known to them the'^ pride of the iVench and the injuries he had suffered at their hands ; and also to urge them to attack the ^lemies of the cross, with the counsel of discreet and hum- ble-minded men, and, without trusting to the aid of the French, to try to defeat them with their own forces. Of the journey of the English nobles towards Jerusalem, About this same time, the nobles of England (whose names are before mentioned), who had determined to set out for Jerusalem on the feast of St. John, as before stated, and who had sold or pledged their lands, or involved them in the nets of the Jews and Caursins, having taken leave of their Mends, were ready prepared, on the hmous mom of St. Au- gustine, to set out on the journey together with their fol- lowers. But the king, like a hurt or offended child, who usually runs to his mother with his complaints, had sent in all haste to the pope, begging of him to prevent their de- parture, signifying to him that certain illustrious nobles of his kingdom of England, who had assumed the cross, had determined, contrary to his wish and prohibition, to set out to Jerusalem, without condescending to wait for him, their lord and king, who also bore the cross himself, and purposed to proceed on the same expedition ; and that these nobles * There was a report current in those days that the English had tails fixed to them, as a punishment for the murder of Thomas k Becket. A.D. 1250.1 THE KING OF ENGLAND EXTORTS HONEY. 357 also chose to follow his chief enemy, the French king, who, they said, had gone in advance and prepared the way and an entrance for them into the land of the East, rather than to accompany him. The pope, therefore, by his letters, as the king had done by imperious orders, strictly forbade any one, under penalty of excommunication, from setting sail contrary to the king's wish, whatever was the danger or risk impending over the French king. How the king placed guards over the English ports. The king, moreover, immediately sent orders to the chas- telains of Dover, and to the governors of the other ports, not to allow any noble, bearing the sign of the cross, to put to sea. It was alleged by those who were opposed to this, that the king had acted unwisely ; for if so many of such high rank (there were about five hundred martial knights, besides their followers, who were almost innumerable) were to proceed in advance of him, the whole of the Christian commimity would say, in astonishment, "How great and how formidable must this king be, who sends such men in advance of him. How many must we believe will accom- pany him, and in consequence all paganism will tremble.'* But what is the use of this discussion ? For, besides the obstacle of those who forbade them, this also was the good result of what happened to the pilgrims. Even if they had then set sail, they would not (sad to say) have arrived at an opportune and seasonable time to' succour the French king, which they most eagerly desired to do, as will be fially inti- mated in the ensuing narrative. But all that happened at the same time cannot be related at once. The king of England extorts money from all quarters. The king, in the mean time, did not cease to scrape up money from all quarters, principally from the Jews, and, in a secondary de&ree, from his own natural Christian subjects : to «uch a^de^e did he carry his exactions amongst the former, that from one of them, named Aaron, who wa^ bom at York and kept a house in that city, he extorted fourteen thousand marks, and ten thousand in gold, for the use of the queen (because, as was reported, he was proved guilty of forging a certain charter), to be paid at a short period, to prevent his being put in prison. Besides paying all 358 MATTHEW PARIS. [A-D. 1250. this, it was found out that this said Aaron had paid to the king, on his return from the continent, the sum of thirty thousand marks of silver, and two hundred in gold, for the use of the queen, as he, the said Jew Aaron, declared by legal attestation and on his faith to Brother Matthew, the writer of this book. However, miserable though they were, they were none of them deserving of pity, because they were clearly proved to have been corrupters of the king's noioney, and forgers of seals and charters, and for which they had been frequently reproved and condemned. Of the tyranny of Geoffrey Langley. About the same time, a certain knight, named Geofl&ey Langley, a bailiff of the king's, and an inquisitor of offences committed in the royal forests, made the circuit of several provinces of England, and cunningly, wantonly, and forcibly extorted such an immense sum of money, especially from the nobles of the northern parts of Englaiid, that the amount collected exceeded the belief of all who heard of it, and created astonishment in their minds ; and this immoderate oppression which the king practised on the northern nobles appeared to have proceeded from old hatred. The aforesaid Geoffrey was attended by a large and well-armed retinue, and if any one of the aforesaid nobles made excuses, or dared to give vent to murmurs, as the judges were their enemies, he ordered him to be at once taken and consigned to the king's prison ; nor could any one reply to the demand by any reasonable arguments, for fear of giving offence. For a single small beast, a lawn, or hare, although straying in an out-of-the-way place, he impoverished some men of noble birth, even to ruin, sparing neither blood nor fortune. In comparison with this man, Bobert Passlow was considered most gentle, and, indeed, all his predecessors were considered just, and were well spoken of, when compared with him. This Geoffirey had been some time since promoted to the office of mareschal of the king's household, to carry the' wand for the grand marshal, and as £Eir as lay in his power had lessened the hospitality and courtliness of the royal table ; by which and by his flattery he pleased the king, and, although undeservedly, obtained his favour. Afterwards, the said Bobert, considering him a faithful person, and one fit to be associated with himself, summoned him as his colleague A.D. 1250.] REPORTS OF THE CAPTURE OF CAIRO. 359 in the office of justiciaryship of the king's forests ; but Gooffrey laid a trap for the feet of his patron Bobert, and after- wards basely supplanted him, ignominiously deposing the bailiff whom Bobert had appointed to their office ; by which he brought much shame and jiaxm on him. But who will pity the charmer who is stung by the snake 1 The aforesaid Bobert, therefore, avoided the snares of the court and cour- tiers, and, obtaining ordination as a priest, flew to reap the fruits of a better life, as is before stated. How the archbishop qf CanterJmry went to the Roman court. About the same time, B., archbishop of Canterbury, learnt that the dean of St. Paul's, accompanied by some of the canons of that church, and by the proctors of those whom he had injured, had gone to the Boman court ; he, therefore, being encouraged by the advice of lawyers, set sail in great pomp and splendour to proceed to the same court, armed with the protection and letters of the IHng and trusting to the influence of his fiimily, in order that by the pope's authority he might become more powerful in his tyranny. The death qfR, of Lexington, On the 29th of May in this year, died Bobert of Lexinff- ton, who had long continued J th; office of justiciary, a^d had acquired a distinguished name and ample possessions. A few years before his death, however, he was struck with palsy, and gave up the aforesaid office j so that, like the apostle St. Matthew, he was summoned from the receipt of custom to a better life, and employing himself in bountifrd almsgivings and devout prayer, he laudably terminated his languid life. The variout reports of the capture of Cairo, About the same time, too, the most gratifying reports^ although unfounded, became frequent, of the capture of Cairo and Babylon, and also of the destruction of Alexan- dria, which rumours soothed the hearts of all the people of the West with their false consolation ; and it was at length found out that they arose from the following cause and source, which require a lengthened narration, however fruitless it may be, for, Tota trahit series ex turpi fine pudorem. [Foul issue stamps the whole proceeding foul.] 360 MATTHEW PARIS. [a,D. 1250. Of the capture of Damietta by the Christians, When the sultan of Babylon was informed of the ap- proach of the renowned king of France and his army in the past year, he gave charge of I^amietta to one of his bhiefs, in whom he had great confidence, and intrusted Cairo and Babylon to the care of the same chiers brother. But after the unexpected capture of Damietta, the said sultan, haviiig convoked all his nobles, in the hearing of all of them, made a heavy accusation against the chief to whom he had in- trusted the charge of Damietta, and imder whose guardian- ship it had been lost, charging him not only with having traitorously lost his principal city, thi'ough negligence and cowardice, but also with having delivered it into the hands of the public enemy, so that the Christians, the enemies of all Saracens, had now free ingress into Egypt and all the country of the East, with hopes of more easily and surely acquiring possession of all other places, and had obtained a well-defended place of refuge, to the confusion of all the pagans. To this the accused chief thus replied : — " Most potent lord, I, your faithful and devoted servant, sent my ^ies into the inland of Cyprus, when the French king Ja passing the winter there, and &om them I learnt that, when he left that island, he would sail to Alexandria to besiege that place ; wherefore, I at once sent all the troops from Damietta to that place, to give effectual assistance to the Alexandrians, our Mends and your subjects, and to take the said king with his whole fleet, and send him to you. But fortune, inimical to us, by a change of wind favourable for them, brought our enemies on us when imprepared, and thus he gained possession of the coast, although we resisted to the utmost of our power, as you yourself know. On the follow- ing day, the fortune of war smiling upon him, he laid siege to Damietta, which he foimd destitute of all means of resist- ance ; and with him came such a niunerous fleet, that the sea appeared, as it were, covered with them. We, there- fore, considering that, as we were without chiefe, and the arms of the city, we consulted our own and your safety, brained and cut the throats of the Christian captives, whom we had in our power, and secretly took flight by night, until we could recall the forces which we had sent to Alexandria, A.D. 1250.] CAPTURE OP DAMIETTA. 361 and attack the Christians in greater force. But soifie of the Christian captives, when they saw their fellow-Christians approaching, and beheld ns putting their companions to death, raising the heel against us, rose upon us in a hostile and furious way, and slew some of our people. These men also, after our departure, brought the approaching French by imknown passes, and introduced them into the secret and innermost parts of the city. Before our departure, we set fire to the city^ that our enemies might not glory in our property ; but the prisoners extinguished it as soon as they could ; and when we were compelled to retreat, we, in our grief, cursed the law of Mahomet, and even the prophet himself, and wished for death rather than life." The sults^ on hearing this, burst into a violent fit of anger (for he was proud and merciless) ; and although the said chief could have properly cleared himself of the charge, in the opinion of some present, yet the sultan rose against him more fiercely, and ordered him to be hung on a gibbet, as a traitor and blas- phemer. When this reached the knowledge of his brother, the governor of Cairo (whose heart had for a long time before inclined to the Christian faith, although only secretly, for fear of the pagans), he secretly summoned some of those whom he held prisoners, and among them some Templars^ and Hospitallers, and some Frenchmen lately taken in battle at Gazara, and thus addressed them : — " I have a secret concealed in my bosom, which ought to be confidently revealed to you : and if you promise, on the strict oath of your fiuth Id kw, to coiceaf it, and help me, I ^ dia- close it to you." In answer to this proposal, the captives, on their word and oath, promised to observe inviolable faith with him in everything ; and thereupon he commenced his narration : — " The sultan of Babylon, hitherto, but now no- longer, my lord, whom I have long served faithfully in many penis, has lately caused me intolerable annoyance, and dis- graced and injured me much, for he has lately hung on a gibbet my brother, whom I loved more than a brother — indeed, more than my whole family besides — accusing him of having delivered up Damietta to the French volimtarily, or through fear, although he had no reason or evidence to- support him in his charge. But to you it is well known that this criminal accusation was most false ; for you know 362 MAITHEV FJUOS. [jLIk, 1250. liow braTelj, liaw ^uskfonj^be fca^n and ofvposedtbe French when taking poageaeioii id the eoast ; so much so, indeed, that, besides the man j id our friends and lelatioiis who perished there, ^^ hist alaa ofor Bokom, who is the greatest man amongst na, and aeoond onfy to the sohan, who had idain many Chrastians in times past, and had gained a vio- tcfrj over your peo^ at CSaza. Hence it is that I devote myself to Tengeanoe fior sodi great tyranny, and gire ixp to the pious Frendi king tiiis in^H^^nable castl^ distant as the East is frmn l^e West, so £»> different are the pe<^le ci the West firom these Orientals ;" then, turning towards the master of the Templars^ he addressed him with calmness and soothing words, endeaYonring to calm the yiolenoe of his feelings, when the coont of Artois^ intermpting him saddenl j in ^ speech, -and in lond tones, after the French costom, and witii nnbeooming oaths, gave vent to the following reproaches and insults in the hearing of the multitude : *^ What cowardice is there in these timid, long-tailed English ; how happy, how pure would this army be, if purged of these tuls and. tailed persons." William Longuespee was touched with shame, and being provoked and enraged at his offensLTe words, replied, '^ Count Robert, I shall most certainly proceed un- dismayed by any peril of impending death ; we shall be, I iaaicy, to-day where you will not dare to touch- my horse's tail ;** then putting on their helmets and unfurling their standards^ they continued their progress against the enemy, who oov^^ed a spacious plain and the mountains and valleys in all direc- tions. Ck>unt Bobert, wishing to ascribe it all to himself if the Christians should happen to gain a victory, disdained to tell the French king, his brother, of the supposed danger. The sultan having been informed of all these mattes by his active spies, boldly inspirited to the combat his numerous host, which had been collected in an unusually brief space of time, addressing them as follows : " Behold, this is what I have long much wished for : the Christians are divided, and brother now does not adhere to brother ; and even these men, who only constitute a third of them, are at variance amongst themselves. They are given to us as booty and plimder. Even on this very day they have been bickering and casting reproaches amongst themselves. What they are doing or are about to do, the French king, who is at a distance, is utterly ignorant. In the first place we must crush these men, who are few and entirely weakened, being £unished with hunger, wearied with fighting and the toils of the journey, and bruised by the stones wHch were hurled upon them at Mansora, in order that we may afterwards more easily attack A.D. 1250.] LONGUESPEE AND THE COUNT OP ARTOIS. 371 the others, whom we are now cutting off from all means of obtaiiuBg provisions." This plan, when heard by the other Saracens, was approved of by alL The sultan then, with his innumerable hosts, rushed impetuously on the Christian army, and a most fierce conflict ensued ; but in a short time the Christians began to be surrounded by the multitude of Sara- cens like an island in the sea ; the latter also interposed themselves between the Christians and the river they had crossed, that not one of them might escape. At seeing this, the count of Artois repented that he had not attended to the advice of older and wiser men than himself; but he who has his helmet on cannot draw back from the battle. Seeing also William Lonimespee surrounded on all sides by the enemy in a dense ^asTand sustaining the whole weight of the battle. Count Bobert shamelessly and imprudently cried out, " William, God fights against us, — ^we can no longer re- sist : consult your safety by flight, and escape alive whilst your horse can bear you away, or you may begin to want to do so when you have not the means." To this WiUiam repUed briefly, as well as such a tumidt permitted biTn^ « God forbid that my fether's son should fly for any Saracen ; I would rather die happily than live unhappily." But Robert, count of Artois, seeing himself already being hedged in by his enemies, and that scarcely any means of flight were open to him, turned his horse's head and suddenly took to flight. Mounted on a swifb horse, he took his way with all speed toward the river, either the Nile or the Thanis, which flows into it, and at once entered it, armed as he was, trusting to swim the river, as he knew his horse to be a very powerful one ; but he was unable to do so, as he was burdened with iron armour and many other impediments. He was there- fore drowned ; and thus wretchedly perished this proud man, a fiigitive and pitied by no one, humbled, not voluntarily, but against his will, mourned by no one's tears ; for, although descended from the noble blood of kings, he set a pernicious example to others, and according to the words of the poet, — Tanto conspectius in se Crimen habet, quanto qui peccat major habetur. [As men hold high or low estate, So is the crime deemed small or great.] 2b2 372 MATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1250. The count then being drowned, all the French who were in that battle began to despair, and retreated in scattered bodies ; at seeing which, WilHam, on whom all the Saracens had rushed, found that it was a matter of life and death, yet he bravely withstood the shocks of all of them, and sent the souls of many of his enemies to hell, and although after a length of time his horse became weak and had^his feet cut offy yet William himself, even then, cut off the heads, hands, and feet of some of his assailants. The death of WiUiam Longuetpee. At length, afber receiving many blows and wounds, and overwhelmed with showers of stones, William began to &il from loss of blood, and breathed forth his spirit to receive the crown of martyrdom ; and together with him perished Kobert de Yere, his standard-bearer, a noble knight, and a' great many Englishmen who had followed his standard from the commencement of the war. In the night preceding this battle a vision appeared to his noble mother, the abbess of Lacock, named Hela, in which a knight completely eqidpped in armour was received into the heavens, which opened to receive him ; and as she knew the knight's shield by the device on it, she inquired in astonishment who the knight was who ascended to heaven, and was received by the angels to such glory, whose shield she recognised, and the repljr was made to her in a clear and distinct voice, '^It is your son William j" she therefore noted the night the vision appeared, and its meaning was afterwards plaiidy revealed to her. But to return to our principal matter, — Robert, count of Artois, being drowned, and William Longuespee having been slain, the ^'Saracens, confident of victory, surrounded the helpless Christians, and mercilessly put them to the sword ; and out of all that glorious and distinguished body of knights there only escaped two Templars and one Hospitaller, and one per- son of inferior class, who swam the river naked, and brought word to the French king and the rest of the army of Siis event to be deplored by all ages. The others who escaped were so wearied and wounded that they could scarcely breathe, and were unable to cross the river, but concealed themselves in the rushes on the banks of the river, and waited the approach of the darkness of night ; but the anger, A.D. 12d0.] THE KING ADVANCES TO BATTLE. 373 indeed the fury, of the Lord did not allow any one of a high name to escape. How the French king animated hie followers. When these events came to the knowledge of the pious French king, he was touched to the heart with grief, nor could he refraih from bitter sighs and shedding tears in abundance, and with clasped hands, and eyes raised towards heaven, he said, with sighs interrupting his speech, " As it pleased God, so it has happened j blessed be the name of the Lord ;" then, summoning the French nobles who were about him, he said to them, '' My friends and faithM followers, par- ticipators in my perils, and bold companions in arms, what is to be done in this lamentable crisis ? If we endure these things and retreat without taking notice of them, our ene- mies will exult over us, as though they had gained a triumph over aU of us; they will glory more in our retreat than in the slaughter of our companions, they will be the more strongly encouraged to attack and to pursue us, as they are more swift than we are, and so they will soon destroy us irom. the face of the earth, to the confusion of all Christianity ; and by such a proceeding the xmiversal Church will be more utterly ruined, and France will be stained with indelible disgrace. Let us, therefore, call upon God, whom it is clear we give oftence to. by our sins, and let us unanimously and with con- fidence attack our enemies, who are stained with the blood of our brethren, and let us with condign vengeance require the blood of our friends, which has been shed at the hands of our enemies. And who, indeed, could any longer patiently endure such a great injury offered to Christ 1" Of the king* 8 unfortunate advance to battle. At the king's order then all, as if one man, were inspirited and took to their arms. But as each man called to mind the death of some friend or relative, sighs and groans redou- bled, and their tears flowed in abundance, and thus they pined away more with grief than hunger. Those of them, however, who possessed strength advanced, preceded by the oriflamme, following the tracks of their brethren who had fallen, as above stated, sending the disabled and weak, who were entirely without arms and provisions, by way of the 374 MATTHEW PARIS. [a.D. 1250. river in boats to Damietta, that they might recover strength there in the shelter afforded them by the city. Hie sultan, being informed of this circumstance, at once ordered boats to be brought thither in waggons drawn by oxen, in order that, besides the vessels he had there to prevent the arrival of provisions, he might have a larger fleet to complete the destruction of the wretched Christians. These vessels, fiDed with Saracens, met the Christians sailing down the river, where a most bloody naval battle ensued, and the missiles of the combatants flew like haiL At length, after a long conflict, rendered dreadful by the Greek fire, hurled on them, by the Saracens, the Christians being worn out by grief and hunger, the Saracens triumphed over them at pleasure ; and as the Saracen fleet which had come from Damietta^ and also that which had been stationed in the river to prevent provisions from being carried to that city, opposed them, all passage was closed against them when they wished to take to flight, so that 'not one of the Christians escaped to carry the- news of the calamity to their feUows at Damietta^ birt they all perished, being either drowned, burnt, pierced with weapons, or suflering some other miserable deatL One of those who came up in the rear, at a great distance from the advanced body of them, with some difficulty escaped and returned, not proceeding towards Damietta ; him, however, the Saracens pursued, and in his flight inflicted five large wounds on hun. This man's name was Alexander Gi&rd, an Englishman by birth, of noble blood, and the son of a noble lady who resided with the queen. Of the wretched slaughter of the F^reneh. The French, on being informed of these events, pined away more and more with internal grief, nor could their king console them, and the minds of all were oppressed by feelings of great desolation, whilst the sultan, who had heard of the misfortunes of the Christians in all directiDns, was elate with joy and inspired with greater boldness ; and when he heard of the hostile approach of the French king and his army, he wondered at their audacity, that, after such misfor- tunes, a few hungry men dared to provoke such a numerous army to battle, an army composed of the whole of the forces of the East. He therefore called his nobles togefther and encouraged them in these words : " Most noble chie& of the A.D. 1250.] CAPTURE OF THE FRENCH KING. 375 East, you who have now nobly and triumphantly defeated almost the half of the French army, and who now are re- joicing in the spoils, arms, and horses of the slain, boldly meet this approaching rabble, worn away by hunger and grief, and eakly to be crushed, and slay aU'who oppose you- without mercy, so that not one of them may escape or elude your victorious' hands. For what rash madness excites them to attack and endeavour to deprive us of our inheritance, who have inhabited this noble country since the Flood 1 Do they wish us to believe in their Christ against onr^l Who can be converted or believe against his will ? A certain motive, however slight, urges the Christians to covet the land which they call Holy ; but what have they to do with Egypt 1 They are unfit to lord it over the land which is watered and enriched by the river sent from Paradise ; beardless, shorn men, unwarlike and imbecile ; more like hermaphrodites or geldings, or rather women, than men, what do they dare to do 1" At these words all the Saracens were inflamed for the contest like raging fire, and they met our men in battle with the greatest confidence. The capture of the French kinff. Our fellow-Christians then proceeded, and as they neared the place of battle, where their French brethren had so miserably perished, they found the bodies of the slain head- leas, dep^ved of th^ hailds and feet, and otherwise mutilated ; for the Saracens, in order to obtain the promised rewards from the sultan, had vied with one another in cutting off the limbs of the dead bodies, as above mentioned, and had left the rest of the bodies to be devoured by the beasts and birds of prey ; and when the French behel^ this sight, they sent forth lamentable wailings, tore their hair and clothes, and moistened their arms and shields with their tears, so that their grief might have invited the compassion even of their enemies. In the mean time, the hosts of the enemy appeared at hand, and a lamentable conflict immediately ensued. But what coidd such a few men, worn out by grief and suffering, hunger and want, and mounted on famishing horses, effect against so many thousands of thousands ? The French gave way, were struck down and slaiQ, and vied with one another in submitting to their enemies. In short, the French army was defeated and dispersed, and few only of 376 MATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1250. their enemies were &laiii; and in this ill-omened conflict only one of the Saracens of noble rank was known to have fallen, and this one was named Melkadin, the son of Rb- cus (?) ; and even if as many had &llen on the adverse side as we lost on ours, their army would scarcely have shown any diminution. For we lost two thousand three hundred knights of noble birth and fifteen thousand soldiers, who were almost slain or taken prisoners at the will of the enemy. To add also to their grief and to the lasting disfgrace of the French, and the conft^don of the Church and all Christianity, the king, with the very few who defended him, namely, Charles, count of Provence, Alphonso, count of Poitou, and other nobles who remained firm by his side, was made prisoner. Never has it been found in any history that a kmg of France had been taken prisoner, especially by infidels, or defeated, except this one j and if he alone had been preserved in safety and honour, and all the rest had fallen, the Christians might have had some means of recovering breath and avoiding shame. Hence it was that David in the psalm prayed in spirit that the person of the king might be preserved, as on that depended the safety of the whole army, when he says, " O Lord, save the king." Of the force which Robert, count of Artbis, the king's brother, in his rash daring, had taken with him, there perished nearly a thousand knights and seven thousand two hundred fighting men. Of the Templars, three knights only escaped ; and of the Hospitallers, but four ; the fifth died of his woimds and loss of blood before he reached Acre ; of the house of the Teutonic order, three only escaped, and they half-dead. There also fell in this deadly conflict, besides the Tei]|{>lars and others, the following illustrious men : Ralph de Coucy, a fisimous and distinguished knight ; Hugh, count of Flanders, a man of great power and dis- tinction ; Hugh Brun, count de la Marche, whose Either had died a short time before at Damietta ; and also the count of Ponthieu, a pilgrim ; and, to sum up in a few words, the whole of the French nobility there fell slain. Graucher de Chatillon, a bold and invincible knight, was made prisoner, carried oS, and presented, as a token of victory, to the caliph, whose custom it is never to set at liberty any Christian consigned to his prisons. William Longuespee also fell A.D. 12d0.] THE KINO BEFUSES TO BESTOBE DAMIETTA. 377 covered with blood, after he had steeped his sword in the blood of many of his enemies ; and, with him, Robert de Yere and several other iUnstrious knights and their followers. This noble, although he was persuaded to escape, and could have done so, reused, lest he might appear imworthy of being associated with the other martyrs. Of the governor* qf DamieUa, and the fleet Iqft at that place. There were left in charge of Damietta, the duke of Burgundy, who commanded the forces and the people left in that city, and Oliver of Termes, a distinguished warrior, who commanded the cross-bowmen and ho;cse-skirmishers. . There were also in the city, Odo, the legate, the bishops of Amiens and Soissons, and many other prelates and clerks ; also the queen of France, and many other ladies in attendance on her. To command the fleet, too, which was numerous, and than which a more noble or better supplied fleet had never been seen, some illustrious knights had been appointed, and were stationed in the city, together with some Pisans, Genoese, Flemings, Poitevins, and Proven9als, all faithful subjects of the French king. It shoidd be remarked, that, on the very day on which the French king was taken prisoner. Earl Bichard was feasting with the pope ; and as the sultan of Babylon took the king prisoner, so the pope endeavoured to take the earl in by feasting him, and to render him &.vourable to his wishes. How the French kinfft although a prisoner, refused to restore Damietta to the Saracens, The French king having been taken and secured, the Saracens, as they had formerly done in the case of those whom they had taken with his brother Bobert, decapitated the bodies of the slain, and cut off their hands and feet, as a sign of extreme vengeance, as the sultan had ordered, and jllso in hopes of the reward above mentioned. But the more injuries these holy martyrs in the cause of God suffered, the greater reward they will doubtless obtain. The sultan determined to take the captive king to the more distant parts of the East, as a sight and object of ridicule to all infidels, to gain renown for himself, and that his prisoner might be exposed to the insults of all the Saracens, and that the most renowned of Christians might be presented to the 378 MATTHEW PABIS. [a.D. 1250. caHph, in honour of Mahomet ; that, as the most noble one of the Christians was crushed, the infidels might conceive hopes of destroying the rest. But as they most eagerly desired to obtain possession of Damietta, the plan was changed, for fear the king should die of sorrow ; for, indeed, he would not eat or drink anything for two days after his capture, and wished for death. And if he had died, the besieged would have sustained without alarm, for a year at least, the assaults of all the forces of the East, both by land and sea, and in the mean time they could be fireed by the succour of the Chris- tians, for Damietta was well defended by walls, ramparts, and towers, and the fleet was invincible by sea. The wiser and more eminent of the Saracens, theilefore, considering on this, called on the king instantly to restore Damietta^ and to pay as a ransom for Hs own person the sum of a hrmdred thousand poxuids of gold. To these demands the king replied with a dejected countenance and suppliant tone : " The Almighty knows that I came hither from France, not to acquire lands or money for myseli^ but to gain over to God your endangered souls ; nor did I undertake this perilous journey for my own advantage, but for yours, in fulfilment of my vow. For I possess abundant territory, temperate and h^thy, although a sinner and unworthy of it ; but I pity your souls, which wfll surely perish. Rest you satisfied with the ruin which, owing to Christ being offended with me, I have suffered in many ways. I may be put to death ; money may be extorted from me even to my utter impoverishment, but never shall Damietta^ which was obtaiiied by a divine miracle, be given up to you." Hoto the Saracens endeavoured to take Damietta by a stratagem. Whilst the Saracens were deliberating on these matters, one of the most crafty amongst them said : " Why do you hesitate) whether this captive petty prince is willing or unwilling, we will obtain both Damietta and the money demand^" By his advice, then, a strong body of Saracens, about equal in number to what they computed the Christian army to have amounted to, or perhaps more numerous, and, treacherously putting on the armour and carrying the shields and standards of the slain Christians, at once set out, thus dififguised, to Damietta, in order that, having the appear- A.D. 1250.] THE KING GIVES UP DAMIETTA. 379 ance of Erenchmen, they might obtain admission into the city, and, as soon as they were admitted, might kill all they found therein. Bnt when they approached the city, the Chiistians on guard looked forth from the ramparts of the city and towers on them, and at first thought they were Christians exultingly bearing spoils and trophies ; but the nearer they approached, the more imlike Frenchmen they appeared. For they marched hurriedly and in disordered crowds^ and sloped their shields irregularly, more after the custom of Saracens than the French. And when they reached the extremities of the fortifications, and approached the gates of the dty, they were clearly proved to be Saracens by their black and bearded &oes and the significations of their beards ; and they at once imperiously demanded admis- sion to the dty ; for all the approaches, both to the castles and the dty, were careftdly and vigilantly guarded. Of the grief of the Christians at learning qf the above-mentioned slaughter. When the garrison of the dty saw the Saracens equipped iQ the spoils of Christians, and were thus informed of the destruction of the Christian army, they filled the whole dty with their lamentations ; they, however, denied admission to the enemy into their castles and dty, boldly declaring that, althou^ the Christian army as well as its king had perished, they would firmly endure a siege, and withstand the assaults of all the Saraicens of the East for a long time, as they were in certain hopes of receiving assistance. But as the persons on watcb at the top of the towers saw that there was a large and widely-spread army of these new comers, and as they knew that their own forces were quite unequal to contend against the strength of the^enemy, they would not sally forth to attack them, especially as their strength was failing them from grief and want. For who could ftdly relate their heartfelt grief, when they saw the enemies of Christ giving vent to their pride and derision, clad in the armour, and bearing the standards and painted devices which they so well knew ? How the French king gave np Damietta to the Saracens as the price of his oton