TON, LANG- ornament to Church and state: in short, the pope made his Abp. Cant. address to the king with all the art and persuasiveness imaginable. He likewise sent a peremptory order to the prior and monks of Christ's Church, to receive Langton for their archbishop, and own him in all parts of his jurisdiction. Id. p. 223. The king expels the monks of Christ's Church the kingdom. The reve nues of the church of seized. But notwithstanding the flourish and courtliness of the application, the king was very angry upon reading the pope's letter, and charged the monks of Canterbury with treason. He complained, their choosing the sub-prior without his leave was an affront to his prerogative: that to make satisfaction for this presumption, they afterwards pitched upon the bishop of Norwich: that they received money out of the exchequer to defray the expense of their journey to Rome and get the latter election confirmed. That now, when they had their pockets furnished, and had given him the prospect of so fair an issue, they had basely betrayed the affair, and elected Langton his declared enemy for their archbishop. This unexpected turn, putting the king beyond all patience, he immediately ordered Fulco de Cantelupe, and Canterbury Henry Cornhelle, two sanguinary and inhuman knights (as Matthew Paris calls them), to go down to Canterbury with a military force, and drive the traitorous monks of Christ's Church out of the kingdom, or hang them if they would not be gone. These men executed the rigour of their commission to a tittle, entered the monastery with their swords drawn, charged the convent with high treason, and commanded them in the king's name, to depart the kingdom immediately. And in case they refused to obey, they swore they would set fire to the monastery, and burn them and Id. p. 224. their cloister to ashes. Ibid. The monks, who had not courage to stand this shock, quitted the house, and went over into Flanders, where the monasteries of the country entertained them. The king, upon their removal, ordered some of the monks of St. Augustine's to supply their place, and keep the house from looking empty. But as for the effects, Fulco seized them all for the king's use. The tenants likewise, it seems, of the archbishop and convent, were either frightened or turned out, insomuch that the farms were unoccupied, and lay fallow. .K. of Eng. menacing 414. The king, after this revenge upon the monks of Canter- JOHN, bury, sent his envoys to Rome with a reprimanding letter to the pope; in which, after he had taxed his holiness with The king's expostula. the scandalous voiding of the election of the bishop of Nor- tory and wich, and overawing the monks into the choice of Langton, letter to the a person altogether unknown to the king, and one that had pope. spent the greatest part of his time in the enemy's country in France; after this expostulatory beginning, he charges the pope with ingratitude, and wonders that his holiness and the conclave should forget how serviceable his friendship had been to that see, and that his holiness had received more acknowledgment and advantage from the kingdom of England, than from all other countries on this side the Alps; adding withal, that he resolved not to be baffled in his prerogative; that he would maintain the honour of his crown at the utmost hazard, and that he was unalterably determined never to consent to the setting aside the bishop of Norwich. In the conclusion he told the pope, that unless they gratified him in this affair, he should stop the passage of his subjects to Rome: for without this precaution, the wealth of the kingdom might probably be transported, and himself disabled against a foreign invasion. And that since England and the rest of his dominions were so well furnished with prelates of learning and sufficiency, he should, for the future be contented with their management, and not give himself the trouble of begging justice beyond sea, and making application to a foreign authority. Ibid. This year, the Franciscans or Minorites appeared: their rule was drawn up by St. Francis, and afterwards confirmed by the present pope Innocent. These friars made it their business to preach in town and country, pretended to no property, and lived only upon the contributions of their audience. They went barefoot, were poorly habited, and made a great show of mortification. It seems, their popular Matt. Paris, way of preaching upon Sundays and holidays, and taking the p. 222. confessions of the people, made the bishops and clergy de- nast. Flores. spised, and weakened the authority of their character. ad An. To proceed the pope resenting the sharpness of the 1207. king's letter, wrote him an answer, in a quite different strain The pope's from his last. He tells him plainly that he had misbehaved answer. himself in his language to the see of Rome: that he had : Westmo Historiar. TON, LANG outraged him for his civilities, and treated him with that Abp. Cant. disregard that no prince; upon such an occasion, had the hardiness to do. That his highness's objections against Langton were trifling and of no weight. However, he is willing to appear so fair as not to cast the cause wholly upon his own will and pleasure, but argues the point at length in A. D. 1208. behalf of Langton. At last, after some menacing strokes intermixed, he endeavours to work upon the king by milder applications, and promises, that in case of compliance, he will Matt. Paris, find out a salvo for the king's honour, and take care of his prerogative. But perceiving that the king was neither to be moved by courtship nor menacing, he sent an order to William, bishop of London, Eustachius, bishop of Ely, and Malger, bishop of Worcester, to go to the king and entreat him to receive the archbishop of Canterbury. He likewise wrote to the suffragans of that province to own Stephen for their metropolitan. P. 224. The bishops endeavour to p. 226. The bishops of London, Ely, and Worcester, waited on persuade the the king according to the pope's order: begged him to king to re- admit the archbishop, and give the monks leave to return; ceive Langton. pressed him upon the topicks of conscience, honour, and interest; and put him in mind that unless his highness gave satisfaction, the kingdom would be put under an Matt. Paris, interdict. The bishops, to do them right, reported the pope's instructions with all the respect and submission imaginable. But the subject being so unacceptable, the king would not suffer them to proceed, and breaking out in a rage against the pope and cardinals, swore that if either themselves or any other person were so hardy as to interdict his dominions, he would immediately seize the estates of the Church, and send the bishops and clergy all packing to the pope; adding withal, that if any Roman was found in his dominions, he would order their eyes to be plucked out, and their noses slit, that all people might know who they were by this distinction. He likewise ordered the bishops to go out of the presence immediately, for fear of carrying some mark of infamy along with them. These prelates finding no impression could be made upon the king, ventured The king to execute the pope's commission the Lent following: and upon Monday in Passion Week, put the whole kingdom under an interdict. The sentence was universally obeyed. dom put un ter dict. And thus there was an intermission of divine service, and JOHN, K. of Eng. all the offices of the priesthood were discontinued. I say all the offices, excepting the baptizing of children, taking the confessions, and giving the communion to dying persons. Some time before things came to this extremity, the pope Paris, ibid. wrote a letter to the English barons to persuade the king to Fœdera, a compliance, promising them an indulgence for using their Conveninterest. The letter concludes with strong menaces, in case teræ, &c. things were not brought to an accommodation. tiones Li p. 147. makes an It seems, the king was not willing to break with the pope: The king for, upon the application of the three bishops above men- offer of comtioned, he promised to receive Langton, archbishop of Can- pliance. terbury, and gratify the pope in any other point which his council should think reasonable; but to qualify this offer, and prevent its being construed to a dangerous latitude, he threw in some clauses for the saving the rights and dignity of his crown: this concession was put in the form of letters patent, and signed by seven earls and three barons, above two months before the interdict. 415. See Records, num. not 30. The bishops thought these qualifying clauses would pass at Rome, and that it was in the king's power to plain them to what sense he pleased; and thus, being too far in the pope's interest, they were so hardy as to publish the interdict. The censure, as was observed, took place immediately; and people brought their dead out of the towns, and buried them in ditches and highways without any funeral service; as for the three bishops, after they had executed the pope's order and given the blow, they went privately beyond sea, and so did Joceline, bishop of Bath, and Giles, bishop of Hereford. The king, enraged at the interdict, commanded the prelates, and those that abetted their proceedings, to depart the kingdom. He likewise ordered his sheriffs and lay officers to take the bishopricks and abbeys into their custody, and to seize the revenues of the Church; but most of the prelates had courage enough to stand the event, and refused to go out of the monasteries unless they were forced. The king's officers having no express direction to outrage any person, forbore violence. However, they laid their hands upon the issues and profits for the king's use, and allowed the ecclesiasticks but a slender maintenance The propo The king revenues of seizes the the bishops and clergy. TON, LANG- out of their own estates; and though the king's displeasure Abp. Cant. did not proceed to the last rigours, yet he found out ways enough to distress them, for he ordered all their barn doors to be locked. The priests' wives were seized, and forced to pay dearly for their liberty. If any clergyman or monk was met upon the road, by any of the king's guards or officers, he was presently dismounted, plundered and abused; neither would any magistrate do him justice upon Matt. Paris, complaint. p. 227. Ibid. See Records, num. 34. Johannis About this time, when the court was upon the borders of Wales, the sheriff of the county sent a highwayman, bound, to the king. This man, it seems, had robbed a priest upon the road, and murdered him; the king's pleasure was, therefore, desired concerning the malefactor: the answer was, "He has killed an enemy of mine, untie him and let him go." The king likewise ordered the relations of the archbishop and bishops who executed the interdict to be apprehended, imprisoned, and disseized of their estates. In the meantime, the three bishops who had provoked the king to these severities, and been instrumental in the confusion, got out of the reach of danger, and lived beyond sea at their ease, for which Matthew Paris gives them a hard character. But here it may be observed that all the prelates and clergy were not so far overawed by the court of Rome, as to put a stop to divine service, and submit to the interdict; and, amongst these, we may reckon the bishops of Winchester and Norwich. Now these prelates, and all others of the clergy who continued to officiate in their respective functions were quickly relieved from the general seizure, and had their temporalities and effects restored them by special writs. The king, being apprehensive the pope might proceed to Claus. 9. some deeper revenge, and either excommunicate him by Regis, M. 5. name, or absolve the English from their allegiance, sent down some troops to the nobility he suspected, and took hostages of them. Ibid. The continuance of the interdict transported the king to the utmost aversion for the Church, as appears by the following instance. A clergyman at Oxford, happened to kill a woman by chance-medley, and when he found her dead, A. D. 1209. absconded to prevent prosecution. The mayor of the city, and some of the burghers, went to search for him at his |
