III. 449. p. 623. destroy the royal family. Besides, such contributions would HENRY in all likelihood make the emperor break with the king, and K. of Eng. This comnot assist him in the recovery of his dominions. plaint coming to the king's ear, he wrote to the pope upon that subject: and, in the close of the letter, desired his holi- Id. p. 622. ness not to take it ill if he contradicted his instructions in some cases. For he was bound by his royal office to do justice to all people, and redress the grievances of his subjects. Id. These remonstrances, it is probable, were not very acceptable at the court of Rome, as appears by the schemes laid against the crown. For now the pope, whether out of interest or revenge is not certain, endeavoured to draw David, prince of Wales, from his late engagements to king Henry. The pope's design was, as the historian reports it, to make himself sovereign of the principality of Wales. David therefore, having promised to own his holiness under that title, and pay him the yearly acknowledgment of five hundred marks, was received into the pope's protection, Id. p. 621. and supported in his rebellion against king Henry. 626. St. Edmund. This year, the abbot and monks of Pontiniac in France, wrote to the pope to move for the canonization of St. A motion for the canoEdmund, the late archbishop of Canterbury. In their ad-nization of dress, they acquaint his holiness, that this pious prelate was buried in their cloister, and that all sorts of miracles were wrought by his interest and intercession. They tell the pope, that they shall be brief in the recital, and report nothing but what they have been either eyewitnesses of, or received from good information. For instance; they acquaint him that those who were born blind, had the privilege of sight; those who were lame from their cradle, walked like other people; the deaf and dumb had new senses; the paralytick were cured, and devils driven out of persons possessed. In short, people were relieved under all sorts of maladies and distress, by the prevalence of this saint; but the narrative being long, I shall give the reader no more of it. Now, that the monks of Pontiniac were not mistaken in reporting matter of fact, nor misapplied the miracles to the wrong cause, is farther than I shall vouch, notwithstanding the evidence produced by Matthew Paris. . This year, there was another harpy dispatched into England, from the court of Rome. This Martin, for that Id. p. 627. A new order of Religious. was his name, was furnished with an unprecedented commission; and though he wanted the title of a legate, his powers exceeded those of that character. He was extremely oppressive in his impositions; arbitrary in his disposal of benefices; and was always producing new authorities to justify his extravagance and avarice. Insomuch, that it was said, he came over with a parcel of blank bulls, which he had the liberty to fill up at discretion. But Matthew Paris seems not to allow so hard an imputation upon the pope. This Martin applied to the court for countenance in his exactions. The king told him, the Church was in no condition to contribute, and sent him away dissatisfied. In the beginning of winter, there appeared a new sort of Religious at the bishop of Rochester's synod. The historian calls them Cruciferi, or Cross-bearers; because they had crosses upon their staffs. They demanded a settlement, and produced an unheard of privilege from the pope: by virtue of which, they were neither to be checked, reproached, nor commanded by anybody: and whosoever was so bold as to control them, they had an authority to excommuniId. p. 650. cate forthwith. Now, people of sense, (as Matthew Paris reports), were amazed at the extent of their privilege, and the latitude of their commission; and objected amongst other things, that the licensing this new order was a direct breach upon the canons of the late council of Lateran. Id. p. 652. Godwin in Episc. Cice stren. This year, the canons of Chichester chose Robert Passelew, lord-treasurer, for their bishop. This choice they knew would be acceptable to the king: for Passelew had been very serviceable to the exchequer, was a great favourite, and well qualified for business: but the elect of Canterbury, and most of the bishops, were displeased with his promotion; for when they came to examine him, they found him very defective in the learning fitting his character; though as Matthew Paris will have it, they put him upon too rigorous a test: but, it seems, the bishops were of another mind, and therefore, making void his election, Richard de la Wich was chosen in his place. The king not having been applied to for his consent, was angry at the proceedings, and refused to restore the temporalities. However, De la Wich got over these difficulties in a short time, and held the see. III. A. D. 1245. In the beginning of the next year, the king kept his HENRY Christmas at London. At this solemnity he knighted one K. of Eng. John de Gatesden, a clergyman. This Gatesden was a great pluralist; but resigned all his benefices before his knighthood. To proceed; some of the Roman conclave, Paris,p.652. who had a mind to make a penny of the king, sent a letter to persuade him to give the pope an invitation into England. They told him so great a visit had never been made in the time of his predecessors: that his holiness's coming into his dominions, would be very advantageous to the country: and being the peculiar honour of his reign, would prove serviceable to his memory. The king would have fallen into the snare, had it not been for the advice of some of his council, who saw farther. They told him, the kingdom had been sufficiently raked already by the Caursins, and Italian clan; and that there was no need of his holiness' company to plunder the remainder. The pope, who was at the bottom of this letter, made an attempt to visit the French and Arragonians, but was denied in both places. For now, as the historian observes, the court of Rome was scandalous for its avarice, to the last degree. summons to About mid-lent, the pope's nuncios arrived in England; The pope's their commission was to publish their master's bull for con- the council vening a general council at Lyons. The business for which of Lyons. the council was called is mentioned in the bull. It was to restore the affairs of Palestine, which were now in a lamentable condition; to support the Latin empire at Constantinople; to repel the incursions of the Tartars, and to settle the dispute between the Church and the German emperor. The time assigned for the meeting was the feast of St. John the Baptist next ensuing. Upon this summons, many of the English bishops prepared for their voyage; but some excused themselves upon the score of age, or business at the king's court, and sent their proxies. About a month before the sitting of the council, there happened a fire in the pope's apartments at Lyons. By this accident, as Matthew Paris informs us, it was commonly reported, that scandalous charter was burnt which king John had signed to Pandulphus; by virtue of which, Id. p. 658. the kingdom of England was made a fief to the Roman see. BONI- Boniface of Canterbury had his character completed at Abp. Cant. last, and was consecrated by the pope at Lyons. This pre The empe agreement with the pope. late being better qualified for a general than an archbishop, the pope made him captain of his guards; and gave him an authority to keep the peace, and secure the council from disturbance. The council was opened at the time appointed, and consisted of about a hundred and forty bishops. Bigod, earl of Norfolk, and several other barons were also sent thither from the king and the English nobility. The emperor likewise sent his agents with instructions to offer terms to the pope. And here, his imperial majesty promised to bring all the Greeks to an union with the Church of Rome; to raise a numerous army against the Tartars and Saracens, and to assist the Christians of Palestine to the utmost of ror's offer of his power; to make restitution for what had been taken from the see of Rome, and give satisfaction for all injurious usage. To this the pope answered, that he had no reason to depend upon these specious promises: and that the proposal was no better than an artifice to evade the discipline of the council. It seems the emperor had solemnly engaged himself to these articles the year before, but Id. p. 629, quickly repented, and broke the agreement. The pope, therefore, being at the height of his encroachments, and full of the Hildebrandine spirit, deposed the emperor, abposed in the solved his subjects from their allegiance, commanded the empire not to own him for their sovereign any longer, and excommunicated all those that should aid or assist him under that character; and, to finish the matter, he gave the electors leave to choose another emperor. 630, 631. 663. He is de council. This extraordinary sentence was pronounced in open session, without the least opposition of the council, as far as it appears. On the contrary, Matthew Paris reports, they were all terribly frightened, and, as it were, thunder-struck at this flash of authority: which is the more remarkable, considering that the emperor of Constantinople, the king of England's agents, and the count of Toulouse were pre sent. To proceed: Mr. William de Poweric, one of the English proxies, read a list of the grievances of the kingdom, in council. It was penned by way of address to the pope, in III. the name of the English baronage and commonalty. The HENRY contents of their letter have been, most of them, mentioned K. of Eng. already. In short, they complained of the intolerable ex- The remonactions of the court of Rome: that their livings were dis- strance of the English posed of to foreigners; men who neither understood English, agents. nor were otherwise qualified for Church preferment. That the pope's agents claimed the assets of all the clergy that died intestate; that they sometimes took a third part, and sometimes half the revenue of those who were non-resident; and that this excise was laid upon them for three years together. They complained farther, that the Italians received above sixty thousand marks yearly from the Church, which was more than the crown revenues. And to mention but one thing more, they remonstrated that the non-obstante clause in the pope's bulls, was a sweeping and scandalous one, and occasioned intolerable oppression. At the close of the letter, they told his holiness, that these were detestable impositions, that the burden of them was not to be borne, and that they hoped his holiness would apply a speedy and effectual remedy. Though the agents pressed for an immediate answer to their address, the pope pretended business, and took some farther time for consideration. When the council broke up, and the emperor understood their proceedings, he was extremely enraged against the pope, put his crown upon his head, and declared the council should never over-awe him to part tamely with his dignity; and to engage the princes of Christendom to his interest, he wrote to them, dilated on the barbarity of the usage, and endeavoured to provoke their aversion against the court of Rome. 451. peror's letter In his letter to the king of England, he sets forth, that pope Innocent IV. had presumed to depose him in the The emcouncil of Lyons, though he had neither cited him to the as- to the king sembly, nor proved any injustice against him; that in case he of England. had misbehaved himself, the pope had no authority to dispose of his property, or punish him in his temporal concerns. That this bold sentence was a dangerous invasion of the rights of princes; that it was not the first time crowned heads had been thus used; that he was resolved to maintain his station, and endeavour to bring the haughtiest of the clergy |
