From hence he made hast to London, and at his comming thither, tooke counsell how to recouer the great charges and expenses that he had béene at in this iournie, and by the aduise of William Brewer, Robert de Turnham, Reignold de Cornhill, and Richard de Marish, he caused all the chéefe prelats of England to assemble before him at S. Brides in London. So that thither came all the abbats, abbesses, templers, hospitallers, kéepers of farmes and possessions of the order of Clugnie, and other such forreners as had lands within this realme belonging to their houses. All which were constreined to paie such a gréeuous tax, that the whole amounted to the summe of an hundred thousand pounds. The moonks of the Cisteaux order, otherwise called white moonks, were constreined to paie 40 thousand pounds of siluer at this time, all their priuileges to the contrarie notwithstanding. Moreouer, the abbats of that order might not get licence to go their generall chapter that yéere, which yéerelie was vsed to be holden, least their complaint should mooue all the world against the king, for his too hard and seuere handling of them.
1211.
An. Reg. 13.
King John goeth into Wales with an armie.
Matth. Paris.
White church I thinke.
Pandulph & Durant the popes legats.
Polydor.
In the summer following, about the 18 day of Julie, king John with a mightie armie went into Wales, and passing foorth into the inner parts of the countrie, he came into Snowdon, beating downe all that came in his way, so that he subdued all the rulers and princes, without contradiction. And to be the better assured for their subiection in time following, he tooke pledges of them, to the number of 28, & so returned to Album Monasterium on the daie of the Assumption of our ladie, from whence he first set foorth into the Welsh confines. In the same yeare also, the pope sent two legats into England, the one named Pandulph a lawier, and the other Durant a templer, who comming vnto king John, exhorted him with manie terrible words to leaue his stubborne disobedience to the church, and to reforme his misdooings. The king for his part quietlie heard them, and bringing them to Northampton, being not fare distant from the place where he met them vpon his returne foorth of Wales had much conference with them; but at length, when they perceiued that they could not haue their purpose, neither for restitution of the goods belonging to préests which he had seized vpon, neither of those that apperteined to certeine other persons, which the king had gotten also into his hands, by meanes of the controuersie betwixt him and the pope the legats departed, leauing him accursed, and the land interdicted, as they found it at their comming.
Fabian.