The kings halfe brethren.
About the feast of the Ascension, Seuall the archbishop of Yorke departed this life, who constantlie had resisted the tyrannie of the court of Rome, in defense of his church, suffering in this world manie gréeuous tribulations, but now was remooued from thense vnto the kingdome of heauen, to be crowned with the elect for his good deseruings, as was then certenlie beléeued. About this time a great number of Poictouins were come into England, by reason of their aliance and coosinage to the king, the which by the kings fauour being highlie aduanced, began to wax proud thereof, and to require to be restored vnto such lands and liuings as before time they had possessed: namelie the kings halfe brethren, Athelmare or Odomare, that was a préest, with William, Geffrey and Guie, these were the sonnes of Hugh le Brun earle of Marsh, by his wife quéene Isabell, the mother of king Henrie, and being come into England, they shewed themselues verie loftie & high-minded, partlie, bicause of their coosinage to the king, & partlie by reason of his courteous interteining of them, insomuch that forgetting themselues, they began to despise (vpon a presumptuous pride) the English nobilitie, looking still for preferment of honor aboue all other. And surelie Odomare obteined at the first a great péece of his purpose, being made by the kings gift bishop of Winchester, and by that means bare a stout port, and greatlie holpe and mainteined his other brethren.
Insanum parliamentum.
The demand of the lords.
The English barons not well able to suffer such presumption in strangers, who séemed to haue them in derision, complained to the king, in so much that at length, as well for a reformation hereof, as in other things, a parlement was called (as before you haue heard) first at London, and after reiorned to Oxenford, there to be assembled about the feast of saint Barnabe in the moneth of Iune. This (of some writers) is named Insanum parliamentum, that is to say, The mad parlement; for at this parlement (to the which the lords came with great retinues of armed men, for the better safegard of their persons) manie things in the same yeare enacted contrarie to the kings pleasure, and his roiall prerogatiue. For the lords at the first determined to demand the confirmation of the ancient charter of liberties, which his father king Iohn had granted, and he himselfe had so often promised to obserue and mainteine, signifieng plainelie, that they meant to pursue their purpose and intent herein, not sparing either for losse of life, lands or goods, according to that they had mutuallie giuen their faiths by ioining of hands, as the manner in such cases is accustomed. Besides the grant of the great charter, they required other things necessarie for the state of the common-wealth, to be established and enacted.
Ordinances made.
An oth exacted of the king.
It was therefore first enacted, that all the Poictouins should auoid the land, togither with other strangers, and that neither the king nor his sonne prince Edward should in anie secret manner aid them against the people. Moreouer, that the king & his sonne should receiue an oth, to stand vnto the decrées and ordinances of that parlement, and withall spéed to restore the ancient lawes and institutions of the realme, which they both did, rather constreined therevnto by feare, than of anie good will. Thus not onelie the king himselfe, but also his sonne prince Edward receiued an oth, to obserue the ordinances of that parlement. But Iohn earle Warren, and the kings halfe brethren, namelie the earle of Penbroke refused that oth; and likewise the lord Henrie, sonne to the king of Almaine, excused himselfe by his fathers absence, without whose consent he would not receiue it, vnto whome this answer was made, that if his father would not consent to the agréement of the baronage, he should not possesse one furrowe of land within this realme.
The earle of Leicester threateneth the earle of Penbroke.