The Frenchmen taken at aduantage.
The earle of Cornewall raiseth his siege from the Rioll.
The death of the earle of Salisburie.
Matth. Paris.
The earle of Cornewall vnderstanding of the comming of that French armie, tooke a part of his host, and therewithall went to méet his enimies, and lieng in ambush for them by the way, had them at a good aduantage, and slue great numbers of them. After this, the earle of Champaigne kéeping his men within their trenches and campe, without attempting anie other exploit, the earle of Cornewall thought it sufficient, if he might kéepe the Gascoignes in obedience, which had alreadie practised a rebellion, by sending letters and messengers for the same intent vnto the French king, and therefore breaking vp his siege before the Rioll, he staied a while from exploiting any further enterprise. About the same time, the earle of Salisburie returning homwards out of Gascoigne, was so tossed and turmoiled on the seas by tempests of weather, that he fell sicke therof, and within a few daies after his arriuall died.
Préests concubines forbidden christian buriall.
¶ This yeare also, there came foorth a decrée from the archbishop of Canturburie, and his suffragans, that the concubines of préests and clearkes within orders (for so were their wiues then called in contempt of their wedlocke) should be denied of christian buriall, except they repented whilest they were aliue in perfect health, or else shewed manifest tokens of repentance at the time of their deaths. The same decrée also prohibited them from the receiuing of the pax at masse time, & also of holie bread after masse, so long as the préests kept them in their houses, or vsed their companie publikelie out of their houses. Moreouer, that they should not be purified when they should be deliuered of child, as other good women were, vnlesse they found sufficient suertie to the archdeacon, or his officiall, to make satisfaction at the next chapter or court to be holden, after they should be purified. And the préests should be suspended, which did not present all such their concubines as were resident within their parishes. Also, all such women as were conuict to haue dealt carnallie with a préest were appointed by the same decrée to doo open penance. Where the question may be asked, whether this decrée was extended to préests wiues or no? Wherevnto answer may be made, that as a quadrangle in geometrie compriseth in it a triangle, and a quaternion in arithmetike conteineth a ternion; so in logike a vniuersall proposition comprehendeth a particular. But it is said here, that all such women as had carnal knowledge with a préest, were to be punished, therefore some, and consequentlie all préests wiues. But yet this séemeth not to be the meaning of that decrée, for préests were allowed no wiues, naie Sericius the pope iudged that all such of the cleargie as had wiues could not please God, bicause they were in carne, which words he and the residue of that litter restreined to marriage, admitting in no case that churchmen should inioy the rights of matrimonie. Wherin they offer God great iniurie, in séeking to limit that large institution of wedlocke, wherein all estates are interressed; and they séeme likewise to bridle nature, and to compell hir within certeine precincts, wherein they offer intollerable iniurie to all mankind, considering that
----ad venerem compellimur exercendam
Non modò nos, verùm omne animal, terræq; marísq;
Naturæ imperio: facias peiora necesse est,
Si non fœminei sorberis ab ore barathri.
An. Reg. 10.
A legat from the pope.