Source.—Walter of Hemingburgh's Chronicle, vol. ii., pp. 113 et seqq. (English Historical Society Publications.)
A.—The Bull "Clericis Laicos."
Boniface, Bishop, servant of the servants of God, for the perpetual remembrance of this matter. Ancient writings declare the hostility of laymen to clerics in a city, and the experience of these present days confirms it, for laymen, not content with their own, strive to enter a forbidden sphere, and cast off restraint in quest of unlawful power; nor do they prudently remember that jurisdiction over clerics and ecclesiastics and their goods is prohibited to them; on the contrary, they impose heavy burdens on prelates of churches, churches, and the regular and secular clergy, talliage them, ... and compel them to undergo all manner of servitude ...; further, ... some prelates, ... seeking a transitory peace, ... acquiesce in such abuses, without obtaining the authority of the Apostolic See. We, therefore, wishing to prevent such occurrences, by the advice of our brethren, decree by our apostolic authority, that all prelates or clerics, ... who pay or promise to laymen imposts or talliages, a half, a tenth, a twentieth, or a hundredth, of the goods and revenues belonging to themselves and their churches ... without the authority of the same see; likewise all Emperors, Kings, Princes, Dukes, Earls, ... and any others ... who impose, exact, or receive such payments, ... thereby incur the sentence of excommunication.
B.—Its Reception in England.
On the day after All Saints in the same year, the King held his Parliament at St. Edmund's, where he was granted, on his request, a twelfth by the people, and an eighth by the cities and boroughs; a fifth was demanded from the clergy, but they replied that they were unable to grant anything, and the King to receive anything, without each incurring the sentence of excommunication pronounced in the Bull; a result which they deemed the King did not desire, and which they knew would be injurious to themselves. But this reply did not satisfy the King, so postponement was made to another Parliament to be held at London on the day after S. Hilary, to see if after mature deliberation in the interval they would give a more favourable reply. At length the day came, and when the clergy were assembled, Master Robert of Winchelsea Archbishop of Canterbury, after hearing the advice of the messengers sent from the King, replied as follows: "You know well, my lords, for it is undeniable, that under God Omnipotent we have two lords, one spiritual and one temporal; our spiritual lord is the Pope and our temporal lord the King; and although we owe obedience to each, yet in a greater degree to the spiritual than to the temporal; but with the aim of satisfying both, we permit and desire our special messengers to be sent at our expense to our spiritual lord the Pope, in order that we may have liberty to grant, or, at least, may be informed by him what we are to do; for we believe that our lord the King fears and wishes to avoid the sentence of excommunication pronounced in the Bull, even as we do." To this the King's messengers replied, "Appoint from among yourselves, my lords, men whom you may send to make these proposals to the lord King; for we, knowing that his wrath is roused, fear to tell him of them." When the clergy had done so, the King's anger broke forth, and giving way to furious rage, he declared the Archbishop of Canterbury himself and all the clergy of England outside his guardianship and protection; and ordered that all the lands—even the lands received in gift—of the Church of England should be taken into his own hand. And, as is believed, it miraculously happened that, on the very day on which the King outlawed the clergy, his soldiers were thrown into confusion and defeated, in Gascony, by the French. Even the King's Justiciar, seated at the tribunal, in the place of the King, said, publicly, in the hearing of all who were present: "Do you, who are attorneys of Archbishops, Bishops, Abbots, and Priors, and all other clerics, announce to your masters that for the future they shall receive no justice in the King's Court for anything, even though they suffer the most cruel wrongs; yet justice shall be done on them in the interest of all who complain against them and wish to have redress. Wonderful to tell! common justice, which is granted to the people, is, I know not for what reason, denied to the clergy; so Mother Church, which of old had dominion over her sons, now walks in bondage and servitude."
But Henry de Newark, Bishop-elect of York, the Bishops of Durham, Ely, and Salisbury, and some others, fearing the anger of the King, and imagining some grave danger to be impending, announced that they had in mind to deposit in their churches a fifth part of the ecclesiastical property of the year, for the defence of the Church of England and the warding off of a great crisis, so that they might avoid the King's anger, and yet not incur the sentence pronounced in the Bull. Thus, whatever was deposited by the clergy the treasury took into its possession; by so doing, and under a pretence granting a fifth, these Churchmen obtained the King's protection. But the Archbishop of Canterbury remained steadfast, refused to grant or deposit anything, and chose rather to incur the anger of the King than the sentence of excommunication; wherefore all his goods were seized, his gold and silver vessels, and all his horses; and his friends forsook him, nor was there even anything left for the maintenance of Christ's poor; and it was ordained, under pain of heavy forfeiture to the King, that no one should receive him to lodge within a religious house or elsewhere, heedless of the command of the Apostle, "Receive one another, as Christ also received you"; and he remained an outcast in the house of a simple rector, with only one priest and one clerk, not having in the whole diocese where to lay his head; yet he ordered himself even according to the word of God, begging publicly, ever ready to die for the Church, and everywhere protesting that all who had granted anything to the King or any other lay person, against the will of the lord Pope, had thereby surely incurred the sentence of excommunication.
The friends of Oliver, Bishop of Lincoln, who also had refused to perform the King's will, persuaded the Sheriff of Lincoln to take a fifth part of the Bishop's goods, and then restore him his possessions and lands. All the monasteries of that same episcopate, and of the whole Province of Canterbury, were taken into the King's hand, and by his command wardens were appointed who allowed to the monks the barest necessaries, while everything else was gathered into the Treasury. Whereupon the Abbots and Priors, driven by necessity, approached the King's Court, and redeemed, not their sins, but their own property, by the payment of a fourth. At that time the clergy received no justice, and clerks suffered many injuries. Churchmen were even robbed of their horses on the King's highway, and were unable to obtain justice, till they ransomed themselves and were received back into the royal protection.
THE NOBLES REFUSE TO GO TO GASCONY WITHOUT THE KING (1297).
Source.—Walter of Hemingburgh's Chronicle, vol. ii., pp. 121 et seqq. (English Historical Society Publications.)
On the Festival of S. Matthew the Apostle in the same year, the King, having summoned the magnates of the kingdom without the clergy, held a Parliament at Salisbury, in which he requested some of the nobles to cross to Gascony. When all began to excuse themselves, the King grew angry, and threateningly told some of them that they would either go or that he would bestow their lands on others who were willing to go. At this many of the Barons were offended, and signs of quarrel began to be apparent. The Earl of Hereford (who was High Constable), and the Earl Marshal gave as their excuse that they would willingly perform the duties which devolved on them by hereditary right, by accompanying the King in person. The King once more repeated his request to the Earl Marshal, who replied: "Gladly will I accompany thee, Sir King, preceding thy royal person in the front rank, as is my hereditary right." "But thou wilt also accompany the others without me." "I am not bound, nor is it my will, Sir King, to set out without thee." Thereat, it is said, the King angrily burst forth: "By God, Sir Earl, thou shalt either go, or hang." "By the same oath, Sir King," replied the Earl, "I will neither go nor hang." Then, without making any agreement, he left the council, which was dissolved for that occasion. Very soon the Earl of Hereford and the Earl Marshal, gathering round them many Barons, and choosing more than thirty bannerets, had collected a great host, to the number of fifteen hundred horsemen armed for battle; and the King began to be afraid, though he concealed his fear. Then the rebels, going to their own estates, refused to allow the King's officials to take wool or hides or to make any unusual exaction, or to extort anything from those unwilling to give; they even forbade the officials entrance to their estates, on pain of loss of life and limb, and occupied themselves in preparations for resistance.