with sundry Archbishops and Bishops were taken by the Emperors Galleys going to a Council upon the Summons of Pope Gregory IX Gualo a Presbiter Cardinal of St. Martin crowned King Henry III causing him to do homage to the Church of Rome and Pope Innocent for England and Ireland and to swear faithfully to pay the Annual Rent for them which his Father King John had granted so long as he injoyed those Realms He deprived Simon Langton Archdeacon of Canterbury and Gervase de Habruge who obstinately adhered to Lewis and the Barons and celebrated Divine Service to them and the Londoners after their Excommunication of their Benefices for which they were compelled to go to Rome He sent Inquisitors through all Provinces of England suspending and depriving Clerks of their Benefices for very small faults and adhering to the Barons bestowing their Livings on his own Creatures Clerks inriched with others Spoils He received a thousand Marks from Hugh Bishop of Lincoln and vast sums from other Religious Persons Canons exhausting their Purses and reaping where he did not sow He bare sway in the Councils of King Henry III who sealed some Writs and Patents with his Seal before his own Seal was made and usurped on his Crown during his Minority without Opposition Bernardus de Nympha came Armed into England with the Bulls of Pope Innocent IV to collect Money from the Cruce signati for Richard Earl of Cornwall the Kings Brother Divers Blank Bulls of the Popes were found in his Chest after his Death containing manifold Machinations of the Romans to debase and oppress England John de Diva an English Frier was armed with many Papal Bulls to extort Moneys from the English for Pope Innocent IV under dreadful Penalties and Fulminations He exacts six thousand Marks out of Lincoln Diocess His Exaction at St. Albans was appealed against who demanded 300 Marks notwithstanding the Appeal to be paid within Eight days under pain of Excommunication and Interdict which the Pope upon an Appeal caused them to pay He had a Bull from the Pope to inquire of all Lands alienated from Churches and Monasteries Vexationâ— by Proviso's all Simoniacal Contracts for Livings to seize them to the Popes use and Excommunicate Interdict all Opposers without Appeal John Russin was sent with the power though not the title of a Legat into Ireland to collect Moneys there He extorted six thousand Marks from the Clergy there notwithstanding the Kings Prohibition Otto I. Pope Honorius his Nuncio was sent to King Henry III. He demandeth two Marks by way of Procuration from all Conventual Churches of England he demandeth two Dignities and two Monks portions in all Cathedrals and Monasteries Otho Cardinal Deacon of St. Nicholas in Careere Tâ—llianâ— Legat Pryn's Hist of Popes Usurpations to Pope Gregory IX was received into England with Processions and ringing of Bells He disposed of vacant Benefices to all that came with him whether worthy or unworthy the King almost did nothing without him and adored his foot-steps He was present in the Parliament at York to mediate a peace between the Kings of England and Scotland The Charter of Peace was sworn to and ratified in his Presence He desireth leave of the King of Scotâ— to enter as a Legat into Scotland to regulate Ecclesiastical Affairs there as in England who answered That neither in his Fathers time nor of any his Ancestors any Legat had Entrance into Scotland neither would he permit it whilst he was in his righe senses But if he entered at his own peril he must expect violence from his rude Subjects from which he was unable to protect him yet he knighted and bestowed some Lands on his Nephew A great Fray was occasioned at Oxford by his Porterâ— Insolence and he was assaulted by the Scholars at Osney-Abbey stiled an Usurer a Simoniack a Ravisher of Mens Rents a Thirster after Money a â—erverter of the King and Subverter of the Kingdom is forced to fly secretly from thence Both the King and he proceeded severely against the Scholars for it by Ecclesiastical Censures Excommunications Penances Imprisonments almost to the ruin of the University He was denied Entrance into Scotland by the King thereof the second time He gave a Writing under his Hand and Seal to the King of Scots that his Admission into Scotland should not be drawn into Consequence who took it away with him upon his private recess He there collected the fifteenth part of the Goods of all Prelats and Beneficed Clerks and sent it to the Pope The English Nobles send Letters of Complaint to the Pope against his confering of Benefices by Provisions upon Aliens and other Grievances Frederick the Emperor was incensed against King Henry III for this Legats collecting of Moneys in England imployed in Wars against him demanding his Expulsion out of England as the Emperors and the Kingdoms Enemy He demandeth Procurations for himself from the Clergy not exceeding the sum of four Marks for any Procuration The King sent a Prohibition to him to exact the fifth or any other part of the Benefices of his Clerks attending on his Service which he could by no means endure He joyneth with Peter Rubee in exacting a great Tax from the Prelats and Abbots to shed Christian Blood and to conquer the Emperor The Bishops and Canons except against his intollerable Demands He laboured to raise a Schism and Division among the Clergy to obtain his Exactions He demanded Procurations from the Cistercians who manfully denied them as contrary to their Priviledges which the Pope dispensed with by his Non obstante The King upon his Departure out of England by the Popes Summons feasted placed him in his own Royal Throne and at Dinner to the admiration of many Knighted his Nephew and bestowed an Annuity of Thirty pounds per Annum upon him which he presently sold He conferred above Three hundred rich Prebendaries and Benefices at his own and the Popes pleasure on their Creatures He spoiled the Church of Sarum and many other Cathedrals leaving them destitute of Consolation He is accompanied by the King and Nobles in great state to the Sea-side at his departure out of England He left not so much Money in Mat. Paris fol. 735. England behind him when he left it as he drained out of it Church-plate and Ornaments excepted He stayed three years in England great were the rewards demanded by and given unto Legats Pope Innocentius sent one Martin into England for his Legat who was Rewards given to Legats not ashamed to demand Plate Geldings and other Rewards without measure And if those things where with he was presented liked him not he would proudly send them back to their Owners Mat. Paris f. 870. and threaten them with Excommunications except they brought him better And other Examples in the same Authors there were divers Rich Presents were sent unto the Legats The Bishop of Winton presented Otho with Fifty fat Oxen One hundred Quarters of the best Wheat
commit unto your own judgment the Cause and Controversiâ— between uâ— so far forth as I may salvo honore Dei saving the honour of God The King being much offended with that last Expression Salvo honore Dei turned himself about unto the French King and said See you not how he goeth about to delude me with this Clause Saving the honour of God for whatsoever shall displease him he will by and by alledge to be prejudicial to the honour of God But this I will say to you whereas there have been Kings of England Godwin's Catalogue of English Bishops many before me whereof some were peradventure of greater power than I the most far less and again many Archbishops before this man holy and notable men Look what Duty was ever performed by the greatest Archbishop that ever was to the weakest and simplest of my Predecessors Hereunto the Archbishop answered cunningly and stoutly That the times were altered his Predecessors which could not bring all things to pass at the first dash were content to bear with many things and that as men they fell and omâ—tted their Duty often times thaâ— what the Church had gotten was by the diligence of good Prelates whosâ— Example he would follow thus far forth as that â—f he could not augment the Priviledges of the Church in his time yet ye would nâ—vâ—r consent they should be diminished This Answer being heard all Men cried shame upon him imputing the cause of these stirs upon him and so they parted at that time without reconciliation Another instance I will give namely that of Cardinal Pool who in the Dispensation granted to the Realm in the time of Queen Mary for determining Church Lands c. Doth therein plainly declare that it was of favour and in regard of the Peace of the Realm that he so dispensed otherwise all Laws made in derogation of the Churches Rights were void SECT 3. 3. The Pope dischargeth the Clergy from all Payments of Money The King forbidden to lâ—vy Subsidâ—â—s upon the Clergy So are his Laws in c. adversus Ext. de Immunitate Ecclesiarum c. 1. de Immunit Ecclesiar in sext c. Clericis eâ—dem Roger Hoveden Anâ—al pars â—osteriorpâ— 1â— 817. Matth. Paris p. 146 15â— 194 Holinâ—hâ—d p. 143 1â—7 153 170 Gâ—dwin in his Life imposed by any Temporal Prince be it by way of Taxe or of Subsidy or for what necessity of his Realm soever except the Pope be first made privy thereto and give his assent And Clerks yielding to such Imposition do thereby fall into the Popes Curse King John demanding of his Subjects as well Spiritual as Tempâ—ral a thirteenth part of their Goods and Chattels Geâ—ffery Plantaginet Archbishop of York the Kings base Brother opposed it Sâ— saith Mr. Prynne out of divers Authors That he obstructed the levying of Carvage demanded and granted to the King by common consent and paid by all others on the Demesne Lands of his Church or Tenants beating the Sheriff of York's Servants excommunicating the Sheriff himself by Name with all his Aiders and interâ—icted his whole Province of York for attempting to levy it Wherefore the King incensed for these intollerable Affâ—onts summoned him to answer these high Contempts his not going over with him into Normandy when summoned and also to pay him 3000 Marks due to his Brother King Richard and by his Writs commanded all the Archbishops Servants where-ever they were found to be imprisoned as they were for beating the Sheriffs Officers and denying to give the King any of the Archbishops Wine passing through York summoned Geoffery into his Court to answer all these Contempts and issued Writs to the Sheriff of Yorkshire to seize all his Goods Temporalties and to return them into the Exchequer which was executed accordingly The King and Queen repairing to York the next Mid-Lent the Archbishop upon more sober thoughts made his Peace with the King submitted to pay such a Fine for his Offences as four Bishops and four Barons elected by them should adjudge and absolved William de S utvil the Sheriff and James de Paterna whom he had excommunicated and recalled his former Interdict King Edward the First was in a like case resisted by means of Robert Kilwarby Archbishop of Canterbury For when the King in Parliament holden at St. Edmonds-bury demanded there a Subsidy of his Subjects the Temporalty yielded an Eighth part of the Goods of Citizens and Burgâ—sses and of other Lay Persons the twelfth part but the Clergy encouraged by the Archbishop who had procured This is repâ—rted by William Thorn a Monk of Canterbury from Pope Boniface the VIII Immunity from Subsidies which I take to be the same that is before recited Ex. c. 1. de Immunitate Ecclesiarum in Sexto refused to yield any thing whereupon the King called another Parliament at London without the Clergy where the Goods of the whole Clergy were declared to be forseited to the King so as afterwards most of the Clergy were content with any condition to redeem that forfeiture SECT IV. 4. The Kings own Subjects were by the Pope armed with Censures Subjects Armed against their Soveraign of Excommunication Interdiction c. by them to be denounced against him for redress of such wrongs as iâ— pleaseth them to take themselves injured by Pope Innocent IV. hath decreed that a Prelate having wrong offered him by a Temporal Judge may defend himself with the Spiritual Sword of Excommunication c. Dilecto Dâ— sententia Excommunicationis in Sexto In the Fortieth year of King Henry the Third Boniface Archbishop of Canterbury made a large Constitution wherein he setteth forth how the Clergy shall proceed against the King by whose Writ a Clerk is called in his Court to answer for Matters pertaining to the Ecclesiastical Judge and declareth that it shall be lawful to interdict all the Kings Lands and Possessions This Archbishop had summoned a Council of Bishops and Archdeacons that like the Martyr Thomas saith Matthew Paris he might encounter the Enemies and Rebels of the Church and be a Wall of Defence unto it as was pretended The King directed his Prohibitions to him and the Bishops not to meet in this Council which they contemn The Articles and Canon made in that Council were against the Kings Prerogative Ecclesiastical and Temporal his Temporal Judges Courts Laws Prohibitions Writs and Judgments Exempting of themselves their Clerks Officers Lands and Goods from their Secular Jurisdiction and Judicatures Decreeing Interdicts and Excommunications against the King his Judges Officers Lands Castles and Lay-subjects for which Liberties they resolved to contend even unto Death The Archbishop was forced by the King and Barons to fly the Kingdom for this and other like Constitutions against whom they complained appealed and sent their Proctors to Rome Which Constitutions are yet printed in Lyndewood and Aton and urged for the Canon-Law of this Realm by some aspiring Prelates and Ignorant Canonists of late times saith Mr. Prynne though always
saying over the Beads with Contrition and being present at the Service said for the Departed out of this Life or at the least hearing a Mass or saying over or causing one to be said shall deliver one soul out of the Pains of Purgatory Every Monday also he that saith over his Beads or Dirige for the Departed out of this Life shall obtain the same Indulgences which be obtained in Rome for Visiting Holy places for that purpose 9. Item Every Sunday and Friday saying over the Beads for the increase of all Orders of Religion of Cathedral Churches Cural and others namely Tramontaines they shall be partakers of all the Prayers and Sacrifices of the same as though they were corporally present with them praying also for the Indans and parts without Europe they shall be partakers of their well-doing which travel in those Countreys in the Vineyard of God 10. Item It is granted That for once or twice an Unhallowed Grain or Bead may be put in the place of an Hallowed Bead or Grain if it be lost or broken and have the same Indulgences The Conclusion is in this manner Laus Deo Virginique Matri Praise be to God and the Virgin-Mother 16. Hereto may be added the Special Pardons and Bulls given to special Places of Pilgrimage and the advancing of new found Miracles and Pilgrimages with new granted Bulls and Pardons There is no Church of note among them no notorious Image to which Men go on Pilgrimage no Author of any new Sect scarce any Religious House which is not famous by one or more pretended Miracles If a man will trouble himself to read the Lives of their Saints their Legends and Books of the like nature he shall tire out himself with the Reports of Miracles far more strange than we can read of any in the Scripture Bellarmine glorieth in the daily Tydings of Miracles wrought by the Jesuits which are brought to Rome Large Narraâ—ons are of the Miracles of Navierius a famous Jesuite of our Lady of Mountaign of our Lady of Hall in the Low Countries and of many other such Idols Almost a mans life were too little to read over all of this kind and now more multiplied than ever heretofore And we may suspect their Miracles when divers of their own Authors have called in question the truth of them Lyranus saith That people are much deceived by Miracles made by Priests and their Fellows for worldly gain Alexander Haleâ— a great Schoolman saith That they make sometime Flesh to appear in the Sacrament partly Humana procuratione interdum operatione Diabolica by humane procurement and sometimes by the working of the Devil And Clandius Espencaeus sometime Bishop of Paris saith No stable is so full of dung as their Legends are of Fables in this kind And Canus in his Common Places saith That in the Legend a man shall read Monstra Miraculorum Thus I say The words of divers eminent Men of their own side do make us suspect their Miracles to be but Tales Many of the things themselves in common conceiving are ridiculous as that old Tale of So Dionysius that carried his Head in his hand after it was strucken off Of Clement the First that when he was cast into the Sea with a Milstone about his Neck the Sea fled three miles from the Shore and there was found a little Chappel ready built in the Sea where his Body was Bestowed I have also read of another who stuck his Staff down by him at the Bank-side which kept the River from over-flowing the Banks and soon after it sprang up and spread it self into a mighty Tree There are a world of such Tales enough to weary any one to recite them And yet even such as these had Bulls and Indulgences granted to them 17. The special Jurisdictions and Exemptions that one Bishop and Abbot procured above another 18. Their providing that no Condemned Clerk might be Executed SECT 23. In this state as hath been expressed this Realm stood for the most part by the space of 300 years after the Conquest The times that followed were somewhat freed from certain degrees of the Popes Tyranny by reason that the Kings of this Realm armed themselves with Laws made in defence of some of their ancient Liberties and Executed others with better Courage than their Predecessors But I doubt if God for our sins should cast us again under his Yoke none of those Laws would save us from the extreamest of all those mischiefs which I have here set down My Reasons are 1. The Popes are no Changelings but were the same after those Statutes and are the same men that they were before and to put us out of doubt made continual claim to their Usurped Authority in the time of the later Princes For in the Reign of King Henry V. Pope Martin the Fifth sent to levy a Subsidy upon the Clergy of this Land for maintenance of his Wars against the Bohemians And he made Henry Beaufort the rich Cardinal of Winchester his Legat for those Wars who did valiantly there for certain moneths together assisted with the foresaid Subsidy until he was re-called by the Pope And two other Subsidies were afterwards required to persecute two private persons of this Realm viz. Peter Clerk and William Russel Fex Acts and Monuments In the time of King Henry VI. the Cardinal of Winchester notwithstanding the Statute against Provision procured the Popes Bull to take again his Bishoprick of Winchester which he had lost by his Cardinalship and after obtained a Pardon from the Pope against the penalty of the Statute And in the same Prince's Reign Lewes Archbishop of Roan after the death of the Bishop of Ely had all the Fruits and Revenues of that Bishoprick granted unto him during life but was therein resisted by the King Other Examples there be of like sort 2. In the last Council of Trent there is a special Constitution for Concil Trident. Sess 5. c. 18. Restitution of all Ecclesiastical Liberties and therein the Emperour all Kings Princes and States are commanded that they see them protected The Title of Ecclesiastical Liberties reacheth to every of 〈◊〉 Points before touched and therefore we may conjecture what we are to look for 3. The Pope yearly publisheth one Excommunication which is called Bulla de Coena wherein by Name are comprised all that be any let to such as would prosecute any Suit at Rome or that suffer not the Popes Bulls Commissions and other Processes whatsoever to be executed And all that execute any Statutes Derogative to the Liberties of Rome be the custom to the contrary never so ancient and such as impose Tenths Subsidies upon the Clergy or receive them at their hands with good consent except the Pope allow thereof and those also which force any Ecclesiastical Person to answer before them in Criminal Causes being Lay-Judges c. So saith Martinus ab Azpil in Enchyridion c. 27. Which Book was made by the special Commandement of Pope Gregory XIII The warning given us by Bulls published in Queen Elizabeths Reign assureth us that if he may have place again he meaneth not to dally with us 4. Some of our unnatural Countrey-men in some desperate Books of theirs long since cast abroad against the Execution of Justice have not spared to tell us that the Laws made in Catholick times viz the Statute of Praemunire and some other were bad Laws and not to be allowed And again there were found upon some which came in Queen Elizabeths time to disturb the Peace of this Realm small Pamphlets containing Directions as they would have them taken for Mens Consciences wherein they delivered many things to trouble those persons whose Consciences were possibly in those Points stayed in confidence of the Ancient Laws of this Realm and upon some Grants made by the Pope himself 5. The Pope hath challenged a Soveraignty over this Realm to bestow it where he listeth as feudary unto himself having formerly received a Tribute viz. The Peter-pence which was in times of Popery of every House a penny Whereby Bodin in his Book de Republica argueth that the Realm of England is not a Soveraign Estate not to speak of the yearly Tribute paid unto the Pope by King John and some other Princes his Successors This may serve the Pope for a mean to bridle all the Old Statutes and the Liberties of our Countrey and to spoil the Prince of all his Prerogatives We know how he dealt with Sicily and Naples long agone wherein it were an hard matter for the proudest of 〈◊〉 side to justifie his Title And that he hath put out and put in Kings at his will and sometime offered their Kingdoms to sale And from King Henry the Third by the shadow of a bare Title the Pope got infinite sums of Money to the great exhausting of his Treasure and impoverishing of the Realm When Stukeley and Fitz-moris were at Rome they and the Pope practiced to give this Realm in Prey as he did the Kingdom of Navarre and the Empire from the Emperor Frederick and also to get an Investiture of the Realm of Ireland from the Pope as of a Soveraign but they could not agree upon whom the Pope should bestow that Realm FINIS