1231. made into France, there was granted vnto him a fiftéenth of the temporaltie, with a disme and a halfe of the spiritualtie, towards the furnishing out of a new power of men to be A fiftéenth and tenth granted to the king. Polydor. Englishmen sent to Spain against the Saracens. sent into Spaine against the Saracens, which made sore warres vpon the christians in that countrie, wherevpon king Henrie being required of the K. of Aragon to aid him with some number of souldiers, he sent a great power thither with all speed, and so likewise did the French king. By means whereof the Spaniards, being ioined with Englishmen and Frenchmen, obteined a noble victorie, in vanquishing those their enimies. Thus saith Polydor. But other write that the king on the seauen and twentith of Ianuarie, Matth. Paris. holding a parlement at Westminster (where the Nobles both spirituall and temporall were Escuage demanded. assembled) demanded escuage of all those that held any baronies of him, that is to saie, forren knights fée, fortie shillings, or three marks.
The archb. of Canturburie standeth against the K. in defense of his cleargie.
Moreouer, the archbishop of Canturburie (as they say) stood against the king in this demand, mainteining that the cleargie ought not to be subiect vnto the iudgment of laie men, sith this escuage was granted in the parts beyond the seas without their consent. Wherevpon the matter as touching the bishops was deferred till the quindene of Easter, albeit that all the laitie, and other of the spiritualtie consented to the kings will. ¶ About this time also there chanced to rise a great strife and contention betwixt Richard the Contention betwixt the archb. and the earle of Kent. archbishop of Canturburie, and Hubert the earle of Kent, who as gardian to the yoong erle of Glocester had got into his hands the castell of Tunbridge, with the towne, and certeine other possessions which belonged to the archbishops sée, and therefore did the archbishop complaine to the king of the iniurie which he susteined.
Now when he perceiued no hope likelie to come for any redresse at the kings hands, he Matth. Paris. tooke an other way: and first by his pontificall authoritie accursed all those that withheld the same possessions, and all their mainteiners (the king excepted) and therewith appealing to the pope, he went to prosecute his appeale at Rome, whither the king and the earle sent also their procurators, and made the pope their arbitratour to iudge of the matter. In the end pope Gregorie hauing heard the whole processe of the controuersie, iudged the right to remaine with the archbishop, who hauing then obteined his desire, hasted toward England: but as he was returning homewards, he died by the way, not farre from Rome, whereby the popes iudgement tooke no place: for whilest the sée was void, there was none that would follow the suit: and such was the end of this controuersie for this time.
Ralfe Neuill elected arch. of Canturburie.
After the deceasse of this archbishop Richard, the moonks elected Ralfe Neuill bishop of Chichester the kings chancellor, an vpright man, and of iust dealing in all his dooings. In whome also it is to be noted, he would not giue one halfepenie to the moonks towards the bearing of their charges in their iournie to Rome, which they should take vpon them from thence to fetch his confirmation, according to the manner, least he Should burthen his conscience with the crime of simonie which he greatlie abhorred, although some imputed this to proceed rather of a cloked spice of couetousnesse. Which practise of his maketh greatlie to the confounding of the indirect means now vsed to aspire vnto promotions, for the obteinment whereof no remedie is forborne; no, though the same be repugnant to reason, and vtterlie against conscience and honestie. But this is the temptation of auarice and ambition, which poison the minds of men in such sort, that rather than they will want their wished aduancement, they will vse these meanes that may further them most, namelie, fréendship, monie, and mightie mens countenance; which one noteth verie well in a distichon of neat deuise, saieng,
Artis, honestatis, recti, præcepta, decus, vim,But to the purpose from whence we are digressed. When the moonks came to the popes Simō Langtons report of the conditions of Ralfe Neuill. presence, vpon inquirie made, and chéefelie by report of Simon Langton, who (as some thinke) gaped for the dignitie, he vnderstood that the said Ralfe Neuill should be a man vnlearned, a courtier, hastie and short of word, and that which most displeased the pope, it was to be feared, that if he should be preferred to that roome, he would go about to deliuer the realme of England from the thraldome of the pope, and the court of Rome (into the which being made tributorie by king Iohn it had latelie beene brought) that (as he should alledge) it might serue God and holie church in the old accustomed libertie. To bring this to passe (hauing the king thereto greatlie inclined, and all the realme readie to assist him in the same) he would not sticke to put his life in ieopardie, namelie vpon confidence of the right and appeales of Stephan the late archbishop of Canturburie, made in solemn wise before the altar of S. Paule in the cathedrall church of London, Sée before in pag. 307. The pope maketh void the election. when king Iohn resigning his crowne into the hands of the legat, made that writing obligatorie most execrable to the whole world. When the pope had heard this tale told, he streit disanulled the election and request of the confirmation of the said Ralfe Neuill, granting libertie to the moonks to chose some other which might proue a wholsome shéepheard for the soule of man, profitable to the church of England, and a faithfull sonne to the sée of Rome, and so the moonks returning home, made relation to the couent how they had sped. After this, the moonks elected the prior of their house named Iohn to be their archbishop, who going to Rome for his confirmation, was persuaded in the end to renounce his election: so that at length one Edmund that was treasurer of the colledge of Salisburie, was elected, confirmed, and consecrated, a man of great zeale, being the foure & fortith archbishop that had gouerned that sée. This yeare the kings brother the earle of Cornewall married the countesse of Clocester, The earle of Cornewall marrieth the countesse of Glocester. widow to the late earle Gilbert, and sister to William Marshall earle of Penbroke, the which erle of Penbroke shortlie after the same marriage departed this life, and was buried on the fifteenth day of Aprill, in the new temple at London, néere vnto his father. Moreouer, The earle of Penbroke departed this life. Polydor. Leolin prince of Wales inuadeth the Englishborders. Leolin prince of Wales about this season enterprising to inuade the English confines, burned and wasted the countrie in most cruell wise. Whereof the king being aduertised, hasted foorth by great iournies, with purpose to reuenge such iniuries. But the enunies hearing of his comming (according to the custome of their countrie) withdrew into the mounteins, bogs, and marishes. Wherefore the king (seeing that he could not haue them at his pleasure, and least he should be thought to spend time in vaine) came backe, and left behind him a small troope of souldiers to resist their attempts, if they should happen to rise vp any more. The Welshmen hauing intelligence that the king was returned home, brake foorth againe as before into the English marshes, and not onelie tooke preies and booties, but went about to destroie with fire and sword all that stood in their way. Howbeit in their returne, and as they ranged abroad somewhat vnaduisedlie, they were intrapped by the souldiers which the king had left there for the defense of the countrie, and put to flight The Welshmen put to flight. néere the castell of Mountgomerie, with great slaughter & losse of their people. But Leolin nothing dismaied therwith, assembled a greater power than he had before, and began foorthwith to rob and spoile within the English marshes with paganish extremitie. Which thing when it came to the vnderstanding of the king, he was verie sore displeased, that so meane a man as Leolin was, should put him to so much trouble, therefore he raised The king goeth against the Welshmen. a farre greater armie than he had doone at anie time before, and with the same came to the citie of Hereford. In the meane time Leolin comming néere vnto the said castell of Mountgomerie, by Matt. Paris. The Englishmen distressed. the practise of a traitorous moonke, trained foorth the English souldiers which laie in garrison there, and counterfeiting to flee, till he had laid them vp in bogs and mires with their horsses, so as they could not helpe themselues, he fell vpon them, and so slue and tooke a great number of them euen as he could haue wished. The king aduertised hereof, hasted the faster forward, and comming into those parts, as he passed by an abbeie of the Cisteaux order (of which house the moonke was that had betraied the Englishmen of Mountgomerie) he burned a grange that belonged to the same abbeie, and further spoiling the same abbeie it selfe, he had set it on a light fire also, if the abbat therof had not redéemed it with the summe of thrée hundred marks of siluer. After this, he caused Mawds castell to be repaired and fortified, which the Welshmen in times past had ouerthrowne, Mawds castell repaired. and when the worke was finished, he left there a strong garrison of souldiers to kéepe backe the Welshmen from making their accustomed incursions. Whilest the king was thus occupied in Wales, there was some busines in France: for Matth. Paris. in the moneth of Iune, the French king with an armie came to inuade the countrie of Henrie earle of Britaine, and the earle of Chester distresse the French kings cariages. Britaine, but earle Henrie with the earle of Chester and the other English capteins found meanes to take and destroie all the cariages and wagons which came with vittels and other prouision to serue the French armie. When the Frenchmen perceiued they could not haue their purpose, by mediation of the archbishop of Reimes, and the earle of Bollongne on the French part, and by consent of the earles of Britaine and Chester on the English A truce taken. part, a peace was concluded, or rather a truce to indure for three yeares betwixt the two kings of England and France. This agréement was made the fift daie of Iulie, and then the earles of Britaine and Chester, with Richard Marshall, came ouer into England, and rode to the king, whom they found at Mawds castell, where he remained till the worke was finished, and then in the moneth of October returned into England. An. Reg. 16.
Conculcat, superant, spernunt, fauor, æra, potentes,
