1247. new letters sealed with the common seale of the citie of London should be sent by sufficient Matth. Paris. messengers, from all the estates of the realme, vnto the pope and cardinals, requiring a moderation to be had in such exactions as were intollerable for the realme to Intollerable exactions. Peter de Sanoy earle of Richmond. beare. Whilest this parlement yet lasted, there came ouer the lord Peter of Sauoy earle of Richmond, bringing with him certein yoong ladies and damsels, to be bestowed in marriage on such yoong lords and gentlemen as were wards to the king.
An earthquake.
On S. Valentines euen, a great earthquake happened here in England, and namelie about London, on the Thames side, with the which manie buildings were ouerthrowen These earthquakes, the seldomer they chance in England, the more dreadfull the same are, and thought to signifie some great alteration. A litle before this earthquake, the sea had ceassed from ebbing and flowing for the space of thrée moneths togither, by a long A strange woonder. tract neere to the English shore, to the great maruell of many, for either it flowed not at all, or else so little that it might not be perceiued. And after the earthquake, there followed Continuall raine. lowed such a season of foule weather, that the spring séemed to be changed into winter for scarse was there anie daie without raine, till the feast of the translation of S. Benet.
Acts made to restraine presumptuous authoritie of the spiritualtie.
There were at this time diuerse ordinances decréed and enacted by waie of prohibition, to restreine the authoritie of spirituall persons, as that no ecclesiasticall iudge should determine in causes of anie temporall man, except touching causes of matrimonie and testaments. They were also prohibited to sue anie actions touching tithes, before anie spirituall iudge, and the writ whereby they were prohibited, was called an Indicauit. Sundrie other such ordinances were deuised, which for breefenesse we omit. What speed or answer so euer the messengers had that were sent to Rome with the letters deuised in the The popes collectors. late parlement, truth it is, that the pope sent ouer into England such of his agents as gathered no small sums of monie amongst the cleargie, as one Marinus, and an other named Iohannes Anglicus a frier minor, the which were not intituled by the name of A shift by forbearing the name of legat. legats, to saue the priuileges which the king had, that no legat might come into the realme without his licence. The comming ouer of these men, bicause it was to gather monie, contented not manie mens minds, as well appeared in a parlement called at Oxford about reformation thereof, but yet notwithstanding it was there agreed, that the pope should haue eleuen thousand marks to be leuied amongst them of the spiritualtie, exempt persons and places reserued.
The emperor of Constantinople commeth into England.
A cardinall cō neth into England, receiving an oth not to preiudice the realme.
The kings halfe brethren came to sée the king.
About the same time, Baldwine naming himselfe emperour of Constantinople, came againe into England, to procure some new aid of the king, towards the recouerie of his empire, out of the which he was expelled by the Greekes. ¶ Also, there arriued in England a cardinall that was bishop of Sabine, hauing first receiued an oth, that he came not for anie hurt to the king or his realme, for otherwise being a legat he might not be suffered to enter the land: he came this waie to passe ouer into Norwaie, whither he went to crowne and annoint Hacon king of that realme. There arriued here with him the thrée halfe brethren to the king, Guy de Lucignan, William de Valence, & Athelmare a préest, with their sister Alice. All these were begotten by Hugh Brun earle of March, of quéene Isabell the kings mother, and were therefore ioifullie receiued of the king, with faithfull promise, that he would be to them a beneficiall good brother, which his saiengs with effectuall déeds he after fullie performed. The cardinall hauing saluted the king, tooke leaue of him and came to Lin, where he staied at the point of thrée moneths, making The cardinall maketh shift for monie. such purchase amongst religious men, that what by procuracies and other shifts, he got as was thought, a foure thousand marks towards his charges, and so departed. Edmund Lacie earle of Lincolne, and Richard de Burgh, as then wards to the king, were married vnto two of those yoong ladies of Prouance, which Peter de Sauoy earle of Richmond brought ouer with him, whereat manie of the English nobilitie grudged.
William de Valence marrieth lord Montchēcies daughter.
Also, about the thirtéenth of August, the ladie Ione daughter to the lord Guarine de Monchencie, was married vnto William de Valence the kings halfe brother. The same ladie was heire to hir fathers lands, by the death of hir brother the sonne of the said lord Guarine. Sir William de Bueles knight a Norman borne, was made seneshall of Gascoigne Gasten de Bierne maketh war against the kings lieu tenant. about this season, and was sore vexed with wars by Gaston the sonne of the countesse of Bierne and others, which Gaston shewed himselfe verie vnthankefull, for the king had giuen both to him and to his mother (a woman of a monstrous stature) verie large interteinement to serue him in his wars at his last being in that countrie (as before Préests of the prouince of Canturburie suspended. ye haue heard.) The archbishop of Canturburie suspended the préests of his prouince, bicause they would not consent (according to the grant which he had purchased of the pope) that he should haue the first fruits for one yeare, of euerie benefice that chanced to be vacant within the same prouince. The earles of Cornewall and Penbroke got much monie by waie of a collection, towards the reliefe of the warres in the holie land, hauing Sir Fouke de Newcastell the kings coosen by his mother departeth this life. purchased of the pope certeine buls of indulgence for the same. Sir Fouke de Newcastell a valiant knight, and coosen germane to the king on the mothers side died at London, during the time of the parlement.
On the thirtéenth of October was a portion of the holie bloud of Christ (as it was then supposed) shewed in most reuerent wise in a solemne procession, for the king comming to the church of S. Paule in London, receiued there the same bloud conteined in a christalline glasse, the which he bare vnder a canopie supported with four staues, though the stréets, vnto the abbeie church of Westminster. His armes were also supported by two lords as aids to him all the waie as he went. The masters of the Templers and Hospitallers had sent this relike to the king. To describe the whole course and order of the procession and feast kept that daie, would require a speciall treatise. But this is not to be forgotten, that the same daie the bishop of Norwich preached before the king in commendation of that relike, pronouncing six years and one hundred and sixtéene daies of Pardon granted by bishops. pardon, granted by the bishops there present, to all that came to reuerence it.
Also the same daie and in the same church, the king made his halfe brother William Knights made. de Valence, and diuerse other yoong bachelors, knights. Vnto the said William de Vaience, for his further aduancement and maintenance, he gaue the castell of Hertford, and the honor therto belonging, with great treasure: & to the elder brother Guy de Lucignan, which about the same time returned into France, he gaue verie great and honorable gifts, lading his sumpters with plate and treasure of sterling monie, which in An. Reg. 32 The earle of Winchester besieged in Galloway by his owne tenants. those daies in all countries was verie much esteemed. The earle of Winchester remaining in Gallowaie, where he had faire possessions in right of his wife, was besieged of his owne tenants, within a castell wherein he lodged, and being in danger either to die through famine, or else at the discretion of the enimies, he burst forth, and making way with his sword, escaped, and comming to the king of Scots, complained of the iniurie doone to him by his people, wherevpon the king tooke such order, that the rebels were punished, and the earle set in quiet possession of his lands againe.
Toward the latter end of Nouember, William earle Ferrers & of Derbie departed this William earle Ferrers departeth this life. life, a man of great yeares and long troubled with the gout, a iust man and a peaceable. The same moneth the countesse his wife died also, a woman of yeares, vertue and fame like to hir husband: Thomnas Becket the archbishop of Canturburie did minister the priests office at their marriage. Their eldest sonne William succéeded his father in the earledome, a good man and a discreet, but vexed with the gout verie pitifullie, hauing that disease also as it were, by inheritance from his father. There died likewise other of the nobilitie, as Richard de Burgh, and William Fitz Ham. Beatrice the countesse of Prouance
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Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Raphaell Holinshed. William Harrison. Richard Stanyhurst. John Hooker. Francis Thynne. Abraham Fleming. John Stow. Henry Ellis. Ellis Edition. J. Johnson. London. 1807.
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