it should not be much for your safetie in the cause to resist God and þ^e church, in whose quarel that blessed martyr and glorious bishop ThomasMarginaliaThomas Becket he meaneth. hath of late shed hys bloud: especially seyng your father and your brother of famous memory, then kyngs of England, dyd geue ouer those wycked customes into the hands of þ^e Legates of þ^e see Apostolique. MarginaliaPrinces must be subiect to the pope.But if you yeld your self hūbly into our handes, we wyl looke þ^t you and yours shal be sufficiently prouided for, that no preiudice may aryse hereupon to you warde. Geuen at Laterane the x. yere of our popedome.

Thus hast thou (gentle Reader) the glorious letter of the proude Pope. I beseche thee marke it well. Nowe to the story.

After this letter was sent out, not longe after procedeth a charge & cōmaundement, sent also to Englande, vnto certayne bishops there: requiring them by autoritie apostolicall, that if the sayd king woulde not receyue the sayd Prior of Canterbury & his Monkes, then they should interdict him throughout all his realme. MarginaliaFoure byshops appointed to interdict the realme.For the executing whereof, foure bishops were appointed by the vsurped power of the Popes Buls: namelye Willyam bishop of London, Eustace bishop of Ely, Walter Byshop of Winchester, & Gyles bishop of Herford. Which sayd foure bishops went vnto the king, and shewed him their commission from the Pope, as is aboue sayd, wylling him to consent thereto. &c.

But the sayd king refused the same, and woulde by no meanes graunt to their request. Wherupon, they departing from his grace, went the morrow after the Annunciation of our Lady, MarginaliaEngland interdicted by the pope.and pronounced the said generall interdiction throughout all Englande: so that the church doores were shut vp with keyes and other fasteninges, and with walles. &c.

Now when the king heard of this, he beganne to bee moued agaynst them, and tooke al the possessions of the foure bishops into his handes: appointing certayn men to keepe the liuings of the clergy throughout þ^e realme, and that they should enioye no parte therof. MarginaliaDiscipline of the churche abused for priuate reuenge.Which being done, the bishops (seing the same) cursed al thē that kept or should meddle with church goods, againste the wyll of them that ought them: and vnderstanding for all that, that the kyng nothing regarded their doinges, they went ouer sea to the bishop of Canterbury, and informed him what had happened. Who hearing þ^e same, willed them agayne to returne to Canterburye, and hee would come thether to them, or els sende certayne persons thether in his steede, that should do as muche as if he were there hym selfe. Then when the bishops hearde this, they returned agayne into England, to Canterburye: which tidinges came shortlye to the king, that they were come agayne thether. And because he might not him selfe trauayle to them, he sent thether bishops, erles and Abbots, to intreate them, that the archbishop Stephan whō he had chosen, might be admitted. Promising the Prior & all the Monkes of Caunterbury in hys behalfe: that he should neuer take any thing of the church goodes agaynste the will of them that owe them, but would make amendes to them of whom he had taken any such goods: and that the church shoulde haue all her frauncheses in as ample maner as in Saynt Edwards tyme the Confessor it had.

When the forme of agreement was thus concluded, it was ingrossed in a payre of indētures, which the foresaid foure bishops, to the one part therof set their seales: and the other part the said Bishops, Earles and abbots caried to shew the kyng. When the king sawe the order thereof, hee liked it well: sauing he woulde not agree to make restitution of the church goods. So he sent to the foure bishops again, that they should put out that point of restitucion But they answered stoutly that thei wold not put out one woord. Then the king sent word to the archbishop by þ^e foure bishops, þ^t he should come to Canterbury to speake with him and for his safe conduict to come and go againe at his will, hee sent his Iustices as pledges, Gylbert Peitcuin, William de la Bereuer, & Iohn Letfitz. Which thing thus done, the Archbishop Stephan came to Caunterbury, and the king (hearing thereof) came to Chilham: MarginaliaStephen Langtō stout against his king.from whence he sent his treasurer the bishop of Winchester to him, to haue him put out of the indentures the clause of restitution aforesaid: who denying to alter any word of the same, moued the king in such sort, that immediatlye it was proclaymed throughout England at the kinges commaundement, that all those that had any church liuing, and went ouer the sea, should come agayne into England at a certayn day, or els loose their liuinges for euermore. And further, in that proclamatiō he charged all Shiriffes within the realme, to enquire if any bishops, abbots, priors, or any other church man (from that day forward) receiued anye commaundement that came from the Pope, that they should take his or their body, and bring it before hym. MarginaliaThe king moued agaynst the archbishop Langton.And also, that they shuld take into their hands for the kings vse, all the church landes, that were geuen to any man through the archbishop Stephan, or by the priors of Caunterbury, from the tyme of the election of the archbishop. And further charged, that all the woods that were the archbishops, should be cut down and sold.

When tidinges came to the Pope, that the king had thus done, being moued therby with firy wrath: MarginaliaTwo Legates sent from the pope.sent to the king two Legates (the one called Pandolphe, & the other Durant) to warne hym in the popes name, that he should cease hys doinges to holy church, and amende the wrong he had done to the Archbishop of Canterbury, and to the priors and the Monkes of Canterburye, & to all the clergy of England. And further, that he should restore the goods agayne that he had taken of them, agaynst theyr wyll, or els they shoulde curse the kyng by name: and to doo thys, the Pope tooke them hys letters in Bulles patent. These two Legates comming into England, resorted to the kyng to Northhampton, wher he held hys Parliament, and saluting hym, sayde: they came from the Pope of Rome, to reforme the peace of holy church. MarginaliaRestitution required of the king.And first sayde they, we monishe you in the Popes behalfe, that ye make ful restitution of the goods and of the land that ye haue rauished holye church of: & that ye receyue Stephan the archbishop of Canterbury into hys dignitye, and Prior of Canterburye and hys Monkes. And that ye yelde agayne vnto the archbyshop all his landes and rentes wythout anye wythholdyng: And syr, yet moreouer, that ye shall make such restitution to them, as the church shall thinke sufficient.

Then answered the kyng: as touchyng the Prior & hys Monkes of Canterburye, all that ye haue sayde I would gladly doe, & all thing els that ye would ordain: but as touching the Archbishop, I shall tel you as it lyeth in my hart. Let the archbishop leaue hys bishoprick: and if the Pope then shall entreate for him, peraduēture I may lyke to geue hym some other bishoprick in England. And vpon thys condicion I wyll receyue and admit hym.

Then sayd Pandolphe vnto the king: holye churche was wont neuer to disgrade Archbishop, without cause reasonable: but euer shee was wont to correct Princes that were disobedient to her.

What? howe nowe (quod the kyng) threaten ye me? Nay said Pandolphe, but ye haue now opēly told vs as it standeth in your hart: and now we wyll tell you what is the Popes wyll, and thus it standeth. He hath wholy interdicted and cursed you, for the wrongs ye haue don to holy church, and to the Clergy. And forasmuch as ye dwell styll in your malice, and wyll come to no amendement, ye shall vnderstand: that from this time forward, the sentences vpon you geuen, haue force and strength. And all those that with you haue commoned before this