MarginaliaSentence of the popes curse pronoūced against the kingtime, whether that they be Earles, Barons or Knightes (or any other what soeuer they be) we assoyle thē safely frō their sins vnto this day. And frō this time forwarde (of what cōdiciō soeuer they be) we accurse thē openly: & speciallye by this our sentence, that do w^t you commō. And we assoyle moreouer Earles, Barons, Knightes, & all other maner of men of their homages, seruice, and fealties, that they should do vnto you. And this thyng to confirme, we geue playn power to þ^e bishop of Winchester, and to the bishop of Norwyche. And the same power we geue against Scotland to the bishop of Rochester and of Salisbury. And in Wales, we geue the same power to the bishops of Saint Dauid, and of Landaffe, and of saynt Asse.

MarginaliaThe pope author of rebellion and disobedience of subiectes towards their prince.Also syr king (ф Pandolfe) all the kings, princes, and the great dukes christened, haue laboured to the pope to haue license to crosse them selues, and to warre agaynst thee, as vpon Gods enemie, & winne thy land, & to make king whom it pleaseth þ^e pope. And we here now assoyle all those of their sinnes that will aryse agaynst thee here in thyne owne land.

Then the king hearing thys, answered: What shame may ye do more to me then this?

Pandolfe agayn: We say to you in verbo dei, þ^t neyther you nor any heyre þ^t ye haue, after this day shall be crowned. So the kyng sayd: by hym that is almightye God, if I had knowen of thys thing before ye came into thys lād, and þ^t ye had brought me such newes: I should haue made you tary out these twelue monethes.

Then answered Pandolphe. Full wel we thought (at our fyrst comming) that ye would haue bene obediēt to God, and to holy church: and haue fulfylled the popes commaundement, which we haue shewed and pronounced to you, as we were charged therwith. And nowe ye saye, that if ye had wist the cause of our commyng, ye would haue made vs tarye out a whole yeare: whych might as well saye, that ye woulde haue taken a whole yeres respite w^tout þ^e popes leaue. MarginaliaLike master lyke man.But, for to suffer what death þ^t ye can ordayne, we shall not spare to tel you all the Popes message and wil, that he gaue vs in charge.

In an oher chronicle I fynd the wordes betwene the Kyng and Pandolfe somethyng otherwise discribed, as though the King should first threaten him with hāgyng if he had foreknowen of his comming in. To whom Pādolfe agayne should answer, that he looked for nothing els at his hand, but to suffer for þ^e churches right. Wherupon the Kyng being mightely incensed departed. The King the same tyme being at Northampton willed the Sheriffes and Bayliffs to bring forth all the prysoners there, that such as had deserued should bee put to death: to thentent (as some thinke) tomake Pandolfus afraid. Among whome was a certaine clarke, who for counterfaiting the Kings coyne was also condemned to be hanged drawne, and quartered. And moreouer, by the King was commaūded (therby to anger Pandolfus, the more as may be thought) to be hanged vp hyest aboue the rest. Pandolfus hearyng therof, notwithstanding he somewhat began to feare least he should be hanged himselfe, yet with such courage as he had, he went to þ^e church to fette out booke bell and candell, charging that no man vnder payne of accursing, should lay handes vppon the clarke. MarginaliaPandolph worse afrayde then hurt.Vpon this the King and the Cardinall departed in no little anger. And Pandolfe went to Rome and reported to the pope & the Cardinals what had bene done.

Then the pope summoned all the bishops abbots and clarkes of England to come to repaire to Rome, to consult what was to be done therin. This councell begāne the first day of October. In the which councel it was decreed by the pope and his assembly, that Iohn kyng of England should be accursed with all such as held wyth him, euery day so long as that councel endured. Albeit this was not yet graunted, that the people should be crossed to fyght against him, because as yet he had shedde no bloud. But afterward, the said pope Innocent seing that kyng Iohn by no meanes would stoupe vnder his subiection, nor vnder the rule of his popishe see, he sent nto the French king, vpon remission of all his sinnes, and of all that went with him, that he should take with him all the power he might, and so to inuade the realme of England to destroy King Iohn.

MarginaliaThe popes great curseThis occasion geuē, Pope Innocent yet once agayn commaunded in payne of his great curse: that no man should obey kyng Iohn, neyther yet kepe company with hym: he forbad all persons to eate and drynke with him, to talke wyth him: to common or counsel with him: yea, hys own familiar houshold to do him any kinde of seruice, eyther at bed or at boorde: in church, hawle, or stable, and what folowed therof. The greater part of them which after such sort fled from him (by the ordinance of God) of diuers and sundry diseases the same yeare dyed. MarginaliaThe iust punishment of God vpō disobedient subiectes.And betwene both nations (English and French) fel that yeare great amitie: but secret, subtile, and false: to þ^e bitter betraying of Englād. Neither was the pope content onelye with this, but moreouer the sayd Pope Innocent gaue sentence definitiue (by counsell of hys Cardinals) that king Iohn should be put from hys seat regall & deposed, and another put in hys roume. And to the spedye execution therof, MarginaliaThe pope found a murthererhe appointed the French king Philip, promising to geue hym full remission of all his sinnes, and the cleare possession of all the realme of England, to hym and hys heyres: if he dyd eyther kill hym or expell hym.

Marginalia1212,The next yeare the French king began his attempt in hope of the crowne of England: beyng well manned wyth the bishops, monkes, prelates, and priests, & theyr seruantes to maintayn the same: bragging of the letters which they had receiued from the great men there. But behold the worke of God: MarginaliaFrēch ships taken by Englishmē.the english nauy tooke thre hūdred of the French kings ships, well loden with wheat, wyne, meale, fleshe, armour, and such other lyke, meete for the warre: and an hundred they brent wythin the hauen, takyng the spoyle wyth them. MarginaliaPeter the false prophet.In the meane tyme þ^e priests w^tin England had prouided them a certain false coūterfet prophet called Peter Wakefield of Poiz: who was an idle gadder about, & a pratlyng marchaūt. This Peter, they made to prophecy lies: rumoring his prophecies abroade to bryng the king out of al credite with his people. The noised it daily among the commons of the realme, that Christ had twyse appeared to this prophet of theirs, in shape of a childe betwene the priests hands, once at Yorke, another time at Ponfret: and that he had breathed vpon hym thrise, saying peace, peace, peace, & teaching many thinges whiche he anone after declared to the bishops, and bid people amende their noughty lyuyng. Being rapt also in spirite (they say) he behelde the ioyes of heauen, and sorrowes of hell. For skante were there three saith the Chronicle, among a thousande that liued christianly. This counterfeite soothsaier prophecied of kyng Iohn: that he should raigne no longer then the ascension day, within the yere of our Lord, 1213. which was the. 14. yere from his coronation, MarginaliaThe false prophet found a lyar.and this (he said) he had by reuelation. Then was it of hym demaunded, whether he should be slain or be expelled, or should of him selfe geue ouer the crowne: He aunswered, that he could not tell. But of this he was sure (he sayd) that neither he, nor any of his stocke or linage should raigne, that daye once finished. The kyng hearing of thys, laughed muche at it, and made but a scoffe therof. Tushe (saith he) it is but an idiote knaue, and such a one as lacketh his ryght wittes. But when this folish prophete had so escaped the daunger of the kings displeasure, and that he made no more of it: he gate hym abroade and prated thereof at large (as he was a uery idle vagabund) and vsed to tattle and talke more then enough: so that, they whiche lo-