of the vniuersall church, and promoting of Gods religion: speciallye seing such griefes were done by his officers and others of the realme, to the churches & church men, for the which he purposed a remedie of wholesome correction, afore the comming of the foresaid Cardinall, and would now haue put it in execution effectually, but that he myght be thought to some, to haue done that for feare, or at your commaundement, which thing ye can not asscribe to your self. Furthermore, he would spend not onely hys goods, but also hys realme, yea hys children, if the case required: and therfore we should regard to be readie with counsel and helpe in season as we are bound by the duetie of fidelitie in these thynges: wherin it is manifest, that as all & euery mans case is handled, generally and particularly their cause is promoted, and euery mans owne interest is touched. And than he demaunded byandby to be answered plainlye and finallie in these thyngs, of all and euery one.

Then the Barons sittyng aside with the officers and Proctors aforesayde, at the length after they had taken counsel, comming to our foresayd lord the king, & praisyng greatly and hartely thanking him for his lawdable purpose and good wyl, aunswered with one voyce: that for those things they were redy, not onely to spend their goods, but offered the same goods, riches, and also their persons to death, and not to flee anye kynde of torment: And said further with one voyce, that if our foresaid Lord the king would (as God forbid) suffer, or els wyllyngly passe ouer those, they them selues woulde in no case suffer it.

Then when answer was asked of vs afterwarde, although we desired longer respite of deliberation of the king himselfe our Lord, and of the greatest of the foresaid Barons, and that for this intent: that in the meane whyle the Popes letters might haue comen to our lord þ^e king, we answered þ^t we would not offend against the libertye of the realme, or by some meanes to innouate thinges contrary to the kinges honour in this behalfe.

We went about also to informe him wyth manye godlye woordes with earnest perswasions, and manye kindes of helpe, and by sundry wayes, to bring hym to keepe the speciall bande of vnitye, which is knowen to haue continued to these present dayes, betwixt the holye Romish church, and his precesssours. But when we were denied any longer delay, and it was plainlye and openly told to all men, that if any man were of a contrary mynde, from thenceforth he shoulde bee manifestlye coūted for an enemy of the king and the realme: We cōsidering warely, and seing plainly, that except our Lord the king, and the Barons aforesayd were content wyth our answer, beside other daungers and great offences, (wherof ther could neither be number nor end) and that the deuotion both of the Romish and Frenche churche, and also the whole obedience of the laitie and al the people from thence forth should be taken away without recouery, not without great feare and doubt we thought good to answer thus.

That we woulde helpe our Lorde the king with due counsel and conuenient helpe for the preseruing of hys person, and of his earthly honour, and the libertye and lawes of the sayd realme, lyke as we were (certayne of vs) by the dutie of allegiaunce bound to him, which hold of him Dukedomes, Earldomes, Baronies, fees, and other noble partes of the sayde realme, by the fourme of the othe, as all other do: yet we made humble sute to the same our Lord the king, that seing we were bounde to obey the Popes holines and your holy feete, he woulde suffer vs to go according to the tenour of your foresaid callyng.

Then on the kings and barons behalfe followed answer, that in no case they woulde suffer vs to go out of the realme: and that by no meanes they would beare tobe handled so daungerously, yea rather to be altogether wasted.

Then we considering so great an anger, and trouble so ieopardous, and so great that none coulde be greater, both of the king, the barons and other laye people of the realme: and now knowing plainly, that the old enemye of peace, which goeth about from the beginning of hys fall, with sowing of Darnell, to breake the vnitye of the church, by troublyng of peace: would breake charitye, and infect the swetenes of good workes, with the poison of bitter enuie, and would ouerthrowe mankinde vtterly, and would trouble with wickednes the band of louelye vnitie, and singular frendship, which hitherto haue had a happy enceease betwixt the Romishe churche and our lord the king, and his predecessours, and the realm: to the prayse of the highest God, the encrease of Christiā faith, and the setting forth the honour of the churche, of the king and the realme. But now (alas) a doore was open to the lamentable breaking and pitifull seperating of great offences to ryse on euerye syde, daungers are attempted against churches and churchmen, to spoyle their goods and riches, with ieopardy of lyfe: seing that the layity now do abhorre and vtterly flee the obedience of Clarks, vtterly banishing them from the councels and doinges, and haue taken courage to condemne the ecclesiasticall censure and processe. All which ieopardies with other sundry and diuers daungers (which neyther tong is able to tell, nor writing can declare) we seing at hand: thought good in this point of greatest necessity to run with weeping voyce, and lamentable sighes to the circumspect wysdome of your holynes. Beseching your fatherly mildenes, and humbly praying you: that some wholesome remedy maye be prouided in the premisses. By which, the sound profitable agrement and mutuall loue, which hath continued so long a tyme betwixt the church, the kyng, and the realme, might be maintayned in that old swete concord: the state of the French church might continue in godly and quiet peace: that ye would vouchsafe to foresee how to withstande the daungers & offences aforesaid: that we and our states may be prouided for, by the foresayde commaundement of your calling, by the study of your apostolicall wysdome, and fatherly loue. The almightye preserue your holynes to his holy church a long tyme.

Marginalia1304
Pope Boniface besieged.These thinges thus discoursed and done, then followed the yeare of our Lord. 1304. In the which yeare about the natiuitie of our Lady, came a garison of harnessed soldiours wel appointed, sent partly by the Frēch king, partly by þ^e cardinals of Columpna, whō the pope before had deposed, vnto the gates of Anragum, where þ^e pope did hide him selfe, because he was borne in þ^t town. The captains of which armie was one Schaira brother to the foresayd cardinals: And an other VVilliam de Lōgareto, high steward to the Frēch kyng. Who inuading the popes town, and finding the gate opē, gaue assault to the popes frontire: where the pope with his nephew a Marquis, and iij. other cardinals were immured. The townes men seyng all their intent and strength to be bēt against the pope: caused the common bell to be rong and so assemblyng them selues in a common counsail, ordeined Adulphus, one of the chiefest rulers of the towne for their captaine, who (vnknowing to thē) was a great aduersarie to the pope. This Adulphus bringing with him Reginaldus de Supine a great Lord in Campania, and þ^e ij. sonnes of Ihon Chitan a noble man, whose father the Pope had then in prison: at length ioyned hym with the French company agaynst the pope, and so beset his palace on euery side. And first, setting vpon the palacies of the iij. Cardinals which were then chief about the pope, rifled and spoyled all their goodes. The Cardinals, by a backdoore hardly auoyded their hands: but the popes palace, through munition and strength of the Marques