MarginaliaK. Richard requireth of the French kyng to remaine three yeares wyth his armye, but he would not.would bynde thēselues by oth to remayne there still in þ^e lād of Hierusalem the space of 3. yeares, for the wynning and recouering agayne of those countreys. But he would sweare (he sayd) no such othe: & so the next day after kyng Richard with his wife and sister entreth into the Citie of Achon, & placed there himselfe in the kynges Palace: the French king remainyng in the houses of the Templaries, where he continued til þ^e end of that moneth. So about the begynnyng of the moneth of August, Phillip the French kyng, after that he and kyng Richard had made agreement betwene Guido and Conradus the Marques about the kyngdome of Hierusalem, went frō Achon to Tyrus: notwithstandyng king Richard, and all the princes of þ^e Christiā army with great entreaty desired him to tary, shewing what a shame it were for him to come so farre, & now to leaue vndone þ^t, for which he came, and on the 3. of August from Tyrus departed, leauyng his halfe part of the Citie of Achon in the handes of the foresayd Conradus Marques. After whose departure the Paganes refused to keep their couenauntes made, who neither would restore þ^e holy crosse nor the money, nor their captiues, sendyng word to kyng Richard, þ^t if he beheaded the pledges left with him at Achō, they would choppe of þ^e heads of such captiues of þ^e Christians, which were in their handes. Shortly after this the Saladine sendyng great giftes to kyng Richard requested þ^e time limited for beheadyng of the captiues to be proroged: but the kyng refused to take his giftes, and to graunt his request. MarginaliaChristian captiues slayne by the Saladine.Whereupon the Saladine caused all the Christian captiues within his possession forthwith to be headed: which was the xviij. day of August. Which albeit king Richard vnderstode, yet would not he preuent the time afore limited for the execution of his prisoners, beyng the xx. day of August. MarginaliaThe Saracen captiues slayne by K. Richard.Vpon which day he caused the prisoners of the Saracens, openly in the sight of the Saladines army to lose their heades: the number of whom came to two thousand and fiue hundreth, saue onely that certeine of the principal of thē he reserued for purposes & considerations, especially to make exchaunge for the holy Crosse, and certaine other of the Christian captiues.

After this kyng Richard purposed to besiege the Citie of Ioppe. Where by the way betwene Achon and Ioppe, neare to a towne called Assur, Saladine with a great multitude of his Saracens, came fiercely agaynst the kynges reareward, but through Gods mercyfull grace, in the same battaile the kynges warriours acquited them so well, MarginaliaSaladine put to flight.that the Saladine was put to flight (whom the Christiās pursued the space of iij. myles) & lost the same day many of his nobles and Captaines. in such sort (as it was thought) that the Saladine was not put to such confusion xl. yeares before: and but one Christian Captaine called Iames Auernus in that conflict was ouerthrowen. MarginaliaA noble victory by gods power gottē by K. Rich. agaynst the Saracens.From thence kyng Richard proceding further went to Ioppe and then to Ascalon, where he foūd first the Citie of Ioppe forsaken of the Saracens, who durst not abyde the kynges commyng. Ascalon the Saladine threw downe to the ground, MarginaliaK. Richard in possession of Syria.& likewise forsoke the whole land of Syria, through all which land the kyng had free passage without resistance: neither durst the Saracen Prince encounter after that with kyng Richard. Of all which his acheuaunces the sayd kyng Richard sent his letters of certificate as well into Englād, as also to the Abbot of Clara Valle in Fraunce, well hopyng that he, (God willyng,) should be able to make his repayre agayne to them by Easter next.

¶ A brief story of William Byshop of Ely the kynges Chauncellour.  

Commentary     Close

William Longchamp

The Foxe Project was not able to complete the commentary on this section of text by the date by which this online edition was compiled (23 September 2008). This commentary will become available in due course from the 'Late Additions and Corrections' page of the edition.

MarginaliaThe story of William the proud Byshop of Ely.ANd now to leaue kyng Richard a while in the field, let vs make a steppe into England, and looke a little what is done at home while the kyng was abroad, & so to returne to the kyng agayne. Ye heard before how kyng Richard at his settyng forth committed the gouernement of þ^e realme to Hugo Byshop of Durham, and to William Bishop of Ely, so that to the Bishop of Durham was cōmitted the keepyng of the Castle: of Wyndsore: the other, which was the bishop of Ely, had the keeping of the tower of Londō, about which he caused a great ditch with a rampear to be cast, which is yet remainyng. MarginaliaVt iustè iudicarent clerum & populum, verba hist.Furthermore to these ij. Byshops, the kyng also assigned foure other chief Iustices, which ioyntly with them should haue the hearing and ouersight of all causes as wel to the Clergy as the layty apperteinyng, to witte, MarginaliaFoure chiefe Iusties with ij. Byshops appointed ouerseers of the Realme in the kings absence.Hugh Bardolfe, William Marshall, Geffrey Peterson, and William Bruer. But the Byshop of Ely was the principal, or at least, he that tooke most vpon hym. Who both was the kynges Chauncelour, and bought with his money to be the Popes Legate through England, Ireland, & Scotland, as is before specified. Tou-chyng the excessiue pride and pompe of which Byshop, his rufflinges outragious, & fall most shamefull, it would make a long tragedie to discourse the whole circūstances at full: Onely to demōstrate certein specialties thereof for our present purpose, it may suffice.

MarginaliaW. Longchamp B. of Ely L. Chauncelour, & the Popes Legate.First, this William called Longchamp beyng thus aduaunsed by the kyng to be his high Chauncelour, and chief Iustice of the Realme, and also the Popes Legate, to shew abroad the authoritie of his Legatshyp, MarginaliaThe Church and belles of Yorke suspends because the Lord Legate was not set in with procesion.begā to suspend the Canons, Clerkes, and Vicares of the Church of S. Peter in Yorke, because they receaued him not with procession: vnder which interdiction hee held them, til they were fayne at last, both Canons, Clerkes, and Vicares to fall downe at his foote, causing also their belles to be let downe out of the steple. After this commeth Hugo byshop of Durham, whō the kyng sent home out of Normādy with his letters, who metyng with the foresayd William Byshop of Ely in the towne of Blye, shewed him the kings letters, wherin was graunted to him the keepyng of Windsore Castle, and to be the kynges Iustice from the Riuer of Humber, to the borders of Scotland. To the which letters the Chauncelour aunswered, that the kynges cōmaundement should be done, and so brought him with him to Suwell, MarginaliaBysh. of Ely getteth the castell of Wyndsore from the B. of Durhā.where he tooke him, and kept him fast, til he was forced at last to surrender to him the Castle of Wyndsore, and other thinges which the king had committed to his custody: and moreouer was constrained to leaue with the sayd Chaūcelour Henry de Puteaco his owne sonne, and Gilbert Ley for pledges and hostages of his fidelitie to be true to the king and the Realme. And thus the Bishop of Durham beyng set at libertie, went to his towne of Houedē. MarginaliaHugo Bishop of Durham vexed by W. Bishop of Ely.Where after he had made his abode a few dayes, cōmeth thether Osbert Lōgchamp the Chaūcelours brother, and William Stuteuill, with a great company of armed men sent by the Chauncelour to apprehend him. But the sayd Bishop of Durham puttyng in sureties not to depart that towne without licence of the kyng and of the Chauncellour, there still remained, till he got letters to be sent to the kyng, signifying how he was used. Wherupon the kyng writyng his letters from Marsilia to the byshop of Ely, set the sayd Byshop of Durham free, and confirmed to hym all the possessions and graūtes that he before he geuen him.

MarginaliaThe excessiue pride and enormitices of W. Byshop of Ely.It is almost incredible to thinke how intemperatly this byshop and Chauncelour misused himselfe after the kynges departure into Syria in excesse of pride, and in cruell exactions and oppressions of the kynges subiectes. First his felow Iustices, whom the kyng ioyned with him for gouernement of the Realme, he vtterly reiected, & refused to heare their coūsaile, reputyng none to be equall with him in all the Realme. Neither was he contented with the authoritie of a Prelate, but playde both kyng and Priest in the Realme. All Castels, Lordshyps, Abbayes, Churches, and all other appropriations belongyng to the right of the kyng, he claymed to himselfe, and by vertue of his Legateshyp, when he came to any Byshops house, Abbay, Priory, or any other Religious house, he brought with him such a superfluitie of men, horses, dogges, & haukes, that the house was worse for it iij. yeares after. MarginaliaByshop of Ely neuer rode vndere a 1500. horse.For commonly he neuer rode vnder a 1500. horses of Chaplaynes, Priestes, and other seruyng men wayting vpon him. From the Clergy & laytie he tooke away their Churches, their vowsans, their liuynges, and landes, MarginaliaHis vanitie.to bestow, vpon his nephewes, and other waytyng Chaplaynes to serue his vayne glorie, or els cōuerted them to his owne vse, to mainteine his pompe and vanitie. In gettyng and gatheryng of treasures he had no measure, in mispendyng the same he kept no order. MarginaliaHis vsury.And that no vyce should be wantyng where such auarice taketh roote, the money which he wrōgfully got, he committed to the banke, to be encreased by vsurie. MarginaliaHis riotous delicate life.What wantonnes and lasciuiousnes was vsed in that so riotous lyfe, the stories do shame to declare it. All ruffenly runnagates, idle belyes, and light persons, wheresoeuer he went, hanged vpon his Court. To increase the vayne ioylitie of this Royall Prelate, there was lacking no kynde of musicall instrumentes and melodious noyse, to refresh belike his weryed senses to much beaten and macerated with continuall labour and study of huntyng, haukyng and gamyng, of preachyng and readyng, I should haue sayd.

MarginaliaThe Bish. of Ely playeth both king and Priest.Briefly this foresayde Prelate, bearing the authoritie both of the king and of the pope, kept such a sturre in England, that all the whole realme was at hys becke, with cap and knee crouching to hym. Neither durst any man rich or poore displease hym. Yea none in all the Realme so noble or worshipfull, but was glad to please hym, accountyng them selues happy if they might stand in his fauour. At his table all noble mens children dyd serue and wayte vpon hym, w^t