SPEECH

OF THE

ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY,

To Parliament, in the Year 1289.

(Referred to at page 55.)

AFTER the king, for the space of three years and more, had remained beyond sea, and returned out of Gascoign and France into England, he was much vexed and disturbed by the continual clamour both of the clergy and laity, desiring to be relieved against the justices and other his Majesty's ministers, of several oppressions and injuries done unto them, contrary to the good laws and customs of the realm; whereupon king Edward, by his royal letters to the several sheriffs of England, commanded, that in all counties, cities, and market towns, a proclamation should be made, that all who found themselves aggrieved should repair to Westminster at the next parliament, and there shew their grievances; where, as well the great as the less, should receive fit remedies and speedy justice, according as the king was obliged by the bond of his coronation oath.

And now that great day was come; that day of judging, even the justices and the other ministers of the king's counsel, which by no collusion or reward, no argument or art of pleading they could elude or avoid. The clergy therefore, and the people, being gathered together, and seated in the great palace of Westminster, the ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY (a man of eminent piety, and as it were a pillar of the holy church and the

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kingdom) rising from his seat, and fetching a profound sigh, spoke in this manner:

"Let this assembly know that we are called together concerning the great and weighty affairs of the kingdom, (too much, alas, of late disturbed, and still out of order,) unanimously, faithfully, and effectually with our lord the king to treat and ordain. Ye have all heard the grievous complaints of the most intolerable injuries and oppressions, of the daily desolations committed both on church and state, by this corrupt counsel of our lord the king, contrary to our great charters, so many and so often purchased and redeemed, granted and confirmed to us by the several oaths of our lord the king that now is, and of our lords king Henry and John, and corroborated by the dreadful thunderings of the sentence of excommunication against the invaders of our common liberties of England in our said charters contained; and when we had conceived firm and undoubted hopes that these our liberties would have been faithfully preserved by all men, the king, circumvented and seduced by the counsels of evil ministers, hath not been afraid to violate it by infringing them, falsely believing that he could, for rewards, be absolved from that offence which would be the manifest destruction of the kingdom.

"There is another thing also that grieves our spirits, that the justices subtilely and maliciously, by diverse arguments of covetousness and intolerable pride, have the king against his faithful subjects sundry ways incited and provoked, counselling him contrary to the good and wholesome advice of all the liegemen of England, and have not blushed nor been afraid impudently to assert and prefer their own foolish counsels, as if they were more fit to consult and preserve the commonwealth than all the estates of the kingdom together assembled; so that it may be truly said of them, they are the men that troubled the land, and disturbed the nation under a false colour of gravity, have the whole people grievously opprest, and under pretence of expounding the ancient laws have introduced new (I will not say laws, but) evil customs; so that through the ignorance of some, and partiality of others, who, for reward or fear of great men have been

engaged, there was no certainty of law, and they scorned to administer justice to the people; their deeds are deeds of wickedness, and the work of iniquity is in their hand; their feet make haste to evil, and the way of truth have they not known; what shall I say? there is no judgment in their paths.

"How many freemen of this land, faithful subjects of our lord the king, have, like the meanest slaves of lowest condition, without any fault, been cast into prison, where some of them by hunger, grief, or the burden of their chains have expired; they have also extorted, at their pleasure, infinite sums of money for their ransoms; the coffers of some, that they might fill their own, as well from the rich as the poor, they have exhausted, by reason whereof they have contracted the irreconcilable hatred and dreadful imprecations of all men, as if they had purchased and obtained such an incommunicable privilege, by their detestable charter of non obstante, that they might, at their own lust, be free from all laws both human and divine.

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Moreover, there is another more the ordinary grievance, which hitherto hath, and in some measure doth still rage among us. All things are exposed to sale, if not as it were to plunder and theft. Alas, how great power hath the love of money in the breasts of men! Hear, therefore, O ye wieked, from my mouth the dreadful decree of heaven; the dejectiou of your countenances accuseth you, and, like the men of Sodom, ye have not hidden but proclaimed the sin; woe be to your souls; woe be to them that make laws and writing, write injustice, that they may oppress the poor in judgment, and injure the cause of the humble, that widows may become their prey, and that they might destroy the orphan. Woe be to those that build their houses in injustice, and their tabernacles in unrighteousness. Woe be to them that covet large possessions, that break open houses, and destroy the man and his inheritance. Woe be to such judges who are like wolves in the evening, and leave not a bone till the morning. The righteous Judge will bring such counsellors to a foolish end, and such judges to confusion ye shall all presently, with a loud cry, receive the just sentence of the land."

At the hearing of these things all ears tingled, and the whole community lifted up their voice and mourned, saying, "Alas, alas, for us! what is become of that English liberty which we have so often purchased; which, by so many concessions, so many statutes, so many oaths, have been confirmed to us."

Hereupon several of the criminals withdrew into secret places, being concealed by their friends; some of them were brought forth into the midst of the people, and deservedly turned out of their offices; one was banished the land, and others were grievously fined, or condemned to perpetual imprisonment.

This is confirmed by Spelman, Anno. 1290. "All the justices of England (saith he) were, An. 18. Ed. 1. apprehended for corruption, except John Mettingham and Elias Bleckingham, whom I name for their honour, and by judgment of parliament condemned, some to imprisonment, others banishment, or confiscation of their estates; and none escaped without grievous fines, and the loss of their offices."

FINIS.

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