Source.—Roger of Wendover, Vol. II.,Annal 1204. Bohn's Libraries. G. Bell & Sons.
Thus the castle of the Rock of Andelys fell into the hands of the French King on the 6th of March, and Roger de Lacy with all his followers were taken to France, where, on account of the bravery he had shown in defence of his castle, he was detained prisoner on parole. On this all the holders of castles in the transmarine territories, with the citizens and other subjects of the King of England, sent messages to England to tell him in what a precarious situation they were placed, and that the time, according to the terms of the treaty, was near, when they must either give up the cities and castles to the King of the French, or consign to destruction the hostages which they had given him. To which message King John answered, and intimated by the same messengers to all of them, that they were to expect no assistance from him, but that they each were to do what seemed best to him. And thus, all kind of defence failing in those provinces, the whole of Normandy, Tours, Anjou, and Poictou, with the cities, castles, and other possessions, except the Castles of Rochelle, Thouars, and Niorz, fell to the dominion of the King of the French. When this was told to the English King, he was enjoying all the pleasures of life with his Queen, in whose company he believed that he possessed everything he wanted; moreover, he felt confidence in the immensity of the wealth he had collected, as if by that he could regain the territory he had lost.
Source.—Richard of Devizes, Chronicles of the Crusades, § 80. Bohn's Libraries. G. Bell & Sons.
Every race of men, out of every nation which is under heaven, resort thither in great numbers; every nation has introduced into that city its vices and bad manners. No onelives in it without offence; there is not a single street in it that does not abound in miserable, obscene wretches; there, in proportion as any man has exceeded in wickedness, so much is he the better. I am not ignorant of the disposition I am exhorting; you have, in addition to your youth, an ardent disposition, a slowness of memory and a soberness of reason between extremes. I feel in myself no uneasiness about you, unless you should abide with men of corrupt lives; for from our associations our manners are formed. But let that be as it may. You will come to London. Behold! I warn you, whatever of evil or perversity there is in any, whatever in all parts of the world, you will find in that city alone. Go not to the dances of panders, nor mix yourself up with the herds of the houses of ill fame; avoid the talus and the dice, the theatre and the tavern. You will find more braggadocios there than in all France, while the number of flatterers is infinite. Stage-players, buffoons, those that have no hair on their bodies, Garamantes, pickthanks, catamites, effeminate evildoers, lewd musical girls, druggists, lustful persons, fortune-tellers, extortioners, nightly strollers, magicians, mimics, common beggars, tatterdemalions—this whole crew has filled every house. So if you do not wish to live with the shameful, you will not dwell in London.
I am not speaking against the learned, whether monks or Jews; although, still, from their very dwelling together with such evil persons, I should esteem them less perfect there than elsewhere.
Nor does my advice go so far, as that you should betake yourself to no city; with my counsel you will take up your residence nowhere but in a town, though it remains to say in what.
Therefore, if you should land near Canterbury, you will have to lose your way, if even you should but pass through it. It is an assemblage of the vilest, entirely devoted to their—Iknow not whom, but who has been lately canonized, and had been the Archbishop of Canterbury, as everywhere they die in the open day in the streets for want of bread and employment.
Rochester and Chichester are mere villages, and they possess nothing for which they should be called cities, but the Sees of their bishops. Oxford scarcely, I will not say satisfies, but sustains its clerks. Exeter supports men and beasts with the same grain. Bath is placed, or rather buried, in the lowest parts of the valleys, in a very dense atmosphere and sulphury vapour, as it were at the gates of Hell. Nor yet will you select your habitation in the Northern cities nor in Worcester, Chester, Hereford, on account of the desperate Welshmen. York abounds in Scots, vile and faithless men, or rather rascals. The town of Ely is always putrefied by the surrounding marshes. In Durham, Norwich, or Lincoln, there are very few of your disposition among the powerful; you will never hear anyone speak French. At Bristol there is nobody who is not, or has not been, a soap-maker, and every Frenchman esteems soap-makers as he does nightmen.
After the cities, every market, village or town, has but rude and rustic inhabitants. Moreover, at all times, account the Cornish people for such as you know our Flemish are accounted in France. For the rest, the kingdom itself is generally most favoured with the dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth; and in every place there are some good, but much fewer in them all than in Winchester alone.
This is in those parts the Jerusalem of the Jews, in it alone they enjoy perpetual peace; it is the school of those who desire to live well and prosper. Here they become men, here there is bread and wine enough for nothing. There are therein monks of such compassion and gentleness, clergy of such understanding and frankness, citizens of such civility and good faith, ladies of such beauty and modesty, that little hinders but I should go there and become a Christian with such Christians. To that city I direct you, the city of cities, the mother of all, the best above all.
There is but one fault, and that alone in which they customarily indulge too much. With the exception I should say of the learned and of the Jews, the Winchester people tell lies like watchmen, but it is in making up reports. For in no place under heaven so many false rumours are fabricated so easily as there; otherwise they are true in everything.
Source.—Ingulph's Chronicles.Bohn's Libraries. G. Bell & Sons.
The Charter of our lord the King, John, as to the confirmation of the boundaries of the abbey, and of which mention is made above, was to the following effect: "John, by the Grace of God, King of England, lord of Ireland, duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, and Earl of Anjou, to the archbishops, bishops, abbots, earls, barons, justiciaries, sheriffs, and all his bailiffs and faithful subjects, greeting. Know ye, that we have granted and confirmed unto God and the Church of St. Guthlac at Croyland, and to the abbot and monks there serving God, all the lands and tenements, and other the possessions to the said church belonging, and in especial the site of the said abbey, together with the boundaries thereof herein named, which extend as follow: a distance of five leagues, from Croyland to the place where the Asendyk falls into the waters of the Welland, together with all piscaries to the said boundaries belonging. Wherefore we do will and strictly command that the before-named church, and abbot, and monks shall hold and for ever possess all their lands, tenements, and other their possessions, and all the gifts which since the death of King Henry, the grandfather of our father, have been reasonably given to them, fully, peacefully, freely, quietly, and honourably, to enjoy the same in wood and in plain, in meadows and in pastures, in waters and in marshes, in preserves and in fisheries, in mills and in mill-dams, and in all other things and places, with right of Sach and Soch, andThol, and Them, and Infangthefe, and with all other free customs and acquittances, as fully, freely, and quietly as the said church, and abbot, and monks, held the same in the time of King Henry, the grandfather of our father, or other our predecessors Kings of England, and as fully, freely, and quietly as any churches in our kingdom of England hold the same, in such manner as is by the Charter of King Henry our father reasonably testified, etc. Given by the hand of Simon, Archdeacon of Wells."
Not even thus, however, did the venerable abbot Henry gain the wish for repose, but, like a stone out of the living rock to be placed in a heavenly house, was he squared, both on the right side and on the left, by repeated blows and numerous buffetings. For Acharius, also the Abbot of Burgh St. Peter (not content with his own boundaries, but desirous, contrary to the prophetic warning "to join house to house, and lay field to field, till there be no place,") first, by the royal writ, obtained of the King from beyond sea, impleaded the said abbot Henry, and without any good reason claimed against him our southern marsh called Alderland, of which our monastery had held undisturbed possession from its foundation until the times of our said father, just as the Assyrians did against the people of God. Upon this, Hubert, Archbishop of Canterbury, who was then chief justiciary of England, sent letters mandatory to the abbats of Ramsay and Thorney, directing them to make inquisition in his behalf upon the oaths of eighteen knights, mutually agreed upon, what right each of them had to the lands, meadows, pastures, and marshes, and all other things between the river Rene, and the river Welland, and which ought to be the boundaries between the Abbey of Burgh and the Abbey of Croyland, and fully to state the said inquisition, under their seals, and those of the knights to the before-named archbishop and justices.
A dissension, however, arising between the inquisitors, they returned to their homes, leaving the matter unsettled.
At length, however, after many conferences, discussions, delays, and expenses on both sides the dispute between thetwo abbats having been enquired into at great length before the justices of our lord the King at Lexington, was finally settled to the no small detriment of the church of Croyland.
Source.—Roger of Wendover, Vol. II.,Annal 1207. Bohn's Libraries. G. Bell & Sons.
About this time the monks of the church of Canterbury appeared before our lord the Pope, to plead a disgraceful dispute which had arisen between themselves; for a certain part of them, by authenticated letters of the convent, presented Reginald, sub-prior of Canterbury, as they had often done, to be archbishop-elect, and earnestly required the confirmation of his election; the other portion of the same monks had, by letters alike authentic, presented John, bishop of Norwich, showing by many arguments that the election of the sub-prior was null, not only because it had been made by night, and without the usual ceremonies, and without the consent of the King, but also because it had not been made by the older and wiser part of the convent; and thus setting forth these reasons, they asked that that election should be confirmed, which was made before fitting witnesses in open day and by consent, and in the presence of the King. At length, after long arguments on both sides, our lord the Pope, seeing that the parties could not agree in fixing on the same person, and that both elections had been made irregularly, and not according to the decrees of the holy canons, by the advice of his cardinals, annulled both elections, laying the apostolic interdict on the parties, and by definitive judgment ordering, that neither of them should again aspire to the honours of the archbishopric. When at length the letters of our lord the Pope came to the notice of the English King, he was exceedingly enraged, as much at the promotion of Stephen Langton, as at the annulling of the election of the bishop of Norwich, and accused the monks of Canterbury of treachery; for he said that they had,to the prejudice of his rights, elected their sub-prior without his permission, and afterwards, to palliate their fault by giving satisfaction to him, they chose the bishop of Norwich; that they had also received money from the treasury for their expenses in obtaining the confirmation of the said bishop's election from the apostolic see; and to complete their iniquity, they had there elected Stephen Langton, his open enemy, and had obtained his consecration to the archbishopric. On this account the said King, in the fury of his anger and indignation, sent Fulk de Cantelu and Henry de Cornhill, two most cruel and inhuman knights, with armed attendants, to expel the monks of Canterbury, as if they were guilty of a crime against his injured majesty from England, or else to consign them to capital punishment. These knights were not slow to obey the commands of their lord, but set out for Canterbury, and, entering the monastery with drawn swords, in the King's name fiercely ordered the prior and monks to depart immediately from the kingdom of England as traitors to the King's Majesty; and they affirmed with an oath that, if they (the monks) refused to do this, they would themselves set fire to the monastery, and the other offices adjoining it, and would burn all the monks themselves with their buildings. The monks, acting unadvisedly, departed without violence or laying hands on anyone; all of them, except thirteen sick men who were lying in the infirmary unable to walk, forthwith crossed into Flanders, and were honourably received at the Abbey of St. Bertinus and other monasteries on the Continent. Afterwards, by the orders of the King, some monks of the order of St. Augustine were placed in the church of Canterbury in their stead to perform the duties there; the before-mentioned bulk managing, and even distributing and confiscating, all the property of the same monks, whilst their lands and those of the archbishop remained uncultivated. The aforesaid monks were driven from their monastery into exile on the fourteenth of July.
Source.—Roger of Wendover, Vol. II.,Annal 1208. Bohn's Libraries. G. Bell & Sons.
The Bishops of London, Ely, and Winchester, in execution of the legateship entrusted to them, went to King John, and after duly setting forth the apostolic commands, entreated of him humbly and with tears, that he, having God in his sight, would recall the archbishop and the monks of Canterbury to their Church, and honour and love them with perfect affection, and they informed him that thus he would avoid the shame of an interdict, and the Disposer of rewards, would if he did so, multiply his temporal honours on him, and after his death would bestow lasting glory on him. When the said bishops wished, out of regard to the King, to prolong the discourse, the King became nearly mad with rage, and broke forth in words of blasphemy against the Pope and his cardinals, swearing by God's teeth, that, if they or any other priests soever presumptuously dared to lay his dominions under an interdict, he would immediately send all the prelates of England, clerks as well as ordained persons, to the Pope, and confiscate all their property; he added, moreover, that all the clerks of Rome or of the Pope himself who could be found in England or in his other territories, he would send to Rome with their eyes plucked out, and their noses slit, that by these marks they might be known there from other people; in addition to this, he plainly ordered the bishops to take themselves quickly from his sight if they wished to keep their bodies free from harm.
Source.—Matthew of Westminster, Vol. II., p. 119. Bohn's Libraries. G. Bell & Sons.
The Count of Flanders and William, Earl of Salisbury, by making a prodigal distribution of the King's treasures, collected a numerous army of hired mercenaries, having formed a designof suddenly attacking Philip, King of France on a Sunday, as he was not accustomed to bear arms on that day. They had also great hope from, and great reliance in, the wisdom and assistance of the Emperor Otho, who was, as it were, watching for a struggle with a drawn sword.
Accordingly the battle of Bouvines in Flanders was fought, and great bravery was shown on both sides. The King of France had three fine horses stabbed under him, nevertheless by the assistance of God he that day gained an important triumph over his enemies. Many nobles both of the Empire and of the kingdom of England were taken prisoners, but the Emperor escaped with a few of his men who were at hand. To the greater confusion of King John, he was repulsed from the castle which is called Monk's Rock, in consequence of the arrival of Louis, a son of the King of France; so that hearing the news of the taking of his nobles at Bouvines, he felt both God and man were offended with, and hostile to him. Accordingly he fled disgracefully and ignominiously from the siege before mentioned, and if he had not given eleven thousand marks of silver for a truce for 3 years and then retreated into England with all speed, he would no doubt have been taken, to his great disgrace.
Source.—Roger of Wendover, Vol. II.,Annal 1214. Bohn's Libraries. G. Bell & Sons.
On the 25th of August in the same year, Stephen, Archbishop of Canterbury, with the bishops, abbots, priors, deacons, and barons of the kingdom assembled at St. Paul's in the City of London, and there the archbishop granted permission to the Conventual Churches, as well as to the secular priests, to chant the services of the church in a low voice, in the hearing of their parishioners. At this conference, as report asserts, the said archbishop called some of the nobles aside to him, and conversed privately with them to the following effect: "Didyou hear," said he, "how, when I absolved the King at Winchester, I made him swear that he would do away with unjust laws, and would recall good laws, such as those of King Edward, and cause them to be observed by all in the kingdom; a Charter of Henry Ist of England has just now been found, by which you may, if you wish it, recall your long-lost rights and your former condition."
*******
On the Monday next after the octaves of Easter, the said barons assembled in the town of Brackley, and when the King learned this, he sent the archbishop of Canterbury, and William Marshal earl of Pembroke, with some other prudent men, to them to enquire what the laws and liberties were which they demanded. The barons then delivered to the messengers a paper, containing in great measure the laws and ancient customs of the kingdom, and declared that, unless the King immediately granted them and confirmed them under his own seal, they would, by taking possession of his fortresses, force him to give them sufficient satisfaction as to their before-named demands. The archbishop with his fellow messengers then carried the paper to the King, and read to him the heads of the paper one by one throughout.
The King when he heard the purport of these heads, derisively said, with the greatest indignation, "Why, amongst these unjust demands, did not the barons ask for my kingdom also? Their demands are vain and visionary, and are unsupported by any plea of reason whatever." And at length he angrily declared with an oath, that he would never grant them such liberties as would render him their slave. The principal of these laws and liberties, which the nobles required to be confirmed to them, are partly described above in the Charter of King Henry, and partly extracted from the old laws of King Edward as the following history will show in due time.
[Traditional ballad of the 13th century. Probably of Coptic folk-lore and transferred to John. Thus it illustrates the reputation of John and not an actual incident.]
An ancient story I'll tell you anonOf a notable prince that was called King John;And he ruled England with main and with might,For he did great wrong and maintain'd little right.And I'll tell you a story, a story so merryConcerning the Abbot of Canterbury;How for his house-keeping, and high renown,They rode post for him to London town.An hundred men the King did hearsay,The Abbot kept in his house every day;And fifty gold chains, without any doubt,In velvet coats waited the Abbot about."How now, father Abbot, I hear it of thee,Thou keepest a far better house than me,And for thy house-keeping, and high renown,I fear thou work'st treason against my crown.""My liege," quo' the Abbot, "I would it were known,I never spend nothing but what is my own;And I trust, your grace will do me no dere,For spending of my own true-gotten gere.""Yes, yes, father Abbot, thy fault it is high,And now for the same thou needest must die;For except thou canst answer me questions three,Thy head shall be smitten from thy body."And first," quo' the King, "When I'm in this stead,With my crown of gold so fair on my head;Among all my liege-men so noble of birthThou must tell me to one penny what I am worth."Secondly, tell me, without any doubt,How soon I may ride the whole world about;And at the third question thou must no shrink,But tell me here truly, what I do think.""O, these are hard questions for my shallow wit,Nor I cannot answer your grace as yet;But if you will give me but three weeks' space,I'll do my endeavour to answer your grace.""Now three weeks' space to thee I will give,And that is the longest time thou hast to live;For if thou dost not answer my questions three,Thy lands and thy livings are forfeit to me."Away rode the Abbot all sad at that word,And he rode to Cambridge and Oxenford;But never a doctor there was so wise,That could with his learning an answer devize.Then home rode the Abbot of comfort so cold,And he met his shepherd a going to fold:"How now, my lord Abbot, you are welcome home;What news do you bring us from good King John?""Sad news, sad news, shepherd, I must give;That I have but three days more to live:For if I do not answer him questions three,My head will be smitten from my body."The first is to tell him there in that steadWith his crown of gold so fair on his head,Among all his liege-men so noble of birth,To within one penny of what he is worth."The second, to tell him, without any doubt,How soon he may ride this whole world about:And at the third question I must not shrink,But tell him there truly what he does think.""Now cheer up, sir Abbot, did you never hear yet,That a fool he may learn a wise man to wit?Lend one horse, and serving men, and your apparel,And I'll ride to London to answer your quarrel."Nay, frown not, if it hath been told unto me,I am like your lordship as ever may be;And if you will but lend me your gown,There is none shall know us at fair London town.""Now horses, and serving men thou shalt have,With sumptuous array most gallant and brave;With crozier, and mitre, and rochet, and cope,Fit to appear 'fore our father the Pope.""Now welcome Sir Abbot," the King he did say,"'Tis well thou'rt come back to keep thy day;For an if thou canst answer my questions three,Thy life and thy living both savéd shall be."And first, when thou seest here in this stead,With my crown of gold so fair on my head,Among all my liege-men so noble of birth,Tell me to one penny what I am worth.""For thirty pence our Saviour was soldAmong the false Jews, as I have been told;And twenty-nine is the worth of thee,For I think thou art one penny worser than he."The King he laughed and swore by St. Bittel"I did not think I had been worth so little!—Now secondly tell me, without any doubt,How soon I may ride this whole world about.""You must rise with the sun, and ride with the same,Until the next morning he riseth again;And then your grace need not make any doubt,But in twenty-four hours you'll ride it about."The King he laughed and swore by St. John,"I did not think it could be gone so soon!—Now from the third question thou must not shrink,But tell me here truly what I do think.""Yea, that I shall do, and make your grace merry:You think I'm the Abbot of Canterbury;But I'm his poor shepherd, as plain you may see,That am come to beg pardon for him and for me."The King he laughed and swore by the mass,"I'll make thee lord abbot this day in his place!""Now, nay, my liege, be not in such speed,For alack, I can neither write, nor read.""Four nobles a week, then, I will give thee,For this merry jest thou hast shown unto me;And tell the old Abbot when thou comest home,Thou has brought him a pardon from good King John."
An ancient story I'll tell you anonOf a notable prince that was called King John;And he ruled England with main and with might,For he did great wrong and maintain'd little right.And I'll tell you a story, a story so merryConcerning the Abbot of Canterbury;How for his house-keeping, and high renown,They rode post for him to London town.An hundred men the King did hearsay,The Abbot kept in his house every day;And fifty gold chains, without any doubt,In velvet coats waited the Abbot about."How now, father Abbot, I hear it of thee,Thou keepest a far better house than me,And for thy house-keeping, and high renown,I fear thou work'st treason against my crown.""My liege," quo' the Abbot, "I would it were known,I never spend nothing but what is my own;And I trust, your grace will do me no dere,For spending of my own true-gotten gere.""Yes, yes, father Abbot, thy fault it is high,And now for the same thou needest must die;For except thou canst answer me questions three,Thy head shall be smitten from thy body."And first," quo' the King, "When I'm in this stead,With my crown of gold so fair on my head;Among all my liege-men so noble of birthThou must tell me to one penny what I am worth."Secondly, tell me, without any doubt,How soon I may ride the whole world about;And at the third question thou must no shrink,But tell me here truly, what I do think.""O, these are hard questions for my shallow wit,Nor I cannot answer your grace as yet;But if you will give me but three weeks' space,I'll do my endeavour to answer your grace.""Now three weeks' space to thee I will give,And that is the longest time thou hast to live;For if thou dost not answer my questions three,Thy lands and thy livings are forfeit to me."Away rode the Abbot all sad at that word,And he rode to Cambridge and Oxenford;But never a doctor there was so wise,That could with his learning an answer devize.Then home rode the Abbot of comfort so cold,And he met his shepherd a going to fold:"How now, my lord Abbot, you are welcome home;What news do you bring us from good King John?""Sad news, sad news, shepherd, I must give;That I have but three days more to live:For if I do not answer him questions three,My head will be smitten from my body."The first is to tell him there in that steadWith his crown of gold so fair on his head,Among all his liege-men so noble of birth,To within one penny of what he is worth."The second, to tell him, without any doubt,How soon he may ride this whole world about:And at the third question I must not shrink,But tell him there truly what he does think.""Now cheer up, sir Abbot, did you never hear yet,That a fool he may learn a wise man to wit?Lend one horse, and serving men, and your apparel,And I'll ride to London to answer your quarrel."Nay, frown not, if it hath been told unto me,I am like your lordship as ever may be;And if you will but lend me your gown,There is none shall know us at fair London town.""Now horses, and serving men thou shalt have,With sumptuous array most gallant and brave;With crozier, and mitre, and rochet, and cope,Fit to appear 'fore our father the Pope.""Now welcome Sir Abbot," the King he did say,"'Tis well thou'rt come back to keep thy day;For an if thou canst answer my questions three,Thy life and thy living both savéd shall be."And first, when thou seest here in this stead,With my crown of gold so fair on my head,Among all my liege-men so noble of birth,Tell me to one penny what I am worth.""For thirty pence our Saviour was soldAmong the false Jews, as I have been told;And twenty-nine is the worth of thee,For I think thou art one penny worser than he."The King he laughed and swore by St. Bittel"I did not think I had been worth so little!—Now secondly tell me, without any doubt,How soon I may ride this whole world about.""You must rise with the sun, and ride with the same,Until the next morning he riseth again;And then your grace need not make any doubt,But in twenty-four hours you'll ride it about."The King he laughed and swore by St. John,"I did not think it could be gone so soon!—Now from the third question thou must not shrink,But tell me here truly what I do think.""Yea, that I shall do, and make your grace merry:You think I'm the Abbot of Canterbury;But I'm his poor shepherd, as plain you may see,That am come to beg pardon for him and for me."The King he laughed and swore by the mass,"I'll make thee lord abbot this day in his place!""Now, nay, my liege, be not in such speed,For alack, I can neither write, nor read.""Four nobles a week, then, I will give thee,For this merry jest thou hast shown unto me;And tell the old Abbot when thou comest home,Thou has brought him a pardon from good King John."
An ancient story I'll tell you anonOf a notable prince that was called King John;And he ruled England with main and with might,For he did great wrong and maintain'd little right.
An ancient story I'll tell you anon
Of a notable prince that was called King John;
And he ruled England with main and with might,
For he did great wrong and maintain'd little right.
And I'll tell you a story, a story so merryConcerning the Abbot of Canterbury;How for his house-keeping, and high renown,They rode post for him to London town.
And I'll tell you a story, a story so merry
Concerning the Abbot of Canterbury;
How for his house-keeping, and high renown,
They rode post for him to London town.
An hundred men the King did hearsay,The Abbot kept in his house every day;And fifty gold chains, without any doubt,In velvet coats waited the Abbot about.
An hundred men the King did hearsay,
The Abbot kept in his house every day;
And fifty gold chains, without any doubt,
In velvet coats waited the Abbot about.
"How now, father Abbot, I hear it of thee,Thou keepest a far better house than me,And for thy house-keeping, and high renown,I fear thou work'st treason against my crown."
"How now, father Abbot, I hear it of thee,
Thou keepest a far better house than me,
And for thy house-keeping, and high renown,
I fear thou work'st treason against my crown."
"My liege," quo' the Abbot, "I would it were known,I never spend nothing but what is my own;And I trust, your grace will do me no dere,For spending of my own true-gotten gere."
"My liege," quo' the Abbot, "I would it were known,
I never spend nothing but what is my own;
And I trust, your grace will do me no dere,
For spending of my own true-gotten gere."
"Yes, yes, father Abbot, thy fault it is high,And now for the same thou needest must die;For except thou canst answer me questions three,Thy head shall be smitten from thy body.
"Yes, yes, father Abbot, thy fault it is high,
And now for the same thou needest must die;
For except thou canst answer me questions three,
Thy head shall be smitten from thy body.
"And first," quo' the King, "When I'm in this stead,With my crown of gold so fair on my head;Among all my liege-men so noble of birthThou must tell me to one penny what I am worth.
"And first," quo' the King, "When I'm in this stead,
With my crown of gold so fair on my head;
Among all my liege-men so noble of birth
Thou must tell me to one penny what I am worth.
"Secondly, tell me, without any doubt,How soon I may ride the whole world about;And at the third question thou must no shrink,But tell me here truly, what I do think."
"Secondly, tell me, without any doubt,
How soon I may ride the whole world about;
And at the third question thou must no shrink,
But tell me here truly, what I do think."
"O, these are hard questions for my shallow wit,Nor I cannot answer your grace as yet;But if you will give me but three weeks' space,I'll do my endeavour to answer your grace."
"O, these are hard questions for my shallow wit,
Nor I cannot answer your grace as yet;
But if you will give me but three weeks' space,
I'll do my endeavour to answer your grace."
"Now three weeks' space to thee I will give,And that is the longest time thou hast to live;For if thou dost not answer my questions three,Thy lands and thy livings are forfeit to me."
"Now three weeks' space to thee I will give,
And that is the longest time thou hast to live;
For if thou dost not answer my questions three,
Thy lands and thy livings are forfeit to me."
Away rode the Abbot all sad at that word,And he rode to Cambridge and Oxenford;But never a doctor there was so wise,That could with his learning an answer devize.
Away rode the Abbot all sad at that word,
And he rode to Cambridge and Oxenford;
But never a doctor there was so wise,
That could with his learning an answer devize.
Then home rode the Abbot of comfort so cold,And he met his shepherd a going to fold:"How now, my lord Abbot, you are welcome home;What news do you bring us from good King John?"
Then home rode the Abbot of comfort so cold,
And he met his shepherd a going to fold:
"How now, my lord Abbot, you are welcome home;
What news do you bring us from good King John?"
"Sad news, sad news, shepherd, I must give;That I have but three days more to live:For if I do not answer him questions three,My head will be smitten from my body.
"Sad news, sad news, shepherd, I must give;
That I have but three days more to live:
For if I do not answer him questions three,
My head will be smitten from my body.
"The first is to tell him there in that steadWith his crown of gold so fair on his head,Among all his liege-men so noble of birth,To within one penny of what he is worth.
"The first is to tell him there in that stead
With his crown of gold so fair on his head,
Among all his liege-men so noble of birth,
To within one penny of what he is worth.
"The second, to tell him, without any doubt,How soon he may ride this whole world about:And at the third question I must not shrink,But tell him there truly what he does think."
"The second, to tell him, without any doubt,
How soon he may ride this whole world about:
And at the third question I must not shrink,
But tell him there truly what he does think."
"Now cheer up, sir Abbot, did you never hear yet,That a fool he may learn a wise man to wit?Lend one horse, and serving men, and your apparel,And I'll ride to London to answer your quarrel.
"Now cheer up, sir Abbot, did you never hear yet,
That a fool he may learn a wise man to wit?
Lend one horse, and serving men, and your apparel,
And I'll ride to London to answer your quarrel.
"Nay, frown not, if it hath been told unto me,I am like your lordship as ever may be;And if you will but lend me your gown,There is none shall know us at fair London town."
"Nay, frown not, if it hath been told unto me,
I am like your lordship as ever may be;
And if you will but lend me your gown,
There is none shall know us at fair London town."
"Now horses, and serving men thou shalt have,With sumptuous array most gallant and brave;With crozier, and mitre, and rochet, and cope,Fit to appear 'fore our father the Pope."
"Now horses, and serving men thou shalt have,
With sumptuous array most gallant and brave;
With crozier, and mitre, and rochet, and cope,
Fit to appear 'fore our father the Pope."
"Now welcome Sir Abbot," the King he did say,"'Tis well thou'rt come back to keep thy day;For an if thou canst answer my questions three,Thy life and thy living both savéd shall be.
"Now welcome Sir Abbot," the King he did say,
"'Tis well thou'rt come back to keep thy day;
For an if thou canst answer my questions three,
Thy life and thy living both savéd shall be.
"And first, when thou seest here in this stead,With my crown of gold so fair on my head,Among all my liege-men so noble of birth,Tell me to one penny what I am worth."
"And first, when thou seest here in this stead,
With my crown of gold so fair on my head,
Among all my liege-men so noble of birth,
Tell me to one penny what I am worth."
"For thirty pence our Saviour was soldAmong the false Jews, as I have been told;And twenty-nine is the worth of thee,For I think thou art one penny worser than he."
"For thirty pence our Saviour was sold
Among the false Jews, as I have been told;
And twenty-nine is the worth of thee,
For I think thou art one penny worser than he."
The King he laughed and swore by St. Bittel"I did not think I had been worth so little!—Now secondly tell me, without any doubt,How soon I may ride this whole world about."
The King he laughed and swore by St. Bittel
"I did not think I had been worth so little!
—Now secondly tell me, without any doubt,
How soon I may ride this whole world about."
"You must rise with the sun, and ride with the same,Until the next morning he riseth again;And then your grace need not make any doubt,But in twenty-four hours you'll ride it about."
"You must rise with the sun, and ride with the same,
Until the next morning he riseth again;
And then your grace need not make any doubt,
But in twenty-four hours you'll ride it about."
The King he laughed and swore by St. John,"I did not think it could be gone so soon!—Now from the third question thou must not shrink,But tell me here truly what I do think."
The King he laughed and swore by St. John,
"I did not think it could be gone so soon!
—Now from the third question thou must not shrink,
But tell me here truly what I do think."
"Yea, that I shall do, and make your grace merry:You think I'm the Abbot of Canterbury;But I'm his poor shepherd, as plain you may see,That am come to beg pardon for him and for me."
"Yea, that I shall do, and make your grace merry:
You think I'm the Abbot of Canterbury;
But I'm his poor shepherd, as plain you may see,
That am come to beg pardon for him and for me."
The King he laughed and swore by the mass,"I'll make thee lord abbot this day in his place!""Now, nay, my liege, be not in such speed,For alack, I can neither write, nor read."
The King he laughed and swore by the mass,
"I'll make thee lord abbot this day in his place!"
"Now, nay, my liege, be not in such speed,
For alack, I can neither write, nor read."
"Four nobles a week, then, I will give thee,For this merry jest thou hast shown unto me;And tell the old Abbot when thou comest home,Thou has brought him a pardon from good King John."
"Four nobles a week, then, I will give thee,
For this merry jest thou hast shown unto me;
And tell the old Abbot when thou comest home,
Thou has brought him a pardon from good King John."
Source.—Matthew of Westminster, Vol. II., pp. 127, 128. G. Bell & Sons.
Prince Louis and all his followers embarked on board the ships, and came with a fair wind to the isle of Thanet, and anchored in the place which is called Stanhore, on the 21st of May. King John was at that time with his army at Dover, but as he was surrounded by a band of foreign mercenaries, who loved Louis more than John, King of England, he did not dare to encounter Louis in a hostile manner, lest his troups might perchance desert King John himself in his necessity, and transfer themselves to Louis. From which considerations he preferred retreating at the time to engaging in a doubtful battle. Therefore, he retreated, and withdrew to Canterbury, and left and entrusted the Castle of Dover to the custody and good faith of Hubert de Burgh. And soon afterwards, Gualo, the legate, landed in England, for the protection of King John and the kingdom against Louis and his partisans. But King John fled as far as Winchester, and Louis, when he found that no one offered to resist him, disembarked from his ships, and landing at Sandwich, subdued immediately the whole of that district, with the exception of the town of Dover, and hasteningtowards London, he made himself master of the Castle of Rochester, and on the 2nd of June he arrived in London, where first of all he offered up prayers at St. Paul's, and was afterwards publicly received by the clergy and laity with great joy, and received the fealty and homage of all the barons. And shortly afterwards, namely on the 14th of June, the city of Winchester was surrendered to him; and on the day after the feast of Saint John, he took the castle of the city, and the bishop's castle also; and on the 9th of July he received the submission of the Castles of Odiham, Farnham, Guildford and Reigate. The Castle of Windsor was besieged by the earls and barons of both France and England, but they were forced to retreat from before it, without succeeding in their object. But the Castle of Cambridge was taken by the barons, with twenty esquires which were found in it.
The same year Gualo, the legate, exacted visitation fees throughout all England, from all the cathedral churches and houses of religious brotherhoods, fixing each visitation fee at fifty shillings. He also seized all the benefices of the clergy and men of religious orders, who adhered to Louis and the barons, and converted them to the use of his own clergy. In the meantime, King John, inflamed with the madness of passion, oppressed and grievously afflicted the provinces of Suffolk and Norfolk. Then, continuing his march towards the north, he irrecoverably lost his carriages, and much of his baggage at Wellester, where they were swallowed up by a quicksand. And when he heard the news he grieved inconsolably, and redoubling deep sighs, he passed the night at Swineshead Abbey, belonging to the Carthusian order, where according to his custom, he gorged himself with peaches soaked in new wine and cider, and being greatly absorbed in grief for his recent loss, he became attacked with a severe illness.
But the next day, concealing his illness lest the enemy should triumph over him, he, though with difficulty, mounted his horse; and soon afterwards, having had a litter drawn by horses made for him, he dismounted from his palfrey and entered it, and in this way he came to the Castle of Leadford,where he spent the night, and found his disease increase greatly. But the next day he was carried forwards and arrived at the Castle of Newark where he took to his bed, and his sickness assumed a fatal appearance; and summoning the Abbot of Crofestune, who was skilful in the art of medicine, to his side, he confessed himself to him, and received the eucharist from him. And he appointed Henry, his eldest son, the heir of his kingdom, bequeathing his body to the Church of Worcester, under the protection of Saint Wolstan. After this, with the greatest bitterness of spirit, he cursed all his barons, instead of bidding them farewell; and in this manner, poor, deprived of all his treasures, and not retaining the smallest portion of land in peace, so that he was truly called Lackland, he most miserably departed from this life on the night following the next after the day of Saint Luke the Evangelist. And because this John made himself detestable to many persons, not only on account of the death of his nephew, Arthur, but also on account of his tyrannical conduct, and of the tribute with which he bound the kingdom of England under perpetual slavery, and of the war which his misdeeds provoked, he scarcely deserved to be mourned by the lamentations of any one.
The following are the territories which John lost by his cruelties and oppressions, which he did not resist from doing to everyone. First of all the duchy of Normandy, the County of Blois, the County of Maine, Anjou, Poitou, the Limosin, Auvergne and Angoulême. And all these districts at one time belonged to King John. Besides this he subjected England and Ireland to the payment of tribute, and never recovered any of his losses, to the day of his death.
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