Flowers of History 1233. Of the carl marshal's great prudence and regard for justice.

About this same time, on the Thursday next before Christmas, the earl marshal happened to pass the night at the abbey of Margan, at which place a brother of the Minorite order, named Agnell. an attendant and adviser of the king, came to him to tell him what had been said concerning him at the court, both by the king and his advisers. He "had heard the king say," he stated, "that, although the marshal had traitorously and unjustly taken arms against him, if he chose, without making any other condition, to throw himself altogether on the king's mercy, he the king would grant him safety to life and limb, and would also allow him a sufficient portion of land in Herefordshire, to support him honourably. He had also heard from Stephen Segrave that the terms of forgiveness would be made known to the marshal by two of his trustworthy friends, who would tell the marshal that he could with safety trust to the king's mercy, but at the same time that they were not to tell the marshal himself or any other person, for that he was to do this without knowing the terms to be granted to him. He had also heard from others at the court that it was advisable for the marshal to do as above stated, that it was his duty, would be to his advantage, and would be safe for him to do so. It was his duty, because he had done injury to his lord, for he had, before the king molested his property or person, invaded the king's territory, burning and destroying the crops, and slaying the people. And if the marshal pleaded that he did so for the defence of his person and inheritance, they said it was not so, for there had never been any design against his person or property; that therefore he ought not to have broken out into violence against his lord the king till he discovered by ocular demonstration that the king had such design against him, when it would have been justifiable for him to act as he had now done." To all this the earl marshal gave the following reply to brother Agnell: — " To the first argument," he said, " as to its being my duty, because I have invaded the king's territory, this is not true ; for although I was always ready to abide by the law and the decision of my peers in his court, and often asked the king by messengers to grant me this, he always refused it to me, and himself invaded my territory and attacked me contrary to all the laws of justice. And hoping to please him by my submission, I freely entered into terms of peace with him, which were very injurious to myself, by which it was agreed, that unless those terms, were observed on the part of the king towards me, I should remain entirely in the same condition as I was before the said peace was agreed on, namely that I should be free from all homage to him, and in a state of deiiance towards him, as I had formerly been by the bishop of St. David's ; and therefore, as he failed to observe the terms of peace in every particular, I was justified according to my agreement in endeavouring to recover what belonged to me, and in weakening his power by every possible means, especially as he eagerly sought my destruction, to deprive me of my inheritance, and to seize on my person ; of this I have been well assured, and, if necessary, can prove it; and, what is more, after the truce of fifteen days, before I entered Wales, or took any measures for my own defence against any one, he, without a trial, deprived me of my office of marshal, which belonged to me, and which I held by hereditary right, nor would he on any terms restore it to me when I asked him; by this I was plainly convinced that he did not mean to come to any terms with me, since after the truce he treated me worse than before ; therefore I am not his subject, but am released from all feaity to him, although I would return to the terms of the first state of defiance above stated, according to the agreement. Wherefore I have been justified and am still justified in defending myself, and in thwarting the malicious designs of his advisers by every means in my power." The king's advisers also said, that it would be to the marshal's advantange to throw himself on the king's mercy, because the king was richer and more powerful than he was ; and if the marshal relied on the assistance of foreigners, for every one that he could induce to assist him the king could bring seven ; for some of the foreign relations of the king had offered their assistance, who were neither Scotch, French, or Welsh, who would come into England and find work for all his enemies, for they would come in such multitudes as to cover the whole face of the country. To this argument the marshal replied, " It is true that the king is richer and more powerful than I, but he is not more powerful than God, who is justice itself, and in whom I place my hopes of safety and of obtaining my rights in the kingdom: and I do not put my trust in foreigners, nor do I seek their alliance, nor will I ask their assistance, unless, which, God forbid, I am compelled so to do by any unexpected and unavoidable emergency. And I well know that the king can bring seven to my one, and I believe that he will very soon bring so many of them to his councils, that he will not have the means of freeing himself and the kingdom from them, for I have heard from credible people that the bishop of Winchester has engaged to bring all England to subjection to him, and this he engaged to do from the time when he was with the emperor on the continent ; and so he commenced this war, that be might take the opportunity first of asking assistance of the emperor, and might then summon the emperor to come in person ; and this appeared likely, because, when a disagreement arose between him and the king, he left England, and now he swore that he would send so many foreigners into England as would cover the whole face of the country." Again, the king's advisers said that it would be safe for the marshal to throw himself on the king's mercy, because he could trust to the king and his advisers ; to the king, because he was merciful and worthy of trust ; and to his advisers, because they had never caused any harm to the marshal, for indeed in their hearts they loved him. In reply to this the marshal said, " It maybe true that the king is merciful, but he is led away by the advice of those men, by whom we feel ourselves seriously wronged. That the king is to be believed is evident, as far as regards himself, but with regard to his advisers I have this to say, namely, that no promise made to me as yet has ever been kept. What his advisers say about never having caused harm to me is false ; for they have brought all my troubles on me, and to them I chiefly impute them all. Nor can I believe them when they say that they love me until I see them acting differently to what I have always seen ; for they have violated several corporal oaths, namely with respect to the earl of Kent, to whom they all made three several oaths, which they paid no heed to, and broke, as well concerning the terms provided by the aforesaid earl, with regard to which they in like manner perjured themselves, as in the oath concerning the liberties contained in the great charter, which they also broke, and for which they were excommunicated as perjurers. They also perjured themselves with respect to the good counsel they swore they would give to the king, for they always advised him contrary to justice. Stephen Seagrave too, who had sworn to observe just laws, was now corrupting them and introducing laws long out of use ; for many other reasons too, neither he nor his accomplices were worthy of being trusted by God or man, for was he not, and were they not, excommunicated ? " The next argument against the marshal urged by the king's advisers was, that he had attacked the person of his lord the king at Grosmunt before the king had entered his territory, and therefore had offered an injury to him, wherefore it was his duty to give himself up to the king's mercy as above mentioned, in order to do honour to him, and give no pretext to others for making an insurrection against him. To this the marshal replied that, as far as regarded him personally, it was false that he was present at that attack ; and if any of his retainers had by chance been present there, they only attacked the king's attendants and not his royal person. " And if they did so,'' said he, " it was not to be wondered at, when the king came into my territory with his army to attack me and injure me in every way ; and this is plainly proved by the letters by which he summoned all throughout England to assist in destroying mo. And since the above offences imputed tome are false, and it is true that the king behaved worse to me at the time I was looking for his mercy than at any other time, and as he still has the same design as he had then, and still relies on the counsels of those men, by whose advice I know it is that all these injuries have been brought on me and mine, we ought not and cannot submit to his mercy. And it would not be any credit to the king if I were to yield to his pleasure when it is not supported by reason, I should:.hen be rather offering an insult to him and to justice, which is a king's duty to exercise and to observe towards his subjects. And 1 should set a bad example to every one, namely, that of abandoning the cause of justice and the prosecution of my rights on account of an error in judgment, contrary to all justice, and to the injury of his subjects ; for in such a case it would seem that we loved our worldly possessions more than justice." Again, the king's advisers stated against the marshal that he was allied with the king's principal enemies, the French, the Scotch, and the Welsh, and it seemed to them that he had done this to the annoyance and injury of the king and kingdom. To this the marshal replied, "As regards the French, this is clearly false: the statement as regards the Scotch and Welsh is also false, except as regards the king of Scotland and Llewellyn the Welsh prince ; they were not enemies, but faithful lieges of his, until, by the injuries inflicted on them by the king and his counsellors, they were unwillingly obliged, like myself, to withdraw from their allegiance to him ; and it is for this purpose that I have formed an alliance with these princes, namely, that we can better when united, than divided, contend for and defend those rights of which we have been unjustly deprived, and in a great measure robbed." The said counsellors of the king again stated, that the marshal need not put confidence in these allies of his, for the king could, without any damage to his territories, estrange them from him whenever he chose To this the marshal replied, that " he had no doubt of that, and," says he, "this circumstance clearly shows the wickedness of his advisers, for they would make the king endure any kind of injury from those whom they call his chief enemies, in order to injure me, who have always been a faithful subject of his, as long as he allowed me, and I would still be so if he would restore to me and my friends our proper rights." The next argument of the king's advisers was, that the. pope and the Roman church had a particular regard for the king and kingdom, and would excommunicate all his enemies ; and this seemed now to lie at hand, because they had already sent for the legate. To this the marshal replied, "I am glad to hear what they say respecting the pope and the Roman church, for the more regard they may have for the king and kingdom, the more they will wish him to govern his kingdom and his subjects according to the laws of justice. And I am also pleased to hear that the popiwill excommunicate the enemies of the kingdom ; for they are those who advise the king contrary to j:i-tice. as their acts prove them to be ; for justice and peace go hand in hand, and when justice is corrupted, peace also is violated. Again, I am glad that the legate is coming ; for the more people there are to hear the justice of our cause, the more will the enemies of justice be put to shame. And now, although I have particularly dwelt upon my own grievances, I say the same with respect to all my friends and allies ; and on their beh;iii I make the same complaint as on my own, and without them I can do nothing at all towards coming to a durable arrangement.¹

Note 1. Paris adds: " About the same time, in the seventeenth year of his reign, king Henry, at his own expense, built a handsome church, fit for an assembly of monks, with outbuildings adjoining, near the Old Temple at London, where he established an order of the 'Converted,' for the redemption of the souls of himself, king John his father, and his other ancestors ; and to this house all the converted Jews who had abandoned the darkness of Judaism fled, in order to have a safe refuge, with a certain rule of living for their lives, as well as sufficient sustenance, without performing servile labour or living by extortion and u>ury. In a very short t;me a large number of the Converted assembled there and were baptized and instructed in the faith of the Christians, living a praiseworthy life, and under the rule of a learned rector especially appointed for the purpose. King Henry also, inspired by the Holy Spirit and incited by a pious motive, established a noble hospital at Oxford, near the bridge, in order that sick men and pilgrims might there receive relief according to their wants and bo restored to health."

Hall's Chronicle 1533. 25 Dec 1533. The King kept his Christmas at Greenwich, with great solemnity, and after Christmas began the Parliament. In which Parliament Elizabeth Barton, the holy Maide of Kent, with all her adherents, of whom you have heard before was attainted. And because her offences, were both against God and the King, so great and wicked, that the like was never heard nor known before, I will declare unto you the process of her matter, in such manner as the truth thereof, is declared in her attainder, by Act of Parliament, First the said Elizabeth Barton (being a Nun professed in the house and Priory of Saint Sepulchre’s of Canterbury,) which long before she was professed Nun, dwelled with one Thomas Cobbe, in the Parish of Aldington, in the County of Kent, and happened to be visited with sickness, and by occasion thereof, brought in such debility and weakness of her brain, because she could not eat nor drink, by a long space, that in the violence of her infirmity, she seemed to be in trances, and spoke and uttered many foolish and idle words. And one Richarde Master, Clerk, being person of the said Parish of Aldington, in the said County of Kent, after that he had made to the late Archbishop of Canterbury, a far and a larger report, concerning the Hypocrisy, trances and speeches of the said Elizabeth, then he could justify and abide by, and after that he was commanded by the said Archbishop, to give good attendance upon her, if she should fortune to have any more such trances and speeches, and to send him knowledge thereof, to the intent to maintain, uphold and verify, such report as he had made, as well to the Archbishop aforesaid, as to other, of the wonderful trances and speeches of the said Nun, he falsely and craftily informed the said Elizabeth, that the marvellous words which she spoke in her trances, afore his riding to the Archbishop aforesaid, preceded of the inspiration of the holy ghost, and that she was greatly to be blamed if she would hide or dissemble the wonderful works of God showed to her: for afore this his said information and instruction, she said constantly, that she could not remember, that she spoke any such notable words in her trances, as were reported unto her, by the said Richard Master. Which Elizabeth being in this manner of wise, often times persuaded, procured and informed, by the said Person of Aldington, took boldness and courage to forge, feign, and counterfeit such manner of trances, and crafty speeches, as the said Person of Aldington told her, that she used in her sickness, afore he went to the said Archbishop. And when the said Elizabeth had used this false, feigned counterfeiting for a season, and was perfect therein (so that the fame thereof, was greatly spread abroad, in those parts) then the said Person, to the intent aforesaid, and to the intent the people, should give more faith and credit unto her, and because he would have increased the devotion of the people, in coming on pilgrimage to a Chapel, set in Courte at Strete, within the said Parish, dedicate in the honour of our Lady, for his own lucre and advantage, imagined, devised, compassed and declared, with the aide, help, and counsel of one Edward Bocking Monk, professed in the Monastery in Christ’s Church in Canterbury, and Doctor in Divinity, that the said Elizabeth, being in the extasy and extremity of her sickness, in a manner distract in trances, should say amongst other wonderful words, that she should never take health of her body, till such time as she had visited the Image of our Lady, being in the said Chapell at Courte at Strete aforesaid: and that our Lady had appeared unto her, and shewed her, that if she came to the said Chapel, at the day appointed, she should be restored to her health by miracle, where in very deed, she was restored to her perfect health, by diet and physicke, and by the course of nature, which expelled the matter, being cause of her sickeness, in the meane time while the said person of Aldington, was with the Archbishop, as is afore rehearsed. And albeit the said Elizabeth, was restored to her health, yet she being accustomed and acquainted with the manner and fashion of her distract trances, by the counsel, conspiracy, and confederacy of the said Edward Bocking, and Richard Master, did falsely practise, use and show unto the people, diverse and marvellous sundry alterations, of her sensible parts of her body, craftily uttering in her said feigned and false trances, diverse and many virtuous and holy words, tending to the rebuke of sin, and in reproving of such new opinions, as then began to spring in this Realm, which she called heresies, as she was induced and taught, by the said Edward Bocking and Richard Master, using all the ways of false hypocrisy, to the intent the people should give belief and credence unto her, whereby they might be the sooner brought, into the detestable crimes of blasphemy and idolatry against Almighty God. And the said Edward Bocking, being maliciously fixed in his opinion, against the Kings highness, in his detested matrimony with Queen Katheryne, and intending in his mind, afterwards for his part, falsely and traitorously to use the said Elizabeth, as a diabolical instrument, to stir, move and provoke the people of this Realm, as well nobles as other, to murmur and grudge, against the Majesty of our Sovereign Lorde, and all his just and lawful proceedings, in the said divorce and separation, as after he did in very deed: for the accomplishing of his said false, malicious and traitorous intents, falsely devised and conspired, with the said Richard, that the said Elizabeth should show and manifest herself, to the people, to be an excellent virtuous and an holy woman, and that all her words and deeds, should appear to the world, to precede of a marvellous holiness, rebuking the common sins and vices of the world, as though she were taught and inspired of the holy spirit of God. And not only moved and counselled the said Elizabeth, thus to use herself, surmitting to her that she spoke such things, in the extasy of her sickness, that came by the inspiration of God, but also counselled and procured the said Elizabeth, to be brought and conveyed, to the said Chapel of our Lady, and therein openly in the presence of the people, (that there should be assembled by their procurements) should use and experiment such like trances, and alterations of her face, and other the outward sensible parts of her body, as she used in the extremity and extasy of her sickness. To whose counsels and advertisements, the said Elizabeth agreed. Whereupon at a day by them appointed and agreed, the said Edward and Richard, laboured, solicited, and procured, above the number of two thousand person, to repair to the said Chapel, surmitting that she said Elizabeth, which as they said, had marvellous and many Visions and Revelations of God, should be brought thither, and there receive her health, by Miracle of our Lady, whose image was in the said Chapel. By reason of which false, feigned and detestable conspiracy and hypocrisy, at the day by them appointed, there assembled to the said Chapell, above the number of two thousand people. At which day also, the said Edward Bocking, and Richarde Master procured, and caused the said Elizabeth, to repair to the said Chapell, where the said Elizabeth, albeit she at that time, and long afore was restored to health of her body, and discharged of her torments and afflictions, which she had in the extasy of her sickness: Yet nevertheless by the procurement and crafty counsel of the said Edward Bocking, and Richard Master, did falsely feign and show unto the people in the same Chapel, many alterations of her face, and other outward sensible parts of her body, and falsely feigned and showed herself in trances, uttering wonderous words, as she was before subtly and craftily induced and taught, by the said Richarde and Edward to do. And amongst other things she uttered, that it was the pleasure of God, that the said Edward Bocking, should be her ghostly father, and that she should be a Religious woman, as she was taught by the said Edward Bocking and Richard Master. And within a while after demonstration, of such false feigned and dissimulated trances, she appeared to the people, to be suddenly revealed from her sickness and afflictions, by the intercession and meanes of the Image of our Lady, being in the same Chapel. By meanes of which false feigned hypocrisy, dissimulated and cloaked Sanctity, so conspired and craftily imagined by the said Edward Bocking, and Richarde Master, the said Elizabeth was brought into a marvellous fame, credit and good opinion, of a great multitude of the people of this Realm. And to increase the fame of the said false feigned hypocrisy, the said Elizabeth afterwards, by the counsel and procurement, of the said Edward Bocking, entered into Religion, and became a Nun, professed in the said Priory of Saint Sepulchre’s, to whom the said Edward Bocking, had commonly his resort, not without probable, vehement and violent suspicion of incontinency, pretending to be her Ghostly father, by Gods appointment. And by conspiracy between her and him, caused her still to persist and abide, in the practising of her said false hypocrisy, and dissimulating trances and raptures. And that she should surmit to the people, that when she was in such simulated alteration, of her sensible parts of her body, that she was then rapt by Almighty God, from the affections of this world, and told by the holy spirit of God, many things that should follow to the world, for punishment of the sins of the princes and the people. And that she should also say that she was much provoked and tempted, as well to the sin of the flesh as otherwise, by her ghostly enemy the devil, at diverse and sundry times, and in diverse and sundry ways and fashions. And yet nevertheless that she by the grace of Almighty God was preserved, and steadfastly resisted such temptation. By occasion of which counsel and procurement of the said Edward Bocking, the said Elizabeth by continuance of time, took such a courage upon her, that she falsely feigned and said, that she had many revelations, of Almighty God and his holy saints, with heavenly lights, heavenly voices, heavenly melodies and joys, and especially in a chapel of St Giles, in the said Nunnery, to the which chapel, she often times resorted to receive visions and revelations, as commanded by God, as she falsely reported, and specially by night, saying, that the Dorter door was made open to her by God’s power, uttering the same, as well to the said Edward Bocking, as to diverse other persons. By the which her false feigned revelations, and cloaked hypocrisy, she was reputed amongst many people of this realm, to be a very holy woman, inspired with God, where in very deed, she never had vision or revelation from God, as she hath plainly and openly confessed herself. And therefore, her stealing further of the Dorture in the night, which was not once or twice weekly was not for spiritual business nor to receive revelations of God, but rather for bodily communication and pleasure with her friends, which could not have so good leisure and opportunity with her by day. And for ratification of her false feigned revelations, the said Edward by conspiracy, between him and the said Elizabeth, revealed the same to the most reverend father, William late Archbishop of Canterbury, who by false and untrue surmises, tales and lies of the said Edward and Elizabeth, was allured, brought and induced to credit them, and made no diligent searches, for the trial of their said falsehoods, and confederations, but suffered and admitted the same, to the blasphemy of Almighty God, and to the great deceit of the prince, and people of this realm. And for a perpetual memory of the said feigned and dissimulated hypocrisy, and false revelations of the said Elizabeth, the said Edward Bocking, Richard Master, and one John Dering, a Monk in the said Monastery of Christ’s Church aforesaid, made, writ, and caused to be written, sundry books both great and small, both printed and written, concerning the particularities of the said false and feigned hypocrisy, and revelations of the said Elizabeth, or the defence or great praise of the same: surmitting and putting forth the same false and feigned practises, and revelations of the said Elizabeth, to be just and true miracles, shewed by Almighty God, in the favour of the sanctity of the said Elizabeth, where indeed they been and were falsely devised, compassed, conspired, written and maintained by the said Elizabeth Barton, Edward Bocking, Richard Master, and John Dering, to the only intent to bring the said Elizabeth, in the fame and credit of the people of this realm, whereby the people should the more be apt and disposed, by her false cloaked hypocrisy and sanctity, to commit the crimes of blasphemy and idolatry against God, and also the sooner induced, by the false revelations of the said Elizabeth to murmur, and grudge, and be of evil opinion, against the Majesty of our sovereign lord, to the great peril and danger of his most royal person. And one Edward Thwaites gentleman, translated and wrote diverse quires, and sheets of paper, concerning the said false feigned revelations, of the said Elizabeth. Also, one Thomas Laurence of Canterbury, being register to the Archbishop of Canterbury, at the instance and desire of the said Edward Bocking, wrote a great book of the said false and feigned miracles, and revelations of the said Elizabeth in a fair hand, ready to be a copy to the printer, when the said boke should be put to stamp.