The first-[third] tome of an exact chronological vindication and historical demonstration of our British, Roman, Saxon, Danish, Norman, English kings supreme ecclesiastical jurisdiction from the original planting, embracing of Christian religion therein, and reign of Lucius, our first Christian king, till the death of King Richard the First, Anno Domini 1199 ... / by William Prynne, Esq.

REX, &c. Omnibus, &c. Noverit universitas vestra, quod cum Dominus Phil.* 1.1 Dunolmensis Episcopus, Decanus & Capitulum Sanctae Mariae Eborac▪ de Seleby, de Witeby, de Fontibus, de Riveal, de Rupe, de Ruchford, Abbates de Bridlinton, de Wirk∣sope, de Blithe, de Novo Burgo, de Kirkham, de Marton, de Beolton, de Sancto Oswaldo, Priores, coram nobis apud Eboracum, essent constituti, in praesentia nostra proposue∣runt, quod in omnibus erant parati Domino Archiepiscopo Eborac. Canonicam obe∣dien••••••m exhibere, salva reverentia quam debent * 1.2 Romanae Ecclesiae, & salvis privile∣giis suis & libertatibus Ecclesiarum suarum. Ne autem praedictus Archiepiscopus motu propriae voluntatis in terram nostram sive homines nostros, sive in ipsos vel homi∣nes suos, vel possessiones eorum aliquam sententiam excommunicationis, suspensi∣onis, vel interdicti poneret, coram nobis ad sedem Apostolicam appellarunt, termi∣num in Octabis Sancti Andreae, appellationi prosequendae praefigentes. Et quia ap∣pellatio illa coram nobis interposita, eidem per literas nostras testimonium per∣hibemus. Acta sunt ista apud Eborum, sexto die Marcii. Anno, &c. Sexto.

To conclude the story of this turbulent Archbishop of York, about two years after (Anno Dom. 1207.) * 1.3 King John and his Nobles meeting at Winchester, placing his hope and strength in his Treasures, required and received through all England, the 13. part of all movables and other things, as well of the Laity as of all other Ecclesiastical

persons and Prelates; all of them murmuring at it, imprecating and * 1.4 wishing an ill event to such rapine, but not daring to contradict it. Only Geoffry Archbishop of York, not consenting, but openly contradicting it, privily departed from England, and in his recesse, Anathematis sententia innodavit, actually excommunicated all men specially within his Archbishoprick, making this rapine and levying this Tax, and in general all In∣vaders of the Church or Ecclesiastical things, for non-payment of this Tax. Wherewith the King was so highly offended, that he seized his temporalties, and ba∣nished him the Realm till his death, about 7. years after; postquam per s••ptennium pro libertate Ecclesiae & executione justitiae exilium passus est, write * 1.5 Matthew Paris, and Matthew Westminster. Such was this Archbishops opposition to the Kings Preroga∣tive and legal aydes esteemed by the disloyal Monks and Clergy of that age.

I am now arrived in my Chronological Method at the original occasion of the highest, longest-lasting, and most tragical contests between King John, and his trai∣terous perjured Monks, Bishops, Clergy, and the Pope confederating with them, and their most notorious Usurpations upon the undoubted Prerogatives of the Crown; King, Kingdoms of England and Ireland, ever acted on our English Theater in any age: the summe whereof is this.

Upon the death of Hubert Archbishop of Canterbury, Anno Dom: 1205. (the 6.* 1.6 of King Johns reign) there fell out an unhappy difference about the Election of a new Archbishop without the Kings license, against his Prerogative Royal, and after∣wards upon a double election, which Pope Innocent the 3d. taking advantage of, vaca∣ted both, & forced the Monks at Rome against their wills, oaths, to elect Stephen Lang∣ton a Cardinal (his creature) whom he recommended to them, and consecrated Archbi∣shop against the Kings consent; who refusing to admit him Archbishop, thereupon the Pope interdicted the whole Kingdom several years, next excommunicated, after that deposed the King from his Crown, which he gave to the King of France, absolved all his Subjects from their allegiance, and at last by force, menaces, and subtil perswa∣sions, induced the King to resign his Crown, kingdoms to the Pope, and resume them from him as his feudatory. The Monks, Bishops, Popes Antimonarchical gradual Proceedings herein, with this Kings strenuous Oppositions against them for 8. whole years space, are briefly recorded by a 1.7 many of our Historians, but most fully by Matthew Paris, and Matthew Westminster, from whom they extract their Narra∣tives; whose relations thereof I shall present you with at large in their own stile, en∣larged with additional Records not extant in them or other Historians, because the ground of all subsequent over-bold Papal and Prelatical Usurpations on the Crown, Kings, Kingdom, Church of England and Ireland.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Pat. 6. Johan. Regis m. 3.
• * 1.2

  The Bishop of Durham being formerly Ex∣empted by Pope Clements Bull from obedience to him, to whom Pope Ce∣lestine with a Non obstante, by another Bull commanded him to submit. Chron. Johannis Brompton, Col. 1224.
• * 1.3

  Mat. Westm. An. 1207. Mat. Paris An. 1207. p. 212. Thomas Stubs Actus Pontif. Ebor. col. 1724. Holinshed, p. 163, 170. Godwins Catalogue of Bishops, p. 587, 588.
• * 1.4

  They had forgotten Rom. 13. 6, 7, 8.
• * 1.5

  Hist. Angl. An. 1213. p. 224. Mat. Westm. p. 92.
• * 1.6

  Anno Domini 1205.
• a 1.7

  Henry de Knyghton, de eventibus An∣gliae, l. 2. col. 2414, to 2424 Antiqu. Eccles. Brit. and God∣win in the Life of Stephen Langhton, Mr. Fox Acts and Monuments, Edit. 1640. vol. 1. p. 3••0, to 333. the ful∣lest of all o∣thers. Fabian, Holinshed, Caxton, Cr••f∣ton, Daniel, Speed, Stow, Baker, and o∣thers in the life of King John.