VEnit hoc tempore ad Curiam Romanam Richardus Cantuariensis Archiepiscopus,* 1.1 & in praesentia Domini Papae proposuit haec quae sequuntur. Conquestus est in primis de Rege Anglorum, quod solummodo omnia Regni; ne∣gotia per consilium Huberti Justiciarii, aliis spretis Magnatibus, disponebat. Item, de Justiciario proposuit, quod habeat uxorem, cujus consan∣guineam prius habuerat sibi matrimonio copulatam: et quod jura Ecclesiae Can∣tuariensis invaserat, et injuste detinebat. Proposuit etiam, quod Episcopi qui∣dam ejus Suffraganei, neglecta Pastorali cura, sedebant ad Scaccarium Regis, Laicas causas ventilantes, (and was not the Kings cause of Wardship such, for which he appealed to the Pope?) & judicia sanguinis exercentes. Item, conquestus est, quod Clerici beneficiati, & infra sacros ordines constituti, plures habebant Ecclesias, quibus adnexa fuerat cura animarum: & quod insuper, sicut Episcopi, ab ipsis tra∣hentes exemplum, curis saecularibus, & Laicorum se judiciis immiscebant. His au: tem & consimilibus, coram Papa propositis, petiit, ut talibus limam correctionis ex∣cessibus adhiberet. (The later being worthy redresse, were annexed only to counte∣nance the former complaints against the King and Hubert, which else would have seemed harsh.) Cumque haec omnia Dominus Papa diligenti studio intellexisset, & vidisset, quod universa quae proposuerat Archiepiscopus, justitia fuerant & ratione subnixa: jussit incontinenti, quatenus Archiepiscopi negotia, sive petitiones, ex∣pedirentur, justitia mediante. Proposuerunt autem in contrarium Clerici Regis, pro ipso Rege et Justiciario multa inaniter allegantes: sed parum vel nihil profecerunt, Quia, ut breviter dicatur, favor Archiepiscopi quicquid petiit, impetravit. (Such was the Popes partiality, that this Prelate in a bad cause, could over-ballance his own King in a just one, that concerned his Royalties.) Erat namque staturae elegantissimae, facundiae, admirabilis, scientia, & moribus incomparabilis; & allegavit pro eo, causa justa & favorabilis. (But observe Gods justice on this ungratefull, treacherous, usurping Prelate, when he had accomplished his designs against the King, he was presently taken away by sudden death, before his return to reap the fruits of his conquest.) Archiepiscopus igitur Cantuariensis Richardus, cum expletis negotiis suis omnibus pro voluntate sua, repatriare maturavit, apud S. Gemmam, in domo fratrum minorum, tertia dieta citra Romam, diem clausit obiter supremum, iij. Nonas Augusti. Et sic ipso expirante, expirabant cum eo negotia impetrata. De quo hoc mirabile accidit, quia cum Pontificalibus, sicut moris est, corpus defuncti sepeliendum insigniretur; de nocte venerunt homines illius Patriae, qui haec omnia oculo fascinante inspexe∣rant, aperuerunt de nocte sepulchrum, cupientes ut annulum & alia insignia Episcopalia fruerentur, nulla vi vel ingenio id potuerunt. De quo, non tamen signato, propositum consummare nequiverunt, recesserunt confusi, & pectora sua, in quibus scelerata corda latitabant, percusserunt. It had been well this Arch∣bishop too had repented him of his oppositions against his Soveraigns Preroga∣tive before his death, whose Crown, or chief flower of it (Wardships) he endea∣voured to pull off whiles alive.
The Pope upon the death of this Archbishop (having deprived the King and Monks of their rights in the election of two Archbishops before, by the Kings and their mutual differences) endeavoured now to wrest the power out of both their hands in the election of a third, in whose election they both concurred to pre∣vent his feared Usurpation, as this History will demonstrate.