have compassion on him and the kingdom of England. The said archbishop and bishops, seeing the king's great humility, raised him from the ground, and taking him by the hand on each side, they led him to the door of the cathedral church, where they chanted the fiftieth psalm, and, in the presence of all the nobles, who wept with joy, they absolved him according to the custom of the church. At this absolution, the king swore on the holy gospels that he would love holy church and its ordained members, and would, to the utmost of his power, defend and maintain them against all their enemies; and that he would renew all the good laws of his ancestors, especially those of king Edward, would annul bad ones, would judge his subjects according to the just decrees of his courts, and would restore his rights to each and all. He also swore that, before the next Easter, he would make restitution of confiscated property to all who were concerned in the matter of the interdict; and if he did not do so, he would consent to have the former sentence of excommunication renewed. He moreover swore fealty and obedience to pope Innocent and his catholic successors, as was contained in the above-written charter: the archbishop then took the king into the church, and there performed mass, after which the archbishop, bishops, and nobles, feasted at the same table with the king, amidst joy and festivity. The next day the king sent letters to all the sheriffs of the kingdom, ordering them to send four liege men from each town in their demesne, together with the warden, to St. Alban's on the 4th of August, that through them and his other agents he might make inquiries about the losses and confiscated property of each of the bishops, and how much was due to each. He then set out in all haste to Portsmouth, that he might thence cross to Poictou, and gave charge of the kingdom to Geoffrey FitzPeter and the bishop of Winchester, with orders that they were to consult with the archbishop of Canterbury in arranging the business of the kingdom. On the king's arrival at Portsmouth, there came to him there an immense number of knights, complaining that, during their long stay there they had spent all their money, and that therefore unless they were supplied with money from the treasury, they could not follow him. This the king refused, but, flying into a rage, he embarked with his private attendants, and after three days landed at Guernsey, whilst his nobles returned home; and the king, seeing himself thus abandoned, was compelled to return to England himself.

74. Declaration of Laws and Rights

[A.D. 1214.] Whilst this was passing, Geoffrey Fitz-Peter and the bishop of Winchester held a council at St. Alban's with the archbishop, bishops, and nobles of the kingdom, at which the peace made by the king was told to all, and, on behalf of the said king, it was strictly ordered, that all the laws of his grandfather king Henry should be kept by all throughout the kingdom, and that all unjust laws should be utterly abolished.

(Roger of Wendover's Flowers of History. Trans. J. A. Giles, Lond. 1849 II, for years given.)

CHAPTER X

THE WINNING OF THE CHARTER

75. The Rising of the Barons

Roger of Wendover

The sequence of events leading to the grant of the Charter by John not only throws light upon the character of that monarch, but gives a clear view of the political conditions in the early part of the thirteenth century.

THE REASON OF THE IRRITATION OF THE BARONS AGAINST

THE KING

[A.D. 1214.] On the 25th of August in the same year, Stephen archbishop of Canterbury, with the bishops, abbats, priors, deacons, and barons of the kingdom assembled at St. Paul's, in the city of London.... 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, "Did you 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 the first king of England has just now been found, by which you may, if you wish it, recall your long-lost rights and your former condition." And placing a paper in the midst of them, he ordered it to be read aloud for all to hear. [It was the charter of Henry I.]

76. Of a Conference held by the Barons against King John

[A.D. 1214.] About this time the earls and barons of England assembled at St. Edmund's, as if for religious duties, although it was for some other reason; for after they had discoursed together secretly for a time, there was placed before them the charter of king Henry the First, which they had received, as mentioned before, in the city of London from Stephen archbishop of Canterbury. This charter contained

certain liberties and laws granted to the holy church as well as to the nobles of the kingdom, besides some liberties which the king added of his own accord. All therefore assembled in the church of St. Edmund, the king and martyr, and, commencing from those of the highest rank, they all swore on the great altar that, if the king refused to grant these liberties and laws, they themselves would withdraw from their allegiance to him, and make war on him, till he should, by a charter under his own seal, confirm to them every thing they required; and finally it was unanimously agreed that, after Christmas, they should all go together to the king and demand the confirmation of the aforesaid liberties to them, and that they should in the meantime provide themselves with horses and arms, so that if the king should endeavour to depart from his oath, they might by taking his castles, compel him to satisfy their demands; and having arranged this, each man returned home.

77. Demands of the Barons

A.D. 1215; which was the seventeenth year of the reign of king John; he held his court at Winchester at Christmas for one day, after which he hurried to Lor.don, and took up his abode at the New Temple; and at that place the abovementioned nobles came to him in gay military array, and demanded the confirmation of the liberties and laws of king Edward, with other liberties granted to them and to the kingdom and church of England, as were contained in the charter, and above-mentioned laws of Henry the First; they also asserted that, at the time of his absolution at Winchester, he had promised to restore those laws and ancient liberties, and was bound by his own oath to observe them. The king, hearing the bold tone of the barons in making this demand, much feared an attack from them, as he saw that they were prepared for battle; he however made answer that their demands were a matter of importance and difficulty, and he therefore asked a truce till the end of Easter, that he might, after due deliberation, be able to satisfy them as well as the dignity of his crown. After much discussion on both sides, the king at length, although unwillingly, procured the archbishop of Canterbury, the bishop of Ely, and William Marshal, as his sureties, that on the day pre-agreed on he would, in all reason, satisfy them all, on which the nobles returned to their homes. The king however, wishing to take precautions

against the future, caused all the nobles throughout England to swear fealty to him alone against all men, and to renew their homage to him; and, the better to take care of himself, he, on the day of St. Mary's purification, assumed the cross of our Lord, being induced to this more by fear than devotion...

In Easter week of this same year, the above-mentioned nobles assembled at Stamford, with horses and arms; for they had now induced almost all the nobility of the whole kingdom to join them, and constituted a very large army; for in their army there were computed to be two thousand knights, besides horse soldiers, attendants, and foot soldiers, who were variously equipped... all of these being united by oath, were supported by the concurrence of Stephen archbishop of Canterbury, who was at their head. The king at this time was awaiting the arrival of his nobles at Oxford. 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 inquire 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....

As the archbishop and William Marshall could not by any persuasions induce the king to agree to their demands, they returned by the king's order to the barons, and duly reported all they had heard from the king to them; and when the nobles heard what John said, they appointed Robert FitzWalter commander of their soldiers, giving him the title of "Marshal of the army of God and the holy church," and then,