Ossian Collection > Gentleman's magazine, and historical chronicle > Volume 66, Part 2

1796-] ^^rtf ijffiiedhy King Richard IL fcr arraying the Clergy. 907
may he 'earned from Maftcrs's Hiftory
of Benc't College, p. 365.
P. S43, note %, reaH Tzetzes. B. 3.
Mr. Urban,
NaV. iS.
WHEN the French, m the year
.377, 'he firft of Ridvard If.
attacked C^nlbiook caltlewivbout fuc-
ceTs, and thresteneci otlicr jv^itt of the
Southern coa!l with inval'ion, foiiie
troops haftlly drawn together hy the
prior of Lewes, to lepel them from the
c>aft of SulTcx, were defeated, whilediole
undar the abbot of Battle h-id better
futfeefs at Winchc!fea. After v-iii'ius
orders ad Hreffeci to the earl of Silifbary
to take the nectfiary mcsfures for de-
fence of the \{kt of Wight, Rvmer,
VII. 139; to the bifliopof Exeter for
defence of D irtmouth ; to the abbot
of Bucfdft and others wlio held lands
adjoinina;; to the abbots of Taviil.,ck
and Backhind, the prior of PU mp-
toft and Modbury, aod to John, vicrfr
of Flympron, for that of Plymouth
(lb. 145, 146), toa 1 the lords, kiiiglits,
efquires, and others, in the county of
Kent; the conftable of Dover, &c. &c.
for that of Kent ; to the fiierift'sor th,it
Gounry and o! ElTcx ; fill ihis not being
deemed fufhcient, an order was at
length iffued to array the CUrgy, uh;i h
I (hall here give in the words of ihs
original :
" De Clero arraiand.
" Rex ven. in Chrilto patii S. eadem
gratia archiepifcopo Caiuuarieafis, totius
Angliw primnti, faluteiu.
" Satis informati eftis quahter inimici
noAri Francis, & aUi fibi adhereiites, fa*
cinora (ua erga nos & ligeos noftios htec
iiulire<Ste de die in diem circumquaque of-
tendente.^ cum magna claiTe navium, cum
maxima multitudine armatorum & hella-
forum fupra mare congreg..ti, diverfas vil-
las fuper corteri> regni noftre A.nglie in-
vaferunc, 4t eas per ai Uiras & h imicidi.i li-
georum noftrorura deftnixcrunt, & ultra
hoc nos & reginmi noitrnai prastu^lum ac
populum noltrum par terr.-un & per m.ire
deftruere, & ecclefiam Anghcjnam Aib-
verterq cum omnibus viribus fe conantur.
Per quod volentes falvatione dicti re.^ni Ac
popuU)rum nottrorum, ac cccltfiK: faiiciae
contra malitiam ipl.irum luimictn am, opi,-
ranteAlliiliinojprovidere pei OiverLis com-
mifliones allignavimus cfif.is & ti irles
pottros m hugulis comitat.bus ret^ni noftn
pr«kliiiti ad arrai;indii"m Sc arraiari faci -n-
dum omnes horniiies ilefeiif.U^iles, inter x-
tate^ (cxaginia & frXilecem ann irum exit-
tentej, viz- quemlibtt eoium jux'a ftalum
& fncultutes fuas : & cos arrav.itos, armatos,
4c n^unilos, in arraiatione hujufaioJi tcncri
fjcietulum, fic quod femper prompti fint &
parati aJ proficifcendum in d-^fenfionem
rrgni noltri prasoii^i ubi ac qu itiens it
quando «X hoftium inciirfibus pericuUftrj
immine.it, aut neceir^; fuerit ahqviale. Ad-?
verfentes vero quod vos, Sc catteri praetati,
a-: totus clerus di'.H regni, no.t cum aliis fi-
delibus nbftris, ad reri''6nd.!m Jiftis v Imi-
cis pro falvatione fafnrtae eccUfije & ejufT
mmli regni manus teiiemnii apooner':- .idju-
tiices, vobis in fide & dilertione qwibus
rvn^is tsntfmiiii lirmiter injuugimus &
inaadatius quaienws, confuUn-.^tis avibus
d*aipnis & pericidis immin-jntibus per ag-
grelTus ininurorum noftrorum pr3edi<ftorum,
omiies abbat<!P, piiore'>, religiofos, & alias
jifrfonas qnatcnmqne vr ftra; diocefis, qiia-
cuiiquc Jilation? ponpi.nt.,, armari & ar-
raiari, &■ anni com pet-' nt I bus, vi7. (piem-
libet inter jctates pradidtas jnxta 'latum,
polFeihone?; & facilitates, fu is nniniri &
eos in milleni^-, Cein;.-rtis, & vintenis poni
ficiatif, ita qnrtd proiilpti fmt & parati ad
proficifcendum ad mar.tlatum velium una
cam aliis fidclibns noftris contra didtos ini-
micos noftros iofra diftum regnum nofr
tram ati ipfos cnm Dsi a ijuionu a-bt'llan-
cl-.:m, expu^nandum, & d^ltruendum, & ad
ennini raalitiain & prorerviam propulfan-
dim & conterendam. Et hoc Ucu: nos k.
honorem nolh-um ac vellrum, & falvati-
onem f:uidx eic'efiae, & regni iwftii Jili-
gaiis liuUa'eiuis omitt:il.ib.
<■ Telle lege ipud Weftmonafteriam 25
die (11U1, per i[Mum regem .*^ confilium.
" Cunfmiilia brevia dlriguntiir Alcxan-
dro, archiepifcopo Eborum, Ang'ia: pri-
miti, & fingulisepifcopisin Angha & "n aU
ha, fub eadem data." Rymer, ib. 162, 163.
If this libertty could be taken with
the religious of that day, noithout an
ifpfctal licence Jrom the Pepe, or a f^ivQ
for the famr drawn from the exigency
of the circumttances, what fhould pre-
vent fifch wri'S being tddreffed to the
arct»hilhops and bi/lj"ps of the prcfcni
dav.toarm and array their cleri; v, whole
intprefts and thofe o' hol.v cliurch aie
in tjie fiTpe danger ? The conduift of.
the archbiftop of Ynk m as critical
cHcumftances, in 1745. is vvel known,
Wr-y it fhould niu be im.it^td in tlie
prtfcpt time tliere can be little reaion
alTigiied, when (wiih all due deference
t-) tot refpedtab.e pa = t c)f rhe Q t-rgy ot
all d-nomi-a'ions be .t tpnken ) iijere
are To many prieft- snd deacons, and,
or.e need not iiehtate to la , <1lgnita-
ries, who have iittle elfe to di- than to
arm and .irray themfelves i"or.the £;Ood
of their country. In ail fanatical and
crulading wars the Clergy nave been
foiward eno ,;\\. We hav>; heard o{
ihole on tuc Coniiqcnt advaqtiqg moie