And when he [the Archdeacon] enquired one day why he did not find the men of that village [entered] in his list, it was explained to him what the landlord had laid down as a law for them. He was indignant at this, and, meeting the knight upon the road one day, exclaimed with a haughty countenance-Pray, Sir Robert, who has appointed you either Archdeacon or official?'

Sir Robert denied [that he was either one or other], whereupon the Archdeacon replied 'Undoubtedly you exercise that office when you coerce your tenants by penal laws.'-'I made a rule about my lands, not about offences,' said Sir Robert; but you absorbed the rents of my farms [in exactions] for the discharge of crimes. I perceive that so long as you can fill your purse, it does not concern you who gets the souls!'

After this the assessor of crimes and lover of transgressors held his peace.1

At this time began the first war in Wales by King Edward, with whom Llewellyn made peace, having paid the king 50,000 pounds of silver.

A scutage was again imposed in England.

Brother Robert [of Kilwardby] my lord Archbishop of Canterbury, having been summoned to the Curia, A.D. 1278. there to be made a cardinal, Friar John of Peckham, Provincial Minister of the Minorite Friars of England, who, after [occupying] the chair of Paris and Oxford, where he presided in the faculty of Theology de Quolibet, was summoned to the Curia and exalted the reputation of the science of divinity and of his own Order; and, after a couple of years of controversy which he sustained mostly every day against sundry heretics, dissipating their arguments and answers, he was proclaimed Archbishop of Canterbury by Pope Nicholas in a public oration on [the day of] the Conversion of Saint Paul, having been previously appointed. How humbly, sincerely, and industriously he afterwards discharged that office, tongues do testify and consciences applaud.

Also in this year Robert Wishart, Bishop of Glasgow, effectus; 3 he survives in health to the present time. But in October

8

1 It is significant of the condition of the church at this time, that a story like this should be repeated as a joke-causa ludi-not by a layman, but by a cleric. 225th January, 1278-9.

3 The meaning of effectus is obscure. He was made Bishop of Glasgow in 1271 and died in 1316. Either the chronicler has mistaken the year, or the word should be affectus, i.e. sick.

Robert de Chalize, Bishop of Carlisle, died; [he was] eager for the honour of God, philanthropic and ready in urbanity; the world may testify without our assurance how bountiful and liberal he was. He used often to relate, in reproach of himself, what at this day may often be repeated in rebuke of others.

I used to be,' said he, 'physician in ordinary to the Lady Eleonora, mother of the king, and another cleric, whose affection was dear to me, served as notary. It came to pass that our noble mistress, wishing to reward [our] services, bestowed upon me a benefice of one hundred marks and upon him one of thirty marks a year. Having been promoted, impelled by conscience, he soon determined to serve God exclusively, and, having obtained license and left the court, applied himself entirely to the cure of the souls committed to him. I [however], bound down by habit, adhered to the vanity which I had undertaken. As years went by a longing stirred me for the absent one-that I might enjoy the sight and conversation of him whom I bore in my mind, and, having obtained leave, I started to go to him, and found him on the Lord's day performing the dominical office in the church. He was astonished [to see] me; I embraced him, and the affairs of God having been performed, we proceeded to his dwelling to refresh our bodies. While we rested and rejoiced, there came to us some who brought the offerings of the neighbours, and he, for my pleasure, added to the delicacy of the dishes. And as we left the table I asked this man how he was able to live upon such an income." Perfectly," quoth he, “and every day as you have seen to-day; I am neither embarrassed by debts, nor am I diverted from ruling [my] parish.”—“ Your income," said I, "is a very modest one, but mine is ample; and in the court of my mistress I am maintained in her general expenses, nor do I profit at all from the fruits of my church." To which the other replied piously, with a bland smile1—“ Do you know that God is a faithful friend?"-" Undoubtedly," said İ, "I understand [that].”- "This is the character of a faithful and true friend," he replied, "that he is all in all to him who loves him truly. Wherefore, as I think, God is with me because I give myself up to perform his service; but it is otherwise with you, so he is not with you."

To him [Bishop Robert] succeeded Ralph, Prior of Gisburn, a shrewd and provident person, but somewhat covetous, who turned the visitation of the churches into a whirlpool of

1 Caste subridens et catholice respondens.

exactions, and extorted from honest priests at their anniversaries throughout his diocese an unfair tax for building the roof of the principal church of his see.

At this time the coinage was changed; pennies and farthings were made round, and Jews were hanged for clipping coins. In the same year Robert, Lord Bishop of Carlisle, lost the presentation to the church of Rothbury.

In the same [year], on the morrow of All Souls, the Itinerant Justiciaries sat in Carlisle-to wit, Sir John de Vallibus,1 Sir John de Metyngham, Sir William de Seaham, and Master Thomas de Suttrington.

In the same [year], on the day of S. Lucia Virgin, the canons of Carlisle elected as bishop Master William de Rothelfeld, Dean of York, who utterly declined [to take] office; wherefore on the following day they elected as bishop my lord Ralph, Prior of Gisburne. To which the king would not give assent, being angry with the Prior and Chapter of Carlisle because they had twice elected without license; wherefore my lord Ralph betook himself to the Roman Court.

Walter, Archbishop of York died, an elegant cleric, chaste, sociable and free handed, but fretful and feeble because of his corpulence. To him succeeded William of Wyke

3

4

ham, who, on the contrary, was lean, harsh and A.D. 1279. niggardly, but certainly so far as could be known out of doors, just in judgment and most tender of conscience. For, as I shall set forth later, according to the rules set by the holy fathers, it is held and ordained that diocesans and their monks shall be visited by the metropolitan. Concerning which matter Walter, his [Wykeham's] predecessor twice informed him who presided over that church of his coming; but, when he was proceeding on his perambulation, the Prior of Durham cunningly inveigled him out of the city to his own lodgings, [where] he might divert him from his purpose by more sumptuous fare and by oblations. On arriving there he [Bishop Walter] did not yield to the stratagem, but performed the ordinary visitation, so that if they had anything to plead for themselves or anything upon their conscience to be lightened, they

1 Vaus, which, by an ancient clerical error, is now written Vans.

2 13th December.

3 Not the famous founder of Winchester College, who was not born till 1324. 4Ut altius ordiam.

should not delay putting it before him. But as they responded neither in law nor prudence, but closed the windows of the church and even shut the public gates of the city [against him], he set a chair for himself in the open space before the gates, in official vestments addressed the populace with words of life, and, explaining the object of his coming and pronounced sentence of excommunication upon the rebels. This gave rise to troubles, lawsuits and expenses which are not yet settled, even in the days of his successor.

At this time there died1 at Morebattle William Wishart, Bishop of S. Andrew's, and was buried at his see; to whom succeeded William Fraser, king's chancellor also, who still survives.

In the same year died Walter Giffard, Archbishop of York, of good memory; and in the same year Oliver was consecrated Bishop of Lincoln on S. Dunstan's day."

Item-a great fire at S. Botolph's at fair time.

Item-in the aforesaid year began the second war in Wales by Llewellyn and his brother David.

A.D. 1280.

At midsummer there took place the burning of Norwich Cathedral, and nearly all the convent, from the following cause. While we consider how poverty is the guardian of holiness, it is equally certain that affluence is the mother of insolence, and that, as Daniel prophesied of Antichrist, of all things wealth destroys most men. Accordingly the monks [of Norwich] enriched by their possessions, and puffed up in spirit, deposed their prior, a virtuous, but aged, man, and elected a haughty youth, who forthwith multiplied for himself stables and carriages, not even denying himself a lodging for his whore within the walls of the convent, after the example of infatuated Solomon. And, forasmuch as deep calleth unto deep, and sin leads on to further sinning, so this presumptuous prior infringed the liberties of the burgesses in the matter of their property and pasture. The community being roused [thereby], there followed waste of money, wrath of minds and strife of words. It grew at length to this, that they prepared to fight against each other, and, while the Prior's men in the church tower had prepared Greek fire to discharge upon the town, and those on the other side were striving to set fire to the abbey gates (strong as they were and richly wrought), those stationed

1 Recessit e seculo.

221st October. This is one of the duplicate passages tending to show that the chronicle was compiled from several sources.

within assembled to defend them, when a fire broke out which, being foolishly neglected, first consumed the bell-tower, and then the entire church with all its contents; which notwithstanding they continued fighting fiercely outside and burning houses. Thus did the heedlessness of this rash Prior lead to the dishonour of the Creative Trinity, and later to the sacrifice in a horrible death of many citizens by royal justice.

At this time the King of Norway died, leaving as successor his son called Magnus; who hearing that the King of Scotland had an amiable, beautiful and attractive1 daughter, a virgin, of suitable age for himself (being a handsome youth of about eighteen years), could not rest until a formal mission, divines. as well as nobles, had been sent twice to obtain her as his spouse in marriage and consort on the throne. But before I bring to an end the narrative of this marriage, let me relate to the praise of God and his servant, what was told by one of the emissaries about his king [to show] to what height human affection may be carried.

The father of this king being deeply attached to the religion of S. Francis, encouraged the [Franciscan] brethren above all others, and interested himself diligently in their schools of sacred theology, where, also, he set up for himself a mausoleum. It happened that the Queen brought forth her first-born on the said saint's day, to the shame rather than to the joy, of the realm, [for it] resembled more the offspring of a bear than a man, as it were a formless lump of flesh. When this was announced to the king, strong in faith, he said, 'Wrap it in clean linen and place it on the altar of S. Francis at the time of the celebration.'

Which having been fulfilled, when they came at the end of the service to take away what they had placed there, they found a lovely boy crying, and joyfully returned thanks to God and to the saint. This [child] having grown up, sought the damsel in marriage, as aforesaid; and, although the union was very distasteful to the maiden, as also to her relations and friends (seeing that she might wed elsewhere much more easily and honourably), yet it was at the sole instance of her father, the king, that the bargain was made that he should give her a dowry 17,000 merks, primarily for the contract of marriage, but secondarily for the redemption of the right to the Isles. 2 16th July.

1 Morigerosam, cf. Lucretius, iv. 1277.