said crown and his regalty, in the cases aforesaid, and in all other cases attempted against him, his crown, and his regalty in all points, to live and to die; and moreover, they prayed our said lord the king, and required him, by way of justice, that he would examine all the lords in Parliament, as well spiritual as temporal severally, and all the estates of the Parliament, how they think of the cases aforesaid, which be so openly against the king's crown, and in derogation of his regalty, and how they will stand in the same cases with our lord the king in upholding the rights of the said crown and regalty. Whereupon, the lords temporal so demanded have answered every one by himself, that the cases aforesaid be clearly in derogation of the king's crown and of his regalty, as is notoriously, and hath been of all time known, and that they will stand with the same crown and regalty, in these cases specially, and in all other cases which shall be attempted against the said crown and regalty in all points, with all their power.

And, moreover, it was demanded of the lords spiritual there being and the procurators of others, being absent, their advice and will in these cases; which lords, that is to say, the archbishops, bishops, and other prelates, being in the said Parliament severally examined, making protestations that it is not their intention to deny nor to affirm that our holy father the Pope may not excommunicate bishops and that he may not make translations of prelates according to the law of holy church; answered and said, that if any executions of processes made in the king's court, as before, be made by any, and censures of excommunications be made against any bishops of England, or any other of the king's liege people, for that they have made execution of such commandments, and that if any executions of such translations be made of any prelates of the same realm, which prelates be very profitable and necessary to our said lord the king, and to his said realm, or that his wise lieges of his council, without his assent and against his will, be removed and carried out of the realm, so that the substance and treasure of the realm may be destroyed, that the same is against the king and his crown, as is contained in the petition before named. And likewise the said procurators, every one by himself examined upon the said matters, have answered and said, in the name and for their lords, as the said bishops have said and answered; and that the said lords spiritual will and ought to stand with our lord the king in these cases loyally in main

tenance of his crown, and in all other cases touching his crown and regalty, as they are bound by their allegiance. Whereupon, our said lord the king, with the assent aforesaid, and at the request of his said Commons, hath ordained and established; that if any do purchase or pursue or cause to be purchased or pursued in the court of Rome or elsewhere any such translations, processes, and sentences of excommunications, bulls, instruments, or any other thing whatsoever which touches our lord the king, against him, his crown and regalty, or his realm, as is aforesaid, and those who bring the same within the realm, or receive them, or make thereof notification, or any other execution whatsoever, within the said realm or without; that they, their notaries, procurators, maintainers, abbetors, favorers, and counsellors, shall be put out of the protection of our said lord the king, and their lands and tenements, goods and chattels, shall be forfeited to our lord the king; and that they shall be attached by their bodies, if they may be found, and brought before the king and his council, there to answer to the cases aforesaid, or that process be made against them by præmunire facias, in manner as it is ordained in other statutes of provisors and others who sue in the court of any other, in derogation of the regalty of our lord the king.

(Ed. from Statutes of the Realm, II, 84.)

CHAPTER XII

THE BLACK DEATH

94. Spread of the Plague

Knighton

In the fourteenth century England had entered upon an era of progress. This was brought to an abrupt close by the scourge known to history as the Black Death. This pestilence swept away half of the entire population of the country. Its force was most severely expended upon the poor, whose sufferings were so great as to drive them well-nigh to desperation. Yet neither did the Death spare the rich. It invaded the royal palace, and the king's daughter fell a victim; it entered the cathedral town of Canterbury, and in one year three archbishops died. The Black Death had more than physical results; it led to political disturbances, it caused great agrarian changes, and it even impared the work of the Church by decimating its priesthood and giving rise to murmurs against its teachings.

Then the grievous plague penetrated the sea-coasts from Southampton, and came to Bristol, and there almost the whole strength of the town died, struck as it were by sudden death; for there were few who kept their beds more than three days, or two days, or half a day; and after this the fell death broke forth on every side with the course of the sun. There died at Leicester in the small parish of S. Leonard more than 380; in the parish of Holy Cross more than 400; in the parish of S. Margaret of Leicester more than 700; and so in each parish a great number. Then the bishop of Lincoln sent through the whole bishopric, and gave general power to all and every priest, both regular and secular, to hear confessions, and absolve with entire and full episcopal authority except in matters of debt, in which case the dying man, if he could, should pay the debt while he lived, or others should certainly fulfil that duty from his property after his death. Likewise, the pope granted full remission of all sins to whoever was absolved in peril of death, and granted that this power should last till next Easter, and everyone could choose a confessor at his will.

In the same year there was a great plague of sheep everywhere in the realm, so that in one place there died in one pasturage more than 5,000 sheep, and so rotted that neither beast nor bird would touch them. And there were small prices for everything on account of the fear of death. For there were very few who cared about riches or anything else. For a man could have a horse, which before was worth 40s., for 6s. 8., a fat ox for 4s., a cow for 12d., a heifer for 6d., a fat wether for 4d., a sheep for 3d., a lamb for 2d., a big pig for 5d., a stone of wool for 9d. Sheep and cattle went wandering over fields and through crops. and there was no one to go and drive or gather them, so that the number cannot be reckoned which perished in the ditches in every district, for lack of herdsmen; for there was such a lack of servants that no one knew what he ought to do. In the following autumn no one could get a reaper for less than 8d. with his food, a mower for less than 12d. with his food. Wherefore many crops perished in the fields for want of some one to gather them; but in the pestilence year, as is above said of other things, there was such abundance of all kinds of corn that no one much troubled about it. The Scots, hearing of the cruel pestilence of the English, believed it had come to them from the avenging hand of God, and as it was commonly reported in England - took for their oath when they wanted to swear: "By the foul death of England." But when the Scots, believing that the English were under the shadow of the dread vengeance of God, came together in the forest of Selkirk, with purpose to invade the whole realm of England, the fell mortality came upon them, and the sudden and awful cruelty of death winnowed them, so that about 5,000 died in a short time. Then the rest, some feeble, some strong, determined to return home, but the English followed and overtook them and killed many of them.

Master Thomas of Bradwardine was consecrated by the pope archbishop of Canterbury, and when he returned to England he came to London, but within two days was dead. He was famous beyond all other clerks in the whole of Christendom, especially in theology, but likewise in the other liberal sciences. At the same time priests were in such poverty everywhere that many churches were widowed and lacking the divine offices, masses, mattins, vespers, sacraments, and other rites. A man could scarcely get a chaplain under £10 or 10 marks to minister to a church. And

when a man could get a chaplain for 5 or 4 marks or even for 2 marks with his food when there was an abundance of priests before the pestilence, there was scarcely anyone now who was willing to accept a vicarage for £20 or 20 marks; but within a short time a very great multitude of those whose wives had died in the pestilence flocked into orders, of whom many were illiterate and little more than laymen, except so far as they knew how to read although they could not understand.

Meanwhile the king sent proclamation into all the counties that reapers and other labourers should not take more than they had been accustomed to take, under the penalty appointed by statute. But the labourers were so lifted up and obstinate that they would not listen to the king's command, but if anyone wished to have them he had to give them what they wanted, and either lose his fruit and crops, or satisfy the lofty and covetous wishes of the workmen. And when it was known to the king that they had not observed his command, and had given greater wages to the labourers, he levied heavy fines upon abbots, priors, knights, greater and lesser, and other great folk and small folk of the realm, of some 100s., of some 40s., of some 20s., from each according to what he could give. He took from each carucate of the realm 20s., and, notwithstanding this, a fifteenth. And afterwards the king had many labourers arrested, and sent them to prison; many withdrew themselves and went into the forests and woods; and those who were taken were heavily fined. Their ringleaders were made to swear that they would not take daily wages beyond the ancient custom, and then were freed from prison. And in like manner was done with the other craftsmen in the boroughs and villages... After the aforesaid pestilence, many buildings, great and small, fell into ruins in every city, borough, and village for lack of inhabitants, likewise many villages and hamlets became desolate, not a house being left in them, all having died who dwelt there; and it was probable that many such villages would never be inhabited. In the winter following there was such a want of servants in work of all kinds, that one would scarcely believe that in times past there had been such a lack... And so all necessaries became so much dearer that what in times past had been worth a penny, was then worth 4d. or 5d.

Magnates and lesser lords of the realm who had tenants made abatements of the rent in order that the tenants should