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MATTHEW OF WESTMINSTER
The flowers of history, especially such as relate to the affairs of Britain. Vol. II. A.D. 1066 to A.D. I307.
page 305
of York, died, who was considered not inferior to any theologian of any time, and who for his eminence in learning and virtue, was on one occasion elected archbishop of Canterbury ; but his election was annulled, and undeservedly set aside, by the aforesaid Master Simon, a man incapable of tranquillity. So the disturber and the disturbed went together to the company of the dead.
The same year, on the first of June, there was an almost general eclipse of the moon immediately after sunset.
The day fortnight after the feast of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, the nobility of nearly the whole of England met in London, believing assuredly, from the positive promise of the lord the king, that, having changed his former intentions and conduct, he would for the future incline to the advice of his natural subjects ; but they received the following answer from him : " I do not see that it is your business to impose conditions on me, while you refuse to me the liberty which belongs to each individual among you. For each, and every one of you, have power to adopt any advice you please, and every master of a family has a right to select any one of his household whom he shall choose to appoint to any office, or to set him up or to depose him, to dispense alms, to borrow money, and to govern his household according to his own pleasure or that of any one else he chooses, which right you rashly presume to deny to your lord and king. Moreover, all who are accounted of inferior rank think it better to be directed and governed by the will and authority of their lord and prince. For the servant is not above his lord, nor the disciple above his master, since the pope will neither have any justiciary, or chancellor, or treasurer, substituted as you require, nor will he remove any who may be substituted."
And when the nobles, in reply, affirmed that they desired nothing more than that the royal and the public promotion, and the indiscreet profusion in the lavishing of alms, and the excessive fighting of tapers, should be checked, they could not procure a hearing. It appeared, therefore, clearer than daylight, that this had emanated from the advice of those men who were so disposed, that if their whole body were listened
Therefore, the nobles rephed that they would not consent at all to be impoverished any more, that foreigners might be fattened on their property distributed without any profit to themselves* And therefore the
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