A .i). 1208.] CONFISCATION* OF PKOPKKTV. 247 monasteries unless expelled by violence ; and when the agents of the king found this out, they would not use violence towards them, because they had not a warrant from the king to that effect ; but they converted all their property to tinking's use, giving I hem only a scanty allowance of food and clothing out of their own property. The corn of the clergy was every where locked up, and distrained for the benefit of tlx- revenue-; the. concubines of the priests and clerks were taken by the king's servants and compelled to ransom themselves at it great expense; religious men and other persons ordained of any kind, when found travelling on the road, were dragged from their horses, robbed, and basely ill-treated by tlx; satellites of the kintr, and no one would do them justice. About that time the servants of a certain sherifFon the confines of Wales came to the king bringing in their custody a robber with his hands tied behind him, who had robbed anil murdered a priest on the road ; and on their asking the king what it was his pleasure should be done to the robber in such a case, the king immediately answered, " lie has slain an enemy of mine, release him and let him go." The relations, too, of the archbishop and bishops, who had laid England under an interdict, wherever they could be found, were by the king's orders taken, robbed of all their property, and thrown into prison. Whilst thev were enduring all these evils, these aforesaid prelates were sojourning on the continent, living on all kinds of delicacies instead of placing themselves as a wall for the house of God, as the -aving of the Redeemer has it, " When they saw the wolf coming, they quitted the sheep and fled." llow kiny John received the homage of the nobles of England. In the midst of these and similar impious proceedings, king John, on reflection, was afraid that, after the interdict, our lord the pope would lav his hands on him more heavily by excommunicating him by name, or by absolving the nobles of England from allegiance to him : he, therefore, that he might not lose his rights of sovereignty, sent an armed force to all the men of rank in the kingdom especially those of whom he was suspicious, and demanded hostages of them, by which he could, if in course of time they were released from their fealty, recall them to their due obedience; many