an exprefs Concordat, to which his holiness agreed. A, C. 1418, In a convocation, held at this period in London, one Richard Walker, a prieft of Worcester, was tried and convicted of witchcraft, which he folemnly renounced, and did public penance. Many people were likewife obliged to abjure Lollardifm; and the affembly granted a large fubfidy to the king, who fuppreffed the French monafteries in England, and granted their lands to other colleges of the learned. After this king's marriage, a convocation held at London prefented the king with a tenth, on condition that his purveyors should not encroach upon the goods of churchmen; and that no clergyman should be imprisoned but for theft and mur- Goodwin. der. tions of Pope Martin having fummoned a new council at ConftituPavia, the archbishop of Canterbury held another archbishop convocation for the electon of delegates, the names Chicheley. of whom were returned to the king, that he might pitch upon those who should reprefent the English clergy at the enfuing council: a fum of money was likewife voted for the expence of their journey. William White, a prieft, was cenfured for herefy, and recanted; Henry Webb, of Worcester, was ftripped and publicly fcourged in the cathedrals of St. Paul's, Worcester, and Bath; William Taylor, master of arts, was prosecuted for herefy, recanted, relapsed, and was delivered over to the fecular arm. In a fubfequent convocation a decree paffed for the A. C. 14216 collation of benefices on the scholars of Oxford and Cambridge, which was confirmed by act of parliament. Some canons were enacted for moderating the fees of inftitutions and inductions; and for publishing and executing the provincial conftitution of archbishop Sudbury against the exceffive ftipends of parochial priests and others. Archbifhop Chichely was famous for a great number of constitutions which he enacted; enjoining the cele bration 1 A.C. 1421. bration of feftivals; regulating the probates of wilks by administration; inftituting a kind of inquifition against Lollardifm; providing against false, weights; reviving the conftitution of John Peckham, archbishop of Canterbury, who decreed that thofe cafes and articles, in which the fentence of the greater excommunication was incurred, fhould be publicly declared in every parifh church for the information of the people; and augmenting the ftipends of vicars, who were allowed to fue for A. C. 1439 fuch augmentation in forma pauperum. Luxury of the Benedic Towards the latter end of the reign of the fifth tine monks. Henry, the Benedictine monks were become fo luxurious and diffolute, that the king infifted upon a reformation; and a provincial Capitulary for that purpose was held in the Chapter-house at Weftminfter; where it was ordained, That the abbots fhould employ their attention in the care of fouls: That the extravagance of their equipage fhould be retrenched, fo as that none fhould be attended by above twenty horfe, under a fevere temporal penalty That they should never make a gift of the effects of the convent above the value of forty fhillings: That they fhould be uniform in the colour and fashion of their habits: That their neceffities fhould be fupplied in kind and not in money: That they should not have diftinct private cells for the entertainment of female guefts: and, That they fhould be reftricted from going into cities and towns to affift at compotations and merry-makings. By writs dated July 10, 1422, the king ordered the two archbishops to affemble their clergy in convocation, that they might grant a fubfidy for the support of the French war; but the lower clergy alledged they were not properly impowered by their conflituents to grant money: fo that the affembly was diffolved without having come to any refolution in the king's favour. During this feffion, Robert Hake 1 Hake and Thomas Drayton, two priests, were ac- A. C. 1439. encroach whom he is Archbishop Chicheley was certainly a great ene- Chicheley my to Lollardifm; but at the fame time it muft oppefes the be owned, he was a bold defender of the church ments of the of England against papal encroachments. In his pope, by first convocation he moved for annulling papal perfecuted. exemptions; he oppofed the great power with which the pope had invefted the cardinal bishop of England. He prefented to the king a full extract of the nature, extent, and mifchievous confequences of the legatine office. As the cardinal was em- Walfing. powered to hold the bishopric of Winchefter in commendam, he remonftrated against the practice, as unprecedented in England; he reprefented that the English church needed no fuch fupplemental buttreffes as the power of legates a latere: that this office had been always dangerous to the crown of England, even when limited to one year; and that the danger must be much greater from the cardinal's commiffion, which was for life. Henry V. protected the archbishop against the vengeance of the pope, who was incenfed against that prelate for his oppofition to the encroachments of Rome, and much more fo for his acquiefcence in the ftatute of premunire. The king's eyes were no fooner clofed, than he poured forth his indignation in a letter to Chicheley, wherein he accufed him of having neglected his paftoral care, and minding nothing but the means of amaffing wealth. He N°. 45. faid 1 A. C. 1439 faid the archbishop fuffered his flock to brouze on poisonous herbs; and that when wolves came to devour them, he stood like a dumb dog without fo much as barking. Then he inveighed against the ftatute of premunire, as an act that repealed the laws of God and the church, and deftroyed the antient ufages of the kingdom. He complained that Jews, Turks, and Infidels of all forts, were allowed to land in England; whereas any perfon commiffioned by the holy fee, was treated as a common enemy and he concluded with an order to the archbishop to repair to the council, and ufe all his intereft there and in the parliament for the repeal of this ftatute; otherwife he fhould incur the penalty of excommunication. Chicheley fent an apology for his conduct to Rome; notwithstanding which he was again feverely reprimanded, and his legatine power fufpended. From this fentence he appealed to a future council; or, if that fhould not fit, to the tribunal of God. Martin wrote monitory letters to all the clergy in England, expatiating upon the illegality of the acts of provifors and premunire. He fent a letter to the two archbishops, annulling all those statutes, and forbidding the metropolitans to act upon the authority of fuch laws, on pain of excommunication; and at the fame time wrote a monitory letter to the people of England, which he charged the archbishop to publish and affix in all public places. The archbishop of York, and the bishops of London, Durham, and Lincoln, wrote to his holinefs in favour of Chicheley. Their example was followed by the univerfity of Oxford, which gave teftimony greatly to the honour of the archbishop's character, and termed him the golden 'candlestick of the church of England. Thefe recommendations were accompanied with a fubmiffive letter of the prelate's own writing: but, in spite of all this interpofition, Martin remained implaca ble, C, ble, and fummoned Chicheley to Rome, as an A. C. 1439% of the coun A council being fummoned to meet at Bafil, the Convocation archbishop of Canterbury held a convocation at cil at Bafil. London, when delegates were chofen to represent. the English church in that affembly, and two pence in the pound voted for their expence. Thomas bishop of Worcester; William prior of Norwich; Thomas Brown dean of Salisbury; Peter Patrick, Q 2 chan |