Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 Being come into his presence, they required of him that it might please him,The lords present their request to the king. first, to appoint the ex|ercise and vse of those ancient lawes vnto them, by the which the kings of England in times past ruled their subiects: secondlie, that according to his pro|mise, he would abrogate those newer lawes, which euerie man might with good cause name méere wrongs, rather than lawes: and thirdlie they requi|red of him the performance of all other things, which he had most faithfullie of late vndertaken to obserue. The king (though somewhat contrarie to his nature) hauing heard their request, gaue them a verie gentle answer. For perceiuing them readie with force to constreine him, if by gentlenesse they might not pre|uaile, he thought it should be more safe and easie for him to turne their vnquiet minds with soft remedies than to go about to breake them of their willes by strong hand, which is a thing verie dangerous, especi|allie where both parts are of like force.The K. pro|miseth to con|sider of their requests. Therefore he promised them within a few daies, to haue conside|ration of their request.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 And to the intent they might giue the more credit to his words, he caused the archbishop of Canturbu|rie, and the bishop of Elie, with William Marshall earle of Penbroke (vnto whome he had giuen his daughter Elianor in marriage) to vndertake for him, and as it were to become his suerties: which willinglie they did. Herewith the minds of the No|bilitie being somewhat pacified, returned home to their houses. The king soone after also,Matth. Paris. The king [...]|mandeth a new oth of al|legiance of his subiects. to assure him|selfe the more effectuallie of the allegiance of his peo|ple in time to come, caused euerie man to renew his homage, and to take a new oth to be faithfull to him against all other persons. And to prouide the more suerlie for himselfe, on Candlemasse day next insu|ing, he tooke vpon him the crosse to go into the holie land,The king [...]keth on him the crosse. which I thinke he did rather for feare than any deuotion, as was also thought by other, to the end that he might (vnder the protection thereof) remaine the more out of danger of such as were his foes. In which point of dissimulation he shewed himselfe pru|dent, obseruing the counsell of the wiseman,

—in [...]lusum corde dolorem

Dissimula at tace, ne deteriora subinde

Damma feras.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 3 ¶Some say that a great part of this variance that chanced betwéene king Iohn and his barons,The causes [...] the discord betwixt the king and his barons. Fabian. Caxton. The earle of Chester. Hector Boet. The kings couetousnesse. was bicause the king would without skilfull aduise haue exiled the earle of Chester, and for none other occasion than for that he had oftentimes aduised him to leaue his cruell dealing, and also his accustomed adulterie with his brothers wife and others. Other write, that the same dissention rose by reason of the great cruel|tie, and vnreasonable auarice, which the king vsed towards all the states and degrées of his subiects, as well towards them of the spiritualtie, as of the tem|poraltie. The prelats therefore of the realme sore re|pining at his dooings,The repining of the cleargie against the K for that they could not pati|entlie suffer such exaction to be leuied of their liuings (contrarie as they toke it to the libertie of the church) found means through practise, to persuade both the kings of Scotland and France to aid and support them against him, by linking themselues togither with sundrie noblemen of England. But these séeme to be coniectures of such writers as were euill affec|ted towards the kings cause.