10.37. The conspiracie made against the king by his sonnes, and the ambassage of the le|gat from the pope vnto him. Chap. 37.

The conspiracie made against the king by his sonnes, and the ambassage of the le|gat from the pope vnto him. Chap. 37.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 AFter Midlent the wind being easterlie, there came and arriued into Ireland certeine ships, as well from out of England, as also from out of Aquitaine in France, which brought him verie ill & bad newes. For there were come into Normandie from pope Alexander the third two cardinals in an ambassage, the one of them being named Albertus, and the other Theodinus, to make inquirie of the death of Thomas archbishop of Canturburie. They were thought and taken to be iust and good men, and therefore were chosen of trust and of purpose for this matter: but yet for all that they were Romans, and who were fullie determined to haue interdicted, not onelie England, but also all the whole dominions subiect vnto the king, if he him|selfe had not the sooner come and met with them. Be|sides this, there was woorse newes told him, and a woorse mishap befell vnto him (for commonlie good lucke commeth alone, but ill haps come by heapes and by huddels) which was, that his eldest sonne whom he loued so déerlie, and whom he had crowned king, as also his two yoonger sonnes, with the consent and helpe of sundrie noble men, as well in England as beyond the seas, had confederated themselues, and conspired against the king in his absence. Which newes and secret conspiracie when he heard and vn|derstood, he was in a maruellous perplexitie, and for verie anguish and greefe of mind did sweat. First it gréeued him that he should be suspected and infamed of the crime whereof he was giltlesse. Also he feared of the great troubles which would grow and insue hereby to his kingdome, & all other his dominions. Yea, and it gréeued him verie much, that he being minded and determined the next summer then fol|lowing to settle Ireland in some good staie, and to fortifie the same with holds and castels, he should now be compelled and driuen to leaue the same vn|doone. Wherefore sending some before him into Eng|land, as well to aduertise his comming homewards, as also of the safetie he had taken for Ireland, he be|thought himselfe, as also tooke good aduise and coun|sell, what was best to be doone in these his weightis causes.

10.38. The king returneth homewards through Westwales, and of the speaking stone at saint Dauids. Chap. 38.

The king returneth homewards through Westwales, and of the speaking stone at saint Dauids. Chap. 38.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 THe king being minded and determined to returne into England, set his realme of Ireland in good order, and left Hugh de Lacie (vnto whom he had giuen in f [...]e the countrie of Meth) with twentie gentlemen, & Fitz stephans & Maurice Fitzgerald with twentie other gentlemen, to be wardens and conestables of Dub|lin. Likewise he left Humfreie de Bohune, Robert Fitzbarnard, and Hugh de Gundeu [...]le, with twen|tie gentlemen, to kéepe and gouerne Waterford. Al|so he left William Fitzaldelme, Philip of Hastings, and Philip de Bruse, to be gouernors and rulers of Wexford: they hauing also twentie gentlemen of seruice appointed vnto them. And on the mondaie in the Easter wéeke, earlie in the morning at the sunne rising, he tooke shipping without the barre of Wex|ford; and the wind being westerlie and blowing a good gale, he had a verie good passage, and arriued a|bout the noonetide of the same daie vnto the ba [...]e of saint Dauids: where he being set on land, he went on foot with a staffe in his hand in pilgrimage, and in great deuotion vnto the church of saint Dauids; whom the cleargie in procession met at the gate cal|led the white gate, and with great honour receiued him. And as they were going verie orderlie and so|lemnlie in procession, there came vnto him a Welsh or a Camber woman; and falling downe at his feet, she made a great complaint against the bishop of that place: which being by an interpretor declared vnto the king, albeit he vnderstood it well, yet he gaue hir no answer.

She thinking that hir sute was not regarded, did wring hir fists, and cried out with a lowd voice; Re|uenge vs this day O Lechlanar, Reuenge vs I say, our kindred, and our nation, from this man. And be|ing willed by the people of that countrie, who vnder|stood hir speach, to hold hir peace, as also did thrust hir out of the companie; she cried the more, trusting and alluding to a certeine blind prophesie of Merlin, which was; that The king of England the conqueror A prophesie of Merlin. of Ireland, should be wounded in Ireland by a man with a red hand, and in his returning homewards through Southwales should die vpon Lechlanar. This (1) Lechlanar was the name of a certeine great stone which laie ouer a brooke, which fléeteth or run|neth on the north side of the churchyard, and was a bridge ouer the same: and by reason of the often and continuall going of the people ouer it, it was verie smooth and slipperie. In length it was of ten foot, in breadth six foot, and in thicknesse one foot. And this word Lechlanar, in the Camber or Welsh [...]oong, is to saie, The speaking stone. For it was an old blind A speaking stone. saieng among the people in that countrie, that on a time there was a dead corps caried ouer that stone to be buried, and the said stone spake, and foorthwith brake and claue asunder in the middle, and which cli [...] so remaineth vnto this daie. And there vpon the peo|ple of that countrie, of a verie vaine and barbarous superstition, haue not since, nor yet will carie anie more dead bodies ouer the same.

The king being come to this stone, and hearing of this prophesie, paused and staied a little while; and then vpon a sudden, verie [...] he went ouer it: which doone, he looked backe vpon the stone, and spake somewhat sharpelie, saieng: Who is he that will be|leeue that lieng Merlin anie more? A man of that place standing thereby, and séeing what had happe|ned, he to excuse Merlin, said with a lowd voice; Thou EEBO page image 25 art not he that shall conquer Ireland, neither dooth Merlin meane it of thée. The king then went into the cathedrall church which was dedicated to saint An|drew and to saint Dauid: and hauing made his prai|ers, and heard diuine seruice, he went to supper, and rode after to Hauerford west to bed, which is about twelue miles from thense.

(1) The writer hereof (of verie purpose) in the yeare 1575, went to the foresaid place to sée the said stone, but there was no such to be found; and the place where the said stone was said to lie, is now an ar|ched bridge, vnder which fléeteth the brooke aforesaid, which brooke dooth not diuide the churchyard from the church, but the churchyard [...] church from the bishops and prebèndaries houses, which houses in times past were verie faire and good hospitalitie kept therein. But as the most part of honses are fallen down and altogither ruinons, so the hospitalitie is also there|with decaied. And for the veritie of the foresaid stone, there is no certeintie affirmed, but a report is remaining amongst the common people of such a stone to haue béene there in times past.

10.39. The submission of king Henrie to the pope, and his reconciliation, as also the agreement betweene him and the French king. Chap. 39.

The submission of king Henrie to the pope, and his reconciliation, as also the agreement betweene him and the French king. Chap. 39.

THe king then tooke his iornie from Ha|uerford homewards along by the sea side, euen the same waie as before he came thi|ther; and foorthwith in all hast he taketh shipping, and sailed into Normandie: and immediat|lie vnderstanding where the popes legats were, he repaired vnto them, and presented himselfe in most humble maner before them. Where & before whome after sundrie altercations passed to and fro betwéene them, he purged himselfe by his oth, that he was gilt|lesse of the death of the archbishop Thomas: neuer|theles he was contented to doo the penance inioined him. For although he did not kill, nor yet know, nor consent to the murthering of him, yet he denied not but that the same was doone for his (1) sake. The am|bassadors & legats hauing thus ended with the king, with much honour returned backe, and homewards to Rome. And then the king trauelled and went to the marches of France, there to talke and haue con|ference with Lewes the French king, betweene whome then was discord and debate. But after sun|drie speeches past betweene them, at length by the meanes and intercession of sundrie good men, and especiallie of Philip earle of Flanders (who was but then returned from Compostella, where he had bene in pilgrimage vnto saint Iames) the same was en|ded; and the displeasure which he had conceiued about and for the death of the archbishop of Canturburie was clerelie released. And by these means, the great malice and secret conspiracies of his sonnes and their confederats was for this time suppressed and quailed, and so continued vntill the yeare following.

(1) They which doo write and intreat of the life and death of this archbishop, doo affirme that the king af|ter the death of this man, did send his ambassadors to pope Alexander at Rome, to purge himselfe of this fact. And notwithstanding that he tooke a corporall oth, that he neither did it nor caused it to be doone, nor yet gaue anie consent, or was priuie thereof, nor yet was giltie in anie respect, sauing that he confessed he did not so well fauour the bishop as he had doone in times past: yet could not his ambassadors be admit|ted to the presence and sight of the pope, vntill he had yéelded himselfe to his arbitrement and iudgement: which was that he should doo certeine penance, as al|so to performe certeine iniunctions which were as followeth. That the king at his proper costs and char|ges Iniunctions by the pope to the king of England. should kéepe and susteine two hundred souldiers for one whole yeare, to defend the holie land against the Turke. That he should permit, and that it should be lawfull to all his subiects as often as them listed to appeale to the sée of Rome. That none should be ac|counted thensefoorth to be lawfull king of England, vntill such time as he were confirmed by the Roman bishop. That he should restore to the church of Can|turburie all such goods and possessions as were taken and deteined from the same since the death of the archbishop. That he should suffer all such people as were fled or banished out of the realme for his sake, to returne home without delaie or let, and to inioy and haue againe all such goods and lands whatsoeuer they had before. Other things this Romish anti|christ did demand, and which the king was compelled to grant vnto before he could be released: whereby it dooth appeare how much they doo varie from the cal|ling of Christs apostles; and how that (contrarie to the rule of the gospell) their onelie indeuour was to make and haue princes and kingdoms subiect to their becke and tyrannie.