12.27. The comming of Iohn the kings sonne into Ireland. Chap. 27.

The comming of Iohn the kings sonne into Ireland. Chap. 27.

THe king to aduance his yoonger sonne named Iohn had giuen him the dominion ouer Ireland, and he therevpon had taken homage of sundrie persons for the same: and now minding to bring the same to a finall end & perfect order, sendeth ouer into Ireland before his sonne Iohn the new archbishop of Dublin, who as a forerunner vnto his sonne should prepare all things in readinesse against his comming, who foorthwith tooke his iournie about the kalends of August, and sailed ouer into Ireland. Also in the moneth of Sep|tember then next following, he sent ouer Philip of Worcester, a valiant souldier, a sumptuous and a liberall man, with fortie gentlemen, who was com|manded to send ouer (1) Hugh de Lacie, and he to staie there as gouernour of the land vntill Iohn his sonne came ouer. This Philip being thus placed in authoritie, the first thing he did he resumed and tooke into the kings vse the lands in O [...]hathesie, and di|uerse other parcels which Hugh de Lacie had before sold, and these he appointed to serue for the kings pro|uision and diet. And after the winter was past, he as|sembled and mustered all his men and companie, & began to trauell from place to place; and in March about the middle of Lent he came to (2) Armagh, where when he had extorted and perforce exacted from the cleargie there a great masse of monie and trea|sure, he returned vnto the citie of Downe, and from thense to Dublin in safetie: being well laden with gold, siluer, and monie, which he had exacted in euerie place where he came: for other good he did none. In this iournie there happened two strange miracles, Two strange miracles. the one at Armach concerning the great anguish and griefe of (3) Philip when he departed and went out of the towne, the other was of a (4) fornace which Hugh Tirell tooke away from the poore priests at Armagh, as more at large is declared in our to|pographie.

(1) This Hugh de Lacie albeit he were thus sent for, yet he went not ouer, as it appéereth by the course of the histories of this time, he was about building of a castell at Deruagh, and there being among his EEBO page image 49 laborers, and séeing one not to frame verie well in his worke, taught him what he should doo, taking his pickeax in both his hands and brake the ground. This wicked Irishman when he saw his lord and master thus stooping and labouring, suddenlie came behind him, and with his ax or weapon strake him in the head and slue him, but his inheritance and pos|sessions came & descended to his two sonnes Wal|ter and Hugh.

(2) In Ireland there are foure archbishoprikes, one at Dublin for the prouince of Leinster, another at Cashill for the prouince of Mounster, the third at Thomond for the prouince of Connagh, & the fourth at Armagh for the prouince of Ulster. The chiefest of them is the archbishop of this Armagh, for al|though euerie one of the others be named a primat of Ireland, yet this one alone is named primat of all Ireland; which title he hath partlie bicause he is successour to S. Patrike, who first conuerted Ire|land to the christian faith, and had his see and church at this Armagh; one other cause is bicause this archbi|shop was the first that receiued a pall from the pope, This pall is a certeine inuesture of cloth, which the What the bi|shops pallis. pope haloweth and giueth or sendeth to euerie arch|bishop, who weareth the same vppermost vpon his garment. The nature of this pall, of the first inuen|tion thereof and the causes whie it is giuen to euerie archbishop, is not incident nor apperteining to the course and nature of this historie, and therfore I will omit it. This Armagh was somtimes a faire towne, and therein a faire cathedrall church, lieng farre and remote from all good neighbors, and in the middle of the Onels and other sauage people; the same hath beene and still is and lieth wast: and the archbishop remooued to a house of his named Terseekam, which lieth néere the towne of Drogheda, being a place of better safetie.

(3) The historie is, that this Philip of Worcester being well landed with great riches exacted from the cleargie and departed, he was no sooner out of the towne, but that he was taken with a sudden pang, which for the time was so vehement, that it was sup|posed he would neuer haue recouered it.

(4) This Hugh Tirell among other the spoiles which he tooke, he had a great bruing fornace or pan which serued for the whole house, for which his dooing the priests curssed him, and he caried this along with him vntill he came to the citie of Downe. And on a night he being in his lodging, the same was entred with fire, and the horsses which drew the said pan, as also much goods which they brought with them, and a great part of the towne was burned. In the mor|ning, when he saw the great spoile, and yet the said pan as nothing hurt nor perished, he began to re|pent and be sorie, and so restored the pan againe.

12.28. The comming of Heraclius the patriarch into England. Chap. 28.

The comming of Heraclius the patriarch into England. Chap. 28.

WHile these things were dooing in Ire|land, Heraclius the reuerend patriarch of Ierusalem, hauing gone a long iourneie from the east to the west, came into Eng|land about the beginning of Februarie; who brought with him the keies of the holie citie and sepul|chre, with the kings ensigne and martiall signe, in the behoofe of all the states of the holie land, as well of the brethren of th'order of the temple as hospitall: and with the consent of all the cleargie and laitie, making supplication to king Henrie the second, falling at his féet with teares, and humblie desiring him, that he would be pitifullie mooued to the aid of the holie land, and Christes patrimonie, desperatlie afflicted by the infidels: otherwise affirming (which within two yeares happened) that the whole king|dome would fall shortlie into the hands of the Sol|dane of the Saracens and of Egypt. Oh what a glorie was it to this king and kingdome, that he passing so manie emperours, kings and princes, as though there were no helpe in the middle part of the world, should come into this corner of the earth, & as it were into an other world to require aid! O how worthie, perpetuall and incomparable had the kings glorie béene, if he setting aside other businesse, and forsaking his kingdoms, had taken without delaie (at this calling of Christ) Christes crosse, and haue followed him! Uerelie, he should haue receiued of him the euerlasting kingdome, if he had serued him in this necessitie of whom he receiued his kingdome, and so glorious a grace of gouernement on earth. Oh if he would haue defended here (for his abilitie) the patrimonie of so worthie a kingdome in this point of necessitie, and this triall of deuotion, he might haue béene worthilie fortified in earth by such a patrone and tutor in all his affaires and neces|sities whatsoeuer.

12.29. The answer of the king to the patriarch. Chap. 29.

The answer of the king to the patriarch. Chap. 29.

[...]Daie for answer herof being appointed at last by the king at London, manie as well knights as of common sort, by the admonish|ments of the patriarch, as the sermons of Baldwin the archbishop were croised to the seruice of Christ. At the last the patriarch receiued this an|swer of the king, that it was not good to leaue his realme without defense and gouernement, & leaue open his lands beyond sea to the rapacitie of the Frenchmen that hated him: but as concerning monie, he would giue both that which he sent thi|ther, to be reserued for him, and more also for the defense of the holie land. To whome the patriarch answered by following this aduise. O king you doo nothing: and by this meanes you shall neither saue your selfe, nor reserue Christes patrimonie. We come to séeke a prince, and not monie. Euerie part of the world almost sendeth vs monie, but none sen|deth vs a prince. Therfore we desire a man that may want monie, and not monie that may want a man. This was the saieng of The mis [...]o|cles. But, when the patriarch could get no other answer of the king, he taketh an other deuise: he desireth him to giue to their aid one of his sonnes, and if none other, yet his yoongest sonne Iohn, that the bloud descending from the An [...]owes might in a new branch raise vp the kingdome.

Iohn himselfe, albeit he was readie to passe into Ireland giuen him by his father, with a great armie, (prostrating himselfe at his fathers féet) desired (as they saie) that he might be sent to Ierusalem, but he obteined it not. So the patriarch séeing he could doo nothing, and draw no oile out of the hard stone, hée spake thus against the king, in th'audience of manie, with a threatfull and propheticall spirit. O glorious king, thou hast reigned hitherto among the princes of the world with incomparable glorie, and your princelie honour hath hither to dailie increased to the type of highnesse. But now doubtlesse is this triall being forsaken of God, whom you forsake, and desti|tute of all heauenlie grace. From hensefoorth shall your glorie be turned into sorrow, and your honor to reproch so long as you liue. I would to God the king had auoided this threat by penance, like the king of Niniuie, and had caused this sentence to be altered!

EEBO page image 50 The holie man spake this thing thrise, first at Lon|don, then at Douer, and lastlie at Chinon castell be|yond the sea. And I would to God the patriarch had béene a man without that propheticall spirit, & had ra|ther spoken a lesing, that we may for more euidence touch such things brieflie as were before spoken by that true forespeaker, which we saw shortlie to take effect. Whereas the king reigned thirtie and fiue yeares, thirtie years were granted him for worldlie glorie, expectation of his conuersion, & triall of his de|notion; but the last fiue years fell vpon him, as vpon an vngratefull, reprobate, and abiect seruant, in re|uengement, sorrow, & ignominie. For in the two and thirtith yeare of his reigne, immediatlie after the comming of the patriarch, his first enterprise of sen|ding his sonne Iohn into Ireland, both the labour and cost was frustrate and lost. The thrée and thir|tith yeare, whereas he neuer lost land before, he lost to king Philip (being but a child) almost all Aniou. The foure and thirtith yéere he lost the castell Rader, and welnéere all Be [...]ie. The fiue and thirtith yeare of his reigne, and the fourth yéere after the comming of the parriarch, not onelie king Philip of France, but his son Richard of Poitiers rising against him, he lost the cities of Towres and Maine, with manie castels, and himselfe also; according to that in saint Gregorie: Those that the Lord hath long forborne, that they might be conuerted, if they doo not conuert, he condemneth them the more greeuouslie.