Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Historical Account Of The Life Of William Of Wykeham.
for , in this instrument , the pope speaks of Wykeham as recommended to him by many persons , worthy of credit , for his knowledge of letters ; and it is certain that these were not mere words of course , because they are not to be found in the greater part of the bulls of this cen . tury ; neither can it be supposed that the court of Rome would depart from a common form , to compliment a person for the very quality in which he was notoriousldeficient .
y After the delay of a year , occasioned by a dispute between the king and the pope , which of them should be the author of W ykeham ' s promotion , he was put into full possession of his bishopric , having on the 17 th of September 1367 , while he was bishop elect , been constituted chancellor of England . As he was now to quit the employments in which he had before
been engaged , and act in a new sphere , he thought it proper to secure himself with respect to the past , by obtaining from the king a full acquittance and discharge . This acquittance the king granted him , by letters patent , in the most ample manner , releasing him from a ( I claims and actions founded on any cause before he was bishop , and sinceto the izd of May 13 6 Swhich was the date of the patent
, , . . It appears by two speeches of W ykeham ' s to the parliament , -as chancellor , in the king ' s name , which are recorded in the parliament rolls , that he spoke more like a statesman than most of the chancellors of those times , especially the ecclesiastics : yet the parliament that met on the 14 th of February 1 : 570-1 , represented to the king ,
that the government of the realm had been long in the hands of ec ; clesiastics , to the great injury of the state ; and prayed , that secular persons might be appointed to the principal offices for the future . With this , request the king thought proper to comply ; and , therefore , on . the 14 th of March , Wykeham delivered the great seal to the king ,, who gave it two days afterwards to Sir Robert de Thorp . Whether the people were dissatisfied with Wkelyam in
particuy lar , and , if they were , whether it was with or without just cause , does not appear : but it is certain that he was not dismissed with any marks of displeasure from the king ; and there is some reason-to suppose that he was not himself dissatisfied with his removal : for he was present at the ceremony of constituting the new chancellor , and after-Wards at that of his first opening the great seal in Westminster Hall ;
he was also soon after summoned b y the king to attend the great council at Winchester ,, to consider of proper ways to levy 50 , 000 ! . that had . been , granted by parliament ; which may be considered as a certain mark of favour , there being only three other bishops , two abbots , and thirteen temporal lords . stimmoried upon the same occasion . The address forthe- removal of churchmen seems to have arisen
. from a genera ! jealousy of the laity that they were neglected : for thecommons themselves were so well inclined towards W ykeham , that in the year 1373 they named him , with seven other lords , as a committee to confer with them on the supplies . It has been said , the Duke . of Lancaster was not the friend . of the clergy-in-general , arid
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Historical Account Of The Life Of William Of Wykeham.
for , in this instrument , the pope speaks of Wykeham as recommended to him by many persons , worthy of credit , for his knowledge of letters ; and it is certain that these were not mere words of course , because they are not to be found in the greater part of the bulls of this cen . tury ; neither can it be supposed that the court of Rome would depart from a common form , to compliment a person for the very quality in which he was notoriousldeficient .
y After the delay of a year , occasioned by a dispute between the king and the pope , which of them should be the author of W ykeham ' s promotion , he was put into full possession of his bishopric , having on the 17 th of September 1367 , while he was bishop elect , been constituted chancellor of England . As he was now to quit the employments in which he had before
been engaged , and act in a new sphere , he thought it proper to secure himself with respect to the past , by obtaining from the king a full acquittance and discharge . This acquittance the king granted him , by letters patent , in the most ample manner , releasing him from a ( I claims and actions founded on any cause before he was bishop , and sinceto the izd of May 13 6 Swhich was the date of the patent
, , . . It appears by two speeches of W ykeham ' s to the parliament , -as chancellor , in the king ' s name , which are recorded in the parliament rolls , that he spoke more like a statesman than most of the chancellors of those times , especially the ecclesiastics : yet the parliament that met on the 14 th of February 1 : 570-1 , represented to the king ,
that the government of the realm had been long in the hands of ec ; clesiastics , to the great injury of the state ; and prayed , that secular persons might be appointed to the principal offices for the future . With this , request the king thought proper to comply ; and , therefore , on . the 14 th of March , Wykeham delivered the great seal to the king ,, who gave it two days afterwards to Sir Robert de Thorp . Whether the people were dissatisfied with Wkelyam in
particuy lar , and , if they were , whether it was with or without just cause , does not appear : but it is certain that he was not dismissed with any marks of displeasure from the king ; and there is some reason-to suppose that he was not himself dissatisfied with his removal : for he was present at the ceremony of constituting the new chancellor , and after-Wards at that of his first opening the great seal in Westminster Hall ;
he was also soon after summoned b y the king to attend the great council at Winchester ,, to consider of proper ways to levy 50 , 000 ! . that had . been , granted by parliament ; which may be considered as a certain mark of favour , there being only three other bishops , two abbots , and thirteen temporal lords . stimmoried upon the same occasion . The address forthe- removal of churchmen seems to have arisen
. from a genera ! jealousy of the laity that they were neglected : for thecommons themselves were so well inclined towards W ykeham , that in the year 1373 they named him , with seven other lords , as a committee to confer with them on the supplies . It has been said , the Duke . of Lancaster was not the friend . of the clergy-in-general , arid