A fuccinct and genuine Account of their original and prefent To which is added, A DICTIONARY of the principal Religious ORDERS, OFFICES, DAYS, By an IM PARTIAL HAND. VOL. II. LONDON: Printed for C. HENDERSON, at the Royal Exchange; W. NICOLL, in MDCCLXIV. THE HISTORY O F RELIGION. CHA P. I. Of the State of KNOWLEDGE and RELIGION in GREAT BRITAIN, from the Reign of KING RICHARD I. 1189, to the Conclufion of the Reign of EDWARD III. When Dr. JOHN WICKLIFFE attempted a REFORMATION in ENGLAND. RICHARDI. A. D. 1189 ICHARD fucceeded to his father's throne without oppofition, and in the first affembly of his prelates and nobility, after his coronation, he filled up the vacant fees of London, Winchester, Sarum, and Ely; and deliberated upon measures for enabling him to equip a powerful armament against the infidels, who had over-run the Holy Land. The King feized the effects of the late bishop of Ely, to a confiderable value; which be had found in his father's treafury, at Winchester, gold, and filver, and jewels, to the amount of nine hundred thousand pounds. But even this vast sum was infufficient for his intended expedition to the Holy Land. He therefore fold the earldom of NorthumberVOL. II. Numb. XI. B land, 1 land, and the honour of Sudberg. He fet up for fale the offices of high-fheriff, keepers of forefts, and many other lucrative pofts and dignities; liberties, charters, caftles, and manors of the crown, were given to the highest bidders; and when fome of his friends remonftrated to him the ill confequence of fuch alienation, he told them he would fell the city of London if he could find a purchaser. When the King had prepared for his expedition, he received the fcrip and staff from the archbishop of Tours, and marched to Vazelay, where he was joined by the King of France, and they proceeded to Meffina, and from thence for the Holy Land. But he was not fo fuccessful in his expedition as his flattery had fuggefted; and he was taken prifoner, and obliged to purchase his ranfom. Nevertheless, upon his return to London, fuch was the infatuation of the people, that they received him with great marks of esteem, which foon after he ungratefully requited by the impofitions of taxes too grievous to be borne. But as the reign of this prince was apparently taken up in his infatuated attachment to the fuperftitious doctrines and practices of the fee of Rome, he had little leifure or inclination to confult the happiness of his fubjects, or purfue measures conducive to liberty and true religion; and therefore gave room for the introduction of a variety of impofitions on the rights of Britain, as the Pope and his legates thought fit. As Richard was the firft of the English Kings who bore arms on his feals, fo he was the firft who carried in his fhield three lions paffant, borne ever after for the regal arms of England. to As to his character, his ftrict attention to public worship, and his alms to the poor, and his gifts thofe churches and monafteries which he had before robbed for his purposes, are the most shining parts of his reign. For his ingratitude, and want of filial affection, are unpardonable: he was proud, haughty, haughty, ambitious, choleric, cruel, vindictive, and licentious a tyrant to his wife, as well as to his fubjects, who groaned under his taxations to fuch a high degree, that his few virtues could not preferve him from contempt, JOHN, A. D. 1199, JOHN, furnamed Sans-Terre or Lackland, upon the demife of Richard I. fucceeded to the crown of England, though in prejudice to Arthur, who had an hereditary right; but as hereditary right had been fo often fet afide, both under the Saxon and Norman governments, it made no great difturbance in England; and John who was at that time abroad on the continent, upon receiving intelligence of his defignation to the crown, returned to England, and landing at New Shoreham proceeded directly to London; next day, June 9, he was crowned at Weftminster by Hubert archbishop of Canterbury, in a full affembly of the prelates, earls and barons, after the King had taken the oaths to maintain the peace of the church, and the people, to reftrain rapine and other iniquities, and to be governed by equity and mercy in all his decifions. The Pope's legate, who then refided in England, brought about a peace between the Kings of France and England, which had commenced in the reign of King Richard. In confequence of this treaty, by which John reaped no advantage, but Philip's promife of abandoning the intereft of Arthur; whereupon Arthur, to adjust matters with his brother, did him homage for Brittany. During the expedition of King John, he was captivated with the beauty of Ifabel, daughter of the King of Portugal, who, from the fudden impulfe of his own unruly paffion, thereupon refolved to demand her in marriage; notwithstanding it was an act of injuftice, as she was then affianced to Hugh le Brun, Count of la Marche; accordingly he premeditated a B 2 divorce |