Page:A History and Defence of Magna Charta.djvu/133

Rh of the whole city; and in the hall which is called Guildhall, they aſked them if they would faithfully obey the ſtatutes of the parliament, and immutably adhere to them, manfully reſiſting all oppoſers, and effectually aiding the parliament? Which, when they had all of them freely granted, they gave the commiſſioners a charter of this their grant, ſealed with the common ſeal of the city. But they did not as yet make public proclamation of theſe ſtatutes becauſe they were in confuſion about the earl of Glouceſter’s being poiſoned, and his brother, (as were ſeveral others) which, as appeared afterwards, was, the Poitovin’s farewel.

then, in this ſollicitous and weighty affair, and in this moſt happy renovation and right-ordering of the whole realm,, biſhop of London, was more lukewarm and remiſs than became him, or was expedient; whereby he ſo much the more ſmutted and blackened his fame, by how much he had formerly been more generous than others. And ſo the barons having repoſed their hopes in his breaſt, he provoked many of them to anger by his falling off, when by this means they believed they ſhould ſet the King right with his people. But that which frighted them beyond all things was, the King’s