Page:A History and Defence of Magna Charta.djvu/141

Rh and ſaid, “My lord earl, I cannot any longer be engaged againſt my father King of Germany, my uncle King of England, and my other relations; and therefore with your good leave and licence, I mean to depart, but I never will bear arms againſt you.” To whom the earl chearfully replied, “Lord, I am not at all troubled about your arms, but for the inconſtancy which I ſee in you: therefore pray go with your arms, and if you pleaſe, come back with your arms, for I fear them not.” At that time , , , , and many others, being blinded with gifts, went off from their fidelity, which they had ſworn to the barons for the common good.

Matt. Paris had been alive, he would have told us a piece of his mind concerning this falſe ſtep of the barons, in putting their coat to arbitration, and ſubmitting the Engliſh laws to the determination of an incompetent foreigner. But we loſt his noble pen A. D. 1259. that is, about four years ago, preſently after the eſtabliſhment of the