Page:A History and Defence of Magna Charta.djvu/52

6 judgment in parliament. The King huffed him, and told him, “That this was lay buſineſs, and that he would not delay buſineſs of the kingdom for him;” and by break of day, next morning, marched haſtily towards Nottingham. The archbiſhop ſtill followed him, aſſuring him that he would excommunicate all his followers, if they proceeded any farther in this hoſtile way; and never left him till he had ſet a day for a parliament, that the barons might there anſwer it.

parliament was held at London, in St. Paul’s church; where, before it ended, the archbiſhop took ſome of the lords apart, and put them in mind how he made the king ſwear at Wincheſter to reſtore the good laws of King, and cauſe them to be obſerved by all the realm. And now, ſays he, there is likewiſe found a certain charter of I. King of England, by which, if you pleaſe, you may be able to reſtore your long loſt liberties to their former ſtate and condition; and, producing the charter, he cauſed it to be read all over in their hearing: which the lords having heard and underſtood, were overjoyed, and ſwore in the preſence of the archbiſhop, “That when they ſaw it convenient for their liberties, if need were, they would ſpend their lives.”