Page:English Historical Review Volume 35.djvu/428

 420 PETITION AGAINST PAPAL COLLECTORS July collectors under him. This is printed in Prynne's Records, iii. 1168-71, and in Rotuli Parliamentorum, i. 219-20. It is aimed (1) against provisions ; (2) against the claim of the papal pro- curators to goods and chattels not definitely bequeathed by testators but left to distribution according to the discretion of their executors ; (3) against their claim to the goods of intestates ; (4) against their demand of debts or sums promised to the aid of the Holy Land, not paid at the appointed date ; (5) against the demand of the whole of such debts from the debtor when the creditor had promised the half ; (6) against the taxing of temporalities of the church and appropriating advowsons ; (7) against the claim to the fruits of a benefice during the first year of a vacancy ; (8) against the taking the first-fruits of churches ; (9) against the exact demand of Id. a hearth for Peter's-pence instead of a stipulated yearly sum. In a small volume of varied contents (British Museum Add. MS. 10374), once belonging to Whalley abbey, a contemporary hand has copied a version of this petition, which though in general tenor the same, in wording and in one or two more important points differs from the printed text. The Whalley version omits (1) and introduces (2) with the words ' A nostre seignur le Roy mustrent Countes e Barons e la Comunaute de la tere qe ', &c., and after the prayer for remedy of ' ceste estraunge duresce ' is added : E les ditz clers lapostoille apelent — toutz bien nient distinctement deuises, ceux qe ne sunt mie especiaument nomez, e aiisi meske il soyent especefiez e eux ne soyens pas especiament nomez a queux il sunt deuises il les tienent nient distinctement deuises sicome qi deuisast en sum testament c. mars a doner a poures e ne deist pas quel manere des poures, cest a sauer a freres prechoiirs ou menours, ou escolers ou as autres poures il voillent auer ceux c. mars al oes lapostoille. It also lacks (3) and (5), and in (6) the grievance is enhanced by the statement that the appropriated temporalities and advow- sons were bestowed on cardinals and other aliens. In place of (9) this version ends as follows : E de cestes oppressions prient les ditz Countes Barouns e la Commu- naute au Roy qil voille si li plest regarder au peril de sa deshereteson, e de leur, e al emblemisement e offens de la ley du Roiaume, e la dite desheriteson du poeple face ordener tel remedie qe seit conuenable.* E. M. Thompson. a contemporary hand at fo. 13 *' of the statute of Carlisle {Rotuli Parliamentorum, i. 217). Also on fo. 16-16 is a copy of the letter addressed by Petrus filius Cassiodori to the English Church (Cave, Scriptores, ii. 300, and app. p. 10).
 * Another item of historical interest in this Whalley manuscript is a copy in