Page:English Historical Review Volume 37.djvu/186

 178 THE GREAT STATUTE OF PRAEMUNIRE April however, exhibited the obnoxious bulls to the council, who pronounced that the cause was purely spiritual, and that the bulls contained nothing prejudicial to the Crown or contrary to the laws and customs of the realm. 1 The story appears in the draft of a letter sent by the council to the justices of the king's bench, who were asked to consider whether in the circumstances they would proceed with the case or not. It is a pity that we are not told why Ryecroft was cited before the court of Rome ; but the principle which governed the decision of the council could hardly have been put more clearly, and the tenor of the letter to the judges indicates that it was one familiar to the courts of law. Now one might recognize that the statute of 1393 had nothing to do with affairs unanimously regarded as spiritual, and yet admit it to have been the most comprehensive and drastic of the anti-papal measures passed in medieval England. But it will be noticed that it does not expressly apply to all documents prejudicial to the king and the realm, but only to such of them as are against the king and the realm as is aforesaid. 2 What significance then is to be attached to the words ' such ' (tieux) and ' as is aforesaid ' (come devant est dit) ? The statute consists mainly of a long preamble, which reports certain proceedings in the parliament of 1393. The commons had complained that although suits about the right of patronage belonged to the king's court, and bishops and others of the clergy with authority to institute to benefices were bound, when ordered by the king, to execute the sentences of his court in such suits, as also to obey certain other royal mandates, 3 nevertheless the pope had instituted proceedings and issued sentences of excommunication against certain English bishops for executing de notre roiaume Dengleterre et centre la forme del ordenance et accord par le Roy E. notre besaiel et les pieres grandz et communialtee de son roialme Dengleterre faitz en un son consail nadgairs a Westmonster tenuz ' : Ordinances of the Privy Council, ii. 181. The significance of the allusion to the ' ordinance ' of Edward III will be considered below. 1 ' II semble a mesme notre consail qe la cause est meure espirituele et qen les dites lettres. . . nest pas contenuz aucune chose prejudiciele a nous ne a notre corone nencountre les loys estatutz ordenances ne custumes de notre roiaume desusditz" : ibid. pp. 181 seq. 1 See above, p. 175, n. 1. 3 Statutes, ii. 84 : ' notre seignour le Roy et toutz ses liges deivent de droit et soloient de tout temps purseuer en la Courte mesme notre seignour le Roi pur recovrer lour presentementz as Esglises prebendes et autres benefices de seinte Esglise as queux ils ount droit a presenter, la conisance de plee de quelle purseute appartient soulement a Courte . . . le Roy . . . et qant juggement soit rendu en mesme sa Courte sur tiel plee et purseute, les Ercevesques Evesques et autres persones spiritueles qount institucion de tiele benefice deinz lour jurisdiccion sont tenuz et ont fait execucion des tieux juggementz par mandement des Rois . . . qare autre lay persone ne poet tiele execucion faire, et auxint sont tenuz de droit de faire execucion de plusours autres mandementz notre seignour le Roy.'