The Sentence of Curse given by the Bishops, with the Kings consent, against the Breakers of the great Charter.

N the year of our Lord 1253. the third day of May, in the great Hall of the King at Westminster, in the presence, and by the consent of the Lord Henry, by the grace of God, King of England, and the Lord Richard, Earl of Cornwall, his Brother; Roger Bigot, Earl of Norfolk Marshal of England; Humphry, Earl of Hereford; Henry, Earl of Oxford; John, Earl Warren; and other Estates of the Realm of England: We Boniface, by the mercy of God, Arch-Bishop of Canterbury, Primate of England, F. of London, H. of Ely, S. of Worcester, E. of Lincoln, W. of Norwich, P. of Hereford, W. of Salesbury, W. of Durham, R. of Excester, M. of Carlile, W. of Bath, E. of Rochester, T. of St. Davids, Bishops. apparelled in Pontificals, with Tapers burning, against the Breakers of the Churches Liberties, and of the Liberties and other Customs of this Realm of England; and namely these which are contained in the Charter of the common Liberties of England, and Charter of the Forrest, have denounced Sentence of Excommunication in this form, by the Authority of Almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, &c. of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and of all Apostles, and of all Martyrs, of blessed Edw. King of England, and of all the Saints of Heaven, We Excommunicate and Accurse, and from the benefits of our holy Mother the Church we sequester all those that hereafter willingly and maliciously deprive or spoil the Church of her Right; and all those that by any craft, or willingness, do violate, break, dimin

ish, or change the Churches Liberties, and free Customs contained in the Charters of the common Liberties, and of the Forrest, granted by our Lord the King, to Arch-Bishops, Bishops, and other Prelates of England, and likewise to the Earls, Barons, Knights, and other Free-holders of the Realm; and all that secretly and openly, by deed, word or counsel do make Statutes, or observe them being made, and that bring in Customs to keep them, when they be brought in, against the said Liberties, or any of them, and all those that shall presume to judge against them; and all and every such person before mentioned, that wittingly shall commit any thing of the premises, let them well know that they incur the aforesaid Sentence ipso facto.

A Confirmation of the Charters and Liberties of England, and of the Forrest, made the twenty fifth year of Edward the first.

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Dward, by the Grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke of Guyan, To all those that these present Letters shall hear or see, greeting, Know ye that we to the honour of God, and to the profit of our Realm, have granted for us, and our Heirs, and the Charter of Liberties, and the Charter of the Forrest, which were made by common assent of all the Realm, in the time of King Henry our Father, shall be kept in every point, without breach; and we will that the same Charters shall be sent under our Seal, as well to our Justices of the Forrest, as to others, and to all Sheriffs of Shires, and to all our other Officers, and to all our Cities throughout the Realm, together with our Writs, in the which it shall be contained, that they cause the aforesaid Charters to be published, and to declare to the People, that we have confirmed them in all points; and that our Justices, Sheriffs, Mayors, and other Ministers, which under us have the Laws of our Land to guide, shall allow the same Charters pleaded before them in Judgment, in all their points; that is, to wit, the great Charter, as the Common Law, and the Charter of our Forrest, for the Welch of our Realm.

And we will, that if any judgment be given from henceforth, contrary to the points of the Charter aforesaid, by the Justices, or by any other of our Ministers, that hold Plea before them, against the points of the Charters, it shall be undone, and holden for naught.

And we will that the same Charters shall be sent under our Seal to Cathedral Churches throughout our Realm, there to remain, and shall be read before the people two times by the year.

And that all Arch-bishops and Bishops shall pronounce the Sentence of Excommunication against all those that by word, deed or counsel do contrary to the foresaid Charters, or that in any point do break or undo them; And that the said Curses be twice a year denounced and published by the Prelates aforesaid; and if the same Prelates or any of them be remiss in the denunciation of the said Sentences, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, for the time being, shall compel and distrain them to the execution of their duties in form aforesaid.

The Sentence of the Clergy against the Breakers of the Articles above-mentioned.

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N the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, Amen: Whereas our Soveraign Lord the King, to the honour of God, and of holy Church, and for the common profit of the Realm, hath granted for him, and his Heirs for ever, these Articles above-written: Robert Arch-Bishop of Canterbury, Primate of all England, admonished all his Province once twice and thrice, because that shortness will not suffer so much delay, as to give knowledge to all the People of England, of these presents in writing: we therefore enjoyn all Persons, of what estate soever that be, that they, and every of them, as much as in them is, shall uphold and maintain these Articles granted by our Soveraign Lord the King, in all points: And all those that in any point do resist, or break, or in any manner hereafter Procure, Counsel, or in any wise Assent to Testifie or Break those Ordinances, or go about it, by word or deed, openly or privily, by any manner of pretence or colour; we, the aforesaid Arch-Bishop, by our Authority in this Writing expressed, do Excommunicate and Accurse, and from the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, and from all the Company of Heaven, and from all the Sacraments of Holy Church do sequester and exclude.

We may here see, that in the obscurest Times of sottish Popery, they were not left without a sence of Justice, and the necessity of Liberty and Property, to be inviolably enjoy'd which brings us to the cause of it.

Ist The cause of this famous Charter, was, as we have already said, the Incroachments that were made by several