extracta sepulta sunt in abbatiam de Crokestun, corpus uero
trad\uc/tum1 usque ad Wi
recestre ibidemque sepultum est in
monasterio. ¶Eodem tempore missus erat in An
gliam a latere domini pape cardinalis
quidam Galo nomine ut pro rege Iohanne ⁊ ipsius here
dibus ⁊ eorum libertatibus
tuendis contra dominium Laodowicum ⁊ ceteros omnes regis ad
uersarios apostolice
auctoritatis munimine fultus constanter astaret quod ⁊ constan
tissime fecit.
Defuncto enim ut dictum est rege assumptis secum domino Henrico
archiepiscopo
Dublinensi, ⁊ domino Petro episcopo Wintoniensi filium regis ⁊ heredem Henricum
nomine puerum septennem apud Wirecestriam coronauerunt. Eodem die dompnus
abbas
Westmustrensis2 ⁊
prior Cantuariensis pro libertatibus ecclesiarum suarum super corona
tione regis
contra dictum cardinalem ad audienciam apostolice sedis appellauerunt,
Westmustrensis3
uidelicet quia alibi quam in Westm\o/n\a/sterio, Cantuariensis uero quia ab alio
quam a domino archiespiscopo
cantuariensi contra libertates ⁊ priuilegia ecclesiarum suarum fue
rat coronatus.
Cardinalis autem appellantes excommunicauit. Ipsi tamen nec pro excommunicatis se
ha
buerunt nec ab appellatione facta se subtraxerunt. Deinde uero in dictum
Laodowicum
⁊ omnes fautores suos excommunicationis sententiam promulgauit ⁊ a
domino papa prolatam
esse denunciauit. Necnon ⁊ dominum regem Scottorum ⁊ omnes
magnates suos eadem sen
tencia innodauit ⁊ tam istorum quam illorum terras sub
interdicto ponere non formidauit.
Cuius tamen excommunicationis ⁊ interdicti
sententia nec per Angliam statim est obseruata nec fere per annum
subsequentem in
Scocia est denunciata. Dictus etiam cardinalis omnes qui humagium aut
aliquam
fidelitatem dicto Laodowico fecerant apostolica auctoritate qua fungebatur
penitus absoluit, si conuerti uellent ad nouum regem, ⁊ dominum suum legitimum.
¶Eodem anno translatus est dompnus Conradus abbas Clareuallis in abbatem Cistercii, loco
cuius
electus est in abbatem Clareuallis, dompnus Willelmus abbas de monasterio in Nargune.
In occidentali parte Scocie que Galewia dicitur secundum quod
scripsit dompnus W’ abbas, de Glenlus,
vir optimi testimonii, ⁊ sancte
conuersationis monachus, domino priori ⁊ sacro conuentui de Melros
apparuit
uisibiliter stupenda supra modum ⁊ nostris seculis inaudita lune transfiguratio,
quod autem scripsit? Hoc idem cum apud Melros ueniret nobis astantibus ⁊
exposcen
tibus, omnibus qui aderant audientibus ⁊ admirantibus, proprio ore per
ordinem enarrauit.
Scripsit igitur in hanc formam. Viris in Christo uenerabilibus,
dompno A’ priori de Melros,
⁊ eiusdem loci conuentui, frater W’ pauperum Christi
de Glenlus minister indign▬us
eternam ▬ in domino, salutem. Quanto
inpossibilius esse poterit ueritatem falli tanto cerciuus4
ea que ueritatis ore predicta sunt iam in parte fuisse impleta, ⁊ que restant
procul
dubio credenda s▬unt esse
complenda, veritatis siquidem ore, teste ewangelista sci
mus fuis\se/5
predictum, Erunt signa in sole, ⁊ luna, ⁊ stellis, ⁊ in terris pressura gentium
pre confusione sonitus maris ⁊ fluctuum, ⁊ cetera. Cum igitur nichil in terra quamlibet
minimum
sine causa fiat certum est quod nec maiora sine maiori causa proueniant[.]⊗ Signum igitur
magnum, immo signa plura ⁊ permaxima, que
nuper in partibus Galwethie
were taken out and buried in the abbey at Croxton; his body
was carried to Worcester, and was buried there in the minster. ¶At this same time a
cardinal named Gualo was sent to England from the lord pope’s side that he might
resolutely stand for King John and his heirs and defend their liberties against the lord
Louis and all the rest of the king’s opponents, strengthened with the protection of
apostolic authority; and he acted most resolutely. The king having died, as we have
said, Cardinal Gualo took with him the lord Henry, archbishop of Dublin, and the lord
Peter, bishop of Winchester, and they crowned the king’s son and heir, named Henry, a
seven-year-old boy, at Worcester. On the same day, the abbot of Westminster and the
prior of Canterbury appealed to the judgement of the apostolic see against the said
cardinal, in defence of the liberties of the their churches respecting the coronation of
the king; the abbot of Westminster, because Henry had been crowned at a place other than
Westminster; and the prior of Canterbury, because he had been crowned by someone other
than the lord archbishop of Canterbury, contrary to the liberties and privileges of
their churches. The cardinal, on the other hand, excommunicated the appellants. They
nevertheless did not consider themselves to have been excommunicated, nor did they
withdraw from the appeal they had made. He next published a sentence of excommunication
against the said Louis and all his supporters, and declared it to have been issued by
the lord pope. He also bound both the lord king of the Scots, and all his magnates,
under the same sentence, and did not flinch from placing the lands of the former as well
as those of the latter under the interdict. Yet, his sentence of excommunication and
interdict was not immediately observed throughout England; nor was it declared in
Scotland until well-nigh the following year. The said cardinal, even yet, by the same
apostolic authority with which the penalty was administered, absolved all who had
performed homage or any fealty to the said Louis, provided they had a mind to be
returned to the new king as their own lawful lord.
¶In the same year, Dom Conrad,
abbot of Clairvaux, was translated to be abbot of Cîteaux, in whose place Dom William,
abbot of the monastery in Argonne, was elected as abbot of Clairvaux.
In that
western part of Scotland called Galloway,1 according to what Dom W[illiam] the abbot of
Glenluce (a man of excellent testimony and a monk of holy life)2 has
written to the lord prior and the sacred convent of Melrose, an infinitely wondrous
transformation of the moon, unheard of in our time, clearly appeared to view. But what
did he write? When he came to Melrose, as we stood near and pestered him, he told the
story of this very event to us with his own lips, and all who were there listened and
marvelled. He then wrote it down into the following letter. To the reverend men in
Christ, Dom A., prior of Melrose, and the convent at that place: Brother W[illiam], the
unworthy servant of Christ’s paupers at Glenluce, wishes eternal salvation ▬ in the Lord. Inasmuch as it is impossible that the one who is Truth can be
mistaken, the more certain it is that the things which have been foretold by Truth’s
mouth have already been accomplished in part; and we should believe that the things
which remain shall, without doubt, be fulfilled in the future; for we know indeed that
it has been foretold by Truth’s mouth, and the evangelist is our witness: ‘There shall
be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of
nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves,’
etc.3 Since, then, nothing in the earth, however small,
happens without a cause, it is certain that greater things do not come about without a
greater cause.⊗ I have taken care, therefore, narrating with such brevity as
I am able, to transmit to you holy men the great sign or, I should rather say, the many
and very great signs, which recently appeared in Galloway.