[Sidenote: _Matt. Paris._] "Most holie father, I doo here come for succour to your audience, lamenting that the state of the church, and the liberties thereof are brought to ruine by the couetous dealing of kings and princes. Wherefore when I thought to resist the disease approching, I was suddenlie called before the king, to render accompts as a laie man about certeine wards, for whom (while I was the kings chancellor) I had notwithstanding giuen accounts; and also, when I was made bishop, and entred into the dignitie of ruling the archbishops sée, I was released and discharged of all reckonings and bonds by the kings eldest sonne, and by the cheefe iusticer of the realme: so that now, where I looked to haue found aid, I was destitute thereof, to my great hinderance and vexation. Consider furthermore (I praie you) how my lords and brethren the bishops are readie at the pleasure of the Noble men of the court to giue sentence against me, so that all men being about to run vpon me, I was almost oppressed: and therfore am now come as it were to take breath in the audience of your clemencie, which dooth not forsake your children in their extreme necessitie, before whom I here stand, readie to declare and testifie that I am not to be iudged there, nor yet at all by them. For what other thing should that be, but to plucke awaie the right of the church? What else then to submit spirituall things to temporall? This example therefore once sproong vp, might giue an occasion to manie enormities to follow. The bishops doo say, 'Those things that are Cesars, ought to be restored to Cesar.' But admit that in manie things the king is to be obeied, is he therefore to be obeied in things wherein he is no king? For those belong not to Cesar, but to a tyrant. Wherein if for my sake they would not, yet ought the bishops for their owne sakes to haue resisted him. For what should be the cause of such deadlie and vnnaturall hatred, that to destroie me, they should destroie themselues? Therefore whilest for temporall things they neglect spirituall, they faile in both. Weigh then most holie father, my fleeing awaie, and my persecution, and how for your sake I haue beene prouoked with iniuries, vse your rigour, constraine them to amendement, through whose motion this hath chanced; let them not be borne out by the king, who is rather the obstinate minister, than the finder out of this practise."