The mondaie before the Rogation wéeke, Richard the kings brother earle of Cornewall, returned from the court of Rome, where he had béene about certeine businesse unknown to most men: but whatsoeuer the same was, the pope gaue him most courteous and honorable interteinement for his welcome, and made him great cheare during his abode at Lions, where the popes court as then laie. ¶ About this season, the K. to rid himselfe out of debt, wherein he was indangered to certeine merchants, lessened the charges of his houshold, and kept but a meane port, diminishing euen the accustomed almesse of the poore, and also the great number of tapers and lights in his chappell, so that he was noted with the blame of too much niggardlie sparing and pinching: but in that he discharged his debt to the merchants, he was thought to doo wiselie and charitablie, for that he would not sée them hindered to whom he was so indebted; besides the opinion that he had concerning himselfe, namelie that Profectum faciunt rarum quos debita stringunt. [Sidenote: The Iewes constreined to helpe the king with monie.] [Sidenote: _Matth. Paris._] [Sidenote: A generall chapter of ye friers preachers.] About the same time also, he caused the Iewes to giue vnto him a great portion of their goods, so that they were greatlie impouerished. There was one of them named Aaron borne in Yorke, the which since the kings last returne out of Gascoigne, had paied to the king the summe of thirtie thousand markes, ouer and besides two hundred marks which he had giuen to the quéene, as the same Aaron protested to Matthew Paris, vpon his faith and truth which he bare to his law. In the Whitsunwéeke was a generall chapter holden of the friers preachers at London in Holborne, where out of sundrie parts of the world were assembled aboue foure hundred of them, and they had meat and drinke found them of almesse, bicause they possessed nothing of their owne. On the first daie the king came into their chapter, that he might be partaker of their praiers, and found them meat and drinke that day, and dined there with them, to doo them the more honour. Another day the quéene likewise fed them, and afterwards the bishop of London, the abbats of Westminster, S. Albon, and Waltham, with others. [Sidenote: _Matth. Paris._] [Sidenote: Strife betwixt the L[=o]doners and the abbat of Westminster.] [Sidenote: William de Kilkennie kéeper of the great seale.]