They also declared to him, what articles it should be good for him to propone vnto the pope, if he would haue him to continue in bearing the charges of the wars against Manfred. But when those articles were afterwards presented to the pope, he allowed them not, & so the matter remained without any certeine assurance of the promises, which had béene and still were from time to time made to set the king on dotage. The archbishop of Yorke had his crosse taken from him by the popes commandement, but the archbishop would not yet bow his knée vnto Baall, to bestow the benefices of his church vpon aliens, and such as were vnworthie persons, as it had béene to cast pearles vnto swine. ¶ There came from the pope as his Nuncio, vnto king Henrie, a frier minor named Mansuetus, furnished with great power and authoritie, in somuch that he tooke vpon him to absolue men for changing their vowes, and to iustifie those that were exc[=o]municated persons, false periured, and such like. Wherevpon, manie of euill disposition presumed to offend: for easinesse to purchase pardon bred boldnesse in manie, howbeit the wise séemed to laugh at such dooings. [Sidenote: The parlement proroged.] The parlement still continued, till the sundaie after the Ascension day, with hard hold betwixt the king and the lords, who laid it sore to his charge, that he had not performed the promises which he made touching the obseruing of the liberties conteined in the great charter. They also complained greatlie of his misgouernance, in that he so much aduanced the Poictouins and other strangers, to the impouerishment of himselfe, and the whole realme, and further, mainteined them so far foorth, that they were readie to offer wrong vnto other, vpon presumption of his favour and bearing with them, he hauing by commandement restreined that no processe should passe out of the chancerie against certeine of them that were his coosins, as the earle of Penbroke and others. Finallie, when the lords were in doubt which way to worke for their owne safeties, they caused the parlement to be proroged till the feast of saint Barnabe, then to begin againe at Oxford. In the meane time the lords of the realme, as the earles of Glocester, Leicester, Hereford and Northfolke, with other, did confederate themselues togither, bicause they stood in feare to be intrapped by the kings subtill sleights, and by the craftie wiles of those strangers whom he reteined against them. [Sidenote: A late growth.] [Sidenote: A dearth accompanied with a death.]