In this yeare the king held his Christmasse at Winchester, and after comming to Marlebridge, chanced there to fall sicke, so that he laie in despaire of life for certeine daies togither. In the meane time also came the daie appointed for the parlement to begin at Westminster, where the legat and other of the spiritualtie and temporaltie being assembled, the said Otho shewed the popes letters, and according to the tenour and purport of the same, was earnestlie in hand to haue the priests to grant the yearlie paiment of a certeine pension or tribute to the pope, towards the maintenance of his estate, which they generallie denied. When he saw that this bait would not take, he onelie demanded a tenth part of all their spirituall liuings for maintenance of the wars against the Saracens, which was easilie granted, as more reasonable than the first. [Sidenote: _Matt. Westm._] [Sidenote: _Matth. Paris._] [Sidenote: The cardinals request.] ¶ Here by diuerse credible writers of good credit, it should appeare, that the pope demanded to haue assigned vnto him out of euerie cathedrall church two prebends, one out of the portion belonging to the bishop, & an other out of the portion belonging to the deane and chapiter: and likewise of the abbeies, where there were seuerall portions, that is to saie, so much of the conuent as belonged to the finding of one moonke, and as much also of euerie abbats liuing as should counteruaile the same. The cardinall vsed iollie persuasions to induce the prelats to assent to this grant, alledging that the church of Rome was run in great slander for taking of monie in dispatch of suiters causes, which arose by meanes there was no maintenance of liuing sufficient for the churchmen there: and therefore he added, how it was the parts of naturall children to reléeue the necessitie of their louing mother, and that except the charitable deuotion of them and other good and well disposed persons were shortlie extended, they should want necessarie maintenance for the sustentation of their liues, which shuld be altogither an vnséemlie thing for the dignitie of the Romane church. [Sidenote: The answer of Iohn the archdeacon of Bedford.]