I, John, by the grace of God, King of England, and Lord of Ireland, from this hour forth will be faithful to God and St. Peter, and the Roman Church and my lord pope Innocent and his successors, who are ordained in a Catholic manner. I shall not bring it about by deed, word, consent or counsel, that they lose life or members or be taken captive. I will impede their being harmed, if I know of it, and will cause harm to be removed from them if I shall be able: otherwise, as quickly as I can I will intimate it or tell of it to such person as I believe for certain will inform them. Any counsel which they entrust to me through themselves or through their envoys or through their latters, I will keep secret, nor will I knowingly disclose it to any one to their harm. I will aid to the best of my ability in holding and defending against all men the patrimony of St. Peter, and especially the kingdom of England and the kingdom of Ireland. So may God and these Holy Gospels aid me. SUMMONS TO A COUNCIL AT OXFORD, 1213. +Source.+--_Report on the dignity of a Peer_, p. 2. The King to the Sheriff of Oxford greeting. We charge thee to see that all the fighting men of thy bailliwick, who have been summoned, should come to us at Oxford with their arms for fifteen days from All Saints' Day: in like manner the barons, but without their arms: and see that four discreet men from thy county come to that same place for the same length of time to talk with us about the affairs of our realm. Given under my own hand. MAGNA CHARTA, 1215. +Source.+--_Historical Documents of the Middle Ages._ Henderson. Bohn's Libraries. G. Bell & Sons. John, by the grace of God King of England, lord of Ireland, duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, count of Anjou: to the archbishops, bishops, abbots, earls, barons, justices, foresters, sheriffs, prevosts, serving men, and to all his bailiffs and faithful subjects, greeting. Know that we, by the will of God and for the safety of our soul, and of the souls of all our predecessors and our heirs, to the honour of God and for the exalting of the holy church and the bettering of our realm.... 1. First of all have granted to God, and, for us and for our heirs forever, have confirmed, by this our present charter that the English Church shall be free and shall have its rights intact and its liberties uninfringed. And thus we will that it be observed.