having assembled the disciplined and greatest warriors in
England, such as were called the flower of the army of the
kingdom; those who were prepared with arms from among the
Londoners, were three hundred set before several thousands;
whence they were contemptible to those, [100] and were detested
by those who were experienced. Much of the earl’s army was
raw; fresh in arms, they knew little of war. The tender youth,
only now girt with a sword, stands in the morning in battle
accustoming himself to arms; what wonder if such an unpractised
tyro fear, and if the powerless lamb dread the wolf? Thus those
who fight for England are inferior in military discipline, and
they are much fewer than the strong men, who boasted in their own
valour, [110] because they thought safely, and without danger,
to swallow up, as it were, all whom the earl had to help him.
Moreover, of those whom the earl had brought to the battle, and
from whom he hoped for no little help, many soon withdrew from
fear, and took to flight as though they were amazed; and of three
parts, one deserted. The earl with a few faithful men never
yielded. We may compare our battle with that of Gideon; [120] in
both of which we see a few of the faithful conquer a great number
who have no faith, and who trust in themselves like Lucifer did.
God said, “If I should give the victory to the many, the fools
will not give the glory to me, but to fools.” So if God had made
the strong to conquer, the common people would have given the
credit of it to the men, and not to God.
From these considerations it may be concluded that the warlike
men did not fear God, wherefore they did nothing to prove their
constancy or fidelity, [130] but they showed on the contrary
their pride and cruelty; and wishing to confound those whom
they despised, issuing forth boldly, they perished quickly.
Exaltation of the heart brings on ruin, and humility merits to
receive the divine grace; for he who does not trust in God,
God overthrows his pride. We may bring forward as examples
Aman and Mardocheus; we read that the former was arrogant, the
latter a true Israelite; the gallows which Aman had prepared for
Mardocheus, [140] in the morning the wretch bore it himself in
order to be hanged upon it. The queen’s banquet blinded Aman,
which he reputed as an extraordinary privilege; but his vain
expectation is turned into confusion, when after the feast he is
dragged to the gallows. Thus sorrow followed close upon joy, when
it coupled death with the end of the feast. Very differently,
it happens, to the Israelite, whom, by God’s will, the king
honours. Golias is overthrown by the stroke of a little stone;
[150] nothing profits him whom God pursues. Add to the various
reasons already mentioned, that the stinking bawds collected
with them so many strumpets, amounting to seven hundred, which
they ought to have known to be fraudulent persons, disciples of
Satan to deceive men’s souls, and matches to set them on fire,
treacherous scissars to cut the hairs of Samson, inflicting the
stains of base action on the wretches who are not strong in
heart, [160] nor made firm by the grace of the divine gift, but
animals dedicated to the lust of the flesh, by the uncleanness
of which, reduced to the level of brutes, they ought not to
be worthy of victory, who grovelled in the foul luxury of the
flesh; they diminish their strength in the stews which they had
made, therefore they were unworthy of the attributes of knights.
A knight is girt on the thigh with a sword, that it may not be
ungirt, and that vile deeds should be eschewed; the body of a new
knight is accustomed to be bathed, [170] in order that he may
learn to be clean from unlawful deeds. They who had newly married
lawful wives, were not fit for the Lord’s warfare, as the battle
of Gideon witnesseth, much less those whom the furnace of luxury
hath injured with its fire. Why then should God help adulterers,
and not rather strengthen clean children? Let them be clean who
desire to conquer in fighting; they who vanquish their faults are
in the way to triumph; first let them conquer their vices, [180]
who wish with justice to have the victory over sinners. If the
just man seems sometimes to be vanquished by the impious man, on
the contrary he should be reputed the conqueror; for neither can
the just man be vanquished, nor the unjust man conquer while he
is the enemy of the law.
Listen to the equity of Earl Simon: when the royal party would
be satisfied only with his head and his life, nor would allow
his head to be redeemed, but would have it cut off, by whose
confusion they hoped the body of the people should be confounded,
[190] and the greatest part of the state brought into danger,
so that the most grievous ruin would immediately follow;--may
it be very long before this happen!--Stephen, by divine grace,
bishop of Chichester, groaning deeply for the immense evils which
were then impending, (without exaggeration,) the two parties
being persuaded to treat of a peace, received this answer from
the Earl: “Choose the best men, who have a lively faith, [200]
who have read the decretals, or who have taught, in a becoming
manner, theology and sacred wisdom, and who know how to rule the
Christian faith, whatever they may resolve by sound doctrine, or
whatever they may have the courage to decree, they shall find us
ready to agree to what they shall dictate, in such a manner as
that we may escape the stigma of perjury, and keep the league as
children of God.” Hence it may easily be understood by those who
swear, and show little reluctance to despise what they swear,
receding quickly from it although they swear to what is right,
[210] and not rendering whole what they have promised to God,
with how much care they ought to keep their oath, when they see
a man neither avoiding torment nor death on account of his oath,
which was made not inconsiderately, but for the reformation of
the fallen state of the English nation, which the fraud of an
inveterate enemy had violated. Behold Simon, obedient, despises
the loss of property, submitting himself to punishment, rather
than desert the truth, proclaiming to all men openly by his deeds
more than by his words, [220] that truth has nothing in common
with falsehood. Woe to the perjured wretches who fear not God!
denying him for the prospect of an earthly reward, or for fear of
imprisonment or light punishment; the new leader of the journey
teaches to bear all that the world may inflict on account of
truth, for it is this which can give perfect liberty. For the
Earl had first pledged his oath that whatever the zeal of the
wise had provided for the reformation of the King’s honour, [230]
and for the repression of wandering error, at Oxford, he would
steadfastly keep it, and would not change the law then ordained,
knowing that such canonical constitutions, and such catholic
ordinances for the pacific conservation of the kingdom, on
account of which he had before sustained no slight persecution,
were not to be despised; and because he had sworn to hold them
firmly, unless the most perfect doctors of the faith should say,
[240] that the jurators might be absolved, who had before taken
such oath, and that no further account was to be made of what
they had sworn. Which, when the said bishop recited to the king,
and perhaps the artificer of fraud was standing by, the voice of
the crowd of arrogant courtiers was raised high, “See now the
soldier is to give way to the sayings of clerks! The military
order subjected to clerks is debased!” Thus the wisdom of the
Earl was despised; and Edward is said to have answered thus:
[250] “They shall have no peace unless they all put halters about
their necks, and deliver themselves up to us to be hanged, or
to be drawn.” What wonder if the Earl’s heart was then moved,
when nothing but the pain of the stake was prepared for him? He
offered what he ought to do, but he was not listened to; the king
rejected measure, forgetting what was good for him. But, as the
event of the matter next day taught him, the measure which he
then refused, afterwards was not to be had. In the evening was
derided the Earl’s devotion, [260] the shock of which, next day,
was found to be victorious. This stone, long rejected from the
doorway, was afterwards fitted to the two walls. The division
of England was on the verge of desolation, but the corner-stone
was there as a help to the division, the truly singular religion
of Simon. The faith and fidelity of Simon alone becomes the
security of the peace of all England; he humbles the rebellious,
raises those who were in despair, [270] reconciling the kingdom,
repressing the proud. And how does he repress them? certainly not
by praising them; but he presses out the red juice in the hard
conflict; for truth obliges him to fight, or to desert the truth,
and prudently he chooses rather to devote his right hand to the
truth, and by the rough way, which is joined to probity, by the
harder and shorter way which is unpleasant to the proud, to
obtain the reward which is given to those who use force, than to
displease God by shrinking, [280] and to promote the designs of
bad men by flight. For some men had studied to erase the name of
the English, whom they had already begun to regard with hatred,
against whom God opposed a medicine, since he did not desire
their sudden ruin.
Hence let the English learn to call in strangers, if they wish to
be exiled by strangers. For these when they wish to enlarge their
own glory, and wish their own memory to stand always, study to
associate with themselves very many of their own nation, [290]
and by degrees to make them the principal nobles; and thus grows
the confusion of the natives, with indignation and bitterness of
heart, when the chief men of the kingdom feel themselves to be
beaten down by those who make themselves their equals, taking
from them the things which ought to appertain to them, growing by
the things by which they used to grow. The King ought to honour
with escheats and wards his own people, who can help him in
various ways, who, by as much as they are more powerful by their
own strength, [300] are so much the more secure in all cases.
But those who have brought nothing, if they are enriched by his
goods, if they are made great who were of no account, such men,
when they begin to grow, always go on climbing till they have
supplanted the natives; they study to avert the prince’s heart
from his own people, that they may strip of glory those whose
ruin they are seeking. And who could bear such things patiently?
Therefore let England learn prudently to have a care, lest such a
perplexity should happen any more, [310] lest such an adversity
should fall upon the English. The Earl studied to obviate this,
because it had gained too much head, like a great sea, that could
not be dried by a small effort, but must be forded by a great
assistance from God. Let strangers come to return quickly, like
men of a moment, but not to remain. One of the two hands aids
the other, neither of them bearing more really the grace which
belongs to both; let it help, and not injure, by retaining its
place. [320] Each thing would avail its own possessor if they
come so; the Frenchman by doing good to the Englishman, and not
seducing by a flattering face, nor the one withdrawing the goods
of the other; but rather by sustaining his own portion of the
burden. If his own interest had moved the Earl, he would neither
have had any other zeal, nor would he have sought with all his
power for the reformation of the kingdom, but he would have aimed
at power, he would have sought his own promotion only, and made
his first object the promotion of his friends, [330] and would
have aimed at enriching his children, and would have neglected
the weal of the community, and would have covered the poison
of falsehood with the cloak of duplicity, and would thus have
deserted the faith of Christianity, and would have subjected
himself to the retribution of fearful punishment, nor would he
have escaped the weight of the tempest, And who can believe that
he would give himself to death, that he would sacrifice his
friends, in order that he might thus raise himself high? If those
who hunt after honour cover their object cunningly; [340] always
meditating at the same time how they may avoid death; none love
more the present life, none choose more eagerly a position devoid
of danger. They who thirst after honours dissimulate their aim,
they make themselves cautiously the reputation which they seek.
Not so the venerable Simon de Montfort, who, like Christ, offers
himself a sacrifice for many; Isaac does not die, although he
is ready for death; it is the ram which is given to death, and
Isaac receives honour. Neither fraud nor falsehood promoted the
Earl, [350] but the Divine grace which knew those whom it would
help. If you consider the time and the place of the conflict, you
will find that they promised him a defeat rather than victory;
but God provided that he should not succumb. He does not take
them on a sudden by creeping stealthily by night; but he fights
openly when day is come. So also the place was favourable to
his enemies, that thus it might appear plainly to all to be the
gift of God, that victory departed from him who put his trust
in himself. [360] Hence let the military order, which praises
the practice of the tournament, that so it may be made expert at
fighting, learn how the party of the strong and skilful was here
bruised by the arms of those who were feeble and unpractised:
that he may confound the strong, God promotes the weak, comforts
the feeble, lays prostrate the firm. Thus let no one now presume
to trust in himself; but if he know how to place his hope in
God, he may take up arms with constancy, nothing doubting, [370]
since God is a help for those who are on the side of justice.
Thus it was right that God should help the Earl, for without God
he could not overcome the enemy. Of whom should I call him the
enemy?--of the Earl alone? or should I recognise him as the enemy
of the English and of the whole kingdom?--perhaps also of the
Church, and therefore of God? And if so, how much grace ought he
to have? He failed to deserve grace who trusted in himself, and
he did not merit to be helped who did not fear God. Thus falls
the boast of personal valour, [380] and so for evermore praised
be the Lord God of vengeance! who gives aid to those who are
destitute of force, to a few against many, crushing fools by the
valour of the faithful; who sits on a throne in heaven above,
and by his own strength treads upon the necks of the proud,
bowing the great under the feet of the less. He has subdued
two kings and the heirs of kings, whom he has made captives,
because they were transgressors of the laws; and he has turned
to shame the pomp of knighthood with its numerous retinue; [390]
for the barons employed on the sons of pride the arms, which,
in their zeal for justice, they had taken up in the cause of
the kingdom, until victory was given them from heaven, with a
great glory that was not expected. For the bow of the strong was
then overcome, and the troop of the weak was established with
strength; and we have said that it was done by heaven, lest any
one should boast of it; let all the honour, on the contrary, be
given to Christ, in whom we believe! For Christ at once commands,
conquers, reigns! [400] Christ delivers his own, to whom he has
given his promise. We pray God to grant that the minds of the
conquerors may not attribute their success to themselves, and let
what Paul says be observed by them, “He who would be joyful, let
him be joyful in God.” If any one of us indulge in vain glory,
may God be indulgent to him, and not angry! and may he make our
party cautious in future; lest deeds be wanting, may they make
themselves a wall! May the power of the Almighty perfect what it
has begun, [410] and restore to its vigour the kingdom of the
English people! that glory may be to himself, and peace to his
elect, until they be in the country where he shall lead them.
O Englishmen! read this concerning the battle of Lewes! by the
influence of which you are saved from destruction: for if victory
had gone over to those who are now vanquished, the memory of the
English would have lain in disgrace.
To whom shall the noble Edward be compared? Perhaps he will be
rightly called a leopard. If we divide the name, it becomes a
lion and a pard:--[420] a lion, for we have seen that he was not
slow to meet the strongest; fearing the attack of none; making
a charge in the thick of the battle with the most unflinching
bravery, and as though at his will, and wherever he went, as
if, like Alexander, he would soon subdue the whole world, if
the mutable wheel of Fortune would but stand still; in which,
although he stand at the top, let him know that his fall is near
at hand, and that he who reigns like a lord will not reign long.
Which, in fact, has happened to the noble Edward, [430] who has
manifestly fallen from his unstable position. He is a lion by his
pride and by his ferocity; by his inconstancy and changeableness
he is a pard, not holding steadily his word or his promise, and
excusing himself with fair words. When he is in a difficulty, he
promises just what you will; but as soon as he has escaped the
danger, he forgets his promise. Witness Gloucester, where, as
soon as he was out of the difficulty, he revoked immediately what
he had sworn. The treachery or falseness by which he gains his
ends [440] he calls prudence; the way by which he arrives at his
object, be it ever so crooked, is reputed to be straight; when
wrong serves his purpose, it is called right; he calls lawful
whatever he wills, and thinks himself absolved from the law,
as though he were greater than a king: for every king is ruled
by the laws which he enacts. King Saul was deposed, because he
brake the laws; and we read that David was punished, as soon as
he did contrary to the law; hence, therefore, let him who reads
know, that he cannot reign who does not keep the law; [450]
nor ought they, whose province it is to do so, to elect such a
man for their king. O Edward! thou desirest to be made a king
without law; they would be truly miserable who were ruled by
such a king! For what is more just than law, by which all things
are ruled? and what more true than justice, by which all things
are administered? If thou wouldest have a kingdom, reverence the
laws; they are but rough roads, which are opposed to law, rough
and crooked roads which will not lead thee to thy journey’s end;
but if thou keepest the laws, they shine like a lamp. Therefore
avoid and detest treachery; [460] labour after truth and hate
falsehood. Although treachery may flourish, it cannot bear fruit;
the Psalm may teach thee this; God says to the faithful of the
earth, “They are my eyes, and it is my will that they shall sit
with me at the end of time.” Observe how little thou hast gained
by thy treachery at Northampton; the heat of deceit does not warm
like fire. If you will compare treachery to fire, feed studiously
such fire with straw, which ceases to glow as soon as it is burnt
up, [470] and is consumed almost as soon as kindled. So passeth
away vanity which hath no roots; rooted truth is not subject to
vicissitudes: therefore let that alone be permitted thee which is
lawful, and let not what the double man shall say please thee.
A prince shall project things which are worthy of a prince:
therefore take the law under thy protection, which will make thee
worthy to govern many, worthy of the principality, of the aid of
many, and of a numerous retinue. And why lovest thou not those
of whom thou desirest to be king? [480] Thou choosest not to
profit them, but only to govern. He who seeks only his own glory,
everything that he governs is ruined by his pride. Thus recently
the whole which thou governest has been ruined; the glory which
alone thou soughtest is past.
Lo! we are touching the root of the perturbation of the kingdom
of which we are speaking, and of the dissension of the parties
who fought the said battle. The objects at which these two
parties aimed were different. The king, with his, wished thus
to be free: [490] and so [it was urged on his side] he ought
to be; and he must cease to be king, deprived of the rights of
a king, unless he could do whatever he pleased; it was no part
of the duty of the magnates of the kingdom to determine whom he
should prefer to his earldoms, or on whom he should confer the
custody of castles, or whom he would have to administer justice
to the people, and to be chancellor and treasurer of the kingdom.
He would have every one at his own will, and counsellors from
whatever nation he chose, [500] and all ministers at his own
discretion; while the barons of England are not to interfere with
the king’s actions, the command of the prince having the force
of law, and what he may dictate binding upon every body at his
pleasure. For every earl also is thus his own master, giving to
every one of his own men both as much as he will, and to whom he
will; he commits castles, lands, revenues, to whom he will; and
although he be a subject, the king permits it all. Which, if he
do well, is profitable to the doer; [510] if not, he must himself
see to it; the king will not hinder him from injuring himself.
Why is the prince worse in condition, when the affairs of the
baron, the knight, and the freeman, are thus managed? Therefore
they aim at making the king a slave, who wish to diminish his
power, to take away his dignity of prince; they wish by sedition
to reduce captive into guardianship and subjection the royal
power, and to disinherit the king, [520] that he shall be unable
to reign so fully as hitherto have done the kings who preceded
him, who were in no respect subjected to their people, but
administered their own affairs at their will, and conferred what
they had to confer according to their own pleasure. This is the
King’s argument, which has an appearance of fairness, and this is
alleged in defence of the right of the kingdom.
But now let my pen turn to the other side:--let me describe the
object at which the barons aim; and when both sides have been
heard, let the arguments be compared, [530] and then let us
come to a final judgment, so that it may be clear which side is
the truest. The people is more prone to obey the truer party.
Let therefore the party of the barons speak for itself, and
proclaim in order by what zeal it is led. Which party in the
first place protests openly, that it has no designs against the
kingly honour; nay, it seeks the contrary, and studies to reform
and magnify the kingly condition; just as if the kingdom were
ravaged by enemies, [540] then it would not be reformed without
the barons, who would be the capable and proper persons for this
purpose; and should any one then hang back, the law would punish
him as one guilty of perjury, a traitor to the king, who owes
to his lord, when he is in danger, all the aid he can give to
support the king’s honour, when the kingdom is as it were nigh
its end by devastation.