fully on some important business of the kingdom, as necessity urgently required. For the pope, because of the indignation which he had conceived against the king and all the nobles òf the kingdom, was devising all kinds of arguments for stretching out his hand so as to inflict daily grievances on them, and to extort money from them, and was -adding to the weight of his oppression every day. For the anger of the pope was swelling and furious against the miserable English, because they had dared to complain before the council of the oppressions and injuries which were daily inflicted on them. And, indeed, injuries were uninterruptedly multiplied in the kingdom ; and in the pope's, sight, that is to say in his court, the English were made of less account than any other citizens of even the most significant nations. On which account he is reported to have said, "It is desirable that we should put that king of England on a level with the prince (meaning Frederic), so as to crush him, since he is our vassal, and is now resisting us.9' Moreover, because the aforesaid king had obtained a privilege so that no legate can enter hie kingdom except at his own request, he sent some sophistical and disguised legates, having great power, to extort revenues and money, and in all respects more rapacious than ordinary legates, though they had not the insignia of legates, being at one time secular clergy, at another time Preaching Brothers,1 and at another Minors, of whom the pope made bedels and tax-gatherers, to the injury and disparagement of their order and profession, since they had promised under a vow to God to endure voluntary poverty and humiliation. On which account many of them who had clear consciences, sighed in their hearts, and grieved, saying, " Alas ! how soon, through the envy of the devil, does our order learn folly. For a thousand years the order of Saint Benedict has not received so much injury." Also the lord the pope stretched out his hand to carry out further acts of extortion, such, for instance, as embracing in the bosom of his avarice all the property of those who died without wills, not without great injustice and loss to the princes ; and he seized them even if a man being sick, and not able or willing to speak, by reason of his weakness, deputed some one to made a will for him ; and this injustice is said to contravene the laws. Besides this, a thing which was 1 The Preaching Brothers were the Dominicans.