haxmonious and' unanimous consent of all and each of us has been, and, by the favour of God, will be unalterably for the future, that the before-mentioned lord our king shall in no respect answer judicially before you respecting his rights over the kingdom of Scotland, or any other of his temporal possessions. Nor shall he in any way submit to a trial of them, or bring his aforesaid rights in question, or send procurators or ambassadors for that purpose to your presence, especially as such demands tend manifestly to the stripping him of his hereditary rights belonging to the crown of the kingdom of England, and to his royal dignity ; and to the evident subversion of the constitution of the said kingdom, and to the prejudice of the liberties, customs, and native laws, to the observance and defence of which he and we are duly bound by the oath we have taken. And what we are now possessed of, we will, with the help of God, defend with all our might and all our power. Nor do we permit, nor will we in any way permit, as, indeed, we neither can nor ought, our lord the king to submit to the before-mentioned demands, being unusual, unjustifiable, prejudicial, and altogether unprecedented, nor would we permit it even if he were inclined himself to do so, or in the least to attempt it. " Wherefore, we reverently and humbly entreat your holiness kindly to permit our lord the king aforesaid, who shows himself a Catholic among all the other princes of the earth, and a devout son of the Roman church, peaceably to possess his rights, and liberties, and customs, and laws, aforesaid, without diminution or disquietude, and to allow those rights to remain undisturbed. In testimony of which, our seals are appended to these present letters, on behalf both of ourselves and of the whole commonalty of the above-mentioned kingdom of England. " Done and given at Lincoln, in the year of our lord thirteen hundred and one." CH. XXVI.—FBOM A.D. 1302 το A.D. 1304. Discontents in France—The king of France summons Edward to France, who declines compliance—Edward invades Scotland—Guienne is restored to England—Pope Boniface is imprisoned, and dies—The war with Scotland continues— Edward gains great victories—The siege of Stirling.