340 BOG EI! OF WENDOVER. [A. D . 1C1Ô. The excommunication of the tarons of England in cenerai. At this time pape Innocent, seeing the rebelliousness of the barons of •Kngland in not desisting from their persecution of the king, excommunicated them, and entrusted the fulfilment of this sentence lo the bishop of Winchester, the abbat of ({eading, and to l'andulph subdeaeon of the church of Home, in the following letter: " Innocent, bishop, &c, to P. bishop of Winchester, the abbat of Heading, and Master l'andulph subdeaeon of the church of Home, health and the apostolic benediction.—We are very much astonished and annoyed that, although our well-beloved son in Christ, John the illustrious king of Kngland, gave satisfaction beyond what we expected to God and the church, and especially to our brother the archbishop of Canterbury and his bishops, some of these showing no due re.-pect, if any, to the business of the holy cross, the mandate of the apostolic see, and their oath of fealty, have not rendered assistance or shown goodwill to the said king against the disturbers of the kingdom, which, by right of dominion belongs to the church of Home, as i f they were cognizant of, not to say associates in, this wicked conspiracy ; for he is not free from the taint of participation who fails to oppose transgressors. How do these aforesaid prelates defend the inheritance of the church of Home? bow do they protect those bearing the cross? yea. how do they oppose themselves to those who endeavour to ruin the service of Christ ? These men arc undoubtedly worse than Saracens, since they endeavour to expel from his kingdom him who it was rather to be hoped would afford assistance to the Holy Land. Therefore that the insolence of such men may not prevail, not only to the danger of the kingdom of Kngland but also to the ruin of other kingdoms, and, above all, to the subversion of all the matters of Christ, we, on behalf of the omnipotent God the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and by the authority of the apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, lay the fetters of excommunication on all these disturbers of the king and kingdom of Kngland, as well as on all accomplices and abettors of theirs, and place their possessions under the ecclesiastical interdict ; and we most strictly order the archbishop aforesaid and his fellow bishops, by virtue of their obedience, solemnly to proclaim this our sentence throughout