DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14721#0041
antiquities of england.
21
PLATE XL
JOHN,
In his robes of state, receiving a cup (supposed to contain poison) from a
monk. Under him is this writing :
Apres Richard, regna Jon sun frere ; en ky tens Engleter fust entredyt vi aunz, e iii quarters,
e i moys, par la Pape Innocent, pur mestre Esteven de Langton, ke le Roy ne vout receyvere a
Erceveke de Kaunterbyrs. Si estoyt dunke le grant guere entre ly e les Barons norrays : dunt veent
Sir Lowys, fiz le Roy Phylippe de Fraunce, en Engletere. Le Roy Jon regna xvii aunz e demy, puis
veent a Swyneshevede, e fust empoysone par une frere de la meson, si come fa dit; e le Roy morut a
Neuwerke, e sun cors fust enterre a Wyrcest.
"After Richard, reigned John his brother ; in whose time England was excommunicated [the
space of] six years, three quarters, and one month, by Pope Innocent, in the cause of master Stephen
Langton, whom the king would not receive as archbishop of Canterbury. Then was the great war
between him [the king] and the barons : then also came Sir Lewis, the son of Philip king of France,
into England.—-King John reigned seventeen years and a half, when coming to Swinshed, he was
poisoned by a brother of that house, as it was reported ; and the King died at Newark, and his body
was buried at Worcester."
Thus far our French author, who wrote in the reign of Edward the First:
and at that time we find the story of the poisoning of king John was believed indeed,
but only confirmed by popular report. However, the story itself is set down more
at large in Grafton (copied from Caxton's book intituled Fructus Temporum, and
the Polvchronicon") as follows :
" In the self-same yere [viz. 1216] king John came to Swinestede abbey, not
farre from Lyncolne; he rested there two dayes, where he was most trayterously
poysoned by a monke of the same abbey, being of the order of St. Barnard, called
Simon Swynested. This monke hearyng the king upon an occasion to talke of
breade, and say, that if he lived a yere longer he would make that lofe of breade,
beyng then of the value of one halfepeny, woorth twelve pence ; meayning that he
woulde so persecute his rebellious people, that he would not leave one of them to
be the owner of a plough. The monke hearyng the king thus speake, conceived a
21
PLATE XL
JOHN,
In his robes of state, receiving a cup (supposed to contain poison) from a
monk. Under him is this writing :
Apres Richard, regna Jon sun frere ; en ky tens Engleter fust entredyt vi aunz, e iii quarters,
e i moys, par la Pape Innocent, pur mestre Esteven de Langton, ke le Roy ne vout receyvere a
Erceveke de Kaunterbyrs. Si estoyt dunke le grant guere entre ly e les Barons norrays : dunt veent
Sir Lowys, fiz le Roy Phylippe de Fraunce, en Engletere. Le Roy Jon regna xvii aunz e demy, puis
veent a Swyneshevede, e fust empoysone par une frere de la meson, si come fa dit; e le Roy morut a
Neuwerke, e sun cors fust enterre a Wyrcest.
"After Richard, reigned John his brother ; in whose time England was excommunicated [the
space of] six years, three quarters, and one month, by Pope Innocent, in the cause of master Stephen
Langton, whom the king would not receive as archbishop of Canterbury. Then was the great war
between him [the king] and the barons : then also came Sir Lewis, the son of Philip king of France,
into England.—-King John reigned seventeen years and a half, when coming to Swinshed, he was
poisoned by a brother of that house, as it was reported ; and the King died at Newark, and his body
was buried at Worcester."
Thus far our French author, who wrote in the reign of Edward the First:
and at that time we find the story of the poisoning of king John was believed indeed,
but only confirmed by popular report. However, the story itself is set down more
at large in Grafton (copied from Caxton's book intituled Fructus Temporum, and
the Polvchronicon") as follows :
" In the self-same yere [viz. 1216] king John came to Swinestede abbey, not
farre from Lyncolne; he rested there two dayes, where he was most trayterously
poysoned by a monke of the same abbey, being of the order of St. Barnard, called
Simon Swynested. This monke hearyng the king upon an occasion to talke of
breade, and say, that if he lived a yere longer he would make that lofe of breade,
beyng then of the value of one halfepeny, woorth twelve pence ; meayning that he
woulde so persecute his rebellious people, that he would not leave one of them to
be the owner of a plough. The monke hearyng the king thus speake, conceived a