dismissing all of them from their employments, he appointed
commissioners to inquire into their conduct; and these men, in order to
gratify the king's humor, were sure not to find any person innocent who
came before them.[**] Sir John St. Paul, keeper of the privy seal,
Sir John Stonore, chief justice, Andrew Aubrey, mayor of London,
were displaced and imprisoned; as were also the bishop of Chichester,
chancellor, and the bishop of Lichfield, treasurer; Stratford,
archbishop of Canterbury, to whom the charge of collecting the new taxes
had been chiefly intrusted, fell likewise under the king's displeasure;
but being absent at the time of Edward's arrival, he escaped feeling the
immediate effects of it.

* Ypod. Neust. p. 513.

** Avesbury, p. 70, Heming p. 326. Walsing. p. 150.

There were strong reasons, which might discourage the kings of England,
in those ages, from bestowing the chief offices of the crown on prelates
and other ecclesiastical persons. These men had so intrenched themselves
in privileges and immunities, and so openly challenged an exemption from
all secular jurisdiction, that no civil penalty could be inflicted on
them for any malversation in office; and as even treason itself was
declared to be no canonical offence, nor was allowed to be a sufficient
reason for deprivation or other spiritual censures, that order of men
had insured to themselves an almost total impunity, and were not bound
by any political law or statute. But, on the other hand, there were
many peculiar causes which favored their promotion. Besides that they
possessed almost all the learning of the age, and were best qualified
for civil employments, the prelates enjoyed equal dignity with the
greatest barons, and gave weight by their personal authority, to the
powers intrusted with them; while, at the same time, they did not
endanger the crown by accumulating wealth or influence in their
families, and were restrained, by the decency of their character, from
that open rapine and violence so often practised by the nobles. These
motives had induced Edward, as well as many of his predecessors,
to intrust the chief departments of government in the hands of
ecclesiastics; at the hazard of seeing them disown his authority as soon
as it was turned against them.

{1341.} This was the case with Archbishop Stratford. That prelate,
informed of Edward's indignation against him prepared himself for the
storm; and not content with stan