From: Alexx@world.std.com
Message-Id: <199310290130.AA16188@world.std.com>
Subject: Nifty Medieval Indulgence
To: carolingia@world.std.com
Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1993 21:30:05 -0400 (EDT)
Cc: justin@inmet.camb.inmet.com (Mark Waks),
        sumner@acs.bu.edu (Charles Sumner), jcross@world.std.com (Jay Cross),
        chron@world.std.com (Carolingian Miniscule),
        rick@sug.org (Richard Gilbert)
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This is a transcript of a nifty document I found while prowling
through the Early English Books on microfilm collection.  Does any one
know more of the story that this involves?  What eventually happened
to Isabet lascarina, and did she get her children back?  Failing that,
can anyone help me pin down a date for this?  It's clearly in the
realm of Henry VIII, but I'd appreciate if it could be narrowed down
more by internal evidence.

[Edges of page obscured]
<B>
         vertue of holy obedyence ope[.....]
         late tyme happenyd and fortunyd in the partyes and countre
           of Grece in the which partyes and coutres 
         by force and great strength and myghty multytude of false
           myscreaunts Turkes Ennemyes of our ho-
         ly fayth Catholyke and principally that by great power dyd
           Inhabyte & occupye aaynst right a mygh-
         ty stronge Castell callyd the Castell anaryne of the Diocs
           of motonence of Right belongyng to a noble
         and true Christen Lady callyd lady Isabet lascarina comynge 
           and dfeendynge of the noble blode of Co_
[..n]obyll Lady and true inheretoure of the sayde Castell & by great
 power and violence of the sayd myscreaunts violently
[..d] and put out and the husbond and Lorde of the sayde lady in
 mayntaynynge the fayth lyke a noble true and faythful
[...] of Criste was there slayne with a multytude and nomber of
 cristen people most cruelly. And the sayd myscreau_ts and
[..t]s not beynge content with the great murther nor with usurpyng
 and spoylyng of me_nys goodes but alway pseuering
[theyr] great and outregyous Tyrannye deuouryd spoyled and rauysshed
 many & dyuerse christe_ virgyns and Maydens
[took]e a way with them bothe children and virgyns there lefte a
 lyue /& in especiall after that they had most tyrauntly mur-
[derd ]and slayne the lorde husbonde & knyght of the sayd cristen & 
 noble Lady Isabet lascarina and spoyled the sayde lady of
[hir g]oods and treasures and violently toke hir by strength with
 them and hir .iiii. children/that is to saye .ii. sonnes and .ii.
[daught]ers she beyng with childe and inprysoned them most cruelly /&
 put the sayd lady with hir children to great Raunsome
[..s]ute that is to say to the Su_me of a Thousande & .iii. hundreth
 Ducats. And the sayd Lady was let out of Pryson to
[..r/c]e and gather togyder the sayde Raunsome and she hath lefte hir
 sayde .iiii. children there in pryson for pleage vnto the
[...]esayd su_me of money be payde the whiche is inpossyble to hir
 for to pay without helpe of god/and good cristen people
[She ]hath lost all hir moueable goodes hir Castellis herytages londs
 and possessions and hath no more recomforte but only
[...]d in good cristen people. Wherfore our sayd holy fader dewely
 informyd of this pyteous thyngs aforesayd and confyde
[nt ]that the Turke dothe enforce hymselfe from daye to daye to
 destroye and confounde Cristendome/and utterly to set at
[...]t & put out of memorye the name of our lorde Ihesu criste. And
 also consyderinge the great doloure & marterdome that
[they su]ffer and dayly endure Impossyble for any erthly creatur to
 endure without pyteous deth. Our holy fader y Pope con
[syderyng]ge the premysses hath openyd the treasoure of our moder
 holy Chirche that is the meryts of the passyon of oure lorde
[Ihesu ]criste and hath gyuen and graunted to all them/ that of their
 charitie gyueth of their goods after their faculte or power
[.. he]lpe or socoure the sayd lady and hir children as often and as
 many tymes as they so do/ they shall obtayne and receyue
[.. y]eres and .v. lentis of pardon and Indulgence of penau_ce to
 them inioyned as more openly apperyth in y bull origynall.
 
[Als]o our sayd holy Fader the pope of his most habundant and
 gracious mynde hath gyuen in co_maundment and by the
[B]ull origynall straytly co_mau_deth all Archebyssoppes
 bysshoppis/Abbottis pryoures/and prelats of the Chirche with all
[y ]vicaris and curatis of what degre someuer they be within the
 Realm of Englo_de that vnder payne of suspencion [they]
[ea]ch of them publych or cause to be publisshyd the said Bul & the
 effect of y same as often & as many tymes as they or any
[ma]n shalbe resonably by the sayde Lady Isabet lascarina or by any
 of hir procuratours requyred & desyred in this behalfe
[And m]oreouer our souerayne lord kynge Harry the .viii. By the grace
 of god kynge of Englonde and of Fraunce and lorde of
[the la]nde aforesayd wylleth as it apperyth by his co_mau_deme_t
 vnder his moost gracious letters the sayd gracis pdons & In-
[dulge]nces to be publysshed thorowe out this his Realme of Englonde
 and that the almes & deuocions of the good cristen peo-
[ple be] gaderid for to gyue vnto the sayd pore Lady or hir
 procuratours that shall gader in hir name for to helpe & pay the
 fore
[sayd ]Raunsome & for to helpe our cristen brether the whiche endurith
 so moche payne and mysery where as they be detayned &
[in cap]tyuyte at this present tyme & hath ben taken for constancye
 abydynge in the fayth and susteynyng the same of our lord
[Ihesu ] criste our sauyour and redemer.~~~~~
[Al]so the most reuerende Fader in god my lord Archebysshop of
 Caunterbery Legat & prymate of Englond hath ouersene
[comy]tted and approbate the sayd wrytyng and Bull of our holy fader
 the Pope. And hath gyuen and graunted by wrytyng
[vnde] his Seall to all the sayde helpers for euery tyme .xl. dayes
 of pardon. And hath co_maunded euery persone & curate with
[in his ]prouynce to declare the sayd indulgence in theyr Chirches.
 And fauorably to suffer the said Isabet or hir proctour to ga
[der a]nd receyue the Almes of the cristen people.
[Als]o the bisshop of saint Dauis hath gyuen & graunted .xl. dayes of
 pdon.
[Als]o other certayne Cardinallis patriarks & holy faders tenderly
 considering the p_myssis & tyranny & worougs don/to the
[L]ady & hir children agaynst the cristen faith of their good &
 gracious mynde hath Inlarged the grau_ts of our holy fader
[the P]ope & hath gyuen for y redempcion of the said lady & hir
 children to all faithfull people that of their charitie doth socoure
[or hel]pe to warde their redempcion or captiuite certayne pardon and
 indulgence as often tymes as they gyue any thing ther
[to as ]here after foloweth~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
[Fir]ste Sebastian Gylbart dcotour of lawe to y reret fader in god
 Bisshop ypolite cardinall of Rome chaunceler .xl. dayes
[par]don of penaunce Inioyned
[Id]em Michaell Acchebisshp & prymate of Acquetayne .xl. dayes of
 pardon for penaunce inioyned.
[Id]em Jamys archebisshop of Lyons .xl. dayes of pardon for penaunce
 inioyned.
[Id]em George Arrhebisshop of kothenage .xl. dayes of pardon for
 penaunce Inioyned.
[Id]em the order Fryer Augustyn prayeth dayly for them that socour
 or helpe hir and hir children and gyueth any almysse
[towar]de the redempcion.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
[Id]em the reuerent fader in god the Patriarcke of Irusalem. And
 also the patriarcke of Constantynobyll hath gyuen & grau_
[ted to ]all them that helpe the sayd Lady and children .xl. yere of
 pardon.
[Also] our holy fader the Pope wylleth & co_maundeth by his most
 gracious letters that all maner of pdons by tosore graun
[ted o]f late tyme during the Iubylye graunted by his faderhed in
 buyldinge and redysyneng of the moder Chirche of Rome
[...]splendyd remayne suspendyd styll/ and to haue no place this holy
 graunte and Indulgence graunted to the saide Lady
[..e] as more playnly doth appere by his gracious letters.~~~~~ ~~~~


Alexx

Alexx@world.std.com
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