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Roger of Wendover
Signing of Magna Carta, Runneymede, 1215
King John, when he saw that he was deserted by almost all, so that out of
his regal superabundance of followers he scarcely retained seven knights,
was much alarmed lest the barons would attack his castles and reduce them
without difficulty, as they would find no obstacle to their so doing; and he
deceitfully pretended to make peace for a time with the aforesaid barons,
and sent William Marshal earl of Pembroke, with other trustworthy
messengers, to them, and told them that, for the sake of peace, and for the
exaltation and honour of the kingdom, he would willingly grant them the laws
and liberties they required; he also sent word to the barons by these same
messengers, to appoint a fitting day and place to meet and carry all these
matters into effect. The king's messengers then came in all baste to London,
and without deceit reported to the barons all that had been deceitfully
imposed on them; they in their great joy appointed the fifteenth of June for
the king to meet them, at a field lying between Staines and Windsor. [i.e.
Runneymede]
Accordingly, at the time and place pre-agreed on, the king and nobles came
to the appointed conference, and when each party had stationed themselves
apart from the other, they began a long discussion about terms of peace and
the aforesaid liberties. At length, after various points on both sides
had been discussed, king John, seeing that be was inferior in strength to
the barons, without raising any difficulty, granted the underwritten laws
and liberties, and confirmed them by his charter.
Source: Roger of Wendover, Flowers of History, translated by J.A. Giles (London:
Henry G. Born, 1849), Vol. II, pp. 308-309
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