And whosoever presumes, or doth contrary
to this my grant, I will he lose his name, worship, dignity, and
power; and that with the great traitor Judas that betrayed our
Saviour, he be in the everlasting fire of hell. And I will and
ordain, that this my grant endure as long as there remaineth in
England either love or dread of Christian name."
This privilege of sanctuary, as far as it related to traitors,
murderers, and felons, was in a great measure abolished by a statute
of the 32nd Henry VIII.: and in the beginning of the reign of Queen
Elizabeth, every debtor who fled to sanctuary, to shelter himself
from his creditors, was obliged to take an oath of the following
tenor, viz.:- That he did not claim the privilege of sanctuary to
defraud any one of his goods, debts, or money, but only for the
security of his person until he should be able to pay his creditors.
That he would give in a true particular of his debts and credits.
That he would endeavour to pay his debts as soon as possible.
That he would be present at the abbey at morning and evening prayer.
That he would demean himself honestly and quietly, avoid suspected
houses, unlawful games, banqueting, and riotous company.
That he would wear no weapon, or be out of his lodging before
sunrise or after sunset, nor depart out of the precinct of the
sanctuary without the leave of the dean, or archdeacon in his
absence.
That he would be obedient to the dean and the officers of the house.
And lastly, that if he should break his oath in any particular, he
should not claim the privilege of sanctuary.
And if any creditor could make it appear that he had any money,
goods, or chattels that were not contained in the particular given
in to the dean and the church, the sanctuary man was to be
imprisoned till he came to an agreement with his creditors.
The Abbey-Church of St. Peter at Westminster appears to be very
ancient, though far from being so ancient as is vulgarly reported.
Some relate, without any authority to support the conjecture, that
it was founded in the days of the Apostles by St. Peter himself;
others that it was erected by King Lucius about the year 170. And
by some it is said to have been built by King Sebert, the first
Christian king of the East-Saxons (Essex and Middlesex), anno 611.
But I take it for granted the church was not built before the
convent or abbey it belonged to. People did not use to build
churches at a distance from town, unless for the service of convents
or religious houses. But neither in the times of the Apostles, nor
in the supposed reign of King Lucius, in the second century, was
there any such thing as a convent in England, or perhaps in any part
of Christendom.
