Introduction (by Richard Barton)
1. The source for all known copies of Laudabiliter is Gerald
of Wales' Expugnatio. Copies appear in other of Gerald's works,
as well as in the work of his near contemporaries: Ralph Diceto, Roger
Wendover, Peter of Blois, Matthew Paris, etc. Sheehy notes (p. 15)
that it is possible that Ralph Diceto did not obtain his copy from Gerald,
and that his and Gerald's copy depend from a common ancestor [for more
on the textual tradition, see Sheehy's introduction to the text in Pontificia
Hibernia, p. 15]
2. Dating: I simply follow Sheehy's analysis (p. 15): "The eschatachol
is omitted in all known copies. If this bull was the one obtained by John
of Salisbury, as Giraldus claims, cf. Expugnatio II, cap. 5 ed.
Dimock, p. 315, then it can possibly be dated between November 1155 and
July 1156 when John of Salisbury was visiting the pope, see The Letters
of John of Salisbury I ed. Millor, W.J. and Butler, H.E., rev. Brooke,
C.N.L. (Nelson, 1955), p. 253 ff."
Adrian, bishop, servant of the servants of God to his beloved son in
Christ the king of England, greetings and apostolic blessing.
Your eminence is planning happily and more profitably to make known
your glorious name on earth and to accumulate the treasure of eternal happiness
in heaven, while you, as a catholic prince, intend to extend the the borders
of the church, to declare the truth of the Christian faith to uneducated
and wild peoples, and to destroy the saplings of vices from the lord's
field; and, in order to accomplish this more easily, you request the advice
and support of the Apostolic See. Concerning which matter, the more
you proceed with the highest counsel and better discretion, the more we
are confident that your progress, God willing, will be successful, because
they who have received mastery [acceperunt principium] through the ardor
of faith and the love of religion may always be accustomed to reach a good
conclusion and end. Truly it is not in doubt that Ireland and all
islands on which the light of Christ's justice has dawned and which have
been won to the Christian faith by examples/lessons belong to the right/power
of St Peter and the most holy Roman Church, [a fact] which your eminence/nobility
has moreover recognized. Whence as much as we have more freely inserted
the faithful sapling and pleasing shoot for God in them, all the more have
we discerned that it ought to be more strictly enforced by us through internal
examination. You indicated to us, most beloved son in Christ, that
you want to enter the island of Ireland in order to subject its people
to law and to extirpate the fields of vices there, and that you want to
pay an annual pension to St Peter of one penny from each household and
want to conserve the rights of the churches of that land free and unhindered.
We, moreover, complying with your pious and laudible desire with suitable
approval, and extending our benign assent to your petition, consider [it
to be] acceptable and good that you enter that island to expand the
boundaries of the church, to check the course of vices, to correct customs
and implant virtues, and to increase the Christian religion; [we consider
it good] that you accomplish the things that concern the honor of God and
the health of that land; and [we consider it good] that the people of that
land receive you honorably and treat you as lord, with the exception, however,
that the right of the churches be kept whole and undiminished and the annual
pension of one penny from each household to Blessed Peter and the Holy
Roman Church [be kept] safe and permanent. If therefore what you
have conceived in your heart you want to see accomplished by your subsequent
actions, take pains to shape that race/people with good customs and to
ensure, through both yourself and through those whom you see to to be suitable
to the task in faith, word, and life, that the church be honored there,
that the religion of the Christian faith become rooted and grow, and that
the things that pertain to the honor of God and to the salvation of souls
be arranged by you in such a way that you deserve to attain from God the
accumulation of eternal reward and that you be allowed to attain a glorious
name on earth for ever after.
This translation is copyrighted by Richard Barton. Permission is granted for electronic copying, distribution in print form for educational purposes and personal use. If you do reduplicate the document, please indicate the source. No permission is granted for commercial use.