He has been a parish for more than 30 years, but he can neither sing the Mass properly, nor read the Bible. He can't explain the psalms to the people. But he's good at hunting hares in the fields.

From Piers Ploughman, a poem written by William Langland in about 1380

The parson was a poor man. But he knew the Bible and could preach it to the people. He did not like taking money from poor men, and would often give away his own money.

Some pilgrims go to the shrine of saints in far-off lands. In England, crowds go from every county to Canterbury to visit the Holy Martyr. He is famous for helping the sick.

From The Canterbury Tales, a long poem written by Geoffrey Chaucer in about 1390. Chaucer pretended that he was one of a group of pilgrims who travelled together from London to Canterbury. To pass the time on the journey, each of the pilgrims had to tell a story

When the Bishop of Winchester died, King Henry III did not look very sad. He set out to make his own half-brother, Aylmer, the new bishop. Aylmer was not even a priest. In any case, he was too young and was not well educated. The monks at Winchester have the right to choose the bishop. So the king sent two men there to get them to pick Aylmer. When they failed, the king went to Winchester himself, and made the monks give in.

Written by a monk called Matthew Paris in 1250

Priests who break the law are tried first by the church courts. The king said that if they are found guilty, they should be sent to the king's court to be punished. Thomas discussed this with the other bishops and abbots. Then he said that what the king wanted was against God's law. The king got angry and told Thomas and the bishops that they had to obey him.

Written by a priest called Henry of Bosham soon after 1170

Walter Robson: Medieval Britain; Oxford University Press, 1991/2000, page 15/19