A French aristocrat who inherited the earldom of Leicester, Simon became convinced that he was more English than the English. What was good for de Montfort was good for the nation. Love him or hate him, everyone knew that Simon de Montfort was a man with a mission. That mission, embarked on with his fellow barons, was to bring the wayward, self-glorifying monarchy to book, to make it the servant, not a master of the realm. At Oxford, amidst wildfire rumours, a camp of soldiers, and the growling hunger of a famine, Henry III was treated to the emasculation of his sovereignty. A document was drawn up for the King to sign, not discuss, just to accept. What it said was so startling, so genuinely revolutionary, that 1258 ought to be one of those dates engraved on the national memory. The Provisions of Oxford were at least as important as Magna Carta.


这个世袭了莱斯特伯爵爵位的法国贵族，坚信自己比真正的英国人更像英国人。德·蒙德福特的利益就是这个国家的利益，无论爱戴还是憎恶，人人都知道西蒙·德·蒙德福特肩负着重大的历史使命。这一历史使命，得到了他男爵同僚的支持，就是要求任意妄为，狂妄自大的君主制。为民服务，而不是独揽大权。在牛津城，谣言四起，军备森严，哀鸿遍野，亨利三世不得不削弱自己的王权。他的面前呈上了一份文件，等待签署，不容讨论，只能接受。文件内容骇人听闻，革命的意愿尽现。1258年应像其他重大的日子一样，永载史书，被国人铭记。牛津条款的重要性，至少能与《大宪章》相媲美。