# The Medieval Case Against Taxes: William of Pagula **URL:** **By** Paul Meany **Published:** May 14, 2024 --- How a parish priest used the Bible to argue against the king stealing peasant's property. Despite its reputation as a dark age, the Medieval period was not devoid of intellectual substance. An example of this is William of Pagula, a 14th-century English priest and scholar who wrote _The Mirror of King Edward III_, a political treatise condemning the king's practice of purveyance and excessive taxation. Using a mixture of Biblical and Classical authorities, William made the moral case against interfering with property rights. 'The Medieval Banquet' by Silverman Sound is under a Creative Commons license (CC BY 3.0) Music promoted by BreakingCopyright: [http://bit.ly/Silvermansound_Medieval](https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbmhlS3lqR0tXbHdnMXZHQXJ6NGw1MXRzdmVQQXxBQ3Jtc0tsOXVKbU9mUjhYUU9sZ2RSWVRqcVB3VE9XYU5LYlJBUmdyUmFGcWlUeTVkengzX1I2LTdSQkFha0NLRTZCOUp5Vko3VGdHZjZJSkRzbHE5Y1ItSTJtWWhKWm1KNlBBSXNqNnhTT3dsaGM2X0dYd3pGSQ&q=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2FSilvermansound_Medieval&v=m8DsRTCtCHI)