Anselme goeth also to Rome. After them also folowed Anselme archbishop of Canturburie, Gerard archbishop of Yorke, & William the elect of Winchester, whom the pope receiued with a courteous kind of interteinement. But Anselme was highlie honored aboue all the residue, whose diligence and zeale in defense of the ordinances of the sée of Rome, he well inough vnderstood. The ambassadours in like maner declaring the effect of their message, opened vnto the pope the ground of the controuersie begun betweene the king and Anselme, & with good arguments went about to prooue the kings cause to be lawfull. Vpon the otherside, Anselme and his partakers with contrarie reasons sought to confute the same. Wherevpon the pope declared, that sith by the lawes of the church it was decréed, that the possession of any spirituall benefice, obteined otherwise than by meanes of a spirituall person, could not be good or allowable; from thencefoorth, neither the king nor any other for him, should challenge any such right to apperteine vnto them.
The kings ambassadours hearing this, were somwhat troubled in their minds: wherevpon Willam Warlewast burst out and said with great Eadmerus. The saieng of Wil. Warlewast to the pope. vehemencie euen to the popes face: "Whatsoeuer is or may be spoken in this maner to or fro, I would all that be present should well vnderstand, that the king, my maister will not lose the inuestitures of churches for the losse of his whole realme." Vnto which words Paschall The popes answer to him. himselfe replieng, said vnto him againe: "If (as thou saiest) the king thy maister, will not forgo the inuestiture of churches for the losse of his realme, know thou for certeine, and marke my words well, I speake it before God, that for the ransome of his head, pope Paschall will not at any time permit that he shall enioie them in quiet." At length by the aduise of his councell, the pope granted the king certeine priuileges and customes, which his predecessours had vsed and enioied: but as for the inuestitures of bishops, he would not haue him in any wise to meddle withall: yet did he confirme those bishops whom the king had alreadie Polydor. created, least the refusall should be occasion to sowe any further discord.
This businesse being in this maner ordered, the ambassadours were licenced to depart, who receiuing at the popes hands great rewards, and Gerard the archbishop of Yorke his pall, they shortlie after returned into England, declaring vnto the king the popes decrée and sentence. The king being still otherwise persuaded, and looking for other newes, was nothing pleased with this matter. Long it was yer he would giue ouer his claime, or yéeld to the popes iudgement, till that in processe of time, ouercome with the earnest sute of Anselme, he granted to obeie the popes order herein, though (as it should appeare) right sore against his will.
Wil. Malm. In this meane time, the king had seized into his hands the possessions of the archbishop of Canturburie, and banished Anselme, so that he staied at Lions in France for the space of one yeare and foure moneths, during which time there passed manie letters and messages to and fro. The pope also wrote to king Henrie in verie courteous maner, The pope writeth courteouslie to the king. exhorting him to call Anselme home againe, and to release his claime to the inuestitures of bishops, wherevnto he could haue no right, sith it apperteined not to the office of any temporall magistrate: adding furthermore, if the king would giue ouer that vngodlie and vsurped custome, that he would shew such fréendlie fauour in all things, as by the sufferance of God in any wise he might be able to performe, and further would receiue not onelie him, but also his yoong soone William (whom latelie it had pleased God to send him by his vertuous wife queene Maud) into his protection, so that who so euer did hurt either of them, should be thought to hurt the holie church of Rome.
In one of the letters which the said pope wrote vnto Anselme (after that the king was contented to renounce the inuestitures aforesaid) he willed Anselme, according to the promise which he had made, to assoile as well from sinne as from penance due for the same, both the king and his wife queene Maud, with all such persons of honour as in this behalfe had trauelled with the king to induce him to be agréeable to his purpose.
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An. Reg. 4. The earle of Mellent. Moreouer, the earle of Mellent, and Richard de Riuers (who had counselled the king to stand stoutlie in the matter, and not to giue ouer his title of such inuestitures, sith his ancestors had vsed them so long a time before his daies, by reason whereof, in renouncing his right to the same, he should doo a thing greatlie preiudiciall to his roiall estate and princelie maiestie) were now earnest labourers to agree the The K. persuaded to renounce his title to the inuestiture of prelates. Eadmerus. king and the pope, in so much that in the end the king was persuaded by Anselme and them to let go his hold, resigning the inuestitures with staffe and ring; notwithstanding that, he reserued the right of elections, and such other roialties as otherwise apperteined to his maiestie, so that such bishops as had doone homage to the king, were not disabled thereby, but quietlie permitted to receiue their iurisdictions.
Duke Robert commeth into England to visit his brother. About this time Robert duke of Normandie came into England to see his brother: who through the sugred words and sweet enterteinment of the king, released the yeerelie tribute of 3000. markes, which he should haue had out of the realme vpon agreement (as before ye haue heard) but cheefelie indéed at the request of the queene, being instructed by hir husband how she should deale with him that was knowne to be frée and liberall, without any great consideration what he presentlie granted.
Now hauing béene here a certeine time, and solaced himselfe with his brother and sister, he returned into Normandie, where shortlie after he began to repent him of his follie, in being so liberall as to release the foresaid tribute: wherevpon he menaced the king, and openlie in his reproch said that he was craftilie circumuented by him, and fatlie Wil. Malm. Factious persons practise to set the two brethren at variance. couzened. Diuerse in Normandie desired nothing more than to set the two brethren at square, and namelie Robert de Belesme earle of Shrewsburie, with William earle of Mortaigne: these two were banished the realme of England. The earle of Shrewesburie for his rebellious attempts (as The earle of Mortaigne. before you haue heard) and the earle of Mortaigne left the land of his owne willfull and stubborne mind, exiling himselfe onelie vpon hatred which he bare to the king. For being not contented with the earledome of Mortaigne in Normandie, and the earledome of Cornewall in England, he made sute also for the earledome of Kent, which his vncle Odo sometime held. Now bicause he was not onelie denied of that sute, but also by order of lawe had certeine parcels of land taken from him, which he wrongfullie deteined, he got him into Normandie, and there made war both against those places which the king held, and also against other that Richard earle of Chester. belonged to Richard earle of Chester, who was then vnder the kings tuition and gouernement by reason of his minoritie.
The threatning words of duke Robert comming at the last to king Henries eares, caused him foorthwith to conceiue verie sore displeasure against A power of men sent into Normandie. the duke, in so much that he sent ouer a power into Normandie, which finding no great resistance, did much hurt in the countrie, by fetching and carieng spoiles and preies. Againe the Normans rather fauoured than sought to hinder the enterprise of king Henrie, bicause they saw how duke Robert with his foolish prodigalitie and vndiscréet liberalitie had made awaie all that belonged to his estate; so that of the whole duchie of Normandie, he had not any citie or towne of name left in his owne possession, Roan onelie excepted, which he also would haue alienated, if Gemeticensis. the citizens would haue consented to his fond motion.
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An. Reg. 6. Now king Henrie hearing of the good successe of his men, passed ouer The k. passeth ouer to Normandie. Simon Dun. Gemeticensis. Polydor. himselfe soone after with a mightie armie, and with little adoo tooke Eureux or (as others haue) Baieux and Caen, which cities when he had furnished with sufficient garisons of men, he repassed the sea into England, bicause the winter approched, and the wether waxed troublesome for such as laie in the field. Herevpon duke Robert considering how vnable he was (by reason that his people failed him at néed) to resist king Henrie, sith the Britans also, and they of Aniou, tooke part with the said king, he thought good to laie armour aside, and to passe ouer into England, to entreat with him by way of brotherlie amitie, in full 1106.
An. Reg. 7. hope by that meanes to auoid this present danger. But at his arriuall here, he learned how the king his brother as then was at Northampton: wherefore he hasted thither, and comming to him, made earnest sute for peace, beséeching the king in respect of brotherlie loue to grant the same; or if it were that he regarded not the goodwill of his naturall brother, to consider at least wise what apperteined to his accustomed gentlenesse, and to think with himselfe that warre betwixt brethren could not be mainteined without reproch, nor that victorie be honorable which was obteined against his owne flesh. Wherefore he required him not to refuse peace, freendship, and voluntarie beneuolence, sith he was now readie to render all that euer he had into his hands.