easily, as, in return for the nourishment of her maternal kindness, she requires the son's gratitude and devotion. The mother, indeed, cannot be ignorant of the gratitude which for many years past the kingdom of England has shown to her; granting proper and fruitful supplies for its own exaltation, and for its greater security, in order that by these means an alliance of affection may be more firmly established between the Church and the said kingdom. This supply, in process of time, was called 'Peter's pence.' The said Church, however, was not satisfied with assistance of this kind, but in later times, both by her legates and by other repeated messengers, asked assistance in divers ways in the aforesaid kingdom, which assistance was freely and liberally given by her devoted sons, as it were embracing their mother with the arms of sincere affection. We believe, also, that your holiness is not ignorant that our ancestors, as true Catholics, alike loving and fearing God, and desiring to insure the salvation of their souls, and those of their ancestors, as well as their posterity, founded monasteries, and enriched them out of their own possessions, both with demesne lands and the patronage of churches, in order that religious men, laudably fulfilling their religious duties in those monasteries, and diligently serving the Most High, might enjoy peace and full security, as is meet in the service of religion, receiving the necessary means of support, such as befitted their religious duties, from the said domains; and that their clerks might hold the churches under their patronage, and fulfil the labours outside, and, adhering to the second branch of religion, might protect them from the incursions of others. Wherefore it is not without great annoyance and intolerable injury to us, that the aforesaid religious men should be in any way defrauded of their rights of patronage and collation to churches. But now, by you and your predecessors, having no consideration, besides the aforesaid supplies, Italians (of whom there is an almost endless number) are now enriched on the churches belonging to the patronage of those very religious men, who are called the rectors of the churches, thus leaving those whom they ought to defend entirely unprotected, giving no care to the souls of the people, but allowing these most rapacious wolves to disperse the flock, and carry off the sheep. Hence they can say with truth,

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that these persons are not good shepherds, as they do not know their sheep, neither have the sheep any knowledge of the shepherd. They do not practise hospitality or the bestowal of alms enjoined on the Church, but they only receive the fruits to carry them out of the kingdom, impoverishing it in no slight degree, by possessing themselves of its revenues, by which our brothers, nephews, and other relations, well-deserving men of the said kingdom, ought to be benefited; and they both could and would compassionately and piously put in practice the said works of charity, and several others, and would in person serve the said churches, that, according to the words of Paul, those who serve the altar may live by the altar; but they, urged by necessity, are now become laymen and exiles. But in order that the truth may be known to you, these Italians, receiving sixty thousand marks and more annually in England, besides divers other receipts, carry off more clear gain in revenues from the kingdom than the king himself, who is the protector of the Church, and holds the reins of government in the kingdom. Moreover, we hoped that, after your creation (and we still hope the same, as we repose confidence in you), by the intervention of your paternal compassion, we should rejoice in the re-establishment, during your time, of our aforesaid almsgiving in its former proper condition.

"We cannot, however, pass over in silence our own oppressions; for we are not only injured, but oppressed beyond measure. In the first place, Master Martin, who lately came into the kingdom, without the king's permission, invested with greater powers than we ever remember any legate asked for by the king to have had before (although not possessing the insignia of the legateship, yet performing the manifold duties of that office), is daily putting forth new and hitherto unheard-of powers, and, in his excess of power, is continually making encroachments. He has bestowed some vacant benefices, with thirty marks and more, annually, on some Italians; and when they die, others will be appointed in their places, without the knowledge of the patrons; and thus are the latter cheated of their right of gift. Even more, also, does the said Master Martin attempt to assign similar benefices, when they happen to be vacant, to divers persons; and reserves to the Apostolic See the right of gift of some;

and, moreover, extorts immoderate pensions from religious men, pronouncing sentences of excommunication and interdict in all directions against gainsayers and opposers, to the great risk and peril of their souls. Inasmuch, therefore, as the said Master Martin, to the great disturbance of the whole kingdom, exercises the said jurisdiction, which we cannot believe to have emanated from you knowingly, because he discharges higher duties than we ever remember a legate to have discharged before, which greatly detracts from the privilege especially granted to his majesty the king, by the Apostolic See, by which it is decreed that no one shall fill the office of legate in England, unless especially asked for by the king; we therefore, with all possible humility and devotion, beg of your holiness, inasmuch as the affectionate father is bound to extend the hand of compassion to relieve the oppression of the children, by an effectual and seasonable assistance, soon to relieve us, in your paternal kindness, from the above-mentioned injuries and oppressions. For although our king, who is a true Catholic, and zealously attends to his religious duties, without considering the wasting away of his body, wishes, in the performance of his duty to Jesus Christ, to reverence the Apostolic See, and desires to promote an increase of honour and advantage to the Roman church, as its well-beloved son ought, but at the same time preserving the royal rights and dignities; yet we, who endure the labour and heat of the day in his service, and whose duty it is, in conjunction with the said king, to see to the preservation of the kingdom, cannot endure with patience these said oppressions, detestable alike to God and man, and such unendurable burdens; and, by God's grace, we will no longer endure them, through the interposition of your affectionate assistance, which we hope and trust to receive speedily and opportunely. May it therefore please your holiness to give a favourable ear to our entreaties, that you may deservedly obtain special thanks from the nobles and the general community of the kingdom of England, as your most beloved sons in Christ."

The pope delays giving a reply to the ambassadors from England. · Although this letter had been read and published openly amidst a general silence, the pope did not reply, because, he

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asserted, such a difficult matter required prolonged deliberation; he therefore postponed giving a reply for a time; and, although the aforesaid nobles, the special messengers, vehemently urged him to do so at once, he would not accede, but promised he would do so at no distant period. In addition to the former complaints, also, the said messengers added another heavy one; namely, of the virulent oppressions, intolerable injuries, and shameless exactions which were practised, owing to that hated additional clause so frequently inserted in the papal letters, "Notwithstanding," &c. &c.

But the pope was intent on matters of greater importance; and although Master Thaddeus, the emperor's agent, eloquently pleaded against it, now, without any hesitation, dissimulation, or delay, he thundered forth the sentence of excommunication against the emperor Frederick in full council, to the amazement and dread of all his hearers.

How the pope excommunicated the emperor Frederick at the council of Lyons.

“Innocent, bishop, servant of the servants of God, &c. In the presence of the sacred council, in lasting memory of the event, and for the exaltation of the Apostolic See, we, who, unworthy as we are, have been raised to office by the dispensation of the Divine Majesty, ought to give our sedulous and watchful attention to the care of all Christians, and with the eye of deep consideration to distinguish the acts and words of each and every one, and to weigh them in the scale of prudent deliberation, in order that we may exalt to becoming favour those whom a strict examination may prove to be worthy of it, and may inflict due punishment, according to the nature of their fault, on all those whom we find guilty or culpable in any way, always weighing their merits, and reward with an equal scale, repaying to each the amount of reward or punishment according to the nature of his works, whether good or bad. Whereas the commotions of protracted wars have long disturbed some provinces and countries professing Christianity, we, desiring with our whole heart to restore tranquillity and peace to the holy Church of God, and to all Christians in general, considered it worth our while to send special messengers to the chief secular prince, who was the author of this dissension and trouble, and who had been, for his excesses, excommunicated

by our predecessor, Pope Gregory, of happy memory; we accordingly sent on our behalf men high in authority, namely, our venerable brother P., abbat of Albano, at that time archbishop of Rouen; W., then bishop of Sabina, but formerly of Modena; and our well-beloved son William, cardinal-priest of the church of the Twelve Apostles, at that time abbat of St. Facundus, all of whom were inspired with zeal for the salvation of the said prince. Through them we stated that we and our brethren, as far as lay in our power, endeavoured to be at peace with him in every way, as we were ready to be with all men, and we wished to allow peace and tranquillity to him and to the whole world. And as a restoration of the prelates, clerks, and all others whom he was detaining prisoners, and also of all the clerks as well as laymen whom he had taken in the galleys, would be very conducive to a peace and reconciliation, we, by the same messengers, asked and demanded of him to restore them to liberty (as he, as well as his messengers, had promised to our said predecessor, before we were called to the apostolic office). And we moreover declared that the said messengers were prepared, on our behalf, to hear his proposals for, and to arrange terms of peace, and also to listen to any offers of satisfaction which he, the said prince, might choose to make in the matter of all on whose account he was excommunicated. Besides this, that even if the Church had injured him in any improper way (which she did not believe she had), she was prepared to make amends, and re-establish him in his proper condition; and if he should say that the Church, or that we ourselves, had injured him in any way contrary to justice, that we were ready to summon kings, prelates, and chiefs, ecclesiastics as well as laymen, to assemble, either personally or by their special messengers, in some safe place; and that the Church was prepared, according to the decision of the council, to give him satisfaction, if it had injured him in any way, and to revoke any sentence of excommunication which it had pronounced against him unjustly, and to treat him with all kindness and compassion, as far as could be granted compatibly with its reverence to God and its own honour; and also to receive satisfaction from him for the injuries and offences committed against the said Church by him, or his followers through him.

That