Adieu; You were disguised. Hub. Peace: no more. Your uncle must not know but you are dead: 10.-THE QUARREL WITH THE CHURCH. 1. Not long after the loss of Normandy, Hubert Walter, who had been for so long a faithful servant to Henry II., to Richard, and to John, died, and his death left the Archbishopric of Canterbury vacant. John wished to have John de Gray, Bishop of Norwich, as the new Archbishop; but the monks of Canterbury elected their sub-prior, Reginald, as Archbishop. John was very angry, and the whole matter was referred to Pope Innocent III. for settle ment. Innocent took a long time to decide, and at last he said that neither John de Gray nor Reginald should become Archbishop, but that one of his own cardinals, an Englishman named Stephen Langton, was to have the office; and he wrote to John, informing him that he had appointed Langton. 2. John refused to receive the Pope's nominee, sent armed men and seized the property of the monks at Canterbury, and threatened to cut off the noses of any clergymen he found. Innocent was greatly interdict. While any country was under an interdict, no religious services were performed, the sacraments were not given, marriages could take place only in the church porches and not in the churches themselves, and the dead were buried in silence. For all this John did not care in the least. He did not mind how much the people suffered, and he still defied the Pope. He took away the lands of many of the clergy who obeyed the Pope, and he let people who robbed and murdered the clergy go unpunished. Once, when a man who had killed a priest was brought before the King, John said, "Let him go; he has killed my enemy." 3. But the Pope was still determined that John should receive Stephen Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury, and he threatened John with excommunication.1 Still John would not give way; so at last Innocent declared that he should be deposed from his throne. He called on Philip of France to invade England, and he demanded that every Christian prince should join a holy war against John. John laughed at the Pope's threats, and showed how little he cared for Philip by sending over the English fleet to France, capturing some of Philip's ships, and burning the town of Dieppe. 4. How long John would have gone on defying the Pope it is difficult to say. What at last alarmed him was the discontent of the barons at home, who were murmuring against his misrule, and who longed for an occasion to overthrow his power. Some of the most powerful barons began to plot against him, and the King of the Scots was writing letters to the Pope. Just at that time, too, there arose in the North a man called Peter of Wakefield, who prophesied that on the next Ascen sion Day John would no longer be King of England. The fear of trouble at home made John inclined to submit to Pandulf, the Pope's envoy; 2 but there was also another reason which was very powerful with him. He hated Philip of France, and for some time past he had been planning with several foreign princes for an alliance against Philip. 5. In order to carry out this design, however, it was necessary to secure the friendship of the Pope; so, suddenly, John gave way. He announced that he would receive Langton, and would do everything the Pope wished. He seemed lost to all sense of shame, and even consented to give up his crown and realm, and receive them back from the Papal legate, doing homage for them as the Pope's vassal. Then he hanged Peter of Wakefield for his false prophecy; but people said the prophecy was true after all, for John was no longer a king-he was the Pope's vassal. 1 Excommunication, the exclusion | leges as a member of a church. of any one from his rights and privi- 2 Envoy, special messenger. 11.-THE QUARREL WITH THE BARONS. 1. It has been already seen that the clergy, ever since the Norman Conquest, had always supported the people and the King against the barons. This was very well as long as the barons were so powerful that they could oppress the people. But now danger was to be apprehended less from the power of the barons than from the power of the King; and it was very fortunate for the English people that just at this time, when the power of the King had become so very great, the Church was thrown into opposition to the King, and into friendship with the barons and the people. This had been brought about by John's tyranny at home, and his reckless defiance of the Pope. For the first time in English history, the people, the barons, and the Church were all united to oppose the King. 2. Immediately he had made submission to the Pope, John wished to embark for France to fight Philip. But the barons were afraid of the King, and they refused to go with him on this expedition, saying that they were not bound to follow John out of England. John was in a passion, but he could not then do much to punish the barons. He went to France, and he hoped by his well-made plans to conquer Philip, and then come back to England and take revenge on the barons. He had entered into alliance with several foreign princes against Philip, and they attacked France on two sides at once. For a time it seemed as if the allies would win, but Philip defeated the greater part of their forces at the battle of Bouvines,1 and John was obliged to return to England. 1124 3. The barons now felt able to meet John boldly, and demand their rights from him. For a long time past he had treated them with injustice. He had robbed them of their castles, had taxed them to the uttermost, had insulted their wives and daughters, and had brought foreign troops into the country. |