A.D. MCVII.

PREFACE. COMPROMISE OF INVESTITURES.

AFTER a long dispute between King Henry I. and Archbishop Anselm upon the point of investitures, the king finding that the pope was against him, and that though Girard, archbishop of York, was willing to consecrate such as received investiture from the king, yet William Giffard, bishop elect of Winchester, refused to be consecrated by him; and Reinelm, bishop of Hereford, resigned his bishopric upon a scruple of conscience, because he believed himself guilty of a great offence in having received investiture from the king; therefore this wise prince, being not willing to push matters too far, though he had banished William Giffard for his contempt of the archbishop of York's consecration, recalls him, and assembles all his bishops, abbots, and great men at London, where the dispute concerning investitures was compromised by the two following articles.

A.D. MCVII.

COMPROMISE OF INVESTITURES.

LATIN. [Sir H.

1. THAT for the future none be invested by the king, or Spelman, any lay hand, in any bishopric or abbey, by delivering of a pastoral staff or a ring.

vol. ii.

P. 27.
Wilkins,

2. By the concession of Anselm, none elected to any prep. 387..] lacy shall be denied consecration upon account of the hom

vol. i.

age which he does to the king.

The king is also said at the same time to have promised that he would forthwith deliver vacant bishoprics and abbeys, to the successors; and the dispute which had lately been revived between the two archbishops concerning the primacy was at the last determined as formerly; and Girard of York, laying his hand on Anselm's of Canterbury, swore the same subjection to him that he had formerly done, when he was consecrated to the bishopric of Hereford; yet this controversy was renewed upon the death of Girard; for Thomas elect of York refused to swear obedience to Anselm; and thereupon Anselm pronounces anathema against any that should consecrate him till he complied. It seems probable that he cursed too all that should abet Thomas in refusing obedience to the see of Canterbury; at least King Henry so understood it; for upon Anselm's death he called a council, and declared he would not continue one hour under Anselm's curse; and therefore with consent of all the bishops and great men, Thomas was obliged to profess obedience in the usual form, to Ralph, Anselm's successor. And, says Hoveden, Anselm consecrated five bishops in one day at Canterbury, (others

["Ex Eadmer. Hist. Nov., lib. iv. p. 91. Cf. R. Hoveden, A.D. 1108, p. 471. ed. Savile."]

say six,) the suffragans of that see assisting him in that office; that is, as he adds, Girard archbishop of York, Robert of Lincoln, John of Bath, Herbert of Norwich, Robert of Chester, Ralph of Chichester, Ranulph of Durham. No body, as the historian adds, remembered so many bishops elected and consecrated at once, since the time of Plegmund in the reign of Edward the Elder, who consecrated seven bishops to seven churches in the same day*.

⚫ [See in Johnson's first volume, A.D. 908.]

LATIN.

Sir H. Spelman,

A.D. MCVIII.

ANSELM'S CANONS AT LONDON.

ANSELM, archbishop of Canterbury, and Thomas elect of York, and all the bishops of England, ordained these statutes in the presence of King Henry the First, and with consent Wilkins, of his barons.

vol. ii. p. 29.

vol. i.

p. 387*.]

1. That priests, deacons, and subdeacons live chastely, and keep no women in their houses, but such as are nearly related, according to the council of Nice.

2. That such of them as have kept or taken women since the prohibition at London, and have celebrated mass, do so wholly discard them, as not to be with or meet them in any house knowingly; and that the women may not live on any ground that belongs to the Church.

3. If they have any honest occasion to speak with them, let it be done without doors, before two lawful witnesses.

4. If any of them are accused by two or three lawful witnesses, or by the public report of the parishioners, to have transgressed this statute, let him, if a priest, make his purgation by six witnesses, if a deacon, by four, if a subdeacon by two: and if he fail, let him be deemed a transgressor.

5. Let such priests as choose to live with women, in contempt of God's altar and their holy orders, be deprived of their office and benefice, and put out of the choir, being first pronounced infamous.

6. And if he celebrate mass, and do not leave his woman, let him be excommunicate, unless he come to satisfaction within eight days after summons.

7. Let archdeacons and canons be liable to the same sentence, as to their leaving their women, and as to the censure to be passed if they transgress.

["Ex Eadmer. Hist. Nov., lib. iv. p. 94; et Flor. Wigorn, et Rog. Hoveden."]

8. All archdeacons shall swear that they will not take money to tolerate men in transgressing this statute; nor for tolerating priests whom they know to keep women, to celebrate mass, or to have vicars. Deans shall do the same. He that refuses shall forfeit his archdeaconry or deanery.

9. Priests who choose to leave their women, and to serve God and His holy altars, shall have vicars to officiate for them during the forty days in which they are to desist from their office, and are to have penance enjoined them at the bishop's discretion.

10. The bishops shall take away all the moveable goods of such priests, deacons, subdeacons, and canons as shall offend herein for the future; and also their adulterous concubines, with their goods.

I conceive the adulterous or lewd woman was still forfeited as a slave to the bishop according to the old English laws.