thence he went to Blois to Adela the King's Sifter, and by her Mediation obtained a Meeting with the King (who was then in Normandy) at the Abby of Bec. Here the King received him into Favour, and restored his Temporalties and gave him Leave to return into England, provided he would not in any thing withdraw from the Communion of those who had received Inveftitures from him, or those which Confecrated any of them. But Anfelm would not yield to this 'till he had Signified it to the Pope, and knew his Pleafure: And having obtained Leave from Rome to abfolve those who had received Investitures and paid Homage, the whole Matter was foon accommodated, the King promifing that the Tax, which his Brother William had laid on certain Churches, fhould be releafed: And that he would not take the Profits of them during their Vacancy whilft he lived: And that he would restore to Anfelm all the Profits of his Archbishoprick which had been received dur ing his Exile. This Accommodation was made at Bec in Normandy, Anno 1106. And was Mat Par. p. publickly ratified the Year following in a 43. & Eadmer. F. Council at Westminster, where the King alfo

91.

granted, that for the time to come no Bishop or Abbot in this Kingdom, fhould be Invested by the King or any other Lay-man with the Ring and Staff. Anfelm alfo by the Pope's Leave, promifed that No Man fhould be denied his Confecration, af ter he had been Elected, for paying Homage to the King. Upon which almost all the Churches in England which had been long deftitute of their Paftour by the Advice of Anfelm, and the great Men of the Realm, had Fathers appointed for 'em by the King, but the Ceremo

ny

69.

ny of Investiture by the Ring and Staff was omitted. So that the King parted only with the Ceremony of Inveftiture, retaining still the right of Nomination and of Receiving Homage. Anfelm enjoyed his See peaceably about two Years after this, and then Died, and was Buried in his Church at Canterbury, A. D. 1109, in the Seventy Sixth Year of his Age, and the Sixteenth of his Pontificate. The• Eadmerus, p. See continued Vacant Five Years, and then 1o9. the King, by the Advice of his Barons, Nominated Rodulphus Bishop of Rochester to the Archbishoprick, and he was Elected by the Bishops of the Province and the Clergy and People of Canterbury. After his Death the fame King Henry (4) gave the Archbishoprick (4) Mat. Par. p. of Canterbury to William de Corboil Prior of Chi-" che. I do not find that King Henry was ever oppofed in his Nominating to Vacant Bishopricks after the abovementioned Agreement with Anfelm, but peaceably enjoyed that Right all his Days. (b) In the Reign of King Ste-(b) Mat. Paz, p. phen, there was a Council Affembled at Weft-77 minster, A. D. 1138, by Albericus Bishop of Hoftia the Pope's Legate, and then Theobaldus was Elected by the Bishops to the See of Canterbury in the Prefence of the Prior of Canterbury, but no mention is made of the King's Nomination: And probably the King did not interpofe at this time, for Stephen having but a precarious Title to the Crown could not fo ftifly maintain the Royal Rights. There were fome other Bishops Confecrated in this troublefome Reign, but I cannot find how they were Elected or nominated.

King

King John feems to have endeavoured the Reviving the old Way of Inveftiture (which was certainly laid afleep all his Father's Reign, or we should have heard of it in the Contests, betwixt that Prince and Archbishop Becket) for he granted to William Marshal Earl of Pembroke the Right of Invefting the Abbot of Nutely with the Pastoral Staff, with all the Liberties and Customs appertaining to that Right. The Diploma by which this Grant was made, was published by Mr. Selden in his Notes on Edmerus. But notwithstanding that Prince might for fome time claim fuch a Right, he was forced to yield it up again afterwards.

100.

CHA P. XX.

Of the manner of Elections in England.

VV

HEN the fharp Conteft between King Henry II. and Thomas Becket about the Rights and Privileges of the Church (4) Mat. Par. p. was in Agitation, (a) that King called a Council to Clarendon, A. D. 1164, where were prefent the Archbishops, Bishops, Abbots, Priors, Earls, Barons, and other Chief Men of the Kingdom, who affembled to make a Recognition and Declaration of fome of the ancient Prerogatives of the Crown and Customs of the Realm, where among other things it was de(6) Dec. Script. clared, (b) That when an Archbishoprick, or Bishoprick, or Abbey, or Priory within the King's Dominions is vacant, it ought to be in his Hands, and he fhall receive all the • Revenues and Profits as his own: And when "it

P. 1387.c.12.

it fhall be thought convenient to fill up the Vacancy of the Church, the King fhall Summon the Chief Perfons of the Church, and the Election ought to be made in his Chappel, with the Affent of our Lord the King, and the Counsel of fuch Perfons of the Kingdom as fhall be called for that Purpose. And there the Elect fhall, before he is confecrated, pay Homage and Fealty to the King, as a Liege-man to his Lord of Life and Members, and of all his Earthly Honours, Salvo ordine fuo. Which I fuppofe was added to exempt them from Perfonal Service in the War and all Services unbecoming the Sacred Function.

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127. & 213. Į

It is certain that there was a Form of Election even whilft the Custom of Inveftitures was received in the Church, and the fame Form was continued afterwards. And in England Elections were not made by the Chapter only as at prefent, but the Provincial Bishops alfo gave their Suffrages, this appears from the Mat. Par p Election of Richard Prior of Dover in the Room of Thomas Becket, A. D. 1173. And the Controverfie of the Monks of Canterbury with the Provincial Bishops about the Election of John Gray to that See, A. D. 1205. For upon the Death of Hubert, the Monks of Canterbury acquainted King John with it, defiring his Leave to elect another. The King recommended to 'em John Bishop of Norwich, requiring them, together with his own Clerks whom he fent to their Convents to elect him: And accordingly he was elected, and the Election openly declared in the King's Prefence, and the Archbishop Elect received the Temporalties from him, and was placed by the Monks in the Ee

Arche

Mat. Par. p.

222.

Archepifcopal Chair. But the King fending to Rome to have his Election confirmed, the Bishops of the Province alfo fent their Complaints against the Monks of Canterbury for prefuming to elect a Metropolitan without them, when as both by ancient Custom and common Law they ought to give their Suffrage at the Election. The Pope indeed declared in Favour of the Monks, not thereto induced by the Merits of the Caufe (as the Author of Antiquitates Britannica obferves) but because the Monks were more obedient to him, and when his Holinefs had refcinded and nullified the former Election, more readily complied to elect the Perfon he nominated to them; which was Stephen Langton a Cardinal Priest, and Chancellor of the Univerfity of Paris. He was elected at Rome by the Monks of Canterbury which were fent thither by the Convent upon the forementioned Occafion, and therefore being in the Popes Territories, durft not act otherwife than he would have 'em, tho' they were upon this Account profcribed by the King, and declared guilty of High Treafon. The King ftood ftiff for the Maintainance of his Royal Prerogative, till the Kingdom being put under an Interdict by the Pope, and the King of France entering upon his Provinces beyond the Seas, and his own Barons rifing in Rebellion against him at the fame time, he was at length forced to comply with the Court of Rome, and fubmit to the most shameful Terms of Agreement impofed upon him by Pandulphus the Legate of Innocent the ThirdBy this means the Confent of the Provincial Bishops in the Cafe of Elections seems to have been utterly loft in England, the Right being declared