Page:A new and general biographical dictionary; containing an historical and critical account of the lives and writings of the most eminent persons in every nation v1.djvu/288

 252 A N S E L M. nated him to the fee of Canterbury, which he was with much difficulty prevailed upon to accept ; he was confe- crated with great folemnity on the 4th of December, 1093- Soon after his confecration, the king having a defign to take the duchy of Normandy from his brother Robert, and endea- vouring to raife what money he could for that purpofe, An- felm made him an offer of five hundred pounds, which the king, thinking too little, rcfufed to accept, and the archbifhop thereby fell under his majefty's difplcafure. The next year, the king being ready to embark for Normandy, Anfelm wait- ed on him, and defired leave to convene a national fynod ; but the king refufed his requeft, and treated him very harfh- ly, whereupon the archbishop and his retinue withdrew from R>d. p. 2. court. Another caufe of the mifunderftanding between the king and the archbifhop, was Anfelm's defiring leave to go to Rome, to receive the pall from pope Urban II. whom the king of England did not acknowledge as pope, being in the intereft of his competitor Guibert. Soon after, the bifhops, being influenced by the court, threw up their canonical obe- dience, and renounced Anfelm for their archbifhop [A]. An- felm thereupon defired a paflport to go abroad till the prefent mifunderftandings could be made up; but the king refufed this requeft : he confented, however, that there fhould be a fufpenfion of the affair from March to Whitfuntide. But before the expiration of this term, he broke through this agreement, and banifhed feveral clergymen who were in the intereft of Anfelm. The biftiops having in vain endeavour- ed to foften Anfelm into a compliance, the king, by the ad- vice of his great men, at length received him into favour upon his own terms : and becaufe Anfcrn perfifted in re- fufing to receive the pall from the king's hands, it was at Jaft agreed, that the pope's nuncio, who had brought the pall into England, fhould carry it down to Canterbury, and Jay it upon the altar of the cathedral, from whence An- felm was to receive it, as if it had been put into his hands by St. Peter himfelf. Anfelm accordingly went to Canterbury, Isdmer, and received the pall with great folemnity. Some time after, lib. ii. however, the king having marched his forces into Wales, took an opportunity of quarrelling again with Anfelm, pre- [A] The king would have had them the king applied to the temporal nobi- to have brought him to his trial, and de- lity, to follow the example of the bi&ops, yofed him in the council ; but the and difclaim Anfelm, they unanimoufly bifliops would not cany their refentment ret'ufed to do it, Eadmer, ubi fupra, la far. It is remarkable, that when p. 30, tending