Page:The Church of England, its catholicity and continuity.djvu/67

 The worst part of this story has now been related. The manly sequel awaits our close attention.

The people, the barons, and the clergy, in fact the whole nation, were roused to the greatest indignation at this unwarrantable insolence of Innocent, and at the cowardice of John. They hated John for his obedience, Stephen Langton, the Pope's chosen Archbishop, played a splendid part. He headed the barons, clergy, and people; the nation joined him, almost to a man, and several Councils were called to consider England's doleful state. Meetings were held at S. Alban's as well as at S. Paul's. The king tried to dally with this movement, but he had no strength behind him. Only seven of his knights remained faithful to him. The result of this movement was the great English Charter, which was a monument of English freedom. It laid it down that the Anglican Church is free—the words are Anglicana Ecclesia—and it has its own laws and liberties, and we wish them to be observed. The decisions laid down in this document were confirmed several times in subsequent struggles in England. John was compelled to sign this at Runnymede, on June 15th, 1215, but his anger was so great that he actually threw himself on the ground and gnawed bits of sticks and straw in his rage. After he gave his signature, he immediately sent a letter to the Pope to say that he was still his vassal; and the Pope, in reply, pronounced the Magna Charta to be null and void, and he sent a bull to England denouncing it. He also ordered Stephen Langton to see that his demands be carried out, which, of course, Langton refused to do. Untold joy went throughout England when it was known that Pope Innocent was dead. He had done