Page:The Net of Faith.pdf/359

76* they tore and divided among themselves earthly kingdoms, that the sovereign, the king, has no one to rule over, nor has he enough income to maintain himself and his retinue. For the ruling abbots have taken over wide areas of land, the canons and nuns took possession of cities, castles, regions, villages. And of the other party, the noblemen and their pages have possessed the remainder so that in this whole area there isn't in many a mile a single village left for the king to rule over. The country squires would like to have had a foreign king, a rich German, who would add alien countries to his own; for they, having received the king's dominion, will not give it up but would prefer to obtain additional lands from those he has conquered.

It is clear that a royal realm fares better among pagans than among these confused Christians who have appropriated to themselves dominions. For among the pagans there are no such ecclesiastical lords, so increased in numbers and so useless as sores on a body, for pain is the only thing they give. Really, pagan kings rule much easier since they have no ecclesiastical authority, a nobility richer than royalty and greedy to add king's possessions to their own domains. Nor had the Jews to contend with such (feudal) domains; there was only one chief lord among them, to with, the king. There were no peers but only a greater or lesser number of warriors and brave men