Page:The reign of William Rufus and the accession of Henry the First.djvu/451

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direct petition to the King to put an end to the vacancy. A resolution was passed—our contemporary guide doubted whether future ages would believe the fact—that the King should be humbly petitioned to allow prayers to be put up throughout the churches of England craving that God would by his inspiration move the King's heart to put an end to the wrongs of his head church and of all his other churches by the appointment of a worthy chief pastor. We thus see that the power of ending or prolonging the vacancy is acknowledged to rest only with the King; it is not for the Witan to constrain, but only for God to guide, the royal will. But we further see that the right of ordaining religious ceremonies is held to rest with the King and his Witan, just as it had rested in the days of Cnut. The unanimous petition of the Assembly was laid before the King. He was somewhat angry, but he took no violent step. He agreed to the matter of the address, but in a scornful shape. "Pray as you will; I shall do as I think good; no man's prayers will do anything to shake my will." To draw up a proper form of prayer was the natural business of the bishops; and they had among them one specially skilled in such matters in the person of Osmund of Salisbury. But they all agreed to consult the Abbot of Bec, and to ask him to