Page:The reign of William Rufus and the accession of Henry the First.djvu/556

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counsel. He was a man prudent in God and a lover of goodness, and could settle such points better than they could. If he would throw himself wholly on the King's will, then they would give him their advice; or they would, if he wished, go in and report his words to the King. They did so; and Rufus, with a scruple which one would rather have looked for from Anselm, ordered that, as the day was Sunday, the discussion should be adjourned to the morrow. Anselm was to go to his own quarters, and to appear again in the morning. One might like to know where, not only the Archbishop, but the whole host of visitors at times like this, found quarters. Unless they were all the King's guests in the castle, and filled its nooks and corners how they might, it must have been much harder to find lodgings at Rockingham than it was at Gloucester. Monday morning came; Anselm, with his faithful reporter Eadmer, went to the place of meeting. Sitting in the midst of the whole Assembly, he told the bishops, as it would seem, that he was ready to receive the advice which he had asked for yesterday. They again answered that they had nothing to say but what they had said yesterday; they had no advice to give him, unless he was ready to throw himself wholly on the King's will. If he drew distinctions and reservations, if he pleaded any call on behalf of God to do anything against the King's will, they would give him no help. So low had the prelacy of England fallen under*