Page:The reign of William Rufus and the accession of Henry the First.djvu/675

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as something to which the arbitrary customs of England must give way. To those customs he cannot agree without perilling his own soul and the souls of his successors. He comes to the Apostolic See for help and counsel. When he had reached Rome, he again set forth his case more fully, as it had been set forth in the letter from Lyons. Letters both from Anselm and from the Pope were sent to the King by the same messenger, letters which unluckily are not preserved. The summary of the papal letter seems to point to a lofty tone on the part of the Pontiff. He moves, he exhorts, he at last commands, King William, to leave the goods of the Archbishop free, and to restore everything to him. Anselm's own letter was doubtless in a milder strain. The messenger came back, to find both Urban and Anselm again at Rome after the synod at Bari. The letter from Urban had been received, though ungraciously; the letter from Anselm was sent back. As soon as the King knew that the bearer was a man of the Archbishop's, he had sworn by the face of Lucca that, unless the messenger speedily got him away out of his lands, he would have his eyes torn out without fail.

The Pope however could hardly be left wholly without some answer, however scornfully William might dealesse hominem ejus, jurasse per vultum Dei quia, si festine terram suam non exiret, sine retractatione oculos ei erui faceret."]