Page:William of Malmesbury's Chronicle.djvu/342

 "I Gosfrith, bishop of Coutances and one of the nobles of England, have assented.

"I Scotland, abbat of St. Augustine's monastery, have assented.

"I Thurstan, abbat of the monastery which is situated in the isle of Ely, have assented.

"I Ailnoth, abbat of Glastonbury, have assented.

"I Elfwin, abbat of the monastery of Ramsey, have assented.

"I Wulnoth, abbat of Chertsey, have assented.

"I Ailwyn, abbat of Evesham, have assented.

"I Frederic, abbat of St. Alban's, have assented.

"I Goffrid, abbat of the monastery of St. Peter, near London, have assented.

"I Baldwin, abbat of St. Edmund's monastery, have assented.

"I Turald, abbat of Burgh, have assented.

"I Adelelm, abbat of Abingdon, have assented.

"I Ruald, abbat of the New minster at Winchester, have assented.

"It becomes every Christian to be subject to Christian laws, and by no means to run counter to those things which have been wholesomely enacted by the holy fathers. For hence arise strifes, dissensions, envyings, contentions, and other things, which plunge the lovers of them into eternal punishment. And the more exalted the rank of any person is, so much the more exact should be his obedience to divine commands: wherefore I Thomas, now ordained metropolitan bishop of the church of York, hearing and knowing your authorities, make unlimited profession of canonical obedience to you, Lanfranc, archbishop of Canterbury, and your successors; and I promise to observe whatever shall be canonically enjoined me, either by you or them. Of this matter I was doubtful, while I was yet about to be ordained by you: wherefore I promised obedience unconditionally to you, but conditionally to your successors."

The archbishop of Canterbury, as I remember to have observed in my first book, originally had subject to him, these bishops: London, Winchester, Rochester, Sherborne, Worcester, Hereford, Lichfield, Selsey, Leicester, Helmham, Sidnacester, Danwich; in the time of king Edward the