William, the fon of duke Robert, was ftill protected in the French court; and as Henry's connections with the count of Anjou were broke off, by the death of his fon, Fulk joined the party of the unfortunate prince, gave him his daughter in marriage, and assisted him in raising disturbances in Normandy. But Henry found the means of drawing off the count of Anjou, by forming anew with him a nearer connexion than the former, and one more material to the interests of that count's family. The Emperor, his fon-in-law, dying without iffue, he bestowed his daughter on Geoffrey, the eldest son of Fulk, and endeavoured to enfure her fucceffion, by having her recognized heir of all his dominions, and obliging the barons both of Normandy and England to swear fealty to her. He hoped, that the choice of this husband would be more agreeable to all his fubjects than that of the Emperor; as fecuring them from the fears of falling under the dominion of a great and distant potentate, who might bring them into fubjection, and reduce their country to the rank of a province: But the barons were displeased, that a step so material to national interests had been taken without confulting them; and Henry had experienced too sensibly the turbulency of their disposition, not to dread the effects of their refentment. It seemed probable, that his nephew's party might gain force from the increase of the malcontents; and an acceffion of power, which that prince inherited a little after, tended to render his pretenfions ftill more dangerous. Charles earl of Flanders being affaffinated during the celebration of divine fervice, King Lewis imme

b Chron. Sax. p. 230.

de Burgo, p. 65.

W. Malm. p. 175. Gul. Gemet. p. 304. Chron. St. Petri

< W. Malm. p. 175. The annals of Waverly, p. 150. fay, that the King afked and obtained the consent of all the barons.

VI.

11.28.

CHAP. diately put the young prince in poffeffion of that county, to which he had pretenfions, in the right of his grandmother Matilda, wife to the Conqueror. But William furvived a very. little time this piece of good fortune, which feemed to open the door to ftill farther profperity. He was killed in a fkirmifh with the landgrave of Alface, his competitor for Flanders 15 and his death put an end, for the present, to the jealousy and inquietude of Henry.

THE chief merit of this prince's government consists in the profound tranquillity which he established and maintained throughout all his dominions during the greatest part of his reign'. The mutinous barons were retained in fubjection; and his neighbours, in every attempt which they made upon him, found him fo well prepared, that they were discouraged from continuing or renewing their enterprizes. In order to repress the incurfions of the Welfh, he brought over some Flemings in the year IIII, and fettled them in Pembrokeshire, where they long maintained a different language, and customs and manners, from their neighbours. Though his government seems to have been arbitrary in England, it was judicious and prudent; and was as little oppreffive as the neceffity of his affairs would permit. He wanted not attention to the redress of grievances; and hiftorians mention in particular the levying purveyance, which he endeavoured to moderate and restrain. The tenants in the King's demefne lands were at that time obliged to fupply gratis the court with provifions, and to furnish carriages on the fame hard terms, when the King made a progrefs into any of the counties. Thefe exac

d Chron. Sax. p. 231. Gul. Gem. p. 299. Alur. Beverl. p. 151.
• Chron. Sax. p. 232.
f Gul. Gemet. p. 302.

& W. Malm. p. 158. Brompton, p. 1003.

tions

VI.

1128.

tions were fo grievous, and levied in fo licentious a manner,. CHAP.
that the farmers, when they heard of the court's approach,
often deferted their houses, as if an enemy had invaded them ";
and sheltered their perfons and families in the woods, from
the infults of the King's retinue. Henry prohibited these
enormities, and punished the perfons guilty of them by cutting
off their hands, legs, or other members'. But the prerogative
was perpetual; the remedy applied by Henry was temporary;
and the violence of this remedy, fo far from giving security to
the people, was only a proof of the ferocity of the government
in that age, and threatened a quick return of like abuses.

ONE great and difficult object of the King's prudence was the guarding against the encroachments of the court of Rome, and protecting the liberties of the church of England. The Pope, in the year 1101, had fent Guy, archbishop of Vienne, as legate into Britain; and though he was the first that for many years had appeared there in that character, and his commiffion, gave general furprize, the King, who was then in the com-. mencement of his reign, and was attended with many difficulties, was obliged to submit to this incroachment on his authority. But in the year 1116, Anselm, abbot of St. Sabas, who was coming over with a like legatine commiffion, was prohibited to enter the kingdom'; and Pope Calixtus, who in his turn was then labouring under many difficulties, by reafon of the pretenfions of Gregory, an anti-pope, was obliged to promife, that he never would for the future, except when folicited by the King himself, fend any legate into England". Notwithstanding this engagement, the Pope, fo foon as he had:

1

CHAP.
VI.

1128.

oppreffed his antagonist, granted the Cardinal de Crema a lega-
tine commiffion for that kingdom; and the King, who, by
reafon of his nephew's intrigues and invafions, found himself
at that time in a dangerous fituation, was obliged to fubmit to
the excrcife of this commiffion". A fynod was called by the
legate at London; where, among other canons, a vote paffed,
enacting fevere penalties on the marriage of the clergy'; and
the Cardinal, in a public harangue, declared it to be an unpar-
donable enormity, that a priest should dare to confecrate and
touch the body of Chrift immediately after he had rifen from the
fide of a ftrumpet: For that was the decent appellation which
he
gave to the wives of the clergy. But it happened, that, the
very next night, the officers of justice, breaking into a diforderly
houfe, found the Cardinal in bed with a courtezan *.; an inci-
dent which threw fuch a ridicule upon him, that he immedi-
ately stole out of the kingdom: The fynod broke up; and the
canons against the marriage of clergymen were worse executed
than ever'.

HENRY, in order to prevent this alternate revolution of conceffions and encroachments, fent William, then archbishop of Canterbury, to remonftrate with the court of Rome against these abuses, and to affert the liberties of the English churches. It was an usual maxim with every Pope, when he found that he could not prevail in any pretenfion, to grant princes or ftates a power which they had always exercised, to refume at a proper

* Hoveden, p. 478. M. Paris, p. 48. Matth. Weft. ad ann. 1125. H. Huntingdon, p. 382. It is remarkable, that this last writer, who was a clergyman as well as the others, makes an apology for ufing fuch freedom with the fathers of the church; but fays, that the fact was notorious, and ought not to be concealed.

1 Chron. Sax. p. 234.

feafon

season the claim which feemed to be refigned, and to pretend, that the civil magiftrate had poffeffed the authority only from a special indulgence of the Roman pontiff. After this manner, the Pope, finding that the French nation would not admit his claim of granting inveftitures, had paffed a bull, giving the King that authority; and he now practised a like invention to elude the complaints of the King of England. He made the archbishop of Canterbury his legate, renewed his commiffion from time to time, and still pretended, that the rights, which that prelate had ever exercised as metropolitan, were entirely derived from the indulgence of the apoftolic fee. The English princes, and Henry in particular, who were glad to avoid any present contest of so dangerous a nature, commonly acquiefced by their filence in these pretenfions of the court of Rome ".

As every thing in England remained in tranquillity, Henry took the opportunity of paying a visit to Normandy, to which he was invited, as well by his affection for that country, as by his tenderness for his daughter, the Empress Matilda, who was always his favourite. Some time after, that princess was delivered of a son, who received the name of Henry; and the

" The legates a latere, as they were called, were a kind of delegates, who poffeffed the full power of the Pope in all the provinces committed to their charge, and were very bufy in extending, as well as exercising it. They nominated to all vacant benefices, assembled fynods, and were anxious to maintain ecclefiaftical privileges, which never could be fully protected without incroachments on the civil power. If there was the least concurrence or oppofition, it was always fuppofed that the civil power was to give way: Every deed, which had the leaft pretence of holding of any thing spiritual, as marriages, testaments, promiffory oaths, were brought into the fpiritual court, and could not be canvassed before a civil magiftrate. These were the established laws of the church; and where a legate was fent immediately from Rome, he was fure to maintain the papal claims with the utmost rigour: But it was an advantage to the King to have the archbishop of Canterbury appointed legate, because the connexions of that prelate with the kingdom tended to moderate his measures.

VOL. I.

Ccc

King,

CHAP.

VI.

1128.

1131.

1133: