to receive the pall from his hands, but we do not read that he ever went. And yet he was in heart a Roman Catholic. He was probably the first prelate in England to teach the doctrine of transubstantiation. He also favoured the celibacy of the clergy. Still the Pope's strong threat did not render him obedient. [1]"Hitherto," said Pope Hildebrand, "you have out of pride or negligence abused our patience. … By virtue of our Apostolic authority we enjoin you, that setting aside all pretences and insignificant apprehensions of danger, you make your appearance at Rome within four months." In case of disobedience he was threatened to be thrown outside S. Peter's protection, and would be deprived of the power of exercising his ecclesiastical functions.
Although these facts are true about the resistance of the king to the Pope's growing claims, we must accuse the Conqueror of bringing England nearer Rome and giving the Pope some show of authority here. The fact that he appointed such men as Lanfranc, who was a foreigner and brought up under the influence of Rome, to our English Sees and livings, must have increased the Pope's authority.
The successors to the throne of the Conqueror were by no means model kings. As far as their relation to the Church went, in theory, they believed in their own royal supremacy, over both things temporal and things spiritual. They used their supremacy so badly, that many of the clergy, in the choice of two evils, chose the lesser, and preferred to look for help to the Pope of Rome. Anselm is an instance of this, who succeeded Lanfranc at Canterbury.
- ↑ Quoted by Hore, p.105.
