Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 8, ELE-FOR

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England, called gods in fcripture, as being the vicars of God :
’—~v—and will you, by your abominable pretenfions to gmnt
A. D. 1107. them their inveiliture, affume the right of creating
tiiem V Henry was not yet convinced j but as he was
determined to avoid, or at lead to delay, the coming
to any dangerous extremity with the church, he per-
fuadcd Anielm, that by farther negotiation he Ihould
be able to compound matters with the pope. Mef-
lengers were therefore difpatched to Rome a fecond
time from the king; and alio from Anfelm, who avant¬
ed to be fully allured of the pope’s intentions. They
1 returned with letters wrote in the moll arrogant and
polidve manner, bolii to the king and primate. The
king fuppreifed the letter lent to hhnfelx; and perfua-
ded the three Lilhops, by Avhom it was font, to affert,
Uj>on tlieir epifcopal faith, that the pope had allured
them of his private good intentions towards King
Henry, and of his refutation not to refent any future
exertion of his prerogative in granting invellitures;
though he himfelf ferujded to give this alTurance under
his hand, left other princes Ihould copy the example
and aifume a like privilege. Anfclm’s two melfen-
gers, who were monks, affirmed that it was impoffible
this ftory could have any foundation j but their word
was not deemed equivalent to that of three biihops}
and tlie king, as if he had finally gained his caufc, pro¬
ceeded to fill the fees of Hereford and Salilbury, and
to inveft the new biihops in the ufual manner. Anielm,
however, gave no credit to the afl'ertions of the king’s
meflengers 5 and therefore refufed not only to confc-
crate them, but even to communicate with them ; and
the biihops themfelves, finding they Avere become uni-
verfally odious, returned the eniigns of their fpiritual
dignity.
The quarrel continued betAveen the king and primate,
till the latter, fcnfible of lus dangerous fituation, defired
leave to make a journey to Rome, in order to lay the
cafe before the pope. This permiffion Avas eafily
obtained ; but no fooner Avas the primate gone, than
Henry confifcated all his revenues, and font another
meflenger to negociate Avith the pope. The new mef-
i’enger told his holinefs, that his mailer Avould fooner
part with his crown than the right of granting hwefti-
tures. “ And I (replied the pope) Avould rather lofe
my head than alloAv him to retain it.” This quarrel
now became very dangerous to the king; as he Avas
threatened by the pope with excommunication, Avhich
would have been attended with terrible cdnfequences.
At laft, hoAvever, a compromife Avas made in the fol-
lowing manner. Before biihops took poffeffion of their
dignities, they had formerly been aecuftomed to pafs
through two ceremonials: They received, from the
hands of the fovereign, a ring and crofier as the fymbols
of their office, and this was called their invejliture;
they alfo made thofe fubmiflions to the prince, Avhich
Avere required of the vafials by the rites of the feudal
law, and Avhich received the name of homage. The
pope, therefore, was for the p.refcnt contented with
Hi nry’s roligning his right of granting inveftitures, by
which the fpiritual dignity Avas fuppofed to be con-
ferred; and he allowed the biihops to do homage for
their temporal properties and privileges. After this,
the pope allowed Anfelm to communicate with the
prelates Avho had already received inveftitures from the
crown \ and he only required of them fome fubmiflions
Vox. VH1. Part I,
for their pall condudl. He alfo granted to Anfelm a England,
plenary poAver of remedying every dilorder, Avhich he ^ V^T 1
faid might arife from the barbaroufnefs of the country.A' IJdS
About the fame time the marriage of priefts was pro¬
hibited 5 and even laymen Avere not alloAved to marry
Avithin the feyenth degree of affinity. By this con¬
trivance the pope augmented the profits which he
reaped from granting difpenfations, and likewife thofe
from divorces. For as the art-of Avriting Avas then rare,
and parilh-regifters were not regularly kept, it Avas not
eafy to afeertain the degrees of affinity even among
people of rank j and any man Avho had money to pay for
it, might obtain a divorce, on pretence that his wife
Avas more nearly related to him than Avas permitted by
the canons. A decree Avas aifo publilhed, prohibiting
the clergy to wear long hair 5 and the king, though lie
Avould not refign his prerogatives to the church, very
w illingly cut his hair in the form Avhich was required
of him, obliging all the courtiers at the fame time t<*
folioav his example.
From the time of this ccmpromife, which happened
in 1107, to the year 1120, nothing remarkable hap¬
pened except fome flight commotions in Normandy :
but tins year, Prince William, the king’s only fon, ^
w as unfortunately drowned off the coaft of Normandy }pr;nce
and Henry Avas fo much aftecled, that he is faid never William
aft or Avar ds to have fmiled or recovered his Avonted drowreefi
eheerfulnefs. It is very doubtful, hoAvever, Avhether
the death of this prince Avas not an advantage to the
Britifli nation, fmee he Avas often heard to cxpr.ds
the utmoft hatred to the natives 5 infomuch that he had
threatened, that when he came to the throne, he
Avould make them draw the plough, and would turn
them into beafts of burden. Thefe prepofleflions he
inherited from his father 5 Avho, though he was wont,
when it might ferve his purpofes, to value himfelf on
his birth as a native of England, fljewed, in the courfe
of 'his government, an extreme prejudice againft that
people. All hopes of preferment to'ecclefiaftieal as
well as civil dignities were denied to the Englifh during
this whole reign ; and any foreigner, however igno¬
rant or worthlefs, Avas fure to have the preference in
every competition. The charter formerly mentioned,
which the king granted at the beginning of his reign,
was no more thought of; and the whole fell fo much
into negleft and oblivion, that in the following' cen¬
tury, when the barons, Avho had heard an obfeure tra¬
dition of it, defired to make it the model of the great
charter Avhieh they exacted from King John, they could
only find one copy of it in the whole kingdom 5 Avhile
the grievances, propofed to be redrefied by it, continued
ftill in their full extent.
As Flenry had now no legitimate children except
Matilda, whom in mo he had betrothed, though
only eight years of age, to the emperor of Germany,
he Avas induced to marry a fecond time in hopes of
having Tons. He made his addrefles accordingly to
Adelais the daughter of Godfrey duke of Lovaine, and
niece to Pope Calixtus j a young princefs of an amiable
perfon. But Adelais brought him -no children : and
in 1135, the king died in Normandy, from eating Oeathof
too plentifully of lampreys ; having lived 67 years, and King Q
reigned 35. Henry.
By the Avill of King Henry, Ids daughter Matilda
became heirefs of all his dominions. She had been
K married.