MarginaliaEx epist. Ansel. 327
An other letter.YOur worship cōplaineth of þ^e sacramēts of þ^e church, þ^t they are not made euery where after one sorte, but are hādled in diuers places after diuers sorts. And truely, if they wer ministred after one sort & agreīg through the whole church: it were good & laudable. MarginaliaDiuersitie of vsages in the church, to be borne with peace, then o be condemned with offēce Diuers customes in the church hurt nothing.Yet notwithstandyng, because there be many diuersities which differ not in the summe of the sacrament, in the strength of it, or in the fayth, nor els can be gathered into one custom: I thinke that they are rather to be borne, wyth agremēt in peace, than to be condemned wyth offence. For we haue this frō the holy fathers, that if the vnitie of charitie be kept in þ^e catholique faith, þ^e diuersitie of customes hurt nothing. But if it be demaunded whereof these diuersities of customs do spring: I perceiue no other cause therof, but the diuersities of mēs wits. Which although they dyffer not in strēgth and truth of the thing: yet they agree not in the fitnes, and comelines of the ministryng. For that which one iudgeth to bee meeter, oftentymes an other thinketh lesse meete: wherefore not to agree in such diuersities, I think it not to swarue from the truth of the thyng, &c.

Then in þ^e story it followeth after long debatyng and discussyng of these matters in the councel, whē they had geuen forth their determination vpon the same: MarginaliaExcōmunication denounced agaynst the Grecians. Excōmunication bent agaynst K. William.And the pope had blasted out hys thundring excommunications against the Grecians & all that toke their parte: at lēgth was brought in, touching the complaintes and accusation against the kyng of England. Vpon þ^e hearyng wherof, pope Vrbane with his adherentes was ready to proceede in excommunication against the kyng. But Anselme kneling before the pope, after he had first accused hys kyng, then after obtayned for hym longer tyme to be geuen vpon further triall.

MarginaliaFirst breake his head, & then geue hym a plaster.Thus the councel breaking vp, the pope returning again to Rome, directeth down his letters to þ^e king: commaunding him þ^t Anselme w^t al his partakers (in spedie wise) shuld be reuested agayn into his archbishopricke, & all other possessiōs therunto appertayning. MarginaliaMessage betwene the kyng & the pope.To this þ^e K. sendeth aunswer agayn by messengers: who cōmyng to the archbishop, declared in the kynges behalfe on thys wyse. That the kyng their maister dyd not a little meruayle what came in hys mynde, to commaund Anselme to be reuested and resaised agayne into hys former archbishopricke, seyng he told hym before plainly, that yf he went out of England without hys leaue, he would so do vnto him. Wel saith the pope, haue ye no other matter agaynst Anselmus but onely this? No, quod they. And haue ye taken all this trauayle (sayth the pope) to come hether so farre to tell me this, that the primate of your countrey is therfore seased and dispossessed, because he hath appelled the see and iudgement apostolicall? MarginaliaA loude cracke of thunder but without a thunderbolt.Therfore if thou louest thy Lord, speede the home and tel him, if he wil not be excommoned, that he quickly reuest Anselme agayne, to all that he had before. And lest I make thee to be hanged for thy labour, loke to thy terme: and see that thou bring me aunswer agayne from hym into this citie, against the next councel the third weeke after Easter. The messenger or speaker beyng somwhat astonied at the hearing of this so tragical aunswer: thinking yet to worke somethyng for his kyng and maister: came secretly to the pope, saying that he would conferre a certayne mystery from hys kyng priuately with his holynes betwene thē two. MarginaliaA brybing mysterye handled at- Rome.What mistery that was: or what there passed from the kyng to the pope and the courte of Rome, myne author doth not shew. But so cunningly þ^e mistery was handled: that wyth a full consent bothe of the pope and all the court of Rome, a longer day was geuen (from Easter to Michaelmas) and þ^e popes colerike heate so asswaged: that when the councel came (which then was holden at S. Peters church in Rome) MarginaliaConcilium Romanū. Optimus causidicus nummus.Albeit great complaintes were there denounced agaynst the kyng: yet such fauour was foūd, that he toke no harme. Onely the sentence of excommunication was there proMarginaliaActes of the councel of Rome.nounced against suche lay persons as gaue inuesture of churches, & thē þ^t were so inuested. Also against thē þ^t do consecrate such, or whiche geue themselues in subiection to lay men for ecclesiasticall liuinges, as is before touched, &c.

This councel beyng finished, þ^e archb. seing þ^e vnstedfastnes of the pope (which pleased hym but a little) tooke his iorney to Lyons: where he cōtinued his abode a lōg time, til þ^e death fyrst of pope Vrbane, thē after of þ^e king.

MarginaliaThe hardines or rather rashnes of King William.Of this kyng William, many thinges be diuerslye recorded, some to his commendation, and some to his discommendation: whereof this is one which some wyll ascrybe to hardnes, but I rather to rashnes in him. As this kyng vpon a tyme was in his disport of huntyng: sodenlye worde came to him, that Cenourona (a citie in Normandy) was besieged. The king without longer tarying or aduisement, toke the straight way toward þ^e sea syde: sending to his lordes, that they should folow after. Thei being come to hys presence, aduised him to stay, till the time his people were assembled, but he would not be staied: saying þ^t such as him loued (he knewe) would folow hym shortly, and so went to take ship. The shipmaister seyng the wether so darke and cloudy, was afrayd and counselled the kyng to tarye til the wynde did turne about, and the weather more fauourable. MarginaliaThe sayng of K. Wiliam, how he neuer knew any king drouned.But the kyng persisting in his iourney, commaunded him to make all the speede he myghte for hys lyfe (saying) that he neuer heard, that any king yet was euer drowned. And so passed the sea in safetie, and came to Normandy.

MarginaliaThe death of Wiliā Rufus.The. xiij. yeare of his raigne the said king William, hauing the same time in his hande three bishoprickes, Cant. Wint. and Sarum: also. xij. Abbeys in ferme: MarginaliaWalter Tirrell.
The new forest.As he was in hys disporte of hunting in the newe forest, by glaunsing of an arow (shot of a knight named Walter Tyrell) was wounded to death: and so spechles was caried to Westminster, & there was buried. Where also is to be noted, that Richard the cosen Germayne of K. William, and sonne to Duke Robert his brother, was likewyse slayne in the foresayd forest. MarginaliaExample of the iust hād of god reuenginge the faultes of kinges in their posteritie.See the iust hand of God vpon kinges, vsurping wrongfullye vpon other mens groundes, as did William conquerour their father, in making this new forest: plucking down diuers churches and townships, the compasse of. xxx. myles about. Here therfore appeareth, that although men can not reuenge, yet God reuēgeth either in them, or in their posteritie. &c. This king, as he alwaies vsed Cōcubines, so left he no issue legitimate behinde him. His lyfe was such, that it is for a story: that shoulde tell truth, to say, whether hee was more to be commended, or reproued. MarginaliaCouetousnes noted in K. William. A famous exāple of bribes refuted.Emong other vices in him, especiallye is to be rebuked in hym vnmeasurable and vnreasonable couetousnes: in so much that he coueted (if he might) to be euery mās heyre. This one of a liberall and princely nature I finde in him: that vpon a tyme, where a certayne Abbot of a place was dead, there came to his court two Monkes of the same house: who before had gathered much money, and made their frendes to the king, and offered large offers eyther of them to bee promoted to that dignitye. There was also the third monke of þ^e same place, which of meekenes and humilitie followed the other two: to thentent þ^t vpon him þ^t the king had admitted for abbot, he should geue attendance, and as his chaplaine to haue with him returned. MarginaliaTWo brybyng monkes both disapoynted.The king called before him the two monkes seuerally, & eyther out proferred þ^e other. As the king cast his eye asyde, he espied the third monke standing by, supposing that his comming had bene also for the like cause. Then the king calling hym, asked what he would do, whether he would geue more then his brethren had offred, to be abbot. He answered the kyng, and sayd: that he neither had (nor would if he might) offer any peny for it, by any such vnlawfull meane.

When the king had well pondred this third monkes