defign they had formed, of embracing the prefent opportunity to render themselves formida able, and become independent of him and his fucceffors for the future. In order to accomplish this project, they not only fortified fuch caftles, as they had already in their hands, but erected several new ones. They outvied all the nobility in the magnificence of their houses and retinue, and affected to appear fo numerously attended on all occafions, that they looked much more like military chiefs at the head of fo many little armies, than the meek and peaceable paftors of Chrift's flock.

It cannot be wondered at, that a behaviour of this kind alarmed the king, and almost neceffitated him to take those steps towards depriving fome of them of their caftles, which afterwards involved him in fo much trouble. It was not only his own private fentiments, which determined him in that point, but the advice of most of the nobles concurred with his own opinion, that fome ftop should be put to the formidable power of the bishops *, which increased fo faft. But however defirable this might be, it was now not to be effected the clergy had fo great an influence over the lower people, that the nation was in

Malmsb. fol. 102.

a flame at the king's feizing the bishop's caftles. Religion itself was looked upon as invaded, which, as Rapin fays, was now thought to confift in upholding the church in whatever privileges and immunities the herself was pleafed to affume. The bishops openly talked of oppofing the king by arms, and became fo ftrong, that great numbers of the lay lords thought it fafeft to go over to their fide. Stephen had indeed fome time before given the people in general too much caufe to alter the good opinion they had once entertained: of him; and we find feveral barons had then taken up arms against him in defence of their liberty but that affair had at this time been made up, and, as I before obferved, it was now the fentiments of moft of the lay-lords, that the power of the bifhops required a top to be put to it: though when the attempt had embroiled the king in thefe troubles, but few of those lords had recovered their efleem for him fo far, as to affert his caufe with the zeal, they would otherwife have done, and draw upon themfelves the fury of a body of men at that time more formidable than their own.

But that the ground of this quarrel was no. national caufe, appears further from hence. Had the point in difpute concerned the public liberty, the king must have answered for his.

сод

conduct only before the great council of the kingdom; whereas in this cafe he was cited. before a fynod at Winchester *, convened by the bishop of that place as legate: which not only fhews the difpute to be particular with. the bishops, but was itself a greater infult offered the community, than ever Stephen had been guilty of.

:

During this difpute, Matilda thought it a favourable juncture to land in England, and claim her right to the crown. She no fooner arrived, than the clergy were forward to declare for her but the bishop of Winchester, who had hitherto chiefly excited and promoted the troubles of the king his brother, begun now to fee his error in raifing the ftorm. fo high, and that his own ruin would be infepa-. rable from that of his brother. With this. confideration, he, at first, did him fome service; but no fooner had the chance of war declared itself in favour of Matilda by Stephen's being taken prifoner, than he again threw up his brother's cause, and won by a promise, that he fhould difpofe of all ecclefiaftical preferments, undertook to procure Matilda the fuffrages of the clergy to elect her queen. In order to this he convened a fynod by his legatine authority, the day before the opening of

* Malmsb.

which he conferred in private first with the bishops, then with the abbots, and laftly with the arch-deacons. When the time appointed for their meeting was come, after he had made a fpeech, in which he publickly afferted the principal right of chufing a prince belonged to the clergy, the fynod declared Matilda queen. It was thus with an unheard-of, and unprecedented infolence the clergy alone pretended to give the nation a fovereign without confulting the barons, nay contrary to the fentiments of many of them, who had at this time fent their deputies with thofe of the city of Lon'den to demand Stephen's liberty. But this meffage had no other effect than to draw an excommunication upon the king and his ad

herents.

However monstrous this conduct appears to be, the measure of their infolent and treacherous proceedings was not yet compleated: for in a very short time afterwards the bishop of Winchester having been difobliged by Matilda, he once more deferted her caufe; and affembling another fynod at Westminster † he found his brethren nothing loath in undoing, what they had fo lately done at Winchefter. Stephen, who was now at liberty, having been

Malmsb. fol. 106. † Ibid. fol. 108.

exchanged for the duke of Gloucester, was again acknowledged by them as king, and Matilda, in her turn excommunicated with her adherents. This change foon rendered her affairs fo defperate, that she was obliged to quit this kingdom, and leave Stephen in poffeffion of a crown, which he firft obtained, afterwards loft, and again recovered by the intrigues and power of the ecclefiafticks.

The power the church affumed to itself in the next reign, and the entire independence on the ftate, that it laid claim to, evidently appears in the contest between Henry II. and Becket. The laity were reduced to a kind of flavery by the clergy: whatever outrages they fuffered from them, they durft not repel for fear of excommunication (the effects of which were at that time fo terrible) nor could they expect any redrefs from the laws, fince the ecclefiafticks claimed a privilege of being tried only in their own courts; there every thing was carried on with the most open partiality; the ecclefiafticks were only liable to flight corrections, and for the most heinous crimes punished no further than with degradation, fhort fufpenfion, or fhort confinement.

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