Cries of the lay members.
Intervention of Count Alan.
The Bishop appeals yet again. King may rightly arrest him.[1] At this hint the lay members of the Assembly joined in with one voice, the foremost among them being that Randolf Peverel of whose possessions and supposed kindred we have had elsewhere to speak.[2] "Take him," was the cry, "take him; for that old gaoler speaks well."[3] But at this stage the Bishop finds friends in the Counts whose faith had been pledged to his safe-conduct. Count Alan formally states the terms of the agreement, and prays the King—Odo and Roger joining with him in the prayer—that he may not be forced to belie his faith, as otherwise the King should have no further service from him.[4] But in Lanfranc's view the second of the two cases which were contemplated in the agreement had taken place. The King was not bound to let the Bishop go back to Durham; all that he was now bound to do was to give him ships and a safe-conduct out of the realm.[5] The dispute goes on in the usual style. The Bishop continues his appeal to Rome; he again invokes what he calls specially the Christian law, pointing, it would seem, to a volume in his own hand;[6] while
- ↑ Mon. Ang. u. s. "Si episcopus amplius castellum suum vobis contradixerit, bene eum capere potestis, quia conductum quem hactenus habuit nunc dimittit, cum prior conventionem frangit, et barones vestros probare appetit quod fidem suam servarent non bene."
- ↑ On Randolf Peverel and his alleged connexion with William, see N. C. vol. iii. p. 662; iv. 200; v. 26.
- ↑ Mon. Angl. i. 248. "Tunc Radulfus Piperellus et omnes laici unanimiter conclamantes dixerunt; 'Capite eum, capite eum, bene enim loquitur iste vetustus ligaminarius.'" One would like to have the original French of this somewhat irreverent description of the Archbishop, but gaoler seems to be the most likely meaning of the unusual word ligaminarius.
- ↑ Ib. "Multum precor dominum meum regem ne fidem meam inde faciat me mentiri, nullum enim proficuum in me haberet ulterius."
- ↑ Ib. "Rex bene vos adquietavit; plenam namque rectitudinem episcopo obtulit, et ipse eam vobis audientibus recusavit, regem quoque Romam injuste invitavit; recognoscat igitur episcopus hoc justum fecisse judicium, et si illud sequi nollet, et rex sibi naves inveniet et conductum."
- ↑ "Christianam legem quam hic scriptam habeo, testem invoco." See above, p. 104.
