the King. Yet he tried once more through messengers to persuade the King to take his gift, but, as he steadily refused to double it, it was still thrust aside with scorn. The assembly broke up; the Archbishop, still in the King's disfavour, went away, and the money which the King had despised was given to the poor.
Dispute with the Bishop of London.
Judgement of Wulfstan.
This business over, Anselm had now a few weeks, but a
few weeks only, to give to his immediate pastoral work.
Even those weeks were disturbed by a dispute with one
of his suffragans. The point at issue was the right of the
Archbishop to consecrate churches and do other episcopal
acts in such of his manors as were locally in other dioceses.
This right was denied by Bishop Maurice of London, who
sent two of his canons to forbid the Archbishop to consecrate
the newly built church of Harrow.[1] The matter
was settled by an appeal to one who knew the ancient
laws of England better than either Maurice or Anselm.
Wulfstan of Worcester, now "one and alone of the ancient
fathers of the English," wrote back his judgement in
favour of the Primate's right.[2] The question was thus*
- ↑ The story is told by Eadmer, 22. The objection of Maurice takes this shape; "Dicebat ipsam ecclesiam in sua parochia esse, et ob hoc, licet in terra archiepiscopi fuerit, dedicationem illius ad se pertinere." The right of the Archbishop seems to have rested on good ancient precedent; but there is something odd in Eadmer's way of stating the controversy. The presumption was surely in favour of the diocesan bishop.
- ↑ The letter of Anselm to Wulfstan appears among the Epistles (iii. 19). Wulfstan's answer is given in the text of the Historia Novorum. Anselm speaks of the action of the earlier archbishops in this matter; "Quod etiam sanctus Dunstanus et alii prædecessores mei fecisse probantur, ipsis ecclesiis quas dedicaverunt adhuc stantibus." This is a little touch from a time when the churches of Dunstan's day were being largely rebuilt, that of Harrow most likely among them. Wulfstan is well described by Eadmer; "Supererat adhuc beatæ memoriæ Wolstanus episcopus unus et solus de antiquis Anglorum patribus, vir in omni religione conspicuus, et antiquarum Angliæ consuetudinum scientia apprime eruditus." There is something very remarkable in the way in which Wulfstan speaks of the archbishop to whom he made his first profession (see N. C. vol. ii. pp. 473, 655); "Extant
