Anselm and the knight.
"Vox populi vox Dei."
Perplexity of the King.
His speech to the bishops.
William of Saint-Calais breaks down.
- —we should gladly know his name and race and dwelling-place—stepped
forth from the crowd and knelt at the feet of Anselm,[1] with the words, "Father and lord, through me your suppliant children pray you not to let your heart be troubled at what you have heard; remember how the blessed Job vanquished the devil on his dunghill, and avenged Adam whom he had vanquished in paradise." Anselm received his words with a pleased and cheerful look; for he now knew that the heart of the people was with him. And his true companions rejoiced also, and grew calmer in their minds, knowing the scripture—so our guide tells us—that the voice of the people is the voice of God.[2] While a native English heart was thus carried back to the feelings of bygone times, the voice of the stranger King, to whom God was as a personal enemy, was speaking in another tone. His hopes had utterly broken down; his loyal bishops had made promises to him which they had been unable to fulfil. When he heard how popular feeling was turning towards Anselm, he was angered beyond measure, to the very rending asunder of his soul.[3] He turned to his bishops in wrath. "What is this? Did you not promise that you would deal with him altogether according to my will, that you would judge him, that you would condemn him?" The boasted wisdom, the very flow of speech, of their leader the Bishop of Durham now failed him; he spoke as one from whom
- [Footnote: pro eo loqui audebat ob metum tyranni." We have had the word "tyrannis"
already; see above, p. 397.]
- ↑ Eadmer, Hist. Nov. 29. "Miles unus de multitudine prodiens viro adstitit flexis coram eo genibus."
- ↑ "Confidentes juxta scripturam, vocem populi vocem esse Dei." "Scriptura" must here be taken in some wide sense; Eadmer could hardly have thought that these words were to be found in any of the canonical books.
- ↑ "Ad divisionem spiritus sui exacerbatus."
