reached the verge of fanaticism. Such language would have been exaggerated, had it been used when he was forbidden to go for the pallium according to ancient custom; it was utterly out of place when no clear duty of any kind, no law of eternal right, no positive law of the Church, bade him to go to Rome in defiance of the King's orders.
Speech of Bishop Walkelin.
Anselm and the bishops.
At this stage we again meet a personal spokesman
on the other side; Bishop Walkelin of Winchester
speaks where doubtless William of Saint-Calais would
have spoken, had he still lived. Walkelin's argument
was one hardly suited to the mind of Anselm. The
King and his lords knew the Archbishop's ways; they
knew that he was a man not easily turned from his
purpose; but it was not easy to believe that he would
be firm in his purpose of casting aside the honour and
wealth of the great office which he held, merely for the
sake of going to Rome.[1] Anselm's face lighted up, and
he fixed his keen eyes on Walkelin, with the words,
"Truly I shall be firm." This answer was taken to
the King, and was debated for a long while in the inner
council. At last Anselm bethinks him that his suffragans
ought rather to be advising him than advising the King;
he sends and bids them to come to him. Three of them
come at the summons, Walkelin, the ritualist Osmund,
the cunning leech John of Bath. They sat down on
each side of their metropolitan. Anselm called on them,
as bishops and prelates in the Church of God. If they
were really willing to guard the right and the justice of
God as they were ready to guard the laws and usages
of a mortal man,[2] they will let him tell them in full his
- ↑ Eadmer Hist. Nov. 38. "In hoc scilicet, ut, spreto tanti pontificatus honore simul et utilitate, Romam petas, non leve est credere quod stabilis maneas."
- ↑ Ib. "Si ita fideliter et districte vultis in mea parte considerare atque tueri rectitudinem et justitiam Dei, sicut in parte alterius perpenditis atque tuemini jura et usus mortalis hominis."
