The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-17

Smith goes on 10 point out that In the time oil
Henry H. tho discipline oil the Church was Lax.
"Secularism, nepo,ism. simony. pluralism and
sinccurism prevailed. II we may trust the satire
| OF the ago. TO a scandalous extent Rich church
preernent was given TO boys Bishops wero
courticrs or fighting baronS, andwero not ashamed
Of having bastard children Under Stephen.
bishops had closed the gates OF their castles
against tho Crown Tho salt OF monasticism
had lost It's savor Concublnago was common
among the clergy The minor orders swarmed
with ,agabonds who had nothing clerical about
them but tho tonsuro and among whom murder
and robbery were ri.e Yet the tonsure protected
from Justice The ecclesiastical courts claimed
tho criminal who wfs still, according TO clerical
theory part Of the soul Of tho world. not TO DO
punished by the proianc arm Of flesh; whlo pen
allies which the ecclesiastical courts under canon
law could iuiici or would, probably, wish TO In
iict were Inadequate 10 the suppression Of crime.
1t was tcnprtcl to the King by his usticiars that.
In the years u his reign. more than hundr cd
murders, together with number Of robberies
and other offences had been committed by clerks
whom the lay jurisdiction could not reach. In
the last reign. an archdeacon had administered
poison 10 his Archbishop In tho eucharistc cup,
and, as churchman had escaped Justice. Even
among the hierarchy. not secularism only. but
violence rc,aied. Soon after this, the chronic
struggle between tho Archbishops Of Canterbury
and York about precode ncc led TO an ARRAY in
church council in which the Archbishop Of York
was sorcly maued by tho monks attendant on
bis rival"
by the Constitutions OF Clarendon. promti
gated In il6i clerks accused Of crime wero TO be
nrrHignrd, first. In tho King court which might
at It's discretion. send them TO tho ecclesiastical
court II convicted in the ecclesiastical court
End degraded. the clerk was 20 lose his benefit
Of clergy, AMI become amcnablo TO lay
Justice Appeals were 10 10 carried from
the Atchdcacon TO the Bishop. from
the bishop TO the Archbishop, and. In the
last resort, to the King in the Archbishops court
but never 20 the Pope. without the Kings con-
sent Cases Of church property and advowsons
were to he tried in the civil courts and the hight
OF sanctuary was not to protect goods forfeited
10 the Crown. These constitutions would have
remained the law Of the realm but for Beckets
murder. Tn his death Eecket conquered. An
electric shock ran through papal Europe, Ths
King fell on his knees -oemnly abjured tho
murder. bowed himself beneath the censuro Of
tie church. renowned the Constitutions Of Clnr.
cnton and. hftcrward. performed at Rockets
tomb rrnHnce moro degrading than the huniil.
in'ion Of Henry ". at Cnnossa or Of BarbaIossa
at Venice. The martyr Of clerical privilege Was
eNAl'cl 20 the skies Thanks to tho enthusiasm
OF his order ho became the chief saint n the Eng
ish people, lllS shrine, as readers Of Chnucer
know wa, through the middle ages. the great
rnn' ~ English pilgrimage far more Was offered
att than At the altar OF God. or oven nj the shrine
~ the Virgin" AZ the Reformation the idol
was cast down Thus concisey but exactly.
is brought out the significance Of the struggle
between civil power and occlcSns,icism In tho
reign ~ Henry II, n theme upon which Froude
has expended 80 much rhetoric and Stubbs 80
much research.