And since he was not willing to receive the insignia of his pastoral
charge from the throne, the Canons of Chartres dragged him by main force
before Philippe, and compelled him (as Anselm in England also was
forcibly compelled) to receive the pastoral staff from the King.[46]
Geoffrey, however, the deposed bishop, was not the man to retire without
a struggle. He enlisted the support of his uncle, Bishop of Paris, and
of the Archbishop of Sens. Gently but firmly S. Ives ignored their
protests, resting his claim on the supreme decision of the Pope. The
storm wore itself out against his unflinching calmness. But scarcely was
he settled peaceably in possession of his bishopric when, like the
conscientious man of action that he was, S. Ives felt bound to stir up
another storm, destined to make itself felt throughout Christendom.
The union of Philippe the First with Bertrade de Montfort was a flagrant
violation of the laws of the Church. Against this adulterous marriage S.
Ives arose and protested. In order to understand the part S. Ives took
in this matter it is necessary to realise that the sanctity of marriage
was a point, the observance of which, in his aim of securing not the
appearance only but the reality of virtue, S. Ives had set himself to
enforce in all classes. He deals with the subject in his letters with
broad judgment and sound sense.
In the case of princes--for the sake of example--he had continually
exerted himself to prevent or to annul marriages which transgressed the
laws of holy matrimony.
Now, therefore, with immense courage, he determined to stop the
adulterous and incestuous union of the quinquagenarian Philippe I. with
Bertrade, third wife of Fouques, Count of Anjou. For the King wished to
repudiate Queen Bertha and to make a wife of that fascinating and
ambitious woman.
To quiet all scruples and objections, he began by endeavouring to obtain
the consent of the bishops, and especially that of S. Ives (S. Ives,
Letter XIII.), whom he tried to trick into giving his assent. But S.
Ives would be no party to such a business. Though he could not dissuade
the King, he persisted in opposing and condemning his action. He warned
his brother bishops not to be mute dogs that know not how to bark. He
wrote to the King that he would rather have a millstone round his neck
and be cast into the sea than aid and abet by his presence this
unrighteous union with Bertrade.
It was a noble letter; but the purpose of the writer was not achieved.
The marriage took place. It remained to punish the honest bishop.
Perhaps Philippe might have forgiven him, but Bertrade was not the kind
of woman to forgive such opposition.
Hugues II. du Puiset, Viscount of Chartres, was her tool. Acting under
instructions from the Court, he pillaged the lands of Notre-Dame. Then,
profiting by the presence of the bishop in his country house near
Fresnay,[47] he seized him and held him prisoner.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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