William of Malmesbury's Chronicle of the Kings of England: From the earliest period to the reign of King StephenWilliam, of Malmesbury
History
William of Malmesbury's Chronicle of the Kings of England: From the earliest period to the reign of King Stephen
William, of Malmesbury
Great Britain -- History -- Norman period, 1066-1154; Great Britain -- History -- To 1066; Middle Ages -- Sources
assembled at the king’s court on the festival of Pentecost.
“The signature of William the king: the signature of Matilda the queen.
“I Hubert, subdeacon of the holy Roman church, and legate from pope
Alexander, have signed.
“I Lanfranc, archbishop of Canterbury, have signed.
“I Thomas, archbishop of York, have signed.
“I William, bishop of London, have assented.
“I Herman, bishop of Sherborne, have signed.
“I Wulstan, bishop of Worcester, have signed.
“I Walter, bishop of Hereford, have assented.
“I Giso, bishop of Wells, have assented.
“I Remigius, bishop of Dorchester, have signed.
“I Walkelin, bishop of Winchester, have signed.
“I Herefast, bishop of Helmham, have signed.
“I Stigand, bishop of Chichester, have assented.
“I Siward, bishop of Rochester, have assented.
“I Osberne, bishop of Exeter, have assented.
“I Odo, bishop of Bayeux and earl of Kent, have assented.
“I Gosfrith, bishop of Coutances and one of the nobles of England, have
assented.
“I Scotland, abbat of St. Augustine’s monastery, have assented.
“I Thurstan, abbat of the monastery which is situated in the isle of
Ely, have assented.
“I Ailnoth, abbat of Glastonbury, have assented.
“I Elfwin, abbat of the monastery of Ramsey, have assented.
“I Wulnoth, abbat of Chertsey, have assented.
“I Ailwyn, abbat of Evesham, have assented.
“I Frederic, abbat of St. Alban’s, have assented.
“I Goffrid, abbat of the monastery of St. Peter, near London, have
assented.
“I Baldwin, abbat of St. Edmund’s monastery, have assented.
“I Turald, abbat of Burgh, have assented.
“I Adelelm, abbat of Abingdon, have assented.
“I Ruald, abbat of the New minster at Winchester, have assented.
“It becomes every Christian to be subject to Christian laws, and by
no means to run counter to those things which have been wholesomely
enacted by the holy fathers. For hence arise strifes, dissensions,
envyings, contentions, and other things, which plunge the lovers of
them into eternal punishment. And the more exalted the rank of any
person is, so much the more exact should be his obedience to divine
commands: wherefore I Thomas, now ordained metropolitan bishop of the
church of York, hearing and knowing your authorities, make unlimited
profession of canonical obedience to you, Lanfranc, archbishop of
Canterbury, and your successors; and I promise to observe whatever
shall be canonically enjoined me, either by you or them. Of this matter
I was doubtful, while I was yet about to be ordained by you: wherefore
I promised obedience unconditionally to you, but conditionally to your
successors.”
The archbishop of Canterbury, as I remember to have observed in my
first book, originally had subject to him, these bishops: London,
Winchester, Rochester, Sherborne, Worcester, Hereford, Lichfield,
Selsey, Leicester, Helmham, Sidnacester, Dunwich; in the time of king
Edward the Elder were added, Cornwall, Crediton, Wells in West Saxony,
and Dorchester in Mercia, as I noticed in my second book.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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