☞ Prestes payed a trybute for theyr wyues.

MVche a do had kynge Wyllyam Rufus with Odo the proude by∣shop of Bayon hys vncle,* which was also earle of Kent, with Egelwinus the byshop of Durham, with Raufe the byshop of Chichestre, and with other lyke heady prelates, specyally with Anselme, whome of a beggerly monke he had made archebyshop of Canterbury. The seyd An¦selme sought vtterly to depryue hym and all hys successours,* of the inuestynge of prelates, or makyng of byshoppes and ab∣botes within hys own realme, labouryng Page  [unnumbered] to turne that autoryte from the lawful po∣wer of Christen princes, to the vsurped iu∣risdictyon of the proude Romysh byshop, as it anon after came to passe, for y^e whych he was worthely exyled this realme. This kyng Wyllyā Rufus, partly of pytie but chefely of couetousnesse (for he had thā ma¦ny buyldynges in hande) permytted the prestes for an yearly trybute, to holde styll their wyues in spyght of the prelates spe∣cyally in suche dyoceses as had monkes than to their byshoppes,* whych strayght∣ly had commaunded Hyldebrandes wyc∣ked constytucyon to be obserued, that no preste hauynge a wyfe, shulde holde hys ben•fyce. Raufe the byshop of Chichestre than stode vp lyke a praty man,* & not only rebuked the kynge for takynge that try∣bute, whych lyke an a dust conscyenced hy¦pocryte he called the fyne of fornycacyon, but also he withstode his offycers, stop∣pynge vp the churche porches with great stakes, thornes and bryres, and interdyc∣tynge the temples. But whan the gen∣tyll kynge had ones gyuen hym that try∣bute for hys owne dyocese,* he coulde take it wele ynough, and make no great noyse therof. Guilhelmus Malmesburiensis, li. ij. de pontificibus, Ranulphus li. vij. ca. ix. Rogerus li. vij. & Fabianus.