The Church the Champion of Marriage [pp. 585-600]

596 TIze ChurWi Ike Champton of Marriage
the occasion of he? marriage with the where they met tlie king and receivCount of Ponthien, had to remove to ed his overtures. On the eve of the
Rouen to have the ceremony canon- Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, the
ically pefformed. The king, mean- assembly ot lords spiritual and
while, veiited his fury on the bishops, temporal met at the Castle of S.
imprisoned some, confiscated the tem- Leger, where the legate insisted on
poralities of others, and caused many the deliberations being held in public.
to be even personally inaltreated. The anxious people crowded round
Queen Ingeburga was dragged from the doors of the great hall, eager to
her convent, and barbarously im- watch every fluctuation in the proprisoned in the Castle of Etampes, ceedings. At last, on fl~e legate's
near Paris. Philip's wrath extended urgent advice, and in his presence,
to all classes; the nobles he oppressed, Philip consented to visit Queen Ingethe burghers he taxed beyond their burga in state. She had been sei~t
means, until his very servants left for to be present, but had not yet
him as a God-forsaken man. The seen her husband. It was il~eir first
pressure at last became so terrible meeting since their separation six
that he was heard to exclaim in a years before. At sight of her, the
transport of rage, "I shalt end by king recoiled, crying out, "The pope
becoming a Mussul man! Fortunate is forcing me to this."
Saladin! he at least had no pope " Nay, my lord," replied the injurover him!" At a meeting of the lords ed wite, calmly and meekly, "he
and prelates of the kingdom, at which seeks but justice."
Agnes of Merania assisted, Philip Philip soon afterwards swore by
moodily asked, in the midst of an proxy to receive the queen as his
ominous silence, what he was to do. only and lawful wife, and to render
Obey the pope," was the instant and her all the honors due to her rank.
uncompromising reply of the assem- As soon as this was done, the bells
bly; and, when the king further ob- rang out a joyous peal, and the pe9tained a confession from his uncle the ple knew that peace had been made.
Archbishop of Rheims that the de- The sacred images were again uncree of divorce passed by l~im had covered, the church doors were openbeen invalid from the first, he exclaim- ed, and Mass was everywhere celeed in ill-concealed anger, "You brated with great pomp. The people
were a fool to give it, then!" were frantic with joy, but the king,
At this juncture, both Agnes and though he had bent under the weight
the king sent ambassadors to Rome of influence that had been brought
to ask for a suspension at least of the to bear upon him, still persisted in
interdict, but the pope was inflexible, asking for a divorce from his wife on
and would hear of no negotiation fl~e befbre-mentioned plea of relationbefore an unconditional submission. ship. The pope delayed an answer,
This Philip reluctantly promised; the and, the better to satisfy the reason
interdict had now lasted seven months, of the refractory king, appointed
and he could no longer withstand the another meeting to be hAd at Soisdangerous and threatening attitude sons, six months after the date of the
of his dissatisfied subjects. In the recent one at S. L6ger.
summer of tlie year 1200, Cardinal To this meeting Canute III. of
John Colonna, Cardinal Octavian, Denmark sent bishops and learned
of Ostia, and several others repaired doctors to plead his sister's cause, but,
first to Vezelay, then to Compi~gne, as on the king's side was arrayed the