A.D. 1220.] ROUAN THE FRENCH LEGATE. •171 How the legale deceitfully gave the proxies permission to depart. After this council, the legate deceitfully gave leave to the proxies of the chapters to return home, but detained the archbishops, bishops, abbats, and common prelates ; for this reason the latter were afraid, and not without cause, that, in the absence of those of greater skill and experience, and on account of their numbers, more able to oppose the legate, some determination woidd be come to dctriinentary to the absent prelates. The said proxies, therefore, after long deliberation, sent proxies from the. metropolitan churches to the legate, who thus stated their business to him : "M y lord, we have heard that you hold letters from the court of Home concerning the maintenance of prebends in all churches conventual as well as cathedral; whercfote, we are much astonished that you did not at the late consultation make them public in the hearing of us whom they especially concern. We, therefore, beseech you in the name of the Lord not to let that scandal arise in the French church by your means, inasmuch as we know that such a plan could not be carried into effect without great offence and inconceivable harm ; because, supposing any one person should agree to it, his assent woidd be of no avail in a matter which concerns all of us, when almost all the elders and the people in common, as well as the king himself and all the nobles, are prepared to gainsay and oppose it, even to the danger of their lives and the loss of all their dignities, especially as by their offensive demand tint ruin of the kingdom and the church in general would bo imminent. The reason for our fear is, that you have not discussed this matter with other kingdoms, and have ordered some bisliops and abbats, whenever the prebends are vacant, to reserve them for the benefit of the pope." How the legate demanded two piehends of the prelates for the use of the church of Home. On receipt of the above message, the legate, who was endeavouring to induce all to agree to his demand, then for the lirst time showed the pope's warrant, in which he demanded two prebends from each of the cathedral churches, we from the chapter and another from the bishop; and in he same way in monasteries, where there were different tortious, namely that of the abbat and of the convent, he.