that had gouerned in that see of Yorke, & Lanfranke the thrée &
thirtith in the see of Canturburie. But yer long, betwixt these two
archbishops there rose great contention for the primasie of their
churches, in so much that the archbishop of Yorke appealed to Rome,
where they both appeared personallie before pope Alexander, in whose
presence Lanfranks cause was so much fauoured, that not onelie the
foresaid Thomas, but also Remigius the bishop of Dorchester were for
reasonable causes depriued of their crosiers and rings: and Lanfranke
at their humble request was a meane to the pope for them in the end,
that they might be restored to their staues, which was accordinglie
obteined. For when the pope heard Lanfranke declare in their fauour,
how necessarie their seruice might be to the king, in the
establishment of his new gotten kingdome, he said to Lanfranke; "Well,
looke you then to the matter, you are the father of that countrie, and
therefore consider what is expedient to be done therein: their staues
which they haue surrendered, there they be, take them, and dispose
them as you shall thinke most profitable for the aduancement of the
christian religion in that countrie." Wherevpon, Lanfranke tooke the
staues, and deliuered them to the former possessours, and so were they
in the popes presence restored to their former dignities. One cause
why Thomas was depriued (as some writers saie) was, for that he had
holpen duke William towards his iournie into England when he came to
conquer it, for the which pleasure to him then shewed, the duke
promised him a bishoprike, if euer he obteined victorie ouer the
English: an other cause, for that he was a priests sonne. [Sidenote:
_Wil. Malm._] Now, when the pope vnderstood the full ground of their
contention to be for the primasie of the two sees, Canturburie and
Yorke, and had heard what could be alledged on both sides, he remitted
the determination thereof to the king and bishops of England, that by
the histories and records of the land, the matter might be tried,