dooing he did grant him licence to vse the office and ministerie of a
préest (which before time he had taken vpon him) or else not.

In the same letters he prohibited all the bishops within the precinct of
the Ile of Britaine, that in no wise they should consecrate him, vpon
paine of cursing: and if he should chance to be consecrated by any
stranger, that in no wise they should (vnder the like paine) receiue
him for archbishop, or communicate with him in any condition. [Sidenote:
Letters from Anselme.] Euerie bishop also within the whole Ile of
Britaine had a copie of these leters directed to him from Anselme vnder
his seale, commanding them to behaue themselues therein according to the
contents, and as they were bound by the subiection which they owght to
the church of Canturburie. The letters were dated alike in March.

[Sidenote: 1109. An. Reg. 10.] Notwithstanding all this, vpon the 21. of
Aprill insuing, Anselme ended his life in the sixteenth yéere after his
first preferment to that sée, being thréescore and sixtéene yeeres of
age. He was an Italian, borne in Piemont, néere to the Alpes, [Sidenote:
Augusta Prætoriana.] in a citie called Aosta, he was brought vp by
Lanfranke, and before he was made archbishop, was abbat of the
monasterie of Bechellouin in Normandie.

[Sidenote: _Matth. West._ The first erection of the bishoprike of Elie.
_Eadmerus._] About the same time was the bishops sée of Elie erected by
the king, who appointed one Haruie to be the first bishop there, who
before had béene bishop of Bangor. Cambridgeshire was annexed to that
see, which bicause it had of former time belonged to the see of
Lincolne, the king gaue vnto the bishop of Lincolne (as it were in
recompense) the towne of Spalding which was his owne. [Sidenote: Richard
prior of Elie.] The prior of Elie, named Richard, desirous to honour