A.D. 1180. LETTER OP POPE ALEXANDER. diction. Inasmuch as we understood that our venerable brother John, now bishop of Saint Andrew's, was canonically elected, and that after his election, an appeal then pending, Hugh, with rash presumption, being thrust into the said church by lay power, had dared to be consecrated thereto ; therefore, by our Apostolic authority making null and void his election, Ave directed our dear son, Alexis, our subdeacon, as legate of the Apostolic See, to repair to your parts to take cognizance of the. election of the before-named John ; who, having, as we are informed by the testimony of many,' acted therein with mature I deliberation and in a canonical manner, found his election to be canonical, and, after many delays, in which he acted in ι deference to his royal highness, confirmed the same with the ι Apostolic authority, enjoining all on our behalf who belonged I to the church of Saint Andrew's to show due reverence and • obedience to the said John as being duly elected. "Whereupon, f inasmuch as no one, by reason of their dread of the king, dared I openly to obey this command, the said legate laid under an ι interdict, not the kingdom, as he lawfully might have done, I but the see. Inasmuch therefore as the chief men, both eccle • eiastical as well as secular, having been solemnly bound upon t oat h by our most dearly beloved son in Christ, "William, the Ì illustrious king of the Scots, to give good counsel thereon, • while the king himself had strictly promised that he would abide by their advice, all made answer as one man that he ( •OHght not any further to molest the consecration of the aforeueid John made in presence of our legate and four bishops (the fifth being sick, but by writing consenting thereto) but allow him peacefully to be consecrated to his see. "Wherefore we • do by this Apostolic writing command the whole of you, and • do, under peril of your orders and benefices, enjoin you, that • putting on a spirit of forbearance, you will, within eight days Rafter the reeeipt hereof, all appeal set aside, with due honor ^reinstate him in his see, and labor prudently and manfully (tfor the upholding of the rights of the Church, and use all Wiligence in appeasing the irritation of the king, and shew all Ithe respect and honor to the aforesaid bishop which you were ••wont to shew to his predecessors. And if the king shall will an y otherwise, o r even b e warped b y the counsels o f wicked men, it i s your duty t o pay obedience rather to God and to the holy Church o f Rome than to men ; otherwise the sen