bishop of York, with all his bishops and dependent clergy, should appear before him, and should live obedient to the canonical dispensations of the former prelate. The see of York ought also to receive the episcopal blessing from that of Canterbury ; and to make its canonical profession to that see, with confirmation by oath. To this decree the king and the before-mentioned Lanfranc archbishop of Canterbury, and Thomas archbishop of York, agreed, as also did the before-named cardinal and all the bishops and abbats of the kingdom. How king William subdued Maine. A.D. 1073. King William crossed over to Normandy with a powerful army, and reduced Maine to subjection ; but the English in this expedition destroyed the cities and villages, and laid waste the vineyards with the crops, thus rendering the country less fertile for a long time to come. After this, having disposed all things to his satisfaction, he recrossed the sea to England. In this year, two great cycles having elapsed from the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, all things agreed, as to the course of the sun and moon, with that year in which Jesus Christ was baptized, that is, the eighth day before the ides of January, being the day of the Epiphany and Sunday ; the beginning of his fast was on the second day of the week, his temptation on the sixth day of the week ; for the great year of the paschal cycle has nineteen times twenty-eight years, which being reckoned makes five hundred and thirty-two years. Of a scandal which arose in the church. A.D. 1074. Gregory sat in the Soman church for twelve years, one month, and three days. This pope in a general council excommunicated simoniacs, removed married priests from their sacred duties, and forbade the laity to listen to their masses, thus setting a new example, and, as it seemed to many, showing an inconsiderate judgment, as being against the opinion of the holy fathers, who have written that the sacraments belonging to the church, namely baptism, unction, and the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, had, by the invisible co-operation of the Spirit, the same effect, when dispensed in the church of God by evil men as if dispensed by good men ; and that, as the Spirit