Also, the pope wrote to his lordship of Canterbury in this manner ;— " Whereas we have long waited with patience and kindness for the king of England to repent, and have repeatedly admonished him with mild and soothing communications, and sometimes with severity and censure, that he should return to his proper feelings, we hereby notify to you that, if he shall not restore to you and yours, as well as to your church, all the property and honours which have been taken away, you have our full authority to exercise ecclesiastical discipline over all persons and churches which belong to your j urisdiction, except only the persons of the king, his wife, and his children;* and without appeal, provided always that it is done with prudence and circumspection, as is best consistent with the modesty of priests." At this same time, Gilbert bishop of London, in order to avoid sentence from the archbishop of Canterbury, called together the clergy and people of the city of London on the flrst Sunday in Lent, in the church of St. Paul, and appealed to the Roman see ; for, though he had often been admonished by the same archbishop to restore to his clerks the churches and benefices which he had received in charge from the king, together with all goods taken from thence, he had continued disobedient to all these, as well as to other canonical precepts ; and the archbishop, not having been notified of his appeal, solemnly excommunicated him at Clairvaux on Palm Sunday, as an adherent to the unjust customs of the king, of which the following letter gave him due notice. How archbishop Thomas excommunicated the bishop of London, " Thomas, by God's grace, archbishop of Canterbury and legate of the apostolic see, to Gilbert bishop of London— would that he could say his brother— that he may turn from evil and do good.—Your extravagances we have long enough borne with ; and we hope that our patience may not be as detrimental to the whole church as it has been to ourselves. You have abused our patience, and would not listen to the pope or ourselves in the advice which concerned your salvation ; but your obstinacy has become worse and worse, until, • That is, Becket was to punish any one he pleased, except him who alone deserved it. This case too often occurs in the history of mankind :— * And for the king's offence the people died."— HOMER.