A.D. 1169.] COMPLAINTS AGAINST ARCHBISHOP THOMAS. 565 anathematized those devout and faithful sons of the Roman church, the bishops of London and Salisbury, together with certain of my own friends, though he has no reasonable cause against them. How difficult it is for me to put up with this conduct, and how it may injure both my reputation and your own, I believe you can hardly fail to perceive. But it seems to me that your fatherly care has altogether abandoned me, since you permit my enemy to increase my ignominy and disgrace, whereas your paternal moderation should check the violence of his injustice. I beseech therefore, and adjure your highness, as is proper, to manifest towards me the affection which is due to a son, to correct without delay the injury that has been done to myself and my kingdom, and to annul whatever my adversary has done contrary to right against me or my subjects, whether lay or clerical ; for you are bound to assent to the requests which we offer to your fatherly consideration, seeing that when you sent to request, by the hands of your ambassadors Vivian and Gratian, that we should restore to the archbishop of Canterbury his archbishopric and our own favour, we postponed all regard to our own honour, and consented, before the legates themselves, eight archbishops, bishops, and abbats ; that although Thomas had left the kingdom without our knowing it, and without any compulsion on our part, he might return again in peace and resume all his possessions as he had them on the day when he left the kingdom ; as well as all his clerks who left the kingdom with him or on his account ; saving always the dignities of our kingdom. Wherefore we earnestly beseech your serene highness to consider attentively the respect and service which we have rendered to you and to your court, and still will render, unless it be -Prom your own fault ; and that you shall moderate the course of this present business, that the wiles of that perfidious and rebellious subject of mine may not circumvent our simplemindedness, but that you, in accordance with our petition, absolve those who have been excommunicated, and take care that he shall not discharge the same venom of excommunication upon others, lest, if you turn a deaf ear to this our just petition, we are led to despair of your good will towards us, and of necessity make other provision for our security hereafter ; and, inasmuch as it is difficult to set down in writing