king, his lord, obeyed as the true pope, and with regard to whom he was diffembling his opinion, and refufed to obey - his commands, filling up all the vacant benefices in his duchy, without paying attention to thofe who had provided themfelves with bulls* from the pope. This, they faid, was rebellious againft the king in thought and $ced. The duke replied,—4 That no one had a right to arraign or judge his conscience but God alone, who was its fupreme lord. With regard to the two rival popes, he bad never made any declara-tion i that when Urban was eleâed, he was with his coufin, the earl of Flanders, in the town of Ghent ; that the cardinal, Robert de Quefke *, fent 'to the earl letters patent, fealed with his feal, Which fignified and certified to my coufin, that, by the grace of God, and the divine infpiratioA, the con-clave had ele&ed Urban pope. How can an elec-tion be fet afide that feems to me made in the moft regular manner ? I wifh not to fay a word againft die king or his crown, for I am his coufin and vafiai, and will faithfully ferve him, whenever 1 am required, to the utmoft limits of my duty ; but I fhail fpeak my mind as to thofe who do not advife him honourably.' 4 Tell us who they are, and we will provide a remedy.* fc Oh/ replied the duke, 4 you know them bet-ter than I do, for you live more with them ; but, as- to what you have faid touching the vacant be-nefices, I am not fo fevere againft fukor? for them * %n the MSS. it is Robert & Geneve. 339