376 ANNALS OP HOGEB, DE HOVEDEN. A.D. 1196. our indulgence to your discreetness, that thereby, with the sanction of the canons residing in the church of York, you may be enabled to correct the excesses of the clergy of the diocese of York, and canonically to settle the disputes of clergy, as well as laity, in the diocese of York, engaged in litigation, which require to be terminated by ecclesiastical judgment ; that so, all power of appeal taken away, you may be able to smite him with canonical rigour who shall think fit herein contumaciously to oppose you, until such time as, in our solicitude, it shall have been otherwise provided for the Church. Therefore, be it lawful for no man to infringe upon this page of our conclusion so made, or, with rash presumption, to contravene the same : but if any person shall dare attempt so to do, let him know that he will incur the indignation of Almighty God, and of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, the Apostles. Given at the Lateran, on the tenth day before the calends of January, in the fifth year of our pontificate." Another Letter of pope Celestinus relative to the same matter. "Celestinus, the bishop, servant of the servants of God, to his dearly beloved sons, all the abbats, priors, archdeacons, deans, and other clergy, and to the earls, barons, and other persons in the province of York appointed, health, and the Apostolic benediction. How mercifully the Roman Church has dealt with the deeds of the archbishop of York, is easily to bo seen, if you, with due care, consider the tenor of our letters which both parties have at different times obtained from the Apostolic See. Por when, our dearly beloved sons, the dean and chapter of York, and not a few of the abbats, priors, and other prelates of the church in the kingdom of England established, informing us thereon, it had come to the hearing of our Apostolate that the said archbishop, neglecting the duties of his Apostolic office, was involved in secular affairs, and not in his sacred duties, not in ordaining the clergy, not in dedicating churches, not in holding synods, not in pronouncing benedictions on abbats, but, on the contrary, was giving the whole of his attention to hunting and hawking, and was engaged in other things which were derogatory in no slight degree to the pontifical office entrusted to him and to his honor, we did not immediately form a judgment against him, but thought proper to entrust the enquiry into these reports to our venerable brother the bishop of Lincoln, and our dearly beloved sons the archdeacon of Northampton and the prior of Pontefract, calling upon the said archbishop, under