A.D. 11C8.] THE POPE'S LETTER TO GILBERT. 557 meditating without compunction how he might bring confusion on the archbishop, by means of this iniquitous letter, he heard a terrible voice saying over him in loud and plain terms,— " Ο Gilberte Foliot, Dum revoivis tot et tot, Deus tuus est Astaroth ! "* Pope Alexander's teller to Gilbert bishop of London. About the same time pope Alexander wrote to Gilbert bishop of London, concerning the affairs of the church of Canterbury, as follows : ' " It cannot, we think, have escaped your memory, how our beloved son in Christ, Henry the illustrious king of England, requested of us formerly, with much earnestness, that we would allow you to be translated from the see of Hereford, over which you then presided, to that of London. To induce us to consent to his request, he urged the necessity as well as the utility of such a measure, seeing that London was his own royal residence, and because he deemed you to excel in piety and in discretion, he wished to have the benefit of your advice, both spiritual and temporal, both concerning the salvation of souls and the improvement and the conservation of his own sovereignty: for which reason he wished to have you near him. We, therefore, considering how beneficial might be your piety and wisdom to the salvation of the king and his kingdom, and the good which might result therefrom, acquiesced readily in his wishes, and consented that you should be translated to the see of London. On which account, in proportion to our willingness to grant his request, and to promote your honour, so should be your alacrity to augment and maintain the church, and to labour the more earnestly that we might realize the good which we expected to flow from the king's intentions. Now you cannot, we believe, be ignorant, how the king has fallen away from his devotion to the church, and in many particulars, as for instance in appeals, in visitations, in communicating with those who have been excommunicated by name, and with schismatics, and in having compelled our venerable brother, Thomas archbishop of Canterbury, to leave * " Ο Gilbert Foliot, whilst you meditate on so many things, your god is Astaroth ! * To which he is said to have replied, " Thou liest, demon ! my God is the God of sabaoth ! "