David the Prince - Scotland 03 (46 page)

Another aspect which began to disturb David was some evident lack of sympathy between the Cardinal and Bishop John. It was no doubt more on the Italian's part, but it was unfortunate, to say the least, with John the only accepted episcopal dignitary present; for although Cormac of Dunkeld and Gregory of Moray were there, the Legate appeared to be very doubtful as to their authenticity as bishops, neither having been consecrated by an archbishop or primate. There seemed to the Scots to be an arrogance about the Cardinal, partly hierarchal no doubt but possibly also racial, for although he appeared to be quite able to accept Normans as perhaps fit to be shepherds of God's flock, Saxons and Celts were a different matter - and of course both Cormac and Gregory were Celtic Scots, who had started their ministries in the Columban Church. David realised that he would have to keep his temper very much in hand if any success was to come out of this exercise.

Happily, Matilda seemed to make a great impression on the Italian, who surprisingly appeared to be something of a lady's man. Her husband reluctantly urged her to do her best with the Cardinal.

They took him to see the still unfinished Priory of Jedworth in the morning — with which he did not seem much impressed, being more interested in the castle being built nearby, for which he suggested some improvements. One visitor
was
very interested in the new monastery, however, a Saxon Benedictine monk named Gosfrid, whom William of Canterbury had sent north, in the same ship, in answer to an appeal from David for an experienced canon to make abbot of the new abbey at Dunfermline. The Cardinal ignored him completely, as no concern of his. But this Gosfrid appeared to be a useful, pleasant and effective youngish man; and he was exercised over the problems and stages of setting up a monastery here in Scotland, as he himself would be called upon to do.

When they returned to the March Mount, it was to find Thurstan of York arrived, with a large entourage - which included, to David's further displeasure, Flambard, Bishop of Durham.

Thurstan was now an elderly man, getting frail and brittle-seeming. He had thin, intellectual features which, although distinguished, seemed to lack strength, his whole bearing a strange mixture of surface authority and underlying uncertainty. He was frostily correct towards David, but appeared to be much more in awe of the Papal Legate - an awe which was far from reciprocated. He was, of course, another Saxon. Flambard, on the other hand, was easy, affable, assured, clearly the power behind the archiepiscopal throne, very much the former Lord Chief Justice of England, however grossly unwieldy now. The Cardinal paid rather more attention to him.

In the great hall of the castle the council took place. David sat at the centre of a long table facing directly across to the Cardinal. On the King's right was Bishop John, and on his left the Chancellor and Bishop-Elect Robert, while the Legate had the Archbishop and Flambard on his right and a couple of secretaries - both apparently titular bishops - on the left. The other two Scots bishops, with Abbot William of Shiel Kirk and Prior Osbcrt of Jedworth - and it was noted, the new Abbot-to-be of Dunfermline, Gosfrid — sat on John's right. David was a little uneasy over this apparent line-up of sides, as it were; that had not been his intention. It looked all too like a confrontation, and with the Cardinal on the wrong side. The rest of the hall filled up with spectators and members of the various trains. The Queen sat prominently.

David asked Bishop John to open the proceedings with prayer, and then, as introduction, read out the letter the Pope had sent him in answer to his own, asking him to cause the bishops of Scotland to meet together, in synod, and to receive with reverence his personal legate, the Cardinal John of Crema, to put the issues in dispute before him. This, although seeming to place their fate rather too much in the Italian's hands, at least indicated the Pope's acceptance that there was more than one bishop in Scotland, and so might give Cormac and Gregory authority to speak as such.

Since it was thus a synod and not a royal council, John took the lead thereafter. He declared their satisfaction in having the presence of the personal representative of His Holiness — and less warmly - the company of the Archbishop and his advisers. Without preamble he went on to declare that there were two major matters before them, one bearing on the other. Namely the claims of the archdiocese of York to spiritual hegemony over Scotland; and the refusal of Archbishop Thurstan to consecrate the Bishop of St. Andrews, or other Scots bishops, without recognition of such superiority. Which Holy Church in Scotland, an entirely independent kingdom, could nowise accept. Other problems stemmed from these - but did all agree that these were the vital issues?

Without waiting for any others, the Cardinal nodded curtly and ordered John to proceed.

After a glance at the King, who half-shrugged, half-nodded, the Bishop went on to point out that never, at any time, had the Scottish Church come under the authority of York, or Canterbury either. Indeed, as the Columban branch of the Celtic Church of Ireland, it had not even recognised the hegemony of Rome itself, for long centuries. It was only when the late and sainted Queen Margaret, His Grace's mother, introduced the Roman rite and rule into Scotland less than fifty years before, that papal authority was recognised. How then could the Archbishop of York, or any other claim such authority?

The Legate glanced at Thurstan.

That man coughed. "My lord Cardinal," he said, "There are three good reasons why I do so, must do so. Firstly Scotland is
not
an independent kingdom, since its monarchs owe allegiance to the Kings of England, as Lords Paramount. This as established by King Canute, by King William the First, King William the Second and now King Henry . . ."

"Untrue!" David intervened, although quietly, restrainedly. "I cannot sit silent while such statement is made in my royal presence, in this my realm. I owe allegiance to Almighty God alone, and to King Henry only in respect of my English earldom of Huntingdon. That stands."

"You, you may not admit it, Sire- but that does not alter the fact that the King of England so asserts. And did not your own brother, King Edgar, carry the sword of state,
England's
sword of state, at King William the Second's Crown-wearing? Surely symbol of allegiance and subservience?" The old man's voice shook, but he went on. "I say that, as my own liege lord asserts, the Kingdom of Scotland is subject to his paramountcy in matters temporal, so in matters spiritual it must be subject to the paramountcy of Holy Church in the King of England's dominions. As metropolitan of Holy Church in the northern parts of those dominions, I can do no other than assert such superiority."

Bishop John began to speak but the Cardinal held up his beringed hand. "Brother Thurstan - you said
three
reasons?"

"Yes, Illustrious - three. The second is this. The fact that the mistaken and heretical Columban Church in Scotland did not
recognise
the authority of Holy Mother Church at Rome and of St. Peter's glorious and undoubted successors, does not in anyway affect their authority. The Pope's holy sway over Christendom is indisputable and indivisible, whatever blindness or error may prevail from time to time in any part. The fact that the Columbans estranged themselves from Rome does not mean that they were therefore outside the Holy Father's love and care. So this bishop's contention, for that sad period, means nothing. You cannot but accede. Illustrious?"

"We shall see. And your third point?"

"It is that Holy Church has never ceased to have spiritual charge and direction over Scotland from York. The Blessed Ninian who brought Christ to that land established a line of bishops at Candida Casa, which owed allegiance to York and were appointed therefrom. Later the Blessed Cuthbert also. And since then, in Queen Margaret's time, since there were no properly ordained or consecrated clergy in her land, she had to bring them in from York or Canterbury. Her sons likewise, as His Grace still is doing. So how can they claim independence?"

"Bishop - you wished to speak?"

"I do. If my lord Archbishop's last reasoning is accepted, no nation's Church could ever be independent, for at first all have to accept ordinands from otherwhere. There has been no Bishop of Candida Casa or Whithorn since the eighth century, when it and Strathclyde were not then in the realm of Scotland. There is no reason, other than spiritual pride and wordly vainglory, why York should seek to lord it over Scotland - save as an aid to English monarchial ambitions!"

"Insolent . . . !" the Archbishop quavered.

"May I speak. Illustrious?" Flambard intervened smoothly. "Does not the Bishop of Glasgow agree that one of the most potent forces for establishing
Christ in Southern Scotland was
St. Cuthbert; who ruled from Holy Island and was consecrated bishop at York in 685? He held sway over all these parts - there is even a town and water with his name in Galloway. And Melross near to here was his monastery. He set up many of your churches ..."

"May I remind the Bishop of Durham that St. Cuthbert was, in his Scottish period a bishop of the Celtic Church, not the Roman?" Cormac of Dunkeld, said.

"That is not important, Illustrious - since he saw the error in time! What is important is that this country has traditionally been ruled ecclesiastically from York. And, if you will bear with me, there is another point to consider. Is Holy Church not divided, pontifically by law, into provinces or metropolitan primacies? Each under a metropolitan or archbishop. This Scotland, then, must come under some archbishop. The obvious and nearest is York. It can scarcely be otherwise."

"The metropolitan need not be an archbishop," John contended. "There are provinces of the Church, independent, where the metropolitans are bishops. As in the Kingdom of Man. As should be Scotland's Bishop of St. Andrews, the King's Bishop - when he is consecrated. Which brings us to the second representation, Illustrious . . ."

"Let us be finished with the first first, Bishop!" the Cardinal directed. "I have heard all these assertions. Has other any point not yet put forward on the first issue?"

"I am no bishop nor cleric," David said carefully. "But as well as supporting all that the Bishop of Glasgow has said, I would put a point- before your lordships which you may conceivably not have considered. This of metropolitans. I had word one time with Magnus, son to the Earl of Orkney. He assured me that the Archbishop of Hamburg claimed to be metropolitan, not only over his own Germanic lands but over Norway, Denmark and Sweden and therefore over Orkney, Iceland, Man and the Hebrides, which the Norsemen had dominated. More still, over the coastal lands of Scotland and Ireland, where the Norse had settled. I agree that this is out of all reason. But - so much for metropolitans! I urge you to consider Hamburg when you talk of the claims of metropolitans."

It was a long shot indeed - but it registered the first recognisable hit, on the Cardinal at least. For Hamburg archdiocese, being vitally important to the Emperor Henry, who was being difficult in his relationship with the Vatican, was therefore a delicate matter for Pope Honorius, who certainly would be concerned not to gratuitously offend its archbishop or the Emperor. The Legate's dark eyes flickered and for a moment or two his long fingers drummed on the table-top.

But Thurstan was not interested in Hamburg. "Orkney and Zetland are in
my
archdi
ocese," he declared strongly. "I
appoint the bishops there. The rest is nonsense, as all must agree."

"Yet your lordship's Bishop Ralph of Orkney never leaves York!" Gregory of Moray pointed out, mildly. "Whereas the Archbishop of Hamburg's Bishop of Orkney lives and rules in those islands."

"Ralph was driven out by evil men . . ."

"This of Orkney and Hamburg is scarcely relevant," the Cardinal interrupted sternly. "I have heard enough." He all but glared round the table. "This other matter. Of the consecration. It appears to me that until this more important issue of the alleged superiority of York is settled, the consecration of the Bishop-Elect of St. Andrews must remain in abeyance. I spoke with William of Canterbury on this and he - I say rightfully -would not wish to consecrate in what could be Archbishop Thurstan's province. So the matter must wait until the other is resolved."

"We had hoped, Cardinal, that you yourself would consecrate the Abbot Robert as bishop. Here and now. You could well do so," David said.

"That would be . . . inconvenient, my lord King. A disturbance of due order."

"What of the inconvenience to my realm, Illustrious? To my Christian people? The thousands of them. That there should be no Primate, year after year. No sure authority. What of the disturbance of due order in a whole nation?"

"Holy Church, Sire, has its own divine order."

"But you are here, surely, with all the power of Pope Hon
ori
ous. His Legate to deal with this very problem. Is it not for you to impose order on the discord here? Disorder which none can deny."

"Your impatience, my son, is understandable. But decisions must I fear await God's own good time. His Holiness instructed me to come, hear all the contentions and then to return to Rome for his personal decision. He will, I am sure, pay due heed to my own advice. But the decisions must be the Holy Father's own."