352 HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

e H A p. The few offices, either civil or military, which j

iv. the feudal institptions left the sovereign the power ■]

lore. of bestowing, made the prerogative of conferring jthe pastoral ring and staff the most valuable '

jewel of the royal diadem ; especially as the ;

general ignorance of the age bestowed a conl'e.quence on the ecclesiastical offices, even beyondthe great extent of power and property which Ibelonged to them. Superstition, the child ofignorance, invested the clergy with an authority •almost sacred; and as they ingroffed the littlelearning of the age, their interposition becamerequisite in all civil business, and a real usefulnessin common life was thus fuperadded to thespiritual sanctity of their character.

When the usurpations, therefore, of the churchhad come to such maturity as to embolden herto attempt extorting the right of investitures fromthe temporal power , Europe , especially Italyand Germany , was thrown into the most violentconvulsions , and the pope and the emperorwaged implacable war on each other. Gregorydared to fulminate the sentence of excommunica-tion against Henry and his adherents, to pronouncehim rightfully deposed, to free his subjects fromthem oaths of allegiance; and, instead of shockingmankind by this gross encroachment on thecivil authority, he found the stupid people readyto second his most exorbitant pretensions. Everyminister, servant, or vassal of the emperor, whoreceived any disgust , covered his rebellionunder the pretence of principle; and even the

mother