354

HISTORY OF ENGLAND,

c ii a p. Boleslas , king of Poland , from the rank ofiv. king; and even deprived Poland of the title of107s. a kingdom : He attempted to treat Philip, kingof France with the Lime rigor, which he hademployed against the emperor' 6 : He pretendedto the entire property and dominion of Spain ;and he parcelled it out amongst adventurers,who undertook to conquer it from the Saracens,and to hold it in valfalage under the fee of Rome 77 :Even the Christian bishops , on whose aid herelied for subduing the temporal princes, sawthat he was determined to reduce them toservitude; and by assuming the whole legislativeand judicial power of the church , to center ailauthority in the sovereign pontiff 7 *.

William the Conqueror, the most potent,the most haughty, and the most vigorous princein Europe , was not , amidst all his splendidsuccesses, secure from the attacks of this enter-prising pontiff. Gregory wrote him a letter,requiring him to fulfil his promise in doing ho-mage for the kingdom of England to the seeof Rome , and to send him over that tribute,which all his predecessors had been accustomed topay to the vicar of Christ. By the tribute, he meantPeter’s pence; which, though at first a charitabledonation of the Saxon princes, was interpreted,according to the usual practice of the Romish

74 Epist. Greg. VII. epist, 33. 35. lib. 3. epist. 5.

77 Ibid. lib. 1. epist. 7.

Ibid. lib. 3. epist. 55.

7-