advancement of their families, which have caused so much scandal in the
world; and that they might give an exalted idea of their sanctity,
inasmuch as, in order that they might give themselves to prayer and the
ministry of the Word, they would forego that connubial bliss, the
portion of those,

"The happiest of their kind,
Whom gentler stars unite and in one fate Their hearts, their fortunes,
and their beings blend."

The marriage of the clergy was everywhere more or less repugnant to the
general feeling of Christendom. The rise and progress of asceticism in
the Church had their source in human nature, and its growth was
quickened by a reaction from the immorality of paganism. The general
effect on the position of the clergy was to compel them to keep progress
with the prevailing movement. Men consecrated to the service of Jehovah
must rise superior to the common herd of their fellow-creatures.

By a decree of Pope Siricius at the end of the fourth century marriage
was interdicted to all priests and deacons. This decree was, however,
very imperfectly observed during the following centuries. The general
feeling was, however, at this time very strongly against the married
clergy. But throughout the spiritual realm of Hildebrand in Italy, from
Calabria to the Alps, the clergy had risen up in rebellion against him
and the popes his predecessors when they attempted to coerce them into
celibacy. We believe that this opposition, much more than the strife as
to investitures, was the cause of the strong feeling, almost
unprecedented, which existed against Gregory VII.

We must now show that Gregory enforced his views as to investitures.
This part of our subject is important, because it gave occasion for the
assertion that the pope could depose the Holy Roman emperor and the king
of Italy, if he should find him morally or physically disqualified for
fulfilling the condition on which his appointment depended--that he
should defend him from his enemies. Henry IV, at the beginning of his
reign only ten years of age, was at this time Emperor.[28]

[Footnote 28: That is, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, which included
the German-speaking people of Europe, and also, in theory at least,
Italy.]

One day, as he was standing by the Rhine, a galley with silken streamers
appeared, into which he was invited to enter. After he had been gliding
for some time down the stream, he found that he was a prisoner. T