y many reasons which were well
qualified to operate on the understandings of men in those ages. Pascal
quoted the Scriptures to prove that Christ was the door; and he thence
inferred that all ecclesiastics must enter into the church through
Christ alone, not through the civil magistrate, or any profane
laymen.[***]

[* Eadmer, p. 56.]

[** W Malms, p. 225]

[*** Eadmer, p. 60. This topic is further enforced
in p. 73, 74. See also W. Malms, p. 163.]

"It is monstrous," added the pontiff, "that a son should pretend to
beget his father, or a man to create his God: priests are called gods in
Scripture, as being the vicars of God; and will you, by your abominable
pretensions to grant them their investiture, assume the right of
creating them?"[*]

But how convincing soever these arguments, they could not persuade Henry
to resign so important a prerogative; and perhaps, as he was possessed
of great reflection and learning, he thought that the absurdity of a
man's creating his God, even allowing priests to be gods, was not urged
with the best grace by the Roman pontiff. But as he desired still to
avoid, at least to delay, the coming to any dangerous extremity with
the church, he persuaded Anselm that he should be able, by further
negotiation, to attain some composition with Pascal; and for that
purpose he despatched three bishops to Rome, while Anselm sent
two messengers of his own, to be more fully assured of the pope's
intentions.[**] Pascal wrote back letters equally positive and arrogant,
both to the king and primate, urging to the former that, by assuming the
right of investitures, he committed a kind of spiritual adultery with
the church, who was the spouse of Christ, and who must not admit of such
a commerce with any other person;[***] and insisting with the latter,
that the pretension of kings to confer benefices was the source of all
simony; a topic which had but too much foundation in those ages.[****]

Henry had now no other expedient than to suppress the letter addressed
to himself, and to persuade the three bishops to prevaricate, and
assert, upon their episcopal faith, that Pascal had assured them in
private of his good intentions towards Henry, and of his resolution
not to resent any future exertion of his prerogative in granting
investitures, though he himself scrupled to give this assurance under
his hand, lest other princes should copy the example and assume a like
privilege.[*****]