complices. Some died, some went mad or blind. Thus William got his
own again, for, as all who knew expected, Hugh's anathema meant
repentance or death.

These anecdotes explain much that follows, and not a little the great
strain that there was between Archbishop Hubert Walter and the Bishop of
Lincoln. Perhaps this strain was bound to be felt, because the policy of
the former was to employ churchmen largely in political and secular
affairs, the policy of the other to exclude them as much as possible. In
the abstract we can hardly think that it is well that priests should
rule the State or bishops manipulate the national finances. But to lay
down that rule at the close of the twelfth century was to cut the spine
between the brains of the State and its members. Hugh, perhaps, allowed
too little for the present distress; Hubert for the distant goal. Anyhow
they collided.

Hubert, in his capacity of financial viceroy, the moment Richard had
come back from captivity, been re-crowned, and gone off again, sent off
the visiting justices to look after various pleas of the Crown, among
which was a question of defaults. These gentlemen began their milking
process in September, 1194. It was discovered that an old tribute of an
expensive mantel had been paid in times past by Lincoln See to the King.
This pall was a matter of 100 marks (say L2,000 of our money). In the
long vacancy and under Bishop Walter there had been no payment, and the
royal claim was for a good many years back, there being apparently some
limitations. Arrears of 1,000 marks were demanded, or a lump sum of
3,000 to have done with the tribute. Hugh thought it an unworthy and
intolerable thing that our Lady's Church and he, as its warder, should
be under tribute at all, and he was prepared to do anything to end the
"slavery." However little we can share this notion, at least it was a
generous one. The demand came after the Saladin taxes, the drain for the
Crusade, for the king's ransom, and during the building of the
cathedral. It came to a man who gave a third of his money in alms and
who lived from hand to mouth, often borrowing on his revenues before he
got them. He proposed to meet this new huge call by retiring to Witham
and devoting the whole emoluments of the See to redeeming this
fictitious mantel. But the clergy, who knew by experience both order and
chaos, rose in arms, and monastic advisers added their dissuading
voices. Well might the clergy support t