th fierce
steel followers, shaggy, savage, as the Russian bear, dashes out on
the weak old Anselm; who is riding along there, on his small
quiet-going pony; escorted only by Eadmer and another poor Monk on
ponies; and, except small modicum of roadmoney, not a gold coin in his
possession. The steelclad Russian bear emerges, glaring: the old
white-bearded man starts not,--paces on unmoved, looking into him with
those clear old earnest eyes, with that venerable sorrowful time-worn
face; of whom no man or thing need be afraid, and who also is afraid
of no created man or thing. The fire-eyes of his Burgundian Grace meet
these clear eye-glances, convey them swift to his heart: he bethinks
him that probably this feeble, fearless, hoary Figure has in it
something of the Most High God; that probably he shall be damned if he
meddle with it,--that, on the whole, he had better not. He plunges,
the rough savage, from his war-horse, down to his knees; embraces the
feet of old Anselm: he too begs his blessing; orders men to escort
him, guard him from being robbed, and under dread penalties see him
safe on his way. _Per os Dei_, as his Majesty was wont to ejaculate!

Neither is this quarrel of Rufus and Anselm, of Henry and Becket,
uninstructive to us. It was, at bottom, a great quarrel. For,
admitting that Anselm was full of divine blessing, he by no means
included in him all forms of divine blessing:--there were far other
forms withal, which he little dreamed of; and William Redbeard was
unconsciously the representative and spokesman of these. In truth,
could your divine Anselm, your divine Pope Gregory have had their way,
the results had been very notable. Our Western World had all become a
European Thibet, with one Grand Lama sitting at Rome; our one
honourable business that of singing mass, all day and all night. Which
would not in the least have suited us! The Supreme Powers willed it
not so.

It was as if King Redbeard unconsciously, addressing Anselm, Becket
and the others, had said: "Right Reverend, your Theory of the Universe
is indisputable by man or devil. To the core of our heart we feel that
this divine thing, which you call Mother Church, does fill the whole
world hitherto known, and is and shall be all our salvation and all
our desire. And yet--and yet--Behold, though it is an unspoken secret,
the world is _wider_ than any of us think, Right Reverend! Behold,
there are yet other immeasurable Sacrednesses in this that