ese, who were led by
Peter de la Roche, Bishop of Winchester, he invited Pope Gregory
IX. to send a Legate (Cardinal Otho "the White") to arrange certain
matters concerning English benefices, as well as some fresh tribute.
They called it "promoting reforms." Their object was to support him in
filling all the rich preferments with the Poitevins and Gascons whom
he was bringing over in swarms. The Cardinal took his lofty seat
before the altar of S. Paul's, and the King bowed before him "until
his head almost touched his knees." The Cardinal "lifted up his voice
like a trumpet" and preached the first sermon of which we have any
report in St. Paul's. His text was Rev. iv. 6, and he interpreted "the
living creatures" as the bishops who surrounded his legatine throne,
whose eyes were to be everywhere and on all sides. The chroniclers
tell how a terrific storm burst over the cathedral at this moment, to
the terror of the whole congregation, including the Legate, and lasted
for fifteen days. It did much harm to the building. The bishop, Roger
Niger, exerted himself strenuously in repairing this. Edmund Rich, the
Archbishop of Canterbury, indignantly protested against the intrusion
of foreign authority, and was joined by Walter de Cantelupe, the
saintly Bishop of Worcester, but for a long time they were powerless.
Besides direct taxation, wealth raised from the appropriation of
rich canonries was drained away from church and state into the Papal
treasury. The Legate remained for four years in power. The Archbishop,
in despair, retired abroad, and died as a simple monk at Pontigny. The
Bishop of London, Roger Niger, was so called from his dark complexion,
and people whimsically noted his being confronted with the Cardinal
Otto Albus. Bishop Roger, before his episcopate, was Archdeacon of
Rochester, a very wise and energetic administrator. He was now on the
side of Rich, bent on defending his clergy from being over-ridden by
the foreigners. He exerted himself as bishop not only to repair the
mischief done by the storm, but to enlarge and beautify the still
unfinished structure. Fourteen years later King Henry was offering
devotion at the shrine of Rich, for he had been canonised, and that
on the strength of his having resisted the King's criminal folly in
betraying the rights of his people; for by this time the nation was
aroused. The Londoners rose and burned the houses of the foreigners.
Bishop Roger, though he, of course, declar