ck to his metropolitan, the
archbishop of Sens. The archbishop laid Paris under interdict and the
influence of St. Bernard himself was needed to compose the quarrel.

On Sunday, August 20, 1133, when returning from a visitation to the
abbey of Chelles, the abbot and prior of St. Victor[45] at Paris were
ambushed and the prior was stabbed. Some years later, in the reign of
Louis VII., Pope Eugene III. came to seek refuge in Paris from the
troubles excited at Rome by the revolution of Arnold of Brescia, and
celebrated mass before the king at the abbey church of St. Genevieve.
The canons had stretched a rich, silken carpet before the altar on
which the pontiff's knees might rest, and when he retired to the
sacristy to disrobe, his officers claimed the carpet, according to
usage. The canons and their servants resisted, there was a bout of
fisticuffs and sticks, the king intervened, anointed majesty himself
was struck, and during the scuffle which ensued the carpet was torn to
shreds in a tug-of-war between the claimants. Here was urgent need for
reform. The pope decided to introduce the new discipline and appointed
a fresh set of canons. The dispossessed canons met them with insults
and violence, drowned their voices by howling and other indignities,
and only ceased on being threatened with the loss of their eyes and
other secular penalties.

[Footnote 45: _See_ note 2, p. 63.]

Louis VI., the _noble damoiseau_ as he is called by the Chronicle of
St. Denis, enthroned in 1108, was the pioneer of the great French
Monarchy, ever on the move, hewing his way, sword in hand, through his
domains, subduing the violence, and burning and razing the castles of
his insolent and disobedient vassals. The famous Suger, abbot of St.
Denis, was his wise and firm counsellor, who led the Church to make
common cause with him and lend her diocesan militia. The king would
have the peasant to till, the monk to pray, and the pilgrim and
merchant to travel in peace. He was an itinerant regal justiciary,
destroying the nests of brigands, purging the land with fire and sword
from tyranny and oppression. Wise in council, of magnificent courage
in battle, he was the first of the Capetians to associate the cause of
the people with that of the monarchy. They loved him as a valiant
soldier-king, destroyer and tamer of feudal tyrants, the protector of
the Church, the vindicator of the oppressed. He lifted the sceptre of
France from the mire and made of