ledged in
England without the king's assent, and he proposed to act upon it by
acknowledging neither Clement nor Urban. His object was, perhaps, to
prevent the enforcement of ecclesiastical discipline by temporarily
getting rid of the papal authority. Anselm wanted the authority of the
Pope to check vice and disorder. The question was set aside for a
time, but in =1095= Anselm, tired of witnessing William's wicked
actions, asked leave to go to Rome to fetch from Urban the pallium, a
kind of scarf given by the Pope to archbishops in recognition of their
office. William replied that he did not acknowledge Urban as Pope. A
Great Council was summoned to Rockingham to discuss the question. The
lay barons, who liked to see the king resisted, were on Anselm's side.
The bishops, many of whom were creatures of William, appointed from
amongst his clerks, took the side of the king. Anselm stated his case
firmly and moderately, and then, caring nothing for the angry king,
retired into the chapel and went quietly to sleep. The king, finding
that the barons would give him no support, was unable to punish
Anselm. Two years later, in =1097=, Anselm betook himself to Rome, and
William at once seized on his estates.

7. =William II. and his Brothers.=--Normandy under Robert was even
worse off than England under William. William was himself a tyrant,
but in Normandy there were at least a hundred tyrants because Robert
was too easy-tempered to bring any one to justice. The land was full
of violence. Each baron made war on his neighbour, and, as usual, the
peasant suffered most. Robert's own life was vicious and wasteful, and
he was soon in debt. He sold the Cotentin and the territory of
Avranches to his youngest brother, Henry. Henry was cool-headed and
prudent, and he kept order in his new possession better than either of
his elder brothers would have done. The brothers coveted the
well-ordered land, and in =1091=, two years before Anselm became
archbishop, they marched together against Henry. Henry was besieged on
St. Michael's Mount, a rocky island surrounded by the sea at high
water. After a time water ran short. The easy-tempered Robert sent in
a supply. "Shall we let our brother die of thirst?" he said to
William. Henry was in the end forced to surrender, and the land which
he had purchased was lost to him for a time. In =1095= Henry was again
in Normandy. Robert of Belleme, the lord of Domfront, was the most
cruel of the cruel baro