o the
wish of the king, who practically named the archbishop. This time the
monks, without asking John's leave, hurriedly chose their sub-prior
Reginald, and sent him off with a party of monks to Rome, to obtain
the sanction of the Pope. Reginald was directed to say nothing of his
election till he reached Rome; but he was a vain man, and had no
sooner reached the Continent than he babbled about his own dignity as
an archbishop. When John heard this he bade the monks choose the
Bishop of Norwich, John de Grey, the king's treasurer; and the monks,
thoroughly frightened, chose him as if they had not already made their
election. John had, however, forgotten to consult the bishops of the
province of Canterbury, who had always been consulted by his father
and brother, and they too sent messengers to the Pope to complain of
the king.

[Illustration: Bishop Marshall of Exeter, died 1206; from his tomb at
Exeter, showing a bishop vested for mass.]

7. =Innocent III. and Stephen Langton. 1206.=--The Pope was Innocent
III., who at once determined that John must not name bishops whose
only merit was that they were good state officials. Being an able man,
he soon discovered that Reginald was a fool. He therefore in =1206=
sent for a fresh deputation of monks, and, as soon as they arrived in
Rome, bade them make a new choice in the name of their monastery. At
Innocent's suggestion they chose Stephen Langton, one of the most
pious and learned men of the day, whose greatness of character was
hardly suspected by anyone at the time.

8. =John's Quarrel with the Church. 1206--1208.=--The choice of an
archbishop in opposition to the king was undoubtedly something new.
The archbishopric of Canterbury was a great national office, and a
king as skilful as Henry II. would probably have succeeded in refusing
to allow it to be disposed of by the Pope and a small party of monks.
John was unworthy to be the champion of any cause whatever. In =1207=,
after an angry correspondence with Innocent, he drove the monks of
Christchurch out of the kingdom. Innocent in reply threatened England
with an interdict, and in the spring of =1208= the interdict was
published.

9. =England under an Interdict. 1208.=--An interdict carried with it
the suppression of all the sacraments of the Church except those of
baptism and extreme unction. Even these were only to be received in
private. No words of solemn import were pronounced at the burial of
the dead. The