his heels, came to enforce his
brother's unjust demands; against two councils of venal bishops, the one
at Metz, the other at Aix-la-Chapelle, who had sanctioned the scandals
of the adulterous monarch. Yet, with all this opposition, and the
suffering it cost him, the Pope succeeded in procuring the
acknowledgment of the rights of an injured woman. And during succeeding
ages we find Gregory V. carrying on a similar combat against King
Robert, and Urban II. against King Philip of France. In the thirteenth
century, Philip Augustus, mightier than his predecessors, set to work
all the levers of power, in order to move the Pope to divorce him from
his wife Ingelburgis. Hear the noble answer of the great Innocent III.:

"Since, by the grace of God, we have the firm and unshaken will never to
separate ourselves from Justice and Truth, neither moved by petitions,
nor bribed by presents, neither induced by love, nor intimidated by
hate, we will continue to go on in the royal path, turning neither to
the right nor to the left; and we judge without any respect to persons,
since God Himself does not respect persons."

After the death of his first wife, Isabella, Philip Augustus wished to
gain the favor of Denmark by marrying Ingelburgis. The union had hardly
been solemnized, when he wished to be divorced from her. A council of
venal bishops assembled at Compiegne, and annulled his lawful marriage.
The queen, poor woman, was summoned before her Judges, and the sentence
was read and translated to her. She could not speak the language of
France, so her only cry was "Rome!" And Rome heard her cry of distress,
and came to her rescue. Innocent III. needed the alliance of France in
the troubles in which he was engaged with Germany; Innocent III. needed
the assistance of France for the Crusade; yet Innocent III. sent Peter
of Capua as Legate to France; a Council is convoked by the Legate of the
Pope; Philip refuses to appear, in spite of the summons, and the whole
of the kingdom of Philip is placed under interdict. Philip's rage knows
no bounds: bishops are banished, his lawful wife is imprisoned, and the
king vents his rage on the clergy of France. The barons, at last, appeal
against Philip to the sword. The king complains to the Pope of the
harshness of the Legate, and when Innocent only confirms the sentence of
the Legate, the king exclaims, "Happy Saladin; he had no Pope!" Yet the
king was forced to obey. When he asked the barons assem