has almost perished. Who, moreover, for the very indig- nity of the thing, is not astounded that thou should' st usurp and arrogate to thyself a certain new and unlawful power in order to destroy rights which are the due of the whole brotherhood ? For thou dost assert that no one of us shall have any further power of binding or loosing any one of our parishioners whose crime, or even the mere rumour of it, shall reach thee—save thou alone, or him whom thou dost especially delegate for this purpose. What man that is learned in the sacred Scriptures does not see the more than madness of this decree ? Since, therefore, we have decided that it is worse than any evil longer to tolerate that the church of God should be so seriously endangered—nay, almost ruined—through these and other workings of thy presumptions,—we have agreed, by common consent of all of us, to make known to thee that about which we have hitherto kept silent : why it is that thou neither now may'st, nor at any time could' st preside over the apostolic see. Thou thyself, in the time of the emperor Henry (III.) of blessed memory, did'st bind thyself by an oath in person, never while that emperor lived, or his son our master the most glorious king who is now at the head of aifairs, thyself to accept the papacy, or, so far as thou could' st prevent it, to permit any one else to receive it without the assent and approbation either of the father during his life, or of the sou so long as he too should live. And there are very many bishops who can to-day bear witness to this oath, having seen it at that time with their eyes and heard it with their ears. Re- member this also, how, when the ambition of securing the papacy tickled some of the cardinals, thou thyself, in order to remove rivalry, did'st bind thyself by an oath, on the condition and with the understanding that they should do the same, never to accept the papacy. See how faithfully thou hast observed both these oaths ! Moreover, when, in the time of pope Nicholas, a synod was held with 125 bishops in session, this was established and decreed : that no one should ever become pope except by election of the cardinals, with the approbation of the people and through the consent and authority of the king. And thou thyself wast the author, the sponsor and the signer of this decree.
