Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

HENRY II. 205
sent to bring him a needle and thread, and then
began to use them, or to toy with them, on a small
bit of cloth, which was hanging round his own royal
finger. The bishop watched him in silence for some
minutes, and
^L
knowing
^^ to
very well what it all meant,
made the astonishing remark :
" How much you are now like your Falaise relations
".
This appealed to the king's sense of humour, and,
instead of being angry, he broke out into a hearty
laugh.
He turned to his courtiers, saying: "Do you understand
how this barbarian has insulted us I
will explain his words. The mother of rny ancestor
William, the conqueror of this land, was of low
birth, and belonged to the famous Norrnan city of
Falaise. . . . Because this derider saw me sewing
up my finger, he taunted me with being like those
Falaise people, and related to them."
"Yet, wrhat were you thinking of," he continued
to Hugh, " when you excommunicated our chief
forester, without consulting us, and made so light of
our petition in the matter that you would neither
approach us yourself, to explain your conduct, nor
send us a civil word by our messengers "
" The royal wish had helped to make him a bishop,""
Hugh answered, "therefore it became him all the more
not to neglect the duties of his church : he deemed
it futile to approach the king in a business which
was already judged on its own merits." Henry ac-