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POLICY OF EDWARD III. 267
her as much as possible, and not to expose her conduct.
Simon Mepeham, the Primate who succeeded
Reynolds, was ,uood and peaceable as far as men
would let him be. He had a stormy encounter with
Grandison, bishop of Exeter, who barred the gates
of his cathedral against the Archbishop's visitation.
Government interfered and bade Mepehani desist,
but this was the single instance in which king and
primate clashed. Simon died in 1333, when the
reign of Edward III. was only beginning. The evils,
which had been fostered under the previous reign by
the bad example set in high places, and the unusual
spectacle of a king and queen equally depraved,
seemed to recede into the background. It was not
till success deserted Edward and moral decline alone
remained of his life's greatness and happiness that
they were unmasked in their appalling reality. The
king's best energies were devoted to an inane war
with France, which emptied his treasury and produced
ho single result for the real good of England.
Whilst the English were gaining useless laurels at
Civcy and Poitiers, a measure of the gravest importance
with regard to the Church was taken by the
king and confirmed by parliament. Already during
the previous reign, in 1309, the barons had complained
to the Pope of " Provisions ",1 Since the
concession of Magna Charta, a bishop was chosen
by majority of suffrages or by compromise, for which
election the chapter solicited a conge d'elire. Their
1See Annales Londunienses, tempore Edwardi Secundi, i. 157.