Note 9 — PART II HISTORICAL STUDIES (continued 2)
Reading edition
Two points stand out clearly—one that St Hugh took his stand on the prescriptive rights of his church, rights infringed by the king's demand; the other, that he spoke for himself alone, not for the church, still less for the barons, and least of all for the nation. Our authorities, however, are so vague that they leave in doubt the precise point 'taken' by the saintly prelate. Mr Freeman, we have seen, confidently assumes that he 'spoke up for the laws and rights of Englishmen'; Miss Norgate holds that he took up the position of Thomas and Anselm as 'a champion of constitutional liberty',9 whatever that may mean; even Dr Stubbs claims that he 'acted on behalf of the nation to which he had joined himself'.10