Note 858 — Chapter VIII · THE BISHOP.

Boniface found an ancient church even in Germany. Vit. Bonif. Pertz, ii. 341. He rendered it a papal one. It is no doubt difficult to imagine how it could have been originally anything else; but at all events his efforts brought it back into subjection to the Vatican. “D’abord les églises de la Grand Bretagne et de l’Allemagne, fondées par les missionaires du pape, furent toutes rattachées et subordonnées à l’épiscopat Romain. C’est surtout Saint Boniface, le fondateur de l’église Allemande, mort en 755, qui reserra cette union. Ou diminua partout les métropolitains, et les simples évêques devinrent plus indépendans par leurs rapports directs avec Rome.” Warnkönig, Hist. du Droit Belgique, p. 163. The spirit in which Boniface considered his mission, which he himself calls apostolicae sedis legatio (Vita, Pertz, ii. 342) is apparent from the correspondence with Pope Gregory III. in 731. “Denuo Romam nuntii eius venerunt, sanctumque sedis Apostolicae pontificem adlocuti sunt, eique prioris amicitiae foedera, quae misericorditer ab antecessore suo, Sancto Bonifatio eiusque familiae conlata sunt, manifestaverunt; sed et devotam eius in futurum humilitatis apostolicae sedi subiectionem narraverunt, et ut familiaritati ac communioni sancti pontificis atque totius sedis apostolicae ex hoc devote subiectus communicaret, quemadmodum edocti erant, praecabantur. Statim ergo sedis apostolicae Papa pacificum profert responsum, et suam sedisque apostolicae familiaritatis et amicitiae communionem tam sancto Bonifatio quam etiam sibi subiectis condonavit, sumptoque archiepiscopatus pallio, cum muneribus diversisque sanctorum reliquiis legatos honorifice remisit ad patriam.” Pertz, ii. 345. With such provocation, the Popes would indeed have acted an unwise part in not availing themselves of the ready service of their Anglosaxon converts!