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Page 213
wrong; he still intended to achieve that purpose, but he would be very glad to do so by yielding and persuasion rather than by force.
The bishops were also happy. Theoretically the Church did not approve of war between Christians, although there were exceptions to this rule. In this case practical reasons reinforced theological doctrine. There could be no profit to the Church in the continuation of this conflict. Truthfully, few of the bishops liked Peter des Roches any better than the barons liked him, and they saw no advantage in his ascendancy over the king. It was their intention to support Richard's demand that the king reconstitute and consult a council of barons and bishops as required in the Great Charter.
Geoffrey was hopeful rather than happy. The eagerness with which Richard had responded and his willingness to agree to the king's terms had pleased Henry. The king was no longer talking about halters around his vassal's neck. Moreover, Henry had been quite sharp in his speech with the bishop these last days. Perhaps the wily Winchester would take warning from that and lean more toward moderation and conciliation. Geoffrey did not think Winchester had abandoned his purpose any more than Richard had abandoned his, but he believed that political intrigue was far less dangerous to the nation at large than open war.
Philip Bassett was furious. Although he, his brother, and all their adherents had been included in the truce and were to be parties in the conference on October ninth, he said openly that Richard was a fool to trust the king. Henry had no intention of returning Usk to Richard, he claimed. This truce was only a device to gain a better foothold in south Wales from which more devastating attacks could be launched, and anyone foolish enough to leave the protection of his own lands and appear at Westminster would soon

 
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