KAHL S LETTER TO OFFA. 101

Karl evidently felt that the next point was the
most difficult of all to handle successfully. He
Lad given shelter and countenance to Mercians who
had fled from. Oflla, and sought protection at his
court. Ecgbert, who afterwards conquered Mercia,
was among the exiles from "Wessex.

" "With regard to the preshyter Odberht, who on
his return from Rome desires to live abroad for the
love of God, not coming to us to accuse you, we
make known to your love that we have sent him to
Rome along with other exiles who in fear o£ death
have fled to the wings of our protection. "We have
done this in order that in the presence of the lord
apostolic and of your illustrious archbishop—in
accordance., as your notes make known to us, with
their vow—their cause may be heard and judged^
so that equitable judgement may effect what pious
intercession could not do. "What could be safer for
us than that the investigation of apostolic authority
should discriminate in a case where the opinion, of
others differs ? "

This is a typical example of the use made of
a pope when monarchs disagreed.

" With regard to the black stones which your
reverence earnestly solicited to have sent to you,
let a messenger come and point out what kind they
are that your mind desires. Wherever they may
be found, we will gladly order them to be given,
and their conveyance to be aided/J *

1 It may be supposed that Offa was engaged in building an
abbey church at St. Albans. William of Malmesbury says of
the church built by Offa in honour of Sfc Alban (Gesfo Begum,
i. 4) : " The relics of St. Alban, at that time buried in
obscurity, he had reverently taken up and plaeed in a shrine