In this proceeding the motives of the king may be easily discovered; but how the barons of the kingdom, who were deeply concerned, suffered without any protestation the independency of the crown to be thus forfeited is mentioned by no historian of that time.  In civil tumults it is astonishing how little regard is paid by all parties to the honor or safety of their country.  The king’s friends were probably induced to acquiesce by the same motives that had influenced the king.  His enemies, who were the most numerous, perhaps saw his abasement with pleasure, as they knew this action might be one day employed against him with effect.  To the bigots it was enough that it aggrandized the Pope.  It is perhaps worthy of observation that the conduct of Pandulph towards King John bore a very great affinity to that of the Roman consuls to the people of Carthage in the last Punic War,—­drawing them from concession to concession, and carefully concealing their design, until they made it impossible for the Carthaginians to resist.  Such a strong resemblance did the same ambition produce in such distant times; and it is far from the sole instance in which we may trace a similarity between the spirit and conduct of the former and latter Rome in their common design on the liberties of mankind.

The legates, having thus triumphed over the king, passed back into France, but without relaxing the interdict or excommunication, which they still left hanging over him, lest he should be tempted to throw off the chains of his new subjection.  Arriving in France, they delivered their orders to Philip with as much haughtiness as they had done to John.  They told him that the end of the war was answered in the humiliation of the King of England, who had been rendered a dutiful son of the Church,—­and that, if the King of France should, after this notice, proceed to further hostilities, he had to apprehend the same sentence which had humbled his adversary.  Philip, who had not raised so great an army with a view of reforming the manners of King John, would have slighted these threats, had he not found that they were seconded by the ill dispositions of a part of his own army.  The Earl of Flanders, always disaffected to his cause, was glad of this opportunity to oppose him, and, only following him through fear, withdrew his forces, and now openly opposed him.  Philip turned his arms against his revolted vassal.  The cause of John was revived by this dissension, and his courage seemed rekindled.  Making one effort of a vigorous mind, he brought his fleet to an action with the French navy, which he entirely destroyed on the coast of Flanders, and thus freed himself from the terror of an invasion.  But when he intended to embark and improve his success, the barons refused to follow him.  They alleged that he was still excommunicated, and that they would not follow a lord under the censures of the Church.  This demonstrated to the king the necessity of a speedy absolution; and he received it this year from the hands of Cardinal Langton.