His  successor,  Stephen,  not  contented  with  rescinding  his
decrees,  had  his  corpse  disinterred,  arraigned  before  a
council,  stripped  of  the  pontifical  robes,  and  buried  igno-
miniously  among  laymen.  Nor  were  the  two  fingers
chiefly  used  in  consecration  deemed  worthy  even  of  this
interment.  They  were  cut  off  and  thro^vn  into  the  Tyber.*
These  contumelies  overtook  the  body  of  Formosus  in  the
year  897,  and  it  seems  afterwards  to  have  lain  undisturbed
in  its  unhonoured  grave.  Baronius,  accordingly,  is  driven
to  admit  some  chronological  mistake  in  jMalmesbury's
relation ;  but  he  is  naturally  unwilling  to  forego  a  case  so
useful  for  establishing  the  ancient  exercise  of  papal  autho-
rity over  England.  Hence,  he  suggests  an  earlier  date  by
ten  years  as  the  proper  one  for  this  transaction.^  Alfred,
however,  was  then  upon  the  throne,  and  not  Edward  the
Elder.  Two  of  the  vacancies,  also,  said  to  have  di-awn
down  papal  excommunication  in  904,  did  not  occur  until


1  Malmesb.  Script,  post  Bed.  26.
^  lb.
»  Inett.  i.  297.
*  Platixa.  114.      Boniface  VI.
placed    by    Platina  between


Formosus  I.    and  Stephen   VI.
But  this  intermediate  pontiff  ap-
pears not  to  have  Lived  a  month
after  his  elevation.
*  Inett.  i.  297.
142


FROM    ALCUIN


[a.d.  924.
