This happened especially when he had, as he often had, to deal with Kings and nations beyond the borders of the Empire.

Thus the Bishops of Rome gradually gained very great power, much more than ever was gained by the Patriarchs of Con- stantinople, who had the Emperor near to control them.

In after times, as you may have heard, the power of the Popes grew greater still, and it was often very badly used, and many abuses were brought into the Church, till at last our own Church and several other Churches found it needful to throw off their obedience to the Pope altogether.

But there was nothing of this sort as yet in Gregorys days ; the Popes were still only the first Bishops of the Western Church, and they often did a great deal of good by acting as a sort of common father to all the nations, in days when there was so much war and confusion everywhere.

Thus it was that the Bishop, of Rome was the most natural person to undertake the conversion of the English, or of any other heathen nation in the West, and the more so as Britain had once been a Christian land and a province of the Roman Empire.