turned to his former place. William Deschapelles, bishop of Chalons, departed this life on the fifteenth day before the calends of February, having assumed the monastic habit eight days before his death.

There came a letter from pope Calixtus, relative to Turstin, directed to king Henry and Ralph, archbishop of Canter. bury, in which he interdicted the latter from all sacerdotal and episcopal duties; and both in the mother church of Canterbury, and in the principal church at York, together with its provinces, forbade the celebration of all divine offices together with the burial of the dead, except the baptism of infants and the absolution of the dying, unless within one month after the receipt of that letter, Turstin should be, without exacting the profession of obedience, restored to his archbishopric.

67

In the same year, after Easter, pope Calixtus departed from the city with a large body of men, and besieged the city of Sutri, until he took both Bourdin the anti-pope and the place itself, as the subjoined letter will more plainly show.

"Calixtus the bishop, servant of the servants of God, to his dearly beloved brethren and sons, the archbishops, bishops, abbats, priors, and others, both clergy and laity, the faithful servants of Saint Peter throughout the Gauls, health, and the apostolic benediction. Because the people have forsaken the law of the Lord, and walk not in his judgments, the Lord visits their iniquities with a rod, and their sins with stripes. But retaining the bowels of paternal affection, those who put trust in his mercy he does not repel; though for a long time, their sins so requiring, the faithful of the church have been disturbed by Bourdin, that idol of the king of Germany; some indeed have been taken captives, and others through starvation in prison have been afflicted unto death. Lately, however, after celebrating the feast of Easter, when we could no longer passively endure the complaints of the pilgrims and of the poor, we left the city with the faithful servants of the church, and laid siege to Sutri, until the Divine power delivered the beforenamed Bourdin, the enemy of the church, who had there made a nest for the devil, as well as the place itself, entirely into our hands. We beg your brotherly love therefore, with us to return thanks to the King of kings for benefits so great, and

67 The original is "pœnitentias morientium;" in allusion to the administration of the "viaticum,"

that you will remain most firmly in your obedience to the Catholic church, and in your duty to God, as you will receive from Almighty God, through His grace, the recompense for so doing, both here and hereafter. We beg also, that this our letter be sent from one to the other, all negligence laid aside. Done at Sutri, on the fifth day before the calends of May."

In this year, the daughter of Fulk, earl of Anjou, formerly the wife of William the son of king Henry, who had been drowned, was, at the request of her father, sent back by the king to her own country. The sons of the king of the Welch, on hearing of the death of Richard earl of Chester, burning two castles and slaying many men, laid waste, with great ravages, some places in that earldom. King Henry, being indignant at this, having levied an innumerable army throughout all England, marched for the purpose of ravaging Wales; but, on his arrival at Snawedun,68 the king of the Welch was reconciled to the king, appeasing him by presents and hostages, and, shortly after, the army returned home. At this period, king Henry having, by digging, made a long trench from Torkesey as far as Lincoln, by turning into it the river Trent made a passage for shipping. Ranulph, bishop of Durham, also began a castle at Norham, on the banks of the river Tweed. On the vigil of the Nativity of our Lord, an unusual wind blew down not only houses, but even towers built of stone.

In the year 1122, king Henry was at Windsor during the festival of the Nativity, at Easter, at Northampton, and during Pentecost, at Windsor; whence he proceeded to London and Kent, and afterwards to Durham, in Northumbria. In the same year, died Ralph, archbishop of Canterbury, and John, bishop of Bath.

In the year 1123, during the festival of the Nativity, king Henry was at Dunstable, and thence proceeded to Berkhampstead. Here, a certain chancellor of the king, Ranulph by name, who had been afflicted with a malady for twenty years, but who had always gloried at court in his wickedness, being ready for all crimes, oppressing the innocent, and plundering the lands of many, while escorting the king to entertain him at his house, on coming to the top of a hill whence his castle could be seen, was so elated in spirits that he fell off 68 The mountain of Snowdon.

69 in consequence

his horse, and a monk galloped over him; of which he was so crushed that he ended his life in a few days. The king went thence attended by Robert, bishop of Lincoln, on his road to Woodstock; where the bishop being attacked by a sudden malady, lost his speech, and, being carried to an inn, soon afterwards breathed forth his spirit.70 This happened on the tenth day of the month of January.

71

In the year 1124, at the feast of the Purification, the king gave the archbishopric of Canterbury to William de Curbuil, prior of the canons of Chiche." After this, at Easter, king Henry, when at Winchester, gave the bishopric of Lincoln to Alexander, the nephew of Roger, bishop of Salisbury, justiciary of all England; he also gave the bishopric of Bath to Godfrey, the queen's chancellor, and about Pentecost, crossed the sea; on which a dispute arising, the earl of Mellent revolted from him; whereupon the king laid siege to his castle, the name of which is Pontaudemer, and took it.

In the year 1125, great success smiled on the king; for William de Tankerville, the king's chamberlain, fighting a pitched battle with him, took the above-named earl of Mellent prisoner, together with Hugh de Montfort, his brotherin-law, and Hugh FitzGervaise, and delivered them to the king; on which he placed them in confinement. In the same year died Teulph, bishop of Worcester, and Ernulph, bishop of Rochester.

In the year 1126, king Henry remained during the whole of the year in Normandy, and there gave the bishopric of Worcester to Simon, the queen's clerk, and that of Chichester to Sefrid, abbat of Glastonbury. William, archbishop of

69 The corresponding passage in Roger of Wendover's account is :"A monk of St. Alban's, whose lands he had unjustly seized on, involuntarily galloped over him."

70 This circumstance is mentioned more fully in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. "It fell out on a Wednesday, being the fourth day before the ides of January, that the king rode in his deer-park, and Roger, bishop of Salisbury, was on one side of him, and Robert Bloet, bishop of Lincoln, on the other: and they rode there talking. Then the bishop of Lincoln sank down, and said to the king, 'My lord king, I am dying;' and the king alighted from his horse and took him between his arms, and bade them bear him to his inn, and he soon lay there dead."

71 St. Osythe, in Essex. Ingram says that this priory was re-built A.D. 1118, for canons of the Augustine order, and that there are considerable remains of it.

Canterbury, also gave the bishopric of Rochester to John, his archdeacon. At Easter, John of Crema, a Roman cardinal, came over to England, and, after visiting the bishoprics and abbeys, not without great presents, at the nativity of Saint Mary held a solemn synod at London, where a great mishap befell him.

For, having at the synod spoken in the severest terms relative to the wives of the clergy, saying that it was the greatest wickedness to arise from the side of a harlot to make the body of Christ, while he himself had that same day made the body of Christ, he was, after nightfall, surprised in the company of a harlot. The thing being thus notorious throughout London, could not be denied; and thus the great honor in which he was held everywhere previously, was turned into the greatest disgrace. He returned home, therefore, by the judgment of God, in confusion and disgrace.

In the same year died Henry, emperor of the Romans, son-in-law of Henry, king of the English. But by some it is alleged that the same emperor, being led by a feeling of penitence for having killed his own father, after having gone on a certain night, according to his usual custom, to the bed of the empress Matilda, the daughter of Henry king of the English, the lights being put out and the servants having withdrawn, retired barefoot and dressed in woollen garments, leaving behind the imperial vestments, his wife, and his kingdom, and was never after seen, nor was it discovered what became of him. On this, the empress, taking with her the uncorrupted hand of Saint James the Apostle, and the imperial crown, returned to king Henry, her father. After the decease or departure of the emperor Henry, Lothaire succeeded to the throne. Henry, king of the English, being greatly rejoiced at gaining the hand of Saint James the Apostle, founded the noble abbey of Reddinges," and enriched it with many valuables, and placed in it the hand of Saint James the Apostle; the imperial crown he placed in his own treasury.

The moneyers throughout almost the whole of England were, by king's order, seized for having secretly debased the coin, and, their right hands being first cut off, were then deprived of their virility. In this year there was a great famine, and so great was the dearness of provisions, that no one in our time

72 Reading.

has seen the like, for a horse-load of corn was sold at the price of six shillings. In this year, also, William, archbishop of Canterbury, Turstin, archbishop of York, and Alexander, bishop of Lincoln, went to Rome.

In the year 1127, during the Nativity, and Easter, and Pentecost, king Henry remained in Normandy, and, having made an honorable peace with the king of France, before the feast of Saint Michael this most victorious king returned to England, and brought with him his daughter the empress, the widow of so great a man, as previously mentioned. In this year, also, Robert, bishop of Chester, died.

In the year 1128, at the Nativity, king Henry held his court at Windsor, and proceeded thence to London. During Lent and Easter he was at Woodstock, where word was brought to him that Charles, earl of Flanders, his most beloved friend, had been, by the basest treachery, slain by his nobles in a church at Brige," and that the king of France had given Flanders to William, the son of Robert Curthose, his nephew and enemy, who, being now firmly established, had punished all the traitors to Charles with many torments. Accordingly, the king, being disturbed at these matters, held a council at London at the time of the Rogation Days; and, in similar manner, did archbishop William do the same at Westminster, in the same city.

About Pentecost, the king sent his daughter to Normandy, to be married to Geoffrey, son of the earl of Anjou, and afterwards, in August, the king himself followed. Richard, bishop of London, departed this life, and the king gave the bishopric to Gilbert, a man most learned in all subjects. At this time, also, died Richard, bishop of Hereford.

In the year 1129, king Henry, having remained a whole year in Normandy, marched in a hostile manner into France, because the king of the Franks was supporting his nephew and enemy; and encamping for eight days at Epernon, as securely as though he had been in his own kingdom, he compelled king Louis not to give aid to the earl of Flanders. While here, on enquiring into the origin and career of the kingdom of the Franks, king Henry was answered by a certain learned man to the following effect :

"Most powerful among kings, like most of the nations of 73 Bruges.