John Allen Giles

“ And at Martinmas the king went over sea to Normandy; but whilst he waited for a fair wind, his train did as much injury in the county in which they were detained, as any prince's retinue, or even an army could have committed in a peaceable land.
This year was in all respects a very heavy time, and the weather was singularly bad at the seasons when men should till their lands and gather in the harvest; and the people had nevertheless no respite from unjust taxes. ”

“ Then king Henry's sons and his friends took his body, and brought it to England, and buried it at Reading. He was a good man, and great was the awe of him; no man durst ill treat another in his time: he made peace for men and deer. Who so bare his burden of gold and silver, no man durst say to him ought but good. In the meantime his nephew Stephen de Blois had arrived in England, and he came to London, and the inhabitants received him, and sent for the archbishop, William Corboil, who consecrated him king on midwinter-day. ”

“ This year went Siward the earl with a great army into Scotland, both with a ship-force and with a land-force, and fought against the Scots, and put to flight king Macbeth, and slew all who were the chief men in the land, and led thence much booty, such as no man before had obtained. ”

“ In this year came Canute with his army, and Edric the ealdorman with him, over Thames into Mercia at Cricklade. And then they went to Warwickshire, during the midwinter's tide, and ravaged, and burned, and slew all that they could come at. Then began the etheling Edmund to gather his forces. When the forces were assembled, then would it not content them except it so were that the king were there with them, and they might have the help of the citizens of London: then gave they up the expedition, and each man went him away home. ”

“ All this year king Henry was in Normandy, being at war with the king of France, and with the earl of Anjou, and with the earl of Flanders. And the earl of Flanders was wounded in Normandy, on which he returned to Flanders. The king was greatly impoverished by this war, and lost much money and land, and he was most harassed by his own men, who continually revolted and betrayed him, and went over to his enemies, and treacherously gave up their castles in the king's despite. England paid dearly for all this by the manifold taxes which ceased not all this year. ”

“ This Odo was a very powerful bishop in Normandy, his see was that of Bayeux, and he was foremost to serve the king. He had an earldom in England, and when William was in Normandy he was the first man in this country, and him did he cast into prison. Amongst other things the good order that William established is not to be forgotten; it was such that any man, who was himself aught, might travel over the kingdom with a bosom-full of gold unmolested; and no man durst kill another, however great the injury he might have received from him. ”

“ This year, in Lent, king William was very sick at Gloucester, insomuch that he was universally reported to be dead: and he made many good promises in his illness; that he would lead his future life in righteousness—that the churches of God he would guard and free—and never more sell them for money—and that he would have all just laws in his kingdom. And he gave the archbishopric of Canterbury, which he had hitherto kept in his own hands, to Anselm, who was before this abbat of Bec, and the bishopric of Lincoln to his chancellor Robert ”

“ This year, at Lammas, king Henry went over sea: and on the second day, as he lay asleep in the ship, the day was darkened universally, and the sun became as if it were a moon three nights old. with the stars shining round it at mid-day. Men greatly marvelled, and great fear fell on them, and they said that some great event should follow thereafter—and so it was, for the same year the king died in Normandy, on the day after the feast of St. Andrew. Soon did this land fall into trouble, for every man greatly began to rob his neighbour as he might. ”

“ But the king nevertheless strenuously fought against him with those men who would follow him; and there was great slaughter made on either hand. There was slain king Harold, and Leofwin the earl, his brother, and Girth the earl, his brother, and many good men; and the Frenchmen had possession of the place of carnage, all as God granted them for the people's sins. Archbishop Aldred and the townsmen of London would then have child Edgar for king, all as was his true natural right: and Edwin and Morcar vowed to him that they would fight together with him. ”

“ When these things were done, the king sent to Rome to Vitalian who then was pope, and desired that he should grant by his rescript, and with his blessing, all the before-mentioned things. And the pope sent this rescript, thus saying, 'I, pope Vitalian, concede to thee king Wulf here, and archbishop Deus-dedit, and abbat Sexwulf, all the things which ye desire, and I forbid that any king or any man have any claim thereon, except the abbat alone; nor let him obey any man except the pope of Rome, and the archbishop of Canterbury. ”

“ This king William, of whom we are speaking, was a very wise and a great man, and more honoured and more powerful than any of his predecessors. He was mild to those good men who loved God, but severe beyond measure towards those who withstood his will. He founded a noble monastery on the spot where God permitted him to conquer England, and he established monks in it, and he made it very rich. In his days the great monastery at Canterbury was built, and many others also throughout England; moreover this land was filled with monks who lived after the rule of St. Benedict ”

“ This year Hardecanute caused all Worcestershire to be ravaged, on account of his two household servants, who demanded the heavy impost; when the people slew them in the town within the minster. This year, soon after, came from beyond sea Edward, his brother on the mother's side, king Ethelred's son, who before for many years had been driver, from his country; and yet was he sworn king: and he then abode thus in his brother's family while he lived. And in this year also Hardecanute betrayed Eadulf the earl. ”

“ In Denmark, the Danes who were formerly accounted the most loyal of people, turned to the greatest possible perfidy and treachery, for they chose king Canute, and submitted to him, and swore oaths of allegiance, and afterwards they shamefully murdered him in a church. ”

“ When Augustine had obtained the bishopric in the city, [146] then was he archbishop over all king Ethelbert's kingdom, as it is related in Historia Anglorum [147] . . . . . . make (a bishop's) see by the king's aid in . . . . was begun by the old Romans . . . and to sprout forth. In that company the foremost were Mellitus, Justus, Paulinus, Rufinianus. By these sent the blessed pope the pall, and therewith a letter, and instruction how he should consecrate bishops, and in which place in Britain he should seat them. And to the king (also) he sent letters and many worldly gifts of divers things. ”

“ At the hallowing of the monastery king Wulfhere was present, and his brother Ethelred, and his sisters Kyneburg and Kyneswith. And Deus-dedit archbishop of Canterbury hallowed the monastery, and Ithamar bishop of Rochester, and the bishop of London, who was called Wini, and the bishop of the Mercians, who was called Jaruman, and bishop Tuda. And there was Wilfrid the priest, who was afterwards a bishop: and all his thanes who were within his kingdom were there. ”

“ Then he came into England with a great army and won castles; and the king marched against him with a much larger army, howbeit they did not fight, but the archbishop and wise men went between them and made a treaty on these terms: that the king should be lord and king while he lived, and that Henry should be king after his death, and that he should consider him as his father, and the king him as his son, and that peace and concord should be between them, and in all England. ”

“ In this year died Siward the earl at York, and his body lies within the minster at Galmanho, [236] which himself had before built, to the glory of God and of all his saints. Then, within a little time after, was a general council in London, and Elgar the earl, Leofric the earl's son, was outlawed without any kind of guilt; and he went then to Ireland, and there procured himself a fleet, which was of eighteen ships, besides his own: and they went then to Wales, to king Griffin, [237] with that force; and he received him into his protection. ”

“ Sixty years before Christ was born, Gaius Julius, emperor of the Romans, with eighty ships, sought Britain. There he was at first distressed by a fierce battle, and a large portion of his army was dispersed. And then he left his army to abide among the Scots, [7] and went south into Gaul, and there collected six hundred ships, with which he came again into Britain. And as they first rushed together, the emperor's 'gerrefa' [8] was slain: he was called Labienus. Then the Welsh took large and sharp stakes and drove them into the fording place of a certain river under water ”

“ For I, Withred, an earthly king, instigated by the King of heaven, and burning with the zeal of righteousness, have learned from the institutes of our forefathers, that no layman has a right to possess himself of a church, nor of any of the things which belong to a church. ”