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From The Annals of Roger de Hoveden, Comprising the History of England and of Other Countries of Europe from A.D. 732 to A.D. 1201, Translated from the Latin with Notes and Illustrations by Henry T. Riley, Esq., Volume I, London: H.G. Bohn, 1853; pp. 226-240.





THE  ANNALS  OF
ROGER  DE  HOVEDEN.
Volume I.

[Part 21: 1136-1141 A.D.]


[226]

KING#160; STEPHEN

In the year of grace 1136, on Saint Stephen’s day, king Stephen was crowned, and held his court at London. At his coronation, according to report, the “Pax Domini” [Peace of the Lord] was neither said at the mass, nor repeated before the people when this sacrament was performed.

As yet the body of king Henry remained unburied in Normandy; for he had died on the first day of December. His body was brought to Rouen, where his entrails, brains, and
A. D.
1136.


BURIAL
OF
KING
HENRY.
227 eyes were buried; but the remainder of his body being cut asunder with knives in every part, and then sprinkled with a quantity of salt, was wrapped up and sewed in bull’s hides, to avoid the offensiveness of the smell, which being strong and continued, was overpowering to those who stood near it. In consequence of this, even the person who, in consideration of a large sum, had opened the head with a hatchet for the purpose of extracting the brain, which was in a most corrupt state, although he had wrapped up his own head with napkins, still met with his death therefrom, and had poor reason for rejoicing at his bargain. He was the last of the many slain by king Henry.

His attendants then conveyed the royal corpse to Caen, where, while it was lying in the church in which his father had been buried, it was steeped in a quantity of salt and wrapped up in numerous hides, still a black and disgusting liquid matter coming through the hides oozed forth therefrom, and being caught in vessels placed beneath the bier, was carried away by the servants fainting with disgust.

See, therefore, reader, whoever thou art, how the body of a most potent king, whose head had been decked with a crown, gold, and the choicest gems, with splendour almost divine, whose two hands had been radiant with sceptres, the rest of whose person had glittered all over with tissue of gold, whose mouth used to be supplied with food so exquisite and delicious, before whom all were wont to arise, whom all had dreaded, all congratulated, all admired —— See, I say, to what that body was reduced; how horribly it was put out of sight, how shockingly thrust aside! Behold the result of human affairs, upon which the judgment ever depends, and learn to have a contempt for all that thus terminates, all that is thus reduced to annihilation.

At last, the remains of the royal corpse were brought to England, and were, in twelve days after, on his birth-day,1 buried at the abbey of Reading, which the same king Henry had founded and enriched with many possessions. Thither, also, came king Stephen from his court, which, at the feast of the Nativity, he had been holding in London, to meet the body of his uncle; and with him, William, archbishop of
A. D.
1136.
228 Canterbury, and many bishops and nobles, and there they buried king Henry with the respect due to a man so great.

King Stephen proceeded thence to Oxford, where he repeated and confirmed the concessions which he had promised to make to God, the people, and the holy Church, on the day of his coronation, which were these: In the first place, he promised on oath that, on the death of bishops, he would never retain the sees in his own hand, but immediately consent to the election and invest them with bishops. Secondly, he promised on oath, that he would retain in his hand the woods of no clerk or layman, as king Henry had done, who have every year impleaded them, if they either took venison in their own woods, or rooted them up or thinned them to supply their own necessities: which kind of unjust impleading was carried to so annoying a length, that, if the supervisors set eye from a distance upon the wood of any person whom they deemed to be a moneyed man, they immediately obtained an injunction against waste thereon, whether it had suffered waste or not, in order that, by some means or other, they might be enabled to mulct him. In the third place, he promised on oath, that Danegelt, that is to say, two shillings on every hide of land, which his predecessors had been accustomed to receive yearly, he would give up for ever. These are the principle things which he promised on oath to God; there were others besides; but none of these promises did he keep.

In the meantime, while, at the close of the festival of the Nativity, king Stephen was staying at Oxford, he received tidings which informed him to this effect: “David, king of the Scots, on pretence that he was coming with peaceful intent for the purpose of visiting you, has come to Carlisle and Newcastle, and stealthily taken possession of them both;” to which king Stephen made answer; “What he has taken by stealth, I will recover by victory;” and thereupon, without delay, the king moved forward his army, which was so mighty, so valiant, and so numerous, that none in England could be remembered like it. However, king David met him in the neighbourhood of Durham, and, making a treaty with him, restored Newcastle, but retained Carlisle with the king’s consent. David, however, did not do homage to king Stephen; because he had previously, as the first of the laity, promised
A. D.
1137.


STEPHEN
CROSSES
INTO
NORMANDY.
229 on oath to the empress, the daughter of king Henry and his own niece, to maintain her in possession of England after the death of king Henry. However, the son of king David, Henry by name, did homage to king Stephen; on which, the latter presented him with the borough which is called Huntingdon, by way of gift.

After this, the king returned at Lent, and held his court at London during the festival of Easter, amid such dazzling splendour, that there was never one in England more brilliant than it in its multitudes, magnificence, gold, silver, jewels, garments, and luxuries of every description.

At the time of the Rogation Days, the king was seized with a lethargy, and it was currently reported that he was dead. On hearing of this, Hugh Bigod secretly effected an entrance into Norwich castle, and would not restore it to any person except to the king himself on his repairing thither, and then very reluctantly. It was now that the frenzied conduct of the Normans, which has been previously mentioned, began to produce its effects in perjury and treason. The king, therefore, took Badington, the owner of which was one Robert, a traitor, who had rebelled against the king; after which, he laid siege to the city of Exeter, which Baldwin de Redwers2 held against him; and being long detained there, and constructing many engines of war, consumed a large portion of his treasures in so doing. At length, however, the castle was surrendered to him, and the king, following the most pernicious advice, did not exercise vengeance upon the traitors. But if he had exercised it on this occasion, so many castles would not have afterwards held out against him. The king proceeded thence to the Isle of Wight, and took it from Baldwin de Redwers, preciously mentioned, whom he banished from England.

The king, elated at these successes, went to hunt at Bramton, which is one mile distant from Huntingdon, and there he held pleas as to the forests of his nobles, that is to say, with reference to their woods and hunting, and thereby broke the vow and promise which he had made before God and the people.

In the year of grace, 1137, being the second year of the reign of king Stephen, the king, at the season of Lent, crossed over into Normandy. Alexander, bishop of Lincoln, and
A. D.
1138.
230 many nobles besides, crossed over with him; and there, the king, who was well versed in martial enterprises, enjoyed brilliant success in all his enterprises; thwarted the stratagems of the enemy, reduced the fortresses of the foe, and proved himself the most distinguished among the greatest of men. He made a treaty with the king of the Franks, and his son Eustace did homage to the king of the Franks, for Normandy, which is subject to the superior lordship of the Franks, This became known to the earl of Anjou, who was his most inveterate enemy, inasmuch as he had married the empress of Germany, the daughter of king Henry, who had received the oaths of Stephen with reference to England, and in consequence, the husband and wife demanded possession of England, but, in the end, consented to a treaty with king Stephen. For the earl saw that, at present, he could not possibly cope with the king’s strength, both by reason of his great military renown, and the money, of which an abundance was still left from the treasures of the deceased king.

In the same year, Louis the Fat, king of the Franks, departed this life, and was succeeded by his son Louis. These two years, in fact, were the most prosperous ones of king Stephen’s reign; but the third, of which we shall now make mention, was of a doubtful and varied character, while the two succeeding ones were replete with loss and calamity.

In the year of grace 1138, being the third year of the reign of king Stephen, the king, immediately on his return to England, flew to Bedford, on the vigil of the Nativity of our Lord, and besieged it throughout the whole festival of the Nativity; and, indeed, it was the opinion of many that he incurred the displeasure of God, because the festival of festivals he paid little or no attention to. In the same year, Peter de Leves, the anti-pope, departed this life. Bedford having surrendered to king Stephen, he immediately moved his army onwards to Scotland.

For king David, having sworn fealty to the daughter of king Henry, as though under the veil of respect for his oath, by means of his troops, was perpetrating the most execrable deeds. Pregnant women they ripped asunder, and tore the offspring prematurely from the mother’s womb, tossed children on the points of their lances, beheaded the priests upon the altars, and then placed the heads which they had cut off from the
A. D.
1138.


BISHOP
RALPH
ADDRESSES
THE
ARMY.
231 crucifixes upon the bodies of the slain, and, by way of exchange, placed the heads of the slain upon the crucifixes. In consequence of this, wherever the Scots came, the places were filled with cruelty and horror, the shrieks of women, the outcries of aged men, the groans of the dying, and the desperation of the youthful.

On this, king Stephen aroused himself, and burned and ravaged the southern parts of king David’s kingdom, while David himself did not dare to confront him. After Easter, however, the disgraceful fury of the traitors became greatly inflamed. For one of the rebels, Talbot by name, held Hereford, in Wales, against the king; to which, however, the king laid siege, and reduced it to submission. Earl Robert,3 the illegitimate son of king Henry, held against him a most strongly fortified castle, the name of which was Bristowe,4 and another called Slede.5 William Lovel held the castle of Kari;6 Paganel held the castle of Ludlow; William de Moun held the castle of Dunster;7 Robert de Nichole8 held the castle of Wareham; Eustace Fitz-John, a one-eyed vile traitor, held the castle of Malton; William Fitz-Allan held the castle of Salopesbury,9 which last the king took by force of arms, and hanged some of those who were taken prisoners; on hearing of which, Walkelm, who held Dover castle, immediately surrendered it to the queen who was then besieging it.

While king Stephen was thus engaged in the southern parts of England, David, king of the Scots, led an innumerable army into England. By the advice and exhortation of Turstin, archbishop of York, the nobles of the north of England, went out to meet him, with William, the illustrious earl of Albemarle, and planted the standard10 or royal banner at Alverton,11 on Cutune moor. As, in consequence of illness, the archbishop of York could not be present at the battle, he sent in his place Ralph, bishop of the Orkneys,12 who, standing in the midst of the army, on an elevated spot, addressed them to the following effect:


A. D.
1138.
232

“Most illustrious nobles of England, Normans by birth, (for when about to enter on the combat, it befits you to hold in remembrance your names and your birth), consider who you are, and against whom, and where it is, you are waging war; for then no one shall with impunity resist your prowess. Bold France, taught by experience, has quailed beneath your valour, fierce England, led captive, has submitted to you; rich Apulia, on having you for her masters, has flourished once again; Jerusalem so famed, and illustrious Antioch, have bowed themselves before you; and now Scotland, which of right is subject to you, attempts to show resistance, displaying a temerity not warranted by her arms, more fitted indeed for rioting than for battle. These are people, in fact, who have no knowledge of military matters, no skill in fighting, no moderation in ruling. There is no room then left for fear, but rather for shame, that those whom we have always sought on their own soil and overcome, reversing the usual order of things, have, like so many drunkards and madmen, come flocking into our country. This, however, I, a bishop, and the substitute for your archbishop, tell you, has been brought about by Divine Providence; in order that those who have in this country violated the temples of God, stained the altars with blood, slain his priests, spared neither children nor pregnant women, may on the same spot receive the condign punishment of their crimes; and this most just resolve of the Divine will, God will this day put in execution by means of your hands. Arouse your spirits them, ye civilized warriors, and, firmly relying on the valour of your country, nay, rather on the presence of God, arise against these most unrighteous foes. And let not their rashness move you, because so many insignia of your valour cause no alarm to them. They know not how to arm13 themselves for battle; whereas you, during the time of peace, prepare yourselves for war, in order that in battle you may not experience the doubtful contingencies of warfare. Cover your heads then with the helmet, your breasts with the coat of mail, your legs with the greaves, and your bodies with the shield, that so the foeman may not find where to strike at you, on seeing you thus surrounded on every side with iron. Marching then against them thus, unarmed and wavering, why should we hesitate? On
A. D.
1138.


DEFEAT
OF
THE
SCOTS.
233 account of their numbers perhaps? But it is not so much the numbers of the many as the valour of the few that gains the battle. For a multitude unused to discipline is a hindrance to itself, when successful, in completing the victory, when routed, in taking to flight. Besides your forefathers, when but few in number, have many a time conquered multitudes; what then is the natural consequence of the glories of your ancestry, your constant exercises, your military discipline, but that though fewer in number, you should overcome multitudes? But now the enemy, advancing in disorder, warns me to close what I have to say, and rushing on with a straggling front, gives me great reason for gladness. — I therefore in the place of the archbishop of you who are this day about to avenge the sins committed against the house of the Lord, against the priests of the Lord, and against your king under the Lord’s protection, whoever of you shall fall fighting, do absolve him from all punishment for sins, in the name of the Father, whose creatures they have so shamefully and horribly slain, of the Son, whose altars they have polluted, and of the Holy Ghost, whose inspired ones, in their frenzy, they have slaughtered.”

To this all the troops of the English answered “Amen, Amen;” and the mountains and hills re-echoed with their cries.

At the same instant, the Scots raised the shout of their country, and the cries of “Albany! Albany!” ascended to the heavens; but the shouts were soon drowned in the dreadful crash and the loud noise of the blows. When the ranks of the men of Lothian, who had obtained from the king of Scotland, though reluctantly on his part, the glory of striking the first blow, hurling their darts and presenting their lances of extraordinary length, bore down upon the ranks of the English knights encased in mail, striking as it were against a wall of iron, they found them impenetrable. But the archers of the English, mingling with the cavalry, poured their arrows like a cloud upon them, and pierced those who were not protected by armour. Meanwhile the whole of the Normans and the English, stood in one dense phalanx around the standard, perfectly immoveable. The chief commander of the men of Lothian fell slain, pierced by an arrow, on which the whole of his men took to flight. For the most high God was offended with them, and all their valour was destroyed even as a spider’s web. On seeing this, the main body of the Scots, which
A. D.
1139.
234 was fighting with the greatest valour in another part of the field, was alarmed and took to flight. Next, the king’s troop, which king David had formed of several clans, as soon as it perceived this, began to drop off; at first man by man, and afterwards in bodies, the king standing firm, and being at last left almost alone. The king’s friends seeing this, forced him to mount his horse and take to flight; but Henry, his valiant son, not heeding what he saw being done by his men, but solely intent on glory and valour, while the rest were taking to flight, most bravely charged the enemy’s line, and shook it by the wondrous vigour of his onset. For his troop was the only one mounted on horseback, and consisted of English and Normans, who formed a part of his father’s household. His horsemen, however, were not able long to continue their attacks against soldiers on foot, cased in mail, and standing immoveable in close and dense ranks; but, with their lances broken and their horses wounded, were compelled to take to flight. Rumour says, that many thousands14 of the Scots were slain on that field, besides those who, on being taken in the woods and standing corn, were put to death. Accordingly, the English and Normans happily gained the victory, and with a very small effusion of blood.

In this battle the commanders were the above-named Ralph, bishop of the Orkneys, the illustrious William, earl of Albemarle, of the blood royal, and famed for his military prowess, Walter Espec, a celebrated nobleman, William Piperel of Nottingham, and Gilbert de Lacy, whose brother was the only knight there slain.

On hearing of the result of this engagement, king Stephen and all who were with him gave hearty thanks to God. This battle was fought in the month of August. At the Advent of our Lord, Alberic, legate of the Roman church and bishop of Ostia, held a council at London, on which occasion, with the consent of king Stephen, Theobald, abbat of Bec, was made archbishop of Canterbury.

In the year of grace 1139, being the fourth year of the reign of king Stephen, after the Nativity, the said king took the castle of Slede15 by siege; and afterwards proceeded to Scotland, where he laid waste the country on all sides with fire and sword, on which the king was obliged to make terms
A. D.
1139.


CONDUCT
OF
STEPHEN
TO
THE
BISHOP
OF
SALIS-
BURY.
235 with him. King Stephen thereupon returned to England, taking with him Henry, the son of the king of the Scots [as a hostage]. He then laid siege to Ludlow, where the same Henry, being dragged from his horse by an iron hook, was nearly taken prisoner, but the king himself valiantly rescued him from the enemy. After this, without accomplishing his object, he returned to Oxford, where a thing took place remarkable for its disgraceful character, and at variance with all civilized usage. For the king, after having received them in peace, violently arrested at his own court Roger, bishop of Salisbury, and Alexander,16 bishop of Lincoln, who, so far from refusing to settle matters with justice, had most earnestly entreated permission so to do.

Having thrown bishop Alexander into prison there, he took the bishop of Salisbury with him to his castle, called Devizes, a finer one than which there was not in all Europe. There he tortured him with the pangs of hunger, and tied a halter round the neck of his son,17 who had been the king’s chancellor, as though he were about to be hanged; and by such methods extorted from him the surrender of the castle, far from remembering the benefits which, at the beginning of his reign, beyond all others, he had conferred upon him: such, then, was the reward he bestowed on him for his devotedness. In a similar manner he gained possession of Syresburn,18 which was very little inferior to Devizes in magnificence. On obtaining the bishops’ treasures, by means of them he gained Constance, sister of Louis, king of the Franks, in marriage for his son Eustace. On retiring thence, the king took bishop Alexander, whom he had left in confinement at Oxford, with him to Newark, where that bishop had built a castle, near the river Trent, extremely well fortified and most amply supplied, On coming there, the king imposed on the bishop a fast not prescribed by the law,19 and declared, on his oath, that he should be deprived of all food whatever until the castle was surrendered to him. In consequence of this, with considerable difficulty, by means of prayers and entreaties, the bishop prevailed on his own people to transfer
A. D.
1139.
236 his castle from his own authority into the hands of strangers. In a similar manner, another castle of his was surrendered, called Slaford,20 not inferior to the other either in appearance or excellence of situation.

Not long after, when Henry, bishop of Winchester, the king’s brother, who was now legate of the Roman Church, was holding a council at Winchester, Theobald himself, the archbishop of Canterbury, and all the bishops who were with him, there threw themselves at the king’s feet, and begged with the most earnest supplications that he would restore their possessions to the above-mentioned bishops, and promised that they themselves would cordially forgive the king for all he had done against them. But the king, listening to the voice of persons evilly inclined, slighted the supplications of so many venerable men of such high station, and would not accede to their requests. In consequence of this conduct, the house of king Stephen was consigned to impending destruction.

For, immediately upon this, the daughter of king Henry, who had been empress of the Romans, and to whom the kingdom of England had been secured by oath, came to England; on which, king Stephen besieged her at Arundel, and, either through listening to perfidious counsels, or else seeing that the castle was impregnable, allowed her to go to Bristowe. 21

In the same year, Roger, bishop of Salisbury, pined away, being wasted as much by grief as by old age, and ended his life. Let all, then, who read of this, be astounded at so great and so sudden a change of events. For, from his youth upwards, so many blessings had fallen to the lot of the man above-named, and, without interruption, had so wondrously accumulated upon him, that all said that, in his case, Fortune was forgetful of her fickle disposition. Nor did he suffer any adversity during the whole of his life, until at last so vast an accumulation of miseries, befalling him at the same moment, overwhelmed him. Let no one then feel confidence as to the long continuance of his happiness, let no one presume on the stability22 of Fortune, let no one imagine that his seat can long be firm upon her revolving wheel!

In the year of grace 1140, being the fifth year of the reign of king Stephen, after the Nativity, the said king banished
A. D.
1140.


DEATH
OF
TURSTIN.
237 Nigel, bishop of Ely, from his see, as he was the nephew of the above-named bishop of Salisbury; in consequence of which relationship23 he had become an object of the king’s hatred. As to where the king was at the feast of the Nativity, or where at Easter, it matters not to say. For now, courts held in regal state, and the pomp of royalty, handed down from the ancient line of kings, were utterly put an end to, the vast amount of treasures had been entirely expended, there was no such thing as peace in the kingdom, all quarters were threatened with slaughter, conflagration, and rapine. Shrieks, grief, and terror re-echoed in tones like thunder on every side, and in every place there were the tumultuous alarms of depredation and violence. In consequence of this, the following Elegiac lines were composed: —

“Who shall give me a spring, for what else but a spring of tears do I need, that with tears I may bewail the wicked deeds of my native land? A darkness hath come upon it, sent from the depths of hell, which in lowering clouds covers the face of this realm! Lo! frenzy, shrieks, conflagrations, theft, rapine, slaughter, and bad faith, in strict alliance come rushing on! At the present day men act the thief both towards the wealth and the owners of the wealth, and, strange kind of theft! while sleeping in their very castles they surprise them. Perjury is good faith, lying a noble act; even the betrayal of their lords is a deed worthy of men. The band of robbers breaks open temples and tombs, and even — oh shocking deed! — lays hands upon the priests. The anointed of the Lord, and women as well, they torture, and — oh shame! — that they may purchase their liberty, devise how to rack them with torments! Famine, therefore, comes on apace; their flesh consumed, to skin and bone reduced, they breathe forth their fleeting souls! Who can give sepulture to crowds so vast of the dying? Behold the face of hell, and a calamity its like!”

In the same year, king Stephen gave Northumbria to Henry, the son of David, king of the Scots. In the same year died Turstin, archbishop of York, on whose decease there immediately arose a division in the church of York, as to the election of an archbishop. For some of the canons made choice of
A. D.
1141.
238 William, treasurer of the church of York, who was accordingly consecrated by Henry, bishop of Winchester, legate of the Church of Rome. But the other canons chose as their archbishop Henry Murdac, who prevailed, and retained the archbishopric as long as he lived, while archbishop William remained with Henry, bishop of Winchester, who had consecrated him, until the decease of Henry Murdac.

In the year of grace 1141, being the sixth year of the reign of king Stephen, that king, before the Nativity, laid siege to the city of Lincoln, that castle of which, Ranulph, earl of Chester, had treacherously seized; and there the king took up his quarters until the Purification of Saint Mary; when earl Ranulph brought with him Robert, the son of king Henry, his own son-in-law, and some other valiant nobles, in order to raise the siege by the king; and the most valiant earl, having with difficulty crossed a marsh, which was almost impassable, on the same day, drawing out his troops in battle array, offered the king battle. He himself, with his own men, formed the first line; those whom king Stephen had deprived of their inheritance, the second; and the great earl Robert, with his men, the third; on the flank there was a multitude of Welchmen, better provided with daring than with arms. After this, the earl of Chester, a consummate warrior, glittering with conspicuous arms, thus addressed earl Robert and the other nobles: —

“With the greatest sincerity, to you, most invincible chieftain, and to you, nobles and fellow-soldiers, do I return many thanks, who have magnanimously shewn your goodwill towards me at the hazard of your lives. Since then, I am the occasion of your peril, it is only fair that I should be the first to expose myself to peril, and be the first to pierce the ranks of this most faithless king, who, after making a treaty, has broken the peace. Wherefore, trusting both in the king’s injustice and in my own valour, I will straightway cleave asunder the royal ranks, and with my sword make way through the midst of the foe. It shall be the part of your prowess to follow me while I lead the way, and to imitate my example as I strike. I already seem to myself, in my presaging mind, to be passing through the royal ranks, trampling the nobles beneath my feet, and piercing the king himself with my sword.”

Thus he spoke; on which earl Robert addressed the youth,
A. D.
1141.


EARL
ROBERT
ADDRESSES
HIS
TROOPS.
239 and standing upon an elevated spot, delivered a speech to this effect: —

“It is not without reason that you demand the honor of the first blow, both on the ground of your noble descent, and the valour wherein you excel. But still, if you stand upon noble descent, I am not surpassed by you, being the son of a most noble king, and the grandson of a most mighty monarch: if upon valour, here are many men of most consummate bravery, before whom not a man living can be preferred for prowess. But it is a far different reason that influences me. For, contrary to the oaths which he made to my sister, the king has cruelly usurped the kingdom, and, causing confusion on every side, has been the occasion of death to many thousands,24 and after his own example, has distributed lands among those who have no right thereto, violently taking them away from those who rightfully possessed them. By those who have been thus wickedly disinherited, with the aid of God, the Supreme Judge, who prepares vengeance, must he be first attacked. He who judges His people in equity, will look down from His habitation on high in the heavens, and will never desert us in this our great necessity, who with justice seek what is just. There is one thing, however, most valiant chieftains, and all you fellow-soldiers, which I desire firmly to impress upon your minds, namely, that by the marshes through which with difficulty you have passed, there can be no way of escape by flight. Here, therefore, we must either conquer or die; in flight, hope of escape there is none. This alone remains for you, to make a way into the city with your swords. But if my mind presages aught of truth, the fact that you have no possible means of escape is the very thing which, this day, with the help of God, will gain for us the victory. For he must needs have recourse to prowess, who has not any possible means of escape. On the other hand, the citizens of Lincoln, who stand close to their city, with minds quailing beneath the vigour of your onset, you, proving victorious, will see flying for refuge to their homes. Besides, consider who it is against whom you are waging war. Alan, duke of the Bretons, comes forth in arms against us, nay, rather, against God; an infamous man and one polluted with all kinds of crimes; who in
A. D.
1141.
240 mischief knows not his equal, who has never wanted the desire to do injury, and who would consider it his only and extreme reproach not to be incomparable to any one in cruelty. There is also come out against us the earl of Mellent, crafty in his deceitfulness; a planner of treachery; in whose heart iniquity is rooted, and guile in his mouth; slothful in deeds; presumptuous in heart; magnanimous in words; pusillanimous in acting; the last to attack, the first to run away; tardy in battle, swift in flight. There is also come out against us earl Hugh, to whom it seems a trifle to have broken his oath to the empress, but he must commit perjury a second time in the most glaring manner, by affirming that king Henry gave the kingdom to Stephen and deprived his own daughter thereof. There is also come out the earl of Albemarle, a man of singular constancy in crime, ready for daring evil, and slow to relinquish it; whom his wife, taking to flight, has abandoned by reason of his intolerable filthiness. There is also come out the earl, who has taken away his wife from the last named earl, a most avowed adulterer; of singular impurity, a devotee of Bacchus; a stranger to Mars; wreaking with wine, and unacquainted with warfare. There is also come out, Simon, earl of Hampton,25 whose deeds consist of words alone; whose only gifts are promises; who when he has said a thing, has done it; when he has promised, has given. There are also come out, other nobles just like their king, accustomed to robberies; enriched with rapines; fattened upon murders; all, in fact, defiled by perjury. You, therefore, most valiant men, whom the great king Henry has advanced, and man has humbled, whom he has raised, this man has depressed, arouse your courage, and trusting in your valour, nay, rather in the justice of God, take the vengeance thus offered to you by God upon these wicked persons, and confer imperishable glory upon your posterity. If then it is now your determination to be the instruments of this judgment of God, vow that you will press onward, abjure all thoughts of flight, and with one consent raise your right hands towards heaven.”

Hardly had he concluded, when all, raising their hands towards heaven, with a thrilling shout abjured flight, and getting their arms in readiness for the attack, moved onward against the enemy in splendid array.



FOOTNOTES

 1  “Natalis” here, is probably a misprint for “Natali.” Roger of Wendover says that he was buried on his birth-day.

 2  Or Rivers.

 3  Of Gloucester.

 4  Bristol.

 5  Leeds.

 6  Castle Cary, in Somersetshire.

 7  In Somersetshire.

 8  Roger of Wendover calls him Robert of Lincoln.

 9  Shrewsbury.

10  Hence this is sometimes called the battle of the Standard.

11  North Allerton.

12  Roger of Wendover says, Bishop of Durham.

13  This is probably said in allusion to the absence of defensive armour, with the half-naked Scotch.

14  Roger of Wendover says, eleven thousand.

15  Leeds.

16  Some historians call him the nephew of the bishop of Salisbury, but he was suspected to be his son.

17  This person, whose name was Roger, was said to be the son of Roger, bishop of Salisbury, by Maud of Ramsbury, his mistress.

18  Sherburne.

19  The ecclesiastical law.

20  Sleaford.

21  Bristol.

22  “Stabilitate” seems a preferable reading to “instabilitate.”

23  “Progeniem,” in the text, hinting that he was son of the bishop of Salisbury.

24  The text has “militibus,” “soldiers;” but “millibus,” “thousands,” seems preferable, and is the reading in Ranulph Highden’s narrative.

25  Southampton.




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