men. And the earl Robert and they that went with him tarried during the winter in Apulia; but of the people who went by Hungary, many thousands perished miserably there and by the way; and many drew themselves home against winter, miserable and hunger-bitten. This year was very heavy over all the kingdom of England, as well in consequence of manifold taxes, as also by reason of very severe hunger, which this year heavily oppressed this earth. Also, in this year, the chief men who ruled this land frequently sent armies into Wales, and thereby grievously afflicted many men; but there was no success therefrom, excepting the destruction of men and the slaughter of cattle.

A.D. 1097. This year was king William at Christmas in Normandy, and against Easter [5th April] he came here to this land from thence, because he thought to hold his court at Winchester; but he was prevented by the weather until Easter-eve [4th April], when he first landed at Arundel, and therefore he held his court at Windsor. And after this he went with a great army into Wales; and speedily he went through the land with his army by means of some of the Welshmen who had come to him and were his guides; and therein he remained from Midsummer [24th June], nearly until August; and he suffered much loss of men and horses, and also of many other things. The Welshmen, after they had revolted from the king, chose many rulers from among themselves: one of these was named Caduugaun, who was the worthiest of them; he was the brother's son of king Griffin. And when the king saw that he could make no progress according to his own inclination, he returned again into this land; and speedily after that he caused castles to be built along the marches. Then during [the festival of] Michaelmas, upon the 4th of the nones of October [4th Oct.], there appeared a strange star shining in the evening, and soon hastening to its setting. It was seen in the south-west, and the light which proceeded from it appeared very long, shining southeast; and it appeared on this wise nearly all the week. Many men considered that it was a comet. Soon after this the archbishop Anselm took leave of the king (though it was against the king's will, as was generally thought,) and crossed the sea, because it appeared to him that in this country little was done according to justice and after his teaching. And after this the king, upon St. Martin's mass [11th Nov.], went over the sea into Normandy; and while he was waiting for [fair] weather, his court did, within the shire where they lay, the greatest harm that ever either court or army did, or could do, within a land which was at peace with them. This was in all things a very heavy-timed year, and excessively oppressive in consequence of the badness of the weather, both when people wished to till the land or to gather in the tilth; and they never ceased from unlawful taxes. Many districts also, of which the labour was due to London, were excessively oppressed by reason of the wall which they built about the Tower, and of the bridge which had nearly all been carried away by the river, and of the working of the king's hall at Westminster; and many men perished by reason of these.

Also in this same year, soon after Michaelmas [29th Sept.], Edgar etheling went with an army into Scotland, by the king's assistance, and won that land after a severe struggle, and drove out the king Dufenal; and his kinsman Edgar (who was the son of king Malcolm and of queen Margaret) he there set up as king in subjection to king William, and after that he returned into England.

A.D. 1098. This year, at Christmas, was king William in Normandy; and Walkelin, bishop of Winchester, and Baldwin, abbat of St. Edmund's, both departed within this period. And in this year also, Turold, abbat of Peterborough, departed. In this year also, during the summer, in Berkshire, at Finchamstead, a pond flowed with blood, as many true men said who had seen it. And earl Hugh was slain in Anglesey by foreign pirates, and his brother Robert was his heir, as he obtained it from the king. Before the mass of St. Michael [29th Sept.], the heaven appeared as if it were burning all the night through. This was a very oppressive year through manifold unlawful payments, and in consequence of the great rains, which all the year through ceased not, almost all cultivation in the marsh lands was destroyed.

A.D. 1099. This year was the king William, at Midwinter [25th Dec.], in Normandy, and at Easter [10th April] he came hither to this land, and at Whitsuntide [29th May] for the first time he held his court within his new building at Westminster; and there he gave to Ranulf, his chaplain, the bishopric of Durham, who had hitherto guided and guarded all his counsel over all England. Soor after this he went over the sea, and drove the earl Elias out of the [province of] Maine, and afterwards brought it under his power; and so he returned hither to this land at Michaelmas [29th Sept.]. This year also, on the mass day of St. Martin [11th Nov.], the flood of the sea advanced so high and did so much harm, as no man could remember that it ever had done before; and the new moon was on this same day. And Osmond, bishop of Salisbury, departed in Advent.

A.D. 1100. In this year the king William held his court on Christmas at Gloucester, and on Easter [1st April] at Winchester, and on Whitsunday [22d May] at Westminster. And at Whitsunday [22d May] there was seen in Berkshire, at a certain town, blood welling from the earth, as many said who had seen it. And after this, on the morning after Lammas-day [1st Aug.] king William was shot, when hunting, by one of his own men with an arrow, and afterwards brought to Winchester, and there buried in the cathedral: this was in the thirteenth year after he had taken the sovereignty. He was very hard and harsh over his land and his men, and with all his neighbours, and much to be dreaded; and by reason of the counsels of evil men (which were ever pleasing to him), and through his own covetousness, he was constantly irritating the people with his army and with exactions. Therefore, during his days, all right sank, and every unright, both in respect to God and to the world, was elevated. God's churches he humbled, and the bishoprics and abbacies, whose rulers died in his

days, all these he either sold for money, or held in his own hand, and let them out at a rent; because he desired to be the heir of every man, both the clergy and the laity. Thus in the day on which he fell, he had in his own hand the archbishopric of Canterbury, and the bishopric of Winchester, and that of Salisbury, and eleven abbacies, all of which were let out to farm. And (though I may be long in my narrative) all this was hateful to God and to righteous men, and yet all this was common in this land during his time; and in consequence of this he was hateful to nearly all his people and an adversary to God, as his end shows, for he departed in the midst of his unrighteousness, without repentance and satisfaction of any kind. He was slain on the Thursday, and on the morning afterwards he was buried. And after he was buried, the council and they who were nigh at hand, chose his brother Henry as king. And there forthwith he gave the bishopric of Winchester to William Gifford, and after that he went to London; and on the Sunday thereafter he promised to God and all the people, before the altar at Westminster, that he would put down all the things contrary to right which had prevailed in his brother's time, and that he would hold the best laws which had prevailed in any king's days before his time. And immediately after this Maurice, the bishop of London, hallowed him as king, and all in this land submitted to him, and swore oaths to him, and became his vassals. And soon after this, by the advice of the men who were about him, the king caused Ranulph, bishop of Durham, to be taken, and to be brought into the Tower of London, and there kept in ward. Then before Michaelmas [29th Sept.] came Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury, here to this land, as king Henry, by the advice of his council, had sent after him, because he had gone out of this land in consequence of the great wrongs which king William had done unto him. And soon hereafter the king took Mahald to wife, the daughter of Malcolm, king of Scotland, and of Margaret the good queen, the kinswoman of king Edward, and of the true royal race of England. And on the massday of St. Martin [11th Nov.] she was given to him with great honour at Westminster, and archbishop Anselm wedded her to him, and after that consecrated her as queen. And the archbishop Thomas, of York, died soon after this. Also in this same year, during autumn, came the earl Robert home into Normandy, and the earl Robert of Flanders, and Eustace, earl of Boulogne, from Jerusalem; and as soon as the earl Robert came into Normandy, he was blithely received by all the people, excepting the castles, which were garrisoned with the men of king Henry, against whom he had many a struggle and contest.

A.D. 1101. This year at Christmas king Henry held his court at Westminster, and on Easter [21st April] at Winchester. And soon after this, the head men here of this land entered into evil counsel against the king, as well for their own great untruthfulness as also through Robert, earl of Normandy, who came here to this land in an hostile manner. And the king afterwards sent ships out to sea, to damage his brother and for his hindrance; but some

of these afterwards proved themselves cowards at the time of need, and turned from the king, and betook themselves to the earl Robert. Then at Midsummer [24th June], went the king out to Pevensey, with all his army, against his brother, and there waited for him: but in the midst of this the earl Robert landed at Portsmouth, twelve days before Lammas [21st July], and the king went against him. with all his army. But the head men meditated between them; and the brothers were reconciled, upon the understanding that the king should resign all that he held with strength in Normandy against the earl; and that all those who were in England should have their lands again who had formerly lost them through the earl; and that earl Eustace should also have all his hereditary land here in this country; and that the earl Robert every year should have from England three thousand marks of silver; and (mark this!) whichever of the brothers should survive the other, he should be heir of all England, and also of Normandy, unless the deceased should have an heir by lawful marriage. And the twelve men who were the highest on either side confirmed this with an oath; and the earl afterwards dwelt in this land until after Michaelmas [29th Sept.], and his men constantly did much harm wherever they went, the while that the earl continued here in this land. Also, during this year the bishop Ranulf, at Candlemas [2d Feb.], escaped by night out of the Tower of London, where he was in custody; and he went to Normandy. It was chiefly through his instrumentality and inducement, that the earl Robert had this year sought this land in enmity.

A.D. 1102. This year, at the Nativity [25th Dec.], was the king Henry at Westminster, and at Easter [6th April] at Winchester. And soon thereafter there was a disagreement between the king and the earl Robert of Belesme, who held the earldom of Shrewsbury here in this land, which his father, Roger the earl, formerly possessed, and a great dominion in addition, both on this side of the sea and beyond it. And the king went and besieged the castle at Arundel; but when he could not win it so speedily, he caused castles to be made before it, and furnished them with his men ; and afterwards with all his army he went to Bridgenorth, and there resided until he had the castle; and he stripped the earl Robert of his land, and deprived him of all that he had in England: and thus the earl departed over the sea, and the army afterwards turned homewards. Then after this was the king at Westminster, on Michaelmas [29th Sept.], and all the chief men of this land, clergy and laity. And the archbishop Anselm held a synod of clergy; and there they fixed many rules which have reference to the Christian faith; and many, both French and English, there lost their [pastoral] staves and jurisdictions which they had obtained with unright, or on which they were living with wrong. And on this same year, on the mass-week of Whitsunday [25th June-2d July], there came thieves, some from Auvergne, some from France, and some from Flanders, and broke into the minster of Peterborough, and therein took much property in gold and in silver, namely, roods, and chalices, and candlesticks.

A.D. 1103. In this year, at Midwinter [25th Dec.], was king Henry at Westminster; and thereafter soon departed bishop William Giffard out of this land, because he would not, against right, accept his ordination from the archbishop Gerard of York. And then at Easter [29th March], the king held his court at Winchester; and after this Anselm, the archbishop of Canterbury, went to Rome, as had been [agreed between] him and the king. In this year, also, came the earl Robert of Normandy to speak with the king here in this land; and before he departed hence, he released the three thousand marks, which king Henry was bound by agreement to pay him each year. In this year also, at Hamstead in Berkshire, blood was seen [to spring] from the earth. This was a very oppressive year in this land, through manifold taxes, and through the death of cattle, and the destruction of produce, not only in corn but also in all kind of tree-fruit. Also in the morning upon the mass-day of St. Lawrence [14th Nov.], the wind did so much harm here in this land to all fruits as that no man could remember that ever any did before. In this same year Matthias, abbat of Peterborough, died, who lived no longer than one year after he became abbat. After Michaelmas, on the 12th of the kalends of November [21st Oct.] he was received as abbat in procession; and on the same day of the following year he died at Gloucester, and there was buried.

A.D. 1104. In this year, at Christmas [25th Dec.], king Henry held his court at Westminster, and on Easter [17th April] at Winchester, and on Whitsuntide [5th June] again at Westminster. On this year was the first day of Whitsuntide on the nones of June [5th June]; and on the Tuesday [7th June] after this, there appeared four circles at mid-day about the sun, of a white hue, each arranged under the other, as if they had been measured. All who saw it wondered, because they never remembered any such like before. After this there was a reconciliation between the earl Robert of Normandy and Robert de Belesme, whom king Henry had formerly deprived of his land and driven from England; and through their reconciliation the king of England and the earl of Normandy became enemies. And the king of England sent his people over the sea into Normandy, and the chief men in that land received them; and in their treachery to their lord the earl, they lodged them in their castles, whence they did many injuries to the earl by their harryings and burnings. Also in this year William, earl of Moreton, went hence from this land into Normandy; but after he had gone, he wrought against the king, in consequence of which the king stripped him of all he had, and took his land from him which he had here in this country. It is not easy to describe the miseries of this land, which, at this time, it was suffering through numerous and manifold wrongs and taxes, which never ceased nor were mitigated; and wherever the king went there was full harrying by his court upon his wretched people; and in the midst of these there occurred frequently burnings and manslaughters. All this was enough to anger God, and to oppress this miserable nation.

A.D. 1105. This year, on the Nativity [25th Dec.], king Henry held his court at Windsor; and after this, during Lent, he went