A. 1110. This year, at Christmas, king Henry held his court at Westminster; and at Easter he was at Marlborough; and at Pentecost he held his court for the first time in the New Windsor. This year, before Lent, the king sent his daughter with manifold treasures over sea, and gave her to the emperor. On the fifth night of the month of May the moon appeared shining brightly in the evening, and afterwards his light waned by little and little, and early in the night he was so wholly gone that neither light, nor circle, nor any thing at all of him was to be seen, and thus it continued till near day, and then he appeared shining full and bright; he was a fortnight old the same day: the sky was very clear all the night, and the stars shone very brightly all over the heavens, and the fruit trees were greatly injured by that night's frost. After this, in the month of June, there appeared a star in the north-east, and its light stood before it to the south-west, and it was seen thus for many nights, and ever as the night advanced it mounted upwards and was seen going off to the north-west. This year Philip de Brause, and William Mallet, and William Baynard, were deprived of their lands. This year also died earl Elias, who held Maine in fee-tail† of king Henry; but on his death the earl of Anjou took possession of that province, and kept it against the king's will. This was a year of much distress from the taxes which the king raised for his daughter's dowry, and from the bad weather by which the crops were greatly injured, and nearly all the fruit on the trees destroyed throughout the country.-This year men first began to work at the new monastery of Chertsey.

*

A. 1111. This year king Henry wore not his crown at Christmas, nor at Easter, nor at Pentecost. And in August he was called over sea to Normandy, by the hostility of certain of his enemies on the marches of France, and principally by that of the earl of Anjou, who held Maine against him: and after his arrival many were the intrigues and great the

*This is the term used by Miss Gurney. Dr. Ingram renders it Braiose; the Anglo-Saxon is Brause; the Latin, Braiosa. Is not the modern name Bracy derived from this root ?

That is, the territory was not a fee-simple, but subject to taillage, or taxation; and that particular species is probably here intended, which is called in old French "en queuage," an expression not very different from that in the text above.-INGRAM.

burning and plundering carried on by either party against the other. This year Robert earl of Flanders died and his son Baldwin succeeded him. The winter was very long this year, a heavy and a severe time, by which the fruits of the earth were much injured; and there was the greatest pestilence among the cattle ever remembered.

A. 1112. All this year king Henry remained in Normandy, on account of the war in which he was engaged with France, and with the earl of Anjou, who held Maine against him. And whilst he was there he deprived the earl of Evreux and William Crispin of their lands, and drove them out of Normandy and he restored to Philip de Brause the estates which had been taken from him, and he caused Robert de Belesme to be seized and put into prison. This was a very good year as to the crops, the trees and fields being very fruitful; but it was a very heavy and a sorrowful time, by reason of a dreadful pestilence among men.

A. 1113. This year king Henry was in Normandy at Christmas, at Easter, and at Pentecost. And in the summer he sent hither Robert de Belesme, to be confined in Wareham castle, and he himself came to this land soon afterwards.

A. 1114. This year, at Christmas, king Henry held his court at Windsor, and he held no court again this year. And at Midsummer he entered Wales with an army, and the Welsh came and treated with the king, and he caused castles to be built in that country. And in September he went over sea to Normandy. In the end of May, this year, a strange star with a long light was seen shining for many nights. This year also there was so great an ebb of the tide every where in one day, as no man remembered before, so that men went through the Thames both riding and walking, east of London bridge. This year there were very high winds in the month of October, and more especially on the night of the octaves of St. Martin, as was apparent in all woods and towns. This year also the king gave the archbishopric of Canterbury to Ralph bishop of Rochester; and Thomas [II.] archbishop of York died, and the king's chaplain Thurstan succeeded him. At this time the king went towards the sea, and he would have gone over but he was detained by the weather. In the meanwhile he sent his writ to Ernulf abbat of Peterborough, desiring him to come to him with speed,

for that he would speak with him on something of importance. On Ernulf's arrival, the king and the archbishops and bishops, and the English nobility who attended the king, forced him to accept the bishopric of Rochester; he withstood them long, but his resistance availed nothing. And the king commanded the archbishop to take him to Canterbury, and to consecrate him as bishop whether he would or not. This was done in the town called Burne* on the 17th before the Kalends of October. When the monks of Peterborough heard this, they were so sorry as never before, because Ernulf was a very good and a mild man, and did much good within the monastery and out of it whilst he remained there. May Almighty God be ever with him! Soon afterwards, at the request of the archbishop of Canterbury, the king gave that abbacy to a monk of Sieyes named John. And soon after this the king and the archbishop sent him to Rome for the archbishop's pall, and with him a monk named Warner, and the archdeacon John the archbishop's nephew, and they sped well on their journey. This was done on the 11th before the Kalends of October, at the town called Rugenor (Rowner, near Gosport), and the same day the king took ship at Portsmouth.

A. 1115. This year, during Christmas, king Henry was in Normandy, and whilst he was there he caused all the chief men of Normandy to do homage and swear oaths of allegiance to his son William, whom he had by his queen; and afterwards in the month of July he returned hither. This year the winter was so severe with snow and with frost, that no man then living remembered a harder: and it occasioned much disease among the cattle. This year pope Paschal sent hither a pall to archbishop Ralph, and he received it with much pomp at his see of Canterbury. Anselm an abbat of Rome, the nephew of archbishop Anselm, and John abbat of Peterborough, brought the pall from Rome.

A. 1116. This year, at Christmas, king Henry was at St. Alban's, and there he caused the monastery to be consecrated; and at Easter he was at Wudiham. This year

"East Bourne, in Sussex, where the king was waiting for a fair wind to carry him over sea."-INGRAM. Sittingburn."-MISS GURNEY. + Odiham.

also, the winter being severe and long, it was a very heavy time for the cattle and all things. And soon after Easter the king went over sea, and much treachery was practised, and there was plundering and taking of castles between France and Normandy. The chief cause of enmity was that king Henry aided his nephew earl Theobald de Blois, who was then at war with his lord Louis king of France. This was a very calamitous year, the crops being spoiled by the heavy rains, which came on just before August and lasted till Candlemas. Mast also was so scarce this year that none was to be heard of in all this land, or in Wales: moreover this land and nation were many times sorely oppressed by the taxes which the king raised both within the towns and out of them. This year also the whole of the monastery of Peterborough was burnt, with all the houses, excepting the chapter-house and the dormitory: and the greater part of the town was burnt also. All this happened on a Friday, being the 2nd day before the Nones of August.

A. 1117. All this year king Henry abode in Normandy, because of the war with the king of France and his other neighbours: then in the summer the king of France, and the earl of Flanders with him, entered Normandy with an army and remained in the country one night, and went away again in the morning without fighting. And Normandy was greatly oppressed by taxes and by the levies of troops that king Henry raised to oppose them. This nation also was sorely aggrieved in like manner, to wit, by the manifold taxes. This year also there was a violent storm of thunder and lightning, rain and hail, on the night before the Kalends of December; and on the 3rd night before the Ides of December the moon appeared for a long time as it were bloody, and then it was darkened. Also, on the night of the 17th before the Kalends of January the heaven appeared very red, as if it were burning. And on the octave of St. John the Evangelist's day there was a great earthquake in Lombardy, by which many monasteries, towers, and houses were thrown down, and the inhabitants suffered greatly. This was a very bad year for the corn, through the rains which ceased scarcely at all. And Gilbert abbat of Westminster died on the 8th before the Ides of December, and Farit* abbat of Abingdon *Faricius is the Latin name. Is he the same who wrote the life of

died on the 7th before the Kalends of March. And in the same year..

....

A. 1118. 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 year, one evening in Epiphany week, there was dreadful lightning which caused many deaths. And queen Matilda died at Westminster on the Kalends of May, and was buried there. And Robert earl of Mellent died also this year. This year also, on St. Thomas's day, there was so exceedingly high a wind that none who then lived remembered a greater, and this might be seen everywhere from the state of the houses and of the trees. Pope Paschal also died this year, and John of Gaëta, whose other name was Gelasius, succeeded to the popedom.

A. 1119. All this year king Henry remained in Normandy, and was greatly perplexed by the war with the king of France, and by the treachery of his own men, who were continually revolting from him, till at length the two kings with their forces met in Normandy. The king of France was there put to flight and all his best men taken, and many of king Henry's vassals who with the garrisons of their castles had been against him, now submitted, and were reconciled to him, and some of the castles he took by force. This year, William the son of king Henry and of queen Matilda went to Normandy to his father, and the daughter of the earl of Anjou was there given and wedded to him. On Michaelmas eve there was a great earthquake in some parts of this land; and it was felt most in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. The same year pope Gelasius died on this side of the mountains, and he was buried at Cluny; and the archbishop of Vienne was chosen pope, his name was Calixtus. He

bishop Aldhelm, published in the end of my edition of Aldhelm's works? [Aldhelmi Opera, Oxon. Lond. et Cant. 1845.]