garrison. Thus reduced to an extremity, they besought the duke of Normandy either to send them succour, or consent to the surrender of the castle to the king'.

After a long contest, a truce was this year (1153) concluded between king Lewis and Henry, but which the former seemed disposed to violate. Nevertheless, early in January, Henry sailed with thirty-six ships and an army, consisting of a hundred and forty horse and three thousand foot, to England. Shortly after his arrival, his army being greatly increased, he laid siege to and captured the town of Malmesbury (Jan. 13th), with the exception of one tower, which could only be reduced by famine. The defence of this tower had been intrusted by the king to one Jordan, who hastened to him and announced the state of things. Stephen hereupon marched to attack the duke, and the armies met near Malmesbury, where the unfavourable position of the royal troops, who had the snow, rain, and wind storming in their faces, while those of the duke were naturally free from those annoyances, decided the fate of the day in favour of Henry2. Depressed in spirit Stephen hurried back to London, and many of the English nobility began to declare for Henry. Gundred countess of Warwick expelled the garrison placed by the king in her castle, which she delivered to the duke3. Robert earl of Leicester supplied him with everything he needed, and, by his representations, induced nearly thirty holders of castles to join him*. tower of Malmesbury having surrendered, Henry hastened to the relief of Wallingford, but which he only partially effected. To prevent the garrison at Crowmarsh from acting on the offensive, Henry caused a deep trench to be dug round the fort, whereby those in Wallingford were enabled to open their gates. On hearing what was taking place, Stephen marched to the relief of his fort, and both armies again stood in front of each other; but many of the most distinguished men,

2 H. Hunt. a. 1153.

The

1 H. Hunt. a, 1152. Gervas. h. a. 3 Rob. de Monte, h. a. R. Wendov. ii. p. 254. 4 Gervasius, h. a.

either from the conviction how great and general was the desire of peace, or, as some supposed, fearing lest Stephen should be the victor, caused negotiations to be set on foot'. The leaders themselves held a verbal communication on the opposite banks of the Thames, standing far distant from their attendants. Although nothing was on this occasion finally settled, Eustace, bitterly incensed, left his father's court and mercilessly ravaged the neighbourhood of Cambridge and the monastery of St. Edmund there, when death, the consequence of violent excitement, suddenly arrested his course (Aug.10th)2. About this time also died, in a somewhat similar manner, Simon of Senlis, the young earl of Northampton. Ranulf earl of Chester, likewise died suddenly, as it was said, by poison administered to him by William Peverel3. Ranulf had obtained from Henry a grant of Peverel's possessions, according to a deed issued at Devizes, by which may be seen what a high price the prince was willing to pay for the sake of attaching that faithless earl to his interests. By this document Henry confirms to the earl all his possessions in Normandy, and adds many others; from a viscount he raises him to be count of Avranches; gives him the entire inheritance of Roger count of Poitiers; in England, bestows on him Ely,

1 The prominent part which Lyttelton makes the earl of Arundel act on this occasion is void of historic foundation. [Gervase (col. 1373) gives a short speech made by the earl, in favour of peace, which has been amplified by Lyttelton.-T.]

2 What is here related of Eustace tallies well with the character given of him in the Saxon Chronicle. (See p. 402, note). Henry of Huntingdon says of him: "Sepultus est filius regis in abbatia, quam mater ejus fundaverat, apud Feveresham, militia quidem probatus, sed in ea quæ Dei sunt obstinatus, rectoribus ecclesiarum durissimus, persequentibus eam [sic] devotissimus." Faversham abbey was the joint foundation of Stephen and Matilda. Gerv. col. 1372.-T.

3 H. Hunt. Gervasius, h. a. Joh. Sarisb. Polycrat. lib. v. c. 18., viii. 21. 4 The deed in Rymer is erroneously dated 1152, instead of 1153, and Adrinchin is there written for Abrincensi. For another document of the duke, of this time, which is interesting on account of the witnesses, in favour of the abbey of Trouarn, See Monast. Angl. vi. p. 1105.

the county and town of Stafford, the castle of Nottingham, and the possessions of certain distinguished knights, whose names are recited in the document. Besides all this, he engages to each of six of his vassal barons, to be nominated by Ranulf himself, a considerable portion of land', from the lands to be taken from the enemy, to be holden immediately of him as king. A vassal like this was hardly less powerful than his sovereign, and more dangerous than a neighbouring prince, and his death must, without doubt, have been regarded as a lucky event for the country.

At the head of a well-appointed army the duke now laid siege to Stamford, of which he speedily gained possession, and on hearing that the king was besieging the castle of Ipswich, the possessor of which, Hugh Bigot, had declared himself in his favour, he hastened to its relief; but learning that it had already surrendered, he directed his march to Nottingham, which he captured and stripped of its wealth, but declined to waste time in attempting to take its naturally impregnable castle. The town itself was set on fire by the garrison of the castle. Hence those to whom the highest concerns of the country were an object of interest had no lack of an incentive to an attempt at effecting a peace between the rival princes, and thereby basing the tranquillity of the nation on the unity and stability of the supreme authority, a task rendered comparatively easy by the early death of Eustace. These mediators were Theobald archbishop of Canterbury, and Henry bishop of Winchester. On the 7th November they had the satisfaction of concluding at Winchester a treaty of pacification, the chief conditions of which were the following:

That Stephen, during his life, should be acknowledged as king of England by Henry and his barons; while Henry should be received as his son and heir by Stephen and his

subjects. That Stephen's son William should perform homage to the duke, and retain all possessions in England, Normandy, and elsewhere which Stephen had held before his occupation of the throne; also all that he had acquired by his marriage with the heiress of the earl of Warenne, together with the earldom of Norwich, conferred on him by his father, and the castles, towns, and landed possessions of Pevensey, with the feudal superiority over Faramus of Boulogne', Dover, etc., which had been given him by Henry. Reciprocal oaths were sworn by the barons and burghers of both parties to the two princes. With respect to the numerous castles several provisions were agreed to, having for object the securing of them to Henry after the death of Stephen. The still unsubdued garrison of Wallingford had to swear fealty to the king.—The tower of London and the castle (mota) of Windsor were committed to Richard of Lucy, that of Oxford to Roger of Lucy, and the fastness (firmitas) of Lincoln to Jordan of Bussy. All these must swear to the duke or the archbishop, and give hostages to the latter for the contingent delivery of the fortresses to Henry. The bishop of Winchester also gave a contingent assurance to archbishop Theobald.-The archbishop, bishops, and abbots of England, by command of the king, swore fealty to the duke. If either of the contracting princes should violate the compact, the archbishops and bishops were by both empowered to bind him to its observance by ecclesiastical penalties. The mother, wife, and other relations of the duke guaranteed the observance of the compact.-Stephen further engaged, in all affairs of state, to act in concert with the duke's council, saving his royal rights in all parts of England.

Besides these provisions of the compact, which we know only from a proclamation of Stephen, there were others, it is said, which he either did not or could not carry into effect.

1 Rymer i. p. 18. "villam Pevenselli et servitium Faramosi." See p. 369. The date of the instrument appears from Rob. de Monte. Bromton, col.

Of such were his engagement, that the several castles, which, since the days of his predecessor, had fallen into illegal hands, should be restored to their rightful owners; and that all castles which had been erected since his accession (the number of which is by some estimated at three hundred and seventy-five, by others at eleven hundred and fifteen) should be demolished'.

At the end of November was the solemn day, on which the king with the duke met together in Winchester, to celebrate their pacification, when the former adopted the latter, and declared him heir to the throne, before all the assembled nobles and people. From Winchester both princes proceeded together to London, where, amid new festivities, a solemn confirmation of their reconciliation took place. Shortly after the beginning of the following year (1154, Jan. 13th), a numerous assemblage from all parts of the kingdom was convoked at Oxford, where the usual oath of fealty was taken and homage performed to the duke, by the chief persons of the realm. At a subsequent meeting of the two princes at Dunstable, some misunderstanding arose between them, on account of the delay in demolishing the castles, according to the compact; for although many had been destroyed, many, through the king's easy nature or policy, were suffered to remain. But the duke, when made sensible of the difficulty attending the execution of a work to which so much powerful opposition was raised, at length acquiesced in the delay. The consolidation of his power in Normandy, where many ducal possessions had been lost to the crown, and were now to be recovered, summoned him at Easter back to that duchy, whence he was shortly after called to suppress a rebellion in Guienne. Count William of Boulogne, Stephen's son, had resolved on accompanying him, but having been thrown from his horse and severely hurt, was brought to Canterbury and placed under surgical

care 2.

1 Rob. de Monte. Radulf. de Diceto, col. 528.

2 H. Hunt. Bromton, Chron. col. 1040.