put him to great shame and rebuke, causing him to be stripped naked, and whipped round about the streets of the citie of Poictiers, where he then was vpon his returne from his brother earle Richard, with whome he had beene to aid him against his enimies. King Henrie the father perceiuing R. Houed. the naughtie mind of his sonne, and that he ceassed not from his wilfull maliciousnesse, thought to dissemble all things, sith he saw no hope of amendment in him: but yet to be prouided against his wicked attempts, he furnished all his fortresses both in England & in Normandie with strong garisons of men, and all necessarie munition.
About this time, the sea rose on such a heigth, that manie men were drowned thereby. Also a great snow fell this yeare, which by reason of the hard frost that chanced therewith, continued long without wasting away, so that fishes both in the sea and fresh water died through sharpenesse and vehemencie of that frost, neither could husbandmen till the ground. A sore eclipse of the sunne chanced also the sixt ides of Januarie. The monasterie of Westwood or Lesnos was begun to be founded by Richard de Lucie Lord chéefe iustice. The same yeare also at Woodstocke the king made his sonne the lord Geffrey knight.
Rog. Houed. 1177. In the yeare 1177. king Henrie held his Christmas at Northampton, with his two sonnes Geffrey and John, his other two sonnes the yoong king Henrie, and Richard earle of Poictou, were in the parts beyond the seas, as the king in Normandie, and the earle in Gascoigne, where he besieged The citie of Aques or Aigues. the citie of Aques, which the vicount of Aques and the earle of Bigorre had fortified against him, but he wan it within ten daies after his comming thither. Within the like terme also he wan the citie of Baion, which Arnold Berthram had fortified against him, and cōming to the vttermost frontiers of that countrie adioining to Spaine, he tooke a castell called saint Piero which he destroied, and constreined the Basques and Nauarrois to receiue an oth, that from thencefoorth they should suffer passengers quietlie to come and go through their countrie, and that they should liue in quiet and keepe peace one with an other, and so he reformed the state of that countrie, and caused them to renounce manie euill customes which they before that time had vnlawfullie vsed.
An. Reg. 23. Polydor. Geoffrey the kings base sonne made bishop of Lincolne. Moreouer, king Henrie, to auoid further slander, placed for bishop in the see of Lincolne a bastard son which he had named Geffrey, after he had kept that bishoprike in his hands so long till he had almost cleerelie destroied it. And his sonne that was now made bishop to helpe the matter for his part, made hauocke in wasting and spending in riotous manner the goods of that church, and in the end forsooke his miter, and left the sée againe in the kings hands to make his best of it.
Furthermore, the king in times past made a vow to build a new monasterie in satisfaction of his offenses committed against Thomas the archbishop of Canturburie: wherefore he required of the bishops and other spirituall fathers, to haue some place by them assigned, where he might begin that foundation. But whilest they should haue taken aduise herein, he secretlie practised with the cardinals, and with diuerse other bishops, that he might remoue the secular canons out of the colledge at Waltham, and place therein regular canons, so to saue monie in his cofers, planting in another mans vineyard. Howbeit, bicause it should not be thought he did this of such a couetous meaning, he promised to giue great possessions to that house, which he after but slenderlie performed, though vpon licence obteined at the bishops hands, he Préests displaced, & canons regular put in their roomes. displaced the preests, and brought their roomes the canons as it were by waie of exchange.
R. Houed. Nunnes of Amesburie. The same yeare also he thrust the nunnes of Amesburie out of their house, bicause of their incontinent liuing, in abusing their bodies greatlie to their reproch, and bestowed them in other monasteries to be kept in more streightlie. And their house was committed vnto the abbesse and couent of Founteuered, who sent ouer certeine of their number to furnish the house of Amesburie, wherein they were placed by the archbishop of Canturburie, in the presence of the king and a great number of others.
Philip earle of Flanders. Philip earle of Flanders by sending ouer ambassadours to king Henrie, promised that he would not bestow his two néeces, daughters to his brother Matthew earle of Bullongne, without consent of the same king: but shortlie after he forgot his promise, & married the elder of them to the duke of Zaringes, & the yoonger to Henrie duke of Louaine.
John de Curcie.
The citie of Dun taken.
Roderike K. of Ulnestre vanquished. John de Curcie lord cheefe iustice of Ireland discomfiting a power of Irishmen, wan the citie of Dun in Ulnestre, where the bodies of S. Patrike and S. Colme confessors, and S. Brigit the virgin are buried, for the taking of which citie, Roderike king of Ulnestre being sore offended, raised a mightie host, and comming into the field, fought with the lord cheefe iustice, and in the end receiued & tooke the ouerthrow at his hands, although the lord cheefe iustice at that encounter lost no small number of his men. Amongst prisoners that were taken, the bishop of Dun was one, whom yet the lord chéefe Justice released and set at libertie, in respect of a request and suit made to him by a cardinall the popes legat that was there in Ireland at that time.
Viuiano a cardinall. This cardinals name was Viuiano, intituled the cardinall of S. Stephan in Mount Celio; he was sent from the pope the yeare before, and comming into England, though without licence, was pardoned vpon knowledging his fault for his entring without the kings leaue first obteined, and so permitted to go into Scotland, whither (as also into other the northwest regions) he was sent as legat, authorised from the pope. Now when he had ended his businesse in Scotland, he passed ouer into Man, and there held his Christmasse with Euthred king of Man, and after the feast of the Epiphanie, sailed from thence into Ireland, and chanced (the same time Wil. Paruus. that the Englishmen inuaded that countrie) to be in the citie of Dun, where he was receiued of the king & bishops of that land with great reuerence.
The inuasion then of the Englishmen being signified to them of the countrie aforehand they asked counsell of the legat what he thought best to be doone in that matter; who streightwaies told them, that they ought to fight in defense of their countrie, and at their setting forward, he gaue them his benediction in waie of their good speed. But they comming (as ye haue heard) to encounter with the Englishmen, were put to flight, and beaten backe into the citie, which was herewith also woone by the Englishmen, so that the Romane legat was glad to get him into the church for his more safegard, and like a wise fellow had prouided afore hand for such haps if they chanced, hauing there with him the king of Englands letters directed to the capteins in Ireland in the legats fauour, so that by the assistance and authoritie of the same, he went to The legat holdeth a councell at Dublin. Dublin, and there (in the name of the pope and the king of England) held a councell.