A truce.
Lewes hauing furnished this castell with a sufficient garrison, returned backe towards London, and comming to S. Albons, constreined the abbat to giue vnto him foure score marks of siluer, for a fine, in recognisance of dooing his homage till the feast of the purification of our ladie next insuing. Which poore abbat was made to beléeue, that he ought to take this dealing to be an act of great courtesie, the earle of Winchester being an earnest meane for him that he might so easilie escape. About the same time was a generall truce taken betwixt the king and Lewes, and all their partakers, till the 20 day after Christmasse, for the obteining of which truce (as some write) the castell of Berkehamstéed was surrendered vnto the same Lewes, as before ye haue heard.
1218.
Polydor.
After Christmasse, and whilest the truce yet dured, Lewes and the barons assembled at the councell which they held at Cambridge, & the lords that tooke part with the king met likewise at Oxford, and much talke there was, and great trauell imploied to haue concluded some agréement by composition betwixt the parties, but it would not be, nor yet anie longer truce (which was also sought for) could be granted: wherevpon Lewes besieged the castell of Hidingham, the which togither with the castels of Norwich, Colchester, and Oxford, were surrendered vnto him, to haue a truce granted vntill a moneth after Easter next insuing. And so by this meanes all the east part of the realme came vnto the possession of Lewes. For the Ile of Elie was woon by his people a litle before the last truce, whilest he himselfe lay in siege at Berkehamstéed, except one fortresse belonging to the same Ile, into the which the souldiers that serued there vnder the king were withdrawen. But yet although Lewes might séeme thus partlie to preuaile, in hauing these castels deliuered into his hands, yet being aduertised that dailie there reuolted diuerse of the barons of England vnto king Henrie, which before had taken part with him: he stood in great doubt and feare of the rest, and therefore furnished all those castels which he had woone with conuenient garrisons, and namelie the castell of Hertford, and after went to London, there to vnderstand what further trust he might put in the rest of the English lords and barons: for as diuerse had alreadie forsaken him, as it is said, so the residue were doubtfull what they were best to doo.
The perplexitie in which the barons stood.
For first they considered, that the renouncing of their promised faith vnto Lewes, whome they had sworne to mainteine as king of England, should be a great reproch vnto them: and againe they well saw that to continue in their obedience towards him, should bring the realme in great danger, sith it would be hard for any louing agréement to continue betwéene the French & Englishmen, their natures being so contrarie. Thirdlie, they stood somewhat in feare of the popes cursse, pronounced by his legat, both against Lewes and all his partakers. Albeit on the other side, to reuolt vnto king Henrie, though the loue which they did beare to their countrie, and the great towardnesse which they saw in him greatlie mooued them; yet sith by reason of his yoong yeares, he was not able either to follow the wars himselfe, or to take counsell what was to be doone in publike gouernement they iudged it a verie dangerous case. For whereas in wars nothing can be more expedient than to haue one head, by whose appointment all things may be gouerned: so nothing can be more hurtfull than to haue manie rulers, by whose authoritie things shall passe and be ordered.
S. Albons destroied.
Wherefore these considerations staied and kept one part of the English lords still in obedience to Lewes, namelie, for that diuerse of the confederats thought that it stood not with their honours so to forsake him, till they might haue some more honorable colour to reuolt from their promises, or that the matter should be taken vp by some indifferent agréement to be concluded out of hand betwixt them. Hervpon they resorted in like maner vnto London, and there with Lewes tooke councell what was to be doone with their businesse touching the whole state of their cause. ¶ Here ye shall note, that before the concluding of this last truce, Fouks de Brent the capteine of the castell of Bedford gat togither a number of souldiers out of the garrisons of the castels of Oxford, Northampton, Bedford, and Windsor, and coming with them, to S. Albons the 22 of Februarie, he spoiled the towne & abbie, in like maner as he had doone all the townes and villages by the way as he passed through the countrie, from Bedford vnto S. Albons.