ensued that riuers were passable with loaden carts The yeere next ensuing was exceeding remarkeable both for the number and fashion of gliding Starres which seemed to dash together in maner of a conflict About this time Pope Vrbane assembled a Councell at Cleremont in Auergne wherein hee exhorted Christian Princes to ioyne in action for recouery of Palestine commonly called The Holy Land out of the seruile possession of the Saracenes This motion was first set on foote and afterwards pursued by Peter the Heremite of Amiens which falling in an age both actiue and Religious was so generally embraced as it drew 300000. men to assemble together from diuers Countreys and that with such sober and harmlesse behauiour that they seemed rather Pilgrimes then Souldiers Among others Robert Duke of Normandie addressed himselfe to this Voyage and to furnish his expenses therein he layed his Duchie of Normandie to gage to his brother of England for 6666. li. or as other Authors report for 13600. pounds of Siluer This money was taken vp part by imposition and part by loane of the most wealthy inhabitants within the Realme But especially the charge was layd vpon religious persons for that it was to furnish a religious warre When many Bishops and Abbots complained that they were not able to satisfie such summes of money as the King demanded of them vnles they should sel the Chalices siluer vessels which pertained to their Churches Nay answered the King you may better make meanes with the siluer and gold which vainely you haue wrapped about dead mens bones meaning thereby their rich Relickes and Shrines The yeare following a blasing starre appeared for the space of fifteene dayes together the greatest bush whereof pointed towards the East and the lesser towards the West Gliding starres were often seene which seemed to dart one against another The people began as to mindes fearefull all fancies seeme both weightie and true to make hard constructions of these vnusuall sights supposing that the heauens did threaten them not accustomed to shew it selfe so disposed but towards some variation In the 13. yeere of his reigne the Sea surmounted his vsuall bounds in diuers parts of England and Scotland whereby not only fields but many villages castles and townes were ouerflowen and some ouerturned and some ouerwhelmed with sand much people and almost innumerable cattel was destroyed At the same time certaine lands in Kent which did once belong to Godwine Earle of Kent were ouerflowed and couered with sand which to this day do beare the name of Godwins sands Thunders were more frequent terrible then had been vsuall through violence whereof diuers persons were slaine Many feareful formes and apparitions are reported to haue bin seene whether errours or inuentions or truethes I will not aduow The heauens often seemed to flame with fire At Finchamsted in Barkeshire neere vnto Abington a spring cast vp a liquor for the space of fifteene dayes in substance and colour like vnto blood which did taint and infect the next water brooke whereinto it did runne The King was often terrified in his sleepe with vncouth ougly vnquiet dreames and many fearefull visions of others were oftentimes reported vnto him At the same time hee held in his handes three Bishoprickes Canterburie Winchester and Salisburie and twelue Abbeys The same yeere vpon the second of August a little before the falling of the Sunne as the King was hunting within the newe forrest at a place called Choringham where since a Chappell hath beene erected hee strooke a Deere lightly with an arrow The Deere ranne away and the King stayed his horse to looke after it holding his hand ouer his eyes because the beames of the Sunne which then drew somewhat lowe much dazeled his sight Herewith another Deere crossed the way whereat a certaine Knight named Sir Walter Tirrell aimed with an arrow and loosing his bowe either too carelesly at the Deere or too steadily at the King strooke him therewith full vpon the brest The King hauing so receiued the wound gaue foorth a heauie groane and presently fell downe dead neither by speach nor motion expressing any token of life Onely so much of the arrowe as was without his bodie was found broken whether with his hand or by his fall it is not certainely knowen The men that were neere vnto him especially Sir Walter Tirrell galloped away some for astonishment others for feare But a fewe collecting themselues returned againe and layd his bodie vpon a Colliers Cart which by aduenture passed that way wherin it was drawen by one leane euill-fauoured base beast to the Citie of Winchester bleeding abundantly all the way by reason of the rude iogging of the Carte The day following hee was buried without any funerall pompe with no more then ordinarie solemnities in the Cathedrall Church or Monasterie of Saint Swithen vnder a plaine flat marble stone before the Lectorne in the Quire But afterwards his bones were translated and layd by King Canutus bones Most writers doe interprete this extraordinarie accident to bee a iudgement of God for the extraordinarie loose behauiour of the King But it may rather seeme a iudgement of God that King William the first who threw downe Churches and dispeopled Villages and Townes who banished both the seruice of God and societie of men to make a vaste habitation for sauage beasts had two sonnes slaine vpon that place It may also seeme a iudgement of God that King William the second who so greatly fauoured beastes of game that he ordeined the same penaltie for killing of a deere as for killing of a man should as a beast and for a beast and among beasts be slaine And thus God doth often punish vs by our greatest pleasures if they be either vnlawfull or immoderately affected whereby good things become vnlawfull Hee died in the principall strength both of his age and of his distastfull actions wherein hee had bene much carried by the hoate humour of his courage and youth his iudgement not then raised to that stayednesse and strength whereto yeeres and experience in short time would haue brought it Hee reigned in great varietie of opinion with his Subiects some applauding his vertues others aggrauating his vices twelue yeeres eleuen moneths wanting eight dayes and was at his death fourtie and three yeeres old At this time he presumed most highly and promised greatest matters to himselfe hee proiected also many difficult aduentures if his life had continued the naturall course wherein his hopes were nothing inferiour to his desires Hee gaue to the Monckes of Charitie in Southwarke his Mannour of Bermondsey and built for them the great new Church of Saint Sauiour Also of an old Monasterie in the Citie of Yorke he founded an Hospitall for the sustentation of poore persons and dedicated it to S. Peter This Hospitall was afterward augmented by King Stephen and by him dedicated to S. Leonard KING HENRY THE FIRST Sirnamed BEAVCLERKE ROBERT Duke of Normandie the eldest brother to
his fat belly did beare so hard vpon the pommell of his saddle that hee tooke a rupture in his inner parts And so ouercharged with sickenesse and paine and disquietnesse of minde hee returned to Roan where his sickenesse increased by such dangerous degrees that in short time it led him to the period of his dayes During the time of his sickenesse hee was much molested in conscience for the blood which hee had spilt and for the seueritie which he had vsed against the English holding himselfe for that cause more guilty before God then glorious among men Hee spent many good speeches in reconciling himselfe to God and the world in exhorting others to vertue and Religion He gaue great summes of money to the Clergie of Meux and of some other places in France to repaire the Churches which a little before he had defaced To some Monasteries he gaue tenne markes of gold and to others sixe To euery Parish Church hee gaue fiue shillings and to euery Borough Towne a hundred pounds for reliefe of the poore Hee gaue his Crowne with all the ornaments therto belonging to the Church of Saint Stephen in Caen which hee had founded for redeeming whereof King Henry the first did afterwards giue to the same Church the Mannour of Brideton in Dorcetshire Hee reteined perfect memorie and speach so long as he reteined any breath Hee ended his life vpon the ninth day of September full both of honour and of age when hee had reigned twenty yeeres eight moneths and sixteene dayes in the threescore and fourth yeere of his age So soone as he was dead the chiefe men that were about him went to horse and departed forthwith to their owne dwellings to prouide for the safety of themselues and of their families and estates For all men were possessed with a marueilous feare that some dangerous aduentures would ensue The seruants and inferiour Officers also fled away and to double the basenesse of their disposition tooke with them whatsoeuer was portable about the king his Armour plate apparell household-stuffe all things were held as lawfull bootie Thus the dead body was not onely abandoned but left almost naked vpon the ground where it remained from prime vntil three of the clocke neither guarded nor regarded by any man In the meane time the Religious persons went in procession to the Church of S. Geruase there commended his soule to God Then William Archb. of Roan commaunded that his body should be caried to Caen to be there buried in the Church of S. Stephen But hee was so forsaken of all his followers that there was not any found who would vndertake either the care or the charge At the last Herlwine a countrey Knight vpon his owne cost caused the body to be embalmed and adorned for funerall pompe then conueyed it by coach to the mouth of the Riuer Some and so partly by land and partly by sea brought it to Caen. Here the Abbot with the Couent of Monks came foorth with all accustomed ceremonies to meet the corps to whom the whole multitude of the Clergie and Lay-people did adioyne But when they were in the middest of their sad solemnities a fire brake out of a certaine house and suddenly embraced a great part of the towne Hereupon the Kings body was once againe abandoned all the people running from it in a headlong haste some to saue their goods others to represse the rage of the flame others as the latest nouelty to stand and looke on In the end a few Moncks returned and accompanied the Hearse to the Abbey Church Afterward all the Bishops and Abbots of Normandy assembled to solemnize the funerall And when the diuine Office was ended and the coffin of stone set into the earth in the presbytorie betweene the Quire and the Altar but the body remained vpon the Herse Guislebert bishop of Eureux made a long Sermon wherein hee bestowed much breath in extolling the honourable actions of the King In the end he concluded That forsomuch as it was impossible for a man to liue much lesse to gouerne without offence First by reason of the multitude of a Princes affaires Secondly for that he must commit the managing of many things to the conscience and courtesie of others Lastly for that personall grieuances are many times beneficiall to the maine body of State in which case particular either losses or harmes are more then manifoldly recompenced by the preseruation or quiet of the whole If therefore any that were present did suppose they had receiued iniurie from the King he desired that they would in charitie forgiue him When the Bishop had finished his speach one Anselme Fitz-Arthur stood vp amongst the multitude and with a high voice said This ground whereupon wee stand was sometimes the floore of my fathers house which that man of whom you haue spoken when he was Duke of Normandie tooke violently from my father and afterward founded thereon this Religious building This iniustice hee did not by ignorance or ouersight not vpon any necessitie of State but to content his owne couetous desire Now therefore I doe challenge this ground as my right and doe here charge you as you will answere it before the fearefull face of Almightie God that the body of the spoiler be not couered with the earth of mine inheritance When the Bishops and Noble men that were present heard this and vnderstood by the testimony of many that it was true they agreed to giue him three pounds presently for the ground that was broken for the place of burial and for the residue which he claimed they vndertooke he should be fully satisfied This promise was performed in short time after by Henrie the Kings sonne who onely was present at the Funerall at whose appointment Fitz-Arthur receiued for the price of the same ground one hundred pounds Now when the body was to be put into the earth the sepulchre of stone which stood within the graue was hewen somewhat too strait for his fat belly whereupon they were constrained to presse it downe with much strength By this violence whether his bowels burst or whether some excrements were forced out at their natural passage such an intolerable stinck proceeded from him as neither the perfumes that smoaked in great abundance nor any other meanes were able to qualifie Wherefore the Priests hasted to finish their office and the people departed in a sad silence discoursing diuersly afterward of all these extraordinarie accidents A man would thinke that a sepulchre thus hardly attained should not easily againe bee lost But it happened otherwise to this vnquiet King not destined to rest either in his life or after his death For in the yeere 1562. when Castilion tooke the Citie of Caen with those broken troupes that escaped at the battaile of Dreux certaine sauage Souldiers of diuers nations led by foure dissolute Captaines beate downe the Monument which King William his sonne had built ouer him and both curiously and richly adorned
yeere the Citie of London was very much defaced with fire The yeere next following many prodigies happened which seemed to portend the death of the King or rather the troublesome times which did thereupon ensue In the moneth of August the Sunne was so deepely eclipsed that by reason of the darkenesse of the ayre many starres did plainely appeare The second day after this defect of light the earth trembled with so great violence that many buildings were shaken downe Malmesb. sayth that the house wherein he sate was lift vp with a double remooue and at the third time setled againe in the proper place The earth in diuers places yeelded foorth a hideous noyse It cast foorth flames at certaine rifts diuers dayes together which neither by water nor by any other meanes could be suppressed During the time of the eclipse mentioned before the King was trauersing the sea into Normandie whither hee vsually went sometimes euery yeere but euery third yeere at the furthest Here he spent the whole yeere following in ordering affaires of State and in visiting euery corner of the Countrey He neuer gaue greater contentment to the people as well by his gifts as by his gentle and courteous behauiour he neuer receiued greater contentment from them by the liuely expressing of their loue But nothing did so much affect him with ioy as that his daughter Matild had brought foorth other two sonnes Geoffrey and William whereby hee conceiued that the succession of his issue to the Crowne of England was so well backed that he needed not to trouble his thoughts with any feare that his heires would faile At the last he began to languish a little and droupe in health and neither feeling nor fearing any great cause hee rode on hunting to passe it ouer with exercise and delight Herewith being somewhat cheered hee returned home and eate of a Lamprey albeit against his Physicians aduise which meate he alwayes loued but was neuer able well to digest After this and happely vpon this vicious feeding he fell into a feuer which increased in him by such dangerous degrees that within seuen dayes it led him to the period of his life Hee died vpon the first of December in the 67. yere of his age when hee had reigned 35. yeeres and foure moneths wanting one day His bowels and eyes were buried at Roan The rest of his bodie was stuffed with salt wrapped vp in Oxe hides and brought ouer into England and with honourable exequies buried in the Monastery of Reading which hee had founded His Physician who tooke out his braines by reason of the intolerable stinch which breathed from them in short time after ended his life So of all that King Henrie slue this Physician was the last He had by his first wife a sonne named William who perished by shipwracke and Matild a daughter who was espoused to the Emperour Henrie the 5. when she was scarce sixe yeeres olde and at the age of eleuen yeeres was married vnto him When shee had been married vnto him twelue yeeres he died and shee returned to the King her father both against her owne minde and against the desire of the greatest Princes of the Empire who in regard of her wise and gracious behauiour were suitors to the King more then once to haue her remaine as Empresse among them But the king would not consent to their intreatie For that shee was the onely heire to his Crowne Then many great Princes desired her in marriage But the King bestowed her vpon Geoffrey sonne to Fulke Earle of Aniou somewhat against her owne liking but greatly to the suretie of his estate in France By him she had Henrie who afterwards was King of England Further the King had by a Concubine Richard a sonne and Mary a daughter who were lost vpon the sea with their brother William By another Concubine hee had a sonne named Robert whom he created Earle of Glocester a man for valour of minde and abilitie of bodie inferiour to none in counsailes so aduised as was fit for a right Noble commander By his faith industrie and felicitie chiefly his sister Matild did afterwards resist and ouerbeare both the forces and fortunes of King Stephen He is reported to haue had 12. other bastards which were of no great either note or continuance according to that saying of the Wise man Bastard plants take no deepe rootes This King in the beginning of his Reigne made many fauourable lawes And namely That he would reserue no possessions of the Church vpon their vacancies that the heires of his Nobilitie should possesse their fathers lands without redemption from him and that the Nobilitie likewise should afford the like fauour to their Tenants that Gentlemen might giue their daughters and kinsewomen in marriage without his licence so it were not to his enemie that the widow should haue her ioynture and not be compelled to marrie against her owne liking that the mother or next of kinred should bee Guardian of the lands of her children that all debts to the Crowne and certaine offences also should bee remitted But these lawes afterwards were but slenderly obserued Three vertues were most famous in him wisedome courage and sweetenesse of speach By the last hee gained much fauour from the people By the other two he purchased both peace at home and victory abroad He was noted also for some vices but out of doubt they were farre exceeded by his vertues And for these vices also being himselfe of a pleasant disposition he was well pleased with pleasant reproofes Guymund his Chapleine obseruing that vnworthy men for the most part were aduanced to the best dignities of the Church as he celebrated Diuine seruice before him and was to read these words out of S. Iames It rained not vpon the earth iij. yeres and vj. moneths Hee did read it thus It rained not vpon the earth one one one yeres and fiue one moneths The King obserued this reading and afterwards rebuked his Chapleine for it But Guymund answered that he did it of purpose for that such readers were soonest preferred by the King The King smiled and in short time after preferred him to the gouernment of S. Frideswides in Oxeford In this King failed the heires male of King William the first and then the Crowne was possessed by Title of heires generall In these times flourished two excellent ornaments of the Church Anselme in England and Bernard in France both of them enrolled in the list of Saints And no lesse infamous for vice was Gerard Archbishop of Yorke a man of some learning not so much in substance as in seeming and shew of commendable wit which he applied chiefly to giue a couler for euery vice of his owne and for euery vertue of others either a slander or a ieast Of enuious disposition plagued lesse with his owne calamities then with the well either doing or being of other men in wiping money from his Subiects by dishonest meanes subtill and shamelesse and