An. Reg. 7.
1094.
This yeare England and Normandie were sore vexed with mortalitie both of men and Ran. Higd. beasts, insomuch that tillage of the ground was laid aside in manie places, by reason whereof there folowed great dearth & famine. Manie grizelie and hideous sights were seene also in England, as hosts of men fighting in the aire, flashes of fier, stars falling Ran. Higd. Wil. Malm. Simon Dun. Death & murren of cattell. Strange woonders. Matth. Paris. Polydor. Simon Dun. from heauen, and such like strange wonders. About this time new occasions of breach of amitie grew betwixt the king and his brother Robert, who accused him of periurie, for not obseruing the articles of the of last peace concluded betwixt them: wherefore he purposed to saile ouer into Normandie, and so came vnto Hastings, about the first of Februarie, where he soiourned for a time, and caused the church of Battell abbeie to be dedicated in the honour of S. Martin. He depriued Herbert bishop of Thetford of his bishops staffe, because he meant to haue stolen awaie secretlie to Rome, and there to haue purchased absolution of pope Urban for his bishoprike, which he had bought of the king for himselfe; and likewise for the abbasie of Winchester, which he had purchased for his father, paieng for them both a thousand pounds.
After this, about midlent he passed ouer into Normandie with an armie, purposing to King William passeth ouer into Normandie. trie the matter with his brother in plaine battell, that thereby he might rather grow to some certeine point of losse or lucre, than to stand euer vpon vncerteinties, whether to haue peace or war, that he must be constreined to be at all times in a readinesse to defend himselfe. But after he was come into Normandie, & had forraied part of the countrie Wars betwixt the king and his brother. once or twice, he fell to a parle with his brother duke Robert, & in the end condescended to put the matter in compromise to the arbitrement of certeine graue persons, whose iudgement the king reiected, bicause they gaue not sentence on his side. Herevpon Matth. West. both parts prepared for war afresh, insomuch that the king perceiuing how his brother was aided by the French king, and that his power was too weake to withstand them both, he sent his commission into England for the leuieng of 20. thousand men, commanding that they should be sent ouer vnto him into Normandie by a daie, which was diligentlie performed. But as they were come togither about Hastings, readie to enter a shipboord, immediatlie commeth the kings lieutenant with a countermand, and signifieth to them, that the king minding to fauour and spare them for that iournie, would that euery of them should giue him 10. shillings (as Matt. Paris hath, or 20. shillings as others haue) towards the charges of the war, and therevpon depart home with a sufficient safeconduct; which the most part were better content to doo, than to commit themselues to the fortune of the sea, and bloudie successe of the wars in Normandie. In deed king William changing Polydor. his mind, was now determined to end the matter with monie, and not with the sword, as it afterward appeered; for by bribing of king Philip, in whom duke Robert had reposed his whole trust, he concluded peace vpon such articles and conditions as he himselfe A peace concluded betwixt the king and his brother Robert. required.
Hen. Hunt.
Simon Dun.
The Welshmen inuade England.
Hauing dispatched his businesse in Normandie, he returned into England, where he happened to méet with new and more dangerous wars: for the Welshmen hearing of the variance betwixt the brethren, after their accustomed maner begin to inuade the English marshes, taking booties of cattell, destroieng the countries, killing and spoiling many of the kings subiects, both English and Normans. After this (waxing proud of their good successe) they besieged the castell of Mountgomerie, where though the garison made stout The castell of Mountgomerie won by the Welshmen. resistance for a time, yet in the end the enimie finding shift to ouerthrow the walles, entred perforce, and slue all that they found within. Wherewith though king William was offended when he heard of it, yet could he not remedie the matter as then, being troubled
Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Raphaell Holinshed. William Harrison. Richard Stanyhurst. John Hooker. Francis Thynne. Abraham Fleming. John Stow. Henry Ellis. Ellis Edition. J. Johnson. London. 1807.
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