An. Reg. 21.
But now to returne againe to the two princes. Not long after the departure of the pope from Gisors, Foulke earle of Aniou found meanes to make an agreement betwixt Simon Dun. The kings of England and France are accorded. Wil. Malm. Eadmerus. king Henrie & king Lewes, so that king William sonne to king Henrie did homage vnto king Lewes for the duchie of Normandie. And further it was accorded betwéene them, that all those that had borne armour either on the one side or the other, should be pardoned, whose subiets soeuer they were. In like maner, Rafe archbishop of Canturburie returned into England, after he had remained long in Normandie, bicause of the controuersie betwixt him and Thurstan archbishop of Yorke, as is aforesaid.
Now shortlie after his returne to Canturburie, messengers came with letters from Alexander king of Scotland vnto him, signifieng, that where the sée of S. Andrews was Alexander K. of Scots. void, the same king did instantlie require him to send ouer Eadmer a moonke of Canturburie (of whom he had heard great commendation for his sufficiencie of vertue and learning) to be seated there. ¶ This Eadmer is the same which wrote the historie intituled Historia nouorum in Anglia, out of which (as may appeare) we haue gathered the most Eadmer Anselmes disciple. part of our matters concerning Anselme and Rafe archbishops of Canturburie, in whose daies he liued, and was Anselmes disciple.
Archbishop Rafe was contented to satisfie the request of king Alexander in that behalfe, and obteining the consent of king Henrie, he sent the said Eadmer into Scotland with letters of commendation vnto the said king Alexander, who receiued him right ioifullie, and vpon the third daie after his comming thither (being the feast of the apostles Peter & Paule) he was elected archbishop of S. Andrews by the clergie and people of the land, to the great reioicing of Alexander, and the rest of the Nobilitie. The next daie after the king talked with him secretlie of his consecration, and vttered to him how he had no mind to haue him consecrated at the hands of Thurstan archbishop of Yorke. In which case when he was informed by the said Eadmer, that no such thing needed to trouble his mind, since the archbishop of Canturburie, being primate of all Britaine, might consecrate him as reason was; the king could not away with that answer, bicause he would not heare that the church of Canturburie should be preferred before the church of S. Andrews. Herevpon he departed from Eadmer in displeasure, and calling one William (sometime moonke of S. Edmundsbury) vnto him, a man also that had gouerned (or rather spoiled) the church of S. Andrews in the vacation: this William was commanded to take vpon him the charge thereof againe, at the kings pleasure, whose meaning was vtterlie to remooue Eadmer, as not worthie of that roome. Howbeit, within a moneth Eadmer receiueth his staffe from an altar. after (to satisfie the minds of his Nobles) he called for the said Eadmer, and with much adoo got him to receiue the staffe of that bishoprike, taking it from an altar whereon it laie (as if he shuld haue that dignitie at the Lords hands) whereby he was inuested, & went streight to S. Andrews church, where he was receiued by the quier, the schollers, and all the people, for true and lawfull bishop.
In this meane while Thurstan nothing slacking his sute in the popes court, obteined such fauour (wherein the king of England also was greatlie laboured vnto) that he wrote letters thrice vnto the king of Scotland, and once vnto the archbishop of Canturburie, that neither the king should permit Eadmer to be consecrated, nor the archbishop of Canturburie in any wise consecrate him if he were therevnto required. Herevpon it came to passe, that finally Eadmer, after he had remained in Scotland twelue moneths or thereabouts, and perceiued that things went not as he would haue wished (for that he could not get the kings consent that he shuld be consecrated of the archbishop of Canturburie, as it was first meant both by the archbishop and Eadmer) he departed out of Scotland, and returned againe to Canturburie, there to take further aduice in all things as cause should mooue him. In like maner king Henrie, hauing quieted his businesse in King Henrie returneth into England. Ran. Higd. Wil. Malm. Polydor. Matth. Paris. The kings sonnes and his daughter with other Nobles are drowned by shipwracke. France, returned into England, where he was receiued and welcomed home with great ioy and triumph; but such publike reioising lasted not long with him. For indéed, this pleasantnesse and mirth was changed into mourning, by aduertisement giuen of the death of the kings sons, William duke of Normandie, and Richard his brother, who togither with their sister the ladie Marie countesse of Perch, Richard earle of Chester, with his brother Otwell gouernour to duke William, and the said earle of Chester his wife the kings neece, the archdeacon of Hereford, Geffrey Riddle, Robert Manduit, William Bigot, and diuerse other, to the number of an hundreth and fourtie persons, besides fiftie mariners, tooke ship at Harflew, thinking to follow the king, and sailing foorth with a south wind, their ship thorough negligence of the mariners (who had drunke out their wits & reason) were throwne vpon a rocke, and vtterlie perished on the coast of England, vpon the 25. of Nouember, so that of all the companie none escaped but one butcher, who catching hold of the mast, was driuen with the same to the shore which was at hand, Wil. Malm. and so saued from that dangerous shipwracke. Duke William might also haue escaped verie well, if pitie had not mooued him more than the regard of his owne preseruation. For being gotten into the shipboat, and lanching toward the land, he heard the skréeking of his sister in dredfull danger of drowning, and crieng out for succour; wherevpon he commanded them that rowed the boat to turne backe to the ship, and to take hir Wil. Malm. Matth. Paris. in. But such was the prease of the companie that stroue to leape in with her, that it streightwaies sanke, so that all those which were alreadie in the boat were cast awaie.
¶ Here (by the way) would be noted the vnaduised speech of William Rufus to the shipmaister, whom he emboldened with a vaine and desperat persuasion in tempestuous weather and high seas to hoise vp sailes; adding (for further encouragement) that he neuer heard of any king that was drowned. Looke in page 69. In which words (no doubt) he sinned presumptuouslie against God, who in due time punished that offense of his in his posteritie and kinred, euen by the same element, whose fearsenes he himselfe séemed so little to regard, as if he would haue commanded the stormes to cease; as we read Christ did in the gospell by the vertue and power of his word. Here is also to be noted the variablenes of fortune (as we commonlie call it) or rather the vncerteine and changeable euent of things, which oftentimes dooth raise vp (euen in the the minds of princes) troblesome thoughts, and gréeuous passions, to the great empairing of their quietnesse: as here we sée exemplified in king Henrie, whose mirth was turned into mone, and his pleasures relished with pangs of pensifenes, contrarie to his expectation when he was in the midst of his triumph at his returne out of France into England. So that we see the old adage verified, “Miscentur tristia lætis”; and that saieng of an old poet iustified;
1121.Sæua nouerca dies nunc est, nunc mater amica.
