held his court at Winchester; where, after receiving many injuries and divers affronts which he put up with, archbishop Anselm, at the king's request, set out for Rome on the fifth day before the calends of May, as had been arranged between him and the king, having in his company William, the bishop elect of Winchester, and some abbats who had been deprived of their abbeys, namely, Richard, abbat of Ely, and Aldwin, abbat of Ramsey. Robert, duke of Normandy, came over to England to confer with the king, his brother ; and, before he left England, gave up to him the three thousand marks of silver which the king, according to treaty, was to pay him each year. In the province which is called Berkshire, at a place the name of which is Hamstede, blood was seen39 by many to spring out of the earth. In the same year, on the third day before the ides of August, there was a violent storm of wind, which did such great mischief to the fruits of the earth throughout England that those who were then living had never seen the like at any previous time. In the year 1104, the venerable men, Walter, abbat of Evesham, and Serio, abbat of Gloucester, departed this life ; the former on the thirteenth day before the calends of February, the latter on the third day before the nones of March. At Pentecost, king Henry held his court at Westminster. In the same year, on the seventh day before the ides of June, being the third day of the week, four circles of a white color were seen around the sun, at about the sixth hour, one circle within another, just as though they had been painted there. AH were astonished who saw this, as they had never before seen the like. In this year William, earl of Mortaigne, was deprived of all the lands he possessed in England. It is not easy to describe the misery which at this period the land of England endured, by reason of the king's exactions. In consequence of the unbelief of certain abbats, in the pontificate of bishop Banulph, the body of Saint Cuthbert the bishop was shown, and was, by Balph, abbat of Secz,41 after- 39 This seems to be a repetition of the remarks mentioned under the year 1100, the name of the place being added. The Saxon Chronicle mentions it under this year ; William of Malmesbury, as taking place in the reign of king William. " A town in Normandy. E ! 196 ANNALS OF EOGEK DE JIOVEDEN. A.D. 1104.