222 ANNALS OF ROGER DE HOVEDEN. A.D. Π 30. subject of prohibiting the priesthood from taking vives. There were present at this council "William, archbishop of Canterbury, Turstin, archbishop of York, Alexander, bishop of Lincoln, Gilbert, bishop of London, Boger, bishop of Salisbury, John, bishop of Eochester, Siffrid, bishop of Sussex,80 Godfrey, bishop of Bath, Simon, bishop of Worcester, Everard, bishop of Norwich, Bernard, bishop of Saint David's, and Hervey, the first bishop of Ely. The bishops of "Winchester, Durham, Chester, and Hereford were absent. These constituted at this period the pillars of the kingdom, and the rays of its sanctity. But, through the simplicity of archbishop "William, the king deceived them ; for they conceded to the king the right of administering justice on the question of the wives of priests ; and were deemed imprudent for so doing, as afterwards proved to be the fact, when the matter turned out to their extreme disgrace ; for the king received an endless amount of money from priests, and then relieved them from the penalties attendant on so doing. Then, but to no purpose, did the bishops repent of having made this concession, when, before the eyes of all nations, were made manifest the deception practised on the prelates, and the oppression of the king's subjects. In the same year, misfortunes befell those whom Hugh de Pains, already mentioned, had taken with him to Jerusalem ; for, by their sensuality, rapine, and various excesses, the inhabitants of that holy land had offended the Lord. But,. as it has been written in the books of Moses and of Kings, their wickedness in those places did not long remain unpunished. For, on the vigil of Saint Nicholas, a multitude of the Christians were overcome by a small number of the pagans, whereas, previously to that, just the reverse used to happen. For, at the siege of Damascus, when a great part of the Christians had gone forth for the purpose of seeking for provisions, the pagans were astonished at the spectacle of a multitude of Christians, most valiant men, taking to flight like women, and, on pursuing them, slew almost countless numbers. But those who took refuge in the mountains, God himself pursued that same night with a tempest, accompanied with drifts of snow and cold to such a degree, that hardly any one escaped. It also happened that, while the son of the king of the 6(1 Bishop of Selsey.