236 ANNALS OF ROGER DE HOVEDEN. A.D. 1139. his castle from his own authority into the hands of strangers. In a similar manner, another castle of his was surrendered, called Slaford,4 not inferior to the other either in appearance or excellence of situation. Not long after, when Henry, bishop of Winchester, the king's brother, who was now legate of the Roman Chureh, was holding a council at Winchester, Theobald himself, the archbishop of Canterbury, and all the bishops who were with him, threw themselves at the king's feet, and begged with the most earnest supplications that he would restore their possessions to the above-mentioned bishops, and promised that they themselves would cordially forgive the king for all he had done against them. But the king, listening to the voice of persons evilly inclined, slighted the supplications of so many venerable men of such high station, and would not accede to their requests. In consequence of this conduet, the house of king Stephen was consigned to impending destruction. For, immediately upon this, the daughter of king Henry, who had been empress of the Romans, and to whom the kingdom of England had been secured by oath, came to England ; on which, king Stephen besieged her at Arundel, and, either through listening to perfidious counsels, or else seeing that the castle was impregnable, allowed her to go to Bristowe.5 In the same year, Roger, bishop of Salisbury, pined away, being wasted as much by grief as by old age, and ended his life. Let all, then, who read of this, be astounded at so great and so sudden a change of events. For, from his youth upwards, so many blessings had fallen to the lot of the man above-named, and, without interruption, had so wondrously accumulated upon him, that all said that, in his case, Fortune was forgetful of her fickle disposition. Nor did he suffer any adversity during the whole of his life, until at last so vast an accumulation of miseries, befalling him at the same moment, overwhelmed him. Let no one then feel confidence as to the long continuance of his happiness, let no one presume on the stability6 of Fortune, let no one imagine that his seat can long be firm upon her revolving wheel ! In the year of graee 1140, being the fifth year of the reign of king Stephen, after the Nativity, the said king banished « Sleaford. 5 Bristol. 6 " Stabilitate" seems a preferable reading to " instabilitate."