A.Γ>. 1144. MIRACLES WROUGHT AGAINST THE WICKED. 247 reign of king Stephen, that king laid siege to Lincoln, where, while he was building a fort opposite the castle which the earl of Chester held by force, nearly eighty of his workmen were smothered by the enemy ; consequently, abandoning the work, the king retreated in confusion. In the same year, earl Geoffrey de Mandeville greatly harassed the king, and shone forth with great glory in all his exploits. But, in the month of August, the Divine power showed a miracle worthy of its justice : for two persons, who had committed the like offence in expelling the monks, and turning the churches of God into castles, it punished with a similar retribution. For Robert Marmion, a skilful warrior, had perversely acted thus towards the church of Coventry ; while, as already mentioned, Geoffrey de Mandeville had been guilty of the like wickedness towards the church of Ramsey. Robert Marmion, while attacking the enemy, and in the very midst of a large body of his own men, was slain, singly, before that very monastery, and, having been excommunicated, has death for his everlasting portion. Ih a similar manner, Geoffrey, the new-made earl above-named, while amid the dense ranks of his own men, was, singly, pierced with an arrow by a foot-soldier of the lowest rank. He himself at first laughed at the wound ; but, after a few days, died in consequence of it, and while excommunicated. Behold here the laudable vengeance of God, similarly attend-- ant upon similar crimes, and worthy to be disclosed to all generations ! Also, while the church was held by him as a castle, blood gushed forth from the walls of the church and the adjoining cloisters, in manifestation of the Divine displeasure, and foreboding the extermination of the wicked. This was seen by many persons; and, in fact, I myself" • beheld it with my own eyes. "Wherefore, because they wickedly said that God was asleep, God was aroused ; which is evident from these signs and manifestations. For, in this same year, Arnulph also, the son of earl Geoffrey, who, after his father's death, retained possession of the church as a castle, was taken prisoner and banished the 11 This is the earliest mention made by the writer of himself in the capacity of witness of what he relates. He must have been very young at the time ; consequently it was easy to impose on his credulity. He may, however, be possibly alluding to the extermination of the wicked.