268 ANNALS OF ROGER DE HOVEDEN. A.D. 1165. in France, begging him, as he esteemed the honor of the Roman Church and the aid of the kingdom of France, in all things to maintain Thomas, the archbishop of Canterbury, and his cause against the tyrant of England ; and, accordingly, from this moment our lord the pope received the archbishop of Canterbury into great favour. In the meantime, Henry, king of England, sent to our lord the pope, Roger, archbishop of York, Henry, bishop of Winchester, Gilbert, bishop of London, Hilary, bishop of Chichester, and Bartholomew, bishop of Exeter, together with Guido Rufus, Richard de Ivechester, and John of Oxford, clerks, and WiBiam, earl of Arundel, Hugh de Gondeville, Bernard de Saint Valéry, and Henry Fitzgerald, laymen. These persons found the pope at the city of Sens, and gave utterance to many evil and false accusations against the archbishop of Canterbury ; but our lord the pope did not beHeve them, as he knew that they were bearing false witness against him. On seeing that they could not gain their object, they requested of our lord the pope that two legates might be sent to England to take cognizance of the dispute which existed between the king and the archbishop of Canterbury, and'to decide it to the honor of God, and of the Holy Church, and of the realm. However, our lord the pope was not willing to send any cardinal or any legate, as he was aware that the king of England was powerful both in word and deed, and that legates might easily be corrupted, as being more athirst for gold and silver than for justice and equity. Upon this, the envoys of the king of England, being unable to gain their object, withdrew from the court of our lord the pope. On the fourth day after, Thomas, the archbishop of Canterbury, came thither, and, throwing himseR at the feet of our lord the pope, presented to him the above-mentioned writing, in which were written the laws of England, which the king caBed the laws of his grandfather. The pope, having heard them read in presence of all the cardinals, and of the clergy and a large concourse of people, pronounced a perpetual condemnation upon them, and excommunicated aU persons who should observe them, or in any way maintain them. In this year two comets made their appearance before sunrise, in the month of August ; one in the west, the other in