stable of the same castle, while going towards Leicester to obtain assistance, was taken prisoner on the road, by the people of Clay, and detained. Earl Hugh Bigot also took the city of Norwich by storm, and burned it. In addition to this, the bishop elect of Lincoln, with Roger, the archbishop of York, laid siege to Malasert, a castle belonging to Roger de Mowbray, and took it, with many knights and men-at-arms therein, and gave it into the charge of the archbishop of York. Before he departed, he also fortified the castle of Topcliffe, which he delivered into the charge of William de Stuteville. In the meantime, Richard, the archbishop elect of Canterbury, and Reginald, the bishop elect of Bath, set out for Rome, for the purpose of confirming their own elections and those of the other bishops elect of England. To oppose them, king Henry, the son, sent to Rome Master Berter, a native of Orleans. When the said parties had come into the presence of pope Alexander, and the cardinals, and our lord the pope had greatly censured the absence of the other bishops elect of England, and the archbishop elect of Canterbury had done all in his power to exculpate them, our lord the pope asked, with still greater earnestness, why the bishop elect of Ely had not come; on which Berter of Orleans made answer: "M y lord, he has a Scriptural excuse;"2 6 to whom the pope made answer : " Brother, what is the excuse ?" on which the other replied : " He has married a wife, and therefore cannot come." In the end, however, although there was a great altercation and considerable bandying of hard language on both sides before our lord the pope and the cardinals, our lord the pope confirmed the election of the archbishop of Canterbury : on which, Reginald, the bishop elect of Bath, wrote to his master the king of England to the following effect : "To Henry, the illustrious king of England, duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, and earl of Anjou, his most dearly beloved lord, Reginald, by the grace of God, bishop elect of Bath, health in Him who gives health to kings. Be it known to the prudence of your majesty, that, at the court of our lord the pope, we found determined opponents from the kingdom of France, and others still more determined from your own territories. In consequence of this, we were obliged to submit to many'hardships there, and to make a tedious stay, till at last, at our repeated entreaties, by the co-operation of 2 6 Alluding to St. Luke xiv. 20.