l.TJ. 1199* CORONATION ΟΓ KING- JOHN* The coronation of icing John, the brother of hmg Richard. THEREFORE John, count of Mortaigne, the brother of king Richard, who was now dead, and who was at the time of hie death in the counties beyond the sea, sent news of his peaceful succession to England. He took upon himself the government of the duchy of Normandy, and received the homage of the nobles. Many, however, of the chiefs adhered to Arthur, as their natural lord ; and this was the beginning of hatred. The same year, William, a noble by birth, and a canon of the church of Saint Paul, in London, was consecrated bishop of London, at Westminster, by Hubert, archbishop of Canterbury, on the twenty-third of May. About the same time, that is, on the twenty-fifth of May, John, duke of Normandy, crossed over the sea to England, and the next day, being the vigil of the ascension of our Lord, he came to London ; here, in the presence of the assembled nobles of England, he was crowned at Westminster by Hubert, archbishop of Canterbury, on the day of the Ascension of the Lord ; and immediately afterwards he re-crossed the sea, with a great multitude of men. For he was afraid of Arthur, to whom many of the nobles adhered, and who was at that time dwelling under the protection of the king of France. For, besides the king, who supported him, the nobles of Anjou, Maine, and Touraine, all adhered to him as their legal lord, saying that it was the. custom and established law that Arthur, as being the son of the elder brother, should succeed to the patrimony which was his due, and which, forsooth, Geoffrey, the father of the said Arthur, would have had, if he had survived king Richard. Therefore, Constance, the mother of Arthur, entrusted him to the guardianship of the king of France, who, to guard against treachery, had him carefully educated at Paris. About the same time, the election of Philip, duke of Swabia, and of all the rest, was annulled, and Otho, king of the Germans, was elected emperor by pope Innocent and all the Romans, and was admitted to the Roman empire. And after his election had been confirmed by the lord the pope, Philip, the duke of Swabia, who was his rival, was excommunicated, with all his partisans, who refused to desist from giving annoyance to Otho, and acclamations of, " Long Uve the emperor, Otho !" were heard throughout the whole city. In those days, also, France was laid under an interdict, on account of the arrest of brother Peter, of Douay, bishop elect of Cambray.