himself, accused of adultery, and he put to an ignominious death those whom he suspected of familiarities with her ; and he ordered the queen herself to be kept in close custody. And, among other flagitious crimes, he, like a second Herod, ordered a great many innocent boys, who were hostages at Nottingham, to be hanged on a gallows ; on which account all his subjects, both English and foreigners, wishing to shake off the intolerable yoke of such a tyrant, began seriously to consider what prince there was in whose bosom they might find a refuge. War being imminent, William, king of Scotland, made a treaty with king John. A.D . 1209. The king removed his exchequer from Westminster to London till Christmas time, out of hatred for the city of London ; and because it was about the days of the nativity, which writers place on the confines of the old year and the new, that a son was born to king John, whom he called Richard, some assert that he was born in this, and others in the preceding year. But the time that his mother was confined to her room because of her delivery, lasted till the vigil of the Epiphany. In this year, also, Hugh de Welles, archdeacon of Wells, and chancellor of the king, was elected bishop of Lincoln. About this time, king John, having collected a numerous army of English, directed his standards and army towards Scotland. But coming into the province of Northumberland, to the castle which is called Northam, he then marshalled his army in battle array against the king of Scotland. And when the news of this was brought to William, king of Scotland, he greatly feared the violence of John, whom he knew to be prone to every kind of wickedness and barbarity. Accordingly, coming to meet him, like a pious man, he proposed to treat of peace on equitable terms. But the king of England, giving vent to his fury, spoke imperiously to him, and reproached him bitterly for having received his fugitives and the public enemies of England into his kingdom, and for having given them assistance, and showed them favour, to his prejudice. But when the king of England had invented this and many other reproaches upon the before-mentioned king of Scotland, at last, after great exertions on the part of the ministers of the two sovereigns, they made peace, on condition of the king of Scotland paying to the king of England,