his suffragans, clad in their albs, with their tapers lighted, pronounced sentence of excommunication universally against all disturbers of the king and kingdom, and against all violent invaders of the church. But in the meantime the king had effectually concerted measures by means of which he might be able to bridle their insolence with the strong hand, secretly sending messengers bearing the royal letters, so that he might collect all his forces manner. And the adversaries of the king, seeing this, feared that confusion was prepared for them on every side, and deliberating singly on their own individual defection from the conspiracy, they all came to Northampton to the king, and, beginning with the earl of Chester, they all surrendered their castles, municipal towns, honours, and wardships to the king, which appeared at all to belong to his crown. Nevertheless, a concealed ill-will on the part of these nobles against the king still remained, because he was not willing, at their importunity, to remove from his magistracy Hubert de Burgh, the justiciary, who was governing the republic in a manner inconsistent with what was becoming or advantageous for the kingdom. But the king, though, by the assistance of the church, he had delivered his castles to him with great caution, nevertheless did not win over to himself the hearts of hie barons to the bond of charity. And when Louis, who was now king of France, and established on the throne of his kingdom, was by his spies informed of this fact, he took confidence from the divisione of the kingdom of England ; and in order to hasten its desolation, he led a large army to Rupell, in order either by force or by bribes to reduce that place under his authority. And when Falcas heard this, because he had already hated the king, he called him a fool and a madman, and urged Louis boldly to follow up the enterprise which he had begun, as he himself would stir up war in England with some of the nobles, who were all willing to unite for that purpose. Falcas therefore, being now prepared to rebel, took, as if there were a state of hostile war, one of the justiciaries of the king, by name Henry de Braybrooke, who was travelling along the king's high road in peace, and carried him off, and shut him up in his castle of Bedford ; and as this was immediately reported to Louis, he attacked the garrison of Rupell with the more confidence, and the citizens, when they heard that war was already smoking in England, and they were, as one VOL. II. L