170 MATTHEW ΟΓ WESTMINSTER. AD . 1233. often mentioned, in a short time ended his life by the vengeance of God. To these men there was added, Robert, surnamed Passelewe, who, in conjunction with his master, Falcas, was at Rome, contriving injury to the king and kingdom, with all his exertions, and the expenditure of no small quantity of money. He was the keeper of the king's treasury, under Peter de Rivalile, and then it came to pass that the reins of the whole kingdom were committed to men of foreign and ignoble birth, to the exclusion of all others. Therefore there rose up among the nobles of England a second Mattathias as it were, a man of noble birth, and a most gallant soldier, Earl Richard, the king's marshal, who was excited by a zeal for justice, and constantly blamed the simplicity of the foolish king. And this earl was joined by Gilbert Basset, by Wavin, and Philip hie brother, and by Richard Siward. And besides the causes of discontent already mentioned, it added fuel to the flame, that, seduced by the advice of the foreigners, and also of some o f the native English who have been mentioned, and who by their blandishments and flatteries increased his folly, the king unjustly, and without form of trial, deprived the aforesaid Gilbert Basset of the manor of Netheraven, in the county of Wiltshire, and, having stripped him of it by force, invested Peter de Malolac, a Poictevin, with it. And as the aforesaid earl Richard thought this injury not one that touched himself alone, but a public one also, he repeatedly appealed to the king by the bishops, the clergy, the preaching brothers, the Minor brothers, and also by his peers, to deal with the aforesaid Gilbert Basset, and his other natural subjects in the kingdom in a lawful manner, according to the laws and customs of the kingdom, and not to follow the evil counsels of foreigners and malignante such as have been named. But to their prayers and admonitions the king paid not the least attention, butwae rather moved to greater anger by them, and drove the aforesaid earl and all his adherents into Wales, and banished them, giving up all their estates and possessions to plunder, and confiscating all their property. And as the urgent necessity of the case compelled the aforesaid knights to consider of a remedy, they chose rather manfully to resist such injurious conduct, and to fight for their country, than to submit to an unjust and arbitrary loss of their inheritance. And although it seemed possible that they might by chance be forced to