» The same year, on Palm Sunday, the emperor Frederic was excommunicated by pope Gregory the Ninth, for certain reasons delivered in writing, and the lord the pope commanded this sentence to be promulgated, with the reasons alleged for it, in every country, by all the prelates in every church under their authority, having the bells rung and the tapers lighted with all due solemnity. This year, too, the elect of Valence and Liege died at Viterbo, on his return from the court of Rome. Also, Master Robert de Meidenestan, bishop of Hereford, abdicating his bishopric of his own accord, on the seventeenth of December, assumed the habit of the Minor Brothers at Oxford. This year, William of Saint John and Henry de Trubleville died. On the twelfth of June an eclipse of the sun took place, which-lasted from the third hour till the sixth hour. About this time the cardinal of Ostia flourished, who composed the book which is called " Copiosa." The same year, the lord the emperor wrote to the senators and people of Rome, asserting that he greatly marvelled at this, that they had permitted him, the chief prince of princes, to be excommunicated in their city. He also wrote elegant and long letters to the cardinals, and all Christian nobles, but especially to king Henry, and his brother Richard, "earl of Cornwall, his brothers-in-law, excusing himself in many particulars, and bringing a variety of accusations against the lord the pope, and affirming that he was in all things willing and ready to obey the pope, and that he had sent formal ambassadors to convey this assurance to him, but that the pope, being aware of this beforehand, in great haste, on purpose to do so, before the ambassadors could arrive, had fulminated this sentence against him. The same year, the legate entered the kingdom of the king of Scotland, but did not cross the sea. As, however, no one offered any objection, he collected from all the prelates and beneficed clergy a thirteenth part of their revenues, and transmitted it to the lord the pope. About the same time, the lord the pope wrote a very long letter to the archbishops of Canterbury and York, complaining greatly of the illegal conduct of the emperor, and imputing to him the guilt of heresy. And he wrote not only to those archbishops, but also to the legate, to publish that letter throughout all the lands which were under his authority, and subject to him as legate, adding, that