Α.Ό.1219.THE EAEL OF LEICESTEB ΒΕΤΤΓΒΚ8 FBOM GUIENNE. 301 city of Spain was taken by the victorious king of Castile, Alfonso, an event which caused great astonishment to many of the Christians, who said, " What is the meaning of this ? This king alone has gained more for the service and honour of the church than the lord pope and all his adherents who have assumed the cross, from whom he extorts an immense sum of money : and than all the Templars and Hospitallers who gather in enormous revenues and treasures from every country in Christendom." And the multitudes marvelled, saying, " Ο the height of his riches !" &c. After the feast of Saint Michael, Walter de Suffield, bishop of Norwich, crossed the sea, by which voyage the said bishop caused great suspicion and anxiety to many persons in England. About the same time, the lord the king sent Simon, earl of Leicester, into Guienne, and with him he sent a very numerous army ; but, as some relief from their expenses, he at the same time exacted of the citizens of London two thousand pounds, which they granted to him, as their lord and king, on consideration of his necessity, although they were themselves in great difficulties. So this year passed by, temperate and serene as to its weather, filling the barns with abundance of corn, so that a load of corn fell to the price of two shillings. But with respect to the fruits of the orchards, which were in wonderful abundance in the most fertile districts, in the less productive districts there was a perfect plague of worms and grubs, which utterly destroyed all the green parts of the trees. This year, however, was one of hostility to the Holy Land, of enmity to Italy, of mourning to France, of destruction to Germany, of horror to Savoy, of disgrace to the Roman church, of great expense to England, showing by many indications that the end of the world was approaching, and breathing threateninge of divine anger. ' The earl of Leicester returns from Guienne. A.D. 1249, which is the thirtieth year of the reign of the lord the king, Henry the Third, the said lord king was at the feast of the Nativity of the Lord, in London, namely, at his own particular palace of Westminster, where he passed the time of Christmas in very sumptuous entertainments according to his custom, attended by a numerous company of nobles ;