been so often promised and broken, and then they would en deavour to assist him to the utmost of their power. At this time the weather was very unseasonable during nearly the whole of the spring season, and very unfavourable to flowers and trees, because the whole of the month of April there was neither rain nor dew to soften the dry earth, or to give it even the slightest refreshment. Walter de Grey, archbishop of York, in the aforesaid parliament, having his brain softened by his daily fastings and anxieties, so that he had entirely lost his appetite for eating, and was wasting away, went to Fulham, the manor of the bishop of London, where, on the third day after his arrival, he expired in perfect happiness. He had ruled his church of York with great vigour for about forty years, all but three months and three weeks. And so, about the first of May, he went the way of all flesh, and his body was honourably conveyed to York, under the conduct of Walter, bishop of Durham, one of his suffragans,.and honourably buried in the church of York. Intimation" was given to the chapter of Lincoln, by Master Hugh de Mortimer, officer of the archbishop of Canterbury, that, as the appointment of William Wolf, formerly archdeacon of Lincoln, had been annulled, they should, without delay, elect some one else in his stead ; or else Master Hugh, by the authority of the Apostolic See, and that of his lord of Canterbury, would do it himself, and punish the canons for their disobedience. Therefore, the canons created a new archdeacon, the aforesaid Master William submitting to this very patiently, and manfully exerting himself for the liberties of his church. The lord Alexander the pope sent the cardinal Octavian with a large army to destroy Nocera, with king Manfred, who had thrown himself into it. So when Octavian, having marshalled his forces with the aid of a certain skilful and powerful marquis, had arrived almost under the walls of the city, a great alarm seized both the armies, so that the citizens did not venture to attack in a hostile manner those who were coming against them, nor did those who came venture to attack the citizens. At last, the marquis said to Octavian, " My lord, let a third part of our army retreat, for Manfred and his army are, as it were, besieged and shut in, for they do not dare to come forth." Moreover, the same marquis diminished his army a second time, so as to retain scarcely twelve thousand out of sixty thousand. And when he had done