A.D. 1261. JUSTICIARIES SENT THROUGH ENGLAND. 395 interposed, to agree with his barons as he ought." But the king, when he heard this, immediately withdrew with these men into the Tower of London ; and Edward remaining outside with the nobles, there was very soon a formidable body collected. But the earls of Gloucester and Leicester, who were before this at variance, in consequence of violent language that had. passed between them, now made firm peace with one another, and confederated with Edward and other persons, pledging themselves to one another to remove the body of disturbers before mentioned from the king, or else to unite in stirring up civil war, and to prosecute it to death. Therefore, the counsellors before mentioned being greatly alarmed for themselves, kept themselves for a long time under the protection of the Tower of London, being protected on all sides by arms and soldiers ; till at last, by the intervention of the queen, they were, though not without difficulty, reconciled to some of the nobles, and the two parties saluted one another with the embrace of peace about Easter. After this event, the king ehowed himself more fearlessly outside of the Tower, having dismissed the lord John Mansel within the fortress, and immediately travelled toward Dover. And coming there with a small retinue, they freely gave him entrance to the castle, which, indeed, had not been taken from nor forbidden to him, but (being, as it were, the key of the whole kingdom) had been committed by the barons to faithful keeping. When the king presently found that he had been deceived by false suggestions, and that he was everywhere, although without his knowing it, supported by the fidelity of his barons, he committed the wardenehip of that castle to the lord Robert Valeran, and then went to the castle of Rochester, and to some other forts, and everywhere found free admittance and free egress according to his wish. About the same time, some travelling justiciaries were sent through England by command of the king, but this was contrary to the common provision made by both parties, and utterly without the consent of the barons. And when these judges came to Hereford, and when the county had been summoned to meet them, wishing to hold their sittings on the Monday, which was the Hokeday,1 immediately some persons 1 The Hokeday (which, however, according to Ducange, fell always on the Tuesday fortnight after Easter) was an annual festival observed in