JLTJ. 1264. THE INTERDICT OE THE FOPS DESTEOYED. 421 vainly exhausted and wasted an incalculable treasure. But this I may weave into my story to the praise and great glory of the noble Eleanor, queen of England, that like a most gallant woman she bravely laboured to succour her lord and Edward, his son, with all possible energy and manly courage. Therefore, Urban, the supreme pontiff, being stimulated with an adverse desire, inclined his favour to the other side, and turned his mind against the barons, desiring a stimulus to anger and vehement indignation from the occasion of the spoliation to which they had subjected ecclesiastical persons ; and he is reported to have said, that he did not desire to live longer than was necessary to subdue the English, on which account he sent as legate into England, an excellent man, the lord Sabinus, a cardinal bishop, to lay an interdict on the land, and to excommunicate the barons who were confederated in support of the provisions. But as he found that he could not enter the country as he wished, owing to their resistance, he summoned first of all to Amiens, and afterwards to Boulogne, some of the bishops of the kingdom, and some other persons, and committed to them the execution of the sentence of interdict and excommunication which had been fulminated against the city of London, and the Cinque Ports, and some illustrious and noble individuals of the kingdom. But they, considering that that sentence had been pronounced contrary to justice, appealed to the pope, or to better times, or to a general council, and to the supreme judge of all certain causes and laudable reasons. Which appeal was afterwards recited in England, at a council assembled at Beading, and approved and ratified by the bishops and clergy. But the bishops above mentioned having, though against their will, received the interdict from the legate, brought it with them. But when they had landed at Dover, a search of their baggage being made at that port according to custom, the interdict was discovered and taken possession of by the citizens, and torn to pieces, and thrown into the sea. And some ambassadors of high reputation, both from the king of France and the king of England, namely, Philip Chamberlaine, a man of noble birth in France, and Henry de Allumine, and others, landing at Boulogne, while the before-mentioned pontiffs were there, were very severely handled by the townsmen, and many of their retinue wounded, and nine of the English cruelly slain ; nor was any deference shewn to the French either, because