seventh year from his passion, the three hundred and fortyfourth from the arrival of the Angles in Britain, in the first indiction, oh the 1st of August. How king Offa, on his way to Rome, purchased afieldfor strangers. After these things the king summoned a council of that province, and consulted with archbishop Humbert, and his suffragans, and all the primates, about collecting a convent of monks and privileging a monastery in the place where he had found the relics of the proto-martyr of his kingdom, and which had been consecrated by his blood. They all were pleased with the king's design, and he approved of the counsel of the bishops, that the martyr should be canonized, and the monastery to be built in honour of him should be privileged with the authority of the Eoman pontiff ; and that all these things might have a more worthy effect, they gave their counsel that the king should either send envoys, or in his own person treat with the court of Rome about them. Acquiescing in their advice, the king undertook the laborious journey, to the end that as the blessed Alban had the glory of being the proto-martyr of the English, so his monastery might surpass in possessions and privileges all others in his kingdom. The king therefore took ship, and landing at the destined port in Flanders, he turned aside to lodge at a certain town named Monasteriolum [Monistrol], where, to his great surprise, he found no fodder for his horses, although he saw meadows in abundance. On his inquiring whose those meadows were, he was told that they had several owners. The king thereupon gave orders that they should all come before him, that they might be admonished to sell their meadows; those who heard it answered with no small indignation that the owners of the meadows abounded sufficiently in temporal things. When at length these nobles were brought into the king's presence, he treated with them for the sale of the meadows, and on their telling him that they had abundance of wealth, " You have not so much," replied the king, " but that you may yet have more. W e will purchase your meadows, not at their worth, but at your own price ; nor will we make any difficulty, even though you make no abatement." On hearing this, avarice prevailed with them, and they received from the king for