jured England for ever ; the king permitted the bishop of Durham to depart free through regard for past friendship, and he soon after crossed the sea to Normandy ; all the rest returned to their allegiance. In the midst of this siege the king's agents in charge of the sea-coast partly drowned and partly slew by the sword certain men whom duke Robert had sent to ihelp the aforesaid rebels ; some of them also, meditating flight, were frustrated by the wind, and so became a subject of derision to the English, whilst they brought destruction on themselves ; for they plunged into the sea to avoid being taken alive.* • Instead of the foregoing chapter, Matthew Paris has the following. King William therefore, seeing that almost all the nobles of England, who were remarkable for bravery and honour, had conspired together in the same furious spirit, promised them easy laws, a relaxation of tribute, and free leave to hunt, and by these means he attached them to himself. Afterwards he no less craftily circumvented Roger de Montgomery when they were riding together, saying that he would willingly resign the kingdom, if it seemed good to Roger and the others, who had been left by his father as his guardians : and that he would readily allow them to take money or lands at their discretion, and settle matters in the kingdom at their pleasure, provided they would not incur the charge of treason ; for if they acted otherwise than as he demanded, they would be sure to suffer for it. especially as the same power which had made him king had made then/ earls. At these words, Roger, who was the head of this conspiracy next to Otho, was moved with repentance, and fell off from the rest The king marching against the rebels took the castles of Tunbridge and Pevensey. In the latter he found the bishop, and threw him into prison. The king's knights conducted him to Rochester, demanded admittance from those who were in charge of it, by virtue of their lord's wishes and of the king's authority. At that time almost all the youthful nobles of England and Normandy were in that castle ; namely, three sons of earl Roger, Eustace the younger, count of Boulogne, and many others, whom I forbear to mention. But those who were in the castle, looking out over the wall, and seeing that the bishop's look did not harmonize well with the words of the knights, opened the gates with speed, and sallying ont, made prisoners of the whole party. When news of this reached the king, he was inflamed with anger, and summoned all the English soldiers woo were in his pay to come and besiege the castle, unless they wish to be set as " Nithings," i. e., " base fellows." Now, as this appellation is the most disgraceful that their language can furnish, the English flocked to the king in large numbers. The besieged, unable to defend the castle, surrendered it to the king. Thus bishop Otho was a second time captured and abjured the kingdom for ever. The bishop of Durham was allowed to pass freely into Normandy, for the king was ashamed of his pretended friendship, and all the rest, having given pledges, were dismissed. Amid these delays of the siege, the king's