How earl Robert led certain hostages into Normandy. A.D. 1141. Robert, earl of Gloucester, crossed into Normandy, taking with him certain hostages of the English nobles, who favoured the empress, that the count of Anjou might keep them, and also cross over to reduce the kingdom to subjection. This the count for a time refused to do, on account of the rebellion of the men of Anjou and his other subjects who annoyed him ; but he delivered into the earl's hands his eldest son Henry, to carry back with him to England. Whilst, however, earl Robert was still in Normandy, he took the castles of Aunay, Mortaigne, Teuchebrai, and Cérences, all belonging to the count de Mortaigne. The inhabitants of Avranches and Constantine surrendered of their own accord. The same year, whilst king Stephen was fortifying a castle at Winchester, an immense army of the opposite party attacked him and put him to flight.* In this battle was taken prisoner William Martel, king Stephen's steward, and thrown into confinement at Wallingford, under the custody of Brian Fitz-Earl ; nor was he again set at liberty till he gave up to the empress Sherbourne Castle as the price of bis release. How the empress Matilda was besieged, and escaped by deceiving king Stephen. A t this time king Stephen, hearing that the empress was at Oxford Castle with a small retinue, collected a numerous army, and, marching thither after Michaelmas, besieged that fortress until Advent. The empress, seeing that for so long a time none of her friends came to her assistance, played off a woman's trick upon king Stephen, and escaped by night over the river Thames, which was frozen, dressed in white, and attended by a few companions, and so escaped, for the enemy could not see her, on account of the dazzling of the snow, and the similarity of colour between it and her clothes. She therefore fled to the castle of Walling the Tower of London. On the 15th of May, Alberic de Ver was slain at London, and Aldwin founded Malvern." The Cottonian and Cambridge manuscripts add, " The city of Winchester was destroyed on the 14th of September." "This is a mistake : this skirmish happened in 1143 at Wilton, not in 1141 at Winchester.—See Gervase's Chron.