7th of December he landed in England, and was received with much joy, both by the clergy and the laity, and on the 19th of December, being the Sunday next before Christmas day, he, was saluted king with universal acclamation, and crowned at Westminster by Theobald archbishop of Canterbury, in the presence of the archbishops, bishops, and barons of both England and Normandy. As soon as he was made king, he began to resume possession of the cities, castles, and towns which belonged to the crown, to destroy the rebellious castles, to expel the foreigners, and principally Flemings, from the kingdom, and to depose the pseudo-earls, on whom Stephen had lavishly bestowed almost all the proceeds of his exchequer. The same year Baldwin king of Jerusalem assembled a numerous army, and besieged Ascalon, which wa3, after a long blockade, surrendered to him on condition that the Turks, with their wives, children, and all that they had, should have free liberty to leave it. The city was surrendered to the king, who gave it to his brother the count of Joppa, to be held of himself. Of the life of St. Wulfric the hermit. The same year a holy hermit, Wulfric of Heselberg,* departed this life ; thereby completing a happy and triumphant warfare of twenty-nine years against the enemies of mankind. Of whose life and virtues we think it not irrelevant to introduce here a short notice to adorn the history. Saint Wulfric was born of an English family, in moderate circumstances, at ΟοηΙοη,Ί· a village about eight miles from Bristol. Here he was also educated and passed some years in holy orders, which he is thought to have received in the careless levity of youth, rather than by the settled purpose of his mind ; for he did not yet know the Lord, and was led rather by the flesh than by the spirit. He spent much of his time among hounds and hawks; and one day, whilst he was busily engaged in such occupations, there came to him a man, who by his look and dress seemed to be needy, and begged a new piece of money of him as alms ; for at that time there was a new coinage in England, in the days of Henry I., but * Probably Haselbury in Dorsetshire. + There are several villages called Compton, both in Somersetshire and Gloucestershire, all within eight miles of Bristol,