Α. η. 1ΐ74.] AXIHOLME CA3TLK BESIEGED. 27 and the routiers had surprised the choicest of his son's troops and was blockading them in the city of Dole. Immediately upon receiving this news, he took horse, and the next morning reached the camp, and received the surrender of the enemy after a few days' resistance: but, before his arrival, the greatest part of them had been slain by his own routiers. Among the prisoners were Italph earl of Chester, who had only a short time previously deserted to his son, Ralph de Fulgorile, William Patrick, Ralph de la Haie, HasCulph de St. Ililaire, besides eighty knights. The same year the English nobles inarched with a very large army to check the pride of Hugh Rigod ; but when things were in such a position that all thought he might easily have been vanquished, money passed between them, and a truce wu* made until Whit Sunday, whilst fourteen thousand armed Flemings escorted him safely through Essex and Kent, and at Dover he was furnished with ships to cross the channel. The same year the archbishop elect of Canterbury went to Home, attended by the bishop of Rath. ïfow the castle of Axiholme was taken and a large body of men captured. Λ.Ι) . 1171. Roger do Mowbray renounced his fealty to the old king and repaired a ruined castle in the island of Axiholme,* but a large number of the Lincolnshire men crossed over in boats and laying siege to the castle, compelled the constable and all the knights to surrender: they then again reduced the fortress to ruins. On the last day of April, the old king hearing that his son Richard had seized the castle of Santonge, marched with the men of Poictou to recover it. Richard's knights, showing no reverence either to God or the church, entered the cathedral, and converting it into a castle, fdled it with armed men and provisions. The king, being informed that the enemy occupied three strongholds, prepared to attack them : two of them were immediately reduced, and lie then approached the cathedral which was full of soldiers and loose characters, not to attack it hut to purify it from its desecration. Altogether, reckoning both those who were in the church and those who were taken elsewhere, sixty knights and four hundred cross-bow men were made prisoners. In this manner tranquillity * llovcden calls this castle lunarJeti. r.c