90 ROC Kit OF WESDOVER. [A.D . 1190. Manli, the Jews of tlic city of York, to the number of five hundred, besides women and children, through fear of an attack on the part of the. Christians, by permission of the sheriff and the governor of the eastle, shut themselves up in that fortress, and when the garrison required them to give up possession of it, they refused to do so. On this refusal, repeated attacks were made both by day and night, and at length the dews after reflecting, offered a large sum of money for their lives, but this was refused by the people. Then one of them skilled in the law, rose and addressed his companions thus, "Oh, men of Israel, hear my counsel. It is better, as our law instructs us, to die for our law than to fall into the hands of our enemies." This being agreed to by all, each head of a family came with a sharp razor, and cut the throats first of his wife, sons, and daughters, and afterwards of all his family, and threw the dead bodies, which they considered as sacrificed to devils, on the Christians outside the castle ; they then shut themselves up in the king's house, and setting fire to it, both living and dead were burned together with the buildings. After this the citizens and soldiers burned the Jews' houses, with the papers of their debtors, but retained their money for their own use. Geoffrey, archbishop elect of York, is ordained a priest. At that time, bishop William, the king's chancellor ami justiciary of Kngland, levied a tax of two palfreys and two chargers on each city of England, and of one palfrey and one charger on each of the abbacies. At this time, too, John bishop of Whithorn, a suffragan of the church of York, ordained Geoffrey archbishop of York elect, to the priesthood. At the same time, the election of the aforesaid Geoffrey was confirmed by pope Clement, who, amongst other tilings, in a letter which he wrote to the chapter ot York, added these words, '·' We therefore admonish the whole brotherhood of you, and command you by these our apostolic writings, that you pay reverence and honour to him as your prelate, that you may thereby prove yourselves praiseworthy in the sight both of God and man. Given at the Lateran, on the 7th of March, in the third year of our pontificate."