124 ROGER OF WT.NDOVER. [A.D. 1192. everywhere laid snares for him ; he therefore arranged to return secretly by way of Germany. He accordingly put back with a few of his followers, amongst whom were Baldwin of Bethune, and Master Philip, his clerk, Anselm* his chaplain, and some brothers of the templars; this party put into α town in Slavonia called Gazara, and thence they immediately sent a messenger to the nearest castle to ask for peace and safe, conduct from the lord of that province, who was nephew of the marquis. The king had on his return purchased of a Pisan merchant, for nine hundred bezants, three jewels, called carbuncles, or more commonly "rubies;" one of these he had, whilst on board ship, enclosed in a gold ring, and this he sent by the said messenger to the governor of the castle. When the messenger was asked by the governor who they were that requested safe conduct, he answered that they were pilgrims returning from Jerusalem. The governor then asked what their names were, to which the messenger replied, " One of them is called Baldwin de Bethune, the other Hugh, a merchant, who has also sent yon a ring." The lord of the castle looking more attentively at the ring said, " He is not called Hugh, but king Richard," and then added, " Although I have sworn to seize all pilgrims coming from those parts, and not, to accept of anv gift from them, nevertheless for the worthiness of the gift and also of the sender, to him who has so honoured me a stranger to him, J both return his present and grant him free permission to depart." With this the messenger returned and told the king all that had passed. In alarm at this discover}', the party procured horses, and in the middle of the night set out secretly from the above-named town, and for some time proceeded without interruption through that country; but that same governor had sent a scout after them to his brother, telling him to seize the king when he came into his territory. When therefore the king had arrived there, and had got into the city where the before-inentioued lord's brother lived, the latter immediately sent for a trustv friend of his, called Roger, of Norman race, an inhabitant of Argenton, who had lived with him for twenty years, and whose niece he had married, and ordered him carefully to search all houses where pilgrims were lodged, and if possible • Who saw and heard all these things and told them to us.—M . Paris.