A.D . 1193.] KING KICIIAItl/s INNOCENCE. 129 letters from our lord the king, ami also the golden hull of themperor; and a warrant was immediately issued by the justiciaries of the king, that all bishops, priests, earls, and baron-, abbacies and priories, should contribute a fourth part ol their incomes towards the king's ransom, and moreover they gate t|ieirgold and silver vessels for that work of piety, lint .lohu bishop of Xorwieh took half tin; value of the vessels throughout the whole of his diocese, and gave half to the king. The Oistortian order, which, up to that time, had been free, from all tax, gave all their wool for the ransom of the king. Indeed, unchurch, no order, rank, or sex, was passed over without being compelled to aid in releasing him. Forewarning* of this calamity hadappeared in unusual seasons—inundations of rivers, awful storms of thunder and rain three or four times in each month, with dreadful lightning throughout the whole year; all which caused a scantiness in the crops of fruit and corn. Exculpation of king Itichard from the charge of the murder of the marquis. The English king, when he was unjustly, as has been said, accoscii of the murder of the marquis, sent messengers to the chief of the assassins, asking him to write to the duke or the emperor of Austria to prove his innocence ; and from him the king obtained the following leder:—"The old man of the mountain to Leopold duke, of Austria, greeting. Whereas several kings and princes beyond sea have accused our lord Richard king of the English, of the murder of' the marquis : I swear by the God who reigns eternally, and bv the law which we observe, that no blame attaches to him in regard of the death of that noble. The cause of the marquis's death was as follows:—One of our brotherhood was coming in a vessel from Salteleia to our part of the country, when a storm drove him into Tyre, where the marquis took him prisoner, murdered him. and took possession of a large sum ofinoney belonging to him. W e sent messengers to the marquis asking him to restore to us our brother's money, and to make reparation to us for his murder, which he would not do, but insulted our messengers and charged the murder of our brother on Reginald lord of Sidotl, yet we, by means of friends, ascertained of a truth that it was the marquis himself who caused the VOL. il. Κ