A.D. 1197.] DEATH OF THE BISHOP OF ELY. and was in great trouble because the archbishop uf Rouen had placed Normandy under an interdict, for the bodies of the dead were lying unburicd in the squares and streets of the cities, which caused a great stench amongst the living. He therefore sent William bishop of Ely, his chancellor, with the bishops of Durham and Li.-ieux, to the court of Rome, to plead bis cause against the said archbishop; but William bishop of Ely died on his way to Koine, at 1'oietiers, and was buried in the Cistercian convent of Dispin, on the ÎÎUth of .January. The bcfore-mur.ed bishops, however, his companions, proceeded on their journey and arrived at Rome. When the parties were convened in presence of our lord the pope, and had been heard carefully, our lord the pope and his cardinals after long deliberation, considering the damage and trouble which might accrue to the king in Normandy unless that castle was built in Andelys, advised the archbishop to come to an amicable arrangement with their lord the king, and to accept from him an adequate compensation in the estimation of wise men for what he had lost;* for they declared that it was quite lawful for any one who was able to do so, like the king of England, to strengthen the weaker parts of his kingdom that he might not suffer any loss or injury therefrom. With these terms of peace the messengers of both parties returned, and procured a reversion of the sentence of interdict. Form of the agreement ichich teas made between king liichard and the archbishop of Jioucn. The form of peace and agreement made between the king of England and the archbishop of Rouen was as follows : " Richard, by the grace of God, king of England, flee. Since the holy church is the spouse of the Eternal King, and the only beloved of Him by whom kings do reign and princes hold their authority, we wish to pay it the more reverence and devotion, the more firm we are in our belief that not only the kingly but all power is from the Cord God ; wherefore, as the holy church of Rouen, which is * "l'or tlic village of Andelvs and some adjoining places, which the king had taken from the archbishop, that he might strengthen t.ie weak points of his territories, he gave the archbishop in exchange all the royn! mills at Houcn with their appurtenances, the villages of Dieppe and liueelcs with all their liberties."—Matthew Paris.