214 KOGEU OF WENDOVEIl. [A.D . 12U5. that the time, according to the terms of the treaty, was near, when they must either give up the cities and castles to the king of the French, or consign to destruction the hostages which they had given him. To which message king John answered ; and intimated by the same messengers to all of them, that they were to expect no assistance from him, but that they each were to do what seemed best to him. And thus, all kind of defence failing in those provinces, the whole of Normandy, Tours. Anjou, and Poictou, with the cities, castles, and other possessions, except the castles of Rochelle. Thouars, and Niorz, fell to the dominion of the king of the French. When this was told to the English king, he was enjoying all the pleasures of life with his queen, in whose company he believed that he possessed everything be wanted; moreover, he felt confidence in the immensity of the wealth he had collected, as if by that he could regain the territory he had lost. Of the death of Godfrey iishop of Winchester, and the succession of l'cter de liupibus. On the 1st of April in this same year, in the first watch of the night, there appeared in the northern and eastern quarters of the heavens such a redness, that it was believed by all to be real fire ; and what was to be wondered at most, was that in the thickest part of this redness there appeared some glittering stars ; this phenomenon lasted till midnight. In the same year Godfrey bishop of Winchester died, and was succeeded by Peter de Rupibus, a man of knightly rank, and skilled in warfare ; he was appointed to the bishopric by the interest of king John, and set out to Rome; and, after bestowing his presents there with great liberality, he hastened to the church at Winchester to be consecrated bishop. In this year too the last day of Easter fell on the day of the evangelist St. Mark. Of certain remarkable events. Λ.Ι). 1205. King John kept Christinas at Tewkesbury, but scarcely stayed there one day ; and ill the same month of January the land was frozen to such a degree that all agricultural labour was suspended from the 14th of January till the 22nd of March, on account of which, in the following