revenge on his enemies with two swords, the spiritual and temporal, so that if he could not succeed with the one, he might for certain accomplish his purpose with the other. To .«trike at them with the spiritual sword, he sent Paudulph the pope's subdeaeon with othej* messengers, to the court of Home, to counteract, hy the apostolic authority, the intentions of the barons. He also sent Walter bishop of Winchester and chancellor of England, John bishop of Norwich. Richard de Marisco, William Gernon, and Hugh tie Boves, with his own seal, to all the transmarine territories to pro smilingly to have offered them nectar, when it prepared draughts of gall and poison: for Ιυ, on the instigation of the devil, who by old custom is jealous of the prosperity of mankind, the sons of Belial, like wicked freebooters, who love war rather 'Unii peace, whimperingly instilled their words of discord in the cars of the king: for they said grunlingly and with much laughter and derision, * Behold this is tliL' twenty-fifth king in England ;— lo ! he is not now a king, nor even a petty king, but a disgrace lo kings ; he had better be no king at - all than be one of this kind. Behold a king without a kingdom, a ford without a domain ; a worthless man and a king contemptible to bis people. Alas ! wretched man, and biave of the lowx-st degree, to what a wretched state of slavery have you fallen Ϊ You have been a king, now you are the scum of the people ; you have been the greatest, now tire you the least. Nothing is more unfortunate than to have been fortunate.' And thus arousing his anger they fanned the tire into a general conflagration. 77«* alienation of the king's heart, "The too credulous king then, at the wlrispcrings of these abominable bandits, whom, according lu custom and to his own injury, he had too freely entertained, giving up his own natural subjects, changed his mind and inclined his heart to the very worst devices ; for it is easy to turn a wavering man, and one prone to evil it is easy lo hurry headlong into wickedness. The king then deeply sighing, conceived the greatest indignation, and Iterali to pine away himself, giving vent to lamentations and complaint**. 'Why,' said he, * did my mother bring nie forth, unhappy and shameless woman that she was Î Why was J nursed on her knees, or suckled at her breast? Would that I had been slain rather than suffered to grow to manhood.' lie then commenced gnashing his teeth, scowling with his eyes, and seizing sticks and limbs of trees, began to gnaw them, and after gnawing them to break them, and with increased extraordinary gestures to show the grief or rather the rage he felt. And on that very night he at once secretly prepared letters and M-nt to Philip Marc constable of the castle of Nottingham, a native of I'oietou, and to all bis foreign-born subjects, in whom his soul most confided, ordering them t" supply their castles with provisions, surround them with trenches, garrison them, and to prepare cross-bows and engines, and to make arrows ; telling them, however, to do this cautiously ηnd without open blustering, lest the barone should happen to find it out and prevent the anger of the king from