Α.π. 1210.] l.OriS CHOSEN KINO. •church with drawn swords, and after they liad plundered it, the prior of the place with dilliculty redeemed it from being burnt by the payment of nine marks of silver. The Ioni Stephen Ridel was dragged out of the church by fore d lost all that he was possessed of, his horses, books, household goods and utensils, and with much dilliculty preserved his person from the tortures by payment of a hundred marks. 1'ilteen knights were taken prisoners in this island, with many others of divers condition and rank. The richer and more noble of the knights made their escape over the sea with much dilliculty and fled to London; soniti of these, however, were not able to accomplish the journey owing to the failure of their horses from weakness, and were made prisoners. And thus everything in the island fell into the possession of these robbers without opposition. /Low the barons of England chose Louis for their king. The barons of England having now lost all that they most cared for in the world, as appears from the foregoing narrative, and having no hope of an improvement in affairs so as to recover by their own means what they had lost, were in Consternation and did not know how to act; at length, Ingenerai consent, it was determined to choose some, powerful man as king, by whose means they could be restored to their possessions and former liberties;* and after long irresolution * Cursing the king's fickleness, tergiversation, anil infidelity they thus gave vent to their grief, " Woe to you, John, last of kings, detested one of the chiefs of Knglnnd, disgrace to the Knghsh nobility ! Alas for Kngland already devastated, and to be further ravaged ! Alas! Kngland, Kngland, till now chief of provinces in all kinds of wealth, thou art laid under tribute; subject not only m fire, famine, mid the sword, hut lo the rule of ignoble slaves and foreigners, than which no slavery can be worse. W e read that many other kings, yea, and princes, haie contended even to the death, for the liberty of their land which WHS in subjection; lint you, John, of snd memory to future ages, have desiglieli and niade it vour business to enslave your country which lias been free from times of old, and, that vmi might drag others with you into slavery, like the serpent who dragged down half the host of heaven, have in the tirst place oppresseli yourself; \ou have, from a free king, become a tributary, a fanner, and a vassal of «lavori, om have bound by a bond of perpetual slavery lliis noble land, « liieh will never be freed from the senile shackle, unless through the compascoli ι 1 11 ins who mav al some lime deign lo Iree us and tile whole world, uli m ihe old servitude retains under the yoke of sin. And whit i to Iv -.ri,I . I ; mi. ο pope ! who ought to shine ferih an exauudo lo the whole world, as ilio