A.D. 10-21.] ΠΕΝΊΐν AND THE BAIÎONS. /low the king of Kngland took into his own hands the castles of the crown, against the wish of the barons. A.l) . 1224. At Christmas king Henry held his court at Northampton, the archbishop of Canterbury being with him, as well as a great number of knights; the. earl of Chester, however, with his fellow conspirators, kept that festival at Leicester, blustering and uttering threats against the king and the justiciary, on account of the king's requiring him to give up the custody of his castles and lands. On the following day, after the solemnization of mass, the archbishop of Canterbury and his suffragan bishops, clad in white robes, and with lighted tapers, excommunicated all the disturbers of the peace of the kingdom, and the invaders of the holy church and church property; the said arclibishop then sent special messengers to Leicester to the earl of Chester and his accomplices, informing each and all of them that, unless hy the following day they resigned into the king's hands all the castles and honours pertaining to the crown, he and all the bishops would assuredly excommunicate them by name, as they had been ordered to do by the pope. The carl of Chester then, and his accomplices, were in great consternation, having been informed by their spies that the king had a larger force than they, for, if they had sufficient means, they would make war against the king on account of the justiciary ; but, knowing their deficiency, they were afraid to enter upon a doubtful struggle, and moreover, they were afraid that the archbishop and bisliops bishop of Chester. In this year too, during each successive month deluges of rain fell, causing the rivers to burst forth, attended also by an unhealthy atmosphere, so that owing to the inclemency of the season, the crops were so late in ripening, that in November there was scarcely any corn stored away in the barns. In the mouth of January the towers and walls of the churches, together with the trees of the forest, were shaken and fell by the conflict of the winds. About the same time too, Llewellyn prince of North Wales and some English, namely, Hugh de Lacy and his followers, uniting together out of hatred to the king, and giving up all hopes of good fruit coming from an evil tree, that is, despairing of a good heir from king John, made frequent expeditions against some of the barons of the king, ami amongst the first against William Marshal the elder, and afterwards against the younger Marshal, and some others ; but the whole country was excited to arm against them, and they themselves were irreverently driven to the same course, and those who became enemies in chief fell under the hands of their enemies, never to rise again. VOL. II. G G