460 ROGER OF AVENDO VER. [A.D . 1225. subjected, to severe penance. Also, any woman who shall be convicted of having been carnally acquainted with a priest, shall do public ami solemn penance, as though she Avere convicted of adultery, even though she may have been absolved; but if a betrothed woman be convicted of an offence of this kind, she shall be punished as if for twofold adultery, lest impunity for such an offence shall lead others to commit that fault. How the earl of Salisbury was preserved from shipwreck. About this same time, the earl of Salisbury, who had been lighting with count Richard in the transmarine provinces, embarked to return to Kngland; but being exposed to great danger at sea, and being driven in different directions by the violence of the winds for several days and nights, in common with his sailors and all the rest of those on board his ship, gave up all hopes of safety, and therefore, committed to the waves his costly rings, and all his property in silver, gold, and rich garments, which be had on board, in order that as he had entered naked into mortal life, so he might pass to the regions of eternity deprived of all earthly honours. At length, when they were in the last state of despair, a large and brightly shining light* was seen at the top of the mast by all on board the ship, and they also saw standing near the light a female of great beauty, who kept the light of the taper, which illumined the darkness of the night, alive, notwithstanding the force of the winds and rain which beat upon it ; from this vision of heavenly brightness, the count himself, as well as the sailors, conceived hopes of safety, anil felt confident that divine help was at hand. And though all the rest of the people in the vessel were ignorant what this vision portended, the aforesaid earl William alone assigned the honour of this mercy to the blessed virgin Mary ; for the aforesaid earl, on the day when he was first made a belted knight, had assigned a wax taper to be kept constantly burning before the altar of the blessed mother of God, during the mass which was usually chanted every day at the hour of prayer, in honour of the said virgin, and that he might receive an eternal in exchange for a temporal light. * Sailors often see lights at the mast-head just after a storm, hut the Virgin Mary no longer interferes on such occasions.