The English king was at that time very anxious about his brother Richard, who was then in Gaseony carrying on the war, and longed for him to return homi'; but whilst the king was thus anxious about his brother and was wishing to assist him, messengers from his said brother rame to him telling him that he was safe and well, and that every thing went on favourably with him. Amongst the king's counsellors at that time was one master William, surnamed Pierepunt, an astronomer, who boldly declared before the king that if the French king attempted to fulfil the expedition he had entered upon, he either would not return alive, or would suffer great loss of his property and of his followers. The king was overjoyed at hearing this, and agreed to the plan of his counsellors. Of the death nf Richard bishop of Durham. In the same year Richard dc Marisco, bishop of Durham, when hastening with a great number of noisy lawyers to be at London on the appointed day to carry on the disgraceful cause against the monks, lodged in the convent at Peterborough, where, after a rich repast, he retired at night to his couch; and early in the morning, just as the sun was rising, his clerks entered his room for the purpose of waking him, when they found him dead ; they were all in the greatest consternation and kept his death a secret till the evening of that day. because he had died without confession and the viaticum ; they then told the dreadful event to the prior and monks of the convent, and then hastily constructed a litter and carried his body away to the church at Durham for burial. This prelate died on the first day of May, after holding his bishopric about nine years.* A circumstance connected with him we think ought not to be passed over in silence, which was, that about two years before his death, the late king John appeared one night in a vision to a certain * Paris inserts his epitaph as written by a monk of Durham : — " Culmina qui cupi ^ landes pompasene aiti ^ Est sedata si si me pensare veli Qui populos regi ' ^ memores super omnia si [ ,j 8 » Ojiod mors immi f ' non parct honore poti , Vohis pricposi similis fuernm in-ne sci Q,uod sum vos cri ) ad me correndo veni J