A.D. 1232.] DEATH OF EARI. RALPH. have appointed you to assess the fortieth part in the county of Hertford, and we have commanded our sheriff of Hertford, to summon all the villagers of his county, hy our command, to appear before you at a fixed time and place which you are to appoint for him to do so, and also to assist and obey you in all matter/, connected with the said business. Farewell." Of the death of Ralph earl of Chester. On the 28th of October in the same year Ralph earl of Chester and Lincoln died at Wallingford, and his body was taken to Chester to be buried. He was succeeded in his earldom by his nephew John, son of his sister by David, brother of William king of Scots ; another nephew of his, a son of his second sister obtained the earl dom of Lincoln, and from being a baron, became an carl ; the earl of Arundel too, another nephew of his, came into possession of five hundred librates. About this time, just before Martinmas, it was hinted to the king that the ex-justiciary Hubert had a large sum of money at the New 'l'empie in London, consigned to the care of the templars there. He therefore summoned the master of the templars to an interview with him and asked him plainly if it was the case, and he, not daring to deny the truth to the king, confessed that a sum of money had been confided to the care of him and the brethren, but they were entirely unaware of the amount and quantity. The king then with threats demanded this money of the monks, declaring that it had been stolen by Hubert from the treasury ; the templars however replied that they would not deliver to any one the money which had been entrusted to them in confidence, without leave from the person who had deposited it in the 'l'empie for safe keeping. As this money was consigned to the care of the church the king did not think it advisable to resort to violence, he therefore sent the treasurer of his court with the justiciaries of his cxchequei to Hubert, who was all this time in fetters in the tower of London, ordering him to assign all the said money to the king. When the aforesaid messengers told Hubert their message on behalf of the king, he immediately replied, that he would resign himself and all he possessed to the king's will. He therefore gave instructions to the knights of the Temple to deliver up all the keys in his name to the king, that he might do as he chose with the property depositi d there ; this being done, the king ordered the money to be correctly counted and lodged in his treasury, and a written list of the property found there to he taken and shown to him. The king's clerks and treasurer found there eight thousand pounds of silver of the best coinage, a hundred and forty goblets of silver and silver set with gold, with also such a quantity of jewels, that they exceeded in value, it was said, all the rest of the property found there. When a report of this event was spread abroad some of Hubert's untiring persecutors went to the king, making accusations against hiin and voi.. II. oo