A .D. 1233.] ESCAPE OF HUBERT. 57 I that the siege might not seem to have been ineffectual, to surrender the castle, on condition that he the king would restore it to him within fifteen days uninjured,and stipulating that he would in the meantime, by the advice of the bishops, who were his securities for this, make all proper reformations in the kingdom. To carry out this plan, the king appointed the Sunday next after Michaelmas for the said marshal and the rest of the proscribed parties to meet him at Westminster; the castle was then given up to the king and the siege raised. Of the escape of Hubert de /tttrf/k. About this time Peter bishop of Winchester, who above all things desired the death of Hubert do Burgh, who was a prisoner in Devizes castle, without mentioning Hubert's name, earnestly begged of the king to give hiin charge of the said castle, being, as was said, in hopes of thus obtaining a chance of putting him to death. Hubert however was forewarned of all these plans by his friends at the king's court, and disclosed them to two retainers of the garrison of the castle who attended on hiin, and they, pitying his sufferings, devised a plan by which he might escape from death. They therefore watched their opportunity, and on the night of Michaelmas eve, when the garrison were asleep, one of them, whilst the other kept watch, took Hubert, fettered as he was, on his shoulders, and descended from the tower carrying his pious theft, with which he passed entirely through the castle, unheard by the garrison, till he reached the great gate, where he went out, and, crossing a deep trench, though with much dilliculty, made his way to the parochial church, and did not set down his burden till he arrived before the great altar. The two men who had set Hubert at liberty then refused to leave him, considering that it would be to their glory if they should suffer a temporal death for preserving the life of such a great man. //ate 1 ittbert was draytje"I btj violence from the church and imprisoned. When the garrison awoke and found that Hubert was not in the usual place, they were greatly alarmed, and sallying forth in troops with lauthorns and weapons, they traversed the country round in search of him ; after some time they heard that Hubert was in the church, released from his fetters, on which they tumultously rushed thither and found him before the great altar, with the holy cross in bis hands ; they at once tiercely seized him, and striking and driving him along with their weapons and fists, they took him hack to the castle as well as his two liberators, where they confined him more strictly than before. AVhen this event reached the cars of Robert bishop of Salisbury, be went to the eastle and ordered these violators of the church at once to release Hubert and to restore him to the sanctuary of the church in the same condition as they found him; but the castellans noisily told him they would rather that Hubert should be hung than