After this battle the marshal with Gilbert Basset, Richard Siward, and his other proscribed confederates, laid ambuscades foi the I'oictevins who held charge of the king's castles, so that whenever any of them went out foraging, they were attacked, and no quarter was given them : the consequence of which was, that the whole atmosphere in that part of the country was tainted by the numbers of dead foreigners who lay about in the roads and other places. Of the rari marsluiVs great prudence and regard for justice. About this same time, on the Thursday next befote Christmas, the earl marshal happened to pass the night at the abbey of Margan, at which place a brother of the Minorite order, named Agnell, an attendant and adviser of the king, came to him to tell him what had been said concerning him at the court, both by the king and his advisers. He "had heard the king say," he stateri, "tliat, although the marshal had traitorously and unjustly taken arms against him, if he chose, without making any other condition, to throw himself altogether on the king's mercy, he the king would grant him safety to life and limb, and would also allow him a sufficient portion of land in Herefordshire, to support him honourably. He had also heard from Stephen Segrave that the terms of forgiveness would be made known to the marshal by two of his trustworthy friends, who would tell the marshal that he could with safety trust to the king's mercy, but at the same time that they were not to tell the marshal himself or any other person, for that he was to do this without knowing the terms to be granted to him. He had also heard from others at the court that it was advisable for the marshal to do as above stated, that it was his duty, would he to his advantage, and would be safe for him to do so. It was his duty, because he had dr.ie injury to his lord, for he had, before the king molested his property or person, invaded the king's territory, burning and destroying the crops, and slaying the people. And if the marshal pleaded that he did so for the defence of his person and inheritance, they said it was not so, for there had never been any design against his person or property; that therefore he ought not to have broken out into violence against his lord the king till he discovered hv ocular demonstration that the king had such design against him, when it would have been justifiable for him to act as he had now done." To all this the earl marshal gave the following replv to brother Agnell:—"To the first argument," he said, " as to its being my duty, because I have invaded the king's territory, this is not true ; for although I was always ready to abide by the law and the decision of my peers in his court, and often asked the king hy messengers to grant me this, he always refused it to me, and himself invaded my territory and attacked me contrary to all the laws of justice. And hoping to please him by my submission, 1 freely entered into terms of peace with him, which were very injurious to myself, hy which it was agreed, that unless those tenni were oh