Α.Β. 1195. BETTJTLS OP THE ENVOYS OP THE KING OP ENGLAND. 371 England restored to the king of France his sister Alice, whom he shortly after gave in marriage to John, count de Pontif. In the meantime, the pagans, laying waste the territories of Sancho, king of Portugal, came to the abbey of Alcobaca, and slew the monks of the Cistercian order, who were there serving God, and those who offered resistance to them. Next going thence, they came to another house of the same order ; on which the monks, coming forth to meet them, fell at the feet of the pagans, asking for life and mercy ; and the pagans, taking compassion on them, granted them their lives ; and, hearing of their life and conversation, praised them, saying that they would wish to be saved with that order, if they only had women ; for it must be known that the especial religion of the pagans is sensuality. In the same year, Hugh, bishop of Lincoln, gave to Eichard, king of England, one thousand marks of silver, for the purchase of the freedom of the ehurch of Lincoln ; for the king, according to the custom of his English predecessors, demanded yearly of the bishop of Lincoln, one mantle furred with sable, and, for the release of all claims for ever on the part of the said king and his heirs of the said mantle, the said bishop of Lincoln gave to the before-named king the said sum of money, and received from the king his charter quitclaiming the same. In the meantime, William, bishop of Ely, and the other envoys of the king of England who had been sent to the emperor, returned, stating that that form of peace which had been agreed to between him and the king of France did not please the emperor, because it seemed disgraceful to the emperor that the king of England should quitclaim anything that was not in his power ; and for the purpose of recovering what the king of England had lost in consequence of his captivity, the emperor forgave him the sum of seventeen thousand marks of silver for his ransom. Accordingly, the time for the conference approaching, which the king of England and the king of France had agreed on, to be held between them near Verneuil on the octave of All Saints, the king of England made haste, the hour for the conference being at hand, to have this interview with the king of France : however, William, archbishop of Eheims, came to meet him, and told him, on behalf of the king of Prance, that there was no necessity for him to be in such haste, because the king of France was still in consultation with his people. Accordingly, the king of England believed him, and returned Β Β 2