KING JOHN. ON the decease of Eichard, king of England, John, earl of Mortaigne, his brother, who -was then staying in Normandy, immediately sent to England, Hubert, archbishop of Canterbury, and "William Marshal, earl of Striguil, in order to preserve the peace in England, together -with Geoffrey Fitz-Peter, the justiciary of England, and other barons of the kingdom. John himself then proceeded to Chinon, -where the treasures of his brother -were; -which Eobert de Turnham, -who had the charge thereof, delivered up to him, together with the castle of Chinon, the castle of Saumur, and others of the king's castles of which he had the charge. Thomas de Fumes, however, the nephew of the before-named Eobert de Turnham, delivered to Arthur, duke of Brittany, the city and castle of Anjou. For the chief men of Anjou, Maine, and Touraine, had met together, and given in their adhesion to Arthur, duke of Brittany, as their liege lord, saying that it was their opinion and the custom of those parts, that the son of the elder brother should succeed to what was due to him as his patrimony, namely, the inheritance which Geoffrey, earl of Brittany. tbxJàih^rof Arthur, would have had B' he had survived Eichard, kingoT England, his brother ; and, consequently, they deBvered up to Arthur, Anjou, Touraine, and Maine. On this, Constance, countess of Brittany, the mother of Arthur, came toTouraine, and deByered to Philip, king of France, her son Arthur ; whom the king of France immediately sent to Paris, to be placed in the charge of his son Louis, and seized the cities, castles, and fortresses that belonged to Arthur, and gave them in charge to keepers appointed by himseB. John, earl of Mortaigne, however, came to Le Mans, and captured the eastle and the city; after which, he levelled the waBs of the city, the castle, and the houses in the city that were buBt of stone, and made the citizens prisoners, because they, against the fealty which they had sworn to himself, had received Arthur as their lord. John, earl of Mortaigne, was at Beaufort, in Anjou, on Easter day, which fell on the fourteenth day before the calends of May. The said earl then proceeded to Bouen, and, on the Lord's day, being the octave of Easter, and the seventh day before the calends of May, and the feast of Saint Mark the Evangelist, was girt with the sword