The Venerable Bede's Ecclesiastical history of England / [translated by J. Stevens] Also the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. With illustrative notes, a map of Anglo-Saxon England and a general index. Edited by J.A. Giles.

Bede, the Venerable, Saint, 673-735.

Date:: 1847

Credit: The Venerable Bede's Ecclesiastical history of England / [translated by J. Stevens] Also the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. With illustrative notes, a map of Anglo-Saxon England and a general index. Edited by J.A. Giles. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$at mid-daj. Men greatly marvelled, and great fear fell on them, and they said that some great event should follow there- after—and so it was, for the same y(jar the king died in Xor- mand}^, on the day after the feast of 8t. Andrew. So<m did this land fall into trouble, for every man greatly began to rob his neighbour as he might. Then king Henry’s sons and his friends took his body, and brought it to England, and buried it at Reading. He was a good man, and great was the awe of him; no man durst ill treat another in his time : he made peace for men and deer. Whoso bare his burden of gold and silver, no man durst say to liim ought but good. Ill tlie meantime his nephew Stephen de Blois had arrived in England, and he came to London, and the inhabitants re- ceived him, and sent for the archbishop, William Corboil, who consecrated him king on midwinter-dav. In this king’s time was all discord, and evil-doing, and robberv ; for the powerful men who had kept aloof, soon rose up against him; the first was Baldwin de Redvers, and he held Exeter against the king, and Stephen besieged him, and afterwards Baldwin made terms witli him. Then the others took their castles, and held them against the king, and David, king of Scotland, betook him to Wessington [Derbyshire], but notwitlistanding his array, messengers passed between them, and they came together, and made an agreement, though it availed little. A. 1137. This year king Stephen went over sea to Nor- mandy, and he was received there because it was exjiected that he would be altogether like his uncle, and because he had gotten possc.ssion of his treasure, but this he distributed and scattered foolishly. King Henry had g.ithered together mucli gold and silver, yet did he no good for his soul’s sake witli the same. \\ lien king Stephen came to Eng- land, he held an a.ssembly at O.xford: and there he seized Roger bishop of Salisbury, and Alexander bishop of Lincoln, and Boger the chancellor, his nephew, and he kept them all in prison till they gave up their castles. When the traitors perceived that he was a mibl man, and a soft, and a good, and that he did not enforce justice, they did all wonder. 1 hey had done homage to him, and sworn oaths, but they no faith kept; all became forsworn, and broke their allegi- ance, lor every rich man built his castles, and defended them ag-unst him, and they filled the land full of castles. They$