





  Previousall pages


page 79

78 HOG Kit OF WE Ν DO VE It. [A.D. 1180. ·' The eagle of the broken treaty shall rejoiee in her third nestling." The queen is meant by the eagle, because she stretches out her two wings over two kingdoms, Fiance and Fughimi. She was separated from the king of the French by divorce on account of consanguinity, and from the king of the English by suspicion and imprisonment; and so she was on both sides the eagle of a broken treaty. The next part of the sentence, "shall rejoice in her third nestling," may be understood in this way:—The queen's first-born son, named William, died when he was a boy ; Henry her second sou, was raised to the rank of king, and paid the debt of nature, after he had engaged in hostilities with his father : and Richard his third son, who is denoted by the ''third nestling," was a source of joy to his mother, and released her, as I have said, from the misery of confinement. King Richard cornea to England to be crowned. When all these things were arranged, duke Richard, administering due justice to all his subjects, arrived at Barbcflcuve, where he took ships and landed at Portsmouth on the ides of August [Aug. 13]. His arrival was soon blazoned through England, and caused much joy to both clergy and people ; for although some grieved for the death of his father, yet they took consolation from those words of the poet :— " Wonders I sing: the sun withdrew his light, And yet no darkness followed.'' Immediately therefore after his arrival, the duke proceeded to Winchester, where he caused all his lather's treasures to be weighed and an inventory of them to be made : then' were found to be nine hundred thousand pounds in gold and silver, besides precious stones. From thence he proceeded to Salisbury, and thence from one place to another granting to all the objects of their petitions, and bestowing lauds on many who before had none. Moreover he gave to his brother .John the daughter of Hubert earl of Gloucester, together with that earldom and the castles of Marlborough, I.iitegareshale, Holsover, Nottingham, and Lancaster, with the honours belonging to it, and the honour of \\ illiam l'everrei. All these possessions he confirmed to his brother John, who afterwards espoused the aforesaid earl's daughter, contrary to the prohibition of Baldwin archbishop of Canterbury,

  Previous First Next  
