There he was received by one of his special counsellors, William of Arques, a monk of Molesme, and was kept safely in his mother's monastery till all danger was over.[1]
Gilbert enters Rouen.
Slaughter of the citizens.
Conan taken prisoner.
It was clearly not wholly for the sake of such a prince
as this that so many Norman leaders, Henry of Coutances
among them, had made up their minds that the republican
movement at Rouen was to be put down. The moment
for putting it down had come. Gilbert of Laigle had by
this time, by the strength of his own forces and by the
help of the citizens of his party, entered Rouen through
the southern gate. His forces now joined the company of
Henry; they thus became far more than a match for the
citizens of Conan's party, even strengthened as they were
by those of the King's men who were in the city. A great
slaughter of the citizens followed; the soldiers of Rufus
contrived to flee out of the city, and to find shelter in
the neighbouring woods;[2] the city was full of death,
flight, and weeping; innocent and guilty fell together;
Conan and others of the ringleaders were taken prisoners.
Conan himself was led into the castle, and, admonito per nuntios comite
ut ille a fronte propelleret quos ipse a tergo urgeret." This account
does not come in its chronological place, but in William's account of the
early life of Henry. And he misconceives the date, placing the revolt of
Rouen after the coming of William into Normandy; "Willelmo veniente
in Normanniam uti se de fratre Roberto ulcisceretur, comiti obsequelam
suam exhibuit [Henricus], Rotomagi positus."]
- ↑ Ord. Vit. 690 B. "Cimba parata Sequanam intravit, et relicto post terga conflictu trepidus ad Ermentrudis-villam navigavit. Tunc ibidem a Guillelmo de Archis Molismensi monacho susceptus est, ibique in basilica sanctæ Mariae de Prato finem commotæ seditionis præstolatus est." On this William of Arques, see above, p. 220. William of Malmesbury (v. 392) has quite another account, in which the Duke's flight is not spoken of, and in which Henry at least urges him to action; "Regios eo interdiu venientes, qui dolo civium totam jampridem occupaverant urbem, probe expulit [Henricus
- ↑ Ord. Vit. 690 C. "Regia cohors territa fugit, latebrasque silvarum quæ in vicinio erant, avide poscens, delituit, et subsidio noctis discrimen mortis seu captionis difficulter evasit."
