A. 1110. This year, at Christmas, king Henry held his court at Westminster; and at Easter he was at Marlborough; and at Pentecost he held his court for the first time in the New Windsor. This year, before Lent, the king sent his daughter with manifold treasures over sea, and gave her to the emperor. On the fifth night of the month of May the moon appeared shining brightly in the evening, and afterwards his light waned by little and little, and early in the night he was so wholly gone that neither light, nor circle, nor anything at all of him was to be seen, and thus it continued till near day, and then he appeared shining full and bright; he was a fortnight old the same day: the sky was very clear all the night, and the stars shone very brightly all over the heavens, and the fruit trees were greatly injured by that night's frost. After this, in the month of June, there appeared a star in the north-east, and its light stood before it to the south-west, and it was seen thus for many nights, and ever as the night advanced it mounted upwards and was seen going off to the north-west. This year Philip de Brause,[1] and William Mallet, and William Baynard, were deprived of their lands. This year also died earl Elias, who held Maine in fee-tail[2] of king Henry; but on his death the earl of Anjou took possession of that province, and kept it against the king's will. This was a year of much distress from the taxes which the king raised for his daughter's dowry, and from the bad weather by which the crops were greatly injured, and nearly all the fruit on the trees destroyed throughout the country.—This year men first began to work at the new monastery of Chertsey.
A. 1111. This year king Henry wore not his crown at Christmas, nor at Easter, nor at Pentecost. And in August he was called over sea to Normandy, by the hostility of certain of his enemies on the marches of France, and principally by that of the earl of Anjou, who held Maine against him: and after his arrival many were the intrigues and great the
- ↑ This is the term used by Miss Gumey. Dr. Ingram renders it Braiose; the Anglo-Saxon is Brause; the Latin, Braiosa. Is not the modern name Bracy derived from this root?
- ↑ That is, the territory was not a fee-simple, but subject to taillage, or taxation; and that particular species is probably here intended, which is called in old French "en queuage," an expression not very different from that in the text above. —Ingram.
