for that he would speak with him on something of importance. On Ernulf's arrival, the king and the archbishops and bishops, and the English nobility who attended the king, forced him to accept the bishopric of Rochester; he withstood them long, but his resistance availed nothing. And the king commanded the archbishop to take him to Canterbury, and to consecrate him as bishop whether he would or not. This was done in the town called Burne[1] on the 17th before the Kalends of October. When the monks of Peterborough heard this, they were so sorry as never before, because Ernulf was a very good and a mild man, and did much good within the monastery and out of it whilst he remained there. May Almighty God be ever with him! Soon afterwards, at the request of the archbishop of Canterbury, the king gave that abbacy to a monk of Sieyes named John. And soon after this the king and the archbishop sent him to Rome for the archbishop's pall, and with him a monk named Warner, and the archdeacon John the archbishop's nephew, and they sped well on their journey. This was done on the 11th before the Kalends of October, at the town called Rugenor (Rowner, near Gosport), and the same day the king took ship at Portsmouth.
A. 1115. This year, during Christmas, king Henry was in Normandy, and whilst he was there he caused all the chief men of Normandy to do homage and swear oaths of allegiance to his son William, whom he had by his queen; and afterwards in the month of July he returned hither. This year the winter was so severe with snow and with frost, that no man then living remembered a harder: and it occasioned much disease among the cattle. This year pope Paschal sent hither a pall to archbishop Ralph, and he received it with much pomp at his see of Canterbury. Anselm an abbat of Rome, the nephew of archbishop Anselm, and John abbat of Peterborough, brought the pall from Rome.
A. 1116. This year, at Christmas, king Henry was at St. Alban's, and there he caused the monastery to be consecrated; and at Easter he was at Wudiham.[2] This year
