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Tha 24 the king Stephne to Englalande 25 tha 26 macod 27 he his gadering 28 æt Oxeneford; and thar he nam the biscop Roger of Sereberi,30 and Alexander biscop of Lincol and te 31 Canceler Roger his neves,3 and dide 33 ælle in prisun til hiiafen up here 35 castles. Tha 24 the suikes 36 undergæton 37 that he milde man was and softe and god 20 and na 19 justise 38 ne dide, tha 26 diden hi alle wunder.39 Hi7 hadden him 40 red 41 maked 27 and athes 42 hi nan 19 treuthe ne heolden.44 Alle he7 weron 45 forsworen, and here 35 treothes forloren; 46 for ævric 47 rice 48 man his castles makede,49 and agænes 50 him heolden,1 and fylden 52 the land ful of castles. Hi suencten 53 suythe 4 the uurecce men of the land mid 56 castel weorces. 57

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This year went King Stephen over the sea to Normandy and was received there, because they thought that he was going to be just such as his uncle was, and because he still had his uncle's treasure; but he dispersed it and scattered it foolishly. Much had Henry the king gathered of gold and silver, and no good did anyone for his soul by means of it.

When King Stephen came to England, then he made his assembly at Oxford; and there he seized the bishop Roger of Salisbury and Alexander, bishop of Lincoln, and the Chancellor Roger, his nephews, and put them all in prison till they gave up their castles. When the traitors perceived that he was a mild man and soft and good, and enforced no justice, then did they all wonders. They had done homage to him and sworn oaths, but they kept no troth. But they were all forsworn and their troths were entirely abandoned; for every powerful man built his castles and held against him, and they filled the land full of castles. They oppressed grievously the wretched men of the land with castle-building.

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and be dæies, carlmen and wimmen, and diden 2 heom 3 in prisun efter gold and sylver, and pined heom untellendlice pining, for ne uuæren nævre nan martyrs swa pined alse 1 hi wæron. Me 12 henged 13 up bi the fet 14 and smoked heom mid ful 15 smoke. Me henged bi the thumbes, other 16 bi the hefed,17 and hengen 18 bryniges 19 on her 20 fet. Me dide 2 cnotted strenges abuton 22 here 20 hæved 17 and uurythen 23 to 24 that it gæde 25 to the hærnes.26 Hi dyden heom in quarterne 27 thar 28 nadres 29 and snakes and pades 30 wæron inne, and drapen heom swa.10 I ne can ne I ne mai 32 tellen alle the wunder 33 ne alle the pines 34 that hi diden men on 36 this land; and that lastede tha .xix. wintre 37 wile 38 Stephne was king, and ævre 39 it was uuerse * and uuerse.

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men and women also, and thrust them in prison for gold and silver, and tortured them with unspeakable tortures, for never were any martyrs so tortured as they were. They were hanged up by the feet and smoked with foul smoke. They were hanged by the thumbs, or by the head, and coats of mail were hung on their feet. Knotted strings were put about their heads and twisted till they penetrated to the brains. They put them in dungeons in which were adders and snakes and toads, and killed them thus. . . .

I cannot and I may not tell all the wonders nor all the tortures that they did to wretched men in this land; and that låsted the nineteen years while Stephen was king, and ever it was worse and worse.

All too often have I sinned in deed and eke in word;

All too freely have I spent, too little laid in hoard.

Almost all I now mislike of things I liked of yore;

Who follows over-much his will, betrays himself the more.

Had fortune only favored me, I might have done more good;

Now for weakness and for age, I may not, though I would.

Old age is stolen me upon, ere that I it wist; I could not see before me for the smoke and for the mist.

Timid we are in doing good, in evil all too bold;

More awe of man than awe of Christ doth every person hold.

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Who doth not well, the while he may, shall often rue it sore,

When comes the time to mow and reap what he has sown before.

Do ye for God the best ye may, the while ye are in life;

And let no man hope overmuch in child nor yet in wife.

He who doth himself forget for wife or else for child

Shall come into an evil place save 'God to him be mild.

Let each some good before him send, the while he may, to heaven ;

For better is one alms before than afterward

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