complexion and disposition, of great strength, in qualities of mind
verie excellent, expert in warre, gentle, curteous, and verie liberall.
For though he continued all his time in a maner in the maintenance of
wars, yet he leuied but few tributs, or almost none at all. Indéed he
put diuers bishops to greeuous fines, and that not without the iust
Judgement of Almightie God, that they might so be punished duelie for
their periurie committed in helping him to the crowne. Vices wherewith
he should be noted I find none, but that vpon an ambitious desire to
reigne, he brake his oth which he made vnto the empresse Maud.
[Sidenote: Abbeies founded. Coggeshall he founded himselfe, and Fontneis
in Lancashire, & Feuersham in Kent. _Wil. Paruus._] In his daies, the
abbeies of Tiltey, Fontneis, Rieualle, Coggeshall in Essex, Newbourgh
and Béeland, Meriuale in Warwikeshire, Garedon in Leicestershire,
Kirkstéed in Yorkeshire, with diuers other in other parts of the realme,
were founded, in so much that more abbeis were erected in his daies,
than had béene within the space of an hundred yeares before, as William
Paruus writeth.
A great number of castels also were builded in his daies (as before ye
haue heard) by the Nobles of the realme, either to defend the confines
of their countries from inuasions of forrenners, and violence of
homelings; or as fortifications to themselues when they ment or intended
any inrode or breaking vpon their neighbours.
Diuerse learned men namelie historiographers liued in these daies, as
William Malmesburie, Henrie Huntington, Simon Dunelmensis, Galfridus
Arturius, otherwise called Monumetensis, Caradoc Lancarnauensis,
William Reuellensis, among whom Thurstan archbishop of Yorke is not to
be forgotten, besides many more who in diuerse sciences were verie
expert and skilfull, as by treatises of their setting fóorth to the
world hath sufficientlie appeared.
Thus far Stephan of Bullongne.
Transcriber's notes
There are no footnotes in the original. The original spelling and
punctuation have been retained, with the exception of obvious errors
which have been corrected by reference to the 1587 edition of which
the original is a transcription.
[1] Original reads 'hauiug'; corrected to 'hauing'.
[2] Original reads ' o'; corrected to 'to'.
[3] Original reads 'strenghthen'; corrected to 'strengthen'.
[4] Original reads 'insused'; corrected to 'insued'.