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ROGER OF WENDOVER Flowers of history. The history of England from the descent of the saxons to A.D. 1235. vol.1

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ROGER OF WENDOVER
Flowers of history. The history of England from the descent of the saxons to A.D. 1235. vol.1
page 364



A.D. 1089.] DEATH OF LANFRANC. Of a rich man, who was eaten by mice. A.D. 1089. Odo, a monk of Cluny, and afterwards bishop of Ostia, was made pope by the name of Urban, in opposition to pope Clement and Henry the emperor. In the time of this pope, a certain German count, who was a most bitter enemy of the emperor Henry, whilst sitting one day at table in a gloomy state of mind, though surrounded by numbers of servants, was suddenly so surrounded by mice that there appeared to be no way of escape. So great was the number of the animals that one would hardly suppose any place on earth could have furnished so many. The attendants tried to drive them away with sticks and whatever came to hand, but in vain, 'for they could not save their master from being attacked by the teeth of the furious animals, against which their blows seemed to have no effect. A t length they carried the count down to the sea-side, and rowed with him out to sea ; but even thus he could not escape ; for the mice plunged into the sea, and bit through the sides of the boat ; upon which, the servants, seeing that they should certainly be drowned, put back to the land, but the mice got there first, attacked the count as soon as he came on shore, and satisfied their hunger by totally devouring him. Of the death of Lanfranc, archbishop of Canterbury. In the same year died Lanfranc,* archbishop of Canterbury, who, besides other deeds of piety, repaired the larger church dedicated to Christ at Canterbury, built the offices of the monks, and restored the privileges of the church, which had been impaired by the neglect of his predecessors. He also reclaimed many estates which had been alienated, restored to the monastery twenty-five manors, built two guest-houses outside the city, assigning to them a sufficient sum out of his own revenues ; he restored the church of Rochester, and ordained Hernost, a monk of Bee, to be bishop therein ; at whose consecration this verse was found on the altar, agents who guarded the sea coast, destroyed, either by the sword or by shipwreck, some men whom duke Robert had sent to help the conspirators, some of whom, eager to escape, plunged into the waves, to prevent the enemy from taking them alive. * Lanfranc died May 24—28, 10S9.


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