140 noe EU OF VF.XDOVF.R. [A.D . IlOó. thousand persons were drowned. Rut notwithstanding all these things the duke's anger was not averted, hut rather was increased, and at length he himself was struck by a dreadful divine visitation ; for on St. Stephen's day as he was taking recreation on horseback with his attendants, the horse on which he rode kicked violently and inflicted an incurable wound with its foot on the leg of the rider, for immediately the leg and foot together turned black and rose to a swelling, which no physician's poulticing could reduce, and the duke was most unbearably tortured by the infernal lire, as it is called, in addition to the swelling. At length being unable to endure this torture he. ordered his foot to be amputated, he himself at the same time taking an axe, every one (dse refusing with horror; but he did not by this escape the agonies of pain, for by and by his thigh with the rest of his body was eaten away by the. same fire. At length, however, he acknowledged the wicked crime which he had committed out of malice against the king and his followers, and on the persuasion of the bishops who came to him, he gave up the hostages, and the remainder of the money due for the ransom of the king, and gave his word that he would also return what he had received, and promised henceforward to be obedient to the judgment of the church. The bishops on this seeing him in such a state of misery and sutl'ering absolved him from the ban of excommunication, and admitted him to the communion of the faithful, after which be expired in dreadful agony. For a long while his body remained imburied, until it swarmed with horrible worms, because his son refused to fulfil his father's command, but at length being forced to do so by his friends he released the hostages, and allowed them to return to their own country. l/otc the emperor Henry, siibitued the kingdom of Apulia, About this time the emperor Henry obtained possession of the kingdom of Apulia and Sicily, Tanered, who had unjustly succeeded king William, lieing dead ; for this same emperor had married king William's sister, and to her the kingdom of right belonged at her brother's death. (if the fearful invasion of Spain l.y the Saracens. At this time the king of Morocco, with thirty chiefs, and