A..D. 1216\] BARONS PERSONALLY EXCOMMI.MCATEn. .'J."3 them. To William earl of Albemarle lie gave charge of the castles of Rockingham ami Sauvey, and a castle called Riham belonging to William de Cole-ville. To Kalkasius he entrusted the castles of Oxford, Northampton, Bedford, and Catnhridtre. 'J'o Ralph lo Tyris he gave the castle of Berkhampstead : and the castle of Hertford was given into the custody of Walter de ( îodarville, a knight in the service of Kalku.-ius. To these and to all others throughout England the king gave orders, as they valued their bodies and their property, to destroy all the property of the barons, namely, their castles, buildings, towns, parks, warrens, lakes, and mills, and as he had begun, to finish the business with equal cruelty; they not daring to oppose the king's commands exercised such cruelty in the duty assigned to them, that in sight of all they made a lamentable spectacle of the houses and other property of the barons.* And thus the king returning from the north arranged everything at his own pleasure, so that there-only remained in the power of the barons the two castles of Moutsorrel and another belonging to Robert de Roos in the county of York. Having subdued all this country with dreadful slaughter, he went along the boundaries of Wales to the southern provinces, and exercising his cruelty on all who opposed him, he besieged and took several of the castles of his enemies ; some of these he destroyed and others he garrisoned with his own soldiers. Of the especial excommunication of the barons. About this time the Knglish barons, who had been formerly excommunicated in general by the supreme pout id' at the. king of England's suit, were, by the following letov, excommunicated by him by name, and individually, in the following terms, " Innocent, bishop, to the abbat of Abingdon, the archdeacon of l'oictou, and master Robert an official of the church of Norwich, greeting. We wish it to come to * Paris adds :—" As lie who was not very wicked seemed good, ami he who diti not do as much injury as ho could did none, it seemed to 1Madvantageous. The king then, mused to :i high piteli of rage, marched to the cisinarine districts of Scotland, and after taking the eastie of Iterwiek and others, which seemed impregnable, he taunted king Alexander ihercwith, and alluded to his red hair, saving, * Thus we will rou-s- the red fox from his lair.' Ami there he would have spread slaughter and destruction, if he had not been recalled by urgent necessity." VOL. 11. A A