Great Britain -- History -- Anglo-Saxon period, 449-1066 -- Sources
This year, at Lammas, King Henry went over sea: and on the second
day, as he lay asleep in the ship, the day was darkened universally,
and the sun became as if it were a moon three nights old, with the
stars shining round it at mid-day. Men greatly marvelled, and great
fear fell on them, and they said that some great event should follow
thereafter--and so it was, for the same year the King died in Normandy,
on the day after the feast of St. Andrew. Soon did this land fall into
trouble, for every man quickly began to rob his neighbour as he might.
Then King Henry’s sons and his friends took his body, and brought it
to England, and buried it at Reading. He was a good man, and great
was the awe of him; no man durst ill treat another in his time: he
made peace for men and deer. Whoso bare his burden of gold and silver,
no man durst say to him aught but good. In the mean time his nephew
Stephen de Blois had arrived in England, and he came to London, and the
inhabitants received him, and sent for the Archbishop William Corboyl,
who consecrated him King on midwinter-day. In this King’s time was all
discord, and evil-doing, and robbery; for the powerful men who had kept
aloof, soon rose up against him; the first was Baldwin de Redvers,
and he held Exeter against the King, and Stephen besieged him, and
afterwards Baldwin made terms with him. Then the others took their
castles, and held them against the King, and David King of Scotland
betook him to Wessien,[BJ] but, notwithstanding his array, messengers
passed between them, and they came together, and made an agreement,
though it availed little.
1137.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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