But this legat shewed himselfe a verie sober and discréet person, not so couetous as his predecessors, in so much that he refused diuerse gifts which were offered vnto him, though some he receiued, and indéed commanded the other to be reserued for him. He also distributed liberallie the vacant rents vnto such as he brought with him, as well persons worthie as vnworthie, and pacified such controuersies as were sproong betwixt the nobles and péeres of the realme, so that he made them fréends. ¶ An act memorable & to be kept in record, that the instrument and seruant of so bad a maister as he serued, namelie the pope, should be the procurer of so good a worke: considering that from the sée of Rome full tides and violent streames of seditions haue flowed, and verie seldome any occasion or means made to plant peace among men, which is the daughter of loue, and the worthiest thing that is, as one saith verie well in these words: Gignit amor pacem, pax est dignissima rerum. [Sidenote: A tournie at Blie.] [Sidenote: Earle Bigot.] The bishop of Winchester, the earle of Kent, Gilbert Basset, Stephan Siward & others were by him accorded, who had borne secret grudge ech to other a long time, which hatred was at point to haue broken foorth, and shewed it selfe in perilous wise at a tornie holden at Blie in the beginning of Lent, where the Southernmen stroue against the Northerne men, and in the end the Southerne men preuailed, and tooke diuerse of their aduersaries, so that it séemed not to be a triumphant iustes, but rather a sharpe challenge and incounter betwixt enimies. But amongst all others, earle Bigot bare himselfe verie stoutlie. [Sidenote: An. Reg. 22.] [Sidenote: The legat holdeth a synod at London.] [Sidenote: 1238.] [Sidenote: The legat commeth to Oxford.] [Sidenote: A fraie betwixt the legats men, and the scholers of Oxford.] After that the legat had thus agréed the noblemen, he assembled a synod at London, the morrow after the octaues of S. Martin, wherein manie ordinances were newlie constituted for the state of the cleargie, but not altogither verie acceptable to diuerse yoong préests and scholers (as some write) in somuch that the legat afterwards comming to Oxford, and lodging in the abbie of Osnie, it chanced as certeine scholers pressed to the gates thinking to come in and doo their dutie (as they tooke the matter) vnto the legat, the porter kept them backe, and gaue them ouerthwart words, wherevpon they rushed in vpon him, & so began a fraie betwixt them and the legats men, who would haue beaten them backe. [Sidenote: A cookes almes.] [Sidenote: The legats cooke slaine.]