In the thrée and twentith yeare of his reigne, king Henrie held his Christmasse at Winchester, where a great grudge arose betwixt him and Gilbert the earle of Penbroke, by reason that the said earle with his seruants (hauing tipstaues) in their comming to the court, were not suffered to enter within the gates but were kept backe by the porters and other. Of which iniurie when he had complained, the king made him such an ouerthwart answer, that the earle perceiuing him not to like verie well of his seruice, departed foorthwith, and rode into the North countrie, so that from that daie foorth, neither he nor his brother Walter loued the king as they ought to haue doone. Soone after this departure of earle Gilbert, vpon Candlemas day the king gaue the earldome of Leicester vnto Simon de Mountford, and inuested him thereinto, hauing first pacified earle Almerike that was elder brother to the same Simon. Yet about the beginning of the next August, the king was so incensed against earle Simon, that both he and his wife were glad to get them ouer into France, till the kings wrath were more pacified. [Sidenote: The birth of king Edward the first.] [Sidenote: _Polydor._] [Sidenote: A strange star.] Vpon the sixtéenth day of Iune, the kings eldest sonne named Edward, and after surnamed Longshanke by the Scots in mockage, bicause he was a tall and slender man, was borne at Westminster, who after his fathers decease, succéeded him in the kingdome. ¶ Before the birth of this Edward, there appeared earlie in the morning certeine daies togither before the sunne was vp, a star of a large compasse, the which with swift course was caried through a long circuit of the aire, sometimes shewing as it had borne fire with it, and sometimes leauing as it were smoke behind it, so that it was after iudged, that the great déeds which were to be atchiued by the same Edward, were by this wonderfull constellation foreshewed and signified. [Sidenote: _Matth. Paris._] [Sidenote: Ranulfe Briton taken out of his house, and led to the tower.] About the same time, by reason of an accusation made by a prisoner against Ranulfe Briton (sometime the kings chancellour, but now leading a priuat life, being a canon of the cathedrall church of S. Paule in London) the same Ranulfe (by commandement from the king sent to the maior of the citie William Ioiner) was taken out of his house, had to the tower, and there imprisoned, whervpon the deane of Paules, maister G. Lucie, in absence of the bishop accurssed all those that had presumptuouslie attempted to laie hands on the said Ranulfe, and further, he put his owne church of saint Paule vnder interdiction. [Sidenote: Great raine.]