[791] Henry de Soilli (or Sully), son of Stephen's brother William. I find him attesting a charter of Stephen abroad, subsequently, as "H. de Soilli, nepote regis." He was a monk, and failing to obtain the bishopric of Salisbury or the archbishopric of York, in 1140, was consoled with the Abbey of Fécamp. [792] For if he had even been then a count over sea, he would have ranked, like the Count of Meulan, among English earls. [793] "Fuit quoque Henricus filius regis Scottiæ ad curiam Stephani regis Angliæ in proxima Pascha, quam apud Londoniam festive tenuit, cum maximo honore susceptus, atque ad mensam ad dexteram ipsius regis sedit. Unde et Willelmus archiepiscopus Cantuarensis se a rege subtraxit, et quidam proceres Angliæ erga regem indignati coram ipso Henrico calumpnias intulerant" (_Ric. Hexham_). Among these "proceres" was the Earl of Chester. [794] _Sarum Charters and Documents_ (Rolls Series), pp. 6, 7. [795] Afterwards Bishop of Durham. [796] Afterwards Bishop of London. [797] Afterwards the celebrated Bishop of Ely. [798] See Appendix D: "The 'Fiscal' Earls." APPENDIX D. THE "FISCAL" EARLS. (See p. 53.) "Stephen's earldoms are a matter of great constitutional importance." Such are the words of the supreme authority on the constitutional history of the time. I propose, therefore, to deal with this subject in detail and at some length, and to test the statements of the chroniclers—too readily, as I think, accepted—by the actual facts of the case, so far as they can now be recovered. The two main propositions advanced by our historians on this subject are: (1) that Stephen created many new earls, who were deposed by Henry II. on his accession;[799] (2) that these new earls, having no means of their own, had to be provided for "by pensions on the Exchequer."[800] That these propositions are fairly warranted by the statements of one or two chroniclers may be at once frankly conceded; that they are true in fact, we shall now find, may be denied without hesitation. Let us first examine Dr. Stubbs's view as set forth in his own words:— "Not satisfied with putting this weapon into the hands of his enemies, he provoked their pride and jealousy by conferring the title of earl upon some of those whom he trusted most implicitly, irrespective of the means which they might have of supporting their new dignity. Their poverty was relieved by pensions drawn from the Exchequer.... Stephen, almost before the struggle for the crown had begun, attempted to strengthen his party by a creation of new earls. To these the third penny of the county was given, and their connection with the district from which the title was taken was generally confined to this comparatively small endowment, the rest of their provision being furnished by pensions on the Exchequer" (_Const. Hist._, i. 324, 362).