and a careful deliberation was entered into on the matter. At this council, by the management of Earl Richard, and by the wise and prudent intervention of some other nobles on both sides, terms were agreed on between the two kings; for the king of Scotland, a good, upright, pious and liberal-minded man, was justly beloved by all the English, as well as his own people. He also had a very numerous and powerful army, consisting of a thousand armed knights, well mounted, although not on Spanish or Italian, or other costly horses, and well protected by armour of steel or linen, and about a hundred thousand foot-soldiers, who were all of one mind, and who, having made confession, and been encouraged by the consoling words of their preachers, that they were about to fight in a just cause on behalf of their country, had very little fear of death. In order, however, to prevent the blood of so many Christians being shed, and calling on the Lord for vengeance, and thereby giving offence to him into whose hands it is dreadful to fall, peace was happily re-established, as the underwritten charter testifies.

About this time, namely on the day after the feast of St. Lawrence, the illustrious baron Richard de Stuteville died.

The king of Scotland's charter.

Alexander, by the grace of God, king of Scotland, to all the faithful followers of Christ who shall see or hear the contents of this instrument, greeting.-We would have you to know that we, on our own behalf, and on behalf of our heirs, have agreed and given our promise to our well-beloved and liege lord, Henry the Third, by the grace of God, illustrious king of England, lord of Ireland, duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, and count of Anjou, and to his heirs, that we will for ever keep good faith with him, and observe due affection for him; also that we will never, ourselves, or by means of any other persons on our behalf, enter into any alliance with the enemies of our said lord the king of England or his heirs, either to bring about or to make war, whereby injury may or can in any way accrue to them or their kingdoms of England and Ireland, or to any other territories of theirs, unless they shall injure us; and that those agreements are to remain in their full force between us and our said lord the king of England, which we lately entered into at York, in the pre

A.D. 1244.] THE KING OF SCOTLAND'S CHARTER.

25

sence of Otto, cardinal deacon of St. Nicholas in the Tullian prison, the then legate in England of the Apostolic See; saving also the covenants made on the marriage being contracted between our son and the daughter of our said lord the king of England. And that this our agreement and promise, on behalf of ourselves and our heirs, may be strengthened and confirmed, we have caused our doorkeeper Alan, Henry Baliol, David Lindsay, and William Giffard, to swear, on our soul, that we will strictly and in good faith observe all the aforesaid conditions. We have also caused a like oath to be taken by the venerable fathers David, William, Geoffrey, and Clement, the bishops of St. Andrews, Glasgow, Dunkald, and Dumblane. We have also caused an oath to be taken by the following nobles, our faithful subjects, Patrick earl of Dunbar, Malcolm earl of Fife, Malise earl of Strathearn, Walter Comyn of Monteith, William earl of Mar, Alexander earl of Buchan, David Hastings earl of Athol, Robert Bruce, Alan our doorkeeper, Henry Baliol, Roger de Mowbray, Laurence de Abrinthia, Richard Comyn, David Lindsay, Richard Seward, William Lindsay, Walter of Moray, William Giffard, Nicholas de Sully, William Oldbridge, William Bevire, Aleome de Mesuc, David Graham, and Richard Smingham, who have all made oath to the following effect; namely, that if we or our heirs shall act contrary to the terms of the aforesaid agreement and promise, which God forbid, they and their heirs will give no advice or assistance to us and our heirs contrary to the aforesaid agreement and promise, and, as far as they can prevent it, will not allow it to be afforded us by others; but that they and their heirs will, with respect to us and our heirs, make it their business to see that the aforesaid terms be strictly and faithfully observed by us and our heirs, and also by them and their heirs. In witness whereof we, as well as the aforesaid prelates, earls, and barons, have confirmed this writing by the affixing of our seals thereto. Witness the prelates, earls, and barons above mentioned. In the year of our reign, &c. &c." To this were at once affixed the seals of Alexander, king of Scotland, William de Bevire, William Oldbridge, William Lindsay, and Stephen Smingham. The seals of the others were afterwards affixed. The document was sent to the king of England at the following Christmas, in the

hands of the prior of Tynemouth, who had diligently used his best endeavours to effect this arrangement, to the honour of both parties.

This writing, as well as the others mentioned below, was, in order that it might be the better confirmed for ever, sent to the pope, in a letter to the following effect:

The pope's confirmation of the above.

"To the most holy father in Christ Innocent, by the grace of God supreme pontiff, Alexander, by the same grace, king of Scotland, Earl Patrick, the earl of Strathearn, the earl of Levenath, the earl of Anegria, the earl of Mera, the earl of Athol, the earl of Ross, the earl of Caithness, the earl of Bute, Roger de Mowbray, Laurence of Alberinth,, Peter de Mauvere, Richard Comyn, William Oldbridge, Robert Bruce, Roger Avenel, Nicholas of Sulling, William Murray, of Dunfeld, William Muref,...of Petene, John Bissett the younger, William Lindsay, John de Vaux, David Lindsay, William Giffard, Duncan de Ergatila, John de Matervalle, and Aylmer his son Roger earl of Winchester, H. earl of Oxford, W. de Vescy, Richard Seward, William de Roos, Roger de Clare, Henry, son of the count de Britter, Eustace de Stuteville, Malcolm earl of Fife, the earl of Menethshire, Walter FitzAlan, Walter Oliphard, Bernard Fraser, Henry Baliol, David Comyn, David Marshall, David FitzRalph, William de Forthere, John Baliol, and Robert de Roos, Health, and all due respect and honour.-We beg to inform your holiness, that we have made oath on our bodies, before the venerable father Otto, cardinal deacon of St. Nicholas in the Tullian prison, legate for the time being of the Apostolic See in England, Scotland, and Ireland, and have also made a charter, the commencement of which is as follows: Know all present and to come, that it has been thus agreed in the presence of his grace Otto, &c. &c.' Which charter, attested by our own handwriting, is left in the possession of his majesty the king of England. And also another charter, commencing, would have you all to know, &c. &c.' Whereas from the terms of our aforesaid obligations it is binding upon us, we have submitted ourselves to your jurisdiction, in order that you may have power to restrain us and our heirs by the Church's censure, if we should at any time act in opposition

6

We

A.D. 1244.]

INCURSIONS OF THE WELSH.

27

to the aforesaid terms of peace; and if it at any time happens that some of our subjects, or all or any one of them, should rashly presume to contravene them, or attempt such presumption, or shall attempt to do so, whereas from this, serious peril would arise to our soul and those of our heirs, and no slight harm would accrue to our persons and property; we beg you, holy father, to give orders to some one of the suffragans of the archbishop of Canterbury, to compel us to the observance of the aforesaid terms of peace, as is more fully contained in the instruments executed in that matter; otherwise, to order whatever may be according to canonical rules with respect to the said terms of peace, checking gainsayers, &c. And for the fulfilment of this our petition we have to the present writing affixed our seals." When these arrangements were completed, the kings of England and Scotland became friends, and it is to be hoped, inseparable ones, without any pretence or quibbling contentious speeches. King Henry then took leave of the king of Scotland, and went to the southern parts of England, and it was immediately thought that this army was to march against the Welsh, and the king of Scotland betook himself to the interior of his territories. At the departure of the king of England from Newcastle-on-Tyne, his army was reckoned to consist of about five thousand well-armed knights, besides a very numerous and powerful body of foot-soldiers.

Of the incursions of the Welsh.

During all this time, the Welsh, swarming from their lurking-places, like bees, spread fire and slaughter, and unceasingly ravaged the countries adjoining their own; the king, however, who was hastening on his return to London, would not, although he heard of these excesses, turn out of his way and proceed there with the army he then had ready prepared; but, following the woman's plan, he hurried to Westminster, to his usual retirement and pleasures, sending three hundred knights, under the command of Hubert Fitz Matthew, with the necessary money and supplies for the road, to check the insolence of the Welsh. Before, however, he reached London, the Welsh, assuming boldness because the king had dismissed his army, and was indulging in retirement, and had not, as they feared would be the case,

united the Scotch army with his own and attacked them, boldly assaulted the army of the English nobles on the borders, namely that belonging to the earl of Hereford, who had been the cause and fomenter of all the hatred and discord, because he would not give his third sister, who was married to David, her third portion; and they also attacked the army belonging to Ralph and Mortimer, and after cutting two brave and noble knights to pieces, cutting off the head of a third, slaying about one hundred foot-soldiers, and putting the whole English army into great confusion, they retreated again to their hiding-places, rejoicing in their victory. The said Robert on hearing of this, marched on the day afterwards against them, accompanied by three hundred knights in his pay, thinking to surround the Welsh, and attack them in that condition; but, being surprised by the enemy, he was defeated, and retreated, not without great loss of men and horses, to his own towns, and even there was hardly safe from his enemies.

How Peter, an archbishop of Russia, was put to flight by the Tartars.

Whilst the die of fate was thus revolving the affairs of the world, a certain archbishop of Russia, named Peter, an honourable, devout, and trustworthy man, as far as could be judged, was driven from his territory and his archbishopric by the Tartars, and came into the Cisalpine provinces, to obtain advice and assistance, and comfort in his trouble, if, by the gift of God, the Roman church and the kind favour of the princes of those parts could assist him. On his being asked about the conduct of the Tartars, as far as he had experienced, he thus replied: "I believe that they are the remains of the Madianites, who fled from before the face of Gideon, to the most remote parts of the east and the north, and took refuge in that place of horror and vast solitude, which is called Etren." They had twelve leaders, the chief of whom was called Tartar Khan, and from him they derive the name of Tartars, though some say they are so called from Tarrachonta, from whom descended Chiarthan, who had three sons, the eldest named Thesir Khan, the second Churi Khan, and the third Bathatar Khan, who all, although they were born and brought up amongst the most lofty, and, as it were, impenetrable mountains, rude, lawless, and inhuman