30 Malmeshury. 



Pinkney, prisoner. But Stephen himself coming to the rescue of 

 the town, once more got it back into his own hands. The chronicle 

 of these events, in the first year of that war, suddenly stops short, 

 and 80 must we. 



After some years the lady who was contending for the Throne, 

 won it, but not giving satisfaction was obliged to fly the kingdom ; 

 and in 1152 her son Henry of Anjou arrived to try his fortune in 

 claiming the Crown. He lauded in the middle of winter, and the 

 very first place to which he turned his attention was Malmeshury 

 Castle, of which the governor under Stephen was one Jordan. On 

 the eve of the Epiphany Henry attacked the town, and took all 

 except the keep of the Castle, afterwards called Jordan's tower. 

 This he tried to starve out, but did not succeed : and in the mean- 

 while King Stephen, hearing of the danger, returns and pitches 

 his camp near Malmeshury. 



So here we have the two rivals face to face, and next day is to 

 settle the crown of England. These circumstances justify what 

 was said at the beginning of this paper, that your town of Malmes- 

 hury has, in its day, taken its part in the important events that 

 have happened in this country. Next morning both parties drew 

 out their strength in battle array : on both sides a great display of 

 knights and noble chiefs (says the history), with banners glittering 

 with gold. But it so happened that they could not get at one 

 another, for the river between them was so deeply flooded that 

 nobody dared to ford it. A tempest of rain also blew in the face 

 of Stephen's men, and it was so bitterly cold that they could hardly 

 hold their spears. Under these diflBculties, the weather, which 

 interrupts so manj^ pleasant parties, not appearing likely to increase 

 the comforts of this, they, very wisely, agreed to put it ofi" to a 

 better day. In the meantime, some angel of peace whispered to 

 these men's consciences the folly and the wickedness of their 

 doings, for it is stated by one authority that here, under the very 

 walls of Malmeshury, the two rivals came to a compromise about 

 the succession to the crown. 



The fighting among the men of war was hardly over when the 

 men of peace in, the Abbey were once more drawn into an old and 



