228 Bishops of Old Sarum. 



the acts and doings of Richard [Poors] , of blessed memory. Bishop 

 of Sarum, that in olden days the Canons of the church of Sarum 

 were wont to reside within the bounds [infra sep^.a] of the castle of 

 Old Sarum, and so resided up to the time of the above-named Bishop. 

 But in his time there sprung up a persecution [persecutio'] through- 

 out the kingdom of England from the Germans \_Alle?nanni^ and 

 others. In consequence of this, the King of England gave com- 

 mand to all his sheriffs and castellans that they should carefully 

 guard the royal places [loca reffia] , and preserve them for the royal 

 use, all privileges of ecclesiastical right notwithstanding. Where- 

 upon the King's officers, acting on such instructions, sought how 

 they might by some contrivance get rid of the Canons heretofore 

 residing within the King's castle. And this they managed in the 

 following way. 



" It chanced that on one Rogation-tide, all the Canons together 

 with their attendants went in procession from the close of Sarum 

 to the church of St. Martin, and, the Rogation-office being completed, 

 were returning in due time to the castle, but the officers of the King 

 closed the gates against them and would allow none of them to 

 enter. Whereupon, as children to a father, and disciples to a master, 

 sundry of the Canons went to their Bishop who was then at Wilton, 

 telling him of the harsh treatment they had met with, and in treating 

 him, as far as he could, with his fatherly care to obtain for them a 

 remedy. 



" The Bishop after listening to them is said to have replied, with 

 tears, ' When they persecute you in one city flee ye to another,^ — and 

 then he added, 'I vow and promise to Almighty God and the Blessed 

 Virgin Mary, that, life being granted to me, I will labour earnestly 

 to build an abode [cameram] and a Church for the chaste Virgin, 

 the Mother of Christ, away from the King's castle, and removed 

 from the royal power ; and you, my children, bear ye your burden 

 yet a little while, for verily the days are evil.^ And thus he com- 

 forted them. 



" After these things, the Bishop went to the King of England 

 praying permission to build for himself and his clerks [suis clericis] 

 a new church in honour of the Blessed Virgin, allegiug the injury 



