of IfUiSamott&'s Sra&c. 109 



seek a marriage elsewhere, because you find that you 

 have come hither in vain." On hearing this, Reimund 

 de Burgh became exceedingly crest-fallen, and, having 

 remounted his gaily trapped courser, he hurried from the 

 castle with his train.* 



The earl returned to his home on the fourth of the 

 ides of January, and went the following day to see the 

 king, who was then ill at Marlborough. He made a 

 heavy complaint to his royal nephew, that base men had 

 been allowed to insult his countess with proffers unworthy 

 of her. He had been abroad, he said, and suffered much 

 in the king's service, and it seemed hard that advantage 

 should be taken of his protracted absence by the Justi- 

 ciary de Burgh, to send a certain low-bred man, who was 

 not even, a knight, into the presence of his wife, with the 

 intention of constraining her to an unlawful marriage, had 

 she not most nobly repelled him. He added, moreover, 

 that unless the king caused full reparation to be made by 

 the justiciary, for so great an outrage, he would himself seek 

 redress, though it should involve a serious disturbance of 

 the country. The king, who was greatly rejoiced to see his 

 uncle, well knowing that he was both powerful and valor- 

 ous, did not attempt to excuse himself, and the Justiciary 

 de Burg being present at the interview, wisely resolved 



to atone for his misconduct, by confessing that the fault. 



rf 

 rested with him. He besought the earl to pass the mat- 



ter over, and to accept, as a proof of his forgiveness, 

 * History of LacoCk. Matt. Paris. 



