Page:A literal translation of the Saxon Chronicle.djvu/249

237 and silver, and cared not how sinfully it was gotten, so that it came into their hands. The King sold out his lands as dear as dearest he might, and then some other man came and bid more than the first had given, and the King granted them to him who offered the larger sum; then came a third and bid yet more, and the King made over the lands to him who offered most of all; and he cared not how iniquitously his Sheriffs extorted money from the miserable people, nor how many unlawful things they did. And the more men spake of rightful laws, the more lawlessly did they act. They raised oppressive taxes, and so many were their unjust deeds, it were hard to number them. And the same year, before harvest, St. Paul's holy minster, the residence of the Bishops of London, was burnt, together with many other monasteries, and the greater and handsomer part of the whole city. At the same time likewise almost all the principal towns of England were burnt down. O how sad and deplorable was this year, which brought forth so many calamities.

The same year also, before the Assumption of St. Mary, King William marched with an army out of Normandy into France, and made war upon his own Lord King Philip, and slew a great