Page:A literal translation of the Saxon Chronicle.djvu/298

286 calends of January the heaven appeared very red, as if it were burning. And on the octave of St. John the Evangelist's day there was a great earthquake in Lombardy, by which many monasteries, towers, and houses were thrown down, and the inhabitants suffered greatly. This was a very bad year for the corn, through the rains which ceased scarcely at all. And Gilbert Abbot of Westminster died on the 8th of the ides of December, and Farits Abbot of Abingdon died on the 7th of the calends of Blarch. And the same year

1118.

All this year King Henry was in Normandy, being at war with the King of France, and with the Earl of Anjou, and with the Earl of Flanders, And the Earl of Flanders was wounded in Normandy, on which he returned to Flanders. The King was greatly impoverished by this war, and lost much money and land, and he was most harrassed by his own men, who continually revolted and betrayed him, and went over to his enemies, and treacherously gave up their castles in ihe King's despite. England paid dearly for all this by the manifold taxes which ceased not all this year. This year, one evening in Epiphany week, there was dreadful lightning which caused