Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 3.djvu/28

14 waste Bray and Talou, and the whole of the Roumois, with sword and fire, and from thence continue their ravages, until they reached the sea. I therefore, upon receipt of this intelligence, without delay set out to meet the foe, placed myself with my forces along the bank of the Seine, continually in front of the king's tents, and wheresoever he strove to depopulate my land, with arms and iron I prepared to encounter him. Meanwhile I sent Robert, comte of Eu, and Roger de Mortemer, and other most valiant knights, against Odo and his legions. Who, whilst near a castle, which is called Mortemer, they rencountered the French, the troops of both armies being ready, a terrible battle was fought with great effusion of blood on both sides. On the one party the Gauls were furious, animated with the desire of winning the land; on the other the Normans dealt blows in rage, burning with the hope of escaping defeat, and of defending themselves and their hearths. At length, by the divine aid, the Normans conquered and the French fled. This battle they fought beyond the Seine, in winter before Lent, the eighth year after the battle of Val-es-dunes. Then Guy, comte of Ponthieu, was made prisoner, and Odo, with Reginald and others, who were fleet of foot, was routed. Comte Rodulf likewise would have been in like manner a prisoner, unless Roger, the leader of my forces, had favoured him; for he had long since done homage to him. Wherefore in this his necessity he rendered to him a fair and sufficient service, in as much as he protected him for three days in his castle, and afterward conducted him safe to his home. For this offence I ejected Roger from Normandy, but soon after, being reconciled, I restored to him the rest of his honours, save the castle of Mortemer, in which he had saved my enemy, and this I took from him rightly, as I believe. Yet nevertheless I gave it to William de Warren, his kinsman, a loyal youth." The same writer also mentions William de Warren as having been present at the battle of Hastings.

The word used by this writer to denote the degree of relationship between Roger de Mortemer and his nephew William de Warren is simply consanguineus; yet the continuator of William of Jumieges describes him as son of the first William de Warren, through ignorance of his real descent, in this passage, at Rogerius de Mortuomari, filius primi Willelmi de Warrenna, monasterium sancti Victoris in proprio solo fundavit.