in castles, which rendered his authority nearly unavailing, he gave them high subject of dissatisfaction, by introducing into his dominions many of those bands of foreign mercenaries, which at that time were springing up in the north of Europe. It so happened that at the same period, a man was found worthy to command such troops; though it is but just to acknowledge that Stephen possessed chivalrous qualities, which make us wonder at his selection of a person every way so infamous as William of Ipres. That leader was the illegitimate descendant of one of the Sovereigns of Flanders, and had been deeply implicated in the murder of his own first cousin, Count of that country, called Charles the Good. His guilt seems to have been proved beyond all doubt; and, driven forth from his native country and his possessions, by the indignation of the king of France, he had put himself at the head of various troops of adventurers; and now sold his services and theirs, to the usurping King of England. General indignation was excited in the nation, by the introduction of such troops under such a leader; and whether it was in Normandy or in England, that William of Ipres appeared, he was sure to be met by the opposition of the British and Norman Barons. The mercenary leader nevertheless increased daily in the favour of the King, monopolizing a great part of the bounties of that monarch; and had Stephen followed his advice, that prince, though he certainly would not thereby have done his cause

any service with those who were anxious to see their country governed according to law and justice, would, in all probability, have secured his power as a tyrant and usurper; for there can be no doubt, that the councils of William of Ipres would have removed from the King's path the Earl of Gloucester, and many other Nobles, supposed or known to be disaffected.

Stephen did not, however, pursue the line of conduct pointed out; and after having visited Normandy, and endeavoured to render his hold upon that duchy more firm, the King returned to England, called back by incursions on his northern frontier, which threatened to shake his throne itself. These were attacks made by David, King of Scotland, under the pretence of serving his niece, the Empress; but if we may judge from the result, more with a view to plunder and conquest on his own account, than to the benefit of his relation.

We shall not pursue these insignificant wars, nor the desultory struggles which Stephen maintained with some of his Barons; but shall proceed at once to notice the general causes which prepared the way for the return of Matilda to England. At the outset of his career, in chastising refractory nobles, and in punishing even remarkable criminals, Stephen shewed a degree of lenity, which was impolitic from its excess. The consequences were such as might be expected: his authority was despised, and when at length he proceeded to exercise vi

gour, which he did with the same indiscretion that he had formerly shewn in his clemency, he was naturally accused of injustice and oppression. Liberal of promises, his promises were never kept; and in every respect he disappointed those who had supported him. At the same time, the natural versatility of popular affection abandoned the successful monarch, and the eyes of men, either reasonably or unreasonably dissatisfied, turned towards the absent princess, whom they had before neglected.

To complete the measure of his imprudence, Stephen became irritable under the discontent he saw growing around him. Intrigues, as he well knew, were opened with Matilda; those who did not actually promise her support, did not fail to vent their murmurs in such a manner as to reach her ears; many were really disposed to break the oaths they had taken to Stephen, as well as those they had broken to Matilda, and many others Stephen suspected who probably were not guilty. A coolness had risen up between him and his brother, the Bishop of Winchester. The Bishop of Salisbury, who might be said to have placed him on the throne, did not enjoy under Stephen that authority he had possessed under Henry; the Clergy were dissatisfied on account of many evasions which appeared in the execution of the royal promises; and it only wanted some violent aggression on the part of the King, to rouse that important body against him.

The aggression soon took place. Instigated by

his own apprehensions and suspicions, not less than by the suggestions of his foreign favourites, the King learnt to regard the Bishop of Salisbury as a concealed and dangerous enemy. It is probable, indeed, that the Prelate and his relations did hold some communication with Matilda; but instead of attempting by moderate means to frustrate any machinations against himself, or to win back to his interest the disaffected churchmen, Stephen, to crush their intrigues, and to punish their falling off, determined rashly upon an act which was certain to array the whole body of the English Church against him, if it did not even call down upon his head the thunders of the Roman see.

Upon a frivolous pretence, he caused the Bishops of Salisbury and Lincoln to be arrested in the town of Oxford. The Bishop of Ely had been marked out for the same fate; but, warned in time, he fled to Devizes, in the strong castle of which town he prepared to resist the authority of the King. By order of Stephen, the Bishop of Salisbury having been kept without food, was brought in a famishing condition under the walls of Devizes, and shewn to his nephew, who was at the same time informed that his relation and benefactor would be subjected to the terrible death of starvation, unless the place was immediately given up to the royal troops.

This intimation produced the intended effect; the castle surrendered, and all the towns which the

Bishop and his family possessed fell into the hands of the King.

As a natural consequence, the highest degree of indignation was excited in the Clergy throughout the country. The Bishop of Winchester himself earnestly and repeatedly entreated his brother to abandon measures of so dangerous a tendency, to restore the surrendered towns and castles to the Bishops, and to remove by concession, the prejudicial impression which his violent conduct had produced. All persuasions failed, however, and as a Legate of the Roman church, with which dignity he was now invested, the Bishop of Winchester summoned a synod to take into consideration the act which had been committed. Against this synod Stephen appealed to the Pope, and forced his brother to dissolve the assembly, by means very nearly approaching to violence. The Bishop of Winchester was of course offended and angry, and now found himself arrayed against his brother by the very acts of Stephen himself.

Such was the state of the King's affairs in England, when Matilda, who had remained more than three years apparently without a chance of forming a party in her father's territories, set sail for this country, accompanied by her brother, Robert Earl of Gloucester, and one hundred and forty knights. The Earl indeed had added his name to the roll of Barons who swore fealty to Stephen at Oxford; but in the oath he took he expressly stipulated