Manuscript: Faustina B. IX

annos pro iusticia decertans regis senioris Anglorum Henrici, uiolentiis in Galliis exulauerat,
innumerabiles etiam ibi pro Christi ecclesia perpessus iniurias, utpote infantibus infra annos
ad ubera pendentibus in cunis, illius secundum carnem propinquis ⁊ ceteris omnibus senibus cum iunio
ribus ab Anglia instante nequissimo regis edicito1 eliminatis, pace tandem inter ipsum ⁊
regem domini pape ⁊ curie Romane necnon Gallicane ecclesie ⁊ maxime pii regis Franciae
Ludovici instantia ad plenum ut putabatur reformata postquam ab eo in osculo pacis fu
erat susceptus, ⁊ in Anglia cum litteris suis liber abire permissus. A domesticis, ⁊ sceleratissi
mis baronibus ⁊ detestandis militibus regis, paucis diebus postquam in suam sedem fue
rat susceptus euolutis seuientis regis ira, ob creditam sibi a domino papa ut dictum le
gationem ⁊ ob episcoporum suorum suspensionem, longe magis dissimili ⁊ sceleratiore modo quam
Herodis in Iesum, uel secundi in Iohanem baptistam, ad mortem contra ius ⁊ fas dampnatus,
in principali totius Anglie sancte Trinitatis ecclesia, ante sanctum altare beati Benedicti, innumera
bilium, martyrum, confessorum, uirginum, utpote in tali ecclesia circumuallatus reliquiis,
quinta die locum suum optinens post natiuitatem Saluatoris, sicut beatus Thomas
apostolus v die, eandem natiuitatem precedit, sequenti scilicet die post natale innocentum
sanctis innocentibus in altera uita copulandus. Sui ipsius imitatus Iesum mortem interfecto
ribus remittens, amputata fere unius ex clericis suis qui crucem preferabat dextera.
Proh dolor ⁊ sicut uerus Christi martyr detruncatur, cuius sanguinis effusionis iniuriam
omnibus linguis inexplicabilem. In carnes impiorum inprimis qui opus abhominabile
perpetrauerunt, preceptum statuerunt, consilium subministrauerunt, assensum prebu
erunt, demum induces ⁊ sequellas omnes assistentes qui huius sceleris scelerum, notitiam
antea habuerunt, uindicet quam totius2 Domini gladius ⁊ redditor altissimus.
Obiit Nicolaus cancellarius regis Scotorum. Obiit Conanus dux Britannie ⁊ comes de Richemunt. Obiit Ferchet
comes de Strathern. Mare uisum est a multis ardere in Anglia. Obiit Radulfus monachus
de Meylros apud Cuprum in patrem eligitur, ⁊ a Ricardo episcopo Sancti Andree in purifi
catione beate Marie apud Coldingham in abbatem benedicitur. Sepulcrum pii patris nostri
dompni Walleui abbatis secundi de Melros a bone memorie Inger’ Glasguensi episcopo ⁊ iiiior abbatibus ad hoc
uocatis reseratum est, ⁊ corpus eius integrum inuentum, ⁊ uestimenta intacta anno
xiio obitus sui, xi kal’ Iunii. Et post sacra missarum sollempnia, idem antistes ⁊ abbates
quos prenumerauimus cum ipsius monasterii uniuerso conuentu, super ipsam sanctissimi corporis glebam
posuerunt lapidem nouum, id est marmor politum. Et facta est leticia magna, conclaman
tibus qui aderant ⁊ dicentibus, vere hic homo Dei est. Pie memorie dompnus Poncius
abbas Clareuall’ in episcopum Clari Montis eligitur, ⁊ ibidem pastor preficitur, translatus ⁊ as
sumptus de ualle in montem de Clara Ualle in Clarum Montem de claritate in claritatem
tanquam a Domini spiritu. Simon de Tonei monachus de Melros olim abbas de Kogeshala in episcopum
Mureuie electus est, ⁊ adductus. Henricus rex Anglie cum manu ualida ⁊ robore magno
uisitandi gratia in Hyberniam uento ⁊ uelo transpositus, ⁊ transportatus est. Aedwardus
episcopus de Aberden obiit.





Notes

1 DB: Read edicto.
2 JT: Duncan (‘Sources and uses in the Chronicle of Melrose’, p. 149, n.13) suggests the scribe here ‘misread quantocius “as soon as possible”, “speedily”.’
for justice against the violent deeds of the elder King Henry of England, who had been exiled in France, there enduring countless wrongs for the church of Christ (in that those related to him by blood—under-age children, those hanging from breasts, or in cradles, and the rest, old and young—were banished from England, by the vilest order of the king); at length, after peace was fully restored (as it was thought) between him and the king at the urging of the lord pope and the Roman curia, and also the French church, and mostly of Louis, the pious king of France, and the kiss of peace had been received by him, he had been allowed to go back to England a free man with the king’s letters. A few days after he had been received in his see, he was condemned to death against law and justice by the king’s household—most evil barons and detestable knights—unleashed by the anger of the king, raging in a manner by a far greater extent different and more evil than that of Herod against Jesus, or by the second Herod against John the Baptist, because of his [Thomas’] commission as legate of the lord pope, as has been said, and because of his suspension of the king’s bishops. It happened before the altar of the blessed Benedict in the church of the Holy Trinity, England’s principal church, the holy place of countless martyrs, confessors, and virgins (inasmuch as he was surrounded by relics in such a church), gaining his place among them five days after the birth of our Saviour (just as the blessed Thomas the apostle comes on the 5th day before the same birth), that is, on the day following the birth of the innocents; and he is to be united with the holy innocents in the other life. He imitated Jesus, remitting the death due to his killers on account of his own death; the right hand of one of his clerks, who was holding out a cross, was almost cut off; and so—oh woe!—the true martyr of Christ is maimed: the wrong of his blood-letting is inexplicable in any language. May the sword of the Lord, the highest deliverer, take vengeance immediately against the flesh of the evil-doers, especially those who perpetrated the abominable deed, gave the order, furnished advice, and showed agreement; in sum, initiators, followers, and all assistants who had notice beforehand of this evil of evils.
Nicholas, chancellor of the king of Scots, died. Conan duke of Brittany and earl of Richmond died. Ferteth earl of Strathearn died. The sea appeared to many in England to be on fire. Ralph, a monk of Melrose, was chosen as father at Cupar, and was blessed as abbot by Richard bishop of St Andrews at Coldingham on the Purification of the blessed Mary.1 The tomb of our pious father Dom Waldef, second abbot of Melrose, was opened by Ingram of good memory bishop of Glasgow and 4 abbots asummoned for this, and his body was discovered to be complete, and vestments intact, on 22 May, the 12th year of his death. And after the rite of holy mass, the same high priest and abbots who we have enumerated with the entire convent of that monastery placed a new stone—that is, a polished marble—over the clay of the most holy body. And great rejoicing took place, with those who were present exclaiming and saying: here truly is a man of God. Dom Pons abbot of Clairvaux, of pious memory,2 was elected as bishop of Clermont; and was appointed pastor in that place, translated and taken from the valley to the hill, from the Bright Valley to the Bright Hill, from brightness to brightness, as by the spirit of the Lord. Simon de Tosny, a monk of Melrose, previously abbot of Coggeshall, was elected as bishop of Moray, and brought. Henry king of England with a powerful force and great strength was carried across and transported to Ireland for the sake of making a visitation. Edward bishop of Aberdeen died.





Notes

1 DB: I.e., 2 February.
2 DB: Pons de Polignac was bishop until 1189, when he probably died, so this must have been written no earlier than 1189.