quatuor milia marcarum, quas idem rex Norwagie ad vnam vicem
percepit in insula Orcadie
per manus episcopi eiusdem insule pro insulis
praenominatis.
Anno Domini moccolovio Dictus dominus
Reginaldus monachus de Melros rediit de Noruuagia expeditis ad
vota omnium
Scottorum negociis pro quibus ierat expediendis. Quod quidem nuncium nullus vncquam ex
fi
liis Scottorum potuit procurare preter monachum predictum, virum quidem
sapient[em]1
⊗
⁊ in diuinis eloquiis sollempniter predicandis valde luculentum, qui promeruit
veraciter ad bonum
domus sue inperpetuum graciam ⁊ fauorem omnium regum qui de
cetero futuri sunt in Scocia, nisi ipsi
reges ingrati forte inueniantur reddentes
malum pro bono domui de Melros. Quod Deus auertat a corde omnis
Christiani regis.
Secutus est autem hunc monachum2 mox eodem anno
veniens in Scociam cancellarius
domini regis Noruagie afferens secum composicionem
superius memoratam.
Anno Domini moccolxoviio In capitulo generali deponitur dompnus Adam de Maxstun abbas de Melros, qui
deposuit filium suum abbatem de Holmo extra capitulum ordinis, ⁊ ideo talionem
recepit depositionis, cum quo
deponitur abbas de Holmo eo quod meruit
depositionem, quia procurauit depositionem abbatis sui Henrici, qui
per capitulum
generale sedi pristine restituitur. Successit autem deposito abbati de Melros Dominus
Iohannes de
Ederham magister conuersorum eiusdem domus. Deponitur dompnus Iacobus
abbas Cistercii in capitulo gene
rali, procurante eius depositionem conuentu
Cistercii. Postea factus est idem depositus archiepiscopus Narbo
nensis in Gasconia.
Cuius depositionis successor factus est dompnus Iohannes abbas Sauiniacensis. Abbas de
Dere dominus Adam de Smalham monachus de Melros gratis dimisit officium suum, malens3 dulcedinem
Melrosensium quos preexpertus fuerat4 quam preesse tugurrio monachorum5 de Dere,6 quorum \licet/ feruidam reli
gionem, nunquam \eorum/ per veram experienciam scire poterat. Cui successit dompnus Hugo cellerarius eiusdem domus.
Anno Domini moccolxoviiio Primogenitus
filius regis Anglie Eduuardus euadens de custodia Simonis
in quadam uespera cum ad
agros isset ad spaciandum sibi cum perpaucis de familia Simonis obuios
sibi habuit
plures ex marchiis, qui iam pridem erant tenentes eius in marchia, silicet in comitatu
Cestrie,
4,000 merks straight away, which the king of Norway received
all at once on the island of Orkney, by the agency of the bishop of the same island, in
return for the aforementioned islands.
In the 1266th year of the Lord, the said lord Reginald, a monk of
Melrose, returned from Norway, having completed the negotiations he had gone to carry
out according to the wishes of all the Scots. Assuredly, no other ambassador from among
the sons of the Scots was ever able to accomplish this apart from the aforesaid monk.
Indeed, this wise man ⊗ and very clear in solemnly expounding the scriptures,
truly earned for his own house the eternal gratitude and favour of all future kings in
Scotland, unless these kings should turn out to be ungrateful and return evil for good
to the house of Melrose—may God keep such a thing from the heart of every Christian
king! Soon afterwards that same year, the chancellor of the lord king of Norway followed
after this monk, arriving in Scotland carrying with him the agreement mentioned
above.
In the 1267th year of the Lord,
the abbot of Melrose, Dom Adam of Maxton, was deposed in general chapter; he deposed his
own son, the abbot of Holme, without the authority of the chapter of the Order, and so
received deposition in like manner; the abbot of Holme was deposed with him because he
deserved deposition, since he brought about the deposition of his own abbot Henry, who
was restored to his former seat by the general chapter. The lord John of Edrom, master
of the lay-brethren of the same house, succeeded the deposed abbot of Melrose. Dom
James, abbot of Cîteaux, was deposed in the general chapter; his deposition was brought
about by the convent of Cîteaux. Afterwards this same deposed man became archbishop of
Narbonne in Gascony; Dom John, abbot of Savigny, became his successor. The lord Adam of
Smailholm, abbot of Deer, a monk of Melrose, freely laid down his office, preferring
the sweetness of Melrose, which he had known before, than to preside
over
of the monks’ little hut *1 at
Deer, whose intense religious observance he was never able to know by true experience.
2 Dom Hugh, the cellarer of that same house, succeeded
him.
In the 1268th year of the Lord, Edward,
the first-born son of the king of England, when he went out one evening into the fields
to take exercise in the company of but a small number of Simon’s household, escaped from
Simon’s custody. He arranged for many men from the marches to meet him; those who had
for a long time been his tenants in the march, that is to say, in the county of Chester;