of Canterbury to anoint that prince as his successor, the primate
refused compliance, and made his escape beyond sea, to avoid the
violence and resentment of Stephen.

{1153.} Henry, informed of these dispositions in the people, made
an invasion on England: having gained some advantage over Stephen at
Malmsbury, and having taken that place, he proceeded thence to throw
succors into Wallingford, which the king had advanced with a superior
army to besiege. A decisive action was every day expected, when the
great men of both sides, terrified at the prospect of further bloodshed
and confusion, interposed with their good offices, and set on foot a
negotiation between the rival princes, The death of Eustace, during the
course of the treaty, facilitated its conclusion: an accommodation was
settled, by which it was agreed that Stephen should possess the crown
during his lifetime, that justice should be administered in his name,
even in the provinces which had submitted to Henry, and that this latter
prince should, on Stephen's demise, succeed to the kingdom, and William,
Stephen's son, to Boulogne and his patrimonial estate. After all the
barons had sworn to the observance of this treaty, and done homage to
Henry, as to the heir of the crown, that prince evacuated the kingdom;
and the death of Stephen which happened next year, [October 25, 1154,]
after a short illness, prevented all those quarrels and jealousies which
were likely to have ensued in so delicate a situation.

England suffered great miseries during the reign of this prince: but
his personal character, allowing for the temerity and injustice of his
usurpation, appears not liable to any great exception; and he seems
to have been well qualified, had he succeeded by a just title, to
have promoted the happiness and prosperity of his subjects.[*] He was
possessed of industry, activity, and courage, to a great degree; though
not endowed with a sound judgment, he was not deficient in abilities;
he had the talent of gaining men's affections, and notwithstanding his
precarious situation, he never indulged himself in the exercise of any
cruelty or revenge. His advancement to the throne procured him neither
tranquillity nor happiness; and though the situation of England
prevented the neighboring states from taking any durable advantage of
her confusions, her intestine disorders were to the last degree ruinous
and destructive. The court of Rome was also permitted, during those