, the son of the Earl of Normandy, and gave
him the earldom; and the people of that land accepted him. This
same William had before taken to wife the daughter of the Earl of
Anjou; but they were afterwards divorced on the plea of
consanguinity. This was all through the King Henry of England.
Afterwards took he to wife the sister of the king's wife of
France; and for this reason the king gave him the earldom of
Flanders. This same year he (155) gave the abbacy of
Peterborough to an abbot named Henry of Poitou, who retained in
hand his abbacy of St. John of Angeli; but all the archbishops
and bishops said that it was against right, and that he could not
have two abbacies on hand. But the same Henry gave the king to
understand, that he had relinquished his abbacy on account of the
great hostility that was in the land; and that he did through the
counsel and leave of the Pope of Rome, and through that of the
Abbot of Clugny, and because he was legate of the Rome-scot.
But, nevertheless, it was not so; for he would retain both in
hand; and did so as long as God's will was. He was in his
clerical state Bishop of Soissons; afterwards monk of Clugny; and
then prior in the same monastery. Afterwards he became prior of
Sevigny; and then, because he was a relation of the King of
England, and of the Earl of Poitou, the earl gave him the abbacy
of St. John's minster of Angeli. Afterwards, through his great
craft, he obtained the archbishopric of Besancon; and had it in
hand three days; after which he justly lost it, because he had
before unjustly obtained it. Afterwards he procured the
bishopric of Saintes; which was five miles from his abbey. That
he had full-nigh a week (156) in hand; but the Abbot of Clugny
brought him thence, as he before did from Besancon. Then he
bethought him, that, if he could be fast-rooted in England, he
might have all his will. Wherefore he besought the king, and
said unto him, that he was an old man--a man completely broken--that
he could not brook the great injustice and the great
hostility that were in their land: and then, by his own
endearours, and by those of all his friends, he earnestly and
expressly entreated for the abbacy of Peterborough. And the king
procured it for him, because he was his relation, and because he
was the principal person to make oath and bear witness when the
son of the Earl of Normandy and the daughter of the Earl of Anjou
were divorced on the plea of consangui