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1587

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Compare 1577 edition: 1 This Henrie therefore comming thus to the crowne, considered furthermore with himselfe, that hereafter, when his eldest brother Robert should re|turne, and vnderstand how the matter was brought about, he would thinke himselfe to haue had much wrong, and béene verie euill dealt withall, sith that as well by birthright, as also by agreement made with his brother William Rufus, he ought of right to be preferred, and therevpon would not faile but make earnest claime against him.The king [...]keth to win the peoples fauour. Wherefore yer he should come home out of the holie land (where he then remained) the king studied by all possible meanes how to gratifie all the states of his realme, & to plant in their harts some good opinion of him. And first of all he reformed such things as his brother had left verie preiudiciall to the estate of the church, setting the same frée which before was s [...]re oppressed. And furthermore, somwhat to reléeue the cõmon-wealth, he promised to restore the lawes of good king Ed|ward, Simon Dun. Hen. Hunt. Matth. Paris. and to abolish or amend those which by his fa|ther and brother were alreadie ordeined to the hurt & preiudice of the old ancient liberties of the realme of England.Anselme cal|led home. He reuoked Anselme the archbishop of Canturburie out of exile, who fled (as yee haue heard) to auoid the wrath of king William. More|ouer, he placed in the see of Winchester, Wil. Malm. William Gif|ford bishop of Winchester. Hen. Hunt. one Willi|am Gifford, a graue and discréet person, and also or|deined moonkes of honest reputation to be abbats in certeine abbeis which had beene long void, and in the hands of William his brother: in like maner he re|mitted certeine paiments which his brother and pre|decessour had caused to be raised by waie of taxes and customes. Besides this, on the 8. daie of Sep|tember,

Rafe bishop of Durham com|mitted to the Tower.

Simon Dun. The first or|deining of the yard measure. Wil. Malm.

he committed Rafe bishop of Durham to the Tower of London, by whose lewd counsell his said brother being seduced, had in his life time doone manie oppressions to his people. He ordeined also that one length of measuring should be vsed through this realme, which was a yard, appointing it to be cut after the length of his owne arme. Manie other things he redressed, to the contentation and commo|ditie of his subiects, who gaue God thanks that he had in such wise deliuered them out of the hands of cruell extortioners.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 After he had thus brought the common-wealth in so good estate, he consulted with his Nobilitie Wil. Mal [...] Polydor. where he might best get him a wise, and thereby leaue vn|lawfull EEBO page image 29 companie keeping with concubines: which demand was not misliked at all. Herevpon they considered that Edgar king of Scotland had a sister named Maud, a beautifull ladie, and of vertuous conditions, who was a professed nunne in a religi|ous house, to the end she might auoid the stormes of the world, and lead hir life in more securitie after hir fathers deceasse. This gentlewoman, notwithstan|ding hir vow, was thought to be a meet bedfellow for the king: wherefore he sent ambassadors to hir brother Edgar, requesting that he might haue hir in mariage. But she refusing superstitiouslie at the first to breake hir professed vow, would not heare of the offer: wherewithall king Henrie being the mor [...] inflamed, sent new ambassadors to moue the case in more earnest sort than before, in so much that Edgar, vpon the declaration of their ambas|sage, set the abbesse of the house (where then she a|bode) in hand to persuade hir, who so effectuallie and diuerslie telling hir how necessarie, profitable, & ho|norable the same should be both to hir countrie and kinred, did so preuaile at the last, that the yoong ladie granted willinglie to the mariage. Herevpon she was transported into England, and wedded to the king, who caused the archbishop Anselme to crowne hir queene on S. Martins daie, which fell vpon a sundaie, being the eleuenth of Nouember.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 ¶It should séeme by Eadmerus, that she was neuer nunne, but onelie veiled by hir mother, and placed a|mongst nunnes against hir will (as she protested to the whole world) at such time as archbishop Anselme refused to solemnize the mariage betwixt them, till that doubt were cleared, and the occasion remoued, wherevpon euill disposed men would haue surmised ilfauoredlie, and reported the worst. Howbeit whe|ther she were professed, or veiled onelie, loth she was to consent at the first (as partlie ye haue heard) but after that she was coupled with the king in mariage, she prooued a right obedient wife.

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