rous in oppressing whome he ouercome, in leuiyng of taskes passing all other. In somuch þ^t he caused to be enrolled and numbred in his treasury, euery hide land, & owner therof: what fruit and reuenewes surmounted of euery Lordship, of euery towneship, castel,. village, field, riuer, and wood within all the realme of Englād. Moreouer how many parishe churches, how many liuyng catell there were, what and how much euery Baron in the realme could dispende: what fees were belonging, what wages were taken. &c. The tenour & contentes of which taskement, yet remaineth in rolles. MarginaliaPestilence in England: And morayne of beastes.After this tasking or numbring which was the yere before his death: folowed an exceadyng morrene of cattel, & barrennes of þ^e groūd with much pestilence and hote feuers emong the people, so þ^t such as escaped þ^e feuer, was cōsumed with famine. MarginaliaLondon with the church of Paules brent.Moreouer at the same seasō emong certein other cities, a great parte of the citie of London, with the churche of Paules was wasted with fire an. 1085.

In huntyng & in parkes the foresayd kyng had such pleasure, that in the countrey of Southampton, by the space of 30. miles, he cast downe churches & townshipes and there made the new forest: louing his deare so dearely as though he had bene to thē a father: makyng sharpe lawes for the increasing therof, vndet payne of loosing both the eyes. So hard he was to Englishmen, and so fauorable to his owne countrey: that as there was no Englishe bishop remainyng, MarginaliaWolstane bishop of Worcester.but onely Wolstane of Worcester, who beyng commaunded of the kyng and Lancfrank to resigne vp his staffe, partly for inhabilitie, partlye for lacke of the Frenche tounge: refused otherwise to resigne it, but onely to hym that gaue it, and so went the the tumbe of kyng Edward, where he thought to resigne it, but was permitted to enioy it still: so lykewise in hys dayes there was almost no Englishe man, that bare office of honour or rule.

In so much it was halfe a shame at that tyme, to be called an English man. Notwithstandyng he somedeale fauoured the citie of London, and graunted vnto the citezins the first charter, that euer they had, writen in the Saxon, w^t grene waxe sealed, & conteyned in few lines.

MarginaliaEnglād peaceable from theues.Emong his other conditions, this in him is noted, þ^t so geuen he was to peace & quiet, þ^t any mayden being ladē w^t gold or siluer might passe through þ^e whole realme, w^tout harme or resistance. MarginaliaThe abbey of Battayle.
The abbey of Barmoundesay.This William in his time builded ij. monasteries one in Englād, at Battaile in Sussex where he wanne the field agaynst Harald, called the abbey of Battaile: and other beside, named Barmoūdesay, in his countrey of Normandy.

After the lyfe and story of kyng William thus briefly described, with the actes and order of battaile betwen him and king Harald (although much more might haue bene writen of that matter, if the boke had come sooner to my handes whiche afterward I saw) now remaineth in the end of his story to describe the names of such Barons and nobles of Normandy, whiche entred with him into this land: & here haue bene planted & aduaunced by þ^e sayd Conquerour in the landes & possessions of English Lordes, whō he either expulsed or els beheaded. The names of which Normandes here folow vnder writen.