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celebrated the Nativity of Christ at Liuns, in Normandy, and how, by agreement,
he and the king of France met on the feast of St. John the Baptist at Vezelai.
After the coronation-feast was ended, as we before said, King
Richard arose in his fatherÕs stead, and, after having received the oath of
allegiance from the nobles, as was the custom, in the form of homage, and
each having submitted to his sovereignty, he left London and went round
his country; and afterwards he set out on a pilgrimage to St. Edmund,
whose festival was at hand; thence he went to Canterbury, and at his
command some bishoprics, which, having become vacant, had been kept so
by the king his father, were filled up, and, with the approval of the king,

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the following were installed bishops: Richard the treasurer, of London;
Godfrey de Luci, of Winchester; Hubert Walter, of Salisbury, William de
Longchamp, of Ely, whom the king also made his chancellor and justiciary
of all England. In like manner, also, the king caused bishops to be ordained
to the vacant bishoprics in his other territories. Having prepared every
thing necessary for his journey, and having set the kingdom of England in
order as far as time permitted, he returned to Normandy without delay,
and kept the festival of the Nativity of Our Lord at Liuns; for his intention
of setting out upon his journey and the fulfilment of his vow made him
unceasingly anxious, as he judged delay to be dangerous, whilst it was of
consequence to commence the journey which was due: wherefore he wrote
to the king of France that he was quite ready to set out, and urged that he
should be ready also, shewing by his fatherÕs example that delay was
hurtful when every thing was prepared. Therefore, in the year of our Lord
1190, with the dominical letter G, the kings met at Dreux to confer about
the arrangement of their journey. After many had communicated their
opinions, and while the conference was going on, there suddenly arrived a
messenger with the news that the queen of France was dead. The king,
smitten by the bitterness of this news, was greatly cast down, so that he
almost thought of laying aside his premeditated journey; and to augment
this bereavement, news was brought that William, king of Apulia, was
likewise dead. Overwhelmed by these adverse occurrences, and utterly
overcome by the belief that they predicted ill, they abstained from the
transaction of the business, and the fire of their zeal in a measure grew
lukewarm. However, by the favour of the inspiration of God, who guideth
the footsteps or man, and in whose hands are the hearts of kings, to
prevent the ruin of a work planned with so much toil and solemnly
arranged, and the turning into condemnation and disgrace what had been
disposed for the attainment of good, they recovered their strength, and
were animated to proceed and set out, and not to grow lukewarm by
unpardonable slothfulness. Now they had agreed together to set out on the
Nativity of St. John the Baptist, in order that the kings, together with their
men, should meet on the eighth day at Vezelai. Whereupon Philip, king of
France, setting out from the city of Paris, which is the capital of France,

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with a large quantity of provisions, shortly afterwards marched by the
chapel of St. Denis, to whose prayers and merits he commended himself,
and thus commenced his journey accompanied by a very large multitude.
There also set out with him on his journey, the duke of Burgundy and the
count of Flanders. Who can relate the progress of each with their forces?
You might meet them on all sides flocking together and assembling from
different parts, and joining together in one army, amidst pious tears; while
those who went forward with their friends or kinsmen, regarded them
with a look of love, and on their departure were unable to restrain the tears
from bursting forth, as devotion or sorrow affected them.
Chapter VII. Ñ How King Richard, being at Tours, commanded his fleet to