The Second Sonne of Geffrey Plantagenet.
An. Reg. 1.Henrie the second of that name, a French man borne, the second sonne ofGeffrey Plantagenet earle of Aniou, begotten of Maud the empresse,daughter to Henrie the first, began his reigne ouer England the fiue andtwentith of October, in the yeare after the creation of the world 5121.and in the yeare after the incarnation of our sauiour 1154.1154. about thebeginning of the third yeare of the emperour Frederike the first, thesecond of pope Anastasius the fourth, the seuenteenth yeare of Lewes theseuenth king of France, and second of Malcolme then king of Scotland.Immediatlie after he was aduertised of the death of king Stephan, hecame ouer into England, landing at Ostreham about the seuenth day ofN. Triuet. Matth. Paris.December. After he had got his companies togither, which by tempest werescattered in his passage, he came first to Winchester, where he receiuedhomage and fealtie of the Nobles of the realme resorting vnto him. Thisdoone he set foorth towards London, where he was crowned king byTheobald archbishop of Canturburie the twentith daie of December.
N. Triuet. The archbishop of Rouen.The archbishop of Rouen, with thrée of his suffragans, the archbishop ofYorke, and manie other bishops of England: Theodorus the earle ofFlanders, with a great number of other earles, lords and barons werepresent there at his coronation. He was at that time about the age ofPolydor.three and twentie yeares, and to win the peoples loue, he spake maniecomfortable words vnto them, to put them in hope (as the manner is) thatthey should find him a louing prince. He vsed the lords also verieCouncellers chosen.courteouslie. And first of all, after his attéining to the crowne, hechose to him councellers of the grauest personages, and best learned inthe lawes of the realme, with whose prudent aduice he perused thoselawes, and amended them where he thought necessarie, commandingRan. Higd.chieflie, that the lawes established by his grandfather Henrie the firstshould be obserued: and in manie things he relied vpon the aduice ofTheobald archbishop of Canturburie, at whose sute he admitted ThomasThom. Becket lord chancellorBecket to be his chancellour, which Becket the said archbishop had madearchdeacon of Canturburie the yeare before.
Moreouer, by the sentence and doome of his councellers, to the intentthat peace and quiet order might take place, and be the betterAn. Reg. 2.
1155mainteined, he commanded by waie of publishing a proclamation, that allstrangers (which to get somwhat by the wars had flocked into the realme,Nic. Triuet. Polydor. Wil. Paruus.Strangers appointed to depart the realme. Aliens auoid the land.during the time of the ciuill discord betweene him and king Stephan)shuld depart home without further delaie: wherefore he appointed them adaie, before the which they should auoid vpon perill that might insue.It was a worlds woonder to sée and marke how suddenlie these aliens werequite vanished, as though they had béene phantasmes. Their abiding herewas nothing profitable to the subiects of the realme, as they that wereaccustomed to attempt one shrewd turne vpon an others necke,[112]andthought it lawfull for them so to doo. Amongst them was a great numberof Flemings, whom the king hated more th