Ebook Matthew Paris's English History

Thus then passed this year, moderately productive of corn and fruit, severe, owing to the' deadly disease amongst the cattle and to sum up brie?y the state of human affairs, it was one of trouble to the whole of mankind. Of this state of trouble, the cause, amongst the Orientals, was said to be the unfortunate capture of the French king. Thus we see, when a bone is thrown amongst a lot of snappish dogs, each one endeavours to seize it, and in their struggle one attacks the other; and thus striving to gnaw the bone, they gnaw each other, whilst the bone remains untouched. The empire was in a state of danger, like a vessel without a helmsman. The French kingdom, deprived of rulers, barons, arms, and money, never before lamented such a comfortless and deso late state. England, trampled underfoot by foreigners, bow ing the neck to many masters, and deprived of the sincere affection of its king, and submitting to the most abject con ditions, pined away in despair and inconsolable and, what was most grievous, the deadly hatred existing between the Church and the people daily increased.