go ye about? Is it méet that the father should destroie the sonne? Is it
lawfull for the sonne to kill the father? For the loue of God (man)
refraine thy displeasure, and cast thy weapons out of thy hand, sith
that (as thou thy selfe knowest full well) Henrie is thine owne
sonne." [Sidenote: The empresse confesseth hir selfe to be naught of hir
bodie.] With these and the like words she put him in mind, and couertlie
told him, that he had to doo with hir a little before she was maried
vnto earle Geffrey.

The king by such tokens as the empresse gaue him, tooke hir words to be
true, and therevpon all his malice was streightwaies quenched: so that
calling foorth the archbishop of Canturburie, he vttered to him the
whole matter, and tooke therewith such direction, in sending to his
aduersaries for auoiding battell at that present, that immediatlie the
armies on both sides wrapped vp their ensignes, and euery man was
commanded to kéepe the peace, that a communication might be had about
the conclusion of some pacification, which afterwards ensued in maner
aboue mentioned.

¶ But whether this or some other cause moued the king to this peace, it
is to be thought that God was the worker of it. And surelie a man may
thinke it good reason, that the report of such secret companie-keeping
betwixt the king and the empresse, [Sidenote: Slanders deuised by
malicious heads.] was but a tale made among the common people vpon no
ground of truth, but vpon some slanderous deuice of a malicious head.
And admit that king Stephan had to doo hir; yet is it like that both of
them would doo for best to kéepe it secret, that no such reproch might
be imputed either to Henrie, who was taken to be legitimate; or to his
mother, whose honour thereby should not a little be stained.