Normandy; and made him swear fealty to that Prince, and do him homage.  His brother Theobald, who began to expostulate upon this disappointment, he pacified with a pension of two thousand marks:[28] and even the Earl of Anjou himself, who, in right of his wife, made demands of Stephen for the kingdom of England, finding he was no equal match at present, was persuaded to become his pensioner for five thousand more.[29]

[Footnote 28:  The mark of Normandy is to be understood here.  Such a pension in that age was equivalent to one of L31,000 sterling in the present. [D.S.]]

[Footnote 29:  Five thousand marks of silver coin was, in this reign, of the same value as the sum of L77,500 modern currency, is now.  Here again the Norman mark seems to be used. [D.S.]]

Stephen, upon his return to England, met with an account of new troubles from the north; for the King of Scots, under pretence of observing his oath of fealty to the Empress, infested the Borders, and frequently making cruel inroads, plundered and laid waste all before him.

  1138.

In order to revenge this base and perfidious treatment, the King, in his march northward, sat down before Bedford, and took it after a siege of twenty days.  This town was part of the Earldom of Huntingdon, given by Stephen in the late peace to the eldest son of the Scottish King, for which the young prince did homage to him; and it was upon that account defended by a garrison of Scots.  Upon intelligence of this surrender, King David, overcome with fury, entered Northumberland, where, letting loose the rage of his soldiers, he permitted and encouraged them to commit all manner of inhumanities; which they performed in so execrable a manner as would scarce be credible, if it were not attested by almost the universal consent of writers:  they ripped up women with child, drew out the infants, and tossed them upon the points of their lances:  they murdered priests before the altars; then cutting the heads from off the crucifixes, in their stead put on the heads of those they had murdered:  with many other instances of monstrous barbarity too foul to relate:  but cruelty being usually attended with cowardice, this perfidious prince, upon the approach of King Stephen, fled into places of security.  The King of England, finding no enemy on whom to employ his revenge, marched forward into the country, destroying with fire and sword all the southern parts; and would, in all probability, have made terrible impressions into the heart of Scotland, if he had not been suddenly recalled by a more dangerous fire at home, which had been kindled in his absence, and was now broken out into a flame.