The document which is printed below is unknown, it would seem, to historians. It is of a very singular and, in many ways, of a most instructive character. The fact that Earl Miles is one of the contracting parties dates the document as belonging to the period between his creation (July 25, 1141) and his death (December 24, 1143). Further, the fact that the treaty provides for the surrender by him to the Earl of Gloucester of one of his sons as a hostage, taken with the fact that the Earl of Gloucester is recorded (supra, p. 196) to have demanded from his leading supporters their sons as hostages when he left England for Normandy, creates an extremely strong presumption that this document should be assigned to that occasion (June, 1142). It is here printed from a transcript by Dugdale, which I found among his MSS. The absence of any provision defining the services to be rendered by Earl Miles suggests that this portion of the treaty is omitted in the transcript. There is, I think, just a chance that the original may yet be discovered among the public records, for they fortunately contain a similar treaty between the sons and successors of the two contracting parties.[1103] It may be, however, that the original is the document referred to by Dugdale (Baronage, i. 537) as "penes Joh. Philipot Somerset Heraldum anno 1640." The close resemblance between the later document[1103] and that which I here print confirms the authenticity of the latter, and is, it will be seen, illustrated by the wording of the opening clauses:—

We have also the noteworthy coincidence that Richard de St. Quintin and Hugh de Hese, who are here hostages respectively for the Earls of Gloucester and Hereford, figure again in the later document as hostages for the earls' successors.[1104]

Another document with which this treaty should be carefully compared is the remarkable agreement, in the same reign, between the Earls of Chester and of Leicester,[1105] though this latter suggests by its title—"Hæc est conventio ... et finalis pax et concordia," etc.—the settlement of a strife between them rather than a friendly alliance. I see in it, indeed, the intervention, if not the arbitration, of the Church.

Both these alliances, again, should be compared, for their form, with the treaty between Henry I. and Count Robert of Flanders.[1106] Although a generation earlier than the document here printed, the parallels are very striking:—

The Treaty.

Noscant omnes hanc esse confederationem amoris inter Robertum Comitem Gloecestrie et Milonem Comitem Herefordie, Robertus Comes Gloecestrie assecuravit Milonem Comitem Herefordie fide et sacramento ut custodiet illi pro toto posse suo et sine ingenio suam vitam et suum membrum et terrenum suum honorem, et auxiliabitur illi ad custodiendum sua castella et sua recta et sua hereditaria et sua tenementa et sua conquisita quæ modo habet et quæ faciet, et suas consuetudines et rectitudines et suas libertates in bosco et in plano et aquis, et quod sua hereditaria quæ modo non habet auxiliabitur ad conquirendum. Et si aliquis vellet inde Comiti Hereford malum facere, vel de aliquo decrescere, si comes Hereford vellet inde guerrare, quod Robertus comes Gloecestrie cum illo se teneret, et quod ad suum posse illi auxiliaretur per fidem et sine ingenio, nec pacem neque treuias cum illis haberet qui malum comiti Herefordiæ inferret, nisi per bonum velle et grantam (sic) Comitis Herefordiæ, et nominatim de hac guerra quæ modo est inter Imperatricem et Regem Stephanum se cum comite Hereford tenebit et ad unum opus erit, et de omnibus aliis guerris.

Et in hac ipsa confederatione amoris affidavit Comitissa Gloecestrie quod suum dominum in hoc amore erga Milonem Comitem Hereford pro posse suo tenebit. Et si inde exiret, ad suum posse illum ad hoc reponeret. Et si non posset, legalem recordationem, si opus esset, inde faceret ad suum scire.

Et de hac conventione firmiter tenendâ ex parte Comitis Gloecestrie sunt hii obsides per fidem et sacramentum erga Comitem Hereford: hoc modo, quod si comes Gloecestrie de hac conventione exiret, dominum suum Comitem Gloecestrie requirerent ut se erga Comitem Herefordiæ erigeret. Et si infra xl dies se nollet erga Comitem Herefordie erigere, se Comiti Herefordie liberarent, ad faciendum de illis suum velle, vel ad illos retinendum in suo servitio donec illos quietos clamaret vel ad illos ponendos ad legalem redemptionem ita ne terrâ [? terram] perderent. Et quod legalem recordationem de hac conventione facerent si opus esset, Guefridus de Waltervill, Ricardus de Greinvill,[1107] Osbernus Ottdevers,[1108] Reinald de Cahagnis,[1109] Hubertus Dapifer, Odo Sorus,[1110] Gislebertus de Umfravil,[1111] Ricardus de Sancto Quintino.[1112]

Et ex parte Milonis Comitis Hereford ad istud confirmandum concessit Milo Comes Hereford Roberto Comiti Gloecestrie Mathielum filium suum tenendum in obsidem donec guerra inter Imperatricem et Regem Stephanum et Henricum filium Imperatricis finiatur.

Et interim si Milo Comes Hereford voluerit aliquem alium de suis filiis, qui sanus sit, in loco Mathieli filii sui ponere, recipietur.

Et postquam guerra finita fuerit et Robertus Comes Gloecestrie et Milo Comes Hereford terras suas et sua recta rehabuerint reddet Robertus Comes Gloecestrie Miloni Comiti Herefordie filium suum. Et hinc de probis hominibus utriusque comitis considerabuntur et capientur obsides et securitates de amore ipsorum comitum tenendo imperpetuum.

Et de hac conventione amoris Rogerus filius Comitis Hereford affidavit et juravit Comiti Gloecestrie quod patrem suum pro posse suo tenebit; Et si Comes Hereford inde vellet exire, Rogerus filius suus, inde illum requireret et inde illum corrigeret. Et si Comes Hereford se inde erigere nollet, servicium ipsius Rogeri filii sui prorsus perdet, donec se erga Comitem Gloecestrie erexisset.

Et de hac conventione ex parte Comitis Hereford sunt hii sui homines obsides erga Comitem Gloecestrie et per sacramenta; hoc modo, quod si Comes Hereford de hac conventione exiret, dominum suum Comitem Hereford requirerent ut se erga Comitem Gloecestrie erigeret. Et si infra xl dies se nollet erga Comitem Gloecestrie erigere se Comiti Gloecestrie liberarent ad faciendum de illis suum velle, vel ad illos retinendum in suo servicio donec illos quietos clamaret, vel ad illos ponendos ad legalem redemptionem, ita ne terram perdent. Et quod legalem recordationem de hac conventione in Curia facerent si opus esset, Robertus Corbet, Willelmus Mansel, Hugo de la Hese.