at that time into the north parts, besieged the citie of Yorke, and
putting to flight a great armie of his enimies that came to the
succour of them within, not without great losse of his owne souldiers,
at length the citie was deliuered into his hands; the citizens and
other that kept it, as Scots, Danes, and Englishmen, being constreined
thereto through lacke of vittels. [Sidenote: _Sim. Dunel._] Other
write, how the Danes, being loden with riches and spoiles gotten in
the countrie, departed to their ships before the comming of king
William. Here is not to be forgotten, that (as Iohn Leland hath noted)
whilest the Conquerour held siege before Yorke, at the earnest request
of his wife Quéene Maud, he aduanced his nephew Alane earle of
Britaine, with the gift of all those lands that sometime belonged vnto
earle Edwine, the tenor of which gift insueth:

[Sidenote: Earle Edwines lands giuen vnto Alane earle of
Britaine.]
"Ego Gulihelmus cognomine Bastardus, do & concedo tibi nepoti
meo Alano Britanniæ comiti, & hæredibus tuis in perpetuum, omnes
illas villas & terras, quæ nuper fuerunt comitis Eadwini in
Eborashira, cum feodis militum & alijs libertatibus &
consuetudinibus, ita liberè & honorificè sicut idem Eadwinus ea
tenuit. Dat. in obsidione coram ciuitate Eboraci:" that is, "I
William surnamed Bastard, doo giue and grant to thee my nephue
Alane earle of Britaine, and to thine heires for euer, all those
townes and lands that latelie were earle Eadwines in Yorkeshire,
with the knights fees and other liberties and customes, so
freelie and honourablie as the said Eadwine held the same. Giuen
in our seege before the citie of Yorke."

The earle of Britaine, being a man of a stout stomach, and meaning to