all perils with the force of vertue and manlie courage, showing himselfe
either a most louing fréend, or an extreame enimie: for he would subdue
his foes to the vttermost, and aduance his fréends aboue measure.

[Sidenote: His zeale to iustice.] With iustice he ruled the commons
quietlie, and enterteined the nobles honorablie. Théeues, counterfeiters
of monie, and other transgressors he caused to be sought out with great
diligence, and when they were found, to be punished with great
seueritie. Neither did he neglect reformations of certeine naughtie
abuses. [Sidenote: _Simon Dun._ Théeues appointed to be hanged.] And (as
one author hath written) he ordeined that théeues should suffer death by
hanging. When he heard that such peeces of monie as were cracked would
not be receiued amongest the people, although the same were good and
fine siluer, he caused all the coine in the realme to be either broken
or slit. He was sober of diet, vsed to eat rather for the quailing of
hunger, than to pamper himselfe with manie daintie sorts of banketting
dishes. He neuer dranke but when thirst mooued him, he would sléepe
soundlie and snore oftentimes till he awaked therewith. [Sidenote: His
policie.] He pursued his warres rather by policie than by the sword, and
ouercame his enimies so neere as he could without bloudshed, which if it
might not be, yet with as little slaughter as was possible. [Sidenote:
His praise for his princelie government.] To conclude, he was not
inferiour to any of the kings that reigned in those daies, in wisedome
and policie, and so behaued himselfe, that he was honoured of the
Nobles, and beloued of the commons. [Sidenote: Reading abbey builded.]
He builded diuerse abbeies both in England and Normandie, but Reading
was the chéefe. He builded the manour of Woodstocke, with the parke there,
wherein (beside the great store of deere) he appointed diuerse strange
beasts to be kept and nourished, which were brought and sent vnto him
from foreign countries farre distant, as lions, lepards, lynxes, and