commen with him of their businesse: and immediatlie the French king
tooke the sea, in purpose to haue passed forward on his iournie but by
contrarie wind he was staied and kept backe within the hauen, wherevpon
both the kings determined to winter there, and in the meane time to
prouide themselues of alle things necessarie for their iournie, against
the beginning of the next spring. On the 30. of September he receiued
his sister the quéene of Sicile, the widow of William the late king of
that Ile, whom he placed in a strong fortresse, which he tooke the same
day and left therein a conuenient garison of men of armes and demilances
for the safegard of the place and of his said sister.

¶ But now for the better vnderstanding of the cause of such quarelling
as fell out betwixt the Englishmen and the Sicilians, yée shall
vnderstand that a little before the arriuall of the kings of England and
France in those parts, king William of Sicile was departed this life,
leauing no issue behind him. Wherevpon the lords of the Ile elected one
Tancred to their king, a bastard sonne of Roger sometime king of that
land, and grandfather to this last decessed king William. This Tancred
though he receiued king Richard verie courteouslie; yet he greatlie
trusted him not, bicause he demanded the dowrie of his sister quéene
Joane, wife to the late king William to be restored, whereas he had not
readie monie to discharge it.

[Sidenote: A chaire of gold.] Furthermore to depart with the citie of
Mount saint Angelo; with all the countrie therevnto belonging; which was
indéed assigned to hir for hir dowrie, he thought in no wise profitable:
[Sidenote: K. Richards demands for the dowrie of his sister wife to K.
William.] but king Richard did not onelie require that citie and countie
with a chaire of gold, according to the custome of that kingdome in
right of his sister, as due to hir by way of hir dowrie, but also he