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Page 72
brought a matter to the king's notice he would be told to ask the Earl of Kent."
"No, Henry does not enjoy the business of rulingbut Winchester does," Geoffrey said tiredly.
"That is silly," Simon remarked. "If the king does not wish to hold the reins in his own hands, why should he go to the trouble of casting out de Burgh only to put Winchester in his place?"
"There were reasons enough," Geoffrey replied. "For one thing, the barons were all crying that de Burgh had grown too great. There was some truth in it, but there was also considerable ill will because Hubert was foolish in one thing only. He believed that if he were truly devoted to the interests of the king and the kingdom, he did not need to use smooth words to explain what he did."
Richard Marshal snorted. "I know that, too. He set up William's back, and you know William was not one to seek a quarrel. There was a matter of a parcel of land that he settled in William's favor, but he was so coarse that William was more affronted than if he had settled it against William's right."
Geoffrey sighed. "That was what really ruined the chancellorthat manner. It was not only the barons that he treated without proper dignityit was the king also. He acted always as if Henry were an ignorant child."
That time Simon snorted, and Geoffrey looked at him reprovingly.
"The king is no fool," he said sharply, "and do not ever think he is. Unfortunately, he is not interested, really, in governing. He loves other things betterbeautiful churches, music, books, fine clothes, merrimentbut his mind is very good. De Burgh fell because when Henry said he wanted something, the chancellor replied, 'No, do not be a fool.' De Burgh should have sought a way to satisfy the king's desires or distract him from them, although usually they were not bad

 
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