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Toward evening, four days before Walter decided he must go to Richard and explain that he still distrusted Sir Heribert but could find no cause to rid himself of the man, Siorl had come to report to Simon that John of Monmouth's preparations for war were so nearly finished that Monmouth's army could be expected to move in a day or two. Simon brought the news to Richard, privately wondering if he would need to urge Richard to go ahead with the plan he had made to set an ambush for John of Monmouth's army. |
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There was, however, no need for urging. On the preceding Thursday, Richard had spent the night at Margam Abbey after a round of inspection of some keeps to the west. There, a brother of the Minorite order named Agnell, an advisor of King Henry's, had come to him and given him a lecture about having "traitorously and unjustly taken arms against the king." Agnell insisted that there had never been "any design against Richard's person or property," and that he had no right to burst out into violence against the king until he had "ocular demonstration" that the king was his enemy. Thus, it was Pembroke's duty and to his benefit to throw himself on Henry's mercy. |
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Holding his temper with some effort, Richard had asked what terms Henry was prepared to offer. To this, Agnell replied haughtily that he was sure the king would grant him safety of life and limb and would allow him a sufficient portion of land in Herefordshire to support him honorably; however, Pembroke could not make any conditions prior to yielding and must humbly sue for mercy without knowing what terms would be granted him. |
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Since Agnell was a man of God and they were in an abbey, Richard did not smite the man dead with his fist. He even made shift to answer civilly and at length the charges made |
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