Of  the  dedication  of  the  church  of  Ely,

•

On  the  17th  of  September  in  this  year,  which  was
St.  Lambert's  day,  the  noble  cathedral  of  Ely  was  dedicated
with  great  pomp  and  magnificence.  The  presbytery  of  this
chiu^ch,  besides  a  handsome  tower  of  wonderful  und  expensive
workmanship,  had  been  entirely  and  completely  built  by,
and  at  the  sole  expense  of,  Hugh,  bishop  of  that  place,  a
special  observer  of  all  that  was  honourable  and  good.  This
same  bishop  had  also  built  in  his  court  of  Ely,  a  handsome
royal  palace,  with  rooms  and  other  appropriate  buildings,
in  which  those  who  were  present  at  the  ceremony  of  dedica-
tion partook  of  the  rich  delicacies  of  a  festive  banquet,  as  will
be  related  in  the  following  narrative.  In  performing  the
rites  of  dedication,  which  had  been  an  object  of  his  earnest
desire  for  a  long  time  before,  the  bishop  of  Ely  was  assisted
by  the  bishops  of  Norwich  and  Llandaff,  there  being  also

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516  MATTHEW  PABUL  [a.D.  1252.
