358 HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

C n a p. to the homely saying, that he never intendedIV to throw off his cloaths, till he went to bed ! \IG?S ' Robert openly declared his discontent; and wassuspected of secretly instigating the king ofFrance and the earl of Britanny to the opposition,which they marie to William , and which hadformerly frustrated his attempts upon the townof Dol. And as the quarrel still augmented,Robert proceeded to entertain a strong jealousyof his two surviving brothers, William and Henry,(for Richard was killed in hunting, by a stag)who, by greater submission aud complaisance,had acquired the affections of their father. In thisdisposition, on both sides, the greatest triflesufficed to produce a rupture between them.

The three princes, residing with their fatherin the castle of I’Aigle in Normandy, were one dayengaged in sport together; and after some mirth andjollity, the two younger took a fancy of throwingover some water on Robert as he passed throughthe court on leaving their apartment 8 '; a frolic,which he would naturally have regarded as inno-cent , had it not been for the suggestions of Albericde Grentmesnii, son of that Hugh de Grentmes-nil, whom William had formerly deprived of hisfortunes , when that baron deserted him during hisgreatest difficulties in England. The young man ,mindful of the injury, persuaded the prince, that thisaction was meant as a public affront, which it behov-ed him in honour to resent; and the choleric Robert,

Chron. de Mailr. p. 160.

23

Order. Vital. p. 545.