Polychronicon Ranulphi Higden maonachi Cestrensis; together with the English translations of John Trevisa and of an unknown writer of the fifteenth century.
Higden, Ranulf, d. 1364., Trevisa, John, tr. d. 1402., Caxton, William, ca. 1422-1491., Malverne, John, d 1415?, Babington, Churchill, ed. 1821-1889,, Lumby, J. Rawson ed. (Joseph Rawson), 1831-1895.

Capitulum octodecimum.

CONSTANTINUS the iiijthe, and son of Constantyne afore re|hersede, was emperoure xvij. yere. Grimaldus, kynge of Longobardes, drawynge a bowe to schote at a dofe, in the ixthe day after that he was lete bloode, brake a veyne, but leches puttenge to hit poyson causede hym to dye þerwith. Beda, libro iiijto, capitulo ijdo. Theodorus come to Kente in this yere, the vijthe kalendes of Iunius, in the secunde yere of his consecracion, where he was bischop xxjti yere and vj. monethes. Page  117, vol.6 Vitalianus the pope sende this Theodorus, a monke of Tharsus borne in Sicille, havynge lxvj. yere in age, instructe excel|lentely in divine scripture and in the langage of Grewe and of Latyne, þat he scholde preche to þe peple of Yngelonde, sendenge Adrian thabbotte as a helper to hym, leste that he scholde induce eny thynges erroneus into the churches after the consuetude of men of Grewe. Whiche commyn into Ynglonde, wente thro alle the costes of hit techynge the ryȝhte ordre of lyvynge, and toke to peple a writynge by whiche they scholde knowe to kepe Ester dewly, techynge the wey of syngynge, of calculacion, and of astronomy under either tunge*. [tunge is erased and langage written above it in MS.] of Grece and of Latyne, Adrian thabbotte and his disciples helpynge moche in that mater, ordeynynge bischoppes in diverse places, and amovynge bischoppes not ordeynyde aryȝhte, other elles he consecrate theyme ageyne. Amonge whom he amovede Chadde, archebischop of Yorke, confess|ynge Page  119, vol.6 mekely his offense, and made Wilfridus bischop þer; neverthelesse he made Chadde bischop of the Marches, at the desire of Wulferus, kynge. Beda, libro 3o, capitulo xxvo. Men of the churche and religious men hade grete pleasure to serve God in that tyme, and not the worlde, the herte and not*. [What devo|cion was in religious men.] [folio 275a] the wombe; wherefore religious peple were hade in grete reverence and honor, in so moche that men travaylynge wolde knele downe and prey theym of theire blissenge. Whiche usede not to goe owte of theire monasterys in that tyme but if hit were to baptize or to preche, and for the salvacioun of sawles, not willenge to receyve eny thynge to thedificacion of theire monasterys, but as coacte by myȝhty men. Beda. libro iiijo, capitulo vto. Oswy, kynge of Northumbrelonde, deide in this yere, whom Egfridus his sonne did succede xv. yere. Beda, libro iiijo, capitulo xvijo This Egfridus mariede Etheldrida doȝhter of Todbertus, prince of the sowthe Gir|wyes, Page  121, vol.6 whiche havynge here in his felowschippe by xij. yere cowthe not move her to the synne and concupiscense of the flesche; wherefore sche havynge licence of the kynge was made myncheon at Coludi by oon yere, under Aebba cosyn to Egfridus. But after that sche made abbesse of Hely, eitynge but oonys in the day, and werynge noo lynyn clothes, slepyde not after mydde nyȝhte, but wakede untille day in preyere and devoute meditacion; whiche dyenge after the vijthe. yere of here prelacy, lay xvi. yere incorrupte. Beda, libro iiij o, capitulo vo. A cownesayle of bischoppes was hade by Theo|dorus at Tedforde in this yere, in whom hit was decrete, firste of the tru observacion of Ester; in the secunde, that noo bischop scholde entre into the paresche of an oþer; in the thrydde, that bischoppes scholde not diease*. [Sic.] and inquiete mo|nasterys; in the iiijthe, that clerkes and monkes scholde not goe abowte in the cuntre withowte licence of theire prelates; and Page  123, vol.6 in the vthe, that oonys in the yere a cownesayle scholde be kepede. Egbertus the kynge of Kente died, whom Lotharius his son succedid xj. yere. Kenwalcus kynge of Weste Saxons diede in the xxxti yere of his reigne. ℞. Sexburga the wife of whom reignede afterwarde oon yere, but, after Bede, other litelle kynges divided and departede that realme amonge þeim. Beda, libro 4o, capitulo vjo. Seynte Chadde diede this yere*. [Seynte Chad dyed in this yere.] at Lichefeld, in the thridde yere of his bischopehode; in the stedde of whom Theodorus did substitute Winfridus the diacon of Seynte Chadde, whom he deposide soone after for in|obediency, [folio 275b] and substitute in his place Sexwulphus, thabbot of Medhamsted, whiche is callede now Petyrborowe, sometyme Page  125, vol.6 in the region of the Girwyes; and Winfridus deposide in the iiijthe yere of his consecracion wente Barwe. Donus the pope succedid Adeodatus oon yere and vj. monethes. Beda, ubi supra. Seynte Erkenwalde, the thryde bischoppe of London, after the dethe of Wyne made ij. monasteryes, oon in Southerey at an yle called Cereotte, and nowe Chertesey, xv. myle from London at the weste; and an oþer at the este of London, in the province of Estesex, callede Berkyngum, to Ethelburga his sustre, where sche was abbesse and lyvede vertuousely, to whom Seynte Aldelme wrote a booke of virginite. Willel|mus de Pontificibus, libro ijdo. Men suppose that the seide place was not destroyede by the preyere of that holy virgyn; but þat other monastery of Chertiseye was destroyede by the Danes, whom kynge Edgarus repairede afterwarde. Oswinus began to reigne on the Weste Saxons þis yere, whiche reignede iij. yere, and ȝafe batelle ageyne Wulferus kynge of the Page  127, vol.6 Marches, at Widanheaf. In whiche yere Wulferus kynge of the Marches diede, whom Etheldredus his broþer did succede, and reignede xxxti yere; for Kynredus þe son of*. [of] on, MS.] Wulferus myȝhte not reigne for tendernesse of age. And Ermenilda the wife of Wulferus was made a myncheon at Hely, with Werburga here doȝhter, after the dethe of Wulferus under Etheldritha. Marianus. Kyng Etheldredus, uncle to Wer|burga myncheon, made here governoure in diverse places, as at Trikyngham, Weddinna, and at Hamburgha, dienge at the firste place and beryede at the thrydde, as sche commaunded in here lyfe, where sche lay incorrupte as by ccc. yere unto the commynge of Danes. ℞. The Danes taryenge in wynter at Repyndoun, Burdredus kynge of the Marches chasede awey, citesynnes of Hamburga dredynge theyme, wente to Chestre with the body of that blissede virgyn, redacte firste in that Page  129, vol.6 tyme into powdre. In whiche cite from the tyme of kynge Athelstan unto the commynge of Normannes into Ynglonde, seculer canons gettynge diverse possessions servede in that churche to the lawe of that virgyn, and after that monkes. Marianus, libro ijdo. Wulferus the kynge hade iij. bre|ther, as Weda, Ethelredus, and Merwaldus, whiche was pre|sidente of the Weste Marches, to whom Ermenburga his qwene brouȝhte thre holy doȝhters, Mildburga, Mildrida, [folio 276a] Milgwida, and a sonne, a man of grete holynesse, Meresis by name. Willelmus de Pontificibus, libro iiijo. Also Wul|ferus hade ij. sustres and myncheons, Kynedrida, and Kynes|wida, beryede bothe at Medhamsted, callede now Petyrborowe, where Seynte Ethelwold made a monastery. This Kyneswida converte Offa the kynge, in so moche that he goynge to Rome Page  131, vol.6 with Kenredus and Egwinus bischop of Worcestre, was made a monke. Agatho the pope did succede Donus iij. yere, in the secunde yere of whom the vjthe seene or cownesayle was hade at Constantinopole of cc. and lxxx. bischoppes, in whom hit was seide ii. natures to be in Criste and ij. willes. Ma|rianus, libro ijo. Agilbertus bischop of Westesaxons de|partede from that cuntre with indignacion, in that Kenwalcus the kynge hade divided the province into too seetes. Leu|therius was made bischop thro the grawnte of the kynge, Theodorus tharchebischop confermynge hym, whiche was pre|sidente þer vij. yere. A grete dethe of briddes fiȝhtenge togedre was hade in this yere.