Polychronicon Ranulphi Higden maonachi Cestrensis; together with the English translations of John Trevisa and of an unknown writer of the fifteenth century.

Capitulum vicesimum septimum.

ADRIANUS the firste succedid Steven the pope xxiiij^ti yere. This pope kepede a cownsaile of bischoppes at Constantinopole, of ccc. and l^ti hooly faders, and an oþer cownsaile at Rome, of cl^ti bischoppes, kynge Charles beynge presente. To whom powere was graunte that tyme in the eleccion of the pope, and

to ordeyne the seete apostolicalle. Men of Northumbrelonde expulsede Alurede theire kynge, and made Ethelberte or Ethel|drede, sonne of Moll, kynge, whiche reignede þer v. yere. Leo the iiij^the, son of Constantyne the v^the, reignede in Grece iiij. yere, whiche infecte with avarice, and commynge into a churche, see a ryalle crowne of golde onornede with carbuncles, whiche takenge and settynge hit on his hedde, was vexede anoon with the axes, and diede. Offa, the kynge of Marches, spoylede Lambert, tharchebischop of Cawnterbery, of his dignite this yere; whiche dignite he kepede at Lichefelde, by auctorite of Adrian the pope, unto his dethe. Constantyne the vj^the, son of Leo the iiij^the, with Yrenes his moder, reignede amonge men of Grece x. yere. In the laste yere of whom a discorde movede betwene the moder and the sonne, the moder toke and impri|sonede hym, and so sche reignede allon v. yere. But after that Constantyne here sonne, havynge supportacion of men of Armeny, gate from prison thro theire helpe and cownsaile, and

schewede grete hurte to his moder and to his [Sic in MS.] supporters. Whiche was taken soone after and made blynde, that dethe folowede, and so Yrene reignede allon other v. yere. And after that, Nichoforus the patricion, honorede and luffede moche of the seide Yrene, did ryse ageyne here, and toke the crowne ageyne the wylle of the peple, and put Yrene to exile, where sche diede. In the firste yere of this Constantyne, a plate of golde was founde in the beryalle of a dedde man, contenynge this writynge in hit: "Criste schalle be borne of Mary virgynne; y beleve in hym; under Constantyne and Yrene his moder, sonne, thow schalle see me ageyne." Marianus, libro ij ^do. Kenulphus, kynge of Westesaxons, and Offa, kynge of the Marches, fauȝhte soore for the cite of [folio 289b] Besyngton, but Offa prevaylede and hade hit. Men of North|umbrelonde expulsed Ethelberte their kynge, and erecte

Alfwolde, whiche reignede xj. yere. The secunde cownsayle or seeyne of Nicene, of ccc. l^ti. bischoppes, was halowede under Adrianus the pope, in whom hit was seide the Holy Goste to procede from the Fader and the Sonne, ageyne the oppinion of men of Grece. Willelmus de Pontificibus, libro quarto. Kenulphus, kynge of Westesaxons, intendynge to expelle from his realme Clito Kinehardus, broþer german of Sigeberte his predecessor, come to Merton in a nyȝhte to the howse of his specialle, where Clito compassede the kynge with lxxx. men. The kynge awakede, defendid hym manly, never|thelesse he was sleyne at the laste; and also the knyȝhtes of the kynge despisenge the promisse of Clito, were sleyne also. The dethe of the kynge expressede, Osricus, a duke longynge to hym, and goynge to Merton, did sle Clito with alle hys men, and beryede the kynge at Wynchestre; whom Brith|ricus succedid, of the bloode of Cerdicus, and reignede xv.

yere. Whiche expulsed Egberte, son of Alquimundus, under|kynge, of the son of Offa, of the bloode of Kyngisly and of Ine; whiche soe expulsede, wente to Fraunce, exercysynge the study of chevallery, and returnede to Ynglonde after the dethe of Brithricus, and reignede after, techynge his peple of the actes chevallery þat he hade lernede in Fraunce. Richulphus succedid Lull archebischop of Cawnterbery, whiche made the grete churche of Seynte Alban, of a mervellous werke, and finischede hit. Willelmus de Pontificibus, libro quarto. Offa the kynge mariede Ethelburga his doȝhter in this yere, to Brithricus kynge of Westesaxons, of whom hit is seide that sche laborede to extincte alle men familier with here kynge, other thro powere or by poyson. Whiche ȝiffenge drynke to a yonge man familier to the kynge, and the kynge drynkynge þerof, was poysonede also; wherefore sche, takynge grete trea|sure

with here, wente unto kynge Charls, into Fraunce. Whiche havynge his sonne with hym, and talkynge with Ethelburga, ȝafe here choyse of hym and of his sonne, and sche chosede the sonne. Then kynge Charls seide to here, "And if thow hade chosen me, thow scholdeste have hade my sonne; and in that thow refused me, thow schalle have neiþer me ne my son; and also, seculer pride deposide, thow schalle goe to a monas|tery." Whiche beynge in a monastery a [Sic in MS.] takynge the plea|sure of þe flesche with a seculer man, was expulsed from the [folio 290a] monastery, and diede in grete misery and poverte. From whiche tyme hit was used in Ynglonde the wife of the kynge neiþer to be callede a qwene, neither to be sette in a regalle seete nye to the kynge. Henricus, libro quarto. A mervellous signe of the crosse apperede thys yere in the clothes of men of Yng|londe, and bloode did descende from hevyn into the erthe; we wylle not diffyne wheþer hit come into the signe of the mocion of Ierusalem after ccc. yere folowynge, in the tyme of William

Rufus, other elles for the correccion of men in Ynglonde, that thei scholde drede the plage of Danes to come, but we com|mitte to God his secrete þinges. Danes come firste into Yng|londe in this yere, and the governoure of the kynges howse of Westesaxons, ȝiffenge metynge to theym with fewe peple, was sleyne. Seynte Alfwold, kynge of Northumbrelonde, was sleyne of his peple; whom Osredus, son of Aluredus and broþer of Alquimundus, succedid, whiche was expulsede soone and sleyne afterwarde; after whom Etheldredus expulsede was restorede, and sleyne soone after. Wherefore Colwulphus, bischop of Lindisfarn, lefte his seete and forsakede the realme, Osbaldus reignede after that fewe dayes, and Ardulphus after hym oon yere, and so certeyne kynges reignede by lxxvj^ti yere. The laste of whom were Osbright and Elle, whiche were sleyne in the cite of Yorke, with the noble men of theire cuntre, by the Danes, in the yere of oure Lorde God viii^c. lxvij. Whiche

Danes did reigne in Northumbrelonde from that tyme unto the tymes of kynge Ethelstan, as by lij^ti yere. Pipinus sonne of Charls coniurede ageyne his fader, wherefore, the cownsaile detecte, he was putte into a monastery, and some of his felawes were sleyne and somme hongede. Seynte Ethelberte, kynge of Este Ynglische men, loste his realme and lyfe by the commaundemente of kynge Offa and persuasion of Kyneswitha his wife.