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

Capitulum tricesimum primum.

LODOWICUS kynge of Fraunce dedde, Lotharius his eldeste son succedid; whiche reigned xv. yere his fadder beynge in lyfe, and xviij. yere after the dethe of his fader, in Ytaly, Rome, and in a parte of Germany nye to Alpes, callede Lotharingia of Lotharius. But the peple of the realme of Lotharius made in|surreccions

ageyne his ij. breþer for the realme of Aquitanny, that Pipinus theire broþer occupiede somme tyme. Giraldus, dis|tinctione [A soore conflicte betwene breþer.] prima. And thei fauȝhte at a place callede Fontanete, where Lotharius compellyde to fle, so grete a murdre of peple was made in þat conflicte to eiþer parte that Lotharius was not able to resiste his adversaries after that tyme. The Saracenys beynge in Affrike and in Speyne herynge that, made þeim redy to entre thempire of Rome. Lodowicus dedde in the meane tyme, Karolus Calvus governede the realme allon a certeyne space. The body of seynte Bartholomewe was trans|late to Benevent in this yere; Sergius the secunde succedid Gregory the pope ix. yere. This Sergius was callede firste Os [folio 294b] porci, the mowthe of a swyne; from the tyme of whom alle popes chaungede theire names, and that for iij. causes. The firste cause is for Criste chaungede the names of his apostles when he toke theim to that office. An oþer cause for thei awe to chaunge into perfeccion as theire name is chaungede. The

thrydde cause was leste a man electe to that office hade a fowle name. The body of blissede Helena, moder of noble Constan|tyne, beryede at Rome, was translate this tyme to the churche Remense in Fraunce. Normannes come firste to Fraunce in this yere by the water of Sequana. Bertulphus did sle wikkidely seynte Westan in Pentecoste, the body of whom was beryede at Rependoun in the beryalle of Wiglanus his grauntefader; in the place of the dethe of whom a piller of lyȝhte stode con|tynually by xxx^ti daies. Leo the v^the succedid Sergius the pope iiij. yere, whiche repairede churches in the cite of Rome des|troyede of paganes, and made this collecte, "Deus, cujus dextera beatum Petrum," for Neapolitans fiȝhtenge ageyne the Sara|cenys on the see. And the reparacion of the churche of Seynte Petyr doen, he seide, "Deus, qui beato Petro collatis clavibus." This pope desirede as in to his sonne Alurede son of Atelwul|phus kynge of Westesaxons, whom noyntede into the kynge by

grawnte of his fader. Betulphus the kynge of Marches diede in this yere; whom Burdredus did succede, whiche maryede anoon Ethelwitha the doȝhter of kynge Atulphus, þro helpe of whom he subduede the Britons inhabitynge betwene the Marches and the weste see. This Burdredus expulsede from his realme in the xxij. yere of his reigne by the Danes, wente to Rome, and not lyvynge longe after his commynge þider was beryede in the churche of blissede Mary at the scole of Saxons. In whiche yere the Danes robbyng London and Kente and caused Bertul|phus the kynge to flee, were devicte in Southerey by kynge Ethelwulphus at Ocleye. Lotharius themperour forsakenge the worlde and entrynge religion, diede in this tyme; for the sawle of whom grete altercacion was hade betwene angelles and develles, in so moche that mony men see þe body as alle to drawen betwene þeim, but the devells fledde þro the preiers of the

monkes. Willelmus de Regibus, libro secundo. This Lo|thrius lefte iij. sonnes after hym geten by Ermengarda his wife: Lodowicus, to whom he ȝafe the realme of Romanes with Ytaly, and to Lotharius the regalle seete of Fraunce, and to Charls an oþer province; but this Charls soone dedde, Lodowicus and [folio 295a] Lotharius divided þe realme of Charls betwene theyme.