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

Capitulum tertium.

ZENO themperour reignede after Leo xvij. yere. In the tyme of whom Childericus, the iiij^the kynge of Fraunce, diede, whom Clodoneus other Lodowicus succeded, and reignede xxx^ti yere. This kynge Lodowicus, in the xv. yere of his reigne, intendynge to ȝiffe batelle to an hoste of the Alle|mannes beynge as innumerable, beholdenge in to hevyn seide, "O Lorde Ihesu Criste, whom my wife honourethe, if thow grawnte to me the victory this day, y schalle be baptized;" and therewith his enemyes fledde. Wherefore that kynge Lodowicus was baptizede on Ester day, with iij. m^l men, and with his ij. sustyrs, of blissede Remigius bischop Remense, whiche havynge noo holy creame, a dove come from hevyn havenge a cruette conteynenge creame in her mowthe, with whiche creame the bischoppe noyntede the kynge. That cruette is kepede in the churche Remense, of the whiche creame kynges in Fraunce be noyntede. This kynge goyenge after [folio 247b] that to ȝiffe batelle ageyne Alaricus, destroyenge Aquitanny,

Remigius the bischoppe toke to hym a litelle veselle fulle of blissede wyne, with a promysse of victory, seyenge that he scholde be a victor so longe as þat wyne indurede. The kynge drunke of hit and his hoste, þe wyne not decreasede, occupyenge Aquitanny and Ligeris, whiche commynge to Turonis, to a churche of Seynte Martyne, herde this verse of the sawter, "Præcinxisti me, Domine, virtute ad bellum." Whiche comfortede gretely þerwith, willenge to goe over the forde of Vincenna, but that water gretely encreasede, an herte apperynge sodenly schewede the weye to the kynge. After that he encreasede the realme of Fraunce un to the hilles Pyrene off Aragon. The fame of this kynge herde, Anas|tasius themperour sende to hym a crowne of golde onowrnede with gemmes, with a coote and a gyrdelle, from whiche tyme he was made consul and Augustus of the commune thynge, induede with a consular clothynge. From whiche tyme the Roman empyre translate to Constantinopole, began to decrease,

and the realme of Fraunce to be encreasede. Gisericus the kynge of Wandalynges dedde, Hunericus, his elder sonne, suc|ceded hym viij. yere in Affrike. This Hunericus schewede mekenes in the begynnenge of his reigne to Cristen peple, after the subtilite of barbre, but after that he causede the brestes of virgynes to be brente with yrne, for this cause that peple scholde say they hade lyen with bischoppes and other prestes. Also he causede a grete multitude of Cristen peple [An horrible dede.] to be putte in to a streyte prison, where eiche of þeyme scholde sende furthe uryne and the burdon of nature uppon the hedes of other. Wherefore that pestilente odoure semede to excede alle other peynes. Medardus the confessor, and Gildardus byschop Rotomagense, were in this tyme, bothe breþer uteryne, borne in oon day, consecrate in to bischoppes in oon day, and bothe dedde in oon day. Henricus, libro secundo. Elle and his þre sonnes, Symenpletynge [Sic in MS.] abowte the xxx^ti yere of the

commynge of Englische men to Briteyne, commynge to Briteyne with iij. schippes, at a place callede Cymeneshore, did sle mony Britones, and chasede theym to a woode callede Andresleg, and so thei occupiede Sowthesexe. Henricus, libro quinto. Andresleg is a grete woode in þe sowthe parte of Kente, nye to the haven of Lymene, havenge xl^ti myles in [folio 248a] lengthe and xxx^ti myles in brodenesse. Felix the pope suc|ceded Simplicius viij. yere. And the body of Seynte Barna|bas, the firste bischoppe Mediolanense, was founde this tyme, in a place or beryalle where Iohn his disciple did hide hit, with the gospelle of Seynte Mathewe, whom he did write with his awne honde. Willelmus de Regibus, libro j ^o. Hen|gistus diedethis tyme in Kente, governenge as welle thro disseyte as by myȝhte, levenge after hym Osca his sonne, reignenge xxiiij^ti yere, defendenge his cuntre rather then encreasynge

hit. Eutropius, libro decimo quarto. Aurelius Ambrosius beynge in Briteyne, was induede with purpulle in tyme of this Zeno themperour, havenge victory oftetymes of the Saxons; and after that, now the oon hade victory, and that other parte on oþer tyme, un tille the Saxons encreasede gretely, occupiede alle the yle of Briteyne. Blissede Mam|mertus, bischope Viennense, ordeynede solenne letanyes callede rogacions abowte this tyme, ageyne movenges of therthe, tempestes and incourses of bestes destroyenge moche peple that tyme, namede the lesse letanye, to the difference of the moore letany, whom Seynte Gregory ordeynede to be seide or songe in the day off Seynte Marke. Paulus, libro primo. Agrimundus, kynge of Longobardes, goynge abowte this tyme [Of a woman havenge vij. childer at oon chil|denge.] towarde Pannonia, founde vij. yonge childer nye to a water, of whom a woman of ylle disposicion was delyverede at oon childenge, puttenge theym þer to be sleyne. That kynge willynge to knowe what thynge hit scholde be, putte the spere

he hade in his honde towarde the childer, and anoon oon of theyme toke the spere in his honde. Whereby the kynge seide that he scholde be a noble man, whiche commaundede hym to be taken and norischede tendrely, whiche was electe to be kynge of the Longobardes, for his noble chevallery, after the dethe of Agelmundus, whiche governede the Longobardes mony yeres in grete felicite. Whiche taken from a water callede by theire langage Lama, was namede Lamissio. Zeno themperour sende Theodoricus to ȝiffe batelle to Odoacer, whiche hade occupiede Ytaly and vexede hit soore by xiiij. yere. This Theodoricus was sonne to the kynge of Gothes, ȝiffen to Zeno themperour as in a token of luffe made betwene theym. This Theodoricus havenge xviij. yere in age, passynge Bulgaria and Pannonia, refreschede his hoste in the feldes off [folio 248b]

Aquileia, whiche hade victory of Odoacer, metenge hym with alle the power of Ytaly, causenge hym to flee to Ravenna; whiche, segede þer as by the space of thre yere, was sleyne þer. Theodoricus commynge to Rome after that victory, was receyvede with honoure, takenge to his wife Andelfleda, doȝhter of Clodoneus kynge of Fraunce, maryenge his doȝhters and susters german to kynges in the cuntre abowte hym, in so moche that alle Ytaly was ioynede alle moste to hym.