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

Capitulum quintum decimum.

HEWE Capette, kynge of Weste men of Fraunce, died after the ix^the yere of his reigne, Roberte his sonne successoure to hym, whom he gate by the doȝhter of Edwarde the elder, and kynge of Ynglonde; whiche reignede abowte xxx^ti yere. In the tyme of whom, a religious man and pilgreme comme from Ierusalem to Scicille, whiche hade lernede of an incluse [folio 315b] that sawles of dedde men were punysched for theire synnes in a place of the see nye to Sicille, callede Olla Vulcani, evomitynge as flammes of fyre, þe voyces of whom, he seide, he hade herde mony tymes; and howe mony of theym were delyverede by the preiers and suffragis of monkes Cluniacense, and of oþer tru peple. Wherefore Odilo the abbot Cluniacense, perceyvynge that, ordeynede that a memory scholde be hade for alle tru dedde peple in the fery nexte folowynge the feste of Alle Seyntes; whiche consuetude was usede after as thro alle the worlde. This duke instructe nobly in mony artes, in the hie festes of the yere songe in somme monastery of his realme with monkes, other elles was one of the chawnters and governede the where. Whiche beynge at the sege of a castelle, lefte his hoste, and come to the churche in the feste of seynte Aman,

bischop of Aurelians, and bare a coope; and as he songe the thrydde Agnus Dei knelynge on his knees, the walles of the castelle felle downe sodenly. This duke made the sequence of the Holy Goste, "Sancti Spiritus assit nobis gratia," and the responsory on Christes eve, "Iudea et Ierusalem." Dublyn, the chiefe cite of Irlonde, was wastede in this yere by the Scottes; and grete hoste of the Danes wente to Normandy; and kynge Egelredus wastede Cumbirlonde, and the yle of Monia or Anglesey. The body of seynte Ivo was fownde in this tyme. Willelmus de Pontificibus, libro quarto. This Ivo borne in the londe of Persida, refusynge the delices of the worlde, come with thre felawes with a vile habite into the yle of Rameseye, where he lyvede afterwarde. And when the sepulcre and name of hym was not knowen of men þer by longe tyme, Ivo apperede to a man and tolde to hym his name, the place, and his degre, monyschynge hym to go to the abbot of Ramesey, and that he scholde come with hym, and take his body up from the grownde. That doen, a welle spronge from the grave, that þer is not liȝhtely in Englonde eny seynte schewynge mercy and grace to men havynge devocion to

theym, rather then seynte Yvo. Egelredus, kynge of Ynglonde, mariede in this yere Emma the gemme of Normandy, doȝhter of the firste Richarde; whiche made prowde þerof, sende letters to the cites of Ynglonde that alle the Danes in that londe scholde be sleyne in oon nyȝhte; and so thei were [folio 316a] in the nyȝhte of seynte Bricius. In whiche yere the monastery of Burton was foundede by a noble man, Wulricus Spotte. Henre the firste, callede meke, after Otho the thrydde was emperoure in Alemayn xxij^ti yere, whom the archebischop Maguntyne did crowne; whiche emperoure contynuede in virginite with his wife. Martinus. Iohn the xviij^the was pope vj. monethes. Suanus the kynge of the Danes, herynge the Danes to be sleyne in Ynglonde by treason, come with a grete navy of schippes, and londed in Cornewaile; where Swanus [Sic in MS.] to Excestre and destroyede the walles of the cite, by the treason of Hewe, an erle of Normandy, whom Emma, wife of kynge Egelredus, made governoure of Devonschyre. Whom þe Westesaxons mette manfully; but when the hostes scholde mete, that fals traitor Edricus fenyde hym seke, and the Saxones returnede,

Suanus spoylede Wilton and Shireburn, and toke schippe. Whiche commynge to Norwiche in the yere folowynge, wastede the cuntre, and brente Tedforde: that knowen the duke Usketel, commaunded comprovincianelles to brenne theire schippes. But they dissimilynge, that duke gedrenge so mony men as he myȝhte, ȝafe a soore batelle to the Danes; and kynge Suanus returnede to Denmarke, in that there was a grete derthe þat yere in Ynglonde, and commynge ageyne in the yere folow|ynge. Iohn the xix^the was pope v. yere. Elphegus bischop of Wynchestre was made in this yere archebischop of Cawn|terbery, after the dethe of Vulricus his predecessour; and in the v^the monethe folowynge a grete hoste of þe Danes londed at Sandwiche, robbynge Kente and Sowthesax, whom thre schrewid felawes folowede, robbynge, sleynge, and brennynge. For Egelredus the kynge, beynge at Scrobbesbury, myȝhte not repelle the Danes liȝhtely untylle thei hade spoylede Barokschire. Wherefore kynge Egelredus by the cownsaile of his gentillemen ȝafe to the Danes a tribute of xxx^ti m^l lⁱ for to lyve in pease. In whiche yere he made Edricus the traytour governoure of the marches, a man meke of kynde, ryche of

tonge, wyly or subtile in witte, swete of speche, and fals in herte. Sergius the thrydde was pope iij. yere. Henricus, libro sexto. Turkillus an erle of the Danes londed at Kente, to whom men of Kente ȝafe to have pease iij. m^l lⁱ; and so the Danes, goynge to the yle of Wiȝhte, and toke theire pray. And when the kynge wolde have ȝiffen batelle to theym, that tray|tour Edricus movede hym unto the contrary. The Danes made ryche þerwith, wastede allemoste þe halfe parte of the realme of Ynglonde, as from the cite of Northampton unto the yle of Wiȝhte; takynge the goodes of men and sleynge after theire pleasure as withowte eny resistence.