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

Capitulum tertium.

KAROLUS Iunior poysonede by a Iewe, as hit is seide afore, was soore seke. Wherefore Arnulphus, sonne of Karoloman|nus his broþer, was made kynge; but after the dethe of this

Charls, þer were v, kynges made, but thempire contynuede with Arnulphus, whiche crownede by Formosus the pope, devicte the Normannes and Danes, whiche hade trowblede Fraunce by xl^ti yere. Neverthelesse this Arnulphus, vexede longe with grete infirmite, cowthe not have helpe by eny medicyne, but he was consumede by lyes or vermyn. Franco the archebischoppe of Roone, baptisede Rollo, and kynge Gut|trum diede. Willelmus de Regibus, libro ij ^o, in fine. The body of seynte Martyne beynge at Turon, was translate to Altisiodre, in to the churche of Seynte German, for the incursion of the Danes and of the Normannes, where mony miracles schewede, and the monkes Turonense stryvede ageyne the monkes of Altisiodore for the offrenges, and either of theym ascribede the offrenges to theire seynte. A convencion made, a leprous man was brouȝhte afore theym, whiche was healede anoon of that parte of his body turnede to seynte Martyn, that other [folio 300b] parte beynge corrupte; and that the thynge doen scholde not

be ascribede to chaunce, thei turnede that other parte that was corrupte to seynte Martyn, and hit was made holle anoon. After that the monkes Turonense hade the offrenges untylle that he was caryede to þeim ageyne, after that tempeste mitigate. But those thynges happede þer not for the impotence of seynte German, but for cause that seynte German schewede favor to his gestes. Henricus, libro quinto. iiij. hostes of the Danes come in this yere ageyne kynge Alurede; oon in Northumbre|londe, anoþer in Este Ynglonde, the thrydde at Excestre, the iiij. at Westechestre. But the Danes were segede soe at Westechestre that thei did eite theire horses for hungre. Thre Scottes, Dusblan, Mahbon, Malmunyn, willenge to lede a per|fite life for Criste, takenge mete with theym for oon weke, entrede a boote made of ij. skynnes and a halfe, with owte eny sayle or oþer thynges to a boote necessary, saylede from Scotte|lande

to Cornewaile in vij. daies, and wente to kynge Alurede, nye to that cuntre. Formosus the pope succedid Steven v. yere. Þis pope lefte the seete of the bischop Portuense for drede of pope Iohn; whiche callede ageyne, and not return|ynge, was excommunicate. But at the laste he come to Iohn the pope into Fraunce, where he was degradate unto the state of a layman, and coacte to swere that he scholde nevere receyve his office hade afore, neiþer to go to the cowrte of Rome in the tyme of his life. But he was restorede ageyne by Martyn, the successor of Iohn. Plegmundus, archebischop of Caunterbery, receyvynge his palle of the pope, and commen into Ynglonde, made vij. bischoppes in oon day. Kynge Alurede chasede aweye in this yere the Danes, firste from Kente, from Oxenforde, and from Chichestre. Henricus, libro quinto. The Danes beynge at Westechestre, compellede for hungre to leve those costes, robbede Northewales, and so they compassede cuntre tille they come to Este Ynglonde, where theire wifes were and schippes. The Danes returnynge thens,

entrede the water of Luya, and made a castelle nye to hit; but men of London, thro helpe of the kynge, destroyede the castelle, and dividede that water into thre armes, so that the Danes myȝhte not gette furthe theire schippes. Wherefore the Danes levynge those schippes toke brigges nye to Severne and to Wales where they made a noble castelle, and so Yng|londe was vexede in þat thre yere with a threfolde pestilence, with the Danes, with the dethe of men, and with dethe of other bestes. Bonefacius the pope succedid Formosus xv. daies, whom Steven the vj^the did succede oon yere and thre monethes, [folio 301a] whiche levynge that oficce was made a monke. This man made bischop of Anagum by Formosus the pope, and after that made pope, schewede so grete persecucion to Formosus, that he revokede not oonly hys dedes, but also he causede the body of Formosus, beryede but late afore, to be brouȝhte to the

consistory, and there the clothynge papalle taken awey, and indued with seculer clothynge, and after that, ij. of the fyn|gers of the ryȝhte honde kytte aweye, was caste into Tiber. Romanus the pope did succede Steven iiij. monethe. Lodowi|cus, the sonne of Arnulphus, reignede in Fraunce xij. yere; but he atteynede not the crowne of thempire, and so the sucession as from kynge Charls reioycede not thempire. In the tyme of whom were v. popes, Theodorus, Iohn, Leo, Bene|dicte, and Christofor; but Theodorus the secunde, beynge president as but oon monethe, revokede the dedes of pope Steven, and confermede the dedes of Formosus þe pope. Iohn the ix^the succedid, whiche kepynge a cowensaile at Ravenna dampnede also the dedes of Steven, and fauȝhte ageyne the Romanes. Willelmus de Regibus, libro secundo. Kynge Alurede diede in this yere, beryede in the chyrche at Wyn|chestre,

and after that translate by Edwarde his son, and putte in the newe monastery. ℞. In lawde of whom Henricus, libro 7^o, writethe in this wyse:

"Nobilitas innata tibi probitatis honorem Armipotens Alurede dedit probitasque laborem Perpetuusque labor nomen, cui mixta dolori Gaudia semper erant spes semper mixta timori. Si modo victus erat, ad crastina bella parabat. Iam post transactos regni vitæque labores. Christus ei sit vera quies sceptrumque perenne."