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

Capitulum vicesimum secundum.

ADRIAN the iiij^the, borne in Ynglonde, succedid Anastasius the pope iiij. yere. Somme men say this pope was the native man of thabbot of Seynte Alban in Ynglonde, whiche wil|lynge to have bene monke þer and was refusede, wente over see, and for his connynge and vertu he was made firste bischoppe Albanense, and sende in message to Wormacia converte þat province to the feithe of Criste. And after that this Adrian made pope interdicte alle the cite of Rome for þe dethe of oon cardinalle, and excommunicate William kynge of Sicille, compellynge hym to submitte hym. This pope taryede firste in the olde cite with the cardinalles of alle the bischoppes of Rome. The kynge of Scottelonde and allemoste alle the primates of Ynglonde diede in this yere: also in the monethe of October a signe of the crosse apperede in the moone. Kynge Henricus brouȝte an hoste firste into

Wales in this yere, and made a castelle at Ruthlan, and founded the monastery of Basyngwere. Alexander the secunde suc|cedid pope Adrian xxij. yere, whiche overcome the iiij. popes electe ageyne the lawe, whom Frederyke the emperour hade erecte; also he accorded Frederyke with Emmanuel em|peroure of Constantinopole, and Thomas kynge of Sicille, and noryschede moche seynte Thomas of Cawnterbery in his exile. Also Henricus the eldeste sonne off this kynge Henry maryede [folio 360b] the doȝhter of the kynge off Fraunce. Also a childe was crucifiede of the Iewes in this yere at Gloucestre. Theobaldus archebischop of Cawnterbery diede in this yere, and seynte Thomas was consecrate the vj^the nones of Iunius, in the thrydde yere folowynge departynge from Ynglonde, and come to Ynglonde ageyne in the seventhe yere of his exile, in whiche yere he was martiriȝate; the lyfe of whom iiij famose clerkes did wryte, as hit is schewede in his lyfe. And Matildis the empresse, modere to kynge Henricus, dyed in the yere of oure Lorde a M.clxvij. [For this sentence no Latin appears in any MS. which I have examined.] Ioachim the abbot was abowte this tyme in Calabria, whiche did write comentes on the Apocalips and

bookes of the prophetes, whiche seide to Fredericus thempe|roure and to oþer kynges that thei scholde profite but lytelle in the Holy Londe, for the tyme of delyveraunce was not commen. Neverthelesse the oppinion of this Ioachim ageyne the maister of sentenceȝ is reprovede, as hit is schewede in the begynnynge of the decretalles by Gregory the ix. Thre cercles and ij. sonnes were seen in the firmament in this yere abowt oon after none the xiiij^the kalendes of October, in whiche yere a grete dissencion was movede betwene kynge Henricus the secunde and seynte Thomas. Petrus Commester florischede this tyme in Fraunce, whiche did wryte the story of either Testa|ment, whiche is callede the story scolasticalle, and allegoryes on either Testament, whiche allegoryes he redacte into a booke of metre, whom he callede Aurora. Radulphus bischop of Colon brouȝhte from Mediolan, destroyede by Frederyke thempe|roure, the bodies of thre kynges to Colony. The bodies of

these three kynges were brouȝte firste from Persida to Con|stantinopole, and from that cite to Mediolan by Sergius the pope. Seynte Thomas of Cawnterbery was martiriȝate in this yere, of whom a metricion rehersethe in this wise:—

"Quis moritur? Presul. Cur? Pro grege. Qualiter? Ense. Quando? Natali. Quis locus? Ara Dei."

Giraldus in Itinerario. After the dethe of whome the myȝhte and powere of the kynge began to decrease, for in the yere folowynge the kynge wente in Yrlonde and kepede diverse cownsailes þer by licence of the pope, and specially at Cassilia,

at whiche cownsaile Armachanus the primate was not for grete infirmite. Where he reformede that cuntre, specially to thre thynges, after his powere, to the servyce of God, to ȝiffe [folio 361a] theire tythes, and to dewe matrimonye. Also hit was ordeynede þer that men laborynge in extreme infirmite scholde make theire testamente in the presence off diverse wittenesse and neiȝhebors, and to divide theire goodes movable into thre partes, if thei have wife and childer, oon parte to childer, an other to his wife, the thrydde parte to his beryynge. And if he hade noo wife, his goodes scholde be divided but into ij. partes. The kynge returnede from Yrlonde, mony revelacions were schewede for the correccion of his life, firste by an olde man at the castell of Caerdif in Wales, in the viij. day of Ester after masse. When that the kynge scholde have take his horse, a man yelowe in coloure and pale of face, of semely

stature, in a white coote and barefotte, stode nye to the kynge, and spake to hym in the langage of Almaynes, "Gode old kyge, Criste salutethe yow and his moder Mary, seynte John Baptiste and seynte Petur, commaundenge þe that marchan|dyse be not usede thro alle thy realme in Sonnedayes, auther servile labours, those thynges excepte which perteyne to tho lyfe of man; and if thow kepe these thynges thow schalle ende welle that thynge thow dose begynne." The kynge herynge this, seide in Frenche to the knyȝhte holdynge his brydelle, "Inquire of this chorle wheþer he did dreame this or nay." That doen, the man seide to the kynge ageyne in the same langage aforeseide, "Wheþer y dreamede þis or nay, remembre welle this day, for withowte thow kepe that y have seide to the and amende thy lyfe, thow schalle here suche tythynges with ynne this yere that thow schalle repent theyme by alle the daies of thy lyfe." This seide the man

departede from the kynge. And with in the seide yere thre sonnes of the kynge, Henricus Gaufride and Ricardus, turnede to the kynge of Fraunce ageyne theire awne fader. Then the kynge of Scottes, the erle of Chestre, and the erle of Leicestre did ryse ageyne the kynge: and mony oþer monicions were hade for correccion of his life, but he despisede theyme. A man of Yrlonde movede the kynge to correcte his lyfe in schewynge to the kynge secrete tokynnes. And in the thrydde tyme a knyȝhte of Lindisey, Philippe Estreby, movede the kynge to amende vij. thynges, seyenge that and if he wolde amende theyme [folio 361b] he scholde reigne in honoure by vij. yere folowynge, and de|lyver the crosse of Criste from his enemyes. And if he wolde not amende theyme, he seide to the kynge þat he scholde dye in the iiij. yere folowynge with grete schame. Thre of the vij. thynges or articles he promysede to observe in his coronacion, as to defende the churche, of trewe lawes to be ordeynede, and not to condempne eny man withowte ryȝhteuous juggemente. The iiij^the was to restore goodes taken awey and enheritaunceȝ.

The v^the article was to do ryȝhteuous withowte eny price. The vi^the was to pay dewte to his ministres. The vij. was to expelle the Iewes, levynge to theym parte of theire goodes to goe furthe with alle. But the kynge not correcte by this, myȝhty men did ryse ageyne hym, his thre sonnes with the kynge of Fraunce. And so the kynge mekynge hym selfe, and visitynge with grete mekenesse the tumbe of seynte Thomas of Cawnterbery on his bare feete, hade victory at Alnewike, and William kynge of Scottes was taken þer, and the erles of Chestre and of Leicestre. That victory had, he ascribede hit to his power, and not to God, and beynge afore a secrete advou|terer, was knowen after that for an open advouterer, abusynge Rosamunde, that beautuous woman. To whom he made a mervellous chambre at Wodestoke, after the werke Dedalyne, that sche scholde not be taken lyȝhtely of the qwene. But þe seide Rosamunde diede soone after, and was beryede in þe

monastery of Godestowe, nye to Oxonforde, with this epitaphy:—

"Hic jacet in tumba rosa mundi, non rosa munda. Non redolet sed olet quæ redolere solet."

The beryalle of this Rosamunde is of a mervellous architec|ture, for conflictes of champions, fliȝhtes of bryddes, lepynge of fisches is to beholden in hit, withowte the handeworke other impulsion of man.