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

Capitulum tricesimum quintum.

FREDERICUS the emperoure toke to his wife Isabell, suster of kynge Henricus; in whiche yere Iewes were brouȝhte afore the kynge at Westmynstre, in that thei hade hidde a childe at Norwiche by oon yere, and hade purposede to have crucifiede hit after þe circumcision of hit. Kynge Henricus mariede Alienor doȝhter of the erle Provincense. Iohn Scotte, erle of

Chestre and of Huntyngdon, diede at Sarenhall the viij^the idus of the monethe of Junius; the erledome of whom returnede to the kynge insomoche that the seide cuntre enjoyede a regalle pre|rogatife, oþer londes ȝiffen to the iiij. sustres, leste so noble a londe scholde have bene divided amonge the rockes of women. Otto the legate come into Ynglonde in this yere, whiche ordeynede mony noble constitutions to the utilite of the churche; whiche commynge thro Oxforde, a grete conflicte was made betwene the scolers and his men, insomoche that, oon of his men sleyne, he was segede in the towre of Oseney unto eve, and he myȝhte unnethe be delyverede by ministres of the kynge commynge from Abendon. Þis legate

brouȝhte to Walyngeforde excommunicate those malefactors, and suspende the universite of Oxonforde untille thabbot and chanons of Oseney with regentes of the universite, goynge unschoede and ungyrde thro the myddes of London unto his ynne, cowthe unnethe have forȝifnesse. A fals clerke fenynge hym selfe madde, inquirede the secrete places off the kynges courte, and entrede the chambre of kynge Henricus at Wode|stoke in the nyȝhte, and wolde have sleyne hym. But the seide clerke was taken at the crye of an hooly woman, and drawen at Coventre. Edwarde the firste, son of kynge Hen|ricus, was borne at Westmynstre in this yere, whom Otho the legate baptiȝede, and confermede seynte Edmund archebischoppe of Cawnterbery. The kynges of the Tartarous havynge the provinces of the este subduede to theym, divided theire peple into ij. hostes: oon of the seide hostes attrivede so soore Hun|gary and Pannonye, that men of those costes were feyne to eite theire awne childer. Celestinus the iiij^the succedid Gre|gory [folio 378a]

oon monethe, whom Innocencius the iiij^the succedid xj. yere and vj. monethes. The crowne of thorne of oure Savioure was brouȝhte in this tyme into Fraunce. Otho the legate departede from Ynglonde, was taken on the see by men longynge to the emperoure. Seynte Edmund dyede at Soysy, whom Bonefacius succedid. This Edmund, borne at Aben|don nye to Oxenforde, hade a religious fader and moder. The fader of whom was callede Edwarde Ryche, lyvenge in reguler observaunce afterwarde at Evisham by consente of his wife. And the name of his moder was Mabily, a woman devoute in the servyce of Allemyȝhty God. This holy seynte Edmund, clene from every filthy contagion, borne in the feste of seynte Edmunde kynge and martir, lay as dedde by alle that day, inso|moche

that peple stondynge by wolde have beryede hym, but that his moder commaunded the contrary. This hooly bischoppe was callede Edmunde, whiche sowndethe happy and clene, in that he was borne in the feste of seynte Edmunde, and also for cause that his moder beynge at the tumbe of seynte Ed|munde perceyvede firste the lyfe of hym in here wombe. Whiche encreasynge in vertu and connynge, usede to say the Sawter complete every Sonneday or he did taste eny meyte, and fastynge with brede and water in every Fryday by the cown|saile of his moder. This floure of Criste immarcessible, beynge after that at the universite of Oxenforde, and walkynge in a

mede nye to the universite, a beawtuous childe apperede to hym, seyenge, "Hayle, my wellebelovede, I have mervayle that thow knowes not me, specially sithe that y am nye to thy syde in scoles and other places. Enprynte the wrytenge in my forehedde in thy forehedde and mynde every nyȝhte;" in whom this wrytynge was contenede, "Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudeorum." After that tyme he hade grete remembraunce of the passion of Criste, but hit happede seynte Edmunde to forgete that impression in oon nyȝhte by study|enge for an ordinary to be redde in the morowe foloynge, and in the seide morowe the develle, enemy to man, hade bownde hym so that he cowthe not blisse hym. But this hooly man preyenge in mynde, the develle felle downe bytwene his bedde and the walle, whom he adjurede by the hooly bloode of Criste that he scholde expresse by what thynge he myȝhte be convicte [folio 378b] moste rathe. And then the develle seide by the precious bloode of Criste. Also seynte Edmunde forgetynge to say the preyer, "O beata et intemerata," seynte Iohn Evangeliste

apperede to hym in his slepe, manassynge to smyte hym with a palmer, for Scripture affermethe "he that despisethe lytelle thynges schalle falle lyȝhtely." This hooly bischope was wonte to putte the silvyr that he receyvede of his scolers in a wyndowe openly, sayenge, "duste or powder to powdre, and asches to asches." Whiche silvyr was taken awey oftetymes other by his felawes in disporte prively, or by other thefes prively. This seynte Edmunde laborynge arismetrike to rede

in his ordinary, his moder apperede in slepe to hym, dedde but late afore, inquirynge of hym what figures thei scholde be; he ansuerynge suche and suche. Then sche depicte in his ryȝhte honde iij. cercles, contenynge the Fader, the Sonne, and the Holy Goste, and seide, "Son, attende to these

ffigures." Hit happede in a tyme, the seide bischop beynge in study and in slepe, a candelle to falle on his bible, but the seide seynte Edmunde awakenge and sighenge, that booke was not hurte in eny thynge. Also he made in a tyme iij. crosses with his pen on a felon that he hade on his foote, and the posteme evaneschede awey anoon. The olde heires, whom he usede to were, putte to the fyre cowthe not be brente, an[d] unnethe eny vermyn were founde in theyme or in his other clothes. The decan of Salisbery seide to the messyngers sende from Cawnterbery for the promocion of seynte Edmunde trea|surer that tyme of Salisbery, "Ye be wellecomme, and ye be not wellecomme; ye be wellecomme in that ye comme for the honore of oure churche, and ye be not wellecomme in that ye come to take awey oure treasure with oure treasurer."

This seynt Edmund usede for eny journey or eny tempeste to lyȝhte downe of hys horse and here the confession of a man or woman, if he were desirede, lyke an olyve tre whiche retenethe to hym selfe bitternesse of barke, and distillethe to oþer the liquor of swetenesse. This noble bischoppe ȝafe grete honoure to women, for the honoure of oure Lady, and ȝitte he was not [folio 379a] diffamede þerby. Neverthelesse seynte Edmunde reprovede in a tyme of a man familier to hym in that he spake so ofte with a feire woman, seide to hym ageyne, "Perceyves thow how feire and beawtuous that woman is; sche hathe sytte ofte nye to me, and unto this houre y was never attempte moore of her then of the walle. And if alle the synnes of lechery in whom y have synnede were wryten in my forhede y wolde not be

aschamede þerof." This bischoppe hatede men that wolde take ȝiftes, seyenge in Frenche that there was but oon letter betwene prendere, to take, and pendere, to be honge. At the laste, thro the instigacion of the develle, kynge Hen|ricus and the chapitre of Cawnterbery also rebellede ageyne seynte Edmund, in whiche tribulacion he noryschede moche his adversaryes, and admitte theyme to grete familiarite with hym. The luffers of seynte Edmund were displeasede with hym gretely þerfore, seyenge that his grete mekenesse wolde be an occasion to peple to ryse ageyne prelates of the churche. To whom he seide, "We awe to sowke the bitternesse of tribula|cion lyke mylke, and eite wilde hony in the deserte of this worlde with seynte Iohn Baptiste, for the powere of cor|reccion awe to be attribute to God." After that seynte Edmunde callynge a cownsaile of bischoppes, inquirede of theyme how he myȝhte releve the churche, where hit was seide

that the kynge and the rebellious awe to be monyschede, and if thei wolde not be correcte, to schewe to theym the sentence of the churche. This holy bischop wente to the kynge, whiche askede deliberacion to answere to these thynges movede by seynte Edmund, but hit profite not, wherefore he ȝafe sen|tence ageyne alle the rebellious of the churche, the kynge excepte, thenkynge if that he made eny sentence, the legate presente þat tyme scholde have releisched hit, and peraventure to have movede the kynge to moore symplenesse. Wherefore he chosede to absente hym for a tyme, that he myȝhte schewe the actes of those rebellious, and lothe the malice of theyme. This seynte Edmund vexed soore in the extreme infirmite, de|partede from Pontiniacus to Soysi, promysynge theyme to returne and to be þer ageyne in the feste of seynte Edmunde.

The blissede sacramente brouȝhte to this holy bischop, he seide, "O Lorde, thow arte he whom y have luffede and prechede;" and that sacramente receyvede he seide, "Men say that play or disporte goethe into the wombe; but y say that hit goethe [folio 379b] into the mynde." After that he waschede the woundes of the ymage of the crucifix, and seyde, "Haurite aquas in gaudio."