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

Capitulum quartum.

VICTOR the thridde succedid Hiltebrandus the pope oon yere and v. monethes, somme tyme called Desiderius, and abbote of þe mownte Cassyne. In whiche yere Canutus kynge of Den|marke hade intended to have entrede into Ynglonde with a grete hoste; but kynge William herynge that, gedrenge a grete hoste in Normandy, come to Ynglonde. But this hoste of the Danes lette, kynge William wente to Gloucestre, where he ȝafe iij. seetes of bischoppes to thre chapelyns to hym; the seete of London to Mauricius, of Tedford to William, of Chestre to Roberte, whiche translate that seete unto Coventre as hit is seide afore. A man of grete worschippe, Walterus de Laceo,

fowndér of the churche of Seynte Petyr in Herdforde, goynge on a ladder when that þe werke was allemoste finischede, his foote faylynge, felle and diede. The ordre Cartusiense began abowte this tyme in Calabria, in the bischopryche Grannopolitan by a man callede Bruno, borne in the cite of Colony, chanon of the churche Remense in Fraunce, and maister of the scoles. But pope Urban the secunde movynge hym, the maister of whom Bruno was somme tyme, he come to Rome, where he helpede the pope moche in offices of the churche. Whiche electe to the

archebischop Rifense despisede hit, and takynge leve of the pope wente to Calabria, where he diede. This kynde or maner of heremites admittethe not the nowmbre of xij. men as in clerkes, with owte hit be for a laudable person, receyvenge other lay men to the nowmbre of xx^ti, eiche man separate from oþer by [folio 340a] propre celles in private daies, and eite and slepe; eiche of whom have oon loofe of brede by whiche thei be refreschede by alle the weke, abstenynge from flesche, usenge no lynen clothes, but the heire nexte to þeire flesche; havynge a certeyn place as|signede where thei schalle laboure contiguate to gedre; syttenge to gedre on Sonnedaies and holy daies at a table, havynge com|municacion

of spiritualle maters with oþer, kepynge the rule of seynte Benedict; but thei admitte not a man that hathe fallen in apostasy. Kynge William caused Ynglonde to be describede, and what londe every baron hade, how mony fees of knyȝhtes, how mony carucates of londe, how mony men, and how mony bestes were in the seide londe; where thro the londe was vexede with diverse infeccions; whiche descripcion was redacte into oon volume, and put in the kynges cofurs at Wynechestre. Edgarus Adelynge wente in this yere by licence of kynge William with a grete navy of schippes into Apulia, and Christian his suster entrede into the monastery of Rumesey. Urbanus the secunde succedid Victor the pope xiij. yere. A grete

moreyne of bestes was in Englonde in this yere, and intemper|ance of the aier, where thro mony men diede of the axes and for hungre. Also a grete flamme of fyre consumede allemoste the principalle cites of Ynglonde, and the churche of Seynte Paule at London, with a grete parte of the cite. Alfridus. The Danes did sle Canutus theire lorde in a churche on this yere. Willel|mus de Regibus, libro tertio. The kynge of Fraunce did skorne William kynge of Ynglonde lyenge in bedde at Roone in the laste yere of his lyfe in this maner: "William kynge of Ynglonde lyethe nowe in his bedde in maner of a woman child bredynge, and gedrenge vices and ydelnesse." William kynge of Ynglonde havynge indignacion of that derision, sende to the kynge of Fraunce an epistole contenynge this sentence: "When that y go to here masse after my childynge, y schalle offre to the a c. m^l candeles." And soone after that, in the monethe of Au|guste, when cornes were in the feldes, grapes in vineȝardes, and apples on trees, William kynge of Ynglonde brente the weste

partes of Fraunce, and brente the cite Medantum with a churche of oure Lady in hit, in whom he brente a recluse not knowen to hym of here necessite. After whiche tyme hade soone a disease incurable, other elles for his horse lepynge over a diche oppressede the internalle partes of his bely in somoche þat thei were broken. Wherefore dethe schewede by the leches to drawe nye, kynge William assignede Normandy to Roberte his firste sonne, and Ynglonde to William Rufus, the possessions of his moder and treasure to Henricus clerke; also he causede alle [folio 340b] his prisoners to be losede, Morkarus and Roger, Wilnotus the sonne of Harold, Odo his broþer bischop Baiocense; and so he diede in the xxj. yere of his reigne, the lix^the yere of his lyfe, in the yere of oure Lorde a m^l lxxxiiij. the vj. idus of December, and was beriede in the monastery of Caane whom he made. Whiche myȝhte not have sepulture þer with owte blame, for a knyȝhte inhibite his body to be beryede in that place, seyenge

that the grownde longede to hym, whiche was taken awey from hym by violence affermynge that noo man awe to beriede in grownde taken by violence and by rape; wherefore Henricus his sonne beynge presente þer at that tyme, ȝafe to the knyȝhte an c.li. For Robert his sonne fauȝhte that tyme ageyne the cuntre, and William Rufus was departede to Ynglonde; whiche takynge the treasure of his fader at Wynchestre, distribute grete richesse for hym. Henricus, libro quinto. This William Conquerour was a man of grete prudence, and subtile ryche and covetous, glorious and ȝiffen to fame, affable to the servauntes of God; whiche destroyede mony townes and churches at the Newe Foreste in Hampteschire, to the space of xxx. myles, and putt|ynge dere þer, makynge a statute that whosoever toke a beste þer scholde lose oon eie, and he that oppressed a woman by strengthe scholde lose his stones. Willelmus de Regibus, libro tertio. This kynge William was a corpulente man, and of grete myȝhte, and specially in his armes, that allemoste noo man in

his courte myȝhte drawe that bawe, whom he wolde drawe sittenge on his horse. But this kynge was ȝiffen moche to huntynge, insomoche that he made townes, stretes and churches to be a woode; usynge when he was in Ynglonde to kepe Christemasse at Gloucestre, Ester at Wynchestre, and Pentecoste at Westemynstre. Neverthelesse this kynge made excesse in gederynge of rychesse, other for expulsion of his enemyes, or for the mitigacion of his covetise. The commune peple say that this William expellede the archebischop of Roone, Malgerus by name, from his seete, in that he despisede the service of Alle|myȝhty God, and ȝafe hym to festes and to huntynge. But y suppose hit was for this cause, in that the archebischop excom|municate that kynge William and Matilda his wife, cosynne to hym, for unlawefull matrimony. For whiche synne that William duke of Normandy made ij. monasterys at Caan, oon of men,

an oþer of women. ℞. Also kynge William foundede ij. mon|asteryes in Ynglonde, oon at Bermundesey, nye to London, an other in Sowthesax where he fauȝhte ageyne kynge Harald. [folio 341a] Henricus, libro sexto. This kynge William dedde, there was unnethe in Ynglonde a prince borne in the same londe; but Ynglische men redacte into servitute, hit was a grete rebuke and schame to be called an Ynglische man in those dayes. For God hade ordeynede to the mischefe of Ynglische men a cruelle peple to governe theyme, the nature of whom is to depresse theym selfe when they have depressede and devicte theire enemyes.