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

C^m 16^m.

About seynt Matheus feste, the Danes bisegide [beseged, Cx.] Caunterbury, and the twentithe [twenty, Cx.] day of the sege the cite was take, and sett afuyr, [a vure, γ.] and that by tresonn of Almarus the dekene [decon, γ.] that seynt Elphegus had to forhond saved from the [the] om. Cx.] deth. The abbot of seynt Austyns [Austynhys, γ.] was suffred for to go his wey. Cristes flok was tethed [ytueþed, γ.] the nyne were slayn and the tenthe was kept. Of hem that were slayn somme were slayn with iren, [yr, γ.] and somme y|throwe adown of heiȝ places, some an hanged by the privy membris and somme to-drawe by the heer. Among the whiche, [whoche, γ.] Elphegus the bischop was take and bounde sevene monethes and greved and dispised with many maner peynes. Therfore Goddes wreththe [wrath, Cx.] fil [vul, γ.] uppon the peple that slouȝ so men that sorowe of her bowels slouȝ and destruyed of hem now by ten now by twenty, and so a grete noumbre. Thanne the Danes were warned by Cristen men that thei schuld do the bischops gre, but thei differred hit and abide therwith. For on Ester eve thei ȝaf the bischop choys whether he wolde pay thre thousand pound other leese [luse, γ.] hys lyf. He forsoke al her profre and prayed mekelich his Cristen men and forbede [vorbude, γ.] hem heiȝliche [hyghly, Cx.] that noon of hem schuld pay for his raunsone. Therfore the Danes were wroth and kene, and the Saturday therafter [therafter] after Cx.] the Danes were wyn dronke and ladde out the bischop and slouȝ him with stones and with rutheren [roþerne, γ.; rotheren, Cx.] bones. That Saturday fil twelue dayes tofore May. Whanne the bischop was ded he most nouȝt be biryed er amorowe. [he was not buryed til on the morn, Cx.] Whanne a drye tree was touched with a drope of the blode hit waxe grene aȝen. Thanne the next day after his body was brouȝt to Londoun, and buryed worschipliche in Seynt Paules chirche. But afterward by graunt of Canutus kyng of Danes, he was brouȝt al hool in body to his owne chirche. Willelmus de Regibus libro 2^o. After that this Alphegus [Elphegus, γ.] had take monkes

abyte [habyt, γ.; habyte, Cx.] at Dirhust, he lyved as an anker at Bathe and gadered there monkes afterward, and as hit fallith [valleþ, γ.] ofte in a grete college, these monkes drouȝ hem [alle, add. Cx.] to euel maner of doyng. For unwityng the fader, [vader, γ.] somme of hem made feestes by nyȝt in outrage and in drinking to the day lyȝt. But the banyour of this evel doyng fil [vul, γ.] dede by wreche of God Almyȝty [Almyȝty] om. Cx.] yn the myddel of the hous that thei dronke ynne. The fader was war therof by noys that he herde [hurde, γ.] and com to the wyndowe and syȝ twey fendes bete that body and the wrecche axide helpe. Nay, quoth the fendes, thu were nouȝt obedient to God; so we shal nouȝt be obedient to thee. In a tyme seynt Andrewe appered to Dunstan and by counseil of seynt Andrewe, Elphegus was made bischop of Wynchestre, and ete [yte, γ.] never flesch but he were seke. By nyȝt he wolde bigile his wardeyns, and stonde in the water to the girdel stede, and worschipe God and pray hym to [preyse to, γ.] the day lyȝt. Whanne he had be bischop of Wynchester two and twenty ȝere, he was made archbischop of Caunturbury aȝenus [ayenst, Cx.] his wille. But as he went to Rome for the pal, he was robbed in a strete of al that he had. Therfore God toke wreche of that strete so that the strete werth a fuyre. [worth a vure, γ.; waxe on fyre, Cx.] Thanne the men of that strete knowlechide her trespas and restoride aȝen all that was his. Thanne thei syȝ that the fuyre was quenchide atte prayer of seynt Elphegus. Marcus. [Marianus, Cx.] After Sergius the eiȝtenthe Benet was pope twelve ȝere. Of hym Peter Damianus seith that a bischop syȝ hym sitte on a blak hors grevouslich tormented. [ytormentet, γ.] Therfore he prayed the bischop that syȝ that siȝt that he schuld go to his successor the xx. Joon, and pray hym that he schulde do almes dede for hym of the money that was in sich [soche, γ.] a shryne. [chest, Cx.] For al that was deled for hym toforhand [byfore, Cx.] stode hym in no stede, for hit was of theefte and of robberye. So it was doon, and thanne that bischop went into an abbey. This ȝere twey dayes tofore Octobre the see overflowide [overvlowede, γ.] and passide the clyves and dreynt many men and tounes. Henr'. libro 6^o. Suanus kyng of Danes seyled about Est Anglond, that conteyneth Northfolk and Southfolk, and com with his navey into Humbre and passed forthe by the ryver of Trent to Geynisburgh. Thanne the men that wonede [dwellyd, Cx.] by north

Watlyngstrete swore fewte to hym and bitoke hym plegges. And he bitoke his nauey and these [þue, γ.] plegges [pledgys, Cx.] to his sone Canutus, while he went to distruye South Mercia and slouȝ the men, and kept the wymmen to fleschlich [vleyschliche, γ.] likyng of hym and of his men. Thanne he toke Oxenford and Wynchestre, but as he went toward Londoun and souȝte no brigge [brugge, γ.] he loste many of his men in the ryver of Temse. But by presence of kyng Egelredus he was put of at Londoun and went and wan West-saxon. The Londoneres syȝ [syȝ] wente and sawe, Cx.] that and sent hym plegges. Thanne the kyng was abasched and sent his wif Emma to hir brother the secunde Richard duke of Normandy, and sent with hir hir twei sones and the bischop of Londoun, In the meene tyme [he rowede] [From γ.] hider and thider [huder and þuder, γ.] at Wiȝt, he helde so his mydwynter tyde. Atte last he was without catel and comfort and seyled into Normandy. Thanne kyng Suanus was the more proude therfore and to eche [yche, γ.] his [his] om. Cx.] owne dampnacioun, he chalangide grete tribute of seynt Edmund the martirs cite, and manassed [menaced, Cx.] that but the tribute were payed, he wolde sle the men and sette the cite a fuyre. Also he dis|pised and scorned seynt Edmund with al that he couthe. But whanne eve come, he was stiked with seynt Edmundus swerd, in the myddel of his owne knyȝtes atte toun of Geynisburgh, and cryed in the depertinge of day and nyȝt and deyde the thridde day of Februare. His sone Canutus siȝ that, and dide [dude myldelokur, γ.] myldloker [myldly, Cx.] with seynt Edmund, and made a diche aboute seynt Edmundes lond, and graunted hym fredome and deschargide the place of al maner servise. And bylde a chirche ouer the martires body and ordeyned there monkes and ȝaf hem many [money, Cx.] londes and rentes. There after it was used that kynges of Englond sendeth her crownes to seynt Edmund, and ȝif thei wolde use hem afterward, thei schulde paye therfore a grete pris [moche money, Cx.] and have hem aȝen. The gaderers [collectours, Cx.] of tribute that were ful crauel [cruwel, γ.; cruel, Cx.] in othere places of Englond, there beth mylde and esy and softe pledinge is a [pletynges on this, Cx.] this half Seynt Edmundes diche.