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

C^m 23^m.

Thanne Edward come into Englond and was crowned kyng at Westmynstre of Edsius archbischop of Caunterbury, and regnede about an xxiiii ȝere. This kyng wedded Goditha, Godwyns douȝter, and bylad hir by sich crafte so that he put hir nouȝt from his bed nother lay by hir fleschlich. Whether he dide hit for hate of hir meyne, [meyney, γ.] other for love of chastite, y knowe hit [hit] om. Cx.] nouȝt for certeyn, but that solempne doing is tolde of hym that he lyved alwey without gilt of womman. This kyng worschipped nouȝt his owne moder atte fulle nother schamed hir openlich, but by counseil of Godwyn, he toke of hir alle the precious thinges and iuwels [jewels, Cx.] that heo [hue, γ.] had. Other for heo had be to hard with hym somtyme, other for heo wolde ȝeve hym riȝt nouȝt. Also he had to hym out of Nor|mandy somme that were familiar with hym there; for thei schuld be rewarded. Among the whiche he toke oon Robart Gemeticus a monk, and made hym first bischop of Londone and thanne archbischop of Caunterbury. The kyng was symple and dide so myche by this Robartes counsail that he awayted his tyme, and outlawed his wifes fader Godwyn and his sones also, and byname his owne moder al that heo had, and closed hir in the abbay of Werwelle, for suspectioun that heo was to homelich with the bischop of Winchestre, and prisoned the bischop Alwyn, but Emma was esily kepte [eselyche ykept, γ.] and somdel at hir large and wrote to the bischops of Englond in the whiche heo [whoche hue, γ.] had triste [trust, Cx.] of frenschipe, and seide that hit greved hir more the despyte that the bischop had, thanne hir owne schame and seide that heo was redy [to pruve] [From γ.] by Goddes owne dome and by the assay of fuyre [fyre, Cx.] hote iren, [vuyr hot yre, γ.] that the bischop was wrong|fullich

defamed. Thanne the bischops come y-fere [togeder, Cx.] to the kyng, and schulde have had of the kyng al that thei prayed, nadde Robart the archbischop of Caunterbury spoke aȝenus hem. My bretheren bischops, quoth Robart, how dar ȝe defende hir that is a wilde beste, and nouȝt a womman; heo hath defamed hir owne sone the knyg, and nempned [nemnede, γ.] hir lecherous lemman Goddes owne Crist, but be hit, that the womman wole purge the bischop, but who schal purge the womman that is accused that was assentynge to the deth of hir sone Egelredus, [Aluredus, γ.] and pro|cured [procrede, γ.] venym to the poysenyng and deth of Edward; but be hit, that heo had auctorite and power uppon the condicioun of the proprete of kynde of maul other femmel, [male owther female, Cx.] ȝett ȝif heo wole go barfot for hir silf foure stappes and for the bischop fyve stappes, continulich uppon nyne solow schares brennyng and fuyre hote, thanne ȝif heo stapeth harmles over alle these stappes, he [hue, γ.] schal be quyt and assoyled of this chalange. Anone the day of the assaye of this purgacioun was sett; to that day cam the king and alle the othere lordes out take Robart alone, but the nyȝt tofore the day of this purgacioun, the womman was in hir prayers at Wynchestre at seynt Swithynes tombe and was comforted there. Thanne amorowe hir eiȝen were hid [yene were yhud, γ.] and heo passed the fuyre hoote solow [vure hote solouȝ, γ.] schares and ascaped [schapede, γ.] harmles. Thanne the kyng bigan to grone and axide mercy and was disciplyned of either bischop and of his moder also, and thanne he restored his moder of al that he had bynome hir toforhond. [before, Cx.] Thanne queen Emma ȝaf seynt Swythyn nyne maners and the bischop ȝaf other nyne by cause of the nyne solow [soloȝ, γ.] schares that Emma had over passed. But Robart bischop of Caunturbury, flyȝ into Normandy. Marianus. Elfword bischop of Londoun that was som tyme abbot of Evesham, wax insuffisaunt for elde feblenesse and sekenesse to governe and rule so grete a bischoprich, and wolde have be abbot of Evesham aȝen but the bretheren [brether, Cx.] of that place wolde nouȝt assente. Thanne he toke with hym bokes and other thynges that he other his successours hadde ȝeve to the abbay of Evesham, and went hym to the abbay of Rameseye, there he deyde sone afterward and was buryed there. After hym cam Robart. It' Marian'. Kyng Edward gadered a stronge navey in the havene of Sandwyche, aȝenus Harold Harfager kyng of the Noreganes, that arayed hym forto come and werre

in Englond. But by the batayl that Suanus kyng of Danes ȝaf hym, al that purpos was lett. Me seith that in another tyme kyng Edward louȝ atte masse as he was nouȝt wont. Thei that were present wondride, and axide why hit was. The Noreganes and the Danes, quoth the kyng, were acorded forto come and werre in Englond, but whanne thei alle were arayed for to sayle, oon profred hem [ham, γ.] a bolle with meede, forto drynke and prayed hem in a dispitous name, but ȝif thei wolde drynke. Thanne cam bolle after bolle and dronknesse turned into ianglinge, and ianglynge into strif, and strif into fiȝting, [vyȝttyng, γ.] and so thei beth departed and to schufte [scheft, γ.] atweyne. [atwynne, Cx.] And ich hope that in my tyme schal noon alyens werre in my lond. After Gregor, the tenthe Benet was pope about an two ȝere, he hadde bouȝt [yboȝt, γ.] the poperich, and therfore Henry the emperour put hym out, and brouȝt in the secunde Clement that deyde after oon ȝere, and Poppo was pope after hym two months. This Poppo was cleped the secunde Damasus. Whanne he was ded the ix. Leo was pope fyve ȝere. The forseide Harald kyng of the Noreganes was sent to Olavus his brother in the moder syde, he chased Suanus kyng of Denmarch, and made Denmarch suget to hym silf. Kyng Suanus, that was so put out, axide helpe of the kyng of Englond. And erle Godwyn was assentinge, but othere lordes counseilide nay, but kyng Harald dyed, and Suanus rekevered Denmarch aȝen. This ȝere Limugus, [Lemugus, γ.; Lyvyngus, Cx.] the bischop of Wircetre, was ded. and Aldredus was bischop after hym. This Aldredus had be first monk of Wynchestre and thanne abbot of Tavestoke. Grete snow fil in the west cuntrayes of Englond, so that hit brake grete treen [trees, Cx.] of the wodes, and dured from the first day of Januare to seynt Patrikes day. Ther after fil grete pesti|lence of men and deth of bestes and liȝtnyng forscalded [vorschaldede, γ.] cornes. This ȝere was a batail bitwene Henry kyng of Fraunce and the lordes of Normandy for thei wolde nouȝt fange [vonge, γ.] William to be duke. Whanne thei were overcome duke William outlawed somme of hem and heng somme of hem heiȝ [hyȝe, γ.] by the throte. About that tyme Herlewynus [Erlewynus, Cx.] a knyȝt of Normandy forsoke the worldly [worlych, γ.] chivalry, and builde an abbay at Beccun [Beccum, Cx.] in Nor|mandy that ȝett hatt Becherlewyn. Hym schamed nouȝt abbot and ruler to bere stoon and morter to the werk and bake brede and do othere werkes of clennes and [of] [From γ.] honeste. God sent

hym the twey lanternes of the worlde [worl, γ.] to his helpe and counseil, Lanfranc and Ancelme twey men of grete clergie and lettrure. Eyther of hem was prior in that place oon after other and afterward archbischop of Cauntwrbury. Marianus. This ȝere pope Leo and Suanus kyng of Danes wente with Henry the emperour aȝenus Baldewyn erle of Flaundres, and Edward the kyng of Englond kepte the see with his navey forto the emperour had al his wille. Also this ix. pope Leo had a wemme [wem, γ.] in his conscience for the emperour had made him pope som del by maystere; therefore he resigned the poperich, but thanne he was lawfullich y-chose pope aȝen. Also this ȝere the theeves of Irlond come into Sevarn see with help of Griffyn kyng of Wales and toke many prayes about the ryver Vaga. In the mene tyme Suanus, Godwyns eldest sone, that had som tyme lay by Edgiva the abbes of Leofmonaster, and cast forto wedde hir and forsoke his wife, therfore he come to Englond ȝif he myȝt have grace to make his pees with the kyng, but in his commyng, he slouȝ erle Beornus that was his cosyn, that was about to make hys pees with the kyng. Thanne he flyȝ into Flaundres, forto he was reconciled by help of Aldredus archbischop of ȝork and of Wircetre. Marianus.