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

Capitulum 14.

IN the thyrde yere of his regne the emperour of Almayne, Sygysmund, cam in to Englonde, and was receyved worship|fully at Dover by the duc of Gloucetre. And the cyte of London as the mayer, aldermen, and alle the craftes in the moost best wise resseyved hym at Blackheth the seventhe daye of Maye. And at saynt Thomas wateryng the kyng him self with his lordys mette hym and welcomed hym in the moost goodlyest wyse, and toke hym by the honde, and roode forthe with him thurgh the cite, and offrid at Powlis, and thenne rode forth vnto Westmestre, where the king lodged him in his owne palays, and there abode a grete whyle at the kinges coste.

Thenne come the Duc of Holonde in to Englonde, whome the king resseived worshipfully, and lodged him in the bisshop

of Elyes place in Holburne. Whanne the Emperour hadde seen the manere of this londe and the commodytees therof, he was electe and chosen to be a broder of the garter, whiche he toke and receyved gladly, and ware it ever after. And thenne the kynge brought hym to Calays. And theder cam to hym the duk of Burgoyne for to doo hommage to themperour for the counte of Alst in Flaundres, whome the kynge receyved worshipfully. And thenne after themperour toke leve of the kynge, and departed, and soo eche toke leve of other, and the kyng retourned ageyne in to Englond. And the Emperour wente to Zierixsee in Zeland, and thenne into Dordrecht in Holonde.

In the fourthe yere the duc of Bedford, therle of Marche, and other certayne lordes, with theyr retenue, foughten on the see ageynst seven carryks of Gene, and fyfty other vessels, as hulkes, barges, galeys and galyetis. Of whome were taken thre grete caryks with the patrons, and drowned a grete hulke callyd the black hulk of Flaundres; and the remenaunt fledde aweye; and this was done on our Lady day Assumpcion. Also this yere at a parlement holden at Westmynstre was graunted to the kynge an hoole fyftenthe, and a dyme to mayntene with his warrys. And this yere the kynge sayled with al his rete|newe over see in to Normandye ageyne, and landed on Lammas day at Toke; and there at landynge the kynge made eyght and fourty knyghtes. And anone the kynge wanne the toune of Toke and the castel withoute strooke; and he made Syre Iohan Kygley capytayne therof. And thenne the kynge sente therle marchal vnto Louers, whiche they sawted, and anon it was yolden, and therle brought the keyes to the kynge, and the kyng delyverd hym the keyes ageyne, and made hym capy|tayn of Louers. Thenne the kyng wente to Cane and besyeged it, and with asawte entryd the toune and gate it; but the castel helde, and the capytayne desyred respyte of fourten dayes for tabyde rescows, and yf none cam than to delyvere it. The kynge graunted it hym, and vnder the same apooyntement was the cyte of Bayows, with other townes and fortresses vnto the nombre of fourtene: vppon the hyll to fore the castel of Cane the kynge pyght alle his tentes and pavyllons, whiche semed a toune as moche as Cane. And whanne tydynges cam that noo rescowes wolde come, at fourten dayes ende the capytayne delyverd the keyes and castel vnto the kynge. And in lyke wyse was Bayous with other fourtene townes delyverd also. Of whiche townes and castels the kynge made the duk of Clarence capytayne and governour. In Cane the kyng heelde his feste of saynt George, where he made fyftene knyghtes of the bathe. And thenne, er he departed, he gate Valeys, and sente the duc of Gloucetre to Chyrburgh for to geete it, whiche he besyeged, and lay long there. And thus the kyng sente to dyverse

townes, and gate dayly many townes, in soo moche that he gate alle the tounes, castels, pyles, strengthes, and abbeyes vnto Pount Alarche, and fro thens to Roan. Aboute this tyme contynued the counseylle of Constaunce, in whiche was ended the scysme of fourty yere, and ther was dampned the heresyes, and two heretyks, that is to wete, Iohan Hus and Iherome, were brente. And many good thynges institued and ordeyned; there was determyned decreed by the hooly synode that the counseyll lawfully gadred and assembled, representyng the chirche, hath vnyversal power immedyatly of Cryst. To whome every astate, aswel the papal astate as other, is bounden and holde to obey in tho thynges that toucheth the general reformacion of the chirche, that is to wete, in feyth and maners, as wel in the heede as in the membrys. Item, that from thenne forth on, sholde alwey the general counseyl be holden fro ten yere to ten yere. In this counseyll was chosen for to be pope Martyn, whiche was Martinus quintus, and was pope fourten yere. And there was the vnyon which was desyred long yhad for the defence of the feyth. This was a myghty Pope, above alle other ryche, and a man of grete iustyce; he helde the stretes and the weyes sewrly and in pees. He destroyed here|tyks; he dyde many goode thynges by helpe of the noble Emperour Sygysmunde. And for to recover the Holy lond, he gadryd moche tresoure, but by deth that cam vpon hym, it was lette, and a lytel to fore his deth ordeyned a general counseyll to be assemblid in Basyle. In the fyfth yere of the regne of kynge Harry the fyfthe, Syre Iohan Oldcastel, lord Cobham, was taken and convycte by the clergye for heresye, and dampned to fore the temporal iuges for tresonne. And soo he was drawen and hanged in saynt Gyles felde vpon a newe payr of galows, with a cheyne of yron; and vnder the galewes was made a grete fyre whiche brente galowes and alle. In the syxthe yere the kyng besyged the cyte of Roan, whiche endured half yere and more, and atte laste the cyte beyng in grete famyne, putte oute moche peple, as women and children, whiche deyde for honger, moo than thyrtty thousand; & also seyng that noo rescowe cam, appoynted with the kyng, & gaf over the toun vnto hym, which he receyved. And anone after that Roan was goten, Deepe and many other tounes in Baas Normandye gaf them over withoute strook or syege, whanne they vnderstode that the kynge had goten Roan.