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

De regnis regnorumque limitibus. Capitulum quinqua|gesimum primum.

The kyngdom of Bretayne stood wiþoute departynge hool and alle oon kyngdom to þe Britouns fram þe firste Bruyt anon to Iulius Cesar his tyme; [and fro Iulius Cesar his tyme] [Added from Cx.] to Seuerus his tyme þis lond was vnder tribute to þe Romayns. Neuerþeles kynges þey hadde of þe same ilond. From Seuerus anon to þe laste [So α. and Cx.; same, MS.] prince Gratian, successoures of Bretouns faillede, and Romaynes reignede in Bretayne. [Afterward þe Romanys lefte of þe regnynge in Britayne], [Added from α. and Cx.]

for it was fer from [Rome], [Added from α. and Cx.] oþer for greet besynesse þat þey hadde in oþer side. Þanne Scottes and Pictes by mysledynge of Maximus þe tyraunt pursued Bretayne, and werred þerynne wiþ greet strengþe of men of armes longe tyme, for to þe Saxones come at þe prayenge of [þe] [Added from α. and Cx.] Britouns aȝenst þe Pictes, and putte out Gurmund the Irische kyng wiþ his Pictes, and þe Britouns also wiþ here kyng, þat hect Careticus, [Carecticus, Cx.] and drof hem out of Engelond in to Wales. And so þe Saxons were victors, and eueriche prouince, as he was strengere, made hem kynges; and so þey deled Engelond in seuene kyngdoms. [Sentence varied in Cx.] Neuerþeles afterward þese seuene kyngdoms eueriche after oþer come alle in to oon kyngdom al hool vnder þe prince Adelstone. Neuerþeles þe Danes pursewed þis lond from Athelwolf his tyme, þat was Alrudes [Aluredes, α.] fader, to the þridde Seint Ed|wardes [Edward his, α.] tyme, aboute an hundred ȝere þre score and ten; but he reigned þerynne continualliche þritty ȝere. After þe Danes þe þridde Seynt Edward regned þere ynne þre and twenty ȝere and a litelwhat [what] om. Cx.] more. And after hym Harald helde þe kyngdom nyne monþes. And after hem Normans haueþ i-regned þerynne anon to þis tyme; but how longe they scholde holde he woot [þat] [Added from α.; construction varied in Cx., who has a few trivial alterations in some of the following sentences.] no þing vnknoweþ. ℞. Of þe forsaide kyngdoms seuene, of here merkes, meres, and

bondes, whan þey bygonne and how longe þey durede here I schal somwhat schortliche telle. Alfridus. Þe firste kyng|dom was þe kyngdom of Kent, þat streccheþ from þe est occean anoon to þe ryuer of Temse. Þere reigned þe firste Hengistus, and bygan to reigne by Denys acountes þe ȝere of oure Lord foure hondred and fife and fifty. Þat kyngdom durede þre hondred ȝere þre score and eiȝte vnder fiftene kynges, for to þat Baldred was i-putte out. And [And] So α. and Cx.; of, MS.] Eggebert, kyng of Westsaxons, ioyned þat kyngdom to his owne. Þe secounde kyngdom was of Souþsaxon, þat hadde in þe est side Kent, in þe souþ þe see and þe yle of Wiȝt, in þe west Hampschire, and in þe norþ Souþeray. Þere Ella regnede first wiþ his þre sones, and bygan to reigne þe ȝere after þe comynge of Angles euen þritty; but þat kyngdom wiþynne a schort tyme passede into oþere kyngdoms. Þe þridde kyngdom was of Estsaxon, and hadde in þe est side þe see, and in þe west þe contray of Londoun, in þe souþ Temse, in þe north Soþfolk. Þe kynges of this contray Estsaxon from þe firste Sabertes tyme anon to þe tyme of Danes, ten kynges, were somdel sugette to oþere kynges; noþeles oft|este and lengeste þey were vnder þe kynges of Mercia forto þat tyme whan Egebert kyng, kyng of Wessaxoun, ioyned

þat kyngdom to his owne. Þe fourþe kyngdom was of Est Angles, and conteynede Norþfolk and Souþfolk, and haþ [had, α.] in þe est side [So α.; in west side, MS. (w being erased.)] and in þe norþ þe see, in þe norþ|west Cantebriggeschire, [Cambrygeshire, Cx.] in þe west Seynt Edmond his diche, and Hertfordschire, and in þe souþ Essex. Þis kyngdom durede vnder twelue kynges, [So Cx.; kyngdoms, MS.] forto that tyme whan kyng Edmond was i-slawe, and þe Danes wrongfulliche took boþe the kyngdoms of Est Angles and of Est Saxon. After|ward þe Danes were i-putte and i-dryue away, oþer i-made sogett. And þe elder kyng Edward ioynede boþe þese kyng|doms to his owne. Þe fifte kyngdom was of Westsaxon, and durede lengeste of alle þese kyngdoms, and hadde in þe est [So Cx.; west, MS. (first hand).] side Souþsaxon, in þe norþ Temse, in þe souþ and west þe see of occean. In þat kyngdom reigned Cerdik wiþ his sone Kenrik, and bygan to regne þe ȝere of oure Lord fife hondred and nyntene, and after þe comynge of Angles þre score ȝere and enleuene, [eleaene, α.] so seiþ Denys. Þe oþere kyngdoms passede into þis kyngdom. Þe sixte kyngdom was of Mercia, and was grettest of al. Þe merkes and þe meres þerof were in þe west side þe ryuer Dee faste by Chestre, and Seuarne faste by Schroisbury [Schrouesbury, α.] and anon to Brestowe; in

þe est þe est see, in þe souþ Temse anon to Londoun; in þe norþ þe ryuer of [of] om. α. and Cx.] Humber. And so westward and dounward anon to þe ryuer Mersee anon to þe [þe] om. α.] corner [So Cx.; ryuer, MS.] of Wyreale; [Wirhal, Cx.] þere Humber falleþ in to þe west see. Penda, Wibbes sone, regned first in þis kyngdom þe ȝere of oure Lorde sexe hondred and sixe and twenty, so seiþ Denys, and from þe comynge of Angles an hondred ȝere þre score and fiftene. Þis kyngdom durede vnder eiȝtene kynges aboute a two hondred ȝere, þre score and fiftene, [about two clxiij., Cx.] anon to þe laste Colwulf; [to þe whiche Colwulf] [Added from α. and Cx.] þe Danes bytook þat kyngdom to kepe, whan Burdred þe kyng was i-putte out. But [So α. and Cx.; by, MS.] þe elder Edward þe kyng putte out Danes and ioynede þe kyngdom [MS. (not α. or Cx.) adds to kepe.] of Mercia to his owne kyngdom; noþeles at þe bygynnynge þis [þis] MS. (not α. or Cx.)] kyngdom of Mercia was i-deled aþre, in West Mercia, in Myddel Mercia, and Est Mercia. Þe seuenþe kyngdom was Norþhamhymbrorum, þat is, þe kyngdom of Norþhumberlond. Þe meres and þe [þe] om. α.] merkes þerof [So α. and Cx.; of þe, MS.] were by west and by est þe see of occean, by souþ þe ryuer of Humber, and so downward toward þe west by þe endes of þe schires of Notyngham and of Derby

anon to þe ryuere of Merce, [Mersee, α., Cx.] and by norþe þe Scottische see, þat hatte Forþe in Scotisshe, Wered [Weryd, α.; Werid, Cx.] in Brittisshe, þe Scottische see in Engelische. Þis kyngdom of Norþhumber|lond was first i-deled in tweie prouinces; þat oon was þe souþ side, and hete Deira; and þat oþer was þe norþ side, and hete Brenicia, as it were tweyne kyngdoms. And þe ryuer Tyne departed þese tweyne kyngdoms þat tyme. For þe kyngdom of Deyra tillede [and tillede, MS. Sentence varied in Cx.] and streiȝte from þe ryuer of Humber anon to þe ryuere of Tyne. Þe kyngdom of Brenicia tillede from Tyne [So α. and Cx.; Tyme, MS.] to þe Scottisshe see. And whan Pictes wonede þerynne, as Beda seiþ, libro tertio, capitulo secundo, þat Ninian, þat holy man, conuertede men of þe souþ side. Ida þe kyng reigned [þere first and began to reigne] [Added from α. and Cx.] þe [ȝ]ere [ȝere, α.] of oure Lord fyue hondred and seuen and fourty, so seiþ Dyones. [Dionys, α.] In Deyra reignede kyng [þe kyng, α., Cx.] Elle, þe ȝere of oure Lord fyue hondred and nyne and fourty. Þese tweie kyngdoms were oþer while, as hit is i-seide, y-deled bytwene tweye kynges, and somtym al hool vnder oo kyng, and durede as it were vnder twenty Englische kynges þre hondred ȝe[re] [ȝere, α.] and oon and twenty. At þe laste Osbrutus and Elle were i-slawe in þe nynþe ȝere of here

kyngdom; þe Danes slowh hem; and Norþhumberlonde was voyde wiþoute kyng eiȝte ȝere. Þanne afterward þe Danes reigned in Norþhumberlond sixe and þritty ȝere anoon to þe oonynge [to onynge, α.] of þe kyngdome of Athelstone; he made sugett þe [So α. and Cx.; to þe, MS.] kynges Danys and Scottische and Walsche, and regned first al on in Engelond, and helde þe kyngdom of Engelond hool and al oon kyngdom. Þat was þe ȝere of oure Lorde eyȝte hondred and seuene and twenty. Þat ryuer of Mercie [Merse, α.] was somtyme þe marke and mere bytwene þe kyngdom of Mercia and þe kyngdom of Norþhumber|lond. Þat may be i-schewed in tweie maneres; first by þe propurte of þis word Mersee, þat is as moche to mene, as a se [ase, α.; a see, Cx.; asse, MS.] þat is a bound and a mere; for he departeþ oon kyng|dom from anoþer. Also it is i-write in cronikes of Henry and of Alfrede, þat kyng Edward þe Eldere fastened a castel at Mamcestre [Mauncestre, Cx.] in Norþhumberlond; but þat citee Mamcestre is from þe ryuer of Mersee scarsliche þre myle.