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

De episcopatibus et sedibus. Capitulum quinquagesimum secundum.

Alfridus. Lucius was þe first Cristene kyng of Britons. [the first kynge cristend of the Brytons, Cx.; who has a few other trivial alterations below.] In his tyme were þre archebisshoppes sees in Bretayne; oon was at Londoun; anoþer at York; and þe þridde at Caerrusk, [Caerusk, α.] þe Cite of Legiouns in Glomorgan. [Glamorgan, α., Cx.] Þat citee hatte now Caerleon. To þese þre archebisshoppes sees were suget eyȝte and twenti bisshoppis, and were i-cleped flamynes. To þe archebisshoppes see of Londoun was sugett Cornwaile and al myddel Engelond anon to Humber; to Ȝork al Norþhumberlond from þe bowe of Humber wiþ all Scotlond; to Caerleon all Wales. Þere were in Wales seuene bisshoppes, and now beeþ but foure. Þo Seuarne departe [departed, Cx.] Engelond and Wales. Willelmus de Pontificibus, libro primo. [Added from α.] But in Saxones tyme, þey Seint Gregorie hadde i-graunted Londoun þe priuilege of þe archebisshoppes see, neuerþeles Seynt Austyn þat was i-sent in to Engelond by Seint Gregorie torned þe archebisshoppes see out of Londoun vnto [into, α.] Caunterbury, after Seint Gregories day

at þe prayer of kyng Athelberd and þe [þe] om. α., Cx.] citezeins and burgeys [burgesyes, Cx.] of Caunterbury. Þere þe erchebisshoppes see haþ endured [i-dured, α.; dured, Cx.] forto [vnto, Cx.] now. Saue þat in þe mene tyme Offa, kyng of Mercia, was wrooþ wiþ men of Caunterbury, and byname hem þat worschippe, and worschipped Aldulf, bisshop of Lichefeld, wiþ þe archebisshoppes pal by assent of Adrian þe pope vppon caas by ȝiftes i-sent. Neuerþeles vnder Kenulph þe kyng it was restored to Caunterbury aȝen. Þe worschippe of þe see of Ȝork haþ i-dured þere alwey and dureth ȝit; þey Scotlond be wiþdrawe from his subiection [So Cx; suggestioun, MS.] by passynge of tyme. Giraldus in Itin., libro primo. Þe archebisshoppis see was i-torned out of Caer|leoun in to Meneuia, þat is in þe west side of Demecia, vppon þe Irische see, in Seint Dauyes [Dauids, Cx. (twice).] tyme vnder kyng Arthur. [MS. (not Cx.) adds by a cleri|cal error (see below), Meneuia now hatte, and no more.] From [So α. and Cx.; form, MS.] Seint Dauyes [Dauids, Cx. (twice).] tyme to Sampson þe archebisshoppes tyme were in Meneuia archebisshoppis þre and twenty. Afterward fel a pestilence in to al Wales of þe ȝelowe yuel [evel, α.] þat is i-cleped þe iaundys, and þan Sampson þe archebisshop took wiþ hym þe palle, and wente

in to Bretayne Armorica, [Armonica, MS.; Armonyca, Cx.] þe oþer Bretayne, and was bisshop of Dolensis. From þat tyme to þe firste kynge Henries tyme kyng of Engelond were at Meneuia, þat hatte Seint Dauyes, oon and twenty bisshoppes alle wiþ oute palle, wheþer it were for vnkunnynge oþer for pouert. Neuerþeles [Notheles, α.; Netheles, Cx.] alwey forto þat tyme þe bisshoppes of Wales were i-sacred of þe bisshop of Meneuia of Seint Dauyes; and þe bisshop of Meneuia was i-sacred of þe bisshoppes of Wales [Wales were, MS. (not Cx.)] as of his owne suffragans, [suffrigans, Cx.; suffrages, MS.] and made non pro|fessioun noþer subiection [So Cx.; suggestioun, MS., and so below (not Cx.)] to non oþer chirche. Oþer bis|shoppes þat come afterward were i-sacred at Caunterbury by compellynge of þe kynges heste. In tokenynge [tokyn, α., Cx.] of þat sacrynge and subiection Bonefas, archebisshop of Caunter|bury, þat was legat of þe croys, song in euery cathedral cherche of Wales, solempneliche a masse. He was þe firste archebisshop of Caunterbury þat so dede in Wales, and þat was i-do in þe secounde kyng Henries tyme. ℞. But now beeþ but tweie primates in al Engelond, of Caunterbury, and of Ȝork. To þat [þe, α., Cx.] primat of Caunterbury beeþ sugette þrittene bisshoppes in Engelond, and foure in Wales. Þe primat of Ȝork haþ but tweie suffragans in

Engelond, þat beeþ þe bisshoppis of Caerlile and of Duram. Of alle þe[se] [þese, α.; thyse, Cx.] sees and of chaungynge of here places now arewe schal somwhat [sumwhat schal, α.] be schewed: here take hede, þat in þe bygynnynge of holy chirche in Engelond bisshoppes ordeyned hire sees in lowe places and symple, þat were couenable for contemplacioun, for bedes, [prayers, Cx., who varies the sentence.] and deuocioun, but in William Conquerours tyme by dome of lawe canoun it was i-ordeyned þat bisshoppes schulde come out of smal townes in to grete citees. Þerfore it was þat þe see of Dor|chestre was i-chaunged to Lyncolne, Lichefeld to Chestre, Thedford to Norþwhiche, Schirborne to Salisbury, Welles to Bathe, Cornwayle to Excetre, and Selesey to Chychestre. De episcopis australibus. Þe bisshopp [of Rouchestre] [Added from α. and Cx.] haþ non persche [parysche, α. and Cx., who omits chirche.] chirche, but he is þe archebisshoppes chapeleyn of Canterbury. Seþþe þat [þat] om. Cx.] þe [þe] om. α.] see was first i-ordeyned by Seint Austyn, archebisshop of Canterbury, ȝit hiderto hit chaungeþ neuere his place. [Sentence varied in Cx.] Chichestre haþ vnder hym onliche Souþsex and the Ile of Wight, and

hadde his see first in Seleseie in Theodor þe archebisshoppes tyme. And þe see [cee, α.] durede þere þre hondred ȝere and þre and þritty vnder tweynty bisshoppes from þe firste Wilfrede to þe laste Stigande; [but at þe laste Stygand] [Added from α. (not in Cx.); but þat has been changed to at.] at þe heste of kyng William Conquerour chaunged þe se from Seleseye to Chichestre.