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

Capitulum vicesimum quintum.

THE fifþe Constantinus, after his fader Leo, was emperour þre and þritty ȝere; þis, as his fader used, took [touk, γ.] ymages out of chirche in everiche place and sette hem a fuyre. [vuyr, γ.] Etheldredus, kyng of West Saxons, deide þe fourtenþe ȝere of his kyngdom. His cosyn Cuthbert was kyng after hym, and wered [werred, β.; werryd, Cx.] ofte tyme aȝenst Ethelbaldus [Ethelwaldus, Cx.] kyng of Mercia, and regnede [sixtene ȝer. His cosyn Sigebertus regnede] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] after hym two ȝere. He was

proude [prout, γ.] of þe happes of his predecessour, and by-ladde [bylad, β.; bylade, γ.] his sugettes harde and evel, and tornede þe lawes at his owne wille, and slouȝ þe noble erle Cumbranus evel and wrecched|liche, [wickedliche, α.; wickidlich, β.; wykkedlyche, γ.] for he hadde i-spoke to hym of his evel berynge and dedes; but at þe laste, for he wolde nouȝt be amended, [amendet, γ.] he was i-put out of þe kyngdom. Þanne he wente into a woode and hidde [hudde, γ.] hym self, and þe eorle his [erles, β.] swynherde þat was i-slawe fonde [vond, γ.] hym and slowȝ hym. Aboute þat tyme deyde Charles Martellus; [Marcellus, β.] after hym his tweie sones, þe secounde Pipinus and Charloman, [Charlemayne, Cx., et infra.] come to þe principate of þe kynges hous; but Charloman, [Charlomayn, β.] after þe fourþe [vurde, γ.] ȝere of his principate, [left of þe principate] [From α., β., and γ.] of þe kynges hous [of . . . hous] om. β.] by counseile of his broþer, and took þe wey to Rome, and was i-schore monk in pope Zaka|rias his tyme, and made an abbay in þe hille mont Serapte, [Sarapt, β.; Sarapte, Cx.] and lyvede þere somdel longe tyme; but at þe laste, for Frenche men come þider to ofte to hym as to hire [hure, γ.] lord, as þey dede somtyme, he wente þennes to mont Cassyn. Þe pope

dede [dide, β., et infra; huy dude, γ.] as he was [Þe pope deede as he was] and þei, β.; And they, Cx.] i-prayed hym, [hym . . . i-prayed] om. γ.] þat he wolde sende lettres to þe kyng of Fraunce for to restore aȝen Seynt Benet his body to mont Cassyn. Þe pope dede as he was i-prayed, [hym . . . i-prayed] om. γ.] and þe kyng of Fraunce heet þe monkes of Floriacer [to, add. β.; Floriacio, Cx.] delyvere Seynt Benet his body. Þanne þe monkes gonne [bigunne, β.] to wepe [wuepe, γ.] and to faste, [vaste, γ.] and prayed God besilich [bysylyche, γ.] þat þe body moste [must, Cx.] wiþ hem abyde. God herde [hurde, γ.] here prayers, and smot þe messangers [messagers, Cx.] þat were i-sent, and made hem start [starke, Cx.] blynde; and so þey [huy, γ.] faillede of her purpos, and wente into Italy aȝe. Þo the secounde Pipinus, prefecte of þe paleys, [palys, β.] governed þe kynges hous of Fraunce under kyng Hildericus, þe sone of Theodoricus, for he was an unprofitable [unprofythabel, γ.] man and to esy, and feng [vyng, γ.; resseyved, Cx.] nouȝt of þe kyngdom bote þe name of kyng and his lyflode. [livelode, Cx.] Pipinus axede [axide, β.] of þe pope Zacharias, ȝif he schulde be kyng þat hilde hym apayde onliche wiþ þe name of kyng, and ȝaf hym to sleuþe, [slouthe, Cx.] and dede [dude, γ.] non oþer good. Þe poope wroot aȝen and seide þat he schulde have [habbe, γ.]

þe name and be kyng þat ruleþ wel þe comynte. Þe Frensche men were glad of þis answere, and closede Hildericus in an abbay, and made Pipinus kyng, and after þe eyȝteþe [eiȝtenþe, β.] ȝere he was made emperour by decree of Zacharias þe pope. Þanne he compellede Astulphus, kyng of Italy, þat impugnede [inpugned, Cx.] þe riȝt of Rome, for to restore þat he hadde i-take, and made hym delyvere and ȝeve plegges. After Gregory Zacharias was pope twelve ȝere. Þis wente [in a time, add. β.; on a time, add. Cx.] toward Ravenna ryȝt in þe mydel of Iuyn, [June, β.] and was i-heled [coverd, Cx.] alday [al a day, β.] with a cloude þat God hadde i-sente for he schulde nouȝt be i-brent wiþ þe grete hete of the sonne, and al nyȝt þat cloude abood by sides his tente, and roos eft amorwe. Also fury [fuyry, β.; vury, γ.; fyry, Cx.] ostes wente to fore þat holy man in þe cloudes. Þe order of Esterne [Ester, α. and γ.; Estre, β.; the Eester, Cx.] was destourbed; [dysturbet, γ.; distourbled, Cx.] Ȝe [þe, β.] ȝounger [ȝunger, γ.] Wilfridus, bisshop of ȝork, deyde, and after hym Egbertus, kyng Egbertus his broþer, was bisshop sex and þritty [ȝeres]. [From Cx.; ȝere, β.] Willelmus de Regibus, libro [primo], [From Cx. The number of the book is also omitted here in β.] et de Pontificibus, libro 4^o. By his witt and sleyþe [sleiȝþe, β.] and his broþer

þe kynges money he apparailed [reparailed, β.; reparaylde, γ.; reparayled, Cx.] þe [þat, α. and γ.] see and amended it in tweye places, [states, α., β., γ., and Cx.] for he was a man of greet herte and of grete witt, and took [touk, γ.] strongliche heede [hyde, γ.] þat, as it is greet pryde to coveyte and desire ouȝt þat is noȝt riȝtful, so it is greet lewed|nesse and wrecchednesse [wrechedines, Cx.] to forgendre [vorgendre, γ.] what is detty and riȝtful. Þerfore þe archebisshop his pal, þat þe firste Paulinus þat was i-putte out by strenþe [strengþe, β.] of enemyes hadde i-lefte at Rouchestre, and menye [many, Cx.] of his predecessours hadde forgen|dred [forgendride, β.; vorgendred, γ.] it þere, he gat it aȝen by grete instaunce and menye [money, Cx.] þat he made at þe court of Rome. Also he ordeyned at ȝork a noble librarye. [lyberarye, Cx., et infra.] Þe nobel doctour of Englisshe men Alcuinus, þat was i-sent to kyng Charles for pees [peas, Cx.] of Englisshe men, in his pistel þat he sente to holy chirche into Engelond, of þat library makeþ noble mynde; [munde, γ.] also he writeþ to kyng Charles in þis manere: "ȝeveþ [Yeve, Cx.] me bookes of loore, suche as I [soche as Ich, γ.] hadde in my contray in Engelond, by þe wit of my maister Egbertus, and I schal sende to ȝow some of oure children, þat schal take þerof what is nedefulle, [nedfol, γ.] and brynge into

Fraunce þe floures of Bretayne; for allone [al on an orchard, γ.] oon [oon] an, β. and Cx.] orchard i-closed schal be at ȝork, and at Turon [Turoyn, β. and Cx.] þe springynge of Paradyse." Þat ȝere diede Seint Danyel, bisshop of Wynchestre; after hym com Hunfridus. [Humfridus, Cx.] After Zacharias, [Sacarias, α.] Stevene was pope fyve ȝere; þis anoynted [anoynte, γ.] Pipinus his tweie sones, and made hem emperours, Charloman and the grete Charles. Seþþe þat tyme þe empere of Rome passede [passide, β., et infra.] from þe Grees [Grekes, β.] to Frensche men, and þanne to Germans. Kenulphus of Serdicus [Cerdicus, β.] his kynde in þe fifte degre, [gree, α. and β.; gre, γ.] Penda his nevew i-gete [goten, Cx.] of Kenwalchus, was a grete man; his vertues passede his fame. By help of þe West Saxons, he putte here kyng Sigebertus out of þat kyngdom for þe gretnes of his evel dedes, and regnede in his stede þritty ȝere; but he graunted hym þe province of Hamptoun for he hadde i-slawe duk [slayn duke, β.; duc, γ.] Cumbranus. Þo he was i-putte al [al] om. Cx.] awey, [alwey, β.] and hidde [hudde, γ.] hym in a wode, and was i-slawe of þe kynges [dukes, β. and Cx.; duyk his, γ.] swynherd. Ethelbaldus, kyng of Mercia, was i-slawe at Sigeswolde [Sigiswolde, β.] of Beornredus [Beornredes, β.] þe tyraunt, and was

i-buried at Rependoun. [Ripindoun, β; Rypindon, Cx.] But now [now] nouȝt, β.] longe afterward Offa, Ethebaldus his nevew, slouȝ Beornredus þe tyraunt, and regnede in his stede nyne and þritty ȝere in Mercia. Þis overcom in [α, add. β.] batayle þe Northumbres, þe West Saxons, and Kentisshe men, so þat he tornede [tourned, Cx.] þe archebisshop his see [se, γ.] out of Caunterbury to Lichefeld in þe province of Mercia. Also he translated Seynt Albon his bones to þe more abbay þat he hadde i-bulde. He ȝaf to þe pope, Peter his vicary, a rente by þe ȝere of everich hous of þe [his, α., β., and γ.] kyngdom. He made also a greet dyche þat is evere i-sene to departe bytwene [bitwe, β.] Wales and þe kyngdom of Mercia, þe whiche diche [whoche dych, γ.] ȝit hatte Offediche: loke [loke] thou shalt fynde, Cx.] more herof in þe firste book, capitulo de plateys [plateis, β. and γ.] regalibus. Willel|mus de Regibus, libro 1^o. Þis Offa fondede to gete frendschipe [vrendschyp, γ.] of kynges, and maried his douȝter Ethelburga to Brithiricus, [Briȝtricus, β.; Bryhtricus, γ.; Bryghtrycus, Cx.] kyng of West Saxons. He sente Alcuinus Abinus, [Albinus, α. and β.; om. Cx.] doctor of Englisshe men, to Charles kyng of Fraunce, for to procure [procre, β.] pees. [procre pes, γ.] For þere was so greet discord and stryf bytwene þe

kyngdoms þat passage of marchandyse [marchaundes, α., β., and γ.; marchauntes, Cx.] was forbode [vorbode, γ.] in eyþer side. Organs com first into Fraunce, i-send of Constantyn þe emperour [kyng] [From α., β., and Cx.] of Grees, to Pipinus, kyng of Fraunce. Egbertus, kyng of Northumberlond, was i-schore monk, and his sone Oswulfus regnede after hym, and was i-slawe in þe ende of his firste ȝere of [þe] [From α., β., and Cx.] Norþhumbres. After hym Moll, þat heet Ethelwold also, regnede sevene ȝere. Marianus. After Stevene, Paul was pope ten ȝere, a mylde man in alle þinges. In his tyme Gengulphus was in his floures in Bur|goyn. [Burguyn, γ.] In his [α, α., β., γ., and Cx.] tyme he bouȝte a welle in Fraunce, and prayed of God, and hadde it graunted, þat þat [that thylke, Cx.] welle moste springe out in Burgoyne. [Burguyn, γ.] Þis lefte his wif, for sche [heo, β.; hue, γ.] hadde i-broke spousebreche, [spousehod, α., and γ.; spouse|ode, β.; spouseed, Cx.] and was i-slawe of þe clerk þat lay [lay] had lay, Cx.] by his wyf. Whanne he was dede, God dede [dide, β.] meny miracles [myrakels, γ., tris.] for hym; but his wif spak yvel of þe myracles, and seide: "ȝif [ȝif] whan, Cx.] Gengulphus, myn housbonde, doþ [duþ, γ.] myracles myn ers [arse, Cx., et infra.] schal synge;" and so it was i-doo, ffor as ofte as sche [hue, γ.] spak after|ward,

afterward [afterward] bis in MS.] her ers wolde synge wiþ a foule [voul, γ.; fowle, Cx.] noyse. Molle, [Mull, Cx.] kyng of Norþhumberlond, lefte þe kyngdom, and Al|rudus [Aluredus, α., β. et infra, γ., and Cx.] regnede after hym nyne ȝere. Þis Alrudus [Aluredus, α., β. et infra, γ., and Cx.] hadde tweie [twy, γ.] sones, Osredus, þat was þe þridde þat regnede in his stede [in his stede] transposed in β.] after hym; also [and, α., β., γ., and Cx.] Seynt Alcmundus, þat was i-slawe aftirward whan he halp þe men of Mercia aȝenst þe West Saxons. Paul, þe pope, deide, and Constantyn, a lewed man, was i-made pope by maistrie and by strengþe, and was pope oon ȝere, and dede [dide, β.] sclaundre [sklaunder, Cx.] to all holy chirche, [but by cherte [chierte, Cx.] of Cristen men he was y-put out of cherche, [chirche, β.] ] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] and his eyȝen [yene, γ.] [were] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] i-put out. Þat ȝere deyde Pipinus, kyng of Fraunce, in an evel þat was bytwene vel [fel, β.; fell, Cx.] and flesche, [vleysch, γ.] after þat he hadde i-regned eiȝte and twenty ȝere.