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

Capitulum vicesimum nonum. Lodowicus.

LOWYS þe mylde, Charles his eldeste sone, was emperour after his fader sixe and twenty ȝere and enlevene [ellevene, β.] monþes. In his tyme bisshoppes and clerks [clerkys, Cx.] dede [dide, β.] awey barred gurdelles [girdles, β.; gurdel, γ.; gyrdels, Cx.] and gay blasynge cloþes. Giraldus, [distinctio] [From α. and β.] prima, capitulo 17^o. Þis Lowys unto [on, α., β., and Cx.] his firste wyf Hirmengard [Hirmengarda, γ.] gat þre sones, Lotharius was oon of hem; he was crowned of pope Paschal in an Esterday, and his fader maad [made, β.] [hym] [From β. and Cx.]

kyng of Italy and felowe of þe empere; and [he] [From β.] made Lowys þe secounde regne in Germania, and Pipinus þe þridde in Gyean [Gyan, β.; Guyan, Cx.] and in Gasquyne. [Gaskoyn, β. and Cx.] On his [secounde] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] wif Iuditha, þe douȝter of þe duk of Bavarria, [Bavarrya, γ.; Bavaria, Cx.] he gat Charles þe balled, and ȝaf hym Burgoyne [Burguyn, γ.] to governe and to rule. Willelmus de Regibus, libro 2^o. For þe fader loved most þis balled Charles, and kissed [kuste, α. and γ.] hym ofte in sight of his breþeren, Lo|tharius was wrooþ, and hadde indignacioun þerof; þerfore he pursewed [pursued, β.] ofte his fader, and put [potte, γ.] hym in prisoun. [β. here has the reference Gi|raldus ubi supra.] Also þis Lowys, for he was so mylde, was ofte disesed [diseased, Cx.] boþe of his owne men and of oþere, for to he dede [til he dide, β.; vor to a dude, γ.] more wiseliche, and rulede þe reme [rewme, β.; royame, Cx.] more sturneliche. [sternlich, β.; strongliche, γ.] Me seiþ þat þat happed hym for his wif Iuditha was to nygh of his kyn. Willelmus de Pontificibus, libro primo. Þerfore whan þis kyng hadde avaunced oon Fredericus to þe bisshopriche of Trajette and [in, α., β., and γ.] Frisia, [Utrecht in Fryselonde, Cx.] and sat by hym at þe mete þe firste day of his ordenaunce in [in] on, Cx.] his

riȝt hond, he chargede [chargide, β.] þe bisshop, among oþer þinges, þat he schulde have mynde þat he was [munde þat a was, γ.] a ȝong bisshop, and fowede [folwe, α.; folowe, β. and Cx.; volwe, γ.] þe stabilnesse of his antecessours, and þat he schulde purpose þe soþe wiþ oute accepcioun [acceptation, β.; acceptacioun, γ.] of persouns, and punsche [punysche, β.; punysshe, Cx.] mysdoers. Þe bisshop answerde hym and seide: "Sire, [Sere, γ.] þou doost riȝt|fulliche by me þat confortest þe tendernesse of my profes|sioun wiþ holy counsaile and lore; but I praye þat it greve ȝow nouȝt, and [and] om. γ.] ȝoure [þy, α.; þi, β.; þey, γ.] majeste þeyȝ I [iche, α.; Y, β.] telle ȝow openliche what haþ longe tyme i-halowed [walwed, β.; ywalwed, γ.; wa|lowed, Cx.] in myn herte. Wheþer is it more honest to tame [atame, β.] þis flesche [fische, α. and β.; vysch, γ.; fysshe, Cx.] þat is here i-set first at þe heed oþer at þe tayle?" Þe kynge wiste [wuste, γ.] nouȝt how faste he hadde i-glewed [gluwed, β.; ygluwed, γ.; greved, Cx.] hym self; but answerde hastiliche and seide: "At þe heed of [of] om. β., γ., and Cx.] þe fische schal be first atamed." "So it is, lord emperour," quoþ þe bishop, "þat Cristene fey [feiþ, β.] mow firste [vurste, γ.] make þe cese [þee ceese, β.; seece, Cx.] of thyn errours, þat þy sugettes be nouȝt hardy to forsake what þey seeþ þey [þe, α., γ., and Cx.; þee, β.] suffre and fonge: þanne forsake þow þe unlawful wedlok [wedlak, β., et infra.; unlawefol wedloc, γ., et infra.] þat þu hast i-made

with þilke [þelke, γ.] Iuditha." Þis word was hevy to þe kyng, but ȝit he [þey, α.] took it aworþ. [hy touk hyt a vorþ, γ.] Þis word was hevy, and [was hevy and] om α., β., γ., and Cx.] sprang wel wyde, and gladed men of holy chirche þat herde [hurde, γ.] þerof, so þat a counsaile was i-mad þerof for þat dede and [the] [From Cx.; þe, β.] wed|lok was undo, and þe kyng putte doun hym self, and þe womman was i-closed in an abbey. Bote at þe laste, by myld|nesse of þe court of Rome, it was i-ordeyned by better counsaile and dome þat penaunce schulde be i-sette, and þey schulde after þat tyme use laweful wedlok. Þe emperour forȝaf [vorȝaf, γ.] glad|liche al wronges, and lete þe sentence passe. Bote þe womman hired [huyred, β.; hyrede, γ.] tweye knyȝtes þat slouȝ þe forseide bisshop in his vestimentes, after þat he hadde i-songe his masse. Giraldus, distinctio prima, capitulo 17^o. At þe laste þis Lowys ȝaf to his sone Charles þe ballede þat he hadde i-gete on Iuditha [Jutha, α. and γ.] Almayne and Rethica; þerfore þe oþere þre breþeren hadde indignacioun, and were wrooþ, and forsook [vorsouk, γ.] Lowys by help of þe Galles, and made þe eldest sone Lotharius kyng. He prisoned his fader Lowys by assent of the fourþe [ferþe, β.] pope Gre|gory, and exciled [exiled, β.] his fader wif Iuditha, and putte here sone

Charles þe ballede in þe castel of Privingue. [Privinge, α., β., and γ.; Prynge, Cx.] But soone after [afterward, β.] þe princes of Fraunce delivered [delivereden, β.; delyverden, Cx.] þe kyng, and acorded hym and his sone; but by counsaile of Pipinus false men accused falsliche [valslyche, γ.] þe queene Iuditha, and made here a mynchoun; [monchon, β.; meynchen, γ.; menchon, Cx.] but þe same ȝere þe kyng hadde þe queene aȝen by help of þe pope. For Bernard purged [purgide, β.] hym lawefulliche of þe spouse breche [spousbruch, γ.] þat hym was i-bore an honde, so þat noon of hem þat hadde [hadde] om. Cx.] ac|cused hym was hardy aȝent [ayenst, Cx.] hym forto stryve. After Leo þe fourþe [ferthe, β.] Stevene [Stephyn, γ.] was pope þre ȝere; after hym Paschal was pope sevene ȝere; he crowned Lotharius, and made a gadrynge of monkes of Grees [Grece, β.] at Rome in þe chirche of Seint [Seint] om. Cx.] Praxede. [Praxed, β. and γ.] Willelmus de Regibus, libro primo, et de Pontificibus, libro 4^o. Kenulphus kyng of Mercia deide, and his sone Kenelyn, [Kenelm (and so afterwards), α., β., and γ.; Kenelme, Cx., et infra.] a childe of sevene ȝere olde, regnede after hym. After fewe monthes, by entisyng of his suster [soster, γ.] Quendreda, Kenelyn was i-slawe of oon Heskebertus in a þikke wode, and he was i-founde [founden, β.] by a piler of liȝt þat stood up from [op vram, γ.] his body into

hevene. But by a scrowe þat was i-wrete in Englisshe wiþ goldene lettres, þat a colvere [culver, Cx.] brouȝte and leyde and lefte to fore þe pope [and . . . pope] om. Cx.] uppon [oppon, γ.] Seynt Peter his auȝter, þat was i-rad [redde, Cx.] of an Englisshe man þat was þere present, Kenelyn his deth, [ded, γ.] and þe place of his deth, was i-knowe [knowen, β.] at Rome. [℞.] In þat scrowe it was i-wrete in þis manere: "At Clent [Clente, Cx.] in Cow|bache [Coubache, β. and γ.] Kenelin [Kenelm, γ.] kynebern lith under þorn heved byweved." In Englisshe þat now is used þat is to menynge in þis manere: "In [At, α., β., and γ.] Clent at Convale [in Con vale, γ.] under a thorne Kenelin lyeth heedles i-slawe [slayn, β.] by fraude." Þanne whanne Kenelin his body was i-bore to his graveward from þe place þat he deyede inne, sche [heo, β., et infra.] þat was gilty of his deth herde men synge, and putte [pot, γ.] out here heede at a [α] om. Cx.] wyndow, and for to cese [seece, Cx.] þe gladnesse of þe syngers sche seide þat [þe, α., β., and γ.] psalm, [salme, β.] "Deus laudem," bakward; but I not what wichecraft, and what schrewednesse sche [scherewednes hue, γ.] wolde mene. Noþeles sche [hue, γ.] loste boþe here eyȝen [yene, γ.] with rennynge dropes of

blood. [The bloode] [From Cx.; Þe blode, β.; Þe blod, γ.] is ȝit i-seie, [seer] in mynde [munde, γ.] of Goddes wreche, in þe Psauter [Sauter, β. and γ.] þat þo sche [sche þo, α.; heo helde þanne, β.; hue þo, γ.] hilde [huld, γ.] in here [hir, β.] honde.