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

Capitulum undecimum.

EDGAR, emperour, flour and fairenesse [veyrnes, γ.] of Engelond, deyde þe fifteþe day of Iuyl, [Jul, γ.] þe ȝere of his lyf sevene and þritty, and of his kyngdom wiþ his broþer and [and] om. γ.] after oon and twenty, and was i-buried at Glastyngbury. He is no lasse worþy to be in mynde to Englisshe men þan Cirus to þe Pers, [Perses, β.] oþer Romulus to þe Romayns, oþer Alisaundre to þe Grees, oþer Charles to þe Frensche men. Willelmus ubi supra. At Glastyngbury,

þe ȝere of oure Lord a þowsand and two and fifty, whan abbot [abboy, MS.] Ayleward hadde i-digged up [up] om. α. and β.] unworþiliche [unworschipliche, β.; unwor|schyplyche y-dyegged, γ.] Edgar his grave, þe body was i-founde [y-vounde, γ.] hool and sownde, and so ful of flesche þat it myȝte nouȝte entre [intre, γ.] into a newe cheste, also fresche [vreysch, γ.] blood was i-seie droppe [seen droppe, β.] out of the body. And so þat body was i-doo in a schryne þat he hadde i-ȝeve to þat chirche, and i-sette up [uppon þe, α. and β.] an auȝter [y-set oppon þe auter, γ.] with Apollinaris his heed, and oþer relikes of seynt Vincent, þat þe same kyng hadde i-brouȝt [y-bouȝt, α.; brouȝt, β.] for greet pris, and i-ȝeve to þat hous. But þat nyse abbot werþe wood, and wente out of cherche, and brak his nekke [neyke, γ.] and deide. ℞. Þe Britisshe book [story, β. and γ.] telleþ in seynt Eltutus his lyf, þat whanne kyng Edgar destroyed [destruyed, β.] þe contray of Glomorgan [Glonmorgan, β.] for þe rebelnesse of þe peple, [pupel, γ.] seynt Eltutus his belle was i-take awey, and i-honged

aboute a horses nekke. [an hors nek, β.] Þerfore in an underentyde, [hondertyde, α.; undertyde, β. and γ.] while kyng Edgar lay on his bed to reste [hym], [From β.] on appered to hym and smot hym on þe breest wiþ a spere. Þanne whan þe kyng was i-waked, he het [a hyt, γ.] restore aȝen al þat was i-take, bote þe kyng deyde after nyne dayes. In preysynge of hym oon seide in þis manere. Henricus, libro 5^o. Helper, punscher [punyscher, β.; Helpour, punser, γ.] of trespas, and ȝever of worschippe, kyng Edgar is a goo to þe kyng|dom of hevene. Þis oþer Salomon, Loweys [lawes, β. and γ.] fader, wey to þe pees, [pese, γ.] nobel in batails, þanne more nobel he was temples. [temples] om. α. and β.] Temples to good [gode, β.] monkes to the monk temples ȝaf he feeldes. [veldes, γ.] Al wrong þis putte awey so þis ȝaf place to [þe] [From α., β., and γ.] riȝt. Willelmus de Regibus, libro 2^o. But some men fondeþ [vondeþ, γ.] to putte venym to þe ioye and goodnesse of Edgar, and telleþ þat he was cruel [cruwel, β.] in his bygynnynge to citeseyns, and leccherous to maydens, as in þis manere: Oon Ethewold, an eorle, was prive wiþ hym; and in a tyme he charged [chargide, β.] þis eorle þat he schulde

goo to Ethelfrith, [Elfrytha, α.; Elfritha, γ] Orgarus his douȝter, erle of Devenschire, [Deveschyre, γ.] þat was a wonder faire [veyr, γ.] mayde, and counsailled [counsayl, α.; counseyl, β.; con|sayle, γ.] here, and brouȝte [brynge, α., β.; bringe, γ.] here for to be i-wedded to þe kyng, ȝif [ef, γ.] it were so þat þe fairnesse [veyrnes, γ., et infra.] of here were accordynge to þe lose [loos, β.] and to the fame, and þe soþe accordynge to þe fame. Þe eorle went his wey, and took þe mayde to his owne store, [use, β. and γ.] and com aȝen to þe kyng and alleyede hym [alleyde for hym, β.; alleyde vor hym, γ.] and for his side, as he trowed [trowide, β.] wolde helpe hem, [hem] om. β.] and seide þat þat wenche [weynche, γ.] was but of comoun [comyn, β.] fairenesse and schap, suche as me seeþ al day, nouȝt covenable to be a kynges wyf: bote in a tyme tale-tellers warnede þe kyng how gilfulliche Ethelwolde hadde i-served hym. Þanne þe kyng drof out on [oon, β.; o, γ.] nayle wiþ anoþer, and took wreche of a gyle by a [α] om. γ.] gyle, and made good face to þe eorle and semblant, and sette hym a day as it were in his game whanne he wolde visite þat womman. For so dredful a game þe kyng [Sic in MS.] erle was al comfortlees, and nyh [neiȝ, β.] dede for fere, and ran home tofore, and prayed his wyf þat sche [heo, β., et infra.; hue, γ.] wolde helpe for to save hym, and that as moche as sche myȝht sche schulde make her selfe foule [voul, γ., et infra.] and unsemeliche in þe kynges siȝt wiþ cloþynge

and foule aray, but what sche durste [hue þorste, γ.] nouȝt; but sche dede [a dude, γ.] the contrarye, and took a myrour, and kembed [kemede, β. and γ.] hire, and arrayed here body and heed as gay and as faire as he couþe, [veyr as couþe, γ.] and lefte no þing þat schulde make hir fayre and likynge to [α, add. β.] manis sight. Þanne whan þe kyng siȝ [seyȝ, β.] þe womman, he gan to brenne in here love, and made it as þey were nouȝt wrooþ, and hadde the eorle wiþ hym for to hunte in to þe wode of Werwelle, þat now hatte Horwode; [Hoorewode, β.] þere þe kyng smoot hym þorow [þurȝ, β.] wiþ a schafte. [scheft, γ.] Þere þe kyng axed [axide, β.] of þe erle his bast [baste, β.] sone how hym liked suche hontynge, and me seiþ þat he answerde and seide "Wel, lord kyng, what pleseþ þe schal nouȝt displese me." By þat word he meked [mykede, γ.] so þe kynges herte, þat was to swolle for wrethe, þat no þing was afterward levere [luver, γ.] to þe kyng þanne þe sone of þe erle þat was i-slawe. [slayn, β.] Afterward for clensynge of þis dede þis [þues, γ.] Elfritha bulde [bylde, β.] an abbay of mynchouns [monchons, β.; meynchens, γ.] at Werewell. ℞. Bote more verray|iche [verreilich, β.] for þe slauȝter [slauȝt, γ.] of here stepsone Edward, þat sche made i-slawe [heo made slayn, β.] for here owne sone Ethelredus [Egelredus, α., β., and γ.] schulde regne

Willelmus, ubi supra. To þe [þis, α.] ensample of cruelnesse [cruwelnesse, β.] þei telleþ anoþer of leccherie, and meneþ þat he took a mayde þat was i-sacred to God out of an abbay, and lay by here. [hir, β.] Also þat he was in a nyȝt [in a tyme by nyȝte, α. and β.] at Andovere, [Andever, β.] nouȝt fer [ver, γ.] from Wynchestre, and bad brynge to his bed a duke his douȝter, þat was a wel faire mayde; but þe moder of þat mayde vouched nouȝt sauf [saaf, β.; saf, γ.] þat here douȝter schulde so be [be so, α. and β.] defouled, and hadde a bonde [boonde, β.] servaunt þat was a mayde faire and [and] om. α. and β.] smoþe and likynge, and dede [dide, β.] here to þe kynges bed. Amorwe [Amorowe, β.] whan þe dawenynge gan [dawyng bigan, β.] to springe, þe womman fonded [vondede, γ.] for to arise; þanne me axed of here why sche hyȝed. [hue hyede, γ.] "For to doo my work," quoþ sche, "as I [ich, β.] am i-woned [ich am ywond, γ.] every day." Þanne for þat nyȝtes iornay [journey, γ.] sche axede fredom for here mede, [myde, γ.] ffor sche þat was assentynge to þe kynges likynge schulde no more be under þe hestes of cruel lordes. Anon þe kyng gan to lawhe, [lauȝe, β.] and made þat bonde [boond, β.] womman lady of lordes. Bote how [hou, γ.] it evere be of suche [siche, β., bis.; soche, γ.] dedes it is sooþ þat

he clensed hym of suche [siche, β.; soche, γ.] dedes by verray and worþy penaunce. After Bonefas, þe sevenþe Benet was pope eiȝte ȝere and sixe monþes. Þe secounde Otho, þe sone of þe firste Otho, regnede after his fader among Duchesmen [Duchysch, β. and γ.] ten ȝere and sixe monþes. Þe sevenþe ȝere of his kyngdom he was i-crowned at Rome of pope Benet. Whanne þe Italies [Italyens, β.] breke þe pees, þis made a greet feste to þe lordes of Italy at þe grees of þe chirche at Rome; and while þey were at þe mete he made men of armes byclippe hem priveliche aboute, and mevede a pleynt at þe laste of brekynge of þe pees, and heet take hym þe names i-wrete of hem þat were [weren, β.] gilty, [gulty, γ.] and made hem byheeded [biheded, β.] riȝt þere everichone, and made þe oþere ete here mete in pees.