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

Capitulum duodecimum. Willelmus de Regibus, libro 2^o.

ȝONG Edward, by help of Dunston and of oþere bisshoppes, was i-made kyng aȝenst [aȝenus, β.] þe wille of som oþer lordes, and

specialliche aȝenst þe will of his stepdame Elfrida, [Elfritha, β., et infra, and γ.] þat fondede to make here [hir, β.] owne sone Egelredus kyng, a childe of sevene ȝere olde, þat sche myȝte so regne under þe childes name. Þis [Þes, γ.] Edward regnede as it were foure ȝere; þerafter waned þe grace [grasce, γ.] of þe kyngdom, for in þe welcon [wolken, β. and γ.] was i-seie stella comata, [cometa, β. and γ.] þat is, a sterre wiþ a briȝt shynynge crest, þat bodeþ alwey pestilence in þe province oþer chaungynge of þe kyng|dom. And longe þerafter fil bareynes [bareynesse, β.; vul baraynes, γ.] of feeldes, honger of men, and deeþ of bestes; and Alferus, prince of Mercia, favored [favered, β.] Elfritha þe queene wiþ al þat he myȝte, and put out monkes þat Edgar hadde i-ordeyned, and brouȝt yn clerkes wiþ concu|bynes; bote Donston and þe eorle of Est Anglond wiþstood hem manlich. For þe clerkes þat were somtyme i-put out rerede stryf aȝen, and seide þat it were a wrecched schame [schame, from β.; wrecchesch schame, γ.; name, MS.] þat a newe comynge schulde putte olde londesmen out of here place, [plas, γ., et infra.] þat is nouȝt plesynge to God, þat graunted þe place to þe olde wonyer, noþer a good man aloweþ it nouȝt þat may drede þat me wolde doo to hemself as he seeþ [as a sueþ, γ.] þat me doþ to oþere. Here|fore [Herfore, β.] was a solempne counsaile i-made at Wynchestre; þere þe

ymage of þe rode spak out of þe wal, and seide þat Donnston his wey was good and trewe. But ȝit cesed [ceeside, β.] nouȝt þe hertes [þe hertes, from α. and β.; þere er, MS.] of unskilful men, þerfore was i-made a counsaile at þe real [rial, β.] strete of Calne; þere þe kyng was absent, for he was ȝit of tendre age, and þere seten [seet, α.; sate, β.] in an hiȝe [heiȝ, β.] hous þe senatoures of Engelond; þere Dunston was strongliche despised and i-ched [y-chidde, β.; y-chyd, γ.] ; þanne þe giestes [gystes, γ.] and þe bemes of þe soler al to fligh, [flyȝ, β.; vlyȝ, γ.] and þe soler fil doun; and som were dede, and some i-hurt and i-maymed for evere more. So al þat þere were, [were] [From β. and γ.] dede oþer i-hurt ful sore, outtake Dunston alone þat scapede graciousliche and wyseliche. Þat myracle [myrakel, γ.] brouȝte forþ scilence [silence, β.; sylens, γ.] to hem þat wolde afterward meyntene þat querel. Þe ȝonge Edward com from hontynge wery and afirst, [aþurst, β.; furst, γ.] and his stepdame ȝaf hym drynke, and þe mene tyme he was i-styked wiþ a swerd. Þanne he gan [bigan, β.] to pryke his hors wiþ al þat he myȝte, þennes for to flee; þanne his oon foot [o vot, γ.] slood [slode, β.; slod, γ.] out of þe styrop, and he was i-drawe [to-drawe, β.] by þe oþer foot [voot, γ.] al aboute þe feeldes and þwart [þwert, β.] over weies, and al forbled, and at Cornesgate [Cornysgate, β.] he ȝaf þe signes and tokenes of deth. Þanne he was i-buried unworþiliche þre

ȝere at Warham; þere God for hym wrouȝte meny myracles and grete, for þere gret light com doun from hevene, and þe halt man feng [vyng, γ., et infra.] his goynge ariȝt, þe doumbe fenge his speche, þe deef his herynge, and þe blynde his sight; þere alle manere sike [seke, β.] men took þe state [staat, α] of helþe. By þat rumour sche [heo, β., et infra; hue, γ., et infra.] þat slouȝ hym was i-meoved, and cam ridynge on a beest þat myȝte nouȝt come nygh þe place for no betynge noþer for no [no] om. β.] cryenge; þe best [beest, β.] was ofte i-chaunged, but it was al for nouȝt. Þerfore what sche myȝte nouȝt doo in here owne persone [persoone, β.] sche dede by anoþer; for here mynister Elferus, þat hadde somtyme i-put out monkes in Mercia, and i-brouȝt clerkes in here stede, he took Edwardes body and buried it solempliche at Septoun, þat is Schaftesbury. ℞. In tyme afterward som of his body was translated to Leof Ma|naster, [Leofmonastre, β. and γ.] besides Herford, and som to Abyndoun. Þe place at Schaftesbury þere his longes ȝit quaveþ al fresche and sound hatte Edwardstowe. Willelmus ubi supra. For þis slauȝter Elfritha bulde tweie abbeyes of wommen, [wymmen, α.] nouȝt fer from Salisbury, oon hatte Ambresbury, and anoþer at Werewelle.

Sche dede [dide, β., et infra.] awey þe pompe of þe worlde, and dede longe tyme harde penaunce at Werewell, and usede alwey þe heyre [heer, β.] and fastinge, [vastynge, γ.] and chastede here body, þat was ful faire som|tyme, and alwey as sche myȝte sche croysede here forhede and brest, [vorhed and brust, γ.] and lyeþ [lyþ, β.] i-buried þere. Bote þe forsaide Alferus [So in β. too.] scapede nouȝt al manere wreche, ffor he was i-ete al wiþ luys [lues, γ.] after oon ȝere after þe burienge of þe forsaide martir. Aboute þat tyme was Fulbertus in his floures, bisshop of Carnot, an excellent man in oure [ure, γ., et infra.] lady love. Amonge his oþere noble workes he made in preysinge of oure lady þe respondes "Stirps Iesse" and "Solem iusticie," and þis ympne, "Chorus, nove Ierusalem." In a tyme he was seke at þe ȝeate [ȝate, β.] of deth, and oure lady apperede to hym, and axede of hem wherof he dredde. [dradde, β.] "My lady," quoþ he, "I [Ich, β. and γ., et infra.] trust on þy mercy, but I drede ful sore þyn owne sones dome." "Drede þou not," quoþ sche; "and for to make þe þe more siker here after, I schal now make þe al hool;" and anon sche took here [hir, β.] brest out of here [hir, β.] bosom, and dropped on his face [fas, γ.] þre dropes of precious licour [likour, α.] of mylk, and wente

forþ her way; he was hool anon, and dede þat swete licoure of hevene in a vessel of silver, and heet [hyte, γ.] keep it in mynde.