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

Capitulum quintumdecimum.

HUWE Capet, þe kyng of Weste Fraunce after þat he hadde regned nyne deide, to whom com after Robert his sone, whiche he gat of þe douȝter of olde kyng Edward kyng of Engelond and he regned aboute xxx^ti ȝere. In whos tyme come a religious pilgrime from Ierusalem into Sicile, and he lerned of a man recluse þat in Wlcanes potte, þat breþeþ out flammes, þe soules of dede men were tormented for dyversete of trespas, þe voyces of gnastynge of whom he witnessed þat he hadde oftetyme herde, þe whiche by almes and prayers of trewe men were delyvered, and nameliche þat tyme by þe prayer of þe monkes of Cluniacensis; wherefore Odilio, þe abbot of Clunia|censis, whanne þat was knowen, ordeyned þat þe next fery after þe feste of All Halwes schulde be hadde þe memorie for dede men soules, whiche custome afterward passed forth into al þe world. Also þis Robert was ful clere in sciens and konnynge in grete festes of seyntes in som mynstre or abbeye of his reaume, ouþer synge [lege syngynge.] with monkes, or elles berynge a cope to governe þe queere. Wherfore in þe feste of seynt Anyan

bisshop of Aurelianes, whenne he hadde lefte his oost aboute a castel þat he hadde byseged, and song þries Agnus Dei et cetera, berynge a cope, and knelynge on his knees, þe walles of þe castel byseged sodenly fil downe. Þis is þat Robert þat made þe sequence of þe Holy Gost, "Sancti Spiritus assit nobis gratia," and also þat respons of þe vigil of þe Na|tivite of oure Lord, "O Iuda et Ierusalem, nolite timere." Also þis ȝere Develyne, þe moder citee of Irlond, was wasted of þe Scottes, and þe navey of Danes wente to Normandye, and kyng Egelrede wasted Comberlond, and þe Ile of Man or Angleseie. [About this time] was þe fyndynge of þe body of seynt Ive. Willelmus de Pontificibus, libro 4^o. Þis Ive, of þe nacioun of Perce, forsaked al þe delites of þe world, and over|ȝede þe spaces of many landes in a cherles cloþinge, wiþ þre felawes allone at þe ile of Rameseie ledde his lyf; whos grave and name, when it was long unknowen of þe dwellers in þe contray. seynt Yve hym self apperede to a symple man, schewynge his name, his place, and his degre; and he warned hym þat he schulde goo to þe abbot of Ramesey, þat he wiþ hym myȝte take up his body of þe erþe; whiche when it was done a welle heleful to al sekenes sprang out of þe grave, so þat to þis day in al Enge|londe unneþe is eny seynt more esy of prayere or more helpynge

þan seynt Ive is. Also þis ȝere kyng Egelrede wedded Emme, þe perle and þe precious stone of Normanes, þe douȝter of Richard first duke of Normandie; by þe whiche profitt, en|printed in his lettres sent to þe citees of Engelond, he comaunded al þe Danes in oon nyȝt to be slayne; whiche was done in þe nyȝt of seint Brise. In whiche ȝere also þe abbey of Burtoun uppon Trente was founded by a worþy man, Wlrik Spot. Henry þe firste, whiche was called benigne and merci|ful, after Othoun þe þridde, was emperour in Almayn two and twenty ȝere, whom þe archebisshop of Mens coroned. ℞. Here it is for to wete þat þere was mo Henries kynges þan emperours; þerfor when it is red Henry firste, secounde, or þridde, by resoun of like name, in þe empere it is þe firste or þe secounde; understonde þe same of Conradus and of Othouns. Þis firste Henry dwelled perfitly a mayden and a virgyne wiþ his wyf. Martinus. Þe pope Iohn satte in his popehode sex monthes. Suane kyng of Denmarch, whan he herde of þe deth of Danes done prively in þe citees of Engelond, wiþ a grete navey he ryved up at Cornwayle; wherby, by tresoun of Hewe þe eorl of Normandie, whom þe quene Emme hadde newely put byfore unto Devenschire, Suane took Excetre, and destroyed þe walles; to whom men of Westsex manfully come aȝen; but als ofte as þe hostes neyȝed nere to gidre, duke Edrik, traytour of Englisshe men, feynynge a vomet or brak|ynge, seide þat he was seek; wherfore Englisshemen twynned,

and kyng Swane robbed Wiltoun and Schirborne, and wente aȝen to his schippes. In þe ȝere folowynge he brouȝt up at Norþwhiche, wasted þe contre, and brende Tedforþ; whiche is knowe [Sic in MS., but see Harl. below.] duke Usketil sente unto þe men of þe province þat þey schulde brenne þe schippes of þe enemyes; bote þey ouþer makynge dissimulacioun, or elles beyng unhardy for to doo it, þe duke hym self, wiþ whome þat he myȝte, brouȝt a ful scharp bataile aȝen þe Danes; but for a ful strong honger hadde assailled Engelond, kyng Suane wente aȝen to Denmark, þe ȝere þe folowynge for to torne aȝen. Iohn þe nyntenþe, pope, satte in þe popehede fyve ȝere. Þis ȝere Elphegus bisshop of Wynchestre, when Ulricus metropolitane of Doverus was dede, was madde erchebisshop. After þis, in þe monþe of Iule, þe navy of Danes rove up at Sandwyche, and robbed Kent and Southsex, and vexed þe Englische eft wiþ manyfolde desceyv|ynge, now robbynge, now aȝen comynge. Whom folwede evermore þe [Sic in MS., but see Harl. below.] felowys, þat is robbynge, sleynge, and brennynge. For why kyng Egelrede, whiche þat tyme dwelled in Schroves|bury, myȝt nouȝt hastily put abak the Danes unto þe tyme þat þey hadde wasted Barrokschire, þerfore kyng Egelrede, by þe counseille of his gentilles, paied to þe Danes a tribute of þritty thousand pounde for to have reste. In whiche ȝere, forsoþe, he ordeyned Edric, traytour, duke of Merschelonde, a man for|soþe

low and pore of kynne, bot riche of tonge, wily and witty, softe of speche, but ful faste of herte. Sergius þe þridde satte in þe popehode þre ȝere. Henricus, libro 6^o. Turkullus erle of Denmark rove up in Kent, to whom men of Caunterbury gaf þre þowsand pounde for pees, and þe Danes goynge toward þe Ile of Wight did moche robberie. Ageynes whom as ofte as þe kyng precede, þe erle Edrik counseille nouȝt to ȝeve bataille; wherfore þe Danes were made ful riche þis ȝere, and wasted almost half Engelond from Norhamptoun unto þe Ile of Wight.