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

Capitulum sextumdecimum.

ABOUTE þe feste of seynt Matheu þe Danes byseged Caunter|bury, whiche citee, þe twentiþe day of þe byseging, was taken and brent þoruȝ bytrayeng of Almarus, a deken whom seynt Elphege newly byfore and [and] sic in MS. lege had.] delyvered from deth. Þe abbot of Seynt Austyns was suffred for to goo awey; þe folk of Crist was tiþed, þat is to seie, nyne slayn and þe tenþe i-kepte; of þe whiche som deide with yren, som by castynge doun and þe heved byfore, som i-honged by þe prive membres, and som

i-drawen by þe heres. Among whom þe bisshop Elphegus was taken and sevene monþes i-bounde in iren, and wiþ dyverse peynes i-scorned among þaym. For whiche þing þe yre of God was so woode in þe folk þat were men sleers, þat woo and sorenes of þe entrelles wasted now ten, now twenty, unto a greet nombre. Wherfore þe Danes were monested of þe trewe men þat þey schulde make a sethe to þe bisshop, bot þay differred it, for why in holy Saterday of Pask þey putte þe bisshop to chese þat ouþer he paye þre þowsand pounde, or elles wante his lyf, he soþe forsakynge al þat, forbode besily to his trewe peple, þat none schulde ȝeve ony þing for his raunsoun; wherfore þe Danes of þat more grevously angred, and þey dronken of wyn, in the Satirday sewynge brouȝt forþ þe bisshop in þe þrittene k^l of May; þere þey slow þe holy man wiþ stones and neten bones. Sepulcre was denyed hym unto þat a dykere in þe day after i-depped in his blood wex greved, whos body in þe day folowynge was ledde unto Londoun, and in þe chirche of Seynt Poule ful worschip|fully i-buryed. Noþeles afterward Canut þe Danes kyng grauntynge, it was brouȝt aȝene to his chirche, þe body al hool. Willelmus de Pontificibus, libro 2^o. Þis Elphegus, after þe abite of monk i-taken at Durhurst, lyved like any

anker at Bathe; afterward he gedered þere monkes, whiche drew corrupcioun, as it is wont to be done in grete colege. For why some of þaym, unwetynge þe fader, made festes on nyȝtes, and extended to drynkynges nere honde unto day lyȝt. But he þat was i-made cheef banerer of þis doynge, þoruȝ good werchynge, deied in þe myddes of þe drynkynge; whiche þe fader knowinge be noyse, went to þe wedewe, [Sic in MS.] and he seigh two develes, [Here is an omission in MS. through the oversight of the scribe; see Harleian text below.] answerde "Nouþer þou obeyedest to God, ne we schal obeye to the." At þe laste, þoruȝ þe amonyschynge of seint Andrewe apperynge unto seynt Donston, seynt Alphegus was i-made bisshop of Wynchestre, whiche Elphege entended

nevere forto ete flesche but if he were seek. Henricus, libro 6^o. Swane þe kyng of Danes, whanne he hadde schipped aboute Est Engelonde, entred wiþ his navey in to Humbre flood, and wente forþ by þe flood of Trente unto Geynesburgh; to whom þe men of þe contre þat dwelled at þe norþ side of Watlyng strete gefen ostage and sworen feutee. He forsoþe commaunded his navey wiþ þe ostage to Canute his sone, while he wasted þe south marche, sleynge þe males, reservynge þe females to his lust and to þe lust of his men. After he took Oxenforde and Wynchestre; but goynge to Londoun warde, whiles he souȝte no brigge, he loste meny men of his in þe flood of Temse. Neverþeles he was put out of Londoun by þe presence of kyng Egelred; but he putte Westsex in subieccioun; þat seand, þe men of Londoun sent hym ostage; þerfore þe kyng Egelrede abasshed sent Emme his wyf, wiþ his two sones, and wiþ þe bisshop of Londoun, to Richard the secounde, þe erle of Normandye, þe broþer of Emme; hym self in þe mene tyme ful wilsom at þe Ile of Wight halowede Cristemasse, þat is þe nativite of oure Lord. At þe laste utterly all þinges in dispeire, hym self schipped unto Normandie. Kyng Swane more enprided of þat unto þe encresynge of his owne dampnacioun,

asked tribute of Edmondbury, þe citee of seynt Edmond martir, whiche bot if it were i-paide he manassed brennynge to þe citeseyns; over þat ful proudely he bakbited seynt Edmond. But þe eventide comynge toward, in myddes of his knyȝtes at þe towne of Geynesburgh, wiþ þe swerde of seynt Edmond was he stiked, and so cryenge in þe twyliȝtynge of þe nyȝt he deide þe þridde nonas of Februarii. Willelmus de Pontifici|bus, libro 2^o. Canute his sone seynge þat, afterwarde dede more myldely wiþ seynt Edmond, for why he lete brynge abouȝte al his lond a diche, and graunted it fredome for al askynge; fro þat tyme it was custome þat þe kynges of Enge|lond sent þaire corones to seint Edmond, whiche þey bouȝte agayn for grete prys if þey wolde were þaym; þe askers of þe toll, þat were fel in oþer place of Engelond, lowely lafte þaire strifes of þis side þe diche of seynt Edmond.