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

Capitulum octavum decimum.

CANUTE of Denmark, after þe deth of Edmond made kyng allone, regned almost xix. ȝere; he devided and departed þe reame of Engelond into foure parties, assygnynge Westsex unto hym self, Est Angle to þe erle Turkylle, Merschelonde to false Edrik, Norþhumberlond to Hiricus; þerfore a counsaile i-made at Londoun, he asked of his gentilles wheþer in þat bonde of felawschippe confermed atwixe hem and Edmond, ȝif þere was made eny mencioun of successioun of breþeren and sones of Edmond after þe deth of hym; bot þey answerde ful falsely and flateryngly þat nay, supposynge for þat þat þey schulde take þe same, and be gretter enence þe kyng; over þat also þey swore þat þey schulde take þe same Canute for þaire kyng, and schulde putte out þam þat were nere to Edmond: wherfore som of þaym þoruȝ þe riȝt dome of God war slayne, and som put out of þe lond, ffor why, by þe counsaile of Edrik, þe kyng

outlawed Edwyne þe broþer of Edmond, whiche was called þe kyng of cherles or of uplondische men, neverþeles aftirward he was reconsiled desceyvablely, and i-slayn, þoruȝ þe traytours of his men. Also kyng Kanute, as wel for schame as for þe counsaile of Edrik, dredynge for to slee þe sones of Edmond, þat is to wite, Edmond and Edward, sent þaym to þe kyng of Sweþerlond for to be slayn; whiche dredynge God, sent þaym oversee to Salamon þe kyng of Hongery, for to be keped to þe lyf. [But] [Of, MS.] Edmond, wedded þe douȝter of þat kyng, but sone after he deide wiþ oute children. Edward forsoþe wedded Agath, þe douȝter of Henricus emperour, of whome he gat Margarete, þat was aftirward queene of Scotland, and Cristean þat was a nonne, and Edgar Adelynge. Henricus, libro 6^o. Þis word Adelyng is compowned in Duche and in Saxon of Adel, þat is noble, and lyng, þat is image, as it were a noble ymage; wherefore Westsex men haveþ in proverbe of hiȝe despite hynderlyng, whiche sowneþ i-cast doun fro honeste, or any ymage goynge bakward. Seynt Edward kyng aftir|ward purposed for to have made þis Edgare Adelyng heire of Engelond; bot dredynge þe wikkednes of his owne peple and þe sones of Godewyne, he chese William of Normandye. Willelmus de Regibus, libro 2^o. Kyng Kanute, in þe monþe of Iule, þat he myȝte streyne þe reme of Engelond more faste

unto hym, wedded to his wyf Emme the queene, of whom he gatte Hardeknute. After þat, in þe Nativite of oure Lord, at Londoun in his paleys, he commaunded false Edrik forto be slayne, whiche upbrayded hym þe benefetes þat were done unto hym, and his body to be i-cast by þe walles into Tempse, seynge and byholdynge to hym self in þat þat he schulde nouȝt be desceyved by his aspyenges; and oþer gentil men he drove out; but he hilde everemore þe erle Leofric dere. After þis at Oxenforde he made a parlement, where boþe Englisshe men and Danes were made acorde for to kepe þe lawes of kyng Edgare. Henricus, libro 6^o. Þis ȝere Canute wente unto Denmark, ledynge Englisshe men wiþ hym aȝenst þe Wandales, þat war disesy unto hym; wherfore in þe nyȝt þat went bifore þe bataile, Englische men wiþ Godwyne þaire ledere, unwetynge þe kyng, disperbled and chased þe enemyes unpurveied. For whiche cause fro þat tyme forþ þe kyng hadde Englisshemen in sovereigne worschippe, and þat same ȝere he come aȝen. Alfridus. Þis ȝere Aldelme þe bisshop of Lindisfarn Doreyn is deed, and þe see is voyde almost þre ȝere. Þere was i-made a seyne and a convocacioun aboute þe chesyng of þe bisshop, were a preost Edmond comynge, seide in game, "Why chese ȝe nouȝt me myself;" whos gaume oþere nouȝt takynge gamfully, þre dayes fastynge y-bode for þat, þay counsailled

þe will of seynt Cuthbert. Wherfore þe preost syngynge masse, in myddes of þe canoun a voyce was herde þre tymes sowne out of þe tombe of seynt Cuthbert, "Edmond oweþ to be take into bisshop." Also this ȝere byfell þat unwont myracle in Saxon, in þe chirche of seint Magne martir, forsoþe xv. men and iii. wommen, in the nyȝt of þe Nativite of oure Lorde, ledynge a daunce in þe chirche ȝerde, þe preost of þe chirche stirred in ire bysouȝt þe vengeaunce of God, seienge þus: "God graunte þoruȝ þe merytes of seint Magne his martir þat ȝe lede þus ȝour daunce;" þey ete nouȝt, ne drank nouȝt, ne sleped nouȝt, unto þey were delyvered by þe prayer of seint Cuthbert, þe bisshop of Coloun; whiche when þey were i-drawe out of þe erþe, þey caste þeymself doun byfore þe auȝter; of whom som deyed sone; and som i-kept unto þe lyf schewed þe greet werchynge of God in þaym self. One forsoþe of þe þre wommen was þe douȝter of þe same preost þat asked vengeaunce, whiche when here broþer as|sayed for to drawe hir out fro the daunce [Some omission of words by the scribe. See Harl. version below.] wiþ þe oþer al þat ȝere. Willelmus de Pontificibus, libro primo. Aboute þis tyme Briȝtwolde, monk of Glastyngbury, whiche was aftir|ward þe firste bisshop of Wiltoun, whiles he þouȝt in contem|placioun

of þe kynges of Engelond progenye, þat was almost þanne fordone, slomberynge fil on hym, and lo he sawe seynt Peter apostel holde in his hond Edward þe sone of Egelrede, outlawed þan in Normandye, and consecrat hym kyng, and schewe fully his holynes in nombre of xxiii. ȝere in whiche he schulde regne. And whan þe monk asked of þe posterite of Edward and of þe successours of reignynge, seynt Peter answerde, "Þe reme of Engelond is þe reme of God; after þis God schal purveie." Henricus, libro 6^o. Aboute þese dayes a Goddes man seide byfore to Englische men þat þere was to comen and untristed a lordschipe fro Fraunce, þat schulde opresse þaym; as above in the ende of þe firste book. Willel|mus

de Regibus, libro 2^o. Þis ȝere Henricus þat was called benigne, þe emperour of Almayne, deide; whom folwede Con|radus þe firste, whiche regned xv. ȝere; whiche ordeyned a lawe þat who so evere brak þe lawe of þe lond schulde lese his heved. Of þe whiche statut þe firste trespasour was þe erle [An omission of the scribe; for the sense see Harl. translation below.] þat is heremyte, whiche is now freschely born schal be to þe sone in lawe and successour; for whyche þing he hadde dedeyn, and comaunded þe herte of þe childe for to be brouȝt unto hym; but þe messangers dredynge God, kest þe childe quik in þe woode, and brouȝt the kyng þe herte of an hare. It byfel forsoþe þat sone after þis, þat a duke me called Henry pass|ynge þerby, herde þe childe squeke, and he sente it to his wyf, þat was bareyne, for to be norsched, giffynge to hit his owne name, Henry. And when þat Conradus þe emperour somtyme byheld wiþ hym i-woxen a ȝong man, and turned up and doun in his mynde þe forwittynge þat was passed, þe kyng helde wiþ hym þe ȝonge man, þe man þat was supposed þe fadir of þe childe aȝenseyinge; and alwayes he ymagyned aȝenst hym|self how he myȝte fordo þe child; wherefore he sent hym to þe emperour [Sic in MS.] wiþ lettres þus writen, þat þe lettres i-sene, þe same day he schulde be dede. Bot while þe ȝonge man was her|berwed

a nyȝt at a preste his house, þe preost oponynge þe lettres whiles he sleped, wrote for þat word, be he dede, be he maryed to oure douȝter; which þing was i-doo, wherfore þerof al þe empere was astonyed; neverþeles þinkynge þat he was þe sone of a worþy erle, he suffred it more liȝtly. But in þe place of wildernesse where he was i-borne he made an abbay þat unto þis day is i-called Vesanya.