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

Capitulum vicesimum tertium.

EDWARD þerfore comynge to Engelonde was corowned kyng at Westmynster of Edsye, archebisshop of Canturbury, and he regned almost foure and twenty ȝere. This kyng forsoþe wedded Edithe, Edwynus douȝter, whiche he treted wiþ suche craft, þat nouþer he removed hir fro his bed, ne he knewe her nouȝt on womanis manere, whiche wheþer he dede for hatre|den of hir kynrede or for love of chastite I have nouȝt certayn proved. Neverþeles þis is seide most comounly, þat þe kyng lyved evermore wiþoute touchynge of woman: his owne moder

forsoþe nouþer he worschipped fully ne confounded hire openly. Neverþeles by þe counseille of Godwyne he took fro hire al hire precious þinges oþer for sche was over hard unto hym, or for sche charged to litel to gif hym any þing. Also he called out of Normandie some þat was famuliar to hym, þerfore to be rewarded, among whiche he made oon Robert, a monk of Gementicus, bisshop of Londoun, and after archebisshop of Canturbury; in whos counseilles þe kyng hym self, þat was symple, so moche rested þat, opportunite i-gete, he outlawed Godwyne his fader in lawe wiþ his sones, his owne moder for suspecte famuliarite and homlynes deprived of al hire goodes, putte hire in þe abbay of Werwelle, and prisoned bisshop Aylewyn. But Emme lousely i-kept, wroot unto þe bisshoppis of Engelond, in whiche sche tristed þat sche was more tor|mented and disesed of the unworschippe and blamynge of þe bisshop þan of hire own schame, and þat sche was redy for to prove by þe dome of God and examynynge of þe brennynge fire þat þe bisshop was unriȝtfully diffamed. At þe laste þe bis|shoppes comynge to þe kyng, þey hadde inclyned hym [by] þeyre prayers, bot þat Robert bisshop of Caunterbury agayn-stood it. "How," quod he, "breþeren and bisshoppes, dar ȝe diffende þat wood best and no womman, whiche diffamede þe kyng hir sone, whiche calleþ her leccherous lemman oure Lordes preest? But

siþen a womman wil purge the bisshop, who schal purge hire, whiche is seide [to] have consented unto þe deth of hir sone Alurede, and procurede venym unto Edward? Bot be it þat sche have auctorite above þe condicioun of hire kynde. Never|þeles if sche passe unhurte bare foot and fulsteppes foure paas for her self, andfyve contynued paas forþe bisshop, uppon nyne brennynge cultres or schares, let here eskape of his enpeche|ment." Also sone þe day of examinacioun was sette, in þe whiche þe kyng and all oþer gentiles out take bisshop Robert come þider. Bot þe nyȝt þat went byfore þe day of exame|nynge, þe womman prayenge at þe sepulcre of seynt Swithyne of Wynchestre was conforted; wher yn þe day folwynge, hir eyȝen i-covered, sche passed unhert nyne brennynge cultres. Þan þe kyng sorwynge, and askynge forgifnes, took discipline of eiþer bisshop, and also of his moder, and restored þat he hadde taken fro þaym. Þan þe queene Emme gaf unto seynt Swithyn nyne maneres for þe nyne cultres þat sche hadde passed. Robert forsoþe þe bisshop of Canturbury fled unto Normandie. Ma|rianus. Elfworde bisshop of Londoun, and somtyme abbot of Evesham, for he sufficed not inow for overmoche seeknes of his body unto so moche governaunce, wolde have bene president at Evesham, but þe breþer of þe place denyenge þat, godes and bookes þat oþer he or his predecessours hadde giffen

to Evesham i-taken away, he wente to Ramesey, and þere sone aftir he deide and was i-buried; to whom succedit Robert. Marianus. Kyng Edward gedred a strong navey at Sand|wiche haven, in wil for to fiȝte aȝenst Harold Harfage, kyng of Norwaye, but þe bataile [was here inserted in MS.] giffen hym by Swane þe kyng of Denmark letted alle. Anoþer tyme þey telle þat kyng Edward agayns his custome lough among þe solempnetes of þe masses. Þey þat stood aboute merveillynge, and askynge the cause, þe kyng seide: "It was acorded atwixe þe Danes and þe Nor|weyes for to assaille Engelond, bot alle þyng redy for to schippe profred to þaym þat schulde shippe a coppe of meth for to drynke, prayeng a opprobrious a reprevynge name unto þaym but if they drank, and whiles coppe foloweþ to cuppe dronkenhede was torned into jangelynge, jangelynge into stryvynge, stryvynge into fiȝtynge, and so disparbled þay and twynned asondre. And I trowe þat in my dayes aliens schal nouȝt wexe in my land." Benette þe tenþe, pope after Gre|gory,

was pope almost two ȝere, þe whiche for he hadde bouȝt þe popehede was deposed of þe emperour Henry, and Clement þe secounde i-ordeyned, þe whiche of oo ȝere in dede succedid Poppo, whiche was called Damasus þe secounde, and he was two monþes, whiche in dede succedid Leo þe nynþe fyve ȝere. Þe forseide Harolde, kyng of Norway, þe broþer of seint Olave on þe modir side, subjectid unto hym Denmark, Svane þe kyng of Denmark dryven out. Kyng Svane forsoþe so i-put out, asked help of þe kyng of Engelond. Þe erle Godwyn assented, and oþer gentiles counseilled nay; wherfore kyng Harolde y|ded Svane recovered Denmark. Þis ȝere Levyngus þe bisshop of Worcestre y-dede, Alrede, whiche was monk at Wynches|tre, and after was abbot at Tavestok, suceeded in þe see of Worcestre. Marianus. A greet snow [swow, MS.] fil in þe west parties of Engelond, so þat it brak þe trees of þe wodes, and it dured fro þe kalends of Januarii unto seynt Patrik his day; after þat fol|wede

mortalite of men, rotynge of bestes, and thunder lemynge brend þe cornes. Þis ȝere also was done a bataille atwix þe kyng of Fraunce and þe gentiles of Normandie, for þat þey wolde nouȝt admitte William for duke; whiche when þey were overcomen, duke William outlawed some of þaym, and som he honged. Aboute þise tymes knyȝte Harlewyne in Normandie, temporal knyȝthode forsakyn, he made Becc abbey in Nor|mandie, þat ȝit is called Becherlewyn; hym self abbot and governour was nouȝt aschamed for to bere stones and cement and morter to þe makynge, for to bake brede, and forto doo oþer unclennesse. To whom God sente in helpynge and coun|seillynge two lanternes of þe world, men of ful passynge letterature, Lanfranc and Anselme, of þe whiche þat one after þat oþer was i-made priour in þe forseide place, and afterward archebisshop of Canturbury. Marianus. Þis ȝere pope Leo, and Svane kyng of Denmark, went wiþ Henry emperour ageyns Baldewyne erle of Flaundres; and Edward kyng of Engelond keped þe see wiþ his navey unto þe tyme þe empe|rour hadde geten his wille. Also þis pope Leo þe nynþe havynge remorse of conscience þat he was somwhat put yn by þe empe|roure lefte the popehede but eft sones was he chosen truly. Also þis ȝere Irische men were robbours on þe see, and entred into þe see of Severne, and wiþ the help of Gryffyn, kyng of

Wales, þey dede moche robberie about þe water of Vaga. In þe mene tyme Svane, þe eldest sone of Godwyne, þat late hadde leyne by Edgyve abbesse of Leof abbay, and hadde purposed to have wedded here, and þerfore hadde forsaken and left Engelond, come aȝen to Engelond ȝif peraventure he myȝte be accorded wiþ the kyng. Bot in his comynge he slowȝ erle Beorne, his sustre sone, whiche purposed for to have accorded hym; þerfore he fledde into Flaunders unto the tyme þat he myȝte be reconciled by Aldrede þe archebisshop of ȝork and by þe bisshop of Worcestre. Marianus.