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

Capitulum vicesimum quintum.

VICTOR þe secounde, after Leon, satte in þe popehede two ȝere and þre monþes, whiche, a seyne and a convocacioun made at Florence of Italie, deposed many bisshoppes for symony and fornicacioun. Marianus. Þis ȝere þe noble duke Siward of Norþhumberland, by þe comaundement of kyng Edward, with an ooste of horsmen and wiþ a navey, al to-brak and defouled Scotland; he droof out þe kyng, and ordeyned Malcolne, þe

kynges sone of Comberlond, kyng þerynne. Neverþeles in þat bataille Siward sone was slayn; whiche when þe fadir knewe þat he deide of a wounde receyved in þe furþer partie of his body, al þogh he sorwed of þe deeth, neverþeles of þe har|dines of his sone he ioyed. Þis ȝere Wolsy þe bisshop of Lichefeeld deide, to whom succeded Leofwyne, þe abbot of Coventre. Also þis ȝere in þe morn after Esterne, while God|wyn satt at kyng Edward his bord at Wyndesore, it byfel þat oon of þe kynges children com yn wiþ þe kynges cuppe, and þat oon foot snaperid, and he hilde hym up wiþ þe oþer, and spilt nauȝt þe drynke; whiche Godwyne seynge seide lawhynge: "Now oo broþer helped anoþer." Þerto þe kyng answerde: "So hadde Alfrede my broþer helped me, if Godwyn had i-suffred." Þe erle perceyvynge of þise þat he hadde seide to moche, and þat þe kyng mente of þe tresone of his broþer, he seide to þe king: "Sire, as I see it is ofte tymes tolde to þe þat I schulde have travailled and besied me unto þe deth of þi broþer, and to þi tresoun, so myȝte I swolowe wiþ heele þe morsel of brede þat I holde in my hond, as I am nouȝt blamable ne gilty in þise þinges." And also sone he was choked. Harold, forsoþe at þe comaundement of þe kyng, drewe

hym out fro underneþe þe bord, and buried hym at Wynchestre. Neverþeles Marianus telleþ þat Godwyne sittynge at þe mete wiþ þe kyng at Wynchestre, was taken wiþ a sodeyn seeknesse on a Moneday, þe morne after Esterne, and deide þe fifte day, þat is, on a Þorsday. Also þan þe erldome of Godewyne was giffen unto Harold, and þe erldome of Harold unto Algare, erle Leofric sone. Þis ȝere sent kyng Edward Aldred bisshop of Worcetre to þe emperoure Henri þe secounde, praying hym þat he wolde sende lettres unto Hungrie, and sende hym þens into Engelond his broþer sone Edward, þe sone of Edmond Irenside; for þe kyng had ordeyned for to have made hym his heire in Engelond. But þe þridde ȝere after comynge to Engelond he deide at Londoun, long bifor þe king. Þis Edward was þe fadir of Margarete þe queene of Scotland, and Edgar Adlyn; but Margarete bar kyng David of Malcolme, and Moold queene of Engelond. Item Marianus. Þis ȝere kyng Edward outlawed Algare Leofric sone wiþoute any gilt or blame, whiche also sone boden and profred and associed to Griffen kyng of Wales, þai wasted Herfordschire, þey took Herford, and brent þe mynster, and slowȝ vij. chanouns. Bot erle Harald sewid þaym fleynge, and stored Herford, and closid it with kesting up of a diche; but he pesid þaym þat were out|lawed

and exciled wiþ þe kyng. Item Marianus. Also þis ȝere Siward, þe noble duke of Norþhumberlond, deide at ȝork of þe flux in his wombe, and was buried in þe abbay of Gal|manho, þe whiche he made hymself; and neverþeles bifore þat he deide-he made hym self to be armed, and sittynge upriȝt, seide: "Þus it seemeþ a knyȝt for [to] die, nouȝt for to be en febled as an oxlyvynge." But for his sone Waltef was a litel child lieng in cradel, his erldome was giffen to Tosty, Harold broþer, whiche was þere almost ten ȝere. Item, Marianus et Willelmus. Þis ȝere Herman of Flaundres, somtyme kyng Edward chapeleyne, bot þan bisshop of Wiltoun or of Ramis|bury, i-noyed of angwisch, askid of þe kyng, and almost had geten graunt, þat he myȝte ordeyne and sette his see or þe abbay of Malmesbury. Bote þe gentiles of þe reame nouȝt willynge þat, Herman i-greved lefte his bisshopriche, and wente over þe see, and at Seint Bertyne toke þe abite of monk, and so lyved he þre ȝere, Aldred þe bisshop of Worcestre in þe mene tyme mynistrynge his bisshopriche; bot as it is i-doone ofte tyme in suche men, þe sodeyn hastynes of religioun bygynnynge to wex colde, Herman after þre ȝere come ageyn to Engelond. It irked and weried a man þat was wont to service, þat was norsched with delices, for to wante his sustenynge þat he hadde felt and knowe fro his ȝouþe. And over þat a good tiding

blowe in his ere, þat Godewyn þat wiþ stood agayn hym was deed, and þe bisshop of Shirburne deide, whos bisshopriche he had þouȝt longe for to have ooned unto his for þe olde byhestes of þe queene. Þis bisshopriche forsoþe þus ooned, wiþ þre townes of his, he helde longe, unto þe nynþe ȝere of William Conquerour, when he passid fro Shirburne unto Salesbury. Willelmus de Regibus. Þis ȝere Harold and Tosty playenge to gidre byfore þe kyng sittynge at a feste, Harold drouȝ his broþer by þe heer more bitterly þan þe play asked, and keste hym to the grounde; and, but if he hadde bene sonner refte out of his handes, he hadde strangled hym. Whiche þing i-sene, þe kyng schewed to þaym þat satte beside hym þat þere schulde come greet discord atwixe þese two breþeren, and þat þe oon schulde slee þat oþer. Forsoþe þe erle Godwyne had his first wif of kyng Canute, of þe whiche he gat a sone, whom an hors wantounly dryven and stired drowned in Tempse: þe modir forsoþe persched with þe strook of þe thunder lyȝtnynge, and no wonder, forþy þat sche putte to the bordel faire may|dons for hir riches. Aftir whos deth Godwyn wedded anoþer wif, of þe whiche he took sixe sones, þat is Swane, Harold, Tosty, Wilnot, and Gurth, and Leofric, of whos ende and passing forþ it is expressid in þinges þat gooþ bifore and þinges

þat gooþ aftir. Willelmus de Regibus, libro 2^o. Aboute þis tyme a womman in Berkelay, þat was wont and customed to evel craftes, as sche satte at hir mete at a feeste, a chowȝe þat sche hadde nursched delicatly, chatered more lowde þan it was wonte, þe whiche i-herde þe knyf fell out of þe womman's hond, hir visage wex pale, and sorowyng, and mournynge i|brouȝt forþ wiþ siȝhynge, "Now to day," quod sche, "my plowȝ is comen to þe laste sorwe;" whiche i-seide, a mes|sanger entrynge in tolde hir of þe deeþ of hir sone and perischynge of al hir meyny, of dounfallynge of hire hous. Also sone þe womman lay doun seke, and callede here hir childre þat were on lyve, a monk and a nonne, whiche comynge yn sche spak to hem þus: "I folwer of evel craft and of wikked lif trowed vaynly for to be defended and helped by ȝoure prayers, neverþeles I pray ȝow now þat ȝe allegge my tour|mentes, for of my soule is sentence i-brouȝt forþ; peraventure ȝe schal kepe my body if it be sewed in a hertes skyn, þe whiche ȝe leie wide open in a grave of stoon; þe coveryng stoon i-glewed wiþ lede and iron, constreyne it and fastne it wiþ þre cheynes of iren, and þat ȝe have psalmystres or saienge of psalmes of þe psawtre fourty nyȝtes, and dooþ also many masses by day; þat ȝif I leie so þre nyȝtes, þe fourþe day berieþ my body in þe erþe." Bot al for nouȝt, for why, þe two firste nyȝtes þe psalmes sownand, þe doores

i-broken, þe develes wiþ liȝt besynes brak þe two uttermeste cheynes; þe þridde nyȝt, þe place tremelynge and quakynge, aboute þe cok crowynge, one þat was more feerful and uggle of visage and hyȝere of stature, þe ȝates i-bursten, comaunded þe dede body þat it schulde rise, whiche answerynge þat it myȝt nouȝt for þe bondes "Þu schalt be loused," quod he, "but for þyn evel and harme." Also sone al þe obstacles broken, he took her by þe hand, and drowh hir out of þe chirche, and putte her on a blak hors neyhynge bifore þe ȝates; and so went sche away wiþ hyȝ and loude crieng, i-herd by foure myle. Þis þowȝ al þe it be wonderful, never|þeles he schal nouȝt deme þaym untrowable þat haþ rad þe fourþe book of dyalogus of seint Gregorie, where þe develes cast out þe wicked man þat was i-buried in þe chirche, and also þe same is schewed above of Charles Marcello.

Notes

• boy, MS.