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

Capitulum vicesimum sextum.

HENRY þe þridde, þe sone of Henry þe secounde, regned at Almayne and Duchelond as it were fifty ȝere. He þis somtyme destorubled holy chirche agayns pope Hildebrand, willynge if he myȝte put [þat, MS.] in anoþer pope; but at þe laste, pesed and

acorded, he went to þe holy lond wiþ duke Godfray and Beau|mond, of þe whiche it schal be seide wiþ ynne in þaire place. Stephene þe nynþe abbot of Mount Cassyn, after Victor sat pope viij. monþes. After whom Benet þe tenþe sat nyne monþes, whiche violently put yn afterward cesed. Agelric bisshop of Duram wilfully lefte þe bisshopriche, and went to þe abbay of Borgh, wher he was norsched and i-brouȝt [up,] where he lyved xij. ȝere in reste; to whom succedid Agelwyne his broþer. Marianus. Also þis ȝere loveable erle Leofric, sone of Leofwyn duke of Merschlond, deide þe secounde kalends of Octobre at his towne of Bromle, and i-buried at Coventre in þe abbey þat hym self made; þe whiche somtyme, by þe counseil of Godwyne [Sic MS., et infra.] his wif, þat was worschipper of God and our blessid lady seint Marie, reparailled and made riche þe abbeies of Leonensis beside Herford, Walacensis, Worcestre, Evysham, and two chirches in Leycestre, þat is of Seynt Iohn and Seint Warburgh; whos circumspeccioun whiles þat he lyved was moche profitable to þe erþe of Engelond. Also at þat besy instaunce of his wif he made his citee Coventre fre of all toll out take of hors, for þe whiche þing forto gete and pur|chase, his wif þe countesse Godwyne in a mornynge rood naked,

but covered wiþ heere, þoruȝ þe myddes of þe citee. After þe deeth of Leoffric, Algar his sone took þe erldom of Mersche|lond. But þe same ȝere, convicted in tresoun agayns þe kyng, he was outlawed; but he was receyved of Griffyn kyng of Wales, as he was late byfore, and reconciled. Willelmus de Regibus. A citeseyne of þe citee of Rome, ȝong of age, Lucian by name, riche of money, hiȝe of kyn, wedded a noble wif, for whiche cause, his felawes called þerto, he made a feeste. After mete þey wente into þe feeld by cause for to uncharge þaire stomakes. Þe spouse hym self forsoþe, for he schulde use hym wiþ a bal, he putte his wedding ryng uppon þe fynger of an ymage þat was nere beside. But at þe laste, his bowels beynge warm for play, he wiþ drow hym self first out of þe play; but, þinkynge to take his ryng aȝen, he fand þe fynger of þe ymage wiþ þe ryng croked into þe palme of þe hond; and when he hadde stryven and wrastled þere longe, and anoþer myȝt pull awey in þe mene tyme, þe þing hid to his felawes, or þat þey schulde nouȝt scorne hym while he was present, ouþer þat þei schulde nouȝt aliene ne deceyve hym of þe ryng when he was absent; at þe laste in þe blake nyȝt, hymself with his servauntes comynge agayne, he wondred þat þe fynger was strecched out, and þe ryng taken away: and whanne he wolde dresse [dressed, MS.] hym toward his wif in tyme of lyeng and of slepynge,

he feled a þing þat was myȝti and þicke waltre and turne atwixe hym and his wif, saienge þus: "Ly wiþ me, for to day þow despousedest and weddest me. I am þy god Venus." And he, aferde and affraied, ledde þat nyȝt wiþ oute slepe; and whan þis was i-done þus as it were every nyȝt, he amone|scheþ and warned for þe pleynynges and lamentacioun of his wif, tolde þe þing to his fadir and moder. [Here the collation with α., β., and γ. commences again, and the translations accord.] Þanne his fadir and [his] [From α.] moder warnede Palumbus þe preost of þe subarbes, þat was þe grettest nygromancer þat was þo onlyve. He fenge grete mede, and ȝaf þe ȝong man a lettre þat he schulde take to hym þat he mette last a nyȝt comynge aȝenst hym wiþ a chare in þe metynge of tweie weies. Þe ȝong man [Þe ȝong man] bis in MS.] stood in þe metyng of tweie weies at nyȝt, and sigh a womman sitte on a mule, arayed as an hoore, and her here abrood, wiþ a chapelet of gold on here heed, and a ȝerde of gold in here hond. Þanne he took his lettre to hym þat com laste ridynge. Whanne þe lettre was i-rad, þat principal feend have up boþe hondes to hevene, and seide: "Almyȝti God, how longe schal þe wickednesse of Palumbus þe preost dure?" Anon his knyȝtes com to Venus to have þe ryng, bot sche

wrynchede, and blynchede, and stroof longe tyme; but at þe laste þe knyȝtes wreste of her [þe] [From α.] ryng, and took it to þe ȝonge man aȝe: and so he hadde his wille and ioye of his love þat he hadde longe desired. But Palumbus herde þe fend crye of hym into hevene, and kutte of his owne lymes, and know|leched al his trespas to þe pope in presens and hering of all þe peple. Marianus. Alredus bisshop of Worcestre made seynt Wulstan priour of Worcetre by leve of þe kyng, and ȝaf the bisshopriche of Wiltoun to Herman þat was i-come aȝen from byȝonde þe [þe] om. α.] see. And Alredus went over þe [þe] om. α.] see, and forþ by Hongarie a pilgrimage to Ierusalem; me redeþ of no bisshop of Engelond þat so dede to fore þat tyme. At Coleyn in Almayne tweie abbaies of Scottes were i-brent wiþ hir owne fire. Oon Patricius, [Paternus, α.] a monk þat was þere i-closed, warned hem of þat brennynge longe tyme toforehonde. But afterward þe fuyre was i-come, he wolde out in no manere wise; but þere he was i-brent for love of martirdom. Trevisa. In þat doynge Pater|nus [Patronus, Cx. et infra.] the monk semeþ a lewed [lewide, β.] goost, þat kouþe not [y-] [From α.] knowe þe cause and þe circumstaunce [circumstauns, α.] of verray martirdom; [for þere is no verrey matirdom] [From α.] bot it be by meynteninge of truþe [truwþe, γ.] and wiþstondynge of wrong and [and] om. γ.] of synne. Bote God graunte, ȝif it is in his wille, þat Paternus be nouȝt i-dampned for his blynde devocioun. Þanne it foloweþ in þe storie: aboute þat tyme in [þe] [From α.] province of Apulia was

i-founde an ymage of marbil [marbul, β.] wiþ an heed of bras, and hadde a gerland, [girlound, α., bis; garlaund, γ.] in þe whiche gerland it was i-write: "In þe firste day of May [Maii, β., and Cx. et infra.] at þe sonne risyng I schal have an hede of gold." A Sarsyne þat þe duke of Longobardes hadde i-take prisoner, understood what it schulde mene, [what it meaned, Cx.] and come þe first day of May, and took hede [touk hyde, γ.] of þe schadowe of þe ymage in lengþe [lyngþe, γ.] and in brede, and fonde in þe schadowe wonder gret tresour, and paide it [hit, α. and β.; hyt, γ.; om. Cx.] for his raunsoun. Willelmus de Regibus.