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

Capitulum tertium.

CHARLES Grossus was i-poysoned [poysened, β.] of a Iewe, [Juw, γ.] as it is i-seide to forehonde, and wex [werþ, β.] strongliche sike; þerfore Arnulphus, sone of his broþer Charlomon, was i-chose kyng; but whan

Charles was dede were i-ordeyned fyve [vyf, γ.] kynges, but the empere lefte [leste, Cx.] wiþ Arnulphus and was i-crowned at þe laste of Formosus þe pope, þat [and, α., β., γ., and Cx.] he beet [bute, γ.] adoun þe Normans and þe Danes þat hadde i-werred [werride, β.] in Fraunce fourty ȝere; at þe laste he was hard i-holde with a strong sikenesse, and myȝte nouȝt be i-heled noþer i-saved wiþ no manere medecyne, þat he nas destroyed, [distruyed, β.] and i-ȝete [y-ete, α., β., and γ.] with luys [luyse, β.; lues, γ.; that he was destroyed and eten with lyse, Cx.] riȝt to þe deth. Franco archebisshop of Rothomage cristned [folled, β.; vollede, γ.] Rollo; and kyng Guttrun is deed. Willelmus de Regibus, libro 2^o. For reses of Normans and of Danes, seynt Martyn his body was trans|lated from Turon to Seint German his chirche at Altissiodore, and þere were meny myracles i-doo, [many were there myracles done, Cx.] and þe monkes of Turon and of Altissiodore pletede [pledide, β.; pledede, γ.] for [the] [From α., β., and γ.] offrynge. And for þe seynt schulde deme wheþer of hem hadde riȝt to þe offrynge, þey brouȝte forþ a mesel, [leper, Cx.] þat was [i-heled in þat syde of his body þat was toward seynt Martyn, and þe oþer del of his body lefte foul, [voul, γ., et infra.] and nouȝt] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] i-heled; þan for me schulde wene

þat þat was happilyche [hapilich, β.] byfalle [haplych byvalle, γ.] , þey tornede þe oþer foul side toward seynt Martyn, and anon it was i-heled also. Þanne þe monkes of Turon hadde al þe offrynge for to [for to] til, β.] þe werre was i-sesede, [ceesed, β.; ysessed, γ.; seeced, Cx.] and þanne þei hadde here owne seynt [hoom] [From β.; hom, γ.; hoome, Cx.] aȝen to here owne hous. Þis byfel [bifil, β.] nouȝt in þis manere for non|power [non] no, β.] of seynt German, but he sparede and dede his gest [gheste, Cx.] reverence [reverauns, γ.] in his owne hous. Henricus, libro 5^o. Þat ȝere come foure oostes of Danes aȝenst Aluredus, oon in Norþ|homberlond, anoþer in Est Anglond, þat conteyneþ Norþfolk and Souþfolk, þe þridde at Excetre, þe fourþe [ferthe, β.; vurde, γ.] at Chestre; but at Chestre þe Danes were som [so, α., β., and γ.; soo, Cx.] byseged þat þey ete here hors [horses, β. and Cx.] for honger. Þe [þre, α., β., γ., and Cx.] Scottyshe men Dusblan, [Dusblay, Cx.] Mahbon, [Mahban, γ.] and Malumyn [Malmunyn, γ.; Malmmyn, Cx.] desirede to lede pilgryms lyf, and took wiþ hem liflode for oon woke, and took a carabum, [karabum, Cx.] þat is a schippe i-made but of tweie hydes [huydes, β. and Cx.; hudes, γ.] and an half, and wente þerynne wonderliche withoute seile, wiþoute rope [roþer, α., β., γ., and Cx.] and ore [hore, γ.] and alle manere craft [takel, β. and γ.; tacle, Cx.] [of schiþcraft], [From α. and Cx.] and come alonde in Corne|wayle

after sevene dayes, and come to kyng Aluredus. After Stevene, Formosus was pope fyve ȝere. Somtyme, for drede of pope Iohn, [Joon, β., et infra.] he left his bisshopriche of Portune, but for whanne he was i-cleped he wolde nouȝt come aȝe, he was acorsed; [acursed, β.] at þe laste he com to pope Iohn into Fraunce, and was de|graded anon to þe staat [state, β.] of a lewed man. Also he was i-made swere þat he schulde nevere torne aȝen to his bisshop|riche, noþer come into þe citee of Rome; but at þe laste he was restored aȝen by pope Martyn, þat was pope Iohn his successour. Plegmundus archebisshop of Canturbury, þat was a nobil man of clergie, feng [vyng, γ.] þe pal of Formosus [þe] [From α., β., and Cx.] pope, and ordeyned sevene bisshoppes to chirches of Engelond in oon day. Þat ȝere kyng Aluredus chased þe Danes first out of Kent, of Excetre, and of Chichestre. Henricus, libro 5^o. The Danes þat were at Chestre were byseged [bisegide, β.] þre dayes, and were compelled for honger to leve þe citee; þanne þey spoylede Norþ Wales, and wente so aboute by Norþhomberlond into Est Anglond, þere here wifes and here schippes were. [Þey] [From α. and β.; they, Cx.]

i-entred [entride, β.; Hy intrede, γ.] ynto þe ryver Luy, [Luya, α.; Luys, β. and Cx.; of Luya, γ.] and bulde a castel þere faste [vaste, γ.] by; but þe Londoners, by help of þe kyng, destroyed [destruyde, β.] þat castel, and to-deled þat ryver in þre chanelles and [and] or, Cx.] stremes, so þat þe Danes myȝte nouȝt brynge out here schippes; [þanne þe Danes lefte here schyppes,] [From γ.] and dwelled at þe brigge [brugge, β. and γ.] uppon Sevarne, faste by Wales, and bulde þere a strong castel; and also þese [þues, γ.] þre ȝere Engelond was hard bysette wiþ þre manere of sorwes, [of sorwes] sorwe, α. and γ.; sorowe, β. and Cx.] wiþ werre of þe Danes, moreyn of men, and pestilence [pestylens, γ.] of bestes. After Formosus, Bonefas was pope fiftene dayes; after hym þe sixte Stevene oon ȝere and þre monþes; [þerafter] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] he lefte þe poperiche, [papacye, Cx.] and was i-made monk, þat [þis, α. and β.] was somtyme [i-made bishop of Angun [Augum, Cx.] by pope Formosus] [From α., γ., and Cx.] Ysus; [Ysus] om. α., β., γ., and Cx.] but afterward, whanne he was pope, he pursuede so Formosus, þat noȝt onliche he wiþcleped [withsayde, Cx.] his doynge and his dedes, but also he leet take up [op, γ.] Formosus his body whan he was deed out of þe eorþe, [erþe, β.] and made men brynge

hym in to [þe] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] pleyn [playne, Cx.] conscistorie [consistorye. β.; consistory, γ.] i-cloþed as a pope, and þanne he made men uncloþe hym, and take of hym þat manere cloþinge, and cloþe hym as a lewed [flewide, β.] man, and kutte [kytte, Cx.] of tweie fyngres [kut of twy vyngers, γ.] of his riȝt hond, and caste hym into Tyber. After þis Stevene, Romanus was pope foure monþes. Lowys, Arnulphus his sone, regnede in Fraunce twelve ȝere, but he hadde nevere the crowne of þe empere, [empyre, Cx.] and in hym was þe ende of þe empere touchynge Charles his ofspringe. In his tyme were fyve popes, Theodorus, Iohn, [Joon, β., et infra.] Benet, Leo and Cristofre. [Crystofor, Cx.] Of hem Theodorus þe secounde, þeyȝ he were pope [but] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] oon monþe, ȝit he roos aȝenst pope Stevene his doynge, and withcleped [withsayd, Cx.] his dedes, and confermede þe dedes of pope Formosus. Þe nynþe Iohn was pope two ȝere; he made a counseile at Ravenna, and dampnede pope Stevene his dedes, and fauȝt [voȝt, γ.] aȝenst þe Romayns. Willelmus de Regibus, libro 2^o. Þis ȝere deide kyng Aluredus, and was first i-buried in þe cathe|dral chirche at Wynchestre; but for þe madnesse and ravynge of þe chanouns, þat [þat, from α., β., γ., and Cx.; þei, MS] seide þat spirites of kynges takeþ [taken, Cx.] þe careyn and walkeþ aboute by nyȝte from [vram, γ.] hous to hous, his

sone Edward took [take, Cx.] þe fadres body and dede [dude, γ.] it in [þe] [From β. and γ.] New [the Newe, Cx.] abbay. Þis and oþere suche [siche, β.] lewed [feyned magel, γ.] tales Englisshe men holdeþ [holden, Cx.] by a mysbyleve þat haþ ful [fol, γ.] longe i-dured, and boroweþ [borowed, Cx.] it of mysbileved men þat þey troweþ not, þat after a manis deth þe body walkeþ and gooþ aboute by mevynge [meovyng, β.] of þe fende; [vend, γ.] þerof spekeþ Virgil, and seiþ whan deþ comeþ what semynge schappes fleeþ [vleet, γ.] aboute. [℞.] In preisynge of þis kyng, Henricus libro primo setteþ vers [versus, Cx.] in þis manere: "Kyndeliche [Kundlych, γ.] nobelnesse and [of, α. and β.] goodnesse [Kyndly noblesse of goodness, Cx.] ȝeveþ [ȝefþ, γ.] to þe [þee, β.] worschippe, and goodnesse travaille, myȝty werriour Alu|redus, and travaille name to þe wiþoute eny ende. Ioye with woo medled [he] [From β. and Cx.] hadde [melled haddest, γ.] in every [everech, β.] tyme. Alwey þin hope was medled [melled, γ.] wiþ gretene [grete, Cx.] drede. Þey [Though, Cx.] he were now doun, he rayed bataille amorwe. [ȝif he were wictord [victor, β. and γ.; vyctor, Cx.] he dredde þe batayle a morwe.] [From α., γ., and Cx.] After travaille of lyf of rennynge [regnyng, β.; regninge, γ.; regn|ynge, Cx.] boþe nowþe [nowþe] om. Cx.] his verray [verrey, β.] reste by [by] be, β. and γ.] Crist wiþ oute eny ende."