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

Capitulum octavum. Marianus, libro 2^o.

ODREDUS [Edredus, β. and Cx.] was anoynt at Kyngestoun of Odo þe archebis|shop, and regned after his broþer Edmond ten ȝere. For Edmond his sones Edwyn and Edgar were ȝit [ȝet, α.] of ȝong age, and to ȝonge for to regne. Þis Edredus, in þe firste ȝere of his kyngdom, beet [bute, γ.] doun strongliche þe Norþhumbres þat were rebel. [rebelles, Cx.] Þerfore þe Scottes dredde [dradde, β.] hem, [dradde ham, γ.] and ȝelde hem to hym. After Agapitus þe twelfþe Iohn was pope [þe] [From α. (not Cx.)] eyȝte ȝere. His fader Albertus [Albericus, α., β., and γ.; Al|berycus, Cx.] was myȝti in þe citee of Rome, and made þe noble men of þe citee [to] add. Cx.] swere [swerye, γ.] þat þey schulde

make his sone Octavianus [Octovianus, γ.] pope whanne Agapitus were deed; and so þey dede, [hy dude, γ.] and chaungede his name, and cleped [clepide, β.] hym Iohn. He was an hunter and a leccherous man, so þat he helde [heelde, β.] wommen wiþ hym opounliche. [openly, Cx.] Þerfore some of þe cardinales write [wrote, Cx.] to Otho emperour of Saxons, and prayed hym þat he wolde come to Rome and helpe [to] [From β. and Cx.] do awey þe sclaundre of holy cherche. Þe pope was war þerof, and made kutte [made kutte] kytt, Cx.; kitte, β.] of þe nose of þe conselour, and þe hond of the writer þat wroot þat lettre. Þanne he [he] a, γ., quater.] was ofte i-warned by þe emperour and by þe clergie þat he schulde amende hym self; and for he wolde nouȝt he was i-sette doun, [deposed, Cx.] and Leo was i-made pope in his stede. But whan þe emperour was agoo, Benet was i-putte in þe poperiche; [Benett was made pope, Cx.] þerfore þe emperour come aȝen, and byseged [bisegide, β.] Rome, for to [for to] til, β.] þey ȝelde [til they yelde, Cx.] Benet to hym, and restored Leo aȝen. Lowys þe kyng of West Fraunce is dede, þe sone of Charles þe symple; after hym his sone Lotharius was kyng sevene and þritty ȝere, and deide with oute

children; [chyldern, γ.] he pursewede [pursued, β., bis.] Richard duke of Normandye, as his fader hadde i-pursewed [pursued, β., bis.] Richard [William, Cx.] his fader. Marcianus. Bote at þe laste, [Edredus] [From β.] for þe untrowþe [untruþe, β.; untrewþe, γ.; Edredus for the untruth, Cx.] of [þe] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] Norþ|hombres, he destroyed here lond, and sette þe abbay of Ripoun a fire. [Rypon afuyre, β.; Rypon a vure, γ.; and brent thabbay of Rypon with fyre, Cx.] Whanne þe kyng wente þennes homward [hamward, β.] an oost brak outward [out, α., β., γ., and Cx.] of ȝork, and dede [dide, β.; dude, γ., et infra.] greet harme on þe laste partye of þe kynges oost; þerfore þe kyng was wrooþ, and þouȝte to destroye [destruye, γ.] al Northumberlond; but þe Norþhombres dede awey Hircus, þat þey hadde i-made here kyng, and plesede [pleside, β.] kyng Edredus wiþ ȝiftes. Kyng Edredus werþ [worþ, γ.] sore seek, [bygan to be soore seke, Cx.] and sente to [for, α., β., and Cx.; vor, γ.] his schriftfader [schrefvader, γ.; goostly fader, Cx.] Donstan, and he com wiþ grete spede; [spyde, γ.] and as he cam in þey [þey] þe, β., γ., and Cx.] weye a voys cam and [cam and] om. β. and Cx.] spak to hym clerliche and seide: "Now resteþ kyng Edredus in pees." At þat voys þe hors þat Donstan sat uppon fil [vul, γ.] doun and deide, wiþoute hurtynge of hym þat satte above. Donstan buried [byryed, Cx.] þe kyng at Wynchestre in þe olde

abbay. After þis kyng, þat diede wiþ oute children, [yssue, Cx.] Edwynus was kyng, Edmund his eldeste sone, and was anoynt [anoynted, β.; enoynted, Cx.] kyng of Engelond in þe real [rial, β.; royal, Cx.] toun Kyngestoun besides Londoun, of Odo þe archebisshop. Þe firste day of his sacrynge he fil into an unlawful leccherie, þerfore Dunstan wiþ [wiþ] mis-, Cx.] [seide hym, and undertook [and undertook] om. Cx.; hym, add. β.] and blamed hym þerfore. And þerfore he ex|ciled Donston], [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] and meny monkes, and bynam [toke fro hem, Cx.] hem what hey hadde; he put out þe monkes of Malmesbury, and ȝaf the abbay to his clerkes. At þe last þe Merces and þe Northumbres put þis Edwyn out of his kyngdom for his evel lyvynge, and made his broþer Edgar kyng whan he was sixtene ȝere olde. In Edgar his bygynnynge seynt Donston herde [hurde, γ.] aungels synge in þis manere: "Pees be to þe lond of Englisshe men in þe childes tyme þat now is i-bore, and in Donston his tyme." And so it was þoo i-made þat þe ryver of Tempse [Temse, β.] to dele [to delede, α. and γ.; to deled, β.; departed, Cx.] þe tweie kyngene londes, and Edwyn regnede an [an] om. Cx.] foure ȝere, and deide at þe laste, and was i-beried at Wynchestre. But his soule was delyvered out of helle by þe prayere of seynt Don|ston,

and translated to þe lot of [lot of] om. Cx.] soules þat doþ penaunce [penauns, γ.] in þe wey of savacioun. Trevisa. Here take hede, Cristene men, of þe menynge, [understandyng, Cx., et infra.] for þe wordes beeþ perilousliche i-sette; þerfore haveþ [habbeþ, γ.] mynde now of tweie manere helles; in þe [þe] þat, β.] oon was Adam, Abraham, Isaac, and Iacob, and oþere holy forfadres [vorvaders, γ.] þat deide tofore Crist. Into þat helle Crist aliȝte [descended, β. and Cx.] after his passioun, and brouȝte wiþ hym þens þe [þe] om. β.] holy fadres þat þere were. Þe oþer helle is a place [plas, γ.] for hem þat beeþ and schal be i-dampned for everemore; who þat comeþ in þat helle schal nevere after be [saved] [From β.; ysaved, γ. MS. has i-dampned for evere.] noþer come [savid ne come, Cx.] out of peyne. But as me seiþ in comyn speche þat a þeef [þef, γ.] is delyvered from [vram, γ.] hongynge and from þe galowes [galwes, β.; galues, γ., bis.] [þeyȝ he come not þere, [þare, β.] ȝif he is delyvered out of here power þat wolde lede hym to þe galewes] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] and honge hym þeruppon, [þaroppon, γ.] so in som manere menynge he þat is delyvered out of þe fendes [vend hys, γ.] power þat wolde brynge hym in [in] to, Cx.] helle, is delivered out of helle, þeyȝ [þouȝ, β.] he come nouȝt þere. So meneþ þe prophete in þe sawter, and seiþ: "Þou hast delyvered my soule out of þe lowere helle." Willelmus de Regibus, libro 2^o. And as þe same lond bereþ evel herbes and good, as [and, α., γ., and Cx.] þe netle [netel, β. and γ.; netylle, Cx.] groweþ somtyme next þe rose, so of þe same mylde Edmond com Edwyn þe worste and Edgar þe beste.