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

Capitulum decimum tertium.

THIS ȝere Roberd de [þe] Roberd de, from α.; Robart de, β.; þe, MS.] Bolysm [Bolisme, β.; Robert Denbolism, γ.; Robert de Bolysme, Cx.] rose [ros, β.] aȝenst kyng Henry; þis Robert was þe gretteste of þe sones of Roger de Moun Geme|rok, [Mont Gemeric, α.; Mount Go|merik, β.; Mont Gomeric, γ.; Mount Gomeryk, Cx.] erle of Schroisbury. Robert strengþede his castelles of Schroisbury, of Brugge, [Brugges, β. and Cx.] of Arundel, and of Tykenhulle, [Tykehull, γ.; Tykenhyl, Cx.] and made [spiȝte, β.; encouraged, Cx.] meny Walsche men to rise [to rise] om. Cx.] aȝenst þe kyng; bot wiþ ynne xl. [vourty, γ.] dayes þe kyng wan [and toke] [From β. and Cx.] al þis strengþis, and overcom the Walsche [Walysch, γ.] men wiþ ȝiftes and faire [veyr, γ.] byhestes, and compellede þis eorle Robert to forswere [vorswerye, γ.] Engelond, and he saillede into Normandie. And sone þerafter William eorle of Mortony in Normandie [and of Cornwayle in Engelond saillede to Robert into Normandye], [From α., β., and Cx.] for þe kyng hadde warnede [ywurnd, γ.]

hym [Þues tweyne, γ.] þe eorldom of Kent. Þese two [fautours, β.; fautors, γ.] and here faitoures wer|rede [werryd, Cx.] and dede moche [grete, β.] harm in Normandye; kyng Henry herde þerof, and bynam þe eorle of Mortoun al þat he hadde in Engelond, and saillede þerafter into Normandie, and made it suget, nouȝt with oute schedynge of blood, and prisoned þe two forseide eorles to hire lyves ende, þat were men ful [vol, γ.] of gile and [and] of, β.] stryf and of wiles. Þan kyng Henry leefte [lefte, Cx.] greet pees in Normandie, and come aȝen into Engelond, and made [made, from Cx.; maden, MS.] scharpe lawes aȝenst false men and þeoves, [þeeves, β.; þueves, γ.] in þe whiche lawes is i-conteyned lost and lesing of eyȝen, of prive stone, [stones, α., β., γ., and Cx.] of fistes [fustes, β.; vustes, γ.] and [fustes and of, Cx.] handes. Þanne he made þe Scottes sogette, [to, wrongly added here in MS.] þe Walsche men, þe Britouns by ȝonde þe see, and Lowys þe kyng of Fraunce. Þan kyng Henry lay in Normandye, and pope Calixte [Kalixtus, α. and β.; Calyxtus, Cx.] com nyh [neiȝ, β.] to Normandie, among alle oþere causes to have kyng Henry scharpliche at answere for þe prisonynge [prisonment, β. and γ.; pry|sonnement, Cx.] of his broþer Robert, pilgrim of Ierusalem; but he hadde semeliche answers, and cesede of þat cause: al manere of arguynge may be i-bend [bonde, Cx.] toward every [eyþer, γ.] side by the facunde of þe pledere, þe whiche facunde is [wiþ] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] pre|santes [presauntes, β.] specialliche i-hiȝt. [lyghted, Cx.] And for no pompe and boste schulde faille, þe kyng maked [made, Cx.] þe ȝonge sones of þe eorle of Mollent [Mellent, β., γ., and Cx.] appose þe cardinales þat were þo presente, and up|broyde [upbreide, α.; enbryge, β.; en|brugge, γ.; embryge, Cx.] hem and snarlede [snarle, β.] hem [snarle ham, γ., smarle hym, Cx.] wiþ sotil sophyms. Þerfore

þe cardinales schamede nouȝt to knowleche þat þere was more wit and konnynge of clergie in þe west londes þan þey had herde [yhurde, γ.] of speke. How [Hugus, β.; Huwe, γ., et infra; Hugh, Cx.] the eorle of Chestre, kyng William þe Conquerours nevew on his suster side [deyde], [From β.] and his sone Richard, a childe of vii. ȝere olde, was eorle after hym. Anselme made a counsaile at Londoun, and sette adoun [put doune, Cx.] meny abbottes, and forbeed settynge of dignetes to ferme, and demede þat Sodomytes schulde be accorsed every Sonday. But afterward he undede [undude, γ.] þat doynge, for publicacioun [pupplycacion, Cx.] of vice, [vys, β. and γ.] þat was norschynge of more hardynes to wikked hertes to doo suche dedes. Also he forbeed preostes [prestene, β. and γ.] wyfes. Stryf fel [fil, β.] bytwene þe kyng and Anselm forto he wolde nouȝt sacre þe prelates þat hadde i-fonge vestiture [investiture, α., β., and Cx.] of lewed [lewide, β.] men hondes, and [and] om. Cx.] nameliche for þe pope hadde forbode it uppon peyne of cursynge. [corsyng, γ.] But Giralde archebisshop of ȝork sacrede suche [siche, β.] prelates; þerfore Anselme was i-meoved, and wente to þe pope. The contray of Flaundres was destroyed [destried, β.] wiþ a [α] om. β.] castynge of [of] the, Cx.] gravel of þe see; þerfore þe Flemynges ȝede

aboute þat tyme, and hadde no place [plas, γ.] to [to] forto, β.] wone ynne. Þerfore þey prayde and hadde i-graunted of kyng Henry a place to wone [wonye, β.] ynne faste [vast, γ.] by Twede in þe est side of Engelond, but in þe enlevenþe ȝere þey were i-torned into West Wales. For þe mysbyleve of som prelates seynt Cuthbert his body was i-founde [yvounde, γ.] hool and sound, þe ȝere after his burienge [berieng, Cx.] foure hondred and fourtene, and bytwene his armes seint Oswoldes heed was i-founde also hool and sound. Þe sevenþe day of Iuyn [June, β.] were i-seyn foure white cercles aboute þe sonne. Þis [That, Cx.] ȝere þe first wike [woke, γ.] of Lentyn, [weke of Leynte, β.; weke of Lenten, Cx.] on þe Friday at eve, was an unkowþe sterre i-seyn schyne bytwene þe soaþ and þe west, and schoon so every [everech, β.] day in þat [þat] the same, Cx.] houre fiftene [fyve and twenty, Cx.] dayes; also a grete beeme [beme, β.; beame, Cx.] was i-seie come aȝenst þat sterre out of þe estside. Þerafter in Cene Þorsday, þat som men clepeþ Schireþorsday, [Schereþursday, β.; clepyn chere Thoursday, Cx.] were i-seie two ful mones a litel to fore day, oon in þe est [and] [From β.] anoþer in þe west. Þat ȝere was a grisliche stryf by|twene þe fader Henry þe emperour and his owne sone Henry, so þat þe sone prisoned þe fader. Þat ȝere kyng Henry come to Becco, and was accorded wiþ hym, and sente þis [ysend þennes, β. and γ.; thennes. Cx.] into Engelond.