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

Capitulum decimum quartum.

THIS ȝere þe fourþe [ferþe, β.; vurde, γ.] Henry, þe sone of þe þridde Henry, bygan to be emperour among Duches [Duchys, β. and γ.; Duche, Cx.] men, and regned nyntene ȝere; he caste his owne fader in bondes, [boundes, Cx.] in þe whiche he [he] his fader, Cx.] deide. Also he took and prisoned pope Paschal and þe cardynales, as it is i-seide toforehonde; þerfore me troweþ [men trowyd, Cx.] þat he deide wiþ oute children, þouȝ he hadde i-wedded Molde whan sche [heo, β.] was but fyve ȝere olde, Henries douȝter kyng of Engelond. At þe laste he repented, [reputed, Cx.] and resigned up þe riȝt of holy cherche frely [frelich, β.; vreliche, γ.] to pope Kalixte, [Calixt, α.] and so, as þe soþe opynioun telleþ, [telliþ, β.] he exciled hym self by his owne fre wille, unwetynge his wif, and deide at Chestre. Anselme made a counsaile at Londoun, and þere it was i-ordeyned by assent of þe kyng, þat nevere after þat tyme, þat [þat] om. β. and Cx.] þe kyng, schulde not, noþer oþer lewed person, make investiture wiþ croys [croos, γ. and Cx.] and wiþ ryng. Þat tyme Girald archebisshop of ȝork putte [pot, γ.] his hondes bytwene þe hondes of Anselme archebisshop of Caunterbury, and dede hym obedience. Þan þe tenþe day of August at Londoun Ancelme sacred fyve bisshoppes [in oon day, [vyf byshops in o day, γ.] the bisshops] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] of Wynchestre, of Salisbury, of Excetre, of Herford,

and of Glamorgan, þat happede nouȝt after Pelegius [Plegnidus, α.; Plegyndus, Cx.] tyme. Þis ȝere ordeyned kyng Henry þat þeoves [þeeves, β.] schulde be an [an] om. Cx.] honged, and þat false money and [false] [From α. and Cx.] sele [seel, β. and Cx.] makers schulde lese here eyȝen [yen, γ.] and here prive stones; and þat penyes and half penyes schulde be rounde. Philip kyng of Fraunce deide, and his sone Lewys was kyng after hym. Giralde arche|bisshop of ȝork deide, and Thomas þe nevew of the elder Thomas was archebisshop after hym sevene ȝere. Kyng Henry made a bisshoppes see at Hely, and ordeyned þere Hervy, [Henry, Cx.] þat hadde be bisshop of Bangor; and for in þat doynge he bynam [toke, Cx.] a grete deel of þe bisshopriche of Lyncolne, and ȝif [gaf, Cx.] Cantebrigge [Cambriggeschyre, β.; Cam|bryggeshire, Cx.] to þe see of Hely; þerfore he ȝaf þe bisshop of Lyncolne his owne real [ryal, β. and Cx.] towne of Spaldynge. Þis ȝere deyde Hughe [Huwe, β.] abbot of Cluny, in þe Ester wyke, [woke, β. and γ.; weke, Cx.] after þat oure Lady, seynt Peter, and seint Hillary hadde appered to hym. Willelmus de Pontificibus, libro 1^o. Þis ȝere deide Ancelme archebisshop of Caunterbury, and þe next day after þat fel [vul, γ.; fyll, Cx.] þe Cene Þorsday: he was anoynted [enoynt, Cx.] wiþ baume [baum, γ.] [þat God sente doun fro hevene], [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] and so he was i-buried; and þanne þe see of

Canturbury was voyde [foyde, α.] ful fyve ȝere, and in þe mene tyme holy chirche [cherches, α.] good [gode, β.] was spend in þe kynges court. [use, α., β., and Cx.] And was [was] om. α., β., and Cx.] whan þe kyng was i-meved [were meoved, β.] to helpe þe chirche þat so was hevedles and wedwe, [hedles as it were a widewe, β.; hedles as hyt were a wedewe, γ.; hedles as it were a wydowe he wold, Cx.] and [he, α. and β.] wolde putte it of wiþ a meke [myke, γ.] answere, and seie þat his fader and his broþer hadde i-made archebisshops þe beste men þat þey myȝte [coude, Cx.] fynde, and þat he wolde nouȝt goo out of kynde, [kunde, γ.] but he wolde make archebisshop þe beste man þat he myȝte fynde. Soche [Siche, β.] answers semede ful of lawe and of riȝt, bote þe greet somme of money þat was arered of þe archebisshop [archbischoprich, β.; archebis|shopryche, Cx.] plesede þe kynges herte. Þeyȝ [Þouȝ, β.] Emerus monk of Canturbury had i-wreten and descryved Anselms lyf at þe fulle, ȝit by helpe [of William] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] of Malmesbury somwhat mote be i-seide of þe noble [so noble α, β.; so nobel α, γ.; of so noble α, Cx.] man. Whanne [Þanne, β.; Than, Cx.] Anselme was i-bore in þe citee of August, faste besides þe hilles [hulles, γ.] of [of] þat hatte, α.; that hight, Cx.] Alpes, and was lettred and chast of his childhode, and hadde his fader wreþþe, and myȝte plese hym in no manere wise, þerfore he fliȝ awey fer from his fader, and come to Becco in Normandie, and was i-favored under Lanfrank, and was i-made a [α] om. α., β., and Cx.] monk þere in his sixtene [six and twenty, Cx.] ȝere. After Lanfrank, þre ȝere [Transposed in α., β., and Cx.] priour of Becco, was translated [translate, α.] to þe abbay of Cadony, and Anselm

was i-made priour under þe abbot Herlewyn. Þan Ancelme ȝaf hym to penaunce and to fastynge, [vastynge, γ.] and to techynge of children nameliche fiftene ȝere, and wolde seie ful ofte þat hym were levere to be in helle wiþoute synne þan in hevene wiþ synne. He made meny bookes of clergie, in þe whiche oure byleve, þat oþer men makeþ hem besy [to wynne] [From β., and Cx.; to wynne wyþ auctoryte, γ.] by [by] wiþ, β.] auctorite, he strengþede wiþ resouns and argumentis [that] [From Cx.; MS. has and passeþ.] may nouȝt be assoilled, so þat he passeþ [passyd, Cx.] nouȝt onliche here werkes þat were to fore hym, but also he gadrede here werkes al into oon hepe. Also by good witte and paciens he overcom al þe malys of his enemyes. After þe fiftenþe ȝere of his priourie Herlewyn abbot of Becco deide, and Anselme was i-made abbot in his stede, and helde [huld, γ.] hym fyve ȝere out of Engelond, þowȝ his comynge were nedeful [nedfol, γ.] for meny manere causes, leste me wolde wene þat [lest that it shold be demed that, Cx.] he coveytede [converted, Cx.] þe archebisshopriche of Canturbury, [Kaunterbury, α.] þat voidede so [so] þo, β.; tho, Cx.] by Lan|frank his deeþ. But at þe laste for þre maneres causes he was i-compelled to come into Engelond, as it is i-seide tofore|honde, for in [for in] om. Cx.] þat tyme [in] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] Engelond was robberie under kyng William þe Rede, and proscripciouns and excilinges and takynge into [the] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] kynges hond, for it was [were, β.] esiere to bygrone þe emper [From α. and γ.; empire, β.; by|waill the empyre, Cx.; emperour, MS.] [of] [From β., γ., and Cx.] a man [oon man, β.; o man, γ.] alone þan to be under newe lordes þat comeþ oon after oþer. Among al þis was grete scilence [silence, β.] among þe bisshoppes, þe riȝtful doom was i-choked wiþ ynne þe conscience of hem þat myȝt nouȝt nor dorste nouȝt berke [berke, from β.; speke, Cx.; breke, MS.] for drede of oon [oon] from α. and β.; one, Cx.; no, MS.] man: for what profit is it to speke þere þou schal arere wreþþe and wynne no profit? Þo

was hope to scape [al] [From α., β., and γ.] þis mescheef þere [þere] yf, Cx.] þe bannyour [ȝif þe banyour, β.] Ancelm, þat was þe first comyn schild, [comyn schild, from γ.; comynge child, MS.] was [were, α.] i-made arche|bisshop. [Kyng William put of al þat was good y-seide to hym wiþ swellynge wreþþe, oþer wiþ merþe and curtesye of speche He suffrede doo no bedes for hym ne for þe state of holy cherche, but he saide: "Praye ȝe what ȝe willeþ, [wolleþ, β.] I schal do what me likeþ." At þe laste he was y-take wiþ a greet sik|nesse, and sent for Anselyn, [Ancelm, Cx., et infra.] and by assent of bisshops he ordeynede þat he schulde be archebisshop. And he wiþsaide hit, and alleyde for hym þis manere: "ȝif a ȝong sheep, þat is Anselyn, schal be y-coupled and y-ȝoked [yocked, Cx.] to a wylde bole, [boole, Cx.] þat is William þe rede, ffor þeyȝ [þei, β.] drawe nouȝt alle aliche [vor hy draweþ noȝt al yleche, γ.] þe solouȝ [solouh, Cx.] of holy cherche schal nouȝt goo aryȝt." But Anselyn fonge [vyng, γ.] þe investiture, and was y-sacrede. But he recoverede of his siknesse, and was worse after þan to forhond: his frendes counsailled hym to god, [goode, β.; gode, γ.; good, Cx.] and [he] [From β. and Cx.] usede to answere and seie: [sygge, γ.] "Per vultum de Luca, God schal nevere have me good for þe harm þat he doþ [me]." [From Cx.] Also þe kyng was a ravener [ravenour, β.] in gaderynge and a greet wastour in spendynge. He ferede dispitousliche eche man þat profrede hym ouȝt, but þe ȝifte were greet and accordynge to his owne herte. So] [From α. β. γ. and Cx.]

seint Anselme in a tyme [in a tyme put before seint An|selme, in. α., β., γ., and Cx.] profred þe kyng fyve hondred pound, and he wolde nouȝt fonge hit; [hem, α.] þanne Ancelme deled it to pore men. Dyvers wondres were i-seie into al Engelond, for at Schroisbury was a grete erþe schakynge; and at Snotyngham, þat is [Snotyngham þat is] om. Cx.] Notyngham, from þe erliche morwe [morn, α.] tide to þe underne [to under, Cx.] of þe day þe ryver of Trente was so fordryed [vordruyed, γ.] þat men myȝte goo þerover drye foot. And stella comata, [cometa, β., γ., and Cx.] þat is a sterre wiþ a briȝt lemynge [bemyng, Cx.] creest, was i-seie hool þre wykes [thre hoole wekes, Cx.] in þe monþe of Iuyn. Þo was an hard wynter, strong honger, deeþ of men, pestilence of beestes, and fiȝtinge of foules, þat fauȝt to gidres. Kyng Henry bulde [buylded, Cx.] þe abbay of Hyde wiþ oute þe walles of Wyn|chestre, þat was toforehonde wiþ ynne þe citee. Þis ȝere þe fourþe [ferþe, β.] emperour Henry [Henry emperour, Cx.] of Almayne wedded Mold, kyng Henries douȝter, at Magons, þe vi. day of Ianyver. [Januar, Cx.]