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

Capitulum decimum quintum.

THE fiftenþe day of Octobre felle [fil, β.; vul, γ.] a grete defaute of water in Engelonde, so þat hors and men myȝte wade bytwene Temse|brugge [brydge, Cx.]

and þe toure of Londoun, and [and] om. Cx.] þat durede a day and a nyȝt. Willelmus de Pontificibus, libro 3^o. Þis ȝere was a counsaile at Wyndesore, and þe kyng ordeyned Faricius abbot of Abyndon to þe see of Canturbury; but þe charge of þat dede come to examynacioun of bisshops, and þey putte tofore hym Rauf [Raaf, β. and Cx., et β. infra.] bisshop of Rochestre. Also þat ȝere one Thurstan [One Thurstan, from Cx.; Athel|ston, MS.] was i-chose archebisshop of ȝork; þe kyng chargede hym ofte þat he schulde do lawful subjectioun to Rauf archebisshop of Caunterbury. [But hym was lever leve the dignyte than be obedyente to the archebisshop of Caunterbury]. [Added in Cx.; But hym was lever leve þe dignite þan be obedient to þe archbischop of Caunterbury, β.; bote hym was levere leve þe dig|nyte þan be obedient to þe arche|bisshop of Caunturbury, γ.] But when he was i-prived, and had no service, as he was i-wont, he was agreved, and [he] [From α.] forþouȝt [forþouȝt, from β.; and for|thought, Cx.; þouȝt, MS.] þat dede ful sore, and folwede þe kyng over þe see; þere by þe procurynge of Thurstynes clerkes pope Paschal sente a lettre to þe kyng forto restore Thurstan aȝen. Whanne he was efte i-comen to þe see of ȝork, ȝit he hadde scorne to doo laweful obedience to þe archebisshop of Canturbury; þanne þe olde strif was renewed aȝen: þere [þere . . . cause] om. Cx.] þey ordeyned for to come to Rome [Remne, β.] to þe general counsail to defende here cause. [þere . . . cause] om. Cx.] First þere þe pope byheet to þe kyng of Engelond and to Rauf archebisshop of Caunterbury [that he wold nothyng ordeyne ageynst the dygnyte of hooly chirche

of Caunterbury]. [From Cx.; þat he wolde noþinge ordeyne aȝenes þe dignite of þe chirche of Caunterbury, β.; þat he wolde no þynge ordeyne aȝenes þe dignyte of þe cherche of Canter|bury, γ.] Willelmus, libro 2^o. But it semeth þat he grauntede a privelege in þis manere: "Of alle þe autentike grauntes þat ȝoure cherche haþ, i-graunted of oure [ur, γ.] predeces|sours, we wil noþing wiþdraw, but wil þat it stonde and be i-keped [kepte, γ.] wiþouten [withoute ony wemme, Cx.] wemme." Here ȝif þe pope hadde i-seie [seid, α.; seide, β.] "ȝoure cherche haþ þis [þese, β. bis; þues, γ. bis.] dignitees and þis" [þese, β. bis; þues, γ. bis.] hadde he [he hadde, α., β.] assoyllede þe plee and þe stryf. But now he leveþ þe stryf al unassoilled; so þe gileful spekere of Romayns can torne hym|self to þe wille [wiles, β.; wyles, γ.] of plederes so þat hym likeþ: he wil sus|pende in veyn and leve it in doute, and spareþ nouȝt þe cost and travaille of oþer men, while he casteþ for his owne profit and avauntage. Þerfore whanne þe kynges messangers were i-goo, þe pope was aboute for to favere [was ybowed for favour, β.; was ybowed vor favour, γ.; was bowyd other for favour, Cx.] oþere for ȝiftes more gilfulliche þan so grete a man schulde, and forsook þe reule [reule, from γ.; rule, β.; realme, MS.] of þe [þe] om. β.] olde tyme, and sacrede Thurstyn and ȝaf hym the pal. Willelmus de Pontificibus, libro 3^o. Kyng Henry had greet indignacioun þerof, and forbeed [vorbud, γ.] Thurstyn his londe; but he was aferde by þe popes lettres, in þe whiche it was conteyned þe king schulde fonge Thurstyn or be accorsed and suspended by

þe dignyte of þe office of Canturbury. Willelmus de Ponti|ficibus, libro primo. Kyng Henries firste wyf was dede; þanne he weddede þe dukes douȝter of Lotharingia. In þe day of þe weddynge Raph [Raaf, β. and Cx., et infra.] archebisshop of Canturbury, þat was wreþful [wraþful, α.] and acombred wiþ the palsy, and sigh [syȝ, β.] þe bisshop of Salisbury [y] om. α. and Cx.] y-revested to doo þe solempnite of þat weddynge, and made hym leve of þat dede, and ordeyned þe bisshop of Wynchestre to doo þat office. Þanne þe next day þerafter he sigh kyng Henry i-crowned aȝenst his concience, and wente to hym and seide, "Þow art unriȝtfulliche i-crowned; þerfore þou schalt leve þy crowne, or I schal leve þe masse." "Fader," quod þe kyng, "amende þou þat is mysdoo." Þanne Rauf sparede unneþe for prayere of lordes þat he ne hadde i-smete [but he had smyten, Cx.] doun þe crowne of the kynges heed. He was a stedefast man of good levynge, of lettrure, and of faire [veyr, γ.] speche, wiþouten suspeccioun of eny trespas þat was i-knowe, but þat he usede more lawhynge [lauȝinge, β.; lauȝyng, γ.] and playenge þan it semede his staate and his age, and he was nyh i-cleped a iapere. Þe wynter was hard, so þat many brugges [brydges, Cx.] in Engelond were i-broke [to broke, α., β., and γ.] of þe þowynge [þewinge of þe iise, β.] of þe yse. [ys, γ.] In þe monþe of May come so meny flyȝes and fleyȝ [vlye, γ.] aboute in

þe lond of Ierusalem þat þey ete and destroyed vines, treen, and corn, [and whan þey hadde y-do a [α] her, β. and Cx.] iourney a day some flauȝ [flyȝ, β.; flye, Cx.] and some ȝede on here feet to here herborwe [harbrugh, γ.] at eve. In Ytale was an erþe schakyng, and [and] that, Cx.] durede fourty dayes, so þat meny house were y-þrowe doun, and greet townes [a grete toun, β.; a grete towne was, Cx.] were y-meoved and y-hove [heve, Cx.] fer out of oon place into anoþer. Pope Paschal deide; Iohn Gaytanus was pope after hym; þis was þe raþer popes chaunseler, and was y-cleped þe secounde Gelasius, and was pope a ȝer and an half]. [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] Henry þe emperour herde þat his privelege of þe investiture of prelates was wiþ|cleped, and wente to Rome, and took [to take, β. and Cx.] more grevous wreche of pope Paschal; and herde of pope Paschallis deeþ, and putte oon Morys Burdyn [Burdin, γ.] into þe poperiche. Þis Moris was bisshop of Bachar, [Bacher, Cx.] and þe emperour cleped þis Morys þe vii. Gregorie. For drede of þe emperour pope Gelasius lefte Rome, and saillede to Gien, [Gene, α., β., γ., and Cx.] and wente þennes on his feet to Cluny, and deide þere. Þe cardynales þo þere took Gye archebisshop of Vyen, and made hym pope, and clepid hym þe secounde Calixte. ℞. Also þis ȝere deide Florence [Florencius, β.; Florentius, Cx.] monk of Wircestre: by his studie and travaille þis storie is greetliche i-hiȝt. [y-yȝt, γ.] Greet stryf

was bytwene þe kynges of Engelond and of Fraunce, and Henry kyng of Engelond overcome þe kyng of Fraunce realliche [rialich, β.; ryally, Cx.] in bataille. Willelmus de Pontificibus, libro 5^o. Hereafter kyng Henry maried his eldest sone William to Fulcos his douȝter, duke of Angeo. [Avioe, β.; Anioe, γ.; Angeo, from Cx.; Avynoun, MS.] Þoo was pees i-made bytwene þe kynges, for þis William hilde Normandie of þe kyng of Fraunce, and dede hym homage for þat lond, by graunt of his fader kyng Henry; for þe kyng was so grete þat he wolde nouȝt do homage to þe kyng of Fraunce for Normandie. Þo also kyng Henry made of [of] om. Cx.] his free men of Engelond and of Normandie doo homage to his sone William. And me hopede þerby þat kyng Edwardes prophecie scholde be fulfilled [volfuld, γ.] in þis William. In þat prophecie it was i-seide þat whanne þe tree þat is i-kutte [tre þat is kitt, β.] comeþ to þe stok aȝen and springeþ, þan schal be hope and [of, α., β., and Cx.] remedie. But þat was i-blend wiþ [by, β.; yblend be þe, γ.] þe [wiþ þe] by, Cx.] chaungynge of hap of mankynde; þerfore [þerfore] for, β. and Cx.] after þe kyng hadde i-dwelled þre ȝere in Normandie þis William was drenched. [adreynt, β., γ., and Cx.] Also þat [tyme] [From β. and Cx.] þis eorle Folco wente to Ierusalem, and bytook þe eorldom of Angeo [Angeo, from Cx.; Avioun, MS.] to þe kyng of Engelond to kepe to þe profit of his sone in lawe ȝif he come nouȝt aȝen.