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

Capitulum decimum sextum.

THE secounde Kalixte was pope fyve ȝere and fyve monþes; he gadrede strengþe on every side, and took and prisoned Morys þe [forsayd] [From Cx.] antipope, and made first sette hym uppon a camel, and torned his face toward þe camelis tayle, and so he rood, and hilde [a rod and huld, γ.] þe tayle in his hond in stede [stude, β.] of a bridel, and rode tofore the pope. Willelmus de Regibus, libro 5^o. Aboute þis tyme bygan þe ordre Premonstracensis, þat is þe ordre of white chanouns, and bygan in þe diocise Landymensi, [Landunensi, α.; Landunensy, β.; Laudunensy, Cx.] under þe fader Norþbert of the nacioun of Coleyne. [Coleye, α.; Coloyn, β.] Aboute þat tyme deide Molde queene of Engelond: ferst sche lernede [vurste hue lurnde, γ.] lettrure and was i-norsched among mynchouns [monchouns, β.] at Wynchestre; for to putte of unworþy mariage þat here fadre profred here ofte tyme, sche [heo, β.] bare þe vayle of holy avow; þerfore whan kyng Henry wolde have hire to wyve þat doynge [fel] [From α.; vul, γ.; fylle, Cx.] in greet des|putesoun, [desputyson, Cx.] and Anselme wiþstood þat mariage, for [to] [for] til, β.; vorto, γ.; till, Cx.] it was i-proved by lawe of ful [by lawful, Cx.] witnesse þat sche took þe vayle for to putte of [of, from α. and β.; þe, MS.] wowers, and for noon oþer cause. Þis hadde two children [at oon burden, a sone and a douȝter, and cessede of children] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] berynge; þan sche dwelled at [and, α.] Westmynstre, and was i-founde as a queen by þe [kyng and by] [From α.; not in β. and Cx.] kynges wil; but sche werede þe heyre under þe real [ryal, β.] array, [were the heer under the ryal araye, Cx.] and ȝede bare|foot [barvoot, γ.]

to cherche in þe Lenten [Leynte, β.] tyme, and was nouȝt squaymus [scaymes, β.; scoymes, γ.; squaymes, Cx.] to wasche seke menis feet, and grope sore bochches [bocches, β.; boches, γ.; botches, Cx.] wiþ here hondes, and kusse þe seke men, and sette to hem a mete borde and serve hem. Also sche loved moche Goddes service, þerfore sche spended moche on clerkes þat kowþe wel synge. Þerfore famous men of scole come to here wiþ vers [versus, Cx.] and wiþ song, as it were out of alle londes. Also sche spendede largeliche on comers þat come on every side. Desire of praysinge is so kyndeliche i-piȝt, [pyȝt, α.] in manis herte, þat unneþe eny man, þeiȝ he be of good conscience, holde [halt, β.] hym apaide wiþ the fruyt of his good werkes; but ȝit he haþ likynge þat þe people [pupel, γ.] knewe [knowe, Cx.] of his good dedes: [by cause of suche dedes] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] sche pyled hir [hue pelede here, γ.] plouȝ men, but þat may be wiste by counseille of here mynistres. Willelmus de Regibus, libro 5^o. The sixte day tofore De|cembre at Barefleet [Barbeflet, γ.; Harfleet, Cx.] in Normandie up gooþ the ankres, and þe kyng saillede graciously [gracyosliche, γ.] into Engelond. His sone William wolde seile after hym, and was i-drenched, [adreynt, Cx.] and meny noble men nouȝt fer from þe londe. Þe kynges sone Richard, eorle of Chestre, [eorle of Chestre] om. α., β., and Cx.] bastard, was among hem, and Notha þe contesse [contas, γ.] of Percy, and Richard eorle of Chestre, and his wyf, þat was þe kynges neese, [nece, β.] and þe archedecon of Hereford, and oþere in þe nombre of an hondred and fifty: of hem alle ascapede none but oon cherle, a bocher, [bochour, β.; bochur, γ.; chorle bocher, Cx.] þat swam al nyȝt uppon a broken mast, and come to þe cleve [clyve, β.] in þe morntide, and tolde [alle] [From Cx.] þe geest [al þe geest, β.; gest,.; geste, Cx.] how it was byfalle. [byvalle, γ.] Alle þese wente be nyȝte into a

newe schip wiþ dronken schipmen; þey [þey] and, β.] fil anon uppon a rokke nouȝt fer from þe londe, and þe schippe to cleef, and William þe kynges sone [was] [From β. and Cx.] i-doo [was doo, α.] in a boot, in þe whiche he myȝte have be i-saved wel inow; but whan he come to þe cleef, [clif, β.] and herde his suster wepe [wuepe, γ.] and crye, þan he torned aȝen and took here into his boot; þanne oþer men sterte [starte, β.; start, γ.] into þat boot, and overladde [overlade, α.; overladede, β. and γ.; overlode, Cx] it, and drenchede [drowned, Cx.] þe boot and al þat was þerynne outake þe forsaide cherle. But it was wonder þat grete tresour was i-founde [fast by the clyves in the morowe, and none of the dede bodyes were founde], [From Cx.] but þey were al eten of þe fisches [yete of þe vysches, γ.] of þe see. Henricus, libro 7^o. And me seiþ þat nyȝ [neiȝ, β.; nyȝ, from γ.; nyȝt, MS.] al þese were Sodomytes. Willelmus. And also þis William, þe kynges eldest sone, hadde i-manassed Englische men þat ȝif he were evere lorde over hem he wolde make hem drawe as oxen at þe plowȝ. [℞.] [From α.] Also Richard eorle of Chestre hadde i-manassed þat whenne he were i-comen out of Normandie he wolde destroye þe monkes of Chestre þat his fader hadde i-ordeyned þere. Willelmus de Regibus, libro 5^o.

Here after Fulco eorle of Angoye, [Anioye, β.; Angeo, Cx.] whos douȝter William þat was i-drenched [drowned, Cx., et infra.] hadde i-wedded, come out of þe Holy Lond, and maried his oþer douȝter to Robert Schorthoses sone, and ȝaf with here þe eorldom of Cenomannia. For kyng Henricus [Henry, α.] wiþ heeld hir dowarie [his dower, α. and β.; hys dower, γ.] in Engelond. Here [after] [From α., β., and γ.] Henry maried his douȝter Molde to þe fourþe Henry þe emperour of Almayne. Þis ȝere kyng Henry made a grete parke at Wode|stoke. [Wodestode, Cx.] Whan Richard [erle] [From Cx.] of Chestre was i-drenched, [adreynt, β.] þe first Ranulph de Meschenes, þe sone of þe firste Hughe, [Huwe, γ.] was eorle eyȝte ȝere after hym. Rauf [archebisshop] [From Cx.; archbischop, β.; Raph archebyschop of Caunterbury dyede and, γ.] of Canturbury [dyed], [From Cx.; deyde, β.] and William Canonicus was archebisshop after hym. Aboute þis tyme bygan þe ordre of Templeres; þese were i-gadred of þe releef [relef, β., et infra; relyf, γ.] of þe Hospitalers, and ordeyned hem a place in þe porche of þe temple [of Ierusalem, þerfore above [above] þei beþ, β.; they be, Cx.] yclepede þe knyȝtes of þe Temple]. [From α., β., and γ.] Þese [Þues, γ.] were sus|teyned by þe releef of þe Hospitalers, boþe in mete and in armure, and wexe so riche þat it semede þat þe douȝter passede and weried [wyryȝede, α.; wyryed, β. and Cx.; wyryde, γ.] þe moder: at þe laste, for vile apostacie and despisynge of Crist, þei were destroyed [distruyed, β.] in þe fifte pope

Clementes tyme, þe ȝere of oure Lord a þowsand þre hondred and twelve. Henricus, libro 7^o. Iohn, cardynal of Rome, come into Engelond, and made grevous proces aȝenst preostes concubynes, and seide þat it is a foule [voul, γ.] synne and a greet to arise from a strompet side to sacre Cristes body; but þe same day after þat he hadde i-songen [ysonge, β.] [masse] [From Cx.] he was i-take wiþ a strompet at even: þing þat was openliche i-knowe myȝt nouȝt be forsake, it moste nedes be i-knowe. ȝif þis displesiþ [displesiþ, from β.; dypleseþ, γ.; dysplesyth, Cx.; despise, MS.] eny man, I rede hym holde his pees and be stille, leste me wolde wene þat he folwe Iohn in wordes and in dedes. After Kalixte, the secounde Honorius was pope fyve ȝere. Þe ferþe Henry þe emperour of Almayne is dede, and som men telleþ [tellyn, Cx.] þat he is i-buried at Spire wiþ his forfadres, wiþ [wif, α.] soche writynge on his tombe: "Here lieþ þe sone and þe fader and þe grauntsire, and þe fader grauntsire." [℞.] [From α.] But it semeþ þat Girald in his book Itinerario Wallie haþ þe [no] þe, from β.; om. γ.; the, Cx.; no, MS.] more sooþ understondynge, þere he seeþ [seyþ, γ.] þat þis Henry, after þat he hadde punesched [prisoned, β.; emprysoned, Cx.] his flescheliche [vleyschlyche, γ.] fader, and his goostliche fader the pope, and þe cardynales, at þe laste also [at þe laste also] om. Cx.] hym repentede, and went away, unwetynge his wyf Molde of Engelond, and excilede hym self by his good wille, and lyvede at Chestre ten ȝere as an here|myte;

and for he wolde not be knowe þere [þere] þe, β.; the, Cx.] while he was on lyve, he cleped hym self Godeschal, [Godescal, β., γ., and Cx.] þat is Goddis cleping. Whan þe emperour was so priviliche i-goo, Molde þe em|peresse [emperys, γ.] come aȝen to [hir fader] [From β.] kyng Henry into Nor|mandie; þere sche [heo, β.] was so [so] soone, β. and Cx.] i-maried to Geffrey Plantagenet erle of Angoye, [Anioye, β.; Angeo, γ. and Cx.] and had by hym þe secounde Henry, þat afterward was kyng of Engelond.