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

Capitulum decimum septimum.

WHEN þe ferþe Henry was i-goo, [ago, β. and γ.] Lotharius duke of Saxoun was i-made emperoure. At Londoun was i-made a counseille, and it was i-graunted to kyng Henry þat he schulde doo riȝt of preostes fornicaries and of hire concubynes; but he dede [dude, γ.] nouȝt elles [not ellys, Cx.] but took [touk, γ.] silver [money, β. and Cx.] on everiche side. Þat ȝere in presence of þe kyng þe lordes of Engelond swore þat þey wolde kepe þe kyngdom to his douȝter Molde þe emperesse, ȝif sche [ef hue, γ.] levede after his day, and [and] from α., β., γ., and Cx.; but, MS.] ȝif he [he] α., β., γ., and Cx.; sche MS.] diede wiþ oute [oþer] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] children. Seynt Matheu [Mathys, Cx.] þe apostles body is i-founde in þe citee Trever, þe whiche body Agry [Agricius, β. and γ.] þe archebisshop had i-brouȝt þider out of Constantynnoble in þe elder Constantynes tyme, and he

hadde þat body of þe ȝifte of Eleyne [Helene, β. and Cx.; Helen, γ.] þe queene. After Hono|rius, þe secounde Innocent was pope þrittene ȝere and seven monþes. Peter Leonis, þat hiȝte Anacletus also, assaillede þe poperiche, and so fel greet stryf in holy chirche; þis Anacletus was i-chose of þe lasse deel and partye, and chasede Innocen|cius out of þe citee, and spoylede þe cherches of Rome, and medede þe Romayns wiþ þe money of þe chirches, but Innocen|cius and þe cardynales wonede wiþ þe kyng of Fraunce, and made a counsaile at Rome, [Reme, β. and γ.] and in his comynge aȝen he crownede Lotharius duke of Saxon, and sacred hym emperour; by his help he chasede Roger duke of Cecile [Sycilya, Cx.] and of Apulia, þat was rebel to þis Innocencius þe pope. Whenne þe first Ranulph eorle of Chestre was dede, his sone þe secounde [Ranulph], [From β.] Grevous [Gernons, α.; Gercious, β. and Cx.] by his surname, was eorle after hym fyve and fifty [xxv, β.; twenty, Cx.] ȝere. Þe eorle of Flaundres [deyde], [From β.] and Henry kyng of Engelond, by þe assent of þe kyng of Fraunce, hadde þe eorldom after hym by riȝt of blood and of kynrede. [kynrade, β. and γ.] Molde þe emperice was sone forsake of here housebonde Geffray, and wente to hir fadir into Normandie. Þere þe kyng sygh þre wonder siȝtes. For firste he sawe in his slepe meny clerkes [cherles, α., β., and γ.]

rise [rese, β. and γ.] on hym wiþ stoles, [toles, α. and Cx.; tooles, β.; toules, γ.] and axede [axe, β. and Cx.] of him dette; efte he saw a rowte of men of armes þat wolde rise [rese, γ. and Cx.] uppon hym wiþ al manere wepen; þe þridde tyme he saw a grete com|panye of prelates manace hym wiþ here croces; and everich tyme þe kyng sterte out of his slepe, [bed and caught, β.] and kauȝt [start up of his bed, Cx.] his swerd, and cryde "Help!" as þey he wolde slee som man, but he myȝte no man fynde. [vynde, γ.] Also a phisicien, Grombald [Grymbald, β. and Cx.] by his name, sawȝ alle þese [þues, γ.] þinges, [syghtes, Cx.] and tolde hem to þe kyng erliche on þe morwe. And as Danyel hadde somtyme chargede [Nabugodo|nosor, so he chargede] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] þe kyng þat he schulde doo almesse dedes in remedie of his synnes. Þan þe kyng wente into Engelond, and was hard i-sette [asset, β. and γ.] wiþ tempest in þe see, and made his avow þat he wolde relese þe Danes [Dane, α.] tribute for seven ȝere, and þat he wolde visite seynte Edmond, and doo and use riȝtwisnesse. In Fraunce was so grete drouȝte [druythe, β.; druyþe, γ.] þat ryvers

and welles were fordreied. Also fuyre [fier, β.] come out of [out of] into, β. and Cx.] þe chynnes [in to þe chenes, γ.] of þe erþe þat myȝt nouȝt be quenched, neiþer wiþ moist ne wiþ colde ne wiþ doynge of craft. Þis ȝere at Kerdyf deide þe kynges broþer Robert, þat was somtyme erle of Normandie, and he was i-buried at Glowcestre, to fore þe hiȝe auȝter. William þe sone of Nigellus [Nychellus, Cx.] foundede þe priourie of Nortoun in þe province of Chestre. Also þe abbay of Comer|mere [Cumbremere, β.; Cumbremer, Cx.] was i-founded in þe same province. And Henry schort mantel is i-bore, þe sone of þe emperice. Kyng Henry deide in Normandie; [of hym oon meovede [in] [From Cx.; meved in, β.] metre in þis manere: Kyng Henryes deþ: [Henry dyeþ, β. and γ.; Henry deyd, Cx.] fayrenesse som tyme, now duel [deol, β. and Cx.] of þe world. Godes now wepeþ [wuepeþ, γ.; wepen, Cx.] for here god þat is now dede. Mercurius þe lasse in speche; hert strong as Appollo; Iupiter in heste and Mars in strengþe. Groneþ [Greveth, Cx.] Engelond of [of] in, β.] child|hode [and kyngdome] [From Cx.] ryȝt of þe [þe] þis, β. and γ.; this, Cx.] godde was hyȝe in schynynge ful [ful] for, Cx.] derk now falleth adowne. Þis land wiþ his

kyng, Normand wiþ his duke, welwes [welwiþ, β.; welweþ, γ.; welwith, Cx.] away. Þis londe norscheþ þe childe þat oþer now leseþ [luseþ, γ.] þe name. [name] man, Cx.] ] [From α., β., and Cx.] Henricus, libro 8^o. Whan kyng Henry was dede men demede of hym and spak freliche what þey wolde, as me dooþ of oþere men when þey beeþ dede. Some saide þat he passede oþer men [when . . . men] bis in MS.] in þre poyntes, in wit, in speche, and in fortune of bataille. Oþere saide þat he was overcome wiþ þre vices, wiþ covetise, wiþ cruelnesse, and wiþ lust of leccherie. Also þe kynges bowels [bowayles, α.] were drawen out of his body, and his brayn i-take out of his heed, and þe body salted wiþ moche [myche, β.] salt; and forto voyde [avoide, β. and Cx.] þe stenche [stynch, γ., et infra.] þat hadde infecte meny men, it was at þe laste i-closed in a bole [boole, Cx.] skyn, and ȝit myȝt nouȝt þe noyful humoure [odour, Cx.] be lette, but he þat took out þe brayne of his heed deide of þe stenche. He hadde i-ete of a lampray while he was olde and feble, and he loved it alway, þouȝ it greved hym evermore. Þis kynges body was i-brouȝt into Engelond, and i-buried in þe abbay of Redynge, þat he hadde i-founded out of þe grounde. Henricus, libro 7^o. In þis kynges tyme oon Symon þe sone of [of] om. α.] Robert bisshop of Lyncolne, was in his floures deen [deen, from β., γ., and Cx.; mede, MS.] in þe same chirche; he was scharp of wit, clere of speche, faire of fface and of schap, and gracious wiþal, ȝong of age, and wise and redy as an olde man, but he was i-smeten [i-smyȝten, α.; ysmytted, β. and γ.; spytted, Cx.] wiþ þe vice of pride. In hym of his

pride sprang envie, of envie wreþþe, of wraþþe stryf and bak|bitynge. He spak in a tyme of hym self, and seide, "I am i|sette among men of court as salt among quyk elys." [eles, β.] He took heed of oon propurte of þat sawe, and was nouȝt war of þat oþer. For as salt amonges eles greveþ ful sore, so he greved men of court wiþ bacbitinge and evel speche. But at þe laste, as salt is destroyed by moysture of þe eles, so was he byhated [by hate, α., β., γ., and Cx.] of alle men. For at þe laste he hadde þe kynges wreþþe, and was i-prisoned, and scapede awey by a gouge, [gonge, α., β., γ., and Cx.] and was flemed, and deide so exciled.