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

Capitulum vicesimum.

AFFTER Conradus þe firste Frederik was emperour of Al|mayns and of Romayns seven and þritty ȝere. After pope

Adrianus deeþ, þat hym hadde crowned, þis was grevous [a grevous enemy, β., γ., and Cx.] to pope Alisaundre, ffor in prejudice of hym he helde with foure [huld wyþ vour, γ.] false popes everiche [eche, Cx.] after oþer. Also for þe pope was flowe [aflowe, β.; fledde, Cx.] to þe kyng of Fraunce, he fauȝte aȝenst þe kyng of Fraunce wiþ a grete strengþe of Bemeners [Boemes, β. and Cx.] and of Danes, but he was i-put [y-pot, γ.] of by help of Richard kyng of Engelond. When [þanne, β.; Than, Cx.] þe ȝere of oure Lord enlevene hondred and sexty and two [tweyne, Cx.] he com to Melan, þat was hiȝest i-walled of eny toun, and destroyed [destruyed, β.] it streiȝt [downe, Cx.] to þe grounde. At þe laste, after þat þis hadde i-doo þe pope meny grete [grete] om. Cx.] greves, þe rebelnesse he dradde [Transposed in α., β., γ., and Cx.] of þe Lombardes, [Lumbardus, γ.] and prayeden [prayd, Cx.] forȝifnes of þe pope, and took þe cros on [in, Cx.] his flesch to þe Holy Lond, as it were in amendement of his synne; and he was i-drenched [adreynt, β.] þere in [drowned in, Cx.] a litel ryver besides Armenye, and i-buried at Tirus; and his sone, a noble ȝongelynge, deide at þe sege of Ptholomayda, þat is Acon, and nyh al þe nobilte [noblete, β.; nobelte, γ.] of Cristen men deide þat tyme. After

Eugenius, Anastasius was pope as it were two ȝere; þat ȝere deide seint Bernard, abbot of Clerevaus, [Clervaulx, Cx.] þat was i-bore in Burgoyne in þe castel of Fonteyns; he was a noble knyȝtes sone, and was first i-fed [vurste yved, γ.] wiþ his owne moder melk, [moders mylk, Cx.] and afterward i-norsched wiþ gretter metes. Þan the ȝere of oure Lord enlevene hondred and twelve; after þe bygynnynge of þe ordre of Cisterciensis, þat is þe ordre of white monkes, fiftene; of his owne age two and twenty, he entred into Cisterci wiþ þritty felawes; and after þe fifte ȝere of his conversacioun he was [was ordeyned, β. and Cx.] abbot of Clervaus; þere he usede wakynge passynge þe usage of mankynde, [mankuynde, γ.] he saide þat he lost no tyme more þan whan he sleepe, and he likned deeþ to sleep; [unneþe he [unnethe that he, Cx.] myȝte suffre hem þat rowtede and ferde [aferde, Cx.] foule [furde voule, γ.] in here [his, Cx.] sleep; he wente to mete as hit were to torment. For greet abstenaunce þat he usede he hadde lost his taast [taste, Cx.] and savoure of mete and of drinke, so þat he wolde take oyle in stede of wyn and blood in stede of buttre. [boter, β.; botter, Cx.] He wolde seie [sygge þat hym saverede, γ.] þat he [him, Cx.] savered water, for hit kelede his mouþ and his jowes. Al þat he lernede [lurnde, γ.] of scripture he drank hit in wodes and in fyldes [veldes, γ.; feldes, Cx.] in his meditatiouns and bedes. He knowlechede none oþer

maystres [þat he had, add. β.] but okes and beches. In his cloþynge was poverte wiþouten eny filþe. [vylþe, γ.] He seide þat cloþinge is juge and witnes of hert and þouȝt, of negligence oþer of pryde and veynglorie; þat proverbe is ofte had [he hade oft, Cx.] in his mouþ and alwey in his herte, "Alle men wondreþ of hym þat doþ as noon oþer dooþ." To þe novis [novyce, Cx.] þat schulde come to religioun he wolde seie, "ȝif ȝe bene [bene] om. β.] hieþ [Ef ȝe hyȝeþ, γ.; Yf ye hye, Cx.] to þat þat is wiþ ynne, leveþ [leveth, Cx.] here wiþ oute þe bodyes þat ȝe brouȝte of þe world, [worl, γ.] þe spirites schal entre, [intre, γ.] flesche doþ no profyȝt." As ofte as me prayede hym to be bisshop he seide þat he was not his owne man, [man] om. Cx.] but þat he was y-ordeyned to þe service of oþere men.] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] Alway he was i-wont [was founde, Cx.] oþer biddynge, oþer redynge, oþer writynge, oþer in meditaciouns, oþer prechynge and techynge his breþeren. [Þe ȝere of oure Lord enleven hondred and two [thre, Cx.] and fifty, whan his deþ neiȝhede, he bitook his breþe|ren] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] þre poyntes to kepe, and seide þat he hadde kepte hem in þis [þis] his, β.; hys, γ.] wise al his lyf tyme, and seide, [saide, α.] "I wolde no man sclaundre,

but ȝif eny sclaundre were i-rise [aryse, Cx.] I cessed hit what I myȝte; I trowede myn owne wit lasse þan oþer men dooþ [other mennes dome, Cx.] ; ȝif I [ich, β.] were i-greved I asked no wreche of hym þat hadde i-greved me." Bernard wroot meny nobil bookes, and specialliche of þe Incarnacioun of Crist, and dede [dude, γ.] meny miracles, [myraclis, β.] and bulde [buylded, Cx.] sixty [þrescore, β.] abbayes, and passed out of þis world [worl, γ.] to oure Lord of hevene. Also þat ȝere deide þe secounde Ranulph, þat heet Gervous [Gernons, α.; hight Gercious, Cx.] by his surname, he was þe fourþe [vurde, γ.] eorle of Chestre after þe conquest: his sone þe secounde Hughe was lord after hym in þat ducherie nyne and twenty ȝere, and dede meny grete dedes. Also þat ȝere deide kyng Stephene [Steven, Cx.] in Kent, in þe abbay of Feveresham, [Faversham, β.] þat he hadde i-bulde [he buylded, Cx.; up, add. β.] out of [y-buld op of, γ.] þe grounde. In þis Stephene his tyme a knyȝt þat hiȝte Oweyn [Owen, Cx.] wente into purgatorie of þe secounde Patrik, abbot and nouȝt bisshop. He come aȝen and dwelled in þe nedes [nede, γ.] of þe abbay [of, add. β.] Ludens [Ludene, Cx.] of white monkes in Irlond, and tolde of joye and of

peynes þat he hadde i-seie, as it is i-seide to forehonde [sayd byfore, Cx.] in þe firste book, [book] om. Cx.] capitulo 34^o of þe wondres of Irlond.