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

Capitulum vicesimum tertium.

ALSO þis ȝere at ȝork, þe twelfþe [twellyfth, Cx.] day tofore Septembre, William kyng of Scotland, by assent of lordes and prelates of his londe dede [dide, β.; made, γ.] homage to Henry kyng of Engelond. Also þis kyng William seiþ in his own [own] om. Cx.] lettre [lettres, β.; letters, γ.] patent þat he and his successoures and men of Scotlond schulde doo homage lege|aunce [lygiauns, γ.]

and feaute [fewty, Cx.] to the kynges of Engelond also ofte as þey ben þerof [þerto, β.; they be therto, Cx.] required. In token of þis subjeccioun þe kyng of Scotlond offrede his hatte and his sadel uppon seint Petres auȝter [aulter, Cx.] in þe chirche of ȝork, þat beeþ ȝit i-kepte þere anon to þis day. And ȝit herto þe lordes of Scotlond swore þat ȝif þe kyng of Scotlond wolde be [be] om. α., β., and Cx.] withdrawe hym in eny tyme from þat feiþ, [fey, β.] þey wolde rise aȝenst hym [and be ageynst hym] [From Cx.] alwey til he be torned aȝen. Pope Gregorye in dyverse writ|ynges þat he sent to þe kynges of Engelond and of Scotlond charged hiȝly [heyhely, Cx.] þat þe composicioun schulde be stedfastliche i-holde. And for þe declaracioun of þis subjeccioun þe kyng of Scotlonde and his prelates come to Norhamptoun to kyng Henries parlement, and þerafter he come to kyng Henry into Normandie. Also þis ȝere by assent of þe kyng þe covent of Caunturbury chose [chese, γ.; cheese, Cx.] Richard priour of Dovoure to be arche|bisshop. In þe enlevenþe ȝere of his bisshopriche oure Lord appered to hym and seide, "Þou hast i-wasted þe goodes of my cherche, and I schal root [rote, Cx.] þe out of þe erþe:" þan he

was aferde, and deide þe xviii. [eiȝte, β.; eyȝte, γ.; eyght, Cx.] day þerafter. Þe charge of al [al] þe, β.] travaille of þe takynge of þe cros þat Henry [þe] [From β.] kyng hadde i-take somtyme byȝonde þe see, and swore afterward byfore [tofore, α. and β.] two cardynales þat he wolde pursue [poursue, Cx.] it after two [þre, β.; thre, Cx.] ȝere, when þe [thre, Cx.] ȝere were i-passed [a passed, β.] he sent to Rome forto have lenger delay and [and] an, β.; in, Cx.] idel [an ydel, γ.] of his giltful [gylfol, β. and γ.; gyleful, Cx.] doynge, and þat by suche a feyned colour, þat he schulde make þre abbayes in Engelond, and so he dede in þis manere: of seculer chanouns of Waltham he made chanouns ruler; [reuler, γ.; reguler, Cx.] and dede away þe mynchouns [monchons, β., bis; mynchens, γ., bis; menchons, Cx., bis.] of Ambresbury, and brouȝt þider oþer mynchouns [monchons, β., bis; mynchens, γ., bis; menchons, Cx., bis.] from by|ȝonde þe see; and restored sympelliche [symplech, β.; semplelyche, γ.] þe Chartre Hous [Charthous, β.; Chartrous, Cx.] at Witham besides Salisbury. Also he hadde i-fonge somtyme to kepynge þe kynges douȝter of Fraunce, for he schulde marie hire to his sone Richard eorle of Peytow and of Angeoy. [and of Angcoy] om. β. and Cx.] But after þe deth of Rosamounde he lay by þis [þues, γ.] mayde, þerfore his sone Richard refusede [recused, β.] þe mariage; þerfore þe kyng caste to wedde þis wenche, [þues wynche, γ.] and þerfore he prayed Hugucio [Huguncio, Cx.] þe cardinal

for to come and make devors [divorse, β.] bytwene hym and Elianore þe queene, for he [sche, α.] hopede so to have more help and favoure of Frenchemen to disherite his owne sones moder. [moder] om. α., β., γ., and Cx.] [Afterward felle werre bytwene hem [hym, β. and Cx.] and þe kyng of Fraunce for Castel Raph, and kyng Henry axede þis wenche [þues weynche, γ.] to wedde here to his sone John, and axed wiþ here þe erldom [erldoms, β. and γ.] of Peitou and of Anioye. [Angeo, Cx.] But þe kyng of Fraunce assented nouȝt to þis askynge, but he sente [þe] [From β.] lettres to Richard, for [bycause, Cx.] he schulde hem see. Þerfore roos a greet [grisliche, β.] werre [a grisely wreth, Cx.] bytwixe þe fader and þe sone.] [From α., γ., and Cx.] Grislich þondringe was i-herd in a mydwynter nyȝt at An|devere in Hampschire; a preost was i-smyte to þe deeþ wiþ liȝtnynge in þe myddel of þe peple, and non oþer man was i|touched, and swyn were i-seie among hem renne [eorne, γ.] up and doun; tempest of haille [hawel, β. and γ.; hayel, Cx.] slouȝ foules, bestes, and men in a Mary [Mary] om. β. and γ.] Magdeleyns [Maudelaynes, α.; Maudeleyn, Cx.] nyȝt. Giraldus, distinctio 16. Þis tyme, þat was in oure tyme, kyng Arthures body [was founden] [From Cx.] þat was

i-counted as it were fantastik, and i-brouȝt as it were a fire [afer, β.; a ver, γ.; fer, Cx.] at an ende, and fabil of Britouns i-feyned þat he schulde efte come and be kyng. At Glastyngbury bytwene tweie [two, α. and Cx.] pilers þat were arered of stoon somtyme in þe holy cherche hawe, [heye, β.; hygh, Cx.] by wonder tokenes and warnynges þis Arthures body was founde i-buried and i-naked [i-marked, α. and γ.; marked, β. and Cx.] in an holouȝ stoone [ook, α.; oke, β. and Cx.; holuȝ oke, γ.] deep in þe eerþe, and so he was i-take up and translated worschipfulliche into þe cherche, and i-leyd honestliche in a tombe of marbil stoon: þere was i-founde a croys of leede, and a stoon þeruppon, and lettres i-wrete wiþynne in þe croys i-torned toward the stoon, þe whiche [whoche, γ.] lettres I handeled [ich handled, β.] and I radde [I radde] redde, α.; rad, β.; radde, γ.; radde and handled, Cx.] in þis manere foorme: Hic jacet sepultus inclitus rex Arthurus cum Wennerva uxore sua secunda [in] [From Cx.] insula Avalona: þat is, here lyþ i-buried þe nobil kyng Arthur wiþ his secounde wyf Wennerver [Wennever, α., β., γ., and Cx.] in þe ilond of [þe ilond of] om. Cx.] Avalon. Þe bones were i-leide in þe grave so þat þe tweie deles of the grave toward þe heed conteyned þe manis bones, and þe þridde deel toward þe feet conteyned þe womman bones; þere þe ȝelew heere [ȝelowe tresses, β.; ȝelou tresses, γ.; yelow tresses of the womans heere, Cx.] of þe womman trasses [here, β.; her, γ.] was i-founde hoole and sounde, wiþ fresche [vreysche, γ.] colour and hewe [huw, γ.] as it hadde somtyme; but a monk

touched it coveitousliche wiþ his hond, and anon it fel [fel] to fil, β.] al into poudre. Þis kyng Henry hadde i-hed [y-herd, α.; herde, β. and Cx.] somtyme of a Britoun þat knewe stories and was a synger of gestes, þat kyng Arthures body schulde be founde in an holouȝ ook [oke, β.; holow oke, Cx.] aboute a [α] om. Cx.] fiftene foot [vot, γ.] deep in þe erþe: he was i-buried so depe [duepe, γ.] leste þey [he, Cx.] were liȝtliche i-founde of þe Saxons þat were his enemyes. And þerfore lettres were i-wrete and i-graved wiþ ynne toward þe stoon, to be iuge and witnesse of þe soþenesse and truþe. And also have mynde þat Arthures scheen [Arthur his schyne, α.; schyn, β.] boon þat was þe [thenne, Cx.] i-schewed was lenger by þre ynches þan þe leg and þe kne of þe lengest [lynguste, γ.] man þat was þoo [than, Cx.] i-founde. Also þe space of his forhede bytwene his tweye eyȝen [yen, γ.] was a spanne brood. Also in his heed were i-seyne [seen, β.] wemmes of ten woundes, and it semede þat þey come alle into oon wemme [outake þe wemme] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] of oon wounde. Ierusalem is take and destroyed of þe Sarsyns. After Alisaundre, þe þridde Lucius was pope a ȝere and foure monþes; þat ȝere deide Hughe [Huwe, γ.] erle of Chestre at Leek; his sone þe þridde Ranulph was eorle after hym fifty ȝere. Also þat ȝere deide Henry, þat was the kynges eldest sone: of hym oon

seide in þis manere: "Omnis honoris honos, decor et decus urbis et orbis;" þat is, [Worschip] [From β.; Worschyp, γ.] of al worschippe, fairnes [feyrnes, α.; veyrnes, γ.] and worschippe of þe citee and of þe worlde [worl, γ.] [wyde]. [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] "Mi|licie splendor, gloria, lumen, apex;" þat is, to [to] om. α., β., γ., and Cx.] schynynge and blis, liȝt and heed of chivalrie. "Julius ingenio, virtutibus Hector, Achilles viribus, Augustis [Augustus, α., β., and Cx.] moribus, ore Paris;" þat is, Julius in witte, Ector in vertues, Achilles in strengþe, Augustus in þewes, Parys in mouth.