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

Capitulum vicesimum quartum.

THIS ȝere whan Richard archebisshop of Canturbury was dede, Baldewyn bisshop of Wircestre was archebisshop after hym by assent of þe kyng and of alle þe bisshoppes. But þe monkes of Canturbury wiþ seide it wiþ all þat þey myȝte. Of hym it is i-seide þat he ete nevere flesche from þe firste day þat he was i-made white monke to his lyfes ende. Þan in a tyme by þe wey an olde lene womman mette hym, and axede ȝif it were sooth þat he eete no manere flesche. "It is sooþ," quoþ he. "Hit is false," quoþ heo, "for þow

hast i-ete my flesche anon to þe bones; ffor I ne haddebut oon kowe þat I was susteyned by, and þy Daneshaþ bynome me þat kow." He answerde and seide, "Truly by þe grace of God þou schalt have as good a kow as þat was." Þe fourþe ȝere of his bisshopriche fil stryf bytwene hym and þe covent of Caunterbury, for newe houses and cherches þat was i-bulde faste by þe monken walles, in þe whiche cherche he hadde i-ordeyned seculer clerkes, and assignede hem provendres of þe monkene cherches; þan he was compelled to take awey þe bulders, and þey were translated to Lambhyþe faste by Londoun aforne West|mynstre þat ȝere of oure Lord elevene hondred foure score and eiȝte. Þis Baldewyn had þe office of legacie of þe cros and wente into Wales, and songe in every cathedral chirche of Wales a masse in pontificalibus, and þat was nevere i-seie tofore þat tyme. After Lucius, þe þridde Urban was pope as it were two ȝere; he deide for sorwe þat Ierusalem was i-take of þe Sarsyns. Þat tyme com Heraclius patriark of Ierusalem into Engelonde to kyng Henry, and prayed hym help aȝenst þe

Sarasyns in þe name of al [þe] Cristen men of þe est londes, and profrede hym þe keyes of þe holy citee [and] of oure Lordes grave, wiþ þe kynges baner, and lettres of Lucius þe pope þat counsailled and charged hym þat he schulde take þat iournay, and hadde mynde of þe ooth þat he hadde i-made; but þe kyng putte over his answere forto he cam to Londoun, and by þe prechynge of the patriark and of Baldewyn þe archebisshop meny took þe cros to þe holy lond. But Henry answerde and seide þat he myȝte nouȝt forsok and leve his landes wiþ oute warde and kepynge, noþer sette hem to be pray to be robberie of Frensche men, but he wolde ȝeve largeliche of his to men þat wolde [thyder] wende. "Kyng," quoþ þe patriark, "it is nouȝt þat þou doost: we secheþ and askeþ a prince, and nouȝt money; nygh every lond of þe world sendeþ us money, but no lond sendeþus a prince; þanne we axeþ a man þat nedeþ money, and nouȝt money þat nedeþ a man;" and so þe patriark gooþ his way, and his hope his lost; [and þe kyng folweþ hym anon to þe see, for he wolde wiþ fayre wordes, as he couþe wel, plese þe

patriark þat was agreved. But þe patriark spak to þe kyng and seide, "Hyderto þou hast y-regned gloriousliche, but here|after He wil forsake þe þat þou hast forsake. Þenke and have mynde what oure Lord haþ y-ȝeve the, and what þou hast y-ȝelde Hym aȝe, how þou were false to þe kyng of Fraunce and slouȝ seynt Thomas, and now þou forsakest þe defens and protectioun of Cristene men." Þe kyng was wrooþ wiþ þese wordes; þe patriark sigh þat, and profrede hym his heed and his necke, and seide, "Do by me ryȝt as þou dedest by Thomas, for me is as leef by y-slawe of þe in Engelond as of Sarsyns in Siria, for þou art wors þan eny Sarsyn." "Þeyȝ al my men," quoþ þe kyng, "were oon body and speke wiþ oon mouþe, þey dorste nouȝt speke to me suche wordes." "No wonder," quoþ þe patriark, "for þei loveþ þyne and nouȝt þe. Þis peple folweþ pray, and nouȝt a man."] Þan þe kyng seide, "I may nouȝt [wende] out of my londes, for myn owne sones wolde arise aȝenst me when I were absent." "No wonder," quoþ þe patriark, "for of þe devel þey come, and to þe devel þey

schulleþ." Þis ȝere þe kyng sente his sone John into Irlond, but he dede litel profite þere, and come hoom aȝe. Þis ȝere, þe firste day of May, Sarcyns took Ierusalem, and bere awey þe holy cros, and slowȝ þe maister of þe chevalrie of þe Temple and meny holy men. Whanne þat was i-wost among Cristen men, meny took þe cros to þe Holy Lond in al þe world wide. Among þe whiche Richard of Peytow, kyng Henries sone, took þe crosse also, and for þe same cause Balde|wyn þe archebisshop wente into Wales as it is i-touched tofore|hond. In his company was Gerald Cambrensis, archedecon of Landaf, þat descreved þe maneres of Walsche men in his book þat hatte Itenerarius, as he hadde toforehonde discreved þe staat and maneres of Irischemen in his book þat hatte Topographia, whanne he was i-send wiþ Iohn kyng Henries sone into Irlond. After Urban, þe eyȝte Gregory was pope foure monþes; he sent meny lettres and pistles for socour of þe Holy Lond. After hym þe þridde Clement was pope þre ȝere. Þis ȝere at Dunstapil in Engelond meny men sigh oure Lord Iesus Crist in þe aier honge in þe cros. Also þis ȝere Henry made Ranulph erle of Chestre knyȝt, and ȝaf hym to wyf Constauns contas of Bretayne, þe loove of his sone

Gaufred, wiþ al Litel Britayne in þe erldom of Rechemound. Þe kynges of Engelond and of Fraunce, Richard eorle of Peytow, and meny oþer noble men to þe nombre of an hondred þowsand and foure [score] þowsand, took þe cros on seynt Gregory his day. Þat ȝere Frederik þe emperour wente acorsed to þe Holy Lond, and lad his oost by Constantynnoble; bote for grete hete he bathed hym in a ryver of Armenye þat hatte Gula Sathane, þat is, Sathanas is þrote, and [there] Frederik was adreynt; oþer as som men telleþ his hors stombled and fel into þe water, and so was he adreynt, and was i-buried at Tirus: his eldest sone was dede in þe same iournay, and his oþer sone, þe fifte Henry, was emperour of Almayne after hym, and regnede eiȝte ȝere, and wan Apulia and Cicilia, and was acorsed of pope Celestinus, for Richard kyng of Engelond was i-take whan he cam from þe Holy Lond, and i-holde in þis emperours prisoun, and myȝte nouȝt be delivered wiþ oute a grete somme of money; and þe emperour deide in þe same corsynge, and myȝt nouȝt be i-buried wiþ oute assent of kyng Richard, and bote þat money were i-payde

aȝen to kyng Richard. Also þat ȝere fel stryf bytwene þe kynges of Engelond and of Fraunce, and al þe money was i|wasted þat was arered in demes for þe iorney in goyng to Ierusalem; for at þe citee Cenomannia þe kyng of Fraunce and Richard eorle of Peytow come aȝenst þe kyng of Enge|londe, and kyng Henry made sette þe subesbes afyre, for a cautel of his enemyes schulde have no socour þerynne, bote þe strengþe of þe wynde droof þe leye of þe fuyre into þe toun, and brende up al þe cite, and compelled kyng Henry to goo out of þe citee; and þe kyng in his goynge from þe citee spak suche wordes and seide: "For þou, God, hast bynome me þis day þe citee þat I most loved in þis world, I schal quyte þe. For after þis tyme I schal byneme þe þing þat schulde most plese þe yn me, þat is myn herte." At þe laste at Turon he was i-take wiþ a fevere, and desired to have pees wiþ þe kyng of Fraunce in suche a manere, þat he wolde gladliche put hym self in þe kyng of Fraunce his grace savynge his owne worschippe and þe crowne of his reamne; but al for noȝt, for

he myȝte gete noo pees but if he wolde wiþ oute [eny] condi|cioun putte hym in þe kynges grace; and it was wel worthy, for he grauntede nouȝt to Thomas þis word, "savynge þe worschippe of God and þe dignetee of his ordre and þe fredom of holy chirche." Þan kyng Henry deide in the castel Chinonens, and al þat were aboute hym ȝaf hem so to robberye and to bryberie þat þe kynges body lay naked long tyme, ffor to a childe heled þe neþer parties of his body wiþ a schort cloke: it þo semede þat his surname was fulfilled þat he hadde of his childhode, Henry schort cloke, þat hatte schort mantel byȝonde þe see. For þis was þe firste þat brouȝt schort clokes out of Angoye into Engelond. Also þey þat were þere as he was dede, tolde þat al þe while þat his sone stood by his fader body, þe fader [boþe] nostrilles bledde dropes of blood. Eyȝte dayes tofore þis kynges deeþ visches leep out of a pond in Normandie, and fouȝte strongliche to gidres wiþ so greet noyse þat men of þe contray aboute come þider out of everich side for to se þe wonder, and fonde unneþe eny fisch [alyve].

Notes

• Wyrcetre, Cx.
• Þan] om. α., β., and Cx.
• axide, β.
• quaþ hue, γ.
• vleysch, γ.
• ne] om. Cx.
• nadde, β.
• knowe, α.; cowe, β.
• denes, α.; deenes, β. and Cx.; dyens, γ.
• haveþ, α.
• sche, α. and Cx.; heo, β.; hue, γ.
• vurde, γ.
• convent, Cx.
• hous and cherche, α. and β.
• were buyld, Cx.
• monkes, β. and Cx.
• ordeyned, Cx.
• monkes, β. and Cx.
• buldes, α.; buyldes, β.; byld|yng, Cx.
• Lamphythe vaste, γ.
• avorne, γ.
• þat] þe, β.; the, Cx.
• Baudwyn, Cx.
• þe, α.
• From β.
• hym] om. Cx.
• From Cx.
• made, Cx.
• pot, γ.
• vorsake, γ.; forsake, Cx.
• ham, γ., bis.
• be] the, Cx., bis.
• be] the, Cx., bis.
• hem, α. and β.; theym, Cx.
• From Cx.
• axed, α.; axeþ, β.
• prins, γ., bis.
• man, Cx.
• is, β.
• Hederto β; Huderto, γ.
• munde, γ.
• yolden, Cx.
• sawe, Cx.
• dudest, γ.
• vor me ys as luf, γ.
• lef be slayn, β.
• love thyn, Cx.
• pupel, γ.
• folewiþ, β.
• From α., β., and Cx.
• From β. and Cx.
• schullen, α.; hy scholdeþ, γ.; shal, Cx.
• þe] om. β.
• nobil, α.; noble, Cx.
• wyst, Cx.
• whoche, γ.
• Walysch, γ.
• Itincrarius, Cx.
• Itenerarius . . . hatte] om. α.
• Dunstaple, Cx.
• sawe, Cx.
• sye ur Lord, γ.
• eyr, β. and Cx.
• on, α. and Cx.
• the contesse, Cx.
• wydowe, Cx.
• in] and, Cx.
• Rychemond, Cx.
• From Cx.
• From Cx.
• drowned, Cx., bis.
• stomlede and ful, γ.
• drowned, Cx., bis.
• Sicilia, α. and β.
• the, Cx.
• and . . . Richard] om. Cx.
• fil, β.; vul, γ.
• of dymes, α., β., γ., and Cx.
• and, α., β., and Cx.
• subarbes, α., β., and Cx.; su|burbarbes, γ.
• afuyr, β.; avuyr, γ.
• for, α. and β.; bycause, Cx.
• habbe, γ.
• lye, β.; layte, Cx.
• citee, α.; cite, β.; cyte, Cx.
• God] om. β.
• ich, γ.
• worl, γ.
• benyme, Cx.
• and his rewme, β.; regme, γ.; and his royamme, Cx.
• From α. and β.; ony, Cx.
• vredom, γ.
• Cynonens, Cx.
• briborye, α.; brybury, γ.
• coveryd, Cx.
• byȝunde, γ.
• Angeo, Cx.
• From β. and γ.
• noseþurlles, γ; nosetherles, Cx.
• ffisses, α.; fisches, β.; fysshes, Cx.
• vouȝte, γ.
• From β., γ., and Cx.