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

Capitulum tricesimum quintum. [34, Cx.]

ANON a Symondis [Symon his, α.; a seynt Symon hys, γ.; upon Saynt Symons, Cx.] day and seint [seint, Cx.] Iude, kyng Iohn his sone Henry, a child of nyne ȝere old, was i-made kyng: he was

i-holpe by strengþe and wit of the popes legat, of þe bisshop of Wynchestre, of þe erles of Penbroke and of Chestre; [for Ranulph erl of Chestre] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] hadde þoo i-take Lyncolne aȝenst Lowys, and i-slawe þere meny Frensche men. Þan Lowys syh [syȝ, β.; saw, Cx.] þat his party was febled, and feng [vyng, γ.] money, and ȝelde up þe strengþes þat he hadde i-holde, and was assoylled of þe popes legat, and wente aȝen in to Fraunce. Lewed [Lewyde, β.] men þat heelde [huld, γ.] with Lowys were nouȝt disherited, bot clerkes, as þe trespas was greet, were prived of her benefice, oþer i-sent to þe court of Rome for to be assoilled. Ranulph erle of Chestre wente to Ierusalem, after þat he was acorded wiþ Lewelyn prince of Wales; and Damyeta is i-take of Cristen men. Þis ȝere first þe abbottes of blak ordre come to gidres at Oxen|forde forto trete of þe ordre. Kyng Henry bygan þe newe werk at Westmynstre; [Westmestre, Cx.] and Ranulph erle of Chestre cam [come, α.] out of þe Holy Lond, and bulde þe castelles of [of . . . castelles] om. α.] Chirteley [Charteley, β. and Cx.; Char|teleye, γ.] and of Borston [Beestoun, β.; Beeston, γ.; Beston, Cx.] and þe abbay of Deulcresse [Delacresse, β. and Cx.; Deu|lacresse, γ.] of þe white ordre. [order, β. and γ.] For þe cost of þese castelles [of . . . castelles] om. α.] he took taliage [tallage, γ.; tollage, Cx.] in al

his land. Also þis ȝere seint Thomas of Caunturbury þe martir was translated by Stevene þe archebisshop [of Caunter|bury]. [From α. and γ. (not in β. and Cx.).] Durynge þe solempnite he fonde hey [heyȝ, α.] and pro|vendre [provende, Cx.] to alle men þat wolde axe it, in þe wey bitwene Londoun and Caunturbury. Also in þe day of þe translacioun he made wyne [to renne] [From β. and Cx.; urne, from γ.] in pipes continualliche in divers places [plas, γ.] of þe citee. And so the coste þat Stevene made in þis solempnite his fourþe [ferthe, β.] successour Bonefacius paide it unneþe. [Alisaundre kyng of Scotlond wedded Iohanne, kyng Henryes suster. [soster, γ.] A [On, β. and Cx.] seynt Luc þe Evaungelyst his day com a wynd out of þe norþside þat brak doun hous, [houses, β. and Cx.] orchardes and woodes, belhous and belfrayes. Also fury [fuyry, β.; vury, γ.; fyry, Cx.] dragouns and evel spirites were y-seie fle [vle, γ.] aboute in þe whirle wynd. At Oxenforde, in þe counsail of bisshops, was oon y-take þat hadde in his body woundes as oure Lord Crist hadde y-nayled to þe cros. Þis seide þat he was Iesus, bote by doom of holy cherche he was y-take to be y-punsched, [and] [From β. and γ.] at Abburbyry he was y-nayled to þe cros. David an erl of Scotlond hadde

a son Iohn þat wedded Lewelyn his douȝter prince of Wales, as hit were for fynal acord bytwene [him and] [From β. and Cx.; hym and, γ.] Lewelyn and his eem Ranulph erle of Chestre.] [Alisaundre . . . Chestre] om. α., β., γ., and Cx.] Iohn kyng of Ieru|salem cam into Engelond [for socour of þe Holy Lond. Þe lordes of Engelond] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] and [and] om. α., β., and Cx.] graunted kyng Henry þe wardes of heires [eyres, β.] and of her londes, and þat was begynnynge of moche [myche, β.] harm in Engelond; and sone þer after kyng Henry took þe fifteþe [fiftenþe, α., β., and Cx.] peny in all Engelond. Þis ȝere [fyrst] [From Cx.] come Frere Menoures [Mynors, γ.] into Engelond, two ȝere tofore seint Austyn [Fraunceys his, α., β., and γ.; Fraunceys, Cx.] deeþ. After Honorius þe nynþe Gregory was pope fourtene ȝere. Þis strengþede [stryngþede, γ.] þe sentence of cursynge aȝenst Frederik þe emperour, [þerefore þe emperour] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] took meny prelates and tweie [twy, γ.] cardinales þat wente to [þe] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] counsaille. Þis pope made his [his] om. β.] broþer Reymond [to] [From β.] compile fyve bookes of Decretales, þat were i-gadered of meny constituciouns, pistles, and decretales. [þat were, repeated here in MS., but om. α., β., and Cx.] Also in a tyme þis pope was byseged of þe emperour in [in . . . emperour] om. α.] þe citee of Rome, and siȝ þat þe

Romayns hadde i-fonge mede [myde, γ.] of þe emperour; þan he toke in his hondes þe hedes of þe aposteles [apostlis, β.] Peter and Paule, and made a processioun from Seint Iohn his chirche þe Lateran to Seint Petres chirche, and so he awelde [awelded, β. and Cx.] þe hertes of þe Ro|mayns. Þerefore þe emperour was aferd and wente þennes a fer wey. [a ferre wey, Cx.] Stevene þe archbisshop deide; he coted [quoted, β. and Cx.; quotede, γ.] þe Bible [Bybyl, γ.] at Parys, and marked [merkede, γ.] þe chapitres, and endite [endited, β. and Cx.; enditede, γ.] kyng Richard his lyf, and lefte after hym meny goode bookes þat he hadde i-made. Þe greet dene [deen, β.] of Londoun, maister Richard of Weþerisheved, [Weþereshed, β.; Withershed, Cx.] was archebisshop after hym. Also þis ȝere deide William of Alverne, a noble man of lettrure; [a lettred man, Cx.] first he was chaunceler and þan bisshop of Parys; þis lefte after hym meny noble [noble] om. Cx.] bookes þat he hadde i-made: De sacramentis; Cur Deus homo? De fide et de legibus, et de universo temporali [corporali, Cx.] et spirituali. [Gregory toke þe dyme [dysme, γ.] of holy cherche. While þe bisshop of Londoun seide his masse in Seynt Poul his cherche, fil so greet þiknesse of cloudes, derkenes of þe sonne, wiþ þonderynge and liȝtnynge and stenche, [stynch, γ.] þat no man myȝte suffre, so þat þe peple went

out of þe cherche and left þe bisshop þere wiþ his servaunt [servauntes, Cx.] alone. Þis ȝere kyng Henry grauntede Englische men meny fredoms, [vredoms, γ.] bote he took of hem þe fiftenþe [fifteþe, β.] deel of here goodes and catel, [catail, Cx.] forto wynne londes byȝonde see þat þe kyng of Fraunce hadde occupied in kyng Henryes tyme; and so he seillede [sayled, Cx.] over see wiþ greet strengþe, and dede litel profyȝt. Wiliam de Brewes blamed for Lewelyn prince of Wales his wyf, and prisoned and an [an] om. Cx.] honged. Þerfore fyl greet stryf bytwene the kyng and Lewelyn.] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] Ranulph erle of Chestre, of Lyncolne, and of [of] om. α.] Huntyngdone deide at Walyngford, and was i-buried at Chestre in þe chapitre of monkes wiþ his fforfadres. His suster sone Iohn Scot was eorle after hym. This Ranulph deide wiþ oute children, and hadde foure sustres: the eldest of hem, [ham, γ.] Molde, was i-maried to David an erle of Scotlond; of hem com þis [þis] om. Cx.] Iohn Scott. Þe secounde suster Mabily [Mablye, β. and Cx.] was i-maried to þe eorle of Arundel. Þe þridde Agneys [Agnes, γ.] to þe erle of Derby, William de Ferrars. Þe fourþe Hawys was maried to þe eorle of Wyn|chestre

Robert [Quyncy. [Quynycy, Cx.] Kyng Henry made þe hospital of Seint Iohn wiþ out þe est ȝate at Oxenforde, and leide þe firste stoon. Whanne Richard archebisshop] [From α., β., and Cx.] of Caunter|bury was dede, seynt Edmond of Abingdon [Abendon, Cx.] was archebisshop after hym, that was þo tresorer of Salisbury: he deyde byȝonde see þe eyȝteþe [eiȝtenþe, β.; eyghtenth, Cx.] ȝere of his bisshopriche, [bisshopriche] age, α.] [and was buryed at Pountney [Pontney, β. and γ.] in Burgoyn, [Ponteneye in Burguyn, α.] and] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] þe sevenþe ȝere þerafter he was translated by favour of þe fourþe Innocentius þe pope.