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

Capitulum tricesimum octavum. [Cap. 37, Cx.]

THIS ȝere fil strif bytwene þe kyng and þe lordes of Enge|lond, ffor þe kyng wolde not holde þe ordenaunces þat were i-ordeyned in þe parlement at Oxenforde. At [aboute, α., β., and Cx.] seynt Ioones [John his, α.]

tyde [tyde] feste, β. and Cx.] þe nativite þe lordes helde [hulde, γ.] in warde [word, α.] þe bisshop of Her|ford, þe prioure of Wenlokke, and oþer prelates þat were aliens. Oþere þat were next þe kyng þey chasede out of Engelond, and occupied her good [goodes, α., β., and Cx.] and catell, [catayll, Cx.] þerfore Henry putte þe universite out of Oxenforde. At þe laste þe kyng and þe barouns [barouns, α.] putte hemself touchynge þese [the, Cx.] articles [þues artykels, γ.] in þe ordy|naunce of þe kyng of Fraunce, and he reproved [repreved, β. and Cx.] þese articles everiche one; bote þe lordes of Engelond forsook [vorsouke, γ.] his unskil|ful dome, and stood forþ as þey hadde bygonne. Þanne lordes þat mayntened þese ordynaunces come to gidres at Lewes in Souþsex þe fourtenþe day of May, and ȝaf a bataille, and took kyng Henry and his sone [broþer, α. and β.; broder, Cx.] Richard duke of Cornewayle, and Edward kyng Henry his eldest sone, and many

oþere grete, and so þey compelled þe kyng to holde þese ordynaunces þat þey hadde i-made, and helde Edward eyȝte monþes at Herforde in warde; þat tyme þe province of Chestre was i-ȝeve [to] [From Cx.] Symond de Mounford erle of Chestre. [Leycetre, α.] In Trinite even [In þe Trinite eve, β.] þe kynges sone Edward at Herforde scapede out of warde by help of sire Roger Mortemer; [Mortmere, γ.] for he hadde leve by cause of solas to prike a coursere, and so he scapede anon to þe hille [hulle, γ.] of Donnemore, þere he sigh [seeþ, α.; sawe, Cx.] þis Roger Mortemer his baner displayed. Herafter aboute Lammes [Lammasse, β. and Cx.; Lamb|mas, γ,] was an hard bataille at Evesham bytwene þe kyng and þe barouns, þer wiþ [wiþ] by, β. and Cx.] gileful [by gylfol, γ.] withdrawynge of þe erle of Gloucestre, þat hylde wiþ Symound toforehonde, þis riȝtful Symond was dede and meny oþer noble men. [personnes, Cx.] Of hym greet fame telleþ þat he dede [a dude, γ.] many myracles, but þey were nouȝt i-schewed for drede of þe kyng. Þanne Symondes [Symon his, α.] knyȝtes helde þe castel of Kelyng|worþe [Kenelworþe, α. and Cx.; Ke|nylworþ, β.] half a ȝere aȝenst þe oost of [al] [From β. and γ.] Engelond. After Urban þe ferþe Clement was pope as it were foure ȝere. After

hym þe popes see voyded þre ȝere and two monþes. Þis Clement had first wyf and children, and was afterward a famous avok [advoket, α.; avocat, β.; avoket, γ.; advocate, Cx.] and cheef counseillour [cheef of counseyls, Cx.] wiþ þe kyng of Fraunce. Whan his wyf was dede he was i-made bisshop of Pue, and þan arche|bisshop of Norbone, [Narbon, β. and Cx.] and þanne bisshop [of] [From β., γ., and Cx.] Sabyne and cardinal and legat i-sente into Engelond; þere while he was absent he was chose pope; þerafter, as men troweþ, wiþ his mylde levynge in [in] and, β.] holy dedes [bedes, α., β., and γ.; and hooly bedes, Cx.] he quenched [aqueynt, β. and Cx.; aqueynte, γ.] many tribu|laciouns of holy cherche. Also whan Conradinus [wente into Cicil [Sicil, β. and γ.] to werre aȝenst Charles, þis pope tolde opounliche in a sermoun þat Conradinus] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] dede schulde come to nouȝt. Þat ȝere aboute all Halewentide, Octobon þe legat come into Engelond and ordeyned many þinges for þe profite of holy chirche. By his counsail kyng Henry grauntede þat he [þei, β.; they, Cx.] moste raunsone her londes þat were disherited for þe arisynge aȝenst þe kyng, outake þe erle of Derby, Roberd de Ferrare, [Ferrer, Cx.] for it semed þat he hadde most greved þe kyng. Þanne [þanne . . . kyng] om. α., but the words are in Cx.] þe next ȝere þerafter he greved þe kyng, [þanne . . . kyng] om. α., but the words are in Cx.] and was i-take and dis|herited [desherytet, γ,, et supra.] forto he oþer his heires or som who for hem myȝte paye [myȝte paye for hem, α.] in oon day fifty þowsand pound. At Londoun Octobon þe legat denounced acorsed [acorsed] om. α., β., and Cx.] þe Londoners [and þe purten|aunce [portnens, β.; portnens acursyd, Cx.]

acorsed], [From α., β., and γ.] and seide þat þey were acursed in pope Clementes counsaile, and he enterdited hem and forbeden [forbede, β.; vorbud, γ.; for|bode, Cx] hem þe companye of Cristen men; þan he suspended þe bis|shoppes of Londoun and of Chichestre of her office forto þey were assoyled of þe pope, þerfore þe [þe] om. α.] Londoners byseged Oc|toboun in þe toure of Londoun for to [till, Cx.] many bisshops i-armed hadden [had, Cx.] hym awey. Þis Octoboun took dymes of holy cherche for þre ȝere while he was in Engelond, and so he wente his way, and of a deken cardynal he was made pope. Þat [yere] [From Cx.; ȝere, β.] þe sowdan of Babiloyne destroyed Ermonye, [Armonie, β.; Armeni, γ.] and took Antiochia, and slouȝ þe men þat wonede þerynne, and destroyed þat [þe, α. and Cx.] noble citee. Kyng Henry lay wiþ his oost withouten Londoun at Stretforde, forto pees was made bytwene hym and þe ba|rouns. Octoboun went out of Engelond wiþ huge tresoure; [tresorye, α.] and Edward þe kynges sone and many oþere toke þe signe of þe cros. Pope Clement is dede; and seynt Edward kyng and confessoure is i-translated þe fourþe day of Octobre in kyng Henries tyme. And kyng Henry hadde þe twentiþe [twentyest, Cx.] peny of

lewed men [mennus, β.] catel and þe dymes [dismes, γ.] of holy chirche for þre ȝere by assent of þe pope. Þis ȝere [Edward] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] þe kynges eldest sone, and his wyf, wente to þe Holy Lond. After Clement, þe tenþe Gregory was pope foure ȝere. Þe þridde ȝere of his poperiche he made a [a] om. α.] counsaile at Londoua [Lugdune, α. and γ.; Lugdun, β.; Lugdnum, Cx.] for profit of þe Holy Lond, for he caste to wende þider in his owne persone. In þat counseile were messangers of þe Tartars and of þe Grekes: þe Grees byheet [byhyte, γ.; promysed, Cx.] þat þey wolde come aȝen to þe unyte of holy cherche. Þere were sixe hondred bisshoppes and a þowsand prelates, þerfore oon seide: "Gregorius denus congregat omne genus." He wolde by þis vers [these versus, Cx.] mene þat þe tenþe Gregory gadreþ alle manere of [of] om. α. and Cx.] men. Þere was ordeyned þat noble statute þat was nevere i-herd toforehonde, þat alle persones wiþ cure schulde be preostes [prustes, γ.] after þat tyme, and þat after þat tyme no man schulde have leve to assigne his teþynges as toforehonde [as he dyd byfore, Cx.] at his owne wille, but all teþynge [tueþyng, γ.] schulde be payde to þe moder chirche. [Also þis Gregory charged holy chirche wiþ dymes [dismes, γ.] for sixe ȝere. He dampned pluralite of benefices wiþ cure. Also he proved som states of þe ordres of beggers, as Prechoures and

Menoures; and some he suffred, as Carmes and Austynes; and some he reproved, as sacke freres [Sacfreres, β., γ., and Cx.] þat were y-cleped de Pœni|tentia and de Valle Viridi and oþere suche.] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] Also þis ȝere deide kyng Henry of Engelond on seynt Edmondes day of Pounteney, [Pontenay, Cx.] and men troweþ þat he skilfully ended his lyf in his day, for he hadde i-travailled hym wrongfulliche while he was onlyve. He hadde i-regned fyve and fifty ȝere. Also þis ȝere deyde Bonefas archebisshop of Canturbury, and þe priour of Caunterbury was i-chose archebisshop. But þe pope fordede [fordide, β.; vordude, γ.; for|badde, Cx.] þat eleccioun, and made archebisshop frere Robert of Culwarby [Kilwarby, β.; Kylwerby, Cx.] of þe ordre of Prechoures and maister of dyvynyte: among his oþer nobil writynges he made nobil writynge uppon Precian and uppon [oppon, γ.] Logyk. Sone hereafter Lowys kyng of Fraunce and his two sones, þe kyng of Naverne, and many prelates went eft to þe Holy Lond; but by greet siknesse and evel, þat was strong in þe see costes of þat lond, þe Cristene oost, þat was of two hondred þowsand, [was] [From β. and γ.] deperblede [disparpled, β. and Cx.; dys|parpled, γ.] and to-schedde. For þe popes legat þat was rulere [reuler of pylgryms, γ.] of pilgremages [pylgryms, Cx.] in þe Holy Lond deyde, and þe kyng of

Fraunce also. Þis kyng while he lay seke prayed besiliche in þis manere: "Lord, we prayeþ [I pray, Cx.] þat þou make us despise þe welþe of þis world, and drede none of his mescheves." [meschyefs, Cx.] And for þe peple he prayde in þis manere: "Be þou, Lord, to þyne owne peple [pupel, γ.] halwer [halower, Cx.] and wardeyne;" and putte to him [him] here, α.; om. Cx.] at þe ende "I schal entre [intre, γ.] into þyn hous, and I schal praye to þyn holy temple."