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

Capitulum tricesimum nonum. [Cap. 38, Cx.]

EDWARD, kyng Henries sone, come [cam, Cx.] out of þe Holy Lond into Engelond þe secounde day of August, and was i-crowned kyng þe þrittenþe þe day tofore Decembre, and morwe after his coronacioun he fonged [feng, β.; toke, Cx.] openliche homage and fewte of Ali|saundre king of Scotlond; þanne þe secounde ȝere he made lawes. After þe tenþe Gregory, þe fifte Innocencius was pope fyve monþes; þis hiȝte [het, β.] toforehond Terentacius, [Tarantacius, α.; Peter Taren|tasius, γ.] of þe ordre of prechoures, a doctour of dyvynite. After hym þe fifte Adrian

was pope two monþes; somtyme þis was i-sent of pope Clement into Engelond for to abate [alegge, β. and γ.; alledge, Cx.] þe stryf bytwene þe kyng and þe barouns. After hym þe oon and twenty Iohn was pope eyȝte monþes; he hiȝte [hatt, β.] Petir toforhond, and was famous in meny [and] [From α., β., and Cx.] dyvers [devers, γ.] sciens, but after þat he was pope he doted so þat it semed þat hym lakked a greet deel of kyndeliche witte, neverþeles he avaunsed [avounsede, γ.] clerkes ofte. In presence of many men þis behiȝte hym self long lyf, but he fel sodenliche [fyl doun sodenly, Cx.] of a newe chambre þat he hadde i-bulde at Viterbe, and deyde after þe sixte day after [after] of, Cx.] þe fallynge. [of þe vallynge, γ.] After Iohn, þe þridde Nichol was pope as it were þre ȝere. Þis ȝere, for Lewely [Lewelyn, α., β., and Cx.] prince of Wales wolde nouȝt come to þe kynges parlement into Engelond, kyng Edward wente into Wales, and founded þe castel of Flynt, and strengþed þe castel of Ruthelan. [Roþelan, α.; Ruthland, Cx.] Þere Lewelyn submytted hym to þe kyng, and ȝaf hym fifty þowsand pound for þe trespas, and for þe ilond of Man [Mon, γ.] a þowsand mark by þe ȝere. Pope Nichol made frere Robert [of Culwarbye] [From β. and Cx.] archebisshop [of Caunterbury cardynal, and made frere Iohn Peccham arche|bisshop] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] in his stede. Kyng Edward punsched [punysshed, Cx.] þe Iewes [Juwes, γ., et infra.] and here assentoures for clippynge [cryppynge, γ.] of money and for evel chaunges; so þat he made alle þe Iewes [to be taken] [From Cx.; ytake, β.] in oon

day, and some he heng, and putte awey þe oþere. Kyng Ed|ward and þe lordes made a statute aȝenst maynmort, so þat after þat tyme no man schulde ȝeve, ne selle, [suylle, γ.] ne byqueþe, ne chalange, [nother chaunge, Cx.] ne by oþere title assigne londes, tenementis ne oþer rentes to men of religioun wiþouten þe kynges leve. Þe kynge made smyte newe coyne and [newe coyne and] in coine, α. and Cx.] newe money, [halfpeny] [From Cx.] and ferþing [ferdynges, Cx.] al rounde; þeron it semeþ þat Merlynnes prophecie is fulfilled [folvuld, γ.] þat seeþ [sayth, Cx.] þe halvendel schal be rounde. After Nichol, þe fourþe Honorius was pope as it were sevene ȝere. In his fourþe ȝere he chaungede þe coopes of frere Carmes into clene white, þat were toforehonde raybarred and beemed. [bemed, Cx.] Þe false Walsche [Walysche, γ.] David roos aȝenst kyng Edward in Palme Sonday, and dede Englische men grete harme and damage. But kyng Edward come aboute seyn Iohn his feste, and wan Wales, and ȝaf townes and londes þat were in þe myddel of Wales to lordes of his lond, and hilde to hym þe castelles þat weren in [were on, Cx.] þe see side. Of þat doynge come greet pees and reste after [þat] [From α., γ., and Cx.] tyme. Hereafter aboute seynt Lukes [Luc his, γ.] feste, Lewelyn his heed was i-smyte of and i-brouȝt to the

kyng, and sent to Londoun. And sone þerafter þis Lewelynes broþer David was i-take, þat was exciter of al þis [þe, α., β., and Cx.] woo. In þe grete parlement at Schroesbury he was first i-dampned and þan to drawe with horses, and þan an honged by þe þrote, and þan i-quartered, and to [to] om. Cx.] deled in [to] [to] from β.] dyvers places of Enge|lond. Of þis Lewelyn two men of religioun wreten vers and metre; [versus in metre, Cx.] of þe Walsche man in þis manere:

"Hic jacet Anglorum tortor, tutor Venedorum, Princeps Wallorum Lewelynus, regula morum, Gemma coevorum, flos regum preteritorum, Forma futurorum, dux, laus, lex, lux populorum."

Þat is, "Here lieþ [liþe, β.] þe tormentour of Englische men, wardeyn and tutor of Englishe [Walsche, α., β., γ., and Cx.] men, prince of Walsche men, Lewelyn, rule of good dedes and [dedes and] om. α. γ., and Cx.] þewes, cheef precious stoon of hem þat were in his tyme, floure of kynges þat were toforehonde, ensample of hem þat schal be after þis tyme, leder, preysinge, lawe, liȝt of peple." [pupel, γ.] But þe Englische man seide in þis manere:

"Hic jacet errorum princeps, et predo virorum Proditor Anglorum, fax livida, secta reorum; Numen Wallorum, trux dux, homicida piorum, Fex Trojanorum, stirps mendax, causa malorum."

Þat is, "Here liþe [lyeth, Cx.] "þe prince of erroures, [þeef] [þuef, γ.] and robber of men, traytour of Englische men; a dymme brond, and secte [set, Cx.] of evel dedes and [dedes and] om. Cx.] doers; god of Walsche men, a cruel duke, sleere of god [good, Cx.] men; draftes of Trojanes, a false roote, cause of evel dedes." Kyng Edward made Englische lawe i-holde [lawes to be holden, Cx.] in Wales, and sette schereves þere. Kyng Edward haþ a sone i-bore at Carnarvan in Wales in a Tewys|day. After þe fourþe Honorius, þe fourþe Nichol [of the ordre of Menours, add. β.] was pope as it were sixe ȝere. Þat ȝere Iohn Peccham, þe archebisshop of Caunterbury, come by Chestre into Wales to reform þe staat of holy chirche. Þat ȝere was so grete derþe [drouþe, α. and Cx.; druyþe, γ.] and hete þat men deyde for hete. Also þat ȝere was [marchaundise] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] i-brent [ybarnd, γ.] at Seynt Botulph by þe develes children, þat sette fire [vur, γ.] in dyvers places of þe towne, for þey wolde more freschlyche [vrelich, γ.; frely, Cx.] robbe and reve in oþer places. Men seide þat unneþe al þe

money of Engelond schulde restore þe harme þat was þere i-doo, for stremes of gold and silver and of oþer metal þat was i-molte ran anon in [to, α.] þe see; þat ȝere a busshel [boschel, γ.] [of] [From Cx.] whete was solde for foure pans. On seynt Margrete nyȝt fil tempest of reyne, of þonder [þonderynge, α.; thundryng, Cx.] and of liȝtnynge, so þat men had i-herd [yhurd, γ.] of none suche tofore þat tyme; for it bete [but, γ.] downe [corn] [From α. and β. (not Cx.).] and dreynte corn and gras [gresse, α.] þat stood on þe grounde, and so corn wax [wexe, α.; wexed, Cx.] derrer [durer, γ., bis.] and derrer, so þat a Londoun busshel [at London a busshel, Cx., et infra.] was solde for two schillynges þat was solde toforehonde for þre pans; and so derþe of corne durede aboute a [an, α. and γ.] fourty ȝere anon to þe deth of kyng Edward þe secound after þe conquest, so þat som|tyme a Londoun busshel [buschel, β.] was sold for ten schelynges. Aboute þis ȝere by heste of pope Nichol þe chirches of Engelond were i-taxed to þe verray value, [verey valu, γ.] and seþþe [siþþe, β.; suthe, γ.] voyded þe taxacioun of Norþwiche [Norwych, β. and γ.] þat was made by þe fourþe Innocencius. Þe Iewes were i-putte out of Engelond and come nevere aȝen. [aȝeyne, α.] After þe fourþe Nichol, þe fifte Celestinus [was y-take from ankeres lyvynge [lyf, Cx.] and] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] was pope fewe ȝeres, as it were þre ȝere.

Somdel for strif þat was in þe court, and somdel by counsaile of his successour Bonefas, he was i-meeved and resigned up [op, γ.] þe poperiche; and took aȝen his raþer manere of lyvynge. Also þat ȝere deide Alisaundre kyng of Scotlond; þan was grete stryf bytwene þe Scottes who schulde be kyng after [hym]. [From γ. and Cx.]