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

Capitulum septimum.

THIS [Also þys, γ.] ȝere whanne þe counsaille was i-made in þe citee Turon in Gallia, þat is [þat is] in, Cx.] Fraunce, pope Urban excitede nygh [neiȝ, β.] al þe westlondes to socour of þe Holy Lond. Þerfore þe þridde Henry emperour, Reymond eorle of Seynt Giles, and Bemond [Beomund, β.; Boamund, γ.] of Apulia, took þe cros and passede þe see of Myddel erþe at þe place þat hatte Seynt George his Arme, and hadde wiþ hym two hondred þowsand [þousent, γ.] of Cristen men, and so þe Holy Lond was i-wonne at þat tyme, and Cristes spere was i-founde by revelacioun of seynt Andrew, þat was schewed by [to, α., β., and Cx.] a cherle. [clerke, Cx.] Wiþ hem went Robert duke of Normandie, and þerfore he made acord wiþ his broþer kyng William þe Rede, and leide to hym Normandie to wedde for ten þowsand pounde. But by cause þerof kyng William took a grevous tribute of Englische men, so þat prelates moste ȝit [molte, β.; ȝote, γ.] here vessel and [and, from β. and γ.; of, MS.] lordes spoyle [prelates melted theyr vessel and lordes spoylde, Cx.] here sugettes. Malcolyn kyng of Scotland took prayes at [at] in, β. and Cx.] Norþ|humberlond, þerfore kyng William and his broþer Robert wente into Scotland; his navey was nyh [al] [From β. and Cx.] adreynt, and his oost i-schend [yschent, β.; marryd, Cx.] wiþ colde and wiþ honger. Malcolynus cam aȝenst

him [ham, γ.] wiþ Edgar [Edgar] om. Cx.] Adelyng, and made pees by mediacioun, so þat Malcolyn schulde be obedient to kyng William, as he was somtyme [so in tyme, α.] of his fader, and kyng William schulde [ȝeve hym every [everyche, γ.] ȝere twelf [twelve α.] mark of gold, and he schulde] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] ȝeelde hym twie [twelve, β.; twelf, γ.] citees in Engelond. But sone þerafter þe kyng faillede, and Robert took wiþ hym Edgar, and wente aȝen into Nor|mandie. Þis ȝere, þe fiftenþe [fyfte, Cx.] day of Octobre, a grym [grete, Cx.] strook of liȝtnynge [tiȝnynge, β.; lyȝtnyng, γ.] smoot þe cherche tour at Wynchecombe, and þrulled [þurled, β.; þurlede, γ.; thyrled, Cx.] þe wal, and þrew [þruw, γ.] doun þe crucifex his heed doun to þe erþe, and brak þe riȝt þigh, and þrew doun oure Lady ymage þat stood by þe rode. Þerafter com a stinking smook [smoke, γ.] þat fillede [vullede, γ.] al þe cherche, and durede forto [till, Cx.] þe monkes hadde i-goo a processioun aboute all places and offis of þe abbay with holywater [halywater, γ.] and relikes of holy seyntes and wiþ þe letanye. Also at Londoun a whirlewynd þrew [þruw, γ.] doun passynge sixe hondred houses and meny chirches þerto, and slowȝ tweie men in Seint Marie cherche at þe Bowe, [atte Bowe, β. and Cx.] and lefte [lifte, β.; lyft, γ.; lyfte, Cx.] up sixe rafters [refters, β.; reftres, Cx.] of þe cherche, and piȝte [stroke, Cx.] hym so depe [dupe, γ.] in þe grounde þat

unneþe þe sixte part of hem was i-seie above þe erþe; also a whirle wynde þrew doun þe helynge of þe cherche of Salis|bury, þe fifte day after Osmound [Osmundus, α., β., and Cx.] had i-halwed [halewed, β.] þat chirche. Willelmus de Pontificibus, libro 4^o. Remygius þe bisshop, þat translatede þe see from Dorchestre to Lyncolne, caste forto halwe [habbe, γ.] þe cherche þat he hadde newliche i-bulde. But Thomas bisshop of ȝork wiþstood hym, and seide þat þat place was of [his] [From Cx.] parische. And kyng William, for money þat Remygius had i-ȝeve hym priveliche, [yeven pryvely, Cx.] commaundede nyh [neiȝ, β.] alle þe bisshoppes of Engelond þat þey schulde come to þat dedica|cioun þe fiftenþe [fifteþe, α.] day of May. Bote tweie dayes [twy dawes, γ.] tofore þe [þat, β.] day of þe dedicacioun, Remygius was dede, by Goddes prive dome. [prevy doome, Cx.] Robert bisshop of Herford allone wolde nouȝt come to þat [the, Cx.] halwynge of þat chirche, for he knew by certeyne sight of þe sterres þat þat chirche schulde nouȝt be i-halwed [halwide, β.] in Remigyus his tyme. Þis Remigius semede nyȝ a wonder for|beddynge [forbodyng, β. and Cx.; vor|bodyng, γ.] for his body was so lite, [lytel, β. and Cx.] but he overcome kynde, [kunde, γ.] and schewed outward [a] [From Cx.] noble hearte and witte. So þat gracious and noble vertue come of þat litel [kunde, γ.] body. After þis Remygius, Robert Bloet was bisshop, a ful [vol, γ.] leccherous

man, he fulfilled [vulvullede, γ.] realliche [rialich, β.; ryally, Cx.] þe halwynge of þat chirche. At þe laste, at Wodestoke, he wente from the kyng [and deyde], [From β. and Cx.] and his bowels were i-take out of his body and i-buried [in þe abbay of Evesham þat he hadde y-foundede; þe oþer del was y-buryed] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] at Lyncolne, þere it was wel i-knowe þat þe war|deynes of þe place [were ofte desesed wiþ schadewe [schadewis, β.; schadewes, γ.; shadowes, Cx.] by nyȝtes, forto [vortto, γ.; till, Cx.] þe place] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] was i-clensed wiþ holy prayer and bedes. Þat ȝere kyng William wente into Northumberlond, and repa|raillede [repayred, Cx.] þe cite Lugubalia, [Lucubalia, γ.] þat now hatte Caerleel, [Caercol, Cx.] and made a castel þerynne; þat citee hadde i-lay [y-leye, β.; ben, Cx.] destroyed from the comynge of þe Danes, two hondred ȝere; and sone þerafter, at Glowestre, [Gloucestre, Cx.] þe kyng was i-take wiþ a greet siknesse, and byhet [byhyȝte, γ.] þat he wolde amende his lyf by counsaile of þe lordes. Hen|ricus, libro 6^o. And he ȝaf þat ȝere þe archebisshopriche to Ancelm, bot he moste not take þerof, but as þe kyng wolde hote, or [ar, γ.] þe tribute was paide, þat þe kyng hadde i-sette. [Also he [seide, β.] sayde] [From β. and Cx.] þat þe bisshopriche of Lyncolne longede [longide, β.] to see of ȝork, forto Robert Bloet hadde i-ȝeve þe kyng fyve þousand mark. [þousent marc, γ.] Also þis ȝere deide Roger eorle of Schroisbury, whanne he

lay seke and [he, α., β., and Cx.] made hym monk for to have som socour, by assent of þe contasse [contas, γ.] Adelisa, for he hadde i-sent Reynold, [Raynald, β.; Reyngnold, γ.] priour of Shroesbury, to Cluny, for to have seint Hewe [Huwe, γ.; Hughe, Cx.] þe abbot his kurtel [kirtel, β.] to were it aboute [hym]. [From Cx.] Trevisa. A wise man wolde wene [mene, Cx.] þat eorle Roger [Rogyer, Cx.] hadde as moche mede [myde, β.] of þat he was a monk, as Malkyn of here maydenhood, þat no man wolde have, and nouȝt a deel more. Þanne it foloweþ [folwiþ, β.] in þe storie: after [after, from α. and β.; of, MS.] Rogeris [Roger his, β.] sone [Hugh] [From Cx.; Hugus, β.; after Roger hys sone Huwe, γ.] was eorle. Also þat ȝere was greet reyn and floodes, [vlodes, γ.] and sone þerafter so grete froste [forst, α. and β.; vorst, γ.] þat me myȝte overal lede cartes and waynes over wateres and ryveres; [ryver, α.] and whanne þat [þat] þe, Cx.] frost gan to þawe [þewe, β.] and to melte, [multe, β.; molte, β.; mylte, γ.] it brak nygh al þe brugges [bridges, Cx.] in every side. Rees kyng of Wales is i-slawe yn a fiȝtynge, [vyȝtynge, γ.] faste by Brethnoc, [Breȝnok, β.; Brechnok, Cx.] and so cesede þe kyngdom of Wales. Malcolyn, kyng of Scottes, come to Gloucetre aȝenst kyng William, in seint [seyn, γ.; on a Saynt, Cx.] Barnabe is day, to accorde wiþ hym. Bote þey departed in wreþþe, for kinge [for kinge] From Cx.; for kynge, β.; vor kynge, γ.; workynge, MS.] William wolde þat Malcolyn schulde be demed in his court where it evere were [be, α.] in Engelond. But Malcolyn wolde

nouȝt bote in þe marches of boþe kyngdoms, þere it was i-woned. [wont, β.] But þat ȝere in a [in a] uppon, Cx.] seint Bricius his day, Malcolyn, and his eldest sone Edward, and meny oþere, were i-slawe in Norþhum|berlond of eorle Robert his knyȝtes. Margrete queene of Scottes, þat lovede and worschipped God wiþ here [hir, β.] myȝt, took so grete sorwe þat sche [heo, β.] fil sike, [hue vul syke, γ.] as sche hadde i-prayed God, and deide þe þridde day þerafter. Whan sche was deed þe Scottes made Dunwale, [Dunwald, β., γ., and Cx.] Malcolyn his broþer, kyng. But Dunkan, Malcolyn his sone, by help of kyng William put out Dunwald, and took þe kyngdom of Scotlond. Willelmus de Pontificibus. It was i-tolde þis Malcolyn in a tyme þat oon of þe lordes in [in] of, β.] his lond hadde conspired forto brynge hym to þe [þe] om. Cx.] deeþ. He heet [hyt, γ.] hym be stille þat tolde hym þat tale, and he hilde [huld, γ.] it prive hym self for to þe traitour was i-come. [comen, β. and Cx.] At þe laste þe traitour com to þe kyng to awayte [aweite, β.; aweyte, γ.] his tyme to doo þat cursede dede. Þe kynge heet [hyt, γ.] erliche amorwe [in a morwe, γ.; erly in a morn|yng, Cx.] þat alle þe hontes [huntes, β.; hunters, Cx.] schulde come wiþ her houndes. While þey were

ahontynge, þe kyng wente wiþ þis traytour to a broode [brod, γ.] pleyne þat was byclipped wiþ þilke [þicke, β.; byclepped wiþ þykke, γ.; bysette with thykk, Cx.] wode al aboute as a gerland, in þe myddel of þat playn was a litel toft [tote, β.; tout, γ.; toote, Cx.] as it were an hille. Þese tweie [hulle. Þues tweyne, γ.] stood allone on þat hille: [toute, γ.; toote, Cx.] "Lo," quoþ þe kyng, "I and þow be [ben, Cx.] here allone, iliche [eche, Cx.] wel i-horsed and i|wepened, iliche [and eche, Cx.] wel arrayed; now is no man þat seeþ us þat myȝte helpe or lette. [Yf thou myght and] [From Cx.; ȝif þu miȝt and, β.; Ef þu myȝt or, γ.] ȝif þou dorst [darst, α.; darrest, β. and Cx.; þerrest, γ.] [do] [From β. and γ.] now as þou haddest i-þouȝt, I can nouȝt see whan it myȝte be bettre noþer more freliche i-doo. ȝif þou hast ordeyned venym, þat is þe doynge of wommen and nouȝt of knyȝtes. ȝif þou desirest my wyf, so may spouse|brekers. ȝif þou kastest [castest, β.] to stele uppon [oppon, γ.] me wiþ a swerd, þat is a þeef his doynge, and nouȝt a knyȝtes; þerfore doo as a man and a knyȝt schulde, þat þy tresoun be wiþ oute schame of cowardise, for wiþ oute falshede may it nouȝt be." Anon he fil doun to the kynges feet, [veet, γ.] and swore þat he wolde þerafter be trewe to þe kyng to his lifes ende, and byheet [byhyte, γ.] hym plegges [pledgys, Cx.] whiche he wolde chese. And so þe traytour is i-made trewe, and gooþ [wente, Cx.] aȝen to his felawes whanne he seeþ his tyme. Also þis ȝere Ancelm, abbot of Becco, cam out of

Normandie into Engelond, at þe prayere [atte request, Cx.] of Hewe [Hugus, β., bis; Huwe, γ., et infra; Hugh, Cx., et infra.] eorle of Chestre, for þre causes: oon þat he schulde releve abbayes þat he hadde to forehonde i-founde [y-founded, α. and β.; founded, Cx.] in Engelond of grevous tribut, þat þe abbayes paide to þe kyng; þe secounde for to visite eorle Hewe, þat was sore sike [seke, β.] þat tyme; þe þridde þat [for, α.; vor, γ.] he schulde founde an abbay at Chestre. In þat place he assignede his preost [prust, γ.] Richard first [vurste, γ.] abbot, and chaungede seculer chanouns into monkes. Bote in [þe] [From β.] comynge aȝen þennes he was i-made archebisshop [of Caunterbury]. [From Cx.]