The chronicle of Iohn Hardyng. Containing an account of public transactions from the earliest period of English history to the beginning of the reign of King Edward the Fourth. Together with the continuation by Richard Grafton, to the thirty fourth year of King Henry the Eighth. The former part collated with two manuscripts of the author's own time; the last, with Grafton's duplicate edition. To which are added a biographical and literary preface, and an index, by Henry Ellis.

The C.xlv. Chapiter. [Fol. C.liii.]

¶ The birth of Edmond erle of Lancaster, and of Leicester, long after in the yere of his father one and thirty, and in the yere of Christ. M. iiC. xli.

THe [That.] same yere then Edmond his soōne was bore At Lācastre, y^e yere of Christ thē writē, A thousand whole, twoo. C. and fourty mo [more.] , And one therto, in Flores as is wryten [wetyn.] , And in the yere next after then ouersetten [vnsetyn.] ; The kyng his doughter Margaret [then] maryed, To Alexaunder kyng of Scotland notified,

¶ At Yorke citee, wher he then did homage [Homage of the Scottes.] For Scotland whole and isles apperteinyng. Then dyed themperour full sage, Wherfore the lordes of Almaignie [Almayne.] variyng, Some chose Rychard kyng Henryes brother beyng, And some y^e kyng of Castile would haue algate, But erle Rychard of Menske [Meuske.] had all the state.

¶ Then rose discorde betwene the kyng Henry [Bettaile of Lewes.] And certain lordes of mighty greate power, Symond Mountfort vpon hym toke boldly To bee cheftein, to hold the feld full clere; At Lewis faught, of Christ then was the yere

A thousand twoo hundred [and] sixty accompted, And foure also, so muche more amounted.

¶ This erle Symond had then the kyng Henry And his brother Rychard themperour In his kepyng and ward [wer hold] [holdyn.] strongly; But prince Edward was sette in Herford toure, And erle Henry of [Herford that was] [Cornewaile was the. So MS. Seld.] floure, Themperours soonne at Herford with hym laye, A myle about disport[ed] theim euery daye.

¶ Fro whens at last with horse thei brake awaye, [The battaill of Euesham.] And to Wigmour castell thei came in hie To sir Roger Mortymer, [wher he] [that theryn.] laye, That [Who.] theim receiued then full gladly; And so thei assembled with greate hoste manfully [full manfully.] , And held the feld, the lordes [fast] to theim drewe, And at Euesham thei stroke a battaill newe.

¶ In the yere of Christ a thousand was tho, Twoo hundred mo, sixty also and fiue, When prince Edward faught with [ther with.] his foo Symond Moūtfort, [and raught hym] [wase reste ther.] fro his liue, [The feld discomfited there anone as bliue,] With help of erle Gilbert, then called Clare, And other lordes with hym that were thare.

¶ He slewe many, and some awaye exiled, And some he held in prisone and distres; He toke out then his father, as is compiled, His eme Rychard holden in greate dures, And all his frendes of his hie worthynes, He socoured euer and with his gold supported, And wher it want with his woord theim cōforted.