Here begynneth a shorte and abreue table on the Cronycles ...

¶How that kynge Edgar wedded Es∣trylde after the deth of Edel wolde·

THus it befell that all men in kynge Ed¦gars courte then̄e spake & sayd / y^t Edel wolde was rychely auaunced / thrugh the for∣sayd maryage of his wyf. And yet they sayd he was auaunced an hondred folde more· For he had spowsed the moost fayrest creature y^t euer seen. And y^e kyng herde speke so moche of her beaute / y^t he thought he wolde haue hym dys∣ceyued / & begyled. And thought pryuely in his herte / that he wolde goo into Deuenshyre / as it were for to hunte for the harte & for y^e hynde & other wylde beestes / & then̄e he sholde see the¦re the lady or he departed thens. And this lady was dwellynge at manere place besyde the fo¦rest / there that the kynge wolde hunte / And a•• that manere he was her borowed all nyghte. And whan tyme came that the kynge sholde suppe / and the sonne shone / the kyng asked af¦ter his gossyppe and after hys godsone· And Edelwolde made her to come before the kynge And neuerthelesse yf it other wyse myght ha∣ue be she sholde not haue come in hys syght by hys wyll. ¶The lady welcome•• the kynge & swetely hym kyssed. And he toke her by y^e hon∣de / and to nexte by hym her sa••te / and so sou∣ped they togyder. ¶And there was a custome and an vsage in this londe that tyme. That so whan on drake to an other / the drynker shol¦de saye wassayll. And that other sholde answe¦re / and saye Drynke hayll. And thys dyde the kynge & the lady / and kyste many tymes. And after supper whan tyme was for to go to bed¦de / the kynge wente to bedde / then kynge her∣tely on the ••ayrnesse of that lady / & then̄e was ouer come for her loue / that hym thought that he sholde deye / but yf he hadde his wyll on her. ¶Vppon the morowe the kynge aroos and in the foreest wente hym for to dysporte wyth hartes & hyndes & all other wylde beestes. & of the hertes grete plente he sence to y^e lady. And thryes he went for to solace and to speke wyth that lady the whyles he dwelled there in that countree. ¶And after that the kyng remeued thens / and thought hym how he myghte best delyuer Edelwod fro hys wyf / as he had hym fyrste desceyued. And the kynge anone after .viii. dayes ordeyned a parlyament at salysbu∣ry of all his baronage counseyll to haue. And for to ordeyne how the countree of Northum¦berlonde sholde best he kepte that the Danys came not there / the londe for to destroye. And thys Edelwode came vnto the kyng{is} parlya¦ment. And the kynge sent hym to yorke / for to be keper of that countree. ¶And thus it befel that knewe hym not slewe hym by the waye. ¶And anone as the kynge herde telle that he was deed / he lete sende after the lady E••••••ylde that he sholde come vnto the cyte of London and ther he wedded to the kyng with grete so∣lempnyte and worshyp. And helde a solemp∣ne feest. And he ware a crowne y^t was of golde & the quene an other. ¶And saynt Dunstane on the morowe came vnto the kynge in to the chambre / and founde the kynge in bedde an•• the quene togyders. And sayn•• Dunstane ax∣ed the kynge who she was / And the kynge an∣swered and sayd / y^t she was the quene E••••yll∣de. And the Archebyssop saynt Dunstance say¦de

that he dyde grete wronge / and ayenst god¦des wyll to take a woman to wyf whose chyl∣de ye had take at fonte stone. And y^e quene for that worde neuer loued saynt Dunstance af∣ter. And the good man warned of that foly to be lefte / but it auaylled but lytell / for the loue bytwene them was so moche. The kynge be∣gate vpon her a sone that was called Eldred· whan this childe was .vi. yere olde / the kynge his fader deyed. And aboute that tyme he had regned .xvii. yere / & lyeth at Glastenbury.

BEryngarius y^e thyrde was Emperour after Henrycus ·vii. yere / thys Beryn∣garius was Emperour in ytaly. In whoos ty¦me was grete dyuysyon. ¶And Henricus thē¦perour decessed / and. Otto began to regne in Almayne. ¶Lothari{us} regned after hym two yere / and decessed whan. Otto regned in Al∣mayne. And hadde a wyf that hyght Dalny∣ham. The whiche after wedded Otto. ¶Be∣ringarius the fourth was after hym / this man with grete tyrannye subduedytaly / wherfore the pope and other romayns called Otto that he myghte delyuer them whiche he dyde. And he toke Beryngaryus by strength / and twyes he outlawed hym. And he toke Lotharius wy¦fe the whiche the tyraūt had prysoned. ¶Leo the .viii. was pope after Benedictus one yere and foure monethes. This man was chosen with the comyn voys / and Iohannes was de¦posyd. This Leo ordeyned that no pope shol∣de be made without consente of y^e Emperour For the malyce of y^e Romayns the whiche op¦pressyd them. Thys man graunted all the yef∣tes to Otto and hys successours / the whyche were yeuen by Iustinianus and Karolus to y^e chyrche / that he myghte defende ytaly frome the reberlyons. ¶Iohanes the .xii. was pope after hym almoost .viii. yere \ thys Iohēs suf∣fred grete wronge of y^e Romayns For he was take and exyled but Otto bare this heuyly. For he slewe the noble men of Rome / and cer¦tayne of them exyled for euer more. Benedyc∣tus the .vi. was pope after hym .vi· yere / thys man was take / and in the castell Aungell was strangled. ¶Nota. ¶The Empyre in thys tyme was translated to the Almayns. And the same cause is here as was before / for the ••ycyous lyuynge. Ne these vnhappy men cowde not be Informed / that they shold esche¦we that ••o woyce / thrugh the whiche they sa∣••e soo many noble men to perysshe. ¶Otto was Emperour after Beryngarius .xii. yere. This Otto was the fyrst Emperoure of Al∣mayne. And he was all vertuous as an other kynge karolus for he was the defender of the chyrche of god / and the syngular promoter for the whyche he was worthy to be Emperoure Many men of fals byleue he conuerted And he helde with hym pope Benedictus the vsur∣per of the popeherd in to Soxony. And there he decessyd in his exyle. And this Emperoure decessyd a ryche man in vertue and goodnes. ¶Otto the seconde was Emperour after his fader. And he was a noble man to the chyrche as his fader was. And many a batayll he had ayenst the fals men of byleue. And at the laste he almoost loste all his hoste in Kalabur / yet for sothe with all his mynde besought saynt Pe∣ter to helpe. And meruellously saynte Peter delyuered hym And his wyf was the doughter of y^e Emperour of Constantynopolytan of the Romans bloode And this man was crowned of Benedictus the pope.