¶How syr Roger Mortymer bare hym proudely and soo hyghe.
ANd now shall ye here of syr roger mor¦tymer of wygmore that desyred and co¦ueted to be at an hygh astate / so that the kyng grauntyd hym to be callyd erle of Marche tho¦rughe out all hys lordshyp. And he became soo proude & hauteyn / yt he wolde lese & forsake the name yt his elders had euer be fore / & for ye cau∣se he let hym calle erle of marche. And none of the comnyns of Englonde durste calle hym by other name / for he was callyd so by ye kyngys crye. that men shold calle hym erle of Marche And mortymer bare hym so hauteyn & so prou¦de that wonder it was for to wyte. & also dys∣guysed hym with wōnder ryche clothes out of al manere of reason / both of shapynge and of werynge. wher of the Englysshmen had grete wonder / how / and in what manere he myght contryue or fynde suche manere pryde. & they s••yd amonge them comynly / yt his pryde shol∣de not longe endure. ¶And the same tyme syr Gyffray Mortymer the yonge / that was mor¦tymers sone. lete calle hym kynge of foly / and so it befell after warde in dede / for he was soo full of pryde and of wretchydnesse / that he hel¦de a rounde table in walys / to all men that the der came / and coūterfeted the doynge and the manere of kyng Arthurs table / but openly he fayled / for the noble kynge Arthur was ye mo¦ost noble lord of renomme / that was in all the worlde in hys tyme & yet came neuer none su∣che after / For all ye noble knyghtes ī all crystē¦dom of dedys of armys assayed / dwellyd wyth kynge Arthur / & helde hym for there lorde and souerayne / And that was well seen / for he con¦quered in a bataylle a Romayne yt was callyd Froll. And gate of hym the reame of Fraunce and slewe hym wyth hys owne hondes / & also he faught with a gyaunt that was callyd Dy∣nabus / & slewe hym that had rauysshed fayre Elayne that was kyng Howels ne••e / kynge of lytyll Brytayn & after he slewe in bataylle the Emperour of rome / yt was callyd Lucye / that hadde assembled ayenst Arthur / for to fyghte wyth hym so moche people of Romayns and Pebytes & sarasyns / that no man cowde nom∣bre them / and he dyscomfyted them alle as the story tellyth ¶And in that same thyme comyn voyce spronge in Englond thrugh coniectyn∣ge and ordynaunce of the frere prechers / that syr Edwarde of Carnariuan / that was kyng Edwardes fader of whome the geste tellyth / sayde that he was alyue in the castell of Corf / wherof all the comyns of Englonde almoost were ī sorowe and drede / whether that it were soo or not / For they wist not how traytoursly Mortymer had hym done murthred.