Fabyans cronycle newly prynted, wyth the cronycle, actes, and dedes done in the tyme of the reygne of the moste excellent prynce kynge Henry the vii. father vnto our most drad souerayne lord kynge Henry the .viii. To whom be all honour, reuere[n]ce, and ioyfull contynaunce of his prosperous reygne, to the pleasure of god and weale of this his realme amen

THE .CXXV. CHAPITER

TO thys daye Theodoryche had taken no wyfe / all be yt of hys concubyne he receyued two sonnes. He therfore by thaduertyse∣ment of hys frendes, set hys mynde to mary some noble woman / & soone after sent certeyne ambassadours vn¦to Berthric{us} then kyng of Spayne / wyllyng to graūte vnto hym Mem∣berge his doughter in mariage. The whiche vppon certeyne condicyons was perfourmed, and wyth greate ryches to hym shortly after sent and maryed / •• by a certayn tyme well en¦treated & cheryshed. But that season rōne & spent / Brunechyeld so turned the kynges mynde from the quene, that lastely he wyth suche treasoure and iewellys as he of her receyued, sent her home agayn. The whych in∣iury Berthricus her father toke at herte greuously / & shortly after sente hys messengers vnto Clothary kyng of Soysons, requiryng hym of ayde to warre vppon Theodoriche, which hadde done vnto hym great dysplea¦sure / and the rather for y^e warre that the sayde Theodoryche wyth his bro¦ther lately made agayne hym / the whyche wyth both theyr strengthes they myghte then well reuenge. To whome Clotharius graūted. And to haue hys party the stronger, he sente vnto hys neuewe Theodobert and brother to Theodoriche, to styre hym agayne hys sayde brother.

wherof when Berthricus hadde re∣ceyuyd knowlege of hys sayde mes∣sengers / he thē sent vnto Agon king of Longobardys / or more veryly Adoaldus the .v. kynge after Alboy¦nus / requyryng hym in lyke maner.

And he desyrous of wreche / made faste and sure promyse to gyue ayde to the vttermoste of his power.

when Theodoryche was warned of the cōspyracy of these .iiii. kynges, that entendyd to warre ioyntly vp∣pon hym / he was therwyth greatly amoued, and prouyded for hys de∣fence in his best•• maner. Then Theo¦dobert trustyng the appoyntmēt be∣fore made, assembled a great hoste / and made spede fyrst toward y^e place bytwene theym appoynted, whyche was nere to y^e castell of Salas. But or any preparacyon was made to∣warde batayle / a meane was founde that the forenamed two bretherne shulde mete eyther wyth other, accō∣panyed wyth .x. thousand knyghtes. But Theodobertus enter••••ynge to dysceyue hys sayd brother, & to force hym to graūte to his pleasure / brou∣ghte wyth hym ferre aboue y^e nōber. wherfore Theodoricus beynge ouer¦sette wyth strength / graunted all his brothers wyll. whych was that ouer certeyne thynges and appoyntemen¦tes concluded bytwene Berthricus and hym / Theodobert shulde holde to hym and his heyres two lordship∣pes called Champayne and Turon. whych conclusyon fynysshed / eyther takynge leue of other departyd vnto theyr countreys / but not wythout greate vnrestfulnesse of the sayde Theodorych, berynge in mynde the wronge doynge of hys brother. wherfore he shortly after made mea∣nes to hys neuewe Clothayre desy∣rynge hym that he wolde not assyste hys brother agayne hym / but to suf∣fer hys quarell to be demyd by dynt of swerde bytwene theym two. This requeste, Lothayre by the aduyse of saynte Columbane munke of Ire∣lande than beynge in those costes, graunted.

And the french cronicle sayth, that he was warned of thys foresayd ho∣ly munke and abbot, that he shulde not medle bytwene the sayd two bre∣therne / for so myche as yt was pro∣uyded of god, that he shuld be heyre to them bothe.

whan Theodorych had receyued thys answere, he gaderyd his strēgth and spedde hym vppon hys iourney to the cytye of Langresse, and from thens to Uerdune or Uerdoune. Theodoberte hauynge knowlege of hys malycyouse brothers purpose, gaderyd in Austracy a greate hoste / and so sped hym tyll he came to the cytye of Toull. where bothe hostes shortely after met / and in the feldes or playnes nere to the cytye foughte a stronge batayle. In the which was slayne greate people vppon bothe sydes / but the more parte vppon the syde of Theodobert. wherfore he fy∣nally was compelled to forsake the felde, and fled vnto Coleyne. where he gaderyng a newe powar / fought agayne wyth hys brother. In the whyche fyght he had lyke fortune / & was agayn chasyd to hys grete sha∣me and losse / whom Theodoricus as hys mortall enemye folowed, fy∣rynge and wastynge the countreys as he went / in so myche that the in∣habytauntes of the coūtreys fell be∣fore hym, besechynge his grace, that for the offence of one man, he wolde not destroye so many innocentes / as∣surynge hym forthermore that they wolde become hys lyegemen, and holde theyr lande of hym for euer. At whyche request he sayde gladly he wolde to them graunte theyr pe∣tycyon, yf that they wolde presente to hym the hedde of hys brother. After the whych answere by them of Theodorych receyued / they amonge them selfe appoynted out a certayne of persones moste apte to theyr pur∣pose / and wyllyd theym to go vnto

Theodobert to execute theyr entent. The whyche sped theyr iourney tyll they came to the presence of Theodo¦bert / & shewyd vnto hym that yf he wolde be agreable to departe wyth suche stuffe and iewellys as he had of hys faders, so that Theodoryche myghte be partener therof / he shulde haue perfyght amyte and rest wyth hym. To the whyche wordes he gy∣uynge confydence and truste / called wyth hym the sayde persones / and brought them into y^e howses, where the sayd stuffe and iewellys lay. And whyle he was busyed to deuyde out and appoynte y^e porcyon of hys, one of the sayde persons slewe hym so∣deynly / and after of one agrement strake of hys hed, and in secrete wyse caused yt to be conueyed vnto hys brother. whan Theodoryche hadde receyued the hed of hys brother, he sped hym to Coleyne where this trea¦son was wrought / and receyued the cytye into hys possessyon, wyth all y^e kyngdome of Austracy to hys bro∣ther belongynge. And when he had there ordred hys nedes after hys mynde / wyth two sonnes and an ex∣cedynge fayre doughter of Theodo∣bert, he spedde hym vnto Mees the chefe cytye of Austracy / where wyth hym met hys graundmoder Brune∣chyelde. The whyche perseuerynge in all malyce and myschefe / caused y^e sayd two sonnes to be shortly slayn.

Theodorych then restoryd or dely∣uered vnto Clothayre, all such lādes as to hym he had before promysed.

Theodoryche thus endynge hys warre, the whyche by a longe season spent hys tyme in kepynge of concu∣bynes / was nowe rauyshed wyth the beaute of his brothers doughter, the whyche he hadde brought from Co∣leyne. But that doyng Brunechyeld wythstode wyth all her power, be∣cause the mayde was so ••e••e of hys kynne. For the whych he beyng with herfore dyscōtent sayde, o thou most wycked & false woman / dyd not thou make me to beleue, that Theodobert was not the sonne of my father / but that he was the sonne of a gardyner. For what cause hast thou caused me to {per}secute my brother, and lastely to ••lee hym. After the whyche wordes he wolde haue slayne her, yf he of his lordes hadde not ben letted. whyche dede not forgotten of this vngoodly woman / euer after imagyned howe she myght brynge Theodoryche out of lyfe. And lastely she hyryd such as were about hym to consent to her ini¦quyte / so that vpon a season when he came out of his stew or bayn, he axyd drynke by y^e force wherof he was poy¦soned & ••yed soone after, whē he had reygned .xviii. yeres. Howe be yt An¦toninus in the .vi. chapyter & .xii. ty¦tle of the seconde parte of hys worke, sayth that he was brent wyth fyre by the dyuyne power.