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 .CXXXII. CHAPITER.

DAgobertus y^t be∣fore exercised hym in all honour and vertue, beganne now to exercise in∣iustyce and tyran∣nye / in pyllynge hys commons by exaccyons and try¦butes, in suche wyse that those that dwellyd in the outwarde partyes of hys realme, and nere vnto the Tur∣kys and other straunge landes and nacions, were fayne to be vnder the rule of theym then of theyr owne na∣turall prynce. But howe so euer he bare hym agayne hys subiectes, in pyllynge and takyng from thē what he myght yet he euer hadde such a fa¦uour to saynt Denys, that he gaue to hym what he myghte purchace, were yt wyth ryght or otherwyse. Conty∣nuynge whyche season / he went in∣to the countrey of Poytiers and rob¦byd and spoyled there the chyrche of saynte Hyllary, of many great iewel¦lys / and after toke wyth hym the bo¦dye of that blessyd man, and causyd yt to be hadde into the monasterye of saynt Denys, & there shrynyd hym. And that done / he destroyed the coū∣trey of Poytiers wyth iron and fyre / and the wallys of the cytye he made playne wyth the grounde. And for y^t more cruelty or terrour to the people to be shewyd / he eryd the stretys of the sayde cytye, and sewe theym wythsalte for a sygne and token that he wolde haue that cytye subuer∣tyd for euer. The whyche ruyne to thys daye appereth / for there where the olde cytye stode, is now called y^e olde Poytiers / and where that other standyth nowe, is called the newe cy¦tye of Poytiers. The cause of thys destruccion of the citye & countre as sayeth mayster Roberte Gagwyne / was for, that that y^e erle of Poytiers rebellyd agayne the kynge.

Thus this man that whylome was a lambe / was now turned to a tygre. And ouer hys cruelnesse he was gy∣uen to all sensuall luste of hys body / in so myche that where so he rode he hadde folowynge hym a company of strumpettes, besyde suche as he kept in dyuerse places of his realme, ap∣pareylyd and fed lyke vnto quenes.

For thys rule & other vyces vsyd by the kynge / Pepyn then mayster of the paleys was put in great wyte and blame of dyuerse lordes of the lande / thynkynge that by hys coun∣sayle and sufferaunce, the kyng was so lad and guyded. This was y^e fyrst Pepyn. The seconde was mayster of the placys in that tyme of the se∣conde reygne of the fyrste Theo∣doricus / and was surnamed Uetul{us} and Breuis, whyche is to meane old and lytle. And y^e .iii. Pepyn was son of Carolus Marcellus. The fyrste Pepyn was graundefader to the se∣conde by the moders syde / and the se¦conde was graunsyr to the .iii. by y^e mannes syde. whyche thyrde Pepyn was by hole assent of Frenchmen or∣deyned kyng of Fraūce as after shall appere / & was father vnto the kynge named Charlis the great and empe∣rour of Rome. All whyche Pepyns descendyd of the blood of Austracye / and hadde great possessyons wythin that prouynce. when the forenamed Pepyn vnderstode the grudge and murmour of the lordes, whyche they bare agayne hym for the kynges de∣meanour / he by theyr aduyces toke vnto hym a nother great lorde na∣med Martyn, to be vnto hym assy∣stent / and ouer that he caused y^e bles∣syd man Amandus to accompany y^e kynge. By whose coūsayle the kyng somdeale refrayned hym from vyce / but not all as the good byshop hym

aduertysed.

In this tyme Heybart the kynges halfe brother dyed, and also hys son shortly after named Chilperych. By reason of whose dethes / the lordshyp and countrey of Tholouse fell to the possessyon of Dagobert. It was not longe after that a people called As∣clauons or Sclauons, made warre vpon the coūtrey of Austracy. These also are called Bulgaris, and ioyne vppon a parte of Austracy. Of these tydynges when Dagobert was ler∣ned / he sped hym into Austracy, and there assembled a myghtye hoste of knyghtes / & so sped him tyll he came nere hys enymyes. But y^e sayd Scla¦uons hauynge knowlege of the kyn∣ges great hoste, agreed by oratours to hym sent, to contynue the trybute that they before tyme payde / y^e which was yerely fyue hūdred oxen. where thorough y^e warre was appesyd for that tyme / and newe allyaunce vpon both partyes confermed.

After the whych peace thus stablys¦shyd / y^e kyng made his son Sigebert as kynge & ruler of that lordshyp of Austracy / assygnynge to hym the bis¦shop of Colayn named Cunbert, and the erle Palatyne named Agasyle, to be hys tutours and rulers conty∣nuynge his yeres of youth. And that done, y^e kyng retourned into Fraūce, where soone after he receyued of hys wyfe a sonne named Clodoueus, the whych of many wryters is called Lodouicus or Lowes. To thys Lo∣wes the father at couenable tyme af∣ter gaue the countyes of Burgoyne and Neustria or Normandy.

Then the kynge graunted to the house of saynte Denys, a fayre to be kepte yerely in the moneth of Iune in a felde nere vnto the sayde mona∣sterye / and that no marchaunte of Paris nor good towne there about; shulde sell any marchaundyse but onely in the fayre / wyth many other customes to the great auauncement of that house.

And after the kynge hadde subdu∣ed the Gascoynes, and the Brytons of Armorica or lytle Brytayne / he then assembled a multytude of bys∣shoppes for to dedycate and halowe the monasterye of saynte Denys in moste solemne wyse. where a great myracle was shewyd of the clensyng of a leper or lazar / that durynge the nyght laye wythin the sayde chyrch, and there beyng in his deuoute pray¦ers, sawe our sauyour Cryste accom¦panyed wyth Peter and Paule, and also the holy martyrs saynte Denys wyth hys two felowes, entre the chyrche by one of the wyndowes / and after halowed the sayde chyrch. whyche after came to the sayd lazar / and commaunded hym to shew vnto the byshoppes, y^t he in proper person hadde halowed the sayd chyrche / and for a token and knowlege of y^e same, he hadde receyued hys helthe. And for more recorde of the trouth of this mater / our sauyour Cryste, as wyt∣nessyth mayster Robert Gagwyn, & also the frenche cronicle, drewe of the skynne of the face of the sayde lazar, and threwe yt agayne a stone, where yt remayneth at thys daye to be sene. The whyche token when Dagobert and his byshoppes vppon the morne after behelde and sawe / they beynge greatly ameruaylyd, laft of any for∣ther besynesse touchynge the dedyfy∣enge of the sayde chyrche. For thys myracle great concurse of people ye∣rely in the .vi. kalendis of Marche cōmyth wyth great deuocyon vnto y^e sayd monastery, there makyng theyr oblacions / fermly beleuyng that the sayde chyrch was halowed with Cry¦stes own hand. when Dagobert had this besynesse wyth other {per}fyted & en¦dyd / he then called a great counsayll

of his lordes spyrytuall and tēporall at hys cytye of Biguage, where he beyng set betwene his .ii. sonnes Si¦gebert & Clodoueus / he made a long preposycyon & oracyon concernynge the allegyaunce / whyche he exhorted hys lordes to owe and bere to hym for the terme of his lyfe, and after to hys two sonnes there beynge pren∣sent. And then he exhorted his .ii. son∣nes charitably to loue / and that they shulde in moste fraternall wyse con∣tynue theyr lyues. The whyche pre∣posycyon fynyshed / he there in that presence made his testament, that be¦fore he hadde causyd to be wryten in iiii. sondry skynnes endentyd, to be rad, and then sealyd wyth certayn of theyr sealys / wherof that one he wyl∣lyd to be kept in the treasory of saynt Denys, the .ii. in the treasorye of the cytye of Lyons, the .iii. in the tresory of Mees in Austracy, whyche howe is named Lorayne, and the .iiii. in the kynges tresorye. And when the kynge had orderyd hys matiers som deale to hys purpose / he dyssoluyd thys counsayll, and cōmaundyd eue¦ryche estate vnto hys owne countre / and after was somwhat besyed wyth the rebellyon of the forenamed Bry∣tōs and Gascoynes & such other ma∣ters, the whyche I passe ouer for length of tyme.

Then the kynge lastely was syke of the flyx / and was brought by hys desyre vnto the monastery of saynte Denys. where after he had commyt∣ted hys wyse Nantyld wyth her son Clodoue{us} vnto the guydyng & tuy∣cyon of a noble man of Fraūce, & thē mayster of hys Paleys named Agay¦nus / he dyed, when he had reygned xiiii. yeres / & was buryed with great pompe in the forenamed monastery.

Of this Dagobert is reported by myne authour, & also the frenche cro¦nycle besyde other wryters, that an holy ancre or heremyte of Fraunce beynge in his medytacyons, shuld se a company of fendes / whyche beyng in the see shuld haue amonge theym in a bote the soule of Dagobert, and were conueyenge yt towarde payne. But thys spiryte ceasyd not to crye & to call to saynt Denis and his felow¦es for helpe / the whyche lastely came clad in whyte vestymentes & delyue∣red that soule from the paynes of his enymyes, and conueyed it vnto euer¦lastynge ioy / as more at length and wyth more cyrcūstaunce yt ys decla¦red in the bokys beforesayde.