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

Francia. THE .CXLIX. CHAPITER.

HIlderic{us} or Chil¦dericus y^e second of that name, & sonne of Theo∣doricus / began his reygne ouer the Frenshemen in y^e yere of our lordes incarnacyon .vii. hūdred and xl / and the .xi. yere of Cutbertus then kynge of westsaxons. Of the whych for his dulnesse and hys other enor∣mytes in hym exercysed / lytle or no thynge of his actes or dedes are put in memorye.

ye haue before in the story of Theo∣doryche, harde of the puyssaunt and stronge dedys of Charlis Martell / the whyche styll durynge his lyfe, cōtynued in great honour, to the great suertye of the realme of Fraūce, and to the great terrour and fere of theyr enymyes / wherof to reherse all the cyrcumstaunce yt wolde occupye a longe tyme. wherfore shortely to con¦clude / lastely after hys manyfolde trauayllys susteyned for the weale of the realme of Fraunce, he dyed / leuynge after hym thre sonnes, that is to wytte Charlemayne, Pepyn, and Gryffon / to the whyche he be∣quethed his possessions and goodes. But for the yongest named Gryffon helde hym not contentyd wyth suche bequest as hys father to hym gaue / he therfore made warre vppon hys other two bretherne. The whyche be¦haued theym so wysely / that wyth∣out notable batayll, they toke theyr sayde brother, and putte hym in a safe kepynge. And that done / the sayde two bretherne assemblyd theyr knyghtes, and spedde theym agayn Hanualde duke of Guyan, then re∣bellyng agayn the crown of Fraūce. The whych duke with the countrey, they brought vnder theyr fyrste obey¦saunce. After the whyche victorye of the sayde coūtrey obteyned, the sayd two bretherne spedde them to the cy¦tye of Poytyers, where they by ad∣uyse of the nobles of the lande, con∣syderynge the vnablenesse of Hilde∣ryche y^e kynge, that he was vnsuffy∣cyent to rule so great a charge / dy∣uyded the lande of Fraunce betwene theym. So that eyther of them shuld

vnder the kynge, rule and gouerne suche porcyon as then there was to them appoynted.

After the whyche porcyon Charl∣mayne herynge of the dyuysyon and stryfe amonge the Almaynes / as thynge belongynge to hys charge, spedde hym thyther in all haste. And after a parte of that countrey wastyd and spoylyd / and dyuerse of theyr stronge holdys caste playne wyth the erthe / he brought theym to due subieccyon.

And soone after he went agayne the Bauarys / y^e whyche by his knyghte¦ly strength, he appeased in lykewyse. In all whyche tyme and season / Pe∣pyn hys brother was occupyed in defendynge of the other partyes of Fraunce.

Then this foresayde Charlmayne steryd by dyuyne inspyracyon, or as some authours meane, as he before tyme hadde auowyd / sodeynely re∣nouncyd and gaue ouer all worlde∣ly prosperyte and domynyon, and with pure deuocyon yode to Rome. where of the pope then named za∣charias / he wyth all honour and ioy was receyuyd, and of hym shorne a munke, and dwelled a season in an abbaye of hym selfe buylded in the mounte Sarapte. But for he sawe that dayly drewe to hym many great lordes of Fraunce / by meane wher∣of he was lette from hys dyuyne ser∣uyce and contemplacyon: he ther∣fore yode thens to the mounte Cas∣syne, & there endyd his naturall lyfe.

After whose thus departynge or gyuynge ouer of the sayde Charle∣mayne / Pepyn as onely ruler, toke vppon hym the charge of the hole realme.

In thys passe tyme Gryffon the yonger brother was enlargyd from prysone / and by fauoure of hys bre∣therne was assygned to suche posses∣syons, as to hym was demed suffy∣cyent to lede an honorable lyfe.

How be yt when he sawe that hys brother Pepyn hadde all the rule and he nothynge: he dysdayned hys sayde brother / and thoughte no len∣ger to contynue in that maner, but to be partener of the rule of the lande as Charlemayne hys brother hadde ben. And this to brynge to hys pur∣pose, he fledde vnto the Saxons, whyche as after shall appere were na¦med Normans. And with the prynce of theym made alyaunce / so that wyth theyr ayde he mouyd warre a∣gayne his brother, and assembled a stronge hoste. wherof Pepyn be∣ynge warnyd, gaderyd hys people / and passynge thorow came to the ry¦uer of Sunaha, or after the latyne tonge Smussaha / and Gryffon sped hym tyll he came to a ryuer called Onacre.

whē these .ii. hostes were thus nere, meanes of treatye were soughte on both partyes. Durynge whych com¦munycacyon / Gryffon hauynge sus¦speccyon to the Saxons that were on his parte, leste they wold betraye hym and yelde hym into the handes of his brother, made for that tyme a sleyght agrement / and shortly after departyd from the sayd Saxōs, and fled to the Bauarys or into Bayon. where he allyeng hym wyth dyuerse nobles and barons of Fraunce / ve∣xyd and distourbed sore the duke and lorde of that countrey called Tassy∣lon / and lastly dysceasyd hym of that lordshyppe. wherof Pepyn beynge warned, spedde hym thyther wyth great strength / and so bare hym that he had the better of his brother, and restoryd the sayd Tassylon vnto his right / & after retourned into Fraūce, ledynge wyth hym his brother Gryf∣fon as his prysoner.

But ye was not long after, that by

medyatours the sayde Gryffon was reconcilyd to his brother. And for he shuld be cōtent & haue no more cause to vary with his broder, there was as¦sygned to hym, as wytnessyth y^e frēch cronicle and other, xii. erldomes with in the realme of Fraunce. wyth the whyche bounteous gyfte he not be¦ynge cōtente / the selfe same yere fled vnto y^e duke of Guyan named Gayf∣fer / and wyth hym newly conspyred agayne his sayde brother. But laste∣ly he was there slayne as after shall appere.

Pepyn then consyderynge in hys mynde in what daunger and trouble hys father before hym had ruled the lande, & he now for his tyme in lyke agony and trouble / and the kynge, to whome belonged all the charge, kepte hys paleys & folowed all his delytes and pleasures, wythoute ta∣kynge of any payne / wherfore con∣syderynge the premysses, & for a re∣formacyon of the same: sent hys am¦bassade to the pope then beynge za∣charye before named, askyng hys ad¦uyse, whether yt was more necessa∣ry or welfull for the realme of Fraūce that he shulde be admytted for kyng that dyd nothynge but applye hys mynde to all pleasure of hys bodye, wythout cure or charge takynge vp∣pon hym for the guydynge of the lande and the people of the same / or he that toke upon him all the charge and payne, in defence of the lande, and kepynge of the people in due sub¦ieccyon. To this the pope answeryd and wrote vnto Pepyn, that he was beste worthy and moste profytable for the realme to be admyttyd for kynge, that ruled well the comynal∣tye by iustyce and prudence, and the enymyes therof defendyth and sub∣dueth by his polycy and manhode. The whyche answere thus receyued frome the pope, and declared vnto the lordes and barons of the realme: anone they of one assente and mynde procedyd and went to the deposynge and puttynge downe of theyr kynge and gouernour Hylderyche. And in shorte space after closyd hym in a mo¦nastery or house of relygyon, when he hadde ben occupyer of a kynges rome by the name onely .x. yeres. And that done, the Frenche men ele∣ctyd and chase Pepyn for theyr soue¦rayne and kynge.

In the whyche Hilderyche or Chil¦derych endyd the lyfe or progeny of Meroneus / of whome the Frenche kynges lynyally descendyd by conty¦nuaunce of tyme as foloweth.

Meroneus.

x. yeres.

Childericus

xxiiii. yeres.

ii. yeres.

Clodoueus

xxx. yeres.

xvi. yeres.

iii. yeres.

Dagobertus

xiiii. yeres.

xi. yeres.

Clodoueus

xxx. yeres.

xvi. yeres.

iii. yeres.

Clotharius

iiii. yeres.

Theodoricus

iii. yeres.

xiiii. yeres.

xix. yeres

Childericus

xxiiii. yeres.

ii. yeres.

Lotharius

l. yeres.

xliii. yeres.

Chilpericus

xxiiii. yeres.

Lotharius

l. yeres.

xliii. yeres.

Clodoueus

xxx. yeres.

xvi. yeres.

iii. yeres.

Childebertus

xvii. yeres.

Dagobertus

xiiii. yeres.

xi. yeres.

Danyel

v. yeres.

Theodoricus

iii. yeres.

xiiii. yeres.

xix. yeres

Theodoricus

iii. yeres.

xiiii. yeres.

xix. yeres

Hildericus

x. yeres