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 .CLXI. CHAPITER.

TRouth yt is that whē the yon¦ger brother Lewys sawe the bountye of his father so largely ex∣tende towarde his two brethern, and to hym nothynge / he was therwyth in his mynde greatly dyscontent, all be yt that for the tyme he kepte yt se∣crete to hym selfe. But when he was departyd from hys father, and retur¦nyd to his owne lordshyppe / he gade¦ryd a myghty power, and began to make warre vpon the dwellers nere about the Ryne. wherfore the empe∣rour wyth a conuenyent power ap∣prochyd vnto the citye of Dodayng / and sent from thens vnto hys sayde sonne wordes of reconcylyacyon / by meane wherof the sayde Lowes put hym holy in the grace of hys father, and was to hym reconcyled without shedynge of mannys blood.

But whyle the emperour was be∣syde at the citye of Cleremoūt in the countye of Auerne, to set a dyreccion amonge the Gascoynes, for opyny∣ons that were reryd amonge theym for the sonne of Pepyn there lately kynge or duke dyscessyd, whyche son as aboue is sayde was also named Pepyn / and there about had taken great payne and labour: thyther to hym tydynges were newly brought, that hys sayde sonne Lewys hadde wyth y^e Saxons or Soysons, & with the Thorynges made alliaunce / and was entryd into Germany, and ther∣in made warre in moste cruell wyse. wyth whyche tydynges Lowis was so greuously passyoned / that to hys great age was by meane of thys vn∣kynde anger, fyxyd a sykenes that lefte hym not whyle he lyued.

After yet thys not wythstandyng /

he lyke a strong hartyd knyght shew¦yd forth a good and comfortable coū¦tenaunce. And after he hadde in kny¦ghtly wyse preparyd all thynge ne∣cessarye to the warre / he spedde hym towarde Almayne, and contynued hys iourney tyll he came vnto Tho∣rynge / where a season he restyd hym and his people tyll he myght be bet∣ter assuryd where his sonne Lewys restyd hym. But the sonne hauynge knowlege of the great power of hys father / and also beynge in despayre of purchasynge of mercy, consyde∣ryng his many offences: fled by the coūtrey of Sclauony, and so by that costes retourned into Bayon or Ba∣uery / and so escapyd the daunger of hys father.

Then the emperoure beyng surely enformyd of the scape of hys sonne / helde on his iourney tyll he came to Magoūce. And after came vnto the cytye of Uermayse / where he called a counsayle of his lordes spyrytuall and temporall, and ordeyned there dyuerse thynges for the state of the empyre. And more entendyd to haue done / but sykenesse increasyd so sore in hym, that by the space of .xl. days he toke no temporall sustenaunce. But in that tyme he vsyd often to take the blessed sacrament / the which as he often sayde, strengthyd bothe the soule and the bodye.

Then he sent for Lothayre to come vnto hym / the whyche wythoute ta∣ryenge obeyed his commaundemēt, and abode styll wyth hym.

Of this Lewys Policronicon ma¦keth a shorte rehersall / and sayth y^• by his fyrste wyfe named Hermyn∣garde, he had .iii. sonnes / Lothayre, Pepyn and Lewys. The fyrst beyng felowe with his father of the empyre, was crowned of pope Pascall vpon an Ester daye / and he was also kyng of Italy. And Pepyn he made duke of Gascoyne and Guyan. And Lew∣ys was made ruler of Bauary.

And by his second wife named In∣dyth and doughter of y^e duke of Bay¦on, he hadde Charlis the Ballyd / to whome he gaue the countrey of Bur¦goyn as the sayd Policronica sayth. And for this Lewys was mylde / he was often troubled of hys own men and of other, tyll he delte wyth them more sharpely and wysely, and ruled the people more straytly.

It is there also shewyd, that when this Lewys had promotyd a yonge man named Frederyke to the see of Utryke / and to hym hadde gyuen sadde and good exhortacyon, that he shuld folowe the stablenes of hys an¦tecessours, and that he shulde pur∣pose the sothe and trouth wythoute excepcyon of persones / and punyshe mysdoers, as well the ryche as the poore: the sayde byshoppe shulde an¦swere to hym and saye, I beseche thy magestye syr emperour to take in pa¦cyence, that I maye dysclose to the that thynge that hath long walowed & turned in my mynde. Say thy ple¦sure sayd the emperour. I praye thy syr emperour shewe me thy mynde / whyther is more accordynge, to at∣tame thys fyshe here presente fyrste at the hedde or at the tayle. The em∣perour answered shortely and sayd, at the hedde the fyshe shall be fyrste attamyd. So yt is lorde emperoure sayd the byshoppe, that crysten fayth maye cause the to cease of thyne er∣roure, that thy subiectes be not bol∣dyd to folowe thy mysdoynge. wher¦fore fyrste forsake thou thy vnlawe∣full wedloke, that thou haste made wyth Indyth thy nere kynnes wo∣man.

By meane of those wordes the kyng was reconcylyd, and lefte the com∣pany of his wyfe, tyll he hadde pur∣chasyd a lycence of the pope. And the

emperour forgaue the sayde byshop all trespassys / but the woman hyred two knyghtes that slewe hym in his vestymentes, when he hadde ended hys masse.

After thys the empresse was falsely accused of wronge cryme, and made a menchon. But the same yere the emperoure delyueryd her from that habyte, when he hadde suffycyently prouyd the sayde cryme to be false.

Then to retorne where I lefte / whā this Lewys had longe lyen in thys agonyous sykenes, and knewe well that he amendyd nothynge / but fe∣blyd more and more / he commaun∣dyd his iewellys to be broughte be∣fore hym. wherof by hys owne hand he haue a parte vnto the chyrche of Rome / and to Lotharius his sonne there presente he gaue his crowne & his sworde / commaundynge hym straytly vppon his blessynge that he shuld haue in honour hys moder In¦dith, & that to Charlis his brother he shulde owe true loue & amyte, & that he shuld hym & his lādes deffende to the vttermoste of his power.

Then the lordes spirituall and tem¦porall, and specyally the archebys∣shoppe of Meaws / made a lamen∣table requeste to the emperoure for his sonne Lewys, that he wolde ac∣cepte hym to his grace and mercye, and to forgyue hym hys insolente and wanton wylde dedys. wherof when the emperour harde / he fell in suche wepynge, that he myghte not speke of a good whyle after.

And when he hadde refrayned hym therof / he remembryd to y^e lordes the many and great benefytes y^t he had done to hym, and the innaturall vn∣kyndnes that the sayd Lewys had a¦gayn shewyd vnto hym / & how often tymes he had perdoned his vnkynd sonnes trespasse. And finally all this not wythstandyng / he was at y^e oure in perfyte charite wyth hym, and for∣gaue hym as he trusted to be forgy∣uen / prayenge the lordes there pre∣sent, and specyally chargynge y^e sayd byshop, that he wold shew vnto hys sayd son that great daunger that he was in agaynst god for the dysplea∣sures done to him / and specially that he was a cause of the abrygement or shortynge of hys dayes.

Then to brynge this story to effect, wherof yf I shuld declare the special tyes therof, wolde aske a longe tyme (for ye shall vnderstand that these .ii. storyes of the great Charlis and of this Lewys, occupye in Frenche of leuys of great scantelyn ouer .lxiiii) wherfore I conclude y^t he dyed lyke a good crysten prynce, when he had ben emperour of Rome and kynge of Fraunce by the terme of .xxvi. yeres / and was buryed wyth great solem∣nyte at Meaws or at Mettis by hys mother Hyldegarde as sayth mays∣ter Robert Gaguyne, in the yere of hys age .lxiiii / leuynge af∣ter hym the foresayde thre sonnes Lothayre, Lew¦ys and Charlys the Ballyd.