The chronicle of Ihon Hardyng in metre, fro[m] the first begynnyng of Engla[n]de, vnto ye reigne of Edwarde ye fourth where he made an end of his chronicle. And from yt time is added with a co[n]tinuacion of the storie in prose to this our tyme, now first emprinted, gathered out of diuerse and sondrie autours of moste certain knowelage [et] substanciall credit, yt either in latin orels in our mother toungue haue writen of ye affaires of Englande.

The .C .xli. Chapiter.

¶ Iohn kyng of Englande, duke of Normandy and Guyan 〈◊〉〈◊〉 erle of Angeou, began to reygne the yere. M .CC. and .iiii. and reigned .xvii. yere and died the yere. M .CC .xxi.

HIs brother Iohn, was kyng then of En∣glande * 1.1 And crouned was, at westminster ful faire By all estates and lordes of his lande And sone therafter deuorced, full vnfayre From his wife wedded, that there afore was heyre Vnto therle of Gloucestre full wyse That sonnes had, that tyme of great enterprise

¶ For cause of whiche, and of consanguinitye Deuorce was made, and toke another wyfe Dame Isabell, therles doughter fayre and free Of Englande, and his heyre knowen ryfe Whiche after made hym ful great warre & stryfe For she was wyfe, of Hugh Brune of Toreyn The Viscount then, toke fro hym a virgyne.

¶ Wherfore Hugh Brune, nomore of hym wolde hold But warred hym, on euery side aboute Tyll he hym toke, with other many folde And slewe theim all, were thei neuer so stoute In his first yere, a taxe he tooke full out

Of eche plough land thre shyllynges fully payed For whiche the people bitterly for hym prayed

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ihōkyng of Eng∣lande.