Prolicionycion [sic]

¶ Capitulum xij /

HArdecnutus come in to englonde / and regned thre yere / But he dyde right nought that he was worthy to be praised fore / for anon he sente alfrycus archebisshop of york with good∣wyn to london / & made take vp kynge heraldes body / oute of the erthe / & for wreche of the wronges that herald had done to his mo¦der / he made smyte of heraldes hede that was dede byfore / & throw the body in to temse / but afterward fysshers founde the bodye / & buryed it couenably / Also hardecuntus made to pay to euery ro¦wer of his nauey eyght marc of syluer of the tribute of thempy¦re of englonde / And putte al the rule and gouernaunce of his kyngdome vpon the wytte and counseyll of Goodwyn / & of his owne moder / whan this kyng putte all themperial trybute vpon Englysshe men / tweyne of the kynges mynystres that were assē∣tynge to that dede were slayne at wyrcetre / therfore that Cyte was destroyed / & sette on fyre / ¶ Willelmus de re / li / 2 / Also this kynge maryed his fayrest syster gunnylda to harry thempe∣rour / gunnylda was the doughter of Canutus and of Emma / and was byfore wowed of many greete wowers in hir faders tyme / ¶Whanne she hadde be longe tyme with her husband / she was accused of spouse brekynge / Than hir nory that she hadde brought with hyr oute of Englonde putte hym to fyghte in that quarele with hym that had tolde that fals tale / though that tale teller was as grete as a geaunt / they fought to gyder / and gun nyldas nory carf the fals pelours hamme / and had hym down· & so by vertu of god he had the maystrye / than gunnylda beganne to hep and daunce for ioye / and forsoke hir husband for euer mo¦re / & wolde neuer after come in his bedde for no mannes prayer / but she toke the hooly veyle and bycam a nonne / Hen / li / 6 / & mar / In this heraldes tyme elfrede / & edward the sones of kyng egelred{us} & of emma aft{er} that they had long dwellid in normādye they toke with hem many knyghtes of normandy & come to speke

with her moder at wynchestre / Than goodwyn caste to mary his doughter to edward / as to the sympler & yonger of the tweyn & supposed that the elder broder wolde despyse suche a maryage / & goodwyn warned the lordes of Englond / & sayde that it was not seker that ony man shold brynge in to the lande / so many mē of Straūge / & gileful nacion / & therfor they that were comin must pay the peyne / For of. the normans / that were brought forth / he slough alwey ix / & kepte the tenthe / & yet hym thought that the tythyng were to many lefte· and tythed efte the tythynge•• / In this maner he fastned the endes of guttes to stakes that were a∣rered and pyght in the grounde / and ledde the lodyes aboute the stakes till the last endes of the guttes come oute / Elfreduc was sente to Ely after his blyndynesse but fewe dayes / Whan emma herde that she sente her sone Edward hastyly in normandy / Ther after Goodwyn was blamed of hardecunt{us} the kyng & of other lordes for these dedes / ¶ Thenne he sware that he dyde neuer suche dedes / But as he was compellyd by strengthe of kyng harald / whan Conradus the first was dede / the seconde har¦ry that had wedded his doughter was emperour after hym / Of hym be wondres redde both byfore & after in this book· he regned xvij / yere / he put al mynstrals oute of his court / & yaue to pore men al that he was wonte to yeue to mynstrals byfore / W / de re / li / 2 / Also he had a syster that was a nonne / & loued hir so moch that he myght not suffre hir out of his companye / On a tyme a clerk of the court had layne by hir al nyght vnto the morow ty¦de / and the erthe was heled al with snow / they toke hem to re∣de / And the clerke made hir to bere hym on hir bakk oute of the court / the kyng aroos to pysse / and sawe that doynge / and hel∣de his pees till a bisshopryche was voyde / and thenne he yaue the clerk that bisshopryche / & sayd loke that thou neuer after this ri∣de more vpon a womans rydge / Therafter voyded an abbaye of menchons / and he yaue it to his syster / & sayd take this / & looke thou neu{er} bere clerk more ridyng on thy bak / they were thus espy¦ed / & absteyned afterwarde / Also on a tyme this emperour wēt vpon a sonday that is callid quinquagesima pryuatly for to bere a masse in a chapel besydes a forest· There seruyd ryght a fowle preest / therfor the kynge bythought and wondred in his herte / why god that is so fayr wold suffre soo foule a creature come ny∣ghe / & handle his sacramentis / whan the verse of the tracte was songen / S••itote quoniā domin{us} ipse est deus / that is wyte ye that

our lord is god / the preest loked on themperour / as it were bla••¦mynge the defaute of his clerc / and sayd Ipse fecit nos / et non ipsi nos / that is he made vs / and not we our self / The Empe∣rour was meoued by that sawe / and made that preest a Bisshop sone after / This preest made the place and the gree honeste with good maner of lyuyng / For a ryche man had lad awey a nōne and he departed him from hyr / and restored the nonne to hyr ab∣bay ageyne / And afterward this ryche man fylle in to synne / & cursed hym with all that come in his company / & thenne he dwel∣lyd in his owne orcharde to his last sekenesse / and thēne he pray∣de the bisshop that he wold hym assoylle / the bisshop answerde / & sayd / yf that cursyd man wol leue that cursed woman / he shal be assoyled / and yf he wol not this day a twelue moneth the sa∣me hour whanne I shal dye / he shal dye and answer for his de∣des byfore the hyghest god / and so it was done / For they dyed bothe the same daye a twellyf moneth / the same kyng had in his chappel a clerk / that had grete connynge in scrypture / and a fa∣yre wys / but the clerke was lecherous / the Emperour bade hym on a day rede the gospel / & he wold not / for he had defouled him self with a strompette the nyght to fore / thenne the Emperour sa∣yde / owther rede the gospel owther forsake my lande / Anone he trussed his fardels / and arayd hym for to goo / The Emperour hadde charged his seruauntes that they sholde go after hym pri∣uately / and yf he wolde be a goo / they sholde brynge hym ageyne Whanne that was done the kynge sayde to hym I am gladde of thy goodnesse / that thou draddest more god than the losynge of thyne owne countrey / and the wrath of heuen more than my ma∣nace / therfore forsake the woode loue that thou vsyst / and I shall make the a bisshop / Also whyle this harry was yonge in Con∣radus hows / he toke of one a pype of syluer / suche as children v∣se for to playe with / and he promysed that clerke a bisshopryche for that pype / whan he were Emperour / Atte laste he was em∣perour / and the clerk axyd & had that was promysed hym / Sone after themperour was smyten with a greuous sekenesse / soo that thre dayes he felte noo thynge / nowther tasted mete ne drynke / Atte laste by prayers of goode men / that stode aboute hym / he caught breth / and sente for the clerke that was so auaū∣ced / and deposed hym by dome of counseylle / and knouleched / that he was al tho thre dayes tormented with fendes / that cast on hym wonder hoote brennyng lye / thurgh the same pype / ¶ In

comparyson of that lye oure fyre is as it were temperatly war∣me / But ther come a yonglyng with a golden chalis ful of wa∣ter / and quenched the same heete with spryngyng of water He sayd that saynt laurence was that yonglyng / Seynt lauren∣ces chirche was al to falle for elde and feblenesse / and defawte of helpe / And the emperour had amended the chirche / and yeuen therto a chalys / Mar / In this henryes tyme was grete stryf in the chirche of Rome / for thre men were chosen popes at ones / And a preest callyd gracianus yaue money / and had the pope∣ryche / but this harry cam to Rome to cesse that stryf / Gracia¦nus profered hym a crowne of gold / but for al that he was con∣uycte of Symony / and deposed / and another made pope / Also in this Emperours tyme pallas bodye the Geaunt was founden at Rome hole and sound withoute rotyng wyth a chyn of a woūde-of four fote longe and an half / his bodye in lengthe passed the heyght of the walles of Rome / ¶At his heede was a lanterne brennynge that myght not be quenchyd with blast neyther with moysture / er the eyer cā in at a lytle hole / that / was made vnder the leite / On his tōbe were these two versus wretō / Pallas euan¦dres sonne / whom with his spere turnus / That knyght dyde to deth in his wyse lyeth here / ¶ Willelmus de Regibus libro 1 / I trowe not that these versus were made in latyn whanne that geaunt was buryed / though Cārmentus euandres moder hadde founde byfore lettres of latyn / But I trowe rather / that they were afterward made of Ennio / owther of somme other poete / But in tyme after that the bodye was bysprongen with water / it roted as other bodyes doo / and the senewes were fallen and the skynne also