Prolicionycion [sic]

¶ Capitulum 4 /

EDward the elder by his surname regned after his fader four and twenty yere / he was lower than his fader in worshiy of lettrure and hygher than he in wordly ioye / and worshippe / For he buylde newe Cytees / & repayred citees that were apayred / And spradde the endes of his kyngdome wydder than dyde his fader / He made the kynges of Scottes of Cumbres and of walsshmen to yelde hem to hym / He wanne Essex / Northumberlonde and mercia with strengthe oute of the handes of the danes / & hadde al mercia after the deth of his sus∣ter Elfleda / ¶ On his fyrst wyf Egwyna he gate his ol∣dest soune Edelstan / On quene Edgyna he gate Edredus and Edwynus and seuen doughters / he maryed one of hem to Otho the Emperour / and another to Charles / kynge of weste Fraunce / and the thyrdde to Sythyrycus duc of northumberlond

¶ Willelmus de Regibus libro secundo / On his thyrd wyf

Ethelswyda / he bygate Edmonde / and Edrede / Eyther of hem regned after her broder ethelstan / he bygate also two dough¦ters / Seynt Edburgh that was sacred· to God / and restyth at wynchestre / ¶ And Edgyna the fayr that was maryed to lowys kynge of guyan / ¶ Also this made his sonnes ler¦ne lettrure / and he made hys doughters fyrste lerne lettrure / And after that he made hem vse the nylde and the dystaf / Willelmus de pontificibus libro secundo / Of this mayde Edbur¦ga it is redde / that whan she was thre yere olde / hir fader wolde wytte & essay whether she wolde tourne to God / owther to the worlde / and leyde in that one syde of his chambre many ••ay•• I••∣wels and dyuers and greete Ryches / And on that other syde chalyce and gospels / Than in another place he p••tt besauntes broches and rynges / thanne the noryce brought forth the chyld And the childe was boden chese / and take what she wolde / and she crepte on honde and on foote / and toke the gospel / Than the fader kyssed the childe / and sayd goo thyder as god clepe•••• the / sewe hym with a gracious foote that ledeth the And soo ther after she was made nonne / kynges bloode neuer made her tor¦ne aweywarde / But she wolde take the shoes of her sustres pry¦uely bx nyghte and wasshe hem / and smere hem / and brynge hem pryuely ageyne / that sygnefyed mekenes /

After Iohan the fourthe Benette was pope thre yere. Also that yere seynt Gyrmbald the Confessour that was kyng Aluredus techer dyed at wynchestre / ¶ That yere plegmundus the Archebisshop of the Cyte of dorob••rnia / that is Caunterbury / ordeyned seuen bisshops to the chirches of Englonde / Fyue to the lande of guyseyes / that be westsaxons / one at wynchestre / one at Cornewayle / one at Shirburn / one at welles / one at kyrton / Also amonge the southsaxons one / And in mercia one at Dor∣kyngam that is Dorchestre besydes Oxenford. /

For formosus the pope hadde yeuen his cours to kynge Edward and to Englysshmen by cause of scarsete of Bisshops in her lon∣de that hadde be bisshoples seuen yere to geder /

That yere breede fayled in Irlonde / For wormes that were twey tothed / and lyke to wontes fylle doune fro heuene / and ete the breede corne / But the wormes were done aweye by prayenge and fastynge / . ¶ Clyto Ethelwoldus kynge edwardes ••ames sonne / roo•• or rebellyd ayenst the kyng

and occupyed the cyte of wynburn besides bath and sayd that he wolde haue the maystrye owther dye there / But he rauesshyd & toke with hym a nonne of thabbaye of wynburn & wente thens to the danes of northumberlond & prayde hem of helpe / But the kynge pursued hym soo strongly that he forsoke Englond / and fled in to Fraunce / But the kynge brought with hym the nonne ageyn / and restored her to her abbay / ¶ But the same yere Ethelwulfus come ageyne with shippes in grete aray / & toke with hym the danes that dwellyd in eeste englond and assayled and destroyed al that he myght fynde vnto Crekanford / that is cryklade / thenne he passed temse / and spoylled and robbed the lon¦de Bradenestok / and soo he wente ayene to eestenglond / that con¦teyneth northfolk / and southfolk / as it is sayd byfore ofte tyme The kyng folowed after and destroyed and spoylled the londe of his enemyes from the Ryuer ous to the boundes of seynt edmun∣des lande / And badde his men that none of hem sholde abyde be∣hynde / but the kentysshmen forgendryd the kynges heest / and a∣bode there / and were slayne nygh all of the danes / many were slayne on eyther syde / ¶ But clyto ethelwoldus was slayn amonge his enemyes / than the danes sawe that kynge Edward myght not be ouercome and made pees with hym / After bene•• hee fyfthe leo was pope twey monethes / For his prest crystofor prysonned hym and toke the papasye so / by maystry / but he was cast oute after the fourth moneth / the fourth Sergius putt oute crystofor / and was pope ther after seuen yere / Somtyme he was deken cardynal / and reprouyd of Formosus the pope / and wente to Frensshmen / by helpe of hem he prisoned crystofer that gate th•• poperyche / and helde it by strengthe / and than he hym self occupy∣ed the poperyche / & in wreche of his puttyng / he made men take vp Formosus the pope oute of his graue / and smyte of his heede / & threw the body in to Tyber / But atte laste fysshers founde the bo¦dy and brought it to seynt peters chirche & the ymages of hooly sayntes dyd that body grete reuerence and worship in his comyng That yere the cyte Caerleon that is legec••stria that now is callid chestre / after that it was destroyed by the danes / it was restored ageyne by helpe of etheldredus duc of mercia and of his wyf e••¦fleda / that cyte than was closed aboute with newe walles / and made nyghe suche two as it was byfore ¶ Soo that the castel was somtyme by the water / withoute the walles is now in the toun within the walles / Ranulphus / Kyng edward buyld

a castel at herford / That tyme was thabbay of cluny founded of wyliam the mylde prynce of burgoyn / the fyrste abbot of that place was seynt odo the second mayclus / Wi / de p / li / 4 / Seyth that fyrste the monkes of that place were ryche in the world / & and of clere Relygyon in god / That tyme etheldredus duc of mercia / & his wyf elfleda translated •• the bones of seynt oswald the kynge from bardeny to gloucestre / there they buyld an abbay in worship of seynt peter