Prolicionycion [sic]

Capitulum 7

THan Athelstans brother Edmundus biganne to regne in his twenty yere of age / and regned aboute seuen yere / and bygate on his quene Elgina twey sonnes / Edwyn and Edgar the pesyble / ¶Willelmus de Regibus libro secundo / ¶ In this Edwyns tyme the northumbres rebellyd and sente for An¦laf oute of Irlond / But kynge Edmund ouercome hym / And Reynold gurmundus sonne / and outlawed hem and toke nor∣thumberbond to his owne lordship / And bete doune Combreland that was rebell and yaf it to malcolyn kyng of Scotlande / Soo that he shulde helpe hym in euery place where he were / ¶R •• It semeth that in this iourneye / kynge Edmond toke with hym the boones of Colfrydus the abbot / and of hylda thabbesse / and brought hem to glastenbury / ¶ Alfrydus sayth / and marianus also / that the kynge in the seuenth yere of his kyngdome wolde delyuer his sewer oute of his enemyes handes / and was slayne of hem right there at pulkerchirche ¶But Willelmus de Regi∣bus libro secundo / sayth that the kynge was at a feste at Pulker churche / on seynt austyns day and he sawe one leof / a theef / that he hadde exyled for his trespas / sitte there at mete amonge other men / And the kynge lepte ouer the borde / and toke the theef by the hee•• / and threwe hym to grounde / and the theef gloton with his knyf rente oute the kynges bowels / Than the theef bytwene the handes of hem that made noyse and crye / wounded & slough many men / and was alto bakked of knyghtes and of other men ¶ After martyn the seconde Agapitus was pope six yere / That yere lowys the kynge of Fraūce / the sonne of Charles made wil∣liam longa spa••a be slayn gylefully the second duc of normandye the sonne of Rollo Therfor the lordes of normandy▪ were wroth and toke the kyng and helde hym in Rothomage / till that he had promysed and sworne that he sholde yelde normandy to Rychard

duc wili••ms sonne / And that ••uer after that tyme / in euery spe¦che / whanne the kynge and the duc spak to gyder / the duc sholde be gyrde with a swerde / and the kynge shold neyther ••ere swerde ne knyf / After this ducwyliams yonge sonne Rychard was duc / And yet whyle this Rychard was yonge / he was callyd ri¦chard the olde / and withoute drede / for he dradde neuer / he was duc of normandye two and fyfty yere / and come to his duchery by harde trauaylle and grete / and on his wyf gunnora a dane / he bygate fyue sonnes and twey doughters / The fyrste was cal∣lyd Emma / and was the flour of normandy / Hir fader mary∣ed hyr to Etheldredus kynge of Englonde / This duc Rychard vsed to bydde his bedes in euery chirche / that he come by / and na¦mely withoute / yf he myght not come in to the chirche / On a nyght he cam in to a chirche allone / and foūde a Corps ly•• ther•• on a bere / and no man therwith / while he hade his bedes / be laid his gloues on a deske / and forgate hem there / and wente on his weye / Thenne the dede man aroos with a grete noyse / and spr••d his armes in the chirche dore ayenste the duc / The duc made the signe of the crosse in his forheede with his thombe / and coniured the dede man that he shold reste. But al for nought / for it wolde not be / Than the duc with his swerde smote the corps in twey / and by thought hym whan he was oute / that he hadde forgeten his gloues / Than he torned ayene and fett his gloues / After∣ward he ordeyned in al his lande / that aboute a dede corps sholde be a watche al the nyght longe / ¶ It happeth that a monke of saynt Ando••nus of Rothomage wolde on a nyght go to his lem¦man / and fyll downe of a brydge in to a water / and was drow¦ned / Than for his soule was stryf bytwene an Aungel and a fende / And eyther of hem put the cause vppon duc Rycharde•• do∣me / And he yaue suche a dome / that the soule sholde be restored ayene to the body / and the bodye sholde be sette on the brydge / of the whiche he hadde fallen· And yf he wente than to doo that syn∣ne / he sholde be dampned / and ellys he sholde be saued / whanne this was doo the monke fledde to chirche / The duc wente on the morowe to the same chirche / and fonde the monkes clothes yet al wete / and tolde thabbot of the place / that dede that was bifalle Whanne the duc / and Gunnora hadde longe lyued in dishonest•• lyf / the peple spak moche therof· And the duc by counseyll of the peple wedded hir atte laste / Than the fyrst nyght after the wed∣dynge / whanne they come to bedde / whether it were in game or in

ernest / gunnora torned hir bakke & hir buttoks toward the duc as she had neuer byfore done / me axyd of hir why she dyde soo / for now fyrst sayd she I may doo what / me lyketh / Also this duc waxe seke vpon a tyme / and made hym a grete chyste & fylled it ful of whete and deled it to poure men energy fryday to his lyues ende / Henr / Edmond kyng of Englond toke & wan oute of the danes handes that were paynyms fyue noble cytees / lyncoln / no¦tingham / derby / stafford and legecestre. he toke fro hem these Cy¦tees in that they were paynyms / and caused these cytees to be of ryght byleue / For he receyued anlaf of the cold water / Anlaf was cristened more by strength than by preching of goddes wor¦de / Also ordeyned and made ordenaunces / & amended what shold be amended by counseyll of dunstan / & made the abbay of glas∣tenbury / noble in cataylle / & in monkes / R / As it is sayd byfore atte last he dyed at pulkerchirche & was buryed at glastenbury ¶ Marianus libro secundo