Prolicionycion [sic]

¶ Incipit Liber sextus (Book 6)

¶ Capitulum primum /

ALuredus the fourth brother of byrthe / was euer holden behynde whyle his bretheren reg¦ned / But he had after hem the hoole kynge∣dome of westsaxons nyne and twenty yere / And ruled it nobly / but with grete trauail

Here take heede of his begynnynge of his forth goynge / and of his last ende / For A¦luredus was fayre of shappe / and more loued of fader and mo∣der than his other bretheren / and dwellyd in his faders courte to the yere of his age twelue / and was not yet lettred / yet after that the chylde lerned ryght wele / and helde saxon poesy•• in mynde / He passed other men in crafte of huntynge / and was a subtyll maister of buildynge and of other werkes / he gadred psalmes and orysons to gyder in a lytel book / and called the book manuel that is an hand booke / he hadde that book with him alwey / He was but a symple Gramaryon / for that tyme was not one techer of gramer in al his kyngdom / Therfor by counseyl of neo∣tus the abbott / whome he vysyted ryght ofte / he was the fyrste that ordeyned comyn scole at oxenford of dyuers artes and sey¦ences / and procured fredome and pryueleges in many articles to that Cyte / he suffred noman to take degre or ordre / to what ma∣ner dygnyte of holy chirche / but he were wel lettred / he tourned the beste lawes in to englyssh tong / Atte last he auentred him to translate the sawter in to Englysshe / But he translated vnneth the fyrste part byfore his deth / whanne he come to age and wolde stable his hert and his thought in goddes heestes / the lechery of his flessh greuyd hym and lette hym of••e tyme / therfor to putte awey temptacion of flesshely lykynge / he wente and vysyted oft temples of hooly sayntes erly and late / and at cokkes crowyng and prayd god that he wolde chastyse his flessh with suche a seke¦nesse that he sholde not be vnprofytable to worldly dedes / and that he myght the more frely serue god almyghty / At goddes or∣denaunce he had many yere the euyl called Fycus ¶Atte laste∣he was out of hoope to be heeled and wente in to Cornewayle to to seynt suerons chirche / there seynt neotus resteth / owther for to ceese owther for to chaunge it ¶ R But somme men saye that seynt modwenna / the yrysshe mayde heled hym of that euyll /

Atte last whanne he had his wyll / a wors euyll toke hym in his wedded tyme / and greued hym wel more from his twenty yere / to his fyue and fourty yere / his quene ethelswyda bare hym / ij / sonnes / Edward the elder / and egelward / And thre doughters Elfleda lady of mercia / ethelgota a menchon and elf••yda and he made hem alle lerne gramer and other fre artes and scyences / Than aluredus yeuer of almes herer of masses / sought besyly loo¦re of arte & of craftees that he knewe not & sent after seynt gyrm¦bald the monk a connyng man of letture & of song and prayde hym to come to hym oute of fraunce in to englond / Also he sente for Iohan monke of seynt dauid abbaye in meuenia to come to hym oute of wales to teche hym clergye / he exyted and comfor∣ted the lordes of his lond to lerne letture ānd clergye / so that they shold sette theyr children to scole / and yf they had no childer / they shold graūte her bonde men fredome / and sette hem to scole / yf they had good wytte and were able to lerne / he enquyred and ••spyed besyly the doynge and dedes of his offycers and seruauntes / and namely of Iugges and of domesmen / And yf he myght vnder∣stande that they erryd or dyde amysse / whether it were for vncon∣nynge or for couetise / he put them oute of offyce / ¶ Also he made Werfredus Bisshop of worsetre translate in to Saxon speche gregoryes bookes dyalogus Will / de Regibus libro pri¦mo / He departed in thre alle that he myght spende / and yet he departed the fyrst part in thre / For the twey partyes of the kyn∣ges ministres were at home for to ordeyne for homly thynges / In the thyrdde moneth euery partye and companye of his hows∣holde shuld serue byfore hym / he assygned the second part of this fyrst part to dyuers werkmen that gadred oute of euery syde / The thyrd pa••te he deled to comers and straungers / Than the se∣cond chyef parte of that he myght spende / he departed in foure / The fyrst part therof he yaue to poure men / and nedy / the second•• to foundynge of abbayes / the thyrd to scolers of oxenford that were gadred and shuld be gadred there / & the fourth parte to a∣mendyng of chirches / and for he wolde weye his owne lif a right he departed in thre the four and twenty howres of the day and nyght / and spende eyght therof in wrytynge and redynge and byddyng of bedes / eyght aboute his bodyly nedes / & eyght about nedes of the kyngdome / And to departe thes howres redyly / h•• sette a candel in his chapel of four and twenty partyes & shold be warned by them that were ordeyned therfore / as ofte as ony of

thylke four and twenty were spente / After the moneth of his kyngdome he fought with the danes at wyl̄ton with grete harme of both the hoostes / For englissmen were destroyed with eyght ba¦tayllis in one yere and were moche febled / therfore engli••shm••n made that yere pees with the danes on the coneuaunt / that they shold wende from hem / and so they dyde / for that yere they dwel¦lid at london / and the nexte yere after at lindesaye / And the mer¦ces made pees with the danes also at that tyme / but in the thirde yere the danes brake the pees / and wente oute of lind••seye to R••∣••yndon Charles the elder the third lowes broder toke the weye to Rome whanne his broder was dede / and was crowned Empe¦rour of pope Iohan and regned two yere / For whyles he ordey¦ned at papye for the comune prouffyt of the Empyre / he herde of the comynge of charlemayne / that was his owne broders sonne And his herte byganne to falle for drede / and wente towarde Fraunce / and deide amonge the grete hilles / called the Alpes / After hym his sonne lowys balbus regned two yere / After him Charles the yonger that was called grossus / that is grete / the so¦ne of the thirde lowys regned ten yere / That yere the danes lef••e lindeseye and cam to Rependon / there they putte oute burdredus kynge of mercia / and bitoke the kyngdom to one Colwulfus / that was Burdredus seruaunt vpon suche a condicion / that they sholde haue the kingdome ayene whanne they wolde / But after thre yere they departed somme of the kyngdome bitwene hem / & somme they lefte to colwulfus / and this Colwulfus was the last kyng of mercia / ¶After his deth Aluredus ioyned lon∣don first / & Colwulfus part to his owne kyngdome / Also that yere the danes cam ofte to Rependon / and the men of hamburgh that is fyue myle fro Rependon were wonder soore a∣ferd and toke the body of seynt werburgh the mayde that hadde long tyme ley buryed there / & was alwey hool & soūde / vnto that tyme & translated her to chestre as to a seker place / ¶Also that yere kynge Aluredus made pees with the danes and they slough the kynges horsmen al in one nyght ¶Therfore the kynge was meoued and chaced hem vnto chestre / And the danes delyuerd and yaue efte pledges and dwellyd a yere there / ¶ Henricus libro quinto / That yere Rollo the dane cam fyrst in to normandye and regned there fourty yere / ¶Willelmus de Regibus libro / 2 / First one hastynges and than Rollo noricus / that is a dane that had no countrey of his owne / but by heste of the kynge / he ••xyted

mysdo••••s that coneyted other mennes goddes and catayls and brought hem in grete hoope of grete wynnyng and led hem with him and warryd on lond and on see from brittyssh occean vn¦to the see called mare tirenum / that is the see that stretcheth to yta¦ly / thenne he come to Carnotum / there the Cy••eseyns trust not on her walles nowther on her strength / but they toke our lady smoc¦ke that charles the balled had brought with other relyques out of constantinople and sette the smocke vpon a pynacle / as it we¦re a baner / the enemyes scorned the smock / ands hotten ther at & were smyten with blyndenes / but Roll escaped and occupyed Ro¦thomage the yere of oure lorde eyght honderd / lxxvij / that was one yere byfore the deth of charles the balled / his sonne Lo¦wys ouercome the normans but he put hem not oute· And Char¦les simplex otherwyse callyd Grossus / this lowys broder and neuew to charles the balled was oft ouersette in batayllis with Rollo / and toke counseyl atte laste / and acorded with Rollo· soo that he sholde be cristened and knowlege that he helde n••omādye & Armorica / that is lytel britayne of the kynge of Fraunce as of the chyef lorde / whanne that was doo men that stode by coun∣seylled rollo that he sholde kysse the kynges feete that yafe hym suche a yefte / But he hadde indignacion & was to prowde to falle downe on his knees / but toke vp the kynges foote to his mouth soo that he threwe the kynge vpright / For that hap normans be∣ganne to laugh & the frensshmen waxe right wroth / Rollo excu∣syd hym of that boystous dede / & alledged the manere and vsa¦ge of his countreye Thanne Rollo wente ayene to Rotomage / & ordeyned for his catell and thynges / & deyde sone therafter /

¶ Capitulum secundum /

LOwys balbus regned in Fraunce two yere / In his first yere the danes sailed from warham towarde ••xcestre / and lost ••••x score shippes in a tempeste of the see / But somme of the danes occupyed the Royal Cyte Chypenham and the countreye about / and chaced awey many englysshemen / owther made them subgette / In the meschyef of that tyme king aluredus with fewe men ledde vncertayne and vnnesy lyf in the wode countreyes of Somersete / For he had right nought to lyue by / but what he

myghte wynne by prayes / owther with huntyng / owther with fyss••yng•• / ¶ On a tyme whyle his felawes were a fysshynge / and he comforted his vncertayn and vnstidfast lyf with comfort of ••okes / ¶ A pylgrym cam to hym and axed almes in goddes name / The kynge lyft vp his handes to heuen and sayde I thank god that vysyted his pore man this daye / by a pore mā That he wol vouchsauf this day to axe of me that he hath yeuen me / and restore ageyne with encreace / that he axeth of me / Anone the kynge called his seruaunt that hadde but one looff and lytel what of wyne / and hadde hym yeue the half therof / to the pore man / The pore man thanked hym and vanysshed so¦denly awaye / and noo steppe was seen of his goynge in the nes∣she more / ¶ And also alle that was yeuen hym / was foun∣den hoole an•• sounde / And they that were a ffysshynge brought grete plentye of ffysshe / ¶ Thenne whanne the kynge was slepynge / one appered to hym in a Bisshops wede / and charged hym that he shold loue god / and kepe ryghtwysenesse and be mer¦ciable ayenst pore men / and worship•• preestes / And sayd moore to / myne Aluredus Cryst knoweth thy conscyence / and thy wyll and putteth an ende of thy sorowe and care for to morow stronge helpers shal be with the / By helpe of hem thou shalt ouercome thyne enemyes / who art thou sayde the kynge / I am Cutberth sayde he / thy pylgrym that yisterdaye was here with the / to who∣me thou yaue breede and wyn / I am besy for the and for thy∣ne / haue mynde herof / whanne it is wele with the / But how he made mynde of his pylgrym by the fredom and possession of the chirche of durham / it is now sene / Willelmus de regibus libro / 2

¶Than Aluredus cam oute of prysonne / and putte hym to a peryll of grete fraude and gyle / For he wente in to the kynge of Danes pauylons and tentes / in myustralles weede / and espyed all that he wolde / and come ageyne to ethelynge and declared to his felawe the slewthe of his enemyes / ¶ Thenne be fylle sodenly on his enemyes / and slough moo of hem than me wolde trowe / For the daye after cam to hym the men of wyl••shir / of So merse••te / and of Hampshyre / ¶ By helpe of hem / he buylde a tour at Ethlynge / that is to saye in Englysshe that now is vsed the ylelande of noble men / Oute of that tour ••e ••ee∣sed ofte his enemyes and ouercome hem / and namely besyde•• Selwode that is a grete wode in Englysshe that now is vsed /

So that he receyued hostages and pledgis the best that he wold•• ch••ese / And Guttrun kynge of Danes was Crysten••d / and twenty of the grettest that were with hym ¶the whiche kynge Alfredus receyued of the colde water / and yaue hym a name / and callyd hym Adelstan / Therfor to kynge Guttrun that we calle Gurmundus were yeuen the prouynces of Eest Angles / and of northumberlonde for to dwelle ynne / But for the blewe man chaungeth not lyghtly his skynne / This Guttrun destroyed the landes with tyrannye / / and with pryde enleuen yere / and dyede the twellyfth yere / ¶ The other Danys that wolde not be Crysten wente in to Fraūce / That place that hete Ethlyng or Ethelyngeseye is not an Ilelande of the see / but it standeth in water marreys and moores / soo that me maye not come ther to but by shippe owther by boote / ¶ The place conteyneth vn∣nethe the space of twey dayes iourney of erthe in breede / and yet there ben wylde beestes / and veneson / ¶ Charles the yonger otherwyse callyd Grossus / that is grete was the thyrdde Lowys sonne / and regned in Fraunce after his came lowys bal¦bus / ten yere / he wente oute of Almayne and occupyed ytaly fy∣ue dayes and cam to Rome and was sacred emperour of pope Ia¦han / In his tyme byganne the Erldomme of Flaundrys / For that tyme Flaundrys was not of grete name / but it was ruled by the kynges Forsters of Fraunce /

Also this Charles putte fro hym his wyf / for it semed that she was to pryue with the bisshop of Versell / ¶Therfore the kyng of Fraunce knowleched openly that he hymself hadde neuer ley¦ne by her flessbely / And she was gladde of her maydenhode / and and wente in to an Abbaye whanne she was forsaken / Atte la∣ste / the tenthe yere of his kyngdome / this Charles wente oute of Fraunce in to ytaly / and was poysoned of a Iewe callyd Se∣dechias / and dyed atte hilles Alpes / ¶Ranulphus ¶ It semeth that this is that Charles that maryed his doughter Gilla that he hadde by his rather wyf / to duc Rollo / and graunted with hir the ducheryes of normandye and of lytel Brytayne

¶ Willelmus de pontificibus libro secundo /

Also that yere dyede Du••bertus Bisshop of Wynchestre / And kynge Aluredus made Dunewolfus Bisshop in his stede / that be founde in the woode in his hydynge tyme kepyng•• beestes / But whanne he knewe his good wylle after g••e••t•• age / he putte hym to scole to lerne lettrure / and clergye / That yere the kyng

aluredus amended the cyte of Septon / that is shaftesbury / as a greete stone wytnessyth / that there in the Chapytre hows of Nonnes lyeth aboue erthe ¶ After Iohan / martyn was pope one yere / He relessyd to the Scole of Saxons al ma¦ner trybute atte prayer of kynge Aluredus / ¶ Also he sen••te to Aluredus a grete parte of the hooly crosse / After marty•• agapitus was pope one yere / the which yere the danes cam ou•••• of Fraunce / and besyeged Rochestre / and buylde a tour ayenst•• the yates of the cyt•• / But the Cyteseyns defended the Cyte til•• that Aluredus come and toke alle the horses of Danes / and compellyd hem to flee / Thenne the danes wente in to Fraunce ayene / and the kyng sente his nauy full of men of armes oute of kente in to Eest englond / and toke sixten shippes of danes / But in the comyng ageyne the kynges nauye was ouercome•• / ¶Treuisa / ¶ Eeste Engelonde / conteyneth Northfolke / and Southfolke / Looke more herof in the fyrste booke capitulo iji / ¶ It foloweth in the storye / that yere the danes rowed in the water of Seyne and besyeged parys a yere all hoole / That yere Aluredus reparayled london / and bytoke it to the k••¦pynge of Etheldredus Erle of mercia / ¶ Than the Englyssh¦men that were disparpled yaf hem self to the kyng Aluredus /

¶ That tyme the kynge sente his almes to Rome and to Inde and buylde twey Abbayes one of men at Ethelyngesley and another of women at Shaftesbury and made his doughte•• Etholgof Abbes there / After Agapytus / the thyrdde Adryan•• was pope one yere / After hym Basilius one yere / After hym Stephen six yere /

¶ Capitulum 3 /

CHarles Grossus was poysonned of a Iewe as it is sa∣yd bifore / and wexed strongly seke / Therfor Arnul∣phus the sonne of his brother Charleman was chosen kynge / But whanne Charles was deede / were ordeyned fyue kynges / But the Empyre leste with Arnulphus / and he was crowned atte laste of Formosus the pope / and he bete downe the normās & the danes that had werrid in fraūce xl / yere / Aatte last

he was hard holden with a stronge sekenesse / and myght not be he¦led ne saued with no maner medycyne / that he was destroyed and eten with lyse ryght to the deth / Franco Archebisshop of Rothomage Crystened Rollo / And kynge Guttrun is deede

¶ Willelmus de Regibus libro secundo ¶ For reses of normans and of the danes / seynt ma••tyus body was transla∣te from Turon to seynt Germayns chirche at Altissiodor / and many were there myracles done / And the monkes of Turon and of Altissiodore pleted for thofferyng / And for the saynt shol¦de deme whether of hem hadde ryght of thofferyng / they brought forth a leper that was heled in that one syde of his bodye / that was to warde seynt martyn / and the other parte of his bodye lefte foule and not heled / ¶ Than for me sholde wene that that was happyly byfalle / they tourned the other foule syde toward saynt martyn / and anone it was heled also /

Than the monkes of Turon hadde at the offerynge till the werre was seeced and than they hadde her owne saynt hoome ageyne to her owne hows / ¶ This befel not in this maner / for no power of seynt germayne / but he spared & dide his gheste reuerence in his owne hows / ¶Henricus libro quinto / That yere cam four hoostes of danes ayenst Aluredus / one in northūmberlonde / another in Eestenglonde that conteyneth Nor∣ffolk / and southfolk / the thyrdde at Excestre / the fourth at Ches∣tre / but at chestre the danes were soo besyeged / that they ete her horses for honger / ¶Thre scottysmen dusblay mahbon / and malmmyn desired to lede pylgryms lyf and toke with hem lyue∣loode for one weke / and toke Akarabum / that is a ••oote made but of twey huydes and an half and wente therinne wonderly withoute sayle withoute rother and oore / and al maner tacle of

Shipcraft and cam on londe at Cornewayle after seuen dayes / and come to kyng Aluredus / ¶ After steuen fo rmosus was pope fyue yere / Somtyme for drede of pope Iohan / he lefte his bisshopryche of portune / but for whan he was callyd / he wolde not come ageyn / he was cursyd / Atte last he come to the pope Iohan / and was degraded vnto the state of a lewd man / Also he was made swere that he sholde neuer tourne ayene to hi•• bisshopryche nowther come in to the cyte of Rome / But atte last he was restored ageyne by pope martyn that was pope Iohannis successour / ¶Plegmundus Archebisshop of Caunterbury

that was a noble man of Clergye receyued the palle of formo¦sus / the pope / and ordeyned seuen Bisshops to chirches of englond in one day / ¶ That yere kyng Aluredus chaced the danes furste oute of Kente / of excestre / and of Chichestre /

Henricus libro quinto / ¶ The danes that were at Chestre we∣re besyeged thre dayes / And were compellyd by honger to leue the Cyte / Than they spoylled Northwales / and wente soo about by Northumberlonde in to Eest Englonde / there her wyues and theyr Shippes were / They entryd in to the Ryuer luys / and buylde a castel there fast by / But the Londoners by helpe of the kynge destroyed that castel / and departed that Ryuer in thre chanels or stremes / Soo that Danes myghte not brynge oute theyr Shippes / and dwellyd atte brydge vpon Seua••n faste by wales / and buylde there a stronge castel / And soo these thre yere / Englond was harde bysette with thre manere of sorowe / with warre of the Danes / Moreyue of men / and pestylence of beestes / ¶ After Formosus Bonefas was pope fyften dayes / ¶After hym the sixth steuen one yere and thre mo∣nethes / ther after he lefte the papacye / and was made monke / This was somtyme made Bisshop of Angum by Pope Formo∣sus / But afterwarde whanne he was pope he pursued soo For∣mosus that not only he withsayde his doyng and his dedes / But also he lette take vp Formosus / whanne he was deede / oute of the erthe / and made men brynge hym in to the playne Consistorye clothed as a pope / And than he made men vnclothe hym / and take of hym that manere clothynge / and clothe hym as a lewde man / and kytte of twey fyngars of his ryght honde and caste hym in to Tyber / ¶ After this Steuen Roma∣nus was pope foure monethes / Lowys Arnulphus sonne regned in Fraunce twelue yere / But he hadde neuer the Crow∣ne of the Empyre / And in hym was the ende of the Empyre▪ / towchynge Charles ofsprynge / ? In his tyme were fyue Popes Theodorus / Iohan / Benette / Leo / and Crystofor / Of hem Theo¦dorus the seconde / though he were Pope / but one monethe / yet he aroos ayenst pope Steuens doyng / and wi••hsayd his dedes / and confermed the dedes of Pope Fromosus / The nynth Iohan was pope twoo yere / he made a counseyll at Rauenna / and dampned pope steuenes dedes and fought ayenst the Romayns Willelmus de re / libro secundo / This yere deyd kyng Aluredus and was fyrst buryed in the cathedral chirch at wynchestre / but

for the madnesse and rauynge of the chanons that sayde / that spyryts of kynges taken the careyn / and walke aboute by nyght from hows to hows / His sonne Edwarde toke the faders bodye and dyde it in the newe Abbaye / This and suche other lewde tales Englysshmen holden by a mysbyleue that hath full longe dured / and borowed it of mysbyleuyd men / ¶ That they trowe not that after a mannes deth the bodye walketh and goth aboute by menyng of the fende / ¶ Therof spekyth Vyrgyl / and sayd / whanne deth cometh what semyng shappes fleeth aboute / Ranulphus / ¶ In praysynge of this kynge Henricus libro primo wryteth versus in this maner / Kyndly noblesse / of goodnesse / yeueth to the worshipe / And goodnesse trauayle / myghty werryour Aluredus / And traua∣yle name / to the withoute ony ende / Ioye with woo medled / he hadde in euery tyme / Alweye thyne hoope was medled with greete drede / Though he were nowe downe / he arayd bataylle a morowe / yf he were vyctor / he dradde the bataylle a morowe / After trauaylle of lyf / of regnynge bothe / His veray reste / be with Cryste withoute ende / ¶ Marianus libro secundo /

¶ 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

¶ Capitulum quintum

COnradus after lowys was made prynce amonge the alma¦yns / But for he was not emperour in ytaly / he is not reke¦ned among emperours / ne he is not enhaunced with sacryng & blessynges / but he regned seuen yere / In this yere bygan thempy¦re to passe from frensshmen to the Almayns / For lowys predeces¦sour of this myght not defende the Romaynes ayenste the Lon∣gobardes / thempyre passyd from the Frensshmen / And soo were twey Emperours / one in Almayne and another in ytaly / vnto the fyrst otho that was Emperour of bothe / That yere in the pro∣uynce of stafford at toten hale the Englysshmen ouercome the da¦nes and afterward at wodenysfelde / kyng edward slough of the danes twey kynges / twey erles / and many thousandes of danes of northumberlond / Etheldredus duc & leder vnder kyng of mer¦cia deyde / & his wyf elfleda kyng Edwardes suster regn••d no¦bly longe tyme in al mercia / oute take london and ox••nford / the whiche the kynge helde to hym selfward / she buylde many cytees & townes and amended many one / that be brymmesbury bridge vpon seuarn / thomworth besydes lychefelde / stafford / warwyk she¦resbury / watrisbury / Edysbury in the forest besyde Chestre / that now is al destroyed / Also she bylde a Cyte with a Castel in the north endes of mercia vpon the Ryuer merce that than was na∣med Runcofan / But now it is called Runcorn / Willelmus de re¦gibus libro secundo ¶ This strong vyrago Elfleda fauour of cyteseyn•• and drede of enemyes halpe moche the kyng / hir broder in yeuyng of counseyl and buyldyng of Cytees / whanne she had ones assayed the wo and the sorowe only of one childe / that she bare / she hated the enbracyng of a man after for euermo∣re / And toke wytnesse of god and sayde / that it was not semely

to a kynges doughter to vse flesshely lykynge where suche sorowe shold come after / The ••er theues of danes that wente oute of en∣glond in to Fraunce aboute nynten yere byfore / come ageyne in to Englond / and sayled aboute Cornewayle and come in to Se∣uarn see / and toke prayes / and teke a bryttyssh bisshop in Irchen¦felde / the whiche Bisshop kynge edward raunsoned for fourty pound / and chaced the enemyes in to yrlond / and made a castel atte mouth of the water of auene and other Castels at Bokyn∣gham in eyther syde of the Ryuer ouse / and made subget the da∣nes that dwellyd at betford and at northhampton and her kynge Turketillus / Anastasius was pope two yere / After hym lando was pope fyne monethes / ¶That yere the hungaryes that be by the Ryuer of danubins / destroyed ytaly / The tenth Iohan was pope fourten yere / This was pope Sergius sonne and Bisshop of Rauen / By his helpe Albericus the markys put the sauasyns oute of ytalye / Atte laste fyl stryf and discorde bytwene hem & the pope put the markys oute of the cyte / therfor he was wroth & brought the hungaryes that had destroyed ytalye / therfore the markys was ••slayn but the pope was straungled of the markys knyghtes / That yere deyde Rollo the fyrst duc of normandye af∣ter the fourtenth yere of his duchery / his sone wiliam longa spa¦ta was duc after hym fiue & twenty yere / Elfleda quene of mer¦cia toke prayes in the londe of brytons at brechnok / and toke the kynges wif of wales and ren••wed legecestre that is chestre / kyn¦ge edward bylde the Cytees of Toucetre and of wygmore and des¦troyed the castel that the danes had made at Temesforde / Elfle¦da toke the cyte of derby vpon the dan••s / hir four mynystres we∣re slayn / Harry the sone of duc Otho of saxō regned eyght••n yere ouer the almayns / but not in ytaly / & therfor he is not acōpted amonge the emperours / this ouercome the hungaryes and torned to the feyth the duc of normandy / wiliam longa spata / longa spata is a longe swerde in englysshe / ¶Will / de Regibus libro secundo / That yere deyde elfleda eygten dayes byfore Iulij / fyue yere byfore the deth of her broder kyng edward / And she was buryed in gloucestre in saynt peters chirche that she & hir husbōd had bylde vpon kynge oswaldes boones / that they had brought thyder from bardeny / But the danes destroyed that chirche / and aldredus bisshop both of yorke and of worcestre reparayled ano∣ther that is now the chyef abbay of the cyte / kynge Edward to¦ke the power of mercia from elswyna the doughter of Elfleda /

and ledde hir with hym in to westsaxon R ¶In praysyng of this elfleda / Henricu•• libro quinto / O Elflede myghty o mayde mennes drede / vyctryce of kynde wele worthy the name of a mā And the wele bryghter / now kynde hath made a mayde / go••dnes hath the mayde to haue the name of a man / kynde techeth the to chaunge nothynge but the name / myghty kynge and quene vic¦toryes to arraye / Cesars tryumphes were not soo moche worthy / Nobler than Cesar / mayde vyrago Fare wele / whan kynge Edward herde the deth of his suster / he made subget to hym thom worth and snotyngham that now is nothyngham / there he byld a newe cyte in the south syde right ayenst the olde cyte / and sette a brygge vpon trente bytwene the twey cyte••s / ther after in the same yere twey kynges yelde hem frely to hym· / that were the kynges of Scotlonde / of danes / and of wales / That yere kynge Edwarde buyld a cyte at thylwal / that is in the north endes of mers••a by the water of mersee / & there he sette kepynge of knigh∣tes / Than he passed the water of mersee / and restored the Cyte of manchestre / that is in the south endes of northumberlond / kynge Edward dyed at faryndon twelue myle by west oxenford and was buryed at wynchestre in the newe abbay /

¶ Capitulum sextum

EDelstan kynge edwardes oldest sonne was made kynge at kyngeston besydes london in southrey / ••e regned sixten yere In his fyrst yere the noble childe dunstan was borne in the cou¦treye of glastenbury / Al his lyf to his endynge daye he shone by vertues and by myracles / Alfredus / Kynge Edelstan maryed his sus••er to sithricus kynge of the danes of northumberlonde / Sythrycus dyed sone after / and the kynge put oute Sythrycus sonne / and ioyned that kyngdome to his owne / Than by bataylle he made subgett ho••lus kyng of brytons / and Constantyn kynge o•• the Scottes and receyued h••m whan they were yolden / Kyng Ethelstan made this Constantyn kynge of Scotlond / Than Constantyn sayde / It is more worship to make a kynge / than to be a kynge / ¶Willelmus de Regibus libro secundo / Also kynge ethelstan maryed his other suster to Otho the Empe¦rour and receyuyd of him horses and other precious stones /

& a maner vessel of stone callyd Onychynus / that was clere & bryght / and letted not the passynge of lyght / nowther of syghte and it was made subtylly by grauynge crafte that it semed very¦ly that corn growynge therynne waued hyder and thyder / as longe corne doth in feldes / and that vynes bourgened / and yma¦ges of men meoued / Also he receyued of him the grete Constan∣tynes swerde / In that swerde the owners name was redde in lettres of gold / in the hylte therof in grete plates of golde was stykked on of the four yron nayles that cryst was nayled with to the roode / he receyued of hym the grete charles spere / euer whan Charles shoke that spere / he hadde the maystrye / Me sayth that spere opened Crystes owne syde / and seynt moris baner / that ba¦ner Charles vsed ayenst the sarasyns / Also he receyued a parte of the holy crosse and somme of the thorned crowne / Kyng ethel¦stan ordeyned somme of the Relyques to the abbay of malmes∣bury / Mar / The sixth leo was pope four yere & / vij / monethes / Odo is made bisshop of wylton / Willelmus de pontificibus li∣bro secundo / Frystan Bisshop of wynchestre deyde / and Birstan was Bisshop after hym / Of this Byrstan it is redde that he sange as it were euery day for all Crysten sowles / Than he wen¦te on a nyght aboute a chirche yerde and sayd salmes for al cry∣sten sowles / and whan he had al sayde he sayde Requiescant in pa¦ce / And he herde a voys of a grete hoost answer / oute of graues / and sayd Amen / Odo Bisshop of wynchestre is made archebis¦shop of Dorobernia that is Caunterbury. Than Steuen was po¦pe seuen yere / Odo Bisshop of wynchestre is deede / After hym el¦phegus the balled was bisshop of wynchestre / that man was a prophete and nygh of seynt dunstans kyn / Willel / de pontifici∣bus libro secundo / On asshe wonesdaye as the maner is / he putte hem that sholde doo open penaunce oute of chirche / and charged other men that they shold in thylke dayes fast / and be chast and spare lykynge of theyr wyues / Amonge hem al one spake and sayde / Syr I may not at this tyme leue bothe my feste and my wyf / But the wyf that I haue putte awey for the tyme / I shall sone take her ageyn / Wretche sayd the bisshop thou makest me soo¦ry thou knowest not what is for the ordeyned ayēst the morewe / Than on the morn he was founden deed in his bedde / also on a ty¦me this ethelphegus made thre monkes preestes dunstan Ethel¦wold and ethelstan / And whanne the seruyce was done / he spak to hem and sayde / This day byfore god I haue sette myne hande

vpon thre men / Tweyne of hem shal be bisshops / but the thirde shall make a wretchid ende / Than ethelstan was the more home∣ly by cause of kynrade and spake and sayd / Shal I be a bisshop thou shalt haue no part in this ordre sayd elphegus / nowther thou shal bere longe this clothynge / ¶For Constantyn kynge of Scottes hadde broken couenaunt / Kynge ethelstan arayd hym to¦ward Scotland and inthe wey he went on pylgremage to saint Iohan of beuerley / and leyd his knyf to wedde vpon seynt Io∣hans auter / and sayd yf he come ageyne with the vyctory be shold raunsonne his knyf with a worthy prys After the vyctory whanne he come ageyne / he prayd god that he wolde thurgh the prayer of seint iohan of beuerley shewe som open tokē / by which token they that be and shal be maye knowe that the Scottes by right shold be subget to englisshmen / Thanne the kynge with his swerde smote on a grete stone faste by the Castel of dunbar / In that stone yet to this day is seen of that stroke a chynne of an elne long / Than the kyng cam ageyn and raunsonned his kynf with worthy doynge / the enleuenth Iohan was pope one yere / After hym the seuenth leo was pope thre yere and six monethes Lowys the sone of charles the symple and of kynge edwardes doughter regned in Fraunce after his fader in westfraunce nyn¦ten yere / ¶ Willelmus de r / libro secundo / ¶ He was on a ty¦me pursued of one Isenbardus / and axed helpe of the lordes of his londe / & they yaf hym none answer / Than hughe a symple knyght of Erle Robberts of mount desyre / toke wylfully the ba¦taylle for his lord & slough hym withynne lystes that wolde ne¦des fyght therfor sone ater whanne the kyng was feble / he made this hugh his heyr / and soo ceesed the ofsprynge of charles / ow¦ther for his wyf was barayne / owther for he lyuede but a shorte tyme / than this hugh wedded kynge Edwardes other doughter The fyrst Otho the sonne of the fyrst harry / was the fyrste Em∣perour of duchemen / and regned seuen and tthyrty yere / On an eester tyme he made a grete feste to his prynces and lor∣des / And er they were all seruyd a prynces sonne toke a messe of the bord as a childe shuld / and the kynges sewer smote the child with a staf / the childes mayster sawe that / and slough the sewer anone / than the emperour wold haue dampned hym withoute au¦dyence / he threwe downe the emperour to the erth / and straunge∣led hym al moost / the Emperour was vnnethe delyuerd oute of the chyldes maystres handes / but whan he bade saue the chlides

maysters lyf / and cryed and sayd that he hym self was to bla¦me / for he hadde not spared hym for so grete a feste / That yere Anlaf a paynym kynge of Irlond and of many ylondes Syh¦tricus sonne by exytynge of his wyues fader that was Constan∣tyn kyng of Scotlande / Anlaf entred in to the mouth of the ry∣uer of humbre with a stronge nanye / kynge Edelstan and his brother Edmond mette hym at Brymford / Willelmus de Regi∣bus libro secundo / ¶Whan the hoostes were gadryd Anlaf by∣thought hym of a queyn•• gyle / and toke an harpe in his hande / & cam to ethelstanes tenth / in harpers arraye / Ther atte mete tyme he espyed all that he wolde / and hadde money for his harpynge He had the money ayenst his hert / and buryed it pryuely vnder hym in the erthe / That was espyed of one that hadde be somtyme a soudyour with anlaf / and he warned ethelstan / whan Anlaf was a goo / The kynge blamed hym for he warned hym noo ra∣ther / he answerde and sayd O kynge the same feyth that I owe now to the I yaf to Anlaf somtyme / Therfor yf I had broken that feyth to hym thou woldest wene that I wolde doo the same to the another tyme / But now take heede to my counseylle / Re∣meoue thy tent fro this place / that whanne he cometh vnwysely he may fayle of his purpos / than thou may ouercome hym with grete sobrenes / This was doo / and Anlaf cam hastely by nyght and in the wey he slough a Bisshop that remeoued his tente / & his meyny / and passed forth and fylle on the kynges tente / But the kynge was waked with soo grete noyse and his swerd fylle forth of his skaberd / and he cryed to god and to seynt Aldelm And atte prayer of odo the Archebisshop that was than with the kynge / the kynge fonde his swerd fallen in to his scaberd ayene That swerde is yet kepte in the kynges tresorye / that swerde is keruyng on that one side / and reyceueth in no place neyther gold ne siluer / By that yefte of god the kynge was thenne holpen / & chaced his enemyes al that dawynge and al daye on the morow / there the kynge Constantyn was slayne / & fyue other smal kyn∣ges and twelue dukes / & wele nygh al the gadrynge of straun∣ge nacions / here after he chaced the north brytons at herford / soo that they shuld pay hym euery yere twenty pound of gold and and thre honderd pound of syluer / and fyue and twenty honderd heede of neete / thān he toke to his subiection Cornugallia / and a∣mended excetre ¶ / In praysynge of hym / one made this dyte / ¶ Kynges bloode brought forth a full noble knyght / Bryght

precious stone / tho byshone our derk so bryght / Grete Ethelsta∣nus hight of lande path to the ryght / Noble worthynes the sothe forsake ne myght / After leo the thyrd martyn was pope thre ye¦re and six monethes / Also that yere Ethelstan dyed at gloucet••e and hadde no chylde / and was buryed at madulf / ¶ Marianus

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

¶ Capitulum Octauum /

EDredus was euoynted at kyngeston of odo tharchebisshop & regned after his broder edmond ten yere / For Edmondes sones edwyn & edgar were yet of yong age & to yong for to reg¦ne / this edredus in the fyrst yere of his kyngdom beet doun strōg¦ly the northumbres that were rebelles / therfore the scottes dradde hym & yelde them to hym / after agapitus the / xij / iohn was pope viij / yere / his fader alberycus was myghty in the cyte of Rome & he made the noble men of the cyte to swere that they shold make his sonne octauianus pope whan agapytus were deed / & so they dyd / & chaunged his name / & named hym iohan / he was an hū∣ter & a lecherous man / soo that he helde wymen with him openly Therfor some of the cardynals wrote to otho the ēperour of sax¦ons / & prayd hym that he wolde come to rome & help to do aweye the sklaunder of holy chirche / the pope was war therof & kytt of the nose of the counseyllour & the hande of the wryter that wrote that lett / than he was oft warned by thēperour / & by the clergye that he shold amende him self / & for he wold not he was deposed & leo was made pope in his stede / but whan thēperour was gone benett was made pope / therfor thēperour cam ageyne & besyeged Rome till they yelde benet to hym and restored leo ageyn / Lowys the kyng of westfraunce is deed / the sone of charles the simple

After hym his sone lotharius was kyng xxxvij / yere and dyed without children / he pursued Rychard duc of normandye as his fader had pursued wiliam his fader / Mar / But at last edredus for the vntruth of the northumbres / he destroyed her lande & brent thabbay of Rypon with fyre / whan the kyng wente thens home ward / an hoost brake out of york / & dyde grete harme on the last partye of the kinges hoost / therfor the king was wroth / & thought to destroy al northūberlond / but the northumbres dyd awey hir∣cus that was theyr kynge & plesyd the kyng with / yefces / kyng Edredus bygan to be soore seke / & sente for his goostly fader dun¦stan / & he cam with greete spede / & as he cam in the weye a voys spak to hym clerely / & sayd / now restyth kyng edredus in pees / At that voys the hors that dunstan sate on fylle downe & dyed withoute hurtynge of hym that sate aboue / Dunstan byryed the kyng at wynchestre / in the old abbay / After this kyng that dyed without yssue / edwynus was kyng edmundus oldest sone / and was enoynted kyng of englond in the Royal town kyngeston be side london of Odo tharchebisshop / the fyrst day of his sacrynge he fyll in to an vnlawfull lechery / therfor dunstan myssayed hym & blamed hym therfor / & therfor he exiled dunstan & many mon¦kes / & toke fro hem what they hadde / he putt oute the monkes of malmesbury / & yaue the abbaye to his clerkes / Atte laste the merces and the northumbres put this edwyn oute of his kynge∣dom for his euyl lyuyng / & made his broder Edgar kyng whan he was sixten yere old / in edgards begynnyng seynt dunstan her¦de angels synge in this maner / pees to the lond of englysshmen in the childes tyme that now is born / & in dunstans tyme / & so it was than made that the ryuer of temse departed the twey kynges londes / edwyn regned four yere / & dyed at last / & was buryed at wynchestre / but his soule was delyuerd out of helle at prayer of seynt dūstan & translated to the soules that do penaūce in the wey of sauaciō / Treuisa / Here take hede cristē mē of the vnderstādyng for the wordes be perillously set / therfor haue minde now of twey maner of helles / in that one were adā abrahā / isaac & iacob / and other holy forfaders that dyed byfore cryst / in to that helle crist des¦cēded aft{er} his passion / & brought with him thens holy faders that ther were / the other helle is a place for them that be & shalbe dāp¦ned for eumore· who that cometh in that helle shal neu{er} aft{er} be sauid ne come out fro peyne / but as me seyth in comune speeche / that a thef that is delyuerd frō hangyng & from the galowes though

he come not there yf he be delyuerd out of her power that wolde lede hym to the galows and hange hym thrrupon / So in somme maner vnderstandyng / he that is delyuerd oute of the fendes po¦wer that wold bring him to helle / is delyuerd out of helle though he come not there / So meaneth the prophete in the sawter / & seith thou hast delyuerd my soule oute of the lower helle / Willelmus de re / li / 2 / And as the same lande beryth euyl herbes and good / & the netylle somtyme groweth next▪ the rose / so of the same mylde Edmond come edwyn the worst and edgar the best /

¶ Capitulum nonum

EDgar yong of sixtene yere old was made kynge & / regned after his broder a sixten yere / in the twellifth yere of him in Athāmannes cyte that is bathe the fyftenthe day of may on a wytsonday he was enoynted kyng of the hooly bysshops dun∣stan & oswald / anone he reconcyled dunston & made hym of thab¦bot of glastenbury bisshop of wyrcetre / he connexyd the kyngdo∣mes that were denyded & made therof but one kyngdome / he bare downe wykked men & chastysed them that were rebel / he loued wel good men and sobre / he repayred and amended chirches / In many places he dyd awey clerkes that lyued in outrage & putte there monkes / Treuisa / In that / saue reuerence of edgar / he was lewdly meoued while there were other clerkes / thāt lyued wel ynowe / Than it foloweth in the story / he byld more than fourty abbayes / among the whiche he made ryche glastenbury / abyndon burgh / thorney ramesey wylton & wynchestre / but at wynchestre in the new abbay that now is callyd hyda for an hap that ther bi¦fel / he was the fyrst that put in monkes in stede of clerkes / for clerkes fled the trauayle of the quere & spende the catail of holy chirche in other places at her own wyll / & vycars in her stede ful lytle for to lyue by / & whan they wold not be amended by kyng edgar nowther by bisshop ethelwold nouther by tharchebisshop dūstan / the kyng yaf the prouēdes of these clerkes to the forseid vicars / but the vicars were wors than the rather whan they were made persōs / & liued more in outrage thā the rather did / than the kyng was aggreued / & by thassēt of the xiij / pope iohn he put out

the clerkes and put in monkes / W / vbi su / In his tyme was no theef taken open ne pryuy / that he ne hadde his payne / Also this kynge cast to destroy the wyld beestes that desyre bloode / therfore he made ludwallus that was kynge of wales / to bere him cer∣teyn yere a trybute of thre honderd wolues / And whan he had pa¦yed this thre yere to gyder / in the fourth yere myghte neuer a wolf be founden / Item / W / Though this edgar were smal & lytel / of stature / he wold ouercome euery man were he neuer so strong that wold with hym fyght / On a tyme at a feste where Iouglers she∣wed hem self moost / me sayth that kynadus kynge of scottes se∣yd in his game / that it semed wonder that so many prouynces & landes were subgette to so a lytel man as Edgar was / A myn∣stral herde that worde / & told the kyng / & he told not his men / but he aroos from the feste / there kynadus was / & hadde kynadus to hym as it were for a grete counseylle & ••ad hym ferre in to a wo∣de / & toke hym one of twey swerdes that he brought with hym / & spak to kynad{us} & sayde / now thou hast leue to kythe thy streng¦the / & essay whether of vs tweyne shal be subget to other for now we be here alone / It is a foule thyng for a kyng to ••angle moch atte fest / & not to fyght in batayll / kynadus was abasshyd and fyll downe to edgards feete / and prayd hym of foryeuenesse / of that symple worde that he had sayd in his game / Euery somer after he wold gader shippes to geder / and departe hem in foure / & sette them in the four partes of Englond / Thenne with the west nauey he wold sayle in to the north countrey / with the north na¦uey / he wold sayle in to the eest countrey / and wyth the eest na∣uey he wold seylle in to the south countrey / And with the southe naueye in to the weste countrey / In that doynge he was a mylde espye / for the theues shold not greue in water ne in lande / In wynter tyme he wolde ryde about in the lande / & enquyre & espye the domes and the dedes of his mynystres / he wolde take cruell wreche of hem that trespassed ayenste the lawe ¶ At al tyme he was a prouffytable counseyllour for the ••omonte / But he fa∣uoured the danes vnwysely in theyr axynge / For vnnethe was ther one strete in englonde but danes dwellyd therin with En∣glysshmen / That was suffryd with a good herte / but therof come a ryght greuous ende / for the danes were grete drynkers by kyn¦de and lefte with englysshmen that one doynge that is knowen and dureth alwey / soo that now the doynge of englysshmen doth pryiudyce to al the world in emptynge of cuppes / Therfor kyng

edgar made styke nayles in the cuppes / & marked so the Cuppes for they shold drynk by mesure vnto the nailes / W / de / r / et de / p / li / 2 / Than this edgar on his wyf egelfleda / the whyte by hyr he bygate his oldest sonne Edward. that was afterward Edward kynge and martir / Than on alfritha the dukes doughter of deuē¦shyre he gate edmond that dyed bifore his fader / & Egelred{us} that regned after seynt edward / & on seynt wylfrytha / he bigate seynt edyth the mayde / this wylfrytha was not verely a menchon / as the comune sawe madly meaneth / but for deede of kynge Edgar that desired her vnlaufully / she toke nonnes clothynge / & soo she was brought to the kynges bed / And for the kyng lay by that woman that was holden & semed a nonne / he was blamed of seint dunstan / and dyde penaunce seuen yere / Also whanne she hadde a childe / she forsoke flesshely lykyng and mannes companye and lyued relygyously / & is holden a seynt in the abbay of wylton so it is seyd / Also of hir doughter edyth / it is sayde that whyle she was a menchon at wylton / she vsed ofte gayer clothes than hyr profession axed / and she was therfor blamed of seynt ethelwold and she answerd nowther vncouenably ne ful cu••tously / God∣des dome sayd she that may not fayle / is plesed only with consci¦ence / therfore I trowe that as clene a soule maye be vnder these clothes / that be arrayed with gold / as vnder thy slyt forour skyn¦nes / On a tyme while dunstan halowed a chirche / he sawe this mayde croyse ofte her owne forheede with hyr ryght thombe / Dunstan was gladde therof and sayd I praye god / that that thombe maye neuer rotte / And anone at masse Dunstan bygan to wepe & sayd / Anone after six wekes this fay••••rose shal wel wydre / and so it befelle / For after whanne hyr bodye was taken vp of the erthe / it was founden al roten / and torned to pouder / oute take the thombe / and hyr wombe with the pryuy chose by∣nethe. Dunstan hadde therof greete wonder / and thought moche therynne / and why it myght be / ¶ Thenne she appered to hym and tolde hym the cause / and sayd wonder the not / though I be hoole and sounde in the nether partes of my bodye / for I was neuer gylty of outrage of mete and drynk / nowther of flesshely lykynge / Also of this hooly maide it is red / that whyle kynge cauntus loued lytel sayntes of englōd ones in a whitsontyde at wilton at a feste he made open mowes & scorned seynt edyth & seid that he wold neuer trowe that of edgards childre that was leche¦rous / & a grete tyraunt sholde be a saynt / Ednotus tharchebisshop

withsaid / that tho was there present / & opened anon the graue of the mayde / thēne she arrered her self vp to the girdel stede / so that it semed as though she wold haue resed on the rebel king / for that dede the kyng was astonyed & fil down to the groūde as though he were in a swoun / and drough breth atte last / & was ashamed and glad / that he was saued / & entended to doo worthy penaunce

¶ Capitulum / 10 /

ABoute that tyme dyed odo tharchebisshop of Caunterbury This was of the nacion of danes / but he dyde alweye his wildenes at last / & seruid kyng edward the elder in chiualry And not long after he toke the tōsur of clerk / & was made bisshop of wynchestre / he had made kyng ethelstā his frēde by the coming of the swerde that was loste in the scaubert ageyne / Soo that he was made archebisshop of caunterbury / & for that he wold take that dignite the more holily / for al his predecessours had be mōkes he passed the see & toke monkes wede at floriacio beside aurelian / Treuisa / Odo was lewdly meoued therfor to make him a monk for cryst ne none of al his apostles was neuer monck ne frere / Than it foloweth in the story / Odo come ageyne and was nyghe the kynge / and wente atte last with kynge Edredus in to Nor∣thumberlond / & brouht with hym to Caunterbury the holy axes of saynt wylfryde the bisshop / therof is yet contynuel stryf bitwe¦ne them of york / & of caunterbury whether hath the more wilfri¦des bones / that was buryed in the chirche of rypon / by these for∣said bones owther the bones of the lasse wylfride that was seynt iohns prest & his successour / in the see of york / Also this Odo su∣spended kynge Edwynus of crystendome for he was to feruente in lecherye and oute of al good fame / Therfore Edwynus toke wreche in al the monkes of Englond / For in all englond was no man that hym durst wythstande oute take odo / and dunstan / For as Seneca sayth / a Cok is moost myghty on his own dung hylle / ¶ Also on a tyme Od••es temple was vnheebed And alle that tyme / that the heelynge was in makynge / and the temple in heelynge / he heeled it soo with his bedes / that there fylle noo drop of rayne in alle the place aboute / and yet that tyme was soo grete tempeste / and rayne of water / that is semed

that al the world shuld go to giders / Also on another tyme whan he sacred seynt dūstan bisshop of wyrcetre / he did so thordre of the seruyce as though he had sacred tharchebisshop of caunterbury / & whan his clerkys blamed him therfor / I wote sones said Odo what the holy goost worchith on me / & in the true byfore bodyng lakked no sobre feyth· though elsinus bisshop of wynchestre euer among founded to haue that see / for whan odo was dede / this el∣sinus ordeyned him aduocates / and groped her handes / and gate slyly a maūdement of the kynge / and was put in at caūterbury And the fyrst day that he was in there / he spared not but he caste out of his wodenes that he had long kepte in his hert / & put with his feet on seynt odoes tombe / and despysed his soule and spake / to hym in this manere / thou worste old man / thy soule is a goo late ynow / thou hast made a place to a bett than thou were / what I haue long desired / now I haue maugre thy teth / therfor I can the ful euyl thank at this tyme / but whan that day was a goo / and this blower of wodenes was brought to his bedde / he sawe the shap of seynt odo blame hym and despyse hym / and manace that he shulde dye / But he wende that he had be scorned of a fle∣ynge fantesye / and spared not therfor / But he wente toward ro∣me to receyue the palle of the pope / and passed by the hylles alpes and was fro••en in a cold snowe / and in his hors bowels that we re opened to haue somme hete / he wrapped his feet with whiche he spurned seynt odoes tombe / and dyed soo there / ¶ After hym bryghtlynus bisshop of wynchestre was archebisshop of caunter¦bury / and for he was not suffisaunt to so grete a charge / he went ageyne to wynchestre by comaundemēt of the kyng / & Dunstan bisshop of london & of wyrcetre was made archebisshop of caunter¦bury / and wente to rome / & receyued the palle of the pope Iohan He come ageyne and gate of the kynge. that oswalde that was Odoes broder sonne shold be bisshop of worcetre /

¶ Willelmus de pontificibus libro primo

Dunstan was fyrste abbott of glastenbury / he was alwey full of vertues / and made hym besy to torne kynge edgards hert / to de¦des of sauacion / & to make the kynges lyuynge to be a myrroure and ensample to all his subgettis / And yf the kynge trespassed he studyed hym fast to amende / & soo he made hym doo penaunce seuen yere for vnlawful lyggyng by a menchon / by that ensam∣ple he chastysed the comonte / and made knyghtes doo as they shold / and fered the••es and refreyned hem / Thordre of

monkes was thryfty that tyme / For it hadde relygyous rulers clere of scyence and of clergye / And soo bytwene thacorde of the good lyuyng of the kyng / and of the Archebisshop / clerkes had choys / whether they wolde amen••e her lyf / or byd her benefyce fa¦re wele / and leue wonynge places to better than they were / For soo sholde be noo moore discorde / bytwene the fayrenesse of the hous & the lyuynge of hem that dwellyd theryn / Than the foldes answerde to the tillers of plente of corne / and of fruyte / Euery grone shone with hurton trees / and other trees ful of fruyte / The Elementys were clere and lykynge / vnnethe ther was ony dystemperance of weder / pestylences and enemyes bothe were fer that tyme / ¶Aboute that tyme in Gaskoyne was a woman de∣parted and deuyded from the nauel vpwarde / and hadde twey hedes and twey breestes / soo that somtyme one slepte / owther ete whanne that other dyde nowther / and they lyued soo to gydre longe tyme / and dyed bothe at ones / ¶ After the twellyfthe Iohan the fyfth Benet was pope thre monethes / ¶ Nychoforus kynge of grece was an old man / and drad lest his owne sonnes wold put hym oute of his kyngdome / and demed that his sonnes shuld be ghelded / But the quene coūseylled one Iohan / that he shold slee the kynge and regne / and soo it was done / After Be¦net the eyghtenth leo was pope a yere and four monethes / For the malyce of the Romaynes that made of hem self vnlawfully popes / he ordeyned that no popes sholde be ordeyned without assent of the Emperour / ¶After hym the thyrtenth Iohan was pope as it were eyght yere / Atte laste he was taken of the prefecte of the Cyte and exyled / But the emperour restored him ageyne / and slough his enemyes / After Iohan the sixth Benet was pope one yere and six monethes / ¶ After hym / the eyght Bone face was pope thre yere / he myght not abide at Rome / but he spoil led saynt peters chirche / and went to Constantinople / and come ayene to Rome wyth grete pompe and booste / And whanne he myght not haue his purpoos be toke the Cardynal Iohan / and putte oute bothe his eyen / and dyed sone after / ¶ Willelmus de pont libro secundo / ¶ Whanne Askatyllus Archebisshop of yorke was dede / saynt oswald bisshop of wyrcitre receyued the the archebisshoprych / and gouerned both that / and the bisshoprich of wyrtetre / Besydes the cathedrale chirche of seynt Peter at wir¦cetre / he buylde another chirche of our lady that he myght ther be the more homely with the monkes / and there by he had grete loue

of the people / There clerkes of the nexte chirche whan they sawe that / had leuer be monkes than soo despysed and forsaken / Whanne oswald was stalled at york / he brought lettred men in to countrey / For the countraye shold not be defrauded / and be with∣oute suche goodnesse / withoute the whiche goodnesse / other good¦nesse semeth but a vanyte / ¶ Albo monke of floriacio was one of thylk lettred men / withoute moche f••uyte of clergye / that he brought in to Englond / he descryued and wrote the lyf of saynt Edmunde the kynge and martir / atte prayer of saynt dunstan / This Albo torned home afterward / and was made Abbot / ¶ Than on a tyme in a celle in gascoyne callyd Alereul and longed to his abbay / he wolde haue vsed the streng¦the of Relygyon / but the eruelte of Gascoyns wolde not suffre it and kytte his throte and soo he dyed / and oswald lyued fyue yere after / and kneled downe on a tyme to wessh pore mennes fe¦te / and sayde gloria patri / and dyed ryght soo / ¶ Willelmus de regibus libro secundo / ¶ Kynge Edgar in the twellyfthe yere of his kyngdome was enoynted kynge / and sacred at bathe and sayled aboute north Brytayne / and come a land at legyon that nowe is callyd Chestre / Eyght vnder kynges come ayenste hym / with the whiche kynges he wente in a boote on a day on the Ryuer dee / and toke the helme in his hande / and was steres man and the other kynges were sette to rowe with oores / and soo he co¦me rowynge to seynt Iohans chirche / and come rowynge with a grete pompe and boost to his owne palays / and me sayth / that he sayde thennethat ony of his successours myght be ioyeful and gladde / whanne he had so grete pompe and worship /

¶ Capitulum 11

EDgar Emperour floure and fayrenesse of Englonde dyed the fyftenth day of Iuyll the yere of his lyf seuen and thir¦ty / and of his kyngdom with his brother and after one and twē¦ty / & was buryed at glastenbury / he is noo lesse worthy to be in mynde to englysshmen / than cyrus to the perses outher Romulus to the Romayns / owther Alysaunder to the grekes / owther char¦les to frensshmen / ¶ Willelmus vbi supra / ¶ At glastenbu¦ry the yere of our•• lord a thousande and two and fyfty whanne

abbot aylward had dygged vnworshipfully edgards graue / the bodye was founden hoole and sounde and soo full of flessh that it myght not entre in to the newe cheste / Also fressh blood was seen drop oute of the fressh body / & so that body was put in to a shryn that he hadde yeuen to that chirche / and sette vpon the auter with seynt Apolynarys heede / and other relykes of seynt vyncente / that the same kynge hadde brought for grete prys / and yeuen to that hows / but that nyce Abbot waxe woode / and wente oute of chirche / and brake his neck and dy•••• / ¶ Ranulphus / ¶ The Bryttyssh storye tellyth in seynt eltutus lyf that whanne kynge edgar destroyed the countrey of glomm••rgan for the rebelnesse of the peple / saynt eltutus belle was taken awey / & hanged aboute an hors neck / therfor in vndertyde while kynge edgar lay on his bed to rest him / one appered to him / & smote him on the brest with a spere / than whan the kyng was waken / he bade restore ayene al that was taken / But the kynge dyed after nyne dayes / In praysynge of hym one sayd in this maner / Henricus libro / 5 Helper punyssher of tresp••as and yeuer of worship / kynge Ed∣gar is ago to the kyngdom of heuē / This other salamon lawes fader wey to the pees / Noble in batayls than more noble he was Temples to the good monkes / to the monke temples yaue he fel¦des / Al wrong / this put awey / soo this yafe place to the right / ¶Willelmus de regibus libro secundo / But somme men founden to putte venym to the ioye and goodnesse of Edgar / and tellen that he was cruel in his begynnynge to Cyteseyns and lechero{us} to maydens / As in this maner one ethelwold an Erle was pri¦ue with hym / and on a tyme he charged this Erle / that he shold goo to elfrytha orgarus doughter Erle of deuenshyre that was a wonder fayr mayde and counseyle hir and brynge hir for to be wedded to the kynge / yf it were soo that the fayrenesse of hir we∣re acordynge to the loos and to the fame / ¶ The erle wente his wey and toke the mayde to his owne vse / and come āgeyne to the kyng and ālledged for hym and for his syde as he trowed wolde helpe and sayde that that wenche was but of comune fay¦renesse and shap / suche as me sayth al day not couenable to be a kyngys wyf / But on a tyme tale tellers / warned the kyng how gylefully that ethelwolde hadde seruyd hym / than the kynge droof oute one nayle with another / and toke wreche of a gyle with a wyle / and made good face to therle and semblaunt and sette hym a day as it were in his game / whanne he wolde visyte

that woman / For so dredefull a game / therle was all comf••rtles and nygh dede for feare / and ranne home byfore / and prayed his wyf / that she wolde helpe for to saue hym / and that as muche as she myght / she shold make hir self foule and vnsemely in the kyn¦ges syght with clothynge and foule aray / But what / she durste not / but she dyde the countrary / and toke a myrrour and kembed hyr / and arayed hyr bodye / and hyr heede / as gay / and as fayre as she couth / and lefte no thyng that shold make her fayr and ly¦kynge / to a mannes syghte / Thenne whanne the kynge sawe the woman / he began to brenne in her loue / and made it as though̄ he were not wrothe / and had the erle with hym for to hunte in the woode of werwelley that now is callyd hoote woode / There the kynge smote hym thurgh with a shafte / there the kyng ax••d of therles baste sone how hym lyked suche huntynge / & me sayth that he answerd and sayde / lord kyng what plesyd the shal not dysplese me / By that worde he meked soo the kynges herte that was to swollen for wrath / that no thynge was leuer afterward to the kynge than the sonne of therle that was slayne / After∣ward for clensynge of this dede / this Elfrytha buylde an abbay of nonnes at warwell / ¶Ranulphus / But more verely for the sl••ynge of hir stepsone / Edward that she made be slayne / for hir owne sonne egelredus sholde regne / ¶Willelmus vbi supra To this ensample of cruelnes they telle another of lecherye / and saye / that he toke a mayde that was sacred to god / oute of an ab¦bay and laye by hir / ¶Also that he was on a tym•• by nyght at Andeuer not fer from wynchestre / and badde brynge to his bedde a dukes doughter that was a wel fayr mayde / But the mode•• of that mayde wolde not that her doughter shold soo be defowled and hadde a bounde seruaunt that was a fayre mayde smothe & lykynge / and sente her to the kynges bedde / A morowe whanne the dawynge byganne to sprynge / the woman byganne to ryse / Thenne me axed of her why she hyed / for to doo my werke sayd she / as I am wonte euery day. Than for that nyghtes iourneye she axed fredome for her mede / For she that was assentynge to the kynges lykyng sholde no more be vnder in boundage to cruel lordes / Anone the kyng byganne to laugh and made that boun¦dewoman lady of lordes / But how it euer be of suche dedes / it is sothe / that he clensyd hym of suche dedes by veray penaunce / After Boneface the seuenth / the seuenth Benet was pope / viij / yere and six monethes / the seconde otho / the sonne of the fyrste

••tho regned after his fader among duchemen ten yere / and six mo¦nethes / The seuenth yere of his kyngdome / he was crowned at ro¦me of pope Benet whanne the ytalyens brake the pees / This ma¦de a grete feste to the lordes of ytaly / at the grees of the chirche of Rome / And whyle they were at mete / he made men of Armes byclyppe hem pryuely aboute / and meoued a pleynte atte laste of brekyng of the pees / & bade hem take hym the names wryten of hem that were gylty / and made hem be byheded right there eue¦rychone / and made the other ete her mete in pees / ¶ Willelmus de Regibus libro secundo /

¶ Capitulum 12

YOng Edward by help of dunstān / and of other Bisshops was made kynge ayenste the wylle of somme other lordes / Specially ayenste the wylle of his stepdame elfrytha / that fonded to make hir owne sone egelredus kynge a childe of seuen yere old That she myght soo regne vnder the childes name / This edward regned as it were four yere ¶ Ther āfter waned the grace of the kyngdome / For in the fyrmamente was seen stella Cometa / that is a sterre with a bryght shynynge creest / that bodeth alwey pes∣tilence in the prouynce / owther chaungynge of the kyngdome / And long therafter fell bareynesse of feldes / honger of men / and deth of beestes / And Alferus prynce of mercia fauoured Elfri¦tha the quene with al that he myght / and put oute monkes that edgar had ordeyned / and brought ynne Clerkes with concuby∣nes / But dunstan and the erle of eeste englonde withstode hem manly / For the clerkes that were somtyme put oute / rered stryf ageyn / and sayd that it were a wretchyd shame / that a new co∣myng shold put old landesman of her place / That is not plesing to god that graunted the place to the old woner / nowther a good man aloweth it not that may drede that me wolde doo to hym self as he seeth that me doth to other / Herfor was a solempne coun∣seyle made at wynchestre / there the ymage of rode spak oute of the wall / and sayd that dunstans wey was good and true / but yet cesed not the hertes of vnskylfull men / therfor was made a coun¦seylle atte Ryal strete of Calue / there the kyng was absente / for he was yet of tendre age / & there sate in an hygh hows the sena∣tours of Englonde / There dunstan was strongly despysed and

chydde / Thenne the gystes and the beames of the sober al to bra∣ke / and the soler fylle downe / and somme were dede / and somme hurt & maymed for euermore / so all that there wree were dede ow¦ther hurt ful soore / oute take dunstan alone that escaped gracious¦ly and wysely / that myracle brought forth sylence to hem that entended afterward to haue mayntened that qua••ele / The yong Edward cam from huntyng wery and a thurst / and his stepda∣me yaue hym drynke / and the meane tyme / he was stykked with a swerde· Thenne he byganne to prykke his hors with all that he myght thennes for to flee / Thenne his one fote slode oute of the styrope / and he was to drawe by that other foote al aboute the feldes / and thwert ouer weyes and al be bloded and at Cornis¦gate be yaue the sygnes and tokens of deth / than he was buryed vnworthly thre yere at warham / there god wrought for hym m••¦ny myracles and grete / For there grete lyght come downe fro he∣uen / and the haltman receyued his goyng aryght / the dembe man receyued his spoche / the deef his herynge / and the blynde his syght / there all manere seke men toke the state of helthe / By that rumour she that slough hym was meoued and cam rydyng on a beeste that myght not come nyghe the place / for noo betynge / ne for noo cryeng / the beeste was ofte chaunged but it was al for nought / therfor what she myght not done in her owne persone / she dyd by another / For her mynyster Elferus that hadde somtyme putte oute monkes in mercia and brought Clerkes in her stede / he toke edwardes body and buryed it solempny at Septon that is shaftesbury / ¶ R In tyme afterwarde somme of his bodye was translated to leof monaster besydes herforde and somme to Abyndon / The place at shaftesbury / there his longes yet qnaue alle fressh and sounde is callyd Edwardestow / W / vbi supra For this slaughter Elfrytha buylde twey Abbayes of women not for fro Salesbury / One at ambrysbury and another at wer¦wel / she dyde awey the pompe of the world / and dyde long tyme hard penaūce at warwell / and vsed alwey the heer / and fasting and chastysed hir bodye that was full fayre somtyme / Ande al∣way as she myght she croysed her forheede and brest and lyeth bu¦ryed there / But the forsayd Elferus escaped not all maner wre¦che for he was eten all wyth lyse after one yere after the buryng of the forsayde martir / Aboute that tyme was fulbertus in pro∣speryte bisshop of Carnot an excellente man in our lady loue / Among his other noble werkes he made in praysyng of oure

lady the response styrps yesse / and solem iusticie / and this ym••¦ne Chorus noue Ierusalem / On a tyme he was seke atte yate of deth and our lady appered to hym and axyd of hym / wherof he dradde / my lady sayd he / I trust in thy mercy / but I drede full soore thyne owne sonnes dome / drede the nothynge sayd she / and for to make the / the more seker herafter. I shal now make the al hoole / and anone she toke her brest oute of her bosomme and drop¦ped on his face thre droppes of precious lycour of mylke / and went forth hir wey / he was hoole forthwith and dyde that swete lycour of heuen in a vessel of siluer / and hadde kepe▪ it in mynde /

¶Willelmus de regibus libro secundo

¶ Capitulum 13

EGelredus edgards sonne bygoten on his seconde wyf El∣frytha was made kynge after his elder broder Edward at kyngeston / he was a fayr knyght and a louely / Eyght & thyrty yere he besyeged the kyngdome more verely than ruled it / For the cours of his lyf was cruel / and vngracious in the begynnyng / wretched in the myddel / and foule in the ende / For whyle seynt dunstan baptysed hym / he defowled the fontston with the fruyte of his wombe / therfor dunstan sayd by god and by his moder¦thys shal be vnkynde / And in the day of his crownynge he told•• this prophecye / For thou come to the kyngdome by the deth of thy broder· in whos deth Englysshmen conspyred with the wykked woman thy moder / they shal not be withoute bloode and swerde er ther come peple of an vnknowen tonge / ond bryng hem in to the last thraldom / this trespaas shal not be clensed withoute long vengeaunce / whanne this egelredus was a chylde of ten yere ol∣de / and herde telle that his broder edward was soo slayne / he me∣oued so his wode moder with wepyng and with yellyng that she bete hym almost to deth / with tapers / for he shad nought ellys at hand / therfor he hated tapers al his lyf tyme / Also on Ethelgy¦na Erle egbertus doughter he bygate Edmund Ir••nsyde by hi•• surname / and edwyn and ethelstan and one doughter callyd ed¦gyna / Afterward on emma of normandy he bygate Alfred{us} and Edward / Half a nyght a cloude was seen in al Englond now blody now fyry / than it chaunged by dyuers colours and

beames / and wente awey in the dawnynge / That yere southhāp¦ton & the yle of Tanet besydes kente / and saynt petrocus abbaye in Cornewayle / & the prouynce of chestre were destroyed by the∣ues of danes / the cyte of london was brente with fire of the same Cyte / Seynt ethelwold bisshop of wynchestre is deed / he was born at wynchestre / & norysshed vp vnder dūstan at glastenbury & made monke / And he was made abbot at abyngdon in kynge Edredus tyme / And he was made bisshop at wynchestre in Ed∣gars tyme / there he made an abbaye of nonnes / and translated seynt swythynes body oute of the erth / ¶ After hym seynt alphe¦gus abbot of bathe was bisshop / And afterward Archebisshop of Caunterbury / and was slayne of the danes / Of hym Inner more we shal speke / This thyrdde otho the seconde Othoes sonne regned amonge duchemen after his fader eyghten yere / This had a wonder surname and was callyd otho the wondres of the world / Mirabilia mundi / and he was crowned at Rome of the fyfthe pope gregory / And though these thre othones were emperours arewe as it were by kynde herytage / yet afterward it was ordeyned that the Emperour sholde be chosen / by thoffycers of the empyre / tho offycers be seuen / Of hem ben versus made / Maguntmensis / treuerensis / Coloniensis / Qu••l••b••t imperij fit can cellarius horum / Eciam palatinus dapyfer / dnx portitorensis / Marchio prepositus camere pyncerna boemns / Hij statuunt do∣minum per secula summum / these be to meane Bisshop meynse / magunce Treuer and Colonia / thes thre / Euerychone of this is made ryght chaunceler of thempyre / Erle palatinus sewer duc of Oustryche beryth the swerd / marquys is chamberleyn· butiler kynge is of beame / this chosen to men alle the lord hyest for euer / the thyrdde otho hadde a wyf that wolde haue had an hus∣bond man to lygge by hir / but the man wold not assent to anon trye / than he was thretend that his heede sholde be smytē of / with¦oute ony dome / but er he dyed he bad his wyf that she shold after his dethe proue hym gyltles by the doyng of ho••r brennyng yren The day cam whanne the emperour sayd that he wold do ryght / to the faderles and moderles childer and to wydues / This wy∣duc cam and brought with her hyr husbandes heede / and axed what deth he were worthy that had slayne a man wrongfully / He is worthy to leese his heede sayd themperour / thou art that man sayd the wydue / and that I shal proue anone by the do¦me of fyre & brennyng yren / whan the dome was done / thēperour

yaue hym self to the woman / for she sholde punysshe hym as she wold / but atte prayeng of bisshops / fyrst of ten dayes were groū¦ted / and than of eyght / and than of seuen / and atte laste of sixe In the whiche dayes the emperour examyned the cause atte full and brente his owne wyf / and for his raunsonne he yaue to the wydue four castel townes in the Bysshopryche of Brynensis / that yet haue the names & be cleped by the first dayes / ten / eight seuen and six The fourtenthe iohan was pope eyght monethes ¶After hym the fyftenth iohan four monethes / After hym the sixtenth iohan was pope ten yere Willelmus vbi supra / ¶Kyng Egelredus for stryf that was bytwene hym and the Bisshop of Rouchestre besyeged the cyte of Rouchestre / Dunstan sende to hym that he sholde leue his wodenesse / ānd that he shold not offende seynt andrew patrone of that place / The kyng rought not of bare wordes / than dunstan hight and arayed his heest fair with money / ānd sente hym an honderd pounde for he shold bre∣ke the siege / the moneye was receyued and dunstan wondred of the mannes couetyse and sente hym worde by messagers in this manere / for thou hast putte gold byfore god and syluer byfore the apostle / and couetyse byfore me / ryght sone euyll happes shal come vpon the / but not whyle I am alyue· Than two yere after came the danes whanne dunstan was deede / that yere twey pesty¦lences that were vnknowen byfore / fylle in Englond For men hadde the feuers / and beestes the flyxe / ¶Seynt dunstan ended his lyf ful of vertues & of wondres / as descryued osbertus monk of Caunterbury / he tellith in seynt dunstans lyf / that while seynt dunstan hyghted the ymages of appostles and martirs with the stole of a preeste / An harpe that henge vpon the walle was herde make swetely melodye withoute mannes hande / the melodye was the note of this anteme of the martres / Gaudent in celis a∣nime sanctorum / that is to saye hooly mennes soules make ioye in heuen / Also he tellyth thkt dunstan couth many craftes / and wrought with his handes / and made on a tyme a chalis by gold smythes craft in a celle fast by glastenbury / there the fende cam in lykenes of a woman and tempted hym by fantasyes of dy∣uers lykynge / Dunstan in his spyryte was war therof / and caught hym by the nose with his fyre hote tong / so that dede was knowen of neyghbours aboute with cryeng•• and yellynge of the fende / Also on a tyme dunstan was slepy and herde angels synge full swetely / Kyryeleyson / Xprysteleyson / the melodye of

that note / and armonye / is yet famous among englysshe men / & vsed on that kyrye / kyrye rex splendens / than whan dūstā was dede / the danes come in to euery hauen of englond / so that me wist not where me myght met hem / therfor mē myght not put hem a∣way with yren / and put hem awey with syluer / and payd hem the fyrst yere ten thousand pound by counseylle of Syrycus that was Archebisshop nexte after dunstan / ¶ And the seconde yere sixten thousande pound / the thyrdde yere twenty thousand / l̄i / the iiij / yere / xxiiij / M / l̄i / the / v / yere / xxx / M / l̄ / atte last xl M / l̄i till all the money fayled / than the danes bygan ayene to robbe & to reue / and yet herto one elfricus māyster of the kynges shippis fledde to the enemyes as a vyle flemed harlot / the nyght bifore the batayle / and warned hem of whome they sholde take heed & bewar / For that dede men toke his sonne algarus / and put oute both his eyen / And yet elfricus come ayene / but he fayled ayene / Thenne the danes spoylled and robbed al northumberlond / and besieged london / and made the kynge pay trybute by strengthe / The mene tyme elphegus the bisshop of wynchestre yaue pledgis and brought Anlaf kyng of danes to kyng ••gelredus / & kyng egelredus receyued hym of cold water / & the bisshop confermed hym / therafter he wente to his own & dyd no harme / but yet so cesed not harme / But as the hedes of Idra whan somme enemy¦es were awey come vp other enemyes / and destroyed the coun∣traye. ¶ The Capytayns presence is moche worth to be knowen in werre and in bataylle / soo is hardynesse vse and loore of de∣des of Armes / these fayled that tyme among englysshmen / For yf the hoost were ony tyme gadryd yf Shippes were made / noo thyng spedde a ryght / For our men were not chasted / they yaue them to thefte and to robbery / For they were not comforted / they wold lyghtly flee / Our shippes were destroyed with grete tem∣pest / ¶ One wylnotus that the kynge hadde exyled occupyed the shippes that were lefte and drenched hem owther brente hem / If the lordes come to counseyll ony tyme / they were not of one assent But they treated more of discorde and stryfe that was among hem self than of the comune profyt / & yf ony good counseyll and profytable were yeuen / anone theyr enemyes shold wytte For withoute the forsaide Elfrycus one Edrycus / that the kyn∣ge hadde made lorde of mercia a ryght fals traytour and slye that couth wel feyne hym self true frende though he were fals

He espyed the kynges counsayle as he were true and trusty

and warned the enemyes therof / as a fals gybeful traytour / In the mene tyme / mescheue / & hunger encreaced fast / ¶ Enemyes myght go frely fyfty myle / & take prayes and lede to her shippis Thenne they payd more trybute to the danes / the kyng had suche a condicion that he wold lyghtly dyssheryte englysshmen / & feyne trespaas for to haue her money and her good / he was so froward to his wyf emma. that she selde come in his bedde / he walowed in lechery with strompettis / and with comune wymmen /

¶ Capitulum 14

LOtharius lowys sonne was kynge of westfraunce / and dyed withoute childer / In hym the grete charles ofspryng loste the kyngdom / Somme men say that this lotharius had chil∣dre that regned not after hym / By helpe of Rychard duc of Nor¦mandye / that was somtyme gretely greuyd by lotharius / ¶Lotharius sonnes were taken / and the grete hugh capette was made kynge of fraunce / and regned nyne yere / this hugh Capett was the sone of duc hugh / whos suster duc rychard had spoused

¶ Seynt oswald archebisshop of yorke / and of worcetre also / dyed & was buryed at wyrcetre / The / v / gregorius was pope as it were thre yere / this was byfore called brunus / & was othoes themperours kynnesman / At his instaunce he was chosen pope / But afterward whan themperour was absente one Crescenci{us} prefecte of the cyte toke one placentinus a ryche man of moneye / and putte hym in the poperyche / and callyd hym the seuenth Io¦han / But the Emperour came ageyne / and putte oute this Io¦han / and putte ynne the seconde Syluester / ¶ That ye∣re / the Bisshops see that somtyme was callyd Lyndeffarn was chaunged to durham / ¶ And seynt Cuthbertus bodye was translated thyder / the whiche bodye / ardulphus ledde aboute with hym somtyme / The fyrste Rychard the thyrd duc of Nor∣mandy is dede / ¶ After hym his sonne the seconde Rychard was duc / xxviij / yere / For his grete goodnesse he was callyd the good Rychard / he was deuoute in goddes seruyce / & wyse & redy to the worlde warde / Curtoys and large of yeftes / On his fyrste wyf he bygate thre sonnes / Rychard Robert & Wiliam / & thre doughters On his seconde wyf he gate wyliam and Robert /

archebisshop of rothomage / One of thes second rychardes knygh¦tes stale a spone / & leyd it to wedde among other thynges / The duc espyed it & none other man / & lete quyte oute al the knygh¦tes weddes / the knyght espyed that the spone was so espyed / & was soo ashamed that he fled pryuely awey / The kynge wente after the knyght that fledde / and brought hym ayene and made hym ryche / and loued hym afterward ryght wele / One mays¦ter Bernard herde the dukes loos / and wold be knowen to him / And bythought hym on euery syde how he myght beste doo for to come therto / he come atte last with a bowe and an arowe to a wyndowe of the castel / there the duc was wonte to stande / And walked hyder and thyder as though he wold haue shotte to the duc / the duc was war therof / and espyed what the cause was / & loued hym ryght wel / After the seuenth Iohan was put oute the second syluester was pope four yere and twey monethes / W / v / su / This hete fyrst gerebertus by his name / & was of the naciō of frensshmen / & was shorn monk at Floriacio besyde aurelyans / Whanne he come to pyctagoras double wey / he was caught with noye of his ordre with couetyse of worship / and left his habyte on a nyght / and fled in to hyspals / that is syuyl le grannt a cy¦to of spayne for to lerne subtyle and curyous artes & scyences / there as crysten men haue Tolet / Sarasyns haue hyspals / ther gerebertus lerned and passed tholomeus in astronomye & Alcā¦drius in the space bytwene the sterres & Iulius fermicus in des∣teny / there he lerned what sygnefyed song / and flyghte of foules what the curyosite of kynde may take that Carsong I leue / But he drank therof that he passed all other / he was the fyrst that toke Agabus of Sarasyns / and yaue rules therynnne / that maye vnnethe be vnderstanden of the connyngest men of that crafte / whiche craftes men ben cleped Abacyste / Gerebertus was at In with one that was moost connynge philosophre / that was boūde with promyses and with yeftes / Gerebertus hadde wryton and copyed al this philosophres bookes / excepte one that conteyned all the pryuyte of the crafte / For that booke myght he not geete by noo maner of sleyght / But the philosophre was otherwhyle dronken· And soo Gerebertus wayted his tyme / and toke the booke / that was vnder the philosophres heede and fledde aweye therwyth / Thenne he awoke. and pursued Gerebertus by crafte of the stere••s / in the whiche crafte he was parfyht ynowe /

By that same crafte he that fledde was ware of the perylle /

and dressyd hym vnder a treen brydge that was there nexte and henge ther by the armes / soo that he touched neyther erth ne wa¦ter / and soo by that crafte he was begyled that sought hym right besyly / and withdrough hym and torned home ayene / Thenne this gerebertus cam to the see / and called forth the fende and be∣hete hym homage yf he wold bere hym ouer the see / and saue him fro hym that pursued hym / and soo it was done / Than he come agey•• in to Fraunce / & helde open scole / and had with hym Con¦stantin thabbot of saynt mayimin besydes aurelyans / To hym he made and yaue a rule of Abacus / Also he told the skylle and reson of the dyameter aboue macrobius / Treuisa / The dyameter is of a fygure owther of a shap the lengest euen lyne that is de∣uyded therynne / take who that may / Than it foloweth in the sto∣rye / Gerebertus hadde s••olers Robert the sonne of hugh Capette kyng of fraunce / and otho / Otho the emperours sonne / But ro¦bert was afterward kyng of fraunce / and made this gerebertus Archebisshop of remensis / yet in that chirche is mynde of his lore for ther is an orloge made by crafte of honde / and water organs that sowneth by eyr and water / there by strengthe of hoot•• wa∣ter the wynde brekyth oute and fylleth the holownes of the Or∣gans / and thenne by shaply draughtes the brasen pypes sende oute swete crye and noyse of melodye / therafter Otho was Em∣perour and made Gerebertus bisshop of Rauenna / and sone ther after pope / ¶ Marianus / ¶ Of that happe is a vers ma¦de / Scandit ad / R / Gerebertus / ab / R / post papa vygens / in / R / That is Gerebertus passyth vp to / R. oute of R / and is theraf∣ter pope in his floures in R / ¶R / He passed oute of Remence to Rauenna / and the thyrde tyme to Rome / ¶ Willelmus de Regibus / Fauour of the fende droof forth his fortune / for by help of the fende / and by crafte of nygromancye he fonde tresour that was hyd of olde tyme / in that felde callyd Campus Mar¦cius / besydes rome was an ymage that tyme that helde streight oute ¶ the fynger / of his right hande / the which fynger som men calle lyk pot / that is the fynger nexte the thombe / and on the ymages heede it was wreton / smyte her / men of olde tyme wend & trowed tresour ther to fynde / & brake sōwhat of the ymage with many hard strokes / gerebert{us} blamed hem therfor / & euē at mid∣day whā the sōne was highest / he toke hede wher the shadow of that finger fil on the groūd & pight ther a stake & at night he toke with him his chāberlayn alone that bare with him light & opened the

erth there as the stake was pyght and went in and sawe the••e a kynges hows of gold and knyghtes of gold playng with dyses of gold / and kyng and quene of metal sitting atte borde & serued with mete sette on the borde / seruauntes standyng byfore hem / & cuppes of grete wyght and pryce / In the ynner place of the ho••s a carboncle stone shoone clerely / and dyd awey al the derknesse of the nyght. On the other syde stode a yonglynge with a bowe bente / But amonge al these no thynge myght be touched though it myght be seen / yf ony man wente ner to handle ony thynge h••r of / it semed that al the ymages wold on him rese / Gerebertus was war therof and absteyned hym & withstode his couetyse / & desyre / but the chamberlayn absteyned not atte full / for he toke a knyf that lay on the boorde / Anon as he had taken the knyf / all ymages bygan to grutche / and to aryse / & the child lowsed / and shotte and hytte the carboncle stone with a reode / and made alle the hows full of derknesse / Soo that but yf he hadd leyd downe the knyf as his lord bade hym / bothe sholde haue payed the peyne So it is redde that Ioseph dalf with his fader moche tresour in to the erthe / ¶ And hircanus toke vp thre thousand talentes of kyng dauids graue / for to breke vp the syege of Ierusalem / Also it is a comune faine that this gerebertus by certayne crafte of the sterres / dyde ghete an hede that spak not / but whan me ax¦yd of hym and seyd nought but soth / That hede warned gereber∣tus that he shold be pope / and that he shold neuer dye er he ••ad son¦ge a masse in Ierl̄m / but he was not ware that in Rome was a chirche that hete ierl̄m / ther the pope singith masse thre sondayes in the yere in the stacion tyme / In that chirche he arayd hym to masse on one of these sondayes / and was taken with strength of sekenesse / and lay seke in his bedde / and counseylled with his y∣mage / and knewe that he was begyl̄ed and was war of his oun¦deth / he sente for the cardyuals and knowleched his euyl dedes / and wepte ful soore / And as it were a woode man for sorow of his synnes / he made men kytte him self lymmele· and throwe out his lymmes / and sayd lete hym haue thoffyce of the lymmes that axyd homage of hem & lete the spyryte go to god that made it of of nought / Mar / Than he bade doo the stoke of the bodye vpon a cart and burye it where the beestes wolde abyde / & ••o it was done Than the beestes steynte at seynt iohans the l••ran and he is bu∣ryed there in token that his synnes were foryeuen / his graue bo∣dethe and warneth yf the pope shal sone dye / And that by

sterynge and rustlyng of the bones that be therynne / & by swe∣tynge of the tombe as it is yet there wreton in lettres of latyn /

¶ Capitulum 15

HVgh Capett kyng of west Fraunce dyed after that he had regned ix / yere / his sone Robert was kyng after hym / that he had bygoten on the elder edwardes doughter kyng of englond This robert regned aboute thyrtty yere / in his tyme a ••elygyous pylgrym cam oute of ierl̄m in to Scicilia / & lerued of one that was closed that dede / mē••es soules for dyus synnes & trespaces be tormented in vulcanus crokke / he that was closed tolde that he had herd ofte the voys & the grysbytyng of thylke soules that be delyuerd by prayers and almesdedes of crysten men & namely of monkes of cluny / Therfor odyl•• abbot of cluny whan he was war therof / he ordeyned to haue mynde and memorye for hem that ben dede / And that the morow after al halowe day / That maner of vsage and doynge / passed afterward in to al the world / Also this robert was a connyng man of scyence / & wold in high̄ festes of sayntes in somme abbay of his kyngdom / syng owther bere a coope and rule the quere / ¶ Ones at aurelyans in seynt Anians day he had lefte his hoost aboute a castel / that he beseged & bare a coope in the quere / and sange thryes agnus dei knelyng on the grounde / thenne the same tyme the walles of the castel / that was besyeged fylle sodenly to the grounde / This is that ro∣bert that made that sequence / Sancti spiritus assit nobis gracia / that is the grace of the hooly goost be with vs / Also he made the response on mydwynter euen / Iudea & ierl̄m nolite timere / that is Iewry and Ierl̄m haue ye no will to drede / as who saith / drede now ryght nought / Also that yere deuelyng a cyte of an Arche∣bisshops see of Irlond was destroyed by Scottes / & the naueye of denmarch̄ wente in to normandye / & kynge egelredus destroyed Combrelande and the ylande mon / that hete Anglesya / & is by north wales / Seynt Iuo the bisshops body is founde / / W / de p / libro quarto / This iuo of the nacion of perses forsoke the likynge of this world & passed by many landes in a churles wede with thre felawes and no moo and ended his lyf in the yle of ramsey His name & his graue was long tyme vnknowen to mē of that countrey / but this Iuo appered to a symple man & enformed him

of his name and of his degre / & charged hym that he sholde goo to thabbot of ramesey for they shold go yfere & take vp his body oute of the erthe / whan that was done an heeleful welle for al maner sekenes sprang oute of his graue / So that yet vnneth in al englond is ony seynt that wold lyghtlyer here a mannes bone and helpe hym in dede / That yere kyng egelredus wedded emma the flour of normandy / the doughter of the fyrst Rychard duc of of normandy / and was proude therfor / and sent lettres in to the cytees of englond / and he commaunded / & hete to sle al the danes in one nyght / And so it was done on seynt bricius nyght / Also that yere was the abbay founded at burton vpon trent of a gre¦te man callyd wulrycus spoite / After the thyrdde otho the first henry that was cleped mylde was emperour / xvij / yere / him crou¦ned tharchebisshop of magonce / And here take heede that mo ••••n∣ryes were kynges than emperours / therfore whan me redyth the fyrst henry / the seconde owther the thyrde by cause of lykenes of the saide name / he is the fyrst o••ther the secōd in thēpire / the same shal be vnderstanden of Conrades and othones emperours that so hete / This fyrst henry lyued clene mayde with his wyf / the / xv••ij iohn was pope six monethes / Suanus kyng of danes herde t••ll that danes were pryuely slayn / in the cytees of englond / & come with a grete nauye and landed in corne wayle / there by treson of a norman erle hugh that the quene Emma had made lord of De¦uenshire suanus toke excetre and destroyed the walles / But the westsaxons come manely ayenst hym / but as ofte as the hoostes neyhed to geder the Capitayn of englyssmen / Edricus a fals trai¦tour feyned for to spue / and sayd that he was seke / therfor En∣glysshemen were discomforted / and kyng swanus robbed wylton and shirburn and wente to his shippes ageyne / and come to nor wyche the nexte yrre after & destroyed the countray and set Te••∣ford a fyre / whanne duc vsketel was war therof / he sente to men of the countrey / that they sholde brenne the shippes of theyr ene¦myes / But they made it as they rought not owther durst not / Thenne the duc come with alle that he myghte and yaue the da∣nes a wel harde and sharpe bataylle / But for that yere was stronge honger in Englonde / kynge Suanus tourned ageyne to denmarche / and come the nexte yere after in to englonde ageyne / The nyntenthe iohn was pope fyue yere / ¶ This yere El∣phegus bisshop of wynchestre was made Archebisshop of Caun∣terbury whan wulrycus tharchebisshop was dede / ¶ There

after in the monethe of Iuyll / the naueye of danes landed at Sandwyche / and spoylled and Robbed kente and Southsex & trauayled the hoost of englond with many maner deceites & wi¦les / now spoyllynge / and robbyng / & now tornyng home ageyn Thre felawes folowed hem alwey robbyng sleyng & brennyng / For kyng egelredus woned than at shro••sbury & myght not anō putte of the danes / er they hadde destroyed barokshire / Therfore Egelredus by counseylle of lordes payed to the danes trybute thyrtty thousande pounde for to haue pees / ¶ That yere he made Edricus the traytour duc of mercia / Edrycus was lowe of kyn Ryche of tonge / fals / and deceyuable of wytte / softe and fayr of speche / vntrusty and fals of thought / ¶The thyrdde Sergius was pope thre yere / Henricus / li / 6 / ¶ Turkyllus an erle of the danes come a lande in kente / And caunterbury men yane hym a thousande pounde for to haue pees / And the danes wente in to the yle of wyght and toke prayes there / ¶ As ofte as the kyng wente forth for to fyght ayenst them / Erle Edrycus counseyled that he shold yeue hem noo bataylle / ¶ Therfor that yere the danes were made full ryche and destroyed almoost half englond from northampton to the yle of wyght /

¶ Capitulum 16

ABoute saynt matheus feste the danes beseged Caunterbery and the twenty daye of the syege the cyte was taken / and sette on fyre / and that by tresonne of Almarus the Deken / that saynt Elphegus had byfore saued from dethe / Thabbot of seynt Austyns was suffred for to go his wey / crystes flocke were ty∣thed / the / ix / were slayne / & the / x / was kepte / of hem that were slayne / somme were slayne with yren / and some throwen down from hygh places / somme hanged by the pryuy membrys & som drawen by the heere / Amonge the whiche Elphegus the Bisshop was taken and bounde seuen monethes / & greued and despysed with many maner paynes / Therfor goddes wrath felle vppon the peple / that slough soo men / that sorow of her bowels slough & des∣troyed of hem / now by / x / now by / xx / & so a grete nombre / than the danes were warned by crysten men that they shold do the bis¦shops gre / but they dyfferted it & abide therwith / for on ester euē

they gaf the bisshop chois whether he wold pay thre thousād pond owther leese his lyf / he forsoke at her profre / & prayde mekely his crysten men / and forbade them hyghly that none of hem shol∣de pay for his raunsome / therfor the danes were wroth and kene and the next saterday after the danes were wyne dronken / & ledd oute the bisshop and slough hym with stones and with rotheren bones / That saterdaye felle twelue dayes byfore maij / whan the bisshop was dede he was not buryed til on the morn / whan a drye tree was touched with a drope of the blode it wax grene ageyn / Than the nexte daye after his bodye was brought to london / and buryed worshipfully in seynt paulus chirche / But afterward by graunte of kanutus kyng of danes he was brought all hoole in bodye to his owne chirche / ¶ W / de / r / li / 2 / After that this Alphegus had taken monkes habyte at dirhust / he lyued as an Anker at bathe / and gadred there monkes afterward and as it fallyth ofte in agreete college / these monkes drough hem alle to euyll maner of doynge / For vnwyttyng the fader somme of hem made festes by nyghte in outrage and in drynkynge to the daye lyght / But the banyour of this euyll doynge / fyl dede by wreche of god in the myddel of the hows that they drank in / The fader was war therof by noys that he herde / and come to the wyndow and sawe twey fendes bete that body / and the wretche axed helpe Nay sayde the fendes / thou were not obedyent to god / so we shal not be obedyēte to the / On a tyme saynt andrew / appered to dun¦stan & by coūseyle of seynt andrew alphegus was made bisshop of wynchestre and ete neuer flessh / but he was seeke / By nyghte ••e wolde begyle his wardeyns and stonde in the water to the gyr∣del stede / and worship god and pray hym to the day lyght / Whanne he had be bisshop of wynchestre two and twenty yere / he was made Archebisshop of Caunterbury ayenst his wylle / But as he went to Rome for the palle / he was robbed in a strete of al that he hadde / therfore god toke wreche of that streete / soo that the strete waxe on fyre / than the men of that streete knowheched her trespaas and restored ageyne al that was his / Than they sawe that the fyre was quenched atte prayer of saynt elphegus / ¶ Marianus / ¶ After Sergyus the eyghtenth benet was pope twelue yere / Of hym peter damianus sayth / that a bisshop sawe hym sitte on a blac hors greuously tormented / therfor he prayd the Bisshop that saw that syght that he shold go to his successour the / xx / iohan / and praye hym to doo almes dede for hym of the

money that was in suche a cheste / For al that was deled for hym byfore / stode hym in no stede / For it was of thefte and rob¦berye / soo it was don and than that bisshop wente in to an Ab¦bay / This yere twey dayes byfore october the see ouerflowed and passed the clyues and d••••ynt many men and townes / Henricus libro sexto / Suanus kynge of danes sayled aboute eestenglond that conteyneth northfolk / and southfolk / and come with his na¦uey in to humbre / and passed forth by the ryuer Trente to geynil burgh· than the men that dwellyd by / the north watlyng streete swar / fewte to hym & bytoke hym pledgys / & he bitoke his nauey and these pledgys to his sone canutus / whyle he wente to destroye south mercia / and slough the men and kepte the women to flesshe∣ly lykynge of hym / and his men / Than he toke oxenford and wynchestre / but as he went toward london and sought no brydge he lost many of his men in the Ryuer of Temse. But by presence of kynge Egelredus he was put of at london and wente and wanne westsaxon / the londoners wente and sawe that / and sente hym pledges / than the kynge was abasshed and sente his wyf Emma to hir broder the second Rychard duc of normandy / and sente with hir his twey sones and the bisshop of l••ndon / In the meane tyme hyder and thyder at wyght he helde so his mydwyn¦ter tyde. Atte laste he was withoute cataylle and comforte / and sayled in to normandy / than kyng Suanus was the more prou∣de / and to eche owne dampnacion be chalenged greete trybute of seynt edmunds the martirs cyte & menaced that but the trybute were payd he wold slee the men & sette the cyte on fyre / Also he despysed and scorned saynt edmond with all that he couth / But whanne euen come he was stykked with saynt edmondes swerde in the myddel of his owne knyghtes / atte toune of geynisburgh ānd cryed in the departyng of day and nyght / and dyed the thir¦de day of Februar / His sone canutus sawe that and dyd myldly with seynt edmond and made a dyche aboute saynt Edmundes land and graūted hym fredom / and discharged the place of all maner seruyce / and buylde a chirche ouer the martirs body / and ordeyned there monkes and yaue hem money landes and ren∣tes / therafter it was vsed that kynges of englonde sente her crou¦nes to seynt Edmond / and yf they wolde vse or were hem after∣ward they sholde pay therfor moche money and haue hem ayene ¶ The collectours of trybute that were ful cruel in other pla∣ces of englonde there be mylde and easy and softe pl••tynges on

this half saynt edmondes dyche /

Capitulum 17 /

WHan Suanus was dede the danes made his sone canutus kyng / But the englysshmen sente in to normandy to kynge Egelredus / & promysed yf he wold be more goodly to hem than he was wonte / hem were leuer to put aweye Canutus and take hym to kyng / he assented to the profre / and sente his son•• edward before for to stable the pees / therafter about lente tyme / the kyng come with grete spede / and droof canutus oute of lyndesey / Thenne canutus toke hym to rede for fo flee at Sandwyche in kente / he made kytte of handes and noses of alle the Englysshe pledgys that were delyuerd to his fader somtyme / & falled ayene in to deumarche / and come ayene the next yere after / ¶ This yere Canutus sayled aboute eestenglond and toke prayes in the southe countrey / The noble knyght edmund yrensyde cam manly ayenst hym / But edmond withdrough hym whan he was ware of Edricus treason / Edrycus yaue hym / and his to canutus /

The westsaxons sawe that / and delyuerd hym pledgys / and dyde the same / Kynge egelredus dyed at london eyght dayes bi¦fore maij / and was buryed in paules chirche / After his deth bisshops abbotes and lordes of the lande forsooke his yssue / and progenye / and knouleched at Southampton / that Canutus sholde be her kynge / and he sware that he wolde be to hem a true lord both to god warde and to the worlde / ¶But the londoners and many of the lordes made her kynge edmund yrensyde / And anone he made the westsaxons subgette / somme for drede / and somme by her owne good wylle / In the mene tyme canutus bysieged london / but be was putte of ther / & he fought with ed∣monde in dorsette besydes gyllyngham & was ouercomen there / Therafter after the myddel of the somer Edmond with a greete hoost fought more sharply with canutus in the prouynce of wic¦cyes / that is the prouynce of wircetre / ther they fought so strong∣ly that eyther hooste / withdrough hem from other for / pure wery¦nesse / Alfred / and marianus / But the morowe Edmond had ouercome the danes / ne had the fals Edrycus shewed a knygh∣tes hede that was moost lyke to kyng edmōd / Edrycus shewed that heede & sayde / flee englysshmen / loo here is the heede of Ed∣mond your kyng / but whan edmonde was ware therof / be leyde

one more sharply and faster and fought vnto nyght / ¶ By nyght canutus wente to london warde / But Edmonde folowed after / and saued the cyte and passed temse / the thyrd tyme / and ouercome the danes at brentford / Than duc Edrycus swar few∣te to kynge Edmond / yet the fyfthe tyme whan the danes rob∣bed and reued & toke prayes / edmond ouercome hem at okeford in kente and chaced hem vnto the yland of shepeheye / Thenne while Edward torned in to westsaxon Canutus toke prayes in mercia / therfore edmōd mette hym vpon asshdon / ther was strong fyghtynge on eyther syde / Duc Edrycus sawe the danes downe∣ward / and fledde as a traytour sholde / soo that many noble men were slayn on edmondes syde / ther was slayne the bisshop of lin∣coln and the Abbot of Ramesey that were come to praye for the knyght / Than by counseyll of Edrycus pees was made bytwene the kynges / and pledgys taken on eyther syde / ¶At Durhurst vpon the brynk of Seuarn / the pees was made in thys maner / One of the knyghtes stode vp in the myddel of the hoost / & sayd alwey we dye / no man hath the vyctorye / Edmond maye not be ouercome for his grece strengthe / Canutus may not be ouercome for fauoure of fortune / But what shal be the fruyte of this con∣tynuel stryf / but whan the knyghtes he slayne on eyther syde / than the dukes compellyd by nede shal acord· owther certeynly they shal fyghte withoute knyghtes alone / eyther with other / Than why doo they not now one of these tweyne / If they acord why is not the kyngdome now more suffycient for hem tweyne / that was somtyme ynowe for fyue / If her couetyse of lordship is soo grete that eyther hath indygnacion to take and haue part with other / owther to be vnder / than late hem fyghte alone / that wol be lordes alone / lest yf al men fyght al men be slayne / and soo shold leue no knyghtes vnder the heestes of dukes / nowther to defende the kyng ayenste straunge alyenes / Thenne the dukes with her hoostes come to geder atte yland of olneye besydes Glou¦cestre / there alle men cryed owther they sholde acorde / or fyght a•• one / Than both the kynges come to geder in middel of the ylād & the peple stode / & behelde on eyther syde / The kynges fought first on hors / and than on fote / There canutus espyed that Edmonde myght not be ouercome and acorded to be partyner of the kyng¦dom / and they threw awey her wepens and kyssed eyther other Thenne al men wondred / and were ioyeful therof / whanne this was done the traytour Edrycus desyred to make hym self leeue

Canutus / And at oxenford whanne edmonde was at pryny to clense his wombe / as nede of kynde axeth / Edrycus was pryue∣ly hydde vnder the place / and stykked the kynge vpwarde / that sate on the sege / And than edrycus wente to canutus and sayd hayle kyng aloone / Whanne the kyng knewe how it stode / he sa∣yd to Edrycus / For thou trowest to plese me with suche manere seruyce / and hast slayne the best body of the world / I shal arere¦thyn hede aboue all the lordes of englond / Than anone Edrycus heede was smyten of / and sette aboue the highest yate of london /

¶ R But somme storyes say / and specially marianus / that Edmond dyed not in that manere / But after that the acorde was made / and stabled bytwene the kynges / and the kyngd••me deled bytwene hem tweyn / Edmond dyed at london aboute seynt andrews tyde / & was buryed at glastēbury with his grauntsir edgar / That semeth soth / For comune cronykes tellen / that af¦ter edmundus deth / Canutus yaue mercia to the fals Edrycus / and exyled edmundes broder / by his counseylle and dyde many other dedes / and that myght not stande / yf he had beheded Edry¦cus byfore /

¶ Capitulum 18 /

CAnutus the dane was made kyng alone whanne edmond was dede / and regned about nynten yere / he deled the kyng of Englond in four / and assygned westsaxon to hym self / Eeste englond that conteyneth northfolk / and Southfolk to therle tur∣kyllus / Mercia to the fals Edricus / and northumberlond to hyri¦cius / Than he made a counseylle at london and axed of the lor∣des / yf ony mencion was made in thacord bytwene hym and ed∣mond / that edmundes bretheren owther his childer shold be kyn∣ges after his deth / They answerde ful falsly and flateryngly & saide nay / Also they swar that they wold in al wyse putte of ed∣mondes kynne / They trowed therby to be greete with the kynge afterword / Therfor somme of them were slayn by goddes right∣ful dome / and somme banysshed and exyled and putte oute of the lande / By counseylle of Edrycus / the kynge exyled edmon∣des broder that was cleped kyng of churles / But he was after¦warde gylefully reconcyled and slayne by / tresonne of his oun men / but kyng canutus drad / and was ashamed to sle edmōds

sonnes edmond and Edward / and by counseyll of Edrycus he sente hem to the kynge swanus / for he shold slee hem / but he drad god and sente hem forther to Salamon kynge of hongary to sa∣ue her lyf / And edmond wedded that kynges doughter / & dyed sone after withoute children / But Edward wedded Agath / hen¦ry the emperours doughter / and bygate on hyr Margarete that was afterwarde quene of Sco••lande / and Crystyne a nonne / & Edgar adelyng / Henricus libro sexto / This name adelyng is ma¦de of twey saxon wordes / Ade•• that is noble / and lyng that is an ymage / than adelynge is as it were a noble ymage / Therfor the westsaxons haue in a prouerbe / of grete despyte / vn∣derlyng / that is he that is put oute of honeste / owther an yma∣ge that goth bakwarde / The hooly kyng edwarde was after∣warde in purpo••s to make this Edgar heyr of Englond / but he dradde goodwynes sones / and the shrewdnes of his owne men / and made wiliam norman his sone adoptinus / Willelmus de re∣gibus libro secundo / ¶ In the moneth of Iuyll kyng Canu¦tus wedded Emma the quene / for he wold be the more sure of Englonde / and bygate on her a sonne called hardeknutus / After that at london the fals Edrycus despysed the benefyce that hym was yeuen / and the kynge bade slee hym ryght there in his owne palays / and bade throwe the body besydes the walles in to Temse / ¶In that he was war / that Edrycus shold not bytraye hym by fraude and by treasonne / he exyled somme other lordes / But he loued Erle leofrycus alwey afterwarde / ¶ After this· he made a parlement at oxenforde / there Englysshmen and danes were acorded for to holde kyng edgars lawes / Henricus libro sexto / That yere Canutus wente in to denmarck / and hadde with hym Englysshmen ayenst the wandales that werred vpon hym / The nyght byfore the batayll duc goodwyn and englyssh∣men come vnwar vpon the enemyes and dysparpled hem / and chaced hem vnwyttyng the kyng / therfor the kyng dyde englissh men grete worship from that tyme forwarde / and come ayene that yere in to Englonde ¶ This yere Alduinus bisshop of lyndef∣farn was dede / Than the see was wyde aboute thre yere / & there was made a synode for the election of the bisshop / there come Ed¦monde the preest & sayde in his game / why chese ye not me / Som toke not his game in game / but they ordeygned for to faste thre dayes for the same cause For they wolde wytte saynt cuthbertus wylle Thenne whanne the preest was atte masse a voys sowned

twyes oute of seynt Cuthberts tombe / and sayd that Edmond shold be his bisshop / ¶Also this yere fell that wonder in Saxon in saynt magn{us} the martirs chirche / There fyften men / and thre women ledde a daunce in the chircheyerde on a crystemas nyghte And the preest of the chirche was wroth / and prayd of wreche / and sayd in this maner / God graūte by the prayer of seynt mag∣ne the martir that ye be soo dyseaced / and lede in this maner the daunce alle the yere longe / and so it was done / For whanne that yere was passed the same cristemasse a twellyf moneth they ledde the daunce in snowe vp to the sydes / and hadde nowther ete ne dronke / nowther slepte till they were delyuerd by the pra∣yer of seynt Cuthbert bysshop of Colon / whanne they were dra∣wen vp of the erthe / they leyde hem self byfore the aulter / thēne somme of hem dyed anone / and somme were kepte alyue / and shewed on them self the grete dedes of god / One of thilk women was the same preestes doughter / that prayd this wreche / Hir ou∣ne brother wold haue drawē her oute of the daūce / but she brayde to hym hir arme / and led forth the daunce neuer the latter with the other all that yere / ¶ Willelmus do pontificibus libro pri∣mo / ¶Aboute this tyme bryghtwold monk of Glastenbury that was afterwarde the fyrst bisshop of wylton / was in his co••¦templacion / and thoughte on the kynges lygnage of Englyssh men / that lygnage was than nygh̄ al destroyed / And soo this monke fyll on slepe / and sawe saynt peter the apostle helde by the hande edwarde / Egelredus sonne in normandye that was thenne exyled oute of englond / and he sawe petre sacre this Edward & made hym kyng and shewed atte ful / how hooly this Edwarde shold be / and how he shold regne thre and twenty yere / Also this monke axyd and made question of Edwardes ofsprynge and who sholde be kynges afterward / Peter answerde and sai∣de / the kyngdome of Englysshmen is goddes kyngdome / and af∣ter this god shal ordeyne and puruey / Henricus libro sexto / ¶ Aboute this tyme an hooly man warned englysshmen / that a lorde that they thought not on / sholde come oute of Fraunce / & gbrine hem ryght lowe / and tolde other thynges as it is sayde in the ende of the fyrst book / ¶ Willelmus de Re / libro secundo This yere egelnotus Archebisshop of Caunterbury plesed kyng Canutus in goodnesse by auctoryte of hoolynesse / And f••red hym in his excesse / and brought seynt elphegus body oute of lon¦don to hys owne chirche / ¶ There after as he cam from Rome

at Papye / he bought seynt anstyns the doctours arme for an Cl̄i of syluer / and a talente of golde / he sente that arme to couentre for loue of leof••ycus / This yere dyed the fyrst henry Emperour of Almayne / After hym the fyrst Conradus regned / xv / yere / He ordeyned that who so euer brake the lawe of the lande sholde leese his heede / Thenne the fyrst that trespa••ed ayenst thordena ū∣ce was Erle lupoldus / Thenne he d••adde ful soore / and fledde in to wyldernesse / he and his wyf / On a tyme Conradus come thy∣der for to hunte / and herde slepynge in his bed a wys that spake to hym twyes and sayde / the erle heremytes childe. that now is born newly / shal wedde thy doughter / and shall be thyne heyr / Therfore he had indignacion and commaunded to brynge the childes herte / But the messagers dradde god and threwe the chil¦de a lyue in a woode / And brought to the kynge the herte of an hare / Sone after it happed that one duc harry passed therforth / & herde the childe wepe / and sente hym to norysshynge to his owne wyf / that was bareyn / and named hym harry by his own name Whan the chykde come to age / Conradus the kynge behelde hym ofte tyme / and bythoughte hym full ofte that he was warned somtyme / and kepte the chylde with hym / But he that was hol∣den the childes fader withsayde it alwey / Themperour by hym self bythought hym full ofte / how he myght destroye this childe / Therfor he sente this chylde to themperyce / with lettres wreton in this maner / whanne the lettres were redde / the childe sholde dye the same day / the childe was lodged on a nyght with a preest / that redde the childes lettres / whanne the childe was a slepe / and for this word sholde dye / the preest wrote shold wedde our douh∣ter / and so it was done / And though themperour was euyl apaid therfor he bythought hym that the child was a gentil erles sone and toke it the lyghtlyer / And buylde an abbaye in the place of wyldernesse there the childe was borne / The Abbaye is called vrsania /

¶ Capitulum 19 /

ALso this yere dyed the seconde Rycharde / the fourth duc of normandy / ¶ After hym his sone the thyrde rychard was duc of normandy· After one yere of the ducherye / his yon∣ger broder Robert slough hym / with venym / and was duk after

hym / But after the vij yere of his duchery / he was sory for his broders deth and went on pilgremage / barfote to Ierusalem and dyed in Bithinia / Of hym it is seyde / that he was mighti and polytique / in batayle / large & free of yeftes and of mete and drynke / ¶On a tyme it happed at a grete fest that knyghtes of∣fred at masse / but one of hem offred not / The duc trowed ther∣for that he had not that he myght offre / and bad yeue hym an C / pound / he leyd hem holy vpon the aulter / Me axed hym why he dyd soo / for hit was yeuen me for to offre seyd the knyght / The duc herd that and yaf hym a nother hundred pound to his owne vse / ¶ On a nother tyme the same duc pleyed atte chesse / & hym was yeuen a golden Iust / wonderly feyre arayed with perles & with precious stones / and he yaf hit anon to the clerk that pleyed with hym atte chesse / & the clerk dyed anon / Phiscians tolde the cause and seyd / that right as the hert closeth for grete sorow and is cause of deth but the hert be the soner opened / ¶ Also for grete Ioye the hert openeth and is cause of deth / But it be the soner closed / ¶ Also on a tyme one brought to Duc Ro∣bert twey wel fayre knyues / and anon he badde yeue hym an hondred pounde / ¶And while he told the mony / were tweye gentill horses yeuen to the Duc / ¶The Duc yaf hem anon to hym that yaf hym the knyues / Whan he had receyued all thys he sped hym fast his way / lest som lette myght haue fallen In the mene tyme the duc was yeuē acup of seluer that was a ••essel to bere in fruyte / ¶ Than he was sought that brought the knyues and myght not be founden / ¶ Than the Duc made grete moone and sayd / that he had receyued a symple reward that broughte hym the knyues / ¶ Me seyde of thys Ro∣bert / that alle that me yafe hym / but hit were suche a yefte that shold be eten / he wold yeue it to hym / that yafe hym the fyrst worshipfull yefte that day / willelmus de Re / libro 2 / This Robert on a tyme passed by phalesya a cyte of normandye. & sawe a ma••den called Arlett by hir name a skynners doughter daūce among other / & had hir to his bed at nyght & helde hir som∣dele long tyme in stede of his wyf / & bygat on hir wiliā the con∣querour / a sweuē that his moder met signefyed how grete he shold be / for she met that hir bowels were sprad in to al englōd & nor∣mādy / Also whan the child was born it happed that he touched the groūd & toke both his handes ful of the powder of the pamēt & cō¦streyned his ••andes & helde fast the powder / therfor the mydwyf

told that the child shold be a kyng the first night that this mayd•• arlett was brought to the dukes bed / she to rente hir owen smok fro the chynne to the feet / The duc axed whi she dyd so / It is neyther skyll ne curtesye said she that the hemme of my smok that hath byclipped my feet / shold be torned toward my lordes mouth Than duc Robert went to Ierl̄m and had to geder all the lordes of his londe at Fiseanum and made hem swere feuty to his sonne william that was tho vij yere olde & ordeyned erl•• Gilbert the childes tutor & ordeyned the tutor to be maynteyned by the kyng of Fraunce / they held their obeysance to the child til duc robert was deed / But whan they herd of duc Robertus deth / euery of theym toke hede to hym self and rought not of the child / Atte last this Gilbert was slayne of one Rauf that was the chyldes vnkle / Ther was fightyng and man slaughter the countrey was foule faren with / with strif that men had amonge hem self / but william was yong in armes / and one Guye a Bourgyon / was cause and maker of alle that strif / and treson the whyche Gye was williams kynnesman of the second Richardes doughter But william toke hym and did hym to deth / ¶ And Odo the kynges broder of Fraunce come ayenst willyam / but willyam / had the maystrye and chased Odo / and made hym fle•• / henry the kyng of Fraunce herd therof and cam with a grete multitude and was despitously and fouly chased / ¶But mediatours went bitwene and made peas / And the kynges men of fraunce were delyuered that were taken prisoners. / ¶ Here take grete hede that wylliam faught ofte with the kyng of Fraunce / but neuer sodenly as our men doo now a dayes / ¶But the day of batayle shold be sette / and he had euer the victorye / Than whan the kyng of Fraunce was ded / he toke manly the londes of Nor∣mandy thaugh the londes wer long tyme absolute / that by the counte of canouic / & litil bretayn / that kyng charles had yeuen to rollo with his doughter gilla / this will̄m wan it manly / harold an english̄ man was in that batayle asit shal be sayd with in / Duc whert went to Ierl̄m & passed by borgoyne / ther as he went out of the yate / the porter smot hym with a staf / anon he thanked god & forbad his men & charged that none of hem shold tak wre¦che of that dede for I am sayd he wel worthy to haue more harm I loue sayd he this stroke more than al Rothomage / Than he cam for to take the crosse of the pope / and did his noble palle aboute the ymage of the grete Constantyne and scorned there with the

Romayns that wold namely ones a yere yeue theyr lord a clothe Also he made to shooe his mule with gold that he rode on / and forbade al his men that they shold not take vp the shoes / whan they were fallen / Also he cam by themperour of constantinople & whyle he spak with themperour he sawe no benche in al the hous and sate hym down vpon his owne pall in the maner of his ou∣ne countrey· and his knyghtes did the same / And as the duc bad they lefte theyr pallys there / whan they arysen / and sayd that they shold not take awey her benches / the duc was prayd of the emperour to take money for his cost by the wey and he answerd and sayd that he wold in pylgremage lyue by his owne / But whan he cam ageyne he wolde doo the emperours wylle / than the kyng forbade that no man shold selle him fewel to sethe his mete therwith / than the duc bought notes and sethed his mete there with / the kynge wondred of the dukes manhede / and made ben∣ches in his court afterwarde in stede of the forsayd palles / heraf∣ter the duc eueled soo in the weye that he myght neyther goo ne ryde / therfor he hyred pour sarasyns that sholde bere hym by daye / in a litere on her shulders / and charged a norman that wente agayne in to Normandye / that to the normans that wold axe ti¦dynges of the duc / he shold tell that he had sene fendes bere the duc to heuen ward / he called the sarsynes fendes / and the holye lande heuen / Than hit was vsed that no crysten man shold come within the holy Cyte wyth oute grete hyre / ¶ Than many men herd of this dukes comyng and came to hym and prayed hym of helpe and he sware by the herte of hys wombe / that whyle he had one peny / he wold be the laste that shuld entre / That noble Sarsyn the lord of the cyte herde therof and had also herd of this Dukes other manly dedes / and forbad anon that nothyng shuld be taken of hym nowther of ony man that come in his companye and charged and comaunded also to yeue to the duc alle the of∣fryng of a day / He receyued the offryng & yaf hit anon to pore men and dyed sone after in Bithinia as it is before sayd

¶ Capitulum 20

AFter Benet. the xx Iohn was pope ix yere / Al••o thys tyme Maryanus the Scotte was / born / by his laboure / this cronyk is muche enhaunced / Maryanus / The Norganes that

is to sey men of norewey forsoke eft theyr holy kyng olauus for his symplenesse / and toke canutus in his stede / and he was cur∣sidly slayne / the fourth yere after / ¶ Robert kynge of Fraunce is dede / his sonne hugh was kynge after hym / ¶ Also that yere canutus wente oute of denmark / to Rome / and yaue large gyftes to seynt peter / and made there the scole of Sax¦ons free of al maner trybute / and yaf large Almes / and grete in his comynge ageyne toward englond / and payed grete raun∣sonne for passage of pylgryms in many places / And purchaced that the weyes were opened that were closed and procured the pope to relece the pryce and the payment that prymates of his kyngdome were wonte to yeue and pay for to haue the palle / Of all these dedes they sente a letter to the lordes of Englonde & and charged hem that they shold byfore his comyng amende all trespaces and defautes / · After Iohan the nynth Benette was pope eyght yere / but this benet was putte oute of the poperyche & another that was callyd Syluestre was putte in his stede / But this Siluester was putte oute and Benet was restored ageyne But yet this benet was efte put oute ageyn / and Iohan Arche pretour of seynt Iohns place that is callid ante portam latinam was made pope / Inner more this Iohan is callyd the sixt gre∣gory / This benet for he was boystous of lettrure / whanne he hadde the poperyche / he ordeyned another pope for thoffy••e of holy chirche / That maner of doyng dysplesyd many men / Therfore the thyrd was brought ynne / that shold do thoffyce for hem both And soo one stroofe ayenst tweyne / and tweyne ayenste one for the poperyche / Thenne henry themperour that hadde wedded con¦radus doughter / and was his successour put oute these popes / and brought in by strengthe the bisshop of ramberge that was callyd the seconde clement / ¶ Of hym this henry was crowned / also this henry compellyd the romaynes to swere that they shold neuer ch••se pope without his assent / But this Benet after his deth appered to a man in the lykenesse of a wō¦der shape•• beeste / with an asse tayle and with a beeres heede & seid that he apeyred so right as he was whyle he was alyue / This yere dyed robert duc of normādy in his pylgremage / after hym his yong sone wiliam was duc / of the whiche wiliam it is sayd ••••fore / Mar / This yere canutus a lytel byfore he dyed one suan•••• kynge ouer the norganes / this suanus was holden the sone of canutus and of Elgyna of hampton / ¶ Somme men

sayd that this elgyna myght conceyue noo childe by the kyng & therfore she toke this suanus whanne he was newe borne / of a preestes wyf and leyde hir self downe / as it were in childebedde / and the childe by hir / and begyled kyng canutus / and broughte hym in wytte that it was sothe / ¶ Canutus made his sonne & Emme sone hardeknutus kynge ouer the danes / kynge canutus dyed at Septon that is shaftesbury / & is buryed at wynchestre in the old abbay / ¶ Henricus libro sexto / Me spekyth of thre grete dedes that he dyd / the fyrst that he maryed his dough∣ter to themperour Conradus. The seconde that he wente nobly to Rome / and come ageyne and brought with hym a greete dele of oure lordes crosse / the thyrd that he sette his seet on the see stronde whyle the see was flowyng and commaunded and charged the see shold not comme vpon his lande and that the see sholde not wete his lordes clothes ¶ / But the see cam vp as it was wonte by his owne kynde / and wette the kynges thyes / Than the kynge starte awey and sayde / Al men shal wyte and knowe / that the power & myght of kynges / is vayne & vanyte / & that none is worthy to haue the name of kyng but he that hath al thynge subgette to his lawes / And this kynge canutus ne∣uer bare crowne vpon his heede after that tyme / but he sette the crowne vpon the crucifyx heede / at wynchestre / whanne Canutus was dede / than was made grete stryf at oxenford / who sholde be kynge and his successour / For leofrycus consul of chestre / and other lordes of the northsyde of temse / and the londoners al¦so toke harold harefote that was holden the sonne of Canutus & of Elgyna hampton / and made hym kynge / though Goodwyn made hym besy for Canutus / Marianus / Somme men sayen that this harolt was a souters sonne / and falsly anone he was born brought to the bedde of this Elgyna / and leyde by hir as thouh she had born hym & brought hym forth / Ryght as suanus was leyd by hir somtyme / but herald was made kynge & toke fro Em¦ma al the kynges ryches / and put hir oute of Englond / But the erle of flaundres receyuyd hir worshipfully / and dyde hir grete fauour / Ethelnotus archebisshop of Caunterbury dyed / & seuen dayes after him dyed ethelricus bisshop of winchestre / he had besily praid god y^t he him self shold not lōg liue after ethelnot{us} Than edsius heraldes chapelayn was made archebisshop of caun∣terbury / & stygandus heraldes other preest was made bisshop of wynchestre / Therafter he toke the see of caūterbury wrongfully

after edsius / This herald dyed at london after the fourth yere of his kyngdome / and was buryed at wynchestre / whan he was dede / the lordes of the londe sente for hardeknutus / kynge of Den∣mark / that dwellyd than in flaundres with his moder /

¶ 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

¶ Capitulum / 22

AFter Benet the sixte gregory was pope aboute four yere / & was callyd gracianus byfore / Willelmus de Regibus ¶ This man of grete relygyon & sternesse hadde a batayll som¦tyme with henry themperour Also this founde the state of the pa¦pacye of rome soo to falle that vnnethe he had ought to hym self· & the cardynals for to lyue by / but fewe townes nyghe the Cyte / and the offryng of crysten men ¶ The remenaunt was taken awey owther occupyed by theues soo ferforth that the offrynges

were taken awey from the aulters vnder naked swerdes outher robbed in the high stretes and weyes / therfor all prouynces left of & toke not the wey to Rome / bycause of theues in the wey / & of other theues in saynt peters chirche / Gregory sawe this and treated with them fyrst softe / & with fayr speche / but whan he sa¦we that helpyd not / he cursyd alle them that dyde soo / and de∣parted hem from the body of hooly chirche / and all that were as∣sentynge to them that soo dyde / whanne the pope sawe that / that halp not but it brought hym self in to peryll of dethe / he wrote to themperour that he shold helpe hooly chirche / that was in poynte to falle / themperour excused hym by the warre of wandalia / and prayd the pope / that he wold in his stede / & at his cost put to his hande / therfor the pope yaue the dome / that the yren of cuttynge must be vsid & gat him armour & horsmē on euery side / that drofe awey fyrst owther slough the theues that robbed the offrynges of saynt peters chirche / than the pope gate ageyne the lande that he had loste longe tyme / Thenne the quyrytes that were wonte to lyue by thefte and robberye cleped the pope ablodsheder and a man sleer / And sayde he was not worthy to doo thoffyce of the aulter / ¶ Soo that many of the cardynals were assentynge to that meouynge / and demed that the pope shold not be buryed in hooly chirche / In his laste sekenesse he was ware therof / & cal∣lyd the cardynals byfore hym / and he spak to hem in this man My bretheren me wondreth gretely / that ye deme your bisshop so rabbyshly I haue lyued so that I haue spēte what I had in youre prouffyte / For your delyueraunce I haue forgendryd / & rouht not of the fame of this worlde / therfore yf other men make suche tales on me / ye shold stylle thoppynyons of fooles in a better ma¦nere meanynge / theues hadde taken aweye youre lyflode that I myght not suffre / therfore I werryd with the theues / therfore syth euery mannes dede shal be demed by thentente of him that doth the dede / as the gospel sayth· If thyne eye be symple / that is yf thyne entente be ryghtfull / all the body shal be bryght and clere / that is the gaderyng of thy werkes / Somtyme I yafe al∣mes to the poure men / and he shewed my benefeite to the thef & to the robber / therfore he was robbed & slayn / Shal I be blamed / for I ydue almes to the pylgryme / thurgh whiche he hadde his deth / god it forbede for it was couetyse of the theef / that dyd that cursed dede / and not my larges and fredome / Also in the lawe the same is blamed and punysshed and praysed for dyuers entēt

For the thef that sleeth in hydels. is punisshed & the knyghte is preysed that sleeth his enemye in bataylle / for the fyrst sleeth the man for couetyse / and the second for the sauacion of the countrey Also the fyrst pope Adryan was somtyme preysed / for he graū∣ted to charles the inuestiture of prelates / nowe be our Bisshopes preysed for they doo the contrary / and taken fro prynces such ma¦ner power / Thenne for somme manere causes it was resonably graunted / that is nowe resonably warned and denyed / For than charles soule was not enfecte with couetyse / and the court of rome was fer from the ellysers / and the prynce was nyghe & fastby that wolde ryght nought doo by couetyce / but now couety¦ce of prynces hath shente al / In this maner maye my cause be ta∣ken toward eyther syde / and be apeyred owther holpen / but ye sey it is not a bisshops offyce to shede bloode / nowther to make it to be shedde / I graunte / netheles it fallyth to hym / yf he sue the inno∣cente in peryle / to helpe and socoure hym with his tonge / & with hande / For ezechyel accused the preestes for they wythstode not ne made a walle for goddes hows / Twey persones be ordeyned to destroye vyces in goddes chirche / One that whetteth the speche another that bereth the swerde / I take wytnesse of god and of you / that I armed the tonge ayenst thenemyes of hooly chirche / as longe as I myghte profyt / And hym to whome it befalleth to worche with the swerde / I prayede thryes by messagers / and by lettres that he wolde come and chastyse suche maner theues / & he wrote ageyne that he was occupyed in the warre of wanda∣lia / and prayd that I wolde at my trauayle / and his coste dys∣tourbe the theues / what shold I doo than whan he hadde put his offyce vpon me / and I sawe the sleynge of cyteseyns / the doma∣ge of pylgryms and the meschyef of th•• pope and of the Car¦dynals / And he that spareth the theef / yeueth cause and occasion why the ryghtful man and innocent is slayne / but one caas ye sey that it falleth not for a preest to shede mannes blode / I graūt but yf he defowle hym self that bereth downe the wykl̄ed man and saueth the man that is innocente and ryghtful / and they be blessyd that kepe ryghtfull dome / and ryghtwysenes / Phynees and mathathyas be praysed for they stykked hem thurgh / that trespast / but we shal lesse suffre oure veray hooly thynges to be defowled / than they her mysteries / that were but shadow in com¦parison of oures. & zachary the bisshop put kyng osias oute / For he wold cense and withoute drede he wold haue kyld hym nadd

he hadde goon his weye / and he dyd hym good / the whiche it se∣med that I slough / for the lenger that the wycked man lyueth / the more he deseruyth of blame and peyne / therfore he that shor∣teth the lyf of suche one / lassyth his blame and his peyne / and soo he doth for hym and yeueth hym a benefyce / Treuisa / Here ware of the deuyls argument and of gyle / For be a man neuer so euyl / yet he may amende while he is a lyue / and soo dyde Pa∣ul and mary magdalene and many other and soo cryst meaneth in the gospel in the ensample of whete and of cockle that somme men calle darnel· Than it foloweth in the storye / Thenne the pope sayd that I no wther ye be begyled in this doynge / take my bo∣dye whanne I am dede / and sette it byfore the chirche dores with oute and doo that the dores be fast loken and barres / and yf the dores ope not by goddes grace and his vertue / doo with my body what ye wol / whanne it was done that the pope desired / ther cam a whyrl wynde / and brake vp the dores and the barres / and shufte the body anone / to the Inner wal of the chirche / Whanne this miracle was seen the cardynals & the people buryed hym in seynt peters chirche / ¶ Also this yere at a fest of a spousayle at lambehyth besydes london / whyle kyng hardecnutus was hool gladde and mury / and stode and drank / be fylle sodenly downe & wexe dombe. and dyed the eyght day of Iunij / and was buryed with his fader at wynchestre / ¶ Henricus libro sexto / Me seith he was soo large and soo free of hert that he wold make araye kynges messes four sythes a day / ffor hym was leuer that ghe¦stes shold leue releef than axe more mete / willelmus de re Me sent in to normandy / that edward sholde come & be crowned kyng and pledgys were yeuen so that he shold brynge with hym but fewe normans / thenne helped Edwardes syde / leofrycus. Erle of chestre. Goodwyn duc of westsaxons and lyuyngus Bisshop of wyrcetre / ¶ R But marianus sayth that kynge hardecnutus hadde sente byfore for his brother edward and made hym abide with hym in his owne courte / ¶ Willelmus de re / & marianus

¶ Capitulum 23

THan edward come in to englond and was crowned kyng at westmynstre of edsius the archebisshop of Caunterbury and regned aboute four and twenty yere / This kyng wedded

Godytha / Goodwyns doughter / and by ladde hir by suche crafte soo that he put hir not from his bedde / nowther lay by hir fles∣shely / whether he dyde it for hate of hir meyny / owther for loue of chastyte / I knowe not for certayne / but that solempne doyng is told of hym / that he lyued alwey withoute gylt of woman / This kynge worshiped not his owne moder atte full / no wther shamed hir openly / but by counseyll of goodwyn he toke of her all the precious thynges and Iewels that she hadde / Owther for she had be to harde with hym somtyme / owther for she wolde yeue hym ryght nought / Also he hadde to hym oute of normandy somme that were with hym famylyer there / for they sholde be re∣warded / Among the which he toke one Robert gemeticus a mōk and made hym fyrst bisshop of london and than Archebisshop of Caunterbury / The kyng was symple and dyde so moche by this Robertes counsayle that he awaited his tyme. and outlawed his wyues fader goodwyn and his sonnes also / and toke fro his ou∣ne moder al that she had / and closed hyr in thabbaye. of werwel for suspection that she was to homely with the Bisshop of wyn∣chestre / and prysonned the bisshop alwyn / But emma was easy¦ly kepte / and somdele at hyr large. and wrote to the Bisshops of Englonde / in the whiche she hadde trust of frendship / And sayd that hit greued hyr more the despyte that the bisshop had than hyr owne shame / and sayd that she was redy by goddes owne dome and by thassay of fyre hoote yron / that the bisshop was wronge∣fully defamed / Thenne the bisshops come to geder to the kyng & shold haue had of the kyng al that they prayed / ne hadde be Ro∣bert tharchebisshop of Caunterbury spake ayenst hem / My bre¦theren bisshops said Robert / how dar ye defende hir that is a wil∣de beest / and not a woman / she hath defamed hir owne sonne the kyng / and nempned hir lecherous lemman goddes owne crist / But be it / that the woman wold purge the bisshop / But who shal purge the woman that is accused that was assentyng to the deth of hir sonne Egelredus and procured venym to the poyse∣nynge of Edward / But be it that she had auctoryte and power vpon the condicion of proprete of kynde of male owther female / Yet yf she wold goo barfote for her self four steppes / and for the bisshop fyue steppes continuelly vpon nyne solow shares bren∣nyng and fyre hoote / Thenne yf she escape harmeles ouer all the∣se steppes / he shal be quytte / and assoyled of this chalenge / Anone the day of thassay of this purgacion was appoynted / till

that day come the kyng and all the lordes were there / out take Robert all one / but the nyght before the day of this purgacōn / the woman was in her prayers at wynchester at seynt Swythy∣tes tombe / and was comforted there / Than on the morowe hir eyen were hidde / and she passed the fyre in hote solowe shares / and escaped harmeles / ¶ Than the kyng began to grone and axed mercy and was disciplyned of eyther bisshop / and of his moder also and than he restored to his moder all that he had taken fro hir before / Thenne Quene Emma yaf saynt Swithyne ix maners and the bisshop yafe other ix bicause of the ix solow shares that Emma had ouer passed / But Robert bisshop of Caunterburye fledde in to normandye / Marianus / Elfword bisshop of london that was somtyme abbot of euessham / wax vnsuffisaunt for elde feblenes and sekenesse to gouerne and rule so grete a bisshopriche and wold haue be abbot of Euesham ayene / but the brether of the place wold not assente / Than he toke with hym bokes and other thynges that he owther his successours had yeuen to the abbey of Euesham / and went hym to thabbey of Ramesay / ther he dyed sone after / and was buryed there / ¶ After hym came Robert / I••em Marianus / kyng edward gadred a strong na∣uey in the hauen of sandewiche / ayenste harolde harfager kyng of the Noreganes / that arrayed hym for to com and werr in En¦glonde but by the betaylle that Suanus kyng of Danes / yafe hym / all that purpos was lette / Me sayth that in a nother tyme kyng edward lough at messe / as he was not wonte / they that were present wondred / and axed why hit was / The Noreganes and the danes sayd the kyng / were accorded for to come & werre in Englond / But whan they all were arrayed forto sayle one profred hem a bolle with meede for to drynke and prayed hem in a dispitous name / but yf they wold drynke / Than cam bolle after bolle and dronkenesse torned into Ianglyng and Ianglyng into stryf and strif into fyghtyng and so they be departed and to shufte a twynne / And I hope that in my tyme shall non aliens werre in my londe / After grego the x benet was pope / aboute two yere / he had bought the poperiche. and therfor harry them¦perour put hym oute and brought in the second Clement that dyed after one year & poppo was pope after hym two monethes This poppo was cleped the second damasius whan he was dede the ix leo was pope v yere / The forsayd harrold kyng of Noreganes was sent to Olauus hys broder on the moder syde / He chased

Swanus kyng of denmarche / and made denmarche subgiet to hym self / kyng Swanus that was so put out / axed helpe of the kyng of englond / ¶ And erle Godwyn was assentyng / But other lordes counselled Nay / But kyng har••old dyed and Suanus recouered Denmarche agayn / This yere lyuyn∣gus the bisshop of wirceter dyed & Aldredus was bisshop after hym / ¶ This Aldredus had be first / monke at wynchester and than abbot of tauestok / Grete snowe fille in the west con∣treyes of Englond / So that hit brake grete trees of the woodes and dured from the first day of Ianuar to seynt patriques day After that fell grete pestilence of men / & deth of beestes & light∣nyng forscalded cornes / This yere was a bateyle bitwene henri kyng of Fraunce & the lordes of Normandy / For they wold not receyue william to be duc / whan they wer ouercom / Duc william outlawed som of hem / and heng som of hem by the throtes / Aboute that tyme erlewynus a knyght of Normandy forsoke the worldly cheualrye and byld an abbey at beccum in Normandy that yet is called Becherlewyn / ¶ Hym shamed nought abbot & ruler / to bere ston and morter to the werke and bake brede and doo other werkes of clennes and of honeste / God sent hym the twey lanterns of the worlde / to his helpe and counseyl lanfranke & Ancelme / twey men of grete clergy and lettrure / Eyther of hem was pryour in that place / one after a∣nother and afterward Archebisshop of caunterbury / Marianus This yere pope leo and Swanus kyng of danes· went with har¦ry themperour ayenst baldwyn Erle of Flaundres / ¶ And Edward the kyng of englond kepte the see with his Nauey til themperour had all his wylle / ¶ Also this ix pope leo had a wemme in his conscyence for the emperour had made hym pope somdele by mastrye / therfor he resygned the poperiche but than he was laufully chosen pope agayne / Also this yere the theues of Irland cam in to seuarn see with helpe of Griffyn kyng of wales and toke many prayes aboute the riuer vaga / In the meane tyme swanus / Godwynes eldest sone / that had somtyme leyne by Edgyna / the Abbesse of leofmonaster / and cast for to wedde hir and forsoke his wyf therfore he cam to Englond / Yf he myght haue grace / to make his peas with the kyng / But in his comyng / he slough Erle Beornus that was his Cosyn that was aboute to make his peas wyth the kyng / Than he fled in to flaundres til he was reconcyled by helpe of Aldredus

the Archebisshop of york and of worcetre / Marianus /

¶ Capitulum 24

KYng Edward dyscharged englysshmen / of a greuous tri∣bute that his fader Egelredus had made pay to the soudy¦ours of denmarck / and had tho dured fourty yere / This yere dyed Edsius Archebisshop of caunterbury / And kyng edward yafe the Archebisshopryche to his famylyer Robert that he had made Bisshop of london / Here after in the moneth of September Eu∣stacius Erle of Boloyn come a lande at douer / he hadd wedded goda kynge edwardes syster· his knyghtes sought him in Innes vnwysely / and slough one of the Cyteseyns / and the Cyteseyns slough one of his knyghtes / ¶ Willelmus de regibus libro secundo / and marianus Atte laste was strong fyghtynge / soo that the cyteseyns slough twenty men of the erles company. and wounded so many that me couth not telle how many were woū∣ded / the Erle escaped vnnethe with one felawe / and cam to the kynge at gloucestre and meoued the kyng greuously ayenst En∣glysshmen / Than goodwyn erle of kent was sompned to courte and y charged that he sholde with his hooste take wreche of the wrong that was done to therle / he saw that alyenes were alowed with the kynge and wolde helpe to saue the Cyteseyns / and his countrey men and answerde and sayd that it were reason that the wardeyns of the castel of douer sholde be sompned / and yf they couthe excuse them self they sholde be harmeles / and els doo therles plesure with her bodyes and catel / The kynge semed that Goodwyn sett lytel by his heste / therfore the lordes of the lande were called to geder at Gloucetre and specially leofrycus Erle of mercia and syward Erle of northumberlond for to withston∣de Goodwyn Erle of kente / and his eldest sonne Suanus and harold also / For goodwyn had gadred a grete hoost at beuerstō of his countees of kente of southrey and of westsaxon and sua∣nus of his ••••untees of Barokshire of Oxenford shire / and of Gloucestre shire / And harold of his countees of eestsex / of eeste englond and of Huntyngton shyre / Than goodwyn was enpe∣ched for he had gadred so grete an hoost / he answerde and sayd that it was doo for to cesse the walsshmen / But the walsshmen

made the blame tourne ayenste his owne hede. Than what lytell accorde that euer was procured / ther was assygned a counsayll at london for the same dede / Soo that Goodwyn and Harold shuld come to courte all vnarmed with twelue men / and no mo that they shulde bytake to the kynge the knyghtes seruyce that was dewe to hem in all englond / ¶ They sayde that they myght not withoute weddes and pledgys come to the counsayle of tre∣chours and of gyleful men / And that they myght not wythoute perylle and shame passe by the weye with so fewe naked men / and vnarmed / In the mene tyme goodwyns knyghtes withdre¦we them somme and somme / for drede of the kynges hooste / Thenne it was openly cryed by the kynges cryours that Good¦wyn shold come to the court in maner as it is sayd / owther wi∣de oute of Englond within fyue dayes / Therfore goodwyn and his thre sones Swanus and Tosty and gurth sayled by the I∣lande of thorney in to Flaundres to therle baldwyn / For Sua∣nus hadde spoused his doughter Iudytha / But harold and le∣ofwynus sayled oute by brystow in to Irlond / Algarus leofrycus sonne toke and had haraldes counte and ruled it no∣bley and delyuerd it vp to harald with good wyll / whan He∣rald was comen ageyne and axyd it ageyne whan harold was tourned to his faders countees / Therfor kyng edward in playn parlemente outlawed goodwyn and his thre sonnes / And putte his owne wyf Godytha the quene in to the abbay of warwe••le withoute worshipe with one mayde and no moo / And soo the fader and the sonnes were outlawed two yere fulle / and toke prayes in the marches of englond and gadred grete strength and purposed slyly for to fyghte with the kynge / But lordes wente bytwene / and soo peas was made after two yere / and the quene was broughte ageyne / Soo that wylnotus Goodwyns sonne / and hacun Swanus sonne were pledgys leyde to wedde for su∣rete of the pees / Anone kynge Edward sente hem to kepyng to wylliam duc of normandye / Durynge the outelawynge Duc Wylliam of normandye come with a grete multitude in to En∣glonde / and hadde many greete yeftes / and wente ageyne in to Normandy / And Quene Emma the kynges moder dyed / and was buryed at wynchestre / Also marianus the Scot the yere of his age fyue and twenty forsoke the world and wente in pylgremage and was shoren monke at Coloyn a Cyte of Almayn in the Abbay of Scottes /

¶ Willelmus de Pon / li / 1 & marianus / This yere Godwyn and al his sones were acorded with kyng edward / oute take his eldest sonne swanus that was sory for the deth of his Cosyne be¦rinus & wente out of flaundres barfoote to Ierusalem / & went out of Ierusalem to licia & dyed for cold that he had taken / here after the normans that were the kynges coūseyllours had yeuen hym euyl counsayle and were exyled / & specially Robert arche∣bisshop of caunterbury / that had ludder blowen his trompe ayenst goodwyn and englisshmen in that cause / This robert dradde him and wold beware of perylle ▪ and wente to Rome & cam ageyne with lettres of the pope / and dyed in his abbay called gemmeti∣cum / After hym Stygandus was archebisshop / he hadde lefte the bysshopryche of Shyrborn / and toke by strengthe the bisshoprich of wynchestre / This man vsed feyres of hooly chirche thynges / & was a lewed man / & so were nygh al the bisshops of Englonde that tyme / but this was a myghty man by money and by fla∣teryng / therfor he was neuer worthy to haue the palle fro Rome though ther be grete sale that doth many maystries / W / de p / li / 2 Than was openly songe in weyes / that he was not worthy a bis¦shopryche that coude vse the brag and the boost of this world / the vse of wodenesse· the courage of glotony / the araye of clothynge / the fare of knyghtes / and the gaderynge of horsmen / and thynk ryght lytel of profyt of soules / If me told hem that a Bysshop shuld be alowed by his holynesse and his clergye and not by co∣uetyce of moneye they wold answer by this metre / Nunc aliud tempus / alij pro tempore mores / that is now is other tyme / and other maners vsed for the tyme / And so they planed the sharp¦nesse of the doyng with lyghtnesse of the answer / Marianus ¶That tyme in Irlande a clerk barbosus was a man of grete and wonder Relygyon / soo that he helde a grete scole of clerkes of lewdmen and of wenches / and forshaar the wenches in the sa¦me secte and maner of his scolers / he was putte oute of Irlond Willelmus de pontificibus libro secundo / ¶Aboute that tyme dyed seynt Alfwold the laste Bisshop of Shirborn / he was first monk at wynchestre / and thenne he was made Bisshop / He vsed breede and water amonge alle the greete festes / that were made in Englonde after the comynge of the danes / This man was deuoute at alle poyntes to oure lady and seynt Cuthbert / ¶ After his deth noo man myght greue his see / but he were punysshed / For he shulde

be so fered with blac ymages in his slepe that he shold starte / Also on a tyme was stryf bytwene hym and goodwyn the erle and myght not be alayed atte day of acorde that was sette / Than the bisshop was wroth and sayd in his goynge awey / by saynt mary my lady he shal fare ryght euyl / and after that hour goodwyn had neuer rest of gnawyng of his bowels till he hadd the bisshops blessyng / On a tyme this bisshop went to Durham and he dyde a dede that semed of grete hardynesse / For he tourned awey the helyng of the bodye and spake to seynt Cuthbert as it were to his owne frende / and leyd there the yefte of loue / and wente forth his wey

¶ Capitulum 25

AFter leo the seconde vyctor was pope two yere and six mo∣nethes / He made a synode at florence in ytalye / and sette a downe many Bisshops for Symonye and fornycacion / ¶Marianus / ¶This yere Syward the noble duc of northum∣berlond by commaundement of kyng Edward bare downe Scot¦land wyth an hoost of horsmen & with grete gadrynge & chaced the kynge and toke malcolyn the kyng of Combres sones and made hym kynge of Scotland / but in that bataylle Sywardes sonne was slayne / whanne his fader wyste that he was dede of a wounde that he hadde receyued byfore in his bodye / and not be∣hynde / though the fader was sory / for the sones deth / yet he was gladde that his sonne was so herty and soo hardy / That yere dyed Wulsius bisshop of lychefeld and leofwynus ab¦bot of Couentre was Bisshop after hym / ¶ Also that ye∣re at wyndsor the morowe after Eester daye / erle goodwyn sate atte kynges borde / and it happed that one of the childer that ser∣uyd the kyng cam in with the kynges cuppe and stombled with his one fote and kepte hym self with that other / so that he shed nought of the drynke / ¶ Goodwyn sawe that and lough and sayde / nowe that one brother hath holpen that other / Anone the kynge answerde therto and sayde / Soo my brother Aluredus wold haue holpen me / ner goodwyn had be / the erle vnderstode ther by that he had spoken more than ynough / and vnderstode the kynge meaned the bytraynge of his broder / And sayd to the kynge Sir as I see it is told to the / that I shold

be aboute to slee thy brother and to bytraye the / so mot I sauely swolowe this morsel that I holde in my hande. as I am gyliles of suche dedes / And he was choked anone / Atte kyngys comaun¦dement harold drough hym fro vnder the bord and he was bury¦ed at wynchestre / R / But Marianus saith / that godwyn sate at te mete by the kyng at wynchestre and was sodenly take with a sekenesse on eester monday / and dyed the thursday in the eester weke / than godwyns Erldome was yeuen to harold / And ha∣raldes Erldome to Algarus the sonne of Erle leofrycus / This yere kyng edward sent aldredus bysshop of wircetre to the second henry themperour / prayeng that he wold sende lettres to hungary and sende thens in to Englonde his Cosynne Edward the sone of Edmond Irensyde / ¶ The kynge hadde ordeyned to make hym his heyr in englond / but the thyrdde yere after he come in to englonde and dyede at london / long tyme rather than the kynge / This Edward was the fader of margaret quene of Scotland / and of Edgar adelyng / But margret had by mal∣colyn / Dauyd the kynge of Scotlande and molde the quene of of Englond / ¶ Marianus / ¶This yere kyng edward outla¦wed Algarus the sonne of leofrycus withouten gylte / Anon he was prayed and associate to gryffyn kyng of wales & destroyed the prouynce of herford and toke herford▪ and sette the mynster a fyre and slough seuen chanons / But erle harald pursued hem that fledde and restored herford ageyne and walled it aboute / & made her pees that were outlawed with the kyng / Item / Mar / Also this yere Syward the noble duc of northumberlond dyed at york on the flyx and was buryed in the mynster galmaicho that he had buylde / but er he dyed he made arme hym / and sate vpryght and sayd / thus it semeth a knyght for to dye and not lyggynge faynt as an Oxe / And for his sonne waltyf was yonge and lay in his cradel / his Erldome was yeuen to Tosty heraldes broder that was theraboute ten yere / Item / Mar / & W / Also that yere herman of Flaundres that was somtyme kynge Edwardes preest / and than bisshop of wylton and Ramesbury was at dysease for defaute of catayll & prayd the kyng & had it almost graunted for to ordeyne his see in the abbay of malmesbu¦ry / but the lordes of the londe wolde not assente / Therfor herman was wroth and lefte the bisshopryche and went ouer see & toke monkes habytes at seynt Bertines and lyued so thre yere & Al¦dredus bisshop of wyrcetre ruled hermās bisshoprich in the men••

tyme / But as it fallyth ofte that they that take relygyon in such hasty and sodayne reeses haue no stydfast wyl and deuocion / For it withdraweth and slaketh atte laste / ¶ After thre yere herman come in to englond ageyne / ¶ The man that was wonte al his lyf tyme to haue ••ykyng seruyce and plesynge at his wyll thought ful heuy and elenge to leue it in his age / Also it come to his ere that Goodwyn was dede / that hym hadde wythstande / And also that the Bisshop of Shirborn was dede & he hadde longe tyme thought to oone and ioyne that bisshopryche to his owne by old promysses of the quene / He held longe tyme these Bysshopryc••es soo ioyned with thre countrees that longed therto vnto the nynth yere of wyliam conquerour / whan he pas∣sed from Shyrborn to Salesbury / Willelmus de regibus Also that yere the kyng was at / a feste and Harold and Tosty pleyed byfore hym / and harold drough his broder by the heeres / harder than game wold and threwe hym to the ground and had weryed hym with his handes ne he had be the rather delyuerd oute of his clawes / whanne the kynge sawe that he sayd that grete stryf sholde be after bytwene tho twey bretheren / and that one of hem shold slee that other / ¶ Erle Goodwyns fyrst wyf was kyng Canutus syster / on hir Goodwyn gate on a sone that rode on an hors vnwysely / and spurred hym and the hors threwe hym in to Temse / and soo he was dreynt / The moder was smyten with lyghtnynge and dyed / and it was no wonder for s••e toke fayr wenches and sette hem to hoerdom for she wold ga∣dre the more ryches / After her deth Goodwyn wedded another wyf and bygate on hyr syx sonnes / Suanns / harold / Tostius / Wilynotus / Surth and loofrycus / how they spedde / it is wret••n byfore and after in this Cronyk / ¶ Willelmus de Regibus libro secundo / Aboute this tyme a woman at barcley vsed euyll craftes and was at a fest on a day / Than a crowe that she hadde lykyngly fedde and norysshed creked ludder than he was wonte The wom n herde that and the knyf fyll downe of hyr hande / & hyr face wex / al pale / than she byganne te sygh and grone & sayd this day is my solow comen to the last sorow / Whanne that was sayd cam in a messagyer that sayd to the woman that her sonne was dede and al hyr meyny / leyde and fallen and dede also / The woman laye seke anone / and sente for hyr chylder that she had a lyue a monke and a Nonne / whanne the monke and the nonne were comen she spak to hem in this maner / I am a womā

that haue vsed euyl crafte & euyl lyuyng / In veyne I hoped to be saued by your bedes and prayers / but now I pray you that ye wol releue my tormentes and paynes / for of the soule the dome is yeuen / On caas ye may kepe my body / yf it be sewed in hertes leder / lay it in a trowh of stone & heled it with a lydde of leed faste bounde / and barred with yren / and byndeth it fast with thre yren cheynes / make ye fourty syng psalmes by nyght and as many masses by dayes. And yf I lye soo thre nyghtes / the fourth daye burye the body in erthe / But al for nought / for twey the fyrst nyghtes while the psalmes were in syngyng fen¦des brake vp the doores / and twey the vttermest cheynes and that wonder lyghtly / ¶ The thyrd nyght aboute cockes cro¦wyng the place al to shoke and one with a grysely face that was hyghe of stature brake vp the dores / and heete the bodye that it sholde aryse / I may not sayd the body for strong bandes / thou shalt be vnbounde sayd he / but to thyne owne harme / and anone al that letted was to broken and he toke hir oute of the chirche / and sette hyr vpon a blac hors that neyhed byfore the dores and soo she wente awey with lowde cryes that were herde four myle thennes / ¶ Though this be wonderful / who that hath redde the fourth booke af Gregoryes dyalog shal not deme that it myght not be trowed / ¶ Therfore it is wreton that fendes caste oute a wycked man that was buryed in a chirche / and so it ferd of Charles marcellus as it is sayd 〈◊〉〈◊〉

¶ Capitulum 26

THe thyrdde henry the second henryes sonne regned amōg Duche men aboute fyfty yere / Somtyme he dystourbed holy chyrche / ayenste pope Hyllebrande / & he wold yf he myght haue putte in another pope / but he was ceesed and wente to the hooly lande with the Dukes Godefr••de / and Beamund as it shal be sayd Inner more / ¶ After Victor the nynth stephen Abbot of mount Cassyn was pope eyghte mo¦nethes / he cam in by strengthe and resygned the Papacye after∣warde / ¶ Agelrycus Bisshop of Durham lefte his owne bisshopryche / by his owne good wylle / and wente in to thabbaye of bourgh / there he was norysshed and lyued / xij / yere in peas

and quyete / His broder Agelwyn was bisshop after hym / Mar / Also this yere the noble erle leofrycus the sonne of leoswynus duc of mercia dyed in his owne towne Bromley the last day of Nouembre / and was buryed at Couentre in thabbay that he had bylde / Somtyme by counseyl of god and of his owne wyf God gyna / that worshiped moche our lady. he amended and made ry∣che thabbayes of leonen besydes herford / of wenlok / of wyrcetre / and of euesham / and of twey chirches of chestre / one of seynt io¦han and another of saynt werburgh / while he was on lyue his wytte and his redynes stode in greete stede to the lande of En∣glysshmen / R ¶ Also at abusy prayer of his wyf he made his town of couentre fre of al maner tolle / oute take the tolle of horses / For to haue that fredome graunted his wyf godgyna the countesse rode naked thurgh the myddel of the towne in a mor∣nyng not keueryd / but with her own here / After the deth of leo∣frycus his sonne algarus had therldome of mercia / but the same yere he was conuycte of treason and outlawed / But of gryffyn kyng of wales he was receyued as he had ben byfore and recon∣cyled / W / de re / A yong Cyteseyn of Rome lucianus by his na¦me a ryche man of cataylle and of gold a man of grete kynne / He wedded a wyf Eugenya / bycause therof he made a grete feest and wente in to the felde after mete with other men to dyscharge his stomak / And this newe wedded man for he wold play atte balle / dyde his spousyng rynge on the fynger of an ymage / that was there fast by / And whanne he had playd and was hoote / he drough hym fyrst oute of the game / and wente to fette ageyn his ryng / but he founde the ymages rynge y••lyght in to the pal∣me of the hande / Thenne he bygan to wrynge and wrast long ty∣me / but he couth not wreste of the ryng nowther wreth ne breke / nowther ryght vp the fynger / than he wente stylly aweye for his felawes shold not wytte therof lest they wold scorne hym / whyle he were there / owther take awey the rynge whanne he we¦re thennes / ¶Thenne he cam thyder with his seruauntes whan it was derk nyght and founde the fynger euen strayght and the ryng awey and had grete wonder / whanne it was tyme he araid hym to bedde with his wyf and felt a dym thyng and sadde wa∣lowe bytwene hym and hys wyf / ¶ And that spake to hym and sayde. lye by me / and dele with me▪ / For thou hast spou∣sed me this daye / I am the Goddesse Venus / ¶Thenne he was soore afered / and woke alle the nyghte /

And soo it ferde as it wer•• euery nyght / Thenne his wyf pley¦ned and charged hym that he shold warne his fader and his mo∣der / And soo he dyde / Thenne his fader and his moder warned pal••mbus the preest of the suburbes that was the grettest Ny∣gromancer that was that tyme a lyue / he receyued greete mede / & yaue the yong man a letter that he shold take to him that he met laste at nyght comyng ayenst hym with a chaar in the metyng of twey weyes / the yonge man stode in the metyng of twey we∣yes at nyghte and sawe a woman sytte on a mule arayed as a strompet / and hyr heer abrode with a chaplet of gold / on hyr hede and a rodde of gold in hir hande / Thenne he toke this letter to hym that cam last rydyng / whanne the letter was redde the prin¦cipale fende hafe vp bothe handes to heuen and sayd / Almyghty god how long shal the wickednesse of palumbes the preest dure / Anone his knyghtes come to venus to haue the rynge / but she wrenched and blenched and stroof long tyme / But atte last the knyghtes wrest of her the ryng and toke it to the yong man ayene and soo he had his wylle and Ioye of his loue / that he hadde long desyred / but palumbus herde the fende crye of hym in to he¦uen and kytte of his owne lymmes and knowleched al his tre∣s••aas to the pope in presence and heryng of the peple / Marian{us} ¶ Aldredus bisshop of wyrcetre made saynt wulstan pryour of wyrceter by leue of the kyng / and yaue the bisshopryche of wyl¦ton to herman that was comen ayene from beyonde see / & aldredus wente ouer see / and forth by hungary on pylgremage to Ierl̄m ¶Me redyth of no bisshop of englond that soo dyde byfore that tyme / At Coloyn in Almayne twey abbeyes of Scottes were brente with theyr owne fyre / ¶ One patronus a monk that was there closed warned hem of that brennyng longe tyme byfore / But whanne the fyre was comen / he wolde oute in noo maner wyse / but there he was brente for loue of martirdome / Treuisa. / ¶In that doyng patronus the monke semed a lewde goost that couth not knowe the cause and circumstances of veray martirdō For there is no veray martirdome / but it be for mayntenynge of trouth / owther for the feyth and wythstandyng of wrong and of synne / but god graunte yf it be his wylle / that patronus be not dampned for his blynde deuocion / ¶Than it foloweth in thystorye / ¶Aboute that tyme in the prouynce of Apulea was founde an ymage of marble with an heede of brasse / and hadde a garland / in whiche garland it was wryton / The fyrste daye

of maij atte sonne rysyng / I shal haue an heede of gold / A Sa∣rasyn that the duc of the longobardes had taken prysonner vn∣derstode what it meaned & come the fyrst day of maij / and toke hede of the shadow of the ymage in lengthe and in brede / & foun∣de vnder the shadowe wonder greete tresoure / and payed for his raunsonne / ¶ Willelmus de Regibus /

¶ Capitulum 27

WHan Benet was putt oute / the second nycolaus was pope aboute two yere / In his tyme hooly chirche in Fraunce was gretely destroyed by berengarius Archedeken of Toreyn / he sayde that the ooste in the aulter is not veray crystes bodye / but it is a fygure therof / Ayenste him the pope made a counseylle at versel in ytaly of an honderd bisshops and thirtene / in the which counsayll berengarius withsayde his erroure as it is sayd in de∣crees de consecracione diui / 2· Ego berengarius / But after the po¦pes deth his heresy byganne ef••e to sprynge / Than hyltebrandus the pope determyned and yaue the dome ayenst his fauctours / To his errours answerd lanfrank· pryour of becceus in his boo∣ke called liber sintillarum / And specially wymund that was a monke of normandye / and afterward bysshop of Auersan in A∣pulya / that was tho the moost proufyte / So that Berengarius amended his lyf atte laste / soo that somme men helde hym an ho∣ly saynt / he expowned the Apocalyps and vsed mekenes and almes dede and voyded the syghte of women / and vsed symple mete and cloth / and that by thappostles loore / Hyldebertus Bys¦shop of Cenonia in his versus praysed hym moost in this ma∣ner / Of hym now wondrynge / shal wondre the world euermore This berengarius that dyed / shal dye no more / And than thus After deth with hym / lyf byd I in euen reste / Noo better be my lot / I praye than is his lot / Loo here me may see / how the noble Bisshop passyd in maner of praysyng / But the Rethoryke with his fayr speche brekyth oute oftyme in that manere / therfore the poete sayth / Ryche speche shedyth oute ofte wel fayr reede floures But among al this take heede / that though berengarius amen∣ded his sentence. yet he myght not amende al that he had apeyred with his loore in dyuers landes / Suche it is to a peyr other men

by word owther by euyl ensample that whanne his owne synne is awey yet noyeth it and greueth other mennes synnes / Me sayth that the noble bisshop of Carnotens / Fulbertus spak ther of in his latter sekenesse / For whanne he sawe Berengarius co∣me to hym among other men / Doth hym awey sayd the Bisshop for I see a fende folowe hym that apeyreth the eyer all aboute / Also this Berengarius whan he dyed on a twellifth daye / had mynde how many wretches he apeyred / by his euyl loore whanne he was a yonge man / And sayd / this daye I hope that Cryste wol shewe him to me / in the day of his owne shewynge / outher for my penaunce towarde blysse / owther for other that I haue apeyred by myn euyl loore toward peyne / Aboute this tyme Ma¦nanus the scot was closed in the abbay Fuldence and was the¦re ten yere / whan kynsius Archebisshop of york was dede / Aldre¦dus bisshop of wyrcetre was archebisshop after hym / and wente t•• Rome with Tostius Erle of northumberlond for to receyue the palle / but he was founde blame worthy in his answer / & he was pryued of al maner worship / & as he wente homeward he was robbed of al that he hadde / Therfor tostius therle wente ageyn to Rome and entreated soo the pope by skylles that he alledged / that the pope yaue Aldredus the Archebisshopryche / Tostius sayd that nacions of fer landes shold sette ryght lytel by the po∣pes cu••s / whyle it was soo scorned of theues that dwellyd there nygh. therfore owther aldredus shold haue his catayll restored / owther it wolde seme that he was robbed by fraude of the pope / Also the kyng of englond shal here therof and withdraw th•• tri¦bute of saynt peter / It is euyl doo sayd therle that Aldredus shal goo home worshiples and be robbed of al that he had / And soo Aldredus hadde the pall and wente in to englond and made wulstan the pryour bisshop of / wyrcetre / Noo man wold gladly of Stygandus the archebisshop of caunterbury receyue the yefte of bisshopryche nowther wiliam conquerour whanne he was co∣me wold receyue the blessyng of hym / After nycol the second Alysaunder was pope enleuen yere and was chosen by the Car∣dynals / and defended hym manly ayenste one Candulus tha•• the ytalyens had chosen pope / They sayd that no man shold be cho¦sen pope but yf he were of the paradys of ytaly born / Herald duc of westsaxon by commaundement of kynge Edward wente in to wales with fewe horsmen after crystemasse and sette kyng gryffyns palays on fyre / at Ruthlan and his shippes also / But

Gryffyn fledde and escaped / After that aboute the Rogacion ty¦me he wente aboute Brystow with a grete naueye / and sayled nyghe al aboute wales & his broder Tostius Erle of northumber¦land mette hym with an hooste of horsmen and destroyed soo the countrees of wales / that the walsshmen delyuerd pledgys and payed trybute as they were wonte / and outlawed and put oute her kyng gryffyn and slough hym atte last aboute the fyfth day of August / and sente his heede to harold therle / After that kyng edward graunted the lande of wales to Gryffyns twey brethe¦ren that sware to hym feute / ¶ Henricus libro septimo / ¶This yere harold wente toward normandy to speke with his broder wylynotus and with his broders sonne hacun / that were in pledge with duc wyliam· But he was dryuen with tempeste in to the prouynce of ponntyf / The duc of that land toke hym / and sente hym to duc wiliam / Me sayth that there harold er he myght escape sware that he wold wedde duc wiliams doughter & that he shold kepe for hym Englond whan kyng Edward we¦re dede / And soo he hadde his neuewe with hym and cam in to englond ageyn / R / But his broder wylynotus left in duc wyl¦iams warde alwey yet while he regned / ¶ Henricus vbi supra / ¶Also that yere in kyng edwardes co••••t at•• wyndsor Tostius was agreued and wroth & wente thens to herford / there Harold had arayd a feste for the kyng / there Tostius to hakked his bro∣der seruauntes and souced her lymmes / and sente worde to the kyng that yf he wold come to his feste he shold haue salt mete y∣now / The northumbres herde therof and putte oute her duc Tosti¦us and slough his seruauntes also and they brake his tresory and made hym flee in to Flaundres / ¶Willelmus de Regibus / But the kynge herde therof and sente harold to take wreche of the wronge that was of his broder / they alleyed that they were frely born and frely nourysshed / and that they myght not suffre the cruelnes of dukes / Also that they had lerned of her souera∣ynes / to mayntene fredome owther ellys take the deth / Also that they sholde lyghtly be ladde by an esy duc / Thenne harold semed that it were more wysedome to fauoure the countre / than to take heede to the syngler prouffyte of his broder / and sente that his hoost shold come ayene / and wente to the kyng and procu∣red that malcherus sholde be her erle / Al this greued Tostius / & therfore he wente in to flaundres with his wyf and his childer and was there vnto the kynges deth /

¶ Capitulum 28

KYng edward sate at mete at westmynster on an Eesterday And while other men ete besyly / he fyll in a thought and lough whyle other men ete / Me axyd hym in chambre after me∣te what hym ayled soo to laugh / For seuen slepers sayd he in mounte Selyon besydes ephesum in the lasse asia had there slept two honderd yere on the ryght syde and tourned hem on the lyft syde in my laughyng tyme / and they shal soo lygge on the lyft syde thre score yere and fourtene / That tyme shal come amonge mankynde that harde sawe that Cryste menaceth in the Gospel / Men shal aryse ayenste men and soo forth / For the Sarasyns shal aryse ayenst crysten men and crysten men ayenst Sarasyns / And also the kyng tolde how the seuen slepers weren arayed / & soo tellyth none other storye / Anone the kynges mynystres sente to nycete themperour of Constantinople to espye the soth of this sawe / he receyued them goodly / and sente forther to the Bisshop of ephesye. that he shold shewe the araye of the seuen slepers to the messagers of Englonde / And soo it was founde as the kyng had sayd / And sone after the Sarasyns and turkes arysen and occu¦pyed Siria / the lasse Asia and Ierusalem / The thyrdde Henry themperour dyed sone after / and henry kynge of Fraunce was poysoned and dyed / Seuen dayes byfore maij a sterre with a bryght blasyng crest was seen in al the world wyde / and was so seen seuen dayes continuelly / Olyuer monk of malmesbury grett that sterre / and spak therto in this maner / Thow arte comen now Thou art come doole and sorow / to wel many moders / It is long syth I see the / but now I see the more dredeful and grysely / Thou menacest destroyenge of this countrey / This Olyuer was tho a c••nnynge man of lettrure. and a man of greete age / but in his yongthe by grete hardynes / he foūded for to fl••e as a byrd with whynges I not by what maner crafte he fethred his fete / and his handes for he wold flee in dedalus wyse / and soo he toke a fable in stede of a sothe sawe / and soo he stode on an hye toure and toke the wynde and flough the space of a furlonge & more / But he was aferd of the grete strengthe of the wynde and of the whyrle wynde / and on caas of his own foly dede / and fyll down so that he was lame in his thyes terme of his lyf / Also this yere whanne Childermas daye was halowed at westmynstre kyng

Edward began to be seke in his laste sekenesse / he sawe a syghte and told it to hem that stode aboute hym / Twey men of Relygy¦on sayd the kyng come to me / that I knewe somtyme in normā¦dy & sayden that god hem had sente to warne me herof / For the rather dukes bisshops & abbotes of Englond be not goddes ser∣uauntes but the deuyls / god hath taken this kyngdom in to the enemyes hande for a twelue monethes and a daye / and fendes shal walke and hurle aboute in al this land / I prayd and by sought that they must by my warnyng do penaunce / and be dely¦uerd by ensample of the men of nynyue / Naye sayd they for nowther shal be / for these men shal not doo worthy penaunce / nowther god shal haue mercy of hem / Than I sayde / whan maye be hope and truste of foryeuenes / they answerd and sayde / whan a grene tree is hewen downe / and a partye therof kytte from the stok / and leyde thre teme length fro the stok / Ther stode tho Sty∣gandus the Archebisshop and sayde that the olde man raued & doted as olde men doo / and was oute of his wytte and spak fo∣ly and vanyte / But afterward Englonde felte the soth and the trouthe of his prophecye / whan it was in subiection and destro∣yed with alyens and men of straunge landes / Than kyng Ed∣warde dyed at westmestre on a twellyfth euen / whanne he hadde regned thre and twenty yere / and seuen monethes / and was buryed at westmynstre / R / Aluredus of Ryual deseryued clere∣ly kynge Edwardes lyf / and sente it to laurence abbot of west∣mynster / And he sente that lyf that was soo descryued forth to the second henry / ¶Willelmus de Regibus vbi supra / Anone Harold occupyed the kyngdom & helde it aboute nyne monethes But somme entended to make Edgar Adelyng kyng / Edgar Adelynge was the sonne of Edward the whiche Edward was the sonne of edmond Irensyde / But for the childe was insuffy∣saunt to soo grete charge / Erle harold that was feller of wytte Rycher in the purs / and strenger of knyghtes / occupyed the kyngdome by an vngracious happe / R. ¶But marianus sayth that kynge edward ordeyned byfore his deth that Harold shold be kynge after hym and that the lordes made hym kyng anone / ¶ Item Marianus / ¶ This was sacred of Aldredus the Ar∣chebisshop of yorke / & byganne to destroye euyl lawes & to make good lawes and ryghtfull to defende hooly chirche / To worshipe good men / to punysshe euyll doers & to saue & to defende the londe But his broder Tostius herde therof. and that he was kynge / &

cam with syxty shippes oute of flaundres / and toke paymentis and trybute of the yle of wyght / and toke prayes in kente on the see costes / but he dradde the arraye of his broder harold / and wente by the see in to lyndeseye / and brente there townes and slough men til that he was dryuen thens by edwyn and Morkar dukes of mercia and of northumberlonde / Than he wente to mal∣colyn kyng of Scotland and was with hym al the somer tyme / ¶ In the mene tyme the kyng of the norganes / harold harfage Olauus broder cam with thre honderd shippes in to the mouth of the Ryuer Tyne / thenne Tostius cam to hym with his strengthe as they were acorded byfore / Kyng harold was warned therof / and ordeyned thyder grete strength / but er he was comē / the twey bretheren that we spake of rather Edwyn and morkar had stal∣worthly foughten and were ouercome atte laste / and ther were delyuerd pl••dgys on eyther syde an honderd and fyfty / After this the fyfth day kyng harold cam to stemesford brydge and had a stronge batayll and hard fyghtyng / but he slough the kyng of norganes & his owne broder Tostius / but he made Ola∣uus the kynges broder of norganes and paul duc of the ilondes Orcades / swere to hym and toke pledgys of hem and lette hem goo hoome ageyne / but one of the norganes bare hym soo there / that he is worthy to haue a name for euermore / For he stode al one vpon the brydge of Stemesford and slough moo than four∣ty englysshmen with his owne axe and lette the passage of alle the englysshe hooste / till it was none of the day / till an Englissh man toke a boote and cam vnder the brydge and stykked the nor∣gan thur••h an hoole with his spere / For that happe harold was prowde / and wolde not part with his knyghtes the prayes that were taken there / therfor many of the lordes and of the comonte were wroth and a greued and forsoke hym / whanne he wente to the batayll of hastyng ayenst wylliam / ¶ Willelmus de Regi∣bus libro secundo

¶ Capitulum 29

WHanne harold was sette vp in the kyngdome and thought not on the couenauntes that were made bytwene hym and wylliam / he helde hym self dyscharged of the oth. for wylliams doughter that he had spoused was dede within age of wedlok /

And also for wylliam was occupyed with werres in Ilandes that were nyghe hym / But william warned hym of couenaunt broken / and medled menaces with prayers / Harold sayde that a nyce foly couenaunt shold not be holden / and namly the byhest of other mennes kyngdome withoute comune assente of all the Se¦natours / There a lewd oth sholde be broke namely syth it was compellyd to be sworen for nede in a nedeful tyme / In the meane tyme wylliam arayed al that neded for the iourney and gate the assente of the lordes of his land / and purchaced fauoure of A∣lysaunder the pope with a baner that was to hym sente / these we¦re the causes why duc william axed and chalenged Englonde ayenst harald / the deth of Aluredus that was his cosyn the sone of emma on aluredus he had procured his deth / the seconde the e••y¦lyng of Robert Archebisshop of Caunterbury· The thyrdde cau∣se for kyng edward had promysed duc wiliam that he shuld be kynge after hym yf he dyed withoute childer / and harold was sworn to fulfyll that commaundement / Henricus libro sexto / The lordes of normandye counseyled among hem self what were best to doo of this iourneye / and wylliam that was the dukes se¦wer the sonne of osbert counsayled to leue and forsake the iour∣ney both for scarcete of fyghtyng men / and for strengthe / hardy∣nesse and stiernesse and cruelte of his enemyes / the other lordes were gladde herof and put her answer and her wordes vpon this wylliams mouth / and as he wold say / whanne he come byfore the duc / he sayde that he was redy to the iourneye / and all the other lordes / than myght not the lordes withdrawe hem for shame / ¶ Willelmus de Regibus libro tercio / Whanne duc William and his men were long taryed in saynt waleryes hauene· for the wynde was ayenst hem / the peple grutched and sayd that it was a wod••nes to chalenge by strengthe other mennes lande / and namely while god stroof ayenst hem / and god must graunt hem good wynde / yf they shuld seyle / Duc william made brynge out seynt waleryus hooly bodye and sette hym there oute for to haue wynde / Anon lykyng wynde fylled the seyles / than duc william cam toward Englond after mychelmasse day / and landed at ha∣stynge in a place called Peuenesey / In his goynge oute of his shippe / he slode with his one foote and styked in the sande / and the knyght that was next cryed to hym anone / and sayd / nowe Syr Erle / thou holdest Englonde / thou shalt ryght newely be kyng / than he charged that they sholde take noo prayes & sayd

that he must spare thynges that shuld be his owne / & he lefte soo fyften dayes / harald cam from the werre of the norganes / and herd tydynges herof / and hyed wel fast / & had but fewe knigh∣t••s aboute hym for he had loste many stalworth men in the rather bataylle / and he had not sente for more help / and though he hadde men were wroth ond wold haue withdrawe hem for they shuld haue noo prayes atte batayll of norganes / but harold sente forth espyes to awayte and see the nombre and the strengthe of his e∣nemyes / duc wylliam toke these espyes and ledde hem aboute his tentes and pauylons and fedde hem ryally and sente hem to Ha∣rold ageyne / than they told to harold tydynges / and said that al that were in duc williams hoost / were preestes for they had both the chekes and bothe the lyppes shauen / Englysshmen vsed that tyme the heer of her ouerlyppes shedde and not shore / Nay sayd harald they be no preestes but they be strong knyghtes / Than said gurth heraldes yongest brother / why wolt thou vnwar fight with soo many orped men / we sware hym neuer none oth / Than is it better that thou that art sworn to hym withdrawe the for a tyme & lette vs that be not sworn fyght for the countray / & yf we haue the maystrye wele it be / and yf we be ouercome the cause & the querele is sauf to the / yet duc william sente a monke to Ha∣rold & profered hym thre weyes / owther that he shuld leue the kingdō o wther hold the kingdō of duc williā / & regne vnder him owther they tweyne sholde fyght eyther with other in that qua∣rele in syghte of both the hoostes / namely whyle kynge Edward was dede that hadde graunted hym englonde yf he dyed without heyr / and by coūseylle and assente of Stygandus tharchebisshop and of therles goodwyn and Syward / In token therof Good¦wyns sonne and his neuewe were sente to duc william / But Harolde wolde not assente to the monkes message / but sayde the cause shulde be dereyned by dynte of swerde & prayde god onely that he shulde deme bytwene them tweyne / Than the hoostes of eyther syde cam to the place of the bataylle on saynt Calyxt the pope the fourtenth day of October on a saterday in the place wher thabbaye of bataylle is buylde / as we be enformed / the nyghte byfore the bataylle Englysshemen yafe hem to song and to drynk & waked al nyght / Erly on the morow foote men with her axes made a greete strengthe of sheldes. & sette hem to geder & had the maystrye. ne had be that the normans feyned to flee / kynge Ha∣rold stode on his fete by his baner with his twey bretheren.

That baner was afterward sente to the pope / The normans the nyght before the bataylle shrofe hem of theyr synnes and were houseld erly in the mornyng / Fote men and archers were sette in the bataylle and than knyghtes with wynges on eyther syde / Duc william comforted his men to the batayll and was waare that his haberion was torned in & oute and amended that hap••e with a bourde and sayd the strength of an erldome shal tourne in to a kyngdom / But er that the Shiltrons come to geders one of the normans callyd Taylefer caste his swerd and play••d by∣fore the hoostes and slough a banyour of Englysshmen that cam ayenst him and dyd efte the same of another / Also he slough the thyrdd and was slayne hym self / Thenne anone the Shyltrons smote to geders with Roulandes songe that was bygonne on the normans syde / The bataylle endured from vndern of the daye to euensong tyme / And neyther partye wold wythdrawe / but the dukes archers had theyr forth / than the duc made a token to his men that they shold feyne to flee / and by that wyle engl••ssh¦men were begyled and dysarayed hem as it were to pursue and so to reese on her enemyes / but whanne englysshmen were so out of aray / the normans arayed hem efte / and torned ageyne vp••on the englysshe men that were out of aray and chaced hem on eue¦ry syde / Atte laste harold was smyten with an arowe and loste his one eye / and was hurt on the brayne and fyll downe in that place / And one of the knyghtes smote him in the thyghe whyle he laye there / And therfor wylliam put that knyght oute of che¦ualrye / for he had done an vnconnyng dede / That day lost wylliā thre the best horses that he had / and were stykked vnder hym / but he bare hym soo that no bloode cam oute of his body / whanne the vyctorye was done wylliam buryed his men that were slayne / and graunted his enemyes to doo the same / who that wold and sente haraldes bodye to haraldes moder withoute ony mede as she had prayd and she buryed hym at waltham in thabbay of cha¦nons that harold had founded / R / But gyraldus Cambrensis in his boke called Itinerarius wold mene that harold had ma∣ny woundes and lost his lyft eye with the stroke of an arowe / & was ouercome and escaped to the countray of Chestre· and lyued there hoolyly as me troweth an Ankers lyf in saynt Iames sel∣le faste by saynt iohns chirche / and made a gracious ende / And that was knowen by his laste confession and the commune fame acordeth in that cyte to that sawe / Also Aluredus Ryuallensys

in saynt edwardes lyf / ca / 26 / in the ende there he sayth that Ha¦rold eyther dyed wretchedly owther he escaped & was preserued to doo worthy penaunce / R / Thanwhan kyng haraldes deth was knowen therles of northumberlonde and of mercia / Edwyn and marcarus that had withdrawen hem self from harold for streyt∣nesse of places. owther more verely for wrath that the prayes we¦re not deled atte bataylle of norganes / they come to london and and toke her syster Agytha haraldes wyf and sente hyr to Chestre And they and aldredus tharchebisshop of york & the londoners promysed that they wold make edgar adelyng kyng and fyght for hym / but for the drede of wylliam encreaced / they withdrew hem and fulfylled not that they had promised / And al this with other noble mē come to wylliam and yafe hym pledgys / & sware hym fewte and dyd hym surete

¶ Explicit liber sextus