Prolicionycion [sic]

¶ Capitulum 17 /

WHanne the fourthe Henry was goo Lotharius duke of Saxon was made Emperour / At london was made a counseylle / and it was graunted to kyng henry / that he shold doo ryght of preestes fornycaryes / and of her concubynes But he dyde not ellys but toke money in euery syde· That yere in presence of the kyng the lordes of Englonde swore / that they wold kepe the kyngdom to his doughter molde the empe¦ryce / yf she lyued after his daye / and yf he deyde withoute other children / ¶ Saynt mathys the Apostles body was founden in the Cyte Treuer / the whiche bodye Agricius the ar¦chebisshop hadde broughte thyder oute of Constantinople in the elder Constantynes tyme / and he hadde that body of the yefte of Helene the quene / ¶ After Honorius the Seconde Innocencius was pope thyrtene yere and seuene mo∣nethes / ¶ Peter leonis that hight Anacletus also assaylled the Poperyche / and soo fylle greete stryfe in hooly Chirche / ¶This Anacletus was chosen of the lasse deele

and partye / and chaced Innocencius oute of the cyte / And spoy∣led the chirches of Rome and meded the Romayns with the mo¦ney of the chirches / But Innocencius and the Cardynals wo∣ned with the kyng of Fraunce / and made a counseyll at Rome and in his comyng ageyne he crowned lotharius duc of Saxon / and sacred hym Emperour / ¶By his helpe he chaced Rogyer duck of Sycilya and of Apul••a that was rebell to this Inno∣cencius the pope / whanne the fyrste Ranulph Erle of Chestre was deed / his sonne the second Ranulph Gercious by his surna¦me was Erle after hym fyue and twenty yere /

The Erle of Flaundres deyd / and Henry kynge of Englond by the assent of the kynge of Fraunce hadde the Erldome after hym by ryght of bloode and of kynrede / Mold the emperyce was soone forsake of her husbond Geffroy / and wente to her fader in to normandy / there the kyng sawe thre wondre syghtes / Fyrsts he sawe in his sleepe many clerkes assaylle hym with toles and axe of hym dette / Efte he sawe a Route of men of Armes that wolde refe on hym with al maner wepen / the thyrde tyme he sa∣we a grete company of prelates manace hym with theyr croyses And at euery tyme the kyng start vp of his bed and caught his swerde and cryed help / as though he wold slee somme men / but he myght noo man fynde / ¶ Also a phisician grymbald by his name sawe alle these syghtes / and told hem to the kynge erly in the morow / And as danyel had somtyme chargyd Nabu∣godonosor / Soo he chargyd the kyng that he shold doo almesse de¦des in remedye of his synnes / Thenne the kyng wente in to En∣glond and was sore trobled with tempest in the see / & made his auowe that he wold relece the danes trybute for seuen yere / and that he wold vysyte saynt edmund / and doo and vse ryghtwyse¦nesse / ¶ In Fraunce was soo grete drought / that Ryuers and welles were fordryed / ¶ Also fyere come in to the chynes of the erth that myght not be quenched nother with wete nother with cold / nother with doyng of crafte / ¶ This yere at kerdef dyed the kynges broder Robert that was somtyme Er∣le of normandy and was beryed at gloucetre byfore the hye Au¦ter / ¶ William the sonne of nychellus founded the pryorye of norton in the prouynce of chestre / ¶Also thabbay of Cum¦bremer was founded in the same prouynce / ¶ And henry short mantel is born the sonne of the Emperyce / Kynge Henry

deyd in normandy / Of hym one moeued in metre in this maner / Kyng henry deyd fayrenesse somtyme now deol of the world / Goddes now wepyn for her god that is now dede / marcurius the lasse. in speche / hert strong as appollo / Iupiter in hest and mars in strength / greueth Englond in childhode and kyngdome ryght of this godde was high in shynyng for derk now falleth a doune This lond with his kyng / normand with his duke wel with a∣wey / This londe nouryssheth the child / that other now lesyth the man / Henr / li / 8 / Whan kyng henry was dede men demed of hym and spake frely / what they wold as they doo of other men whan they be deede / Somme sayde that he passed other men in thre thyn∣ges in wytte / in spech and in fortune of batayl / Other sayde that he was ouercome with thre vyces / with couetyse with cruelnesse / and with luste of lecherye / Also the kynges bowels were drawe oute of his bodye / and his brayne taken oute of his heede / and the body salted with moch salt / and for to auoide the stenche that had infecte many men it was at last closed in a boole skyn / & yet myghte not the noyful odour be lette / But he that toke oute the brayne of the heed deyd of the stenche / he hadde eten of a lamprey whyle he was old and feble and he loued it alwey though it gre¦ued hym euermore / The kynges body was brought in to englōd and beryed in the abbaye of Redynge that he had founded oute of the grounde / Henricus libro septimo / In this kynges tyme one Symon the sonne of Robert bisshop of lyncolne was in his floures deen in the same chirche / he was sharpe of wytte / clere of speche / fayre of face / and of shap and gracious with all / yong of age and wyse and redy / as an olde man / but he was spytted with the vyce of pryde / In hym of his pryde sprang enuye of en¦uye. wreth of wreth / stryf and bakbytynge / he spake in a tyme of hym self and sayde / I am sette among mē of court as salt amōg quyck elys / he toke heede of one proprete of that sawe and was not war of that other / For als salt among eles greueth ful sore· Soo he greued men of the court with bacbytyng and euyl speche But at last whan salt is destroyed by moysture of the el••s / So was he by hate of all men / For at last he had the kynges wrethe and was prysonned and escaped aweye by a gonge / and was flemed and deyde so exyled /

WHan the fyrst kyng henry was dede / steuen Erle of boloyn was kynge after hym / This steuen was the erle of blesens sonne / kynge henryes neuewe in his susters syde / and he regned seuentene yere a noble man and hardy / but ageynst his oth that he had made to the emperyce he was crouned at london on a saynt Steuens day of william archebisshop of Caunterbury that was swore to the Emperyce also / Therfor this william leued not ouer one yere / Also al the grete that were sworen to steuen made a wre¦chyd ende / Also men sayde that in the day of his crownement the sacrament of crystes body was brought to the kyng & it vanys¦shed awey sodeynly / kyng steuen was crowned and swore byfo∣re the lordes at oxenford / that he wold not holde in his honde the prelacyes that voyded / and also that he wold foryeue the dane gylt and that he wold emplede no man for his owne wodes / Al¦so for he drad the comyng of the emperyce he graunted euery lord leue to bylde a Castel other a strength vpon his owne grounde / & sone therafter he toke to acorde dauid kyng of Scottes / that had before by gyle taken the castel caerlel / and the castel vppon tyne and he yaue hym huntyng in englond and had hommage / and sente to the Emperyce / than kyng steuen toke excetre and william Archebisshop of Caunterbury deyd / and theobald abbot of becco was Archebisshop after hym / Lotharius Emperour of almayne deyd / and Conradus was Emperour after hym fyftene yere of Almayns and of Romayns / And though he toke not the Bene¦son of the pope / yet atte prechyng of Abbot bernard he toke the ho¦ly lande in pope eugenius tyme and dyde many grete dedes / Gir / d / p / ca / 19 / That tyme theobald the mylde erle of Campa∣nia was in his floures / he wolde myldely vysyte poure men and lepres / One praysed hym in metre passyngly in this maner / This felowe Erle this was that mylde man theobaldus / Heuen maketh ioye / that hym hath / and sorowful is the worlde / that hym leueth / I may calle hym man / hym dar I not clepe God / Deth preueth hym man his owne lyf hym preueth goode / Aboue man / vnder God / more than man / lasse than God / I not what maner thynge is bytwene the weyne / /

Dauid kyng of Scotland cam the thyrdde tyme in to Englond and destroyed the lond anone to the Ryuer of theyse in the mouth of the prouynce of york / and brende / and slewe and slytte wym∣men with childe / thurstan the archebisshop cam pryuely ageynst hym with the kynges knyghtes / & chaced hym and slewe / x / M

of his men and toke many prayes and gret•• / kyng steuen toke the Castel of bedford that was ageynste hym / and herafter he wente in to scotland / and dyde there fewe dedes at his owne wyll / and cam home ageyn / but in his comyng homeward / he toke alysaun∣der bisshop of lyncolne and putte hym in boundes / til that he had yeue hym the castel of newerk / ¶ Also ••e chaced nygellus bisshop of hely / and Roger bisshop of salesbury that hadde doo hym moche good / he toke hym and put hym in pryson and helde hym there till that he had yeue hym two castels of the vyse and of shirburn / And for this Roger was a greete bylder of houses and of Castels / he bycam seke and deyd for sorowe / After that he lefte in his castels of moneye as it were a fourty thousande marc / that was spente in the kynges vse / and not to gods seruyce / For with that moneye the kyng bought to his sone Eustace / Constaunce the kynges syster of Fraunce / Thurstan the Archebisshop of york was a grete foundour of ab∣bayes of hagustald of Founteynes / and of eyght other / and to∣ke the habyte of monk / and pountfret / and deyd in good elde / After two yere his bodye was founden hoole and sounde smel∣lyng ful swete / ¶ That tyme the kyng toke the Castels of Gloucestre of herford / of webbely of Brystow / of Dudely / and of shrowesbury / ¶ Robert Erle of gloucestre kyng Henryes bastard sonne herde therof and sente for his syster mol∣de the Emperyce that dwellyd at Angeo / and prayd her to come in to englond and byhyght her helpe ageynst kyng steuen /

¶ Henricus libro 9 ¶ Than in the moneth of Iuyll Robert and mold cam fyrst to portesmouth and thennes to Bri∣stow / and dyde men of the Countray grete harme and dommage Than the kyng besyeged the castel of wallyngford / and herde herof and lefte the syege and wente ageynste them and besyeged lyncolne soone after that tyme / ¶ Than aboute Can¦delmasse Ranulph Erle of Chestre and Robert erle of gloucestre cam with many walsshmen to breke the kynges syege /

And whan they were vnnethe passyd a reedy mareys. and had arrayed the sheltrons / The Erle of Chestre spake to his men in this maner and sayd I thanke you and praye you besyly that I that am cause of youre perylle mot be the fyrst that shal entre in to the peryl / ¶ Erle Robert answerde hym / and sayde· It is not vnworthy that thou axyst the dygnyte of the fyrst stroke both for noblesse of bloode & for vertu of strength

in the whiche thou passyst other men / But the kynges fals ••the and his wodenesse meoueth men to warre / and to fyght / But we may not torne ageyne by the wey that we come / Than we must haue here the maystry other be ouercome / he that hath none other socour muste nedes flee to bolde dedes of armes and manhode of strength / but take hede ageynst hem and what maner mē ye must feyght / Robert erle of mellent stondyth ageynst you / he is crafty of fraude and of gyle and hath wyckednes in his herte / treason and gyle in his mouthe and sleuthe in his dedes / there cometh al¦so the erle of Albemarl / he is deuoute to bachus and not knowē of mars / he smellyth of the wyn and vsyth noo warre / ¶ Treuisa Po••tes feyneth a god of wyn and clepyn hym ba∣chus / and another of batayl and clepyn hym mars and so forth to speke / he that is a good drynker is deuoute to bachus / and he that is not worth in batayll is vnknowen to mars / Than he tel∣lyth forth his tale in the story in this maner / There stondeth Sy∣mon of hampton / his dedes ben but wordes his yefte is but a by hest whan is worde is sayd he hath done his dede / / whanne he hath behyght he hath yeuen his yeftes / In this grete heete kynge steuē herd alysaunder the bisshops masse and the tayre that the kynge offred brake in the Bisshops hande / and the cheyne brake and the box fyl there gods body was in / that was a token of the kynges fayllyng / than the kyng wente forth and baldwyn the erle had the wordes to comfort men for to fyght / and he spake to other men in this maner / Men that must fyght must knowe thre thynges / the ryghtfulnes of the cause lest men shold falle in peryll of sou¦le / The quantite of the company that they be not boren doun with to many enemyes / And the effecte of myght and of strength lest men lene vpon feble helpe / and falle to the grounde touchyng these thre poyntes / I trowe that we be spedde / But take heede fer∣thermore What maner enemyes we haue / Loo Roberts coūseyll that vsyth grete menace and doth lytel in deede / in mouth he is a lyon and in herte an haar / he is clere of speche and derke by vn∣cunnyng / Also there stondeth therle of chestre a man of vnresona¦ble hardynesse redy & prest to conspyracy / and vnstydfast to ful∣fyll in dede / hasty of herte and vnware of peryls / he casteth ful grete dedes and essayeth dedes that he maye not awelde / what he begynneth fresshely / he forsaketh i•• feyntly / as a woman vnhap∣py and vngracious in euery place and is alwey ouercome other chaced / he hath with hym flemed men & sculkers about the walsshe

men euer the more ben of hem / the wors they ben in fyghtynge / But er he had made ende of the wordes come the crye of the ene∣myes the noyse of the trompes and the gruntng of horses / & the sheltrons smytyn to geders and forth goon tharowes / The king was take and brought to the emperyce and was kepte in boūdes at brystow from candelmasse to the holy rode day in heruest / ther∣for the emperyce wexeth swyth proude / and occupyed surcetre and than wynchester / there they cam ageynst her with procession and that alowyd the popes legate / than she wente to wylton / to Ox∣enford to Redyng and to saynt albon and in euery place all men toke her with good wyll oute take kentyssh men alone / But theo¦baldus the Archebisshop cam specially ageynste her / Than she cam to london to trete of the state of the lande / there the quene of Englond kyng Steuens wyf prayd the emperyce that the kyng myght be delyuerd oute of bondes vppon that condicion that the kyng shold yelde vp the kingdom to the emperyce and somwher become a monke other be a pylgrym to his lyues ende / But the emperyce wold not here this bone / Also the cyteseyns of lon∣don prayd hyr that they myght vse saynt edwardes lawes / and not the lawes of hyr fader kyng henry / for they were ful harde / But she wold not assente / therfor the peple was meoued and or¦deyned for to take her / she was ware therof and lefte al her store of houshold & fledde to oxenford / & there she abode her knyghtes that were al y shed or dyuyded / thenne she toke with hir her ow∣ne came dauid kyng of scotland and strength of knyghtes / and went to wynchestre / there she besyeged strongly the bisshops toure there the kynges broder was / At last cam the quene with will∣iam I prens and the emperyce was so aferd that she was born to gloucestre in an hors bere as it were a dede body / her broder erle Robert was take and putte in pryson in the mene tyme / than the quene on that one syde was besy for the kyng / and the emperyce in that other syde for her owne broder / and suche delyueraunce was y procured and ordeyned that the kyng shold be restored a∣geyne to the kyngdome and the Erle to his lordship / and bothe shulde make pees in the kyngdome as they had dystourbed it / But the erle wold not assente / than al the yere was in the lan∣de Robbyng & reuyng / manslaughter and sellyng of Ryche men / than aboute hooly Rode day in heruest the kyng was dely∣uerd and besyeged the emperyce in the cyte of Oxenford from mychelmesse to mydwynter and destroyed alle that was without

Atte last fyll a grete honger and the Emperyce was couerd in whyte and byspronge with snowe and escaped ouer Temse that was froren and hylled with snow and cam to walingford / Ther¦for the men of the syege were begyled and y blend with the bla¦syng of the snowe / And soo the cyte of oxenford was yolden to the kyng / Aboute this tyme one mayster arnold prechyd at ro∣me ageynst ryche men and ageynste superfluyte that men vsen / therfore many men pursued hym / at last he was taken and han∣gyd for wreth of clerkes / Also that tyme deyd Iohannes de temporibus that had lyued thre honderd yere thre score and one / and had be squyer with the grete charles /