Prolicionycion [sic]

¶ Capitulum quartum /

AFter hyltebrand the thyrd vyctor was pope one yere and fyue monethes / ¶Somtyme he hyght desiderius Abbot of moūt Cassin / he was poysoned with venym that was done in his chalys / that yere canut{us} kyng of dēmark by help of his wyues fader Robert of flaundres arayed hym for to come in to englond with a greete nauey· but kyng wylliam herde therof and gadred a grete hoost and come in to englond oute of normandy / But his enemyes were lette and he helde his court at gloucestre / ther he yaf Bisshopryches to his thre preestes / to morice he yafe the Bissho∣pryche of london / To william the bisshopryche of Tedford / To ro∣bert the bisshoprych̄ of chestre / but he chaunged the see to couentre ¶ Willelmus de pontificibus libro quarto / He rasede of one be∣me of that chirch fyue honderd mark of syluer for to fyll the kin¦ges honde and for to begyle the occupacion of the pope / erle leofrycus hadde made that place ryche of gold and of syluer of relykes and other precious stones / And soo this Robert rob¦bed his owne chirche / and was gylty to make good therfore in his lyf owther with his cataill after his deth yf ony man were that hym wolde accuse / also he fed the monkes of that place with symple mete & drink & suffryd them not to lerne but symple let¦trure / lest lykynge mete and drynke and gretter lettrure wolde make the monks stoute and proude ageynst the bisshop / Netheles at lychefelde he byganne many greete buyldynges. Aboute that tyme bygan thordre of the chartrus in calabria in the bisshoprich

of grannopolytan by one bruno that was y bore at Coloyn of the nacion of Duche men and chanon of Reynes in Champayne in Fraunce and mayster of the scoles / he forsoke the worlde & foun¦ded the heremytage of chartrus aboute saynt ioones fest & ruled it syx yere / Atte last he cam to Rome by heeste of the seconde po∣pe vrban that hadde be somtyme his scoler / there he halpe the pope gretely in dygnyte of hooly chirche / But whanne he myght not suffre the stryf and the maners of the court / he forsoke the courte and the Archebisshoprych of Rysens / to the whiche he was chose by heeste of the pope / And wente to the heremytage that was cal¦led the tour in Calabria / and ended there his lyf / That manere heremytes that be cleped Cellystes also for they woneth in celles and lyuen vnder a pryour and passen not the nombre of twelue in clerkes / but it be for somme worthy persone / but they take leu¦de men anone to the nombre of twenty / euery in his owne celle in symple dayes y seruyd by hym self byddeth his bedes / slepyth and etyth / Eche of theym hath one loof for his brede for all the weke / they ete neuer flessh ne blode / they were neuer lynen cloth nother stamyn but the heer next the flesshe and a boue a kyrtell of wollen and a pylche / they haue thryttene celles / and euery celle is departed a four & to set wythin for the oratory the dortour the fraytour / and the werk hous there they doth her werkes / but they ioyne alle to gyders / On sondayes and other hygh dayes they come to chirche and to a comyn borde and etyn y fere / and talken y fere of goostly tales / they saye theyr seruyce after saynt benets rule / An apostata that breketh his ordre they take hym ne¦uer ageyne / ¶ Kyng wylliam made descryue al englond / For he wold wytte and knowe how moche londe eche of his ba∣rons hadde / how many knyghtes fees how many teme londe / how many townes and men and how many beestes / the lond was gre¦ued with many meschyefs and happes that fyl for that dede / That descrypcion was wryten al in one volume / and y doo in the kynges lyberarye at wynchestre / Also this yere Edgar Ade∣lyng wente in to Apulea with grete strengthe by loue of kyng wylliam and his syster Crystyne wente in to the abbay of Rom¦see / After vyctor the seconde vrban was pope thyrtene yere / Fyrst this was a monk of cluny & archedeken of rome / and hete Odo Therafter he was Bisshop hostyence and pope atte last / Another pope that hete clemente that was in the poperyche with wrong dy∣de this vrban moche woo and teene. ¶ This clemente was

somtyme bisshop of Rauenna / That yere in englond was greet•• deth of beestes and dystemperyng of the eyer by the whiche many men deyd in feuers and for honger / In the same tyme grysely fyre destroyed the pryncipal cytees of Englond and saynt Pau¦les chirche / and a grete dele of london / Alfr / That yere the danes in a chirche slew her kyng Ca••••tus / ¶ Willelmus de Regi∣bus libro tercio / This kynge wylliam lay a bed at Roen Rotho∣mage in the laste ende of his lyf the kynge of Fraunce scorned hym in this maner / kyng williā of Englond lieth now as wym¦men don a chyldebed and taketh hym to sleuthe he bourded soo / For kyng wylliam hadde slaked his grete wombe with a drynke that he hadde dronke / the kyng was displesyd with this scorne / and sayde I shal offre hym a thousand candels whanne I shal goo to chirche of chylde / And not longe therafter in a lamesse moneth whanne the cornes were in feldes Fruyt on trees / and grapes on the vynes / he sette a fuyr the west syde of Fraunce & the Cyte medant and our lady chirche / In that chirche he brente a womā that was closed & trowyd not but she sholde fle in suche a maner nede / In that hete he toke an euyl that myght not be hee∣led other ellys whanne his hors lepe ouer the dyche he brake the entrayls of his fatte wombe / than leches warned hym that he shold dye / than he ordeyned normandy to his eldest sonne Robert And Englond to wylliam the reede. And the moder possessions and tresour / To henry clerk & made delyuere his prisonners that he had in boundes / that were the Erles marcarus Rogyer / wil¦notus / haraldes sonne / his brother odo bisshop of bayon / And so he deyde the yere of his kyngdome one and twenty the tenthe mo∣neth the yere of his duchery two & fyfty / the yere of his lyf nyne and fyfty / the yere of our lord a thousand four score and seuen the eyght day of december / and he was buryed in thabbay of ca∣dony that he had founded / there me myghte see sorowe that he that was soo dredeful and soo worshipful in europa myght not be buryed withoute chalenge / For there a knyght forbede open∣ly his beryeng and seyde that grounde was his owne / and y take of hym with strength / therfor his sonne henry yaf the knyght an honderd pound for to ceese for ther were none of kyng williams sonnes / for his eldest sonne Robert warred than in the countray / and william the reede was sayled in to englond / But at Wyn∣chestre he toke his faders tresorye and yafe moche for his faders mynde / Henricus libro quinto / This william conquerour was a

wyse man and gyleful ryche and couetouse gloryous and loued wel grete loos fayr speker with goddes seruaunces and sterne to hym that wold him withstonde / In the prouynce of hampton in the newe forest in the space of thyrtty myle / he threwe doun chir¦ches & townes and dyde there wyld beestes / Soo that who toke there a wylde beest shold lese his ••ne eye / & who that toke a wo∣man by strengthe shold lese his genetoryes· W / dere / li / 3 / Kynge wylliam was of skylful stature to grete & fat of bodye sterne of face / bar of forheede / grete of strengthe in brawne and armes / soo that vnnethe ony man myyhte bende his bowe / but he wolde on his hors stretche forth his senewys and bende it easyly ynough vpon his one foete / he had skylful strength and yaue hym self to moch to huntyng / soo that he threwe downe chirches & town••s to make wodes / he made grete feestes and reueles in the high fe••••••tes of the yere / he helde his mydwynter tyde at gloucestre / his ees∣ter at wynchestre / whitsontyde at westmynstre / whan he was in Englond / but he passyd and ouerdyde in gaderyng money of the people / other to wythstonde his enemyes / other to make hym a greete name / other to ceese his couetyse / it is· a comyn tale that whan this william was yong he distourbed his came malgerus Archebisshop of Rotomage of his bisshopryche / for he forgēdryd goddes seruyce and yaue hym self to huntyng and to festes / but more verely / for the bisshop had acursid duc william & mold his wyf and his cosyn / for they were vnlaufully y wedded to giders But for that trespaas duc William bylded an abbaye of men / & mold another of wymē at cadony / R / Also william bylded twey abbayes in englond one at bermūdeseye fast by london / & another at bataylle in southsex / there he hadde foughte / Hen / li / 7 / Whan this william was kyng vnnethe was there a lord in englond an englysshman / but englisshmen were made boonde / so that it was shame and despyte to be cleped an englysshman / To bere doune & to destroye englysshman god had ordeyned cruel and sterne / that be of suche kynde that whanne they haue boren downe theyr ene∣myes than they bere doune theyr self /