¶wyllyam conquerour.
[ B] WIllyam the duke of Normandye called conquerour / last son of Robert the .vi. duke of Normandye / began his raygne ouer the realme of Englande. The yere of Chryst .M.lxvii. the .xiiii. day of October / and whan he had set ye realme in some quyetnesse / he be toke the rule therof to his brother the bysshhop of Bayon / & in lent nexte after sayled into Normandye / & ledoe with hym the chefe rulers of Englande for feare of rebellyon in his absence. The next wynter after / he returned agayne into Englande / & then set a great trybute vpon the Englysshemen / so that therfore some {per}tes of the lande rebellyd / and specially the citye of Excester / but at ye last wyllyam ouercame them & wanne the citye / & punysshed them greuously: but for that and other sterne dedes of wyllyam. Dyuers of the lordes departed to Scotlande / wherfore he kept the other lordes that taryed the strayter / and exalted the Normans gyuynge to them the chefe possessyons of the lande.
¶••••so sone after this kynge wyllyam caused a solempne counseyll of the clargye to be kept at wynchester / to ye whiche there came .ii. Cardynals from Rome / where by the meanes of kynge wyllyam dyuers bysshoppes / abbottes / & priours / englysshe men were put downe / & Normans put in theyr rowmes / to the intent that ye kynge myght stande in more suertye of the lande. ¶Also about the .iii. yere of his rayne / Harrolde & Cauntus sonnes to Suanus kyng of Den∣marke enteryd into the North countrey / and with the helpe of some of the people of the cōtrey and of some of the cytezyns of yorke enteryd the citye / and slewe mo than .iii.M. Normans.* 1.1 But sone after kyng wyllyam chasyd them out / and droue them to theyr shyppes and toke suche displeasure wt the inhabytans of that {pro}uynce / yt he distroyed the lande from yorke to Durham / that .ix. yere after it lay vnlaboryd and vntylled / and the people there were kept so harde by the warre of the kynge / & in suche famyne that they ete rattes / cattes / dogges / and other vermyne. Also in the .iiii. yere of wyllyam his reygne / Malcolyn kynge of Scottes entryd into Northū∣berlande and distroyed the contrey / & toke many prisoners and kept them lyke bondemen / but within .ii. yeres after kyng wyllyam made suche warre vpon the Scottes / yt he forcyd Malcolyn theyr kynge to swere to hym homage and fealte. [ B]