The pastyme of people The cronycles of dyuers realmys and most specyally of the realme of Englond breuely co[m]pylyd [and] empryntyd in chepesyde at the sygne of the mearemayd next to pollys gate. Cum priuilegio.

[illustration]

Stephanus

Innocent. Celestyne. Lucius.

[ P] ¶Innocent was nexte pope / the yere of Chryst .M.C.xxx. He made the lawe y^t none shulde ley no violent hande vpon a clerke payne of cursynge / and he hylde the see .xiiij. yere.

¶Celestyne was nexte pope / he hylde the see .v. monethes.

¶Lucius was nexte pope / he hylde the see one monethe. [ P]

¶Conrade.

[ E] ¶Conrade was next Emperour / the yere of Chryst .M.C.xxxviij. In his tyme one mayster Ar∣nolde preched in Rome / agaynst the ryches & superfluytes / & many men alowed hym therin and folowed hym. But at the last he was put to deth / because of y^e hatered y^t the clerkes had vnto hym. [ E]

¶Steuyn.

[ B] STeuyn erle of Boleyn and syster son to kynge Henry / than toke vpon hym to be kyng of Englande. For when he harde of kyng Henryes dethe / he passed the see and came into Englande / thorowe counsell of many of the great lordes of Englande / contrary to their othe made to Maude y^e Em∣presse / and was crowned kynge vpon saynt Steuyns day / the yere of Chryst .M.C.xxxv. after the count of Englande by wyllyam Archebysshop of Caun∣••erbury / whiche fyrst made othe to Maude the Empresse. This Steuyn the fyrst yere of his ••aygne / araysed a great hooste to haue made warre agaynste kynge Daued of Sco••lande / but he came and made a peace with hym. But he dyd hym none homage / because he had done homage before to Maude the Empresse. Nat withstandynge / yet Henry the eldyst son to kynge Daued / dyd hou••••ge to kyng Steuyn. But after that this Daued repented hym ••f that / and entryd into Northumberlande with a great hoost / & brent and slewe the people in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 cruell wyfe / and slewe man / woman / and chylde. But the kynge sent one Thurstone with 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••reat hoost agaynst them: betwene whiche there was a great battell / where the Scottes lost 〈◊〉〈◊〉 fylde and many of them slayne / and the resyde we fled into Scotlande. And after that this kynge Steuyn hym selfe / made a great voyage into Scotlande / but he dyd there but lyttel to his pleasure or profyte.

¶This kynge Steuyn beseged dyuers castels of dyuers by sshoppes and other lordes / and toke them by force / and fortefyed them with his knyghtes & seruauntes / to the entent to withstande the Empresse / whose commynge he euer feared.

¶About the .vi. yere of his raygne / Maude the Empresse came into Englande by the comfort of the erle of Glocester / bastarde son to kynge Henry her father and of the erle of Chester: but the kynge raysed so great a power / y^t the Empresse was fayne to go & take the citye of Lyncolne for her refuge & helpe / and the kyng her beseged longe tyme / but at the last she and her company escaped / and than the kynge toke the citye. And than the erle of Chester with a great power of welchemen / and the erle of Glocester brought a great power to the Empresse and came agaynst the kynge: betwene whome there was fought a cruell batell that dured a longe season / it was harde to knowe who shulde haue the better / but at the last the kynges people gaue backe and fledde.* 1.1 And the kynge abode with a fewe of his knyghtes / and was takyn prisoner and brought to the Empresse / and after sent to Brystowe to prison. [ B]

¶Lewys.

[ F] ¶Lewys son to Lewys the great / was nexte kyng of Fraunce / the yere of Chryst .M.C.xxxvii. This Lewys beynge longe from the companye of his wyfe / on a tyme fell sycke / and his Phe∣sicyons counselled hym to take a wenche but he wolde nat / and sayd it was better for hym to dye vpon goddes hande / than to lyue in spouse breche / and sone after that he receyued helthe. [ F]

[ T] [ T]

Eugenye. Anastase.

[ P] ¶Eugenye was nexte pope / he hylde the see .viii. yere and more.

¶Anastase was nexte pope / he hylde the see one yere. [ P]

[ B] ¶After this fylde so wonne / the Empresse thought her sure of the hole realme / but she was dis∣ceyued / for the kentysshemen toke parte with the kyng. The quene also kynge Steuyns wyfe made great labour to haue the kynge delyuered / promysynge that he shulde surtendre the lande to the Empresse / & he to go to religyon: but the Empresse & her coūsayle wolde nat graūt therto. ¶Also they of the citye of London made great labour to the Empresse / to vse saynt Edwardes lawes / and nat the lawes that the Empresse father had ordayned / whiche was more strayte & straunge to them than the other / but the Empresse and her counsayle wolde nat graunt it. For these sayd causes the Citezyns of Lōdon were discontented / & wolde haue takyn the Empresse / but she hauynge knowlege therof departed and fledde to Oxforde. And the quene with ayde of the kentysshemen her fryndes raysed a great hoost / y^t the Empresse for feare fled to Gloucester / and in this whyle the erle Robert of Gloucester araysed a great people / and in a playne fylde besyde wynchester / the erle was discomfet by them of the quenes parte / & there therle was takyn prisoner / then by medacion of fryndes they agreed vpon eschaunge of prisoners.* 1.2 So that the kynge was delyuered for the erle Robert / and sone after that the kynge waxed more stronge of people / and besegyd the Empresse at Oxforde. That the Empresse was fayne to clothe her and her people in whytte apparell / and in a nyght whan the grounde was couered with Snowe / she by that meanes escaped and fledde to walyngforde / and sone after that with a small companye departed into Normandye to her husbande Geffrey Plantagenet / but yet after this Robert erle of Gloucester and the erle of Chester were so stronge of people / that the kynge was nat abyll to venquysshe them / & dyuers and many conflyctes was bytwene them / & yet at a batell at wylton bytwene them the kynge lost the fylde / and was lyke to haue ben takyn / but yet he escaped.* 1.3 In this pastyme dyed Geffrey Plantagenet / and Henry his eldyst sonne was made duke of Angeo and Normandye.

¶It was nat longe after but that Eustase sonne to kynge Steuyn with helpe of the Frenche kynge / made warre vpon this duke henry in Normandye / but he preuayled nat.* 1.4 Sone after this duke Henry came from Normandye / and with a great armye entred into Englande and wanne the castell of Maluysburye and dyd moche harme to the kynge / and at the last came into London and wanne the Towre more by polecye and fayre promyse than by strength / and after wanne walyngforde and many other stronge holdes / that the kynge had so moche warre that he wyst nat whether to go. But the kynge caused Theobalde Archebysshop of Caunterburye to make meanes to the duke for a peace. whiche at the last was concluded about the feest of Epy∣phanye / some say it was agreed that Steuyn shulde be kynge terme of his lyfe / and the duke heyre Apparant & to be kyng after his dethe. And some storyes say that the lande was deuyded bytwene them / but howe so euer the peace was concluded / trewth it is that kynge Steuyn dyed as men sayde for thought and care in the .xxv. day of Octobre nexte folowynge. The yere of Chryst .M.C.liiii. For he was in warre and trouble and in great vexacyon all the terme of his lyfe / and he is buryed at Feuersham. [ B]

[ F]

¶Margaret. Baldewyn.

¶Margaret syster to Philyppe was maryed to Baldewyn erle of Henaude / whiche was nexte [ T] erle of Flaunders.

¶Baldewyn sonne to Baldewyn / was nexte erle of Flaunders and Emperour of Con∣stantynople. [ T]

Notes

• * 1.1

  Battell. the kyng taken pri¦soner.
• * 1.2

  Battell at wyn∣chester.
• * 1.3

  Batell at wylton.
• * 1.4

  duke hen¦rye lan∣ded.