hote loue is soone colde so thys sodayne deuocyon was soone aswaged For lyke as hys troubles began to aswage and his prosperyte to encrease ryght so hys olde coÌ„dycyons beganne in hym to reuyue and quycken so that at length he retourned to hys olde accustomed vyces In this tyme a pleople called Longobardes and now Italyans warred sore vppon the landes of the empyre wherfore Mauricius then beynge emperour of Constantyne the noble for so mych as he tought that the frenche kynges myght was lesse coste and payne to subdue them then he myght beyng so farre from them he therfore sent to hym a great suÌ„me of golde wyth letters of recommendacyon exortyng hym in the defence of the chyrche of Rome to assemble hys people and to withstande y e sayd Longobardes and not to sease ther of tyll he hadde expellyd theym from the landes of the empyre whyche somme of golde he goodly receyuyd promysynge to the bryngers therof that he wyth all dylygence shulde execute the vttermoste of his power to accomplyshe the requeste of the emperoure And accordynge to a parcell of his sayde promyse he assembled a great people and made towarde the sayde Longobardes Of whom the sayde Longobardes ferynge y e great myght made meane of entreaty offrynge to hym great summes of money By reason wherof he lefte theym in reste and so retourned into Fraunce when Mauricius had vnderstandyng y t the foresayde enymyes remayned styll in the foresayde landes and contynued in theyr malice he sent agayne to Chilpericus requyryng hym other to performe his promyse or ellys to restore hys money whych he had takeÌ„ for y e perfourmaunce of the same But all was in vayne for he wolde neyther execute that one nor that other But at leÌ„gth as affermeth myne authour he was by goddes ordynaunce compelled for to restore the sayde money or a great parte therof by meane of his suster wyth her chylde that was as a prysoner to the sayde emperour whyche suster was before tyme maryed vnto the kynge of Spayne THE CXVI CHAPITER CHilpericus thus encreasynge in vyce and dyshonoure lastely repugned agayne god so that he fell into that detestable heresye of the Arianes and commauÌ„ded certayne artycles of the same touchyng the deuysyon of the trynyte to be prechyd thorough hys regyon But the holy byshoppe of Towres withstode that precepte and blamed hym greuously for that dede all be yt the sayd bysshop named Gregory wyth great assystence of the other byshoppes of Fraunce hadde great laboure to remoue hym from the sayde opynyon This with many other crymes passed by Chilpericus Fredegunde whyche euer encreasyd in peruerse malycyouse purpose soughte many vnlefull meanes howe she myghte brynge to confusyon the thyrd sonne of her husbonde knowynge well y e whyle he leuyd her chyldern shulde neuer enheryte the crowne of Fraunce This purpose to brynge about many and dyuerse wayes she attemted whyche were longe to reherse But fynally she causyd hym wrongfully to be accusyd by meane therof to be caste in pryson where he so beynge she hyred a felon to sle hym and after shewyd to her husbande y t the sayde Clodoueus hadde stayne hym selfe In profe wherof she hadde appoynted the foresayde murderer to leue a sworde styckyng in hym as thoughe he hadde wylfully slayne hym selfe vppon the same sworde whyche when the kynge sawe he demed hym gylty of such offense as before was putte vppon hym ye haue harde before of the sonne of Sygeberte named Childebert that was delyuered from the handes of Chilpericus his vncle by the meanes of Gundoald duke or erle of Poitowe the whyche in this tyme was growen to mannes stature and ruled at this daye his enherytaunce of Austracye not wythout great stryfe had betwene hym and hys sayde vncle whych were to long to wryte y e cyrcuÌ„staunce therof wherof at this daye somdele was vndyscussyd all be yt they at thys daye vsyd eyther other as frendes About this tyme the other vncle of Chyldebert called GuÌ„thranê° sought occasyon agayne hym for cause of a byshop named Theodorê° byshop of Marsill or Marsyle y e which was put from his see by GuÌ„thranus and receyuyd of Chyldebert and by hym agayne restoryd to the sayde see of Marsyle For the whych Gunthrane was sore amoued and entendyd to make warre vpon hym But by medyatours it was somdeale appeasyd and sette in quyete vppon certeyne condycyons to be obserued and also perfourmed vpon the party of Gunthranus the whyche after were not vppon his syde kept nor performed wherfore after request to hym made for reformacyon of all such poyntes and answere agayne receyuyd of no reformacyon Chyldebert to haue hys partye the strenger and also for that that he well knewe that hys vncle Chilpericus bare towarde the sayde Gunthranus not very fraternall loue he therfore sente vnto hym a noble man of hys courte named Gyllon requiryng hym of ayde agayne hys vncle the whych by many-seasons had as well broken promyse agayne hym as nowe he hadde agayne Childebert Of this Chilpe riche beynge ryght fayne assentyd to the desyre of Gyllon and after in all haste preparyd theyr hostes and by two sondry companyes inuadyd the countres of Orleaunce wherof Gunthranus was kynge or ruler But y e inhabytauntes of that prouynce defendyd theym in so stronge maner y t theyr enymyes hadde of theym lytell auauntage In whyche meane season Gunthranê° assembled a myghty hoste and spedde hym towarde his enymyes at a place called MediolanÌ„ he supprysed a parte of hys sayd enymies and after drewe nere to the great nomber of bothe hostes where was made preparacyon on bothe sydes to haue foughten But as before tyme ye haue often harde that by discrete wyse men the fyght was put by and meanes of accorde was founden so nowe at this tyme by labour of good and wise prelates and other these kynnesmen were sette in vnyte and departed without great shedyng of crysten bloode In this passetyme deth whych sparyth no creature berafte Chilpericê° a sonne borne of FredeguÌ„de and named Theodorus for the whyche the kynge and also the quene toke great heuynesse But as she y t was proÌ„pte redy to all euyll cast in her mynde that thys chylde was slayne by poyson or by some other purposed malyce For the whyche lastely was accusyd a baylyfe or lefe offycer called Monuole with diuers wytches and sorseresses that shuld imagyne this chyldes deth The whych she payned and tormeÌ„tyd in such wyse that lastly the sayde wytches confessed that they hadde destroyed the chylde and not wythoute consente of the sayde Monuole wherfore she after caused the sayde sorceresses to dye by cruell deth as by fyre and otherwyse and the sayde baylyffe to be so tourmentyd that he dyed soone after The frenche cronycle sayth that by the meane of the takynge a way of the lyfe of the kynges chylde a chyld of the sayde Monuole was restoryd to helth whych before was in great ieoperdye whyche
and fette there his aimes hys sayde wyfe then lyenge at the castell of warwyke not knowynge of any man what he was tyll lastely he was visited with so sore sykenes that he knew well that he shuld dye wherefore he sente hys weddynge rynge vnto hys wyfe requyrynge her in all haste to come and speke wyth hym whych she obeyed in humble wyse and sped her vnto the sayd Heremytage wyth all womanly dylygence and fande hym deed at her commynge whom she besprent with many a salt tere And as she was enfourmed of the messenger as he dyed she buryed hym ryghte there And more ouer as saith my sayd authour he monyshed her by the sayd messenger that she shulde prouyde for her selfe for she shuld also alter her mortall lyfe the .xv. day folowyng which also she obeyed and made suche prouisyon that she was in that place buryed by hym All whyche mater the sayde Dane Iohn̄ Lydgate affyrmeth that he toke out of the boke of Gerarde Cambres̄ whyche wrote mych of the dedes and storyes of the prynces of Englande as Policronica and other authour testyfyen and as the sayde Lydgate in the ende of his sayde treatyse wytnessyth as by the mater folowynge appereth For more authorite as of this mater This translacyon such as in sentēce Out of laten made by the cronycler Called of old Gerardus Cambrēce whyche wrote the dedes wyth great dylygence Of them that were in weste Saxon crowned kynges Greatly cōmendyd for theyr knyghtly excellence Guy of warwyke in hys famouse wrytynges AL whyche sayde treatyse is shewyd at length in meter of viii stauys after the maner of the precedentes by the dylygent labour of the sayde Dane Iohn̄ Lydgate The whyche I haue here sette in for so mych as yt concernyth mater that was done in the tyme of the reygne of thys Ethylstane The whyche after the accorde of moste wryters ▪ broughte thys lande agayne to one monarchye and reygned as kynge therof by the full terme of .xvi. yeres and was buryed at the monastery of Malmysbury leuynge after hym no chylde wherfore the rule of the land fyll vnto Edmunde his brother Francia THE CLXXXVI CHAPITER LEwys the sonne of Charlis y e symple beganne hys reygne ouer the Frenchmen in y e yere of our lorde ix hundred and xxxiiii and the .ix yere of Ethelstane then kynge of Englande ye haue harde before in the ende of the storye of Charlys y e symple how Elgina the quene wyth Lewys her yonger sonne was fledde into England to her father Edward the elder wherfore y e lordes of Fraūce not knowynge where she with the Chylde was gone chose the forenamed Rauf for theyr kynge After whose deth the said lordes of Fraūce beynge ascertayned of the beynge of the sayd Lewys in England sent vnto hym the archbyshop of Senys Hughe surnamed le graunde desyrynge hym to restore into Fraunce and take therof possessyon Then Elgina herynge the message of the lordes and trustyng vnto thē by counsayll of her frendes made her redy wyth her son sayled shortly after into Fraunce where she was receyued wyth myche honour shortly after crowned her sonne Lewys kynge at the cytye of Laon̄ This Lewys is named y e .v. Lewys In the thyrde yere of whose reygne fyll a scarcytye of corne vytayll by reason wherof ensued a great famyn in so myche that people voyded the realme many dyed for defaut For as wytnesseth the frenche cronycle a quarter of whete was then worth .xx. poūde of y e money which is of value after sterlynge money .l. s. or there about This kyng beryng in mynd the murder and treason done agayn his father by Hebert as before in the storye of Charlis the symple is declared cast and ymagined in his mynde how he myght wythout shedynge of blood reuenge the deth of his fader and after many ymagynacyons and thought is reuolued in his mynde he lastely dyuysed a letter the whych he charged a seruaunt of his to brynge to hys presence when he was sette amonge his lordes in counsayll when kynge Lewys hadde compassed this in hys mynde he for nedes of hys realme called a great coūsayll of his barony at Laon̄ whyther amonges the other the sayde Heberte erle of Uermendoys was warned to come And when the kynge was ascertayned of theyr commynges he apoynted a secrete cōpanye in harnes to be in a secrete chamber nere vnto the place of the sayde counsayll and at conuenient tyme after yode vnto the same and all his lordes wyth hym And when he hadde a season commoned wyth hys lordes of suche maters as hym lyked sodeynly came one to hym and sayd that a man was cōmen wyth a letter dyrected to hys grace oute of Englande the whych he commaunded to be broughte vnto hys syghte when the kyng hadde vnfolde the letter and radde a parte therof he smyled whereof the lordes beynge ware purposed the kynge to haue receyued some iewyllys or ioyous nouellys oute of Englande whyle the kynge was aboute to delyuer this letter to his scribe or secretory one of hys lordes sayde vnto hym Syr we truste ye haue some iocande mery tydynges oute of Englāde that ye haue cause of smilyng I shall shewe the cause to you sayde the kyng There is dwellyngin England a kynnesman of myne named Harman the whych is a man of gret myghte and myne especyall frende He shewyth me by this letter that an husbandeman or a vyleyne badde or requyred hys lorde vnto his howse to dyner and vnder the coloure therof he slewe hys sayde lorde And for the sayde Harman thynketh the law of that lande to fauourable for such an haynous dede hetherfore writeth to me to haue myne aduyse in thys mater wherfore sens ye be all present I praye you shewe to me your opynyons in this mater whych with one voyce sayde y t the murderer was worthy to suffer the moste shamefull and cruell deth to be hanged and strangled in a rope But for y e kynge wolde be certaynely enfourmed of the consentes of theym all he began at the hygest and so pursued theym tyll he came to Hebert erle of Uermēdoys the whych alowed the sentēce as the other hadde done Then the kynge made a token to y e walshemen betwene hym them before appoynted so y e anon they were present sette sure hold vppon the sayde Hebert To whom the kynge sayd Hebert thou art the husbondman or vilayne y t I haue spoken of whych slew his lord vnder colour of byddynge or gestynge hym in hys house For traytoursly thou dydeste requyre my lorde and father vnder thyne house or castell of Peron̄ and there not remembrynge the kyndnes to the by hym before dayes shewyd nor thyne allegyauntes and trouthe that toward hym thou shuldest haue borne kept hym lyke a prysoner and lastely murderyd hym to the greate daunger agayne god to the world shame wherfore accordynge to thy desert and after thyne own sentence and iudgemēt take now
vppon the breste wyth a spere So y t the kynge awoke wyth that stroke and charged that the belle shulde be restored to the chyrche of Saynt Eltutus and all other thynges that were taken wyth the same But the kynge dyed wythin .x. dayes after whan he had reygned after moste wryters the full terme of .xvi. yeres And was buryed at Glastenbury leuynge after hym two sonnes Edwarde the martyr Egelredê° by .ii. sondry wyues Henricus the hystographer made of hym these verses folowynge Ayder of the poore and punyssher of trespasse The gyuer of worshyp kyng Edgar is now gone To the kyngdome of heuen whyche lyke to prayse was As Salomon that for wysdome aboue all shone A fader in peas a lyone to his foone Founder of temples of monkes stronge patrone Oppresser of all wronge and of iustyce guardone WIllelmus de regibus testifyeth that in the yere of our lorde M.lii whiche was after the deth of this noble kynge Edgar .lxxvi. yeres an abbot of Glastenbury named Aylewarde dygged the graue of this noble man vnreuerently At whyche tyme the body was fouÌ„den hole and so full of flesshe that the body wolde not entre into a newe cheste without pressynge By reason wherof fresshe droppes of blode issued out of the same body Than the abbot foresayd fyll sodeynly madde and went out of the chyrch and brake hys necke and so dyed Than the body was put in a shryne that he before tyme had gyuen to the place set vppon y e auter wyth the hed of saynt Apolinare and other relyques of saynt Uyncent the whych y e kyng Edgare before dayes had brought thyther and gyuen to y e house wherfore it maye well appere to all that rede thys story that what lyuynge thys man was demed of y t he purged hym in suche wyse by penauÌ„ce that he made a seth and amendes to goddes pleasure THE CXCV. CHAPITER IN y e story of thys noble prynce Edgare I fynde wryten a story the whyche is alleged by the authour y t it shulde be done by a kyng of Syrye named Cambyses in the tyme of the reygne of thys Edgare But in that sayenge he varyeth froÌ„ other authours and wryters very farre as Uincencius hystorialis Antoninus Ranulphus and other For all be it the sayde acte was done by y e sayd Cambyse as the forenamed authoure affermeth yet it was by the sayd Cambyses executed longe before the incarnacyon of Cryste For thys Cambyses was the sonne of Cirus kyng of Parsys and of Medis whyche reygned ouer those prouynces about the yere of the worlde .iiii. thousand .lxx before the commynge of Cryste folowyng the accompte of thys worke .xi. hundred yeres .xxix. But it myghte be y t the whyte monke that was authoure or wryter of this acte to the story of Edgare was moued for the greate iustyce that he radde in the story of thys Edgare thynkyng to enhaunce it by the reason herof where he sayth that in the tyme of thys CaÌ„byses a iudge was to hym accused and conuycte vppon the same accusacyon that he hadde gyuen a wronge sentence by meane of takynge of mede wherfore thys Cambyses to the terrour and fere of other commaunded the sayde iudge to be flayne quycke and the skynne to be spred ouer the place or stole of iudgement and that done made the sone of the foresayd iudge to sytte as iudge in the place where hys fader before sat wyth these verses wryten vppon the face of the sayde place of iudgement as foloweth Sede sedens ista iudex inflexibilis sta A manibus reuoces munus ab aure preces Sit tibi sucerna sex sux pessisque paterna Qua recedes natus pro patre sponte datus whyche verses maye be englysshed in maner and fourme as foloweth Thou that syttest in thys iudycyall place Sytte vp ryght holde thyne handes from mede Thyne erys from prayer fauoure from the chace Let lawe be thy gyde kepe iustyce in thy rede Thy faders skynne whych doth thy chayer sprede Haue in thy mynde fall not to lyke offence Leste for thy faute thou make lyke recompence AS I haue before shewed this acte was put in execucyon y e xi C. yere and odde before the commynge of Cryste And syns the sayd coÌ„mynge or incarnacyon haue expyred .xv. hundred yeres more which all maketh ouer two thousande .vi. hundred yeres In all whyche tyme I haue nat radde in any cronycle of thys lande nor other where that any iudge hath ben put to lyke sentence wherfore it is to presuppose that in the lawes bothe spyrytuall temporall all iudges haue wel borne these verses in mynde and exercysed them in mynystrynge of dewe iustyce as perfytely as theyr cusshons had ben fresshely lyned wyth the foresayde skinne empriÌ„ted so narowly these verses in the boke of theyr coÌ„science that they in all theyr iudgementes set asyde all parcyalyte and fauour and holde theyr handes from all medes and rewardes so that now it is thus wyth more or ellys thus it shulde be THE CXCVI. CHAPITER EDwarde the sonne of Edgare and of hys fyrste wyfe named Egelfleda beganne hys reygn ouer thys realme of Englande in the yere of our lorde .ix. hundred and .lxxvii and the .xii. yere of Lothayre than kynge of Fraunce ye shall vnderstand that after the deth of Edgare stryfe arose amonge the lordes for admyssyon of theyr kyng For Elfryda or Estrylde with Alphrede duke of Mercia made dyuers frendes to haue her sonne Egelredus promoted to that dygnite a chylde of .vii. yeres of age that she he myghte haue the rule of the land But holy Dunstane wyth ayde of other bysshoppes and of the erle of eest Englande or Essex wythstode so that doynge that he crowned thys Edwarde kynge at y e towne of Kyngestowne to the greuous dyspleasure of hys sayd moder Elfryda and other of her affynyte In the tyme of thys Edward appered stella cometa a blasing sterre wherafter ensued many inconuenyences as well to men as to bestes as sykenesse hunger moreyne other lyke myseryes But none of this fyll in the dayes of this Edwarde but after hys deth The forenamed Alpherus duke of Mercia whyche in all thynges fauoured mych the dedes of the quene put out y e monkes at wynchester that kyng Edgare as before is shewed had there set in brought in for theym wanton clerkes or as Ranulphe sayth clerkes wyth concubynes But Dunstane and the erle of Essex wythsayde that doyng and helde agayne the duke and suche as fauoured hys partye For the whych arose greate stryfe bytwene the prestes and the monkes of Englande For y e clerkes that were before tyme put out by Edgare sayd that it were a wretched and cursed dede that a newe comon company vnknowen shulde put out olde landysmen from theyr place nor it shulde not be pleasyng to god y t had graunted y e place to the olde woÌ„ner nor no good man ought to alowe
abbot and munkes of the same wherfore the kynge spedde hym thyther in all haste But for theyr sauergarde the munkes were compelled to fortyfye the chyrche and to defende them by force of armys so that betwene them and the Burgonions many an arbalaster and stone was shot cast And for the kynge myght not so hastly furnyshe hym of his soldyours he therfore sent vnto the erle of Neuers by whose meane as to the kyng was shewed this ryot began commaundynge hym that he shuld se this ryot appeased and that the chyrch of Uerdeley were restored of suche harmys as to theym was done by the inhabytauntes of the towne But of thys cōmaundement the erle set but lytle so that the burgeses perseuered in theyr erroure wherfore the abbot sente agayne to the kynge besechyng hym of his moste gracyouse ayde and socoure Then the kynge herynge of the erles dysobedyence was therwyth greatly dyspleasyd and suspected y e erle to be partye in the cause sped hym y e faster thetherwarde But when the erle was enfourmed of the kynges cōmynge he somdeale feryd and mette wyth the kynge at a place called Moret and there demeaned hym in suche wyse that the kyng forgaue his offense Then he promysed that the kynges pleasure shulde be fullfylled in all thynge as he hadde before cōmaunded wyth more as yt lyked hym to dyuyse Uppon whych promyse so made he commaunded that the Burgonyons shulde fyrste refrayne theym of that rebellyon agayn the chyrch and that they shuld newly be sworne to be obedient vnto the abbot and vnto hys successours as theyr p̄decessours had ben ouer that for the hurtes harmys y t they had done to the place at that season they shulde paye to the sayde abbot and couēt .lx. thousand sous A sous is in value after sterlyng money i. d. ob so that .lx. thousand sous amounteth in sterlyng money .iii. hundred lxxv pounde After whych ende thus made the kynge retourned into Fraunce It was not longe after that y e kyng receyued of quene Alys hys wyfe a sonne and named yt Phylyppe But for y e kyng Lewys had made many pylgrymages and vsed many ways of charyte in gyuynge of almes and otherwyse for to haue a sonne to be his heyre therfore he surnamed this chylde A dieu done a chyld gyuen of god Then thys Lewys for the intollerable dedes of the Iewes whiche in these dayes had great inhabytynge wyth in the lande of Fraūce vsed vsery sleynge of Crysten chyldren he ponyshed many by deth and many he banyshed his lande but yet many remayned Of this Lewys dedes is lytle more cronacled excepte when his son Philyppe was of the age of .xiii. yeres his fader caused hym to be crowned and resygned to hym all the rule of the lande and dyed the yere folowynge at Parys in the moneth of October in the yere of grace .xi. hūdred and .lxxix. By whyche reason he reygned to reken from his faders deth to his owne vppon .xliii. yeres and was rychely enterred by y e meane of his last wife at the monastery of Barbell the whyche he founded in hys yonge days After whose deth y e sayd quene Alys adorned his sepulture in the moste rychest maner wyth gold syluer and precyous gemmys vppon whose tombe was grauen these two versis folowyng as a counsayll left vnto his sonne Phylyppe 〈◊〉 superos tu qui super es successor honoris Degener es si degeneris a laude prioris whyche versys are to be vnderstanden as after foloweth Nowe take good hede thou that doest ouer lyue Hym that in honoure and vertue dyd excelle Se thou alter not nor thy selfe depryue But folowe hym which was of honoure the well For yf thou do not men shall of the tell Thou arte degenerate and growen out of kynde Thy progenytours laude hauynge nothynge in mynde Anglia THE CCXXXVI CHAPITER HEnry the second of that named sonne of Geffrey Plātagenet erle of Angeou and of Molde y e empresse doughter of Henry y e first began hys reygn ouer the realme of England in the moneth of October the yere of our lorde god .xi. hundred and .lv and. y e xix yere of Lewys the viii then kynge of Fraunce Thys Henry was somdeale redde of face brode of breste shorte of body therwyth fatte the whych to aswage he toke the lesse of metes and drynkes and exercysed myche huntynge He was resonable of speche and well lettered orped and also noble in knyghthode wyse in counsayll and dred to myche distenyes He was also free and lyberall to straūgers and harde and holdynge from hys famylyers seruauntes And whome he loued enterely or hated harde it was to turne hym to the contrary He was slowe of answere vnstedfaste of promyse gylefull of dede open spouse breker hamour of holy chyrch and alwayes vnkynde to god He also loued reste and peace to the ende he myghte the more folowe hys delectacyon pleasure wyth mo vyces rehersed by Gyralde the whyche for length I passe ouer This Henry yet as wytnessyth Ranulfe was not all bareyn of vertues For he was of so gret courageousnes that he wolde often say that all the world suffysyth not to a coragyous harte And he encreasyd hys herytage so myghtyly that he wanne Irlande by strength and toke wyllyam kynge of Scottes and ioyned that kyngdome to his owne From the suthe Occean to the north ylandes of Orkeys he closed all the landes as yt were vnder one pryncypate and spradde so largely hys empyre that men rede not of none of hys progenytours that hadde so many prouynces and countreys vnder theyr domynyon and rule For besyde the realme of Englande he hadde in hys rule Normandy Gascoyn and Guyan Angeou and Chynon And he made subiecte to hym Aluerne and other landes And by hys wyfe he obteyned as her ryghte the mountes and hyllys of Spayne called montes Pyrany Of the whyche wyfe Elynoure by name deuorced as before ys sayde from the viii Lewys kynge of Fraunce he receyued .vi. sonnes and thre doughters Of the sonnes fyue were named wyllyam Henry Rycharde Godfrey and Iohn̄ The eldeste of the maydens hight Molde or Maude and was maryed to the duke of Saxon the seconde Elyanoure to the kynge of Spayne and the thyrd named Iane to wyllyam kynge of Scycyle Thys Henry was prosperouse in hys begynnynge and vnfortunate in hys ende and specyally in the last fyue yeres of hys reygne For in the fyrst of those fyue yeres his strength beganne to mynyshe the seconde yere he loste a vyage in Irlande the thyrde he loste Aluerne agayne the kynge of Fraunce the fourth yere he loste Butyrycan and the fyfte yere he loste the cytye of Cenomenea and Turon wyth many holdes to theym belongynge Thys Henry the seconde ascertayned of the deth of Stephan spedde hym into Englande and was crowned the sondaye before Crystemasse daye of Theobalde archbyshoppe of Caunterbury in westmynster chyrch
to the value of a M. marke sterlynge Upon a tuysdaye beyng the fyrste day of Iuly was foughten a batayll at Parys betwene two knyghtes wherof the appellaunte was named syr Foukes Dorciat and the defendauÌ„t syr Maugot Mawbert whych appellauÌ„t was sore vexed with a feuer quarteyne by reason wherof and of the great hete that y e day appered after longe fyght the sayd appellauÌ„t lyght from hys horse for hys refresshemeÌ„t wherfore hys frendes of hym were in great doute But his enemye was also so sore trauayled y t what for hete laboure he was also ouercome was lykely to haue fallen froÌ„ hys horse and or he myght be taken downe he swowned dyed whan syr Fowkes was ware of y e feblenesse of hys enemye anon as he might he dressed hym on fote toward hys aduersary fande hym starke dede whyche by lyceÌ„ce of the kynge was after had out of the feelde and secretlo buryed the sayde syr Fowkes for feblenesse was by hys freÌ„des ladde vnto hys lodgyng In the .xii. yere of kynge IohnÌ„ xxi day of Nouembre Phylyp duke of Burgoyn erle of Artoys of Aluerne and of Boloyngn a chylde of the age of .xiiii. yeres or lesse dyed at a town nere vnto Rome called GuyoÌ„ By reason of whose deth kyng IohnÌ„ as nexte heyre had after possession of al the sayd laÌ„des toke possioÌ„ therof shortly after In the .xiiii. yere of the reygne of kyng IohnÌ„ thyrd day of Ianuary he for specyall causes hym mouyng as for the enlargyng of his sonne the duke of Orleaunce other yet pledges for hys rauÌ„some toke shyppyng at Boloyne so sayled into EnglaÌ„d and arryued at Douer the .vi day of the sayde moneth and after yode to Eltham and from theÌ„s was coÌ„ueyed vnto LoÌ„don as before is shewed in the .xxxvii. yere of kyng Edward In tyme of whose there beyng syr BarthraÌ„ de Glaycon made warre vpoÌ„ the kynge of Nauerne wan from hym the towne of Maunt in Normandy And by the duke of NormaÌ„dy soone after was wonne from the sayd kyng the towne of MeÌ„leÌ„ce within y e which were taken dyuers Parysyens that shortly after for theyr infidelite were put in execucioÌ„ at Parys And thus the warre betwene the kynges of FrauÌ„ce Nauerne was newly begoÌ„ Than kynge IohnÌ„ beyng as before is sayde in Englande a greuous malady toke hym in the begynnynge of Marche of the whyche he dyed at London vpoÌ„ the .viii. daye of Apryll folowynge so wyth great honoure and solempnyte coÌ„ueyed to the sees syde and there shypped thaÌ„ in processe caryed into Fraunce where vpon the .vii. day of May and yere of our lorde god M.CCC.lxiiii he was solempnely enterred in the monastery of saynt Denys whaÌ„ he had reygned .xiii. yeres .vii. monethes and odde dayes leuynge after hym thre sonnes that is to say Charles whych was kyng after hym Lewys and Phylyp CArolus or Charles y e .vi. of that name or .v. after som writers y e eldest sonne of kyng IohnÌ„ beganne hys reygne ouer the realme of FrauÌ„ce the .ix. day of Apryll in the begynnynge of the yere of our lorde god M.CCC.lxiiii and the .xxviii. yere of Edwarde the the .iii. than kynge of Englande and was crowned with dame Iane hys wyfe at Raynes the .xix. day of May folowynge In thys fyrste yere syr Barthran de Glaycon lyeutenaunt of the sayde Charles in NormaÌ„dy fought with a capytayne of the kynge of Nauerne named le Captall de Bueffe nere vnto a place called Cocherell nere vnto the crosse of saynte Lyeffroy in whiche fyght the sayd Captall was scomfited and great noumbre of his people taken and slayne hym selfe chased taken for whome the frenche kynge gaue after vnto the sayde syr BarthraÌ„ the Erledam of Longeuyle And whaÌ„ he had receyued him he sent him vnto a stroÌ„ge pryson called the Merchy in Meaux At Myghelmas folowynge the duke of Brytayne syr Charlys de Bloyes and syr IohnÌ„ de MouÌ„tfort sonne and heyre to the fore named sir IohnÌ„ Mountforde before dede whiche by a longe season bothe father the sonne had holden warre with the sayd syr Charles met in playne batayle in y â— which as before is shewed in the .xxxviii. yere of king Edwarde the sayde syr Charles was slayne dyuers noble men of Fraunce with him In the moneth of Iuny and seconde yere of this Charlys an other accorde was yet concluded atwene this Charles and the kynge of Nauerne By reason of whiche accorde the Captall of Bueffe was clerely delyuered and Maunt and Menlene agayne also to the kynge restored And ouer that to the kynge of Nauerne was geuyn for a recompensement the Erledome of Longeuyle whiche as aboue is sayd the frenche kyng had gyuen vnto syr Barthran de Glaycon for to haue the Captall to his prisoner And also to the sayde kynge of Nauerne was gyuen the lordshyppe of Mountpyller And in the moneth of February began the warre in Spayne where prince Edwarde ayded Peter kyng of y e lande as before is shewed iÌ„ the .xl. and .xlii. yeres of kynge Edwarde In the .iiii. yere the peace atwene the kynges of Englande of FrauÌ„ce began to breke by meanes of the erle of Armenake other as in the .xlii. yere of kynge Edwarde is before shewed And in the moneth of Decembre and the sayd yere the quene was lyghted of a man Chylde in the Hostell of saynt Paule the whiche was after christened with excedynge solempnyte ouer other before passed in the churche of saint Paule in Parys the .vi. day of Decembre of the cardinal of Parys To whome were godfathers the erles of Mountmerency and of Dampmartyn godmother Iane quene of Euroux and bare the name of Charlys after the erle of Mountmerency In the .v. yere of this Charlys he called his counsell of parlyament at Parys Durynge the whiche the appellacyons of the erle of armenake and other purposed ageyne prynce Edwarde were publysshed and radde the answeres of the said prince vpon the sayd appellacyons made whiche I ouerpasse for length of the mater But the conclusyon was that the prince had broken the peas and couenauntes of the same as they there demyd wherfore all suche townes holdes as the frenche kyng had gotten he shulde them retayne make warre vpon the kynge of Englande for the recouery of the other where vpon kynge Charles in the moneth of Iuly folowyng rode vnto Roan and there rygged his nauye entendynge as sayth the frenche historye to haue made warre vpon EnglaÌ„d and to haue sent thyther his yongest brother Philippe than duke of Burgoyne with a stronge armye But whyle he was there besyed about his purpose the duke of Lancastre arryued with a strong power at Caleys and so passed to Tyrwyn so vnto Ayr. wherfore kynge Charlys then chaunged his purpose and sent his sayde brother into those ê‘ties Then by that season that y e sayd duke was prepared with hys people the englysshemen were
waters whyche they myghte sonest attayne â—nto and so wyth greate dyffyculte saued theym selfe In meane tyme whereof the chauÌ„ber beynge wyth the same tyred grewe in so greate a flame that in shorte whyle the more parte of that lodgynge was consumed to y e great fere of y e kynge and other astates thaÌ„ there beynge presente and augmentynge agayne of his former sykenes so that certayne appoyntementes to be holdeÌ„ betwene hym and Rychard kynge of Englande were for that tyme put of IN the .xvi. yere of thys Charles the maryage of peace betwene bothe realmes was concluded and fynysshed at Calays as before I haue shewed to you in the .xix. yere of kyng Rycharde And that triumphe fynysshed Charles at the coÌ„templacyon and prayer of the kynge of Hungry sent vnto hym Phylyp erle of Arroys wyth dyuers other knyghtes in good noumber to ayde y e sayd kynge agayne the Turkys The whyche after that they hadde there a season warred the capytaynes the more party of the Frenchemen of the Turkys were dystressed slayne many taken prisoners to theyr great charge Thys Charles thus contynuyng hys lykenesse two freres of saynte Augustynes order beynge desyrous of money toke vppon theym to cure the kyng And after they had shauen hys hede and mynistred to hym medicyns the kynge dayly febled in suche wyse y t he was nye dede For whiche coÌ„syderacyon they examyned by phylosophers and doctours of physyke founden vncunnynge were degraded of theyr presthode after behedded To thys folye were these fretes broughte by the excytynge of the duke of Burgoyne as the common fame went In the .xix. yere of thys Charles the lande of Fraunce was greuously vexed wyth the plage of ipydymye of whyche sykenesse a greate multytude of people dyed And that yere was there also sene a blasynge starre of wonderfull bygnes wyth stremes apperynge to meÌ„nes syghte of moste feruent brennynge In thys yere also Charles herynge of y e subduyng of kynge Rycharde sente into Englande two of hys housholde knyghtes requyrynge kynge Henry the fourth than newelye made kynge to sende home hys doughter Isabell latelye maryed vnto kyng Rychard wyth suche do war as wyth hyr was promysed In doynge of whyche message kynge Henry toke such dyspleasure that as sayeth Gagwinus myne auctour he threwe the sayde twoo knightes in prysone where through one of theym named Blanchet dyed in Englande and that other called Henry after greate sykenesse retourned into Fraunce And shortely after kynge Henry sente the sayde dame Isabell vnto Calays where she was ioyously receyued of the Frenchemen and so conueyed vnto hyr sayde father whyche as yet was nat of hys sykenesse cured By reason whereof among the lordes of FrauÌ„ce eueryche of them coueytyng to haue rule great dyssencion malyce begaÌ„ to kendle and specyallye betwene the dukes of Orleaunce of Burgoyne and of Berry Than the duke of Orleaunce enteÌ„dyng to promote hys cause vnknowyng the other lordes allyed hym wyth y e duke of Geldre streÌ„ghthed hym wyth .v. C. men of hys so entred the feeldes of Parys And in lyke maner y e duke of Burgoyne wyth a stronge coÌ„pany kept an other cooste of y e countrey Natwythstandyng by meanes of other lordes these two dukes were kept a sunder at lenghte y t duke of Orleyaunce by the kynges comaundement that somewhat was than amended was ordayned regente of the realme The whiche anone as he was sette in auctoryte fell to all rauyne and oppressed the people with cotydyan taskes and tallages and y e spirituall men with dymes other exaccyons wherfore by reason of the studyentes of Parys he was at lengthe discharged of that dignyte and the duke of Burgoyne for hym put in auctoryte Than the duke of Orleyaunce beynge discontented yode vnto LuceÌ„bourgth a towne in highe Almayne sought agayne ayde of the duke of Geldre foresayd But by his frendes he was so aduertysed y t with his owne folkes he returned into Fraunce But yet the malyce and stryfe a twene hym and the duke of Burgoyne seased nat About this season or soone after dyed the duke of Brytayne And as affermeth the auctour afore named kyng Henry y e .iiii. maryed his wyfe wherof hering y e duke of Burgoyne with a company of .vi. M. knyghtes entred Brytayne there by strength toke from her her .iii. sonnes named IohnÌ„ Richard Arthure presented them vnto kynge Charles In y e xxii yere of this Charles was borne of Isabell hys wyfe a man chylde which also was named Charles the which after the deth of his father vnto y e great aduersyte of all the realme of FrauÌ„ce was king of that realme contrary the appointment taken a twene Henry the .v. after kynge of Englande and thys Charles the father nowe of Fraunce kynge as after shall more appere in the story of the sayde kynge Henry the fyfte In this yere also was dame Isabell somtyme wyfe of Rycharde latelye kynge of Englande maryed vnto Charles eldeste sonne of the duke of Orleyaunce And IohnÌ„ the eldyste of the .iii. forenamed sonnes of the duke of Brytayne lately dede toke to wyfe Margarete y e doughter of kynge Charles And Phylyppe duke of Burgoyne dyed soone after leauynge an heyre after hym named IohnÌ„ The whyche after he was gyrde with the swerde of the duchye of Burgoyne he anone by euyll entysynge and counsell areryd warre agayne the duke of Orleyaunce to the great dysturbaunce of all the realme For the sayde duke of Orleyaunce was a prynce of a wonderfull hyghe courage and desyrous of great honoure and after the sayenge of Gagwynus coueyted to be kynge of Fraunce The whyche went to Auyngnyon where as than sate the .xiii. Benet thaÌ„ pope duryng the scisme and admytted by some of the Cardynalles after the dethe of Clement y e .vi. To whiche Benet the said duke made great labour to depryue the Uniuersite of Parys from y e great auctoryte y t it at those dayes stode in whiche was of merueylous auctoryte than as sayeth the forenamed auctour In thys whyle thus endurynge the lande full of myseryes aduersites the quene which y t moche fauoured the dukes partie accompanyed with the sayd duke rode to take her dysporte of huntynge in to the countrey of Meldon To whiche place she sente letters vnto the Dolphyn by y e duke of Bauary her brother that he with hys wyfe whiche was doughter vnto the duke of Burgoyne shulde come for to dysporte theym whereof IohnÌ„ thanne duke of Burgoyne beynge warned suspected the quene that she wyth ayde of the duke wolde conueye the Dolphyn into Germanye and there to holde hym at theyr pleasures And to eâ—peche that purpose he iÌ„ all haâ—e sped him towarde y e Dolphyn and contrary the mynde of the duke of Bauarye whiche than was vpon his waye with the sayd Doulphyne towarde the quene retourned hym and lodged him in a stronge castell called Lupar whereof herynge the duke
nor to any of his counsayll beynge louers of y e coÌ„mon weale and of hym and of his lande but his enteÌ„t purpose was to remoue from hym a fewe euyll disposed persones by whose meanes y e coÌ„mon people was greuously opressed and the comynaltye greatly enpouerysshed Of y â— whiche he named for principall the duke of Somerset Of whome it was fynally agreed by the kyng â–ª that he shulde be coÌ„mytted to warde there to abyde answere vnto suche artycles as the duke of yorke wolde lay agayne hym Upon whych promesse so made by the kyng the fyrst day of Marche beyng thursdaye the duke brake vp hys felde so came vnto y e kynges tente where coÌ„trary the former promyse made he faÌ„de the duke of Somerset as chefe awayter next vnto the kyng And thaÌ„ was y e duke of yorke sence before to LondoÌ„ was holden somedeale in maner as prisoner more streyghter shuld haue ben kepte ne had ben tydynges whych dayely spraÌ„ge that syr Edwarde hys sonne thaÌ„ erle of y e March was commyng toward London wyth a stronge power of welche men March meÌ„ whych fered so the quene and hyr counsayl that y e duke was lyberted to go where he wolde And so after he departed vnto hys owne countrey and peace was dyssymuled wyth feyned loue for a whyle Ann odnÌ„i M.iiii C.lii  Anno dnÌ„i M.iiii C.liii.  Rychard Lee.  Godfrey Feyldynge  Anno .xxxi.  Rychard Alley  IN thys .xxxi. yere y e kynge helde a solempne feest at westmyster vpon the .xii. day of Cristmas where he created .ii. erles the whyche were hys bretherne vpoÌ„ the mothers syde quene Katheryne that after the deth of kynge Henry the .v. was maryed vnto a knyghte of walys named Dwayne the whych begate vpoÌ„ hyr these forsayd .ii. sonnes wherof that one thys sayd daye was created erle of RychemouÌ„t which was named sir Edmonde the yoÌ„ger called syr Iasper was creat the erle Penbroke The whych lastly was created duke of Bedforde by our souerayne lorde kyng HeÌ„ry the .vii. so dyed And in Marche folowyng as witnesseth Gaguyne was the towne of Herfâ—ewe wonne by the FreÌ„chmen And soone after the cytye of Bayons was gyueÌ„ vp by appoyntment so that the souldyours shuld leue theyr armoure behynde them And for euery woman there beyng was grauÌ„ted an horse to ryde vpon to euery horse maÌ„ .x. scutes to pay for theyr costes to euery fote man .v. wythout more by theym to be taken And thys yere the kynge laye longe syke at Claryngdowne was in great ieopardye of hys lyfe And in y e ende of thys mayres yere begynnynge of the .xxxii. yere of the kyng that is to meane vpon the day of traÌ„slacyon of saynt Edwarde or y e xiii day of Octobre y e quene at westmynster was delyuered of a fayre prynce For the whyche greate reioysyng and gladnesse was made in sundry places of Englande and specyallye wythin the cyâ—ye of London where of the expressemente of the cyrcumstaunce wolde are longe leysoure to vtter Thys prynce beynge wyth all honour and reuerence sacred and crystened was named Edwarde and grew after to perfight and good lye personage and lastly of Edward the fourthe was slayne at Tewkysburye feelde as after to you shall be shewed whose noble mother susteyned nat a lytle dysclaunder obloquy of the coÌ„mon peple sayeng that he was nat the naturall sonne of kynge Henry but chaunged in the cradell to hyr greate dyshonour heuynesse which I ouer passe Thys yere also whyche was the yere of grace M.iiii C.liii. Mahumet thaÌ„ prynce of Turkes in the moneth of Iuny and .iiii. daye of the sayde moneth beynge the thyrde yere of hys empyre or reygne after .l. dayes of coÌ„tynuall assaute by his innumerable multytude of Turkes to the cytye of ConstaÌ„tyne the noble with excedyng force and crueltye made and excercysed wan and opteyned the domynyoÌ„ and rule of the same to the greate hynderauÌ„ce and shame of all crystendome and enhauÌ„cynge of the power and myghte of the sayd Turkes Of the excedynge noumber of men women and chyldren that in that cytye at that daye were slayne I wyll not speke of for the great dyuersyte that I haue seen of wryters Amonge the whyche the emperour named Paleogolus with many other nobles of the cytye beynge taken on lyue were thaÌ„ behedyd and many a preste and relygyous man put vnto deth by sundry cruell turmentes After whych great crueltye wyth many other longe to reherce put in execucyon a commauÌ„dement passed from the sayde emperoure of Turkes that all chyldren beynge aboue the age of .vi. yeres as well men as women kynde shulde be streyght put vnto deth the whyche after some wryters excedyd the nomber of .iiii. M. Here for tydeousnesse and lamentable processe whyche I myghte shewe in the rehersall of the abomynacyon of the moste dampnable and accursyd Turkys by theÌ„ done vnto the crucyfyxe and other images of the chyrches and temples wythin the cytye I cease For paynefull it were to rede more paynefull and sorowfull to here that the fayth of Chryst shulde in so vyle maner be dyspysed Anno dnÌ„i M.iiii C.liii.  Anno dnÌ„i M.iiii C.liiii Draper IohnÌ„ walden  IohnÌ„ Norman  Anno .xxxii.  Thomas Cooke  IN thys .xxxii. yere IohnÌ„ Norman foresayd vpoÌ„ the morowe of Symonde and Iudys day the accustomyd day whan the newe mayre vsyd yerely to tyde wyth greate poÌ„pe vnto westminster to take his charge this mayre fyrste of all mayres brake that auncyent and olde coÌ„tynued custome and was rowed thyther by water for the whiche y e watermen made of hym a roundell or songe to hys great prayse y t whiche began Rowe y e bote Norman rowe to thy lemmaÌ„ and so forth wyth a longe processe ye haue in your remeÌ„braunce how I before in the .xxx. yere of thys kyng shewed to you of the apoyntement taken bytwene the sayd kyng y e duke of yorke at Brent heth which apoyntement as before is sayde was soone broken and set at nought By reason wherof greate enuye and dyscencyon grewe bytwene y e kynge and dyuers of hys lordes and most specyally bytwene the quenes counseyll and the duke of yorke and hys blode For all contrary y e kynges promyse by meanes of the quene whiche than bare y e cure and charge of the land the duke of Somerset was sette at large and made capytayne of Caleys and had as greate rule about the kynge as he before dayes hadde wherwyth not onely some of the nobles of the land grudgyd but also the comons whyche by hys counsayll and other than rulers as the fame went susteyned many greuous imposycyons charges Thys fyre rancour and enuye by y e space of .xvii. or .xviii. monethes smokynge and brennynge vnder couert dyssymulacyon now at this day brake out in greate and hote flamys of open warre and wrath in so mych that the duke
some wryters Siluius the brother of Gurgustius as affermeth the foresayde olde cronycle was made chyef ruler of Brytayne in the yere of the worlde .iiii. thousande .v. hundred and .xxi. This in y e englyshe boke is named Seyzill Of the whych is no mencyon made nother of his reygne nor dedes excepte that Geffrey of Monmouth wryter of y e hystoryes of Brytons sayth that he reygned two yeres whyche sayenge is not accordaunte wyth other wryters But more to the coÌ„uenyency of tyme and agrement of other cronyclers accordyng to the sayeng of the forenamed old authour he reygned by y e terme of .xlix. yeres and after dyed was buryed at Caerbadon or Bathe and lefte after hym none heyre of his bodye begotten THE XXII CHAPITER IAgo or Lago y e cosyne of Gurgustius as wytnesseth Gaufryde as nexte inherytoure was made gouernour of Britayne in the yere of the worlde .iiii. thousande .v. hundred .lxx. This also ys vnmynded of wryters other for restfulnesse of tyme or ellys for rudenesse of his dedes that clerkes lyste not to speÌ„de any tyme in wrytynge of such dedes Of hym is nothynge specyfyed sauynge the forenamed olde authoure ioyneth to his tyme of reygne .xxv. yeres and also he sayth he dyed wythoute issue and was buryed by hys cosyn at Caerbrank or yorke THE XXIII CHAPITER BInimacus the sonne of Sisilliê° as some wryters haue but more verytably as sayth the olde cronycle y e brother of Lago was made ruler of Brytayne in the yere of the world .iiii. thousand .iiii. huÌ„dred .lxxx and xv the whyche as his brother before hym passed his tyme without any notable actes or dedes so that of hym is no more memorye made theÌ„ of his brother For the more party they that wrote the faytes dedes of Brytons make but a shorte rehersayll of these .v. kynges y t is to saye from Ryuallo to Gorbodug sayeng that after Ryuallo succedyd Gurgustius after hym succedyd Lago to Lago succedyd Kinimacus after Kinimacus succeded Gorbodug Of these .v. kynges or rulers is made lytell other mencyon Thenne yt foloweth in the sayd olde cronicle that when this Kinimacus had reygned liiii yeres he dyed and was buryed by his brother at CaerbraÌ„k or york leuynge after hym a sonne as testyfyeth Flos historiaruÌ„ whych sonne was named Gorbodug THE XXIIII CHAPITER GOrbodug the sonne of Kinimacê° was made ruler of Brytayne in the yere of the worlde folowynge the foresayde accompt .iiii. thousande .v. hundred and .xlix. whych all so passed his tyme lyke vnto the forenamed dukes or kynges wythout any specyall memory of honour noted by writers This by most lykelyhode to brynge historyes to accorde shulde reygne ouer the Brytons the terme of .lxiii. yeres whych terme endyd he dyed and lyeth buryed at new Troy or LoÌ„don leuyng after hym two sonnes named Ferrex and Porrex or after some wryters Ferreus and Porreus THE XXV CHAPITER FErrex wyth Porrex hys brother sonnes of Gorbodug were ioyntly made gouernours and dukes of Britayne in the yere of the worlde foure thousande .vii. hundred and .xi and contynued in amytye a certayne tyme. After whyche tyme expyred as witnessyth Policronica and also Gaufride Porrex beynge couetouse of lordeshyp gaderyd his peple vnwetynge Ferrex his brother entendynge to destroy hym wherof he beynge warned for lacke of space to assemble his people for sauegard of his persone fled sodeynly into Gallia or FrauÌ„ce and axyd ayd of a duke of Gallia named by Gaufryde Gunhardus or Suardus the the whych duke hym ayded and sent hym agayne into Brytayne with his hoste of Gallis After whose laÌ„dynge his brother Porrex with his BrytoÌ„s hym mete and gaue to hym batayll in the whyche batayll Ferrex was slayne with y e more part of his peple But here dyscordeth myn authour wyth some other wryters and wyth the cronycle of Englande for they testyfye that Porrex was slayne and Ferrex suruyuyd But whether of them was lyuyng the moder of these two brethern named widen settynge a parte all moderly pytye with help of her women entred the chambre of hym so lyuynge by nyght and hym there slepynge slew cruelly and cut into small peces And thus dyed the two foresayde bretherne after they had thus ruled Brytayne in warre and peace to the agrement of moste wryters .v. yeres THE XXVI CHAPITER HEre now endeth the lyne or of sprynge of Brute after the affermaunce of moste wryters For Gaufride saith after the deth of these forenamed bretherne great discorde arose amonge the Brytons y â— which longe tyme among them continued by meane wherof the people and couÌ„tre was sore vexed and noyed vnder v. kynges And further saith Guydo de Columna that the Brytons abhorred the lynage of Gorbodug for so myche as fyrste that one brother slew that other and more for the innaturall dysposycyon of the morder that so cruelly slew her owne chylde The cronycle of Englande sayth that after the deth of the two forenamed bretherne no ryghtfull enherytour was lefte on lyue wherfore the the people were brought in great discorde in so myche that the land was deuydyd in foure partyes So that in Albania was one ruler in Loegria or Logiers one other ruler in Cambria the thyrde duke or ruler in Cornewayle the .iiii. duke or ruler But of these .iiii. dukes the english cronicle alloweth ClotonÌ„ duke of Cornewayll for moste ryghtefull heyre Policronyca sayth that after y e deth of the foresayde two bretherne great dyscorde was in the lande whyche greuyd the people sore vnder .v. kynges But he nother reheseth the names nor the tymes of theyr regnes excepte he addeth to that the sayde dyscorde contynued tyll the tyme of Moliuncius Dumuallo So y t here appereth no tyme certayn how loÌ„ge this varyaunce and dyscorde amoÌ„g the Brytons contynued But who so lyst to loke vpon a draught made by me in english in y e beginnyng of this boke he shall se there yf he please to caste ouer the tymes and yeres there expressed that this forsayde discorde contynued nere to the terme of .li. yeres In whyche draught or conceyte yf any man here fynde erroure of his goodnes lette hym amende correcte yt and all other places where he shall by good profe fynde place of correccyon THE XXVII CHAPITER THus here endyth y e fyrst parte of this worke conteynynge or dyuyded in .vii. partes as before is shewed And in a waye of a thank to be gyuen to our moste blessyd aduocate helper of all wretches that to her lyste to call I meane y e moste blessyd vyrgyne our lady saynt Mary moder of Cryste for y t her grace hath fortheryd this worke hytherto and for to impetrate of her the grace and ayde of her moste mercyfull contynuauÌ„ce to accomplysh this worke begonne as before is shewed vnder supporte of her most bouÌ„teous grace here wyll I wyth humble mynde salute her wyth the fyrste ioye of y e .vii. ioyes whych begynneth Gaude flore virginali c.
of Romaynes as wytnessyth Policronica coÌ„queryd and wanne agayne the sayde trybute wythout great fyght And y t done he also subdued the yles of Orchades or Orkeys whych stande beyonde ScotlaÌ„d within the great Occean and after tourned agayne to Rome the .vi. moneth after that he came thens The cronycle of Englande and also Gaufryde saye that in the hoste of the Romaynes was a captayne named Hame or Hamo the whych entendynge hurte and destruccyon of y e Brytons chaunged his shelde or armure dyd vppon hym the armure of a Britayne And by that meane as a Briton mysclad he entred into the thyckest of the hoste and lastely vnto the place where as kynge Guyderius faught shortly after slewe the kynge But Aruiragus seynge this sodayne myschyefe to the ende y t the Brytons shulde not gyue backe he hastely causyd hym selfe to be armed wyth the cognysaunce of the kynge And so for kyng coÌ„tynued the fyght wyth such maÌ„hode that the Romaynes were put to flyght Thus by accorde of wryters Guyderius was slayne of the foresayde Hamo when he hadde reygned ouer the Brytons by the concordaunce of other hystoryes .xxviii. yeres leuyng after hym none heyre of his body to guyde the lande after his deth THE LV. CHAPITER ARuiragus the yongest sonne of Kymbelyne and brother to Guyderius before slayn was ordeyned kyng of Brytons in the yere of our lorde .xliiii. This in the englyshe boke is named Armager the whyche as there is shewed well and knyghtly maynteyned the warre agayne the Romayns and after slew the forenamed Hamo nere vnto an hauen or porte of the see And hym so slayne threwe gobet meale into the same see And for this skyll was this haueÌ„ longe tyme after called HamoÌ„s hauen whych at this daye is called Southampton Then yt foloweth in the .viii. chapyter of the .iiii. boke of Policronicon that Claudius after dyuers happes of batayll toke Aruiragê° to his grace brought his doughter Gennissa by name from Rome and maried her vnto Aruiragus And for he wolde make the place of y e maryage more solemne he therfore called the towne of mariage Claudiocestria after his name the whych before was called in bretyshe tunge Caerleon after Glouernia after a duke of Demecia that hyght Glorio but nowe this towne is named Glouceter All otherwyse telleth the englyshe cronycle sayth that Armager scomfyted Claudius and compelled hym to gyue his doughter GeÌ„nissa or GeÌ„nen to the sayde Armager to wyfe wyth condycyon that the Romayns shulde neuer after that daye clayme any trybute of Brytayne excepte alonely feawte whyche sayenge appereth doutefull for dyuers causes wherof one is that the sayde Armager shulde not constrayne Claudius to gyue his doughter to hym for so myche as the sayde Armager hadde neuer seen the sayde Gennen before tyme nor knewe not of her coÌ„uersacyon Then meruayle yt were that he shulde force her father to gyue hym a wyfe that he hadde cast no loue vnto before tyme. One other reason is that the sayde cronycle testyfyeth that after he hadde maryed the sayd Gennen he was at London crowned kynge of Englande For I wold thinke if he had ouercomeÌ„ Claudius as there is surmytted he wold fyrste haue crowned hym selfe kyng and then haue maried his doughter But by the same reason yt certifyeth more strenger the former sayenge of Policronica For by all lykelyhode Claudius wold not suffer hym to be crowned kyng tyll he hadde full perfourmed his promyse in maryage of his doughter And all be yt that myne authoure Gaufryde varyeth not myche from the englyshe cronicle I thynke in y e doynge he toke example of Homerê° that wrote the dedis and actes of the Grekes the whyche shewed and put in memory all the noble actes by theÌ„ done and specyally in the recuyll or boke made by hym of the syege of Troye But the other dedys concernynge theyr dyshonoure he hyd yt as mych as he myght And in lyke maner do many other writers which I passe ouer And so Gaufride for he was a Bryton he shewed the beste for Brytons Then yt foloweth after the solemnysacyon of this maryage whyche was with all honour finyshed Claudius sente certayne legyons of his knyghtes into Irlande to rule that countre and retourned hym selfe to Rome THE LVI CHAPITER IT was not longe after the departynge of Claudius but y t Aruiragus rode aboute his realme and wyth great dylygence repayred cytyes and townes before decayed broken wyth the strength of the Romaynes and entreated his subiectes wyth suche iustyce and good order that they loued and drad hym more then any of his progenitours This in tracte of tyme made hym welthy And by meane of this welthynes ensued pryde so y t hym thought great shame to be vnder the rule or guydynge of y e Romayns wherfore lastly he denyed the tribute before grauÌ„ted wherof when knowlege came vnto y e senate of Rome in all hast was sent a duke of Rome called Uespasyan wyth a certayne of legyons to subdue Aruiragus ye shall vnderstand that a legyon of knyghtes is .vi. thousande .vi. hundred .lxvi. when Uespasyan was landed in Brytayne as testyfyeth Polycronica he spedde hym so that in shorte whyle he subdued Aruiragus to the empyre and causyd hym to graunte payment of the foresayde trybute which was done as sayth Gaufride by entreatye of the quene Gennissa and of no constraynt nor coaccyon when Uespasyan hadde thus recoueryd the trybute he then also made subiecte to the empyre an I le in the see lyenge vpon the southsyde of Britayne now called the yle of weyght and after retourned to Rome when Aruiragus was thus secondely brought vnder the yocke of y e Romayns he became more mylde towarde them so that whyle he lyued after he payed hys trybute wyth lesse grudge and contynued hym in theyr fauours in suche wyse that he was of theym well beloued And so lastely dyed when he hadde ruled the BrytoÌ„s well and nobly by the terme of .xxx. yeres and was buryed at CaerglonÌ„ CaerleonÌ„ Claudiocestria or Glouceter leuynge after hym a sonne named Marius ⸫ THE LVII CHAPITER MArius the sonne of Aruiragê° was ordeyned kynge of Brytons in the yere of our lorde .lxxiiii. This in the cronycle of Englande is named westmer whych Marius as wytnessyth Gaufryde was an excellent wyse man and guyded his Brytons moste honourably and in grete prosperyte and welthe In the tyme of the reygne of this Mariê° a duke or kynge of a nacyon called Pyctes whych as wytnessyth Uirgilius are descendyd of a people called of olde tymes Scythis They also are named Gothis or Hunys This foresayde leder of Pictes is named of Gaufryde Londricus the which landed wyth a great nauy in the prouynce of Albania now called Scotlande and yt beganne to waste with iron and wyth fyre wherof wheÌ„ Marius was warned he in all haste assembled his knyghtes and made towarde his enymyes and gaue vnto them stronge batayll In the whych
vnto a dragoÌ„ vnder a sterre apperynge in the firmament wherof there is made a long processe and by Gaufryde in his Brytyshe boke also affermed the whych to me semeth of lytell credeÌ„ce But trought it is that after Uter was as before is sayde made kynge he was enamowryd vppon the dukes wyfe of Cornewayll named Igwarne or Igorne for to optayn his vnlefull lust sought many dyuers meanes So y e lastly he made warre vpoÌ„ her husbaÌ„de named Garolê° or Gorleis at leÌ„gth slew y e sayde duke at his castell called Tyntagell standynge in Cornewayle after maryed his wyfe and receyued of her the noble knyght Arthur and a doughter named Amye as sayth the englyshe cronycle More is not lefte of any wryter of authoryte in remembraunce of thys Uter all be it that some testifye that he by the helpe of Merlyne shulde fetche Coria gigantum otherwyse called the stone henge out of IrlaÌ„d as before I haue shewed in the story of Aurelius And of Gaufryde ys shewed that Uter also shulde wynne the forsayde ladye by the enchauntement of Merlyn whych is not comely to any chrysten relygyon to gyue to any suche fantastycall illusyons any mynde or credence wherfore I passe ouer leuynge all the other mater whych also ys there rehersyd of the warre betwene Uter and Osca sonne of Hengyste for so mych as it is dyscordaunt vnto other wryters and fynally conclude that thys Uter Pendragon dyed by force of venym when he hadde ruled thys yle of Brytayne by the full terme of .xvi yeres and after was buryed by his brother Aurely in Coria gigantum or stone henge leuynge after hym the forenamed sonne the puyssaunt Arthur Francia THE CI. CHAPITER LOtharius or Clotharius the yongest sonne of Clodoueê° was made kynge of a parte of Fraunce called Soisons in y e yere of our lorde .v. hundred and .xiiii and the .xiiii. yere of Uter then kynge of myche Brytayne ye shall vnderstande that after the deth of Clodoueus laste kyng of Fraunce the lande by hym was dyuyded to hys foure sonnes That is to say to the eldest sonne Clodomirus was appoynted the lordshyppe of Orlyaunce to Theodoricus the seconde sonne Austracye to Childebertus y e thyrd son myddell FrauÌ„ce or the countre lyenge about Paris and to this Lothayr the aboue sayd lordshyppe of Soisons Of whyche sayd lordshyppes eyther of them possessyd they were of theyr subiettes called kynges and so contynued in good reste a certayne of tyme. In the whyche season Clotyld theyr moder berynge in mynde the vnnaturall deth of her parentes wylled her sonnes to venge theyr deth whych deth as testyfyeth Uincent historyall and also Antoninus was in this forme folowynge Gundenchus the grauÌ„d father of Clotildis had .iiii. sonnes that is to saye Cundebaldus Gondigisillus Hilpericus and Godomarus To these .iiii. sonnes Gundenchus besette the lande of Burgoyne Gondigisillê° and Godomarê° dyed wherfore the land of Burgoyne fyll to Cundebaldus and Hilpericus Then Cundebaldus for couetyse of the hole lordeshyp slew his brother Hilpericus fastened a great stone to the necke of his wyfe and cast her into a depe water And of hys .ii. doughters wherof the eldest hyght Trona he exyled in poore wede or clothynge And the yonger he kepte in seruage wythin his owne courte The whyche after as before is shewed was maryed agayne hys wyll vnto Clodoueê° fader to this Lothariê° Then yt foloweth this Lotharius sonne of Clotild made sharpe warre vpon Sigismonde sonne of Cundebaldus whyche then was dede In the whyche warre the eldest sonne Clodomyrus was slayne leuyng after hym .iii. sonnes named Theobaldus Guntherus or Guntharre and Clodoaldus whych .iii. sonnes toke to her tuycyon and guydynge But the other brother maynteyned the warre agayn y t BurgoynioÌ„s in such wyse y e finally they obteyned y e ryght porcyon of theyr moder Clotilde After thys warre was fynyshed in Burgoyne Childebertus the thyrd sonne herynge that Almarcus kyng of Spayne mysse entreated his suster made warre vppon hym lastly hym subdued and sette his suster in her former estate But whyle the said Childebert was thus in Spayne occupyed Theodorus his brother toke from hym a cytye to hym belongyng called MouÌ„tclere and slewe the knyghtes which Childebertus had lefte there to kepe the sayd cytye For this myscheuous dede arose gret debate betwene these two bretherne but by medyacyon of frendes they were at leÌ„gth accordyd Then Theodorus sought new meanes of dyspleasure agayne his sayde brother as well treason as other wyse the whyche Childebert by his polycye and wysedome wyth good fortune escapyd Childebertus than castynge in his mynde how he myght wynne to hym the patrymony or the lordeshyp that lately beloÌ„ged vnto his eldest broder Clodomyrus toke counsayle of his brother Clotharius In such wyse y t they to gyder or of one assent sent vnto theyr moder Clotyld for theyr neuewes childern of theyr brother And she nothynge mystrustynge theym sent the sayde childern vnto the sayd ii brethern But wythin shorte tyme of theyr commyng vnto theyr sayde vncles as testifyeth mayster Robert Gagwyne and also the freÌ„che cronicle Lotharius tyraÌ„nously wyth his sworde slew two of y e sayde childern And then the thyrde fledde for his sauegarde vnto suche as hym fauouryd He was after agayne taken and compelled to make a solemne othe y t he shulde become a relygyous man neuer clayme any part of his ryght or enherytaunce By which vnlefull meane the .ii. brothern obteyned the hole lordshyppe of Orleaunce and partyd the reuennues thereof betwene them but that enduryd but a whyle And here I passe ouer the sorowe that Clotylde made for the childern of her sonne Clodomyrus and also the orderyng of the yongest son called Clodoaldus whyche escaped the daunger of his vncles as before is shewed the whyche wolde aske a longe season THE CII CHAPITER IT was not long after but that the seconde brother kynge or duke of Austracy dyed of goddes visytacyon leuynge after hym a sonne named Theodobertus The whyche of his two foresayde vncles was greuously warred by loÌ„ge tract of tyme the whyche he defendyd thorough his marciall knighthode And when he by dyuers meanes hadde sought peace and myght not purchase it he then founde suche meanes by ryche gyftes and otherwyse that he waÌ„ne the fauoure of his vncle Childebert and cherysshyd hym as his frende Then fyll vnkyndnes betwene Childebert and Lotharius in so myche that eyther of theÌ„ assembled a great hoste to subdue that one the other But the forenamed Theodobertus made all y e power he myght to ayde and assyste Chyldebert So that vppon bothe partyes was a great multytude of knyghtes armed redy to fyght Clotilde then herynge of this mortall warre betwene her two sonnes and also consyderynge the lykelyhode of the great effusyon of mannes blood that myghte ensue by the reason of the ioynynge of these foresayd two hostes in all hast yode vnto the sepulture or shryne of
made one monarchye of all .vii. kyngdomes in which tyme dyd flowe or passe thre huÌ„dred lxxviii yeres THE CVI. CHAPITER NOwe then I wyl returne vnto Arthur the whych by a longe tyme dwelled in warre and mortall batayll wyth y e SaxoÌ„s by meane of theyr dayly repayre into this lande The whyche also alyed them with Pictes and other nacyons and made theyr partye the strenger by y e meane But yet Arthur by his marciall knyghthod brought theym in suche frame that he was accoÌ„pted for chyef lord of Brytayne Fynally when he hadde by a longe tyme maynteyned hys warres agayne the Saxons and specyally agayne Cerdicus or Childricus kyng of westesaxons he for a fynall concorde gaue vnto the sayde Cerdicus as testyfyeth Policronica in the .vi. chapyter of his .v. boke the two couÌ„tres of Hampshyre and Somerset And when he hadde sette hys lande in some quietnesse he betoke the rule therof vnto hys neuewe Mordred and wyth a chosyn armye sayled as sayth Gaufryde and other vnto FrauÌ„ce where by the reporte of Gaufryde he wrought wonders But the wryters of Frenche cronycles touche nothynge of suche notable dedes nor yet the wryters of Romaynes mynde nothynge of suche actes done agayne theyr consull or emperoure called by Gaufryde Lucius Hybertê° Therfore I wyll spare all that longe mater remyttyng the welshemen as touchynge y e processe vnto the sayd Gaufride And here I wyll folowe Policronicon where he sayth that for as mych as the forenamed Mordred was desyrous to be kynge feryd some dele the myght of Cerdicus kyng of westsaxons he therfore drewe to hym the sayde Cerdicus by great gyftes as of townes and castelles other meanes where thorough the sayd Cerdicus to hym assented so that Mordred was at London crowned kyng of Brytayn and Cerdicus after the vse of pagaÌ„s was at wynchester then called Kaerguent crowned kyng of westsaxons when relacyoÌ„ came to Arthur of all this treason wrought by his neuewe Mordred he in all haste made towarde Brytayn as yt is redde in the englyshe cronycle laÌ„ded at Sandwyche where he was mette of Mordred and hys people whych gaue vnto hym strong batayll in tyme of his landyng and loste there many of his knyghtes as the famouse knyghte Gawyne and other But yet this not withstandyng Arthur at leÌ„gth waÌ„ne the lande and chasyd his enymyes and after the enterynge of his cosyn Gawyn and other of his knyghtes there slayne he sette forwarde his hoste to pursue his enymyes Mordred thus beynge ouersette of his vncle at the see syde withdrewe hym to wynchester where he beynge furnysshed of newe soudyours gaue vnto Arthur as sayth Gaufryde y e secoÌ„de fyghte wherin also Mordred was put to the worse and constrayned to flee Thyrdely and lastely the sayde Mordred faught wyth his vncle Arthur besydes Glastynbury where after a longe and daungerouse fyght Mordred was slayn y e victorious Arthur wounded vnto the deth and after buryed in the vale of Aualon besyde Glastynbury beforesayde Of this laste ende and buryenge of Arthur in the brytyshe bokes are tolde many fables But to oppresse y e errours of Brytons y e thynke or byleue y t Arthur yet lyueth Policroniconshe with in his forenamed chapyter of his .v. boke y t in the secoÌ„de Henryes tyme kynge of Englande the bonys of the sayd Arthur and Gwaynour his wyfe were fouÌ„den and traÌ„slated into the forsayde chyrch of Glastynbury and there newe buryed in the yere of our lord .xi. hundred .lxxx. And more specially yt is noted in the xxiii chapyter of the .vii. boke of Policronicon aboue sayde wherfore to be at coÌ„clusyon of a fyne of this noble warryour he was as before is shewed slayne or wounded to deth when he hadde reygned ouer the Britons by y e terme of .xxvi. yeres wyllynge before his deth that Constantyne the son of Cador duke of Cornewayle for so mych as of his bodye remayned none heyre that he shulde be his heyre and enheryte the land of mych Britayn after his deth Anglia THE CVII CHAPITER CONstantinus the son of Cador duke of Cornewayle by assent of the Brytons was of them crowned kynge of myche Brytayne in the yere of Crystes incarnacyon fyue huÌ„dred .xliii and the .xix. yere of Lotharius then kynge of Fraunce This was nere kynnesman vnto Arthur and was by the two sonnes of Mordred greuously vexed for so myche as they claymed the lande by the ryghte or tytle of theyr father So y t betwene hym and them were foughten many and sondry bataylles wherof nother of place nor of tyme is left any conuenyent memorye nor yet of the names of the sayde two sonnes But as dyuerse authours agreen after these forsayde batayllys thus foughten fynylly the two sonnes of Mordred were constrayned of pure force to seche strong holdes for theyr refuge â–ª wherfore that one toke London and that other wynchester wherof Constantyne beynge warned lefte not tyll he had slayne that one wythin the monastery of saynte Amphiabilâ— at wynchester and that other wythin a temple or chyrche of London whych temple is named of Gaufryde an hous of freres But y e sayeng is doutefull for at that days yt is to be supposed that there was none hous of freres within London nor by a longe tyme after when Constantine hadde thus subdued his enymyes and thought hymselfe in a maner of suertye of his regyon then fortune as she hadde enuyed his glory arreryd agayne hym his owne kynnesman named Aurelius Conanus the whych agayn hym made mortall batayll and finally or at the last slewe hym in y e felde when he hadde reygned after most accorde of wryters .iii. yeres the whych was then huryed at Stone hyenge by the sepulture of Uter PeÌ„dragon wyth great solemnytye THE CVIII CHAPITER AUrelius Conanus the cosyn of Constantync last named was crowned kyng Brytayne in the yere of our lord .v. hundred .xlvi the .xxxii. yere of Lothariê° before named then kynge of Fraunce This was noble and lyberall But he was a man that cherysshed suche as loued stryfe and dyscencyon wyth in his lande and gaue lyghte credence to them y t accused other were yt ryght or wronge And as testyfyeth Gaufryde and other he toke by strength his vncle whyche of ryght shulde haue ben kyng and caste hym in a strong pryson and after sâ—ew tyrannously the .ii. sonnes of his sayd vncle But he reioysed his reygne but shorte whyle For as wytnessyth the sayde Gaufryde when he hadde reygned two yeres he dyed were yt of the sonde of god or otherwyse leuynge after him a sonne named Uortiporius as hath the authoure of the boke named Floure of hystoryes Of this Uortiporius speketh nothynge the englyshe cronycle but telleth of two kynges that shulde reygne nexte after Constantyne both at ones wherof that one he nameth Adelbryght and that other Edyll. wherunto none other writer agreeth except that he nameth them for some of the kynges of the Saxons For aboute
Derbysshyre and wayted his tyme and lastly fand the kynge smally accompanyed and entended to haue ronne thorough the kynge wyth a sworde enuenemed But one Lilla the kynges trusty seruaunt dysgarnysshed of shylde or other wepyn to defende his mayster starte betwene the knyg the sword and was stryken thorough the body and dyed and the kynge was wounded with the same stroke And after he wouÌ„ded the thyrde and was takeÌ„ and confessyd by whom he was sent to worke that treason The other knyght that was secondly wounded dyed and the kynge laye after longe syke or he were helyd And the same nyght folowynge the quene was delyuered of a doughter the whyche kyng Edwyn caused to be crystened of Paulinus y e bysshop in tokeÌ„ that he wolde fulfylle all suche promyse as he before had made And she was named Enfleda and halowed vnto god And after whytsontyde y â— kyng beynge scantly hole of the wounde assembled his hoste made towarde the kynges of westsaxon and after a greate and sore fyghte venquysshed them and theyr hoste But Edwyn for all thys vyctory and other thynges gyuen to hym of god as he that was in helthe of the worlde forgate his former promesse and had lytell mynde therof excepte that he by the preachyng of Paulinus forsoke his maumeÌ„trye and for his excuse sayde that he myghte not clerely renye his olde lawe that his forefaders hadde kepte so longe and sodeynly be crystened without authoryte and good aduyse of hys counceyle He also receyued letters of exhortacyon and coÌ„forte to take the baptyme from y e .v. Boniface thaÌ„ pope The whiche also sent to the quene lyke letters with a myrrour garnysshed with syluer and a combe of iuory and for the kyng a shyrte wrought in soÌ„dry places with letters of golde But all this preuayled nothynge Then Paulinê° made his specyall prayers to god and had it shewed to hym by reuelacyon of the token that was gyuen to Edwyn in tyme of his trybulacyon After the which knowlege hadde Paulinus shortly after came vnto the kyng and layeng his hande on hys hed frayned of hym whyther he had any lyke remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of any lyke token The whyche whan the kynge hadde confessyd the holy bysshoppe sayde vnto hym Lo thou hast ouercomen thyne enemyes and wonne thy kyngdome holdest it in moste large wyse therfore perfourme thy promesse and be trew to hym that hath holpen thy It was not longe after that the kynge assemblyd hys counceyll and by theyr agremeÌ„t he was of the sayd Paulinus byshop of yorke baptysed wythin the sayde cytye the .xi. yere of hys reygne and the yere of grace as testifyeth Guido .vi. C.xxvii He was the fyrste crysten kyng that reygned in that couÌ„trey And after hym many of hys lordes subiectes were also crystened of the sayd Paulinus and the flamyns or bysshoppes of theyr false goddes were turned to Crystes faythe In token wherof they armed them as knyghtes bestrode good horses where before by theyr lawe they myghte vse none armoure nor ryde but onely on a mare From that tyme forthwardes by the term of .vi. yeres durynge the lyfe of kynge Edwyn Paulinus crystened contynuelly in bothe prouynces of Deyra and in BreÌ„nicia in the ryuers of Gweuy Swala whyche he vsed for hys fontes and preached in the shyre of Lyndesey and buylded there a chyrche of stone at Lyndecoln or Lyncolne In thys tyme was so great peace in that kyngdome of Edwyne that a woman myghte haue gone from one towne to an other without grefe or noyaunce And for the refresshynge of waye goers this Edwyn ordeyned at clere wellys cuppes or dysshes of iron or brasse to be fastened to postes standynge by the sayd wellys sydes and no man was so hardy to take awaye those cuppes he kept so good iustyce and with that he was knyghtely of hys dedes He was the fyrste that wanne this ile of Eubonia now called the ile of man And by hys meanes Orpewaldus or Corpewaldus the sonne of Redwaldus kynge of Eest anglis or Norphis to whom as before is touchyd Edwyn had fledde for socoure was conuerted to the true fayth and a greate parte of his men with hym And for this Edwyn excellyd y e other kynges they enuyed at hym and specyally Penda kynge of Mercia the whyche excyted Cadwan kynge of Brytons agayne hym So that they two assemblyd a great hoste agayne Edwyn and lastly met in a palce called Hatfelde and after sharpe fyght on bothe sydes there Edwyne was slayne whan he had reygned ouer y e Northumbris .xvii. yeres in the yere of our lorde as sayth Guydo .vi. C. xxxiii when these two kynges Cadwan or Cedwalla and Penda hadde thus ouercomen the kynge and hym slayne and mych of hys people they became so cruell to men of that countrey that they destroyed therin mych people as men women chyldren as well religyous as other wherfore Paulinus the archebysshop beholdyng theyr cruelnesse toke with him the quene Enfleda hyr doughter fled by water into Kent And for the bysshoprych of Rochester was than voyde by reason that Romanus the last bysshop was adreynte Paulyne was there ordeyned and made bysshop of that see and there dyed And also lefte there his Paull as affyrmeth Policronycon and other the archebysshoppes see of yorke was voyde .xxx. yeres after But y e quene whyche was named Etherberga became a menchon sayled into Gallia or Fraunce wherein an abbaye called Brydgence or Bryggence she lyued an holy lyfe and dyed and hyr doughter Enfleda coÌ„tynued hyr professyon and was afterwarde abbesse of Strenshalt in the vale of whitby After the deth of Edwyn Osrycus that was the sonne of Elfricê° which was brother of Ethelfridus toke vppon hym to be kynge of Deyra and Eaufricus the eldest sonne of Ethelfrida as before in the C. and. xxviii chapiter is touched was made kyng of Brennicia the whyche turned theÌ„ both froÌ„ Crystes fayth and became myscreauÌ„tes For the whych goddes wrech fell vpon them in short whyle after for they were bothe slayne in y e yere folowynge of y e fornamed Cadwan and Penda And whan these sayde two kynges were thus slayne Oswalde y â— second sonne of Ethelfrid began his reygne ouer the prouynce of Brennicia as chefe of that kyngdome of Northumberlande and had the rule of Deira in lyke wyse wherof whan Cadwan or Cedwalla was ware he gathered hys Brytons and thoughte to slee Oswalde as he hadde before slayne his brother Eaufricus But Oswald whan he was warned of the greate strength of thys Cadwan he made his prayers to god and besoughte hym mekely of helpe to withstande his enemyes And or he yode to prayer he arreryd a crosse of tre before the whyche he knelyd a longe whyle in a felde whyche longe after was called Heuynfelde and at thys daye is had in greate worshyppe That place is nere vnto the town or chyrche of Agustalde in Brennicia the whyche chyrche was there
buylded by Oswalde after the wynnyng of that batayle And of the spones of that crosse are tolde many wounders the whiche I ouer passe Than after Oswalde had prayed for the saluacyon of hys people the two hostes met in a felde named thā Denysborne or Denyslake where was foughten a stronge batayle But fynally Cadwan whyche Polycronyca nameth Cedwalla was slayne and his people chasyd which were farre excedynge the nomber of Oswaldus hoste whanne the sayde Cadwan had reygned ouer the Brytons after moste accorde of wryters and also of the tyme by the terme of xxii yeres leuynge after hym a son as affermeth Gaufryde named Cadwallus or Cadwalyn Francia THE CXXXI CHAPITER DAgobertus the fyrste of that name and sonne of Clothayr before rehersed beganne his reygne ouer the hole monarchye of Fraunce in the yere of our lorde .vi. hundred xxxi and the .xviii. yere of Cadwan than kynge of Brytons The which at the tyme of hys faders deth was in the prouynce of Austracy gyuen to hym by his fader as before is shewed in the C.xxvii chapyter precedynge But anone as worde came to hym of hys faders decease he sped hym well accompanyed into Fraūce And when he was comen to the cyty of Reynes thyder came vnto hym many nobles as well out of Burgoyne as out of other partyes of Fraunce and dyd vnto hym feauty and homage It is shewed in the C.xxvi chapyter of thys worke how Clothayre had by his seconde wyfe a sonne named Heybert the which claymed his parte of the kyngdome of Fraunce and for y e same began to make some styrynge But by the good polycy meanes of one Brunulphe vncle to the sayd Haybert and brother to Sichyld hys moder the mater was appeased so that he had vnto hym certeyne cytyes assygned wyth landes in Guyan with the whiche he was cōtentyd ordeyned Tholouse for the chefe cytye of hys pryncypate And after that peace confermed Dagobert was in quiete by the terme of iii. yeres folowyng But the .iiii. yere the Gascoynes rebelled agayn hym the whych by hys manhode he shortly subdued And whan he had set his lande in a quyetnesse he called to mynde y e promyse before tyme which he hadde made to saynt Denys and hys felowes wherfore he with great solempnite caused the groūd where these holy bodyes laye to be openyd and wyth great reuerēce to be taken vp Upon the whych bodyes he fand fresshely wryten eyther of theyr names so that he myghte perfyghtely knowe that one from that other and then caused thē to be layd in a sumptuouse shryne And ouer them in the sayd place he buylded a royall mynster of lyme and stone and conueryd it with plates of syluer in stede of sclate or leade and assygned vnto y e prestes and mynysters therof greate and ryche possessyons And for so goodly a temple that was of suche beautye outwarde shulde not lacke of garnysshynge within he therfore causyd hangynges to be made to hange within the same temple of the whiche tapettes suche as scruyd for the quere were garnyshed set with dyuerse stones in those dayes vsed And by the foresayde place or shryne where the holy martyrs bodyes laye he ordeyned a cheste or trūke of clene syluer to the entēt y t all such iewelles and ryche gyftes as were offered to y e holy sayntes shulde therin be kept to the vse of the mynysters of y e same place and ouer that endowed y t same place with many greate lybertyes pryuyleges And this place thus fynysshed he caused a crosse of golde to be made to be garnysshed with moste precyous stones of a greate bygnesse and value and caused it to be set ouer the hyghe aulter wythin the sayde monastery This translacyon of these blessyd sayntes shulde be as wytnessyth the Frēche Cronycle in the .v. yere of the reygne of the sayd Dagobert which made y e yere of our lorde .vi. C.xxxvi The which whā he had clerely with all honour and due reuerence fynysshed he thā vysyted and cyrcued his lande in mynystrynge iustyce to all persons and ordeyned such meanes as bylles of supplicacyon and other that the causes and maters of poore men myghte come to his knowlege by meane wherof he gate great loue and fauour of his comons But amonge hys many notable dedes one dede by hym was commytted the whyche somdeale longe after blemysshyd hys honour And that was that he without iudgement or processe of the lawes caused to be slayne the forenamed Brunulphe vncle vnto Haybert hys brother for malyce y t he bare to hym for the fauouryng of y e sayd Haybertis party After thys the kynge was deuorsyd from his wyfe named Gertrude for that she was bareyne broughte forthe no frute and was after maryed to a fayre wenche named Ranetrude of the whyche he receyued at conuenyent tyme after a son that was named Sigebert Of this chyld it is told that whan he was brought to the holy bysshoppe Amandus to be confermed beyng than of the age of .xl. dayes and the bysshoppe sayd ouer hym certeyne prayers concernynge the offyce of confyrmacyon and none of the cyrcumstauntes by neglygēce gaue answere vnto y e bysshop at conuenyent tyme the chylde by dyuyne power sayde Amen in so lowde maner that all the people about standynge myghte well vnder stande it whereof the bysshoppe and all the people were hougely ameruayled Than it foloweth this Dagobert all thys passetyme was ruled by a noble man of Fraunce or more properly of the prouynce of Austracy named in the Frenche booke saynte Arnulphe bysshoppe of Mees and by Pepyn whyche was ruler of the kynges paleys By whyche season he and also hys lande were in greate honour and prosperyte tyll the deth of the forenamed Arnulphe whych dyed about the season that the kyng beganne to alter and chaunge his cōdycyons to the hurte of hys comons and of hys lande THE CXXXII CHAPITER DAgobertus y t before exercised hym in all honour and vertue beganne now to exercise iniustyce and tyrannye in pyllynge hys commons by exaccyons and trybutes in suche wyse that those that dwellyd in the outwarde partyes of hys realme and nere vnto the Turkys and other straunge landes and nacions were fayne to be vnder the rule of theym then of theyr owne naturall prynce But howe so euer he bare hym agayne hys subiectes in pyllynge and takyng from thē what he myght yet he euer hadde such a fauour to saynt Denys that he gaue to hym what he myghte purchace were yt wyth ryght or otherwyse Contynuynge whyche season he went into the countrey of Poytiers and robbyd and spoyled there the chyrche of saynte Hyllary of many great iewellys and after toke wyth hym the bodye of that blessyd man and causyd yt to be hadde into the monasterye of saynt Denys there shrynyd hym And that done he destroyed the coūtrey of Poytiers wyth iron and fyre and the wallys of the cytye he made playne wyth the
woman of great wisdome of vertuous condicion and was honorably buryed by Dagobert hyr husbande in the church of saynt Denys Soone after ensued such scarcety of corne y â— whete other greynes were at an excedynge pryce For after the rate of money nowe curraÌ„t a quarter of whete was worth .ii. markes a halfe by meane of which scarcitye myche poore people were famisshed dyed for defaut wherefore the kyng entendyng a remedy for the nedy people causyd yÌ„e house or church of saynt Denys that his fader before tyme had coueryd with plates of syluer to be rased of coueryd with lede that syluer to be dystributyd amonge the poore comoÌ„s to socoure theÌ„ agayn the great and huge famyn that then reygned all be it that this ded was somedeale withstanden by Agulphus Abbot of that place for that tyme. About the .viii. yere of his reygne the firste Pepyn that than ruled the house of Sigebert kyng of Austracy dyed And soone after dyed Agaynus mayster of the paleys of Clodoueus For which .ii. princis in eyther Countreys that they rulyd great dole and sorowe was for theym made After the deth of which sayd PriÌ„cis a noble man cosyn to Dagoberte late kynge was chosen mayster of the paleys with Clodoueus Thus kynge Clodoueus otherwyse called Lowes contynued his reygne in great peace prosperyte tyll lastly it fell in his miÌ„de that he wolde vysyte y e sepulcre of saynt Denys where after he had done certayne obseruauÌ„ces and made his prayers he wolde nedely se the holy relykes and handle them wyth the doynge whereof it semed the holy martyrs were not contentyd For immedyately ensued suche a derknes that the kynge and all that were aboute hym were wyth it greately astonyed and aferde in so mych that the kyng loste the vse of reason and wente from hym selfe more than two yeres folowynge It is wryten of some authours that the kynge handelyd the body of saynte Denys so rabbysshely that he brake one of his armes But the Frenche booke and mayster Roberte Gagwyne sayen y t he dysseueryd one of the armes from the sayd holy body the whych he after whan he was somdele restoryd to hys helthe closyd in golde and precyous stoones and restored it to the sayd monasterye and lyued vppon two yeres folowynge that he was amendyd but not lyke vnto hys former beynge so y t he lastly dyed whan he had reygned syke and hole by y e terme of .xvi. yeres not without vyce as glotony lechery excedyng aueryce And was buryed by hys parentes in the monasterye forenamed leuynge after hym thre sonnes named Clotharius Chyldericus and Theodorych After whose deth hys wyfe named Batylde became a nonne in the monastery of Corbye that she before tyme had newly renued or reedyfyed and ended there in holy lyfe THE CXXXVII CHAPITER CLotharius the eldest sonne of Clodoueus was ordeyned kynge of Fraunce in the yere of our lordes incarnacyon .vi. hundred .lxii and the .xxvi. yere of Cadwall than kynge of BrytoÌ„s The whych anone as he was somwhat stablysshed he made the mayster of hys palayes a myghty man and tyrannous of condycyon named Eboryn as shall appere by hys condycyons ensuynge whan the tyme conuenyent of the expressement of them shall come But of thys Clotharius is lefte nothyng in wrytynge of worthy memory excepte that the Frenche cronicle sayth that he reygned .iiii. yeres THE CXXXVIII CHAPITER THeodoricus the second sonne of Clodoueus beganne hys reygne ouer the Frenchemen in the yere of grace .vi. hundred .lxvi and the .xxx. yere of Cadwall than kynge of Brytons The whych by couÌ„ceyll of his lordes sent his yonger brother Chylderych into the lordshyp of Austracy or Lorayne to guyde that couÌ„trey wyth the ayde and assystence of wolphanus a noble man of y e countrey For Sigeberte laste kynge of that prouynce was before this tyme dede wythout heyre of hys body This Theodorych gaue hym all to slowth rest so that the gouernauÌ„ce of the realme was all in the power of the mayster of y e paleys whych was styll contynuynge the forenamed Eboryne The whyche among other cruell dedys by hym done he emprysoned the holy bishoppe of Oston called Leodegayr And lastely after many tormentes and vylanyes to hym done he raced hys eyen oute of hys hedde This dede wyth many other to the kynges dyshonour he â—momysyd which all were layd to y e kynges charge for so myche as the kynge kept most what his paleys Except y e one season of the yere in the moneth of may he shulde be broughte wyth great pompe into a place where the people shulde behold hym and gyue and offer vnto him gyftes and returne vnto y e paleys y t he was broughte fro and there to reste all the yere folowynge By meane wherof Eboryn dyd what to hym was lykynge and vexyd and troubled the people greuously wherfore by one assent y e lordes assembled theym and by authoryte depryued the kynge of all dignytye and closyd hym in a monastery there to contynue the resydue of hys lyfe when he hadde borne the name of a kynge wythout execucyon of the acte therunto belongynge .iii. yeres and the cruell Eboryn they exyled to Luxon or Luxunborgh in the prouynce of Burgoyne and not to departe thens vppon payn of hys lyfe THE CXXXIX CHAPITER CHildericus or Hildericus the thyrde sonne of Clodoueus that was sent to rule the prouynce of Austracy was ordeyned kynge of Fraunce in the yere of grace .vi. hundred .lxix. the .xxxiii. yere of Cadwal before named Of the whyche dede the sayde lordes shortely after repended theÌ„ For this Chylderych which was yonge and of lyght maners oppressyd his subiectes greuously and vsed the lawes of hys progenytours after hys pleasure and wyll wold nothynge be aduertised nor ruled by wolphanus before named y e whyche was before tyme assigned to hym for hys counceyllour and guyde But in augmentynge his malyce he caused a noble maÌ„ of his realme named Bolyde wythout gylte or trespace or greuous offence doynge to be bounden to a stake and there betyn tyll he yelded the spyrite For y e whych crueltye and other the lordes wyth the coÌ„mons murmuryd sore agayne hym ferynge lyke punyssyon wythout deseruynge wherfore they conspyryd agaynste hym and moste specyally two noble men of byrth of myghte named Iugebert Amabert which two wyth other awayted theyr tyme season wheÌ„ they myght fynde tyme coÌ„uenieÌ„t to bryng y e kyng out of lyfe And vpon a daye when y t kyng with his wyfe and small companye wyth theym were in the wood in theyr dysporte and game the sayde two lordes accompanyed purposely fell vppon hym slewe hym there and hys wyfe also great wyth chyld y e which ranne betwene her lord and them to y e entent to haue sauyd her lord and husbande from the dynt of y e sworde The whyche dede was done when y e sayde Childeriche had reygned
all pompe and pryde of thys worlde accompanyed hym in the felowshyp of poore men and yode vnto Rome in pylgrymage wyth great deuocyon when he hadde ben kynge of the westsaxons as before is sayde xxxvii yeres After whose departyng the foresayde Etheldreda hys wyfe went vnto barkynge .vii. mylys froÌ„ London where in the abbay before of Erkenwalde foundyd she contynued and ended an holy lyfe wheÌ„ she hadde ben abbesse of the same place a certayn of tyme. It is sayd testifyed of wyllyam wryter of kynges that this Iue was the fyrste kynge that grauntyd a peny of euery fyre house thorow this realm to be payed to the courte of Rome whych at this daye is called Rome stote or Peter pens and yet is payed in many places of Englande But why yt was graunted the cause is not here shewed how be it yt shall be shewyd after Francia THE CXLII CHAPITER CLodoueus y e thyrd of y e name son of the secoÌ„d Theodoricus beganne his domynyon ouer the realme of Fraunce in the yere of grace .vi. hondred .lxxx. and .x and the thyrd yere of Iue then kyng of westsaxons Of this Clodoueus is of wryters lefte no maner of memorye soundynge to good or euyll but Pepyn before named contynued as master of the paleys by all the tyme of the reygne of y e sayd Clodoueus The whych after that he hadde borne the name by the space of .iii. yeres he dyed wythoute yssue and was buryed by his father By reason of whose deth the sayde kyngedome fell by successyon vnto hys brother Childebert THE CXLIII CHAPITER CHildebertus the second sonne to Theodoryche and brother of Clodoueus foresayde began his domynyon ouer y e realme of FrauÌ„ce in the yere of grace .vi. hundred .lxxx. and .xiii and the .vi. yere of Iue then kynge of westsaxons In tyme of whose reygne also the foresayde Pepyn contynued as chefe ruler of the kynges house all be yt y e he for such other charge as he had of ouerseyng of the realme set in hys place a substâ—tute or depute as his sonne Grimonart and other Thys Pepyn contrary to the lawe of the chyrche helde besyde hys lawfull wyfe called Pleâ—trude a womaÌ„ named Alpayd For the whyche the holy bysshop of Treet named Lamberte blamynge and rebukynge the sayde Pepyn of the brother of the forenamed Alpayde whyche is called Dodon or Dodoin was slayne martyred in the yere of our lorde .vi. hundred .lxxx. and .xii as testyfyeth Antoninus in the .vi. chapyter of the â—iii tytle of the seconde parte of hys worke called summa Antonini And as affermeth the sayde Antoninus also the Frenche cronycle the sayde Pepyn receyued of the sayd Alpayde a sonne whom he named Charlys whyche Charlys was after surnamed Marcellus was ryghte profytable to the realme of Fraunce as after shall appere Of the foresayd kyng Chyldebert is nothynge lefte in wrytyng worthy memory excepte that he receyued of hys wyfe a sonne named Dagobert and kepte the name of a kynge by y e terme of .xvii. yeres as sayth the cronycle in French and than dyed and was buryed in the abbey of Caus in y e chyrch or chapell of saiÌ„t Stephan THE CXLIIII CHAPITER DAgobertê° the seconde of that name and sonne of Chyldebert before named began his reygne ouer the Frenchmen in the yere of grace .vii. hundred and .x the .xxiii. of Iue than kynge of westsaxons The whyche was vnder the rule of Plectrude the wyfe of Pepyn than dede and of Theodowald than mayster of the paleys Thys Plectrude as before is shewed was stepmother to Charlys sonne of Pepyn and of Alpayde wherfore she berynge malyce to the sayd Charlys caused hym to be holden as prysoner wythin Coleyne where he so as prysoner remaynynge the foresayd Theoldowalde exercysed suche tyrannys and putte vpon the people suche exaccyons y e dyscensyon grewe bytwene hym and the lordes of FrauÌ„ce so that dyuers coÌ„flyctes and skyrmysshes were had amonge the nobles of Fraunce for partyes were taken vpon eyther sydes whereby the kynges partye at length was wekyd And fynally the sayd Theoldowalde was depryued of hys rome and one Rangafredus was made mayster of y e paleys The whyche beynge Accompanyed with conuenyent strength toke with hym the kynge and coÌ„ueyed hym thorow the forest of CharboÌ„nur tyll he came vnto y e ryuer of Mense In y e which passetyme the forenamed Charlys beynge as aboue is sayde prysoner by fauoure of hys kepars or otherwyse brake pryson and escapyd And shortly after dyed the kynge whan he hadde reygned or borne the name of a kynge as other of hys progenytours hadde done by y e terme of .xi. yeres leuyng after hym nother chylde as than knowynge nor nere of a lye whyche was cause of mysorder of the tytle of Fraunce as afterwarde shall appere THE CXLV CHAPITER DAnyell that of y e Frenchmen was after named Chilperich was by assente of them made kynge in the yere of grace .vii. hundred and xxi and the .xxxiiii. yere of Iue than kynge of westsaxons Thus as testyfyeth mayster Robert Gagwyne and also the Frenche cronycle was a preste or clerke and for his wysedome was cherysshed before tyme in the kynges paleys in y e whyche tyme and season he sufferyd hys crowne to be ouer growen Or ellys after Antoninus this Danyell after y e deth of Dagobert for so mych as he lefte after hym none of y e royall blode the Frenchemen supposynge hym to be apte for y e rule of the lond for suche experyence as before tyme in hym had be proued kepte hym secrete a certeyne of tyme tyll his heyre was fully growen and than declared hym to be the brother of Dagobert and chaungyd hys name and called hym Chylperych so by one assente admytted hym for kynge of Fraunce Charles before spoken of sonne of Pepyn beynge escapyd the daunger of prysonement sought and compassyd by all maner of wayes how he myghte obteyne the rome that sometyme hys fader occupyed And thys to brynge to effecte he purchasyd to hym a yonglynge of fayre goodly maners stature named Clothayre and sayd that he was descendyd of y e royall blode of Fraunce by meane wherof in shorte tyme he gaderyd to hym greate strength wherof heryng Chylperych commaunded Rangafrede to assemble hys knyghtes to wythstoÌ„de the purpose of Charlys And soone after bothe hostes mette nere vnto the forenamed ryuer of Mense where was foughte a strong and cruell batayle of y e whych Rangafrede was vyctor and compellyd Charles to forsake the felde But he shortly afterward assemblyd and gaderyd agayne togyder all suche as before were dysperklyd and fought efte wyth the sayde Rangafrede at a Place called Ablane Of the whyche batayle wyth great dyffyculte Charlys was lastly wyctour and chasyd Rangafrede and hys hoste greatly demynysshed lassyd Than thyrdly these two hostes met in a felde called the wyne felde where also was present the sayd Danyell or Chilperych hauynge in
empyre and sette suche a man of myghte in the rome therof Thys Charlis had dyuers wyues But of the seconde named Eldegard he receyued .iii. sonnes that is to say Lewys Pepyn Charlis y e whyche Pepyn he made kynge of Longobardes or Italy as before is shewyd Of thys great conqueroure what shulde I holde lenger processe For lyke as I before shewyd of his notable dedys myght I make a great volume yf I shuld of them shew the clerenesse and the circuÌ„staunce of euery coÌ„quest that he in his tyme acheuyd But deth that is to all ê‘sones egall lastly toke him in his dymme dauÌ„ce when he had ben kynge of Fraunce with his brother alone .xlvii. yeres Of the whyche he ruled the empyre as before is shewyth .xiiii. yeres in y e yere of his age as sayen the frenche cronycles .lxxii and was buryed at Aquisgrany wyth great pompe in y e yere of our lordes incarnacyon .viii. hundred and .xv. wyth this superscripcyon vppon his toumbe Caroli Magne christianissimi imperatoris RomanoruÌ„ corpus sub hoc sepulchro condituÌ„ est which may be englished as folowith Of Charlis the great and emperour moste crysten Of Rome the bodye is hyd thys toumbe wythin Of the forenamed sonnes of Charlys suruyued y e eldest Lewys by name and the other two Pepin Charlys dyed before theyr father Anglia THE CLVII CHAPITER BRigthricus of the blood of Cerdicê° fyrst kyng of westsaxons desceÌ„dyd beganne hys reygne ouer the sayd Saxons in yere of oure lorde .vii. hundred and .lxxviii and the .x. yere of Charlis the great then kynge of Fraunce This before tyme hadde maryed one of the doughters of Offa kynge of Mercia as before is touchyd by whose ayde and power he put out of hys rule Egbert the sonne of Alcumundus the whyche Egbert at that daye was an vnder kynge or ruler in the lordshyppe of westsaxon whyche Egbert was descendyd of y e blood of the holy Genulphus of whome som parte of the storye ys declared in the .xxv. chapyter of the .v. boke of Policronica And after he was thus of Brigthricus expulsyd he saylyd into Fraunce and there exercysyd hymselfe in featys of warre wyth the knyghtes of Charlys courte durynge the lyfe of the sayde Brigthricus About the .ii. yere of thys Brigthricus was sene in great Brytayne a wonder syghte For sodeynly as men walked in y e strete crossys lyke vnto blood fell vppon theyr clothes and blood fell from heuen lyke droppes of rayne This after some exposytours betokened the commynge of the Danes into this lande the whyche entryd shortely after For as wytnessyth Polycronica aboute the .ix. yere of Brigthricus the Danys fyrste entryd this lande In defence wherof thys sayde kynge sent forth hys stewarde of housholde wyth a smalle company whych shortly was slayn But by the strength of Brygthricus and the other kynges of Saxons they were coÌ„pellyd to voyde the land for that tyme and season Brigthricus thus well knyghtly rulynge his land his wyfe named Ethelburga not wyth hym coÌ„tentyd as she oughte to be soughte dyuerse wayes and meanes how she myghte brynge her lorde oute of lyfe so that fynally she poysoned hym wyth many other of hys housholde meyny wherfore she ferynge punyshement fledde into Fraunce and by suche freÌ„dshyppe as she there hadde was well cheryshed in Charlis courte surnamed the great Of her yt is told that whan he had hadde some informacyon of the vnstablenes of this womans condycyons he at that season beynge a wydowar vppon a season in passynge of the tyme wyth her sayde nowe I put to youre choyse whyther ye wyll haue me vnto your wedded lorde or ellys my sonne staÌ„dyng here in your presence And hym that you chose hym shall you haue and enioye for your husbande But she chase y e son and lefte the father Then sayde the kynge yf thou haddest chosen me thou shuldest haue hadde my sonne But for thou haste forsaken me thou shalt haue nother of vs. And after he closyd her in an abbey where in processe a lewde man kept with her such company that she was voydyd that place and after demeaned her so vycyously that in processe of tynie she fell in such pouerte that she dyed in great penurye and myserye For the whyche mysse demeanure of this woman that she had innaturally slayne her lorde and husbande the kyng of Anglis and specially of westsaxons wolde not suffer the wyues to be callyd Sueuys nor yet suffer them to sette by them in places of great honour or kyngely sete by a long tyme after Thus as before is shewyd by the impoysonynge of his own wyfe dyed y e kynge Brigthricus when he had ruled y e westsaxoÌ„s after most concorde of writers by the terme of .xvii. yeres THE CLVIII CHAPITER EGbertus the sonne of AlcumuÌ„dê° as before is shewyd began hys reygne ouer the westsaxons in y e yere of grace .vii. hundred .lxxx. and xv and y e .xxvii. yere of Charlis the great then kynge of Fraunce Thys as before is sayde was dryuen oute of the lande of Britayne by y e streÌ„gth of Brigthricus But he hauynge knowlege of hys deth spedde out of Fraunce and in so knyghtely wyse hym demeaned that he obteyned the regiment and gouernaunce of the aboue sayde kynge Bernulphus kynge of Mercia had this Egbert in derysyon and made therof dyuerse scoffys iapynge rymes y t which he susteyned for a time But when he was somdeale stablysshed and hadde prouyd the myndes and hartis of his subiectes he lastly assembled his knyghtes and gaue to hym a batayll in a place called Elyndome in the prouynce of Hampton And all be yt that in that fyght was great dyuersyte of nomber as .vi. or viii agayne one yet Egbert had the victory For his knyghtes were lene megre pale and longe brethed so that they myghte endure to fyghte But Bernulphus knyghtes were fatte corpulent shorte brethed so that they were soone ouercome with swet and shorte labour Here is to be noted that after the deth of Offa kyng of Mercia or middell Englande of whome somwhat is touched in the story of Kenulphê° reygned his son Egfertê° after Egfertê° reygned Kenulfus or KeÌ„wolfus y e which Kenwolphus was father to y e holy martyr Kenelme to .ii. fayre vyrgyns Ouindred and Burgenulda or Ermenilda And after Kenwolfus succedyd the foresayd Kenelme and after Kenelme reygned Colwolphus and after hym succedyd Bernulphus before named Then to retourne agayne to Egbert the whych when he had as before is sayd ouercome Bernulphus he seasyd that lordshyppe into hys hande And that done he made war vppon the Kentyshe Saxons and at leÌ„gth in lyke wyse of them obteyned vyctorye And as wytnessyth Polycronica he also subdued the Northumbrys and caused the kynges of these thre kyngdomes to lyue vnder hym as trybutaryes or ioyned them to hys kyngedome as testyfyeth the authour of the Floure of hystories Thys Egbert also wanne from y e
from the sayde pope that he was well satysfyed and pleasyd And for at those days in Fraūce was vsyd of prestes and men of the chyrche precyouse and shewynge vesture and golden and riche starynge gyrdelles with rynges and other ornamentes of gold the sayde Lowys purchasyd of the pope a correccyon for all suche as vsyd suche dysordynate apparell and causyd theym to vse and were browne sad colours accordynge to theyr honoures and sadnes This Lowys hadde thre sonnes that is to saye Lothayre whome he made felowe of the empyre Pepyn the seconde whome he made duke of Guyan and Lowys the thyrde to whom he betoke the rule of Bayton To this yongeste sonne worde was broughte that Bernarde a ruler in Italy had assembled a great power wyth y e aydes of two other captaynes named Iylys and Reyner the whyche Charlis the great by his lyfe greatly fauouryd occupyed y e strēgthys of the mountaynes and entendyd to kepe the countrey of Italye from the subieccyon of his father the emperoure wherof he gyuynge his father knowlege strong power was gaderyd as well by the father as by Lothayre his sonne and sped theym towarde the mountayns But when the sayde Bernarde was ware of the emperours commyng wyth so great a strength and consyderyd his lacke of power to mayntayn his purpose wyth also the great mercy and pytye that he knew to be in the emperour he submytted hym holy to hys grace and mercy and dyscoueryd to hym the authours of that rebellyon the whyche thys Lowys causyd vnder safe kepynge to be hadde vnto the cytye of Aquisgrany The whyche rebellys were the byshop of Mylayne the byshop of Cremoun and the bysshoppe of Orleaunce The kynge passed all the wynter folowyng at the foresayde cytye and lastely caused to be broughte before hym the foresayde transgressours examyned the cyrcumstaunce of the foresayd treason and after remytted them to the rygour of Lowes where by processe they were condemnyd to deth as many of them as were temporall men Then the emperour hauynge compassion of the forenamed Bernarde for so myche as he was the sonne of Pepyn laste kynge of Italy and his nere kynnesman transmutyd the sentence of deth vnto perpetuyte of pryson and losynge of hys syghte But for the sayde Bernarde Reyner and other chase rather to dye thē to lyue in pryson wyth that deformyte they passyd by dinte of the sworde were beheddyd within or nere to the sayd cytye of Aquisgrani And the sayde bysshoppes were depryued of theyr dygnyteys put into pryuate houses of relygyon And whyle thys Lewys was occupyed in lytell Brytayne in subduynge of that countrey Lothayre the eldest sonne of thys Lewys was sent to rule the lōdes of y e empyre where he bare hym ryght nobly and executed dyuers actes for the weale of the empyre But in thys season .ii. frendes of hys father and hys were for certeyne crymes to them put moste cruelly condēpned to vyle deth with in the cytye of Rome wherof heryng Lothayre than beyng at the cytye of Papy sent worde therof to hys father in all hasty wyse the which was lyke to haue turnyd y e pope to greate trowble yf he by polytyke and wyse meanes had not shortly pacifyed the mater That one of the foresayd two persones so condempned was scrybe to the pope and that other was Donar ye shall vnderstande that thys Lewys hadde two wyues by the fyrste he had the forenamed thre sonnes and of the seconde he receyued a son and named hym Charlys the which whan he came to mannes stature was surnamed Charlys y e bolde He loued entyerly thys Charlys wold often kysse hym in the presence of his brethern For the whych they enuyed theyr sayd brother and also dysdayned theyr father as here after shall appere Thus in processe of tyme Lewys gaue vnto thys Charlys the coūtrey of Neustria or Normādy the which causyd greate dyscencyon amonge the bretherne and also for thys and other causes Lotharius toke partye agayne hys father THE CLX CHAPITER THys seconde wyfe of Lewys was named Indith y e which was accusyd to the pope to be within suche degre of allyaunce to hyr husbonde that she myghte not lawfully contynewe hys wyfe wherfore contrary to the wyll of Leuys by the laboure of some bysshoppes other lordes of Fraūce she was deuorcyd from hym and put into a house of nonnys and there straytly kepte But Lewys for a tyme susteyned thys iniuryes to y e ende y t he myght know whyther his sonnes fauoured the cause or not But in processe of tyme whan he hadde experyence of hys frendes and of hys sonnes he thā assembled to hym a strong hoste and recoueryd hys wyfe malgre to all hys enmyes For the whych dede Lothayre wyth dyuers of the Barons of Fraunce assemblyd theyr people and entendyd to depryue Lewys from all imperyall and kyngly dygnyte wherfore Lewys ferynge hys sonne and hys assystens also for the entent that he myghte assemble the strength of y e empyre he yode vnto Magunce And after he hadde purueyed and garnysshed hys retynewe he retornyd toward Fraunce and met wyth some of hys enemyes and them subdued and so kepte on hys iourney tyll he came to Aquysgrany where he restyd hym and hys people Thus contynuynge thys dyssencyon the sonnes sent wrytyng to the pope than beynge named Gregory y e fourth requyrynge hym of ayde and counceyle to deuyse a concorde and peace bytwene theyr fader and them At whose request and for to cause a naturall charyte to be quyckenyd bytwene the father hys .iii. sonnes he came in hys proper persone into Fraunce and endeuoryd hym to the vttermoste of hys wyttes to agree to the sayd parties In the tyme of this entreaty made by the pope I can not saye for what cause many of the lordes on the partye of Lowys forsooke hym and fled to the sōnys partye so that the emperoure was in great feere of hym selfe of hys parson whan Lewys had seen his frendes thus in tyme of hys nede refuse flee frome hym and lefte hym in great feere and daūger of straūgers he than thoughte better for hym to put hym selfe vnder the Rule and tuycion of hys owne chyldren than to abyde the doute of the sayde straūgers wherfore he sent vnto his sayd sonnes requyrynge theym to prouyde for his safegarde and assurynge of his person and that he were not there oppressyd or murdryd And within shorte space after this message sent to theym withoute answere of them agayne receyuyd he rode towarde theym smally accompanyed where of than Lothayre and hys brother hauynge warnynge in all homble wyse encountred hym and receyued hym vppon theyr knees and so cōueyed hym wyth all reuerēce vnto theyr pauylyon or tent And after for a begynnyng of a peace to be stablysshed bytwene hym and them he to satysfye theyr myndes refused the forenamed Indith and closyd her in a place of relygyon called Torton as
this day in the vtter most border of Fraūce after to Uyenne To y e which citye of Uyen shortly after came vnto hym hys brother Lewys where they two assembled a newe hoste In the whych passetyme as Charlis was comynge towarde hys bretherne messyngers mette with hym sent from his bretherne to comon of a peace So that fynally he was accordyd that the realme of Fraunce shulde be dyuyded in .iii as the father had before dysposyd yt That is to meane Lothayr shuld enioy ouer the landes belongyng to the empyre the countrey of Austracy the whych in processe of tyme was called Lothayre or Lotharingia whyche is to meane Lorayne after his name And to Lewys shulde remayne the prouynce of Germany wyth the coūtrey of Buyan or Benery And to Charlys shulde remayne the countrey called myddell or chefe Fraunce wyth the prouynces of Normandy Burgoyne whyche sayde myddle Fraūce is reportyd to be in space from y e Occean of Brytayne to the ryuer of Mawze The whyche concorde thus fermely stablyshed and fynyshed eyther of other toke theyr departynge and resorted vnto theyr owne lordshyppes But Lothayre dyed shortely after leuynge after hym thre sonnes named Lewys Lothayre and Charlis But this deth of Lothayre is not taken for temporall deth for yt is sayd y t he forsoke the trauayle of y e world and became a munke at the abbaye of Pruny and lyued there a solytary lyfe many yeres after THE CLXIIII CHAPITER CHarlis y e Ballyd thus beyng in peaseble possessyon of the chefe parte of the realme of Fraunce and guydynge yt wyth all sobernes and indifferēt iustyce was well drad and also beloued of his subiectes In processe of tyme as vpon .viii. yeres after that Lothayr abouesayd renouncyd the pompe of the worlde dyed fyrste Charlys the yongest son of the thre of the foresayd Lothayre And after dyed Lothayre the second sonne so that the sayde Lewys onely suruyued whych was after his father enoynted emperour when Charlis kynge of Fraunce knewe certaynely of the deth of these two forsayde brethern and that with out yssu anon he assembled his power and entred the prouynce of Austracy or Lorayne the which his brother Lothayre hadde gyuen to Lothayre his sonne And in shorte whyle after crowned hym kynge of that prouynce wythin the chyrche of saynte Stephan of the cytye of Meaws chefe cyty of that lordshyppe kyngdome wyth the whyche dede Lewys his brother and kynge of Germany and Bayon was dyscontentyd thynkyng hym selfe more ryghtfull enheritour then Charlis for so myche as he was y e elder brother and also brother to the fyrste Lothayre of father of mother where as Charlis was but halfe brother and by the fathers syde onely For this y e sayd Lewys sent to Charlys the Ballyd certayn messyngers gyuynge to hym monycyon that he shulde call to memory the couenauntes betwene theym before tyme stablyshed and that he shulde not meddell hym nor haue to do wythin the landes of his cosyn lately deed vnto such tyme as yt were determyned by theyr bothe counsayles whyther of theym hadde the better ryght this to be obseruyd vppon payne of excōmunycacyon or cursyng But for to Lewys was well sene that his brother Charlis nothyng absteyned hym from the occupyenge of the forenamed countrey he therfore gaderyd an armye to warre vppon his sayde brother In the whych passe tyme Charlys toke to his second wyfe a woman namyd Rychent or Ricent the whyche he before tyme hadde vsyd as his cōcubyne or paramoure And soone after the Danys or Normans inuadyd the landes of Charlys the whych for that tyme he was fayne to appease please wyth ryche gyftes and other pleasures Then Charlys receyued from his brother a seconde ambassade or message the whyche shewyd vnto hym excepte he wold voyde his knyghtes and strengthes that he had sette and put in dyuerse places of the lande of Austracy he shuld be sure to haue of his sayd brother an enymy and that in all haste he wolde entre his lande wyth great force and warre wheruppon was suche answere sente that by both theyr agrementes the mater was hadde in suche cōmunycacyon that fynally yt was agreed that the sayde landes shulde egally be departyd betwene them whyche conclusyon perfyted Lewys wyth his people retournyd into Germany But yt was not longe after that Lewys repented hym of hys agrement so that newe legacyons were made vppon both partyes and lastely wyth myche payne newly agreed After whyche agrement and accorde fynyshed Lewys the emperour and sonne of the fyrste Lothayre sente an ambassade to both the fornamed bretherne admonestynge and warnyng them that nother the one nor y e other shulde intermyt wyth the foresayde landes for so myche as the ryghte therof belonged to him as next heyre to his brother and not to them that were a degre forther The answere of this was deferryd by Charlys how be it his brother Lewis as sayth myne authour gaue ouer his parte shortly after to Lewys y e emperour In this passe tyme Charlys the sonne of Charlis the Ballyd by hys fyrste wyfe whome the father had made ruler of a countrey called Belge hadde rulyd hym insolently and done in that countrey dyuerse outragiouse dedes For the whyche he beyng cōplayned of was brought vnto his father and so by hym commaundyd to pryson But shortely after he was deliueryd at y e requeste of some nobles of Fraūce kept after in his fathers courte where he contynued but a shorte whyle For wythin a lytle season after his father beynge at Lyons he departyd from y e sayde courte and gaderyd to hym a wylde company of euyll dysposyd persons and went agayne into the sayd countrey of Belge and dyd more harme then he had done before season and so contynuyd a long whyle But lastly he was taken and caste agayne in pryson where after longe punyshement he was reued of his syght and then sent vnto the monastery of Corbenyke there safely to be kepte But at length by the entycemēt of his vncle Lewys kynge of Germany and the treason of two mūkes of y e place he scapyd thens and fledde vnto the sayd Lewys his vncle In the which tyme Charlys his father was occupyed in the defence of the Danys or Normannys that then by strength had wonne the citye of Angyers and done therein myche harme whome the kynge closyd wythin the sayd cytye wyth a stronge syege and fynally compellyd theym to seke meanys of peace at the kynges pleasure After whych peace cōcludyd and the sayd Danys auoydyd the kynge repossessyd the sayde cytye It was not longe after that tydynges were brought vnto Charlis of the deth of Lewys the emperoure After knowlege wherof the kynge sent hys other sonne named Lewys into Austracy to haue the rule and y e guydynge of y e countrey And after other thynges ordered for y e weale of hys realme he wyth a stronge company of men of armys passyd y e moūtaynes and
But to folowe myne authour I shall procede as foloweth THE CLXXVII CHAPITER LEwys the fourth af that name and sonne of Charlis as before is sayde beganne his reygne ouer y e Frenchmen in the yere of our lorde .viii. hundred .lxxx. .vi and the .xiiii. yere of Aluredus then kyng of Englande Of thys Lewys yt ys testyfyed of dyuers wryters that he shulde enamoure hym selfe vppon a menchon of the monastery of Chyell and her drawe oute by force and marye her vnto his wyfe For the which dede and other he purchasyd the aboue said name was called Lewis nought doynge In thys tyme the Danys contrary to theyr ê“myse before made made new warre wythin the land of FrauÌ„ce wherfore the Frenchmen hauyng lytell hope in theyr kynge sente vnto Charlon or Charlys y e emperour sonne of Lewys kynge of Germany as before is shewyd requyryng him in all humble wyse to vysyte y e realm of Fraunce and to defende yt from the persecucyon of the Danys In these dayes also was lyuynge in Fraunce the forenamed Hugh whych as ye before haue herd maynteyned the quarell of Lewys Charlys last kynges agayn Lewys kyng of Germanye The whyche Hugh of some writers is called Hue le grauÌ„d that is Hugh the great Thys man gaderyd an hoste of Frenchmen and gaue batayll vnto the Danys and slewe of them a great nomber It shulde seme by the wryters of the frenche storye that these noble men of Fraunce as thys Hugh and other shulde haue the rule of the spyrytuall possessyons of abbayes and other houses of relygyon For of myne Authour mayster Gagwyne they are in laten named abbates and in the Frenche boke abbis whych is to meane abbottes And also yt is testyfyed of the sayd writers that this Hugh and Robert erle of Parys were the fyrst that left the dystrybucyon of those spyrytuall goodes vnto theyr knightes gaue ouer that name of abbotte the whyche in some other estates contynued tyll the dayes of Roberte kynge of Fraunce Then yt folowyth accordynge to the request made vnto the emperour as aboue is shewyd he gatheryd a stronge hoste of Italyons and parced the lande of Fraunce and bare hym so vyctoryously agayne the Danys that he forced theym to obey to all theyr former promyse condycyons But Eusebiê° and other y t wrote the actes of the emperours sayen y t this Charlis whyche they name the thyrd of y â— name and also Grossus y t is great subdued the Danys of Fraunce compellyd theyr leder or prynce named there Rodefredus to take the habyte of Crystes relygyon and receyued hym at the coulde wa ter In whyche tyme or soone after wherof y e tyme is not duely ascertayned dyed the forenamed kynge Lewys surnamed nought doynge when he hadde reygned after most wryters viii yeres leuyng after hym a sonne named Charlis y t whyche after was surnamed symple But for he was to yonge to take vpon hym such a charge the lordes put hym vnder good conuenyent guydynge and chase an other as foloweth to guyde y e lande tyll he were come to hys laufull age whyche was named Eudo. THE CLXXVIII CHAPITER EUdo the sonne of Robert erle of Angeowe beganne his reygne ouer the French men in the yere of our lorde .viii. hundred .lxxx. .xv and the .xxiii. yere of Alurede then kynge of Englande ye shall vnderstand that the aboue named Robert erle of Angeow was as tutor and guyder vnto the forenamed kynges of Fraunce Lewys and Charlys and lastely was slayne of the Danys The whyche Robert left after hym .ii. sonnes Eudo and Robert whych Eudo for the great fame that he was of and also for y e great trouth that in hym was prouyd and knowen y e lordes of one assent chose hym to be kynge of the lande for the terme of his lyfe And as affermeth the french boke other he was crowned of walter then archebyshoppe of Senys Howe be yt this is somdele doutfull to be gyuen credence vnto for dyuers reasons that therunto myghte be made Mayster Gagwyne sayth that he hath sene some authoures that testyfye this forenamed Charlis the symple to be the lawfull son of Lewys Balbus and the foresayde Lewys and Charlis late kynges of Fraunce to be the bastarde sonnes of the sayde Lewys Balbus Then to folowe the mater thys Eudo in coÌ„syderacyon that the sayd Charlis the symple was insuffycyeÌ„t to guyde the lande he was putte vnder the guydyng of this sayd Eudo and he was made kynge in his stede The whyche myghtly defendyd the lande from all daunger of enymyes And ouer y t he caused the sayde Charlys the symple to be noryshed and broughte vp wyth moste dylygence so that he was informed exercysed wyth all vertues doctrine and other thynges necessarye vnto a prynces son And finally when this noble and vertuous knyghte Eudo knew y t he shulde dye he called before hym the lordes nobles of Fraunce y t whych he charched by solemne othe that after his deth they immedyatly shulde crowne Charlis for theyr kyng and dyed soone after when he hadde reygned as affermeth authours by the terme of .ix. yeres Anglia THE CLXXIX CHAPITER EDwarde surnamed the elder and son of Aluredus began his reygne ouer y e more part of England in y e yere of our lord .ix hundred one the .vii. yere of Eudo then kynge of Fraunce This was lower then hys father in letter and connynge but he was hygher in honoure worshyp By his fyrst wife he had a son named Ethelstane the whych was kynge after hym By his seconde wyfe he had two sonnes Edredus Edwynus vii doughters And of y e thyrd wyfe he receyued two sonnes Edmunde Edrede and two doughters Edburga and Edgina The fyrste of these .iii. wyfes hyght Edwyna the second hyght Edgina the thyrde was named Ethleeswyda Of y e forenamed .vii. doughters which he had by his second wife one named Alunda or Almyda was maryed to the fyrst Otto the emperour And a nother named Algina was maryed to Charlis the symple kyng of west FrauÌ„ce And the yoÌ„gest of his doughters as sayth Policronica he wedded vnto Lewys kyng of Guyan But therof speketh nothyng the frenche cronicle He set his sonnes to scole and his doughters he sette to woll worke takyng exemple of Charlis the conquestour By authoryte of Formosus the pope he made .vii. byshoppes in Enlande wherof he ordeyned .v. in west Saxon one in southe Saxon one in Mercia at Dorchester He also for that the munkes of wynchester sayd that his father Alurede walkyd caused hym to be remoued vnto the new abbay About the .v. yere of his reygne Clyto Ethelwaldus a nere kynnesman of his rebellyd agayn hym and occupyed y e towne of wymborne besydes Bathe toke thens by force nunne went thens vnto the Danys dwellyng in NorthuÌ„berlande excyted them to ryse agayn kyng Edwarde But the kynge pursued hym
reygne the Sarasyns entred the lande of Burgoyne wyth a grete armye and dyd mych harme in that duchy wherfore the kynge gaderynge his hoste met wyth them at a place called in latyne Carrolas and in French Callo the lasse where the Frenchmen were vyctours but nat wythout greate losse of theyr people Than it foloweth whanne thys Rauff had ruled the lande of FrauÌ„ce by y e space of .xii. yeres he dyed with out issue male And was buryed in the chyrche of saynte Calumb in the prouynce of Senys Anglia THE CLXXXIIII CHAPITER EThelstanÌ„ y e son of Edwarde the elder began hys reygne ouer the more part of Englande in y e yere of our lorde .ix. hundred .xxv and the thyrde yere of Rauff than kynge of Fraunce In the fyrst yere of the reygne of EthelstanÌ„ the holy chyld Dunstane was borne in the couÌ„tre of Glastenbury whose lyfe shone after wyth many myracles This was somtyme abbot of GlasteÌ„bury lastly archbyshop of Caunterbury whose holynes ê“phecyes are shewed at length in the .vi. chapyter of the .xvi. tytle of the worke called SinÌ„ Antonini and in the legende of the chyrche also In the seconde yere of the reygne of Ethelstane for an vnytye and a peace to be hadde betwene the kyng and the Danis of Northumberland he maryed to Sithyricê° theyr kyng his suster But after .v. yeres this Sithyricus dyed After whose deth he seasyd the countrey into hys owne hande and put oute the sonne of the foresayd Sythyricus And when he hadde thus accorded wyth the Danys of Northumberlande he shortly after made subiect to him CoÌ„stantyn kynge of Scottes But the sayd CoÌ„stantyne meked hym so lowely to the kynge that he restoryd hym to hys former dygnytye wherfore the sayd Constantyne sayde in prayse of the kynge that yt was more honour to make a kynge then to be a kynge whyche acte was done by the affyrmaunce of Polycronycon in the yere of grace .ix. hundred .xxvi which then after that saynge shuld be the seconde yere of the reygn of this Ethelstane It is testyfyed of Policronica that thys Ethelstane shuld marye one of his susters named Editha or Edyth vnto Otto the fyrst of that name emperour of Almayne and receyued from hym many precyous iewellys and relyques But of this speketh nothyng the cronicle of Romaynes Howe be yt yt is shewyd there that the foresayd Ottho or Otto had a wyfe named Alunda whych as before is sayde in the storye of Edward the elder myght be the doughter of the sayd Edward and of Edgina his seconde wyfe But Uincentius historialis sayth that Henry duke of Saxony whyche was father vnto the fyrste Otto sent vnto Ethelstane requyrynge of hym hys suster to mary vnto his sonne Otto By whych reason I maye folowe that this Ottho maryed the suster of Ethelstane but not Edythe Of these foresayde iewelles sent by Otto one was a precyouse vessell of stone called Onechynus whych was of suche clerenesse also so subtily craftely wrought that yt apperyd to mannes syght as grene corne hadde growen wythin yt and moued and waued as corne doth standyng in the felde More ouer in yt apperyd vynes burgenyng and berynge fruyte and men also to syght mouynge and styrynge He also receyued the great Constantynes sworde wherin was grauen wyth great letters of golde the name of the owner And the hyltes therof were coueryd wyth great plates of golde And one of the nayles was fastenyd to the crosse of the sayd sworde that Criste suffred with his passyon But in thys reporte or saynge Polycronycon varyeth from his former sayng were he reporteth two of the sayd nayles to be spent vppon the brydell of the sayde Constantyne and the thyrde nayle to be caste into a dauÌ„gerous swalowe of the see as before is rehersed in the .lxix. chapiter of thys worke He also receyued the spere of Charlys the gret whych after the opynyon of some wryters was the spere that Longeus opened wyth Crystes syde And the baner of saynte Morys a relyque of greate pryce wyth a part of the holy crosse and a parte of the crown of thorne of our sauyoure Of the whych iewellys kyng Ethelstane gaue a parte vnto saynte Swithunys of wynchester and some he gaue vnto y e abbay of Malmesbury I haue sene a cronycle of EnglaÌ„d which testyfyeth that this EthilstanÌ„ was y e fyrst kynge that euer was enoynted in this land All be yt I fynd therof lytell authorytye excepte that Guydo and other testyfyen that he was crowned at the kynges towne nowe called Kyngestone x. myles from London of Athelyne their archbyshoppe of Caunterbury But that proueth not or argueth hym to be the fyrste for that reason For ryghte so was his fader Edwarde crowned of Plemounde archbyshoppe of the sayde see But Guydo aforesayd affyrmeth that Alurede graund fader to thys Ethylstane was enoyntyd kyng by authoryte of Leo y e .v. then pope wherfore it agreeth better that he shulde be the fyrste Then yt foloweth in the story that aboute the .viii. yere of the reygne of thys Ethilstane dyed Frystane byshoppe of wynchester and Brystane was byshoppe after hym Of whom yt is radde that he sange euery daye masse for all Crysten soules And as the byshoppe Brystane went vppon a nyght about a chirch yerde and sayde hys deuocyons for all crysten soules and lastly sayde requiescant in pace he harde a voyce as yt hadde ben a great hoste of people saynge Amen Soone after Constantyne kynge of Scottes brake couenaunt wyth kynge Ethylstane wherfore he assembled his knyghtes and made towarde Scotlande And in hys way he tourned to saynte IohnÌ„ of Beuerley and offeryd there hys knyfe vppon the aulter sayenge that yf he retourned wyth vyctorye he shulde redeme hys knyfe wyth a noble pryce and that done proceded vppon hys iourney and in coÌ„clusyon scomfyted the Scottes and broughte theym agayne vnto dewe subieccyon And after accordynge to the promyse before made he retourned to yorke and so to the chyrche where the corps of saynt IohnÌ„ of Beuerley laye redemynge his knyfe worthely as he before hadde promysed In the .vi. chapyter of the .vi. boke of Polycronycon yt is remembred that kynge Ethilstane after this subduynge of the Scottes beyng wyth hys lordes and famylyers nere vnto the castell of Dunbar prayed to god and saynte IohnÌ„ yf Beuerley that in that countrey he myght leue some remembraunce or token that those that then were lyuynge and also suche as shulde come after myghte knowe that the Scottes by ryghte shulde be subiectes to Englyshmen And soone after wyth hys sworde he smote vppon a great stone standyng nere vnto the sayd castell with whyche stroke the stone was ryuen to an elle in length that in the tyme of Edwarde the thyrde was there remaynyng to be sene And whyther at this daye yt is so that I am in doute ye haue harde before that kynge Ethilstane after the deth of Sythericus kynge of Northumberlande seasyd
thy reward and guardon After whyche sentence thus gyuen by the kynge the sayde Hebert was by the executers ladde vnto an hylle wythout the citye of Laon̄ and there most shamefully hanged whych hyll for that cause was named Hebertes hyll longe tyme after About thys tyme the seconde duke of Normandy named wyllyam longa Spata y e son of Rollo or Robert fyrste duke of Normandy was slayne by treason of one Arnolde erle of Flaūdres for encheson that the sayd wyllyam ayded a noble man of Pycardy named Herloyn̄ agayne the sayde Arnolde This wyllyam left after hym a son named Richarde whych at the tyme of his fathers deth was not of suffycient age to rule so gret a dukedome wherfore Lewys kynge of Fraunce desyrous of that prouynce whyche of late dayes belonged to his antecessours and progenitours sought besyly the wayes and meanes to haue this chylde Rycharde vnder his tuycyon gydynge And this to brynge to effecte spedde hym vnto Roan̄ callynge there before hym the lordes and rulers of the countrey hauynge vnto them many plesaunt and fayre wordes in promysyng to them ayde and assystence to reuenge the deth of theyr lorde and duke and in the conclusyon desyred of them y t he myght haue the noryshynge and bryngyng vp of the chylde tyll he came to hys lawfull age whyche thynge thus by the kynge desyred the lordes anon coniectured in theyr myndes y t he desyred the kepyng of theyr yonge lord to y e ende y t he myghte y e more easely obteyne the possession of that dukedome For the whych the lordes and other of the cytye were in great rumour and grudge agayne the kynge wherof he beynge monyshed to appeace the multytude the kynge toke the chylde in his armes and so bare hym into the place of the assemble of the people there shewyd vnto theym wyth affyrmaunce of great othes that hys entent was onely for y e we le of the child and for defence of hys countrey and not to clayme any ryghte or tytle of the duchy excepte onely the homage therof whyche belongeth to hym by iuste tytle By meane of whyche fayre speche the kynge obteyned his purpose and caried the chyld with hym into Fraūce not forgetynge the vnkynde dealynge of the Normans when Arnolde erle of Flaūdres vnderstode that to the kynge of Fraūce the guydynge of y e yonge chyld was commytted ferynge y t he wyth power of the Normans wolde ronne vppon hym reuengynge of the chyldes fathers deth sent vnto the kyng x. pounde weyghte of golde wherof euery pounde cōteyneth .xii. ounces and euery oūce in value of fyne gold xl s so that after this rate his presente shulde be in value to y e summe of .ii. hundred .xl. pounde All be yt mayster Gagwyne sayth he sent vnto hym but .xl. marke besechyng him to be his good and gracyous lorde and not to gyue to hasty credence to hys accusours For he in suche wyse wolde declare hym selfe and delyuer vnto the kynge the murderers of duke wyllyam he meane wherof he shulde certaynly know that he was innocēte of the sayd dukes deth And ouer this he made a frende about the kynge whyche spake good wordes for hym put in the kynges mynde the great hurtes iniuryes that he and his progenytours hadde susteyned of the Danys or Normans By meane whereof this murdour was forgoten more and more the kyng malygned agayne the Normans and to the chylde he bare not so good mynde as some men thoughte that he wolde do Uppon a daye when the kyng was retourned from hys dysporte of huntynge a lyght cōplaynt was brouht to hym of the chylde Rycharde of an offence that he had commytted For the which he rebuked him otherwyse then was syttyng to his honour and called hym opprobryously and thretened hym greuously and after that caused hym to be kept more straytly then he before hadde vsed to be To this chylde Rycharde was assygned a mayster or teacher named Osmunde whyche Osmunde hadde a famylyer named Iuon̄ These two apperceyuynge the kynges indygnacyon that he bare towarde the chyld studyed for his enlargynge and lastly coūsaylyd hym that he shuld fayne hym self syke The whych was done in suche wyse that all suche as awayted vppon hym supposed hym to be very syke by reason wherof his kepers toke the lesse cure of hym wherof Osmunde beynge ware and also beynge sure of the kynge made a great trusse of herbes or grasse wherin he wrapped the chyld and so conueyed hym oute of the cytye of Laon̄ and there receyued hym an horse redy for the iourney so sped hym vnto Cosuy and delyueryd the chylde to the captayne of that town And from thēs he rode all nyght tyll he came vnto Senlys there shewed all hys doynge vnto y e erle of that coūtrey named Bernard which was nere kynnesman vnto y e yonge duke THE CLXXXVII CHAPITER BErnarde hauynge knowlege of the escape of his kynnesmā Rycharde sente in all haste vnto Hugh le graunde erle of Parys for to haue his ayde and assystence The whych without taryeng assēbled his knyghtes and conueyed the chylde from Cousy to Senlys or Saynlys to his neuewe Bernarde where he was receyued wyth mych ioye and honoure when Lewys was ascertayned of the scape of Rycharde and howe he was in the guydynge of Hughe the great or graunde anon he sent vnto hym gyuynge hym in commaundement that he shulde restore the chyld to hym The whyche excused hym and sayde that the chylde was in the kepynge of erle Bernarde and not in hys The kynge seynge how he was deluded sente for Arnolde or Arnulfe erle of Flaundres whyche at his cōmaundement counsayled the kynge to wynne Hugh le graūde with riche behestes or gyftes After whose counsayll worchynge kynge Lewys wylled the sayd Hugh to mete with hym at the crosse of Compeyn̄ where the sayd Hugh shortly after met with the kynge To whome the kynge promysed great parte of the duchy of Normandy wyth that that he wolde refuse the partye of the Normans and take his parte agayne them By meane of which promises this erle Hugh was ouercomē and agreed with the kynge to warre vppon one parte of the countrey whyle he warred vpon that other And forthwyth receyuyd an armye of the kynge and spedde hym to Bayon̄ made cruell warre vppon that countrey And kynge Lewys entryd vppon the prouynce of Caux and wasted and spoyled that Coste in all that he myghte whan Barnarde the Dane and also Barnarde erle of Senlys conceyued y e vntrouth of Hugh le graūt and also the greate hostes that they were beset wyth by theyr counsayles and other they sent vnto the kynge certayne messengers gyuynge them in commaundement to saye that in vayne the kynge hadde entred that countre with his armye for the citye of Roan and all the prouince was at hys commaundement Besechynge hym not to waste nor spoyle the coūtre but to ayde and helpe defende it agayne
Raynys whan he had reygned in great trouble .xxi. yeres leuynge for hys heyre a sonne named Lothayr Anglia THE CLXXXVIII CHAPITER EDmunde y e brother of EthelstanÌ„ and sonne of Edwarde the elder of Ethelwyda the thyrde wyfe of the sayd Edwarde begaÌ„ hys reygne ouer Englande in the yere of our lorde .ix. hundred and .xl and the .vii. yere of the .v. Lewys thaÌ„ kynge of Fraunce In the fyrste yere of hys reygne the Danys of Northumberland rebelled agayne hym And for to make theyr party the stroÌ„ger they sent for a prynce of Danys named Aulaffe than beynge in Irlande The which brought wyth hym an other prynce or ruler of Danys named Reygnald wyth a great hoste of Danys other strauÌ„ge nacyons and entred the foresayd countre and warred vppon the next borders in wastynge and spoylynge the inhabytauÌ„tes of the same wherof whan kyng Edmund was warned anone he assembled his people and sped hym toward y e countre and lastly faught wyth the two sayd prynces of the Danys or at the leest chaced them from towne to towne tyll he forsyd them wyth all theyr coÌ„pany of straunge nacyons to forsake vtterly that prouynce and bet down that countre of Cumberlande y t had mych fauoured and ayded the sayde enmyes agayne hym and toke therin greate prayes and deuyded them amoÌ„ges hys knyghtes And y e done other for the good seruyce that MalcolynÌ„ kynge of Scotlande hadde in thys vyage done vnto the kynge or for the trowth and allegyaunce that he in tyme folowyng shulde bere vnto hym or for bothe the kynge gaue there to the sayd MalcolynÌ„ the countre of Cumberlande and seased all y e resydue of the kyngdom or lordshyp of Northumberlande and ioyned it vnto hys owne kyngdome But yet y e Danys retorned agayn in the tyme of Edredus the nexte kynge as after shal be shewed so that as yet the fyne or ende of thys kyngdome is not accompted In thys Edmundus dayes the authour of Polycronyca sayth that whan Edmunde hadde ended hys iourney and set that countree in an order he toke wyth hym the bones of the holy abbot Colfrydus and of that holy abbesse Hylda brought theym vnto Glastenbury and there shryned theym This Colfryde was abbot of Bedas abbey or of the abbey of Gyrwye Hilda was abbesse of Stenshalt or whytby And as affermeth y e sayd authour both places ben in y e North partyes of England Thys kynge Edwarde had a noble woman to wyfe named Elgina of whom he receyued two sonnes named Edwyne and Edgar And as testyfyeth Henry archedekeÌ„ of Huntyngdon thys Edward had ofte warre wyth the Danes the whyche as he affermeth helde than many good townes in myddle England as LyncolnÌ„ NothinghmÌ„ Derby Stafforde Laycetour y e which by his knyghtly manhode he wanne from them And by the helpe of holy Dunstan he ameÌ„ded many thynges within his realm y t had beÌ„ loÌ„ge tyme misordered by meane of y e Danys Of the ende or fyne of thys Edmunde dyuers opynyons there be For Marianus the Scot sayth that whyle thys kynge Edmunde endeuered hym selfe to saue his sewer froÌ„ the dauÌ„ger of hys enemye that wold haue slayne hym at Pulkerchyrche the kynge in ryddynge of the fraye was wounded to the deth and dyed shortly after But wyllyam de regibus sayth that the kynge beynge at a feest at y e foresayd towne or place vppon the daye of saynte Augustyne espyed a felon syttyng in y e halle named Leof whych he before tyme for hys felony hadde exyled and lept ouer the table and plucked that thefe by the here of the hedde to the grounde In whych doynge the sayd felon wyth a knyfe wounded the kynge to the deth and also wyth the same knyfe wounded many other of the kynges seruauntes and at length was all to hewen dyed forthwyth If this be trewe it shulde seme that kynges at those dayes vsed not the honour that they nowe haue and exercyse But whych of these two meanes was vsed in the kynges deth by agreemeÌ„t of all wryters thys kynge dyed whan he had reygned .vi. yeres and more was buryed at Glastenbury the whyche before he hadde sumptuously repayred and lafte after hym two yonge sonnes as before is remembred Edwyne and Edgar But for they were to yonge to rule the lande therfore y e rule therof was coÌ„mytted to Edredê° theyr vncle brother to theyr fader THE CLXXXIX CHAPITER EDredus y e brother of EdmuÌ„de and sonne of Edwarde the elder and of Ethylswyda hys thyrde wyfe began his reygne ouer the realme of Englande in the yere of our lorde .ix. hundred and .lxvii and the xiii yere of the fyfte Lewys thaÌ„ kyng of Fraunce The whych as before is towched was admytted kyng by authoryte of hys barony For so myche as the two forenamed chylderne of Edmunde Edwyn and Edgar were thought to yonge and insuffycyent to take vpon them so great a charge The whyche Edrede was enoynted kynge of Oddo archbyshop of CauÌ„terbury in y e towne of Kyngestowne And soone after he warred vpon the Danys that then were reentred into Northumberland or after some wryters there dwellynge vnder trybute of the kynge subdued before of Edmunde hys brother and bette theym downe and caused theym to holde and obeye vnto theyr former couenauntes And the Scottes than began to varye which he also brought vnto due obedyence After a certayne terme y e Danys of Northumberlande whyche euer contynued full of gyle and dowblenesse not beyng content to holde the couenauÌ„tes before made promisses vnto Edredus the kynge called vnto theym theyr olde accessaryes and helpers and bereuyd from the kynges subiectes the cytye of yorke and other stronge townes and castelles to the great hurte of the couÌ„trey and vtter dyspleasure of the kynge wherfore he beynge therof aduertysed in goodly and conuenyent haste assembled hys people and spedde hym thyther and destroyed myche of the lande And in that fury brent the abbey of Rypon whyche the Danys kept for a fortresse and strength and wan from them myche of the strengthes that they to fore had woÌ„ne and broughte theym agayne vnder hys subieccyon when this kynge Edrede had thus spedde hys iourney and was retournynge into Englande nothynge suspectynge the sayde Danys a company of them by the excytyng of Hyrcus a kyng or prynce of the Danys theÌ„ folowyd the kinges hoste and on thys halfe yorke fyll vppon the kynges rerewarde and destroyed slew many a man For the whyche doyng the kynge was sore amoued tourned hys people agayne entendynge to haue destroyed y e countrey vtterly wherof the Danys beynge ware so lowely meked theym vnto hym gaue to hym suche gyftes that the kyng refrayned hym of the great yre that he had purposed to theym But amonges other articles y t he bounde them vnto one was that they shuld banyshe and vtterly refuse theyr fore sayde duke or kynge called Hyrcus whyche thynge with dyuers and many other graunted
partye of Edmunde gatte hym to an hyghe place where he myght be somwhat harde of y e hoste and spake in thys wyse Dayly we dye and no man hath the vyctorye For Edmunde may not be ouercome for his great strength and Canutus may not be ouercome for fauoure of Fortune what shall then be y e fruyte of thys cōtynuall stryfe None other but when the knyghtes ben all slayn on eyther partyes then the dukes compelled by nede shall accorde or ellys they shall fyght alone wythout knyghtes Then syn this shall be the ende why do they not one of these two If they accorde why is not this kyngedome suffycynt for twayne y t somtyme suffysed for .vii. If theyr couetyse of lordshyppes be so great y ◠eyther hath indygnacyon to take and haue parte wyth other or ellys that one to be vnder that other then lette them fyghte alone that woll be the lordes alone left If all mē fyght all men be slayne by meane wherof no men shall be left to be vnder theyr lordshyp or ledyng of dukes nor yet to defende the kynge agayne stronge enymyes or nacyons These wordes thus spoken were ryght wele alowed of both hostes For as affermeth myne author at this time a trewce was made betwen both prynces far a certayne tyme. After whych peace ended were yt by occasyon of these wordes or otherwise the sayde two dukes Edmunde and Canutus agreed to trye theyr quarelles betwene them two onely And for thys was assygned by theyr both agrementes a lytell yle called then Olney nere vnto Glouceter or after some wryters named Olenege bycleped wyth the water of Seuerne In whyche place at the daye appoynted the two chāpyons met wythoute company or assistence wythin y e sayd yle the hostes of bothe partyes standynge wythoute the yle and there abydynge the fortune of thys batayll There eyther proued other fyrste wyth sharpe speres and after wyth kene and cuttynge swordes what shall I of thys make lenger proces when eyther hadde other well proued and assayed by receyuynge of harde and sore strokes by the fyrste mocyon of Canutus as moste wryters testyfyen they lastely accorded and kyssed to gyther as louers to the great comforte of bothe hostes And shortely after by the aduyce of bothe theyr counsaylles condescended vppon partycyon of the lande whyche immedyately was done to bothe theyr agrementes and loued after as two bretherne duryng theyr naturall lyues But the serpent Idre of enuy and false conspyracye which euer burnyd in the harte of Edricus was kyndeled so sore that of pure force yt must breke out vpon a lyght flambe so what he myghte not accomplyshe by his owne persone he fulfylled by his sonne as testyfyen dyuerse authours For as affermeth Guydo this sonne of Edricus away tynge his tyme espyed when y e kyng was at the wyddraught to purge nature and wyth a spere strake hym into the foundement and so into the bodye wherof kynge Edmunde dyed shortly after at Oxen. The king thus beynge slayne anon Edricus thynkynge therby to be greatly exalted spedde hym in all haste vnto Canutus and saluted hym as kynge and shewed hym of thys treason onely for hys loue done when Canutus hadde well vnderstandyng of y e confessyon of Edricus he lyke a dyscrete and ryghtous prynce sayd vnto hym in thys wyse For thou haste Edricus for the loue thou berest vnto me slayne thyne naturall lorde whyche I moste loued I shall exalte thyne hed aboue al the lordes of England And forthwyth commaunded hym to be taken and hys hedde to be stryken of and pyght on a spere hedde and after sette vppon the higest gate of London But Marianus the Scot telleth that Edmunde dyed at London by naturall sekenesse about the feste of saynt Andrewe And the englyshe cronycle affermeth the forenamed treason but by a nother maner of doynge But howe so euer this noble prynce dyed trouth yt is after agrement of moste wryters y t he ended hys lyfe when he hadde reygned one yere more as myche as from the moneth of Iune vnto the ende of Nouember and was buryed at Glastenbury by hys graundfather Edgare Policronica sheweth in the .xviii. chapyter of hys .vi. boke that Canutus after the deth of Edmunde gave vnto Edricus the lordeshyppe of Mercia and by hys counsayll exyled the brother of Edmunde called the kynge of chorles and thorough his con̄sayle executed many cruell dedes Of this Edmūde remayned two sonnes that is to wyt Edmunde and Edwarde THE CCV CHAPITER CAnutus or Knougth after the Englyshe cronycle sonne of Swanus as before is touched and yonger brother as appereth by y e story folowynge began his domynyon alone ouer Englande in the yere of our lorde a thousande .xix and the xxi yere of Robert then kyng of Fraūce The whyche anon after the deth of Edmunde assembled a counsayll at London where among other thynges in that coūsayll debated a questyon was put whether in the composicyon made betwene Edmunde and Canutus any speciall remembraūce was made for the chyldren or brethern of Edmunde for any partycyon of any parte of the lande wherunto yt was answered of the lordes naye Affermyng farthermore wyth othe for the kynges pleasure that they to the vttermoste of theyr powers wolde put of that blood of Edmunde in all that they myght By reason of whyche answere promyse they thought many of them to haue standen in the great grace and fauoure of the kynge but yt turned all otherwyse For many of them or the more partye such as Canutus apperceyued knewe that they beforetyme were sworne to Edmunde and his heyres also were natyue Englishe men he mystrusted disdaned euer after In so myche that some he exyled some were slayn and some by goddes punyshement dyed sodaynly But amonge all Edricus wyth his sugred wordes contynued in the kynges fauoure as sayth Marianus before mynded By whose counsayll other he shortely after outlawed the foresayde brother of Edmunde surnamed kynge Charlis as before is touched But he afterwarde was reconcyled to the kynges fauour and lastely slayne of his owne seruaūtes Canutus also by the sayde counsayll sent the .ii. sonnes of Edmūde named as before is sayde Edmunde Edwarde vnto his brother Swanus then kynge of Denmarke to be slayne after the oppynyon of some wryters But he abhorrynge that dede sente theym to Salomon then kynge of Hungarye as wytnessyth Guydo and other where in processe of tyme Edmunde dyed and his brother Edwarde in tracte of tyme maryed Agatha the doughter of the .iiii. Henry then emperour of Almayne Of the whyche Edwarde and Agatha procedyd Margarete that after was quene of Scotlande and Crystyane that was a menchon and a sonne named Edgar and surnamed Ethelynge Thys Edwarde of the cronycles of England is named Edwarde the outlawe for so myche as he neuer returned into Englande as sayth the sayde englyshe cronycle after hys fyrste exyle Then to returne vnto Canus the whyche after some thynges
before is rehersed by y e terme of CC.lv. yeres THE CCX CHAPITER EDward the son of Egelredus of Emma hys last wyfe began his reygne ouer England in the yere of our lord M .xliii and the xiiii yere of Henry then kynge of Fraunce The whyche after the deth of Hardykinitus was sente for into Normandye and pledges layde for hym that he wythout fraude shulde be made kynge And then he came wyth a few straunges But as sayth Marianus some of the lordes had sent for Edwarde the outlaw son of Edmunde Ironsyde for to be theyr kynge But after the affyrmaunce of the said authour when he knew that Edwarde hys neuewe was in possessyon of the lande he wolde medle hym no farther Then thys Edwarde by the great aduyse of GoodwynÌ„ erle of west Saxon and of Leofricê° erle of Chester was crowned kyng at westmynster of Edsius then archbyshop of Caunterbury wedded in processe of time after Goditha the doughter of erle Goodwyne whych of Guydo is called Editha The whych he entreatyd in suche wyse y t he put her not from his bed nor yet delte wyth her fleshely whyther yt were for hate of her kynne or forloue of chastite y e trouth is not shewed But all wryters agreen that he coÌ„tynued his lyfe with outen offence wyth women This kyng discharged Engleshmen of y e great tribute called Dane gelt y t whych before is sundry tyme spoken of so y t after y e daye yt was no more gaderyd And also he subdued y e Brytons or walshmen that made warre wythin the bondes of y e land But after y t theyr duke or leder called Gryffyn or Gryffyth with ayde of y e Irysh men entred the ryuer of Seuerne toke many prayes and departed agayne wythout fyght In the tyme of the reygne of thys Edwarde Emma his moder was accused to be familyer with y e byshop of winchester UpoÌ„ which accusacioÌ„ by couÌ„sayll of erle GoodwynÌ„ he toke from her many of her iewellys caused her to be keptsomdele more straitly in the abbay of warwell and the byshop he coÌ„mytted to the examynacyon and correccyon of the clergye But his moder more sorowynge the defame of AlwynÌ„ the byshoppe then her awne estate wrote vnto dyuers byshoppes and besought them of iustyce affermynge y t she was redy to abyde all leful most sharpest triall Then dyuers of y e byshoppes made laboure to the kynge for her and for the byshop But Robert then archebyshop of Caunterbury beyng wyth theyr laboure dyscontended sayde to them in this maner My brethern bisshoppes sayd he how dare ye defende her that is a wyld beste and not a woman she hath defamed her own son the kynge and nempned her lecherours lemman goddes owne preste But be yt so that the woman wolde purge the preste who shall then purge the woman that is accused to be consentynge to the deth of her sonne Alphred and procured venym to the poysonyng of her son Edwarde But how so yt be that she be gylty or gyltlesse yf she woll go barefoted for her selfe .iiii. steppes for the byshop .v contynually vpon .ix. plough sharys brennynge and fyre hote then yf she escape harmelesse he shall be assoyled of this chalenge and she also Thys was of her graunted and the daye of purgacyon assygned At which day y e kyng grete part of his lordes were present but this Robert fayled were yt for pyte or otherwyse Thys Robert was a monke of an house in Normandy and came ouer by the sonde of the kynge and was fyrste made bysshoppe of London and after archbysshopppe of Caunterbury Then the nyght before Emma shulde make her purgacyon she went vnto the shryne of saynt Swythune at wynchester and there kneled all that night in prayer and receyued dyuyne coÌ„forte Upon the morne she was blyndefelde and ladde vnto the place betwene .ii. men where the iron laye glowynge hote and passed the .ix. sharys vnhurte Then at last she sayde Good lorde when shall I come to the place of my purgacyon when they opened her eyen and she sawe that she was paste the payne she kneled downe and thanked God and saynte Swythune Then the kynge repented hym and restored to her that he before hadde taken from her and asked of her forgyuenesse But the archebyshoppe of Caunterburye fledde into Normandye And thys Emma gaue then vnto the monastery of that holy confessour saynt Swythune .ix. maners and the bysshoppe other .ix. as affermeth Polycronica and other It was not long after that kyng Edwarde gaderyd a stronge nauye at SouthamptonÌ„ or more verely in the hauen of Sandwyche for so myche as he was warned that Swanus kynge of Denmarke entended to make warre vppon hym But Polycronycon sayth that he gadederyd thys nauy to wythstande Harolde Harfagar then kyng of North ganys that entended to haue entred Englande But he was letted by y e forenamed Swanê° y t shortely after made warre vpoÌ„ y e sayd Harold An other cronycle shewyth that the Danys and Norgayns whyche is to meane men of Norway were agreed to come ioyntly into England And whyle the kynge was shyppyng of his mne one brought forth a bole full of mede or meth to drynke vpon bon vyage And after that came bole after bole so that after drynke came dronkenes after iangelyng iangelynge tourned into stryfe stryfe tourned into fyghtynge where thorough many were slayne the other turned to theyr owne so that that iourney was lefte of But the legeÌ„de of hys lyfe in the chyrche telleth that he beynge at masse in the chyrche of westmynster vppon a whytsondaye in the tyme of the leuacyon of the sacrament he laught wherof the lordes beynge aboute hym meruayled greatly and after frayned of hym the cause wheruÌ„to he answered and sayde that the Danys wyth the Norwayes of one assente were purposed to haue comen into thys lande and here haue taken prayes But as the kynge of Danys shuld haue entred hys shyp he fyll into the see and was drowned so that I truste in my days they shall not nor none other straungers make any warre in this lande THE CCXI. CHAPITER IN the tyme of thys Edwarde fyll passynge great snowe the whyche began in the begynnynge of Ianuary and so contynued tyll the xvii daye of Marche or saynte Patrykes daye wherof the great quantyte fyll in the weste countreys of Englande And after that ensued great deth of men and moreyne of beftes and by lyghtnynge the corne vpon the ground that yere was wonderfull brent and wasted Aboute the .x. yere of Edwarde as moueth Policronyca and in the moneth of September Eustace erle of BolongnÌ„ came a lande at Douer whyche erle hadde wedded after the sayenge of the sayde authour kynge Edwardes syster Thys was parted frome hys companye in so secrete wyse that hys knyghtes were fayne to serche for hym wenynge to them that he hadde ben slayne by some of the dwellers of the towne In the
abode her people the whyche was deuyded and scateryd And in thys whyle she sente vnto Dauyd kynge of Scottes and her vncle for to ayde her the whyche in all haste came vnto her and so yode to wynchester where she layde syege to the byshoppes towre the whyche the kynges brother at that tyme helde wyth strength Then the quene wyth ayde of her frendes of Kentyshemen and other made a stronge hoste wherof was capytayne a knyght named Guyllyam de Pre. wheÌ„ the empresse harde of y e great strength of the quene and saw that her owne mynyshed rather then encreasyd she fled secretely and escaped vnto Glouceter And erle Robert her brother was taken soone after and put in pryson Then Dauyd kynge of Scottes herynge of thys returned into Scotland Then meanes was made vpon eyther syde for deliuery and exchaunge of the prysoners so that fynally yt was agreed that the kynge shulde be delyueryd for erle Robert But or thys agrement were concluded myche sorowe was wroughte wythin thys realme For the empresse pylled and spoyled on hyr partye and the quene by promyses and manaces borowed toke vppoÌ„ y e other syde the soudyours stale and extorcyoned vpoÌ„ both partyes so that riche men were made nedy and the poore were oppressed In thys meane whyle the empresse retourned agayne to Oxynforde vytayled and manned yt in her beste maner Then lastely the kyng was delyuered vpon holy Roode day in haruest and soon after he becleped Oxynford wyth a stronge syege from the tyme of Mychelmasse vnto the season of Crystemas at whyche tyme and season the empresse vsed a new gyle for constraynte and necessyte of vytayle In that tyme was great plente of snow fallen vppon the grounde and the frost was therwyth so great that Thamys wyth other great ryuers were then frosen ouer so that man horse myghte passe y e water vppoÌ„ the yse The empresse then constrayned of nede as before is sayd apparayled her and her companye in whyte clothynge whych a farre of apered lyke the snow and so vpon a plumpe goyng to gyther as nere as they myght escaped the daunger of theyr fone so came to walyngforde And thens in processe of tyme she wyth a small companye departed and retourned fynally into Normandye vnto her husbande So soon as the empresse was thus departed from Oxenforde the town was yelden vnto y e kynge where the kyng had mich of the empresse stuâ—â—e as wel harnes as other stuffe of housholde TheÌ„ he entendyd to haue pursued her But tydyngê° were brought vnto hym y t Ranulfe erle of Chester wyth an hoste of walshmen was commyng towarde hym But by medyacyon of frendes thys Ranulfe in the ende to the kynge was reconcyled and was wyth hym agreed About this tyme and season as yt is testyfyed of dyuerse authours the Iewes vpon Ester euyn crucyfyed a chylde named wyllyam in the cytye of Norwyche And in the tyme of Henry the second about y e .vi. yere of his reygn as sayth Policronicon they crucified an other at Glouceter In the .xxii. yere of his reygn kyng Stephan was agayne crowned at Lyncolne And soon after he toke froÌ„ Ranulphe erle of Chester the castell of Lyncolne Robert erle of Glouceter made also newe warre vppon the kynge had the better of the kynge at wyltone so that the kynge was lyke to haue fallen in Robertys dauÌ„ger But yet the kynge escaped wyth myche payne And there was taken a baron of the kynges named syr willyam Martel for whose delyuery the kynge gaue after to the sayde erle the castell of Shyrbourne And that done y t sayd erle Robert began to fouÌ„de a stronge castell at Faryngdone wherof the kynge beynge enfourmed assembled his knyghtes and sped hym thytherwarde by meane wherof the worke was for that tyme empeached let In the .xv. yere of the reygne of kynge Stephan the ryuer of Thamys was so strongely ouerfrosen that horse and carte passed ouer vppon the yse In the .xvi. yere Ranulphe erle of Chester dyed that was surnamed Gercyous and was the .iiii. erle after the conqueste and his sonne Hughe was erle after hym which was a maÌ„ of great strength and vertue And in the same yere as wytnessyth Guydo and other dyed Geffrey Plantagenet husband of Molde the empresse After whose deth Henry short mantell that was the son of the sayde Geffrey and Molde was made duke of Angeous Normandye The which in few yeres after maryed Elyanour the doughter of the erle of Poytow the whych Elyanour was before maryed vnto Lewys kynge of FrauÌ„ce and from hym deuorced for nerenes of blood when he hadde receyued of her .ii. doughters named Mary and Alys as wytnessyth the frenche cronycle And so this Henry was erle of Angeous by his fader duke of Normandy by his mother erle of Poytowse by his wyfe It was not longe after that Eustace the sonne of kynge Stephan wyth ayde of the Frenche kyng warred vppon Henry duke of Normandye the whyche after some wryters was ymagyned by Stephan his father to the entent to let or stop hym y t he shuld not come into England to clayme his enherytaunce But duke Henry defended hym so knyghtly y t the sayde Eustace wanne therby lytle honour or profyte An old cronycle sheweth that kyng Stephan entended to haue crowned the sayde Eustace his sonne kyng of Englande by his dayes but the bysshoppes of Englande refused y e dede by coÌ„maundement of the pope In the .xxvii. yere the kynge layd syege vnto the castelles of Newebery of walyngforde and of warwyke or warwell the whyche hadde ben kepte by the empresse frendes from the tyme of her departyng vnto that daye and hoped of rescous by Henry duke of Normandy But y e kynge then wan the castellys of Newebery and of warwell and walyngforde defended the holders tyl the coÌ„myng of Henry the duke The whyche in the ende of y e sayde yere wyth a great armye entred Englande and fyrste wanne the castell of Malmysburye And thens he yode to London and wanne the towre as myche by Polycy and by fayre ê“myse as by streÌ„gth And suche stuffe of vytayle and armoure as he fande therin he sent to walyngforde And that done he weÌ„t to the towne of walyngforde wan such holdes as were there about Then kyng Stepan wyth his power drewe towarde the duke and fynally by meane of medyatours as Thybaude archbyshoppe of CauÌ„terbury and other both prynces to comon of peace met nere vnto y e water of Uryn or Urn. But as fast as some laboured to haue peace so fast other laboured to haue warre so that at that communacacyon the peace was not concluded After the kynge and the duke were departed the kynge yode towarde Epyswyche in Suff. And the duke toke the way to Srewesbury where he wan the castell of the sayde town From thens the duke wente to Nothyngham and wan the towne wherfore the soldyours that helde the castell seynge that the
towne toke ê‘tye wyth the duke brake out vppon the nyght and fyred the town and brent a great parte therof In this while dyed and was drowned Eustace the sonne of kynge Stephan and was buried at Feuersham in Kent in the abbay that his father before had buylded Thybaude archbyshop of Caunterbury left not to labour conclude y e peace betwene y e kyng the duke endeuored hym selfe therin so dylygently wyth the assystence of other that in the yere folowynge the peace was coÌ„cluded vppon dyurese condycyons wherof one was that y e kyng shulde contynue as kynge durynge his lyfe and immedyatly after y e conclusion of this peace the sayd Henry shuld be proclaymed in all the chefe cytyes and townes of Englande for heyr apparant be kynge after the deth of the sayde Stephan and that the kynge shulde take hym for hys son of adopcyon and ryghtefull heyr vnto the crowne To the whyche couenauÌ„tes iustly to be holden y e kyng was fyrste sworne and after his lordes spyrytuall and temporall and so yode bothe to London where they were royally receyued And when y e kyng had fested the duke and gyuen to hym ryche gyftes he toke leue of the kynge and so returned into Normandye as affyrmeth the sayde authour the Floure of historyes Howe be yt the cronycle of England sayth that the accorde was made vpon dyuysyon of the lande betwene theym that is to meane that both shuld reygne to gyther and eyther of them to enioye halfe the lande But how that dyuysyon was made or whych parte of the lande eueryche of them shulde hold no meÌ„cion therof is made And the former accorde shuld be as abue is sayde concluded .viii. days folowynge the Epyphanye of our lorde in the towne of Oxenford And y e kyng dyed in the moneth of October folowyng when he had reygned .xviii. yeres full and odde monethes and was enterred in theforsayde abbay of Feuyrsham Of dyuers authours as Ranulfe and other yt is recorded that thys Stephan lyued in great vexacyon and trouble all the terme of hys reygne It is sayde also that thys Stephan maryed Molde or Mawde the doughter of Mary the whyche was the doughter of Henry the fyrst and countesse of Boloyne by whome he claymed the tytle to be crowned as by the yonger doughter of Henry the fyrst and Henry shorte mantell claymed by the elder But after most certenty of wryters this Stephan was sonne of Eustace erle of Boloyne and of Mary syster vnto Molde that was maryed vnto Henry the fyrste whych Molde and Mary were doughters of Margarete wife of Malcolyn kyng of Scottes whyche Margaret was syster to Edgare Ethelynge and doughter of Edwarde the outlawe that was the sonne of Edmunde Ironsyde Then the eldest syster Molde bare Molde the empresse by Henry the fyrste And Molde y e empresse doughter of Henry the fyrst hadde by her second husbande Geffrey Plantagenet Henry the seconde And so by Henry shorte mantell or Henry the seconde returneth the bloode of the Saxons to the crowne of Englande and so it dyd by Stephan but moste conuenyently by Henry the fyrst as by the dyssent of his mother By whych reason yt foloweth that the blood of willyam conquerour continued but .lxx. yeres yf it be accompted from y e fyrst yere of wyllyam Conquerour vnto the laste yere of Henry the fyrste Thys kynge Stephan at the request of Molde hys wyfe buylded in the yere of grace .xi. hundred .xl y e abbey of Coggeshale in Essex and set therin whyte muÌ„kes Also about the same tyme he founded the abbay of Feuersham in Kent where he nowe corporally resteth And the thyrde he founded in Furneys in Lancashyre and all he garnyshed wyth munkys of Cysteaux order dyed as before is sayde wythout yssue of his body Francia THE CCXXXIIII CHAPITER LEwys the .viii. of that name son of Lewys y e great began his reygn ouer the Frenche men in y e yere of our lord .xi. hundred .xxxvi y e fyrst yere of Stephan then kyng of Englande This also is called the yonger Lewys in whose begynnynge Iohannes de teÌ„poribus dyed Thys IohnÌ„ was somtyme a squyer in the house of Charlys the conquerour the whyche lyued ouer .iii. hundred yeres for whyche cause he was named IohnÌ„ of tyme as he y t myght remeÌ„ber thinges done of longe tyme passed This Lewys at y e tyme of his fathers deth was in the countrey of Guyan for to receyue the dower of his wyfe Elyanour as before in the storye and seconde chapyter of kyng Stephan is touched But when he harde of y e deth of his father he sped hym into FrauÌ„ce where after the necessaryes for the weale of his realme ordeyned he maryed his wyues syster named Alys vnto Arnolde erle of Uermendoze After whyche maryage solempnysed tydynges were broughte vnto hym that the crysten people beynge in the holy lande as warryours vppon the Turkes and Sarasyns were dystressed and ouerthrowen and dyuerse stronge holdes from them taken and wonne wherfore by the exhortacyon of that holy muÌ„ke Bernarde whych at this day is called saynt Bernard y e sayd Lewys wyth also Conradus the .iii. of that name then emperour of Almayne wyth Alphon then kynge of Spayne wyth dyuerse other nobles of Fraunce other prouynces toke vpon them the crosse and prouyded for the expedycyon of that iourney in the .iiii. yere of hys reygne after some wryters But of the takyng of hys iourney dyuers writers holde diuers oppinyons so that the doute resteth betwene the yere of our lord .xi. hundred .xl and the yere of .xi. hundred and .l. when all thynges were redy for that iourney the kynge the quene wyth the floure of the chyualry of FrauÌ„ce set forthwarde vppon that iourney and came in processe of tyme vnto Constantyn the noble where he met wyth Conradus the emperour and Alphons kynge of Spayne whom the prynce Emanuell then emperour of Constantyne the noble receyued ioyusly and made to theym by his outwarde contenaunce louynge and frendely chere and promised vnto theym ayde in that iourney bothe of vitayll and also for guydes for the nexte and surest waye But he contrary to his promyse dyd dysapoynte theym and nothynge ayded theym For he delyueryd vnto theym meale myngeled wyth lyme wherof grewe myche harme to the crysten hoste after And also he assygned vnto them suche guydes as brought them into places and couÌ„treys of sterylyte and other daunger so that hastely the Frenche kyng wyth great dyffyculte and losse of his men came vnto the citye of Danas and becleped yt with a stronge syege the whych he assauted and enpayred very sore and was lykely to haue wonne yt yf he had assauted y e place styll where he began But by counsayll of some false crysten men the whyche as wytnesseth Peter Dysroye and other had taken mede of the Turkes the kynge by theyr counsayll remoued the ordynaunce from the weker place vnto y
harte After thys he loste more dayly so that hys enymyes preuayled strongely agayne hym It is rede of hym that he shulde be at so great an after deale in thys warre that hastely he shuld put hym in the kynge of Fraunces mercy his honoure and hys crowne reserued But this is doutefull of credeÌ„ce For sure I am yf the Frenche kyng had suche auauntage of hym yt shulde not haue fallen throughe the boke but haue ben regystred in the moste auauntynge maner where as in the frenche cronycle is touched no word of lyke mater But trowth yt ys that fortune was to him contrary in such wyse that wyth or for anger and impacyence he fell into a feuer wherof he lastely dyed in the castell of Conomeus or of Chynon in Normandye in the moneth of Iuly when he had reygned .xxxiiii. yeres and .viii. monethes wyth oddes dayes and was buryed at Fount Ebrade wyth thys epytaphy vppon his tombe Sufficit hic tumulus cui non sufficerat orbis Res breuis est ampla cui fuit ampla breuis Rex Henricus eram mihi plurima regna subegi Multiplicique modo duxque comesque sui Cui satis ad votum non essent omnia terrae Climita terrae modo sufficit octo pedunâ— Qui legis haec pensa discrimina mortis in me Humanae speculum conditionis habe Quod petis instante operare bonum quia mundus Transit incaâ—tos mors inopina rapit The whyche versys are thus myche to meane in sentence ¶ Suffysyth nowe this graue to whom all erthly thynge Syffysyd not my mynde so hyghe was sette Tyme that was shorte my name wyde dyd sprynge whyche fame by deth is into shortenesse fette Kynge Henry was I called no man I thought my bette whose mynde sometyme all erth not suffysed viii fote of ground now hath my bodye comprysed Thou that thys redest the parell of deth and in me Thou mayste beholde the course of euery wyght That erthely is wherfore prouyde and se That thou well maye do shortely do yt and tyght Defer not the tyme for I ascertayne the ryght The world is transytory and vnwarely men taketh Cruell deth from whome non estate escapeth Gerardus CambrensÌ„ whyche in hys boke of dystynccyons sette oute the lyfe of thys Henry sayth dredefull yt is to allege agayne hym that maye putte a man oute of lande and to descrybe hym wyth many wordes that may exyle a man wyth one worde wherfore yt were a notable dede to tell the sothe of a prynces dedys and offende the prynce in no meane But yet when the prynce ys passed and gone then men wyll talke without fere that before tyme they spared for fere Then to folow the sooth this kyng Henry noryshed stryfe amonge hys chyldern wyth all dylygeÌ„ce hopyng therby to lyue hym selfe in the more reste when men wolde aske of hym when he wolde leue his great dedes he vsed to answere that the worlde shulde fayle or a courageouse harte shulde sease of great dedes He was pereles in chyualry in warre and in lecherye He wedded Elyanoure wyfe of Lewys kynge of Fraunce contrary to the commaundement of hys father For he hadde shewed to hym that he hadde lyen by her when he was the sayde kynges stewarde He reygned .xxvi. yeres somdeale to hys wordely blysse and foure yeres somwhat to hys payne but the laste fyue yeres to hys great troweble and sorow Farthermore the sayd Gerarde descryueth the progenye of thys Henry whyche I ouer passe because yt is so common Rycharde hys sonne wolde often tell that wonder and vsed to saye no meruayle though they greued the peple that were comon of such kynd For of y e deuyll they came and to the dyuyll they shall It ys also redde of thys Henry that in a chaumber at wyndesore he caused to be paynted an egle wyth foure byrdes wherof thre of theym all rased the bodye of the olde egle and the fourth was cratchynge at the olde eglys eyen when the questyon was asked of hym what thyng that pycture shuld sygnyfye yt was answered by hym thys olde egle sayde he is my selfe and these .iiii. eglys betoken my foure sonnes the whyche sease not to pursue my deth And specyally my yongeste sonne IohnÌ„ whyche nowe I loue moste shall most specyally awayte and imagen my deth Francia THE CCXLI. CHAPITER PHylyp the seconde of that name surnamed Dyeu done or gyueÌ„ of god and sonne vnto y e viii Lewys beganne to reygne ouer the realme of Fraunce in the yere of our lorde .xi. hundred and .lxxix and the .xxiii. yere of Henry the seconde than kynge of Englonde whyche sayde Phylyppe reygned somwhat of tyme by the lyfe of hys father which tyme is accompted vnto the reygne of hys father Thys in the fyrst yere of hys reygne for the great enormytyes that the Iewes vsed wythin the realme of Fraunce as crucyfyenge of chyldren and exercysynge of theyr detestable vsery he after due profe made put the malefactours to dethe and the other in auoydynge more daunger he exyled and put clere out of hys realme This Phylyp also as before in the story of Henry the seconde is towched excyted the sonnes of the sayde Henry to make warre vppon theyr father by whyche meane thys Phylyppe gate many holdes and townes from the sayde Henry wythin hys duchy of Guyon But after the deth of Henry thys Phylyppe gaue ouer all the sayde holdes and townes vnto Rycharde the eldeste sonne of the sayde Henry and receyued of hym homage for the same And as wytnessyth the French cronycle the sayd Rychard in token of obedyence was present at the coronacion of the sayd Phylyppe But ye shall vnderstande that than he was not kynge of Englande .x. yeres after But yf yt so were that he were present at the sayd coronacyon yet was he duke of Guyon onely Aboute the thyrde yere of hys reygne Eraclius patryarke of Hierusalem came into Fraunce and requyred ayde of thys kynge Phylyppe to wythstande the furye and persecucyon whyche Saladyne prynce of Turkes hadde excuted and dayly contynued in the countrey of Palestina agayne the Cristen to the great destruccyon of theym and vndoyng of the countrey and great ieoperdye of the losynge of the holy cytye of Hierusalem For thys the kynge assembled a great counsayll at hys cytye of Parys where the sayde Eraclius made requeste to the kynge as before he hadde done to Henry the seconde For he was in Fraunce in the yere of our lorde .xi. hundred .lxxx. and two and in Englande he was in the yere of grace .xi. hundred .lxxx. and .vii. After whyche counsayll there so holden yt was agreed that the kynge wyth ayde of the byshoppes and other of the spyrytualtye shulde ayde the sayde patryarke the whyche where sette forthe in all possyble haste But after the reporte of Peter Dysroye whyche made a recule or lytle boke of the wynnynge and losyng of Hierusalem they with mo crysten prynces were dryuen by tempeste of the
of our lord M.iiii C. .xxii and y e fyrst yere of Charles the .vii. or viii y e thaÌ„ne amonge the FrenchemeÌ„ was allowed for kyng and reygned yeres .xxxix. folio clxxix Henry of Derby wyth other landed at RaueÌ„spore as is shewed fo cli Henry the fyfte foresayd sayled into Fraunce loke in fo clxxii Henry Derby forenamed and of hys issue is shewed fo cxliiii Henry the .iiii. aforesayd maryed the duchesse of Brytayne fo clxvi Heresye of IohnÌ„ wyclyf apereth folio cxlvii Heretykes taken in saynt Gyles feld and after brent fo clxxi Homage done by lordes of Almayne to Rycharde erle of Cornewayll brother to kyng Henry the thyrde folio xxxviii Homage done by the kyng of Scottes to kyng E. the .iii. fo lxxxix Hughe holy bysshoppe of Lyncolne dyed fo xi IohnÌ„ brother to Rycharde the fyrste was ordeyned kynge of Englande in the moneth of Apryll yere of our lord M.C.xcix the .xx. yere of the second Phylyp than kyng of Fraunce and reygned yere .xvii. The interdiccion of thys lande begaÌ„ in the .vi. yere of thys kynge endured tyll the .xiii. yere Henry the sonne of Alwyn in the .x. yere of thys kynge was admytted for the fyrste mayre of LoÌ„doÌ„ And in the sayd .x. yere of king IohnÌ„ London brydge was begon to be made of stone fo x IohnÌ„ the fyrst in Fraunce of that name sonne of Phylyp de Ualoys began hys reygne ouer the lande of Fraunce in the moneth of August yere of our lord M.iii. C. .l and the xxxiiii yere of y e thyrd Edward kyng of England reygned yeres xiiii Thys kynge was taken prysoner of Edwarde the prynce of Englande at the batayll of Poytyers in FrauÌ„ce folio cxxiii Iaphet was gotten by kynge Rychard fo v Iakys de Artyuyle fauoured the Englysshe partye fo xciii Iacke Strawe wyll waw made an insurreccyon fo cxlii Iacke Sharpe was taken and putt to deth folio clxxxv Iacke Cade and hys felowes folio cxcvi Iacke Cade wroughte moche of hys wyll in London after robbed so slayne fo cxcvii Iewes were banysshed thys lande folio lx Iewes were spoyled slayne fo clv. IohnÌ„ brother of kyng Rychard was prowd fo iii IohnÌ„ reconcyled to hys brother apereth in fo viii IohnÌ„ duke of Lancaster dyed as is shewed fo c.l. IohnÌ„ duke of Bedforde dyed folio clxxxviii Inquysycyons were made vpon the rulers of London as is shewed in folio xxix Iordan of the I le of Gascoyne grewe out of kynde fo lxxxv Inglysshe lordes wanne fyrst vppon Frenchmen fo xcviii Inglysshe soudyours slayne vnder safe conduyt fo cxxii Itenerarii plees were holden in South werke fo xxxi Ile of Ely holdeth banysshed men folio xlii Ile of Rodes fyrst wonne fo lxxv Isabell late wyfe vnto kynge Rycharde was maryed to the eldest sonÌ„ of the duke of Orleaunce fo clx Issue dyssent of syr Roger Mortymer fo cxliiii Iustyces or iuges punysshed fo lx Iustes holden in Smythfelde folio cxliiii KInge IohnÌ„ and hys laÌ„de was enterdyted fo x Kynge IohnÌ„ was reconcyled to the churche fo xvi Kyng Henry the .iii. sayled into Normandy fo xxiiii Kynge Henry the .iii. in proper ê‘sone sat in iugement fo xxix Kynge IohnÌ„s fury serche in fo xiiii Kynge IohnÌ„ of Fraunce was taken prysoner folio ciii Kyng IohnÌ„ was delyuered fo cvii Kyng IohnÌ„ dyed in Englande folio cviii Kyng Rychard sought many prouysyons folio iiii Kynge Rycharde sayled into y e holy lande folio iiii Kynge Rychard was takeÌ„ prysoner folio vi Kyng Rychard was delyuered folio vii Hynge Rycharde sayled into Normandy folio ix Kynge Rycharde assayled the castell of Gysors folio x Kynge Rycharde was slayne fo x Kynge Henry the thyrd frayneth couÌ„sayll of the mayre folio xxxiiii Kynge Henry sayled into Fraunce to be presente at the Frenche kynges parlyament folio xxxv Kynge Henry was taken of hys barons folio xxxvii Kynge Henry layd hys syege to London as it is shewed folio xliii Kynge Henry chosed shyrefes folio xliii Kynge Lowys toke vppon hym the crosse folio xlviii Kynge Edwarde the fyrst buylde castelles in walys folio lviii Kynge Edwarde sayled into FrauÌ„ce folio lix Kynge Edwarde the .ii. was taken also resygned the crowne fo lxxxii Kynge Edward the .iii. came secretly to London folio xcvi Kynge Edwarde warred sharply in Fraunce folio xcvii Kynge Edwarde chased the Spanyardes from the see fo ci Kynge Edwarde yode into Scotlande fo cii Kynge of Scottes was delyuered folio ciiii Kynge Edward spedde hym toward Parys fo cv Kynge of Nauerne was sodaynly taken as it is shewed fo cxxiii Kynge of Nauerne was set at large folio cxxvii Kynge Edwarde warred newly in Fraunce fo cxxxv Kynge Iohan was receyued into Fraunce fo cxxxv Kynge of Nauerne became feodory vnto the French kynge fo cxxxvi Kynge of Ermonye asked ayde of kynge Rycharde the .ii. fo cxliii Kyng Rychard ayded the Ianuayes folio cxlv Kyng Rychard maryed the Frenche kynges doughter fo cxlvii Kyng Richard sayled into Irelande folio cli Kyng Richarde was myserably put to dethe fo clxv Kyng Henry the .iiii. maryed the duchesse of Brytayne fo clx Kyng Henry the .v. sayled into Normandy fo clxxiii Kynge Henry maryed the Frenche kynges doughter fo clxxv Kynge Henry was receyued into LoÌ„don fo clxxvi Kyng Henry and hys wyfe sat crowned in Parys fo clxxvii Kyng Henry the .vi. shewed hys vertue beholde fo clxxix Kyng Henry was dubbed knyghte folio clxxxii Kinge HeÌ„ry was crowned fo clxxxiii Kynge Henry was crowned at Parys fo clxxxv Kynge of Scottes was murdered folio cxc Kyng HeÌ„ry the .vi. was taken fo ccv Kyng Edward the .iiii. was receyued into London fo ccvii Kynge Edwarde ayded the duke of Burgoyne fo ccxiii Kyng Edwarde spoused dame Elizabeth Graye fo ccxvi Kynge Edwarde fledde thys lande folio ccxviii Kynge Henry was taken oute of the towre fo ccxviii Kynge Edwarde was proclaymed vsurper fo ccxix Kynge Edwarde landed at Rauynspore fo ccxix Kynge Edwarde repossessed as apereth folio ccxx Kyng HeÌ„ry the .vi. dyed in the towre of London fo ccxx Kyng Edwardes chyldren were takeÌ„ out of seyntwary fo ccxxiiii LAzars of Languedok were brent fo lxxxiiii Letter sente by the barons to kynge Henry fo xxxvii Lewelyn prynce of walys rebelled folio lvi Lewelyn was slayne as appereth folio lvii Letter takked vpoÌ„ the crosse in chepe folio lxxxi Lordes assemble at Arundell as apereth folio cxlix Lordes put to deth fo clxxii Lordes fledde from Lodlowe feelde folio cciii Lordes proclaymed traytours as is shewed folio cciiii Lordes came to London fo cciiii Lordes of Fraunce warre vpoÌ„ theyr kynge fo ccx Lordes contynue theyr malyce as is shewed fo ccxi Lordes dyscorde wythin them selfe folio ccxii Lorde Morley appeled the erle of Salysbury as it is shewed in folio clxv Lorde Straunge and syr Iohanne Trussell fyghte in the churche for cause
Punysshement for murdre as appereth folio lviii Parlyament holden at westmynster folio lix Parlyament holden at London as apereth folio lxxv Peace concluded betwene Fraunce Flaundres fo lxxiii Parlyament holden at London as apereth fo lxxxviii Parlyament holden at westmynster as is shewed in fo xci Parlyament holden at NorthamptoÌ„ as is shewed folio xli Parlyament holdeÌ„ at yorke fo lxxix Parlyament holden at Northampton as appereth in fo lxxxvii Parlyament holden at Salysbury as appereth in folio lxxxvii Parlyament holden at Burye as is shewed folio cxciiii Parlyament holden at Couentre beholde in folio cciiii Parlyament holden at Leyceter as is shewed folio clxxi Parlyament holden at Leyceter called Battys as is shewed fo clxxxii Paulys steple sette on fyre fo cxciii Pagentes and other ordenaunces made by LoÌ„doners for the receyuyng of the kynge fo clxxxv Parys was loste by treason as it is shewed fo clxii Peace concluded betwene the regent and the kyng of Nauerne fo cxxxv Peter kynge of Castyle was beheded as is shewed in fo cxi Peryn was draweÌ„ out of the church and hanged as is shewed fo cxxix Plees put in exercyse for the countre of Arthoys folio cxvii Plees remoued frome London to yorke as is shewed in fo cxlvi Pryde of the Frenche kynge as it is shewed in fo lxxiii Prynce Edwarde maryed the erle of Henawdes doughter fo lxxxi QUene hythe was fyrste let to ferme to the cytesyns of London as appereth fo xxvi Quest passed betwene the abbot of westmynster and the cytye of LondoÌ„ as is shewed in fo xxxv Quene of Englande sayled into Fraunce for cause fo lxxxi Quene of Englande was proclaymed enemye fo lxxxi Quene foresayd landed in England by strength fo lxxxi Quene Anne was speciall good lady to the cytye of London fo cxlvi Quene Anne dyed fo cxlvii Quene Margarete was receyued of the Londoners fo cxciii Quene Margarete made a voyage into Englande fo ccxv Quene Margaret was taken as is shewed in fo ccxx RIcharde the fyrst of that name and sonne of HeÌ„ry the second began to reygne in Englande in the yere of our lorde M.C.xci the .xi. yere of the second Phylyp reygned yeres wyth odde monethes .x. In the fyrste yere of thys kynge the cytye of London was commytted to the rule of two baylyfes whyche so coÌ„tynued tyll the .x. yere of kyng IohnÌ„ as it is shewed in fo iii Rycharde the .ii. of that name sonnÌ„ of prynce Edwarde sonnÌ„ of Edward the .iii began hys reygne ouer Englande the .xii. daye of Iuny in y e yere of our lord M.iii. C.lxxvii the .xiii yere of the .v. Charles than kynge of Fraunce and reygned yeres .xxii. folio cxlii Rycharde the .iii. of that name brother vnto Edwarde the .iiii. beynge duke of Glouceter and protectour of England began to vsurpe the .xxvi. daye of Iuny in the yere of our lord M.iiii C.lxxxiii yere of Lowis thaÌ„ kyng of Fraunce and so contynued yeres .ii. full as moche as from the xx day of Iuny to the .xxii. day of August by dayes .lvii. fo ccxxv Ranulphe erle of Chester and of hys doughters fo xxi Rayne excedyng fo lxxvii Resygnacyon of the duchye of Normandy folio xxxii Resygnacyon of kynge Rycharde folio clii Resygnacyon shewed in the parlyament folio cliii Robert Knollys knyghte and of hys feates folio ciiii Robert Knollys toke saynt Omiers and other holdes fo cxi SAuoye a place of honoure in London was brent by the coÌ„mons folio cxlii Saynt mary Oueryes in Southwerke was fyrste bylded fo xv SaiÌ„t Stephyns chapell of westmynster begonne fo cix Syege layde to saynte Omyers folio xciiii Syege layde to AmyaÌ„s fo cxxxiiii Scottysshe kynge dyd homage to kyng IohnÌ„ fo xi Scottes brekyng theyr othe fo lxiii Scottes were subdued fo lxiii Scottes had peace to theyr aduauntage fo lxxxvii Scottes were agayne ouerturned folio lxxxviii Scotisshe kynge taken prysoner folio cii Spensers were banysshed fo lxxviii Spensers bothe the father and the some were put to deth fo lxxxii SoÌ„ne was turned to the coloure of blode folio lxxx TAnner a vyllayne surmysed hym heyre to the crowne of Englande fo lxxvi Table of syluer was gyuen to kyng Rychard fo cxlvii Templers knyghtes of religyoÌ„ were dystroyed fo lxxâ—ii The sentence agayne kynge Iohan was denounced fo xiii The wardys of London were cessed folio xcii Thre fyftenes were graunted at one tyme. folio cxi Tytle or ryghte whyche the kyng of Englande hath vnto ScotlaÌ„de se in folio lxii Tytle of Edwarde the thyrde whych he hadde to the crowne of Fraunce folio cxvi Tytle of the duke of Glouceter had to the crowne was shewed at Paules crosse fo ccxxiiii WArdes and churches wythin LoÌ„don fo ii Uaryaunce began betwene the pope and kyng IohnÌ„ fo xii Uaryaunce betwene LondoÌ„ North ampton fo xxxiii warre betwene the kynge of EnglaÌ„d and of Fraunce fo xiii warre was concluded betwene the sayd landes fo cxxxiiii warre betwene kynge IohnÌ„ and hys lordes fo xvii warre was made in Normandy as appereth fo lxii warre made in Guyan wyth fortune therof fo lxxx warre betwene the Frenche kynge the kynge of Nauerne fo cxxiii warde and maryage of heyres was graunted to the kynge fo xx wyllyam walworthe slewe Iacke Strawe folio cxlii Usurers were punysshed as it appereth folio cxxi ☞ Here endeth the seconde Table THE PROLOGE NOw for as mych as we be comen to the tyme that officers were chosen and chargyd wyth the rule of the cytye of London yt is necessary that here we do shewe what offycers they were of the name that to them was admitted ad gyuen Then ye shall vnderstand that at the commynge of wyllyam coÌ„querour into thys lande as euydently apperyth by the charter of hym to the cytezens of London graunted that before those dayes and then the rulers of the sayde cytezens were named Port greuys whyche worde ys diriuate or made of .ii. saxon wordes as port and greue Port is to meane a town and greue is ment for a gardyen or ruler as who wolde meane gardeyn ruler or keper of the town These of olde tyme wyth the lawes and customys then vsyd within thys cytye were regystred in a boke called the Domysday in Saxon tunge then vsed But in later dayes when the sayde lawes and customes alteryd and chaunged and for consyderacyon also that the sayde boke was of small hande and sore defacyd yt was the lesse set by so that yt was enbefelyd or loste so that the remembraunce of suche rulers as were before the dayes of thys Rycharde the fyrst whose story shall next ensue are loste and forgoten wherfore nowe I shall begynne at the fyrste yere of the sayde fyrste Rycharde the whyche of some wryters is surnamed Cure de Lyon and so contynew the names of all offycers as well baylyuys mayres and shryues tyll the laste yeres of Rycharde the thyrde
that in y e sayd octaues shulde a parlyament be holdyn at westmynster At whyche daye the kyng wyth his lordes spyrytuall and temporall and commons of hys lande beganne his forsayde parlyament Durynge the whyche yt was there shewed the kynge beynge present that he nor syr Edward his son nor none of theym shulde after that daye greue or cause to be greuyd the erles of Leyceter and of Glouceter y e Barons Banerettes or knyghtes the citesyns of London and Barons of the .v. portes nor none other ê‘sons or persones of hyghe or low degree that was vpon the partye of the sayd erles for any mater of dyspleasure done agayne the kynge and the sayd syr Edwarde his sonne at any tyme before that day And that to vphold the kynge before hys lordes was sworne And after that was shewed and rad a charter of pardon concernynge the sayde cause and a confyrmacyon of the statutes of the foreste wyth many other actes and statutes before graunted of the kynge Then in the feaste of saynt Gregory folowynge or the .xii. daye of Marche syr Edwarde the kynges son y t beforne was also sworn to performe such promyses as the kyng had made before in the parliament was delyueryd at lyberte also syr Henry the kynges son of Almayne the whych had ben kept as pledge as ye before haue harde vppon the terme of .ix. monethes odde dayes vpon assurauÌ„ce made that y e sayd syr Edwarde shuld dwel and abyde in the kynges courte and not to departe from thens wythoute lycence of the kyng and of a certayne of the Barons After this many instrumentes bandes were made by the kynge and syr Edwarde his son for the performaunce of couenaunts paccyons made betwene the kynge and the Barons whyche shortly after came to small effecte In the season betwene Easter and Penthecoste for orderynge of the aforesaid statutes made at Oxenford fell deffencyon betwene the erles of Leyceter of Glouceter so that wordes of dyspleasure was vtteryd betweene them the kynge and they also beynge then at Glouceter Then the kynge and his Barons had laboure to set theym at vnyte and reste And vppon the see the Barons of the .v. portes robbed and spoyled all men that they myght take sparynge nother Englyshe marchauntes nor other Of whych prayes as y e coÌ„mon fame then went some of the Barons of the lande hadde good parte In the whytson weke folowynge y e kynge wyth the erle of Leyceter and syr Edwarde hys sonne wyth many other lordes beynge at Herforde in y e edge of walys the sayd syr Edward secretly and wythout lycence departed from the courte and yode vnto Chester where he accoÌ„panyed to him the erle of Glouceter and y e lordes of the Marches the erle of wareÌ„ne syr Roger Mortymer and other from thens went vnto Glouceter breking the brydges as he went to the entent that he were not folowed tyll he had assembled his power when knowlege of thys came vnto the erle of Leyceter he in al hast sent vnto syr SymoÌ„de his son y t he shuld gather his knyghtes vnto hym The which accordyng to y e coÌ„maundemeÌ„t assembled vnto hym myche people with them drew toward wynchester so that he came before the cytye vppon the euyn of the translacyon of saynte Swythyn or the .xiiii. daye of the moneth of Iulye where he was shyt out for so mych as the cytesyns knewe not whyther he came as the kynges frende or not And also lytell before they hadde receyued a letter from syr Edwarde wyllynge theym to holde theym out of the cytye For these causes the citesyns closed theyr gates agayn the sayd syr Symonde and hys companye But yt was not longe or the cytye was yelden Then they spoyled the town and slewe the more partye of the Iewes that dwellyd wythin the same And that done layd syege vnto the castell and assauted it But for tydynges were fayned of the coÌ„mynge of syr Edwarde with hys power they departyd shortely thens and so yode vnto Kenelworth Uppon the laste daye of Iuly syr Edwarde wyth hys hoste came vnto Kenelworth foresaid and fyll sodaynly vppon the hoste of the forenamed syr Symonde and wyth shedynge of lytell blood toke there prysoners the erle of Oxenforde wyllyam de mount Canyse Adam de Newmarket syr Balwyne wake and Hughe Neuyle wyth dyuers other and syr Symonde fledde into the castell and so escaped Then these forenamed prysoners were all sent vnto Glouceter and there putte in suer kepynge In this meane whyle syr Symonde erle of Leyceter toke leue of the kynge whyche then from Herforde passed the ryuer of Seuerne and so yode vnto worceter And y e erle with great payne passed the brydges before by syr Edwarde broken and passed the couÌ„treys in gaderynge of people as he went so y t in processe he had wyth hym stronge power wherof herynge syr Edwarde costed towarde hym and the .vi. daye of August met wyth hym at Euysham in worceter shyre where betwene theym was foughten a cruell fyght In y t whych at length was slayn the sayd syr Symonde and syr Henry his sonne and heyre syr Hughele Spenser syr Peter de Mountforde and many other noble men that helde vppon the Barons partye After whych scomfyture some malycyous dysposed persons in despyte of the erle cut of his hode his dimyssaryes and fastyned them vppon eyther syde of hys nose and after made a present therof vnto the wyfe of syr Roger Mortymer Hys fete also and his handes were cut from the body and sente to sondry places and the trunke of hys bodye buryed wythin the chyrch of Euysham Of this erle speketh Ranulphe muÌ„ke of Chester in his boke of Policronycon and calleth hym Symon the ryght wise sayynge that god wrought for hym myracles after his deth the whyche forfere of the kynge and syr Edwarde his sonne were kept close and secret so that no man durste speke of them Soone after this victory thus obteyned by syr Edward y e kyng he met by whose authorytyes all prysoners theÌ„ which were in hold in dyuers places by y â— coÌ„maundemeÌ„t of y e sayd syr Edward were set at lybertie many other dayly accused set in for them And about the natyuyte of our lady a parliameÌ„t was holdeÌ„ at winchester where by authoryte of y e same all statutes ordinauÌ„ces before made by y e Barons at Oxenforde in the .xli. yere of y e kyng were vtterly fordone set at nought and all bondes wrytynges made by the kyng or any other for the obseruynge of the same were cancellyd and broken Also at thys couÌ„sayll was ordeyned that all such as had fauoured the Barons were they in pryson or at large shulde be disherited And then y e kyng resumed into his hande all grauntes before made and gyuen to any person And for syr Symounde de Mountforde myght not agree wyth the kynge at the parlyament he was restored to the castel of Kenelworth as he
kepe the lande to hys vse tyll he were crowned And that othe by the sayd barons takē he called before hym hys sonne Edwarde and charged hym with dyuers poyntes vpon the charge of his blessynge Amonge the whyche one specyall was y t he shuld neuer after that daye suffre Pyers of Gaueston to retourne into Englande so lyke a good crysten prynce dyed shortly after vpon the day of the translaciō of saynt Thomas of Caunterbury or y e vii day of the moneth of Iulii whan he had reygned .xxxiiii. yeres vii moneths odde days after with great solēpnite cōueyed vnto westmynster there buryed in y e chapell of saīt Edwarde vpō the southsyde in a playne tombe of marble at the hed of hys father This noble mā had .ii. wyfes by the whych as before is shewed in the xx .xxvii. yeres of his reygne he had issue as in the sayd yeres appereth Of thys noble prīce a vercifyer made these .ii. verses folowynge Dū viuit rex valuit sua magna potestas Fraus latuit pax magna fuit regnauit honestas whych verses maye be englysshed in thys maner folowynge ¶ whyle lyued thys kyng By hys power all thynge was in good plyght For gyle was hydde Great peace was kydde And honeste had myghte An other vercifyer also of him made these verses folowynge and caused them to be hanged ouer the place of hys sepulture Mors est mesta nimis magnos quia iungit in imis Maxima mors minimis cōiungēs vltima primis Nullus in orbe fuit homo viuens ne valet esse Qui non morte ruit est hinc exit necesse Nobilis fortis tibi tu confidere noli Omnia sunt mortis sibi subdit singula soli De mundi medio magnum mors impia nouit Anglia pre tedio satis anxïa plangere nouit Corruit Edwardus vario veneratus honore Rex nuper nardus fragans virtutis odore Corde leopardus inuictus absque pauore Ad rixam tardus discretus eucharis ore Viribus armorum quasi gigas ardua gessit Colla superborum prudens per prelia pressit Inter Flandrenses fortuna sibi bene fauit Vt quoque Wallenses scotos subpeditauit Rex bonus absque pare strenue sua regna regebat Quod natura dare potuit bonitatis habebat Actio iusticiae pax regni sanctio legis Et fuga nequicie premunt preconia regis Gloria tota ruit regem capit haec modo fossa Rex quandoque fuit nunc nil nisi puluis ossa Pilius ipse dei quem corde colebat et ore Gaudia donet ei nullo permixto dolore The whych verses to the entent y t they shuld be had in mynde also y t the reder myght haue y e more desyre to ouer rede thē I haue therfore set them out in baladde royall after my rude makynge as foloweth This sorowfull deth whiche bryngeth great full lowe And mooste leest he ioyneth into one Thys man to whome hys pere was nat knowe Hath now subdued nat sparyng hym alone whyche of all other thys worlde to ouergone None was to be spared of so great equytie As he if any for noblesse spared shuld be Therfore thou noble or myghty truste none other grace But thou shalt pay to deth thy naturall dette And lyke as he from thys worlde dyd chace Thys myghty prynce from his frendes fette For whome all Englande loude mourned and grette So shalt thou other in dethes snare fall None shall escape to rekyn kyndes all Edwarde with many dyuers graces endowed And lyke as Nardus moost swetest of odoure In smellynge passeth and moost he is allowed Of all swete odours so dyd thys knyghtly floure By vertuous actes surmount in honoure All other princes whose herte was lybarde lyke And without fere were he hole or syke This prynce was slowe to all maner of stryfe Discrete wyse and trewe of hys worde In armys a geaunt terme of all hys lyfe Excellyng actes doyng by dynt of the sworde Subduyd the proude of prudence he bare the horde Of Flaunders by fate he had great amyte And Walshe and Scottes by strength subdued he Thys good kyng perelesse hys landes fermly gyded what nature myght gyue he fayled it nothynge No parte of bounte frō hys was discided He was iustice and peace of law stablysshynge And chaser of iniquyte by hys vertuous lyuyng In whome these graces with innumerable mo Fermly were roted that deth hath tane vs fro That whylom was a kyng now is but duste bone All glorie is fallen thys pytte kepeth the kynge But he that yeldeth all thyng by hys one The sonne of god to whome aboue all thynge with herte and mouth he dyd due worshyppyng That lorde of hys ioy perdurable to laste Graunt hym sorowlesse euermore to taste PHylyp the .iiii. of that name sonne of the thyrde Phylyp whyche was surnamed Philyple Beawe or Phylyp the fayre begā hys reygne ouer y e realme of Fraunce in the yere of grace M.CC.lxxxvi the .viii. yere of y e fyrste Edwarde thā kyng of Englād Thys for warre that he had with the duke of Gelderlande arreryd greate imposycyons thorugh hys lāde both of the spyrytualtye and also of the tēporaltye About the .iiii. yere of hys reygne the prynce of Salerne that long had ben holden in pryson by the kynge of Aragon was delyuered vpon a hard condycyon as foloweth fyrst that he shuld to the vttermoost of hys power labour a concorde and peas betwene the chyrch of Rome and the Aragōs that done to set a peas betwene the Frenche kyng hym And ouer that to paye in the ende of .xv. monethes nexte ensuynge an C.M. Floryns for hys raunsome A Floryn is in value after sterlyng money .ii. s. x. d so he shuld pay after y e value of englisshe money .xvii. M. .v. C. li. And y ◠after that day he shuld neuer bere armys agayne the kyng of Aragō And yf within the terme of .iii. yeres nexte ensuyng he myght nat conclude the foresayd peas she shuld then retourn and yelde hym selfe prysoner as he before was All whyche couenauntes fermely to be holden he fyrst made solempne o the after delyuered to the kynge certayne hostages and so departed But thys composycyon or agrement was thoughte so vnresonable vnto hys frendes that he was counsayled by them that he shuld sue vnto the pope for a dyspensacyon of hys othe y ◠had they wolde helpe hym to recouer hys foresayd hostages After whose coūsayl he y ◠yere folowyng made suche labour vnto Honorius y e iiii of y e name thā pope that he alonely opteyned nat soluciō of hys othe but also by hī he was declared kyng of Scicill of pope Nycholas y e .iiii successoure of the foresayd Honorius after confermyd Thys prynce of Salerne as ye before haue herde in y e storye of Phylyp the thyrde
kyng Hēry shuld cōtynue reygne as kynge durynge hys naturall lyfe after hys deth hys sonne prynce Edwarde to be sette a parte the duke of yorke hys heyres to be kynges incontynentely the duke to be admytted as protectour and regēt of the lāde And yf at any tyme after the kynge of hys owne free wyll and mynde were dysposed to resygne gyue vp the rule of the lāde that thā he shulde resigne vnto the duke yf he than lyued and to none other to hys heyres after hys dayes wyth many other maters and cōuencyōs whyche were tedious to wryte All whyche conclusyons as than by mannes wytte myght be assuryd for the parfourmaunce of theym whanne tyme requyred parfyghted the kynge wyth the duke many other lordes thā there present came that nyght to Poulys there harde euynsong vppon the morow came thyther agayn to masse where the kyng yode in procession crowned wyth great royalte so lay styll in y e bysshoppes palays a season after And vppon the saterdaye folowynge beyng the .ix. daye of Nouember the duke was proclaymed throughe the cytye heyre paraunt vnto the crowne of Englāde all hys progeny after hym Than for as moche as quene Margarete accompanyed with price Edwarde hyr sonn̄ the dukes of Somerset of Excetyr and diuers other lordes helde hyr in the northe as aboue is sayd and wolde nat come at the kynges sendyng for therefore it was agreed by the lordes thā at London presence that the duke of yorke shulde take wyth hym the erle of Salysbury wyth a certayne people to fetche in the sayde quene lordes abouesayde The whyche duke erle departed from Londō with theyr people vpon the secōde daye of December so spedde theym northwarde wherof the quene with hyr lordes beynge ware and hauyng wyth theym a greate strength of Northernemen mette wyth the duke of yorke vppon the .xxx. daye of December nere vnto a towne in the northe called wakelfeld were betwene them was foughten a sharpe fyght In the whych the duke of yorke was slayne wyth hys sonne called erle of Rutlande and syr Thomas Neuyll sonne vnto the erle of Salysbury wyth many other and the erle of Salysbury was there taken on lyue wyth dyuerse other whanne the lordes vppon the quenes partye had gotten thys vyctory anone they sente theyr prysoners vnto Pountfreyte the whyche were after there behedyd that is to meane the erle of Salysbury a man of London named Iohn̄ Narowe and an other capytayne named Hāson whose heddes were sente vnto yorke and there sette vppon the gates And whan the quene hadde opteynyd thys vyctory she wyth her retynewe drewe toward London where at that tyme duryng this troublous season greate watchys were kepte dayely and nyghtelye and dyuerse opynions were amonge the citesyns For the mayre and many of the chefe comoners helde vppon the quenes partye but the comynaltie was with the duke of yorke hys affynyte whanne tydynges were broughte vnto the cytye of the commynge of the quene wyth so greate an hoste of Northernemen anone suche as were of the contrary partye broughte vp a noyse thoroughe the cytye that she brought those Northernemen to the entente to ryfle and spoyle the citye where thoroughe she was encreasyd of enemyes But what so hyr entente was she wyth hyr people helde on hyr waye tyll she came to saynte Albons In the whyche meane tyme the erle of warwyke and the duke of Northfolke whyche by the duke of yorke were assygned to gyue attendaunce vppon the kynge by consent of the kynge gathered vnto theym strengthe of knyghtes and mette wyth the quenes hoste at saynt Albons foresayde where betwene them a strōge fyght was foughten vppon shroue tuysday in the mornyng At y t whych the duke of Northfolke the sayd erle in the endewere chased and kyng Henry takē efte vpō the felde brought vnto the quene And y e same after noone after some wryters he made his sonn̄ price Edward knyght whych than was of the age of .viii. yeres wyth other to the noubre of .xxx. persones whan quene Margaret was thus commen agayne to hyr aboue anon she sente vnto the mayre of London wyllyng commaundynge hym in y e kynges name that he shuld in all spedy wyse sende to saynt Albonys certayne cartes wyth lentyn stuffe for y e vytaylyng of her hoste whyche commaundement the mayre obeyed and wyth great dylygence made prouysyon for the sayd vytayll and sent it in cartys towarde Crepylgate for to haue passed to the quene where whā it was cōmyn the commons many there beynge whych had harde other tydynges of the erle of Marche as after shal be shewed of one mynde with stode the passage of the sayd cartes sayde it was nat behouefull to fede theyr enemyes whyche entended the robbyng of the cytye And nat wythstandynge that the mayre wyth hys bretherne exorted the people in theyr best maner shewyng to theym many great daungers whyche was lyke to ensue to the cytye yf the sayd dytayll went nat forthe yet myghte he nat tourne them from theyr obstynat errour but for a cōclusyon was fayne to apoynt the recorder wyth hym a certayne of aldermē to ryde vnto the kynges coūsayll to Barnet and to make requeste vnto theym that the Northē mē myght be retorned home for fere of robbynge of the cytye and ouerthys other secrete frendes were made vnto the quenes grace to be good gracyouse vnto the cytye Duryng whych treaty dyuers cytesyns auoyded the cytye and lande Amōge the whych Phylip Malpas whych as before is shewed in the .xx. and .viii. yere of thys kynge was robbed of Iacke Cade whyche Malpas other was mette vpō the see wyth a Frēchman named Columpne and of hym takē prysoner after payed .iiii M. marke for hys raunsome Thus passyng the tyme y e tydynges which before were secrete now were blowē abrode and openly was tolde that y e erles of Marche of warwyke were mette at Cottyswolde and had gathered vnto thē great strength of Marchemen were wel spedde vpō theyr waye to warde London For knowelege whereof the kynge and y e quene wyth theyr hoste were retourned Northwarde But or they departyd from saint Albonis there was beheded the lord Bonuyle syr Thomas Teryll knyghet whyche were taken in the forenamed felde Thā the duchesse of yorke beyng at Lōdon herynge the losse of thys felde sent hyr two yonger sonnes that is to meane George whyche after was duke of Clarēce and Rychard that after was duke of Glouceter into Utrych in Almayne where they remayned a whyle Thā the foresayd erles of March and of warwyke sped them towarde Londō in suche wyse that they came thydervpon the thursday in the fyrst weke of lent To whome resorted all the gētylmen for the more partye of the south eest partye of Englād And in thys whyle that they thus rested at London a great coūsayl was called
retourne to thys Charlys lykely it is that he was nat y e naturall sonne of the forenamed Charlys for as moche as hys sayd father ordeyned and wylled the realme of FrauÌ„ce vnto Katheryne hys doughter and wyfe vnto kynge HeÌ„ry the .v and agreed wyth the consente of the more parte of y e lordes of hys realme bothe spyrituall temporall that duryng hys lyfe the sayd kynge Henry shuld be regeÌ„t of FrauÌ„ce after hys deth to be kyng of the sayd regâ—oÌ„ as more at lengthe before I haue shewed vnto you in the .vii. yere of the sayd Henry the .v. But whether he be hys legyttymat sonne or nat where uppoÌ„ I purpose no leÌ„ger to stande trouth it is that he was by his father admitted made dolphyne of Uyen by reason wherof he was in a greate auctoryte wan to hym fauoure of som lordes of FrauÌ„ce whych stroÌ„gly maynteyned hys partye durynge the lyfe of kyng HeÌ„ry the .v after all y t season whyle the duke of Bedforde occupyed there as regent of that regyoÌ„ was of some parties of FrauÌ„ce reputed for kyng Howe be it he was neuer crowned so loÌ„ge as the sayde duke of Bedforde lyued Neuerthelesse he by meane of polycy hys freÌ„des so defended hym selfe that lytle by the EnglyshemeÌ„ was wonne vpoÌ„ hym of suche laÌ„des as he fyrste was in possessyon of But polytykely he defended theym lytle and lytle so preuayled agayne them that in the ende he all onely wanne nat to hym the possessioÌ„ of that prouince y t which is named FrauÌ„ce but also he wanne to hym in the ende the kynge of Englandes olde enherytaunce that is Normandy wyth all domynyons to the same apperteynynge The maner of wynnynge of them I woll nat in thys story speke of for so moche as in the former yeres of kynge Henry the .vi. I haue there expressed the maner of somme parte therof But that I shall speke of theÌ„ shal be of thynges done betwene hym other prynces And for that I before in the .viii. yere of HeÌ„ry the vi promysed in the .vi. yere of thys Charles to shewe vnto you som what of the maydeÌ„ or pucel which y e FreÌ„ch men named la pucelle de dieu her for a messenger from god to be sente reputed I shall here folow y e saying of Gaguyne whyche sayeth as foloweth In the .vi. yere or there aboute to rekyn from the deth of thys Charles father a weÌ„che or mayden beyng bred in a strete or vyllage called in latyne Ualli color in thys tyme beynge sproÌ„ge to the age of .xx. yeres or there about hauing to father a poore man named Iakes Delarch and hyr mother Isabell she also berynge the name of Iane or Iohan required by dyuers sundry tymes an vncle of hyrs beyng prefecte of the foresayde vyllage that he wolde presente hyr vnto the FreÌ„che kynge for thynges coÌ„cernyng greatly the weale of hym of hys realme whyche sayd prefect after many delayes for so moche as in hyr wordes he had lytle truste yet at leÌ„gthe hyr sayd vncle beynge named Robert Baudryncourt sent hyr wyth a coÌ„uenyent company vnto the kyng wyth letters certyfyenge hym of all the maner of thys mayde wherof the sayd Charles beynge asserteyned thought he wold vse som meane to knowe the vertue of thys wenche And for he had perfyghte experyence that before tymes thys woman had neuer sene hys persone he thoughte he wolde chaunge hys rome and habyte to se whether she by hyr vertue coulde knowe hym frome other and that done he standynge amonge other of his familiers as one of them she was called into the chaumber demaunded yf euer before tyme she had sene the kynge And after she hadde answered nay she was byddeÌ„ to espye oute the kynge whych there stode amonge that companye The whyche anone wythout dyfficulte him fande and saluted as king And all be it that he refused hyr reuereÌ„ce sayd y t she erred in hyr choyse yet she parseuered kneling at his fete and sayde that by goddes purueyauÌ„ce she was taught that he was hyr very soueraygn prince none other wherfore the kynge all hys lordes had in hyr the more affyauÌ„ce that by hyr the laÌ„de shulde be releuyd whych at that daye was in passyng mysery Than after dyuers questyoÌ„s to hyr made what was the cause of hyr thyther commynge she answered sayd that she was sent frome god to stablisshe the kynge in hys realme and that by hyr she beynge leder capytayne of hys people by dyuine grace onely the kynge shulde shortely subdue hys enemyes By reasoÌ„ of which wordes the kyng wyth hys lordes were somedeale comforted Upon thys armour sword was sought for this maydeÌ„ the whych as sayeth my sayd auctour was fouÌ„den myraculously wherof the processe to me appereth so darke faÌ„tastycall y t therewith me list nat to blot my boke but suffre it to passe by Than thys weÌ„che being purueyed of all thinges necessary to the warre a company of knyghtes soudyours to hyr by the kynge was assygned And so she rydynge as a man in maÌ„nes habyte contynued by the space of .ii. yeres more and dyd many wonderful feates and gat from the Englysshemen many stroÌ„ge townes and holdes wherefore amonge Frenchemen she was wordshypped for an auÌ„gell or a messynger sent frome god to releue theyr great myserye And as affermeth the sayd auctour she by hyr prouydence caused the sayd Charles as kynge of Fraunce to be crowned at Raynes in the yere of oure lord M. foure hundreth and .xxix. All be it nouther the Frenche cronycle nor other whyche I haue sene testyfyeth that but affermyn that he was nat crowned duryng the lyfe of the duke of Bedforde But almyghty god whyche for a season suffereth suche sorcery and deuelyssh ways to prospere reygne to the correccyon of synners lastely to shewe hys power and that good men shuld nat fall into any erroure he sheweth the clerenesse of suche mystycall thynges and so he dyd in thys For lastely she by a knyghte Burgonyon was taken after sent to Roan and there breÌ„t for her demerytes as in the .viii yere of Henry the .vi. is more at leÌ„gth shewed ThaÌ„ the tyme forth passyng and coÌ„tynuall warre betwene Englande FrauÌ„ce contynuyng among many trybulacions by thys Charles susteyned one that was hys owne sonnÌ„ named Lewys comforted and assysted by the dukes of BurboÌ„ and AleÌ„son wyth other meÌ„ of name rebelled agayne hys father and warred vppon hym and by strengthe wan frome hym certeyne townes strong holdes For remedy whereof the sayde Charles made warre vppon the forenamed duke of Burbon and wasted wyth iron and fyre the countreyes of the sayde duke of Burbon By meane whereof after thys vnkyndely warre hadde duryd by the space of syxe monethes or more a peace and vnyte betwene the father sonne was treated by meanes of the erle of Ewe a coÌ„corde vnite betwene
them was fynally coÌ„cluded he y e sayd Lewys all suche as wyth hym were reteyned or allied were for thys offeÌ„ce by y e sayd Charles clerely pardoned one persone all only excepted named Iaket or Iakis by whose treason the castell of Maxente was loste and taken for whyche offence he was after drawen hanged also quartered ThaÌ„ in processe of tyme folowyng the flemynges of GauÌ„te rebelled agayne theyr duke or erle named Philyp The cause of whyche rebellyon was for that he areryd a greuouse taske vpoÌ„ salte put the people ther by to greuouse charge wherevppon dedely warre betwene the duke and hys subiectys arose to the dystruccioÌ„ of moche people vpoÌ„ bothe partyes wherof the cyrcumstauÌ„ce were loÌ„g to wryte Howe be it in the ende y e duke or erle by ayde of the FreÌ„che kynge was vyctour helde them of GauÌ„te so streyghte that they were compelled by force to bye theyr peace wyth great summes of money to theyr other many folde domages About the .xxxi. yere of thys sayde Charles came vnto hym from pope Nycholas the .v. of that name an ambassade for to requyre ayde agayne the Turkys for the defeÌ„ce of CoÌ„stantyne the noble whyche the Turkys purposed shortly after to assayle To whyche ambassade by the sayd Charlys it was answeryd that to hym it was right greuouse to here of the intollerable persecucyoÌ„ whych y e cristeÌ„ dayly susteyned of the Turkys But he was of y e Englysh nacyoÌ„ so vexed and warred that he myghte nat leue hys laÌ„de wythout an hedde to the coÌ„forte of other to lose hys owne But to the entent that he before tymes myght haue warred vppon the sayd Turkys he for that cause onely had offered vnto the kynge of Englande many reasonable offers And if of the Englysshe party any lyke offers myghte be to hym profered he wolde gladly theym accepte turne hys spere incoÌ„tyneÌ„tly agayn the fore named Turkes And ouer that he wolde for the furtherauÌ„ce of the matter sende wyth them vnto the kynge of EnglaÌ„de certayne ambassadours to se yf that as yet any reasonable peace myght be betwene them coÌ„cluded For accomplisshemeÌ„t wherof as testyfyeth myne auctour Gaguynus he sente the archebysshop of Raynes wyth other honorable persones The whych whan they to kyng Henry and hys counsayll hadde shewyd theyr legacyoÌ„ it was to them shortly answered that at suche season as the EnglysshemeÌ„ hadde wonne agayne so moche laÌ„de as the Frenchemen by cawtelys had woÌ„ne from theym thaÌ„ were it good tyme season to treate of accorde nat before By reason of whiche answere the popes ambassade retourned to Rome wythoute ayde or comforte And thus y e FreÌ„che wryters lay euer the charge froÌ„ theyr prynce put it vnto other But of thys ambassade or answere fynde I no memory of any Englysshe wryters Aboute the .xxxiiii. yere of y e reygn of thys Charlys Lewys hys sonne before named beynge a maÌ„ of greate lyberalitye and largesse thought his father departed nat wyth hym of his mouables possessyoÌ„s as he hadde cause to do For the whych by coÌ„fort of yoÌ„ge persones as he had aboute hym he rebelled thys seconde tyme agayne hys sayde father by reason of hys largesse lyberalyte drewe vnto hym moche waÌ„ton wylde people wyth theyr assystence warred vppoÌ„ hys fathers freÌ„des entendyd to depryue hys father of all gouernauÌ„ce of the realme wherof herynge hys father in all possyble haste gathered to hym greate strengthe and spedde hym towarde hys sayd sonnÌ„ But whaÌ„ Lewys was warned of the coÌ„myng of hys father wyth so great an hoste consydered hys quarell wekenesse he wyth a fewe persones fledde towarde Burgoyne whereof herynge the father sente in all â—haste people to kepe the passages and dyd that he myghte to haue stopped hym of hys waye But that prouysyon notwythstandynge the sayd Lewys escaped and came sauely vnto the presence of Phylyppe then duke of Burgoyne the whyche hym receyued wyth gladde chere and entreatyd hym accordyng to his estate and so kepte hym durynge his fathers lyfe Nowbeit he made for hym great sute and labour to wynne him to his fathers grace But all was in vayne For what by obstynacy of the same y t he wolde not submytte hym to his father and comme vnto hys presence when he was sente for for the great stomacke of the father that he wold not be condycyoned with of the son thys varyaunce contynued bytwene them as aboue is sayd y e terme of his fathers lyfe In the whyche passe tyme thys Charlys concluded a maryage bytwene hys doughter called Magdaleyne and Ladyslaus kyng of Beme Hungary and of Polayne But whyle the bryde wyth great apparayle and pompe was conueyed towarde her husbande to be maryed her sayde husbande was taken sodenly with sykenesse and dyed with in .xxiiii. houres after that he fyrste coÌ„playned hym whych was by force of poysone as most wryters agreen Of whych tydynges when Charlys was asserteyned he therwyth toke such a peÌ„syffenesse that he dyed shortely after whan he had ruled a parte and the hole realme to reken from y e deth of hys father .xxxvi. yeres How be it of Frenche wryters no certeyne terme of hys reygne to hym is assygned for so myche as kyng Henry the vi longe after the deth of hys father was alowyd in Parys and many other Cytyes of FrauÌ„ce for souerayne and kynge of that regyon Thys Charlys thus beynge dede lefte after hym two sonnes that is to saye Lewys that after hym was kynge and a yonger named Charlys wyth y e forenamed doughter named Magdaleyne or after some Margarete And after wyth greate pompe hys corps was conueyed vnto saynt Denys and there buryed Francia Lewys the .xi. LEwys the .xi. of y â— name after the accompte of thys boke and .x. after the Frenche accompte whereof y e cause is before shewed sonne to Charles last dede beganne his dominyon ouer the realme of Fraunce in the moneth of October in the yere of grace M.iiii hundreth and .lviii. and the .xxxvi. yere of Henry the .vi. than kynge of Englande This of Gaguinus is called the sturdy or fel Lewys The whiche at the tyme of his fathers deth beyng as aboue is sayd vnrecouÌ„syled in the prouynce of Burgoyne herynge of the deth of his father wyth ayde of the foresayd duke Phylyp shortly entred y e realm of Fraunce toke vpon hym y e rule in euery good cytie town as he passyd as kyng of y e same so y t many lordes hed offycers drewe vnto hym By meane wherof he was stronge put such vnto sylence as after y e wyll purpose of his father wolde haue preferred his yoÌ„ger son named Charlys Than this Lewys by strengthe of his frendes was shortely after at Raynes crowned kynge of Fraunce After whyche solempnyte fynysshed he repayred vnto Parys and there by consent of hys counceyll made a law y t no man of what degre
that he were shuld vse huÌ„tyng or hawkynge without special lyceÌ„ce specially for chasynge or huntyng of woluys nor to kepe wyth hym any houndes or other instrumeÌ„tes wherby the game myghte be destroyed And that done Phylyp foresayd duke of Burgoyne after counsayll to hym gyuen that he shulde forgette and forgyue all dyspleasurs to hym â—ofore done by any of hys lordes and them to honoure and cherysshe specyally his yonge brother Charlys to norysshe and to departe wyth hym louyngly of hys fathers possessions toke leue of hym and departed After whose deê‘ture he contrary the foresayde counsayll refused the company of hys lordes also theyr counsayll and drewe vnto hym as his chyefe counsaylours vylaynes and men of lowe byrth Of y t whyche the .iiii. pryncypall were named as foloweth IohnÌ„ de Lude IohnÌ„ Balna Olyuer Deuyll whoÌ„ for the odyousnesse of the name the kynge caused it to be chaunged and to be named DaÌ„man and the fourth was named Stephan and vssher of the kynges chaumber dore the whithe he promoted to greate honour dygnytees Amonge whome Balna beynge a preste was by hys meanes at length made a cardynall of Rome Thus he vsynge the counsayle of these persons murmur and grudge began to sprynge bytwene hym and hys lordes in so myche that fyrst the duke of Brytayne began to estrauÌ„ge hym from the kynge and refused to come vnto hys presence whaÌ„ he was sente for wherof herynge the erle of Ewe wyth other drewe them vnto y e duke To the whyche party soone after y e kynges brother Charlys with also the duke of Burbon whych had maried the kynges syster with many other noble men of the realme resortyd whan the kynge was ware that hys lordes conspyred agayne hym ferynge the rebellyon of hys comoÌ„s sent in spedy maner vnto Parys the forenamed IohnÌ„ Balna wyth other certeyne persons to kepe that cytye in due obeysauÌ„ce toward hym thynkynge that the other cytyes good townes of hys regyon wolde take ensample therof and demeane them as that cytye dyd After whose commynge the rulers of Parys by the amonystement of the sayd IohnÌ„ ordeyned good and sure watche and so by that meane kept the cytye in good order And in the meane season the kynge gathered to hym great foyson of knyghtes and soudyours that his hoste was nombred at .xxx. thousand men And in lyke wyse the other partye hadde assembled as many or mo And not wythstandyng the assyduat laboure and meanes made by y e duke of Burgoyne and Carlota wyfe to y e duke of Burbon syster to the kyng as is aboue sayde to make an vnyte and peace bytwene Lewys and hys lordes yet fynally the kynge they mette in playne batayll at a place called Chartres where bytwene theym was a longe and cruell batayll to y e losse of moche people on bothe partyes And all be it that the kynge in the begynnynge hadde the better of hys enemyes yet in the ende he was ouercomen his men chaced and he forced to flye to take for hys sauegarde a castell named Mountclere From the whyche he shortely departyd and yode to an other castell called Corboyll and from thens lastly vnto Parys where he entendyd to haue gathered newe people and to haue reuenged hym of hys enemyes But by the wyse and good exortacyoÌ„ of the bysshoppe of Parys the kyng chaunged hys purpose and all was set in a quyetnesse for that tyme. But how or in what maner or what the condycyons of y e accorde were myne authour dothe not expresse The whyche accorde thus concluded the kynge contynued hys olde maners and delyted hym more to companye with symple and inreuerent parsons to eate and drynke wyth them to the ende that he myghte talke of rybaudry and vayne and vycyous fables than to accompany him with his lordes where he myghte haue wonne hym myche honour Thys Lewys also was of so dyuers and wanton condycyon that he wolde go more lyker a yoman or a seruyng man than lyke a prynce The whyche was for no regardshyp nor sparyng of good for as before I haue shewed also after shall appere he was a prynce of moste lyberalyte and therwith an oppressour of hys subiectes LEwis thus passing his time was dryuen of necessyte for lacke of money to a preste of the cytesyns of Parys The whyche after many excusys by them layd to put it by and myghte not be alowed they lastly denayed the kynges pleasure where wythall he beynge greuously dyscontentyd remoued diuerse from theyr offyces and other whych were of the rychest and hed men of y e cyte he soughte agayne theym surmysed causes without prouys or iustyce put many of them to deth For these foresayde causes many other whyche tedyouse were to expresse the foresayd lordes agayne assembled theyr people enteÌ„dyng to subdue y e kynge and to set hys brother in hys place or to cause hym otherwyse to rule y e comon weale And to strength the barons party IohnÌ„ sonne vnto y e duke of Calabre approched to them wyth a good bande of men And to them came also the sonne of the duke of Burgoyne named Charlys All whiche barons of one assent mette at a towne called Stampys where they coÌ„tynued theyr couÌ„sayle by the space of .xv. dayes and after that couÌ„sayle fynysshed toke theyr iournaye towarde Parys In whych passe tyme a spye of the duke of Brytaynes called Peter Gerold was taken in Parys and drawen hanged and quartered and dyuers men and women y t were suspected to owe fauour vnto the lordes were sacked and caste in to the water of Seyn Then for to strength and guyde the cytye of Parys the kynge sent thyder the erle of Donoyse by whose prouysyon all warly ordenaunce for to defende theyr enemyes was there preparyd In the which tyme season y e lordes in .iii. partes enbatayled approched the cytye wherof y e fyrste hoste ladde Charlys brother vnto the kynge the seconde the duke of Brytayne the thyrd Charlys the sonne to the duke of Burgoyne Prouyded that Charlys fyrste named ladde the myddleward whaÌ„ the sayd erle of Donoyse hadde well consydered the strength of the lordes he sente vnto theym a messanger sayeng that in his mynde he maruayled to see so greate a multytude of people assembled agayne the cytye and comon weale of y e land consyderyng that he was sette there by the kynge as a medyatour and a meane rather to make peace than warre yf they were contentyd that by hym any medyacyon myghte be laboured and hadde But thys came to none effecte so that small assautes and skyrmysshes ensued to the lytell domage of bothe partes In whyche passe tyme the kynge sent by secrete meanes vnto the forenamed IohnÌ„ sonne vnto the duke of Calabre and hym by many meanes instaunted to leue the company of the lordes But all his offers auayled ryght nought Thenne the foresayde lordes thus lyenge before the cytye of Parys in the playne where standeth
Gaufryde and beraft hym the gouernaunce of the land vppon certayne coÌ„dycyons to be contynued for terme of lyfe the whyche in processe of tyme more and more were minyshyd as well by Maglaunus as by HeÌ„ninus husbaÌ„des of the forenamed Gonorild Ragan But moste dyspleased Leyr the vnkyndnesse of his two doughters consyderynge theyr wordes to hym before spoken and sworne and now founde prouyd them all contrarye For the whyche he beyng of necessyte constrayned fledde his lande sayled into Gallia for to be comforted of his doughter Cordeilla wherof she hauyng knowlege of naturall kyndnesse coÌ„forted hiÌ„ after shewynge all the maner to her husbande by his agrement receyuyd hym his to her lordes courte where he was cherished after her beste maner Longe yt were to shew vnto you y e circumstaunce of y e vtterans of the vnkyndnesse of his two doughters and of the wordes of comfort gyuen to hym by Aganippus and Cordeilla or of the couÌ„saile and purueyauÌ„ce made by the sayde Aganippus his lordes for restorynge of Leyr agayn to his dominyoÌ„ But fynally he was by the helpe of the sayde Aganippus restored agayne to his lordshyp and so possessed lyued as ruler gouernour therof by the space of .iii. yeres after In whych season dyed Aganippus And when this Leyr had ruled this lande by the terme of .xl. yeres as affermeth dyuerse cronycles he dyed and was buryed at his towne of Caerleir or Leycestre leuynge after hym for to inheryte the lande his doughter Cordeilla THE XVI CHAPITER COrdeilla the yongeste doughter of Leyr was by assente of the Brytons made lady of Brytayn in the yere of y e world .iiii. thousande iii. hundred lxxxxviii the whyche guyded the lande full wysely by the tyme or space of .v. yeres complete The whyche tyme expyred and roÌ„ne her .ii. neuewes called Margan and Cunedagiê° sonnes of her .ii. susters came vpon her land and made therin great waste and destruccyon and at the laste toke her and cast her into a stronge pryson where she beynge dyspayred of y e recouery of her estate as testyfyeth Gaufryde slewe her selfe whenne she hadde reygned as before is declared by the terme of fyue yeres THE XVII CHAPITER CUnedagius and Marganus neuewes as before is sayde of Cordeilla departyd this lande of Brytayne betwene them in the yere of the worlde .iiii. thousand .iiii. hundred and .iii. That is to wyt the couÌ„trey ouer and beyond Humber fyll to Margan towarde Catenessey and the other parte of the lande towarde weste as reherseth Gaufride fyll to Cunedagius After two yeres were ronne ended some euyll dysposyd came vnto Margan and sayde that to hym yt was great reproche and dyshonour consyderynge that he was comen of Gonorilla the elder suster of Maglaunus her husbande Cunedag was descended of Ragan the yonger and Hemnius her husbande that he had not y e rule of all y e land to which sedycyous ê‘sons Margan gyuynge credence was supprysed with pryde and couetyse and anon by theyr couÌ„sayle assembled a great hoste made warre vpon his sayde brother brennynge and destroyeng his land with out mercy wherof Cunedag beynge ware in all hast gaderyd his people after certayne message sent to hym of the reconcylyacyon seynge there was no peace to be made but by the iudgement of batayll he mette wyth his brother in playne felde where y e goddes were to hym so fauourable that he slewe myche of the people of his brother and coÌ„pellyd hym to fle After whyche vyctory thus had he pursued Margan from couÌ„tre to couÌ„tre tyll he came wythin the countre or prouynce of Cambria or walys in the whyche couÌ„tre the sayde Margan gaue one other batayll vnto his brother Cunedag but for he was farre the weker he there was ouercomen and slayne in the felde whyche felde or couÌ„tre where the sayd Margan fought was slayne is to thys daye called Glaumargan whych is to meane in our vulgare tung Margan lande And thus was Margan slayne whan he hadde regned wyth his brother two yeres THE XVIII CHAPITER CUnedagius before named the sonne of Hemnius and Ragan yoÌ„ger doughter or myddell doughter of Leyr was made ruler and lorde of all Brytayne in the yere of the worlde .iiii. thousande .iiii. hundred .v. Of the whyche is nothyng worthy memorye lefte in wrytyng but that he guyded y e lande after the deth of his brother well and honorably by the terme of .xxxiii. yeres After which terme ended he dyed and was buryed at Troynouant or London leuynge for his heyre a sonne as testyfyeth Gaufryde named Riuallo or Rinallo or after some wryters Reyngnolde THE XIX CHAPITER BIuallus the sonne of Cunedagius was made gouernoure of the Brytons in the yere of the world .iiii. thousand .iiii. hundred and .xxxviii the whyche of wryters is called fortunat and restfull This Riuallus ruled y e BrytoÌ„s with great sobernesse kepte the lande in great welthe and prosperyte all be yt that of hym is lefte no specyall memorye of acte done in his tyme except myn authour sayth that in y e tyme of his reygne yt reyned blood by the space of .iii. days contynually wythin the lande of Brytayne After the whych reyne ensued so great excedynge noÌ„ber of multitude of flyes the which were to the people so noyous and coÌ„tagyous that they slewe myche people And after that as sayth an olde authour whose name is vnknoweÌ„ ensued great sykenesse and mortallytie to the great desolacyon of thys sayde lande Then yt foloweth in the story wheÌ„ this Riuallus hadde reygned after moste coÌ„cordaunce of writers by the terme of .xlvi. yeres he dyed was buryed as testyfyeth the sayde olde authour at Caerbrank or yorke leuynge after hym a sonne as wytnessyth Gaufride named Gurgustius In the tyme of the reygne of thys kynge after moste concorde of wryters y e famous cytye of Rome shuld be buylded as is shewed more playnly in the treatyse in the begynnyng of this warke THE XX. CHAPITER GUrgustius the sonne of y e fore named Riuallus was made ruler of Brytayne in the yere of the worlde .iiii. thousane .iiii. hundred lxxxiii This in y e cronicle of EnglaÌ„d is named Gorbodiam sonne of Reygnold Of the which is lytell memory made other of his regne or of his dedes by any authours or wryters of y e hystorye of Brytayne excepte the aboue named olde authoure and the authoure called the floure of hystoryes wytnessyth that he reygned xxxviii yeres leuynge after hym none heyre of his bodye begotten and lastely dyed and was buryed by his fader at Caerbrank or yorke Rome as aboue ys towched was fyrst buylded edyfyed in the tyme of Riuallus and after moste writers In the yere of the worlde .iiii. thousande .iiii. hundred .lxx after the buyldyng of TroynouaÌ„t or London .iiii. huÌ„dred .vii. yeres whych folowyng that accompte shulde be in the .xxxii. yere of the forsayde Riuallus THE XXI CHAPITER SIsillius or after
be peynted and set in his baners and penons and all his knyghtes THE LXIX CHAPITER WHen Constantyne had thus ordeyned the sygne of the crosse he spedde hym forth towarde y e sayd tyrante Maxentius and mette with hym at a brydge called Ponte Miluium where after loÌ„ge fyght he chasyd the sayd Maxentius him with a great parte of his hoste drowned in the water of the sayde brydge when he had reygned as emperour vpoÌ„ .v. yeres After which victory thus had the sayde Constantyne wente vnto Rome where he was receyued of y e senate wyth moste triumphe And there caused the signe of the crosse to be peynted in the ryght haÌ„des of the images whyche the senatours of old tyme had areryd in worshyp of theyr vyctoryes And vnder the feet of the images he causyd to be wryten This is the signe and token of the lyuynge god that maye not be ouercomen Soone after this ConstaÌ„tyne was conuertyd from his pagan lawe vnto Crystes fayth by vertue of y e blessed Uernacle as some haue ben or by the good doctryne of that blessyd pope saint Siluester first of y â— name the whyche was made pope in y e yere folowynge Crystes incarnacyon .iii. hundred and .xiii. Then Constantyne opened the prysons and desstroyed the temples of false goddes and dedycate them in the worshyppe of god and his sayntes He also opened them that tofore were shytte and kepte close and causyd dyuyne seruyce in them to be sayd and gaue to the chyrche of Rome fyrste possessyons And also he ordeyned that y e bysshoppe of Rome shulde be hedde of all byshoppes all other to be obedyent vnto hym He also bare claye vppon his shoulders to the foundacyon of saynt Peters chyrch as wytnessyth Policronica and other Of this fyrste indowement of the chyrch are dyuers thynges shewed as reherseth Gwaldus Cambrens saynt Hierom and other the whych I ouer passe for lengthynge of tyme of this worke And whyle that Constantyne was thus occupyed in Rome hys moder Heleyne then beyng ferre from hym and herynge that he was become a Crysten man sent vnto hym letters of recommendacyon that he had forsaken the worshyppynge of idollys But she dyspreysed hym in that that he worshypped a man that was nayled vppon a crosse But after receyte of these letters he wrote answere to his moder that he shulde suffycyently proue that he byleued and worshypped hym that was fyrste creatour and maker of the worlde And not onely a man but also god man with diuers other poyntes touchyng the fayth whych I ouerpasse For resonynge and profe of thys was after assygned .vii. score iewes and Siluester wyth a certayne nomber of crysten clerkes to dyspute the artycles of Crystes fayth where after dyuers myracles shewed good profe made by holy scrypture the sayde iewes were confounded and the sayde Heleyne was conuerted vnto the fayth of Crystes chyrche and traueyled soon after to Hierusalem where she by her industrye and labour fande oute the holy crosse with the .iii. nayles that oure lorde was nayled wyth to the same crosse wherof she lefte there a parte and the other dele was brought vnto Bizancium nowe called Constantyne noble whyche cytye the sayde Constantyne greatly augmentyd wyth excellent buyldynge and therin also caused to be arcryd a chyrch of meruaylous beautye named yt Sophia when the emperour hadde receyued the foresayde parte of the cros wyth the .iii. nayles he after some authours put two of the sayde nayles in the brydell of his horse whych he vsed in batayll And the thyrde he caste or caused to be caste as wytnessyth saynt Ambrose in a swalowe of the see called mare AdriaticuÌ„ whych swalowe was before that tyme so peryllous that vnnethes any shyppe escapyd that daunger and garnysshed the crosse wyth many ryche stones freyt wyth golde and after with great reuereÌ„ce conueyde it to Rome as in dyuerse hystories is declaryd Then this CoÌ„stantyne remoued the emperyall see vnto his cytye of Constantyne the noble and there for the more partye kepte his emperyall honoure and other emperours in lyke wyse after hym By reason wherof the emperours were longe after called emperours of Constantyne noble This man was so myghty mercyall in his feates and all hys dedys that for hys more honoure he had an addycyon putte to his name and was called for his great myght and power Constantyne the great He was also the fyrste crysten emperoure and dyd many notable actes for the weale of Crystes fayth Amonge the whyche seuen are noted by the forenamed Antoninus in the ix tytle of y e second part of his worke before named wherof the fyrste was that Cryste shulde be worshypped as god thorough the cyty of Rome The seconde was that who so of Iesu Cryste spake any blasphemy he shulde be greuously punyshed The thyrde was what persone that dyd any iniurye or wronge to a Crysten man he shuld be depryuyd or put to y e losse of halfe his goodes The fourth that lyke as the emperour of Rome is hede of all teÌ„porall prynces so the byshoppe or pope of Rome is hed of all byshoppes The fyfte that what persone fledde to the chyrche for his sauegarde or suerty that there he shuld be defended from all peryll and daunger The syxte that no man shuld presume to buyld any temple or chyrche wythin any cytye or towne wythout the specyall lycence of his byshoppe The seuenth that euery prynce shulde gyue the .x. parte of his possessyons to the buyldyng and meynteynyng of chirches The whyche lawe he fyrste executed and after wyth a pykax or mattoke with his owne hande brake the grouÌ„de where as now standeth saint Peters chyrche and .xii. cophyns or treys full of erth he bare away vpon his shulders as wytnessyth the foresayde Antoninus and other But after those manyfolde good dedys he fyll into the heresye called Ariannys heresy By meane wherof he was so blynded that he then became an enymye to Cristes chyrch ê‘secuted crysteÌ„ men exyled y e pope Siluester or as some meane y e sayde Siluester fledde the cyte for fere For this as wytnessyth Iacobus Philippus and other wryters this Constantyne was smyten wyth the euyll of lepry For curynge wherof iii. thousand chyldren were brought to theÌ„perours paleys to be slayne y t he in the blood of them myght be bathed and so cleÌ„syd of his lepry But when he saw the childern and the moders sorowyng for them he was moued wyth pytye and sayd the dygnitye of th eÌ„pyre cometh of myldnesse For yt is demyd that he shuld dye y e sleeth a chyld in batayll Then what crueltye were this to sle so many innocentes wylfully yet better yt were to vs to dye and saue those chylders lyues then to gette a cruell lyfe by y e deth of so many innocentes For this myldnesse it is redde that saynt Peter and Poule apperyd to hym the nyght folowynge warnyng hym to sende agayne for Siluestre y
folowynge y e accompte shuld be in the yere of our lorde .iiii. hundred .lxxxii and in the seconde yere of Aurely then kynge of Brytayne This kyngdome or lordshippe had in the eestsyde Kent in the south the see and the yle of wyght in the west Hampsyre and in the northe Southrey and conteyned as wytnessyth Guydo Southampton Somersetshyre Deuenshyre and Cornewayl Of whyche sayde kyngdome Ethelbaldus or Ethelwaldê° was the .iiii. kynge and the fyrste crysten kynge Thys kyngdome endured shorteste season of all the other kyngdomes and passyd soonest into the other For yt endured not aboue an hundred and .xii. yeres vnder .v. or .vii. kynges at moste THE XCV CHAPITER THen to returne where we left Aurely whyche as before ye haue harde helde and occupyed the myddell parte of Brytayne wyth CaÌ„bria or walys dyd hys dylygence to repayre ruynous places as well temples as other and caused y e seruyce of god to be sayde and done whyche by meane of the Saxons was greatly decayde thorough all Brytayne And after this Aureliê° beseged y â— Saxons in y e hyll of Badon or Badowe where he slewe many of theym But dayly the Saxons encreasyd landed in myche Brytayn as after shall appere For shortely after a Saxon named Porth landed wyth his two soÌ„nes at an haueÌ„ in Southsex After whome as some authours meane y e haueÌ„ was after called Portismouth whyche kepeth the name at this day And in lykewyse they came to lande in dyuers places of Britayne so that Aurelius had wyth them many conflyctys and bataylles in the whych he spedde dyuersly for he was somtyme vyctour and some season ouer set It is wryteÌ„ of hym in y e englyshe cronicle and other that he by y e helpe of Merlyn shuld fetche the great stones now standynge vpon the playne of Salysburye and called the stone henge oute of Irlande and caused theym to be sette there as they nowe stande in remembraunce of the Brytons that there were slayne and buryed in the tyme of the communycacyon had with Hengiste and his Saxons as before in the storye of Uortiger is touchyd But Polycronica alledgyth y t honour vnto Uter Pendragon his brother In the tyme of this Aurelius as wytnessyth also y e sayde Policronica dyed Hengist in his bed when he had reygned ouer y e Kentysh Saxons .xxiiii. yeres After whose deth Octa or Osca his sonne ruled y e sayd kyngdome other .xxiiii. yeres All be yt that the brytyshe bokes and also the cronycles of Enlande sheweth that after that Aurelius had in batayll slayne Hengiste he toke vnto his grace Octa his son gaue vnto hym a dwellynge place in the countre of Galewey for hym his SaxoÌ„s then lefte on lyue which semeth not to be true for mater that shall after ensue and also for y â— that before is touchyd of the Pictes and Scottes in the tyme of the myserye of the Brytons Then yt foloweth this Octa nother augmented nor mynyshed his lordshyp but helde hym therwyth contented as his fader had to hym lefte yt Lastely in the ende of the reygne of Aurely Pascentius the yongest son of Uortiger whiche after y e deth of his fader was fledde into Irland for fere of Aurely purchasyd ayde of Guilamour kyng of IrlaÌ„de And wyth a great armye inuadyd thys lande of Brytayne by the countre of walys in takynge the cytye of Menenia and in wastynge the sayd couÌ„tre wyth iron and fyre In the which season and tyme Aureliê° laye syke in his cytye of Kaerguent or wynchester For whych cause he desyred hys brother Uter to gather an hoste of BritoÌ„s to appease y e malice of Pascencius his adhereÌ„tis The whych accordyngly preparyd his hoste at length ouercame the hoste of PasceÌ„cius and slewe hym and the forenamed Guillamour in the same fyght In this whyle and season that Uter was thus gone agayne Pascentius a Saxon or other strauÌ„ger feynynge hym a Bryton a connyng man in physyke by the intycemet of Pascencius came vnto Aurely where he lay syke by his subtyle false meanes purchasyd such fauour wyth those y t were nyghe vnto the prynce that he was put in truste to mynystre medycines vnto the kyng This is named of writers Coppa or of some Eoppa The whyche when he had espyed his tyme coÌ„uenyent to brynge about his false purpose he gaue to Aureliê° a pocyon enpoysoned by vyolence wherof he shortely after was dede when he hadde reygned after moste wryters vppon .xix. yeres The thyrde or fyfte THE XCVI CHAPITER IN the tyme of y e reygne of this Aurelius as wytnesseth the authour of Policronica other y e kyngdome of Eestanglis began vnder a Saxon named Uffa about the yere of our lorde .iiii. hundred .lxxx. and xii and the .xi. yere of Aurelius The whych kyngdome conteyned Norlf and Suff. nowe called This hadde in this eest and north sydes the see in the northweste Cambryge shyre and in the weste saynte Edmundes dytche and Hertfordshyre and in the southe Essex This lordshyppe was called fyrste Uffynys lordshyp and the kynges therof were named Uffynys or after some authoures the people But fynally they were named eest Anglys The fyrst cristen kyng of this pryncypate was Redwaldus the thyrde kynge but he was not so stedfaste as belonged to his relygyon His sonne named Corpwaldus was more stedfaste whyche after was slayne of a mysbyleuynge man and for Crystes fayth as some wryte But Guydo sayth that Sebertus was fyrste cristen kynge of this lordshyppe that he made saynt Poulys chyrch of LoÌ„don This vnder .xii. kynges endured tyll the martyrdome of blessyd saynte Edmunde laste kynge therof the whych was martyred nere about the yere of our lord .viii. huÌ„dred and lxix By the whyche reason yt shuld folowe that this kyngdome shulde endure by the terme of .iii. C.lxxvii yeres And of this lordshyp at that dayes was Elman or Thetforde the chyfe towne But after Guydo this lordeshyppe shulde begynne the yere of Grace .v. hundred .lxx then shuld yt endure but .ii. hundred .iiii. score and .xix. yeres Francia THE XCVII CHAPITER CLodoueus the sonne of Childericus or Hildericus before named was after the deth of his fader ordeyned kynge of Fraunce in y e yere of oure lorde .iiii. hundred .lxxx. and .iiii and the thyrde yere of Aurelius then kyng of Brytayne This of some wryters is named Clodoueê° Lowys The whyche shortely after that he of this realme was authorysyd for kynge heryng reporte of the beaute and grete vertue of Clotildis neuewe to Cundebald kynge or ruler of Burgoyne sente vnto hym a knyght named Aurelius to treat a maryage betwene the kynge and Clotyld or Crotild The which Cundebald more for fere then for loue assentyd The cause wherof as myn authour sayth was for y t thys Crotyld was enherytour vnto the sayde lande of Burgoyne and that she be reason of y t maryage shuld recouer her ryghte and put hym from the
saynt Martyn where wyth due deuocyon she made her specyall prayers besechynge god and that blessyd saynt to sende by heuenly power some let or impedyment y t the sayd hostes shuld not ioyne in batayll By meane of whyche prayer when the sayde two hostes were in preparyng for to haue ronne to gyther sodeynly fyll suche a tempeste of wynde and hayll wyth thunder and lyghtnynge that bothe hostes were so greuously beten with the sayde tempeste and wederynge that eyther of them had most mynde how they myght defende them selfe from daunger of the said wederyng And ouer that as testyfyeth y e aboue named Authour eyther of the hostes thought in theyr myndes that they were chased of theyr enimies in such wyse that eyther of them fledde from other by a longe space After this eyther of them sent meanes of treatyse eyther to other and at length confermed a peace betwene them The whyche peace surely on both partyes assured Childebert excytyd his brother to warre vppon a people or countre called Terra ConensÌ„ in the prouynce of Spayn and besegyd the cytye of Saragounce otherwise called Augusta fynally kept the cytesyns so shorte that they to appeace theyr enimyes caused the byshoppe of the cytye to open the sepulchre of saynt Uyncent and gyue to Lotharius a parte of y â— holy martyrs bodye But yet that notwythstandynge though the syege were wythdrawen and the cytye sparyd yet the countre there aboute they pylled and wasted wythoute pyte And after wyth great rychesse of praye retourned in to Fraunce where at Paris by Childebert soone after was builded a monastery in the worshyppe of god and of saynt Uincent where the foresayd relyke was sette and reuereÌ„tly kepte whych monastery at this daye is called saynt Germayns de Pree In thys whyle I can not saye by what happe these two brethern newly malygned agayne theyr neuewe Theodobert the son of theyr brother Theodorich And entendyd by theyâ— malyce to byreue hym of the lordeshyppe of Austracy And to that entent gatheryd theyr people to warre vpon the sayde Theodobert wherof when y e sayd Theodobert was ware consyderynge he coude not so shortely assemble his people to wythstande the malyce of his sayd vncles â–ª he â—â—lowly and good maner rode agayne them in a peasyble wise And to them behaued hym so well in worde and dede that they alonely forgaue noâ— hys trespasse but also sente hym â—â—gayne with great rychesse of gyftes Soone after thys tyme dyed Cloâ—tilde the wife of Clodoueus y â— which with great pompe of her two sonnes was buryed by her sayde husbande â–ª And shortly after dyed Theodobert aforenamed leuynge after hym â— sonne named Theobalde In thys passe tyme Lotherius of hys wyfe râ—ceyued .vii. sonnes two doughters Of the whyche Cramyris the eldest sonne he sente into Guyan to haue the rule therof vnder his father But he contrary to hys fathers mynde oppressyd the inhabytauntes therof wyth greuous exaccyons and tribute wherfore hys father beynge dyscontent called hym thens Cramyris wyth this beynge sore amoued in great angre departed his fathers courte yode vnto Childebert hys vncle excytynge hym to make warre vppon hys father imagynynge fals occasyons to bryng the two brethern at dystaunce and made a solemne othe to his vncle that durynge hys lyfe he shuld streÌ„gth his party agayn his owne father whyche assuraunce thus made Chyldebert preparyd hys hoste to warre agayne his brother Lothariê° But y e sayd Lothariê° of this beynge warned for such lette as he then haddde sent agayne hys enymyes two sonnes of hys named Gunthranus and Aribertê° whyle these two fonnes made toward Childebert he in that whyle made great waste in the countre of Champayne and takynge great pryses returned into hys owne countre of myddell Fraunce wherof herynge the forenamed Guntranus and hys brother and also that in Guyan was moued warre by CramyrÌ„ spedde them thyder wyth all theyr people But they dydde nothynge worthye memorye or laude In thys season dyed the forsayde Chyldeberte brother of Lotharius wythout heyre when he hadde ruled myddell Fraunce xivii yeres as sayeth the Frenche cronycle and was enterred in y e monastery of saint Uyncent otherwyse called saynte Germayne de Pree THE CIII CHAPITER AFter the deth of Childebert for so myche as he dyed without heyre Lotharius forenamed seasyd all myddell Fraunce into his possessyon And after he hadde somdele sette yt in order not forgetynge the innaturall rebellyon of hys son Cramyris chase vnto hym a puryd company of knyghtes and of competent nomber in all haste made toward Guyan where y e sayd CramyrÌ„ was then abydynge But when he harde of the coÌ„mynge of his father agayn hym with his chosyn armye he withdrewe hym to the vttermost partyes of Fraunce and requyryd ayde of a kynge or duke to that partye adioynynge named Gonobalde the which to hym promised ayde to his power Lotharius of this affinyte beyng warned pursued the sayde Gonobalde so sharpely that he constrayned hym at length to take the chyrch of saynte Martyne and to holde yt for his sauegarde But when Lotharius had assayd by dyuerse meanes as well by fayre promyse as wordes of Manasses and myght not get the sayde Gonobalde oute of that holy place he set the chyrche on fyre and brent the duke in the same the which shortely after he reedifyed and made in more better maner then yt before hadde ben when Cramyris was thus dispoynted of y e ayde of Gonobalde he then fledde into lyttell Brytayne and requyred ayde of the erle therof named Cenabutus where by comforte of y t sayde erle he assembled a great hoste to wythstand his father wherof the father beynge asserteyned drewe towarde hym And when both hostes were nere they sent messagers to y e father to entreate a peace But Lotharius included so many harde condycyons wythin the sayde peace or as some writersmeane Cramyris desyred such vnlefull desyres of his father that the sayd treaty myght take none effecte And for truste that he had in the Brytons and his strength he was vtterly bent to trye his cause by dynt of swerde Lotharius hauynge experieÌ„ce that fortune of batayl is in victory doutfull vncertayne he therfore made hys prayer to god besechynge hym of ayde agayne the innaturall and obstynate rebellyon of his sonne After whych prayer endyd he commaunded in the name of god to sette vppon his enymyes whyche mette with so grete ire that shortly y e grene feld was dyed into a perfyght redde and many knyghtes vpon both partyes laye slayne and gruntynge vppon the erthe The father comfortynge and callynge vpon his knyghtes vppon the one parte and the son vpon his knyghtes vpon that other parte eyther of them entendynge y e deth and vtter destruccyon of eche other thus this batayll hangynge in suspence to whether of them the vyctorye shuld turne sodeynly the Britons gaue backe and gaue place to the Frenchemen wyth the which the French partye beyng
entende in the declarynge of thys story of Clothayre to expresse the remanaunte in as shorte wyse as I goodly may And fyrst ye shall vnderstaÌ„d that after thys fredegunde had as before is shewed causyd her lorde to be slayne she ferynge that at length her vntrouth shulde be dyscoueryd wyth all her goodes in shorte tyme after yode vnto Paris and there in the monasterye or house of our ladye held her And for she wold be in more suerty and also her son the sayd Clotharius shuld be the streÌ„ger in his domynyon and kingdome therfore she sent messengers vnto Gunthranus kynge of Orleaunce brother to her lorde Chilperich requyryng hym of fauoure and ayde that he wolde of his goodnesse be tutour defendour of her yonge sonne Clotharius The whych not denyenge the requeste of Fredegunde spedde towarde Paris in all haste where wyth the assent of other nobles of the realme he toke the gydynge of the yonge kynge By whose aduyse and coÌ„maundement the sayde Clotharius was conueyd shewyd thorough many of the chefe cytyes of his lande But in lykewyse as Gunthranus wyth other bysyed theym selfe to strength Lotharius in hys ryghte euen so were other of the nobles of FrauÌ„ce by the meanes of Brunechyeldis wyfe some tyme of Sygebert yongest sonne of Lothayre the fyrst the whyche Sygebert receyued of hys sayde wyfe two sonnes named Chilperich and Chyldebert of the whych two Chilperich suruyued the other that dyd all theyr entent to promote Chyldebert to the porcyon of hys father that Chilpericus father of Lotharius occupyed after the deth of Sigebert forenamed Here dyscordeth the frenche cronycle froÌ„ myne authour Gagwyne For there yt is sayd y e Brunechield with the other of her assent wold then by theyr meanes haue pÌ„ferred a bastard son of the forenamed Sygebert called Theodoricê° to the kyngdome of FrauÌ„ce An other authour sayth that this Theodorich was the son of Childericê° afore named whyche was the sonne of Sygebert But to folowe mayster Gagwyne This Childebert whych by y e former sayeng rehersyd in y t C. and .xiiii. chapiter of this treatyse was delyueryd from y e handes of Chilperich his vncle by meanes of the erle of Poytow named GuÌ„debald this with a small coÌ„pany came vnto Paris where of y e cyteseÌ„s he was kept out For y e which soon after he sent a noble man of his named Gillon with other as ambassadours vnto GuÌ„thranê° And where among other thynges of hym requyred they axed of him FredeguÌ„d to suffer deth for y â— she had by her subtylty caused to be murdred bothe Sygebert father to theyr kynge and also Chilpericus her owne husbande yt was of him vtterly denyed Wherfore this sayd Gyllon sayd vnto GuÌ„thranus syr kynge knowe thou for certayne synnes thou haste refused this peace to the offeryd of thy neuewe that the deth of thy brother shall cleuâ— to thy hedde wyth these wordes the kynge beynge greatly amoued commaunded the ambassadours to be putte oute of his court and when they were in the strete all fylthe and ordoure to be caste vppon theym as enymytyes And varyaunces thus kyndelyng betwene these two kinges Gunthranus soone after sent Fredegunde into Neustria or Normandy caused her there to be kepte not farre from y e citye of Roan whyther to her came many noble men of FrauÌ„ce in coÌ„fortynge her and also mouynge her for the trouble she was in promysynge to her ayde to the vttermoste of theyr power But when that Fredegunde apperceyuyd the great fauoure that Brunechyelde stode in of the nobles of Orleaunce or Fraunce she enuyenge her welth and honoure called to her an homycyde a felon called Holderyche to whom the sayde FredeguÌ„de pmysyd great treasour yf he coude by venyme or otherwyse brynge to deth the sayde Brunechieldis By meane of whych promyse he grauÌ„ted to brynge her entent about shortely after drewe vnto the court of the sayde Brunechyeldis where he fyll in suche famylyaryte wyth dyuerse of her courte that he came many seasons to the pÌ„sence of y e quene But by what happe I can not saye lastely he was taken in suspeccyon and so tormentyd pyned that he coÌ„fessyd y e cause of his thyder coÌ„myng and by whom he was sent with all y e other cyrcuÌ„staunce of the matter After whych coÌ„fessyon so made he was to betyn arrayed in moste vyle maner and so sent agayn to FredeguÌ„d And when he was comen to her presence and shewed what tourment he had suffred for her cause she incontyneÌ„t in fulfyllyng of her malycyous purpose commaunded that his handes and fete shulde be stryken of and so lette go to the ende that yt shulde be thought that she had not desyred hym to that besynesse Aboute thys tyme season arose a yonge maÌ„ in a corner of Fraunce the whych by his subtyle wytte named hym selfe to be the sonne of the fyrst Lotharius and brother vnto Gunthranê° The which by synystre meanes and crafty gatte the fauoure of the lordes of Guyan and by theyr assystence held and occupyed a great parte therof And after somdele of hys counsay les to Gunthranus by hys espyes disclosyd this sayde yonge man beyng named GuÌ„doaldus sent vnto Gunthranus an ambassade and requyryd hym to be restoryd to a porcyon of hys faders goodes Addyng therto that yf he denyed the sayde Gundoaldus wolde wyth a strong armye repayre out of Gwyan and get hys ryght wyth strength that to bryng about he shulde also haue great ayde of Chyldebert his neuewe aboue named whan kynge Gunthranus had at leyser herde the message he in dysdaynyng the same coÌ„maunded them to be sette vppon horse backes theyr facys towarde the tayle and so with betynge and vylanye to be dryuen thorough the town It was not long after that a daye was appoyntyd betwene Gunthranus and Childebert at whych day both prynces met with great companyes lordes And wheÌ„ they were sette in theyr counsayll Gunthranê° coÌ„maunded the foresayd messyngers of Gundoaldus to be brought to fore them there agayne to recyte theyr foresayde message whych done he shewyd furthermore that the sayd Gundoalde had before tyme dispoyled the doughter of I hil peryche named Rygonde of all such rychesse as she wyth her conueyed when she went towarde Spayne to be maryed of the whyche some lordes of Childebert were of counsayll whyche vnto the sayde two prynces was thought trewe for so myche as the sayde lordes then accusyd were absent from that great counsayll THE CXXIII CHAPITER AFter many and great actes concludyd by thys counsayll betwene these two foresayd prynces Gunthranus in open audyence admytted hys neuewe Chyldebert for his heyre for so mych as he had none heyre of hys bodye commyttynge the rule therof to hym before all that were there And after toke hym aê‘te and shewyd to hym whych of his nobles he shulde take to counsayll and whyche he shuld refuse And specyally he warnyd hym to be well ware
bare hym so well that he causyd his enimyes to lese grounde and at length put them to flyght the whyche he foloweth to the gates of Parys to the great damage of y e people of Lothary In this chase was taken Meroneus the sonne of Clotharye wyth many other but Laundry was goten wythin the cytye And when Theodobert had thus goten the vyctory of hys enemyes he lyste no lenger to tary about them at that season but shortly after retourned to hys countre In the court of Theodorich broder of this Theodobert was at this day dwellynge an Italian named Prothadiê° the whyche as myne authour sayth was paramour vnto Brunechyeld before sayd The which Brunechyeld by hyr meanes had exalted from poore estate vnto hyghe authoryte the whyche was of a subtyle far castynge wytte and therwyth excedynge couetous and in greate fauour of the kynge but to all hys lordes odyous hatefull for the which vnlefull meanes by hym to the nobles and comons of the lande vsed for the yll condycyons and bad counceyll that Brunechyelde thys Prothadiê° vsed within y e court of Theodobert he bannysshed them both as well of hys lande as of hys courte wherfore euer after they malygned agayne Theodobert And for the execucyon of theyr malicious purpose they tolde vnto Theodoryche that hys enemy and not brother Theodobert had wythdrawen from hym the chefe of hys faders treasoure alledgyng also that he was not the sonne of Chyldebert hys fader but gotten of a gardener and wyllyd hym therfore to sende vnto hym and to aske restytucyon of the sayde goodes By the whyche wycked counceyle Theodoryche was so lad that he sent vnto hys brother and in suche wyse so vexyd and styryd hym that dedely malice was kyndelyd betwene them In so myche that eyther of them assembled great hostes and lastely met nere vnto a towne named Carysse where the sayde hostes beynge redy to haue runne togyders the lordes of Theodoberte so demeaned them vnto hym that by theyr wyse counsayle he agreed to sende to hys brother and to haue a coÌ„municacyon of peas And whan the embassade was comen to the pauylyon of Theodoryche and there had shewyd the vnkyndnesse of thys warre wyth the ieopardy that myghte ensue of the same anone the foresayde Prothadius toke vppon hym the answere sayd it is not requysyte so lyghtly to graunte peas but necessary it is to attempte the wyll of our enemye by batayle whether he woll be agreable to condescende to our desyres The whyche wordes thus expressyd of hym anone the more party of the lordes dysdayned it and conspyryd wythin them selfe howe they myghte putte hym to deth And forthwyth arose amonge them such a murmur that y e kynge apperceyued well that they entendyd some harme to Prothadius For the whyche he called vnto hym a knyght named Uselyne chargynge hym to go vnto the lordes commaundynge them that they in no wyse shulde do any harme to Prothadius The whyche Uselyne beynge of the mynde of the other sayd that the kynge wolde that they shulde slee Prothayde After whyche message done they ranne in all haste and hym slewe as he sate playenge at dyce or tables wyth one Peter a physicyon and that done all hoolly ranne vnto y e kynges tent besechyng hym to take no dyspleasure of y e deth of so euyll a man that as well was knoweÌ„ was enemye to all frendshyp and peas But for Theodoryche apperceyued well that he cowde not reuenge hys deth wythout ponyshemeÌ„t of a multytude he therfore toke pacience and suffred the offence to passe vnpunysshed After whyche man thus murdered bothe prynces without notable acte deê‘ted eyther into hys countree THE CXXV CHAPITER TO thys daye Theodoryche had taken no wyfe all be yt of hys concubyne he receyued two sonnes He therfore by thaduertysement of hys frendes set hys mynde to mary some noble woman soone after sent certeyne ambassadours vnto Berthricê° then kyng of Spayne wyllyng to grauÌ„te vnto hym Memberge his doughter in mariage The whiche vppon certeyne condicyons was perfourmed and wyth greate ryches to hym shortly after sent and maryed â— by a certayn tyme well entreated cheryshed But that season roÌ„ne spent Brunechyeld so turned the kynges mynde from the quene that lastely he wyth suche treasoure and iewellys as he of her receyued sent her home agayn The whych iniury Berthricus her father toke at herte greuously shortly after sente hys messengers vnto Clothary kyng of Soysons requiryng hym of ayde to warre vppon Theodoriche which hadde done vnto hym great dyspleasure and the rather for y e warre that the sayde Theodoryche wyth his brother lately made agayne hym the whyche wyth both theyr strengthes they myghte then well reuenge To whome Clotharius grauÌ„ted And to haue hys party the stronger he sente vnto hys neuewe Theodobert and brother to Theodoriche to styre hym agayne hys sayde brother wherof when Berthricus hadde receyuyd knowlege of hys sayde messengers he theÌ„ sent vnto Agon king of Longobardys or more veryly Adoaldus the .v. kynge after Alboynus requyryng hym in lyke maner And he desyrous of wreche made faste and sure promyse to gyue ayde to the vttermoste of his power when Theodoryche was warned of the coÌ„spyracy of these .iiii. kynges that entendyd to warre ioyntly vppon hym he was therwyth greatly amoued and prouyded for hys defence in his bestâ— maner Then Theodobert trustyng the appoyntmeÌ„t before made assembled a great hoste and made spede fyrst toward y e place bytwene theym appoynted whyche was nere to y e castell of Salas. But or any preparacyon was made towarde batayle a meane was founde that the forenamed two bretherne shulde mete eyther wyth other accoÌ„panyed wyth .x. thousand knyghtes But Theodobertus enterâ—â—ynge to dysceyue hys sayd brother to force hym to grauÌ„te to his pleasure broughte wyth hym ferre aboue y e noÌ„ber wherfore Theodoricus beynge ouersette wyth strength graunted all his brothers wyll whych was that ouer certeyne thynges and appoyntementes concluded bytwene Berthricus and hym Theodobert shulde holde to hym and his heyres two lordshippes called Champayne and Turon whych conclusyon fynysshed eyther takynge leue of other departyd vnto theyr countreys but not wythout greate vnrestfulnesse of the sayde Theodorych berynge in mynde the wronge doynge of hys brother wherfore he shortly after made meanes to hys neuewe Clothayre desyrynge hym that he wolde not assyste hys brother agayne hym but to suffer hys quarell to be demyd by dynt of swerde bytwene theym two This requeste Lothayre by the aduyse of saynte Columbane munke of Irelande than beynge in those costes graunted And the french cronicle sayth that he was warned of thys foresayd holy munke and abbot that he shulde not medle bytwene the sayd two bretherne for so myche as yt was prouyded of god that he shuld be heyre to them bothe whan Theodorych had receyued thys answere he gaderyd his streÌ„gth and spedde hym vppon hys iourney to the cytye of Langresse and
ouer the Frenchemen after moste wryters two yeres THE CXL CHAPITER THeodoricus before deposyd was by the lordes of FrauÌ„ce agayne restoryd to hys former dygnyty in the yere of our lorde .vi. huÌ„dred .lx. and .xi and the .xxxv. yere of Cadwall forenamed Therof when Eboryn was warned he anon drew vnto the kynges presence By whose fauour hys owne strength he was agayne restoryd to his former dignytie honour so that he was in lyke authorite as he before tyme had ben Then he gatheryd to hym great strength and chasyd Lyndesyle then mayster of the paleys vnto a place named Boccauyle and shortly after was possessyd of the kynges treasorye After the which season this Eboryn faynynge loue and amytye vnto the sayde Lyndesyle trayterouslye slewe hym And when Eboryne had thus delyuerid LiÌ„desyle he thought he myght the better exercyse his olde tyranny and wylfull actes So that then he exylyd dyuerse prelates and men of the chyrche and sette in theyr places suche as hym lyked wherof the nobles of Fraunce beynge aduertysed and specyally Martyne and Pepyn two of the most nobles of the regyon they called to them assysteÌ„ce to wythstande the tyrannye of Eboryne the whyche yf yt myghte be so sufferyd shulde destroye the comonwele of the lande Then this Pepyn whyche after the rehersayle before made in the C. and .xxxii. chapyter shulde be the seconde of that name and surnamed Uetulus and Breuis also yet by conuenyency of the tyme to me yt semeth to be one man that ruled in the tyme of Dagobert and nowe all be yt the frenche cronycle meaneth two sondry persones wyth the forenamed Martyne assembled a great hoste and gaue batayll vnto the sayde Eboryn But that was to theyr harme for the loste they felde and were coacted to flee the one to the cytye of Laon and that other to Austracye And Eboryne whych amonge vsed his accustomyd treason vnder dyssymyled loue slew the sayde Martyne as he before had slayne Lyndesyle In thys tyme flouryd Harmefreditus a nere kynnesman of the holy byshop Leodegayre that Eboryn before had martyred as before is shewyd The whyche Harmefreditus berynge in mynde the passyon of hys sayde kynnesman waytyd his tyme and slewe the sayde Eboryne After whose deth dyssencyon grewe amoÌ„g the Frenche men for the admyssyon of a mayster of the paleys all be yt that after the sayde varyaunce one Graccon was chosen and admytted But yt was longe after that Gyllomarus his sonne putte hys father from the rule therof Thys after he hadde a whyle occupyed he dyed of sodayne deth After whom succedyd agayne hys father Graccon or Garacon the whyche also dyed shortely after Then beganne newe questyons amonge the nobles of FrauÌ„ce for this offyce so that lastely they chase a man of lowe byrth and vnmete to that Rome named Bethayr or Barthayr But Pepyn whych by all this season was in y e couÌ„trey of Austracy and harde of the contrauersies and dyuerse opynyons of the Frenche men assembled to him a stroÌ„ge hoste and spedde hym towarde the kynge entendynge to haue the rule of hym rather then suche other that were of lesse authoryte and honoure wherof the kynge beynge warned by the prouysyon of Barthayer foresayde he gatheryd hys armye and mette with Pepyn And after a sharpe fyghte betwene bothe hostes hadde Barthayre was slayne and the kyng chasyd and finally was forced to admyt Pepyn for the mayster and gouernour of his paleys But for as mych as Pepyn had theÌ„ the rule of Austracy and myght not well ouerse bothe charges he therfore purueyed vnder hym a substitute named Nordobert whyle he returned into Austracy or Lorayne And shortly after dyed the kynge when he hadde borne y e name therof by the terme of .xix. yeres leuynge after hym two sonnes named Clodoueus and Childebertus Anglia THE CXL CHAPITER CAdwaladrus that of y e reuerente Beda is named Cedwalla beganne to aryse and rule the Brytons and also the westsaxons in the yere of grace vi hundred .lxxx. and thre and y e .xii. yere of Theodoricus then kynge of Fraunce and also the last yere of Kenewinus or Kentwinus then kynge of westsaxon This of Gaufryde and other authours wyth y e englyshe cronicle is called the sonne of Cedwall But wyllyam that wrote the actes dedys of kynges sayth that he was the sonne of Kenebryght and descendyd lynyally of the blode of Cerdicê° the fyrste kynge of the westsaxons The which Cadwaladyr or Cedwalla made warre vpon Lothariê° kyng of Kent and destroyed myche of that prouynce and wan the yle of wyght and gaue the fourth parte therof vnto saynte wylfryde in the whyche sayde .iiii. parte were accompted .iii. hundred housholdes The whyle that Calwaladyr was besyed in one parte of Kent his brother named Mulkyn wyth a certayn of knyghtes was beseged and lastely brente in a nother parte therof In reuengement wherof Cadwaladyr of new destroyed a more parte of the sayde prouynce Contynuynge the whyche warre Lotharius forenamed was wouÌ„ded and dyed After whom Edricus was kynge y e whych reygned but a shorte season Aboute this tyme saynte Cutbert was byshop of Hogulstald or Durham after byshop of Lyndefarn But lastely he rufusyd that and became an anker in the yle of Farne and there dyed This I le now is called holy ilande TheÌ„ Cadwaladyr made warre vppon Athelwold kynge of Southsaxons or Southsex and slewe hym in playne batayll and after made hys prouynce thrall to hym But thys agreeth not with y e former sayeng rehersyd in the .lxxx. .xiiii. chapyter of this worke precedynge where yt is sayde that the kyngdome of Southsaxons enduryd but a hundred .xii. yeres By whyche reason this Ethelwolde or Athelwolde shulde not at this season be kyng of SouthsaxoÌ„s For the terme of a hundred and .xii. yeres was expyrd more then .lxxx. and .viii. yeres before this daye But ye shall vnderstande y t this forsayde terme of a hundred and .xii. yeres is ment for the contynuaunce of this kyngedome or they were subdued and the kynges therof named vnder kynges as this Ethelwold was Then yt foloweth when Cadwaladyr hadde ruled the Brytons and also the westsaxons by the terme of thre yeres as wytnessyth Ranulphe munke of Chester he then of pure deuocyon renouncyd the pompe and pryde of the worlde and yode in pylgrymage to Rome where of the fyrst Sergius then pope he was confyrmyd and after made a white munke and contynued there hys lyfe tyme in perfyte holynes Of thys Cadwaladyr or Cedwalla many and dyuers opynyons are wryten of authours both of hys reygne and also of the contynuaunce therof and ouer that of the tyme wheÌ„ he forsoke hys lande wherin is great varyaunce as I haue shewed in the table in the begynnyng of this symple worke So that it shuld seme that these two names shulde sounde to be sondry persones wherof the coÌ„trary is a certayned by the foresayde Ranulphe where as he sayeth that Cadwaladrê° or
that lande or prouynce into hys owne handes and putte out his sonne whyche after allyed hym with Constantyne kynge of Scottes and maryed his doughter By whose styrynge and exhortacyon he gatheryd a company of Danys Scottes and other and entred the mouth of Humber wyth a stronge nauy wherof herynge Ethilstane in all goodly haste prepared hys armye and at length met wyth hym and his people at a place called Brymforde where he hadde a great and solemne vyctorye For as yt is shewyd in the foresayde chapyter and boke after the kynge by helpe of god and saynt Adelyne hadde defended the subtyll assaute made vppon hym by nyghte of his enymyes he vppon the morne by helpe of hys brother Edmunde Dodo the archbyshoppe chased his sayde enymyes and slew there Constantyne kynge of Scottes and .v. small or vnder kynges and .xii. dukes wyth the more partye of all the straūge nacyons at y e tyme there gaderyd whyche batayll shuld be done by the meanyng of the sayd Policronicon about y e last yere of his reygn THE CLXXXV CHAPITER IT is also testyfyed of dyuers wryters that Ethylstane after this vyctory thus obteyned of the Danys and Scottes or Scottes Danys he also subdued the Northe Brytons that dwelled at Herforde there about and compelled theym to pay to hym yerely for a tribute .iii. hūdred pounde of syluer xxv hundred hede of nete and .xx. pounde in gold But Guydo sayth that kynge Ethilstane caused to come before hym at Herforde cytye the rulers of all the North Brytayne there had wyth them suche communycacyon that he forced them to graunte vnto hym as a yerely trybute .xx. pounde of gold iii. hundred poūde in syluer of heddes of nete .xxv. hundred wyth dogges haukes to a certayne nomber After whych vyctories he went vnto Exeter and repayred yt the wallys therof suffycyently Dane Iohn̄ Lydgate a munke somtyme of saynt Edmundes bury made a goodly treatyse of this kyng Ethilstane shewynge that he was in so great persecucyon of the Danys y t he was constrayned to call at wynchester a great counsayll of his lordes where after longe debatyng of the mater dyuers ambassades and messages sent about by y e kyng the Danys It was fastly cōcluded that the kynge shuld puruey hym a champyon to fyghte wyth Colibronde or Colbronde a geaunt Dane which the Danys had appoynted for theyr cheuetayne wherfore the kyng enserchyng thorough his landes for such a knyght myght none fynde was in great daunger dystresse heuynesse And for so mych as he well perceuyd y e mannes power fayled he by the aduyse of lordes spyrituall temporall fyll to fastynge prayer and cōtynued therin by a certayn of time wyth perfyte charitable deuocyon In tyme of whyche sayde abstynence a vysyon was shewed vnto Ethilstane cōfortyng hym also cōmaundyng hym y t erely vppon the next mornynge he shuld stand at the North gate of the citye of winchester and there he shuld fynde amonges y e porayll a pylgryme clad in palmers wede whome he shulde chose for his champyon After whyche vysyon thus to hym shewyd he dyd accordyngly and founde a man of goodly stature and somdeale stryken in age and clade as he was monyshed by the vysyon wherof he fyrste gaue vnto god thankynges and after made request to this pylgryme that he wold take vpon hym thys batayll for the defence of the lande whyche layde for hym many reasonable excuses as well for his age as otherwise How be it finally he graūted y e kyng to fullfyll his request and cōmaundement And at the daye before lymytted and assygned met in the feld with the forenamed geaunt called Colbronde wythoute the gate of y e cytye in a medow or pasture called Hydemede where betwene them two was faughten a longe and cruell fyghte so that the kynge was in great fere of hys champyon But fynally by helpe of god the pylgryme wanne the honoure of that fyghte and slew that geaunt that was of excedynge stature and therunto of great and passynge strength whyche vyctorye by the pylgryme thus by grace obteyned the kynge wyth his barony fette hym into the citye of wynchester wyth solemne processyon and cōueyed hym vnto the cathedral chirch of the same where he thanked god wyth great deuocyon offryd there the axe wyth the whych he had slayn the Danys champyon After whych oblacyon with dew reuerence other obseruances by hym and other fynyshed the kynge caused hym to be conueyed vnto hys courte where he taryed that nyght wyth myche daunger And vppon the morne erely he made suche meanes that he wolde nedely departe and y t in the same apparell y t he came thyther when the kynge was aduertysed that his pylgryme wold so hastly departe whom he entendyd to haue holden wyth hym in his courte and to haue endowed with ryche possessyons he cōmaunded hym to be broughte vnto hys presence And when he sawe he coude not cause him to tary he required hym to shewe his name wherof also he besought the kyng to pardon hym wherfore the kyng cōsyderyng hys hasty departynge wyth many other thynges in hym to be consydered was the more desyrous to haue of hym some knowlege And for that he was effectuose in his desyre when the pylgryme perceyuyd that he coude not wyth the kynges pleasure departe wythoute dysclosynge of hys name he sayde he myght not dyscouer hys name wythin the walles of the cytye wythoute the offence of hys conscyence wherfore the kyng graunted to go wyth hym tyll he were in the brode feldes Uppon whyche graunt thus made the kynge commaunded dyuers great gyftes to be to hym presented whyche all he vtterly refused Shortely to cōclude the kyng wyth a certayne of his lordes conueyed this sayd pylgryme vnto the townes ende And when he was thyther cōmen he there requyred of the performaunce of the promyse where thys pylgryme syttynge one his kne besoughte the kynge of his especyall grace that he wolde put a parte his lordes and other so that he myghte shewe vnto hym his name onely whyche done he in moste humble wyse besoughte hym that he wolde kepe hys name secrete for the space of .xxiiii. oures where of by y e kyng affyrmaunce to hym fyrmely made he shewed vnto hym that he was hys naturall lyege man and subiect and that his name was Guy of warwike Of whyche tydynges the kyng was very ioyous and offeryd hym then of newe many ryche rewardes and gyftes But all was in vayne for he wolde nothynge receyue so that the kynge and he lastely departed wyth wepynge eyen And after as affyrmeth my sayde authoure not farre from warwyke in a wyldernesse he purchased by goddes purueyaunce a lodgynge in a heremytage where by the terme of two yeres and more he dwelled kept an harde lyfe And herynge that dame Felyce his owne wyfe fed dayly .xiii. poore men for Cristes sake he went thyther sondry tymes
encreased waxed passynge ryche and the Enlyshemen nedy bare poore Thus contynuynge this mysery Swanus or after the englyshe Swayne then beyng in Denmarke and heryng of the encreace of his people within Englande repented hym of his former couenauntes and thought y t the hole domynyon of EnglaÌ„d shulde belong to hym of ryght For the whyche he prepared his armye nauy in moste defensyble wyse and sped hym into England to the ryuer of Humber and landed in Northumberlande where the erle or ruler of that countrey wyth all the rulers of the same sware feaute vnto the sayde Swanus and promysed to kepe that countrey vnto hys vse And when he had done hys wyll in that coste he entred agayne the water and by the ryuer of Trent he passed to Gaynysburghe and so by North watlyngstrete and subdued the inhabytauntes of that couÌ„trey and forced theym to gyue vnto hym pledges whyche pledges wyth also his nauy he betoke vnto Canutus his sonne whyle he wente farther into the lande And that done he wyth his â–ª people kepte on his iourney tyl he â–ª came into Mercia kyllynge and slayeng the men of that prouynce And reserued the women to vnclene lyuynge as well the relygyous as other and toke by strength wynchester and Oxenford and dyd in them what he lyked And after he hadde thus passed the lande he drewe the nexte waye towarde London But in passynge the ryuer of Thames he loste some parte of hys people other for lacke of a brydge or for ieopardynge theyr passage vnauysely And so in processe he came vnto London where at that tyme kynge Egelredus was wherfore Swanus lefte the cytye and drewe into Kente and so towarde Caunterbury wythoute lette weldynge the countrey at hys wyll and lastely beseged that cytye The whyche manfully defended theyr enymyes by the space of .xx. dayes whyche syege beganne vpon the day of saynte Mathewe in the moneth of September and endured as is aboue sayde and then taken by the treason of a deken named Almaricus the whyche beforetyme blessed Elphegus then archebyshop of that see hadde preserued from deth Then the Danys fyred the cytye when they before had spoyled it and toke the archebyshop and put him in strayte pryson And the monkes of saynt Augustynes abbey they tythed that is to meane they slew .ix. by cruel torment and the tenth they kepte a lyue the whych after was solde and sette to all seruyle laboure And as wytnessyth Antoninus or Uyncent hystoryall they slewe and broughte in seruage ouer the summe of .ix. hundred persones of relygyon they slew of men women chyldren beyonde the noÌ„ber of .viii. thousand As with myche more cruelty yt is shewyd in the .vii. chapyter of the .xvi. tytle of the worke of the sayde Antoninus And fynally for this blessed man Elphegus wolde not condescende to gyue vnto them as sayth Policronica .iii. thousande pounde after they had kept hym in harde pryson by the space of .vii. monethes vppon an Ester eueÌ„ they after many vylanyes to hym done at Grenewyche wythin thre myles of London they stoned hym to deth where he lay in the feld vnburyed a certayne of tyme and after caryed to London and buryed reuereÌ„tly in the chyrch of saynt Paule But afterward in tyme of Canutus he was taken vp agayne and caryed to his owne chyrche Of this blyssed Elphegus Antoninus and also Policronicon shewen many vertues and myracles the whyche I passe ouer for lengthynge of the tyme. THE CC. CHAPITER IN this pastyme kynge Egelredus ferynge the ende of thys persecucyon sent Emma the quene wyth her two sonnes Alphrede and Edwarde vnto Rycharde the second of y e name then fourth duke of Normandy whych was brother vnto the sayde Emma wyth whome also he sent the byshoppe of London About the .xxxiiii. yere of the reygne of Egelredus the Danis when they hadde wonne a great part of the couÌ„trey of westsaxon retorned agayn towarde London wherof herynge the Londoners sent vnto theym certayn gyftes and pledges In all thys season myne authoure maketh no mynde that euer the king gaue vnto the Denys any notable batayll but kepte hym in holdes or places for his owne sauegarde and lytell fruyte or profyte to his lande At the laste he was chaced vnto the yle of wyghte where wyth a secrete companye he helde a great parte of the wynter and fynally wythout catall or comforte sayled ouer to hys wyfe into NormaÌ„dy and there held hym a certayne of tyme. whan Swanus was ascertayned of the departynge of Egelredus out of the lande he was enflamed wyth excedynge pryde so that he arrered excedynge imposycyons of the people and greued them wonderfully And amonges other of his tyraÌ„nyes he asked a great summe of money of saynt Edmundes landes whych the rulers denayed for so myche as they claymed to be free of all kynges trybute For thys he entred the terytory of saynte Edmunde and wasted and spoyled the countrey and ouer that despysed that holy martyr wyth manassyng of the place of his sepulture wherfore the men of that countrey ferynge this tyraunt gaue them to fastynge and prayer so that shortly after he was stycked in an euenynge amonges his knyghtes with y e sword of saynte Edmunde in the towne of Shetforde as sayth Guydo but after Policronicon other in the town of Gaynesborugh where he dyed wyth yellynge and cryenge the thyrd daye after In fere wherof Canutus hys son after that he was kynge closed in y e land of that holy martyr with a depe dyche and graunted to the inhabytauntes therof great fredam quyt them of all kyngly taske or trybute And after buylded a chyrch ouer the place of his sepulture and ordeyned there an house of munkes endued them wyth fayre possessyons And after yt was vsed that kynges of England when they were crowned sent for an offerynge theyr crownes vnto saynte Edmundes shryne and redemed them aftewardes wyth a condygne pryce when Egelredus hadde wrytynge of the deth of Swanus by procurement of his frendes he made meanes to retourne to hys owne By whose meanes he was sent for wyth condycyon that he shulde refourme his olde condycyons Ad for perfourmauÌ„ce of the same he sent his son Edwarde into Englande before hym And in the lent folowynge the kyng came hym selfe and wyth his people sped hym towarde Lyndesey where Canutus was at that tyme resseauÌ„t not prouyded of the kynges so hasty commynge wherfore he beynge not purueyed to wythstande the kynge fledde into Sandewyche in Kente And for he there proued suche persones as before tyme his fader and he hadde taken pledges of fande them not perseueraunt in theyr ê“misses he made to be cutte of all the noses and haÌ„des of the sayd Englyshe people and sayled into Denmarke when he had do and retourned the nexte yere wyth a great nauy and sayled about y e land and toke prayes in the South countrey wherof the kynges eldest sonne named Edmunde
and was anone after the deth of hys brother sent for into Denmarke and receyued ioyously and crowned at Londō of Ethelnotus than archybysshop of Caunterbury But this was of suche cruelty that he sent Alfrycus archbysshoppe of yorke and erle Goodwyne vnto westmynster commaundynge them for the iniury by hys brother Harolde before done vnto his moder Emma that they shuld drawe the corps out of y e place where it was buryed and to be throwen into the ryuer of Thamys which was done accordynge to hys wyll whych corps after as testyfyeth Guydo and other was founden by a fyssher and buryed vnreuerently within the chyrcheyarde of saynt Clement standyng wythout the Temple barre of London And as Polycronycon sayth for a more curelty he caused fyrst the hed of hys sayd brother to be smyten from the body and than throwen in to the sayd ryuer Lette the herers to thys gyue credence as them lyke for to me it semeth though the kyng had ben of suche cruelty that the bysshop forenamed wolde not haue ben the executour of so fowle a dede Thys kyng also leuyed the forenamed trybute named Dane gelt spent it to the lytell comforte of the realme but gaue vnto shypmen and maryners and other lewde persons greate and vnsyttynge fees and wages and was of suche prodegalyte that his bourdes and tabelles of his courte were spred .iiii. tymes in the daye and the people serued of great excesse both of mete also of drynke wyth leuyeng of the foresayd try bute the comons greatly grudged so that in worceter two of hys seruauntes whyche were assygned to gader that money were there slayne For the whyche dede the kynge was so sore dyspleased y t he brent a great parte of that towne Thys Hardykynutus after some authours maryed hys syster named Gunylda vnto the thyrde Henry emperour The whych was of passyng beaute and was the doughter also of Emma laste wyfe of Canutus But in processe of tyme thys Gunylda was falsely accused of spowsebrech for tryall wherof she was put to her champyon wherfore she beynge in greate agony lastely trustyng to god and knowyng her selfe without gylte of that offence putte a chyld that she wyth her had brought out of Englande in stede of the champyon The whyche fought wyth a man of geauntes stature and fynally hym slew and broughte vnto confusyon when Gunylda by dyuyne power hadde thus clered her selfe she vtterly refused the emperours company and ended her lyfe in the seruyce of hym the onely god that so hadde defended her ryght But yt shulde appere by Polycronycon and also by Antoninus that thys mayden was maryed to y e sayde Henry by the lyfe of her father Canutus and also durynge the lyfe of the sayde Henryes father named Conradus the second as before is touched in the storye of the sayde Canutus and not by thys Hardykinytus her brother It is rad that the kynge betoke all the rule of the lande vnto hys moder and erle Goodwyn the whyche had maryed as wytnessyth the englyshe cronycle the doughter of Canutus gotten vppon hys fyrste wyfe Elgina By whome many thynges were mysse orderyd and specyally by the subtylyte of this erle Goodwyn This erle had many sonnes as wytnesseth Polycrony con in the .xxv. chapyter of hys .vi. boke By his fyrste wyfe that was kynge Canutus syster not hys doughter as is aboue sayde he hadde one sonne The whyche by vndyscrete strykynge of an horse was throwen into the Thamys and drowned And the mother was lastely smyttē wyth lyghtenyng and so dyed Of whome yt is there remembred that she was so vngracyous and of so vyle condycyon that she set yonge womē to horedome for to gader by that vnlefull meane ryches After the whyche wyfe so dyed he maryed the seconde of whome he receyued .vi. sonnes That is to wyt Swanus Harolde Tostius wylnotus Sirthe or Surthe and Leoffricus and a doughter named Goditha whych after was maryed to Edwarde the confessour The two sonnes of Egelredus Alphredus and Edwarde whych as ye before haue hard were sent into Normādy by Emma theyr mother came in y e tyme of the reygne of thys kyng into Englande for to vysyte and se theyr mother brought wyth them a great nomber of Normans Then thys Goodwyne ymagyned in hys mynde howe he myght preferre hys doughter Godyth to one of these bretherne and thoughte in his mynde y t the eldest wold dysdayne that maryage And for he thought to ioyne her vnto the yonger and to make hym kynge and her quene he compassed the deth of y e elder And by this mean Goodwyn warned the lordes of Englande and sayde yt was a great ieoperdye for the lande to suffer so many straungers to entre the land without lycence wherfore yt were necessary that they were punyshed to the example of other By whych meanes he gat authoryte to order that mater as to hym semed beste or of his owne power because he was of moste myght nexte the kynge wherfore he yode and mette wyth the sayde Normans and slewe of theym the moste nomber For vppon Guylde downe he slewe alway .ix. saued the .x. And yet for he thoughte to many by that meane lefte a lyue he eft agayne tythed agayne the sayd tythe and slew euery tenth knyght of them and that by cruell deth as wyndynge theyr guttes out of theyr bodyes as sayth Polycronycon and amonge other put out the eyen of the elder brother Alphredus sent hym to Ely where he dyed in short tyme after all be it y e englyshe boke sayth y t he was slayne by the forenamed tormente And Edwarde was conueyed and by some other waye broughte to hys mother But she ferynge the treason of Good wyne sente hym soone ouer the see agayne Howe be yt the ynglyshe cronycle telleth all otherwyse when Goodwyne was after accused for thys cruell dede he sware depely y t he was forced of the kynge so for to do But in one cronicle I fynde that thys dede was executed by Goodwyne in the tyme of Harolde Harefote beynge kynge Then yt foloweth in the story this kynge Hardykynytus beynge at a feste at Lambehyth besyde London mery and iocande whyle he stode drynkynge he fyll downe sodaynly and dyed or waxed dumbe and lay tyll the .viii. daye after the whyche was the .viii. daye of the moneth of Iune and then dyed when he hadde reygned after moste wryters two yeres leuynge after hym none yssue of his bodye lawfull and was buryed by his father at wynchester Thus here endeth the lyne or ofsprynge of Swanus and all other Danys so that after thys kynge the blood of Danys was clerely extyncte and putte oute from all kyngly dygnyte wythin thys realme of Englande And also the persecution of thē seased clerely after thys kynges deth The whyche had contynued to rekē from theyr fyrst landynge in tyme of Brightricus kyng of west Saxon the .ix. yere of his reygne as in y e storye
Edwarde the confessoure and hys neuewe The seconde was to take wreche of his deth cruell murdour of hys neuew Alfrede and brother of y e blessyd kynge Edwarde that was slayn of erle Goodwyne and his adherentes as before ye haue harde in the storye of Hardykinitus the whyche dede he ascrybed chefely vnto Harolde And the thyrde was for to auenge the wronge done vnto Robert archebyshop of Caunterburye whych as he was enformed was exiled by the meanes and labour of Harolde in the tyme of Edwarde the coÌ„fessour as before is shewed THE CCXVII CHAPITER DUke wyllyam kepynpe hys course landed in processe of tyme at Hastynge in Sussex in a place called Peuenessey And in hys goynge oute of his shyp and takyng the land hys one fote slode and that other stacke faste in the sande The whych espyenge one of his knyghtes y t was nere vnto hym cryed alowde and sayd now syr duke thou holdest Englande and thou shalte soone be tourned from a duke to a kynge The duke of this made game and entred further into the lande and made his proclamacyons and cryes that no man shuld take any prayes or do any force to the people For he sayde that yt was reasonable that he shuld spare that thynge that shulde be hys owne Harolde in thys whyle was in the North partes of Englande and had wittynge of the landynge of the Normayns and sped hym towarde them in all that he myghte and gatheryd his strength by the countreys as he came But the duke made so good spede that he came to LoÌ„don before the kynge where he was holden out tyll he had made good suertye that he and hys people shulde passe thorough the cytye wythout taryenge The whyche was obseruyd And so he passyng the cytye passed the bridge and went ouer into Sussex Kynge Harolde entendynge to know the streÌ„gth of his enmyes sent espyes into the dukes hoste the whyche made reporte vnto the kynge that all duke wyllyams soldyours were prestes For they had theyr ouer lyppes and chekes shauen and the Englyshmen at these dayes vsed the here of theyr ouer lyppes shadde and not shauen But Harold to that answered and sayde they be no prestes but are stalworth and sturdye knyghtes Then Gurth or Surth one of the yongeste bretherne of Harolde counsayled hym that he shulde stande a parte and suffer hym wyth other of hys lordes to fyght with y e NormaÌ„s for so myche as he was sworne to the duke and they were not aledgynge furthermore that yf they were ouerthrowen y t yet he myght defende hys quarell and fyghte for the countrey In this meane tyme wyllyam sent a monke vnto Harold and proferred to hym thre maner of wayes and to chose one of the thre The fyrste that accordynge to his othe he shulde render the lande or delyuer yt vnto the possessyons of wyllyam And y e done to take yt agayne of hym and hold yt of hym as in fee so to reygne vnder hym for terme of hys lyfe and after his deth to retourne yt to the sayd wyllyam or to suche one of his sonnes as he wolde assigne it vnto Or secondly leue the kyngedome without more stryfe Or thyrdely in exchewynge of shedynge of the more plenty of Crysten meÌ„nes blood that he wold defende his quarell in hys owne persone agayne the duke and they two onely to trye the mater by dynte of sworde But Harolde refused these offers and sayde he wolde trye his quarell by dynt of swordis and not by one sworde and that he and hys knyghtes wolde defende theyr couÌ„trey agayn all strauÌ„ge nacyons prayenge to god to deme the ryghte betwene them twayne when duke wyllyam hadde receyued this answere from Harolde and same well that there was no meane but fortune in batayll he charged his people y t myght watche to occupye theym in prayer and specylly the prestes and the religious people where the Englyshemen gaue them all to drynke and songe Then vppon the morowe beynge saterdaye and the .xiiii. daye of Occtober and the daye of saynte Calyxte the pope bothe hostes assayled other in that place where as nowe standeth the abbay of Batayll in Sussex In the begynnyge of thys batayll a banner or a banneret called Thylfer a Norman splayed before the hoste of Normans and slewe an Englysheman or knyghte that came agayne hym and after that one other and so the thyrde and was slayne at the laste Then the seltrons smote to gyther wyth a great noyse and crye and faughte sore a longe season And the Englyshmen defended them manfully and the better for that that they kepte theym hole to gyther wythoute scaterynge or spryngynge a brode The whyche when wyllyam apperceyued he gaue a sygne vnto hys knyghtes that they shulde gyue backe and make countenaunce as they dyd flee Then the Normans imbatelled the fote men and sette horse men for wynges on euery syde By the whyche wyle the Englyshemen were descueryd and soone oute of araye and the Normans tourned agayne vpon y e Englyshemen and slewe theym downe on euery syde Thys batayll was sore foughten of the Englyshemen that duke wyllyam was thryse felled that day by reason that thre horse were that daye slayne vnder hym Lastely Harolde was wounded in the eye wyth an arowe and fyll to the grounde and was slayne and hys people scatered so that well was hym that myghte saue hym selfe by fleynge Then duke wyllyam buryed hys men that there were slayne and fuffred hys enymyes to do the same Of the deth of thys Harolde ys dyuersly wryten For Geraldus Crambrens in hys boke called Itinerarius sayth y t after Harolde had receyued many woundes and loste hys lefte eye he fledde from that felde to the countrey of Chester and lyued longe after an holy lyfe as an ancre in the selle of saynte Iamys faste by saynt IohnÌ„s chyrch made there an holy ende when y e deth of Harold was knowen to the erles of Mercia and of Northumberlande the whyche for streytnesse of waye myght not bryng theyr people to that felde or ellys for that that they wylfully wythdrew theym selfe from Harolde bycause he none otherwise departed y e prayes amonges them and theyr knyghtes at the former feld of Norgaynes then they drewe the next waye to London and take Agatha Haroldê wyfe and sent her to Chester And they and Aldredus byshoppe of yorke with the Londoners agreed and promysed eyther vnto other that they wold make Edgare Athelynge kynge and defende hys ryghte to the vttermoste of theyr powers But that promyse not wythstandynge when they harde of the great strength that dayly fell to duke wyllyam and of hys prouysyons they were fayne to breke that appoyntement And the sayd erles submytted them and gaue vnto hym pledges and became to hym his lyege men by homage and feautye And thus when Harolde hadde ruled the lande from the .v. daye of Ianuary to the .xiiii. daye of October he was slayne when he had reygned ix
feuours amonges the people and also great huÌ„ger and barreynes of y e erth Also in this yere great hurt was done in many places of y e lande by fyre and specyally in the cytye of London where vpon the .vii. day of the moneth of Iulii sodayne fyre began the whyche brent a great parte of the chyrche of saynte Paule wyth also a great parte of the cytye Then kynge wyllyam beynge in Normandye was syke and kept his â—hamber at RoanÌ„ a longe time wherfore Phylyppe the Frenche kynge in hys game sayde that wyllyam lay in chyldbeddeâ— and noryshed hys fatte wombe The whyche wordes when they were blowen to kynge wyllyaÌ„s crys he was greuously dyscontent and sayde when I am chyrched I shall offer to hym a thousande candellys lyghte wyth the whyche he shall holde hym smally contented The whyche promyse he after performed For in the moneth of Iuly wheÌ„ Corne fruyt and grapes were moste florishynge he entred Fraunce with a great army and sette on fyre many cytyes and townes in the west syde of Fraunce and lastely came to the cytye of Meaus and fyred yt brent a parte therof wyth the chyrch of our lady wherin he brent a womaÌ„ beyng closed in the walle of the sayd chyrch as a recluse But of this thynge speketh not the cronycle of Fraunce Nor yet for the more parte of any thynge that soundeth to theyr dyshonour done vnto theym by Englyshemen In this hete or as some wryters haue by y e lepyng of an horse kyng wyllyam toke such a dysease or sykenes that yt was the cause of hys deth And when he felt hym thus greued he called his sonnes before hym and exhorted theym in his beste maner that they shulde charytably loue and fauoure euery of them the other and holde to gyder as louyng bretherne after made his testameÌ„t and therin ordeyned wyllyam Ruffus or wyllyam the rede to be kynge of England And Normandye he beset vnto Rober Curthose And to Henry his yongest sonne he bequethed his treasour and mouable goodes And that done he enfourmed hys two eldest sonnes of the dysposycyon of both peoples and warned wyllyam to be louynge and lyberall to his subiectes and Robert to be sterne and sturdy vnto his Then he was moued with myldenes and delyueryd from prison hys own brother the byshop of Bayon Marcharus erle of NorthuÌ„berlande wylnotus the sonne of Harolde or after some the sonne of Goodwyne that was sent to wyllyaÌ„ by Edwarde the confessour to remayne for a pledge for his sayde fader Goodwyn And shortely after these thynges wyth other done he dyed in Normandye and was buryed in y e cytye of CaanÌ„ when he had reygned as kyng of Englande .xxi. yeres and vppon .x. monethes in the moneth of Iuly and the yere of hys duchery the .lii. when wyllyam was dede men spake of hym as they do of other prynces and sayd that he was wyse and gylefull ryche and couetous loued well to be magnifyed and praysed a fayre speker a greatr dyssymuler a man of skylfull stature but somdeale fatte in the bely sterne of face and stronge in armys and therwyth bolde and had therwyth great pleasure in huntyng and in makyng of great festes But he passed al other in leuyenge of taskes whyche condycyon hys subiectes construed .iii. maner of wayes and saydeyt was to the entente that he wolde excell all other in rychesse or ellys for to withstaÌ„de and defende his enymyes or ellys to staunche the appetyte of his couetyse mynde He buylded .ii. abbayes in Englande one at batayl in Sussex where he wanne the felde agayne Harolde and is at thys daye called the abbay of Batail y e other he sette besyde London vppon the south syde of Thamys and named yt Barmoundesay And in Normandye he buylded two also Thys man made the newe forest in the countrey of Southampton the whyche to brynge aboute he caste downe dyuers chyrches by the space of .xxx. myles and replenyshed yt wyth wylde bestes and made harde and sharpe lawes for the encreasyng of them as losyng of eyen and other And he helde Englyshemen so lowe that in hys dayes was almoste no Englyshe man that bare any offyce of honoure or rule But yet somedeale he fauoured the cytye of London and graunted to the cytezens the fyrste charter that euer they had the whych is wryten in Saxon tunge and sealed wyth grene waxe and expressed in .viii. or .ix. lynes THE CCXXIII. CHAPITER Wyllyam Rufus or wyllyam the erede the second sonne of wyllyam Conquerour beganne hys reygne ouer Englande in the moneth of Iulye and the yere of our lorde a thousande .lxxxix and the xxxi yere of the fyrste Phylyppe then kynge of Fraunce Ranulfe monke of Chester sheweth in hys boke of Polycronycon y t Robert Curthose eldest sonne of wyllyam Conquerour was at the tyme of hys fathers deth absent The whyche heryng that his father hadde preferred hys yonger brother to y e kyngdome of Englande was therwyth greatly amoued in so myche that he layde his dukedome to pledge to his brother Henry and wyth that good gatheryd to him a stronge army and so landed at HamptonÌ„ wherof wyllyam hys brother beynge warned in all haste sent vnto hym messangers to whome he gaue coÌ„myssyon to say in maner as foloweth Thy brother wyllyam prayeth y t to take no grefe with y t he hath done for he clepeth hym selfe not kynge but as vnder kynge to reygne vnder the and by helpe of the that arte gretter then he better rather borne And yf thou consyder yt well he hath nothynge mysused hym agayn the. For he hath taken vppon hym for a tyme bycause of thyne absence But for he is nowe in authoryte by thy sufferaunce he prayeth y t he may vnder the so contyue payeng to the yerely .iii. thousande marke wyth coÌ„dycyon that who so ouer lyueth may enioye the kyngdome when Robert had harde that message to the ende he wagged hys hedde as he that conceyued some doublenesse in thys reporte But for he was lyberall and allowed more the honour then he dyd hys profyte as in other thynges folowyng of his dedes yt shall appere therfore he lyghtely assented to all that was desyred and returned shortly after into Normandye wyth pleasaunt wordes wythout profyte Thys wyllyam was crowned the xxvii daye of September vppon the daye of saynte Cosma and Damyan and was well ayded of LamfraÌ„k whyle he lyued He was dyuers unstable of maners so y t betwene hym his lordes was ofteÌ„ dyssencyoÌ„ In y e spryngyng of somer folowyng hys coronacyon Odo byshoppe of BayoÌ„ whych as before ye haue hard was delyuered out of pryson by wylliam CoÌ„querour came into EnglaÌ„d whom the kynge ioyously receyued and gaue vnto hym shortly after the erledome of Kent But he toke vppon hym in processe of tyme to rule in suche wyse as the kynge grudged wyth hys doynge And for thys the kynge and his sayde vncle fyll at vnkyndnesse
an holde ferynge the rescue of Englishmen and Normans leste that castell by that meane myghte fall in theyr handes sent his commyssyon vnto the rulers of that countrey chargynge theym wyth all dylygence to assaute that place And yf they myght wynne yt to put the executours of that murder vnto moste shamefull deth whyche commaundement receyued from the kynge stronge assaute cruell was made manfully yt was defended But the losse ran to theym of the castell so that in processe of tyme when this willyam conceyued well that he myght not contynue the defence therof he began to treate agreed that yf he myghte haue free yssue for hym and hys assuraunce that he wyth his knyghtes myght go quyetly vnto a place that he wold chose he wold then delyuer the castell wyth all that was therin The whyche requeste of dyuerse of the hedde captaynes was graunted and sworne But so soone as the castell was delyuered and the Frenchemen entred the multytude not wythstandynge the former promyse and othe fell vppon the sayde wyllyam and his soudyours them put vnto deth by many cruell tormētes fynally caste all theyr careyns into the ryuer of Sayne vppon the brynke wherof the sayde roche and castell was standynge And shortely after this ensued the warre betwene this Lewys kynge Henry of Englande as yt is before shewyd in y e .x. yere of y e sayde Henry And after the warre ended betwene these two prynces Hugh Puyssake a man of great myght at those dayes in Fraunce rebelled agayne y e kyng and warred greuously vppon or agayn the countesse of Chartres and robbed and pylled the chyrches of y e countrey as well as other places so that the sayd coūtesse with her yonge sonne Thybaude were fayne to seke socoure of the kynge wherfore the kynge called a counsayll at hys citye of Meleyne where agayne the sayd Hugh many greuous complayntes were put But for so myche as y e sayd Hugh at that tyme was not present to make answere vnto such thynges as then was layde to his charge the kynge commaunded that the castell of Terry or of Thoree in all haste shulde be manned vytayled to the ende that by the comforte strength of that castell the kynge yf nede requyred myght lay syege to the castell of Puyssake for so mych as that one was nere adioynynge vnto y e other In whych passe tyme the sayd Hugh was somoned to appere before the kynge and his counsayll but he refused to appere when the kynge was enfourmed of the garnyshyng of y e castell of Thorre and of the disobedyence of Hugh he assembled a stronge hoste and cōpassed the castell of Puyssake with a syege and set Thybaude son of the countesse vppon that syde that stode towarde the prouynce of Chartres so that stronge assautes and cruell warre was made on euery parte what shulde I make longe processe to tell of the ferefull shot of the gonnys vppon bothe partyes or of the sharpe shot of Arowes the castynge of stonys or scalynge of the wallys or fyllynge of the dyches the fyryng of the gates or yet the mortall and cruell fyght on bothe partes nor of y e manyfold dede bodyes maymed by reason of y e sayd assautes or yet y e manasses or mockes or great bosus or crakes vsed of the souldyours durynge this syege But fynally after the kynge hadde lyen before the sayd castell a certayne of tyme he wanne yt by pure force and toke the sayde Hughe wyth hys accessaryes The whyche he commaunded to be kepte as prysoners in the castell of Thorre for a season Then the kynge caste downe the sayde castell of Puyssake to the grounde excepte a lytle towre made of tymber the whyche he reseruyd for a lodgynge And that done some of the forsayd prysoners he put to deth and some he dysherityd after the grefe of theyr offence And so this foresayd countesse of Charters with her sonne Thybaude was in quyete of theyr countrey and castell of Puyssake belongynge to the sayde erledome But howe yt was in processe of tyme folowynge thys Thybaude entended to haue reedyfyed there a newe castell wherby as the kinge was enformed he wold haue encroched thynges appertaynynge to the crowne of Fraunce wherfore the kynge wythstode yt For this a grudge fell betwene the kynge and erle Thybaude so that in processe dedely warre was made betwen thē The whyche contynued in such wise to theyr both damages that fynally the warre was agayne reuyued betwene kynge Lewys and kynge Henry as in the .xvii. yere of the reygne of the sayde Henry is declared by meane of thys warre betwene the kynge and this erle Thybaude wherof the cyrcumstaunce wold axe a longe leysure to reherse as yt is shewyd in the frenche storye But fynally this erle Thybaude loste none honour all be yt that the frenche cronycle wonderfully fauoreth y e party of the Frenche kynge that the reader maye well apperceyue Quis pin xit leonem THE CCXXXI CHAPITER THis Lewys also hadde great warre wyth Henry the fourth of that name emperour the whyche maryed Molde the doughter of Henry the fyrste kynge of England as before is shewed whefore the occasyon was as sayth the Frenche cronycle for so myche as the sayd Henry the emperour hadde before tyme ben accursed of Gelasius the seconde of that name then pope at Raynes a citye in Fraunce For the whych cause as there is surmytted the sayde emperoure assembled an huge hoste of Almaynes and Italyens and entred the lande of Fraunce and dyd therin myche harme But in the ende when he knew of the great prouisyon y e Lewis made to mete him of his great power he then as affermeth y e frēch cronycle wythdrewe hym and so auoyded the lande of Fraūce wythout stroke strykyng But of this speketh nothyng the authour that wrote the story of this Henry the emperour After this the erle of Flaundres named Charlys the systers sonne of kynge Lewys nexte duke after Baldewyn whych dyed as before is sayd in the thyrde chapyter of the story of kyng Henry of a woūde in his face this foresayd Charlys was sore hated of the prouoste of Brudgys The whyche to bryng his malyce to some effecte counsayled wyth hys adherentes how he myght slee the sayde Charlys By whose coūsayle a meane was founde to brynge the erle to Brudgys a towne of Flaundres for the we le of the sayde towne After whose commynge vppon a daye he beynge in a chyrche and herynge his dyuyne seruyce was slayne of y e sayd prouoste and his complycys wherof herynge kynge Lewys anon wyth a great army entred Flaundres and besyeged the town of Brudges and lastely toke the sayde prouoste The whyche fyrst was bounden to a post then his eyen wyth a reede stryken out of hys hed And then shot wyth arowes lastely set vppon a whele where he remayned tyl he dyed And a felowe of hys named Bartopus y e
his enemyes For subdie wherof the cytezyns of London were constrayned to fynde at theyr propre costes an hundred men of armys the whyche contrary theyr lybertyes with a condycyon that after that daye it shulde be no president they sent vnto Portchestre In thys season passe tyme the quene with syr Edwarde hyr son with a small company of Englysshemen and a crewe of Henawders of the whych syr IohnÌ„ of Henawde the erles brother was capytayne toke shyppynge in those partyes had y e wynde so fauorable vnto them that they landed in Englande at a porte called Orwell besyde Harwyche in Suffolke the .xxv. day of SepteÌ„bre without any resistens of meÌ„ of warre agayne hyr made To whome after hyr landyng the people of the couÌ„tre drewe by great companyes so sped hyr towarde London At thys tyme of the quenes thus laÌ„dyng the kyng was at hys cytye of LondoÌ„ But wheÌ„ he harde of the great people y t drewe to hyr out of all countres he fered wherfore in safegardyng of hym self he fled wyth a small companye towarde walys lefte mayster walter StapyltoÌ„ bisshop of Exceter behynd hym to haue the rule of the cytye of London It was nat longe after the kynges departyng that y e quene sent a letter vnto the mayre comynaltie of the cytye requyred of them ayde to subdue the oppressours of y e comoÌ„ weale of the realme But to that letter was made none answere Therefore she wrote the secoÌ„de tyme aduertysyng them of theyr landynge of the entent that she had to refourme y e enormytyes mysgouernauÌ„ce of the lande in admonestyng them of theyr ayde socoure as by the tenure of y e sayd letter more playnly appereth wherof the circumstauÌ„ce I haue left out of thys boke for so moche as I fynde varyaunce in the contentes thereof and also for the copyes there of ben sette oute in the cronycles of Englande and dyuers other bokes Than thys sayde letter was tacked vpon the crosse in Chepe whyche at that daye was called the newe crosse In the nyght before the day of saynt Denys or the .ix. day of October And other copyes of the same were fastened in dyuerse other places of y e cytye wherof one was fastened vpoÌ„ the mayres gate After whyche letter thus publysshed in the cytye the bisshop of Exceter to whome as before is sayd the kyng had commytted the rule of the cytye sent vnto the mayre to haue the keyes of the gates of the cytye by vertue of hys commission By the whych he stode so fermely vsed so sharpe wordes in the kynges name that varyaunce grew betwene hym the cytezyns so ferfourth that the commons of the cytye in theyr rage toke the sayd bysshop the .xiiii. day of Octobre and hym with .ii. of hys housholde esquyers beheded vnreuerently at y e standard in weschep And the same daye was taken for a spye a cytezyn called IohnÌ„ Marshal whych fauoured the Spensers ê‘tye in y e same place also beheded without processe of lawe And then the corps of y e sayde bysshop with hys .ii. seruauÌ„tes were haryed to Thamys syde where the sayd bysshop had begonne to edyfye a toure and there in the rubbusshe and sande of the same they buryed or conueyed these thre bodyes whyche dispyte to hym was done after some auctoures for so moche as he had vsurped of the comoÌ„ grounde of the cytie in settyng of the sayd toure But for what cause was he thus vngoodly vnreuerentely delte with no mencion is made And in thys passe tyme the quene easely a foote space folowed y e kyng which by thys season was coÌ„mâ— to Brystow hauyng with hym the SpeÌ„sers his dyffamed chauÌ„celler mayster Robert Baldocke syr IohnÌ„ erle of Arundell other where by theyr counsayls it was agreed that syr Hugh SpeÌ„ser the father shulde remayne there and haue the rule of the towne castell whyle the kynge with the other toke shyppynge sayled frome thens into walys to rayse the walshemen And so the kyng with syr Hugh Spenser the sonne the other toke shyppyng at Brystowe so sayled into waâ—ys when the certaynte therof came vnto the quene anone she sent to Brystow the erle of Kent the kynges brother syr IohnÌ„ of Henawde wyth dyuerse other for to take syr Hugh Spenser the father The whyche put them in suche deuour that they tooke the sayde syr Hugh and lefte a certayne to holde the towne castell tyll the quene with hyr power came thyther â–ª In the whyche tyme they sped them into walys and in processe tooke y e kynge hys chaunceller the erle of Arundell and syr Hughe Spenser the sonne and broughte them all to the towne of Hereforde And in thys whyle the cytezeyns of London wan the towre of LondoÌ„ and kept it vnto the quenes vse Anno dnÌ„i xiii C.xxv  Anno dnÌ„i xiii C.xxvi  Gylbert Moordon  Rycharde Betayne  Anno .xix.  IohnÌ„ Cotton  IN thys .xix. yere and begynnynge of thys mayres charge vppon the morowe folowynge the feaste of Symon and Iude the same daye that the mayre rode to westmynster to take hys charge the same day at Brystow was syr Hugh Spenser the father putte to dethe and after buryed at wynchestre And vppon saynte Huys daye folowynge or the .xviii. daye of Nouembre was syr Hugh hys sonne draweÌ„ hanged and quartered at Herforde and hys hed sent to London and set amonge other vpon the brydge The comon fame of hym went that after he was taken he wolde take no maner sustenauÌ„ce wherfore he was the sooner put vnto deth Of this Hugh a versyfyer made these two verses folowynge Punis cum lignis a te miser ensis ignis Hugo securis equus abstulit omne decus whiche verses to them that vnder stande no latyne maye in thys wyse be expowned or englysshed wyth ropes were thou bounde and on the galowe honge And from thy body thyne hed wyth swerde was kytte Thy bowels in the fyre were throwe and burned longe Thy body in foure pecys eke wyth an axe was slytte wyth horse before drawyn fewe men pytyenge it Thus wyth these turmentys for thy synnes sake from y e wretched Hugh all wordly welthe was take In thys meane tyme and season the kynge was conueyed vnto the castell of Kenelworthe and there kepte vnder the garde of syr Henry of Lancaster or brother vnto the erle Thomas of Lancaster that was behedyd at Pounfrette And mayster Robert Baldoke the kynges chauncelloure was sent vnto London and put into the pryson of Newgate where after he dyed myserably The erle IohnÌ„ of Arundell was also put to deth at Herforde wythin foure dayes of syr Hugh the yonger Spenser Then y e quene wyth syr Edwarde hyr sonne and with a goodly company of lordes and gentylmen retourned vnto London and there of the cytesyns wyth greate honoure and ioye was receyued vppon the daye of saynte Barbara or the .iiii.
towarde the ryuer of Ancherre and so vnto Burdeaux In all whyche iourney they passed wythout fyghte or batayll natwithstādyng the great hurte domage they dyd vnto y e townes coūtres as they passed Excepte at a place or towne called Orchye a knyght of Fraūce called syr Iohn̄ de Uyenne encountred .l. speres and .xx. archers that were strayed from theyr hoste and set vppon theym and slew some parte of theym and toke the resydue of theym prysoners So that the Frenche boke sayth for so moche as for lacke of meate for theyr horses and other paynfull thynges that in that iourney to theym happened that though that iournay were vnto the Englysshemen honorable to ryde so ferre in the kynges lāde vnfoughten wyth yet it was to theym very paynfull cōsyderyng the manyfolde chaunces fallynge to theym as losse of horses and other thynges duryng that passage Anno dn̄i M.CCC.lxxii  Anno dn̄i M.CCC.lxxiii  Iohn̄ Awbry  Adam of Bury  Anno .xlviii.  Iohn̄ Fysshyde  IN thys .xlviii. yere were sente fro the pope than beyng the .xi. Gregory the archebysshop of Rauenne and the bysshop of Carentras for to treate of the peace betwene the .ii. kynges of Englande and of Fraūce The whyche assembled them at Bruges in Flaundres whyther also for kynge Edwardes partye came the duke of Lancastre and the bysshope of Londō wyth other And for Charles the Frenche kynge appered there the duke of Burgoyne the bisshop of Amyens and other The whyche cōmyssioners after they had spente a greate parte of the lente in disputacions of thys matter the partyes for the Frenche kynge desyred a lycence of the legates that they myghte ryde vnto Parys and shewe vnto y e kyng the offycers of the englysshe partye and so to retourne with hys pleasur wherupon it was agreed that a certayne shulde ryde to shew vnto the Frenche kynge y t the Englysshemen abode styffely vpon the souerayntye that the kynge of Englande and hys heyres kynges shal enioy all the former landes comprysed in the peace made betwene hym and Iohn̄ than kyng of Fraūce as before is shewed in the .xxxiiii. yere of thys kyng wyth out homage or other duyte for them doynge For thys matter as sayth y e Frenche cronycle kyng Charlys assembled at Parys a great parte of y e nobles of hys realme wyth many other wyse mē doctours of dyuynite to haue that case suffyciently argued and debated In the whyche coūsayl it was plenerly determyned that the kyng myght nat gyue ouer the sayd souerayntye without great peryll of hys soule as there was shewed by diuers resons whan thys reporte was brought vnto Bruges y e sayd treaty was dissolued wythoute any conclusyon takynge excepte the peace was contynued tyll the feast of all sayntes next ensuynge Anno domini M.CCC.lxxiii  Anno domini M.CCC.lxxiiii  Rycharde Lyons  wyllyam walworth  Anno .xlix.  wyllyam wodhowce  IN thys yere that is to vnderstande in the begynnynge of thys mayres yere and ende of the xlviii yere of kyng Edwarde a new wyse cōplayned vpon to the kyng y t he was throwen into pryson where he lay many yeres after Than kyng Edwarde created Rychard sonn̄ of prynce Edward prynce of walys gaue vnto hym y e erledomes of Chester and Cornewayll And also for the kyng waxed feble sykely he than betoke the rule of the lande vnto syr Iohn̄ of Gaunt duke of Lancastre and ordeyned hym as gouernour of the lande whyche so contynued durynge hys fathers lyfe In thys yere also the tenaūtes or menyall seruaūtes of the erle of warwyk made a ryot vpon the monkes of Euyshm̄ and slewe hurte many of the abbottes tenauntes spoyled and brake hys closures and warynnes and sewed theyr pondes and waters and dyd vnto them many displesures to the vtter ruyne of that monastery ne had the kyng y ◠soner haue sente downe to the erle hys letters chargynge hym to sease withdraw hys men from that ryot whych afterwarde was pacified without any notary punysshement of suche persons as were begynners or executours of that ryot Anno domini M.CCC.xcvi  Anno dn̄i M.CCC.xcvii  Androwe Pykman  Nycholas Bembre  Anno .lii.  Nycholas Twyforde  IN thys .lii. yere and .xii. daye of the moneth of Apryl syr Iohn̄ Mynster worth knyght for certayne tresons of the whych he was conuict before the mayre and other iustyces of the kyng in the Guyld halle was thys foresayd daye at tyborne put in execucion that is to meane hanged heded and quartered hys hed sette after vpō Lōdon brydge The cause of whose dethe was for so moche as he beynge put in trust by the kyng receyued greate summes of money to paye wyth the kynges sowdyours the whyche he kepte vnto hys owne vse and deceyued the kynge and hys sowdiours And whan therof he was to the kyng accused he feryng punysshement fledde into Fraunce there conspyred newly agayne his natural prynce so lastly was taken and receyued hys meryte In thys yere also began a wōderfull cysme in the churche of Rome For after the deth of the pope the .xi. Gregory was chosen .ii. popes wherof the fyrst was named the .vi. Urbā and that other the seuenth Clement the fyrste an Italy on borne and that other a Frencheman Of the whyche ensued suche dyscorde in eleccyon of the pope that by the terme of .xxxix. yeres after there was euer .ii. popes in suche auctorytye that harde and doughtefull it was to knowe whether was indubitat pope And vpon the .xxii. daye of the moneth of Iuny dyed at hys manour of Shene now called Rychmoūt kyng Edward y e thyrde of that name whā he had reygned .li. yeres and .v. monethes and odde dayes leuyng after hym .iiii. sonnes that is to saye Leonell duke of Clarence Iohn̄ of Gaūt duke of Lancastre Edmund of Lāgley duke of yorke and Thomas of woodstok erle of Cambrydge Of the whyche sonnes wyth other nobles of hys realme he was honourably cōueyed frō his sayd manour of Shene vnto the monastery of westmynster and there solempnely wythin the chapell of saynt Edwarde vppon the south syde of the shryne wyth thys Epytaphyor superscrypcion in a table hangyng vpon hys tombe ¶ Hic decus Anglorum flos regum preteritorū Forma futurorum rex clemens pax populorum Tercius Edwardus regni complens iubileum Inuictus pardus pollens bellis Machabeus The whych is thus to be vnderstāde in our mother tūge as folowynge Of Englyshe kynges here lieth the beauteuous floure Of all before passed myrrour to them shall sue A mercifull kynge of peace conseruatour The .iij. Edwarde The deth of whome maye 〈◊〉 All Englysshmē for he by knyghtehode due was lyberde inuict and by feate Marciall To worthy Machabe in vertu peregall PHylyp de Ualoys erle of Ualoys sonne of Charles de Ualoys brother vnto y e .iiii. Philip was admitted for
cytye And in the same moneth syr Godfrey de Harcourte whych as before is sayde alyed hym with kynge Edwarde and wolde nat apere after certayne sommons was now opeÌ„ly banysshed as traytour enemy to y e crowne of Fraunce And in the same moneth was syr IohnÌ„ de MouÌ„tforte delyuered out of pryson vppon such condicions as before is rehersed in y e xiii yere of this kyng And soon after were put vnto deth at Parys syr Iohan de Malestreet syr Godfrey de Malestreet the father the sonne syr IohnÌ„ de MouÌ„talbone syr wyllyam de Bruys syr IohnÌ„ de Cablat syr IohnÌ„ de Plessys knyghtes esquyres IohnÌ„ de Malestrete neuew to y e forsayd knyghtê GuyllmÌ„ de Bruze Robert de Bruys IohnÌ„ de Senne and Dauy de Senne And shortely after at Parys were put in execucion thre Norman knyghtes for affynyte or fauour whych they had borne towarde syr Godfrey de Harecourt and theyr heddes sent vnto saynte Loup in Constantyne a cytye of NormaÌ„dy whych sayd knyghtes were called sir wyllyam Bacon syr Roulande de la Roche tessone and syr Rycharde de Percy IN the .xvii. yere of thys Philip one mayster Henry de Malestrete clerke deakeÌ„ brother to the aboue named syr Godfrey before put in execucion whych sayd mayster HeÌ„ry was mayster of the requestes with kyng Philip for so moch as he after y e deth of hys sayd brother yode vnto kyng Edward and couÌ„sayled hym agayne kyng Philip after by assygnemeÌ„t of kynge Edwarde was set in great auctorite wythin the towne of Uannys in Brytayne whych towne was after goten by the FrenchmeÌ„ he therin as one of the chefe capytaynes of the same taken was imprysoned within the castell of Parys Out of the whyche at thys season he was taken thens and set in a tumbrell thereunto fastened wyth chaynes of yren and so coÌ„ueyed bareheded with dynne and crye thorugh y e hygh stretes of Parys tyll he came vnto y e bysshoppes palays of Parys and there deliuered vnto the bisshop And soon after by vertue of a commissyoÌ„ purchased by kynge Philip of the pope to haue the sayd mayster Henry dysgraded he was depryued of all degrees and ordres of the churche and thaÌ„ deliuered vnto the execucioners The whyche by .iii. days coÌ„tynuall a certayn season of y e day set hym vpoÌ„ a ladder in y e syght of all people to y e enteÌ„t that euery man chyld might throwe at hym all fylth ordour of y e strete the whiche was done without all compassion and pyte in so cruell wyse that by the thyrd dayes ende he was dede and after buryed vnreuerently In the sayde .xvii. yere of kynge Philippe also as before is shewed in the .xix. yere of kynge Edwarde the thyrde Iaques de Artyuele whych was especiall promoter of the sayde kyng Edwardes causes came vnto y e towne of Gaunt and shewed vnto theym dyuers apoyntmentes to be holde betwene theym and other townes of FlauÌ„dres where vpon the .xv. day of Iuly by diuers coÌ„spiratours of the sayd towne of Gaunte he was pursued from one house to an other and lastly slayne murdred by them to the kynges of Englande great displeasure hurt wherefore the sayde kyng Edwarde was fayne to retourne into Englande wythoute spede of hys purpose lyke as before in y e sayd xix yere of his reygne is declared In thys yere also and the moneth of Decembre dyed syr IohnÌ„ erle of MouÌ„tfort which as before is sayd claymed the duchy of Brytayn and lefte after hym a sonne named also syr IohnÌ„ erle of MouÌ„tfort the whyche in lykewyse claymed the sayd duchy of Brytayn maynteyned the warre agayn syr Charles de Bloys as hys father before had done In the .xviii. yere of kyng Phylyp fyrste daye of Iuly at Parys was than putte to deth by cruel execucioÌ„ a cytezyn of CompeynÌ„ named Symonde Poylet a man of greate ryches The whych for he had sayd in open audience that the ryght of the crowne of Fraunce belonged more ryghtfully vnto kyng Edward than to kynge Philip he was fyrste hanged vpon a tree lyke as an oxe is haÌ„ged in the bochery there dismembred as fyrst the armys and after y e legges cut from hys body and lastly hys hede stryken of and the trunke of hys body hanged by chaynes vpoÌ„ the commoÌ„ gybet of Parys And vppon a saterdaye beynge the .xxvi. day of August in the foresayde .xviii. yere of kynge Philippe was foughten at Cressy the batayll before expressed in the .xxi. yere of kynge Edwarde the thyrd where the floure of the chyualry of FrauÌ„ce was slayne taken prysoners Than soone after kyng Philippe for the defence of the charge of hys warres asked a subsidie of the monkes of saynt Denys And amoÌ„g certayne iewelles of that place to be had he demauÌ„ded the greate crucyfyx of golde standynge ouer y e hyghe aulter of that monastery wherunto the monkes answered y t they mighte nat departe with that crucifyxe for Eugenius the thyrde of that name pope accursed al them that layd any hande vpon that crucifyxe to the entent to remoue it from that place as it appereth by wrytynge set vnder y e fote of the sayd crosse by whyche answere the kyng was pacifyed And in the moneth of DeceÌ„bre syr Godfrey de Harecourte wyth a towell double folden about hys necke came vnto y e presence of kyng Philip and yelded hym holy to hys mercy and grace the whyche graunted vnto hym hys pardon And in shorte whyle after all the Lumbardes vsurers wythin y e realm of Fraunce were taken and sente to dyuers prysons And all suche persones as stode bouÌ„den vnto them for any bargeyn or lone of money by way of vsury it was ordeyned that y e sayd persones beyng dettours to the sayd vsurers shulde paye the pryncypall dette vnto the kynge at theyr dayes of payment the resydue whyche remayneth to the vsurer for hys lucre of gayne for the lone of hys money shulde be pardoned to the dettour And after the sayd Lumbardes vsurers were delyuered from pryson by payenge of greate and greuous fynaunce In the .xix. yere of thys Philippe for so moche as wytnesseth the FreÌ„ch cronycle that y e Flemynges by great manacis and perforce had constrayned theyr erle to be assured by bonde of assuraunce vnto the doughter of kyng Edward contrary hys voluÌ„te and wyll the sayde erle nat wyllyng to accomplysshe that maryage in the Easter weke by a cautele deê‘ted out of FlauÌ„dres and came to y e Frenche kyng to Parys of whome he was honourably and ioyously receyued And in the same yere one named Gawyn de Belemount an aduocate of the spirituall lawe entendynge to betray y e cytye of LaonÌ„ acqueynted hym with a poore maÌ„ than dwellyng in that citie of Meaus named Colyn Tomelyn y e whych before tyme was fled the cytye of Laon was thaÌ„ for lacke of substauÌ„ce comyn to Meaus there mayntened
and there buryed by the tombe of kyng Edwarde After whyche cruelte thus done he shortely after set in sure kepynge suche persones as he suspected to be agayne hym wherof the bysshoppes of yorke of Ely were .ii. as it is said And the erle of Derby for fere of hys sonne the lord Strange lest he shuld haue arered Chesshyre Lancastershyre agayne hym was set at large Than began the loÌ„ge couert dyssymulacion whyche of the lord Protectour had ben so craftly shadowed to breke out at large in so moche that vppoÌ„ the sondaye folowyng at Poules crosse hym selfe wyth the duke of Bukkyngham other lordes beyng present by the mouth of doctor Rafe Shaa in the tyme of hys sermon was there shewed openly that y e chylderne of kynge Edward the .iiii. were nat legytymat nor ryghtfull enheritours of the crowne wyth many dyslaunderous wordes in preferryng of the tytle of the sayd lord Protectour and in dysanullynge of the other to the greate abucion of all the audieÌ„ce excepte suche as fauoured the mater whyche were fewe in noumbre yf the trouth or playnesse myghte haue ben shewed Of the whyche declaracyon as the fame wente after the sayde doctour Shaa toke suche repentaunce that he lyued in lyttell prosperytie after And the more he was wondered of that he wolde take vppon hym suche a besynesse consyderynge that he was so famous a man bothe of hys lernynge and also of naturall wytte Than vppon the tuysdaye folowynge an assemble of the coÌ„mons of the cytye was appoynted at the Guyldhalle where beynge present the duke of BuckynghaÌ„ wyth other lordes sente downe frome the sayde lorde protectour and there in the presence of the mayre and comynaltye rehersed the ryght and tytle that the lorde Protectour hadde to be preferred before hys of hys brother kynge Edwarde to the ryght of the crowne of Englande The whyche processe was in so eloquent wyse shewed and vttred wythout any impedyment of spyttynge or other countenaunce and that of a longe whyle wyth so great sugred wordes of exhortacyon and accordynge sentence that many a wyse man that day merueyled and commended hym for the good orderynge of hys wordes but not for the entent and purpose the whyche theruppon ensued Uppon the Thursdaye than next ensuynge beynge the .xx. daye of Iuny the sayde Protectoure takynge then vppon hym as kynge and gouernour of the realme went wyth great pompe vnto westmynster and there toke possessyon of the same where he beynge sette in the greate halle in the See royall wyth y e duke of Norffolke before called the lorde Hawarde vppon the ryght hande the duke of Suffolke vppon the left hande after the royall othe there taken called before hym the iudges of the lawe gyuynge vnto them a long exhortacyon and streyght coÌ„maundemeÌ„t for y e mynystryng of hys lawes and to execute iustyce and that with out delaye After whyche possessyon takynge and other ceremonies there done he was conueyed vnto the kynges palays wythin westmynster and there lodgyd In whyche passe tyme the prynce or of ryght kynge Edwarde the .v. wyth hys brother the duke of yorke were put vnder suer kepynge wythin the towre in suche wyse that they neuer came abrode after And thus ended the reygne of Edwarde the .v when he had borne the name of a kynge by the space of two monethes and .xi. dayes And vppon the Frydaye beynge the .xxii. daye of Iuny was the sayd lord Protectour proclaymed thorough the cyty kyng of England by the name of Rychard the thyrde Then soone after for fere of the quenes blode and other whyche he had in ielousy he sent for a strength of men out of the North. The which came shortely to London a lytell before hys coronacyon and mustred in the More feldes well vppon .iiii. M. men in theyr beste iackes and rusty salattes wyth a fewe in whyte harneys not burnysshed to the sale and shortely after hys coronacyon were countermaunded home wyth suffycyent rewardes for theyr trauayll In whyche foresayd passe tyme y e Marquys of Dorset brother vnto quene Elysabeth y t before was fled escaped many wonderfull daungers bothe about London Ely and other places wherof â–ª to wryte the maner cyrcumstaunce wolde aske a longe and great leysour Rycharde the thyrde RIcharde y e thyrde of that name son to Rycharde late duke of yorke yongeste brother vnto Edwarde y e iiii late kynge began his domynyoÌ„ ouer the realme of Englande the .xx. day of mydsomer moneth in the yere of our lorde god M. CCCC.lxxxiii the .xxv. yere of the .xi. Lewys than kynge of FrauÌ„ce Of whom tedyous it is to me to wryte the tragedyous hystory excepte that I remeÌ„ber that good it is to wryte and put in remeÌ„brauÌ„ce the punyshement of synners to the ende that other may exchew to fall in lyke daunger Than it foloweth anone as thys man had taken vpon hym he fyll in great hatred of the more party of the nobles of hys realm in so mych that suche as before loued and praysed hym and wolde haue ieoparted lyfe and good wyth hym yf he hadde remayned styll as ê“tectour now murmured and grudged agayne hym in suche wyse that fewe or none fauoured his partye except it were for drede or for the great gyftes that they receyued of hym By meane wherof he wanne dyuers to folow hys mynde the whiche after deceyued hym And after his coronacyon soleÌ„pnysed whyche was holden at westmynster the .vi. daye of Iuly where also y e same daye was crowned dame Anne hys wyfe he then in shorte processe folowynge rode Northward to pacyfye that countre and to redresse certayne ryottes there lately done In the passe tyme of which iournay he beynge at yorke created hys legyttymat sonne prynce of walys ouer that made hys bastarde sonne capytayne of Caleys whyche encreaced more grudge to hymwarde as after shall appere Anno. dnÌ„i M.iiii C.lxxxiii  Anno dnÌ„i M.iiii C.lxxxiiii  Thomas Norland  Rober Byllysdon Haberdassher  Anno .ii.  wyllyam Martyn  IN this yere y e foresayd grudge encreasynge and the more for as myche as the comon fame wente that kynge Rycharde hadde within the towre put vnto secret deth y e two sonnes of hys brother Edwarde the iiii For the whych and other causes hadde within the breste of the duke of Buckyngham the sayde duke in secrete maner conspyred agayn hym and allyed hym with dyuers gentylmen to the ende to brynge hys purpose about But how it was his entente was espyed and shewed vnto the kynge and the kynge in all haste sent for to take hym he then beynge small accoÌ„panyed at hys manour of Brekenok in the Marche of walys wherof the sayd duke beynge ware in all hast he fled froÌ„ hys sayd manour of Brekenok vnto the house of a seruaunt of hys owne called Banaster and that in so secret maner that fewe or none of his housholde seruauntes knewe where he was become In the whyche passe tyme kynge Rycharde
is for folys to beleue Thys sorow and heuenesse of Chilpericus and Fredegunde hys wyfe was somdele aswaged by the byrthe of a son shortly after borne of y e sayd Fredegunde whych the kyng lette call Lotharius or Clotharius For ioye wherof the kyng lette open the prysones and suffred the prysoners to goo at theyr lyberte and specyally suche as concerned causes touchynge hym selfe for dette or otherwyse with other thynges coÌ„cernyng hys honoure But lyke as dame Fortune is accustomed to medle her ioyes of thys world wyth some bytternesse so dyd she now with Chilpericê° For where he was nowe in great tranquillyte and reste and thought to haue ladde the resydue of his lyfe in pleasure so deynly word was brought vnto hym that hys brother Gunthranus and hys neuewe Childebert was allyed and fermely accorded to make warre vppon hym for the whych they had assemblyd a great army wherfore he in all haste commaunded all his treasour and chyfe iewellys to be had to the cytye of Cambria where he wyth his wyfe and frendes entended to coÌ„tynue the resydue of his lyfe And y t done spedde hym thyder in all haste and fortyfyed the sayde cytye in such wyse that he feryd lytle or nothynge hys enymyes where he so kepte hym wythin the sayde cytye a certayne of tyme. And wheÌ„ he sawe nor hard not of the commynge of his sayd broder nor neuewe he then walkyd more at large and sportyd hym in haukynge and chase of the wylde bestes as wolues and other whych at those dayes was greatly vsyd of the kynges of Fraunce and yet is contynued Uppon a day as he was purposyd towarde this dysporte and all thyng redy preparyd for the same so that the quene thought veryly he had be gone oute of the paleys for what happe I can not tell the quene yode into her chaÌ„ber and there rested her vppon her bedde where she so lyeng the kynge passyd by wyth a lytle wande whych he bare in his hande in maner of game strake the quene with yt vppon the backe The quene supposynge the kynge had ben gone to the felde and not lokyng vp sayd Laundrye why dareste thou thus stryke me This Laundrye was a great man in the kynges courte and hadde ben peramoure to the quene longe tyme. But the kynge herynge these wordes made semblaunt as he hadde not herde them and so passyd on hys waye THE CXVII CHAPITER FRedegunda apperceyuynge after seynge yt was the kyng to whome she hadde thus sayde sore was abasshed and in great fere and agony And after she had by a longe season coniected in her mynde what remedy she myght fynde for this mishappe she lastely dyuely shely determyned to sle her sayd husbande and lorde And this to brynge about she sent in all haste for the sayde Laundrye and shewed to hym in order all the cyrcumstaunce of the foresayde mater wherafter he was strykeÌ„ with suche a fere that his wytte and counsayle faylyd hym to deuyse in such a case any remedy wherfore the quene as she that was fully determyned to execute her detestable cursyd purpose sayde to hym boldely LauÌ„dry thou seest well y t this case is brought to so strayte a poynt that other thou muste thynke to destroy my lord and husbande or ellys thou and I muste both be shamefully confounded Of whyche thou well knowest our owne is moste to be regarded therfore dyspose the to do after my counsayll Thou knowest well that the kynge is accustomed to come late from hys dysporte wherfore prouyde to the a certayne that thou well trustyst and in the euenynge when he retourneth aspye thy tyme and fall vppon hym sodeynly and so rydde hym And after make an out crye sende to serch about as thou woldest take the homicydes cause some of thyne own coÌ„panye to flee froÌ„ the as though thou shuldest theÌ„ pursue Laundry heryng this cursyd couÌ„sayll alowed it well therunto assentyd and incontynently went aboute the perfourmaunce of the same And when he hadde purueyde his accessaryes he towarde nyght assemblyd theÌ„ gyuynge to theÌ„ informacyon how they in y t mischyef shuld behaue them in that thyng takynge of them assuryd othes for kepyng of his couÌ„sayle The kyng not mysdemynge any thynge of thys conspyred treason toke his delectacyon and pleasoure in folowynge of hys game so that he loste myche of hys company and towarde nyght as he before tyme was accustomed wyth fewe accoÌ„panyed drewe homewarde wherof Laundry beyng warned met the kynge salutynge hym and sayng that he was comen wyth hys company to coÌ„dute hym home for so mych as he douted how he was garnyshed of his meyneyall seruauÌ„tes or other What shuld I lenger make delaye or farther reharsall in thys matyer or to tell the cyrcumstaunce of thys purposyd treason But fynally when the kynge was nere hys paleys or as reherseth the Frenche cronycle wythin the courte of hys paleys as he lyght from hys horse he was sodeynly wounded to the herte that he streyght fell to the erth dede After whyche murder thus commytted a greate crye was areryd the kynge ys slayne so y t thys Laundrye made in great haste to be called certeyne persons to attende vppon y e corps whyle he wyth other pursued suche as were dempte gylty of thys offence But lastly he retourned and sayd that thys dede was done by the knyghtes of Chyldebert the whych by the derkenes of the nyght were escapyd To shewe here the vayne and dissymuled sorowe y t Fredegund made for the kynge it were but lettyng of tyme. For euery wyse man knoweth well that all suche as ben of that disposycyon can fayne ryghte well in suche semblable casys But to my purpose when the kynge was thus slayne and at that tyme nother the quene nor yet Laundrye suspectyd prouysyon was made for enterryng of y e corps The whyche was shortly after shypped at the next ryuer and so conuayed vnto saynt Germayns de Pree before spoken of and there wyth greate soleÌ„pnyty buryed when he hadde regned as before is sayde xxiiii yeres leuynge after hym a son before mynded called Clotharius or Lotharius Thus as affermyth myn authour mayster Robert Gagwyne endyd Chylperych myserably his lyfe whiche in pryde and mysery before tyme it coÌ„tynued And where in his lyfe he cherysshed no frende at hys ende he fande few or no frendes Thys gaue the patrymony of y e chyrche to lewde symple clerkys and was an enmye to all holy relygyous places and fauored more suche as had lately bene conuerted to the fayth than he dyd them that had coÌ„tynued by holy lyfe a longe season therin gaue vnto such persons the rule of Crystes chyrche Amonge the whyche one there was of perfyght lyuyng and byshop of Parys that garnysshed hys toÌ„be with this cpytaphy as after in meter foloweth Ecclesiae specusum patriae vigor ara reorum Et pater medicus pastor amorque gregit Gernianus Virtuti fide corde ore