Compare 1577 edition: 1 About this season, the people in all places were pitifullie plaged with burning feuers,Great sicke|nes reigning. Murren of ca [...]tell. Matth. West. which brought manie to their end: a murren also came to their cattell, whereof a woonderfull number died. At the same time (which is more maruellous) tame foules, as hens, géese, & peacocks, forsaking their owners houses, fled to the woods and became wild. Great hurt was doone in manie places of the realme by fire, and speciallie in London, where vpon the 7. daie of Iulie a sudden flame began,Paules church bur|ned. Simon Dun. which burnt Paules church, and a great part of the citie downe to the ve|rie ground.
Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 Now when K. William had taken the oth of feal|tie and loialtie of all his lords, Edgar Etheling, Ran. Higd. Simon Dun. who was reconciled vnto his [...]auour (as you haue heard) obteining licence of him to depart the realme for a season, sailed into Puglia with two hundred souldiers: of whose acts there and returne into Eng|land I spare to speake, bicause I find litle or nothing of moment recorded. And now king William, Anno Reg. 21. who hauing brought the Englishmen so lowe and bare, that little more was to be got out of their hands, went once againe ouer into Normandie with an huge masse of mony, where soone after he fell sicke, so that he was constrained to keepe his bed longer than he had beene accustomed to doo, whereat Philip the French king in iesting maner said, that king William his cousine laie now in childbed (alluding belike to his big bellie, Wil. Malm. Matth. Paris. for he was verie corpulent) and withall added;
Oh what a number of candels must I prouide to offer vp at his going to church! certeinelie I thinke that 100000. will not suffice, &c. This frumping spéech so moued the king, that he made this answere: Well, I trust when I shall be churched, that our cousine shall be at no such cost, Wil. M [...]lm. Ran. H [...]gd. but I will helpe to find him a thousand candels my selfe, and light them too, to some of their paines, if God grant me life.Which promise he bound with an oth, and in déed performed. For in Iulie next insu|ing, when their corne, fruit, and grapes were most florishing, and readie for the sickle,He inuadeth France. he entred France with a great armie, set fire on manie of their cities and townes in the westside of that countrie, & came at last to the citie of Maunt, Gemeticensis. The citie of Maunt burnt by K. William. Matth. West. which he burnt with the church of our ladie, and an ankresse inclosed in the wall thereof as an holie closet, for the force of the fire was such as all went to wrecke. In this heat king William tooke such a sicknesse (which was likewise aggrauated by the fall of an horsse as he rode to and fro, Matth. Paris. bicause he was not able to trauell on foot about his palace by reason of his disease) that cost him his life; so that when he had ordeined his last will, and taken order for the staie of things after his decease,
King William departed this life.
Simon Dun. Matth. West. The lix. of his age hath W [...]l. Malm.
he departed this life on the 9. day of September, in the yeare after the birth of our Sauiour 1087. and 74. (as Polydor saith) of his age, hauing gouerned Normandie about 51. yeres, and reigned ouer Eng|land 20. yeares, ten moneths, and 28. daies (as all writers doo report.)Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 Not long before his death, he released his brother Odo bishop of Bayeux out of prison,He set all pri|soners at li|bertie saith Wil. Malm. Polydor. Marchar earle of Northumberland, and Wilnotus the sonne of king Harold, or (as some say) his brother. Moreouer he repented him (as some say) when he lay on his deathbed of his cruell dealing with the English, con|sidering that by them he had atteined to such honour and dignitie, as to weare the crowne and scepter of a kingdome: but whether he did so or not, or that some moonke deuised the excuse in fauour of the prince: surelie he was a puissant prince, and though his time was troublesome, yet he was right fortunate in all his attempts. Againe, if a man shall consider that in a strange realme he could make such a conquest, and so exactlie and readilie assure the same to his heires, with new lawes, orders, and constitutions (which are like for euer to endure) he would thinke it a thing al|togither void of credit. Yet so it was, & so honourable were his dooings in the sight of the world, that those kings, which succeeded sithens his death, begin their EEBO page image 15 account at him, as from one that had by his pru|dence renewed the state of the realme, and instituted an other forme of regiment, in atchiuing whereof he did not so much pretend a rightfull challenge by the grant of his coosine king Edward the Confessor, as by the law of armes and plaine conquest, than the which (as he supposed) there could be no better title.