Compare 1577 edition: 1 Strange sights. Matth. Paris. ¶ About the same time woonderfull strange sights were séene. In the northparts of England, not farre from the abbie of Ro [...]h o [...] Rupie, there appeared com|ming foorth of the earth companies of armed men [...] horssebacke, with speare, shield, sword, and baners dis|plaied, in sundrie formes and shapes, riding in order of bat [...]ell, and incountering togither: and this sight was seene sundrie daies ech after other. Sometime they séemed to ioine as it had béene in battell, and fought sore; and sometime they appeared to iust and breake staues, as it had béene at some triumphant iusts of tornie. The people of the countrie beheld them a farre off, with great woonder: for the thing shewed so liuelie, that now and then they might see them come with their emptie horsses sore wounded and hurt: and then men likewise mangled and blée|ding, that pitie it was to see them. And that which sée|med more strange and to be most maruelled at, the prints of their féet appeared in the ground, and the grasse troden downe in places where they had beene séene. The like sight was also séene more apparent|lie in Ireland, and in the parts thereabout.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Immediatlie followed, or rather precéeded passing great tempests of raine,Great raine. Matth. Paris. which filled the earth full of water, and caused monstruous flouds: for this raine continued all the space of the moneths of Ianua|rie, Februarie, and a great part of March; and for eight daies it rained (as some write) in maner with|out ceassing: Matth. West. and vpon the tenth of Februarie, imme|diatlie after the change of the moone, the Thames rose with such an high tide, that boats might haue beene rowed vp and downe in Westminster hall. In the winter before, on the twentith of December, there chanced a great thunder,A great thunder. and on the first fridaie in December, which was the fift of that moneth, there was a counterfet sunne séene beside the true sunne. Moreouer, as in the spring precéeding there happened sore and excéeding great raines, so in the summer following there chanced a great drouth,A drie sum|mer. continuing by the space of foure moneths or more.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 This yeare was a parlement holden at Merton, a towne in Surrie, distant from London 7 miles, where was an abbeie of regular canons founded by one Gilbert a lord of Normandie, that came into the realme with William conquerour.Gilbert Nor|man founder of Merton abbeie. At this par|lement, diuerse good & profitable lawes were made and established, which yet remaine in vse, bearing the name of the place where they were first ordeined.