"Artus Scriptoris careant gravitate doloris.
"Sermo de Bruto fit sub dictamine tuto.

"Culpa datur Petro deficiente Metro.

This Translation was taken at first for Robert of Gloucester by the total Ignorance of the Owners. It is very strange, that this Author has never been taken notice of or quoted. In my Opinion, it far exceeds R. of Gloucester, both for the matter and manner of his Story. ther do I find any Account of him in Leland, or the other Byographers. Bishop Nicolson says little or nothing.

Num. VII. Vide Præf. §. X, XIV.

Nei

Robert of Brunne's Transition (called a Prologue by Mr. Bridges) from the first to the second Part of his

Chronicle,

Explicit historia Britannia, transposita in linguam maternam per Robertum.

Incipiunt Gesta An

& now of Inglis wille we telle,
Sen pe Bretons here gan duelle,
þat toke pe lond þorgh Gode's heste,
þer týme we kalle þe Inglis geste.
Alle is cald geste Inglis,

pat on his langage spoken is.
Frankis spech is cald Romance,
So sais clerkes & men of France,

Pers of Langtoft, a chanon

Of be hous of Brdlyngtoñ,
On Frankis stile pie storie wrote
Of Inglis kynges, for him we wote
He wrote per dedes as þei wrouht,
After him in Inglis I it brouht.
Of his menyng I wote be way,
Bot his faire spech I can not say.
I am not worpi open his boke,
For no konyng þer on to loke,
Bot forto schew his mykelle witte
On my spech, þat is bot skitte;
How he was quaỳnt in spech & wys,
bat suilk a boke mad of pris,

& gadred pe stories alle tille one,

þat neuer ore was mad for none. Whan he first bigan his werk, He bisouht a holy clerk,

To gyue him grace wele to spede, þat holy man hight S. Bede.

Sic.

For

For in his bukes mykelle he fond,
He mad fyue bokes of Inglond.
I salle praie him þat ilk wais,
Als he holy & curtais,
He gif me grace wele to say,

& rightly þis in ryme lay,
pis story pat is said of Pers,

þat alle be paied þat it hers. Amen.

Num. VIII. Vide Præf. §. XI.

The Proceedings of the Abbat and Convent of Winchester against Joan of London, A. D. 1285. From an old MS. Fragment of that Age, given to the Publisher by Thomas Ward, Esq;.

Officialis curiæ Cantuariensis religioso viro priori reverenter salutem in Christo Ihesu. Sua noverit religio, ubi abbas & conventus Winchester peticione monstrarunt, quod vos, prætendentes à sede apostolica vobis esse commissum, ut in monasterio suo de Winchester, Johannæ de London, mulieri conversæ, ad sui sustentacionem, suo perpetuo de tanto faceretis annis singulis providere, quantum unus de monachis, ibidem existentibus, pro suis alimentis percipit, annuatim eidem Johannæ, octo s sterlingorum, percipiendos per annum, quoad

I

'F. octo scilicet libras sterlingorum, percipiendas.

vixerit,

vixerit, de monasterio Wynchester memorato, certis terris, pro æqualibus porcionibus, nomine sustentacionis hujus religiosæ, ipsis ad hæc nullatenus evocatis, nec de ipso mandato apostolico, seu de provisione ipsa, per citacionis seu denunciacionis modum, quicquam scientibus, sed ignorantibus, immo nulla super facultatibus dicti monasterii, seu super æstimatione vel valore exhibicionis seu sustentacionis cujuscunq; monachi domus ejusdem per annum, inquisicione præmissa, in ipsorum religiosorum, ac suæ domus, præjudicium non modicum & gravamen, præsertim cum in inmensum ære alieno fuerint ornati, non absq; juris offensa, inique & temere providistis, à qua vestræ provisionis hujus sentencia, tanquam ab iniqua, quam cito id ad notitiam eorundem pervenit, sedem apostolicam, & pro tuitione sedem Cantuariensem legitime, ut asserunt, applicuerunt. Quare vobis inhibemus, & ceteris omnibus, quibus exigit inhiberi, ne, pendente in curia Cantuariensi hujus tuitionis appellationis negocio, aliud hac occasione acceptetur seu acceptare faciatis, in partis pæjudicium appellantis, quo minus liberam habeat prosecutionem appellationis suæ, prout justum fuerit utriusq;. Citetur eciam, seu citare faciatis peremptorie par

Sic cum duobus punctis sub u, perinde ac si utrisque legi debeat.

tem

tem appellatam, quod compareat coram nobis, vel commissario nostro, in ecclesia beatæ Mariæ de arcubus Londoniæ, tercio die juridico post Octavas Sanctæ Trinitatis, factura & receptura super præmissis, quod postulaverit ordo juris, & pariter ad procedendum in principali, si viderit expedire. De die vero receptionis præsentium, & quod super præmissis feceritis, nobis, vel commissario nostro, dictis die & loco constare faciatis, per litteras vestras patentes harum seriem continentes. Dat. Londoniæ quarto Nonas Maii, anno Domini Mo. CC. octogesimo quinto.

A Letter concerning the reputed Nunnery at LittleGidding in Huntingtonshire. From a MS. lent to the Publisher on July 6th. 1724. by Thomas Ward, of Longbridge near Warwick, Esq;.

The Coppie of my Letter to Sr. Thomas Hedley, Kt, Serjeant at Lawe, upon his Request to certifie, as I found, concerninge the reputed Nunnerie att Giddinge in Huntingtonshire.

Good Mr. Serjeant,

I cann give you but a short Relation of my, not two howers, staye at the reputed (at least

re