Chapter VII: Part 7

Also immediatlie after, that is to say, in the yeare of our Lord, a thousand, one hundred, nintie six, which was about the seuenth yere of the said kings reigne, [Sidenote: A great mortalitie of people. _Wil. Paruus._] there followed a maruellous sore death, which dailie consumed such numbers of people, that scarse there might be found any to kéepe and looke to those that were sicke, or to burie them that died. Which sickenesse was a pestilentiall feuer or sharpe burning ague. The accustomed manner of buriall was also neglected: so that in manie places they made great pits, and threw their dead bodies into the same, one vpon an other. For the multitude of them that died was such, that they could not haue time to make for euerie one a seuerall graue. This mortalitie continued for the space of fiue or six months, and at length ceassed in the cold season of winter.

[Sidenote: Two sunnes.] In the octaues of Pentecost before this great death, in the first houre of the day, there appeared two sunnes, the true sunne & another, as it were a counterfeit sunne: but so apparentlie, that hard it was to the common people, to discerne the one from the other. The skilfull also were compelled by instruments to distinguish the one from the other: in taking their altitudes and places, whereby in the end they found the new apparition, as it were, to wait vpon the planet, and so continued by the space of certeine houres. At length when the beholders (of whom Wil. Paruus that recorded things in that age was one) had well wearied their eies in diligent marking the maner of this strange appearance, the counterfeit sunne vanished awaie.

¶ This strange woonder was taken for a signification of that which followed, that is to say, of war, famine and pestilence: or to say the truth, it betokened rather the continuance of two of those mischiefs. For warre and famine had sore afflicted the people before that time, and as yet ceassed not: but as for the pestilence, it began soone after the strange sight, whereof insued such effect, as I haue alreadie rehearsed.

Thus farre king Richard.

Transcriber's notes

There are no footnotes in the original. The original spelling and punctuation have been retained, with the exception of obvious errors which have been corrected by reference to the 1587 edition of which the original is a transcription.

[1] Original reads 'where'; corrected to 'were'.

[2] Original reads 'whith'; corrected to 'with'.

[3] Original reads 'were'; corrected to 'where'.

[4] Original reads 'be Camuille'; corrected to 'de Camuille'.

[5] Original reads 'which tossed them them'; corrected to
'which tossed them'.

[6] Original reads 'connterfet'; corrected to 'counterfet'.

[7] Original reads 'holié'; corrected to 'holie'.

[8] Original reads 'easile'; corrected to 'easilie'.

[9] Original reads 'forfied'; corrected to 'fortified'.

[10] Original reads 'wearie dwith'; corrected to 'wearied with'.

[11] Original reads 'Houden'; corrected to 'Houeden'.

[12] Original reads 'a might bréed as'; corrected to 'as might bréed a'

[13] Original reads 'Lancastsr'; corrected to 'Lancaster'.

[14] Original reads "de' Rancin"; corrected to "de Rancin".

[15] Original reads 'aud'; corrected to 'and'.

[16] Original reads 'wherepon'; corrected to 'wherevpon'.

[17] Original reads 'eiuill'; corrected to 'ciuill'.

[18] Original reads 'victories,'; corrected to 'victories.'.

[19] Original reads 'insolent,ro ud'; corrected to 'insolent, proud'.

[20] Original reads 'at he first'; corrected to 'at the first'.

[21] Original reads 'be Garden'; corrected to 'de Garden'.

[22] Original reads 'that no no'; corrected to 'that no'.