Her aðeostrade se mona on dagunge on xiii kl' Jañr. and Beornmod wæs ge halgod to b' to Rofeceastre þy ilcan geare. Her Stephanus pāp forþferde. and æfter him was Paschalis to papan gehadod. And þy ilcan geare forborn Ongol cynnes scolu. And þrie Scottas cuomon to Ælfrede cyninge. on anum bate butan ælcum gereþrum. of Hibernia. þonon hi hi bestælon. forþon þe hi woldon for Godes lufan on elþiodignesse beon. hi ne rohton hwær. se bat wæs geworht of þriddan healfre hyde þe hi on foron. and hi namon mid him þæt hi hæfdun to seofon nihtum mete. and þa comon hie ymb vii niht to londe on Corn walum. and foron þa sona to Ælfrede cyninge. þus hie wæron genemnde. Dubslane and Macc bethu and Maelinmun. And Swifneh se betsta lareow þe on Scottum wæs gefor. And þy ilcan geare ofer Eastron. ymbe gang dagas oþþe ær. æt eowde se steorra þe mon on boc læden hæt cometa. same men cweþaþ on Englisc þæt hit sie feaxede steorra. forþæm þær stent lang leoma of. hwilum on ane healfe. hwilum on ælce healfe. Her wæs Eadgar eþeling gehalgod to cyninge on Pentecoste mæsse dæi on v id' Mai. þe xiii geare þe he to rice feng. æt Hatabaðum. and he wæs þa ana wana xxx wintra. and sona æfter þam se cyng ge leadde ealle his scip here to Lægeceastre. and þær him comon ongean vi cyningas. and ealle wið trywsodon ꝥ hi woldon efen wyrhton beon on sæ and on lande. And her Eadward Eadgares sunu feng to rice. and þa sona on þam ilcan geare on herfeste æteowde cometa se steorra. and com þa on þam eaftran geare swiðe mycel hungor. and swyðe mænig fealde styrunga geond Angel cyn. [...] Her on þyssum geare wæs se mycla hungor geond Angel cynn swilce nan man ǽr ne ge munde swa grimne. and se flota þæs geares ge wende of þissum earde to Dænemearcon. and litelne fyrst let þet he eft ne com. [...] And on þissum geare on sc̃e Michæles mæsse æfan. com þet mycele sæ flod geond wide þisne eard. and ærn swa feor úp swa næfre ær ne dyde. and adrencte feala tuna. and mann cynnes un arimædlice ge teall. Her wæs Æðward gehalgod to cyng on Winceastre on Æster dæg mid mycclum wurðscipe. and þa wæron Eastron on iii non' Apr'. Eadsige arc̃b' hine halgode. and foran eallum folce hine well lærde. and to his agenre neode and ealles folces well monude. [...] [...] And on þisum wæs swyðe mycel hungor ofer Engla land. and corn swa dyre swa nan mann ær ne gemunde. swa ꝥ se sester hwætes eode to lx penega. and eac furðor. [...] And on þis ylcan geare. æfter Candelmæssan. cóm se stranga winter. mid forste and mid snawe and mid eallon ungewederon. ꝥ næs nan man þa on liue ꝥ mihte gemunan swa strāgne winter swa se wæs. ge þurh mancwealm ge þurh orfcwealm. ge fugelas and fixas þurh þone micelan cyle and hunger forwurdan. On þissum geare man halgode þet mynster æt West mynstre on Cilda mæsse dæg. And se cyng Eadward forðferde on twelfta mæsse æfen. and hine mann bebyrgede on twelftan mæsse dæg. innan þære niwa halgodre circean on Westmynstre. And Harold eorl feng to Engla landes cyne rice. swa swa se cyng hit him ge uðe. and eac men hine þær tó gecuron. and wæs gebletsod to cynge on twelftan mæsse dæg. [...] On þissum geare com Harold cyng of Eoferwic to Westmynstre. to þam Eastran þe wæron æfter þam middan wintre þe se cyng forðferde. and wæron þa Eastran on þone dæg xvi kl' Mai. Ða wearð geond eall Engla land swylc tacen on heofenum gesewen swylce nan man ǽr ne geseah. Sume men cwedon ꝥ hit cométa se steorra wære. þone sume men hatað þone fæxedon steorran. and he æteowde ærest on þone æfen Letania Maior. viii kl' Mai. and Swa scan ealle þa seofon niht. [...] On þisum geare se arwurða muneca feder and frouer Landfranc arc̃b' gewat of þissū life. ac we hopiað ꝥ he ferde to ꝥ heofanlice rice. Swilce eac gewarð ofer eall Engle land mycel eorð styrunge. on þone dæg iii idus Aug'. and wæs swiðe lætsum gear on corne. and on ælces cynnes wæstmum. swa ꝥ manig men ræpon heora corn onbutan Martines mæssan. and gyt lator. [...] Ða uppon sc̃e Michael' mæssan iv non' Octobr'. ætywde án selcuð steorra on æfen scynende and sona to setle gangende. He wæs gesewen suð weast. and se leoma þe hī of stód. wæs swiðe lang geþuht suð east scinende. and for neah ealle þa wucan on þas wisan ætywde. manige men leton ꝥ hit cometa wære. [...] On þære fiftan nihte on Maies monðe. ætywde se mona on æfen beorhte scinende. and syððan litlan and litlan his leoht wanode. swa ꝥ he sona nihtes to þā swiðe mid ealle acwanc. ꝥ naþer ne leoht ne trændel ne nan þing mid ealle of hī wæs gesæwen. and swa þurh wunode fullneah oð dæg. and syðþan full and beorhte scinende ætywde. he wæs þæs ylcan dæges feowertyne nihta eald. Ealle þa niht wæs seo lyft swiðe clene. and þa steorran ofer eall þa heofon swiðe beorhte scinende. and treow wæstmas wurdon þære nihte þurh forste swiðe for numene. Ðær æft' on Junies monðe ætywde an steorra norðan eastan. and his leoma stod toforan hī on þet suð west. and þus manega niht wæs gesæwen. and furðor nihtes syððan he ufor astah. he wæs g'sewen on bǽc on ꝥ norð west gangende. [...] Ðis wæs swiðe gedeorfsū gear her on lande þurh gyld þe se cyng nam for his dohter gyfte. and þurh un gewædera. for hwan eorð westmas wurdon swiðe amyrde. and treow westmas ofer eall þis land for neah eall for wurdon. Ðises geares me began ærost to weorcenne on þā niwan mynstre on Ceortes æge. [...] Ðises geares on æfteward Mai wæs gesewen an selcuð steorra mid langan leoman manege niht scinende. Eac on þis ylcan geare wæs swa mycel ebba æghwær anes dæges swa nan man æror ne g'munde. and swa ꝥ man ferde ridende and gangende ofer Tæmese be eastan þære brigge on Lunden. Þises geares wæron swiðe mycele windas on Octob'r monðe. ac he wæs or mæte mycel on þa niht Octab' sc̃i Martini. and ꝥ gehwær on wudan and on tunan gecydde. [...] On þison geare wæs se cyng Henri to Natiuiteð æt sc̃e Albane. and þær lét ꝥ mynster halgian. and to Eastron on Wudiham. And wes eac þyses geares swiðe hefig tyme winter and strang and lang. wið orf and wið ealle þing. [...] Ðis wæs swiðe g'swincfull gear and byrstfull on eorð wæstman. þurh þa ormæte reinas þe coman sona onforan August. and swiðe gedrehton and geswencton þe gyt þe cō Candel mæssan. Eac þis gear wæs swa gæsne on mæstene. swa ꝥ on eallon þison lande ne eac on Wealon ne g'hyrde me of nanan segcean. Ðis land and þas leodon wurdon eac þyses geares oftrædlice sare geswencte. þurh þa gyld þe se cyng nā. ægðer ge binnan burgan and butan. On þisū ylcan geare bærnde eall ꝥ mynstre of Burh. and eallæ þa husas butan se Captel hus and se Slæpperne. and þær to eac bærnde eall þa mæste dæl of þa tuna. Eall þis belap̃ on an Frig dæg. ꝥ wæs ii no Aug't. On þis geare wæs se king Heanri on Cristes mæssan on Norhtwic. and on Pasches he weas on Norht hamtune. And on þone lenten tyde þær toforen for bearn se burch on Gleawe ceastre. þa hwile þe þa munecas sungen þære messe. and se dæcne hafde ongunnan þone godspel P'teriens Ih̄c. þa cō se fir on ufen weard þone stepel. and for bearnde ealle þe minstre. and ealle þa gersumes þe þær binnen wæron foruton feawe bec. and iii messe hakeles. þet wes þes dæies viii id' Mr'. And þær æfter þe Tywesdæi æfter Palmes Sunendæi wæs swiðe micel wind on ꝥ dæi xi k' Apr'. þær æfter comen feale tacne wide hwear on Engla land and feole dwild wearen geseogen and geheord. And þes niht viii k' Aug' wæs swiðe micel eorð dyne ofer eal Sumer sete scire and on Gleawe cestre scire. Siððon on þæs dæi vi id' Sept' þet wæs on sc̃e Marie messe dæi. þa wearð swiðe mycel wind frā þa undern dæies to þa swarte nihte. [...] Þær æfter wæron feole scip men on sæ. and on wæter. and sædon ꝥ hi sægon on norð east fir mycel and brad wið þone eorðe. and weax on lengþe up on an to þam wolcne. and se wolcne un dide on fower healfe and faht þær togeanes. swilc hit scolde á cwencen. and se fir weax na þa ma up to þe heouene. Þæt fir hi seagon in ðe dæi rime and læste swa lange ꝥ hit wæs liht ofer eall. þet wæs þæs dæies vii idus Decembr'. [...] Ðes ilces geares wæron fæla un time on Engle lande. on corne and on ealle westme. swa ꝥ betweonen Cristes messe and Candelmesse man sælde ꝥ acer sæd hwæte ꝥ is twegen sed læpas to six scillingas. and ꝥ bærlic ꝥ is þre sed læpas to six scillingas. and ꝥ acer sæd aten ꝥ is feower sed læpas to feower scillingas. Þet wæs forþi ꝥ corn wæs litel. and se penig wæs swa ifel ꝥ se man þa hæfde at an market an pund he ne mihte cysten þærof for nan þing twelfe penegas. [...] On ðes ilces geares wearð swa micel flod on sc̃e Laurent' messe dæig ꝥ feola tunes and men weorðon adrencte. and brigges to brokene. and corn and mædwe spilt mid ealle. and hunger and cwealm on men and on erue. and on ealle westme swa micel untime wearð swa hit ne wæs feola gear ær. [...] Ðis geares wæs se mynstre of Cantwarabyri halgod frā þone ærce b' Will'm þes dæies iv no' Mai. [...] Ðes feorðe dæges þær æft' wæs se king Heanri on Roue ceastre. and se burch for bernde æl mæst. and se ærce b' Will'm halgede s' Andreas mynstre and ða for sprecon bisc̃ mid hī. [...] Ðis gear æfter Cristesmesse on an Mone niht æt þe forme slæp wæs se heouene oðe norð half eall swilc hit wære bærnende fir. swa ꝥ ealle ðe hit sægon wæron swa of færed swa hi næfre ær ne wæron. ꝥ wæs on iii id' Janr'. Ðes ilces geares wæs swa micel orf cwalm swa hit næfre ær ne wæs on manne gemynd ofer eall Engle land. ꝥ wæs on næt and on swin. swa ꝥ on þa tun þa wæs tenn ploges oðer twelfe gangende ne be læf þær noht an. and se man þa heafde twa hundred oðþe ðre hundred swin ne beleaf him noht an. Þær æft' swulten þa henne fugeles. þa scyrte ða flescmete and se ceose and se butere. God hit bete þa his wille beð. [...] On þis gære for se king H' ouer sæ æt te Lāmasse. ⁊ ð oþer dei þa he lai an slep in scip. þa þestrede þe dæi ouer al landes and uuard þe sunne suilc als it uuare thre niht ald mone. an st'res abuten hī at mid dæi. [...] [...] Þer eft' in þe lengten þestrede þe sunne ⁊ te dæi. abuton non tid dæies. þa men eten. ð me lihtede candles to æten bi. and þat was xiii k' Ap'l. wæron men suythe of wundred. [...] On þis gær wærd þe king Steph' ded ⁊ bebyried þer his wif ⁊ his sune wæron bebyried æt Faures feld. þæt minstre hi makeden. Þa þe king was ded. þa was þe eorl beionde sæ. ⁊ ne durste nan man don oþer bute god for þe micel eie of hī. Þa he to Engle land cō. þa was he under fangen mid micel wurtscipe. and to king bletcæd in Lundene on þe Sunnen dæi be foren midwint'dæi. and held þær micel curt. [...]

In this year the moon went dark at dawn on December 20. And the same year Beornmod was consecrated bishop of Rochester. In this year Pope Stephen died, and after him Paschal was ordained pope. And the same year the English School [in Rome] burned down. Three Irishmen came to King Alfred in a boat with no one to row or steer it. They had slipped away from Ireland because, for the love of God, they wanted to live in exile, and they did not care where. The boat they traveled in was made of two and a half hides. They took with them enough food for seven nights, and after seven nights they came ashore in Cornwall. They went straight to King Alfred. Their names were Dubslane, Macc bethu, and Maelinmun. And Swifneh, the best teacher among the Irish, died. And the same year, after Easter, around Rogation Days or a little before, the star appeared that is called cometa in the Latin of books. In English, too, people call it the long-haired star, because a long ray stands out from it, sometimes on one side, sometimes on every side. In this year Prince Edgar was consecrated king at Bath on Whitsunday, May 11, in the thirteenth year after he came to the throne. He was then just short of thirty years old. Soon after that the king led his whole fleet to Chester, and six kings came there to meet him. They all promised that they would be his allies on sea and on land. And in this year Edward, Edgar’s son, came to the throne. Soon after, in the same year, at harvest time, the star called a comet appeared. And in the next year came a very great famine, and a great many troubles across England. In this year there was the great famine across England, so grim that no one remembered one like it. And that year the [Danish] fleet went home from this country to Denmark, but it was not long before it came back. And in this year, on the eve of Michaelmas, the great sea flood came all across this country. It ran farther inland than it ever had before. It drowned many villages and more people than anyone could count. In this year Edward was consecrated king at Winchester on Easter Day, with great ceremony. Easter fell that year on April 3. Archbishop Eadsige consecrated him. In front of all the people he gave the king good teaching, and urged him to look after his own good and the good of all the people. And in this year there was a very great famine all over England. Grain was dearer than anyone could remember: a sester of wheat went up to sixty pence, and even more. And in this same year, after Candlemas, the hard winter came, with frost and snow and every kind of foul weather. No one then alive could remember a winter as hard as that one, for the deaths of people and of cattle. Birds and fish died of the great cold and hunger. In this year the minster at Westminster was consecrated on Holy Innocents’ Day. And King Edward died on the eve of Twelfth Day and was buried on Twelfth Day, in the newly consecrated church at Westminster. And Earl Harold came to the throne of England, as the king had granted it to him, and the people also chose him for it. He was blessed as king on Twelfth Day. In this year King Harold came from York to Westminster for the Easter after the midwinter when King Edward died. Easter fell that year on April 16. Then a sign was seen in the sky all over England, such as no one had ever seen before. Some people said it was the star called a comet, which some call the long-haired star. It first appeared on April 24, the eve of the Greater Litany, and it shone like this for seven nights. In this year Archbishop Lanfranc, the honored father and comfort of monks, passed from this life. But we hope that he went to the kingdom of heaven. Also, a great earthquake struck all over England on August 11. And it was a very late year for grain and every kind of crop, so that many people reaped their grain around Martinmas, and even later. Then, after Michaelmas, on October 4, a strange star appeared. It shone in the evening and soon set. It was seen in the southwest, and the ray that stood out from it looked very long, shining toward the southeast. It appeared like this for almost the whole week. Many people thought it was a comet. On the fifth night of May the moon rose in the evening, shining brightly, and then little by little its light faded. As soon as night came, it went out so completely that neither its light nor its disk nor anything of it could be seen. It stayed that way almost until day, and then it appeared full and shining brightly. It was fourteen nights old that day. All that night the air was very clear, and the stars shone very brightly all over the sky. The fruit on the trees was badly ruined by frost that night. After that, in June, a star appeared in the northeast, with its ray standing out in front of it toward the southwest. It was seen like this for many nights. Later in the night, as it climbed higher, it was seen moving backward toward the northwest. This was a very hard year here in the land, because of the tax the king took for his daughter’s marriage and because of bad weather. The crops were badly damaged, and the fruit on the trees all over this land was almost all lost. This year work began on the new minster at Chertsey. This year, at the end of May, a strange star was seen with a long ray, shining for many nights. Also in this same year there was such a low tide everywhere on one day as no one had ever remembered before. People went riding and walking across the Thames east of the bridge in London. This year there were very strong winds in October. But the wind was beyond measure on the night of the octave of St. Martin, and the damage showed everywhere, in the woods and in the villages. In this year King Henry was at St. Albans for Christmas, and there he had the minster consecrated. At Easter he was at Odiham. This year, too, there was a very hard winter, harsh and long, for cattle and for everything. This was a very hard year, and a disastrous one for crops, because of the enormous rains that came just before August. They brought great trouble and hardship until Candlemas came. This year, too, the mast failed so completely that no one heard of any, in all this land or in Wales either. This land and its people were also hard pressed again and again this year by the taxes the king took, both in the towns and outside them. In this same year the whole minster at Peterborough burned down, with all the buildings except the chapter house and the dormitory. Most of the town burned as well. All this happened on a Friday, August 4. In this year King Henry was at Norwich for Christmas and at Northampton for Easter. Before that, in Lent, the town of Gloucester burned. The monks were singing their mass, and the deacon had begun the Gospel reading “Jesus, passing by,” when the fire caught the top of the tower. It burned the whole minster and all the treasures in it, except a few books and three mass vestments. That was on March 8. After that, on the Tuesday after Palm Sunday, March 22, there was a very great wind. After that many signs appeared far and wide in England, and many uncanny things were seen and heard. On the night of July 25 there was a very great earthquake over all Somerset and Gloucestershire. Then on September 8, the feast of St. Mary, a very great wind blew from morning until black night. After that, many sailors at sea and on inland waters said they had seen a great, broad fire in the northeast, close to the earth. It grew taller and taller, right up to the clouds. The clouds opened on four sides and fought against it, as if to put it out, and the fire grew no higher toward heaven. They saw that fire at daybreak, and it lasted until it was light everywhere. That was on December 7. This same year there were many bad harvests in England, of grain and of every crop. Between Christmas and Candlemas the seed for an acre of wheat, that is, two seedlips, sold for six shillings. The seed for an acre of barley, three seedlips, sold for six shillings, and the seed for an acre of oats, four seedlips, for four shillings. That was because grain was scarce. And the penny was so bad that a man who had a pound at a market could not buy twelve pennies’ worth with it for anything. This same year there was such a great flood on St. Lawrence’s Day that many villages and people were drowned and bridges were broken. Grain and meadows were completely ruined. There was hunger and sickness among people and cattle, and every crop failed worse than it had for many years. This year the minster at Canterbury was consecrated by Archbishop William on May 4. Four days later King Henry was at Rochester, and the town burned almost entirely. And Archbishop William consecrated St. Andrew’s minster there, with the bishops already named. This year, after Christmas, on a Monday night, in the first sleep, the whole northern sky looked as if it were burning fire. Everyone who saw it was more frightened than they had ever been. That was on January 11. This same year there was a cattle plague worse than any in living memory, all over England. It struck cattle and pigs. In a village where ten or twelve ploughs had been working, not one was left. A man who had had two or three hundred pigs had not one left. After that the hens died. Then meat ran short, and cheese and butter. God mend it, when it is his will. In this year King Henry crossed the sea at Lammas. And the next day, while he lay asleep on the ship, the day grew dark over all lands. The sun became like a moon three nights old, with stars around it at midday. After that, in Lent, the sun and the day grew dark around noon, when people eat, so that they lit candles to eat by. That was on March 20. People were greatly astonished. In this year King Stephen died. He was buried at Faversham, where his wife and his son were buried; they had built that minster. When the king died, the earl was overseas. And no one dared to do anything but good, for the great awe of him. When he came to England, he was received with great honor and consecrated king in London on the Sunday before Christmas, and there he held a great court.