at the table? and the monke sayd that loffe was worthe bot ane halfpenny.  ‘O!’ quod the kyng, ’this is a grette cheppe of brede; now,’ said the king, ’and yff I may, such a loffe shalle be worth xxd. or half a yer be gone:’  and when he said the word, muche he thought, and ofte tymes sighed, and nome and ete of the bred, and said, ‘By Gode, the word that I have spokyn shall be sothe.’  The monke, that stode befor the kyng, was ful sory in his hert; and thought rather he wold himself suffer peteous deth; and thought yff he myght ordeyn therfore sum remedy.  And anon the monke went unto his abbott, and was schryvyd of him, and told the abbott all that the kyng said, and prayed his abbott to assoyl him, for he wold gyffe the kyng such a wassayle, that all Englond shuld be glad and joyful therof.  Tho went the monke into a gardene, and fond a tode therin; and toke her upp, and put hyr in a cuppe, and filled it with good ale, and pryked hyr in every place, in the cuppe, till the venome come out in every place; an brought hitt befor the kyng, and knelyd, and said, ’Sir, wassayle; for never in your lyfe drancke ye of such a cuppe,’ ‘Begyne, monke,’ quod the king; and the monke dranke a gret draute, and toke the kyng the cuppe, and the kyng also drank a grett draute, and set downe the cuppe.—­The monke anon went to the Farmarye, and ther dyed anon, on whose soule God have mercy, Amen.  And v monkes syng for his soule especially, and shall while the abbey stondith.  The kyng was anon ful evil at ese, and comaunded to remove the table, and askyd after the monke; and men told him that he was ded, for his wombe was broke in sondur.  When the king herd this tidyng, he comaunded for to trusse; but all hit was for nought, for his bely began to swelle for the drink that he dranke, that he dyed within II dayes, the moro aftur Seynt Luke’s day.”

A different account of the poisoning of King John is given in a MS. Chronicle of England, written in the minority of Edward III., and contained in the Auchinleck MS. of Edinburgh.  Though not exactly to our present purpose, the passage is curious, and I shall quote it without apology.  The author has mentioned the interdict laid on John’s kingdom by the pope, and continues thus: 

  He was ful wroth and grim,
  For no prest wald sing for him
  He made tho his parlement,
  And swore his croy de verament,
  That he shuld make such assaut,
  To fede all Inglonde with a spand. 
  And eke with a white lof,
  Therefore I hope[A] he was God-loth. 
  A monk it herd of Swines-heued,
  And of this wordes he was adred,
  He went hym to his fere,
  And seyd to hem in this manner;
  “The king has made a sori oth,
  That he schal with a white lof
  Fede al Inglonde, and with a spand,
  Y wis it were a sori saut;
  And better is that we die to,
  Than al Inglond be so wo. 
  Ye schul for me belles ring,
  And after wordes rede and sing;
  So helpe you God, heven king,
  Granteth me alle now mill asking,
  And Ichim wil with puseoun slo,
  Ne schal he never Inglond do wo.”