Chronicles of the Reigns of Stephen, Henry II, and Richard I

The second volume of this four-volume set of Latin chronicles, edited by Richard Howlett (1841-1917) and published between 1884 and 1889, contains the fifth and final book of the Historia rerum Anglicarum by William of Newburgh (c.1136-c.1198). This book deals with the events of the years 1194-8. The work is continued in a supplement up to the year 1298, compiled by a monk of Furness Abbey. Also included is the Draco Normannicus ('The Norman Standard') of Etienne de Rouen, a monk from Bec Abbey in Normandy. Much of this poem is simply the versification of other sources, but it does possess some historical value, and notably presents King Arthur as a Breton rather than a British ruler. A glossary and index to the first two volumes is included, along with helpful English side-notes to the Latin text.