And that euery man may knaw how thes croniclis be ordyrt ye shall vndyr stond that this boke is deuidit in to vij partys . Off the wych the fyrst parte cōtenys from Adam till Brute cam in to bretan ¶ The secund parte contenes from brute cam fyrst in to Englond vnto the cyte of Rome was byld be romolus . ¶ The therd part contenes sethyn rome wos byld vn to Crist wos born of our lady mari ¶ The fourth from thens vn to the comyng of the saxons in to englond ¶ The fyft part from thens vn to the comming of the danys ¶ The sext part from thens vn to the commyng off the normans ¶ The seuint part from the Normans vnto owr tym the wich is vndir the regne of kyng Edward the fourth xxiij yer whos nobull croniclis be custum may not be seen ¶ And so in eeruy part of thes .vij. partes is shewed the most and necessary actys of all the kyngis of Englond & ther namys wrettyn abooe in the margent that euery man may fynd them soon . And afor the kyngis of englond actis be writin . ther is writin the linage of crist from Adam till that crist was borne of our lady with the egh bysshopp & the iuge that war in that tyme . & certan of ther actis necessari . till it be cummyn to crist wos borne . And aftir that cryst wos borne & peter wos pope of rome is shewed be order the namys of all the popys and Emprours of rome afoor and aftir wyth certan off ther actis breuyatly . And mony other dyueres thyngis & in̄uellus in thes mens days fallyng . And it is shewid eueri thing in his place how mony yere it fell aftyr the begynyng of the worlde and how long afoor that Crist was borne . And when that I cum to crist wos borne then it is wrettyn how long any thyng fell aftyr the Natiuite of crist . And this is the ordyr off thys boke and the thyngis that be spokyn of .

And to men desyryng to haue aueray knawlech of thes Cronyclis or of any other hit is necessary to knaw sex thingꝭ ¶ The first is the statye of thingꝭ . & thos ben ij . con is fro the begynnyng of the world vnto cryst : the wych is cald the state of demacion . The secund is from cryst to the end of the world the wych is cald the state of reconsiliacion ¶ The secund thyng is the diuision of tymys . & thoo be iij. c●n is afoor the law of Moises . anodir is vndyr the law of moyses . anodir is vndyr the law of grace aftyr cryst dyed ¶ The iij. is the gouernyng of kyngdomes & as for that ye most knaw that all thogh that war iii● . principall kyngdōys that is to say of Babulon of Perses of Grecis & Romans neuer the lees os to the course of the world & the ordyr of holy scriptur the fyrst gouernyng wos vndirfadyrs from Adam vnto Moyses . The secund vndir Iuges fro moises vnto saul The thyrd vndyr kyngis fro Saul vnto Zorobobel . The forthe vnder Bisshoppis fro zorobobel vnto crist ¶ The iiij . is the diuersite of lawis and thos war .v. The fyrst wos the law of Natur & that wos commyn to all men . The secund is the law or the custum of Gentils when that vndir kyng Nyno be gan the pepull to worshype fals goddys . The thyrd vndir the law writtyn roos the law of Iues when circumcision diuidyt the iues from odir pepull . The iiij . vndir Crist roos thhe law of cristyn men wheen fayth and grace of the sacramentis informyd the lyffe of men . The v. vndir Machomyte roos the law of Sarysons & torkys . The sext is the nobulnes or vnnobulnes in dedys . and as to thes it is to knaw that vij . persons be red of whom the dedys mony tymes har had in mynd in hystoryes . That is to wete of a Prince in his reame . of a Knyght in batell . of a Iuge in his place . of a Bysshope in the clergy ▪ of a Polityke man in the pepull . of an Husband man in an howse . and of an Abbot in his chyrche . And of thes ar wretyn mony tymes the laudes of good men . and the punychmentis of the curssit men . The sext is the trew cowntyng of the yeris . and as to that it is to be knaw that ther war viij . maner of nombring or cōtyng of the yeris iii. aftyr the hebreus ii● . aftyr thee Greky . con. aftyr the Romans . and. con . now aftyr the Cristyn men . The hebreus iij. maner of wyse begynyth that yere . aftyr the Hebreus ther is the yere vsuall begynyng at Ianuary the wych they vse in connandys and bargans makyng . And the yere lefull begynnyng at Marche the wych they vse in ther ceimonyes . And the yere emergens from May begynyng when they went from Egypte . the vse in ther Cronyclys & Calculacionis ¶ The Grekys nomburth ther yeres iij. maner of wyse . fyrst to the glory and ioy of ther victory . Contyth that yeres from the destruccion of Troy the fyrst the secund the therd the fourth etc ¶ Then aftyr the cheualry be gon at the hyll of Olympus the notefied ther yeres aftyr the same Olimpiadū & wat Olimpiodes is ye shall knaw after in tha boke . The iij. when they be gan to haue lordshyp of all the world they notefyed theer yeres thes maner of wyse . In the yere of the regne of grekys the iiii . the x. the xv . etc. as is it opyn in the boke of machabeorum ¶ Then after the Romans gouernyng the world . cōtyt or nōburyt ther yeres Ab vrbe condita ¶ The last of all cristyn mēcowntitt ther yeres from the Incarnacion of Crist . and be cause we be criseyn men . we vse most to nomb●● fro the begynyng off the world vnto crist wos borne . And fro crist wos borne . vnto our tyme . and this ordyr is kepyt in all the boke of euery thyng in his place as it is sayd afoor .