Polychronicon Ranulphi Higden maonachi Cestrensis; together with the English translations of John Trevisa and of an unknown writer of the fifteenth century.

Capitulum quintumdecimum.

Canaan is a region of Syria, possessede firste of the childre of Canaan, sonnes of Chayin, after Noe floode, conteynenge in hit vij. naciones as cursede by enheritaunce of Cam the sonne of Noe. Palestina is a prouince off Syria, callede somme tyme Philistea, the chiefe cyte of whom was called Philistijm and now Ascalon, of whiche cite alle that prouince was callede Palestina or Philistea, and the inhabitatores of hit were callede Philisteis, for men of Ebrewe vse not this letter, f, but ph in the place of hit. Of whom the Philisteies were callede alophili, that is to say aliauntes, in so moche that they were straunge alleweyes to the childer of Israel. That region hathe Egipte on the sowthe parte of hit and men of Tire at the weste, the Iewery at the northe, and

Idumea on the este parte. That londe is myȝhty, fulle of hilles, and hoote, extendenge hit to the Redde see. Isidorus, libro quartodecimo. The welle of Iobyn is in that Idumea, chaungenge his colour iiij. tymes in oon yere; in thre mo|nethes holdenge the colour of duste, in other thre the coloure of bloode, in oþer thre monethes a grene coloure, and in other thre a clere colour of water. Also Palestine was wonte to comprehende Samaria in hit; the chiefe place of that region was callede Samaria, but nowe hit is callede Sebaste. Samaria toke the name of hit of the mownte callede Samer, whiche lyethe in the myddes betwene the Iewery and Galile; the inhabitatores of whom somme tyme eiecte and put in captiuite, men of Assyria were introducte, whiche admitte oonly the lawe of Moyses. In other thynges they discorde from the Iewes and be callede Samaritannes, whiche sowndethe kepers, for they were deputate to the kepenge of that londe, the peple of hit putte in captiuite. Sichen or Sichenia is a lyttelle grownde in Samaria, namede so of Sichem the sonne of Emor, whiche inhabite hit firste. [folio 29b]

And Sichem was a cite whiche is callede now Neapolis, whom Iacob bouȝte for moneye and grete, ȝiffenge hit to Ioseph his sonne, as Seynte Ierom seyethe on Genesim ca^o. xviij^o., whiche was somme tyme the cite of refute with the suburbarbes of hit sette in the costes of the mownte of Effraym, where the bones of Ioseph were buryede after that thei were translate from Egipte, as hit is schewede Iosuæ ultimo capitulo. In whiche place the breder of Ioseph kepede bestes: whiche place Abimelech destryede after the son of Zorobabel, sawenge there salte, the inhabi|tatores of hit y-sleyne, that the londe scholde not be plen|tuous, as hit is schewede Iosuæ nono capitulo. Where the welle of Iacob was, on whom Criste beenge feynte of labor did reste. Galile is a region betwene the Iewery and Palestine, whiche is duplicate, the superior and inferior, drawenge to gedre as contiguate to Syria and to Phenicia;

eiþer of hit is plentuous, hauenge profitable waters and wholsome, whiche be callede sees what for the magnitude of theyme and for the copious multitude of fisches, as the water of Tiberiadis and of Genazareth. Also there is a welle in to whom metalles caste be turnede in to glasse in the weste partes of the inferior Galile, towarde the grete see nye to Ptolemaida, whiche is the cite of Achon. Cedar is a region in the superior parte of Palestine, whom Cedar the firste son of Ysmael didde inhabite; after hym callede more truly Agareni then Saraceni; for the progenye of theyme descendede from Agar, seruaunte and moder of Ismael, vsurpenge to theyme the name of Sara. Methodius. Theye edifie noo howses, but, goenge by a waste wildernes, inhabite tabernacles, gettenge theire meyte thro preyes and huntenges. These men somme tyme congregate schalle goe furthe from deserte, and schalle occupye alle the worlde by viij. wekes off yeres, subuertenge citees and defilenge holy

places schalle sle prestes makenge faste theire bestes at the sepulcres of seyntes, and this schalle falle for the wickidnesse and synne of Cristen men. ℞. These thynges seme to have bene fullefillede in the tyme of Heraclius themperoure, when Machomete the false prophete occu|piede Persa, Egipte, and made Affrike subiecte to hym, com|mentenge the wickede secte of Saracenys, as hit schal be expressede after the tymes of Heraclius. Phenicia is a region in whom Tyrus and Sidon be comprehendede, hauenge of [folio 30a] the este parte off hit Araby, of the sowthe the Redde see, of the northe the mownte of Libanus, of the weste parte the grete see. Isidorus, libro secundo, capitulo quinto. Phenix the sonne of Agenoris toke to these Feniceonnes somme redde letters, wherefore that colour was callede pheniceus, and after a letter chaungede hit was puniceus. Hugo, capitulo Phœnix. And for cause men of that cuntre were the firste fynders of letters we wryte vn to this tyme the capitalle letters with a redde color, that we may represente theyme to be the firste fynders of letters.

Notes

• Siria, Harl. MS., and so throughout.
• Canaan.
• Palestina.
• Philistea.
• The translator's orthography, who evidently thinks … is Hebrew, has been allowed to stand. Just before he has wrongly written f for p.
• Ydumea, Harl. MS.
• Fons Iobyn.
• Samarias.
• Sichen.
• The Harl. MS. has omitted trauaille, or some such word.
• The MS. had translate before buryede, but a pen is drawn through it.
• Fons Iacob.
• Galilea.
• Fenicea, Harl. MS.
• Ptolomaida, Harl. MS.
• Cedar.
• Phenicia.