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

Of the firste Inhabitatores of that Londe. Capitulum tri|cesimum tertium.

GIRALDUS rehersethe and seithe that londe was inhabitate [ [folio 52] ends.] firste of Casera, son of the douȝhter of Noe, [which] dredenge the grete floode, come to that yle in the yere a fore that floode, with iij. men and l^ti women. In the secunde tyme hit was inhabite of Bartholarius with iij. childer, of the stocke of Iaphethe son of Noe, in the iij^c. yere after that grete floode; which encreasenge vn to the nowmbre of ix. m. alle diede thro the corrupcion of carion of the bodies of giauntes whom thei had oppressede, Ruan excepte, whiche lyvede by m. yere and a halfe, vnto the tymes of Seynte Patrike, tellenge to that holy man the gestes of that peple. In the thrydde time Nimeth or Nimedus, with his iiij. childer, cummenge from Scythia, [Nymeth, α. and Cx.] inhabite that londe by ij^c. and xvi. yere; and at the laste that stokke and kynnerede de|stroyede by diverse infortuny of batelles and of oþer mor|talite, that londe was vacante from inhabitatores by ij^c. yere

foloenge. In the iiij^the tyme v. dukes and breþer german, Gandius, Sanandius, Segandius, Rutheragus, and Sclanius, commenge by succession of the stocke of Nimedus, com|menge from Grece, occupiede þat londe, diuidenge hit in to v. partes. Euery parte in that diuision did conteyne xxxij. tancredes. And a tancrede is a porcion of c. townes, whiche putte a ston in the myddes, as in the navelle, as the begynnenge of v. realmes. After that Sclanius was made the holle lorde of alle that londe. In the v^the tyme, that londe made feble by mony yere, iiij. sonnes of kynge Mil|lesius comme to hit with iij^xx. sayles from Speyne, with mony other, of whom Heberus and Hermon were gouernoures, diuidede that realme amonge theyme, but by succession of tyme the bonde of luffe was broken betwene theyme. And so, Heberus sleyne, the holle monarchy succeedede to Her|mon, from the tyme of whom were cxxxj^ti kynges of that peple to the tyme of the firste Patrikke. And so from the commenge of theyme vn to the dethe of Seynte Patrikke

the firste were m^l yere and ccc. Men of Irlonde toke the name of theym of this Heberus, other elles after somme men of a floode of Speyne callede Heberus. Also thei were callede Gaiteles and Scottes after a man callede Gaitelus nevewe to Phenius, whiche, after the confusion of langages at the towre of Nemproth, wyse in diuerse langages did wedde Scota, the douȝhter of kynge Pharas, of whiche dukes men off Irlonde haue descendede. This Gaitelus, as hit is seide, made the langage of that cuntre, whiche is callede Gaitelaf, as a langage collecte of alle langages. At the laste Gurguntius, the sonne of Belyn kynge of Briteyne, turnenge from Denmarke to the yles callede Orcades, founde a certeyne peple of the cuntre of Speyne callede Bas|clenses, whiche desirenge to haue inhabitacion, the kynge sende theyme in to Irlonde to inhabite hit, that tyme voide of inhabitatores. Whiche made a certeyn gouernoure espe|cialle amonge theyme. Wherefore hit semethe that Irlonde longethe or perteynethe to Briteyne by olde lawe and

ryȝhte, where xxx^ti iij. kynges reigned from the tyme and commenge of the firste Patrikke to the tyme of kynge Fed|linidius in that londe by iiij^c. yere. In the tyme of kynge Fedlinidius men of Norway commenge with a duke callede Turgesius occupiede that londe, makenge grete diches, cas|telles symple, dowble and threfolde as in veyne; for the men of Irlonde attende not to castelles, for thei vse woodes for castelles and marras. At the laste this duke Turgesius was perischede and extincte thro the disseyte of maydenes. And for cause the peple off Englonde sayethe and cryethe Gurmunde to haue subiugate Irlonde and to have made those dyches, hauenge not Turgesius in vre or in remem|braunce; but men of Irlonde remembre that duke Tur|gesius, hauenge noo remembraunce of Gurmunde;—there|fore hit it to vnderstonde Gurmunde to haue bene in the realme of Briteyne, whiche he subduede to hym, and to haue sende Turgesius with a multitude of peple to Irlonde

to expugne hit. And for cause that Turgesius was as the gouernoure in that labor, þerfore þe peple of Irlonde namethe hym whom thay [So Harl. MS.] see. Gurmunde dedde at the laste in Fraunce, Turgesius luffede moche þe doȝhter of kynge Medense, whiche mayde here fader promisede to sende to Turgesius with xv. other maides, whom Turgesius made promyse to mete at a water callede Lacheryne, with so mony nowble men of his peple. Whiche Turgesius was sleyne by disseyte of those xv. yonge men in the habite and clothenge of women hauenge weppen vnder theire clothes, after that he hade reignede in that yle xxx^ti yere. After that thre breþer come to that yle from the partes of Norway, as in signe of pease, Aurelanus, Siracus, and Iuorus, with other people, whiche, thro the consente of men of Irlonde, ȝiffen to ydellenes, occupienge the places and [folio 51b]

costes of that cuntre nye to the see, made Dublyn, Water|forde, and Lymyrike, thre cites. Whiche encreasenge in nowmbre, made mony batelles ageyne the inhabitatores of that cuntre. Therefore from the tyme of Turgesius vn to the laste Rotherike, whom kynge Henry the secunde made subiecte to hym in the xl^ti yere of his age, and in the xvij^the yere off his reigne, in the yere of oure Lorde God m. c. lxxvij., a c. lxxxj. kynges gouernede Yrlonde, not crownede neither anoyntede, neither occupienge hit by ryȝhtefulle inheritaunce, but obteynenge the predominy by strenȝhte and armes.