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

Capitulum duodecimum.

IACOB, beenge of a c. and xxx^ti yere in age, wente in to Egipte that yere, whiche was the secunde yere of the hungre. Augustinus, libro decimo octavo. Apis, kynge Argolicus, cariede in to Egipte with schippes, diede that yere, otherwise callede Serapis. The poete Varro schewethe a cause and a reason as for that name. For Senaropis in Grewe sowndethe as a beryalle, in whom Apis was putte. And after hit was callede Serapis, ij. letters taken aweye. That oxe distincte with white spottes, whom Egipte wor|schippede, was callede Apis, in that Ninus [The Harleian translator has misread his MS.] was worschip|pede; whiche oxe other bulle dedde, an other calfe was inquirede that was like to hit, whiche founde thei noris|chede hit tenderly. Hugutio, capitulo Apes. That bulle was callede Apis, whiche was wonte to swymme ouer the floode callede Nilus, and to schewe thynges to comme thro his gesticulation. Petrus. Somme men say that bulle ap|perede above the water in the feste of Serapis, whiche

water was callede Nilus, hauenge in the ryȝhte schulder a white signe other merke cornerede lyke to the moone; whom men of Egipte attendenge syngenge with alle kyndes of musikes, that bulle was eleuate anoon in to the aier, as makenge a melody; at the movenge or stondenge of whom men of Egipte were movede other stode; whiche bulle euaneschede a weye the same day. Therefore men of Egipte worschippede a bulle for Apis, a kowe for Isis, and a schepe for Iupiter; wherefore to slee eny of those bestes was an abhominable thynge amonge theyme, other elles to eite eny of theyme. Argus, the iiij^the kynge of Argyues, began to reigne, whiche reignede xlvj. yeres, in whiche tyme the londe of Grece began to sawe corne. Iacob beenge of a c.xlvij^ti. yere in age, blessenge his childer with single benedicciones, and the childer of his childer, diede, whiche kepede xxx^ti daies, was brouȝhte at the laste to Hebron, and beriede in a threfolde denne. Petrus, decimo capitulo. The maner and consuetude of Ethnikes was to kepe bodies dedde by ix. daies, in whom they myȝhte sorowe theire dethe, and norische the body with hoote water, that thei myȝhte haue perfecte knowlege wheder thei were

dedde other nay. After that thei dressede the bodies with spices, and kepede theyme by xl^ti dayes, other elles thei kepede theyme after thei were beriede by xl^ti daies. But the consuetude of the Iewes was to kepe the bodies vnberiede by vij. dayes, and kepede theym by xxx^ti daies after theire beri|enge. Augustinus, libro octavo decimo. Prometheus, the son of Iapetus, [Tapetus, Harl. MS.] and brother to Atlas [Athlas, MSS. and Harl. MS., and so below.] the astronomier, after Ouidus in Magno, is seide to haue made men, in that he made discrete men of rude peple. Isidorus, libro tertio decimo. And also for cause that he made the ymages of men to walke by crafte. Also he founde firste a rynge of yrne, puttenge a gemme in hit, callenge hit vngulum, for like as the nayle of a fynger is cloosede with flesche, so he compassede that gemme with metalle. Hugutio, capitulo Anulus. Also anulus, whiche is callede a rynge, toke begynnenge of this worde, anus; for somme tyme men taken in manslauȝhter other in thefte were wonte to bere an ape in theire necke, holdenge theire mowthes to the hynder partes of that ape. That vile consuetude y-ceasede, suche men taken in felony were wonte to bere a rynge of yrne in theire fynger, vn to the distinccion of whom now|ble

men made rynges of golde and of syluyr. Isidorus, libro decimo nono, in fine. Whom thei putte in the iiij^the fynger, whiche is callede the fynger medicinable, for cause of more dignite, in that a veyne is protendede from that fynger to the herte. Also rynges were ȝiffen to nowble men in Rome, and schilenges were ȝiffen to other men. Wherefore free men vsede rynges of golde, libertynes rynges of syluyr, and seruauntez [So Harl. MS.] rynges of yrne. For hit was somme tyme as a thynge of grete infamy to haue werede moo rynges then oon amonge olde men. Augus|tinus de civitate Dei, libro 18^mo. Atlas, the astronomier, and broder to Prometheus, was seide to bere heuyn, where|fore there was a grete hille in Affrike callede Atlas after hys name, whiche hille by the estimacion of commune peple is supposede to bere heuyn. Petrus. Tritholomus, peynt|enge a dragon in his schippe, is seide to haue entrede in to Grece, and to haue amplifiede the tyllenge of londe; and Ceres, whiche is callede Demetra of the Grekes, founde diuerse measures of whete, for whete was nowmbrede afore that tyme by grete heepes. ℞. And after Isidorus, libro

quinto, from that tyme the londe of Grece began to haue cornes. Ioseph, beenge of a cx. yere in age, dyede in Egipte, whiche dressede with spices, was kepede there vn to the goenge furthe of men of Ebrewe from Egipte, that was by c. and xliiij^ti yere, in whom men of Hebrewe seruede men of Egipte. But the breder of Ioseph were beriede in Hebron, but the boones of theim were translate with the boones of Ioseph in to Sichem, now callede Neapolis, the cite of Samaritanes. And so hit was that cc. yere a pas|sede and xv. from the commenge of Iacob in to Egipte vn to the goenge furthe of men of Hebrewe from hit.