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

Capitulum vicesimum primum.

ABIMALECH, the son of Gedeon, geten of a concubyne, was gouernoure in Sichem iij. yere after his fader, whiche did slee lxx^ti brether to hym, geten of diuerse women, oon ex|cepte. In whiche tyme the batelle of Athenes betwene Laphites and Centaures, whom Palefatus, libro De Incredi|bilibus, seithe to haue ben nowble horse men of Thessalia whiche did fiȝhte ageyne the Thebes. Thola, of the tribe of Ysachar, reignede on Israel xxiij^ti yere. In the iiij^the yere of whom Medea wente from here howsebonde Egeus, kynge of Athenes, vn to that yle callede Colchos, where sche was borne. Trogus, capitulo quadragesimo tertio. Fanus, the son off Picus, reignede abowte this tyme in Ytaly, vnder whom Euander, of the costes of Archadia, commenge to those costes, toke the feldes and the mownte Palatyne. This Fanus hade a wife, Fatua by name, whiche was vexede moche with a spiritte, whereof peple so vexede now in this tyme bene seide to be fatuate, after the name

of þat woman. Of the doȝhter of whom Hercules gate a son, Latynus by name, whiche reignede after hym, not geten in trewe matrimony. Orosius, libro primo. Abowte whiche yere Vesores, kynge of Egipte, ȝafe [Sic Harl. MS. Probably the word should be cancelled; if not, or must be added: which seems to be omitted after afore.] intendede to ȝiffe batelle to men of Scitia, sendenge to theyme messen|geres afore commaundede theyme to obey him. To whiche messangeres the men of Scithia ansuerede, seynge, that the plentuous kynge of Egipte intendede a symple thynge to move batelle ageyne poore men, sythe the chaunce of victory in batelle is in dowte, where he knowthe to haue noon avayle but grete hurtes and losse. Whiche thynge happede accordenge to the seyenge of theyme; for they compellede the kynge off Egipte to returne, and peresch|enge a grete parte of his hoste hade spoilede a grete parte of Egipte, but that þe water of Nilus was an impedimente to theyme. That peple of Scitia, returnenge towarde theire cuntre, fauȝhte myȝhtely ageyne men of Asia, and made theym theire tributaries. The wifes of whom sende worde to theim that thei wolde take men to theym of oþer cuntres to cause multiplication, withowte thei wolde comme home. Wherefore ij. nowble men were electe amonge theyme,

whiche, takenge with theyme a grete hoste, occupiede the londes of Pontus and Capodocia, whiche were destroyede at the laste by oþer peple of ferre cuntrees. The wifes of whom movede there with toke armoure, inquirenge vengeaunce for theire howsebondes. So at the laste, peace made by grete batelles and conflictes, thei toke to theyme straunge men for cause of multiplicacion, sleenge the male childer, reseruede the childer female, brennenge the ryȝhte pappe of here. Of whiche women were ij. qwenes at the laste, Marsepia and Lampeto, whiche kepede batelles by course. And when thei hade made that londe of Asia tame, and taken the principalle cites in hit, thei sende the chiefe parte of theire hoste to theire cuntre with grete richesse and goodes. That other parte of women lefte with Marsepia to be the defence of Asia were sleyne. The doȝhter of whom, Synope by name, kepede the realme after the dethe of here moder, in kepenge the glory of vertu with virginite perpetu|alle. Also thei were of so grete myȝhte, that when Her|cules was commaundede of his lorde that he scholde brynge

to hym the armore of the qwene of theym, he toke with hym the nowble men of the londe of Grece in ix. schippes, whiche compassede the women as with owte deliberacion; hau|enge more pleasure to do soe then to make an open batelle ageyne theyme. The seide Hercules, those women oppressede, ȝafe Menalippa to his sustyr Antiopa, and mariede Ypolita, sustir to the same Menalippa, to Theseus his knyȝhte, tak|enge to hym the armore of the qwene as for a price of here redempcion. After that qwene callede Orthia, the qwene Penthesilea [Pentisilia, Harl. MS.] was at the battelle of Troye, and schewede mony grete actes ageyne men of Grece.