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

Capitulum vicesimum septimum.

ELY the preste was gouernoure in Israel, after Sampson, xl^ti yere, after Ysidor, libro quinto, and after Iosephus, libro sexto; but after the lxx^ti interpretatores, Hely was gouernoure by xx^ti yere. In the tyme of whom the story of Ruth Moabitidis happede, a grete hungre beenge that tyme in Israel. The sonnes of Hector recurede and toke þe cite of Troye, expellenge the succession of Antenor, thro helpe off Helenus son off Priamus. Siluius Posthumus, son of Eneas, geten of Lauinia, brother to Ascanius, the thrydde kynge of Latynes, began to reigne; whiche reignede xxx^ti yeres þer. In whiche yere Brutus, son of Siluius,

son of Ascanius, after storyes, began to occupye Briteyne. ℞. Storyes seme to discorde moche of the fader of Brute. For the storye of Britones seythe Brute to haue bene the son of Siluius, son to Ascanius. But the story of the Romanes seythe Ascanius to haue geten Iulus, makenge no mencion of Siluius: with owte þis Iulus hade ij. names, and [was] callede Siluius, the oon story faylethe. For hit ys seide that this Brute, of xv. yere in age, did sle his fader in huntenge, and Siluius Posthumus, after alle storyes, was the son of Eneas, and not the son of Ascanius, reignenge and lyvenge longe after that; but perauenture that the storye of the Romanes seythe Ascanius to haue noryschede þro pite Siluius Posthumus after the dethe of Eneas, and for that to haue bene trawede his fader. Whiche thynge y wolde admitte, if hit were not redde that Siluius Post|humus was sleyne of Brute his son. Giraldus. This Brute, whiche did sle his moder in the childenge, and also when he was of xv. yere in age, he did slee his fader in huntenge; wherefore Brute, putte from Ytaly, wente to the londe

of Grece, ouercommenge Pandrasus, kynge of hit, thro the helpe of the Troianes, and did wedde Ymogen his doȝhter, and delyuerede the Troianes; whiche saylenge from that cuntre, hauenge an answere of Diana, londede at Affrike. After that he entrede in to the see of Tirus, whiche fyndenge there Corineus, brouȝhte hym in his companye to Acqui|tannye; whiche ouercommenge Gepharyus, the duke of Pictaues, and Turnus, the son of the suster to Brute, dedde, at Turnip, or elles Tiroune, callede after his name, come to Briteyne, to Totenese in Cornewaile. In whom he, occu|pienge the monarchye, destroyede gigantes that inhabite that cuntre, namenge that yle Briteyne, and his felawes Britones; ȝiffenge to Corineus Cornewaile; made a cite on [The cite of London was edifiede by Brute.] the water of Thamys, callenge hit Urbs Trinouantum, as Newe Troye, callede now London. Whiche gate iij. childer, Locrinus, Camber, and Albanactus, dienge after that he hade gouernede that yle xxiiij. yere. The kynges of Scitia faylede, whiche hade reignede a clxij. yere; after that prestes

were made iugges and gouernoures. Samuel was gouernoure in Israel xij. yere after the dethe of Ely, after Iosephus libro octavo; but the story dothe not expresse that from whom the tymes of prophetes began, in the thrydde yere of whom kynge Dauid was borne. Petrus. This Samuel [Religion began.] ordeynede conuentes of religious men, whiche were seide also to prophecy, that is, to lawde Godde. Locrinus, the firste son of Brute, began to reigne as on the thrydde parte of Briteyne, from the sowthe see of hit vn to the water of Humbre, whiche parte he callede Loegria, after his name. Albanactus his brother sleyne, and Camber the thrydde brother dedde, Locrinus was sleyne in batelle after the xx^ti yere of his reigne, whiche batelle Guendolena his wife movede for an hoore callede Estrilda, whiche reignede after her howsebonde xv. yere.