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

Capitulum vicesimum octavum.

SAUL, of the tribe of Beniamyn, firste kynge off men of Hebrewe, reignede xx^ti yere, after Iosephus, whom Holy Scripture expressethe not. Petrus. For, Samuel lyvenge, Saul reignede xviij. yere, and ij. yere after his dethe. Eneas Siluius, the son of Siluius Posthumus, the iiij^the kynge of Latynes, began to reigne, whiche reignede xxxi^ti yere. Codrus, the son of Melanthus, [Melantus, MSS.] the xvij^the duke of Athenes, began to reigne, whiche reignede xxxj^ti yere, after the dethe of whom kynges of Athenes faylede. Augustinus, libro decimo octavo, capitulo 14^o. Men of Peloponense beynge rebellous ageyne men of Athenes, an answere was ȝifen that theke parte scholde haue þe victory, the gouer|noure of whom scholde be sleyne; wherefore the knyȝhtes were commaundede that thei scholde not slee kynge Codrus in eny wyse. Neuertheles kynge Codrus, clothenge hym in a vile habite, berenge as kyttenges of trees in his necke, come amonge the companyes of his enmyes, where, a stryfe movede, Codrus was sleyne of a knyȝhte whom he hade woundede with a sythe. Whiche thynge y-knowen, men callede Dorienses wente from batelle, and men off Athenes

were deryuerede. For Codrus wyllede rather to dye, that his subiectes myȝhte be victores, then for to lyve his sub|iectes oppressede. After the dethe of whom eny man reignede there after his pleasure, vn tille that Solon, [Salon, MSS. and Cx.] the nowble man and maker of theire lawes, was electe in to theire gouernoure. Maddan, the son of Locrinus, reignede on the Britones xl^ti yere, whiche gate Mempricius and Maulus. The Amazones entrede in to Asia. Saul was sleyne with his sonnes in the hilles of Gelboe. And so the thrydde age off the worlde is terminate, for [So Harl. MS.; probably a clerical error for fro.] the byrthe of Abraham vn to the reigne of kynge Dauid, hauenge after Ysidor, libro 5^o, ix^c yere and xlviij., by xiiij. genera|ciones, and after oþer ix^c, xlij. yere. ℞. This diuersite of yeres may be causede of that thynge, that Ysidorus seythe Samuel and Saul to haue rewlede the peple of Israel xl^ti yere. But Iosephus seythe, libro octavo, and the Maister of storyes, Samuel to haue ben gouernoure in Israel oonly xij. yere, and Saul to haue reignede after hym xx^ti yere.