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

The iiij^the Age of the Worlde begynnethe. Capitulum 29^m.

DAUID, of the tribe of Iuda, the secunde kynge off men of Hebrewe, reignede xl^ti yere; fyrste in Ebron on Iuda oonly, and after that on Israel xxx^ti yere. Latinus Siluius, the v^the kynge of Latynes, reignede by l^ti yere. Ixion, the secunde kynge of the cuntre of Corinthus, reignede xxxviij^ti yere. The cite callede Ephesus was edifiede of Androni|cus; and Salomon was borne. Isidorus, libro decimo quinto. [v ^o, as in the Latin text, is the correct reference.] Cartago was edifiede abowte this tyme. Petrus. Somme men say that hit was edifiede of Carthedon, a man of Tyre, and after other men, of Dido his doȝhter. ℞. But and if

lxxij. yere were betwene the edifienge of Cartago and of the cite of Rome, as Trogus and Papias reherse, then hit wille folowe that Cartago was edifiede abowte the firste yere of Ozias, kynge of Iuda, as hit is schewede afore, libro primo, capitulo 19^o. Gaufridus et Alfridus. Mempri|cius, the v^the kynge of Britones, reignede xx^ti yere, whiche didde sle Maulus his broþer, callenge hym as for concorde, and so he exercisede grete crudelite in the realme, whiche levenge his wife, of whom he gate a nowble son, Ebrancus by name, ȝafe hym selfe to the synne of sodomy, whiche [folio 113b] was deuourede of wulfes, as he was in huntenge to take his pleasure. Dauid the kynge diede at the towre off Syon, the iiij^the kalendes of Ianuary, beryede at Ierusalem with grete richesse; of whiche richesse Hircanus the byschope ȝafe to Anthiochus, son of Demeter, iij. ml. talentes, that he

scholde goe from Ierusalem. This kynge Dauid, beenge in peace, made songes and hympnes of iij. metres and of v. metres, and also diuerse organes and oþer thynges, in whom the diacones seide hympnes, ouer whom he ordeinede iiij. men, Eman in the myddes, Asaph on the ryȝhte parte, Ethan at the lyfte parte, and Idithim at the instrumentes musi|calle. There were also xx^tiiiij. bischopes, hauenge vnder theym xx^tiiiij. prestes and xx^tiiiij. diacones, xx^tiiiij. other ministres inferialle; the thrydde parte of whom entrede and ministrede in the temple from the Seturday to Seturday, lyeing that tyme from theire wifes; that other ij. partes attendenge to theire howses and to theire wifes. Salomon reignede on Israel somme yeres, Dauid his fader beenge in life, whiche yeres be annumerate to Dauid and not to Salomon, whiche reignede after the dethe of his fader xl^ti yere, as Seynte Ierom testifiethe in his epistole to Vitalis the preste; he gate a son of the doȝhter of Pharao, in the

xj^the yere of his age, as hit is redde in lyke wise of kynge Achaz. Whiche Salomon takenge sapience of allemyȝhty God in the mownte, after the sleenge of Ioab, Semey, and Adonias, and after the iuggemente yȝiffen bytwene þe ij. women of ylle disposicion, intendede to do thre thynges. That is to say, to make a temple to allemyȝhty God, a ryalle place for hym selfe, and to compasse Ierusalem with a threfolde walle. So that the temple scholde be in the firste compassenge, the mansiones of the ebdomadaries, the kynges place, and the places for his seruauntes. In the secunde circuite, myȝhty men and prophetes. In the thrydde, men of crafte and other commune peple. The meyte of the howseholde of kynge Salomon was in euery [The meytes of Salomon.] day, xxx^ti grete measures of floure, whiche be callede chori, [folio 114a] and lxxx. suche measures of meyle, x. fatte oxen, and c, wedres, wilde bryddes excepte, and tame. Whiche did wryte iij. bookes of the Paraboles, other Prouerbes, Eccle|siasten

and Cantica Canticorum; disputenge also of the nature of trees and of yerbes, from the cedre tre whiche growthe in the mownte off Libanus, vn to the ysope whiche growethe in the vale. Whiche laborede adiuraciones, by whom infir|mites were mitigate, and somme thro whom deuelles were eiecte from seke peple and diuerse carectes to be insculpte in gemmes, whiche putte to the noose of the paciente with rootes of certeyne yerbes, causede the deuelles to be ex|pellede. Salomon, wyllenge to prove a conclusion, toke a brydde of a grete brydde callede Strucio, and putte hit in a vessele of glasse; that brydde callede Strucio, perceyvenge that, flyenge in to diserte brouȝhte a lytelle worme, Thamir by name, causenge the glasse to breke thro the noyntenge of hit with the bloode of that worme. In the iiij^the yere of

kynge Salomon, the secunde monethe, he began to edifie the temple, whiche was in makenge by vij. yere, in a figure of this chirche presente, and dedicate in the viij^the yere, whiche hade in longitude a c. and xx^ti cubites, in latitude lx. cubites, in altitude xxx^ti cubites. In whiche temple was suche habundaunce of golde, that when the Romanes brente hit, as a floode of golde flowede in to the ryuer of Cedron of the peaces of golde ymeltede. In whiche yere the qwene of Saba come to here the sapience of Salomon. Petrus. Men say that qwene to haue seen a tre in the temple, on [Nota de Cruce.] whom a man scholde be hongede, for the dethe of whom the realme of þe Iewes scholde be destroyede and pe|reschede. And when that sche hade schewede this to kynge Salomon, he commaundede that tre to be hidde vnder the erthe, and how hit comme in to that water, where hit was founde afterwarde abowte the tymes of Criste, verey certi|tude is not hade. Ebrancus, the son of Mempricius, and

vj^the kynge of Britones, began to reigne, whiche reignede there by xl^ti yere. Whiche beenge a man of myȝhte, gate of xx^ti wifes xx^ti sonnes and xxx doȝhters, of whom Guales was the feireste. That kynge Ebrancus sende his doȝhters to Alba Silvius, kynge of Latynes, that thei myȝhte be cowplede to the bloode of Troy, for the women [folio 114b] callede Sabine despisede the companyes of theyme. The sonnes of the seide Ebrancus, with Duke Assaracus, occu|pyede a grete parte off Germany. Ebrancus made the cite [[This kynge Ebrancus made þe cite of Yorke.]] of Yorke ouer the water of Humbre, and Ascluit in the costes of Northumbrelonde and of Albania, and also a cite in Albania callede Edenburghe, callede somme tyme the castelle of maydenes. Whiche gedrenge a grete hoste, and goenge in to Fraunce, returnede ageyne with grete richesse. Alba Siluius, the vj^the kynge of Latynes, began to reigne; whiche reignede xxxix^ti yere.