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

Capitulum tricesimum sextum.

NABUGODONOSOR, the grete kynge, began to reigne in Ba|bilon, whiche reignede xxxiij. yere; whiche, hauenge victory of Pharao kynge of Egipte, ocupiede his londe from the water of Egipte vnto Eufrates, and alle Siria, the Iewery excepte; whiche Nabugodonosor, after Iosephus, libro iiij^to, capitulo septimo, in the iiij^the yere of his reigne ascendede in to the Iewery and toke Ierusalem, and Ioachim kynge

þerof, levenge hym in the weye, in that he promisede to be tributary to hym. Neuertheles he toke with hym the nowble childer of the kynges bloode in to Babilon, Ananias, Azarias, Misael, and Daniel, and the veselles of the temple. From whiche tyme this Nabugodonosor reignede ouer men of Caldea, and in Assiria, in Egipte and in þe Iewery. Petrus, 143. The Rechabites, childer of Ionadab the [folio 123a] son of Rechab, folowenge the wylles of theire faders, dwellede from other peple, whiche, absteynenge from wyne, neither sawenge cornes, come in that tempeste to Ierusalem to salve theyme selfe. Kynge Ioachim, herenge that the kynge of Egipte wolde ȝiffe batelle to Nabugodonosor, denyede to pay his tribute. Where of Na|bugodonosor hauenge indignacion, come to Ierusalem, and toke hit, and did sle the myȝhty men of hit, castenge Ioachim, the kynge in hit, vnberiede ouer the walles of the cite, makenge Ieconias, his son, kynge. Petrus. As letteres of golde were founde in the body of this Ioachim

the senior, ageyne the lawe of God, and Codonosea, the name of an ydole whom he honourede. Iosephus, libro decimo, capitulo octavo. Iheconias, the son of Ioachim, made kynge by Nabugodonosor, reignede oonly iij. monethes, whiche was to the monethe of Iulius. For Nabugodonosor, dredenge leste that Iheconias wolde drawe to men of Egipte and remembre the dethe of his fader, returnede and besegede Ierusalem. Neuertheles this kynge Ieconias yeldede hym

willefully, with his moder and alle his howseholde, after the cownselle of Ieremye, to that kynge Nabugodonosor; whiche toke from the temple the veselles of golde, toke ij m^l princes in captiuite and vij m^l men of crafte. Amonge whom Mardocheus was and Ezechiel, that tyme of tendre [age], of the kynde of prestes. And so this Ieconias remaynede in prison amonge men of Caldea, by xxxvij. yere, vn til this Nabugodonosor was dedde and Nabugodonosor his son. Euilmerodac, that other son of Nabugodonosor, delyuerede hym from prison. Petrus, 144. Mony men do annumerate lxx^ti yere of the captivite of the Iewes from that trans|migracion whiche was made in the viij^the yere of kynge Nabugodonosor. But proprely these men that submitte theim selfe willefully be callede the transmigracion. And the other men, that were ledde ageynes theire wille, be callede þe captivite. Mathanias, the thridde son of Iosias, was made kynge by Nabugodonosor, makenge an othe to [folio 123b] hym that he scholde be tributary to hym, whom he namede Sedechias, whiche did reigne a xj. yere. Iosephus, libro

quarto, capitulo nono in fine. Ezechiel began to prophecy in Babilon to þe men in captiuite, after that thei hade re|ceyuede the epistole of Ieremy of the londe of Iuda. And Ezechiel sende his prophecy in to Ierusalem. But kynge Sedechias ȝafe noo credence to prophecy, in that þe pro|phecy of Ieremy and of Ezechiel semede to discorde; but alle the prophetes accordede in that the cite scholde be taken, and that the kynge scholde be brouȝte to Babilon. But there apperede dissonaunce in theire prophecy, that Ezechiel seyde Sedechias scholde neuer see Babilon. And the prophecy of þeim bothe was fulle fillede after, when Nabugodonosor made blynde kynge Sedechias in Reblata, and broȝte hym so made blynde to Babilon. Salon, oon of the vij. philosophers, ȝafe lawes to men of Athenes.

Daniel the prophete ȝafe a solucion of a vision to Na|bugodonosor in Caldea. Wherefore hit is to be attendede that he see x. visiones, iij. of þe firste under Nabugod|onosor, thre other vnder Balthazar, the vij^the and viij^the vnder Darius, the ix^the and þe x^the vnder kynge Cirus. Somme prophetes propheciede of the captiuite longe a fore the captiuite, as Ysaias, Osee, Micheas; and other in the tyme of the captiuite, as Sophonias, Ieremias, and also Ezechiel. And also somme propheciede within hit, as Daniel and Abacuch; somme after hit, as Aggeus and Zacharias. Somme men wille that Daniel see that vision afore in the xxxv. yere of the reigne of Nabugodonosor. That kynge Nabugodonosor besegede Ierusalem for cause the peple wolde

not pay theire tribute ypromisede to hym. Then Porro, kynge of Egipte, comme with an [Sic.] grete hoste to breke that sege. Wherefore Nabugodonosor brekede that sege, and chasede the kynge of Egipte from Siria. Then the childer of the prophetes, and other false prophetes, skornede Ieremy, seyenge men of Babilon scholde not returne as he prophe|ciede, [folio 124a] but Ieremias, seyenge the contrary, was putte firste in to prison, after þat in to a water of cleye vn to the throte. Nabizardan, the prince of the cheuallrye of men of Babilon, besegede Ierusalem in the x^the monethe, the same yere; the ȝates of whiche cite were schutte viij. monethes, in whiche tyme women did eite theire childer for hungre. Ierusalem was taken that yere in the iiij^the monethe; and Sedechias, fleenge in the nyȝhte, was founde in the morowe in the weye of deserte, and brouȝhte to Nabugodonosor in to Reblata; whiche, takenge awey his eien, brouȝhte hym to Babilon. Whiche brouȝte afore nowble men of Babilon, and receyuenge a drynke laxatyffe, diede in prison for schame.

Also in the same xix^the yere of Nabugodonosor, Nabizardan brente the temple, and destroyenge Ierusalem toke the veselles of golde with hym, puttenge the peple in captiuite, and toke Ieremy from prison, suffrenge hym to dwelle with Godolias, ȝiffenge also licence to the Rechabites to departe. And so the temple brente in the cccc.xxxiiij. yere after the makenge of hit, but more trewly, after Ysidorus and the lxx^ti interpretatores, in the cccc. and xliiij^ti yere. And from the makenge of the cite of Rome, c. lxj. yeres. And so the iiij^the age of the worlde is terminate and finischede, whiche is from the begynnenge of the reigne of kynge Dauid vn to this captiuite of the peple of the Iewes, made in the xj^the yere of Sedechias kynge, in the monethe of Auguste; hauenge, after men of Hebrewe and Ierom, cccc. yere lxxiiij., vj. monethes, and x. dayes, by xvij. generaciones. But Seynte Mathewe th' Euangeliste assignethe xiiij. generaciones, for the cause of a certeyne mistery. But this age, after the grete

clerke Isidorus and after þe lxx^ti interpretatores, conteynethe cccc. lxxxiiij. yere. And perauenture this dissonaunce of yeres may happe in that the commune cronicle seithe Amon to haue reignede ij. yere, but the lxx^ti interpretatores say [folio 124b] Amon to haue reignede xij. yere. Wherefore if xiij. yere be addede to those yeres in whom Iuda was with owte a kynge, after the dethe of Amazias, then the yeres of this iiij^the age schalle be in nowmbre cccc. lxxxxvj. by trewe calculacion.

Explicit Liber Secundus. Sequitur Liber Tercius.