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

Capitulum quartumdecimum.

XERSES, the son of kynge Darius and the v^the kynge of Persida reignede xx^ti yere. This Xerses recurede the londe of Egipte whiche wolde not be obediente to his fader and instaurede a batelle ageyne the londe of Grece y|begunne by his fader by the space of v. yere, vnder whom Iosephus seithe Esdras the scribe to haue goen in to þe

Iewery in the vij^the yere of his reigne. Also he seithe Neemias boteler to hym to haue goen in to the Iewery in the xxv^ti yere of his reigne, and to haue reparede the walles of Ierusalem vnder the space of xij. yere. But Esdras seithe hym selfe to haue goen in to the Iewery in the [folio 139b] tyme of Artaxerses. Trogus. Damarchus, a nowble man of Athenes, put from that cite wente vn to Xerses whiche perceyvenge kynge Xerses to intende and labor for the destruc|cion of the cite, sende to the nowble men of that cite his en|tencion and labor in a peire of tables couerenge the writenge with wexe. The nowble men of the cite openenge the tables cowthe not fynde the intellecte of þeim, but at the laste the sustir of Leonida kynge takenge aweye the wexe founde the intellecte and sentence of that writenge. Xerses, the kynge of Persida, hade xc^c m^l of fiȝhtenge men, so that the waters

semede to be made drye thro his hoste. Orosius, libro 2^o. This Xerses hade so grete a multitude off peple and nowmbre of schippes that the waters and sees semede vnnethe sufficiaunte to theire drynke and the londe to theire goenge, whiche grete multitude of peple was ouercommen by iiij. m^l men callede Spartani fiȝhtenge with theyme by iij. daies. Valerius, libro 6^o. That multitude y-gedrede, a man off Persida seide the Grekes schalle not be oppressede oonly and ouercomme, but they schalle be troden vnder feete with such a multitude of men of Persida. An other man seide the kynge hathe not mater sufficiaunte where he may exercise his vertu. An other man seide the see is vnnethe sufficiaunte to the schippes, armor to the men, castelles to þe knyȝhtes, and the aier for dartes and arowes. Damarachus answerede and seide, "This multitude is so huge that hit is not

for a kynge, wherefore it is to be dredde; for that hoste whiche is not for a kynge, may not dure long." And so hit happede for mony men inordinate were ouercommen of fewe men, obseruenge a dewe ordre. For this kynge Xerses and his hoste vexede soore by iij^c men of Lace|demonia seide hym selfe to be deceyvede in that he hade mony men and fewe discrete in batelles. A man of the londe of Grece seide the sonne to haue been schadoede in that conflicte thro the schotenges of dartes and of arowes of men of Persida. An other man seide to hym in this [folio 140a] wise, "We shalle fiȝhte better in the schado or vmbre." Also an other man inquirede as in derision of a halte man why he wente in to the vowarde of þe batelle. The halte man answerede and seide that his purpose was to fiȝhte and not to fle. Trogus, libro secundo. Leonida the kynge of Athenes with iiij. m^l men destroyede a grete parte of the hoste of men of Persida, and dispersede in the nyȝte that other

parte of the hoste. Xerses the kynge of Persida ouercommen in too tymes on the londe ordeynede a batelle on the see, where his peple destroyede, Xerses hym selfe vnnethe escapede with the lyfe in to a fischenge veselle. Where there was so grete habundaunce of carion, that grete multitude and nowmbres of briddes folowede the hoste, for the carion of men deenge for hungre. Herodotus, the writer of storyes, Euripedes, Basilides, Diagoras, and Sophocles were abowte this tyme. Archabanus, the gouernoure of the hows of Xerses aspirenge to the realme of Persida, and commynge to þe kynges place with his vij. childer, did slee kynge Xerses and mony other moo. Whiche Xerses had ij. sonnes, Darius and Artaxerses; wherefore he movede Artaxerses in to the dethe of Darius, seyenge that he had sleyne Xerses his fader.

Vagabaxus perceyvenge that rehersede to Artaxerses the trowthe of his labor and entente. This Artaxerses com|maundede anoone alle his noble men to comme afore hym in armoure, as if that he scholde intende to knowe the nowmbre of his knyȝhtes. And when the seide Archabanus was þer redy amonge oþer men, the kynge feynede hym selfe to haue more schorte armoure then was acordenge for his worschippe and person; wherefore he commaundede the seide Archabanus to chaunge his armoure with hym. Whiche beenge bare and nakede as of armoure the kynge

commaundede him to be sleyne with his vij. childer; and so the kynge Artaxerses avengede the dethe of his fader and savede his broþer Darius and hym selfe also from his wickede entente and laboure.