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

Capitulum nonumdecimum.

SENONES and men of Fraunce, with Brennius their gouer|noure, ouercome the Romanes at þe floode and water callede Alba, by xj. myles from Rome, whom thei causede to fle to the cite of Rome, and toke the cite vn to the capitoly. Titus Livius. The Frensche men commenge priuely in to the [folio 146a] cite in the nyȝhte by a weye made vnder the erthe, the Romanes beenge on slepe; but the chapiteyne of the cite was awakede by the noyce of gandres, whiche goenge to the walles of the cite with oþer Romanes, savede the cite from the powere of theire enmyes. Wherefore a feste of

gandres was made solenne and kepede at Rome in the kalendes of Iune; which thei callede afterwarde the feste of Iuno, for thei supposede Iuno to haue causede the gan|dres to have cryede. The cenatores of Rome in that conflicte clothede theym with theire clothes longenge to the senate and sate in theire places. And when men of Fraunce did beholde theym, they supposede that thei hade bene goddes. But at the laste a senator, Marchus Papirius by name, did smyte a Frensche man in the hedde, with his staffe whiche he hade in his honde, as he gropede and felede his berde. The Frensche men movede soore þerof did sle firste þat senator with alle the other senatores. After that the Frensche men receyvenge a mlli for peace to be hade, returnede from the cite; whom Furius Canillus

folowenge on the backe hurte theym, and did sle mony of theyme, and brouȝte grete treasure and goodes to the cite ageyne. And so this Furius Canillus, hauenge thryes victory of his enmyes, entrede in to the cite of Rome, and was callede the secunde Romulus. Policronicon, libro quinto. A maister hauenge gouernayle of the noble notable childer of the Falisces, takenge theym with hym as for to solace theym and to walke, comme to Furius Canillus when he laide sege to the cite of theyme, and brouȝte to hym the noble men sonnes of hit, seyenge that he myȝhte haue the cite delyuerede for the deliueraunce of the childer. Then Canillus, despisenge that falsenesse, sende hym to the faders of the childer, hauenge his hondes bounde behynde hym. And soe he hade that cite delyuerede to hym thro that benefite, whiche cowthe not haue hit by werre and malice. Trogus, libro quartodecimo. Thre c. thowsande of Frensche [folio 146b] men wastenge Ytaly, brente a grete parte of Rome, and

spoylede Pannony and Macedonye, and did sle Tholomeus the kynge of Macedony. Paulus, libro secundo. The cause why that Frensche men comme yn to Ytaly was this folow|enge. For when men of Fraunce hade tastede of the wyne commen and brouȝhte from Ytaly, thei hade so grete pleasure in hit that thei wente to Ytaly. Brennius was theire gouernoure, reignenge then amonge the Senones, whiche commenge with iijc. ml men, sende an c. ml to spoile the Grekes, whiche felede þe swerdes of the Grekes nye to the temple of Appollo Delphicus. Also he sende an other c. ml to Galacia, a parte of the lesse Asia, whiche entrenge in to hit were callede firste Gallogreci, and after þat Galathe. The thridde c. ml which remaynede in Ytaly, edifiede mony cites, as the cite Papias, Mediolanus, Pergamus, and namede that cuntre cisalpyn of Fraunce. Policronicon, libro sexto, capitulo decimo. Men of Fraunce made that

cite callede Verona Vincencia in Ytaly, and an oþer cite callede Senencium for olde men and seke; for the simi|litude of the peple beenge þer at this tyme schewethe hit bothe in coloure and in makenge of theire body, that thei be lyke to Britones and to men of Fraunce, thauȝhe that oldenes of tyme and site of climes and plage of the worlde have chaungede moche of theire maners. Gaufridus. Belinus returnenge from Ytaly to Briteyne, lyvede after|warde in peas, and repairede mony cites, makenge Caerhusce on a water callede Husca, nye to Seuerne. Also this Belinus made a ȝate, whiche is callede nowe of Englysche men Belynsgate, on Thamys in the cite of London, and made a towre above, in whiche towre the powdre of his body i-brente was putte afterwarde. Also the seide Belinus

made lawes, and iiij. hie weyes, as hit is rehersede afore libro primo, capitulo Britannia. Trogus, libro vicesimo quarto. Brennius commenge from the este partes, ouer|come ageyn men of Macedonia, with Sostenes theire gouer|noure, [folio 147a] and spoilede the goddes of theym and temples, seyenge that the riche goddes lene somme of theire richesse to men; whiche spoilede also the temple of Appollo Delphicus, sette in the grete mownte callede Parnasus. Policronicon, libro sexto. The inhabitatores of that place seenge þat, preiede Appollo Delphicus of helpe, and anoone a grete parte broken, as þro an erthe qwake, depressede a grete parte of the hoste of men of Fraunce, a grete hayle destroyenge that other parte of the hoste. The gouernoure of theym, Brennius by name, not worthe ne able to suffre the nowmbre of his grete woundes and peyne, did sle hym selfe with a swerde. But men schalle attende that the vengeaunce schewede to that hoste was not doen by the power of Appollo, but by the iuste iuggemente of Allemyȝhty God, suffrenge ylle and wickede peple to be destroyede, whiche destroyede

mony naciones, in whom wikkede spirittes of the aier hade grete dominacion thro þe permission of God.