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

Capitulum vicesimum-primum.

DIONISIUS the tiraunte, kynge of Sicille, diede after that Dionisius the yonger hade entrede in to his realme. Valerius libro quarto. Amon and Phiceas were ij. men and frendes luffenge moche to gedre, oon of whom Dionisius wolde putte to dethe in eny wise. The man imprisonede askede respite that he myȝhte make ordinaunce and prouision for his wife and childer vn to a certeyne day, in this condicion, that hys felowe scholde abide the iuggemente for hym if þat he come not ageyne. Whiche man departenge and makenge prouision for his wife and childer, faylede of the howre assignede, wherefore Dionisius iuggede his borowe to dethe, whiche brouȝte to dethe, anoon that oþer man comme

in grete haste. That tiraunte seenge that meruaylede moche, and forȝafe theym dethe, preyenge that he myȝte be taken in felawschippe with theyme. Tullius de Tusculanis Quæs|tionibus, libro primo. When a man callede Damocles, luffer and frende of that tiraunte Dionisius, seide to hym in this wyse, commendenge his magnificence and habundaunce, sey|enge noo man to be so happy and fortunate as he; to whom the tiraunte seide, "Wille þow experte my fortune?" The other man makenge graunte, this Dionisius causede a ryalle table to be displeiede and leyede furthe, and noble ministres and kynde, with mony diuersites of meytes and of musiciones. Then he didde commaunde a scharpe swerde to be hongede over his with a threde of silke, whiche man sette in suche perelle attendede not to the meytes, neither to the myrthe and melody at the table for drede of the swerde hongenge over [folio 149a] his hedde. Then the tiraunte seide to hym, "My lyfe is lyke to the nowe, whom thow jugges to be so fortunate and

happy." Valerius, libro sexto. Alle the Siracusanes preyenge for þe dethe of Dionisius the tiraunte, an olde woman preiede hertily for his state and welfare. The kynge mer|uellenge þerof, inquirede of the woman why that sche preide so intierly for hym. The woman answerede in this wise, and [folio 144b] seide, "When y was yonge we hade a cruelle gouernoure, and after hym a man more cruelle, and after hym we haue the to oure gouernoure, more importune and cruelle then bothe the other; wherefore I prey for thyne astate, dredenge that we haue after the a tiraunte more cruelle." Tullius de officio, libro secundo. This kynge Dionisius usede not to be shaven of barbores, for cause he dredde and suspecte þeim of treason; wherefore he usede to brenne his berde with bren|nenge cole off fire. The seide Dionisius, entrenge in to a

temple in a season where ymages of golde were sette, toke the golde aweye from theyme, seyenge to men stondenge abowte, "These clothes be over hevy in the somer, and to colde for wynter." After that he toke a crowne of golde from the honde of an ymage of Mercurius, seyenge in this wise, "Sires, ye see that y take not this crown from hym violentely, but he offerrethe hit to me." Innocencius rehersethe in his boke, De contemptu mundi, that a philosophre induede with a symple habite and contemptible, willenge to haue goen in to the kynge's palice cowthe not be suffrede, wherefore he gate to hym a ryalle habite and clothenge, and after that he was suffrede to comme ynne to the palyce anoon. That philo|sophre entrede in to the kynge's palice seasede not to kysse his clothenge. The prince inquirenge of hym why that he kyssede his clothynge in that wise, he answerede and seide, "For y honoure a thynge causenge me to haue honoure, for clothenge hathe obteynede in your cowrte that vertu myȝhte [folio 146b] not." Aristotille, beynge that tyme of xviij yere in age, herde Plato his maister. Nectanabus, the kynge of Egipte, began to reigne, whiche reignede xix. yere. Policronicon, libro quinto. Furius Canillus, the gouernoure of the Romanes,

of whom noble actes be rehersede afore, diede. Gaufridus et Alfridus. Gurguncius Batruz, the sonne of Belinus, commenge from Denmarke, kynge of Britones, toke xxx^ti schippes abowte the yles of Orcades, whom he sende to Irlonde to inhabite hit with theire gouernoure Bartholomewe, for Yrlonde was not inhabite that tyme of eny peple. ℞. Beholde more of that mater afore, libro j^o, capitulo de Hibernia.

Notes

• Sic.