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

[Capitulum quadragesimum tertium.] [The numbering of the chapter is omitted in the MS.]

IULIUS Cesar sleyne, Octauianus, a Roman of kynde geten by Octauius, a senator of Rome, commenge by his moder from the stocke of Eneas, whom Iulius assignede to be heire to hym in his testamente, whiche hauenge xviij. yere in age, was sende to pursewe Marcus Antonius, iuggede by the senate commune enemye to theyme, in that he movede batelle ageyne theyme, for cause thei hade putte Iulius Cesar to dethe. After that, this Marcus Antonius fleenge to Lepidus, a noble man in the hoste of Octauian, was accordede with

Octauian thro the meane and labor of that noble man Lepidus, the oþer ij. consulles of Rome dedde in the way. Wherefore Octauian commenge to Rome in the xx^ti yere of his age, did sle mony of the senate and of the consulles for the dethe of Iulius, where he reignede afterwarde lvj. yere vj. monethes and certeyne daies, that was from the monethe of Marche vn to the kalendes of October. Whiche reignede xij. yere with Antonius and xliiij. yere alloone; and so he redacte the worlde in to oon monarchye; and like as the princi|palle gouernoure of Rome was callede Cesar from Iulius Cesar, so emperoures folowenge were callede Augusti of this Octauianus Augustus. Hugo, capitulo Augeo. This Octauianus was not callede Augustus oonly of encreasenge of thempyre, but for

cause he was borne in the monethe of Auguste, other elles for cause he hade victory of Antonius and Cleopatra. This Augustus was son of Actia, the doȝhter of þe sustyr of Iulius Cesar. Eutropius, libro 7^o. This Augustus condempnede the senate in the firste yere of his reigne, in vengenge the dethe of Iulius, and chasede from the cite Brutus and Crassius, takenge Cithero to Antonius in the lxij. yere of his age callede as to acorde. Augustinus de Civitate Dei, libro 8^o, [folio 190a] capitulo tertio. This Tullius norischede Octauian beenge tender of age, trustenge and supposenge the seide Octauian to comme to honor ageyne Marcus Antonius and the malice of hym. But Octauian suffrede Marcus Antonius to sle Tullius as by a conuencion of concorde. And when this Antonius kytte aweye the tunge of Tullius, in that Tullius hade writen mony thynges ageyne hym, Tullius seide in this maner: "Antonius, þow dose nouȝhte, for the writenge remaynethe."

Eutropius. Octauian takenge with hym Antonius, and goenge to Macedony, did sle Brutus and Cassius þe sleers of Iulius Cesar with a grete multitude of peple, and then thei diuidede thempyre betwene theyme, so that Octauian scholde haue Speyne, Ytaly, and Fraunce, and Antonius scholde reioyce the cuntre of þe este. Valerius,libro 4^to. Porcia, the doȝhter of grete Cato, knowenge the dethe of here howsebonde, and hauenge noe knyfe nye to her, receyvede hot brennenge cooles of fire into her mowthe. Ouidius Naso, the poette, was borne this tyme after the sentence of diuerse men. Salustius the writer of stories diede abowte this tyme at Rome. This Salustius was contrarious alleweyes to Cithero, whiche toke Terentia to hys wife refusede of Cithero, wherefore Cithero made mony menciones and writenges ageynes hym. Isidorus, Ethimologia, libro primo. This Salustius, maister of disportes, founde firste

this letter K, makenge in maner a distincion in sownde betwene C and K, whiche letter oonly men of Latyn vse. Petrus, 17^o. The principate of þe Iewes faylenge, Herodes Ascolonita, son of Antipater Idumeus, reignede amonge the Iewes xxxvj. yere. Hircanus the son of Aristobolus, and Antipater fader of Herode aforeseide, were frendes, and hade grace schewede to þeim in the tyme of Iulius, as thei hade of Pompeius. Hir|canus was made by Iulius gouernour of Ierusalem, so that he scholde not be calledde kynge. Antipater accusede of in|fidelite afore Iulius, schewede hym the woundes whom he hade suffrede for hym at Egipte, wherefore he was made the proctor of the Iewery. After that he made Herodes Asco|lonita, þe secunde son to hym, namede Ascolonita for the repara|cion [folio 190b] of a cite callede Ascalon, gouernoure of Galilee; but Antipater dedde this Herode hade suche fauor of Antonius,

that he and his breþer were made tetrarches, as hauenge the iiij^the parte of a realm, from proctors. Petrus, capitulo vicesimo 4^to. At the laste, this Herode folowenge Antonius to Rome was made kynge of the Iewery, thro his helpe, and crownede in the Capitoly afore Augustus. After that this Herode was sende ageyn to the Iewery with ij. noble men of Rome, whiche scholde putte hym in to that realme by the auctorite ȝiffen to theyme. But a prince callede Antigonus, whiche occupiede the realme of þe Iewery thro helpe of men of Parthia, corrupte oon of the Romanes, in so moche that Herode myȝhte not reigne vn to the iiij^the yere foloenge. But Herode thro the helpe of Antonius, beenge that tyme at Athenes, segenge the cite of Ierusalem v. monethes, and takenge hit, was made kynge the iiij^the yere of his corona|cion. Petrus, capitulo 21^o. This Herode hade ix. wifes,

whiche refusenge theyme, maryede a noble woman callede Mariamnes, for luffe of whom Herode circumcidede hym selfe, of whom he gate ij sonnes, Alexander and Aristobolus. Also he gate of Diosides Antipater; of Matheta Archelaus, of Cleopatra Philippus and Herode Antipas. But Aristobo|lus, the son of Herode, gate of Beronica, the doȝhter off Salome his frende, Agrippa and Herode, whiche is redde to be smyte with an angelle in the Actes of thapostles. Also he gate of the same Beronica ij. doȝhters, Mariamne and Herodiades, whiche was mariede afterwarde to Philippe her uncle; and after that, he beenge in lyfe, sche was mariede to Herode, brother to the same Philippe. At the laste a dis|cencion movede betwene Mariamnes, wife of the more Herode or firste, and Solama his suster, Herode, folowenge the cown|selle

of his sustyr, did sle firste Hircanus the bischop, after þat Ionathas the broþer of Mariamnes, whom he hade made bischoppe in the xvij. yere of his age, ageyn the lawe of God. After that he did sle Mariamnes his wife, with the howse|bonde of Salome sustyr to hym, whom Saloma seide to luffe togedre inordinately. This Herode, as lunatyke for the dethe [folio 191a] of Mariamnes his wife, callede ageyn to him Dosides with her son Antipater, sendenge Aristobolus and Alexander, the sonnes of Mariamnes, to be instructe at Rome, whom he did sle after|warde. This Herod did mony noble thynges in his lyfe; for he onornede the temple, and repaired Samaria, whom he callede Sebasten in the honoure of themperour, and made a temple nye to the welle of Iordan, and finischede a cite in Palestina, callenge hit Cesarea in the worschippe of themperoure. Also he putte an egle of golde of a grete weiȝhte at the ȝate of the

temple of Ierusalem callede speciosa, for the honoure off the Romanes, the Iewes hauenge grete indignacion þerof.