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

Capitulum octavum.

CAMBISES, the son of kynge Cirus, succedede his Fader, callede by Esdras the prophete or scribe, Artarxerses or Assuerus, but he is callede Nabugodonosor in the story of Judith, for that thynge whiche is redde in the story of Judith happede in the tyme of this Cambises. Petrus, capitulo 189^o. And hit is noo meruayle, thauȝhe he be callede soe, for Cirus his fader namede hym Nabugodonosor,

and made Cambises his son to reigne on the men of Assiria, in the cite of Niniuen, by xij. yere afore his dethe. But after the dethe of his fader he ocupiede the monarchie of the este viij. yere. This Cambises wolde not suffre the temple to be redifiede in his tyme, whiche did slee Ar|phaxath, willenge to reigne in Medea. And when he wyllede to be honorede for a God in Israel, Iudith the wedowe did sle Olofernes, prince of his cheuallry, in the sege of Bethulia, in the secunde yere of the reigne of Cambises. Wherefore Cambises, in the v^the yere of his reigne, wastede Egipte, despisenge the rites of theyme, destroyede theire temples, whiche, goenge from that cuntre, diede in the cite [folio 133a] of Damascus in the viij^the yere of his reigne. Valerius, libro sexto. This Cambises, causenge the skynne of a Iugge Iuggenge vnryȝhteuousely to be taken from hym, putte hit in

the seete of the iugge, makenge the son of the same man Iugge. In whiche seete this sentence was writen: "O thow Iugge, syttenge in this seete, stonde inflexible, expelle ȝiftes from thy hondes, and preiers from thyne eires. The skynne of thy fader may be to the a lawnterne and liȝhte, on whiche skynne thow syttes, occupienge the place of thy fader." [Trogus, libro primo, et Petrus, capitulo centesimo octogesimo.]