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

Capitulum tertiumdecimum.

VULPIUS Crinitus Traianus, borne in Speyne, was emperour xix. yere. This emperour Traianus was liberalle amonge his frendes, besy in batelles, hauenge grete delectacion to repaire cites; whiche made tame the Danes, men of Scichia, Sarmates, men of Hiberia, men of Colchos, and of Arabye. Also he sette a fleete of schippes, or a nauy, in the Redde see, that he myȝhte ȝiffe batelle to the costes of Ynde; schewenge hym egalle to alle men, visitenge his frendes for cause of salutacion, [folio 217a] hurtenge not eny man. This Traian toke not þe goodes of he

other men to encrease his treasure; a man of grete mekenesse and of familiarite, whiche answerede to his frendes blamenge hym that he was so commune and familier to alle men, seyenge that he wolde be suche an emperour to priuate persones as an emperour wolde desire, and haue that the priuate persones scholde be to hym. ℞. Helmandus rehersethe that a poore wedowe come to Traian themperour, takenge his horse for the commune utilite, wepynge soore toke hym by the foote, preyenge hym to do ryȝhteuousenesse to theym that hade sleyne her son. To whom he seide, "I schalle satisfye the when y come ageyne." The poore wedowe seide to hym, "What and if thow comme neuer ageyne." Traian themperour seide, "My successor schalle iugge and do to the satisfac|cion." The wedowe seide, "What schalle that profite the and if thy successour do satisfaccion for me or eny other;

þow arte dettor to me to receyve after thy meryte, and hit is a frawde not to restore that is dewe; hit is sufficiaunte for þy successor if he do satisfaccion for hym selfe." Traian themperour, hauenge compassion of that wedowe, lepede downe of his hors, and did satisfaccion to the wedowe, wherefore he hadde an ymage sette in the cite of Rome made to his simili|tude. Also hit happede, the son of this Traian themperour, rydenge on a wilde horse, to haue pereschede and sleyne the son of a pover wedowe; wherefore Traian toke his son to the wedowe for her childe þat was sleyne. For whiche hye ryȝtheuousenes hit semethe Seynte Gregory to haue revokede that sawle of his [of his, written above the line.] from helle. Alexander the pope succeeded Euaristus martir x. yere. This pope ordeynede water to be blissede with salte, and to be caste

on peple and in theire howses. Also he ordeynede that brede ordeynede to synge with scholde be pure brede and clene, litelle in quantite, seyenge that a rare oblacion is more myȝhty then and if hit were of moore quantite. Also he addede in the masse, "Qui pridie quam pateretur" un to "Hoc est corpus meum." Also he ordeynede that water scholde be mixte with wyne in the chalice, to betoken the union of the churche un to Criste. Symon other Symeon, the [folio 217b] sonne of Cleophas, the successor of Seynte Iames, byschoppe of Ierusalem, was crucifiede, the peple meruellenge that a man of a c. and xx^ti yere in age myȝhte suffre suche peyne. Ignacius the bischop of Antiochia, and disciple of Seynte Iohn Euangeliste, brouȝhte to Rome, and taken to bestes, callede to helpe ofte the name of Ihesu in his peyne; the herte of whom was diuided after his dethe, in whiche or in euery parte

of whom the name of Ihesu was founde with letters of golde inscripte and wryten in hit. Plinius, the noble philosophre and writer of storyes, made xxxvij. bookes of the batelles of Rome, and xxxvij^ti bookes of the story naturalle, notwith|stondenge the exercise of cheuallery, where in he laborede moche. In whiche bookes he dimencionate the worlde clerely with his contentes. Whiche goenge to serche the secrete causes of the grauelles whiche be in the region of the see Adriatike, betwene Ytaly and Grece, was seide to haue bene pressede to dethe with hepes of that grauelle. Sixtus, the pope succeeded Alexander, whiche was martiriȝate, allemoste a xj. yere; whiche ordeynede, "Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus" scholde be seide in the masse, and that the corporasse scholde not be of sandelle other of sylke, but of clene lynen clothe, not spottede, and that a woman scholde not towche theyme. And

thauȝhe hit be seyde that Alexander, afore rehersede, suffrede dethe in the tyme of Adrian, neuerthelesse Adrian themperour reignede not that tyme. But perauenture þer was somme consul oþer some oþer gouernoure of that name, by whom he suffrede dethe. Hit happede in the tyme of this Traian that when Placidas, maister of knyȝhtes, wente to hunte in a season, he see the similitude of a crucifixe betwene the antelettes of an herte, whiche seide to hym that he with his wife and childre scholde suffre moche aduersite for his luffe. At the laste he was baptizede, and callede Eustachius, and his wife with his childer. Cassiodorus. This Traian themperour diede at Seleucia of the flix, in the lxiij. yere of his age; the bones of [folio 218a] whom be putte in a veselle of golde under a piller, hauenge a c. and xliiij. foote in altitude, whiche he causede to be edifiede; the memory of whom is hade ȝitte in ure, for hit is seide oftetymes, "A prince can not be nowe more happy then Augustus, or better then Traian."