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

[Capitulum quintumdecimum.] [The numbering is omitted in the MS. though a space is left for it.]

Antonius, the meke emperour, reignede with his sonnes Aurelius and Lucius, xxij. yere. This Antonius gate to hym this name, for he releyschede and forȝave alle his dettores theire

dettes, restorenge to theyme theire cauciones. Wherefore he was callede the fader of the cuntre; whiche rehersede ofte the sentence of Scipio, seyenge that he hade lever kepe oon cite|synne then destroye a m^l enemyes. Faustina the doȝhter of this Antonius seenge men play with swerdes, hade so grete luffe to oon of theyme that sche began to wexe seke for luffe. Which schewenge that to Marcus Antonius here howsebonde, he askede cownsaile of leches of Caldee, whiche ȝafe cownsaile [folio 219a] that man scholde be sleyne and the body of Faustina his wife to be noyntede with the bloode of hym, and so sche was restorede to healethe. Mony peple of barbre levenge theire contraversies wolde comme and submytte theym to his iugge|mente. Ieronimus de viris illustribus. Policarpus the bischop of Ephesus, and disciple of Seynte Iohn Evangeliste, come to Rome in the tyme of this Antonius, where he converte mony peple from heresy un to the feithe of Criste, and after that he

was brente in his awne chirche. Pius the pope succeded Yginus xv. yere; thro the movenge of whom Hermes didde write a booke, whiche is callede Pastor by the monicion of an angelle apperenge in the habite of a scheparde, in whom hit is expressede that Esterday scholde not falle but on Sonneday. Trogus Pompeius, of the cuntre of Speyne, was abowte this tyme, whiche did write as alle the storyes of the worlde, from the tymes of Ninus, kynge of Assiria, un to the monarchye of emperoures, by xliiij. bookes. The abbreviacion of whom Iustinus his disciple and writer off storyes made; whiche Iustinus did write to Antonius Pius, þemperoure, a booke of the feithe of Criste; wherefore he hade hym in grete favor. Anicetus succedede Pius the pope as x. yere, whiche com|maundede that clerkes scholde be rownded like to a cercle, and that thei scholde not suffre theire heiere to be longe. Galienus

the noble phisicion, borne at Pergamus, was of grete fame this tyme in the cite of Rome, whiche commentate not oonly the bookes of Ypocras, but also he made by his awne laboure as volumes innumerable. Of whom hit is seide that he lyvede a c. and xl. yere, for the discrete abstinence that he exercisede, eitenge not that he was fullefillede, neither drynkenge moche, [In the margin is: "A man diyng only for age."] refusenge rawe frutes, havenge thynges of swete odoure in hys hondes that he myȝhte smelle to hit, whiche diede oonly for age. Hireneus the bischop Lugdunense was this tyme, whiche expownede mony bookes of holy scripture. And also Ptholo|meus, a man nobly erudite in speculacions mathematicalle, [folio 219b] whiche made moo processesse in astronomye then were afore his tyme, as the almageste, the perspective, the quadripartite in iuggementes, and mony other bookes of astronomye. Amonge the proverbes of whom tweyne be specifiede in this processe. That man is hye that chargethe not in whose honde

the worlde be. And he that is correcte by other men and other men not by him. [Sic.]