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

Capitulum vicesimum secundum.

DECIUS Oros [Sic in MS.] was emperour thre yere and þre monethes, and after the cronicle of Eusebius hit semethe þat þis Decius reignede viij. yere. And after the martiloge hit semethe that he reignede xv. yere, or elles it may not stonde that so mony popes suffrede dethe by this Decius, as Fabianus, Cornelius, Lucius, Stephanus, and Sixtus. Wherefore somme men wylle xvj. yere and ij. yere of Galerius to restore the harme and wontenge of xviij. yere, whiche fayle in the cronicles of Eusebius and of Bede from the xv. yere of Tiberius themperour un to us. But hit is to be advertisede that Decius the senior, whiche did sle Philippe themperoure and was his successour, was emperoure but thre, as hit is rehersede here. But an oþer Decius, yonger to hym, was Cesar and not emperour, and so betwene þese tweyne were somme emperours and somme

popes, as Gallus and Volusianus; after whom Valerius reignede with Galienus his son as xv. yere, in the tymes of whom v. [folio 225b] popes suffrede passion, Seynte Lawrence, and Ypolitus with alle his howseholde. For this seyenge semethe to conferme thynges seyde, for this Galienus hade ij. names, for he was callede Decius, for hit is not redde in the story of Seynte Lawrence of Decius themperoure, but of Decius Cæsar. Where|fore hit seme Seynte Lawrence to have suffrede dethe in the time of Decius made Cæsar by Philippe themperoure. For mony emperoures were callede afore Cesares, after that Augusti, and then emperoures. Therefore the vij. slepers began to slepe [The vij. slepers began to slepe.] in the mownte Selius in the firste yere of Decius themperoure, whiche contynuenge in slepe by cc. yere, arysede abowte the tymes of Theodosius. Antonius the monke of noble fame was borne in Egipte abowte þis tyme. Cornelius the pope suffrede

passion, whom Lucius succeded, which contynuede in that office iij. yere. Also Abdon and Sennen and Seynte Agatha suffrede passion at a cite callede Cathina. In whiche yere Decius was sleyne with his sonne of the Gothes at Tracia. Neverthelesse hit is redde in the passion of Ypolitus that Decius and Valerianus vexede with a spiritte, after the dethe of Seynte Laurence, dyede. Gallus with Volusian his sonne reignede as ij. yere, whiche goenge furthe of the cite of Rome were sleyne by Emilianus, whiche usurpenge thempire was extincte in the thrydde monethe folowenge. In that daies a pestilente infirmite occupiede alle the worlde, and Origenes dyenge was beryede at Tirus in the lxx^ti yere of his age.