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

Capitulum vicesimum septimum.

CONSTANTIUS, the sonne of noble Constantyne, reignede with his breder Constantyne and Constante or Constans, after the dethe of his fader, xxvj^ti yere. Whiche infecte with [folio 233a] heresy of the Arrianes, despisede churches, and causede Cristen peple to flee, puttenge Iulius the pope in to exile by the space of x. yere, and chasede Atthanasius the bischoppe Alex|andryne alle moste thro the worlde. Arrianus the heretike, supportede by themperour, in goenge to dispute ageyne þe feithe of Criste to a churche of Constantinopole, returnede to do the dewte off nature by the place of Constantius, where he avoidede þe interialle partes of his body, endenge his lyfe

miserably. The pope Iulius, willenge to returne from the region of Cersona, goenge thider to destroy the heresy of Arrius, was monyschede by an angelle to translate the body of Seynte Clemente, whiche laborenge abowte the translacion, the see withdrawede hit selfe in that maner as hit was wonte in þe byrthe of hym, and his body was brouȝhte to the brynke of the water, where a churche was made afterwarde. And the sepulcre, whiche was lefte in the see, recte hit selfe with the erthe, and was made an yle, to whom hit is goen by schippe, where a churche was made aftyrwarde. Paulus, the firste [The firste hermite.] heremite, diede abowte this tyme in Egipte, in the c. and xiij. yere of his age. Eusebius in historia ecclesiastica, libro un|decimo. Grete persecucion was movede that tyme ageyne Atta|nasius, whiche hade a disciple callede Arsenius, whiche dredenge his maister for certeyne offenses that he hade doen, fledde from hym. The enemyes of Attanasius perceyvenge that,

seide that he hade kytte the arme aweye of Arsenius his dis|ciple, for the exercise of wycche crafte. Neverthelesse, Arse|nius herenge of that rumor excite ageyne his maister, come to hym the day afore the conflicte and iuggemente, to be schewede to Atthanasius. Whom Attanasius commaundede to be in his chamber secretely, the enmyes brouȝhte furthe an arme, inquirenge of hym to what use he kytte hyt. Arsenius apperenge, schewede bothe his armes unhurte, and so the enemyes were confusede. Neverthelesse they movede a woman to say a fore a iugge that Atthanasius hade oppressede here by violence; wherefore Atthanasius commaundede his preste that he scholde inquire of the woman wheþer that he hade doen suche violence to here, the woman affermenge hit boldely, and [folio 233b]

so the enemyes of Atthanasius were confusede. At the laste, this Attanasius wente to Constans Cesar, brother to Con|stancius, taryenge by a certeyne season with the bischoppe Treverense, where he made "Quicumque vult salvus esse." After that Atthanasius was restorede to his sete, by the meanes of Constans Cesar, brother to Constancius. But Constans Cesar dedde, debate and obieccions were made to Atthanasius, in so moche that grete rewardes were promisede to men that wolde brynge hym whicke or dedde. This Atthanasius fleenge by water in the tymes of Iulianus Apostata, an erle deputede to do persecucion folowede hym in the water callede Nilus. Atthanasius perceyvenge that causede the schippe in whom he was to be returnede un to londe. The erle sende to do

persecucion to Atthanasius, inquirede of hym syttinge in the foreschippe, wheþer he see of Atthanasius. Then Atthana|sius seide he supposede that he was not ferre a fore hym, and so the erle was deludede. When Sapor, the kynge of Persia, layde sege to a cite callede Nisibius by ij. monethes, the nostrelles of the elephantes and the eeres of theire horses [Seynte Nicholas dyede.] were replete with flees, at the preier of Seynte Iames, bischoppe of that cite, in so moche that thei causede the hoste to be dispersede. Seynte Nicholas diede in this tyme, at the towmbe of whom a welle of oyle did sprynge at the hedde, and a welle of water at þe feete; at the laste his boones were translate un to the cite callede Barrus, in the yere of oure Lorde God a m^l lxxxviij. Liberius the pope succeeded Iulius xix. yere, putte iij. yere in to exile, in that he wolde not favour the heresy of Arrius, by þe cownsayle of whom the clergy ordeynede an other pope, Felix by name. This pope Felix kepede a cownesayle of xlviij^ti bischoppes, in whom he

condempnede ij. prestes, Ursacius and Valens, susteynenge the heresy of Arrius. Constancius themperour, herenge that, callede Liberius from exile, as schewenge more favor to men sustenynge the heresy of Arrius then Felix; whiche beenge gladde of þat revocation and of the takenge ageyne of the bischoppehode, declinede hym selfe to þat heresy, and Felix deposede, he occupiede the churches of Petyr and of Seynte [folio 234a] Laurence violentely, in so moche that prestes schewynge noo favour to Liberius, but to Felix, were sleyne in the churche. Felix the pope was martirizate. Victorius the rethoricion, and Donatus the gramarion, were at Rome in this tyme. An|tonius the monke diede in Egipte in the c. and v^the yere of his age. Seynte Hillary, bischoppe Pictavense, was put to Frigia in to exile, by the laboure of the bischoppe Arelatense, infecte with the errour of Arrius, where he made noble bookes of the feithe of Criste. A cownsayle was kepede at Seleucia in Ysauria, where a libelle porrecte to Constancius, whom Hillarius hade made, the seide Hilliarius was suffrede to go to

his seete at Pictavia. Martinus. Hit is seide that Leo the pope, infecte with heresy, scholde have seide to this Hillarius, in a cownesayle of bischoppes, "Thow arte a cocke, but not a henne." And this Hillarius scholde have answerede in this wyse, "Thou arte a lyon, but not of the tribe of Iuda." [Of Seynte Hillarius.] Also this bischoppe Hillarius commynge in to the cownsayle, and noo man arysenge to hym, scholde have seide, "Domini est terra," wherewith the grownde was elevate in maner of a hepe to receyve Hillarius. But this seyenge is not approbate in eny cronicle autenticalle, sithe þer was noo pope callede Leo in his tyme, withowte hit were Liberius the pope ȝiffenge favor to heretykes callede by that name Leo.