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

Capitulum vicesimum nonum.

VALENTINIANUS, with Valens his brother, was emperour a xj. yere. This emperour was a man of grete curtesy, whiche saide to þe Romanes, willenge that he scholde have a felowe to governe thempire, in this wise: "O ye knyȝhtes, hit was in your power to ȝiffe me thempire, and sithe y am emperour, hit longethe to me to provide for þe commune utilite." Never|thelesse he made his broþer felowe to hym of thempire, whiche hade victory of the Sarmates and of the Saxones. Gracianus, his fader, was callede Funarius, in that v. knyȝhtes cowthe not take a roope owte of his honde, whom he brouȝhte to selle, wherefore he was made a knyȝhte. In the tyme of this em|perour

a movenge of therthe made thro alle the worlde, the see brake upon the londe moche moore then hit was wonte to do, and destroyede mony citees. Damasus the pope succedede Liberius xix. yere; whiche made mony versus on the tumbes of seyntes whom he founde, ordeynynge that psalmes scholde be [A movynge of þe erthe.] songe bothe on þe day and on the nyȝhte in churches, and that Gloria Patri scholde be thende of every psalme. Seynte Ierome did translate the Bible at the instaunce of this pope, [folio 236b] from Hebrewe in to Latyn, and correcte the psawter off the lxx^ta interpretatores, usede in alle churches alle moste un til þat tyme, whiche translacion viciate, Seynte Ierom did trans|late hit ageyne. Seynte Hillarius, the bischop Pictavense,

diede this tyme, whiche added to Gloria in excelsis Laudamus te, benedicimus te, glorificamus te. Seynte Didimus Alexan|dryne, blynde after the v^the yere of his age, herenge this texte, "That thynge is possible anendes Godde whiche is impossible to man," ȝafe hym abowte the illuminacion of his mynde, [Of Seynte Didimus bischoppe of Alexandrye.] that he hade as perfite knowlege of the vij. sciences liberalle. Whiche made a grete doctor, commentede mony expositoryes by writers. Seynte Martyn was made bischoppe Turonense [Seynte Martyn was made bischop.] in the lxj. yere of his age, where he contynuede xxvj^ti yere. Grete Basilius, and [Sic in MS.] bischoppe Cesariense, diede at Capadocia, whiche reconsilede to God a man obligate to the deville for [Seynte Basilius, bischop of Cesarea, diede this tyme.] þe luffe of a mayde, and causede the obligacion to be restorede to þe man ageyne. Whiche convertede also Ioseph the Iewe, an experte leche, thro the prorogacion of his lyfe by oon day;

makenge mony tretys of the feithe and of þe rewle off monkes. Seynte Ambrose, a man of consular dignite, prechenge to the peple, was made bischop Mediolanense thro the seyenge of a yonge infante. Seynte Patricke was borne in Briteyne, by Fodinus and Conches, sustyr of Seynte Martyn of Fraunce, [Seynte Ambrose.] callede in baptyme Sucat, by Seynte German Magonius, and by Celestinus the pope Patricius, as fader of citesynnes. Va|lentinianus [Seynte Patryck.] themperour, movede at the legates of Sarmates, dyede thro brekenge of a veyne, whom men of Grece calle apoplexeia. Venerable faders of religion were in Egipte in [Of honor|able faders of religion beynge this tyme in Egipte.] this tyme, as pastor Pambo, ij. Macharyes, Arsenius, Paphnu|cius, Agatho, Moyses, Ioseph, Evagrius, Theodorus. Pambo wolde lerne but oon verse of the psawter tyl that he hade fulle|fillede

hit, and this was the verse, "Dixi custodiam vias meas," whiche verse he seyde unnethe to have fullefillede in xlix^ti yere. Also ij. Macharies, oon of Egipte þat oþer of Alexan|dria, bothe noble men of abstinence and of doctryne, a woman accusenge oon of theyme, seyenge that he hade geten her with [folio 237a] childe, cowthe not be delyverede tyl that sche hade schewede the trawthe. Arsenius, made a monke of a senator of Rome, erudite in the langage of Grece and of Latyn, herde a voice seyenge to hym, "Arsenius, flee men, and þou schalle be salvede." This Arsenius hade contynually a litelle clothe in his bosom, to wipe the teres rennenge from his eien, thro whom the brees of his eien were putte awey. Whiche knelenge on the grownde, the sonne beynge in the weste, wolde turne his face un to the este, knelenge and preyenge til he myȝhte see

the sonne in the morowe, and then he, wery thro þat laboure, wolde speke as un to slepe, seyenge, "Come thow ylle servaunte." And so he wolde slepe and reste hym in syttenge a litelle season, seyenge that to slepe by oon howre were sufficiaunte to a monke laborenge in perfeccion by a naturalle day. [Of an ylle servaunte.] The testamente of his fader was brouȝhte to hym, assignede to be hayre to his fader, whiche seyede, "How may a man lyke to dye assigne a dedde man to be his successor?" This Arsenius wolde not ȝiffe metynge to eny man liȝhtely, not excessive in speche, neither he usede not to endite epistoles, thauȝhe he was a man of grete connynge; fleenge the company of men, seynge that he myȝhte not be to geder with men and with God; movenge mony questions off the passions of the sawle and of other temptacions. Whiche goenge to an olde man in to Egipte, that he myȝhte have communicacion with hym, his

disciples seide to hym, "Where to goe ye to that chorle, sithe ye be of so excellente instruccion?" Arsenius seide, "Y have be instructe in Latyn and Grewe, but y perceyvede not the a. b. c., or alphabete of that chorle." And lyke as Arsenius, beynge in the palyce of themperour, was cladde in ryche clothes, so in lyke wise, he beynge in deserte, was clothede with vile clothes, havenge a longe berde un to his bely; lyvenge by xl^ti yere in the palice of Theodosius the senior, and after that lv^ti yere in wildernesse. Paphnucius þabbotte, indu|enge hym in a seculer habite, convertede Thaisis, a commune woman. This man preide thryes to Allemyȝhty Godde that he myȝhte have knowlege to whom he was lyke, whiche wolde not see his moder in this worlde, that he myȝhte see here rather in hevyn. Agatho thabbotte bare a ston iij. yere in [folio 237b] his mowthe, that he myȝhte lerne to kepe silence, whiche

wolde not slepe eny nyȝhte havenge eny thynge ageynes eny brother, other suffrenge eny man to have eny thynge ageyne hym. Moyses thabbot, desirede to comme and iugge a broþer culpable, toke a lepe fulle of gravelle on his backe, seyenge, "These be my synnes folowynge me, and considrenge not þeym goenge to iugge other peple." Paphnucius goenge to visitte a broþer laborynge in infirmite, causede the sonne to stonde stille thro his preyer, un tille that he hade fullefillede his mistery; whiche blissenge gravelle brouȝhte to hym, and caste in feldes, causede grete habundaunce of frutes and cornes. Sara thabbes was movede ofte by the spiritte of fornicacion by the space of xiij. yere; neverthelesse sche preyede not God that the temptacion scholde go aweye, but sche preyede to God that he wolde grawnte to here grace of resistence. Wherefore the spiritte of fornicacion apperede to here seyenge, "Sara, thow hase victory off me;" to whom sche seide "Y have not overcommen þe, but my Lorde Ihesu Criste hathe, whiche helpethe peple trustenge in hym." ℞. Evagrius

thabbotte, and disciple of Macharius, did write Vitas patrum in Egipte, as Gennadius in libro suo de viris illustribus reher|sethe. Valens, with Gracianus and Valentinianus, sonnes of Valentinianus his broþer, was emperour iiij. yere, whiche re|baptisede of the Arrianes, persewede soore trewe peple of Criste, makenge a lawe that monkes scholde either use cheval|lery or elles thei scholde be beten with clubbes; and þen the martirdome of monkes was hade at Nitria in Egipte. The Gothes sende to this emperour that he wolde sende to theym bischoppes, that they myȝhte receyve the feithe of Criste. Whiche sende to theym bischoppes infecte with the heresy of Arrius, and so that peple was infecte in that errour. Þerfore the Gothes hade victory ageyne the hoste of the Romanes, by the wille of God, and Valens themperour was compellede to goe furthe of Antiochia. Whiche fleenge in to a place, was woundede with an arowe, and his place brente with alle his howseholde, and wontede sepulture.