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

Capitulum quintum.

IUSTINUS the senior, after Bede, reignede viij. yere, and after oþer men x. yere; whiche revokede from exile mony bischopes whom Anastasius hade putte to exile, thro þe preyer of Hormisda. Henricus, libro secundo. The realme of the [folio 250a] Weste Saxones, other Gewiseies, began under Cerdicus and Kynricus his sonne in this yere, whiche was the lxj. yere of the commynge of Ynglische men in to Briteyne. Stuff and Withgar, cosynnes to theyme, helpenge theyme moche, whiche takenge londe at Cerdichesore did sle mony Britones, ȝiffenge to Stuff and Withgar the yle of Wiȝhte. Iohn the pope suc|ceded

Hormisda iij. yere; whom Theodorìcus Augustus, infecte with heresy of Arrius, sende to Ytaly to Iustinus emperour of Constantinopole, with other consulles, schewenge to hym that he wolde slee the tru peple of Criste in Ytaly withowte he wolde suffre men infecte with heresy to lyve in reste. Whiche understondynge the legates commynge to Ravenna to have bene receyvede with worschippe, toke Symachus þe patricius, and Iohn the pope, and pereschede theym in prison, sendynge Boecius the senator to Papia in to exile, whiche defendede þe auctorite of the senate of Rome by reasons. Where Boecius made iiij. bookes de consolatione philosophiæ, whiche was

throtelede in the territory Mediolanense. ℞. This Boecius was singuler in his werkes and irreprehensible and famous in the langage of Grewe and also of Latyne, erudite or instructe firste at Rome, after at Athenes; whiche made l^ti noble songes comicalle, excepte þese bookes whom he made in the vij. artes. Amonge whom, "O amor Deus deitas" dothe precelle. Also his wife, Elpes by name, doȝhter of the kynge of Sicille, made an ympne in the honoure off Petyr and of [of and, MS., the of being slightly erased.] Paule, apostoles, whiche begynnethe, "Felix per omnes." Whiche metrificate her owne epitaphy in this wise, "Elpes dicta fui, Sicule regionis [Nota versus.] alumpna, Quam procul a patria conjugis egit amor. Portici|bus sacris jam nunc peregrina quiesco, Judicis æterni testifi|cata

thronum." But Theodoricus that tyraunte escapede not unpunyschede; whiche exercisenge grete crudelite, diede sodenly at Ravenna in þe xc. day folowenge that persecucion. Whom a solitary man dwellynge at Lipparis see to be drownede in a place in the see nye to Sicille, callede Olla Vulcani, in whiche place the see or water seethe lyke to water in a caldron. Seynte Brigida the virgyn dyede in this tyme in Yrlonde. [folio 250b] Felix the pope succedede Iohn as iiij. yere. Dionisius exiguus, abbotte, began to laboure the his compte. The imperfeccions of whom he advertisede firste or allone, and after hym Marianus a monke inclusede in Mangocia, as hit is schewede afore in the thridde preface of the firste booke.