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

Capitulum duodecimum.

THIS [Yis, α.] ȝere, þat was þe secounde ȝere of hunger, [Fanus, α., Cx.; Phanus, γ.] Iacob, an hondred ȝere olde and þritty, wente wiþ his children doun in to Egipte. Augustinus, libro 18^o. Þis ȝere Apis þe kyng Argolicus seilede in to Egipt and deyde, and was i-cleped Serapis. [Varro tellith why he was cleped Serapis,] [Added from γ., Cx.] and seiþ þat þe chiste þat he was i-putte inne was i-cleped Seron [Soron, γ.] in Grewe, and þerfore Apis was i-cleped [Seronapys], [Added from α. and Cx.] and afterward by wiþ drawynge of lettres, as me vseþ, he was i-cleped Serapis. Þat whyte splekked oxe þat men of Egipt hadde, [hadde] om. α. β. γ., Cx. For hadde we should perhaps read hadde in worschip.] ffor it was [i-wor|schipped onlyve, hit was] [Added from α. and Cx.] i-cleped Apys; and whan þat oxe was deed, þey ordeyned hem anoþer oxe þat was also whyte splekked and tenderliche i-norsched and i-worschipped. Hugutio, capitulo Apes. Þat bole heet Apis, þat was i-woned to come out of þe ryuer Nylus, and warne by his pleyenge and startelynge [So α. β. γ. and Cx.; stelynge, MS.] what was to comynge. Petrus. Som men telleþ þat eueriche ȝere in Serapis feste come vp a bole out

of þe ryuer Nilus, and hadde a whyte mark in þe riȝt schuldre i-schape as a newe mone, and whanne þe Egipcians come to hym wiþ alle manere musyk and merþe, þat bole was i left vp in to þe ayer as it were wiþ iolyte, and at þe meuynge and styntynge of þat boole þe Egipcians meued and stynte vp on þe erthe, but þat bole vanisched out of hir siȝt þe [þat, Cx.] same day. Þerfore þe Egipcians worschipped þe [þat, α., Cx.] bole for þat man Apis, and a kowe in stede of Isis [Isus, MS.] þat womman, and a bole also for Iupiter. Þerfore it was a grete abhomynacioun among þe Egipcians to sle reþeren [reþeren] neet, Cx.] or [oþer, α.] ete reþeren flesche. Argus þe fourþe kyng of Argiues bygan to regne, and regnede sixe and fourty ȝere. In his [tyme] [Added from α. and Cx.] Grees hadde seed i-brouȝt out of oþer londes, and gan to ere and sowe and haue corne i-teled þere ynne. Iacob, an hondred ȝere olde and seuene and fourty, blessede his children, and ȝaf eueriche his blessynge, and deyde. and was anoynt, and i-kept þritty dayes, and at þe laste i-bore in to Ebron, and i-buried þere in þe double graue. Petrus. Hit was þe manere of mysbeleued men forto kepe a dede body nyne dayes wiþ oute oignement, and make sorwe for hym nyne dayes, and wasche þe body nyne daies, for to wete wheþer þe soule were apassed oþer no. Afterward þey

kepte þe bodies fourty dayes anoynt. [enoynted, Cx.] But it was þe manere of Iewes forto kepe dede bodyes seuene dayes wiþ oute oyne|mentis, and afterward þritty dayes anoynt. Augustinus, libro 18^o. Me seiþ þat Prometheus [So α.; Promotheus, Cx. (and so MSS. often); Ptholomeus, MS.] Rapetus [So MSS. (including β. and γ.) and Cx., for Iapetus.] his sone, and Atlas [Athlas, MSS. and Harl. MS., and so below.] þe astronomere, his broþer, made men; so seiþ Ouidius in Magno; noþeles þat is i-seide, for of men þat were vnkonnynge and boistous as bestes he made konnynge [men] [Added from α. and Cx.] and wise. [wise men, MS.] Isidorus 13^o. Also for me redeþ þat he made ymages of men goo and walke in [on, Cx.] þe grounde by a certeyn craft. Also þese fonde first a ryng of iren, and closed þerynne a precious stoon, and cleped it a nayle, for as þe nayle is i-closed in þe flesche, so is suche [suche is, MS.] a stoon i-closed in þe metal. Hugutio, capitulo Anulus. Anulus is a ryng i-seide of anus an ers, for somtyme þeues and mansleers, whan þey were i-take, scholde bere an ape on hire nekke and holde hir mouþ to þe apes [ape his, α.] ers. But þis foule vsage cesed, and þeues and mansleers whan þey were i-take schulde bere rynges of iren on hire fyngres. And þerfore gentil men, for to haue dyuersite and distinccioun from

suche briboures, made hem rynges of gold other of siluer. Isidorus, libro 19^o, in fine. Gentile men vsede here rynges of gold and of siluer [of seluer and of gold, α. β. γ., Cx.] on þe fourþe fynger, þat is y-cleped þe leche by cause of þe more hiȝtynge and fairenesse, for in þat fynger is a veyne þat streecheþ to þe herte. But Romayns hadde rynges of þe common tresour [tresorye, α. β. γ., Cx.] : gentil men hade rynges, and oþere hadde solidy þat were hole and sownde. Fremen of blood vsede [rynges of gold; free men that came of bonde men vsed] [Added from β. γ., Cx.] rynges of siluer, but bonde men vsede rynges of iren. Somtyme it were a greet diffamacioun for a man to vse more rynges þan oon. Augustinus de Civitate. Þis Prometheus hadde a broþet þat het Atlas, and was an astronomer; þerfore me feynede þat he bare heuene; also a greet hille in Affrica, þat [þat] om. α. β. γ., Cx.] hatte Atlas by þis man Atlas his name; and þe lewed peple weneþ þat þat hylle bereþ vp heuene. Petrus. Me seiþ þat Tritholomus wente þat tyme in his schippe þat was i-peynt wiþ a dragoun into Grees, and made þere more craft of telienge of feeldes. Also þat tyme Ceres, þe womman þat þe Grees clepeþ Demetra, wiþ oute instrumentes þat sche fonde vp of erynge craft, sche fonde vp also mesures of whete; for to fore|honde þey delede whete by hepes [huples, Cx.] smal oþer greet. ℞. After

þat tyme Grees by gan to haue tilþe and [and] of, Cx.] corne; so seyþ Isidre, libro 5^o. Ioseph, an hondred ȝere olde and ten, deyde in Egipt, and was anoynt wiþ swete oynementis, and i-kepte anon to þe goynge of þe children of Israel out of Egipte, an hondred ȝere and foure and fourty, in þe which tyme þe Hebrewes seruede þe Egipcians; also as Ioseph his breþeren deide eueriche after oþer, they [So γ., Cx.; and were, MS. and α. (without sense); also Ioseph hys breþron(sic), as hy deyde, &c. were, β.] were i-buried in Hebron. Noþeles afterward hire bones were i-bore in to Sychem wiþ Ioseph his bones: þat place hatte now Neapolis, þe citee of Samaritans: and so from þat tyme þat Iacob come into Egipt anon to þat tyme þat þe Hebrewes þe children of Israel went out of Egipt were two hondred and fiftene ȝere.