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

Capitulum tertium-decimum.

Amram was Caath is sone, Caath was Leuy is sone. Þis Amram, sixty ȝere olde, gat Moyses on his wif Iocabeth. Petrus, [Petrus] So α., Cx.; Iosephus, MS.] libro 2^o. Pharao, vnder wom Ioseph was, heet Nephres by his owne propre name; þe eiȝtþe Pharao after hym heet Amonophis, in his tyme Moyses was i-bore. Iose|phus, [Iohannes, Cx.] libro 2^o. Þis Pharao hatede þe children of Israel for

vertu of witte, ffor konnynge of trauaille, ffor plente of rich|esse [riches, α.] and for fairnesse of children; þerfore he byþouȝt hym felliche and gilefulliche to bere a doun þe children of Israel, and holde hem lowe, leste þey wolde multeplie to swiþe [fast, Cx.] and aryse aȝenst hym; also he putte vppon hem charges of many manere works forto make brend tyle forto digge diches aboute þe rennynge stremes of þe ryner of Nilus, and for to bere fen and clay; and ȝaf hem nouȝt to mete but smal chaf, for he wolde so ouercome hem wiþ trauaille and wiþ honger, þat þey schulde haue no wille to ligge by here wyfes; and so it schulde folowe þat children schulde faile. Also oon, þat was a writere of holy lettres and wiste what was [was to done and] MS. (not α. β. γ., Cx.)] to comynge, warnede Pharao þe kyng of Egipt þat oon schulde [be i-bore of þe Hebrewes þat schulde] [Added from α. and Cx.] bere adoun þe principat of Egypt, and arere þe kynde of Israel, and make hem ful grete. Þerfore it was i-hote þat [þat] So α. and Cx.; þe, MS.] þe knaue [men, Cx.] children of Israel schulde be i slawe whan þei were i-bore. Petrus. But ȝit for al this þe peple multeplied wel faste, and Pharao heet þe myd|wyfes of Egipte þat þey schulde kylle [slee, Cx.] alle þe knaue children of Hebrewes, and kepe þe mayde children; ffor he heelde womman kynde ful feble to be rebel, and noþeles wel likynge to þe leccherye of [of lechery to, Cx.] þe Egipcians. And whan Pharao myȝt nouȝt so haue [haue so] MS. (not α. or Cx.)] his wille, he heet þrowe þe children þat were

knaue children [the men childer, Cx.] in to a ryuere anoon as þey were i-bore. Me troweþ þat for þat synne þe Egipcians fille in to þat errour for to worschippe þat oxe [an oxe, Cx.] þat þey clepeþ Apis, instede of God. Genesis. Þerfore Moyses was i-hydde þre monþes whanne he was [i-bore, but at þe laste he was] [Added from α. β. γ. and Cx. (β. γ. Cx. have atte last.)] i-doo in a scaf of risshes [resches, α.] i-schape as a litel boot i-glewed wel a boute, and i-þrowe in þe ryuer. Þanne Thermit, Pharao his douȝter, fond hym, and took hym up of þe water, and made hym as it were hire owne sone, and cleped hym Moyses. Iosephus, [So α. and Cx.; Isidorus, MS.] libro 2^o. Moyses is a name i-made of tweie names of Grewe, of moy, þat is water, and esis, þat is i-saued; and so Moyses is i-seide as he þat is i-saued by water. Also þis childe Moyses hatede alle þe wommen brostes of þe Egipcians, and wolde souke no woman breste of þe Egipcians, but he was sliliche i-brouȝt to his owne moder, and sche fed hym; and whan he was þre [so þre, MS. (not α.)] ȝere olde, God Almyȝty made hym so fayre of schap and of stature, þat whanne they were i-bore [So MS. and α.; he was born, Cx.; he were y bore, β.; a wer y bore, γ.] by stretes al þat were aboute lefte [of] [Added from α. β. γ. and Cx.] hire work and occupaciouns for to loke and byholde on þat childe, were þey neuere so sterne ne so angry. Þan in [on, Cx.] a day Thermuth, Pharao his douȝter, brouȝt þe childe to Pharao, for he schulde see þe childe and make hym as hit were his owne sone. Þanne the

kyng wondrede [had wonder, Cx.] of þe childes fairnesse, and took his owne crowne in þe whiche the ymage of Iupiter was i-graue, and sette it on þe childes heed; but þe childe anon þrewe doun [it doun, MS. (not α.)] þe crowne, and tradde þeron spitousliche wiþ his feet. And þere stood one þat was god Eleopoleos his preoste, and cride and seide: "Þis is þat childe þat oure god heet vs slee, þat we drede na [no, α., Cx.] more;" and wolde anon haue i-slawe þe childe; but þere was a wise man and seide þat þe childe hadde so i-doo by vnkonnynge of childhode, and so he saued þe child. Petrus, libro 2^o. In euydence of þis excusacioun of þe childe were brennynge cooles i-brouȝt to fore þe childe Moyses, and anon he putte hem in his mouþe and scaldede þe poynt of his tonge. Þe Hebrewes troweþ þat bycause þerof he hadde [α. and Cx. add afterward.] a lette of his tonge. Þis childe Moyses was so faire, þat men þat by helde hym took so great hede to þe fairnesse of hym [hym] so α. and Cx.; the childe,] þat þey putte away [away] of, α. β. γ., Cx.] alle anger and tene, [teone, β.] and toke hede to þe fairnesse of the childe. [Text as in α. and Cx.; MS. has several words repeated.] Me seiþ þat aboute þis tyme Hercules ouercome Anteus [Antheus, MSS.] in wrastlynge. Iosephus, libro 2^o. Þe Ethiopes, blewe men, werred vppon Egipt, and þe dyuy|nours of Egipt fenge answere þat þey schulde take a ledere of Hebrewes; and vnneþe þey gat Moyses, and made hym hire

ledere and cheueteyn. [capitayne, Cx.] Moyses was konnynge in dedes of batayle, and forsook þe wey by þe water Nilus, and ladde his oost by a wildernesse þat was ful of serpentes; noþeles he putte ciconias [ciconyas, MS.] by nyȝte aȝenst þe serpentes; ciconie [So α.; cicoine, MS.] beeþ briddes [So α. β. γ.; brydde, MS.] of the lond of Egipt, þat hateþ and destroyeþ ser|pentes, þat [þat] and, Cx.] beeþ mylde i-now to mankynde; and so com vnwar vppon þe Ethiopes, and closed hem in a rial citee Saba. Afterward Cambyses [Cambises, MS. and Harl. MS.] þe kyng cleped þat citee Meroen after his owne [suster] [Added from α., &c.] name. Þat citee is ful strong by cause of walles of diches and wateres þat renneþ aboute þat citee, þat [and, α., Cx.] is i-sette bytwene þe Ethiopes and þe Egipcians vppon þe ryuer Nilus. Tarbis, [Tharbys, Cx.] þe kynges douȝter of Ethiopes, sigh þe fairnesse of Moyses, and bytook hym [delyuered him, Cx.] þe citee vppon a couenant þat he schulde wedde hir to wif. Petrus, libro 2^o. Þis is þe [that, Cx.] womman of Ethiopia for þe whiche Mary and Aaron stryue [So α. β. γ.; stryueþ, MS.; stroof, Cx.] with Moyses in desert. Whan Moyses wolde torne aȝen in to Egipte, his wif wolde not assente; þerfore Moyses, as a man þat was konnynge in þe cours of [and, Cx.] worchynge of þe sterres and planetes, made tweie rynges, oon of mynde and anoþer of forȝetyngnesse; and kepte þe rynge of mynde wiþ hym self, and took his wif þe ryng of forȝet|nesse; [oblyuyon, Cx. (who has however forgetyngnesse above).]

and so sche [he, α. β. Cx.; α, γ.] tornede home aȝen. Genesis. Þat tyme, whanne Moyses visited his breþeren in þe lond of Iessen, he slowȝ a man of þe Egipcians, and hydde hym in þe sonde; for he hadde i-smyte a man of þe Hebrewes. A morwe [On the morue, Cx.] a man of Hebrewe putte þat aȝen Moyses berd, and Moyses dradde sore, and fliȝe [auoyded for drede in to, Cx.] into þe lond of Madian, and wedded Zephora a preostes douȝter of þat lond, and gat on hire Gersan [So α. and Cx.; Tersan, MS.] and Eliezer. Petrus, libro 2^o. Þis preost was primat in þat [þe, α., Cx.] lond of Madyan aboute þe Rede See; his propre name [was] [Added from α. and Cx.] Raguel; and hadde tweie surnames, Jethro and Cineus; and hadde seuene douȝters þat were herdes and kepte bestes. For þe office of keþynge of bestes was þat tyme i-ordeyned to [for, Cx.] wommen, and specialliche in þe lond of Trog|[l]oditees.

The kyngdom of Athenes bygan under Cecrops. [Cicrops, MS. and Harl. MS., and so below.] Fables telleþ þat on his wife Latona [Lathona, MS.] Apolyn lord of witt and of wisdom was i-gete of [by, Cx.] Iupiter. Deucalion bygan to reigne in Thessalia; in his twelfþe ȝere was þe þridde particuler flood in Thessalia, [in Thessalia] om. Cx.] and þe brynnynge vnder Feton. [Pheton, Cx.; but Feton below.] Augus|tinus,

libro 18^o. Þis flood destroyed a greet deel [partye, Cx.] of Grees, þere meny men fleiȝ in [fledde into, Cx.] schippes to Deucalion, kyng of Thes|salia, and were i-saued. Deucalion occupied þat tyme þe hil Parnas[s]us. For þis happe poetes feynede þat Deucalion and his wyf Pyrrha [Pirra, MSS. Similar slight errors in this chapter have been tacitly corrected.] þrewe doun stones and arered men. Isi|dorus, libro 13^o, capitulo 61^o. Whan reueres wexeþ [waxen, Cx.] ouer mesures [mesure, Cx.] þey dooþ not harme onliche in þe arisynge, but þey bodeþ [bode and bitoken, Cx.] also harme þat schal come afterward. Orosius, libro 2^o. Also þe sonne þat tyme brende nouȝt onliche Ethiopia blewe men lond, bote he brende also the lond of Scythia [Scicia, MSS.] so greuousliche, þat men myȝte nouȝt endure. Bycause þerof mysbeleued men feynede þe fable of Feton. [This form, though unclassical, has been allowed to stand, as being in a manner anglicised.]