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

Capitulum sextumdecimum. Othoniel.

AFTER Iosue his deth Israel seruede Chusan, [So α. and Cx.; Chasan, MS.] kyng of Mesopotamia, eiȝte ȝere. Neuerþeles þese eiȝte ȝere beeþ acounted wiþ Othoniel his tyme, Caleph his broþer, by þe Hebrewes; but þe ȝeres of reste and of þraldom were acounted to gidres vnder iuges of Israel þe sothnesse of acountes wolde not stonde in þe storie. [Augustinus, libro 18^o.] [Added from α. and Cx.] Aboute this tyme þat womman Latona baar Appolyn in þe ilond Delos. [So Cx.; Dolos, MS.] ℞. But nouȝt þat oþer Appolyn Delphi|cus, þat hadde i-be longe to forehonde, but þat Appolyn þat seruede þe kyng Admetus [So α. and Cx.; Admetrius, MS.] wiþ þe lattre Hercules. Me seiþ þat þis Latona [Lathona, MS., and so below.] was þe same womman [that heet] [Added from α. and Cx.] Isis. Þanne Othoniel was ledere of Israel fourty ȝere forto rekene þe forseide eiȝte ȝere of þraldom. Neptunus regnede and was þe fifte kyng of Athene. Cadmus [So α.; Cadynus, MS., Cx.] regnede in þe citee Thebes; of his douȝter Semela was i-bore Denys Bacchus, þat heet also Liber Pater, þat is þe Fre Fader. In his tyme was Linus [Lynus, MS. Similar slight errors have been tacitly corrected in this chapter and the following.] of Thebe in Egipt, þe grete chauntour, in his floures. Fenix bulde Bithynia, þat heet somtyme Mariandyna.

Isidorus, libro 2^o, capitulo 5^o. And as Fenix ȝaf þe Fenices some reed lettres. ℞. Þerof loke more in þe firste book, capitulo quintodecimo, [So Cx., rightly; 5, MS. Tre|visa's version is evidently mutilated here.] in Fenicia. Isidorus, libro 2^o. Þe lettres of Grees þat Cadmus ȝaf hem speleþ wordes, and stondeþ for nombres. [℞.] [Reference added from α. and Cx.] Þe lettres of Grees from þe firste to þe tenþe as þey stondeþ in ordre [in þe A.B.C., so þey stondeþ] [Added from α. and Cx.] for nombre among þe Grees; for þe firste stondeþ for oon; þe secounde for tweyne, [and] [Added from α. and Cx.] þe þridde for þre, and so forþ [the fourth, Cx.; badly.] anon to þe tenþe. But þe eleueþe lettre stondeþ for twenty, þe twelfþe for þritty, þe þrittene [þrittenþe, α.] for fourty, and so anon to an hondred. For an hondred stondeþ þe nyntenþe [So α.; nynþe, MS.] lettre; þanne þe twentyþe lettre stondeþ for two hondred; þe oon and twenty for þre [So Cx.; foure, MS.] hondred, [Cx. adds: the xxij. for four hon|derd.] and so forþ. Petrus. Craft and vse of iren was i-founde in Egipte. Þe dedes þat me telleþ of Demetra [So α. and Cx.; Dometra, MS.] and of Dan, Persius his moder, byfel þat tyme. And þe citee Corinthi was i-bulde þat tyme.