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

Capitulum septimumdecimum. Aioth.

AYOTH was ledere of Israel foure score ȝere, forto acounte eiȝetene ȝere in þe whiche Israel seruede Eglon þe fatte king of Moab; also forto rekene oon ȝere of Sangar, þe duke and ledere [þe ledere, MS. (not α. or Cx.)] þat slow sixe hondred men wiþ a plowh schare. Þis Aioth vsede eiþer hond for his riȝt hond, and was Ihera his sone; Ihera was Geminus [So α. and Cx.; Gominus, MS., which has sometimes Gemynus below.] his sone. Petrus. Som telleþ þat Geminus was a vile persone of þe lynage of Beniamyn, and was ofte i-nempned in reprofe to al his ofspringe, for he was so fyle [vyle, Cx.] and so vnworþy. Noþeles þe Hebrewes meneþ þat þis Geminus was Beniamyn, as þey he were [So α. β. γ.; and þey were, MS.] so i-nempned by chaungynge oþer wiþdrawing of somwhat of þe begynnynge of þe name. For þey we setteþ Geminum þe Hebrewes setteþ Iamyn, þat is a rynge þat longeþ to þe riȝt side, and may be side [seid, α.] Geminus in [in] α, β. γ.] Latyn. Ritholomus [Here and elsewhere in this chap|ter the orthography of the versions has been left unaltered; to correct them in such cases is to re-write them. The MSS. of Trevisa agree.] com yn a longe schippe to Eleusis, and delede þere whete; and Orcus, kyng of Molos and of Thracia, ra|uesched Proserpina; hire hound, þat heet Cerberus, swelowede vp a man, þat heet Piritoun, þat come with Theseus to rauysshe Proserpina; and þe same hound Cerberus wolde have i-ete Theseus also, but Hercules hadde i-come þe mene tyme and i-saued hym, and þerfore he was i-fonge in to helle. Acheus

bulde Achaia. Denys Liber Pater, duke of Athene, was i-bore of Semela, as som men telleþ, and took misteria of Per|seus, þat slowȝ þat hore Gorgon, þat was so faire, [that she] [Added from Cx.; þat (only), β.; heo, γ.] astonyed men þat byhelde hire wiþ hir fairnesse. Also þat tyme Frixus and his suster Elles flyȝe þe malice and þe pur|sute of here stepdame, and were adraynt [drowned, Cx.] in þe see þat heet Ellespontus. And for a weþer was i-peynt in þe signe of here schippe, þerfore me feynede þat a wether wiþ gildene flees bare hem forþ by þe ayer. Laomedon, þe eiȝtþe kyng of Sciciones, regnede fifty ȝere. Amphion and Zethus regned in Thebe, þe [in þe, MS. (not α. β. γ.)] citee of Grees, and put out Cadmus. Tros [So α. β. γ.; Troos, MS.] regnede in Dardania, þis is Frigia, [Frisia, MS.] and werred afterward aȝenst Tantalus, kyng of Athene, for þe rauyschynge of Ganymedes. Of þis Tros þe Troians haueþ þat name, and hatte Troians. [℞] [Added from α. and Cx.] Þan þe fable of Iupiter is i-feyned; and so þe rauyschynge of an egle is i-feyned and [an, α. γ.; in, Cx.; on, β.] ydul. Perseus, Ericteus his broþer, fauȝt aȝenst þe Perses, and [he, Cx.] smoot of þe heed of þat hoor Gorgon. Pegasus was a ful swift hors of a womman, oþer [oþer] that, Cx.] heet Bellefrontys his schip. Ion [So α. and Cx.; Ione, MS.] þe strong man cleped þe men of Atthenes Iones by his owne name. Denys, that hatte Liber Pater also, werred wiþ þe Indes, and bulde þe

citee Nisan. [So all the MSS.] Þis Denys ordeyned first wommen in his oost wiþ [her men, MS. (not α. or Cx.)] men. Pelops, [Pelopis, MS. (not α.)] þe firste kyng of Peloponens, was heed of þe Olimpies; [So α., Cx.; Olimpus, MS.] neuerþeles afterward he was aȝenst Troye, and ouercome of Dardanus. In Aioth his tyme, duke of Israel, þe latter Hercules, anoþer þan we spak of raþer, was in his floures. Trogus. Þis Hercules was strong, and temede þe world, and ouercome þe Amazones, and passed in to Inde and werred þere, and ouercome þe Troians, and werred in Libya, and was lord of [of] in, MS. (only).] Spayne. ℞. Þis Hercules ouer|come Anteus, [Antheus, MSS., and so below.] þe geant of Libya, so seiþ Ouyde, in Magno, libro octavo; and slowȝ Geryon þe geaunt, kyng of Spayne, and ladde his catel and his bestes þorw Italy in tokyn of þe maistrye; and he gat þe kyng Latyn on þe douȝter of Fau|nus; [So γ.; Fanus, MS., α. β.] and he slowȝ a leon; he slowȝ þe serpent Ydra in þe water Lerna; and he ran a furlong at oon breeþ; and he re|stored þe tornementis and ioustes of Mont Olymp; he ouer|come þe Centaures; and piȝte his pilers in þe see at þe Ilondes Gades; and he dede twelue grete dedes. Trevisa. Þe Cen|taures were men of Thessalia; þey were þe firste þat chastede [chastised, Cx.] hors, and ladde hem wiþ brydels, and ride [rode, Cx.] on hors bakkes. Augustinus, libro 18^o. And after his grete dedes he fille in a

grete siknesse þat was so hard [hard] payneful, Cx.] and sore þat he myȝte not endure. Þerfore he þrewe hym self in to a fuyre, and brend hym self. [℞]. [Added from α. and Cx.] Claudianus, libro 6^o, de raptu Proserpinæ, and Virgil, Æneidos 8^o, and Ouide, Methamorphoses, libro 9^o, rekeneþ þe grete dedes þat Hercules dede. Of þe whiche dedes þe firste was þe victorie þat he hadde of þe Centaures. Þe secounde þe sleynge and þe hildynge of a leon in a wode þat hatte Nemea. [Nenia, Cx.; Menia, MSS.] Þe þridde þe chasynge of þe foules þat hatte Arpies. Þe ferþe þe takynge of goldene apples out of þe orcheȝerd of þe seuene douȝters of Atlas [Athlas, MSS., as usual; which conversely have Tracia below.] þe geant, and þe sleynge of the dragon þat kepte þe place. [palce, Cx.] Þe fifte þe chaynyng and teienge of þe grete hound Cerberus þat deuoured Piri|thous [Pyrytheus, and Peritheus, MSS.] in þe rauischynge of Proserpina. Þe sixte þe berynge doun of Diomede, þe kyng of Thracia, þat fedde his hors wiþ manis [So α.; maris, MS.; mennis, Cx.] flesche. The seuenþe þe destroyenge of Ydra þe serpent in þe water Lerna. [So α; Berna, MS.] Þe eiȝþe [echt, Cx.] þe ouercommynge of Achelous, þat chaunged ofte tyme in to dyuers liknes and schappes. Þe nynþe þe þrowynge doun of Anteus, þe geant of Libya, þat took aȝen myȝte and strengþe as ofte as he touched þe erþe. Þe tenþe þe sleynge [slynge, MS. (clerical error.)] of the cat þat cast out fuyre of his mouþ,

as me seide. Þe enleuenþe þe sleynge of þe boor in Arcadia. [Archadia, MSS., as usual.] Þe twelfþe þe berynge and þe holdynge vp of heuene, while Atlas þe geant reste hym, whan he was wery. But in þe þrittenþe he dede on a corsette of Ianyr, [So MSS.; Dianier, Cx. (i.e., Dejanira.)] and deide. Here take hede þat þis [these, Cx.] twelfe dedes þat beeþ acounted to Hercules sowneþ þe storie as it is i-tolde; soo dooþ the secounde of þe leon, and þe enleuenþe of þe boor; oþer he perteyneþ onliche þe couerynge of þewes; and þanne þe tale is a fable, but þe menynge is ful of trowþe and of soþnesse. So is þe þridde of þe arpies, and þe fourþe of þe takynge and rauyschynge of þe goldene apples. Other he tokeneþ and sowneþ the storye medled wiþ a fable; so dooþ alle his oþer dedes of þese twelue. [So α. and Cx.; twelue dedes, MS.] Also here take hede, it semeþ þat it is nouȝt al oon Hercules þat þese twelfe dedes beeþ acounted to; fore [too, for, α.] Seint Austyn, de Civitate, libro 18, capitulo 14^o, seiþ þat it was an oþer Hercules þat [þese dedes beþ acounted [aretted, Cx.] to, and anoþer Hercules þat] [Added from α. and Cx.] ouercome Anteus þe geant in wrastlynge. And also Boecius, in fine quarti libri de Consolatione telleþ þe [þe] that, Cx.] same of Anteus among þe twelue dedes of Hercules. Also Seint Austyn, ubi supra, et capitulo 19^o, seiþ þat þere were meny Hercules; and also Sampson for his wonder strengþe was acounted Hercules.

And Frigius Dares, [So Cx.; Daret, MS. α. β. γ.] in his book of bataille of Troye, seiþ þat Iason þat gat [wan, Cx.] þe weþer wiþ the [the] om. α.] goldene flees at Colchos had a surname, and was i-cleped Hercules. Þerfore Ouid, Metha|morphoses 13^o, seiþ: Menia vnder furt [So α. and Cx.; fruit, MS. Tre|visa cannot be blamed for making no sense of a corrupt text; nor the Harleian translator for leaving it out.] and þe Troians vnder Hercules. And Ouidius, 8^o Methamorphoses, acounteþ [arreteth, Cx.] the sleynge of þe boor of Arcadia to Meleandrus; [Meleandris, MS. (only).] and also 7^o [So α. β. γ., Cx.; 17, MS.] Methamorphoses acounteþ þe chasynge of þe arpies to Boreas his sones, þat heet Zoas and Calaius. [So α. β. γ., Cx.; Calcanis, MS.] Þerfore meny wise men telleþ þat Hercules is þe surname of noble men and stalworþe, þat passed oþer men hugely [greetely, Cx.] in boldenesse and in strengþe. And so hit semeþ al by kyndeliche menynge of þat name; for Hercules is i-seide of heros, [So Cx.; eros, MS.] þat is a man, and of cleos, þat is blisse; as þey Hercules were to menynge a blisful man and glorious.