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

Capitulum vicesimum tertium. Iepte.

IEPTE of Galaad, of the lynage of Gad, an hoore [a comyn womans, Cx.] sone, was iuge of Israel sixe ȝere. Kyng Latyn, Faunus is sone, bygan to regne in Ytaly; and regned þere two and þritty ȝere. Of hym þe kynges of [of] om. MS. (only.)] Itali hadde þat name, and were i-cleped kynges of Latyns, and þan cesed þe name of Laurentines, and torned into þe name of Latyns. [and þan . . . of Latyns] om. Cx.] Isidorus, libro octavo. In þis kyng Latyn his tyme was Sibil Eritrea in hir floures, þat heet Erofila, and was i-bore in Babilon. Sche warnede þe Grees þat wente to Troye þat Troye schulde be destroyed, and þat Homerus schulde write lesynges afterward. Þere were ten Sibilis, and þis is þe fifte in nombre, and is i-putte tofore oþere. Þe firste Sibile was of Pers, þe [Pierse, α.] secounde of Libya, þe þridde was Delphica yn Appolyn his temple to fore þe bataile of Troye. Homerus wroot meny of hir vers in his bookes. Þe fourþe was Cimeria of Italy. Þe fifte was Eritrea, of hire is now oure speche. Þe sixte was Samia, i-bore in þe ylond [londe, MS. (only.)] of Samos.

Þe seuenþe [was] [Added from α. and Cx.] Cumana, i-bore in Campania; sche [he, α.] brouȝte nyne bookes to Torquynus Priscus, kyng of Romayns, in þe whiche were i-write þe domes of Rome. Þe eiȝþe was Elles|pontia, i-bore in a feeld of Troye. Me redeþ þat sche [he, α.] was in kyng Cyrus and [in] [Added from α. and Cx.] Solon [Salon, MSS.] his tyme. Þe nynþe was Frigia. Me redeþ þat he [she, Cx.] prophecied in Anchisa. Þe tenþe was Tybur|tina, and heet also Albymea. [Albumea, Cx. Some proper names in this chapter being very corrupt, have been left unaltered.] Þe bookes of hem alle beeþ i-preysed, for þey writen moche of God, of Crist, and also of Payenis. [Paynes, Cx. (who varies the sentence.)] ℞. Noþeles it semeþ þat Seynt Austyn, 18^o libro, capitulo 16^o, wil mene þat Sibille Eritria was in Romulus his tyme, and sche wroot moche of Criste, and þat openliche, as in þis vers of heroes:

"Token of doome þe erþe schal wiþ swoot [of swete, Cx.] by come weet, Out of heuene þe kyng endeles schal come to siȝte. And þat in flesche present forto deme þe world."

And so forþ Sibil haþ many mo vers. Þe heed lettres of þese þre vers, and of þe oþere as þey beeþ i-write in Latyn, speleþ þis menynge: [speketh thus, Cx.] Ihesus Crist, Goddes sone, Sauyour. Isidorus, libro 14^o. [9, α.; quarto, Cx. The true reference is to lib. viii. c. 8.] Sibille is a name of offys, and nouȝt of persone, and is i-seide of syos, þat is God, and of beele, þat is þouȝt; and so

Sibil is i-seide as it were a womman þat haþ Goddes [God his, α.] þouȝt. Þerfore as a man þat prophecieþ is i-cleped a prophete, so a womman þat prophecieþ is i-cleped Sibil. Vnder þis dayes in kyng Latyns tyme was þe seyllynge i-made þat is i-cleped þe seylynge of Argonautes. Þat seillynge was cause and occasioun of þe bataille of Troye, and bygan in þis manere. Trogus, libro 2^o. After Neptunus, þe successour of Erictonius, [So α.; Erictorius, MS. Read Erichthonius.] þe kyngdom of Athene fil to Egeus, þat hadde i-gete his sone Theseus on his firste wif; and at þe laste whanne þat wyf was deed, he wedded Medea, þe kynges douȝter of Colchos, and gat on hire Medus. At þe laste Medea dredde hir step sone [So α. β. γ., Cx.; sone, MS.] Theseus, whan he come to age, and took wiþ here hir sone Medus, and wente hoom to hire fader in to Colchos. After Egeus his sone Theseus reignede in Athene; he wente somtyme wiþ Hercules and werred, and ouercome þe Amazones. After Theseus his sone Demophon regnede; he halp [halp and assisted, Cx.] þe Grees aȝenst þe Troians. Trogus, libro 42^o. Þanne Pelias, kyng of Peloponens, þat is of Thessalia, dredde leste Iason þe noble werriour [werriour] om. α. β. γ. and Cx.] wolde werre in his londes [lond, Cx.] and putte hym out. Iason was Eson his sone; Eson was Pelias his owne broþer. Pelias brouȝte

Iason in witte forto fette [fetche, Cx.] þe goldene flees at Colchos and hopede þerby þat þe ȝong man schulde be deed oþer for long seillynge in þe see oþer in bataile aȝenst straunge naciouns. Phrygius [Frigius, MSS. and Cx.] Dares. Þerfore Pelias made Argus ordeyne a wel faire schippe couenable to þis seillynge and passage. Petrus. Of þis name Argon comeþ þis name Argonaute. Argonaute were stalworþe ȝonge men i-gadred al aboute for Iason his viage; þanne Iason seillede forþ wiþ þese men and londede first in Frigia. Þo Laomedon [So Cx.; Laomadon, MS.] reignede þere. Trogus. But Iason was put out of Frigia and come in to Colchos, and ouercome þe kyng and slowȝ his sone Egealius and took þe goldene flees, and had wiþ hym Medea [So Cx.; Meda, MS.] þe kynges douȝter, and made hire his wyf. Noþeles aftirward he forsook hire and putte hir away. But afterward whan kyng Pelias his sone was put out of Thessalia, Iason reconsilede [recounseylled, Cx.] and took aȝen his wif Medea wiþ his stepsone Medus, and gaderede a stronge multitude of ȝonge men and wente in to Colchos and restored orpedliche [orpedly, Cx.] his wifes fader, þat was putte out of his kyngdom, and ȝaf hym meny citees to his kyngdom in [So α. β. γ., Cx.; and, MS.] recompensacioun and amendement of þe olde wrong. Phrygius

Dares. Whan Iason hadde [Thanne Iason whanne he hadde, α. β. γ.] sodued Colchos, he hadde wiþ hym at his prayenge [Cx. ins. Hercules.] Castor, Pollux, Peleus of [and of, MS., α. (not β. γ. Cx.) For Scitia read Phthia. See above.] Scitia, Telamon [Thelamon, MSS. and Cx.] of Salomina, [So β. γ.; Salomina, MS., α. Read Salamis.] and come yn wiþ fyue schippes by nyȝte into Frigia and slow Laomedon þe kyng and destroyed Ilium in Troye. He rauysched Hesiona þe kynges douȝter and ȝaf hire to his kniȝt Telamon of Salamina to wife; [wyve, α.] for he was þe firste þat entrede in to Troye and [and] om. α.] þere took [was i-take, α. β. γ.; was taken, Cx.] a grete pray. And Iason tornede aȝen wiþ his men. Whan Priamus [Pryamus, MS. A few similar corrections have been made tacitly in this chapter.] Laomedon his eldest sone herde and wiste of al þis, he strengþede Ilium þat is Troye wiþ ȝates and wiþ walles and bygan for to reigne.