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

Capitulum vicesimum octavum. Saul.

SAUL of þe lynage of Beniamyn was þe firste kyng of He|brewes, and regned twenty ȝere; so seiþ Iosephus. Of þe whiche ȝeres þe Scripture spekeþ not. Petrus. For Saul regnede eiȝtene ȝere while Samuel lyuede, and two ȝere after his deth. Þe fourþe kyng of Latyns, Eneas Siluius, was Posthumus his sone, and bygan to regne and regned oon and þritty ȝere. In som stories Posthumus his brother, Latinus Siluius, [Siluinus, MS. (not Cx.)] is i-sette þe fourþe, and [So α. and Cx.; in, MS.] þis Eneas is i-sette þe fifte. But in þis place þis Eneas schal be sette þe fourþe. Þe seuen|teþe duke of Athene, Codrus, Melanthus [Melantus, MSS.] his sone, bygan to reigne, and regnede oon and twenty ȝere. After his deth kynges of Athene faillede. Augustinus, libro octavodecimo, capitulo quartodecimo. Þe Peloponens, men of Thessalia, weren rebel aȝenst men of Athene. Þanne was answere i-ȝeue of [So α. β. γ.; to, MS.] þe goddes, þat in wheþer side þe duke were i-slawe, þat side schulde haue þe maistrye. Þerfore þe knyȝtes were i-charged ouer al þing to take good kepe of kyng Codrus. Noþeles Codrus took a pore manis cloþinge and a burþen of fagettes on his nekke, and entrede in to þe strengþe of his enemyes. And þere was strif arered amonge þe peple; and a knyȝt slow hym, þat he hadde raþer i-wounded wiþ an hook. Whan þat was i-knowe þe Doreyns [that coreus, Cx.] wente away wiþ oute

bataile, and þe Athenes were delyuered. Codrus were leuere deye and his men haue þe maistrie, þan lyue and his men be ouercome. After his deeþ þe commounalte of Athene was gouerned by maistres. For þere was no lawe bot likynge of lordeschippe, forto þat Solon [Salon, MSS. and Cx.] þe noble makere of lawes was i-chose to iuge. [So α.; iuges, MS.; was chosen iugge, Cx.] Maddan, Locrinus his sone, on Guendolena [So Cx.; Guendelona, MS.] i-gete, regnede fourty ȝere among þe Britouns, and gat Mem|pricius and Maulus. Þe Amazones werreþ in Asia. Saul and his children beeþ i-slawe in þe hille, Mont Gelboe. And so endeþ þe þridde age of þe world from þe burþe of Abraham to þe kyngdom of Dauid. Isidorus libro quinto seiþ þat the þridde age of þe worlde conteyneþ nyne hondred ȝere and two [eyȝte, α., Cx. .] and fourty by fourtene generaciouns. But eiþer trans|lacioun seiþ þat þe þridde age of þe world conteyneþ nyne hondred ȝere and two and fourty. ℞. Þis dyuersite bifalleþ for Isidorus seiþ þat Samuel and Saul rulede þe peple fourty ȝere; noþeles Iosephus, libro octavo, and þe Maister of Stories telleþ [acorden, Cx.] þat Samuel rulede þe peple allone twelue ȝere, and after hym Saul regnede twenty ȝere.