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

Capitulum quintodecimum. [[Sequitur capitulum 15] Cx.]

ARTARXERSES þe seuenþe kyng of Pers heet Longimanus [was called Longimanus, Cx.] also, and regnede fourty ȝere, and bygan to regne whan Ar|chabanus hadde i-regned seuene monþes. [moneþes, β.] Som telleþ þat þe storie [somme say that thystory . . ., Cx.] of Hester and of Mordacheus byfel [Mardocheus befell . . . ., Cx.; bifil, β.; byful, γ.] in this Artar|xerses his tyme; but I trowe it nouȝt, [I trowe not, Cx.] for Esdras, [Hesdras, Cx.] þe wrytere, was [was] om. Cx.] yn þis kynges hous [hous] om. α. and Cx.; γ. has hys.] bygynnynge and [and] om. Cx.] telleþ þat he and Neemyas tornede from Babilon, [tournede fro Babyloyne, Cx.] and spekeþ nouȝt of Hester; but ȝif [and yf, Cx.] Hester hadde i-bee in his tyme [it is to presuppose] [Cx., not γ.] he wolde somwhat haue i-spoke of here. But Hester was in the oþer Artaxerxes his tyme, þat was þe enleuenthe kyng of Perses, and heet Assuerus. Also about þis

tyme Donwallo Molimicius, [Dunwallo Moliuncius, Cx.] þat was þe duke's sone of Corn|waile, [Cornewayle, Cx.] bygan to reignee among [the] [Cx.] Britouns; and whanne þe kynges were i-slawe of Engelond, [Englond, Cx.] of Wales, and of Scot|lond, he regnede allone in þe ilond, and made hym a dyademe and a corone [crowne, Cx.] of gold, and made [certayne] [Cx., not in β.] lawes þat beeþ i-cleped Molimicius his lawes, [be called Molyuncius lawes, Cx.] þe whiche lawes afterward Gildas tornede into Latyn, and afterward kyng Aluredus made hem to be torned out of Latyn into Englische. And whanne þis Molimicius [Molyuncius, Cx.] hadde i-regned fourty ȝere he deide, and was i-buried by þe temple of Acord, [of acord] om. Cx.] in þe citee Trinouan|tum, [Trinouantum, Cx.] þat is Londoun. Þis is he þat ȝaf priueliche [gafe priuelege, β. γ. and Cx.] and fredom to temples, to plowes, to cities, and to weies þat beeþ [ledeþ, α. β. γ. and Cx.] þerto. Petrus. Esdras, the writere, come doun [of Babyloyn, added in γ.] wiþ þe kynges lettres, [kyng hys lettres, γ.] by þe [þe] om. Cx.] whiche he schulde descharge þe ministres [mynistris, Cx.] of þe temple of al manere tribute, [trybuyt, γ.] and putte [pot, γ.] þe kynges ministres yn oþer oute and chaunge [putte other yn and other oute and chaunge . . ., Cx.] hem as it were to doynge, and punsched [punysshe, β. and Cx.; punsche, γ.] hem þat were rebel [rebelle, Cx.] by deeþ, by excilynge, by

prisoun, oþer by payeng of catel. [paynge of catalle, Cx.; paiyng of catel, β.; payng of catel, γ.] And Esdras come doun wiþ þe vessel [vessayls, Cx.] of þe temple to teche his peple in Ierusalem þe lawe þat he hadde i-wrete, [ywryte, γ.] and corrected þe bookes; two hundred and twenty of þe children [childer, Cx.] of Israel þat were by|ȝonde þe hilles [hulles, γ.] of Caspy come with hym att ones, and a thow|sand and seuen hundred come wiþ hym out of Babilon; þere he chastede [chastysed, Cx.] in his comynge þe children [childer, Cx.] of þe transmy|gracioun, and specialliche preostes for wifes [wyues, Cx.] of straunge naciouns. Esdras renewede [renewide, β.] and wroot þe lawe of þe [that the, Cx. and γ.; þat þe, β.] Caldeys hadde i-brend [ybarnd, γ.] and amendede þe volums [volumes, Cx.] þat straungers had apeyred, [apayred, Cx.] and gadrede al in [to] [γ. and Cx.] two and twenty bookes, for the Hebrewes schulde haue [habbe, γ.] as many bookes as þey had lettres. Also he fonde up newe manere titles and strikes [strykes, α.; prikkes, Cx.; strickes, β.; strykkes, γ.] to write among þe lettres þat were liȝtere to wrytinge [lyghter to be writon, Cx.] and to spek|ynge, [and to spekynge] om. Cx.] and þerfore he was i-cleped a swift writere. Also he putte to [to] om. Cx.] some tytles of psalmes, and telle [telleþ, α. β. γ. and Cx.] þat Iewes write to forehond [wrote before, Cx.] in manere of [bydderes], [From α. γ.; bidders, β.; Cx. has bydders.] from þe lift [lyft, γ.] side to þe

riȝt side, and eft from the riȝt side to the lift side; [sydeward, α.; Cx. has syde.] [bote he tauȝte ham to wryte alwey fram þe ryȝt syde to þe lyft syde|ward]. [Added from γ.] Empedicles, Permenides, and Zeno, þe philosofres, beeþ in here floures; oon of hem, [oon of hem] om. Cx.] Empedicles, chees his buryeng [chees to be buryed, Cx.] in þe hil mons Ethna, þat is in Sicilia [Scicilia that . . . ., Cx.] and brenneþ alwey. Boys, [Boece, Cx. and β.] de Consolacione, seiþ þat Permenides satte ten ȝere on a roche, [rooch, γ.] and byþouȝt hym of þe art of logik; [Logyke, Cx.] but Plato afterward made þat art more, and fonde þerynne meny principles and rules; [reules, γ.] but Aristotil [Aristotles, Cx.] brouȝt to gidres hit into þat art. [it to geder into art . . . ., Cx.] Þo was Feretydes, þe secounde writere of stories, [historyes, Cx.] in his floures; noþeles a [α] om. Cx.] litel to forehonde [before, Cx.] Herodotus hadde i-write stories. [thystoryes, Cx.] ℞. and Titus Livius.