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

Capitulum Primum.

THE fourth [fyth, Cx.] age of þe world bygan from þe transmygra|cioun of þe Iewes and þe brennynge of þe temple, þat was i-do þe enleuenþe ȝere of Zedechias. Þerfore who þat wil rekene seuenty ȝere of þe prisonynge and bondage of þe [Cx. omits þe.] Iewes from þis enleuenþe ȝere of Sedechias, as Eusebius dede by auc|torite of Zacharie þe prophete, þan he schulde [shal, Cx. and γ.] ende þis

seuenty ȝere in þe secounde ȝere of Darius, Itapsis his sone. But it semeþ þat Iosephus and Ierom his glose rekeneþ [reken, Cx.] þese seuenty ȝere from [þe] [From α.] þrittene ȝere of Iosyas þe kyng, in þe whiche ȝere Ieremyas gan [began, Cx.] to prophecie, anon to þe firste ȝere of Cirus. Noþeles [Cx. omits, Noþeles som . . . . . laste ȝere of Cirus. Evidently an error.] som rekeneþ þese seuenty ȝere from þe laste ȝere of Ioachym anon to þe laste ȝere of Cirus; but rediliche [redlych, γ.] forto acounte, þe seuenty ȝeres þat endeþ in þe þridde [yere] [Cx.] oþer in þe laste ȝere of Cirus, beeþ [buþ, γ.] propurliche þe ȝeres of takynge and bondage of þe Iewes. But þe ȝeres þat endeþ in þe þridde [second, Cx and γ.] ȝere of Darius, beeþ [buþ, γ.] propurliche þe ȝeres of þe fulle [folle, γ.] transmygracioun and of þe destroyenge of þe temple. Petrus, libro 15^o, capitulo 4^o. [libro 154^o, α., Cx., and β.] Þe men of Iuda dredde [drad, Cx.; dradde, β. and γ.] þe face of kyng [Cx. omits kyng.] Nabugodonosor for þe deth of Godolyas, whom [wham hy, γ.] they hadde i-slawe; þerfore þey wente wiþ hir children and [γ. adds wiþ al here.] catel in to Egipt. And Ieremye [Ieremias, Cx.] wente wiþ hem aȝenst hir wille, and for he prophecied alwey þat þey þat wente into Egipt at þat tyme schulde be destroyede, þerfore þei stonede [stenede, γ.]

hym to dethe, þe fourþe ȝere of þat transmigracioun. Noþeles þe Egipcians worschippede þe prophete, and buried hym bysides þe buriels of kynges, for he hadde wiþ his prayers y-dryue away addres and cokedrilles [the eddres & cocadrilles, Cx.; and below; cocodrilles, γ.] from þe Egypcians. Trevisa. A cokedrille [cocodryl, γ.] is a foure foted best þat lyueþ boþe in water and in lond, and is comounliche [cominly, Cx.; comynlych, γ.] twenty cubite long, wiþ clawes and teeþ strongliche i-armed; his skyn is so harde þat he reccheþ [rekketh, Cx.] nouȝt of strookes of harde stones; he [α, γ., as usual. This pecu|liarity I shall cease to notice.] resteþ [rested, Cx.] by day in water and by nyȝte in londe; þe cokedrille [cocadrylle, Cx.; cocodril, γ.] allone [alon, γ.] among bestes meoueþ [meueþ, γ; moeneth, Cx.] þe ouer iawe, [jowe, α. and Cx.; geowe, γ.] so seiþ Isidre. Þanne it [hyt, γ.] foloweþ in þe storie, also þe prophetes [prophete, α., β., and Cx.; pro|phet, γ.] ȝaf [syg a tokon, γ.] a tokene to þe kynges of Egipt þat here mawmettis schulde [schulden, β.] falle whanne a mayde hadde i-bore a childe. Þerfore the preostes of mys|byleued men ordeynede hem [ham, γ.] an ymage of a mayde with a childe, and worschipped it in a priue place in [within, Cx.] þe temple. Also þis [þes, γ.] Ieremyas knewe þat þe temple [of Jewes] added in γ.] schulde be destroyed, and took þe schryne of þe testament wiþ what þere was ynne, [with al that was therein, Cx.] and made hit þoruȝ his prayers [prayeris, β.] be i-swelowed [yswolwet, γ.] in to a stoon by|twene

þe hilles of wildernesse. Þere [where, Cx.] Moyses and Aaron beeþ [buþ, γ.] i-buried, and he marked þe stoon wiþ his fynger, and he [he] om. α. and Cx.] wroot þerynne Goddes owne name: and from þat tyme hiderto and to þe worldes ende þe stone is i-hid [yhud, γ.] wiþ a clowde, so þat þe place may nouȝt be knowe, noþer þat name of God may [nouȝt] [From α.] be rad. [redde, Cx.; yrad, γ.] Me semeþ [seiþ, α., β., and γ.; Me seyth, Cx.] þat in [atte, Cx.] þe firste arisynge at þe day of dome, Moyses and Aaron schulde [shal, Cx.; schul, γ.] brynge þat schryne, and sette hit on þat [the, Cx.; þe hul, γ.] hille Syna. Þere þe holy halowes schal be gadered to abyde þe ȝen [ayene, Cx.; aȝegoyng, γ.; ȝe|goynge, β.] goynge of God. [The] [Cx.] kyng Nabugodonosor, þe four [ferþe, γ.] and twenty [twentiþe, α.; xxiiij., Cx.] ȝere of his kyng|dom, wente doun [in] [Cx.] to Siria, and made soget [subget, Cx.] [to him] [Cx.] Amon and Moab, and ouercom Egipte, and slowȝ þe kyng of Egipte, and ordeyned þere anoþer kyng. Also at þe laste þe Iewes þat he fond þere he ladde hem [hem] om. Cx.; ham, γ.] into Babilon. Nabu|godonosor, þe secounde ȝere of his kyngdom, mette þe sweuene [sweuon, γ.] of þe ymage of foure manere þinges i-made, and was ful sore aferde. Þis secounde ȝere is nouȝt acounted from þe firste

bygynnynge of his kyngdom. [but from his grete kyngdom,] [α. and γ.] whan he hadde i-made suget [subget, Cx.] oþer naciouns aboute, and i-brouȝt þe relyf [relef, α. and γ.; relyef, Cx.; re|lif, β.] of Israel and of Iuda out of Egipte. Þat ȝere byfel þe secounde siȝt and visioun of Daniel, of þe aungel þat delyuerede þe children out of þe ouene. Þat ȝere byfel [bifil, β.] þe þridde visioun, þat is i-cleped þe kynges pistul, [pistle, Cx.; pistyl, γ.] in þe whiche [whuch, γ.] he telleþ þat he was hym self bytokened by þe tree þat was i-seie, [yseen, Cx.; yseye, γ.] and at þe laste for his pride [pruyde, γ.] he schulde be schape tofore [bifore, Cx.] as an oxe, and be hynde [bihynde, Cx.; byhynde, γ.] as a lioun; nouȝt by chaungynge of body, but by chaungynge of disposicioun of wit and of semynge; and þat he schulde ete hey as an oxe forto [till, Cx.; fort þat, γ.] seuen tymes were i-torned into seuen monþes at þe prayer of Daniel. Petrus 16^o. After þe whiche [whoch, γ.] tyme he was i-chaunged aȝen into his owne schappe; but he regnede na more, but he ordeynede seuen iuges for hym self, and dede penaunce anoon to þe seuen ȝere ende; and ete [eet, γ.] no brede noþer flesche, and [ne, Cx.] drank no wyn; but ete [eet, γ.] herbes and potage ware [ware] om. Cx.] by þe coun|seil

of Daniel. Seruius Tullius, þe sixte [kyng] [Cx.] of Ro|mayns, come after Tarquinius Priscus, and wedded [weddid, β. (the common termi|nation in this MS.)] his douȝter, and regned foure and þritty [twenty, Cx.] ȝere. Eutropius, libro primo. Þis [þes, γ., passim.] was a noble womman [womans, Cx.] sone þat was i-take; he ȝaf þre hilles to þe citee of Rome, Quirinal, Esquilinus, [Equilinus, Cx.] and Viminal, and made diches aboute þe citee; þis ordeyned first personal tribute to þe Romayns; in his tyme were i-founde eiȝte hon|dred þowsand and seuene þowsand burgeys [burges, Cx.; borgeys, γ.] in Rome. Titus. Þis hadde i-maried his douȝter Tullia to oon Tarquinius Su|perbus. Sche [heo, β., γ.] made hire [heore, γ.] owne housbonde to conspire wiþ þe comounte [comynte, Cx.; comnete, γ.] of Rome and þe senatoures forto slee here owne fadres. [fader, Cx. and α.] Þerfore þis Tarquinius mette wiþ a [þe, α. and Cx.] kyng in [upon, Cx.] a tyme, and þrewe hym doun of a staire, and so þe kyng was sore i-hert and wente homwarde, [hamward, γ.] and was i-slawe by þe weie of men þat [of, α.; that, Cx.] Tarquinius hadde i-hered [yhyred, γ.] to doo þat false dede. And Tullia þe kynges douȝter [hurde, γ.] herde þerof, [and] [Cx.] sche [sche] om. Cx.] took hir [heore, γ.] chaar [char, Cx.] and wente forto grete hir [heore, γ.] housbonde þat was made newe kyng, and by þe weie sche [a lad, γ.; heo, β.] ladde hir chaar [chare, Cx.] ouer

hir [heore, γ.] fader body. Ezechiel þe prophete was i-drawe [to drawe, α., β., and γ.; to drawen, Cx.] wiþ hors [horses, Cx.; horsis, β.] in Caldea by þe doynge of hem [ham, γ., passim.] þat were i-lefte of the lynages of Dan and of Gad, and þat for he hadde i-warned hem þat þei [ham þat hy, γ.] schulde not come aȝen to Ierusalem. Also þat ȝere he sigh [saw, Cx.; syȝ, γ.] visiouns and siȝtes [sightes and visions, Cx.] of þe newynge of þe temple. [Iosephus, libro 10, capitulo 11^o.] [From α.]