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

Capitulum vicesimum secundum.

TTHUS [Othus, α., γ., and Cx. The illu|minator has by mistake put T as the initial letter in MS.] þat heet Artarxerses the twelþe kyng of Pers regnede fyve [fyf, γ.] and twenty yere. In his [this, Cx.] tyme whanne Furius Camillus was deed amonȝ þe Romayns, þere fel a grete pestilence among þe Romayns, [among them, Cx.] so þat in þe myddel of the citee þe erþe [eorþe, γ.] was i-oponed, [opened, Cx.] and þere was a greet cheyne [chyne, β.; chene, γ. et infra; chynne, Cx.] and a weye to helle. At þe laste þe dyvynours seide þat þat wey to helle abood þe buriels of a [abode the buryenge of a, Cx.] quyk man. Þan Marcus

Curtius, [Cursius, Cx.] an horsman of Rome, forto save þe citee, armed hym and wente doun into þat chyne, [clyffe, Cx.] and so þe chyne [clyf, Cx.] was i-closed. Þe mene tyme þe Romayns fauȝte aȝenst þe Galles, frensche men þat destroyede Italy, [destriede Itali, β.; destruyde Itali, γ.] and oon of þe Galles profrede hym to fiȝte wiþ oon [o, β.] man body for body. Þan Lucius Mallius fauȝht wiþ hym and slowȝ hym, and took a bye [byze, α; byȝe, β., et infra; by, γ., et infra; byce, Cx.] of golde of [from, Cx.] his nekke and dede [dude, γ.] aboute his owne, and so he [he] om. γ. and Cx.] took a surname for evermore to hym and to [to] om. Cx.] his ofspringe, and was i-cleped Tarquatus, [Torquatus, Cx.] þat is, a man wiþ a bye, [byze, α.; byse, Cx.] ffor a bye [byze, α.; byse, Cx.] is torques in [in] a, β., and γ.] Latyn. ℞. [℞] om. Cx.] Aus|tyn [Augustinus, Cx.] de Civitate, libro 5^o, capitulo 18^o, seiþ þat þis Tor|quatus slouȝ his owne sone þat hadde i-fouȝt for þe con|tray, and i-wonne [wonnen, β.] þe victorie. He slouȝ hym for he [had] [Cx.] fauȝt aȝenst his fader heste; lest þe [that, β. and Cx.] dede schulde be en|saumple of more harme and despite of þe empere [despyt of þe emper, γ.; empyre, Cx.] þanne þe worschepe schulde be of þe deth of þe enemye. Phelip, [Philip, Cx.] kyng of Macedonia þat was i-holde [holden, β.] Alisaundre his fader, bygan

to regne, and regnede sixe and twenty ȝere. In his tyme Democenes, [Demostenes, Cx., ut passim.] þe advokett [avoket, α., β., and γ.; advocate, Cx.] and [and] om. Cx.] fairest spekere of alle was in his floures. [prospered, Cx.] He wente in [on, Cx.] a tyme to [a] [From α. and Cx.] wel [wel] om. Cx.] faire strompet þat heet Lays [Layes, Cx.] and was of Corinthe; and Lays axede of hym a ȝifte [an yefte, Cx.] þat sche [heo, β. and γ.] cleped [clepeth, Cx.] nummum quantum, and Democenes, þat was so i-mened [so was ymeoved to, γ.] to leccherie, [was gretely moeued in lust, Cx.] seide þat he wolde not begge so dere to be [bye so dere, β.; bygge so deore . . . forþenkke, γ.; bye so dyer and after be, Cx.] sory and forþinke his dede. Polichronicon, libro 6^o. Þis [þes, γ.] nummum quantum makeþ ten þowsand pans of oure, [þousond panes, γ., et infra; pens of ours, Cx.] and is worþ half þe gretter talentum; [β. inserts þat after talentum.] [the grettre talentum] [Added from γ.] is worþ twenty þowsand pans of oure. [pens of ours, Cx.] Trogus and Valerius, libro 8^o. De|moscenes, þe advoket, [avocet, β.; advocate, Cx.] was so busye to putte [bysy to pot, γ.] of alle manere lett of his speche þat no man spak more cleerliche [oponlych, γ.; cleere, Cx.] þan he what he wolde mene, [what he wolde mene] om. Cx.] and þeigh [though, Cx.] he had a welle smal voys, [voyx, Cx.] noþeles he used it soo þat he hadde a noble sownynge speche. Me axede of hym ofte what were moste spedful [spedfol, γ., et infra.] among wise men, and he seide most spedful is to knowleche þat he kan [can, β.] not. [to the knouleche of that he can nought, Cx.] Me telleþ of hym þat he spak moche and of [of] om. Cx.] longe tyme while he hadde stones in his mouþ, but whanne þe stones were out and his [the, Cx.] mouþ voyde he was more redy to speke. Agellus. Messagers of þe Moloses come to Athene, and þe firste day of plee [ple, γ.] Demoscenes pletede [pledide, β.] aȝenst hem

and wiþ-stood hem; amorwe [on the morow, Cx.] he was i-stopped wiþ money for he schulde nouȝt speke aȝenst hem. Þe þridde day whanne þe cause schulde be pleted, Demoscenes come forþ wiþ wolle aboute his nekke, and seide þat he hadde the squynacy [squynancy, α.; squinacye, β.; squynanci, γ.; squynacy, Cx., et infra.] and þerfore he myȝt noȝt speke aȝen [aȝenes, γ. semper.] þe Meloses. [Moloses, β. and Cx.] Þanne oon of þe peple [of the peple] om. Cx.] cride and seide, "It is no squynacie but silverie [selvery, γ.] that it ailleþ." [him eileþ, α; him ailiþ, β.; hym eyleþ, γ.; hym ayleth, Cx.] But [And, Cx.] Demoscenes afterward tolde out how it was, and acounted [acompted, Cx.] hit for a grete worschepe, and axede of Arestedimus [Aristodimus, Cx.] what mede he hadde i-fonge [take, β.; taken, Cx.] [for] [Cx.] to plede for hem. "Talentum," quoþ [sayd, Cx.] he. "And I," [ich, β. and γ.] quod [sayd, Cx.] Demoscenes, "hadde wel more forto holde my pees." [pes, γ.] Valerius, libro 7^o. Tweie men hadde i-take a womman money forto kepe, [taken money to a woman to kepe, Cx.] and ordeyned [ordeyne, α.] þat the womman schulde delyvere þe money to never noþer of hem [to neyther of hem, Cx.] by hym self, [sylf, γ.] bot to hem boþe to gidres. Lonȝe tyme afterward, [after, Cx.] þat oon come and seide

þat his felawe was deed, and begiled [bygylede, γ.] þe womman and hadde þe money of here. Þan nouȝt longe after his felawe come and axed þe money. Þan the womman was pur|sewed [persuwed, γ.; pursued, Cx.] [harde and] grevously, [grevouslych, γ.] and Demoscenes come [γ. adds forþ after come.] and halpe here in þis manere and seide, lete hem boþe come to gidres and axe her money; þat [þat] om. α. and Cx.] [as hit was y-ordeyned whanne þe money] [Cx.] was i-take here to kepynge, [to be kept, Cx.] and þanne þe money schal be payde and nouȝt arst. [and no raþer, β.] Bote for [and no rather. And for . . . ., Cx.] þey [hy, γ.] come nevere boþe [boþe] om. Cx.] to gidres, þe womman was quyte. Ysidorus, libro primo, capitulo 31^o. Phelip þe king, [Kyng Philip, Cx.] byseged [bisegide, β.] the citee of Athene [cyte Athenes, Cx.] and axede ten wise men of þe citee to be delyvered [deliuer, Cx.] to hym, and he wolde goo awey from þe citee, and byseged [bysege, α. and γ.; bisege, β.; besiege, Cx.] it no lenger. But Demoscenes counsailled nay, and tolde þis fable. Wolves somtyme profrede frendschepe to schipherdes [schephurdes, γ., et infra.] uppon suche

a [proferd frendship to shepperdes on this, Cx.] condicioun, ȝif [that, Cx.] þe schipperdes wolde delyvere here houndes to þe wolves, for þe houndes, quod þe wolves, makeþ al þe stryf bytwene us and ȝow. Þe schipperdes graunted and delyvered [for your dogges, sayd they, make all the varyaunce bytwyx you and us. Whereupon the shepherdes delyuered, Cx.] hem þe houndes. Þanne þe wolfes [wolues, β. and Cx.] whanne strengþe and warde of houndes was away slowȝ and to-haled [deuowred, Cx.] alle the schepe at here [har, γ.] owne wille. "So, [sayd he] [Cx.] Philip wolde destroye [distrye, β.] þe [þis, Cx.] citee ȝif þere lakkede wise men and counsail. [whan the cite, α.; whanne þe cite lacked, β.; whan þe cyte lakkede wys men and consayl, γ.; yf it lacked wyse men of counsayle, Cx.] " Othus, king of Pers, tornede þe Iewes in to Hircania. Þe grete Alisaundre is i-bore in Macedonia; and Denys is i-slawe at [at] in, β.] Siracusana. [Siracusa, α., β., γ., and Cx.] Þe Romayns overcomeþ þe Galles, in þe whiche [whoche, γ.] fiȝtynge oon of the Galles axeþ [axed, Cx.] Marcus Valerius a tribune of Rome to fiȝte wiþ hym in a singuler [singler, Cx.] bataille body for body. And while þey [hy, γ.] fauȝte a ravoun [reven, γ.; rauen, Cx.] sat uppon [saat apon, γ.] þe riȝht schulder

of Valerius and alwey smoot to þe yȝen [eȝene, γ.; eyen, Cx.] of þe Galle, [Frensshman, Cx.] and so þe Romayn gat þe victorie and þe name, and was afterward i-cleped [y-clepud, γ., et infra.] Corvynus, for a ravoun [revon, γ.; rauen, Cx.] is corvus in [in] a, β. and γ.] Latyn. And Corvynus was consul foure and twenty yere after þe [þat, α., β., and Cx.] dede. Polichronicon, libro 7^o.