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TTHUS þat heet Artarxerses the twelþe kyng of Pers regnede fyve and twenty yere. In his tyme whanne Furius Camillus was deed amonȝ þe Romayns, þere fel a grete pestilence among þe Romayns, so þat in þe myddel of the citee þe erþe was i-oponed, and þere was a greet cheyne and a weye to helle. At þe laste þe dyvynours seide þat þat wey to helle abood þe buriels of a quyk man. Þan Marcus
Curtius, an horsman of Rome, forto save þe citee, armed hym and wente doun into þat chyne, and so þe chyne was i-closed. Þe mene tyme þe Romayns fauȝte aȝenst þe Galles, frensche men þat destroyede Italy, and oon of þe Galles profrede hym to fiȝte wiþ oon man body for body. Þan Lucius Mallius fauȝht wiþ hym and slowȝ hym, and took a bye of golde of his nekke and dede aboute his owne, and so he took a surname for evermore to hym and to his ofspringe, and was i-cleped Tarquatus, þat is, a man wiþ a bye, ffor a bye is torques in Latyn. ℞. Aus|tyn de Civitate, libro 5o, capitulo 18o, seiþ þat þis Tor|quatus slouȝ his owne sone þat hadde i-fouȝt for þe con|tray, and i-wonne þe victorie. He slouȝ hym for he [had] fauȝt aȝenst his fader heste; lest þe dede schulde be en|saumple of more harme and despite of þe empere þanne þe worschepe schulde be of þe deth of þe enemye. Phelip, kyng of Macedonia þat was i-holde Alisaundre his fader, bygan
to regne, and regnede sixe and twenty ȝere. In his tyme Democenes, þe advokett and fairest spekere of alle was in his floures. He wente in a tyme to [a] wel faire strompet þat heet Lays and was of Corinthe; and Lays axede of hym a ȝifte þat sche cleped nummum quantum, and Democenes, þat was so i-mened to leccherie, seide þat he wolde not begge so dere to be sory and forþinke his dede. Polichronicon, libro 6o. Þis nummum quantum makeþ ten þowsand pans of oure, and is worþ half þe gretter talentum; [the grettre talentum] is worþ twenty þowsand pans of oure. Trogus and Valerius, libro 8o. De|moscenes, þe advoket, was so busye to putte of alle manere lett of his speche þat no man spak more cleerliche þan he what he wolde mene, and þeigh he had a welle smal voys, noþeles he used it soo þat he hadde a noble sownynge speche. Me axede of hym ofte what were moste spedful among wise men, and he seide most spedful is to knowleche þat he kan not. Me telleþ of hym þat he spak moche and of longe tyme while he hadde stones in his mouþ, but whanne þe stones were out and his mouþ voyde he was more redy to speke. Agellus. Messagers of þe Moloses come to Athene, and þe firste day of plee Demoscenes pletede aȝenst hem
and wiþ-stood hem; amorwe 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 and þerfore he myȝt noȝt speke aȝen þe Meloses. Þanne oon of þe peple cride and seide, "It is no squynacie but silverie that it ailleþ." But Demoscenes afterward tolde out how it was, and acounted hit for a grete worschepe, and axede of Arestedimus what mede he hadde i-fonge [for] to plede for hem. "Talentum," quoþ he. "And I," quod Demoscenes, "hadde wel more forto holde my pees." Valerius, libro 7o. Tweie men hadde i-take a womman money forto kepe, and ordeyned þat the womman schulde delyvere þe money to never noþer of hem by hym self, bot to hem boþe to gidres. Lonȝe tyme afterward, þat oon come and seide
þat his felawe was deed, and begiled 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 [harde and] grevously, and Demoscenes come and halpe here in þis manere and seide, lete hem boþe come to gidres and axe her money; þat [as hit was y-ordeyned whanne þe money] was i-take here to kepynge, and þanne þe money schal be payde and nouȝt arst. Bote for þey come nevere boþe to gidres, þe womman was quyte. Ysidorus, libro primo, capitulo 31o. Phelip þe king, byseged the citee of Athene and axede ten wise men of þe citee to be delyvered to hym, and he wolde goo awey from þe citee, and byseged it no lenger. But Demoscenes counsailled nay, and tolde þis fable. Wolves somtyme profrede frendschepe to schipherdes uppon suche
a condicioun, ȝif 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 hem þe houndes. Þanne þe wolfes whanne strengþe and warde of houndes was away slowȝ and to-haled alle the schepe at here owne wille. "So, [sayd he] Philip wolde destroye þe citee ȝif þere lakkede wise men and counsail." Othus, king of Pers, tornede þe Iewes in to Hircania. Þe grete Alisaundre is i-bore in Macedonia; and Denys is i-slawe at Siracusana. Þe Romayns overcomeþ þe Galles, in þe whiche fiȝtynge oon of the Galles axeþ Marcus Valerius a tribune of Rome to fiȝte wiþ hym in a singuler bataille body for body. And while þey fauȝte a ravoun sat uppon þe riȝht schulder
Othus, α., γ., and Cx. The illu|minator has by mistake put T as the initial letter in MS.
fyf, γ.
this, Cx.
among them, Cx.
eorþe, γ.
opened, Cx.
chyne, β.; chene, γ. et infra; chynne, Cx.
abode the buryenge of a, Cx.
Cursius, Cx.
clyffe, Cx.
clyf, Cx.
destriede Itali, β.; destruyde Itali, γ.
o, β.
byze, α; byȝe, β., et infra; by, γ., et infra; byce, Cx.
from, Cx.
dude, γ.
he] om. γ. and Cx.
to] om. Cx.
Torquatus, Cx.
byze, α.; byse, Cx.
byze, α.; byse, Cx.
in] a, β., and γ.
℞] om. Cx.
Augustinus, Cx.
wonnen, β.
Cx.
that, β. and Cx.
despyt of þe emper, γ.; empyre, Cx.
Philip, Cx.
holden, β.
Demostenes, Cx., ut passim.
avoket, α., β., and γ.; advocate, Cx.
and] om. Cx.
prospered, Cx.
on, Cx.
From α. and Cx.
wel] om. Cx.
Layes, Cx.
an yefte, Cx.
heo, β. and γ.
clepeth, Cx.
so was ymeoved to, γ.
was gretely moeued in lust, Cx.
bye so dere, β.; bygge so deore . . . forþenkke, γ.; bye so dyer and after be, Cx.
þes, γ.
þousond panes, γ., et infra; pens of ours, Cx.
β. inserts þat after talentum.
Added from γ.
pens of ours, Cx.
avocet, β.; advocate, Cx.
bysy to pot, γ.
oponlych, γ.; cleere, Cx.
what he wolde mene] om. Cx.
though, Cx.
voyx, Cx.
spedfol, γ., et infra.
can, β.
to the knouleche of that he can nought, Cx.
of] om. Cx.
the, Cx.
ple, γ.
pledide, β.
on the morow, Cx.
squynancy, α.; squinacye, β.; squynanci, γ.; squynacy, Cx., et infra.
aȝenes, γ. semper.
Moloses, β. and Cx.
of the peple] om. Cx.
selvery, γ.
him eileþ, α; him ailiþ, β.; hym eyleþ, γ.; hym ayleth, Cx.
And, Cx.
acompted, Cx.
Aristodimus, Cx.
take, β.; taken, Cx.
Cx.
sayd, Cx.
ich, β. and γ.
sayd, Cx.
pes, γ.
taken money to a woman to kepe, Cx.
ordeyne, α.
to neyther of hem, Cx.
sylf, γ.
after, Cx.
bygylede, γ.
persuwed, γ.; pursued, Cx.
grevouslych, γ.
γ. adds forþ after come.
þat] om. α. and Cx.
Cx.
to be kept, Cx.
and no raþer, β.
and no rather. And for . . . ., Cx.
hy, γ.
boþe] om. Cx.
Kyng Philip, Cx.
bisegide, β.
cyte Athenes, Cx.
deliuer, Cx.
bysege, α. and γ.; bisege, β.; besiege, Cx.
schephurdes, γ., et infra.
proferd frendship to shepperdes on this, Cx.
that, Cx.
for your dogges, sayd they, make all the varyaunce bytwyx you and us. Whereupon the shepherdes delyuered, Cx.
wolues, β. and Cx.
deuowred, Cx.
har, γ.
Cx.
distrye, β.
þis, Cx.
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.
at] in, β.
Siracusa, α., β., γ., and Cx.
whoche, γ.
axed, Cx.
singler, Cx.
hy, γ.
reven, γ.; rauen, Cx.
saat apon, γ.
eȝene, γ.; eyen, Cx.
Frensshman, Cx.
y-clepud, γ., et infra.
revon, γ.; rauen, Cx.
in] a, β. and γ.
þat, α., β., and Cx.
