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

Capitulum vicesimum sextum.

ARSANIUS, þat heet Artarxerses, Othus his sone, was þe þrittenþe [þretteþe, γ.] kyng of Pers, [Cx. has, was xiii. yere kynge of Perse. Evidently a mistake.] and regnede foure ȝere. In his firste [furste, γ., et infra.] ȝere Iadus, bisshop of Iewes, was in his floures. [prospred, Cx.] Phelip kyng of Macedonia was deed, by tresoun [dede by trayson, Cx.] of oon Pau|sania. Trogus, libro 9^o. Þis [þes, γ.] Phelip was more besy [bisy, β.] aboute dedes of armes þanne aboute festes, and ȝaf hym more to wynne rychesse [þan] [From α. and Cx.] forto [for] om. Cx.] kepe it; and for al þat he robbede alwey, ȝitte he was evere nedy [neody, γ.] ; and lovede mercy and fals|hede [merci and falsede, γ.] boþe i-liche wel, and was untristy of [untrusty in, Cx. and β.] his speche, and wolde by-hote [behote, Cx.] more þan he wolde laste. [leste, β., γ.; perfourme, Cx.] He cowþe feyne hym gracious, and wel apaied when he were [was, Cx.] wrooþ, and wrooþ when he were wel apayed. He usede to make wreþþe [wraþthe, γ.] bytwene parties, and gete þonk of [thank on, Cx.] either side. Trogus,

libro 7^o. Þis whanne þat [þat] om. α., γ., and Cx.] he had first overcome þe men of Athene, he lete þe prisoners goo wiþ [by, β. and Cx.] his good wille; þan he wedded Olimpiada, [Olimpyada, Cx.] Neoptholomeus [Neoptholomeus] om. γ.] þe kynges douȝter of þe Melosus, [Moloses, γ. and Cx.] and gat [bigate, Cx.] on hire þe grete Alisaundre. Þis [þese, β.] ȝaf asaut [thes yaue an assaute, Cx.] to þe citee Mathona, and þere his riȝt yȝe [eiȝe, β.; ryȝt ye, γ.; eye, Cx.] was i-smyte out wiþ þe [α, α., β., and γ.] strook of an arewe; but for þat wounde he was never þe slower to fiȝte, noþer þe wroþer to [with, Cx.] his enemye; but at þe laste men ȝolden [yelde, Cx.] up the citee, and þanne he was mylde [and merciable] [Cx.] inow [inow] ynowȝ, β.; om. Cx.] to hem alle. Trogus, libro 8^o. Þis Phelip was enemye to menis fredom [to al men freodom, γ.] ; he norscheþ [norischiþ, β.; norseþ, γ.; nou|rysshed, Cx.] strif in citees, and helpeþ [helped, Cx.] þe lasse aȝenst þe more, and brouȝt [bryng, γ.] boþe in to þraldom, þe victor and hym þat was [ys, γ.] overcome. So he made suget [soget, γ. et infra; subjet, Cx. et infra.] to hym tweie breþeren [breþeron, γ.; brether, Cx.] kynges of Tracia, þat putte here querel [querele, Cx.] in his hond forto deme riȝtfulliche [ryȝtfolych, γ.; arbytracion to deme rightly, Cx.] bytwene hem to make fynal pees, and [He, Cx.] made suget to hym þe Bardanes and oþer naciouns by suche manere fraude. He made his wifes broþer Alisaundre, a ȝongelynge of twenty ȝere olde, [to] [β. and Cx.] use fornicacioun alwey, for he wolde have hym afterward þe more i-bounde [bounden, β.] to hym

and to his servise. Trogus, libro 14^o. Phelip somtyme werrede aȝenst þe Sithes, [Schytes, β.; Shites, Cx.] and scomfitede hem more with gile and fraude þan wiþ vertue [vertuwe, γ.] and strengþe. He hadde wiþ hym in [on, Cx.] a tyme twenty þowsand of children, [chyldron, γ.] of wommen, and of bestes, wiþ twenty þowsand of noble mares, forto doo what it were in Macedonia, [Macedoyne, Cx.] as it were to have som manere newe men to wonye [dwelle, Cx.] þerynne. Also in [on, Cx.] a tyme he tornede from þe Thebanes, [Tebans, Cx.] men of Thebe in Grees, [Thebes in Grece, Cx.] þat wernede [warned, Cx.] hym passe, [passage, β., γ., and Cx.] and was i-wounded in his þigh [þyȝ, γ.] wonderliche sore, so þat þoruȝ out [out] om. Cx.] his þigh his hors was i-slawe þat he rood oon; noþeles he scomfited hem solemp|liche; but þat day for þe victorie he semed nevere þe gladdere of chere to his owne men, noþer þe more sterne [steurne, γ.; stierne, Cx.] to hem þat were overcome; but he sente aȝen þe prisoners, [prysonners, Cx.] and restored aȝen þre hondred wise men þat were i-put out. Alle þese [þeose, γ.; Al thes, Cx.] wise men, whan fyve [vyve, γ.] of hem were accused of þe trespas, seide þat þey alle were evene peres in þe [þe] om. Cx.] doynge of þat dede. ȝit Phelip arayeth [arrayed, Cx.] an hoost [ost, α.] of two

hondred þowsand of [of] om. Cx.] foot men, and fiftene þowsand of [of] om. Cx.] horsmen, to werre in þe reme [rewme, β.; reame, Cx.] of Pers, and made [one] [Cx.] Attalus duke [duc, Cx., ut passim.] and ledere [ledare, γ.] of þat oost. Þis duke his suster Olympiada was Phelip his wif, and afterward i-putte [ypot, γ.] away and forsake. Þerfore whan Phelip sat in [atte, Cx.] þe feste of spousaille withoute wardecorses, [wardcorpses, Cx.] Pausania, a noble ȝong man, slowȝ hym riȝt þere. [þar, γ.] Þe cause þerof was þis: Atthalus hadde despitousliche [dispitously, β.; dispitefully, Cx.] i-scorned þis Pausania, and i-doo hym grete vilonye, [fylany, γ.; vylenye, Cx.] first priveliche, and afterward [after, Cx.] openliche [oponlych, γ.] yn a grete feste and revel; and [he] [Cx.] pleyned [complayned, Cx.] ofte to Phelip of þe despite þat Atthalus hadde i-doo hym, and hadde none amendes; þerfore he tornede [α turnde, γ.] his wreþe and was wrooþ wiþ [to, α. and β.] Phelip, and slowȝ hym in þat manere for vengeaunce of þat dede. Olympiada, Phelip his wif, and Alisaundre, Phelip his sone, [were hadde in suspection and] [Cx.] beeþ [beeþ] om. Cx.] nouȝt i-holde al gilteles [yhulde al gultles, γ.] of þat dede. Olympiada for [that] [Cx.] sche [heo, β. and γ.] was forsake, and Alisaundre for þat [the, Cx.] despite [in] [Cx.] þat was i-doo to his moder, were boþe suspecte, [were boþe suspecte] om. Cx.] and specialliche for Phelippe ofte repreved his sone Alisaundre for his moder was [so] [From α., γ., and Cx.] forsake, and was ofte in poynt to rese on hym wiþ his swerd, and þerfore Alisaundre exiled dwelled awhile wiþ his uncle in Epirus. Trevisa. Þis lond is Tracia, and was somtyme þe lond of Epirotes. Hit foloweþ in þe storie. [thystory, Cx.] He heng [hanged, Cx.] afterward Pausania, and crownede Olym|piada

wiþ gold, and brend afterward hir [here, γ., bis.] body uppon hir [here, γ., bis.] housbondes body. Trevisa. Ho [Who, β., γ., and Cx.] þat knoweþ þis cronicle [cronyk, β. and γ.; cronique, Cx.] ariȝt, knoweþ þat me usede [that it was used, Cx.] somtyme in dyvers londes to brenne noble bodies whanne þey were [a were, γ.] dede, and kepe þe askes solempliche in solempne [reuerent, Cx.] place. Hit foloweþ in þe storie. [thystory, Cx.] He heng [hangide, β.; hanged, Cx.] Cleopatre, [Cleopatra, α. and Cx.] Atthaleus [Atthalus, Cx.] his suster. Þis Phelip was somtym i-warned þat he schulde kepe [þat . . . kepe] om. Cx.] and save [saued, Cx.] hym self from [from] for, β.; for þe vyolens, γ.] þe violence of a chariot; þerfore he undede [undide, β.; undude, γ.] al þe chariottes and chares þat were in his kyngdom; also he voidede [avoided, β.; auoyded, Cx.] and wiþ-drow [drough, Cx.] hym from þat place þat hatte Chariot in Boicia, [Boecia, γ. and Cx.] and come nouȝt þerynne. Noþeles he scaped not Pausania his swerd [sweord, γ. bis.] ; in þe hilte of þat swerd was a chariot i-grave. [engraven a chariot, Cx.] Policratica, libro 6^o, capitulo 6^o. While Phelip ordeynede [furst ordeignede, γ.] his oost he forbeed [forbeod, γ.; forbade, Cx.] alle men al manere cariage þat gooþ uppon wheles, [goþ apon wheoles, γ.] and heet everiche [commaunded every, Cx.] ten foot men bere aboute wiþ hem stones and roopes. In somer tyme he made men bere mele and floure and quernes [and quernes] om. γ.] on here nekkes [neck, Cx.] for þritty [thyrtty, Cx.] daies. [dawes, γ.] Trogus, libro primo, capitulo 27^o. [capitulo 27^o] om. Cx.]