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

Capitulum secundum.

AFTER þe grete Nabugodonosor, [his sone Nabugodonosor] [α. and γ.] regnede in Babilon ten ȝere. He putte [pot, γ.] moche more to his fader realte [rialte, β.] ; for Megasten, in libro Iudiciorum, seiþ þat in strengþe and grete dedes he passede Hercules, and he destroyed [destruyde, γ.] Libia and Hiberia, and [pulled and] [Cx.] drowȝ out of [of] om. α.] places greet stoones as it were hilles, and sette þere treen, and made þere an orcharde þat was i-cleped suspensilis, þat his wif myȝte stonde in þat orcharde and see hoom [hom, γ.] in to hir owne contray

where sche [α, γ.; heo, β.] was i-bore: his wif [and she, Cx.] was Darius douȝter. Darius was Astrages sone. Astrages heet Assuerus also. Also þis kyng byseged Tyrus þre ȝere and þre monþes. [℞] [From α. and γ.] Noþeles Marcianus spekeþ nouȝt of þis secounde Nabugodonosor; but he seiþ þat Enilmarodach [Enilmarodoth, Cx.] and Balthasar were tweyne [tweyne] om. Cx.; tweie, α.; twey, β. and γ.] breþeren. Þat tyme were in here floures Anaximander and Anaximenes, philosofres, Tales his disciples. Petrus 162. Þis Nabugodonozor his broþer, Enilmerodach, bygan to regne whan his broþer was dede, and a noon he took up [up] om. Cx.] Ioachym kyng of Iuda out of prisoun, þat hadde i-bee in prisoun and in bondes seuene and þritty ȝere; and he sette his trone aboue alle kynges trones [al kyngene trones, γ.] þat were wiþ hym in Babilon. He dede [dude, γ.] hym þis grace and mercy for his broþer Nabugodonosor, in þe tyme of his fader meschef, [meschyef, Cx.; meschief, γ.] hadde i-doo many euel dedes. And whanne his fader was restored aȝen to his owne schappe he hadde i-putte [he put, Cx.; ypot, γ.] his broþer Enilmerodach in prisoun, þat was accused [acuset, γ.] to his fader; and Ioachym was þere in prisoun anon to þe deth of þe secounde Nabugodonosor. Þerfore þis Enil|merodach, whan he gan [began, Cx.] to regne, took up [up] om. Cx.] Ioachym out of prisoun; for he dredde leste his fader wolde arise from deþ to

lyue, as he was somtyme i-torned out of [from, Cx.] þe schap of a best in to þe schap of mankynde; [mankunde, γ.] and by counseile and lore of þis Ioachym he took up his fader body of þe erþe, [out of the erth his faders body, Cx.] and deled [cutte, Cx.] it in to an hondred parties, [peces, Cx.] and ȝaf it to þre hondred vul|tures to etynge, [deled the peces to an honderd vulters for to ete, Cx.] for Ioachym seide þat his fader schulde neuer arise or [rise er, Cx.; aryse ar, γ.] alle þe vultures come to gidres. Þis Enilmerodach hadde þre sones; oon hiȝte Egessarius and Regusar, þat oþer hatte Labosardachus, and þe þridde hiȝte Nabar and Balthasar, also to hym fil [fylle, Cx.; bifil, β.; ful, γ.] þe kyngdom. Petrus 169. In þis Enilmero|dach his tyme [was Suzanna accused, that is not . . ., Cx.] byfel þe storie of Susanne, þat is nouȝt in Danyel his book of Hebrew, but is i-cleped a fable, nouȝt for feynynge þat is þerynne, but for somwhat false i-radde [is rade, Cx.] þer|ynne of þe preostes, þat þey [α, γ.] were i-stened to dethe, for Ierom [Ierem, β.] seiþ þat þey [α, γ.] were i-brent in fire. [fier, β.] Also for we telleþ [saye, Cx.; telliþ, β.] þat it was i-write of Daniel, and noþeles hit was i-write of oon þat was of Grees; [Grece, β.; Gres, γ.] and þat semeþ wel by som manere acordynge of wordes þat is nouȝt [be not, Cx.] in Hebrewe.