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

Capitulum tricesimum. [Capitulum 31, β. and Cx.]

AFTER þis Alisaundre, aboute þe enlevenþe ȝere of his kyngdom, passede by þe Est occean; and þe bisshop of þe treen [tren, β. et infra; trees, Cx.] of þe sonne and of þe mone come aȝenst [aȝenes, β.] hym. Þe bisshop was i-closed [i-cloþed, α.; clothed, Cx.] in wylde bestes skynnes, and seide þat þey schulde entre into þe place ȝif þey were clene and nouȝt polute [not pollute, Cx.] in likynge by wommen; but þey schulde of [doo of, Cx.] do [of added in α.] her cloþes and hire array. And for þilke [þulke, γ.] trees were an hondred foot high, [heiȝ, β.; fote highe, Cx.] Alisaundre seide þat it roon [rone, β. and Cx.] ofte in þat place. "Nay", quoþ the preost, and seide þat þere come nevere reyn, noþer bridde, noþer wilde [ne byrd ne wylde, Cx.] beest; but the trees hadde i-wope [wepte, Cx.] in þe eclipses of þe sonne and of þe moone. Petrus, 197. Preostes took [toke of, Cx.] þe apples of þese [þeose, γ.] trees, and

lyvede fyve hondred ȝere; and whan þe beme [beame, Cx.] of þe sonne touchede þe tree of þe sonne, oþer þe beme [beame, Cx.] of þe mone touchede þe tree [treo, γ.] of þe mone, þan anon þe tre wolde schake, [shake, Cx.] and ȝeve answere to hem þat stood aboute. Vincentius. Alisaundre wolde [wold have, Cx.] doo sacrefice to þe trees, and þe preost seide, "It is nouȝt leveful [leeful, α.; leful, Cx.] to sette ensens [afuyre, β.; encense afire, Cx.] on fire in þis place, noþer [ne, Cx.] to slee bestes." Þan Alisaundre fel doun and clipped and kissed [kuste, γ; clypped and kysshed, Cx.] þe stokkes of þe trees, and herde in þe sonne risynge of þe tree of þe sonne spekynge in þe longage of Ynde, and at eve [even, Cx.] in þe mone risynge he herde [of the tree of] [From Cx. (not in γ.)] þe mone spekynge in þe longage of Grees, þat oon schulde be lorde of al þe worlde aboute, and þat he schulde nevere come home in to his owne contray [countrey, Cx.] ; and þerfore he counsaillede hym þat he schulde nouȝt come at Babiloyne, ffor ȝif he dede [dide, β.; yf he cam there, Cx.] he schulde be slawe [slayne, Cx.] þere, nouȝt wiþ egge tool [tole, Cx.] but wiþ venym, þe secounde ȝere after. Also he herde þat his moder schulde wrechchedly deie, and his sustres lyve longe tyme in grete welþe. Petrus, 197. Alisaundre warnede

his maister Aristotle of þis doynge, and of oþer wondres of Ynde. ℞. Meny [Many, Cx.] stories telleþ [tellen, Cx.] þat whanne Alisaundre his knyȝtes wente aboute þe prive [pryuy, Cx.] places of Inde, þere was oon þat blamed greteliche [gretely, Cx.] Alisaundre his covetise, and sent hym a litel stone wiþ yene [eiȝen, β.; yen, γ.; eyen, Cx.] by his knyȝtes, and seide þat here lorde wiþ oute dowte was liche to here [þt, α.; that, Cx.] stoon in alle manere poyntes; and whanne þe [that, Cx.] stoon was i-brouȝt me wondrede longe tyme in whiche [whuch, γ.] side of þe stoon þat liknesse schulde be. At þe laste þe stoon was leide [laid, Cx.] in a balaunce, [a balas, γ.] and he weieþ [weygh, α.; weyȝ, β.; wayȝ, γ.; weyed, Cx.] up al þat me myȝte leie aȝenst hym in þe oþer [myghte be layde ther agayns on that other, Cx.] side forto me leide [till they layde, Cx.] a litel cley aȝenst þe stoon in þe balaunce in þe oþere side, but þat wey [weyȝ, β.; wayȝ, γ.; and it weyed, Cx.] up þe stoon liȝtliche i-now. [lyghtly ynowe, Cx.] Eutropius. Þat ȝere Lucius Papirus, dictator of Rome, þat was so noble a werriour, [þat repeated after werriour, in γ.; wereiour, Cx.] was i-chose [chosen, Cx.] among alle þe Romayns to wiþstonde Alisaundre, and to putte hym of, ȝif he wolde come ynto Italy. He overcome þe Sampnites so wor|schipfulliche þat he bent [beet, Cx.] so doun þe citees so þat þeyȝ me

souȝt þe [þe] om. β.] Sampnium in þat place Sampnium, it myȝt nouȝt be founde. Petrus, 197^o.

Whanne Alisaundre hadde i-wonne [wonne, Cx.] alle þe est londes, and wente toward his owne contray, þe messangers [messagers, Cx., et infra.] of þe west londes, [landes, Cx.] of Affrica, of Spayne, and of Italy, come in to Babilon to ȝilde [yelde, Cx.] hem to his lordschipe and mageste. [majeste, γ.] Noþeles he hopede þerby to be kynge holiche [holliche, β.; holych, γ.; holly, Cx.] of al þe worlde, and for grete likyng and ioye he forȝat þe answere of þe trees of the sonne and of þe mone, and wente in to Babilon to speke wiþ þese [þeos, γ.] messangers. Trogus, libro 12^o. Also þe stewardes [stiwardes, β., et infra.] þat he hadde i-made wardeynes and kepers of provinces and of londes [of landes and of provynces, Cx.] [met wiþ hym þere, and were grevousliche accused of men of provinces and londes], [Added from α., β., γ., and Cx.] and heet hong hem [hete hem hange hem, Cx.] þere in siȝt of þe messangers þat were i-come [comen, Cx.] out of þe west londes. Alisaundre took Darius douȝter to wyve, and mariede noble maydons of þe contray [countrey, Cx.] to men of Macedonia. He lefte olde men, and took [to him] [Added from α., β., γ., and Cx.] ȝongelynges. Also he fong [receyved, Cx.] his moder lettres of þe fraude and tresoun of Anti|pater [Antiparte, Cx.]

steward of Macedonia: he sigh [sawe, Cx.] þat þe kynge hadde i-slawe his men, and þat nouȝt [nouȝt] om. Cx.] he hym self was nouȝt rewarded for his grete travailles, and henge hym self, [hym self] om. α., β., γ.,; tra|uailes and huge and dradde, β.; and huge, γ.; and henge hymself, om. Cx.] and dredde ful sore leste hym schulde worse byfalle, and ordeyne [ordeynde, α.; ordeyned, Cx.] his sone Cassandrus to occipie [occupie, β.; occupye, γ.; em|poysen, Cx.] þe kyng wiþ venym. Þe strengþe and þe malice of þis venym was so grym and so grisliche [soo vyolent and tynynge, Cx.] þat no bras, ne [noon, α.] iren, [yre, γ.] ne [ne] om. α.] non manere metaille [metalle, Cx.] myȝte it holde, but oonliche þe hoo [hoof, Cx.] of an hors foot myȝte it holde. Þan at [atte, Cx.] soper of Tessalus þe fisician, [phicicien, Cx.] among greet service of mete and drynke, Alisaundre was i-poysoned, and grente as he were i-stiked [yave a groone as though he had be stykked, Cx.] wiþ a knyf [þorw þe body wiþ a swerd, α., β., γ., and Cx.] þoruȝ þe body, and dradde þe handelynge of manis hond as sore as harde woundes, and axede [axide, β.] a tool to slee hymself in remedie of sorwe. His frendes trowede þat unsete [unholsomme, Cx.] mete þat he hadde i-ete [eten, Cx.] at soper was cause of his siknesse. [sekenesse, Cx.] Petrus, 197^o. Þanne Alisaundre loste his speche, and wroot his laste wille,

and wolde nouȝt make oon man heier [heyr, Cx.] of his hole kyngdom, for me schulde [rede] [From α. β., γ., and Cx.] after hym of no man þat were his pere, but he made twelve ȝong men þat were his felawes of ȝowþe successoures to þe [of his, Cx.] kyngdom; but þat ordynaunce durede nouȝt longe, for foure of hem regnede, and þe oþere were for|sake, so it is comprehended in Daniel. Trogus, libro 12^o. Whanne [that, added in Cx.] Alisaundres frendes seigh [syȝ, β.; sawe, Cx., et infra.] þat he schulde deie, þey axede of hym who schulde be his eire [heyr, Cx.] and emperour after hym. "Þe moste worþy," quoþ he. He was so stoute and so [so] om. Cx.] greet of herte þat [þat] om. Cx.] þey he hadde a sone Hercules and a broþer Arrideus, [broder Arydeus, Cx.] and sigh [sawe, Cx.] also his wif Raxones wiþ childe, he forȝate þe ofspringe and lynage, and ordeyned þat þe wor|þyeste schulde be his successour and hire [hire] his, α.; om. β. and Cx.] emperour. He seigh [sawe, Cx.] also þat of þis manere spekynge and doynge myȝte come greet stryf, for covetise [for covetise] om. Cx.] and envie. Whan he myȝt not speke, he took þe ryng of his fynger and ȝaf it to oo Perdica in tokene þat he schulde be his successour. Alisaundre deide þe ȝere of his kyngdom twelve, and the ȝere of his age þre and þritty. Strounge [Stronge, α.; Straunge, β.; Strange, γ. and Cx.] men made sorwe for his deeþ as þeygh he were here fader; and þey þat were next hym made ioye as þey [Darius moder, β. and Cx.] here enemy were overcome. Darius his moder [Darius moder, β. and Cx.] ordeyned for his deeþ, nouȝt forto putte her enemye to fore [byfore, Cx.] her sone, [þouȝ, β.]

but for sche hadde i-founde wiþ hym myldenesse as it were þe myldeste [myldenesse, α., β., and Cx.; myldenes, γ.] of here sone. Also his frendes preyde to Iubiter, þat þey [þat þey] and, α., β., γ., and Cx.] had answere, and ordeyned forto burye hym nouȝt [nouȝt] om. Cx.] in Egipt, nouȝt in Memphis, but in þe citee Alexandria þat he hadde i-bulde. [bylde, Cx.] Policratica, libro 4^o. In Grees was no [never, Cx.] man grettre þan Alisaundre; noþeles Perdica, a tombester [tomblestres, β. and Cx.] sone, was his successour, and nouȝt his owne sone. So it is i-rad seelde oþer nevere þat þe emperours chidren were [Emperours his childer wer . . ., γ.; for it is a comyn sawe, Sylde owther never emperours chil|dren were, Cx.] þe fader heyres: [for they hadde her owne enemyes to be her heyres, or els heyres] [From β. and Cx.] þat þey knewe nouȝt. Trogus, libro 12^o. Whanne Alisaundre was i-buried, philosofres come to gidres, and seide: "Alisaundre haþ i-made tresour of golde, but now is þe contrarie." Anoþer seide, "Al þe world was so litel for [to β., γ., and Cx.] hym ȝisterday, [ȝurstonday, γ. et infra.] and nowe foure elnes beeþ [foure elnes of cloþ buþ ynow . . . γ.; ellnes is, Cx.] inow at þe fulle." [folle, γ.] Anoþer seide, "ȝisterday [ȝurstonday, γ. et infra.] he hadde þe peple at his hestes, and now þe peple haþ hym at here heste." Anoþer seide, "ȝisterday [ȝurstonday, γ. et infra.] he hadde [ladde, α.; had, Cx.] an oost [hooste, Cx.] ; to day is þe contrarie, for an oost [hooste, Cx.] ledeþ hym." Another seide [that] [Cx., not β. nor γ.] ȝisterday [ȝurstonday, γ. et infra.] he bare doun [adowne, Cx.] men, and to day [this day, Cx.] he is i-bore doun under erþe. [ȝurstenday, γ.]

Petrus, 197. After þe grete Alisaundre, in þe foure parties of þe world regnede foure kynges. Phelip Arrideus, [Arydeus, Cx.] Ali|saundre his broþer, regnede in þe west in Macedonia in Grees; Antigonus regnede in þe norþ of Asia and of Pontus; Sileuchus [Selenchus, Cx.] Nichanor regnede in þe est of Siria and of Babilon, and, after Nichanor, Antiochus Sother. Kynges þat regnede þere after hym hadde þe name of hym, and were i-cleped [named, Cx.] Antiochi, and everiche in þe singuler [every in the singler, Cx.] nombre was i-cleped Anthiochus. Þe kynges þat come after [succeeded, Cx.] hym were Antiochus Theos, Antiochus Galericus, Antiochus þe Grete, Antiochus Epiphanes. Also in þe souþ, in [of, Cx.] Egipt, regnede Tholomeus, Lagus his sone. Of hym kynges hadde þat name, and were i-cleped Tholomei; the whiche [whoche, γ.] kynges were Phila|delphus, Euergetes, Philapator þat heet [Philopater otherwise called, Cx.] Eupator also, Epi|phanes, Philometor, Euergetes, Sother. Iosephus, libro 12^o. [120, Cx.]