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

Capitulum tricesimum primum. [Cap. xxxii. in β. and Cx.]

THOLOMEUS, Lagus his sone, regnede after Alisaundre in Egipte fourty ȝere, and was i-cleped Savyour, and hadde þat

name Sother for a surname. [hadde a surname Sother, α., β., and Cx.] He putte [put to, Cx.] Siria to his kyng|dom, and werred wiþ þe Iewes þat were ydel in þe holy day, and took prisoners of hem, and sette hem to sale. In his dayes deide Iadus bisshop of Iewes. After Iadus, his sone Onias was bisshop; after [hym] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] Symon þe riȝtful; after hym his broþer Eleazarus. Þis [þes, γ.] Tholomeus was so strong þat he restored Pirrus kyng of Epirotes [Epurtes, Cx.] to his kyngdom aȝen, after þat his enemys hadde i-putte hym out of his kyngdom, and he overcome Demetrius, Antigonus his sone, and restored som of þe kyngdom to Seleucus [Salencus, Cx.] kyng of Siria, ffor þe kyng|dom was bynome Seleucus to forehonde. [byfore, Cx.] Agatocles useþ tyrauntise [usiþ tirauntre, β.; tyraundyse, γ.; Agathocles used tyrannye, Cx.] in Siracusa: of his wonderful bygynnynge me redeþ in Trogus his bookes. Tholomeus took Ierusalem [Iherusalem, Cx.] by fraude and by [by] om. Cx.] gile, and took meny Iewes prisoners, and solde hem for covetise. Theophatus [Theophratus, Cx., et infra.] þe philosofre hadde þat name Theophatus for his noble spekynge of God allemyȝty. This Theophatus and Menander [Menand, α., β., and γ. (without any abbreviation mark); Menandis, Cx.] beeþ in hir [be in theyr, Cx.] floures. From þis ȝere [þe storye] [From α., β., γ.,; Cx. has the historye.] of Machabeyes acounteþ [acompted, Cx.] nouȝt [nouȝt] om. β. and γ.]

þe kyngdom of Grees, regnum Grecorum. Aboute þis tyme Seleucus kyng of Siria bulde Antiochia, Laodicia, [Leodicia, Cx.] and Seleu|cia. Þe grete Symon, Onyas his sone, is in his floures, [prosperyte, Cx.] and is i-cleped riȝtful for his riȝtful byleve and worschippinge of God. Þe Tarentes dede grete vilonie [fylany, γ.; vyleny, Cx.] to þe messangers [messagiers, Cx.] of Rome; þerfore þey took wiþ hem Pirrus kyng of Epirotes, with foure score þowsand of [of] om. Cx., et infra.] foot men, and sevene þowsand of horsmen, and twenty oliphauntes, aȝenst the Romayns; but Pirrus was overcome in the þridde fiȝtynge, and tornede home aȝen to his owne contray. After þis þe Tarentynes and þe Cartaginiensis to gidres [togeder, Cx.] werrede aȝenst þe Romayns, and þanne arise [ryse, α., γ.; and rise, β.; and reysed the, Cx.] the batailles þat beeþ i-cleped Bella Punica. Eutropius. Pirrus overcom þe Romayns in þe firste bataille, and occupiede Italy anon to [unto, Cx.] þe citee Prenestes, eyȝtetene myle from Rome, and sent home [hem, Cx.] þe prisoners þat were i-take on lyve [taken alyve, Cx.] wiþ oute raunsoun, and buried alle þat were i-slawe [slayne, Cx.] ; and whanne he seigh hym ligge wiþ grisliche [beheld them lye with grisely, Cx.] woundes and sterne semblant and cruel, [cruwel, β. and γ.] he ȝaf [haf, β. and γ.] up his hondes, [sterne, terrible, and cruel, he heef up his hand, Cx.] and seide þat he myȝte be lord of þe worlde ȝif he

hadde suche knyȝtes. Pirrus profrede þe ferþe [fourth, Cx.] part of his kyngdom þat he hadde i-gete [geten, Cx.] to oon Fabricius, messanger [messagyer, Cx.] of Rome, forto [for] om. β. and Cx.] holde wiþ hym and be on [in, α.; yn, γ.] his side; and Fabricius wolde nouȝt assente. [Þanne Pirrus sente] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] oon Cinea come [come] om. α., γ., and Cx.] wiþ grete ȝiftes in message to þe Romayns, and axede [desired, Cx.] pees wiþ skilful condiciouns [Trogus, decimo sep|timo] [From β., γ., and Cx.] ; but he fonde [founde, Cx.] no manis hous þat wolde fonge [receyve, Cx.] his ȝiftes, but was i-put of; and þe prisoners þat were i-sent [i-] om. α. and Cx.] aȝe [agayne, Cx.] were i-sclaundred for evermore, for þey were i-take prisoners while þey were i-armed. [Titus.] [From Cx.] Cineas come aȝen, and seide to Pirrus þat he hadde i-seie þe contray [sene the contreye, Cx.] of kynges; and seide [that] [From β., γ., and Cx.] nygh al þat were þere were suche as Pirrus was i-holde [holden, Cx.] among his owne men. Þanne in þe secounde bataille Pirrus was overcome, and his olyphauntes were i-slawe [slayne, Cx., et infra.] and twenty þowsand of his men. For, as Isodorus [Isoder, Cx.] seiþ, þe Romayns hadde i-ordeyned [yordeyng, γ.] swift ȝonge|lynges sittynge byhynde horsmen, þe whiche ȝongelynges

leep [ȝonglingis leepe, β.; yonge men lepte, Cx.] doun liȝtliche in þe fiȝtynge, and clawede and frotede [frotide, β.] þe oliphauntes in þe forhedes wiþ horscombes, forto [unto, Cx.] þe oly|phauntes fel [fylle, Cx.] doun and deide riȝt þere. Þan Pirrus was overcome, and wente into Tarent, and seillede [sayled, Cx.] þennes in to Grees, þere he was afterward i-slawe. Valerius. Pirrus and [and] om. Cx., in mistake.] Fabricius hadde castelles nyh to gideres, [nyghe togeders, Cx.] and Pirrus phicician come to Fabricius, and byhet [biheet, β.; promysede, Cx.] hym þat he wolde take to hym his lorde, ȝif he wolde take to [ȝeve, α. and Cx.] hym a covenable mede. Þanne þis Fabricius bonde þis phisician, [phicicien, Cx.] and sente hym to his lorde, and messangers [messagyers, Cx.] to warne hym of þe tresoun and of þe falshede. [falsed, γ.] Þan þe kynge wondrede and seide: "Þis is Fabricius, þat is hardere to be i-torned [tourned, Cx., bis.] out of honeste þanne is þe sonne to be torned out of his cours." Titus. Pirrus was i-praied [praysed, Cx.] of þe Tarentinus [Tarentines, Cx.] to werre aȝenst þe Romayns, and [he] [In β. and Cx.] axede of Appolyn what ende [ynde, Cx.] þe bataille schulde have; and Appolyn answered hym amphabolice, [amphibolice, β. and γ.; amphi|bolyce. Cx.] þat is, [that] [From Cx.] he ȝaf hym an answere of double understondynge: "It may falle [befalle the Pirrus, Cx.] þat [þei, β.; þe, γ.] Pirrus to scomfite

þe Romayns." Pirrus was comforted by his [with this, Cx.] answere, and come to Eraclea þe citee of Sampnia; þere þe Romayns þe firste day were aferd and agrised [agrise, β.; agryse, γ.] of þe hugenesse [horrible gretenesse, Cx.] and schap and smyl of þe [þe] om. γ.] olyphauntes, and fligh [flye, γ.; smelle of olyfauntes and fledde, Cx.] awey for drede; but in þe secounde bataille Pirrus was sore i-wounded [soore wounded, Cx.] in his arme, and went his wey þens. In meny places of Italy blood sprang and ran out of þe [þe] om. β. and Cx.] welles, and reyn [rayne, Cx.] of melk come doun from hevene. Seleuchus [Selencus, Cx.] kyng of Siria took many Iewes in to þe citees of his kyngdom, and graunted hem as greet worschippe as þe Grees [Grekes, Cx.] hadde. Eleazarus, Symon his broþer, is bisshop of Iewes. Þe Romayns bulde Benevent in Sampnium. Gaufridus et Alfridus. Aboute þis tyme Morin|dus þe cruel, sone of Damus, [Danius, α., β., γ., and Cx.] regned in Bretayne; [Brytayne, Cx.] his moder heet [was called, Cx., et infra.] Tangustela, and was Damus his [Danius', Cx.] concubine. Þis Morindus [Moryndus, β.] dede [did, Cx.] meny cruel dedes, and was i-ete at [eten atte, Cx.] þe laste of a greet beest of þe see, and lefte after hym fyve sones. Þe first heet [was called, Cx., et infra.] Gorbonianus, and [he, Cx.] loved wel riȝtwisnesse, and regnede a whyle, and deide. [deyde, γ.] Þan þe secounde sone Arch|gallo

regnede cruelliche, [cruwelich, β.; cruwelych, γ.; cruelly, Cx.] and was at þe laste i-put out by þe peple. [atte last by the peple was putte out, Cx.] Þanne þe þridde sone Elidurus, a mylde man and softe, was i-made [made, Cx.] kyng, and after fyve [fyf, γ.] ȝere of his kyngdom he hontede [hunted, Cx.] in a woode þat heet Caltum, [Caltrium, α., β.; Calterium, γ.; Calcum, Cx.] ℞, [℞] om. Cx.] þat now hatte Caltrees, [Caltres, β. and γ.; Caltras, Cx.] bysides ȝork. Gaufridus. Byside þe citee Alclud [Alcluit, α. β.; Acliut, Cx.] he fond his broþer Archgallo maskynge, þat was i-putte [putte, Cx.] out of his kyngdom, and kepte hym priveliche [pryvely, Cx.] in his chaumbre, and lay on [in, β. and Cx.] his bed, and feyned hym sike, [seke, Cx.] and sente for þe lordes of þe londe, and compelled [compellide, β.] hem to restore his broþer Archgallo to þe kyngdom. Þan Archgallo regnede ten ȝere, and deide. Þan Elidurus was restored efte to his [þe, α.; the, Cx.] kyngdom; but his tweyne [twey, β. and Cx.] oþer breþeren, Vigenius and Peri|durus, werred wiþ hym, and prisoned hym in Trinouantum, þat is, Londoun, and þey tweyne [twey, Cx.] regnede by stempnes, [stemnes, γ.; tymes, Cx.] eiþer after oþer, and deide at [deyeden atte, β.; atte, Cx.] þe laste. Þanne Elidurus was i-take [take, Cx.] out of prisoun, and restored to þe kyngdom, þo [þo] om. Cx.] þe þridde [þrid, β.]

tyme, and lyved afterward in pees to his lyves ende. After hym two and þritty kynges regnede among the Britouns [Brytayns, Cx.] everich after oþer; among þe whiche kyng Bledgaret passede alle his predecessoures in musik [musicke, Cx.] and in melodie, so þat he was i-cleped [called, Cx.] god of glee men. After þat Hely regnede fourty ȝere, and lefte þre noble sones on lyve after hym, Lud, Cassi|belanus, and Nemius. [Vennius, γ.] Petrus, capitulo 200.