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

Capitulum tricesimum sextum.

DEMETRIUS Sother, Seleuchus [Selencus, Cx., passim.] his sone, went out of þe citee of [of] om. α.] Rome, and occupied þe citees by þe see side, and bygan to regne, and regnede in Asia and in Siria twelve ȝere; forto [to] om. Cx.] he come to Rome in childehode forto [for] om. Cx.] acuse his eme [accuse his uncle, Cx.] Antiochus Epiphanes þat hadde i-putte hym oute of his kyngdom. Þer|fore whan he herde þat his eme [this uncle, Cx.] was dede, he wente aȝen, and meny feng [receyved, Cx.] hym for hir lorde and kyng, so þat þe oost [oost, α.; hoost, Cx.]

of Siria wolde slee Lisia [Licia, Cx.] and þe ȝonge Antiochus þat was aboute forto [for] om. Cx.] regne. Alchimitis [Alchimius, α., β., γ., and Cx.] i-made preost of Aaron his [made preest of Arons, Cx.] ordre, accusede Iudas [Iudas] om. Cx.] Machabeus to þis Demetrius of meny manere þinges and dedes. Þerfore he was i-sent wiþ Bachides to destroye the Iewerie, [Jewry, Cx.] but Iudas wiþstood hem so þat þey spedde nouȝt; þerfore Alchimius tornede aȝen to þe kyng. Nichanor was i-sent of þe kyng aȝenst Iudas, and was i-slawe, [slayne, Cx.] and his heed and his riȝt hond were i-honged [hanged, Cx.] toward Ierusalem, for he hadde proudeliche [prowdly, Cx.] i-spoke, and Iudas was underfonge to frendschipe of [connexed in frendship with, Cx.] þe Romayns, and þe covenant was i-write [wryten, Cx.] in tables of bras. Iudas Machabeus was i-slawe [slayne, Cx., et infra.] of Bachides and Alchimius, and his broþer Ionathas aroos [roos, Cx.] in his stede, and was ledere of þe Iewes nyn|tene ȝere. While Alchimius bygan to destroye Goddis hous and þe werkes of prophetes, he was i-smyte wiþ a palsy [palesie, Cx.] an [and, α. and Cx.] deide. Bachides tornede eft to þe kyng, and þanne two ȝere þe lond was in quyet [quiete, Cx.] and in pees. Alisaundre, Antio|chus Epiphanes his sone, occupiede Tholomayda and Achon,

confetered [confered, α.; and confedred, Cx.] to hym Ionathas, and slouȝ Demetrius þe kyng, and regnede nyne [nyȝen, α.] ȝere in Siria and in Asia, and wedded Cleopatra, Tholomeus his douȝter. Demetrius, [Demetrius] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] his sone, þat fliȝ [fledde, Cx., et infra.] in to Creta to his moder kyn whan his fader was i-slawe, he come aȝen, and gaderede hym strengþe, and occupiede þe londes by þe see side; and Tholomeus ȝaf hym his douȝter Cleopatra to wife, þe whiche he hadde raþer i-ȝeve [byfore yeven, Cx.] to Alisaundre; and so Tholomeus þat traytour esily [traytorliche, β.] occupiede þe londes by the see side, and [þe . . . and] om. β.] Alisaundres citees, and entrede into Antiochia, [traytouresly occupiede Alisaun|dre his citees, entrede into Antiochia, α., γ.; traytrely occupyed Alysanders cytees, entred into Antiochia, Cx.] and took on hym tweyne dea|demes [toke on hym twey dyademes, Cx.] of Egipt and of Asia. Alisaundre was overcome of hym, and fliȝ [and fliȝ] om. α.] into Arabia [to his moder kyn] [From α., β.; wiþ his sone A. to h. m. kyn., γ.; Cx. has, with his sonne Antiochus to his moders cosyns.] and fliȝ. [But þe kyng of Arabia dradde] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] Tholomeus his strengþe, and sente hym Alisaundre his heed. Ptholomeus [Tholomeus, Cx.] deyde þe þridde day after þat, and Demetrius regnede. Petrus, 219. Ionathas was accused to Demetrius þat he hadde i-wonne þe tour in Ierusalem, but he sente grete ȝiftes to Demetrius, and gat grace of hym, so þat he hadde renewed þe principalte [principate, α. β., γ., and Cx.] and þe preosthode. [presthode, Cx.] Þanne Detrius [Demetrius, β. and Cx.] was assured þat þe londe schulde be in pees in his owne hond. He leet his oost [lette his hoost, Cx.] goo home everiche man to his owne place, and hilde [heelde, Cx.] wiþ hym a strong ost. [a straunge hooste, β. and Cx.; strange, γ.] Þerfore þe peple hadde indignacioun of þe kyng, and Ionathas sente þe kyng þre þowsand of choyse [chosen, β. and Cx.; chose, γ.]

men þat chasede [chastede, γ.; chacede, Cx.] þe traytours. At þe laste oon Tryphon, þat was somtyme oon of Alisaundres frendes, wente [wente] om. Cx. wrongly.] in to Arabia, and brouȝt þennes þe ȝonge [thens the yong, Cx.] Antiochus, Alisaundre his sone, and crownede hym kyng, and fauȝte aȝenste De|metrius, and overcome hym, and chasede hym; and Antiochus made frendschipe wiþ Ionathas, and sente hym vessel, pur|pure, and laaces [purpre and laces, Cx.] of silk, and made his broþer Symon duke [duc, Cx.] and ledere. After þat Ionathas renewede frendschipe wiþ þe Romayns and wiþ þe Sparciates. Eutropius, libro 4^o. Þe þridde bataille Punicum aroos. For whanne þe men of Cartage hadde i-doo away hire [theyr, Cx.] schippes and here [her, Cx.] armoure, hem aþouȝte [hem forthought, β. and Cx.] þe dede; and for hem lakkede [laked, Cx.] boþe bras and yren, þey made hem armure [armour, Cx.] of gold and of silver, and made hem tweye dukes and lederes eiþer heet Asdrubal. [Astrubal, Cx.] Þe ȝonge Scipio, þe grete Scipio his nevewe, [Scipions nevewe, Cx.] overcome hem boþe, and took þe citee, and destroyed hit wiþ fuyre, [fyre, Cx.] so þat it brende [brande, γ.] sixtene dayes to giders, [togeders, Cx.] so þat stones were i-brend to askes [asshes, Cx.] and to powder. [pouther, α.; pouþere,] And so Cartage was destroyed aboute a [the, Cx.]

sevene hondred ȝere after þat it was first i-bulde. [bylde, Cx.] ℞. Þat is sooþ forto acounte [forto acounte] om. γ.] from kyng David his [David þis, β.] tyme, so wil [Danidris tyme, so woll, Cx.] the maister in þe [þe] om. α. and Cx.] stories; but loke more hereof in þe firste book, capitulo de Affrica. Orosius, libro 4^o. Þanne kyng Asdrubal his wif for manliche [manly . . . womanly, Cx.] sorwe and wommanliche [manly . . . womanly, Cx.] woodnesse þrewe hir self and here tweie sones in to þe myddel of the fuyre, [fyre, Cx.] and so þe laste lady of Cartage hadde riȝt suche a manere ende as Dydo þe firste lady hadde. Augustinus, primo libro, capitulo 29^o. Whanne þe þridde bataille Puny|cum was i-ended, Marcus Cato counsaillede [þe contrarye and wil nouȝt as|sente. These words are wrongly in|serted in MS. after the first coun|saillede, as well as after the second.] þat it [Cartage, α., β., γ., and Cx.] schulde be destroyed; but Scipio Nasica counsaillede [counseylled, Cx.] þe contrarie, and wil nouȝt [wolde not, Cx.] assente þat it schulde be destroyed. [For he dradde ȝef Cartage were destruyd,] [From γ.] þat sikernesse schulde be enemy to þe brutel wittes of Romayns; ffor as a wardeyn and kepere is nedeful to a childe, so is drede nedeful to cite|seyns, [cytezeins, Cx.] and þat was i-preved by þe same dede. For whan Cartage was destroyed, þan fil meny myshappes, cruel strif and tresoun, þefte [þeeþe, β.; þeofthe, γ.] and robberie, sleynge of citeȝeyns and exilynge, and moche oþer sorwe; so þat þe Romayns loste þe honeste of vertues and of þewes, and suffrede more cruel|nesse

and sorwe of hir [theyr, Cx.] owne neiȝeboures and citeseyns [cytezeyns, Cx.] þan of straunge enemyes. Þis knewe wel Scipio, and wolde nouȝt assente þat Cartage schulde be destroyed, ffor he wolde þat [the] [From Cx. (not γ.)] outtrage schulde be chastised [chasted, γ; chasede, Cx.] by drede.