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

Capitulum tertium.

BALTHASAR regnede in Caldea and in Babilon; in his firste ȝere [Daniel] [From α. and γ.] siȝe [sawe, Cx.] his fourþe [feorþe, β.] siȝte of þe foure wyndes of [in, Cx. and γ.] the see, þat is þe [þe] om. Cx.] foure anglis, [angels, Cx. and β.; angles, γ.] of þe foure bestes, of þe leon, þe beere, [beore, γ.] þe pardus, and þe boor, þat is [of] [Cx.] þe foure chef kyngdoms of þe world, [world, from Cx., β., and γ.; whiche, MS.] and of þe ten hornes, þat is [of] [Cx.] þe oþere ten smale kyngdoms þat sprang out of þe fourþe [ferþe, γ.] best, and schal be sodued [shold be subdued, Cx.; sudewide, β.; soduwed, γ.] of a litel horn, þat is Antecrist. Petrus 163. Þis Antecrist unworþy, of þe lynage of Dan, schal be bore [borne, Cx.] of þe seed of fader and [of] [Cx.] moder in a derk place of Babilon; and after þat he is conceyued an euel spirit schal alite [lyght, Cx.; alyȝt, γ.] in to his moder wombe, and by vertue of hym þe childe schalle afterward be i-fedde, [yued, β.] i-bore, [yned, born, Cx.] and wexe, and be cleped þe childe of lost and [losse or, Cx.] of lesynge, [leesing, β.; leosyng, γ.] and þre of [þre of, from α., β., γ., and Cx.; þerof, MS.] þe firste ten hornes beeþ i-smete [y-smyȝte, α.; smyten, Cx.] of his face; þat is to menynge [say, Cx.] he

schal firste slee þre kynges of þilke ten kynges, [kynges] om. Cx.] þe kyng of Assiria, [Affrica, Cx.] þe kyng of Egipte, [and] [From α. and γ.] þe kyng of Ethiopia, and þan þe oþere seuene kynges schal ȝilde hem to þat [fals] [Cx.] victor Antecrist. He schal haue wonder witte and konnynge, for by wycchecraft [wytchecrafte, Cx.] he schal wirche wondres, and fynde tresour þat is hidde. [yhud, γ.] He schal circumcide [circumside, Cx.] hym, and clepe hym self Messias, þat is Crist. Iewes schalle falle on [on] om. Cx.] to hym, and he schal bulde þe temple aȝen, and sette his trone þerynne; he schal torne men to hym wiþ drede, wiþ ȝiftes, and wiþ wonder werkes þat he schal worche. He schal slee Ennoc and Hely; he schal greue God alle myȝty [almyghties, Cx.] his holy peple, þat schal be i-take [bitake, β.] into [bitaken unto, Cx.] his hond anon to þe tyme and tymes and half a tyme, þat is anon to þe [α, α., γ., and Cx.] ȝere and two ȝere and half a ȝere; and Remigius seiþ þat þe [þe] om. Cx.] Antecrist schal feyne him i-slawe, [deed, Cx.] and arise [agayne]; [Cx.] but at þe laste Crist schal slee hym oþer by his owne heste oþer by seruice of Seint Michel [Michael, Cx.; Mighel, β.] þe arch|angel: and Ieronimus [Jeromus, α.] super Danielem seiþ þat Antecrist schal be slawe in his owne tent in þe mount [of] [From α.] Olyuete: þere [where, Cx.] Crist stiȝe [steyȝ, α.; ascended, Cx.; stiȝ, β.; styȝ, γ.] in to heuene. And Remigius seiþ þat þe Crist [Crist, from Cx., β., and γ.; Antecriste, MS.] schal nouȝt come to [unto, Cx.] þe dome anon as þe Ante|Crist [till Antecrist, Cx.] is i-slawe; but men þat schal be saued schal haue fyue

and fourty dayes forto do penaunce. Þerfore take hede þat þeigh it be writte in Mattheu and in Mark 13^o, þat no man knoweþ þat hour but þe fader allone, ȝit Goddes sone knoweþ it, for he is þe same God þat is þe fader. But þerfore it is seide þat he knoweþ it nouȝt, for he makeþ not us knowe it þat beeþ his lemes [lymmes, Cx.] and holy chirche here in þe [þe] om. Cx.] erþe; it is nouȝt spedeful [spedfol, γ.] to us to knowe þat day. Austyn in glosa seiþ þat [þat] om. Cx.] þe laste day is unknowe to us for we schulde be war of alle, and sowe [Soo we, Cx.] schulde lyue [lybbe, γ.] alway as þey [þeyȝ, γ.] we schulde be demed to day oþer to morwe. Trogus, libro 2^o. Aboute þat tyme at Athenes, after þe deþ of Salon þe wise, oon Phili|stratus bete [Phisistratus botte, Cx.; beote, β.] hym self þat he bledde, and seide þat [þe juges and] added in γ.] þe grete maistres hadde i-bete hym so for loue þat he hadde to þe peple and þe comounte. [comyntee, Cx.; comynte, γ.] Þerfore were meny knyȝtes i-sette forto [assigned to, Cx.] kepe hym, and he regnede at Athene foure and þritty ȝere. Polichronicon, libro octavo. Þus [þis, α.; þus, γ.] his wif [The wyf of this, Cx.] egged hym for to slee oon þat hadde ycused [y-cussed, α. and γ.; kysshed, Cx.; kisside, β.] his douȝter in þe hiȝe weye, and he answerede and seide, "ȝif we sleeþ hym þat loueþ [them that loven, Cx.] us, what schulle we doo to hym þat hateþ [hem that haten, Cx.] us." Daniel seiȝ [siȝ, γ.] þe fifte siȝt and visioun of þe weder [whether or sheep, Cx.; weþer, γ.] þat hadde hornes nouȝt al i-liche, þat is to menynge [understande, Cx.] of þe kyngdom of [þe] [From α.]

Medes and of Perses; and of þe goot bukke, [buck, Cx.] þat is þe grete Alisaundre [Alysander, Cx.] þat was i-drad and bytokened by þat book, [buk, Cx.; bokke, γ.] and on hym þrewe [grewe, Cx.] foure hornes þat were his successours. On [One, Cx.] litel horne, þat is Antiochus [Anthyochus, Cx.] Epiphanus, com of oon of [oon of] om. α.; one, Cx.] þe foure hornes, for he come of Seleucus, þat was somtyme plegge and prisoner at Rome; but he scaped þennes [and wente þennes], [Inserted in α. but not in Cx.] and werred in þe kyngdom, and defouled þe temple. Þe sixte siȝte of Daniel byfel [was, Cx.; bifil, β.; byful, γ.] whan Balthazar wiþ his concubynes drank of þe vessel of þe temple of oure Lord, whiche [þe whuch, γ.] vessel his graunsire [grauntsire, Cx.] þe grete Nabugodonosor hadde i-brouȝt out of Ierusalem. Balthasar seigh [sawe, Cx., et passim.] an hond write to fore [byfore, Cx.] hym in [on, Cx.] þe wal [these wordes], [Cx.] and wroot [and wroot] om. Cx.] Mane, techel, phares, þat is to mene, [understonde, Cx.] noumbre, wyȝte, [wight, Cx.] and delynge, Þan [which, Cx.] Danyel expowned and seide, "God haþ i-tolde and noum|bred þy kyngdom; þat is now fulfilde [folfuld, γ.] ffor þe firste; þou art i-weye on a balaunce and i-founde þat þou hast lasse; þat is, þou leuest [lyvest, Cx. and γ.] lasse while þan þou wendest, [wentest, γ.] for þe secounde: þy kyngdom is deled from þe, andi-ȝeue to þe Perses, for þe þridde."

Þanne þe same nyȝt Cirus and Darius come and took þe citee Babilon, and slowh Balthasar. Orosius. [Oracius, Cx.] Whan Cirus hadde i-wonne þe est [eeste, Cx.] londes, and come towarde Paradys, [Babilon, α. and γ.; Babyloyn, Cx.] þe ryuer Eufrates lette hym, and a bolde knyȝt and a faire þat þe kyng louede wel, auntred [aventured, Cx.; auntride, β.] hym in to þe water and was adraynt. [drowned, Cx.; adreynt, γ.] Þanne þe kyng was sory and wrooþ, and made his auowe [afow, γ.] þat he wolde make þat greet ryuer so schalowe [schoolt, γ.; schoold, β.] þat [so shalde withoute depnesse that, Cx.] þe water schulde nouȝt reche [come, Cx.; tille to, β.; tylle to wymmen knen, γ.] to [tille, α.] women kneen [knees, Cx.] þat wolde wade over; þerfore in þe brode feeldes he departed þe ryuer in foure hundred and sixty [thre score, Cx.] chaneles, and so destroyed þe ryuer þat was i-wonte [ywond, γ.] to renne þoruȝ þe myddel of Babyloyne, and so enemyes wente ynne and took þe citee þat me wolde wene þat [þat] om. Cx.] myȝte nouȝt be bulde noþer destroyed by no manis dede. Petrus 16, 5. [165, α. and Cx.] Som telleþ [Somme wryte, Cx.] þat Balthasar his moder, for whom [wham, γ.] the orchard suspensilis was i-made, was Darii his douȝter, [Darius doughter, Cx.] and for Balthasar hadde no sone, Darius, Cirus his

eme, i-socied to Cirus [Cyrus eame socyed and ioyned to Cyrus, Cx.] occupied þat kyngdom. Petrus [166]. [From α. and γ.] Whan Balthasar was i-slawe, Darius tornede þe kyngdom of Babilon and of Caldea to þe Perses [Pers, γ.] and Medes. Þat ȝere byfel þe seuenþe siȝt [vysion, Cx.] of Daniel: ffor Daniel suede [sywede, γ.] Darius for to þat he was i-doo in þe pitte [put, α. and γ.; till he was done and putt in to the pitte, Cx.] of leons in Meda for [that] [Cx.] he worschipped his God. And þe same ȝere bifel þe eiȝte siȝte [echt avision, Cx.] of Danyel; for þe aungel Gabriel certefied hym of þe fynel [fynal, γ.] taking and bondage þat was to [þat was to] om. Cx.] comynge by þe Romayns, and of þe comynge of Crist after seuenty wokes [wekes, Cx.] of ȝeres. For Gabriel seide seuenty schort wokes beeþ uppon þe [thy, Cx. and γ.] peple, þere [that be wekes sette not of dayes but of yeres, Cx., and similarly, α., β., and γ.] beeþ wokes i-sette nouȝt of ȝeres but of dayes, so þat oon woke conteyneþ [weke conteyned, Cx.] seuene ȝere; and he seyþ [sayd, Cx.] schort wekes, for we schulde understonde ȝere [yeres, Cx. and γ.] of þe mone and nouȝt of þe sonne, for a ȝere of þe mone is schortere by enleuene dayes þan a ȝere [an yere, Cx.] [of þe sonne]. [From α. and γ.] Trevisa. Þe [α, Cx.] ȝere of þe sonne is from a day of the ȝere to þe same anoþer ȝere; but þe ȝere of þe mone is from prime in a monþe [monethe, Cx., et infra.] of þe ȝere to þe firste prime in þe same monþe [of] [Cx.]

anoþer ȝere, and þat wil be enleuene dayes raþer in þe secounde ȝere þan in þe firste ȝere: ensample, whanne prime gooþ by oon þanne falleþ the prime þe þre [þridde, γ.] and twenty day of Ianyuer, [Ianuary, Cx.] and þe next ȝere after it schal falle þe twelfþe [twelf, γ.] day of Ianyuer, [Ianuary, Cx.] and þat is enleuene dayes raþer. Þanne hit seweþ [sueþ, α. and Cx.; hyt folweþ, γ.] in þe storie, [thistory, Cx.] þanne seuenty wokes of ȝeres of þe sonne makeþ foure hondred ȝere foure score and ten; [but seuenty wokes of ȝeres of þe mone makeþ foure hondred yere foure score; [and fyue] added in γ.] and] [but seventy . . . score and] om. Cx., but inserted in α.] Beda rekeneþ þese [this, Cx.; þeos, γ.] seuenty wokes of ȝeres of þe mone from þe twentiþe [twenty, Cx.] ȝere of Artaxerses [Artaxzerses, Cx.] þe king. Þat ȝere Neomias hadde leue and bulde þe temple anon to þe eiȝtenþe ȝere of Tyberius Cesar, þat ȝere Crist suffrede deþ. Affricanus historicus [Affrycanus history, Cx.] accordeþ wiþ Beda touchinge the by|gynnynge, but [bote, γ., semper.] he endeþ þe seuenty wokes in þe fifteþe [xv., Cx.] ȝere of Tyberius Cesar, in þat ȝere Crist was i-cristened. [baptysed, Cx.; folewide, β.; yfolled, γ.] Ter|tullianus [Tercullianus, Cx.] rekeneþ þese [this, Cx.; þeos, γ.] ȝeres from þe firste ȝere of Darius. Þat ȝere was Goddes word i-schewed to Danyel forto þat Titus [till Titus, Cx.] destroyed þe temple. Þe nynþe siȝte [avision, Cx.] [of Danyel was] [Cx. and β.]

of a man i-cloþed in lynnen, whos [whas, γ.] body was of crissolitus; and þe tenþe [teoþe, γ.] siȝt of þe after folwynge of þe kynges of Perse, and of þe kyng of [of] om. Cx.] Alisaundre his successoures, and of þe [þe] om. Cx.] Antecrist Daniel sigh [siȝ, γ.] þe þridde ȝere of Cirus kyng of Perse. [℞.] [Cx.] Hit is uncerteyn how longe Daniel lyuede, but noþeles me redeþ in þe firste chapitre of his book þat he durede anon to þe firste ȝere of Cirus.