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

Capitulum quadragesimum secundum.

Iulius wente to ward þe Capitoil, and fenge [receyved, Cx.] lettres þat were iuges [juggis, Cx. A common error of the versions, from reading iu|dices instead of indices.] of his deþ. Þe messanger [messager, Cx.] þat brouȝt þe lettres seide þat he schulde be deed ȝif he come þat day among þe gardeyns [gaderyng, β.; gadryng, γ. and Cx.] of þe peple. "I schal now," quod [sayde, Cx., et infra.] Iulius, "speke wiþ an astromyer, [astronomer, Cx.] and afterward I schal see þe gaderynge [gadrynge, Cx.] and þe lettres." Þan he cleped [callyd, Cx.] to hym an astronomer, þat seide þat Iulius schulde deie in þe kalendas. "To [this, Cx.] day," quod Iulius, "beeþ [be, Cx.] þe kalendas, and ȝit I [Ich, β. and γ.] am on lyve." "To day beeþ þe kalendas," quod [sayde, Cx., et infra.] þe astronomer, "but þey beeþ nouȝt apassed; [α] om. Cx.] and I [Ich, β.] wolde þat I [y, β.] were i-founde a lier." Þanne Iulius wente to þe Capitoyle, and was i-slawe [slayn, Cx.] with swerdes [sweordes, γ.; alles, Cx.] of comoun contakkours, [comyn contakeurs, γ.; comune contekkers or brawlers, Cx.] þe firste day of Marche. But þere semed no wounde in his body, but þe lettres were i-founde

in his hond after his deeþ. Petrus. An hondred [hondreth, Cx.] dayes to fore [bifore, Cx.] Iulius his deth fil [fylle, Cx.] a liȝtnynge uppon Iulius his ymage in þe chepynge [clepyng, γ.] place, and took away þis [the, Cx.] lettre C of þis name Cesar. Also þe nyȝt to fore [byfore, Cx.] his deth his chambre wyndowes were so griseliche [gryslye, Cx.] and so sterneliche i-oponed, [sternly opened, Cx.] þat Iulius resede oute of his bedde, and wende þat þe hous hadde i-falle uppon hym. Al [Also, β., γ., and Cx.] þe day afore [after, β., γ., and Cx.] his deeth þere semede þre sonnes in þe Est, þat went [a] [From Cx.] litel and litel to giders al in to oon sonne, [togeder alle in oon sonne, Cx.] þat bytokened þat þe lordschippes [lordschip, γ.] of [þe] [From β., γ., and Cx.] þre parties of þe worlde schulde al come [come alle, Cx.] in to oon princes lord|schipe. Oþere [Owther, Cx.] more verrayliche [verreylych, γ.; verely, Cx.] it bytokened þat al þe worlde schulde knowe þe Trinite, þre persones and oon God. Also an oxe spak to a plowȝ [plowe, Cx.] man in þe subarbes of Rome, and seide þat he was i-priked and i-dryve [prykked and dryven, Cx.] in [in] om. γ.] idel, "For in a schort tyme," quod [sayd, Cx.] he, "men schal fayle more þan oxen oþer whete." Also [in] [From β., γ., and Cx.] Iulius his piler, þat now pyl|gryms clepeþ [calle, Cx.] Seynt Petres nedle, [neld, γ.; nylde, Cx.] þere þe askes [asshes, Cx.] were of

Iulius his body þat was i-brend, [ybarnd, γ.] hit was i-write [writen, Cx.] in metre in þis manere:

"Þou were grete, Cesar, [as] [From β., γ., and Cx.] al þe world is at ene, [eve, Cx.] And art now sette þere i-closed in a litel stene."

℞. Also meny men write meny þinges and [in, β., γ., and Cx.] preysinge of Iulius Cesar, ffor Eutropius, libro 6^o, seiþ þat no man was pun|sched þat day [punysshed this daye, Cx.] þat he entrede in to þe citee. Also he made his knyȝtes have costelewe [costlew, Cx.] armure, for þey schulde defende hem þe manloker [manlyker, γ.; more manly, Cx.] for drede of so greet lost. [grete losse, Cx.] Þere was nevere man more noble þan he in batayle: by his ledynge [there] [From Cx.] were i-slawe enlevene [elleven, β.] hondred þowsand foure score þowsand and twelve þowsand of [his] [From Cx.] enemyes, al [al] om. Cx.] wiþ oute þe batayles þat were i-cleped bella civilia, for he wolde noȝt write þe nombre of hem þat were i-slawe [slayn, β.] in civile batayle. [batails, β.; bataylis, Cx.] Trevisa. Bellum civile is a batayle bytwene þe Romayns hem self, and [whanne, β.] some of Rome fiȝteþ and ȝeveþ batayle aȝenst oþere of Rome. [and some . . . oþere of Rome] om. Cx.] Þan it folweþ in þe storie. Iulius fauȝt in [in] om. β. and Cx.] fyfty siþe [siþes, β. and Cx.] wiþ baner desplayed. Also no man wroot swifter þan he; no man radde [redde, Cx.] swifter þan he. Also he usede for [for] om. Cx.] to endite foure manere pisteles [pystles, Cx.] and lettres at ones; and whom he made suget by armour [subget by armes, Cx.] he

overcome hem more by myldenesse. Also þere was no day in al his hard werres and batayles þat he ne wolde [nolde, β.; nold, Cx.] write, rede, oþer endite. [Plinius.] [From β., γ., and Cx.] Iulius Cesar his hond was [as] [From Cx.] able to þe penne as to þe swerd; but no man governede þe comounte bettre þan he. In alle his grete lordschip he heet [bade, β. and Cx.] nevere slee man but oon, Domicius, to whom he hadde i-ȝeve [ȝeven, β. and Cx.] his lif to forehonde. [byfore, Cx.] He took hym ones in a civile batayle, and ȝaf hym his lif, and made hym forswere armes, and sigh [sawe, Cx.] hym afterward fiȝte aȝenst hym in a batayle; þanne he seide to his knyȝtes, "Hit is inow [ynowh, Cx.] to me to ȝeve an unkynde man ones his lyf." He was nevere so wroþ wiþ man þat he ne wolde [nolde, β.; nold, Cx.] forȝeve ȝif he seigh [sawe, Cx.] skilful [skylfol, γ.] occa|sioun. Also Iulius was of grete sufferaunce, [suffrans, γ.] ffor in his worschippe [worship, Cx., et infra.] in his comynge to Rome after a greet victorie, knyȝtes of Rome seide in his owne herynge, [hyryng, γ.] and he was nevere þe wroþere, "Loo Cesar took [takiþ, β.; takeþ, γ.; taketh, Cx.] worschippe as a victor, for he [haþ] [From β., γ., and Cx.] overcome þe Galles; why haþ Nychomedes kyng of Bythinia non worschippe [as a victor, for he overcome Cesar;" ffor me seide þat he hadde to grete frenschip wiþ hym]. [From β., γ., and Cx.] Þerefore me seiþ þat Tullius seide to Iulius, "Hayle, kyng and quene;" [and eft, "Hayl quene] [From β., γ., and Cx.] of Bithinia; þou were somtyme womman of alle men, and now þou art made man of alle wommen." Plinius. [Pol, libro iii ^o, β. and Cx.] Iulius Cesar was sore

a greved of his ballednesse, and heer faillede on his moolde [molde, γ. and Cx.] and on his fortop; he wolde bende [beende, γ.] his heer from þe pol [polle, Cx.] toward þe foreheed; and a knyȝt of Rome þat was repreved [ypreved, γ.] of kowardyse to fore [reproved of cowardyse byfore, Cx.] Iulius, seide to Iulius: "Iulius," quod [sayd, Cx.] he, "hit were liȝtere [lyghter, Cx.] to make þe nouȝt ballede þanne it were to make me doo eny þing cowardly in þe oost of Rome." Also þere were famous bookes of mery [mury, γ. and Cx.] gestes i-made and cunned opounliche [knowen openly, Cx.] in despite of hym, and he suffred it pacientliche inow. [paciently ynowh, Cx.] Also oon despisede hym and his moder kyn, [kynne, Cx.] and cleped hym bakere [called hym bakar, Cx.] ; he lowȝ, [he louȝ] om. Cx.] and [he] [From Cx.; γ. has and.] rouȝte nouȝt [nothynge, Cx.] þerof. Þerfore Cithero in preysinge of hym seiþ, "Iulius couþe not forȝete but onliche in merþe [mirie, β.; injury, γ.; only in|jurie, Cx.] and wrong." [Plinius.] [From β. and Cx.] Cesar come in [on, Cx.] a tyme into Tullius his scole, and Tullius aroos aȝenst hym, and Iulius forbeed [forbeod, γ.; forbade, Cx.] hym, and seide, "Arise nouȝt aȝenst me, ffor wit and wisdom is bettre þan myȝte or [and, β. and Cx.] strengþe." "Schal nouȝt I [Ich not, β.; Shal I not, Cx.] arise," quod [sayd, Cx.] Tullius, "aȝenst þe victor of þe worlde?" "Þou haste i-wonne," quod Cesar, [quod Cesar] om. Cx.] "a more worschipful [connyng, γ.] crowne and prise þat [þan, β., γ., and Cx.] it were to strecche out [streche out of, Cx.] [þe boundes] [From β., γ., and Cx.] of þe empere [empyre, Cx.] of Rome." And by cause of þat worde Iulius ordeyned a lawe þat he þat radde oþer hilde [hulde, γ.; redde owther helde, Cx.] a book schulde [not] [From Cx.] aryse aȝenst no man. Valerius.

Acius þe poete aroos nouȝt aȝenst Iulius Cesar, whan Iulius come in to þe colage [collage, γ.; college, Cx.] of poetes, and me axed hym why he sat stille in þe comynge of so greet a lorde. "Þe lasse," quod he, "schal aryse [rise, β.] aȝenst þe more, [gretter, β. and γ.; greter, Cx.] and peere schal come to his pere, but witte and wisdom passeþ al;" and Iulius alowede lawe. [þis sawe, β. and γ.; his sayenge, Cx.] [℞.] [From β. and Cx.] A knave [man, Cx.] childe and a mayde childe were i-brouȝt to fore [byfore, Cx.] Iulius, þat were most liche [lyke, Cx.] hym [hym] om. γ.] of any children on lyve; [alyve, β. and Cx.] and Iulius byhelde hem in [on, Cx.] a tyme, and ȝaf hem greet ȝiftes, and sente hem aȝen wiþ suche vers. [versus, β. and Cx.]

"Scheweþ al oon cleerliche, [cher' lich, β.; on chere lyche, γ.; chere lyke, Cx.] and peeres gooþ [gon, Cx.] I-fere. [yfere, γ.] Let no myskissynge [myskussyng, γ.] have prise of ȝoure boþe lyvynge. Noon yuy sprayse, no noyse of do [douen, β.; douene, γ.; douves, Cx.] none layes ȝereliche [ȝe liche, β.; ȝe-lyche yfere, γ.; ye lyke, Cx.] [of chere] [From Cx., not in γ.] I-fere [beþ yfere, γ.] wiþ oute eny gile."

Apuleius. Þe conspiracie of Catelyn come out in [by, Cx.] Cithero þe beste consul his tyme, and was i-dampned; þere noþer for noblete [nobley, β. and Cx.] of þe persone þat hadde agult, [ygilt, β.; gilt, Cx.] noþer real [nowther roialle, Cx.] spekynge of Iulius Cesar, þat was his patroun and his vorie, [avowrye, β. and Cx.; avowery, γ.] and pleted [pleded, β.] for hym for [by, Cx.] myldenesse and pitee at

þat tyme ȝif he myȝte hym helpe, [gif . . . helpe] myȝht noȝt hym helpe, γ.] ffor Marcus Cato pletede aȝenst hym, and preved hym gulty. [preved him gilty, Cx.] Salustius. Þere were tweie noble men, Marcus Cato and Gaius Iulius, wel nyh [nighe, Cx.] of [one] [From γ. and Cx.] worþynesse of blood, of age, and of noble and real [roiall, Cx.] speche, and i-liche greet of herte, but þey were of dyvers ioye and worschippe. [worship, Cx., et infra.] Cato was greet in clennes of lyf, and Iulius [and Iulius] om. Cx.] in largenesse of ȝiftes and in mildenesse. Þat oon hadde worschippe by cruelnesse, and þe [that, Cx.] oþer by fredom of ȝiftes. Cesar by ȝiftes, Cato by ȝevynge of [ȝevynge of] om. γ.] none ȝiftes is i-preysed. In Cesar socour and refute of wrecches and of nedy [neody, γ.] men. In Catoun, punschynge [punisshynge, Cx.] of evel doers. [dedes, γ.] In Cesar, wakynge and travayle for gendrynge of his owne, no þing werne þat he myȝte do arraye [araye, Cx.] newe batailles, desire triumphis and worschippe [desirous triumphous and wor|ship, Cx.] as a victor of Rome, al þis was likynge to Cesar. Catoun loved besynesse of sober|nesse, of stedfastnesse, of sturnesse; [sternesse, Gx.] he stroof nouȝt [strofe not, Cx.] wiþ richesse aȝenst þe riche, nouȝt with tresoun [trayson, Cx.] aȝenst þe tray|tour; but wiþ strengþe aȝenst þe stronge, wiþ honeste aȝenst þe sobre man; he desirede more to be good þanne [to] [From β. and Cx.] seme good; so þat þe lasse he desired good [good] om. β., γ., and Cx.] worschippe þe more worschippe he hadde. Gaufridus et Alfridus. Whanne Cas|sibelanus

was dede in Bretayne, and i-buryed at ȝork, his nevewe Tenuancius [Tenancius, β. and Cx.] [was kyng after hym. Tenancius] [From β., γ., and Cx.] was duke [duc, Cx.] of Cornewayle, and kyng Lud his sone, and Andragius his broþer. Andragius was i-went [was i-went] wente, Cx.; i-, om. β.; a-went, γ.] with Iulyus Cesar to Romee. [Rome, β.]