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

Capitulum quadragesimum quartum.

ANTONIUS putte from hym his wif Cleopatra, Cesar his sus|ter, and wedded þe quene of Egipt, and ȝaf hire Arabia. By covetise þat wommen haveþ [habbeþ, γ.; have she, Cx.] sche [heo, β.] desirede to regne in Rome, and by hir counsaile and confort Antonius meovede a civile bataille aȝenst Octovianus, and was overcome at Actium [Actia, Cx.] in Grecia. [Grece, β. and Cx.] [Petrus, vicesimo octavo.] [From β., γ., and Cx.] Herodes was nouȝt at þe [þat, β., γ., and Cx.] batayle, for þat tyme Antonius hadde i-sent hym aȝen þe kyng of Arabia of þe [þe] om. β.] prayenge [atte prayer, Cx.] of Cleopatra, so þat sche [heo, β.; he, Cx.] schulde have his kyngdom þat were overcome, wheþer it evere were. Eutropius, libro 7^o. Antonius whan he was overcome at Actium, he fligh [fledde, Cx.] into Egipt; þere he slouȝ hym

self, for he hadde noon hope of help noþer [ne, Cx.] of socour. Cleopatra mad here [hir, Cx.] gay, and mette wiþ Augustis [Augustus, Cx.] ȝif sche [heo, β.] myȝte [meoue, γ.] meve hym [entendynge to meove him, Cx.] to leccherye, but sche [heo, β. and γ.] myȝte nouȝt spede, and was i-putte in warde, and scapede [ascaped, β.; escaped, Cx.] awey, and leyde hir self in a [þe, γ.; the, Cx.] grave by here housbonde Antonius, and deyde by þe venym of an addre [a naddre, Cx.] þat sche [heo, β.] took wiþ here. [heore, γ.] After|ward Egipt fil [ful to, γ.; fell, Cx.] into þe empere of Rome. Petrus, 7, 8^o. [78^o, β. and Cx.] After þis Augustus echede [enlarged, Cx.] Herodes his kyngdom, for he hadde wyseliche arayed [wytly provided, Cx.] for hym what hym nedede [neodede, γ.] while he was toward Egipt. [℞.] [From β. and Cx.] Som acounteþ [acompte, Cx.] þe firste ȝere of Augustus his hole kyngdom from þis place forþ, [fore, β.; for, γ. and Cx.] afterward he regned a loon. [lon, γ.] Beda super Danielem seiþ so as it semeþ. Þat tyme Marcus Torentius [Terentius, β., γ., and Cx.] Farro [Varro, β., γ., and Cx.] deyde, þat was foure score ȝere olde and ten. Virgilius Narro, [Marro, β., γ., and Cx.] þe poete of Mantua, deyde at Brundusium whan he was aboute an [an] om. Cx.] fifty winter olde, and was i-buried at [in, Cx.] Naples wiþ suche a writynge

on [uppon, β.; upon, Cx.] his tombe, þat he made whan he deyde, oþer [owther, Cx.] Ovidius afterward, as som men [men] om. γ.] wol mene. [say, Cx.] "Mantua brouȝt me forth; Calabres ravesched [rauesede, γ.; ravessed, Cx.] me; holdeþ now Pertinope. [Percinope, Cx.] I made lese fildes [made leese feldes, Cx.] and lederes." ℞. Þis was wys at þe comynge [at þe comynge] and kunnyng, β.; and connynge, Cx.] of philosofie and used nouȝt [ofte, β. and Cx.] nygromancye. Þerfore Alisaundre de naturis rerum telleþ wonderliche of hym, and seiþ þat Naples was greved wiþ a pestilence by blood [blode, Cx.] soukers, and Virgill [Virgyl, Cx.] þrewe a goldene blood soukere in to þe botme [bottom, Cx.] of a pitte. And many ȝere after þis goldene blood soukere was i-take up oute of þe pytte, and þus sone [þissoone, γ.; anone, Cx.] þe citee were [werþ, γ.; was, Cx.] ful of blood soukers wiþ oute remedye or [er, β.; ar, γ.; til, Cx.] þe goldene blood soukere was i-doo in [into, β.; put into, Cx.] þe pytte aȝen. [þe put age, γ.] Hit is also i-tolde [i-tolde and] om. Cx.] and i-seide þere þat oon Marcellus of Naples myȝt nouȝt kepe flesche longe wiþ oute apeyringe. [appayryng, Cx.] But Virgil by his witte ordeyned remedye aȝenst þat meschief, and closed flesche i-savered [savered, Cx.] i-not by what vertu of herbes, so þat fyve hondred ȝere þe flesche was i-founde fresche and of good savour. Also

þere it is i-seide þat Virgil closed his orcherd [orchard, γ.] [al] [From β., γ., and Cx.] aboute wiþ ayer [aer, γ.] instede of a wal; and he made also a brugge [brygge, Cx.] of ayer, [aer, γ.] and used to goo over þat brugge [brydge, Cx.] whan and whyder hym likede. Þere it is i-seide also þat he bulde þat noble paleys at Rome in þe whiche were i-sette all þe ymages of provinces and of londes. Hugucio [Hugo, Cx.] seiþ þe same, and putteþ more þerto of Colloseus, [collosens, Cx.] þat ymage of þe sonne oþer [owther, Cx.] of Rome. Loke more þerof [herof, Cx.] in þe firste book, in þe chapitre of Rome. [Policratica, libro primo.] [From β. and γ.] Me seiþ þat þe poete of Mantua, þat is Virgil, [Vyrgyl, Cx.] axede of Marcellus of Naples, þe nevew of Augustus, for [wherfore, Cx.] he slowȝ meny bryddes, [and] [From Cx., not γ.] where [wheþer, β., γ., and Cx.] hym were levere be i-schape [shapen, Cx.] to a brydde forto [for] om. Cx. (bis.)] make [take, β., γ., and Cx.] briddes i-take [i-take] om. β., γ., and Cx.] oþer to a flyȝe [flye, γ. and Cx.] forto take and slee flyȝes. He tolde þis to his grauntsire Augustus, and by coun|saile [counseylle, Cx.] of hym he chees [chesse, Cx.] forto [for] om. Cx.] be made a fliȝe, þat he myȝte dryve al þe flyȝes oute of Naples. Hereby it semeþ þat þe comoun profiȝt [profyt, Cx.] schulde be putte bifore eny [every werk, Cx.] singuler per|sones

profiȝt. Varrus and Tucta, Virgil his felowes, by heste [felawes by commaundement, Cx.] of Augustus amendede Virgil his book Eneydos, noþeles uppon suche a condicioun þat þey schulde putte no þing more þerto. Þis ȝere Seynte Marye [Mari, γ.] Cristes [Crystys, Cx.] moder is i-bore: here [hir, Cx.] fader was Ioachym of þe lynage [lygnage, Cx., et infra.] of Iuda; and hir moder was Anna, Isachar his douȝter, of þe lynage of Levi. [℞.] [From γ. and Cx.] Here take hede, as Ierom seiþ, þat Anna and Emeria [Emerea, Cx.] weren [were, β. and Cx.; wer, γ.] tweie sustres. Of Emeria come [cam, Cx.] Elizabeth, Iohn [Iohan, Cx.] Baptist his moder. Also Anna was first i-wedded to Ioachym, and hadde by hym Mare [Marie, β. and γ.; Marge, Cx.] Cristes moder; and sche [heo, β.; she, Cx.] was afterward i-wedded to Cleophas, and hadde by hym Marie Cleophe, þat was i-wedded to Alpheus, and of hem come Iacobus Mynor, þe lasse Iames, þat heet [was called, Cx.] Alpheus also, [also] om. Cx.; γ. has Alpheus also of ham com Symon Chananeus.] [and] [From β.] Symon Cananeus, Iudas Taddeus, [Thaddeus, Cx.] and Ioseph þat hatte [otherwise callyd, Cx.] Barsabas. But in Historia Ecclesiastica, Eusebius, libro 2^o, capitulo 2^o, seiþ þat Iacobus minor, þe lasse Iames, was i-cleped oure Lordes

broþer for he was [the] [From Cx. and γ., which latter omits he was.] sone of Iosep þe spouse of Marye. But þat is nouȝt comounliche i-holde. [comynly holden, Cx.] Also Anna was i-wedded to Salome, and hadde by hym Marye Salome, þat was i-wedded to Zebedeus, and hadde by hym þe more Iames and Iohn [Iohan, Cx.] þe [þe] om. Cx.] Evaungeliste. Þe firste Marye, þat was Cristes moder, was i-wedded to Ioseph þe forsaide Cleophas his broþer. Gaufridus et Alfridus. Kynbelinus, Tenuancius [Tenancius, Cx.] his sone, regnede in Bretayne, and gat tweie sones, Gwyderius [Guiderius, Cx.] and Arveragus. [Arvyragus, Cx.] Oracius Flaccus, [Flactus, Cx.] poet and [poet and] om. Cx.] satiricus, sevene and fifty ȝere olde, deyeþ [dyed, Cx.] at Rome þe sixe [sixte, γ.] and þritty ȝere of þe [emperour Augustus. And the xiii. [fourtiþe, γ.] yere of] [From β., γ., and Cx.] empere [empere] om β., γ., and Cx.] Augustus, Marcus Porcius Latro [Cato, Cx.] Latinus, þat was decla|mator, a grete ditour, [doctor, Cx.] and Seneca þe philosofre his felowe, slowȝ hym self for noye [nuy, γ.] and sorwe of a double quarteyn. [of a double quarteyn] bis in MS.] Martius, [Marianus, β., γ., and Cx.] libro 2^o. In þe oon and fourty ȝere of Augustus, in þe sevenþe monþe, [moneth, Cx.] þat is Septembre, in þe enlevenþe day of

the monþe [mone, Cx.] þe foure and twenty day of Septembre, in [on, Cx.] a Þorsday, Iohn [Iohan, Cx., et infra.] þe [þe] om. β. and Cx.] Baptiste was conceyved; and þere after two hondred dayes þre score and fiftene, in [on, Cx.] a Fryday, he was i-bore; and so he went, to fore [byfore, Cx.] Crist in his conceyvynge, in his burþe, in his fullynge, [follyng, γ.; baptisinge, Cx.] in his prechynge, and in his doynge; [dyynge, β.; dyeng, Cx.] but he moste wanye [must wane, Cx.] and Criste moste wexe [must waxe, Cx.] and encrese; ffor a womman gooþ wiþ childe from þe concepcioun to þe burþe [byrth, Cx.] two hondred dayes þre score and fiftene, [sixtene, β., γ., and Cx.] so meny dayes Crist hadde in his moder wombe, þeyȝ nouȝt [not, Cx.] alle wommen goo so longe wiþ childe, as Seynt Austyn wole mene, [meaneth, Cx.] de Civitate [Dei], [From Cx.] libro 4^o, capitulo 5^o; but Iohn [Iohan, Cx., et infra.] hadde tweie dayes lasse [lees, γ.] in his moder wombe. [þeyȝ nouȝt alle, is inserted here again in MS. by a slip of the copy|ist.] Also Iohn was i-bore whan þe day bygan to wanye, [shorten or wane, Cx.] and Crist whan þe day bygan to wexe [long]. [From Cx.] Also Iohn was i-buried wiþ oute heed, and in Crist was no boon [bon, γ.] i-broke. [broken, Cx.]

Explicit Liber Tertius.