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

Capitulum quartum.

AFTER þe deth of Darius of Medya, þat was i-made Assu|erus oþer [ether, Cx.] Astiages his sone, Cirus heeld þe hool [huld þe hole, γ.] kyngdom of þe est, and sette his see [se, γ.] in Persia, þey [Percia though, Cx.] þe kyngdom of Media were more worschipful, for þe men of Persia hadde auaunced [avaunside, β.] hym to [be] [Cx.] kyng. Þis Cirus was Darius his [his] om. α. and Cx.] suster sone, and Astiages suster [doughter, Cx. and γ.] sone. Trogus, libro primo. Astiages, þat heet [otherwyse called, Cx.] Assuerus, hadde but oon douȝter, and he

mette in his slepe þat a vyne sprang out of his [douȝter] [From α.] priue chose, and by sprad al Asia. Þat [Than, Cx.; þanne, γ.] dreem rederes [dremredars, γ.] undrede [undude, γ.; undide, β.] þe [expowned this, Cx.] sweuene, and seide þat his douȝter schulde haue a childe þat schulde be lorde of Asia, and putte [pot, γ.] hym out his kyngdom. [out of it, Cx.] Þan þe kyng dradde, and ȝaf his douȝter to a sym|ple knyȝt þat was priuileche i-bore, for his douȝter schulde bere noon nobil [no noble, Cx.] childe; and also whan his douȝter was with childe he took hire [heore, γ.] to hym, and whan þe childe was i-bore he took it to oon Arpagus, þat was his secretarie, for he schulde slee þe childe. [And] [Cx.] he trowed þat þe kyngdom schulde somtyme falle to þe kynges douȝter, and toke [bitoke, Cx.] þe childe to an herde [heurde, γ.] þat kepte þe kynges [bestes], [Cx.] to legge hym in þe wode; [to ley the child in a woode, there to be devoured, Cx.] and whanne þe herde [heurde, γ.] hadde i-leide þe childe in þe woode and [he, Cx.] i-tolde his wif [thereof], [Cx.] fore þat [which was lyghter of child the same time, Cx.] sche [sche] om. α.] hadde a childe þe same tyme þat þe kynges douȝter hadd child, [þat . . . child] om. α. and Cx.] his wif [and she, Cx.] prayede þat he wolde brynge [fette, Cx.] to hire þe childe to

norischynge, [and she wold nowrysshe him, Cx.] and that he wolde leie hire [legge heore, γ.] owne sone for hym in þe wode; and whanne þe herde come to þe childe, he fonde a bicche ȝeue þe childe [bytche yeuyng it, Cx.] souke, and kepte hym [it, Cx.] from bestes and foules. Petrus 173. And whanne þe childe was brouȝt to þe herdes wyf, he [it, Cx.; a made heore good semblaunt, γ.] made hire good semlaunt [semblaunt, Cx.] as þey he [it, Cx.] hadde i-knowe hir longe, [longe] om. Cx.] and sche [heo, β.] cleped þe child Spari|tatus, [Spartatus, α. and Cx.] þat is a whelp in þe longage of Perse; and whan þe childe was of age and strengþe [and] [Cx.] þat he couþe goo aboute and pleye wiþ children, his pleye feres cleped hym Cirus, and made hym here kyng in pleyes, and [he] [chastysede, Cx.; chastiside, β.] chastede [chastysede, Cx.; chastiside, β.] sore hem [ham, γ.] þat were rebel to his hestes. Þerfore children fadres [Wherfor the fader of the childre, Cx.; þe childern faders, γ.] were agreued, and playned [compleyned, Cx.; pleynede, γ.] to þe [þe] om. Cx.] kyng Astiages of [on, Cx.] þe herdes sone. Þanne þe kyng sente after þe childe, and axede why he ferde soo wiþ þe children. He answerede boldliche, and seide þat he dede [so] [Cx.] as a kyng schulde. Þe kyng wondrede þat þe childe was so bolde and [so] [Cx.] stedfast, [stydfast, Cx.; studefast, γ.] and took heede þat þe childe hadde signes and tokenes of a kyng, [and] [Cx.] he toke þe herde aside priueliche and lernede [leornede, γ.] þe soþe al how [hou, α.] it stood.

Noþeles þe drede of his neuew was aslaked, for he trowed þat þe menynge of [his] [Cx.] drem rederes was fulfilled in þe kyngdom of children. Þerfore to þe same man Arpagus, to whom he hadde raþer i-take [bytake, Cx.] þe childe to slee, he bytook þo hym to norische and to fede, and tolde hym þat þat childe was þe herdes sone; but he made Aspargus priueliche ete his owne childe, for he hadde i-broke his heste; and whan he hadde ete [yete, γ.] his childe þoo [than, Cx.] he tolde hym [al] [Cx.] fore. [fore] om. Cx.; a told hym for, γ.] Hit byfel þat Astiages made þis Arpagus ledere [ledar, γ.] of his oost for to werre aȝenst his enemyes of Perse, and the kyng left hym self in Medya. Þan Arpagus byþouȝt hym and hadde [in] [Cx.] mynde of þat euel dede þat þe kyng hadde i-doo hym, and consaillede þe oost [conseyled thoost, Cx.] forto chese Cirus and make hym [the] [Cx.] kyng of Pers; [Perses, Cx.] and þo þey cleped hym [hem, Cx.] Cirus, as þey wolde mene, þeiȝ Astiages stryue, þis schal be heir. [eyr, β.] Petrus, [Trogus, α., γ., and Cx.] libro primo. In þe mene tyme Arpagus sente a lettre to Cirus for he schulde haue mynde how he saued hym and loste his owne childe by cause [for loue, Cx.] of him. Arpagus ne [ne] om. α. and Cx.] myȝte nouȝt send þis lettre openliche, for þe kynges war|deyns,

and þerfore [for the kyng, therfor, Cx.] he took out the boweles of an hare, [and dede [put, Cx.; dude, γ.] þe lettre wiþ ynne þe haare,] [Added from α.] and for þe fraude schulde not be knowe he sent it on a dreye [daye, Cx.] as it were venysoun, and whan þe lettre was i-rad Cirus was i-warned in his slepe þat þe firste man þat he mette erliche a [erly on the, Cx.; erlych a mo|rowe, γ.] morwe he [schulde take hym wiþ him on his way; þanne erliche a morwe [erly on morow, Cx.] he] [Added from α.] mette oon Sabar [Sebar, γ.] þat fliȝe [one Sebar, that was escaped, Cx.] out of prisoun, [ygyued] added in γ.] and was i-bore in Pers. He dede of his gyues, and ladde hym wiþ hym to Persi|polis; [Persipol, Cx.] þere he gadrede þe peple, and made [bade, Cx.] hewe a-doun a grete wode, and made hem a grete feste amorwe; and whan he sigh hem merye and wel at ese wiþ mete and drynke, [dryngke, γ.] [he] [Cx.] axed hem wheþer he [hem, α. and Cx.; ham, γ.] were leuer þe trauail of þe raþer day oþer þe feste of þat day [and hy al seyde, Þe feste of þat day]. [Added from γ.] Þan Cirus seide "Who þat foloweþ þe Medes, [he] [Cx.] schal haue þe trauaille of ȝister day; [ȝursday, γ.] and þey [hy, γ.] þat foloweþ me schal haue suche festes." Þanne anon þey [he, Cx. and γ.]

arrayed hem to [a] [From α.] bataille aȝenst Astiages. Petrus 173. Þanne Astiages dredde sore, and made his cosyn Darius to be his sone adoptiuus; and whanne þe batailles come to gidres and gonne [gon, γ.] for to [began to, Cx.] fiȝte, Cirus and þe [þe] om. Cx.] Perses gonne [began, Cx.; gon, γ.] forto flee. Þanne hir wifes and hir modres come faste aȝenst hem, and schewed hem her priue choses, and axede of hem and seide, [and seide] om. Cx.] "Wil ȝe crepe [Wol ȝe kreope, γ.] in to ȝour moder wombe and be i-bore aȝen?" Þanne þe men worþe [were, Cx.; werþe, γ.] aschamed, and tornede fersliche [sodeynliche, α., β.; sodenly, Cx.] aȝen, and fil [ful, γ.] on hire enemyes, and hadde þe victorie. Cirus bar hym to Astiages as his neuew after þe victorie, and nouȝt as his victor, for he graunted hym the kyngdom of Hircane [Hircans, Cx.] while he leuede, and he graunted þe kyngdom of Medes to his eme Darius, as to his moder broþer, and hoped þat it schulde torne to hym aȝe. Petrus 174. Cirus, whan he hadde [y] [From α.] -herde Isay [Ysayas, Cx.] his prophecie, þat was i-wrete of hym an hondred ȝere and twenty ȝere [ȝere] om. Cx.] to forehonde [bifore, Cx.] in þis manere, "To my Crist, [Cirus] added in γ.] whos riȝt hond I [ych, γ.] haue i-take," and so forþ, [&c., Cx.] he delyuerede þe Iewes þe firste ȝere of his kyngdom, and made fre ny [nygh, Cx.; nyȝ, γ.] fifty

þowsand men, and restored hem to [to] om. α., γ., and Cx.] þe holy vessel of golde and of siluer fyue [vyf, γ.] þowsand and þre hondred, and ȝaf hem leue to goo aȝen and bulde up [up] om. Cx.] þe temple in Ierusalem. Aggeus meuede [meouede, γ.] hem moste þerto, þat was þo ȝong, and nouȝt ȝit a prophete, and also Zacharias þe prophete meuede [meode, γ.] hem, [meued hym, Cx.] þat blessed Salatiel his sone, and cleped hym Zerobabel, þat is to menynge, [say, Cx.] maister of Babilon; but for many of hem [wer ybore] [Added from γ.] in Caldea, and hadde þere possessioun [and] [Cx.] wyfes and children, hem was þe loþere [to] [Cx.] go þens, and abide anon to [abiden unto, Cx.] þe þridde ȝere of Cirus.