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

Capitulum quintum.

DANIEL prayed to God for þe delyueraunce of [the] [Cx. and β.] peple, and Darius kyng of Medes, þe firste ȝere of his kyngdom, caste forto [purposed to, Cx.] delyuere þe peple; but he deide sone, and he fulfilled [folfulde, γ.] hit nouȝt. Þerfore Cirus, þe firste [ȝere] [Cx.] of his kyng|dom, ȝaf þe Iewes þe same leue; but þe peple was slowȝ, [slowe, Cx.; sloouȝ, γ.]

and [and] om. Cx.] þerfore Daniel prayed to [to] om. Cx.] God þat as he hadde i-ȝeue þe kyng wille for [for] om. Cx., as usual.] to delyuere þe peple, þat he wolde ȝeue þe peple [wille] [From α.] for [for] om. Cx., as usual.] to wende homward aȝen. Petrus 174^o. Þanne þe þridde ȝere of Cirus þe Iewes wente under Zeroba|bel þe duke, and [under] [Cx.] Iohn, [Johan, Cx.; Ihu, γ.] þe grete preost. And þis ȝere was þe seuentyþe ȝere of [the] [Cx.] bondage and takynge; so seiþ Iosephus and Ierom his glose uppon [apon, γ.] Ezechiel. Þat tyme was from þe þrittenþe ȝere of Iosyas þe kyng, to þe þridde ȝere of Cirus, þey [though, Cx.] Eusebius in his Cronicle, [Cronȝique, Cx.; Cronyk, γ.] by auctorite of Sachary þe prophete, seiþ þat þe secounde ȝere of Darius, Itapsis his sone, was þe seuentiþe ȝere of his [þis, α. and Cx.] takynge and bondage. Noþeles it may be determyned in þis manere. Þe secounde ȝere of Darius was þe seuentiþe ȝere of þe firste [fyfth, Cx.; vyfte, γ.] age of þe world and of þe destroyenge of þe temple. But þe þridde ȝere of Cirus [was þe seuentiþe ȝere of þe firste] [From α.] takynge, þat was i-doo þe þrittenthe ȝere [of] [From α.] Iosyas þe kyng Þanne þe Iewes wente hoom aȝen, and leide þe foundement [fundament, Cx.] of þe temple, and þe Samaritanes herde [hurde, γ.] þerof, and come to

hem and halpe [asisted, Cx.] hem bulde þe temple, for þey [hy, γ.] worschipped alle oon God, and hadde underfonge [understande, Cx.; underfange, β.] Moyses his bookes. Þe Iewes [anshwerede, γ.] answerede and seide, "Þeiȝ we worschepe oon God; noþeles it falleþ not us to bulde oon hous." Þerfore þe Sama|ritans were wrooþ, and lette hire work with sugestiouns and wiþ ȝiftes anon to þe secounde ȝere of Darius, Itapsis his sone. Orosius, libro primo. In kyng Cirus his tyme, Phalaris, a [α, from α., γ., and Cx.; at, MS.] tyraunt of Sicilia, punschede [Scicilia punysshed, Cx.] men ofte riȝtfulliche, [ryȝtfolych, γ.] þey he were hym self unriȝtful. Þanne oon Parilius, a craftis man of bras, desired to plese þe tyraunt, and made hym a brasyn boole [brasene bole, γ.] with a dore in þe riȝt side, þerforþ dampned men schulde wende to þe bole [where men that were dampnd shold goo in to the boole, Cx.] for to be i-tormented; and whanne þey [α, γ.] were wiþ ynne and þe dore i-closed and fuyre i-made þere under, þe noyse and þe [þe] om. Cx.] crye of hem þat were i-tormented þat [þat] om. Cx.] schulde passe by dyuers wyndynge and tornynges, so þat it schulde seme griseliche rorynge of booles and of beestes, and nouȝt manis gronynge. But Phalaris þe tyraunt was wel apaied wiþ þe dede, and wrooþ wiþ þe doer, and made hym firste assaie [essaye, Cx.; asaye, γ.] þe torment þat he hadde wickedliche [wykkydlych, γ.] i-brouȝt

up to þe [þe] om. α. and Cx.] torment of [of] om. α. and Cx.] oþere men, and punsched [punysshed, Cx.] the craftes man by þe craft þat he hadde i-founde. Þat ȝere byfel [befelle, Cx.] þat þat me redeþ of Cresus þe riche kyng of Liddes; [Liddus, Cx.] ffor whanne Cirus werrede aȝenst þe Babilons, Cresus kyng of Liddes halp [helpe, Cx.] þe Babilons; but he was ouercome, and fliȝe; [fled, Cx.; fliȝ, β.] and whanne þe Babilons were i-sesed, [sessed, Cx.; ceeside, β.; ycesed, γ.] Cirus took Cresus, and dede by hym greet worschepe, [worschiplych, γ.] and þat tornede [to] [Cx.] eiþer of hem to [to] om. Cx.] grete prophite, [profyte, Cx.] for þe strengþe þat come out of Grees to werre aȝenst Cirus tornede aȝen for the curtesie [curtosye, Cx.] þat was i-doo to Cresus. Þis Cresus hadde a douȝter þat heet Fana|tica, and [which, Cx.] hadde a spirit of prophecie, and euere counsaillede here fader to leue þe werre. Þerfore [wherfor, Cx.] Cresus axed counseil of goddis, þat bygiled hym wiþ a vers and a worde of double understondinge: "Cirus Alun [Alim, α. and β.; Alym, Cx. and γ.] passe schal, and þan kyngdoms many lese. [leose, γ.] " Þerfore Cresus was rebel aȝenst Cirus, and was i-take þe þridde tyme. Petrus, 176. Cirus smot Cresus bysides þe ryuer Alun, [Alim, α. and Cx.; Alym, γ.] and brouȝte þe Liddes, þat were noble

men of armes, by slithe [sleght, Cx.; sliȝþe, β.; sleythe, γ.] to wrecchednesse and to sleuþe; for whanne þey [hy, γ.] hadde i-lost here hors [horses, Cx.] and hire armure, he made hem to use tauernes, pleyes, iapes, and nyse craftes with horlynges [with comyn women, Cx.] and strompettes and euel lyuynge men, [and] [From α.] in þis manere, as it were schewynge loue and good wille, he ouercome by likynge and leccherye hem þat he myȝte nouȝt ouercome by bataille. And so þe kyngdom of Liddes faillede, þat hadde i-stonde two hondred ȝere and oon and þritty. Trogus, libro primo. Þere hadde be [I be, α.; be, Cx.; hadden be, β.; ybe, γ.] noble kynges of Liddes, [noble kynges of Lyddes, from Cx., β., and γ.; þe noble Liddes of kynges, MS.] but non so gracious as Candalus, þat louede his wif to moche by cause of hir fairnesse, [beautee, Cx.] and wolde ofte [ofte] om. α. and Cx.] [speke of her and] [From α.] preyse hir to alle manere men; and at the laste he schewed hir naked to oon Gygy þat was his owne felawe; by þat dede he made his felawe a spouse brekere and his owne enemy, and þerfore he loste boþe his kyngdom and his wif. Eutropius.