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

Capitulum sextum.

THE seuenþe and þe laste kyng of [the] [Cx.] Romayns hadde þre names, and [het] [and] om. Cx.; and hiȝte, β.; and het, γ, from which the verb is added.] Lucius Tarquinius [and] [Cx.] Superbus; and [he, Cx.]

slouȝ his wifes [wif his, α.] fadre Seruius Tullius, and regnede fyue and twenty ȝere. Þis founde up first dyuers manere tormentes among þe Romayns, [as] [Cx.] bondes, boole ȝerdes, [boleyerdes, Cx.] platis, [platis] om. γ.] battis, prisouns, gyues, cheynes, owte lawying and exiling: he ouercome þe Vulces and þe Gabies, and made pees wiþ Tuscans. Augus|tinus de Civitate, libro 2^o, capitulo 14^o. At þe laste he bulde a temple to Iubiter [of Iupiter, Cx.] in the hille [hul, γ.] Carpelus, and for þey [hy, γ.] founde a mannis hede in þat place while þey [hy, γ.] digged, [diggide, β.] þei [hy, γ.] cleped þat place Capitolium; þerfore here [wherfore theyr, Cx.] prophetes and here [here] om. Cx.] de|uynes tolde [þat] [From α.] þat place schulde be heed of þe world. Titus Livius, et Augustinus de Civitate, libro primo, capitulo 19^o. Somtyme while þis Tarquinius Superbus besegede þe citee Ardea, þat was rebel to Rome, his sone Tarquinius Sextus and Lucrecia housbond [Lucrecias husbonde, Cx.] [to, added after housbond in MS., but om. α. and Cx.] Tarquinius Collatinus sette at þe [þe] om. Cx.] sopere and talkede of þe chastite of hir wifes. Let be, quod [quoþ, β.; quaþ, γ.] Collatinus, and leet here owne dedes preyse oure wifes. Þerfore as it were by assent þey come by nyȝte to Rome, and fonde Lucrecia anon [all one, Cx.] wakynge aboute wolle [wol, Cx.] work, and oþer men

wifes were a slepe, and som aboute gigelotrie. [gyglotrye, Cx.] Þerfore Sex|tus [Sixtus, Cx.] Tarquinius waited his tyme, and was i-harborwed wiþ Lu|crecia yn a geste [gyst, α.] wise, [in gestwyse, Cx.; yn a gyst|wyse, γ.] and come uppon [apon, γ.] hire while sche [heo, β. and γ.] slepte wiþ his swerd i-drawe, [adrawe, γ.] and [and] om. Cx.] to lye [ligge, Cx.; lygge, γ.] by hire maugre [maugrey, β. and γ.] hir teeþ, and seiþ, "But þou wil þat I [ich, γ.] ligge by þe, [sayde but thou suffre me lye by the, Cx.] I schal putte a naked cherle dede wiþ þe in bedde, and þou schalt ligge deed wiþ hym also." Þanne whanne [this] [Cx.] Sextus hadde i-doo þat dede, þe womman goþ [wente, Cx.] hir wey sorwful [sorowfully, Cx.; sorfol, γ.] and drery, [and drery] om. Cx; dreory, γ.] and sendeþ [sente, Cx.] to hire fader and housbonde, and prayeþ [prayed, Cx.] hem to come home out of þe oost, and telleþ [enformed, Cx.] hem þe myshap þat here [hir, Cx.] was byfalle; [and] [Cx.] þey took [gave feyth and credence to her messagier and, Cx.; hy tok fey, γ.] feiþ [fey, α. and β.] to þe tale, and sche [heo, γ.] took wreche of þe dede, and slouȝ hir self to fore hem þere wiþ a priue knyf þat sche [heo, γ.] bar. [℞.] [From α.] Wise men here telleþ þat Lucrecia slouȝ nouȝt hire self for no vertu, but for schame and for anger, for noþer man ne womman schulde be punsched wiþ oute gilt, [gult, γ.] noþer wiþ [wiþ] om. α., β., and Cx.; gulty, γ., omitting wiþ.] gilt wiþ oute iuge. But

for þe Romayns coueyteþ most preysynge of men and worlde|liche worschepe, þis Lucrecia [had] [Cx.] dredde ȝif he [she, Cx., α., and γ.] lyuede after þe spousebreche, [after that dede, Cx.; spouse|bruche, γ.] leste þe peple wolde wene þat sche [heo, β. and γ.] was [were, Cx.] assentynge to þe dede, and þerfore in token [tokne, γ.] þat sche [heo, β. and γ.] was sory for [thereof in conservynge hir good loos and name, and in avoydyng the despite, and in example of good women he, Cx.] þe dede, and sche [heo, β.; α, γ.] wolde nouȝt lese [loose, β.; leose, γ.] hire good loos noþer be despised, sche [α, γ.] wolde no lenger lyue. Of þis happe spekeþ adytour [aditour, β.; a dytour, γ.] [or retricion] [Cx.] as Seint Austyn de Civitate, libro primo, capitulo 19^o, toucheþ, tweyne [þar were tweyne and, γ.] þere [þere, from α. and Cx.; þat, MS.] were and [and, from α. and Cx.; in, MS.] oond ede spouse breche. [brake spousage, Cx.] Eutropius. By cause of þis dede þe peple [people, γ.] gadrede to gideres, and by nam þe fadres kyngdom, and exilede [and putte downe and deposed his fader from his kyngdome, and exyled, Cx.] hym and his children. Þe oost þat was wiþ þe kyng at Ardea forsook Tarquinius þe kyng; and whan the kyng come to Rome and fonde þe gates i-closed aȝenst hym, [he and his childern wente away, Cx.; a flyȝ he and his childern, γ.] þan fliȝe he and his children. After þat tyme [tyme] om. Cx.] kynges were i-putte out of þe citee, and tweie consulles [two consuls, Cx.] were i-ordeyned to gouerne þe comounte, þat were Iunius Brutus and Tar|quinius Collatinus, Lucrecia housbonde; but or [er, Cx.; ar, γ.] þe ȝeres

ende Lucrecia housbonde was put out of his office of consul for hate of his name, for he hiȝte [het, γ.] Tarquinius; for þe Romayns wolde þat no man þat bare þat name schulde bere office in þe citee, noþer wonye þerynne, [neyther dwell therin, Cx.] and þat in despite of þe spouse breche [spousebrekyng, Cx.] þat Tarquinius Sextus hadde i-doo. [℞.] [From α.] Seynt Austyn de Civitate Dei, libro 2^o, capitulo 14^o et 19^o, [15^o, α. and Cx.] seiþ þat Lucrecia housbonde was putte out of his officie wiþynne þe ȝere by fraude of his felawe þe [that, Cx.] oþere consul. [[℞] . . .oþere consul] om. γ.] Augustinus, libro 3^o, capitulo 14^o, et Titus. [and Tytus, Cx.] Whanne Tarquinius was so i-put of, he sente messangeres [messagers, Cx.] in to þe citee, [for to have hys catel and hys goodes þat he hadde yleft in þe cite, inserted in γ.] and his messangeres [messagers, Cx.] hadde priue [pryuey, γ.] counsaille wiþ þe sones of Brutes þe consul, and wiþ Vicellies, [Vicilles, Cx.] þe breþeren of Brutes the consul [the consul] om. α., γ., and Cx.] wif; þe counsaile was þat Tarquinius schulde be brouȝt to his state [staat, γ.] and in to þe citee aȝen; [estate in the cyte ayene, Cx.] but þis come out by a seruaunt of þe Vicellies, and [was] [Cx.] i-knowe and i-tolde [to] [Cx.] þe Senatoures: þan Brutus þe consul dede him [dude ham, γ.] to dethe euerich on. [℞.] [Cx.] Virgil spekeþ þerof in fine vj^ti. libri Eneyd. [Eneidis, Cx.] Eutropius,

libro primo. Þanne Tarquinius gadrede helpe in euery [euerych, γ.] side, and werrede aȝenst þe citee, for he hoped to be restored in þat manere: and in þe comynge [encountryng, Cx.] and fiȝtinge Brutus þe consul and Aruns, Tarquinius his sone, [his sone] om. Cx.] slowȝ eiþer oþer; and Tar|quinius fauȝte þries [þryȝes, α.; thryes, Cx.] in þre ȝere aȝenst the Romayns, and was ouercome. Þerfore he wente in to Tusculus wiþ his wif, and ended þere [lyued, Cx.; elde, β.; eldede, γ.] fourtene ȝere: but the forseide Brutus, þe consul, was so pore [poure, γ.] whanne he deide, þat he hadde no money to burye [birye, β.] hym with, but as it was gadrede [gaderede, β.] among þe peple. [Petrus, c ^o. lxxvi., and Trogus, libro primo.] [Cx.]