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

Capitulum octavum.

CAMBICES, [Cambyses, Cx., et infra.] Cirus his sone, regnede after his fader. Esdras clepeþ [called Cx.] hym Artaxerses and Assuerus; noþeles in [the] [Cx.] storie of Iudith he is i-cleped Nabugodonosor. In þis Cambises his tyme byfel þat is i-rad in storie [thystorye, Cx.] of Iudith. Trogus, 198. [189, α., γ., and Cx.] And no wonder þey he be so i-cleped, [though he mere so called, Cx.] for his owne fader, Cirus, cleped hym Nabugodonosor in þis Cambises

tyme; [in þis Cambises tyme] om. α. and Cx., copied here by mistake, from the previous sentence.] and while he was on [α, Cx.] lyue he made þis Cambises, þat was his owne sone [to] [Cx.] regne twelue ȝere among þe Assiries in Niniue. But at þe laste, whan his fader was dede, he held [a huld, γ.] þe hool kyngdom of þe est eiȝte ȝere. Þis Cambises suffrede nouȝt þe temple of Ierusalem be i-bulde durynge al his tyme. Also the firste ȝere of his hool kyngdom he slowȝ [of hys kyngdom al hool a slouȝ, γ.] Arphaxath, þat wolde haue i-regned in Media, while he wolde be i-worschipped in stede of God of Israel, as he was over al, Iudith, þe wydewe, [widue, β.; weduwe, γ.] slowȝ Holofernus, [Olyfernes, Cx.; Olofernes, γ.] þe prince of his oost, in þe sege of Be|thulia, þe secounde ȝere of his empere. Þanne Cambisies, þe fifte [vyfte, γ.] ȝere of his kyngdom, destroyede Egipt; he forsook þe usages þerof, and destroyed þe temple, and bulde Babiloyne [Babylonia, Cx.] in Egipte; and whanne he tornede þennes he deyde in Da|mascus, [Damaske, Cx.] þe eiȝteþe [viii., Cx.] ȝere of hys kyngdom. Valerius, libro 6^o. Þis Cambises, Cirus his sone, regnede after his fader, [Cirus . . . fader] om. α. and Cx.] made men [men] om. Cx.] stripe [stryke, Cx.; strike, β.; struype, γ.] of þe skyn of a iuge, for he hadde i-ȝeue a false dome, [yeuen fals iuggement, Cx.] and made hem [to] [Cx.] sprede and takkede þe skyn aboute þe chayer þere [and to take it aboute the chayre there as, Cx.] þe iuge schulde sitte in plee [ple, γ.]

forto deme, and made þat iuges [iuge his, α.; iugges, Cx.] sone iuge in þat place in stede [stude, γ.] of his fader, and made suche vers i-write [suche versus to be wryton, Cx.] uppon þe chayer: [cheyre, γ.]

"Sittynge on þis see, Iustice loke þou stedfast [studefast, γ.] be. Kepe hondes and eres From ȝifte from mennys [hande and eke eeres from yeftes and from mennes, Cx.] prayeres. Take lanterne, lawe, Liȝt, fader skyn to [lyght under skyn to, Cx.; lyȝt vader skynne, γ.] drawe. Þow [þow syttest ȝette sone þar for vader ysette, γ., and in a later hand above for is written thy.] sittest [in place] [Cx.] ȝit Sone [sone] om. Cx.] þerfore [þerforere, α.; where thy forn|fader was sette, Cx.] fader i-sitt." [Trogus, libro primo, et Petrus, 180. [decimo octavo, Cx.] ]