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

Capitulum nonum.

AFTER Cambises, oon Hermeydes, þat was oon of þe seuene wise men þat rulede [reulede, γ.] þe kyngdom of Perses, weddede Cambises douȝter, and made hit as þey he wolde nouȝt regne by [the tytle of] [Cx.] his wyf, but as þey he wolde kepe [have kepte, Cx.] þe kyngdom to oon Mergus, Cambises his broþer, þat ȝit [ȝut, γ.] was a ȝong childe.

Noþeles Cambises hadde i-slawe [bifore this, Cx.] to forehonde this Mergus wiþ ynne þe temple, þat [but, α.; and, Cx.] no man wiste [wuste, γ.] þerof but Hermydes þe [this, Cx.] wise man. After seuene monthes of his kyngdom, þis Hermydes þe wise man [þe wise man] om. Cx.] schulde [lyeng on his deth bed, and he hadde, Cx.] deie, and hadde a faire ȝongelynge to broþer, and [and] om. Cx.] ordeyned hem [Sic.] kyng, and seide þat [that] [Cx.] ȝongelynge [ionglynge, Cx.] was Mergus, Cirus his sone, and Cam|bises his broþer. Suche hydynge [huydyng, β., γ.] of kynges myȝte liȝtliche be i-doo yn Perse, for no man gooþ into the kynges of Perse but men of meyny. Oon of þe wise men bygan to haue [habbe, γ., ut sæpe.] sus|pectioun of þis doynge, and hadde a douȝter amonge þe kynges concubynes, and charged his douȝter [pryveylich, added in γ.] þat sche [heo, γ.] schulde be nyȝte grope þe kynges heed, and take heed ȝif þe kyng hadde eeren, [yf he hadde eeres, Cx.; eres, β.] ffor Cambises was somtyme wroþ wiþ Hermeydes his broþer, and kutte of his eren. [for . . . his eren] om. Cx.] And whanne it was i|knowe by þe womman [wenche, α., β., γ., and Cx.] þat þe kyng hadde non eren, þe seuene wise men conspired to gideres and slowȝ hym; and so þese tweyne [two, Cx.] breþeren regnede scarsliche [scarsely, Cx.] oo ȝere. Þanne þese seuene wise men tretede by twene hem self whiche of hem [hamsylf wuch af ham, γ.] schulde wedde the kynges douȝter, and be kyng of þat kyng|dom.

Þan alle [hy alle, γ.] þey accorded þat they schulde erliche amorwe come in to a place of þe paleys to fore þe temple ȝates, and whos hors neighed [neyde, Cx.; neyede, γ.] first he schulde be kyng by þe schew|ynge of [the] [Cx.] goddes. Þan oon of hem, Darius, Itapsis his sone, spak priueliche wiþ þe keperes [keper, γ.] of þe hors, [keper of his hors, Cx. and β.] and charged hem þat he schulde make his hors assaile [asayle, γ.] a mare þat nyȝt in þe same place þere [where, Cx.] þey schulde come to gideres amorwe. So it was i-seide and [i-seide and] om. Cx.] do in dede; [in dede] om. α. and Cx.] and whan þe wise men come to gideres a morwe, [on the morow, Cx.] anon Darius his hors gan [began, Cx.] to neye, for he hadde mynde of þe mare þat he hadde assailed anyȝt, [þat . . . anyȝt] om. Cx.] and so Darius was i-make kyng, and regnede sixe and þritty ȝere.