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

Capitulum tertiumdecimum.

ULPIUS [Vulpius, α., β., γ., and Cx.] CRINICUS [Crinitus, β. and Cx.] TRAIANUS was i-bore in Spayne, and was emperour nyntene ȝere. Among [his] [From Cx. (not γ.)] frendes þis [þis] þes, γ.; he, Cx.] was free of herte, and besy in dedes of armes, and asy [esy, α., β., γ., and Cx.] in govern|aunce of þe citeseyns, [governynge of cyteseyns, Cx.] and myȝty in relevynge [revelyng, Cx.] of citees and of [of] om. Cx.] towns. He chastede [chastisede, β.; chastysed, Cx.] þe Danes, Schites, [Scytes, Cx.] Sarmates, Hiberes, Colches, and Arabes; he ordeyned a navey in þe Reed see for to synde [werre, α., β., γ., and Cx. In the MS. this word seems to have been synne at first, and then a d written over the second n.] in Ynde. He made hym self everich manis felowe, and visited ofte his freendes, for he wolde be y|gete [gret, α.; y-gret, β. and γ.; sa|lewed, Cx.] of hem, and wete how þey ferde; he greved no man,

dede no þing wrongfulliche for to have [habbe the more and, γ.] [the more] [From γ.] and [and] om. Cx.] þe gretter enchetes. [echetes, α.; eþchetes, β.; echee|tes, γ.; eschetes, Cx.] But he made his servauntes riche, þat hem nedede [neodede, γ.] to greve no man. His frendes blamede hym, for he was so comyn to alle manere men; he answerde and seide: "I [Ich, β.] wil be suche an emperour to oþer men as y [I, Cx.] wolde þat [þat] om. Cx.] þey were to me and [and] if, Cx.] þey were emperours." [℞.] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] Helmandus [Helimandus, β.; Helymandus, γ. and Cx.] seiþ [that] [From β., γ., and Cx.] in a tyme Traianus was i-lope [lepte, Cx.] to hors for to wende [wende] go, Cx.] to a [α] om. Cx.] bataile for þe comounte, [comynte, Cx.] and þere come a wydewe [widue, β.; wydue weopyng, γ.] wepynge, and took hym by þe foot, and praide hym þat he wolde do hir som riȝt. [som riȝt] reȝt of hem þat hadde y-slawe here sone, α., β., and γ.; right and justice of hem, &c., Cx.] "I schal do þe right," quod þe emperour, "whan I [Ich, β.] come aȝen." "What," quod sche, [heo, β. and γ.] "ȝif þou comest nevere aȝen?" "Þan," quod he, [themperour, Cx.] "myn successour schal doo þe right." "What profit," quod sche, "shal þat [þat] om. Cx.] be to þee, ȝif anoþer man dooþ [doo, Cx.] me good? þou

art dettour to me, and þou schalt fonge [resseyve, Cx.] as þou disservest be [be] by, Cx.] þyne owne dedes, and [so] [From Cx.] it is a fraude for to ȝelde [ȝulde, γ.] nouȝt what is detty [that is due, Cx.] whanne it may be ȝolde. [yolden, β. and Cx.; yȝulde, γ.] Þy suc|cessor schal fare wel, ȝif he bereþ [bere, Cx.] hym wel, and dooþ [doo, Cx.] as he schulde." Traianus was meoved [meved, Cx.] by these wordes, and liȝt doun [of his hors], [From α., β., and Cx.] and dede þe womman [wydue, α., β., and γ.; wydowe, Cx.] riȝt, and þerfore he was worþy to have an ymage at Rome. Also in [on, Cx.] a tyme Traianus his sone rood [rode, Cx.] on a wilde hors, and slowh [slouȝ, α., β., and Cx.] a widewe [widue, β.; wydue, γ.; wydowes, Cx.] sone; and þerfore Traianus ȝaf þe widewe his sone [his owne sonne to the wydowe, Cx.] for hir sone. For so [For so] And bycause of this, Cx.] greet riȝtwisnesse it semeþ þat Seint Gregorie wan his soule out of helle. Trevisa. So it myȝte seme to a man [So myght a man wene, Cx.] þat were worse þan wood, and out of riȝt bileve. Whanne Evaristus [Enariscus, α. and Cx.] was i-martired, [martred, β.] Alexander come after hym, and was pope ten ȝere; he ordeyned [ordeygned, Cx.] holy water to be i-blessed wiþ salt, and to be spronge [sprenged in, β.; spryngt, Cx.] in [in] among, γ.] Cristen

mennis hous; [houses. Cx.] he put to, in þe masse, "qui pridie quam pate|retur," and so forþ anon to [unto, Cx.] þese wordes, "hoc est corpus meum." Also he ordeynede [þat] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] water shulde be i-melled [medled, β. and Cx.] wiþ wyn in þe chalys, [chalyce, Cx.] for to by tokene þe onynge [onyng, β. and Cx.] and þe unite [and þe unite] om. Cx.] of Crist and of holy chirche; and he ordeyned þat þe oyst [oost, β. and Cx., et infra; hoyst, γ.] schulde be of þerf brede and [and] in, γ.] a [a] of, β.] litel quantite, and seide þat [þat] om. Cx.] þe scarser þe [þe] þys, γ.; this, Cx.] oyst be þe better it is. Symon, þat heet Symeon also, Cleophas his sone, þe lasse Iames his successor, was y-nailled to þe crosse in þe chirche of Ierusalem, and al men wondrede [wondride, β.] þat so oolde a [a] om. α.] man of sixe score ȝere myȝte suffre þe [þat] α., β., γ., and Cx.] passioun. Ignacius bisshop of Antiochia, Iohn [Joones, β.; Iohans, Cx.] his disciple, was i-brouȝt to Rome, and i-þrowe [throwen, Cx.] to wylde bestes, and while he was i-tormented [turmented, β.] he cride [besiliche] [From α., β., and Cx.; bysylych, γ.] alwey [bisilich, β.; cryed alwey besyly Cx.] Iesus. Þanne after his deth his herte was i-hakked [y-hakket, γ.] to [hewen into, Cx.] smal gobettes, and in everiche gobette [every gobbet, Cx.] was i-founde Cristes

name i-write [Iesus wreton, Cx.] wiþ lettres of gold. Þe secounde Plinius, Novo|comensis, [Novocomensis, from γ.; Nono|comensis, MS.] a pledere [pleter, Cx.] and a writere of stories, was in his floures. Þis [He was mayster to T. . . . . , Cx.] was Traianus þe emperour his maister, and refreyned hym in meny þinges, [and in especial] [From Cx.; not β. or γ.] for [for] that, Cx.] he schulde nouȝt [persecute ne] [From Cx.; not β. or γ.] greve Cristen men. Also þis, nouȝt wiþstond|ynge þe knyȝthode and chivalrie þat he usede alwey, ȝit he wroot seven and þritty bookes of the stories of kynde, [kuynde, γ.] in þe whiche he descryveþ cleerliche [clerly, Cx.] þe world, and al þat is þer|ynne. At þe laste he wente for to serche and enquere þe cause of þe gravel þat is in þe see strond of the see Adriance, [Adriaticus, β. and γ.] bytwene Grees and Italy; [of the see . . . Italy] om. Cx.] he [he] it, β.] was [he was] whiche is, Cx.] aleide wiþ hepes [huples, γ.] of gravel, so [so] as, Cx.] it is i-seide. After þe passioun of Alisaundre þe pope, Sixtus was pope almost elevene ȝere; he ordeyned þat trisa|gium, [trisagium, α., β., γ., and Cx.] þat is, "Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus," schulde be songe at masse, and þat þe corperas [corporas, α., β., and Cx.; cor|peros, γ.] schulde nouȝt be of sik [sylk, α.; sylke, Cx.] noþer sendel, [but] [From Cx.; bote, γ.] clene lynnen cloþ nouȝt i-dyed, and þat no womman schulde handle þe [þe] no, Cx.] towayles [toweils, β.] of þe auȝter; [towelles of the auter, Cx.] and þey

mened [me rede, α. and γ.; þouȝ me rede, β.; though men rede, Cx.] þat Alisaundre suffred deth in Adrianus [Adrians, Cx.] his tyme, ȝit þo was nouȝt Adrianus emperour, but on caas [in caas, β.; peraventur, Cx.] consul oþer [oþer] or, Cx.] prefect. In this Traianus [Trayanus, Cx.] his tyme Placidas, maister of knyȝtes wente an [on, Cx.] hontynge, and sigh þe schap of the roode bytwene an hertes hornes, þat seide hym [and mette with an herte hauynge betwene his hornes the crucifix, which sayd to hym, Cx.] þat he and his wif and his children schulde suffre moche [myche, β.] woo and sorwe; and at the laste [after this, Cx.] he was i-cristened, [folled, β.; y-folled, γ.] [he and his wyf and his children,] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] and hadde a newe name, and was i-cleped Eustas. [Eustace, Cx.] Cassio|dorus. Þis Traianus deide in þe flux in Seleucia, þe ȝere of his age sixty and þree: his bones were i-gadred [i-gadred] om. Cx.] in a goldene stene, and i-doo in the chepynge place [goldene urne or potte and buryed in the market place, Cx.] þat he hadde i-made, [y-mad, γ.; that he had made, in Cx. after piler.] under a piler of an hondred foot hygh and foure and fourty. Loos and mynde of hym is so i-spronge, [y-sprongge, γ.] þat ȝit in oure tyme me prayeþ [men praye, Cx.] in plesynge of princes, "More gracious mote þou be þan evere was Augustus, and bettre þan Traianus."