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

Capitulum quintumdecimum.

ANTONIUS Pius, wiþ his sones Aurelius and Lucius, was em|perour two and twenty ȝere; þis [he, Cx.] hadde suche a name ffor [that, Cx.] in al his kyngdom he wiþ heelde [wiþheld, γ.] þe cauciouns of his dettour, and

forȝaf his dettoures of þeyre [his dettoures of þeyre] om. β.; þe, α. and Cx.] dettes, and þerfore he was i-cleped þe fadir of the contray; and me seith [sayd, Cx.] þat ofte he wolde seie [ofte, added in β.; segge, γ.] in þis manere: "Me is levere [leover, γ.] by þe ensample of Scipioun save oon citeseyn þan overcome a þowsand enemyes." His douȝter Fastina [Faustina, α. and Cx.] seygh [sawe, Cx.] swerd [sweord, γ.] men fiȝte, and caste so grete love to oon of hem þat sche [heo, β. and γ. (bis).] was for love sike, [syyk, γ.; seke for love, Cx.] and sche [heo, β. and γ. (bis).] tolde hit to hir owne housbonde Marcus Antonius; þanne by coun|saille of phisicians of Caldea þat swerdman was i-slawe, and Fautina [Faustina, α.; Faustynas, Cx.] his [hys, γ.] body was annoynt [enoynted, Cx.] wiþ his blood, and so þe sorwe cesede. Also meny men of straunge naciouns dede [dide, β.; dude, γ.] of hir armour, and putte þe causes of hir stryf uppon Antonius, [and were, added in Cx.] redy to stande to his ordynaunce and his [his] om. Cx.] dome. Ieromus de viris. In his tyme Policarpus, bisshop of Ephesym, þat was Iohn [Iohn] om. γ.; Ioon, β.] þe Evangelist his disciple, [was disciple to Johan thevange|lyst, Cx.] come to Rome and tornede meny men out of þat [þe, α.; theyr, Cx.] schrewednesse of [schrewednesse of] om. Cx.] heresie, and was aftirward

i-brand [brente, Cx.] in his owne chirche. After Iginus, Pius was pope fiftene ȝere, at his prayenge [prayer, Cx.] Hermes wroot þat book þat is i|cleped Pastor; þerynne it is i-write þat Ester day schulde nouȝt be i-holde but on a Sonday, by heste [heest, β.] of an aungel [byddynge of the aungele, Cx.] þat schewede hym in cloþinge of [a] [α, added from Cx.] fischere. [fyschare, γ.] Aboute þis his tyme Trogus [Trogus] om. γ.] Pompeus, of þe nacioun of Spayne, was in his floures. [He wrote] [From β.; he wrot, γ.] as it were [as it were] he wrote, Cx.] þe stories of al þe worlde, ffrom Nynus his tyme, kyng of Assiria, [Assaria, γ.] to þe tyme of þe he [hole, α. and γ.; hool, β.; hoole, Cx.] lordschip of emperours, in foure and fourty bookes. His disciple Iustinus abreggede [abregged, β.; Iustinus abred|ged, Cx.] þese [abregede þeos, γ.] bookes; þis Iustinus [was a pledere and writere of storyes. Also þis Iustinus] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] wroot þe book De Cristiana religione to Antonius Pius, and þerby he made hym þe more goodliche. [goodly, Cx.] After Pius, Anicletus [Anitetus, α. and Cx.] was pope as it were ten ȝere: he heet þat clerkes schulde be schore [shaven, Cx.] rounde aboute, and have none [no, γ.] longe lokkes. Galienus [Galyen, Cx.] þe phician, [phicicien, α.; phisician, β.; phisicien, Cx.] þat was i-bore at Per|gamus,

is [was, Cx.] in his floures at Rome; he expownede Ypocras his bookes as it were, [as it were] om. Cx.] and nouȝt onliche þat, [them, Cx.] but also he made meny veleyns [volyms, β.; volums, γ.; volumes, Cx.] of his owne: me seiþ þat for skilful [skylfol, γ.; resonable, Cx.] abstynence þat he usede he lyvede seven score [honderd and fourty, Cx.] ȝere; he ete nevere noþer drank his fulle, noþer ete rawe fruyte, he hadde alwey swete smellynge breeþ; he deyde for elde, [age, Cx.] and for noon oþer evel. Þat tyme Hirmeus episcopus Lugdunensis [Lugdium, Cx.] was in his floures [was flourynge, Cx.] ; he expownede meny bookes of holy writt: and Tholomeus, a con|nynge man of sciens of methametik, was in his floures; he made more of astronomy þan was al þat he fonde y-made [al þat he fonde y-made] made, Cx.] tofore his tyme; þis was a [of, α., γ., and Cx.] strong wrethe, [wacche, Cx.] and of litel mete, and hadde a swete breth; he made many bookes, [beokes, Cx.] þat beeþ Almagestus per|spectiva et [and, α. and β.] in iudiciis quadripartitum, [and, added in Cx.] centilogium; among his proverbis tweyne beeþ [buþ, γ.] famous and noble: He is hiȝeste among men þat reccheþ [retcheth, Cx.] nevere [ner, α.] who haþ þe world on honde;

and: Oþer men beeþ nouȝt amended by hym þat is nouȝt amendid by oþer men. Marcus.