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

Capitulum vicesimum primum.

PHILIP [Philippus, Cx.] wiþ his sone [Philip] [From α. and Cx.] was emperour sevene ȝere; þis was þe firste Cristen man of al þe emperours, and was i-cristened [y-folled, β. and γ.] of Seint Pontius þe martir. He was so stedefast [studefast, α.] in þe fey of holy chirche þat he knowlechede verreilyche [frelich, β.; frely, Cx.] his synne and was i-houseled [y-housled, γ.] to fore al þe peple in an [in an] om. Cx.] Esterday; his sone was a Cristen man, but he was so sturne of herte þat no man myȝte meove [meve, Cx.] hym to lauȝhe. [lauȝwhe, γ.] Oones he took heede how [houȝ, γ.]

his fader made a mowe, and tornede away þe [þe] his, Cx.] face; alwey he wiþstood vices, and fondede to styȝe up to þe perfiȝtnesse of virtues. Eutropius. In þe fourþe ȝere of þese [þeose, γ.; this, Cx.] emperours [þis emperour, β.] were i-ended a þowsand ȝere after þat Rome was i-buld, and for solempnite þerof [Philip] [From α., γ., and Cx.] slowȝ bestes wiþ oute nombre in a rounde place þat is i-cleped þe grete circus, and made pleyes of þe theatre in Mars his [Marses, Cx.] feeld [Marses felde, β.] þre dayes and þre nyȝt to þe peple þat wook [woke, Cx.] besiliche. [woke busylych, γ.] Fabyan þe pope was i-martired in Decius þe consul his tyme; after hym Cornelius was pope þre ȝere; he ordeyned [ordeygned, Cx.] þat noon ooth [oþ, α.] schulde be chalenged [chalengide, β.] of þe pope but it were for þe right fey of holy chirche, and þat no preost schulde committe his cause to anoþer manis doom but it were apeled to þe court of Rome. Also at þe prayer of Seint Lucina he made þe bodies of the apostles to [to] om. α.] be i-take out of þe place þat hatte Catacumbe, as it were a charnel, and broȝt Poule his [Powles, Cx.] body in þe place þat hatte Via Ostiensis, and Peter his body in place þat hatte Vaticanus, faste by þe place þere he was i-doo in [in] om. Cx.] þe croys. In þis popes tyme þe Grees [Grekes, Cx., et infra.] hadde y-stole þe bodies of þe aposteles to brynge hem into

Grees. But feendes þat were i-closed and woned [dwellyd, Cx.] in maw|mettes were compelled by þe virtu of God, and cryed, "Helpeþ, [Help ye, Cx.] men of Rome, for ȝoure [ȝoure] our, Cx.] goddes beþ i-take awey. [from you, added in Cx.] " Þanne Cristen men understood þat þat [þat] this, Cx.] was i-seide of þe apostles, and mysbileved men understood þat it was i-seide of here goddes; and so boþe [boþe] om. Cx.] Cristen men and mysbileved men gadrede hem to gidres alle in oon route, and [and] om. Cx.] by on assent, and pursued [poursiewed, Cx.] after þe Grees. Þan þe Grees were aferd, and þrewe þe bodyes of þe apostles in a put [pitt, β.; pytte, Cx.] at a place þat hatte [heyght, Cx.] Catecumbe; and whan þe bodies were i-take up [up] om. Cx.] out of þat place, it was doute wheþer bonys were [was, β.] Petris [Peter his, α.] and wheþer wer Paulis. [Paule his, α.] Þanne Cristen men gonne to praye [and to] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] faste, and hadde a revelacioun and a schewynge of God þat þe grettere bones were þe fischeres bones [þe fischeres bones] bis in MS.] ; þe fischere was Peter. Phelip þe lyþere [elder, β.; elþere, γ.; older, Cx.] was i-slawe at Nerona, [Verona, Cx.] and Phelip þe ȝonger was i-slawe at Rome by gile and by fraud of Decius. ℞. It is i-rad in þe legenda sanctorum þat Phelip þe

eldere [elþere, α. and γ.] hadde i-sente his noble knyȝt Decius for to chaste Gallia. Decius sped wel, and come aȝen, and þe emperour com aȝenst hym out of Rome, and was i-slawe at Nerona [Verona, Cx.] [by his fraude and gyle], [From α., β., and Cx.] and Phelip þe ȝonger [þanne þ^e ȝonger Philip, α., γ., and Cx.] herde [hurde, γ.] þerof, and fligh, and took his fadris [fader, α.] tresour to Sixtus þe pope, and to Laurence þe decoun, [dekene, Cx.] for to dele it to pore [pour, Cx.] men. Þan Decius was i-made emperour, for me schulde wene þat he hadde i-slayn his lord for love of mametrie, and not traytour|liche. Þis Decius pursuede [poursiewed, Cx.] Cristen men, and was emperour þre ȝere; þis [he, Cx.] wolde have y-crowned his sone Decius em|perour, but his sone wolde nouȝt, and seide, "Y drede þat I schal forȝete [forȝeote, γ.] to be a sone ȝif I be made [maad, γ.] emperour; me is levere," quod he, "to be nouȝt emperour, and [be a meke sone, þan be emperour, and] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] stout and unkynde sone; myn fader schal be emperour, my [myn, α.] empere schal be to be suget [subgette, Cx.] and buxom to þe emperour." Orosius. [Decius, α.]