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

Capitulum vicesimum tertium.

VALERIANUS, wiþ his sone Galienus, regnede as it were fiftene ȝere; first he worshipped so holy seintes þat me trowede

þat his hous was Goddis owne chirche. But afterward he was apeyred by oon þat was a wicche, and bygan to hate the fey of Cristen men; þan he pursued Cristen men, and Goddes help was so bynome hym þat he was i-take of Sapor kyng of Pers, and his eyȝen were y-put out; he was i-holde in a dis|pitous bondage to his lifes ende, so þat he schulde stoupe to grounde, and þe kyng schulde sette his foot on his bak whanne he schulde lepe to horse. Aboute þat ȝere Decius, þat heet Galienus, were cruel and sterne; and Paule þe firste heremyte wente into wildernesse and lyvede þere unknowe sixty ȝere to giders, as Ierom destroyeþ in vitis patrum. After Lucius, Stevene was pope þre ȝere; he ordeyned þat mynystres of holy cherche schulde nouȝt were holy vesty|mentis in þe comyn use of every day: þis Stevene was i-slawe while he seide his masse. Þe secounde Ciprianus was first a man of lawe, and a pleder, and aftirward a preost, and at þe laste he was bisshop of Cartage, and was i-martired þe same day þat Cornelius þe pope was i-martired, but nouȝt þe same ȝere. After þat Stevene was i-martired, Sixtus was pope

two ȝere; he ordeyned þat me schulde synge a masse uppon an auȝter, and was aftirward i-martired wiþ Felicissimus and Agapitis in Decius his tyme; so seiþ martilogie, þat is more to trowynge þan cronicles of auctours þat beeþ nouȝt i-knowe; for Galienus þe emperour heet Decius also. Þis Sextus wente into Spayne in a tyme, and fonde þere tweye ȝongelynges, Vincent and Laurence, þat were his owne cosyns, and wel i-þewed, and took heed of hem, and brouȝte hem wiþ hym to Rome, and Laurence abood wiþ hym at Rome, and Vyncent wente aȝen into Spayne, and was y-martyred aftirward in Dacianus þe juges tyme. Aftir þat Sixtus was i-martired, Denys, a monk, was pope sixe ȝere; he to deled parisches and chirche hawes, and assigned to everich a preost. After Denys, Felix was pope foure ȝere. Eugenia, Prothus, and Iacinctus were i-martired at Rome þat tyme. Gre|gorye Nauȝanȝenus was in his floures in Grees; he was bis|shop at Constantynenoble. Tweie breþeren germayns stryve

for a pond þat hadde plente of fische, and by his prayers he made þe ponde wexe drye, and bere corne and fruyt. Also a chirche schulde be bulde in a place, but þe place was to scars and to narowe, for in þe est side was a greet rocke, and a greet ryver in þe west side, and Gregorie prayde in a nyȝt, and amorwe it was i-founde þat þe roche was wiþdrawe as fer as it nedede, and so þere was a place large inowe for to make and bulde a chirche. Also in anoþer tyme in þe wynter he passede by Alpes, and he moste wende by Appolyn his temple. But whan he was a goo fro þe temple þe preost of þe temple, þat was y-woned to gete moche good by answeres þat þe mamette ȝaf, myȝte tho non answere gete. Also þe same preost offrede sacrifice besiliche, and it was i-seide hym in his sleepe þat Appollo Delphicus was i-put out in þe comynge of Gregorie, and þat he myȝte not come aȝen wiþ oute leve of Gregorie. Whan þe preost hirde þat, anon he wente to

Gregorie, and purchasede a lettre of hym in þese wordes: "Gregorie sendeþ gretynge to Appolyn: I suffre þe to torne aȝe in to þy place, and doo as þou were i-woned to doo." Þis lettre was i-sette up [in Appolyn his temple], and Ap|polyn ȝaf answeris as he was i-woned to doo. Whanne þe preost sigh þat, he wente to Gregorye, and prayde hym þat he wolde make hym a Cristen man; and at þe laste whan Gregorie was deed, he was bisshop after hym. Claudius þe secounde regnede oon ȝere and somwhat of monthes; ones he overcom þe Gothes, and deyde; aftir hym his broþer Quin|tilius regnede by assent of knyȝtes, and was y-slawe þė fifteþe day in Aquila. After þat Phelix þe pope was [y]-martired, Euticianus was pope sixe ȝere; he ordeynede þat þe firste fruytes schulde be i-blessed uppon an auter; also he buried þre hondred martires and sixty wiþ his owne honde.

Notes

• as it were] om. Cx.
• was] hadde be, Cx.
• wychche, γ.; wytche, Cx.
• biganne to poursue, Cx.
• bymone, Cx.
• yen, γ.; eyen, Cx.
• lyves, α.
• werþ, α.; wax, Cx.
• werþ cruwel, β.
• werþ cruwel and sturn, γ.
• descryveþ, α.; discreveþ, β.; wryteth, Cx.
• Stephen, Cx.
• ordeygned, Cx.
• everech, β.
• pletar, Cx.
• was] om. α.
• aulter, Cx.
• Agapit, α.; Agapitus, Cx.
• þe martirlogi, γ.; the martiloge, Cx.
• better to byleve, Cx.
• cronykes, α., γ., and Cx.
• buþ, γ.
• were, added in Cx.
• and manerd, Cx.
• and] he, Cx.
• Sextus, α.
• parsches, γ.; departed paryshes, Cx.
• heyes, β.; yerdes, Cx.; church|heyes, γ.
• parysse, added in Cx.
• in Grees] om. Cx.
• in Grece, added in Cx.
• strofe, Cx.
• poond, γ.
• the pond waxed drye, Cx.
• buylded, Cx.
• to scarce, Cx.
• rooche, β. (bis); rooch, γ. (bis).
• on the morn, Cx.
• rooche, β. (bis); rooch, γ. (bis).
• neodede, γ.
• ynough, Cx.
• buylde, γ.
• by] the, Cx.
• y-wond, γ.; wont, Cx.
• answhers, γ.
• but he, inserted in β.
• myȝte. . .gete] gate no more, for the mawmet gaf none answer, Cx.
• also þe same] and the, Cx.
• bysylych, γ.; bysyly, Cx.
• in] by, Cx.
• hurde, γ.
• wont, β.
• From α., β., γ., and Cx.
• to doo] om. γ.
• xv., Cx.
• Aquilia, α. and β.
• Felix, α.; Felyx, Cx.
• From α.
• furste fruyt, γ.
• an] the, Cx.
• biryed, β.