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

Capitulum vicesimum quintum.

DIOCLICIANUS, þe sone of Dalmata þe writere, was first consul, and þan he was i-made emperour, and he was i-made emperour

twenty ȝere. Anon þis smot Aprus in a gaderynge of knyȝtes, and swore þat by his traysoun and gyle Numerarius was i-slawe. Þis man was besy and sotil of witte, so þat he couþe fulfille his cruelnesse by þe envie of oþere; þis heet and comaunded þat me schulde worshippe hym as it were God Almyȝty. He used cloþes and hosen, and schone realliche arrayede wiþ precious stones, þey emperoures þat were to fore hym were i-salwed as iuges, and hadde a reed mantel [more þan oþere men, and non oþer dyverste from þe comoun cloþynge of oþere men but suche a rede mantel]. Also for werre and batailles þat were toward, þis took oon Herculus Maximianus, and made hym his felowe in þe kyngdom. Þis Herculius was opounliche grym and sturne, and wolde nouȝt be under lawe; his sturnesse was liȝtliche i-knowe by his grisly semblant. But Dioclisianus hadde raþer i-made hym Cesar and aftirward Augustus; he

bar doun a greet multitude of cherles, and ȝilde pees to þe Galles: in þat iornay was þe legioun i-martired at Alpes, þat hatte legio Thebea; Seynt Morys was oon of þat legioun. At þe laste Dioclisianus made Constancius and Galerius Cesarus; and so þe empere was governed by tweie Augustus, Dio|clisianus and Maximianus, and be tweie Cesares, Constancius and Galerius Cesarus, and so þe empere was governed by tweie Augustus. And for he wolde have þe gretter affinite, Diocli|sianus made Constancius forsake his wif Helene, and wedded Theodora þe step-douȝter of Herculeus Maximianus, and Con|stancius gat on here sixe children; and he made Galerius wedde his douȝter and forsake his wif. And at þe laste Dioclisianus and Maximianus lefte of þe empere by here owne [fre] wille, and bygonne to be philosofres. Þanne Constancius and Galerius delede þe empere bytwene hem tweyne; and so Illiricum and þe Est londes fil to Galerius, and þe West londes fil to Constancius; but he hilde hym apaide wiþ Fraunce and wiþ Spayne, and graunted þe oþer londes to Galerius; þerfore

Galerius ordeyned tweyne Cesars, Maximius in þe West, and Severus in Italy, and hilde hym self apaide wiþ Illiricum all one, þat is Grees. In þe mene tyme Dioclicianus fondede to slee Constancius þe sone of Constancius, þat he hadde on Heleyne; but Constancius was war of þat gile, and fliȝ to his fadir. Þat ȝere Seint George of Capadocia, þat was tri|bunus, was i-martred under Dacianus in Piers, at a citee þat hatte Diospolis, þat is bysides Ioppen, and he was i-martired under Dacianus þe iuge by doom of the counsaile of Nicene. His legende is acounted among writynges þat beeþ Apocripha. Trevisa. Þe writynge is Apocripha whanne þe auctor þerof is unknowe. Þanne it foloweþ in þe story: after þat Gayus was i-martired, Marcellinus was pope eiȝte ȝere. Dioclisianus compelled hym somtyme, and he assentede forto do sacrefice to mawmettis; but aftirward, in a counsail þat was i-made in Campania, he knowlechede his trespas to fore nyne score

bisshoppis, and cloþede hym self in here, and þrewe powder and dust on his owne heed, and submytte hym, and putte hym to stonde to þe doom of bisshoppes. Þanne þe bisshoppes seide: "Þou hast forsake, and Peter forsook, and was i-demed of non oþer man, but he wente out and wepte bitterliche and soore; þanne deeme þou þy self." "And I," quoþ he, "deme þat I be disposed and i-sette adoun, and y acurse alle þat burieþ my body in holy burielles." After|ward he knowleched tofore Dioclicianus þat he was a Cristen man, and so he was byheded, and his body lay in þe streete þritty dayes unburied, and Seint Peter schewed hem in a nyȝt to Marcellus þe preost, þat was pope aftir Marcellinus, and spak to hym in þis manere: "Marcelle, why buriest þou nouȝt my body?" and made hym þerby undirstonde Marcel|linus his body: "Hast þou nouȝt i-rad, 'Every man þat loweþ hym self schal be made highe;' þanne burie þou hym faste by me, þat buriel departe is nouȝt, ffor oon grace

haþ [y-] made us riȝtful." Bysides Lingons, Constancius Augustus slouȝ sixty þowsand Almayns, ffor he was i-closed wiþ ynne þe citee, and y-let out by a roop over þe wal un|wetinge þe oost. Galerius was overcome of Narsis, and fliȝ to Dioclicianus, and me seiþ þat he was underfonge of hym in þe wey wiþ so greet brag and boost, þat Dioclicianus ran by Galerius his chaar meny longe myle, i-cloþed as a emperour. Marcianus. After þe passioun of Marcellinus þe pope, þe see voydede meny dayes, and þan Marcellus was pope fyve ȝere. He ordeyned in þe citee fiftene cardynals for the service of cristenynge and of burienge. Maximianus þe emperour made þis pope kepe bestes, for he wolde nouȝt doo sacrifice to mawmettes; þanne in a nyȝt his clerkes ladde hym out of þe stable; and in þe broode wey he halowede an hous and made þerof a chirche; and Maximianus of þe chirche made a stable, and closed hym þerynne for he schulde efte kepe bestes, and þere Marcellus deide y-cloþede in heer. After hym

Eusebius the phicician was pope eyȝte monþes. ℞. By þe cronike [of Eusebius and] of Beda, þis eiȝteþe ȝere of Dioclicianus was þe firste ȝere of þe grete persecucioun þat was under Dioclicianus in þe Est and Maximianus in þe West; þat persecucioun was grettest and lengest durynge, for it durede ten ȝere continualliche; ffor þey Dyoclicianus and Maximianus lefte and ȝilde up þe empere in þe þridde ȝere of þis persecu|cioun, as it is i-seide to forehonde, ȝit þe persecucioun þat was bygonne cesed nouȝt to fore þe sevenþe ȝere of þe grete Con|stantyn. Me seiþ þat þis persecucioun was so grevous and so greet þat cherches and bookes of Goddes lawe were i-brand, and wiþ ynne oon monþe in dyvers places of þe world were seventene þowsand holy men and wommen i-crowned wiþ martirdom: no man schulde bigge, noþer selle, noþer take up water of noo place, but he dede sacrefice to mamettis. Þat tyme were i-martired many noble martres: Pancracius þe firste, and Felicianus, Sebastianus, Felix, and Andactus, sevene breþeren and here moder Beton, Grisogonus, and þe foure þat

beeþ i-cleped quatuor coronatis. Also Vincent, George [and] Pantaleon, Vitus, Modestus, Ciprianus and Iustina, Cosmas and Damianus, and þat childe Barala, Fidis, Eufemina, Lucia, Ana|stacia, Agnes, and Gorgonius, and alle in oon citee in Frigia. Beda, libro primo, capitulo 6^o. Þat tyme Seint Albon was i|martired in Brytayne: of hym Fortunatus þe preost, in libro quem de laude virginum intitulavit, spekeþ in þis manere: "Þe plen|tevous Britayne bryngeþ forþ þe noble Albon." Whan þis Albon was a paynym he herberwed a Cristen clerk, and was converted by his lore and toke on hym a clerkes cope, and come to fore þe iuge for a clerk, and was i-dampned to deþe, and con|verted moche folk faste by the brook þat he dreyede by prayers; and aftirward in þe cop of þe hille, þere he deide, he made by his prayere a welle springe out of þe erþe, and tornede þe tormentoures þat schulde slee hym to þe fey of holy chirche. He was i-martired faste by þe citee Verolamum, þat hatte Fer|lamchestre an Englisch oþer Watlyng strete. Beda. Þat tyme

come up Arrian his heresie, þat infectede nouȝt onliche þe grete londes of þe world, [but also þe ilondes of þe world,] þat beeþ alwey gladliche for to hire new þinges, and holde no þing certayn. Dioclicianus and Maximianus forsakeþ þe empere, and ledeþ a privat lyf, þe oon at Nichomedia and þe oþer at Melan. Melchiades was pope foure ȝere; he forbeed fastynge in þe Soneday and in þe Þorsday, for paynyms wor|shippeþ þilke dayes. Galerius was emperour oon ȝere, and ordeynede tweie Cesars, Maximus and Severus. Beda, libro primo. Þat tyme Constancius deide at ȝork in Britayne, þe ȝere of his principate þrittene, and lefte after hym his eldest sone i-gete on Heleyne, þat was Constantyn kyng of Britayne and of Fraunce. Constancius.

Notes

• i-made] om. α. and Cx.
• wiþoute, α., β., and Cx.
• by his] wiþoute, γ.
• Numerianus, Cx.
• hadde be slawe, α.; had nouȝt be slayn, β.
• ful ofte besy, Cx.
• fulfulle, γ.
• hym] om. Cx.
• and] om. Cx.
• hoson, γ.
• schoen, Cx.
• realich, β.
• þouȝ, β.
• y-saluwed, γ.; salewed, Cx.
• From α., β., γ., and Cx.
• Herculius, Cx., et infra.
• oponlych, γ.
• liȝtliche] sone, Cx.
• semblant] countenaunce and semblaunt, Cx.
• raþer i-made hym] made him firste, Cx.
• chorles and yelded, Cx.
• ȝuld pes, γ.
• i-martired] om. Cx.
• Cesars, α. and Cx.
• Cesarus . . . Augustus] He þat is Augustus is gretter þan he þat is Cesar, α. and Cx.
• Helene] om. Cx.
• weddede, γ.; wedde, Cx.
• owne] om. Cx.
• From α. and Cx.
• fille, β.; ful, γ. (bis).
• huld, γ., et infra.
• content, Cx.
• wiþ] om. Cx.
• Maximinus, α. and Cx.
• hym content, Cx.
• mene] om. γ.
• Constantinus, Cx., et infra.
• þe sone . . . on] that was the sone of, Cx.
• fledde, Cx.
• under Dacianus] om. α., β., γ., and Cx.
• Pers, α. and β.; Perse, γ.; Perce, Cx.
• heyte, Cx.
• Nicene] of Iewes, γ.
• acompted for wryting that is called, Cx.
• Apocrifa is a wrytyng of none auctoryte bycause thauctor therof is unknowen, Cx.
• for] om. Cx.
• nyȝen, γ.
• heere, α.; heer, β., γ., and Cx.
• pouþer, α. and γ.
• doust, β. and γ.
• submitted, β.; submytted, Cx.
• and putte hym] om. Cx.
• weop, γ.
• yche, α.; ich, β. and γ.
• deposed, β. and Cx.
• acorse, α. and β.; acorsse, γ.; accorse, Cx.
• hym, α.; him, β.; appered, Cx.
• by whiche he understode, Cx.
• loweth and meketh hym, Cx.
• y-mad hyȝ, γ.
• þou] om. Cx.
• buryels, α., γ., and Cx.
• MS. has depte, but it is evi|dently only an omission of the abbreviation mark.
• is] us, Cx.
• From α.
• Narsus, Cx.
• underfonge] receyved, Cx.
• brag and boost] booste and triumphe, Cx.
• þe emperoure made þis pope kepe bestes and] added here in MS. by an error.
• voyde, Cx.; sede foydede, γ.
• fullyng, β.; follyng, γ.
• halewide, β.; halwede, γ.
• hym, þerynne] Marcellus in þe comyn warde, β. and γ.; Marcellus in the comyn warde, Cx.
• From α., γ., and Cx.
• eyȝteteþ, α.; eyghten, Cx.
• duyryng, γ.
• þhough, Cx.
• seced, Cx.
• barnd, γ.; brent, Cx.
• ynne] om. γ.
• bye ne, Cx.
• bugge noþer sylle, γ.
• ne, Cx.
• noo] ony, Cx.
• maumetrie, Cx.
• and] om. Cx.
• Adauctus, α. and γ.; Audactus, Cx.
• Bedon, Cx.
• coronati, Cx.
• From α., β., and Cx.
• alle] om. γ.
• primo] om. Cx.
• harborwede, α. and γ.; herbered, β.; lodged, Cx.
• clerk] man, Cx.
• the habyte of the clerk and cam, Cx.
• for a clerk] om. Cx.
• druyde, γ.
• toppe, Cx.
• þere] where as, Cx.
• eorþe, γ.
• tormentor, γ.
• Verolanium, Cx.
• Verlamchestre, Cx.
• Watlyngchestre, α., β., γ., and Cx.
• From α., β., γ., and Cx.
• glad, α.; alwey redy to here, Cx.
• huyre, γ.
• forsoke, Cx.
• ladde, Cx.
• þe] that, Cx. (bis).
• þe] that, Cx. (bis).
• forbeod, γ.
• þulke, γ.
• Maximius, α. and Cx.; Maxi|mianus, γ.
• elþeste, γ
• Constantinus, α.