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

Capitulum vicesimum septimum. [From β.]

CONSTANCIUS, þe grete Constantyn his sone, regned after his fadir deth wiþ his breþeren [breþeron, γ.] Constantyn and Constant sex and twenty ȝere. He was by-spronge [bispronge, β.; bysprounge, γ.] wiþ Arius his heresie, and despised [dyspysed, Cx.] chirches, and chasede [chaced, γ. (bis).] cristen men, and exciled Iulius the pope fortene [for ten, α.; fourten, Cx.] ȝere, and chasede [chaced, γ. (bis).] Athana|sius, bisshop of Alexandria, as it were in to al þe worlde. Þat ȝere Arrius þe heretike, by help of þe emperour, wente to Constantynenoble to chirche [churche, γ.] for to stryve aȝenst cristen men, and tornede by Constancius his place for to clense his wombe, [bely, Cx.] and sched [schad, γ.; he voyded, Cx.] out his bowels and [and . . . schoot] and so he dyed there meschevously, Cx.] his lyf wiþ þe

dritt þat he schoot. [schote, β.; dryt þat a schoot, γ.] Þat ȝere Iulius þe pope bygan to come aȝen out of þe contray of Cerson, þere he hadde i-be for to destroye [distruye, β.] Arrius his heresie; þan he was i-warned by an aungel þat he schulde translate Clement his body; and while he dede [dude, γ.] as þe aungel bad [baad, γ.] þe see wiþ drowe hym as he was i-woned at Seinte Clementes day, and his body was y-sett uppon þe brynke of þe see, and þere is i-bulde [bylded, Cx., et infra.] a chirche, and anon the buriels þat was i-lefte in þee see wiþ the erþe [eorþe, γ.] aboute aroos up, and bycam an ilond, and seþþe me [sith men, Cx.] comeþ to þat ylond by schippes and bootes, and þere is i-bulde a cherche. Þat ȝere Paul þe first hermyte deide in Egipte, þe ȝere of his age an hondred and þrittene. Eusebius in Historia Eccle|siastica, libro 11^o. [21, Cx.] Þat ȝere was strong persecucion aȝenst Athanasius, for he hadde a scoler þat heet Arsenius, he hadde i-trespassed, [trespaced, Cx.] and dredde þe chastisynge [chastynge, α.] of his maister, and fliȝ [fledde, Cx.] and hidde [hudde, γ.] hym in hidyng [huydyng, β. and γ.] places. Athanasius his ene|myes

tolde þat Athanasius bare [bar, γ.] wiþ hym þis scoler his arme, for to use þerwiþ wicchecrafte. [wychcraft, γ.] At þe laste þese [þeos, γ.] tiþinges come to Arsenius þere he was i-hidde þe day tofore þat his maister schulde be at answere and at strif; [schuld . . . strif] sholde come to his answer, Cx.] þanne [þanne] om. Cx.] Arsenius come to his maister, but he hidde hym eft as his maister heet. [bade, β. At this point it will be observed that all the versions but the Harleian leave out the trans|lation of the text from delitescente to hospitasse. The same omission occurs in all texts I have examined, and the words are inserted out of their place in chap. xxix, which I have here transposed.] [Enemyes brouȝt forþ an arme, and it was i-axed of Athanasius for what use he hadde i-kutte of þat arme, and he brouȝt forþ Arsenius þat hadde boþe his armes, and schewed hem boþe hole and sound, and axede of [the] [From Cx.] oþere men where þey hadde þat arme þat þey schewed þere. Also his enemyes hired [huyred, β.; huyrede, γ.] a womman þat schulde seie [segge, γ.] þat sche hadde ofte i-herberwed Athanasius,] and þe strengþe of þe unwilful corrupcioun was i-fonge of hym. [was resseyved therby, Cx.] Þanne Anastasius [Athanacius, α.; Athanasius, β. and Cx.] made a signe to his preost Thimotheus [Tymotheus, β.] þat he schulde answere; þanne þe preost axede besiliche ȝif he were þe same þat þe womman spak of, and sche [heo, β.] affermede stedefastliche þat it was so. Þanne it was sone i-knowe þat þe

accusacioun was false and not [nouȝt, β.] trewe. [truwe, γ.] After þis Athanasius was flemed [fleme, γ.; exyled, Cx.] as it were into al þe world aboute so þat he hadde no siker [seker, Cx.] place for to dwelle ynne. Þerfore two ȝere to giders he dwelled in a ponde þat was wiþ oute watir, so þat unneþe he seyȝ [syȝ, β.; sawe, Cx.] þe sonne al þe mene tyme, [al that while, Cx.] but þere he was i-wreyed [ywryed, γ.; bewreyed, Cx.] wiþ [wiþ] by, β. and γ.] a wenche, [yong woman, Cx.] and tho [þan, β.] couþe he no siker place fynde in al Constancius his kyngdom. Þo he wente westward [westward] om. Cx.] in to Con|stant Cesars londes, and þere he was i-socoured [i-sokoured, α.; sokoured, β.; ysucrod, γ.] awhile wiþ oon Maximus, bisshop of Treverens, [Treverent, β. and Cx.] and þere [in] [From α.] þe mene tyme he made symbolum þat bygynneþ in þis manere: [þat . . . manere] om. Cx.] "Quicunque vult salvus esse." At þe laste Constant Cesar sente lettres to his broþer Constancius, and Athanasius was restored aȝen to his bisshopriche. But Constant Cesar deide, and þanne Athanasius fil ofte [ful eft, γ.; agayn, Cx.] in greet wreþþe and in greet hate, so þat grete medes were byhote [rewardis were promysed to, Cx.] hem þat wolde brynge hym oþer slee hym and brynge [forþ] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] his heed. Þanne in Iulius the posteta [apostatas, Cx.] his tyme Athanasius fligh efte, and rowed [rowede, β.] by þe ryver Nilus. Þan oon þat was i-sette forto take hym, pursewed [poursiewed, Cx.] hym, and Athanasius was war [waar, Cx.] þerof, and tornede his boot toward þe clif

aȝen as it were for to mete wiþ his enemy; but his enemy myȝte not trowe [coude not byleve, Cx.] þat he þat fliȝ hym wolde so mete hym, [hym] with hym, Cx.] and þerfore he haxede [axsede, α.; axed, β.] of Athanasius, þat sat in his boot, ȝif he hadde i-seie Athanasius. "He passeþ nouȝt fer to fore," quod Athanasius, and so his enemy was bigiled and passed [forþ, added in β.: forth, added in Cx.] dayles. Sapor, kyng of Pers, byseged þe citee Nisibyn [Insibin, γ.] tweie monþes; and by þe prayer of Seint Iame, þat was bisshop of þat citee, þe snowtes of olyfauntes and his hors eren [eres, Cx.] were so ful of gnattes and stoutes [and stoutes] om. Cx.; stontes, α.; stoute, γ.] and of greet flyes þat þey þrew adoun al þat was uppon hem and alto schende [schedde, α. and β.; schadde, γ.] þe oost. [and disparcled al thoost, Cx.] Seint Nicholas deide; at his tombe springeþ [sprang, α., β., and γ.; sprange, Cx.] up a welle of oylle at his heet, [heed, α.; hed, β.] and a welle of water at his feet. At þe laste his bones were trans|lated to Barrus, þe ȝere of oure Lord a þowsand fourescore and sevene. After Iulius, Liberius was pope nyntene ȝere. He was outlawed þre ȝere for he wolde not favere þe Arrians. In þe mene tyme, by his counsaille, þe [þe] of, γ.] clergie of Rome ordeyned Felix pope. Þis Felix made a counsaille of [wiþ, α., β., γ., and Cx.] fourty bis|shoppes

and eyȝte; þere he condempnede and putte of tweie preostes Arrians, Ursarius [Ursacius, α., β., γ., and Cx.] and Valent. Constancius þe em|perour herde þerof, and reconsiled Liberius, for hym semed þat he was esyer [aysyer, γ.] to þe Arrians. Þan Liberius as he þat was over|come wiþ the greef of þe excilynge, and i-gladed ffor he was pope aȝen, and [and] om. α., β., and Cx.] assented to heresye, and put doun Felix, and helde þe chirches of Petir and Poul and of Laurence violent|liche and with strengþe, so þat clerkes and preostes þat favored Felix were i-slawe in þe [þe] om. α. and γ.] chirche, and Liberius forbede [forbeod, γ.] it nouȝt. Felix was i-martired. Victorinus þe rethorik, [rethor, α.; rethour, Cx.] and Donatus þe gramarian, [gramaryen, Cx.] beeþ i-holde grete men at Rome. An|tonius þe monk deieþ in Egipte, þe ȝere of his age an hondred and fyve. Seint Hillary, bisshop of Peyters, [Payters, β.] by conspiracie of þe bisshop Arelatensis and [and] an, β. and Cx.] Arryan, [bischop of Arelatensis an Ar|rian, γ.] was exciled þre ȝere in Frigia; þere he wroot noble bookes of oure religioun. At Seleucia in Isauria is i-made a counsaille, þere a bille þat Hillary hadde i-made was i-putte uppe to the emperour Con|stancius, and Hillary hadde leve to come aȝen home into

Peytow. Martinus. Me useþ for to seie [segge, γ.] of þis Hillarye þat Leon þe pope, þat was an heretik, seide to hym in þe counsaille of bisshoppes, "Þou art Gallus but nouȝt [of, added in β. γ., and below.] gallina. [and not of gallina, Cx.] Trevisa. Gallus is [is] y, γ. (bis).] a cok, and Gallus is [is] y, γ. (bis).] a Frensche man; þan [þan . . . cok] thenne he ment that Hillarye was a frenssheman, Cx.] whan, he seide, "Þou art Gallus and noȝt gallina," þat is an henne, his menynge was þat Hillary was a Frensche man and nouȝt a cok. [cokke, β.] Þan it folweþ in þe storye, Hillarye schulde answere, [saye, Cx.] "Þou art a [From α. and β.] Leoun, but nouȝt of þe lynage of Iuda." Also in þe counsaille of bisshoppes no man aroos aȝenst Hillary, and Hillary seide, "Þe eorþe [erth, Cx.] is our Lordes;" [Lordes] Lord hys, γ. This page of γ. is very much rubbed out.] þanne þe eorþe aroos in þe manere of a tufte [tote, α., β., γ., and Cx.] for to fonge [resseyve, Cx.] Hillarie; but þis is i|founde [founden, Cx.] in noon cronikel [no cronyk, β.; no cronyke, Cx.] þat is autentik. [auctentik, Cx.] Nameliche, for no pope was i-cleped Leon in Hillary his tyme, but ȝif Liberius þe pope þat favorede heretikes oþere som false pope was i-cleped Leon.