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

Capitulum vicesimum octavum. Iulianus.

WHANNE Constancius was dede, Iulyanus þe [þe] om. β.] aposteta, [apostata, Cx.] þat was Cesar, was i-made emperour, [and was emperour] [From α., β., and Cx.] as it were two ȝere. In his tyme were i-martred Pigmenus [Pigmeus, α., β., and Cx.] þe preost þat was somtyme [had ben tofore, Cx.] Iulianus maister, Iohn [Iohan, Cx.] and Paule, and also Quiriacus þat heet Iudas, bisshop of Ierusalem, ffor he hadde i-founde þe cros. ℞. [℞] om. α.] Of þis Iulianus it is i-rad, undecimo libro historie tripartite, þat Constancius, þe grete Constantyn his broþer, hadde tweie breþeren, [sones, Cx.] oon Gallus and þis Iulianus. But whanne þe greet Constantyn was dede, his sone Constancius was emperour, and made his eem [eme, γ.] Gallus Cesar, but afterward, for suspeccioun of his grete witte, he made hym be i-slawe at Histria, and þerfore þis Iulianus, Gallus his broþer, dradde leste he schulde be slawe, [slayn, β.] and bycam a monk, and made hym ful [fol, γ.] papholy [pop holy, Cx.] under monkes wede. [habyte, Cx.] Þerfore a womman brouȝte hym to kepynge þre stenes ful of gold

i-heled [covered, Cx.] above wiþ askes; [asshes, Cx.] but Iulianus took þe gold and dely|vered þe womman þe stenes ful [steenes fol, γ., et infra.] of askes; and whanne þe gold was i-take Iulianus myȝte [coude, Cx.] nouȝt be convykt, for þe witnesse [witnesses, β.; wytnes, γ.; wyt|nesses, Cx.] þat were present in þe bryngynge of þe stenes [atte receyvyng of them, Cx.] sigh [sye, γ.] noȝt but askes; and so Iulianus wiþ helde [heuld, γ.; toke, Cx.] þe golde, and went þerwiþ [þerwiþ] om. Cx.] to Rome, and gat hym þat he was consul, [and dyde so moche that he was consul, Cx.] and at þe laste he gat hym temple, [temple] þe empere, α. and β.; þemper, γ.; thempyre, Cx.] and was emperour. Þis Iulianus in his childe|hode lerned [leornede, γ.] nygromancie and wicchecraft, and in a tyme whanne his maister was oute he radde in his bookes of þat craft, and come to fore [tofore] bifore, β.; there cam byfore, Cx.] hym a greet multitude of fendes, and he dradde hem sore, and made þe signe of þe crosse; þanne anon alle þe fendes vanschede [vanyscheden, β.; feendes fan|schede, γ.] awey, and so he tolde his maister whan he com home, and his maister seide þat fendes hateþ most [hated moost, Cx.] the signe of þe cros. Iulianus come to Rome, and a fend schewed [schewide, β.] hym to hym by þe doynge of a wicche, [wychche, γ.] and by|heet [promised, Cx.] hym þe empere ȝif he wolde forsake cristen fey, and so it

was i-do. Þanne Constancius made hym Cesar, and sente hym into Fraunce; þere he dede meny victories, and gat a crown of laureal þat hyng bitwene tweie pilers, and brak þe rope [roop, γ.] þat þe corowne heng by, and was realliche [rialiche, β.; realych, γ.] i-crowned by þat crowne; [crowen, Cx.] þeyȝ [þei, β.] þat sigh þat tolde þat þat tokene bodede þat he schulde be emperour. Whanne Constancius was dede Iulianus was i-made emperour, and [he, added in Cx.] fondede for [for] om. Cx.] to plese al men. Þerfore in þe by|gynnynge of his empere he grauntede þat everiche man schulde holde what fey þat he wolde. But he destroyed [distruyed, β.] þe signe of þe crosse wiþ al þat he myȝte, and trowed [supposed, Cx.] þerby for to gete hym most grace of fendes. Þo [þanne, β.] he oponed temples and dede sacrifice [dude sacrefys, γ.] to mamettes; [mawmettes, β.] oones, while he dede so, dew fil [ful, γ.] uppon his cloþes and uppon all oþer men cloþes þat þere were in þe liknesse of þe croys. In anoþer tyme, in þe bowels of a beste þat was i-slawe to sacrifice, was i-founde þe schap of þe croys by|clipped aboute wiþ a crowne; þe mynistres sigh [syȝe, γ.; sawe, Cx.] þat, and seide þat þe victorie of Cristes croys lasteþ [lesteþ, γ.] wiþ oute ende. But Iulianus fykeled [fikeled, β.; vyclede, γ.] wiþ hem, and seide þat þat was a tokene [tokne was, γ.]

of constreynynge of Cristes [constraynyng of Cristen, β.] lore, and þat it schulde nevere passe þe wydnesse of a [α] the, Cx.] cercle. Also he dede sometyme [sometyme] repeated in MS. by error.] sacrafice at Constantynnoble. And Calcedonius þe bischop was blynd for age, and repreved [repreovede, γ.] Iulianus scharpliche. "Þy man of Galilee," quod Iulianus, "myȝte nouȝt save þe from blyndenesse." "Þerof I þank [þonke, α. and γ.] hym," quod þe bisshop, "þat he haþ bynome my [bynome me my, γ.] sight, þat I schulde nouȝt see þe i|prived [ypryved, γ.] of al myldenesse." Also at Anthiochia [Antiochia, Cx.] he gadred to giders þe holy vessel and towaylls of þe auter, and defouled hem wiþ the filþe [vylthe, γ.] of his ers; [ars, Cx., et infra.] and anon wormes [wromes, Cx.] sprang out þer|of, and frate so Iulianus his neþer ende þat he myȝte nevere be delivered þerof while he was on [on] a, β., and Cx.] lyve. Also his steward pissed uppon [apon, γ.] the vessel [vessels, Cx., et infra.] of þe chirche, and seide, "Loo in what vessel Mary sone [Maryes, β.] is i-served;" and anon his mouþ bycom his ers, and servede aftirward in stede of his neþer ende. Also Iulianus, for hate of cristen men, gan to bulde [buylde, Cx.] þe temple

of Ierusalem uppon his owne cost, but al þat was i-bulde aday, erþe shakynge þrew doun a nyȝt; also fuyre com out of þe temple and destroyed moche folk; and in þe nyȝt aftir þe signe of þe croys was i-seie uppon alle men [mennes, Cx.] cloþes. Also Iulianus put out of his court eunuchos, gilded [gelded, β.; eunuches that is ghelded, Cx.] men, barboures, and cokes. Eunuchos, for his wif was dede, and he hadde i-wedded non oþer after here; he dede awey his [his] þe, β.] cokes for he usede symple metes; and barboures, for oon myȝte serve [servy, α.] meny men; he made meny bookes and blamede þerynne his predecessoures. In þat he dede awey cokes and barboures, he dede as a philoso|fre, and nouȝt as a prince. [In that he blamed [þat þat he blamed, β.; þat þat he blamede, γ.] princes, he dyde not [he dide nouȝt, β.; a dude noȝt, γ.] as a philosopher [philosofre, γ.] ner [noþer, β. and γ.] as a prince]. [From β., γ., and Cx.] Þanne Iulianus wente doun in [to] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] Pers, as it is i-rad in vitas patrum, and sent a fend in to þe west londes for he schulde brynge [hym] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] word þennes; but þe fend was ten dayes [dawes, γ.] i-lette of his iornay by oon Publi|cus, [Publius, β. and Cx.] a monk þat was alwey in his bedes, so þat þe fende brouȝt his

lord [his lord] om. Cx.] noon answere aȝen. Whanne fendes hadde i-hote [by hoot, α.; bihote, β.; pro|mised, Cx.] hym þe victorie of the Pers, his sophister [sophistris, Cx.] axede in þis manere of a cristen man, "What trowest [supposest, Cx.] þou dooth ȝour God now, þat car|penter his sone." Þe cristen man answerde and seide, "He arrayeþ a buriels for þy maister Iulianus." Iulianus wente in to Pers, and come to Chesifont, [Chesysont, γ.] and byseged þere þe kyng of þe contray, and forsook som of þe kyngdom þat was profred hym, for he trowede þat þe grete Alisaundre his soule was i-putte in his body, by þe menynge [mevyng, Cx.] of Pictagoras and of Plato, þat seide þat þe soules of mankynde passeþ from body to body; [bodies, β. (bis); bodyes to bodyes, γ. and Cx.] but a darte come sodenliche and stiked in his side, and þerwiþ he ended his lif. ℞. Eutropius and Oracius, [Orosius, α., β., and γ.; Oro|cius, Cx.] libro sexto, telleþ þat Iulianus went to [to] into, β.] Pers, and was i-lad in wilde places by gile and fraude of oon þat was outlawed, and þere he was overcome wiþ travaille of þe gravel, wiþ rust, [þrust, α.; þirste, β.; þurst, γ.; thyrste, Cx.] and wiþ hete of þe sonne; and so an horsman of his enemyes smoot hym wiþ a spere, and he deide. Also it is i-rad [redde, Cx.] in Basilius his tyme [lyf, Cx.] þat whanne Iulianus wente into Perseward, Basilius was

at Cesarea in Capadocia, and sent hym a present of barliche [barlych, γ.; barley, Cx.] loves; Iulianus byhelde þe loves, and sent hym hey [heyȝ, γ.] aȝe; me seiþ [hit is sayd, Cx.] þat Basilius seide þanne, "We sente to þe suche as we eteþ, bote þou sendest to us suche as þy [þy] om. Cx.] bestes eteþ." Þanne Iulianus seide, "Whanne I come aȝen victor out of Pers, I schal so destroye þis citee þat it schal bere more hey [heyȝ, γ.] þan corn." Þan Basilius prayde for þe savacioun of þe citee, and sigh [syȝ, γ.; saw, Cx.] by nyȝte in þe myddel of þe chirche a gret multitude of aungels, and in þe myddel of hem a woman sittynge on a tyme, [trone, α., β., γ., and Cx.] þat seide, "Clepeþ [Clepuþ, γ.; Clepe, Cx.] to me Mercurius þe knyȝt þat schal take wreche for me and my sone of þis [þes, γ.] Iulianus þat despiseþ God." Mercurius was a cristene knyȝt þat Iulianus hadde i-slawe for þe fey of holy chirche, and was late i-buried in þat chirche þere þis siȝte was i-seie; [whereas this sight was seen, Cx.] and anon Mercurius took his wepoun, [wepen, β. and Cx.; wepne þat ȝut heng, γ.] þat ȝit hongeþ [hyng, α.; heng, β.; henge, Cx.] in þat chirche, and wente forþ aȝenst Iulianus, and stiked hym in þe myddel of his body, and vansched [fanschede, γ.] awey

anon; Iulianus drouȝ out þe blood of his seide, [syde, α.] and þrewe it abrood, and seide, "Þou Galilee man, þou hast overcome, [þou hast overcome, bis, β.; þu . . . overcome, bis, γ.] and ȝit [ȝit] om. Cx.] now I schal forsake þe, fulfille [ful fulle, α.; fulfille þi silf, β.] þe [þe] þysylf, γ.; thy self, Cx.] after þis." Basilius awook and fonde Mercurius his spere al bloody in þe same chirche, and his armour i-sette þere as [in the same place, Cx.] it was raþer. [tofore, Cx.] After Iulianus [Iovinianus] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] was emperour as it were eyȝte monþes, a strong and a noble cristen man. Iulianus hadde i-hote [commaunded, Cx.] þat cristen knyȝtes schulde doo sacrifice to mawmettes oþer forsake her knyȝthode; but anon þis [þes, γ.] forkutte [forkitte, β.] þe bond, [fordyde that bonde, Cx.] and whanne knyȝtes drowe [drough hym, Cx.] wiþ strengeþe for to be emperours, [emperour, α. and β.] he cryde and seide þat he cristen man wolde be emperour [emperoures, α.] of paynyms. Whanne þat was i-herd, [yhurd, γ.] alle knyȝtes were i-made cristen men. Al [Al] Also, β., γ., and Cx.] þis was i-dryve to by greet [nede, [neode, γ.] and ȝaf a greet] [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] deel of Mesopotamia to Sapor kyng of Pers. Þanne he deyde [deade, Cx.] whe|þer it were for hevy smyl [evil smel, Cx.] of his chambre, þat was i-made of

newe lyme, and hevy to reste þerynne, oþer for to many coles þat he hadde i-made sette afyre [afuyr, β. and γ.] for þe grete colde.