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

Capitulum secundum.

WHAN oure Lorde was i-bore a welle of oyle sprang by|ȝonde Tybre oute of þe tavarn [taverne, Cx.] Emeritoria, and ran [ranne, Cx.] al day; and a cercle was i-seie [seen, Cx.] aboute þe sonne. Trevisa. Knyȝtes of Rome after sixty ȝere lefte dedes of armes, and were i-cleped [callyd, Cx., et infra.] knyȝtes of þe chyvalrie [chevalrye, Cx.] emeritoria, and spende what þey hadde in a taverne [tavarn, γ.] byȝonde Tybre, and þerfore þat tavarn [taverne, Cx.] was i-cleped Taberna emeritoria. Martius. [Marcus, Cx.] Þe ymage of golde fil [felle, Cx.] doun þat Romulus hadde i-sette in his paleys, and seide hit schal nouȝt faille [falle, Cx.] or [er, β.; ar, γ.; til, Cx.] a mayde bere a chylde. Also þe temple of pees fil [fylle, Cx.] doun in Rome; and Ierom uppon þat worde, "Liȝt is arise to þe riȝtful," seith þat alle the sodomytes in alle þe worlde were destroyed. [distried, β.; destruyed, γ.] Petrus.

While Herodes arayeþ [arayede, β.; arayde, Cx.] for þe children [childern, γ. et infra.] deeþ, he was i-somp|ned [sompned, Cx.] by a maundement of Cesar for to come to Rome for to answere [answhere, γ.] to þe poyntes þat his owne sones putte uppon hym, Alisaundre and Aristobolus. For þere were þre Herodes of greet name for here evel [her evyl, Cx.] dedes. Take hede þat þe firste [heet] [From γ. Cx. inserts was.] Herodes Ascalonia, [Ascalonita, β., γ., and Cx.] and hadde þat name of the citee Ascolon, [Ascalon, Cx.] ffor he ful bulde [bylte, Cx.] þat citee; and in þis Herodes his tyme Crist was i-bore, and þe children [childern, γ. et infra.] were i-slawe. [slayn, β.; slayne, Cx.] Þe se|counde heet Herodes Antipas, and was þe firste Herodes his sone; in his tyme Iohn [Iohan, Cx.] Baptiste was i-heded [biheded, β.; byheded, γ. and Cx.] and Criste suffrede deþ. Þe þridde heet Herodes Agrippa, [Aristobolus sone;] [From β. and Cx.] Aristobolus was the firste Herodes his sone. Þis Herodes Agrippa slowȝ [slowe, Cx.] Iames and prisoned Peter, þerfore beeþ vers i-made: [ben versus made, Cx.] Ascolonita sleeþ [sleth, Cx.] children, Antipa þe Bap. Iohn; [þe Bap. Iohn] Ion Bap., β.; Antipas Johan Baptist, Cx.] Agrippa slouȝ [slow, Cx.] Iames and prisoned Peter. Þe firste Herodes, whan he sigh [sawe, Cx.] þat his sones Alisaundre and Aristobolus stryve þe boldloker [boldlyker, γ.; stroof the bolder, Cx.] wiþ here fader of þe heritage [Erytage, γ.] of þe kyngdom by cause of hire lettrure, he hadde indignacioun

þerof, and fondede [entendede, γ.] to putte his eldest sone Antipater to fore [afore, Cx.] hem boþe; while þey tretede of hire fader [faderis, Cx.] deth þey were i-putte away, and wente to Cesar forto pleyne [plaine, Cx.] of þe wrong þat hir fader hadde i-doo to [to] om. Cx.] hem. Þe mene [meane, Cx.] tyme þe þre kynges come to Ierusalem, and come nouȝt aȝen [ageine, Cx.] to Herodes by þe same wey; Herodes trowede þat they were begiled, [had begiled hym, Cx.] and torned [ytornd, γ.] aȝen aschamed. [ashamed, Cx.] Þerfore he wiþdrowe his wille, and souȝt [slowe, Cx.] noȝt þe childe forto doo hym [children for to doo hem, Cx.] to deth. But for þe citacioun of Cesar wente he [he went, β., γ., and Cx.] to Rome, and come by Tharsis, [Tharses, Cx.] and brende hir schippes ffor þe kynges come over see þerynne. Þanne after a ȝere and somwhat more [more] om. γ.] of dayes after þe burþe [birthe, Cx.] of Crist [after þe burþe of Crist] om. γ.] he come from Rome, and was acordede wiþ his sones, and þerfore he was þe boldere, and hilde [huld, γ.; helde, Cx.] hym [hym] om. Cx.] þe more siker of [of] om. Cx.] þe kyngdom, and slowȝ [slowe, Cx.] alle þe children [childern, γ. et infra.] of Bethlem above [aboute, Cx.] þe age of Crist, þat he woste [wiste, β.; a weste, γ.; wyste, Cx.] was þo twelve monþe olde, anon to [unto, Cx.] two ȝere olde and wiþ ynne; þat is to menynge

from þe children of two ȝere olde to þe children of oon nyȝt olde, among þe whiche [whoche, γ.] oon of his owne children was i-slawe [slayn, β., and Cx.] þat was happeliche [peraventure, β. and Cx.] i-take to norisshynge. But Methodius seiþ þat þat was i-doo [doon, β. and Cx.] by Goddes owne dome and his ordinaunce, [ordenaunce, Cx.] for he þat hadde byrefte [berefte, Cx.] so meny men here children schulde be byrefte of his owne children also. For his sones Aristobolus and Alisaundre were eft suspecte, ffor þey hadde byhote mede to hir fader barbour forto kutte [kytte, Cx.] here fader þrote whan he were a scherynge, [schavynge, β.] and seide þat me schulde not truste in an olde man þat dyede [died, Cx.] his hoor lokkes [hoore lockes, Cx.] for he wolde seme þe more ȝongeliche. [yongly, Cx.] Þerfore þe [his, Cx.] fader was wrooþ, and slowȝ boþe his owne sones. Also for he was aboute for to putte his sone Antipater [Herodes Antipa, β., γ., and Cx.] in þe kyngdom, and favorede [favered, Cx.] and lovede Herodes Agrippa and his suster Herodias as a fader schulde, his eldeste sone Antipater, þat he hadde to forehonde [biforhond, β.; byforehand, Cx.] i-ordeyned to þe kyng|dom, was wrooþ, and fondede wiþ venym forto sle his fader; but Herodes was war [ware, Cx.] þerof, and put hym in prisoun. [prysonne, Cx.] Me seiþ þat Cesar herde þerof, and seide, "Me were levere [leover, γ.] be

Herodes swyn þan his sone;" ffor whan he was proselitus he spared swyn and slowȝ [slewe, Cx.] his owne sones. [Trevisa.] [From β. and Cx. There is a blank space left in the MS.] Take hede þat proselitus is he þat torneþ from oon lawe to anoþer, and specialliche [specially, Cx.] he þat torneþ to þe lawe of Iewes from anoþer, and so [and so] as, Cx.] dede [dude, γ.] Herodes, and so he was proselitus somtyme. Þan it foloweþ in the storie: whan Herodes was þre score ȝere olde and ten he fil [ful yn sykenes, γ.; felle, Cx.] into [a] [From Cx.] siknesse of a strong fevere, and was i-tormented wiþ ycchynge [ychchyng, γ.] þat cesed nouȝt, [ydchyng that sesed not, Cx.] wiþ swellynge of feet, wiþ wormes þat welled [wellyd, Cx.] þat [and, β., γ., and Cx.] sprang out of his prive harneys, [pryvey stones, γ.; pryvey har|noys, Cx.] wiþ stenche [stynch, γ.] þat myȝt nouȝt be suffred, wiþ stynkynge [puffing, β. and Cx.; stynkyng, γ.] and blowynge [bloweyng, Cx.] and greet hastynge of breeþ, wiþ a grevous and a [α] om. γ. and Cx.] strong kouȝhe, [couȝ, β.; kouȝwhe, γ.; cogh, Cx.] wiþ ofte brekynge of sore sichinges. [sikinges, β.; sychyngs, γ.; sykyngys; Cx.] Þanne phisicians baþede hym in oyle, and he [he] om. γ.] was i-bore [i-bore] boren, β.; born, Cx.] forþ as þeyȝ [though, Cx.] he were deed. [But] [From β. and Cx.; bote, γ.] for he used to pare an appel and ete it after alle oþer mete, he toke þe knyf and wolde have [y-] [From β. and γ.] stiked hym self, but oon of his cosyns lette [let, Cx.] hym, and arered [rered, γ. and Cx.] a greet [greet] om. Cx.] cry, by þe whiche cry sprang out tiþynges [tydynges, Cx.] and noyse of þe kynges

deþ. Þan Atipater [Antipater, Cx.] in prisoun herde þerof, and made grete ioye, and bycause þerof he was anon i-slawe. Petrus, 45^o. [46^o, Cx.] Þat ȝere Iohn [Iohan, Cx.] þe [þe] om. Cx.] Evaungelist was i-bore. Herodes, after þe sleynge of his sones, hadde the dropesie, [dropesy, γ.; droposye, Cx.] wiþ wormes wellynge out of þe rotynge of his prive [pryvy, Cx.] stones, and deyde wrecchedliche [wrechidly, Cx.] þe ȝere of his kyngdom sevene and þritty. He was most ungracious in homeliche [homlych, γ.; homly, Cx.] þinges, and happy in oþer þinges; and forto make þe Iewes make sorwe for his deth, wheþer [whaþer, γ.] þey wolde oþer noo, he heet [bade, β.; bad, Cx.] in his deyenge slee alle þe noble men [mennes, β. and Cx.] children of þe Iewerie. [of Iewry, Cx.] Euse|bius, libro 1^o, capitulo 7^o. Þe genelegies [genelogyes, γ. and Cx.] of þe Hebrewes and rekenynge [rykenyng, γ.] of kynrede [kynrad, β. and γ.] of oþer naciouns were i-write in bookes in þe privyest libraryes of þe temple; and Herodes heet [bade, β.; bad, Cx.] brenne al suche bookes, and hoped þerby to be i-holde [holden, β. and Cx.] a noble man and gentil, ȝif he þat was an alion [alyen, γ.; alyon, Cx.] and nouȝt gentil man were conteyned in non suche bookes. Noþeles þere were meny men þat hadde at home [hoome, Cx.] suche bookes,

oþer suche genologies in mynde, and by hem come to us redy rekenynge of kynrede. Petrus 51^o. [61^o, Cx.] Þe firste Herodes his sones, [sonne, Cx.] Archelaus [Archelaus] om. γ.] and Herodes, stryve tofore [bifore, β.; afore, Cx.] Cesar for þe heritage [Erytage, γ.] of þe kyngdom. Þanne Cesar by counsaile [counseyl, Cx.] of þe senatoures took to Archelaus, under þe name of thetrarcha, [tetrarcha, Cx.] half þe Iewerye [Iewry, Cx., et infra.] and Idumea; þe oþere halvendel [halvendeel, γ.; halfdele, Cx.] of þe Iewerye he deled atweyne, and took Galylee to Herodes Antipater, [Antipa, β. and Cx.] Ituria and Traconitidis [Dyaconitidis, Cx.] to his broþer Phelip; and so Archelaus was i-made dyarchus, but nevere monarchus, but by þe [þe] om. Cx.] comyn speche and by his owne boost. Trevisa. Dyarchus is he þat haþ þe [þe] om. Cx.] tweie deles oþer þe halvendel [owther the halfdele, Cx.] of a kyngdom, and monarchus is he þat [hath] [From γ. and Cx.] þe kyngdom is [is] om. γ. and Cx.] al hool, and tretarcha is he þat haþ þe fourþe dele of a kyngdom. Þanne it foloweþ in the storie: þat [ȝere Crist come aȝen out of Egipt] [From β., γ., and Cx.] þe childe Iesus was i-founde [founden, β.; founde, Cx.] in þe temple sittynge and apposynge þe [þe] om. β. and Cx.] doctours. Archelaus was [ofte] [From β., γ., and Cx.] accused

of þe Iewes, and [y-] [From β. and γ.] put out in to [to] om. Cx.] Vyan, þat is [in þe reume [rem, γ.] of] [From β. and γ.] Fraunce; and in his stede, forto alegge þe out|rage of þe kyngdom of Iewes, were i-made foure kynges, and were i-clepe [cleped, β.; callyd, Cx.] Thetrarcha. [tetrachæ, β. and Cx.; The|trarche, γ.] Þat ȝere Cesar Augustus deide in Campanea, [Champania, γ.] in þe monþe [moneth of, Cx.] Septembre, whanne he hadde i-regned sixe and fifty ȝere and an half, þe ȝere of his age þre score and sixtene, and was i-slawe [slayn, β.; slayne, Cx.] by tresoun [treason, Cx.] of his wif Limia, oþer by venym, as som men wol [wolde, Cx.] men: noþeles al þe ȝere sevene and fifty is acounted to þe kyngdom of Octovianus Augustus. Eutropius, libro 7^o.