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

Capitulum tricesimum secundum. Honorius.

HONORIUS, whanne his broþer Archadius was dede, regnede wiþ his broþer sone Theodocius as it were fiftene ȝere. Þis was so mylde þat whanne me repreved hym for he slouȝ nouȝt hem þat were rebel to hym, he answerde and seide, "God wolde þat I myȝte arere dede men to lyve." Eutro|pius, libro 10^o. The oost of þe Gothes was i-slawe in Thuscia, and here ledere Ragadasius was i-take; he com with two hondred þowsand of Gothes, and hadde i-made his avow þat he wolde offre þe blood of Romayns in sacrefice to his

goddis. Me seith þat in þat fiȝtynge were so meny men i|take þat flokkes of men were i-sold for litel prys as it were flokkes of bestes. In þe mene tyme come oon of þe Gothes þat heet Alaricus out of Affrica, and wente into Italy, and axede a place of Honorius for hym and his men to dwelle ynne. And [he] graunted hym Gallia; and while he wente þiderward he was bysette wiþ som of þe emperours dukes in a harde bataille þat fil uppon hym unwar in þe Ester day. But he toke herte and strengþe, and overcome his enemyes þat so pursued hym; and þere he lefte his wey þat he hadde bygonne, and tornede aȝen to Rome, and destroyed al þat he com by wiþ yre and wiþ fuyre, and took þe citee of Rome and sette it a fuyre. Noþeles he lete crye þat me schulde spare alle men þat fleyȝ to holy places, and þat his men schulde take prayes, and spare schedynge of blood. Paulus, libro 2^o. And so Rome was i-broke and i-take of þe Gothes þe ȝere after þe buldynge þerof a þowsand an hondred þre score and foure. After þat tyme þe consulat of Rome lefte in þe Est, and the Romayns

cesede to regne in Bretayne, þat hadde i-regned þerynne from Iulius Cesar his tyme aboute an foure hondred ȝere þre score and ten. Eutropius. The þridde day after þat Rome was i|take, Alaricus lefte the citee and destroyed þe province aboute, and wente into Sicilia, and loste many schippes, and was soden|liche dede. There þe Gothes, by travaile of prisoners, turnede þe ryver Basentus out of þe chanel, [and buryed her kyng with grete ryches in the myddel of the chanel, and torned the ryver agayn into his owne chanel]. Þanne þe Gothes took oon Athulphus, kyng Alaricus his alye, and made hym here kyng, and wente aȝen to Rome and destroyed [al þat þere was i-left. Also þat tyme lyȝtnynge destroyed] þe noble places of Rome þat enemyes myȝte nouȝt brenne. God is despised in al þe citee, and men cride to Crist, and seide þat suche mys|happes fil to þe citee for þe holy places of Godes were for|gendred. But the Gothes took oon Galla Placida, Theodocius

his douȝter and Honorius his suster and maried hire to hire owne kyng. Sche was so profitable to þe comounte þat þe Gothes made pees with the Romayns, and lefte Rome, and wente into Gallia. Aboute þat tyme were i-founde þe bodyes of Seint Stevene and of Gamaliel, and of here felawes, by oon Lucianus a preost of Ierusalem. Þat tyme Seint Austyn sent his disciple Orosius into Bethleem to Seint Ierom for to lerne þe resoun of þe soule, for þo he made þe book of þe comynge forþ of þe soule. And Orosius wente aboute to holy places, and was þe firste þat brouȝte þe relikes of Seint Stevene into þe Westlondes. Also þo Honorius made Constancius Cesar, and maried his suster Gallia Placida to Constancius, [and sche was raþer i-maryed to Athulfus, on here Constancius] gat Valentinianus, þat afterward helde þe empere longe tyme. After Innocencius, ȝoȝinius was pope two ȝere and sixe monþes. He ordeyned þat a bonde man schulde nouȝt ben made a clerk,

[ner a ghelded man], and þat the holy tapir schulde be i-halowed an Ester eve. After ȝoȝinius, Bonefacius was pope foure ȝere. He ordeyned þat no man schulde wasche nor handle the tow|ayles of þe auȝter, noþer doo ensens in þe ensencer. Gaufridus et Alfridus. Þanne þe deth of Maximus þe tyraunt, þe knyȝt þat longede to Rome, was i-knowe, and also þe deþ of Con|stancius was i-knowe, and þe forsaide enemyes, Guanius and Melga, com [aȝe] out of Irlond wiþ Scottes and Norweies, and brende and slouȝ in þe kyngdom of Bretayne from see to see. Þerfore þe Britouns sente to þe Romayns, and byhoteþ [for] to be sugette alwey, and axith alway help. Anon Honorius sente hem a legioun of the people, þat destroyed here ene|myes, and tauȝte þe Britouns make a wal þwart over þe ilond to holde out here enemyes. Þe legioun went aȝen, and þe men of þe ilond were unkunnynge of so greet craft, made a wal of torves and of stoon, þat was noþing profitable, from þe

place þat hatte Penultoun anon to þe weste see, þere is þe citee Alcluit, so þat were þe socour of the watir faillede þere men schulde defende hem in þe lond by help of þe wal. But enemyes come by watir wey and destroyed al aboute, and took prayes from ȝere to ȝere as to forehonde. Þanne þe Romayns sente a legioun i-armed, and slowȝ and chasede þe enemyes, and made up a wal of stoon to þe Britouns of eiȝte foot þikke and twelf foot hiȝ, for to see bytwene citees, þere Severus hadde somtyme i-made a diche and a wal of torves. [And the Romanys bad] and chargede þe Britouns to leve of unmanhede, and nysete, and take to hem armure as men schulde, for the Romayns were so occupied in oþir sides þat þey myȝte na more have while to be wiþ hem in so grete travaille and iornayes. Þanne þey makeþ a wal of stoon on þe comoun cost, and also on prive cost þat men ȝaf þerto, and hadde wiþ hem þe strengþe of Britouns, and took hem ensaumple of armure, and bulde toures on þe cleves of occean and dyvers places þere me dradde þe

arryvynge and upcomynge of straunge men and of enemyes. Þanne þe Romayns bad þe Bretouns farewel, as þeyȝ wolde nevere [eft] come aȝen. Giraldus. Whanne þe Romayns were a goo, þanne breke out blake flokkes of Scottes and of Pictes, as wormes brekeþ out of here holes aȝenst þe hete of þe sonne. Þe Scottes and þe Pictes discordeþ in maneres, but þey acordeth in cloþinge and fey and covetise of schedynge of blood; þey heleþ here prive membres more wiþ heer þan with clooþ. Whanne þey knewe þat legiouns of Rome were awent, þey destroyede þe endes of Bretayne more boldeliche þan þey were i-woned. Beda. Þey slowȝ þe wardeynes of þe walles and oþere men of þe lond, and men of þe lond were i-dryve out of hir hous and hir home, and ȝaf hem to þefte and to robberie, and robbede eche oþer for socour of þe peril of honger þat þey sigh [þat] hem schulde befalle; and so fil deþ uppon deth and sorwe uppon sorwe, forto al þe kyngdom was bare, with oute sustenaunce of mete. After Bonefacius, Celes|tynus was pope as it were ten ȝere. He ordeynede þat þe psalme, Iudica me, Deus, et discerne causam meam, scholde be seide to fore þe entrynge of þe masse, and þe entrynge of þe masse schulde be i-take of a psalme wiþ a vers of þe same psalme,

and þat þe grayel and þe offertorie schulde be i-seide to fore þe sacrement. Þis is he þat first sent [Seynt] Patrik to con|vert Irlond, and Paladius, a dekene of Rome, to converte þe Scottes, in þe nynþe ȝere of his poperiche. In his fourþe ȝere, by help of Theodocius þe emperour, and of Cirillus bisshop of Alexandria, þe þridde greet synode of þre hondred bisshoppes was i-made at Ephisus aȝenst Nestorius þe heretik. Þere it was i-demed þat in Crist is oon persone and tweie kyndes, þe Godhede and þe manhede, and oure lady schulde be i-cleped Theothecos, þat is oure Lordes moder. Aboute þat tyme Ierom þe preost deide at Bethleem and was foure score ȝere olde and sixtene. Þat tyme was sent an oost out of Rome into Spayne aȝenst þe Wandales. But for þe emperour hadde out of his companye þe orped man Bonefacius, þe emperour dede noþing orpedliche; but Bonefacius wente into Affrica and dede moche harme to þe emperour.

Notes

• broder, Cx.
• as it were] om. Cx.
• repreovede, γ.
• answherede, γ.
• ych, γ.
• reise, Cx.
• Tuscia, β.
• ledare, γ.
• sacrifice, Cx.
• flockes, Cx.
• men] hem, β.
• at, Cx.
• come] om. Cx.
• on, γ.
• and] om. Cx.
• axide, β.
• From α., β., γ., and Cx.
• while] as, Cx.
• hem, Cx.
• distruyed, β.
• iren, β.; yron, Cx.
• on, α.
• afier, β.
• fledde, Cx.
• undecimo, Cx.
• ceeseden, β.; seceden, Cx.
• Julianus, α.
• an] a, Cx.
• distried, β.
• Cicilia, β., γ., and Cx.
• buried, β.; buryede, γ.
• here, γ.
• wiþ grete riches, β.; wiþ gret rychches, γ.
• þe, β. and γ.
• þe, β. and γ.
• turnede þe, β. and γ.
• aȝen, β.; aȝe, γ.
• hys oune, γ.
• From β., γ., and Cx.
• distriede, β., et infra.
• From α., β., γ., and Cx.
• is] was, Cx.
• ful, γ.
• were] om. Cx.
• and alterid, added in Cx.
• soster, γ.
• Heo, β. and γ.
• founden, Cx.
• leorne, γ.
• resone, β.
• þanne, β.
• to] the, Cx.
• furste, γ.
• relyques, Cx.
• heo, β. and γ.
• raþer] to fore, Cx.
• From α., β., γ., and Cx.
• and is here wrongly inserted in MS.
• huld, γ.
• moneþes, β.
• From Cx.; and þat a gelded man schuld nouȝt be made a clerk, added in β.; and þat a gelded man scholde noȝt be mad a clerk, added in γ.
• From Cx.
• halewed, β.
• ȝiȝonnius, γ.
• woman, β.; womman, γ.
• waysche, γ.
• noþer, α.; ne, Cx.
• noþur hondele, γ.
• senser, β.; censer, Cx.
• enymys, γ.
• From α., β., γ., and Cx.
• slouȝt, γ.
• fram, β.
• byhoteþ] promysed, Cx.
• From α. and β.; vor, γ.
• and axith] for to have, Cx.
• alway] om. α., γ., and Cx.
• of the people] om. α., β., γ. and Cx.
• destriede, β.
• henymys, γ. (bis).
• to] added in Cx.
• þwert, β. and γ.
• torvys, γ.
• profyt habel vram, γ.
• from . . . hatte] whiche dured fro, Cx.
• see] om. α., β., and γ.
• þe weste . . . is] om. Cx.
• where, α., β., γ., and Cx.
• soker, γ.
• and, α. and γ.
• in þe lond] om. Cx.
• destruyde, γ.
• as to forehonde] om. γ.; as they dyde to fore, Cx.
• thyck, Cx.
• heiȝ, β.; hye, Cx.
• for] from see, α., β., and Cx.; fram se to se, γ.
• From Cx.
• leve theyr cowardyce, Cx.
• to hem] om. Cx.
• the Romayns] they, Cx.
• no, Cx.
• have while] a whyle, γ; come fro so fer, Cx.
• in] and, β.
• so] om. γ.
• made, Cx.
• hem] om. γ.
• ensaumple of] om. Cx.
• bilde, β.
• in, α. and Cx.
• þere] where as, Cx.
• londyng, Cx.
• From α., β., and γ.
• Gildas, γ. and Cx.
• In Cx. this sentence is: "Whan the Romayns were goon thenne the Scottes & Pyctes bygan to breke oute of her hooles."
• covere, Cx.
• membris, β.
• retorned, Cx.
• they had done to fore, Cx.
• hir] of, γ.
• þeefþe, β.; þeofthe, γ.
• to] om. Cx.
• everyche, α; everech, β.
• suker, γ.
• paryll, Cx.
• From α., β., γ., and Cx.
• ful, γ.
• forto] for, Cx.
• baar, γ.
• as it were] om. Cx.
• thentre, Cx.
• salm, β.
• schulde . . . vers] sholde be sayde the verse, Et introi bo ad al|tare, Cx.
• salm, β.
• grael, β. and γ.
• offretory, γ.
• sacrement] sacrynge, Cx.
• From Cx.
• decon, γ.
• papacye, Cx.
• ferþe, β.; ferþ, γ.
• sinod, β. and γ.
• Theotocos, α.; Theotochos, β. and Cx.; Theothocos, γ.
• to saye, added in Cx.
• was] om. Cx.
• Wandels, Cx.
• þe orped man] that myghty, Cx.
• dude, γ.
• orpedliche] manly, Cx.
• dide mych, β.
• empeer, α.; in þe empire, β.; þemper, γ.; in thempyre, Cx.