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

Capitulum quintum.

FROM þe [þat, γ.] fiftene ȝere of Tyberius to þe firste ȝere of Adam, for to acounte bakward, were þre [fyve, Cx.] þowsand ȝere, so seiþ Euse|bius; [Eusebeus, Cx.] and so meny ȝeres maketh [make, Cx.] sixty [yere] [From β. and Cx.] of grace; and so by his tale þe sixteþe [xvj., β.; sixtene yere, Cx.] of Tyberius was þe bygyn|ninge of þe ȝere of grace sixty and oon. But þe seventy seiþ [seyn, β.; seggeþ, γ.; say, Cx.] þat from Adam to þe fiftiþe [xv., Cx.] ȝere of Tyberius were fyve þowsand ȝere [ȝere] om. Cx.] two hondred and fyve and twenty. But þe Hebrewes telleþ [tellen, Cx.] foure þowsand, þerfore som men wole [wil, α.; wol, Cx.] mene þat þat ȝere bygan þe sixte þowsand, for þe circum|cisioun cesede [ceeside. β.; seesid, Cx.] and fulout [fullouȝt, β.; folloȝt, γ.; Cris|tendom, Cx.] bygan. Oþer bygynneþ [begynne, Cx.] from þe incarnacioun of Crist. Also þat ȝere Iohn [Ioon, β.; Iohan, Cx.] bygan [gan, α.; began, Cx.] to

preche and cristene, and cristened [folle and follede, γ.; baptise and baptised, Cx.] Crist þe sixte day of Ianyver, [Ianevere, Cx.] þe day of þe schewynge of oure Lorde. And þat day a [at, γ.] twelfmonþe [twelvemoneth, Cx.] he tornede water in to wyn. Petrus. Þerfore in olde bookes þat day is i-cleped [callyd, Cx.] þe day of schew|ynges [in the plural nombre, for that day fyll [ful, γ.] many diverse schewynges], [From β., γ., and Cx.] and hadde dyvers names; for in þe same day, but [but] om. Cx.] in dyvers ȝeres, were i-doo þre grete schewynges; þe firste hatte [hete, Cx.] Epiphania, and is a name i-made of epi, [epy, Cx.] þat is above, [aboove, Cx.] and phanos, þat is schewynge, as it were þe [α, α. and Cx.] schew|ynge i-made from above as it were by a sterre. Þe secounde hatte [hete, Cx.] Theophonia, and þat name is made of theos, þat is God, and phanos, þat is schewynge, as it were þe schewynge i-made of God in baptisynge [follynge, β.; follyng, γ.] of Crist by a coluer. [douve, Cx.] Þe þridde hatte [hete, Cx.] Bethania, [Bethphania, α., β., and Cx.] and þat name is i-made [name] om. Cx.] of beth, þat is an [an] om. Cx.] hous, and of phanos, þat is schewynge, as it were a schewynge i-made in an hous, by tornynge of water into wyn. [℞.] [From β., γ., and Cx.] And som men meneþ [meene, Cx.] [that] [From β., γ., and Cx.] þat day a [α] om. Cx.] two ȝere

was þe myrakel [myracle, Cx.] i-doo of [the] [From Cx.] fyve loves and tweie fisches, and hat Phagophania, [heete fagephania, β. and Cx.] þat name is i-made of phagyn, [fagin, α., β., and γ.; fagyn, Cx.] þat is ete, and phanos, þat is schewynge, ffor þat myracle was i-doo in fedynge of men. Also þat secounde ȝere, as Luke [Luc, α. and γ.] and Ierom telleþ, [sayth, Cx.] Crist bygan his [his] the, Cx.] þritty ȝere of age. So seiþ þe gospel: "Iesus was bygynnynge as it were þritty ȝere." But [But] om. Cx.] Crisostemus, [Crisostimus, Cx.] Marianus, and þe comyn menynge of holy chirche, and Eusebius in Historia Ecclesiastica, meneþ þat þo [þan, β.; than, Cx.] Crist bygan his oon and þritty ȝere; and so [and so . . . al] om. Cx.] Crisostimus wil mene þat Crist after his bapteme [fulloȝt, β.; folloȝt, γ.] prechede [preche, α.] þre ȝere al [and so . . . al] om. Cx.] hool, and as moche more [more] om. Cx.] as was from þe nativite to þe passioun tyme. Þan Crist þe Monday next after his bapteme [fulloȝt, β.; folloȝt, γ.; baptym, Cx.] was i-lad into wildernesse by þe spirit, and bygan his fastynge, and fasted [faste, α. and β.] fourty dayes, and endede his fastynge þe fowr|teþe day, [þe fourteþe day] om. Cx.] in a Friday, þe fifteþe [xv., Cx.] day of Feverer. [Feveryre, Cx.] Þat day he overcome þe devel [devil, Cx.] þat tempted hym, in þe whiche day þe devel hadde overcome and supplaunted Adam þe firste man.

Þan þe nexte Esterne [Ester, α., γ., and Cx.] after, as trewe loore telleþ, he droof [drof, β.] and chasede [drofe & chacid, Cx.] selleres [and byers] [From Cx.; sillers and biers, β.] out of þe temple. In þe same ȝere after he cleped [callyd, Cx.] and chees [ches, β.] his disciples Andrew, [Andreu, γ. and Cx.] Peter, Phelip, [Petyr, Philip, Cx.] Nathaniel. Þe next ȝere after he tornede water in to wyn in a twelfþe day, and after þat, as [as] om. Cx.] Beda telleþ, Crist and his disciples cristened [baptysed, Cx.] in þe Iewerye, and þe nexte Esterne [Ester, γ. and Cx.] after Iohn was i-prisoned. [Iohan was emprysouned, Cx.] Also in an holy feste Crist helede in a Saturday oon þat hadde i-hadde [i-hadde] om. β. and Cx.] þe palsy eyȝte and þritty ȝere, and after þat in þe same ȝere he wente up in to [to] om. Cx.] þe hille; þere he chees þe twelve apostles, and sente hem forto preche, and so it semeþ þat þre gospel|lours [gospelers, Cx.] that telleþ [telle, Cx.] þe doynge of Crist after þe prisonynge of Iohn [Ioon, β., passim; Iohan, Cx.] Baptiste leveþ untolde almest [almoost, Cx.] þe doynge of oon ȝere to fore þe prisonynge of Iohn Baptiste. [of Iohn Baptiste] om. Cx.] But Iohn [Iohan, Cx.] þe Evaungeliste spekeþ lesse [lasse, Cx.] of oþer þinges, and telleþ þat [þilke, β.; the, Cx.] doynges and dedes how Iesus tornede water in to wyn, how [how] om. Cx.]

Nichodemus come to Iesus by nyȝte, and how [houȝ, α.] Iesus droof [drof, β.; drofe, Cx.] oute þe sellers out [out] om. β. and Cx.] of the temple. After þat, at þe þridde Esterne [Ester, γ. and Cx.] Iohn was byheded whan he hadde be i-prisoned al a ȝere. At þe fourþe Esterne [Eester, Cx.] Criste suffrede deþ; þat ȝere Iohn Baptiste was byheded, whanne he hadde be twelve monþes in prisoun. [þat ȝere . . . prisoun] om. β. and Cx.] Petrus, capitulo 11^o. Þe enlevenþe [elleuenþe, β.] book Ecclesiasticæ historiæ telleþ that Iohn [Iohan, Cx.] was byheded at Macheronta, a castel of Arabia; his body was i-buried at Sebasten, þat is Samaria; his heed was i-buried at Ierusalem, bysides Herodes his hous, [howse, Cx.] for drede leste [leest, Cx.] he wolde arise from deeþ to lyve ȝif þe hede were i-buried wiþ þe body. Mysbileved men to-schedde [to-sched, β.; devyded, Cx.] his boones, [bones, Cx.] and þrewe hem abrode, in Iulianus Apostata his tyme, ffor þei hadde envie to þe myracles [myraclis, Cx.] þat he wrouȝte; and þey gadrede [gadryd, Cx., et infra.] efte þe bones to gyders and brend hem, and wynewede [wynewide, β.; wynnewyd, Cx.] þe askes awey with þe wynde. Þat doynge som men now acounteþ as it

were the secounde martirdom of þe good [ded, β. and γ.; dede, Cx.] man; þey woste [weost, γ.; wyst, Cx.] nouȝt what þey dede. [dyde, Cx.] In þe feste of his nativite while þey gadrede his boones to gidres and brende hem as forþ [forþ] ferforth, Cx.; a ferforth, β.] as þey myȝte, [and] [From β. and Cx.] while mysbileved men gadrede Iohn his [Iohans, Cx.] bones, men of Ierusalem were i-melled [medled, β. and Cx.] among hem, and took wiþ hem a greet deel of the bones, among þe whiche bones of þat deel [deel of the bones, α., β., γ., and Cx.] was þe fynger þat Iohn [Iohan, Cx.] schewed Crist with: afterward Seynt Tecla brouȝt þat fynger anon to [unto, Cx.] Alpes. Alpes beeþ hiȝe [heiȝ, β.; ben hye, Cx.] hilles in Lumbardie side. Þat fynger is now in Morys his mynstre, [Morys minister, β.; Morys my|nyster, γ.; Mons mynyster, Cx.] as it is i-saide. But þe bone [bones, β., γ., and Cx.] was [were, α., β., γ., and Cx.] i-sent to Athanacius, [Athanasius, β. and Cx.] bisshop of Alisaundre. In Marcianus þe prince his tyme Iohn [Iohan, Cx.] warnede tweie monkes [munkus, β.; two monkys, Cx.] of his heed, and tolde where it lay. Þe monkes were of þe Estlondes, [Est] om. Cx.] and were i-come to Ierusalem forto bidde and praye. Noþeles [Nevertheles, Cx.] þe heed was longe i-lost by unkonnynge, and was i-leide in a denne in Fenicia, forto þat Iohn [till that Iohan, β. and Cx.] efte tolde [tolde] om. γ.] were [whare, γ.] his heed lay to Marcellus þe abbot þat wonede [dwellyd, Cx.] in þe

same dyn. [den, α. and Cx.] And þan afterward þe feste of þe byhedynge gan to byholde [be y-holde, α.; be holden, Cx.] in the same citee þe same day þat þe heed was i-founde and i-take up of þe erþe. Oþer men [men] om. Cx.] telleþ þat it is nouȝt þe feste of þe decollacioun, of þe [þe] om. α., β., γ., and Cx.] byhedynge, but of þe collectioun, of þe gaderynge of þe bones [boones, Cx.] þat was raþer i-doo, and of þe brennynge. Þanne Theodocius [Theodosius, Cx.] þe emperour brouȝte þe heed in [in] om. Cx.] to Constantynnoble; [Constantinople, Cx.] and þennes it was i-brouȝt into Fraunce, and is ofte i-schewed to pilgrymes at Amyas. [Ambians, γ.; Amyens, Cx.]