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

Capitulum septimum.

GAYUS, Tiberius his nevew of his [Gaius.] [From α.] broþer ger|mayn, was i-cleped Caligula, [Galygula, Cx.] for he was i-bore in þe oost. [hooste, Cx.] He hadde þe name of a knyȝt his leg harneys, [legge harneysed, Cx.] þat hatte caligula. [hat caligla, β.; heete Galygula, Cx.] Þis was emperour after Tyberius, and regnede as it were foure ȝere and nyne monþes, [monethes, Cx.] and was [a] [From α.] swiþe wicked [wykked, γ.] man, [an ydle disposed man, Cx.] and clensede alle þe schame of Tyberius. He [He] and, Cx.] made men clepe [calle, Cx.] hym god of hevene and of erþe; þerfore he made his ymage i-sette in þe temple of Ierusalem; he lay by

his owne sustres, and gat a douȝter on þat oon, and lay by þat oþer [douȝter, α., β., γ., and Cx.] afterward, and at þe laste he exciled [exyled, Cx., et infra.] his sustres þat he hadde i-lay by. Þis is [is] om. β., γ., and Cx.] þe firste ȝere of his empere de|lyverede Herodes Agrippa [out of prisoun, and made hym kyng of þe Iewerye. Tiberius hadde i-prisoned Herodes Agrippa]. [From α., β., γ., and Cx.] Þe secounde ȝere of his kyngdom he exciled Herodes Antipa, and Herodias þat hadde i-lyved in spouse|breche [bruch, β.; bruche, γ.] wiþ Herodes Antipa, and Herodes Agrippa accusede hem; þe eorþe swelowede [swolewede, γ.; swolowyd, Cx.] þe wenche þat tomblede. [tombede, α. and γ.; tombled, Cx.] But Gayus þe þridde ȝere of his empere [empyre, Cx.] exiled Pylatus iustice of þe Iewerie, [Jewry, Cx.] and sente hym in to Vien, þat is in þe reume [reme, γ.; royalme, Cx.] of France, in despite of his kyng, for he was i-bore þere. [In the margin is written, "Pi|lat ys a Frenchman."] Þe Iewes accusede Pilatus þat he slouȝ [slowe, Cx.] men gilteles, [gultles, γ.] þat he hadde i-sette ymages of men of straunge naciouns in þe temple aȝenst þe wille of Iewes; also þat he hadde i-take money [mony, Cx.] of [the] [From β. and Cx.] holy tresorie, and i-made a water condite [conduyt, γ.] in to his owne hous; also þat he hadde i-take þe stole [stoole, β.] of preostehood [prysthode, Cx.] in to his owne hous, and wolde not delyvere hit

but for hire [huyre, β., γ., and Cx.] to þe prince of preostes [preestes, Cx.] in þe holy dayes. Þanne he was putte in prisoun, and borwede [borewyd, Cx.] a knyf for to pare an appel, and slouȝ hym self þerwiþ [and] [From α., γ., and Cx.] wiþ his owne hond. And he [he] om. Cx.] was i-bounde to a greet stoon, and i-þrowe [throwen, Cx.] into Tyber. Þanne wicked [wykkede, γ.; ylle, Cx.] spirites made ioye wiþ hym þat wikked [wykked, γ.; ylle, Cx.] was also, and made pestilence and greet risynge of water and greet þondrynge aboute þat place. Þer|fore þe Romayns drouȝ [drowe, Cx.] hym up [up] out, Cx.] of Tyber, and þrewe hym in to Rone Avien; [at Vien, α., β., γ., and Cx.] þat place was þo i-graunted the place [plase, Cx.] of corsynge, and also it hatte [hete, Cx.] Vigenia, as hit were via, þat is a weye, and of Iehenne, þat is þe valey of children of deep|nesse. [chyldern of deopness, γ.; dep|nesse, Cx.] But þere fil [ful, γ.] [a] [From Cx.] pestilence also, and þe men of þe place buriede hym at Losane; and þere also men of þe con|tray were afrayed, [effrayed, Cx.] and dede [dude, γ.] þat body in to [to] om. γ. and Cx.] a putte þat is byclipped al aboute wiþ hilles. [hulles, γ.] Þere is ȝit i-herde griseliche [harde grysely, Cx.] bere and noyse. In Historia Scolastica [ecclesiastica, Cx.] hit is i-rad [it is redde, Cx.] þat

þe Iewes [Iuwes, Cx.] accusede Pilatus to Tiberius, and þat Pilatus was i-bore to Lugduns in Fraunce [℞], [From α., γ., and Cx.] and [that] [From Cx.] eiþer storie may be saved wiþ oute wiþ seienge, [wiþsyggyng, γ.; sayenge, Cx.] forto understonde þat he was i-bore to [to] into, Cx.] Lugduns after the accusatioun of the Iewes; and after þat Volusianus was i-come aȝen from Ierusalem he cleped [callyd, Cx.] hym oute of þe excilynge forto fonge [have, Cx.] harder damp|nacioun. Eusebius and Beda witnessith [witnessen, β.] þat Pilatus slowȝ [slewe, Cx.] hym self wiþ his owne hond. Claudius. [Claudius] om. Cx.]