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

Capitulum secundum.

VALENTIANUS Augustus his tyme is acounted to þe cours of Theodocius and of Martinianus. Eutropius. He dradde þe fortune of Aecius and patricius, and made hym i-slawe at Car|tage, [and] þe fortune of the west empere fil doun wiþ hym. But in þe same ȝere Valentinianus was i-slawe of Aecius his frendes in þe felde Marcius, twelve dayes to fore Averel, þe day [after] oon Maximus, a man of tweie consulates, took þe em|pere of Rome. He herde þat Gisericus, kyng of þe Wandales, was comynge out of Affrica, and arrayed him for to flee, and was alto hakked of Valentinianus his servauntes, and i-þrowe lyme meele into Tyber. Þanne Gisericus com to þe citee of Rome, and Leo þe pope mette hym, [and plesed him,] so þat he sparede brennynge and manslauȝt, and took prisoners and

richesse of þe see, and ladde wiþ hym in to Affrica; among þe which prisoners Eudoxia Augusta was i-take prisoner; sche hadde i-prayed Gisericus to doo þat corsede dede. In þe tornynge aȝen toward Affrica Gesericus destroyed þe noble citees of Campania, Nola and Capua. Þanne, as Gregory seiþ in Libro decaleg, Paulinus, bysshop of þe citee Nola, whanne he hadde i-spend al þat he hadde in raunsoun of prisoners, he wente into Affrica, and ȝaf hym self to be a man of straunge nacioun his bonde man, for þe ransoun of a wedewe sone, and was his lordes gardener, and bare hym wel in his office, and tornede his lorde to Cristendome, and wan fredom to men of his nacioun. Marcianus, libro primo. In Marcianus his firste ȝere, Horsus and Hengistus fauȝte aȝenst þe Bretouns in a place þat hatte Aglischthorpe; þere Horsus and Catagirnus slowȝ eiþer oþer, but Hengistus hadde þe victorie. Beda, libro primo, capitulo 17^o. Þat tyme þe fey of Bretouns dede

waste awey and slide for companye of Saxons, þat were straunge men and of mysbileve, and also for Pelagius his here|sye, þat gan among hem to springe; þerfore þey sente into Fraunce forto have help and socour aȝenst mysbileved men; and to hem were i-send Germanus Altissiodorus and Lupus Trecasinus bisshoppes. In seillynge þey sesede þe tempest of þe see by here holy prayers, and destroyed þat heresye by soþenesse of lore, by schewynge of myracles, and by holynesse of lyf; þei helede a blynde wenche of ten ȝere olde. Þan Germayn wente anon to þe sepulcre of Seint Albon, and dede þere holy relikes of apostles and of holy martires; but he took wiþ hym reed erþe of þat place; þanne he wente forþ and savede þe place of his harborwe wiþ al þat was hym bytake from brennynge whan oþer men þinges were i-brend wiþ fuyre. And þanne he wente wiþ þe Britouns aȝenst þe Saxons þat were

associed to þe Pictes; he cried þreis "Alleluia," and overcom þe enemyes wiþout schedynge of blood; and so þe ilond was i-clensed, and German tornede home aȝe. But þat heresye bygan to springe aȝen, and German was efte i-prayed forto come and helpe; þanne he come wiþ Lupus his disciple Severus, and destroyede and dede awey þe errour, and tornede home aȝe; but he prayede Valentinianus at Raven for þe pees of men of Armorica, þat is Litel Bretayne, and deide; and by heste of þe emperour he was i-bore forto be buried at his owne chirche. After Marcianus Leo regnede seventene ȝere. In his firste ȝere Vortimerus [Vortigerus] his sone deyde in a strong evel, and Hengistus, with his sone Osca, gadrede strengþe, and brouȝte to gydres his knyȝtes and men of arms þat were to sparpled and to schad, and fouȝt strongliche aȝenst þe Bretouns at Krekanford. Of hem were i-slawe foure dukes and foure þowsand of oþere men, and he chasede þe oþer del out of Kent anon to Londoun and þey tornede nevere after ward in to Kent, for his broþer Horsus was dede wiþ Categirnus to forhond;

his buriel is ȝit i-schewed in þe est side of Kent; and [soo] þe kyndom of Kent bygan under Hengistus, þe eiȝteþe ȝere after þe comynge of Saxons into Bretayne, and Hengistus regnede in Kent after [that] foure and twenty ȝere. Þe heresye of the Acephales springeþ and encreseth; þey wiþseide þe counsail Calsadonence; þe Acephales beeþ i-seide as it were men wiþ oute hede, for hire auctor is unknowe. After Leo Hillari was pope seven ȝere. Hengistus and his sone Osca, atte Whiptes|flete, slouȝ twelve dukes of Britouns, and was of þe Angeles i-slawe but oon þat heet Wypet, and þe place haþ þe name of hym þat hatte Wypetesflete, as it were þe fletyng of Wepet. After Hillary Simplicius was pope fiftene ȝere; he ordeyned þat no clerk schulde fonge þe investiture of his benefys noþer of his offys of a lewed man his hond.

Notes

• Valentinianus, β., γ., and Cx.
• and] om. γ.
• From α., β., γ., and Cx.
• ful, γ.
• Aprill, Cx.
• From Cx.
• consulatus, Cx.
• of] at, γ.
• hurde, γ.
• hewed, Cx.
• lymmele, β., throwen lymmele, Cx.
• From α., β., γ., and Cx.
• manslaughter, Cx.
• ryches of the cyte, Cx.
• whuch, γ.
• heo, β. and γ.
• Gregori, γ.
• dialog, α.; dialogorum, γ. and Cx.
• raunsoms, α.; raunsons, Cx.
• his] and, Cx.
• wydowes, Cx.
• bare hym] dyde soo, Cx.
• offys, γ.
• and] that he, Cx.
• and gate, added in Cx.
• his] om. Cx.
• vyfte, γ.; fyfih, Cx.
• Aeglysthorp, α. and γ.; Aeglis|thorp, β.; Aglystorp, Cx.
• Cartigernus, Cx.
• eche, Cx.
• faste, β.
• and] om. α. and β.
• waste . . . slide] faste fayle, Cx.
• dude fast awey slyde, γ.
• for] bycause of, Cx.
• sokour, γ.
• Altisiodorus, β.
• þey sesede] om. Cx.; þey cee|side, β.; hy cesede, γ.
• seecyd, added in Cx.
• they, added in Cx.
• trouthe, Cx.
• loore, γ.; and techyng, Cx.
• helide, β.; hy heelede, γ.
• damysel, Cx.
• Saynt, added in Cx.
• dede] lefte, Cx.
• relyquyes, Cx.
• holy] om. Cx.
• eorþe, γ.
• of þat] out of that holy, Cx.
• harburgh, γ.; lodgynge, Cx.
• hym bytake] delyverd hym, Cx.
• mennes, Cx.
• þe Saxons] om. γ.
• associat unto, Cx.
• and] added in γ.
• þe pees of] om. Cx.
• From Cx.
• to] so, Cx.
• were dysparpled, γ.
• to schad] departed, Cx.
• Crecanford, β.; Crekenford, Cx.
• ȝut, γ.
• soo, added from Cx.
• eyghten, Cx.
• From Cx.
• Acepheles, Cx.
• agaynesayd, Cx.
• Calcedonense, α.; Calcydo|nense, Cx.
• Wyptisflete, α. and γ.; Wiptis|flete, β.; Wyptysflete, Cx.
• Wypetysfleet, γ.
• vletyng, γ.
• and þe place . . Wepet] om. Cx.