among with transmutations Set in Ouide by full souerayne style Whan he on them had mused a long while Sene the maner both of forowe and ioye He began to remēber of Priamus of Troy First of his byrthe and of his kynrede How among kinges he was most famous And as poetes recorde of him in dede He descended of worthye Dardanus Whiche as his line declareth vnto us From Jupiter was lynially come downe Vnto his father called Laomedoun Of olde Troy this Laomedon was kyng Destroyed by Grekes he and his countrye After whom this Priamus raynyng Made there ayen a myghty strong citye Where he full longe in full great royaltie With wife childer most worthy of renoun With scepter and crowne held the possessioun Gouerned his citye in peace and rightwisnes And Fortune was to him fauourable For of all Asie the treasour and riches He did assemble this kyng most honourable And in armes he was so commendable That through the worlde as far as mē gone Of high nobles the ronoume of him shone This Priamus had children many one Worthy princes and of full great myght But Hector was among them euerychone Called of prowes the lanterne and the lyght For there was neuer borne a better knyght Troylus in knyghthode so manly was foūd That he was named Hector the seconde But I should rehearse the manhede Of kyng Pryam and of his sonnes all And how his citye besieged was in dede And all the story to remembraunce call Betwene him and Grekes how it is befall The circumstaunces rehearsyng vp doun To set in order the first occasion Of the siege why it was first layed By Hercules and also by Iason The maner whole in Troye boke is sayde Rudely endited of my translation Folowyng vpon the destruction Called the second whych by accomptes cler◠Fully endured the space of ten yere For as me semeth the labour were in vayne Truely also I not to what entent That I should write it newe agayne For I had once in commaundement By him that was most noble and excellent Of kynges all for to vndertake It to translate and write it for his sake And if ye list to wete whom I meane Henry the fifte most myghty of puyssaunce Gaue me the charge of entent full cleane Thinge of olde time to put in remembraunce ▪ The same Henry for knyghtly suffisaunce Worthy for manhode teken kynges all With nyne worthies for to haue a stall To holy churche he was chefe defensoure In all suche causes Christes chosen knyght To destroy heritykes he set all his laboure Loued all vertues and to sustayne right Through his nobles his manhode might Was diligent and did his busy payne To haue set peace betwene realmes twayne A meane in sothe England and Fraunce His purpose was to haue had a peace finall Sought out meanes w t many a circumstan̄ce As well by treaty as actes marciall Theron ieoparded lyfe goodes and all But wo alas agaynst death is no boone This land may say he dyed all to soone For among kinges he was one of the best So all his dedes conueyed were by grace I pray to God so geue his soule good rest Wyth sayntes in heauen a dwellyng place For here with vs to little was the space That he abode of whom the remembraunce Shall neuer dye in England ne in Fraunce This worthy kyng gaue to me in charge In Englysh tonge to make a translation Out of latyn within a volume large Howe longe the grekes lay tofore the toun And how that Paris fyrst at Cytheron In Venus temple sleighly dyd his payne There to rauysh the fayre quene Heleyne In which boke the processe ye may se To hym how she was wedded in the toune And of the siege layde vnto the cyte By Menelay and kyng Agamennon And many another full worthy of renoun On eyther partie which that in battaile Fro day to day ech other dyd assayle Wherto shuld I tell or what shuld I write The deth of Hector or of Achylles Or wherto should I of newe endite How worthy Troilus was slaine in y ◠prese The ende of Paris or of Pallamides Or the slaughter of manly Deyphebus Or howe his brother called Hellenus Tolde afore howe it was great folly That Paris should wed quene Heleyne And how Cassandra in her prophecy On this wedding fore began compleyne And for the constreint of her hertely paine How she wexe madde ran about the toune Tyl she was caught shet vp into prison Al this matter ye may behold in dede Set by and by wythin Troye boke And how Creseide loued Dyomede Whan worthy Troylus she wilfully forsoke Of her nature a quarel thus she toke To assay both if nede were also to feyne To take the thirde leue thē both tweyne I passe ouer and tel of it no more Ne by what meanes the grekes wan y ◠toun How Eneas neyther how Anthenore Ayenst kyng Priam cōspired false traison Neyther howe Vlixes gate Paladion The deth of Priam ne of Eccuba the quene Ne howe Pyrrus flewe pong Pollicene Neyther here to write it is not mine entent Repeyre of grekes home in to their countre After the cyte at Iiyon was brent Neither of their mischefe they had on the see Neyther howe Vlixes founde Penolope A true wyfe though he were long her fro Through al Grece I can rede of no mo Of these matters thus I make an eude What fil of grekes after their viage To Troy boke tho folke I send Which haue desire to se the surplusage Howe grekes made fyrst their passage Towardes Troy besiegynge the cite Bede the storye ye get no more of me The .xvii. Chapter ☞ Here speketh Bochas the authour of thys boke agaynste the surquedous pryde of them that truste in rychesse sayeng these wordes vnto them ME proude folkes that set your affiaūce In strength beaute or in hye nobles If ye consider fortunes variaunce And coude a myrrour before your eyen dresse Of kyng Pryam and of his great richesse To se how he and his children all From their noblesse sodainly ben fall Hector of knighthode called sours wel Sad and demure and famous of prudence Paris also in beaute dyd excell And Helenus in perfyt prouidence Troylus in armes had great experience Also Deyphebus preued manly on his fone Yet in y ◠warre they were slaine euerychone Had not this kyng also as I can deuise By noble Heccuba whiche that was y ◠quene ▪ A doughter called Cassandra the wyse Her yong suster fayre Pollicene Alas alas what may all such pride mene For albeit their renome spronge ful far Yet are these women deuoured in the war Was he not mighty strong in all thynges And had also of his aliaunce Ryght worthy princes many rych kynges And nighe al Asie vnder his obeisaunce Holde in his tyme most famous of puissance Most renomed of richesse and tresours Tyl that fortune wyth her sharpe shoures Whan that he satte highest
he came to nought His renowne sprade through many a reme And all people gan hym magnifye A siege he layed vnto Jerusalem In the tyme of kyng Sedechye But in hys most frowarde surquedy Gods aungell tofore the citye An hundred M. slough of his meyny And the more to make hym aferde Amyd of hys people the selfe same nyght Gods aungell shoue away his berde With a sharpe sworde that shone full bryght Left hys siege and toke hym vnto flyght And in a temple hys gods worshyppynge Slough him selfe as he sate knelyng ¶ The .xxi. Chapter ¶ How king Sedechy as for false for swearyng was slayne and made blinde in pryson TOuching y â— coÌ„playnt of kyng Sedechy And of his sorowes to shew y â— manere Holy write doth clerely specify Wherfore it were but vayne to tell them here For there men the processe may playnly lere How Joachim kyng of Jerusalem His owne brother was led out of his reame Wherof in hart he felt full great sore This Sedechias as it is there founde Because the kyng Nabugodonosor His brother helde strong in pryson bounde Fully in purpose the Jewes to confounde For this tyrant had in that mortall strife His bothers children in pryson and his wyfe And yet this tyrant in his tyranny This fauour did in his fell rage Vnto this most wofull Sedechy To suffer him rayne in his great age From yere to yere to pay him a truage By fayth and othe â–ª and composition Raysed of his people and brought to Babilon Yet Sedechias in especiall By a maner of false felicitie Hym selfe reioysed in his see royall To occupy that noble dignitie And so forgate the great aduersitie Of his brother and other frendes all Touching the mischefe that they were in fall Of pryde he fell into presumption Whan he remeÌ„bred his brother his lynage Considered how fro kyng Salomon He was discended by title of heritage Gan disdayne to pay his truage And to maligne in hart he was so wrothe And falsly brake his assuraunce and his othe He had a maner indignacion Whiche he caught of olde remembraunce How tyme passed to kyng Salomon By hys manly prudent gouernaunce Kinges about for a recognisaunce Payed trybute and durst it not wythsay Fro yere to yere his nobles to obay Whiche thing remembred of kyng Sedechiâ— As he wext great stronge in puissaunce Of hye disdayne his tribute gan denye Set aside his fayth and assuraunce So that his othe stode in no substaunce For he agaynst the kyng of Babilon Presumptuously fyll in rebellion And his kyngdome to strength and fortify Thought he woulde to his aduauntage The kyng of Egypt haue on his party Of pryde he fell into so great outrage That he no more woulde pay his truage But fynally suche wayes he hath sought That of his othe little he ne rought But wo alas it is a dolefull thing To be remembred in hye or lowe degre That any prynce or any worthy kyng Should false his othe or vntrue be Or that men should suche variaunce se In their courages whiche ben so hye borne For any cause falsly to be forsworne By reporte it dothe their fame trouble Infortuneth and clipseth their nobles Whan a prince is of his heste double And chargeth not of wilfull rechlesnes Al be his promisse conclude on doublenes Though god awhile suffer them and respite At vnset houre their falsenes he will quyte His warnyng oft he sent to them afore Because they lackt prudent policy Recorde I take of Nabugodonosor Whiche came vnware on kyng Sedechye For he his tribute gan falsely him denye With all his power as it did abrayed To Jerusalem a mighty siege layed They within constrayned were of nede The kyng him self there was no better defeÌ„ce With mans fleshe his people for to fede While the Caldeys by mighty vyolence Of very force without resistence On false forswearyng for to take wreke Their mighty towers their walles breke To slea and kyll they list none to spare Who soeuer they met or came in their â—ight Sedechias left the towne all bare But take he was as he him toke to flyght In chaynes bounde and fettred anone ryght In whose preseÌ„ce tencrease his paines anone His yonge children were slayne euerichone His wyues most wofull in their cheres Whiche in their tyme goodly were and fayre Deliuered were in handes of straungeres And more alas to put him in dispayre Into his kyngdome neuer to haue repayre With sharpe tonges it was to great a payne Out of his head was rent his eyen twayne Of Jerusalem his citye was brent Playne to the grounde into ashes dede His great riches his treasour wholy sent To Babilon with stones blewe and rede Vessels of golde whiche richest were in dede Without mercy or remission Caldeis toke to their possession And thus in sorowe and in wretchednes He dyed alas fettred in pryson Lo here the ende of periury and falsenes Lo how fortune can turne vp so doun Of mortall men the condicion Now richest shynyng in hye prosperitie With vnware chauÌ„ge to hatefull pouertie Now men lift vp to royall dignities Now hye aloft by fulsum aboundaunce But what auayleth to syt in royall sees To folke that haue therin none assuraunce â–ª Namely whan fortune holdeth the balaunce Whiche aye of custome vnto hye estates Hath a false ioy to shewe her checkmates Recorde I take of prynces more then one Their wofull fates hangyng in ieopardy Remembred late and amonge eche one The wofull fall of kyng Amazie His sonne eke lepre whiche called was Ozie And last of all how in Babylon Kyng Sedechias dyed in pryson ¶ Lenuoy NOble prynces consider the fallas Of fortunes frowarde flattery Sith her disceits in many diuers caas How she first mocked manly Amazy Whiche slayne was for his surquedy To yeue you warning by exaÌ„ple ye may rede WhaÌ„ ye sit hyghest your fall is most to drede And as it is remembred in Bochas Eke in the Bible of king Ozie In his time how famous that he was Bothe of ryches and of chyualry Punished with lepre bokes specify For his presuming remeÌ„bryng this in dede Whan ye syt highest your fall is most to drede All worldly glory flyeth â—ence a pas I take wytnes of kyng Sedechye For false forsweryng he slayne was alas Made blynde in pryson the story can not lye Thus sheweth fortune through her frowarde enuy To you prynces if ye list take hede WhaÌ„ ye sit hyest your fal is most to drede ¶ The .xxii. Chapter ☞ How kyng Astiages laboured to disherite Cyrus but god suffred his malice not to preuayle AFter these kinges one folowed in y â— prees And to Bochas his coÌ„platâ—t can discure He was called the great Astiages Whiche tolde in order his vncouth auenture Lorde of Asye as bokes vs assure And had of treasure duryng all his life Aboue all kynges a prerogatyfe Most fortunate in all his gouernayle Felt of fortune none aduersitie Saue an heyre male nothing did him fayle
of his chyldren beyng at nurcery As the story putteth in remembraunce Of auenture or they coude it espy His knightes slough I trowe it was vengeaūce Eche tirant gladly endeth with mischaūce And so much he that wext ayen Christ wode Which for his sake shedde innocētes blode The nōbre of childre that were slayne in dede About Bethelem and in tho parties An hundred forty and four M. as I rede Two yere of age sought out by espies Of Herodes and for the prophecies Of Christes byrth mencion did make They were echone slayne for his sake Fro that day forth as made is mencion He fyl in many vncouth malady His flesh gan tourne to corrupcion Frette wyth wormes vpon eche party Whiche him assailed by great tourmentry His legges swole corbed blacke gan shyne Where vengeaūce worketh adue al medicine Of his sickenes the stenche was so horible To awayte on him no man myght abyde Vnto him selfe his carrayne wext odible So sore he was troubled on eche syde Leches for hym did a bath prouide But al for nought in such mischefe he stode Of greuous constraynt he sodēly wext wode In token he was wery of his lyfe So importable was his mortal paine To pare an apple he asked a sharpe knyfe His malady dyd hym so constraine Fully in purpose to cut his herte in twayne The knife he raught leysar whan he founde One stode besyde bacwarde drue his hond For payne vnneth his winde he might drawe Gaue al his frendes in commaundement By a decree and a furious lawe That al the worthy of parties adiacēt Whiche y ◠were faine or glad in their entente Of his dethe he voyde of all pitee The same day they shoulde slayne be This cursed wretche this odious caytife I rede of none stode farther out of grace In sorowe mischefe ended hath his lyfe Eche man was glad whan he shoulde pace And for his storye doth this boke difface With wofull clauses of him whan I wryte Therefore I cast no more of him tendite ¶ Lenuoy OF Herodes the vnware cursed fall The lyfe vngracyous of hym and hys kinrede Euer vengeable in his estate roial Hys wyfe his childre slough of olde hatered Innocentes he made in Bethelem blede Reignyng in Juda borne of foreyne lygne The fyrst tyrant ye may the Byble rede Whych ayen Christ gan frowardly maligne Hys swerde of rigour cruel and mortal Aye redy whet to do vengeaunce in dede Hasty and fumous with furies infernall Of wylfull malice innocētes blode to shede Dyd execucion also on womanhede Slewe his alies whiche was a cursed signe For the fyrste cause he stode in drede Whiche againe Christe gan frowardly maligne He woulde that none were to hym egall That daye alyue in Israell to succede The byrthe of Christ dred in especiall Cause fro Jesse his line gan floure sede He but a forrayne came in by fraude mede Without titell to that estate vndigne The fyrst also who lyst take hede Whiche agayne Christe gan frowardely maligne Noble princes that gouerne ouer all This large world both in length and brede Whan you sitte hyest in your royall stall Do not the people oppresse nor ouerlede Vpon Herodes remembre as I rede In what mischefe that tyrant dyd fyne To shewe y ◠none shal in hys purpose spede Whyche ayen Christ doth cursedly maligne The .iii Chapiter ¶ Of Antipas exiled by Octauian and of Archelaus sonne of Herodes the seconde COmpendiouslye thus ye haue herde the fal Of Herodes remembred by Bochas Who in his testament set in especiall To succede him Herode Antipas In hast exiled of hym thys was cas By Octauian to Vien as I rede And Archelaus ordained to succede Sonne of Herodes called the seconde Which in effect toke possession In Hierusalem reigned as I rede Of whom mine aucthor for short conclusion Maketh in his boke but small mencion Hym and hys brother set sodainly asyde Of them to write no lenger lyst to abyde Saue that he writeth the forsaide Antipas At Vien a mighty great cite In his exyle soone after slayne was And Archelaus succeding in Jude With Herodias who lyst the storyse By Agrippa to Tiberye accused Of certayne crimes coude not be excused A certaine time cōmaunded to prison Of themperour coude neuer get grace Banished him fer from hys region In to Spaine for a certayne space And his worshyp breuely to deface Fortune caused to his final reprefe He died there in pouerte and mischefe The fatal ende rehersed of these twayne In what distresse that they dyd fyne Myne auctour after gan his pen ordaine To write the case by many a wofull lyne Vpon the striefe at wene Messalyne And other twayne standynge by her syde Tofore Jhon Bochas howe they dyd chyde Tofore Bochas they came all thre to playne Messalyne the wyfe vnto Claudius Againe whom there were other twayne Calligula and Tiberius In whose time was slaine Christ Jesus Touching y ◠debate that was amōg these thre Suyng the processe here folowyng ye shal se. The .iiii. chapter ¶ Of the strife bytwene Calligula Tiberius and Messalyne THys empresse named Messalyne As I haue tolde was wyfe vnto Claudius Successour as bokes determyne To Calligula called Gayus And as I fynde that Tiberius With Calligula both wode for tene Stode afore Bochas Messaline atwene Metynge al thre with furious loke chere Gayus Calligula called by his name Gan first reherce anone as ye shall here Without reuerence or any maner shame With an exordye to diffame Bochas present felly gan abrayde To Messalyne and euen thus he sayde Thou sclaundred woman noysed in lechery Thrugh the world as folke thy name atwite And reported for thine aduoutry What doest y ◠here in thy mournyng habite ▪ I trowe thou commest of purpose to visite In this place the vnhappy women fiue Touchinge disclaundre that euer were alyue The first of them called Emilia And Lepyda was named the seconde Liuia Plaucia and the fyfthe Elya Diffamed echone in dede as it was founde In token wherof the lechery to confounde Of Emilia in auoutry take Was by the lawe of her lorde forsake By the whylom was knowe that Drusus Strangled was murdred by poyson Lyke to Claudia doughter of Claudius Which by her lorde the booke maketh mēcion Was throwen out to her confusion For her defautes founde in auoutry Sclaundred for euer there was no remedy Thou coudest whylom make thy lorde slepe With certaine drinkes to cast him in a rage By which he was made his bedde to kepe To get layser in thy flouring age For to misuse of false lust thyne outrage A nightertyme toke vpon thee a wede At the bordell dyddest amysse for mede Thyne appetite was very vnstaūcheable It is a shame to write it or expresse Thyne hateful lyfe was so abhominable Tibery and I can beare hereof wytnesse And with the worde anone she gan her dresse Whan she had herde al their fel langage Gaue them this answere
repayre To a woman which had in her entrayle Spyrites closed to make his diuinayle In whose wombe barain and out of grace Of wicked spirites was the dwellyng place This sayd woman was a creature The which afore by cursed Julyan By his lyfe his purpose to recure In sacrifice was offred to Sathan And so as he with cursednes began Such was his ende as al bokes tell whose soul with Pluto is buryed depe in hel With this tyrant Bochas gan wexe wroth For his most odious fell outrage And to reherce in partie he was lothe The blasphemies of hys fell langage For nouther furye nor infernal rage May be compared with poison fret within To the false venyme of this horrible synne It is contrary to all good thewes And tofore God moste abhominable Hatefull to all saue to cursed shrewes For of all vyces very imcomparable Moste contagious and most delectable The mouth enfect of such infernal hounds Which euery day sle Christ with new wouÌ„ds For obstynate of purpose for the nones Of disposicion furyous and wode Not afraide to swere goddes bones with horrible other as body flesh and bloud The Lord dismeÌ„bring most gracius good His fete haÌ„des armes face and heed Reno him of new as they wolde haue him deed This blessed Lord which is immortall Though they be dedly they would him slee ageyn They be erthly he is celestial In froward wise they ben ouerseyne Discrecion fayleth their reason is in vayne All suche blasphemy for shorte conclusyon Procedeth of pride and false ambycion It semeth to me they haue foul fayled Of kyndnes to do him reuerence which for their loue vpon the crosse was nayled To pay the raunsome for mans offence Suffred death with humble pacyence False rebukyng spyttyng in hys vysage To bring mankynde vnto his heritage False surquedy that doth the heartes reyse Of such blasphemers as was this Julian whose great empyre might not counterpeise Again the Lord which is both God and man The original ground of pride was Sathan Prince vnder him most infortunate was this Apostata reignyng in his estate What was th ende of this tyrant horrible This cruell felon hatefull to euery wyght By sodayne myracle to al his hoste visible There dyd appere a very heuenly knyght Most freshly armed angelyke of sighte With a sharpe speere sitting on his stede Made the tyrant his hert bloude to blede His false goddes might him not auaile His frowarde off rynge done to maumetry Nor al his proude imperyall apparayle His inuocacions nor hateful sorcerye For this apostata that dyd his faythe denye Amonge his knightes slayn by death sodain His soule in hell with sathan in great payne The xv chapter ¶ Howe themperoure Valence slewe Heremites shed christen blud â–ª distroyed churches and after was brent BOchas in hast doth hys style dresse Next to the mperour y e called was ValeÌ„ce Rehersyng first the perfyte holynesse Of Heremytes that did their dilygence To lyue in penaunce and in abstynence Forsoke the worlde and for Christes sake In to desert they haue the way take â–ª In this world here they lyst no lengar tarye Dyuers and double of trust no certayne Ferre in Egypte to liue solitary Depe in desertes of folke not to be sayne The soyle was drye of vitayle ful barayne The frutelesse trees vp seared by the rote For Christes loue they thoght y e life most soâ—e This sayd Valence of malice frowardly To this Heremites y â— liued in gret penaunce Causelesse with full great enuy Troubled them and did theÌ„ great greuauÌ„ce Lyke a tyraunte set al in vengaunce Distroyd churches with people that he ladde And where he went christen bloud he shadde This mean while by robbyng and rauyne In Mauritayne which is a great countre There was a prince that called was Faryne And in Cesaria a famous great cyte For his extorcion and his cruelte He toke vpon him proudly there reignynge Maugre romayns to be crowned kinge Theodose the fyrst a manly man Was sent out his malice to withstand By the bidding of Valencian Which that time the mpyre had in hand Bothe atones but ye shal vnderstande Theodose was sent out to assayle The sayd Farine and slewe him in batayle Of whiche Faryne by full cruel hate In that countre presumptuously reignynge Smote of his heed and sate it on the gate Of Cesaria this was the endyng Which by intrusioÌ„ afore was crowned king In Mauritayne oppressing them by drede As ye haue herde for which he lost his heade In this mater Bochas doth not soiourne By no attendaunce nor long diligence But of purpose dothe agayn retourne To the mperour that called was Valence Which as I told did so great offence The holy church of froward cursednes Slewal Hermites that bode in wildernes God wolde not suffre he shuld long endure Graunteth no tyraunt here longlyfe For by some mischefe or sodaine auenture They dye by murdre with dagger swerde or knife The Gotheyes whilom gan a stryfe For his outrage and great oppressyon They agayne romains fyll in rebellion A prince of his called Maximus Distressed them by so great tyranny And was vpon them so contrarious That they gadred all the cheualry And wext so strong vpon their partie That by their manhode it fel of auenture They on Valence made a disconsiture Spared not by robbynge and pillage Slough and brent many a stately place Cyties townes and many a small village That were famous within the laÌ„d of Trace But furiously thei met him in the face Where like a coward he turned his visage To saue his life lay hyd in Cartage Thus finally this emperour Valence As ye haue heard fayled of his entent The Gothes folowed by cruel violence As wylde beastes al of one assent The house and him to ashes they haue brent Lo here the fyne ye princes take hede Of tyrantes that saintes bloud do shed The .xvi. Chapter ¶ Of kynge Amacisius and howe Gracian and Theodosy distroied temples of fals gods how GraciaÌ„ was put to flight AFter Valence to God contraryous In al his workes most froward of liueÌ„g Tofore Bochas came Amacisius Which of Gothes was whilom Lord kyng Of his great age piteously complaining Inflate and dole lyst make no delayes Slew him self to short his greuous dayes Then came downe the brother of Valence The mighty emperour called Gracian Whiche afore had had experyence First with his vncle Valentinyan In the Empyre as bokes tell can And afterward Theodosy and he Had gouernaunce of Rome the cyte Theodosy and Gracien of assent Distroyed temples as in that partie Of false goddes also they haue downe rente The great ydols and all such maumetrye And full deuoutly gan churches edifye And in this whyle as fortune dyd ordayne One Maximus was vicar in Bretayne An hardy knight albe that he did vary From his promise made by sacrament In Bretayne list no lengar tary â–ª But into Gaule of hert and hole entent Gayne Gracian he sodenly is went And as
the name of king Siculus Trinacry a countre merueylous Toke first his name of famous hylles thre The chefe of them is called Peâ—orus The next Pathmus the third Lyllybe Not ferre from Ethua the sayd hilles be Beside a sea full perilous and ylle With two dangers Caribdis and Scille The sayd Lewes kyng of Jerusalem And of Cecile the boke maketh mencion Which was chased and put out of his realme By another Lewes and put down Ended in pouerte for short conclusion This last Lewes of pite dyd hym grace Tyl he died to haue a dwellyng place The .xxxviii. Chapter How king John of Fraunce at Poyters was taken prisoner by prince Edwarde and brought into Englande NExt of all and last of euerychone Cursyng Fortune with all her variaunce Makyng hys complaynt to Bochas came king John Tolde his tale how he was take in Fraunce By priÌ„ce Edward for all his great puissauÌ„ce And after with strong and mighty hand He was fro Poyters brought into England Afore distroyed his castels and his townes And ouerthrowen manly in battayle His princes slayne theyr baners penouns Nor brode standers might them not auayle The trace out sought spoiled of plate maile Maugre his might kiÌ„g John was prisoner In England after abode full many a yere Set afterwarde to full great raunson The worthy slayne on the Frenche party The same time in Brutes Albyon There floured in suche noblesse chyualry With high prudence and prudent policy Mars and Mercury aboue eche nacion Gouerned that tyme Brutus Albion Mars for knighthode theyr patron i batraile And Mynerua gaue them influence Meynt with brightnesse of plate mayle To stour in clergye and in hie prudence That prince Edward by marciall violence That day on liue one the best knight Brought home kinge John maugre all hys might Though Bochas gaue him fauour by laÌ„gage His heart enclined to that partye Which vnto him was but small auauntage Worde is but winde brought in by enuye For to hinder the famous chiualrye Of English meÌ„ ful narow he gan him thinke Left speare shelde fought with pen ynke Though the sayd Bochas floured in Poetry His parcial writyng gaue no mortal wouÌ„de Caught a quarell in his melancoly Which to his shame afterward did rebounde In conclusion lyke as it was founde Agayne king John a quarel gan to take Cause that he would of English men be take Helde them but small of reputacion In his report men may hys writyng see His fantasy nor hys opinon Stode in that case of none authorite Their kiÌ„g was take their knightes did flee Wher was Bochas to helpe theÌ„ at such nede Saue with his pen he made no man to blede Of right wisnesse euery croniculer Should in his writyng make no exception Indifferently conuey his matter Not be perciall of none affection But gyf the thanke of mortal guerdon Hys style in order so egally obserued To euery party as they haue deserued Laude of king John was that he abode In that he quit hym like a manly knight His lordes slayne some away they rode Most of his meyny toke them to the flight This iourney take for king Edwardes right The feelde y wonne haue this in memory Trouthes hold hath gladly the victory Of king John what should I write more Brought to this land with other prisoners Vpon which the realme complayned sore By rehearsayle of olde Croniclers Died in England within a fewe yeres Led home agayne after theyr writynges Lieth at S. Denys with other kinges ⧠Lenuoye OF Bochas boke the last tragedye Compendiouslye put in remembraunce How prince Edwarde w t his chiualrye Fought at Poiters w t king John of FrauÌ„ce And through his mighty Marciall puysauÌ„ce GrouÌ„ded his quarell vpon his fathers right Toke him prisoner ful like a manly knight By collusion kyng John dyd occupye Set out of order the royall aliaunce Scepter and crowne with all the regalye Was down desceÌ„ded to Edward iÌ„ substauÌ„ce CoÌ„ueyed y e brauÌ„ches by lineall concordaunce For which title grounded vpon right Prince Edward fought like a manly knight His clayme and quarel more to fortify In token y â— god his quarel would auaunce Discomfiture was made on that party Vpon kyng John by violent vtraunce An heauenly signe by influent purueyaunce Sent from aboue to shew Edwardes right For which y e priÌ„ce fought like a maÌ„ly knight Noble princes your heartes do applye Justly to way this matter in balaunce All thing paysed ye mâ— it not denye If ye consider euery circumstaunce In right Judges may be no variaunce The fielde dâ—rreyued deme who hath right For whiche y e priÌ„ce fought like a maÌ„ly knight Thing of assent put in ieopardy And committed to Gods ordinaunce There may be after no contrauersy Atwene party quarel nor distaunce Who shal reioyse in this case stode Fraunce Sith at Poyters declaring who hath right PriÌ„ce Edward fought like a manly knight ¶ Here Bochas maketh a rehearsayl how Fortune hath made highe estates vnwarely to discende LEt folke of wisdom coÌ„sider in their wit Gather vp a sum count in theyr reason To all estates how Fortune hath her quit To popes prelates gyn first in Rome town To cardinals most souerayne of renown When they sat hiest coude them not defende Agayn Fortune by no proivsion But with a turne she made them to diseend After in order call to remembraunce The state imperial of famous emperours Which as Appollo through theyr puyssaunce Theyr fame vp blow to Jupiters tours And forget not these olde conquerours Aboue Mercury cast them to ascende Tyl that fortune with her frowarde shours Most sodaynly made them to discende Kinges and princes of diuers regions In Asye Europe Affrike and Cartage Of Ethiope the marciall champions Monsters of Inde hydous of visage Athlas Hercules iÌ„ their most furious rage Against whose might no man coude hiÌ„defeÌ„de What folowed from their hyest stage Fortune vnwarely made them to discende Priestes prelates well fed fat persons And patriarkes that had great soueraynte Reken vp religioÌ„s w t al their brode crownes Byshops abbottes confyrmed in their see Beholde of fortune the mutabylite Seculere chanons w t many great prebende whan they sate hyghest in their felycite Howe sodaynly she made them to discende All y t is written is written to our doctryne One courbeth lowe another gothe vpright Some be vicious some in vertue shyne Phebus now clipsed soÌ„tyme shyneth bright Somtyme cloudy somtyme sterlight Some folke appayre some dothe amende Shew of Fortune the power the might One goth vpward another doth discende Some man holy encreaseth in vertue Another rechelesse of frowarde wilfulnesse One is perfit and stable in Christ Jesu Another braydeth vpon frowardnesse One encreaseth with treasour richesse Who list thriue to labour must attende Maugre the world Fortunes doublenesse Doth one arise another doth discende One is busy and setteth ail his labour Early to aryse his good to multiply Another spendeth and is a great wastouâ— Some tre is barayn some tre doth fructifye One can say sothe another can well lye One can gather another can dispende Vnto fortune this matter dothe applye She maketh one to arise another to disceÌ„de All these matters combined into one Of which this boke maketh mencion Voyde the wede of vertue take the corne As reason teacheth in your discrecion And for to make a short conclusion In a brefe summe this b 〈…〉 o comprehende Fortunes whele by reuolâ—â—ion Doth one clymbe vp another to discend ☞ The wordes of the translatour W 〈…〉 letters leues this lytell boke treÌ„bling Pray to the prince to haue on the pyte Vâ—â—â—e of all picture and enlumynyng Wâ—â—â—h hast of Cicero no curious dyte 〈◊〉 of his gardayne no floures of beaute 〈…〉 graunt grace thy rudenesse nat offende 〈…〉 hygh noblesse and magnanymyte 〈…〉 s presence whan thou shalt ascende And for my parte of one hert abyding 〈…〉 de of chaunge and mutabylite 〈◊〉 present this boke with hand shakyng Of hole affection knelyng on my kne Praying the lord one two and thre Whose magnificence no clerke may coÌ„preheÌ„de Sende you might grace and prosperite Euer in vertue to encreace and ascende To kisse y â— steppes of theÌ„ that were furtheriÌ„g Laureat poetes whiche had soueraynte Of eloquence to supporte thy makyng And pray all tho that shall this processe se In thyne excuse that they lyst to be And where it is amysse for to amende Set thy grounde vpon humylite Vnto their grace that thou mayst ascende In a shorte clause thy content rehersyng As one vp clymbeth to great prosperite So another by experte knowlegyng From great rychesse is brought to pouerte Alas O boke what shall I say of the Thy tragedyes thrugh all y â— worlde to sende Go forthe I pray excuse thy selfe and me Who loueth most vertue highest shal ascende Blacke be thy wede of coÌ„playnt mourniÌ„g Called fall of princes from their felycite Lyke Chaunteplure now singing nowe weping Wo after myrth next ioy aduersyte So entremedled there is no suerte Lyke as this boke doth prayse coÌ„prehende Nowe on the whele now set in lowe degre Who will encreace by vertue must ascende The ende of Bochas Volumes
DIEV ET MON DRIOT ARISE FOR IT IS DAY A memorial of suche Princes as since the tyme of King Richard the seconde haue been vnfortunate in the Realme of England ¶ LONDINI In aedibus Johannis Waylandi cum priuilegio per Septennium The copy of the quenes Maiesties letters Patentes MAry by the grace of God Quene of Englande Fraunce and Ireland defendour of the faith and in earth of the Churche of Englande and also of Ireland the supreme head To y e Prynters of bookes and booke sellers and to al other out Officers Minysters and Subiectes these our letters patentes hearing or seing gretyng Knowe ye that we of oure especial grace and meare mocion haue geuen and graunted and by these presentes doo geue and graunte full power licence auctoritie and Priuilege vnto our welbeloued Subiect John Wayland Citezeyn and Scriuenour of London That he his Assignes only and none other person or persons shal from hensforth haue auctoritie lybertie to prynt al and euery such vsual Primers or Manual of prayers by whatsoeuer other title y â— same shal or may be called which by vs our heyres successours or by our clergy by our assent shal be auctorised set furth and deuysed for to be vsed of all our louing Subiectes thoroughout all our Realmes and domynyons duringe the full tyme and terme of seuen yeares next ensuing the date of these our letters Patentes And farther that it shal not be lawful for any maner of other person â–ª or persones of out said Subiectes to Prynt or to procure to be imprinted anye Prymers or Manuall of prayers by whatsoeuer title the same shall or may be called or set furth during the said tearme nor any booke or bookes which the saide John Waylande or his Assignes at his or theyr costes and charges shall first Prynte or set furth during the said terme of seuen yeares next ensuing the printing of the same booke or bookes vpon payne of forfature and confiscacion of the same Prymers Manuall or prayers and bookes â—o thuse of vs and oure successours Wherfore we wâ—ll and commaunde all you our Printers and other our Subiectes that ye nor any of you do presume procure or attempt to print or setfurth any maner Prymers Manuall of prayers booke or bookes which the said John Wayland or his assignes shal first Print during the tyme of thys our Priuilege and licence vpon payne of forfature and confiscacion of the same Prymers Manual of prayers and bookes as aforsaide And as ye tendre oure pleasure and wyl auoyde the contrarie In witnes wherof we haue caused these our letters to be made patentes Wytnes our selfe at Westminster the foure and twentith daye of Octobre in the fyrst yeare of our reigne Per breÌ„ de priuato sigillo et de data predicta ¶ Here foloweth the Table of thys presente Booke called the fall of Princes and Princesses c. Whiche boke is deuyded in to nyne bookes and euerye booke contayneth dyuers chapters as here after foloweth And fyrst of the fyrste boke whiche contayneth xxiiii Chapiters THe Prologue of John Lidgate Monke of Bury translatoure of this boke The fyrst Chapter of the firste booke sheweth howe Adam and Eue for theyr inobedience were put out of Paradyse and howe they standinge naked before Bochas desyred hym to put theyr wofull fall fyrste in remembraunce And howe they and theyr ofsprynge liued in sorowe wretchednesse with a Lenuoye The fyrste chapter Howe Nembroth buylded the towre of Babylone to saue him selfe from Noes stode whiche for his pryde and presumpcion was put from his magnifycence and his towre with sodayne leuyn smytten downe The second chapter An exclamacioÌ„ of John Bochas against proude foâ—ke shewynge howe God maye them and theyr pryde abate whan 〈◊〉 shall please him and by dyuers meanes waies them punysh and chastice With a lenuoy The third chapter Howe manye yeres were betwene Adam and Nembroth and betwene Nembroth and Cadmus and of dyuers other kinges The fourthe chapter Of Ogiges king of Thebes leafe .vii. Of a greate flode in Tessaly leafe .vii. Of goodly Jsys wyfe to Apys king of Argyue and howe he was slayne by hys brother Diffeus The fyft chapter Of Grisiton that eate hys members for hungre With a Lenuoy the sixt chapter Howe Jupiter rauyshed Europa the doughter of kynge Agenor and how Cadmus was sent to seke her in to diuers couÌ„trees With a Lenuoy of the translatour The seuenth chapter A goodlye processe of Oetes kynge of Colchos of Jason and Medea of Theseus Sylla of Nisus and of dyuers other With a Lenuoy The eyght Chapter Of mightye Jabyn kyng of Canaan of Quene Jocasta and how Thebes was dystroyed With a Lenuoy The .ix. chap. How Atreus kyng of Messene wrought againste his brother Thiestes and howe he stewe his children dismembred them in pieces and made the said Thiestes to eate of their flesh and drinke of theyr blode The tenth chapter How Atreus accused him selfe of murder and his brother of auoutry don wyth Europa the quene With a Lenuoy The xi chapter Of duke Theseus and of Ariadne that saued his lyfe in a caue and howe he lyke a forsworne man for soke her and wedded fayre Phedra which afterwarde slew her selfe a Lenuoy The .xii. chapter How Bochas blameth theym that gyueth hasty credence to liers and flatterers With a Lenuoy The .xiii. chapter Of quene Althea and howe Hercules by women was broughte to confusion With a Lenuoy The .xiiii. chapter A processe of Narcissus Byblis Myrra and dyuers other their infortunes to Bochas complaynyng and howe Narcissus Byblis and Myrra dyed at myschefe with a Lenuoy The fyftene chapter Of Priamus kynge of Troye and how the monke of Burye translatoure of thys boke wrot a boke of the siege of Troy called Troy boke the sixtene chapter Here Bochas authoure of this boke wryteth agayne the Surquedous pryde of them that trust to much in theyr riches The seuentene chapter Here also John Bochas putteth a great prayse and commendacyon of suretye that standeth in pouerte With a Lenuoy The eyghtene chapter Of mighty Sampson whiche tolde all his counsayle to Dalyda wherby he was disceyued With a Lenuoy The nyntene chapter A chapter of Bochas disâ—â—yuynge the malyce that is in Women The twentye chapter Thexcuse of Bochas for hys wrytyng againste mysgouerned women in maner of a Lenuoy The. xxi chapter Of myghtye Pyrrus that slewe Pollycene whiche for his pryde and auoutrye died in pouerte and at the last was slayne by Horestes The .xxiii. chapter Of Machayre and of his suster Canace The .xxiiii. chapter The letter of complaynte wrytten by Canace to her brother Machayre With a Lenuoy The .xxv. chapter ¶ Thus endeth the Table with the Chapiters of the fyrste boke and here foloweth the table of the seconde boke which containeth .xxxi. chapters THe Prologue of the translatour The fryste Chapter of the second boke declareth how Saule Kynge of Ierusalem borne of lowe degree as longe as
mighty fierce Lyon And whan y â— swerd of vengeaunce doth bite Vpon prynces for their transgression The common people in their opinion For very dread tremble adowne quake And by suche meanes their vyces forsake And suche also as haue ben defouled In their vyces by longe continuaunce Or in their synnes lye ymouled By good exaÌ„ples may cum good repentauÌ„ce Who so repenteth the lord will him auauÌ„ce And him accept in lowe and high estate The meke preserue punyshe the obstinate This sayd matter touchyng such thinges Mine aucthor Bochas herafter shal declare By exaÌ„ple of prynces and of mighty kyngs What was their fine not the truth spare And though my style naked â—e and bare In Rethorike myne aucthour to ensue Yet fro the truth shall I not reâ—â—we But on the substaunce by good leiser abyde After mine aucthor lyke as I may attaine And for a part set eloquence aside And in this boke bewepen and complayne The assault of Fortune froward sodayn How she ou princes hath kyd her veÌ„geauÌ„ce And of her malice the deadly mortal chauÌ„ce But O alas who shal be my muse Or vnto whom shall I for helpe call Calliope my callyng wyll refuse And on Pernaso her worthy susters all They will their suger temper with no gall For their swetenes and lusty freshe singyng Ful farre discordeth froÌ„ matter coÌ„playning My master Chaucer w t his fresh coÌ„medies Is deade alas chiefe Poete of Brytayne That sumtime made ful piteous tragedies The fall of Prynces he did also complayne As he that was of makyng souerayne WhoÌ„ al this lande of ryght ought prefarre Sith of our langage he was y â— lode starre Senec in Rome through his hye prudence Wrote Tragedies of great moralitie And Tullius chiefe well of eloquence Made in his tyme many a fresh ditty Fraunces Petraâ—eke of Florence that cityâ— Made a boke as I can aduert Of two Fortunes wilfull and peruert And agaynst bothe wrote the remedies In bokes twayne made a diuision Among rehearsyng many freshe stories The first boke is thus conueyed doun A dialoge betwene gladnes and reason The second by me well to witnes Made betwene reason worldly heauines The matter is wondets delectable Though wo with ioye haue an entresse And John Bochas wrot maters lameÌ„table The fall of princes where he dothe expresse How for their ioye they fyl in great distresse All these writers through their hye renown Great worshyp did vnto their nacion And semblably as I haue tolde toforne My maâ—â—et Chaucer did his busines And in his daies hath him so well borne Out of out tonge to auoyde al rudenes And to reforine it w t colours of swetenes Wherfore let vs geue him laude and glory And put his name w t Poetes in memory Of whose labour to make mencion Where of right he shoulde commended be In youthe he made a translation Of a boke whiche called is Trophe In Lumbard tonge as men may read se And in our vulgare long or that he dyed Gaue it to name of Troylus Creseyde Whiche for to reade louers them delite They haue therin so great deuocion And this Poete also him selfe to quite Of Boecius boke the consolation Made in his tyme an olde translation And to his sonne that called was Lowys He made a treatise ful noble of great prise Vpon that labour in full notable forme Set them in order with their diuisions Mens wittes to accomply she and conforme To vnderstande by full expert reasons By domifiyng of sundry mancions The rote out sought at the ascendent To forne or he gaue any iudgement He wrote also full many a day agone Dant in English him selfe so doth expresse The piteous story of Ceix and Alcion And the death also of Blaunche the duches And notably did his businesse By great auise his wittes to dispose To translate the Romaynt of the Rose Thus in vertue he set all his entent Idlenes and vyces for to fle Of fowles also he wrote the parliament Therin remembring of royall Eagles thre Howe in their choyse they felt aduersitye To fore nature profered the battayle Eche for his partye if it woulde auayle He did also his diligence and payne In our vulgare to translate and endite Orâ—gene vpon the Maudelayn And of the Lyona boke he did write Of Annelida and of false Arcite He made a complaynt dolefull and piteous And of the broche which that Vulcanus At Thebes wrought full diuers of nature Ouide writeth who so therof had a syght For high desire he shoulde not endure But he it had neuer be glad ne light And if he had it once in his myght Like as my master sayth writeth in dede It to conserue he shoulde euer liue in dred This poet wrote at the request of the quene A legende of perfite holines Of good women to fynde out nyntene That did excell in bountie and fayrenesse But for his labour and his businesse Was importable his wyttes to encomber In all this world to finde so great a nuÌ„ber He made the boke of Caunterbury tales When the pylgryms rode on pilgrymage Through out Kent by hylles and by vales And the stories all tolde in their passage Endityng them full well in our language Some of knyghthode some of gentlenes And some of loue and some of perfitenes And some also of great mortalitie Some of disport coÌ„cludyng great sentence In prose he wrote the tale of Mellebe And of his wife that called was Prudence And of Grisildes perfite pacience And howe the monke of stories new olde Pyteous tragedies by the way tolde This sayd Poete my master in his dayes Made and compiled many a freshe dittie Complaynts ballades rouÌ„dels vyrelayes Full delectable to heare and to se For whiche men should of ryght and equitie Syth he in englysh in making was the best Pray vnto god to geue his soule good rest And these Poetes that I make of mencion Were by olde tyme had in great deyntye With kynges and princes in euery regyon Greatly preferred after their degre For lordes had pleasaunce for to se To study among and cast their lokes At good leasure vpon wyse bokes For in the tyme of Cesar Julius When the triumphe he wan in Rome towne He enter woulde the schole of Tullius And heare his lecture of great affection And notwithstaÌ„ding his coÌ„quest renowne Vnto bokes he gaue great attendaunce And in stories had great ioye pleasaunce Also in this lande I dare affyrme a thinge There is a prynce full mighty of puissaunre A kynges sonne and vncle to the kynge Henry the syxt whiche nowe is in Fraunce And is lieutenaunt hath the gouernaunce Of our Brytayne through whose discrecion He hath conserued vs in this region Duryng his time of full high prudence Peace and quiet han susteined ryght That notwithstaÌ„dyng his noble prouideÌ„ce He is in dede proued a good knyght Eyed as Argus with reason and forsight Of high lecture I dare of him
tell And truely deme that he dothe excell In vnderstandyng all other of his age And hath ioye with clarkes to commune And no man is more expert in langage Stable in study alway he dothe contune Settyng aside all chaunces of fortune And where he loueth if I shall not tary withouten cause full lothe he is to vary Duke of Glocester men this prynce call And not withstaÌ„dyng his estate dignitie His courage neuer dothe appall To study in bokes of antiquitie Therin he hath so great felicitie Vertuously him selfe to occupye Of vycious slouthe he hath the maistry And with his prudence and his manhede Truthe to susteyne he fauour setteth aside And holy churche mainteynyng in dede That in this lande no herityke dare abide A very support vpholde and also gyde Spareth none but maketh him selfe stronge To punish all tho that do the church wrong Thus is he manly and also wise Chosen of God to be his owne knyght And of one thinge he hath a singuler prise That heritike dare none come in his sight In Christes faith he staÌ„deth so hole vpright Of holy churche defence and champion To chastice all tho that do therto treason And to do pleasaunce to our Lorde Jesu He studieth euer to haue intelligence Readyng of bokes bringeth in vertue Vyces excludyng w t slouth and negligence Maketh a Prince to haue experience To knowe him selfe in many soundry wise Where he trespaceth his erroure to chastice And among bokes playnely this is the case This sayed prynce considered of reason The noble boke of this John Bochas Was accordyng in hys opinion Of great noblesse and reputation And vnto princes greatly necessary To geue exaÌ„ple how this worlde doth vary And for these causes as in his entent To shew the vntrust of all worldly thinge He gaue to me in commaundement As him semed it was ryght well sittyng That I shoulde after my small cunnyng This boke translate him to do pleasaunce To shew the chaung of worldly variaunce And with support of his magnificence Vnder the wynges of his correction Though that I lacke of eloquence I shall procede in this translation Fro me auoydyng all presumption Lowly submittyng euery houre and space My rude language to my lordes grace And as I haue one thing well in minde He bade I shoulde in especiall Folow myne aucthour written as I fynde And for no fauoure be not partiall Thus I meane to speake in generall And none estate singulerly depraue But the sentence of mine aucthour saue All this conceiued I gan my style dresse Thought I would in my matter procede And for the matter obreyed heauinesse Of freshe colours I toke no maner hede But my processe playnely for to lede As me semed it was to me most mete To set apart Rethorykes swete Ditties of mournyng and complaynyng Do not pertayne vnto Caliope Neither to the muses that on Pernaso syng Whiche be remeÌ„bred in numbers thrise thre And vnto matters of aduersitie With their sugred aureat lycoure They be not willyng to do fauoure But of disdayne me settyng farre a backe To hinder me of that I woulde endite Hauyng no colours but only whyte blake To the tragedies whiche I shall write And for I can my selfe no better aquyte Vnder the support of all that shall it reade Vpon Bochas ryght thus I will procede Finis ¶ Howe Adam and Eue for their Inobedience were put out of Paradise and liued in sorowe and wo they and their ofspringe And howe they standynge naked before Bochas desired hym to put their wofull fall fyrste in remembraunce ¶ The fyrste Chapiter WHan John Bocas considered had sought The woful fal of mighty conquerours A remembrance entred in his thought Rekenyng the numbre of our predecessours And fyrste to mynde came the progenitours Of all man kynde farre yrun in age And toward hym holdyng their passage And as hym thought in his in warde syght In theyr coÌ„ming full pitiously tremblynge Quaking for age and for lacke of myght Their feblenesse by signes out shewing And one of them first at his commyng Our father Adam sodenly abrayde And to myne auctour euen thus he saide Cosyn Bochas I wol well that thou lere That art so busy to serche ouer all Ofinfortune the maner to enquere Her sodayne chaunge turning as a ball Of â—â—thly princes from their estate rial It is most syttyng or we a sondre twyn At vs twayne the processe to begyn Consider first the lorde in his auyse Whan he vs made vnto his likenesse He put vs both in to paradise There to haue lyued in parfite stablenesse Till the Serpent dyd his businesse Of false enuy to make vs lese our grace Perpetually to exyle vs fro that place And whaÌ„ Jhon Bochas naked theÌ„ behelde Without the hand fourmed of nature Of slime of the erth in Damascene the felde God made them aboue eche creature And for they should perpetually endure By discrecion for a prerogatife He endued them wyth a soule of lyfe Parfite of age as men of .xxx. yere Put them after in possession Of Paradise a place most entere And of delites a chosen mansion Where Adam made an imposion To fysh and to foule and to these beastes al Of very reason what men should them call Out of a rybbe whyle that Adam dyd slepe Eue was drawe ful fayre of her visage Al sodenly or that he toke kepe After to hym ioyned in mariage For his disport and his auantage So as the lorde first wyues dyd ordeyne Eyther for helpe or encrease of peyne God vnto them gaue the soueraintie Of Paradyse and dominacion A place fulfilled of all felicitye The frutes be all in their subiection Saue that of one was made excepcion Whyche god forbad the Byble can deuyse That they should it touche in no wyse All delices in that heuenly place God gaue to them and put in their kepyng To vse them euery houre and space To theyr most ease as was to them lyking Blomes blossomes theyr fayrnes ay keping And the frutes alwaye of one freshnesse For witer stormes myght do theÌ„ no duresse The soyle enbrouded full of saâ—er floures There wedes wycke had none interesse For god kynde wyth freshnesse of colours And w t their tapites motles of gladnesse Had made y t place habuÌ„dant w t at swetnes And fresh Flora whych is of floures quene Her lyuerey made of a perpetuÌ„al grene The trees raught almost to the heuen Whyche cast about a ful pleasaunt shade That storme ne rayne thuÌ„dre wynde ne leuine No power had their leues for to fade For euer they were ylyke freshe and glade And whan they lyst they might se In middes of y e garden of life y â— holesume tre Whyche vertue had ayenst all malady Folke to preserue in youth in their freshnes Who eate thereof should neuer dye But lyue euer in ioy and gladnes And neyther fele trouble nor sickenesse But in that place haue alwaye hertes ease And suffisaunce of all y â—
for wanting of their wil. And wheder were thei sorowful or faine Long tyme after their desolacion Whan they foūd Abell their own son slayne By cruel Cayne to his confusion ▪ The same Cayne as made is mencyon After that time wilde was vagabound Til blind Lameth yafe hī his dethes woūd Adam nor Eue afore that ylke time Had neuer sene no feest funeral It was of chaunge to them a new prime For to behold a thyng disnatural Brethern of one wombe by hatered eternal The one of hate so far hym selfe deuide Of false malice to be an homicyde And it was routh whan that they stode For to behold their son al deed Layd on the grond and bathed in his blod And al the soile where he lay was rede That whan Adam and Eue toke hede It was to them ful great aduersite The newe slaughter to behold and se. And euer among their sighes harde sore The bitter weping and sorowes to auaūce Or they were ware their heere 's woxe hore And age began theyr beautie disauaunce Their youth also by ful great displesaunce Began to appal or they it could aspye By cruel constreynt and force of malady And of youth fallen was their flour By the processe of many hundred yeres And by the duresse of great labour They wexe vnlusty vgly of their cheres Of age and deth these ben the daungers To say checkmate in nature it is couth Vnto beautie and grene lusty youth For whan the yeres fully passed be Of flouring age lastynge a season By processe at eye men may se Beaute declineth his blossoms fal adoune And littel and littel by succession Cōmeth croked elde vnwarely in crepynge With his potent ful porely manassing Thus to our father that called was Adam Of creatures fayrest of al feire After great trauaile by processe in he came And began vnwarely ascend vpō the steyre With his potent and cast him to repeyre With Atropose which afore shal gone For to attwin his liues threde anone And in Ebron was made his sepulture Ther after was bilded a mighty great cyte By whose story and recorde of nature I may conclude who list to se That neuer man had liberte Sithen that Adam our lord gan disobey Ayenst deth but that he must obey In cōplaining mine autor Jhon Bochas Ful pitiously in hys aduertence Bewepeth wayleth and oft sayeth alas In apple there was so great offence That for a taste of inobedience Adam alas should haue so great a fal So sodainely to die and be mortal Which example ought inough suffise In al this world though there were no mo To exemplify to folkes that ben wise How this world is a throwfare ful of wo. Lyke false Fortune y ◠turneth to and fro To make folkes whā they most clerely shine In their estates vnwarely to decline For though that thei their hedes lift a lofte Highe as Phebus shineth in his sphere Thinke them selfe as it falleth oft Their renown recheth aboue y e starres clere And howe they surmount euery sphere Their trust corrupt hath a sodayne fal For to declare you they ben mortal O worldly folke aduert and yene entent What vengeaūce and what punicion God shal take in his iugement For your trespas and your transgression Which breke his preceptes ayen al reason Ye haue forgotten how w t his precious blod You for to saue he died vpon the Roode For if Adam for his disobeisaunce Was by the lorde as him list ordaine Made first formed with euery circūstāce Of creatures to be most soueraine If that he was enbraced in the chaine Of seruitude with children ouersene what shal I than of other folkes sein◠That liue here in this deserte of sorowe ▪ In this exise of plesance desolate ▪ And in this worlde both euin and morowe Of hertely ioye stonte disconsolate ▪ All destitute and also infortunate And forpossed with wo and worldly troble Euer variable and ful of chaunges double Ye not entende but to false couetise To fraude berret and extorcion Agayne god in many dyuers wise Againe your neighbour by false collusion To do hym wronge and oppression And worst of al ye retche not by syn To slee your soule worldly good to wyn And if it fal your power to be but smal To accomplyshe your auarice in dede Your sinful wyl assenteth ouer al Thing to desire of which ye maye not spede And thus false lust doth your bridel lede Trust in hauing so sore you doth assayle Falsly afered the world should you fayle And if god benigne and debonayre With his yarde of castigacion Chastiseth you but easely and faire Ye grudge against his correction Nothing auerting in your discrecion Howe god not bad vs who can take hede For to striue ne wrastel in dede Neither our strength ne our might to appli Vpon the beast monstruous and sauage which called is the Chimere of Licy Specially whan he is in hys rage which monstre had to his auantage Heed of a lion as bokes determine Wombe of a gote and taile serpentyne Which was outrayed of Bellyferon As olde poetes make mencion Neither god bad not that men should gon In to Colchos to conquere with Jason The Flees of gold which in that region With firie bulles of mettal made of bras And by a dragon ful straitly kept was God bad vs not our contreys for to lete To vnderfonge things that ben impossible The Mynotaur for to slee in Crete Halfe man halfe bul if it be credible Which was a monster hateful and odible Sūtime brought forth in bokes ye may se By Mynos wife called Pasyphae Whose storie techeth if thou list to here This vgly beast and monstruous Through Ariadne the kings doughter dere Was sumtime slayne by duke Theseus Within a caue made by Dedalus God biddeth vs plainely for his sake So great emprise for to vndertake He byddeth vs not to be so recheles In perilous dedes that bene marciall Vs to ieoparde as dyd Hercules Which by the bidding in especiall Of Euristeus the mighty kyng royall Lordes of Athēs to make their honor shine Learned of armes the famous discipline Of these preceptes if we haue a sight And remembred of his highe bounte He vs cōmaundeth thinges that be lyght For to accomplishe with all humilite From our corage to auoyde all vanite And from our hertes to exclude ydelnesse And this false chāge of al worldly gladnes For vnto a man that perfite is and stable By good reasō mine auctor doth wel preue There is nothing more faire ne agreable Than finally his vicious lyfe to leue On verye god rightfully to beleue Him loue worship aboue al erthly thyngs This passeth victory of Emperours kinges The Lord biddeth also who so can discerne Of entere loue to do our labour In this life here so our life shal gouerne To father mother that we do due honor And in their nede to do them socour And in all vertue our frendes to comfort And to
our power in grace them supporte For in this world is nothing more perfite Neither taccōplish thinge of more plesance Than a man for to haue delyte In lytell good to haue suffisaunce And to be content in his gouernance Auoyde auarice and thinke euer among To his neighbour that he do no wronge Not to couet his goodes in no wise Him selfe gouerne like to his estate Not to excede but flye and also dispise All maner loue whych is disordinate Him selfe preserue from contecke debate And specially to esche we it is good Slaughter murdre sheding of bloude Flye from his syn and hate for to lye O folde offences among haue repentaunce And to esche we all scorne and malory Ayenst vyces do almesse and penance And to haue most souerainly pleasaunce To sewe the pathes of oure Lorde Jesu True examplayre of grace and vertue Which for our sake and our redempcion And for our loue was nayled on a tre Suffered payne and cruell passion And nothing asketh of high lowe degre Recompensed ayenwarde for to be But that we set all holy our ententes For to fulfil his commaundementes And of his grace here in this mortal lyfe As we precell of wysdome and reason And of his gift haue a prerogatife Tofore all beastes by discrecion Therefore let vs of hole intencion As we of reason beastes ferre excede Let vs be before thē in word exāple dede Grounde our selfe first vpon humilite Our pompous eyen mekely to vnclose Enclyne our hartes so conceiue and se All worldly welth shall fade as a rose And of meke hert let vs our selfe dispose By this tragedy to haue knowledgynge Of our mischefe howe rote and beginninge Was the vice of inobedience Surquidy and false disobeisaunce As myne anctour hath shewed in sentence Emprinteth it well in your remembraunce Be ware the serpent wyth disceiuance The flesh the world your enemies all thre Through their traynes ye nat disceiued be Your best shilde to make resistence Ayenst their power sothly is mekenes Your haburion most mighty of defence The fendes power to venquish oppresse It is to remembre deuoutly with lownes Howe mekely Christe to pay our taunsum Suffred on crosse deth and passion Therby men may that prudent ben wyse The ioyes clayme whych bene eternal And entre ayen into Paradise Fro whens Adam by pryde had a fall To whych place aboue celestiall O Christ Jesu so brynge vs to that glory Whyche by thy deth haddest the victory Lenuoye SOdeine departinge out of this felicitie Into miserie and mortal heuinesse Vnware depriuynge out of prosperitye Chaunge of gladnes into wretchednes Longe languishynge in wo and bitternes Continuell sorow dred dole pestilence Were fyrst brought in by inobedience Adam and Eue lost their libertye Their fraunchise and their blessednes Put in exyle and captiuitye To lyue in wo labour and pensifnes Through false desire and pompous wilfulnes To the serpent whan they gaue credence The lord mistrustyng through inobedience But O alas wher as they were free Of ioy eternall stode in sekernes They were to blynde alas it was pitie To leue their rest and liue in wetines All their ofsprynge to brynge in dystresse Drawynge fro God hys due reuerence Through false consentynge to inobedience Wherefore ye prynces auysely doth se As thys tragedye in maner bereth wytnesse Where as wanteth in any comonalte Subiection for lackynge of mekenes And wyth poore pryde hath an enteresse There foloweth after through froward insolence Among the people false inobediēce And noble princes whych haue the souereinte To gouerne the people in ryght wysenesse Lyke as ye cherishe them in peace vnite Or frowardly distroy them or oppresse So ayenwarde their corages well dresse Lowly to obeye to your magnificence Or disobey by inobedience Che .ii. Chapiter ¶ Howe Nembroth bylt the tower of Babylon to saue him fro Noyes stode whyche for his pryde was put fro his magnificence and hys tower with sodayne leuyn smytten downe MYne auctour Bochas lightly oueryode The vengeaunces myscheues huge Which y ◠God toke with Noyes flode Whan he sent an vniuersal deluge Ayenst whych there was no refuge Saue .viii. persons in that mortal wo Whiche in a shyp were saued and no mo Wherefore myn auctour lightly ouergoth Maketh of that age no special mencion But passeth ouer from Adam to Nembroth Consideryng howe in that deedly chaunce The lorde for syn toke so greate vengeaunce That by wryttynge of storyes no victorye Of highe ne lowe was left to memorye For there was laft cronicle none ne boke After that made mencion Of none auctour who so lyst to loke For all was brought to destruction By a deluge wythout any excepcion For whych myne auctour trāsported his stile And of that tyme lyst nothynge compyle He founde no mater wheron he myght found Nor set his fote by none auctoritie Neyther no truth his purpose on to grounde Of olde wrytynge that he coude se For whych him thought of necessitie The surplusage of all that tyme lete And after Adam with Nembroth for to mete And certes lyke as Bochas in hys boke Remembreth first of Adam the story So next in order he the story toke To speke of Nembroth and his surquedye Whych here first as bokes specifye After the flode his waues gan aswage Was made a lorde to gouerne in that age For whan the flode began to decrece And God his vengeaunce gan to molifye Withdrawe his hand the water tho gan cese◠Vpon the mounteynes high of Ermonye The shyp gan rest the Byble can not lye And in that age called the seconde Lynage of man gan first to habounde To encrease ayen and to multiplye And by dyscent in bokes ye maye se Specified the genelogye Howe that one Chus cosyn to Noe A man that tyme of greate auctorritie Vnto this Nembroth the storye dothe assure The father was as by ingendrure This Nembroth was mighty large long Excelling other as of his stature Surquedous hardy and right stronge And in his time great labour might endure And in his force to much he dyd assure And yet was none on water ne on lande Which durst his power presume to withstand And his noblesse more to magnify In worldly worship by reporte of his glorye He was called chefe prince of venery Desirous euer to haue the victorye Of beastes wilde to be put in memory And haue a price amonge these champions Tigres to daunt eke boores and Lions There was no beast in wodes so sauage That durst ayenst him make resistence His furious yre so mortall was on rage The erth quoke for feare of his presence Tyll at the last in his aduertence As a prince deuoyed of all grace Ayenst god he began to compace He made a maner coniuracion This frowarde Gyaunt and a conspiracy Toke his counseyl by false collusion His might his power for to multiply And his estate for to glorifye Thought he woulde of his entent not fayle God and
golde Out of Egypt full great treasure they ladde Such as theÌ„ thought might most theÌ„ auaile And Pharao I fynde that he hadde Two hundred chares enarmed for battayle Them to pursue and proudly to assayle And fifty thousande in whom was no lacke Of men of armes folowyng on horsebacke Two C. thousande of fotemen him aboute And of Egypt all his chyualrye And Pharao with all his great route Began Israel pursue of enuye But for his pryde and false surquedy He and his people were drowned euerychone Of all his number was left not one His froward hart ayenst God indurate Fulfilled of malyce and obstinacy And in his purpose proude and obstinate These foule vyces or he coulde them espye From his glory and his regally He was doun though he tofore was crouned Amidde the sea among his people drowned Of Ogiges kyng of Thebes ANother Prynce called Ogygus Kyng of Thebes as bokes determine And fouÌ„der was thus Bochas telleth vs Of a citye called Eleusyne Which stout in Grece whose power to decline There fyll a floude in that regyoun Whiche ouerflowed many a royall towne And in Cithia that did most dammage Tyme of Iacob patriarke notable And this deluge with his waues rage Slewe lordes many prynces honourable For dame Fortune is so deceiuable That she sumtime when she list disdayne Can folke assayle with a floude sodaine This floude also where it did assayle Wasted cornes bothe croppe and rote Caused also scarcitie of vytayle That many a man felt full vnsote The pore not wyst where to finde bote For their prynces supprised were with drede Through lacke of vitayle in that great nede Of a great floude in Tessaly ANother floude there was in Tessaly In the time when kyng Amphyon Helde the ceptre and the regaly Vpon Thebes the mighty stronge towne Beside the kyngdome of Babilon The same time this floude fell doubtles When Gods people was ledde by Moses With this floude the land had ben deuoured Of Tessaly and of all that region But on Pernaso the people were succored And on the Roches that stode enuyron Founde there refuge to their saluation And great succour til the floudes rage Began to decrease withdrawe and asswage In olde stories also ye may se Whan Cecrops had first possession Of Athens the myghty stronge citye An heate there fell in that region By influence that descendeth downe From the bodies aboue celestiall Whiche likely was for to deuoure all And this heate engendred with the sonne In diuers countreys both in length breade Hath his course so mightely begone That many folke fell in great dreade Ryuers welles who so list take hede Consumed were and dryed vp echone The heat called the enbracyng of Pheton The .v. Chapter ☞ Of goodly Isis wife to Apys kyng of Argyue slayne by his brother Dyffeus WE haue read in stories here toforne How that Isis to Egypt toke her flyght Out of Crete the true daughter borne Of Promotheus a full manly knyght And Isis in euery mans syght So freshe so goodly wedded by her lyue To worthy Apys that was king of Argyue The whiche Isis excellent of beauty After tyme her father was ygraue She was put for more suretye With her vncle that shoulde kepe and saue This sayd maâ—de y â— no man should her haue And her vncle in Ouide ye may se Like as he wrote â–ª was called Epymethe And flourynge vp in her tender age This sayd Isis so pleasaunt was and mete Of semelines of loke and vysage That Iupiter the mighty kynge of Crete Was enuyronned with her for to mete And she excited of feminitie Enclined her hart vnto his deitie And for she was of her entent so clene Obeiyng hun in most lowly wise Of Argiuois he made her to be quene Because that she was smit in couetise Ayenst Argus a warre she gan deuise And for he was vnweldy of his age Her to w t stand he found none aduauntage But yet Fortune gan vpon her frowne And kyng Argus through his subtiltye With his counsaile so prudently gan rowne That she was take by full great crueltie And her souldiours were also made to flye And by Argus there gayned no raunsome She fettred was and put in strong pryson But her sonne God Mercurius Right freshe ryght lusty full of hardines And of his earthly ioye so glorious Ayenst Argus gan his power dresse And so intirely did his busines That Argus was slaine in conclusion And after Isis deliuered fro pryson Of her sleyghtes afterwarde not feynt She toke a shyp and to Egypt went In which shyp there was a cowe depeynt And Theores whom Iupiter also sent Is gone with her bothe of one entent To ioyne a mariage after anone ryght Betwene her Apys a prynce full of myght She was ryght wise aboue other creatures Secrete of cunnyng well expert in science She taught first letters and fygures To Egyptians by playne experience Gaue them cunnyng and intelligence To tyll the lande taught the labourers To sowe their graine multiply by peres And in Egypt her fame and her renowne Began day by day wext her worthines Holde of cunnyng and of reputation By signe shewed not onely in princesse But she was holde among them a Goddesse And with worshyps whiche were diuyne And sacrifices to her they did enclyne But to declare playnly at a worde In middes of all her great prosperitie Mighty Apis her husband and her lorde Prince of Egypt and lorde of that country Sonne of Iupiter and of Niobe Whiche Niobe by long discendyng The daughter was of Phoroneus y â— kyng And Phoroneus first the lawe founde To whiche all Crete stande vnder obeysauÌ„ce And the statutes of that myghty londe Were ystablished by his ordinaunce But for to write the vnhappy chaunce Of kynge Apys that is remembred He slayne was and pyteously dismembred By his brother called Tyffeus Sumwhat of hatred but more for couetise For Tyffeus was onely desitous To reioyce in full mortall wise The mighty kingdom as ye haue herd deuise Of Argiuois to haue possession Preferred by murder and false succession And when that Isis fouÌ„de her lorde so deade Of entent that he were magnified First of wisdome she gan take hede Ordeyned a meane that he were deified High among Goddes to be stellified In Egypt temples made to be stalled And God Serapis after he was called The .vi. Chapter ¶ Of Grysiton that his membres eate for honger WHat shall I write of case horrible Of Grisiton w t hoÌ„ger so coÌ„strayned That his life was to him self odible In Thessaly w t indigence payned And pyteously his fame was disteyned When he solde his daughter in seruage Liriope whiche was but yong of age By exchaunge of God to puruey theÌ„ vytayle Of very nede he was so wo begon He had nothing y â— might his thirst auayle Ne stauÌ„ch his hoÌ„ger but gnawyng on a bone Wherfore he ate his membres one by one A prynce alas was it not great pitie To se him
dye in suche aduersitie â–ª We had also read full many a day tofore The great banishment and persecution Of Argiuois how kyng Gelanorâ— Was cruelly put from his region And his lieges of indignacion In his place they set one Danaus Sonne and also heyre to the God Belus The people of malyce did him so encomber To encrease his sorow and his aduersitie And fyfty daughters he had also in number And Edippus his brother also pardy Had fiftye sonnes the stories ye may se At wene the whiche in surety of hoâ—de In mariage there was made a bonde Vnder the which compassed was treason Couertly though they did it hide But if ye list haue cleare inspection Of this story vpon euery side Reade the legende of Cupide Which that Chaucer in order as they stode Compyled of women that were called good Touchyng the story of kinge Pandion And of his goodly fayre daughters twayne How Thereus false of condicion Them to deceiue did his busy payne They bothe named of beauty souerayne Goodly Progne and yonge Philomene Bothe innocâ—utes of intent full cleane Their piteous fall in open to expresse It were to me but a presumption Syth that Chaucer did his busines In his legende as made is mencion Their martyrdome and their passion For to rehearse them did his busy payne Is chiefe Poete called of Brytayne Of good women a boke he did write The number vncomplete fully of ninetene And there the story plainely he did endite Of Thereus of Progne and Philomene Where ye may se their legende thus I mene Do them worshyp forth their life shew For a clere myrror because there be but fewe I will passe ouer and speake of theÌ„ no more And vnto Cadmus forthe my style dresse In my wrytynge yet it greueth me sore Touchynge women of fayeth or stablenes Blessed be God I fynde none excesse And for there be so fewe as thinketh me The good shoulde be had in more deyntie ☞ Lenuoye THis tragedy beareth to you wytnesse How Saturnus by disposition Maliciously of his frowardnes Causeth of Iuno full great infection She of nature conueyeth the nature doun The ayre infect whiche no man may succour CoÌ„meth death anone al thing doth deuour Time froÌ„ Adam mine auctour dothe expresse Downe to Nemrothe by computation His stile conueyed by great auisenes From zoroastes to kyng Pharaon Of two deluges he maketh mencion In Tessaly the vengeaunce gan laboure And in Achaia Thebes to deuoure Ye haue of heates hearde the excesse Of princes pryncesses full great destruction Of Egistus the great wretchednes The fury of Thereus the wo of Pandion Of the two sisters the confusion And how their fate gan vpon them loure Their felicitie vnwarely to deuoure Prynces princesses your eyen do vp dresse I meane the eyen of your discresion Se of this worlde y â— chaunge the doublenes The great vnsurenes the variacion And aduert for all your great renowne Fortuns dewes whaÌ„ they most swetely shour Than is she falsest your glory to deuoure The .vii. Chapter ¶ How Iupiter rauished Europa how Cad mus was sent to seke her in diuers regions THe rehersal of many an olde poete By discent the line conueyed downe Next Saturnus the mighty kyng of Crete Ioue was crowned by succession As next his heyre by procreacion After his father the lande to enherite Raygning in Crete as poetes list to wryte One of the linage as I you tolde beforne Of the Gods most souerayne and entere And though he were of bloude so high yborne He chose Europe for to be his fere And downe discended froÌ„ his heauenly spere As he that was for all his deitie Surprysed in hart with her great beauty And she was daughter to a mighty kyng Called Agenor by line all discent Whose mighty kigdom ryal faire dwellyng Was in Phenice toward the orient And to Araby his lande was adiacent Farre by south as ye may read and se Toward the parties of the redde sea But Iupiter whan he did aduert Of Europa the great semelinesse He thought he was wounded to the hart Vnto the death beholdyng her fayrenes And for his coÌ„straynt his mortall distresse Seyng she was so fayre in his syght He rauished her of very force and might But Agenor her owne father dere Began on this case full piteously complayne When she alas most goodly and entere Was him biraft whiche doubled al his paine Recure was none though he did pleyne Tyll he remembryng on his regaly Thought he woulde sende to aspy His sonne Cadmus her to recure ayene For to searche her in many a region Where so his labour wer fructuous or vaine His father set him a fell condicion Not to returne by none occasion And therupon made him to be bounde Tyll y â— he had the kinges daughter founde He toke his shyps by great auisenes And began to sayle in many a straunge see Did his labour and his busines With many a worthy that were w t him preue But when that he of reason did se There was no meane for which that he was sent For to accoÌ„plishe the fine of his entent With glad hart deuoyde of grutchyng Seyng the case frowarde and contrary Humble of his cheare toke his exilinge And of manhode list not him selfe dispayre But with his meyne knightly gan repayre Towarde Grece piteously there to lande Of Appollo for to vnderstande To what party that he might drawe He prayed God to wyshe him or rede Some token shewe or some maner sawe Into what I le that he myght him spede Or that he woulde graciously him leade Where as he myght builde a citye That were accordyng to him to his meynie And to Appollo he did sacrifice And made to him his oblation The God requiryng goodly to deuise To what lande or to what region For his dwellyng and habitacion He should drawe withouten more obstacle For him and his to make his habitacle And Cadmus thus before Appollo stode Knelyng among with full great reuerence And in the temple of Delphos styll abode With huÌ„ble entendaunce deuout diligence Mekely besechyng by word or by sum senteÌ„ce That Appollo woulde to him vnclose To what party he should him selfe dispose This was his aunswere in conclusion As the statue to him did expresse To go and serche countreys enuyron And tyll he found do his businesse A bulle that were excellent of fayrenes Whiche by precept of Appollos lawe Had neuer aforne in yoke ydrawe And where that euer sekyng that he fonde A bull stande styll in his pasture Appollo bade vpon that same loâ—de Where as he seeth this syght of auenture That he shoulde do his busy cure To builde a citye he and his folkes all And Boecia after the Bulle it call And whaÌ„ that Cadmus y â— precept vnderstode And in searchyng did his busines He founde a place where a bulle stode Feadyng hym selfe whiche as by likenes Was a place full pleasaunt of largesse Where as he stynt he gan
a citye rayse Which the poetes greatly cōmend and praise And y ◠his buildyng myght the more auayle All the foreyns that did about him dwell Full like a knyght by force and by battayle Out of that countrey he did them expell Raysynge a citie whiche that did excell And as Ouide also recordeth the same Vnto thys day of Thebes beareth the name And he was not onely glorified For rearyng vp of this great citye But he was also magnified For his manhode his magnanimitie And most commended if ye list to se For the surmountyng famous excellence Whiche that he had in wysdome and science For as myne aucthour of him list indite Through his noble prudent puruey aunce He taught fygures letters for to write And made lawes of full great ordinaunce Among the Grekes and set a gouernaunce Thei◠vycious life by vertue to restrayne And who outraied was punished w t the pain And of entent to encrease hys lynage And his citye also for to multiply He toke a wife that was but yong of age And she was called as bokes specify Hermyone and touching her alye Though that she were borne of royall bloud She was also bothe ioly fayre and good And this was done as writeth mine auctour After the death of worthy Iosue Sothonyell beyng successour Hauyng the leadyng and the soueraintie Of Israell whan Thebes the citye Was founded first in the dayes olde By kyng Cadmus tofore as I you tolde Foure daughters he had by his lyue Full fayre echone and goodly on to se And their names to reherse blyue Semele was the eldest and next Acthonie The thirde in order was called Inoe And Agane was yongest of them all Of the whiche daughters thus it is befall They were echone of port and of manere Full well fauoured in euery mans syght Right womanly and heauenly of their chere And for their beauty their father anone right As it was sittyng wyth all his full myght Like their estates birthe and also their age Made thē be wedded and ioyned in mariage To worthy princes his linage to auaunce And they encreased by procreation Wherof the kynge had full great pleasaunce And great reioysyng in his opinion To saue his lyne by generation With his neuewes and cosyns of alye Fro day to day to waxe and multiply And this encreased his felicitie Whan he considered verely in dede The riche buildynge of his royall citye And Fortune did his brydle leade To great riches in bokes as I reade To great nobles hauyng great residence In his citye of moste magnificence His daughter Semele record of mine auctor Though she discended were of the bloud ryal To Iupiter she was paramoure And by his power supercelestiall She conceiued in especiall As poetes of her list to endite Him that is god of grapes redde and white Called Bachus whiche hath the gouernaūce Of wynes all and the regaly Wherof after was take full great vengeaūce For when Iuno did first espye Of Iupiter the great auoutrye Of great hatred and enuyous desire She made Semele to be brent w t sodayn fire By discendyng of a sodayne leuine And on Semele the vengeaunce downe wēt Fro Iuno ielous cleped quene of heauen To wreke her wrath purposely ysent And fore the flame consumed was and spent There was of her left no remembraunce But of the ende the wofull mortall chaunce Also Actheon the sonne of Acthonie To great mischefes and infortunes borne Whose father called was Criste Come of the kinred that I you tolde toforne With cruell houndes alas he was to torne For that he sawe as bokes of him tell Dyana naked bath her in a well And as Poetes remember at the lest Whan the ladyes of Thebes the citye Helde of Bachus solemnely the feaste The yonger sister called Agane Daughter to Cadmus alas it was pitie Ayenst her owne sonne deare She was so wode and mortall of her cheare Murderyng hym in full cruell wise In her rage she was so furious For he lough at the sacrifyce In Thebes done by women to Bachus The whiche sonne was called Pantheus Whom that she slewe w t a sharpe dart In her wodenes as she him founde apart These great mischeues fell in the lyue Of king Cadmus through his vnhappy chāce Fortune his noblesse gan vndermyne And thought she would his glory disauaunce All worldly gladnes is medled w t greuaunce Experience in Cadmus ye may se So importable was his aduersitie For while he sate most highest in his glory No part clipsed of his prosperitie His bryght renowne and his royall memory In realmes spredde many a farre con̄trey He moste wealfull in his high see Set w t his linage most high in noblesse Than came Fortune the false enchaunteresse Of wilfulnesse and founde occasion Ayenst Cadmus and made his renowne dul Of his kynred by false collusion She gan away the bryghtest fethers pull And whan his shining was waxt vp to y ◠full After the chaunge of fortunes lawe His glory gan discrece and withdrawe It was more greuous to his dignitie A sodayne fall from his high noblesse Than if that he had neuer be Set in the state of his great worthines For the furious mortall heauines Of his kinred without any more Would haue greued a pore man full sore And amonge his sorowes euerychone To rehearse playnly as it was I dare affirme how that there was one Most horrible dreadfull in such a caas For Cadmus sonne called Athamas His sonne in lawe through false melancoly Fell sodaynely into a frenesy Of whom the wife was called Inoe Cadmus daughter as ye haue heard expresse Which through the cōstraynt of his infirmitie In his rage and furious wodenes Thought that his wyfe was a lyonesse And in his wylde ymaginations That his two children were also two lyons And vpon them full loude he gan to crye Towarde his wife in haste he came anone And from her armes there was no remedy The childe he rent and on a craggy stone He gan to brast it and breake it euery bone The whiche childe Bochas writeth thus Full tender and yong called was Learchus And all this wofull and sodaine aduenture Of this rage whan that she toke hede As most sorowfull of any creature Her other childe she hent anone for drede For of succour she knewe no better spede So as she might gan haste out of his sight But welaway as she toke her to flyght Her husbande came after pursuyng Like a woode Lyon in his crueltie Downe from a hill whiche was dependyng She and her childe fell into the see Was it not ruthe was it not pitye A kings daughter her lord i Thebes crouned He to be woode and she for feare drowned ▪ Lo here the fine of Cadmus euery deale His children slayne and his allies all And he him selfe from fortunes whele Whan he wened leste full sodaynly is fall His little suger tempred with moche gall For among all his mortall peynes His
dresse To entre the water plainly if she mighte For very shame her selfe for to shroude And whan the goddes thereof had a sight They turned her as they y ◠might coude In to a quaile for to sing loude Her father Nisus they dyd also transmewe In to a sparhauke the quaile to pursue This was the ende of Nisus Scille And afterwarde of Athenes the toune Was yelded vp to stande at the will Of kinge Minos with this condicion Euery yere by reuolucion They of the citie should not delay Nyne of theyr chyldren for a tribute paye This was by Minos the imposicion Vpon Athenes and of very drede They obeyed as made is mencion And their children yere by yere they lede In to Crete the Minotaur to fede Vnto this monstre ordeyned for repast Which at their cōming deuoured were in hast But or that I forther do procede In this mater I wyl do my cure To declare if ye lyst to take hede Of this monstre to tell the engendrure Vncouth to heare and ayenst nature For by the writynge of Ouidius Thys vgly beaste was engendred thus In Methamorphoseos the maner ye may se. Minos had a bulle of greate fayrenes White as milke and the quene Pasiphae Loued him so hote the story bereth wytnes And Dedalus dyd his busines By subtell craft and made his gynnes so That ayenst kinde with her he had to do And conceyued a beast monstruous That was departed halfe bull halfe man And as the poete by writinge techeth vs Of al Minotaures thus the name began And Dedalus not longe after whan This mōstre was by the quene forth brought This subtle workmā hath an house ywroght Called Laberinthus diuers and vncouth Full of wrynkels and of straungenes Vgly to knowe which is north or south Or to what parte a man should hym dresse Folkes were there blent w t furious derknes Who that entred his retourne was in veyn Wythout a clewe for to resort ageyn Of Minotaurus thys was the habitacle Lyke a prison made for turmentry For dampned folke a paynefull tabernacle For all that lay there in ieoperdy The monstre must deuoure them and defy And specially was ordayned thys turment For all that were doun from Athenes sent But in this mater some folke vary And afferme how that quene Pasiphae Of kyng Minos loued a secretarye Called Taurus in Bochas ye may se And thus the kinge for all his ryalte Disceiued was for who may any whyle Him selfe preserue where women lyst begile◠For by this Taurus Bochas bereth witnes Quene Pasiphae had a childe full faire Minos not knowing by no likenes But the childe was borne to be his heire His trust was good he fell in no dispaire For some husbandes as poetes haue cōpiled Whych most assure rathest ben begiled Innocentes can not deme amys Namely of wiues that ben founde true Clerkes may write but doutles thus it is Of their nature they loue nothynges newe Stedfast of hert they chaunge not their hew Haukes best preued sūtime a chek can make Yet for a faute the foule is not forsake Of this mater wryte I wyll nomore But aye the tribute and seruage of the toun Procedeth forth they cōstreyned were so sore Lyke as their lot turned vp and doun For there was made none excepcion Of high ne lowe neyther soure ne swete But as it fell they were sent into Crete The statute was so inly rigorous They toke their sort as it came aboute Tyll at the last it fell on Theseus That he mought go forth amonge the route Kyng Egeus son beynge in great dout Touchig his life which might not be socored But that he must wyth other be deuoured Which Theseus for hys worthynesse And of his knighthode for hys great encrese Through manly force and for his prowes Somtyme was called the seconde Hercules Among Amasones he put hym selfe in prese Wedded Ipolita as bokes specifye The hardy quene called of Feminye And afterwarde to Thebes he is gone Holpe the ladyes in especiall Which that cōpleined vpon the king Creon Which thē distroubled lyke their estate rial To holde and halowe the festes funerall Of their lordes quenes and princesses Of wifely truth to she we their kyndnesses For whan thys duke the maner had sene And of Creon the great iniquite To the ladyes he made deliuer ayene The lordes bones of ruth and of pyte Yet in his youth out of this cite He was deliuered by statute ful odible To be deuoured of this beast horrible He gothe to prison for all his semelynesse As the statute felly dyd ordeyne But of ruth and tender gentylnes Hym to preserue from that deedly payne Of king Minos y e goodly doughters twaine Ariadne shope a remedie And feire Phedra that he shoulde not dye Through their helpe he hath y ◠mōstre slaine That was dredful and vgly for to se By them he scaped whereof he was ful faine Led them wyth hym towarde his countre And by the waye deuoyde of all pyte Ariadne ful falsely he hath forsake Ayenst his suraunce Phedra he hath take In myddes the sea he left her in an yle Towardes no partye she knewe no declyne She wepeth she crieth alas the hard while For of her fate thys was the mortall fyne That for pite Bachus the god of wyne Toke her to wife whose croune of stones fine Doth nowe in heauen with .ix. sterres shyne Thus of Theseus ye may beholde and se To Ariadne the great vnstedfastnes The great vntruth the mutabilite The broke assuraunce the newe fanglenes But sely women kepe their stedfastnes Euer vnfouled saue sumtyme of theyr kinde They must thē puruey whan men be vnkind Of Theseus I can no more nowe sayne In this matter to make of hym memory But to kynge Minos I wyll resort againe To tell howe fortune euer false transitory In what poyntes defaced hath his glory Fyrst of eche one Bochas doth specifye Of Pasiphae the foule aduoutry Which was his wyfe stode well his grace To his pleasaunce she was most soueraine But a cloude of a small trespare Made her lorde at her disdayne But he of wysdome bare preuily his paine For in suche case this is my sentence Let prudent husbandes take them to paciēce On other thynges Mynos gan also cōplaine Hauynge in hert thereof full great greuaūce That he so lost his fayre doughters twayne And Minotaurus slayne wyth mischaunce Also to hym it was a great greuaunce That Theseus was gone at liberte And from all tribute deliuered hys cite It greued him also in countinaunce there That Theseus Ariadne forsoke It liked him also not the manere Vnto his wyfe that he Phedra toke And yet thys Phedra lyke as sayth my boke Had two sonnes by this Theseus First Demophoon and next Antiochus Also Theseus after gan hym drawe Towarde Cecile in stele armed clene With Peritheus in armes his felawe For to rauyshe Proserpina the quene But of entent Phedra ful vnclene Loued her
quene Of Amasones in Ouide ye may rede But wo alas that Theseus toke hede For a tale of Phedra full of gyle Without gilte his sonne so to exyle After whose death some Poetes sayne Howe that Dyana for his chastitie Restored him vnto life agayne By Esculapius and gaue him lybertye In her forestes to hunt and to go fre For whiche restoryng as write Ouidius As twyse a man men call hym Virbius But Bochas here I not what he doth mene Maketh in his boke an exclamation Agaynst women that pity is to sene Sayth how their life and their generation Ben of their nature double of condicion And calleth them also diuers and vnstable Beastes resemblyng that ben insaciable He meaneth of women borne in Crete And nothyng of them y â— dwell in this couÌ„trey For women here all doublenes they lete And haue no tatche of mutabilitie They loue no chaunges ne no duplicitie For their husbandes in causes small or great Whatsoeuer they say they can not couÌ„terplete Blessed be god that them hath made so meke So humble and fearfull of their condicions For though men would cause and matter seke Against their pacience to finde occasions They haue refused all contradictions And theÌ„ submitted through their gouernauÌ„ce Onely to mekenes and womanly suffraunce I speake not of one I speke of euerychone That ben professed vnto lowlines Thei mai haue mouthes but laÌ„gage haue thei none All true husbandes can beare hereof witnesse For wedded men I dare full well expresse That haue assayed and had experience Best can recorde of wifely pacience For as it longeth to men to be sturdy And sumwhat frowarde as of their nature Right so can women suffer paciently And all wronges womanly endure Men shoulde attempt no maner creature And namely women their mekenes to preue Which may wel suffer if no man them greue Euery thing resorteth to his kynde As Bochas writeth sumtyme of the yere And who sercheth by processe he shall fynde That truth vertue may neuer fade of there For rightwisenes will alway shyne clere Truth and falsnes in what they haue to done They may no while assemble in one persone Feare and flattery they ben contrary They may together hold no long soiour Neither simplesse whiche that can not vary May neuer accorde with a baratour Neyther innorence with a lesyngour Neither chastite can not her selfe apply Her to conforme vnto no rybaudry Eche thing hath a proper disposition By the ordinaunce set in their courage And ech man foloweth his condicion As of the stocke the frute hath the tarrage Pilgrymes may go full farre in their passage But I dare say how farre that euer they go They beare some tarrage of y â— they came fro Bochas maketh an introduction In this chapiter of hygh noblesse That prynces haue in their possession And by a maner laughyng doth expresse How for toset them in great sykernesse They haue seruauntes vpon them abidynge And men of armes day and nyght awaytyng That no man may enter but he haue lycence The froward porters standyng at the gate Put men abacke by sturdy vyolence It were full harde agaynst them to debate Their watches kept early and also late Them to assure on nyghtes whan they slepe The chaÌ„berlains their dores straightly kepe Men assigned their meates to assay To taste their wynes lest there were treason Such mortall drede these lordes do affray So is their surenes meynt with suspection Who feadeth him glaoly that feareth poyson â–ª But pore folke franchised from such dreade Such as god doth sende w t myrthe they fede But Poetes that write tragedies Their complà ynyng is all of hye estates Rehearsyng euer their piteous ieopardyes Their sodayne chauÌ„ges their wofull fates Their deuisyons and their mortall debates And euer coÌ„clude their dities who so canrede High estates stande aye most in drede Ground and rote of all this mortall trouble As Bochas writeth and beareth witnes Ben these lyers with their tonges double Them selfe aye forsyng truth to oppresse With whom flattery is a chiefe maistresse And worst of all to their dreadfull sentence Is whan prynces be hasty of credence Hasty credence is roote of all erroure A froward stepmother of all good counsayle Ground of great hindring a dredefull disceyuour Fayre of face with a perillous tayle Gladly concluding w t ful great disauayle Next neighbour vnto repentaunce To all that trust haue in her pleasaunce ¶ Lenuoy PRynces pricesses coÌ„sider how in euery age Folkes ben diuers of their condicion To ply turne and chaunge in their courage Yet is there none to mine opinion So dreadfull chaunge ne transmutation As chaunge of prynces to geue iugement Or hasty credence without auisement It is well founde a passyng great domage Knowen and expert in euery region Though a tale haue a fayre vysage It may enclude full great deception Hide vnder suger gaâ—e and fell poyson With a freshe face of double entendem cut Yet geue no credence without auisement Let folkes beware of their laugage Kepe their tonges from oblocution To hynder or hurte by no maner outrage Preserue their lyppes from all detraction From champarty and contradiction Lest that fraude were found in their entent Ne geue no credence without auisement Prynces princesses of noble and high parage Whiche haue lordshyp and do nination Voyde them asyde that can flatter and fage Fro tonges that haue a terrage of â—reason Stoppe your eares from their bitter soun Be circumspect not hastye but prudent And geue no credence without auisement ¶ The .xiiii. Chapter ¶ Of quene Althea and how Hercules by women was brought to confusion WHaÌ„ Bochas had shewed his seÌ„tence And declared his opinion Against theÌ„ y â— wer hasty of credeÌ„ce He begaÌ„ anone to make a digression Fro that matter and of entencion To serche out mo his purpose to contune That were downe cast hyndred by fortune And as him thought he sawe a company Of many worthy whiche did appeare And among all first he did espye Quene Althea as she gan nygh him nere All be wept her face and also her chere With salt teares that pitye was to sene Whiche some time was of Caleâ—dony quene She was the daughter of kynge Thestius Wedded to Oene of Calsidony kynge Of cheare and face appearing full piteous Her heere to torne and frowardly liyng And in token also of complaynynge As writeth Bochas wherof he toke hede Blacke was her habite torne was her wede A sonne she had Melliager he hyght In earth was there none fayrer to se Ryght wel fauoured in euery mans syght And as I fynde at his natiuite Present were the fatal susters thre With their rockes and began to spyn fast And toke a brond and in the fyre it cast And in that hour this was their langage Touchynge thys chylde we full accorded be And haue disposed also the terme of his age The space concluded of his destyne As long tyme who so lyst to se Tyll
Cynarus hath his daughter founde And cruelly began enhaunce his hande With his sworde to geue her a wounde But the goddes of mercy most habound Hath fro the death made her to go fre And through their power traÌ„formed to a tree Which after her beareth yet the name Called Myrra as she was in her life Out of whiche aucthours say the same Distilleth a gome a great preseruatife And of nature a full good defensife To kepe bodies from putrifaction And them franchise from all corruption By influence of the sunne beames Myrre is engendred by distyllyng of his kind With round dropes ayenst Phebus streames And doun discendeth through the hard rinde And through the riftes also I finde The sayd Myrra hath a childe forth brought In all this worlde if it were sought Was none so faire formed by nature For of his beauty he was pereles And as Poetes recorde by scripture He called was the fayre Adonydes And to his worshyp and his great encrees For he of fairenes bare away the floure Venus him chase to be her paramour The whiche Goddesse gaue to him in charge That he should in his tender age In forestes while he went at large Hunt at no beastes whiche were sauage But he contrary to his disauauntage Through wilfulnesse I can say no more Was slayne vnwarely of a Tuskye boare At the whiche he felly did enchace But of folly in vayne was his laboure For he lay slayne full pale of chere and face Whom Venus turned to a full freshe stoure Whiche was as bloude of purple the coloure A budde of golde w t goodlye leaues glade Set in y â— middes whose beauty may not fade And whan Myrra froÌ„ Bochas was w tdraw And declared her great aduersitie And of her fate tolde the mortall lawe Came Orpheus full vgly vnto se Sonne of Appollo and of Calyope And appeared with a full dolefull face Sumtime brought forthe yborne in Trace Full renoumed in armes and in science Famous in musike and melody And full notable also in eloquence And for his soote sugred armony Beastes and foules as poetes specify Wodes floudes of their course most strong Stynte of course to harken his sote song An harpe he had of Mercurius With the whiche Erudice he wanne And to Bachus as write Ouidius Sacrifices solemnely he began And vnto hell for his wife he ran Her to recure with sote touches sharpe Whiche he made vpon his heauenly harpe But whan that he this labour on him toke I lawe was made which that bouÌ„d him forâ— That if he backeward cast his loke He shold her lese and se her neuermore But it is sayd sythen gone full yore There may no lawe louers well constrayne So importable is their deadly payne If some husbands had stand in the caas To haue lost their wiues for a loke sodayne â—hey would haue suffred and not sayd alas â—ut paciently endured all their payne â—nd thanked god y â— broken was the chayne â—hich hath so long them in pryson bounde â—hat they by grace had such a way founde â—olye in pryson it is a ful great charge â—nd to be stocked vnder key and locke â—t is meryer a man to go at large â—han with yrons to be nailed to a blocke â–ª But there is a bonde that called is wedlocke â—ettryng husbandes so sore that it is wonder â—hich with a file may not be broke asunder But Orpheus father of hermony Thought Erudice y â— was his wife so fayre For her sake he felt that he must dye Because that he whan he made his repayre Of her in trouth nothing embraced but ayre Thus he lost her there is no more to sayne And for the coÌ„straynt of his greuous payne At his hart her partyng sate so sore The grene memory the tender remembrauÌ„ce That he would neuer wine no more So fayre he was escaped his penaunce For wedlocke is a life of muche pleasaunce But who hath ones infarnall paynes sene Will neuer after come in the snare I wene This Orpheus gaue counsaile full notable To husbandes that haue endured payne To such as ben prudent and tretable One hel is dredful but more dredful is twain And who is ones bounde in a chayne And may escape out of daunger blyue If he eft resort God let him neuer thriue Vpon this sentence women were vengeable And to his writyng full contrarious Sayd his counsaile was not commendable At the feast they halowed to Bachus They fill echone vpon this Orpheus And for all his rethoryke swete They slough alas this laureate poete And of his harpe if ye lyst to heare The God Appollo made a translation Among the ymages of the starres cleare Wherof men may haue cleare inspection But fortune to his confusion Denyed him frowarde of her nature Whan he was slayne fredome of sepulture Next Orpheus there did appeare also Of Amasons worthy quenes twayne Merpesia and her sister Lampedo Whiche in conquest did their busy payne And great worshyp in armes did attayne Namyng them selues by writing nere farre Doughters to Mars which is god of warre Merpesia rode out in regions And conquered full many a great citye For couetise of great possessions To encrease her lordshyp if it would be And her sister kept surely their countrye Of all enemies so that there was no doubt While Merpesia rode with her host about But while she was in conquest most famous â–ª And her enemies proudly did assayle Fortune anone wart contrarious And caused that she was slaine in battayle Lo what conquest or victory may auayle Whan that fortune doth at them disdayn Se here ensample by these quenes twayne ☞ Lenuoy THis tragedy remembreth thynges fyue Of Narcissus the excellent beauty And of Biblis dothe also discriue The great luxury and dishonestye Myrra diffamed turned to a tree To exemplify that lechery and pride Ben from all vertue set full farre aside How Orpheus endured in his liue Joye entermedled wyth aduersitye In his youth whan he did wyue He felt in wedlocke full great felicitie His worldly blisse meynt with duplicitie As fortune her chaunges can deuyde Whiche from all vertue be set full farre aside Merpesia for her list to stryue Wyth wylfull warres to encrease her couÌ„tre But her pompe was ouerturned blyue Whan in battayle vnwarely slayne was shet For of all warre death is the fyne pardee So furious Mars can for her folke prouide Whiche from all vertue ben set farre aside Ye mighty princes let witte and reason dryue Your high nobles to consider and se How fortune estates can depryue And plonge theÌ„ downe from their prosperitie Pride and luxury I counsayle that you flye Falce auarice ne let not be your gyde Whiche from all vertue is clene set asyde ¶ The .xvi. Chapter ¶ Of Priamus kyng of Troye and how the monke of Bury translatoure of this boke wrote a boke of the siege of Troy called Troy boke AFter these complayntes and lameÌ„tacions Which that Bochas did in his boke coÌ„pile Medled
tributes in all his region From him departyng by rebellion Wherof astonied to auenge his vnryght Into Jerusalem toke anone his flyght And whan they were parted from Roboam The ten kynredes by diuision Chase them a kyng called Jeroboam And Roboam within his royall toun To be auenged of their rebellion And for to do on them cruell iustice An hundred thousande he made anone to rise With Jeroboam he cast him for to mete And all at ones set in ieopardy But Sameas the prophete bade him lete And fro the warre withdrawe his party And more the quarell for to iustifye Of his peoples frowarde departyng It was gods wyll done for a punishyng Touchyng the surplus of his gouernaunce His royall buyldyng of many a fayre city His great ryche famous suffisaunce Of wyne and oyle hauyng great plenty And how his empyre encreased yeres thre Eke how that time he ryghtfull was in dede In Josephus his story ye may rede Of his children borne in ryght lyne Eyghtene wyues as made is mencion I fynde he had and many a concubyne Sonnes and daughters by procreation And how his riches and great possession That tyme encreased as it is well knowe To god aboue while that he bare him lowe But as mine auctour maketh rehearsaile In his encrease and augmentacion Mekenes in hert in him gan waste and faile And pryde entred with false presumption Vertue despisyng and all religion After whose vyces as sayth the same boke Wicked examples of him the people toke After the maners where they be good or yll Vsed of prynces in diuers regions The people is ready to vse and fulfill Fully the traces of their condicions For lordes may in their subiections So as them list who so can take hede To vyce or vertue their subiectes lede Thus Roboam for his transgressions In Josephus as it is deuised And for his frowarde false opinions Onely for he all vertue hath despised Of God he was rightfully chastised In Jerusalem his chiefe royall towne Of his enemyes besieged enuyroun The kyng of Egypt a siege about him layed With so great people y t socour was ther none All be it so that Roboam abrayed And prayed to god to deliuer hun frō his sone To auoyde of mercy his enemyes euerichoue But god list not graunt his prayere But him chastised like as ye shall here Fyrst his citye and his royall towne Deliuered was he knewe no better succour Vnder a fayned false composicioun For at their entryng voyde of all fauoure Kepyng no couenaunt toke all the treasoure Within the temple hauyng no pitye But ladde it home to Egypt their countrey And to rehearse it is a great dole How Roboam as Josephus dothe declare Was inly proude and therwithal a foule And of all wysdome destitute and bare Vnmerciable hys people for to spare Hatyng good counsayle and so in his regaly Raygnyng a foole and so I let hym dye ¶ Lenuoy PHilosophers conclude and deuise In theyr bokes of good experience That counsaylours sadde expert and wyse True of their worde stable of their sentence Hasty nor retchles for no vyolence Kepe and preserue the trouth I dare attame Noblesse of princes fro mischefe and dyffame Hasty youth and rancour in contrarywyse Whyche haue to wyll all theyr aduertence Except them selues all other men despyse Through their vnbrydeled furious insolence Nothyng aquainted w t wisdome nor prudēce Bryng ayenward wherof they be to blame Puttyng his nobles in mischefe and diffame Kyng Roboam agaynst ryght and iustice To yonge foles yaue fayth and most credence Cruelly his subiectes to chastyce Whiche put his people from his beneuolence Threw ten kynredes from his obedience Which was to him by record full great shame Puttyng his nobles in mischefe and diffame Noble princes do wisely aduertise In perseueryng of your magnificence Of olde expert not blent with couetise Take your counsayle and do them reuerence Eyed as Argus in their high prouidence Whiche conserue by report of good name Noblesse of prynces from mischefe diffame ¶ The .iii. Chapter ☞ The office and retinue of a Kynge What erthly thing is more deceiuable Thē of prīces the pōpe vainglory ▪ Which wene to stand in their estates stable As thei the world had conquered by vyctory And sodaynly be put out of memory Their fame clouded alas and their nobles With a darke shadowe of foryetfulnes Wherof cometh the famous clere shinyng Of emperous in their consistories Or wherof cometh their laude in reportynge Saue that clarks haue writē their histories Or where be now conquestes transitories Or their triūphes where should men thē find Nad writers their prowes put in mynd Reken vp al and first the worthy nyne In high nobles whiche had neuer peers The marciall actes which clearly did shyne Their fame vp borne aboue al the nine sters With loude soundes of famous clarioners Their glorious palmes if thei be well paysed By lowe labours of cōmons was first raised Make a likenes of these great ymages Curiously corue out by entayle Head armes body and their freshe vysages Without fete or legges may not auayle To stand vpryght or nedes they must fayle And semblably subiectes in commontees Rayse vp the nobles of princes in their sees As head and membres in ymages be of stone Other on stocke by compasse vndeuided And by proporcion their fetures euerychone Set in true order as nature hath prouided So y ◠all errours through craft be circūcided The head highest by custome as men knowe The body amidde the fete beneth lowe Myghty princes for their high renoun As most worthy shall occupy the heade With wytte memory and eyen of reason To kepe their membres frō mischefe dread Like their degrees take of them good hede With clere foresyght of a prudent thought Their fete preserue that they erre nought There must be hands and armes of defence Whiche shall the ymage manly kepe and gye From all assautes of forayne vyolence Whiche shal be named noblest of chiualry Their true office iustly to magnify Sustaine the church make thē selfe stronge To se y ◠widowes maydēs haue no wronge Prudent iudges as it is skyll and ryght To punishe wronge surfets to redresse In this ymage shall occupy the syght For loue or hate by dome of rightwisenes For frende or fo his iudgementes dresse So egally the lawes to susteyne In their workes that none errour be seyne Amidde this ymage there is a body set An aggregate of people and degrees By perfite peace and vnity yknet By the estates that gouerne commonties As mayres prouostes and burgeis in cities Marchauntes also whiche seke sundry lādes With other craftes which liue by their hādes And as a body whiche stant in health Feleth no grefe of no froward humours So euery cōmonte continueth in great welth Whiche is demeaned w t prudent gouernours That can appese debates and errours The people kepe from all controuersy Causyng the welfare to encrease multiply This body must haue a
may your state assayâ— Whan subiection doth the people fayle ¶ Lenuoye THis tragedy declareth in partye What myschefe foloweth of extorcion Eke of spousbrech and of auoutry By Tarquyn doue through false extorcion Vnto Lucrece wythin Rome toun Kynges exyled for such misgouernayle And false outrages done to the porayle Eke Appius of wylful tiranny Agayne Virginia toke an accion Through a false lust of frowarde lechery Blent and fer derked his memory reason Which was chefe cause and occasion Why the estate of dizhom dyd fayle Through false outrage done to the porayle Kyng Philyp lost sceptre and regally Of Macedone the famous regyon Vnwarely slayne amyd his chiualry Sittyng at the table w t in his chefe dongeon And greatest cause of his fallyng doun Was whan fortune his pride dyd assaile For false outrages done to the porayle Duke Hasdrubal whome bokes magnify Vp to the heuyn for hys hygh renoun Whose triumphes raught vp to the sky And had al Cartage in his subiection Yet was he slayne vnwarely by treason By a seruant lo what it doth auayle Treason purposed afore in the porayle Noble princes your reason do applye Whych ouer the people haue dominacion So prudently to gouerne them and gye That loue and drede by true affectyon Preserue their hartes from false rebellionâ— Syth to you nothynge may more preuayle Than true subiection expert in porayle The .vii. Chapiter ⧠How Jeroboham kyng of Israel for Idolatry disobedience came to a myscheuous ende NExte these storyes in Bochas as I fynde There dyd appere vnto his preseÌ„ce Kynges syxe hym praying to haue mynd Vpon their fal by vnware violence From theyr estates of royal excellence And to fore al I fynde that there came Of al Israel kyng Jeroboam Vnto myne aucthour he gan to declare His deedly complaynt with a pale face His great mischeues and his yuel fare And howe he fyl downe froÌ„ his kyngly place Through vnhappes which dyd him enbrace And as this story plainly hath deuysed For his offences howe he was chastised An Idolater he was as it is tolde Reysed vp auters of very force myght Set therupon two calfes of pure golde Dyd them worshyp agayne al skyl ryght Gaue euel example in the peoples syght Whan he dyd wyth fumes and ensence To false ydols vndue reuerence Fro the temple he made the people gone Priestes ordained after his owne gise Forsoke the trybe of Leuy and Aaron And vpon Bethel his offryng gan deuyse And whyle he dyd vnleful sacrifice God that well knewe of hym the false entent From Jerusalem a prophet to hym sent Whych him rebuked of his misgouernauÌ„ce And gan the parels to hym specifye Told him afore for to do vengeaunce Of Dauid kyng there should come one Josye Which should his priestes that falsly coud lye Manly distroy slee them al at ones And into asshes bren them fleshe bones And in token of their distruction The prophet tolde among them al How his auters shoulde bowe doun And his ydols from their stage fal Whom that foles their goddes falsly cal Which haue no power to helpe in no maner For they may neyther se fele nor here After thys prophet Jadan had tolde These sayde signes playnly to the kyng His auter fyl on peces many folde And ouerturned backewarde his offring For whych the kyng furiously loking Put forth his hand the story maketh mynde Bad his men the prophet take and bynde And as he his arme raught out on length Had no power it to wythdrawe ageyne Wext vnweldy contract lost his strength And whan the kyng these tokens hath seyne â–ª And how y e prophet spake no word in veyne Greatly astoyned coude say no more But praied Jadan his arme to restore And by his prayer and mediacion Of his arme after this vengeaunce There was anone made restitucion And of his payne feleth aleyaunce For which the kyng w t ful great instauÌ„t Required hym to be so graciouse That day to abyde and dyne in his house But the prophet would not assent Nouther wyth hym to eate nor to drynke Toke his asse and forth anone he went On whose departyng y â— kyng gan sore thynke And fantasies gan in his hert synke Specially whan he toke hede Of all these tokens howe they were true in dede God â—ad Jadan in this great emprise To Jeroboham fyrste whan he was sent Eate nor drinke in no maner wyse In that citie whyle he was present But a nother prophet of entent Ful olde and slygh on that other syde Compelled hath this Jadan to abyde Hym aforsyng by false collusion To resorte agayne vnto the citye And to make no contradiction With hym to dyne of fraternitye To hym affyrmynge it may none other be For god sent him as to his frende brother To abyde with him plainly with none other Of frendlyhede and true affection Within his house to shewe his presence For a repast and refection This is goddes wyl and fully his sentence To whose wordes y â— prophet yaue credence And as they sate at dyner both in fere God vnto Jadan sayd in thys maner For the brekyng of my comaundement Thy great offence thy transgression That thou hast be so wylfull negligent Thou shalt endure this punicion Be al to torne and rent of a lyon And in thy countrey thou shalt not recure With prophetes to haue thy sepulture Of which thing this Jadan nothynge fayne Gan to departe with ful heuy thought Of a lion amyd of the way slayne But his asse harmed was right nought A full great maruaile if it be wel sought The lyon syttyng as in their diffence And kept them both from al violence Al these tokens myght not conuert Jeroboam fro his iniquitie Goddes warnyng hym lyst not to aduerte Nor by hys prophete corrected for to be Wherefore god would that he should se Vengeaunce folowe as it dyd in dede Both vpon hym and his kynred A sonne he had which fyl in great sickenes Called Abia the boke doth specify For whych the king bad the quene her dresse To go disgised without company Vnto a prophet which called was Achy Hym to require truely for to sey Whether the chyld should lyue or dey And in his inward syght coÌ„templatife God shewed hym by clere inspection Of Jeroboam how she was the wyfe For al her sleyghty transformacion For nouther fallas nor false decepcion May be of god but it be parceyued For he â—e his prophets may not be deceyued She came to him in straunge wede At the entryng he called her by her name Come forth quod he for it is no nede To hide thy selfe as it were for shame For the trouth truely to attame God hath yeuen me fully knowledging What thou shalt answere say to the kyng Say plainly to him marke in thy thought In thy repayre these wordes rehersyng Syth god hath made thee raysed vp of nought From a seruant to reigne as a kynge Fro Dauids kyn most
speake of rybaudry And folke cheryshe that coulde flatter lye Tyll at the last God of very right Displeased was with his condicions Because he was in euery mannes sight So feminyne in his affections And wholy yaue his inclinations Duryng his life to euery vycious thing Terrible to heare and namely of a kyng But as Bochas list to put in minde Whan Arbactus a prince of great renowne Sawe of this kyng the fleshely lust blynde Made with the people of that region Agaynst him a coniuration And to him sent for his misgouernaunce Of high disdayne a full playne defyaunce Bade him beware proudly to him tolde That he him cast his vicious life to assaile And in all haste also that he woulde Within a fielde mete him in battayle Wherof astonied his hart gan to fayle Where among womē he sate makyng gaudes No wight about but flatterers and baudes And vp he rose and gan him selfe auaunce No company w t him but seruauntes ryotous Toke the felde without gouernaunce No men of armes but folkes vycious Whose aduersary called Arbactus Made him proudly the felde to forsake And like a cowarde his castell to take And for his hart frowardly gan fayle Not like a knyght but like a loseniour His riche pierrey his royal apparayle His golde his iewels his vessell treasure Was brought afore him downe fro a toure And of his palace yaue his men in charge Of cole and fagot to make a fyre large In whiche he cast his treasoure and iewels More like a beast than a manly man And amyd his riches stones and vessels Into the fire furiously he ranne This triumphe Sardanapalus wanne Whiche fyre consumed for his finall mede Brent to ashes among the coles rede Tofore his death bade men should write Vpon his graue the boke dothe specify With letters large this reason for to endite My cursed life my froward glotony Mine ydlenes myne hatefull lechery Hath caused me with many false desire My last dayes to be consumpt with fyre This epitaphe on his graue he set To shew how he in all his liue Busyed euer to hinder and to let All maner vertue and theragayne to striue Who foloweth his trace is not like to thriue For whiche ye prynces se for your auayle Vengeaunce aye foloweth vyces at the tayle The .xv. Chapter ¶ A commendation of Bochas rehersing the vertuous names of foūders of diuers sciences and cunnynges in reprefe of ydlenes THere were other that list to prouide False fleshly lustes and dissolutions Ryote outrage froward disdaine and pride Vyces to enhaunce in their affections With many vnlefull croked condicions Reason auoyding as I rehearse shall Them selues delityng for to be bestiall Two maner folkes to put in remembraunce Of vyce and vertue to put in a difference The good alway hath set their pleasaunce In vertuous labour to do their diligence And vycious people in slouth and negligence And the report of bothe is reserued With laude or lacke as they haue deserued Men must of ryght the vertuous preferre And truely prayse laboure and busines And agayn warde disprayse folke that erre Whiche haue no ioye but in ydlenes And to compate by maner of witnes ▪ Vertuous folke I will to mynde call In rebukyng of kyng Sardanapall THe olde wise called Pitagoras By soūd of hāmers auctours certifye Example toke and chefe master was That founde out musyke and melody Yet of Tuball some bokes specify That he bi stroke of smyths where thei stode Founde first out musyke tofore Noes floude And Josephus remembreth by scripture That this Tuball could forge wele First ymagined makyng of armure With instrumentes of yron and of stele And their temprures he found out euery dele Lucius Tarquyn in story as I finde Founde chaynes fyrst folke to fetter binde The children of Seth in story ye may se Flouryng in vertue by longe successions For to do profite to their posteritie And first the craft of heauenly mocions Founde of sundry starres the reuolucions Bequeth their cunnyng of great aduauntage To them that after came of their linage For their vertue god gaue them great cūnyng Touching natures both of earth and heauen And it remembred sothly by writyng To lasten aye for water or for leuen Generations there were of them seuen Whiche for vertue w tout warre or strife Traueyled in cūnyng durynge all their life And for that Adam did prophecy Twise the world destroyed should be With water ones and stande in ieopardy Next with fire whiche no man might flee But Seths children that all this did see Made two pyllers where men might graue From fire and water the charects for to saue That one was made of tyles harde ybake Fro touche of fire to saue the scripture Of harde marble they did another make Against water strongly to endure To saue of letters the prynt and the figure For their cunnyng afore gan so prouide Agayne fire water perpetually to abyde They dempt their cunnyng had ben in veyne But folke with them had ben partable And for their laboure should after be seyne They it remembred by wrytyng full notable And tofore god a thing full commendable To them that folow by scripture and writyng Or that men dye depart their cunnyng For by olde time folke diuers craftes founde In sundry wise for occupacion Vertue to cherishe vyces to confounde Their witte they set and their entencien To put their laboure in execution And to outrage this is very trouth Fro mannes life negligence and slouth Olde Enoke full famous of vertue Duryng the age founde first of euerich one Through his prudence letters of Hebrue And in a piller they were kept of stone Till that the floude of Noe was gone And after him Cam was the seconde By whom mo of Hebrue letters was founde And Cathacrismus the first was that fande Letters also as of that langage But letters written by Gods owne hande Moses first toke moste bright of his vysage Vpon Syna as he helde his passage Whiche of carectes and names in sentence From other writyng had a difference Eke afterward as other bokes tell And saint Hierome rehearseth in his style Vnder the empyre of zorobabell Esdras of Hebrue gan letters first compyle And Abraham long erst a great while The first was in bokes men may se That found letters of Ciria and Calde Isys in Egypt founde diuersitie Of sundry letters parted into twaine First for priestes and for the comontie Vulgar letters she did also ordayne And Fenices did their busy payne Letters of Greke to finde in their entent Whiche that Cadmus first into Grece sent Whiche in number fully were seuentene Whan of Troy ended was the battayle Pallamides their langage to sustene Put thre therto whiche greatly did auayle Pitagoras for prudent gouernaile Founde first out y a figure to discerne The life here short the life that is eterne First latin letters of our a. b .c. Carmentes founde of full high prudence Great Omerus
For he most gloriously sate in his se Of worldly wealth he lacked no plente Except onely as clarkes on him wryte He had no sonne his kyngdome to enherite Whiche to his wealthe was great distres Least succession fayled in his lyne A daughter had he called Mundanes Out of whose wombe as bokes determyne He dreampt on a nyght howe he sawe a vyne In his auysyon with him so it stode Ouer all Asye his braunches spred abrode He had also a reuelation Slepyng a nyght after his soupere Though he not knewe the exposicion He thought he sawe a cristallyn ryuere With lustye waters as any Beryll clere Out of her wombe with his stremes fresh The soyle of Asye make tender and neshe Touchyng this riuer and this lusty vyne To hym shewed in his auysion Within him selfe he coulde not termyne Therof to finde no clere coÌ„clusion Without some maner exposicion To him declared by folkes in sentence Whiche of suche dreames had experience To him he called his astronomers His phylosophers and his deuynours That knew the meanyng of the nine spheres Images of stars their houses their towers And such as were expert expositours And they were assembled euerychone Touching his dreme they corded all in one To tell him trouth they were not retchles Said his daughter froÌ„ whoÌ„ there came a vine She that by name was called Mundanes Should haue discendyng from her lyne Whose noble fame through Asia should shine Whiche should put through his renoun Him by force of armes out of his region This was his fate he might it not refuse The heauenly cours but it did fayle Wherupon he sore gan to muse Suche fantasies did his hart assayle Fill in great doubt of their diuyâ—ayle Thought he woulde make purueyaunce For to withstande gods ordinaunce Full harde it is to make resistence Again thiÌ„g ordeined wheÌ„ god will that it be And namely there where as influence Of heauen aboue hath shape a destiny Some men record that no man may it fle The dome of this where it holde or flyt To astronomers all wholy I commit This sayde kynge of whom I spake but late Cast he woulde for his aduauntage The ordinaunce reuerse and the fate Of the heauen with all the surplusage And yeue his daughter as in mariage To sum vnworthy pore infortunate That neuer were likely to rise to hie estate And in this wise kyng Astyages Maried his daughter as in his entent To one vnworthy called Cambyses Demyng therby by short auisement Within him selfe that he was ryght prudent Wening y â— nobles came by discent of bloude And not by grace nor as the heauen stode In his reason was not comprehended How Socrates master of Platon Of full low bed by birthe was discended And not to enherite kingdome nor regyon But for to haue fully possession Of morall vertue and philosophy Duryng his life his witte he did apply He sought countreys for wisdome and science And secrete cuÌ„nyng to serche he did his payne And he founde out through his diligence This philosopher as bokes assertayne To ioye reserued outher to payne By grace of god whiche is eternal How mens soules be founde aye immortall The great Appollo in bokes it is founde Gaue iudgement of equitie and ryght That Socrates in vertue most habounde And most preferred in euery mans sight Was called of wisdome the lanterne and light And wisest named at euen and at prime Of philosophers that were in his tyme. The poete also called Euripedes Most honourable named in that age All be his mother of lyfe was retchles And contagious through vycious outrage Yet was this poete for all his vyle lynage Most vertuous founde at all assayes Of all poetes that were in his dayes Called in his tyme a great tragician Bicause he wrote many tragedyes And woulde of trouth spare no maner man But them rebuke in his poetries Touching the vices of fleshly fantasies CoÌ„playn in princes theyr dedes most horrible Aâ—d eche thyng punyshe that was odible Another called clarke Domosthenes The most subtyll rethorician And most inuentyfe among all the prees That euer was sythe the worlde began Al be of byrth he was a pore man Yet had he most souerayne excellence Among philosophers of speach and eloquence By whiche example me semeth doubtles That royall bloude nor hye lynage To mens byrthe yeueth but small encres Nor vnto vertue but little auauntage For hye nobles taketh not his courage Of riche nor pore nor states souerayne But of his grace as god list ordayne Wherefore of foly kynge Astiages Contrariously agayne al gentry Bad that his doughter called Mundanes Fyrst whan folke wyth chylde her dyd espy For to accomplyshe his froward fantasy Whan it was borne charging aboue althing Of Arâ—â—anie to beare it to the kyâ—â—e Whych in that tyme was called Harpagus And as I fynd he dyd in vertue floure And spyte had the story telleth thus That beastes shoulde the litel childe deuouâ— But god that may in mischefe best socoure To kepe the chyld was not recheles Agaynst the malice of kynge Astyages Which had commauÌ„ded of malice hatred Howe that this chylde grene tendre of age By Harpagus shoulde be cast in dede To be deuoured of beastes most sauage But for he drede to do so great outrage To his shepeherde himselfe to stand at large The chylde to slee he fully yaue the charge This heerdman al be that he was loth To execute this woful auenture In to a forest forth wyth the chylde he goeth And gaue to beastes that litle creature Whom to foster by grace agaynst nature A wylde bytche her whelpes there forsoke And to her pappes the litel childe she toke And w t her mylke she made hym sup and dine And busy was for hym to enchace Wyld foules and beastes sauagyne That none ne durst nyghe to that place Lo how that god dispose can his grace Innocentes fro mischefe to preserue Agayne false enuy whych would make them sterue O blode vnkynde founde in kynred For couetise O blode disnatural Of false malyce O blode ful of hatred To murdre a chyld borne of the stocke royal Where mannes reason is turned beastiall Falsy transfourmed vnto cruelte To slee a chylde where beastes haue pyte The sely herde hath tolde his wyfe the case And she anone of pitye dyd aryse With her husbande went a ful great pase In to the forest beholdyng al the gyse As here to fore ye haue herde deuyse Seyng the chylde with lippes tendre softe The bytches pappes how he sokte ful ofte The sayd heerde called Sparagos His wyfe also of whom tofore I tolde This yong childe toke in their depose And in her armes â—he softly gan it folde And he ful goodly her face gan beholde And on his maner the same whyle In chyldly wyse on her gan to smyte The childes laughter whan she dyd aduert With al her hole faythful diligence She gan to cherishe it wyth al her herte She yaue it soke
his harmes to restore Bochas writeth of his wo nomore But of his fal howe he fyll in dede To tel the maner forth he doth procede And for a whyle he set his style asyde And his processe in party he forbare To speke of Cresus that was kyng of Lyde And gan resort to write of Balthasar Agayne rehersynge or that he was ware Howe myghty Cirus of woful auenture Made on hym proudly a discomfiture And as it is put in remembraunce Of Balthasar to holde vp the party Cresus wyth hym had made an aliaunce With al his puissaunce al his chyualry His lyfe his treasoure to put in ieoparty Sworne in armes as brother vnto brother By Cirus vēquyshed the one after the other Both their mischefe no lenger was delayed Al be that Cresus faught long in hys defence He finally by Cyrus was outrayed And depriued by knyghtly vyolence Take in the felde there was no resistence And rigorouslye to his confusion With myghty fetters cast in darke prison And more to encrease his gret aduersite A sonne of his tendre yong of age That was dumbe from his natiuite And neuer spake word in no maner lāgage Cyrus commaunding by furious outrage That Cresus shoulde by vengeable cruelte By a knyght of Perce in prison headed be And with his sworde as he gan manace Cresus to haue slayne wythout al reuerence The dombe chylde there present in the place Which neuer had spoken thus said in audiēce Withdrawe thy stroke do no violence Vnto my lorde thy fame so to confounde To slee a kyng that lyeth in prison bound The knight astonied hath his stroke forborne Gretly abashed in that darke habitacle Whych herde a chyld that neuer spake toforne Agaynst his swerde to make au obstacle Ran and tolde this marueylous myracle To myghty Cirus with euery circūstaūce Hopyng therby to atempre his greuaūce But where as tyrauntes be set on cruelte Their croked malice ful harde is to appese So indurate is their iniquite That al in vengeaunce is set their hertes ese Them selfe reioysinge to se folke in disease Lyke as they were in their frowarde daūger Clerely fraunchised fro god his power Thys cruel Cirus most vengeable of desire To execute his fel entent in dede Let make in haste of fagottes a gret fyre And gan thē kyndle wyth many coles rede And made Cresus quakyng in his drede For to be take where as he lay ful lowe And bad men should in to the fyre him throw But Iupiter whych hath his vengeaūce seyn Howe cruel Cirus with malice was attaynt From heauen sent a tempest and a reine That sodainely y ◠horrible fire was quaynt Woful Cresus w t dredful fyre made faynt Escaped is his furious mortall payne God and fortune for hym lyst so ordayne This aduenture in maner marueylous The hert of Cirus gan somwhat tenbrace And caused hym for to be pitous Agayne Cresus and granted him hys grate To occupye whyle he hath lyfe and space The land of Lyde except only thys thynge He shoulde not after be called kyng And thus of Lyde the kynge dyd fyne Which toke his beginyng of one Ardisius And endured the space of kynges nyne Loke who so wyl the bokes tel thus Hereof no more but forth vnto Cirus I wyl procede wyth al my busy cure For to translate hys woful auenture The .xxvii. Chapter ¶ How the cruell tyraunt Cirus delited euer in slaughter and shedynge of blode and so ended HEyre by discent to great Astiages Poorely brought forthe as is made mēcion And had al Asie to his great encres Holdyng that reigne by iust succession In longe quyete wythout rebellion Tyl tyme he thought in ful frowarde wyse The world was smal to staunch his couetise He had an etyke most contagious Fretyng vpon hym for desyre of good A dropsy hateful and furious Of froward rage that made his hert woode A woluyshe thurst to shede mānes bloud Which ouerth warted by false melancoly Hys royal corage in to tiranny But whan he presumptuously dyd entende To robbe reue folke through his pyllage God and fortune made hym to discende Ful sodaynly from hys royal stage Demyng of pryde it was a great auauntage To wyn landes of very force and myght Tho in his cōquest were no tytle of ryght To wyll he yaue holy the soueraynte And aduertised nothyng to reason But preferred his sensualite To haue lordshyp and dominacion Aboue sad trouth and discrecion Whych causeth princes frō their estate roial Or they be ware to haue a sodayne fall For the lordshyp of al Asia Might not suffise to Cirus gredinesse But thought he would conquere Cithia And there werre to encrease hys ryches Though he no tytle had of ryght wysnesse Saue false lust wherof mē shoulde haue ruth That wyl in princes shoulde oppresse truth Fyrst his Cirus al princes dyd excel Both in conquest victory batayle Of golde treasure as bokes of hym tell Kyngdoms to wyn he dyd most preuayle And yet two vyces dyd his hert assayle Fyrst couetise euer to encrease in good With a desire to shede mens bloude Wyth two vyces he brenned euer in one That neuer might from his hert twyn Made a great army towarde Septētrion And cast him proudly to set on and begyn Cithia the mighty land to wyn Quene Thomiris there reigninge as I fynde Whose kyngdom ioyneth to Ethiope in Inde Towarde the party whych is orientall The see of Surry floweth full plentuous Downe to the see called occidentall And southwarde renneth to Caucasus And folke of Cithie that ben laborious Which tyl the land hath not to their liuing But onely frutes which from therth spring The lande of Cithie is ryche for the nones For greyne fruite a land ful couenable Ryche of golde perle and precious stones Ryght comodious and wonder dilectable But a great party is not habitable The people dredful to bylde their mancions For feare of deth bycause of the gryffons The noble fame nor the high renoun Was not ferre knowe nor ysprad aboute Of Thomiris quene of that region Nor of her noblesse within nor wythout Tyl that king Cirus with a ful great route In to Cithia gan hym proudly dresse The hardy quene to spoyle of her richesse But she her fame more to magnifie Gan in great haste with ful rich apparayle Ful prudently assemble her chyualry And toke a felde if he woulde her assayle Redy with him to haue a batayle And of her meyny lyke as sayth my boke Vnto her sonne the thyrde parte she toke And yaue hym charge in the same place Hym selfe that daye to aquite lyke a knyght And for to mete Cirus in the face And nothyng drede with hym for to fyght But whan kyng Cirus of him had a syght Cast hym that day the yong prince oppresse Rather by wyles than manhod or prowesse Fyrst he let stuffe his large pauilions With great plenty of drinkes dilectable Diuers meates and confections Rounde aboute vpon
by succession Named Albanois princes of great nobles And by discent the story beareth wytnes From kyng Prochas recorde on bokes olde Came these .ii. brethren Rea their suster told Numitor slayne as made is mencion The kyngdom occupied by Amulius And Rea entred in to religion For to be wympled in that holy house Sacred to Vesta wyth virgyns glorious There for to abyde be contemplatife With other maydens duryng al her lyfe And thys was done whyle she was yonge of age By her brother of false entencion That she shoulde haue no maner heritage Nor clayme no title in that region Of her kynred by none occasion But stande professed in virginitye To fore Vesta and liue in chastitie Yet not withstanding her virginal clennesse She hath conceyued by natural myracle Gan to encrease in her holynes Whose wombe arose in kiÌ„de was no obstacle Agayne such bolnyng auayleth no triacle But the goddes for her so dyd ordayne That she at ones had sonnes twayne The temple of Vesta stode in wildernesse Where Rea had holy the gouernaunce Of priestly honour done to the goddesse Wyth many straunge vncouth obseruauÌ„ce But by her brothers mortall ordinaunce Her yong sonnes might not be socoured But cast out to beastes to be deuoured But a she wolfe whych whelped had late To yeue theÌ„ soke dyd her businesse By god ordained or by some heauenly fate TheÌ„ to conserue fro deth in their distres For holy write plainly beareth wytnes God can defende as it is well couth Children froÌ„ mischefe in their tendre youth But in this whyle this sayd Amulius That was their vncle as made is mencion Agayne his suster frowarde and furious Made her be shyt in a ful derke prison And there complaynyng the distruction Of her two children borne to her reprefe For very sorow dyed at great myschefe These sayde chyldren deuoyde of al refuse Besyde a riuer lay pitiously crying From al socoure naked and destitute Except a wolues vpon them waityng At whose wombe ful style they lay soukyng Vnto nature a thyng contrarious Children to souke on beastes rauenous But he that is lorde of euery creature Ryght as hym lyst can both saue spyl And beastes which ben rage of their nature He can aduert make them lye ful styl Tigres lions obedient at his wil The same lorde hath made a fel wâ—lâ—esse Vnto twey children her bigges for to dresse And whyle thys wolues had theÌ„ in depose Ther came an herde called Faustulus Behelde their soukyng saw theÌ„ lye ful close Whych sheperde was of kyng Amulius Caught vp these chyldreÌ„ the story telleth thus And brought theÌ„ forth with great diligence Vnto his wyfe that called was Laurence And she for loue dyd her busy payne Them to fostre tyl they came of age Gaue them souke of her brestes swayne Fro day to daye of hert and hole corage And they were called as in that langage After the storye that one of them Remus And the seconde was named Romulus Of whych brethern brefely to termyne The towne of Rome toke original Of false disclaundre fyrst began that lyne The rote out sought ful vicious fouÌ„de at all Clerely remeÌ„bred for a memorial Their begynning grewe of such incoÌ„tinence As clerkes call Incestus in sentence Incestus is a thyng not fayre nor good After that bokes wel deuise conne As trespassyng wyth kyn or wyth blode Or frowarde medlyng w t her that is a nonne And thus the line of Rome was begon For slaughter murder and false robbry Was chefe begynnynge of al their auncetry Of Couetyse they toke their auauntage Lyggers of waies and robbers openly Murdrers also of their owne linage And stronge theues gate to their company Spoiled al tho that past them forby Vnder shadowe of kepinge their beastayle Al maner people they proudly dyd assaile To â—lee marchauÌ„tes they had no conscience And for to murdre folke of euery age Women to oppresse of force and vyolence In al that countre this was their vsage Where they abode ther was no sure passage And these two brethern lyke as it is founde Fonde first y â— maner of speares sharpe groude Aspeare in greke called is quiris And for that cause the sayd Romulus As bokes say and sothely so it is He afterwarde was called Quirinus Which w t his brother y â— called was Remus Was in al thyng confederate partable That tofore god was vicious dampnable And as it was accordynge to their life For lacke of vertue they fyll in great diffame And atwene theÌ„ ther was an vncouth stryte Which of both should yeue the name Vnto the citie atwene ernest and game After theyr names Rome to be called Thus fyll the case afore or it was walled And therupon ful longe lasted their striues Which should of them haue dominacion Shewing their titles and prerogatyues Who should of them yeue name to the toun And reigne as kyng in that region There was no reason who shuld go beforne Bycause they were both at once borne But to fynishe their fraternal dyscorde They haue prouyded atwene theÌ„ anon ryght Thus condiscendyng to put theÌ„ at accorde Nouther by force oppressyon nor myght That whych of them sawe greatest flyght Of byrdes flyeng high vpon an hyl Should name the citye at his owne wyl Of this accorde for to be wytnesse They w t them lad a ful great multitude Therof to yeue a dome of rightwisnesse Both of wyse and of people rude Al at ones thys mater to conclude And to an hyl called Auentyne They ben asâ—ended this matter for to fine And byrdes syxe to Remus dyd appere By augury as they gan procede Called vultures ful fierce in their manere But in numbre the double dyd excede That Romulus sawe whan he toke hede Wherof ther fyll a great contrauersy Which of theÌ„ shoulde preuayle on his party Thus first of al Remus had a syght Of sixe birdes called Vultures And for to auaunce prefer hys right He ful proudely put him selfe in prees But Romulus was not recheles His brothers clayme playnly to entrouble Afforced hys title with the numbre double Yet of his purpose one of theÌ„ must fayle Though it so be that they euer striue But Romulus gan finally preuaile And to the citye he forth went blyue And as auctours lyst echone discryue And in their bokes as they reherce al After his name Rome he dyd it cal And al foreins to exclude out And agayne theÌ„ to make stronge defence Fyrst he began to wal it rounde aboute And made a lawe ful dredful in sentence Who clymeth the wal by any violence Outward or inwarde there is no more to sey By statute made he must nedes dey This was enacte by ful plaine ordinauÌ„ce In paine of deth which no man breke shal But so befyll Remus of ignoraunce Which of the statute knewe nothynge atal Of auenture went ouer the wal For whiche a knyght ordained in certayne The saide Remus hath with a pykeis slayn His brother
falsnes In princes hertes aye playnly to expres Who by rauyne riches wyl recure God wyl nat suffre him longe to endure Noble princes stable in your constaunce Ye that desyre to stand in sykernes Remembre oft vpon the fatal chaunce Of proud Xerxses and his cursednes Your life disposing in your hygh nobles If that ye lyst your states to assure Eschue rauyne and ye shal long endure The .xi. Chapter ¶ How Artabanus murdred king Xerxses and howe hym selfe was murdred after NExt these tragedies weping dolerous Whyle Bochas stint wold haue be in pees A knight appered called Artabanus Whyche had aforne murdred king Xerxses And gan his complaynt for to put in prees Full concludyng to speke in wordes playne Who vseth murdre by murdre shal be slayne This Artabanus by record of writing With Xerxses prouost whylom as I rede Falsly conspyred by sleight of his workynge For to be kynge bothe of Perce and Mede Hauing seuen sonnes which that wer in dede Worthy knyghtes manly and right stronge Albe their father was set to do great wrong For he presumed by vsurpacion In Perce and Mede to quench y ◠clere lyght And trouble the lyne of iust succession For so as he of force and nat of ryght Nothyng resemblyng to a trewe knight The murdre of Xerxses falsly did ordayne Right so he cast to murdre his sonnes twain And to conclude playnly and not tarye This sayd kyng that called was Xerxses Had two sonnes the yongest called Dary And that other colled Artaxerxses which as the story reherceth doutles Were by discent borne to succede After their father to reign in Perce Mede The murdre of Xerxses outward was vnknow Nor how Artabanus had y ◠treson wrought Tyl afterwarde within a lytel throwe He had of newe forged out and sought Fals odious trains that wer neuer thought Told Artaxerses as he gan with him rown Howe Dary cast to occupy the croun And how the dethe of Xerxses was ordained Only by Dary and by none other wight wher vpon which ought be complayned Artaxerxses prouided anon right The slaughter of Dary so agayn all ryght This younge brother in his innocence Was falsly slaine and did none offence Ye wote by whom this treson was compassed Twene brethern twain to make diuision The younger slayne and nothyng trespased Moste redy way to the distruccion Of Artaxerxses for in conclusyon Whan the bretherne murdred were in dede Artabanus thought to succede But Artaxerxses by playne instruccion Of one that was called Baccarus By tokens knewe the couert false treason Of this aforesayd double Artabanus And howe that he by traynes outragyous Had Xerxses slayne as ye haue herd toforne And Dary appeched wherby he was lorne But this vncouth straūge treason wrought Whan Artaxerxses had knowlegyng By great aduise wayes he hath sought Artabanus to bryng vnto rekenynge But specyally he dred him of one thyng He feble was to bryng this thing about Of hys seuen sonnes he had so great doute But for to accomplyshe fully his entente Ful secretly this was his ordynaunce To al the worthy he hah his letters sent Dwellyng in Perce vnder his obeysaunce Without excuse or lenger attendaunce Armed echone and in especyall To come in haste vnto his courte royall Cause of their cōming was to them not know The kynges purpose was holden secre And kept so close both from hye and lowe That to his meanyng no man was priue Except the kyng sayd he woulde se What number of men if it come to nede In his defence he myght gather and lede And among other came Artabanus Vnto the court and list not for to fayle A man that was cruell and couragious Full of sleyghtes in all his gouernayle Whiche thilke tyme armed was in mayle For he with him none other armure lad Saue on his backe an haburion he had Than Artaxerses beyng in his strength To him abrayed of false affection For that my mayle wanteth of his length I woulde with the chaunge myne haburion The tother hauyng none euyll suspection Vngyrt him selfe would no lenger abide Bothe sworde dagger cast thē farre aside And while that he threw of his haburion And with the mayle stopped was his sight He being naked for short conclusion The king out pulleth a sworde kene bryght And through the hert he roue him anon right And after that of indignacion Toke his seuen sonnes cast them in pryson Of their ende what shoulde I more endite Nor of their death make digression God may his vengeaunce a while respite But murder wyll out all suche treason And for Artabanus had a condicion Falsely to murder as ye tofore haue seyne w t vnware murder guerdoned was ageyne Thus euer murder requireth for his wages Slaunder importable odyous to heare A worde diffamous most foule in all lāgages The sounde horrible by report to appeare A clips during whose darknes may not cleare For this worde murder most vgly vnfayre By a rehearsyng infecteth all the ayre ¶ The .xii. Chapter ¶ How duke Palantes Spartenoys warred theim of Missene for rauishyng their maydens AFter the death and fatall caas And piteous murder of Artabanus Next in order appeared to Bochas A mighty duke called Palautus Sonne of a knyght named Arathus Which was exiled though he no treasonment Out of his citye that called was Tarent Vpon his exyle he sore gan complayne Besechyng Bochas to get him a space Within his boke to write his greuous payne Albe though he whilom stode in grace By glad aspectes of fortunes face For she him raysed by fauour of her might To dukes estate from a pore knyght But cereously this matter to conuey How he was made duke and gouernour Whan Sparteyns gan mortally warrey Against Missenes as sayth mine auctour With great costage and diligent labour And cause was this for they w t mighty hand Rauished by force all maydens of the lande For this people now named Spartenois As the story clerely can deuise Were called afore Lacedemonois In armes proued manly and ryght wise And while they did a solemne sacrifise Vnto their goddes the people of Messeny Rauished their maydens or they it did espy On whiche wronge for to do vengeaunce The Spartenois caught indignacion And of assent with all their whole puissaunce They layed a siege rounde about the toun And of one wyll and one affection They made a vowe y ◠siege when they begon Neuer to depart tyll the towne were won Afore the towne fully ten yere they lay And fro the siege as they had made their othe They not departed neyther night nor day But styll abode and not a sunder gothe Therof their wiues at home were wrothe To their husbande 's a messengere they sent Vnder these wordes declaryng their entent Sayd it was not accordyng with reason They like widowes to liue disconsolate Without comfort or consolation Farre frō their husbandes to stande desolate Mischeues cōsidred that fal in eche estate
puissaūt Support the simple punyshe the tyraunt The .xxvii. chapter Of the two brethren Artaxerses and Cyrus and howe Artaxerses slew his children and concubines and howe they ended AFter the fall of Aman doubtles Whē he best wēd to haue be ī his flours Tofore John Bochas came Artaxerses Most renomed in his time of conquerours Which gan declare his sodeyn sharpe shours With all the parcels of his mortal payne Which that fortune agayne him gan ordayne This Artaxerses as put is in memorye All other prynces excelled in rychesse Whiche in hys chare famous of glorye And with hys trone of worldlye hye noblesse Sate in his tyme the story beareth wytnesse Highest exalted y ◠was of any kyng That he shoulde fall was it nat an vncouth thyng Kynges he had vnder his obeysaunce An hundred prouinces twentie eke seuen Son vnto Dary prince of moste puissaunce His fame drede more than fyry leuen None so mighty vnder the starred heauen Accompted was that tyme in warre and pees As was this kyng called Artaxerses He had a brother that named was Cyrus Out of one stocke came theyr bothe lynes But Artaxerses the story telleth thus Was lorde of graynes of oyle and of wines And had also by diuers concubines An hundred children lyke as it is tolde And fiftene ouer tofore or he wexe olde Of bothe brethren the power last farre Duryng theyr tyme stode in full hye estate Yet atwene them was ful mortall warre Agayne nature an vnkyndly debate For thylke warres be most infortunate Whan blode w t blod let no man deme other Lyst warrey as brother agaynst brother And finally cause why thys warre gan Atwene these brethren as made is mencion Through whiche debate died many a man The grounde of all and first occasion Was onely thys for succession After king Dary reigning in Perce Mede Whiche of them twayne shoulde next succede But Artaxerses by a maner prouidence Put his brother priuely in prison That he ne should make no defence Nor gather people to hys destruction This yonge Cyrus as made is mention Was fast stocked and eke as it is tolde That his stockes and fetters were of golde And though it be nat remembred in Bochas Howe that Cyrus escaped fro pryson Yet also soone as he delyuered was Through Perce Mede rydyng vp doun He gadered people of entention Through olde hatred hys brother tassayle The felde assigned they mette in battayle Wher Cyrus proudly put hym selfe in prees To shewe hys manhode in speciall Sought his brother called Artaxerses And gaue to hym a wounde ful mortall Without frendshyp or fauour fraternall That Artaxerses his wounde gan so ake Constrayned was the felde to forsake And Cyrus than furious as a Lyon Hys aduersaries gan mortally to wake But false fortune full of collusion Vnder faynt smilyng a mow gan him make Whiche caused alas y ◠he that day was take Afore ywounded it woulde be none other And then presented to his vnkynde brother And though this Cyrus had afore be found Yonge freshe lusty and manly of his honde By the constraynt of his mortall wounde He dyed anone for he no succour fonde Than the two kingdomes w tin Perce londe Fyll to the handes of Artaxerses In whiche after he liued longe in pees Thus a great space like a mighty kyng All Perce he helde vnder his obeysaunce By famous nobles full gloriously shinyng Hauyng of riches most fulsom abundaunce And as it is put in remembraunce To more encrease of his prosperitie In true wedlocke he had sonnes thre The fyrst of them called Darius Arobratus named the seconde And the thirde named was Othus Manly prynces like as it is founde And of nature lyke as the kyng was bound Vnto Dary as made is mencion Aboue echone he had affection And for he dempt him able to the warre By likelyhode of yeres yong and grene He cast fully his nobles to prefarre Of hye prudence thus he dide mene His impotence to support and sustene For he was feble in Perce to raygne alone He set vp Dary with him in his trone Whiche was a thing straunge contrarious Agayne the custome of Perciens vsaunce But he supposed his sonne Darius Shoulde in suche case encrease and aduaūce His fathers party of naturall attendaunce And shew vnto him trouth and kyndnes His impotence to cheryshe of gentlenes But in estates oft it dothe thus fall Whan that prynces be runne farre in age Their childrens loue ayen thē dothe appall Shewyng no frendshyp saue for adauntage How that they may reioyce their heritage And in suche case whan they wexe stronge Thinke their fathers liue all to longe And Artaxerses stode in the same caas As in the story playnly ye shall fynde By rehearsayle and writyng of Bochas How this Dary was false and eke vnkynde Forgetfull and had nothing in mynde How his father the trouth to reherce Hath made hi equal w t him to raign in Perce And to declare the first occasion To his father how the sayd Dary By a false maner of rebellion Gan in his workyng for to be contrary Whiche to discure I wyll no lenger tary But wyth my penne in all haste procede Here to discriue how it fell in dede Artaxerses among hys concubynes It is remembred how that he had one Whiche for to reken wyues and vyrgynes Was fayrest holde of them euerychone Called Arthasia of full yore agone And was that tyme her beauty to discryue Among the Perciens the fayrest holde alyue And though she were yrun farre in age Lyke as bokes lyst of her expresse Both of colour and also of vysage She kept her beauty her natyfe freshenes Whyche was afore for her semelines To the sayd Cyrus briefly to termyne Chose long afore to be his concubyne But whan thys Cyrus was passed into fate Which for his brother might not liue in pees Anone vpon wythout lenger date She was take vp for kyng Artaxerses Because she was of beauty pearles After long tyme when he fell in age She claymed was by title of heritage Of kyng Dary by hys fathers lyue Faynyng his clayme by succession And though his father agayn it dyd stryue And thus began as made is mencion Of their debate the fyrst occasion For Dary cast all be he bare it styll Her to reioyce agayne hys fathers wyll And to accomplyshe falsely his entent Of her to haue full possession To afforce his party he made thys argument Cyrus quod he as made is mencion Raygnyng in Perce that mighty region And this story do the playnly determyne For her beuty made her hys concubyne And after time whan Cyrus was dede Artaxerses his father ye may se Next him succeadyng in Perce it is no drede Lyst her to clayme eke for her great beauty And so quod Dary she longeth now to me Because she is so pleasaunt to my syght By succession I will her clayme of ryght Thus kyng Dary to his father sayde He would haue Arthasia
remembraunce Writyng is cause that hereto is remembred Lyfe of Prophetes and patriarkes olde How the apostles martyrs were dismēbred For Christes fayth his banner vp to holde And writyng sheweth to fore as I you tolde Of confessours the great stedfastnes And of vyrgyns the virgynall ciennesse Like to a tre whyche euery yere beareth frute Shewyng hys beuty w t blossoms and flours Right so the fode of our inward refute By diligence of these olde doctours And dayly frute of their faythfull labours Haue our courages fostred and pastured By writyng only which hath so long endured The Epigrames whilom perished had Of prudent Prosper that was so vertuous And of Senecke the tragedies sad The stratagemes of Vegecius Rebuke in vyces of noble Percius If in olde writyng had ben founde a lacke These sayd thynges had farre be put abacke Writyng caused Poetes to recure A name eternal the laurer whan they wan In adamant graue perpetually to endure Recorde I take of Vyrgyll Mantuan That wrote y e armes prowes of the man Called Eneas whan he of hygh corage Came into Itayle from Dido of Cartage Thre famous bokes this auctor list compyle Eneidos fyrst whiche that dyd excell In rethoryke by soueraynte of style He dranke such plenty this poete as men tell Of the stremes y t ran downe from the well Wrought by tho sisters that be in nūber nyne Prowes of knighthode most clerely to termin For in that boke he cast not for to fayle With voyce melodious to discriue aryght The great conquest of Rome and of Itayle Wrought by Enee the manly troyan knyght Whose verse notable gaue so clere a lyght Through all the worlde as in Rethoryke That among poetes was none to hym lyke He wrote also this poete wyth hys hande By humble style other bokes twayne One of pasture the next of tylthe of lande The verse cōueyed w t fete of meters playne By which thre labours a palme he did attain To make hys name through dities dilectable Aboue poetes to be most commendable Writyng of poetes hath set w t in his clos Cōquest of knyghthode their triūph renoūs Reade in Ouide Metamorphoseos The great wonders the transmutacions The morall menyng y ◠vncouth conclusions His boke de Ponto and wyth great diligence Full many a pistle cōplaynyng for absence Of craft of loue a boke he hath compyled Wherof Cesar had full great disdayne Whyche was cause that he was exiled To abide in Ponto and neuer turne agayne And yet he did his labour in certayne In hope of grace his wittes to apply To write a boke of loues remedy Writyng of olde with letters aureate Labour of poetes doth hyghly magnify Recorde on Petrarke in Rome laureate Whiche of two fortunes wrote the remedy Certayne egloges and his cosmography And a great conflyct whiche men may se Of his quarelles within hym selfe secre He wrote seuen psalmes of great repentaūce And in his Affryke commended Scipion And wrote a boke of his ignoraunce By a maner of excusation And set a notable compylacion Vpon the life called solitary To which this world is froward contrary Thus by writyng he gate him selfe a name Perpetually to be in remembraunce Set and registred in the house of fame And made epistles of full high substaunce Called Sine titulo more him self to auaūce Of famous women he wrote the excellence Gresylde preferryng for her great pacience Writyng also remembred hath how Troy Destroyed was sithe gone many a yere The death of Ector chefe pyller of their ioye And for the party of Grekes wrote Omere Whiche in his writyng was particulere For to Achilles that wrought al by fraude Aboue Ector he gaue a singuler laude Writyng causeth the chapelet to be grene Bothe of Esope and of Iuuenall Dauntes labour it dothe also sustene By a report very celestiall Songe among Lumbardes in especiall Whose thre bokes the great wonders tell Of heuyn aboue of purgatory and of hell Men by writyng knowe the myracles Of blessed sayntes and of their holtnes Medicyne salue and eke obstacles Geyne mortal woundes great sickenes Recreacion and solace in distres Quiet in labour in pouerte pacience And in riches ryght trouth and conscience Shortnes of lyfe and forgetfulnes The wytte of man dull and aye slydyng Negligence and frowarde ydlenes Echone stepmother to science and cunnyng That I dare say nad be for writyng Onely ordeyned for our aduauntages Dead were memory and mind passed of ages And thus in chefe the causes afore tolde Meuyng the hart of Bochas to writyng And to remembre by many stories olde The estate of prynces in chares high sittyng And for vyces their vnware fallyng Geuyng example as I affyrme dare Of false fortune how they shall beware His first thre bokes be full clere myrrours Fully accōplished as Bochas vndertoke The cause of fallyng of many conquerours Onely for trouth and vertue they forsoke For which min auctor toward his fourth boke Gan sharpe his pen to his eternall fame Onely by writyng to get him selfe a name Myne auctour Bochas that so much coude Beginneth here to make a processe Again the outrage of princes y t were proud Which wer brought low for their frowardnes And notablye remēbreth that mekenes Whiche standeth whole in one doth cōtune Is aye franchised from daunger of fortune But he in maner doth recapitle agayne The fall of many that sate in hye stages How they for vyces stode aye in no certayne Came to mischefe for their great outrages Remembryng first of Pryam the domages How he lost sceptre and regaly For susteynyng of false auoutry The fall rehearsyng of Astyages That gaue his daughter whilom in mariage To one that was called Cambises A pore man borne of lowe lynage For he should haue none auauntage In no maner nether in right ne wrong By rebellion agayne him to be strong For me to forne had had a bysion How there should one procede of his lyne Whiche should him put out of his region And cause him in mischefe for to fyne But yet fortune could him vndermyne That all his wisdome stode in none auayle For agayne god preuayleth no counsayle It nedeth not his story to reherce Nor the maner of his vnhappy chaunce Nor the fallyng of Cyrus kyng of Perce Nor of king Tarquin for his misgouernaūce Though Bochas here put thē in remēbraūce For as me semeth it were a thing in vayne A thyng ones tolde to tell it new agayne And he list not now to be retcheles New agayne to make rehearsayle Of the kyng called Artaxerses Sithe it is tolde what should it more auayle ▪ But he proceadeth strayght vnto Itayle To their stories and beginneth here At Marchus Manlius a romayn cōsulere ☞ The ende of the Prologue Hovve Marcus Manlius wrought and dyd for Rome towne and at the last he was by the commons cast into Tybre and there drowned ¶ The fyrst Chapter WHilome in Rome there was a great
lynage Called Manloyes of renomed noblesse And of that stocke ryght fayre in his yonge age Came this Marcus the story doth wytnesse Which by proces for his worthynesse Was thre tymes by iust election Made Consuler of that worthy toun Which to the commons greatly dyd auayle He diuers tymes for the townes ryght Faught in his dayes many stronge battayle And aye preuayled through his great might And in the felde by a synguler fyght Outrayed hys enemye lyke as it is tolde And toke from hym a tyche bye of golde Torques in Latyn in Englyshe is a bye Acercle of golde which that Marcus wan Brought it home through his chiualrye And of Torques he was called than Marcus Torquatus thus the name gan He to be called the story telleth vs Amonge Romayns Torquatus Manlius And he woulde ofte ieopart good and lyfe For the citie entre the felde alone And there conquered for a prerogatife Sondrie crownes with many a ryche stone Wan tunicles of golde many one For thylke tyme for dyuers hyghe emprises Were crownes made in many sondry wises For as Aul. Gellius maketh mencion Ther wer in Rome deuised strange crowns For suche as had foughten for the toun â—y for their labour receyued theyr guerdons By a prerogatiue called champions Which sondry tymes of manhode of might Ieoparded theyr lyues for the townes ryght Like theyr desertes y â— crownes toke theyr names For some of theÌ„wer called Triumphal Youe vnto knyghtes for theyr noble fames Other also called Obsidionall In Romayne tonge some ther were Mural Eke other twayne Nauall and Castrence And all they were of great excelence The triumphall made were of golde Offred in triumphes to worthy emperours Set with saphyrs and rubies manyfolde Vpon the hedes of myghty conquerours And whan Rome was shynyng in his flours That crowne called w t braÌ„ches burned fayre In theyr vulgar the Aureate coronayre The Obsidionall of whiche I spake toforne Deuised wete as bokes specifye Crownes notable wroughte lyke greyne or corne Youe vnto priÌ„ces which through their chiualrye Rescued sieges and saued the partye Of them that were closed streyte within Through their prowes a crowne for to win Another crowne that called was Murall Was geuen and graunted by the emperour To hym that first wan vpon the wall At any siege and there abode the shour Fightyng alone in hope of some succour And he that might suche a brunt sustene Shuld of Laurer weare a crowne of grene Nauall crownes whilom were ordayned For them that fought manly on the see When their shyppes were togeder cheyned He that of manhode and marciall surete Vpon his enemyes made first entre Receyue shoulde in all the peoples syght Korue lyke a rother a crowne clere bryght The crowne next which called is Castrence Was geuen of custome to y â— manly knyght That list auauÌ„ce hiÌ„ through his magnificeÌ„ce Hostes assembled ieopart woulde of myght Toforne all other entre into fyght Shoulde eke receyue his nobles for to queme A starred crowne made lyke a diademe The crowne also whiche called was Ouall Toke first name of ioye and gladnesse Whiche kynges princes in actes marciall Vsed sometyme in thyr ioyous noblesse At sodayne scrimishes of casuall hastinesse As when they venquished proudly iÌ„ battaile Suche as their highnes vnwarly wolde assayle And for they were of power inuincible Their noble crownes wer seriously wrought Of myrte braunches whiche ben imputrible Enduryng euer and corrupt nought For this worde Ouall yf it be well sought Is sayde of gladnes as put is in memorie Ordayned for princes after their victorie Another crowne called Cyâ—ica Of oken bowes was made rounde pleyne Ordayned for them whiche pro re publica Coude in battayle rescue a citezeyn And sle hys enemy that was a foreyn Of mighty oke he should for manhede Clayme to weare a crowne vpon his hede And lyke as knightes in marciall delytes For common profite dyd hem selfe auaunce So for theyr noble victorious merites The Romayne people had a great pleasauÌ„ce With sondrye crownes mercial in substaunce For to guerdon their knightes most famous Myne auctour recorde called Aul. Gellius Amonge other that dyd his busy payne Suche crownes manly to recure Marcus Manlius in manhod souerayne Put oft his lyfe in mortal auenture For in hys force so muche he dyd assure That he deserued ful yore agone Of these sayde crownes many mo than one And to thencreace of his noble fame He dyd a thyng bothe manly and deuine Wherby that he gate hym a surname To be called Marcus Capitolyne Whiche aboue all his names dyd shyne Whan he alone wherby he is commended The Capitole from enemies hath defended Whan they of Fraunce had take the cite Put all Rome at mischefe vnto flyght And layde awayte with a great meyne The Capitole for to take at nyght By a passage that laye fatte out of â—yght Vnder a roche called Carmenton Theyr caue entred into the chefe dongeon They were shrouded vnder a darke vale With ordinaunce and myghty violence Towarde mydnight the wall for to scale Most couertly them kepyng in silence Dempt playnly for â—ackyng of resistence That they shoulde maugre tho within Their hour assigned the Capitole to wyn But the gees that were within close The waker foules by noyse of theyr coÌ„mynge Gan beate theyr wynges vp anone arose Wherby this Marcus in hys bed liyng Gan tabrayde and made no tariyng Toke his harnesse most furious and wrothe And to the walles in all hast he gothe And he that came first vpon the wall Of very force without more tariyng Downe into Tybre he made hym to fall And all hys felowes busy in scalyng With shelde or pauis or ladders vp reysyng Thys manly Marke shortly to coÌ„prehende Into the flode made them to discende Vnto the dethe of hym they were abaued For by his knighthode and his hie renoun Maugre all them the Capitole he saued And afterward rescued all the toun For the fortune in conclusioun Which that tyme dyd vnto hym fall Capitolinus men dyd hym after call And for he was so victorious Hym selfe alone by thys hye victorye Thys name he gate to hym and al hys house Perpetually to be in memorye And registred in the consistorye In theyr cronicles hys name determined With golden letters to be enlumined And the gees of whome I spake also That so well kept watche vpon the nyght ytake were and offered vnto â—uno Solempnely with great torches lyght To whome also it graunted was of ryght Whan a famine made theyr store to fayle They spared were and take for no vitayle And thus was Marke a myghtye coÌ„querour Worshypped in Rome all beyng of assent But whan some folke be set in great honour SoÌ„time it happeth they hold theÌ„ nat content With couetyse their hertes be so blent Fro suffisaunce aboue theyr degrees To surmonte to higher dignities This Manlius was fret in his corage To greater worshyp sodaynly to assende Deminge so to haue had
payne of lyfe That men of custome shoulde him call This worlds monarke not mortal nor passiâ—e Soune to Jupiter for a prerogatyfe Which had th earth as god most of puissaunce Conquered by swerde vnto his obeisaunce By full auyse purposed for the nones Of pompous outrage surquedous entent Full great treasure of gold precious stones Vnto the temple of Jupiter he sent That the bishops and priestes shoulde assent Hym to receyue at his home commyng Lyke as a god and no mortall thyng Thus by extort drede vsurped myght Was fyrst brought in false ydolatry Causyng prynces to receyue agayne ryght Godly reuerence of froward mawmetry But whan Calistenes this errour did espy In Alexander he busily did entende This false opinion to correct and amende Put fyue causes notable to rehearce This Calystenes in especiall Though he was king of Egipt Mede Perce He preued of reason he was a man mortall His byrthe eke earthy and not celestiall Father and mother as of theyr natures Borne for to dye like other creatures His father Philyp of Macedony kyng His mother called Olympyades Worldly folke and heauenly nothyng With kynges quenes vpset by hye encrees Yet agayne death they coulde haue no relees Lawes of nature maugre their wyll to obey Not lyke goddes but onely borne to dey Kynde made them subiect to sundry passions And many vncouthe diuers infirmities Now glad now heauy of condicions Folowyng the forme of their humanities But of their false vsurped deities I can not say saue drede and flattery Wrongly in earth dyd them deify Eke Alexander folowyng euer his lust For all his lordshyp and his great myght He suffred passions of honger and of thurst Now hole now sicke now heauy now lyght Whose enterchauÌ„gyng in euery mans syght Clearely sheweth as clarkes rehearce can He was no god but like a mortall man It fyll ones myne auctor dothe compyle In a great heate longe or he was olde He bathed him selfe in the floude of Nyle Where of fortune he sodaynely toke colde His pores opened on partes manifolde Lay long after his story beareth witnes Or he was cured of that great sickenes But at the last by craft of medicine Deliuered he was of that infirmitie Nothing amended by his power diuine By might of Juno nor Jupiters postye Nor by his owne vsurped deitie For by the passions whiche he did endure It shewed he was a deadly creature Of him also it is made mencion He had a custome to fall in dronkennes Through vynolence lost oft his reason Than of yre and furious hastines He woulde smyte and hurt in his wodenes Whyche tokens were playnly to termyne In his person not heuenly nor deuyne Whan the philosopher called Calystenes Gan fyrst consider all these condicions In Alexander he put him selfe in prees Voyde of dissimulyng and dylacions For to reforme suche false ambicions Of godly honor which men did on theÌ„ fayne And from all vyces his courage to restrayne In this purpose as any center stable He cast him fully of true entencion To correct all that was reprouable Vsed in his person or in his region Trouth gaue him hart lyke a champion To tell the kyng in his estate royall He was no god but a man mortall For whiche the kyng of indignacion Caught a quarell agayne Calystenes Put vpon hym vniustly false treason Onely to slea his master causeles And for to attaynt him afore all the prees Sayd how he had of hys iniquitie Conspyred agayne his royall maiestye And fayned also the selfe same tyme How he had made a conspyration Agayne his lorde by an horrible cryme Interrupting the religion Of his deuyne institution That in such case there was no better read But Calistenes by lawe must be dead And to prolonge of his death the payne Vpon a borde he was layed a longe Hys fete smytte of and hys handes twayne His eyen rent out wer not his paines stroÌ„g â–ª Thus can tyraÌ„tes whan they lyst do wrong Slea philosophers wythout any ruthe Whyche spared not for to say them truthe Thys cruel vengeauÌ„ce myght not suffise But Alexander more to encrease his wo Dyd cut his lyppes in full cruell wise His nose thyrles hys eares eke also And w t the body he bade men should go Tofore hys hoste as it is remembred To shewe the tronke how it was dismeÌ„bred In a caue depe and wonders lowe Solitary darked all the boundes After the paynes he made hym to be throwe The place stuffed w t wode barking houndes Of false entent to rende his bloudy woundes Tyll Lisymachus of great compassion To short his torment gaue hym poyson Who red euer of tormentes more terrible O Alexander thou oughtest be ashamed To slea thy clarke wyth paynes so horrible For thy vyces because he hath the blamed Thy royall name therby is defamed But euer tyrantes whan theÌ„ lyst be woode Of innocentes reioyce to shede the bloude Agaynst his knyght gentle Lisymachus Because he had of hym compassion Kyng Alexander was melancolious Wythout cause title or affection Let shut hym vp wyth a fierce Lyon Voyde of all helpe for to be succoured Of entencion he should be deuoured But Lisymachus quyt him lyke a knyght Agaynst thys Lyon in the same place Ran fiercely on him of hys martiall myght Out of hys head hys tonge he dyd out race Reconciled to the kynges grace Because that he so knyghtly hath him borne Better cherished than euer he was toforne Another knyght that called was Clytus â–ª Famous in armes for his chiualry One the greatest of the kynges house And most commended of prudent policy Most familier as bokes specify About the kyng as it was ofte preued To tempre his courage when he was greued The kyng and he walkyng hande in hande Within the palaice beyng in presence Princes and dukes of many diuers lande Where they began by notable eloquence RemeÌ„ber of armes the famous excellence Of conquerous and other knyghtes olde And euery man about his tale tolde Among whiche Clytus the gentle knyght Gan to coÌ„mende and greatly magnify Philyp of Macedon as him ought of right Bothe of his wisdome of his chiualry Tyll Alexander had therat enuy Gan disdayne of furtous cruelte That any should be coÌ„mended more than he Caught occasion ofyre and false hatrede Agayne his knyght y â— was to him most true With a sharpe swerd vnwarely made hi blede His hart bloude hote and redde of hue By his sides raylyng downe of newe Therby to preue this story tell can He was no god nor reasonable man Thus in prynces furious and cruell Men may clerely an euidence se How that lordshyp is not perpetuell But full of chaunge and mutabilite Of there now frendly now sodayn enmite Record on Clytus most in the kynges grace Vnwarely slayne and did no trespace Was he worthy to be deified This Alysander most double of his corage Or was he worthy to be stellified This furious prince for his fell outrage That slewe his frendes
in his mortall rage Thus fare tyrantes whan they lyst be wode To seke occasion for to shede blode Calystenes slayne for morall disciplyne And Lisymachus for his compassion Eke this tyrant of false gredy rauyne Slewe gentle Clytus agayne all reason As ye haue hearde for commendacion Of king Philyp the story well conceyued Who trusteth tyraÌ„tes shal sonest be deceyued ¶ Lenuoy THis tragedy of Calistenes Declareth vs by notable remembrauÌ„ce He was with Plato and olde Socrates In his youth put vnder gouernaunce Dranke of the milke of plenteous abouÌ„dauÌ„ce Of their two scholes euer deuoyde of slouth Last by Alexander dismeÌ„bred for his trouth First he was sent by Aristoteles For to awayte by prudente purueyaunce On Alexander lest he were retcheles By presumption in his royall puissaunce To take vpon him by goodly attendaunce Whiche he w tstode alas it was great ruthe To be so slayne because he sayd the truth Who w t tyrantes list put him selfe in prees To haue their fauour and acquayntaunce He must flatter and fage doubtles Be double of hart with fayned countenaunce With there contryued done his obseruaunce For faythfull meanyng slayne y â— was ruth Was Calystenes bicause he sayd truth Noble princes your subiectes kepe in pees Be not to hasâ—y for to do vengeaunce For to tyrantes that be merciles God sent short life sodayne mischaunce Who sayeth trouth haue no displeasaunce Prynt in your hart how it was great ruth That Calystenes was slayne for his truth ☞ The .x. chapter ⧠How Alexander kynge of Pyrothe auenturyng to passe the floude of AcheroÌ„t there at his backe by his moste trustye was deadly wounded AFter the complaynt of Calystenes Slayne tyrantly and did no trespas Came Alexander kyng of Pyrothes His woundes bleadyng vnto John Bochas To him declared how he drowned was In Acheronte a riuer of great fame Besyde a towne Pandosia was the name And as it is remembred and ytolde Of this notable mighty stronge cite It was in Grece buylte of dayes olde And after Pyrrus called Pyrothe Where as the kyng helde his royall se And as bokes also determyne This Alexander came of the same lyne Of whose kynred is made playne mencion Sonne to Achilles was kyng Pyrrus And next in order by succession Father to Alexander was Neoptolomus Whiche had also mine auctour telleth thus A full fayre daughter the story ye may sene Olympiades of Macedony quene And she was wedded to Philip of Macedo Whilom mother this quene of most renoun To Alexander the story telleth so Whiche all the worlde brought in subiection Whose father Philyp of great affection Let crowne the brother of Olympiades Called Alexander to raygne in Pyrothes To whom Philyp for his great beautie Because he was so fayre a creature Had suche affection and specialtie As it is remembred in scripture Of false foule luste against nature As sayth Bochas I can him not excuse Vnlefully he did his beauty vse And by meane of that horrible dede Whiche to rehearce is to foule a thing This said Philyp in Bochas thus I rede In Epirothes he made him to be kyng And of extorcion by recorde of writyng Causeles from thence he did enchace The kyng Arabba tho raignyng in y t place And it fell after the story telleth so Of this Alexander by serious rehearsayle Vpon the death of Philyp of Macedo With a great host came into Itayle Supposyng greatly for to auayle To occupy after his proude entent Wholly the boundes of all the occident And though so be y t fortune be chaungeable Double also by course of her nature At his ginnyng he founde her fauourable Made him twise proudly to recure Gayne them of Luke to their disconfiture To haue the felde maugre al their might Of very force to put them vnto flyght Agaynst Itaile when he gan this warre Fully in purpose the Romayns to assayle Of hye presumption procede he gan so farre With many a prince that was in his battayle To knowe afore by certaine diuinaile Of his conquest the boundes for to cast And of his life how longe it should last And in the temple of Jupiter the grete By diuinours that expert were and olde Seruyng this god w tin the lande of Crete This was the answere which thei to him told And it affirmed by tokens manifolde How he ne should eschue the dredefull date Ouer the day assigned to his last fate And they also assigned a place Therby to haue knowlegyng more clere Vnder a citie longe and large of space Called Pandosia and for to go more nere By Acheront a famous great riuere Tolde him playnly could no farder sey But of necessitie there he must nedes dey And though it were an earnest and no iape Of god ordeyned not to be set asyde He thought of wisdome his desteny to escape And otherwise for him selfe prouide Cast in Grece no lenger to abyde Wenyng this riuer nor that faire citye Saue in Grece should no where els haue be And for to set him selfe in assuraunce Of entent to eschue his destinie Into thre battayles departyng his puissauÌ„ce Came to Itayle tofore Luke the citie They with helpe of Samoys the countrye With a great power came out anone ryght Slew all his knyghtes put hym to flyght At the backe they pursued hym so nere That hys enemyes were almost on hym fall Vnto a brydge broke wyth the ryuere And ouerturned with hys plankes all And Acheronte men dyd that ryuer call As was tolde him by a certayn knyght Whyche rode before him the ryuer in his sight For by a rayne that fyll the same nyght The ryuer waxt to a dredefull floude And not farre thens in the kynges syght Vpon the water a little towne there stode Whiche made the kyng to chaunge his bloud And specially his pryde gan attame Whan he wyst Pandosia was the name And than he gan most dredfully remembre Callyng to mynde the priestes diuinayle Whiche made him quake in euery membre For very feare and his breathe to fayle No man coulde him wishe nor counsayle On euery party he stode so on the wracke The floude tofore hi his enemies at his backe To take the riuer he stode in mortall drede And if that he his enemies did abyde He wyst well that he was but deade Passage was none for to turne asyde Thus dissolate he stode withouten gyde Thought it better to ieoparde the ryuere Than w t his enemies y â— folowed him so nere These mortal dredes his hart gan coÌ„strayne Drede of the floude for to haue passage Behinde his enemies y â— gan at him disoaine Lest he were slayne in that mortall rage His fate approchyng he but yong of age The toun Pandosia the tokens did expresse With â—cheronte that bare therof witnesse And whan that he put in auenture To passe the floude or els to be deade One whom he most trusted of any creature Toke a spere square and sharpe the heade And at his backe he quakyng
knyght ▪ That whan Alysander laye diyng certayne And gan to feble of hys force myght Dempt afore that it sat ful well of ryght How thys Perdicas for wisdom manhede In Macedone shoulde after hym succede And vnto hym with loke chere benigne Vpon his heed for sickenesse complaynyng With full whole hert for a notable signe Of succession he gaue to hym a ryng After his day to be crowned kyng Of Macedone sith he most might auayle Through al his empyre to haue y ◠gouernaile And yet sayth Bochas playnly in sentence Though he of knyghthode and hie prowesse Of manly force and also of prudence Passed all other the storye beareth witnesse By vicious pride frowarde boystousnesse He was more hyndred through his outrage Than all his enemyes myght do hī domage For throughe his pride and great extorcions Fro Macedone the people of that countre Fledde into other strange regions And of presumption the story sayth howe he Began a warre agayne kyng Tholome Where he was slayne in all mens syghtes Nat of his enemies but of his own knightes Eke of Anaxarchus of Capadoce kyng Whiche prouince ioyneth vnto Surry Touchyng the boūdes by recorde of writyng Towarde the Orient the lande of Armeny Hauyng two coūtryes Scilice and Isaury Towarde Cypre a great ryuere Rennyng amiddes with stremes freshe and clere This Anaxarchus were he lothe or fayne In dayes fewe hath hys kyngdome lorne For by Perdicas proudly he was slayne Of whom that I haue you tolde beforne Thus worldly prices tho they had it sworne For all theyr lordshyp and domination By fraude of fortune vnwarly be put doune And amonge other prynces of that age Vpon Alysander duly abydyng Bochas reherseth Amylchar of Cartage Duke of that cite by recorde of writyng After the death of that worthy kyng As ye haue herde ymurdred by poyson This sayd Amylchar repeyringe to his toun Was slayne in Cartage shortly to conclude Of cruel malice and conspiracion Within that cite of false ingratitude Whan he of knighthode frāchised had y t towne And nat withstandyng all his hye renoune Whan he stode hyest in hys felicite He by the commons was slayne of that cite The .xiii. Chapter ⧠Howe Eumenydes was twyse outrayed by Antigonus and at the last dyed in pryson WHā Alisader in his roial estate Had all conquered tofore as ye haue herd He like a god most pompous elate As souerayne prince of all myddleerde To take vpon hym was nothyng aferde To clayme in countrees a thynge y ◠was nat fayre Of Jupiter to be both sonne heyre One of the principles who so taketh hede That first brought in false ydolatry Was thylke tyme y t priestes for false drede Hys name with goddes gan to magnify And so to call hym of fayned flattery And mydde their tēples in Liby on a stage Of hys lykenes they set vp an ymage But lytle or nought to hym it myght auayle Agayne his deth for to do succour When the fell poyson hys hert dyd assayle Whiche made him fade as doth a flour Of whose empyre was none enheritour Saue in his deth thus stode the woful case Twene sixe thirty hys land deuyded was And in his story full playnly it is tolde This departicion to make it ferme stable He was laide forth vpon a couche of golde To reherse by tokens full notable Whome he dempt of very sothe most able Of all his princes playnly to discerne When he was deed his kingdom to gouerne First there was one amonge all that prees Next Alysander the knightlyest man The worthy knyght called Eumenides Whose high renoun ful well rehearse can Prudent Justinus the great historian Ordayned afore to gouerne realmes two All Capadoce and Pafflagony also His hie nobles as made is mention In especiall more to magnify Hym lacked nought of commendacion That apparteyned vnto chiualry To hie prudence or noble policy Except thre thinges myn auctor sayth y ◠same A crowne a scepter and a kynges name But for that he all other dyd excell Bothe of prudence and famous chiualry It is remembred as some bokes tell That there were some had therat enuy For when fortune lyst to set vp an hye Any person aloft vpon her whele Some are besyde that like it neuer a dele Who holdeth him euer vpon hie mountaynes Fyndeth great experiece of blastes shours Oft is troubled with storme wind raines So of Alysander the proude successours Whan they sat freshest in theyr flours Winde of enuy fortune helde so the rother That eche was busy to destroy other On hylles hye it is an impossible A man to abyde without winde or reyne A thyng expert and very visible Hye climbyng vp is medled with disdeyne Preace hath enuy as it is oft seyne And through preferryng of fortune ◠estates Is euer cause of great warre and debates This same thinge was well expert preued Among these sayd royall enherytours Of Alysander for eche of them was greued To see hys felow raygne in his flours And thus atwene these myghty successours Of false enuy there gan so great a stryfe That eche made other for to lose hys lyfe And as it is afore made mencion Pollicarpus and Neptolonyus By a maner false conspiracion Agayne Eumenides were onely enuious Of whose falsenesse he was suspicious Tyll on a day there is no more to sayne Metyng in battayle slew them both twayne For which slaughter proude Antigonus Of Macedone prefect and gouernour Wext in his heart so fell and dispitous And was withal a noble warriour With his knightes dyd wholly his labour Agayne Eumenides by marciall apparayle A felde assigned to holde great battayle Made vpon him a great discomfiture As they mette armed bryght in stele And thus Eumenides of mortall auenture Fledde at mischefe into a strong castell Wherof his knightes lyked neuer a dole For as the story playnly maketh mynde That day he fled and left his men behynde In which castell for he stode destitute Fro thencehe cast in all hast to flye In his great mischefe to fynde some refute That time he drew him to a strāge countrye Some succour to get auenged for to be Called Argyre by Grekes of entent The Latyn corrupt of this worde argent Of Argiraspedes a people that there dwell The name they toke after that region The whiche lande as olde bokes tell Hath of syluer plente and foyson For which cause by olde discription It toke the name of nature and of ryght Because the soyle like syluer shyneth bryght And of thys yle which hath so great a pryse As myne authour maketh rehersayle How the people be prouident and wyse Prudent in armes and manly in batayle Bothe to defende and proudlye to assayle Whiche by theyr wisdome good counsayle To kyng Alysander stode in great auayle And Eumenides one of his successours As ye haue herde drewe to that countre There to fynde some refute and succours In his mischefe and great
shalt wryte How many romaynes lost by theÌ„ their liues I wyll also in ordre that thou endyte And if I shall rebuke them and atwyte As I fro nought made them in honour shine So I again warde made theÌ„ in mischef fine Forget nat also the deadly pytous fate Of him that was so notable in his lyfe I meane the great famous Mithridate Whose name is yet full couthe and ryfe To whom I gaue a great prerogatyfe Fourty wynter the dede was well sene Agayne Romayns the werre to sustene For whiche herafter I gyue it the in charge Of Mithridate the story set alonge Whan thou haste leyser a space large Remember his conquest his dedes stronge And howe that I medled me amonge For al his noblesse and his felicite To yeue him parte of great aduersite Next in ordre after her owne choys Fortune vntrusty vpon eche party To John Bochas bothe conuayed fro Parthoys Stronge Herodes reignyng in Parthy Lo John quod she take hede of this story All his kinred yf it be well out sought Wer by ScithieÌ„s chased brought to nought And yet for al my mutabylite Some of them whyle they stode dispayred I restored vnto their dignite Vnto which whan they were repayred This Herodes was hindred and apayred By chaunges for his hatefull pride Whan he lest wende vn warely set asyde Suyng after within a lytle whyle This geryshe lady of condicion Gan an yll laughing falsely for to smyle Lokyng on Bochas brought with her doun A mighty prince which in Rome toun Had in his dayes notable price and fame All be that she expressed nat his name Bochas than his head gan downe declyne Seyng that prynce of face disfigured Of suspection gan to ymagyne Whan he his mynde fully hath recured By certayne tokens sygnes well assured It was Pompey surquedous of estate Which with Cesar so longe was at debate Disconsolate through his vnhappye caas His face soyled with water of the see Tyme whan Fotynus and cruel Achyllas Drowned hys body of furyous enmyte His face disfigured at the solempnyte With smokes blake deadly and mortall Called of clerkes the feast funerall Codrus caused the corps was brent And consumed into ashes deed To Cesar after his head was borne and sent Vpon a pole hys story who lyst rede After all this Bochas toke good hede How fortune by a maner mockery In scorne of hym gan thus to specify Vp to the heauen after his deuyse I gan enhaunce and encrease hys glory By my fauour I gaue hym many a pryse Conquest of kynges w t many great victory And more to put his noblesse in memory By my support through his chiualry With Cesar Julius to holde champarty And while that I my fauour dyd applye Towarde him his victories to assure His fame arose tyll that in Thessalye I gan withdraw his party to succoure Sufferyng his enemies make discomfiture Vpon this Pompey hyndred in my syght When to Lesbos at mischefe toke hys flyght By the seruauntes of yonge Tholome Reygning in Egypt Pompey in his drede Was take slayne he founde no helpe in me I gaue him vp and so he lost his hede Yet of my chaunges no man taketh hede Nor how vnsurely I cast my dredefull loke Saue thou art busy to set them in thy boke Bochas astonied parcell of her presence Bothe of chere face and countenaunce And this whyle hauyng his aduertence Thought he sawe a maner resemblaunce Of a person which stode in great greuaunce Tyll at last fortune cast her syght Towarde Bochas and tolde what he hyght This is quod she playnly to termine The famous man prynce of eloquence That gaue to Latynes y â— scole the doctrine Of Rethorike as well of that science For whiche I wyll thou doe thy diligence To write with other of thys Tullius All the case and gyn at Marius These wordes sayde fortune made an ende She bete her â—ynges and toke her to flyght I can nat se what way she dyd wende Saue Bochas telleth like an angell bryght At her departyng she shewed a great lyght But assone as she gan disapere He toke his penne and wrote as ye shal here The .ii. Chapter ¶ Howe Gayus Marius of lowe byrth borne came to hie estate whiche blent with couetise after many great batayls dyed at myschefe HEre Bochas gynneth to tell of the man Called in hys tyme Gayus Marius Borne at Aprina a castell of Tuscan Sonne of a carpenter the storye telleth thus Pursued armes manly and vertuous Through all Rome nor in that countre Was there no man holde so stronge as he Discyplyne and great subtylite He had also as bokes specify Prudence manhode and habylite Bothe in armes and in chyualry Moste famous holde towarde the party w tin a while myne auctour saythe certayne Chose a Tribune and a great capitayne But fro the gynnyng of his tendre age As histories put in remembraunce He was pricked so sore in his corage By a gredy fret of longe contynuaunce Neuer to staunche with none habundaunce The worlde nor fortune w t all their richesse Suffyled nat to appease his gredynesse Entring a temple he founde a diuynour Counsayled him there by his diuynayle To entre Rome and holde there soiour By good auice and knightly apparayle Made him promyse that he shoulde nat fayle To attayne by fauour of the commonte To great office and state in the cyte Fauour of commons brought hi to hie estate By them receyued vnto dignyte Of Consulere albe that the Senate Had disdayne of his felicite Bycause he was borne of lowe degre Graunted to him after by the toun To conquere realmes by a commissyon He gate the prouince through his hie renoun Of Numedy as he dyd them assayle And toke the kyng of that region Called Jugurtha proudly in batayle For whiche emprise by marcial apparayle He gate y e triumphe through y â— town ryding Bycause onely for taking of that king And for he was a person so notable For many a famous sodayne victory Namely in conquest preued profitable To all the coÌ„mons as put is in memory And for thencreace of his renome glory By the opinyon hole of the cyte In his hande lay all their prosperite Agayne a people y â— called was Cymbroys TheÌ„ to conquere froÌ„ Rome he was sent doun Also agaynst the boystous Tigurnoys Gadred together of many nacion All them he brought to subiection Like as Romains had afore desyred Because thei had againe their town coÌ„spired They toke vpon them of false presumption To passe all the mountaines of Itayle First discomfited as made is mencion Thre Romayne dukes felly in batayle Fourscore thousand clad in plate and mayle Slayne of Romayns y â— story is well knowe Vnder the Alpes at mischefe ouerthrowe This Marius of marciall auenture In Germany had a great batayle With Tewtobochus a gyaunt of stature Put first to flyght with al his apparayle For Marius dyd hym so sore assayle At the chace
proudly borne to grounde Maugre his might take in chaynes bouÌ„de Marius after with his hoste hym drewe Towarde y e people of Cimbroys for to fight Two hundred people I fynde of theÌ„ he slewe Eight thousand take thre M. put to flight Kyng Bolerus a full famous knight Slayne in the felde for all his great pryde Agayne Marius lyke as he dyd ryde That day of Cibroyes was al y e people slaine The women after he lyst nat to reserue Yet they profered wolde haue ben ful faine Their chastite deuoutly to obserue In the temple of Vesta for to serue But their request for he lyst nat here With him they fought echone slayne yfere Except some whan they sawe none other Remedy of purpose they were set Eueriche of them to slee murder other And some thought also it was bet To hange them selfe vpon an hye gybet Than to abyde of Marius the outrage Perpetually to lyue in seruage Thus Marius of thre nacions Through hys conquest accoÌ„plyshed y â— victory With prisoners of sundry regions Entred Rome to his encreace of glory With speciall laudes notable of memory First the triumphe a guerdon singulere He tymes syxe was chosen a Consulere Thus fortune was to him fauourable To set him vp in worldly dignities For a season but for she was chaungeable Amonge her gyftes and great prosperitees She gaue him parte of great aduersytees And specially the tyme accompted than Twene him Scilla whan the werre gan Lucius Scilla abyding in Champayne Marius at Rome tho present Whan the deuysion gan atwene theÌ„ twayne Eche to other contrary of entent Melancolous and impacient Whiche of both the story wel conceyued To gouerne should sonest be receyued All sodaynly were it right or wronge Toward Rome takinge his passage Agayne Marius to make him selfe stronge Gan slee and burne and of great outrage Wylfull and hasty furyous of corage For sodaine comming and vnware violence Agayne him found no resystence Two mighty batayls he dyd with him lede Entryng the cite gan through y â— wal myne Wyth one bataile fast gan him spede To passe the gate called Aquylyne That other gate named was Colyne At whose entring by recorde of the boke Scilla by strength the capitoyle toke But whan Marius had knowlegyng That Scilla had so great power might Without arest or lenger abydyng In to a maryshe Gayus anonright With all his people toke sodainly his flyght Fet out by strength coude hym nat defende Scilla after to prison dyd him sende Thus the prowesse for a whyle slept Of Marius lying in pryson Scilla that tyme the capitoyle kept Wherby all Rome stode in subiection And of hatred in haste he sent down A sturdy chorle to Marius in his drede Whyle he lay bounde to smyte of his heade This chorle wel compacte of braune bones Set of purpose Marius for to oppresse For his strength ordayned for the nones To the prison the chorle gan him fast dresse Where Marius was fettred in distresse Fully in purpose without more delay To behead him in prison there he lay Losing hym first lying on his couche And Marius rose vp lyke a man The chorle fearfull to â—inite him or to touche And Marius full proudly tho began To entre a place beside of a woman Founde an asse there of auenture Vpon whose backe the see he gan recure Towarde Affrike there he fonde passage By enprisoning though he were wext faynt Yet there abode styl in his corage Hye worthynesse with prudence meynt Which in his person were nat queynt Agayne the malyce to make a countertayle Of proude Scilla the malyce efte tassayle Of Itayle rode through the countre Toke his voyage through Rome tou n Wyth four batayls entred the cyte Sixe hundred knightes by computacion Slaine in the felde as made is mencion Where men may se who lyste loke aferre What domage diuysion dothe in werre First by the manhode of this Marius In this diuysion the story who lyst rede The great Consull called Octauius Loste his head and his lyfe in dede Vpon a pole while it dyd blede Was cruelly presented of entent Before the iudges sytting in iugement Of whose death some of them were fayne Some sory of loue as they were bounde And in this werre Merula was slayne Priest in the temple lyke as it is founde Of Jupiter with many mortal wounde The romayne slayne y â— called was Crassus With fyre consumed was proude Catullus All his enemyes Marius dydencombre Which agayne him by conspyracion Were assented with a ful great nombre In their auise for to haue put him doun Take from him his dominacion But he abode the turment and the shoures Strong to coÌ„dempne al his coÌ„spyratours Sixe times aforne rehersed here Of condicion though he were dispytous He was chosen so oft consulere Tyll fortune gan wexe enuyous Agayne this sayd cruell Marius Which made the Senate w t al the chyualry To grutche agayne his hatefull tyranny In this time the story maketh mynde Damasippus a Pretor of the toun Frendly to Marius helpyng as I fynde Vnder a shadowe of deception Vnto their cite for to do treason Causyng four Romayns come in fere Tofore Marius a certayne day tapere And their names to put in memory Sceuola Carto and Domicius The fourth of them as sayth the story Called in Rome the wyse Antistius Together assembled tofore Marius He of rancour agayne iudgement or lawe Made theÌ„ be slayn through the cite drawe Their bodies after were in Tybre cast By cruelte of the sayde Marius All this while the cruell werre last Twene him and Scilla tyl duke CoÌ„paneus Came to the party hardy and dispitous To helpe Scilla their baners first displayed Wherof all Rome was sodaynly affrayed At the gate that called was Collatyne Marius and Scilla had a great batayle Four score thousand the numbre to termyne On Marius side slayne it is no fayle Scilla victorious with marcial apparayle Entring the towne agayne his othe parde Thre thousand citezius slew of that cite Of folke disarmed and naked in the towne They nouther spared olde nor yonge of age The cruell murdrers walkynge vp downe By Scilla sent in that mortall rage Tyll Catullus a prynce fall in age Sayde vnto Scilla we can no difference Twene rebellion nor atwene innocence We murder and slee without exception Bothe hie and low holdyng no manere Againe all knighthode to myne opinion We do procede in our conquest here Our title is lost the triumphe to requere Of hie prowesse whan we can nat obserue No difference to slee nor to reserue And in this while of hatefull cruelte Scilla contriued letters diffamable Wherby fiue hundred out of that cite Were falsly banished citezins notable Agayns them he was so vntreatable All their goodes atcheâ—ed in that rage Of auaryce and of false pyllage Another romayne named Marius Brother to Marius of whoÌ„ tofore I tolde For drede of Scilla fled and toke an hous Which vnto
away besyde And at the siege lyst no lenger abyde Lucullus then the myghty Consuler Pursued after slew of hys meyne Such a multitude that Asopus the ryuer Was made with blode lyke the reed se w t winde tempest fordriuen also was he And when he saw no succour in the lande To shyp he went w t strong and mighty hand He founde fortune cruell aduersary On lande and se this worthy Mithridate And Neptunus made the see contrary Agayns him his puyssaunce to abate What shall men call it influence or fate So sodaynly a prynce of hye renowne Fro hye noblesse to be plounged downe For any mischefe he kept aye one visage This Mithridate and lothe was for to plye Or for to bowe so stronge was hys corage But efte agayne goth with hys chiualry Towarde Adrastus an hyll of Armeny Where as Pompey beset hym enuyron Sent fro Rome to his distruction Mithridate makyng his lodgyng place Vnder that hyll when it drew to nyght The troubly heuen w t thuÌ„dring gan manace The firy leuyn dyrked hath hys syght The cloudy moue eclipsed of her lyght Astonied hym by vnware violence That he stode confuse of all prouydence He was by tempest and vnware derkenesse Almost made wery of hys wofull lyfe Yet I fynde of very kyndnesse Hipsicrata whiche that was hys wyfe Nouther for werre nor no mortall stryfe Left him neuer disguysed of vysage Folowed him arayed as a page Yet in hys most mortall heuynesse Whan cloudy fortune gan him most manace Of his corage the naturall quickenesse Appaled nat nor remeued from his place So hie prowesse dyd hys heart enbrace Nat dispayred for no sodayne fall Of condicion he was so marciall In token wherof he standyng at mischefe Chaunged nouther chere nor countenaunce An euidence and a full great prefe Of manly force and heartely assuraunce Defiyng fortune with all her varyaunce Whan that he founde to hys distruction Of dispayre greatest occasion With hym he had a baylife as I fynde Called Castor whiche of condicion Was to his lorde false and eke vnkynde And conspired agayne him false treason In token wherof vp to Rome toun Hys lordes children yonge tender of age â—yke a thefe he sent them in hostage One of his sonnes he murdred by treason Which Mithridate toke ful sore at herte Another sonne as made is mencion False to his father which whaÌ„ he did aduerte The vnkyndnesse made him sore smerte For of all vyces shortly to conclude â—orst of al is hatefull ingratitude This same childe of whom I make mynde Called Pharnax whych agayne nature To his father traytour and vnkynde And his purpose agayne hym to recure In al hast dyd his busy cure For to accomplyshe his purpose in party Drewe to him hole his fathers chyualry By sleight mede whaÌ„ he was made strong He besieged his father rounde aboute Vnto nature me semeth he dyd wrong To put his father in so great a dout Kyndnesse was ferre shyt wythout Whan the sonne wyth hate set a fyre Agayne his father falsly dyd conspyre Wyth multitude his father was constrayned Maugre hys myght in to a toure to flee Hys sonne vnkynde hath at him disdained And yet for al his straunge aduersite Of his corage the magnanimite In his person stode hole lyst not vary Though fortune was to hym contrary Yet myne auctour Bocas beareth recorde That Mithrydate if it would haue be Requyred his sonne to be at accord And set asyde al olde contrariouste But he vnkynde indurate was parde Euer frowarde malycious of corage So disposed from his tendre age So that the kyng Mithrydate alas Was ouercome by vnkyndenesse That neuer afore in no maner caas Stode dismayed but of hye prowesse Kept aye one face all passions to represse This vertue force by marcial doctrine For none aduersite suffred hym declyne Ende of his werres his mortall stryues Of his debates and discencions Hys concubines his daughters hys wiues By meane onely of certayne pocions Slewe them al by drinkynge of poysons For he not woulde the cause to dyscriue After his death they shoulde byde on lyue Hys owne death of mortall fell rygour Compassed afore thus he gan deuyse Made a french knyght y â— was a soudiour With a sharpe sworde in ful cruel wyse To ren him through wherby the frauÌ„chyse Conserued was his purpose to fulfyl He woulde not dye but by his owne wyll Lo here the ende of kyng Mithridate Let princes all of his deth take hede Howe rechelesly he passed in to fate And by assent made his herte blede And Bochas here who lyst hys boke to rede Playnly rehersynge but in wordes fewe To worldely princes doth his coÌ„ceyte shewe ¶ Lenuoye MYghty prynces lyfte vp your corrages Towarde heauen doo youre hertes dresse Of your memory turne vp the vysages Wher ioy is euer peace concorde gladnesse True armonye celestiall swetnes Counterpayse in your remembraunce Worldly chaunges fortunes variaunce Aduertise the mortal fell outrages Of blody werres impossible to repres Whyle false enuy wyth his furious rages In sondry realmes hath so great entres Slaughter murdre deuision falsenes Which conscience haue brought to vttrauÌ„ce Through soden chaunge of worldly variauÌ„ce Reken vp princes that sate hye on stages What was the fyne of their royall noblesse Or of tirauntes reken vp the blody wages Sodaine slaughter guerdoned their wodenes Mithridate can beare hereof wytnes By blode vnkynde brought vnto vttrauÌ„ce Through soden chauÌ„ge of worldly variaunce Prynces remembre vpon the golden age Whan Saturne ruled y â— worlde in rightwisnes Next Jupiter for peoples auauÌ„tage The silueren worlde conserued in clennes Which Mars hath nowe turned to felnes Made it steelen w t sworde dagger launce Through soden chauÌ„ge of worldly variauÌ„ce Of Mithridate regestre the vyages Conspired poysons taffray his prowesse On land and see tempestious passages By coÌ„straynt bode .vii. yere in wildernesse Of his wandrynge payse the vnsykernes Hys ende myschefe knewe no auoydaunce Gayn worldly chauÌ„ge nor fortuÌ„es variauÌ„ce If neglygeÌ„ce haue brought you in rerages Towarde God or he reken in streyghtnesse Let reason medle for you to lay hostages Compassyon mercy partynge of almesse Towarde heuen to support your feblenesse Whan your merites shal paise in balaunce Of worldly chauÌ„ges fortunes variaunce Deth spareth nother hye nor lowe lynages Haue mynde heron for any rechelesnes Transitory be here your pylgrimages Set with brigaÌ„ts vnwarely you toppresse But of prudence by great auysenesse Wyth prouydence preserue your puyssaunce Gayn worldly chauÌ„ge fortunes variaunce ☞ The .iiii. chapter ⧠Howe Eucratydes kynge of Sythie was slayne by Demetrius and after his carayne cast to houndes NExt in ordre to Bochas dyd apere A woful prince that put hym selfe in prees Reignyng in Sithia his story doth vs lere The name of whom was Eucratides But to disturbe his quiet and his pees Agayne him plainly as I fynde Came Demetryus y â— myghty kyng of Inde Of whom the power
and the vyolence To Eucratides was very importable Besieged first and for lacke of defence Take at mischefe his fone not mercyable For Demetrius was on hym so vengeable Whan he was slayne w tin his owne boūdes Made the carayne be cast out to y ◠houndes Not wythstandinge he was a worthy kynge Borne of hye blode such was his auenture Demetrius sonne aboue al erthly thynge Hated hym by recorde of Scripture Of rancoure denyed hys sepulture And for the matter is hateful and contrary On his story I wyll no lenger tary The .v. Chapter ¶ Howe Herodes kyng of Parthoys werred wyth Romains whych after his sonne and heyre was slayne made hys bastarde sonne kynge y t anon after slewe his father TO Arthabanus whilō of Parthois kynge I purpose my style to transporte A full olde prince had in his liuing Sonnes twayne bokes so reporte Which in his age dyd him most comforte Mithridate was the eldest brother And herodes called was that other Mithridate by reason of hys age Hys father dead dyd after him succede Which banished was for tiranny outrage Afterwarde for mischefe and for nede In to Babylon he toke his flyght for drede The people anone after his partyng Of Indignacion made hys brother kynge Thus came Herodes to estate royal Pursued hys brother in to Babilon Layde a siege rounde aboute the wall They to him yelded vp the toun Thus was hys brother brought to cōfusion Afore the castell wythout lenger date Made smyte of the head of Mithridate In Parthois after he toke possession Thus yong Herodes of voiūte and pride Gan a werre agayne them of Rome toun Whom to w tstande they lyst not longe abyde The cōsull Crassus cam down to theyr syde Cōmaūded was short processe for to make Toward Parthois hys voiage for to take Crassus lyst not to entre in that reme Left Parthois the story dothe deuyse Toke his waye towarde Jerusalem To take there a solempne empryse In the temple onely of couetise Toke there agayne the tytle of ryghtwysnes Vp al their treasour their great ryches By which he gate in diuers regions Great multitude to hold vp his party Led wyth hym eleuen legyons Towarde Parthois fast gan him hye By hys letters proudly gan defy The sayd Herodes wyth great apparayle Myd his countre profred him battayle The next morowe whā Crassus toke y ◠felde To him was brought of blacke a cote armure Which whan his knightes auisedly beheld Dempt it a token of discomfiture For in contrary Romayns do their cure Whan their capitaine shal fighte or be hed His cote armur is outher white or red Another token frowarde to beholde The fyrst Egle beate in his banere Also soone as men dyd it vnfold Contrariously he tourned loke and chere The back to Crassus folke sawe y t stode nere A pronostyke to Romayns ful certaine Howe fortune to them was that daye againe By the flud passinge of Eufrates w t vnware tempestes hys standerdes echone In to the ryuer were cast amonge the prees To reken them all vpryght stode not one Wherof astoyned they wold no further gone These pronostykes made them so afrayed Lyke men in hert dispaired and dismaied Of these tokens Crassus was recheles The pronostykes also he dyd dyspyse Toke vpon him to passe Eufrates To entre Parthoys onely for couetise To whom Herodes sendeth in thys wyse That hys commynge was more for pyllage Than for knyghthode manhode or corage Al the power of Parthoys tho came downe With many Prefecte men of great courage Agayne Crassus them of Rome towne Which as I tolde abode on their pyllage That turned after to their great domage The sonne of Crassus slayne in that fray His father take and al vpon a daye His head smyt of in whom was no defence But disconfyted wyth many a legion The heade of Crassus brought to the presence Of Herodes within his royal toun Whych hath comaunded golde to be broughte doune To be molte there as he lay dead And to powre thereof full hys head This thinge was done for a mockery In signe onely the storye doth deuyse That golde nor treasour vpon no party Staunche myght his thrust of couetyse Suche gredines eche man should dispyse For auaryce of custome in eche place Of hye prowes doth the prise difface Herodes after dyd serche all the wardes Through al the felde vpon Crassus syde Toke the penons baners standardes And in his tempels large longe and wyde Let hange them vp of surquedy and pride In signe onely and eke for a memory He of Romains hath get the victory With whiche he lyst not onely be content Wenyng his fortune shoulde abyde stable In to Surry he hath hys sonne sēt Called Pachorus made him a constable Of that region with him to be partable Of al treasours and mouables y ◠he founde Whereuer he rode throughout al lond This Pachorus by hys chyualry Encrease gan in his tendre age Wherof Herodes his father had enuy Fearful it shoulde tourne to his domage Lest he would by tytle of heritage Maugre him at hys agayne commynge Take vpon him of Parthoys to be king Than Pachorus was called home agayne Out of Surrye where in conclusion Al that he had wrought was in vayne Bycause one Cassius fro Rome was come Slewe al the people in the region Whych appertayued to Pachorus as I find doun Without capitaine for they were left behynde To withstande this Romayne Cassius Herodes hath his sonne sent agayne Whych anone after the story telleth thus Amyd the felde vnhappely was slayne To trust fortune it is a thynge but vayne Whiche of custome to day is fauourable And to morowe geryshly chaungeable Of Pachorus dethe whan the noise arose And the distressynge of his chyualry And to Herodes abydyng in Parthois Tyding was brought farde as he would die Of hertely sorow fyl in to a frensy Heyre was none left of the royall lynes Saue thurty bastardes borne of concubines Thus Herodes was cast in great sickenes Hys sonnes deth was to hym importable Hys worldly ioy was gon his gladnes Fortune cōtrary which neuer can be stable Age fylon hys lyfe was not durable And of one thyng most he dyd hym drede Cause he had none heire to succede Whyche woulde not suffre him lyue in pees Tyll at the last he caught a fantasy Chase a bastarde called Pharactes Bycause he was famous in chyualry Gaue him the crowne and the regaly Which anone after breuely to conclude Slewe Herodes of ingratitude The .vi Chapiter ☞ Howe Fimbria a Consull of Rome slewe him selfe AFter to Bochas by processe of this boke Foure myghty princes notable of estate Towarde him thei cast chere loke Lyke vnto folke that were infortunate With whom fortune had ben at debate For by their maner as it sempt wele They were at mischiefe fall fro her whele First Fymbria a romayne consulere Sent by the romayns to a great cite Called Nichomede came as a
messangere To helpe Flaccus slayne by great aduersite As he entred in to that countre After whose dethe his party to auaunce Of Flaccus meyny toke the gouernaunce Of presumption without auctorite This Fymbria by dyligent labour Full ferre aboue his state and his degree Toke vpon 〈◊〉 by fortunes false fauour To be called capitaine and Emprour Through al that countre bokes specify Of whose presumpcion Scilla had enuy Pursued him through many a greate citye To a castel made him take hys flyght Where Fymbria of great necessite Constrained was maugre all hys myght Dyspayred for sake of euery maner wyght To slee hym selfe the storye telleth thus Wythin the temple of Esculapius The .vii. chapter ¶ Of Albinius that was slayne with stones ANother Consull stoode in case semblable In his tyme called Albinius Whose hareful pride was abhominable To al folkes lothsome and odious Whiche lyke a rebel wode and furious Agayne Romayns ofter than ones Whan he lest wende slayne was w t stones The .viii. chapter How Adriane borne of lowe degre falsly vsurped to be kyng of Rome whyche w t his chorles was after brent NExt cam Adrian which rose to hie estate Fyrst in Rome borne of lowe degre Chosen sent by the whole Senate To gouerne of Affrike the countre Where of hys owne pompous auctorite Toke vpon him by subtel false workynge Maugre Romayns ther to be crowned king Whom to support shortly to conclude Was a great numbre of the cōmonte Of chorles gadred a confuse multitude Title was none nor grounde but volunte Gentlemen than beyng in that countre All of assent and one opinion Assembled them to his distruction At Vtices a large great cyte Hym and his churles beset rounde aboute Of woode and fagot with large quantite In cōpas wise closed him without Gadred with him of vylayns a great rout Layd on fyre that with flames rede Echone consumed in to ashes deade The .ix. chapter Howe Sinthonius kinge of Trace y t much coueted al forwet died in pouerte NExt Adrian came Sinthonius Tofore Bocas w t teres spreint his face As the story reherseth vnto vs In hys tyme he was kynge of Trace Fal sodainly from fortunes grace Cast downe lowe from his estate royal Which came to Bochas to complayne his fal Whose purpose was if it woulde haue be Seuen realmes to haue cōquered w t his hād That were subget to Rome the cytie And all seuen were of grekes lande Who al coueteth ye shal vnderstande He al forgothe ful wel affyrme I dare At vnset houre wherof eche man beware Long or his conquest was brought to a prefe From her whele fortune cast hym doun The pretor Sēcius brought him to mischiefe Dyed in pouerte as made is mencion And Bochas here maketh a digression Compendiously within a lytell space To discriue the region of Trace The .x. Chapter ¶ Here Bochas in partye maketh a dyscripcion of the kyngdome of Trace and passeth ouer lyghtlye vnto the accōplyshment of his boke TRace whylom a countre of greate fame And contayneth a ful large space And of Tyras it toke fyrst y ◠name Son of Japhet and so was called Trace Whyche many a daye dwelled in that place Towarde Septemtrion plenteous of good Besyde Dynoe the large famous flode Southward Trace renneth the flode Egee Macedone standeth in the Occydent And the kyngdome called Propontide Stant in Trace towarde the Oryent Where great plente of blod was shed spente Whan Sencius through his hye prowesse Kyng Adrian there manly dyd oppresse Ebrus in Trace is the chefe citie As myne auctour maketh mencion I cast not long to tary but in breuite To make of Trace a discripcion And to procede in my translacion After myne auctor which wryteth a lōg proces Of great Pompeye his worthynes The .xi Chapiter ¶ Howe after many great conquestes of Duke Pompeye great warre began bytwene hym and Julyus in whiche thre hūdred thousād were slaine at the last the head of Pōpeye smytten of THys Pompeius of whom the name is couth Wise and worthy famous of prowesse Toke vpō hym in his tendre youth After his father by fortunate duresse Called Pōpeye the story beareth wytnesse Distressed was by sodaine deth commynge As sayeth y ◠story through thūdre lyghtning His host dystroyed by the violence Of vnware tempest lyke as saith the boke Fourty thousand slayne in that pestilence For feare the remenaunt the felde forsoke Til yonge Pōpeye of corage on him toke In his beginning proudely to procede Ful lyke a knyght his fathers host to lede Rome that tyme by theyr dyscencions Among them selfe nye brought to ruyne By the frowarde false diuysions Twene Marius Silla brefely to termine Tyl that a new sonne gan to shyne Of worthynes which shad his light In manly Pompeye the famous knyght This sayde Pompeye thys knyghtly man At his begynnyng through hys chyualrye The proude captayne slough whan he began Whych of Marius helde vp the party Called Brutus which in Lombardy Was by Pōpey thrugh knightly gouernaūce With al hys host brought to mischaunce In hys begynning Pompey eke also To set Romaynes in rest quiete One that was called Gneus Carbo He slew him knyghtly whan he did him mete Whych in Cicyle proudly helde his sete And all the countres about him enuyron Pompey made thē subiect to Rome toun After al this Pompeyus on the see Wyth many a shyp stuffed with vytaile Towarde Affrike made a great armee And there in hast after his arriuaile With Domicius had a great battayle Brought the coūtre throughe his hye renoun To be to Rome vnder subiection He pursued the great myghty kynge Called Jertha to Marius honorable And had also hys royall abydynge In Numidy a countre full notable Againe Pompey hys power was not able For at a Castel as they met in fyght He slewe kynge Jertha lyke a māly knyght Thus in brefe tyme holdyng his passage For cōmon profyte as made is mencion By hys wisedome and knightly hye corage Brought al Affrike to subiection Which stode afore in rebellion To the Romayns but all their sturdines The sayd Pompey dyd in haste redresse The greatest enemy agayne Rome toun Thylke dayes was one Sertorius And of fortune whych is nowe vp now doun On Pompeye ones was victorious But after soone of hym it happed thus Among his meyny fallynge at debate He slayne was in hys most hye estate After the deth of thys Sertorius Came Porpenna Pompeye to assayle And as they mette anone Pompeius Ful lyke a knyght slewe him in battaile Which victory greatly dyd auayle To the Romains after by gouernaunce He brought Spayne to their obeysaunce By auctorite gyue by the Senate This Noble Pompeye for vayle of the cite Vpon the sea would suffer no Pyrate Where euer he came fro hym they dyd flee For wyth his shyppes he scoured so the see And bare hym there so māly with hys hande That maugre thē he brought thē to the land Al
full false trayson The eldest brother called eke Pompey Being in Spaine with ful great apparayle Cast him of newe Cesar to warrey And his people proudly to assayle And as I fynde there was a great batayle In which Pompey the eldest son of thre By Julius men constrained was to flee He fonde no socour nor receit him to saue Of his life he standing in great drede Knowyng no refute fled in to a caue Tescape away knew no better rede Where he was slaine to Cesar brought hyshede Sent forth in scorne anon to Hispalee Which in Spayne is a full great cyte Thus by processe al holy the kinrede Of Pompeius for short conclusion By Cesar was and by his men in dede Without mercy brought to distruction Thus gan enâ—reas the fame and renoun Of Julius conquestes on sea eke on land Whose mortal swerd might no man w t stand First in Libie Spaine and eke Itayle Thexperience of his royal puissaunce In Germany by many strong bataile His power preued ofte times in Fraunce Brought all these kingdoms to y e obeisaunce Of the romains peised al this thing and sein Touching his guerdoÌ„ his labor was in vein Toward Rome making his repeyre By him appeaced ciuil discencions Of Throne imperial climbing in the eyre For the conquest of xiii regions Of the triumphe required the guerdons Which to recure his force hath applied Albe the Senate his request hath denied And his name more to magnifye To shewe the glory of his hie noblesse To the Capitole fast he gan him hie As Emperour his domes there to dresse That day began with ioy and gladnesse The eue nothing according w t the morowe Thentring gladde th ende care sorowe Calphurnia whiche that was his wyâ—e Had a dreme the same night beforne Tokyns shewed of the same funerall strife Howe that her lorde was like to be lorne By conspiracy compassed and sworne If he that day without auisement In the Capitole satte in iugement She dremed alas as she laye and slept That her lorde through girt w t many a wouÌ„de Lay in her lappe and she the body kept Of womanhede like as she was bounde But wo alas to true her dreme was founde The next morowe no lenger made delay Of his periody was hys fatall day A poore man called Tongilius Whiche secretly the traison did espy Let write a letter toke it to Julius The case declaring of their conspiracy Which to rede Cesar lyst nat apply But wo alas ambicious negligence Caused his murdre by vnware violence Cesar sitting amydde the consystorie In his estate most imperiall After many conquestes and victorie Fortune awayting to giue hym a fall With bodkyns persinge as a nall He murdred was w t many a mortal wouÌ„d Lo how false trust in worldly poÌ„pe is found ¶ Lenuoye THroughe all this booke rede eche tragedy Afore rehersed and put in remembraunce Is none more wofull to my fantasy Than is the fall of Cesar in substaunce Which in his hyest imperiall puissaunce Whan he wende haue be most glorious Was murdred at Rome by Brutus Cassius This marcial prince ridig through LoÌ„bardy Eche countre yelded brought to obeisauÌ„ce Passyng the Alpes rode through Germany To subiection brought the realme of FraÌ„ce Gate Brutes Albion by long continuauÌ„ce Two lustres passed this manly Julius And murdred at Rome by Brutus Cassius Among the Senat was the conspiracy All of assent and of one accordaunce Whose triumphe they proudely gan deny But maugre them was kept thobseruaunce His chare of golde with stedes of plesaunce Conueied through Rome this prince most poÌ„pus The murdre folowig by Brutus Cassius Reken his conquestes reken his chiualry With a counterpeis of worldly variaunce Fortunes chaunges for his purparty Way all togyder cast them in balaunce Set to of Cesar the mischeuable chaunce With his periody sodayne and enuious Murdred at Rome by Brutus Cassius Bokes all and Cronicles specifye By influence of heuinly purueiaunce Mars and Jupiter their fauour did apply With gladaspectes his noblesse to enhaunce Mars gaue him man Jupiter gouernaunce Among princes holde one the most famous And murdred at Rome by Brutus Cassius Beholde of Alysandre the great monarchy Which all the world had vnder obeysaunce The prowesse of Hector medled with gentry Of Achilles the melancolike vengeaunce Reken of echone the quauering assuraunce Among remembring the fyne of Julius Murdred at Rome by Brutus Cassius Princes consydre in marciall policy Is nouther trust faithe nor affiaunce All stande in chaunge w t twicling of an eye Vp towarde heuin set your attendaunce The worlde vnsure all worldly plesaunce Lordship abydeth nat recorde on Julius Murdred at Rome by Brutus Cassius ⧠The .xiiii. Chapter ⧠Howe Octauian succeded next and howe the murdrers of Julius died at myschefe AFter the dethe of this manly man This noble Prince this famous Emperoure His worthy neuewe called Octanian To reigne in Rome was next his successour Which did his deuoyre by diligent labour To punysh all tho of nature as he ought By rightfull dome y â— the murdre wrought Chefe conspiratour was Brutus Cassius Which of this murdre made all thordinaunce Another Brute surnamed Decius Was one also conspyryng the vengeaunce Wrought on Cesar he after slaine in France Here meÌ„ may se what coastes y â— men wende How murdre alway requyreth an yll ende Within the space almost of thre yere Distroied were all the conspiratours By sodaine dethe some stode in daungere To be banished or exyled as traitours And as it is cronicled by aucthours Space of thre yere tekened one by one Dyed at myschefe the murdrers echone To murdre a prince it is a pitious thing God of his right will take therof veÌ„geaunce Namely an Emperour so famous in ech thig Which all the world had in gouernaunce Reken his coÌ„questes digne of remembraunce All peysed in one Bochas beareth wytnesse In hie estate is littell sykernesse ☞ The .xv. Chapter ¶ Howe Tullius was two tymes exyled and at the last slayne by Pompilius MYne auctoure here writeth no longe processe Of Julius death complaining but a whyle To write of Tully in hast he gan him dresse Compendiously his life for to compile Complaining fyrst saith his barayne style Is insufficient to write as men may sene Of so notable a rethoriciene Lampe and lanterne of Romayne oratours Among them called prince of eloquence On Pernaso he gathered vp the flours This rethoricien most of excellence Whose merytes truely to recompence The muses nyne me thought as I toke hede A crowne oflaurer set vpon his head Bochas astonied gan in him selfe conclude His boke abashed dull of his corage Thought his termes reasons were to rude And that he lacked conning and langage Wherby he should to his auauntage Though he labored wryting all his liue Of Tullius the merites to discriue Wherof supprised he caught a fantasy Within him selfe remembring anonright Though it so fall somtime a cloudye skye Be chased
with wynde afore the son bright Yet in effect it leseth nat his light So Bochas dempte that his dul writing Eclypsed nat of Tullius the shining With rude langage a man may well reporte The laude of triūphs cōquestes maruelus Which thing remembring gretly gā confort The herte of Bochas to him selfe said thus Two colours sene that be contrarious As white and blacke it may be none other Eche in his kinde she weth more for other In Phebus presens starres lese their light Clere at midday appereth nat Lucine The fame of Tulli whilom shone so bright Prince of fayre speche father of y ◠doctrine Whose bright bemes vnto this houre shine Sothly quod Bochas of whō whā I endite My hande I fele quaking while I write But for to giue folke occasion Which in rethorike haue more experience Than haue I and more inspection In the colours and crafte of eloquence Them texite to do their diligence Vnto my writing whan they may attende Of compassion my rudenesse to amende Vnto him selfe hauing this langage Bochas to write gan his pen dresse Vnder supporte afforced his corage To remembee thexcellent noblesse Of this oratour which with the swetnesse Of his ditees abrode as they haue shyned Hath this worlde moste clerely enlumined This Tullius this singuler famous man Fyrste to remembre of his natiuite Borne at Arpinas a cite of Tuscan Of blode royal discended who lyst se Grekyshe bokes of olde antiquite Made of rethorike in their vulgar song He translated in to the latin tong In tendre youth his countre he forsoke And fro Tuscan his passage he gan dresse Towarde Rome the right way he toke Entring the citie the renomed noblesse Hydde in his person she wed the brightnesse Of diuers vertues time while he abode That like the son hys fame sprede abrode For his vertues made a citezaine The good reporte of him shone so clere Like as he had be borne a romaine In their fauour his name was so entere Among them chose for a Consulere Agayne the cite time of his Consulate Whan Cateline was with them at debate By the prudence of this Tullius And his manhode rekened bothe in fere Catelina most cruel and yrous Frowarde of porte frowarde of his chere Busy euer to finde out the manere Howe he might by any token or signe Agayne the citie couertly maligne Sixe hūdred yere fourscore tolde and nine Rekened of Rome fro the foundacion This cruel tyrant this proude Cateline Made with other a coniuracion Againe franchises and fredame of the toun First discured as bokes tell can In the parties and boundes of Tuscan The purpose holy of this Cateline Imagined on false couetyse Was to bryng Rome vnto ruine And therupon in many sondry wise Found out meanes and waies gan deuise To his entent by diligent labour In the cite to gette him great fauour But finally his coniuracion Discured was by one Quincius Which was afore false vnto the toun Told at the case vnto Tullius By whose prudence working marueilus By helpe of Antony that was his felawe The coniuracion was broken and w tdrawe By wytte of Tulli all the coniuratours Espied were and brought vnto mischaunce Their names red tofore the Senatours Of their falshead tolde all the gouernaunce Manly ordained through his purueiaunce With al his people as made is mencion Catelina departed from the toun With Antony the said Cateline Besyde Pistoy had a great bataile Slaine in the felde he myght nat decline For he abode whan the felde gan fayle Power of one littel may aueile Namely whan falshed of malice of pride Againe trouth dare the bront abyde There was another called Lentulus Of his felowes that named was Fabine The third of them eke called Cetegus All assented and sworne to Cateline Strangled in prison at mischefe did fyne Cause Tullius did execucion Tulliane was called the prisone Thus coude he punishe traitors of the toun Outray their enemies of manhod prudence Called of their cite gouernour patron Sent from aboue to be their defence Their champion most digne of reuerence Chose of their goddes their cite for to gye By two prerogatiues knighthode clergy Lyke the sonne he did them enlumyne By hie prowes of knightly excellence And through the world his bemes dyd shyne Of his rethorike and of his eloquence In whiche he had so great experience By circūstaunces that nothyng did lacke He transcended Plocius and Gracke Of oratours it is put in memorye This Tullius through his hie renoun Of all echone the honour and the glorie Was giue to him as made is mencion Surmounted al and in conclusion The golden trumpe of the house of Fame Through the world blew abrode his name He knewe secretes of philosophy Came to Athens to scole for doctrine Where he profited so greatly in clergy In all sciences heuenly and diuyne That he was called as aucthors determyne Amonge Romayns of very due right Of eloquence the lanterne and the light It is remembred among oratours Howe Tullius pleted causes twayne In the romaine courte afore the Senatours The cause defending by langage souerain Of two accused againe them that did playn On their defautes them sauyng fro mischefe The court escapyng fro dangere reprefe These causes twayne he pleted in latin With so excellent flouring fayre langage With such reasons concluded at the fine That he by wysedome caught thauauntage In his maters with all the surplusage That might aueile vnto his partie What he said there coud no man denie Among Grekes at Athens the cite So great he was of reputacion So famous holde of auctorite To be compared by their opinion To the Philosopher that called was Platō To whose cradell bees dyd abrayde And hony sote they on his lyppes layde Apronostike like as bokes tell Plato should by famous excellence Of rethorike be very sours and well For his langage myrrour of eloquence Yet the Grekes recorden in sentence Howe Tullius in party and in all Was vnto Plato in rethorike egall Through his langage this said Tullius Reconciled by his sote orisons To the lordshyp and grace of Julius Princes and kinges of diuers regions That suspecte stode by accusacions Bicause they did Julius disobey Wer enclined with romains to Pompey He coude appease by his prudent langage Folkes that stode in discencion By crafte he had a speciall auauntage Fauour synguler in pronunciacion In his demenyng great prudence and reasō For the pronounsing of matters in substaūce His thanke receiueth by chere countenāce To a gladde mater longeth a gladde chere Men treat of wysdom w t wordes of sadnesse Pleintes requyre after the matere Greuous or morall a chere of heuines Lyke as the cause outher the proces Gyueth occasion to hinder or to spede The doctrine in Tullius men may rede The name of Tulli was couth in many place His eloquence in euery lande was ryfe His langage made him stand in grace And be preferred
during al his life Maried he was had a right fayre wyfe Children many seruauntes yong and olde And as I finde he helde a good houshoulde De Officiis he wrote bokes thre De Amicitia I fynde how he wrote one Of age another notable for to se Of morall vertue they treated euerychone And as Vyncent wrote full yore agone In his myrrour called Hystoriall Nombre of his bokes be there remeÌ„bred all He wrote also the dreme of Scipion Of rethorike compiled bokes twayne And twayne he wrote of diuinacion Of titell of land to write he did his paine A large boke of glorie that is vaine Dere Publica and he saith him selue Of his oracions he wrote bokes twelue And of his dities that called be morall Is remembred notably in dede In the said myrrour Historiall And yet this said Tullius as I rede Myd his worshyps stode alway in drede Of fortune for in conclusion He by enuy was banished Rome toun Beyng in exile this famous Tullius At Campania in Atiue the cite Receiued he was of one Plaucius A man that time of great authorite And while that he abode in that countre Sleping a night the boke maketh mencion How that he had a wonders vision He thought thus as he laie sleping In a desert and great wildernesse Finding no pathe but to and fro romyng Howe he mette cladde in great richesse Gaius Marius a prince of great noblesse Askyng Tulli with a sadde countenaunce What was chefe and cause of his greuaunce Whan Tullius had him the cause tolde Of his disease and his mortal wo Marius with his hande set on him holde To a â—ergiaunt assigned him right tho And in all hast bad him he should go To conuey him do his bu sy cure In all hast possyble to his sepulture Where he should haue tidinges of plesaunce Of his repeyre in to Rome towne Be alleyed of his olde greuaunce This was th ende of his auision The next morow as made is mencion There was hold to Tullius great aueile Tofore Jupiter in Rome a great counsayle Within the temple buylded by Marius The Senatours accorded were certaine To reconsile this prudent Tullius Out of his exile to call him home againe After receiued as lord and soueraine Of eloquence by assent of the Senate Fully restored vnto his fyrst estate This thinge was don whan y â— Rome toun Was at grettest strife twene Cesar PoÌ„pey And for Tullius drue him to Caton With Pompeius Cesar to warrey And of Julius the partie disobey Out of Rome Tullius dyde him hie Fledde with Pompey in to Thessalie Cesar after of his free mocion Whan he stode hiest in his glorie Hym reconsyled againe to Rome town Vpon Pompey accomplished the victorie But Julius slaine in the consistorie By sixty Senatours being of assent Tullius againe was in to exile sent And in a cite called Fariman Tullius his exile dyd endure For Antonius was to him enemy than Bycause that he percase of auenture Compiled had an inuectife scripture Agayne Antony rehersing all the caas Of his defautes and of Cleopatras Thus of enuy and of mortall haterede His deth compassed by Antonius And afterward execute in dede By procuring of one Pompilius Gate a coÌ„mission the storie telleth thus Of false malice and forthe anone went he In to Gayre of Compayne the cite And by the vertue of his commission Taking of Antony licence and liberte Chefe rethorician that euer was in the toun Among Romains to worshyp the cite Was slaine alas of hate and enmyte By Pompilius rote of all falshead Profering him selfe to smite of his head Tullius afore had be his defence Fro the galowes and his dethe eke let Which had deserued for his great offence To haue ben banged vpon an hie gybet Who saueth a thefe whan the rope is knet About his necke as olde clerkes write With some false turne y e bribour wil hi quite Lo here the vice of ingratitude By experience brought fully to a prefe Who in his hert treason doth enclude Cast for good wyl to do a man reprefe What is the guerdon for to saue a thefeâ— Whan he is escaped loke and ye shall fynde Of his nature euer to be vnkinde This Pompilius traitour most odible To shewe him selfe false cruell veÌ„geable Toward Tully did a thing horrible Whan he was dead this brâ—bour most culpable Smit of his right haÌ„d to heare abominable With which hande he lerning on him toke To write of vertues many a famous boke The hande the head of noble Tullius Which euery man of right ought complaine Were take and brought by Pompilius Vpon a stake set vp both twayne There to abide where it did shyne or rayne With wynde weder tyll they were defyed In token al fauour was to him denied ⧠The .xvi. Chapter * A chapiter againe ianglers and dyffamers of rethorike BOchas complaining in hys studye alone The death of Tulli and the wofull fall Grudging in hert made a pitous mone The folke rebuking in especiall Which of nature be boystous and rurall And hardy ben for they no conning haue Craft of rethorike to hindre and depraue Clerkes olde did greatly magnifie This noble science that were expert wyse Called it parte of philosophy And said also in their prudent auise There be thre partes as tresours of gret prise Compiled in bokes and of olde prouided In to which Philosophie is deuided The first of them called is Morall Which directeth a man to good thewes And the second called Natural Telleth the kinde of goodmen and shrewes And the thirde racionall well shewes What men shal voide and what thing vnderfong And to that partie Rethorike doth belong By Tullius as authours determine Of his person rehersing in substaunce Traunslated was fro Greke into Latine Craft of rethorike and for the abundance Of eloquence stuffed with plesaunce All oratours remembred him toforne Was there none like nor after him yet borne Bochas also saithe in his writinges And preueth wele by reason and sentence To an oratour longeth four thinges First natural wyt practike with science Vertuous life chefe grounde of eloquence Of porte aâ—d maner that he be tretable These meanes had mine auctor hold hi able In his writing and in his scriptures Bochas wele parceiueth it must nedes ben Howe y â— of right there long fiue armures To euery notable rethoricien Sette here in order who list them sene Whiche he calleth rehersing in sentence The fiue baners longing to eloquence The fyrst of them called Inuencion By whiche a man dothe in his hert finde A secrete grounde founded on reason With circcÌ„staunces y t nought be left behinde Fro poynt to poynte imprinted in his minde Touching y â— matter y e substaunce the great Of whiche he cast notably tentreat Another armure in order the seconde Of right is called Disposicion As of a matter whan the grounde is founde That euery thing by iust deuision Be voide of al foreine digression So disposed touching
time and space Fro superfluite kepe his due place The third armure named in sentence Is Elocucion with wordes many or fewe Matters conueyed by iust conuenience Diposed in order coÌ„uenably to shewe Like a caruer that fyrst doth tymbre hewe Sqware and compasse cast fetures vysage With caruing tole maketh vp a fayre ymage Pronunciacion is the fourth armure Necessary to euery oratour In such case whan craft vnto nature Joyned is by diligent labour With elocucion and that there be fauour In declaring with euery circumstaunce Folowing the mater in chere countenaunce An heuy mater requireth an heuy chere To a gladde matter longeth well gladnesse Man in pronounsing must folow the matere Olde oratours can beare herof wytnesse A furious complaint vttred in distresse This was y e maner as poetes do discriue In his tragedies whan Senec was a liue The fifte armure called Remembraunce With quicke memorie by prouidence to se So auisely to groce vp in substaunce Holy his maters that nought forgoten be Lest forgetfulnesse derke nat the liberte Of clere report eche thing to haue in mynde That in pronounsing nothing be left behind Afore prouided so that forgetfulnesse Be no hindrer to inuencion And in proceding no foreyne rechelesnesse Trouble nat the order of disposicion And for taccomplishe all vp with reason That pronounsing by clere remembraunce Be well fauoured with chere countenauÌ„ce These said thinges be inly necessary To euery prudent notable oratour Nat to hasty nor ouerlong to tary But to conuey his processe by measure In chere according stant all the fauor For in pronounsing who lacketh chere or face Of Tullius schole standeth far out of grace All erthely bestes be muet of nature Saue onely man which hath auauntage By a prerogatiue aboue eche creature To vtter his conceite onely by langage The soule by grace represseth all outrage Namely whan reason hath the soueraynte To bridel passions of sensualite Kinde vnto man hath giuen eloquence A thing conuenable en especial Whan that it is conueied by prudence To talke of matters that be natural And secretes hyd aboue celestiall Doth entreat of sonne mone starres Thinâ—â—uent power sent of pees and warres God of all this hath graunted knowleging Onely to man by wysedom and reason And through langage giue to him shewyng Outwarde to make declaracion Of the heuenly course and sondrie mocion Diuers chaunges and plainly to diffine The reuolucion of the spheres nyne Men by langage shewe out their ententes The naturall meuing and mutacions Accorde and discorde of the four elamentes Kyndly variaunce of four complexions The generacion and the corrupcions Of erthely thinges contrary eche to other Corrupcion of one engendring of another This is the power and the precellence Which is giue to man reasonable That by langage and by eloquence A man is taught in vertue to be stable Of soule eternall of body corrumpable Taught with his tong while he is aline Of his defautes howe he shall him shryue Bochas eke telleth touching rethorike There be two maners one is of nature Lerned in youth which doth one speke lyke As he hereth or lerneth by scripture Craft of rethorike is giue to no creature Saue to man which by great diligence By study cometh to craft of eloquence Crafte of langage and of prudent speche Causeth prechours by spyrituall doctrine Vertuously the people for to teche Howe they shall liue by moral discipline Langage techeth men to plant wine Enformeth folke to worshyp holy churche The artificer truely for to wurche Yet there be some y â— plainly teche and prâ—che Haue of langage this opinion God hath nat most regard vnto speche But to the heart and to the affection Best gan guerdon the inwarde intencion Of euery man nat after the visage But like the meuing of their inward corage To our langage is great diuersite Whan men shew theffect of their mening Beit of ioye or of aduersite Chere for taccorde therwith in vttring Nowe debonayre som while rebuking And in rehersing like chere alway tapply Be it of rudenesse be it of curtesy Of discrecion sette a difference In his pronounsinge to perce or vndermine To drawe the iudge vnto his sentence Or to his purpose to make him to encline Se wheder he be melancolike or benigne Or his matere be vttred or vnclosed Consider afore howe that he is disposed Peised all this thing by a rethoricien With other thiges which apperteine of right To craft of speche he must conceiue and sene Maters of substaunce matters y â— be light Dispose him selfe tentreate euery wight Like to purpose and fine of his matiere As for the time rethorike dothe require As by ensample myne auctor dothe recorde Men set at warre in hert farre a sonder The rethoricien to make them for taccorde Must seche wayes meanes here yonder Of olde rancour tappeise y e boystous thunder By wise examples prouerbes pertinent Tenduce the parties to be of one assent A man also that stant in heuinesse Dispeired and disconsolate The rethoricien must do his busynesse The grounde considred felt of his estate The cause serched why he stant dissolate Which to reforme by diligent labour Is the true office of euery oratour Of rethoriciens whilom that were olde The sugred langage vertuous daliauÌ„ce By good ensample prouerbes y â— they tolde Wordes pesible enbelished with plesaunce Appesed of tyrantes the great veÌ„geaunce Sette aside their furious sentence By vertue onely of prudent eloquence And contrary plainly to conclude Men se all day by clere experience Folke vnauised and hasty foles rude And braynlesse people of wylfull negligence Bycause they were barraine of eloquence Vttryng their speche as naked men bare For lacke of rethorike their matter to declare By clere exaÌ„ple as purple who taketh hede LoÌ„geth to kinges in storie ye may finde With clothes of golde and riche veluet wede Fret with Rubies and other stones Inde Saphirs emeraudes peerles of their kynde As all these thinges appropred be of right Plesaunt obiectes to a mannes sight So the langage of rethoriciens Is a gladde obiecte to mannes audience With song melodious of musiciens Whiche doth great coÌ„fort to euery presence As by example Amphion w t song eloquence Buylded the walles of Thebes the cite He had of rethorike so great subtilite In his langage there was so gret plesaunce Finding therby so inly great profite That all the countre came to his obeysaunce To here him speke they had so great delite The people enuyron had such an appetite In his person in peace and in bataile Here me may se what rethorike doth aueile ☞ The .xvii. Chapiter ¶ Howe Sextus warreied againe Triumuir and of the death of great Antonie and Cleopatras FOlowing thorder of Bochas in his boke Wyth penne in hande as he caste vp his eie Tofore him came pale of chere loke A mighty prince sonne vnto Pompeye Called Sextus whiche as bokes saye
Delyted hym wyth a greate nauee Lyke a Pyrate to robbe on the see To his father contrary in suche caas For euery Pyrate of custome he dyd hate Vpon the sea whose vsage was Against theim proudelye to debate Pursued them early and eke late Where this Sextus to his great reprieâ—e Was on the sea a robbour and a thefe The sclaundre of him gan to sprede farre Reported was in many a farre countre With Triumuir this Sextus gan a war Which is an office and a dignite By the Romains coÌ„mytted vnto thre Notable estates those for chiualry Thempire all hole to gouerne and to gye The fyrst of them named Lepidus And the seconde called Octauian The third in nombre was Antonius Again which thre Sextus this proud man Of surquedy a newe warre began Afore by Julius for his rebellion Banished for euer out of Rome toun Triumuir of politike gouernaunce Well auised afore in their reasons Treating for peace by notable purueiaunce With proude Sextus vnder condicions Write and enacte in their conuencious But anone after list no while tary He to his promise was froward contrary For his conuycte outragious falsnesse And on the sea for his robbery Bochas of him writeth no long processe Hauing disdaine his name to magnify For he to vertue list nothing apply The different cause which is in the state Atwene knighthode and life of a pyrate With fugitiue theues and robbours And men exiled out of Rome toun Banished people false conspyratours With other conuicte of murdre and trayson He toke all such vnder protection And one Moena a churle of his certaine Of fourty shyppes he made him capitain The said churle vnwarely tho began To folow the nature of his condicion Alied him selfe with Octauian Againe his lorde of full false traison With all his nauy shyppes he came doun Spared nat to mete of very pride With Menecratus y t was on Sextus side But al so soone as the bataile began And the parties togider shoulde gone All the vesselles of Octauian With sodaine teÌ„pest were drowned echone Beside a castell buylt of lime and stone Called Nauleton where yet to gret reprefe Sextus fled was brought to mischefe Went in to Grece to make him strong agein To holde a batayle with Antonius Take in his coÌ„ming by strength of a capitcin Longing to Antonie called Phurnius Whilom nephue to Cesar Julius And or duke Sextus might farther wende He slaine was and made there his ende Of Triumuir in th empyre as I tolde There was a capitaine called Lepidus Whiche by his office like as he was holde Right busy was the boke reherseth thus To reconsile the proude Antonius To the grace of great Octauian Eche thing forgiue wherof the war began And to conclude shortly who list se Fortune a whyle was to him gracious Th empyre all whole gouerned by these three Lordshyp of Affrike had Lepidus By which he wext proude and contrarius To him assigned vnder commissions Fully the nombre of twenty legions Wherof in herthe caught such a pride Causing by processe his distruction Surquedy a while was his gide Fro his estate till he was fall doun Namely whan he of false presumpcion Toke vpon him of malice to warrey The said Octauian and gan him disobey Whan Octauian his malice dyd se That he gan waxe sodainly contrary He threw him downe from his dignite Cast him in exile list no lengar tary Lo how Fortune gan sodainly vary To make him that had gouernaunce Of all Affryke to come to mischaunce Another prince Cesar Lucius Exiled was from Rome the cite By his vncle the said Antonius Of wylfulnesse and hasty cruelte For in that time as men may rede and se Contriued causes were founde vp of malice Texile princes notable holde and wyse Some bycause they helde with Cesar Other for Pompey y â— helde on that partie Some for their good afore or they wer ware Some for suspection some for enuy Some for they coude nat flatter nor lie Some for vertues which was great routhe Bycause they were so stable in their trouthe In this trouble dredefull and odious As is rehersed in order ye may rede The noble knight Paulus Lucius Exiled was of malice and hatered Folowing vpon the great horrible dede The pitous death and the hatefull caas Of great Antonie and Cleopatras The tragedy of these ylke twaine For me as nowe shal be set asyde Cause Chaucer chefe poete of Britaine Seing their hertes coude nat deuide In his boke the legende of Cupide Remembring there as one they did endure So were they buryed in one sepulture Thing ones said by labour of Chaucer Were presumpcion me to make againe Whose making was so notable and enteer Right compendious notable in certayne Which to reherce the labour were in vayne â–ª Bochas remembring how Cleopatras Caused Antonie howe he distroied was Her Auarice was so importable He supprised with her great fayrnesse Folowing her lustes foule abhominable She desyring to haue be empresse And he alas of frowarde wylfulnesse To please her vnhappely began To warrey the great Octauian Frowarde ambicion set his hert on fyre To climbe vp to the imperiall sea To haue possession of the hole empyre Toke vpon him if it wolde haue be To reigne alone in Rome the cite Cleopatras to foster her in pride Tytell of Octauian for to set asyde With multytude of many legions As I haue tolde againe Octauian To him accroched of diuers regions Great multytude of many manly man First on the sea to warre he began Where he was maugre all his might To his confusion vnwarely put to flight Dispeyred fled home to his countre Knowing no helpe nor meane to recure But to thencreas of his aduersite Whan that he sawe his woful auenture Gaine Octauian he might nat endure With a sharpe swerde his danger to diuert Him selfe he rofe vnwarely to the hert Of whose dethe the quene Cleopatras Toke a sorow very importable Bicause there was no recure in the caas Thought of his wo she would be partable Whose fatall ende piteous and lamentable Slough eke her selfe loue so did her raue After they both were buried in one graue ⧠Thus endeth the sixt boke and here after foloweth the seuenth ¶ Of Antony son and heire to the greate Antonie and of Cesarius Julia Agrippa Cassius and Galbus ¶ The Fyrst Chapter THis storie ended last of the sixte boke Bochas wery thought for the best Of gret traueile oppressed in his loke Fil in a slombre leaniÌ„g on his chest Fully in purpose to haue take his rest But euin as he rest should haue take Came a great prees and made him tawake First of that felowship came the son heyre Of Antonie w t blode spreint all his wede Called Antonie fall in great dispeyre Cause Octauian bare to him haterede Whose swerde he fled quaking in his drede To an olde temple socour for to haue Trusting fro death the place should hâ— saue In that temple
to kyng Jubatoun And many a senator thou slew in Rome toun Shittest vp myd Rome the cite Their garners which neuer afore was seine Wherby enfamyned was the commonte Pite to here this plat and playne Of necessite constrayned in certayne Shame to reherce or put in scripture Ete their membres a thyng againe nature Jupiter nor Juno the goddesse Gaue no suche counsayle I suppose vnto the But it was Venus to flater thy hyghnes And furious Mars by frowarde cruelte To slee senatours greatest of that cite Thy self after wherof the towne was faine By thy seruauntes murdred werte slayne And for tabate thyne outrage thy pryde Which thou hast vsed all thy lyfe Lyfte vp thyne head loke on thy left syde Thou finder vp of murdre and of strife Slew ▪ thou not Cesonia thy wyfe Thy doughter after that called was Drusil Of cursed entent thy malyce to fulfyl I haue meruayle howe any of you twayne Thou Calligula or thou Tiberius Be not ashamed any thyng to sayne Agayne me with vysage dispitous Me for to atwite that I was lecherous Of a small mote ye can abrayde me But in your eye a beame ye can not se. Where haue your soules take herbergage That be contrayre with me for to striue I trowe that Caron hath made your passage Vp at the stronde in Hell for to aryue There ye abyde thus I descryue Where dredful Stix called infernall flode Of custome rēneth w t furious wawes wode Radamantus one of the iudges twayne With kyng Mynos hath youe a iudgemente Perpetually ye shall byde in payne And Eacus hath ordained your turmente In Flegeton the floode most violent Ye shall be drowned and an ende make Euer for to abyde amonge y e stremes blake I may you cal of Emperours the refuse Ye should be shamefast to shew your visages Very astonyed dredful and confuse To haue to me so vncurtoys langages Thus Messalyne daunted their corrages With her feminine crabbed eloquence They durst no lenger abyde in her presence The .v. Chapter ¶ Of the most vicious tiraunt Nero that slewe Peter Paule at the last him selfe THys hateful story with many a woful lyne Of Calligula Tiberius Touchynge the strife atwene them and Messalyne Shamful rebukes frowarde and odious By them rehersed with chere most furious As ye haue herde here ended their chiding Nero the tyrant cōmeth next vpon the ringe One most cursed in comparison That euer was of hye or lowe degre Most disnaturall of condicion By great outrages of cursed cruelte That euer reigned in Rome the cite His father called bokes determyne Domicius his mother Agripine This Agripina by her subtilte And blinde fortune being fauourable That set vp tirauntes of froward volunte By their demerites though they be not able To estate imperial and notable What thinge more dredefull who can vnderstande Than cruel tirauntes w t blody sword in hāde ▪ Whan this Nero of age was twelue yere He was ordeyned in especial After he had lerned his gramere And the seuin artes called liberall Vnto a mayster in al vertues morall Called morall Senec which dyd his payne From al vices hys youthe to restraine He kept him euer thys Senec as I rede Maugre his fatall disposicion By a constraint and a maner drede From al outrage by inclinacion Conceyued wel hys dysposicion To be vicious of his nature Which to restrayne he dyd his busy cure At one and twenty wynter of his age Croniculers of him written thus Howe he that tyme toke in mariage Octauia doughter to Claudius Al this whyle beyng vertuous Whyle Senec had him vnder discipline His mother in lawe called Messaline The saide Senec made him to desire To pursue connyng by diligent labour At entring in fyrst of his empyre I meane whan he was crowned emperour Of al the Senate had great fauour And by report as clerkes of him wryte In prose meter he coude ryght wel endite In Jhon Bochas as it is made mynde He dyd excell greatly in poetry Made in tho dayes also as I fynde A boke notable of straunge poesy Lyke as myne auctour of him doth specify The title thereof called Lusce Agayne a pretour Claudius Polle Excelled in musike and in armony Crowned with laurer for y e best harpour That was that tyme and he did edify In Rome a palays wyth manye a ryche tour Whych in buylding cost great treasour The circuite beyng thre thousande paas And Transitory that palays called was For thys cause as put is in memory The sayde palays afterwarde was brent Therefore it was called Transitory But after that Nero in his entent Let buylde a house by great auysement To recompence that other that was olde And called it the ryche house of golde In all thys worlde was none to it lyche Where that euer men dyd ryde or gone Tables of yuorye fret wyth perry ryche Pyllers of cristal garnished with many stone Saphyrs Rubyes and Topasion Crisolytes and Emeraudes grene Wyth plate of golde siled that shone ful shene To bodily lust and dilectacion This sayde Nero set al hys desyres ▪ Gardayns condyttes for recreacion He dyd ordayne to endure many yeres With nettes of golde fyshed in hys ryuers His garnementes of golde Inde stones And neuer he woulde haue them on but ones In hys begynning the story doth deuyse Lorde and Emperour in the cyte To Senatours he gaue full great fraūchyse Graunted cōmons many a great liberte But in his most imperial dignite Of frowarde wyl left all good policy And al atones gaue him to ribaudry Of Grece Egypt wyth diuers iogelours And amonge villayns him selfe dysportinge Left the presence of olde Senatours And amōg ribaudes he woulde harpe sing Made comodies dishonestly sowning At the bordel dyd him selfe auaunce With common women openly to daūce Thus by processe to al vertue contrary By great excesse he fyll in glotony And after that lyst no lenger tary As euery vice to other doth apply Surfet and riot brought in lechery And ground of al as chefe porteresse To exyle vertue was frowarde ydlenes About the cite called Hostience Besyde Tibre and other freshe riuers Dyd ordaine by excessife expence Tentes for riot cokes and tauerners And al the nyght reuel aboute the fiers Ladies be came that were afore well named By such false riot afterwarde defamed The same Nero by false abusion It is reported hys story who lyst se By violence from their religion Such as had auowed chastite And were professed to virginite In the temple of Vesta the goddesse Of froward lust he dyd them oppres Amonge whych Rubria was one Maugre her wyll she durst it not denye From the temple buylded of lime and stone Sacred to Vesta myne auctour lyst not lye He rent her out to vse his lecherye Not withstandyng she was religious Made her to abyde at the borde◠hous By my wryting men shall neuer rede The matter is so foule and outragious To be reherced and the
horible dede Which Nero vsed whylom on Sporus And on an other called Ompharus Both male chyldren as bokes tel can Them to transfourme to likenes of a womaÌ„ Some bokes of hym determine Lyke a ribaude horrible and detestable He misused his mother Agripine And lyke a tiraunt cruel and vengeable Which to remember is abhominable He made her wombe be corue vpon a daye To se the place nyne monethes where he lay Of disnatural hateful cruelte To God nor vertue hauyng no regarde And of the vyce of prodigalite He was accused in knyghthod a cowarde And to al vertue contrary and frowarde Of whos wodenes good hede whan I toke I was ashamed to set hym in thys booke He hated al that were vertuous And to them had special enuy Hys brethern his wyfe this tirant dyspitous He falsly slewe in hys malencoly His mayster Senec auctours specifye Aye whan he saw him hauiÌ„g a maner drede In an hote bathe to deth he made him blede To Polifagus a wodeman most sauage Which that fed him most with fleshe of man Nero toke men olde and yonge of age To fynde him vitayle in stretes where he caÌ„e Cursed at his ende cursed whan he gan Whan he dyd offre innocentes blode To be deuoured of him that ran so wode Christes fayeth fyrst he gan werreye Of emperours in hys frowarde entent Peter and Paule in Rome he made deye Vpon a day their legende dothe assent Halfe the cite of Rome I fynde he brent And Senatours welnye euerychone This Nero slewe spared almost neuer one Made hys Mules be shod wyth siluer shone Of surquedye whan he shoulde ryde The cite brent Romayns after sone Pursued him vpon euery syde And from a subarbe where he did abyde Twene Salaria and Numentana right Ther stant a path whyder he toke hys flyght By a depe marys as Nero toke his flyght Whan he saw he myght not asterte He was so pursued by a Romayne knyght To fynde socour he myght not dyuerte Roue him selfe anone vnto the herte Wyth a sharpe dagger a cursed ende lo Of the false tiraunt that called was Nero. In stede of a Lenuoye OF this Nero to write a Lenuoye Nor of his dedes to make mencion To rede the processe no man should haue ioye For al concludeth of murdre and of treason On aduoutry excesse and poyson Riot glotony lechery vengeaunce Slaughter of him selfe ended with mischauÌ„ce If that I myght I wolde race his name Out of this boke that no man should it rede His vicious lyfe chefe myrrour of diffame Set hym asyde let no wyght take hede For to remembre so many a cruell dede Saue onely thys to thinke in substaunce Howe euery tiraunt endeth in mischaunce Of him I cast to wrytenowe no more And what I say is sayde but in reprefe Of the vyces that he wrought of yore Duryng his empyre concluding for a chefe All tyrannye shall ende wyth myschefe Recorde on Nero which for misgouernauÌ„ce As ye haue herde ended wyth mischaunce The .vi. Chapter Howe Eleazarus a Jewe borne for extorcion and robbrye was brought in prison and there ended AAter Nero came Eleazarus A Jewe of byrth a price of robbry An extorcioner cruel dispitous For his outrages don in that party To redresse his hateful tiranny A mighty pretour was sent fro Rome doun Called Felix in to that region By force of Felix take he was and bounde Maugre his myght vnto Rome sent Strongly fettred wyth massy chaynes rouÌ„d Suffred in prison many great turment At the last this was his iudgement There to abyde because he was a thefe For euermore ended in mischefe The .vii. Chapter How the heade of Galba was smytten of filled ful of golde and offred at the sepulture of Nero. TOfore Bocas next came Galba down Whych in Spayne dyd many knyghtly dede After the deth rehersed of Neroun In hope stode this Galba as I rede In th empyre iustly to succede Parcell for knightehode he hath hym so well borne And for great mariage which he had beforne I finde in Bochas rehersed in sentence He was disclaundred of hateful vices thre He was cruell contrary to clemence Straite in keping gayne liberalite Vengeable of herte gayne mercy and pitie A thynge not sitting vnto chyualry Of custome yeue to slouth and slogardy To occupye th empyre he began Among Romains toke possession Claiming a title by one Licyâ—ian That was his sonne by adopcion But anone after for his presumpcion One called Occho a full manly knyght Smyt of his head were it wronge or ryght This sayd Galba mine auctour writeth thus From his empire vn warely pulled doun Had an enemy called Patrobolus The head of Galba toke in possession Filled it with golde made an oblacion At the sepulture of Nero therewithal To all the goddes goddesses infernall The .viii. Chapter Howe Occho and Vitellius for glottony lechery ribaudry and crueltie ended in mischefe ANd after that thys offryng was full doo As ye haue herde to Bochas than To make hys complainte in order came Pyso Afore surnamed iustly Lycinian Sonne adoptyfe to tel as I began Of the sayde Galba claimyng to succede Slaine anone after by Occho as I rede Than was thempire parted in to three Occho toke Rome vnto his partye And Vitellius to reigne in the countre Ouer the boundes of all Germanye And Vaspasian reigned in Surrey But fyrst this Occho surnamed Siluius Came to complaine cruel and dispitous Of al thempire this same Siluius By slaughter rauyne and extorcion By murdre dethe and dedes outragious With mighty hande toke the possession And there began a great deuision Whiche was occasion of great sorowe woo Atwene Vitellius and this sayde Occho It is reherced that in Germanye In sondry places they had battayls three In the whych Occho wyth hys partye Venquished the felde made hys fone to flee But through fortunes mutabilite The fourth tyme playnly this is the caas Maugre hys myght discomfited ther he was Tofore Bedry a myghty stronge cite Of Germanye was this discomfiture After which of frowarde cruelte This sayde Occho seyng his auenture With wo supprised might not endure Of his constraint the unportable payne Toke a sworde and roue his herte a twayne Vitellius hauing the victory With his power as made is mencion Of surquedy and false vayne glory Came with his hoste in to Rome toun But Bochas here maketh a discripcion Rehersing shortly his byrth eke his lyne And how that he of blode was Saturnyne This to say Saturnus king of Crete Chaced by Jupiter out of his region And Ianus had in Itayle take his sete Vpon a mount called Ianiculum Where nowe of Rome is bilte the large toun Ianus receuyng of liberalite Whan Saturne fled in to his cite Tofore y â— coÌ„ming of Saturne this no fayle Rude and boystous and beastial of reason Was al the people abyding in Itayle Land was none sowe nor turned vp so doun Nor marchaundise vsed in no toun Tyll Saturne taught the
the boke maketh mencion By no title of succession But an intrusour one called Iulyan The state vsurping to reigne there began But of the noble lynage Affrican Borne in Tripolis a mighty great citye One Seuerus that was a knightly man Gadred of romayns a wondre great meyne Bothe made stronge Iulian met and he At Pont miluin a citie of Itayle And there was Iulyan slaine in batayl Seuerus after entred the empyre And toke vpon him the dominacion Vpon cristen of malice set a fyre Began againe them a persecucion Of tyrannye and false ambicion But one of Egipt called Poscennius Againe Seuerus gan to worke thus Gadred meyny Seuerus for to assaile In purpose fully and theron did hys payne First with him to haue a great batayle Next of th empyre the crowne for to attayne But ye shal heare what fel on these twayne On Poscennius fill the discomfiture And Seuerus th empyre dothe recure In his purpose or he might auaile with one Albinus that was a manly knyght He had in Gaule a full great batayle Full great bloudshed in that mortall fyght Albinus slaine of very force and myght Seuerus after entred in Bretayne Caught sicknes and died of the paine After Seuerus next came Antonine Of whom the frowarde disposicion As all auctours of him determine His busines and occupacion Set holy in fleshly dilectacion So false a lust his corage did assayle Amonge Parthois flayne in batayle Macrinus after tofore Bochas came down Whylom a prefecte in Rome the cyte Of the pretoyr and by inuasion Came to the imperiall famous dignitye Occupyed a yere sate in hys imperyal se Tyl fortune lyst hym so disgrade Amonge his knightes flayne at Archelade Next came Aurelius surnamed Antonyne A great rybaude passyng lecherous Yet was he byshop as auctoures determine In the temple of Heliogabalus And in his time was one Sabellius A false heretike of whom gan the names Of a secte called Sabellianes This said Aurelius againe all nature Of false presumpcion in bokes it is told Wolde not purge his wombe by nature But in vessels that were made of golde And in dispyte whan that he was old Slaine of his knightes and not after longe His carayne was thrown in a gonge After this proude foresayde Antonine In to th empyre by iust election Of senatours as bokes determyne Came Aurelius and for his hye renoune Surnamed Alisaunder as made is menciō Fought with Perciens like a manly knight And there king Xerxes was put vnto flyght This Aurelius this proud knyghtly man Whan he sate iudge in the consistory There sate one with him called Vlpian A great ciuilian notable of memory Of whome it is to his encreace of glory Reported thus by great auctorite He of digestes made bokes thre Full piteously this emperoure lost his lyfe Casuelly as made is mencion Among his knightes by a sodayne strife Where he was slaine in that discencion After whose ende for short conclusion Tofore Bochas the boke wel tel can Came Maximinus and with him Gordyan Maximinus the cronicle both expres Chose of his knightes and his soudiours For his victorious marcyall hye prowesse Done in Almayne and amonge Emperours Set vp in Rome maugre the senatours After strong enmy as mine autoure sayth With all his power vnto cristen fayth He was enemy his life who list to sene To cristen clerkes of auctorite And specially to olde Origene But in his moste furious cruelte In Aquyleya a mighty stronge countre Of a prefecte called Pupien he was slaine Of whose dethe cristen men were full fayne Next by the senate chosen was Gordyan First agaynste Parthois he cast hi to werrey Of Ianus temple whan the werre began He made the gates be opened wyth the keye Whiche was a token as old e bokes seye Tho gates opened to folkes nye and ferre That w t their fone y ◠romayns wold werre With Parthois first this said Gordian To holde werre fast he gan him spede And vpon them alway the felde he wan After he sped him in to Perce and Mede Alwaye victorious in batayle as I rede Vpon Eufrates slayne as I fynde By false treason y ◠cronicle maketh mynde Next in ordre came Philip by his name His sonne eke Philip came with him also Myn auctour Bochas reherceth y ◠same The father the sonne baptised bothe two Right sad and wyse in that they had to do And were the first cristen of echone Emperors rekened for ther tofore was none By Poncius the martyr as I rede In Meya a famous great cyte They were baptysed afterwarde in dede Slayne in batayle for they lyst not fle Tofore their dethe bothe of assent parde Their treasour hole that were imperiall To christes church I fynde they gaue it all The Bishop Sixtus toke possession Vertuously assigned it to Laurence Therof to make distribucion To poore folke in their indigence For whiche dede by cruell violence The tyraūt Decius agayn thē toke a stryfe Caused holy Laurēce by brēning lose his life This same Decius cursed and cruell Caused y ◠slaughter of these Philips twayn And for he was subtell false and fell By sleight falshed he dyd hys busy paine To the empyre by force for to attayne The seuenth tyraunt by persecucion which agayn christen folk toke first occasion Myne auctour writeth time of this Deciue The holy Hermyte example of perfytenesse By dayes old called Antonyus Liued in deserte ferre out in wildernes As an Hermyte dispysing al ryches Lyued by frute and rotes as men tell And of perfection dranke water of the well Vpon Decius for his cursednes Again christen which gaue so hard sentence Thrugh Rome Itayle myne auctor bereth witnesse In euery cyte was grete pestilēce That by the sodaine deadly violence The hertes of men dependinge in a traunce To saue their liues coude no cheuisaunce Of this mater write nomorc I can To this emperour I wyll resorte agayne Speke of Gallus and Volucian That busy were their laboure was in vaine Their time short as some bokes saine For Martyn writeth an olde cronyculere In th empyre they reigned but two yere But bothe were slayne by the procuring And by the purchace of one Emelyan A romayne knight whiche by slye workinge To occupye th empyre tho began By tyrannye the Lordshyp there he wan Whose lordship for hap and lacke of grace No lenger last then two monthes space This lytell chapter as tofore is sene Reherced hath and tolde in wordes playne Of emperours almost full fourtene And of all were good none but twayne whiche to reherce I haue do my paine And to procede further as I began I must wryte of one Valeryan HIs sonne and he called Galiene To all christen bare great enmyte Slew al tho their legend men mai sene That serued Christ in trouth and equytie whose persecusion and hateful crueite Abated was as I can well reherce By one Sapor that was kyng of Perce By force of armes Sapor this mighty king
Gan in Asia and with his host came doun By tygre Eufrates knightly so rydyng Towarde the partyes of Septemtryoâ— â–ª To Caucasus not ferre fro Babylon And all Surrye he proudlye dyd assayle And Capadoce he wan eke by batayle Whom for to mete came Vale rian To Mesopotayme with many legions The werre was stroÌ„g but this knightly man This hardy Sapor with his champions The felde hath wonne with all the legions Afore reherced and through Perce he lad Valerian bouÌ„de with chaynes rouÌ„d and sad He was by Sapor maugre hys vysage â–ª This ValeriaÌ„ so straytly brought to wrake Lyke a prisoner bounde to seruage By obeysaunce that founde were no lacke To knele on foure and profre his backe Vnto Sapor whan hym list to ride Therby to mounte for al his great pryde This was the offyce of Valerian By seruitude duryng many a yere Wherfore he was called of many a man The assendyng stocke in to the sadyll nere Whiche is in frenche called a mountuere This was his office to bowe doun his corse Whan y â— king Sapor shulde light on horse This is the guerdon fauour of fortune Her olde maner to princes and to kynges Her double custome vsed in commune By sodayne chaunge of all worldly thynges After triumphes and their vprisinges What foloweth after here well tell I can I take recorde of Valeryan Thys Lady fortune the blynde fell goddes To Valerian shewed herselfe vnstable Taught him a lesson of the doublenes To kyng Sapor she was fauourable But yet he was to cruell and vengeable Wyth his fete deuoyde of all fauoure To foyle the backe of an emperour Of olde it hathe be songe and cried loude Recorde on Cyrus and many other mo Kinges of Perce of custome haue be proude After punyshed and chastised eke also Princes of mercy shulde take hede therto After victory in their estate notable To their prisoners for to be merciable Myne autor Bochas in this mater tel can Rebuke tyrauntes that were by dayes old Turneth his side speketh to Valerian Where be thy rubies saphires set in golde Theryche peerles and rynges manifolde That y â— were wont to weare vpon thy hoÌ„ds Now as a wretch art bouÌ„d in forayn bondes where thou were wonte of furyous crueltie Clad in purple within Rome toune To Christ contrary in thyne imperyall se Gaue dome on martyrs to suffre passion Nowe lyest thou bound fettred in preson To kyng Sapor constrayned to enclyne whan he lyst ryde bothe necke and chine Thus art thou fall in thine imperial stage Thinke on fortune haue her in memory She hath the cast in thraldom and seruage And eclypsed all thine olde glory where thou sate whilom in the consistorye As an emperour and a mighty iudge Lyest bound in chayns knowest no refuge It is fall ferre out of thy mynde The knightly dede of worthy â—ublyus Of Rome a captayne ordayned as I finde To fyght agayne Aristomachus Kyng of Asye of fortune it fell thus whan the romayns dyd the felde forsake This Publius amonge his fone was take This noble prince standing in dredeful cace His lyfe worshyp dependyng atwen twayn In his hande holding a sturdy mace Smyt out one of his eyen twayne Of him that led him that other for the payne That he felte and the great smerte Toke a dagger roue Publyus to the herte which loued more his worship thaÌ„ his lyfe Chase rather to dye than liue in seruage This conceite he had in his imaginatife And considred sythe he was in age To saue his honoure it was more auauÌ„tage So to be slayne his worshyp to conserue Than lyke a beast in prison for to sterue Fortune his chaptre of him it was not rad As Valerius maketh mencion After whose conceyte no man in vertue sad Shulde not longe languy she in prison But rather chose lyke his opinion Of manly force and knightly excellence The dethe endure of longe abstynence As whylom dyd the princesse Agripine whan she in prison lay fettred and bound Of her fre choyce she felt great pyne Of hungre and thurst in story it is found That she lay pale grofe vpon the grounde Maugre Tibery and let her gost so wende Out of her bodye this was her fatall ende Thou stode ferre of all suche fantasy I speke of the O thou Valerian Thy cruell herte of false malencolye Made whylom dye many a christen man And martyr syth Christes faythe began Which for mankynde dyed vpon the Rode There for tacquyte hym lyste shed hys blode Agayne his lawe thou were impacient And importune by persecucion Thou dydest fauour suffre in thine entent â–ª That Egipciens dyd their oblacion Their sacryfices and ryte vp so doun Vnto ydols of frowarde wylfulnesse That was of Egipt called chefe goddesse Fauourable thou were in thy desire To suffre Iewes their sabote to obserue And Caldeis to worshyp the fyre And folke of Crete Saturne to serue And cristen men thou madest falsly sterue Of whose lawe for thou dyd not retche Thou died in presoÌ„ at mischefe like a wretch The .ii. Chapter ¶ Howe Gallyen sonne of Valerian was slayne NExt in ordre to Bochas tho caÌ„e doun Sonne of Valerian one called Gallien But for great horrible effusion Of christen bloud that men might sene Shed by Valerian God wold it shulde bene Shewed openly to romains by vengaunce Of manye a countre sodaine dis obeysaunce They of Almayne the Alpes dyd pace Vnto Rauenne a cite of Itaile Gothes also proude of chere and face Had agayne grekes many a great batayle And they of HuÌ„gry armed in plate mayle wyth them of Denmarke furious and cruell Agayne romayns wexte of assent rebell To whose domage in this meane whyle Amonge romayns it is befall thus wofull werres whiche called bene ciuile Gan in the cyte cruell and dispiteous First whan they met was slayne Gemyus which first toke on him in bokes as I rede Of hye corage to we are purple wede One Posthumus a mighty strong romayne Kept all Gaule vnder subiection To their auayle after vnwarly slaine Among his knightes for al his hye renoun By a sodayne vncouthe discencion Next Victoryne hauing the gouernaunce Of al Gaule was first slayne in Fraunce But Gallien of whom I spake toforne Sonne and heyre to Valerian His Domination of purpose he hath lorne In Republica whan he began Lyke a contrarious and a frowarde man wext lecherous and obstinate of liuinge At mischefe slayne â–ª this was hys endynge The .iii. Chapiter ¶ Howe Quintilius was murdred by women NExt Gallien came one Quintilius A man remembred of great atteÌ„perauÌ„ce Brother of byrth to great Glaudius wise and discrete in al hys gouernaunce who may of fortune eschue the chaunce To wryte his ende shortlye in a clause Of women murdred I can not say the cause The .iiii. Chapiter Of Aurielan in Denmarke borne OF Denmarke born next came Aurelian A worthy knight his enemies to assaile Again Gothes a great warre he began Gate victory
in peces small _â—She came arayed nothynge lyke a quene Her heer vntressed Bochas toke good hede In al his booke he had afore not sene A more wofull creature in dede With weping eyen to torne was al her wede Rebuking Bochas cause he had left behynde Her wretchednes for to put in mynde Vnto myne auctour sodaynly she abrayde Like a woman that were with wo chekmate First of al thus to him she saide Sometyme I was a quene of great estate Crowned in Fraunce but nowe all disolate I stand forsoth BrouÌ„shilde was my name Which to reherse I haue a maner shame Thou were busy to write the wofull caas Within thy boke of Arcinoe Dyddest seruice to quene Cleopatras Of Rosamonde thou wrote also parde And amonge al thou hast forgoten me Whereby it semeth thou doest at me disdayne List no parcell to write of my paine Whan Bochas herd this of chere he wext sad Knowyng nothyng of that she dyd endure Iwysse quod he afore I haue not rad In no cronicle nor in no scripture Of your frowarde wofull auenture No quod she I pray you take good hede So as they fyll I wil reherce in dede Bochas with Brounchilde gan debate anon Sothly quod he this is the condicion Of you women almost euerychone Ye haue thys maner wythout excepcion Of your naturall inclinacion Of youre declaring thys obseruaunce to kepe Nothynge to say contrary to your worshepe Nature hath taught you all that is wroÌ„ge to excuse Vnder a curtaine al thig for to hyde With litel graine your chaffe ye can abuse On your defautes ye lyst not for to abide The gaule touched al that ye set asyde Shewe roses freshe wedes ye let passe And fairest chere there ye most trespasse And if ye shall tel your owne tale Howe ye fil fro fortunes whele Ye wyl vnclose but a litel male Shewe of your vyces but a smal percele Brotle glasse sheweth brighter than stele And though of vertue ye shew a faire preteÌ„ce He is a fole that yeueth to you credence Quod Brounchilde I do ryght well espye Thou haste of women a false opinion Howe they can flatter wele and lye And ben diuers of disposicion Thou myghtest haue made an excepcion Of hie estates and them that gentle bene Namely of me that was so great a quene Your hye estate by kynd hath no power To chaunge in nature nouther cold nor hete But let vs passe and leaue this matter Theron to abyde or any more to plete Of your complaint say to me the greate By way of seruyce to you I shall me quyte As ye declare take my penne and write Take hede quod she and with good auice Fro the trouthe beware that thou ne varye Whilom in Fraunce reigned kyng Clowise Had a sonne that named was Clothary Clothar had an heire y t named was Lotarye And this Lotary named the seconde Had sonnes four in story it is founde To the cronicle who can take hede As it is put in remembraunce Whan their father the mighty kig was dead Atwene these foure was parted all Fraunce Eche by him selfe to haue gouernaunce By one assent as brother vnto brother Wearing their crownes ech quit theÌ„ to other The same time I called Brounchylde Me lyst not varye from the olde writinge Had a father named Leuechylde Of all Spayne soueraine lorde and kynge My sayd father to ful great hyndring Of bothe realmes the fame ranne so ferre Twene Spaine FrauÌ„ce gan mortal werre The brethern four in FrauÌ„ce crowned kings Agayne my father made strong defence Of marcial pride and fortunat chaungynges Whan they met by mortall violence Of sodayne slaughter fyll such pestilence On outher partye the felde like a great flode With the tirrible effusion of blode To both realmes y â— werres were importable Causyng of deth passyng great domage Sought meanes wext by assent tretable Of blode shedyng to appease the wofull rage By one accorde I was yeue in mariage To Sigebert reignyng tho in Fraunce Twene both realmes to make aliaunce Nay quod Bochas I deme it was not so Twene you me there must begyn a strife Be aduised take good hede therto The first assuraunce of mariage in your lyfe Of Chilperik ye were the wedded wyfe Cronicles sene what euerye expresse In this matter wil beare w t me wytnes Though some bokes reherce and so sayne Lyke as ye haue made here mencion Their rehersaile stande in no certaine For by the assent of outher region Spaine and Fraunce in their conuencion Ordained so in my tendre age To Sigebert I was yeue in mariage Imeneus was not there present Whan he toke our chambre towarde nyght For Thesiphone her susterne of assent Infernall goddesses bare the torches lyght And as the torches shewed derke and brighte Thereby the people present one and al Dempt of the mariage what should befal This custome vsed of antiquite From their temples of goddes goddesse At mariage of folke of hye degree Torches were borne of whom men toke witnes As they were dercke or shewed their bryghtnes The difference sene in eche estate If it were towarde or infortunate Of this mariage short processe to make The torches brent yet they were not bright Shewed out combrous smokes blake Of consolacion lost was al the lyght Thus in derknes wasted the fyrst nyght Their verse songe of goddes and goddesses Were all togither of sorow and heuynesses These were the tokeÌ„s the night of mariage Pronostikes of great aduersyte Yet of nature I had this auauntage Of womanhead and excellent beaute And like a quene in stones and perre I was arayed clad in purple wede With a crowne of golde vpon my head Solempnely crowned quene of Fraunce Which for to se folke fast gan repayre Of all welfare I had suffysaunce Clombe on fortune full hie vpon the stayre A sonne I had called Clotayre By Sygebert by recorde of writing Thyrde of the name in FrauÌ„ce crowned kiÌ„g So wolde god that day that he was borne He had be put in his Sepulture In saluacion of blode shede here toforne Caused the death of many a creature As diuers bokes reporte in scripture Ground ginning as made is mencion Within this lande of great diuision He with his brethern of whom I spake late At him began the first occasion Nat so quod Bochas ye fayled of your date Who was chefe cause of diuision Sothly quod she in myne opinion Among them selfe I dare well specify Chefe ginnyng was fateruall enuy Kepe you more close in this matter ye do faile Folowing the traces of your condicion Ye halte foule in your rehersaile For of your owne ymaginacion Ye sewe the sede of this dissencion Amonge these kynges if ye take hede By which in Fraunce many man was deade Than Brounchilde gan to chaunge chere To Bochas sayde with face full cruel Not long agon thou knewest not the manere Of my liuing but a small parcell Me semeth nowe thou knowest euery del So that ye may
marueylous rehersayle Howe any woman of reason should be So ful of malice and of cruelte To slee her kyn and set at distaunce By deuision all the realme of Fraunce Bochas dempt it was nat credible That a woman shuld be so vengeable In her malice so venymous and terryble Of slaughter and murdre to be culpable The story susperte helde it but a fable Onely excepte that she dyd him exite With great instaunce her story for to write Her crie on Bochas was very importune To set in ordre her felicitees With her vnhappy chaunges of fortune Her disclaundred great aduersitees With her diffame reported by countrees No very grounde found in bokes olde But of confession that she her self tolde That mine auctour reherced w t soleÌ„pne style Reherce shoulde her wordes disclaundrous Her flouring yeres also for to compyle Medled with her daies y â— were contrarious Her fatall ende froward and furious Wherof encombred of very werynesse Towarde Eraclius he gan his pen dresse The .iiii. Chapiter ¶ Howe Eraclius the Emperour sustayned heresy fyll in to dropsye and sicknes vncurable so died AFter Phocas with great honoure and glory Crowned emperour of Rome the cyte In whose time as saith the story The Romains stode in great perplexite By them of Perce that rose with Cosdroye Whiche toke vpon him to be lord and syre As a tyraunt to trouble the empyre Gate many a prouince many a famous Reiem Through all Asie as the cronicle saythe Gan approche toward Jerusalem Afore the towne proudly a siege he laythe As a tyraunt frowarde to Christes faythe But Eraclius maugre all his might Smyt of his head slewe him like a knight And by grace whiche that is deuine This famous prince this Eraclius In his beginning slew many a Sarazyne Holde in tho daies notable and glorius And in his conquest passing famous Dyuers relykes of the crosse he sought And froÌ„ tho couÌ„treis many of theÌ„ he brought Was none so famous holde in his dayes As Eraclius the empyre for to gye Nor more manly found at all assayes Of hie prowesse nor in chyualrye But whan he gan sustaine heresye God toke from him within a littel space His hap welfare his fortune his grace He gan sustene and folowe certaine rites Of wylfulnesse and frowarde fantasy Of a secte called Monacholites Which was a sect of frowarde heresy And sith that he drewe to that party The story telleth for all his hygh estate This Eraclius was neuer fortunate Where he was first drad on the see and land Namely of Sarazins for al his chyualry Grace fortune from him w tdrew her hand For whan he fyll in to heresy He was trauailed with such a dropsy That therwithal he had a frowarde lust Euer to drinke and euer he was a thurst In tho dayes founde was no leche Albe that they were sought on eche partye The sayd prince that coude wyshe or teach Him to releue of his dropsye Made faint feble wyth a great paulsye Thus in sickenes he hath hys dayes spent By vengeauÌ„ce slayne w t infernall turment Of Eraclyus this was the wofull ende As is reherced slayne with sicknes Out of this worlde whan he should wende Al hole the empyre stode in great dystres Force of Sarazins dyd them so oppresse And day by day drewe to decline By his sonne called Constantine The .v. Chapiter ¶ Howe Constantine the sonne of Eraclius supporting errours and heresy was murdred in a stewe WHiche was his successoure as made is mencion In whose time throughe his greate foly Sarasins did great oppression Spoyling the countreis of all Lumbardy And Constantine of wilfull slogardy Wasted his daies till he hath brought All the Empyre almost to nought Gaine Christes faythe in especiall He gan of malice his wyttes to applye And was therto enemy full mortall And chefe supportour of false heresie And towarde Rome fast he gan him hie Spoyled temples of many ryche ymage And by water after toke his passage To Constantinople fast he gan him hie By Scâ—â—il the way was al moste mete At Syracuse I fynde that he did ariue And for the season was excessite of hete Which in his labour made him for to swete And secretly he gan him selfe remue To be bathed in a preuy stue Of euny ther he was espyed His owne knightes like as it is founde By conspyracion certayne of them alyed Fil vpon him with sharpe swordes grounde And mercilesse with many mortal wounde They stewe him there on him they were so wode Amid the stewe naked as he stode After whose death they dyd theÌ„ selfe auauÌ„ce To chose a knight borne in Armenye Of the empyre toke the gouernaunce And to supporte falsly their partie But Constantine succeding of alie Beyng next heyre the trouthe for to sue To him that was murdred in the stewe Called Constantine as his father was Right notable in actes marciall More wysely gouerned stode in other cas Lyke a prince by iugement royall Of manly herte and corage naturall The conspyratours first of all he slethe That were assented to his fathers deathe To great encreace of his famous renoun Grace of god did him enlumine Constantinople in that royall town Olde heresie to cease and to fyne Two hundred bishoppes eke also nyne He made assemble to stande at defence Of Christes faythe of manly prouidence He was eke busy churches to restore All heretikes manly to withstande Their opinions examined well before And whan the trouth was well vnderstonde Like Christes knight list for no man wonde To punish them iustly by rigour Without excepcion of person or fauour Of him in Bochas litel more I rede Nor of his empire I fynde none other date Spared no heretikes for golde nor mede At Constantinople he passed in to fate Whan Bulgarence gan with him debate A frowarde people wilfull and recheles Gaue them a tribute for to lyue in pees The .vi. Chapter ☞ Howe Gisulphus was slaine his wyfe ended mischeuously in lecherye NExt came Gisulphus to Bochas on the ring A famous duke and notable in hys lyfe With weping eyen pitously plaining With whome also came Rimulde his wyfe Which that liued euer in sorow strife Yet was she both of byrthe and of lynage Right excellent and fayre of her visage Sixe children had this famous quene By Gisulphus gotten in mariage Wonder semely and goodly vnto sene And fortunate by processe of their age Albe theyr father felt great domage By the werres he had in his liuing With Cathamus that was of Narces king This Cathamus with many strong batayle Is discended and take the way right Of duke Gisulphus the landes to assayle Togither met in stele armed bright Gisulphus slaine his people put to flyght And Cathamus w t stronge mighty hande Toke possession conquered all his lande After whose death Rimulde the duchesse Greatly astonied pale of her visage To the castell of Forgoile gan her dresse With her knightes of
with perle legge stocked to the kne Playnynge to Bochas of their aduersite Their shone were raced freshly to the tone Richely transuersed with gold wyre And theron set many a stronge stone Gayne Phebus light shone bright and clere These lombarde kinges gan taproch nere The fyrst of al the king Lupus Vnto Bochas gan to complaine thus Bochas quod he as for my party For to reherce by short conclusion One Grymaldus a prince of Lombardy Hath me enclosed out of my region And cruelly enchayned me in prison And after that did a sergeaunt sende Smyt of myne head there I made an ende The .xi. Chapter ¶ Howe the heade of Alexius was smit of by Comperton AFter this end reherced of Lupus For to declare his mortall heuynesse Next in ordre there came Alexius A lōbard king famous of richesse Which toke on him of surquedous prowesse For to compasse the distruction Of a prince called Comperton Which ware also a crowne in Lombardye Atwyxt both was werre and great distaūce But all the people and lordes of Pauie With mighty hande marciall gouernaunce The said Alexius brought vnto mischaunce And Comperton escaped from all drede Of mortal vengeaunce let smite of his heade The xii Chapiter ⧠How Ariperton was drowned with his ryches AFter whose death pitously playning Tofore Bochas came Ariperton Of Lombardy whilom lord and king Whiche like a fole of high presumpcion All causelesse toke occasion Of volunte there is no more to say Againe the duke of Bagaroys to werrey These princes twayne taken haue the felde And of Ariperton the party gan apayre His aduersary anone as he behelde His cowarde herte gan fall in dispayre Into Pauie for feare he gan repayre Toke his treasour in purpose anonright For uery drede to take him to the flight Toke a vessell and entred is the see With sodaine tempest assailed derknesse His barge perished by great aduersite And was drowned w t al his great rychesse Lo here the fyne of worldly wretchydnesse Namely of them to get great treasours That gyn werre agayn their neighbours The xiii Chapter ¶ Howe Dediere by Pope Adrian and Charles of Fraunce was put to flight died at mischefe NExte to Bochas with heuye loke and chere King of Lombardy shewed his presēce Called in his time noble Dediere Notable in armes and of great excellence And where his father had done offence To the Pope and full great duresse This king cast the domages to redresse Agistolphe was his fathers name Whiche to the Pope did great aduersite For whiche his sonne to encreace his fame Of royall fredom and magnanimite And of benygne lyberalite Gaue to the Pope with humble reuerence A stately cite that called is Fagence Therwith he gaue treasour and great good As he that list of fredome nat to spare A mighty castell whiche on Tybrestod Within the boundes lordshyp of Ferrare Whiche is a cyte playnly to declare Of antiquite myne auctour telleth so And stant vpon the ryuer of the Poo This Dediere reigning in Lombardy Gan wexe famous at his beginning Had a great name vpon eche party But in the erthe is nothing abyding All stant on chaunge fortune in workyng Is founde vnstable double of her vysage Which of this king chaunged the corage There he was large on euery side Lyberal founde in many sondrye wyfe His goodlyhede was chaunged in to pryde And his largesse in to couetyse Of doublenesse he gan anone deuyse To clayme agayne as ye shall vnderstand His saide gyftes out of the Popes hande Whiche Dediere had made aliaunce As the cronicle maketh mencion With king Pepin reignyng tho in Fraunce After whose death to haue possession And full lordshyp of all that region He gan of newe fall at distaunce Both w t the Pope with the king of Fraūce Of presumpcion these werres he began Againe his promise of double variaunce Pope in tho daies was holy Adrian Which to stynt the troble gret mischaūce Required helpe of the king of Fraunce And great Charles in Bochas as I rede Came to the Pope to helpe him in this nede Charles that time was chefe protectoure To holy churche their pauis and defence Whiche of hole hert and dyligent labour With Dediere by manly violence He met in Tuskie of knightly excellence Had a batayle to preue their might Charles victor Dediere put to flyght As I fynde he fled in to Pauie Worthy Charles layde a siege aforne Constrayned them vpon eche partye For lacke of vitaile they were almost lorne They wanted licour grayne and corne By sodayne constraynt great aduersyte To king Charles they yelded vp the cyte Kyng Dediere was sent in to Fraunce With mighty chaynes fettred in prison Like a wretche in sorow great penaunce Died at mischefe there gayned no raunson Which had afore so great possession After whose day by olde writing Among lōbardes was neuer crowned king The .xiiii. Chapter ¶ Of Pope Johan a woman with childe and put downe AFter the Princes reherced here toforne Drowned in teares came a creature Like a byshop rounded and yshorne And as a priest he had abrode tonsure Her apparayle outwarde and vesture Being a woman wherof Bochas toke hede Lyke a prelate shape was her wede She was the same that of yore agon Vnworthely sate in Peters place Was afterwarde called Pope John Aberdlesse prelate no heare sene on her face Of her birth named was the place Maxence a cite standing in Itaile Vpon the Keen full famous of vitayle In her youth and in her tendre age Forsoke her kyn and in especiall Cast she would for her auauntage Geue her to conning body hert and all And in the sciences called lyberall In all seuin by famous excellence By great study she had experience Her name couthe in many a diuers lande To shew her cōning first whan she began Serchyng prouinces came to Englande No wight supposing but y ◠she was a man Came to Rome her story tell can Taught Grammer Sophistry and Logike Red in scholes openly rethorike In the tyme of themperour Lotarye After the death as made is mencion Fro mine auctour if I shall nat varie Of the Pope which called was Leon The said woman by election I stalled was no wight supposing than By no token but that she was a man The boke of Sortes after that anon Of auenture tourned vp so doun She was named and called Pope John Of whose naturall disposicon Fyll by processe in to temptacion Quicke w t childe the hour came on her than Was deliuered at saynt Jhon Lateran After put downe for her great outrage I wyll on her spende no more labour But passe ouer all the surplusage Of her liuing and of her great errour Turne my stile vnto the emperour Called Arnolde write his pitous chaunce Sonne to Charles y ◠great king of Fraunce To this Charles as bokes determine He was sonne nat borne in maryage But begotten on a concubine Toke
Henry hys father gan counsayle Agayne the churche to do no violence But him submit wyth humble obedience The strife enduringe atwene these estates Frederik made his sonne to be accused To hym of crymelese magestatis Woulde not suffer he should be excused But lyke a man maliciously refused By his fathers cursed false treason He was coÌ„maunded to dye in prison Some bokes say he was taken brought To his father of dome to haue sentence But lyke a man passed sorow thought Whych to hys lyfe had none aduertence Furiously and wyth great vyolence As he was lad alas on horsbake Hys horse fyl downe so hys necke he brake Some bokes reherse of hym and sayne Hys father toke agayne hym occasion And whan he had longe in cheynes layne At great mischefe he dyed in prison And some saye that he fyl doun Of a bridge as Bochas reherseth herâ— And drowned was in a depe ryuere ☞ A commendacion of Bochas of suche as be kynde to their kynred NExte in ordre myne auctour dyd hys cure To make a speciall commendacion Of such as be disposed by nature And by their kyndly inclinacion As blode requireth and generacion To acquite theÌ„ selfe in thought wyll dede Without fayning vnto theyr kinred Specially that none vnkindnesse Be founde in them for none aduersite To consider of naturall gentylnes To them appropred is mercy and pyte And to auoyde the false duplicite That was in Frederik whyche so vnkyndly Let slee hys sonne that called was Henry Pyte is appropred to kynrede Father and mother by disposicion To cherysh theyr chyldren and eke fede Tyl seuen yere passe lawe maketh mencion And as they be bounde of naturall reason That tyme passed their tendernes tenâ—lyne Vnto fortune by vertuous dyscipline Than afterwarde in theyr adolescence Vertuously to tech them and chastise Norish them in doctrine and Science Fostre in vertue vices to dyspyse To be curteyse prudent sad and eke wyse For whan they gyn wyth vertue in that age Gladly after they do no great outrage As it longeth to euery gentle lygne And blode royall by kyndly influence To father mother shewe them selfe benigne Of humble hertes to do them reuerence Aye to remembre in their aduertence On syxe princes that wrought the contrarye For whyche fortune was their aduersarye Eueriche to other founde was vnkinde In cursed blode may be no kindnesse Of one tarage sauoureth tree and rynde The frute also beareth of the tre wytnes And semblably the fathers cursednes Wyth mortall sworde in nature reprouable Againe the childe is ofte sene vengeable Among whych Brutus is rekened one Next in order folowed Manlius Slewe their chyldren by recorde euerychone Philip Manlius and also Cassius And cruell Herode fel and malicious Frederik also most vengeably Slewe his sonne that called was Henry This Frederik aye frowarde and contrary Towarde his son not gracious nor benygne From holy churche vngoodly he gan vary And theragayne frowardly maligne And lyke a man obstinate and vndigne Dyed accursed thrugh misgouernaunce Wythout confession or repentaunce The .xxiiii. chapter ☞ Howe Manfroye kyng of Poyle was slayne NExte too Bochas of Poyle came the kynge Began hys fall and complaynte to specify Called Manfroy and for hys false workyng Put downe and slayne cause of his tiranuy Lo what auayleth septr or regaly To a tyraunt which of violence List to god warde haue none aduertence The .xxv. Chapiter ¶ Howe Ences kyng of Sardiny dyed in prison WYth loke downe cast deadly pale of chere Of Sardinya Ences nexte came doun Kyng of that lande to tell the manere Howe he werrayed agayne the myghty toun Called Bononâ—a to his confusion By them veÌ„quished wyth chaynes rouÌ„de Dyed in prison so long he lay there bounde FolowiÌ„g myne auctour called Bocas Jhon In Sardinia as he maketh mynde Serpent nor wolfe in that lande was none Hauyng a well whych of very kynde Theues eyen the water maketh blynd To true folke as he doth deuine Water thereof was helth and Medicine There groweth also an herbe as bokes sey Which that is so diuers of nature Who tasteth therof laughyng he shal dey No medicine may helpe them nor succour The touche therof stante eke in auenture If it enter his mouth on any syde He shal alyue for laughter not abyde The .xxvi. chapter ⧠Howe an other Frederyke was slayne by iudgemente of hys brother THere was another frowarde Frederike Sonne of Alphonce that was king of Castyle Of corage wode and eke franâ—yke His owne brother falsly to begyle Began a werre lastynge but a whyle Whose purpose was his brother to dysceiue And the crowne of Castile to receyue This Frederike came with a greate battaile Agayne his brother for the same entent Of his purpose yet he dyd fayle God nor fortune were not of assent Take in the felde and by iudgement Of his brother for his great trespace Slayne openly he had no better grace The .xxvii. Chapter ☞ Howe Manimettus and Argones dyed at mischefe MAnymettus of Perce lorde and kyng Came next in preace distressed in gret payne Vpon fortune pitiously playnyng His aduersite dyd him so constrayne For there was one whych at him did disdaine Called Argones voide of title or ligne Gayne Manimettus proudlye gan malinge Whych Argones for his presumpcion Take at mischete by sodayne violence His dome was giuen to dye in prison Of no power to make resistence But fortune that can no difference Of her chaunges atwene frende and fo Caused them dye at mischefe both two ⧠The .xxviii. Chapter ☞ Howe Charles Kynge of Jerusalem and of Cecile for auarice and auoutry died at mischefe AFter these forsayde rehersed in sentence As Bochas remembreth in hys style Came Noble Charles vnto presence Kyng of Jerusalem and also of Cecile Of whose coÌ„ming myn auctour a great while Astoyned was to se his knyghtly face With such chere come in to the place For by hys porte who behelde hym wele Considred fyrst his loke and hys vysage It sempt he trad vpon fortunes whele And of his noble marciall corage Had of her power gotten auauntage Shewyng him selfe on eche partye Her and her might dyd vtterly defye First to commende his royall hye lynage And of his vertuous famous alyaunce And by writing and praysing of langage The name of him specially to auaunce Sayth he was borne of the blode of FrauÌ„ce And to encreace most soueraynlye his prise Writeth he was brother vnto saynt Le wyse Gaue to Fraunce this commendacion So as Phebus passeth eche other sterre Right so that kingdom in comparison Passeth euery lande both nie and ferre In policy be it peace or werre For it transcendeth in peace by prouydence And in werre by knightly excellence These wordes be nat take of myne auctour Entytled here for a remembraunce By one Laurence whiche was translatour Of this processe to commende Fraunce To prayse that lande was all his plesaunce Sayth influence of that royall lande Made Charles so worthy of
his hande Of whose noblesse Pope Vrban had ioy Him to encrease for vertuous liuing Which that time was duke of Anioy After chosen of Cecile to be kyng Of Pope Vrban required by writyng Toward Rome that he should him dresse Of king Manfroy the tyranny to oppresse Agayne the Pope and holy churche right This said Manfroy dyd great extorcion Noble Charles as goddes owne knight Came with stronge hande vp to Rome toun Whiche in his comming gaue possession To Gyot Manfort for to haue the garde In his passage to gouerne the vowarde To Rome with great ordinaunce They passed ouer the boundes of Itayle This maÌ„ly knight Charles borne in fraunce Lad with him many a stronge batayle The Popes enemy manly to assayle But all this whyle to stande at diffence This said Charles founde no resistence Entring Rome to be their protectour Full well receyued at his first entryng Chose and preferred for chefe senatour By the pope most glad of his comming Of Cecile was after crowned king And of Jerusalem as made is mencion Graunted to him full possession Whiche in his ginning bare him so well Entring y â— land with knightly apparayle Of Cassine gate fyrst the stronge castell At Beneuent had a great batayle With kiÌ„g Manfroy whose partye did assayle To reherce shortly his auenture Charles made on him a discomfyture In which bataile king MaÌ„froy was slaine And noble Charles toke possession Wherof Romains were full glad and fayne Yet in Cecile there was rebellion But they were brought vnto subiection And Conradine recorde of al wrighting Sonne of Conrade claymed to be king Gan make him strong proudly toke his place At Alygate a famous olde cite Noble Charles with knightly chere face Fyll vpon him made him for to flye And to set rest in the countre To auoyde trouble make al thing certaine Gaue iugement Conradyne to be slayne Amonge kynges notable and glorious Charles was put as made is mencion Lyke a prince stronge and victorious In full peasyble and hole possession Of Cecile and all that regyon Agayns whom was no disobeysaunce Yelded of hole herte to his gouernaunce By tytle also of his alyaunce Fortune greatly did him magnifye For as it is put in remembraunce The noble princesse that called was Mary Doughter to Stephane reigning in Hungry Joyned was and knit in mariage To Charles son to thencrece of his lynage This same Charles by auctorite So as him selfe list to ordayne Was made king of the great cyte Called JerusaleÌ„ of townes moste soueraine By whiche title he bare crownes twayne His brother Lewes olde bokes say The same time in Egipt gan werray Gate all the countreys aboute enuyron whiche that sarazyns dyd falsly occupye Brought them agayne to subiection Of Jerusalem that iande to magnifye Cartage in Affrike with all their regalye And all the countreys beyng afore coÌ„trayre To kyng Charles became tributayre This whyle he sate highest in his glory Lyke Phebus shyning in his mydday spere with many conquest many great victory whan his noblesse shone most bright clere The same tyme with a frownyng chere Fortune gan from Charles tourne her face And him berafte her fauour and her grace This lady fortune doth selde in one coÌ„tune She is so geryshe of condicion A sorceresse a traytour in coÌ„mune Cast a false meane to his distruction One of his sonnes slayne with poyson which dyd eclypse myne auctor doth expresse A full great partye of his olde gladnesse He was disclaundred of all the vyce which appertayneth vnto tyranny I meane the vice of frowarde auaryce which is contrary vnto his chiualry Diffamed also of false auoutrye whiche was susteyned through his mayntenauÌ„ce within the lande by a knight of Fraunce The same knight abydyng in his hous All Cecile troubled with that dede The great offence was so disclaundrous Thrugh all the region it began to sprede For thylke woman plainly as I rede was wyfe to one whiche suffred this offeÌ„ce And to be venged dyd his dyligence John Prosith plainly was his name whiche cast him fully auenged for to be That kyng Charles should beare the blame Slewe al the frenchmen that bode in y â— couÌ„tre Without grace mercy or pite And for to do full execucion Required was the kyng of Aragon Lost of Cecile hole the region With obeysaunce of many countre And of Jerusalem the possession Fyll by processe in great aduersite And last constrained wyth greuous pouerte To god most mekely wyth ful heuy chere Soone to be dead was hys prayer Supprised he was w t sorowe in his corage Lost his force fyl in to malady Languished forth tyll he gan faâ—l in age Agayne fortune founde no remedy And by occasion of false auoutry Fyl to mischefe and for sorow drede This Charles died no more of him I rede ¶ Lenuoye Lyke as Phebus in some freshe morninge After Aurora the day doth clarifye Falleth oft that his bryght shining Is derked with some cloudy skye Alykenes shewed in this tragedye Expert in Charles the story doth well preue Youth and age rekened truely The fayre day men do praise at eue The noble fame of his fresh gynning To saint Lowes he was nygh of alye Ryght wyse manly vertuous of liuyng Called of knighthod flour of chiualry Tyll maintenaunce of auoutry Came in to hys courte to hurte hys name and greue His life his deth put in ieoparty The fayre day men do prayse at eue Lyke desertes meÌ„ haue theyr guerdoning Vertuous lyfe doth princes magnify The contrary to them is great hyndring Folke experte the trouth may not denye Serche out the rewarde of cursed lechery Where it is vsed the houshold may not preue In this matter to Charles haue an eye The fayre day to prayse towarde eue Noble princes al vyces eschewing Your hyghe corage let reason gye Withdraw your hand fro riotous watchyng Flye fleshly lustes and vicious companye Oppresse no man do no tiranny Socour the nedy pore folke do releue Let men report the prudent policye Of your last age whan it draweth to eue ⧠The .xxix. Chapter ¶ Of Hugoline Erle of Pise slaine in prison AFter Charles story red the woful fyne As ye haue herde the maner and y â— gyse To Jhon Bochas appered Hugolyne Called whylome the erle of Pyse Tyll they gan againe him aryse Most vengeable cruell and vnkynde Slewe him in prison no more of him I finde Saue his children of haterede and enuy Were murdred eke in a depe prison Next with his coÌ„playnt the kinge of Armeny Came tofore Bochas that called was AthoÌ„ A christen prince full famous of renoun For our fayth from which he lyst nat erre Gayne Tartaâ—ines longtime he held werre This manly king in knighthod full famous It was shewed his story who lyst rede Had a brother fell and dispytous Called Sabath desyrous to succede Sted of his brother the kingdome to possede By false treason reued of his right Kept him in holde and put him out
gret penaunce Stable of their chere visage couÌ„tenaunce Neuer to vary for none auenture Like Christes chaÌ„pions perpetually teÌ„dure Whose foundacion by notable prouidence Grounded on Christ their soules to auaunce Graue in their hertes and in theyr conscience Voiding all trouble of worldly perturbauÌ„ce Chaunges of fortune w t her double chaunce Loued god and dred aboue eche creature In hope with him perpetually to endure The .xxxiii. Chapter ¶ Howe Philip le Bele king of Fraunce was slaine with a wilde Bore and of his thre sonnes and their wedding Whan Bochas had written of pacieÌ„ce And commended the vertue of suffraunce Philip le Bele came to his presence Fift of the name crowned king of Fraunce Gan complaine his vnhappy chaunce And on fortune of custome that can vary Which was to him cruell aduersary Wounded he was with a greuous sore Gan his complaynt to Bochas determyne How he was slaine with a wilde bore In a forest which called was Compyne Tolde howe he was sclaundred al hys line Ones in FlauÌ„ders w t many a worthy knight VeÌ„quished of fleÌ„minges felly put to flight Proceding ferther gan touche of his lynage Howe in his time he had sonnes three Lewes Philip Charles yonge of age The fourth Robert also a doughter had he Called Isabell right excellent of beaute The sayde Robert the storie is well kouthe Whiche that died in his tender youthe To this story who liâ—t haue good regarde The circumstaunce wysely to discerne His doughter Isabell was wedded to Edward Carneruan the boke so doth vs lerne This yonge Philip wedded in Nauerne The kinges doughter a stately mariage Called Jane whyle she was tendre of age The same Philip after crowned king Of Nauerne his father of assent Fyue sonnes he had than liuing Of which fiue as in sentyment Thre in nombre be right pertyn ent The matter who so list to loke And the processe of the same boke The eldest sonne called was Lewise To whome his father gaue possession Of Nauerne bycause that he was wyse For to gouerne that noble region Philip his brother for his high renoun Was afterwarde by iust enheritaunce And rightful title crowned king of Fraunce The thyrde brother was by title of right Made erle of march named was Charles Eche of them in the peoples syght Were famous holde passing of great prise And for they were right manly right wyse Philip and Charles toke in tendre age The erles doughters of Burgoin in mariage But as the storye reherseth in certayne To their noblesse fortune had enuy And by a maner of malice and disdayne Brought in a processe vpon the party Of their two wyues frowarde auoutry Causing the death of these wyues thre Whan they most floured in their felicite After these three princes glorious Tofore Bochas had shew theyr entent A mighty duke notable and famous Came to complaine Charles of Tarent Which in his time to Florence went To make peace in his royall estate Twene Guerâ—te Gemellius standing at debate The said Charles borne of the blod of frauÌ„ce A manly knight the story doth deuise By whose vnhappy fatall froward chaunce In the werres twene Florence and Pyse On horsbacke sittinge in knightly wyse Hurt w t an arowful lowe down to grounde Wherby he caught his last fatal wounde A man of armes beyng a soudyour With the pisanes were it wronge or right Of false disdaine did his busy labour To treade on Charles in the peoples syght Whan he laye gruffe wherfore he was made knight By theyr captain for a maner pryde Which gouerned the Sybelines syde And in his study wyth full heuy chere While John Bochas bode styll on his sete To him appered and gan approche nere Daunt of Florence the laureate Poete With his dities and rethoriques swete Demure of loke fulfilled with pacience With a vysage notable of reuerence Whan Bochas saw him vpoÌ„ his fete he stod And to mete him he toke his pase full right with great reuerence auailed cappe and hod To him said with humble chere and sight O clerest sonne O very sothfast lyght Of our cite which called is Florence Laude be to the honour and reuerence Thou hast enlumined Itaile Lombardy With Laureate ditees in thy flouring dayes Grounde and ginning of prudent policy Monge Florentines suffred great affrayes As golde pure proued at al assayes In trouth madest mekely thy selfe stronge For commoÌ„ profite to suffre paine wronge O noble Poete touching this matter How Florentines to the were vnkynde I wyll remember write with good chere Thy pytous exile and put here in mynde Fray quod Daunt here stante one behinde Duke of Athens turne to him thy style His vncouth story breuely to compyle And if thou lyst do me this plesaunce To discryue his knightly excellence I wyll thou put his life in remembraunce How he oppressed by mighty violence This famous cite called Florence By which story plainly thou shalt se Whiche were frendes and foes to the cite And which were able to be excused If the trouth be clerely apperceyued And which were worthy to be refused By whome the cite ful falsly was disceiued The cyrcumstaunce notably conceiued To reken in order by euery syde Which shoulde be chaced and whiche shoulde abyde The .xxxiiii. Chapter ¶ How duke Gaulter of Florence for his tirannye lechery and couetyse ended in myschefe ANd whan Bochas knewe all thentencion Of the saide Daunt he caste him anone ryght To obey his mayster as it was reason Toke his penne and as he cast his sight Alite aside he sawe no maner wight Saue duke Gaulter of all the longe day For Daunt vnwarely vanished was away This said Gaulter bruely to perocede Lyke as it is put in remembraunce Touching his line and his royall kynrede He was discended of the blode of Fraunce By longe processe and knightly purueyaunce His father fyrst by diligent labour Of Athenes was lorde and gouernour Stode but a while in clere possession Grekes to him had full great enuy Cast of assent to put him doun And de priue him of his famous duchy To their entent a layser they did espy Toke him at mischefe quaking in his drede Of hie dispyte in haste smyt of his heade Vpon whose death auenged for to be This said Gaulter with mighty apparayle Cast he wolde asiege that cite But of his purpose longe he did faile And in this while w t many stronge batayle Two mighty prices were coÌ„e down of Pise Laide a siege to Luke in full knightly wyse Florentines to Luke were fauourable And to delyuer the siege from the toun With multytude almost innumerable Made ordinaunce and knightly came doun Which tourned after to their distruction For it fell so of mortall auenture On Florentines fyl the discomfiture The noyse and fame of this great batayle Gan sprede ferre by reporte of langage In Lombardy and in Itayle Monge soudiours lusty of corage And among other fayning a pylgrimage The said
euery table And in his meanyng passyng disceyuable Lyke as he had in maner dredful be Toke al his host and gan anone to fle This yonge prince of meanyng innocent Nothyng demyng as by supposayle But y ◠Cirus was with his meyny went And sled for feare he durst hym not assayle And whan he founde such plente of vytayle He his knightes through misgouernaūce To eate and drinke set al their plesaunce They had of knyghthode lost the disciplyne Forsoke Mars put hym out of syght And to Bachus their heades gan enclyne Gorge vpon gorge tyl it drough to nyght And proude Cirus came on thē anonryght With all hys hoost they out of their armure On beastial folke made a discomfiture Cruel Cirus left none alyue Of hygh nor lowe made none excepcion They were to feble again his might to striue For chefe cause of their distruction Was drōkennesse whych voydeth al reason And wyse men rehercen in sentence Where folke be dronken there is no resistence And whan thys slaughter by relacion Reported was brought to the presence Of Thomiris quene of that region Vnto her hert it dyd ful great offence But of ire and great impacience Seyng her sonne slayne in tendre age For sorow almost she fyll in to a rage But for al her woful deedly payne She shewed no token of feminite But of prudence her weping gan restrayne And cast her playnly auenged for to be Vpon kyng Cirus and on his cruelte Sente out meyny to espyen his passage If she hym fynde myght at auauntage And with her meyny gā feyne a maner flight Vp to the mountayns dredful terrible And Cirus after gan haste hym anon ryghte In hope to take her if it were possible Among whiche hilles more than it is credible Ben craggy roches most hideous of entayle Perilous of passage voyde of al vitayle And Cirus ther fyl in greate daunger Al vnpurueyed of drogemen or of gyde To fostre his people vitaile was none ther Erryng as beastes vpon euery syde And they of Cithie gan for hym so prouyde Wherof their quene god wote was ful fayne At great mischefe y t al his men were slaine None of al was taken to raunson Nor he hym selfe escaped not her boundes Such wayte was layde to theyr distruction And he through perced with mortal woundes On peces rent as beares ben with hoūdes The quene cōmaūding whā he lay thus torne To her presence his body to be borne Fyrst she hath charged to smyte of his heade Whan she hath thus the victory of hym won And in a bath that was all blode red She gan it throwe within a litel tonne And of dispite ryght thus she hath begonne Most tirauntly in her woful rage To dead Cirus to haue this langage O thou Cirus that whylom were so wode And so thrustlewe in thy tiranny Agayne nature so to shede mannes bloud So woluyshe was thyne hateful dropsy That mercy none myght it modefye Thine etyke ioyned gredy and vnstable With thrust of slaughter aye to be vengeable It is an horrour in maner for to thynke So great a prince rebuked for to be Of a woman mannes blode to drinke For to disclaundre his roial maieste But gladly euer vengeable cruelte Of ryght requireth wyth vnware violence Blod shede for blode iustly to recompence Of myghty Cirus the imperiall noblesse Was by a woman vēquyshed borne doune God made her chastise his furious wodnes And for toppresse his famous high renoun For where vengeaunce hath dominacion In worldly princes playnly to deuyse With vnware stroke god can thē chastise Th ende of Cirus can bere ful wel recorde How god w t standeth folke y ◠ben vengeable Lordshyp mercy whan they ben at discorde Right wyll not suffer their state to be stable And for this Cirus was so vnmerciable He with vnmercy punished was in dede Deth quyt for deth lo here his final mede In slaughter blode he dyd greately delyte For in tho twayne was his repast in dede He founde no mercy his vēgeaunce to respyte Where he founde matter any blode to shede Such ioy he had by deth to se folke blede ▪ And for the syght did him so much good His fatal ende was for to swym in blode Lo here thexequies of this mighty king Lo here the ende of his estate royal There were no flames nor brondes shinynge To bren his body with fires funeral Nor obseruaunces nor offringes marciall Nor tombe of golde with stones rych fyne Was none ordained to make with his shrine Epitaphie ther was none red nor songe By no poete wyth their poetries Nor of his triūphes there was no bell ronge Nor no wepers with sobbynge tragedies None attendaunce but of hys enemies Which of hatred in their cruell rage Cast out his carayne to beastes most sauage Lo here of Cirus the finall auenture Which of al Asie was whylom emperour Now lieth he abiect without sepulture Of high nor low he founde no better fauoure Lo here the fyne of al worldly labour Namely of tiraunts which lyst not god drede But set their lust to slaughter blodeshede Lenuoye RYghte noble prynces considre in youre syghte The fine of Cirus pitous lamētable How god punisheth of equitie ryght Tirauntes echone cruel and vengeable For in his syght it is abhominable That a prince as philosophers write In slaughter of men shoulde hym selfe delyte This saide Cirus was a full manly knight In begynning ryght famous and notable Nature yaue him semelinesse myght For in conquest was none sene more able Tyl tiranny the serpent disceyuable Merciles his corage dyd atwite In slaughter of men whan him gan delite Wherefore ye princes remēbre day nyght Tafforce your nobles make it pardurable To get you fauour loue of euery wyght Which shal your states cōserue kepe stable For there is conquest none so honourable In governaunce as vengeaunce to respite Mercy preferring in slaughter not delite The .xv. Chapiter ¶ Howe Amilius for couetyse slough his brother and Remus and Rumulus nourished by a wolfes AFter king Cirus Bochas did espy Two worthy brethern wyth faces pitous Borne by discent to reigne in Albanye Both of one father the story telleth vs The one of them called Amulius And to remembre the name of that other Numitor ycalled was his brother They had a fader whyche named was Prochas Kyng of y ◠land the story doth deuise After whose deth playnely thys is the case Amulius for false couetise His brother slough in ful cruel wyse That he vniustly by false tiranny Might haue the kingdom alone of Albany This Albany by discripcion Like as Bochas affirmeth in certeine Is a citye not ferre fro Rome toun Set on an hyl beside a large pleine The building stately rych well beseine Stronge walles with many a high toure And Ascanius was fyrste thereof foundour Which called was in his foundacion Albania for the great whytnes There kynges after