Durazzo with his son Charles prisoners The father was beheaded as giltie of the death of Andrew being of secrete faction in armes with the Quene the sonne was ledde prisoner into Hungarie Finally kynge Lewys after he had been .iii. monethes in the realme leauyng a stronge garrison of Hungariens at Naples retourned into his countrey ¶ Than Clement the .v. bishoppe of Rome entreated a peace betweene kyng Lewys and the Queene in suche wyse that Iohan retourned into hir state with couenaunt that hir housband shoulde in no wyse beare the title of kyng But what auailed that for she was no sooner in possession of the realme againe but she by fauour of Clement caused hir husband to be crowned king in Naples and by Clementê procurement gotte the consent of the kynge of Hungarie therunto For the whiche she gaue to the bishop the citee of Auignion that the churche euer sens hath kepte But Lewys couetyng to satisfie hir flesshely appetite fell in a consumpcion and died within .iii. yeres after ¶ Than she mariâ—d Iames of Taâ—racone a young gentilman borne in Maiorica than reputed the goodliest felow in the worlde But to hym she graunted not the title of kynge Within fewe yeres he died some saie by naturall infyrmitee other saie she caused his head to be stricken of for companiyng with an other woman ¶ After she maried Ottho Duke of Brainswich in Saxonie â–ª who than at that time serued in the warres of Italy reteigned with the bishop of Rome ¶ Finally Queene Iohan who fauoured not Urbane the .vi. elected bishop immediately procured certain Cardinalles to electe one of the Frenche faction so they elected Clement the .vii. by reason wherof grew a great schisme in the churche For Italy Hungarie and Almaine fauored Urbane Fraunce Spaine fauored Clemâ—nie And Urbane to be reuenged on the quene made an armie and did so muche that he constreigned bothe Clement and the quene to flee from Naples to Auignion where the quene consideryng she had no chylde adopted Lewys Luke of Angio secounde sonne to kynge Iohn of Fraunce to be hir heire of the realmes of Naples and Sicile and therof made sufficiente writyng whervpon the secounde line of the house of Angio haue euer sens mainteigned their tytle that they haue to the realme ¶ Shortly after the quene retourned to Naples But Urbane this meane while had inuested Charles da Durazzo who as you haue herde before was ledde prisoner into Hungarie kynge of Naples and wroughte so well that Charles by helpe of the kynge of Hungarie that than fauored him muche broughte a great armie with him and inconclusion toke Naples and the quene with hir husbande prisoners ¶ The husbande Ottho was sette at libertee vpon condicion he shoulde departe out of the realme But the quene by sentence of the kyng of Hungary was hanged at the same wyndowe where she caused hir firste husbande to be hanged Hir sister Marie of hir counsaill in that mattier was beheaded ¶ This Marie was she of whom Boccace was enamoured and for whose sake he wrote the two bokes Fâ—ammeâ—â—a and Filocolo And amongest other verses writen of this quene Iohan I finde .ii. veraie notable Regna regunt vuluae gens tota clamat simul oh veh Interitus regni est à muliere regi Whiche in english are of this effect Helas crien the people all A womans shappe weareth the crowne Womans rulyng the wealth turne shall Of realmes quite vpside downe ¶ Quene Iohan beyng thus dyspatched Charles remeigned peasablie in possession of the realme till Lewis Duke of Angio beforenamed heire adopted came with a greâ—t armie out of Fraunce to recouer the realme as his enheritaunce and by the helpe of certaine princes of Italy passed through Lumbardy La Romagnia and La Marca and so entred into Puglia where many townes yelded vnto hym continuyng so a yere and more and to strengthe his armie Mounser de Couci was sent after him with .12000 hâ—rsemen from the Frenche kyng But he not folowyng the Duke passed through Tuscane and besiegeyng the Castell of Arezzo taried so longe that er â—uâ—r he coulde come to the succours the Coâ—â—e Alberico genâ—rall of the kynges armie had discomfited the frenche armie and slayne the Duke in the fielde For whose death Charles withall his courte mourned in blacke a moneth Mounser de Couci hearyng of the Dukes death solde the towne of Arezzo to the Florentines for .40000 duckaâ—es and immediately retourned into Fraunce so Charles had the realme in peace till Urbane the bishop who called him vnto the realme fell out with him because Charles wold not coÌ„sent to make Butillo the bishops nephew borne of a vile stocke prince of Capua Upon which breache Urbane cursed him and because he had not power to reueÌ„ge him vpon Charles he tourned his wrath vpon .vii. Cardinalles that he suspected Of whom he put .v. into sackes and threw theim into the sea and the other two he putte to deathe at Genoa and dried their bodies in a furneise cariyng theim afterwardes on moyles before hym for an example to the reste ¶ Finallie kynge Lewys of Hungarie deceasyng without heire male the barons of the realme called kynge Charles to the dominion therof who at laste wente thither and was crowned in Alba but afterwardes goyng to Buda he was frendely called to a supper by the olde quene and hir doughter and there traitelously slaine at the table ¶ This Charles had geuen to hym to wife by Lewys kynge of Hungarie Margarete yongest sister of quene Iohan before mencioned on whom â—e begatte two children Ladislaus and Iohan. But assoone as the Napolitanes hearde of Charles death they toke their owne libertee vpon theim so that quene Margarete with hir children was faine to flee to Gaeâ—ta where she remained in muche care and trouble .iiii. yeres why lest the whole realme was tourned and tossed firste by Ottho late husbande to quene Iohan who gatte a great parte therof and died at Foggia than by Lewys the secounde Duke of Angio who folowyng his fathers title sente certain galleâ—s to Naples to mainteigne those Napolines that toke his parte ¶ Finallie Boniface the .ix. than bishop of Rome admitted the excommunicacion made againste Charles and caused Ladislaus to be crowned kyng at Gaetta And albeit the forenamed Lewys of Angio came to Naples with an armie by sea and was there receiued yet Ladislaus by littell and littell so allured the barons to hym that he not onely constreigned Lewys to withdraw him into Prouance but also brougte Naples and the reste of the realme obediente to hym Thries he attemted the gettyng of Rome whiche the fourth tyme he obteigned insomuche that entryng tryumphantly the Romain nobilitee did him homage But what folowed Alexander the .v. beyng made bishop of Rome in the counsaill at Pisa receiued the forenamed Lewys of Angio that than was newely comen thither to doe hym honour For the which he obteigned of
they of their owne originall holde diuers opinions Athis or Egyptus Siluius reigned .24 yeres Capi Siluius reigned .28 yeres and builded the citee of Capua Carpentus reigned .13 yeres Tyberinus reigned .9 yeres of whom the riuer that renneth through Rome was first named Tyber by reason he was drowned in the same for before it was called Albula Agrippa reigned .40 yeres Remulus reigned .19 yeres and was slaine with a thunderbolte Auentinus reygned .38 yeres and was slaine in battaile on the hill Auentine and buried there wherof that hill toke his name though Varro saieth that the â—ame proceded of the sight of certaine birdes Proca reigned .23 yeres and ordeined by testament that of his two sonnes the one shoulde haue his realme and the other his treasure so that theldest toke the treasure and the yongest the dominion Amulius reigned .24 yeres and chased his elder brother Numitor out of his realme because he had learned by diuinacion that one of his brothers descent shoulde expell him out of his astate Wherefore he slewe his nephewe Sergistus and put his neece Rhea into a religion of virgines called Vestales where at the ende of .vii. yere she was gotten with childe by an vnknowen man and brought foorth at one burden two sonnes Romulus and Remus with the whiche Amulius was so offended that he not onely caused the mother to be buried quicke accordyng to the law but also commaunded the two children to be throwen into Tyber so that thei were left on the banke and there fed by a she woulfe as the poeâ—es feigne but the trouth of the historie is that they were founde by a shepherde whose wife for hir beauty and licenciouse liuing was called Lupa and so taken and nourished till thei grew vnto suche yeres that they reuenged theim selfes slew Amulius and made theyr graundefather Numitor kyng ¶ Numitor reigned not fully one yere til Romulus and Remus together founde the meane to slea him and than builded the citee of Rome Before whiche tyme these Latine kynges had reigned in all about .620 yeres ¶ After the citee was builded the two bretherne so contended for geuyng the name and for the dominion that Remus was slaine ROmulus than reigned .38 yeres and created .100 senatours for the rule of the common wealth And within .4 yeres after the edificacioÌ„ of the citee because the inhabitauntê beyng men assembled of diuers nacions had no women to mainteine succession he deuised sacrifices and plaies to the whiche the Sabines aswell men as women resorted So that by ordre of Romulus all the Sabine maydens that came to the feast were taken and maried amonge the Romaines Whervpon the Sabines made warre against Romulus and procured diuers other of theyr neighbours to dooe the like but the Romaine preuailed against theim all Finally as he perused his souldiers on a daie in a great tempest he was stricken with a thunderbolte and because he could neuer more be hearde of the Romaines imagined he was ascended to heauen and therfore worshipped hym as a God ¶ Numa Pompilius reigned .41 yeres and kepte the citee in peace and because the people thoroughe theyr passed continuall warres were become in maner wilde he therfore entroduced religion and Gods among them and so brought theym to ciuilitee ¶ Tullus Hostilius reigned .33 yeres and conquered the citee of Alba whiche he rased to the earthe and at last bothe he and his house were burned with thundre ¶ Ancus Martius reigned .xxiiii. yeres and subdued the Latines with diuers other people about Rome ¶ Tarquinus Priscus reigned .37 yeeres he doubled the noumbre of senatours and after he had vanquisshed the Sabines entred triumphauntly into Rome but at last he was slaine by the sonnes of Ancus Martius ¶ Seruius Tullius reigned .34 yeres he ordeined first the paiment of taxes and therby founde that he had at that tyme in Rome fourescore and foure thousande persons and was slaine at last by the procurement of his sonne in law Tarquine the proude ¶ Lucius Tarquinius reigned .35 yeeres he was the fyrst that inuented prisons and tourmentes and by reason of the odious acte that his sonne didde in enforsyng the chast Lucretia wife of Collatinus who therefore slew hir selfe he and all his were exiled out of Rome and the astate chaunged from kynges to Consules after that the kynges had reigned aboue .230 yeres ¶ Than did the Romains ordeine two Consules remoueable from yere to yere The fyrst were Lucius Iunius Brutus and Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus housbande to the dead Lucretia vnder whiche ordre of Consules a few chaunges excepted the Romaines mainteigned theyr common wealth well nere .500 yeres and so preuailed in conquestê ouer the worlde that none other monarchie is to be compared vnto theyrs nor almost so many other woorthy men to be read of in all the histories written as were founde in that citee for the time as he that readeth Liuie shall see But because the onely writyng of their names wold occupie a greatter part of my boke than should be requisite to my purpose I shall beseche all gentill readers to be contented that I referre theim ouer vnto the Romaine histories whiche are common to the whole worlde ¶ Finally about .700 yeres after the edificacion of Rome and .47 before the comyng of Christ the libertee of the Romaine common wealth ceased by reason that Iulius Caesar after the death of Pompeius hauyng quieted the ciuile contencions tooke on hym by force the whole empyre and had at his commaundement the greatest part of all the worlde From whom vnto the tyme of Constantine the fyrste there reigned 38. emperours as by theyr names hereafter it appeareth and they all kepte theyr principall seate in Rome as the head citee of theyr monarchie IUlius Caesar reigned in all not fullie .v. yeres for Brutus and Cassius with diuers other senatours conspired against him and slew him in the senate house ¶ Octauianus Augustus reigned .56 yeres and .vi. monethes but the fyrst .xii. yeres he had Marcus Antonius Lepidus as parteners of the empire till by force with consente of the senate he subdued them bothe and because he was happie in his enterprises the senatours surnamed him Augustus In the .42 yere of his reigne our Sauiour Christe was borne ¶ Tyberius son in lawe vnto Octauian reigned .xxiii. yeres In the .xviii. yere wherof Christe suffred his passion and Pilate wrote vnto Tyberius of the miracles that he had doen wherfore Tyberius commaunded he shoulde be woorshipped as a God but the senatours woulde not graunte vnto it because he had proclaymed it without theyr consentes ¶ Caius Caligula reigned .iii. yeres and .x. monethes A man of so yll liuyng that he shamed not to companie flesshely with his owne sisters and was flayne by his owne souldiours ¶ Claudius reigned .xiii. yeres and .viii. monethes and was poysoned Some write that the seconde yere of Claudius reigne Peter the apostle came to Rome and there continued
.xxv. yeres after Whiche other some doe disallow groundyng them vpon Peters age that reckenyng the time it was impossible Peter should liue so longe after Christes passion ¶ Neroe reigned .xiiii. yeres and .vii. monethes whose customes were odiouse to the whole worlde He killed his mother his wife his maister Seneca and dyuers other excellent men so that his owne souldiers rebelled agaynste hym and the whole Senate condemned him wherfore he fledde and because he coulde not escape desperately slewe him selfe ¶ Galba Sergius reigned but .vii. monethes by reason that his next successour laie in waite for hym and slew hym in the baines ¶ Otho Lucius reigned scarsely .iii. monethes till he was ouercome by his nexte successour so that throughe despayre he slew hym selfe ¶ Uitellius reigned but .vii. monethes For the Romaine armie that than was in the east parties elected Uespasian emperour so that in despite therof Vitellius chased Sabinus Uespasians brother with dyuers into the capitoll and there set fyre on theim Wherfore Uespasian came streight to Rome toke Vitellius made hym to be drawen through the stretes hewen to peecê ¶ Uespasianus reigned .x yeres and reduced the customes and lawes into a better ordre amonge the people whiche by Nero and the other emperours after hym were muche corrupted and beganne the Amphitheater now called Colliseo And this was he that destroied Ierusalem in fulfillyng of Christes prophecie ¶ Titus sonne to Uespasianus reigned .ii. yeres and ii monethes after his father and was a verie graciouse prince ¶ Domitianus reigned .xv. yeres .v. monethes he was brother vnto Titus but lyke Nero in condicions for he delited in vnnatural vices and in cruel death of men â–ª so that he slew diuers senatours persecuted lerned men and Christians had ill successe in his warres and finally through conspiracie was slaine ¶ Nerua reigned one yere and .iiii. monethes and was the fyrst straunger that is to wete no Romaine borne that euer was made emperour ¶ Traianus adopted son vnto Nerua and a Spaniarde borne reigned .xix. yeres and .vi. monethes so benigne and courteise a prince that for a prouerbe men vsed to saie God make the happier than August and better than Traiane For beyng sometime aduertised of his friendê that he vsed hym selfe to muche familiarly he aunsweared that a prince ought to be vnto his subiectes suche as thei should be to hym and geuyng the swoorde to a Pretor that he had newly made he saied vse this against mine enemies but see the cause be iust and if I deale vniustly than spare not me He prospered muche in his warres and greatly augmented the Romaine empyre ¶ Adrianus reigned .xxi. yeres the most part in peace for that was his studie He was well learned and yerely wrote a pronosticacion he builded a notable sepulchre whervpon Castell S. Angelo now standeth And in his tyme there rose vppe a false Messias amonge the Iewes whiche Adrian ouercame with muche a dooe ¶ Antonius Pius adopted sonne vnto Adrian reigned xxiii yeres so gentill a prince that all the worlde loued hym For he was wont to saie he had rather preserue one of his citesins than destroie a .1000 of his enemies ¶ Marcus Aurelius Antonius reigned .xix. yeres and one moueth At the first his brother Lucius Verus was ioigned with him but he liued not longe This Marcus was an excellent philosopher wrote dyuers good bokes prospered in the warres where finallie he died ¶ Commodus son to Marcus Aurelius reigned .13 yeres more lyke in condicions vnto Nero than to his father so that at last he was both poysoned and strangled ¶ Helius was surnamed Pertinax because he toke the empire on him in maner against his will and reigned not vi monethes but that his nexte successour caused hym to be slaine ¶ Didius Iulianus reigned not fully .vii. monethes for his next successour came against hym discoumfited his armie toke hym and caused hym to be beheaded ¶ Seuerus reigned .xviii. yeres and restored muche the Romaine empyre from the decaie that it was fallen in by his predecessours tyme prospered muche in his warres and died in the citee of Yorke where it is written he made a diche with a walle full of toures and bastilions from one sea to the other .132 miles of length ¶ Antonius Caracalla reigned .vi. yeres he caused his brother Geta to be slayne maried his stepmother Iulia vsed muche tyrannie and was at laste slaine by one of his owne souldiours ¶ Macrinus with his son reigned one yere and were bothe slaine ¶ Uarius Heliogabalus reigned .iiii. yeres so abhominable a man of liuyng that after he had tried all the waies of carnall vice he caused his owne membres to be cut of in hope to chaunge his kynd Wherfore his owne souldiours slewe him drewe his carcasse a longe the stretes tied a stoue about his necke and so threw him into Tyber ¶ Alexander Seuerus reigned .xiii. yeres full of vertue and good gouernaunce but because he was seuere in punysshyng his souldyours offences they rebelled agaynst him and slewe him ¶ Maximinus reigned .iii. yeres and because he was created of the armie without the Senatours consente therfore did the senate ordeine newe Emperours against hym so that his owne souldiours slewe him ¶ Gordianus reigned .vi. yeres and prospered muche in his warres but at last for lacke of vittayles the armie rebelled against him and elected his next successour emperour by whose order Gordianus was slaine ¶ Iulius Philippus with his sonne reigned .vii. yeres and were both christened but finally they were slayne by procurement of theyr next successour ¶ Decius with his sonne reigned .ii. yeres and .iii. monethes a great persecutour of the Christian religion In his time the Gothes first assailed the Romayne empyre and passed the riuer of Danubie where Decius and his sonne mette with theym and in the battayle were bothe slaine ¶ Uirius Gallus with his sonne reigned .ii yeres and were slaine bothe of theyr owne army as they were goyng against Emilianus that than woulde haue vsurped the empyre ¶ Ualerianus with his sonne Galienus reigned .xv. yeres But Valerian in the .v. yere was taken in battaile against Sapor kyng of Persia who put out his eies and vsed hym alwaies for his foote stoole whan he went to horsebacke and Galienus became so viciouse that he was faine to flee from Rome and finally was slaine of his owne men ¶ Claudius elected by the senate reigned one yere and ix monethes fought against the Gothes and Germaines and discoumfited bothe theyr powers but he sickened shortly and died Whervpon the armie elected his brother Quintilianus emperour who within .xvii. daies after was slaine ¶ Aurelianus reigned .v. yeres and .vi. monethes recouered a noumbre of regions that his predecessours had lost and was so prosperouse in the warres that Eutropius compareth hym vnto Alexander the great or Caesar But at last he was slaine through crafte of one of his owne souldiours ¶ Tacitus reigned not fully .vi. monethes but died of the