herts bote Angust passed againe in to the rote By course of nature y â— vertue doth resorte To reuolucion of kynde I me reporte Who should than debarre me to be double Sith doublenesse longeth to me of right â–ª Nowe lyke soÌ„mer nowe with winter trouble Now blinde of loke derke as y â— cloudy nyght Nowe glad of there of herte mery lyghte They be but foles againe my myght to muse Or me atwite though I my power vse Selde or neuer I byde not in one poynt Men must at lowpes take me as they fynde And whan I stande furthest out of ioynt To set folkes backwarde farr behynde Than worldly men with their eyen blynd Sore complayne vpon my doublenesse Call me than the frowarde false goddesse Thus by your wrytig marueilous laÌ„gage I am disclaundred of mutabilite Wherof by ryght I catche great auauntage Syth doublenesse no sclaunder is to me Whiche is a percel of my liberte To be called by tytle of ryghtwysnesse Of chaunges newe lady and princesse Thus whan fortune had sayd her wyl Parcell declared of her gouernaunce Made a stint and soberly stode styll Jhon Bochas sate herde al her dalyaunce Feareful of chere pale of countenaunce In order enprinted eche thynge y t she sayde Ful demure thus he dyd abrayde He toke vpon him vertue and corage Vpon a poynte for to abyde stable Certes quod he lyke to thy vysage All worldly thiges be double chaungeable Yet for my parte by remembraunce notable I shal perfourme southly if I conne This litel boke that I haue begonne And lest my labour dye not nor appall Of this boke the tytle for to saue Among myne other lytel workes all With letters large aboue vpoÌ„ my graue This bookes name shall in stone be graue Howe I John Bochas in especial Of worldly princes written haue the fall Of whyche emprise the cause to discriue Thys was first grounde I wyl not deny To eschewe slouth and vyces all my lyue And specially the vyce of glottony Which is norice vnto lechery This was chefe cause why I vndertoke The compylacion of this lytle boke Yet by thy talkyng as I vnderstande Eche thing here of nature is chaungeable After thy sentence both on see lande Yet coude I reken thynges that be stable As vertuous lyfe abydyng vnmutable Set hole to godwarde of wyl thought Maugre thy power ne chauÌ„geth nought Thou mayst eke call vnto remembraunce Thinges made stable by grace whiche is deuyne Hast thou not herde y â— perseuerauÌ„ce Of holy martirs whych lyst not to decline Fro Chrystes fayth tyl they dyd fyne Thy whele in them had none interesse To make them vary fro their stablenesse A man that is enarmed in vertue Againe thy myght to make resistence And set his trust by grace in Christ Iesu And hath al hole his hertely aduertence Ou ryght wisnesse force and on prudence With theyr suster called Attemperaunce Hath a sauecondute againe thy variaunce They set no store by thy double whele With supportacion of other ladyes thre Their trust staÌ„d not in plate mayle or stele But in these vertues faythe hope charite Called vertues theologice Watch wyth the fowre afore here specified Thy whele and the haue vtterly defied If I with wynges might flye to heauen There shoulde I se thou hast nothyng adone With Jupiter nor the planetes seuen With Phebus Mars mercury nor the mone But worldly foles erly late and sone Such as be blent or dyrked with lewdnesse By false opinion call the a goddesse Giftes of grace nor giftes of nature Almesse dede done with humilite Loue and coÌ„passion be ferre out of thy cure Semelinesse strength bouÌ„tye or beaute Vertuously vsed in their degre Gaine non of these thy power may not stretch For who is vertuous lytel of thee doth retch Of thy condicions to set another prefe Which foles vse in their aduersite For excusacion as somtyme sayeth a thefe Whan he is hanged it was his destyne Aâ—witeth fortune of his iniquite As she had power domination To rule man by wyl againe reason For whych quod Jhon Bochas in party desolate To determin such heauenly hid fecrees To tho that be deuines of estate I remit such vncouth priuitees And w t Poetes that be of lowe degrees I esche we to climbe to hye a loft Lest for presumpcion I shuld not fal soft But if I had hyd in my corage Such misteries of diuine prouidence Without enuy I would in plaine langage Vttre them by writinge with huble reuerâ—ce Predestynacion nouther prescience Not appertaine fortune vnto the And for my part I wyl excuse me And procede lyke as I vndertoke After that I tolde my matere Of fal of princes for to wryte a boke But yet afore if thou wouldest here I desire of hole herte and entere To haue a copie of princes names al Which fro thy whele thou hast made to fal Thy secre bosome is ful of stories Of suÌ„dry princes how they their life haue lad Of their triumphes and victories Which olde Poetes and Philosophers sad In meter and prose compiled haue an rad Song their laudes their fautes eke reserued By remembraunce as they haue deserued Of which I haue put some in memory Theron set my study and laboure So as I coude to their encrease of glory Though of laÌ„gage I had but smal fauour Cause Caliope did me no socour For which thou hast duringe al this while Rebuked me of my rude style Men would accouÌ„pt it were a great dulnesse But if language conueied be by prudence Out declared by sobre auysenesse Vnder support fauoured by defence Of Tullius chefe prince of eloquence Should more profite shortly to conclude Than my style spoke in termes rude Yet ofte tyme it hath be felte and seyne Vnder huskes growyng on land erable Hath be founde and tried out good greine Vnder rude leaues shakynge vnstable Pulled fayre frute holesome delytable And semblably where rethorike hath failed In bluÌ„te termes good couÌ„saile hath auayled Phylosophers of the golden ages And Poetes that founde out freshe ditees As king Amphion w t his faire langages And w t his harpig made folke of low degrees And laborers tenhabyte firste cytees And so by musyke and Phylosophy Gan firste of commons noble policy The chefe of musike is melody accorde Well of Philosophy sprang out of prudence By whych two meanes gan vnitye acorde With politike vertue to haue their asistence Wisemen to reigne subiectes do reuerence And by this grounde in stories men may se Were bylte the walles of Thebes the citie Accorde in musyke causeth the melody Where is discorde there is diuersite And where is peace is prudent policy In eche kingdome and euery great countre Strife first induced by thy duplicite For which y u maist as clerkes thee discryues Be called lady of contekes and of striues Fyrst were founde out hateful deuysions By thy contriued false mutabilitees Slaughter debate frowarde
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
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
chapiter The authour agaynst couitous people loke the leafe .lxxxvii. Howe Euagoras kyng of Cypre was by Artaxerses outrayed and put from his kyngdome The .xxiii. cha Howe Theon kinge of Egypte was by Artaxerses driuen frome hys kyngdome and howe he fledde in to Arabye The foure and twenty chapiter Howe Amintas of Macedone kynge had by Erudice his wyfe Alysandre â–ª Pet dica and Philyppe who were after slaine The .xxv. Chapiter Howe the proude tyraunte haman was hanged and the Innocentes preserued The .xxvi. chapiter ¶ Of the two brethern Artaxerses and Cyrus and howe Artaxerses slewe hys chyldren and Concubynes and howe they ended with a Lenuoy The .xxvii. chapit Thus endeth the Table with the chapiters of the thyrde boke and here foloweth the table of the fourth boke whiche contayneth xxvi chapiters The Table of the fourth boke THe prologue of the translatour The fyrste chapiter of the fourth boke declareth howe Marcus Manlius wroughte for Rome towne and howe at the laste for all hys laboure he was by the commons cast in to Tybre and so drowned How Bochas writeth in parte against suche as can nat be contente wyth suffysaunce but vsurpe to high dignyties with a Lenuoy The seconde chapiter Howe Nectanabus kynge of Egypte was by Xerxses constrayned to slye hys kyngdome The third chap. Howe Pausanias Duke of LacedemoÌ„ was exyled by them of Athenes The .iiii. chapiter Howe Helyarchus the tyraunt for extorcion and oppression was slayne by the knyght Leonydes The fyfth chapter Howe the vycious Dyonis kynge of Cycyle slewe his bretherne and kynrede and howe he was exiled and died at myschefe with a Lenuoy The sixt chapter The authour againe presumptuous people princes holding theÌ„ selfe as gods The seuenth chapiter Howe kynge Pollicrate for extorcion and tyranny was hanged tyll euery ioynt fyl from other The eight chapter Howe the tyraunte Alexandre slewe his Philosopher Calistenes with dyuers other for sayinge trouth with a Lenuoy The nynth chapter Howe Alexander kynge of Pyrothe aduenturynge to passe the floude of Acheronte was slayne therin by them that he trusted most The tenth chap. Howe Dary kynge of Perce and Mede was outrayed by Alexander kynge of Macedon with a Lenuoy The leuenth chapiter A chapiter of Bochas wherein he remembreth the bataylles and losses of realmes of antiquite with the fallynge of dyuers nobles The .xii. chap. Howe Eumenydes was twise outraied by Antigonus and at last dyed in pryson With a Lenuoy The .xiii. chapiter Howe Queene Olimpiades for she delyted in vyces in murdre and in vengeaunce dyed at mischefe With a Lenuoy The fourtene chapiter Howe Agathocles of low byrthe borne attaygned vnto royall dygnyte and howe he ended in pouerte and wretchednesse With a Lenuoy The fiftene chapiter Howe Cassander slewe the wyfe of Alexander and Hercules her sonne and howe Antipater slew hys mother and of dyuers other murders The sixtene chapiter Of two prefectes Perdicas and Amintas The .xvii. cha How SaÌ„drocottus borne of low degre cherished robbours theues The xviii ca. Howe Seleuchus the myghtye prynce was slayne by the great Tholome kyng of Egypte The xix chap. Howe the two sons of Queene Arcynoe wer by their mothers traitourously slaine and she exyled with a Lenuoy The .xx. Chapter Howe Ceramius of Macedoyne kynge that murdred hys cosyns was slayne in battayle by them of Fraunce The xxi cha How the prince Belgius was discoÌ„fited and brought to nought The .xxii. chap. How duke Breâ—â—us delytyng to robbe and steale mischiuouslye ended wyth a Lenuoy The xxiii chap. Howe Pyrrus kyng of Pyrothe lyst not lyue in peace but throughe pryde and presumpcion in warre came to mischaunce The xxiiii Chapter How the tyrauÌ„t Aristotimus by trecherous workynge set asyde the ryght lyne and howe he was crowned kyng of Epirothes and after slayne The .xxv. chap. Howe Queene Arcinoe for her aduoutrye done wyth Demetrius husbande of Beronices ended in sorowe The .xxvi. ca. ¶ Thus endeth the table wyth the Chapters of the fourth boke and here foloweth the table of the fifth boke whiche contayneth .xxxiii. Chapters ¶ The table of the fyfth boke IN the fyrst Chapiter of the fifth booke Bochas wryteth agaynst them that delyte in beautye and semelynesse callynge to purpose howe a man borne in Tuscan whiche excelled in beautye and fayrenesse and for he woulde nat geue occasion to other to sinne disfigured his visage and bodye with manye a greuous wounde and spotte with a Lenuoy Howe the two bretherne Seleuchus and Antiochus eche of them desirynge to excell other fyll at discorde and so ended in mischefe The seconde chap. Howe the noble Queene Laodomya was slayne in the Temple and of the vengeauÌ„ce that was take vpon hym that slew her The thyrde chapter Howe Cleomenes kynge of Macedone was slayne with his wife and chyldren The fourth chapter Of kynge Nero Cornely and Hanybal The fyfth Chapter Of the duke zantipas that was cast into the sea The sixt chapter Howe Marcus Regulus of his frewyll dyed for the common weale wyth a Lenuoy The seuenth chapter Howe Tholome kyng of Egypte called Philopater slewe hys father and mother and his wife and how he spent his tyme in lecherye and of his mischeuous ende The eyght Chapter Howe Brithomarus and Viridomarus dukes of Fraunce after great battayles were by Romaynes slayne The .ix. ca. Howe Syphax the kynge of Numedy was taken and how he died in prison The tenth Chapter Howe Nabyn hauyng no tytell of right but by tyranny toke on hym to be kyng of Macedone and howe he was slayne The eleuenth chapter Bochas reherseth the mortall warres that hathe been betwene the Romaynes and Affricans The. twelth cap. How king Perseus was by the Romaines outrayed and after take The .xiii. cap. Howe the people of Achaia wyth theyr chefe citie called Coriâ—the by Romaynes was distroyed The fourtene chapter Howe the great Antiochus vsyng riote and vicious liuynge by Marcus Actilius was outrayed and dyed sodayulye with a Lenuoy The fiftene chapter Howe Jeronimus kynge of Cyracuse was slaine and how Scipio Affrican that laboured for the common weale of Romaines was exiled by them and so died The sixtene chapter Howe Scipio Asyan lorde of Asye that laboured euer for the common weale was at last murdred The seuentene chap. Howe duke Philopomenes was take put in prison and after dranke poyson and so died The eyghtene chapter Of the thyrd Scipion Nasica that euer wrought muche for the commonty with a Lenuoy The .xix. chapter Howe duke Haâ—ball after many victorious dedes slewe hym selfe with poyson with a Lenuoy The twenty chapter Howe Prusias kynge of Bithâ—ye that betrayed Hanibal woulde haue dish erited hys sonne and heyre went a beggynge in strange landes The .xxi. chapter Howe Perses of Macedone kyng that empoysoned his brother was by Emilyus outrayed and dyed in pryson The xxii ca. Howe Amonyus a prynce of Antioche delytynge in pyllage and robberye with other vicious lyuynge sted in womans clothyng after taken slayne The xxiii cap. Howe
Andriscus of low byrth borne hauyng no tytle became kinge of Macedone was taken died in prison The xxiiii ca. Howe Alisander Ballas kyng of Surry for extorcion pride vnkyndnes dyed at mischefe with a Lenuoy The xxv chap. Bochas agaynst the rebellions and sedicions in Rome betwene Tribunes and the commons The .xxvi. chapter Howe the wyfe of â—asdrubal brent her selfe and her children The .xxvii. chapter Of Machabeus Jonathas taken by the kyng of Surry The xxviii ca. How Demetrius the seconde lost at the last his head The .xxix. cha Howe zebenna kyng of Surry by intrusion entrynge had a mischeuous endynge The .xxx. Chapter How Bitynctus kyng of Auergnoyes by the Romaynes was taken and died in prison The .xxxi. chapter Howe the tyraunt Euergetes wedded quene Cleopatra and howe he slewe her sonne exiled hys wyfe wedded her doughter The .xxxii. chapter How Jugurtha by intrusion was king of Numidy slew the ryghtfull heires and howe he was after drowned hym selfe with a Lenuoy The .xxxiii. chap. Thus endeth the table with the chapters of the fifth boke and here foloweth the table of the syxt boke which contayneth seuentene chapters BOchas syttynge in his studye all alone wryteth a great processe how Fortune like a monstruous ymage hauyng an Câ—haÌ„des appeared vnto him and spake and Bochas vnto her makynge betwene them manye great argumentes reasons of Fortunes chaunces Leaf .cxxxiiii. In y e first chapter of the syxt boke Fortune rehearseth her condicions vnto Bochas she wynge hym howe she hath many one enhaunsed for a tyme and anone after she hath them sodaynly ouerthrowen Howe Gayus Marius of lowe byrthe borne came to hie estate which blent with couetyse after many great batayls dyed at mischefe The seconde chap. Howe kynge Mithridate abode seuen yere in wyldernesse and had great tourmentes bothe on sea and land by hys blode brought to vttraunce and howe he slewe hym selfe with a sworde with a Lenuoye Howe Eucradites kyng of Sithie was slayne by Demetrius and after hys carrayne cast to houndes The .iiii. chapter Howe Herodes king of Parthoys warred with the Romayns whiche after hys sonne and heyre was slayne made his bastarde sonne kynge that anone after slewe hys father The fifth chapter Howe Fimbria a consull of Rome slew hym selfe The syxt chapter Of Albinius that was slayne with stones The seuenth chapter Howe Adrian borne of lowe degre falslye vsurped to be kyng of Rome whych w t his churles was after brent The eyghte chapter Howe Sinthonius king of Trace y â— all coueited all forwent and died in pouerte The .ix. chapter Bochas in briefe sentence maketh a discription of the kyngdome of Trace and pasleth ouer lyghtlye vnto the accomplishment of hys boke The tenth chapter Howe after manye great conquestes of duke Pompey there beganne great warre betwene hym and Julius and how there were thre hundred thousande slayne and at the laste the head of Pompey smyt of with a Lenuoy The .xi. chapter Howe the noble Julius Cesar brent the vessel of Tholome sloughe Achyllas that woulde haue murdred hym and after hys great victoryes he hym selfe was slayne wyth bodkyns by Brutus Cassius The twelfth chapter Howe y â— last Scipion coÌ„sulere of Rome for he woulde not lyue in seruage of Julius roue hym selfe to the hearte wyth a Lenuoye The thirtene chapter How Octauian succeded next and how the murdrers of Julius dyed at mischefe The fourtene chapter Howe Tullius was two tymes exiled and at last slaine by Pompilius The fyftene chapter A chapter agayne ianglers and diffamers of rethorike The sixtene chap. Howe Sextus warred agayne Triumuir and of the death of great Anthony and Cleopatras The seuententh chap. Thus endeth the table wyth the Chapters of the syxte boke â–ª and here foloweth the table of the seuenth boke which contayneth xi chapters OF Antony sonne heire to the great Antony and of Cesarius Julia Agrippa Cassius and Galbus The fyrst chapter How the tyraunt Herodes slew his wyfe and children and afterwarde hym selfe died at michefe with a Lenuoy The ii chap. Of Antipas exiled by Octauian and of Archelaus sonne of Herodes the seconde The thyrde Chapter Of the strife betwene Calligula Tiberius and Messalyne The thirde chap. Of the moste vicious and cruell tyrant Nero that slew Peter and Paule and last of all hym selfe with a Lenuoy The fyfth Chapter How Eleazarus a Jewe borne for extorcion and robbery was brought into prison and there ended The syxe chapt Howe the heade of Galba was smitten of fylled full of golde and offred at the sepulture of Nero. The seuenth chapter How Occho and Vitellius for glotony lechery ribaudy and tyrannye ended mischeuously The eyght chapter Bochas complayneth agayne the foule vyce of glotony The nynth chap. A chapter diseriuyng the golden worlde that is to saye whan temperaunce had the gouernaunce with a Lenuoy The x. chap. How the kinred of Jacob was distroied Christ borne crucified JerusaleÌ„ distroyed and xi hundred M. slayne by sworde hungre fyre pestilence The xi chapter Thus endeth the table with the chapters of y â— seuenth boke and here foloweth the table of the eyghte boke whiche contayneth xxvii chapters The table of the eyght boke THe Prologne of the translatour The first chapter of the eyght boke expoundeth howe the proude tyraunt Domician emperour of Rome and manye other emperours nobles for their great outrage and wretchednesse ended mischeuouslye Howe Gallyen sonne of Valerian was slayne The seconde chapter How Quintilius was murdred by women The thyrde chapter Of Aurelian in Denmarke borne The fourth chapter Howe Probus discomfited the Romaynes and after was slayne The fyfth chap. Howe Clarus and hys two sonnes were mischeued The syxt chapter How the noble Queene zenobia fought with Aurelian and howe she was take The seuenth chapter Howe Galerius oppressed martyrs and christes fayth and of his mischeuous end The eyght chapter How Maxence the emperour enemye to Christes fayth ended mischeuouslye The nynth chapter How Lucinius enemy to Christes faith was slayne The tenth chapter Of Constantine and Crispus and how Dalmacius was slayne The eleuenth ca. Of the brethren Constaunce and Constancius and how Magnencius Decius murdred them selues The twelfth chapter Howe Constantine baptised by Siluester was cured of his lepry The xiii chap. Howe Julian Apostata enemy to Christes fayth by false illusion was chosen emperoure and after slayne The fourtenth Chapter Howe the emperour Valence slewe holye hermites shed thristen bloude distoyed churches and after was brent him selfe The fiftene chapter Of kyng Amasicius and howe Gracian and Theodosy distroyed temples of false goddes and howe Gracian was putte to flyght The syxtene chapter A goodly processe howe Theodosy with prayer and small numbre gate the victorye of a great numbre The seuentene chapter How knightes and gentle men chase Alerike kyng and howe the commons chase Radagassus which had a mischeuous end The eyghtene chapter Howe Ruffyn chamberlayne with Theodosy vsurped to be Emperour for hys
enuy excluded Thoughe to forne him translated was this boke Within him self â–ª be fully hath coÌ„cluded Vpon that labour when he cast his loke He woulde amend it but first he forsoke Presumption and toke him to mekenes In his prologue as he dothe expresse In whiche processe lyke as I am learned He in his tyme of cunnyng did excel In their language he was requyred Of estates whiche gan him compell Among them holde of rethorike the well To vnderfong this labour they him prey And their request lowly he did obey Full well he felt the labour was notable The fall of nobles with euery circumstance From their lordships dreadful and vnstable Howe they fyll to put in remembraunce Therin to shewe Fortunes variaunce That other might as in a myrrour se In worldly worship may no surety be By example as there is no Rose Sprigyng in gardeÌ„ but there be sum thorne Nether fayrer blossom theÌ„ nature list dispose TheÌ„ mai their beuty as meÌ„ hath sene toforn With bitter winds be froÌ„ the brauÌ„ches born Ne none so high in his estate contune Fle froÌ„ the wayting daunger of Fortune Wherfore Bochas for a memoriall Consideryng the great dignities Of worldly princes and their power royall Great emperours estates and degrees How Fortune hath cast them froÌ„ their sees Namely such as coulde them self not know Full sodainly to make them lye full lowe This the sayd aucthour wise ryght sadde Hath gadered out wyth Rethorykes swete In diuers bokes whiche that he hath radde Of philosophers and an olde Poete And busied him bothe in colde and heate Out to compile and write as he fonde The fall of nobles in many diuers londe Vpon whose boke in his translation The saied Laurence rehearceth in certaine And holdeth this in his opinion Suche language as open is and playne Is more accepted as it is often sene TheÌ„ straunge termes which be not vnderstaÌ„d Namely to folkes y â— dwel vpoÌ„ the laÌ„d He sayeth also that his entencion Is to amende correct and declare Not to condemne of no presumption But to report playnely and not to spare Thinges touched shortly of the story bare Vnder a style briefe and compendious Them to prolonge when they ben vertuous For a story whiche is not playnely tolde But construed vnder wordes fewe For lacke of truth where they be new or old Men by report can not the matter shew These okes great be not downe yhewe Fyrste at a stroke but by long processe Ne long storyes a worde may not expresse For whiche playnly thys noble translatour Cast of purpose these storyes for to wryte And for to do his diligent laboure As they fyll in order to endite That men after myght them selfe delyte The aduentures so as they fyll in dede Of sundry prynces to beholde and reade And haue a maner contemplacion That things al where fortune may attaine Be transitorye of condicion For she of kynde is hasty and sodayne Contrarious her course for to restrayne Of wilfulnesse she is variable WheÌ„ men most trust theÌ„ is she most chauÌ„geable And for her chaunge and for her doublenes This Bochas biddeth y â— men should enclyne To set their hartes voyde of vnstablenes Vpon thynges whyche that ben diuyne Where as ioye perpetually dothe shyne Wythout eclipsyng in that heauenly see Voyde of all cloudes of mutabilitye Among these Bochas writeth of swetenes And of matters that lusty ben and glade And sometyme he wryteth of wretchednes And how fortune can floure and after fade Ioye vnder cloude prosperitie in the shade Enterchangyng of euery maner thyng Which y â— men fele here in this world â—â—uyng And in hys processe who so lyst beholde Of all estates of hygh and lowe degre And of prynces bothe yong and olde Fro the beginning which in this world haue be Lykyng in ioye or in aduersitye Fro the fyrst descended he adowne Of theyr fortune by playne description Of the most noble he ne spareth none But setteth them in order cereously Begynneth at IdaÌ„ endeth at kyng John Theyr auentures rehearsyng by and by Of this kyng John concludyng finally How y â— he was for all his great puissaunce Of price Edward take prysoner in FrauÌ„ce Thys sayd Bochas aucthour of thys boke Whiche of stories had great intelligence Some he left and some also he toke Suche as he left was of no negligence Supposyng and demyng of credence All the storyes whythe that commune be Other knowe them also as well as he And lest that folke would haue had disdain Thynges coÌ„mune for to put in memory Therfore Bochas thought it were but vain And to his name more encrease of glory To remember no cronicle ne historye But tho that were for their merite notable Aucthorised famous and commendable In his labour hauyng a delite That the matter greatly myght auayle Do pleasaunce to the commen profite Of noble storyes to make a rehearsail Shewig a myrror how al y e world shal fail And how Fortune for all their hye renowne Hath vpon Prynces iurisdiction The whiche thyng in full sober wyse He considered in his inwarde intent In his reason began to aduertyse Seyng of Prynces the blynde entent With worldly worshyp how y â— they be blent As they shoulde euer their estates kepe And as Fortune were ylayed to slepe And as they had of Fortune the maistry Her enchaunted wyth their pocions By some newe craft of sorcery Or by power of incantacions To make stable their dominations Wyth yron chaynes for to last longe Locked to rockes wyth adamantes strong Supposyng in their surquedy Their estates should be durable But Fortune can frowardly deny And plainly preue that they be changeable And fro prynces when they be most stable Fortune full fast for all their great estate Vnwarely chauÌ„geth saith to theÌ„ che 〈…〉 For lordes some in their magnificence Of royal power set of God tyght nought They not conceyue his long pacience Neither peyse his power in their thought But in their hartes if it were well sought How he is meke and pacient to abide They would of reason their pompe lay aside But for their tariyng and their negligence That they to him will not returne agayne Yet of his mercy and his beneuolence Without vengeaunce rigour or disdayne As a meke father in all his workes playne Assayeth his yarde of castigation So for to bryng them to correction Some he can full fatherly chastice Where he loueth by punishynge of sickenes And of his mercy in many anotherwise By aduersitie of worldely distres And he not asketh for his kindenes Of high ne lowe who so can aduert None other treasure but a mans hart And as mine aucthour list to comprehende This John Bochas by great aucthoritie It is almesse to correct and amende The vycious folke of euery comminaltie And by examples whiche that notable be Of Prynces olde that sumtime did fall The lower people from their erroure call By small whelpes as sume clarkes write Chastised is the
fyre wasteth euery thynge And yron herd doth neshe thynges perce If ought abideth y ◠they may not transuerce Yet cōmeth time and by continuaunce It al consumeth with his sharpe launce His sharpe toth of consumpcion In stil wise doth his busy cure For to aneantise in conclusion Al thynge that is brought forth by nature By long abydyng ye may thē not assure For olde thynges deuoured men may se Ferre out of mynde as they neuer had be Who can or maye remembre in any wise The glorious prowesse of these princes olde ▪ Or the noblesse of Philosophers wyse ▪ Or of poetes their feyning to vnfolde ▪ Processe of yeres alas as I you tolde Deuoured hath their name their noblesse Derked their renoune by foryetfulnesse Thus of their names is left no memory Tyme w t his rasour hath done so greate vengeaunce Shauen away the honor glory Of many noble ful mighty of puissaunce That there is left nowe no remembraunce Of princes poetes ne Philosophers For whan y ◠deth nailed them in their cofers Cam time vpon and by processe of yeres Their memory hath dusked their minde And reuolucion of the heuenly spheres By oft turnyng their glory hath left behind Thus euery thinge whiche subget is to kind Is in this life without more auauntage wasted with time and processe of long age In the first time from Adam to Noe Prudent listers which list in bokes to rede Founde of fortune no mutabilite Neither of her chaūge they toke the no hede But from Adam there rekened ben in dede Vnto Nembroth by turnynge of the heuen A thousand yeres .vii. hundred and eleuen In which space who that considereth wel There ben no thinges writen in especial Digne of memory ne spoken of neuer a del which that ben notable ne historial But fro the time Nembroth had a fal Vnto Cadmus the yeres to conteine They were a M. iiii hundred and fourtene Touchinge this Cadmus as Bochas list endite It is rehersed b◠Rethoriens Howe one Vexores in bokes as they write was made first a kinge of the Egipciens whan Philosophers and nigromanciens Began first taboūde their renoune tauaūce Nachor y ◠time hauyng y ◠gouernaūce Of the Ebrues as made is mencion After Nembroth by true rehersayle Thre hundred yere by computacion Foure score .xii. which time it is no fayle That Vexores begā warres great bataile Of volunt ayenst straunge nacions And to conquere Cityes borowes townes By force only without title of ryght He wan al Egipt to encrease his name But for al that who lyst to haue a sight There is nowe left no reporte of his fame Saue Bochas wryteth howe he first dyd attame Hys mighty conquest of intencion That the glory and the high renoune Ascriued were vnto his worthynes And the residue and surplusage Of golde treasure of good and of richesse Turne should to common auauntage Of al hys people that euery maner age Report mighte it was to him more nerre Aboue singularite his cōmon to prefer Also Tanais of Cithie fyrst kynge Whan Sarneke was duke and souerayne Ouer the Iewes by recorde of writynge Two hundred yere .xl. also and twaine After Nēbroth this Tanais gan ordayne A mighty power a stronge battaile Them of Cithye proudly to assayle Conqueryng from thens vnto the yle Called Ponte in a ful cruel wyse And though his lordship lasted but a whyle All that he wan was for couetise And as Bochas doth of thys folke deuise Proces of yeres for al their great puissaunce Hath put their names out of remembraunce Zoroastes also for all his great myght Of Bactrians kyng and possessoure Lorde of Trace and a full myghty knyght Of all his dedes and his great laboure Of his conquest ne of his great honoure Is nothing left of writyng vs beforne Saue y t he lough the houre y t he was borne He began full sone for to be mery With sodaine laughter at his natiuitie And worthy Ninus that was kyng of Assiry Expowned his laughter to great felicitie The which Ninus wan many a fayre coūtry And day by day his power gan encrease For which he would not of his cōquest cease For this is the maner of these conquerours Whan they haue had in armes victory Do their might their paine their labours With newe emprises to be put in memory For their courage surprised w t vayne glorye Can not be styll content in their estate Till their Parady say to them checkmate Fortune of armes in bokes ye may read With a false laughter on folkes dothe smyle She frowarde euer ere they can take hede Of nature will falsely them begyle Conquest by warre lasteth but a while For who by death dothe sturdy vyolence God will by death his vengeaunce recōpence This worthy Ninus gan mightely preuayle Ayenst zoroastes of whom I spake tofore For he with hym fought last in battayle In whiche Ninus hath him so well ybore That zoroastes hath the felde ylore And he was aucthour as bokes specify Of false Magyke and Nygromancy He fonde the nature of euery element Their kindely workyng their mutacions The course of starres and of the firmamente Their influences their dispositions Their aspectes and their coniunctions Wrote in pillers deuised of metall The seuen sciences called liberall Also in pillers of Brycke full harde ybake There were vp set longe large and huge He began also write them and vndertake To make them sure as for their refuge That they shoulde by floude ne deluge Defaced ben as of their scripture But in their grauyng perpetuall endure But though zoroastes these craftes out fond Full little ornought it myght to him auayle And though he were a good knight of his hōd He was of Ninus slayne in batrayle Lost his realme and royal apparayl And Ninus dyed within a litle throw But in what wise the story is not knowe Also Moydes kyng of Sodome I fynde of him no memory by writyng Saue in a story as men may reade and se He and his people were freell in liuynge But he that was of Assiriens kyng Through false Fortune that can so oft vary To Babylon made them tributary We haue sene and redde also The vengeaunce and the pestilence Done in Egypt to kyng Pharao For that he made a maner resistence Ayenst God of wilfull insolence Therfore his people vpon a day and he Were drent echone in middes of the see The people of God ledde by Moyses Without trouble of any maner wawe Went echone in quiet and in peas And Pharao as he gan after drawe Them to pursue by a full mortall lawe In his pursuite forward was atteynt Among the waues with his host and dreynt In Exodi ben these mencions Ceriouslye put in remembraunce The. xii plages and persecutions In Egypt done by full great vengeaunce And of their treasour their great substaūce They were dispoyled by Ebrues it is tolde Of their vessels of siluer and of
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
euidens playne That of elde no token shoulde be seyne In all his membres as lusty and entere As was a lambe eyned of one yere And here vpon in suche sleyghty wise She began a processe of full false treason The sisters made vpon the lambe to practise Drewe out his bloude like her enteneton And she by craft of false illusion Blent their eyen by apparaunce in vayne The olde Ram to seme a lambe agayne Thus Medea by her sleyght compassyng Of enuy and venemous hatred Excited hath the sisters in workynge Ayenst their father mortally to procede w t sharpe kniues thei made their father blede Amiddes the hart throughout euery vayne Supposyng the sely sisters twayne That Pelleus renued shoulde be To youth ayen of force and of substaunce But finally by treason of Medee He lost his life suche was his wofull chaūce She this wrought onely for vengeaunce As rote and grounde of this cruell dede Ayenst the nature of all womanhede Supposyng in her opinion That the death greatly shoulde please Of Pellius vnto her lorde Iason Through great encrease set his hart at ease But it rebounded vnto his disease That finally Iason her forsoke For her offence and he his way toke Into Corynth to the kynge Creon Whose daughter Creusa for her great beauty Was afterwarde wedded to Iason But whā this wedding was knowē to Mede Cast she woulde theron auenged be Began to conspyre of malice and enuy And through her magyke and her forcery In full great haste gan to ordayne A little coffer onely of entent And by her yonge fayre sonnes twayne With other iewels she hath it sent Vnto Creusa makyng a present Whiche of malyce she list to dispose That whan Creusa the coffer did vnclose The fyre brast out a full large space Brent Creusa by full great vyolence Set a fyre playnely all the place By enchauntment there was no resistence All went a fire that was in her presence By vengeaunce did full great domage But whan Iason this fire sawe in his rage And considered the malice of Medee Thought he woulde do execution For to punishe the great iniquitie Ayenst him compassed of treason For she of vengeaunce ayenst all reason After that Creusa consumed was and brent Her owne sounes whylom that she sent Without ruth or womanly pitye She falsly murdred the children that she bare Like a stepmother auenged for to be Cut their throtes or that they were ware Ayenst nature there was none other spare But for hatred she had vnto Iason After this murder she fled away anone So escapyng his indignation By craft of magike she went at libertie To Athens and in that region She wedded was vnto the kyng Ege Not longe after a sonne by him had she The which child mine auctour telleth thus After Medea called was Medus After whose name the famous region Ynamed was which called is Mede But folowyng euer her olde condicion This Medea voyde of shame and dread Compassed hath of wilfull false hatred That Theseus the sonne of kyng Ege With newe poyson shall deuoured be But Theseus full like a manly knyght In repayryng home to his countrey Of high prudence aspied anone ryght The mortall vengeaunce the great crueltie Of this stepmother whiche of enmitie Concluded hath in her entencion Him to destroy vnwarely with poyson Her hart of malice cruell and horrible As she that was with treason euer alied Whan that she sawe her purpose moste odible By king Egeus fully was aspied She hath her hart and wittes newe applied As in their bokes poetes haue compiled Ayen to Iason to be reconciled She fled away for feare of Theseus Lest he would done on her vengeaunce And finally as writeth Ouidius And morall Seneke concludeth in sentaunce In his tragedies makyng remembraunce Howe Medea like as poetes sayne Vnto Iason restored was agayne Touchyng the ende of their furious discorde Poetes make therof no mencion Neither tell no meane how they fyll accord But if it were by incantation Whiche so well coulde turne vp so down Sondry thinges of loue and of hatred And in Bochas of her no more I read Saue whan she had fulfilled her purpose Mine aucthour telleth that Iason Mede Restored haue ayen vnto Colchos Her father Oetes and from his pouertie Brought him ayen into his royall see And to his crowne by force they him restore Touching his ende of him find I no more Thus his fortune hath turned to and fro First like a kyng hauyng ful great riches After liuyng in pouertie and wo Sythen restored to his worthines Thus euer sorow is meint with gladnes Who can aduert in all worldly thing Record of Mynos the noble worthy kyng To whom I must now my style dresse Folowyng the traces of Bochasius The wiche Mynos as Ouid doth expresse Touchyng his byrth he writeth playnly thus That he was manly wise and vertuous Sonne by discent of Iupiter the great And of Europa borne to be heyre of Crete And of his person wonders delitable Full renowined of wisdome and science By diuers titles of laude commendable Of byrth of bloud of knighthode prudence For by his study and entyre diligence He founde first lawes grounded on reason Wherby of Crete the famous region Gouerned was and set in stablenes All iniuries and wronges to reforme Made statutes extorcions to represse Of right wisenes they toke the first forme And that eche man shoulde him conforme Like their degrees subiect and souerayne That no man had a matter to complayne He made his lieges to liue in quiete Cleare shinyng in his royall noblesse With sword and sceptre sittyng in his sete And while he floured in his worthines He toke a wife of excellent fayrenes Doughter to Phebus in Bochas ye may se And she was called faire Pasiphae And her father by record of writyng In his time was holden full famous Of the yle of Rhodes he was lorde and kyng And in his dayes of port full glorious Right proude in armes and victorious Takyng witnes of Methamorphoseos His daughter had thre children by Mynos The first a sonne called Androge And afterward full faire daughters twayne Ryght goodly and womanly on to se But like as fortune did for them ordayne They felt them selues in trouble and in payn The one called Ariadne Phedra the other Folowyng their fate it might be none other Androgeus by kyng Mynos was sent For he should profite in cleargy To Athens of vertuous entent There to study in philosophy And for he began to encrease and multiply And passe all other by study in learnyng And to excell his felowes in cunnyng They of enuy and false malice alas Made ayenst him a conspiration And from a pinacle sacred to Pallas Of ful great heigth thei made him tūble doun For which iniury Bochas maketh mencion His father Mynos auenged for to be Layed a great power about the citie He cast him fully y ◠no man shoulde him let But that he woulde do cruelly vengeaunce And
Kingdomes deuided may no while endure Princes princesses which haue the soueraintie Ouer the people and domination Ifye lyst longe lyue in felicitie Cherishe your subiectes do none extorcion And aduertise of wysdome and reason As this tragedy dothe to you discure Kyngdomes deuided may no while endure The .x. Chapter ☞ How Atreus kynge of Messene wrought ayenst his brother Thiestes slew his thre children dismembred them in pieces made Thiestes to eat of their flesh drinke of their bloud BOchas the Poete auctour of this boke Him purposyng to gather and compile Diuers stories anone his penne he toke Him remembryng within a little while In this chapitle began direct his style To write the story hye and compendious A forne all other of duke Theseus Lorde of Athens a famous great citye Right strong and myghty on euery side But at his backe Bochas did one se Which cryed loude and bade he shold abide Bochas quod he fro the me list not hide My wofull case ne in no wise spare My piteous complaynt to the to declare I am Thiestes besprent all with wepyng Drowned in teares as thou maiest well se Sometyme sonne of the mighty kyng Pelops and borne also parde Of quene Hippodamea excellent of beautye And for thou art desirous to endite Of people vnhappy and their wo to write My will is this anone that thou procede Turne thy style and take thy penne bliue Leaue Theseus and take of hym none hede But first my tragedy that thou discryue For I suppose that in all thy lyue That thou saw neuer a thing more dolorous More vnhappy frowarde ne more piteous Than is alas my mortall aduenture Incomperable the sorow surmounting Of quene Iocasta most wofull creature Or of Edippus his fate euer complaynyng For my complaynt hath none endyng But lasteth euer and beareth me witnes No wo resembleth vnto my heauines And with y â— worde John Bochas styll stode â–ª Full soberly to geue him audience And in the place demurely abode To hear the substaunce of his mortal offence Whiche thus began to shewe the sentence O John quod he I pray the take good hede My wo to write that men may it reade Alas my brother rote of vnkyndenes Atreus called of reason sours and well And finder out of treason and falsenes For all other in fraude he doth precell Whose couert hate is more than I can tell I supposyng of very innocence In him no malice disceite nor none offence But as brother should a brother trust I trusted him of hart will and thought By apparence none other cause I wyst For in his person I supposed nought That euer he culd so false a thig haue wroght But who may soner another man deceyue Than he in whom no malice men conceyue â–ª I demed of him as of my true brother Wenyng he had faythfull ben to me I sawe no signe ne I knew none other In him suposynge no duplicitie But wo alas how might it euer be Or who did euer in any story finde Bloude vnto bloude to be so vnkynde I will passe ouer to tell the worthines Touching the estates of our progenitours Of our kynred and the great noblesse I tell nothing nether of our predecessours Ne of my youth howe passed ben the floures I leaue all this and vnto mynde call The wretchednes that I am in fall My brother founde a false occasion Ayenst me and began a cause feyne To banish me out of our region And began at me of hatred to disdayne Vpon me affirmyng in certayne In our kingdome whiche called is Missene I should haue lien by his wyfe the quene This he compassed full falsely of malice Him selfe well knowyng that it was not so Euer founde vnkynde and misauise Not like my brother but like my deadly â—o And to encrease great percell of my wo By long processe in his entencion He â—â—â—â—gined my destruction And his chefe cause was false couetise Touchyng this thing which he did fame And yet this kyngdome truely to deuise Should haue beÌ„ departed betwene vs twaine But ayenst truth he did so ordayne Me to exyle out of that region Him selfe alone to haue possession Yet in his hart he cast an other wile To my vndoyng and desolation To the place whence he did me exile Vnder a shadowe of false collusion To make a maneâ— reuocation Of brotherhead shewyng a pretence Me to restore ayen to his presence To be accepted as a brother shoulde With full accorde styll with hym to abide All miuries of whyche afore I tolde On either party forget and set asyde That nothing after should our loue deuide But of one will and one entencion Leade all our lyfe without deuision Wherof the people were full glad and lyght Throughout Missene that mighty region At my resortyng founde I euery wyght Ready of hart and whole affection Me to receyue into that noble towne And none so ready by sygnes out shewyng To make me chere in sothe as was the kyng There is no domage in comparison That may be lykened by no resemblaunce To fayned truth and simulation Whan fraude is hyd w t a fayre countenaunce Pretendyng truth outward by deceyuaunce And vndernethe of most false entent Of doublenesse dareth the serpent As vnder flowers is shrowded the dragon For to betray by sodayne vyolence Suche folke as haue no suspection But truely meane in their pure innocence Till they be caught dispurueyed of defence Or as a fishe with bayte of false pleasaunce The hoke not sene is brought to mischaunce Thus semblably at my home commyng I was receyued with euery circumstaunce Lyke as halfe heyre and brother to the kynge And he pretendyng as by countenaunce That he had so inly great pleasaunce Of my repayre of truth he tolde so For reioysyng that he sayed he woulde go Vnto his gods to do some obseruaunce For this accorde and humble sacrifice Made his ministers w t faythful attendaunce To wayte on me in all their best wise It nedeth not to tell ne deuise Neither by wrytyng in bokes sor to set Halfe the ioye he made whan we mette First how frendly he did me embrace Of harty gladnes within his armes twaine â–ª And how for ioye the teares on his face Full entirely gan distyll and rayne That for my party he could not me restraine But that I must of frendshyp fraternall Wepe as did he in his estate royall The wily wolfe that cast him to deuouâ— The sely lambe whiche can no defence Ne none helpe him selfe to succour So feble he is to make resistence Whiche demeth truth of false apparence What wonder is it the fraude not conceiued Though such lambes vnwarely be disceiued Though that roses at midsomer be full sote Yet vnderneth is hyd a full sharpe spyne Some freshe floures haue a full bitter rote And lothsom galle can suger vndermine In dredful stormes y â— sunne amoÌ„g doth shyne And vnder a shadow of fayned frendlyheade There is no frendshyp so perillous to dreade
as bokes specifie And poetes also of him endite He was connynge in astronomy And therin did ful greatly him delite And many a boke he made and dyd write With great labour and great diligence In hys time vpon that science The which were more precious than golde And more rich in his opinion But Hercules in soth as it is tolde Gate all the bokes through hys hie renoun Bare them by force out of that region And to Grece lyke a conquerour With him he brought theÌ„ for a great treasour Of Trace he slough the giant outragious That sumtime was called Diomede Which murdred al that came to his house And with their fleshe his horse he dyd fede And through his witte labour and manhede Of Achelous whych was a great wondre He made the stremes for to departe a sondre And by his wisdome dyd theÌ„ so deuide In two parties disceueringe his passage For afore no man myght abyde Of his course the furious fel outrage For in countreis it dyd so great domage Turning vpward there was non other bote Where euer it flowed of trees crop and rote A great emprise he did also vndertake Whan that the messe hidious and horible Ariued vp of Archadies the lake Called Lerne the beastes ful odible Which with their teeth mouthes terrible Frute grayne corne dyd mortally deuour But Hercules the countre to sucour Came lyke a knyght their malice for to let And by his prudence destroyed theÌ„ euerichon With in the lake the wormes vp he shet Saue among all behind was left one And against him this Hercules anone Of knighthod raught so great auauntage That to the couÌ„tre he dyd no more domage Thus all that euer may rehersed â—e Touching knighthode prowes or prudence Or glorious fame or long felicitie This knyghtly man had most excellence And in armes longest experience And for his triumphes and actes marciall He set vp pillers for a memoriall Whiche remembred his coÌ„quest most notable And his dedes by grauyng did expresse Beyonde whiche no lande is habitable So farre abrode spred his noblesse But as the sunne leaueth his bryghtnes Sumtime whan he is fresshest in hys sphere With vnware cloudes that sodaynly appere Semblably the nobles and the glory Of Hercules in this vnstable lyfe Eclipsed was and shadowed his memory By Dianyra that sumtyme was his wyfe For by her fraude came in the mortall stryfe As ye shal heare the maner and the caas Wherby that he lost his lyfe alas Yet for her sake this most manly man Fought as I fynde in singuler battayle With Acheloes sonne of the Occian Lyke as Poetes make rehearsayle And as eche other proudly did assayle This Hercules of knyghthode souerayne Sent from his head one of his hornes twain Of kyng Oene she was the daughter dere To Hercules ioyned by mariage And as they came to a great riuere With sturdy waues where was no passage Nessus the gyaunt vgly of vysage To Hercules profered his seruyce And full falsely against him gan deuyse Made his promise to Hercules in dede To put his life in great aduenture Ouer the streme Dianyra to lâ—de Because he was large of his stature And for she was a ryght fayre creature Whan they passed and came to londe Nessus falsely woulde vpon the strâ—nd Haue know her fleshly like as write Ouide Hercules hauyng therof a syght As he abode vpon that otherside And for to auenge him of his great vnright â—ake his howe and â—ent it aâ—one ryght â–ª And wyth an arrowe fyled sharpe and grouÌ„d Gaue to Nessus his deadly fatall â—â—unde Like a condyte gusshed out the bloude And whan he sawe that he must dye To Dianyra before him there she stode With all his hart he her gan pray That in one thing his lust she would obey To take his shert and be not retcheles With bloud distayned and sende it Hercules There through with him to be reconsiled And she to him anone the shert hath sent Through whose venim alas he was begiled For what by touching and by enchauntment His fleshe and bones were all to brent And among his deadly paynes all Into a rage he sodaynly is fall And as a beast furiously he ranne On valeys hylles among craggy stones Semblably as doth a woodeman Pulled vp trees and rotes all at ones Brake beasts hornes al to gnew her bones Was it not pitie that a knyght so good Shold amoÌ„g bestes runne sauage woode Thus ouerwhelmed was all his worthines And to deâ—iyne went his prosperitie Cause and roote of al his wretchednes Was for that he set all his felicitie To trust so much the mutabilitie Of these women whyche early and soone Of their nature brayed vpon the moone Alas alas all nobles and prudence Prowes of nature force and chyualry Forsyght of wisdome discrecion and science Vertuous study profityng in cleargy And the clere shynyng of Philosophy Hath through false lustes here be manaced By sleyght of women darked and defaced O Hercules I fele my penne quake Mine ynke full filled with bitter teares salt This piteons tragedy to write for thy sake Whom all Poetes glorifye and exalt But fraude of women made thy renome halt And froward muses thy triuÌ„phes all to â—end For to discryue alas thy fatal ende ¶ Lenuoy THe sole ve 〈…〉 sauory pâ—ysoâ— The dredfulâ— ioyâ— the dolorous pleasauÌ„ce The 〈…〉 the furious 〈◊〉 Fayth dispayâ—â—d 〈…〉 â–ª Vertue exilyng where lust hath gouernauÌ„ce Through false luxury diffasen all nobles As this tragedy can beare full well witnes Where froward Venus hath domination And blinde Cupide his subiects doth auaunce And wilfull lust through indiscrecion Is chosen iudge to holde the balaunce Their choyse vnlefull hath through yll chauÌ„ce Derked of prynces the famous nobles As this tragedy beareth full well witnes O thou Hercules for all thy high renoun For all thy conquest knyghtly suffisaunce Thou were by women brought to confusion And by their fraude thy renoumed puissauÌ„ce Disclaundred was brought to mischaunce I were ashamed to write it or expresse Except this tragedy can beare well witnesse Prynces princesses of high discretion This thing imprinte in your remembraunce Of others fallyng make your protection You to preserue through prudent purueiauÌ„ce Afore prouided that your perseueraunce Be not perturbed by no false sorceresse As this tragedy of other bereth witnesse ¶ The .xv. Chapter ☞ A processe of Narcissus Byblis Myrra and of other their infortunes to Bochas complaynyng NArcissus Byblis and Myrra all thre Tofore Bochas pyteously did appeare Their infortunes their infelicitie To him complaynyng with a deadly cheare And of their commyng to tell the manere Narcissus with sorow and dole attaynt Began first to declare his complaynt He was the sonne of Cephisus the flode And his mother called Lyriope And by discent borne of gentle blode Of creatures fayrest on to se. And as I finde at his natiuitie Tyresias by spirite of prophecy Touchyng his fate thus gan specify The goddes haue prouided
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
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
story piteous the processe lamentable Voyde of ioye all gladnes and pleasaunce A thing to greuous and to importable Where as no mirth is medled with greuauÌ„ce All vpon complaynt standeth the alyaunce Most whan fortune who y â— her course knewe Chaungeth olde ioyes into sorowes newe For vnto him that neuer wist of wo Remembraunce of his olde gladnesse Whan his welfare and pleasaunce is go And neuer afore knewe of heauines Such vnware chauÌ„g such vncouth wretchednes Causeth in prices through new dedly trouble After their falling their sorowes to be double Olde examples of prynces that haue fall Their remebraunce of new brought to minde May be a myrror to estates all How they in vertue shall remedies finde To eschue vyces of such as were made blind From sodayn fallyng the selues to preserue Long to coÌ„tune and thanke of god deserue The fal of one is a cleare lanterne To teach another what he shall eschue Peryll of one is who so can discerne Schole and doctrine from peryll to remue As men deserue suche guerdon must sue In vice nor vertue no man may God deceyue Like their desertes their mede they receyue Who foloweth vertue lengest doth perseuer Be it in riches be it in pouertye Light of trouth his clerenes kepeth euer Agayne the assautes of all aduersitie Vertue is cause of long prosperitie And whan princes froÌ„ vertue downe decline Their fame is shrouded vnder y â— cliptike line For false fortune whiche turneth as a ball Of vnware chauÌ„ges though men her atwite It is not she that yaue prynces the fall But vycious liuyng playnly to endyte Though God aboue full oft them respyte Longe abideth and dothe his grace sende To this entent they shoulde their life amende For their welfare and their abidyng longe Who aduertiseth dependeth not on chaunce Good life vertue maketh theÌ„ to be stronge And them assureth in long perseueraunce Vertue on fortune maketh a defiaunce That fortune hath no domination Wher noble princes be gouerned by reason But suche as list not corrected be By example of other for vycious gouernauÌ„ce And fro their vyces list not for to flye If they be troubled in their hygh puissaunce They arette it to fortunes variaunce Touchyng the gyltes that they did vse Their demerites full falsly excuse Vertue conserueth prynces in their glory And confirmeth their dominations And vyces put their prynce out of memory For their trespaces and their transgressions And in all suche sodayne mutacions They can no refute nor no better succoure But agayne fortune to make their clamour Make an out crye of her doublenesse As no gylt were in their owne dede Thus vntruly they call her a goddesse Which litle or nought may helpe at such a nede But if they had god in loue and drede Trusted his lordshyp in hart will thought They should fortune playnly set at nought Euidence full expert and palpable Tofore rehearsed tolde of diuers ages Worldly glory is vayne and full vnstable With disceytes double of their vysages Shewyng to prynces firme of their corages By these ensamples howe in what wyse By others fallyng they shal theÌ„ selfe chastise Sygnes shewed and tokens in heauen Diuers cometys and constellations Dreadfull thunder fearfull firy leauen Rumours in earth and great discencions Disobey saunce in sundry regyons Shewen examples full wel affirme I date To mighty princes theÌ„ biddyng to beware Their life to amend or the lorde do smite Through negligence or it be to late And or y â— swerd of vengeaunce kerue or byte Anto vertues their vycious life translate Cherishyng right agaynst all wrong debate With dreade of God make them selfe stronge Than in no doubt they shall endure longe Who is not ware by others chastisyng Other by him shal chastised be Harde is the hart whithe for no writyng For no doctrine nor none aucthoritie For none examples will from his vyces flye To indurat is his frowarde entent Whiche will not suffer his hardnes to relent The rounde droppes of the smothe rayne Whiche that discende and fall from aloft On stones harde at the eye it is seyne Perceth their hardnes with their fallyng oft All be in touchyng water is but soft The persyng caused by force nor puissaunce But of failyng by long continuaunce Semblably of ryght I dare rehearse Oft readyng in bokes fructuous The hartes should of prudent princes perce Soke in their mind make them vertuous To eschue all thyng that is vycious For what auaileth the examples y â— they rede To their readyng if contrary be the dede â–ª Cunnyng and dede who ran comprehende In clere conceites they ben thinges twayne And if cunnyng do the dede amende Than at wene theÌ„ is made a mighty chayne A noble thing and right souerayne For than of cunnyng the labour is well spent Whan dede foloweth bothe ben of assent Thus John Bochas procedyng in his boke Whiche in number is called the seconde Gan for to write and his purpose toke To set in stories such as he founde Of entent all vyces to confounde By examples whiche he did expresse And at the begynnyng of his busines Myghty Saule to him did appeare Kyng of Israell piteously wepyng Deadly of face and with an hydous cheare His voyce ybroke by manifolde sobbyng And to mine aucthout his sorow coÌ„playnyng Requiryng hym together whan they met First in his boke his wofull fate to set Anone after I of entencion With penne in hande fast gan me spede As I coulde in my translation In this labour further to procede My lorde came forth by gan to take hede This mighty prince right manly right wiâ—e Gaue me charge in his prudent auyse That I should in euery tragedy After the processe made mencion At the ende set a remedy With a Lenuoy conueyed by reason And after that with humble affection To noble prynces lowly it dyrect By others fallyng them selues to correct And I obeyed his biddyng and pleasaunce Vnder support of his magnificence As I coulde I gan my penne aduaunce All be I was barrayne of eloquence Folowing mine auctor in substauÌ„ce seÌ„tence For it suffiseth playnly vnto me So that my lord my makyng take in gre Finis ¶ Hovve Saule kyng of Israel borne of lowe degree as longe as he dradde God and was obediente to him and ruled by good counsaile made many disconfitures but at the last for his pryde presumption and great disobedience he lost his crowne and was stayne by Philistines ¶ The firste Chapter THis sayde Saule of whom I spake toforne Full well compacte and large of his stature Of the lyne of Beniamyn eke borne His father Cis was called in scripture Whose asses whilom left their pasture Space of thre dayes Saule had theÌ„ sought Lost his labour and founde them nought For they were gone out so farre on stray So disceuered he ne coude them mete Tyll that a childe him suyng all the way Yaue him counsaile his labour for to lete And that he
the felde ysoyled Cause of another vnhappy heuynesse And of her deedly desolacion Was the people felly dyd them dresse Of Arabye in their rebellion Agayne her husband of entencion To robbe his treasour to their auauntage And take his richesse by outragious pillage Some of his meyny they put in prison There was agaynst theÌ„ made no defence Spared nother citie borough ne toun Slough man chyld through sturdy violeÌ„ce Her lorde enfect wyth sodaine pestilence Conceyued fully by his malady There was no gayne but he must nede dye After his deth most wretched odible His body corrupt his bowelles fyl doun Of his carayne the stench was so horible The ayre enfect about hym enuyron With so great horrour and putrifaction That no man myght abyde nor endure To bryng his body vnto sepulture Her third vnhap whereof she was ful fayne That fortune lyst her efte assayle Made her vncle kyng Joram to be slayne With an arow as he fled in batayle She supposyng greatly it should auayle Lyke a woman most furious wode She of king Dauid slough al y e rial blode Her purpose was to gouerne al the realme Alone her selfe to haue dominacion To reigne in Juda and Jerusalem This Athalia by vsurpacion And for that cause in her entencion With mortal sworde she made tho fyne That were disceÌ„ded froÌ„ Dauid doun by lyne Except one Joas she left not one a lyue Chyld of a yere sonne of kyng Ochâ—sy Whom Josaketh the story do the disctiue Of very pitie caught a fantasy The childe to saue that he shal not dye From the malice of Athalia And she was wyfe to byshop Joiada She this byshop with hole hert entere Kept this chylde in ful secret wyse Within the temple the space of seuen yere And in the seuenth the storye doth deuise Joiada toke on him this emprise Yonge Joas vpon a certayne day By iust title to crowne him if he may His messangers he sendeth out anone Of princes tribunes gan a counsaile cal Of preestes eke and leuites euerychone And whan he had discured to them al Hole his entent thus it is befal Sworne and assented as it was sytting That yonge Joas shal be crowned kyng For by promise which y â— is diuine Quod Joiada if ye take hede God hath behested to Dauid his lyne And assured vnto his kynred In Jerusalem how they shal succede And though Joas be yong teÌ„dre of might He to the crowne hath neuer the lasse ryghte In this matter I wyl not that ye slepe But to shewe your true diligence On four parties the temple for to kepe That no man entre by no violence And in the myddes by royal excellence Quod this byshop no man shal vs let On Joas heade a crowne for to set And whan ech thing was brought to poynt Hys hygh estate to encrease and magnify The people anone whan he was anoynt Viuat rex they began to cry And whan Athalia gan this thyng espye For very ire and the sodayne wonder Of melancoly her clothes cut asonder Ran to the temple and gan make a fray With her meyny and to crye aloude Bad them go sle make no delay The yong kyng in al the hast they coude Her venym hid vnder a couerte cloude Al at ones her purpose to recure By sodaine malice she gan y e day dyscure The temple was kept entre had she none People ordayned awaytyng for the nones And or she might any further gone Clenly armed the Centuriones The cruel quene assayled al at ones And of her malice to wryte a short tale They slough her after at Cedron in the vale Lo here the ende of murdre tiranny Lo here the ende of vsurpacion Lo here the ende of false conspiracy Lo here y â— ende of false presumcion Borne rightfull heyres wrongly to put them doun O noble princes though god make you stroÌ„g To ryghtful heyres beware ye do no wrong ¶ Lenuoye THese tragedies to estates degrees Fully declareth the decepcions Of fortunes false mutabilitees Shewed in prouinces cities and eke touns Princes vnwarely lost their possessions Which for their synnes in diuerse wyse Had of god warnyng lyst not for to ryse Mighty princes cast downe from their sees Lost their liues and their regions Vnwarely throw from their felicitees Jeroboam for his oppressions And for his frowarde false oblacions Done to Idols his story doth deuyse Had of god warning lyst not for to ryse Achab also had great aduersities Through false couÌ„saile and exhortacions Of Iezabel rote of iniquities Dyd to his people great extorcions She slough prophets goddes champions Both he and she most cursed in their gyse Had of god warnyng lyst not for to ryse Athalia with her duplicitees And conspired false intrusions Slouh Dauids sede to entre their dignitees And possede their dominacions But for her hateful false collusions Vnwarely slayne for her great couetise Had of god warnyng lyst not for to ryse Princes remembre in your prosperitees And se afore in your discrecions Wrong clyming vp of states or degrees Outher by murdre or by false treasons Asketh a fal for their final guerdons Namely of them that the lord dispise And for his warnyng lyst not for to rise The .xiii. Chapter ¶ Howe Dydo quene of Cartage slough her selfe for conseruacion of her chastitie NOwe muste I put my rude stile in prees To queene Dido makynge my passage Her Lorde Siche was priest to Hercules Her father Belus fal in great age Kyng of Tire she quene of Carthage And it is red in bokes that ben true How fyrst in Tire was found purple hewe Chadmus founde fyrst letters for to write Gaue them to Grekes as made is mencion Whose brother Fenix as clerkes eke endite Founde first the colour of vermilion And of Cartage the famous mighty toun This sayd Dido her story doth expres How she was quene and founderesse But her husband was chefe lorde fyre Called Sicheus full famous of renoun Of this noble citie called Tyre Had great treasour great possession And for enuy kyng Pigmalion Broder to Dido this Siche slough in dede Of false entent his richesse to possede Dido this slaughter toke greuously to hert Sore complayning this vnhappy chaunce Cast she would if she might asterte Flye out of Tire and her lyfe auaunce With al the treasour the haboundaunce Behynde left whan her lorde was dede Her shyppes entryng went awaye for drede She knewe and drede the gredy auarice Of her brother kyng Pigmalion And how that hateful vnstauncheable vice Was grounde and rote and chefe occasion Why y â— her lord was slayne in that toun For whome she cried ful oft wel away Whose deth was cause why she fled away She had also this opinion Which caused most her hertly heuinesse That sith her brother Pigmalion Had slayne her lorde for his great ryches If she abode that he woulde hym dresse Parcel for malice
am nat worthy that men me shoulde call Or haue the name in no maner wise For the offence whiche ye haue herde deuyse To be called in this wretched lyfe Of Collatyn from henseforthe the wyfe Myne eyne also be blynded with derknesse Only for shame to lyfte vp their syght Outher their stremes or beame vp dresse Of the clere heuen to loke vpon the lyght Nor I may neuer be of the nombre of ryght Of true matrons amonge them ferre ornere For to be rekened in their kalendere Let myne iniury and this mortall cryme Be so punysshed of ryght and equyte Without delay of any lenger tyme That euer after it may example be Through all the worlde and eke in this cyte With suche a payne therupon deuysed That all auoutrors may be therby chastysed And if it seme in your opinyon In this case I shulde be vnpure I wyll receyue iuste punycion And the payne paciently endure If it so stande that perauenture Ye deme of reason that am so iust and stable In this mater that I be culpable Her tale tolde whan they longe had mused On this complaint in their inward sight Of trouth echone they helde her full excused Made all behest with all their full myght To auēge her wrong and Lucrece anonright Toke a sharpe knyfe or they might aduert And roue her selfe euyn through the hert ☞ The complaynt of Bochas vpon the luxury of princes as by examples of many dyuers myschaunces BOchas in hert brennyng hote as fyre Of very ire and indignacion Agayne tho princes which in their desire Haue fully set their delectacion Their felycite and their affection To folowe their lustes of false lechery Froward spousebreche and of auoutry He writeth again them that seketh occasiōs Places of lustes to haue their libertees For to fulfyl their delectacions And for taccōplysh their great dishonestees Deuyse out tauernes in borowes and citees And sitting there among their company After the dede they boste of their foly If any man pyntche at their outrage Or them rebuke for their transgressions They wyl answer w t froward false langage And for their party alledge great reasons First how it longeth to their condicions By right of nature as it is well couth Frely to vse lechery in youthe Affyrme also howe lawe of kinde is fre And so afforce them to sustain their party By exāple of Dauid which y ◠toke Bersabe And for her sake how he slough Vrie Dyd manslaughter and false auoutry For them allegyng agayne right and res◠For Dalida the luxurye of Sampson The story also they frowardly apply How for a woman prudent Salomon The lord offendyng did ydolatry And in diffence of their opinion Reherse these stories for their excusacion Of their errour therby a price to wynne As tofore God lechery were no sinne They not consydre in their entencion Of these stories of euery cyrcumstaunce First of kyng Dauid the great contricion Nor vpon Samson how god toke vēgeaūce First how he lost his force his puissaūce For his offence they haue not this in minde Nor how both his eyen were made blynde Nor their reasons they lyst not to enclyne For to conceyue in their discrecion The spyrite of wysdome heuenly and diuine Was take away fro prudent Salamon In chastising for his transgression And some doctours affyrme ouermore How Salomon repented hym ful sore The play of youth folke calleth lechery Say it is a game of nature And to sustayne and beare vp their party Howe it sit well by recorde of scripture Vnto euery lyuely creature That stant in helth and is coragious Of very kynde to be lecherous Vicious report they haue in remembraunce But vertuous thynge is ferre out of mynde Fleshly lustes and lecherous plesaunce In their desires be not lefte behynde Auauntyng lying they can of new out fynd And nowe a dayes they hold it curtesy Othes horrible flateryng and ribaudy In their auice they take lytel hede Vnto the doctryne of noble Scipion Which commaunded in story as I rede To Massinissa full famous of renoun Not to touche by no condicion Sophonisba fayrest of vysage But it were by way of maryage Though she were borne of the blod royal Her youth was set to all honeste Doughter and heire to noble Hasdruball Duke of Cartage the story ye may se And for her vertues of feminyte She wedded was of byrth as she was lyke To king Siphax which reigned in Affrike And for to preue the great lyberte Which is in vertue conueyed by reson And the false thraldom of dyshoneste Of bothe to make a playne comparison After the doctryne of Censorin Caton Shewed by him to folkes commune That vertue neuer is subiect to fortune Vertue conserueth measure and reson Consydereth thinges afore or they befal Taketh none emprises but of discrecion And on prudence foundeth her werkes al Aye to her counsayle attēperaūce she doth cal Warely prouiding in her selfe within The end of thynges to fore or she begyn This was the doctrine taught forth of Catō Lecherous lustes to put them vnder fote Grauntyng to vertue the domynacyon Plucke vp vyces braunche crop and rote Frute of goodnes groweth vp so sote Whan it is planted of youth in corage It neuer appalleth in eld of his tarage Caton of vertue was a chefe offyter Preferryng euer common commoditees Tofore profites that wer synguler To enhaūce the comon in kingdōs and citees Their wyttes peysed and their habylytees Persons promoting in whō it was supposed That they in vertue were naturalli disposed Manlye in hert he was aye to sustene Indifferent trouth and all iustyce Fleshly delytes of folke that were vncleane He was aye redy by rygour to chastyce And set lawes in full prudent wyse For to punysh flaterours and lechours And such as were open auoutrours He had of women none opinion With them to deale for luste nor for beaute But if it were for procreacion So stable he was found in his degre The boke redyng of immortalyte Which Plato made the trouth well sought Therin concludyng how soules dye noughte But lyueth euer in ioy or in payne Thus wrote Plato in his originall Men may the body bi deth ful wel constrain But the soule aye abydeth immortal For which this Caton stedfast as a wal For comon profyte to dye was not aferd Whan he him self slew with a naked swerde But to fortune afore his dethe he saide O thou princes of worldly goodes vayne To thy flateries I neuer did abrayde Thy fauour is so false and vncertayn That neuer I faught no fraunchise to atain As for my selfe no perciall syngulerte But all for profyte touching the comonte Agayne Cesar I made resystence To conquere fredome to me and to the toun Frely to eschewe his mortal vyolence This world dispising in mine opinion Our fraunchise thralled vnder subiection Iustly forsakyng the varyaunce of this life My soule conueyed to be contemplatyse This philosopher this prudent old Caton Tendring in hert common comodytees Tofore
my selfe dispose And my wittes specially apply Cause of my cōmyng clerely to vnclose And tell the effect of mine ambassatry And my speache so gouerne and gye After I am receyued to thy grace My selfe declaryng if I haue time and space For like thy mother if thou receiue me And me accept vnto thy presence I must therafter so gouerned be To tell my tale playnly in sentence So that thou geue me frendly audience And if I be not receiued in suche wise More strongly my tale I must deuise This noble prynce this Corolian When that he heard his mother thus cōplaine Full like a lorde and a knyghtly man Gan her embrace in his armes twayne In lowly wise there is no more to sayne Saue like a sonne of due and ryght To her he sayd full lyke a manly knyght Madame quod he be it to your pleasaunce To hear my conceyt as in this matere With faythfull hart humble attendaunce I you receyue as for my mother dere But and ye lyke benyngly to here The ingratitude done in most cruel wise To me of Romayns I purpose to chastise Ah sonne quod she touching their offence Done to thy nobles their great outrage They shal by menes their trespace recōpence And thinke thou art borne of their linage And suffer y t mercy thy rigoure may asswage And think of nature thou maist not wel w tsay Thing for the which thy mother doth pray Thou shalt not close thyne entrayles of pitie To the requestes of me and of thy wife Nor gynne a warre agayne thy countrey To stroy thy lyne by newe mortall strife Thy children and me to make vs lose our life Wey in balaunce to Romayns thy hatred Against the loue of me and of thy kynred Sende home agayn thy straunge souldiours Which ben so redy y ◠Romains bloud to shede Let stand in peace our walles our towers Suffer thy grace thy rancour to excede So that thy pity may put away all drede And condiscende to receyue for hostage Me to be pledge for their great outrage Behold the wōbe in whiche thou were borne And se also my naked sydes twayne By whiche thou were fostred here toforne If there were lack thou woldest cry plaine Remember theron and at me not disdayne But vnto mercy receyue this citee At the request here of thy wife and me Whilom my milke thy chrishing was fode To stynt thy cry whan thou diddest wepe Their sote drops full holsome were and good Thy tender youth for to preserue and kepe And like a mother to bryng the a slepe I woke full oft to the I was so kynde Wherfore dere sōne on my request haue mind If that thou lyst this city now torment Their demerites by rygour recompence Punyshe me for them and I wyll assent To beare the gylt of their great offence But dere sonne let thy magnificence Suffer of knighthode y t mercy may in dede Attemper thy rygour or thou to dome procede Suffer Romayns to liue in quiete Graunt thē peace agayne their great outrage Some drope of pity let in thyne hart flete And thinke thou art borne of their linage Loke vpon them with mercifull vysage Whiche offer them selfes as they shal fulfill Their lyfe their death all wholy at thy will Remember of nature how that the lyon Set aside his rage and his wodenes To them that mekely afore him fall doun His royall kinde will do them no duresse To exemplify to knyghtly noblesse w t rigorous swerd thou shalt no more manace Them that be lowly yelden vnto thy grace And whan this prynce this Corolian Had heard all that his mother list to sayne He goeth to her in all the haste he can Besprent w t teares y ◠on his chekes rayne And her embraced with his armes twayne And sayde mother there may be no lettyng Me hole of hart to graunt your askyng The siege he made for to auoyde away And to repayre home to their countrye And wyth his mother and wife he was y t day With great gladnes and solemnitie Anon receiued into that citye Like as fortune him neuer wold haue fayled But she fone after of newe hath him assayled The gery Romayns stormy and vnstable Whiche neuer in one styll coulde abide Against this prynce most knyghtly notable For to conspyre of new they gan prouide And banished him to Tuskan there beside Where he was slayne within a little space For he the Romayns afore toke to grace ☞ The .ix. Chapiter ¶ Howe Melciades Duke of Athens with small nombre vanquished .vi. C M. Perciēs and after by his comonte that aye of custome desyreth a chaung of princes new he was chayned in pryson and so dyed AMonge other that putte theym selfe in prees For too bewayle their greuous heauynesse Came of Athens Duke Melciades which thrugh his manhod hygh prowesse And thrugh his knightly renomed noblesse Like as auctours his triumphes lyst cōmēd Faught many a batayle his city to defend And of victories as it is compyled For comon profyt of that noble toune Faught wyth a tyraunt y t was tofore exiled Called Hippias which by false treason Had to kyng Dary made a suggestion Vpon Athens in al the hast he might To rayse al Perce agayn the town to fyght Sixe hundred M. accounted was the nōbre Of Perciens armed in plate and maile Them of Athenes by force to encombre Echone assembled them proudly to assayle But this Duke for nothyng wold fayle Melciades but knightly toke his place With ten thousande he met him in the face For both he was manly and ryght wyse And of his handes proued a ful good knight Set vpon them with so prudent auyse That they of Perce for all their great might Were four tymes put vnto the flyght By thylke Duke if I shall not fayne And by the noblesse of other knyghts twain Themystocles ycalled was the tone Which of his hand as auctours list discryue Was in a felde proued on hys fone The manlyest knight in his time alyue Whych thylke day so proudly dyd stryue Agayn thē of Perce such a slaughter make That fynally the field they haue forsake Cynegirus a knyght eke of that towne The same day through his chyualry With blody swerde as he went vp and doun without nombre in his melancoly Slough Perciens bokes specify That for the tyme they no refute can Saue to their shyppes for drede of dethe they ran And there he wrought a straunge marueyle As writeth Bochas affyrmyng it certayne The greatest shyp that bare largest sayle with his righthand he gan it so restrayne Lyke as it had be fastned wyth a chayne Maugre Perciens whiche did thē sore greue That by no craft they could it not meue But whan that they none other refute wyst Frely to escape out of his daungere Tyl they his right hand cut of by the wrist But w t his left hand he gan approche neare And helde it styll an vncouth thing to
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
in their library Desyre of nature to be solitary Such as mē loue such things they vndertake Fyshe or foule to hunt with their houndes Some of woul sundrye clothes make By philosophers was foūd out the grounds And of all study they set out fyrst the bounds Caused poetes playnly to conclude Out of all prease to lyue in solitude Logiciens delite in argumentes Philosophers in vertuous liuyng And legisters folowyng the ententes Greatly reioyce in lucre and winnyng Phisiciens trauayle for getting And of poetes this is the subtyll forme By new inuencion thynges to transforme Poetes should eschue all ydlenes Walke by ryuers and welles crystallyne To moūtaynes a morow their course dresse The mist diffied whā Phebus first doth shine Study in bokes of morall disciplyne Nothyng coueyte but set their entent Wyth moderate fode for to be content Their chefe labour is vyces for to fage With a maner couert similitude And none estate wyth theyr langage By no rebukyng of termes dull and rude What euer they write on vertue ey cōclude Appayre no man in no maner wyse This is the office of poetes that be wise The .xx. Chapter ¶ How Malleus duke of cartage for oppression and tyranny was hewen into pieces WHan Bochas hadde rehearsed of Poetes Their straunge studye and solayne wrytynges And theyr desires of solitary seates In pleasaunt place to make their dwellinges Besyde ryuers and holesome well sprynges Whiche accomplished he gan his pen auance Prynces of Affrike to put in remembraunce And while he dyd hys busy diligence Theyr pyteous falles to put in memory First there came twayne vnto hys presence Their olde noblesse appalled and their glory Whiche as hym sempt within a territory Of Affryke boundes longyng to Cartage Did fyrst appeare most deadly of vysage The one of them was named Malleus Duke of Cartage of Affryke lorde and syre His sonne also called Cartalus Whilom chiefe prince and bishop eke of Tyre But Malleus whych helde the great empyre Of all Affryke for his pompous outrage Exiled was for euer out of Cartage Whyche caused him in hart he was not mery But aye remēbred vpon his fell banishing Gadered his people win the lande of Surry And in the felde whyle he lay hostyng Cast him fully to make no tariyng But in all haste of knyghtly fell corage Maugre hys enemyes resort vnto Cartage To auenge his exyle hys hart was set a fyre And his entent more to fortify He sent in haste hys letters downe to Tyre To Tartalus that he should hym hye And brynge wyth hym all the chyualry Of his citye in stele armed clene His fathers party to holde vp and sustene But whā thys byshop knew holly the manere Of thys purpose which ye haue heard deuise He consydred how that tyme of the yere Ordeyned was to do sacrifyce After the rytes of their panym wyse To Hercules whiche in that citye Aboue all gods had the souerayntie Whose feast was holde space of certayn dayes Whiche for to halow he neades must entende And by the custome make no delayes But that he must therto condiscende And leauer he had hys father to offende As in such case then through negligence Vnto hys gods for to do offence Wherfore his father had indignacion The case arettyng to vnkyndnes And therof caught a great occasion Agayne his sonne of froward wilfulnes For prynces oft of furious hastines Wyll pyke a quarell causeles in sentence Agayn folke absent though ther be no offence And some tonges venemous of nature Whan they perceyue that a prince is meued To agreg hys yre do their busy cure With false langage to make him more greued But ther is no poysō so wel expert nor preued As is of tonges the hatefull vyolence Namely whan princes list yeue thē audience The feast accomplyshed of myghty Hercules All innocent of double and false menyng This sayd byshop of wyll not retcheles Came to his father without more tariyng Chaunged neither habite nor clothyng With all the ensygnes in the same wyse As he tofore had done sacrifice Anone hys father made no delay Wythout excuse it would be no bet Of hasty rancour the selfe same day Made hym be hanged vpon an hye gybet Lawe and iustice were both aside set And tyranny moste furyous and wode To do vengeaunce in trouthes place stode Who can or may tyrantes well discryue Whose swordes ben whet aye for vengeaunce Their bloudy thyrst doth theyr hartes ryue Their eares aye opē to hear of him mischaūce Their furious myrth theyr mortal pleasaūce Their pale smilyng their laughter of hatred Concludeth euer vpon some cruel dede They be ministers to Parcas sistern thre To vntwynd y ◠thredes of folkes here mortall And very cosyns through hasty cruelte Vnto the wode furyes infernall Chyldrē to Pluto of vengeaunce marciall Which for their vyces but they bere thē wele Shall turne in hell on Ixions whele Thus Malleus father most vnkynde Lyke such a tyraunt shed out his cruelte As ye haue heard and after as I fynde Of furious hart and of olde enmyty By force is entred Cartage the cite And slough all tho in hys hatefull yre That hym afore had exyled into Tyre Wrought after wyll nothing after ryght Gan robbe spoyle that noble famous town Which made him hated in the peoples syght For his outrage and great extorcion Hauyng no ioye nor consolation Within hys hart playnly nor gladnes Saue lyke a tyrant the people to oppresse The people of Cartage sore gan to complayn Vpon their mischefe and desolation As Bochas writeth rehersyng in certayne Wyll is stepmother of wyt and of reason And where that prynces haue dominacion And by false pyllage to ryches clyme vp fast Trust right well theyr lordship may not last Theyr great power of worldly excellence To their accrochyng of temporall ryches Whā they be tyrātes may stand in no defence And froward wyll ruleth theyr highnes For what is lordshyp playnly to expresse In thys worlde here if it be discerned Loue of the people whā they be well gouerned For tyranny and false oppression Causeth prynces to stand in great hatrede And what is worth their dominacion Without loue let preue it at a nede Men for a tyme may suffer them and drede But whan that drede constrayned is gone Than is a prynce a man but alone Se an example how Malleus of Cartage For all hys castels towers made of stones For hys oppression vengeaunce and outrage The people of Affryke rose on hym all atones And cut asunder his flesh and also hys bones Cast thē playnly on him they wer so wode Vnto their goddes to offer vp his bloude The people dempt of mortall crueltie There was no offring so plesaūt nor cōuenable Vnto theyr gods to please their deitie As bloud of tyrantes whiche y t be vengeable Thus cruell princes make y ◠people vnstable Of necessitie whyche ought be complayned To wreke their wronge y ◠they be cōstrayned
the fayre And therwithall Artaxerses gan abrayde And aunswered with face debonayre My sonne quod he I will not be contrayre To thy desire but of affection Deliuer her to thy possession Of his promise he after gan repent Cast hym to make another cheuisaunce And secretely his concubine he sent Called Arthasia as made is remembraunce And through his sleyghty purueyaunce Vnto the teÌ„ple such meanes he hath sought Of great Appollo y t she in haste was brought Where she was veyled made a presteresse After the rites playnly and the gyse â–ª Of olde panyms by a maner holines And there professed for to do seruice â–ª As their statutes constrayne and deuise During her life it might none other be She bounde was to liue in chastite This thing was wrought by compassyng Of Artaxerses by frowarde ielosy Wherof Dary the yonge lusty kyng Wext almost wode whan he did it espy And gan compasse of melancholy Furious rancour and hasty cruelte Vpon his father auenged for to be And his party of force to sustene With him he had the story maketh minde His brethren in bast an huÌ„dred and fiftene Which to their father were false and vnkind Of all this number were left none be hynde That froÌ„ this purpose ones lyst dissent Hys death of one will they al assent Yet of this straunge false conspyracy Artaxerses had a knowledgyng Although the story dothe not specify How ne by whom he had therof wyttyng For whiche in haste he made no tariyng To gader meyny make him selfe stronge Him self to auenge of this disnatural wrong For Artaxerses lyke as the case tho stode Thought it sate well to his high nobles To be venged vpon vnkynde bloude For lawe nature decrees rightwisenes And all statutes dampne vnkyndnes Wherby this kyng occasion did finde Ayen his children because they were vnkynd Some men deme how great multitude Of many childre maketh a man stronge But therupon plainly to conclude Vertue is cause if she dwell them among But if their corage enclyneth vnto wronge And vycious life do their brydle lede The greater number the worse they do spede A progeny borne of a cursed lyne May through his frowarde false infection Outward of trouth though they shyne Vnder appearaunce and simulation Infect and corrupt all a region For it is sayd of full olde langage Frute of soure trees take a soure tarage This was well shewed in Artaxerses That suffred his brother dye at mischefe Bledyng his wounde left him helpeles Whyche to his name shall euer be reprefe Thus bloude vnkynde hath euer euil prefe For all the children fro his stocke discended Were cursed euerichone as here is remeÌ„bred Their stocke was fyrst contagious of nature The grefes frowarde were great in number Whiche of assent did their busy cure By false treason their father to encomber But there is no shade nor no couert vmber So closely kept namely of false gyle But the venym wyll shew out some whyle And thus the death contagiously conspyred Of Artaxerses sythe ago full yore Wheron to auenge his hart was so fyred Of furious yre and ybrent so sore That he not could defarre it now no more But with his meyny fyll on them anone Or they were ware slew theÌ„ euerychone He slough also all hys concubynes That wer their mothers of whoÌ„ I told toforn Suffred none to liue of their lynes So of y â— lynage he hath the wede vpshorne Founde among all no grayne of good corne Couyâ—t by doome whan they were presented To his death how echone they were assented His clothes sprent with the vnkynd bloude Of his chyldren whiche he dyd shede After whose death in great mischefe he stode And so in sorow his lyfe he did lede Dyed after in mischefe and in drede Death quyt w t death rage with rage Lo here the fyne of his vnweldy age ¶ Lenuoy THis tragedy afore declareth here The great outrage of vnkyndnes Betwene two brethrene raignyng both yfere In Perce lande as ye haue heard expresse Tyll deuision of all mischefe maistresse Gan enter in through fraternall hatrede Whyche agayn kynd destroyed their kinrede The warre arose contagious for to lere Throughe all Perce of mortall frowardnes Of Cyrus death rehearsyng the manere How helpelesse he dyed in distresse And how the nuÌ„ber of brethren did theÌ„ dresse To slea their father the story ye may rede Causyng an ende of all theyr whole kynrede Kyng Artaxerses with a froward chere His iniuries and wronges to redresse Slough hys childreÌ„ their mother eke yfere Spared not one of froward cursednes By whiche occasion toke a great sickenes After dyed in mischefe and in drede Causyng an ende of all his whole kynrede Lo here a sorowe not particulere For through all Perce ran the cursednes The croked fame spred bothe farre and nere Of this vengeable hasty fell woodnes The ayre enfecting w t slaunderous blacknes To shew of vengeaunce the coÌ„trarious mede Of bloud vnkynde borne of one kynrede Noble princes lift vp your eyen clere And consider by great auisenes The wofull stryues the odious fell dauÌ„gere Sowen in kinredes of wilfull straungenes Of all rancoure your courage do redresse Peysyng the mischeues folowyng in dede Of bloude vnkinde borne of one kynrede ☞ The ende of the thirde boke FRuite of writynge set in Cronicles olde Mooste delectable of freshenesse in tastynge And moste goodlye and glorious to beholde In colde and heate lengest abidyng Chaunge of seasons may do it no hyndryng And where so be that men dyne or fast The more men taste the lenger it will last It doth courages renue agayne glade Whiche may be called frute of the tree of lyfe So parmanable that it will neuer fade To the fiue wittes greatest restoratyfe And to their pleasauÌ„ce most chefe confortatife For of nature whan they be quicke goode They of this frute take their naturall foode Auctours hereon concluden and eke assent How that writyng of his kyndly right Dothe loued persons likenesses represent Of frendes absent seuered farre froÌ„ syght Darkenes of absence is clered with the light Thus frute of writyng hath his auauntages Of folkes farre of to present the ymages Lawe had perished nad be writyng Our fayth appalled nere vertue of scripture For all religion and order of good liuyng Taketh their example by doctrine of lecture For writing causeth with helpe of portrature Thinges darked of olde that were begon To be remembred with this celestiall son God set writyng and letters in sentence Agayne the dulnesse of our infirmite This world to enlumyne by craft of eloqueÌ„ce Canon Ciuyle philosophy these thre Confirmed fraunchises of many strong citee CouenauÌ„tes asseled trouthes of olde assured Nad writyng be myght not haue endured Diligence chefe tryumphatryce Of slogardy negligence and slouthe Eke of memory vpholder and nouryce And registrer to supposayle of trouthe Hath of olde labour els were great routhe Brought thinges passed notable in substauÌ„ce Onely by writyng to newe
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
aduersite And for his wordes of great authorite His noble langage and his fayre eloquence The people had him in ful great reuerence And for they were manly and coragious Able to assemble bothe plate and mayle He made them rise agaynst Antigonus By theyr prowes with hym to haue batayle But of fortune hys party gan to fayle Wher thilke people the story telleth thus Had afore ben full victorious Antigonus hath the felde recured That day his knightes fought lyke wodelyons In furious tene of hys corage assured Brake theyr tentes and pauilions Spoiled their castels robbed their dâ—geons Where that countre vnwarely thus affrayed Had neuer afore in batayle ben outrayed And of dispite this people recheles Caught in their hert great indignation Agayne their prynce this sayd Eumenides Which had theÌ„ brought to their destruction And all the people of one opinion Presented him it was nat after longe To Antigonus bounde in chaynes strong In this proces brefely to procede At great mischefehe dyed in prysone He found no mercy playnly as I rede For all his noblesse nor hys hye renoune Yet of hys manhode made is mencion Who that story lyst to loke aryght With Alysander there was no better knight In hys conquest euery hour and space He was most cheryshed for hys hye noblesse Aboue all other stode most in his grace To helpe and releue folke in their distresse All be that he dyed in wretchednesse To vs declaryng the great variaunces That all daye fall in fortunes chaunces ¶ Lenuoye THys tragedy of duke Eumenides She weth of fortune y e great doublenes How worldly princes that ben recheles With vnware chaunges fall into distresse And there may be no greater heuynesse After prosperite nor greater payne Than aduersite which that is sodayne Greatest enuy where is greatest preace Greatest awayte where is most rychesse And greatest ease where is rest and peace Where most discorde most is heuynesse And of all sorow sorow fullest excesse Is thylke sorow y â— dothe a man constrayne After prosperite with aduersite sodayne Princes in erthe of power peerles Which excelled all other in noblesse Had in this worlde by coÌ„quest most encrees As Alysander the story bereth wytnesse RemeÌ„bre the fyne of all theyr hye prowesse And the triuÌ„phes to which they dyd attayne After prosperite aduersite sodayne The strong enheritours which y t he out chees Sixe thirty the nombre to expresse Whiche hadde possession of kyngdoms doutles Eche thyng obeying to their worthynesse Tyl fortune through her wunted doublenesse Shewed her myght vnwarely to ordayne After prosperite aduersite sodayne Noble prynces to auoyde all disencrees Amonge your selues discordes to represse Be nat enuyous nor yrous causeles Worke nothyng of hasty wylfulnesse Let discretion be your gouerneresse For there must folow yf ye parte on twayne After prosperite aduersite sodayne The .xiiii. Chapiter ⧠Howe Queene Olympiades for she delyted in vyces murdre and vengeaunce dyed at mischefe NExt in order to Bochas dyd appere After the mischefe of Eumenides The great quene w t a full pitous chere Mother of Alysander Olympiades Borne of the lyne of Gaades Amonge quenes her story bereth wytnesse Excelled all other in beauty and rychesse She was doughter to Neoptolomus The mighty kyng of Epirothes And had suspecte how Neptanabus By enchauntment put hym selfe in prees Of wifely trouth to make her recheles But Bochas here for to saue her name Writeth but lytle of her disclaunderous fame This sayd quene right fayre of her visage Was first brought forth in thylke regions Where all the worthy of blode and of lynage Helde theyr scepters and their ryche crouns Through all Grece with full possessions So that this quene that tyme nere and farre Was of beaute called the lode starre But among al her great prosperitees Her youth flowig in most souerayne noblesse Her ioye was meddled w t great aduersitees Whan Philip Maredo in her great heuinesse Was mortally wounded in distresse In Cythia by a certayne nation Called Triboloys as made is mencion For in that countre vpon a certayne day Where as he faught and dyd hys best payne To gette a cite and at a siege lay And for thassaute dyd his stuffe ordayne He lost vnwarely one of his eyen twayne That whan the quene behelde hys wounde For sorow she fell platte vnto the grounde Another thyng bokes specifye Troubled her fame by great heuynesse The suspecte sclaunder of aduoutry Wrought by Neptauabus enchauntyng her fayrenes The light eciipsyng of hie nobles By swifte report for to hynder her name What flieth more swifte then wicked fame In womanhede as authours all wryte Most thing coÌ„mended is theyr chast honeste Thyng moste sclaundrous their nobles to atwite Is whan princesses of hasty freeite Excede the boundes of wifely chastyte For what auayleth linage or royall bloode Whan of theyr liuyng y e reporte is nat goode The holy bedde defoyled of maryage Or ones soyled may nat recured be The voyce goth forth the froward langage By many realmes and many a great cite Sclaunder hath a custome and that is pite Crew outher false by contagious sowne Ones reysed it goth nat lyghtly downe And to more hindryng of Olympiades Philippe away dyd from her deciyne And of the kyng of Epyrothes The wyfe he toke to hys concubine Called Cleopatra playnely to termine And thus in myschefe tencrease of her trouble Their false aduoutrie gan to wexe double Of this proces write wyll I no more Cause the matter is abhominable For kyng Philip the bargayne bought sore As is remembred by cronicles ful notable Slayne on a day syttyng at hys table Full sodaynly or he toke any hede Pausanias dyd that cruell dede Of which slaughter folowed a strange case As ye haue herde by Pausanias wrought Olympiades full glad and mery was Heuy outwarde her heart voyde of thought Yet faynyngly she hath wayes out sought For hym to holde solempne and royall Lyke Grekes rightes a feast funerall After whose dethe wrought of great cruelte Kyng Alysander made no lenger let Made Pansonias taken for to be And to be hanged vpon an hye gybet Vpon whose head there was a crowneset Of golde and peerle and riche stones Inde By Olympiades in story as I fynde For he stode greatly in the quenes grace And as folke dempt of suspection They met together in many priuy place Which greatly tourned to her confusion For noyse arose through all that region That by thoccasion of theyr mislyuyng How Pausanias slough Philyp the kyng But she anone in her malice feruent Fro the gybet made hym to be take doun Made his body solempnely to be brent Kept his exequies with great oblatâ—on After the ryghtes of that region Nat left behinde in partie nor in all That appertayned to feastes funerall Vpon kynge Philyp as it were for the nones To do her lorde a shame or a despyte Solempnely she made brenne the bones Of Pausanias for a false appetite Vnto no man she had so great
mariage y t he myght vnderfonge In his diyng to set a fynall peace Twene these .ii. realmes for their both ēcrece After whose death thus the matter stode Quene Arcynoe most subtyll in workyng Agayne this matter so cruell was and wode Maryed her daughter w t out more lettyng Called Beronices agaynst the biddyng Of her father that called was Agas As heretofore rehearsed is the caas She maried her to one Demetrius That brother was by Bochas rehearsynge Vnto the mighty great Antygonus Beyng in Grece of Macedoyne kyng But infortunate was she after her weddyng As in this story suyng ye shall se By the false workyng of quene Arcynoe And to conclude shortly this mattere Whan thys quene this double Arcynoe Sawe of Demetrius the vysage the there His loke his coloure his langage beautie His manly port and his liberalitie She was enamored of fleshly pleasaunce Lyke her desyre to haue his acquayntaūce Of her nature she was most lecherous And of her frowarde inclination She brought about that Demetrius Assented was by her suggestion For to accomplish lyke her opinion All her desyres of fleashly appetite Thus of accorde there folowed their delite Lefte his wyfe called Beronices The quenes doughter agayne all ryght In a place secret out of prees They lay together almost euery nyght Takyng no hede of god nor of no wyght Tyll of fortune the case is so befall That he was hated of hys knyghtes all Dispyte they had of Arcynoe The dede horrible whan they dede espy Hys wyfe Beronices eke whan she dyd se Holy the maner of theyr ribaudry In heart she caught a great melancoly Ordayned knightes in stele armed bryght In their aduoutry to take them on a nyght Lying a bedde slept and toke no kepe After false lustes whiche they had vsed They fel vp on them whyle they dyd slepe The dede open myght nat be excused To all the worlde thus they were accused With swordes draw y ◠knyghtes thilke night To slee thē both were purposed anone right Out on Beronices cryeth John Bochas Because she badde spare Arcynoe Grounde gynnyng of this horrible caas Sayth her mercy was very cruelte To saue suche one it was a false pite As sayth myne auctour a thyng cōtrarious Her to preserue and slee Demetrius O Beronices small is thy discretion To saue the quene y ◠hath the treason founde First to Demetrius she gaue occasion For which she shuld haue had the first woūde Take for them bothe and in cheynes bounde And after that thys false Arcynoe To example of other shuld haue punished be And whyle they were taken thus in close The sayd Arcynoe made no delay But fro her bedde anone she vp rose Without clothes naked as she lay Ran to their swordes in all theyr gret affray Went atwene them dyd her busy payne To beare of strokes with her armes twayne To saue Demetrius naked as she stode Voyde of all drede dyd her busy cure Her whyte body all bespreynt with blode Gan to cry out on euery creature Alas quod she let me alone endure Deth by my selfe ye be to dispitous To saue my lyfe and slee Demetrius To the erthe anone she fyll adowne To stande vpryght she might nat sustene Deed pale wan with many pitous sowne Dethe of Demetrius gan wofullye bemene Embrasyng him with all his woūdes grene And in her armes albe that he laye deed She kyssed his mouth blew nothyng reed In sorow cōplaynt thus she made an ende I write no more of thys Arcynoe But to Beronices agayne I wyl now wēde For Bochas sayeth in the story ye maye se She after wedded was to worthy Tholome Like as it was her fathers first entent When y ◠he dyed and made his testament ☞ Thus endeth the fourth boke and hereafter foloweth the fyfte Here Bochas vvryteth agaynste them that delyte in beaute and semelynesse callyng to purpose howe a man borne in Tuscan whiche excelled in beaute and fayrnesse and for hys beaute should nat geue other occasion to synne he disfigured hys visage and body wyth manye a great wounde and spotte The first Chapter HEre Bochas scorneth hath disdayne Of thre maner of folke he dyd se In this worlde whiche that in certayne Set at theyr ioy and all their felicite For to excell in fayrenesse and beaute Nat withstandyng as ye well tell can It hath vndone full many a worthy man Recorde he taketh of Demetrius Which in his tyme was fayrest in certeyne Which caused hym to be contrarious To al vertue his story ye haue seyne But of tho folke Bochas hath most disdeyne That busy ben to conquere and recure Beaute by craft which cometh nat of nature The thirde is he y t grutcheth agayne kynde For lacke of stature and of semelynesse And all these thre ben ignoraunt and blynde And agayne reason their corages they dresse Yet aboue beaute vertue is maystresse And lytle worthe is fayrnesse in certeyne In a person where no vertue is seyne Vnto purpose he telleth of a man That excelled all other in fayrenesse Called Spurnia borne was in Tuscan And folke had ioye and great gladnesse To beholde hym for his semelynesse Whose beaute brought women in dotage When they cast her loke on hys vysage Wyues maydens dwellyng in that countre Presed fast on hym to beholde By theccasion of hys great beaute Nat onelye yonge but some that were olde Wyth loues axcesse nowe were they hote nowe colde Thus was hys beaute to many a creature Founde in effecte a perylous lure Husbandes olde caught a fantasy And had a maner suspection Styred by the serpent of false Jelosye Towarde Spurnia as made is mencion But for to auoyde all cruell occasion Of any people that suche malyce thought Ye shall here howe wysely that he wrought To put awaye false dylectacion And all occasions of Cupides rage He of prudence and discretion With many wounde diffaced hys vysage For he dempt it was great domage That by thenchesen of excellent beaute Any creature hyndred shoulde be Philosophers and poetes that were wyse Gaue vnto hym a great commendation That he coude so notably deuyse To fynde a waye within hys reason To set asyde all occasion Of suche vnlefull fleshlye fantasye That might styre women vnto lecherye He knewe afore and saw by experience That all beaute shall waste away and fade Lyke somer flours in theyr moste excellence That growe on hylles or belowe in shade The rose the lyllye whan they be most glade Vpon theyr stalkes theyr prefe is dayly seyne Been beten downe with a stormye reyne And semblably in euery creature Of lowe degre or of hye estate Beauty abideth nat nor lenger doth endure Than youthes ceson w t age is ful checkmate Who thinketh hereon I holde hym fortunate And can afore in his reason caste No worldly beauty in erth mai alway laste ¶ Lenuoye YE worldlye folke that reioyse in beaute Se with the eyen of your aduertence
lykely of disposicion Chosin afterwarde for a synguler prise To go to Spayne to helpe Scipion Gaine NumeÌ„taynes a famous mighty toun And there Jugurtha so knyghtly hath begon That by his nobis the town anon was won And to remembre his knyghthod of entent His worthynesse and his hye renoun To Mysipsa letters were downe sent By the forsaid worthy Scipion Which gaue so great a coÌ„mendacion To Jugurtha him callyng in that werre â–ª Of manly prowesse the yonge lode sterre Of king Mysipsa receyued notably Called hun sonne by adopcion The king dead sone Jugurtha traitourly Slewe Hiempsales heire by succession He of that realine to haue possession This was his custome how euer y â— tytle stode By slaughter and murdre for to get good He lyst to goddes do no reuerence Of his nature wylful and recheles Hauynge nouther remors nor conscience Touchyng the slaughter of Hiempsales Falsly practised for his owne encrees For which murdre Romains haue set doun A Consulere to do correccion Calphurnius he called that was sent Onely to punishe that horible dede But with treasour hys eyen were so blent Of execucion that he toke none hede The Romayns ouercome with mede Gaue to Jugurtha by collusion Of this murore a coloured false pardon By which he toke a maner hardinesse Of tyranny which he dyd exercyse Gathered people of hareful cursydnesse And in him selfe gan curledly deuyse To execute the leâ—fe same gyse Of false murdre I meane nowe none other To slee Adherbales the seconde brother That he alone by false intrusion Of Numedy might be lorde and kyng Thus of his cruelte murdre false treason The noyse was borne by laÌ„gage wrytyng Of which the graffes flasly abrode spredynge Brought forth in hyndring of his name Frute of disclaundre reporte of diffame Mortall treason was couered vnder flours To saue him selfe by some subtylte And specially with his great treasours To appease the Senat if it would haue be But theragayne al the coÌ„monte Made agayne him a coniuracion On his salse murdre to do correction Foure Mâ—men of armes were downe sent With a pretour called Actilius The which pretour set al his entent To gather treasour for he was couetous And couetyse is contrarious Vnto knighthode as auctours all expresse And stepmother vnto worthynes A siege he layde aboute a myghty tour Wherin Jugurtha put all hys rychesse The siege was layde for loue of the treasoure More than for worshyp or for worthynesse Wherby his name and his noblesse Ther discomfyted brought vnto mischaunce After for mede made hys alyaunce With Jugurtha to his encrease of shame Caused Affrike through false cheuysaunce They togyther disclaundred by diffame Them to withdrawe fro the obeysaunce Of the Romains more them selfe tauauÌ„ce To theyr purpose corrupted wyth treasour Many a Tribune and many Senatour Of newe againe al the comonte Fro Rome sent Gayus Marius For the murders and horible cruelte Wrought by Jugurtha the tiraunt furious Which to refourme the sayd Gayus A Consulere of purpose was sent doun A manly knyght and famous of renoun Full notably the werres he began Wrought euery thyng of hie prouidence And fortune whyche helpeth hardy man Gaue him great fauour by her influence And alderfirst he dyd his diligence For to auoyde al that were vicious Delicate people and folkes lecherous A day was set and taken a batayle But Jugurtha by false subtilte Profered much good which might not auaile To haue corrupt if it would haue be The sayde Marius but euer in one degre He stode aye stable vpright as a wall And toke none hede to his profer at all Than Jugurtha in party dispaired Greatly astonyed within hym selfe musynge But lyke a man hyndred and appayred He gan purpose anone a newe thynge Of Mauritaine he went to the kyng To get helpe whych called was Boccus Him to succour agayne this Gaius Twene them was made of new an alyauÌ„ce The whyche last but a lytle space For kyng Boccus gan fal in repentaunce Cast he woulde resorte to the grace Of the Romayns and nomore trespace And to perfourme his entencion He made to Gayus this mediacion There was one Scylla called a Questour Of Gayus host had gouernaunce For king Boccus he was mediatour That ther was newely accordaunce Twene him Gayus and by the purueyauÌ„ce Of thys Boccus Jugurtha anone was hent Maugre his myght and tâ— Gayus sent And al his kyngdom without resistence Gaine to Romains came vnder obeysaunce And Marius forgaue them their offence Receyued them vnder assuraunce That he shall by dome do no vengeaunce To punyshe y â— trespaces that they dyd aforne The space coÌ„pted fro tyme they were borne Jugurtha taken almost for angre mad Brought to Rome and fettered in prison To Terpeya an hye hyl he was lad Jugement yeue for his false treason bound to a stone and after throwe doun Fro the place full hye where he stode Without mercy in to Tibre flode ¶ Lenuoye THis may be wel called a tragedy By discripcion takynge auctorite For tragedy as Poetes specify Ginneth with ioye endeth with aduersyte From hye estate cast in to lowe degre Example taken this story sayth aright Of Iugurtha that was fyrst a good knyght At his ginnyng famous in chiualry Gate NumeÌ„taigne of Spaine a great citye But in repairing home to that party I meane whan he came home to his countre He chaunged knyghthode into cruelte With couetise so blinded was the syght Of Iugurtha that first was a good knighte His wyt his power he holy dyd apply To hateful murdre fraude and subtylte By extorte title him selfe to magnify Slew rightful heires reft theÌ„ their lybertie By false intrusion clambe vp to their se And gaue no force were it wrong or ryght A thyng contrary to euery worthy knight Noble princes lift vp your hertes iye Within your selfe remembre and do se Of this murdre the hateful tyrrany With oppression done to the commoÌ„te His gynnyng good a cursed ende had he Murdre axeth vengeaunce day and night A thynge contrary to euery worthy kyght ⧠Here endeth the fyfte booke and here after foloweth the sixte ¶ Here Bochas sittinge in his studie alone wryteth a greate processe howe Fortune lyke a Monstruous Image hauynge an C. handes apeared vnto hym and spake and Bochas vnto her makynge bytwene them both many great arguments and reasons of fortunes chaunces ¶ The Fyrst Chapter IN hys studye alone as Bochas stode Hys pen in hande of sodayne auenture To remeÌ„bre he thought it dyd hym good Howe that no man may him selfe assure In worldly thynges fully to recure Grace of fortune to make her to be stable Her dayly chaunges be so variable She braydeth euer on y â— chauÌ„tipleure Now songe now wepyng now wo now gladnesse Nowe in myrth nowe paine to endure Nowe lyght now heuy nowe in swetnesse Nowe in trouble nowe fre nowe in distresse Shewyng to vs a maner resemblaunce No worldly welth hath here non assurauÌ„ce Whyle
resistence Cesar gan to make That .xx. M. that day were slayne take Sixtie galeys not farre fro the lande Twelue M. men comynge to Tholome Echone were yelded and brought to hande Of Julius hys prisoners to be Than Tholomeus busied hym to flee To the water where maugre al hys myght He drowned was in his hasty flyght He knowen was by his rich haburion Of golde and stele it was entremayled By Cesar sent vnto the royall toun Which for dyffence was strongly enbattailed Buccles of golde richely enamayled Which tokens anone as they haue seyne Despeired to Cesar sent ageyne Of thē to Cesar was made fayth homage The reaim of Egipt brought to subiection Tyl he of grace and merciful corage To Cleopatra gaue all that region Longyng to her by succession By tytel of ryght that tyme none other Because onely Tholome was her brother Kyng Lagus whylom in his testament Father to Cleopatra and to Tholome Tofore his deth by great auisement Clerely euacted his last volunte That hys kingdome departed should be Halfe to Tholome as his bequeth was That other halfe to quene Cleopatras She by her brother was holde in prison To kepe her wrongly from her heritage Whereof Cesar had compassion Purposed him to reforme her domage And whyle that he helde there his hostage Of equite of lawe and of reason Of al Egipt gaue her possession Than came Juba of Libye lorde kynge Sower of stryues and discencion Proude hye of porte cruell in workinge Whiche in especial had indignacion Vnto the worthy last Scipion Cause he was chose lyke as bokes sey To succede next Consul to Pompey Thys Juba bare to hym great hatrede Sought a quarel againe hym for a thyng Cause that he was cladde in purple wede For him allegyng howe onely y ◠clothynge No maner estate shoulde vse but a kynge Ment for hym selfe syttyng in royall trone He wold as kyng that colour weare alone Here myne authour maketh a digression Puttynge ensample of Almayne the countre Sayth that there is none other nacion Touchyng array that is so dysguyse In waste of cloth and superfluyte Rehersyng here in full playne langage In many wise such wast doth great damage It causeth pride and ambicion Agayne the vertue of humilite To Lechery it gyueth occasion Which is contrary vnto chastite Wast of array sette folke in pouerte Causeth also such costage spent in vayne Of other poore to haue ful great disdayne Where superfluite is vsed of array Ryote foloweth proude port and ydelnes With wast of tyme driue forth the day Late drinkyng watch surfet dronkenes Engendreth feuers and many greate excesse Thus euery surfet englued is to other And one mysrule bryngeth in another God suffreth wele there be a difference Touchynge aray as men ben of degre Hye estates that stande in excellence Must be preferred of reason men maye se As cloth of golde stones of pyrre Was for prīces with other fresh clothinges But specially purple was for kynges Thus was there set of hye discrecion Aray accordyng to prynces hie nobles And for other estates lower downe Lyke their degrees twene pouert riches An order kept from scarsyte and exces A meane prouided atwene hie and lowe Lyke to him selfe eche man may be knowe But kyng Juba insolent and madde Of surquedy caught an opinion That none but he in purple should be clad Causyng debate twene hym and Scipion Yet were they partie bothe with Rome toun Agayne Cesar and drewe towarde Pompey For which at myschefe bothe they dyd dey Whan Juba felte him selfe of no powere Agayne Cesar to holde champarty For sorow he lost countenaunce and chere Of his disdaine and melancoly Called one Peitrin a knight of his aly Made thē by assent y ◠they were bothe faine Felly to fight tyll one of them was slayne Againe nature was this straunge fight Eche to slee other and knewe no cause why But for king Juba was an hardy knight He slewe his felowe and abode proudly And rather chase to die wylfully Of hie dispyte and of proude corage Than vnder Cesar to liue in seruage Made call a man whome he loued wele Gaue vnto him golde and great guerdon To take a swerde forged of fyne stele And make therof no lengar delacion But he should for short conclusion Take vpon him haue no feare nor drede Without tarying to smite of his heade Thus king Juba rather chase to dey Than lenger liue in subiection Vnder Cesar he loued so well Pompey Than next to Bochas as made is mencyon Came Aristobolus w t face loke cast doun Which was to Rome afore as I haue tolde Sent by Pompey to be kept in holde Which after was delyuered from prison By helpe of Cesar in full hasty wyse Standing in hope of his region To be restored vnto the fraunchyse Where Hyrcanus as ye haue herde the gyse Preferred was to his great hindring By Pompey of Jewes crowned king Whiche Aristobolus hopeth to recure Cast meanes there to reigne againe Wrought thereon dyd his busy cure Whose hasty laboure was but spent ī vaine Fyll in the handes of a proude capteine Which that whilom was lōginge to Pōpey And he with poison vnwarely made him dey The .xiii. Chapter ¶ How the last Scipiō Consulere of Rome for he lyst nat to liue in seruage of Julius rofe hym selfe to the hearte NExt came the last worthy Scipion Whiche after Pompey was made Consulere With whome Juba was at discension For wearing purple as was tolde well ere And afterwarde fyl in great feare whan Cesar had within Libye lande Outrayed thē with strong mighty hande Wherby Scipion gan fall in dispeyre Lost his chere as man disconsolate With thre romains gan make his repeyre Dansippus Plectorie and Torquate Goyng to shyppe the time infortunate Towarde Spayne the tēpest gan thē driue That they in Affrike vnwarely dyd ariue Scipion seing this wofull case sodayne Howe he was brought vnwarly to mischefe ▪ For Scicius a mighty stronge captaine Being a Pyrate and of the sea a thefe Whiche is a name of full great reprefe The same Pyrate longyng to Cesare Fyll on Scipion or that he was ware Beyng in purpose toke him prisonere Within his shyppe tofore his ariuaile For which alas dul gan his chere His countenaunce appall and eke fayle To fynd comfort no man coude him coūsaile Pulled out a swerd whan he might nat stert And rofe him selfe euyn to the hert This was th ende at last of Scipion Leauer he had at mischefe so to dey Than vnder Cesar lye fettred in prison Or to his lordshippe in any wyse obey To Bochas next him came Pompey Sonne and heyre to great Pompeyus Contrary also to Cesar Julius Had bretherne and susterne mo than one And many another of their aliaunce And of assent they cast them euerichone Their fathers deth hauing in remembraūce Vpon Celar to take therof vengeaunce Eke vpon Tholome which by collusyon Slough their father by
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
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
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
wyth a sad visage Certes quod she I coude neuer kepe To saue my selfe a woful creature I haue great cause to complayne cry wepe My sclaūdrous lyfe which I may not recure But I suppose I had it of nature To be such one for by dayes olde An astronomer so my father tolde At my byrthe takyng the ascendent Tolde longe afore of my misgouernaunce The sonne the mone towarde the orient Were in the signe that beareth the balaūce And sayde also more for assuraunce The same signe had by discripcion His fote in Virgyn armes in Scorpion Amid the heuen was Venus exaltate w t Mars cōioyned the boke maketh mēcion And Jupiter was also infortunate To my sayd disposicion Within the fyshe helde tho his mancion Thus by the lordshyp plainely of Venus I was disposed for to be lecherous In her excuse the sayde Messalyne Gan alledge her constellacion But prudent clerkes plainly determine Of heuenly course the disposicion Is obeysaunt and subiecte to reason That euery man which well gouerned is Is not constrayned of force to do amys Nor byndeth no man of necessitie Vicious lustes frowardly to sue A vertuous man stante at liberte False inclinacions by prudence to remewe Euery man by grace may eschewe Al thynge to vertue that founde is contrary For there is no synne but it be voluntarye Yet for all this the sayde Messalyne In her excuse woulde not be in pees The heuyn quod she as Poetes determyne Was borne vp whylom by myghty Hercules Yet coude he neuer of nature haue relees For al his knighthod and his chiualry To ouercome the vyce of lechery But thou Calligula and thou Tiberius What euer ye say I take thereof none hede For thou Calligula called eke Gaius Thy selfe diffouled with lechery in dede To rebuke other y ◠shouldest stande in drede But thy rebukes in party for to quyte Who is defouled none other shoulde atwyte By fames trūpe thy sclaūdre is out blowe Through all the worlde reported shamefully Thy thre susters fleshely thou dydest knowe Wexe rede for shame and for thy party For the vice of hateful lecherye Durynge thy life putme no more in blame Whiche art thy selfe defouled in the same It sitteth not in no maner wyse A thefe for theft to syt in iudgement A lecherous man a lechour to chastise Nor he that hath al his lyfe spent In waste riote forfeted and miswent To be a iudge other to redresse Nor leprous leches to cure men of sickenes I woulde haue suffred take in pacience If of Affricke the chaste Scipion Had me rebuked for my great offence I would haue suffred his worde of iust reson Or if the famous prudent olde Caton Had agayne me in such case made abrayde I would haue suffred what euer h ehad saide Or if Lucrece for my correction Had layd to me by vertuous doctrine All my forfetes myd of Rome toun I would haue bowed both backe chine To haue obeyed vnto her discipline Shame for a creple to stād y ◠hath no mighte To rebuke other for they go not vpright Agaynst the also I may reply Many an other false conspiracion Touchyng maters of nygromancy And many an other contriued false poyson Foūde in two bokes Bochas maketh menciō One called Pugio most supersticious And the seconde named Gladius Able all this worlde tenuenyme encloy Againe thre states dwelling in Rome toun Their names write of them thou cast distroy Which to remembre is a great abuston A chest also fulfilled of poyson After thy dethe cast in thee see I rede By which an hundred M. fishes were deade On this mater is tedious for to abyde Namely to princes princesses borne of hie estate It sitteth not gentle bloud to chide By furious rancour to stande at debate And for these maters ben infortunate I wyl passe ouer and no more of them write Saue of their ende cōpendiously to endite To the Tiberye I haue somwhat to sayne Knowe and reported by many a creature How in Chāpaine folke had of the dysdayne For thy most hateful lecherous ordure In thilke vice whych is agayne nature Whiche taccōplish voyde of al hap and grace Thine abydyng was in a suspicious place To such false lustes duringe all thy lyfe Lyst not forbeare in thy latter age Thou vsidst many rich restoratife In such vnthrift to encreace thy corrage Of ribaudy thou fyll in suche dotage Howe mayst thou than rebuke me for shame Which in such case art blotted with diffame I dyd amysse but it was in my youth Horrible thinges which Gaius hath tolde But thine outrage the reporte is yet couthe Thou dydest them vse both yonge and olde And for tafforce your vices manifolde Thou Caligula in all such ribaudy Dyd greatest surfet in frowarde glotony Also Tiberye thou beyng Emperour Cruel causelesse and most malicious Diddest murdre in Rome the famous orator Called in his tyme prudent Asinius Which thrugh thempire Romains tolde thus Was light lanterne founde at all assayes Of rethorike called in his dayes Thou were eke cause that werthy Nonomus Kyng of Parthois through thy cruelte Exyled was thou were so couetous To haue possession of his treasour parde Died in mischefe and in pouerte Be shamefast any wyght to accuse Which in such case thy selfe can not excuse To Agripyne thou dyddest great outrage As Romayne stories well reherce can Whan she for socour to the great ymage Ran to be saued of Octauian Myd the temple a place called than Whiche halpe her not y ◠she lyst thyder wende Put out by force for hunger made an ende Thyne owne brother called Germanicus Which in his tyme was so good a knyght Thy brother also called eke Drusus Both were poysoned slayne agaynst ryght By false cōspiring of thine imperial might Texcuse the murdre thy selfe at the leest Were clad in blacke at their funerall feest I haue no connyng spech nor langage To reherce nor make mencion Specially of y e great outrage And sacrilege thou dyddest in Rome toun By violence whan thou drewe doun The ymage of Janus after in all hast In to Tibre thou madest him to be cast And thou Caligula among thy vices all Of surquedye and false presumpcion Wouldest that men a god the shoulde call Twen Pollux Castor to haue thy manciō Fro which place thou art nowe throwe doun Whych helde thy selfe amōg the goddes seuen Egall to Jupiter for to syt in heauen Answere to me here beyng in presence Which of these four Mars Janus Minerue Or Mercurie god of eloquence Hath rent the downe as thou dydest deserue Fro Jupiter in mischefe for to sterue That thou herafter wher so y ◠laugh or froune Shalt haue no fauour more w t him to rown With these defautes and many other Afore reherced in hindring of thy name Howe thou ordaynest fyrst to sle thy brother w t mē of armes which was to thi gret shame To Tholome thou didest also the same Sonne and heire
thyrein and she is called slouth An euident token of frowarde slogardye Vpon thy bed thy limmes so to dresse Ryse vp for shame for I can well espy Folke that can grone and fele no sycknesse Their chamberlayne is called ydlenes which layth thy pyllow at â—ue and morrowe Voyd her from the and let her go with forow To all vertue froward and contrary Is ydlenesse here in this present life which hath the draw away fro thy lybrarye Wyll the not suffer to be contemplatyfâ— For her condycion is to holde stryfe With euery vertuous occupacion which men shuld voyde of wysdom and resoÌ„ In this mater what shuld I long tary Thyslombre leaue and vp thine eine dresse The boke I made of life solytarye Remembre theron the which in sykernes Teacheth the way of vertuous busynes By and by who list rede euery lyne Of contemplacion moral and diuyne As I sayd erst yet lyft vp thy loke Forsake thy bed ryse vp anone for shame Woldest y â— rest nowe vpon thy seuenth boke And leaue the eight in soth thou art to blame Procede forth and get thy self a name And with one thyng do thy self comforte As thou deseruest men after shal reporte Make a comparison twene derknes lyght Twene ydlenes and occupacion Twene fayre dayes and the cloudy nighte Twene a cowards prowesse and hye renoun Twene vertuous speche false detraction And to conclude all vices to represse Contrary to slouthe is vertuous busynesse Vertuous busines O Bochas take hede Reneweth all thynges of olde antiquite Maketh men to lyue after they be dead Remember the nobles of many a great citye And ne were writers al were gone parde Wherfore Bochas syth y â— art nere the lande Suffre not thy shyp to stomble on the sande I meane as thus the shyp of thy trauayle Which hath passed the se of bokes seuen Cast not ankre tyll thou haue good â—â—â—ayle Let no tempest of thundre nor of â—eum Nor no wyndes of the cloudye heuen Nor no fals â—aÌ„glers of demers the will bliue Depraue thy laboure and let thy ship to ariue Haste on thy way let grace crosse thy sayl Fall on no lande of wilful neglygence Let good wyll be chefe of thy counsayle To gye thy rother set entyre diligence If vitayle â—ayle and wine to thy dispence yet at the last thynke forth y â— socour Some royal prince shal quite the thy labour Thinke by writing auctors did theyr payne To yeue princes theyr commendations To Remuâ— Romulus called fouÌ„ders twain Of Rome towne and of two Scipions The kinghthode Prudence of two Catons Of Iulius Pompey and Hanybal eke also By ensample of whome loke that thou do so Of Prophetes they wrote the prophesies And the noblesse of olde Moyses Of poetes the laure at poesies The force of SaÌ„pson y â— strength of Hercules Of two grekes Pyrrus and Achylles By their wryting bokes say the same Vnto this day yet endureth the name And he that can and ceaseth for to wryte Notable ensamples of our predecessours Of enuye men wyll him atwite That he in gardayns let peryshe the holsome floures In sondry wyse that might do great socours Labour for other and spare not thy trauayle For vertuous labor agayn slouth doth auaile â–ª A thing remembred of antiquite Is whan there is set a fayre ymage Of a prince of hye or lowe degre Or of a person a prynte of his visage Gladdeth his frende quicketh his corage And semblably by example men may fynde Things forgotten by writing come to minde â–ª And for to make our names perdurable And our merites to put in memory Vices to eschewe in vertue to be stable That labour may of slouth haue the victorye To clayme a see in the heuenly consistory Dispyte of ydlenes and forthering of vertue Fyne of our labour be yeue to Christ Iesu. Whan Petrark had reherced this lesson In rebuking of vicious ydelnes Bochas supprised and moued of reason Rose from his couche and gan his pen dresse well ouercame the impotent feblenes Of croked age that Bochas vndertoke For to accomplyshe vp his eight boke I following after for dulled for rudenesse More than thre score yeres set my date Luste of youthe passed his freshnes Colours of rethorike to helpe me translate were faded away I was borne in Lydgate Wher Bacchus lycour doth full scarsly flete My drye foule for to dewe and weâ—e Though passed age hath fordulled me Tremblynge ioyntes let my hande to wryte And fro me take all the subtylte Of curious makyng in englyshe to endyte yet in this labour truelyme to acquite I shal procede as it is to me due In these two bokes Bochas for to sue FINIS ¶ The firste Chapter ¶ Howe the proude tiraunte Domician Emperoure of Rome and manye other Emperoures and Nobles for their outrages and wretchednes mischeuouslye ended BBrother to Titus sonne of Vaspacian Came next iordre as writeth mine autour The proude ambicious called Domician That was in Rome crowned Emperour An extorcioner and a false pillour Proudly coÌ„maunded in his estate vp stalled Of all the worlde he shulde a God be called Thrugh hye presuÌ„pcion of him it is eke tolde Nether of tymber koruin nor of stone Set vp images of syluer and of golde In token there was no God but he alone In to Pathmos he exyled eke saynt Iohn And agayne cristen the seconde next Neron That began first the persecucion This same tyraunt reignyng in his estate To all the citye was passinge odyous Best and most worthy he sâ—ewe of the senate And vnto all that were vertuous Mortall enemy and moste malicious And for slaughter of senatours in the toune Asked the triumph as made is mencyon Made amonge iewes by ful great outrage where as he had greatest suspicion To slee al tho that were of the lynage Of Dauids kinred and of kinge Salomon Least he were put out of dominacion Amonge iewes this was hys meanynge Slewe all tho that was borne to be kyng Amyd the palays as God wolde of right Punysh a tyraunt and quite him hys mede This Domician was slayne vpon a nyght His caraine after vnburyed as Irede And Comodus doth after him succede whiche was all yeue by fleshly appetite To leaue all vertue and folowe his delyte Theatre playes of custome he did vse As was the custome there and the vsage His life in vices he falslye did abuse In lecherous lustes spent al hys yonge age To the romaynes did ful great domage For of the senate that were moste vertuous were falslye slayne by this Comodus In his time by stroke of thunder dente And firye lightning y â— came down fro heuen The common lybrary was of the cyte brente Wyth royall bokes of all the craftes seuen Bokes of poetes mo then I can neuyn And Comodus breuely to termyne was slayn and strangled by hys concubyne Helinus Pertynax came nexte on the ringe Ordained after Emperour of that toun Olde and vnweldy â—lame in his ginning After whom
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
laboure with many a straunge forayne soudyoure Hauynge no title nor commyssion Contynued longe in hys rebellyon Wherof astonied was Dioclisian Seyng this mischefe dredful and perillous Ordayned in haste that Maximian Was surnamed and called Herculius Made hym emperour called Agustus Whiche had a fore no more gouernaunce But Gaule whiche now is called Fraunce Also more ouer this Dioclisian Made in thys whyle gouernours twayne Constancius and one Maximian Surnamed Galerius Cōstancius i certayn In this whyle to wedde he dyd his payne Doughter of Maximian called Herculius Named the odora myn auctor writeth thus By Theodora this Constancius Had sixe children in trewe mariage Broder to Cōstātyne y ◠cronicle telleth thus Whiche afterwarde when he came to age For his manhode and marciall corage Was chose and made Lord and gouernour Of all the worlde and crowned emperoure Carausius which had ful seuen yere Lyke as I tolde rebelled in Bretayne Agaynst the romayns a great extorcionere A knighte Allectus that did at hym disdayne Murdred him and after did his payne By force only and extort tyranny Fully thre yeres his place to occupye Tyll Asclepio was sent from Rome doun Slewe Allectus maugre all his myght ▪ Brought all Bretayne to subiection Of the romayns lyke as it was ryght And in this while like a manly knight For Italiens gan romayns disobey Constancius gan proudly them werrey He first wyth them had a stronge batayle His meyay slayne and put to the flighte Trustyng on fortune he gan thē efte assayle And sixty thousand were slayne in the fight The felde was his thrugh fortunes might As she that coude dissymule for a whyle And afterwarde falsly him begyle I wyll passe ouer as brefely as I can Set a syde all forayne incidentes Resorte agayne to Dioclisian Which at Alisaūdre proudly pytched his tentes The captaine slewe gaue commaund emēts To his knightes to do their auauntage With the cite by robbynge and pyllage Can agayne christen great persecucion Vsed this tyranny in the Orient By his bydding Maximian came doun Towarde the parties of the Occident Bothe these tyrauntes wrought by assent Vnder whose sworde many martyr deyes Slayn in Octodorū the legion of Thebeies At Verolamye a famous olde cyte Saynt Albou slaine his legend doth so tell And in Rome by furious crueltye The pope slayne that called was Marcel By their statutes and by their domes fell Churches were brent in townes and cyties Lost their fraunchise and al their liberties Frowarde enemy he was to Christes lawe Made many a martyr to dye for his sake Wext feble and olde and gan him withdraw From occupacion his rest for to take His attorney Maxymyan he dothe make In his last age it is reherced thus Stode in great drede of Constantius The drede of him sate so nye his hearte And thervpon toke suche a fantasy Imagining he might not start By fraud of him but that he shuld dye Almoste for fere fyll in a frensye Of which drede the boke maketh mencion He slewe him selfe by drinkyng of poison As I tolde erst in the Occident Maximian called Herculius Reygned as Emperour euer in hys entent To pursue martyrs he was aye laborus Of whose byrth Bochas foūd no auctoures This to saye he coude neuer rede Where he was borne nor of what kynrede He findeth no more of this Maximian Of his vsurpynge in esspeciall But that he was by Dioclisian Set in dignite called imperiall Famous in armes prudent and marcial Daunted al tho that did againe him striue Slewe Gencyans called in nomber fiue Rode in Affrike lyke a conquerour Broughte to subiections the sturdy nacions Fortune that time did him such fauoure Gate Sarmatoise with other regions with other cities and many riche towns By his conquest of new that he hath won Through y ◠world his name shone like y ◠son He was cheryshed in armes from hys youth And did greate emprises for Rome the cytie Yet Dioclisian as it is well couthe Counsayled him resigne his dignitie But he was lothe to forsake hys see Syth he was Lord and gouerned al For to renounce his state imperiall But by assent of Dioclisian As he him selfe had left the gouernaunce Euen so thys Maxymyan Discharged him self of his royal puissaunce But afterwarde he fyll in repentaunce And busy was as dyuers bokes sayne The state of Emperour to recure agayne Which for to acheue he dyd his diligence He was distourbed by Galerius For his sonne that called was Maxence Put in possession myn auctour writeth thus To which thing he gan wexe enuyous And gan ordeyne meanes in hys thought To trouble him but it auailed nought Whan his purpose myght take none auayle Againe Maxence as Bochas doth discryue His daughter Fausta that knew his coūsail Discured his purpose for which he fled bliue Into Gaule and durst no lenger striue And by Constantius in Marcile the cite Slayne sodenlye lost al his dignite The .viii. Chapter Howe Galerius oppressed martyrs and Christes fayth and myscheuously ended NExt tofore Bochas came Galerius A man disposed to ryot and outrage Euel teached frowarde and vicious There is no story that speketh of hys lynage Yet was he set ful hye vpon the stage Of worldly dignyte rose vp to hye estate Yet in his ginning he was not fortunate He was sent out by Dioclisian And made emperour by hys auctorite Agayne Narseus the proud knightly man Reignyng in Perce and Lord of that coūtre Whiche helde werre with Rome the cyte For which Galerius toke on him this emprise wyth myghtye hande hys pryde to chastyse Galerius entred into Derce lande Kinge Narseus met him of auenture Had a strong batayle fought hand for hande His fortune such he might not endure On Galerius fyll the discomfyture Clad in purple as made is mencyon Of Dioclisian receyued hys guerdon At their meting anone or they were ware Dioclisian made him to abide To his confusyon sytting in his chare To walke on fote by the chares syde Wyth many a rebuke abated was his pryde Galerius for the great shame Gan seke a meane agayne to get hys name Came for to assemble hys old soudiours Made for his ordinaūce by diligent workig Chase out the best proued warryours With a great hoste to Perce he came ryding and ofte there fought with the king That the perciens maugre al theyr myght Were of Galerius that dai put to flight The felde was his he gate greate riches Robbed their tentes and wan there pillage In this resort receiued in sothnes In great nobles because of that voyage Thus can fortune chaunge her vysage Of Dioclisian where he stode in disdaine wyth newe tryumphe resorted is agayne This cloudy quene stādeth neuer in certain whose double whele quauereth euer in dout Of whyse fauour no man hath be certayne Though one haue grace another is put out Let euerye man as it cometh about Take his tourne and neuer in her assure Faylynge in armes is but auenture Thus Galerius
down But maugre him he was take in the toun By Theodorike lette eche man take hede Odoacer he commaunded to be dede Myne authour Bochas of entencion For the time as came to remembraunce Towarde Romains maketh a digression To them recording the great variaunce The vnware chaunges the gery coūtenaūce Of Fortunes false transmutacion These same wordes rehersing to the toun REmembre o Rome call ayen to minde The daies passed of thy felicite Thy marcial cōquestes thy triūphs left behinde Thy great victories most of auctorite Thy famous lawes song in eche countre Which through y e world by report did shyne Now all atones is tourned to ruyne From Est to west thy lordshyp did attayne Aboue all powers most excellent royall But nowe from Rome into Almaine The estate translated which is imperiall Name of thy Senatours name in especiall The golden letters darked and diffaced And from remembraunce almost out raced Cyte of cities whilom most glorious That most freshly floured in chiualry To whiche the alpies mountains most famous Were subiecte of all Lombardy Til that discorde diuision and enuy Amōg your selfe hath clipsed y ◠brightnesse By a false serpēt brought in by doublenesse Kinges and princes were to the tributary Of all prosperite so fulsome was the flode Among yourselfe till ye began to vary The world throughout to you subiecte stode Tyll ye gan shew two faces in one hode What folowed after fortune hath so prouided Ye came to nought whan ye gan be deuided Vnpurueyed of prudent Senatours Thy marchandise tourned to pouerte Of knighthod naked barayne of soudiours Disconsolate stant all the cōmonte Towres and walles broke of the cite That whilom was a paradise of delyte Nowe all the worlde hath the but in dispite Cause to conclude of al thy wretchednesse Is false ambicion pride and lechery Diuision and malicious doublenesse Rancour hatred couetise and enuy Which set aside all good policie In brefe rehersed for short conclusion Haue be chefe grounde of thy distruction The .xxii. Chapter ☞ Howe the kinges Trabstila Busarus were brought vnto subiection and made tributares to Theodorike AFter these mischeues told of Rōe toun Came Trabstila king of Gepidois With other twaine as made is mēciō Busarus that was king of Bulgarois With Philitheus reigning in Ragois All these thre brefely for to saine Came all atones to Bochas to complayne Their realmes standing toward Septētriō And to remembre of the fyrst twayne Were brought atones to subiection By Theodorike that dyd his busy payne Them to conquere proudly did ordayne That they were neuer so hardy to rebell Agayne Romains to take no quarell To Theodorike they were made tributary Most wretchedly bound in seruage Neuer so hardy after for to vary In paine of death during al their age Of seruitude lo here the surplusage Of al wretches most wretched they be foūd That to thraldom constrained be bounde Tresour of tresours if it be well sought Is vertuous fredome with large lyberte With worldly goodes it may nat be bought With royal rubies gold stones nor pyrre For it transcendeth and hath the soueraynte Aboue all richesse that be in erthe found A man at large frely to stande vnbound The .xxiii. Chapiter How Philitheus lost his kingdome and of Marcian and Leo. NExt these two in ordre ye may se To John Bochas gan shew his pre sēce The third king called Philithe Which by fortunes sodaine violence Lost his kingdome by cruel sentence Of Odoacer the tyraunt mercylesse Lost his life and came no more in presse The sodaine chaūges to rede whan I begā And saw the whele so oft turne vp so downe Of fortune there came one Marcian Of whome is made none other mencion Saue only by a coniuracion He murdred was being innocent Amōg his knightes which slew him of asset Than tofore Bochas to shewe his presence There came one that called was Leon Which caught a titell by no violence But made his clayme by iust succession After his father and toke possession Which of Leon myne auctor saith the same Beyng Emperour bare the same name This yong Leon again all truth and ryght By tyranny as made is mencion Through cruell zeno y ◠was a good knyght Was put out of his possession Constrayned to liue in religion But to what order that he dyd wende I fynde nat but there he made his ende The .xxiiii. Chapiter ¶ Howe Simacke and Boes his sonne in lawe were banished and after iudged to die AFter these mischeues Simak gan hym drawe Toward Bochas with a ful pitous face Boes came with him y ◠was his son in lawe Which among Romains gretly stodi grace But in this matere brefely for to pace The said Boes onely for his trouthe Exiled was alas it was great routhe For cōmon profite he was vnto the toun In matters that grounded were of right Very protectour and stedfast champion Againe two tirātes whiche of force might Had in the porail oppressed many a wight By exactions and pyllage gun of newe Vpon the cōmens full false and eke vntrew Theodorike of Gothes lorde and king Toke vpon him by false intrusyon To reigne in Rome the people oppressing By his prouostes two as made is mencyon Did in the citie great oppression Confederate as brother vnto brother Coniugast and Triguill was that other Compendiously this matter to declare To saue the commons stode in defence For life nor death he lyst nat for to spare To withstand of tyrantes the sentence King Theodorike of cruell violence Banished him by hatefull tyranny He and his father to abyde in Pauy Afterward Theodorike of cruell haterede Like a false tyrant of malice and enuy Gaue iudgement that both two were dede But touching Boes as bokes specify Wrote diuers bokes of Philosophy Of the Trinyte matters that were diuine Martyred for Christe and called Seuerine The .xxv. Chapter ¶ Of king Arthur his cōquestes and of the commodities of England how he was distroied by his cosin Mordrede WAs neuer prīce might him self assure Of fortune the fauour to restrayne Like his desyre his grace to recure To abide stable and stand at certaine Among all other reken Arthur of Bretaynē Which in his time was hold of euery wight The wysest prince and the best knyght To whom Bochas gan his style dresse In this chaptre to remembre bliue His great conquest and his highe noblesse With singler dedes that he wrought i his liue And first he ginneth breuely to discryue The site of Britaine and of that countre Whiche is enclosed with a large see Set farre westward as ye shal vnderstand Hauing Spayne set in the opposite Of a small Angle called Englande Fran̄ce about hi discryuing thus his sight With many a riuere plesaunt of delite Bothe bathes and welles there be founde Diuers mynes of metalles full habounde Aboute whiche ronneth the Occian Right plentuous of all maner of vitaile The name of which at Brutus fyrst began London
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
her husbande her sonnes twaine Fortune in party eclypsed hath the light Of her welfare and gan at her disdayne Yet euen like as whan it doth rayne Phebus after sheweth more clerenesse So she fro trouble rose to more nobles I meane as thus rehersyng no vertue In her person that men coude espye But onely this by tytle of this issue Whan Charles doughter on that partye Was to the king wedded of Hungrye Called Andree a man of great corage He sayed his wyfe but right tendre of age The same Iane nat without vice As is rehersed somwhat by myne auctour To whome Phylipot whylom was norice As ye haue herde and by full great labour Of the said Iane Robert made gouernour Sonne of Phylipot for a great rewarde Made of Cecyle and of that lande stewarde This fauour done to Philipot Cathenoyse Caused in that lande great indignacion Whose doughters weddīg caused gret noyse Maryed to charles the gret erle of Marchon whiche gaue to folke greate occasion To deme amysse aboute in eche countre That all y ◠lande was gouerned by tho thre By quene Iane and Phylipot Cathenoyes And the said Robert stewarde of Cecyle Son to Philipot this was the common vois The Quene and Robert by their subtil wyle Had of assent vsed a longe while The hateful synne of aduoutry Rose in Cecyle and went vp to Hungry For Quene Iane began no maner thing But Cathenoyse assented were therto The execucion and fully the working Brought to conclucion by Robert al was do And in this time rose a great stryfe also Disclaunderous and a froward discorde Atwene the quene him that was her lorde Harde to procede vpon suspection Sclaunder is swift lightly taketh his flight For which men shoulde eschue the occasion Of fame and noyse of euery maner wight By prouidence remembred in his sight Whan the report is through a lande ronne Harde it is to stint it whan it is begonne Withstand principles occasions to decline Lest vnwarely ther folow great domage To late commeth the salue of medicine To festred sores whan they be vncurable ▪ And in case very resemblable To eschew sclaūder who list nat for to spare Maye nat fayle to fal into the snare Thus for a time the slaunder was kept close Albeit so it did for a while abyde Another mischiefe ful pitously arose Which afterward spred abrode ful wyde Aduoutry to murder is a very gyde Set at a priefe mine auctour doth recorde The king Andre was strangled with a corde Out of his chambre raysed a great heyght By a coniected false conspiracion He was entreated brought downe by sleyght After strangled as made is mencion Whose death to punish by commission Hugh erle of Anelyne by a patent large To be iudge toke vpon him the charge Of this murder rose vp a great noyse By euidence full abhominable Philipot called Cathenoyse Her sonne doughter that they were culpable Dome was yeue by Iudges ful notable And to conclude shortly their iudgement With chaines boūd at stakes they wer brent ¶ Lenuoy ▪ THys Tragedy afore rehersed here Telleth the domage of presumption By experience rehersyng the manere Whan beggers rise to dominacion Is none so dredeful execucion Of cruelte yf it be wel out sought Than of such one as came vp of nought Recorde on Philipot that with hūble chere By sodayne fauour and supportacion Which was to fore a simple smal landere Of no value nor reputacion By fortunes gery trāsmutacion Shed out her malyce testate whan she was brought List not consider how she came vp of nought Where is more disdayne or more daungere Or more frowarde communicacion More vengeable venim doth appere Nor more sleyghty false supplantacion Nor more conspired vnware collusion Nor vndermining done couertly wrought Than of such folke as come vp of nought Fortunes chaunges meuinges circulere With her most stormy transmutacion Now one set vp ful hie in the sphere Enhaunceth vices and vertues put down Record on Philipot whose venemous treasō Compassed aforne in her secret thought The dede sheweth y t she came vp of nought Noble princes with your bright eyen clere Aduertise in your discretion That no flaterer come in your court so nere By no fraude of false disception Alway remembring afore in your reason On this tragedy on this treason wrought By a false flatter that came vp of nought The .xxxvi. Chapter Howe kyng Sauses was slayne by his cosin which was brother vnto the king of Aragon THe that time came of this trauayle Bochas dempt holding for the best This noble Poete of Florente and Itayle To make his penne a while for to rest Closed his boke and shut it in his chest But or he might sparre it with the key Came thre princes mekely gan him prey Amonges other remembred in his boke Theyr greuaunces briefly to declare Wherwith Bochas gan cast vp his loke And of cōpassion behelde theyr pitous fare Thought he would for no slouthe spare To theyr requestes goodly condiscende And of his boke so for to make an ende Here gan first reherse by writyng In his complaynt ful pitously he made Touching the fall of the great king Called Sauses which his soiour had The place named was Astrociade And as he writ a lytle there beside Was alytle I le called Emaside Bothe these Iles together knit in one Wher Sauses had his dominacion Liuing in peace enemy had he none In longe quyet had possession Whose kyngdom hole as made is mencion In the vulgar myne auctour write the same Of Malliogres plainly bare the name There is also another smaller yle Called Maylorge and of both twayn The said king was lord a great while Kepyng his estate notable and souerayne Hauyng a cosyn gan at him disdayne Which was brother as made is mencion Vnto the king that tyme of Aragon In the yles remembred by wryghtinges Whan the people went in to batayle Was the vsage founde vp first of stinges With cast of stones their enemies to assayle They had of shot none other apparayle In that tyme arblast nouther bowe Perauenture was tho but lytell knowe All these countreis were called but one lande Where Sawses helde possession Till his cosyn with strong and mighty hande With great power sodaynly came doun Brought people out of Arragon Fyll on kyng Sawses feble of diffence Gate that kingdome by knightly violence The balaunce was nat of euyn peys Atwene these cosyns who lyst take hede For in hys conquest the Arragoneys Of cruelte hath smytten of the hede Of kyng Sawses quakinge in his drede Though it stode so they were nygh of alye There was that day shewed no curtesy The .xxxvii. chapter ☞ Howe Lewes king of Jerusalem and Cecile was put downe AFter thys Story tolde in wordes fewe And kyng Sawses slayne by tyranny There came a prince and gan his face shewe Called Lewes lorde of Trynacry The same yle in that party Called Cythane the story telleth thus After