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
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
tell And truely deme that he dothe excell In vnderstandyng all other of his age And hath ioye with clarkes to commune And no man is more expert in langage Stable in study alway he dothe contune Settyng aside all chaunces of fortune And where he loueth if I shall not tary withouten cause full lothe he is to vary Duke of Glocester men this prynce call And not withstaÌ„dyng his estate dignitie His courage neuer dothe appall To study in bokes of antiquitie Therin he hath so great felicitie Vertuously him selfe to occupye Of vycious slouthe he hath the maistry And with his prudence and his manhede Truthe to susteyne he fauour setteth aside And holy churche mainteynyng in dede That in this lande no herityke dare abide A very support vpholde and also gyde Spareth none but maketh him selfe stronge To punish all tho that do the church wrong Thus is he manly and also wise Chosen of God to be his owne knyght And of one thinge he hath a singuler prise That heritike dare none come in his sight In Christes faith he staÌ„deth so hole vpright Of holy churche defence and champion To chastice all tho that do therto treason And to do pleasaunce to our Lorde Jesu He studieth euer to haue intelligence Readyng of bokes bringeth in vertue Vyces excludyng w t slouth and negligence Maketh a Prince to haue experience To knowe him selfe in many soundry wise Where he trespaceth his erroure to chastice And among bokes playnely this is the case This sayed prynce considered of reason The noble boke of this John Bochas Was accordyng in hys opinion Of great noblesse and reputation And vnto princes greatly necessary To geue exaÌ„ple how this worlde doth vary And for these causes as in his entent To shew the vntrust of all worldly thinge He gaue to me in commaundement As him semed it was ryght well sittyng That I shoulde after my small cunnyng This boke translate him to do pleasaunce To shew the chaung of worldly variaunce And with support of his magnificence Vnder the wynges of his correction Though that I lacke of eloquence I shall procede in this translation Fro me auoydyng all presumption Lowly submittyng euery houre and space My rude language to my lordes grace And as I haue one thing well in minde He bade I shoulde in especiall Folow myne aucthour written as I fynde And for no fauoure be not partiall Thus I meane to speake in generall And none estate singulerly depraue But the sentence of mine aucthour saue All this conceiued I gan my style dresse Thought I would in my matter procede And for the matter obreyed heauinesse Of freshe colours I toke no maner hede But my processe playnely for to lede As me semed it was to me most mete To set apart Rethorykes swete Ditties of mournyng and complaynyng Do not pertayne vnto Caliope Neither to the muses that on Pernaso syng Whiche be remeÌ„bred in numbers thrise thre And vnto matters of aduersitie With their sugred aureat lycoure They be not willyng to do fauoure But of disdayne me settyng farre a backe To hinder me of that I woulde endite Hauyng no colours but only whyte blake To the tragedies whiche I shall write And for I can my selfe no better aquyte Vnder the support of all that shall it reade Vpon Bochas ryght thus I will procede Finis ¶ Howe Adam and Eue for their Inobedience were put out of Paradise and liued in sorowe and wo they and their ofspringe And howe they standynge naked before Bochas desired hym to put their wofull fall fyrste in remembraunce ¶ The fyrste Chapiter WHan John Bocas considered had sought The woful fal of mighty conquerours A remembrance entred in his thought Rekenyng the numbre of our predecessours And fyrste to mynde came the progenitours Of all man kynde farre yrun in age And toward hym holdyng their passage And as hym thought in his in warde syght In theyr coÌ„ming full pitiously tremblynge Quaking for age and for lacke of myght Their feblenesse by signes out shewing And one of them first at his commyng Our father Adam sodenly abrayde And to myne auctour euen thus he saide Cosyn Bochas I wol well that thou lere That art so busy to serche ouer all Ofinfortune the maner to enquere Her sodayne chaunge turning as a ball Of â—â—thly princes from their estate rial It is most syttyng or we a sondre twyn At vs twayne the processe to begyn Consider first the lorde in his auyse Whan he vs made vnto his likenesse He put vs both in to paradise There to haue lyued in parfite stablenesse Till the Serpent dyd his businesse Of false enuy to make vs lese our grace Perpetually to exyle vs fro that place And whaÌ„ Jhon Bochas naked theÌ„ behelde Without the hand fourmed of nature Of slime of the erth in Damascene the felde God made them aboue eche creature And for they should perpetually endure By discrecion for a prerogatife He endued them wyth a soule of lyfe Parfite of age as men of .xxx. yere Put them after in possession Of Paradise a place most entere And of delites a chosen mansion Where Adam made an imposion To fysh and to foule and to these beastes al Of very reason what men should them call Out of a rybbe whyle that Adam dyd slepe Eue was drawe ful fayre of her visage Al sodenly or that he toke kepe After to hym ioyned in mariage For his disport and his auantage So as the lorde first wyues dyd ordeyne Eyther for helpe or encrease of peyne God vnto them gaue the soueraintie Of Paradyse and dominacion A place fulfilled of all felicitye The frutes be all in their subiection Saue that of one was made excepcion Whyche god forbad the Byble can deuyse That they should it touche in no wyse All delices in that heuenly place God gaue to them and put in their kepyng To vse them euery houre and space To theyr most ease as was to them lyking Blomes blossomes theyr fayrnes ay keping And the frutes alwaye of one freshnesse For witer stormes myght do theÌ„ no duresse The soyle enbrouded full of saâ—er floures There wedes wycke had none interesse For god kynde wyth freshnesse of colours And w t their tapites motles of gladnesse Had made y t place habuÌ„dant w t at swetnes And fresh Flora whych is of floures quene Her lyuerey made of a perpetuÌ„al grene The trees raught almost to the heuen Whyche cast about a ful pleasaunt shade That storme ne rayne thuÌ„dre wynde ne leuine No power had their leues for to fade For euer they were ylyke freshe and glade And whan they lyst they might se In middes of y e garden of life y â— holesume tre Whyche vertue had ayenst all malady Folke to preserue in youth in their freshnes Who eate thereof should neuer dye But lyue euer in ioy and gladnes And neyther fele trouble nor sickenesse But in that place haue alwaye hertes ease And suffisaunce of all y â—
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
Within thy house whan I did lere By clere example of manifolde doctrine Al that pertained to vertuous discipline Which I haue lost now in my dayes olde Dispaired it to recure agayne Myne owne childre I dare not the beholde Bycause the wombe in that they haue layne Diffouled is and pollute in certaine Which was tofore in chastitie conserued Chastise the auoutrer as he hath deserued And for my part to speke in wordes fewe Lenger to liue I haue no fantasie For where should I out my face shewe Or dare appere in any company Sith a derke spot of false auoutry Shal euermore whether it be false or true In to myne hindring y ◠sclaundre to renewe Lust afforced hath a false appetite Offrelte included in nature Maugre the wyll there foloweth a delite As some folkes say in euery creature Good fame lost ful hard is to recure And sith I may my harmes not redresse To you in open my gilt I wil confesse Al be I was againe my wil oppressed There was a maner constrained lust in dede Which for no power might not be redressed For feblenesse I stand in so great drede For which offence deth shal be my mede Sith leuer I haue with some edge tole To slee my selfe than lyue in slaūder dole O father myne spare and haue pitie And dere husbande rue on myne offence Goddes goddesses called of chastitie To my trespace graunt an indulgence For of my gylt to make a recompence Where that Venus gate in me a vaūtage Deth shal redresse chastise myne outrage For if I should make a delay To perse my brest w t sharpnes of a knyfe Men would deme and say fro day to day To make my sclaūder more open more rife Howe that I was more tendre of my life Thā of my worship which is to gret a shame To loue my life more than my good name In this matter no witnes is so good To put awaye all false suspection As with a knife to shed my hert bloud I myght not make a better purgacion To al folke that haue discrecion Than finally by my deth to excuse The gylt horible of whych men me accuse Go forth my soule pure and immortal Chefe wytnes of myne innocence Tofore tho iudges which ben infernal Fyrst Mynos kyng to deme my conscience With Radamanthus to yeue a sentence Lyke my desertes that it might be sene In wyfely trouth how that I was clene Thou erthly body which through thy fairnes Were to auoutry ful great occasion Of thy bloud shede out the rednes And by thy sides let it raile doun Stere and exite the people of this toun To do their deuer within a litle whyle For loue of Tarquyn al kynges to exile And fyrst I pray my husbande most entere Of this vengeaunce to make no delay With helpe and socour of my father dere To punyshe y ◠auoutrer in al haste ye may Let him take his wages and his pay Lyke as ye se plainly nowe conceyue For his offence the death I do receiue And sodaynly or they myght aduerte She toke a knyfe and with great violence Through the brest euyn to the hert She made it glyde there was no resistence Ful pale deed fyl down in their presence And by occasion of this piteous dede Tarquyn exyled and holy his kynrede For which cause by recorde of writyng Was there neuer in Rome the cite After that day no man crowned kyng As in cronicles ye may beholde and se Thus for luxurie and their cruelte Their tiranny and false extorcion They were exiled out of Rome toun The .vi. Chapter ¶ Howe Rome was after gouerned and Virginea by her father slayne GOuerned after by other officers As is remembred in Titus Liuius Called Decemuiri of diuers croniclers Amonge whyche there was one Appius A Judge vntrue proud luxurious Which through y ◠citie the story bereth witnes Behated was for his great falsenes And ones it fyll as he cast his loke Vpon a maide most inly fayre of sight A false desire within his hert he toke Her to dysuse agayne al skyl and ryght And she was doughter to a worthy knyght Ful manly founde in his dedes al And Vyrginius y ◠Romains did him cal Whose goodly doughter y e story doth vs lere Was after hym for his noble fame Virginia called most goodly and entere And for this cause she bare the same name But Appius to greatly was to blame Which hath conspired through his great falsnes If y ◠he might her beauty to oppresse This Iuge vntrue both in thought dede Of law vnrightful sought out occasion Made a sergiaunt of his to procede Agayne this mayde to take an accion Claimed her his seruant by false collusion And this done was by Appius of entent That he on her might yeue a iudgement And by this meane in his false delite Thought he myght her beautie best disuse So to accomplishe his fleshly appetite She beyng feble the accion to refuse Wherupon her father gan to muse Fully conceiued of Appius the maner In her defence wrought as ye shal here Whan Appius had yeuen his iudgement Againe this mayde which afore him stode Her manly father most knighty of entent Toke her apart as he thought it good And wyth a knyfe shed her hert bloud Dempt it better to slee her in clennes Than the tirant her beauty should oppresse Thus hole conserued was her virginite And vndefouled was her maydenhede For Vyrgynius to kepe her honeste Spared nothyng to make her sides blede But Appius for this horrible dede And Decemuiri through his vnhappye chaūce Had in that citye neuer after gouernaūce As the story also maketh mencion Appius ashamed of this dede Slough him selfe fetred in prison Of a false iuge lo here the final mede And tho Tribuni in Rome gan succede Twene right and wronge truely to discerne And romayne lawes iustly to gouerne Men may here se as in a myrour clere Estates chaunged for their great offences And by some poore person singulere Princes put doun from their magnificences Which not cōsidred in their great excellēces How god ordeineth his yerde in sōdry wise The poore sūwhile the pompous to chastise Here on to shewe example anone ryght Marked in story for a notable thynge Pausanias of Grece a manly knight Of Macedony slough Philip the Kyng At a table where he was sitting Atwene Alexandre and Olimpiades His wrong to auenge amyddes al the prees Eke Salmator a knyght of low degree For wronges done in especial Of manly force grounded on equite Slough of Cartage the Prince Hasdrubal Which brother was vnto duke Haniball Besyde a riuer as they met in batayle Called Metaure which renneth in Itaile Wherefore ye princes if ye lyst longe endure Be right wel ware be ye neuer so stronge In your lordshyppes not to much assure Or of surquedy the porayle to do wronge In your discrecion conceyuing euer amonge Greatest drede is that
may your state assayâ— Whan subiection doth the people fayle ¶ Lenuoye THis tragedy declareth in partye What myschefe foloweth of extorcion Eke of spousbrech and of auoutry By Tarquyn doue through false extorcion Vnto Lucrece wythin Rome toun Kynges exyled for such misgouernayle And false outrages done to the porayle Eke Appius of wylful tiranny Agayne Virginia toke an accion Through a false lust of frowarde lechery Blent and fer derked his memory reason Which was chefe cause and occasion Why the estate of dizhom dyd fayle Through false outrage done to the porayle Kyng Philyp lost sceptre and regally Of Macedone the famous regyon Vnwarely slayne amyd his chiualry Sittyng at the table w t in his chefe dongeon And greatest cause of his fallyng doun Was whan fortune his pride dyd assaile For false outrages done to the porayle Duke Hasdrubal whome bokes magnify Vp to the heuyn for hys hygh renoun Whose triumphes raught vp to the sky And had al Cartage in his subiection Yet was he slayne vnwarely by treason By a seruant lo what it doth auayle Treason purposed afore in the porayle Noble princes your reason do applye Whych ouer the people haue dominacion So prudently to gouerne them and gye That loue and drede by true affectyon Preserue their hartes from false rebellionâ— Syth to you nothynge may more preuayle Than true subiection expert in porayle The .vii. Chapiter ⧠How Jeroboham kyng of Israel for Idolatry disobedience came to a myscheuous ende NExte these storyes in Bochas as I fynde There dyd appere vnto his preseÌ„ce Kynges syxe hym praying to haue mynd Vpon their fal by vnware violence From theyr estates of royal excellence And to fore al I fynde that there came Of al Israel kyng Jeroboam Vnto myne aucthour he gan to declare His deedly complaynt with a pale face His great mischeues and his yuel fare And howe he fyl downe froÌ„ his kyngly place Through vnhappes which dyd him enbrace And as this story plainly hath deuysed For his offences howe he was chastised An Idolater he was as it is tolde Reysed vp auters of very force myght Set therupon two calfes of pure golde Dyd them worshyp agayne al skyl ryght Gaue euel example in the peoples syght Whan he dyd wyth fumes and ensence To false ydols vndue reuerence Fro the temple he made the people gone Priestes ordained after his owne gise Forsoke the trybe of Leuy and Aaron And vpon Bethel his offryng gan deuyse And whyle he dyd vnleful sacrifice God that well knewe of hym the false entent From Jerusalem a prophet to hym sent Whych him rebuked of his misgouernauÌ„ce And gan the parels to hym specifye Told him afore for to do vengeaunce Of Dauid kyng there should come one Josye Which should his priestes that falsly coud lye Manly distroy slee them al at ones And into asshes bren them fleshe bones And in token of their distruction The prophet tolde among them al How his auters shoulde bowe doun And his ydols from their stage fal Whom that foles their goddes falsly cal Which haue no power to helpe in no maner For they may neyther se fele nor here After thys prophet Jadan had tolde These sayde signes playnly to the kyng His auter fyl on peces many folde And ouerturned backewarde his offring For whych the kyng furiously loking Put forth his hand the story maketh mynde Bad his men the prophet take and bynde And as he his arme raught out on length Had no power it to wythdrawe ageyne Wext vnweldy contract lost his strength And whan the kyng these tokens hath seyne â–ª And how y e prophet spake no word in veyne Greatly astoyned coude say no more But praied Jadan his arme to restore And by his prayer and mediacion Of his arme after this vengeaunce There was anone made restitucion And of his payne feleth aleyaunce For which the kyng w t ful great instauÌ„t Required hym to be so graciouse That day to abyde and dyne in his house But the prophet would not assent Nouther wyth hym to eate nor to drynke Toke his asse and forth anone he went On whose departyng y â— kyng gan sore thynke And fantasies gan in his hert synke Specially whan he toke hede Of all these tokens howe they were true in dede God â—ad Jadan in this great emprise To Jeroboham fyrste whan he was sent Eate nor drinke in no maner wyse In that citie whyle he was present But a nother prophet of entent Ful olde and slygh on that other syde Compelled hath this Jadan to abyde Hym aforsyng by false collusion To resorte agayne vnto the citye And to make no contradiction With hym to dyne of fraternitye To hym affyrmynge it may none other be For god sent him as to his frende brother To abyde with him plainly with none other Of frendlyhede and true affection Within his house to shewe his presence For a repast and refection This is goddes wyl and fully his sentence To whose wordes y â— prophet yaue credence And as they sate at dyner both in fere God vnto Jadan sayd in thys maner For the brekyng of my comaundement Thy great offence thy transgression That thou hast be so wylfull negligent Thou shalt endure this punicion Be al to torne and rent of a lyon And in thy countrey thou shalt not recure With prophetes to haue thy sepulture Of which thing this Jadan nothynge fayne Gan to departe with ful heuy thought Of a lion amyd of the way slayne But his asse harmed was right nought A full great maruaile if it be wel sought The lyon syttyng as in their diffence And kept them both from al violence Al these tokens myght not conuert Jeroboam fro his iniquitie Goddes warnyng hym lyst not to aduerte Nor by hys prophete corrected for to be Wherefore god would that he should se Vengeaunce folowe as it dyd in dede Both vpon hym and his kynred A sonne he had which fyl in great sickenes Called Abia the boke doth specify For whych the king bad the quene her dresse To go disgised without company Vnto a prophet which called was Achy Hym to require truely for to sey Whether the chyld should lyue or dey And in his inward syght coÌ„templatife God shewed hym by clere inspection Of Jeroboam how she was the wyfe For al her sleyghty transformacion For nouther fallas nor false decepcion May be of god but it be parceyued For he â—e his prophets may not be deceyued She came to him in straunge wede At the entryng he called her by her name Come forth quod he for it is no nede To hide thy selfe as it were for shame For the trouth truely to attame God hath yeuen me fully knowledging What thou shalt answere say to the kyng Say plainly to him marke in thy thought In thy repayre these wordes rehersyng Syth god hath made thee raysed vp of nought From a seruant to reigne as a kynge Fro Dauids kyn most
parcel for couetyse To haue treasour some treason to practise And for to eschewe his malice treason For her nauy she maketh ordinaunce By the auise of them in whom as by reason She should of ryght set her affiaunce And they ful redy her to do plesaunce By one assent for nothynge would fayle With fayre Dydo out of that lande to sayle In Cypres fyrst was her aryuaile And theâ—e she founde by the riuer syde Of yong maydens w t ful rych apparayle Sixty and ten in the same tyde Whiche in the temple of Venus dyd abyde After the custome as I can reporte Of Cypriens straungers to disporte And in their most faythful humble wyse After the ryghtes of Cypre the countre Vnto Venus eche day do sacrifice Them to conserue in their virginite Duryng their life to lyue in chastitye Neuer to be ioyned in mariage And w t quene Dydo they went to Cartage In their passage fyll a great myrracle As Seruius maketh mencion For Dydo toke of Juno this oracle Outher by apparyng or by aduision Of Cartage to bylde that myghty toun And at reuerence of that great goddesse She to the parties fast gan her dresse The sayd citye stately for to founde And her werkemen as they the erth sought An oxes head of auenture they founde And to quene Dido anone the head brought Meninge wherof to serche out they thought And her clerkes in their deumayle Tolde it was token of seruage trauayle For which she list not to buylde in that place But remeued as she ought of ryght And fro thence but a litel space A soyle she founde ful dylectable of sight And as her werkmen wyth their full myght The grounde gan serch or they toke hede The story telleth they found an horse head And by expownyng of her deuinours Founde this beast myght greatly auaile Vnto princes and mighty conquerours Necessary in werre and batayle And for no wight her noblesse shoulde assaile Cartage she buylded of so great excellence Againe al enemyes to stand at diffence Some bokes declare and specify Dydo dyd as much land purchace As a skyn in rounde might occupy Of an oxe theron to buyld a place The grounde coÌ„passed toke a large space Whych strongly buylded thus it is befal After the skyn men Byrsa dyd it cal And whan this citie mightily was walled After a skyn wrought by good curray The name toke Carta it was called Lether of Birsa plainly this is no nay Toke eke his name durynge many a day Carta and Birsa knit in their langage As much to say as this word Carthage And in Affryke stant this teritory Where she builded this citye dilectable Founded it in laude and memory Of mighty Juno the goddesse honorable The citye walled w t towers strong stable Time of kyng Dauid amidde the fourth age As I sayd erst called it Cartage With great worshyp she raygned in y â— towne Euer of purpose to liue in chastitie And rounde about floured her renowne Of her prudence and her honestye Tyll the report of her famous beautye Came to the eares which gladly wil not hide Of a kyng that dwelled there beside Of Musytans he was lorde and syre As poetes playnly lyst decryue Whiche in his hart greatly gan desire The quene Dido by her assent to wiue Vnto her grace if he might aryue But for she had auowed chastitie She neuer cast maried to be The kyng supprised w t loue in his courage For her wisdome and her great bountee Sent for the princes of Carthage On this matter to haue a treatee To condiscende if it might be Like his desire in all their best entent Do their deuoyre to make her consent With his request he gan them eke manace If he fayled of his entencion Like his desire to stande in her grace Sayd he would be enemy to their towne To ordayne by force for their destruction Not fully sober nor fully in a rage This was to them playnely his langage But for they knewe her great stedfastnes And her hart very immutable They were aferde any word to expresse Lest their aunswere were not acceptable To his highnes for he was not treatable Eke in their conceyt they gan also recorde To his desyre the quene would not accorde With good aduice an answere they puruey To his purpose in party fauourable Aferde he would their noble towne werrey Or of disdayne vpon them be vengeable But quene Dydo in her entent aye stable Cast she would whatsoeuer they her tolde Her chast auowe faythfully to holde She set aside of this cruell kyng His fell manaces and his words great And to her prynces for their consentyng Which stode in feare of y â— he did them threate She vnto them yaue a maner heate For they were bolde to attempt or attame To treate of matter rebounding to her shame Nay rather dye quod she than assent To his desires whiche thing god forbede Or fro the tenter of my chaste entent For to remeue other in thought or dede Whiche were disclaunder to all womanhead To condiscende for any manacyng To breake a vowe for pleasaunce of a kynge Touchyng manaces made to the citie For to destroy it with his great myght Without cause or title of equitie To ground him a quarell agayne right Onely for he is blynded of his syght With froward lust my chaste auowe to assaile Be ryght well sure how he therof shall fayle If ye were bolde and manly of courage For comon profite your citye to defende And to w tstande his vycious outrage To treate w t him ye would not condiscende But mine entent platly to comprehend Whether it be to you ioye or displeasaunce In my promise shal be no variaunce My lorde Sicheus whiche alas is deade Vnto the worlde who lyst aduert Trust verely for manacyng nor dreade That he shall neuer dye in myne hert Nor he shall neuer myne auowe peruert Thus auysed while that I stande fre Quene of Cartage to gouerne this citye Mine hasty answere I pray you not disdaine But that ye list to yeue me libertye With your support that I may attayne To haue a space graunted vnto me This is to mene the space of monethes thre My lordes will to accomplyshe of entent Whiche whilome made in his testament Vnder couloure to her aduauntage She toke this space bokes specify That she might her citye of Cartage The meane time strongly fortify Agayne her enemies that for no sluggardy Of them that would her high estate confound Vnpurueyed her city not be founde Whan thre monethes passed were and gone She after would for hartly pleasaunce With sundry ryghtes many mo than one To all her goddes do some obseruaunce For a speciall singuler remembraunce Of him that was as ye shall vnderstande Whilom her lorde and best beloued husband And more to exalt her glory and his honour Held his exequtes by due reuerence Of all Cartage in the highest tower With brenning fire fumes and incence Her princes all beyng
in Isidor ye may see Founde amonge Grekes craft of eloquence First in Rome by souerayne excellence Of Rethoryke Tullius founde the stoures Plea and defence of subtill oratours Callicrates a grauer most notable Of white yuore did his busines His hande his eye so iust were and so stable Of an ampt to graue out the likenes Vpon the ground as nature doth him dresse This craft he founde as Sardanapall Founde ydlenes mother of vyces all Of a scriueyn Bochas maketh mencion How in a scrowe of little quantitye Wrote of all Croy the destruction Folowyng Omerus by great subtiltye Whiche is had among grekes in great daintie Because he was founde in his writyng So compendious the story rehearsyng Archimides made a chare also And a small shyp with all the apparayle So that a Bee might close them both two Vnder his wings which is a great maruaile And nothing sene of all the whole entayle This craft he founde of vertuous busines To eschue the vyce of froward ydlenes Pan god of kynde with his pypes seuen Of recorders founde first the melodyes Of Mercury that sit so hye in heauen First in his harpe founde sugred armonies Holsom wines through fined from their lyes Bacchus founde first on vines heauy lade Licour of lycours courages for to glade Perdry by compas founde tryangle lyne And Euclyd first founde Geometrye And Phebus founde the craft of medicine Alâ—umasar founde astronomy And Mynerua gan chares first to gye Iason first sayled in story it is tolde Toward Colchos to winne the flece of gold Ceres the goddesse founde first tylth of londe Dâ—onysius triumphes transitory And Bellona by force first out fonde Conquest by knighthode in the field victory And Martis sonne as put is in memory Called Etholus founde speres sharpe kene To runne in warre in plates bryght shene Eke Aristeus founde out the vsage Of mylke and cruddes and of hony sote Piroydes for great aduauntage Fro flyntes smote fyre daryng in the rote And Pallas whiche y t may to colde do bote Founde out weauyng this is very sothe Through yet prudence of all maner clothe And fido founde first out the science Of measures and of proporcions And for marchauntes did his diligence To finde balaunces by iust diuisions To auoyde all fraude in cities and in townes On nouther party playnly to compyle Of true weyght that there were no gyle Compare in order clerely all these thinges Founde of olde tyme by diligent trauayle To the pleasaunce of prynces and kynges To shewe how much cunnyng may auayle And wey again warde y e froward aquitayle Contrariously how Sardanapall Founde ydlenes mother of vyces all Let princes all hereof take hede What auayleth vertuous busines And what damage the reuerse dothe in dede â–ª Vycious life slouthe and ydlenes And these examples let them eke empresse Amyd their harte and howe Sardanapall Founde ydlenes mother of vyces all ¶ Lenuoy NOble prynces here ye may well se As in a myrrour of full clere euidence By many examples more than two or thre What harme foloweth of slouth negligence Depe imprintyng in your aduertence How great hindring doth wilful frowardnes To your estate through vycyous ydlenes Whan reason fayleth and sensualitye Holdeth the brydle of lecherous insolence And sobernes hath lost his libertie And to false lust is done the reuerence And vyce of vertue hath an apparence Misleadeth prynces of wilfull retchlesnes To great errour of froward ydlenes ¶ The .xvi. Chapter ¶ How Amazias in Iuda king for pride and presumption was vainquished in battaile and after slayne IN his study as Bochas sate musyng With many an vncouth solemne fantasy To him appeared many a mighty kyng And tofore all came worthy Amazie His sonne also that called was Ozie Of Dauids bloud discended as I rede Eche after other in Juda to succede First Amazias complayned on fortune Causing his grcuous great aduersities The traytoresse called in commune These kinges twayne castyng froÌ„ their sees Whose ouerturnyng from their dignities Vnware fallyng dreadfull and terrible Ben ceriously remembred in the bible Their ende men may there reade and se How fortune their fates did entrete Wherfore to eschue and flye prolixitie Of tedious thing in this processe to lete And in substaunce to gleaâ—e out the grete Of their fallyng I purpose not to spare Compendiously the causes to declare This Amazias hauyng gouernaunce By â—ust tytle of succession â–ª The scepter of Iuda w t all y â— who le puissauÌ„ce Full peasably helde in his possession Tyll that pryde and false presumption Most frowardly did his hart embrace Whiche all at ones made him lose his grace In hart he had a maner vayne glory Because that god made him to preuayle In his conquest and to haue victory Amaleâ—hites to vaynquyshe in battayle Eke Gabanites as he them did assayle Purposyng after if he might With Israelites of pryde for to fight Vnto kyng Joas of Israell he sent Him coÌ„maundyng to obey his byddynge And be like subiecte as were in their entent His predecessours in all maner thing Whilom to Dauid the noble worthy kyng This was his sonde to Joas plat playne Whiche by a probleÌ„ thus wrote to him agayn THe vgly thistle of the vales lowe Proudly presumyng aboue his degre To make hys pryde openly be knowe Sent hys message to the Cedre tre That his sonne might wedded be To his daughter althoughe in substaunce Atwene them two was a great disâ—ordauuâ—e But of the forest the beastes sauagyne In their courages had therof disdeyne All of assent fyersely dyd enclyne The thystle leaues abrode vpon the pleyne That there was nether lease nor pricke seyne This was the probleÌ„ which Joas by writing Sent in a pistle to Amazie the king BVt Josephus in his origynall The sayd epistle as he doth expresse Sayth of the vale how the pouder small Of pryde sent to the hygh Cypresse That his daughter of excellent fayrenes Vnto his sonne playnely to discryue Myght be deliuered and haue her to wyue But a fel beast which beside stode Of cruell yre and indignacion With fete disdaynyng y e pouder cast abrode Hygh in the apre about him enuyron The whyche ensample conceyued of reason Who that attempteth to clymbe hygh aloft With unware chaunge his fall is full vnsoft Atwene the Cedre of trees so royal And a sharpe thystle is no conuenience Nor twene a cypresse estately founde at all And lothsome pouder is a great difference For royall bloud should haue no assistence To be ioyned nor â—â—yt in mariage With such as beÌ„ brought forth of low parage The Cedre is stronge mighty of substauÌ„ce In his vpgrowynge ryght as any lyne And tho the thystle haue spottes of pleasauÌ„ce He hath eke pryckes small as any spyne And bothe natures playnly to termine The Cedre of kynde who loketh well about To no thystle should his braunches loute â—olesome of odoure is the faire Cypresse As bokes tell and vertuous of kynde Dust and
by the goodly hede And through the nobles of this most knightly man All mistes clered of dispayre and drede Trust hope and fayth into my hartran And on my laboure anone forthwyth I gan For by cleare support of my lordes grace All foraynes lettyng fro me I did enchace For folke that vse to make great vyages Whiche vnderfonge long trauell and labour WheÌ„ thei haue don gret part of their passages Of werines to asswage the rygoure Against faintyse to fynde some fauâ—â—â— Loke oft agayne parcell to be releueâ— To se how muche their iourney is acheued Cause why they so oft loke ageyne Backeward turne loke and eke vysage Is only this that it may be seyne To them how much is done of their vyage Eke wery folke that gone on pylgrimage Rest them some while a full large space Laborious sweate to wipe fro their face Their heauy fardell among they cast adoun At certaine bouÌ„des to do their backes ease At welles colde eke of entencion Drinke freshe water their greuous thurst to apease Or holesum wynes their appetite to please Rekenyng the myles by computacions Whiche they haue past of castels of townes It doth them ease the number for to know Syth they began of many great iourneys Of hye mountayns and of valeyes lowe And straunge sightes passyng by countreys The vncouth buildyng of borowes and cities Counting y e distaunce froÌ„ townes the spaces This is their talking at their restyng places The residue and the surplusage They reken also of their labour commyng Thinke it is a maner auauntage To haue and se a cleare knowlegyng Of thinges passed thinges eke folowynge For to their hartes it doth full great plesauÌ„ce Whan all suche thing is put in remeÌ„braunce And semblably Iohn Bochas as I fynde Gan turne backe his loke and countenaunce And to remember appoyntyng in his minde To the stories rehearsed in substaunce In his two bokes of sorowes displeasauÌ„ce Him selfe astonied marueilyng a great dele The fall of prynces from Fortunes whele Of their vnhap as he dothe rehearce Towarde theÌ„ selfe the cause dothe rebounde Their climbyng vp the heauens for to perce In worldly riches to encrease and abounde Their gredy etike doth them selfe confounde And their thirst of hauyng vnstauncheable Causeâ— their nobles to be so variable Hygh climbyng vp of reason who can se Dulleth of braines the memoriall Blunteth the sight of hygh and low degre Whiche from aloft maketh them to haue a fal Men saye of olde who that couet all At the vnset houre suche one shall not chese But all his gadryng at once shall he lese For worldly folke whiche so hye aryse Wyth the great peyse of worldlye abundauÌ„ce And with the weight of frowarde couetise Namely where Fortune holdeth the balauÌ„ce With vnware turne of some vnhappy chauÌ„ce This stormy quene this double Goddesse Plungeth theÌ„ downe from all their riches Wherfore Bochas hereof to make a prefe Sheweth to purpose a sentence full notable A clere example of suche vnware mischefe Writeth of an auctour by maner of a fable Albe the menyng be full commendable And well accordyng in conclusion To the clere purpose of his entencion Finis ¶ Hovve Andalus doctour of Astronomy concludeth how Prynces shoulde not atwite constellacions nor Fortune of their vnhappy fallyng but their demerites and vycious liuyng ¶ The first Chapter AT Naples whylom as he dothe specify In his youth whan he to schole went There was a doctour of Astronomye Famous of cunnyng and right excellent Of hym rehearsyng shortly in sentment His ioy was most to study and wake And he was called Andalus the blake He redde in scholes the mening of the heauen The kinde of starres and constellacions The course also of the planets seuen Their influence and their mocions And helde also in his opinions The fall of princes the cause well out sought Came of them selfe and of fortune nought Nor the starres was nothing to wite By their meuyng nor by their influence Nor y t men should of right the heauen at wite For no froward worldly vyolence For this clarke there concluded in sentence How men by vertue longe may contune From hurt of starres or of fortune Their owne desert is chefe occasion Of their vnhappe who so taketh hede And their demerites vnwarely put theÌ„ doun Whan vycious life doth their brydle lede Course of fortune nor of the starres rede Hindreth nothing agayne their felicitie Syth of free choyse they haue full libertye God punished sinne in many maner wyse Some he chastiseth for theyr owne auaile Men may of reason in suche case deuise Sinne aye requireth vengeauÌ„ce at his tayle God of fortune taketh no counsayle Nor from her meuyng no man is more fre As clarkes write than is glad pouertee And vnto purpose this auctour full notable To his scholers there beyng in presence Full demurely gan reherse a fable With many a coloure of sugred eloquence Theron concludyng the suÌ„me of his sentence Touching a strife whiche he did expresse Atwene glad pouert this blinde goddesse ☞ A disputation betwene Fortune and glad pouerte HVod Andalus whilom of fortune In straite place there sate glad pouert Whiche resembled of loke of figure A retcheles woman most vgly vnto se At a narow metyng of hye wayes thre All to torne to ragged and to rent A thousand patches vpon her garment She was hydous bothe of chere and face And in semyng voyde of sorow and drede And by that way as Fortune did pace And of glad Pouert sodaynly toke hede She gan to smile and laught at her in dede By a maner scornyng in certayne Of her aray she had so great disdaine Whose froward laughter whaÌ„ pouert did espy How she of her had indignacion She rose her vp of hygh melancholy Playnly to shewe her entencion Without good day or salutacion Doyng to Fortune no maner reuerence Vnder these wordes declaryng her sentence O thou Fortune moste fole of foles all What cause hast thou for to laugh at me Or what disdayne is in thyne hart fall Spare not a deale tell on let se For I full little haue ado with the Of olde nor new I haue none aquayntaunce Neither with the nor wyth thy gouernaunce And whan Fortune beholdeth the manere Of glad Pouert in her to torne wede And knew also by countenaunce and chere How she of her toke but little hede Like as she had to her no maner nede The whiche thinges conceyued and seyne To pouerty she answered thus ageine My scornefull laughter plainly was for the Whan I the sawe so megre pale and lene Naked and colde in great aduersitie Scabbed scoruy scalled and vnclene On backe and body as it is well sene Many a beast walke in their pasture Whiche day by day of new thou doest recure Hauyng nothing to wrap in thy head Saue a brode hatte rent out of nattes olde Full of honger for defaute of bread Slepyng on strawe in the frostes colde And where thou comest
law Such as him liketh against his felawe The whiche lawe shall not be delayed To be accomplished on him that is outrayed Of whose wordes Fortune again gan smile That pouert profered so proudly to assayle And vpon this she stynt a little whyle And to pouert she put this opposayle Who shall quod she be iudge of this battaile Or yeue doine iustly atwene vs twayne Of this quarell that we shall darayne I aske also another question Touchyng thy profer of furious outrage Where as thou puttest a condicion And a lawe with full proude langage Where shalt thou fynde pledges or hostage To kepe the promise which thou doest ordain Therof to abide the guerdon or the payne I meane as thus if there be set a lawe Atwene vs two or a condicion By surety whiche may not be withdrawe As vnder bonde or obligation But there is neither lawe nor reason May bynde a begger if it be well sought Whan it is proued y t he hath right nought The secte of pouerte hath a protection From all statutes to go at libertie And from all lawe a playne exception Than foloweth it if thou bynde the To any lawe that may contriued be It were fraude playnely to endite Which hast right nought thy party to acquite Thou art so feble if I came therto That thou were brought vnto vtteraunce For no power whan that all were do Thou shoulde fayle to make thy finaunce Bothe destitute of good and of substaunce And sithe no lawe now thy person may coart It were foly with suche one to ieoparte If I woulde compulse the to wracke To aske of the treasure of kyng Dary On that party thou standest farre abacke My payment so longe shoulde tarye Indigence would the to vary And if I woulde thy person eke compare To Alysaunder thy sydes ben full bare And finally thou standest in suche caas Of misery wretchednes and nede That thou mightest of reason synge alas Bothe forsake of frendshyp and kynrede And there is none dare pledge the for drede Yet like a fole supprised with vaynglory Hopest of me to wynne the vyctory Quod glad pouerte I doubt neuer adele That the vyctory shall passe on my side Pledge and hostages let them go farewele I aske no more of all thy great pryde But to th ende that thou wylt abyde Pledge thy fayth albe that some men sayth To trust in fortune there is full little fayth And for my part in this hye emprise Sith I haue pledges nether one nor twayne More sure hostage can I not deuise But if so be the victory thou attayne Than yelde I my body bound in a chayne Perpetually like the condicion With the to abyde fettred in pryson Than Fortune laught more thē she did afore Whan she saw Pouerte so presumptuous In his aray all to ragged and to tore And had neither rent lande ne house It is quod she a thing contraryous Vnto nature who that can aduert To a begger to haue a sturdy hart And if I the vainquished in battayle It were to me no worshyp nor aduauntage What should thy body vnto me auayle The to enpryson straytly in a cage It should be a charge and a costage Thine empty wombe eche day to fyll If thou mightest haue vytayle at thy wyll And if I would my selfe to magnify Token of tryumphe after my chare the lede Men would deme it a maner mockery And say in scorne take of that fole good hede How she a begger hath ouercome in dede Fought with her for to encrease her name Which cōquest turneth to disclaūder shame Yet whan I haue brought the to vttraunce My power shadowed and my great might And thine outrage oppressed by vengeaunce After all this as it is skyll and ryght It shal be couthe in euery mans syght Out declared the great difference Atwene thy feblenes my great excellence Than to represse thy surquedy at ones Cruel Orchus the tydogye infernall Shall rende thy skinne asunder frō the bones To shew my power whiche is imperiall And to declare in especiall Pouerte reclaymed vnto prydes lure With me to plete may no whyle endure And sodenly or glad pouerte toke hede Fortune proudly first began tassayle And vnwarely hent her by the hede Demyng of pride y t she may nat fayle Thrugh her power to vēquish this bataile But it may fall a dwerye in his right To outray a gyaunt for all his gret might God taketh none hede to power nor strēgth To highe estate nor to high noblesse To square limes forged on brede or length But to quarels groūded on right wisnesse For out of wronge may growd no prowesse For where that trouth holdeth champarty God wyll his cause by grace magnify Wherfore pouerte stronge in her entent Light and delyuer voyde of all fatnesse Right well brethed nothing corpulent Small of dyette surfettes to represse Agayne fortune proudly gan her dresse And with an vgly sterne cruell face Gan in armes her proudly to enbrace Pouert was slender might well endure Fortune was roūde short of wynde breth And wombes great oppressed with armure For lacke of wynde the great stuffe thē sleth And many a man bringeth to his dethe For ouermoche of any maner thing Hath many one brought to his vndoyng A meane is best with good gouernaūce To moche is nought nor ouer great plente Gretter rychesse is founde in suffysaunce Than in the flodes of superfluyte And who is content in his pouerte And grutcheth nat for bytter nor for sote What euer he be hath fortune vnder fote Couetyse put hym in no dispayre Wherfore pouerte in herte glad and lyght Lyft fortune full hygh vp in the eyre And her constrayned of very force myght For glad pouerte of custome and of right Whan any trouble agayne her dothe begyn Aye of Fortune the laurer she dothe wyn Maugre Fortune in the eyre a lofte Constrayned she was by wylfull pouerte That to the earthe her fall was full vnsofte For of pouert the bony sharpe kne Slendre and longe leane vpon to se Hyt fortune with so great a myght Agayne y e hert she myght nat stand vpryght To signify that pouerte with gladnesse Which is content with small possession And geuyth no force of treasour nor richesse Hath ouer fortune the dominacion And kepeth her euer vnder subiection Where worldly folke w t their rych aparaile Lyue euer in dred lest fortune wolde fayle The poore man afore the thefe dothe synge Vnder y e wodes with fresh notes shryll The ryche man full fearfull of robbyng Quakyng for drede rydeth forthe full styll The poore at large goth wher he list at wyll Strongly fraūchysed frō all debate stryfe The ryche aferde alway to lose his lyfe Thus glad pouerte hath the palme ywonne Fortune outrayed for all her doublenesse Vpon whome pouerte in haste is ronne And strayned her wyth so great duresse Tyll she confessed playnly dyd expresse with faythe hande in all her great payne
For hys hatefull vsurpacions Hys frowarde lyfe and false condycions Among the people bothe styll and loude He called was Tarquinius the proude Full obstinat he was in his entent Ambicious taccroche great rychesse Tyll that fortune wexed impacient Agaynst hym in all his great noblesse Gan her snares and her crokes dresse Thought she woulde but he kept hym wele All sodaynlie cast him from her whele A sonne he had full vycious as I fynde To all vertue moste contrarious To be froward it came to hym by kynde And of nature proude and dispitous Agayne the people fell and malycious Nat loued but dred for tyrany of ryght Is thyng most hated in the peoples syght Thys proude Tarquin y â— story is well couth Agayne Lucrece dyd a great outrage Oppressed her beuty in his vnbridled youth Her trouth assaylyng in a furious rage For which hys father and hys lynage Exyled were and for this hatefull thynge Ther was neuer after in Rome crowned kig Her body corrupt she clene of hert thought By force assayled was her innocence Oppressed her beaute but her spirite nought Her chaste wyll dyd none offence But entred is in to her conscience A greate remorse for all her wyfely trouth To sle her selfe whych was to great a routh And for that Bochas remembreth pyteouslye Her deedly sorowe and lamentacion Write her complaynt in ordre ceryouslye Whyche that she made for her oppression I folowe muste and make mencion After myne auctor percell rehersyng Touchyng her wordes sayd in her dyinge Albe it so by byddyng of my lorde Reherced haue in my translacion After Pierms here and there a worde Of a full dolefull declamacion By hym remembred of entencion For her sake men myght se and rede What wyfely trouth was in her womanhed And John Bochas lyst nat set a syde But that he would reherse in sentence Her wofull complaynt and therupon abyde Of wronges done to her innocence And though I can nat folowe his eloqueÌ„ce I shall sue the trouth of rehersyng As in substaunce theffect of his writyng THe morowe next after thys foule dede Lucrece vp rose w t a full deadly chere Out of her face gone was all the rede And darked were her heauenly eyen clere All clad in blake after the maner Of thylke folke whyche in especiall Be wonte to go to feastes funerall All her frendes beyng in presence Husbande Father with other eke also By and by rehersynge in sentence The cyrcumstaunces of her hartely wo And or that I any further go Vnder hope my Lorde wyll me supporte What that she sayd I wyll to you reporte The .v. Chapiter ¶ The greuous complaynt of Lucrece vpon her oppression FOr as moche quod she as I Lucrece Am by the lawe ioyned in maryage To the mi lord whose loue shal aâ—e encrease Towardes the w t all the surplusage Of wyfely trouth to endure all myne age As humble subiect w t faythfull obeysaunce Vnder thy lordshyp thy gouernaunce O Collatyn my Lorde and true husbande Best beloued of hole affeccyon I wyll no more no quarell take on hande Nor in no wyse take none accion Without that thou lyste enclyne doune Goodly thyne eares to yeâ—e me audyence To that I shall reherce in thy presence Iniury done or any maner wronge Agayne my worshyp or myne honeste By the lawe my sentence is made stronge It toucheth you also we le as me I am so holy yolden vnto the Thou art my heed who clerly can discerne Lorde and husbande my body to gouerne Parciall causes in sothe there may none be Atwene vs twayne nor no disseueraunce For sote and bytter ioy and aduersyte We must them way both in one balaunce Counterpayse our sorowes our plesaunce Entermedle all thynge that stant in doubte Receyue our Fortune as it commeth aboute There may atwen vs be no meaning double But one herte one wyll and one corage And as a woman y â— standeth now in trouble Wythout polysshyng of any fayre langage I must disclose to you the greate outrage Done vnto me and playnly it discure Whyche to redresse lyeth holy in your cure For the mater to speake in wordes playne Aright out serched and the trouth out found As a iuste cause indifferent to twayne Towarde vs both the quarell doth rebounde And more strongly your mater for to grouÌ„de Reherse I wyll so that ye saufe it vouche A mortall wronge which ye me doth touch In a castell whiche called is Collace Of which my lorde here hath y â— gouernaunce Tarquyn the yonge came in to that place I full disware to make purueyaunce Agayne hys commynge or any ordinaunce Tofore nat warned of his offycers Sate vnpuruayed amonge my chamberers Of entent to eschewe ydelnesse We sate and span wolles softe For she of vyces is a chefe maystresse Where she is cherysshed and yset alofte But of custome as I haue done full ofte I and my women duly as we ought To auoyde slouthe full busily wrought His entryng was meke and debonayre Benygne of porte of loke and of vysage With a pretence of many wordes fayre In whose meanyng was full great outrage His chere contrary vnto his corage In thys wyse there he was receyued Wherby alas I falsly was disceyued At prime face as me thought it due I hym receiued at his in commyng Rose vp mekely and gan hym to salue As apertayned in all maner thyng Vnto the sonne of a worthy kyng And truly Tarquine for whiche I say alas Me to traysh stode in the same caas A kynges sonne shulde of duety Be to women wall and protection Preserue and kepe them in all surety That no man shulde of no presumpcion Do them no wronge nor oppression Rather dye than se them suffer vnryght Aduertysinge the offyce of a knight But contrary to knighthod he hath wrought By false outrage done agaynst me Wronge wayes and croked meanes sought Of lawes twayne to breake the liberte And to deface the auctorite Of lawe Ciuile and naturall also In my person offendyng bothe twoe First by his subtyll compassyng He gan espy thestrys of the place And whan a bed alone I lay slepyng Lyke a lyon full sterne of loke and face With his left hande my throte he dyd enbrace And in his other helde agayne all lawe Me to oppresse a naked sworde ydrawe Thus afforsyng my wifely chastyte Agayne knighthod he dyd this great offence My lyfe my worshyp put in perplexite Hauing no might to make resystence Me manasyng by deadly violence The one of twayne to dye in his entent Or to auoutry falsly to consent Thus I stode sole atwene dethe diffame My body corrupte my spyrite abode clene My spousayle broken and my good name For euer disclaundred y â— whilom shone shene Yuell fame of custom wyll alway wax grene Neuer dye the people so them disporte The worste of thynges gladly to reporte Alas alas amonge my sorowes all This one the moste y â— dothe my hert agryse I
punycion That one princes trespas in lecherye Caused afore God that all a regyon Distroyed was without remedy This story is told for to exemplify Whan noble princes to women them submit Grace al fauour anon doth from theÌ„ flyt Of this mater what shuld I wryte more In Genesis the resydue ye may rede The dethe of Sichem and of kyng Hemore And howe their kingdome distroyed was in dede Of Sychemites lo here y â— finall mede Of lechery of his false plesaunce Which many a realme hath broughte to myschaunce What shuld I eft reherce agayne or write The false auoutry of Paris and Helayne Their woful fate Guâ—do dyd endyte Poetes echone eke dyd their busy payne To declare howe only by these twayne The worthy blode for short conclusyon Of Troy and Grece came to distruccion â–ª But oft it falleth that muche abundaunce Of worldli good with great ease and riches In folke that set all holy their plesaunce To folow their lusts froward wylfulnes Hath caused in landes gret mischef distres Whan vicious life their corages did encoÌ„bre Distroied kingdoms people out of nombre For whan the people through fals obstinacy Is indurate to amend them and correct And wil not turne them from their lechery But aye be redy their soules to enfecte And vnto purpose my style I wyl dyrect To examplify howe Gabaa the town Was for his sinnes brought to confusion Whylom this people called Gabanytes From Beniamin discended in their line Were aye disposed to folowe their delytes And of custome their wyttes dyd enclyne In worldly plentie to flour and to shyne And dempt alway to them it was most due Of wylfulnes their lustes for to sue In lechery was set al their plesaunce And in that vice they lad moste their lyfe Wherby they were brought vnto mischauÌ„ce And many slayne by full mortal strife Whan the Leuyte came forby with his wife Full excellent of fetures and beaute And toke his lodging within the greate cyte He was ful old and she was inly fayre He impotent and she but tendre of age Through Gabaa making their repayre The cytesyns of importune rage Shewyng the fury of their great outrage So long that nyght her beauty dyd assayl Tyll lyfe and brethe atones dyd her fayle Contagious the sclaundre and the diffame In Judicum the story ye may rede Which to reherce is a maner shame To here the abusyon of that foule dede And how y e Leuite a morow gan take hede With piteous chere and saw his yong wyfe Tofore the gate depriued of her lyfe He hent her vp and layde her on his asse To noyse this cryme vpon euery side Thought in such case he myght do no lasse Toke a sharp sword lyst no lenger abyde On twelue partes he gan her to deuide And to eche tribe of Jacob he hath sent A certayne parte to se their iudgement Which thing to them was hateful terrible And in their â—ight full abomynable And in all haste lykely and possible All of one wyll and one corage stable On Gabaonytes for to be vengable They gathered haue shortly to conclude Tassayle that towne a ful great multitude whan they first met atwen theÌ„ thus it stode The twelue tribes were twise put to flyghte On either party great quantity of bloud was shed among them in that mortall fyght For sixty thousand who that coâ—pt a right Were slayne there the story wyll not lye To auenge the sclaundre of false auoutry Lo here the guerdon of the froward fyres In lecherons folke y t wyl not staunched be That brent so hote through bestiall desyres In Gabaa the mighty stronge cyte Which was distroyed for his iniquite And almoste brought of Beniamin the line Through his offence to eternall ruyne Eke for his feruent dronken lechery Holophernes by Judith lost his hede And al his hoste and al his chiualry Left the felde and fled away for drede And he lay bathed in his bloud al rede Thus through their vyce if it be wel sought Ful many a price hath be brought to nought These sayd stories ought ynough suffyse If men wold consydre and take hede The great vengaunces in many sondry wise Which God hath take for this sinne in dede As in their bokes they mai behold and rede Warnynges afore full oft put at prefe How they them self shal saue fro mischefe Lenuoye This tragedy yeueth vs gret warnig Biclere examples of manifold resoÌ„ Howe many a prince for their 〈…〉 uing And many rych royal mighty toune Many a citie and many a region Haue bene euer sith full notable infamous For synne of princes that were lecherous The chosen of god Dauid the worthyking Prophet of prophets most souerain of renoâ— On Bersabe for a sodayne lokyng To slee Vrye caught occasyon For which he suffred great punicion Chastysed of god he and all his house For cause only that he was lecherous Great repentaunce he had great sorowing And made psalmes of great contricion with woful teares and manyfolde wepyng To make a sheth for his transgression yeuing to princes full clere dyrection For to eschewe the flattery odious And the false fraude of women lecherous Where was ther euer of science or conning So renomed as was king Salomon yet women made him thrugh false flatering To foraine goddes done oblacion Which clipsed his honor brought his fame doun That was whilom moste vertuous Tyll he thrugh women fyl to be lecherous Is it not eke remembred by writing Of Israel howe the chefe champion Which goddes people had in his leadyng I mean the famous mighty strong SaÌ„pson That thrugh his force torent the lion But Dilada with teares plentuous His grace bereft him made him lecherous Sichem was slayne eke for the rauyshyng Of yonge Dyna as made is mencion His father Hemor brought to his endyng Lost his rychesse in that discencion And his kingdom brought to distruccion Lo here the end of princes vicious Which them dispose for to be lecherous It is in earth one the most perylous thinge A prince to be of his condicion Eâ—â—emynate his wyttes enclynyng By false desyres of fleshly mocion To put him self vnder subieccion And thral resoÌ„ his tresour most precious To the vnleful lustes hatefull and lecherous This is the sentence full playnly in menyng Where women haue the dominacion To holde the raine their hokes out castyng That sensualitie hath iurisdiction To enter on reason by false intrusion Warre agaynst vertue most contagious To be vaynquished of lustes lecherous It taketh fro men their clerenes of seyng Causeth great sickenes and corruption And to all vertue it is greatest hyndryng Maketh men seme olde as by inspection Appalleth their minde and disposition Shorteth their life thing dredfull piteous Whan they dispose them to be lecherous Noble prynces in your ymaginyng Conceyue of women the false deception Namely of them that loue but for winnyng And labour aye for your possession Whose sugred flattery is false collusion
Like to Syrens with voyce melodious Enoynt your eares to make you lecherous ¶ The .vi. Chapter ☞ How Cambyses assentyng to the murder of his brother Mergus at the last slough him selfe AFter the death of mighty king Cirus Next came his sonne called Cambises Heyre by succession full victorious Whiche tofore Bochas put him selfe in prees And gan his complaynt this is doubtles That they of Egypt in many vncouth wyse To sundry Goddes did sacrifice First vnto Apis they dyd Sacrifice Called Serapis their greatest god of all Raygnyng in Egypt most of excellence And god of goddes foles did him call And of his nobles thus it is befall Slayne by his brother whiche is a wonder Seuered on peces and ful farre east asunder And they of Egypt made their ordinaunce Vpon payne of death in their statute olde A god to call him and do their obseruance Within his temple like as they were holde Wherof Cambises tofore as I you tolde All the temples of that region Cast him by force for to throw doun The temple of Jupiter to robbe it by rauyne Called Hammon without exception His knightes sent to bryng it to ruyne But they echoue for their presumption With sodaine leuin were smit and beat down Wherof Cambises in Jsye tho raygnyng Had this dreame as he lay slepyng He drempt his brother y t called was Mergus Should in the kingdome after him succede Wherof in hart he waxt so enuious That he purposed of rancour and hatrede By some meane to make his sides blede And that his purpose should take auayle A magicien he toke to his counsayle And he was holde a full great Phylosopher Called Comares full sleyghty and cunnyng To whoÌ„ Cambises made a full large profer Of golde treasure to make him assentyng To execute this horrible thing And that he would in most cruell wise The murder of Mergus to coÌ„pas and deuise And while Cambises ordeyned this treason To slea Mergus his owne brother dere God from aboue cast his eyen downe Hym to punishe in full cruell manere For he waxed wode who so list to lere Caught a swerde roue his thigh on twaine And sodaynly he dyed for the paine For two causes god toke on him vengeaunce As mine auctour Bochas doth expresse For his presumptuous false disobeysaunce Spoyling the gods of their great riches And for the froward great vnkyndnes To yeue assent to the contagious caas Whan y â— Mergus his brother murdred was The death of whom was chefe occasion Of full great warre striues and debate Eke fynall cause why all the region Of mighty Perce stode disconsolate For heyre was none of high nor low estate By title of right through his vnhappy chauÌ„ce To be their kyng and haue the gouernaunce For the magycien called Comares Which â—lue Mergus as ye haue herd expres Toke his brother called Dropastes And made him kyng the story bereth witnes Because that he resembled in likenes Vnto Mergus of face and of stature To crowne him kyng therfore he did his cure The deth of Mergus outward was not know Nor playnly published in that region His body buried and cast in earth lowe Of whom the murder fraudulent treason The piteous slaughter wrought by collusion And all the maner by processe was espyed So openly it myght not be denyed And in what wyse the noyse gan out sprede Touchyng this murder odyous for to here Whan that Oropastes occupted in dede The crowne of Perce the story doth vs lere There was a prynce full notable and entere Called Hostanes that gan his wytte apply Of high prudence this murder out to espy While that Oropastes vnder a false pretence Of Perciens was receiued for kyng The sayd prynce did his diligence By inquisition to haue knowlegyng By what ingyne or by what sleyghty thing The sayd Oropastes caught occasion In stede of Mergus to occupy the croun On this matter he had a coniecture That his title was neither whole ne clere The trouth to trye he did his busy cure And to serche out wholy the manere He sought so farre that he came ryght nere And in this case letted for no slouth Tyll that he had founde out the very trouth The case was thus playnly to termine He had a daughter full fayre of her vysage Whiche of the kyng was chiefest concubine By whom he thought to catche aduauntage And vnto her he hath sent his message Secretely to enquire how it stode Where y t the kyng were come of Cyrus bloud And bade that she shoulde secretly take hede While that he slept to do her busy payne With her handes for to fele his hede And to grope after both his eares twayne And if it fyll there is no more to sayne Vpon his head that she none eares founde To tel her father of trouth as she was bouÌ„d This mighty prynce Hostanes knewe wele Ryght as it is recorded by scripture Touching this case how it stode euery dele How kyng Cambyses of sodaine aduenture By his liue for a forfeyture Made of Oropastes the story sayth not nay Both his two eares to be cut away And hereupon to be certified He was desierous to haue full knowlegyng Whiche by his daughter whan it was espyed Vpon a nyght liyng by the kyng Gropyng his head as he lay slapyng Full subtilly felt and toke good hede How he none eares had vpon his heed And to her father anone she hath declared The secrenes of this auenture And for no feare ne drede he hath not spared How that it stode playnly to discure And first of all he did his busy cure All the prynces of Perce lande yfere To counsayle call to entreat of this mattere And whan they were assembled euerychone Of Oropastes he tolde them all the chaunce And how y t Mergus was murdred yore agoÌ„e As here tofore is put in remembraunce Wherupon to set an ordinaunce And to redresse these wronges done toforne Of Perce lande were seuen prynces sworne Of one assent in their intencion By bonde of othe thei made their assuraunce And a full secrete communicacion To put Oropastes froÌ„ his royall puissaunce Whiche had all Perce vnder his gouernauÌ„ce By a full false pretence of herytage For he was like to Mergus of vysage These seuen prynces of which tofore I tolde All of one hart and by their othe ybounde Prudent and manly and of yeres olde Haue sought a tyme Oropastes to confound And w t their swerdes sharpe whet ground Vnder couert in their apparayle Came of entent Oropastes to assayle And in the palays whom euer that they met Or agayne them made resistence All of accorde they fiercely on him set But the magicien y â— was there in their preseÌ„ce Came agaynst them by sturdye vyolence And at the encountregan theÌ„ so constrayne That of the prynces they haue slaine twayne But finally the other prynces fyue Whan that they sawe their two feres blede In al the palays they left none alyue And kynge
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
reioysed all hys life Kept what he redde in his memoriall And of wyse counsaile was none to hym egal An vncle he had ycalled Perycles Which stode in daunger of excessife spendyng Yet in hys youth thys Alcibiades Seyng hys vncle pensiefe in lokyng Cast of wisdom to remedy that thyng And for to aswage hys heartes heuynesse Gaue hym this counsail by great auisenesse Fyrst to rehearse how the matter stode And of hys vncles wofull hygh distresse Ther was to him delynered a sūme of goode To repayre the temple of a goddesse Called Minerna but for the great excesse Of hys dispences he stode somwhat in drede Touching thacoūpt y ◠he muste yelde in dede Alcibiades here vpon musyng To hys vncle gaue counsayle in sentence Vncle quod he let be your thynkyng And for your selfe shape thys diffence Nat for tacoūpt by meane of your prudence Afore prouided with face chere vnfayned To suche duresse that ye be nat constrayned And whan Pericles his coūsaile aduertiseth Fonde to his worshyp it was resonable And by good layser him selfe ful wel auiseth And by prouision prudent and notable Saued hys estate frō eche thyng reprouable So that he stode touching thys matter As for accomptes out of all daunger Alcibiades of Athens chefe capteyne From day to day waxt vp to great encres Suche another was ther no where seyne Them to gouerne bothe in werre pees And all the citye by assent hym chees Of theyr nauy in especiall Vpon the see to be theyr admyrall For his knighthod they sent hym out aferre To Cathenoys to be theyr gouernour Gayne Cyracusenes for to gin a werre First there receiued w t glory gret honoure But in the end of his great laboure Fortune that is aye varyaunt and vnstable Was to this duke nat founde fauourable He was accused to them of the toun Which in Athenes had gouernaunce That he was gilty in party of treason By thē reuoked for al his great puissaunce Of Capitaynship and by their ordinaunce And fortunes false mutabylitie Vnwarely depriued from all dignitie But for him selfe thus he gan prouide Went into exyle not fer from that countre In to a cytie that called was Elyde There for to haue fredom and lyberte And of hys lyfe to stand in suerte For in Athenes they wolde haue him deed Vnto their goddes to offre vp his heed But whan he was of their entent certayne To Lacedemone he toke the ryght way And by relacion there he herd sayne Howe Cathemenses were put to afraye In a batayle vpon a certayne daye Which that they held to their aduersytee Gayne Cathenoys as they fought on the see But the cause of this discomfyture As was tolde Alcibiades Was by thre captayns through misauenture Which in their leading were found recheles The chefe of them named Demosthenes The tother called the story telleth vs The tone Niceas the tother Eurilocus Alcibiades hauyng herof tiding To auenge his wrong put him selfe in prees Of Lacedemon he gothe fyrst to the kyng Which of trouth was called Agydes Beseching him to graunte to his encres Certayne soudyours out of hys countre For to werrey of Athenoys the cyte Thus he waxte stronge of noble prouydence Had great people vnder his gouernaunce And lyke a duke made strong in hys defence The people gadred to his obeysaunce That other princes that wer of hye puisaūce Gan haue enuy of wylful frowardnesse And to malygne agayne hys hyghe noblesse For selde or neuer in any regyon Prowesse of armes noblesse of chyualry Encrease of ryches report of high renoun Fame of connyng in craft or in clergy May no wher dwell without some enuy From whose malyce as folke expert may se Saue only wretches no man hath lyberte For which this prince as put is in memory Escaped nat for all his hygh parage But that some enuyed at his glory For in this life no man hath auauntage Agayne tonges nor odyous false langage To stop such venym this is the best obstacle That mē with suffraūce tempre their triacle The clere prowesse of Alcibiades Stayned the nobles of other prynces al His eure hym raised vp to so great encres To the highest trone of fortunes hall Such fatal grace is vnto hym fal That in tho dayes playnlye this is no fable There was no knight to him resemblable In his exyle so clere his renome shone And through Grece gaue as gret bryghtnes As doth a ruby aboue eche other stone Yet for to clips and shadow his worthynes Lacedemonois dyd their busynesse Such as nat myght to his nobles attayne By false report his renome to restraine Awayt was layd to take him at mischefe And many traynes wer serched out sought Of entent to put him at reprefe But al y ◠euer agayn him they haue wrought At the end the purpose came to nought For God prouideth of his magnificence Agayne such malice to saue innocence He was lykely to fal in great daungere Lacedemonois gan so at hym dysdayne Because his honour nobles shone so clere That to his fone it was a deedlye payne And thus his lyfe stode in no certayne For all be it he manly was and wyse He knew nothinge their purpose nor malyce Hee had almoste ywarned be to late And lyke to haue stand in great perplexitie And more his grace and fortune to abate By thoccasion of hys great beaute He wyth the quene was woxen full priue For in her grace so well stode there none Whiche gaue to him warnyng of his fone And by the counsayle onely of the queene Fro Lacedemon he wysely toke his flight Towarde Athenes thought he wolde sene His owne countre full lyke a manly knyght And though thei had nat gouerned thē a right Towardes hym beyng in distresse To auenge his wronge he dyd thē no duresse For he thought it was agaynst nature To be vengeable or shewe his cruelte By thoccasion of any auenture Or ginne a werre vpon his countre His natiue bloud meued him to pyte And of very naturall gentlynesse Was debonayre agayne their vnkindnesse The case was this for short conclusion How king Dary with great apparayle Thought to werrey of indignation Them of Athenes their towne tassayle And in purpose proudely to preuayle Thessifernes a prince of great puissaunce Of Daries power had al the gouernaunce Final cause and grounde of all this werre That Darius gan on them so hastelye And that he sent his puissaunce from so ferre For to destroy Athenes vtterly Was to holde vp and sustayne the party Of Lacedomone whiche of olde hatrede Were euer enuyous thē to oppresse in dede But by meane of Alcibiades And his treatie founded on prudence Thessifernes enclined to the pees Therby in party to appease his violence And all was done of noble prouidence And fro the place to which he was exiled He to Athenes shoulde be reconciled Vnto the citie he dyd signify How Darius had made his ordinaunce And by his letters he
Vnder that darked and cloudy Orizonte Where auarice chose whylom nygardshyp For treasorer his cofers for to kepe First to declare the labour in gatheryng Of couetous men as it is in dede And couÌ„terpayse how their streight kepyng Is euer meynt with importable drede Sorow at departyng for their mortall mede Which may be called of trouth and equitie Of Cerberus the wakers heades three The fyrst head is vnstauncheable desyre Of worldly goodes great riches to attayne The more encrece the hotter is the fyre The seconde heade is the dredefull payne Which in kepyng his hart doth constrayne Vnware departyng that sodaynely doth fall Is the third head that greueth most of all This wakyr worme y t bereth this heads thre Is called the worme of gredy couetyse Whose busy coÌ„straynt restles perplexite Troubleth the soule in full furious wise Whiche froward monster playnly to deuyse Braydeth on Hidra of whome poetes sayne One head cut of there groweth thre agayne Euer at the tayle of plenty and ryches Of custome foloweth grutchyng and enuy For he that hath of treasure great michnes Is selde glad as for his party Thus bothe twayne stande in ieopardye The ryche w t plenty holde him not appayed And the neady wyth pouert is afrayed And yet in pouert is full great sykernes Which is treasour that no man wyll assayle As myne auctour Bochas beareth witnesse Amiclates amonge the porayle Lyued in peace sure from all battayle Helde hym content w t suche as God him sent Whan riche wer armed to the werre went Vertuous pouert standeth euer in siker case To watche his house he hath full lytle nede But proude Pompey assieged in Duras For feare of Iulius stode in great drede But people rude herof take none hede Suche as reioyse them for to shede blode In straunge werres wrongly to get goode Stories olde ful well reherce conne Diuers studies of folke here mortall First how Diogenes was coÌ„tent in his tonne In which he made his lodgyng principall And saw the course aboue celestiall Lyued gladder amonge philosophers Than kyng Cresus w t all hys stuffed cofers And yf men woulde vnto mynde call The great mischeues folowyng i habuÌ„dauÌ„ce And thinke also how Sardanapall For all his treasour came vnto mischaunce And how Sophoclius poorest in substaunce Had but a gardayne full of lekes grene And right nought els hym selfe to sustene This Philosopher was euer gladde lyght There was no watche made in hys tours Full surely slepte he al the longe nyght Hauyng no drede of theues ne robbours In somer walkyng among the grene flours And in colde wynter full merely and ofte On drie strawe he lay and slept full softe Cyntinatus a poore laborere Feyed dichesse to get hys sustenaunce without grutchyng euer glad of chere Bothe in porte and in his countenaunce Dempt he had as muche suffisaunce To his pleasaunce as Cresus kyng of Lyde Content with lytle nature was hys gyde Thys poore man in hys pouert assured With lytle fode and clothes but a fewe Had heartes ease gladsome peace recured It lyked hym nat ouer his head to hewe Which thing conceyued clerly doth vs shewe That ioyous pouert conueyed w t gladnesse Grutching auoyded surmounteth al richesse And if that folke consider a ryght Their pitous sighes theyr thoughtfull busynesse Theyr great labour theyr lytle slepe a nyght Which they endure for worldly rychesse And of y â— abydyng the dredefull sykernesse Which thing peysed and called to memory All erthly power is double and transitory And by storyes whiche ben credible Topreue theyr power is nat abydyng But at a poynt slydyng and fallible Whylom Massinissa of Numidy kyng That was so mighty by recorde of writyng For feare of Siphax onely hys lyfe to saue Flede into mountaynes hid hym in a caue And there he founde ful smale vitayle Constrayned narowe of indigence and nede WhaÌ„ other deyntes in mischese gan him fayle He gadred rotes and eate them in his drede Eke proude Xerses kynge of Perce Mede DraÌ„ke blod water to stauÌ„che w t his thrust Drede and trauayle gaue hym suche lust Yet some men would saye of auenture They were compelled agayne theyr voluÌ„te These kynges twayne suche mischefe teÌ„dure Maugre theyr wyll of necessite For casuall chaunce refte them theyr liberte So that the rygour of thys sodayne rage Came in by constraynt and of no courage But for all that folke in theyr pouerte On great meates that them selfe fede Ben all strong whole and fayre to see And also lusty preued at a nede Vpright of limmes theyr iourneys to spede As long lyfed the cause to expresse Is onely thys they do not vse excesse To poore men the best medicine Is due labour with moderate abstinence Good ayre in feldes wher Phebus lust shine Voydinge darke mistes y â— causeth pestylence Of heuy stomake they fele no violence They nat enriche leches nor potyquares Them selfe to saue with vncouth lectuares But folkes ryche worken the contrary Which in them causeth maladies stronge Fro theyr diete euery day they varye With diuers meates theyr syttyng longe â–ª And with all this theyr apetites wronge Take out of time which thei mai nat endure Which by custome oppresseth nature And thus myne auctour shortly to deuyse Seeth glad pouert staÌ„deth most in sekernes And of all euyl he seeth how couetyse Is rote and ground with false extort riches Ryot annexed engendryng long sicknes Theron concludyng how moderate diete Setteth body and soule in rest and in quiete The .xxiii. Chapter ⧠Howe Euagora kynge of Cypre was by Artaxerses outrayed and put from hys kyngdome FOlowingi order y â— processe of Bochas As he remembreth next in his writyng To him appered rehersed thus y â— caas Euagora that was of Cypre kyng Hys eyen derked by manyfolde wriyng Bycause he had lost that riche lande Which he tofore had coÌ„quered w t his hande This lande of Cypre as made is mencion Of diuers metals is passyngly habounde Hath of ryches great plenty and foyson And of this citie lyke as it is founde It staÌ„deth farre south w t many hilles rounde And hath also many commodities Within the boundes of townes and cities Touchyng this Cypre I can no more say Of whiche lande Euagora was kyng Tyll he gan proudly for to warrey With Lacedemons their partie susteynyng Gayne Artaxerses and at their metyng The sayd Euagora was brought to vttrauÌ„ce Put fro his kingdome fro al gouernaunce The .xxiiii. Chapter ¶ Howe Theo kynge of Egypt by Artaxerses was driuen from hys kyngdome and fledde into Araby NExt Euagora came kyng Theo Of all Egipt longe tyme possessour And to John Bochas gaÌ„ declare his wo How fortune dyd her frowarde labour And fro hym drewe her frendshyp fauour And sodainly through her iniquite She cast this kynge downe fro his royall see She lyst her malyce from hym nat differre Ne would not suffer hym for to lyue in peâ—s But caused hym for to begynne a
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
Gentle bloude of his royall nature Is euer enclyned to mercy and pite Where of custome these vyllains do their cure By their vsurped and extort false poste To be vengeable by mortall cruelte Through hasty fumes of furious courage Folowyng the tetches of their vyle lynage O mighty prynces your nobles do assure Your passions rest with tranquilitie Se how there is no meane of measure Where a tyrant catcheth the souerayntie Let Agathocles your worldly myrrour be To eschue the traces of hys froward passage As royall bloude requyreth of your lynage The .xvi. Chapiter ☞ Howe Cassander slewe the wyfe of Alexander and Hercules her sonne and how Antipater slew his mother of other murders THE greate mischiefe of Fortunes myght The wofull falles fr◠her whele in dede Of prynces pryncesses who so loke aright Ben lamentable and doleful for to rede But for all that Bochas dothe procede In his rehearsayl remēbryng thus him selue To him appeared of men and women twelue After the death of kyng Agathocles There cāe tofore him worthy quenes twain The first of them was called Bersanes And of her mischefe gan to him complayne Wife of Alexander the story lyst not fayne The mighty kyng greatest vnder sonne Whiche by conquest all this world hath won Wife to Alexander was this Barsanes By his lyue as made is mencion Whiche with her sonne named Hercules Wereby Cassander brought to destruction And of her death thys was the occasion Cassander dradde y ◠Bersanes the quene Woulde with her sonne on him auenged bene For his treasons whiche he tofore wrought On Alexander and on hys lynage And specially if that she were brought To Macedone for her auauntage Wyth her sonne that was but yonge of age Cassander thought and drede as I haue told They wold auenge his tresōs wrought of old He cast afore of malice causeles This Cassander most falsely workyng That if this knyght this yonge Hercules Son of Alexander by recorde of wrytyng In Maredone were take and crowned kyng How that he woulde of equitie and ryght His fathers death auenge lyke a knyght Whiche thing to eschue Cassāder gan prouide And by false fraude was not retchles But on a day he list not longe abide Slew first the quene this sayd Bersanes And than her sonne ycalled Hercules Thus by Cassander of murder crop and rote They murdred wer there was nonother bete This crueltie myght not suffice Vnto Alexander by recorde of scripture But lyke a tyrant in vengeable wise He did them bury by froward auenture Where no man should know their sepulture And thus alas whiche pity is to rede He murdred foure out of one kynrede To Alexander he ministred the poyson Slewe the quene called Olympiades And of hatred by full false treason As I haue tolde he slew quene Bersanes Wife to Alexander mother to Hercules Whiche in his youthe by Bochas rehearsyng In Macedoyne was like to haue be kyng After all this he could not liue in pees But euer ready some treason for to do Slewe eke the quene called Roxanes Vpon a day and her yonge sonne to And she was wyfe to Alexander also Cassander dreadyng in his opinion Lest they would venge thē vpon his treason Thus euer he liued in murder sorow strife By way of fraude came all his encrees And as I finde how he had a wife And she was called Thessalonices And this story remembreth doubtles A sonne they had borne atwene them twayne To stea his mother which after did his paine Shortly to passe mine auctor writeth nono-ther Antipater was her sonnes name And bicause that she loued his brother Better then him he to his great defame Cōpassed her death the story sayth the same Notwithstandyng to appese his crueltee She asked mercy knelyng on her knee Her breastes open white and soft as silke All bedewed with teares her vysage Requyred mekely at reuerence of the milke With whiche he was fostred in yong age For to haue mercy and to appease his rage And to accept goodly her prayere To saue the life of his mother dere But all for nought he heard her neuer adele He was to her surmountyng all measure Like his father bengeable and cruell I trowe it was youe him of nature For by recorde of kynde and eke scripture Selde or neuer no braunche that is goode Spryngeth of custome out of cruel bloude Of her death cause there was none other That Antipater slough his mother dere But for she loued Alexander his brother Better than him the cronicle doth vs lere Whiche Alexander if ye lyst to here Had in his succour I finde by writyng Demetrius that was of Asye kyng Thessalonices was in this while dead By Antipater he most infortunate Bathed in her bloud her sides wer made red Without compassion of her hye estate And her two sonnes liuyng at debate Til Lisymachus y t prefect was of Trace Them reconsyled eche to others grace Whan Demetrius knew of their accorde God wot the sothe he nothing was fayne But by his fraude the story beareth record That Alexander maliciously was slayne This while Antipater stādyng in no certayne Tyll he by sleyght of Lisymachus Was murdred after the story telleth thus To write the proces and the maner hough That Lisymachus by fraudulent workyng His sonne in lawe Antipater thus slough False couetise was cause of all this thing And Demetrius toke on him to be kyng Of Macedone remembred tyme and date Whan both brethren were passed into fate Duryng this murder all this mortal strife In this proces like as it is founde Of Antipater Erudice the wyfe Daughter of Elenchus was in chains boūde Cast in pryson darke hydous and profound And for a whyle I leaue her there soiourne And to Demetrius I wyll agayne returne Which made him selfe to be crowned kyng Of Macedone through his great puissaunce But to destroy his purpose in workyng There were thre princes notable in substaūce Confederate and of allyaunce Echone assented for short conclusion To bryng Demetrius to destruction One the first was worthy Tholome Kyng of Egypt in armes full famous Other twayne the story ye may se Called Seleuchus and next Lisymachus And of Cypre came the kyng Pyrrhus Lorde of Prouynce as it is eke founde They made thē strong Demetrius to cōfoūd Shortly to tell with their apparayls Of Macedoue they did him fyrst depryue Game vpon hym with four strong battayles That he was neuer so ouerset in his lyue Take of Lisymachus the story doth discryue Cheyned in pryson of his life in dout For I not finde that euer he issued out ☞ The .xvii. chapter ¶ Of the two prefectes Perdicas and Amintas NExt in order Perdicas did appere Whilom prefect of great Babilon And w t him came Amintas eke yfere An other prefect as made is mencion Whiche Bactry had in his subiection A great prouince youe him by iudgement Midde of Alia towarde the occident These sayd twayne for their worthines And for
all Inde conquered in substaunce Atwene him and king Lisymachus Of whom tofore is made remembraunce Began a warre and a great distaunce And as they met with their apparayles In a great felde ordeyned their battayles On Lisymachus fyll the disconfiture Wherof Seleuchus glad in especiall Dempt his winnyng came not of nature But by influence very celestiall Gan waxe proude in his estate royall Not supposing in his victorious stall Of his mischeues that should after fall For as the processe declareth vnto vs How of Egypt the great Tholome Brother in lawe to Lysimachus Fyll on Seleuchus by full great cruelte Slew him at mischefe the story ye may se Loste his lyfe as made is mencion In Macedoyne the mighty region And it is know of antiquitee By rehearsayle of the olde auctours That this foresayd great Tholome Was to Alexander one of the enheritours Kyng of Egypt there raignyng in his flours After whose name descedyng downe by grees Were all the kinges called Tholomees As I fynde touchyng his lynage By procreacion he had children thre The first of them to speake in playne langage I named was Ceraunius Tholome Next Philadelphus a daughter Arcynoe That wedded was by her faders coÌ„sentyng To Lisymachus of Macedon kyng The .xx. Chapter ⧠Howe the two sonnes of Quene Arcynoe were by their mothers brother trayterouslye slayne and she exyled ANd thus remembred in bokes olde Death of Seleuchus wrought by Tholome Vnwarely slayne tofore as I haue tolde Next in order came Arcynoe To John Bochas by great aduersite All with teares bedewed her vysage And gan coÌ„playne the coÌ„straynt of her rage This mighty quene the sayd Arcynoe Had sonnes twaine full famous of renoun The tone Lisymachus excelling of beautye That other Philip as made is mencion And her ioye and dilectation In worldly blisse there is no more to sayne Was holy set vpon these children twayne For by the occasion of their great fayrenes Men delited greatly them to se Namely women the story dothe expresse And their mother this quene Arcynoe Stode in great hope that they should be Mighty kynges by iust succession In Macedony the mighty region Onely by the title of their fathers ryght Whiche to her hart gaue full great gladnes For she dempt that none other wight To succede should haue no entresse But Fortune the blynde false goddesse Disposed so for her children twayne That none of theÌ„ their purpose shold attayne For whaÌ„ their father Lisimachus was slaine The sayd quene called Arcinoe To saue her lyfe coulde none other gayne But with her sonnes fearfully to fle Into Cassander a mighty stronge citee Onely for drede of one Antigonus Whiche theÌ„ pursued the story telleth thus But the brother of quene Arcynoe Called Ceraunius rescued her party Agayne Antygonus ye may the story se Yet in his hart he had great enuy Albe that they were nere of one alye That her two sonnes should kynges â—e Of Macedoyne and raygne in that countre For he was set onely of couetise To be crowned in Macedoyne kyng And of his false treason the story doth deuise Them to disâ—â—yue this was his workyng First to the quene full humbly knelyng He made promise vnder great surete In Macedoyne she should crowned be And her children so fayre of their vysage Should be kept vnder gouernaunce Vnto time that they came to age And for to put her in more assuraunce Ceraunius swore god geue him sory chaunce He purposed for all his false workyng To crowne her quene make her soÌ„nes king Toke all the gods therunto witnes And swore agayne with a plaine vysage Vnto the quene of fraude and doublenes His purpose was to haue her in mariage Crowne her quene to her great aduauntage Thus he swore all be he was her brother Yet in hart god wot he thought another Vnder colour of this assuraunce She let him enter Cassandre the cite Came again him to do him more pleasaunce With all her lordes of hye and lowe degre Made the stretes hanged for to be With clothes of golde in solemne wise To all their goddes she did sacrifise And thus he was receyued solemnely The day was halowed and holde feastiual The quene for ioye ordeyned rychely Her two sonnes that were so faire in all To be crowned with crownes full royall Go afore her in the maister strete Gloriously their vncle for to mete With felonous hart vnder a frendly face This Ceraunius rote of all treason Gan his cosyns benâ—igly embrace Him purposyng by false collusion To procede to their destruction And fynally fyrst he did his payne The quene texyle slea her chyldren twayne But or this treason was brought to a prefe Whan the quene apperceiued his falsenes And saw her sonnes brought to mischefe She coniured him 〈◊〉 her mortall distresse To haue pitie of naturall gentilnes Spare his cosins afore him where they stode Of royall mercy so nere borne of his bloud And with a crye paâ—yng 〈…〉 She fyl afore him â—wownyng 〈◊〉 ground Like as she had be 〈◊〉 culpable Seing her sonnes bleadyng w t many wouÌ„de But all for nought there was no mercy fouÌ„d For with their bloud this story is not fayned Her garment was dolefully distayned Her face fayre was foyled with ordure Her golden heere was all to torne rent And like a thrall this wofull creature With mortall wepyng had her sight blent And after that I fynde how she was sent To bury her children for there was no space Into an yle called Samothrace Is any story whiche maketh mencion That a pryncesse of so hye degre Founde so great cause of lamentacion She beyng daughter to great Tholome Her children slayne by vengeable crueltie And to beholde the death most dolorous Of her husbande called Lisymachus â–ª She after banished in exyle made her ende w t sorowful coÌ„playnt her life thus draw aloÌ„g Tyll into fate her spirite did wende It is no drede her paynes were full stronge And if I shoulde rehearce all the wronge That she suffred it woulde greue me to sore Therfore of her now I write no more ¶ Lenuoy THis tragedy sheweth an apparence And a lykenesse of faythfull assuraunce Excyte men to yeue false credence Vnto fortunes false variaunce Which cast her baytes angles of pleasaunce An hoke hid vnder of vengeable crueltie As this chapiter put in remembraunce Of Lisymachus and of Arcynoe Is there any greater euidence Of worldly trouble or worldly constaunce Than to se prynces from their magnificence And from their mighty royall puissaunce Vnwarely brought by fortune to mischauÌ„ce And ouerwhelmed from their tranquilitie Se here a myrror full notable in substaunce Of Lisymachus and quene Arcynoe The ryng the anker of great excellence yeâ—â— to Seleuchus for marciall suffisaunce Whan Appâ—â—â— by heauenly influence Lyst with his mother make his alyaunce Sent hiÌ„ these relikes of singuler acquaintaÌ„ce To set his manhode in more surete But in al such quaueryng acquayntauÌ„ce Thinke on Lisimachus and Arcinoe The vncouth
heuen Playne with the erth the walles broke doun The people slayne mercilesse yonge and olde And there was made a great diuysion Some led in seruage some of thē were solde Ymages of coper of syluer and of golde Where sodaynely in all that violence Togyther molte so hote was the feruence Of whych metall thus after it is fal Golde syluer and coper medled in to one Coper of Corinthe men dyd it call Through al the world of custome euerychon ▪ Fame of whych metal is so ferre gone That the vessels forged of the same Corinthoyse called is the name After Corinth was thus brent to nought A prince called Philyp Phylermene To Bochas hath his cōplaynte brought In whose face and chere it was well sene The wofull constraynt of his mortall tene And he was whylome Bochas doth specify Lorde of a citye called Vallaquy Marcus Actilius toke hym prisonere Brought him to Rome lyst hym not respite Next to Bochas with an heuy chere Appered a knyght called Democrite Of Etholys myne auctour doth so wryte He was chefe lorde but he and his countre Translated were vnto Rome the citye Thys Duke was cast chayned in prison Escaped ones in story as I fynde Take agayne throwe in a derke dungeon There for soro we went out of hys mynde Slewe him selfe at mischefe agayne kynde Lo howe these princes proude recheles Haue shameful ende that can not liue in pees The .xv. Chapiter ⧠Nowe greate Antiochus vsynge ryot and vycious lyuynge by Marcus Actilius was outrayed and dyed sodaynly TOuchynge the storye in order here folowynge Of Seleuchus great Antiochus Of his mother Leodices and the kyng With other tokens sygnes merueylous And how also the same Seleuchus Had in his thygh as wryten is toforne Prynt of an anker y ◠day whā he was borne And al the chyldren by succession Had by dyscent borne of his linage Print of an anker as made is mencion In the fourth booke with al the surplusage Of other tokens ther tolde in plaine lāgage And of the sayde same Seleuchus Came by discent the sayde Antiochus Whose herte was set of hye couetise To folow his lustes and dilectacions And specially he cast gan and deuise To wynne in Grece diuers regions And of the people he caught occasions By their fauour to conquere their countre And rebel agayne Rome the cite With multitude and great apparaile He gate in Grece castels and eke touns Longing to Rome conquered by battayle Toke vpon hym in his presumpcions Falsly to folowe the inclynacions Of hys birthe while he dyd abyde In a citie that called was Talcide For cause of slouth he lefte his chyualry Forsoke Mars and toke hym to Cupyde Restyng the wynter he spent in lechery In watche ryot chase Venus to his gyde Sensualitie made reason stande asyde And by these meanes for shorte conclusion He was conueyed to his dystruction And whan y ◠winter with his frostes colde Passed was and al his stormes kene In ryote spent and wasted as I tolde And Veer came in wyth his newe grene And freshe Flora which is of flours quene Of custome gynneth her motles out dresse In whych season as auctours all expresse Kinges princes with marcial apparayle Time whan Phebus in the ram doth shyne They them dispose to go out to battayle For exercyse of marciall disciplyne And downe from Rome expert in y ◠doctryne Dyscended is Marcus Actylius Agayne thys vicious proude Antiochus This noble Marke proued in armes wele Which in his tyme was so good a knight With al his host armed in bryght stele Agayne Antiochus came to the felde right Vpon a morowe whan Phebus shone bryght Set his wardes by captaines y ◠he chees Vpon a hil Called Thermophyles Antiochus vpon that other syde Whom glotony and ryot dyd oppresse And dronken Bachus wyth hym dyd abyde w t Morpheus wyfe of slōber chefe goddesse Which caused him thorugh slouthe ydelnesse That prouidence out of his court was gone Causyng y ◠day the slaughter of many one Whā the Consul Marcus y ◠worthy knyghte His aduersaries proudly gan assaile They vnpuruayed toke thē to the flyght Disarayed they might not auayle Thus Antiochus fled out of battayle For againe Romaynes he myght not endure Therfore on hym fyl the discomfiture Thus rebuked fled to Ephesie Ferre in Grece there to dwell he chees Sent to Romains a great ambassadrye With the saide Marcus for to treat of pees But in this ambassed this is very doutles Whan they attained of Marcus the presēce They were refused and had no audience Of which Antiochus greatly was ashamed Cast againe Rome of hate and enmyte To rayse a power hath of newe attamed To gather shyppes make a great arme Gynne a werre agayne them on the see Hauynge an hope vnder a cowardedrede Better on the water thā on the lande to spede Made hys shyppes be stuffed wyth vytayle And hys captaynes hath the lande forsake But whan y ◠Romayns of newe gan hi assaile Hys shippes brent al hys stuffe was take And as mine auctor cōpēdiously doth make Thus on the see the Romains werraying He was outraied the storye wytnessyng Yet efte agayne to hys confusyon Vpon the lande he gan make hym stronge Met wyth Cornely called Scipion With waynes cartes made for y ◠wer strōg Shod wyth yron sharpe sithes set amonge In trauers wise by great ordinaunce But for all y ◠he was brought to mischaunce With Oliphaūtes Castels on their backe That daye was slaine many worthy knyght Vpon his host so cruel was the wracke That he constrayned toke hym to the flyghte Forsoke the coūtre fled out of mennes syght To the Romayns he coude it not delaye Eche yere constrayned a tribute for to pay But he of fraude because of his tribute For couetyse fained sore pouerte Gathered robbours and by false pursute Oppressed Marchauntes spoyled the coūtre Robbed temples of hateful cruelte And fro Jupiter called Dodanon Toke al the relikes the story telleth con Dyd sacrileg◠and entred in that close Without reuerence or any obseruaunce For whych the temple agayne him rose And as it is put in remembraunce By the goddes there fil a great vengean̄ce Vpon this tyraunt quakyng in his drede All sodenly he fyl to ground dede ¶ Lenuoye THis tragedy of Antiochus Who lyst in ordre his froward story se First to all vertue he was contrarious And rebell euer to Rome the cite Justly accused of vicious thinges thre Of pride slouth and of glotony And of disordinate superfluyte Of nyght excesse ryot and lechery On him the Romains were victorious Twyse on the land ones on the see He was not hardy but malicious In euery battayle his custome was to flee Ther vices reigne there may no grace be To al surfettes his lust he dyd apply Noysed disclaūdred through his coūtre Of nyght excesse ryot and lechery Amonge his lieges wode and dispytous And for a
cowarde knowe in y ◠felde was he The pore toppresse a wolfe most furious And by disceite a foxe for subtilte No man more froward of hie nor low degre Nor more deliting in falshed nor flatery What was his ende◠a sodain deth parde For his outrages of pride and lechery Noble Princes of prudence full famous In al your greatest roial maieste Remembre playnly if ye be vertuous Ye shall perseuer in longe prosperite Where the contrary causeth aduersite As this story afore doth specifye Of Antiochus cast from his dignite For this great pride riot and lecherye ☞ The .xvi. Chap. How Jeronimus kig of Ciracuse was slayn how Scipio Affrican y t laboured for cōmon wele of Romains was exiled by them and so dyed After the deth of thys Antiochus Ther came a price to Bocas cōplaining Which that was called Jeronimus Of Cyracuse whylom lorde and kyng Whych of his lieges he nothing trespasing Slayne was wyth his thre susters dere Of hatred myne auctour wryteth here Ciracusanes had a condicion Through chaūges newe aye to be vnstable Of wilful malice voyde of al reason On their kinges for to be vengeable They loued not to haue them perdurable But euery yere of custome this is trewe Them to gouerne to haue a prince newe And for their chaūges their vncouth striues Wyth variaunce of their condycions Because no frute is founde in their liues Nor in their stories nor in their successions I wyl passe duer and speke of Scipions And first to write of the worthy man Called in his tyme Scipio Affrican A famous knight in al nacions For his conquest shortly to conclude Which had brought full many regions More by wysdome than by multitude To obey the Romayns but for ingratitude Whych that he fonde in them as I rede How he wrought to tel I wyll procede It is remembred of his worthynes While that he was flouring in yonge age How Rome was made lady maystresse Of many a lande to their auauntage And specially all Affrike Cartage By hys prowesse as made is mencion Were brought of Romayas vnder subiection But they againeward were to him vnkynde By accusacions fonde out by their falsenesse Sayd agayne hym as it is put in mynde By recorde of many a false wytnesse That he should haue imbezeled the rychesse Of Cartage and Affrike the countre Whych appertayned to Rome the cyte But againeward this noble Affrican Proudly gaue answere to his accusours He neuer wythhelde fro tyme y t he began Toward him selfe no parte of theyr tresours Saue as the manere is of conquerours For to conserue hys worshyp his name As most was profit to the townes fame This is to meane playnly and not tary He neuer accroched treasour nere nor ferre Towarde hym selfe but that was necessary For their worshyp to mayntayne theyr wer And yet that tyme he was their lode sterre To encrease their boūdes fully his delite Was al hole set to the cōmon profyte He toke none hede of all the surplusage Of their treasours nor their great rychesse The name reserued of Affrike Cartage To hys knyghthod and his hye noblesse But their malicious expert vnkyndnesse Was in cause breuely to compyle Hys body fro them perpetually to exyle Cast him neuer wythin Rome toun After that daye amonge them to be seyne Vnkyndenesse gaue hym occacion To absent his person of hye dysdayne To exyle hym selfe neuer to come agayne But for to abyde in a smal vyllage Called Lynterne whan he was fal in age And for men should mynde on hym haue By a maner of indignacion An Epitaphie he set vpon hys graue Which saide thus to them of Rome toun O people vnkynde vnkynde agayne reason My funeral ashes nor my bones dede In thy walles thou shalt neuer possede In thyne vnkynde frowarde teritory My bones shall not rest nor abyde But thyne vnkyndnesse to put in memory To remembraunce shal be red full wyde Of these letters graue on euery syde By report onely of this small scripture Whych here is set vpon my sepuiture Lo here the cause by brefe dyscripcion Set on my graue for a memoriall Why that my bones out of Rome toun Be buried here lowe vnder thys wall In exile holde my feast funerall Vnkyndnesse me droue out of that cyte That wrought so much for the cōmonte ¶ The .xvii. Chapter ¶ Howe Scipio Asian lorde of Asye that laboured euer for the cōmon wele was murdred AFter the ende of thys Affrican Called i his time worthy Scipion Came next his brother Scipio Asyan Which in Asie had dominacion Gayne whom was made an accusacion To al the Senate that he vntruly shold Certayne tresours towarde hym selfe w t hold Whych that he in Asie had wonne In hys conquest by many strong battayle Which accusacion falsly was begonne Of olde enuy causlesse thys is no fayle Whose worthynesse full muche dyd auayle To comon profyt by these two conquerours By great ritchesse encreasyng their tresours The tone in Affrik as ye haue hard me tell By hys wysdome and his chinalry That other in Asia whych dyd excell In hye prowesse as bokes specifye Flalsly hyndred of hatred and enuy By compassyng of one Antiochus Hym to distroy he was so desirous Not withstāding these twayne Scipions Had in their tyme by manifolde battayls Brought vnto Rome so many regions To obey their citie w t marcial apparayls And euer more to their great auails Brought in tresours to encreace w t their toun Yet haue they wrought to their distruccion The tone in exyle as made is mencion Dyed alas whan that he was olde The seconde was murdred in prison Their boeth storyes remembred here tolde To yeue example to princes manyfolde That who that laboureth for a comonte Leseth oft his thāke by Scipions ye may se. ☞ The .xviii. chapter ¶ How the Duke Philopomenes was take put in prison after dranke poison and so dyed AFter the processe of these two Scipions Twene two peoples wylfull and recheles Began in Grece newe discencions Twene Acheoys and Etholois doutles And a great Duke Philopomenes A Prince y ◠tyme of full great puissaunce Had of Messenois holy the gouernaunce This sayde Prince Philopomenes Leadyng his host vpon a ful fayre playne As he rode armed and put him selfe in prees Myd his people as gouernour wardaine Folke out of rule for to call agayne Vpon his stede as he gan them fette In due ordre his wardes for to set And this Prynce of port most marcial In the pursute which that he gan make Amonge his enemies he had a sodaine fall Voyde of al rescue vnwarely he was take Of al his frendes lyke a man forsake Amonge his enemies brought vnto prison There made an ende by drinkynge of poyson Of Philopomenes this was the fatal caas Out of gouernance his people disolate Except a captaine called Ligorias Whych in the werres was wonder fortunate Of Acheoys toke on him the state Them to gouerne and
or rede Of this forsayde manly Hanyball My penne quoke my herte I felt blede For to beholde the wofull pytous fall Of hym that was the defensable wall Of Cartage the myghty strong toun Which slewe him selfe by drinkyng of poyson It was to him he thought more manhede To sle him selfe by vengeaunce most mortal Than his enemies by constraynt should hym lede In chaynes bounde he to be thrall So great dispite he had of them at all That leuer he had than byde in theyr pryson To murder him selfe by drynkyng of poyson As me semeth in thys horrible dede He resembled the furies infernall Of cruel Pluto I trowe he toke his mede Voyde of all reason became bestiall It whose terrible feast funerall Goddesse Proserpina came w t Manes doun The same tyme whan he dranke poyson Noble prynces consider and take hede Leauyng the surplus hys dedes marcyall Knyghtly remembre haue in herte hatrede Of his enpoysonyng in especiall Abhominable to god and man withall That a prynce so famous of renoun Shoulde murder him selfe by drinking of poyson The .xxi. Chapter ☞ Howe Prusias kyng of Bithinye that betrayed Hanybal woulde haue disherited his sonne and heyre went a beggyng in straunge landes FOlowyng in order there came to Bochas Of Bithinye the great myghty kyng Whiche in his tyme was called Prusias Greatly sclaundred and noysed of one thyng That he was false and double in workyng Agayne the noblesse of his estate royall Because that he betrayshed Hanyball This diffaute derked the bryghtnesse Of hys fame and his knyghtly renoun And eclipsed hys passed olde prowesse By reporte in many a region Alas that euer the condition Of doublenesse by falsenesse or faynyng Shoulde be founde and namely in a kyng Of this Prusias further to procede Which agayne Hanyball wrought thys treason A sonne he had called Nychomede Borne to be heyre by iust succession But hys father by false collusion Purposed hym for he was yonge of age To put hym out of hys heritage In this matter ther grewe vp a great stryfe By Prusias agayne thys Nychomede Cause that he by hys seconde wyfe Had a yonge sonne in bokes thus I rede Whome he purposed to preferre in dede For whyche he caste by shorte conclusion Of Nychomede the destruction And for tacomplyshe this frowarde falsematere By full great delyberation Kyng Prusyas gan shew heuy chere Gayne Nychomede sekyng occasion To depriue hym of possession After hys dayes by subtell false workyng In Betheny he shal nat reygne as kyng The people seynge thys great iniquite Wrought by the king gayne good conscience Through all the lande of hye and lowe degre To Nychomede all of one sentence Gaue theyr good wyll theyr beneuolence For euery lorde and euery great baron Stode whole w t him through all the region Thus by iust tytle he was crowned kyng Prusias for shame and heuynesse In straunge countreys lyued by beggyng All desolate cryed for almesse Loe here the ende of treason and falsnesse Left at mischefe myne auctour sayth y ◠same Of pouerte forsoke hys owne name Se here two thynges take ryght good hede Of Prusias the vnware sodain mischaunce The disherytyng done to Nychomede After folowyng on him the great vengeaūce As the story putteth in remembraunce For treason done odyble and mortall Agayne the foresayde famous Hanyball The .xxii. Chapter ⧠Howe Perses of Macedone kynge that enpoisoned his brother was by Emilyus outrayed and died in pryson BEspreynt with teares pitouslye wepyng As Bochas sate in hys studye alone Next came Perses of Macedone kyng And mortally he gan sygh and grone And furiously for to make hys mone That he was whylom of so great renoun Constrayned after to dye in pryson This sayd Perses of nature was frowarde Yuyll disposed eke of hys condicion Though he of byrth was but a bastarde He compassed by false collusion After hys father to haue possession As myne auctour remembreth by writyng Of Macedone to be crowned kyng His father Philip the story telleth thus Had a sonne whiche was yonge of age Wyse and redy called Demetrius Borne and begot trewly in mariage But Perses cast by furious outrage Hym to destroy and murdre by poyson He of that kyngdome to haue possession Falsely compassed to hys auauntage In his entent Demetrius to depriue Of Macedone whiche was his heritage And thervpon he letters gan contriue To preue him traytour while he was alyue Wherof kyng Philip greatly was anoyed That he and Perses should be distroyed By Demetrius that thought no domage Ment no harme in hys opinion Yet his father suspicious of corage For Perses gaue hym false information Made him be slayne by drinkyng of poyson Vpon a daye a thyng abhominable Sittyng at meate at his fathers table King Philip after when he knew the trouth Had of his dethe great compassion But all to late and that was great routh Whiche caused after hys owne destruction For sorowe dyed and of presumption Perses after falsly vsurpyng In Macedone was crowned for the kyng With diuers countreys made his alyaunce In Grece Trace gate frendes nere ferre And of pride and wylfull gouernaunce Cast with Romayns for to holde werre Vngrace and youth made him for to erre Tyll a Consul sent fro Rome toun Brought thys Perses vnto distruction Called Emilius was thys Consulere Sent again Perses to haue a great batayle Seynge his doughter heuy of her chere When he went out hys enemies to assayle Made vnto her this vncouth apposayle Why wepe ye so what thyng doth you agreue At my departyng takynge of meleue Father quod she and ye take good hede A whelpe I had that dyd great pleasaunce Called Perses the which right now is dede And this chefe cause is only of my greuaūce Her father than gan chaunge countenaunce This is a token to myne encreace of glory That I of Perses shall haue the victory In Macedone he and Perses mette And quit hym there lyke a manly knyght Cōquered the lande none might him withlet And manly put Perses to the flyght After to Trace he toke the way ryght Of whiche conquest short processe to make With his two sonnes Perses was ther take Emilius after thys victory Asketh the triumphe to hys guerdon And as it is remembred in hys story Perses foloweth his chayre throughe Rome toun Condempned after to dye in pryson The whiche dethe he dyd well deserue For he by poyson made hys brother sterue Thus can fortune erly and eke late Downe from her whele and hye stage Of proude prynces the surquedy abate Whan to her lust she seeth moste auauntage She frowardly gan tourne her vysage And sodaynly the estate of them consume Aboue their office that wrongly lyst presume Amonges whiche a kyng of Israell Agayne the precept and lawe of Moyses Called Ozias the byble can well tell Of presumption wylfull and recheles To sacrifice put hym selfe in prees Lyke a byshop in the temple arayed But or he passed greatly he was affrayed
with wynde afore the son bright Yet in effect it leseth nat his light So Bochas dempte that his dul writing Eclypsed nat of Tullius the shining With rude langage a man may well reporte The laude of triūphs cōquestes maruelus Which thing remembring gretly gā confort The herte of Bochas to him selfe said thus Two colours sene that be contrarious As white and blacke it may be none other Eche in his kinde she weth more for other In Phebus presens starres lese their light Clere at midday appereth nat Lucine The fame of Tulli whilom shone so bright Prince of fayre speche father of y ◠doctrine Whose bright bemes vnto this houre shine Sothly quod Bochas of whō whā I endite My hande I fele quaking while I write But for to giue folke occasion Which in rethorike haue more experience Than haue I and more inspection In the colours and crafte of eloquence Them texite to do their diligence Vnto my writing whan they may attende Of compassion my rudenesse to amende Vnto him selfe hauing this langage Bochas to write gan his pen dresse Vnder supporte afforced his corage To remembee thexcellent noblesse Of this oratour which with the swetnesse Of his ditees abrode as they haue shyned Hath this worlde moste clerely enlumined This Tullius this singuler famous man Fyrste to remembre of his natiuite Borne at Arpinas a cite of Tuscan Of blode royal discended who lyst se Grekyshe bokes of olde antiquite Made of rethorike in their vulgar song He translated in to the latin tong In tendre youth his countre he forsoke And fro Tuscan his passage he gan dresse Towarde Rome the right way he toke Entring the citie the renomed noblesse Hydde in his person she wed the brightnesse Of diuers vertues time while he abode That like the son hys fame sprede abrode For his vertues made a citezaine The good reporte of him shone so clere Like as he had be borne a romaine In their fauour his name was so entere Among them chose for a Consulere Agayne the cite time of his Consulate Whan Cateline was with them at debate By the prudence of this Tullius And his manhode rekened bothe in fere Catelina most cruel and yrous Frowarde of porte frowarde of his chere Busy euer to finde out the manere Howe he might by any token or signe Agayne the citie couertly maligne Sixe hūdred yere fourscore tolde and nine Rekened of Rome fro the foundacion This cruel tyrant this proude Cateline Made with other a coniuracion Againe franchises and fredame of the toun First discured as bokes tell can In the parties and boundes of Tuscan The purpose holy of this Cateline Imagined on false couetyse Was to bryng Rome vnto ruine And therupon in many sondry wise Found out meanes and waies gan deuise To his entent by diligent labour In the cite to gette him great fauour But finally his coniuracion Discured was by one Quincius Which was afore false vnto the toun Told at the case vnto Tullius By whose prudence working marueilus By helpe of Antony that was his felawe The coniuracion was broken and w tdrawe By wytte of Tulli all the coniuratours Espied were and brought vnto mischaunce Their names red tofore the Senatours Of their falshead tolde all the gouernaunce Manly ordained through his purueiaunce With al his people as made is mencion Catelina departed from the toun With Antony the said Cateline Besyde Pistoy had a great bataile Slaine in the felde he myght nat decline For he abode whan the felde gan fayle Power of one littel may aueile Namely whan falshed of malice of pride Againe trouth dare the bront abyde There was another called Lentulus Of his felowes that named was Fabine The third of them eke called Cetegus All assented and sworne to Cateline Strangled in prison at mischefe did fyne Cause Tullius did execucion Tulliane was called the prisone Thus coude he punishe traitors of the toun Outray their enemies of manhod prudence Called of their cite gouernour patron Sent from aboue to be their defence Their champion most digne of reuerence Chose of their goddes their cite for to gye By two prerogatiues knighthode clergy Lyke the sonne he did them enlumyne By hie prowes of knightly excellence And through the world his bemes dyd shyne Of his rethorike and of his eloquence In whiche he had so great experience By circūstaunces that nothyng did lacke He transcended Plocius and Gracke Of oratours it is put in memorye This Tullius through his hie renoun Of all echone the honour and the glorie Was giue to him as made is mencion Surmounted al and in conclusion The golden trumpe of the house of Fame Through the world blew abrode his name He knewe secretes of philosophy Came to Athens to scole for doctrine Where he profited so greatly in clergy In all sciences heuenly and diuyne That he was called as aucthors determyne Amonge Romayns of very due right Of eloquence the lanterne and the light It is remembred among oratours Howe Tullius pleted causes twayne In the romaine courte afore the Senatours The cause defending by langage souerain Of two accused againe them that did playn On their defautes them sauyng fro mischefe The court escapyng fro dangere reprefe These causes twayne he pleted in latin With so excellent flouring fayre langage With such reasons concluded at the fine That he by wysedome caught thauauntage In his maters with all the surplusage That might aueile vnto his partie What he said there coud no man denie Among Grekes at Athens the cite So great he was of reputacion So famous holde of auctorite To be compared by their opinion To the Philosopher that called was Platō To whose cradell bees dyd abrayde And hony sote they on his lyppes layde Apronostike like as bokes tell Plato should by famous excellence Of rethorike be very sours and well For his langage myrrour of eloquence Yet the Grekes recorden in sentence Howe Tullius in party and in all Was vnto Plato in rethorike egall Through his langage this said Tullius Reconciled by his sote orisons To the lordshyp and grace of Julius Princes and kinges of diuers regions That suspecte stode by accusacions Bicause they did Julius disobey Wer enclined with romains to Pompey He coude appease by his prudent langage Folkes that stode in discencion By crafte he had a speciall auauntage Fauour synguler in pronunciacion In his demenyng great prudence and reasō For the pronounsing of matters in substaūce His thanke receiueth by chere countenāce To a gladde mater longeth a gladde chere Men treat of wysdom w t wordes of sadnesse Pleintes requyre after the matere Greuous or morall a chere of heuines Lyke as the cause outher the proces Gyueth occasion to hinder or to spede The doctrine in Tullius men may rede The name of Tulli was couth in many place His eloquence in euery lande was ryfe His langage made him stand in grace And be preferred
during al his life Maried he was had a right fayre wyfe Children many seruauntes yong and olde And as I finde he helde a good houshoulde De Officiis he wrote bokes thre De Amicitia I fynde how he wrote one Of age another notable for to se Of morall vertue they treated euerychone And as Vyncent wrote full yore agone In his myrrour called Hystoriall Nombre of his bokes be there remeÌ„bred all He wrote also the dreme of Scipion Of rethorike compiled bokes twayne And twayne he wrote of diuinacion Of titell of land to write he did his paine A large boke of glorie that is vaine Dere Publica and he saith him selue Of his oracions he wrote bokes twelue And of his dities that called be morall Is remembred notably in dede In the said myrrour Historiall And yet this said Tullius as I rede Myd his worshyps stode alway in drede Of fortune for in conclusion He by enuy was banished Rome toun Beyng in exile this famous Tullius At Campania in Atiue the cite Receiued he was of one Plaucius A man that time of great authorite And while that he abode in that countre Sleping a night the boke maketh mencion How that he had a wonders vision He thought thus as he laie sleping In a desert and great wildernesse Finding no pathe but to and fro romyng Howe he mette cladde in great richesse Gaius Marius a prince of great noblesse Askyng Tulli with a sadde countenaunce What was chefe and cause of his greuaunce Whan Tullius had him the cause tolde Of his disease and his mortal wo Marius with his hande set on him holde To a â—ergiaunt assigned him right tho And in all hast bad him he should go To conuey him do his bu sy cure In all hast possyble to his sepulture Where he should haue tidinges of plesaunce Of his repeyre in to Rome towne Be alleyed of his olde greuaunce This was th ende of his auision The next morow as made is mencion There was hold to Tullius great aueile Tofore Jupiter in Rome a great counsayle Within the temple buylded by Marius The Senatours accorded were certaine To reconsile this prudent Tullius Out of his exile to call him home againe After receiued as lord and soueraine Of eloquence by assent of the Senate Fully restored vnto his fyrst estate This thinge was don whan y â— Rome toun Was at grettest strife twene Cesar PoÌ„pey And for Tullius drue him to Caton With Pompeius Cesar to warrey And of Julius the partie disobey Out of Rome Tullius dyde him hie Fledde with Pompey in to Thessalie Cesar after of his free mocion Whan he stode hiest in his glorie Hym reconsyled againe to Rome town Vpon Pompey accomplished the victorie But Julius slaine in the consistorie By sixty Senatours being of assent Tullius againe was in to exile sent And in a cite called Fariman Tullius his exile dyd endure For Antonius was to him enemy than Bycause that he percase of auenture Compiled had an inuectife scripture Agayne Antony rehersing all the caas Of his defautes and of Cleopatras Thus of enuy and of mortall haterede His deth compassed by Antonius And afterward execute in dede By procuring of one Pompilius Gate a coÌ„mission the storie telleth thus Of false malice and forthe anone went he In to Gayre of Compayne the cite And by the vertue of his commission Taking of Antony licence and liberte Chefe rethorician that euer was in the toun Among Romains to worshyp the cite Was slaine alas of hate and enmyte By Pompilius rote of all falshead Profering him selfe to smite of his head Tullius afore had be his defence Fro the galowes and his dethe eke let Which had deserued for his great offence To haue ben banged vpon an hie gybet Who saueth a thefe whan the rope is knet About his necke as olde clerkes write With some false turne y e bribour wil hi quite Lo here the vice of ingratitude By experience brought fully to a prefe Who in his hert treason doth enclude Cast for good wyl to do a man reprefe What is the guerdon for to saue a thefeâ— Whan he is escaped loke and ye shall fynde Of his nature euer to be vnkinde This Pompilius traitour most odible To shewe him selfe false cruell veÌ„geable Toward Tully did a thing horrible Whan he was dead this brâ—bour most culpable Smit of his right haÌ„d to heare abominable With which hande he lerning on him toke To write of vertues many a famous boke The hande the head of noble Tullius Which euery man of right ought complaine Were take and brought by Pompilius Vpon a stake set vp both twayne There to abide where it did shyne or rayne With wynde weder tyll they were defyed In token al fauour was to him denied ⧠The .xvi. Chapter * A chapiter againe ianglers and dyffamers of rethorike BOchas complaining in hys studye alone The death of Tulli and the wofull fall Grudging in hert made a pitous mone The folke rebuking in especiall Which of nature be boystous and rurall And hardy ben for they no conning haue Craft of rethorike to hindre and depraue Clerkes olde did greatly magnifie This noble science that were expert wyse Called it parte of philosophy And said also in their prudent auise There be thre partes as tresours of gret prise Compiled in bokes and of olde prouided In to which Philosophie is deuided The first of them called is Morall Which directeth a man to good thewes And the second called Natural Telleth the kinde of goodmen and shrewes And the thirde racionall well shewes What men shal voide and what thing vnderfong And to that partie Rethorike doth belong By Tullius as authours determine Of his person rehersing in substaunce Traunslated was fro Greke into Latine Craft of rethorike and for the abundance Of eloquence stuffed with plesaunce All oratours remembred him toforne Was there none like nor after him yet borne Bochas also saithe in his writinges And preueth wele by reason and sentence To an oratour longeth four thinges First natural wyt practike with science Vertuous life chefe grounde of eloquence Of porte aâ—d maner that he be tretable These meanes had mine auctor hold hi able In his writing and in his scriptures Bochas wele parceiueth it must nedes ben Howe y â— of right there long fiue armures To euery notable rethoricien Sette here in order who list them sene Whiche he calleth rehersing in sentence The fiue baners longing to eloquence The fyrst of them called Inuencion By whiche a man dothe in his hert finde A secrete grounde founded on reason With circcÌ„staunces y t nought be left behinde Fro poynt to poynte imprinted in his minde Touching y â— matter y e substaunce the great Of whiche he cast notably tentreat Another armure in order the seconde Of right is called Disposicion As of a matter whan the grounde is founde That euery thing by iust deuision Be voide of al foreine digression So disposed touching
Delyted hym wyth a greate nauee Lyke a Pyrate to robbe on the see To his father contrary in suche caas For euery Pyrate of custome he dyd hate Vpon the sea whose vsage was Against theim proudelye to debate Pursued them early and eke late Where this Sextus to his great reprieâ—e Was on the sea a robbour and a thefe The sclaundre of him gan to sprede farre Reported was in many a farre countre With Triumuir this Sextus gan a war Which is an office and a dignite By the Romains coÌ„mytted vnto thre Notable estates those for chiualry Thempire all hole to gouerne and to gye The fyrst of them named Lepidus And the seconde called Octauian The third in nombre was Antonius Again which thre Sextus this proud man Of surquedy a newe warre began Afore by Julius for his rebellion Banished for euer out of Rome toun Triumuir of politike gouernaunce Well auised afore in their reasons Treating for peace by notable purueiaunce With proude Sextus vnder condicions Write and enacte in their conuencious But anone after list no while tary He to his promise was froward contrary For his conuycte outragious falsnesse And on the sea for his robbery Bochas of him writeth no long processe Hauing disdaine his name to magnify For he to vertue list nothing apply The different cause which is in the state Atwene knighthode and life of a pyrate With fugitiue theues and robbours And men exiled out of Rome toun Banished people false conspyratours With other conuicte of murdre and trayson He toke all such vnder protection And one Moena a churle of his certaine Of fourty shyppes he made him capitain The said churle vnwarely tho began To folow the nature of his condicion Alied him selfe with Octauian Againe his lorde of full false traison With all his nauy shyppes he came doun Spared nat to mete of very pride With Menecratus y t was on Sextus side But al so soone as the bataile began And the parties togider shoulde gone All the vesselles of Octauian With sodaine teÌ„pest were drowned echone Beside a castell buylt of lime and stone Called Nauleton where yet to gret reprefe Sextus fled was brought to mischefe Went in to Grece to make him strong agein To holde a batayle with Antonius Take in his coÌ„ming by strength of a capitcin Longing to Antonie called Phurnius Whilom nephue to Cesar Julius And or duke Sextus might farther wende He slaine was and made there his ende Of Triumuir in th empyre as I tolde There was a capitaine called Lepidus Whiche by his office like as he was holde Right busy was the boke reherseth thus To reconsile the proude Antonius To the grace of great Octauian Eche thing forgiue wherof the war began And to conclude shortly who list se Fortune a whyle was to him gracious Th empyre all whole gouerned by these three Lordshyp of Affrike had Lepidus By which he wext proude and contrarius To him assigned vnder commissions Fully the nombre of twenty legions Wherof in herthe caught such a pride Causing by processe his distruction Surquedy a while was his gide Fro his estate till he was fall doun Namely whan he of false presumpcion Toke vpon him of malice to warrey The said Octauian and gan him disobey Whan Octauian his malice dyd se That he gan waxe sodainly contrary He threw him downe from his dignite Cast him in exile list no lengar tary Lo how Fortune gan sodainly vary To make him that had gouernaunce Of all Affryke to come to mischaunce Another prince Cesar Lucius Exiled was from Rome the cite By his vncle the said Antonius Of wylfulnesse and hasty cruelte For in that time as men may rede and se Contriued causes were founde vp of malice Texile princes notable holde and wyse Some bycause they helde with Cesar Other for Pompey y â— helde on that partie Some for their good afore or they wer ware Some for suspection some for enuy Some for they coude nat flatter nor lie Some for vertues which was great routhe Bycause they were so stable in their trouthe In this trouble dredefull and odious As is rehersed in order ye may rede The noble knight Paulus Lucius Exiled was of malice and hatered Folowing vpon the great horrible dede The pitous death and the hatefull caas Of great Antonie and Cleopatras The tragedy of these ylke twaine For me as nowe shal be set asyde Cause Chaucer chefe poete of Britaine Seing their hertes coude nat deuide In his boke the legende of Cupide Remembring there as one they did endure So were they buryed in one sepulture Thing ones said by labour of Chaucer Were presumpcion me to make againe Whose making was so notable and enteer Right compendious notable in certayne Which to reherce the labour were in vayne â–ª Bochas remembring how Cleopatras Caused Antonie howe he distroied was Her Auarice was so importable He supprised with her great fayrnesse Folowing her lustes foule abhominable She desyring to haue be empresse And he alas of frowarde wylfulnesse To please her vnhappely began To warrey the great Octauian Frowarde ambicion set his hert on fyre To climbe vp to the imperiall sea To haue possession of the hole empyre Toke vpon him if it wolde haue be To reigne alone in Rome the cite Cleopatras to foster her in pride Tytell of Octauian for to set asyde With multytude of many legions As I haue tolde againe Octauian To him accroched of diuers regions Great multytude of many manly man First on the sea to warre he began Where he was maugre all his might To his confusion vnwarely put to flight Dispeyred fled home to his countre Knowing no helpe nor meane to recure But to thencreas of his aduersite Whan that he sawe his woful auenture Gaine Octauian he might nat endure With a sharpe swerde his danger to diuert Him selfe he rofe vnwarely to the hert Of whose dethe the quene Cleopatras Toke a sorow very importable Bicause there was no recure in the caas Thought of his wo she would be partable Whose fatall ende piteous and lamentable Slough eke her selfe loue so did her raue After they both were buried in one graue ⧠Thus endeth the sixt boke and here after foloweth the seuenth ¶ Of Antony son and heire to the greate Antonie and of Cesarius Julia Agrippa Cassius and Galbus ¶ The Fyrst Chapter THis storie ended last of the sixte boke Bochas wery thought for the best Of gret traueile oppressed in his loke Fil in a slombre leaniÌ„g on his chest Fully in purpose to haue take his rest But euin as he rest should haue take Came a great prees and made him tawake First of that felowship came the son heyre Of Antonie w t blode spreint all his wede Called Antonie fall in great dispeyre Cause Octauian bare to him haterede Whose swerde he fled quaking in his drede To an olde temple socour for to haue Trusting fro death the place should hâ— saue In that temple
Cesar was deified Of whō by Romains was set vp an ymage But whan he sawe he was espied He ran to Julius hie vpon a stage Gan him to enbrace in his piteous rage He rent away by sodaine violence Vnwarely slaine there gained no defence Next in order came Cesarius Of whom there fill a wondre pitous caas Whilom beget of Cesar Julius Vpon the yong fayre Cleopatras Slaine in his youth thus writeth Bochas As Octauian dyd him selfe assigne For he gaine Romains should nat maligne Folowing in order Julia began Hir greuous complaint to Bochas specify Whilom doughter to great Octauian With weping gan to houle and crie Which by her father to punish her lechery Exiled was out of her countre For lacke of socour died in pouerte Her son Agrippa yong and tendre of age Borne of hie blode Bochas doth expresse Came next in order pale of his visage Which spent his time in slombre idelnesse Froward to vertue for his wretchednesse Octauian which was great touthe Suffred him die at mischef for his slouth After Agrippa came forth anone right Cassius of Parme a famous great countre Which in Itaile was holde a māly knight With Marke Antony wele cherished secre Bode in his court and there withall parde Greatly alowed fyrst for his chiualry And for his notable famous policy And there withall he had in existence A right great name stode in great fauour For his knighthode for his hie prudence After accused vnto the Emperour Octauian for a coniuratour He should haue be of frowarde false entent To Julius death fully of assent For whiche by bidding of Octauian Take he was being but yong of age And as mine auctor well remembre can Brought tofore Julius hie vpon a stage There offred vp vnto his ymage By cruell death ▪ the storie telleth thus For the false murdre of Cesar Julius After the death of the saide Cassius Another came of Rome the cite Which as I rede called was Galbus Of a Pretour hauing the dignite And for suspection slaine eke was he His eyen fyrst out of his head were rent For Julius death than in to exile sent Toward his exile by brigantes he was slaine And After that within a litel while Of his labour nouther gladde ne faine Bochas began to dyrecte his stile To great Herodes breuely to compile His greuous fal and holy the manere To set in order next as ye shall here The .ii. Chapter ⧠How the tyraūt Herodes slough his wyfe and chyldren and after died at myschefe REmembrynge fyrste in Jurye he was kyng Antipater his father who lyst se In Arabia mightely reignyng Ouer the prouynce called Idume This same Herodes gardeyne of Galile Ordayned was fyrste for his hye prudence And for his notable knyghtly excellence Famous in manhode famous of his lyne Famous also by procreacion I rede also he had wyues nyne And amonge all as made is mencion To hys pleasaunce and his opinion Maister of stories reherseth there was one Mariannes fayrest of echone By whom he had worthy sonnes twayne Alysander and Aristobolus But for his suster dyd at her disdaine Called Saloma the storie telleth thus He vnto her wext suspicious Bycause she was accused of enuy By Saloma touchyng auoutry Agayne her of rancour sodaynly He gan of herte greuously disdayne With rigorous hert he slewe her furiously But as the storie doth vs ascertayne He for her deth after felte great paine Euer whan it came to his remembraunce Her porte her chere her womāly plesaunce Lo what it is a prince to be hasty To euery tale of rancour to assent And counsaylles to procede wilfully To execucion of frowarde false entent For Herodes so sore he dyd repent That he for thought fyl in to an noy Of hertely sorowe and malencoly Rest had he none nouther day ne nyght Troubled with fury that he wext frantyke w t dremes vexed many an vncouth syght Of chere nor colour to no man he was lyke And euery moneth ones lunatike A great whyle he had this wofull lyfe For sorowe onely he had slayne his wyfe And as the storye wel reherce can In the Capitoyle mydde Rome the cite By Antonye and by Octauian He crowned was and made kyng of Jude By the Senate made theron a decree And registred that he and his kynred Shulde in that lande lineally procede In Rome was made the confirmacion To this Herodes bokes specifye Beyng afore the translacion Was made of Juda and of Jurye Septer and crowne with all the regaly By hym vsurped as ye haue herde toforne Vpon the tyme whan Christ was borne This same Herodes by procuracion Of Antonye dyd also occupy By Augustus plener remission The great estate called Tretrarchy In two kyngdoms with al the regaly Of Traconitides Jtury eke also By the Romains made lorde of bothe two Mayster of stories reherseth of hym thus For commendacion in especiall In Aschalon he buylded a stately hous Of right great cost a palayes ful royal Was none so riche for to reken all After whych myne authoure doth so wryte He called was Herode Aschalonite This same Herodes cruell of nature Of chere and porte passyng ambicious Aye to be venged dyd his busy cure On al that were to hym contrarious Hys wyues brother Aristobolus In Jerusalem chefe byshoppe as I rede Falsely he slough of malyce and hatered Vniustly reigned borne through his realme His hert fret and cankred wyth enuy Another byshoppe in Jerusalem Called Hircanus myne authour lyst not lye This same Herodes in his malencoly Slewe hym vnwarely by rācour vengeable Setting at dyner at his owne table There was no man of corrage more cxuel Nor more desirous to be magnified To make his name also perpetual Four statelye cities he hath edified Of which the names be here specified Cesaria Sebastin citees souerayne Antipadra Cipre that other twayne He had also a false condition He trusted none that was of his kynrede His sonnes twaine he had in suspectiō Their purpose was to sley him of hatred Whan he were deade hopyng to succede And causelesse as father most vnkynde Made thē be slayne in story thus I fynde In al his workyng he was founde double A great tirant hold throgh his realme Neuer thinge so greatly dyd him trouble As whan thre kinges came to Jerusalem Jesu to seche that was borne in Bethelem Boldly affirmynge cause of their commynge Was to worshyp that blessed yonge kyng The which thynge whan he dyd aduertise Prophecies remembringe and writinges Within hym selfe a meane he gan deuise First to distroy these famous holy kynges Namely whan he knewe of their offrynges Imaginyng gan suppose blyue The child was borne that shuld him depriue Newly discended fro Dauid doun by line Cast almost Herodes in a rage Of cursed hert gan frowardly maligne Lyke a tirant of venomous outrage Slewe al the children within two yere of age About Bethelem a ful large space He spared none for fauour nor for grace One
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
to kyng Jubatoun And many a senator thou slew in Rome toun Shittest vp myd Rome the cite Their garners which neuer afore was seine Wherby enfamyned was the commonte Pite to here this plat and playne Of necessite constrayned in certayne Shame to reherce or put in scripture Ete their membres a thyng againe nature Jupiter nor Juno the goddesse Gaue no suche counsayle I suppose vnto the But it was Venus to flater thy hyghnes And furious Mars by frowarde cruelte To slee senatours greatest of that cite Thy self after wherof the towne was faine By thy seruauntes murdred werte slayne And for tabate thyne outrage thy pryde Which thou hast vsed all thy lyfe Lyfte vp thyne head loke on thy left syde Thou finder vp of murdre and of strife Slew ▪ thou not Cesonia thy wyfe Thy doughter after that called was Drusil Of cursed entent thy malyce to fulfyl I haue meruayle howe any of you twayne Thou Calligula or thou Tiberius Be not ashamed any thyng to sayne Agayne me with vysage dispitous Me for to atwite that I was lecherous Of a small mote ye can abrayde me But in your eye a beame ye can not se. Where haue your soules take herbergage That be contrayre with me for to striue I trowe that Caron hath made your passage Vp at the stronde in Hell for to aryue There ye abyde thus I descryue Where dredful Stix called infernall flode Of custome rēneth w t furious wawes wode Radamantus one of the iudges twayne With kyng Mynos hath youe a iudgemente Perpetually ye shall byde in payne And Eacus hath ordained your turmente In Flegeton the floode most violent Ye shall be drowned and an ende make Euer for to abyde amonge y e stremes blake I may you cal of Emperours the refuse Ye should be shamefast to shew your visages Very astonyed dredful and confuse To haue to me so vncurtoys langages Thus Messalyne daunted their corrages With her feminine crabbed eloquence They durst no lenger abyde in her presence The .v. Chapter ¶ Of the most vicious tiraunt Nero that slewe Peter Paule at the last him selfe THys hateful story with many a woful lyne Of Calligula Tiberius Touchynge the strife atwene them and Messalyne Shamful rebukes frowarde and odious By them rehersed with chere most furious As ye haue herde here ended their chiding Nero the tyrant cōmeth next vpon the ringe One most cursed in comparison That euer was of hye or lowe degre Most disnaturall of condicion By great outrages of cursed cruelte That euer reigned in Rome the cite His father called bokes determyne Domicius his mother Agripine This Agripina by her subtilte And blinde fortune being fauourable That set vp tirauntes of froward volunte By their demerites though they be not able To estate imperial and notable What thinge more dredefull who can vnderstande Than cruel tirauntes w t blody sword in hāde ▪ Whan this Nero of age was twelue yere He was ordeyned in especial After he had lerned his gramere And the seuin artes called liberall Vnto a mayster in al vertues morall Called morall Senec which dyd his payne From al vices hys youthe to restraine He kept him euer thys Senec as I rede Maugre his fatall disposicion By a constraint and a maner drede From al outrage by inclinacion Conceyued wel hys dysposicion To be vicious of his nature Which to restrayne he dyd his busy cure At one and twenty wynter of his age Croniculers of him written thus Howe he that tyme toke in mariage Octauia doughter to Claudius Al this whyle beyng vertuous Whyle Senec had him vnder discipline His mother in lawe called Messaline The saide Senec made him to desire To pursue connyng by diligent labour At entring in fyrst of his empyre I meane whan he was crowned emperour Of al the Senate had great fauour And by report as clerkes of him wryte In prose meter he coude ryght wel endite In Jhon Bochas as it is made mynde He dyd excell greatly in poetry Made in tho dayes also as I fynde A boke notable of straunge poesy Lyke as myne auctour of him doth specify The title thereof called Lusce Agayne a pretour Claudius Polle Excelled in musike and in armony Crowned with laurer for y e best harpour That was that tyme and he did edify In Rome a palays wyth manye a ryche tour Whych in buylding cost great treasour The circuite beyng thre thousande paas And Transitory that palays called was For thys cause as put is in memory The sayde palays afterwarde was brent Therefore it was called Transitory But after that Nero in his entent Let buylde a house by great auysement To recompence that other that was olde And called it the ryche house of golde In all thys worlde was none to it lyche Where that euer men dyd ryde or gone Tables of yuorye fret wyth perry ryche Pyllers of cristal garnished with many stone Saphyrs Rubyes and Topasion Crisolytes and Emeraudes grene Wyth plate of golde siled that shone ful shene To bodily lust and dilectacion This sayde Nero set al hys desyres ▪ Gardayns condyttes for recreacion He dyd ordayne to endure many yeres With nettes of golde fyshed in hys ryuers His garnementes of golde Inde stones And neuer he woulde haue them on but ones In hys begynning the story doth deuyse Lorde and Emperour in the cyte To Senatours he gaue full great fraūchyse Graunted cōmons many a great liberte But in his most imperial dignite Of frowarde wyl left all good policy And al atones gaue him to ribaudry Of Grece Egypt wyth diuers iogelours And amonge villayns him selfe dysportinge Left the presence of olde Senatours And amōg ribaudes he woulde harpe sing Made comodies dishonestly sowning At the bordel dyd him selfe auaunce With common women openly to daūce Thus by processe to al vertue contrary By great excesse he fyll in glotony And after that lyst no lenger tary As euery vice to other doth apply Surfet and riot brought in lechery And ground of al as chefe porteresse To exyle vertue was frowarde ydlenes About the cite called Hostience Besyde Tibre and other freshe riuers Dyd ordaine by excessife expence Tentes for riot cokes and tauerners And al the nyght reuel aboute the fiers Ladies be came that were afore well named By such false riot afterwarde defamed The same Nero by false abusion It is reported hys story who lyst se By violence from their religion Such as had auowed chastite And were professed to virginite In the temple of Vesta the goddesse Of froward lust he dyd them oppres Amonge whych Rubria was one Maugre her wyll she durst it not denye From the temple buylded of lime and stone Sacred to Vesta myne auctour lyst not lye He rent her out to vse his lecherye Not withstandyng she was religious Made her to abyde at the borde◠hous By my wryting men shall neuer rede The matter is so foule and outragious To be reherced and the
Gan in Asia and with his host came doun By tygre Eufrates knightly so rydyng Towarde the partyes of Septemtryoâ— â–ª To Caucasus not ferre fro Babylon And all Surrye he proudlye dyd assayle And Capadoce he wan eke by batayle Whom for to mete came Vale rian To Mesopotayme with many legions The werre was stroÌ„g but this knightly man This hardy Sapor with his champions The felde hath wonne with all the legions Afore reherced and through Perce he lad Valerian bouÌ„de with chaynes rouÌ„d and sad He was by Sapor maugre hys vysage â–ª This ValeriaÌ„ so straytly brought to wrake Lyke a prisoner bounde to seruage By obeysaunce that founde were no lacke To knele on foure and profre his backe Vnto Sapor whan hym list to ride Therby to mounte for al his great pryde This was the offyce of Valerian By seruitude duryng many a yere Wherfore he was called of many a man The assendyng stocke in to the sadyll nere Whiche is in frenche called a mountuere This was his office to bowe doun his corse Whan y â— king Sapor shulde light on horse This is the guerdon fauour of fortune Her olde maner to princes and to kynges Her double custome vsed in commune By sodayne chaunge of all worldly thynges After triumphes and their vprisinges What foloweth after here well tell I can I take recorde of Valeryan Thys Lady fortune the blynde fell goddes To Valerian shewed herselfe vnstable Taught him a lesson of the doublenes To kyng Sapor she was fauourable But yet he was to cruell and vengeable Wyth his fete deuoyde of all fauoure To foyle the backe of an emperour Of olde it hathe be songe and cried loude Recorde on Cyrus and many other mo Kinges of Perce of custome haue be proude After punyshed and chastised eke also Princes of mercy shulde take hede therto After victory in their estate notable To their prisoners for to be merciable Myne autor Bochas in this mater tel can Rebuke tyrauntes that were by dayes old Turneth his side speketh to Valerian Where be thy rubies saphires set in golde Theryche peerles and rynges manifolde That y â— were wont to weare vpon thy hoÌ„ds Now as a wretch art bouÌ„d in forayn bondes where thou were wonte of furyous crueltie Clad in purple within Rome toune To Christ contrary in thyne imperyall se Gaue dome on martyrs to suffre passion Nowe lyest thou bound fettred in preson To kyng Sapor constrayned to enclyne whan he lyst ryde bothe necke and chine Thus art thou fall in thine imperial stage Thinke on fortune haue her in memory She hath the cast in thraldom and seruage And eclypsed all thine olde glory where thou sate whilom in the consistorye As an emperour and a mighty iudge Lyest bound in chayns knowest no refuge It is fall ferre out of thy mynde The knightly dede of worthy â—ublyus Of Rome a captayne ordayned as I finde To fyght agayne Aristomachus Kyng of Asye of fortune it fell thus whan the romayns dyd the felde forsake This Publius amonge his fone was take This noble prince standing in dredeful cace His lyfe worshyp dependyng atwen twayn In his hande holding a sturdy mace Smyt out one of his eyen twayne Of him that led him that other for the payne That he felte and the great smerte Toke a dagger roue Publyus to the herte which loued more his worship thaÌ„ his lyfe Chase rather to dye than liue in seruage This conceite he had in his imaginatife And considred sythe he was in age To saue his honoure it was more auauÌ„tage So to be slayne his worshyp to conserue Than lyke a beast in prison for to sterue Fortune his chaptre of him it was not rad As Valerius maketh mencion After whose conceyte no man in vertue sad Shulde not longe languy she in prison But rather chose lyke his opinion Of manly force and knightly excellence The dethe endure of longe abstynence As whylom dyd the princesse Agripine whan she in prison lay fettred and bound Of her fre choyce she felt great pyne Of hungre and thurst in story it is found That she lay pale grofe vpon the grounde Maugre Tibery and let her gost so wende Out of her bodye this was her fatall ende Thou stode ferre of all suche fantasy I speke of the O thou Valerian Thy cruell herte of false malencolye Made whylom dye many a christen man And martyr syth Christes faythe began Which for mankynde dyed vpon the Rode There for tacquyte hym lyste shed hys blode Agayne his lawe thou were impacient And importune by persecucion Thou dydest fauour suffre in thine entent â–ª That Egipciens dyd their oblacion Their sacryfices and ryte vp so doun Vnto ydols of frowarde wylfulnesse That was of Egipt called chefe goddesse Fauourable thou were in thy desire To suffre Iewes their sabote to obserue And Caldeis to worshyp the fyre And folke of Crete Saturne to serue And cristen men thou madest falsly sterue Of whose lawe for thou dyd not retche Thou died in presoÌ„ at mischefe like a wretch The .ii. Chapter ¶ Howe Gallyen sonne of Valerian was slayne NExt in ordre to Bochas tho caÌ„e doun Sonne of Valerian one called Gallien But for great horrible effusion Of christen bloud that men might sene Shed by Valerian God wold it shulde bene Shewed openly to romains by vengaunce Of manye a countre sodaine dis obeysaunce They of Almayne the Alpes dyd pace Vnto Rauenne a cite of Itaile Gothes also proude of chere and face Had agayne grekes many a great batayle And they of HuÌ„gry armed in plate mayle wyth them of Denmarke furious and cruell Agayne romayns wexte of assent rebell To whose domage in this meane whyle Amonge romayns it is befall thus wofull werres whiche called bene ciuile Gan in the cyte cruell and dispiteous First whan they met was slayne Gemyus which first toke on him in bokes as I rede Of hye corage to we are purple wede One Posthumus a mighty strong romayne Kept all Gaule vnder subiection To their auayle after vnwarly slaine Among his knightes for al his hye renoun By a sodayne vncouthe discencion Next Victoryne hauing the gouernaunce Of al Gaule was first slayne in Fraunce But Gallien of whom I spake toforne Sonne and heyre to Valerian His Domination of purpose he hath lorne In Republica whan he began Lyke a contrarious and a frowarde man wext lecherous and obstinate of liuinge At mischefe slayne â–ª this was hys endynge The .iii. Chapiter ¶ Howe Quintilius was murdred by women NExt Gallien came one Quintilius A man remembred of great atteÌ„perauÌ„ce Brother of byrth to great Glaudius wise and discrete in al hys gouernaunce who may of fortune eschue the chaunce To wryte his ende shortlye in a clause Of women murdred I can not say the cause The .iiii. Chapiter Of Aurielan in Denmarke borne OF Denmarke born next came Aurelian A worthy knight his enemies to assaile Again Gothes a great warre he began Gate victory
his condicions a rauinous robbour Out of that countre were mercy and pite Banished for euer with trouth equite In that region where mercy is nat vsed And trouthe oppressed is with tyranny And right wysenesse by power is refused False extorcion subporteth robbrye And sensualyte may haue the maistry All of reason be tokens at a prefe Which many lande haue brought to mischef There is no realme that may staÌ„de in surete Ferme nor stable in very existence Nor continue in long prosperyte But if the trone of knightly excellence Be supported with iustice and prudence In him that shall as egal iudge stand Twene riche poore with sceptre in hand A clere ensample this matter for to grounde So as a father that is naturall Or like a mother which kindly is bounde To foster her children in especiall Right so a king in his estate royall Should of his office diligently entende His true lieges to cheryshe and defende By good ensaÌ„ple his subiectes tenlumine TeÌ„poral realmes should as saith scripture Resemble the kingdome which is diuine By lawe of god and lawe eke of nature That Res publica long time may endure Voide of discorde and false duplicite Of one body in longe prosperite Nouther their reigne nor dominacion Haue of them selfe none other assuraunce The estate of kinges gan by permission Of goddes grace and of his purueyaunce By vertuous life and moral gouernaunce Long to continue bothe in peace warre Like their desertes to punish whaÌ„ they erre They should be the myrrour and the lyght TransceÌ„de all other by vertuous excellence As examplers of equite and right So by discrecion of natural prouidence To tempre their rigour w t mercy clemence â–ª What shal fal afore cast al thinges As appertaineth to princes and to kinges Thinges passed to haue in remembraunce Conserue wisely thinges in presence For thinges to come afore make ordinaunce Folowe the traces of vertuous continence Againe all vices to make resistence By the vertue of magnanimite Whiche is appropred to imperial maieste Brother to force authors say echone Which conserueth the royal dignite In suche a meane stable as any stone Nat ouerglad for no prosperite Nor ouer sad for none aduersite For life nor death hygh corage to remue To god and man to yelde theÌ„ that is due Gayne fleshly lustes arme theÌ„ in sobrenesse Voyde all surfettes and froward glotony Gredy appetites by measure to represse Out of his house auoide all ribaudy Rowners flattrers and such as can lie Ware in his domes he be nat perciall To poore do almesse to vertuous be liberal In his array shewe him like a king From other princes by a maner apparence So that men prayse hys vertuous lyuing More than his clothing far froÌ„ his presence And let him thinke in his aduertence Trust theron verely certayne As he gouerneth men wyl reporte sayne Let him also for his great aueile Haue such about him to be in presence As notable princes to be of his counsayle Suche as to fore haue had experience Twene good euill to know the difference And sixe thinges hatefull of newe and olde To banish them out in hast froÌ„ his houshold Fyrst them that loue to liue in ydelnesse All suche as loue nouther god ne drede Couetous people that poore folke oppresse And them also that do all for mede And simulacion cladde in double wede And such as can for their auauntages Out of one hode shewe two visages Let him also voyde out at his gate Ryotous people y â— loue to watche al night And them also that vse to drinke late And lie a bedde till their diner be dight And suche as lyst nat of god to haue a syght And recheles folke that list nat here masse Tâ—uoyde his court let theÌ„ lightly passe For which defautes rehersed here toforne Nat onely Rome but many a great countre Haue be distroied many a kingdom lorne In olde cronicles as ye may rede and se False ambicion and froward duplicite Hath many a realme many a laÌ„d encloied And ben cause why they haue be distroied Jerusalem was whilom transmygrate Their true prophetes for they had in dispite And Balthasar was eke infortunate For he in Babilone folowed al his delyte Dary in Perce had but small respyte Sodainly slaine and murdred by treason The same of AlysaÌ„dre whan he draÌ„ke poison Discorde in Troy grounded in couetyse Whan by false traison solde was Palladion Rome and Cartage in the same wyse Distroied were for shorte conclusion Among them selfe for their deuisyon Reken other realmes that be of later date And of deuisions in FrauÌ„ce y â— was but late Al these defautes rehersed here breuely Out sought the rote and weied in balaunce Chefe occasion to tell by and by Hath ben iÌ„ princes y â— haue had gouernaunce And specially to put in remembraunce For an example telleth as cometh to mynde Of Odoacer the storie as I fynde Borne in Pruce and hardy of corage At his beginning him selfe to magnify Though no mencion be made of his â—mage Hauing no titell but thefte and robbery His coÌ„quest gan nought of blode auÌ„cetry But gadred people of sondry regions Entred Itayle with many nacions With his soudiours fyrst he gan assayle With a multitude entryng anon right Kingdoms of HuÌ„gry countreis of Itayle Met in his passage a Romayne knight Called Horestes in stele armed bright The felde was take and put in ieoparty Horestes fledde for socour to Pauy Straitly besieged and the towne won Founde for the time none other cheuesaunce The next morow at rising of the son Bounde in cheynes tencrees his greuaunce Sent to a cite that called was Plesaunce Againe whom Odoacer was so fel Let him be slayne by iudgement full cruell After whose death by sodayne violence Odoacer is passed through Itaile Entred Rome found no resistence Zeno the Emperour durst him nat assayle For there was none to giue him batayle So that by force and rauinous working Of all Itaile he was crowned king Had all Rome vnder subiection Fortune a while lyst him nat fayle Zeno therof had indygnacion Gan worke againe him in hope it shoulde auayle And therupon the lordshyppe of Itaile He gaue of purpose his power committing To Theodorike that was of Gothes kyng So y â— Theodorike in hope to haue vyctorie Againe Odoacer gan make resistence Of his name to put in memorie Toke vpon him by knightly excellence For the Romains to stand in diffence Met him proudly with his chiualry Beside a riuer that called was Soury With their batails togider whan they met Beside Leglere that standeth in LoÌ„bardy With rounde speres sharpe swerdes whet Odoacer for al his tyranny Was put to flight disconfyted his party And fortune that best can chaunge and vary At vnset hour was to him contrary Him his power the Romains haue defied He brent their vines and toures enuy ron Bycause thentre was to him denied And to Rauenne he is discended
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
wythout lenger strife Syt as a iudge that knoweth so wel my life Whan these bretherne stode at discorde Eche agayne other by mortall violence Vnder a colour to treate of accorde With many a maner fayned diligence Chilperik there beyng in presence Whylom brother to Sigebert the king Was slaine among theÌ„ by false conspiring On whose death auenged for to be As Sygebert did him selfe auaunce Among the preace he slaine was parde Nat so qd Bochas but of false gouernauÌ„ce Of your misliuing fyl this vnhappy chaunce That Sygebert was murdred in sothnesse Onely by occasion of your doublenesse Folowing the traces of newe fangylnesse Gaine Sygebert ye wrought full falsly Whan ye loued of frowarde doublenesse Landrike the erle of Champayne of Bry For by your outrage and your greyt foly The king was slayne and ye dyd assent In a forest an hunting whan he went Which called was the forest of Compyne Alas quod she brake out complaining Bochas Bochas thou doest sore vndermyne All the surfetes done in my liuing Thou knowest the death of Sigebert y â— kiÌ„g Whiche y â— was wrought alas by mine assent Howe knowest thou were nat there preset Of these debates and of all the werre With rebukes reherced here in vayne In rehersaile greatly thou doest ecre For I caste be right wele certayne In my defence to reply agayne It was nat I she that thou doest mene It was Fregundis â—he lusty yonge quene This Fregundis thou shalt vnderstande Right womanly and fayre of her visage Chilperik was whylom her hrsbande For her beauty toke her in mariage By her traines and her great outrage He was after the story who list rede At mischefe slaine thou shalt so finde in dede Though ye by langage make strong defence In these matters which cause me to muse I haue againe you lost my pacience That so subtelly wolde your selfe excuse Coutrariously your traynes ye abuse For Cloâ—ayre I haue so red parde Was not engendred of Sigebert nor of the. I remembre full wele that I haue rad That Chilperyk though ye therat disdain Recorde of auctours that prudent be sad He in trouth was gendred of you twayne Which in his dying me list nat for to fayne Left sonnes two the story ye may rede Theobarte and Theoderyke to succede Bochas qd she though thou turne vp so doâ— The said stories reherced here in dede Folowing the malice of thyne opinion Maugre thy wil forthe I wyll procede As I began take therto good hede The fyrst Theoderik thou shalt vnderstande Cosin Germaine was to my husbande King of Burgoine that time and another He of hatred and indignacion Slewe Theobart whiche was his brother His wyfe and children for short conclusion Which in the mighty famous region Of Antrasâ—e reigned as lorde and kyng What euer thou saiest this is trouth no leasinge Nay nay qd Bochas it was all otherwyse I may nat suffre howe ye go there amonge All this langage of newe that ye deuise Brought to a prefe concludeth vpon wronge What shold we lenger this mater draw aloÌ„g Your self were cause wher ye be loth or faine By Theodorik y e Theoberte was slaine The grounde herof gan percell of enuye By your froward breunyng couetise Which ye had onely to occupie To rule the lande after your owne gyse And if I shall plainly here deuise Of these mischeues reherced god do bote Ye were your selfe ground chefe crop rote Quod Brounchylde I conceiue wel and se Ye of your partie haue lost all reuerence Your selfe enarmed to shewe your cruelte Against me touching the violence Of two slaughters reherced in sentence First how Theodrik his brother slew iÌ„ dede Called Theobarte a pitous thing to rede Him selfe after strangled with poyson His wife his children hewe in peces smale As ye quod Bochas make here mencion Some parte is trewe but nat al your tale For I suppose ye should wexe pale For shame of thing which ye can nat excuse Whan Theoderik beginneth you to accuse He put on you the crime of false treason Ye slewe his wife and children also Him selfe also ye murdred by poison I would wete what ye coude say hereto Alas qd she what should I do Was neuer woman in hie nor lowe estate All thing considred more infortunate Fortune of me set now but lyttell price By her frowarde furious violence Turnyng her whele and visage of malice Causeth to me that no man yeueth credence Had in dispite voide of reuerence And by fortunes mutabilite Sole abiecte and fall in pouerte O Bochas John for shorte conclusion Thou mayest againe me thy style auaunce I haue deserued to haue punicion And al the princes barons now in FrauÌ„ce Crie out on me and aske auengeaunce Refuge is none nor recure in this thing Tho w t Clotarie my selfe be crowned king For my defautes foule and abhominable Tofore the iudges of all the parliament I was foriudged founde also culpable Of euery crime conuicte by iudgement Myne accusours there beyng present Of one and other standing a great route Marked w t fingers of folke y â— stode aboute For very shame I did mine eyen close For theÌ„ that gaured cast on me their sight But as folke may by tokens we le suppose Mine eares were nat stopped halfe a ryght Taken by force lad forth by might By the hangman drawe ouer hill and vale Dismembred after hewe on peces smale With my blode the pament al bespraynt ThaÌ„ked by fortune such was mine aueÌ„ture The soule parted the body was so faynt Who red euer of any creature That muche more turment did endure Prayde Bochas to haue al thing in mynde Write her life and leaue nothing behynde ¶ Lenuoy THis tragedy of BrouÌ„child y â— quene Loke her story who list yeue attendaunce Froward to red coÌ„tagious to sene And contrary to all good gouernaunce Borne in Spaine crowned quene of FrauÌ„ce Double of tonge vpfynder of treason Caused al that lande stande at deuision From tho traines there coude no man flene Sourse headspring of sorow mischauÌ„ce Shed hony first stange after as do been Her myrremedled w t sugred false plesaunce What she said encluded in variaunce Maystresse of murdre and of discencion Caused all that lande stande at deuision Princes of Gaule might nat sustene Great outrages nor the great greuaunce Nor the surfetes done in their yeres grene Brought y â— kingdome almost to vttraunce All of assent cried on her vengeaunce The fame arose howe all that region In her falsnesse stode at deuision The knyfe of murdre grounde was so kene By her malice of longe continuaunce Her corage fret with infernall tene Spared nouther kyn nor alyaunce Paysed her forfetes and wayed in balaunce As Bochas writeth she was the occasion Which made al Fraunce to stand at deuision ¶ Bochas marueyling of the malice and cruelte of Brounchylde writeth thus BOchas astonied gaÌ„ inwardly mar-uayle Fyll in a maner ambyguyte Of Brounchyldes
of syght This Sabath lost both happe and grace His other brother as made is mencion By stronge hande put him from his place Chased him out of that region Take by force and fetred in prison Died there no man lyst him visite Lo howe god can treason murdre quite The .xxx. chapter ¶ Howe Pope Boniface the eight was take by the lynage de Columpnes eate his handes and dyed in prison AMong these wofull princes thre Which shewed theÌ„ so vgly of their chere Pope Boniface by great aduersite The eight of that name gan to approch nere A thousande C C C. accompted was y â— yere Fro Christes byrth by computacion Whan that he made his lamentacion This same Pope caught occasion Which vnder Peter kept gouernaunce To interdicte all the region Time of king Philip reigning tho in FrauÌ„ce Dyrecte bulles downe to Constaunce To Nycholas made by Bouiface Archdeacon of the same place Of holy churche the prelates nygh ethone Byshoppes of Fraunce felly haue declared Preuing by poyntes many mo than one In a great sinne plainly and nat spared By him the church was hurt nat repayred Put on him crymes of gret misgouernaunce DenouÌ„cing enemy to al y â— land of Fraunce Put on him many a great outrage Wrongly howe he had done offence To a cardinall borne of the lynage De Columpnes a kinrede of reuerence For which cause he kept him in absence Out of the court drew where he was borne By which occasion y â— Pope his life hath lorn De Columpnes y â— lynage hath so wrought Toke Boniface for his olde cruelte w t gret force power they haue him brought Vnto a castell which stode in the cite Called Saâ—â—ri Angeli gaue auctorite To a Cardynall and by coÌ„myssion Power to do full execucion Of these maters hangyng in balaunce At wene partyes were it right or wronge Bothe of romayns prelates eke of FrauÌ„ce The pope aye kept within y â— castel stronge Of auenture abyding there nat longe Fyll in a flixe and afterwarde for nede For hunger ete his handes as I rede Houre of his dyeng it is made mencion Aboute y e castell was merueylous lightning Where the pope lay fettred in prison None suche afore was sene in their lyuing And whyle Bochas was busi in writyng To write the fall of this Bonyface The order of templers came tofore his face The .xxxi. Chapiter ☞ Howe the ordre of Templers was fouÌ„ded and Iaques with other of the order brent CRoniclers the trouth can recorde Calling to minde the first fouÌ„dacioÌ„ And old auctours therwith accorde Of these Templers how y â— religion Gan that time whan Godfray de Bullion Had won that noble knightly man Jerusalem that order first began By certaine knightes which did their payne Whan the cite was first ywonne By noble Godfray duke whilom of Loraine There crowned kyng this order they begon Olde bokes wel reherce konne Takyng a grounde of pouerte mekenes To founde this ordre dyd their busynes Their begynnyng gan of deuocion The grouÌ„de ytake of wylfull pouerte And made first their habitacion By the temple not ferre from the cite In token of clennes sworne to chastite Of the temple lyke to theyr desyres Toke their name called were Templers Pope Honorie gaue them auctorite Of holy church beyng that time hede A whyte habite they bare y t time for chastite Eugenius after gaue them a crosse of rede And to defende pylgrimes out of drede Gayne sarazins through their high renoun This was chefe point of their profession Whyle they liued in wylful pouerte These crossed knights in maÌ„tel clad of white They are spred in many a ferre countre For in perfection was set all their delyte Folke of deuocion caught an appetite Them to encrease gaue great almesse By whych they gan wexe to great richesse By processe wythin fewe yeres The nombre great of their religion And the fame of the sayde Templers Gan sprede wide in many region With the sodayne rising of their profession With tours castels they gaue the to delices Appalled in vertue y t brought in many vices It were to long to reken them all But amonge other I fynde there was one A manly knight folke Iaques dyd him call Great of auctorite among them euerychone As cronicles remembre of yore agone The whych Iaques in the realme of FrauÌ„ce Was borne of blode to great enheritaunce The same Iaques holde a manly knyghte In his gynnyng freshe lusty of corrage Had a brother by elder title of right Occupied al hole the heritage Because Iaques yonger was of age Whych might not by no condicion Nothyng clayme of that possession His elder brother occupied all Whyle thys Jaques but lowe was of degree Wonder desirous to be with hym egal Alway put backe by frowarde pouerte And to surmounte if it woulde be Founde out a meane lyke to hys desiers Was chosen mayster of the templers And was promoted by fre election By them that should chose hym of ryght Whereby he had great dominacion Ryches treasour great power and myght Of hys person was eke a manly knyghte The same tyme put in remembraunce Philip le Bele crowned kyng of Fraunce Whych had of Iaques great indignacion To al the templers and al the chiualry Cast wayes to their distruction Gate auctorite his lust to fortifye Downe fro the pope bokes specifye Clement theer concludyng if he may All the templers to distroye on a daye For certayne crimes horible to here Al at ones were set in prison By their frendes touchyng thys matere Counsailed to aske mercy and pardon That they should by plaine confession Requiring hym knelyng on a rowe And as it was their trespase ben aknowe Iaques was take with him other thre Kept in holde and to prison sent And the remnaunt for their iniquite Ordained were by open iudgement To mighty stakes to be tied and brent The kyng in maner lyke to do them grace So they would confesse their trespace But al for nought they were so indurate All of accorde and of one corrage To aske mercy were obstinate The fire redy al wyth one langage Whan the flame approched theyr vysage Full plainely spake cried pitiously Of their actes which they were not gylty From their purpose they lyst not to declyne But wyth one voice echone and one soun Fully affyrmed tyl they dyd fyne How their order and their religion I grounded was vpon perfection And theyr deth verely in dede Compassed was of malice and hatred The sayd Jaques of whom I spake to forne Brought to a place which called was Leon Tofore two legates or that his life was lorne All openlye made hys confession He was worthy for short conclusion For to be dead by rightfull iudgement This was hys ende to ashes he was brent The .xxxii. Chapter ⧠Bochas here coÌ„mendeth Theodorus wyth other two Philosophers for theyr pacience notably YEuing a prise to Phylosophers thre Bochas coÌ„meÌ„deth w t great diligeÌ„ce