Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	age_n	youth_n	youthful_a	53	3	10.9075	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19170	The life and death of Hector One, and the first of the most puissant, valiant, and renowned monarches of the world, called the nyne worthies. Shewing his jnvincible force, together with the marvailous, and most famous acts by him atchieved and done in the great, long, and terrible siege, which the princes of Greece held about the towne of Troy, for the space of tenne yeares. And finally his vnfortunate death after hee had fought a hundred mayne battailes in open field against the Grecians: the which heerein are all at large described. Wherein there were slaine on both sides fourteene hundred, and sixe thowsand, fourscore, and sixe men. VVritten by Iohn Lidgate monke of Berry, and by him dedicated to the high and mighty prince Henrie the fift, King of England.	Colonne, Guido delle, 13th cent. Historia destructionis Troiae.; Benoît, de Sainte-More, 12th cent. Roman de Troie.; Lydgate, John, 1370?-1451? Troy book.	1614 (1614)	STC 5581.5; ESTC S119764	480,848	336

Owle by night to flie and slay Young children or to beare them cleane away And changlings in their cradles vs'd to leaue The singles of a greedy Wolfe that can As some report himselfe of shape bereaue And when he list take on him forme of man The slimes of water-snailes the which she found With labour great within the Indian ground The liuer of a Hart that liues so long And of a Crow that loathsome carrion beast The which by cause the nature was so strong Had liued then Nine hundred yeares at least The head and bill of all which when she had An admirable composition made To lengthen Aesons aged yeares withall A withered bough the which not long before Downe from an Oliue tree did chance to fall In hand she tooke and with the same did pore And stir the liquor till the sticke waxe greene And sodainly both leaues and buds were seene To spring thereon straight did berrie● beare And where the fire the skum thereof did throw Vpon the earth where it had drop● euen there The ground began as fresh and green to show As it in summer did and flowers to rise Out of the same Wh●h wh●●n Medea spies She tooke a knife and with a courage stout Did cut old Aesons throat where presently His aged bloud did all come gushing out And with the boy ling iuce did new supply Which when to Aesons corps she had powr'd in His haire that was so gray did straight begin To turne and wax as blacke as any coale His leane pale withered skin grew faire and fresh The wrinckles in his face and euery hole Therein were fild with yong and lusty fresh His limbs waxt lith and all his ioynts did grow So supple that he plainly then did show To be a man of yong and youthfull yeares At which when to his sences Aeson came He was abasht but casting off all feares He knew at forty yeares he was the same And as backe from old age to youth he drew A youthfull spirit did in his heart renew By which so strange deuise she did restore King Aeson vnto strength and former youth With wit and reason as he had before In each respect as much if it be truth But be it true or false I haue not spar'd To write it as the story hath declar'd And after on his wife he did beget A valiant Sonne that Iason had to name In whose creation nature did not let To shew hir skill and to incurre no blame For neuer man mord perfectly was form'd Nor with more graces inwardly ado●n'd If I should striue here to describe at will His strength his beauty and his comlinesse His good behauiour and his perfect skill His wisedome vertue and his gentlenes To all and euery one both high and low Like as mine Author plainly doth it show My art and wit therein would be to little His qualities so pleased mens desire That he obtained praise of all the people For young and old each one did him admire Iudge then what he would proue in elder yeares That in his childhood such a one appeares But while he was of age and stature small And far vnfit as then to rule the Land His Vnckle Peleus by consent of all Still held the Crowne and Scepter in his hand From whom in ought he neuer seem'd to vary Nor his prcepts at any time contrary So diligent was he in euery thing To please and serue his Vnckle at a becke As is the child held vnder tutors wing And seareth to incurre his Maisters checke In heart no● outward shew whats'ere him toucht He neuer did repine nor at it grutcht And though his Vncle held his heritage And rul'd his Princely Scepter at his will While he remained still in tender age Yet was he neuer mooued vnto ill Nor once of him a bad conceite to haue In any wise his honour to depraue But Peleus he contrarie mind did beare And ●ullie had his heart to enuie bent Dissembling that in face and outward cheare Which inwardly was whollie his intent Like Adder lurking closely in the grasse To sting all those that throgh the same doth passe His heart and tongue contrary each to other For with pretence of faire and friendly show He seem'd to loue the Son of his deare Brother When inwardly his heart did ouerflow With malice though not outwardly espy'd So cunningly he did his malice hide For no man could by any meanes per●●au● That he to Iason bare an enuinous eie No cause he had but feare he should bereaue Him of his Crowne and regall dignitie And at the time of riper yeares obtaine The right succession of his fathers raigne Which he as then vnjustly occupied And daily did devise how that he might On Iason whome in heart he envied Worke his pretended malice and despight Which made him oft build Castles in the aire Like one that liu'd in feare and great despaire Still compasing some way or meanes to find T' intrap and take his Nephew in a snare Which secretly ●e kept still hid in mind Yet ceased not his engins to prepare Like Sathan cuery minute day and hower Deuising how mans soule he may deuour And as the Sun shines hot when raine is past So did his enuie burne more feruently And vext him sore till he deuis'd at last To execute his wilfull trechery A Lambe in shew a Lyon in his heart Fell Tiger like to play a double part A sugred face but false and bitter mind None might of him conceaue suspition That he should to his Nephew be vnkind And priuily worke his destruction Pretending loue but hatred was the end Description true of foule dissembling frend His bad intent disclosed might not be It was so well conceal'd within his heart So is all close and priuy enmity And yet although he playd so well his part His enuy still encreasing more and more Did inwardly torment and vexe him sore Attending time t' effect and bring about That which he did in heart so much desire And so to be cleane freed from care and doubt The only ioy that enuy doth require But Iason he did not conceaue in mind His Vncle would vnto him proue vnkind Their thoughts were cleane contrary in effect The Cousin simply seeking Vncles good The Vncle he all friendship doth reiect Deuifing how to shead his Nephews blood Pro●ok't by malice and desire of gaine The roots of mischiefe sorrow woe and paine For many Realmes and Cities old do feele The poyson of the serpent Avarice But let all those that cruelly will deale Learne this of me and thinke it good aduic● That what so euer mischiefe they intend It 's sweet at first but bitter in the end And though the world doth flatter for a while Let not the enu●ous man be proud withall For he that thinks another to beguile Perhaps may chance in selfe same pit to fall But let vs enuy leaue as fiend of hell And of King Peleus further to you tell Who all this

to me some skill That loftie verse by stately tearmes may yeild To valiant Knights their honour due in field Assist herein likewise i ft be thy will Calliope to Orpheus mother deare Who insweet musicke so exceld for skill That with the sound of harpe as doth appeare He pleasd the monster Cerberus so well That he had leaue to enter into hell To fetch his loue out of th' infernall lake Where Pluto held her for his owne sweet-hart But with the musicke he to them did make He graunted she with him should thence depart And with the dew of thy sweet liquor wet My tongue so harsh and in right tune it set For thou art sayd of Rethoricke to beare The onely praise and patronesse for skill And eke of musicke pleasant to the eare Thou canst direct each instrument at will Deny not then sweet Muse thy ayd to mee And I shall rest beholding vnto thee Els will the clowds of ignorance enclose And round incampe my wits that are so bare And cause the rude to Poets vtter foes To laugh at me But such as learned are I will intreat what faults soere they find To winke thereat and keepe them in their mind And if that in my verses I haue err'd As no man but may erre what ere he be I must confesse I never yet deseru'd To haue the praise for excellent Poetrie For God he knowes when I this worke began I did it not for praise of any man But for to please the humor and the hest Of my good Lord and Princely Patron Who dained not to me to make request To write the same least that obliuson By tract of time and times swift passing by Such valiant acts should cause obscur'd to lie As also cause his Princely high degree Provokes him study ancient Histories Whereas in Myrrour be may plainely see How valiant Knights haue won the masteries In battailes fierce by prowesse and by might To run like race and proue a worthy knight And as they sought to clime to honors seat So doth my Lord seeke therein to excell That as his name so may his fame be great And thereby likewise Idlenesse expell For so he doth to vertue bend his mind That hard it is his equall now to find To write his Princely vertues and declare His valor high renowne and Maiestie His braue exploits Marshall acts that are Most rare and worthy his great dignitie My barren head cannot devise by wit T' extoll his fame with words phrases fit This mighty Prince whom I so much cōmend Yet not so much as well deserues his fame By royall blood doth li●ally descend From Henrie king of Englād forth by name His eldest Son heire vnto the Crowne And by his vertues Prince of high renowne For by the graft the fruit men easly know Excreasing th' honour of his pedigree His name Lord Henrie as our stories show And by his title Prince of Wales is hee Who with good right his father being dead Shal weare the Crown of Brittain on his head This mighty Prince hath made me vndertake To write the siege of Troy the ancient towne And of their warres a true discourse to make From point to point as Guydo sets it down Who long since wrot the same in latin verse Which in the English now I will rehearse The time when first I tooke the same in hand To say the truth was in the fourteenth yeare Of famous Henrie King of England The Fourth by ●●ne my Princes Father deare When Phoebus shew'd in altitude to be Fine three times told and foure and one degree When he did in his Chariot downe descend With golden streames into the Ocean strand To bath his steeds and light to others l●nd That farre remote inhabite th' Indian land Where when our Summer is clean● past and gon Their spring beg●●s but newly to come on And when Lucina faire with paler light Began in cold October to arise T'enhase the darkenes of the winters night And glistring starres appeard in christall skies And then was in the signe of Scorpion And Hesperus then westward running downe His course to hasten gainst tomorrow bright As Lucifer that driues darke clouds away Is sayd to bee the messenger of light And shineth at the dawning of the day When Phoebus early shoes his glistring face Ascending from Proserpins obscure place Where Pluto sits environed about With furies of the fowle infernall Lake In this yeare moneth and time as it fell out This Historie I first in hand did take And of the Troyan wars the truth vntwind As in my ancient Author I it find For if no Authors had the truth set downe In written Bookes of things that are forepast Forget fulnes would soone haue trodden downe Each worthy act and cleane extinct at last Which Serpent never ceaseth to assaile The world to cause all truth on earth to faile And had no ancient Histories been found But all things vnto memorie were left Truth surely then would soone be layd in ground And men of knowledge vtterly bereft But God intending Sathan to prevent That hath foreseene and writers alwaies sent From age to age still to renew the same That truth might alwaies spring and come to light And thereby win an everlasting name Against the which sowle envy still doth fight But famous Clarkes not ceasing truth to show By writing leaue the same to vs to know Els time with syth would soone cut downe the grasse And re●ening death extirpe the root and all And nothing whatsoere on earth did passe Should haue record the same to mind to call Nor honor due to valiant Knights be read But it with them should rest and lie as dead And so not onely name but fame would die And wholy be defaced out of mind But Histories explain the same to th'eie As daylie by experience we may find Nere ceasing spight of envy to vnfold The truth of all which may not be controld Therein we see of high and low estate The life and acts as it were on a stage For writers that are wise in heart do hate To speake vntruth or flatter any age For tyrauts being dead they will not feare To write and shew their follies as they were And t'yeild each man as he shall well deserue Be 't good or bad and therefore it i● best For every one that credit will preserue In life to vertue cleaue and vice detest For after death know this and marke it well Clarkes will not spare the truth of them to tell For such vnpartiall dealing in their daies Great Princes in them tooke no small delight For truely blasing forth their laud praise Their high renown their power their might Their knightly acts their victories fame Eternally with glory of their name For they still sought to shun the sisters three Fraud Negligence and Sloth that none might doubt Ought was forgot or more p●t in to bee Then truth requird and as the truth fell out Els worthy acts

were wholy done in vaine And those that honour sought had lost their paine And time by length of yeares and ages past Would haue defaced name and honor cleane Of Conquerors for what can ever last Vnlesse record thereof were to be seene Which Clarkes for which they merit and deserue Continuall praise haue sought still to preserue For Histories and Bookes are sayd to bee The keyes of learning memory and skill In them and by them all men plainely see What hath forepast and what is good or ill Witnesse the fall of Thebes the ancient Towne In Stacies Booke for truth at large set downe Where you may read and see how Polinece Was nere content with Etocles a day Nor would like louing Brother liue in peace Till Thebes Towne was brought vnto decay And h●w Tedeus through that mortall ctrife And by dissention was bereft of life How Oedipus with sorrow griefe and woe Did loose his eies so bitterly he wept And how the Smo●kes devided were i● two Of fiers made when funerall feasts was kept Which fier brothers hatred did engender And death to both for iust reward did render Mine author Guydo in like sort doth show As by his Booke most plainely it appeares Of all the Troian Princes overthrow While Greeks besieg'd the towne so many yeares In very truth and though t is long since past No time nor age the storie hath defast For maugre them you may it still behold In Bookes set downe most plainely to mens eies For truth by lying will not be controld Though enviously some seeke it to disguise Transforming all the substance of the matter By fayned tales dissembling to flatter As Homer did who truth would seeme to show Yet covertly did seeke the same to hide And by vntruth which he full well did know With Artificiall words doth truth deride Who seeming Greecians honour to defend Doth faine the Gods from heaven to descend In shape of men and openly were knowne To helpe the Greeks against the Troians fight And many such vntruths by him are showne In sugred words and phrases for delight Pretending so his malice for to hide For falsehood seekes in darkenes to abide The cause why he the Greeks so smothly prais'd Was for that he vnto them was allide And therefore sought their glory to haue rais'd But such as loue the truth cannot abide Gainst conscience for to praise or discommend Where no desert their action may defind But Cupid as the Poets faine is blind And giues his doome more after lust then law So Sicophants as we by proofe doe find Commend and praise the men they never saw By false report extolling them to skie Of whom in heart they know full well they lie Whereby such men as never merit fa●e But iust disgrace are highly magnified And they contrary that deserue good name Are either not remembred or beli'd For favor now doth beare so great a s●ay That true desert is driven cleane away Ovidius Naso likewise hath devis● A Booke in verse of Troian ●●●s to show Part true part false but in such sort disguisd That who so reads it can by no meanes know Which way to sound the deapth of his intent His phraise therein's so mis●ically bent Like story also Virgill doth declare When of Aeneas tra●●●les he doth write Where truth to tell in part he doth not spare Although s●●● time he seemth to delight In Homers course with Rethoricke to glose And truth with falsehood often to compose Dares an ancient Author first was found And Ditus eke of Troian warres to write Who both set down the truth perfect groūd As being there and did behold the fight And thogh their books in seuerall language be Yet they are knowen in all things to agree The Books in time to Athens being brought Salustius cousen one Cornelius By diligent enquirie out them sought And being of a mind industrious Translated them with great earnest care In each respect as th' Authors doth declare His only fault was that he did not write The story full at large as he it found But ●ure he did in breuity delight Els would he not haue spar'd to shew the groūd And first beginning of that mortall strife Which cost so many thousand men their life And how the Greeks came both by sea lād The nūber of their ●en and of their ships The manner how they first did take in hand To plant their siege all this he ouerskips How envy was the root and cause of all The mischiefe that on Troy at last did fall How many Kings and Princes thither went In warlike wise to win them high renowne How they agreed all with one conscent To see the full sub●er●i●●● of the Towne What armes they ●are what men they did retaine Who in the siege did longest there remaine How one the other Knightly did assaile How many valiant Princes lost their life How of t they met in field to giue battaile How hatred still increast and bred new strife Nor of their deaths ●e ●iteth not the yeare Thus much he leaueth out as doth appeare Which lately causd an Author to arise Whose truth in writing is not to be bla●'d That tooke in hand this st●●i● i● such wise As that of Ditus and of Dares nam'd He hath not sought one sentence to neglect Nor yet in ought the meaning to reiect This Clarkethat wrote so true so iust so well Was Guydo of Columpna by his name Who in sweet Rethoricke did so much excell That he enricht his storie with the same So Eloquently hath he set it downe That he deserueth praise and high renowne For which in heart and voice I will not stay To giue him praise and commendation due And with applause in truth and rightly say He was the flower most certainely and true Of all that sought this storie to compile For wit and soveraignty of stile Whose treces as I can I will obserue If God vouchsafe me time and grace to do 't And graunt my labour may of him deserue The Princely praise that first provokt me to 't Beseeching all that see 't with heart mind Not spare to speake if any fault they find And with good will I shall amend the same For many eies may see much more then one Correct then freely where you find the blame But find not fault whereas deserueth none And so in hope I shall your favours win With your support this storie I le begin THE LIFE AND DEATH OF HECTOR THE FIRST BOOKE CHAP. 1. I How Peleus King of Thessalie lost his people men women and Children by diuine punishment and after by prayer vnto the Gods obtained others IN Thessalie King Peleus once did raigne For vertue held a Prince of worthy fame Whose subiects as mine Author doth explaine Were Myrmidons so called by their name Of whose beginning Ouid doth rehearse The History at large in Latine verse And saith that in that Countrie downe did fall So furious a tempest from the skie

cheare He did behold Prince Iason in the face And spake to him that euery man might heare When first he had causde silence in the place Such words as might seeme outwardly to show His heart with ioy did inwardly ore-flow CHAP. III. ¶ How King Peleus fearing to be deposed by his Nephew Iason a worthy and valiant young Knight counselled him to vndertake the perillous and most inuincible conquest of the Golden fleece at Colchos who was content to grant to his Vncles desire DEare Cousin harke what I to thee shall say And thinke not that I slatter lie or faine And see thou beare it well in mind away For wholesome counsell neuer comes in vaine And who so ere doth seeme it to reiect The prouerbe saith his folly doth detect When as I thinke on thee I still do find Such sudden ioy euen at my very heart That whatsoeuer sorrow 's in my mind It cannot choose but presently depart And specially when as I do remember Thy gifts so rare in this thy age so tender For truth to say thou wholy art enclind To vertue honour curtesie and fame So that on whether side so ere I winde My onely ioy 's to thinke vpon the same And hold my selfe with all my whole estate For thy cause onely to be fortunate That by thy meanes am like to liue in rest And be aduanc't to honour and renowne So that all vice in heart thou dost derest Whose valour will so much aduance our Crowne That it not onely shall the same amend But which is more encrease and it defend Against all those that seeke with vs to striue Maliciously our state to ouerthrow And such as cause new quarrels to arriue Through pride within their hea●●s shall ouerflow This countries peace to alter and deface Our glory if they may with foule disgrace Who to withstand thou art our onely wall Our mighty shield and our protection So that whatsoere vnto vs doth befall Can vs not hurt in mine opinion Such trust I doe repose in thy foresight Thy wit thy prudence and thy Princely might Which vnto thy great honour and renowne Reported are almost the world throughout For that thy fame in euery land and towne Is knowne and scene with wings to flie about Which makes me neither day nor howre cease To find seeke out meanes the same t' encrease For sith that thine mine honour doth augment I can no better doe then seeke to rayse Thy worthie fame with all my whole intent That thou maist haue thy well deserved prayse Which my desire to tell thee without fayle Proceeds of loue and doth me so assayle That my insatiate mind can take no rest Till I aduance thine honour to the skie Which as I hope shall turne vnto the best This purposing I did my selfe applie To find the meanes t' effect my long desire And bring to passe the thing which I require At last it was my chance to vnderstand This strange adventure of the golden fleece Which if thou dar'st vouchsafe to take in hand With courage bold thine honour to encrease And that thou maist returne with victorie And so thy name for euer magnifie I shall esteeme my selfe ●oue others blest And this my Realme when others shall it heare Be sure to liue in peace and quiet rest For by thy valor great men will vs feare Of Knighthood then I pray thee grant to mee This just request and I will promise thee Vpon the faith and honour of a King That whatsoere is requisite to haue I will provide the call and euery thing Both Men and Armes as inuch as thou wilt craue Or any other necessarie thing That needfull is the sameto passe to bring And vnto thee a further promise make That if with cheerefull hear● thou goest about This enterprise with courage● vndertake Thou shalt not need to feare not stand in doubt Whensoeuer it shal be my chance to die To we●●● the Royall Crowne of Thessalie Let courage therefore enter in thy mind And thinke thy fame hereby shal be extold For he that shrinks for euery blast of wind In honours Booke shall neuer be intold Speake freely then and see thou doe not spare Thy full intent and meaning to declare When Iason did King Peleus mind perceiue With joyfull heart consent thereto he did Not once so wise his treason to conceiue Nor that in sugred words lay poyson hid Nor yet that hony sweet was mixt with gall To be a potion to deceiue withall The outward glose so cunningly was laid That poyson closely hid could not appeare Prince Iason thought all true that he had said For he suppos'd the King of conscience cleare From mischiefe falsehood and from bad intent Or that his mind to villany was bent With speed therefore he did an answere make In few and pithy words and did declare He was content that voyage t' vndertake And that no paine nor labor he would spare His Vncles mind in all things to fulfill With all his heart his power and his skill Wherewith such joy possest King Peleus heart That much it were to tell or to declare And that he might the sooner thence depart He did all things in readines prepare Appointing many Knights with him to goe To honour him the more in outward show But for because that Colchos so did stand Within the Sea which did enclose it round That for to travell vnto it by land There could no way by any meanes be found The King an order presently did take That Argos should a ship of purpose make Who as some Auchors say did first invent The Art to Sayle by Sea and tooke in hand To make a Ship the first that euer went Vpon the Seas to sayle from land to land And Argos 〈◊〉 the same as Guydoes booke Declares at large who list therein to looke Which Ship in all points rigd and well set out Attending wind did in the harbourlie Where many Knights with courages most stout Prepard themselues their fortunes then to trie With willing minds and ioyfull hearts to ayd Prince Iason Who therewith was well apayd Among the which stout Hercules was one For courage and for strength a peereles Knight Whose mother was the faire Alcumenon In whom God Iupiter did so delight That in Amphitreons shape down from the skie He did descend on earth with her to lie And did on her stout Hercules beget Who in his time for valour did exceed Whose labours all in Ouids Booke are set Whereto his praise at large you may there read The which for that they seem'd both strange rare I will in briefe the same to you declare The first how with Busiris he did fight Whose custome was to wash the ground with blood Of men and did orethrow him by his might And after shewd his fierce and furious mood Gainst Antheon and kild him valiantly And by the hornes in Candie furiously A cruell Bull by force to ground he threw That don on strong King Auger he did set

feele her rankor and disdaine Into the vale of great adversity The rich she maketh poore and then againe Of poore makes rich and as it is her kind Sets one before another casts behind Some one she maketh run another halt The third she plungeth in extreamity The fourth she doth to honor great exalt So that in her there 's no security In some mans mouth sweet Nectar she disti●th Anothers throat with bitter ga●● she fil'th And thus this wilfull Lady as we find Within her power great store of potions hath And every one of strange and severall kind For she to some with false and fained faith Giues pleasant wine but when the sweet is past As t is her vse she giveth them a tast Of Aloes and of bitter wormewood drinke And corfiues which do fret and pierce most deepe Into mens hearts when as they little thinke That fortune them beguiles and luls a sleepe And thus if in this Queene of Variance Whose ioy doth ever end with some mischāce Men put their trust let them besure at last Of what estate so euer that they be Shee le overthrow them with some sodaine blast And cleane bereaue of all felicitie As by example of Laomedon We may perceiue brought to confusion For little cause or truth to say for nought Wherefore let euery man by him take heed A quarrell to begin where none is sought Least that like him destruction be their meed For little fire with ashes covered When men suppose it quencht and wholly dead May chance breake out and on a sodaine burne And when as men the same do seeke to cease Full often in their faces it doth turne But he that medleth least liues most at ease Therefore let Kings and Princes every one A mirror make of King Laomedon And see they vse no kind of violence Nor suffer any one to offer wrong To strangers when they giue them none offence For though their power force be great strong Within their land when least they thinke on it As he was seru'd they may their rigor quit And yeeld the like to them in other place When as perchance vnto their overthrow They shall of them receiue but little grace Wherefore I wish when as they heare or know That strangers in their Countries are arriu'd Let them with loue and honor be receau'd And wisely thinke and hold it to be true That to a stranger courtesie to show Vnto a noble mind belongs of due For sure it is as every man doth know That nothing doth their honors more augment Then when their only care and will is bent For to relieue to cherish and to comfort With all the loue and honor that they may Such strangers as vnto their Courts resort That they of them may well report and say The contrary whereof much strife hath wrought As in this present History is taught The towne of Troy that first was built thus spoil'd The people slaine and many forst to fly The remnant with great woe and sorrow toil'd Int'exile led liue in captiuity And Exion as you haue heard me tell Went into Greece with Telamon to dwell For whom there rose such bloudy warre strife And so great vengeance tane for it in th' end On either side that thousands lost their life Which to declare I purposely intend If you vouchsafe it patiently to heare And for your good the same in mind will beare So hard and fatall is our destiny That no estate can permanently stand For every man ordained is to die And alterations chance in every Land And through the world where ever that we be We heare of nought but warre and treacherie Which serues to put vs in rememberance That many warres battailes great are fought And many woes and miseries do chance And mooued are for little cause or nought And diuers things for matters small or none At first begun breed much confusion Each one doth seeke another to destroy And bloudy minds are greatly to be fear'd Man careth not his brother to annoy And all because we take no better heed But envie raignes so much in euery age That nought but bloud death can it asswsge By it although the causes were but small If truth were knowne on th' ancient towne of Troy Both old and new such miseries did fall That at the last it did them both destroy Where during their so long bloudy strife Full many a valiant Knight did loose his life And Kings and Princes died by dint of sword Which to recount my hand doth shake for feare Least that my barren wit should not afford Fit tearmes phrases the truth for to declare Vnto my most renownd and soueraigne Liege Of all that past in that long ten yeres siege Which if that he with patience please to heare And not disdaine my rude and simple verse And in his sacred wisedome with it beare While I this wofull Historie rehearse Whereof no doubt I haue sith that of grace Sweet mercy in his heart he doth embrace And that he is a Prince of Maiestie Whose vertues are so excellent and rare That to addict his mind to pietie It is his onely study and his care With his support I will here vndertake A true discourse vnto you now to make What did befall vnto the towne of Troy That newly was erected once againe When Greeks did it the second time destroy As Guydo doth the same at large explaine And if my verse for want of skill seeme lame Let me intreat you to correct the same But blame me not sith that the fault 's not mine For as you know the English tongue is harsh And wanteth words to make vp perfect rime Where it in many places is too scarce And truth to say my wit will not aspire To follow Guydoes phrase as I desire Who in his Latine verse doth so exceed In Rethoricke that my translation Requires a farre more fine and subtill head To follow him in like construction Verbatim as a learned Gramarian Or as a skilfull Rethoritian I only take vpon me to declare The Historie according to the sence And truth thereof which is my chiefest care Least I thereby to some might breed offence And truth of verse I likewise set aside As wanting one therein to be my guide And to correct and mend them that are wrong My onely seeking is truth to declare Regarding neither verses short nor long For curiousnesse therein I doe not care Pretending not in any thing to varry Nor yet my Author Guido to contrary Nor from him disagree in truth of sence But to conclude our meanings all in one And to agree therein for Eloquence Or Rethoricke I you assure there 's none In me your heads with phrases fine to fill Nor yet haue I in painting any skill With colours fresh and gay to please the ere I nought can vse but sad and mournfull blacke And therewithall my selfe will satisfie Which in good part I you beseech to take And so in