he loued God and dradde him and was obedient to his lawes and ruled by good counsayle had manye greate victories But at the laste for his pride presumpcion and greate disobey saunce lost his crown and was slaine by Philistees â–ª with a Lenuoy of the translatoure A commendacion of Bochas vpon the vertue of Obedyence Loke the leafe .xli. Howe kynge Roboam for gyuynge faythe to yonge counsayle loste the beneuolence of his people and at the last dyed a fole With a lenuoy The second chapter A chapiter discryuinge howe Princes beyng hedes of theyr commontees should haue noble chiualry and true Iudges to gouerne the commons The third chap. Howe Mucius Sceuola slewe an innocente in stede of kynge Porcenna that layde siege to Rome The fourthe chapter Howe Lucrece oppressed by Tarquine slewe her selfe The fyfth chapter Howe Rome was gouerned after the deth of Lucrece and how Virginia was by her father slayne with a Lenuoy The sixte chapter Howe Ieroboam kynge of Israell for ydolatry and disobedience came to a myscheuous ende The seuenth chapter Howe zareas kynge of Ethyope was slayne in battayle The eyght chapter Howe Nadab kynge of Ierusalem lost both sceptre and crowne The ninth chap. How the vengeable prince zambrias set a towre on fyre and brente him selfe The tenth chapter Of kyng Achab and Iesabel his wyfe The leuenth chapter Howe the quene Athalia for her tyranny was slayne The .xii. chapter Howe Dydo Quene of Cartage slewe her selfe for the conseruacion of her chastitie With a Lenuoy The .xiii. chapter A Lenuoy dyrecte to wydowes of the translatour loke the leafe .l. Howe the vycious Sardanapalus king of Assirie brent him selfe and his tresoure The fourtene chapter A commendacion of Iohn Bochas of vertuous busynesse rehersyng the names of dyuers founders of scyences in reprefe of ydelnesse With a Lenuoy The fyftene Chapter Howe Amazias in Iuda kyng for his pryde and presumpcion was venquisâ—hed in battayle and after slayne The sixtene chapter Howe Osias succeadynge kynge nexte in Iuda was smytten with lepre The seuentene chapter An exortacion for Princes to take hede that they do nat againe the commaundementes of God The eyghtene chapter Howe kyng Ozeas was taken by king Salmanaser and dyed in prison The. xix chapter Howe Senacheryb kynge of Assyrie was slayne The twenty chapter Howe kyng Sedechyas for false forswearing was made blinde and slayne in pryson with a Lenuoy The .xxi. chapter Howe kynge Astiages laboured to disheryte Cyrus but God woulde nat suffre him in his malyce to preuayle with a LeÌ„uoy The two and twenty chapter Howe Candaâ—us kinge of Lyde was made cockold The thre and twenty chap. How all thyng that king Mydas touched was tourned to golde and yet at the last he dyed in mysery and wretchednesse The four and twenty chapter Of Balthazar kynge of Babylone and howe Daniell expowned Mane Techell Phares The fiue and twenty chapter How Cresus and Balthasar were veÌ„quished by Cyrus and how the son of Cresus was slayne at the huntyng of a wilde boore The .xxvi. chapter Howe the cruell tyraunt Cirus delyted euer in slaughter and sheding of blode and so ended With a Lenuoy The .xxvii. chapiter Howe Amilius for couetise slewe hys brother and how Remus and Romulus were noryshed by a she Wolfe The eighte and twenty chapiter Howe Mecius kynge of Albanoys for bycause he was false of his othe and promyse was drawen all in pieces The nine and twenty chapiter Howe all Prynces shoulde be true of theyr othes and promyse in auoyding all doublenesse and discepcion The .xxx. cha Of kinge Hostilius the fyrst that ware purple coloure was consumed with fyrie leuyn with a Lenuoy The .xxxi. chapter ¶ Thus endeth the table with the Chapters of the second boke â–ª and here foloweth the table of the third boke which contayneth .xxvii. Chapters The Prologue of the translatour The fyrste chapiter of the thyrde boke â—reteth how Andalus doctour of Astronomy sheweth that princes shoulde nat at wite their constellaâ—ion nor fortune of their vnhappy falling but their owne demerites and vicious lyuyng Loke leafe .lxv. A disputacion bytwene Fortune and gladde pouerte Loke leafe .lxv. Howe kyng Hostilius for worshypping of false goddes was consumed wyth fyrie leuyn The fyrst chapter Howe Anchus kynge of Rome was murdred by Lucinyo by the assente of hys wyfe The .ii. chapter Howe Lucinio that murdred Anchus was after murdred him selfe with a Lenuoy The thyrde chapiter Howe after the offence doone to Lucrece by Tarquin there was neuer kynge crowned in Rome The fourth chapter The greuous complaynt of Lucrece for her oppressyon The fyfth chapter A complaynt of Bochas vpon Luxurie of Princes as by ensample of manye dyuers mischaunces declareth with a Lenuoy Loke leafe .lxxi. How Cambyses assentyng to the murdre of his brother Mergus at y â— last slewe him self and how Oropastes occupied the crowne of Perce by vniust tytell and how he was slaine The sixte chapiter Howe Dary obtaynyng the kingdome of Perce by sleyghte ended with shame The seuenth chapter How Corolyan was by Romaynes exiled and of the warre he made agaynste them and howe whan he besieged theym they sente oute his mother and his wyfe wyth other to treate for a peace whiche they optayned and howe he was after exiled agayne and slaine The .viii. chapter Howe Melciades Duke of Athenes with a smal nombre venquished sixe hundred thousand Perciens and after by hys commens that aye of custome desireth chaunge of Princes was chayned in pryson and so dyed With a Lenuoy The .ix. chapter Howe Xerxses kynge of Perce for hys rauin and couetyse was dysmembred in smal pieces with a Lenuoy The .x. chap. How Artabanus murdred kyng Xerxses and howe he was after murdred him selfe The leuenth chapter Of duke Palantes and the Spartenoies that warred on them of Messene for â—auyshyng of theyr maydens The twelfth chapter Howe Ceson Quincius out of Rome was exyled â–ª and ho wt Graccus Cloellyus prince of Equoyes was take prysoner The .xiii. chapter Bochas reherseth the tyranny of Appyus and falsnesse of Judges With a Lenuoy The fourtene chapter Bochas againe the vntruthe of Judges Loke the leafe .lxxxi. An exclamacion of Bochas agaynste the extorcion of the officers of Rome The fyftene Chapter Howe Alcibyades was exiled and after brent in his bedde The sixtene chapter An exclamacyon of John Bochas vpon the deathe of Alcibiades with a Lenuoy The seuentene chapter Bochas writeth agayne the desyres of worldly people The .xviii. chapter Bochas spekynge againe ydelnesse reherseth howe some men haue pleasure in one Science and some in another The. xix chapter Howe Malleus Duke of Cartage for hys oppression and tyranny was hewen to peces with a Lenuoy The .xx. chapiter ☞ Howe the substaunce of the hooste of Hymilcho duke of Cartage as they went to conquere Cecile dyed of the Pestilence and howe he was after slayne him selfe The .xxi. chapiter Howe Heynon Duke of Cartage was dismembred with a Lenuoy The two twenty
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
rounde about so sore he them beset With men of armes and with his ordinaunce That finallye he brought them to vttraunce And them constrayned within a little space Their life their death submitten to his grace But while they made ayenst him resistence Supposyng his power to withstande Nisus that was kyng of Megarence Ayenst Mynos their party toke on hande And oft times as ye shall vnderstande Whan kyng Mynos did the citye assayle Nisus within with myghty apparayle Vpon the walles stode in his defence Whan that Mynos full like a manly knyght Fought without with sturdy vyolence Like Mars him selfe in stele armed bryght Wherof whan Scilla once had a syght Daughter to Nysus aduertyng his prowes Anone for loue she fell in great distresse She was supprised with his high noblesse His manly force expert many folde Set Scilla in great heauines For loue of Mynos in Poetes it is tolde Made her hart presume and be bolde First her life to put in ieopardy Her fathers life the citye the cleargy From her hart loue hath set aside Ayenst nature her bloude and her kynred And all frendshyp from her gan deuide And of her worshyp she toke no maner hede Loue made her cruell ayenst all womanhede First her hart so sore set a fire Her fathers death falsely to conspyre For kyng Mynos beyng a straungere Was so emprynted in her opinion Of creatures there stode none so nere And for his sake by full false treason She compassed the destruction First of her father and than of the citye So straunge a thing alas how myght it be That a woman of yeres yong and tender Coulde ymagen so marueylous a thing But it falleth that creatures slender Vnder face of angelike lokynge Ben very wolues outwarde in workynge Also vnder coloure of their port feminine Some ben found very serpentyne Lambes in she wyng shadowed w t mekenes Cruel as Tygres who doth to them offence Of humble chere pretendyng a likenesse But wo alas what harme doth apparence What damage doth counterfaite innocence Vnder a mantell shroude of womanhede Whan fayned falsenes doth the brydle lede For this Scilla the kynges daughter dere In whom he set his whole affection His hartes ioy his pleasaunce most entere His worldly blisse his consolation But she all turned to his confusion Not like a daughter but like a sorceresse His death cōpassed the story beareth witnes Her father had a fatall heer that shone Bryghter then golde in which he did assure Manly to fight ayenst his mortall fone For in his head while it did endure He should vainquishe and recure And through his knighthode to his encrese of glory In euery quarel wyn the victory But whā kyng Nysus her father lay a slepe Vpon a night parcell afore day Full secretely or that he toke kepe The heere of golde this Scilla cut away And vnto Mynos armed where he lay She him presented through her ordinaunce Of false entent him for to do pleasaunce But in this matter like as writeth Ouyde Methamorphoseos who so taketh hede Her father sleping she knelyng by his side Toke a sharpe knife without feare or dreade While he lay naked she carft a two his head And stale away of full false entent And to kyng Mynos y e head she doth present And in her commyng to his presence Her fathers head when she afore him layed Nothing ashamed of her great offence Vnto Mynos thus she did obrayed And with bolde chere euen thus she saied My lorde quod she w t support of your grace Yeueth to my tale leasure time and space Certes my lorde loue hath excyted me And constrayned to this cruell dede To slee my father destroye my citie To forget my worshyp forsake womanhead And made me hardy to make my father blede Thinges horrible thus haue I vndertake For to accomplyshe onely for your sake My selfe disherited for loue of your persone Called in my countrey a false traytoresse Disconsolate stale away alone Of new diffamed and named a maistresse Of false murder I bryng a great witnes My fathers head and his deadly vysage Ayenst nature to further your voyage Wherfore I pray that ye list aduertise And consider like a gentle knyght How I for loue towarde your great empryse And to great furtheryng also of your right Haue first my father depriued of his myght Raft him his life dispoyled his riches To do pleasaunce to your high nobles And nothing aske I vnto my guerden Neither to my rewarde that may auayle But that I might haue full possession Of your person most worthy in battayle For there is no treasure y ◠might counteruayle To my desire as that you woulde in dede Goodly accept me and my womanhede Ye may me saue and spyll with a worde Make most glad and most dolorous I not require of you my souerayne lorde But that ye would be to me gracious For bloud and kinne and my fathers house All left behinde if ye list aduert And vndeparted yeue to you my hert Which to your highnes ought ynough suffise All thing considered in your royall estate Conceiued also how in vncouth wise For your loue I stande desolate Saue of your mercy full disconsolate Here is all and some your loue I bye so sore But ye do grace I can say you no more And whan she had her tale tolde knelyng With a maner of pretence of womanhede Of all her treason a poynt not cōcelyng The king astonied of her horrible dede By great aduise peysed and toke hede It was not sittyng to prynce nor to kyng To do fauour to so frowarde a thing With troubled hart and with a face pale His loke vp cast sayed God forbede That euer in Cronicle in story or in tale That any man should of Mynos reade How he supported so venemous a dede Fauour a woman alas and well away Whiche slough her father whan he in bed lay ▪ But for your hatefull and vnkynde rage I praye the gods echone and Saturne For to take vengeaunce on your false outrage Euery where whither ye do returne And euery place where as ye soiourne Lande and sea shortly to expresse They ben enfect with your cursednesse Your owne mouth your outrage doth accuse And your actes ben so abhominable That your giftes fully I do refuse They ben so frowarde and so reprouable That your persone disnaturell and vnstable Within my courte it were a thinge not faire That ye shoulde abyde or haue repaire Ye be so hateful on euery side And contrarious of condicion I praye Cellus which oferth is gide And to Neptunus I make this orison As ferre as stretcheth their dominacion Vnder the bound of their regaly A dwellinge place that they to you deny Whan Minos had his answere thus deuised On reason grounded and equite And Scilla sawe howe she was dispised Knewe no partie passage ne countre To finde socour whether she might flye But dispeired lyke a traitouresse Towarde the see anone she gan her
down But maugre him he was take in the toun By Theodorike lette eche man take hede Odoacer he commaunded to be dede Myne authour Bochas of entencion For the time as came to remembraunce Towarde Romains maketh a digression To them recording the great variaunce The vnware chaunges the gery coūtenaūce Of Fortunes false transmutacion These same wordes rehersing to the toun REmembre o Rome call ayen to minde The daies passed of thy felicite Thy marcial cōquestes thy triūphs left behinde Thy great victories most of auctorite Thy famous lawes song in eche countre Which through y e world by report did shyne Now all atones is tourned to ruyne From Est to west thy lordshyp did attayne Aboue all powers most excellent royall But nowe from Rome into Almaine The estate translated which is imperiall Name of thy Senatours name in especiall The golden letters darked and diffaced And from remembraunce almost out raced Cyte of cities whilom most glorious That most freshly floured in chiualry To whiche the alpies mountains most famous Were subiecte of all Lombardy Til that discorde diuision and enuy Amōg your selfe hath clipsed y ◠brightnesse By a false serpēt brought in by doublenesse Kinges and princes were to the tributary Of all prosperite so fulsome was the flode Among yourselfe till ye began to vary The world throughout to you subiecte stode Tyll ye gan shew two faces in one hode What folowed after fortune hath so prouided Ye came to nought whan ye gan be deuided Vnpurueyed of prudent Senatours Thy marchandise tourned to pouerte Of knighthod naked barayne of soudiours Disconsolate stant all the cōmonte Towres and walles broke of the cite That whilom was a paradise of delyte Nowe all the worlde hath the but in dispite Cause to conclude of al thy wretchednesse Is false ambicion pride and lechery Diuision and malicious doublenesse Rancour hatred couetise and enuy Which set aside all good policie In brefe rehersed for short conclusion Haue be chefe grounde of thy distruction The .xxii. Chapter ☞ Howe the kinges Trabstila Busarus were brought vnto subiection and made tributares to Theodorike AFter these mischeues told of Rōe toun Came Trabstila king of Gepidois With other twaine as made is mēciō Busarus that was king of Bulgarois With Philitheus reigning in Ragois All these thre brefely for to saine Came all atones to Bochas to complayne Their realmes standing toward Septētriō And to remembre of the fyrst twayne Were brought atones to subiection By Theodorike that dyd his busy payne Them to conquere proudly did ordayne That they were neuer so hardy to rebell Agayne Romains to take no quarell To Theodorike they were made tributary Most wretchedly bound in seruage Neuer so hardy after for to vary In paine of death during al their age Of seruitude lo here the surplusage Of al wretches most wretched they be foūd That to thraldom constrained be bounde Tresour of tresours if it be well sought Is vertuous fredome with large lyberte With worldly goodes it may nat be bought With royal rubies gold stones nor pyrre For it transcendeth and hath the soueraynte Aboue all richesse that be in erthe found A man at large frely to stande vnbound The .xxiii. Chapiter How Philitheus lost his kingdome and of Marcian and Leo. NExt these two in ordre ye may se To John Bochas gan shew his pre sēce The third king called Philithe Which by fortunes sodaine violence Lost his kingdome by cruel sentence Of Odoacer the tyraunt mercylesse Lost his life and came no more in presse The sodaine chaūges to rede whan I begā And saw the whele so oft turne vp so downe Of fortune there came one Marcian Of whome is made none other mencion Saue only by a coniuracion He murdred was being innocent Amōg his knightes which slew him of asset Than tofore Bochas to shewe his presence There came one that called was Leon Which caught a titell by no violence But made his clayme by iust succession After his father and toke possession Which of Leon myne auctor saith the same Beyng Emperour bare the same name This yong Leon again all truth and ryght By tyranny as made is mencion Through cruell zeno y ◠was a good knyght Was put out of his possession Constrayned to liue in religion But to what order that he dyd wende I fynde nat but there he made his ende The .xxiiii. Chapiter ¶ Howe Simacke and Boes his sonne in lawe were banished and after iudged to die AFter these mischeues Simak gan hym drawe Toward Bochas with a ful pitous face Boes came with him y ◠was his son in lawe Which among Romains gretly stodi grace But in this matere brefely for to pace The said Boes onely for his trouthe Exiled was alas it was great routhe For cōmon profite he was vnto the toun In matters that grounded were of right Very protectour and stedfast champion Againe two tirātes whiche of force might Had in the porail oppressed many a wight By exactions and pyllage gun of newe Vpon the cōmens full false and eke vntrew Theodorike of Gothes lorde and king Toke vpon him by false intrusyon To reigne in Rome the people oppressing By his prouostes two as made is mencyon Did in the citie great oppression Confederate as brother vnto brother Coniugast and Triguill was that other Compendiously this matter to declare To saue the commons stode in defence For life nor death he lyst nat for to spare To withstand of tyrantes the sentence King Theodorike of cruell violence Banished him by hatefull tyranny He and his father to abyde in Pauy Afterward Theodorike of cruell haterede Like a false tyrant of malice and enuy Gaue iudgement that both two were dede But touching Boes as bokes specify Wrote diuers bokes of Philosophy Of the Trinyte matters that were diuine Martyred for Christe and called Seuerine The .xxv. Chapter ¶ Of king Arthur his cōquestes and of the commodities of England how he was distroied by his cosin Mordrede WAs neuer prīce might him self assure Of fortune the fauour to restrayne Like his desyre his grace to recure To abide stable and stand at certaine Among all other reken Arthur of Bretaynē Which in his time was hold of euery wight The wysest prince and the best knyght To whom Bochas gan his style dresse In this chaptre to remembre bliue His great conquest and his highe noblesse With singler dedes that he wrought i his liue And first he ginneth breuely to discryue The site of Britaine and of that countre Whiche is enclosed with a large see Set farre westward as ye shal vnderstand Hauing Spayne set in the opposite Of a small Angle called Englande Fran̄ce about hi discryuing thus his sight With many a riuere plesaunt of delite Bothe bathes and welles there be founde Diuers mynes of metalles full habounde Aboute whiche ronneth the Occian Right plentuous of all maner of vitaile The name of which at Brutus fyrst began London
tofore Gaulter his iudgemeÌ„t to shew With sharp swordes he was all to hewe The execucion done vpon these thrâ— In Tuskan borne the rancour did apease Of Florentines to staunche the cruelte Againe Gaulter to his life great ease He glad to escape out of his disease Fled away in full secrete wyse The towne restored again to their frauÌ„chyse Thus he lost by his insolence All his power and dominacion Bothe of Tuskan and also of Florence And as mine auctour maketh mencion Fro Lombardy he is discended doun Drew to king Iohn reigning tho in FrauÌ„ce And of byrth full nigh of alyaunce As I fynde he was on that partye With king Ihon this Gaulter like a knight Whan that the king with all his chiualry Was take him selfe his lordes put to flighte Into Englande lad after anone righte The said Gaulter hauing no regarde To his worshyp fled like a cowarde Met in his flyght with diuerse soudyours Of Lombardy abiding with king Iohn Which that time as brygantes pyllours Toke this Gaulter led him forthe anone His force his corage his herte was agone Of auenture a certaine Florentine Smit of his head this was his fatall fyne The .xxxv. Chapter ¶ Of Philipot Cathenoise borne of lowe birth which came vnto great estate and after she her sonne her doughter were brent BEspraynt with teares and wofull noyse Tofore Bochas quaking in sorow and drede Next in order came Philipot Cathenoyse Poore of degree borne of lowe kynrede Which rose after to great estate in dede And gan with sorow complaint ful mortal Seriously to tell her woful fall Touching her byrth derke was her linage Of poore bed borne on outher syde Bochas was lothe to spende great langage On her history longe theron to abyde Purposed him nothing for to hide Of the substaunce but tell all the great And superfluite of the remenaunt to leat Whiche was reherced by him in his youth Whan he was toward Robert of Cecyle Kyng of Ierusalem the storye is nat couth Yet in his boke he list it compyle And it reherce by full soueraine stile Lyke in that courte as it was to him tolde By one Bulgare called in slauaine olde The sayd Bulgare was a marynere With him also was a Calabrien Called Constantine which full many a yere Trauailed had and sondry thinges sene In diuers countreis there he had bene Monge other thinges sene in dayes olde This was a storie which Bulgare tolde Duke of Calabre Robert by his name By his father Charles the mighty kyng Had in coÌ„mauÌ„dement y â— storye saith the same Gayne Frederike to make a stronge ryding Which by force proudly vsurping Toke vpon him to be lorde of that yle Which called was the kingdome of Cicyle Depranne in sothe called was the towne Where duke Robert his pauyllions pight Rode armed through his hie renowne Gaine Frederike for the lande to fight And to withstande him plainly if he might And so be fyll the morowe before prime The dukes wife of childing bode her tyme. Violaunt men did that lady call In her time a famous great duchesse Destitute of other women al Whan her childe was borne in that distresse To yeue it souke the story doth expresse Saue for mischefe Philipot was fet nere Of Cathenoyse the dukes chefe laundere By a fysher which was her husbande A childe she had lyuing by theyr trauaile Which fro the sea vnto the courte by lande Day by day caried vitaile And in this case be cause it might auayle Philipot was brought in this greate straytnesse To be norice vnto the duchesse Where she was cherished after her desyres Eche thing redy whan that euer she sent With the duchesse amonge other chambrers In to Naples I fynde that she went Tyll Atropose frowarde of entent Made of this childe there is no more to say The lyues threde for to breke in tway With king Charles of whoÌ„ I spake toforne As mine auâ—tour remembreth in his boke Was one Raymond of Champayne borne Whiche w t the king was called mayster coke And on a day his iourney he toke Towarde the sea a pyrate as I finde Solde him a child which was borneiÌ„ Inde Lyke Ethiopiens was his colour For whoÌ„ this coke Raymonde hath deuysed For in his notable diligent labour Made him christen and so he was baptised Gaue him the name and also practysed Him to promote that he vpon him toke By his doctrine to be mayster coke For he sone after toke the order of a knight The Ethiopien wext a good officere Gate suche grace in the kinges sight To be about him more nere By processe he was made wardyopere And though he was blacke of his visage To Cathenoyse he was ioyned in maryage Wexte malyperte and of presumpcion To be made knight y â— king he gan requere Which of fredom and great affection Is condiscended to graunt his prayere But to declare plainly the manere In this time Violaunt the duchesse Afore remembred dyed of sicknesse After whose death bokes dothe certifye Howe duke Robert of Naples the cite Wedded a Lady that called was Sausye To whom Philipot as fyll to her degre With diligence and great humilite To please her dyd so her deuer That of counsayle there was none so nere Euer redy at her commaundement Wrought atyres plesaunt of delite With holsom waters that were redolent To make her skyn by washing sote white Made confections to serue her appetyte By her husbande the story who lyst se The same Philipot had chyldren three She was connyng of her porte prudent Chosen by fauour for to be maystresse To fayre Iane yonge and innocent Which doughter was to the great duchesse Of Calabre and furthermore to expresse Her husbande the Ethyopyen withall Of Charles houshold was made seneschall O lorde quod Bochas spake of hie disdain What meneth this fortune for to make chere With her fauour to rayse vp a forayne Vpon her whele with bright fethers clere But of custome it is aye her manere Fayrest to appere with chere countenauÌ„ce Whan she wyll bryng a maÌ„ vnto mischauÌ„ce For he that was a boy the last day An Ethiopien borne horrible of sight And afore time in the kechyn lay Amonge the pottes with baudy cote anight Nowe of newe hath take the ordre of knight With king Charles is now seneschall Such sodayne climbing asketh a sodain fal He and Philipot his wyfe fro pouerte Be enhaunced and rissen to great richesse Two of their sonnes stately maryed be And he for fauour more than worthynesse To order of knight in his most highnesse Their father died whose feast funerall Was solempnysed and holde full royall Thus can fortune chaunge as the mone Her bright face derked with a skye His eldest sonne dyed after sone The seconde left vp his clergie To be made knightlgan him selfe apply Stode of his father plainly as I rede In his office by fauour to succede Thus by processe fro Philipot anonright Deathe of
Andriscus of low byrth borne hauyng no tytle became kinge of Macedone was taken died in prison The xxiiii ca. Howe Alisander Ballas kyng of Surry for extorcion pride vnkyndnes dyed at mischefe with a Lenuoy The xxv chap. Bochas agaynst the rebellions and sedicions in Rome betwene Tribunes and the commons The .xxvi. chapter Howe the wyfe of â—asdrubal brent her selfe and her children The .xxvii. chapter Of Machabeus Jonathas taken by the kyng of Surry The xxviii ca. How Demetrius the seconde lost at the last his head The .xxix. cha Howe zebenna kyng of Surry by intrusion entrynge had a mischeuous endynge The .xxx. Chapter How Bitynctus kyng of Auergnoyes by the Romaynes was taken and died in prison The .xxxi. chapter Howe the tyraunt Euergetes wedded quene Cleopatra and howe he slewe her sonne exiled hys wyfe wedded her doughter The .xxxii. chapter How Jugurtha by intrusion was king of Numidy slew the ryghtfull heires and howe he was after drowned hym selfe with a Lenuoy The .xxxiii. chap. Thus endeth the table with the chapters of the fifth boke and here foloweth the table of the syxt boke which contayneth seuentene chapters BOchas syttynge in his studye all alone wryteth a great processe how Fortune like a monstruous ymage hauyng an Câ—haÌ„des appeared vnto him and spake and Bochas vnto her makynge betwene them manye great argumentes reasons of Fortunes chaunces Leaf .cxxxiiii. In y e first chapter of the syxt boke Fortune rehearseth her condicions vnto Bochas she wynge hym howe she hath many one enhaunsed for a tyme and anone after she hath them sodaynly ouerthrowen Howe Gayus Marius of lowe byrthe borne came to hie estate which blent with couetyse after many great batayls dyed at mischefe The seconde chap. Howe kynge Mithridate abode seuen yere in wyldernesse and had great tourmentes bothe on sea and land by hys blode brought to vttraunce and howe he slewe hym selfe with a sworde with a Lenuoye Howe Eucradites kyng of Sithie was slayne by Demetrius and after hys carrayne cast to houndes The .iiii. chapter Howe Herodes king of Parthoys warred with the Romayns whiche after hys sonne and heyre was slayne made his bastarde sonne kynge that anone after slewe hys father The fifth chapter Howe Fimbria a consull of Rome slew hym selfe The syxt chapter Of Albinius that was slayne with stones The seuenth chapter Howe Adrian borne of lowe degre falslye vsurped to be kyng of Rome whych w t his churles was after brent The eyghte chapter Howe Sinthonius king of Trace y â— all coueited all forwent and died in pouerte The .ix. chapter Bochas in briefe sentence maketh a discription of the kyngdome of Trace and pasleth ouer lyghtlye vnto the accomplishment of hys boke The tenth chapter Howe after manye great conquestes of duke Pompey there beganne great warre betwene hym and Julius and how there were thre hundred thousande slayne and at the laste the head of Pompey smyt of with a Lenuoy The .xi. chapter Howe the noble Julius Cesar brent the vessel of Tholome sloughe Achyllas that woulde haue murdred hym and after hys great victoryes he hym selfe was slayne wyth bodkyns by Brutus Cassius The twelfth chapter Howe y â— last Scipion coÌ„sulere of Rome for he woulde not lyue in seruage of Julius roue hym selfe to the hearte wyth a Lenuoye The thirtene chapter How Octauian succeded next and how the murdrers of Julius dyed at mischefe The fourtene chapter Howe Tullius was two tymes exiled and at last slaine by Pompilius The fyftene chapter A chapter agayne ianglers and diffamers of rethorike The sixtene chap. Howe Sextus warred agayne Triumuir and of the death of great Anthony and Cleopatras The seuententh chap. Thus endeth the table wyth the Chapters of the syxte boke â–ª and here foloweth the table of the seuenth boke which contayneth xi chapters OF Antony sonne heire to the great Antony and of Cesarius Julia Agrippa Cassius and Galbus The fyrst chapter How the tyraunt Herodes slew his wyfe and children and afterwarde hym selfe died at michefe with a Lenuoy The ii chap. Of Antipas exiled by Octauian and of Archelaus sonne of Herodes the seconde The thyrde Chapter Of the strife betwene Calligula Tiberius and Messalyne The thirde chap. Of the moste vicious and cruell tyrant Nero that slew Peter and Paule and last of all hym selfe with a Lenuoy The fyfth Chapter How Eleazarus a Jewe borne for extorcion and robbery was brought into prison and there ended The syxe chapt Howe the heade of Galba was smitten of fylled full of golde and offred at the sepulture of Nero. The seuenth chapter How Occho and Vitellius for glotony lechery ribaudy and tyrannye ended mischeuously The eyght chapter Bochas complayneth agayne the foule vyce of glotony The nynth chap. A chapter diseriuyng the golden worlde that is to saye whan temperaunce had the gouernaunce with a Lenuoy The x. chap. How the kinred of Jacob was distroied Christ borne crucified JerusaleÌ„ distroyed and xi hundred M. slayne by sworde hungre fyre pestilence The xi chapter Thus endeth the table with the chapters of y â— seuenth boke and here foloweth the table of the eyghte boke whiche contayneth xxvii chapters The table of the eyght boke THe Prologne of the translatour The first chapter of the eyght boke expoundeth howe the proude tyraunt Domician emperour of Rome and manye other emperours nobles for their great outrage and wretchednesse ended mischeuouslye Howe Gallyen sonne of Valerian was slayne The seconde chapter How Quintilius was murdred by women The thyrde chapter Of Aurelian in Denmarke borne The fourth chapter Howe Probus discomfited the Romaynes and after was slayne The fyfth chap. Howe Clarus and hys two sonnes were mischeued The syxt chapter How the noble Queene zenobia fought with Aurelian and howe she was take The seuenth chapter Howe Galerius oppressed martyrs and christes fayth and of his mischeuous end The eyght chapter How Maxence the emperour enemye to Christes fayth ended mischeuouslye The nynth chapter How Lucinius enemy to Christes faith was slayne The tenth chapter Of Constantine and Crispus and how Dalmacius was slayne The eleuenth ca. Of the brethren Constaunce and Constancius and how Magnencius Decius murdred them selues The twelfth chapter Howe Constantine baptised by Siluester was cured of his lepry The xiii chap. Howe Julian Apostata enemy to Christes fayth by false illusion was chosen emperoure and after slayne The fourtenth Chapter Howe the emperour Valence slewe holye hermites shed thristen bloude distoyed churches and after was brent him selfe The fiftene chapter Of kyng Amasicius and howe Gracian and Theodosy distroyed temples of false goddes and howe Gracian was putte to flyght The syxtene chapter A goodly processe howe Theodosy with prayer and small numbre gate the victorye of a great numbre The seuentene chapter How knightes and gentle men chase Alerike kyng and howe the commons chase Radagassus which had a mischeuous end The eyghtene chapter Howe Ruffyn chamberlayne with Theodosy vsurped to be Emperour for hys
myght them please Euer endure and neuer fal in age For whyche it was called the tre of lyfe But whan Adam was fallen in dotage And ayenst god began to holde stryfe Throuh excitynge of her that was his wyfe And wylfully yaue her to assent To breke the precepte the cōmaundement Of god the lord through wylful negligence To approche the tre that bare the name The tre of connyng and also of science For of the frute who that dyd attame He sothly should the Byble sayth the same Of good euyll haue cōnyng in his thought wher as toforne of euyl he knew right noght Thus had they first of euyll experience Which as toforne they knew no wickednes Presumpcion and inobedience Brought thē out of ioye into wretchednesse For afore time mine author bereth witnes Helth goodnes were called very lyfe Euyl named sicknes first rote of our strife In Paradyse myne auctour sayth certeyne The tyuers were so Orient and so fyne Lyke quicsiluer boylyng vp they pleyen And in their ronnyng very chrystallyne Whych from a wel heauenly and deuyne In their vpspryngyng aueylyng downe Of al pleasaunce gaue so swete a sowne That it woulde rauysh a mans corage Whose baumy colour endewed al the place And w t the freshnes cours of hys passage The holesome ayre hertes dyd embrace There was such plēty of plesaūce of grace That euery spice herbe grayne and rote Were foāden growyng in that gardein sote And there was a delectable soun Of songe of brydes in their ermony The aire was clene from all corrupcion For therin ingendred was no malady There was all mirth there was al melody Of ioy and blysse souerayne suffisaunce With al that may to hertes do pleasaunce And of clerkes lyke as it is tolde In their bokes as they determine Thoe in his sphere the sunne manifolde Was of more vertue more clere dyd shyne Than it doth nowe in his mighty lyne The mone whyter with her beames clere And euery sterre bryghter dyd appere Euery thynge was there more vertuous Than they be nowe who can behold and se For in y t place there was nothing noyous But perfit gladnes knit vnto surete Perpetuell peace ioy and prosperite And in that blisse to make more strong To their comfort god spake to them among Of his goodnesse he bare them companye Shewed vnto them hys gracious presence Angels also their state to magnifye Amonge to serue them dyd their dilygence In diuers offices with humble reuerence And nature wrought for the nones Of ryall purpill and ryche stones Tissues of gold and other ornamentes For to enuiron their bodily beaute Shaping to them suche maner garnimētes As angels vse in their felicite Naked they were fayrest on to se For whyle they stode in state of innocence They had of clothynge none experience And of their blysse to make mencion And of their ioyes that were celestiall There may be made no comparison Of no ioy which is temporal Which should haue be lasting and immortal Euer to haue lyued in mirth and gladnesse Saue ageyn reason of very wilfulnesse They banished thē self out of that blisful life Whan Adam gaue credence to a snake And wretchedly gan trust on his wife Whiche gan the apple of the serpent take And plesantly did a present make Vnto Adam as she that fyrst began Deth to deuyse and poyson vnto man But as their ioy was incomparable Greatest their lordship of all erthly thinge So their fall was to them importable For he that was all other surmountyng In Paradise reignynge as a kinge Was it not a dedelye mortall payne Fro thilke place to haue a fall sodayne ▪ For thilke sorow surmounteth al sorowe Which next foloweth felicite No wo more greuous at euen ne at morow As is in dede sodeyne aduersite Which commeth vnwarely after prosperite Ne nothinge may more hertes disauaunce Than of old ioy newe remembraunce Taketh ensample of Adam and of Eue Maketh of them a myrroure in your mynd Whether of reason it dyd thē greatly greue For to be put alas so ferre behynde Out of that blysse they and all their kynde Chaungyng the state of immortalite And became subget to deth and pouerte Their sodeyn change vnware mischefe And their vnhappy transmutacion It was to them full vncouth and vnlefe For to depart fro thilke manlion That was so ful of delectacion Fro such delites sodenly to go Into this worlde whych is so ful of wo. There is delite and here sorowe and care There is ioy and here is heuinesse There is plenty and here is euyll fare There is helth and here is great sickenes Here troble ay mēged with vnsure gladnes There is ay blysse and eternall glory And here is mirth but false and transitory Alas howe they were blinded in their sight Through vaynglory and false ambicion They went wronge they loked not a ryght False couetyse was theyr confucion Wherthrough they lost the dominacion Of Paradise and was both poore thrall Their fredome lost and became mortal Vnto god they wold haue be semblable Lyke vnto hym good and yuell to know And in their trust for they were not stable Frō their estate they were brought ful low And thus the sede was fyrst ysowe The rote planted of disobeysaūce Which brought out linage to sorowe mischaūce Thus came in fyrst through inobedience As by a gate pouertye and nede And at their backe foloweth indigence Sorowe sicknes malady and drede Exile banyshynge and seruitude in dede Whych caused man longe to contune Vnder the lordshyp and daūger of fortune Thus came in also malady and deth To dispoyle mankynde of hys beautye Long syckenesse and pestilence that slethe By soden stroke whych y e no man may flye For vnto Adam and hys posteritie Deth was annexed by successyon For hys offence and so conueyed doun For man to man in euery maner age For who so list know sin brought in shame Man to be feble and faynt in hys passage And by processe to wexe halte and lame Vnto Adam thys was an vncouth game To be constrayned in sych apparayle In bareyne erth to seke hys vitayle In hungre and thurst here he had hys lyfe Wyth swete and labour and tribulacions Endured also many a mortal styfe Of hote and colde ryght stronge passyons Of elementes sodayne mutacions Wynde hayle and rayne fearful fallyng And vnware strokes of thūder lyghtning Thei stode also in domage and in drede Of cruel beastes Tygres and lyons And of wylde beres who so taketh hede And in great feare of these fel dragons The assaut of dragons and of Scorpions For thilke beastes that toforne were milde After their sinnyng ful ragy were wylde And where thei stode first in sikernes Of ioye and blisse euer in one lastinge Out of their rest thei fil in vnsurenesse In sorowe sighing dolours cōplaining And fro their iyen continually weping The bitter teares day by day distil In this desert
dye in suche aduersitie â–ª We had also read full many a day tofore The great banishment and persecution Of Argiuois how kyng Gelanorâ— Was cruelly put from his region And his lieges of indignacion In his place they set one Danaus Sonne and also heyre to the God Belus The people of malyce did him so encomber To encrease his sorow and his aduersitie And fyfty daughters he had also in number And Edippus his brother also pardy Had fiftye sonnes the stories ye may se At wene the whiche in surety of hoâ—de In mariage there was made a bonde Vnder the which compassed was treason Couertly though they did it hide But if ye list haue cleare inspection Of this story vpon euery side Reade the legende of Cupide Which that Chaucer in order as they stode Compyled of women that were called good Touchyng the story of kinge Pandion And of his goodly fayre daughters twayne How Thereus false of condicion Them to deceiue did his busy payne They bothe named of beauty souerayne Goodly Progne and yonge Philomene Bothe innocâ—utes of intent full cleane Their piteous fall in open to expresse It were to me but a presumption Syth that Chaucer did his busines In his legende as made is mencion Their martyrdome and their passion For to rehearse them did his busy payne Is chiefe Poete called of Brytayne Of good women a boke he did write The number vncomplete fully of ninetene And there the story plainely he did endite Of Thereus of Progne and Philomene Where ye may se their legende thus I mene Do them worshyp forth their life shew For a clere myrror because there be but fewe I will passe ouer and speake of theÌ„ no more And vnto Cadmus forthe my style dresse In my wrytynge yet it greueth me sore Touchynge women of fayeth or stablenes Blessed be God I fynde none excesse And for there be so fewe as thinketh me The good shoulde be had in more deyntie ☞ Lenuoye THis tragedy beareth to you wytnesse How Saturnus by disposition Maliciously of his frowardnes Causeth of Iuno full great infection She of nature conueyeth the nature doun The ayre infect whiche no man may succour CoÌ„meth death anone al thing doth deuour Time froÌ„ Adam mine auctour dothe expresse Downe to Nemrothe by computation His stile conueyed by great auisenes From zoroastes to kyng Pharaon Of two deluges he maketh mencion In Tessaly the vengeaunce gan laboure And in Achaia Thebes to deuoure Ye haue of heates hearde the excesse Of princes pryncesses full great destruction Of Egistus the great wretchednes The fury of Thereus the wo of Pandion Of the two sisters the confusion And how their fate gan vpon them loure Their felicitie vnwarely to deuoure Prynces princesses your eyen do vp dresse I meane the eyen of your discresion Se of this worlde y â— chaunge the doublenes The great vnsurenes the variacion And aduert for all your great renowne Fortuns dewes whaÌ„ they most swetely shour Than is she falsest your glory to deuoure The .vii. Chapter ¶ How Iupiter rauished Europa how Cad mus was sent to seke her in diuers regions THe rehersal of many an olde poete By discent the line conueyed downe Next Saturnus the mighty kyng of Crete Ioue was crowned by succession As next his heyre by procreacion After his father the lande to enherite Raygning in Crete as poetes list to wryte One of the linage as I you tolde beforne Of the Gods most souerayne and entere And though he were of bloude so high yborne He chose Europe for to be his fere And downe discended froÌ„ his heauenly spere As he that was for all his deitie Surprysed in hart with her great beauty And she was daughter to a mighty kyng Called Agenor by line all discent Whose mighty kigdom ryal faire dwellyng Was in Phenice toward the orient And to Araby his lande was adiacent Farre by south as ye may read and se Toward the parties of the redde sea But Iupiter whan he did aduert Of Europa the great semelinesse He thought he was wounded to the hart Vnto the death beholdyng her fayrenes And for his coÌ„straynt his mortall distresse Seyng she was so fayre in his syght He rauished her of very force and might But Agenor her owne father dere Began on this case full piteously complayne When she alas most goodly and entere Was him biraft whiche doubled al his paine Recure was none though he did pleyne Tyll he remembryng on his regaly Thought he woulde sende to aspy His sonne Cadmus her to recure ayene For to searche her in many a region Where so his labour wer fructuous or vaine His father set him a fell condicion Not to returne by none occasion And therupon made him to be bounde Tyll y â— he had the kinges daughter founde He toke his shyps by great auisenes And began to sayle in many a straunge see Did his labour and his busines With many a worthy that were w t him preue But when that he of reason did se There was no meane for which that he was sent For to accoÌ„plishe the fine of his entent With glad hart deuoyde of grutchyng Seyng the case frowarde and contrary Humble of his cheare toke his exilinge And of manhode list not him selfe dispayre But with his meyne knightly gan repayre Towarde Grece piteously there to lande Of Appollo for to vnderstande To what party that he might drawe He prayed God to wyshe him or rede Some token shewe or some maner sawe Into what I le that he myght him spede Or that he woulde graciously him leade Where as he myght builde a citye That were accordyng to him to his meynie And to Appollo he did sacrifice And made to him his oblation The God requiryng goodly to deuise To what lande or to what region For his dwellyng and habitacion He should drawe withouten more obstacle For him and his to make his habitacle And Cadmus thus before Appollo stode Knelyng among with full great reuerence And in the temple of Delphos styll abode With huÌ„ble entendaunce deuout diligence Mekely besechyng by word or by sum senteÌ„ce That Appollo woulde to him vnclose To what party he should him selfe dispose This was his aunswere in conclusion As the statue to him did expresse To go and serche countreys enuyron And tyll he found do his businesse A bulle that were excellent of fayrenes Whiche by precept of Appollos lawe Had neuer aforne in yoke ydrawe And where that euer sekyng that he fonde A bull stande styll in his pasture Appollo bade vpon that same loâ—de Where as he seeth this syght of auenture That he shoulde do his busy cure To builde a citye he and his folkes all And Boecia after the Bulle it call And whaÌ„ that Cadmus y â— precept vnderstode And in searchyng did his busines He founde a place where a bulle stode Feadyng hym selfe whiche as by likenes Was a place full pleasaunt of largesse Where as he stynt he gan
a citye rayse Which the poetes greatly cōmend and praise And y ◠his buildyng myght the more auayle All the foreyns that did about him dwell Full like a knyght by force and by battayle Out of that countrey he did them expell Raysynge a citie whiche that did excell And as Ouide also recordeth the same Vnto thys day of Thebes beareth the name And he was not onely glorified For rearyng vp of this great citye But he was also magnified For his manhode his magnanimitie And most commended if ye list to se For the surmountyng famous excellence Whiche that he had in wysdome and science For as myne aucthour of him list indite Through his noble prudent puruey aunce He taught fygures letters for to write And made lawes of full great ordinaunce Among the Grekes and set a gouernaunce Thei◠vycious life by vertue to restrayne And who outraied was punished w t the pain And of entent to encrease hys lynage And his citye also for to multiply He toke a wife that was but yong of age And she was called as bokes specify Hermyone and touching her alye Though that she were borne of royall bloud She was also bothe ioly fayre and good And this was done as writeth mine auctour After the death of worthy Iosue Sothonyell beyng successour Hauyng the leadyng and the soueraintie Of Israell whan Thebes the citye Was founded first in the dayes olde By kyng Cadmus tofore as I you tolde Foure daughters he had by his lyue Full fayre echone and goodly on to se And their names to reherse blyue Semele was the eldest and next Acthonie The thirde in order was called Inoe And Agane was yongest of them all Of the whiche daughters thus it is befall They were echone of port and of manere Full well fauoured in euery mans syght Right womanly and heauenly of their chere And for their beauty their father anone right As it was sittyng wyth all his full myght Like their estates birthe and also their age Made thē be wedded and ioyned in mariage To worthy princes his linage to auaunce And they encreased by procreation Wherof the kynge had full great pleasaunce And great reioysyng in his opinion To saue his lyne by generation With his neuewes and cosyns of alye Fro day to day to waxe and multiply And this encreased his felicitie Whan he considered verely in dede The riche buildynge of his royall citye And Fortune did his brydle leade To great riches in bokes as I reade To great nobles hauyng great residence In his citye of moste magnificence His daughter Semele record of mine auctor Though she discended were of the bloud ryal To Iupiter she was paramoure And by his power supercelestiall She conceiued in especiall As poetes of her list to endite Him that is god of grapes redde and white Called Bachus whiche hath the gouernaūce Of wynes all and the regaly Wherof after was take full great vengeaūce For when Iuno did first espye Of Iupiter the great auoutrye Of great hatred and enuyous desire She made Semele to be brent w t sodayn fire By discendyng of a sodayne leuine And on Semele the vengeaunce downe wēt Fro Iuno ielous cleped quene of heauen To wreke her wrath purposely ysent And fore the flame consumed was and spent There was of her left no remembraunce But of the ende the wofull mortall chaunce Also Actheon the sonne of Acthonie To great mischefes and infortunes borne Whose father called was Criste Come of the kinred that I you tolde toforne With cruell houndes alas he was to torne For that he sawe as bokes of him tell Dyana naked bath her in a well And as Poetes remember at the lest Whan the ladyes of Thebes the citye Helde of Bachus solemnely the feaste The yonger sister called Agane Daughter to Cadmus alas it was pitie Ayenst her owne sonne deare She was so wode and mortall of her cheare Murderyng hym in full cruell wise In her rage she was so furious For he lough at the sacrifyce In Thebes done by women to Bachus The whiche sonne was called Pantheus Whom that she slewe w t a sharpe dart In her wodenes as she him founde apart These great mischeues fell in the lyue Of king Cadmus through his vnhappy chāce Fortune his noblesse gan vndermyne And thought she would his glory disauaunce All worldly gladnes is medled w t greuaunce Experience in Cadmus ye may se So importable was his aduersitie For while he sate most highest in his glory No part clipsed of his prosperitie His bryght renowne and his royall memory In realmes spredde many a farre con̄trey He moste wealfull in his high see Set w t his linage most high in noblesse Than came Fortune the false enchaunteresse Of wilfulnesse and founde occasion Ayenst Cadmus and made his renowne dul Of his kynred by false collusion She gan away the bryghtest fethers pull And whan his shining was waxt vp to y ◠full After the chaunge of fortunes lawe His glory gan discrece and withdrawe It was more greuous to his dignitie A sodayne fall from his high noblesse Than if that he had neuer be Set in the state of his great worthines For the furious mortall heauines Of his kinred without any more Would haue greued a pore man full sore And amonge his sorowes euerychone To rehearse playnly as it was I dare affirme how that there was one Most horrible dreadfull in such a caas For Cadmus sonne called Athamas His sonne in lawe through false melancoly Fell sodaynely into a frenesy Of whom the wife was called Inoe Cadmus daughter as ye haue heard expresse Which through the cōstraynt of his infirmitie In his rage and furious wodenes Thought that his wyfe was a lyonesse And in his wylde ymaginations That his two children were also two lyons And vpon them full loude he gan to crye Towarde his wife in haste he came anone And from her armes there was no remedy The childe he rent and on a craggy stone He gan to brast it and breake it euery bone The whiche childe Bochas writeth thus Full tender and yong called was Learchus And all this wofull and sodaine aduenture Of this rage whan that she toke hede As most sorowfull of any creature Her other childe she hent anone for drede For of succour she knewe no better spede So as she might gan haste out of his sight But welaway as she toke her to flyght Her husbande came after pursuyng Like a woode Lyon in his crueltie Downe from a hill whiche was dependyng She and her childe fell into the see Was it not ruthe was it not pitye A kings daughter her lord i Thebes crouned He to be woode and she for feare drowned ▪ Lo here the fine of Cadmus euery deale His children slayne and his allies all And he him selfe from fortunes whele Whan he wened leste full sodaynly is fall His little suger tempred with moche gall For among all his mortall peynes His
euidens playne That of elde no token shoulde be seyne In all his membres as lusty and entere As was a lambe eyned of one yere And here vpon in suche sleyghty wise She began a processe of full false treason The sisters made vpon the lambe to practise Drewe out his bloude like her enteneton And she by craft of false illusion Blent their eyen by apparaunce in vayne The olde Ram to seme a lambe agayne Thus Medea by her sleyght compassyng Of enuy and venemous hatred Excited hath the sisters in workynge Ayenst their father mortally to procede w t sharpe kniues thei made their father blede Amiddes the hart throughout euery vayne Supposyng the sely sisters twayne That Pelleus renued shoulde be To youth ayen of force and of substaunce But finally by treason of Medee He lost his life suche was his wofull chaūce She this wrought onely for vengeaunce As rote and grounde of this cruell dede Ayenst the nature of all womanhede Supposyng in her opinion That the death greatly shoulde please Of Pellius vnto her lorde Iason Through great encrease set his hart at ease But it rebounded vnto his disease That finally Iason her forsoke For her offence and he his way toke Into Corynth to the kynge Creon Whose daughter Creusa for her great beauty Was afterwarde wedded to Iason But whā this wedding was knowē to Mede Cast she woulde theron auenged be Began to conspyre of malice and enuy And through her magyke and her forcery In full great haste gan to ordayne A little coffer onely of entent And by her yonge fayre sonnes twayne With other iewels she hath it sent Vnto Creusa makyng a present Whiche of malyce she list to dispose That whan Creusa the coffer did vnclose The fyre brast out a full large space Brent Creusa by full great vyolence Set a fyre playnely all the place By enchauntment there was no resistence All went a fire that was in her presence By vengeaunce did full great domage But whan Iason this fire sawe in his rage And considered the malice of Medee Thought he woulde do execution For to punishe the great iniquitie Ayenst him compassed of treason For she of vengeaunce ayenst all reason After that Creusa consumed was and brent Her owne sounes whylom that she sent Without ruth or womanly pitye She falsly murdred the children that she bare Like a stepmother auenged for to be Cut their throtes or that they were ware Ayenst nature there was none other spare But for hatred she had vnto Iason After this murder she fled away anone So escapyng his indignation By craft of magike she went at libertie To Athens and in that region She wedded was vnto the kyng Ege Not longe after a sonne by him had she The which child mine auctour telleth thus After Medea called was Medus After whose name the famous region Ynamed was which called is Mede But folowyng euer her olde condicion This Medea voyde of shame and dread Compassed hath of wilfull false hatred That Theseus the sonne of kyng Ege With newe poyson shall deuoured be But Theseus full like a manly knyght In repayryng home to his countrey Of high prudence aspied anone ryght The mortall vengeaunce the great crueltie Of this stepmother whiche of enmitie Concluded hath in her entencion Him to destroy vnwarely with poyson Her hart of malice cruell and horrible As she that was with treason euer alied Whan that she sawe her purpose moste odible By king Egeus fully was aspied She hath her hart and wittes newe applied As in their bokes poetes haue compiled Ayen to Iason to be reconciled She fled away for feare of Theseus Lest he would done on her vengeaunce And finally as writeth Ouidius And morall Seneke concludeth in sentaunce In his tragedies makyng remembraunce Howe Medea like as poetes sayne Vnto Iason restored was agayne Touchyng the ende of their furious discorde Poetes make therof no mencion Neither tell no meane how they fyll accord But if it were by incantation Whiche so well coulde turne vp so down Sondry thinges of loue and of hatred And in Bochas of her no more I read Saue whan she had fulfilled her purpose Mine aucthour telleth that Iason Mede Restored haue ayen vnto Colchos Her father Oetes and from his pouertie Brought him ayen into his royall see And to his crowne by force they him restore Touching his ende of him find I no more Thus his fortune hath turned to and fro First like a kyng hauyng ful great riches After liuyng in pouertie and wo Sythen restored to his worthines Thus euer sorow is meint with gladnes Who can aduert in all worldly thing Record of Mynos the noble worthy kyng To whom I must now my style dresse Folowyng the traces of Bochasius The wiche Mynos as Ouid doth expresse Touchyng his byrth he writeth playnly thus That he was manly wise and vertuous Sonne by discent of Iupiter the great And of Europa borne to be heyre of Crete And of his person wonders delitable Full renowined of wisdome and science By diuers titles of laude commendable Of byrth of bloud of knighthode prudence For by his study and entyre diligence He founde first lawes grounded on reason Wherby of Crete the famous region Gouerned was and set in stablenes All iniuries and wronges to reforme Made statutes extorcions to represse Of right wisenes they toke the first forme And that eche man shoulde him conforme Like their degrees subiect and souerayne That no man had a matter to complayne He made his lieges to liue in quiete Cleare shinyng in his royall noblesse With sword and sceptre sittyng in his sete And while he floured in his worthines He toke a wife of excellent fayrenes Doughter to Phebus in Bochas ye may se And she was called faire Pasiphae And her father by record of writyng In his time was holden full famous Of the yle of Rhodes he was lorde and kyng And in his dayes of port full glorious Right proude in armes and victorious Takyng witnes of Methamorphoseos His daughter had thre children by Mynos The first a sonne called Androge And afterward full faire daughters twayne Ryght goodly and womanly on to se But like as fortune did for them ordayne They felt them selues in trouble and in payn The one called Ariadne Phedra the other Folowyng their fate it might be none other Androgeus by kyng Mynos was sent For he should profite in cleargy To Athens of vertuous entent There to study in philosophy And for he began to encrease and multiply And passe all other by study in learnyng And to excell his felowes in cunnyng They of enuy and false malice alas Made ayenst him a conspiration And from a pinacle sacred to Pallas Of ful great heigth thei made him tūble doun For which iniury Bochas maketh mencion His father Mynos auenged for to be Layed a great power about the citie He cast him fully y ◠no man shoulde him let But that he woulde do cruelly vengeaunce And
anoue That towarde Grece he should gone Vnto a mountaine that Phocis bare y e name And there he shoulde of his kynred here Also lyke his fate the answere was the same He shoulde slee hys owne father dere And after that to Thebes drawe hym nere Wedde his mother of very ignoraunce Called Iocasta throgh hys vnhappy chanÌ„ce He list no lenger tary ne abyde Thys sayd Edippus but forth goeth he And on hys way he began anone to ryde Tyi he the mount of Phocis did se Vnder the which stode a great countre Called Cetoyens whiche that time certayne Werreyed them that were on the mouÌ„taine His father Layus through his chiualry With Citoyens is entred into battaile And Edippus came wyth the partie Of the hyll armed in plate and mayle And as they began eche other to assaile Among the prese at the encountrynge Of auenture Edippus flewe the kyng Vnknowen to hym that he his father was Hauyng thereof no suspection Passed his way platly thys is the case And also vnknowen he came to the toun Of mighty Thebes wher for his hie renoun He was receyued wyth ful great reuerence Bycause that he slough in their defence Sphinx the serpent horible for to se Sometyme ordained by incantacions For to distroy the towne and the countre By his compassed sleightly questions Sloughe man and chylde in all the regions Such as not coude by wysdome or reason Make of his probleme playne exposicion Who so passed by he coude hym not excuse But the serpent woulde hym felly assaile With a problem make hym for to muse Called of some men an vncouth deuinayle Whych for to expowne who that did assaile Ther was none helpe neither other remedy By the statute but that he must dye And for all folke haue not knowledgyng Of this demaunde what it was in dede I wyll reherce it here in my wrytyng Compendiously that men may it rede First this serpent who that list take hede Was monstruous and spake ayenst nature And if it fyll that any creature Man or woman should forth by passe Highe or lowe of all that region As I sayde erst there was none other grace But if he made an exposicion Of this serpentes frowarde question He must dye and make no defence The whych demaunde was thus in sentence The serpent asked what thyng may that be Beast or foule whan it is forth brought That hath no power to stand go nor flee And afterwarde if it be well ysought Goth fyrst on foure or els gothe he nought After by precesse on thre than on twayne And eft agayne as nature doth ordayne He goth on thre and efte on four agayne Also kyndly right nature disposeth it so And in a whyle it foloweth in certaine To the matter which that he came fro He must of kynde resort ayen therto And who can not the meanynge clerely se He of this serpent shall deuoured be Which Edippus ful sobre in his entent Not to rekell or to hasty of langage But in his hert wyth great auy sement And full demure of loke and of vysage Considred fyrst thys perilous fel passage Sawe wel tofore that it was no iape And ful prouided y â— no worde should escape At good leysar wyth hole mynde memorye Seyng the ernest of this mortal emprise Hys life depending bitwixe deth victory Thys quod he plainly to deuyse Is fyrst a child whych may not suffyce Whan it is borne the truth is al day sene Wythout helpe him selfe to sustene After on four he naturally doth crepe For impotence and grene tendernesse Norices can tell that do them kepe But afterwarde vp he doth hym dresse With his two fete the thirde to expresse Is hand or benche or support of some wal To holde hym vp lest he catche a fall And afterward encresyng of his myght To great age whan he doth attayne Of his nature than he goth vpryght Mightily vpon his legges twayne Than cometh age his power to restrayne Croked lame lyke as men may se With a staffe or potent to make vp his legges thre But whan feblenesse or syckenes do assayle On handes and fete he must bow and lout For croche or potentes may not than auayle Whan lusty youth is banished and shet out Than eft agayne hereof maye be no dout With four fete to erth he doth retourne Fro wheâ—s he came there styl to soiourne All came fro erth and all to the erth shal Agaynst nature may be no protection Worldly estates echone they be mortal There may no treasour make redempcion Who clymeth hiest his fal is lowest doun A meane estate is best who coude it knowe Betwene hye presumynge bowing to lowe For who sit hyest stand in ieopardye Vnder daunger of fortune lyke for to fall Mischefe and pouerte as for their party Ben lowest brought among these people al. Some folke tast sugre and sum tast call Salomon therfore myrrour of sapience Bytwene great riches and great indigence Asked a meane called suffysance To hold hym content of coÌ„petent dispence Not to reioyce of to great haboundaunce And euer in pouerte to send him pacience Sobre w t his plenty in scarsnesse non offence As of grutching but bitwene ioye and smart Thanke god of all and euer be glad of hert Erth is the ende of euery maner man For the rich wyth great possession Dyeth as soone as I reherce can As doth the poore in tribulacion For deth ne maketh no diuision By syngler fauour but bitwene both ylich Of the poorest of hym that is most rich This said problem concluded in this case Whych y â— serpent began sleighly to propose That whan a childe is fyrst borne alas â—ynde to his dethwarde anon doth 〈◊〉 dispose Eche day a iourney there is none other glose Experience can tech in euery age Howe thys worlde is here but a pilgrimage Thys sayde Edippus fyrste in Thebes borne Sent to a forest deuouâ—ed for to be Founde brought forth as ye haue herde toforne And after drawynge home to his countre Slough hys father so infortunate was he Of frowarde happes followynge al hys lyue As this tragedy hys fortune shal discriue But for that he through his hye prudence Vnto the serpent declared euery dele He slough hym after by knightly vyolence More by wysdome than by armure or stele Stace of Thebes can tell you thys ful wele Whych was one cause if ye list to sene Whâ—â—through Edippus wedded hath y â— quene Called Iocasta princesse of that countre Hys owne mother vnknowen to them bothe And though she were ryghte fayre vpon to se With this mariage y â— goddes wereful wroth For their aliaunce nature gan to loth That a mother as ye shal vnderstande Shoulde her son take to be her husbande There was therin no conuenience To be supported by kynde ne by reason But if it so be the heuenly influence Disposed it by the inclinacion Of some false froward constellacion Caused by Saturne or
among with transmutations Set in Ouide by full souerayne style Whan he on them had mused a long while Sene the maner both of forowe and ioye He began to remēber of Priamus of Troy First of his byrthe and of his kynrede How among kinges he was most famous And as poetes recorde of him in dede He descended of worthye Dardanus Whiche as his line declareth vnto us From Jupiter was lynially come downe Vnto his father called Laomedoun Of olde Troy this Laomedon was kyng Destroyed by Grekes he and his countrye After whom this Priamus raynyng Made there ayen a myghty strong citye Where he full longe in full great royaltie With wife childer most worthy of renoun With scepter and crowne held the possessioun Gouerned his citye in peace and rightwisnes And Fortune was to him fauourable For of all Asie the treasour and riches He did assemble this kyng most honourable And in armes he was so commendable That through the worlde as far as mē gone Of high nobles the ronoume of him shone This Priamus had children many one Worthy princes and of full great myght But Hector was among them euerychone Called of prowes the lanterne and the lyght For there was neuer borne a better knyght Troylus in knyghthode so manly was foūd That he was named Hector the seconde But I should rehearse the manhede Of kyng Pryam and of his sonnes all And how his citye besieged was in dede And all the story to remembraunce call Betwene him and Grekes how it is befall The circumstaunces rehearsyng vp doun To set in order the first occasion Of the siege why it was first layed By Hercules and also by Iason The maner whole in Troye boke is sayde Rudely endited of my translation Folowyng vpon the destruction Called the second whych by accomptes cler◠Fully endured the space of ten yere For as me semeth the labour were in vayne Truely also I not to what entent That I should write it newe agayne For I had once in commaundement By him that was most noble and excellent Of kynges all for to vndertake It to translate and write it for his sake And if ye list to wete whom I meane Henry the fifte most myghty of puyssaunce Gaue me the charge of entent full cleane Thinge of olde time to put in remembraunce ▪ The same Henry for knyghtly suffisaunce Worthy for manhode teken kynges all With nyne worthies for to haue a stall To holy churche he was chefe defensoure In all suche causes Christes chosen knyght To destroy heritykes he set all his laboure Loued all vertues and to sustayne right Through his nobles his manhode might Was diligent and did his busy payne To haue set peace betwene realmes twayne A meane in sothe England and Fraunce His purpose was to haue had a peace finall Sought out meanes w t many a circumstan̄ce As well by treaty as actes marciall Theron ieoparded lyfe goodes and all But wo alas agaynst death is no boone This land may say he dyed all to soone For among kinges he was one of the best So all his dedes conueyed were by grace I pray to God so geue his soule good rest Wyth sayntes in heauen a dwellyng place For here with vs to little was the space That he abode of whom the remembraunce Shall neuer dye in England ne in Fraunce This worthy kyng gaue to me in charge In Englysh tonge to make a translation Out of latyn within a volume large Howe longe the grekes lay tofore the toun And how that Paris fyrst at Cytheron In Venus temple sleighly dyd his payne There to rauysh the fayre quene Heleyne In which boke the processe ye may se To hym how she was wedded in the toune And of the siege layde vnto the cyte By Menelay and kyng Agamennon And many another full worthy of renoun On eyther partie which that in battaile Fro day to day ech other dyd assayle Wherto shuld I tell or what shuld I write The deth of Hector or of Achylles Or wherto should I of newe endite How worthy Troilus was slaine in y ◠prese The ende of Paris or of Pallamides Or the slaughter of manly Deyphebus Or howe his brother called Hellenus Tolde afore howe it was great folly That Paris should wed quene Heleyne And how Cassandra in her prophecy On this wedding fore began compleyne And for the constreint of her hertely paine How she wexe madde ran about the toune Tyl she was caught shet vp into prison Al this matter ye may behold in dede Set by and by wythin Troye boke And how Creseide loued Dyomede Whan worthy Troylus she wilfully forsoke Of her nature a quarel thus she toke To assay both if nede were also to feyne To take the thirde leue thē both tweyne I passe ouer and tel of it no more Ne by what meanes the grekes wan y ◠toun How Eneas neyther how Anthenore Ayenst kyng Priam cōspired false traison Neyther howe Vlixes gate Paladion The deth of Priam ne of Eccuba the quene Ne howe Pyrrus flewe pong Pollicene Neyther here to write it is not mine entent Repeyre of grekes home in to their countre After the cyte at Iiyon was brent Neither of their mischefe they had on the see Neyther howe Vlixes founde Penolope A true wyfe though he were long her fro Through al Grece I can rede of no mo Of these matters thus I make an eude What fil of grekes after their viage To Troy boke tho folke I send Which haue desire to se the surplusage Howe grekes made fyrst their passage Towardes Troy besiegynge the cite Bede the storye ye get no more of me The .xvii. Chapter ☞ Here speketh Bochas the authour of thys boke agaynste the surquedous pryde of them that truste in rychesse sayeng these wordes vnto them ME proude folkes that set your affiaūce In strength beaute or in hye nobles If ye consider fortunes variaunce And coude a myrrour before your eyen dresse Of kyng Pryam and of his great richesse To se how he and his children all From their noblesse sodainly ben fall Hector of knighthode called sours wel Sad and demure and famous of prudence Paris also in beaute dyd excell And Helenus in perfyt prouidence Troylus in armes had great experience Also Deyphebus preued manly on his fone Yet in y ◠warre they were slaine euerychone Had not this kyng also as I can deuise By noble Heccuba whiche that was y ◠quene ▪ A doughter called Cassandra the wyse Her yong suster fayre Pollicene Alas alas what may all such pride mene For albeit their renome spronge ful far Yet are these women deuoured in the war Was he not mighty strong in all thynges And had also of his aliaunce Ryght worthy princes many rych kynges And nighe al Asie vnder his obeisaunce Holde in his tyme most famous of puissance Most renomed of richesse and tresours Tyl that fortune wyth her sharpe shoures Whan that he satte highest
their fortune complaining Among other that put them selfe in prâ—ase Of mighty Pirrus fyrst he had a tight That was the son of worthy Achilles Among Grekes the most famous knight Most commended of manhode of might Son and next heire as bokes specifye Of Pelleus kynge of Thessalie This Achilles ful manly of his herte Hurt of Hector and his wounde grene Slough Hector after or he dyd aduert The whiche Achilles for loue of Pollicene By compassing of Heccuba the quene Vnder treaty this grekes champion Was slayne of Paris within Troy toun Whose deth to auenge Pyrrus in his tene Furiously with face deed and pale Slough afterward the sayde Pollicene And dismembred her on peices smale Whiche for to heare is a piteous tale That a knight so vengeable was in dede To slee a mayde quakynge in her drede He coude for Ire on her no mercy haue But with his swerde most furious wode Merciles vpon his fathers graue Lyke a tiraunt he shed her chaste bloud The dede horrible diffaced his knighthode That to this day the sclaunder and diffame By newe report reboundeth on his name Poetes say and specially Ouide Writes whan Grekes fro Troy shuld saile Howe their shyppes by an anker dyd ryde Of their purpose which long dyd theÌ„ faile But in this whyle he maketh re hersayle Out of the erth manacynge of chere Of Achilles an ymage dyd appere To grekes sayde wyth a deedly face I fele well mine honour and my glory And my nobles ful lyghtly forth doth pace Vnkynde people out of your memory Whych by me had your conquest and vyctory Your deuoyre doth Pollicene to take And on my graue a sacrifice to make Wyth her blode loke ye spare nought To spring it about my sepulture Thus blode for blode wyth vengeance shal be bought And for my death the death she must endure And hole the maner of thys auenture And howe she dyed in her maydenhead Methamorphoseos y â— processe ye may rede In hasty vengeaunce set was al hys ioye w t thurst vnstauÌ„ched Troyan blode to shede He slough Priam the worthy kyng of Troy And into Grece wyth hym he dyd lede Andromada the story ye may rede Weded her and after in certaine By him she had worthy sonnes twayne But in repayryng home to his couÌ„tre As Eolus dyd hys shyppes dryue I fynde he was a pirat of the se And into Grece whan he dyd aryue Fortune vnwarely gan agayne him stryue Forsoke hys wyfe let her lyue alone Toke another called Hermione Which was that tyme in mariage To Horestes son of Agamemnon And he alas of loues wylful rage Toke her by force to hys possession But of auoutry foloweth this guerdoÌ„ Sodayne deth pouerte or shame Open disclauÌ„der great mischefe or diffame Eke in hys tyme thys Pirrus as I rede Fyll into mischefe and great pouerte And wyth such meyny as he dyd lede He was a rouer and robbed on the see And as poetes reherse ye may se Of such robbyng by sclauÌ„der and diffame This worde Pirate of Pirrus toke y â— name And as the storye after doth deuise The sayde Horestes gan sykerly espye Wher that Pyrrus dyd sacrifyce Tofore Appollo that god to magnify Full vnwarely Horestes of enuy Toke a sharpe sherde or Pyrrus coud aduert Wher that he stode rofe hym to the hert This was the fyne of Pyrrus in substance For al his pryde and great presumcion Of false auoutry foloweth thys vengeauÌ„ce Losse of some membre pouerte or prison Or hateful sclaundre by some occasion Or sodayne deth shortly in sentence Complete in Pyrrus by ful clere euydence The .xxiii. Chapiter ¶ Of Machayre and of hys suster Canace AFter thys Pyrrus came Canace the faire Teares dystyllynge fro her eyen twayne And her brother that called was Machaire And both they pitiously gan playne That fortune gan at them so disdayne Hyndryng their fate by woful aduenture Touchig their loue which was ayen nature He was her brother and her loue also As the storie plainely doth declare And in a bedde they laye eke bothe two Reason was none why they would spare But loue that causeth wo and eke welfare Gan agayne kynde so straungely deuyse That he her wombe made sodenly to ryse And finally myne authour beareth wytnes A childe she had by her owne brother Which excelled in fauour and fayrenes For lyke to hym of beaute was none other But of their loue so gyded was the rother That Caribdis twene windes ful contrayre Hath Canace distroied and Machayre For whan their father the maner dyd espie Of their workyng whych was so horible For yre almost he fel in frensy Whych for to appese was an impossible For the mater was frowarde and odible For whiche plainely deuoyde of al pite Vpon their trespas he would auenged be The cause knowen the father anone right Cast for their deth of rigour to prouide For whych Machaire fledde out of his sight And from his face his presence gan to hide But wo alas his suster must abide Mercilesse for their hateful trespase And suffre deth there was none other grace First her father a sharpe swerde to her sent In token of deth for a remembraunce And whan she wist plainely what he ment And conceiued his rigorous ordinaunce Whyth whole purpose to obey his plesaunce She grutched not but lowly of entent Lyke a meke doughter to his desire assent But or she dyed she cast for to write A lytell letter to her brother dere A deedly complaynt to shewe endite With pale fate and a mortal there The salt teares from her eyen clere With pitous sobbing fet fro her herts brinke Distillyng downe to teÌ„pre with her ynke ☞ The .xxv. Chapiter ¶ The letter of complaynt of Canace to her brother Machayre OVt of her sowne whan she abreyde Knowyng no meane but deth in her distres Too her brother full pytouslye she sayde Cause of my sorowe rote of my heuynesse That whiloÌ„ was chefe sours of my gladnes WhaÌ„ both our ioyes by wyl were so disposed Vnder one key our herts to be vnclosed Whilom thou were supporte and sykernes Chefe reioysyng of my worldly plesaunce But now thou art ground of my sicknes Wel of wanhope and my deedly penaunce Which haue of sorow grettest habuÌ„dauÌ„ce That euer yet had any creature Which must for loue the deth alas endure Thou were whyloÌ„ my blysse al my trust Souerayne confort my sorowes to appese Spring and wel of all my hertes lust And nowe alas chefe rote of my disease But if my deth myght do the any ease O brother myne in remembrauÌ„ce of twaine Deth shall to me be pleasure no payne My cruel father most vnmerciable Ordayned hath it nedes must be so In his rigour he is so vntretable Al mercilesse he wyll that it be do That we algate shall dye both two But I am glad sith it may be none other Thou art escaped my best beloued brother This is myne ende I
should go to the Prophete Whiche was full famous holde in Israell Of whom the name was called Samuel Whiche made Saule in his house to dyne Receiued him of great affection And by precept and ordinaunce deuyne Samuell made no prolongation But shed the holy sacred vnction Vpon the head of Saule downe knelyng And full deuoutly of Israell made him kyng Of Gods people to haue gouernaunce With sceptre crowne and whole the regaly And his noblesse more myghty to aduaunce With mekenes to rule his monarchy God gaue to him a spirite of prophety Whiche was great glory to his magnificence Of future thinges to haue prescience And while y t he was meke humble in dede Voyde of pryde and false presumption And prudent counsayle with him did lede Hym to gouerne by good discretion He founde quiete through all his region No forayne enmy durst him to werrey While he the lorde mekely did obey No enemy myght ayen him recure Through none ēprises but sore did him drede Made many great disconfiture Through his force knyghthode and māhead On Philistynes and daunted eke in dede Two mighty kynges the one of Ammonites And another that gouerned the Moabites He was founde stronge and eke victorious The Palestines bringyng to mischaunce Agaynst Ydumeans so mighty and famous Through his myghty prudent gouernaunce That he their pride brought to mischaunce Outrayed them of wisdome and manheade Primo regum as ye may playnly reade He was the sonne called of one yere In Israell whan his raygne began Stable of hart and benygne of chere Frowarde nor sturdy to no maner man All that whyle loue of the people he wan The tyme I mene while he was iust stable And in his workes not founde variable But whā that pride gan his hart enhaūce Wilfulnes and false melancoly Outrayed reason to haue the gouernaunce Of his olde famous policy And had forgotten in his fantasy To know the lorde mekely sue his lawe God from his crowne his grace gan wdrawe The vnkynde worme of foryetfulnes In his hart had myned through the wall Whan to God for his kyndenes He gaue no laude nor no thanke at all Whiche had him raysed vnto estate royall From poredegre among all his kynne alone Of singuler fauour to set him in his trone What thig in hart may be more froward thought Than is sodayne false presumption Of a wretche that came vp of nought To yeue him lordshyp and domination ▪ And for to make a playne comparison Men should of reason dreade a lyon lasse Than the rudenes of a crowned asse What thing to god is more abhominable Than pryde vpraysed out of pouertee And nothing gladly is foūd more vengeable Than are wretches set in high degre For from his stocke kynd may not flye Eche thing resorteth howe farre euer it go To the nature whiche that it came fro Frute and apples take their tarrage Where they first grewe of the same tre And semblably eche kynred and lynage Ones a yere it will none other be By token signe at the eye as men may se Draweth communely in euery creature Sume tetche to folow after his nature I write not this in rebuke of pouert But for suche onely as that it deserue God of his might as men be well expert May them in vertue encrease and conserue From all mischefe a pore man preserue Rayse hem on heygh to dominacions Through high noblesse of their condicions By influence God may his grace shede Where he findeth cause onely by mekenes A pore man to raise him vp in dede Vnto the estate of vertuous nobles For out of vertue cometh all gentlenes In pore and ryche make none exception But them cōmende like their condicion A pore man whiche that is vertuous And dreadeth god in his pouertie Eche thing eschuyng that is vycious And to his power doth trouth and equitie I dare right well say what euer that he be Puttyng no rebuke vnto his kinrede But call him gentle verily in dede But kyng Saule was contrarious Disobeysaunte founde in his workyng Whan God made him to be vyctorious On Amalech where Agag was kyng Him commaunded to spare no maner thing Man nor woman beast nor childe succoure But y ◠his sworde should all thing deuoure But Saule wrought all in other wise Eche thing reseruyng y ◠was fayre to syght And of entent to make a sacrifice After his vyctory he shope him anone ryght Fattest beastes he chase hath them dight Toward the fyre to make his offryng And fro death he spared Agag the kyng He was reproued afterward of Samuell To gods biddyng for he was contrayre As abiect to raygne in Israell That all good hope in hym gan dispayre His grace his myght gan pale and appayre His prophecy after hath hym fayled And wyth a fiende he was also traueiled Thus frō her whele fortune cast him downe Aualed him from his royall se And God also toke away the crowne Both from him and his posteritie And set vp Dauid for his humilitie Lo how the lorde his domes can deuide To enhaunce mekenes and to abate pride Saule endured in his frensy A wicked sprite so sore him did assayle Vnto Dauid euer he had enuy That he was hardy to enter in battayle With a staffe slynge voyde of plate and mayle Slough Golyas without feare or dreade Pulled out his swerde and smot of his heade At their repayryng home out of the felde Whan Dauid had slayne this Goly Yonge maydens whan they behelde The great vyctory they in their armony In laude of Dauid thus gan synge and cry Saule hath slayne a thousād with his might Dauid ten thousand that lusty yong knyght Saule disdayned and sayd frowardly They graunted haue a thousand to my name And to the sonne here of Isai Yaue ten thousand to encrease his fame Whiche is to me a rebuke and a shame ▪ Wherupon this Saule frete with yre Of yonge Dauid gan the death conspyre In hys hert he had a fantasy Of their syngyng whan that he toke hede Dempt it was a maner prophesy That Dauid preferred should be in dede And to the crowne after him succede Thought his childer as he gan diuyne Should be depriued of the royall lyne Thus day by day Saule wayes sought To slea Dauid playnly if he myght All be it so that he no malyce thought But euer kept him lowly in his syght Therfore good euer grace on him alyght For aye the lorde of his magnificence Agayne tyrantes preserueth innocentes And as the bible playnely dothe vs lere This Dauid had in his tender age For his nobles the kynges daughters dere Called Mychol ioyned by mariage And whan that Saule fyli in any rage Dauid anone to aswage his wodenes Touched his harp brought him in gladnes Saule full oft gan Dauid to enchase And warrey throughout all his londes Through desertes him pursue manace Of entent to haue shet hym vp in bondes Or to slea him if he come
in his hondes But finally god through his ordinaunce Preserued his knyght froÌ„ al maner mischaÌ„ce Saule full oft was brought to mischefe Yet aye from death Dauid did him saue And hereof this was a speciall prefe Whan Dauid cut his garment in the caue And mo tokens if ye list to haue Another time Dauid also kept The life of Saule whan he lay and slept The case was this as they were hosteyng Not farre a sunder Saule lay on slepe All his people about him sleapyng And vnpurueyed lyke a stocke of shepe Of whiche thyng Dauid toke good kepe Downe descended and made no delay Came to the tent where kyng Saule lay The spete of Saule standynge at his heed Dauid toke it and went his was anone Of his coÌ„myng there was no man toke hede For Saule slept and his men echone And whan that he vp to the hyll was gone Toward Saule agayne he cast his loke Made a noyse that all his knyghtes woke Fyrst to Abner prynce of his chyualry Dauid sayd these wordes in sentence â–ª Abner quod he thou hast done great foly This day shewed a great negligence To suffer of Saule the magnificence In peryll stande and none hede take About his person to make his knights waâ—â— Thou art to blame for thy retchelesueâ—â—e To leaue the king stande in so great a drede In slepe to haue more sauour and swetenesse Than of his lyfe to take hede Such negligence requireth for his mede Death and turment by rightfull iudgement About a prynce whan folke be negligent And thou lyst to se an euidence How that hys lyfe stode in ieopardy Se here his spere yeue thereto credence How vnprouided ye were on your party Saule nor thou ye may it not denye Your life your deth your power your puissaÌ„ce This day god put whole in my gouernaunce But me to acquite of pure innocence As euery man should vnto his kyng And to declare in me was none offence Agaynst his nobles in will nor in workyng As God wot that knoweth euery thyng That I neuer by no conspiracy Wrought nor compassed agayne his regaly LO here example of perfite pacience Agayne malyce to shewe kyndenes Where Sauie shewed his mortall vyolence Dauid acquite hym w t suffraunce goodnes The tyraÌ„t vainquished bi his prudeÌ„t mekenes Men agayne trouth may well a warregyn But at th ende the palme he doth aye wynne For of this story if that ye take hede Saule is fall for hys frowardnes Into mischefe and into sodayne drede For Philistynes the byble beareth witnes With a great power gan thiderwards dresse Vpon kyng Saule auenged for to be Their tentes pight besyde Gelboe Wherof kyng Saule astonied in his hert Had lost his spryte of knyghtly hardines And specially whan he dyd aduert Prophete was none his harmes to redresse Of future thinges trouth to expresse In Israell whiche cast hym in great drede Because that tyme Samuel was deed For Saule had cast out all diuynes From Israell and eche diuineresse Notwithstandyng the palestynes Were risse agayne his power to oppresse And he ne knewe no maner sorceresse Of whom he might any counsayle take And he of god that time was forsake In this wise he stode disconsolate CouÌ„sayle of God nor prophete knewe he none But as a man most infortunate Vngraciously he sped him forth anone And secretelye this Saule is forth gone To a woman that should him rede and wisse In Israell called a phytonesse Whiche is a name as clarkes writen all And office who that taketh hede Soules of men agayne to clepe and call I mene suche that tofore were deade Whiche is a thing straunge for to reade That women should who so list to lere Make soules of dead men to appere Vnkouth and straunge is their opinion And to my witte a maner impossible Not accordyng me semeth to reason Nor like a thing whiche that is credible That a soule of nature inuisible Myght appeare or shewe visibly Vnto the eyen which that ben bodely But or that I any further flyt Lest I were holde to presumptuous To diuines this matter I commit And wise clarkes that ben vertuous In their wittes subtyll and curious To conclude as it dothe them seme In this matter a trouth for to deme Whether it was the soule of Samuell Or other spirite that she did call Whiche that tolde the kyng of Israell Of the battayle that shoulde after fall His aduenture and his mischefes all And of his death he tolde also in dede And how Dauid should after him succede Because onely of his disobeysaunce As it is written and for his retchlesnes On Amalech for he toke not vengeaunce Thus the spirite bare to him wytnes Wherof Saule fyll in great heauines Knowing no mene to escape out of this dout But take his fortune as it cometh about Tolde him also his enemies were so wrothe The Philistines beside Gelboe In that battayle he and his children bothe Shoulde dye that daye of necessitie His chyualry shall discomfited be Of his raygne there is no lenger date For god from him his kingdom wil translate And thus Saule returned is agayne His meyny after brought to disconfiture And whan he sawe all hys people slayne â–ª And how there was no meane to recure In that deadly wofull aduenture He bad his squier take his swerde as blyue And through the hart that he shold him ryue That his enemies which were vncircumcised Should haue no power in story it is founde To haue vpon him as they haue deuised To yeue hym hys last fatall wounde His high noblesse at mischefe to confounde But his squyre for feare of god and drede Woulde not assent to do so foule a dede To slea his lorde he greatly was aferde A thing hatefull in euery mannes syght But Saule toke the pomell of his swerde And in the grounde full depe anone it pyght And in all haste possible that he myght Made the poynt in his furious payne To perce his hart and part it euen in twayne The Philistynes anone as he was dead Spoyled hym of his royall armure Dismembred him and smote of his heade And in token of their disconfiture Toke the spoyles wyth all their busy cure And therof made in all their best entent To Astaroth of pryde a great present Thus was Saule slayne in sentence Of Philistynes vpon Gelboe Forsake of God for inobedience Abiect also from his royall see And thus for lackynge of humilitye Of god he was foreuer set asyde Lo here the ende of surquedy and pryde ¶ Lenuoy HAue mind of Saule which to estate ryal FroÌ„ low degre was called for mekenes But presuÌ„ption made hym haue a fall Of God abiect for his frowardnes Lost his â—rowne the bible beareth wytnes And cause was for his disobeysaunce To gods biddyng he yaue none attendaunce God not asketh no more of man at all But whole hart without doublenes For all the gyftes whiche in especiall He yaue to man of his goodnes But he chastiseth
lyue in shame And lasse yl to put in ieopardy Her mortal body than her good fame Whan honor dieth farewel a mānes name Better it were out of thys life disceiuer Than slandrous fame to sley a man for euer But to that purpose her husband sayd nay Her father also was thereto contrary Makynge a promise without more delay To do vengeaunce howe they wyl not tary To her declaring with reasons debonary Vnder these wordes trouth right cōserued To slee her selfe she hath nothynge deserued For sodainly and also vnauised As a foole is trapped in the snare By vnware fraude vpon the practised Thou were disceiued plainly to declare Hauyng thys conceyte harde is to repayre The name of thē which falsly be diffamed Whan wrōg report y ◠renome hath shamed Touchyng thy person I dare affirme seyn That it were a maner impossible And lyke a thynge which neuer yet was seen That thy worshyp was found corruptyble But stedfast aye and indiuysible Vnparted vertuous and made strong And nowe desirous to auenge thy wronge On thy iniury we shal auenged be Considred first the deedly heuines Which thou suffredest by great aduersite Whan y ◠auoutrour thy beauty dyd oppres And reioysyng by a false gladnes Maugre thy wyll as a thefe by nyght The encombred of very force myght But if thou woldest leue all thy mourning And restraine thy unportable wo Soone shuldest y u se an egall punyshyng Vpon thy most frowarde mortal foe To warne all other they shal nomore do so In chastisynge of false auoutry The and thy renome of ryght to magnify What was diffasyng to thy trewe entent Though his youth vnbridled went at large So for to aforce a sely innocent Whose wyckednes oughte to bere the charge And we of ryght thy conscience dyscharge The ioye vnlefull of his false plesaunce With double palme thine honor doth auance Conceiue and se O thou myne Lucrece How that reason and good discrecion Shoulde thy trouble thy mournynge cece Of ryght restrayne thy opinion So rechelesly to do punicion With knife in hande to slee thy selfe alas For others gylt and dyddest no trespas Let be Lucrece let be all thy dole Cease thy complaynt thy wo restrayne Should I fro the lyue alone al sole And thy deth perpetually complayne ▪ To put thy father in importable payne Of our welfare be not so rechelesse To dye and leaue our childre motherlesse Of prudence eke thou oughtest for to se And aduertyse onely of reason Though of force thy body corrupt be Thy soule inwarde and thyne entencion Fraunchysed ben from al corrupcion Offence is none consider in thyne entent But wyll hert yeue therto ful consent Thou were naked in thy bed lyenge Alone vnware slepynge voide of myght Suspeciouslesse al of his comynge That tyme namely because y ◠it was nyght A fearefull woman he a manly knyght Al be it so vnknightly was his dede Wyth naked swerde to assayle thy womanhead He myght thy body by force wel oppresse By sleyghty waies that he had sought But we le wote I for al his sturdinesse He myght neuer haue mastry of thy thought The body yelded the hert yelded him nought Ye were twaine y u feble he ryght stronge Thy trouth afforced he werker of the wrong Where mightest y u haue greater price or laude All ryght considred trouth equite Fyrst coūterpeysed his force sleighty fraud Than to parseuer in feminite With thought enhaunced infragilitie Of womanheade to haue an hert stable What thige in the myght be more cōmedable It is wel knowe y u were of herte aye one To all false lustes contrary in gouernaunce More lyke an ymage kerued out of stone Than lyke a woman fleshely of plesaunce The tirant foūde thee in chere countenaūce Whych euer after by womanly victory Shal be ascriued to thine encrease of glory Thy father Brutus hath the well excused My selfe also thy blood and thy kynrede On this matter let no more be mused To sley thy selfe or do thy sides blede Certes Lucrece thou hast ful litell nede It were great wronge by all our iudgement To spare a tirant and slee an innocent Thy lyfe to murdre to some it woulde seme Thou were gylty where as thou art clene Diuers wittes diuersly wyl deme Report thyng thou none dyddest mene For which thou shalt paciently sustene Tyll thy chaste wyfely innocence May se hym punished for his violence Folke wyl not deme a person innocent Which wilfully whan he is not cuipable Yeldeth him selfe to deth by iudgement And neuer was a fore of no gyit partable His own doome vpon him selfe vengeable Causeth people tho their reporte be noughte To deme a thinge y ◠neuer was ywrought To be auenged vpon thine owne life In excusynge of thy deedly fame To shewe thou art a true wedded wyfe wenyng by deth to get the a name In this deuise thou art greatly to blame Wher y u yet knowest thy honor clerely shyne To yeue the people matter to deuyne And with that worde Lucrece dyd abrayde Full deedly both of loke and chere To them againe euyn thus she sayde Let be husbande let be my father dere Speke no more to me of this matere Lest men dempt in hindryng of my name Idred death more than false dyffame Your counsayle is I shal my lyfe conserue To sorowe and sclaunder but no gladnes But lesse yl it is at an houre to sterue Than euer languish in sorowe heuines Deth maketh an ende of al worldly distres And it was sayde syth ful yore ago Better is to die than euer to liue in wo. Whan that worship in any creature Is staine and deed by slaūdrous report Better is of death the dredful payne endure Than by false noyse aye to liue in discōfort Where newe newe diffame hath his resort Neuer dyeth but quickeneth by y ◠outrage Of hateful tonges venimous langage Do your deuer to halowe make stable The chast chambres of wyfely gouernaunce For in this case if ye be variable On false auoutry for to do vengeaunce There shal folow euerlastynge remembraūce How true spousaile as ye haue herde deuised In your citie is broke not chastifed If ye be founde in such a case negligent To punish auoutry of right as your charge Through your slouth as ye were of assent Luxurie vubridled shall ren abrode at large Who shal than your conscience discharge Or what woman stande in sickernes Of Lucrece afforced the clennes O dere husbande what ioy shulde it be To thine estate in any maner place Lyke as thy wyfe to cherishe me Or in thine armes me goodly to enbrace The gilt horrible considred trespace By Tarquyn don alas and welaway Which i my persō may neuer be wast away And father mine how shuldest thou me cal After this day thyne owne doughter dere Which alas refuse of women al That to thy plesaunce was whilom most entere
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
in presence To whyche she gan declare in complaynyng Her deadly sorow down frō her tower loking Farewel my frendes farewell for euermore Vnto my lord my husband I must gone To him I meane y ◠was my lorde of yore For of husbandes god wot I haue but one Praiyng you to report euerichone After my death Dydo of Cartage Joyned was but ones in maryage Say to the kyng whiche you manaced My chaste beauty that he woulde assaile Go tell him how that I am passed And of his purpose how that he shall faile His manacyng shall not him auayle And say how Dydo dyed for the nones For she not would be wedded more thē ones Leuer I haue my life now to lose Rather than soyle my wydowes chastitie Let him go further some other to chose For in such case he shall not spede of me And with the treasure of mine honesty Which I haue truely obserued all my lyue I will depart out of this worlde now blyue And into fire that brent clere and bryght She ran in haste there is no more to sayne Saue with a knyfe in euery mans sight Full sodaynly she rofe her hart in twayne Whose piteous death the city gan complayne Sore wepyng for wonder and for ruthe In a woman to finde so great a truth After her death they did their busines To holde and halowe a feast funerall Worshipped her like a chaste goddesse And her commended inespeciall To heauenly goddes and goddes infernall And wydowes all in their clothes blake At this feast wept for her sake Touching Dydo let there be no stryfe Though that she be accused of Ouide After Bochas I wrote her chaste life And the contrary I haue set aside For me thought it was better to abide On her goodnes than thing rehearse in dede Which might resowne again her womanhede To Eneas though she were fauourable To Itayle makyng his passage All that she did was commendable Him to receyue commyng by Cartage Tho some folke were large of their langage Amisse to expoune by report or to expresse Thing done to hym onely of gentlenes There shall for me be made no rehearsayle But as I finde wrytten in Bochas For to say well may much more auayle Than froward speach in many diuers case But all Cartage oft sayd alas Her death cōplaynyng throughout their citye Whiche slew her selfe to obserue her chastitye ¶ Lenuoy OF ayre Dydo most stable in thy constan̄ce Quene of Cartage myrror of hie nobles Raignyng in glory vertuous habundaūce Called in thy time chefe sours of gentilnes In whom was neuer founde doublenes Aye of one hart and so thou diddest fyne With light of trouth al wydowes to enlumin Chast and vnchaunged in thy perseueraunce And immutable founde in goodnes Whiche neuer thoughtest vpon variaunce Force prudence wardeins of thy fayrenes I haue no langage thy vertues to expresse By new report so clerely they shyne With light of trouth al widowes to enlumine O lode starre of all good gouernaunce All vycious lustes by wisdome to represse Thy grene youth flouryng with all pleasaūce Thou didst it brydle w t vertuous sobernes Dyane demeaned so chastly thy clennesse Whyle thou were sole playnely to termyne With light of truth al wydowes to enlumyne Thy famous bounty to put in remembraūce Thou slewe thy selfe of innocent purenes Lest thy surenes were hanged in balaunce Of such that cast them thi chastitie to oppres Death was inoughe to beare therof witnes Causyng thy beauty to all clennes enclyne With light of vertue al widowes to enlumine ¶ Lenuoy dyrect to wydowes of the translatoure O Noble matrons whiche haue suffisaūce Of womanhead your wittes to vpdresse How that fortune list to turne her chaunce Be not to retchlesse of sodayne hastines But ay prouide in your stablenes That no such foly enter in your courage To folow Dydo that was quene of Cartage With her maners haue none acquayntaunce Put out of minde such sottyshe wilfulnes To slea your selfe were a great penaunce God of his grace defende you and blesse And preserue your variant brotlenes That your trouth fall in none outrage To folow Dido y ◠was quene of Cartage With couert colour and sober countenaunce Of faythfull meanyng pretendeth a likenes Counterfayteth in speache and dalyaunce All thinge that sowneth into stedfastnes Of prudence by great auisenes Your selfe restrayneth yonge and olde of age To folow Dydo that was quene of Cartage Let all your port be voyde of displeasaunce To get frendes do your busines And be neuer without purueyaunce So shall ye best encrease in ryches In one alone may be no sykernes To your hart be dyuers of langage Contrary to Dydo y t was quene of Cartage Holde your seruauntes vnder obeysaunce Let them neuer haue fredome nor largenes But vnder daunger do their obseruaunce Daunt their pryde them brydle w t lownes And whan the serpent of newefanglenes Assayleth you do your aduauntage Contrary to Dydo y ◠was quene of Cartage ¶ The .xiiii. Chapter ☞ How vycious Sardanapalus kyng of Assirie brent him selfe and his treasure OF Assirie to reken kynges all Whiche had that lande vnder subiection Last of all was Sardanapall Most feminyne of condicion Wherfore fortune hath him cast downe And complaynyng most vgly of manere Next after Dydo to Bochas did appere To vycious lust his life he did enclyne Among Assyriens whan he his raigne gan Of false vsage he was so feminine That among women vpon the rocke he span In their habite disgysed from a man And of froward fleshly insolence Of all men he fledde the presence First this kyng chase to be his gyde Mother of vyces called ydlenes Whiche of custome eche vertue set asyde In eche courte where she is maistresse Of sorow and mischefe is the first foundresse Which caused onely this Sardanapall That to all goodnes his wittes did appall He founde vp first ryote and dronkennes Called a father of lust and lechery Hatefull of harte he was to sobernes Cherishyng surfetes watche and glotony Called in his time a prynce of baudry Founde reresuppers and fetherbeddes soft Drynke late and chaunge his wines oft The ayre of meates and of baudy cokes Which of custome all day rost and sede Sauoure of spittes ladels and fleshe hokes He loued well and toke of them great hede And folke that dranke more than it was nede Smellynge of wine for their great excesse With them to abide was holly his gladnes He thought also it did him good To haue about him without skyll and right Boystous bochers all bespreint with bloude And watry fishers abode aye in his syght Their coates poudred w t scales siluer bryght Dempt their odour duryng all his lyfe Was to his courage best preseruatyfe For there was no herbe spice grasse ne rote To him so lusty as was the bordelhouse Nor gardeyn none so holesome nor so sote To his pleasaunce nor so delicious As the presence of folke lecherous And euer glad to
pouder playnly to expresse Troubleth the ayre and maketh folkes blynd For whiche in spousayle coÌ„uenient to fynde Let estates of their byrthe honourable Voyde al rascaly and wedde their semblable But Amazias woulde not beware For no warnyng nor for no prophecy But styll in hart great hatred bare Agayne kyng Joas of malyce and enuy Into a felde brought all his chyualry Gadred them out bothe nere and farre Ayenst gods will on him to gyn a warre And king Joas full like a worthy knyght Into the felde fast gan him spede And all the knyghtes of Juda anone ryght With stroke of vengeaunce w t a sodain drede To bid them flye god wot it was no nede And Amazias for all his great pryde Stode destitute and no man by his syde With him was none left of all his meynie So god and Joas agaynst him wrought Of Jerusalem entred the citye And Amazie of force with him he brought And in the temple the treasure out he sought Golde and siluer and wholy their riches And to Samaria home he gan him dresse And Amazias he let out of pryson After all this and suffred him go fre To his mischefe and his confusion And he was deliuered from his captiuitie For slayne he was in Lachis the citye Among his frendes by dissimulation His death conspyred vnder full false treason The .xvii. Chapter ☞ How vpon Ozias succeadyng kyng nexte in Iuda god toke vengeaunce smote him with leprie AFter in Juda the mighty region Next Amazias Ozias gan succede Wonder manlye and famous of renoun In all his workes full prouident in dede And of his knighthode vaiquished as I rede The Palestines for all their great puissauÌ„ce With all Ambie he brought vnto vttraunce Builded townes and many a strong citye And vnto Egypt he his bondes set Made castels besydes the redde see And in his conquest whom that euer he met Of manly pryde he woulde let I meane all tho that were his aduersaries To his lordshyp to make them tributaries He did his labour also to repare Jerusalem after his ruyne The walles reared which on y â— soyle lay bare Made newe towers ryght as any lyne Fanes of golde their turretes to enlumine And to force them let workmen vndertake Square bastiles and bulwarkes to make He delited to make freshe gardeynes Diuers grayne and herbes for to knowe Reioysed to plante sundrye vynes To graffe trees and sedes for to sowe And straunge fruits maketh theÌ„ grow arow And w t him had his enemyes to encumber Thre hundred thousand manly men in nuÌ„ber His noble fame gan to sprede wyde And greatly dreade for his prowes Wherthrough his hart corrupted with pride Because onely of his great riches And frowardly he did his busines For to maligne in estate royall Agaynst the lorde whiche is immortall To god aboue he gan waxe obstynate That by processe full small he did winne And sauour caught in his royall estate To folow his father in vnthrifty synne That grace vertue from him did twynne In most shinyng of his magnificence Fortune proudly assayled his excellence Cast she would within a little while His surquedy and frowarde pride assayle And full vnwarely deceyue him and begyle To make his power to appall and fayle Whan that this kyng toke on the apparayle Of a bishop of very frowardnes And to the temple proudly gan him dresse Beyng in purpose on a solemne day To take his waye vp to the hye alter Falsly vsurpyng whosoeuer sayde nay To sacrifyce holdyng the censere Tofore the alter that shone of golde so clere For whiche offence the bible sayth the same Azarias the bishop did him blame Gan withstand him in the face anone Fourscore priestes beyng in presence Of the kynred discended of Aaron Whiche forbade him and made resistence That with his hande he should put incence Vpon the aulter against gods lawe Him chargyng boldly his presence to w tdraw But of despite he made them hold their pees In payne of death began them manace And sodaynly among all the prees An earthquaue fill in the same place And therwithall in the kinges face Of the sunne there smote a beame so bryght That all his face was scorched w t the light He wared a leper foule and right horible For his offence as god list ordayne To euery man of loke he was terrible And but fewe his mischiefe gan complaine And a great hill y e same hour carft on twayne Not farre aside from the towne without Cities destroying that stode rounde about On kyng Ozie god toke this vengeaunce For all his lordship and his magnificence To punishe his pride and frowarde puissauÌ„ce And brought him lowe for his great offence For his person was put out of presence Perpetually as holy writ can tell Farre from all people w t lepers for to dwell His fleshe was troubled with diuers passioÌ„s For his sickenes auoyded the citye In crye and sorowe and lamentacions His lise he lad in great aduersitie And so he dyed in sorowe and pouertie Simply buried for all his great myght Within an ylande that stode farre out of sight ¶ The .xviii. Chapter ¶ In exhortation to Prynces to be aduised to do agaynst Goddes preceptes LEt prynces all in their prouidence Be right wel ware any thing to attame Whiche vnto God should be offence Lest that the fyne conclude to their shame Let them thinke for all their noble fame But they repent god of his iustice Their froward pryde vnwarely will chastice Let them beware of malyce to presume Againe his churche to do oâ—â—encion For god of right all tyrantes will consume In full short tyme for their presumption Whiche will not suffer theyr dominacion To enterrupt for all their great myght Nor breke the frauÌ„ches of holy churche ryght To prudent prynces whiche can discerne Let kyng Ozias considryng his offence Be in your mynde a myrrour and lanterne To holy churche to do due reuerence And conceâ—ue in their magnificence God will of ryght be they neuer so sâ—â—â—ng Chastyce theyr malyce though he â—yde long ¶ The .xix. Chapter How kyng Oseas was taken by kyng Salmanazer and dyed in pryson THere was another that called was Osce Which whilom raygned as I affirme dare In Israell whom fortune by enuy Made him be take or he was ware Besyeged about of kyng Salmanas are And into Assirie vnder his daunger The bible telleth he was a prysoner His cityes and townes brought to destruction And all his people vnder longe seruage Were take and kept in stronge Babilon Suffred there great payne and domage And in pryson by furious outrage This sayd Oseas in chaynes bounde sore For sorowe dyed of hym write I no more The .xx. Chapter ¶ Howe Senacheryb kynge of Assirie slewe him selfe WIth these forsayde wofull kynges three Senacheryb of Assirye kyng Came to Bochas most vglye to se Full piteously his fate complaynyng And specially hys vnware chaungyng He gan bewayle oppressed in his thought From hye nobles how
his harmes to restore Bochas writeth of his wo nomore But of his fal howe he fyll in dede To tel the maner forth he doth procede And for a whyle he set his style asyde And his processe in party he forbare To speke of Cresus that was kyng of Lyde And gan resort to write of Balthasar Agayne rehersynge or that he was ware Howe myghty Cirus of woful auenture Made on hym proudly a discomfiture And as it is put in remembraunce Of Balthasar to holde vp the party Cresus wyth hym had made an aliaunce With al his puissaunce al his chyualry His lyfe his treasoure to put in ieoparty Sworne in armes as brother vnto brother By Cirus vēquyshed the one after the other Both their mischefe no lenger was delayed Al be that Cresus faught long in hys defence He finally by Cyrus was outrayed And depriued by knyghtly vyolence Take in the felde there was no resistence And rigorouslye to his confusion With myghty fetters cast in darke prison And more to encrease his gret aduersite A sonne of his tendre yong of age That was dumbe from his natiuite And neuer spake word in no maner lāgage Cyrus commaunding by furious outrage That Cresus shoulde by vengeable cruelte By a knyght of Perce in prison headed be And with his sworde as he gan manace Cresus to haue slayne wythout al reuerence The dombe chylde there present in the place Which neuer had spoken thus said in audiēce Withdrawe thy stroke do no violence Vnto my lorde thy fame so to confounde To slee a kyng that lyeth in prison bound The knight astonied hath his stroke forborne Gretly abashed in that darke habitacle Whych herde a chyld that neuer spake toforne Agaynst his swerde to make au obstacle Ran and tolde this marueylous myracle To myghty Cirus with euery circūstaūce Hopyng therby to atempre his greuaūce But where as tyrauntes be set on cruelte Their croked malice ful harde is to appese So indurate is their iniquite That al in vengeaunce is set their hertes ese Them selfe reioysinge to se folke in disease Lyke as they were in their frowarde daūger Clerely fraunchised fro god his power Thys cruel Cirus most vengeable of desire To execute his fel entent in dede Let make in haste of fagottes a gret fyre And gan thē kyndle wyth many coles rede And made Cresus quakyng in his drede For to be take where as he lay ful lowe And bad men should in to the fyre him throw But Iupiter whych hath his vengeaūce seyn Howe cruel Cirus with malice was attaynt From heauen sent a tempest and a reine That sodainely y ◠horrible fire was quaynt Woful Cresus w t dredful fyre made faynt Escaped is his furious mortall payne God and fortune for hym lyst so ordayne This aduenture in maner marueylous The hert of Cirus gan somwhat tenbrace And caused hym for to be pitous Agayne Cresus and granted him hys grate To occupye whyle he hath lyfe and space The land of Lyde except only thys thynge He shoulde not after be called kyng And thus of Lyde the kynge dyd fyne Which toke his beginyng of one Ardisius And endured the space of kynges nyne Loke who so wyl the bokes tel thus Hereof no more but forth vnto Cirus I wyl procede wyth al my busy cure For to translate hys woful auenture The .xxvii. Chapter ¶ How the cruell tyraunt Cirus delited euer in slaughter and shedynge of blode and so ended HEyre by discent to great Astiages Poorely brought forthe as is made mēcion And had al Asie to his great encres Holdyng that reigne by iust succession In longe quyete wythout rebellion Tyl tyme he thought in ful frowarde wyse The world was smal to staunch his couetise He had an etyke most contagious Fretyng vpon hym for desyre of good A dropsy hateful and furious Of froward rage that made his hert woode A woluyshe thurst to shede mānes bloud Which ouerth warted by false melancoly Hys royal corage in to tiranny But whan he presumptuously dyd entende To robbe reue folke through his pyllage God and fortune made hym to discende Ful sodaynly from hys royal stage Demyng of pryde it was a great auauntage To wyn landes of very force and myght Tho in his cōquest were no tytle of ryght To wyll he yaue holy the soueraynte And aduertised nothyng to reason But preferred his sensualite To haue lordshyp and dominacion Aboue sad trouth and discrecion Whych causeth princes frō their estate roial Or they be ware to haue a sodayne fall For the lordshyp of al Asia Might not suffise to Cirus gredinesse But thought he would conquere Cithia And there werre to encrease hys ryches Though he no tytle had of ryght wysnesse Saue false lust wherof mē shoulde haue ruth That wyl in princes shoulde oppresse truth Fyrst his Cirus al princes dyd excel Both in conquest victory batayle Of golde treasure as bokes of hym tell Kyngdoms to wyn he dyd most preuayle And yet two vyces dyd his hert assayle Fyrst couetise euer to encrease in good With a desire to shede mens bloude Wyth two vyces he brenned euer in one That neuer might from his hert twyn Made a great army towarde Septētrion And cast him proudly to set on and begyn Cithia the mighty land to wyn Quene Thomiris there reigninge as I fynde Whose kyngdom ioyneth to Ethiope in Inde Towarde the party whych is orientall The see of Surry floweth full plentuous Downe to the see called occidentall And southwarde renneth to Caucasus And folke of Cithie that ben laborious Which tyl the land hath not to their liuing But onely frutes which from therth spring The lande of Cithie is ryche for the nones For greyne fruite a land ful couenable Ryche of golde perle and precious stones Ryght comodious and wonder dilectable But a great party is not habitable The people dredful to bylde their mancions For feare of deth bycause of the gryffons The noble fame nor the high renoun Was not ferre knowe nor ysprad aboute Of Thomiris quene of that region Nor of her noblesse within nor wythout Tyl that king Cirus with a ful great route In to Cithia gan hym proudly dresse The hardy quene to spoyle of her richesse But she her fame more to magnifie Gan in great haste with ful rich apparayle Ful prudently assemble her chyualry And toke a felde if he woulde her assayle Redy with him to haue a batayle And of her meyny lyke as sayth my boke Vnto her sonne the thyrde parte she toke And yaue hym charge in the same place Hym selfe that daye to aquite lyke a knyght And for to mete Cirus in the face And nothyng drede with hym for to fyght But whan kyng Cirus of him had a syght Cast hym that day the yong prince oppresse Rather by wyles than manhod or prowesse Fyrst he let stuffe his large pauilions With great plenty of drinkes dilectable Diuers meates and confections Rounde aboute vpon
euery table And in his meanyng passyng disceyuable Lyke as he had in maner dredful be Toke al his host and gan anone to fle This yonge prince of meanyng innocent Nothyng demyng as by supposayle But y ◠Cirus was with his meyny went And sled for feare he durst hym not assayle And whan he founde such plente of vytayle He his knightes through misgouernaūce To eate and drinke set al their plesaunce They had of knyghthode lost the disciplyne Forsoke Mars put hym out of syght And to Bachus their heades gan enclyne Gorge vpon gorge tyl it drough to nyght And proude Cirus came on thē anonryght With all hys hoost they out of their armure On beastial folke made a discomfiture Cruel Cirus left none alyue Of hygh nor lowe made none excepcion They were to feble again his might to striue For chefe cause of their distruction Was drōkennesse whych voydeth al reason And wyse men rehercen in sentence Where folke be dronken there is no resistence And whan thys slaughter by relacion Reported was brought to the presence Of Thomiris quene of that region Vnto her hert it dyd ful great offence But of ire and great impacience Seyng her sonne slayne in tendre age For sorow almost she fyll in to a rage But for al her woful deedly payne She shewed no token of feminite But of prudence her weping gan restrayne And cast her playnly auenged for to be Vpon kyng Cirus and on his cruelte Sente out meyny to espyen his passage If she hym fynde myght at auauntage And with her meyny gā feyne a maner flight Vp to the mountayns dredful terrible And Cirus after gan haste hym anon ryghte In hope to take her if it were possible Among whiche hilles more than it is credible Ben craggy roches most hideous of entayle Perilous of passage voyde of al vitayle And Cirus ther fyl in greate daunger Al vnpurueyed of drogemen or of gyde To fostre his people vitaile was none ther Erryng as beastes vpon euery syde And they of Cithie gan for hym so prouyde Wherof their quene god wote was ful fayne At great mischefe y t al his men were slaine None of al was taken to raunson Nor he hym selfe escaped not her boundes Such wayte was layde to theyr distruction And he through perced with mortal woundes On peces rent as beares ben with hoūdes The quene cōmaūding whā he lay thus torne To her presence his body to be borne Fyrst she hath charged to smyte of his heade Whan she hath thus the victory of hym won And in a bath that was all blode red She gan it throwe within a litel tonne And of dispite ryght thus she hath begonne Most tirauntly in her woful rage To dead Cirus to haue this langage O thou Cirus that whylom were so wode And so thrustlewe in thy tiranny Agayne nature so to shede mannes bloud So woluyshe was thyne hateful dropsy That mercy none myght it modefye Thine etyke ioyned gredy and vnstable With thrust of slaughter aye to be vengeable It is an horrour in maner for to thynke So great a prince rebuked for to be Of a woman mannes blode to drinke For to disclaundre his roial maieste But gladly euer vengeable cruelte Of ryght requireth wyth vnware violence Blod shede for blode iustly to recompence Of myghty Cirus the imperiall noblesse Was by a woman vēquyshed borne doune God made her chastise his furious wodnes And for toppresse his famous high renoun For where vengeaunce hath dominacion In worldly princes playnly to deuyse With vnware stroke god can thē chastise Th ende of Cirus can bere ful wel recorde How god w t standeth folke y ◠ben vengeable Lordshyp mercy whan they ben at discorde Right wyll not suffer their state to be stable And for this Cirus was so vnmerciable He with vnmercy punished was in dede Deth quyt for deth lo here his final mede In slaughter blode he dyd greately delyte For in tho twayne was his repast in dede He founde no mercy his vēgeaunce to respyte Where he founde matter any blode to shede Such ioy he had by deth to se folke blede ▪ And for the syght did him so much good His fatal ende was for to swym in blode Lo here thexequies of this mighty king Lo here the ende of his estate royal There were no flames nor brondes shinynge To bren his body with fires funeral Nor obseruaunces nor offringes marciall Nor tombe of golde with stones rych fyne Was none ordained to make with his shrine Epitaphie ther was none red nor songe By no poete wyth their poetries Nor of his triūphes there was no bell ronge Nor no wepers with sobbynge tragedies None attendaunce but of hys enemies Which of hatred in their cruell rage Cast out his carayne to beastes most sauage Lo here of Cirus the finall auenture Which of al Asie was whylom emperour Now lieth he abiect without sepulture Of high nor low he founde no better fauoure Lo here the fyne of al worldly labour Namely of tiraunts which lyst not god drede But set their lust to slaughter blodeshede Lenuoye RYghte noble prynces considre in youre syghte The fine of Cirus pitous lamētable How god punisheth of equitie ryght Tirauntes echone cruel and vengeable For in his syght it is abhominable That a prince as philosophers write In slaughter of men shoulde hym selfe delyte This saide Cirus was a full manly knight In begynning ryght famous and notable Nature yaue him semelinesse myght For in conquest was none sene more able Tyl tiranny the serpent disceyuable Merciles his corage dyd atwite In slaughter of men whan him gan delite Wherefore ye princes remēbre day nyght Tafforce your nobles make it pardurable To get you fauour loue of euery wyght Which shal your states cōserue kepe stable For there is conquest none so honourable In governaunce as vengeaunce to respite Mercy preferring in slaughter not delite The .xv. Chapiter ¶ Howe Amilius for couetyse slough his brother and Remus and Rumulus nourished by a wolfes AFter king Cirus Bochas did espy Two worthy brethern wyth faces pitous Borne by discent to reigne in Albanye Both of one father the story telleth vs The one of them called Amulius And to remembre the name of that other Numitor ycalled was his brother They had a fader whyche named was Prochas Kyng of y ◠land the story doth deuise After whose deth playnely thys is the case Amulius for false couetise His brother slough in ful cruel wyse That he vniustly by false tiranny Might haue the kingdom alone of Albany This Albany by discripcion Like as Bochas affirmeth in certeine Is a citye not ferre fro Rome toun Set on an hyl beside a large pleine The building stately rych well beseine Stronge walles with many a high toure And Ascanius was fyrste thereof foundour Which called was in his foundacion Albania for the great whytnes There kynges after
rightes ceremoniall To Jupiter by full great reuerence Afore his auters wyth fyres and encence But for that he in hys inward intent By cyrcumstaunces of his oblacyon Was rechelesse founde and also neglygent By some frowarde false affection The goddes caught an indignacion And sodaynly discendyng from the heauin He was consumpt with a firy leuin Hys false goddes might hym nat auayle Jupiter Saturnus Mars nor Venus Let all chrysten defye suche raskayle For to our faythe they be contrarious And among godds a thyng most outragious Is whan that prynces bleut in their foly Lyst erthly thynges falsly deify For vnto God is hatefull and odyble A withdrawyng of his reuerence To magnify thynges corruptible with vndue honour with false concupiscēce Wherfore ye prices beware of high prudēce Lest god vnwarely punyshe your noblesse Make you in erth no false God nor goddes ¶ The second Chapiter ¶ Howe Anchus kynge of Rome was murdred by Lucinyo by the assent of his wyfe THynke on Anchus kynge of Rome toune Whyche was so noble shynynge in glorye Weared a crown ful famous of renoun Next Hostilius as put is in memory Wan the palme of many a great victory But for al that with a ful sharpe knyfe He murdred was by assentyng of his wife He loued her best aboue eche creature Considred not her statery nor falsnesse Her double meaning vnder couerture Falsly blent this princes worthynesse To robbe reue him of his great richesse Was her labour with counterfete pleasaunce In her entent to bring hym to mischaunce This anchus had a great affection Vnto his goddes to make sacrifyses And to augment the religion Of paganysme made in sondry wyses Through his manhode circūspect deuyses Vpon Latines rebel to his citye For comon profyt he made a great armye One of their cities called Polotory He knightly wan maugre al their myght And whan he had of them ful victory He abode no lenger but anone forth ryght Made al the people in euery mannes syght As prisoners thys romayne champion Brought afore hym boūde in to the toun Eke as I fynde this Anchus nolde cease For cōmon profyte in his affection Their teritories to augment and encrece In al the countreis about enuyron Towarde y ◠riuer where Tiber renneth doun At the which place he let edifye A ful stronge citie which called is Ostye But not withstanding al his worthynesse He was depriued the story telleth so Of his kyngdome and his great richesse By a foraine called Lucinio His wife Tarquild assented was therto By whose outrage and gredy couetyse Anchus was murdred in full cruel wyse The .iii. Chapiter ¶ Howe Lucinio that murdred Anchus was after murdred THus fro the whele of fortune he is fall Lucinio in Rome is crowned kyng And the Romayns after dyd hym cal Tarquin the olde by recorde of writyng Which hath atayned by fraudulent workyng And by his subtyll forged eloquence Vnto the state of royall excellence He fyrst ordayned in his estate roiall Turneys iustes in Castels and cities And other playes called marcial With many famous great solempnitees Sessions for states and degrees This Tarquin eke was fyrst y ◠did his payne In open stretes tauernes to ordayne Eke to preserue his citye out of doute If their enemyes lyst them to assaile He was the fyrst that walled Rome about With mighty toures vnlykely for to fayle And had also many a strong batayle With Sabynes in their rebellion And made them subiect vnto Rome toun But for he was assented to depriue Worthy Anchus from his estate royal And after that toke Tanquylde vnto wyue Which slough her lorde by treason mortal God would of right that he should haue a fal The lord wyl not which euery thinge may se Suffre murdre long to be secre For Lucinio for his great offence Touchynge the murdre of kyng Anchus Yslayne was by sodayne vyolence Of two sheperdes the story telleth thus Which of entent were contrarious Atwene them selfe by a fayned strife To fynde a way to reue hym of hys life For while the kyng sate in iugement Vpon their quarel for to do iustise Full sodaynly they being of assent Fill vpon him in full cruell wise And with an axe the story doth deuise One of them or any man toke hede On two parties rofe the kynges heed This thing was done by the procuryng Of two chyldre sonnes to Anchus Whyche were exyled by false compassyng Of Lucinio agayne them moste yrous To hym their presence was so odyous But they shope tho they were out of syght Theyr fathers deth to auenge if they might For of nature blode wyll auenged be To recompence the wrong of his kyntede In thys chapter lyke as ye may se Blodshed for blode thus bothe dyd blede By whyche example let prynces take hede Howe murdre done for supplantacion Requireth vengeaunce for his guerdon Lenuoye THys tragedie by clere inspection Openly declareth in substaunce Howe slaughter of prices causeth subuercyon Of realmes cyties put out of ordynaunce Of mortall were longe contynuaunce Blode by supplāting shed of kinges twayne By exāple shewed false murdre to restrayne The fyne declaringe of murdre false treson The dede horryble cryeth aye vengeaunce To god aboue to caste hys eyen doune To punishe thys sinne throgh his puissaunce For i◠is mother of myschefe and mischaunce Wherfore ye prynces do some lawe ordayne Within your boundes thre vyces to restraine The vyce of sclaundre murdre and poyson Where euer these thre haue acquayntaunce They bryng in sorowe and desolacyon Put at a prefe by newe remembranuce Of falshede vsed vnder fayre countenaunce Wherfore ye prynces do your busy payne Within your boūdes these vyces to restrayne God defende thys noble regyon With these thre vyces to haue alyaunce For slaundre firste deuoureth hygh renoun And sleeth good fame thrughe false daliaunce Harme done to late foloweth repentaunce Wherfore ye princes do a lawe ordayne To punish their malice fals tōges to restrayne God hath of murdre abhominacyon And false poyson dothe to hym displesaunce There is no payne in comparyson Condygne to murdre paysed in balaunce Wherfore ye princes make an ordynaunce Within your boundes of some preuy payne By dae punishing false murdre to restrayne O noble prynces prouyde of reason Agayne these vyces to make purueyaunce Of rygour shewe due execucion With your labour and hertely instaunce Let deth be guerdon for their fynall penaūce To warne other by cōstraint of their payne Frō these .iii. vices their corages to restrayne The .iiii. Chapiter ¶ Howe for the offence done to Lucrece by Tarquyn was neuer after crowned kyng in Rome TOuching this Tarquin of whō I told As myne auctour maketh mencion He called was Tarquinius the olde Whyche longe in Rome had dominacyon Tyll hys kynrede and generacyon For the offence done vnto Lucrece Caused of kynges the names to cece For his sonne which after dyd succede For his outrages and his extorcions And for many an other cruell dede
am nat worthy that men me shoulde call Or haue the name in no maner wise For the offence whiche ye haue herde deuyse To be called in this wretched lyfe Of Collatyn from henseforthe the wyfe Myne eyne also be blynded with derknesse Only for shame to lyfte vp their syght Outher their stremes or beame vp dresse Of the clere heuen to loke vpon the lyght Nor I may neuer be of the nombre of ryght Of true matrons amonge them ferre ornere For to be rekened in their kalendere Let myne iniury and this mortall cryme Be so punysshed of ryght and equyte Without delay of any lenger tyme That euer after it may example be Through all the worlde and eke in this cyte With suche a payne therupon deuysed That all auoutrors may be therby chastysed And if it seme in your opinyon In this case I shulde be vnpure I wyll receyue iuste punycion And the payne paciently endure If it so stande that perauenture Ye deme of reason that am so iust and stable In this mater that I be culpable Her tale tolde whan they longe had mused On this complaint in their inward sight Of trouth echone they helde her full excused Made all behest with all their full myght To auēge her wrong and Lucrece anonright Toke a sharpe knyfe or they might aduert And roue her selfe euyn through the hert ☞ The complaynt of Bochas vpon the luxury of princes as by examples of many dyuers myschaunces BOchas in hert brennyng hote as fyre Of very ire and indignacion Agayne tho princes which in their desire Haue fully set their delectacion Their felycite and their affection To folowe their lustes of false lechery Froward spousebreche and of auoutry He writeth again them that seketh occasiōs Places of lustes to haue their libertees For to fulfyl their delectacions And for taccōplysh their great dishonestees Deuyse out tauernes in borowes and citees And sitting there among their company After the dede they boste of their foly If any man pyntche at their outrage Or them rebuke for their transgressions They wyl answer w t froward false langage And for their party alledge great reasons First how it longeth to their condicions By right of nature as it is well couth Frely to vse lechery in youthe Affyrme also howe lawe of kinde is fre And so afforce them to sustain their party By exāple of Dauid which y ◠toke Bersabe And for her sake how he slough Vrie Dyd manslaughter and false auoutry For them allegyng agayne right and res◠For Dalida the luxurye of Sampson The story also they frowardly apply How for a woman prudent Salomon The lord offendyng did ydolatry And in diffence of their opinion Reherse these stories for their excusacion Of their errour therby a price to wynne As tofore God lechery were no sinne They not consydre in their entencion Of these stories of euery cyrcumstaunce First of kyng Dauid the great contricion Nor vpon Samson how god toke vēgeaūce First how he lost his force his puissaūce For his offence they haue not this in minde Nor how both his eyen were made blynde Nor their reasons they lyst not to enclyne For to conceyue in their discrecion The spyrite of wysdome heuenly and diuine Was take away fro prudent Salamon In chastising for his transgression And some doctours affyrme ouermore How Salomon repented hym ful sore The play of youth folke calleth lechery Say it is a game of nature And to sustayne and beare vp their party Howe it sit well by recorde of scripture Vnto euery lyuely creature That stant in helth and is coragious Of very kynde to be lecherous Vicious report they haue in remembraunce But vertuous thynge is ferre out of mynde Fleshly lustes and lecherous plesaunce In their desires be not lefte behynde Auauntyng lying they can of new out fynd And nowe a dayes they hold it curtesy Othes horrible flateryng and ribaudy In their auice they take lytel hede Vnto the doctryne of noble Scipion Which commaunded in story as I rede To Massinissa full famous of renoun Not to touche by no condicion Sophonisba fayrest of vysage But it were by way of maryage Though she were borne of the blod royal Her youth was set to all honeste Doughter and heire to noble Hasdruball Duke of Cartage the story ye may se And for her vertues of feminyte She wedded was of byrth as she was lyke To king Siphax which reigned in Affrike And for to preue the great lyberte Which is in vertue conueyed by reson And the false thraldom of dyshoneste Of bothe to make a playne comparison After the doctryne of Censorin Caton Shewed by him to folkes commune That vertue neuer is subiect to fortune Vertue conserueth measure and reson Consydereth thinges afore or they befal Taketh none emprises but of discrecion And on prudence foundeth her werkes al Aye to her counsayle attēperaūce she doth cal Warely prouiding in her selfe within The end of thynges to fore or she begyn This was the doctrine taught forth of Catō Lecherous lustes to put them vnder fote Grauntyng to vertue the domynacyon Plucke vp vyces braunche crop and rote Frute of goodnes groweth vp so sote Whan it is planted of youth in corage It neuer appalleth in eld of his tarage Caton of vertue was a chefe offyter Preferryng euer common commoditees Tofore profites that wer synguler To enhaūce the comon in kingdōs and citees Their wyttes peysed and their habylytees Persons promoting in whō it was supposed That they in vertue were naturalli disposed Manlye in hert he was aye to sustene Indifferent trouth and all iustyce Fleshly delytes of folke that were vncleane He was aye redy by rygour to chastyce And set lawes in full prudent wyse For to punysh flaterours and lechours And such as were open auoutrours He had of women none opinion With them to deale for luste nor for beaute But if it were for procreacion So stable he was found in his degre The boke redyng of immortalyte Which Plato made the trouth well sought Therin concludyng how soules dye noughte But lyueth euer in ioy or in payne Thus wrote Plato in his originall Men may the body bi deth ful wel constrain But the soule aye abydeth immortal For which this Caton stedfast as a wal For comon profyte to dye was not aferd Whan he him self slew with a naked swerde But to fortune afore his dethe he saide O thou princes of worldly goodes vayne To thy flateries I neuer did abrayde Thy fauour is so false and vncertayn That neuer I faught no fraunchise to atain As for my selfe no perciall syngulerte But all for profyte touching the comonte Agayne Cesar I made resystence To conquere fredome to me and to the toun Frely to eschewe his mortal vyolence This world dispising in mine opinion Our fraunchise thralled vnder subiection Iustly forsakyng the varyaunce of this life My soule conueyed to be contemplatyse This philosopher this prudent old Caton Tendring in hert common comodytees Tofore
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
Oropastes quaking in his drede Full vnwarely or that he toke hede Was slayn ther guerdoned for al his might Of pretence kinges y t reigne haue no right The .vii. Chapiter ¶ Howe Dary obteynyng the kingdom of Perce by sleyght ended with shame AFter the deth of these Magicyens Was left no king to haue y ◠gouernaūce Nor for to rule the lande of Perciens Saue fyue princes full famous of puissaunce Whyche made a statute and an ordinaunce Of one accorde by recorde of writyng Theron concluding who shuld be chose king Their sort their hap and all their auenture Was yeue to fortune of thys eleccion And thus the prince the crowne shall recure Among these fyue by theyr conuencion For to gouern the mighty regyon And in that lande to reigne and contune Lyke as the fauour lyst ordeyn of fortune Thys was the statute vpon a mornyng All atones erly for to ryde Atwene Aurora and Phebus vprisyng Vp to a hyll to houe and to abyde All rancour dyscorde set asyde Whose horse among them was first herde neying Without grutching shulde be crowned kyng Vpon this mater what shoulde I leger tary Hereon was made an othe in sykernesse Among these prīces one which was called Da Aprince of Perce excellyng of noblesse Whych had a seruaunt y ◠story bereth witnessery That kept hys horse thought in very dede Hys lorde he wolde preferre at suche a nede The sayd seruant full sleyghtly in werkyng His dilygence lyst nothyng to spare The day to fore set of their metynge At a place smothe playne and bare Hys lordes horse he made leape a mare And on the morowe when the princes met On horsbacke there hys lorde he set And whan the horse thyder came agayne Nature anone afforced his corage To neye loude vpon the same playne Where as the mare had vsed her passage Kynde in suche case had great auauntage By whiche sleyght playnly to reherse The sayd Dary was crowned kig of Perce The prynces all lyke theyr conuencion Or Phebus shewed his firy beames bryght Without stryfe or contradiccion From their horse sodaynly alyght And vnto Dary as lowly as they myght Sayd in greke or they vp rose Policromtudo Basileos Which is in latyn to spake in wordes playne And in englyshe by expowning of scripture After the Greke as moche for to sayne As longe tyme myght the kyng endure And lyue in helth with good auenture By the grace and fauour of fortune Vpon all Perce to reigne and contune Who wyll consydre euery cyrcumstaunce It is a meruayle nat grounded on prudence By such sleyght a king to haue gouernaunce Through tytle or clayme as of iust euidence So to be raysed to kyngly excellence But whan fortune fauoureth suche assay Tyll y ◠she chaunge ther can no man say nay Thus was kyng Dary borne of lowe linage Set vp by sleyght in estate honorable Thought y ◠he wolde for his auauntage To make his kyngdom his reigne stable Wed such a wyfe as to hym was most able Demyng of trouth hys clayme were well amēded Of Cirus lyne if she were discēded To wede suche one was all his couetyse Stable for to reigne vpon the Perciens And as I fynde in full cruell wyse By the counsayle of false magicyens A werre he gan vpon the Egipciens Eke folily he gan for to werrey Them of Athenes whiche lyst hym nat obey And as myne auctor maketh rehersayle He for his pride and false presumpcion Was discomfyted twyes in batayle And neuer after as made is mencyon He was nat had in reputacyon Among Perciens so gan his honoure fade Wyth sleyght he gan with shame an ende he made ¶ The .viii. Chapter ¶ How Corolian by Romaynes exiled gan warre agaynst them and how after they sent out his mother withother for peace which had they eft him exiled and after was slayne AFter this Dary as I rehearce can And mine auctour liketh to conclude To Iohn Bochas came Corolian The most wofull of that multitude Which gan complaine vpon the ingratitude Of the Romayns how they whilom in dede Exiled his person of rancour and hatrede Whiche in his time would neuer ceace Through his noblesse hys hygh renoun Their common profite to augment encrece And for to bringe to their subiection Many a citye and many a noble toun Yet they agaynward for all his chyualry Him exiled of malyce and enuy But whan this Marcus called Corolian Saw of Romayns the great vnkindnes Toward a countrey that called was Tuskan Of high disdayne anone he did him dresse And them entreated of manly fell prowes To gyn a warre sythe they so manly be Through his cōueiyng againe Rome y ◠citye And for to put them more in assuraunce To haue victory through their high renoun He tolde them playnly of a great distaunce Of a false strife and a discencion That was of newe fall in Rome towne Wherfore they should if it be prouided Cōquere thē lightly because thei wer deuided By their assent they made a great armye With stuffe for war richely apparayled Pyght his tentes tofore that great citye And in the fielde stode proudly battayled But the hartes of Romayns haue thē fayled And durst not passe the gates of their toun There was among thē so great deuision Their citye stode that time destitute With feare supprised for lacke of gouernaūce Them to defende they founde no refute So farre enfeblished was their old puissaūce For euer gladly where stryfe and variaunce In any kingdome haue an enteresse Touchyng a defence adue all hardinesse Within them selfe they stode at debate Afore their enemies ready for to assayle Comfort was none in hygh nor lowe estate For where discord is what auayleth coūsail Their fone w tout within them selfe battayle Brought in alas to their confusion By the false serpent of dissencion But at the last afforced and constrayned They were coact after peace to seke The case stode so of nede they were payned Maugre their might their harts for to meke And their mischefe more to encrese and eke In augmentyng of their cruell fates They saw their enmies armed at their gates They sent out first priestes of the toun With their enemies for to entrete of pees With humble profers lowe subiection But Corolian this is doubtles Againe the Romayns was so merciles That grace none myght in his hart myne To their request his eares to enclyne Than the Romayns the story tell can To Venturia made their prayere Whiche was the mother of Corolian And to Volumnia his faithfull wife entere That they should both go in fere Vnto that prynce besechyng at the lest Benignly to heare their request His mother first full prudently abrayde Vnto her sonne makyng this question At their metyng to hym thus she sayde Shall I quod she for short conclusion Of faythfull harte and true affection To thy presence declare finally Be now receyued as mother or enemy After thine aunswere I must
Lo here the ende of Malleus the tyraunt Whyche doth to prynces full well exemplify To God aboue how it is not pleasaunt Them to delyte in no suche robbery Nor pyl the people by no false tyranny Nor for no tales be hasty of vengeaunce For all suche thing to god is displeasaunce ¶ Lenuoy REade considered this sayd tragedy Sheweth to Prynces a myrroure full notable How they their rygour shall tēper modefy Or they procede for to be vengeable For in a prynce it is right commendable Rancour of hart of chere and of courage For to deferre tyll that their yre asswage Their hasty yre their sodayne melancholy Their colorike fumes y r fury vnrestraynable Their vnqueint fyres w t flame of tyranny Their fretyng etyke of hate incomparable Like beastial Tygres lyke lyons vntretable Ne will not suffer that infernall rage Defer their domes tyll their yre asswage The royall Lyon of morall gentry Among beastes of force incomperable Preueth not his power nor his regaly Gayn beasts prostrate which be not defēsable And mighty prynces should in case semblable For innocentes take mercy in morgage Respityng rygour tyll that yre asswage The sparkle of vēgeaūce is quycked in party By wyndes foure fell and abhominable Blast of detraction and blast of flattery Blast of false rowners y t forge many fable And blast of brybours vycious and culpable w t smoky slaunders and felons false vysage Causeth yre of prīces y t it may neuer asswage For whiche let prynces of noble policy Beware of tonges double and disceyuable Whiche w t their venym infect eche company Their poynaunt poyson is so penetrable To folke absent it is mischeuable So depe freteth their serpentyne langage Causig in princes their yre may not asswage Noble prynces let vertue magnify Your hygh estate to make you merciable For morall Seneke doth clerely specify The trone of prīces by clemēce is made stable Vengeaunce delayed to God is agreable And hasty rygour doth outragious damage Whē hūble requests your yre may not aswage ¶ The .xxi. Chapter ¶ How the substaunce of the host of Hymilcho duke of Cartage goyng to conquere Cecile dyed of pestilence and after he him selfe slayne AFter these myghty prynces twayne Next in order w t pale and deade vysage Tofore Bochas Hymilcho gan cōplayne The vnhappy fall of his fatall passage Whan he was sent by aucthoritie of Cartage To cōquere through his mighty puissaunce The lande of Cycile vnto their obeysaunce They of Cartage had an opinion That it was lefull after their entent Without title of ryght and of reason Their teritories and boundes to augment And for that cause Hymilcho they sente The mighty duke their nobles to aduaunce Whiche of Cartage had hole the gouernaunce And for he must passe by the see Towarde Cicyle this noble worthy knyght With him he had a full great enarmee Chose out of Cartage in stele armed bryght Their fone to cōquere of very force and might But Fortune gan at him so disdayne That to his purpose he neuer myght attaine Grounde and gynnyng of his distruction To be remembred shortly in sentence There fyll of the ayre a great corruption Whiche caused a full great pestilence Among his meyny by vnware violence And sodaine mischefe that is vpon him fall He lost almost his worthy knyghtes all Nye all hys people was slayne in y ◠morayne That but a few be left of hys meyne Infortunate he turned is agayne Home to Cartage and they of the citee All causeles of hasty cruelte Hath slayn thys duke as Bochas doth cōpyle Lo who may trust Fortune any while The .xxii. Chapter ☞ How Heynon duke of Cartage was dismembred AFter whose death a mā there gan succede A mighty duke y ◠called was Haynon Whyche purposed for to chaunge in dede His name of duke by false ambicion And to be called throughout y ◠mighty toun Kyng of Cartage and therupon of pryde To finde out wayes he felly gan prouide He was not cōtent a duke men shold him call But of Cartage for to be named kyng And like as his purpose that it should fall Fro day to day the meanes compassyng How he might fulfyll this vncouth thing For to be crowned and raigne in that londe And at the last this meane way he fonde He had a daughter yonge and tender of age Whiche of the people stode in great fauour And he him cast to yeue her in mariage To a yonge knyght sonne to a Senatour Whiche in the citye was a gouernour And that his purpose myght be attayned Day of the mariage tyme was ordeyned And in his palayce chefe and principall This sayd duke let make his ordinaunce To holde a feast full solemne and royall And with great coste made his purueyaunce Of sundry daintyes whiche y ◠in substaunce Were necessary in all maner thing Vnto the feast of a worthy kyng He gaue in charge vnto his purueiours That all were ready agayne a certayne day And to his feast came all the Senatours Dwellyng in Cartage there durst none saye nay And of his purpose to make no delay Thought his fraude was not apperceyued He cast y t day that some should be deceyued He conueyed in his inwarde entent He to be kyng and raygne in Cartage The Senatours would neuer assent To breake their custome nor their olde vsage He durst therof vtter no langage Kept him secrete without noyse or soun And fully cast him to procede by treason The next way he knew no better rede To his desire than playnely to ordayne That of Cartage the senatours were dede Than were he likely his purpose to attaine For to be crowned lorde and souerayne So to accomplishe his lust in all thing And in Cartage to raygne as lord and kyng For if the senate wer vtterly destroyed He should finde no maner resistence Wherby his purpose should be annoyed None dare say nay to his magnificence For in the porayle there was no defence And at this feast he cast him to procede All his entent to conclude in dede His officers he made to be sworne To helpe destroy falsely by poyson The senatours of whom I spake to forne And that their vitayles dainties in foyson And eke their wines for short conclusion Should with venym be intoxicate Through all the palaice spare none estate These officers had a conscience For to accomplyshe so horrible a thing And secretely vnder great prouidence To the Senate therof they gaue warning And whan they knew this mortall cōpassyng Of Duke Haynon to shew all the affray They put of prudence the weddyng in delay Wherof this duke gan haue suspection And of this matter fill in a maner drede Thought he would by some collusion Againe Cartage more mortally procede And gan call to helpe him at his nede Of Mauritayne a kyng of great renoun With him by force to fall vpon the towne Made him promise to his aduauntage For to make fre distribucion Of
in his drede Trayterously through plate and mayle Perced his hart the bloud abrode gan rayle And as it is also of him remembred The Lucaâ—oyes by vengeable vyolence They haue his carayne on pieces dismeÌ„bred Tyll an olde lady beyng in presence Required them of humble pacience That she of grace gader myght anone His membres all and ioyne them into one And after to sende them vnto his sister dere Olympyades the stately great quene That of affection and loue most entere Whan it befell that she did them sene Should of nature as it muste nedes bene Weâ—e and prouyde in his estate royall To bury the body with feast funerall Se here example of this proude kyng Whiche would haue scaped his fatal desteny Chaunge of places auayleâ— hym nothyng Periodie of prynces may not chaunged be The terme set fro whyche they may not fle For whan heuyn of death hath set the date No mortall man may eschue hys fate The .xi. Chapter ☞ How Dary king of Perce and Mede was outrayed by Alexander kyng of Macedon IN Alexander called Epirothes Me lyst as now no lenger for to tary Slayn at mischefe for he was retchles Double of corage for he could chauÌ„ge vary For turne I will my pen to kyng Dary Whiche that whilom who so lyst take hede Most mightely raigned in Perce and Mede And among other notable warriours Like as I deme by heauenly influence Onely by title of his predecessours And through his prudent excellence To great encrease of his magnificence He had all Asie as made is mencion Vnder his lordship and dominacion And as myne auctor Bochas doth defyne He was discended from the imperiall bloude Of Artaxerses and borne eke of that lyne Passed all prynces of treasure and of goode In Perce Mede his great empyre stoode An huÌ„dred prouynces tencrease of puissaunce And seuen thirty he had in gouernaunce Ouer all Asie towarde the orient His lordshyp last bokes make mynde And he had eke toward the occident Ouer Egypt power as I fynde The redde sea was not left behynde Demyng hym selfe of all earthly treasour Was none but he lorde and gouernoure Toward SepteÌ„trion vnder y â— midday spere His power raught and hys regaly Ouer Inde in cronicles ye may lere And to the boundes of great Armenye Lorde of the kingdome y t called is Parthy Worldly folke dempt hym w t god egall â–ª Master to fortune she not but hys thrall But in his hyghest exaltacion Of worldly glory he could not preuayle For all his riches and vaine ambicion But fortune durst him wel assayle In his most royal riche apparayle Cast in her chauÌ„ges to giue hiÌ„ a sharpe shoure By Alexander of Grece enheritour Vnto purpose I will my penne dresse For to declare and make mencion How proude Dary in his most nobles Was by Fortune from his seate â—ast doun For anone after the coronacion Of Alexander in Macedone kyng This was the processe of his workyng He not delayed nor made no long date In purpose fully of yre to procede Of Perce Mede the scepters to translate All their riches to conquere and possede Perpetually for no abide in dede Vnder grekes mighty obeysaunce In Macedone to haue the gouernaunce And as mine auctour well reherce can He set in Grece the mighty stronge citye Of Corinthe the metropolitan There to establishe his imperiall see In regalibus whan he list crowned be As man whoÌ„ god liste of his might to marke The world to coÌ„quere be therof monarke At the ginnyng of his conquest famous Through out Grece in euery region First he chose out of his fathers house Knightes y t were most souerayne of renowne Notable in armes and of condicion Faithfull true which had of high prudence Foresight in armes of marciall prouidence To them he did full notably assygne As men expert in knightly apparayles To make his stuffe with many a riche signe And forge of stele his plate and his mayles Gaue them the rule to gouerne in battayles For prouidence of yore it hath be tolde Full muche auayleth of knightes wise olde All this accomplished he list no lenger tary This worthy kyng but w t his ordinaunce Purposed to begyn on kyng Dary And as it is put in remembraunce In most proude wise he gan him selfe auauÌ„ce First in his way to brenne and beate downe Of hasty yre Thebes the mighty towne After he gate two mighty regions The one of Frigie the other called Lyde Set by olde tyme were their foundaâ—ions Vpon two riuers runnyng there beside whose goldeÌ„ grauels their brightnes mai not hide Paceolus and Euxyne men them call Richest of stremes though men reken all And of his conquest farder to termyne He wan Isauria a prouince wonder stronge In Asia one chiefest of the nyne And Pamphile a kingdome large and longe He gate also were it right or wronge For where y t conquest haue any title of right My cuÌ„ning it passeth my reason my might I toke no party nor me lyst not tary In this matter but forth I will procede How Alexander hasted towarde Dary To atcheue his coÌ„queste of Perce of Mede But first he came to Frigia I rede Into a citye the name to specify Thylke dayes it named was Gordy After mine auctoure affirme well I dare There was a teÌ„ple in Frigia thus saith he Of Jupiter in whiche there stode a chare With ropes bounde of stones and pyrre Amonge whiche men might beholde and se A fatall knotte by craft made so subtile That no man could vndo it by no wyle For who that had science or cunnynge That curious knot to lose or vntwyne Ouer Asye he should be crowned kyng And Alexander as bokes determyne Seinge this chare knitte with many line And how it semed a maner impossible To seuer it whiche was indiuisible The chare w t coardes was so enterlaced That rychely stode in â—oues tabernacle Whiche by his witte coulde not be enbraced Neither by craft nor no solemne myracle Tyll Alexander by a diuyne oracle Drew out his sworde wherof meÌ„ had woÌ„der Carfe the knotte cordes all asunder Wherby he wyst that he was ordeyned Ouer all Asye to be lorde and kyng Whiche to reioyce this story is not fayned He rode like Mars his battayles coÌ„ueiyng Through Perce mede his staÌ„derds splayig Toward his coÌ„quest where I let him dwell And of his chare knottes I will you tell Prudent Justinus an olde croniclere In his cronicles rehearseth this story Nowe Gordius a pore laborer Beside the citye that called is Gordie â—ryng his lande did his oxen gye And all maner foules that hath flyght Hye in the ayre appeared in his syght Vnknowe to him the token what it meant With diuinours cast him to counsayle Called â—ugures which holy in their entent Knowen the processe of such diuinayle Where it shall profite eyther disauayle And at the gate of Gordy the citye He met a mayde excelling of beautie
knyght ▪ That whan Alysander laye diyng certayne And gan to feble of hys force myght Dempt afore that it sat ful well of ryght How thys Perdicas for wisdom manhede In Macedone shoulde after hym succede And vnto hym with loke chere benigne Vpon his heed for sickenesse complaynyng With full whole hert for a notable signe Of succession he gaue to hym a ryng After his day to be crowned kyng Of Macedone sith he most might auayle Through al his empyre to haue y ◠gouernaile And yet sayth Bochas playnly in sentence Though he of knyghthode and hie prowesse Of manly force and also of prudence Passed all other the storye beareth witnesse By vicious pride frowarde boystousnesse He was more hyndred through his outrage Than all his enemyes myght do hī domage For throughe his pride and great extorcions Fro Macedone the people of that countre Fledde into other strange regions And of presumption the story sayth howe he Began a warre agayne kyng Tholome Where he was slayne in all mens syghtes Nat of his enemies but of his own knightes Eke of Anaxarchus of Capadoce kyng Whiche prouince ioyneth vnto Surry Touchyng the boūdes by recorde of writyng Towarde the Orient the lande of Armeny Hauyng two coūtryes Scilice and Isaury Towarde Cypre a great ryuere Rennyng amiddes with stremes freshe and clere This Anaxarchus were he lothe or fayne In dayes fewe hath hys kyngdome lorne For by Perdicas proudly he was slayne Of whom that I haue you tolde beforne Thus worldly prices tho they had it sworne For all theyr lordshyp and domination By fraude of fortune vnwarly be put doune And amonge other prynces of that age Vpon Alysander duly abydyng Bochas reherseth Amylchar of Cartage Duke of that cite by recorde of writyng After the death of that worthy kyng As ye haue herde ymurdred by poyson This sayd Amylchar repeyringe to his toun Was slayne in Cartage shortly to conclude Of cruel malice and conspiracion Within that cite of false ingratitude Whan he of knighthode frāchised had y t towne And nat withstandyng all his hye renoune Whan he stode hyest in hys felicite He by the commons was slayne of that cite The .xiii. Chapter ⧠Howe Eumenydes was twyse outrayed by Antigonus and at the last dyed in pryson WHā Alisader in his roial estate Had all conquered tofore as ye haue herd He like a god most pompous elate As souerayne prince of all myddleerde To take vpon hym was nothyng aferde To clayme in countrees a thynge y ◠was nat fayre Of Jupiter to be both sonne heyre One of the principles who so taketh hede That first brought in false ydolatry Was thylke tyme y t priestes for false drede Hys name with goddes gan to magnify And so to call hym of fayned flattery And mydde their tēples in Liby on a stage Of hys lykenes they set vp an ymage But lytle or nought to hym it myght auayle Agayne his deth for to do succour When the fell poyson hys hert dyd assayle Whiche made him fade as doth a flour Of whose empyre was none enheritour Saue in his deth thus stode the woful case Twene sixe thirty hys land deuyded was And in his story full playnly it is tolde This departicion to make it ferme stable He was laide forth vpon a couche of golde To reherse by tokens full notable Whome he dempt of very sothe most able Of all his princes playnly to discerne When he was deed his kingdom to gouerne First there was one amonge all that prees Next Alysander the knightlyest man The worthy knyght called Eumenides Whose high renoun ful well rehearse can Prudent Justinus the great historian Ordayned afore to gouerne realmes two All Capadoce and Pafflagony also His hie nobles as made is mention In especiall more to magnify Hym lacked nought of commendacion That apparteyned vnto chiualry To hie prudence or noble policy Except thre thinges myn auctor sayth y ◠same A crowne a scepter and a kynges name But for that he all other dyd excell Bothe of prudence and famous chiualry It is remembred as some bokes tell That there were some had therat enuy For when fortune lyst to set vp an hye Any person aloft vpon her whele Some are besyde that like it neuer a dele Who holdeth him euer vpon hie mountaynes Fyndeth great experiece of blastes shours Oft is troubled with storme wind raines So of Alysander the proude successours Whan they sat freshest in theyr flours Winde of enuy fortune helde so the rother That eche was busy to destroy other On hylles hye it is an impossible A man to abyde without winde or reyne A thyng expert and very visible Hye climbyng vp is medled with disdeyne Preace hath enuy as it is oft seyne And through preferryng of fortune ◠estates Is euer cause of great warre and debates This same thinge was well expert preued Among these sayd royall enherytours Of Alysander for eche of them was greued To see hys felow raygne in his flours And thus atwene these myghty successours Of false enuy there gan so great a stryfe That eche made other for to lose hys lyfe And as it is afore made mencion Pollicarpus and Neptolonyus By a maner false conspiracion Agayne Eumenides were onely enuious Of whose falsenesse he was suspicious Tyll on a day there is no more to sayne Metyng in battayle slew them both twayne For which slaughter proude Antigonus Of Macedone prefect and gouernour Wext in his heart so fell and dispitous And was withal a noble warriour With his knightes dyd wholly his labour Agayne Eumenides by marciall apparayle A felde assigned to holde great battayle Made vpon him a great discomfiture As they mette armed bryght in stele And thus Eumenides of mortall auenture Fledde at mischefe into a strong castell Wherof his knightes lyked neuer a dole For as the story playnly maketh mynde That day he fled and left his men behynde In which castell for he stode destitute Fro thencehe cast in all hast to flye In his great mischefe to fynde some refute That time he drew him to a strāge countrye Some succour to get auenged for to be Called Argyre by Grekes of entent The Latyn corrupt of this worde argent Of Argiraspedes a people that there dwell The name they toke after that region The whiche lande as olde bokes tell Hath of syluer plente and foyson For which cause by olde discription It toke the name of nature and of ryght Because the soyle like syluer shyneth bryght And of thys yle which hath so great a pryse As myne authour maketh rehersayle How the people be prouident and wyse Prudent in armes and manly in batayle Bothe to defende and proudlye to assayle Whiche by theyr wisdome good counsayle To kyng Alysander stode in great auayle And Eumenides one of his successours As ye haue herde drewe to that countre There to fynde some refute and succours In his mischefe and great
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
dronke myghty wynes To fyll their paūches they were so desyrous That they forgate their marciall doctrines To ascēd y ◠moūtayne feble were their chines Their heades totter their braine gan faile The temple aloft to spoyle or to assayle In their assending by wayes that they chees Vpon the roche they were beat doune Priestes of the temple put thē selues in prees One bare a standard another a penoune Clad in chesibles for hye deuocion And with their other vncouth apparayles Bothe on the roche lowe in their battayles The people of Brennus was incomperable Spred all the felde the story beareth witnes But it is sayd of olde and is no fable That no defence is in dronkennes And wisdome fayleth where is greate excesse And in a felde playnly to conclude Victory alwayes standeth not in multitude For they were set as Bochas dothe deuise Not to knighthode but to false outrage To spoyle and robbe by gredy couetise And stuffe their somters with great pillage Furious rauine hath brought thē in a rage And farewell knighthode marciall noblesse Where couetise is lady and maistresse Two mighty dukes were with Brennus Whiche that were chefe of his counsayle Euridanus that one that other Thessalonus Which as they thought to their great auaile Began a purpose and it was disauayle To robbe the people the countrey ech toun Whiche turned after to their confusion Thus auarice w t stomake vnstaūcheable Hath strāgled y ◠power of many a worthy knight And couetise her sister vntretable Hath of high nobles full oft quaint the lyght Wher Tātalus raigneth a lion hath no might This to meane honger and couetousnes Turneth all nobles into cowardnes For by the counsayle of these dukes twayne Brennus set all his opinion To spoyle and robbe dyd his busy payne To pyll the cities of all that region But in this while as made is mencion Myd their battayles Bochas dothe me lere The God Appollo and Pallas did appere Appollo first shewed his presence Freshe yonge lusty as any sunne shene Armed all with golde with great vyolence Entred the felde as it was well sene And Diana came with her arowes kene And Mynerua in a bright haberion Which in their cōminge made a terible soun The noyse was herd of their bright armure Which made their enemyes almost to raue That they might afore them not endure Fled the felde for drede them selfe to saue And there was herde an hidous erthquaue And from heauen in this mortal batayle Of colde constreyning great stones do hayle Their aduersaries beate downe grounded And afore them durst not abide And Brennus so mortally was wounded Both brest heed hurt through eyther syde Lo here the ende of couetise and pride For Brennus for constraynt of his smert Roue with a dagger him selfe to the herte This was his ende vēgeable merueylous And his dukes slayne both twayne Called Euridanus and Thessalonus The grekish goddes gan at him so disdayne Of sacrilege se here the greuous payne For to goddes who lyst do no obseruaunce Shall vnwarly be punished wyth vēgeaūce It is not holsome with goddes to play Nor their puissaunce presūptously to attame For where as they by vengeaūce lyst werray who lyst assay shall fynde it no game For his presūpcion Brennus founde the same For Appollo Diana and Mynerue For his outrage vnwarly made hym sterue ⧠Lenuoye THis tragedy declareth who lyst here Of duke Brennus many great batayle His extorte conquest and holy the maner Howe by force he rode through al Itayle After how he the Romayns dyd assaile His fall in Grece by vengeable violence For he to goddes would do no reuerence Toke al the treasours iuels most entere Out of their temples and richest apparayle Golde and perle and al that yfere To his encrease whych that myght auayle The rich he robbed oppressed the porayle Of verye pompe and frowarde insolence And lyst to goddes do no reuerence This mighty tiraūt most surquedous of chere With couetyse brent in hys entrayle Whose gredy fret ther might no mesure stere Tyll that fortune at mischefe dyd hym fayle He lacked might her variant whele to nayle Agayne whose fall there was no resistence For he to goddes lyst do no reuerence Noble prynces conceyue and do lere The fall of Brennus for misgouernayle And prudently paysyng thys matere Vertue is strōger than outher plate or maile Afore considred what Brennus doth coūsayle Chefe preseruatyfe of your magnificence Is to god to do due reuerence The .xxiiii. Chapter ⧠Howe Pyrrus kynge of Pyrothe lyst nat lyue in peace but of pryde and presumption in warre came vnto mischaunce IN Bochas boke next folowīg on y ◠rig Came yong Pirrus sonne of Earides Borne by discent to reigne be kyng And to enherite the lande of Pyrothes Yet in his youth and his tender encrees The frowarde people dwellynge in y ◠place Without his gylte gan his dethe purchace But to preserue hym as made is mencion He was committed and take in kepyng Certayne yeres for hys sauacion To one Glaucus of Illirie king Whose wife was cosyn by record of writing To the sayde famous Earides And she in story called Beronices He nye of blode to thys noble queene Bothe twayne borne of one lynage Wonder gracious to all that did him sene And well fauoured of fetures and visage And in the whyle of his tender age One Cassander of Macedone kyng Compassed his deth by subtel false workyng And his purpose for to bryng aboute He sent for hym by false collusion Puttyng Glaucus playnlye out of doute But yf he came lyke hys entencion He wolde worke to hys destruction Gather people bothe nye and farre And on Glaucus gyn a mortall warre But kyng Glaucus toke herof no hede Hauyng to Pyrrus so great affection Of him receyued verely in dede To be his sonne by adoption Purposyng of whole entencion To make Pyrrus plainly if he may To be his heyre and raigne after his day Pyrrus alway vp growyng by encrees Full amiable bothe of there and face And in this while the people of Pyrothes Knowyng that he stode in Glaucus grace Chaunged their hartes cast thē in short space For to restore all of one courage The sayd Pyrrus to his heritage Thus by assent he was crowned kyng Yonge freshe and lusty semely ther withal Wonders well thewed in his vp growyng Like his lynage of courage wext royall The whiche was cause in especiall He was beloued offrendes about And of his enemyes greatly had in doubt The name of him gan to sprede farre Through all Grece about in eche countrey The lande of Tarent gan in his tyme warre Agayne the Romaynes as ye may se Requiryng Pyrrus that he woulde be Fauourable and helpyng of entent To the party of them of Tarent To their request he can condiscende And of purpose cast him not to fayle If that fortune woulde him grace sende With myghty hande marciall apparayle For
to be lorde and conquere all Itayle As did his vncle whilom doubtles Kyng Alexander called Epirothes First he began his conquest in Itayle Toward Heraclye a mighty great citie Where with Brennus he had a great battaile Consull of Rome and lorde of that countrye And to the encrease of his felicitie As it is remembred in his story Vpon Romayns he gate that victory The Olyphantes with castels on their backe Caused Pyrrus the yong manly knyght With his wisdome wherin there was no lack To put his enemies that day to flyght And in this while it happened forthright The Sicilians Bochas beareth recorde Amonge them selues were fall at discorde There was atwene them great diuision Eche to other contrary in workyng But to reforme their false discention They praied Pyrrus to come be their king To whose request he fully assentyng By them made stronge lyst not to deferre Against the Romayns for to gyn a warre Beside a castel called Esculus Within Poyl his banner he gan splay The same day not happy nor eurous Contrarious fortune his power gan affray Woūded to the death gan greatly him dismay By whiche occasion this Pyrrus anone right Lept on his courser and toke him to flyght A sonne he had called Helenus Borne of the daughter of kyng Agathocles Whō he ordeyned mine auctor telleth thus For to be crowned to his great encrees Of Siciliens to raygne there in pees Wenyng therby to haue had auauntage And in this while came to him a message Out of Tarent whiche stode in auenture For his absence out of that region If he not came they might not endure Againe the power of them of Rome toun Whiche of assent were discended downe Agaynst them they standyng in dispayre Saue in abydyng vpon his repayre Pyrrus this while stode in full hard poynt Waxt abashed and dull in his corage Atwene twayne hangyng in disioynte Werreyed of Romayns hated in Cartage Had a battaile to his fynall domage Within a felde called Arusius There put to flyght by one Fabricius Destitute by Fortune and appayred Voyde of succour barrayne of rychesse Like a man of hope dispayred Towarde Epyre in haste he gan him dresse Where he was first his story doth expresse As ye haue heard rehearced by writyng By succession whilom lorde and kyng But whan he came to Epyre the citie He gan of new agaynst Antigonus Kyng of Macedoyne a full stronge countrie Hym to werrey he was so desierous And by conquest the story telleth thus Within a while there was no great lettyng By helpe of Fortune he was crowned kyng Not seuen monethes raignyng in quiete By Lisymachus maugre all his might He was put downe remoued from his sete Yet of presūption though there was no right He toke on him to gyn a newe fyght Gayne Lacedemonois felly them werrey Onely because they would him not obey Whose presumption whan they behelde Bothe of prudence and policy Women were armed to make a large felde With multitude to oppresse his party For cōmon profite put them in ieoparty And fynally suche was their ordynaunce That Pyrrus was brought to mischaunce His sonne there slayne called Tholome And many other lost there their liues And for all that of pride and crueltie He gan a warre agayne the Argyues And at the ende of his mortall striues For conclusion this was his last fall Slaine w t a stone as he came to their wall His head smit of in the same place And therof made an oblacion To Antygonus for a great solace Thus lyst fortune quite his presumption After his warres with many region Lo here the ende of folkes retchles That folowed warre list not liue in pees ¶ The .xxv. Chapter ☞ How the tyrāt Aristotimus by trecherous working set aside the right line and was crowned kyng of Epirothes and after slayne FOr the proceadyng folowyng John Bochas I wil reherce in ful playne lāgage How Aristotim a tyrāt this y ◠case Cast and compassed by full great outrage Hauyng no title of right nor heritage Of Epyrothes by trecherous workyng Voydyng the line there to be crowned kyng Liuyng two children the story telleth thus Borne by discent to raygne in that citee The eldest of them called was Pyrrus And the seconde named Tholome And bothe twayne by the cruelte Of Aristotym were falsely set aside He made kyng this tyrant through his pryde And while that he thus gan occupy Lyke a tyrant cruell and vengeable Of false rancour and melancoly Slewe all the citizyns y t were most notable And exyled this story is no fable Onely of malice within his hart close All that were contrary vnto his purpose Vnto the women by fraudulent sentence He made ordayne after that anone Of fained pitie gaue to them lycence To their frendes frely for to gone With their riches but they were euerychone By his biddyng and by his false treason Take by the way and fettred in pryson Or they were ware was set on them arrest And after that of vengeable crueltie The children slayne suckyng at their brest Maydens oppressed of their virginitie But in this while at Cypre the citie There was a knyght passyng of great age Whiche cast of purpose to auenge his outrage The same knyght mine auctour telleth thus In the story playnly as I rede Was in Greke tonge called Helematus Right wise manly both in word and dede And thinges twayne put him out of drede To execute his purpose in certayne Maugre all tho that would be him againe For cōmon profite he drad not to be dead A cause was this for he was fall in age And another that put him out of drede For he no children had of his lynage His quarell rightfull gaue him aduauntage And here vpon gathered him of newe Suche as he knew y ◠manly were and true This purpose helde w t circumspect auise And theron made full prudent ordinaunce This Helematus olde hardy and right wise Afore prouided by knyghtly purueyaunce The said tyrant brought vnto mischaunce By helpe of them that were to him assented Vnwarely slain whose deth was not repēted ¶ The .xxvi. Chapter ☞ How quene Arcinoe for the aduoutry done with Demetrius husbande of her daughter Beronices ended in sorowe AFter this story Bochas gan apply To turne his pen like as ye shall here To write and tell the frowarde lechery Of Arcynoe pleasaunt of loke and chere Whiche of her port and eke of her manere Was in her dayes like as it is founde For craft beauty called Venus the seconde For her fayrenes yeuen in mariage To noble Agas of Cyrenes kyng Atwene them while they were yonge of age They had a daughter by recorde of wrytyng Called Beronices the kyng at his endyng In his testament bad that she should be Wedded to the sonne of kyng Tholome And this was done of entencion To cease the warres y ◠had endured longe Atwene Egipt as made is mencion And the Cyrenes bothe realmes stronge By this
Called Seleuchus which was a wonder Fil frō his courser brake his necke asōder The .iii. Chapter ¶ Howe the noble Queene Laodomya was in the temple slayne and vengeaunce take vpon hym that slewe her SYxe of estates prynces and pryncesses Shewed them to Bochas pitouslye playnyng To hym declarynge theyr mortall heuynesses And first of all there came to hym wepyng The noble queene her sorow rehersyng Called Laodomya which with heuy chere Complayned the mischefe of her suster dere Called Nereis yonge and tender of age That wedded was of Cycile to the kyng And on the daye of that great mariage There fyll a stryfe and a great meuyng Amonge the commons by a maner rysyng And when the quene therof had a syght To Dianes temple anone she toke her flyght The people was party rose againe y ◠kyng For whiche rumore and sodayne stryfe Laodomya full fearfully quakyng Ran to the temple for to saue her lyfe Supposyng in her ymaginatyfe That for the temples chaste reuerence Men woulde spare to do there violence But there was one by whom the strife began And was first grounde of this great motion Called Milo a false Cecylian Voyde of all reuerence and deuocion Ran to the temple feirser than a Lyon And where the queene the auter dyd enbrace With a sharpe sworde slew her in the place This sacrilege was punished by vēgeaunce Gods were wrothe through this gret offēce And Diana by full great displeasaunce Made in the courte a sodayne pestylence And Mylo was by vnware violence Tourned bestiall made wode in that affray And slewe hym selfe suyng the twelft daye The .iiii. Chapter ☞ How Cleomenes king of Macedone was slayne with his wife and children AFter this vengeaūce taken on Mylo Came Cleomenes of Macedoyne king And to Bochas gan shew his deadly wo His great iniuries of enemies assaylyng His hye emprises his kyngdome defendyng And alderlast how he in his citee Was by the sonne slayne of Tholome First in his countrey the story doth deuise Againe his enemyes he had a great battayle Of his people defendyng the fraunchyse Of knightly prowesse as he y t list not fayle For his ryght to fyght in plate and mayle His lieges echone beyng of one assente To lyue and dye with him in their entent Men women and children yonge of age Were in one hart as in that mattere Whiche made them stronge gate auaūtage That vndeuided they stode echone yfere Of one corage of one will of one chere Greatly assured in their opinion Because among them was no diuision Their cōmon profite they did more prefarre Than they did treasure lyfe or good For their fredome aye ready to the warre Not afrayed to spende their owne bloude And fynallye so together they stode That of one thought eche gan him redy make To lyue and dye for his brothers sake He had an enemy borne of that region The name of whom was Antigonus And he had wedded the boke maketh mencion The olde quene of kyng Demetrius And had her sonne the story telleth thus Called Phylyp fro youth in hys kepyng Therby pretendyng a tytle to be kyng Of Lacedemonoys claymed agayne ryght There to raigne and take possession Lyke a tiraunt vsurpyng of great myght For to be crowned in that region But for all his false presumption He was put of and yset a farre Though he with thē helde a mortal warre And Cleomenes that was rightfull kyng Was in the felde armed euery day Hardy as Lyon drede hym nothyng Gayne his enemyes he stode s◠at a bay That fro the felde he made them flye away His dredefull sworde grounde was so kene That to abyde hym they myght nat sustene And on a daye descendyng from his cite Helde in the felde a full stronge battayle With lytle people made his fone to fle Retournyng home ful wery of trauayle Thought in his heart that it should auayle To stynt the werre hangyng in no certayne Tyll y t his people refreshed were agayne Set ordinaunce through all the countre Gayne all enemyes to make resistence And into Egypt he goth to Tholome With wife children w tdrawing hys presēce There receyued with great beneuolence Lyke his estate out of care and drede And there abode tyl Thotome was dede But the sonne of kyng Tholome Whiche raygned after by succession Of false enuy and vengeable cruelte Slew Cleomenes in that region His wife his children voyde of compassion Alas it was to straunge a cruel thyng Within a kyngdome to murder so a kyng The .v. Chapter ☞ Of kynge Nero Cornely and Hanyball AFter whose deathe thus wrought by violence The story remembreth procedyng Forth came Nero and shewed hys presence Of Siracuse the myghty stronge kyng Tofore Bothas full pitously playnyng Besechynge hym with a full pitous chere Of his mischefe to wryte the manere The whiche Nero wylfull and furious Lyst to presume of false rebellion For to debate with Appius Claudius And to maligne agayne Rome toun But he anone for his presumptioun Constrayned was in all his most pride Lyke a cowarde to flye and nat abyde No more of hym myne auctour writeth here But in his boke as he dothe procede There came Cornely of Rome a consulere Hym selfe complaynyng of y ◠great falshede Whiche vnto hym accomplished was in dede By assuraunce broke of Haniball Which of Cartage was chefe admirall To thys Cornely Haniball was sworne With the Affricans by a maner flatery To succour hym as we haue tolde toforne With the Romains to holde vp his party But whan they met the boke doth specify Cornely was take and fettred in prison At mischefe dyed there gayned no raunson Than Haniball entred of entent With his knightes into a great cite Of Cicile called Agrigent Where Julius Silua of olde enmyte Layde a siege with a great meyne That he constrayned the sayde Hanyball For very hungre to leape ouer the wall By a posterne he toke hym to the fliyght Gathered shyppes and toke the large see And Julius Silua lyke a manly knyght Faught with him and made hym for to flee Vpon the water anone after he Was of his knyghtes stoned to the dethe And so constrayned he yelded vp the brethe The .vi. Chapter ⧠Of the duke zantipas cast into the see AFter that Hanyball was stayne thus And putte to flyght as made is mencion Tofore Bochas came worthy zantipus A famous duke full notable of renoun And he was lorde of the stronge region Lacedemoyne and was come a ferre Into Cartage to helpe them in the werre By whose prowesse to his encreace of glory The proude Romayns were put to flyght Cartaginences had of them victory And there was take the wyse manly knyght Marcus Regulus and brought anonryght Into Cartage and led as prysonere By zantipus as Bochas writeth here Thys noble duke for all his hye prowesse Done in Cartage and shewed to their toun And for all hys notable kyndnesse They most vnkyndly quit hym his guerdon For
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
But through fortunes mutabilite That blind lady so made her power stretche As he began to ende lyke as a wretche Reken the estates of worldly regaly NoÌ„bre of meyny golde treasour richesse Stately castels paleys on eche party CoÌ„quest by fortune cumbinge to hie noblesse Cruel sworde conueyed by wyifuinesse Power extort with couetyse oppressyng Causeth destruccion of many earthly kyng But in contrary who lyst hym selfe knowe And is by grace inclined to mekenesse Though he in pouerte be brought vp lowe And is by vertue enclined to worthynesse With scepter of peace sword of rightwisnes Indifferently his domes demeanyng Suche one is able to be cleped a kyng What is chefe cause grounde and occasion That princes ofte stande in ieopardy Of worldly chaunges in suche diuision Reygnyng amonge them y t serpent of enuyâ— Symulacion faynyng flatery The south out serched who so lyst to loke By many tragedy expert in thys boke The .xxxi. Chapter ¶ Howe Bitynctus kyng of Auergnoyes by the Romains was taken and died in prison BItynctus next of Auergnoyes kyng Came tofore Bochas ginnig his coÌ„plaint Of his distresse thordre rehersyng And howe that he was made feble and faint Againe the Romains mischeuously attaint Nat withstanding to maintayne his quarel He cast of pride agayne them to rebell But it is first put in remembraunce How Auergnoyes is a nacion Hanging on Gaule longeth vnto Fraunce Of which Bityncte stode in possession Hauing dispite in his opinion To the Romains in any wise to obey But proudly cast againe them to werrey His labour was to stande in franchise And be at large from their subiection Gau of pride their lordship to dispise Gadred people of presumption Whom for to mete Fabius was sent doun A mighty consul which knightly toke on haÌ„de For theyr party Bitynctus to withstande Of whose coÌ„myng Bytictus toke dysdayne By cause the folke whyche Fabius dyd lede Were but fewe and whan he hath them seyne He sayd of scoru this people who taketh hede May not suffise my houndes for to fede WhaÌ„ they be slayne to fewe they be in noÌ„bre With multitude y t I shall them encombre An hundred thousaÌ„d in hys vaoward he had That passe shoulde of Auuergne the ryuere And fowerscore thousande beside that he lad the Consul Fabius met him with good chere Whan he was passed of Rodanus y â— daâ—gere Fought al the day tyll it drewe to night The Romayns wan their fone put to flyght At the ryuere lyke as saieth the boke There were drowned brought to mischauÌ„ce Fyfty thousande as they water toke Through fortunes frowarde variaunce And by attaynt tencrease of his greuaunce Bitiâ—â—tus take was of the Romayns Dampned to prison there to dye in chayns ☞ The .xxxii. Chap. How the tyrant Euergetes wedded quene Cleopatra slewe her eldest sonne exyled hys wyfe and wedded her doughter AFter whose deth pitously to rede sene Of Epiphanes the great Tholome Came the doughter Cleopatras the quene Gan complayne her greate aduersitie Her sorowe furious diffaced her beaute Her chekes whyte of blode teares meynt Rent w t her haÌ„des were pitously bespreint To Philometor she wedded was aforne Whylom sonne to Tholome the kynge And by her lorde in true wedlocke borne Two sonnes she had as by olde wrytyng After whose deth anone vp suynge To Euergetes a prince yonge of age She was agayne ioyned in mariage By title of her in Egipt lorde and syre Kyng of that lande cruel and dyspytous Whose story sheweth no kigdom nor Empire May of them selfe make no man vertuous For lyke a tygre this tiraunt furious Her eldest sonne day of their mariage Borne to be heire he slewe of mortal rage Not longe after this extorte cruelte Albe they had children atwene theÌ„ twaine Out of Egypt he made her for to fle And of malyce he gan at her disdaine I trowe she had matter for to plaine He toke her doughter whan y t she was gon Agayne nature and wedded her anon She called was Cleopatras also But Euergetes to she we him more veÌ„geable Againe her mother that was fro Egipt go The citie which was to her fauourable The people exyled he wode vntretable In her dispyte gaue that notable toun Of hateful malyce to a straunge nacion But whan he know through his cruel dedes And gan conceyue howe he was culpable Sawe againe hym y â— many folde hatredes And conspiracion of states honorable He at large to be more vengeable Game Cleopatras to gyn an vncouth stryfe Went in to exyle wyth hys newe wyfe Gadred people his olde wyfe to assayle On her chyldren to shewe more vengeaunce A day assigned helde with her battaile But which of them was driuen to vttraunce Myne auctour plainly put not in remeÌ„brauÌ„ce But suyng after thus of him I rede Howe of malice he wrought a cruel dede Which to reherce is nouther good ne fayre But terible and abhominable He dismembred her sonne and hys hayre On peces smal this tirauÌ„t most vengeable And whan the mother sate at her royal table With body and heed at a solempnite Let her be serued of frowarde cruelte Wherof al Egipt had indignacion And for to auenge his cruel great outrage They toke his plates basnet haberion And his cote armure wrought of gret costage Fro their temples rent out his ymage In token he was a tiraunt most attaint Eche thing diffaced y t was of him depaint Whose hateful story replete of wretchednes Full of vengeaunce fro warde mischeues Therfore I deme Bochas lyst not expresse More of his life fulfylled of al repreues Of Cleopatra wrote not the fynal greues In this chaptre what fatal way she toke Lest y â— matter shoulde difface his boke ¶ The .xxxiii. Chapter ¶ Howe Jugurtha by entrusion was kynge of Numedy slew y â— rightful heires after he hym self was drowned AFter thys woful deadly auenture Of Cleopatras whose storye is full olde Came Jugurtha the manly man to lure And to Jhon Bochas hath his tale told Of his conquestes and dedes manyfolde Subtyl of wyt as myne auctour sayeth Gaue lytel force for to breake his fayth But in ordre the story to conuay Of Jugurtha and of hys kinted Massmissa kyng of Numedy soth to say His vncle was and also as I tede The sayd kyng had a sonne in dede Called Mysipsa eldest in wrytinge After his day to reigne as kynge This Massinissa ordayned afterwarde Tofore his deth of hole entencion By cause Jugurtha was borne a bastarde To depriue him of al succession In his Testament but in conclusion His sonne Mysipsa afterwarde made kynge Was to Jugurtha frendly and louynge Mysipsa had two sonnes as I fynde The tone of them called Adherbales The seconde the story maketh mencion Was that tyme named Hyempsaies Wyth whom Jugurtha put him selfe in prees For to abyde dwell in especial Lyke as their cosyn in their corte royal Cherished full wel bycause y e he was wyse And right
away besyde And at the siege lyst no lenger abyde Lucullus then the myghty Consuler Pursued after slew of hys meyne Such a multitude that Asopus the ryuer Was made with blode lyke the reed se w t winde tempest fordriuen also was he And when he saw no succour in the lande To shyp he went w t strong and mighty hand He founde fortune cruell aduersary On lande and se this worthy Mithridate And Neptunus made the see contrary Agayns him his puyssaunce to abate What shall men call it influence or fate So sodaynly a prynce of hye renowne Fro hye noblesse to be plounged downe For any mischefe he kept aye one visage This Mithridate and lothe was for to plye Or for to bowe so stronge was hys corage But efte agayne goth with hys chiualry Towarde Adrastus an hyll of Armeny Where as Pompey beset hym enuyron Sent fro Rome to his distruction Mithridate makyng his lodgyng place Vnder that hyll when it drew to nyght The troubly heuen w t thuÌ„dring gan manace The firy leuyn dyrked hath hys syght The cloudy moue eclipsed of her lyght Astonied hym by vnware violence That he stode confuse of all prouydence He was by tempest and vnware derkenesse Almost made wery of hys wofull lyfe Yet I fynde of very kyndnesse Hipsicrata whiche that was hys wyfe Nouther for werre nor no mortall stryfe Left him neuer disguysed of vysage Folowed him arayed as a page Yet in hys most mortall heuynesse Whan cloudy fortune gan him most manace Of his corage the naturall quickenesse Appaled nat nor remeued from his place So hie prowesse dyd hys heart enbrace Nat dispayred for no sodayne fall Of condicion he was so marciall In token wherof he standyng at mischefe Chaunged nouther chere nor countenaunce An euidence and a full great prefe Of manly force and heartely assuraunce Defiyng fortune with all her varyaunce Whan that he founde to hys distruction Of dispayre greatest occasion With hym he had a baylife as I fynde Called Castor whiche of condicion Was to his lorde false and eke vnkynde And conspired agayne him false treason In token wherof vp to Rome toun Hys lordes children yonge tender of age â—yke a thefe he sent them in hostage One of his sonnes he murdred by treason Which Mithridate toke ful sore at herte Another sonne as made is mencion False to his father which whaÌ„ he did aduerte The vnkyndnesse made him sore smerte For of all vyces shortly to conclude â—orst of al is hatefull ingratitude This same childe of whom I make mynde Called Pharnax whych agayne nature To his father traytour and vnkynde And his purpose agayne hym to recure In al hast dyd his busy cure For to accomplyshe his purpose in party Drewe to him hole his fathers chyualry By sleight mede whaÌ„ he was made strong He besieged his father rounde aboute Vnto nature me semeth he dyd wrong To put his father in so great a dout Kyndnesse was ferre shyt wythout Whan the sonne wyth hate set a fyre Agayne his father falsly dyd conspyre Wyth multitude his father was constrayned Maugre hys myght in to a toure to flee Hys sonne vnkynde hath at him disdained And yet for al his straunge aduersite Of his corage the magnanimite In his person stode hole lyst not vary Though fortune was to hym contrary Yet myne auctour Bocas beareth recorde That Mithrydate if it would haue be Requyred his sonne to be at accord And set asyde al olde contrariouste But he vnkynde indurate was parde Euer frowarde malycious of corage So disposed from his tendre age So that the kyng Mithrydate alas Was ouercome by vnkyndenesse That neuer afore in no maner caas Stode dismayed but of hye prowesse Kept aye one face all passions to represse This vertue force by marcial doctrine For none aduersite suffred hym declyne Ende of his werres his mortall stryues Of his debates and discencions Hys concubines his daughters hys wiues By meane onely of certayne pocions Slewe them al by drinkynge of poysons For he not woulde the cause to dyscriue After his death they shoulde byde on lyue Hys owne death of mortall fell rygour Compassed afore thus he gan deuyse Made a french knyght y â— was a soudiour With a sharpe sworde in ful cruel wyse To ren him through wherby the frauÌ„chyse Conserued was his purpose to fulfyl He woulde not dye but by his owne wyll Lo here the ende of kyng Mithridate Let princes all of his deth take hede Howe rechelesly he passed in to fate And by assent made his herte blede And Bochas here who lyst hys boke to rede Playnly rehersynge but in wordes fewe To worldely princes doth his coÌ„ceyte shewe ¶ Lenuoye MYghty prynces lyfte vp your corrages Towarde heauen doo youre hertes dresse Of your memory turne vp the vysages Wher ioy is euer peace concorde gladnesse True armonye celestiall swetnes Counterpayse in your remembraunce Worldly chaunges fortunes variaunce Aduertise the mortal fell outrages Of blody werres impossible to repres Whyle false enuy wyth his furious rages In sondry realmes hath so great entres Slaughter murdre deuision falsenes Which conscience haue brought to vttrauÌ„ce Through soden chaunge of worldly variauÌ„ce Reken vp princes that sate hye on stages What was the fyne of their royall noblesse Or of tirauntes reken vp the blody wages Sodaine slaughter guerdoned their wodenes Mithridate can beare hereof wytnes By blode vnkynde brought vnto vttrauÌ„ce Through soden chauÌ„ge of worldly variaunce Prynces remembre vpon the golden age Whan Saturne ruled y â— worlde in rightwisnes Next Jupiter for peoples auauÌ„tage The silueren worlde conserued in clennes Which Mars hath nowe turned to felnes Made it steelen w t sworde dagger launce Through soden chauÌ„ge of worldly variauÌ„ce Of Mithridate regestre the vyages Conspired poysons taffray his prowesse On land and see tempestious passages By coÌ„straynt bode .vii. yere in wildernesse Of his wandrynge payse the vnsykernes Hys ende myschefe knewe no auoydaunce Gayn worldly chauÌ„ge nor fortuÌ„es variauÌ„ce If neglygeÌ„ce haue brought you in rerages Towarde God or he reken in streyghtnesse Let reason medle for you to lay hostages Compassyon mercy partynge of almesse Towarde heuen to support your feblenesse Whan your merites shal paise in balaunce Of worldly chauÌ„ges fortunes variaunce Deth spareth nother hye nor lowe lynages Haue mynde heron for any rechelesnes Transitory be here your pylgrimages Set with brigaÌ„ts vnwarely you toppresse But of prudence by great auysenesse Wyth prouydence preserue your puyssaunce Gayn worldly chauÌ„ge fortunes variaunce ☞ The .iiii. chapter ⧠Howe Eucratydes kynge of Sythie was slayne by Demetrius and after his carayne cast to houndes NExt in ordre to Bochas dyd apere A woful prince that put hym selfe in prees Reignyng in Sithia his story doth vs lere The name of whom was Eucratides But to disturbe his quiet and his pees Agayne him plainly as I fynde Came Demetryus y â— myghty kyng of Inde Of whom the power
and the vyolence To Eucratides was very importable Besieged first and for lacke of defence Take at mischefe his fone not mercyable For Demetrius was on hym so vengeable Whan he was slayne w tin his owne boūdes Made the carayne be cast out to y ◠houndes Not wythstandinge he was a worthy kynge Borne of hye blode such was his auenture Demetrius sonne aboue al erthly thynge Hated hym by recorde of Scripture Of rancoure denyed hys sepulture And for the matter is hateful and contrary On his story I wyll no lenger tary The .v. Chapter ¶ Howe Herodes kyng of Parthoys werred wyth Romains whych after his sonne and heyre was slayne made hys bastarde sonne kynge y t anon after slewe his father TO Arthabanus whilō of Parthois kynge I purpose my style to transporte A full olde prince had in his liuing Sonnes twayne bokes so reporte Which in his age dyd him most comforte Mithridate was the eldest brother And herodes called was that other Mithridate by reason of hys age Hys father dead dyd after him succede Which banished was for tiranny outrage Afterwarde for mischefe and for nede In to Babylon he toke his flyght for drede The people anone after his partyng Of Indignacion made hys brother kynge Thus came Herodes to estate royal Pursued hys brother in to Babilon Layde a siege rounde aboute the wall They to him yelded vp the toun Thus was hys brother brought to cōfusion Afore the castell wythout lenger date Made smyte of the head of Mithridate In Parthois after he toke possession Thus yong Herodes of voiūte and pride Gan a werre agayne them of Rome toun Whom to w tstande they lyst not longe abyde The cōsull Crassus cam down to theyr syde Cōmaūded was short processe for to make Toward Parthois hys voiage for to take Crassus lyst not to entre in that reme Left Parthois the story dothe deuyse Toke his waye towarde Jerusalem To take there a solempne empryse In the temple onely of couetise Toke there agayne the tytle of ryghtwysnes Vp al their treasour their great ryches By which he gate in diuers regions Great multitude to hold vp his party Led wyth hym eleuen legyons Towarde Parthois fast gan him hye By hys letters proudly gan defy The sayd Herodes wyth great apparayle Myd his countre profred him battayle The next morowe whā Crassus toke y ◠felde To him was brought of blacke a cote armure Which whan his knightes auisedly beheld Dempt it a token of discomfiture For in contrary Romayns do their cure Whan their capitaine shal fighte or be hed His cote armur is outher white or red Another token frowarde to beholde The fyrst Egle beate in his banere Also soone as men dyd it vnfold Contrariously he tourned loke and chere The back to Crassus folke sawe y t stode nere A pronostyke to Romayns ful certaine Howe fortune to them was that daye againe By the flud passinge of Eufrates w t vnware tempestes hys standerdes echone In to the ryuer were cast amonge the prees To reken them all vpryght stode not one Wherof astoyned they wold no further gone These pronostykes made them so afrayed Lyke men in hert dispaired and dismaied Of these tokens Crassus was recheles The pronostykes also he dyd dyspyse Toke vpon him to passe Eufrates To entre Parthoys onely for couetise To whom Herodes sendeth in thys wyse That hys commynge was more for pyllage Than for knyghthode manhode or corage Al the power of Parthoys tho came downe With many Prefecte men of great courage Agayne Crassus them of Rome towne Which as I tolde abode on their pyllage That turned after to their great domage The sonne of Crassus slayne in that fray His father take and al vpon a daye His head smyt of in whom was no defence But disconfyted wyth many a legion The heade of Crassus brought to the presence Of Herodes within his royal toun Whych hath comaunded golde to be broughte doune To be molte there as he lay dead And to powre thereof full hys head This thinge was done for a mockery In signe onely the storye doth deuyse That golde nor treasour vpon no party Staunche myght his thrust of couetyse Suche gredines eche man should dispyse For auaryce of custome in eche place Of hye prowes doth the prise difface Herodes after dyd serche all the wardes Through al the felde vpon Crassus syde Toke the penons baners standardes And in his tempels large longe and wyde Let hange them vp of surquedy and pride In signe onely and eke for a memory He of Romains hath get the victory With whiche he lyst not onely be content Wenyng his fortune shoulde abyde stable In to Surry he hath hys sonne sēt Called Pachorus made him a constable Of that region with him to be partable Of al treasours and mouables y ◠he founde Whereuer he rode throughout al lond This Pachorus by hys chyualry Encrease gan in his tendre age Wherof Herodes his father had enuy Fearful it shoulde tourne to his domage Lest he would by tytle of heritage Maugre him at hys agayne commynge Take vpon him of Parthoys to be king Than Pachorus was called home agayne Out of Surrye where in conclusion Al that he had wrought was in vayne Bycause one Cassius fro Rome was come Slewe al the people in the region Whych appertayued to Pachorus as I find doun Without capitaine for they were left behynde To withstande this Romayne Cassius Herodes hath his sonne sent agayne Whych anone after the story telleth thus Amyd the felde vnhappely was slayne To trust fortune it is a thynge but vayne Whiche of custome to day is fauourable And to morowe geryshly chaungeable Of Pachorus dethe whan the noise arose And the distressynge of his chyualry And to Herodes abydyng in Parthois Tyding was brought farde as he would die Of hertely sorow fyl in to a frensy Heyre was none left of the royall lynes Saue thurty bastardes borne of concubines Thus Herodes was cast in great sickenes Hys sonnes deth was to hym importable Hys worldly ioy was gon his gladnes Fortune cōtrary which neuer can be stable Age fylon hys lyfe was not durable And of one thyng most he dyd hym drede Cause he had none heire to succede Whyche woulde not suffre him lyue in pees Tyll at the last he caught a fantasy Chase a bastarde called Pharactes Bycause he was famous in chyualry Gaue him the crowne and the regaly Which anone after breuely to conclude Slewe Herodes of ingratitude The .vi Chapiter ☞ Howe Fimbria a Consull of Rome slewe him selfe AFter to Bochas by processe of this boke Foure myghty princes notable of estate Towarde him thei cast chere loke Lyke vnto folke that were infortunate With whom fortune had ben at debate For by their maner as it sempt wele They were at mischiefe fall fro her whele First Fymbria a romayne consulere Sent by the romayns to a great cite Called Nichomede came as a
worlde one the best knyght Thus erthly princes w t at their poÌ„pus fame Which ouer the world yeueth so gret a soun Of slauter and murdre they toke firste their name By false rauyn and extorcion Clambe so vp fyrst to dominacion BreÌ„nyng of countreis conquest by vyolence Set them in chaires of worldly excellence In this batayle that called was ciuile Holde atwene Pompey Cesar Julius Thre hundred M. slayne within a whyle Thre thousande take the story telleth thus Without princes not able and glorious As kynges and pretours reckned al atones Tribunes Consuls and Centuriones Phebus on y â— soil might not his bemes spred Nor on the grouÌ„de shewe out his clere lyght Men that were slayne laye so thicke on brede That of the earth no man had a syght Wolues beares rauinous foules of flight Came great plente to fede there eche day Besyde the ryuer of Nile where they lay Gobbets of fleshe whych foules dyd arace Fro dead bodies borne vp in the ayre Fyl fro the clawes vpon Julius face Amydde the felde where he had repaire Made his visage blody and not fayre Albe that he to his encrees of glorye Had thylke day of Romayns the vyctory The head of PoÌ„pey brought w t his stately rig Offâ—â—d vp to Julyus hye presence He by compassyon the murdre aduertisyng Of his innate imperyal excellence Brast out to wepe and in his aduertence Thought it pyte a price of so great myght Shuld so be slayn y â— was so good a knight The corse abode without a sepulture Tyll one Codrus of compassyon After the batayle and disconfyture Besought hym of great affection To hyde the trunke lowe in the saÌ„des doun Sought tymbre there he fonde but small To do exequies with fyres funerall Nowe sith thys prince came to suche mischefe Murdred slayne by Tholome the kyng Here of her power fortune hath made a prefe What trust there is in any worldly thynge After his deth wanted he not buryeng This proude PoÌ„pey so famus of his hande Of fyshe deuoured as he lay on quicsande What shall men set by power or noblesse Of slyding goodes or any worldly glory Which to restrayne may be no syckernes Fortune and the worlde is so transitory Though Mars to day gyue a man victorye Parcase to morowe vnwarely he shal dey I take recorde of Cesar and Pompey Sith al stant vnder daunger of Fortune Ye worldly men do your loke vp dresse To thilke place where ioy doth aye coÌ„tune The blynde lady hath there none entresse Set pride asyde take you to mekenesse To sue vertue do truely your labour Gaine al pompe make PoÌ„pey your myrrour ¶ Lenuoy THys tragedy of Duke Pompey Declareth in grosse the chefe occasion Why he and Cesar gan fyrst warrey Eche againe other through vayne ambicion To haue lordshyppe and dominacion Ouer y e Romains by fauer fraude or mighte Possession take no force of wrong nor ryght To trouthes partie pride is loth to obey Extort power doth great distruction Wyse policye al out of the waye Prudent counsaile age with discrecion Lost their liberte of free eleccion Who was most stronge with him helde euery wyght Possession take no force of wronge nor right Such deuision made many man to dey Brought the cyte to desolacion With two princes fortune lyst to pley Till from her whele she cast theÌ„ both doun Subtel disceit fraude and collusion By ambicious climbinge blent their syght Possession take no force of wronge nor right Noble princes remembre what I saye Peyse this story wythin youre reason Of false surmouÌ„ting auarice beareth the key Recorde of Cesar Pompey of Rome toun Whose wylfull warres hateful discencion Geueth clere warning to you euery wyght No claime is worth without title of ryght The .xii. chapter ¶ Howe victorious Julius Cesar brente the vessels of Tholome slough Achilas that woulde haue murdred hym and after great victories was murdred with him selfe bodkins by Brutus Cassius AFter the woful complaynte lamentable Of Pompeyes deth pitous for to here Warres remeÌ„bred w t tresoÌ„s importable Compassed fraudes faced with fayre chere Conspired murdre rehersed the manere How kinge Tholome fraudulent of courage The dethe conspired of Pompey fall in age The processe tolde I holde it were but vayne Thereof to wryte a newe tragedy Thing ones sayde to reherce agayne It were but ydel as for that partie But howe Cesar went out of Thessaly Came to Alisandre to lodge him in that place I will remeÌ„ber with supporte of youre grace He lodged was in the paleys royall Where he was busy by diligent labour Through that region in temples royal To spoile goddes and haue al their treasour Where he was mocked and founde no fauour For Achilas whych that slewe Pompey Cast him with Cesar proudly to warrey His purpose was to fall vpon Cesar As of nature was hys condicion Falsely to murdre men or they were ware By some sleight to fynde occasion To distroy Julius by treason And to accomplyshe hys purpose in party Had twenty thousande in hys company This Achilas false cruel and disceyuable Cast him disceyue Cesar if he myght â–ª Of the Egipciens leader and constable With the Romayns purposeth for to fyghte But whan Cesar therof had a fyghte He is discended â–ª and fast by the see Brent al the nauy of kynge Tholome All the vessels were driuen vp wyth a flode To great domage of the sayd Tholome Julius brent them euyn there he stode And a great parte besyde of the cite And there was brent which was great pite The famous lybrary in Egipt of the kyng Full .xl. thousande volumes there lying In which thing Bochas reherseth in sentence Howe Tholome was greatly commendable That through his busy royall prouidence Made him selfe a librarye so notable For to al clerkes in study that were able Of seuen sciences the story bereth mynde Lyke their desire myght bokes fynde After this fyre in Farus the countre The Egipciens had a great battaile Wher Cesar was of great necessite That day constrained whan y e felde can fayle Toke a barge from Egypt for to saile But so great prees folowed at his backe Almost the vessel was lyke to go to wracke Cesar armed with letters in his hande Put his person that daye in a venture Two hundred paas he manly swam to lande And coÌ„nyngly to lande he doth recure Notwithstandyng his heuy great armure But yet tofore or Cesar toke the see He in the felde had take Tholome And Achilas the murdrer of Pompey With al his felowes that were of assent Were slayne that daye there went non away Many Egipcien the same tyme brent Cesar of mercy for Tholome hath sent To Alysandre sent hym home of newe Charging he should to Romaynes be trew But whan he was deliuered from prison Of Egipciens in Alysandre the cite From euery coast gadred great foyson Againe Julius came downe with his meyne But yet for all hys hasty cruelte Such
worldly brotylnesse Like gery Venus bycause attemperaunce Was set aside and lost her gouernaunce Myne auctour Bochas gan pitously coÌ„plain Of the disordynate Cormetous glotony Of Vittellius and his felowes twayne All thre diffouled with horrible lechery Diffamed by sclaundre for their rybaudry Contraryous enemyes echone to ateÌ„perauÌ„ce Banished al thre might haue no gouernance Of glotonye and ryotous excesse Watche and reuell drinking all y â— night Come vncouth feuers many great accesse MeÌ„bres podagre maketh meÌ„ go nat right Goutes mormalles horrible to the sight Many infirmitees bycause attemperaunce Was nat of couÌ„sel toward their gouernaunce Out of their courte banished was prudence Fortitude had none enteresse Gayne vicious liuing to make resystence Cried woiues hid was vertuous sobernes Trouth durst nat medle backe stod rightwisnesse Put out of houshold was atteÌ„praunce And with these emprours had no gouernauÌ„ce Sonne of the prophete called zacharye The patriarke the holy man saynt Ihon Victorious champion of gredy glotonye Lyued in deserte daynties he had none Eat mel Siluestre lay on the colde stone Locustas gadred his coke was temperaunce And of his houshold had al the gouernaunce Of camel heares was wouyn his clothyng Recorde the gospell that can the trouth tell Honysocles his moderate fedyng Monge wilde beastes whan he did dwell To stauÌ„che his thurst dranke water of y â— wel This blessed Baptist rote of attempraunce Set for chefe myrrour of good gouernaunce Of his diete catour was scarsite His costful fode was vertuous abstynence Rotes of deserte his delicate plente His riche pymentes his ypocras of dispence Hinge nat in costretes nor botels in the speÌ„ce Nat excessiue bycause attemperaunce Had of his housholde holy the gouernaunce This Baptist Ihon by his moderate foode The chefe triuÌ„phe of abstinence hath begon This patriarke rekened on the goode Content with littel al suffisaunce hath won As Dyogenes in his littell ton Helde him apayed bycause attemperaunce Had of his housholde al the gouernaunce His tonne to him was receite housholde And if I should boste of his celere There were no cuppes of siluer nor golde His costful vintage came from the riuere Wel timed mesure was for his mouth butlere And his tastour was attemperaunce Which of his houshold had al y e gouernauÌ„ce His conquest was more soueraine of degre Than Alysaunders for al his hie renoune For he conquered his sensualite Made him subiecte and seruaunte to reason Daunted of prudence eche forayne passion His clerke of kitchin called attemperaunce Whiche of his dyete had al the gouernaunce Of superfluite of slouthe and of slepe This Diogenes stode euer amonge in drede Of worldly fauour he toke no maner kepe Straw was his litter a simple russet wede Turned his ton againe the winde in dede Twene hote and colde that attemperaunce In somer winter had hole the gouernauÌ„ce ¶ Lenuoy NOble princes of prudence take hede This litell chaptre breuely to comprehende The golden worlde is turned into lede Pray to god his grace downe to sende Of his hie mercy that it may sone amende And that this princesse called atteÌ„peraunce May of your houshold haue the gouernauÌ„ce Chefely for loue and parcel eke for drede In your estate whan ye be most shynende For your encrees your most gracious spede To his preceptes do diligently attende Of olde emperours rede the legende Whyle they were ruled by attemperaunce In longe prosperite stode their gouernaunce Of worthy kingdoms Rome is called hede Whose royal bouÌ„des farthest out extende In marcyall actes bothe in length brede Rem publicam by prowesse to diffende No forayne enemy hardy to offende Their hye noblesse whyle attemperaunce With her thre susters had the gouernaunce The .xi. Chapter ⧠How the kinrede of Iacob was distroyd Christe borne and died Ierusalem distroyed and .xi. hundred M. slain by sworde hungre fyre and pestilence THe story ended of Vitellius Of his two feres Galba Ocho How his caraine horrible and hidious Drowned in Tybre was possed to and fro After their story accomplished was and do Came a great nombre to Bochas as I rede Echone discended of Iacobes kynrede In token of complaint and heuynesse Like folke dismayed clad in mourniÌ„g wede For the constraynt of their wretchydnesse Bespreynt w t teares quaking in their drede Knowing no recure in so streight a nede Resembling folke by tokens full mortall That were toward some feast funerall Their vgly cheres pytous to beholde As they gan aproche the presence Of Ihon Bochas to tell their sorowes olde Their woundes bleding by marcial violeÌ„ce Oppressed with huÌ„ger thurst sodeÌ„ pestileÌ„ce By forayne sworde their liues manasyng Vpon the deathe as beastes abyding That were enclosed narowe in a folde Dispayred socour to recure To passe the boundes for dred they were nat bolde Within enfamyned barayne of all pasture This wofull storie remembred in scripture Howe that of Iacob the generacion Was vengeably brought to distruction This patriarke called whilome Israell Most renomed amonge all nacions And most famous the Byble can well tell Their lyne out rekened through all regions By goddes behest toke their possessions Maugre Egypciens and Pharaos pride Whan Moises by god was made their gide With drie fete they passed the Reed see Conueyed by Moyses and also by Aaron Their lawe was written y e Bible who list se Vpon Syna in tables of harde stone And through deserte as they did gone With aungels meate called mâ—na as I rede Forty wynter there he dyd them fede After Moyses led by Josue In to the lande of Promission Twelue lynages of Iacob there parde He let make a distribucion And to eche lyne he gaue his porcion By promyse made afore to Abraham To Isaac Iacob whan they thyder came By patriarkes and prophetes y e were sad Maugre their enemies their mortall fone By mighty dukes and iudges they were lad Gate all the regions where they did gone Tyll at the last of pride they echone Lyke other nacions wolde haue a kyng Saul was chose god graunted their asking Thus by patryarkes and by theyr alyes From Abraham the genelogie Tolde by prophetes by their prophesies Conueyed to Dauid whiche in his regalye Helde of Iewes all hole the monarchye Of whose kynrede by processe thus it stode Was Christ Iesu borne of that roial blode Sent froÌ„ his father as prophetes determine Toke fleshe and blode for our saluacion By the holy goost borne of a pure virgyne Had amonge Iewes great tribulacion Vnder Herodes suffred passion And as the gospell truely doth discriue The third day he rose from death to liue This blessed lorde this lorde of most vertue Ende of Decembre borne in Betheleem And by the aungell named was Iesu Shewed to thre kinges by a sterre beem This same Iesus in Ierusalem By conspyracion of Iewes through enuy By Pylate dempt to dye on Caluary Thus vnto Iesu Iewes were vnkynde For whiche they were distroyed nye echone Christ prophesied the gospel
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
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
with perle legge stocked to the kne Playnynge to Bochas of their aduersite Their shone were raced freshly to the tone Richely transuersed with gold wyre And theron set many a stronge stone Gayne Phebus light shone bright and clere These lombarde kinges gan taproch nere The fyrst of al the king Lupus Vnto Bochas gan to complaine thus Bochas quod he as for my party For to reherce by short conclusion One Grymaldus a prince of Lombardy Hath me enclosed out of my region And cruelly enchayned me in prison And after that did a sergeaunt sende Smyt of myne head there I made an ende The .xi. Chapter ¶ Howe the heade of Alexius was smit of by Comperton AFter this end reherced of Lupus For to declare his mortall heuynesse Next in ordre there came Alexius A lōbard king famous of richesse Which toke on him of surquedous prowesse For to compasse the distruction Of a prince called Comperton Which ware also a crowne in Lombardye Atwyxt both was werre and great distaūce But all the people and lordes of Pauie With mighty hande marciall gouernaunce The said Alexius brought vnto mischaunce And Comperton escaped from all drede Of mortal vengeaunce let smite of his heade The xii Chapiter ⧠How Ariperton was drowned with his ryches AFter whose death pitously playning Tofore Bochas came Ariperton Of Lombardy whilom lord and king Whiche like a fole of high presumpcion All causelesse toke occasion Of volunte there is no more to say Againe the duke of Bagaroys to werrey These princes twayne taken haue the felde And of Ariperton the party gan apayre His aduersary anone as he behelde His cowarde herte gan fall in dispayre Into Pauie for feare he gan repayre Toke his treasour in purpose anonright For uery drede to take him to the flight Toke a vessell and entred is the see With sodaine tempest assailed derknesse His barge perished by great aduersite And was drowned w t al his great rychesse Lo here the fyne of worldly wretchydnesse Namely of them to get great treasours That gyn werre agayn their neighbours The xiii Chapter ¶ Howe Dediere by Pope Adrian and Charles of Fraunce was put to flight died at mischefe NExte to Bochas with heuye loke and chere King of Lombardy shewed his presēce Called in his time noble Dediere Notable in armes and of great excellence And where his father had done offence To the Pope and full great duresse This king cast the domages to redresse Agistolphe was his fathers name Whiche to the Pope did great aduersite For whiche his sonne to encreace his fame Of royall fredom and magnanimite And of benygne lyberalite Gaue to the Pope with humble reuerence A stately cite that called is Fagence Therwith he gaue treasour and great good As he that list of fredome nat to spare A mighty castell whiche on Tybrestod Within the boundes lordshyp of Ferrare Whiche is a cyte playnly to declare Of antiquite myne auctour telleth so And stant vpon the ryuer of the Poo This Dediere reigning in Lombardy Gan wexe famous at his beginning Had a great name vpon eche party But in the erthe is nothing abyding All stant on chaunge fortune in workyng Is founde vnstable double of her vysage Which of this king chaunged the corage There he was large on euery side Lyberal founde in many sondrye wyfe His goodlyhede was chaunged in to pryde And his largesse in to couetyse Of doublenesse he gan anone deuyse To clayme agayne as ye shall vnderstand His saide gyftes out of the Popes hande Whiche Dediere had made aliaunce As the cronicle maketh mencion With king Pepin reignyng tho in Fraunce After whose death to haue possession And full lordshyp of all that region He gan of newe fall at distaunce Both w t the Pope with the king of Fraūce Of presumpcion these werres he began Againe his promise of double variaunce Pope in tho daies was holy Adrian Which to stynt the troble gret mischaūce Required helpe of the king of Fraunce And great Charles in Bochas as I rede Came to the Pope to helpe him in this nede Charles that time was chefe protectoure To holy churche their pauis and defence Whiche of hole hert and dyligent labour With Dediere by manly violence He met in Tuskie of knightly excellence Had a batayle to preue their might Charles victor Dediere put to flyght As I fynde he fled in to Pauie Worthy Charles layde a siege aforne Constrayned them vpon eche partye For lacke of vitaile they were almost lorne They wanted licour grayne and corne By sodayne constraynt great aduersyte To king Charles they yelded vp the cyte Kyng Dediere was sent in to Fraunce With mighty chaynes fettred in prison Like a wretche in sorow great penaunce Died at mischefe there gayned no raunson Which had afore so great possession After whose day by olde writing Among lōbardes was neuer crowned king The .xiiii. Chapter ¶ Of Pope Johan a woman with childe and put downe AFter the Princes reherced here toforne Drowned in teares came a creature Like a byshop rounded and yshorne And as a priest he had abrode tonsure Her apparayle outwarde and vesture Being a woman wherof Bochas toke hede Lyke a prelate shape was her wede She was the same that of yore agon Vnworthely sate in Peters place Was afterwarde called Pope John Aberdlesse prelate no heare sene on her face Of her birth named was the place Maxence a cite standing in Itaile Vpon the Keen full famous of vitayle In her youth and in her tendre age Forsoke her kyn and in especiall Cast she would for her auauntage Geue her to conning body hert and all And in the sciences called lyberall In all seuin by famous excellence By great study she had experience Her name couthe in many a diuers lande To shew her cōning first whan she began Serchyng prouinces came to Englande No wight supposing but y ◠she was a man Came to Rome her story tell can Taught Grammer Sophistry and Logike Red in scholes openly rethorike In the tyme of themperour Lotarye After the death as made is mencion Fro mine auctour if I shall nat varie Of the Pope which called was Leon The said woman by election I stalled was no wight supposing than By no token but that she was a man The boke of Sortes after that anon Of auenture tourned vp so doun She was named and called Pope John Of whose naturall disposicon Fyll by processe in to temptacion Quicke w t childe the hour came on her than Was deliuered at saynt Jhon Lateran After put downe for her great outrage I wyll on her spende no more labour But passe ouer all the surplusage Of her liuing and of her great errour Turne my stile vnto the emperour Called Arnolde write his pitous chaunce Sonne to Charles y ◠great king of Fraunce To this Charles as bokes determine He was sonne nat borne in maryage But begotten on a concubine Toke