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off petir and paule haf ȝe hard,
and how þat nero with þam ferde,
and how þat þai for criste war slane.
now will I tell [ȝu] of þe payne
þat nero tholit, as was skill,
for tyranny and dedis ill.
and þocht it be ypocrifa,
I will be-gyne at seneca,
þat to nero, þat tyran kene,
In all tyme had master bene,
and techit hym full mekil wit,
þocht þat he na folowt it.
þis nero worthit ay of ned,
throw o custum of his barnehed,
ryse ay quhen his master com nere,
aganis his will þocht it war,
And do hym reuerence; and for-þi
It missat hym grettumly.
and als þis senek forthirward
for his trawell asskit reward;
bot nero, as a wekit man,
has fundin ane enchesone þane,
þat it ganyt nocht þe emprioure
til do till ony mane honoure.
and for hym worth[it] honour do
til seneca, he sad hym to,
þat he suld chese quhat kind of tre
hym lykit one to hangit be;
vthir reward he suld hawe nan.
þan sad seneca, makand mayne,
for myse, or for quhat cause he
sa to dede suld put be.
þane nero, þis wekit fowle,
gert set his mastere on a stule,
and owth his hevid sittand þar
brandiste a brand þat scharply schar.
and quhen he saw hym sa sted,
for þe scharpe sword ay ves he rad,
and with þe hewid wald eschow,
þan sad nero: “quhare for now
bowis þu þi hed for dowt of sword?”
þane seneca sad hym þis word:
“for I ame a man in dowt sted,
and nedly fore dede mon be red.”
quod nero: “I am ay red for þe
as I a barne wes wont to be;
þar-for wit þu þat in radnes
I ma nocht luf in hartly es,
till þat þou luffis.” þan seneca
sad hym: “sene I ded mon ta,
I ask for reward and med,
þat þu will tholl me to bled
In a bath of myn armis twa,
þat I þe ded ma softly ta.”
þane sad nero: “se, þat be downe
swith, for þu sall dee alsone!”
þane seneca in þe bath
leit hym-selfe blud of armis bath,
and bled to ded. Ȝet summan sais
þat he deit all wthir wais,
as of a fellone poyssone,
myngit and mad be tresone;
bot quhedir sa suld be na strife,
for nero gert hym lose þe lyf.