University of Virginia Library

and in ekine of his mysded,
It hapnyt nero for to red
of troy þe gret distruccione,
at quhylum wes sa far a towne,
and syne wes brynt halely.
of swilk fyr he had ferly,
þat wes sa gret and lang lestand.
for-þi þe tyrand tuk on hand
for to byrne þe gret cite
of rome, sic a fyr to se
as was þe fellone fyr of troy,
In yll þe tyrand had sic Ioy.
þan tyrandis he callit hym till,
and, his wikitnes to fulfill,
bad þame in all þe partis of rome
set fyre at anis but ony howne,
þat he mycht stand his towr In,
and se all to-geidir byrne.
þane þai cuth son; fulfill
of þat tyrand þe wikit will,
and, hym sa till emplece,
þai gert rowme bryn vpe in a bles;
and Ithandly it brint sewin dais
but cessinge, as þe story sais.
and all þat tyme owt of his towre
þe fyr beheld þat fell tratowr,
and sad, It wes þe farrest fyre
þat euir he saw, sene he wes syr.
and of þis tyrand sais þe buk,
with goldine nettis he fesche tuk;
and of þe syngyne als cuth he mar
þane all þe me[n]stralis at þat tym war;
and he as wyff wald wedit be
wmquhill to man, and quhyll walde he
tak hym a man in sted of wyff.
of þis tyrand sic wes þe lyff.
and ȝet, amang ill dedis ma,
his awne brethir he gert sla.
als he slew petir and paule,
till eke þe tynsale of his sawle,
and [did] fell vthire Ill dedis fer,
þat war lange to rekine her.
þe men of rowme ful noyt wes
of his foly and his wodnes,
and thowcht to thole hym no mar,
na till his fellony mar to spar,
bot erar thocht hym to sla.
quhane he persawit it wes swa,
[he] fled allane owt of þe towne,
willand in wastine vpe and done,
and fand a tre, and it schapit
with his tetht, and syne on; It
slewit hym-self rycht to þe hart,
and offerit to þe fend þat mart.
bot it is red in wthir place
þat, in a wod as he wandrand was,
wolfis hym rafe, and drank þe blud,
þat to Ill ay thocht sa gud.
and þai of rowme, quhen þai hym socht
in wildirnes and fand nocht,
come a-gane, and þe padok fand
In a rownd tour still ȝelland,
and gert men haf it owt of towne,
and bryne [it] þar, as wes resone.
þis wes nero for his felony
wele punyst, as [he] wes worthy,
þat mony thowsand gert sla
for cristis sak in dowte and wa.
bot for þe panys þai can fele,
god has þame rewardit wele
with hevinlyk Ioy and lestand bliss,
þat he has grathit for al his;
quhare hele beis ay but seknes,
ȝouthed but eld or wrechitnes,
fulth but hungir or wantinge
of goddis fud, or hard ȝarninge,
ay lestand lykine with fredome
but seruitut or thrildome,
blowmand bewte but wane or smyt
of sawle and body to-giddir knyt,
but ded ay lestand lyf,
and habundance of pece but strif,
sikirnes but dut or dred,
full knawlage of alkind ded;
er ma nocht her, na e se,
na in hart comprisit be
þe gret Ioy, þat god to med
has granttit þam, þat will hym dred.
þe quhilk Ioy petir and paule
browkis now in body and sawle;
and nero wa, þat can nocht blyne,
In hel tholis for his syne.
for-thi war gud to lef þe play,
to lestand payne þat ledis ay,
and her þis fleschely delyt
mon cesse, men wat nocht how tyt;
for-þi quhen þe play best is,
best is to lefe þan I-wyse.