University of Virginia Library

Search this document 
Lydgate's Fall of Princes

Edited by Dr. Henry Bergen ... presented to The Early English Text Society by The Carnegie Institution of Washington

collapse section 
collapse section 
collapse sectionI. 
  
collapse section 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
collapse sectionII. 
  
  
collapse sectionIII. 
  
collapse section 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
collapse sectionIV. 
  
collapse section 
  
  
collapse sectionV. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
[How kyng Perseus bi Romayns was outraied & after taken.]
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 VI. 
collapse sectionVII. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
collapse sectionVIII. 
  
collapse section 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
collapse sectionIX. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
collapse section 
collapse section 
  
  
  
  
  

[How kyng Perseus bi Romayns was outraied & after taken.]

In Lacedemoyne remembryng o[f] a kyng
Callid Perseus, a ful proud werreiour,
Cleymyng a title, upon hym vsurpyng
For to succeede as trewe enheritour
To grete Alisandre, most myhti conquerour,
Fulli affermyng, ageyn a certeyn day
He wil be crowned maugre who seith nay.
And his name to putte in memorie,
Caste in his persone renewe the prowesse
Of kyng Alisaundre, & tencrece his glorie,
To folwe his tracis in knihthod & noblesse.
And first of alle, of hasti wilfulnesse,
That his conquest myhte spreede ferre,
Gan of purpos with Romeyns to haue werre.

622

But aftir this he was bet auised,
Whan he parceyued the marcial apparaille
Of the Romeyns, wheroff he was agrised,
Wex afferd ther noblesse to assaille,
Which ay wer founde victorious in bataille.
And wher he had afforn be rek[e]les,
Sent enbassatours with them to trete of pes.
Thei hadde apparceyued his presumpcioun,
And how he was proud and surquedous.
Sent a consul with a gret poweer doun,
The name of whom was Sulpicius,
Which dedli hatid the said[e] Perseus,
Thoruh hertli rancour ageyn hym wex soleyn,
Of his ambassiat hauyng but disdeyn.
And ther parti for to fortefie
With the said consul Sulpicius,
Thei sent another, expert in cheualrie,
A consul also, Paulus Emylius,
Among Romeyns notable & famous.
And folwyng aftir, the silue same niht,
The moone eclipsed fulli of his liht.
A cleer tokne, as maad is mencioun,
That kyng Perseus should haue a sharp[e] shour,
And that his lordshepe & his regeoun
Sholde been oppressid, void of al socour,
And that Macedonoys shold haue no fauour
Ageyn the Romeyns togidre whan thei mette
With round[e] speris & suerdis sharpe whette.
The day of bataille, to his encres of glorie,
For the parti of them off Rome toun,
Ther was a kniht that caused the victorie,
Yong, fressh and lusti, & callid was Catoun,
Which brouht ther enmyes to confusioun;
For Macedonoys thoruh his gret[e] myht
Outraied wern, & Perseus put to fliht.
But Emylius, the noble consuleer,
Sente a capteyn callid Octauyus
To pursue afftir in coostis ferr & neer
The proude kyng, this said[e] Perseus.

623

And he was take, for ther was no rescus,
With his sonis, that wer in noumbre tweyne,
Phelipp, Alisaundre, the stori is certeyne.
Myn auctour heer tellith of kynges manye,
Thretti in noumbre: the firste Geramus,
Which haue regned withyne Macedonye;
And laste of alle was this Perseus.
The noumbre of yeeris, Bochas writeth thus,
Was nyne hundrid, as is remembred heer,
Space of ther regnyng, with foure & tuenti yeer.
Aftir translatid was the regeoun,
With al ther iles, vnto thobeissaunce
Of them of Rome, withoute excepcioun;
The grete lordis that wer of most puissaunce
Abood[e] ther long vndir gouernaunce,
And Perseus, disconsolat of cheer,
Duryng his lyff abood ther prisoneer.