Lydgate's Fall of Princes Edited by Dr. Henry Bergen ... presented to The Early English Text Society by The Carnegie Institution of Washington |
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 | Lydgate's Fall of Princes |  |
Lenvoye.
This tragedie of Anthiochus,
Who list in ordre his froward stori see,
First to al vertu he was contrarious,
And rebel euer to Roome the cite,
Iustli accusid of vicious thynges thre:
Of pride, slouthe and of glotonye,
And of disordynat superfluite,
Of niht excesse, riot and lecherie.
Who list in ordre his froward stori see,
First to al vertu he was contrarious,
And rebel euer to Roome the cite,
Iustli accusid of vicious thynges thre:
Of pride, slouthe and of glotonye,
And of disordynat superfluite,
Of niht excesse, riot and lecherie.
On hym the Romeyns wer victorious
Twies on the lond [and] onis on the se,
He was nat hardi, but malicious;
In eueri bataile his custum was to flee.
Wher vices regne ther may no grace bee;
To al surfetis his lust he dede applie,
Noised and disclaundred thoruhout his contre
Of niht excesse, riot and lecherie.
Twies on the lond [and] onis on the se,
He was nat hardi, but malicious;
In eueri bataile his custum was to flee.
Wher vices regne ther may no grace bee;
To al surfetis his lust he dede applie,
Noised and disclaundred thoruhout his contre
Of niht excesse, riot and lecherie.
Among his lieges wood & despitous,
And for a coward knowe in the feeld was he;
The poore toppresse a wolff most furious,
And be deceit a fox for subtilite:
No man mor froward, of hih nor louh degre,
Nor mor delityng in falsheed nor flatrie.
What was his eende? a sodeyn deth, parde,
For his outrages of pride & lecherie.
And for a coward knowe in the feeld was he;
The poore toppresse a wolff most furious,
And be deceit a fox for subtilite:
No man mor froward, of hih nor louh degre,
Nor mor delityng in falsheed nor flatrie.
630
For his outrages of pride & lecherie.
Noble Princis, of prudence ful famous,
In al your grettest roial mageste,
Remembreth pleynli, yif ye be vertuous,
Ye shal perseuere in long prosperite,
Wher the contrarie causeth aduersite,
As this stori afforn doth specefie
Of Anthiochus, cast from his dignite
For his gret pride, riot & lecherie.
In al your grettest roial mageste,
Remembreth pleynli, yif ye be vertuous,
Ye shal perseuere in long prosperite,
Wher the contrarie causeth aduersite,
As this stori afforn doth specefie
Of Anthiochus, cast from his dignite
For his gret pride, riot & lecherie.
Explicit.
| Lydgate's Fall of Princes | |