Lydgate's Fall of Princes :: :: University of Virginia Library

Touchyng Zebenna, of whom I spak toforn,
Poorli brouht up & of louh lynage,
And of kynreede but a begger born,
Cam tofor Bochas trist off his visage,
Sore weepyng, muet of langage,
Gan compleyne his woful auenture,
Vnwar & sodeyn, impossible to recure.

663

His condiciouns sumwhat dul & rude,
First in pouert, proud & presumptuous,
Appechid afftir of gret ingratitude
Shewed in his lyff to kyng Anthiochus,
His firste forthere[r], the stori tellith thus:
For which Anthiochus gretli was anoyed,
Caste a mene bi whiche he was destroied.

Ther was a cosyn that callid was Grispus
To Anthiochus, & of the same lyne,
Which be title off Demetrius
Cleymeth as heyr, be many vnkouth signe,
To regne in Surrye, & proudli gan maligne
Ageyn Zebenna, whos parti to supporte,
Stood Anthiochus cheeff, as I can reporte.

This said[e] Grispus, yong & tendre of age,
Bi the foorthryng & supportacioun
Off Anthiochus, hadde in mariage
His owne douhtir, with gret pocessioun,
That Zebenna, for short conclusioun,
Compellid was, for al his grete myht,
To Anthioche for to take his fliht.

And ther he fill in so gret pouerte,
Failed moneye for to paie wages
The soudiour[e]s, which in that contre
Abide vpon hym of al maner ages,
Straunge folk & sondry of langages,
Theuys, moordrers, mansle[e]rs & pillours,—
First off Iubiter assailyng the tresours

To his disclaundre, perpetuel of memorye,
The diffame aroos so manyfold.
In Iouis temple the baneer of victorie
He took a-way, that was of massiff gold,
With a gret ymage which stood ther of old,
Of gold also, with othir mo tresours,
With which pillage he paied his soudiours.

Of sacrilege hauyng no conscience,
Tescape awey he entrid is the se;
But Eolus bi gret[e] violence
With wynd & tempest as he dede flee

664

Dede vnto hym ful gret aduersite.
And al his meyne forsook hym of entent;
And he was take & to Grispus sent,

Kyng of Surrye, to whom whan he was brouht,
Gaff on hym be iuggement this sentence:
For sacrilege that he hadde wrouht,
Spoillyng templis be gret violence,
Doyng to goddis no maner reuerence,—
For which Grispus comaundid hath as iuge
That he be slayn; ther was no bet refuge.

Of berthe a boy, clamb up to roial stage,
Brouht up of nouht, & set in dignite,
Knew nat hymsilff, wex cruel of corage,
Aroos fro pouert to gret prosperite.
But thoruh Fortunys mutabilite,
That blynde ladi so made hir poweer strechche,—
As he began, so ended as a wrechche.

Reknid thestatis of worldli regalie,
Noumbre of men, gold, tresour & richesse,
Statli castelis, paleis on ech partie,
Conquest bi Fortune clymbyng to hih noblesse,
Cruel suerd conveied be wilfulnesse,
Poweer extort wiþ couetise oppressyng,
Cause destruccioun of many erthli kyng.

But in contrarie, who list hymsilf to knowe,
And is be grace enclyned to meeknesse,
Thouh he fro pouert in streihtnesse brouht up lowe
And is be vertu reised to worthynesse,
With sceptre of pes & suerd of rihtwisnesse
Indifferentli his doomys demenyng,—
Such oon is able to be cleped a kyng.

What is cheef cause, grounde & occasioun
That princis offte stonde in iupartie
Of worldli chaungis in soch dyuysioun,
Regnyng among hem the serpent of envie,
Symulacioun, feynyng, flaterie,
The sooth out serched, who-so list to look,
Be many tragedie expert in this book.