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

Afftir this woful dedli auenture
Off Cleopatras, whos stori is ful old,
Cam Iugurta, þe manli man, to lure,
And to Iohn Bochas hath his tale told
Of his conquestis & deedis manyfold;
Subtil off wit, & as myn auctour seith,
Gaff litil force for to breke his feith.

But in ordre the stori to conveie
Of Iugurta & of his kynreede,—
Masmyssa kyng of Munedie, soth to seie,
His vnkle was; & also, as I reede,
The seid[e] kyng hadde a sone in deede,
Callid Misipsa, eldest be writyng,
Afftir his day born to regne as kyng.

This Masmyssa ordeyned aftirward,
Toforn his deth, off hool entencioun,
Because Iugurta was born a bastard,
To depruye [hym] off al successioun,
In his testament; but in conclusioun,
His sone Misipsa, aftirward maad kyng,
Was to Iugurta freendli & louyng.

Misipsa hadde too sonys, as I fynde;
The ton of hem callid Herbales,
The seconde, the stori maketh mynde,
Was that tyme namyd Hiemsales.

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With whom Iugurta put hymselff in pres,
For tabide & duelle in speciall,
Lik as ther cosyn in ther court roiall.

Cherisshed ful weel because that he was wis
And riht likli of disposicioun,
Chose afftirward for a synguler pris
To gon to Spaigne to helpe Scipioun
Geyn Numentaynes, a famous myhti toun.
And ther Iugurta so knihtli hath begonne,
That bi his noblesse the toun anon was wonne.

And to remembre his knihthod of entent,
His worthynesse & his hih renoun,
To Micipsa lettres wer doun sent
Bi the forseid worthi Scipioun;
Which gaff so gret a comendacioun
To Iugurta, hym callyng in that werre
Of manli prowesse the yong[e] lodesterre.

Off kyng Micipsa receyued notabli,
Callid hym sone bi adopcioun;
The kynge ded soone, Iugurta traitourli
Slouh Hiemsales, heir be successioun,
He of that rewm to haue pocesseoun.
This was his custum, how-euer his title stood,
Bi slauhtre & moordre for to gete good.

He list to goddis do no reuerence,
Of his nature wilful & rekles,
Hauyng nouther remors nor conscience
Touchyng the slauhtre of Hiemsales,
Falsli practised for his owne encres.
For which[e] moordre Romeyns han sent doun
A consuleer to doon correccioun,

Calipurnyus callid, that was sent
Onli to pun[y]she that horrible deede;
But with tresour his eien wer so blent,
Of execusioun that he took non heede.
The Romeyn[e]s ouercome with meede

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Gaff to Iugurta, bi collusioun,
Off this moordre a coloured fals pardoun.

Bi which he took a maner hardynesse
Of tirannye in hym weel exercised,
Gadred peeple, of hatful cursidnesse,
And in hymsilff gan crueli deuise
Texecute the silue same guise
Of fals[e] moordre,—I meene now non othir,—
To slen Herbales, the seconde brothir,

That he allone bi fals intrusioun
Of Numedie myhte be lord & kyng.
Thus of his cruelte, moordre & fals tresoun
The noise was born by langage & writyng,
Of which the griffis, falsli abrod spreedyng,
Brouht[e] foorth in hyndryng of his name
Frut of disclaundre & report of diffame.

Mortal tresoun was curid vndir flours,
To saue hymsilff bi sum subtilite,
And specialli with his gret tresours
Tappese the senat, yiff it wolde ha bee;
But ther ageyn[e]s al the comounte
Made ageyn hym a coniuracioun,
On his fals moordre to do correccioun.

Foure thousand men of armys wer doun sent
With a pretour Icallid Actilius;
The which[e] pretour sette al his entent
To gadre tresour; for he was coueitous:
And couetise is contrarious
Vnto knihthod, as auctours alle expresse,
And stepmooder vnto worthynesse.

A siege he leide aboute a myhti tour,
Wheryn Iugurta put al his richesse.
The siege was leid for loue of that tresour
Mor than for worshepe or for worthynesse;
Wherbi he loste his name & his noblesse.
Ther discounfited, brouht vnto myschaunce,
Afftir for meede made his alliaunce

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With Iugurta, to his encres of shame,
Caused Affrik thoruh fals[e] cheuisaunce,
Thei togidre disclaundrid be diffame,
Them to withdrawe fro thobeissaunce
Of the Romeyns; & mor themsilff tauaunce,
To ther purpos, coruptid with tresour
Many tribun & many senatour.

Of newe ageyn, al the comounte
Fro Roome sente Gayus Marrius,
For the moordres & horrible cruelte
Wrouht bi Iugurta, the tiraunt furious.
Which to refourme the said Gayus,
A consuler, of purpos was sent doun,
A manli knyht & famous of renoun.

Ful notabli the werris he began,
Wrouht euery thyng of hih[e] prouidence;
And Fortune, which helpeth hardi man,
Gaff hym gret fauour bi hir influence.
And aldirfirst he dede his dilligence
From hym tauoide al that wer vicious,
Delicat peeple & folkis lecherous.

A day was set & taken of bataille;
But Iugurta bi fals subtilite
Proffreth gret good, which myht[e] nat auaille,
To haue corupt, yif it wolde haue be,
The said Marius; but euer in o degre
He stood ay stable, vpriht as a wall,
And took non heed to his proffre attall.

Than Iugurta, in parti disespeired,
Gretly astonid withynne hymsilff musyng,
Ful lik a man hyndred & appeired,
He gan purpose anon a newe thyng:
Of Mauritayne he wente to the kyng
To gete helpe, which callid was Boccus,
Hym to socoure ageyn[es] this Gayus.

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Tween hem was maad of newe an alliaunce,
The whiche laste but a litil space;
For kyng Boccus gan falle in repentaunce,
Caste he wolde resorte to the grace
Off the Romeyns & no mor trespace.
And to parfourme this entencioun,
He made to Gayus this mediacioun:

Ther was oon Scilla, callid a questour,
Of Gayus hoost[e] hadde gouernaunce;
For kyng Boccus he was mediatour,
That ther was new[e]li accordaunce
Tween hym & Gayus; & bi the purueiaunce
Off this Boccus Iugurta anon was hent,
Maugre his myht, & to Gayus sent.

And al his kyngdam withoute resistence
Geyn to Romeyns cam vnder obeissaunce.
And Marius forgaff them ther offence,
Resceyueth hem vndir assuraunce,
That he shal nat be doom do no vengaunce,
To punshe the trespacis which thei dede afforn,
The space acountid fro tyme thei wer born.

Iugurta taken, almost for anger mad,
Brouhte to Roome & fetrid in prisoun,
To Tarpeia an hih hill he was lad,
Iugement youe for his fals tresoun,
Bounde to a ston & aftir throwe doun
Fro the place, ful hih[e] ther he stood,
Withoute merci into Tibre flood.