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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[Lenvoye.] |
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 | Lydgate's Fall of Princes |  |
782
[Lenvoye.]
Off Herodes the vnwar cursid fall,
The lyff vngracious of hym & his kinreede,
Euere vengable in his estat roiall,
His wiff, his childre slouh of old hatreede;
Innocentis he made in Bethlem bleede,
Regnyng in Iuda, born of a foreyn lyne,
The firste tiraunt (ye may the Bible reede)
Which ageyn Crist gan frowardli maligne.
The lyff vngracious of hym & his kinreede,
Euere vengable in his estat roiall,
His wiff, his childre slouh of old hatreede;
Innocentis he made in Bethlem bleede,
Regnyng in Iuda, born of a foreyn lyne,
The firste tiraunt (ye may the Bible reede)
Which ageyn Crist gan frowardli maligne.
His suerd of rigour, cruell & mortall,
Ay reedi whet to do vengaunce in deede,
Hasti, fumous with furies infernall
Of wilful malis innocent blood to sheede.
Dide execucioun also in womanheede,
Slouh his allies, which was a cursid signe,—
Was the firste cause he stode in dreede,—
Which ageyn Crist gan frowardli maligne.
Ay reedi whet to do vengaunce in deede,
Hasti, fumous with furies infernall
Of wilful malis innocent blood to sheede.
Dide execucioun also in womanheede,
Slouh his allies, which was a cursid signe,—
Was the firste cause he stode in dreede,—
Which ageyn Crist gan frowardli maligne.
He wolde that non wer to hym egall
That day alyue in Israel to succeede;
The berthe of Crist dradde in especiall,
Cause fro Iesse his lyne gan floure & seede.
He but a foreyn, cam in be fraude & meede,
Withoute title, to that estat vndigne,
The firste also, who list take heede,
Which ageyn Crist gan frowardli maligne.
That day alyue in Israel to succeede;
The berthe of Crist dradde in especiall,
Cause fro Iesse his lyne gan floure & seede.
He but a foreyn, cam in be fraude & meede,
Withoute title, to that estat vndigne,
The firste also, who list take heede,
Which ageyn Crist gan frowardli maligne.
Noble Pryncis, that gouerne all
This large world[e] bothe in lengthe & breede,
Whan ye sit hiest in your roial stall,
Doth nat the peeple oppresse nor ouerleede.
Vpon Herodes remembreth, as ye reede,
In what myscheeff that tiraunt dide fyne,
To shewe that non shal in his purpos speede,
Which ageyn Crist doth frowardli maligne.
This large world[e] bothe in lengthe & breede,
Whan ye sit hiest in your roial stall,
Doth nat the peeple oppresse nor ouerleede.
Vpon Herodes remembreth, as ye reede,
In what myscheeff that tiraunt dide fyne,
To shewe that non shal in his purpos speede,
Which ageyn Crist doth frowardli maligne.
| Lydgate's Fall of Princes | |