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

This emperesse namyd Messalyne,
As I haue told, was wif to Claudius,
Successour, as bookis determyne,
To Calligula callid Gayus.
And, as I fynde, that Tiberius
With Calligula, bothe wood for teene,
Stood affor Bochas, & Messalyne atweene,

Meetyng al thre with furious look & cheere.
Gayus Calligula, callid be his name,
Gan first reherse, anon as ye shal heere,
Withoute reuerence or any maner shame,
With an exordie to diffame,
Bochas present, felli gan abraide
To Messalyna, & euene thus he saide:

“Thou sclaundrid woman, noised in lecherie
Thoruh al the world, as folk thi name atwite,
And reportid for thyn auoutrie,
What dost thou heer in thi murnyng habite?
I trowe thou komest of purpos to visite
In this place thunhappi women fyve,
Touchyng disclaundre that euer wern alyue.

The firste of hem callid Amylia,
And Lepida was named the secounde,
Lyuia, Plaucia, & the fifte Elia,
Diffamed echon in deede, as it was founde.
In tokne wheroff the lecherye to confounde
Off Emylia, in auoutry take,
Was bi the lawe of hir lord forsake.

Bi the whilom was knowe that Drusus
Istranglid was and moordred be poisoun;
Lik to Claudia, douhtir of Claudius,
Which bi hir lord, the book makth mencioun,
Was throwen out, to hir confusioun,
For hir defautis founde in auoutrie
Sclaundrid for euere; ther was no remedie.

785

Thou koudest whilom mak thi lord to slepe,
With certeyn drynkis to cast hym in a rerage,
Bi which he was maad his bed to keepe,
To gete leiseer in thi flouryng age,
For to mysuse of fals lust thyn outrage,
Anihter tyme took upon a weede,
At the bordel dist amys for meede.

Thyn appetit was verray vnstaunchable;
It is a shame to write it or expresse.
Thyn hatful lyff was so abhominable,—
Tiberi and I can bern heerof witnesse.”
And with that woord anon she gan hir dresse,
Whan she had herd[e] al ther fel langage,
Gaff hem this ansuere with a sad visage:

“Certis,” quod she, “I koude neuer keepe
To saue my-silff, a woful creature,—
I haue gret cause to compleyne & weepe
My sclaundrous lyff, which I may nat recure.
But I suppose I hadde it of nature
To be such oon; for be daies olde
An astronomyen so my fadir tolde,

At my berthe takyng the ascendent,
Tolde longe afforn of my mysgouernaunce:
The sunne, the moone toward thorient
Wer in the signe that bereth the ballaunce;—
And saide also, mor for assuraunce,
The same signe hadde be descripcioun
His foot in Virgyne, armys in the Scorpioun.

Amyd the heuene was Venus exaltat,
With Mars conioyned, þe book makth mencioun;
And Iubiter was also infortunat
To my saide disposicioun,
Withynne the Fissh heeld tho his mansioun:
Thus be the lordship pleynli of Venvs
I was disposed for to be lecherous.”

In hir excus the saide Messalyne
Gan alegge hir constellacioun;
But prudent clerkis pleynli determyne,
Of the heuenly cours the disposicioun

786

Is obeissaunt & soget to resoun,
That eueri man which weel gouernid is,
Is nat constreyned of force to doon amys,—

Nor bynt no man of necessite
Vicious lustis frowardli to sue.
A vertuous man stant at liberte
Fals inclynaciouns be prudence to remewe;
Euery man be grace may eschewe
All thyng to vertu that founde is contrarie:
For ther is no synne but it be voluntarie.

Yit for al this, the saide Messalyne
In hire excus[e] wolde nat been in pes:
“The heuene,” quod she, “as poetis determyne,
Was born up whilom be myhti Hercules,
Yit coude he neuere of nature ha[ue] reles,
For al his knihthod & his cheualrie,
To ouercome the vice of lecherie.

But thou Calligula and thou Tiberius,
What-euer ye seyn I take therof non heede;
For thou Calligula, callid eek Gayus,
Thi-silff diffoulid with lecherie in deede,
To rebuke othir thou sholdest stonde in dreede,
But thi rebukis in parti for to quyte;
Who is diffoulid non othir sholde atwite.

Bi Fames trumpet this sclaundre is out blowe,
Thoruh al the world reportid shamfullie,
Thi thre sustren fleshli thou dest hem knowe,—
Wex red for shame; and for thi partie,
For the vice of hatful lecherie
Duryng thi liff put me no mor in blame,
Which art thi-silff diffoulid in the same.

It sittith nat in no maner wise
A theef for theffte to sitte in iugement;
A lecherous man a lechour to chastise,
Nor he that hath al his lyff Ispent
In wast & riot, forfetid & myswent,
To been a iuge othre to redresse,
Nor leprous lechis to cure men of seeknesse.

787

I wolde ha suffrid and take [in] pacience
Yiff of Affrik the chast[e] Scipioun
Hadde me rebukid for my gret offence:
I wolde haue suffrid his yerde of iust resoun.
Or yif the famous prudent old Catoun
Hadde ageyn me in swich cas maad abraid,
I wolde haue suffrid what-euere he hadde said.

Or yif Lucrese for my correccioun
Hadde seid to me, for vertuous doctrine,
Alle my surfetis myd of Roome toun,
I wolde haue bowed [bothe] bak & chyne,
To have obeied onto hir disciplyne.
Shame for a crepil, to stonde that hath no miht,
To rebuke othir for thei go nat vpriht!

Ageyn[e]s the also I may replie,
Many another fals conspiracioun
Touchyng mateeres of nigromancie,
And many another contreued fals poisoun
Founde in too bookis, Bochas makth mencioun,
Oon callid Pugio, most supersticious,
And the secounde Inamyd Gladius,

Hable al this world tenvenyme & encloie;
Ageyn thre statis duellyng in Roome toun,
Ther namys write of them thou cast destroie,
Which to remembre is gret abusioun.
A chest also fulfilled of poisoun,
Aftir thi deth cast in the se, I reede,
Bi which an hundred thousand fisshes wer dede” . . .

(On this mateer is tedious for tabide,
Namli to princis born of hih estat;
It sittith nat gentil blood to chide,
Bi furious rancour to stonde at debat.
And for thes mateeres been infortunat,
I wil passe ouer & no mor of hem write,
Sauff of ther eende compendiousli tendite.)

788

“To the Tiberye I haue sumwhat to seyn:
Knowe and reportid be many a creature,
How in Chaumpayne folk hadde of the disdeyn
For thi most hatful lecherous ordure,
In thilke vice which is ageyn nature,
Which tacomplissh, void of al hap & grace,
Thyn abidyng was in suspecious place.

To swich fals lustis duryng al thi lyff,
List nat forber[e]n in thi latter age,
Thou vsist many riche restoratiff
In suiche vnthrifft tencrece thi corage,
Of ribaudi thou fill in such dotage,—
How maist thou thanne rebuke me? For shame!
Which in such caas art blottid with diffame.

I dide amys, but it was in my youthe,
Horrible thynges, which Gayus heer hath told,
But thyn outrage, the report is yit kouthe,
Thou dist hem vse bothe yong & old.
And for tafforce your vices manyfold,
Thou & Calligula, in al swich ribaudie,
Dide grettest surfet in froward glotonie.

Also Tiberye, thou beyng emperour,
Cruel causeles, & most malicious,
Dist moordre in Roome the famous oratour
Callid in his tyme prudent Asynyus,
Which thoruh thempire, Romeyns tolde thus,
Was liht & lanterne founde at al assaies,
Of rethorik[e] callid in his daies.

Thou wer eek cause that worthy Nonomus,
Kyng of Parthois, thoruh thi cruelte
Exilid was, thou wer so coueitous
To haue pocessioun of his tresour, parde,—
Deide in myscheeff and in pouerte.
Be sham[e]fast any wiht taccuse,
Which in such caas thi-silf canst nat excuse!

To Agripyne thou dist ful gret outrage,
As Romeyn stories weel reherse can,
Whan she for socour to the gret image
Ran to be sauyd of Octouyan,
Mid the temple a place callid than,

789

Which halp hir nat þat she list thidir weende:
Put out be force; for hunger made an eende.

Thyn owyn brothir callid Germanicus,
Which in his tyme was so good a kniht,—
Thi brothir also named eek Drusus,—
Bothe wer poisowned & slayn ageyn[es] riht
Bi fals conspiryng of thyn imperial myht.
Texcuse the moordre, thi-siluen at the leste
Wer clad in blak, at ther funeral feeste.

I haue no kunnyng, speche nor langage
To reherse nor make mencioun
Specialli of the gret outrage
And sacrilege thou dist in Roome toun,
Be violence whan thou drouh[e] doun
The image of Ianus, & aftir in al hast
Into Tibre madest hym to be cast.

And thou Calligula, among thi vices all,
Of surquedie and fals presumpcioun
Woldest that men a god the sholde call,
Tueen Pollux Castor to haue thi mansioun.
Fro whiche place thou art now throwe doun,
Which heeld thi-silff among the goddis seuene
Egal with Iubiter for to sitte in heuene.

Ansuere to me, heer beyng in presence,
Which of thes foure, Mars, Ianus, Mynerue,
Or Mercurie, god of elloquence,
Hath rent the doun, as thou dist disserue,
Fro Iubiter in myscheef for to sterue?
That thou heer-aftir, wher-so thou lauh or frowne,
Shalt haue no fauour mor with hym to rowne.

With these defautis & many another
Affor[n] rehersid in hyndryng of thi name—
How thou ordeynest first to slen thi brothir
With men of armes, which was to the gret shame;
To Tholome thou dist also the same,
Sone & heir to kyng Iubatoun;
And many a senatour thou slouh in Roome toun.

790

Shettist up myd Roome the cite
Ther gerneris, which neuer afforn was seyn;
Wherbi enfamyned was the comounte,—
Pite to heere; this [is] plat & pleyn,—
Of necessite constreyned in certeyn
(Shame to reherse or put [it] in scripture)
Eet ther membris, a thyng ageyn nature.

Iubiter nor Iuno the goddesse
Gaff no such counsail, I suppose, onto the;
But it was Venus, to flatre thyn hihnesse,
And furious Mars, bi froward cruelte
To slen senatours grettest of that cite;
Thi-silff soone aftir, wherof the toun was fayn,
Bi thi seruauntes moordrid were & slayn.

And for tabate thyn outrage & [thi] pride,
Which[e] thou hast vsid al thi liff,
Lefft up thyn hed, looke on thi lefft[e] side,
Thou fyndere up of moordre & of striff!
Slouh thou nat Cesonia thi wiff?—
Thi douhtir aftir, that callid was Drusill,
Of cursid entent thi malis to fulfill?

I haue merueile how any of you tweyne,
Thou Calligula or thou Tiberius,
Be nat ashamed any thyng to seyne
Ageyn[e]s me, with visage despitous
Me for tatwite that I was lecherous!
Of a smal mote ye can abraide me,
But in your eye a beem ye cannat see.

Wher haue your soules take þer herbergage,
That been contrarie with me for to stryue?
I trowe that Caron hath maad your passage
Vp at the stronde in helle for taryue,
Ther ye abide, thus I [can] descryue,
Wher dredful Stix, callid þe infernal flood,
Of custum renneth with furious wawes wood.

791

Radamantus, oon of the iuges tweyne,
With kyng Mynos hath youe a iugement,
Perpetueli ye shal abide in peyne;
And Eacus hath ordeyned your torment:
In Flegeton, the flood most violent,
Ye shal be drowned & an eende make,
Euere for tabide among the stremys blake.

I may you calle of emperours the refus,
Ye sholde be shamfast to shewe out your visages,
Verray astoned, dreedful and confus
To haue to me so vncurteis langage!”
Thus Messalyne daunted ther corage
With hir femynyn crabbid elloquence.
Thei durste no lenger abide in hir presence.