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

This hatful stori with many a woful lyne
Of Calligula and Tiberius,
Touching þe strif tueen hem & Messalyne,
Shamful rebukis, froward & odious,
Bi them rehersed with cheer most furious,
As ye haue herd, heer eendeth ther chidyng;
Nero the tirant kometh next onto þe ryng.

Oon most cursid in comparisoun
That euer was, of hih or louh degre,
Most disnaturel of condicioun
Bi gret outrages of cursid cruelte,
That euere regned in Roome the cite.
His fadir callid, bookis determyne,
Domycius, his moodir Agripyne.

This Agripyna bi hir subtilite,—
And blynde Fortune beyng fauourable,
That set up tirauntes of froward volunte
(Be ther demeritis thouh thei be nat hable)

792

To estat imperial, famous & notable.
What thing mor dredful, who can vnderstonde,
Than cruel tirauntes with bloodi suerd on honde!

Whan this Nero of age was twelue yeer
He was ordeyned in especiall,
Afftir he hadde lernid his grameer
And the seuene artis callid liberall,
Vnto a maister in al vertu morall,
Callid moral Senec, which did al his peyne
From all vices his youthe to restreyne.

He kepte hym euere, this Senec, as I reede,
Maugre his fatal disposicioun,
Bi a constreynt & a maner dreede
From al outrage and dissolucioun.
Conseyued weel his inclynacioun
To be vicious as of his nature,
Which to restreyne he dede his besi cure.

At oon & tuenti wyntir of his age,
Cronicleers rehersen of hym thus:
How he that tyme took in mariage
Octovia, douhtir off Claudius,—
Al this while beyng vertuous,
Whil Senec hadde hym vndir disciplyne,—
His moodir-in-lawe callid Messalyne.

The saide Senec made hym to desire
To pursue kunnyng bi dilligent labour;
At entryng in first of his empire,—
I meene whan he was crownid emperour,—
Of alle the Senat hadde gret fauour;
And be report, as clerkis of hym write,
In prose and metre he koude riht weel endite.

In Iohn Bochas as it is maad[e] mynde,
He dide excelle gretli in poetrye,
Made in tho daies also, as I fynde,
A book notable of straunge poisie,
Lik as myn auctour of hym doth specefie,
The title therof callid[e] Lusce,
Ageyn a pretour Clodius Polle.

793

Excelled in musik & in armonye,
Crownid with laureer for the beste harpour
That was that tyme; & he did edefie
In Roome a paleis, with many a riche tour,
Which in beeldyng coste gret tresour,
The circuit beyng thre thousand pas;
And Transitorie that paleis callid was.

For this cause, as put is in memorie,
The said[e] paleis aftirward was brent,
Therfor it was callid Transitorie;—
But aftir that, Nero in his entent
Leet beelde an hous, bi gret auisement,
To recompence the tothir that was old,
And callid it the riche hous of gold.

In al this world[e] was non to it liche,
Wher that euer men did ride or gon,
Tables of iuor fret with perre riche,
Pileres of cristal garnished with many a ston,
Saphirs, rubies & topazion,
Crisolitis & emeraudis greene,
With plate of gold tiled that shon ful sheene.

To bodili lust and delectacioun
This said[e] Nero set al his desires;
Gardyns, conduitis for recreacioun
He dide ordeyne tendure many yeeris.
With nettis of gold fisshed in his ryueeris,
His garnementis of golde & Ynde stonis,
And neuer he wolde haue hem on but onys.

In his begynnyng, the stori doth deuise,
Lord & emperour in Roome the cite,
To senatours he gaf ful gret fraunchise,
Graunted comouns many gret liberte;
But in his most imperial dignite,
Of froward wil lefft al good policie,
And al attonis gaf hym to ribaudie.

794

Of Grece and Egipt with dyuers io[n]glours,
And among vileyns hymsilf[e] disporting,
Lefte the presence of olde senatours
And among ribaudis he wold harp & synge,
Made comedies dishonestli sownyng,
At the bordel dide hymsilf auaunce
With comoun women openli to daunce.

Thus be processe, to al vertu contrarie,
Be gret excesse he fill in glotonye,
And aftir that list no lenger tarye,—
As euery vice to othir doth applie,—
Surfet & riot brouht in lecherie;
And ground of al, as cheef[e] porteresse,
Texile vertu was froward idilnesse.

Aboute the cite callid Hostience,
Beside Tibre & othir fressh ryuers
Dide ordeyne bexcessiff expence
Tentis for riot, kookis, tauerneeris,
And al the niht reuel aboute the feeris.
Ladies komen, that wer afforn weel namyd,
Bi suich fals riot wer aftirward diffamed.

The same Nero be fals abusioun,
It is reportid, his stori who list see,
Bi violence from ther religioun,
Suich as hadde auowed chastite
And wer professid to virgynyte
In the temple of Vesta the goddesse,—
Of froward lust he dide hem oppresse.

Amongis which Rubria was oon:
Maugre hir wil, she durste [it] nat denye,
From the temple bilt of lym & ston
Sacrid to Vesta, myn auctour list nat lie,
He rente hir out to vse his lecherie;
Natwithstandyng she was religious,
Made hir tabide at the bordel-hous.

Be my writyng men shal neuer reede,
The mateer is so foul & outragous
To be rehersed, & the horrible deede
Which Nero vsid whilom on Sporus
And on another callid Ompharus:

795

Bothe male childre, as bookis telle can,
Them to transffoorme to liknesse of [wo]man.

Somme bookis of hym determyne,
Lik a ribaude horrible & detestable,
He mysusid his moodir Agripyne,
And lik a tiraunt cruel & vengable,—
Which to remembre it is abhominable,—
He made hir wombe be korue upon a day
To seen the place nyne monethes wher he lay.

Of disnaturel hatful cruelte,
To God nor vertu hauyng no reward,
And of the vice of prodigalite
He was accusid, in knihthod a coward,
And to al vertu contrarie & froward,—
Of whos woodnesse good heed whan I took,
I was ashamed to sette hym in this book.

He hated alle that wer vertuous
And to hem hadde specialli envie;
His brethre, his wiff, this tiraunt despitous,
He falsli slouh in his malencolie;
His maister Senec, auctours specefie,
Ay whan he sauh hym, hauyng a maner dreede,
In an hot bath to deth he made hym bleede.

Cristis feith[e] first he gan werreye,
Of emperours, in his froward entent;
Petir & Poule in Roome he made deie
Vpon a day; ther legende doth assente.
Half the cite of Roome, I fynde, he brente;
And senatour[e]s wol nih euerichon
This Nero slouh; spared almost neueroon.

To Pollifagus, a wood man most sauage,
Which that fedde hym most with flessh of man,
Nero took men, olde & yong of age,
To fynde hym vitaille in streetis wher he cam.
Cursid at his eende, cursid whan he gan,
Whan he did offre innocentes blood
To be deuoured of hym that ran so wood.

796

Made his mules be shod with siluer shoone
Of surquedie, whan he shold[e] ride;
The cite brent. Romeyns aftir soone
Pursued hym upon eueri side;
And from a subarbe wher he dide abide,
Tween Salaria & Numentana riht,
Ther stant a path whidir he took his fliht.

Bi a deep maris as Nero took his fliht,
Whan he sauh he myht[e] nat asterte,—
He was [so] pursued bi a Romeyn kniht
To fynde socour he myht[e] nat dyuerte,—
Rooff hymsilff anon [un]to the herte
With a sharp dagger, a cursid eende, loo!
Of the fals tiraunt that callid was Nero.