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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 | Lydgate's Fall of Princes |  |
Lenvoye.
Off this Nero to write[n] a Lenvoye,
Nor of his deedis to make mencioun,
To reede þe processe no prince shold haue ioye,
For al concludeth on moordre and on tresoun,
On auoutrye, excesse & poisoun,
Riot, glotonye, lecherie, vengaunce,
Slauhtre of hymsilff[e]; eendid with myschaunce.
Nor of his deedis to make mencioun,
To reede þe processe no prince shold haue ioye,
For al concludeth on moordre and on tresoun,
On auoutrye, excesse & poisoun,
Riot, glotonye, lecherie, vengaunce,
Slauhtre of hymsilff[e]; eendid with myschaunce.
Yif that I myhte, I wolde race his name
Out of this book, that no man sholde reede
His vicious lyf, cheef merour of diffame.
Set hym aside; let no wiht take[n] heede
For to remembre so many a cruel deede,
Sauf onli this, to thynken in substaunce,
How eueri tiraunt eendith with mischaunce.
Out of this book, that no man sholde reede
His vicious lyf, cheef merour of diffame.
Set hym aside; let no wiht take[n] heede
For to remembre so many a cruel deede,
Sauf onli this, to thynken in substaunce,
How eueri tiraunt eendith with mischaunce.
Of hym I caste to write now no more,
And what I seie is seid but in repreeff
Of the vices that he wrouht of yore
Duryng his empire, concludyng for a theeff.
Al tirannye shal eende with myscheeff,
Record on Nero, which for mysgouernaunce,
As ye haue herd[e], eendid with myschaunce.
And what I seie is seid but in repreeff
Of the vices that he wrouht of yore
Duryng his empire, concludyng for a theeff.
Al tirannye shal eende with myscheeff,
Record on Nero, which for mysgouernaunce,
As ye haue herd[e], eendid with myschaunce.
| Lydgate's Fall of Princes | |