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

And after that this offryng was ful do,
As ye haue herd[e], to Iohn Bochas than
To make his compleynt in ordre cam Piso,
Affor surnamyd iustli Licynyan,
Sone adoptiff, to telle as I began,
Of saide Galba, cleymyng to succeede,
Slayn anon aftir bi Ottho, as I reede.

Than was themp[i]re partid into thre:
Ottho took Roome vnto his partye;
And Vitellius to regne in the contre,
Ouer the boundis of al Germanye;
And Vespasian regned in Surrye.
But first this Ottho, surnamyd Siluyus,
Cam to compleyne, cruel and despitous.

Of al thempire this same Siluyus
Be slauhtre, rauyne & extorsioun,
Bi moordre, deth & deedis outraious
With myhti hond took ther pocessioun.
And ther began a gret deuysioun,

799

Which was occasioun of gret sorwe & wo,
Atween Vitellius and this seid Ottho.

It is rehersed, that in Germanye
In sondri placis thei hadde batailes thre,
In the which Ottho with his partie
Venquisshed the feeld & maad his foon to flee.
But thoruh Fortunys mutabilite,
The fourte tyme, pleynli this the caas,
Maugre his myht discounfited þer he was.

Tofor Bedrye, a myhti strong cite
Of Germanye was this disconfiture.
Aftir which of froward cruelte
The said[e] Ottho, seeyng his auenture,
With wo supprised miht[e] nat endure
Of his constreynt thymportable peyne;
Took a sharp suerd & roof his herte on tweyne.

Vitellius hauyng the victorye,
With his poweer, as maad is mencioun,
Of surquedie & fals[e] veynglorie,
Cam with his host[e] into Roome toun.
But Bochas heer maketh a descripcioun,
Rehersyng shortli his berthe & eek his lyne,
And how that he of blood was Saturnyne.

This to seyne, Saturnyus, kyng of Crete,
Chacid bi Iubiter out of his regioun,—
And Ianus hadde in Itaille take his seete
Vpon a mount callid Ianiculun,
Wher now of Roome is bilt the large toun,—
Ianus resceyuyng of liberalite
Whan Saturn fledde, into his cite.

Toforn the komyng of Satvrn, this no faille,
Rud & boistous, & bestial of resoun
Was al the peeple abidyng in Itaille;
Lond was non sowe nor turnid up-so-doun,
Nor marchaundise vsid in no toun
Til Saturn tauhte the maner of lyuyng,
Of tilthe & labour to Ianus that was kyng.

800

Afforn whos comyng, tofor as I you told,
Craft was non vsid be no creature,
Nor no beeldyng of housis newe [n]or old,
But lyued as beestis the[r] lyflode to recure,
Lik as thei wern Ilernid of Nature.
Thei koude tho daies make no cloth nor shape,
Off frosti wedris the greuous cold tescape.

Thei wer nat besi be costful apparaille
Of sondry metis and confecciouns,
Off dyuers drynkes & manyfold vitaille
To be corious to ther refecciouns.
Marketis wer none in cites nor in touns;
No man with othir bouhte nouther solde
Til Saturn cam & them the maner tolde.

And whan he hadde tauhte them þe maneere
And set an ordre of ther gouernaunce,
The symple peeple, as bookis doth vs lere,
Lich as to God dide ther attendaunce,
With certeyn rihtes to doon þer obseruaunce,
Worsheped hym, & aftir dide hym calle
Saturn, most myhti of ther goddis all.

[Aftyr this Saturne was made a pe-degre,
To sett an ordre conveied from his lyne
Descendyng doun, the maneer who list see,
To oon Latynus and so foorth to Lavyne,
Which was his douhtir, as poetis determyne.
Thus bi discent from Saturne and Funus,
Born off ther bloode cam Vitellius,]

The firste kniht bor[e]n of that lynage.
Because he was manli & riht famous,
Hadde in armys prowesse & gret corage,
He callid was Vitill[i]us Publius;
And of hym cam Vitell[i]us Lucius,
Fadir to hym, myn auctour doth expresse,
Of whom that I haue gunne this processe.

801

Dyuers stories remembre & pleynli tell,
Dvryng his youthe & stood at liberte,
How þis forseid, that callid was Vitell,
Was the most vicious that owher myhte be,
Youe to ribaudie & al dishoneste,
Because of which chaungid was his name,
Callid Spyntoire, a name of gret diffame.

I fynde that he was an hazardour,
In al his werkis passyng riotous,
For his surfetis gret with the emperour
That whilom was callid Claudius.
And for his deedis & maneeres outraious,
For his gret wast and prodigalite
Of gret dispence he fill in pouerte.

Among his riotis [&] surfetis mo than oon
Which he dide in contres heer & ther,
I fynde that he for neede solde a ston
Which his mooder bar whilom at hir ere.
For be old tyme was vsid, who list lere,
Women that wern that tyme of hih degre
Bar at ther eris stonis & perre.

And bi the sellyng of that riche ston,
For which that he resceyued gret tresour,
Be sotil werkyng & sleihtis mo than oon
He gat hym freendis & was maad emperour.
And therwithal he dide eek his labour
To resceyue another dignite,
To be cheef bisshop in Roome the cite.

And in short tyme this Vitellius
Of thempire took on hym al thestat,
The suerd resseyued of Cesar Iulius,
Vsed a garnement that was purpurat,
Dempte of hymsilff he was most fortunat,
Natwithstonding mor boldli þat tyme atte leste
Of Aliensois holden was the feeste.

802

Aliensois was a solempnite
Among[es] Romeyns kept be daies olde,
In Frenssh myn auctour recordeth thus, parde,—
And in that tyme of custum no man sholde,
Nor be statut bounde was nor holde
To do no maner occupacioun
That touched vertu or religioun.

Duryng this feeste he sholde haue his axyng,
Bi a custum vsid in that cite.
And Vitellius, as emperour & kyng,
Axed that tyme another dignite,
To be cheef bisshop & haue auctorite
Of that estat, with poweer hool & pleyn;
No man so hardi to replie ther ageyn.

From al vertu Vitelli dide varye,
Set at nouht al wisdam & science,
Thouhte onto hym was nat necessarye
Kunnyng, knihthod, manhod nor prouidence;
Gaf hym onli to slouhthe & necligence,
To glotonye, folwyng his desir[e]s,
Wach al niht with drynk & reresoper[e]s.

Beyng a bisshop of ther paynym lawe,
Lik Romeyn rihtis doyng þer seruise
Tofor the goddes; he wolde hymsilf withdrawe
And cast aside censer and sacrefise
And calle a boy in ful vngoodli wise,
A kichen boy, tofor the hih aulteer,
And hym comaundid to brynge hym his dyneer!

Beyng arrayed in his pontificall,
For the maner void of deuocioun,
Lik a ribaude, or lik a wood menstrall
Euer dronclew, & out of al sesoun,
Gorge upon gorge, this excessif glotoun,
Moste idropik, drank ofte ageyn[es] lust:
The mor he drank the mor he was a-thrust.

803

This was a bisshop sacrid for Sathan,
And an emperour crownid with myschaunce:
Mor lik in poorte a beeste than a man.
Vsed al his poweer in slauhtre & in vengaunce;
To sheede blood was set al his plesaunce,
Takyng non heed nouther of wrong nor riht;
And thus he wex hatful to eueri wiht.

His soudiours forsook hym nih echon,
In al parties bi hym wher thei wer sent;
Thoruh al the contres of Septemptrion
And in al Surrye toward thorient,
Of oon accord & alle of oon assent
Echon forsook hym; with hym bood nat a man,
And becam seruauntes to Vespasian.

Vitellius sauh it wolde be non othir,
And he for-feeble [of] dronknesse & outrage,—
And sauh the poweer gan faillen of his brothir,
Whan he had sett and signed the viage
Ageyn Vespasian to holden his passage:
But al for nouht, bakward wente his partie,
Stood disespeired of euery remedie.

Thus Vitellius vnhappi to the werris,
Lik a fordronke vnhappi gret glotoun,
Whos booste afforn[e] rauht up to the sterris,
Now al his pride in myscheef is come doun,
Fayn for taccorde to this conuencioun:
For litil tresour, which men sholde hym assigne,
To Vespasian thempire to resigne.

This was his promys, but he heeld it nouht:
What he saide, his woord was neuer stable;
Certeyn flatereres chaungid hadde his thouht,
And certeyn comouns, that euer be chaungable,
Gaff hym counsail, saide hymsilf was hable
To gouerne thestat imperial,
And non so hable for to reknen al.

804

First of Almayne he sent out soudiours,
And of presumpcioun a newe werre he gan.
Thouhte that he was among othir werreyours
Hable to fihte ageyn Vaspasian.
And of auenture it befill so than,
In thes werris Vespasyanis brothir
I-slay[e]n was; it wolde be non othir.

This froward man callid Vitellius,
Vngracious euere founde in his entente,
Smet of the hed of seide Fabius,
Brothir of Vespasian, & it to Roome sente,
And aftir that the Capitoile [he] brente.
But suyng on, withynne a litil space
Among Romeyns he loste bothe hap & grace.

Of his riot what sholde I mor entrete?—
For except riot of hym nothyng I reede.
His cook, his pastleer, folk that wer most meete
To serue his lust & appetites to feede,
Forsook hym nat, but went with hym in deede
Toward Champayne riht as any lyne
Vp to an hill[e] callid Auentyne.

Stondyng in hope, but that was but in veyn,
Of Vespasian the fauour to recure,
Euene to Roome retournid is ageyn,
The paleis entrid; & ther hymsilff tassure,
Hauyng with hym non othir creature,
The gatis shet, which was to hym gret shame;
Take at the laste, forsook his owne name.

Halff naked he was & haluendel Iclad,
Al allone lik as he was founde.
So in the cite affor the peeple lad;
Bothe his hondis behynde his bak wer bounde
With myhti cheynys & with ropis rounde.
Lik a wood man of look & of visage,
The peeple to hym hauyng this langage:

805

“O thou olde lecherous foul glotoun,
A verray coward, to al vertu contrarie,
Cruel, vengable of thi condicioun,
To euery goodman cruel aduersarye,
To all cursid benigne & debonaire,
Roote of al surfetis, hauyng ay delit
To sewe & folwe thi lecherous appetit!”

With such rebukis & castyng of ordure,
With donge & clay was blottid his visage.
In the presence of many a creature,
With cordes drawen he was be gret outrage
Vnto a place callid in ther langage,
Ther most cheeff rakkes or galwes of þe toun,
Wher is of custum doon execucioun.

Summe remembre he slay[e]n was in haste,
With sharp[e] suerdis dismembred on þe ground,
His careyn aftir into Tibre cast
With a large hook of iren, sharp & round,—
No mor reuerencid than was a stynkyng hound.
Remembryng heer myn auctour seith also
Of this Vitellius, Galba & Ottho,

Affermyng thus, as for ther partie,
Thei be namyd among the emperours,
For a tyme thestat did occupie;
And first this Galba, be record of auctours,
Deide at myscheeff, void of al socours,
Eihte monethes regned as lord & sire,
And aftir that cast out of his empire.

The thridde moneth, as maad is mencioun,
Ottho deide, proude & ambicious.
And, as I fynde, the domynacioun
Laste eihte monethes of Vitellius.
And for thei wern proud ribaudes lecherous,
Cruel, vengable, born of cursid lyne,
In wrechchidnesse echon thei dide fyne.