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

The stoori eendid of Vitellyus,
Of his too feeris Galba & Ottho,
How his careyn horrible & hidous,
Drownid in Tibre, was possid to & fro.
Afftir the[r] stori [a]complisshed was & do,
Cam gret noumbre to Bochas, as I reede,
Echon descendid of Iacobis hih kynreede.

In tokne of compleynt & of heuynesse,
Lik folk dismaied, clad in moornyng weede,
For the constreynt of ther wrechidnesse,

813

Bespreynt with teres, quakyng in þer dreede,
Cunnyng no recour in so streit a neede,
Resemblyng folk be toknis ful mortall
That wer toward sum feeste funerall.

Ther ougli cheeris pitous to beholde,
As thei gan aprochen the presence
Of Iohn Bochas to telle ther sorwes olde,
Ther woundis bleedyng, be marcial violence,
Oppressid with hunger, thrust, sodeyn pestilence,
Be foreyn suerd ther lyuys manacyng,
Vpon the deth as beestis abidyng,

That wer enclosed narwe in a folde,
Disespeired socour to recure,
To passe ther boundis for dreed thei wer nat bold,
Withynne enfamyne[d], bareyn of al pasture;—
This woful stori remembrid in scripture,
How that of Iacob the generacioun
Was vengabli brouht to dest[r]uccioun.

This patriark callid whilom Israel,
Most rennommed among al naciouns
And most famous, the Bible can weel tell,
Ther lyne out reknid thoruhout al regiouns,
Be goddis beheste took ther pocessiouns,
Maugre Egipciens & Pharaoes pride,
Whan duk Moises be God was maad þer guide.

With dreye feet thei passed the Rede Se,
Conueyed be Moises & also be Aaron.
Ther lawe was write, the Bible who list see,
Vpon Syna in tables of hard ston.
And thoruh desert as thei dide gon,
With aungelis mete callid manna, as I reede,
Fourti wyntir ther he did hem feede.

Afftir Moises, lad be Iosue
Into the lond[e] of promyssioun,
The tuelue lynages of Iacob ther, parde,
He leet make a distribucioun,
And to ech lyne he gaff his porcioun,
Bi promys maad afforn to Habraham,
To Isaak, Iacob, whan thei thidir cam.

814

Bi patriarkes [&] prophetis that wer sad,
Maugre ther enmyes & ther mortal foon,
Be mihti dukes & iuges thei wer lad,
Gat al the regiouns wher thei dide gon,
Til at the laste, of pride thei echon
Lik othir naciouns wolden haue a kyng.
Saul was chose; God grauntid þer askyng.

Thus be patriarkes & be ther allies,
From Abraham the gen[e]alogie,
Tolde be prophetis & be ther prophesies,
Conueied to Dauid, which in his regalie
Heeld of Iewes al hool the monarchie,
Of whos kynreede bi processe, thus it stood,
Was Crist Iesu born of that roial blood.

Sent from his fader, as prophetis determyne,
Took flessh & blood for our sauacioun,
Be the Hooli Goost born of a peur virgyne,
Hadde among Iewes gret tribulacioun,
Vndir Herodes suffrid passioun,
And as the Gospell treuli doth descryue,
The thridde day [he] roos fro deth to lyue.

This blissid Lord, this Lord of most vertu,
Eende of Decembre born [sothly] in Bethlem,
And be the aungel namyd was Iesu,
Shewed to thre kynges bi a sterre bem,—
This same Ihesus in Iherusalem
Bi conspiracioun of Iewes thoruh envie,
Be Pilat dempt to deie on Caluarie.

Thus onto Ihesu Iewes wer vnkynde,
For which thei wern destroied nih echon.
Crist prophecied, the Gospel maketh mynde,
How of ther cite ther shold nat leue a ston
Vpon another; for ther mortal foon
Shold hem besege, he told hem so certeyn,
And make Iherusalem with the soil al pleyn.

With weepyng eyen Crist told hem so beforn
Of ther ruyne and destruccioun;
Synne was cause sothli that thei wer lorn:
For thei nat knew, to ther confusioun,

815

Tyme of ther notable visitacioun,
Whan Crist cam doun, born heer in erthe lowe
For ther sauacioun,—thei list hym nat to knowe.

Thretti yeer ful cronicleeres write
And sumwhat mor, aftir his passioun,
Among the Iewes, pleynli to endite,
Withynne hem-silff fill a dyuysioun.
Moordrers ros up withynne ther owne toun,
So gret a noumbre, with many an homycide,
That in ther cite no man durst weel abide.

Ther presidentis regnyng in Iude
Seyng this horrible foul rebellioun
And of moordreris the mortal cruelte
That long endured in that regeoun,—
Which for tappese Romeyns sente doun
Vespasian with many a manli kniht,
Which into Gallile took his weie riht.

And to chastise tho moordreris & robbours,
Brente ther contre as he rood up & doun,
So contynued with his soudiours
Til onto tyme the contres enviroun
Of Iherusalem entred be the toun
With ther oblaciouns in many sondri wise,
As Pask requered, to do ther sacrefise.

Tofor tho daies was Iherusalem
Hadde in gret worshep of al naciouns,
Callid princesse of eueri othir rewm,
Whos fame strechid thoruhout al regiouns,
Ther tresor gret and ther pocessiouns,
Double wallid, of beeldyng most notable,
Dreedyng non enmy, for it was imprenable.

Among Romeyns was many a manli man
Willyng echon of oon affeccioun,
Thoruh the knihthod of Vespasian,
Echon to laboure to the destruccioun
Of Iherusalem; for gret dyuysioun
Among hem-silf was gunne in the cite
Bi certeyn capteyns wer in noumbre thre.

816

Symon, Iohn and Eleazarus,
Horrible tirauntes oppressyng þe poraille,
Of gouernaunce froward and outraious,
Falsli deuided ech othir dide assaille,
Among hem-silf had many gret bataille:
Werre withoute & werre was withynne;
Thus of vengaunce myscheef dide gynne.

Vespasian nat beyng rek[e]les,
For his partie lik a prudent kniht
Be notable menys excited hem to pes;
But al for nouht; blente ther owne siht;
To cheese the beste thei koude nat seen ariht.
And in this while, this noble werreyour
Vespasian was chosen emperour.

Bi Alisandre to Roome he went ageyn,
Resceyued ther thymperial dignite.
His sone Titus he made his cheef capteyn,
His procuratour, to gouerne in Iude,
Besette enviroun Iherusalem the cite,
With men of armys seged it so aboute
That non myhte entre nor non myhte issen oute.

Stopped ther conduites & ther watris cleer,
Enfamyned hem for lakkyng of vitaille.
A certeyn woman, thus seith the cronicleer,
Rosted hir child whan vitaile did[e] faille,—
She hadde of stoor non othir apparaille,—
Theron be leiseer hirsilf she dide feede,
Which in a woman was to horrible a deede!

Ther myhti wallis with gunnes wer cast doun,
Too stronge tour[e]s take of ther cite,
Resistence gan faillen in the toun,
Thei stood of hunger in swich perplexite.
Titus of knihthod and magnanymyte,
Thoruhout the tour callid Antonyan
Is entrid in lik a knihtli man.

817

The peeple in streetis lay for hunger ded,
To beye nor selle no lyfflode in the toun;
Ther was no socour nouther of drynk nor bred
In peyne of deth born nouther up nor doun.
Vomyt of oon was the refeccioun
Vnto another; ther was such scarsete,
Who redeth Iosephus, the trouthe he may þer see.

Brent was the temple maad first be Salamon,
Which had endured, thus writ the cronicleer,
That was so roial bilt of riche ston,
Fulli a thousand & too hundred yeer.
Romeyns entred maugre ther porteer
With spere, pollex & suerdis sharp[e] whette,
Lik wode leouns slouh whom that thei mette.

Ther riche gatis curid with plate of gold
Wer brente and molte withoute excepcioun;
The siluer images that forgid wer of old,
The violent feer made hem renne doun.
Noble Titus hadde compassioun,
His marcial dukis spared nothyng certeyn,
List of presumpcioun thei wolde rebelle ageyn.

Eleuene hundrid thousand wer ther slayn
Bi suerd, bi hunger, fyr and pestilence;
Stynk of kareyns that in streetis layn
Caused of deth most sodeyn violence;
And Titus gaff among hem this sentence
—I meene of them that dide alyue duell—
For a peny men sholde thretti sell.

So as Iudas sold Crist for thretti pens,
Titus ageyn thouhte of equite,
Of marchaundise to make recompense,
Thretti Iewes founde in the cite
For a peny, & for no mor, parde,
Thei to be sold for ther gret outrage,
Euer among Sarsyns to lyuen in seruage.

Of the temple a preest that was ful olde,
Too statli lanternis, that wer ful briht & sheene,
Tables, basynes, violes of briht golde
He presented; & thus he dede meene:

818

That ther tresour sholde weel be seene
Of the temple & shewed to Titus
In tokne it was whilom so glorious.

To shewe eek ther he dede his besi cure,
Silk, synamome, franc-ensens withal,
For sacrefise the purpurat vesture,
With Thymyame, the riche pectoral,
Which ordeyned wern in especial
For the solempne place of placis all,
Sancta sanctorum, & so men dide it call.

Of the cite a prince callid Iohn
To Titus cam & shewed his presence,
Pale for hunger; ther cam also Symon,
Brouht be a duk that namyd was Terence,
Clad in purpil, brouht be violence,
Resceyued of Titus whan this noble toun,
Castellis, tours & wallis wer smet doun.

Into a castell callid Mazadan
Eleazarus hadde take his fliht.
Besegid of Scilla or he the castel wan,
This Eleazar lik a furious kniht
Withynne the castell the silue same niht
Sterid eueri man, fadir, child & brothir,
With sharp[e] suerdis ech man to slen othir.

Thus was this cite, most statli of beeldyng,
That whilom was of this world cheef toun,
Wher Melchisedek regned, preest & kyng,
Be daies olde, as maad is mencioun,
Restorid be Dauyd, bilt newe of Salamoun,
Princesse of prouynces, was nowher such anoþer;
Now is it abiect and refus of al othir.

Vnto the Iewes Crist Iesus gaf respiht,
Full thretti yeer[e] or he took vengaunce,
In tokne the Lord hath ioie & gret delite,
Whan that synneres dispose hem to penaunce
Be contricioun and hertli repentaunce.
This blissid Lord, this Lord most merciable
Lengest abideth or he list be vengable.

819

He was to them so gracious & benigne,
Bood that thei sholde to hym conuerte soone,
Shewed onto hem many an vnkouth signe:
Duryng tuelue daies eclipsed was the moone;
The peeple astoned, knew nat what was to doone,
But indurat in ther froward entent,
Lik folk abasshed wist nat what it mente.

Affor the siege, or Titus gan the werre,
Ouer the cite, wherof thei wex afferd,
Ther appeered a comeete & a sterre.
The sterre was shape lich a large suerd;
Touchyng the comeete, ther was neuer herd
Of swich another, so fyri, briht and cleer,
Which endured the space of al a yeer.

Ther festyual day halwid in Aprill,
Ther preestis besi to make oblacioun,
So gret a liht the temple dide fill,
That al the peeple stondyng enviroun
Thouhte it so briht in ther inspeccioun,
Passyng the sunne, as it dide seeme;
But what it mente no man koude deeme.

As the preestis dide ther besi cure
To offre a calff, anon or thei took heede,
The same calff—a thyng ageyn nature—
Brouht foorth a lamb, the same tyme I reede;
An ougli tokne, which put hem in gret dreede,
A contrarie pronosticacioun,
Shewed onto them of ther subuersioun,

With othir toknis froward & contrarye
The same tyme wer shewed euer among;
The brasen dores of the inward seyntuarye,
With iren barres shet, that wer most strong,
Brood of entaille, round and wonder long,
That myht nat meue with thretti mennys miht,
Opned by hymsilff twies on o niht.

820

Ther wer seyn also charis in the hair,
Men of armes with briht suerdes cleere,
Of plate and maile [ther] armure was so fair,
Briht as Phebus wher thei dide appeere.
And as the stori also doth vs lere,
With ther sheltrouns & ther apparaill,
A proffre maad Iherusalem for tassaill.

To the Iewes it dide signefie
A pronostik of ther destruccioun.
Preestis to the temple as thei dide hem hie
Vpon a niht to doon oblacioun,
Amyd the temple was herd a dreedful soun;
Of which[e] noise this was the feerful eende:
“Rys up echon, & let vs hen[ne]s weende.”

And ful foure yeer tofor the siege gan
Oon Ananyas, yong & tendre of age,
Of his berthe sone of a rud[e] man,
Be disposicioun dul of his corage,
Lich as he hadde fallen in a rage
Ran in the cite bamaner frenesie,
Spared nat with open mouth to crie.

Vnto this noise was maad[e] non obstakle,
But obstynat euere in his entent,
Day of the feeste holde in the Thabernacle,
“A vois,” quod he, “out of the orient,
Vois fro the south, fro north & occident,
Vois fro foure wyndis that blowe so brod & wide,
Vois geyn Iherusalem crieth out on euery side!

Vois geyn the temple, ageyn the peeple also,
Vois ageyn husbondis, vois ageyn þer wyues:
Wo to Iherusalem with a treble wo
Of hunger, thrust & leesyng of þer lyues,—
Of suerd & fyr, and many sodeyn stryues!”
This was the wrecchid lamentacioun
Which Anany cried thoruhout the toun.

821

Bete he was for his affray ful ofte,
Whippid, scoorgid eendlong & upriht,
Al-wer-it so he felte [it] ful vnsofte,
Was bi betyng maad feynt & feeble of myht,
He stynte nat to crie so day & niht,
A pronostik shewyng to the cite,
How that riht soone it sholde destroied be.

Be rehersaile also of Carnotence,
With that cite for synne it stood so tho,
That yif Romeyns be marcial violence
Hadde nat komen & doon hem al this wo,
The erthe sholde han opnid & ondo,
Deuoured the peeple, void of al refuge,
Or drowned the toun be sum sodeyn deluge.

Breefli to passe, this vengaunce most terrible
Doon upon Iewes for ther transgressioun,
For ther demerites the punshyng most horrible,
Of Iherusalem fynal subuersioun,
Of the temple, tabernacle & toun,
In Iosephus, who list seen al the deede,—
De bello Iudaico, the surplus he may reede.