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

Afftir the deth of this marcial man,—
I meene this noble worthi Constantyn,—
Kometh Thapostata, cursid Iulian,
Which be discent to Constantyn was cosyn.
His gynyng cursid, hadde a cursid fyn,
Entred religioun, as bookis specefie,
Vnder a colour of fals ipocrisie.

It hath be seid[e] of antiquite,
Wher that ther is dissymuled hoolynesse,
It is icallid double iniquite,—
Fih on al suich feyned parfitnesse!
For symulacioun curid with doubilnesse
And fals[e] semblaunt with a sobre face,
Of alle [fals] sectes stonde ferthest out of grace.

A certeyn space, as maad is mencioun,
To al perfeccioun he did hymsilf applie,
Til he wex weri of his professioun,
Forsook his ordre bi apostacie.
And first he gaff hym to nigromancye,
Double Apostata, as myn auctour seith,
First to his ordre & aftir to our feith.

Bi ordynaunce of Constancivs,
This said Iulian, roote of ipocresie,
Of gouernaunce froward & vicious,
Was sent to Gaule with gret cheualrie
As viker chose the contre for to guye.

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Gat hym fauour & falsli gan conspire
To haue pocessioun of al the hool empire.

And for he was nat likli to atteyne
To that estat, he did his hert applie
Another mene pleynli to ordeyne,
Wikked spiritis to make of his allie,
Becam a prentys to lerne sorcerye,
To haue experience be invocaciouns
To calle spirites with his coniurisouns.

Be fals illusioun in the peeplis sihte,
Of wikked spiritis had so gret fauour,—
A crowne of laurer upon his hed aliht,—
Made folk to deeme, bi ful fals errour,
It cam be myracle, to chese hym emperour.
Which of trouthe as in existence
Was but collusioun & feyned apparence.

With hem he hadde his conuersacioun,
Spared nat to doon hem sacrefise
With cerymonyes & fals oblacioun,
And to thempire he roos up in this wise.
Thestat resceyuyd, first he gan deuyse
Ageyn Grekis, out of his contre ferre,
To make hym strong with hem to haue a werre.

The Feend a while was to hym fauourable,
Gaf hym entre and pocessioun,
And made hym promys for tabide stable
In his lordship and domynacioun,
To haue this world vndir subieccioun;
Of which beheste he stood in pereilous cas,
Folwyng thoppynyoun of Pigtagoras.

Pigtagoras hadde this oppinyoun:
Whan men deide, anon aftir than
Ther was maad[e] a translacioun
Of his speryt in-tanothir man,
A maner liknesse; the Bible telle can,
The double speryt of grace & prophecie
To Heliseus was grantid be Helye.

866

Heeron concludyng, lik his oppynyoun,
As Pictagoras affermed in sentence,
He that hadde ful pocessioun
Of suich a speryt, in verray existence
Sholde haue the same wisdam & science,
The disposicioun aftir hym as blyue,
Which hadde that speryt whil he was heer alyue,—

Of gouernaunce and also of nature
Resemblyn hym, of maneres & lyuyng.
And thus be fraude Pluto did his cure
To make Iulian to truste in eueri thyng,
He hadde be berth the sperit of the kyng
Callid Alisaundre, be which he sholde wynne
This world be conquest, whan-euer hym list begynne.

Thus gan he fonne & falle in fantasie
To truste on Pluto & goddis infernal,
Thei sholde enhaunce hym bi his cheualrie
For to posseede and reioysshe al,—
Suerd, sceptre, crowne and staat imperial,
Passe Alisaundre in honour & in glorie
And hym excelle in tryumphal victorie.

He trusted Sathan, be whom he was desceyuid,
To Cristes lawe becam mortal enmy;
Wher that euere that he hath parceyued
Cros or crucifix, he brak hem vengabli.
Be fals language he callid traitourly,
Crist Iesu he callid Gallile,
And of despiht sumtyme Nazare.

Ageyn our feith this tirant wex so wood,
[And] ageyn Crist hadde so gret hatreede;
Slouh many martir & falsli shadde hir blood,
An idolatre & renegat in deede.
Heeld mortal werre with hem of Perse & Meede;
Comyng to Perse, first he gan debate
Geyn Sapor kyng, of whom I spak but late.

Of Parthois also he entrid thoruh the rewm,
Wher he fond no maneer resistence.
And as he cam forbi Iherusalem,

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To the Iewes of newe he gaf licence
To beelde the temple with gret dilligence,
In despiht, of purpos to do shame
To Cristene cherchis, bilt newe in Cristes name.

In this while he kauht a gret corage,
In a theatre maad brood in that toun,
Too wilde beestis cruel and sauage
Of seyntis blood to make oblacioun,
Thei to deuoure men of religioun.
And alle Cristene of purpos to destroye,
His lust was set & al his worldly ioie.

Bi an heraud that dide his host conveye,
Of verray purpos to brynge hym in treyne,
Bi straunge desertis fond out a froward weye.
The heete importable did hym so constreyne,
Brente thoruh the harneys, felte so gret peyne;—
The drye sondis, the heir infect with heete
Made many a man ther lyff in hast to lete.

This froward tiraunt, knowyng no remedie,
Of cursid herte gan Crist Iesu blasffeme,
And of malicious hatreed & envie,
Wood & furious, as it dide seeme,
Gan curse the Lord, that al this world shal deeme,
Crist Iesus, which of long pacience
List nat be vengaunce his malis recompence.

A mor cruel was ther neuer non,
Nor mor vengable: nat Cerbervs in hell,
Mortal enmy to goode men euerichon,
Whos blasfemys and rebukis fell,
Be rehersaile yif I sholde hem tell,—
I am afferd the venymous violence
Sholde infecte the heir with pestilence.

He cast out dartis mor bittir than is gall
Of blasfemye & infernal langage;
And in this while among his princis all
A kniht vnknowe, angelik of visage,
Fresshly armyd, to punshen his outrage,

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With a sharp spere, thoruh euery synwe & veyne,
Of this tiraunt roof the herte on tweyne.

Bathid in his blood, this tiraunt fill doun lowe,
To God & man froward & odious.
Thouh for that tyme the kniht ne was nat knowe,
Yit summe men seyn it was Mercurivs,
Which bi the praieer of Basilius
This tiraunt slouh, as cronicles don us lere,
Bi a myracle of Cristes mooder deere.

This Mercurius, as bookes determyne,
In Cesaria, a myhti strong cite,
Withynne the contre callid Palestyne,
Buried afforn, roos up at this iourne
Out of his graue, a straunge thyng to see;
An hors brouht to hym, arraied in his armure,
Which heeng toforn beside his sepulture.

The same armvre was nat seyn that niht
Nor on the morwe at his graue founde
Til mydday hour, that Phebus shon ful briht,
Whan Mercury gaf hym his fatal wounde,
His blasfemye for euer to confounde.
Which thyng accomplisshed, this myracle for to preue,
He and his armure wer ther ageyn at eue.

Of his blasfemye this was the sodeyn wrak
Which the tiraunt resceyuid for his mede.
The laste woord I fynde that he spak:
“Thou Gallile hast ouercome in deede!”
Took the blood[e] that he did[e] bleede,
This deuelissh man, deying in despeir,
Despiht of Iesu cast up in the heir.

His bodi flay[e]n & his skyn was take,
Tawed aftir be presept and biddyng
Souple and tendre as thei coude it make,—
Sapor bad so, that was of Perse kyng,
That men myht haue therof knowlechyng
Erli on morwe & at eue late,
He did it naille upon his paleis gate.

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And to a cite that was callid Kaire,
As cronicles make rehersaille,
This Apostata wolde ofte a-day repaire
To a woman, which hadde in hir entraille
Spiritis closid, to make his dyuynaille.
In whos wombe, bareyn & out of grace,
Of wikkid feendis was the restyng place.

This said[e] woman was a creature,
The which afforn be cursid Iulian,
Be his lyue his purpos to recure,
In sacrifise was offrid to Sathan.
And so as he with cursidnesse began,
Swich was his eende, as all bookis tell,
Whos soule with Pluto is buried deepe in hell.

With this tiraunt Bochas gan wex[e] wroth
For his most odious [hatful] fel outrage,
And to reherse in parti he was loth
The blasfemyes of his fell langage;
For nouther furye nor infernal rage
May be comparid, with poisoun fret withynne,
To the fals venym of this horrible synne.

It is contrarie to alle goode thewes,
And tofor God most abhomynable;
Hatful to alle sauff to cursid shrewes:
For of alle vices verray incomparable,
Most contagious & most detestable,
The mouth infect of suich infernal houndis
Which eueri day sle Crist with newe woundis.

Folk obstynat of purpos for the nonys,
Of disposicioun furious & wood,
Nat afferd to suere [by] Goddis bonys,
With horrible othes of bodi, flessh & blood,
The Lord dismembryng, most gracious, most good,
His feet, his handis, armys, face & hed,
Reende hym of newe, as thei wolde haue hym ded.

The blissid Lord, which is inmortall,
Thouh thei be dedli, thei wolde hym sle ageyn.
Thei be erthli; he is celestiall;

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In froward wise thei be ouerseyn;
Discrecioun faileth; ther resoun is in veyn:
Al suich bla[s]ffemye, for short conclusioun,
Proceedith of pride & fals ambicioun.

It seemeth to me, thei haue foule failed
Of kynd[e]nesse to doon hym reuerence,
Which for ther loue upon a cros was nailed
To paie the raunsoun for mannys gret offence,
Suffred deth with humble pacience,
Fals rebukyng, spittyng in his visage,
To brynge mankynde onto his heritage.

Fals surquedie that doth the hertis reise
Of suich blasfemours, as was this Iulian,
Whos gret empire myht nat countirpeise
Ageyn that Lord which is bothe God & man.
Thorigynal ground of pride was Sathan;
Prince vndir hym most infortunat
Was this Apostata, regnyng in his estat.

What was the eende of this tiraunt horrible,
This cruel feloun, hatful to eueri wiht?
Be sodeyn myracle to al his host visible,
Ther did appeere a verray heuenli kniht,
Most fresshli armyd & angelik of siht.
With a sharp spere, sittyng on his steede,
Made the tiraunt his herte blood to bleede.

His false goddis myhte hym nat auaile,
His froward offryng doon to maumetrie,
Nor al his proude imperial apparaille,
His inuocaciouns nor hatful sorcerye:
For this Apostata, that did his feith denye,
Among his knihtis slayn be deth sodeyne;
His soule dampned with Sathan depe in peyne.