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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[How the Emperour Valence / slouh heremytes shad
cristen blood destroied chirches & after was brent.] |
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 | Lydgate's Fall of Princes |  |
[How the Emperour Valence / slouh heremytes shad cristen blood destroied chirches & after was brent.]
Bochas in hast[e] doth his stile dresse
Next to themperour þat callid was Valence,
Rehersing first the parfit hoolynesse
Of hermytis, that dide ther dilligence
To lyue in penaunce & in abstynence;
Forsook the world[e], & for Cristes sake
Into desert thei haue the weye take.
Next to themperour þat callid was Valence,
Rehersing first the parfit hoolynesse
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To lyue in penaunce & in abstynence;
Forsook the world[e], & for Cristes sake
Into desert thei haue the weye take.
In this world heer thei list no lenger tarye,
Dyuers & double, of trust noun certeyn;
Ferr in Egipt to lyue solitarye,
Deepe in desertis, of folk nat to be seyn.
The soil was drye; of vitaille ful bareyn;
The frutles treen up sered to the roote:
For Cristes loue thei thouhte that lyff most soote.
Dyuers & double, of trust noun certeyn;
Ferr in Egipt to lyue solitarye,
Deepe in desertis, of folk nat to be seyn.
The soil was drye; of vitaille ful bareyn;
The frutles treen up sered to the roote:
For Cristes loue thei thouhte that lyff most soote.
This said Valence, of malis frowardli
To thes hermytes, that lyued in gret penaunce,
Causeles [to hem] was gret enmy,
Troubled hem & did hem gret greuaunce.
Lik a tiraunt set al on vengaunce,
Destroied cherchis with peeple that he ladde;
And wher he rood Cristen blood he shadde.
To thes hermytes, that lyued in gret penaunce,
Causeles [to hem] was gret enmy,
Troubled hem & did hem gret greuaunce.
Lik a tiraunt set al on vengaunce,
Destroied cherchis with peeple that he ladde;
And wher he rood Cristen blood he shadde.
This mene while be robbyng & rauyne
In Mauritayne, which is a gret contre,
Ther was a prince that callid was Fyryne;
And in Cesarea, a famous gret cite,
For his extorsioun & his cruelte
He took upon hym, proudli ther regnyng,
Maugre [the] Romeyns to be crownid kyng.
In Mauritayne, which is a gret contre,
Ther was a prince that callid was Fyryne;
And in Cesarea, a famous gret cite,
For his extorsioun & his cruelte
He took upon hym, proudli ther regnyng,
Maugre [the] Romeyns to be crownid kyng.
Theodose the Firste, a manli man,
Was sent out his malys to withstonde
Be the biddyng of Valentynyan,
Which that tyme thempire hadde on honde,
Bothe attonys; but ye shal vndirstonde,
Theodose was sent out to assaile
The saide Feryn, and slouh hym in bataille.
Was sent out his malys to withstonde
Be the biddyng of Valentynyan,
Which that tyme thempire hadde on honde,
Bothe attonys; but ye shal vndirstonde,
Theodose was sent out to assaile
The saide Feryn, and slouh hym in bataille.
Of which Feryn, be ful cruel hate,
In that contre presumptuousli regnyng,
Smet of his hed & set [it] on the gate
Of Cesaria; this was his eendyng,
Which be intrusioun afforn was crownid king
In Mauritayne, oppressing them be dreed,
As ye haue herd, for which he loste his hed.
In that contre presumptuousli regnyng,
Smet of his hed & set [it] on the gate
Of Cesaria; this was his eendyng,
Which be intrusioun afforn was crownid king
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As ye haue herd, for which he loste his hed.
In this mateer Bochas doth nat soiourne
Be non attendaunce nor no long dilligence,
But of purpos doth ageyn retourne
To themperour that callid was Valence,
Which, as I tolde, dide so gret offence
To hooli cherch of froward cursidnesse,
Slouh al hermytes that bood in wildirnesse.
Be non attendaunce nor no long dilligence,
But of purpos doth ageyn retourne
To themperour that callid was Valence,
Which, as I tolde, dide so gret offence
To hooli cherch of froward cursidnesse,
Slouh al hermytes that bood in wildirnesse.
God wold nat suffre he sholde long endure,
Graunteth no tiraunt to haue heer no long lyff;
For be sum myscheef or sodeyn auenture
Thei deien be moordre, with dagger, suerd or kniff.
The Gothois whilom ageyn hym gan a stryff,—
For his outrage & gret oppressioun
Thei ageyn Romeyns fill in rebellioun.
Graunteth no tiraunt to haue heer no long lyff;
For be sum myscheef or sodeyn auenture
Thei deien be moordre, with dagger, suerd or kniff.
The Gothois whilom ageyn hym gan a stryff,—
For his outrage & gret oppressioun
Thei ageyn Romeyns fill in rebellioun.
A prince off his callid Maxymvs
Distressed hem bi so gret tiranye,
Was vpon hem so contrarious,
That thei gadred al ther cheualrie
And wex so strong vpon ther partie,
That bi ther manhod, it fill of auenture,
Thei on Valence made a disconfiture.
Distressed hem bi so gret tiranye,
Was vpon hem so contrarious,
That thei gadred al ther cheualrie
And wex so strong vpon ther partie,
That bi ther manhod, it fill of auenture,
Thei on Valence made a disconfiture.
Spared nat bi robbyng and pillage,
Slouh & brente many statli place,
Cites, touns & many smal village,
That wer famous withynne the lond of Trace.
But al this while Valence gan enchace,
And causeles, of malis voluntarie,
Pursued hermytes that lyued solitarye.
Slouh & brente many statli place,
Cites, touns & many smal village,
That wer famous withynne the lond of Trace.
But al this while Valence gan enchace,
And causeles, of malis voluntarie,
Pursued hermytes that lyued solitarye.
And of newe this Valence gan ageyn
Gret multitude of Romeyns to purchace,
And with his host[e] proudli be disdeyn
Ageyn[es] Gothes cam doun in-to Trace.
But furiousli thei mette hym in the face,
Wher lik a coward he turned his visage,
To saue his lyff lay hid in a cotage.
Gret multitude of Romeyns to purchace,
And with his host[e] proudli be disdeyn
Ageyn[es] Gothes cam doun in-to Trace.
But furiousli thei mette hym in the face,
Wher lik a coward he turned his visage,
To saue his lyff lay hid in a cotage.
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Thus fynalli this emperour Valence,
As ye haue herd, failled of his entent.
The Gothes folwed be cruel violence,
As wilde woluys, alle of oon assent,
The hous & hym to asshis thei haue brent.
Loo, heer the fyn, ye pryncis taketh heede,
Of tirauntis that seyntes blood do sheede!
As ye haue herd, failled of his entent.
The Gothes folwed be cruel violence,
As wilde woluys, alle of oon assent,
The hous & hym to asshis thei haue brent.
Loo, heer the fyn, ye pryncis taketh heede,
Of tirauntis that seyntes blood do sheede!
| Lydgate's Fall of Princes | |