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

As is rehersed, whan Isacivs
Had al thempire in pocessioun,
Tauenge the deth[e] of Andronicus,
Constantynople, in that roial toun,
A brother of his be force ther cam doun
With a bacyn, brennyng briht as gleede,
Made hym blynde; of hym no mor I reede,—

Except Isacivs was taken at myscheeff
Of hym that wrouhte to his destruccioun;
Liggyng await as doth a preue theeff,
Took themperour, put hym in prisoun,
Vengabli dide execusioun,
As is remembrid, with a bacyn briht,
Brennyng red hot; and so he loste his siht.

A sone he hadde callid Alexivs,
Tendre of age, cast hym to succeede.
Bi his tutour, fals and contrarious,
Moordred he was at myscheef, as I reede;
The same tutour purposyng in deede
Of thempire, be fals collusioun,
Be fraude & meede to haue pocessioun.

In this chapitle of hym no mor I fynde
Rehersed heer in ordre be writyng;
But to myn auctour, þe processe maketh mynde,
Ther cam in hast Sangot of Egipt kyng,
And with hym cam pitousli weepyng
Mihti princis, soudanys [bothe] tweyne,
Regnyng in Damas, ther fallis to compleyne.

Of Allapie Salech was the ton,
Regnyng in Damas of his deu[e] riht;
Cathabadyn ther beyng eek soudon,
Which in tho daies was holde a manli kniht
And riht notable in eueri mannys siht.
And for the soudon of Babilon a-ferre
Callid Saladyn oppressid was with werre,

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For socour sente to thes princis tweyne,
To come in haste with al ther cheualrie
Hym to supporte, and doon ther besi peyne
Enforce ther miht to susteene his partie.
Whos request thei list nat [to] denye;
Abood no lenger, but made hemsiluen strong
To stonde with hym, wher it wer riht or wrong.

Of this mateer the substaunce to conclude,
Thes princis cam, Salech & Cadabadyn;
For ther gverdoun thei fond ingratitude
In this forseid soudon Saladyn;
Founde hym vnkynde; pleynli this þe fyn,
From ther estat, as it was aftir knowe,
Disgraded hem, brouht hem doun ful lowe.

Of hym in soth thei hadde non oþer meede
For ther labour nor for ther kyndenesse.
What fill aftir, in Bochas I nat reede;
For he foorþwith leueth this processe,
And vnto Robert doth his stile dresse,
Callid Ferentyn regnyng in Tarence,
Loste his lordshep be sodeyn violence:

This to seyne, he regned but a while;
This saide Robert loste his gouernaunce.
Next to Bochas cam Guilliam of Cicile,
Kyng of that contre, a lord of gret puissaunce;
Loste his kyngdam thoruh Fortunis variaunce,
His eyen tweyne rent out of his hed;
Afftir deide in myscheef & in dreed.

Which Guylliam regnyng in Cecile
Was be discent[e] born nih of allie
To Robert Guiscart, as bookis do compile,
That whilom was duk of Normandie,
Which of his manhoode & gret policye,
With his brothir, ful notable of renoun,
Brouhte al Naples to ther subieccioun.

His brother name callid was Roggeer,
Which hadde a sone to been enheritour,
Callid Tancret, as seith the cronicleer;

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Which took on hym to regne as successour.
Thus in Cecile Tancret was gouernour,
Ageyn[e]s whom, be title souht a-ferre
Of alliance began a mortal werre

For a maide that callid was Constaunce,
That douhtir was to this duk Rogeer,
Which was set of spiritual plesaunce
To be religious, of hool hert & enteer.
And be record off the cronicleer,
This Constaunce hath the world forsake
And to religioun hath hir bodi take.

Of this Constaunce, the silue same yeer
That she was born, as maad is mencioun,
Ther was a clerk, a gret astronomeer,
Tolde of hir birthe be calculacioun,
She sholde cause the desolacioun
Of that kyngdam bi processe of hir age,
Bi the occasioun oonli of mariage.

Summe that wern to Tancret gret enmy,
Be ther vngoodli excitacioun
Meued themperour that callid was Herry
To take Constaunce from hir religioun.
And bi the popis dispensacioun
She weddid was; themperour bi his myht
Bi title of hire put Tancret from his riht.

With a gret noumbre of Italiens
Themperour entrid into that regioun;
But be fauour off Siciliens,
Tancret long tyme stood in pocessioun:
But thoruh Fortunys transmutacioun,
The same tyme, to conclude in sentence,
The saide Tancret deide of pestilence.

His sone Guilliam, that was but yong in deede,
With Siciliens cast hym nat to faille
To keepe his lond and his riht posseede;
Meete themperour with statli apparaille,
Made hym reedi with hym to haue bataile.
But themperour to gretter auauntage
Caste otherwise of fraude in his corage.

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Feynyngli duryng this discord,
Themperour caste another wile,
Bi a fals colour to fallen at accord,
And yonge Guilliam vngoodly to beguyle;
Vnder trete taken in Cecile,
Falsli depryued off his regioun,
Sent to Itaille and throwe in prisoun,

Be weie of trete, the stori who list see;
Al concluded vndir fals tresoun.
With Guilliam take wer his sustres thre,
He perpetueli dampned to prisoun,
His eien put out for mor confusioun,
Deied in pouert, lost his enheritaunce:
Loo, heer the fyn of worldly varyaunce!

Ferther to write as Ihon Bochas began,
Aftir that Guilliam was put from his rewm,
To hym appeered Guyot Lycynyan,
Chose afforn kyng of Iherusalem,—
Whos knihtli fame shon like the sonne-bem,—
Which bi his noblesse he whilom did atteyne,
Godfrey present, that was duk of Loreyne.

But bi the soudon namyd Saladyn
He was enchacid out of that dignite—
Al worldli pompe draweth to declyn!—
So for the constreynt of his aduersite,
The yeeris passid of his prosperite,
Wente into Cipre as a fugityff;
What fill afftir, I reede nat in his lyff.

To make his compleynt afftir hym cam oon
Which hadde stonde in gret perplexite,
Erl of Bryenne, & was callid Ihon,
Which aftirward was kyng of the cite
Callid Iherusalem, and [had] also parde
A fair[e] douhtir, yong & tendre of age,
Ioyned aftir to Frederik in mariage.

Beyng that tyme lord and emperour,
Was desirous aboff al othir thyng
Of Iherusalem to be gouernour

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And of Cecile to be crownid kyng;
Which aldirlast, for his sotil werkyng
Constreyned was, doun fro that partie,
To be a capteyn for soud in Lumbardie.