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

And whan Bochas knew al thentencioun
Of seide Daunte, he cast hym anon riht
Tobeie his maister, as it was resoun;
Took his penne; and as he cast his siht
A lite a-side, he sauh no maner wiht
Sauf Duk Gaulteer, of al that longe day;
For Daunt vnwarli vanshed was a-way.

992

This saide Gaulteer, breeffli to proceede,
Lik as it is Iput in remembraunce,
Touchyng his lyne an[d] his roial kynreede,
He was discendid of the blood of France.
Bi long processe and knihtli purueyaunce
His fadir first, be dilligent labour,
Of Athenys was lord and gouernour.

Stood but a while in cleer pocessioun,
Grekis to hym hadde ful gret envie,
Caste of assent[e] for to putte hym doun
And depryve hym of his famous duchie;
To ther entent a leiseer did espie,
Took hym at myscheef, &, quaking in his dreed,
Of hih despiht in hast smet of his hed.

Vpon whos deth auengid for to bee
The saide Gaulteer with myhti apparaille
Caste he wolde asege that cite;
But of his purpos longe he dide faille.
And in this while, with many gret bataile,
Too myhti princis wer come doun of Pise,
Leid a siege to Luk in knihtli wise.

Florentynes to Luk wer fauourable;
And to delyuere the siege fro the toun,
With multitude almost innumerable
Made ordynaunce; & knihtli thei cam doun,
Which turned aftir to ther destruccioun:
For it fill so of mortal auenture,
On Florentynes fill the disconfiture.

The noise and fame of this gret bataile
Gan spreede ferr bi report of langage
In Lombardie and thoruh[out] al Itaile
Mong soudiour[e]s lusti of corage;
And among othir, feynyng a pilgrimage,
The saide Gaulteer be vnwar violence
Cam fro Naplis doun into Florence.

The Florentynes heeld first a parlement
For the sauacioun and garde of her cite,
Be gret prudence and gret auisement

993

Of suich as wer[e]n hiest of degre;
Bi oon assent thei gaff the souereynte
Them to gouerne, hoping to ther encres,
With statutis made bothe for werre & pes.

The gret estatis, reulers of the toun,
Callid magnates tho daies in sothnesse,
To Gaulteer gaff this domynacioun,
Of entent the comouns to oppresse
And marchauntes to spoille of ther richesse,
Streyne men of crafft be froward violence
Ageyn the libertes vsid in Florence.

The peeple alway in a-wait liggyng
To be restorid onto ther liberte,
Gan gruchche sore, among hemsilf pleynyng
For gret extorsiouns doon to ther cite;
The grete also, of most auctorite,
Hadde leuere to suffre Gaulteer regne,
Than ther exacciouns to modefie or restreyne.

The saide Gaulteer in ful sotil wise,
Be a fals maner of symulacioun,—
Enmy in herte vnto ther fraunchise;
Al that he wrouhte, for short conclusioun,
Was doon oonli to ther destruccioun,
With a pretence feyned of freendliheed,
To his promys ay contrarie was the deed,—

Clamb up be processe to ful hih estat
Be feyned speche and sotil flaterie;
In his herte wex pompous & elat,
His werking outward no man koude espie;
Lite and litil drouh to his partie,
That to conclude, shortli for to seie,
Al Florence his lustis did obeie.

Gan sotilli plese the comounte,
For to acomplissh falsli his desirs,
Made promys tencrece ther liberte
To suich as wer[e]n froward of maneeres;
Made an oth to stroie ther officeeres,
But thei wolde of ther fre volunte
Graunte onto hym larger liberte,

994

Gretter poweer and domynacioun
Tencrece his miht upon eueri side.
Gan manace the grettest of the toun
And day be day encresen in his pride;
Felli began, felli [he] did abide;
Wherupon, kept cloos in ther entraille,
The Florentynes gretli gan meruaille.

In this while was ther oon Reyneer,
Of gret auctorite and of gret reuerence,
A mihti seruaunt and a gret officeer,
To whos biddyng obeied al Florence,
Which with Gaulteer acorded in sentence,
With soudiours hadde stuffid ech hostrye
For to susteene of Gaulteer the partie.

And traitourli for to fortefie
Thentent of Gaulteer, fel & ambicious,
To haue thestat onli be tirannye,
As ther cheeff lord, froward & surquedous,
To regne in Florence; the cas was pereilous,
Whan too tirauntis be bothe of oon assent
With multitude tacomplisshe ther entent.

Which thyng considred bi ther gouernours
And magnates callid in the cite,
Whan that thei fond among hem no socours
To remedien ther gret aduersite;
Fill to accord[e] of necessite,
Gaff ther assent withoute variaunce,
That Gaulter sholde haue al the gouernaunce.

And condescendid thei wer to this issu,
That Gaulteer sholde in al his beste wise
Vpon the bodi be sworn of Crist Iesu,
Them to restore onto ther fraunchise
Vsid of old, and for no couetise
From ther promys, for lyff nor deth declyne,
As be conuencioun [the court] list determyne.

Heerupon was blowen a trompet
For tassemble thestatis of the toun;
A parlement holde, Gaulter first was set;

995

And to pronounce the convencioun,
With euery parcel entitle[d] be resoun,
Lik ther accord declaryng anon riht,
Stood up a vocat in the peeplis siht.

With men of armys in steel armid briht
Vnto ther paleis cheef and princepall
The saide Gaulteer conveied anon riht,
Set in a seete most statli and roiall.
And the peeple with vois memoriall
Gan crye loude, concluding this sentence:
Gaulteer for euere, cheef lord of Florence—

So to perseuere duryng al his lyff.
Took in the paleis ful pocessioun;
Ther durste non ageyn it make striff;
Graunted to hym the domynacioun
Of alle the castellis aboute enviroun,—
Tuscan, Areche and castel Florentyn,
With alle lordshipis to Mount Appenyn.

As ye haue herd[e], Gaulteer thus began.
Bi his owne furious dyuynaille,
Saide he was born to be lord of Tuscan,
With a gret parti also of Itaille;
Tolde he was lad, conueied be a quaile,
Saide ouermor[e], wer it riht or wronge,
That was the sentence of the birdis songe.

The same brid first brouht hym to Florence,
Al the weie afforn hym took his fliht;
With soote syngyng did hym reuerence,
Hih in the hair of corage glad and liht;
Wolde neuer parte out of his siht;
Gaff hym tokenes to sette his herte affire,
That of Florence he shold be lord & sire.

The same bird he bar in his deuises
Ful richeli enbroudid with perre;
Took upon hym many gret emprises
As cheef lord of Florence the cite;
Sat in iugement; gouernid the contre;

996

Drouh to hym flaterers & folk þat koude lie,
Baudis, ribaudis wher he myht hem espie.

Of that cite took merueillous truages;
Crocheth to hym richessis of the toun;
Of lecherye vsid gret outrages,
Of maidnes, wyues maad non excepcioun.
Voide of mercy, grace and remyssioun,
Fond quarelis for to be vengable,
That to reherse it is abhomynable.

Wher he hateth merciles he sleth;
Brak fraunchises and old libertes.
The peeple pleynid, desiryng sore his deth,
Cried vengaunce aboute in ther citees
For tiranye doon in the contrees,
Which was cause of gret discencioun
And of ther cite almost subuersioun.

Thus thei wern among hemsilff deuided
For ther sodeyn greuous oppressioun;
Lak of forsiht, that thei wer nat prouided
To seen myscheeuys that sholde falle in þe toun.
This verray soth: wher is dyuysioun,
Be witnesse and record of scripture,
May no kyngdam nor cite long endure.

For which thei gan compleyne oon & all,
Bothe the grete and al the comounte;
And of accord among themsilff thei fall
To refourme the hurt of ther cite.
And fynalli the[i] condescendid bee
Bi a maner fell coniuracioun
To proceede to his destruccioun.

Vpon a day, thei armed in steel briht,
Magnates first, with comouns of the toun,
Alle of assent thei roos up anon riht,
Gan to crie & make an hidous soun:
“Lat sle this tiraunt! lat vs pulle hym doun!”
Leide a siege be myhti violence
Afforn his paleis, wher he was in Florence.

997

Swich as wern enclyned to Gaulteer,
Amyd the paleis, the stori doth vs lerne,
Teschewe the seege, with ful heuy cheere
Ordeyned hemsilf to fleen awey ful yerne
Out of the strengthe bi a smal posterne,
Whan Florentynes dide ther labour
To vndermyne round aboute the tour.

Of which[e] thing whan Gaulteer gan take heed,
This massage he sente onto the toun,
Nat of trouthe, but feynyngli for dreed,
Made promys be fals collusioun
For to make ful restitucioun
Of ther fredamys, as thei list deuise;
Sent hem out [oon] Guyllamyn Dassise,

Which to the cite was preeuid vttir foo;
Hadde afforn[e] doon hem gret damage.
With Guillamyn to them he sent also
His sone and heir to stynte al ther rage,—
Wers than his fadir of wil and of corage.
Bothe attonis wer hangid anon riht
Tofor the paleis in Gaulteres siht.

Another also, that callid was Herry,
Which hadde afforn[e] youe instruccioun
Vnto Gaulteer and was eek gret enmy
To steren hym ageyn that noble toun,
Gynner and ground of ther dyuisioun,—
Which tofor Gaulteer, his iugement to shewe,
With sharp[e] suerdis he was al to-hewe.

Thexecucioun doon upon thes thre
In Tuscan born, the rancour did appese
Of Florentynes, to staunche the[r] cruelte
Ageyn Gaulteer, and to his lyff gret ese.
He glad tescape out of his disese,
Fledde away in ful secre wise,
The toun restorid ageyn to þer franchise.

Thus he loste be his insolence
Al his poweer and domynacioun
Bothe of Tuscan and also of Florence;

998

And as myn auctour maketh mencioun,
Fro Lumbardie he is descendid doun,
Drouh to kyng Iohn regnyng tho in France,
And of berthe ful nih of alliaunce.

As I fynde he was on that partie
With kyng Iohn, this Gaulteer, lik a kniht;
Whan that the kyng with al his cheualrie
Was take hymsilf, his lordis put to fliht,
Into Inglond lad aftir anon riht,—
The saide Gaulteer, hauyng no reward
To his disworshep, fledde lik a coward.

Mette in his fliht with dyuers soudiours
Of Lumbardie abidyng with kyng Iohn,
Which that tyme as brigavntis & pillours
Took this Gaulteer, ledde hym foorth anon,—
His force, his corage, his herte was agon:
Of auenture a certeyn Florentyn
Smet of his hed; this was his fatal fyn.