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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[Off mighti pirrus that slouh pollicene which for his
pride and auoutrye deied in pouerte/slayn atte last bi Horestes.] |
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 | Lydgate's Fall of Princes |  |
[Off mighti pirrus that slouh pollicene which for his pride and auoutrye deied in pouerte/slayn atte last bi Horestes.]
Bochas musyng in his remembraunce,
And considred in his fantasie
The onseur trust off worldli variaunce,
Off men & women the chaung and the folie,
The same tyme he sauh a cumpanye
Off myhti pryncis, ful pitousli wepyng,
To hym appeere ther fortune compleynyng.
And considred in his fantasie
The onseur trust off worldli variaunce,
Off men & women the chaung and the folie,
The same tyme he sauh a cumpanye
191
To hym appeere ther fortune compleynyng.
Among other that put hemsilff in pres,
Off myhti Pirrus first he hadde a siht,
That was the sone off worthi Achilles,
Among Grekis the moste famous knyht,
Most comendid off manhod & off myht,
Sone and next heir, [as] bookis specefie,
Off Pelleus kyng off Thesalie.
Off myhti Pirrus first he hadde a siht,
That was the sone off worthi Achilles,
Among Grekis the moste famous knyht,
Most comendid off manhod & off myht,
Sone and next heir, [as] bookis specefie,
Off Pelleus kyng off Thesalie.
This Achilles, ful manli off his herte,
Hurt off Ector, and his wounde greene,
Slouh Ector afftir or he dede aduerte.
The which Achilles, for loue off Polliceene,
Bi compassyng off Eccuba the queene,
Vnder trete this Grekis champeoun
Was slayn off Paris withynne Troie toun.
Hurt off Ector, and his wounde greene,
Slouh Ector afftir or he dede aduerte.
The which Achilles, for loue off Polliceene,
Bi compassyng off Eccuba the queene,
Vnder trete this Grekis champeoun
Was slayn off Paris withynne Troie toun.
Whos deth tauenge Pirrus in his teene,
Furiousli, with face ded and pale,
Slouh afftirward the said[e] Polliceene,
And dismembrid al on pecis smale,
Which for to heere is a pitous tale,
That a knyht so vengable was in deede
To slen a maide, quakyng in hir dreede.
Furiousli, with face ded and pale,
Slouh afftirward the said[e] Polliceene,
And dismembrid al on pecis smale,
Which for to heere is a pitous tale,
That a knyht so vengable was in deede
To slen a maide, quakyng in hir dreede.
He koude for ire on hir no merci haue;
But with his suerd, most furious & wood,
Merciles vpon his fadres graue,
Lik a tirant he shadde hir chast[e] blood.
The deede horrible diffacid his knyhthod,
That to this day the sclaundre & the diffame
Be newe report reboundeth on his name.
But with his suerd, most furious & wood,
Merciles vpon his fadres graue,
Lik a tirant he shadde hir chast[e] blood.
The deede horrible diffacid his knyhthod,
That to this day the sclaundre & the diffame
Be newe report reboundeth on his name.
Poetis seyn, and speciali Ouide
Writ, whan Grekis fro Troie sholde saile,
How ther shippis ban anker dede ride,
Off ther purpos which longe made hem faile.
But in this while, he maketh rehersaile,
Out off therthe, manacyng off cheere,
Off Achilles an ymage dede appeere.
Writ, whan Grekis fro Troie sholde saile,
How ther shippis ban anker dede ride,
Off ther purpos which longe made hem faile.
But in this while, he maketh rehersaile,
Out off therthe, manacyng off cheere,
Off Achilles an ymage dede appeere.
192
To Grekis saide with a dedli face,
“I feele weel myn honour & my glorie,
And my noblesse ful lihtli foorth dooth pace,
Onkynde peeple, out of your memorie,
Which bi me hadde your conquest & victorie.
Your deuer doth Polliceene to take,
And on my graue a sacrefise to make.
“I feele weel myn honour & my glorie,
And my noblesse ful lihtli foorth dooth pace,
Onkynde peeple, out of your memorie,
Which bi me hadde your conquest & victorie.
Your deuer doth Polliceene to take,
And on my graue a sacrefise to make.
With hir blood looke ye spare nouht
To sprynge it round aboute my sepulture;
Thus blood for blood with vengaunce shal be bouht,
And for my deth, the deth she mut endure.”
And hool the maner off this auenture,
And how she deied in hir maydenheed,
Methamorphoseos, the processe ye may reed.
To sprynge it round aboute my sepulture;
Thus blood for blood with vengaunce shal be bouht,
And for my deth, the deth she mut endure.”
And hool the maner off this auenture,
And how she deied in hir maydenheed,
Methamorphoseos, the processe ye may reed.
In hasti vengaunce set was al his ioie,
With thrust onstaunchid Troian blood to sheede;
He slouh Priam, the worthi kyng off Troie,
And into Grece with hym he dede leede
Andromecha—the story ye may reede—
Weddid hir, and afftir in certeyne
Be hym she hadde worthi sonys tweyne.
With thrust onstaunchid Troian blood to sheede;
He slouh Priam, the worthi kyng off Troie,
And into Grece with hym he dede leede
Andromecha—the story ye may reede—
Weddid hir, and afftir in certeyne
Be hym she hadde worthi sonys tweyne.
But in repairyng hom to his cuntre,
As Eolus dede his shippis dryue,
I fynde he was a pirat off the se;
And into Grece whan he dede aryue,
Fortune onwarli gan ageyn hym stryue:
Forsook his wiff, leet hir lyue alone,
Took a-nother callid Hermyone.
As Eolus dede his shippis dryue,
I fynde he was a pirat off the se;
And into Grece whan he dede aryue,
Fortune onwarli gan ageyn hym stryue:
Forsook his wiff, leet hir lyue alone,
Took a-nother callid Hermyone.
Which was that tyme ioyned in mariage
To Horestes, sone off Agamenoun;
And he, alas, off wilful louys rage,
Took hir be force to his possessioun.
But off auoutrie folwith this guerdoun,
Sodeyn deth, pouerte or shame,
Open disclaundre, gret myscheeff or diffame.
To Horestes, sone off Agamenoun;
And he, alas, off wilful louys rage,
Took hir be force to his possessioun.
But off auoutrie folwith this guerdoun,
Sodeyn deth, pouerte or shame,
Open disclaundre, gret myscheeff or diffame.
193
Eek in his tyme this Pirrus, as I reede,
Fill into myscheeff and gret pouerte;
And with such meyne as he dede leede,
He was a rouere, and robbed on the se.
And as poetis reherse, ye may see,
Off such robbyng be sclaundre & diffame
This woord Pirat off Pirrus took the name.
Fill into myscheeff and gret pouerte;
And with such meyne as he dede leede,
He was a rouere, and robbed on the se.
And as poetis reherse, ye may see,
Off such robbyng be sclaundre & diffame
This woord Pirat off Pirrus took the name.
And as the story afftir doth deuise,
The said Horestes gan secreli espie
Wher that Pirrus dede sacrefise
Toforn Apollo, that god to magnefie.
Ful onwarli Horestes off enuie
Took a sharp suerd or Pirrus coude aduerte
Wher that he stood, & roof hym thoruh the herte.
The said Horestes gan secreli espie
Wher that Pirrus dede sacrefise
Toforn Apollo, that god to magnefie.
Ful onwarli Horestes off enuie
Took a sharp suerd or Pirrus coude aduerte
Wher that he stood, & roof hym thoruh the herte.
This was the fyn off Pirrus in substaunce,
For al his pride and gret presumpcioun.
Off fals auoutrie folwith this vengaunce:
Losse off sum membre, pouert or prisoun,
Or hatful sclaundre bi sum occasioun,
Or sodeyn deth, shortli in sentence,
Compleet in Pirrus be ful cleer euidence.
For al his pride and gret presumpcioun.
Off fals auoutrie folwith this vengaunce:
Losse off sum membre, pouert or prisoun,
Or hatful sclaundre bi sum occasioun,
Or sodeyn deth, shortli in sentence,
Compleet in Pirrus be ful cleer euidence.
| Lydgate's Fall of Princes | |