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 kyng hostilius worshippyng fals goddis/was consumpt with firy Levene.] |
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 | Lydgate's Fall of Princes |  |
[How kyng hostilius worshippyng fals goddis/was consumpt with firy Levene.]
And whil Bochas gan muse in this mateer,
Considred first al worldli thyng mut faile,
With wepyng eien [to hym] ther dede appeer
Pryncis that whilom wer famous in Itaile,
Which gan ther fall ful pitousli bewaile:
For mor contrarie was ther fallyng lowe,
That thei toforn hadde [of] no myscheeff knowe.
Considred first al worldli thyng mut faile,
With wepyng eien [to hym] ther dede appeer
Pryncis that whilom wer famous in Itaile,
Which gan ther fall ful pitousli bewaile:
For mor contrarie was ther fallyng lowe,
That thei toforn hadde [of] no myscheeff knowe.
For mor vnkouth is thilke aduersite,
Namli to pryncis, whan it is sodeyne,
Which euer ha lyued in prosperite,
Hauyng on Fortune no mater to compleyne,
Than off a wrechche, that lyueth ay in peyne,—
Off custom causeth, conceyued the sentence,
Off ioie and sorwe a ful gret difference.
Namli to pryncis, whan it is sodeyne,
Which euer ha lyued in prosperite,
Hauyng on Fortune no mater to compleyne,
Than off a wrechche, that lyueth ay in peyne,—
Off custom causeth, conceyued the sentence,
Off ioie and sorwe a ful gret difference.
Off ioie passid the newe remembraunce,
Whan folk be falle from ther felicite,
In treble wise it doth hem gret greuaunce;
Thonwar turn from ther tranquillite,
Thonsur trust and mutabilite
In worldli power, which that thei ha[ue] founde,
Onto ther hertis yeueth a greuous wounde.
Whan folk be falle from ther felicite,
In treble wise it doth hem gret greuaunce;
Thonwar turn from ther tranquillite,
Thonsur trust and mutabilite
In worldli power, which that thei ha[ue] founde,
Onto ther hertis yeueth a greuous wounde.
But a wrechche, which in wrechchidnesse
Hath euer lyued, and neuer was partable
Off no weelfare nor off welfulnesse,
Nor neuer fo[u]nd[e] Fortune fauourable,—
His sorwe, his myscheeff been so custumable,
That off his peynys long contynuaunce
Doth to his greuys a maner allegaunce.
Hath euer lyued, and neuer was partable
Off no weelfare nor off welfulnesse,
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His sorwe, his myscheeff been so custumable,
That off his peynys long contynuaunce
Doth to his greuys a maner allegaunce.
But to pryncis, which sat so hih aloffte,
A sodeyn fall is most contrarious,
And ther descendyng weel the more onsoffte,
In ther tryumphes that thei wer glorious.
Record I take off kyng Hostilius,
Which in Rome from his roial stalle,
Whan he sat crownyd, most sodenli is falle.
A sodeyn fall is most contrarious,
And ther descendyng weel the more onsoffte,
In ther tryumphes that thei wer glorious.
Record I take off kyng Hostilius,
Which in Rome from his roial stalle,
Whan he sat crownyd, most sodenli is falle.
It is remembrid off old and nat off newe,
Off al Rome that he was lord and sire;
The firste off kynges that wered purpil hewe,
And off that cite gouerned the empire,
Hadde off Fortune al that hym list desire,
Till that he fill, in all his regalie,
Into a froward dedli maladie.
Off al Rome that he was lord and sire;
The firste off kynges that wered purpil hewe,
And off that cite gouerned the empire,
Hadde off Fortune al that hym list desire,
Till that he fill, in all his regalie,
Into a froward dedli maladie.
And off his peynes to fynden allegaunce,
To the temples he wente on pilgrymage,
His offryng made with deuout obeisaunce,
Wherbi sumdeel his peynes gan asswage;
And when he was restored off corage,
Felt hymsilff[e] that he dede amende,
To comoun proffit ageyn he gan entende.
To the temples he wente on pilgrymage,
His offryng made with deuout obeisaunce,
Wherbi sumdeel his peynes gan asswage;
And when he was restored off corage,
Felt hymsilff[e] that he dede amende,
To comoun proffit ageyn he gan entende.
Vpon Thalbanys, regnyng in his glorie,
To gret auail off Rome the cite,
Thoruh his knyhthod he hadde a gret victorie,
Afftir the which, be ful gret cruelte,
He beraffte hem fraunchise and liberte,
And made hem afftir, thoruh his hih renoun,
To been to Rome vnder subieccioun.
To gret auail off Rome the cite,
Thoruh his knyhthod he hadde a gret victorie,
Afftir the which, be ful gret cruelte,
He beraffte hem fraunchise and liberte,
And made hem afftir, thoruh his hih renoun,
To been to Rome vnder subieccioun.
Afftir this conquest, the stori doth deuyse,
In his noblesse ful staatli and roial,
He gan make a riche sacrifice
To queeme and plese for a memorial,
Affter the rihtes cerymonyal,
To Iubiter, be ful gret reuerence,
Aforn his auteres with fires & encence.
In his noblesse ful staatli and roial,
He gan make a riche sacrifice
To queeme and plese for a memorial,
Affter the rihtes cerymonyal,
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Aforn his auteres with fires & encence.
But for that he in his inward entent,
Be circumstaunces off his oblacioun,
Was rechles founde and also necligent,
Be sum froward fals affeccioun,
The goddis kauhte an indignacioun;
And sodenli descendyng frothe from the heuene,
He was consumpt with a firi leuene,—
Be circumstaunces off his oblacioun,
Was rechles founde and also necligent,
Be sum froward fals affeccioun,
The goddis kauhte an indignacioun;
And sodenli descendyng frothe from the heuene,
He was consumpt with a firi leuene,—
His false goddis myhte hym nat auaile,
Iubiter, Saturnus nor Venus.
Lat al Christene defie such rascaile;
For to our feith thei be contrarious.
And among goddis, a thyng most outraious,
Ys, whan that pryncis, blent in ther folie,
List ertheli thynges falsli deifie.
Iubiter, Saturnus nor Venus.
Lat al Christene defie such rascaile;
For to our feith thei be contrarious.
And among goddis, a thyng most outraious,
Ys, whan that pryncis, blent in ther folie,
List ertheli thynges falsli deifie.
For onto God is hatful and odible
A withdrawyng off his reuerence,
To magnefie thynges coruptible
With ondue honour, be fals concupiscence.
Wherfor, ye Pryncis, beth war, off hih prudence,
List God onwarli pun[y]she your noblesse,
Maak you in erthe no fals god nor goddesse.
A withdrawyng off his reuerence,
To magnefie thynges coruptible
With ondue honour, be fals concupiscence.
Wherfor, ye Pryncis, beth war, off hih prudence,
List God onwarli pun[y]she your noblesse,
Maak you in erthe no fals god nor goddesse.
| Lydgate's Fall of Princes | |