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 for the offence don to Lucrece by Tarquyn
was never aftir crowned kyng in Rome.] |
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 | Lydgate's Fall of Princes |  |
[How for the offence don to Lucrece by Tarquyn was never aftir crowned kyng in Rome.]
Touching this Tarquyn, of whom I now[e] tolde,
As myn auctour maketh mencioun,
He callid was Tarquinius the olde,
Which longe in Rome hadde dominacioun,
Till his kynreede and generacioun,
For thoffence doon onto Lucrece,
Caused off kynges the name [for] to cese.
As myn auctour maketh mencioun,
He callid was Tarquinius the olde,
Which longe in Rome hadde dominacioun,
Till his kynreede and generacioun,
For thoffence doon onto Lucrece,
Caused off kynges the name [for] to cese.
For his sone, which afftir gan succeede,
For his outrages and his extorsiouns,
And for many a-nother cruel deede,
For his haatful vsurpaciouns,
His froward liff and fals condiciouns,
Among the peeple, bothe stille and loude,
He callid was Tarquinius the proude.
For his outrages and his extorsiouns,
And for many a-nother cruel deede,
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His froward liff and fals condiciouns,
Among the peeple, bothe stille and loude,
He callid was Tarquinius the proude.
Ful obstynat he was in his entent,
Ambicious tacroche gret richesse,
Till that Fortune wex inpacient
Ageyn[e]s hym, in al his gret noblesse.
Gan hir snares and hir crokes dresse,
Thouhte she wolde, but he kept hym weel,
Al sodenli cast hym from hir wheel.
Ambicious tacroche gret richesse,
Till that Fortune wex inpacient
Ageyn[e]s hym, in al his gret noblesse.
Gan hir snares and hir crokes dresse,
Thouhte she wolde, but he kept hym weel,
Al sodenli cast hym from hir wheel.
A sone he hadde, ful vicious, as I fynde,
To all vertu most contrarious—
To be froward it cam to hym off kynde—
And off nature proud and despitous,
Ageyn the peeple fell and malicious,
Nat louyd but drad; for tirannye off riht
Is thyng most hatid in the peeplis siht.
To all vertu most contrarious—
To be froward it cam to hym off kynde—
And off nature proud and despitous,
Ageyn the peeple fell and malicious,
Nat louyd but drad; for tirannye off riht
Is thyng most hatid in the peeplis siht.
This proude Tarquyn, the story is weel kouth,
Ageyn Lucrece dede a gret outrage,
Oppressid hir beute in his onbridled youth,
Hir trouthe assailyng in a furious rage.
For which his fader, he, and his lynage
Exilid wern, and for this hatful thyng
Ther was neuer afftir in Rome crownyd kyng.
Ageyn Lucrece dede a gret outrage,
Oppressid hir beute in his onbridled youth,
Hir trouthe assailyng in a furious rage.
For which his fader, he, and his lynage
Exilid wern, and for this hatful thyng
Ther was neuer afftir in Rome crownyd kyng.
Hir bodi corupt, she cleene off herte & thouht,
Be force assailed was hir innocence,
Oppressid hir beute, but hir sperit nouht,
Hir chaast[e] will dede non offence;
But entred is into hir conscience
A gret remors, for al hir wifli trouthe,
To slen hirsilff, which was to gret a routhe.
Be force assailed was hir innocence,
Oppressid hir beute, but hir sperit nouht,
Hir chaast[e] will dede non offence;
But entred is into hir conscience
A gret remors, for al hir wifli trouthe,
To slen hirsilff, which was to gret a routhe.
And for that Bochas remembreth pitousli
Hir dedli sorwe and lamentacioun,
Writ hir compleynt in ordre ceriousli,
Which that she made for hir oppressioun,
I folwe muste and make mencioun,
Afftir myn auctour parcel rehersyng,
Touchyng hir woordis said in hir deieng.
Hir dedli sorwe and lamentacioun,
Writ hir compleynt in ordre ceriousli,
Which that she made for hir oppressioun,
I folwe muste and make mencioun,
Afftir myn auctour parcel rehersyng,
Touchyng hir woordis said in hir deieng.
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Al-be-it so, be biddyng off my lord,
Rehersed haue in my translacioun
Afftir Pierius heer and ther a woord
Off a ful doolful declamacioun
Be hym remembred off entencioun,
For hir sake men myhte seen and rede
What wifli trouthe was in hir womanheede.
Rehersed haue in my translacioun
Afftir Pierius heer and ther a woord
Off a ful doolful declamacioun
Be hym remembred off entencioun,
For hir sake men myhte seen and rede
What wifli trouthe was in hir womanheede.
And Iohn Bochas list nat sette a-side,
But that he wolde rehersen in sentence
Hir woful compleynt, & therupon abide,
Off wrongis doon onto hir innocence.
And thouh I cannat folwe his eloquence,
I shal sue the trouthe off rehersyng
As in substaunce theffect off his writyng.
But that he wolde rehersen in sentence
Hir woful compleynt, & therupon abide,
Off wrongis doon onto hir innocence.
And thouh I cannat folwe his eloquence,
I shal sue the trouthe off rehersyng
As in substaunce theffect off his writyng.
The morwe next afftir this foule deede,
Lucrece vproos with a ful dedli cheer.
Out off hir face gon was al the rede,
And dirked wern hir heuenli eien cleer,
Al clad in blak[e] afftir the maneer
Off thilke folk which in especiall
Ar wont to gon to feestis funerall.
Lucrece vproos with a ful dedli cheer.
Out off hir face gon was al the rede,
And dirked wern hir heuenli eien cleer,
Al clad in blak[e] afftir the maneer
Off thilke folk which in especiall
Ar wont to gon to feestis funerall.
All hir freendis beyng in presence,
Husbonde, fader, with other eek also,
Bi and bi rehersyng in sentence
The circumstaunces off hir hertli wo.
And or that I any ferther go,
Vnder hope my lord will me supporte,
What that she saide I will to you reporte.
Husbonde, fader, with other eek also,
Bi and bi rehersyng in sentence
The circumstaunces off hir hertli wo.
And or that I any ferther go,
Vnder hope my lord will me supporte,
What that she saide I will to you reporte.
| Lydgate's Fall of Princes | |