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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 | Lydgate's Fall of Princes |  |
[Lenvoye.]
The stormy trust off eueri comounte,
Ther geri corages & troublid constaunce,
In this tragedie men mai beholde & see,
Now vp, now doun, as Fortune cast hir chaunce.
For thei off custum ha[ue] ioie & most plesaunce,
In ther desirs onstedfast and ontrewe,
To seen ech day a chaung off pryncis newe.
Ther geri corages & troublid constaunce,
In this tragedie men mai beholde & see,
Now vp, now doun, as Fortune cast hir chaunce.
For thei off custum ha[ue] ioie & most plesaunce,
In ther desirs onstedfast and ontrewe,
To seen ech day a chaung off pryncis newe.
Corolian off Rome, a cheeff cite,
Was ther protectour thoruh his myhti puissaunce:
Venquisshid ther enmies, set hem in surte,
Brouht in rebellis to ther obeisaunce.
But thei ageynward, off wilful variaunce
Ban[y]shed hym twies, & no cause knewe,
Sauff for to seen a chaung off pryncis newe.
Was ther protectour thoruh his myhti puissaunce:
Venquisshid ther enmies, set hem in surte,
Brouht in rebellis to ther obeisaunce.
But thei ageynward, off wilful variaunce
Ban[y]shed hym twies, & no cause knewe,
Sauff for to seen a chaung off pryncis newe.
The knyhtli noblesse, the magnanymyte,
The policie, the prudent gouernaunce
Off Meltiades, duc off the cuntre,
Wher that Athenys is cheeff toun in substaunce,—
Whan he ther comoun gan most to auaunce,
The mor onkyndli, in honour that thei grewe,
Most thei wer besi to chaunge hym for a newe.
The policie, the prudent gouernaunce
Off Meltiades, duc off the cuntre,
Wher that Athenys is cheeff toun in substaunce,—
Whan he ther comoun gan most to auaunce,
The mor onkyndli, in honour that thei grewe,
Most thei wer besi to chaunge hym for a newe.
390
Themystodes, hauyng the souereynte
Off knyhtis alle that bar spere or launce,
Duryng his tyme,—I tak no mor on me,
For comparisouns doon offte gret greuaunce,—
Sexe hundred thousand he putte to vttraunce,
Onto Athenys neuer founde ontrewe;
Yit thei conspired his exil for a newe.
Off knyhtis alle that bar spere or launce,
Duryng his tyme,—I tak no mor on me,
For comparisouns doon offte gret greuaunce,—
Sexe hundred thousand he putte to vttraunce,
Onto Athenys neuer founde ontrewe;
Yit thei conspired his exil for a newe.
What thyng mai heer floure in felicite,
Or stonde stable be long contynuaunce
In hih estatis outher in low degre?—
Now flowe, now ebbe, now ioie, now myschaunce,
Afftir Fortune holdeth the ballaunce.
And speciali, fals, feynyng and ontrewe,
Comouns desir a chaung off pryncis newe.
Or stonde stable be long contynuaunce
In hih estatis outher in low degre?—
Now flowe, now ebbe, now ioie, now myschaunce,
Afftir Fortune holdeth the ballaunce.
And speciali, fals, feynyng and ontrewe,
Comouns desir a chaung off pryncis newe.
Noble Pryncis, in your prosperite,
On sodeyn chaungis set your remembraunce,
Fresshnesse off floures, off braunchis the beute
Haue ai on chaung a tremblyng attendaunce,
In trust off comouns is no perseueraunce:
As wynter [&] somer be dyuers off ther hewe,
So be thei dyuers in chaung off pryncis newe.
On sodeyn chaungis set your remembraunce,
Fresshnesse off floures, off braunchis the beute
Haue ai on chaung a tremblyng attendaunce,
In trust off comouns is no perseueraunce:
As wynter [&] somer be dyuers off ther hewe,
So be thei dyuers in chaung off pryncis newe.
| Lydgate's Fall of Princes | |