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 Ceson Quincius exiled and Graccus take prisonere.] |
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 | Lydgate's Fall of Princes |  |
[Off Ceson Quincius exiled and Graccus take prisonere.]
I can no mor reherse off Palantus,
Duk & ledere off Parthennois;
But I will tell how Ceson Quincius
Cam tofor Bochas, with a ful pitous vois
His tale gan, and Graccus prince off Equois,—
Bothe attonys gan ther song entune,
Most doolfulli to pleyne vpon Fortune.
Duk & ledere off Parthennois;
But I will tell how Ceson Quincius
Cam tofor Bochas, with a ful pitous vois
His tale gan, and Graccus prince off Equois,—
Bothe attonys gan ther song entune,
Most doolfulli to pleyne vpon Fortune.
This myhti prince Ceson Quincius
Compleyned first, as maad is mencioun,
How thei off Rome wer contrarious
And felli wrouhte to his destruccioun,
And ful oniustli banshed hym the toun,
And natwithstandyng he was a dictatour,
Hym to confounde thei dede ther labour.
Compleyned first, as maad is mencioun,
How thei off Rome wer contrarious
And felli wrouhte to his destruccioun,
And ful oniustli banshed hym the toun,
411
Hym to confounde thei dede ther labour.
Cause off his exil compassid, as I reede,
That he was slouh, thei saide, & necligent
Hym to defende touchyng apel in deede,
[Which] that ageyn hym was wrouht off fals entent.
Yit Cincinnatus, his fader, be assent
Paide for amendis, as seyn cronycleris,
Met out off lond drauht off thre arblasteris.
That he was slouh, thei saide, & necligent
Hym to defende touchyng apel in deede,
[Which] that ageyn hym was wrouht off fals entent.
Yit Cincinnatus, his fader, be assent
Paide for amendis, as seyn cronycleris,
Met out off lond drauht off thre arblasteris.
Yit his enmyes wolde nat be content,
But proceded that he was exiled,
Dede execucioun off his iugement,
As in his story ful pleynli is compiled,
He afftir neuer myht be reconciled,
Which I ha[ue] pite to put in remembraunce,—
So litel offence sholde ha[ue] so gret vengaunce!
But proceded that he was exiled,
Dede execucioun off his iugement,
As in his story ful pleynli is compiled,
He afftir neuer myht be reconciled,
Which I ha[ue] pite to put in remembraunce,—
So litel offence sholde ha[ue] so gret vengaunce!
Graccus off Rome, callid Cloellius,
Prynce off Equoys, myn auctour seith the same,
Was in his tyme notable and glorious,
And a gret duk, ful renommed off fame.
But how the peeple of Equois first took name,
Vnder support, that no man ha[ue] disdeyn,
I will the processe declare heer in certeyn.
Prynce off Equoys, myn auctour seith the same,
Was in his tyme notable and glorious,
And a gret duk, ful renommed off fame.
But how the peeple of Equois first took name,
Vnder support, that no man ha[ue] disdeyn,
I will the processe declare heer in certeyn.
Iohn Bochas seith, ther is a nacioun
Which that first[e] wer callid Hunois,
And secondli also bi successioun
Off ful long tyme named Anathois;
And aldirlast men callid hem Equois,
Lich as I trowe myn auctour seith the same,
Off hors most swifft thei took[e] first the name.
Which that first[e] wer callid Hunois,
And secondli also bi successioun
Off ful long tyme named Anathois;
And aldirlast men callid hem Equois,
Lich as I trowe myn auctour seith the same,
Off hors most swifft thei took[e] first the name.
And as it is remembred in sentence,
Bi ther manheed and famous hardynesse,
Geyn Alisandre thei made a strong diffence
On hors[e]bak thoruh ther gret swiftnesse.
Beside the hill[e], pleynli to expresse,
Which in cronycles is callid Caucasus,
This peeple off Equois were victorious.
Bi ther manheed and famous hardynesse,
Geyn Alisandre thei made a strong diffence
On hors[e]bak thoruh ther gret swiftnesse.
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Which in cronycles is callid Caucasus,
This peeple off Equois were victorious.
To ther noblesse, pleynli as I fynde,
Nothyng in erthe was mor expedient
In ther conquest off Ethiope and Inde,
As hors most swifft, seruyng ther entent,
Therbi conqueryng al the orient.
So gret prowesse was in ther passage,
That Equois brouhte al Egipt in seruage.
Nothyng in erthe was mor expedient
In ther conquest off Ethiope and Inde,
As hors most swifft, seruyng ther entent,
Therbi conqueryng al the orient.
So gret prowesse was in ther passage,
That Equois brouhte al Egipt in seruage.
Thus wher-euer Equois dede ride,
Thei gat gret good to ther possessioun.
And Graccus was ther gouernour & guide,
Which bi his steryng and fals suggestioun
Ageyn the Romeyns fill in rebellioun;
But to withstonde hym thei sent out anon riht
Cyncynatus, preued a ful good knyht.
Thei gat gret good to ther possessioun.
And Graccus was ther gouernour & guide,
Which bi his steryng and fals suggestioun
Ageyn the Romeyns fill in rebellioun;
But to withstonde hym thei sent out anon riht
Cyncynatus, preued a ful good knyht.
He was weel trusted and knowe in the toun,
And for his prudence chose a dictatour.
His liflode smal and his possessioun,
Al-be he was a worthi werreiour,
Which hath venquysshid be his knyhtli labour
The said[e] Graccus, for al his gret poweer,
And hom to Rome brouht hym prisoneer.
And for his prudence chose a dictatour.
His liflode smal and his possessioun,
Al-be he was a worthi werreiour,
Which hath venquysshid be his knyhtli labour
The said[e] Graccus, for al his gret poweer,
And hom to Rome brouht hym prisoneer.
Cyncynatus in [his] char was set,
Callid Quincius, for this gret victorie,
And most solempneli with senatours met,
Which gaff to hym, for tencrece his glorie,
Laude off tryumphe, to putte hym in memorie.
And Graccus afftir, for his rebellioun,
With cheynys bounde, cast in a derk prisoun.
Callid Quincius, for this gret victorie,
And most solempneli with senatours met,
Which gaff to hym, for tencrece his glorie,
Laude off tryumphe, to putte hym in memorie.
And Graccus afftir, for his rebellioun,
With cheynys bounde, cast in a derk prisoun.
And ther he deide in ful gret myscheeff,
Afftir his conquestis first famous & notable.
An euidence to vs and a gret preeff,
How that Fortune is ai fals & onstable,
Euer double, froward and deceyuable,
The fall off Graccus declare can ful weel,
That whilom sat so hih vpon hir wheel.
Afftir his conquestis first famous & notable.
An euidence to vs and a gret preeff,
How that Fortune is ai fals & onstable,
Euer double, froward and deceyuable,
The fall off Graccus declare can ful weel,
That whilom sat so hih vpon hir wheel.
| Lydgate's Fall of Princes | |