Lydgate's Fall of Princes :: :: University of Virginia Library

Afftir other þat put hemsilf in pres,
Tofor Bochas ther compleyntis to discure,
Cam off Athenys Alcibiades,
That tyme a-lyue the fairest creature.
And as it is remembred be scripture,
He was discreet and wis at all assaies,
And oon the strengest & manli in his daies.

He was first born off riht hih lynage,
Aboue all other off most semlynesse,
Weel proporciowned and hardi off corage,
Loued & weel fauoured for his gret fairnesse,
Famous in knyhthod for his worthynesse,
Sotil wittid, and koude bi eloquence
Moche comprehende vnder short sentence.

421

His witt enclyned to manyfold sciences,
Hadde off kunnyng a passyng retentiff,
Loued clerkis, & fond hem ther despencis,
Such as in practik he sauh most inuentiff.
To reede in bokis reioished al his liff,
Kepte what he radde in his memoriall,
And off wis counseil was noon to hym egall.

An vncle he hadde Icallid Pericles,
Which stood in daunger, off excessiff spendyng;
Yit in his youthe this Alcibiades,
Seyng his vncle pensiff in lokyng,
Caste off wisdam to remedie that thyng;
And for tasswage his hertis heuynesse,
Gaff hym this counseil bi gret avisynesse:

First to reherse how the mateer stood,
And off his vncles woful hih distresse.
Ther was to hym delyuered a summe off good,
To repare the temple off a goddesse
Callid Mynerua; but for the gret excesse
Off his dispendyng, he stood sumwhat in dreede
Touchyng thacounte, which he mut yilde in deede.

Alcibiades heerupon musyng,
To his vncle gaff counseil in sentence.
“Vncle,” quod he, “lat be al your thynkyng,
And for yoursilff[e] shapeth this diffence,
Nat for tacounte—be mene off your prudence,
Aforn prouyded, with face & cheer onfeyned,
To such duresse that ye be nat constreyned.”

And whan Pericles his counseil aduertisith,
Fond to his worshep it was resonable;
And bi good leiser hymselff ful weel auysith,
And bi prouysioun, prudent and notable,
Saued his estat from ech thyng repreuable,
So that he stood[e], touchyng this mateer,
As for acomptis out off al daunger.

422

Alcibiades, off Athene cheeff capteyn,
Fro day to day wex up to gret encres,
Such another was ther nowher seyn,
Them to gouerne bothe in werre and pes.
And al the cite bi assent hym ches,
Off ther nauye in especial,
Vpon the se to been ther amyral.

For his knyhthod thei sent hym out a-ferre,
Off Cathenois to be ther gouernour,
Geyn Siracusanes for to gynne a werre.
First ther receyued with glorie & gret honour,
But in the eende off his gret labour,
Fortune that is ay variant & onstable,
Was to this duc nat founde fauourable.

He was accusid to them off the toun,
Which in Athenys hadde gouernaunce,
That he was gilti in parti off tresoun.
Bi them reuoked, for al his gret puissaunce
Off capteynship, and bi ther ordynaunce
And Fortunys fals mutabilite,
Onwarli pryued from al dignyte.

But for hymsilff[e] thus he gan prouide,
Wente into exil nat ferr fro that cuntre
Into a cite that callid was Elide,
Ther for to ha[ue] fredam and liberte,
And off his liff to stonde in surete;
For in Athen thei wolde haue hym ded,
Onto ther goddis to offren vp his hed.

But whan he was off ther entent certeyn,
To Lacedemoyn he took the riht[e] way,
And be relacioun ther he herde seyn,
How Thathenyenses wer put at affray
In a bataile vpon a certyen day,
Which that thei heeld, to ther aduersite,
Geyn Cathenois, as thei fauht on the se.

But the cause off this disconfiture,
As was told to Alcibiades,
Was bi thre capteyns, thoruh ther mysauenture,
Which in ther ledyng wer founde rech[e]les.

423

The cheef off them named Demostenes,
The tother callid, the stori tellith vs,
The ton Niceas, the tother Eurilocus.

Alcibiades, hauyng heeroff tidyng,
Tauenge his wrong put hymselff in pres;
Off Lacedemoyn he goth first to the kyng,
Which off trouthe was callid Agides,
Besechyng hym to graunte to his encres
Certeyn soudiours out off his cuntre,
For to werreie Athenes the cite.

Thus he wex strong, off noble prouidence,
Hadde gret peeple vnder his gouernaunce,
And lik a duk, maad strong in his diffence
Be peeple gadred to his obeisaunce,
That other pryncis, which wer off hih puissaunce,
Gan haue envie, off wilful frowardnesse,
And to maligne ageyn his hih noblesse.

For seelde or neuer in any regioun,
Prowesse off armys, noblesse off cheualrie,
Encres in richesse, report off hih renoun,
Fame off kunnyng in crafft or in clergie
May nowher duelle withoute sum envie,
From whos malice, as folk expert mai see,
Sauf onli wrechis no man hath liberte.

For which this prynce, as put is in memorie,
Escapid nat, for al his hih parage,
But that summe envied at his glorie;
For in this liff no man hath auauntage
Ageyn tunges nor odious fals language.
To stoppe such venym, this the beste obstacle,
That men with suffraunce tempre ther triacle.

The cleer prowesse off Alcibiades
Steyned the noblesse off other pryncis all;
His eure hym reised up to so gret encres,
To the hiest throne off Fortunys hall.
Such fatal grace is onto hym fall,

424

That in tho daies, pleynli this no fable,
Ther was in knyhthod noon to hym resemblable.

In his exil so cleer his renoun shon,
And thoruh Grece gaff as gret brihtnesse
As doth a rubi aboue ech other ston:
Yit for teclipse & shadwe his worthynesse,
Lacedemonois dede ther besynesse,
Such as myhte nat to his noblesse atteyne,
Bi fals report his renoun to restreyne.

Await was leid to take hym at myscheff,
And many treynys wer serchid out & souht,
Off entent taput hym at repreeff.
But al that euer ageyn hym thei ha[ue] wrouht,
At the eende ther purpos cam to nouht;
For God prouydeth off his magnyficence
Ageyn such malice to sauen innocence.

He was likli tafalle in gret daunger,
Lacedemonois gan at hym so disdeyne
Because his honour & noblesse shon so cleer,
That to his fon it was a dedli peyne.
And thus his liff stood in noun certeyne;
For al-be-it he manli was and wis,
He knew nothyng ther purpos nor malice.

He hadde almost iwarned be to late,
And lik tastonde in gret perplexite.
And mor his grace & fortune to abate,
Bi thoccasioun off his gret beute,
He with the queen was wexen ful pryue;
For in hir grace so weel stood ther non,
Which gaff hym warnyng off them that wer his fon.

And bi the counsail onli off the queen,
Fro Lacedemoyn he wisli took his fliht
Toward Athenys, & thouhte he wolde seen
His owne cuntre, ful lik a manli knyht.
And thouh thei hadde nat gouerned hem a-riht

425

Towardis hym, beyng in distresse,
Tauenge his wrong he dede hem no duresse.

For he thouhte it was ageyn nature,
To be vengable or shewe his cruelte
Bi thoccasioun off any auenture,
Or gynne a werre vpon his cuntre;
His natiff blood meued hym to pite,
And off verrai natural ientilesse
Was debonaire geyn ther onkynd[e]nesse.

The cas was this, for short conclusioun,
How kyng Darie with gret apparaile
Thouhte to werreie, off indignacioun,
Them off Athenys and ther toun tassaile.
And in his purpos proudli to preuaile,
Thesiffernes, a prynce off gret puissaunce,
Off Daries power hadde al the gouernaunce.

Fynal cause and ground off al this werre,
That Darius gan on hem so hastili,
And that he sente his puissaunce fro so ferre
For to destroie Athenys vttirli,
Was to hold up and sustene the parti
Off Lacedemoyn, which off old hatreede
Wer euer envious them for toppresse in deede.

But be mene off Alcibiades,
And bi his trete foundid on prudence,
Thesiffernes enclyned to the pes,
Therbi in parti tappese his violence.
And al was doon off noble prouidence,
And fro the place to which he was exilid,
He to Athenys sholde be reconciled.

Onto the cite he dede signefie
How Darius hadde maad his ordenaunce,
And bi his lettris he gan them specifie,
Yiff thei wolde stonde at his gouernaunce,
To condescende, pleynli in substaunce,
He wolde laboure, and no lenger tarie,
To make accord atwen hem & kyng Darie.

426

This was the mene that he mente:
Withynne Athenys that the senatours
Sholde off the cite, afftir ther entente,
Ha[ue] fulli lordshipe, and be ther gouernours.
But as cleer wethir troublid is with shours,
Riht so vnwarli, withynne that roial toun,
Thoruh this trete fill a discencioun.

The comowneris gan sodenli disdeyne
To be so thrallid vnder subieccioun;
And so bassent the comouns dede ordeyne,
Onli tappese al fals discencioun,
For to reuoke ageyn into ther toun
Alcibiades, as thei thouhte it meete,
Thoruh his prudence to sette hem in quyete.

First in his komyng, myn auctour doth reporte,
He was maad duk ageyn off that cite,
And gan the parti off comouns to supporte,
And them restore to ther old liberte.
Wherthuruh the senat, dredyng the comounte,
Fledde into exil ful ferr out off al pres,
Onli for dreed off Alcibiades.

Thei stood that tyme in so gret disioynt,
Ther toun deuided and out of gouernaunce,
That thei wer brouht euene onto the poynt
To yolde the cite vnto thobeissance
Of Lacedemoyn, thoruh ther vnhappi chaunce,
Withynne hemsilff[e] whan thei gan debate,
Vnto ther duk the senat bar such hate.

But the comouns ches in ther diffence
Alcibiades to gouerne that viage.
And to the se, with cost & gret dispence,
Withoute abood he holdeth his passage
In myhti shippis maad for auauntage,
Weel enarmyd, & caste, yif he myhte,
With Lacedemonois proudli for to fihte.

427

Thre myhti capteyns wern on the tother side,
The first[e] Zestro, Bochas tellith thus,
And the second that was ther lord & guide
Callid Midare, the thridde Pharbanasus,
On se and lond in armys ful pompous.
But of his knihthod and magnanymyte
Alcibiades took hem all[e] thre.

Strong was the fiht or that thei wer[e] take,
Of al ther meyne awey ther scaped non;
The duk that day gan swich a slauhtre make
Of hih prowesse vpon his mortal foon,
Cast ouerboord almost euerichon,
And aftir that, whan he cam to londe,
A newe bataille met hym on the stronde,

Swich wait was leid aboute hym enviroun
Of his enmyes be sodeyn auenture.
But of Athenys this myhti champioun,
Which myhte in armys most souereynli endure,
Made on his foon a [newe] disconfiture.
Thus in short tyme this prince in his estaat
On lond and se was twies laureat.

And aftir that, he list nat for to cesse
Nor tabide the space off halff a day:
The comoun proffit of his toun tencresse,
Toward Asie he took the riht[e] way,
And touns, castellis that wer take away,
Which apertened to Athenys of riht,
He gat ageyn, ful lik a manli kniht.

Maugre all that to hym wer contrarye,
Or wrouhte ageyn hym be rebellioun,
Thoruhout [al] Asie in the land of Darie
He knihtli brouht hem to subieccioun,
Ageyn whos swerd halp no proteccioun.
And fynal labour was off his entente,
The comoun proffit off his toun taugmente.

428

And with this glorie and with this hih noblesse
He to Athenys repeired is ageyn;
And al the cite, with ioie & gret gladnesse,
Cam out to meete hym upon a wol fair pleyn.
And that his triumphes sholde openli be seyn,
Bothe old & yong, with ful glad visages,
Of ther goddis brouht out the images.

This was the[r] cry & noise of al the pres:
“Victorious prince, whos triumphes marciall
Shal euer be songe with loude and newe encres
Tofor the goddis, which been inmortall,
Wolkome, wolkome! our protectour, our wall,
Sheeld of our weelfare ageyn al violence,
Phebus of knihthod, & swerd of our diffence!”

Thus with ther goddis thei maden hym egall
Bi vnkouth praisyng of paganysme rihtis,
Lik as he hadde be verray inmortall,
And sang refreites to comende his merites.
Tenhaunce his glorie thei sette al ther delites,
And with the liht[e] of eternal fame,
Sette up torchis tenlumyne with his name.

Thus certeyn daies thei halwed of entent,
Thoruh [al] the cite for his hih prowesse,
Til Fortune hath his eyen blent
With newe fauour of worldli fals suetnesse.
For al hir sugir is meynt with bittirnesse,—
A bait of hony, shad out at pryme face,
With mortall venym hid vndir to manace.

For in his hiest clymbyng up aloffte,
And in thascence of Fortunys wheel,
Aftir hir custum, as she hath ful ofte,
Whan he best wende for tastonde weel,
She drouh hir fauour from hym euerideel,
Made the peeple vndir his obeissaunce
To falle in myscheeff for lak of gouernaunce.

429

Thus fro this duk Fortune gan to varie,
And his noblesse go bak & eek faille,
Whan kyng Cirus, successour to Darie,
Ful vnwarli fill on hym in bataille,
And gan his knihtis proudli to assaille,
Whan he dispurveied, void of prouidence,
Was ouerleid to make resistence.

For fynalli this Alcibiades
At myscheeff take, which he myhte nat recure,
Whan thoruh veynglori he was maad rek[e]les
His noble estat testablisshe & assure.
Lak of forsiht caused his disconfiture;
And to encres of mor aduersite,
Ban[y]shed ageyn out of his cite.

Thus diffacid and clipsed was his glorie,
His cite put in straunge gouernaunce
Be Lacedemonoys aftir ther victorie,
So that he knew no maner cheuisaunce
To refourme his vnhappi chaunce,
Sauf for refut, myn auctour doth reherse,
How that he fledde onto the kyng of Perse.

From Athenys of newe he was exilled;
And thretti personys, furious & vengable,
Chose in that cite, as Bochas hath compiled,
The toun gouerned, al-be thei wer nat able,
Vsyng a maner hatful and repreuable,
Thoruh ther rauyne temporisshe ther cite,
A thyng most odious to eueri comounte.

A werm of dreed was bred up in ther herte,
Which suffred nat them to lyue in pes,
Among themsilff[e] whan thei dide aduerte
The grete prudence of Alcibiades,
How in manhod he was pereles,
List he wold aftir, for al ther multitude,
Knihtli aquite ther ingratitude.

And of assent tabreggen his lyff daies,
Thei ageyn hym of malis han conspired,
Afftir his exil, to maken no dellaies

430

For tacomplisshe that thei long han desired,
With brennyng hate ther hertis falsli fired,
To moordre benvie, causeles ageyn [al] riht,
Alcibiades, the noble worthi kniht.

Thus the tyme approchid and the date,
Term afforn set be constellacioun
Of his parodie and his lyuys fate,
Which was concludid, as maad is mencioun,
Bi cruel moordre to his destruccioun.
Alas, what prince, with gold or soudiours,
May hym prouide geyn fals conspiratours!

Fortune of newe gan at hym enchace;
From hir treynys that he nat scape myhte,
Daili pursuede fro place ay onto place,
Thoruh Perse and Mede, thouh he wer out of siht.
Til that his enmyes fill on hym be nihte,
Slepyng, alas, to soone thei wer sped:
Whan thei hym fond, thei brente hym in his bed.

Thus be moordre ther purpos was acheuyd,—
Alas, it was to horrible a deede,
So good a kniht, so weel in armys preuyd,
So renommede, so famous in manheede,
For to be brent among the coles rede!
First vnwarli in his bed Itake,
And so consumyd among the smokes blake.

This was the eende of Alcibiades,
Which in knihthod was most souereyne;
In werre a leoun, and a lamb in pes,
As Mars victorious, his fate so dide ordeyne.
To famys paleis he fley with wynges tweyne,
Sone to Mynerva, to speke of hih prudence,
And lik Mercurie be notable elloquence.