University of Virginia Library

THE DEATHES OF CERTEN Noble Princes in english verse.

Alexander the great his death.

VVhat sounde assurance is of man?
what certaine lotte of life?
When Atrop cuts which Lachese spinnes,
with cruell cursed knife.
Hee yesterday renowmed Prince,
and King of Kinges so braue:
To daye in mouldred mossie mire,
layde in his fatall graue.
Yesterdaye the sonne of loue,
might all commaunde at will:
To day starcke naked in the earth,
with wormes his belly full.

Iulius Cæsars death.

I Long that ruled Rome at will,
in middest of Rome am spilde:
And in the Senate house amongst
the Senators I am kilde.
Who Countries, Kingdomes, Castles strong,
who Europe all did quell:
To Brutus hande, and Cassius snares,
vnwares I Cæsar fell.
With Bodkins, Daggers, Swordes and Staues.
I Cæsar there was slaine:
Of fostered foes which friendeshippe fainde,
as Abel was of Cain.

Cirus King of Persea his death.

What Kesar, King, or Prince thou art,
that passes here this way:
Suffer Cirus seauen foote,
to rest his Corpes in clay.
Whose greedie minde and raging race,
whose fortune frowning wild:
That Cirus shoulde be in Scithia slaine,
by Tomyris, Queene in fielde.
Whose heade was off and bathed in bloode,
to whome the Queene spake first:
Drinke cruell Cirus bloode ynough,
that long for bloode did thirst.

Agamemnon his death.

Whome tenne yeares warres in Phrigian fieldes,
nor Troyans force subdue:
Whome winde, nor Seas, nor tempest hurt,
this Clitemnestra slue.
This famous Prince and Capitaine graunde,
of all the Geekes in fielde:
Whome fame in Phrigia so aduaunced,
his onely spouse him kilde.
Thus fortune friendly flowed fast,
and fauored fame to sounde:
Till frowning fortune foylde the state,
which fawning fortune founde.

King Pirrhus his death.

Here Pirrhus Prince of Epire lyes,
whose force Tarentum knew:
At Argos was by a woman slaine,
with a Tilestoone that shee threw.
Whom thousande Princes coulde not hurt,
nor Romanes all annoy:
Whom shot of Gunnes ne dreadfull dart,
might Pirrhus Prince destroy.
This seconde souldier counted was,
to Alexander King:
A sielie Argiue woman lo,
to graue did Pirrhus bring.

Hanibal his death.

The fostered fame the glory great,
that was in Carthage coast:
The honour long that Lybia had,
againe in time was lost.
He that was the scurge of Rome,
and Romanes oft offend:
He that saued his natiue zoile,
and Carthage did defende.
The same at last to Siria fled,
to craue Antiochus ayde:
Unto Bithinia thence he went,
to Prusias King dismayde.
And there to voyde Flaminius force,
he poyson dranke did die;
Thus hauty Hanibal ended life,
and there his bones do lye.

Pompeius death.

Pompeius fleeing Pharsalia fieldes,
from Cæsar, life to saue:
Whome then Photinus fayned friende,
to Egypt soyle did laue.
And there by slaightes of faythlesse frindes,
for golde and siluer loe:
Pompeius heade was sent to Rome,
to Cæsar for to shoe.
His bodie left vnburied lieth,
in Egypt slimy sandes:
Who sometime King of Pontus prest,
and all Armenia landes.

Cicero his death.

VVhome Cicero saued oft from death,
the same did Cicero kill:
Pompilius prowde to please the rage,
of Mar. Antonius will.
Whose heade was sette in sight to see,
Antonius minde to please:
Whose tongue did Fuluia pricke with pinnes,
Hir stony heart to ease.
Who when hee was for Clodius sake,
exiled Rome to raunge:
Twentie thousande Romanes mournde,
in mourning weedes the chaunge.
Hee three times Consul was in Rome,
now in Caieta slaine:
Whose noble name and lasting fame,
shall styll on earth remaine.

Demosthenes death.

The sugred sappe the solace long,
the guyde of Athens then:
That stoute withstoode king Philips force,
in spite of Philips men.
Of whome king Philip in his warres,
was forcde to say at length:
Hee feared more Demosthenes tongue,
then all the Athinians strength.
Such is the ende of mortall wightes,
such is the miserie of men:
That howe to die, the time the place,
he knoweth not where nor when.

Achilles his death.

The hope of Greece, and countries care,
Achilles strong of force:
Like stoute Alcides fought on foote,
like Mars himselfe on horse.
But lust that ruled Goddes sometimes,
did then Achilles mooue:
To walke to Troye to feede desire,
for Priamus daughters loue.
Who by a Dart that Paris driude,
Achilles had his ende:
Whose worthy actes and marshall feates,
in Homer well is pende.

Hectors death.

Hector stoute whose strokes full sterne,
the Greekes did girde so grim:
And foyled foes in Phrigian fieldes,
death happened thus to him.
In spoyling of Patroclus king,
Achilles faythfull friende:
Came strong Achilles to the place,
to see Patroclus ende.
Then Hectors harnesse quite was of,
supposing none so nie:
When great Achilles watcht in place,
in Hectors face to flie.
And with his speare hee thrust him through,
from Hectors side to side:
Thus famous man and Phrigian Prince,
thus Troyan Hector died.

Thimistocles death.

That noble Greeke Themistocles,
by Artaxerxes forcde:
To fight agaynst his natiue soyle,
in harnesse braue was horsde.
But marke a valiaunt minde,
beholde a famous deede:
To hurt his soyle this noble Greeke,
did feele his heart to bleede.
To voyde this wrath of Perseans Prince,
hee bloode with poyson dranke:
And so to die, that so did liue,
hee gladly God did thanke.

Marcellus death.

Marcellus in his glorie great,
triumphant Uictor oft:
The Spurre of Rome, and Romane guyde,
in state aduaunced loft.
Who by the Senate sage was sent,
to Massinissa King:
And charged that from Africk fieldes,
an aunswere he shoulde bring.
On surging Seas, of wambling waues,
vnto his busines bent.
Dame Fortune doth with flattering feates
such loftie mates preuent.

Nero his death.

In lust who leadeth life,
with Tyraunt Nero here:
Must with Nero ende his life,
as did in Rome appere.
Who slue his Mayster Seneca,
who did his mother kill:
Who spoyled all, who spared none,
who last him selfe did spill.
Whose death as ioyfull was to Rome,
as Rome his life detest.
That into Tiber he being deade,
the Romans threwe this beast.

Hercules death.

Which Dragons, Lions, Tigers wilde,
which beastes so fierce did tame:
Which Castles, Countries, Townes, and Towres,
loe death subdued the same.
What Hercules hadde at Nessus hande,
the same with flames did frie:
Wherein that ofspring great of Goddes,
and impe of Ioue did die.

Herods death.

When Herode raigned in Iuda King,
his lothsome life to ledde:
On sucking babes and infantes bloode,
this cruell tyraunt fedde.
To seeke our Sauiour Christ he kilde,
the babes of Iuda lande:
And thought our God coulde not escape
his fomie blodie hande.
Of Wormes this Herode was deuourde,
of vermin loe and mise:
His bones, his fleshe, was all consumde,
and eaten vp of Life.

Seleucus king of Siria his death.

Seleucus King of Siria lo,
Antiochus sonne the great:
To whome in middest of ioyfull state,
did fortune vse this feate.
That mounted high on stately steede,
with princely port to ride:
From pompe, from pride, from horse he fell,
and there Seleucus died.
That earst in Siria had such fame,
and liued long in mirth:
With crawling creeping wormes hee lieth,
starcke naked in the earth.

Traians death.

When twentie yeares had Traian rainde
in Romane Empire lo:
In Citie called Seleucia died,
from Persea comming fro.
Whose noble dayes and happy yeres,
while yet in Rome hee dwelt:
Both Rome and Romanes then reioycde,
no griefe in Rome was felt.
He rightly ruled Rome by lawe,
he Romane safegarde sought:
To punish vice and hate eche sinne,
Plutarchus him hath taught.

King Anceus death.

Who thinkes to ioye shall hap to wo,
who thinkes to liue shall die:
Who thinkes to speede shall often misse,
thus fortune friends doth trie.
As Anceus King of Samos sought,
to slea a sauage Bore:
Was by the Bore he thought to kill,
constraynde to die before.

Heliogabalus Emperour of Rome his death.

Beholde another Gorgon grim,
a monster Cyclop lo:
Whose lothsome life and wicked wayes,
all Rome did feare I know.
The sincke of sinne, the shape of shame,
the beast of Rome was calde:
The cruelst scourge, the sorest plague,
that euer Rome haue stalde.
This monster murthered in a iakes,
and halde through Rome in steetes:
And after throwne to Tibers streames,
shut in his shrowding sheetes.