Allas, fortune! it was greet crueltee
Swiche briddes for to putte in swiche a cage!
Dampned was he to deye in that prisoun,
For Roger, which that bisshop was of Pyse,
Hadde on him maad a fals suggestioun,
Thurgh which the peple gan vpon him ryse,
And putten him to prisoun in swich wyse
As ye han herd, and mete and drink he hadde
So smal, that wel1 vnnethe it may suffyse,
And therwith-al it was ful poure and badde.
And on a day bifil that in that hour
Whan that his mete wont was to be brought,
The gayler shette the dores of the tour.
He herde it wel, but he ne2 spak right nought,
And in his herte anon ther fil a thought,
That they for hunger wolde doon him dyen.
'Allas!' quod he, 'allas that I was wrought!'
Therwith the teres fillen from his yën.
His yonge sone, that thre yeer was of age,
Vn-to him seyde, fader, why do ye wepe?
Whan wol the gayler bringen our potage,
Is ther no morsel breed that ye do kepe?
I am so hungry that I may nat slepe.
Now wolde god that I myghte slepen euer!
Than sholde nat hunger in my wombe crepe ;
Ther is no thing, saue breed, that me were leuer.'
Thus day by day this child bigan to crye,
Til in his fadres barme adoun it lay,
3 Ln. Hl. saue; Cp. Pt. sauf; E. Hn. but.
And seyde, far wel, fader, I moot dye,'
And kiste his fader, and deyde the same day.
And whan the woful fader deed it sey,
For wo his armes two he gan to byte,
And seyde, allas, fortune! and weylaway!
Thy false wheel my wo al may I wyte!'
His children wende that it for hunger was
That he his armes gnow, and nat for wo,
And seyde, fader, do nat so, allas!
But rather eet the flessh vpon vs two;
Our flessh thou yaf vs1, tak our flessh vs fro,
And eet ynough;' right thus they to him seyde,
And after that, with-in a day or two,
They leyde hem in his lappe adoun, and deyde.
Him-self, despeired, eek for hunger starf;
Thus ended is this myghty Erl of Pyse;
From hy estaat fortune awey him carf.
Of this Tragedie it oughte ynough suffyse.
Who-so wol here it in a lenger wyse,
Redeth the grete poete of Itaille,
That highte Dante, for he can al deuyse
Fro point to point, nat o word wol he faille.
Al-though that Nero were as 2 vicious
As any feend that lyth in helle adoun,
Yet he, as telleth vs Swetonius,
This wyde world hadde in subieccioun,
Both Est and West, South and Septemtrioun;
Of rubies, saphires, and of perles whyte
Were alle his clothes brouded vp and doun;
For he in gemmes gretly gan delyte.
More delicat, more pompous of array,
More proud was neuer emperour than he;
That ilke cloth, that he had wered o day,
After that tyme he nolde it neuer see.
Nettes of gold-thred hadde he gret plentee
To fisshe in Tybre, whan him liste pleye.
His lustes were al lawe in his decree,
For fortune as his frend him wolde obeye.
In youthe a maister hadde this emperour,
To teche him letterure and curteisye,
For of moralitee he was the flour,
As in his tyme, but if bokes lye;
And why this maister hadde of him maistrye,
He maked him so conning and so souple
That longe tyme it was er tirannye
Or any vyce dorste on him vncouple.
This Seneca, of which that I deuyse,
By-cause that Nero hadde of him swich drede,
For he fro vyces wolde him ay 2 chastyse
Discretly as by worde and nat by dede;—
6
seyn, an emperour moot nede
Be vertuous, and hate tirannye'
For which he in a bath made him to blede
On bothe his armes, til he moste dye.
This Nero hadde eek of acustumaunce In youthe ageyn his maister for to ryse, 1 Cm. that; which the rest omit.
2 Hn. Cm. ay; which the rest omit.
For though that he were strong, yet was she strenger;
She thoughte thus, [in feith] I am to nyce
To sette a man that is fulfild of vyce
In hy degree, and emperour him calle.
[Ful sone] out of his sete I wol him tryce;
When he leest weneth, sonest shal he falle.'
The peple roos vp-on him on a nyght
For his defaute, and whan he it espyed,
Out of his dores anon he hath him dyght
Alone, and, ther he wende han ben allyed,
He knokked faste, and ay, the more he cryed,
The faster shette they the dores alle;
Tho wiste he wel he hadde him-self misgyed3,
And wente his wey, no lenger dorste he calle.
The peple cryed and rombled vp and doun,
That with his eres herde he how they seyde
'Wher is this false tyraunt, this Neroun?'
For fere almost out of his wit he breyde,
And to his goddes pitously he preyde
For socour, but it myghte nat bityde.
For drede of this, him thoughte that he deyde,
And ran in-to a gardin, him to hyde.
3 E. Hn. wrongly repeat 1. 3731 here.
2 E. Hn. was; the rest were.
And in this gardin foond he cherles tweye
That seten by a fyr ful1 greet and reed,
And to thise cherles two he gan to preye
To sleen him, and to girden of his heed,
That to his body, whan that he were deed,
Were no despyt ydoon, for his defame.
Him-self he slow, he coude no better reed,
Of which fortune lough, and hadde a game.
DE OLOFERNO (HOLOFERNES).
Was neuer capitayn vnder a king
That regnes mo putte in subieccioun,
Ne strenger was in felde of alle thing,
As in his tyme, ne gretter of renoun,
Ne more pompous in hy presumpcioun
Than Olofern, which that fortune ay kiste
So [tendirly], and ladde him vp and doun
Til that his heed was of, er that he wiste.
Nat only that this world hadde him in awe
For lesinge of richesse or libertee,
But he made euery man reneye his lawe.
Nabugodonosor was god,' seyde he,
'Noon other god sholde honoured be.'
Ageyns his heste no wyght dorste trespace
Saue in Bethulia, a strong citee,
Wher Eliachim a prest was of that place.
But tak kepe of the dethe of Olofern;
Amidde his host he dronke lay a nyghte,
With-inne his tente, large as is a bern,
And yit, for al his pompe and al his myghte,
2 HI. Pt. that; which the rest omit.
1 E. Hn. Cm. omit ful; the rest have it.
3 E. Hn. Cm. omit he; the rest have it.
4 E. Hn. Cm. adoured; Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. honoured.
|