The Petworth ms. of Chaucer's Canterbury tales. Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall.

[Julius Cæsar.]

By wisdome manhode and by labour [¶ Iulius Cesar/.] ffro humblehede and fro Roial Maieste Vp roos he Iulius þe Conquerour That all þe Occident by londe and See Line 3864 By strength of honde or ellis by trete And vnto Roome made hem tributarie. And Sithens of Rome þe Emperour was he / Til þat fortune wexe his aduersarie [folio 257a] Line 3868

A Mighty Cesar þat in Tessalye. Aȝeinst Pompius fader þine in lawe That of þe Orient had al þe chyualrie As fer as þat þe day bygynneþ dawe Line 3872 Thogh þou þorgh þi knyghthode haþ hem take and sclawe Sauf fewe folk þat wiþ Pompius fledde Thorghe which þou puttest al þe orient in awe Thonke fortune þat so wel þe spedde Line 3876

[6-text p 278] Line 3876

But now a litel while I wil bywaile This Pompeus þis noble gouernour Of Roome which þat fleigh at this bataille I saye oon of his men a fals traitour Line 3880 His hede of smote to wynne hym fauour Of Iulius and hym þe hede brouȝt Allas Pompey of the Orient conquerour That fortune vnto such a funte brouȝt Line 3884

TO Rome aȝeine repeireþ Iulius. Wiþ triumphe laureat ful high But on a tyme Brutus Cassius þat euere had of his astate Envie Line 3888 fful priuely had made Conspiracie Aȝeinst þis Iulius in subtile wise / And cast þe place in which he shuld dye With boydekyns as I shal ȝou · devise Line 3892

This Iulius to þe Capithole went Vppon a day as he was wonte to goon And in þe Capitole anoon hym hente This fals Brutus and his foule foon Line 3896 And stiked hym wiþ boydekyns anon Wiþ mony a wounde and þus þei lete hym lye But neuere grunte he at no stroke but oon Or ellis at twoo but ȝif his storie lye Line 3900

So manly was þis Iulius of herte And so wel loued estately honeste That þouȝe his dedly woundes so sore smerte His mantel ouer his hippes cast he Line 3904 ffor no man shuld se his privete And as he lay on dyinge in a traunce [folio 257b] And wist verrely þat dede was he Of honeste ȝit had he remembraunce Line 3908

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¶ Lucane to þis storie I recomende And to Sweton and Valerius also. That of His storie writeþ word and ende How þat þise grete conquerours twoo Line 3912 ffortune was furst frende and siþen a foo/ No man ne trust vpon his fauour longe But haue hure in a-waite euermoo Witnes on alle þise conquerours stronge Line 3916