[6-text p 279]
¶ Lucane to þis story I recomende
And to Sweton and to Valerius also
That of þis story writeþ word and ende
how þat þese grete conqueroures tuo
Line 3912
ffortune was ferst freend and siþen a foo
No man ne truste vpon his fauour longe
But haue hire in awayte for eueremo
Witnesse on alle þise conqueroures stronge
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[Cresus.]
¶ This riche Cresus whilom king of lyde [Cresus.]
Of whiche Cresus Cyquus sore him dradde
Ȝet was he caught amyddes alle his pryde
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And to be brent men to þe fuyre him ladde [folio 246b]
But such a reyn doun fro þe walken schadde
þat slough þe fuyr and made him to askape
But to be war ȝet no grace he hadde
Til fortune on þe galwes made him gape
Line 3924
¶ Whan he askaped was he can not stynte
ffor to begynne a newe reyne aȝein
he wende wel for þat fortune him sente
Such happe þat he escaped þurgh þe rayn
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That of his foos he mighte not be slayn
And swich a swefne vppan a night he mette
Of which he was so proud and eek so fayn
That in vengaunce he alle his herte sette
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¶ Vpon a tree he was as þat him þoughte
There Iubiter him wisshe boþe halse and syde
And Phebus eek a fair towayle him broughte
To druye him wiþ and þerfore wax his pryde
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And to his doughter þat stood him besyde
Which þat he knew in heigh sentence abounde
He bad hire telle him what it signefyed
And sche his dreemes bygan right þus expounde
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