[Bernabo Visconti, of Milan.]
¶ Of Melan / gret Barnabo / viscounte [¶ Barnabo]
God of delit / and skourge of lumbardie
Why shulde I nought / thyn Infortune Acompte
Sithe in estat / þou clombe were so heighe
Line 3592
Thy brothers sone / þat was thy double allye
ffor he thy nevew was / & sone in lawe
with-Inne his prison / made the to dye
But why / ne how not I / þat þou were slawe
Line 3596
[Ugolino, Count of Pisa.]
¶ Of the Erl Hugelyn / of Piȝe the langour [¶ Hugelyn]
There may no tonge tellen / for pitee
But litel out of Piȝe / stant a Tour
In which Tour / in prison put was he
Line 3600
And with him ben / hise litel children three
The eldest skarsely / fyue ȝer was of age
Allas fortune / it was gret crueltee
swich Briddes / for to putte / in swich a cage
Line 3604
¶ Dampned was he / to dye in þat prison
ffor Roger / which þat Busshop was / of Piȝe
had on him mad / a fals suggestion
Thurgh which the peeple / gan vp-oon him rise
Line 3608
And putten him to prison / in swich wyse [folio 187a]
As ȝe han herd / & mete & drynk he hadde
So smal / that wel vnethe / it may suffise
And ther-with-al / it was ful poore & badde
Line 3612
¶ And oon a day bifel / that in that houre
whan þat his mete / wont was to be brought
The Gayler shette the dores / of the Tour
he herd it wel / but he spak right nought
Line 3616
And in his herte / a-noon þere fel a thought
That they for honger / wolde don him dyen
Allas quod he / allas þat I was wrought
There-with the teres / fellen from hise eyen
Line 3620
