Prolicionycion [sic]

¶De vrbe Romana ¶ Capitulum. xxiiij

AVctours wryten and tellen that the Cyte of Rome is y buylded in Tuscia that is a partye of Italya / Of the fondacion therof and Gouernynge. Auctours wryte many dyuerse doynges and specially. Martinus de condicione e¦ius / Magister vero gregorius. of the wōdres of the cyte wryteth shortly many thynges that ben worthy to be kept in mynde ¶ Martinus it is wryte that many Kynges regned aboute the place of Rome / For Eustodius sayth that after that toure babel was y buylt and men bigonne to speke dyuerse tonges and lan¦gages. ¶ Noe with certayn men toke a ship and sayl∣led in to Italia / And buylded a Cyte of his name and ended there his lyf ¶Thenne Ianus Iaphets sone that was Noes so∣ne buylded Ianiculum by yonde the Ryuer Tiberis There is nowe a Chirche of seynt Iohan that heyght seynt Iohans chirche ad Ianiculum. About that tyme Nemproth that hight Saturnus al¦so whiche was gelded of his owne sone Iupyter come to the for∣seyd Ianus kyngdom / And buylded a Cyte there as the Capi∣tol is now. ¶Also Italus that tyme the kyng with Sciculis men of Scicil••a come to Ianus & to Saturnus and buylt a cyte fast by the Ryuer Albula / That Ryuer is now called Tyb••r & is a Ryuer of Rome ¶ Also hercules Italus sone buylded a cy¦te named galeria bynethe the Capytol· ¶ After that Tiberis the kynge come oute of the este· And euander the kyng out of Archa¦dia and buylded Cytees / Vyrgylius acordeth herto and seyth / thē¦ne the fader euander at Rome was maker of towres / Thenne af∣terward come Romulus and closed within one walle alle thylke cytees aboute and made one grete cyte of alle closed in one / And brought gentilmen and noble oute of ytalia with theyr wyues for to dwelle therinne / ¶Titus ¶whyle that Cyte was poure. was no place more holy· ne rycher of good ensample. But after∣ward ryches gadred and encreaced And syn they haue ben couey¦tous and lecherous· ¶Marcus ¶Two bretheren that were born at one burthon / Remus and Romulus buylden Rome in the hil¦le palatinus And was buyld the / xj Kalendes of Maye· Tho

bigan the vij Olimpus that was the fyrste yere of Achaz kyn¦ge of Iuda. and four honderd / liiij yere after the takyng of troye ¶R / But more veryly as Solynus seyth· four honderd and xxxiiij / after the takyng of troye. Marc̄ / The whiche Cyte of Rome was afterward / wonderly y highte with walles. with toures with yates. with tēples· with palays· & dyuse & wōderful werkes / & had on the walles thre honderd / lxj towres and contey∣neth about two and twenty myle without that is by yonde tiber and the Cyte leonina / But as men seyn it conteyneth al aboute two and fourty myle and had in alle ·xvj pryncipal yates / ten a thishalf tybre that were named port capu••na· port apia· port lati¦na: port Asmaria / port matronij / port leuycana port numentana / port salaria. port princiana and port colina / Also by yonde tybre ben thre yates· And thre in the cyte leonina Gregorius emong the wonders of this cyte that yet ben seen / seyth if is a grete wō∣dre of so many defensable towres of so many buyldynges of pa∣layces whether. it were by wycchecraft or by mannes dede. R / So that now ben veryfyed the versis that hildebertus episcopus cenonean made. & willelmus malmēsb putteth hem in his book of kynges as here foloweth / Rome nothyng is pere to the / though thou neygh al fallyng be▪ On alle thou shewest thy bounde· how grete thou were whan thou were sounde

¶De palacijs Rome

THere were many palayces ryal and noble y buylde in Ro¦me in worship of Emperours and of other noble men also Among the whiche the grettest and moost palays of alle was in the myddel of the cyte in tokē of one principalite of all the world wyde / Also the palays of pees· therin Romulus dyde do sette his owne ymage of gold and sayde / hit shal neuer falle til a mayde bere a child / And that ymage fylle whan Criste was born / Di¦oclisians palays hath pylers as highe an a stone caste / and so gre¦te about that an c men al a yere worchyng shold vnneth hewe one of thylk pylers. Also there was a palays of sixty emperours· & yet stondeth a part therof. that al Rome may not destroye / De templis There as pantheon the temple of all mawmetrye was is now a chirche of alle halowen And by cause our lady is after Criste is chyef and holyest of alle mankynde / that chirche hath the name of our lady. and is called sancta maria rotunda that is the round chirche of our lady. And hath in brede the space of / ij /

C·lx· foote / Faste by that temple is an Arche of Marble. And that is the Arche of Augustus Cesars victoryes and grete de∣des / In that Arche ben alle his grete Actes descryued Ther is also Scipions Arche· he ouercome hauibal. Atte seynt steuen in piscina was the temple olouitreum that was made of cristal & of gold. there was Astronomye y grauen and y peynted with sterres and signes of heuene seynt sebastian destroyed that tem¦ple· Also the capitol was arayed with glas and with gold as it were the myrour of alle the world aboute / There the consuls & senatours gouerned and rewlid alle the world as moche as was in her power / And there was Iupyters temple. And in that temple was Iupyters ymage of fyn gold syttyng in a trone. R Here takehedr that only thre temples were in Rome that had flamynes. that were bisshops to serue / fals goddes and mametrye and highte flamynes as it were filamynes of filo that is a threde that they bonde aboute her heede. whan they myght not in the holy day suffre on her pylyons and her cappes for hete / In Iupyters temple serued fflamen dialis that is the day bisshop· For Iupyter was cleped diespyter / that is the fa¦der of the day. Also in Mars temple was flamen Marcialis / that is mars bisshop ¶And in Romulus temple was Flamen quyrinalis that is quirinus bisshop· For Romulus was called quyrinus also ¶De domibus ¶In rome was an hows y made wel nyghe al of gold & lefette •• with precious stones / ¶ Men sayde that / that hows was worth wel nygh the thyrdde part of of al the world / In that hows euery lond and prouynce had an ymage y sette by Nigromancie. Eueryche of thylke ymages bare his owne londes name wreton an on his breste. And a co¦kerbelle of syluer honged aboute his neck. So that yf ony lond rebelled or aroose ayenst Rome / Anon the Image of that londe torned his bak toward the ymage of Rome and the belle about his necke shold rynge / And the preestes that kepte that hows / eueryche by his cours. warned the prynces of that doynge / ther was also an horsman of bras on highe on the coppe of that hous and meued also with a spere in his hond· and tourned the poynt of his spere towarde that lond that wold so arryse· ¶ And so the Romayns myght lightly come vpon theyr enemyes vnware In that hows also was a fyre that no man myght quenche. And men axed of the craftes man that made it· how longe it shold endure· And he answerd and fayde hit shold endure for

euermore vnto. that a mayde had born a child / & the same nyght that Criste was born that· hows fylle down. and the fyre was quenchyd that same nyght and tyme Also beaneus appollo that man closed a confeccion of brymstōn and of blak salt in a vessel of brasse. and sette it a fyre with a candel that he had halewed in his manere· and made there a bath with bathyng places that al way were hoote / There was also in an hows an ymage of yron. and was named Bellefrontes ymage / whiche weyed fyftene M pound with his hors that he sat on And henge in the ayer with no poste ne piler bynethe vnder sette / ne holde with cheyne aboue but adamante stones that were in the vawte and in· the Arches aboute drowhe euen the yron eueryche to his syde so that the yron ymage myght not dounward ne vpward ne toward neyther side but henge alway euen a mydde / ¶De Artificijs. There is a· place in Rome in Eraclea and is called theatrum· that is a place to stonde or sytte Inne / for to loke wel aboute / the∣re in is wonderly grauen cabans and dennes. dyuerse outgoyn∣ges benches and seges al aboute· and is hoole and sound al on marbel stone· & this werk is sette vppn vj crabbes y hewē of hard marbelst one In that place may noman so pryuely speke. ne to hym self ne to another man / But alle that he sayth be herde al aboute / ¶ Fast by Augustus Cezars palays is awalle ma∣de of brente tile / And stretcheth dounward out of the hyghe hil∣les by the yate porte asmaria. that wall is made vpon grete Ar∣ches and huge that wal stretcheth a dayes Iourney from Rome in a grete conduyte vpan that walle the watres and stremes of the welles of the montaynes rennen in to Rome· And thenne it is departed in dyuse conduytes & pipes of bras. & so ran somty∣me in to euery palays of Rome / For the water of tiber is hool∣som and good for hors / And vnhelsome and euyl for men / ther∣for the old Romayns made fresshe water come out of foure par¦tes of the cyte by weyes craftely made / & therof men myght ta¦ke al that they wold whyle the comins of rome were in her flou¦res. By that wal is the bath. that bianeus made of the whiche bath was spoken to fore. In Albisterio a place that hight mu∣tatorium Cezaris were made whyte stoles for emperours / Also ther was a candelstyk made of a stone that higthe Albeston. whan it was ones yteyned and sette a fyre and y sette without ther coude noman quenche it with no crafte that men coude de∣uyse / R ¶ In this maner it myght be that the geant pallas

aboute the yere of oure lord a thousand and fourty· that yer was founde in Rome a geants body buryed hool and sound / the space of his woūde was four foote longe and an half· The lengthe of his bodye passed the heygthe of the walles. at hys heede was y founde a lanterne brennyng alwaye that noman coude quenche with blast ne with water ne with other crafte / vnto the tyme that there was made a lytil hoole vnder the lighte / bynethe that the ayer myght entre. Men seyen that Turnus slowghe this ge∣ant Pallas whan eneas fought for lauina that was Eneas wyf. This / geantes epytaphium is this the wrytyng of myn∣de of hym that laye there was thys Pallas euanders sone ly∣eth here· hym turnus the knyght with his spere slowhe in his ma¦nere ¶ De statuis et signis ¶ There was at Rome a bulle· of bras in the shap of Iupiter ouercast and shape to men that loked theron. That bulle semed lowhyng and startelyng· Ther was also the ymage of venns al naked in the same maner as venus shewde her self to that man Paris somtyme of troye / and was so craftely made that in the mouth and lippes that were as whyte as ony snowe semed fresshe blood and newe. ther is also at Ro∣me a wonder copped pyler and is Romulus Piler. that pyler pylgryms and palmers that fast can· lye calle hit seynt Peters corn hupple and sayen that whan nero themperour had rauisshed it hit torned in to an hylle of stone. as grete as it was byfore of corne / Emonge alle pilers Iulius cezars pyler is moost won∣derful / and hath in heyghte two honderd and fyfty foot. In the coppe therof in a round thyng of bras ben Iulius cezars bones and asshes / Of that pyler and arche ben verses y. made that ben thus to menynge and namely of the ouermest stone / yf the stone is one. telle what craft brought hym vpon. And yf they be ma∣ny stones. telle where they ioynen at ones· This arche and pyler is y founded and sette vpon four lyons / pylgryms ful of lesyn∣ges / calle this arche and pyler seynt Peters nelde and lye and saye that thylk man is clene of synne that may crepe vnder that stone· ¶ ther ben also in Rome two grete horses of marbel sto∣ne / For in Tiberius tyme two yonge philosophers praxitellus & Fibia / come to Rome and yeden al naked. And whan thempe∣rour axed hym why and wherfor they wente so naked / they an¦swerd. and sayde. For we haue forsaken al thynge. And for al thyng is to vs naked and bare and openly knowen. ye sir Em∣perour and alle that thou spekest in counseyl and pryuete we

know atte beste / ¶Treuisa the first poynt of this doyng and answere techeth that who that forsaketh / al thynge forsaketh his clothes· And so it foloweth that they that ben wel clothed and goth aboute and beggeth and gadreth money & corn and catel of other men forsaketh not al thyng R Themperour assayde and fonde soth al that they sayde. and at her owen prayer / made in mynde of hem two grete horses of marbel· there is another signe and token byfore the popes palays an horse of bras and a man sit¦tyng theron And holdeth this righthonde as though he spake to the peple and holdeth his brydle in his lyft honde and hath a cuc¦ko bytwene his hors heeres. And a seke dwerf vnder his feete Pylgrymes clepen that man. Theodoricus And the comyns calle hym Constantinus / But Clerkes of· the courte calle hym Mar∣cus and quintus cursius also· this signe stoode somtyme to fore in piters awlter· In the Capitoyl vpon the four pilers of bras / but seynt gregory threwe doun hors & man & sette hym to fore the popes palays / They that call hym marcus tell this reson & skylle There was a dwarf of the kynred of mesenis his craft was Ny∣gromancie whan he had subdewed kynges that dwellyd nygh hym and made hym subgette to hym. Thenne he wente to Rome to warre with the Romaynes / And with his crafte· he bynam the romayns power▪ & myght for to smyte. & biseged hem long ty¦me y closed within the cyte / This dwerf wente euery daye tofore the soune rysyng in to the felde for to doo his crafte: whan the ro¦mayns had espyed that maner doyng of the dwarf they spak to marcus a noble knyght & bihighte hym lordship of the Cyte. & a Memorial in mynde for euermore yf be wolde deffende· hem & saue the Cyte / then̄e Marcus made an hool thurgh the wall long¦er it were daye for to abyde his craft to cache this dwerf· And whan it was tyme the cucko sange and warned hym / of the daye Thenne marcus reysed to. & by cause he myghtnot hitte the dwerf with wepen he caught hym with his honde / and bare hym in to the cyte / And for drede leste he sholde helpe hym self with his crafte yf he myght speke. he threwe hym vnder the hors feet / And the hors alto trade hym / And herfore that / ymage was made in remembraunce of this dede / They that calle that ymage and sig∣ne quintus cursius telle this skylle and reson / ther was somtyme in the myddel of Rome a grete clyfte or hoole in the erthe oute of that hool come smook & brymstone & slewe many men· thenne Quintus cursius toke counseyl of phebus and armed hym· and

entred in to the hool· thenne anon fleygh a cuckou oute of the hool· & thenne the erthe closed to gyder and so the hool was stop∣ped. Another signe is colloseus ymage that is called also the y∣mage of the sonne or of Rome / There is grete wonder how it myght be yoten or arered / the ymage is so grete the lengthe therof is six score foot and six. this ymage was somtyme in the ybond herodius fyften foot heygher than the heyghest place in rome. this ymage bare in his right honde a spere al round y shape as the world· And in his lyft hond a swerd that bytokeneth myght of batayll· in token that it is lasse maystrye to wynne & to conquere than it is to kepe and to saue that / that is conquerd and wonne. this ymage was of bras but it was so ryally ouergylt that it shone in derknes and yaf grete bemes of light· Also it meued a∣boute with the sonne in suche a maner that alwaye his face was toward the sonne. Alle the Romayns that come therby worship∣ped that ymage in token of subiection & of thraldome ¶Seynt gregory destroyed that ymage with fyre ffor he myght not destro¦ye it with strengthe / ¶Of that ymage is only y left the heede and the right hond holdyng the spere / that is the Roundenes & the likenes of the worlde. For of al that ymage lefte nomore vnbrente that heed and that honde ben nowe to fore the popes palays vpon / ij / pylers of marble· & wōderly by craft of milting that bras was y yoten / that the heere semeth softe to a mannes sight. and the mouth as though it were spekyng ¶ Polier / ••••∣bro secundo / ¶For to highte the noblete of this Cyte the Ro∣mayns made a womans ymage in bras· ••hat ymage h••ld in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 honde a spere the shape of the wyde worlde / ¶And whan t••e ymage was ful made hym semed that the legges were to feble for to bere suche an ymage. hit was so grete and so huge. But the craftes man that hit made answerd and sayde / the legges shal dure alway and ••ere the ymage at the beste and neuer fayll vnto a mayde bere a child / but the legges faylled and the ymage fylle doun whan Criste was born / Faste by vaspasianus palais is a stone that is called parius. in that stone is y coruen a whyte sowe with xxx / pigges that giue water to hem that will wesshe there. there is also a tabel of bras that forbedeth synne / therin ben wreton the chyef poyntes of the lawe· ther ben wreton as it were reules in metre· the menyng therof is vnderstādē in this writing neext folowyng· Euery nyght where a cocke waketh som man er it dawe / Al his songe in a flocke· maye lyke noman by the lawe·

whan somer is hote· the throstle syngeth with mery note whan the daye goth away / the birde is stylle and leueth his laye· In towne as it longes / The osul twiterith mery songes / ¶ At nyght for drede / truly no songe doth he grede / whan floure spryn∣geth on rote· the nyghtyngale in his note / Twiterith wel faw∣nyng with swete songe in the dawnyng· Thral maketh his fare / with mouth / thenne chiterith the stare / Of morow songe kynde· they haue at euen no mynde