Prolicionycion [sic]

¶ Capitulum 9

NEro the sone of domicius and of Agrippina gayus suster had wedded claudius doughter and bygan to regne and regned almoost fourten yere / this was moost curyous and craf∣ty to werke with Iustrumentes of musick. soo that he had ioye & likyng to be openly callyd prynce of harpers Also he had gre∣te likynge in the swetnesse of his voys that absteyned hym and spared al manere mete and drynke that was not goode for the voys and not only he dyde that but also he vsed ofte c••isteryes and vomytes whan Nero bigan to singe / no man was soo hardy to goo oute of the theatre er he had made ende of his songe And he was al ruled and lad by ledyng and counseyll of mynstrals / And for he was moost couetous of al emperours / he vsed so to saye / he that is aboue alle hath nede to all but yet it greued hym not to geue mynstrals al that he had And he gaue them al the Worshippes ••f the cite of Rome Suetoniu•• He wered no cloth twyes. he vsed shosoles of siluer / he fysshed with nettis of gold / the nettis were drawe with ropis of reede silke Also for this be wolde see the lykenesse of troye whan it was sette a fyre he sette a grete dele of Rome a fire that brente seuen nyghtes and seuen dayes / And he began to crye and singe the gestes of troye

Orocius ¶ Also he was so lecherous that he wolde be w••sshe with hote oynementes and colde ¶Also he wedded a man for to be his wyf and he bycame another mannes wyfe Also he le¦te kerue his owne moders wombe for he wolde see the place that he was conceyued ynne Martinus Phisiciens blamed him for he had defowled his owne moder ¶And he answerd and sayde / but ye make me goo with childe ye shal be deede euerychone thā they made him swelle with drynkes and made hym vnwytyng drynke a frogge ¶And atte last after moch wo and sorowe / he delyuerd him and caste vp a frogge / ¶ But the phisicians sayde that the childe was born afore his tyme / And therfore it was so vnthryuyngly and so euel schape. But nero made this frogge be kepte in a tour to his owne lyues ende ¶Therfor somme men wenen that lateran hath that name of the frogge that loted there for latere a latyn is lotye & be hidde other vnknowe in en∣glysshe and rana in latyn A frogge in englysshe ¶ Also nero made hym an heuen of an honderd fote hye and bored and thyr∣lyd with many smale hooles / and it was born vp with four sco¦re pylers and ten of marbel stone he leete fall water therupon / that dropyd doune as it were rayne that falleth from heuen He made also a lampe brennyng be drawē in to that heuē by day that yede a doune westward as it were the sonne ¶And he ma∣de a myrrour sette with precious stones that shone by nyght as it were the mone ¶ But al these were by goddes ordenaunce so sodenly distroied so to rusched and to broke that therof was ne¦uer gobet founde nother cromme ¶Also he made a carre with iiij whelis be drawe vpon that heuen soo that noyse was herde as it were the noyse of a grete thonder but god almyghty sente a grete wynde that threwe the cart in to the Ryuer ¶ Eutropius Ne¦ro slewe many noble men and linia octauians wif his own mo¦der Agrippina and his fader suster and his wyf And Seneca the philosopher of cordij bē Lucan{us} came was neroes mayster / & axed couenable reward for that he had be neroes mayster / & he hadde choys in whiche bowe of a tree he wolde be an hanged Seneca axed why ••e had deserued that maner deth ¶ Than Nero made one to scarmuch aboute seneca••s heede with a bryghte swerde and sawe that he was wonder sore aferd And sayd as sore as thou art aferd of this swerde As sore I am aferd of the And yet I am as sore aferd of the as I was somtyme while I was a childe And therfor while thou art thou alyue I

may not be withoute drede but euer in grete drede· therfore Se∣neca chees what man deth he wold take & chees to be late blode in a bath & to dye in that man / & as it were by a forbedinge he had that name seneca / for seneca a latyn is he that sleeth him self in englyssh / this seneca had two bretheren one of them hete iuli{us} gal¦lo & was the best declamator of al / he slow him self with his oun hāde / the other broder hete mela lucan{us} the poetes fader also this lucan{us} whan he had made his booke of the harme & damage of strif & discord bitwene cyteseins & therby he brought nero to acor¦de & mildenes yet by heest of nero he was slayn in bleding by kit¦tyng of his veynes as it is sayd· Pol / li. 8· Som ben bolde & har¦dy to despise this seneca & for to grounde him vpon the auctorite of quintilian{us} but me semeth that they doute for he was worthy to be homely with poul & ierom rekeneth him amōg holy seintes this seneca had noble wit to lerne & to teche & had grete studiyng & grete knowlech of thinges & wel nye al mat of studye of wyt & of science he had & wrote resons of poetry & nye al maner phi¦losophy & in euy doing he was good & trewe keper of vertues & enemy of vices & of synnes· so that it semed that he made worldes of gold & goddes acorde with mākinde / also he made bokes de bene¦ficijs de clemēcia declamacōes tragedias de nālib{us} q̄stiōib{us} & de tusculāis / de casib{us} fortuitis. Iero{us} de viris illustrib{us} / paul appeled to thēperour & was sēt boūdē to rome & ther ••e was .ij· yere in fre¦ward & disputed ayēst the iewes & was aft{er}ward lete go fre. pe¦ter that yere ordeined at rome / ij / bisshops that were ••elpers to tech the feith of holy chirch / lin{us} was one & clet{us} that other for to ful¦fil thoffice of pⁱsthod to the peple y^t come & not thoffice of bisshops Peter him self was occupied in bedes & in preching / Martin{us} / of this clet{us} it is writē that he wrote first in his lettres sl̄in & apl̄i cam benedcōnē that is greting & the apostles blissing this praised moch pilgremage do to holy seintes & specialy to the apostl••s pe∣ter & paul & seid that ones visiting of apostles was most help••i to a mānes soule than ij / yeres fasting / Also that yere lucas was with paul in the cite of rome & wrote the boke that hete act{us} apos¦tolorum / but he had write the gospel afore· about that yere died longius the knight that opened Criste with a spere And toke his syhte by the bloode that ranne vpon the spere oute of Cry¦tes syde / ¶ And soo be trowyd in Cryste and was taughte of the Apostles and wente in to cesarea in capadocia and lyued

•• holy lyf xxviij yere & torned many men to the fayth of holy chirche and dyed martir atte last percius satiricus & poete dyed / R / There were mo poetes than satirices. poeta hath that name of feynyng & such one was virgyl specially in his encidis & our dius satiricus is sayd of saturitas that is fulnes of the mat other of the repreuingis that they spak ayenst yl mē & euil liuing for they spake therof atte ful / & ther were .iij / such {per}si{us}. oraci{us} & iuue¦nalis / Isid li 8 ca / 7 / The office of a poete is for to telle thyngis that ben sothe in dede by other lykenes & chaungyng with florys¦shyng & fair maner of spekyng. therfor it is that as poetes isye that temples were fayrer than other howses & Maumettes heyer than other bodyes so they trowid that goddes sholde be worshiped with the fayr & noble speking / therfor som poetes ben callid diui¦nes for they made their dites of goddes / R / Therby it semeth that lucan{us} was no poete whan he made iij storyes of the stryf of cy¦teseins· but if it were by the maner of medlyng of poises / The las¦se iames bisshop of Ierl̄m was slain vij dayes afore april in the estern tyme xxx yere after the passiō of our lord· firste the iewes they stoned iames for anger that they might not sle paul & after¦ward they smite out his braine with a walkers staf / R / Eu¦sebi{us} in historia eccāstica••li / 1 / ca / 1. seyth that iames was the sone of ioseph our lady spouse gete on his other wif & therfore he was called oure lordes broder / But Ierom meneth more sothly that he was the sone of the other mari our ladies suster & his fader hete alphe{us} / Marke the gospeler paules disciple & his meuer dyed at alexādria in egipte. his gospel was wretē at rome & peter app∣ued it & alowyd it & toke it for to be rad in chirches / Lin{us} the bis∣shop suffred deth at rome vij dayes afore decēber / after him cletus was his successour xij· yere that peter wēt to rome to withstōde & put of simon magus that come of the samaritanes / peter had ouer come him afore at cesar••a & chaced him out of the iewry· simō ma¦gus gad••ed the peple to gider at rome & seid that peter & paul mē of galyle had greued him sore / & therfor he wold forsake rome y^t he had defēded long tyme / & than he set a day whan he wold stye vp in to heuē / & whan that day was come he torned to & kydde all the might of his witchecraft-than they that were in his side seid that crist did neuer such a dede / but atte prayer of peter he •• fil doū of his flyght & was al to broke & brused / nero was 〈◊〉〈◊〉 he had ••••st such an helper & putte peter in ward / & peter knewe that his ••nde day was nye and made clement bisshop in his stede· Also ••t

instaūce of bretheren he wold finde to escape neroes tirānie & met crist in the gate of the cite & seid lord whether gost thou / I go seid crist to rome to be nayled to the crosse agein· than ••eter vnderstode that it was sayd of his owne passion & torned ageyn in to the ci∣te and was taken of the wardeyns & honged on the crosse & his hede dounward / his disciple marcellus abode no mannes sentence nother leue but toke peter doune of the crosse with his own hon¦des & buryed hym in a place that hete vaticanus / after the xxv. yere of his bissopriche of Rome In neroes last yere nero dyd pe∣ter in the crosse & made paule to be slayn with a swerde al in one day and sente the duc vaspasianus in to the Iewry to make the Iewes subgette that wold not suffre the couetyfe of florus that was Iustice / Eutropius / Whan he herde that galba in spain was made emperour than he loste al comforte and for harmes that he hadde doon and bythought the comynte. the Senatours demed hym for an enmye and fled four myle from the cyte and slowe him self in a subarbe of his bonde man that he hadde made free / the yere of his owne age two and thyrtty That yere al the meyne of Augustus cesar were consumpte whan peter hadde suf∣fred deth / than clement come after hym / Clement had gouerned holy chirche nyne yere vnder peter while he was alyue / He was bisshop xxij yere .xij yere with linus and cletus & after that .ix yere by him self aloon for tho he was exyled· this Clement as a wyseman & war for to be ware of meschyef that myght falle af∣terward yf euery other wold make hym a successour by that en∣sample of peter / & soo holy dignyte might falle in possession as it were by herytage / therfor he resigned his dignyte to linus & af∣terward to cletus· Also this clement wrote many lookes of cris∣ten lawe & made linus & cletus bisshoppes afore hym· & this cle∣mēt was the fyrst by electiō after peter & the third in degre of or¦dre for lin{us} & cletus were. bitwene peter & him / his bodi was thro¦we in to the s••e cerson & after many yeres one Cirillus apostel of the sclaues fonde it & brought it to rome in the first nycholas ty¦me. Gaufr / Aboute that tyme marius the sone of aruiragus reg∣ned in britain in his tyme one rodicus kyng of pictes come out of sicia & occupyed the north party of britain that party hete alba¦nia & now it hete scotlād / But atte last marius slough rodicus And in mynde of that vyctorye kynge marius rered a stone in that place the which countray is called by his name westmaria that is westmerlonde / yet it is wreton in a stone marij vyctory

R Here wyllelmus of malmesbury was disseyued that troweth this stone was reerde in mynde of marius the co••sul of Rome But it is no wonder he had not radde the Bryttysshe book there hit is wreten of marius the kynge ¶ Afterwarde marius the kyng graunted to Rodycus men that were ouercome the londe of catenesy that is in the last endes of Scotland for to dwelle ther•• ynne / As it is sayd in the last chapyter of the fyrst booke