Here begynnethe the boke calledde Iohn bochas descriuinge the falle of princis princessis [and] other nobles tra[n]slated i[n]to englissh by Iohn ludgate mo[n]ke of the monastery of seint edmu[n]des Bury ...

Of Isacyus made blynde and taken at myscheef

AS is reherced whan Isacyus Had all the empyre in his possession To auenge the deth of andronytus Constantinople in that royall toun A brother of his there cam doun With a bacyn brennynge bright as glede Made him blynde of him nomore I rede

Except Isacyus was take at mischeef Of him that wrought to his destruction Lyenge awayte as doth a preuy theef Toke the emperoure put him in prison Vengeably dyd execucion As is remembryd with a bacyn bright Brennynge rede hote and so he lost his sight

A sonne he had called alexius Tendre of age caste him to succede By his tutour fals and contrarious Murdred he was at myscheef as I rede The same tutor purposynge as in dede Of the empyre by fals collusion By fraude and mede to haue possession

In this chaptre of him nomore I fynde Reherced here in ordre by writynge But to myn auctour the processe maketh mynde There cam in hast Sangot of Egypt kinge And with him cam pitously wepinge Mighty princis soudanys tweyne Regnynge in damas their falles to compleyne

Of Alopye Salech was that one Kegnynge in Damas of his true right Cathabadyn there beynge eke soudan Which in tho dayes was holde a mighty knight And right notable in euery mannys sight And for the Soudan of Babilon a ferre Called saladyn oppressyd was with werre

For socoure sent thyse princys tweyne To come in hast with all their chiualrye Hym to support and do their besy peyne Enforce their might to sustene their partye Whoos request they lift nat denye Abode no lengre but made theym silf stronge To stonde with him were it right or wronge

Of this mater the substaunce to conclude These princys cam Salech and Cathabadyn For their guyrdon they founde ingratitude In this for the sayde Soudan saladyn Founde him vnkinde pleynly this the fyne From their estate as it was after knowe Disgraded them brought them doun full lowe

Of him in sothe they had none other mede For their laboure nor for their kindnesse What fyll after in Bochas I nat rede For he furthwith leueth this processe And vnto robert doth his style dresse Callyd Farentyne regnynge in Tarence Lost his lordship by sodeyne violence

This to say he regned but awhile This sayde robert loste his gouernaunce Next to Bochas cam Quyllyam of cecile Kynge of that cuntre lorde of great puissaunce Lost his kyngdom thrugh fortunes variaunce His iyen tweyne rent out of his hede After dyed in myscheef and drede

Which Quyllyam regnynge in cecile Was by discente borne nye of allye To robart quisterde as bokes do compyle That whilom was duke of Normandye Greatly delytinge in chyualrye With his brother full notable of renoun Brought naples to subiection

Hys brothers name callyd was Rogere Which had a son callyd enheritoure Called Tancret as seith the cronyculere Which toke vpon him to regne as successour Thus in Cecile Tancret was gouernoure Ageyn whom by title sought a ferre Of alyaunce he gan a mortall werre

For a mayde that called was constaunce That doughter was to the kinge Rogere Which was set of spirituall plesaunce To be religious of hole herte and entere And by recorde of the cronyculere This Constaunce hath the worlde forsake And to religion hath hir body take

Of this constaunce the silf same yere That she was borne as made is mencion There was a clerke a great astronomere Tolde of hir byrth by calculacion She shulde cause the desolacion Of that kingdom by processe of hir age By the occasion only of mariage

Sūme that were to tancret great enmy By their vngoodly exortacion Moued the emperour that called was herry To take constaunce from hir religion And by the popys dispensacion She weddyd was the emperour by his might By ty••le of hir put tancret from his right

With a greate nounbre of Italyens The Emperoure entryd into that regyon But by fauour of ceciliens Tancret longe tyme stode in possessyon But thrugh fortunes transmutacion The same tyme to conclude in sentence The seyd Tancret dyed on pestylence

His sonne Quylliam that was but yonge in dede With Ceciliens cast him nat to faile To kepe his londe and his right possede Mete the emperoure with statly apparayle Made him redy with him to haue a batayle But the emperoure to greate auauntage Cast otherwise of fraude in his corage

Feynyngly durynge the discorde The Emperoure cast another wyle By a fals coloure to fall at acorde And yonge Quyllyam vngoodly to begyle Vndre tretye takyn in cecile Falsly depryued of his region Sent to Itayle and throwe in prison

By weye of trety the story who lyst se All concluded vndre fals treson With Quylliam take were his susters thre His iyen put out for more conclusion He perpetually dampnyd to prison Dyed in pouerte loste his enherytaunce Loo here the fyne of worldly variaunce

Ferther to write as Iohn bochas began After that Quyllyam was put from his realm•• To him apperyd Quyot lucynyan Chose afore kynge of Ierusaleem Whoos knightly fame shoon like the sonne beme Which by his noblesse he whilom dyd atteyne Godfrey present that was duke of Loreyne

But by the Soudon namyd Saladyne He was enchaced of that dignyte All worldly pompe draweth to declyne So for the constreynt of his aduersyte The yerys passyd of his pros{per}yte Went into Cypre as a fugitif What fyll after I rede nat in his lyf

To make his compleynt after him cam one Which had stonde in great perplexite E••le of bryenne and was called Iohn Which afterwarde was kinge of the cyte Callyd Ierusalem and also parde A fayre doughtre yonge and tendre of age Ioyned after to fredryk in mariage

Beynge that tyme lorde and emperoure Was desirous aboue all other thinge Of Ierusalem to be gouernoure And of cecyle to be crowned kynge Which altherlast for his subtyll werkynge Constreyned was doun fro that partye To be a capteyn for sonde in lumbardye