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Of Iustynyan the fals extorcyoner / exyled by patricyan / after both nose and iyen but from his hede.
By exaumple so as fressh armure
Thrugh longe restynge leseth his brightnesse
Fret with olde rust gadreth greate ordure
Is diffaced of his fressh clerenesse
Semblably the romayns hye prowesse
Gan for to appall alas and that was routh
Whan they gaue to neglygence and slouth
Who in kinghode list haue experience
Muste eschewe riotous Idlenesse
By prudent and enteer dyligence
Large with discrecion manly with gentylnesse
To high empryses his corage dresse
And he well ware on ech partye
Him to preserue from all slogardye
The which greatly hath appeyred
As it is remembred of olde antiquyte
Caused romayns to be despeyred
By frowarde lustes hyndred their cite
And appalled their olde pros{per}ite
Of which defautys cam to pleyn blyue
To Iohn bochas emperours fyue
As many kynges of the same noumbre
Which by slouth were afore oppressed
Whom that slouth whilom dyd encombre
Their names by and by here expressed
To myn auctour they haue their cours dressyd
Lyke their degrees to speke in wordys fewe
Iustynyan first gan his face shewe
Nat Iustynyan whilom so vertuous
And of prudent gouernaunce so notable
But Iustynyan Temerarius
Double of his dedys fals and desceyuable
Of his promys dyuers and vnstable
Whilom exiled by patrician
For extorcions that he in rome began
His nose his iyen patricyan gaue in charge
To be cut of by furious cruelte
And of the empyre that was so wyde and large
Leoncyus next gouerned the cyte
And thrugh fortunes mutabilyte
The same leonce by tybery was cast doun
His iyen put out dyed in prison
Tyberyus after seruyd of the same
His nose cut of from his se put doun
For a rebuke and a perpetuall shame
To a cite that called was cerson
Without mercy fauour or raunson
Exyled he was prisoned as a theef
By longe torment dyed at mischeef