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 duke Theseus and Adryane that saued his life in the Caue / and howe he like a forsworne man forsoke hir & weddyd faire phedra which afterward slough hir silfe

aThenes sūtyme whā it was in his floures Was callyd norice of philosopheris wise Princesse of poetes and expert oratoures Sūme of all sciencis as clerkis can deuise Whens all cūnynge moost cleerly dyd arise Named of Grece the lanterne and the light Which through all erthe shed his bemys bright

With noble titles which been oute of noumbre In euery coost his renoun dyd shyne The fame therof was clipsid with none vmbre All other scolys it did so enlumyne For in that cite pleynly to determyne Of the vn artys / as doū from one hede sprynge There ran out ryuers and stremys of all cūnynge

These sciencis were callyd liberall Only of fredam fraunchise and liberte For of a storke that were prouyd thrall There shulde no braunch studye in that cyte ••ut the ylke blode that were founde fre Both by discent and syneall high noblesse There to ••••oleye shulde haue interesse

This cyte was sacryd to myne••••e For their wisdome and their sapience Of mercurie the festys they obserue For rethoryk and for eloquence And myghty mars yaue theym enfluence With glad aspe••tys their {per}tye to amende Noblesse of knyghthode the clergie to defende

This toun was nobled by title of other thynges And moost glorious / rekened in that age By succession of Dukes and of kynges Amonge which duke theseus by lynage Sonne of Egistus full fressh in his corage E••cellynge all / of prudence and manhede That euer dyd the crowne there possede

For to that cite through his high noblesse In their defencis / such trust / such affiaunce He yaue to theym by his expert prowesse Of his tryumphes so greate habundaunce And specially their renoun to auaunce He made theym free their trewage to lete Ayenst Mynos the mighty kynge of Crete

For by his force the storie is well couth Theym to fraunchise and all that regyon The mynataur he slough in tendre youth And afterwarde he of deuocion To aquite him self lyke a chaumpion Therof made solemp••e sacrifise To Iupiter in moost humble wise

And a Theatre called Maraton Duke theseus had the victorye After he went to Colchos with Iason Cheef of counseyle as made is memorye And by processe to augment his glorye With hercules his brother to conueye Ayenst amazones he went to werreye

Conqueryd theym his manhode was wele sene His force / his noblesse in that mortall strife And after that Ipolita the quene This theseus toke vnto his wife And for his brother he layde in iu{per}de his life Duke Pirotheus whan he dyd vndertake The Centaures to outraye for his sake

This centaures poetys specifie And s••ruyus makyth mencion Howe they were sumtyme engendryd on askye Whan first their fader callyd yrion Was enammored full many a day goon Vpon Iuno bycause she was so faire Gouernesse and goddes of the aire

This yrion was hir secretarie And for hir fairenesse and excellent bewtye Louyd her full hote al be it she was contrarye To his desire / bochas rede and ye may se Him to delude he writeth howe that she Hir selfe transformed / as she that myght and coude Into the likenesse of an heuenly cloude

This yrion playnly supposynge It was hir self and euene thus she wrought The ••loude enbrasynge without more taryenge Of his foly the goddes there he sought And w^ttheir medlīg betwene them forth they brough The Centaures thise bestys meruelous Which of nature been founde monstruous

Halfe man / half hors de{per}tyd thus in tweyne And wonderfull by their discripcion Of fals malyce dyd theym self ordeyne On Pirotheus to make inuacion And him to put oute of possession Of his wife callyd ypodamen And hir to rauysshe maugre all his men

There were of theym an hundrith as in noumbre Swift as the wynde in their cours renynnge Which of malice cast them to encoumbre Duke perotheus the day of his weddynge And to rauissh his wyf at their cummynge If for his partie there were no defence Ayenst their power to make recistence

But theseus lyst nat to delay Pirotheus his brother to defende First the centaures knightly he dyd outraie So mortally they durst not him offende After the conquest to hell they descende Duke pirothe and worthy th••••••••s Maugre the daungere of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 cerberus

There they rauisshyd in their mortall tene Through their knyghthode if ye lift to lere Dispyte of pluto / proserpina the quene Which of iupiter was the doughter dere And pirotheus fonde first the manere Of wilfull force through his high renoune Realmes to conquere and holde possessioun

But by writynge sothely of ouyde He playnly tellith howe duke theseus Arestyd was in hell and must abyde By the force of cruell cerberus And pluto was to him contrarius Tyll pirotheus to fynde a relees The case declaryd vnto hercules

Which of his knyghthode a remedye fonde To helpe his frende dyd his besy peyne First by his prowesse cerberus he bonde At hell gatis with a treble cheyne And of his manhode he dyd so ordeyne Duke theseus from daunger to discharge Maugry pluto for to goo at large

They were in armys brethern both tweyne Louyd as brethern both in werre and pees That neither coude vnto other feyne Their lif to iupardye and put theim self in prees And bothe as brethern were callyd hercules To signifye / poetes can well tell This name in conquest all other doth excell

By olde tyme they that were peerles For their nobles in diuers regions All they for manhode were namyd hercules Such as were noisyd for fa••ous champions Tigres to daunt borys and lions And renomyd amonge theim euerichon Bochas affermith that theseus was oon

First as I said by his knyghtly traueyle Whan athenes stode in diuision Amonge theim self by werre and bataile By his wisdome and his discrecion To set accorde within that noble toune Theim that were exilyd and stode in no certeine He of his knyghthode made them resorte ageyne

He yaf theim lawes wherby they shulde theim gye Noble statutes foundyd of reason Set amonge theim so prudent policie In their lyuynge that no dissencion Shuld arise by none occasion Amonge them self in high or lowe estate Prouidynge euer that there were no debate

Thus bigan the cite encreas and multiplie To wex famous of wisdome and riches There spronge the well first of philosophie There first of knyghthode rose the high nobles By theseus bochas berith witnes Thus thinges two lyke as it is founde Clergye and lawe dyd there habounde

For to set the cite in quiete He made peas through all that region And of knyghthode he manly dyd mete The cruell tiraunt that callyd was creon Maugre him / made restitucion Of lordes bones that were at thebes slayne To the ladies / wherof they were full fayne

Thus through grece anon his renoune spradde His knightly fame bigan gretly multiplye And longe in ioye thus his lyf he ladde While that fortune list him magnifye But ay hir gladnes is meynte with sum enuye For she frowarde list no more soiourne With theseus but bygan her face tourne

Awey fro him wexe {per}uerce and frowarde Of his glorye vngoodly gan to double Doun from her whele she made go bakwarde Of his gode name she gan the feders pulle Whan his nobles was highest at fulle I mene the full of his felicite There folowyd an ebbe of great aduercite

And more euer her frowardly to aquyte His vnhappis rehersynge one by one One the first as bochas list to endyte Was whan he lay in crete amonge his fone And out of pryson shulde in to grece gone Repeirynge homewarde and him self withdrawe The minataure whan he had slawe

The first emprise that he vndertoke Was whan he ascapyd the importable payne Of mynatoures lyke as seith my boke And with him had the kynges doughters tweyne That he of malyce falsly lyst disdeyne Ayenst adriane which that dyd him saue From the deth whan he lay in the caue

Shulde haue be slayne had nat her socour be In his repeire he toke therof non hede He left her alone in great aduersite Within an yle in mischeef sorowe and drede And faier phedra with him he dyd lede Weddyd her lyke a forsworne man Thus with vntruthe his mischeef first began

Howe phedra qu••t her the story is well knowe In his absence bochas wrytith thus Whan that she within a lytill throwe Louyd ayenst kynde her son ypolitus But he to hir was contrarious Wolde not assente to so foule a dede For shame he fled and {per}eell also for drede

To his fader for him dyd accuse •••• ye to forne haue the story seyne And for he dyd her company refuse He went away and cam neuer agayne For ye haue herde howe that he was slayne Within acha•• through his vnhappy chaunce And howe phedra through mischeef and vengeaunce

Slough her self ayenst all womanhede Here in this boke to fore as I you tolde Of which thinge whan theseus toke hede Thought it was vengeaunce for his offence olde For he not quit him lyke as he was beholde To adriane which shulde haue be his wyf By whose socoure he scapyd with his lyf

This infortune and this vnhappy chaunce Was to his nobles full contrarious The deth also was to him a vengeaunce Of his son callyd ipolitus For sorowe of whome this duke theseus With salte teres sore bygan to playne And the exequies of the ilke tweyne

I trowe also it dyd him sore greue Duke pirotheus whan he sawe dede Slayne with a best and might not releue Kynge orchus hounde which had a treble hede Whoos teeth orrible of his blode were rede Which infortune whan he gan beholde Vnto the day he felt his herte colde

And for to reken the great wretchydnesses The vnhappy chauncis that fyll him in his lyf Amonge all his other great distresses Was none so mortall and so full of stryf As was whan he yaf credence to his wyf Phedra callyd which an entencion Cumpassyd vntruly an accusacion

Vpon Ipolitus of hatred and enuye Bycause he wolde not do so great offence As for to assente to her lecherye Therfore of deth he felt the violence▪ And for his fadre to sone yaf credence Bochas forbad husbendes all their lyues Without preef not leue to sone their wyues

Neither be to hasty tales for to here Of flaterers in chaumbre ne at the table Forgers of lesyngess myn auctour doth well preue To abyde with lordes that they be nat able Hereon he makyth a chapytle full natable And of his wrytynge this was the cause why That prynces shulde examyne eche party

Of wisdome also and of discrecion Without a preef not be perciall For to a prynce it is confusion If bitwene partyes he be not founde egall Causyd many one for to haue a fall God suffrid such not longe to continue Withdrawith their grace and hyndreth their fortune

Thus theseus for his hastynes His hap his grace distressyd day by day The fame appallyd of his worthines And frowarde fortune also in a waite lay For his defautes to hyndre him if she may Caste she wolde his nobles diasuaunce And than his kyngedome by disobeisaunce

From him withdrawth honoure and reuerence Full frowardly through all his region They of athenes by cruell violence Fyll ayenst him in rebellion That he was fayne to fle oute of that toun Thus hath fortune derkyd the brightnesse Of all his noblesse and cast him in destresse

This was the ende by greate cantrariouste Of Theseus after his daies glade Whan the fressh floure of old felicite Fortune aduerse / made theym for to fade Eche thinge must bowe whan it is ouerlade Worshippes and honoures whan the brightest shyne With vnware chaunges than rathest do declyne

Lenuoye

THe vnsure gladnesse the ioye transitorie The vnstable surenesse the transmutacions The cloudy brightnes the fals eclipsid glorye Of erthely princes which haue possessions Monarchies and dominacions Their sodeyn chaunge declareth to vs all Their pompous suger is meynt with bitter gall

This blinde goddesse in hir consistorie With hir plesaunce medleth discencions After triumphes / conquest and victorye Reueth from kynges their ceptris and their crowns Troubleth the people with fals rebellions See these dukes which from their whele been fall All wordly sugre is ment with sum gall

This tragedie maketh momerie Of dukes tweyne and of their high renouns And of their loue write a greate historie And howe they conqueryd dyuers regions Gouernyd cites / cuntrees / and also touns Tyl•• fortune their prowesse dyd appalle To shewe their sugre was meynt with sum gall

Princis princessis see howe deceptorie Been all these worldly reuolucions And howe fortune in her reclinatorie With hir triacle temperith fals poysons So maruelous been hir confeccions Of frowardnesse she woll what so bifall E••••r with hir sugre of custum tempre gall