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 ...

The lettre of compleynt of Canace to hir broder Machaire.

OVte of hir swoune whan she dyd abraide Knowynge no meane but deth in hir distresse To hir brother full pitously she sayde Cause of my sorowe rote of my heuynesse That whilom were cheef sours of my gladnesse Whan both oure ioyes by will were so disposyd Vnder one key oure hertis to be vnclosyd

Whilom thou were support and sekirnesse Cheef reioisynge of my worldly ioye But nowe thou art the grounde of my sikenesse Well of wanhope of my dedely penaunce Which haue of sorowe gretest habundaunce That euer yit had any creature Which must for loue the deth alas endure

Thou were whilom my blisse and all my trust Souereyn confort my sorowes to appese Springe and well of all my hertys lust And nowe alas cheef rote of my dissese But if my deth might do the any ease O brother myn / in remembraunce of tweyne Deth shall to me be plesaunce and no peyne

My cruell fader moost vnmerciable Ordeyned hath it nedys must be so In his rigoure he is so vntretable All merciles he will that it be do That we algate shall dye both two But I am glad sith it may be none other Thou art escapyd my bestbelouyd brother

This is myn ende I may it nat asterte O brother myn there is no more to saye Lowly besechinge with all myn hole herte For to remembre specially I praye If it befall my litell sonne to dye That thou mayst after sum mynde vpon vs ha••e Suffre vs both to be buried in a graue

I holde him streitly atwene my armys tweyne Thou and nature leyde on me this charge He giltles with me must suffre peyne And sith thou arte at fredam and at large Late kyndnesse oure loue nat so discharge But haue a mynde where euer that thou be Onys a day vpon my childe and me

On the and me dependeth the trespace Touchinge oure gyle and oure greate offence But wela way moost angelik of face Oure childe yonge in his pure innocence Shal ageyn right suffre dethis violence Tendre of lymmys god wote full giltles The goodly faire that lieth here specheles

A mouth he hath but wordes hath he none Can nat compleyne alas for none outrage Nor grutcheth nat but lieth here all alone Stille as a lambe moost meke of his visage What herte of stele coude do to him damage Or suffre him dye beholdinge the manere And loke benygne of his tweyne iyen clere

O thou my fadre to cruell is thy wreche Harder of herte than any tygre or lion To sle a childe that lieth withoute speche Voide of all mercy and remyssion And on his moder hast no compassion His youth consideryd with lippes soft as silke Which at my brest lieth styll and souketh mylke

Is any sorowe remembryd by writynge Vnto my sorowfull sighes incomparable Or was there euer creature lyuinge That felt of dole a thinge more lamentable For canfortles and vnrecuparable Are thilke hepyd sorowes full of rage Which haue with woo oppressed my corage

Rekyn all my myscheuys in especiall And on my myscheef remembre and haue gode mynd My lorde my fader is myn enmy mortall Experience ynough therof I fynde For in his pursute he hath left behinde In destruction of the my childe and me Ruth all mercy and faderly pyte

And the my brother auoyded from his sight Which in no wyse his grace mayst atteyne Alas that rigoure vengeaunce and cruell right Shulde aboue mercy be lady souereyne But cruelte doth at me so disdeyne That thou my brother my childe and also I Shall dye exiled alas from all mercy

My fader whilom by many sundry signe Was my socour and my supportacion To the and me moost gracious and benygne Oure worldly gladnesse our consolacion But loue and fortune hath tournyd vp so doun Oure grace alas / oure welfare / and oure fame Harde to recure so sclaundred is oure name

Spot of diffamynge is harde to wasshe away Whan noyse and rumoure abrode do folke manace To hindre a man there may be no delaye For hatefull fame flieth ferre in short space But of vs tweyne there is none other grace Saue only deth / and after deth alas Eternall sclaundre of vs thus stant the caas

Whom shall we blame or whom shall we atwyte Oure greate offence sith we may it nat hide For oure excus reportis to respite Meane is there none except the god cupide And though that he wolde for vs prouide In this matere to be oure cheef refuge Poetis say he is blynde to a iuge

He is depaynt like a blynde archere To make a right failynge discrecion Holdynge no mesure nouther ferre nor nere But lyke fortunys disposicion All vpon happe voide of all reason As a blynde archere with arowes sharpe grounde Of auenture yeueth many a mortall waunde

At the and me he wrongly dyd marke Felly to hindre oure fatall auentures As ferre as phebus shyneth in his arke To make vs refuse to all creatures Callyd vs tweyne vnto the wofull lure•• Of diffame which wyll depte neuer By newe reporte the noyse encresynge euer

Odious fame with swift wynges flieth But all good fame enuye doth restreyne Eche man of other the defautys seeth Yit on his owne no man wyll compleyne But all the worlde outcrieth of vs tweyne Whos hatful ire by vs may nat be quemyd For I must dye my fader hath so demyd

Their life to amende or the lorde do smyte Through negligence or it be to late And or the swerde of vengeaunce ker••e or bite Into vertues their vicious life translate Cherisshe rightwisnesse ageyn all wronge debate With drede of god make theym self stronge Than is no doute they shall endure longe

Who is nat ware by others chastisynge Other by him shall chastised be Harde is that herte which for no writynge For noo doctryne nor none auctorite For none exaumples will from his vices flee To indurat is his frowarde entent Which will nat suffre his hardnesse to relent

The rounde droppis of the smoth rayne Which that discende and fall from aloft On stonys harde at the iye as it is seyne Perceth their hardnesse with their fallinge ofte All be in touchenge water is but softe The persynge caused by force nor puissaunce But of fallynge by longe contynuaunce

Semblably of right I dare reherce Oft redynge on bokys fructuous The hertys shulde of prudent princes {per}••e Synke in their mynde and make theym vertuous To eschewe all thinge that is vicious For what auaileth the exaumples that they rede To their redynge if contrarie be the dede

Cūnynge and dede who can comprehende In ••••••re conceytis they been thynges tweyne And if cūnynge do the dede amende Than atwene theym is made a myghty cheyne Anoble thynge and right souereyne For than of cūnynge the laboure is well spent Whan dede foloweth and both been of assent

Thus Iohn bochas procedynge in his boke Which in noumbre is callyd the secounde Gan for to wryte and his purpose toke To set in stories such as he had founde Of entent all vices to confounde By ensaumples which he dyd expresse And at the begynnynge of his besynesse

Myghty Saul to him dyd appere Kynge of israell pitously wepynge Dedely of face and with an hidous chere His voice Ibroke by manyfolde sobbynge And to myn auctoure his sorowe compleynynge Requerynge him to gydre whan they mette First in his boke his wofull fate to sette

Anone after I of entencion With penne in hande fast gan me spede As I coude in my translacion In this laboure further to procede My lorde cam forth by and gan to take hede This myghty prince right manly and right wise Gaue me charge in his prudent auyse

That I shulde in euery tragedie After the processe made mencion At the ende set a remedye With a lenuoye conueyed by reason And after that with humble affeccion To noble princes lowly it directe By others fallynge theym self to correcte

And I obeied his byddynge and plesaunce Vndre support of his magnificence As I coude I gan my penne auaunce Al be I was baren of eloquence Folowynge myn auctour in substaunce and sentēce For it suffised pleynly vnto me So that my lorde my makynge toke agre