Cause of another vnhappy heuynesse
And of hir dedly desolacion
Was the people felly dyd theym dresse
Of Arabie in their rebellyon
Ageyn hir husbonde of entencion
To robbe his tresoure to their auantage
And his richesse by outrageous pillage
Sūme of his meyne they put in prison
There was ageyn theym made no diffence
Sparyd nouther cite brough nor toun
Slough man and childe thorugh s••urdy violence
Hir lorde enfect with sodeyn pestilence
Conceyued fully by his maladye
There was no geyn but he must dye
After his dethe moost wretchyd and odible
His body corrupt his bowellys fyll doun
Of his cateyn the stench was so horrible
There enf••••t aboute him inuyron
With so greate horroure and putrefaccion
That no man might abide nor endure
To bringe his body vnto sepulture
Hir thirde vnhap wherof she was full fayn
That fortune li••t hir eft assayle
Made hir vncle kinge Ioram to be slayne
With an arowe as he fled in bataile
She supposinge greatly it shulde auaile
Like a woman moost furious and wode
She of kynge dauid slough all the roiall blode
〈◊〉〈◊〉 purpose was to gouerne all the realme
Alone hirsilf to haue dominacion
To regne in Iuda and Ierusalem
This Gatholia by vsurpacion
And for that cause in hir entencion
With mortall swerde she made tho fyne
That were descendyd from dauid doun by lyne
Eycept one Ioas there left none a lyue
Childe of a yere sonne of kinge Ochosie
Whom Iosaketh the story doth discryue
Of very pyte caught a fantasie
The childe to saue that he shall nat dye
From the malice of Gatholia
And she was wife to bisshop Ioiada
She and this bisshop with hole herte and entere
Kept this childe in full sec••e wise
Within the temple the space of seuen yere
And in the seuenth the story doth deuise
Ioiada toke on hir this emprise
Yonge Ioas within a certeyn day
By iust title to crowne him if she may
His messangers he sendith out anone
Of princis tribunys gan a counseyl call
Of prestys eke and leuytes euerichon
And whan he had discuryd to theym all
Hole his entent thus it is befall
Sworne and assentyd as it was sittinge
That yonge Ioas shalbe crowned kinge
For by promyse which that is diuyne
Quod Ioiada if ye take hede
God hath behestyd to dauid and his lyne
And assured vnto his kinrede
In ierusalem howe they shal succede
And though Ioas be yonge and tendre of might
He to the crowne hath neuer lasse right
In this mater I will nat that ye slepe
But to shewe youre true diligence
On foure {per}tyes the temple for to kepe
That no man entre by no violence
And in the myddes by roiall excellence
Quod this busshop no man shall vs let
On Ioas hede a crowne for to set
And whan eche thinge was brought to the poynt
His high estate to encrece and magnifie
The people anone whan he was anoynt
Viuat rex they began to crye
And whan Gatholia gan this thing espie
For very Ire and the sodeyn wonder
Of malencolye hir clothes cut asondre
Ran to the temple and gan make afray
With hir meyne and to crye aloude
Bad theym go sle and make no delay
The yonge kynge in all the hast they coude
Hir venym hid vnder a couert cloude
All atonys hir purpos to recure
By sodeyn malice she gan that day discure
The temple kept entre had she none
People ordeyned awaytinge for the nonys
And or she might any forther gone
Clenly armyd the Centurionys
The cruell quene assailyd all atonys
And of hir malice to write a short tale
They slough hir after of Cedron in the vale