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 ...

A commendacion of ••••chas of ve•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••••••ynes rehersynge names foūdyrs of diuers sciencys and cūnynges in repreef of Idelnesse

THere eke other that list falsly prouide Fals flesshly lustys and dissolucions Riete outrage frowarde disdeyne and pride Vices to enhaunce in their affeccions With many vnlefull cro••••yd condicions Reason auoidynge as I reherce shall Theym silf delitynge for to bestyall

Tweyne maner folkes to put in reme••••raunce Of vice and vertue to put in a difference The good alweye hath sit their plesaunce In vertuous laboure to do their diligence And vicious people in slouth and negligence And the report of both is reseruyd With laude or lacke as they haue deseruyd

Men must of right the vertuous preferre And truly preyse labour and besynesse And ageynwarde dispreysen folke that erre Which haue no Ioy but in Idelnesse And to compare by maner of witnesse Vertuous folke I wyll to mynde call In rebukynge of kinge Sardanapall

THe olde wise called Pictagoras By soūde of hameris auctours certyfie Example toke and cheef maister was That fonde oute musyke and melodye Yit of Tubal some bokes specifie That he by strooke of smethis where they stode Foude first oute musyke tofore noes flode

And Iosephus remembreth by scripture That this Tubal coude forge well First ymagyned makynge of armure With Instrumentes of Iron and of steel And their temprures he fonde oute euerydell Lucyus Tarquyn in story as I fynde Fonde cheynes first folke to fettre and bynde

The children of Seth in story ye may see Flourynge in vertue by longe successyons For to profite to their posterite And first the craft of heuenly mocions Fonde of sondry steries the reuolucions Bequeth their cūnynge of greate auauntage To them that after cam of theyr lynage

For their vertue god gaue them greate cūnynge Touchinge natures both of erth and of heuyn And it remembred sothely by wrytynge To lastyn ay for water or for leuene Generacions there were of them seuene Which for vertue withoute werre or strif Trauayled in cūnynge durynge al their lif

And for that adam dyd prophesie Twyes the worlde destroyed shulde be With water and onys stond in Iupartye Next with fire which no man might flee But Sethis children all this dyd see Made two pyl••••s where men myght graue From fire and water the ca••••ctes for to saue

That one was made of tyles harde I bake Fro touch of fire to saue the scripture Of harde marbyll they dyd another make Ageyne water strongly to endure To saue of letters the prente and the figure For their cūnynge afore gan so prouide Ageyne fire and water {per}petually to abyde

They dempte their cūnynge had been in veyn But folke with theym had been portable And for their labour shulde afterwarde be seyn They it remembrid by writinge full notable Vnto fore god a thinge ful comendable To theym that folowe by scripture and writinge Or that men dye departe their cūnynge

For by olde tyme folke diuers craftys founde In sondry wise for occupacion Vertue to cherisshe vices to confounde Their witte they sette and their entencion To put their laboure in execucion And to outrage this is verrey trouth For mannys life negligence and slouth

Olde Ennok ful famous of vertue Durynge that age fonde first of euerychon Through his prudence lettres of hebrue And in a pilere they were kepte of stone Tyll that the flode of Noe was gone And after him Ca••n was the seconde By whom of hebrue lettres were first founde

And Catacrismus the first was that fonde Letters also as of that langage But letters wretyn with goddes owne honde Moyses first toke moost bright of his visage Vpon Syna as he helde his passage Which of carectis and names in sentence From other writinge had a difference

Eke afterwarde as other bokes tell And saynt Ierom rehercith in his style Vnder thempire of zorobabell Esdras of hebru gan lettres first compile And Abraham gan sith a greate while The first was in bokes men may see That fonde lettres of Cire and of Cald••e

Isys in egipt fonde diuersite Of sondry lettres partyd into tweyne First for prestes and for the comonte Vulgar letters he dyd also ordeyne And fenices dyd their besy peyne Lettres of Greek to fynde in their entent Which that Cadmus first into Grece sente

Which in noumbre fully were seuentene Whan of Troye ended was the batayle Pallamides their langage to sustene Put thre therto which greatly dyd auayle Pidagorus for prudent gouernaile Fonde first out .y.a figure to discerne The life here shorte and the life that is ete••••

First latyn letters of oure .a. b. c. Ca••mentis fonde of ful high prudence Greate Omerus in Isidere ye may se Fonde amonge Grekis craft eloquence First in rome by souereyne excellence Of rethorike Tullius fonde the floures Ple and diffence of subtyl oratoures

••all••••rates a grauer moost notable Of white yuor dyd his besynesse His hande his ••ye so iuste were and so stable Of an ampte to graue oute the lykenesse Vpon the grounde as nature doth him dresse This craft he fonde as Sardanapall Fonde Idelnesse moder of vices all

Of a s••ryueyn Bochas maketh mencion Howe a scrowe of litell quantite Wrote of al Troye the distruction Folowynge Omerus by greate subtilte Which is had amonge Grekes in greate deynte Bycause he was founde in his writinge So compendious the story rehersynge

Marmychides made a chare also And a smal schip with all the appareile So that a Bee might close them both two Vnder his wynges which is a greate merueyle And no thinge seyn of al the hole entayle This craft he fonde of vertuous besynesse To eschewe the vice of frowarde Idelnesse

Pan god of kynde with his pypes seuene Of recorders fonde first the melodyes Of mercurye that sit so high in heuene First in his harpe fonde sugred armonyes Holsom wynes thrughe fyned from their lies Bachus fonde first on wyne heuy lade Licour of licours corages for the glade

Perdyx by compas fonde triangle and lyne▪ And Euclyd first fonde Geometrye And phebus fonde the craft of medicyne Albumasar fonde astronomye And mynarua gan charis first to guye Iason first sayled in story it is told Towarde Cholchos to wynne the flees of golde

Ceres the goddes fonde first tilth of londe Dionisius triumphis transitorye And Bellona by force first oute fonde Conquest by knyghthode and in the felde victorye And martis sonne as put is in memorye Called Etholus fonde sperys sharpe and kene To renne a werre in platys bright and shene

Eke Aristeus fonde oute the vsage Of mylke and cruddes and of hony sote Piroides for greate auauntage Fro flyntes smyte fire darynge in the rote And pallas which that may to colde do bote Fonde oute weuynge this is very soth Through hir prudence of al maner cloth

And fido found firste oute the science Of mesures and of proporcions And for marchauntes dyd his diligence To fynde balaunces by iust dyuisions To auoyde all fraude in citees and in toūs On nouther party playnly to compyle Of true weight that there were no gyle

Compare in ordre clerly all these thinges Founde of olde tyme by diligent trauayle To the plesaunce of princes and kynges To shewe howe moch cunynge may auayle And weye ageynewrde the frowarde aquitayle Contrariously howe Sardanapall Fonde Idelnesse moder of vices all

Late princes all herof take hede What auaileth vertuous besynesse And what damage the reuers doth in dede Vicious life slouth and Idelnesse And these exaumples late theym eke impresse Amyd their herte and howe Sardanapall Fonde Idelnesse moder of vices all

Lenuoye.

NOble princes here ye may well se As in a myrrour of ful cleere euidence By many exaumples more than •••• or thre ••••at harme foloweth of slouth and negligence Depe enprentynge in your aduertence Howe greate hindringe doth wilfull frowardnesse To your estate throughe vnto us Idelnesse

Whan reason falleth and censualite Holdeth the brydell of l••chero•••• insolence And sobernesse hath lost his liberte And to false lust is doone the reuerence And vice of vertue hath an apparence Misledeth princes of wilfull rechelesnesse To greate erroure of frowarde Idelnesse