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 ...

••owe Ieroboam kinge of Israell for Idolatrie ••••sobedience cam to a myscheuous ende

••Eyt these stories in bochas as I fynde There dyd appere vnto his presence Kinges sixe him praynge to haue mynde Vpon their fall by vnware violence From their estatys of roiall excellence And tofore all I fynde that there cam Of all israell kynge Ieroboam

Vnto myn auctoure he began to declare His dedely compleynt with a pale face His greate myscheuys and his euyll fare And howe he fyll doun from his kingly place Through gret vnhappis which did his hight enbrace And as this story playnly hath deuised For his offencys howe he was chastisyd

An Idolatrie he was as it was tolde Reisyd vp auteers of very force and might Set therupon two calueryn of pure golde Dyd theym worship ageyn all skyll and right Gaue euyll exaumple in the peple sight Whan he dyd with fumys and ensence To fals ydoles vndue reuerence

Fro the temple he made the people gone Preestes ordeyned after his owne guise Forsoke the tribe of leuy and aaron And vpon Bethell his offringe gan deuise And while he dyd vnlefull sacrifise God that wele knewe of him the fals entent From Ierusalem a prophete to him he sent

Which him rebuked of his mysgouernaunce And gan the peryles to him specifie Tolde him afore for to do vengeaunce Of dauid kinge there shulde come one Iosie Whiche shulde his preestes that falsly coude lye Manly destroy and sle theym all at onys And into asshes brenne theym flesshe and bonys

And in token of their distruccion The prophete tolde amonge theym all Howe his auters shulde bowedoun And his ydoles from their stage fall Whan that folys their goddys falsly call Whiche haue no power to helpe in no manere For they may neyther see / fele / nor here

After this prophete Iadan had tolde These s••ide signes playnly to the kynge His auter fyll on pecis many folde And ouerturnyd bacwarde his offringe For which the kynge furiously lokynge Put forth his hande the story maketh mynde Bad his men the prophete take and bynde

And as he his arme raught oute on length Had no power it to withdrawe ageyn Wex vnweldy / contracte / and lost his strength And whan the kinge these tokyns hath seyn And howe the prophete spake no worde in veyn Greatly astonyed coude sey nomore But praide Iadan his arme to restore

And by his praiere and mediacion Of his arme after this vengeaunce There was anone made testetucion And of his peyne feleth alegaunce For which the kynge with full greate instaunce Requeryd him to be so gracious That day to abide and dyne in his hous

But the prophete wolde nat assent Nouther with him to ete nor to drinke Toke his asse and forth anone he went On whoos de{per}tynge the kynge gan sore thinke And fantasies gan in his herte synke Specially whan he toke hede Of all his tokens howe they were true in dede

God bad Iadan in this greate emprise To Ieroboam first whan he was sent Ete nor drinke in no maner wyse In that cyte while he was present But a nother prophete of entent Full olde and sligh on that other side Compellyd hath this Iodan to abide

Him aforsinge by fals collusion To resorto ageyn vnto the cite And to make no contradiccion With him to dyne of fraternite To him affermynge it may none other be For god sent him as to his frende and brother To abide with him and pleynly with none other

Of frendlihede and true affeccion Within his hous to shewe his presence For a repast and a refeccion This goddis will and fully his sentence To whoos wordes the prophete yaue credence And as they sat at dyner both in fere God vnto Iadan seyde in this manere

For the brekinge of my commaundement Thy greate offence and thy transgression That thou hast be so wilfull negligent Thou shalt endure this punicion Be all to torne and rent of a lion And in thy cuntre thou shalt nat recure With prophetis to haue thy sepulture

Of which thinge this Iadan no thinge fayne Gan to de{per}te with full heuy thought Of a lyon amyd of the weye slayne But his asse harmyd was rightnought A full greate merueile if it be wele sought The lion sittynge as in their diffence And kept theym both from all violence

All these tokens might nat conuert Ieroboam fro his iniquite Goddis warnynge him list nat to aduerte Nor by his prophete correctyd for to be Wherfore god wolde that he shulde se Vengeaunce folowe as it ded in dede Both vpon him and his kinrede

A sonne he had which fyll in greate sekenesse Callyd abimen the boke doth specifie For which the kinge bad the quene hir dresse To go disgysed without cumpany Vnto a prophete which callyd was achie Him to requere truly for to seye Whether the childe shulde lyue or dye

And in his inwarde sight contemplatif God shewed him by clere inspeccion Of Ieroboam howe she was the wife For all hir sleyghty transformacion For nouther fallas nor fals decepcion May be god but it be parceyued For he / ne his prophetys may nat be decyued

She cam to him in straunge wede At the enterynge he callyd her by hir name Come forth quod he for it is no nede To hide thisilf as it were for shame For the trouth truly to attaine God hath yeuyn me fully knowlegynge What thou shalt answere and sey to the kynge

Sey pleynly to him and marke it in thy thought In thy repaire these wordes rehersynge Sith god hath made the and reysed vp of nought From a seruaunt to regne as a kynge Fro Dauidis kyn moost worthy regnynge Partyd the kingdome and yeuyn it vnto the And thou vnkinde therof canst no thinge se

His greate goodnesse is out of remembraunce Fully forgetyn of thy frowarde pride In fals goddys put thin affiaunce God aboue falsly set aside Wherfore from the anone he shall deuide Thy kingdome hole without more delay And fro thy lyne the crowne take away

And for thou hast thy confusion Thy feith vnfeithfull to fals goddis take Wrongly refusyd thy religion Of god aboue and pleynly him forsake This is the ende which that thou shalt make The and thy kyn no man may socoure Flessh / skyn / and bone houndes shall deuoure

And at the entrynge home to the cite Thy son and his thou shalt fynde hym dede Of all his kyn though there were none but he Founde very goode take therof good hede Of which answere the quene fyll in greate drede Entrynge the cite in especiall Hir childe was dede and lay colde by the wall

Of this warnynge the kinge toke none hede But made him redy with full greate aparaile Forty thousand with him he dyd lede Of manly men armyd in plate and maile With kinge abias for to haue a greate bataile The which abias that was of iuda kinge Vnto his people saide at their metynge

O noble knightes haue one thinge in momerie No man venquessheth platly to conclude With greate people nor getith victorie With noumbres hepyd nor greate multitude Fals Idolatres god will theym delude Nat suffre his seruauntes that been true and sad Of miscreauntis to be ouerlad

Triumphe is none founde of newe or old In these ydolys of stone nor siluer shene Nor in calueryn of metall made or golde ••••ue to that partye which vntruly mene And sith that god knoweth oure quarell clene There is none hope / force none nor might With theym grounde theym a cause ageyns right

Hope of victorie standith vpon rightwisnesse Of theym that cast their synfull life to amende And list forsake wronge and al falsnesse And with hole herte vnto the lorde entend Which shall this day his grace to you sende Oure true cause truly to termyne And thus Abias gan his tale fyne

His preestys gan their trumpes for to blowe And kinge Abias through his high renoun Gaue to his people both to high and lowe For manly confort and consolacion And fifty thousande by computacion Were slayne that day which full proudly cam Vpon the party of kinge Ieroboam

And all the partye of Ieroboam And all that were of his lyne borne After this bataile vnto mischeef cam Whan they were slayne with houndes all to torne As the prophete had theym tolde beforne But for the kinge toke therof none hede With soden vengeaunce god quit him his mede