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 Alcibiades exiled and after brent in his bedde

AFter other that put theym silf in prees Tofore bochas their compleintis to discure Cam of Athenys alcibiades That t••me alyue the fayrest creature And as it is remembred by scripture He was discrete and was at all assayes O••e the s••r••ngest and manly in his dayes

He was first borne of full high lynage Aboue all other of moost semelynesse Well proporcioned and hardy of corage Loued and well sauoured for his greate fairenesse Famous in knighthode for his worthynesse Subtyll witted and coude by eloquence Moch comprehendyd vnder short sentence

His wyt enclyned to many folde sciences Had of cūnynge a passinge retentyf Loued clerkes and fonde theym their dispences Such as in practif he sawe moost inuentif To rede in bokes reioysed all his lif Kept what he redde in his memoriall And of wise counseyle was none to him egall

An vncle he had I called perioles Which stode in daungere of excessif spendynge Yit in his youth this Alcibiades Seynge his vncle pensif in lokinge Cast of wisdome to remedye that thynge And for to aswage his hertis heuynesse Gaue him this counseyle by greate auisenesse

First to reherce howe the mater stode And of vncles wofull highe distresse There was to him delyuered a sūme of gode To repaire the temple of a goddesse Called minerua but for the greate excesse Of his dispencis he stode sūwhat in drede Touchinge thacoumpte which he muste yelde in dede

Alcibiades hereupon musynge To his vncle gaue counseyle in sentence Vncle quod he let be youre thinkinge And for youre silf shape this diffence Nat for tacoumpte by mene of youre prudence Afore prouided with face and chere vnfeyned To such duresse that ye be nat constreyned

And whan perioles his counseyle aduertiseth Fonde to his worship it was resonable And by good leiser him silf full well auyseth And by prouision prudent and notable Saued his estate from eche thinge repreuable So that he stode touchinge this matere As for accoumptis oute of all daungere

Alcibiades of athene cheef capteyne From day to day waxe vp to greate encres Such another was there no where seyne Theym to gouerne both in werre and pes And all the Cyte by assent him ches Of their nauye in especiall Vpon the se to be their admirall

For his knighthode they sent him oute aferre To Cathenois to be their gouernoure Geyne Ciracusenes for to gynne awerre First there receyued with glorye and greate honoure But in the ende of his greate laboure Fortune that is aye varyaunt and vnstale Was to this duke nat founde fauourable

He was accused to theym of the toun Which in athenys had gouernaunce That he was gilty in party of treson By theym reuokyd for all his greate puissaunce Of capteynship and by their ordenaunce And fortunes fals mutabilite Vnwarly pryued from all dignite

But for him silf thus he gan prouide Went into exyll nat ferre fram that cuntre Into a cite that called was Elyde There for to haue fredom and liberte And of his lyfe to stonde in suerte For in athene they wolde haue him dede Vnto their goddes to offre vp his hede

But whan he was of their entent certeyn To Lacedomoyn he toke the right way And by relacion there he herde seyne Howe Cathemenses were put to a fray In a batayle vpon a certeyne day Which that they helde to their aduersite Geyne Cathenoys as they faught on the see

But the cause of this disconfiture As was tolde to alcibyades Was by thre capteyns thrugh their mysauenture Which in their ledynge were founde recheles The cheef of theym named domestenes The tother called the story telleth vs The tone Niceas the tother Eurilocus

Alcibiades hauynge herof tydinge To auenge his wronge put him silf in pres Of Lacedomoyn he goth first to the kinge Which of trouth was called Agydes Besechinge him to graunte to his encres Certeyne soudiours oute of his cuntre For to werreye athenoys the cite

Thus he wax stronge of noble prouidence Had greate people vnder his gouernaunce And lyke a duke made stronge in his defence The people gadred to his obeysaunce That other princes which were of high puissaunce Gan haue enuye of wylfull frowardnesse And to malygne ageyne his high noblesse

For seeld or neuer in any region Prowesse of armys nobles of cheualrye Encres of riches report of high renoun Fame of cūnynge in craft or in clergie May nowhere dwell withoute sūme enuye From whoos malice as folke expert may see Saue only wretchis no man hath liberte

For which this prince as put is in memorye Escaped nat for all his high parage But that some enuyed at his glorye For in this lyf no man hath auauntage Ageyne tunges nor odious fals langage To stop such venym this the best obstacle That men with suffraunce tempre their triacle

The clere prowesse of Alcibiades Steyned the nobles of other princes His cure him reysed vp to so greate encres To the heghest trone of fortunes hall Such fatall grace is vnto him fall That in tho dayes pleynly this is no fable There was in knighthode none to him resemblable

In his exyll so cleere his renoun shone And thrugh Grece gaue as greate brightnesse As doth a tube aboue eche other stone Yit for to clips and shadowe his worthynesse Lacedomonois dyd their besynesse Such as nat might to his noblesse atteyne By fals reporte his renoun to restreyne

A wayte was layde to take him at myscheef And many treynes were serched out and sought Of entent to put him at repreef But all that euer ageyne him they haue wrought At the ende the purpos cam to nought For god prouideth of his magnificence Ageyne such malyce to saue innocence

He was likly to fall in greate daungere Lacedomonois gan so at him disdeyne Bycause his honoure and nobles shone so clere That to his fone it was a dedly peyne And thus his lif stode in no certeyne For all be it he manly was and wise He knewe no thinge their purpos nor malice

He had almoost I warned be to late And like to haue stonde in greate {per}plexite And more his grace and fortune tabate By thoccasion of his greate beute He with the quene was waxen full pryue For in hir grace so well stode there none Which gaue him warnynge of theym y^t were his fone

And by the counseyle only of the quene Fro Lacedomoyne he wisly toke his flylght Towarde athenys and thought he wolde seen His owne cuntre full lyke a manly knyght And though they hadde nat gouerned theym aright Towardys him beynge in distresse To auenge his wronge he dyd theym no duresse

For he thought it was ageyne nature To be vengeable or shewe his cruelte By thoccasion of any auenture Or gynne a werre vpon his cuntre His natyf blode meuyd him to pite And of very naturall gentylnesse Was deboneyre ageyne their vnkyndnesse

The cas was this for short conclusion Howe kinge Dary with greate apparayle Thought to werreye of indignacion Theym of athenys and their toun tassayle And in purpos proudly to preuayle Thes••fferenes a prince of greate puissaunce Of Daryes power had all the gouernaunce

Fynall cause and grounde of all this werre That darius gan on theym so hastely And that he sent his puissaunce from so ferre For to destroye athenys vtterly Was to holde vp and susteyne the party Of lacedomoyne which of olde hatrede Were euer enuyous theym to oppresse in dede

••ut by mene of Alcibiades And his trete founded on prudence Thesifferenes enclyned to the pes Therby in party tappese his violence And all was done of noble prouidence And fro the place to which he was exiled He to athenys shulde be reconcyled

Vnto the cite he dyd signefye Howe darius had made his ordenaunce And by his letters he gan theym specifye If they wolde stonde at his gouernaunce To condescende pleynly in substaunce He wolde laboure and no lenger tarye To make accorde atwene t••eym and kinge darie

This was the mene that he ment Within athenys that the sanatours Shulde of the cite after their entent Haue full lordship and be their gouernours But as clere weddyr troubled is with shoures Right so vnwarly within that royall toun Through this trete fyll a discencion

The cōmoners gan sodenly dysdeyne To be so thralled vnder subieccion And so by assent the comons dyd ordeyne Oonly tappese all fals discencion For to reuoke ageyne into their toun Alcibiades as they thought it mete Through his prudence to set theym in quyete

First in his comynge myn auctour doth reporte He was made duke ageyne of that cite And gan the party of comons to supporte And theym restore to their olde liberte Where thrugh the senat dredynge the comonte Fled into exyll full ferre oute of all prees Oonly for drede of alcibyades

They stode that tyme in so greate disioynt Their toun deuided and oute of gouernaunce That they were brought euene to the poynt To yelde the cyte vnto the obeysaunce Of lacedomoyn through their vnhappy chaunce Within theym silf whan they gan debate Vnder their duke the Senat bare such hate

But the comons ches in their dyffence Alcibyades to gouerne that vyage And to the see with cost and greate dispence Withoute abode he holdeth his passage In mighty shippes made for auauntage Well enarmed and cast if he myght With lacedomonois proudly for to fight

Thre mighty capteynes were on that other syde The first zestro bochas telleth thus And the seconde that was their lorde and guyde Called Mydare the thryd pharbanasus On the se and londe in armys full pompous But of knighthode and magnanimite Alcibiades toke theym all thre

Stronge was the fight or that they were take Of all their meyne away there scaped none The duke that day gan such a slaughter make Of high prowesse vpon his mortall fone Cast ouer boord almooost euerych••n And after that whan he cam to londe Anewe batayle met him on the str••nde

Such wayte was laide aboute him enuyron Of his ennemyes by sodeyne auenture But of athenes thys mighty champion Which might in armys moost souereynly endure Made of his fone a newe disconfiture Thus in short tyme this prince in his estate On londe and water was twyes laureate

And after that he lyst nat for to cesse Nor tabyde the space of half a day The comon profite of his toun tencrece Towarde Asye he toke the right way And touns castellys that were take away Which apperteyned to athenys of right He gate ageyne full lyke a manly knight

Maugre all that to him were contrarye Or wrought ageyne him by rebellyon Throughoute asye in the londe of darye He knightly brought theym to subieccion Ageyne whoos swerde halpe no proteccion And fynall laboure was of his entent The comon profite of his toun to augment

And with this glory and with this noblesse He to athenys repeyred is ageyne And all the cite with ioye and greate gladnesse Cam oute to mete him vpon welfayre playne And that his triumphes shulde openly be seyne Both olde and yonge with full glad visages Of their goddys brought oute the ymages

This was their cry and noyse of all the prees Victorious prince whoos triumphes marciall Shall euer be songe with laude and newe encrees Tofore the goddys which been immortall Welcom welcom oure protectour and oure wall Sheeld of oure welfare ageyne all violence Phebus of knighthode and swerde of oure diffence

Thus with thei•• goddys they made him egal By vncouth preysurge of paganismes rightes Lyke as he had be very immortal And sange refreytes to comende his merites And to enhaunce his glorye they set all their delytes And with the light of eternall fame Set vp torches to enlumyne with his name

Thus certeyne dayes they halowed of entent Through all the cite for his high prowesse Tyll fortune hath his iyen blent With newe fauoure of worldly fals swetnesse For all hir suger is meynt with bitternesse A baite of hony shad oute at pryme face With mortall venym hyd vnder to manace

For in his highest clymbynge vp aloft And in thascence of fortunes whele After hir custome as she hath full ofte Whan he best wende for to stonde wele She drewe hir fauour from him euerydele Made the people vnder his obeysaunce To fall in myscheef for lacke of gouernaunce

Thus fro this duke fortune gan to varye And his noblesse goo bak and eke faile Whan kinge Cirus successoure to darye Full vnwarly fyll on him in batayle And gan his knightes proudly to assayle Whan he dispurueyed voyde of prouidence Was ouerlayde to make resistence

For finally this alcibiades At myscheef take which he might nat recure Whan through veyne glorye he was made recheles His noble estate testablisshe and assure Lacke of forsight caused his disconfiture And to encrees of more aduersite Banysshed ageyne oute of his cite

Thus diffacyd and clypsyd was his glorye His cyte put in straunge gouernaunce By lacedomonois after their victorye So that he knewe no maner cheuisaunce To refourme his vnhappy chaunce Saue to refute myn auctoure doth reherce Howe that he fled vnto the kinge of perce

From athenys of newe he was exiled And thritty persones furious and vengeable Chase in their cite as bochas hath compyled The toun gouerned albe they were nat able Vsinge a maner hatefull and repreuable Through their rauyne temporisshe their cite A thinge moost odyous to all comonte

A worme of drede was bred vp in their herte Which suffred nat theym to lyue in pees Amonge theym silf whan they dyd aduerte The greate prudence of alcibyades Howe in manhode he was peerles Lyst he wolde after for all their multitude Knightly acquite their ingratitude

And of assent to abrydge his lyue dayes They ageyne him of malyce haue conspired After his exill to make no delayes For to accomplyssh that they longe haue desired With brennynge hate their hertys falsly fyred To murdre by enuye causes ageyne right Alcibiades the noble worthy knyght

Thus the tyme approched and the date T••••me afore set by constellacion Of his parodye and his lyues fate Which was con••luded as made is mencion By cruell murdre to his distruccion Alas what prince with golde or soudiours ••ay 〈◊〉〈◊〉 prouyde agayne fals conspiratours

Fortune of newe gan at him enchace From her traynes that he ne scape might Dayly pursued from place aye vnto place Through perce & meede though he were oute of sight Till that his ennemyes fyll on him by night Slepinge alas to sone they were sped Whan they him fonde they brent him in his bed

T••us by murdre their purpos was acheuyd Alas it was to horrible a dede 〈◊〉〈◊〉 good a knight so wele in armys preuyd So ••••o••ed so famous in manhede For to be brent amonge the coles rede 〈◊〉〈◊〉 vnwarly in his bed I take And so confirmed amonge the coles blake

This was the ende of alcibiades Which in k••ighthode was moost souereyne In werre a lyon and a lambe in pees As ••ars victorious his sate so dyd ordeyne To ••amys paleys he fleeth with wynges tweyne Sone to Mynarua to speke of high prudence And lyke mercurye by notable eloquence