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 auctour ageyne couetous people

NAture that is content with a litell thinge The wyse ware the circumspect goddesse Which vnder god in heuyn aboue regnynge The worlde to gouerne is called thempresse Moder of richessis the first founderesse Which serched oute by h••r arti••eris The straunge tresours hid in the myneris

This noble lady this princesse moost famous Knowynge of man the vncouth condicions Sawe by experience richessis were noious In him teclipse the disposicions And conuey his inclynacions By a wronge way vertue to set asyde Howe couetous was a full perilous gyde

For auaryce is to all vertues contrarye The gredy worme the serpent vnstauncheable Man to be traisshe with promyse•• debonayre At pryme face sote and agreable Taught him of nature by craft moost deceyuable Through subtyll serchinge as it were for the nonys First oute of erthe to delue precious stonys

Of rich myners they serch oute the entrayles To fynde oute metals for worldly auauntages Contryued shippes with their brode sayles By diuers fees to make their passages And couetise ordeyned first viages Caused princes to ride in londes ferre Eche ageyne other for to gynne awerre

Of auarice gan first these robberies Awaite of brigantys and al extort pillages Murdre slaughter and couert briberyes Of olde contryued furious fell damages Wrought and enchened in all maner ages Nowe in these dayes let set it at a preef Fals couetyse caused all such myscheef

She was first rote of fals extorcion To spoyle the temple moder of rauyne And sterer vp of oppression To take by force this was hir doctrine And as myn auctour doth pleynly determine And concludeth in full pitous wise Rote of all euyll is fals couetise

She is eke norice of tontek and of strife Mastresse of murdre and wilfull violence Made men to i••parte body gode and lif Caused discencyon and disobedience Grutchinge of comons withdraught of reuerence By rigorous constreynt sodeyne rebellions Rumour in realmes vnware subuersions

This frowarde dragon full of Idropsie Whoos fretynge etik there may no plente fede To staunche his thurste there is no remedye The more he drynketh the more he hath ay nede And the more tresoure the more he stant in drede With Cantalus though he swymme in the flodys In mygdas well pleyneth for lak of godes

This worme eke causeth that men in their riches Haue drede of theuys a night in their walkynge And they here on cofre bed or presse Cat rat or mous or any worme meuynge He weneth anone within him silf demynge That there were come with greate apparayle Sum vncouth pelour his tresoure to assayle

The wofull soule stondeth euer in drede And ay abydeth in laboure and trauayle And of the godes which he doth possede Falleth in despayre lest they wolde him fayle Twene hope and drede there is such batayle Through entermynynge eche other to confounde To be moost gredy whan they moost habou••de

Hope vnasured with drede disespeired Merynge in hertys make a mortall werre Whan hope presumeth with drede he is apeyred And lyke a cowarde maketh him stande aferre Dull of his chere as is a cloudy sterre Which darnat shewe the light of his tresoure But euer to encres set holy his laboure

He dare nat touch thinge he loueth moost His cofres cloos be shet vnder key Though he hath moch he make therof no bost Lest for his tresoure men wold him werreye Pleyneth for nede like as he wolde deye Feyneth fals pouert to spare his dispence Oppressynge plente with frowarde indigence

And though his chestys happed be with golde With yron barrys fast shet and closed Fals scarsite gouerneth his housholde ••h•• by none excesse he is nat vndisposed His indigent herte so streytly is enosed ••o herebus heire and yit well worse in dede In gretest richesse to compleyne vpon nede

This herebus hath of yron nat of stone For auarice vil•• a foule cyte Where as the whele turneth of Ixion Vnder the boundes of Thephone Where zeziphus may neuer a day goo fre But with his stone contynually trauayleth And the more besy his laboure leest auayleth

Thus auarice to vertue moost contrarye Founde amonge vices full contagious Euer b••sy their restles stone to carye Nowe vp nowe do un with wery ze••••phus Whoos endles laboure braydeth on Theseus Which helde the bridell of fru••tles besynesse Condempned in hell to lyue in Idelnesse

Of couetise the cruell marinere Is called Charon which with flegonte By many a strete and many fell daungere Sayleth in the flodes of furious Acheronte Vnder that derked and cloudy Orizonte Where auarice ches whilom negardshipe For tresorer his cofres for to kepe

First to declare the labour in gaderinge Of couetous men as it is in dede And counterpeise howe their streight kepynge Is euer meynt with importable drede Sorowe at de{per}tynge for their mortall mede Which may be called of trouth and equyte Of Cerberus the wakyr hedys thre

The first hede is vnstauncheable desire Of worldly godes greate riches to atteyne The more encres the hoter is the fyre The seconde hede is the dredfull peyne Which in kepynge his herte doth constreyne Vnware departynge that sodenly doth fall Is the thrid hede that greueth moost of all

This wakyr worme that beryth these hedys thre Is called the worme of gredy couetise Whoos besy constreynt restles {per}plexite Troubleth the soule in full furious wise Which frowarde monstre pleynly to deuise Braideth on ydra of whome poetis seyne One hede but of / there gr••••••e thre ageyne

Euer at the tayle of plente and richesse Of custum foloweth grutchinge and enuye For he that hath of tresoure greate eichesse Is seeld glad as for his partye Thus both tweyne stonde in Iu••tye The rich with plente holde him nat appayed And the nedy with pouertis affrayed

And yit in pouert is full greate sekirnesse Which is a tresoure that no man wyll assayle As myn auctour Bochas bereth wytnesse An••••lates amonge the porayle Lyued in pees sure from all batayle Helde him content with such as god him sent Whan rich were armyd and to the werre went

Vertuous pouert standeth euer in sekir caas To watch his hous he hath full lytell nede But proude pompye assegyd in duras For fere of Iulius stode in greate drede But people rude herof take none hede Such as reioyse theym for to shede blode In straunge werres wrongly to gete gode

Storyes olde full well reherce cūne Dyuers studyes of folke here mortall First howe diogenes was content in his tūne In which he made his lodgynge principall And sawe the cours aboue celestiall Lyued gladder amonge philosophers Than kinge Cresus with all his stuffed cofres

And if men wolde vnto mynde call The greate myscheuys folowynge in habundaunce And thinke also howe sardanaball For all his trisoure cam vnto mischaunce And howe sophodius porest in substaunce Had but a gardeyn full of lekis grene And ••••ghtnought elles hym silf to sustene

This philosopher was euer glad and light There was no watch made his tours Full surely slept he all the longe night Hauynge no drede of theues ne robbours In somer walkinge amonge the grene flours And in colde wynter full merily and oft On drye strawe he lay and slepte full soft

Cyncynatus a pore laborere Feyed dyches to gete his sustenaunce Withoute grutchinge euer glad of chere Both in porte and in his countenaunce Dempt he had as moch suffisaunce To his plesaunce as cresus kinge of lyde Content with lytell nature was his guyde

This pore man in his pouert assured With litell fode and clothys but a fewe Had hertys ese and gladsum pes recured It liked him nat ouer his hede to hewe Which thinge conceyued cleerly doth vs shewe That Ioyous pouert conueyed with gladnesse Grutchinge auoyded surmounteth all richesse

And if that folke coude considre a right Their pitous sighes their thoughtfull besynesse Their wofull labours their lytell slepe anight Which they endure for worldly rychesse And of thabidynge the dredfull sekirnesse Which thinge peysed and called to memorye All erthely power is double and transitory

And by storyes which been credible To preue their power is nat abidynge But at a poynt slidynge and fallible Whilom Mas••••ssa of Munydye kinge That was so myghty by recorde of writynge For fere of Siphax oonly his lif to saue Fled into mounteyns and hyd him in a caue

And there he fonde full smale vitayle Constreyned narowe of indigence and nede Whan other deyntees in myscheef gan him fayle He gadred rotes and ete theym in his drede Eke proude xerses kinge of {per}ce and meede Dranke blode and water to staūche his gredy thurst Drede and traueyle gaue him so greate a lust

¶Yit sūme men wolde seye of auenture They were compelled ageyne their volunte These kinges tweyne such myscheef to endure Maugre their wyll of necessite For casuell chaunce raft theym their liberte So that the rigoure of this sode••••e rage Cam in by constreynt and of no corage

But for all that folke in their pouerte On greate metys that theym silf fede Been also stronge hole and faire to see And also lusty preuyd at a nede Vpright of lymmes their iourneis for to spede As longe lyued the cause to expresse Is oonly this they do none excesse

To pore men the best medecine Is due laboure with moderate abstynence Good aire in feeldes whan phebus list to shyne Voidinge derke mystes that cause pestilence Of heuy stomake they fele no violence They nat enrych lechys nor potecaries Theym silf to saue with vncouth let waries

But folkis rich werkyn the contrarye Which in theym causeth maladyes stronge For their dyete euery daye they varye With dyuers metys and their syttynge longe And with all this their appetites wronge Take oute of tyme which they may nat endure Which by custum oppresseth their nature

And thus myn auctour shortly to deuise Seeth howe glad pouert standeth moost in sekirnesse And of all euyll he seeth howe couetise Is rote and grounde with fals extort richesse Ryot annexed engendringe longe sikenesse Theron concludynge howe moderate dyete Set body and soule in moderate quiete