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 the two brethern artaxerses and Cirus and Ar∣taxerses slough his children and concubynes and howe they ended

AFter the fall of aman doutles Whan he best wende haue regned ī his flou••s Tofore Iohn bochas cam artaxerses Moost renomed his tyme of conquerours Which gan declare his sodeyne sharpe shours With all the {per}cellys of his mortall peyne Which that fortune ageyne him gan ordeyne

This artaxerses as put is in memorye All other princes excelled in richesse Which in his chare famous of worldly glorye And with his throne of wordly hye noblesse Sate in his tyme the story bereth witnesse Hyest exalted that was of any kinge That he shulde fall was it nat an vncouth thinge

Kynges he had vnder his obeysaunce An hundryd prouynces twenty and eke seuene Sonne vnto darye prince of moost puissaunce His fame dred more than firy leuene None so mighty vnder the sterryd heuene Accoūted was that tyme in werre and pes As was this kinge called Artaxerses

He had a brother that named was Cyrus Oute of one stok cam their both lynes But artaxerses the story telleth thus Was lorde of greynes of oyle and of wynes And had also by diuers concubynes An hundred children lyke as it is tolde And fiftene ouer tofore or he wex olde

Of both bretherne the power last ferre Duringe their tyme stode in full hye estate Yit atwene theym was full mortall werre Ageyne nature an vnkindly debate For thilke werrys be moost infortunate Whan blode with blode let no man deme other List werrey as brother ageyns brother

And fynally cause why this werre gan Atwene these bretherne as made is mencion Through which debate there dyed many a man The grounde of al and first occasion Was only this for succession After kinge darye regnynge in {per}ce and mede Which of theym twayne shulde next succede

But artaxerses by a maner prouidence Put his brother pryuely in prison That he ne shulde make no diffence Nor gadre people to his distruction This yonge Cirus as made is mencion Was fast stocked and eke as it is tolde That his stockys and feters were of golde

And thoughe it be nat remembryd in bochas Howe that Cyrus escapyd fro prison Yit also sone as he delyuered was Through {per}ce and mede ridinge vp and doun Gadred people of entencion Through olde hatrede his brother to assayle The feelde assigned they met in batayle

Where cyrus proudly put him silf in prees To shewe his manhode in especiall Sought his brother called artaxerses And gaue to him a wounde full mortall Withoute frenship or fauour fraternal That artaxerses his wounde gan so ake Constreyned was the feeld to forsake

And Cyrus was than furious as a leon His aduersaries gan mortaly to wake But fals fortune full of collusion Vnder feynt smylinge a mowe gan him make Which caused alas that day that he was take Afore I woundyd it wolde be none other And than presentyd to his vnkinde brother

And though this cirus had afore be founde Yonge fressh and lusty and manly of his honde By the constreynt of his mortall wounde He dyed anone for he no socoure fonde Than the two kingdoms within perce londe Fyll to the hondes of artaxerses In which after he lyued longe in pees

Thus a greate space like a mighty kynge All perce he helde vnder his obeysaunce By famous noblesse full gloriously shynynge Hauynge of richessys moost fulsum habundaunce And as it is put in remembraunce To more encrece of his pros{per}ite In true wedlok he had sonnes thre

The first of theym called darius Arabratus named the seconde And the thryd named was Othus Manly princys lyke as it is founde And of nature like as the kinge was bounde Vnto darye as it is made mencion Aboue echon he had affeccion

And for he dempt him able to the werre By lyklihede of yerys yonge and grene He cast fully his noblesse to preferre Of hye prudence thus he dyd mene His impotence to supporte and sustene For he was feble in {per}ce to regne alone He set vp darye with him in his throne

Which was a thinge straunge and contrarious Ageyne the custum of perciens vsaunce But he supposyd his sonne darius Shulde in such cas encres and auaunce His faders {per}ty of naturall attendaunce And shewe vnto him trouth and kindnesse His impotence to cherisshe of gentylnesse

But in estatys oft it doth thus fall Whan that princes be ronne ferre in age Their childrens loue ageyne theym doth appall Shewynge no frendship saue for auauntage Howe that they may reioyse their heritage And in such caas whan they wex stronge Thinke their faders lyue all to longe

And artaxerses stode in the same cas As in his story playnly ye shal finde By rehersaile and writynge of bochas Howe this darye was fals and eke vnkinde Foryetfull and had no thinge in mynde Howe his fader the trouth to reherce Hath made him egall with him to regne in {per}ce

And to declare the first occasion To his fader howe the seyde darye By a fals maner of rebellyon Gan in his werkinge for to be contrarye Which to discure I wyll no lenger tarye But with my penne in all hast procede Here to discryue howe it fyll in dede

Artaxerses amonge his concubynes It is remembred howe that he had one Which for to rekne wyues and virgynes Was fairest holde of theym euerychon Called artasia of full yore agone And was that tyme hir bewtye to descryue Amonge perciens the fairest holde alyue

And though she were Ironne ferre in age Lyke as bokys lyst of hir expresse Both of coloure and also of visage She kept hir bewtye and hir natif fresshnesse Which was afore for hir semelynesse To seyde Cyrus breuely to termyne Chose longe aforne to be his concubyne

But whan this Cirus was passyd into fate Which for his brother might nat lyue in pees Anone vpon withoute lenger date She was take vp for kinge artaxerses Bycause she was of beutye peerles After longe tyme whan he fyll in age She cleymed was by tytle of heritage

Of kinge dary by his faders lyue Feynynge his cleyme by succession And though his fader ageyne it dyd stryue And thus began as made is mencion Of their debate the first occasion For darye cast albe he bare it styll Hir to reioyse ageyne his faders wyll

And to accomplyssh falsly his entent Of hir to haue full possession Tafforce his partye he made this argument Cirus quod he as made is mencion Regnynge in {per}ce the mighty region And this story doth pleynly determyne For hir beutye made hir his concubyne

And after tyme whan cirus was dede Artaxerses his fader ye may se Next him succedinge in {per}ce it is no drede List hir to cleyme eke for hir greate beutye And so quod da••ye she longeth nowe to me B••cause she is so plesaunt to my sight By succession I wyll hir cleyme of right

Thus kinge darye to his fader s••yde He wolde haue arthasia the faire And therwithal artaxerses gan abraide And answeryd with face debonaire My sonne quod he I wyll nat be contraire To thy desire but of affeccion Delyuer hir to thy possession

Of his promys he after gan repent Cast him to make another cheuisaunce And secretly his concubyne he sent Callyd arthasia as made is remembraunce And through his sleyghty vncouth purueaunce Vnto the temple such menys he hath sought Of greate Appollo that she in hast was brought

Where she was veyled and made a preesteresse After the rytes pleynly and the guyse Of olde paynemes by amaner holynesse And there professed for to do seruise As their statutes constreyne and diuise Duringe hir lyfe it might none other be She bounde was to lyue in chastite

This thinge was wrought by compassinge Of artaxerses by frowarde ielousye Wherof darye the yonge lusty kynge Waxt almoost wode whan he dyd it espye And gan compasse of malencolye Furyous rancoure and hasty cruelte Vpon his fader auengyd for to be

And his party of force to sustene With him he had the story meketh mynde His bretherne in bast an hundred and fiftene Which to their fader were fals and vnkinde Of all this noumbre there left none behinde That for this purpos onys lyst dissent His deth of one wyll they assent

¶Yit of this straunge fals conspiracie Artaxerses hadde a knowlegynge Alt••o••gh the storye doth nat specifie Howe ne by whom he had therof wittynge For which in hast he made no taryinge To gadre meyne and make him silf stronge Him silf tauenge of this disnaturall wronge

For artaxerses like as the caas tho stode Though it sate wele to his high nobesse To be vengyd vpon vnkinde blode For law nature decrees rightwisnesse And all statutis dampne vnkindnesse Wherby this kinge occasion dyd finde Ageyne his children bycause they were vnkinde

Sūme men deme howe greate multitude Of many children maketh a man stronge But therupon pleynly to conclude Vertue is cause if she dwell theym amonge But if their corage enclyneth vnto wronge And vicious life do their bridell lede The gretter noumbre the wors they must spede

A progenye borne of a cursed lyne May through his frowarde fals infection Outwarde by coloure of trouth though they shyne Vnder apparence and simulacion Infect and corrupt all a regyon For it is sayde of full olde langage Frute of soure trees take a soure tarage

This was well shewed in artaxerses That suffred his brother dye at myscheef Bledynge his wounde left him helples Which to his name shall euer be repreef Thus blode vnkinde vnkindly maketh his preef For all the children fro his stok descendyd Were cursed euerichon as here is comprehendyd

Their stok was first contagious of nature The griffis froward though they were grete ī noūbre Which of assent dyd theyr besy cure By fals treson their fader to encombre But there is no shade nor no couert vmbre So closely kept namely of fals gyle But the venym wyll shewe oute sūwhile

And thus the deth contagious conspired Of artaxerses sith go full yore Wheron to auenge his herte was so fired Of furious Ire and Ibrent so sore That he nat coude differre it ferthermore But with his meyne fyll on theym anone Or they were ware and slough theym euery••••••••

He slough also all his concubynes That were their moders of whom I tolde to forne Suffred none to lyue of their lynes So of that lynage he hath the wede vpshorne Fonde amonge all no greyne of good corne Conuict by dome whan they were presentyd To his deth howe echon they were assentyd

His clothys spreynt with the vnkinde blode Of his children which he dyd shede After whoos deth in greate mischeef he stode And so in sorowe his lyfe he dyd lede Dyed after in myscheef and in drede Deth quyt with deth and rage with rage Loo here the fyne of his vnweldy age

Lenuoye.

THis tragedye aforne declareth here The greate outrage of vnkindnesse Atwene two brethren regnynge both Ifere In {per}ce londe as ye haue herde expresse Tyll diuision of all myscheef mas••resse Gon entre in through fraternall hatrede Which ageyne kinde destroyed their kinrede

The werre arose contagious for to lere Throughoute all Perce of mortall frowardnesse Of Cyrus deth rehersinge the manere Howe helples he dyed in distresse And howe the noumbre of brethren dyd them dresse To sle their fader the story ye may rede Causinge an ende of all their hole kinrede

Kinge artaxerses with a frowarde chere His Iniuries and wronges to redresse Slough his children their moders eke Ifere Spared nat one of frowarde cursednesse By which occasion toke a greate sekenesse After dyed in mischeef and in drede Causinge an ende of all his hole kinrede

Loo here a sorowe nat {per}ticulere For through all perce ran the cursednesse The croked fame spred both ferre and nere Of this vengeable hasty fell woodnesse The ayre infectinge with sclaūdrous blaknesse To shewe the vengeaunce the contrarious mede Of blode vnkynde borne of one kinrede

Noble princes lift vp your iyen clere And considre by greate auisnesse The wofull stryues the odious fell daungere Sowne in kinredys of wilful straungenesse Of all rancoure youre corage do redresse P••isinge the mischeuys folowynge on in dede Of blode vnkinde borne of one kinrede