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 ...

Howe the tyraunt alisaundre llough his philosopre Calistenes with other for saynge truth

AMonge all storyes to tell the pitous cas Of wofull pleyntifs that put thē sifl in pres With wepinge iyen myn auctor Iohn bochas Was meuyd in herte nat to be recheles T•• wryte the fall of calistenes Which alas as it is remembrid Was for his truth on pecys all dismembryd

For whan bochas his story gan aduert ••e dempte anone in his fantasie No man had so harde a stonen herte That might of right his iyen kepe drye To se the processe of his tormentrye Yit gan myn auctour his wofull penne profre To wryte the wronge done to this philosophre

This Calistenes in youth right well thewed His grene age promotyd to doctryne By influence of heuenly fate adewed Greatly to profite in morall disciplyne Dysposyd of nature by grace whiche is dyuine To conquere as bokys specefye The noble surname of philosophie

Of his meritys famous and notable Philosophye dyd hir besy peyne To yeue him souke bycause that he was able The sore mylke of hir brestys tweyne Moost precious licour who might therto atteyne For bawme is none the vertue well declared Of worldly richesse may be therto comparyd

This precious pyment is youe vnto no folys Aboue all licours it doth so ferre excelle Whoos orygynall sparinge in the holy scolys Of athenys as famous bokys telle For of philosophie there sprange oute first the well Where calystenes the experience is well couth With fulsum plente was fostred in his youth

Though he was borne of a good lynage Vertue made him more high vp for to assende To be enhaunced for noblesse of corage More than for blode who can comprehend For philosophers and clerkys more cōmende The morall vertues entresoured by writinges Than all the tresours of worldly crowned kinges

Of gentyll stockys rekne oute the issues That be descendyd doun from a royall lyne If they be vicious and voyde of all vertues And haue no tarage of vertuous disciplyne With temporall tresoure though they florissh & shyne As for a tyme sittynge on hye stages Withoute vertue they are but dede ymages

For though princes haue conquered by bataile This worlde in roundnesse by their chiualrye What may their triumphes or noblesse auayle Withoute that vertue by right their titles guye To be compared vnto philosophie For philosophers applye all their ententys To knowe heuene and ••ours of ••lementys

They set no store of thinges transitorye Nor of fortunes expert doublenesse To heuenly thinges is set all their memorye Howe the seuene planetys in their cours theym dresse Meuynge their sterrys sparkynge in their brightnesse With reuolucions of the speris nyne Mothers of Musyke as auctours determyne

And in the noble tweyne famaus housys Flowringe in Grece richest of euerychon Called by olde date the faire true spousys Of philosophers many mo than one In athademie and athenys shone The bright lanternys of moost reuerencis This worlde tenlumyne by lyberall sciencis

And amonge ••ther this Calistenes Was in his youth put for to scoleye In the two scoles of prudent Socrates And of plato which that bare the key Of secre misteries and of diuyne Ideye In which two scolys of greate habilite Was none profited half so moche as he

These olde clerkes these two philosophers Were in tho dayes for doctryne souereyne Callyd in this worlde the riche precious cofres And tresours that kepte the chestys tweyne Amyd their breestys wherin god dyd ordeyne Moost clere possession put in their depose Of all sciencys vnder a key close

This calistenes scoler and auditour Of aristotles by cūnynge cōqueringe The noble gemine and the moost precious floure Of philosophie all flouris surmountinge Wherthrough he was chosyn in his lyuinge As his maister list for him prouide On Alisaundre tawayte and abide

For alisaundre of kinges moost entere And moost worthy to speke of hye prowesse Dyd aristotles humbly requere To prouide and do his besynesse By expert knowynge and auysenesse To sende him one which of philosophie Might by good counseyle his conquest magnefie

To write also his triumphes digne of glorye And to remembre his actys marciall Put his palmys of knighthode in memorye And to directe in especiall His roiall noblesse in vertue morall That none e••roure be seen here nor there In him that shulde all the worlde conquere

But it fyl so of knightly auenture That of fortunes high promocion That he by armes proudly gan recure Of perce and me••de the mighty region Brought kynge darie vnto subiection Gate hole his tresoure that noman might expresse To account the noumbre of his great richesse

Which vnsure tresoure and slydinge habundaunce With wastinge shadowes of goddys transitorye In surquedous pride gan so his herte auaunce By fals ambycion and outrayous veynglorye That made him lese mynde and eke memorye To knowe of nature he was no man mortall But like to goddes that were celestyall

Aboue the palme of olde conquerours Knightly triumphes conquestys marcial He vsurped by title of his laboures To heuenly goddys for to be egall And through his meritis moost Imperiall He gan presume by lyne he was allyed With the seuene goddes for to be deified

Through all his paleys and his roiall hall A lawe he set vpon peyne of lyf That men of custū shulde him name and call This worldys monarke nat mortall nor passif Sonne to Iupiter for a prerogatyf Which had the erth as god moost of puissaunce Conqueryd by swerde vnto his obeysaunce

By full auys purposed for the nonys Of pompous outrage and surquedous entent Full greate tresoure of golde and precious stonys Vnto the temple of Iupiter he sent That the bissh••ppes and preestis shulde assent Him to receyue at his home comynge Lyke as a god and no mortall thinge

Thus by extort drede and vsurped might Was first brought in full Idolatrye Causinge princys to receyue ageyne night Goodly reuerence of frowarde mawmetrye But whan Calistenes this erroure dyd espye In alisaundre he besily dyd entende This fals opinyon to correcte and amende

But fyue causes notable to reherce This Calistenes in especiall Though he was kinge of Egipt meede and {per}ce He preuyd of reson he was a man mortall His birth eke erthely and nat celestyall Fader moder as of their natures Borne for to dye lyke other creatures

His fader philyp of macedoyne kinge His moder called Olimpidiades Worldly folke and heuenly no thinge With kinges quenys vpset by hye encres Yit ageyne deth they coude haue no reles Lawes of nature maugre their wyll tobeye Nat lyke goddes but oonly borne to dey••

Kinde made theym subget to sundry passions And many vncouth dyuerse infirmytees Nowe glad nowe heuy of condicions Folowynge the fourme of their humanitees But of their fals vsurped deytees I can nat sey saue drede and flaterye Wrongly in erth dyd theym deifye

Eke alisaundre folowynge euer his lust For all his lordship and his greate might He suffred passions of hungre and of thurst Nowe hole nowe sike nowe heuy nowe light Whoos enterchaungynge in euery mannys sight Cleerly shewyd clerkys reherce can He was no god but lyke a mortall man

It fyll onys myn auctour doth compyle In a greate hete longe or he was olde He bathyd him silf in the flode of nyle Where of fortune he sodeynly toke colde His poorys opned on {per}tyes many folde Lay longe after his story bereth witnesse Or he was cured of that greate syknesse

But at the last by craft of medicyne Delyuered he was of that infirmite No thinge amendyd by his power diuyne By might of Iuno nor Iupiters poust•• Nor by his owne vsurped deite For by the passions which he dyd endure It shewed he was a dedly creature

Of him also it is made mencion He had a custum to fall in dronkenesse Through violence lost oft his reson Than of yre and furious hastynesse He wolde smyte and hurte in his woodnesse Which tokyns were pleynly to termyne In his {per}sone nat heuenly nor diuyne

Whan the philosopre callyd Calystenes Gan first considre all these condicions In alisaundre he put him silf in prees Voide of dissymulinge and dilacions For to refourme such fals ambicions Of goodly honoure whiche men dyd on theym feyne And from all vices his corages to restreyne

In thys purpos as any centre stable He cast him fully of true entencyon To correct all that was repreuable Vsyd in his persone or in his region Trouth gaue him herte lyke a champion To tell the kinge in his estate royall He was no god but a man mortall

For which the kinge of indignacion Caught a quarell ageyne Calystenes Put vpon him vniustly fals treson Only to sle his mayster causeles And for tateynt him afore all the prees Seyde howe he had of his Iniquyte Conspired ageyne his royall mageste

And feyned also the silf same tyme Howe he had made a conspiracion Ageyne his lorde by an horryble cryme Interuptinge the religion Of his diuyne institucion That in such cas there was no better rede But Calystenes by lawe must be dede

And to prolonge of his deth the peyne Vpon a boord he was layde alonge His fet smet of and his handys tweyne His iyen rent oute were nat his peynes stronge Thus can tyrauntys whan they lyst do wronge Sle philosophers without any ruth Which spared nat for to sey theym truth

This cruell vengeaunce might nat suffise But alisaundre more to encres his wo Dyd cut his lyppes in full cruel wise His nose thrilles his crys eke also And with the body he bad men shulde goo Tofore his host as it is remembred To shewe the trunke howe it was dismembred

In a caue depe and wonder lowe Solitarye derkyd all the boundes After the peynes he made him to be throwe The place stuffed with wood berkinge houndes Of fals entent to rende his blody woundys Tyll Lysimachus of greate compassion To shorte his torment gaue him poison

Who red euer of tormentys more terryble O alisaundre thou oughtest be ashamyd To sle thy clerke with peynes so horrible For thy vices bycause he hath the blamed Thy royall name therby is diffamyd But euer tyrauntes whan theym list be wode Of Innocentes reioyse to shede blode

Ageyne this knight gentyll Lysimachus Bicause he had of theym compassion Kinge alisaundre was malencolious Withoute cause title or affection Lete shet him vp with a feers lyon Voyde of all helpe for to be socoured Of entencion he shulde be deuoured

But Lysimachus quyt him like a knight Ageyne this lyon in the same place Ran feersly on him and of his marciall might Oute of his hede his tunge he dyd arace Reconsyled to the kinges grace Bycause that he so knightly hath him borne Better cherisshed than euer he was toforne

Another knight that called was clytus F••mous in armys for his chiualrye One the grettest of the kinges hous And moost cōmendyd of prudent polycie Moost famylier as bokys specefye Aboute the kinge as it was oft preuyd To tempre his corage whan he was agreuyd

The kinge and he walkinge honde by honde Within the paleys beinge in presence Princys dukys of many diuers londe Where they began by notable eloquence Remembre of armys the notable excellence Of conquerours and other knightes olde And euery man aboute his tale tolde

Amonge which clytus the gent••l knight Gan to cōmende and greatly magnefie Philip macedoyne as him ought of right Both of wysdom and his chyualrye Tyll alisaundre had therat enuye Gan disdeyne of furious cruelte That any shulde be cōmendyd more than he

Caught occasion of yre and fals hatrede Ageyne his knight that was to him moost true With a sharpe swerde vnwarly made him blede His herte blode hote and rede of hue By his sides raylinge doun of newe Therby to preue this story tell can He was no god nor resonable man

Thus in princis furious and cruell Men may cleerly an euydence se Howe that lordship is nat {per}petuell But full of chaunge and mutabilite Of ••here nowe frendly nowe sodeyne enmyte Recorde on clytus moost in the kinges grace Vnwarly slayne and dyd no traspace

Was he worthy to be deyfyed This alisaundre moost double of his corage Or was he worthy to be stellefyed This furious prince for his fell outrage That slough his frendes in his mortall rage Thus fare tyrauntis whan they lyst be wode To seke occasion for to shede blode

Calisten slayne for morall disciplyne And lysimachus for his compassion Eke thys tyraunte of fals gredy rauyne Slough gentyll clytus ageyne truth and reson As ye haue herde for cōmendacion Of kinge philip this story well conueyed Who trusteth tyrauntys shall sonest be deceyuyd

Lenuoye.

THis tragedye of calistenes Declareth vs by notable remembraunce He was with plato and olde Socrates In his youth put vnder gouernaunce Dranke of the mylke of plentuous habundaunce Of their two scolys euer deuoyde of slouth Last by alisaundre dismembryd for his trouth

First he was sent by aristotles For tawayte by prdent purueaunce On alisaundre list he were recheles By presumpcion in his royall puissaunce To take vpon him by goodly attendaunce Which he withstode alas it was greate ruth To be so slayne bycause he sayde truth

Who with tyrauntys lyst put him silf in prees To haue their fauour and stormy acqueyntaunce He must flater and sage dou••les Be double of herte with feyned countenaunce With chere contreued done his obseruaunce For feithfull menynge slayne and that was ruthe In calistenes bycause he sayde truth

Noble princes your subgettes kepe in pes Be nat to hasty for to do vengeaunce For to tirauntis that be merciles God sent short lyf and sodeyne myschaunce Who seyth trouth haue no displesaunce Prente in youre herte howe it was greate ruth That Calistenes was sleyne for his truth