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 Alisaundre kinge of Pyrothe auenturynge to passe the flode of Acheronte / there at his bak by his moost trusty was dedly woundyd

AFter the compleynt of Calistenes Slayne tirauntly and dyd no trespas Cam alisaundre kinge of pyrothes His woundes bledynge vnto Iohn Bochas To him declared howe he drowned was In acheronte a ryuer of greate fame Beside a toun pandosia was the name

And as it is remembred and I tolde Of this notable mighty stronge cyte It was in grece Bylt of dayes olde And after pirrus called pyrothe Where as the kinge helde his royall se And as bokys also determyne This Alisaundre cam of the same lyne

Of whoos kinrede is made pleyne mencion Sonne to achillus was kinge pirrus And next in ordre by succession Fader to elysaundre was Neptolonyus Which had also myn auctoure telleth thus A full faire doughter the story ye may se•••• Olimpiades of macedoyne quene

And she was weddyd to philip Macedo Whilom moder this quene of moost renoun To alisaundre the story telleth so Which all the worlde brought in subiection Whoos fader philip of greate affection Lete crowne the brother of olimpiades Called alisaunder to regne in Pirothes

To whom philyp for his greate beutye Bycause he was so faire a creature Had such affection and specialte As it is remembryd in scripture Of fals foule lust ageyne nature As seyth Bochas I can him nat excuse Vnlefully he dyd his beutye vse

And by mene of that horrible dede Which to reherce is to foule a thinge This sayde philyp in Bochas thus I rede In Epirothes he made him to be kynge And of extorsion by recorde of writinge Causeles from thens he dyd enchace The kinge Arabba tho regnynge in that place

And it fyll after the story telleth so Of this alisaundre by cerious rehersayle Vpon the deth of philip macedo With a greate host cam into Itayle Supposinge greatly for to auaile To occupye after his proude entent Hooly the boundys of all the occident

And though so be that fortune be chaungeable Double also by cours of hir nature At his gynnynge he fonde hir fouourable Made him twyes proudly to recure Geyne theym of Luke to their disconfiture To haue the felde and maugre all their might Of very force to put theym vnto flight

Ageyne Itayle whan he gan this werre Fully in purpos the romayns to assayle Of hye presumpcion procede he gan so ferre With many prince that was in his batayle To knowe afore by certeyne dyuynayle Of his conquest the boundys for to cast And of his life howe longe it shulde last

And in the temple of Iupiter the grete By dyuynours that expert were and olde Seruynge this god within the londe of Crete This was the answere which they haue him tolde And it affermed by toknes many folde Howe that he nat shulde eschue the drefull date Ouer the day assygned to his last sate

And they also assigned a place Therby to haue knowlegynge more clere Vnder a cute longe and large of space Callyd Pandosia and for to go more nere By acheronte a famous great riuere Tolde him playnly and coude no ferder seie Of necessite there he muste nedys deie

And though it were an erneste and no iape Of god ordeyned nat to be s••t asyde He thought of wysdom his destyne to escape And otherwyse for him silf prouyde Caste in grece no lenger to abyde Wenynge this ryu••re nor that fayre cite Saue in grece shulde nowhere ellys be

And for to set him silf in assuraunce Of entent to eschewe his destyne In to thre batayles departynge his puissaunce Cam to Itayle tofore luke the cite They with helpe of samoys the contre w••th a gret power cam out anon right Slough al his knightes and put him vnto flight

At the backe they pursued him so nere That his ennemyes almoost were on him fal Vnto a brydge broke with the riuere And ouerturned with his plankes al And acheronte men that ryuer cal As was tolde him by a certeyne knyght Which rode before him the ryuer in his sight

For by a rayne that fyll the same night The ryuere wex to a dredful flode And nat ferre thens in the kynges sight Vpon the water a lytyl toun there stode Which made the kynge chaunge face and blode And specially his pryde gan attame Whan he wyst pondosia was the name

And than he gan moste dreedfully remembre Callynge to mynde the prestes diuinayle Which made him quake in euery ioynt and membre For verrey feere and his breth to fayle No man coude him wissh nor counsayle O•• euery partye he stode so on the wracke The flode tofore him his enmyes at his backe

To take the ryuer he stode in mortal drede And if that he his ennemyes dyd abyde He wyste wel that he was but dede Passage was none for to turne asyde Thus dissolat he stode withouten guyde Thought it better to iuparte the ryuere Than with enmyes that folowed him so nere

Their mortal dredes his herte gan constreyne Drede of the flode for to haue passage Byhynde his enmyes that gan at him disdeyne Liste he were slayne in that mortal rage His fate approchynge he but yonge of age The towne pandosia the tokyns dyd expresse With acheronte that bare therof witnesse

And whan that he put in auenture To passe the flode or elles to be dede Whom he moste trust of any creature Toke a grete spere square and sharpe the hede And at his backe he quakynge in his drede Trayturly throughout plate and mayle Percyd his herte the blode abrode gan rayle

And as it is also of him remembred The Lucanois by vengeable violence They haue his careyn on pecys all dismembryd Tyll an olde lady beynge in presence Requered theym of humble pacience That she of grace gadre might anone His membres all and ioyne theym into one

And after to sende theym vnto his suster dere Olimpiades the statly greate quene That of affeccion and loue moost entere Whan it befyll that she dyd theym sene Shulde of nature as it must nedys been Wepe and prouide in his estate roiall To burye the body with feest funerall

Se here exaumple of this proude kinge Which wolde haue scapyd his fatall destenye Chaunge of placys auayled him nothinge Parodye of princis may nat chaunged be The terme set fro which they may nat fle For whan heuene of deth hath set a date No mortall man may eschue his fate