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 agathodes of lowe birth borne atteyned vnto royall dignite / endyd in pouerte and wretchidnesse.

I Haue herde seyde of full yore agone A whirlwinde blowynge no thinge softe Was in olde Inglisshe callyd a rodion That reyseth dust and strawe full hye alofte And in thascendinge it falleth so full ofte Though it be borne almoost to the skye Where it becometh there can no man espye

Oute of forgys by fyre that smythes make By clere experyence it is full oft I seyne That these infernall ougly smokys blake Transcende the cop of many greate mounteyne But oft sith by a full sodeyne reyne All such assencions by rage of wynde vp blowe With vnware turne be reuersed and brought lowe

And semblably to put it at a preef And execute it by clere experience O••e the moost contrarious mischeef Founde in this erth by notable euidence Is only this by fortunate violence When that wretch••s churlissh of nature Thestate of princes vnwarly doth recure

A crowne of golde is no thinge accordynge For to be set vpon a knaues hede A foltissh ••lerke for to were a ringe Acordeth nat who that can take hede And in this worlde there is no gretter drede Than power youe if it be well sought Vnto such one that first rose vp of nought

There is no maner iust conuenience A royall carbonele rubye or garnet Nor a chast Emeraude of vertuous excellence Nor I••de saphus in coper to be set Their kindly power in foule metall is let And so thes••ate of politike puissaunce 〈◊〉〈◊〉 lost where euer knaues haue gouernaunce

For a tyme they may well vp ascende Lyke wyndy smokys their boystous fumys sprede A crownyd asse playnly to comprehende Voyde of discrecion is more for to drede Than is a lyon for that one in dede Of his nature is mihgty and royall Voyde of discrecion that other bestyall

The gentyll nature of a stronge lyon To prostrat peple of kinde is merciable For vnto all that fal afore him doun His royall puissaunce can nat be vengeable But cherisshe wulues by ricoure vntretable And foltissh assys eke of bestyalite Faylinge reson brayde euer on cruelte

None is so proude as he that can no goode The lewder hede the more presumpcion Moost cruelte and vengeaunce in lowe blode With malapertnesse and indiscrecion Of churl and gentyll make this diuision Of outher of theym I dare right well report The stok they cam fro therto they wyll resorte

The rose knowe by coloure and swetnesse And violettys for theyr fressh tarage The netle rough for his fell sharpnesse Thistlys brerys prinkinge by greate outrage And thus considred the rote of eche lynage Frowarde tetchys been euer in churlys foūde Where vnto gentils ay vertue doth rebounde

Late men beware in especiall of one thinge Howe grete decepcion is in fals coignage The plate may be bright in his shewynge The metall fals and shewe a fayre vysage All is nat golde to speke in pleyne langage That shyneth bright concludinge on reson Vnder fayre chere is oft hyd fals poyson

For as a skye or an ougly cloude Which that ascendeth lowe oute of the see And with his blaknesse doth the sonne shrowde That may nat his greate brightnesse se Nor haue no confort of his clere beutye So vicious tetchis I do you well assure Difface fuloft the giftys of nature

God vnto some hath yeuyn by nature For to excelle another in fayrenesse Yit in vicys by recorde of scripture They were disclaundryd bochas bereth witnesse Outwarde sugre inwarde bitternesse By which exaumple to purpos I may call Agathodes fulfylled wyth vices all

In this story he cometh nowe on the ringe Which of beutye had greate excellence But to declare the vicious lyuinge And to discryue his outrageous offence If I shulde write in sentence Lyke his demeritys hooly the manere It wolde thrugh Perce and blotte my papere

Touchinge his birthe of lowe bedde descendyd Sonne of a potter the story ye may se In no vertue I finde him nat cōmendyd Except nature gaue him greate beute Fostred in myscheef and greate pouerte Had eke dysdeyne I can him nat excuse Of hatefull pride his faders craft to vse

By the mene of his greate fayrenesse To hye estate he cam from lowe degre Yit in a vice which I wyll nat expresse He disusyd cursydly his beutye Ageyne nature that euyll mut they the And soyled he was shortly to specefye With all the spices of pride and lecherye

¶Yit nat withstandinge his fals condicions God suffred him to come to hye estate And to gouerne diuers nacions I finde a while howe he was fortunate In his lecherye ay pompous and elate And in a cyte called cyracuse The sayde vyses frowardly he gan vse

And for he had beutye and greate might To all vices his youth he dyd enclyne And coude also forthre him silf aright Of eloquence expert in the doctryne And as it is sayde though he cam of lowe lyne Yit as it is put in remembraunce An hundred knightes he had in gouernaunce

Of Centuryen he purchased an office And that tyme he toke the ordre of knight After chosyn a tribune of greate pryce And gate greate fauoure in the peple sight And in this while it fell so anone right Of Cyracusys he was made duke and hede By election by cause their lorde was dede

Which with Siciliens helde a mortall strif But agathodes made him victorious Toke their duchesse after to his wyf By mene wherof he wex full gloryous And in his glory he grewe right despitous Forgate him silf thus growynge in estate Wherthrough his cite and he were at debate

His condicion whan they gan espye And sawe him werke all of presumpcion The people anone knowynge his tyrannye Exiled him oute of their region In his exyle as made is mencion He coude finde no better cheuisaunce But cam to a cite that callyd was Murgaunce

Where by his sleighty subtyll fals auys He so demenyd him in the peple sight That of a pretor they gaue him an offis He meuynge theym in all that euer that he might Geyne Ciracusys to make them stronge and fight Of entent on theym to auenged be Cause for his exyle oute of that cyte

But in his exyle the story seyth none other It was so wrought by medyacion Of duke Amulchar that was his sworne brother Ciracusanis of one entencion Called home ageyne into their toun And there was restoryd to his place And reconciled to the kinges grace

And vnto him they gaue by greate auys By assent of lordes and all the comonte Of a Pretor newly an offis For pretores of custum callyd be Officers that dwell in the cyte And haue full charge by dome and Iugementys To put all gylty to peyne and to tormentys

Than of newe this Agathodes Bycause he had more auctoryte Cast for to trouble the quyete and the pes Of ciracusis and oute of that cyte All the Senatours grettest of dignite Of mortall vengeaunce this tiraunt made anone Withoute excepcion be slayne euerychon

This hasty slaughter wrought by tyrannye Might nat asswage nor staunche his fell corage Tyll he their tresours toke by robbrye And all Sycile he spoyled by pillage Cast of pride vpon an hyer stage For to assende by sleighty fals werkinge Of al that region he toke to be crowned kinge

Made his subgettys maugre theym him dredynge To call him kinge and in especiall On the moost worthy prince tho lyuynge That sat in chayre of mageste royall Tyll fortune shope he must haue a fall For of cartage the duke a worthy knight Faught with him twyes and put him to flight

Wherthrough he stode in mischeef dispei••ed And of a people he was had in disdeyne To Ciracuse in hast he is repeired And to his cite retourned home ageyne There abydinge in drede and vncerteyne For whan fortune gan ageyne him take His frendes olde of newe haue him forsake

In that myssheef he bode nat longe As the processe maketh rehersayle Gadryd people and made him silf stronge Only in purpos all affrik tassayle With theym of cartage had a greate bataile Theym disconfited as fortune lyst ordeyne By hye prowesse of his sonnes tweyne

Arthagathus I called was that one Wondre deliuer a man of great might The seconde brother moost worthy of echone Called Eraclida which in that mortal fight Preued himsilf that day a manly knight For by their manhode in which there was no lacke They of cartage were felly put abacke

For though so were by fortune of the werre Agathodes had that day victorie Fals couetyse made him for to erre And eclipsyd the light of his glorie For as it is remembred in his storie Like as his birth as it toforne termyned To all falsnes his corage was enclyned

Cruell of custum of herte mercyles His will was lawe were it wronge or right Contrarie to accorde frowarde vnto pes Proude and surquedous in his owne sight Where his powere stretchyd and his might Lyke a tyraunt naturally disposed To execute vengeaunce afore purposyd

He thought he had power forto bynde Fortunes whele for to abyde stable Which is a thinge contrarye to her kynde Whose propertie is to be variable His pride alas was to abhominable For mortal prince is none that may restreyne Hir vnware turne nor her cours sodeyne

By influence of the heuynly sterres The vncouth cours aboue celestiall By fortune and fauour of the werres This agathodes of byrth ful rurall Promotyd was vnto estate royall Tyll pride outrage and frowarde engendrure Caused in his lordship he might nat longe endure

Fortune of kinde is so flaskisable Amonstruous beest departyd manyfolde A slydinge serpent turninge and vnstable Sliper to gripe on whom there is none holde As in this boke declaryd is and tolde His power preuyd on princys recheles Recorde with other on agathodes

As ye haue herde rehercyd in sentence Simple and bare was his natyuite Brought vp and fostred in greate indigence Oute of a stocke springinge of pouerte Ros to thestate of royall dignite Their risinge vncouth meruelous tatteyne The fall more greuous bycause it was sodeyne

From Ciracuse he was exiled twyes Vengeably of herte where he had might Of affricans disconfited twyes Euer in batayle of custum put to flight Had an vsaunce to robbe day and night And lyke a tyraunt ageyne conscience To spoyle his subgettys by rauynous violence

Kindred by fortune wherof he was nat fayne Hir stroke ageyne him sodeyne and violent His sonnes two in affrik were first slayne He of his lymmes wex feble and impotent With a consumpcion his entrayles brent And by an ague contynuall of feruence He was supprysed by stroke of pestilence

All his tresoure hath from him take His proude port and his wordly glorye His kyn his freendes and his wif hath him forsake His cōquest dyrk and put out of memorye His name clipsed of al his olde victorie And as he gan in pouert and distresse So he made an ende in wretchydnesse

Hasty risynge and thrift that is sodeyne And surmountynge by violent rauyne And extort power may for a while atteyne In riche chayre of lordship for to shyne Sodeyne ascendynge doth sodenly declyne And by vntruthe where euer there be encres Men wayte of custum a sodeyn disencres

Of agathodes men may exaumple take What is the ende of euery fals tyraunt Wronge clymbinge vp doth a foule ende make For a ceson though tirauntys be puissaunt Fortune to theym yeueth no lenger graunt But whan they syt on hir whele moost royall By vnware chaunge to haue a sodeyne fall

Agathodes was first a simple man Brought forth in mischeef and in pouerte Sonne of a potter the story tell can By vicious lyuynge cam to greate dignite Of all folke hatyd for his cruelte Clambe fro pouert vp to greate richesse Made pore ageyne dyed in wretchidnesse

Lenuoye

THis story sheweth a figure Both by story and by auctorite Howe man and beest and euery creature Tarageth the stok of his natiuite Erbe of the rote and eche frute of his tre For both of vertue and also of outrage Foloweth some tetch or tast of the lynage

Agathodes by recorde of scripture Borne of lowe bed brought forth in pouerte Yit fortune made him to recure Vp to hye estate from full lowe degre His reson blent with censualite Forgate him silf to speke in pleyne langage Through a fals tatche that cam fro his lynage

There is a difference of coloures in picture On table or wall as men all day may se Twene golde and golde atwene bys and asure All is nat golde that shyneth bright parde Some noble is fals that hath full greate beutye Late men be ware of counterfet coignage Tetchis eschuynge of chorlissh lowe lynage

Sūme man forthred of sodeyne auenture Set in chayre of royall dignite Wenynge his empyre euer shulde endure Neuer to be troubled with none aduersite With royall eglys a kyte may nat fle A Iay may chater in a golden cage Yit euer sum tetch must folowe of his lynage

Gentyll blode of his royall nature Is euer enclyned to mercy and pyte Where of custum these vileyns do their cure By their vsurped and extort fals pouste To be vengeable by mortall cruelte Through hasty fumys of furious corage Folowynge the tetchis of their vileyne lynage

O mighty princes youre no blesse do assure Your passions rest with tranquillite Se howe there is no mene of mesure Where a tyraunt catchith the souereynte Late agathodes your wordly myrroure be To eschue the tracys of his frowarde passage As royall blode requereth of youre lynage