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 Cassander slough the wif of Alisaundre / & Hercules hir sonne / And antipater slough his mo∣der and of other murders.

tHe greate myscheef of fortunys might The wofull fallys fro hir whele in dede Of princys princessys who so loke aright Been lamentable and doolful for to rede But for all that bochas doth procede In his rehersayle remembringe thus him selue To him apperyd of men and wymen twelue

After the deth of kinge agathodes There cam tofore him worthy queny•• tweyne The first of theym was called Bersanes And of hir myscheef gan to him compleyne Wyf of alisaundre the story list nat feyne The mighty kinge grettest vnder sonne Which by conquest al this worlde hath wonne

Wif to alisaundre was this Bersanes By his lyue as made is mencion Which with hir sonne named hercules Were by Cassander brought to distruction And of hir deth this was thoccasion Cassandre dred that Bersanes the quene Wolde with hir sonne on him auengyd been

For his tresons which he tofore wrought On alisaundre and on his lynage And specially if that she were brought To macedoyne for hir auauntage With hir sonne that was but yonge of age Cassander thought and dred as I haue tolde They wolde auenge his tresons wrought of olde

He cast afore of malice causeles This Cassander moost falsly werkynge That if this knight this yonge hercules Sonne of alisaundre by recorde of writinge In macedoyne were take and crowned kinge Howe that he wolde of equite and right Hir faders deth auenge lyke a knight

Which thinge to eschue cassander gan prouide And by fals fraude was nat recheles But on a daye he list nat longe abide Slough first the quene this seyde Bersanes And than hir sonne I called hercules Thus by cassander of murdre crop and rote They murdred were there was none other bote

This cruelte might nat suffise Vnto alysaundre by recorde of scripture But lyke a tyraunt in vengeable wyse He dyd theym burye by frowarde auenture Where no man shulde knowe their sepulture And thus alas which pyte is to rede He murdryd foure out of one kinrede

To alisaundre he ministred the poyson Slough the quene called olimpiades And of hatrede by full fals treson As I haue tolde he slough quene bersanes Wife to alisaundre moder to hercules Which in youth by bochas rehersinge In macedoyne was like to haue be kinge

After all this he coude nat lyue in pes But euer redy some treson for to do Slough eke the quene called Roxanes Vpon a day and hir yonge sonne to And she was wif to alisaundre also Cassandre dredinge in his opinion Lyst they wolde venge vpon his fals treson

Thus euer he lyued in murdre sorowe and strif By way of fraude cam all his encres And as I finde howe he had a wyf And she was called Thesalonices And this story remembreth doutles A sonne they had borne atwene theym tweyne To sle his moder which after dyd his peyne

Shortly to pas myn auctoure writeth none other Antipater was hir sonnes name And by cause that she louyd his brother Better than him he to his greate diffame Compassed hir deth the story seyth the same Natwithstandinge tappese his cruelte She askyd mercy knelinge on hir kne

Hir brestys open white and soft as silke All bedewed with ••yrys hir visake Requeryd mekely at reuerence of the milke With which he was fostred in yonge age For to haue mercy and tappese his rage And to accepte goodly hir prayere To saue the lyf of his moder dere

But all for nought herde hir neueradell He was to hir surmountinge at mesure Lyke his fader vengeable and cruell I trowe it was you•• him of nature For by recorde of kinde and eke scripture Seelde or neuer no braunch that is good Springeth of custome oute of crue•• blode

Of hir deth cause there was none other That antipater slou•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 moder dere But for she loued al•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 his brother Better than him the cronicle doth vs lere Which alisaundre if ye list to here Had in his socoure I finde by wrytinge Demetrius that was of asie kinge

Thesalonices was in this while ded By antipater he moost infortunate Bathed in hir blode hir sides were made rede Withoute compassion of hir hye estate And hir two sonnes lyuynge at debate Tyll lisimachus that prefect was of Trace Theym reconsiled eche tyll others grace

Whan demetrius knewe of their accorde God wote the••oth he no thinge was fayne But by his fraude the story bereth recorde That alisaundre maliciously was slayne This while antipater stondinge in no certeyne Tyll he by sleyght of lisymachus Was murdryd after the story telleth thus

To write the processe and the maner hough That Lysymachus by fraudolent werkinge His sonne in lawe antipater thus slough Fals couetyse was cause of all this thinge And demetrius toke on him to be kinge Of macedoyne remembred tyme and date Whan both brether were passed in to fate

Duringe this murdre & al this mortall stryf In this processe lyke as it is founde Of antipater Erudice the wif Doughter of clenchus was in chenys bounde Caste in prison dyrke hidous and profounde And for a while I leue hir there soiourne And to Demetrius I will ageyne retourne

Which made him silf to be crouned kynge Of macedoyne through his great puissaunce But to destroye his purpos in werkynge There were thre princis notable in substaunce Consyderate and of alliaunce Echon assentyd for shorte conclusion To brynge Demetrius to destruction

One the firste was worthy tholome Kynge of egypt in armes full famous Othir tweyne the story ye may se Called Selenchus and next Lisymachus And of Cipre cam the kynge pirthus Lorde of prouince as it is eke founde They made theym stronge demetrius to cōfounde

Shortly to tell with their apparayles Of macedoyne they dyd him first depryue Cam vpon him with foure stronge batayles That he was neuer so ouerset in his lyue Take of Lysymachus the story doth descryue Cheyned in prison of his lyf in doubte For I nat fynde that euer he issued oute