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 Ceramius of macedoyne kinge that murdryd his cosyns was slayne in batayle by thē of fraunce

tHe noble poete Iohn bochas in his booke Procedinge forth compleyneth of pyte With quaking hande whā he his pen toke And gan to write the woful destenye As ye haue herde of quene Arcynoe And howe Ceramyus the story maketh mynde Was to hir fals traytoure and vnkinde

Of whoos treson is made a greate processe And howe he after was slayne in batayle Punysshed by vengeaunce for his greate falsnesse Lyke as his story maketh rehersayle Which to remembre I cast me nat to fayle Folowynge myn auctoure and procede in writynge Howe Ceramyus was slayne whan he was kynge

For while that he by his fals werkynge In macedoyne had the gouernayle Thre hundryd thousande accounted by wrytinge Went oute of fraunce to conquere Itayle The host departyd in many stronge batayle Gate by conquest through their hye renoun Full many prouince and many a region

And as they rode through many greate cuntre This people of Gaule in stele armyd clene They founded castels and many stronge cyte Towarde rome they bilded Mylan and Sene Vpon Talpies their armoure shone full shene And sūme of theym vp to rome went By very force and the cyte brent

Sūme partyd vp to the grekissh se Had a custum to chese their dwellinge place ••y augurie as briddys dyd fle Folowynge their flight they gan after trace ••oldynge their wey within a lytyll space With mighty hande the boke doth specefie They cam to a cuntre callyd pauonie

This folke of gaule which is called fraunce To conquere londys put theym silf in prees As moost notable peple of puissaunce Folowynge the exaumple of their knightly encres In their ridynge of worthy hercules Which was worshiped in their actis marcyall Lyke as a god and callyd immortall

Through grace of fortune in their chyualries Conqueryd cuntrees alwey forth ridinge Theym s••lf departinge in dyuers cūpanies Who theym withstode they cōsumed by brennynge Cam to Macedoyne where Ceraum was kinge Of presumpcion wenynge it shulde auayle Oute of ordenaunce he met theym in batayle

This Ceramyus of outrage and of pride Dempt him able to mete with theym of fraunce But for he was thrugh murdre an homicide ••el••••kyd grace and power in substaunce Yit they of Gaule by prudent gouernaunce Offred vnto him though he was recheles With macedonoys for to trete of pes

But for presumpcion and malencolye Ageyne his enmyes he the feelde hath take And disconfited anone was his partye His men gan flee and haue their lorde forsake His hede smet of and set vpon a stake But all his mischeef was to lyte in dede To recompence his fraude and his falshede

There is no peyne ageyne so greate offence May be deuised in no boke that men rede Equiualent murdre to recompence Duly to punissh so outraious a dede Of him that made yonge children blede As dyd Ceraum which of fals couetise His cosyns slough as ye haue herde deuise

To thinke on murdre it is to foule a thinge To god and man hatfull and terrible The infernall fraude the deuelissh compassinge To eche creature of nature is odible Which to redresse is an Impossible O cursed Ceraum I leue thy story here Thy name nomore shall blot my papere