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 quene Arcynoe for the auoutry done w^t De∣metrius husbonde of hir doughter Beronyces en∣ded in sorowe.

aFter this story bochas gan applye To turne his penne like as ye shall here To wryte and telle the frowarde lecherye Of Arcynoe plesaūt of loke and chere Which of hir porte and eke of hir manere Was in hir dayes like as it is founde For crafte and beutye called venus the secounde

For hir fairenesse youen in mariage To noble agas of Cyrenes kinge Atwene them while they were yonge of age They had a doughter by recorde of writynge Called Beronices the kinge at his endynge In his testament bad that she shulde be Wedded to the sonne of kynge tholome

And this was done of entencion To cese the werrys that had endured longe Atwene Egypt as made is mencion And the Cyrenes bothe realmes stronge By this mariage that he might vnderfonge In his dyinge to set a fynall pes Twene these two realmes for their both e••icre••

After whos deth thus the mater stode Quene arcynoe moost subtyll in werkynge Ageyne this mater so cruell was and wode Maryed hir doughter withoute more lettinge Called Beronices ageyns the byddynge Of hir fader that called was agas As here tofore rehersed is the cas

She maried hir to one demetrius That brother was by bochas rehersinge Vnto the mighty greate antigonus Beynge in grece of macedoyne kinge But infortunate was after hir weddynge As in this story suynge ye shall se By the fals werkynge of quene Arcynoe

And to conclude shortly this matere Whan this quene this double arcynoe Sawe of demetrius the visage and the chere His loke his coloure his langage and beute His manly porte and his liberalyte She was enamored of hir flesshly fals plesaunce Lyke hir desire to haue his aqueyntaunce

Of hir nature she was moste lecherous And of hir frowarde inclynacion She brought aboute that Demetryus Assentyd was by hir suggestion For to accomplissh lyke hir opynyon All hir desyres of flesshly appetyte Thus of acorde there folowed their delite

Left his wyf called Beronyces The quenes doughter and ageyne all right In a place secret out of prees They lay togedre almoost euery night Takinge no hede of god nor of no wight Tyll of fortune the cas is so befall That he was hated of his knightes all

Despyte they had of arcynoe The dede horrible whan they dyd espye His wyf Beronices eke whan she dyd se Holy the manere of their rebaudie In herte she caught a greate malencolye Ordeyned knightys in stele armyd bright In their auoutrye to take them on a night

Lyenge abed slept and oke noo kepe After fals lustys which t••hey had vsed They fyll vpon theym euyn whan they slepe The dede open might nat be excused To all the worlde thus they were accused With swerdys drawe the knightes thilke night To slee theym both were purposed anone right

Oute on Beronices crieth Iohn Bochas Bycause she bad spare Arcynoe Grounde rote and gynnynge of this horrible ca•• Seyde hir mercy was very cruelte To saue suchon it was a fals pite As seith myn auctour a thinge contrarious Hir to preserue and sle Demetrius

O Beronices smale is thy discrecion To saue the quene that hath thy treson founde First to Demetrius she gaue occasion For which she shulde haue had the first wounde Take for theym both and in cheynes bounde And after that this fals Arcynoe To exaumple of other shulde haue punisshed be

And while they were takyn thus in cloos The sayde arcynoe made no delay ••ut fro hir bedde anon she vp arose Without ••lothy•• nakyd as she lay Ran to their swerdys in all their greate affray Went atwene theym dyd hir besy peyne To bere of strokys with hir armys tweyne

To saue demetrius nakyd as she stode Voyde of all drede dyd hir besy cure ••••r whyte bodye al bespreynt with blode ••an to crye out on euery creature Alas quod she late me alone endure Deth by mysifl ye be to despitous To saue my lyf and sle demetrius

To the erthe anone she fyll adoun To stonde vp right she might nat sustene Dede pale and wan with many pytous soun Deth of demetrius gan wofully by mene Enbrasinge him with all his woundys grene And in hir armys albe that he lay dede She kyssed his mouth colde blewe and nothinge rede

In sorowe▪ and compleynt thus she made an ende I write nomore of this arcynoe But to Beronices ageyne I wyll nowe wende For bochas seith in the storye ye may se She after weddyd to worthy tholome Lyke as it was hir faders first entent Whan he dyed and made his testament