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 ...

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Incipit liber Quartus Howe marchus maulius wrought and dyd for Rome toune / And at the laste he was by the comons coste into Tibre and there drowned

wHilom in rome there was a graete lynage Called mauliois of renomed noblesse And of that stok right fair ī his yōge age Cā thys march{us} the story bereth witnesse Which by processe for his worthynesse Was thr•• tymes by iust electioun Made consuler of that worthy toun

Which to the comon full greatly dyd auayle He dyuer•• tymes for the touns right Faught in his dayes many stronge batayle And ay preuayled through his greate might And in the feelde by a singuler fight Outrayed his enmy like as it is tolde And toke from him a riche bye of golde

Torques in latyn in ynglyssh is a bye A cercle of golde which that marchus wan Brought it home through his chyualrie And of Torques he was called than Marchus Torquatus and thus the name gan He to be called the story telleth vs Amonge romayns Torquatus maulius

And he wold oft inpart good and life For the Cyte entre the felde alone And there conqueryd for a prerogatyf Sundry crownes with many riche stone Wan tunicles of golde manyone For thilke tyme for diuers high emprises Were crownes made in many sundry wises

For as Agellius maketh mencioun There were in rome de••ised straunge croils For such as had foughten for the toun As for their laboure receyued their guerdoils By a prerogatyf callid chaumpioūs Which sundry tymes of manhode and of might Iupartyd their lyues for the toūs right

Lyke their desertys the croūs toke ther names For sūme of theym were called triumphall Youe vnto knightes for their noble fames Othir also callyd obsidionall In romayne tunge and sūme there were mural Eke other tweyne Naual and castrence And al they were of greate excellence

The triumphal made were of golde Offr••d in triumphes to worthy emperours Set with saphirs and rubies many folde Vpon the hedys of mighty conquerours And whan that rome was shynynge in his floures That crowne called with braunchis boor••ed fayre In their vulgar thaureat coronayre

Thobsidional of which I spake toforne Deuised were the bok•• doth specifie Crownes notable wrought lyke greyne or corne y••ue vnto princes which through thir chyualrie Res••ued s••gys and saued the partye Of th••ym that were closed streight within Through prowesse a crowne for to wynne

Another crowne that called was mural Was gyuen and grauntyd by the emperoure To him that first wan vpon the wal A•• ony siege and there abode the shoure Fightinge alone In hope of some socoure And he that might such a brunte sustene Shulde of laurere were a crowne of grene

Naual crownes whilom were ordeyned For theym that faught manly in the see Whan their shippes were to gedre cheyned He that of manhode and marcial surete Vpon his enmyes made first entre Receyue shulde in all the people sight Korue liche a rother a crowne clere and bright

The crowne next which is called castrence Was yeuyn of custome to that manly knight That list auaunce him through his magnificence Hostes assembled Iuparte wolde of might ••orne all other entre in to fight 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••ilde eke receyue his nobles for to queeme ••erryd crowne made like a dyademe

The crowne also which called was Ouall Toke first name of ioye and gladnesse Which kinges princis in actis marcial Osed sūtyme in their ioyous noblesse At sodeyne scarmysshes of casuel hastynesse 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••han they venquesshed proudly in batayle 〈◊〉〈◊〉 as their highnesse vnwarly wolde assayle

And for they were of power Inuyncible Their noble crownys coriously were wrought Of miitis braunchys which been imputrible Enduringe euer and corrupt nought For this worde Oual if it be wel sought Is seyde of gladnesse as put is in memorye Ordeyned for princes after their victorye

Another crowne callyd Cynyca Of oken bowes was made roūde and pleyne Ordeyned for theym which pro re publica Coude in batayle rescue a cetesien And sle his enmye that was a foreyne Of mighty oke he shulde for manhede Cleyme to were a crowne vpon his hede

And like as knightes in marcial delites For comon profite dyd him silf auaunce So for their noble victorious merites The romayn people had a great plesaunce With sodeyne crownes ma••••••all in substaunce For to guerdon their knightes moost famous Myn auctour recorde called agellius

Amonge other that dyd his besy peyne Such crownes manly to recure Marcus ••aulius in manhode souereyne Put oft his life in mortal auenture For in his force so moch he dyd assure That he deserued full yore agone Of these sa•• 〈…〉〈…〉 mo that one

And to encres of his noble fame He dyd a thinge both manly and diuyne Wherby that he gate him a surname To be called marchus Capitolyne Which aboue al his names dyd shyne Whan he alone wherby ••e is cōmendyd The Capitoyle from enmyes hath defended

Whan they of fraunce had take the eyte Put all rome at myscheef vnto flight And laide awaite with a greate meyne The capeto••le for to take at night By a passage that lay ferre oute of sight Vnder a roch called Carmenton Their caue entryd into the cheef dungeon

They were shroudyd vnder a derke vale With ordenaunce and mighty violence Towarde mydnight the wal for to scale Moost couertly theym kepinge in scilence Dempt pleynly for lackynge of resistence That they shulde in ••••gre tho withinne Their houre assigned the Capitoile wynne

But the ges that were within clos The wakir foulys by noyse of their comynge Gan bete their wynges and vp anone they aros Where through this marchus in his bedde lyinge Gan tabrayde and made tareynge Toke his harneys moost furious and wroth And to the wallys in all haste he goth

And him that cam first vpon the wall Of very force without more tariynge Doun into tybre he made theym haue a fall And all his felawys besy in scalinge With sheelde or pauys or ladders vp reisinge This manly Mark shortly to comprehende Into the flode made theym to descende

Vnto the deth of him they were abauyd For by his knighthode and his hye renoun Maugre theym the Capetoyle sauyd And afterwarde rescued all the toun For the fortune in conclusion Which that tyme dyd vnto him fall Capitolinus men dyd him after call

And for he was so victorious Him s••lf alone by this hye victorye This name he gate to him and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 his hous Perpetually to be in memorye And registred in the consistorye In their cronicles his name determyned With golden letters to be enlumyned

And the gees of whoom I spake also That so well kept watch vpon the night I take were and offred vnto Iuno Solempnely with greate torchys light To whom also it grauntyd was of ••••ght Whan a famyne made their store to fa••••e They sparyd were and take for no vitayle

And thus was Mark a mighty conqueroure Worshiped in rome all beynge of assent But whan sūme folke be set in greate honoure Sumtyme it hapneth they holde theym nat cō••ent With couetise their hertys be so blent Fro suffisaunce aboue their degrees To surmounte to higher dignitees

This maulius was fret in his corage To gretter worshipes sodenly to ascende Demynge so to haue had auauntage And in him silf gan frowardly pretende In that cite all other to transcende Beside triumphes which were to him reseruyd Higher to clymbe than he hath disseruyd

But there was one as made is mencion Callyd Camillus a lorde of greate substaunce Which in the cite and in that mighty toun Aboue all other had gouernaunce And as it is put in remembraunce To his gretnesse no man might atteyne Age whoos noblesse marchus gan disdeyne

In his herte he had a greate enuye Which caused him by outrage for to erre Ageyne Camillus which for his chiualrie The toun gouernyd both in pees and werre And for marchus wolde him silf preferre Aboue that prince in worship and honoure First of the people he gate him greate fauoure

And by a maner of conspiracye He gadred hertys of the comonte And drough also vnto his party Greate multitude throughout the cyte And thus arose first the dredfull enmyte Within rome the story telleth thus Atwene these princes Camyll and maulius

Thus first the venym atwene theim two was ••owe Of hasty hatrede by fals occasions Which in the cyte atwene hye and lowe Caused of newe diuers discencions After the vncouth straunge opinions For euery wight drough to his partye As they were meued in their fantasye

But for to stynt this outragyous erroure And these hasty stryues furious Ageyne fro Tuscan cam a dictatoure That tyme callyd Cornelius Cassus Which of wisdome blamyd maulius For he caused such rancoure in the toun And for his gilt cōmaundyd him to prison

Which was in maner hindringe to his name And appallyd in partye his noblesse For a tyme gan teclipse his fame But afterwarde the cloude of that derkenesse By comon fauoure was turned into clennesse For as it had be right for the nonys In his diffence the comons roose at onys

First whan they had amonge their greate rumours Myd of their fel hatefull contencion Shortly rebuked the worthy senatours Bycause marchus was set in pryson Which had been so helpelich to the toun Whom to delyuer they diuers menys sought And as I finde euene thus they wrought

First they clad theym in moornynge cloth••s blake Pale of their facis pitously wepinge Their beerdis vnsha••••••e their heer to rende & shake Like furious men vp and doun rennynge Tofore the prison all the night wakinge And on his harmys pleynly to be wreke They gan manace the prison for to breke

And for to stynt their outragious clamoure The senatours made anone ordeyne To delyuer him oute of his soioure Lose his feters and to breke his cheyne And whan he was delyuered oute of peyne He lyst nat stynt of hasty cruelte Of proude corage auengyd for to be

And in his furious fell presumpcion Maugre the senatys and tribunys euyrichon Seide he wolde gouerne rome toun At whoos outrage they gan disdeyne anone The peoplys hertys from him were agone And for his pride they by auysement Assigned him to come to iugement

Forsake he was throughoute the cite There cam nat one with him of his kinrede He fonde no helpe in his aduersite Saue a fewe cam with him in dede Of the comons full feble at such a nede And thus alas he fonde no resistence Was vailable vnto his diffence

But for socoure constreyned and in drede Aweye he put his clothinge and vesture And nakyd stode verely in dede Shewynge his woundes which he dyd endure At many scarmysshe and disconfiture And for rescuse to speke in wordys fewe The capitoyle to theym he dyd shewe

And in supportinge eke of his quarele Me••inge the people to rue on his compleynt First to his goddys loude he dyd appele To preserue him of that he was atteynt The people about him with teers al be spreynt That the Iuges astonyed were in dede Where as they sat agayn him to procede

But secrely he was led out of prees To a place called frowmentyne And there alas they were mercyles His dome by rigoure fully to termyne Sparyd nouther nobles nor lyne For the Capitoile out of the cheef dungeoun Lowe in to Tibre for to be caste doun

This was his ende voide of al fauour Which no man wolde redresse nor amende By cruelte caste out of al that tour Which he whilom moste knightly gan defende But what man can by writynge comprehende The vnsure socour fonde in necessite To them that laboure for any comonte

Lat men beholde that trust in worldly thinges And namely them that be proude and hauteyn Opyn their iyen caste vp their lokynges ••o considre and se wel in certeyn Who trusteth fortune his truste is but in veyn And if ye lyste a cleer exaumple fynde Amonge remembre on marcus in your mynde

What might auayle his nobles in batayle ••ies of golde crownes of laurere His riche platys or his vncouth mayle His mighty sheeldes that shone so bryght and clere Or his triumphes songe ferre and nere Or his victories for the cite wrought In his mischeef auayled him right nought