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 duke Hanyball after many victorious de∣dys murdred him silf with poyson.

NExt to Bochas as I rede Oute of affryk and cartage therwithall There cam a duke that had moost hatrede Ageyn the romayns in especiall This famous prince called hanyball By whoos prowesse as it is well knowe The seyd romayns were daunted and brought lowe

And amonge other worthy dukys all As olde cronicles maketh mencion Of hanyball the fate is so befall At his byrth by disposicion That of his naturall constellacion Set in the heuene that he shulde be Perpetually enmye to rome the cite

As the story of him doth deuise While his fader duke whilom of cartage Called amulchar dyd onys sacrifice To his goddys and he nyne yere of age Swore and auowed of herte and of corage Duringe his lif without excepcion Euer to be enmye vnto rome toun

This martis childe this lusty yonge knight Was to cartage the stronge mighty wall Which succedyd in his faders right After the deth of worthy hastruball First he made a werre full mortall Geyn Saguntynois as it is specefyed Cause with romayns that they were alyed

A dreme he had and was thus in sentence That he shulde conquere in batayle Maugre all tho that stonde at diffence Two mighty cuntres first spayne and than Itayle Doun descendynge with greate apparayle Passinge the famous ryuere Iberyus And where he rode away victorious

With him of affryk many cheueteyns Rode through Gaule fonde no resistence Of Pyrenes by the hye mounteyns To shewe the rigour of his magnyficence Ouer the alpies by sturdy violence Natwithstandynge the passage was full wykke Of slidinge frostys and of snowys thykke

A great partye of his people loste By the constreynt of that fell passage Hors Olifauntys that many besaunt cost Fonde great•• daungere of them in his cariage As••aut of brygauntes whan they fonde auauntage And as bochas put in remembraunce Felt greate losse of all his ordenaunce

The alpyes passed with trauaile and greate woo This hanyball with all his chiualrye Aprochyd is the ryuere of the poo Cam to a toun that callyd is Cursye Which standeth vpon the cite of pauye Where a consull called scipion Gaue him batayle euyn afore the toun

The same consull Gueus Scipion Which by processe of manly hanyball Was desconfyted as made is mencion Tofore pauye had a right foule fall The first victorie in especiall That he had beyonde the mountayns Whan he pursued tasseyle the romayns

Sempronyus a nother consulere That was felawe to sayde Scipion Sent eke fro rome with a full proude chere Geyn hanyball but in his cūmynge doun Tofore Tresbye a large mighty toun Outrayed was by fatall auenture And after neuer his fall might recure

Of two consulers this was the wofull fyne Sempronyus and Gueus Scipion Ouer the mounteyne callyd Appenyne Went hanyball thrugh his great renoun To great damage and great confusion Of his people that passyd the mounteyns Destroyed with colde snowe and hidous reyns

Loste his knightys his tresours and his godys There might as tho be made no diffence His greate stedys drownyd in the flodys By the waters mighty violence Fonde for the tyme no better resistence Saue he escaped fro that soden wrak Of an Olifaunte he ridinge on the bak

So Importable was his greuous peyne Only borne vp of marciall corage Yit there he loste one of his iyen tweyne Kept of knighthode one chere and one visage Through Itayle held alwey his passage Slough a consull called flamynyus Thus in thre batayles he was victorious

But in thys while as saith myn auctoure Quintus fabius subtyll and deceyuable Which was in rome a famous dictatour And he apperceyued by toknes full notable No romayn capteyn was in tho dayes able As it was shewyd by experience Geyn hanyball to make resistence

¶Yit in his conceit he subtylly gyn serche To fynde aweye he dyd his besy peyne Day by day gan fully theron werche Outher by fraude or sūme compassed treyne To lye in wayte and secretly ordeyne Embusshmentis to his auauntages Of hanyball to stop the passages

But all his traynes serued him of nought For hanyball this worthy affrican In his conquest so proudly hath wrought So lyke a prince and a knightly man For thilke tyme that he werrys gan Ageyn the romayns both on so and londe That they were feble his power to withstonde

This quintus fabius kept him alwey clos Lyinge awayte to fall on hanyball And of assente eke to his purpos There was one varo manly and wyse withall And these tweyne in especiall Within Poyle a large great cuntre Faught with hanyball at Cannas the cite

As the story maketh rehersayle The romayn partye of worthy werreours Were fourty thousande slayne in batayle Emylyus paulus thretty senatours Twenty in noumbre that had been pretours And thre hundred capteyns of estate Slayn by hanyball in that mortall debate

And by the slaughter of Emilius The noble consull Romayns disespeired And hanyball that day victorious To his lodgynge is ageyn repeyred His foon outrayed and mortally appeyred Knewe no refute ageyne this manly knight But at myscheef toke them to the flight

The which day if that hanyball Had them folowed proudly to the toun By the counseyle of one marthaball A manly knight a prince of hye renoun He shulde haue had full possession That day of rome lyke to his entent But I suppose fortune lyst nat assent

In this processe playnly as I rede This hanyball wex proude and right pompous Of foure victoryes dempt him silf in dede Aboue all other to be moost gloryous Of his corage moost inly surquedous But o alas a lytyll slouth and pryde For lak of pursute his conqueste set asyde

¶Yit in his conquest of knightys that lay dede Of consulers olde and yonge of age With senatour•• the processe who list rede Slayn in the felde in that mortall rage Duke hanyball sent vnto cartage Of clene golde by recorde of writinges Out of the felde thre busshell ful of rynges

After foure victoryes here remembred By and by the processe who list se In which many worthy were dismembred Both of affryk and rome the cite Abate gan the great pros{per}ite Of hanyball by frowarde auenture Set onys bak fortune harde to recure

After the floures of his felycite His noblesse drewe to declinacion To Capne he went a mighty stronge cite There to soiourne as made is mencion Al the tyme of wynter colde ceson Where to his lust and bodely plesaunce Of all vitayle fonde great habundaunce

Which made his knightes slowe to the werre For wyne wymen and plente of vitayle Full oft sith cause men to erre Make theym feble their enmyes tassaile Gorges agroteied enbosed their entrayle Desposeth men rather to reste and slepe Than of their enmyes for to take kepe

But whan wynter with his frostys colde Was ouergone in thilke region Hanyball gan his purpose holde To ley a siege vnto rome loun But so great raynes fyll fro heuene doun So great tempeste vpon euery syde For the constreynt he might nat abyde

To fortefye the seyde hanyball Ageyne his enmyes where he had adoo Sent lettres vnto hastruball In right great haste for to cūme him to But fortune hir whele hath turned soo That hastruball where he was loth or fayn By Salynator venquesshed was and slayn

Of which mischeef and disconfyture Hanyball gan dull in his corage Compleyned sore of his mysauenture Knewe no refute ageyn this mortall rage Herde eke say that affrik and cartage Were of newe to his confusion Strongly werreyed by worthy Scipion

Siphax also of munedye kynge Which ageyn romayns gan a werre make Maugre his might and all his fell werkinge Was by force of Scipion Itake Wherthrugh his corage greatly gan aslake And howe cartage cheef of that region Besegyd was also by Scipion

Thus hanyball constreyned was of nede Home to repayre for rescus of ••artage And was also in bokys as I rede The same tyme fall ferre in age And at myscheef and greate disauauntage Ageyne Scipion full lytyll might auayle By whom he was sconfyted in batayle

Cartage constreyned of necessite Them to submitte vnto rome toun And for their more harde aduersite Gueus gernilius was fro rome sent doun Only of purpos for this conclusion For to procure in especiall Fynall destructioy and deth of hanyball

After all his marciall labours His olde felicite wex frowarde and vnmete In holowe ymages put all his tresours Toke his passage in to the londe of crete And fortune contrarie and vnswete Made officers kepe his richesse In the temple of dy••••e the goddesse

Sūwhat for truste and p••ell eke for drede To fynde socour he went to the kynge Of Bythenye to helpe him in his nede Called Prusias but of his comynge The sleighty romayns had knowlegynge To bethenye doun their letters sent If Hanyball escape echon ye shall repent

The lettres red the kinge the same daye Made his peple bysiege the dongeon Where duke hanyball of truste alone ••ay All destitute whan he knewe this treson ••••scape his enmyes dranke wylfully poyson Chase rather so other escape was noon Than in the hondes to fall of his foon

Tofore his deth seyde this orison To all the goddys deuoutly doun knelinge That they wolde of this fals treson Take vengeaunce of prusias the kynge Which was cause by his fals werkinge Of the destruction and deth fynall Of this famous worthy hanyball

Lenuoye.

THis tragedye frowarde to write or rede Of this forseide manly hanyball My penne quoke my herte I felt blede For to beholde the wofull pitous fall Of him that was the diffensable wall Of Cartage the mighty stronge toun Whiche slough him silf by drynkynge of poyson

It was to him he thought more manhede To sle him silf by vengeaunce moost mortall Than his enmyes by constreynt shuld him lede In cheynes bounde he to be thrall So greate despight he had of them atall That lyuer he had than byde in their prison To mordre him silf by drynkynge of poyson

As me semeth in this horrible dede He rassembled the furies infernall Of cruell pluta I trowe he toke his mede Voyde of all reson bycam bestyall At whoos terrible fest funerall Goddesse proserpyna cam with manes doun The same tyme whan he dranke poyson

Noble princes consydre and take hede Leuynge the surplus his dedys marcyall Knightly remembre and haue in herte hatrede Of his enpoysonynge in especiall Abhomynable to god and man withall That a prince so famous of renoun Shulde murdre him silf by drinkinge of poyson