By sleighty wyles that were incomparable,
To corrupt my wiues chastitie,
My bedde defoulyng a thing intollerable,
And to the Gods very abhominable:
Vsyng the quene to his fleshely pleasaunce,
Tyll vnto the tyme that in continuaunce
She by him had sonnes two or thre,
Echone brought forth in false aduoutry:
Demyng none other but they had be
Mine owne children, till that I did espye
How this swyne through his false lechery
This Thiestes, after Europa
Lay with his daughter called Pelopeia.
And by processe forthe a chylde she brought
Called Egistus whiche whan he came to age
As saith Bochas much treason wrought:
For by his malice and his great outrage,
Destroyed was all whole the lynage
Of Tantalus, whiche by his liuyng
In Frygia raygned as lorde and kyng.
But this Egistus of whom I spake toforne
Falsely begotten (mine auctour sayth ye same)
Of Pelopeia, anone as he was borne,
To hyde the slaunder, and also the fame,
Of Thiestes, and also to saue his name,
Whan he was but a day of age,
He was out cast to beastes sauage
To be deuoured: the story is well couthe.
A melche gote God lyst for him prouide,
To foster him in his tender youthe.
He nyght and day liynge by her syde,
Within the forest thus he did abyde:
Vnto the tyme he gan growe in age,
Than to the court he holdeth his passage.
Wherfore (O Bochas) of hart I pray the,
Whiche of these stories is most terrible
Of Edippus, Iocasta, or of me▪
Tel on anone if it be possible,
Whiche of these sorowes is most penible?
Of the Thebane brethren ful of wo and tene,
Or of vs twayne brethren of Missene?
I am aknowe as for my party,
Of vengeaunce I did a cruell dede:
I slough his children of malyce and enuy,
And tosted them whan they were deade,
Onely bicause, if thou list take hede.
That he begate thē, as rote of all this stryfe,
Vpon Europa which that was my wife.
Such hatefull thinges ech man should lothe,
Which apparteyneth to murder and treson:
Thus may I saye we be vnhappy both.
He first by trespace of fornication,
Done by the quene wythin my region:
And I slaundred on that other syde,
Of hasty vengeaunce to be an homicyde.
My bedde he defouled by his aduoutry,
To God and man a thing most detestable:
And I of malice and false melancholy,
Slough his childer, & serued thē at the table.
Thus enterchaunging if it be commendable,
Eche was desyrous throughe our vnhappye chaunce
Vpon other to do vengeaunce.
Our great hatred most odious found of all,
Our crueil dedes wrought on eyther syde,
Senecke reherceth them in especiall
In his tragedies, and there he dothe deuide
Our complayntes, our malice, and our pryde
Our fatall ende in sorow and mischefe fyned,
Whan Attropos our liues threde vntwyned.
Whan John Bochas fully had espied
Of these two brethren the accusations,
And how they had maliciously replyed,
Eche agaynst other in their discentions,
He began duly to heare their mocions:
Put vp his pen, & wrote not more a word,
Of their fury, ne of their false discorde.
¶ Lenuoy.
THis tragedy sheweth a fygure,
A maner of ymage and also likenes.
How contrary it is vnto nature,
Bloude vnto bloud to shew vnkyndnes:
This wofull story can well beare witnes,
All such debates ben as ye shall fynde,
Hatefull to God and contrary vnto kynde.
For there is no more dreadfull aduenture
Than in kynred to fynde frowardnes,
Neither no domage more perilous tendure,
Than in frēdshyp whan there is straūgenes:
A maner party by example I dare expresse.
To se the tree debate agaynst the rynde,
To God right hateful, and contrary to kynd.
Euery beast, and euery creature
Loueth his sēblable of kynde right I gesse:
And whā in one truth doth tway harts assure
Vndeparted of very perfitenes,