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¶ The .xxi. Chapter.
¶ How king Sedechy as for false for swea∣ryng was slayne, and made blinde in pryson.
TOuching y• cōplaynt of kyng Sedechy
And of his sorowes to shew y• manere,
Holy write doth clerely specify:
Wherfore it were but vayne to tell them here,
For there men the processe may playnly lere,
How Joachim kyng of Jerusalem,
His owne brother was led out of his reame.
Wherof in hart he felt full great sore
This Sedechias as it is there founde,
Because the kyng Nabugodonosor
His brother helde strong in pryson bounde,
Fully in purpose the Jewes to confounde:
For this tyrant had in that mortall strife,
His bothers children in pryson and his wyfe.
And yet this tyrant in his tyranny,
This fauour did in his fell rage
Vnto this most wofull Sedechy,
To suffer him rayne in his great age:
From yere to yere to pay him a truage
By fayth and othe▪ and composition,
Raysed of his people and brought to Babilon
Yet Sedechias in especiall
By a maner of false felicitie,
Hym selfe reioysed in his see royall
To occupy that noble dignitie:
And so forgate the great aduersitie
Of his brother, and other frendes all,
Touching the mischefe that they were in fall.
Of pryde he fell into presumption,
Whan he remēbred his brother & his lynage,
Considered how fro kyng Salomon
He was discended by title of heritage,
Gan disdayne to pay his truage,
And to maligne in hart he was so wrothe,
And falsly brake his assuraunce and his othe.
He had a maner indignacion,
Whiche he caught of olde remembraunce
How tyme passed to kyng Salomon
By hys manly prudent gouernaunce,
Kinges about for a recognisaunce
Payed trybute, and durst it not wythsay,
Fro yere to yere his nobles to obay.
Whiche thing remembred of kyng Sedechi••,
As he wext great & stronge in puissaunce,
Of hye disdayne his tribute gan denye,
Set aside his fayth and assuraunce,
So that his othe stode in no substaunce:
For he agaynst the kyng of Babilon,
Presumptuously fyll in rebellion.
And his kyngdome to strength and fortify,
Thought he woulde to his aduauntage
The kyng of Egypt haue on his party:
Of pryde he fell into so great outrage
That he no more woulde pay his truage,
But fynally suche wayes he hath sought,
That of his othe little he ne rought.
But wo alas it is a dolefull thing
To be remembred in hye or lowe degre,
That any prynce or any worthy kyng
Should false his othe or vntrue be,
Or that men should suche variaunce se
In their courages whiche ben so hye borne,
For any cause falsly to be forsworne.
By reporte it dothe their fame trouble,
Infortuneth and clipseth their nobles,
Whan a prince is of his heste double,
And chargeth not of wilfull rechlesnes,
Al be his promisse conclude on doublenes,
Though god awhile suffer them and respite.
At vnset houre their falsenes he will quyte.
His warnyng oft he sent to them afore
Because they lackt prudent policy,
Recorde I take of Nabugodonosor,
Whiche came vnware on kyng Sedechye,
For he his tribute gan falsely him denye:
With all his power as it did abrayed,
To Jerusalem a mighty siege layed.
They within constrayned were of nede
The kyng him self, there was no better defēce
With mans fleshe his people for to fede,
While the Caldeys by mighty vyolence
Of very force without resistence,
On false forswearyng for to take wreke,
Their mighty towers & their walles breke.
To slea and kyll they list none to spare,
Who soeuer they met or came in their ••ight:
Sedechias left the towne all bare,
But take he was as he him toke to flyght,
In chaynes bounde and fettred anone ryght,
In whose presēce tencrease his paines anone