The tragedies, gathered by Ihon Bochas, of all such princes as fell from theyr estates throughe the mutability of fortune since the creacion of Adam, vntil his time wherin may be seen what vices bring menne to destruccion, wyth notable warninges howe the like may be auoyded. Translated into Englysh by Iohn Lidgate, monke of Burye.

The .xxvii. chapter.

Of the two brethren Artaxerses and Cy∣rus, and howe Artaxerses slew his children and concubines, and howe they ended.

AFter the fall of Aman doubtles, Whē he best wēd to haue be ī his flours, Tofore John Bochas came Artaxerses, Most renomed in his time of conquerours: Which gan declare his sodeyn sharpe shours, With all the parcels of his mortal payne, Which that fortune agayne him gan ordayne

This Artaxerses, as put is in memorye, All other prynces excelled in rychesse, Whiche in hys chare famous of glorye, And with hys trone of worldlye hye noblesse, Sate in his tyme (the story beareth wytnesse) Highest exalted y^• was of any kyng, That he shoulde fall was it nat an vncouth thyng?

Kynges he had vnder his obeysaunce, An hundred, prouinces, twentie & eke seuen, Son vnto Dary, prince of moste puissaunce, His fame drede more than fyry leuen: None so mighty vnder the starred heauen Accompted was that tyme in warre and pees As was this kyng called Artaxerses.

He had a brother that named was Cyrus, Out of one stocke came theyr bothe lynes, But Artaxerses (the story telleth thus) Was lorde of graynes, of oyle, and of wines And had also by diuers concubines An hundred children, lyke as it is tolde, And fiftene ouer, tofore or he wexe olde.

Of bothe brethren the power last farre, Duryng theyr tyme stode in full hye estate, Yet atwene them was ful mortall warre, Agayne nature, an vnkyndly debate: For thylke warres be most infortunate Whan blode w^t blod (let no man deme other) Lyst warrey, as brother agaynst brother.

And finally cause why thys warre gan Atwene these brethren as made is mencion, Through whiche debate died many a man, The grounde of all and first occasion Was onely thys, for succession: After king Dary reigning in Perce & Mede Whiche of them twayne shoulde next succede.

But Artaxerses by a maner prouidence Put his brother priuely in prison, That he ne should make no defence Nor gather people to hys destruction: This yonge Cyrus, as made is mention, Was fast stocked and eke as it is tolde, That his stockes and fetters were of golde.

And though it be nat remembred in Bochas Howe that Cyrus escaped fro pryson, Yet also soone as he delyuered was Through Perce & Mede rydyng vp & doun, He gadered people, of entention Through olde hatred hys brother tassayle, The felde assigned, they mette in battayle.

Wher Cyrus proudly put hym selfe in prees To shewe hys manhode in speciall, Sought his brother called Artaxerses, And gaue to hym a wounde ful mortall, Without frendshyp or fauour fraternall: That Artaxerses his wounde gan so ake, Constrayned was the felde to forsake.

And Cyrus than furious as a Lyon Hys aduersaries gan mortally to wake, But false fortune full of collusion

Vnder faynt smilyng a mow gan him make, Whiche caused, alas, y^• he that day was take, Afore ywounded it woulde be none other, And then presented to his vnkynde brother.

And though this Cyrus had afore be found Yonge, freshe, lusty, and manly of his honde, By the constraynt of his mortall wounde, He dyed anone for he no succour fonde: Than the two kingdomes w^tin Perce londe Fyll to the handes of Artaxerses, In whiche after he liued longe in pees.

Thus a great space like a mighty kyng All Perce he helde vnder his obeysaunce, By famous nobles full gloriously shinyng, Hauyng of riches most fulsom abundaunce: And as it is put in remembraunce, To more encrease of his prosperitie, In true wedlocke he had sonnes thre.

The fyrst of them called Darius, Arobratus named the seconde, And the thirde named was Othus, Manly prynces, like as it is founde: And of nature lyke as the kyng was bound, Vnto Dary, as made is mencion, Aboue echone he had affection.

And for he dempt him able to the warre By likelyhode, of yeres yong and grene, He cast fully his nobles to prefarre Of hye prudence, thus he dide mene, His impotence to support and sustene: For he was feble in Perce to raygne alone, He set vp Dary with him in his trone.

Whiche was a thing straunge & contrarious Agayne the custome of Perciens vsaunce, But he supposed his sonne Darius Shoulde in suche case encrease and aduaūce His fathers party, of naturall attendaunce, And shew vnto him trouth and kyndnes, His impotence to cheryshe of gentlenes.

But in estates oft it dothe thus fall, Whan that prynces be runne farre in age, Their childrens loue ayen thē dothe appall, Shewyng no frendshyp saue for adauntage, How that they may reioyce their heritage: And in suche case whan they wexe stronge, Thinke their fathers liue all to longe.

And Artaxerses stode in the same caas, As in the story playnly ye shall fynde, By rehearsayle and writyng of Bochas, How this Dary was false and eke vnkynde, Forgetfull, and had nothing in mynde How his father, the trouth to reherce, Hath made hi equal w^t him to raign in Perce

And to declare the first occasion, To his father how the sayd Dary By a false maner of rebellion, Gan in his workyng for to be contrary, Whiche to discure I wyll no lenger tary: But wyth my penne in all haste procede, Here to discriue how it fell in dede.

Artaxerses among hys concubynes It is remembred how that he had one, Whiche for to reken wyues and vyrgynes, Was fayrest holde of them euerychone, Called Arthasia of full yore agone: And was that tyme, her beauty to discryue, Among the Perciens the fayrest holde alyue.

And though she were yrun farre in age Lyke as bokes lyst of her expresse, Both of colour and also of vysage She kept her beauty, & her natyfe freshenes, Whyche was afore for her semelines To the sayd Cyrus briefly to termyne, Chose long afore to be his concubyne.

But whan thys Cyrus was passed into fate Which for his brother might not liue in pees, Anone vpon wythout lenger date She was take vp for kyng Artaxerses, Because she was of beauty pearles, After long tyme when he fell in age, She claymed was by title of heritage

Of kyng Dary by hys fathers lyue, Faynyng his clayme by succession, And though his father agayn it dyd stryue: And thus began, as made is mencion, Of their debate the fyrst occasion: For Dary cast all be he bare it styll, Her to reioyce agayne hys fathers wyll.

And to accomplyshe falsely his entent Of her to haue full possession, To afforce his party he made thys argument Cyrus (quod he) as made is mencion Raygnyng in Perce that mighty region, And this story do the playnly determyne, For her beuty made her hys concubyne.

And after time whan Cyrus was dede Artaxerses his father ye may se, Next him succeadyng in Perce it is no drede, Lyst her to clayme eke for her great beauty: And so (quod Dary) she longeth now to me Because she is so pleasaunt to my syght, By succession I will her clayme of ryght.

Thus kyng Dary to his father sayde He would haue Arthasia the fayre, And therwithall Artaxerses gan abrayde And aunswered with face debonayre: My sonne (quod he) I will not be contrayre To thy desire, but of affection, Deliuer her to thy possession.

Of his promise he after gan repent Cast hym to make another cheuisaunce, And secretely his concubine he sent Called Arthasia (as made is remembraunce) And through his sleyghty purueyaunce, Vnto the tēple, such meanes he hath sought, Of great Appollo y^t she in haste was brought

Where she was veyled & made a presteresse After the rites, playnly and the gyse▪ Of olde panyms, by a maner holines, And there professed for to do seruice▪ As their statutes constrayne and deuise: During her life it might none other be, She bounde was to liue in chastite.

This thing was wrought by compassyng Of Artaxerses by frowarde ielosy, Wherof Dary the yonge lusty kyng Wext almost wode whan he did it espy, And gan compasse of melancholy Furious rancour, and hasty cruelte, Vpon his father auenged for to be.

And his party of force to sustene With him he had (the story maketh minde) His brethren in bast an hūdred and fiftene, Which to their father were false and vnkind: Of all this number were left none be hynde That frō this purpose ones lyst dissent, Hys death of one will they al assent.

Yet of this straunge false conspyracy Artaxerses had a knowledgyng, Although the story dothe not specify How, ne by whom he had therof wyttyng: For whiche in haste he made no tariyng, To gader meyny & make him selfe stronge, Him self to auenge of this disnatural wrong.

For Artaxerses lyke as the case tho stode, Thought it sate well to his high nobles To be venged vpon vnkynde bloude, For lawe, nature, decrees, rightwisenes, And all statutes dampne vnkyndnes: Wherby this kyng occasion did finde Ayen his children, because they were vnkynd.

Some men deme how great multitude Of many childre maketh a man stronge, But therupon plainly to conclude, Vertue is cause if she dwell them among: But if their corage enclyneth vnto wronge, And vycious life do their brydle lede, The greater number the worse they do spede

A progeny borne of a cursed lyne, May through his frowarde false infection, Outward of trouth though they shyne Vnder appearaunce and simulation, Infect and corrupt all a region: For it is sayd of full olde langage, Frute of soure trees take a soure tarage.

This was well shewed in Artaxerses, That suffred his brother dye at mischefe: Bledyng his wounde left him helpeles, Whyche to his name shall euer be reprefe, Thus bloude vnkynde hath euer euil prefe, For all the children fro his stocke discended Were cursed euerichone as here is remēbred.

Their stocke was fyrst contagious of nature, The grefes frowarde were great in number, Whiche of assent did their busy cure By false treason their father to encomber: But there is no shade nor no couert vmber So closely kept namely of false gyle, But the venym wyll shew out some whyle.

And thus the death contagiously conspyred Of Artaxerses sythe ago full yore, Wheron to auenge his hart was so fyred Of furious yre and ybrent so sore, That he not could defarre it now no more: But with his meyny fyll on them anone, Or they were ware, & slew thē euerychone.

He slough also all hys concubynes, That wer their mothers of whō I told toforn Suffred none to liue of their lynes, So of y^• lynage he hath the wede vpshorne:

Founde among all no grayne of good corne, Couy••t by doome whan they were presented, To his death how echone they were assented.

His clothes sprent with the vnkynd bloude Of his chyldren whiche he dyd shede, After whose death in great mischefe he stode, And so in sorow his lyfe he did lede, Dyed after in mischefe and in drede: Death quyt w^t death, & rage with rage, Lo here the fyne of his vnweldy age.

¶ Lenuoy.

THis tragedy afore declareth here The great outrage of vnkyndnes, Betwene two brethrene raignyng both yfere, In Perce lande, as ye haue heard expresse: Tyll deuision of all mischefe maistresse, Gan enter in through fraternall hatrede, Whyche agayn kynd destroyed their kinrede.

The warre arose contagious for to lere, Throughe all Perce of mortall frowardnes, Of Cyrus death rehearsyng the manere, How helpelesse he dyed in distresse: And how the nūber of brethren did thē dresse, To slea their father, the story ye may rede, Causyng an ende of all theyr whole kynrede.

Kyng Artaxerses with a froward chere His iniuries and wronges to redresse, Slough hys childrē, their mother eke yfere, Spared not one of froward cursednes: By whiche occasion toke a great sickenes, After dyed in mischefe and in drede, Causyng an ende of all his whole kynrede.

Lo here a sorowe not particulere, For through all Perce ran the cursednes, The croked fame spred bothe farre and nere Of this vengeable hasty fell woodnes: The ayre enfecting w^t slaunderous blacknes, To shew of vengeaunce the cōtrarious mede Of bloud vnkynde borne of one kynrede.

Noble princes lift vp your eyen clere, And consider by great auisenes The wofull stryues, the odious fell daūgere, Sowen in kinredes of wilfull straungenes: Of all rancoure your courage do redresse, Peysyng the mischeues folowyng in dede, Of bloude vnkinde borne of one kynrede.