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 .xv. Chapter.

¶ How Agathocles of lowe byrthe borne, attayned vnto royall dignite, en∣ded in pouerte and wret∣chednesse.

I Haue herde sayd full yore agone A whirle winde blowing nothing soft, Was in olde englishe called a rodyon, That reyseth dust and straw ful hye a lofte, And in thassendyng it falleth so full ofte Though it be borne almost to the skye, Where it becommeth there can no man espye.

Out of forges by fyre that smythes make, By clere experience it is full oft yseyne That these infernall vgly smokes blake

Transcende y^e top of many great mountayne, But oft sithe by a full sodayne rayne Al such ascencions by rage of wind vp blow, With vnware turne be reuersed full lowe.

And semblably to put it at a prefe, And execute it by clere experience, One the most contraryous mischefe Founde in this erthe by notable euidence, Is onely this, by fortunate violence Whan that wretches churlishe of nature The estate of prynces vnwarely doth recure.

A crowne of golde is nothyng accordyng For to be set vpon a knaues heed, A foltyshe clerke for to weare a ryng Accordeth nat who that can take hede: And in this worlde there is no greater drede Than power geue (yf it be well sought) Vnto such one that first rose vp of nought.

There is no maner iuste conuenience A royall carbuncle, rubye, or garnet, Nor a chast emeraude of vertuous exelence, Nor Inde saphyrs, in copper to be set: Their kyndly power in foule metall is let, And so the state of politike puy saunce, Is euer lost wher knaues haue gouernaūce.

For a time they may well vp ascende Like windy smokes theyr fumes sprede, A crowned asse playnly to comprehende, Voyde of discretion is more for to drede Than is a lyon, for that one in dede Of his nature is myghty and royall, Voyde of discretion that other beastiall.

The gentle nature of a stronge lyon To prostrate people of kynde is merciable, For vnto all that fall afore hym doun Hys royall puisaunce can nat be vengeable: But churlish wolues by rigour vntreatable, And foltyshe asses eke of bestialyte, Faylyng reason brayde euer on cruelte.

None is so proude as he that can no good, The leuder head the more presumption, Most cruelte and vengeaunce in lowe blode, With malapertnesse and indiscretion: Of churle and gentle make this diuision, Of outher of thē I dare right wel reporte, Fro thens thei came therto they wyl resorte.

The Rose is knowe by colour and swetnesse, And violettes for their freshe tarage, The nettle rough for his fell sharpnesse, Thistles, breres prickyng by great outrage▪ And thus considred the rote of eche lynage, Frowarde tetches be euer in churles founde, Wher vnto gentyls aye vertue doth reboūde.

Let men beware in especiall of one thyng, How great deception is in false coynage, The plate may be bryght in his shewyng The metall false and shew a fayre visage: All is nat golde to speake in playne langage, That shineth bright, concluding on reason Vnder fayre there is ofte hyd false poyson.

For as a skye or an vgly cloude Which that ascendeth low out of the see, With his blacknesse doth the sunne shroude, That men may nat his great bryghtnes see, Nor haue no comforte of hys clere beaute: So vicious tetches I do you well assure Difface full ofte the gyftes of nature.

God vnto some hath geuen by nature For to excell another in fayrnesse, Yet in vices by recorde of scripture Thei wer disclaūdred Bochas doth witnesse: Outwarde suger in warde bytternesse, By which ensample to purpose I may call Agathocles fulfylled with vices all.

In this story he commeth now on the ryng Which of beaute had great excellence, But to declare the vicious lyuyng, And to discriue hys outragious offence, If I shoulde write fully in sentence Lyke his demerites wholly the maner, It woulde through perce & blot my paper.

Touchyng his byrthe of lowe bed descended, Sonne of a porter, the story ye may se, In no vertue I fynde hym nat commended, Except nature gaue hym great beaute: Fostred in mischefe and great pouerte, Had eke disdayne I can hym nat excuse, Of hatefull pride his fathers craft to vse.

By the meane of his great fayrenesse To hye estate he came from low degre, Yet in a vice whiche I wyll nat expresse He disused cursedly hys beaute Agayne nature, that yuell mote he thee: And soyled he was shortly to specifye,

With all the spices of pride and lechery.

Yet nat withstandyng his false condicions God suffred hym to come to hie estate, And to gouerne diuers nacions, I fynde a whyle howe he was fortunate, In his lechery aye pompous and elate: And in a cite called Cyracuse, The sayde vices he frowardly gan vse.

And for he had beaute and great myght, To all vices hys youth he dyd enclyne, And coude also forther hym selfe aryght Of eloquence expert in the doctrine: And as it is sayde tho he came of low lyne, Yet as it is put in remembraunce An hundred knightes he had in gouernaunce.

Of Centuryen he purchased an offyce, And that tyme he toke the order of a knyght, After chosen a tribune of great pryce, And gate great fauour in the peoples syght: And this while it fell so anone ryght Of Cyracuses he was made duke & head By election, because theyr lorde was dead.

Which with Ciciliens helde a mortall strife, But Agathocles made hym victorious, Toke their duchesse after to hys wyfe: By meane wherof he wext full glorious, And in his glorye he grewe right dispitous, Forgate him selfe thus growyng in estate, Wherthrough his cite and he were at debate.

His condicions whan they gan espy And saw him worke all of presumption, The people anone knowyng hys tiranny, Exiled hym out of their region: In his exyle, as made is mencion, He coude nat fynde no better cheuisaunce But came to a cite y^• called was Murgaūce.

Wher by his sleighty subtel false auyse He so demeaned hym in the peoples syght, That of a Pretor they gaue hym an offyce, He meuyng them in all that euer he myght Gaine Cyracuses to make thē strōg to fight, Of entent of them auenged to be, Cause, for his exyle out of that cite.

But in his exyle (the story saythe none other) It was so wrought by mediacion Of duke Hamilchar y^t was hys sworne bro∣ther, Cyracusans of one entention Called him home agayne into their toun And there was restored to hys place, And reconciled to the kynges grace.

And vnto hym they gaue by great auice, By assent of lordes and all the commonte, Of a Pretour newly an offyce: For Pretors of custome called be Offycers that dwell in the cite, And haue full charge by dome & iudgementes To put all gylty to payne and turmentes.

Than of new thys Agathocles Bycause he had more aucthorite Cast for to trouble the quiete and the pees Of Cyracuses, and out of that cite All the senatours greatest of dignite Of mortal vēgeaunce this titant made anon Without exception, to be slayne euerichon.

This hasty slaughter wrought by tiranny, Might nat asswage nor stāche his fel corage, Tyll he their treasour toke by robbery And all Cicile he spoyled by pyllage, Cast of pride vpon an hye stage For to ascende by sleyghty false workyng, Of all that region to be crowned kyng.

Made his subiectes maugre hym dredyng To cal hym kyng, and in especiall One the most worthy prynce tho lyuyng, That sat in chayre of maiestye royall: Tyll fortune shope he must haue a fall, For of Cartage the duke a worthy knyght Fought with him twyse, & put him to flyght.

Wherthrough he stode in mischefe dispeyred, And of al people he was had in disdayne: To Cyracuse in hast he is repayred, And to his cite retourned home agayne, There abydyng in drede and vncertayne: For whan fortune gan agayne hym take, His frendes olde of new haue him forsake.

In that mischefe he bode nat long As the processe maketh rehearsayle, Gadred people and made him selfe strong Onely in purpose all Affryke to assayle, With them of Cartage had a great battayle, Th••n discomfited as fortune lyst ordayne, By hye prowesse of his sonnes twayne.

Archagatus ycalled was that one, Wonder delyuer, a man of great myght,

The seconde brother moste worthy of echone Called Heraclydes, whiche in y^t mortal fight Preued him selfe that daye a manly knyght: For by theyr māhode in which was no lacke, They of Cartage, were fellye put a backe.

For though so wer by fortune of the warre Agathocles had that day the victorie, False couetyse made hym for to erre And eclipsed the light of hys glorie: For as it is remembred in hys storie, Lyke as in his byrthe it is determined, To all falsenes his corage was enclyned.

Cruell of custome, of hert mercyles, His wyll was law were it wronge or ryght, Contrary to accorde, frowarde vnto pees, Proude and surquedous in hys owne syght: Where his power stretched & hys myght Lyke a tyraunt, naturally disposed To execute vengeaunce afore purposed,

He thought he had power for to bynde Fortunes whele for to abyde stable, Which is a thing contrary to her kynde, Whose propertie is to be variable: Hys pryde alas was to abhominable For mortall Prince is none y^t may restrayne, Her vnware tourne nor her course sodayne.

By influence of the heauenly starres The vncouth course aboue celestiall, By fortune and fauour of the warres This Agathocles of byrth full rurall Promoted was vnto estate royall, Tyll pride, outrage, & froward engendrure, Caused in his lordshyp he myght nat endure.

Fortune of kynde is so flaskysable, A monstruous beast departed manyfolde, A slydyng serpent tournyng and vnstable, Slipper to gripe on whom there is no holde, As in this boke declared is and tolde: Her power preued on princes recheles, Recorde with other on Agathocles.

As ye haue herde rehersed in sentence Symple and bare was hys natiuite, Brought vp and fostred in great indigence Out of a stocke springyng of pouerte, Rose to the estate of royall dignite: The rysyng vncouth marueylous tattayne, The fal more greuous because it was sodayn

From Cyracuse he was exyled twyse, Vengeable of heart where he had myght, Of Affricans disconfited thryse, Euer in batayle of custome put to flyght, Had an vsaunce to robbe day and nyght: And lyke a tiraunte agayn conscience To spoyle his subiectes by great violence.

Hindred by fortune wherof he was nat fayne Her stroke agayn him sodayne and violent, His sonnes two in Affrike were first slayne, He of his lymmes wext feble and impotent, With a consumption his entrayles brent: And by an ague continuall of feruence, He was suppressed by stroke of pestilence

All his treasour hath from hym take His proude port, and his worldly glory, His wife, kyn, and frēdes hath him forsake, His conquest derke and put out of memory, His name yclipsed of hys olde victory: And as he gan in pouerte and distresse, So he made an ende in wretchednesse.

Hasty rysyng and thri••te that is sodayne, And surmountyng by violent rauyne, And extort power may for a whyle attayne, In ryche chayre of lordshyp for to shyne: Sodayne ascending dothe sodenly declyne, And by vntruth whereuer there be encrees, Men wayt of custome a sodayne disencrees.

Of Agathocles men may ensample take What is thende of euery false tiraunt, Wrōge climbing vp dothe a foule ende make For a season though tirauntes be puysaunt, Fortune to them yeueth no lenger graunt: But whan they syt on her whele most royal, By vnware chaunge to haue a sodayne fal.

Agathocles was first a sympleman Brought forth in mischefe and in pouerte, Sonne of a porter, the story tell can, By vicious liuyng came to great dignite, Of all folke hated for his cruelte, Clambe fro pouert vp to great rychesse. Made pore agayne died in wretchednesse.

¶ Lenuoye.

THis tragedy sheweth a figure Bothe by story and by aucthorite, How man, and beast, & euery creature

Tarageth the stocke of his natiuitie, Herbe of the rote, and eche frute of his tre: For bothe of vertue and also of outrage, Foloweth some tetche or taste of the lynage.

Agathocles by recorde of scripture Borne of lowe bed, brought forth in pouerte, Yet Fortune made him to recure Vp to hye estate from full lowe degre, His reason blent with sensualitie, Forgate him selfe, to speake in playne lāgage Through a false tetche y^t came fro his lynage.

There is a difference of colours in pycture On table or wall, as men all day may se, Twene golde & golde, atwene byse & asure, All is not golde that shyneth bryght parde: Some noble is false y^t hath great beaute, Let men beware of counterfayte coynage, Tetches eschuyng of churlyshe lynage.

Some man is furthered of sodain auenture, Set in a chayre of royall dignitie, Wenyng his empyre shoulde euer endure And neuer to be troubled with no aduersitie, With royall Eagles a kyte may not flye: A Jaye may chatter in a golden cage, Yet euer some tetch must folow of his lynage.

Gentle bloude of his royall nature Is euer enclyned to mercy and pite, Where of custome these vyllains do their cure By their vsurped and extort false poste, To be vengeable by mortall cruelte, Through hasty fumes of furious courage, Folowyng the tetches of their vyle lynage.

O mighty prynces your nobles do assure, Your passions rest with tranquilitie, Se how there is no meane of measure Where a tyrant catcheth the souerayntie: Let Agathocles your worldly myrrour be To eschue the traces of hys froward passage, As royall bloude requyreth of your lynage.