Whereby the people in their furious rage
Caught opinion of wylfull false dotage,
Agayne reason Bochas dothe discriue,
That king Philyp was risen fro deth to liue.
Whylom father of Perses as I tolde:
And for Andriscus broughte vp in wretched∣nesse,
In presence bothe of yonge and olde
Was bold to clayme by tytle of rightwisnesse
Shewing no grounde but personel likenesse,
Mocking the people which by their fauour
Of royal dignite receyued the honour.
Thus he that was fostred as a wretche
In misery and eke in pouerte,
Fro poore bedde his hornes dyd vp stretche
To holde a scepter of kyngly dignite:
And by the supporte of the commonte
Gan wexe pompous and elate
Broughte vp of noughte whan he stode in e∣state,
Nothing more cruell nor nothyng more ven∣geable
Nor more hasty to do execution,
Nor more deynous nor more vntreatable
Than whan a begger hath domination:
I curre more frowarde than a strong Lyon,
And semblably none so great cruelte,
As whan a wretche is set in dignite.
This Andriscus in all his royall chere
To execute his hatefull cruelte,
Gathered people in countreys ferre & nere,
In Macedone, and of olde enmyte,
Began maligne gayne Rome the cite:
But to withset his frowarde false entent,
One Inuencius a Pretor was downe sent.
But because that he was negligent,
And of dispite toke of him no hede,
He was outrayed and by Andriscus shent,
With all the people that he dyd lede:
But the Romayns of hope better to spede
Haue sent Metellus a full manly knyght,
To Macedone, to mete anone ryght
Thys worthy man lyst nat longe to tary,
Set proudly on in hope it shoulde auayle,
Made Macedone to Rome tributary,
Toke Andriscus manly in batayle,
Brought him to Rome wt mighty apparayle,
And made him lye fettred in pryson,
For his outragious false presumption.
Thus for his frowarde vsurpacion
That was haute in hys prosperite,
Knewe nat hym selfe by false abusion
Blent with a myst of blynde felicite,
Lyst nat remembre of hys first ponerte:
Whom to chastise fortune brought hym low
Because he lyst nat hym selfe for to know.