[Sidenote: [The sixte Met{ur}.]]
++WE han wel knowen how many g{r}eet[e] harmes {and} destrucc{i}ou{n}s
weren doñ by þe Emp{er}oure Nero. ¶ He letee brenne þe citee of Rome
{and} made slen þe senato{ur}s. and he cruel somtyme slouȝ hys broþer.
{and} he was maked moyst wiþ þe blood of hys modir. þat is to seyn he
let sleen {and} slitte{n} þe body of his modir to seen where he was
conceiued. {and} he loked[e] on euery half vpon hir colde dede body. ne
no tere ne wette his face. but he was so hard herted þat he myȝt[e] ben
domesman or Iuge of hire dede beaute. ¶ And ȝitte neuerþeles gouerned[e]
þis Nero by Ceptre al þe peoples þat phebus þe sonne may seen comyng
from his outerest arysyng til he hidde his bemes vndir þe wawes. ¶ þat
is to seyne. he gouerned[e] alle þe peoples by Ceptre imp{er}ial þat þe
so{n}ne goþ aboute from est to west ¶ And eke þis Nero goueyrende by
Ceptre. alle þe peoples þat ben vndir þe colde sterres þat hyȝten þe
seuene triones. þis is to seyn he gouerned[e] alle þe poeples þat ben
vndir þe p{ar}ties of þe norþe. ¶ And eke Nero gouerned[e] alle þe
poeples þat þe violent wynde Nothus scorchiþ {and} bakiþ þe brennynge
sandes by his drie hete. þat is to seyne. alle þe poeples in þe souþe.
[but yit ne myhte nat al his heye power torne the woodnesse of this
wykkyd nero / Allas it is greuous fortune it is]. as ofte as wicked
swerde is ioygned to cruel venym. þat is to sein. venimous cruelte to
lordshipe.