By wisdom, manhede, and by greet labour (681)
Fro humble bed to royal magestee,
Up roos he, Iulius the conquerour,
That wan al thoccident by lond and see,
By strengthe of hond, or elles by tretee, 3865
And un-to Rome made hem tributarie;
And sitthe of Rome the emperour was he,
Til that fortune wex his adversarie.
3861. E. Cp. Pt. Ln. _omit_ greet. 3862. E. Hn. Cm. Hl. humble bed;
Pt. Cp. Ln. humblehede.
O mighty Cesar, that in Thessalye
Ageyn Pompeius, fader thyn in lawe, 3870
That of thorient hadde al the chivalrye (691)
As fer as that the day biginneth dawe,
Thou thurgh thy knighthode hast hem take and slawe,
Save fewe folk that with Pompeius fledde,
Thurgh which thou puttest al thorient in awe. 3875
Thanke fortune, that so wel thee spedde!
3870. _MSS._ Pompeus, Pompius.
[266: T. 14605-14636.]
But now a litel whyl I wol biwaille
This Pompeius, this noble governour
Of Rome, which that fleigh at this bataille;
I seye, oon of his men, a fals traitour, 3880
His heed of smoot, to winnen him favour (701)
Of Iulius, and him the heed he broghte.
Allas, Pompey, of thorient conquerour,
That fortune unto swich a fyn thee broghte!
[3881. _Misnumbered_ 700 _in the_ Aldine edition.]
To Rome ageyn repaireth Iulius 3885
With his triumphe, laureat ful hye,
But on a tyme Brutus Cassius,
That ever hadde of his hye estaat envye,
Ful prively hath maad conspiracye
Ageins this Iulius, in subtil wyse, 3890
And cast the place, in whiche he sholde dye (711)
With boydekins, as I shal yow devyse.
3887. _So in the MSS.; observe_ hath _in l._ 3889.
This Iulius to the Capitolie wente
Upon a day, as he was wont to goon,
And in the Capitolie anon him hente 3895
This false Brutus, and his othere foon,
And stikede him with boydekins anoon
With many a wounde, and thus they lete him lye;
But never gronte he at no strook but oon,
Or elles at two, but-if his storie lye. 3900
So manly was this Iulius at herte (721)
And so wel lovede estaatly honestee,
That, though his deedly woundes sore smerte,
His mantel over his hippes casteth he,
For no man sholde seen his privitee. 3905
And, as he lay on deying in a traunce,
And wiste verraily that deed was he,
Of honestee yit hadde he remembraunce.
3904. Cm. castyth; _rest_ caste, cast. 3906. Cm. on deyinge; Pt. on
dyinge; Ln. in deynge; E. Hn. of dyyng.
[267: T. 14637-14668.]
Lucan, to thee this storie I recomende,
And to Sweton, and to Valerie also, 3910
That of this storie wryten word and ende, (731)
How that to thise grete conqueroures two
Fortune was first freend, and sithen fo.
No man ne truste up-on hir favour longe,
But have hir in awayt for ever-mo. 3915
Witnesse on alle thise conqueroures stronge.
3910. Hl. Valirien; _rest_ Valerius; ed. 1561, Valerie. 3911. _The
MSS. have_ word (_for_ ord); _see the note._ 3913. E. sitthe; Hl.
siththen; Hn. Cm. siththe a.