How Geta the Yonger sonne of th’Emperour Seuerus once gouernour of Britayne, was slayne in his mother’s armes by his brother Antonine, Emperour of Rome, about the yeare of Christ, 214.

If euer Prince [opprest] had cause his state to rue,

Or by his [ruful] end might moue men mone his chaunce,

My woefull tale may shewe the like to you,

Whom Fortune erst, and birth did highe aduaunce.

In Rome [perdy] in Britayne, Spayne,[1100] and Fraunce

I fauour had, I honourde was, I bare the sway,[1101]

I Emprour was [with Antonine:] what neede I more to say.

In Britayne while my father waeged fight

By North agaynst the Pictes, I rulde the South:

Seuerus so apoynted mee to iudge them right,[1102]

And Britayne justice well receaude from[1103] Getae’s mouth:

I gaue not then my selfe to [giftes, nor] idle slouth,

But mildly made an end in causes[1104] great of strife,

With dome so [right and] iust, that men reioyste my life.

The Senate honourde mee [at home] for vertue’s sake,

Abroade the Britaynes blest mee for their blisse,

The souldiers stout [in armes] of mee account did make.

Let stories truely tell where I doe halte in this:[1105]

Lest some suspect, that I reporte amisse.

For what is hee, which is not counted [partiall] vayne,

When for himselfe hee speakes, though [plea bee] nere so playne.

In peace I [wise and] prudent was, and graue of grace,

In warres of courage good, but[1106] not so fearce withall:

Not forste with feare to turne from foes my face,

Nor bought with bribes to let Dame Justice fall,

I lou’de not, I, to throng the weaker sort[1107] with thrall,

But sought to pleasure eache at neede, both[1108] neare and farre:

More proane to sacred peace I was, then bent to [broyles of] warre.

What hearte [is then] so harde but will for pity bleede,

To heare a [giltlesse] Prince which meant to each so well.

Should haue such cause to liue in feare and dreede

Of sworde, of bane, of force, or poyson fell,

Not daring Emprour nere his brother dwell,

Whom [both the] Romaynes lou’d, and straungers honourde still,

In peace moe bruntes abydes at home, then erste abroade of ill.[1109]

But Antonine[1110] I hate his [hatefull] name and factes,

Sith hee my bucher was, my brother though hee were:[1111]

The worlde detestes his vile and viprous actes,

And subtile shiftes to bane[1112] his father deare:

So voyde of grace, so voyde of honeste [dreede or] feare,

Hee durst attempte the [nerest] gardes to bribe and fee,

By them theyr Lord his father might the Emprour poysoned bee.[1113]

This when Seuerus wiste our aged syre, and saw[1114]

How Antonine that beaste was tiranously bent,[1115]

Agaynst the order quite of nature’s [noble] law,

Eke, how to take the empire whole hee ment;

For both of vs at Yorke hee often sent,

Perswading vs to peace, to loue, and concorde bolde,[1116]

And of the fruites of discorde [foule, and ciuill warres][1117] hee tolde.

Yet Antonine regarded naught his [Father’s] heste,

Ne yet the charge of [British] warres hee had in hande:

Hee to enlarge his powre for th’Empire him addrest.[1118]

Which when Seuerus olde did vnderstand,

All pleasures quite and ioyes hee did aband,

And to the warres him gate: nere Yorke[1119] he tooke his ende

By sworde of Pictes, or by some traytour [fauning] frende.

Then Antonine made spoyle of all his [father’s] men,

Phisitions nilde before at his requeste

Dispatch theyr Lorde, to death hee put them then,

And so hee serude of faythfull garde the reste.

What vilany was in this [monstrous] viper’s breaste:

Was not content with death [and goodes] of those hee sought,

But after [them] bringes [all] theyr friendes likewise to nought.

10.

I warned was by diuers eke my life[1120] hee thirsted sore,

And that the empire sole [alone] hee sought to haue,

[Whereon] as wee to Rome did passe I feared more,

I from his courtes and diets did mee saue:

I knew my life and th’empire he did [croach and] craue,

Wherefore in Rome my court I kepte [alone] likewise

From his aparte, that did ful ofte to murder mee deuise.[1121]

11.

My cookes and butlers were allurde[1122] by sundry giftes

To poyson mee, and some for mee in ambush lurking lay:[1123]

Hee tryde to cut mee off a thousand shiftes,

What maruayle, since hee sought his syre to slay?

Hee made his father’s [dearest] friendes for spite away,

[Because they nilde consent to his vile treasons wrought,

Hee slewe the men, to saue his father’s life that sought.][1124]

12.

[But all] his sleights for mee coulde take no sure successe,

For still his traynes and treasons were descride:

And I in daunger greate was forste[1125] to seeke redresse

By like attemptes [at laste,] but that likewise was spyde.

Pretended murder no man close can [keepe or] hyde,

But out it flyes abroade, the rumor runnes apace,

The only spot thereof [doth] all [the] vertues else deface.

13.

When this was knowne [to him,] that I likewise assayde

His life to reaue (though t’were my [only] life to saue)

No longer time to wrecke[1126] the same the bucher stayde,

Hee had the thing so long [before] hee sought to haue,

[Such] cause of [iust] reuenge the rumor small him gaue,

[That in the euening hee came on mee or I knew,

In cruell sorte to reaue my life before our mother’s vewe.][1127]

14.

There she perceiuing him with [naked] sworde approache,

In armes mee caught to saue my life and bloud,

But hee deseruing all the worlde’s reproache,

No whit in doubte to end my slaughter stoode.

My mother him besought[1128] (as seemde an empresse good)

While he [in rage] without remorce [or ruth] of her request,

Betwene her armes [that bare vs both] did run me through the breste.

15.

These were the [cruell] actes of that vile monster then

For Empire sake, to raigne alone aloft:

Despisde that was, [contemnde,] abhord of gods and men,

And curst to hell by all good men so oft,

You see the fall of Geta, [gentle,] milde, and soft,

Whose line of life no longer Lachesis[1129] could stretch,

Cut off by sworde of Antonine, th’unkindely captiue wretch.[1130]

16.

Let now the world both deeme[1131] of my desertes and his,

For to his father he was most, of sonnes, vnkinde:[1132]

His mother’s ioyes he reaude away her blisse,

That [noble] dame which bare to both so mylde a minde:

And let my dealings aye due [doome and] fauour finde,

Whose murder may giue playne prospect and show

What monster gaue his faythfull frends such ouerthrow.[1133]