How Sergivs Galba the Emperour of Rome (gieuen to slaughter, ambition, and glotony) was slayne by the souldiers, The yeare of Christ, 71.

Amongst the hawty Emprours downe that fell,

I Sergius Galba may bee placed here,

Where who so sees and markes my dealings well,

To him may soone the fruites of fraude appeare;

All murders great are bought with price full deare;

Foule slaughters donne, procure as fowle a fall,

As hee deserues that workes the woefull thrall.

In Rome some time I Prætour chosen was,

And then obtaynde of Spayne the prouince fayre,

To gouerne there, I brought by friends to passe,

In hope to be the Emprour Neroe’s heyre.

For when the Romaynes did of him dispaire,

So bent at home to slaughter, lust and vice,

By warres abroad I wan the prayse and price.

To get the souldiers fauour I tooke payne,

For in the Emprour’s choise they gaue the stroke;

I therefore sought some spoyles for them to gayne,

Though thereby oft the lawes of armes I broke,

But who may wordes or actions donne reuoke?

The stayne abides, where staylesse[1025] strikes the good,

And vengeaunce wreckes the waste of giltlesse bloud.

In Lusitania while that time I lay,

I causde the people there assemble shoulde,

Reporting I had somwhat for to say,

Which in effect procure them profite would;

To which they came as many nere as could,

Full thirty thousand, thinking naught of ill,

All which I causde the souldiers there to kill.

I sought some meanes that Nero might abye,[1026]

Not for his vicious life, but for his place;

Although pretence were made his vice, perdy,[1027]

Whom all good men accounted voyde of grace:

But yet I could not stay so long a space,

I causde in Spayne the souldiers mee proclame,

Which strayght they did, and gaue mee Cæsar’s name.

To Rome I hyde, and Nero gate him thence,

Hee stale away for feare of sentence past,

A publique foe proclaymde for negligence,

For slaughters donne, for fire of Rome the wast:

Eke for because hee was of mee agast,

Hee slewe him selfe before my man could comme,

Which slaughter else my seruaunts there had donne.

When I my maister thus subuerted had,

The Romaynes eke began mislike with mee:

They sayd I was ambitious, nygh so bad

And cruell, giuen to pride and glotony;

Now I was ruled all by Romaynes three,

Cornelius, Iulius, Celius, for the state

My schoolmaisters, for which they did mee hate.

And Siluius Otho sought the Empire then,

That vicious beast, and coward verlet vile,

Hee delte by gyftes so with mine armed men,

That factious rose in campe within a while;

Which when I came them for to reconcile,

To Curtius lake, nere which the armie lay,

Of Siluius friendes the souldiers did me slay.

Strooke of my head, and bare it to my foe,

Who causde it should bee set vpon a speare;

So through the campe they bare it to and froe,

Saluting it, now dead, a sorte there were,

Which late thereof, aliue, did doubt and feare;

O Galba, ioyfull dayes the Gods thee giue,

God send thee Galba well long time to liue.

10.

This was the guerdon of my hawty pryde,

To haue mine head thus wise extold aloft:

Thus I the gaynes of hasty climing tride,

To leese mine head, and after haue it scoft:

A thing perdy that[1028] chaunceth wonders oft.

Who thinkes the gayne is sweete [he gets] by sheeding bloud,

In purple yeeldes like gaine, to doe like people good.[1029]