How the Emperovr Domitius Nero liued wickedly and tyrannously, and in the ende miserably slewe himselfe, the yeere of Christ, 70.

Must I that lead so loose a life speake here,

Amongst the wreckes whom Fortune’s tempestes tore;

Wel then I see I must, the case is clere,

But blame I must my onely selfe therefore,

I am that Nero rule in Rome that bore,

Agrippina my mother wrought that feate for mee,[1011]

Her husband poisned, I might Emprour bee.

A while I gaue my selfe to gouerne well,

As Senecke graue instructed me thereto;

But after, I to shamelesse dealings fell,

At randome liu’de in lust as Lechers doe,

To slaughters fell, of friendes and kinred to,

Not sparing those in fleshly lustes desire,

Whome nature’s impes dombe beasts will not require.

A shame it were to tell my hatefull life,

But he that wanted shame, whose face was brasse,

That spared neyther men, mayde, virgine, wife,

Not mother, sister, kinde, nor kin that was,

Whose factes both care and shame did alwayes passe:

What shoulde be shame to doe, speake, thinke, or say,

Which all his life cast bashfull shame away?

For wantonnesse, I past the filthy stues;

For glutony, I had no where my peere;

No kinde of crueltie but I did vse,

No wickednesse from which my life was cleere:

My pride did passe them all, both farre and neere;

Against the trade of kind in shamelesse life,

One man for bride me had, another for bridewife.[1012]

With golden nets in ryot I would fishe,

And purple lines to drawe my nets I had;

I vsed eke for pleasures many a dishe,

And was with naught but lust and mischiefe glad:

Though these thinges made the Romaynes hartes full sad,

They durst not speake: for who so did complayne,

Without respect or sentence more, was slayne.

For pleasures sake to see the flames arise,

I causde that Rome should then on fire bee set,

And for to feede therewith my gazing eyes,

On high Mæcenas Towre to stand I get:

So, sixe dayes fire and seauen nights waste I let,

And sang there while, beholding it with ioy,

The Iliades sweete of Græcians burning Troy.

Then I restraynd that no man should resort

To th’ ruines great, when as the fire was past;

Nor should therefrom the reliques left transport,

But to my selfe reserude them all at last:

The marchaunts causelesse from their goods I cast,

And Senatours depriude of all that ere they had,[1013]

Some slaine, the rest with life alone to scape[1014] were glad.

Still out the sword to slay all sortes I drewe,

My mother could not scape amongst them free;

My brother deare, and sisters eke I slewe,

And of my wiues likewise a two or three:

My kinsemen eke I kild of each degree,

Reioysing in so heynous bloudshed still,

Nought else with Nero then but, kill, them kill.

And for that Seneca mee counsayle gaue,

(My tutour good in youth) to leaue my vice,

I bad him choose what death him likte to haue,

Which now should pay, for then, my stripes the price:

In water warme to stand was his deuice,

And there to bleede a milde and gentle death,

Euen so I causde them reaue his vitall breath.

10.

So with almighty Ioue I gan to warre,

The Christians good I did torment and sley,

Commaunding all my subiects neare and farre,

Their liues and goods to spoyle and take away;

Which they accomplisht strayght without delay,

Both Paul and Peter, Christe’s disciples twayne,

Th’Apostles, both by mine edict were slayne.

11.

But what endureth long that’s violent?

The thunder seemes some time to teare the skies,

At seas full oft the stormes are vehement,

To cloudes alofte the wales[1015] and waters rise,

Soone after th’ayre is cleare, [and calme] the water lyes:

Experience eke the same and prouerbes[1016] old doe showe,

Eache storme will haue his calme, [and spring tide, ebbe full lowe.][1017]

12.

For when I went about to stroy[1018] the state,

And all the Romaynes noble fame t’obscure;

The Senate all, and people did mee hate,

And sought which way they might my death procure:

I could no longer mine outrage endure,[1019]

They mee proclaymde a foe to publique weale,

By night forsooke of all, was forst away to steale.[1020]

13.

The iudgement was, such foes should pillered bee

By necke, in forke made fast full sure to byde;

And should with rods so long there beaten bee,

Untill therewith the woefull captiues dyde;

From this correction therefore fast I hyde,

And eke from Galba then proclaymed Emprour newe,

For feare of [doomed] death, by deedes deserued due.

14.

By night (I say) forsaken quite, I fled,

And Sporus th’eunuche most impure likewise,

With others three, like filthy life that led:

To slay my selfe I desperate then deuise,

Whom all the world did so for sinne despise;

And thirsting sore in flight, full fayne I [sweetly] dranke

The waters foule, which standing long in diches stanke.[1021]

15.

My seruaunts would not mee requested kill:[1022]

Haue I (quoth I) no foe, nor yet no frend,

To reaue mee from this feare of conscience ill?

Will no man make of Nero naught[1023] an end?

With that my brest to poynt of sword I bend,

With trembling hand, which Sporus holpe to stay,

And on the same my selfe assayde to slay.

16.

With that, of Galbae’s seruaunts one drewe nie,

With fayned cheere, as though hee helpe mee would:

To late you come, call you this helpe (quoth I)?

Is this the friendshippe firme and fayth you holde?

My life was filthy, vile for to beholde,

My death more vile shall bee, more filthy I departe:

With that I fell on sword, which ran me through the harte.[1024]