[NOUIMUS QUANTOS DEDERAT.]
WE han wel We know what ruin Nero did. knowen how many greet[e] harmes and
destrucciouns weren doñ by þe Emperoure Nero.
He burnt Rome, he slew the conscript fathers, murdered his brother, and spilt his mother’s blood. ¶ He letee brenne þe citee of Rome and made slen þe [1460]
senatours. 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 slitten þe body of his modir to
seen where he was conceiued. He looked unmoved upon his mother’s corpse, and passed judgment upon her beauty. and he loked[e] on euery [1464]
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. Yet this parricide ruled over all lands, illumined by the sun in his diurnal course, and controlled the frozen regions of the pole. ¶ And ȝitte
neuerþeles gouerned[e] þis Nero by Ceptre al þe peoples [1468]
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 imperial
þat þe sonne goþ aboute from est to west ¶ And [1472]
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 parties of þe norþe. He governed, too, the people in the torrid zone. ¶ And eke Nero gouerned[e] [1476]
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 yet Nero’s power could not tame his ferocious mind. [but yit ne
myhte nat al his heye power torne the woodnesse of [1480]
this wykkyd nero / It is a grievous thing when power strengthens the arm of him whose will prompts him to deeds of cruelty. 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.
1458 greet[e]—grete
1460 letee—let
1461 somtyme slouȝ—whilom slow
1463 let—lette
1464 where—wher
1465 half—halue
1466 myȝt[e]—myhte
1467 hire—hyr