The Fall of King Mempricius, Devoured by Wolves

Tis often sayd, a man should doe likewise
To other, as hee would to him they did.
Do as thou would’st bee done to, sayth the wise,
And doe as conscience and as iustice bid.
Ther’s no man ought for rule an other rid,
Nor yet his hands with cruell bloud distayne:
For bloud doth alwayes cry for bloud againe.

Eke lustfull life, that sleepes in sinkes of sinne,
Procures a plague: fie, fie, on Venus vile:
Wee little wot the mischiefes are therein,
When wee with poysons sweete our selues beguyle.
The pleasures passe, the ioyes indure but while,
And nought thereby at all wee get or gayne,
But dreadfull death, and euerlasting payne.

Mee thinkes thou harkenest for to heare my name,
And musest what I am that thus doe come.
I would or this haue told it, but for shame:
And yet to giue example here to some,
I will no longer fayne my selfe so dome,
But euen as others I will tell my fall:
Take here my name, my life, my death and all.

I am Mempricius, Madan’s yonger sonne,
Once King of Britayne, that my brother slewe:
Whereby the crowne, and Kingdome all I won,
And after norisht vices moe that grewe,
Not nature’s lawes, nor God’s, nor man’s I knewe,
But liu’d in lust, not recking any thing,
I deemed all thinges lawfull for a King.

Fyrst when I had my brother brought on beire,
I thought in rest to keepe the Kingdome long:
And I was voyde of doubte, I had no feare,
Was none durst checke mee did I right or wrong.
I liu’d at large, and thought my powre so strong,
There could no man preuaile against my will,
In steede of lawe that vsed rigour still.

Then wickedly I fell to slouthfull ease,
A vice that breades a number moe beside.
I was so testy none durst mee displease,
And eke so puft with glory, vaine, and pride.
My sencelesse sence, as ship without a guide,
Was tost with euery fancy of my braine,
Like Phœbus chariote vnder Phaëton’s raigne.

I deem’d them foes that mee good counsaile gaue,
And those my chiefest frends could glose and lie:
I hated them that were so sage and graue,
And those I lou’d were lusty, lewde, and slie.
I did the wisest wittes as fooles defie,
Such sots, knaues, ruffians, roysters I embraste,
As were vnwise, vnhonest, rude, vnchaste.

I lusted eke, as lazy lechers vse,
My subiects wiues and daughters at my will
I did so often as mee pleas’d abuse,
Perforce I kept them at my pleasure still.
Thus gate I queanes and concubines at fill,
And for their sakes I put away my wife:
Such was my lewdnes, lust, and lawlesse life.

But shame forbids mee for to tell the rest,
It mee abhorres to shew what did insue:
And yet because it moueth in my breast
Compunction still, and was God wot to true,
Ile farder tell whence my destruction grue.
To Sodome sinne I fowly fell, and than
I was despised both of God and man.

Could I long prosper thus, doe you suppose?
Might ought of euill exceede these vices told?
Thinke you ther’s any wight on ground that goes
Might scape reuenge of vice so manifolde?
No sure: who is in sienfullnes so bolde,
His vices fare like weedes they sproute so fast
They kill the corps, as weedes the corne at last.

My greate outrage, my heedelesse head, the life
I beastly led could not continue so:
My brothers bloud, my leauing of my wife,
And working of my friends and subiects woe
Cry’d still to God, for my foule ouerthroe,
Which heares the wrong’d, hee vewes their carefull case,
And at the length doth all their foes deface.

Yet I mistrusting no mishaps at hand,
(Though I were worthy twenty times to die)
I lewdly liu’d, and did my wealth withstand.
I neuer thought my end was halfe so nie.
For my disport I rode on hunting, I,
In woodes the fearefull heart I chased fast,
Till quite I lost my company at last.

And or I wist, to cost I found my foes,
By chaunce I came whereas the Wolues they bred:
Which in a moment did mee round inclose,
And mounted at my horse his throte and head.
Some on the hinder partes their panches fed.
Yet fought I still to scape, if it might bee,
Till they my panting horse puld downe with mee.

Then was I hopelesse to escape their iawes,
They fastned all their holders fast on mee:
And on my royall robes they set their clawes:
My Princely presence, nor my high degree
Moou’d them no more obeysaunt for to bee,
Nor of my corps to take no more remorce,
Then did the greeuous groning of my horse.

But rauenously they rent my breast and throte,
Forsooke my steede, came all at once and tare
My kingly corps, from which they fleyde my coate,
And of my flesh they made at all no spare,
They neuer left mee till my bones were bare.
Lo thus I slewe my brother, left my wife,
Liu’d vilely, and as vilely ended life.

Beware of bloudy broyles, beware of wrong,
Embrace the counsayle of the wise and sage:
Trust not to power though it bee nere so strong,
Beware of rashnes rude and roysters rage.
Eschew vile Venus’ toyes, shee cutts of age,
And learne this lesson of and tell thy friend,
By pockes, death sodayne, begging, harlots end.

Lenvoy.

Marke but the end of brother quellers all,
And you shall see what woefull ends they had:
For so Iehouah suffers them to fall,
As were their risinges murderous and bad,
The life of wicked Cayne was sorrowfull and sad.
Of Ioram the King what neede I to discriue,
So infamous and violent both dead and eke aliue.

What auayl’d it Memprice this Kingdome to obtayne,
That shamefully his Princely brother so did slay:
Sith that Almighty Ioue so punisht him agayne,
For scepter’s sake that tooke his noble Prince away.
His wretched cruell corps became for Wolues a pray.
What neede I more the caytiues beastly facts descriue,
So infamous and violent, both dead and eke aliue.

Now when as hee was gone, there presently, mee thought,
A King full Angel like in feathers did appeare:
With flying winges and plumes by cunning finely wrought,
As hee aloft like fame to flie prepared were,
To harken well his tale I gaue an heedy eare,
Which hee in order thus mee thought did then contriue,
Desiring mee to write it so, to warne the rest aliue.