The Triumph of Fame, Chapter II

FUll of greate and infynyte maruayle
I stode beholding these noble Ro maynes well
Whiche of al other badde neuer no peere
And as I reuolued their famous actes cleere
Whiche I haue sene in bookes wrytten and tolde
More was there of them dyuers and manyfolde
Then I haue here in this place set in by name
Therfore I nowe for this tyme passe the same
To loke vpon straungers vertuous and excellet
The fyrst was Hannybal that in ordre went
The next was he that syngyng made his men
To haue the vyctory, and there folowed then
Achylles the Greke, that in his hauynge dayes
Gate by his prowes a great laude and prayse
Twayne noble worthy Troyans were there also
And twayne hardy Persiens in ordre ther did go
Philip of Macedon, and his sonne Alexander
That dyd bryng downe ye Persiens great power
Unto subiection, as in olde bookes we fynde
And conquered thervnto al the regyon of Inde
After noble fame they passed in that place
And another named Alexander folowed a pace
Not farre from the tother that went before
But O fortune howe doest thou euermore
Dynyde those that in the put theyr truste
From true honoure thou arte so vniuste
There ensued in ordre there by and by
The gloryouse captayne valyaunt and worthy
Of Thebes that ryall Citie of hygh renowne
There was also he that had the famous crowne
And twayne Achilles, and the wyse Ulixes
And the hardy valiaunt greke Dyomedes
Nestor the sage that lyued so many yeares
There was the olde kynge amonge his peeres
Agamenon the great and the kynge Menelaus
That both his two wyues to to vngracious
Muche hurt vnto the hole worlde dyd they
Folowed hardy Leonydes that purposed I saye
To his men a harde dyner, but hardyest of all
Was the supper whereto he dyd them call
With a fewe men he dyd a meruelouse dede
Amonge the other there this captayne yede
There was also the fayre knyght Alcibiades
That dyd straunge & great wonders in Athenes
With his fayre eloquent speche and fayre face
Amonge the rest he was there in that place
Melciedes was next that made all Grece free
His sonne folowed the example ofpytye
That alyue and dead his father dyd ensue
And among the other in preace there I knewe
The nustoctes and the valyaunt Theseus
Arystides and the good faythfull Fabricius
Whiche theyr vnkynde countrey I do saye
Woulde not suffre theyr bodyes to lye in claye
Alas this was a foule and an vnkynde dede
So to reward them for theyr well doynge mede
The good Phocion folowed whom I did regard
For his good dedes they gaue hym lyke rewarde
And as I turned here and there my syght
I sawe Pyrrus that noble warlyke knyght
And the good gentle kynge Masinises
That semed angry because that doubtles
Amonge the Romaynes that he was not set
With hym I knewe Iero of Syracuse the greate
And cruell Amylcar deuyded from these twayne
It was he that yssued from the fyre and rayne
A manyfest token that nether helme nor shielde
Agaynst false fortune can neuer wynne the fyelde
There was Sciphas much after that rate & sorte
and Brennius for all his great pryde and porte
That was cast downe by Apollos temple syde
after the other in ordre there he hyde
In dyuers straunge garmentes and araye
Went this tryumphe onwarde on theyr waye
And I that chaunced to cast my loke asyde
I sawe a great huge number go and ryde
amonge them one that would Gods temple make
and he fyrst began it for his loue and sake
This was the fyrst I saye in all that rowte
But he that fynyshed that worke out of doubte
That holy buyldyng of whiche that I do meane
Was not inwarde so vertuouse nor so cleane
as the fyrst good kynge wheron I do saye
Nowe he that folowed him in that greate arraye
Was he that spake to God face to face
There was few or none that euer had such grace
And after hym in lyke order by and by
Came he that stayde the Sonne so wonderly
Tyll he his enemies had taken and slayne
O gentle trust most sure and certayne
In seruynge God as dyd this noble knyght
With symple worde to stay the heauenly lyght,
I sawe after hymwhere that there went
Our olde father whiche for good entent
God badde he shoulde his lande forsake
And he for that shoulde possesse and take
The place that was helthfull to all mankynde
Electe of God there dyd he that countre fynde
Folowed after this father his sonne moost dere
And his welbeloued neuew also he was there
Whiche had the yoke in hauynge wyues two
There was with hym the chast Ioseph also
That from his father went full many a daye
Thus here and there castynge myne eyes alwaye
I sawe the iuste and good kynge Ezethias
And Sampson that so stronge and myghtye was
And not farre distaunt from hym there went he
That made the great wonderfull shyppe of Noe
And he also that the great hygh towre began
Charged with synne and with errour than
The good valyaunt Iudas that noble knyght
He there folowed after in ordre ryght
That would not his holy godly lawe forsake
Alas he for Iustice the death dyd take
My desyre with seyng all these noble men
Was well nere fully satisfyed there and then
When that sodenly I dyd there espye
Of worthy ladyes a more gorgeous company
That pleased my syght as much or more
As all the syght that I had sene before
There sawe I goyng together in a bande
Antiope and Arithia well armyd stand
And fayre swete Ipolita sory and sadde
Because that no comforth of her sonne she had
And Manylipe that vanquished Hercules
And her Suster alsowas there in prese
The tone Hercules toke vnto hys wyfe
The tother with Theseus led her lyfe
There folowed the hardy wydowe that dyd se
Hyr dere sone slayne most constantly
And reuenged hys death vpon kyng Cyrus
It was a noble hardy acte and valerouse
She abatyd therby so his gloriouse fame
That wel nere it blotted his dedes & eke his name
There was also she her selfe that lost her ioye
By great mysfortune comming vnto Troye
And among other that bolde Lady of Italye
That domagid bi armes the Troias maruelously
And euen by her went that hardy Lady
That halfe her fayre here bounde vp curiously
And let the tother for to hange besyde
Tyll she abatyd the babilonicall pryde
Cleopatra that was burnte with loues fyre
There she was with all her hote desire
And among the thickest of the prese
Was Xenobia which was doutelesse
Wondre fayre and swete for to beholde
Soo much of hardines her high harte dyd holde
That with her helme of stele on her hedde
She put in daunger in feare and eke in dreade
The high mightye Emperoure of Rome towne
Tyll fortune vnkynde dyd thrawe her downe
That at the last she was made I saye
Unto the Romaynes a great huge pray
And albeit that I do here forgete
Both men and women that wer highe and great
Yet the chast Iudeth wyll I call to mynde
That slewe dronken Holyferne in loue blynde
And dronken as he lay routing in his bedde
Wyth hys owne sworde she smote of his hedd
But alas why do I present her forget
That noble gentelman among the rest to sett
Which pride brought from his trone doue opprest
To lyue seuen yeares as a brutyshe beste
Or why do I not remember in this place
Zorastro that the fyrst Inuentor was
Of arte magyke of Errour the ground
Or why art not thys twayne here founde
That passyd Euphrates and put Italye to sorow
Or Metridates that both euen and morowe
To the Romaynes was ennemie perpetuall
And wynter and somer fled ouer all
Great thynges in fewe wordes I do tell
Where is kyng Arthur that dyd excell
And the thre Cesares surnamed Augustus
One was of Aufryke a Prynce gloriouse
The tother he was of the Regyone of Spayne
And the thyrde of the country of Lorrayne
But setting this nobles for a whyle a syde
The good Godsrey after fame faste hyde
Surnamed Bulleyne that toke with his hand
Iherusalem the Cytie and eke the holy lande
Nowe alas I say a place neclecte of vs
Wherfore ryght well I may saye thus
Go ye proude and wreched christen men
And consume the tone the tother then
And care not for shame among you at all
Though dogges possesse the sepulcre royall
Alas why do you suffer it for pitie
But after these as farre as I coulde se
Fewe or none was that deserued fame
Sauing that behynde there went by name
One Sarracene that dyd much payne and wo
To christen men it is euen playnely soo
and Saladyne after dyd folowe a great pase
and one Duke of Lancaster after there was
That with sheilde, and swerde, and bowe & launce
Was a sharpe scourge vnto the realme of fraunce
and thus marueylyng as I'lokte all aboute
as one that was desyrouse amongest the route
To se more of these valliaunt men
At the last I dyd behold there and then
Twayne worthy men that lately alas dyd dye
There they went in that honorably companye
The good kyng Robert of Cecyll he was there
That with his wyse syght sawe fare and nere
and my good Columnes went in that arraye
Uallyaunt and free and constant alway.