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Hic confequenter fcribit, qualiter huius feculi regna va

And faid, that it is goddes might
Which whan men wene moft upright
To ftonde fhal hem over cafte.

And that is of this world the laste,
And than a newe shal beginne,

From whiche a man fhal never twinne
Or al to paine or al to pees,

That world shal lafte endeles.

Lo, thus expoundeth Daniel

The kinges fweven faire and wel

riis mutacionibus, In Babiloine the citee, prout in dicta statua

figurabatur, fecun- Wher that the wifeft of Caldee dum temporum

diftinctiones fenfi- Ne couthen wite what it mente,

biliter hactenus diminuuntur.

De feculo aureo,

quod in capite fta

tue defignatum eft

a tempore ipfius Nabugodonofor regis Caldee ufque in regnum Cyri regis Perfarum.

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There whiles that the monarchie
Of al the worlde in that partie
To Babiloine was fubgite

And helde him still in suche a plight,
Til that the world began diverse.

And that was, whan the kinge of Perse,
Which Cyrus hight, ayein the pees
Forth with his fone Cambifes

Of Babiloine all that empire,

Right as they wolde hem felf defire,
Put under in subjection

And toke it in poffeffion,

And flain was Baltazar the king,
Which loft his regne and all his thing.
And thus whan they it hadde wonne,
The worlde of filver was begonne
And that of gold was paffed oute,
And in this wise it goth aboute
Into the regne of Darius,

And than it fell to Perfe thus.

There Alifaundre put hem under,

Which wroght of armes many a wonder,
So that the monarchie lefte

With Grecs and here eftate up lefte,
And Perfiens gone under fote,

So fuffre they, that nedes mote.
And tho the world began of bras,
And that of filver ended was,
But for the time thus it lafte,
Til it befelle, that at laste

This king, whan that his day was come,
With strength of deth was overcome.
And netheles yet or he dide

He shope his regne to devide
To knightes, which him hadde served,
And after that they have deserved
Yaf the conqueftes, that he wanne,
Wherof great werre tho beganne
Among hem, that the regnes had,
Through proud envie which hem lad,
Til it befelle ayein hem thus.
The noble Cefar Julius,

De feculo argenteo, quod in pectore defignatum eft a tempore ipfius regis Cyri ufque in regnum Alexandri regis Macedonie.

De feculo eneo, quod in ventre defignatum eft a tempore ipfius Alexandri ufque in regnum Julii Romanorum imperatoris.

De feculo ferreo, quod in tibiis de

Which tho was kinge of Rome-londe,
With great bataile and with ftrong honde
All Grece, Perfe and eke Caldee
Wan and put under, fo that he
Nought al only of thorient

But al the marche of thoccident
Governeth under his empire

As he that was hole lord and fire
And held through his chivalrie
Of al this worlde the monarchie
And was the first of that honour,
Which taketh name of emperour.

Where Rome thanne wolde affaile,
fignatum eft a tem- There mighte no thing contrevaile,
regnum Caroli But every contre must obeie.
magni regis Fran- Tho goth the regne of bras aweie

pore Julii ufque in

corum.

And comen is the worlde of steel
And stode above upon the whele.
As fteel is hardest in his kinde
Above al other that men finde
Of metals, fuch was Rome tho
The mightiest and laste fo
Long time amonges the Romains,
Til they become fo vilains,
That the fals emperour Leo
With Conftantin his fone alfo
The patrimonie and the richesse,
Which to Silvester in pure almeffe
The firfte Conftantinus lefte,
Fro holy chirche they berefte.

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And sigh the mischef of this cas,
Goth into Fraunce for to pleine
And praieth the great Charlemaine
For Criftes fake and foule hele,
That he wol take the quarele
Of holy chirche in his defence.
And Charles for the reverence
Of god the cause hath undertake
And with his hoft the waie take
Over the mountes of Lumbardie.
Of Rome and al the tirannie
With blody fwerd he overcome
And the citee with ftrengthe nome
In fuche a wife and there he wroughte,
That holy chirche ayein he broughte
Into fraunchise and doth restore

The popes

lufte and yaf him more,

And thus whan he his god hath served,

He toke as he hath well deserved

The diademe and was coroned

Of Rome, and thus was abandoned
Thempire, whiche came never ayeine
Into the hande of no Romaine.
But a long time it ftode fo ftille
Under the Frensfhe kinges wille,
Til that fortune her whele fo lad,
That afterward Lumbardes it had
Nought by the fwerd, but by fuffraunce
Of him, that tho was king of Fraunce

De feculo noviffimis jam temporibus ad

Whiche Karle Calvus cleped was,
And he refigneth in this cas
Thempire of Rome unto Lowis
His coufin, which a Lumbarde is,
And fo it lafte into the yere
Of Alberte and of Berenger.

But than upon diffenfion

fimilitudinem pedum They felle and in divifion

in difcordiam lapfo et

divifo, quod poft de- Among hem self that were grete, ceffum ipfius Caroli, So that they lofte the beyete

cum imperium Ro

manorum in manus of worship and of worldes pees.

Longobardorum per

venerat, tempore Al- But in proverbe netheles

berti et Berengarii

incepit. Nam ob Men fain: ful felden is that welthe

eorum divifionem

contingit,ut Alemani Can fuffre his owne eftate in helthe, imperatoriam adepti And that was in the Lumbardes fene, fint majeftatem, in

cuius folium quen- Suche comun ftrife was hem betwene dam principem Theu

tonicum

nomine fublimari pri

Othonem Through covetife and through envie, mitus conftituerunt. That every man drough his partie,

Et ab illo regno inci

piente divifio per uni- Which mighte leden any route

verfum orbem in pof- Withinne bourgh and eke withoute.

teros concrevit, unde

vifi huius feculi con

nos ad alterutrum di- The comun right hath no felawe, fummacionem ultimi So that the governaunce of lawe

jam expectamus.

Was loft and for neceffite

Of that they ftode in fuche degre
Al only through divifion

Hem nedeth in conclufion

Of ftraunge londes helpe befide,
And thus for they hem felf divide
And ftonden out of reule uneven,
Of Alemaine princes seven

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