The Monk's Tale
Folio 195v
13 of 23 folios
For of moralite he was the flour
And in his tyme but yif bokes lie
And whil this maister had of him maistrye
He maked him so louynge and so souple
415
That longe tyme it was er tyrannye /
Or any vice dorst in him vncouple
This Seneca of which that I deuyse
By cause Nero hadde of him swich drede
For he fro vices wolde him ay chastise
420
Discretly as bi word and nat bi dede
Syre wolde he seyn an Emperour mote nede
Be vertuous and hate tyrannye
For which he in a bath made him to blede
On bothe his armes til he moste dye
425
This nero hadde eke of a Custumance
In youth ageynste his maister for to ryse
Which afterward him thought a gret greuance
Therfore he made him dyen in this wise
But nathalees this Seneca the wise
430
Chees in a bath to dye in this manere
Rather than han a nother tormentrise
And thus hath nero I slayn his maister dere
Now fil it so that fortune list no lenger
The hie pryde of nero to cherce
435
For thogh that he was strong yit was she strenger
She thoght thus bi god I am to nyce
To sette a man that is fulfild of vice
In high degree and Emperour him calle
By god out of his sete I wol him trice
440
Whan he leest weneth sonnest shal bifalle
The peple roos vpon him on a nyght
For his defaute and whan he it espied
Out of his dores anon he hath him dight
Allone and there he wende han ben allied
445
He knokked fast and ay the moore he cried
The faster shette thei the dores alle