Anon it was at Rome knowe, The pompe which that Perse ladde; And the Romeins that time hadde A Consul, which was cleped thus Be name, Paul Emilius, A noble, a worthi kniht withalle; And he, which chief was of hem alle, This werre on honde hath undertake. And whanne he scholde his leve take 1780 Of a yong dowhter which was his, Sche wepte, and he what cause it is Hire axeth, and sche him ansuerde That Perse is ded; and he it herde, And wondreth what sche meene wolde: And sche upon childhode him tolde That Perse hir litel hound is ded. With that he pulleth up his hed And made riht a glad visage, And seide how that was a presage 1790 Touchende unto that other Perse, Of that fortune him scholde adverse, He seith, for such a prenostik Most of an hound was to him lik: For as it is an houndes kinde To berke upon a man behinde, Riht so behinde his brother bak With false wordes whiche he spak He hath do slain, and that is rowthe. “Bot he which hateth alle untrowthe, 1800 The hihe god, it schal redresse; For so my dowhter prophetesse Forth with hir litel houndes deth Betokneth.” And thus forth he geth Conforted of this evidence, With the Romeins in his defence Ayein the Greks that ben comende. This Perseüs, as noght seende This meschief which that him abod, With al his multitude rod, 1810 And prided him upon the thing, Of that he was become a king, And how he hadde his regne gete; Bot he hath al the riht foryete Which longeth unto governance. Wherof thurgh goddes ordinance It fell, upon the wynter tide That with his host he scholde ride Over Danubie thilke flod, Which al befrose thanne stod 1820 So harde, that he wende wel To passe: bot the blinde whiel, Which torneth ofte er men be war, Thilke ys which that the horsmen bar Tobrak, so that a gret partie Was dreint; of the chivalerie The rerewarde it tok aweie, Cam non of hem to londe dreie. Paulus the worthi kniht Romein Be his aspie it herde sein, 1830 And hasteth him al that he may, So that upon that other day He cam wher he this host beheld, And that was in a large feld, Wher the Baneres ben desplaied. He hath anon hise men arraied, And whan that he was embatailled, He goth and hath the feld assailed, And slowh and tok al that he fond; Wherof the Macedoyne lond, 1840 Which thurgh king Alisandre honoured Long time stod, was tho devoured. To Perse and al that infortune Thei wyte, so that the comune Of al the lond his heir exile; And he despeired for the while Desguised in a povere wede To Rome goth, and ther for nede The craft which thilke time was, To worche in latoun and in bras, 1850 He lerneth for his sustienance. Such was the Sones pourveance, And of his fader it is seid, In strong prisoun that he was leid In Albe, wher that he was ded For hunger and defalte of bred. The hound was tokne and prophecie That lich an hound he scholde die, Which lich was of condicioun, Whan he with his detraccioun 1860 Bark on his brother so behinde.