Woe worth that youth (in vayne) so vily spent Should euer cause a King to feele such smart: Woe worth that euer I should here lament, Or shew the hurt of my poore Princely heart. I thinke the clowne that driues the mixen cart Hath better hap then Princes, such as I: No storme of Fortune castes him downe so hie. 12. A man by grace and wit may shunne the snare. Tis sayd a wise-man all mishap withstands. For though by starres wee borne to mischiues are, Yet grace and prudence bayles our carefull bandes. Ech man (they say) his fate hath in his handes, And what hee marres, or makes to leese, or saue Of good or euill, is euen selfe doe selfe haue. 13. This thing is seene by mee, that led my daies In vitious sort, for greedy wolues a pray. I wish, and will, that Princes guide theyr wayes: Lo, here by this eschew like chaunce they may, And vices such as worke their whole decay. Which if they doe, full well is spent the time To warne, to write, and eke to shun the crime.[343] LENUOY. 1. Thus haue you here the end of _Madan_[344] seene, (If it were hee) and yet I may suspect It was some other Prince so seru’d had beene, For that all stories doe not so detect His death that Princely vertues did neglect. But if hee died by wolues, as here I write, His vice the cause mine author doth resite. 2. Wherefore although that authors heere dissent, And I haue pen’d as praysed stories haue: To reade his warnings thou maist bee content, And take what counsaile of good life hee gaue. I trust, I (dreaming) may some pardon craue, For if the rest no dreames but stories pen Can I for that they write bee blamed then? 3. But what neede I on this to longer stay, Sith many moe remayne which felt the fall. Of _Britayne_ Princes heathen reade you may, As _Maline_ one appearing next of all: Whose tale in order now resite I shall. Then here conceiue this wounded Prince you see, Thus wise, of Fortune, speaking vnto mee. How King Malin was slayne by his brother King Mempricius, the yeare before Christ, 1009. 1. If fortue were so firme as shee is fraile, Or glosing glory were still permanent: If no mishap mens doings did assayle, Or that their acts and facts were innocent: If they[345] in hope no hurt nor hatred ment, Or dealings aye were done with duty due, They neuer neede theyr great[346] misfortunes rue. 2.