Of special misgovernance Thurgh covoitise and injustice Forth with the remenant of vice, And nameliche of lecherie, I finde write a gret partie 4590 Withinne a tale, as thou schalt hiere, Which is thensample of this matiere. [Sidenote: [TARQUIN AND HIS SON ARUNS.]] So as these olde gestes sein, The proude tirannyssh Romein [Sidenote: Hic loquitur de Tarquino nuper Rome[1381] Imperatore, necnon et de eiusdem filio nomine Arrons, qui omni viciorum varietate repleti tam in homines quam in mulieres innumera scelera perpetrarunt: set specialiter super hiis que contra Gabinos fraudulenter operati sunt tractare intendit.] Tarquinus, which was thanne king And wroghte many a wrongful thing, Of Sones hadde manyon, Among the whiche Arrons was on, Lich to his fader of maneres; So that withinne a fewe yeres 4600 With tresoun and with tirannie Thei wonne of lond a gret partie, (4800*) And token hiede of no justice, Which due was to here office Upon the reule of governance; Bot al that evere was plesance Unto the fleisshes lust thei toke. And fell so, that thei undertoke A werre, which was noght achieved, Bot ofte time it hadde hem grieved,[1382] 4610 Ayein a folk which thanne hihte[1383] The Gabiens: and al be nyhte [Sidenote: =P. iii. 247=] This Arrons, whan he was at hom In Rome, a prive place he nom Withinne a chambre, and bet himselve And made him woundes ten or tuelve Upon the bak, as it was sene; And so forth with hise hurtes grene In al the haste that he may He rod, and cam that other day 4620 Unto Gabie the Cite, And in he wente: and whan that he Was knowe, anon the gates schette, The lordes alle upon him sette With drawe swerdes upon honde. This Arrons wolde hem noght withstonde, Bot seide, ‘I am hier at your wille, Als lief it is that ye me spille,[1384] As if myn oghne fader dede.’ And forthwith in the same stede 4630 He preide hem that thei wolde se, And schewede hem in what degre His fader and hise brethren bothe, Whiche, as he seide, weren wrothe, Him hadde beten and reviled, For evere and out of Rome exiled. And thus he made hem to believe, And seide, if that he myhte achieve His pourpos, it schal wel be yolde, Be so that thei him helpe wolde. 4640 Whan that the lordes hadde sein[1385] Hou wofully he was besein, [Sidenote: =P. iii. 248=] Thei token Pite of his grief; Bot yit it was hem wonder lief That Rome him hadde exiled so. These Gabiens be conseil tho[1386] Upon the goddes made him swere, That he to hem schal trouthe bere