Of Herod the King.

THIS King Herod was a full wycked man and a fell,¹ for he did firste and formost slea his wife which he loved full well, and for the greate love of hir, he went out of his witte,² and so was he a long time, and afterwarde he came againe to himselfe. And sythen he did slea his own children that he had gotten of that same wyfe, and after he made slea³ the other, his second wife & a son that he had gotten of that same wyfe, and after he did slea his owne mother, & he wold also haue slaine his owne brother, but his brother died sodeinly, and thus he did all the yll that he might. And then he fell syke and when he sawe that he should dye, he sent for his sister, and all the great lordes of that countrie, and when they were there, he did put all the Lordes into a toure and sayde to his syster, he wist well that the men of the countrey should make no sorowe for him when he was deade, and therefore he made hir for to sweare unto him that she should⁴ do smite of the heads of his lordes every one, after his death and then shoulde men of the countrey make sorowe for his death or else they woulde not sorowe and then he made his testament. But his sister fulfylled it not as of that thing that pertayned unto the lordes, for, as sone as he was deade, she delyvered the lordes out of the toure, and sent every one home to theyr houses, and tolde them what hir brother would that she do unto them. And ye shall understande that in that tyme was three Herodes of great name. This of whome I speake, men called him Herode Ascolonite, and he that did smite of Saint John Baptist heade, was called Herode Antipa and the thirde was called Herode Agrypa that did sleay Saint James and put Saint Peter in prison.

1: Crafty.

2: In Pynson's version it is "and for the greate love that he had to hir, whan she was dede, he behelde her, and want out of his wyt."

3: Killed.

4: Cause to be smitten off.