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A16208
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The seconde part of the Mirrour for magistrates conteining the falles of the infortunate princes of this lande, from the conquest of Cæsar, vnto the commyng of Duke William the Conquerour.
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Blenerhasset, Thomas.
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1578
(1578)
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STC 3131; ESTC S104601
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58,579
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144
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¶ THE Seconde part of the Mirrour for Magistrates conteining the falles of the infortunate Princes of this Lande From the Conquest of Caesar vnto the commyng of Duke William the Conquerour Imprinted by Richard Webster Anno Domini 1578. Goe straight and feare not The Printer to the friendly Reader GEntle Reader I trustyng in thy accustomed kyndnesse haue published this Booke Entituled The Second part of the Mirrour for Magistrates the Authour whereof is now beyond the Seas and wyl marueile at his returne to find thys imprinted For his intent was but to profite and pleasure one priuate man as by his Epistle may appeare But I fyndyng the copie by chaunce shewing it vnto diuers men both learned and wise and findyng a booke alredy in print Entituled The first and third part of the Mirrour for Magistrates I was moued diuersly of diuers men by printyng this latter woorke to make perfite the former booke It may be good Reader that the friendely acceptyng hereof wyll encourage the Authour to set thynges of greater price in Print yet esteeme thou this as a Lanterne hauyng lyght sufficient to guyde thy wandryng steppes both vnto the happynesse of this worlde and of the world to come Whiche happynesse God graunt wee all may enioye ¶ The Authours Epistle vnto his friende SIr it woulde be too manifest an Argument of a nature degeneratyng from al gentrie if I shoulde not consider of your request you asking and vrging both honest and profitable thyngs I therfore to ensure you that I am not forgetful of your demaund presumyng like blynd Bayard to this my boldnesse haue not with Apolloes Pensile but with Pans pleasantlesse Pen indeuoured to endite that which you are so desirous to haue done And although I once translated for you Ouid De remedio amoris as you said to your contentation we beyng then in Cambridge where aske helpe and haue helpe might be had yet nowe I wyl ensure you lyke one amazed I haue strayned my strength vnto the vâ—â—termost being desirous to finish this woorke You know that Loue matters be agreeing with Caliopes Quill euery Apprentise can of such matter make a Meter But how hard a thing it is to compell Clio with her boysterous banners to couch vnder the compasse of a few metered lines I referre you vnto the good Turberuile who so soone as he began to take the terrible Treatise of Lucan in hand he was inforst to vnyoke his Steeres and to make holy day Shal I then with Bochas Pen declare the falles of the vnfortunate Princes of the olde worlde O intollerable presumption that timorous Tyro shoulde dare to deale with menasing Mars or that a young infant should offer to put on the Buskins of Hercules shal I then with silence ceasse to accomplish your request O singuler ingratitude that any friend should refuse to sweate to pleasure and profite his friend Doo you not consider that al the fine wyts that England hath inioyed these many yeres haue busied their braynes very much to make an English Mirrour for Magistrates which booke is left euen vnto this day like the vnperformed image of Venus paynted by Apelles No man is able to finish the work which they with Homers hawtie Heroycal style haue begunne and yet you woulde haue me the least of the Poets to make trial what I am able to doo therin But me thinke I do heare you say as you were woont we being conuersant together What meane al these wordes thou knowest that the vayne of thy verse doth most delight my humor And seeing it is but for my priuate Study what meane you to allege all these allegations as though Orestes were Zoilus Syr I confesse al this to be true yet this I speake to signifie vnto you howe willyng the good wyl I doo beare vnto you hath made me being otherwise vnwilâ—â—â—â—â—o beare a sayle in such rough weather where euery Sea is ready to deuoure me And when with sayles and Oares as they say I with al my diligence endeuoured to compasse the thing nowâ— accomplished I founde my selfe euen in the myddest of the matter clapt close with Theseus in a returnable Labarinth to fight with Despayre that miserable Minotaur where when I could finde no Ariadne to lende me a bottome of Twist I looked that Parcae shoulde haue shread my twyne before my returne Yet at the last wandring Erato with her sister Terpsichore perceiuing me with such diligence to trauise that Maze they willing to helpe the desires of my mynd â–ª said thus vnto me Come forth thou wandring wight this way Doo followe vs outright We geue thee leaue with Poets penne On Princes Falles to write Wherewith they leadyng me vnto the fountayne Permestus I without any further determination gallopped through the rest whiche when leysure shall geue you leaue to reade ceasse then to thinke on the L. Buchurst or Sackuyll let Gascon and Churchyarde be forgotten And if you chaunce to see the Meter or matter not so well polished as beseemeth then remember that they whose falles I haue here penned were not of late tyme but suche as lyued presently after the Incarnation of Christe and I haue not thought it decent that the men of the olde worlde shoulde speake with so garnished a Style as they of the latter tyme. Moreouer you may if you please to consider that Souldiers of whiche I am one by profession wee be not alwayes lusking in our Forte or Castle but be as tyme and occasion wyll permyt here to day wee knowe least our selues where to morrowe And I wyll ensure you the most part of these my Princes dyd pleade their causes vnto me euen in the Sea a place in fayth not meete to penne Tragedies And as for bookes I was altogether destitute for when I to please my fantasie trauayled as you knowe I could not beare about with me a librarie but for cariage sake contented my self with these foure With the thirde Decade of Titus Liuye with Boswelles Concordes of Armorie with Monsignor de Lange that notable Warriour with the vnperfect Mirrour for Magistrates whiche bookes made nothing to this purpose I had not those Chronicles whiche other men had my Memorie and Inuention were vnto me in stead of Grafton Polidore Cooper and suche like who dyd greatly ayde other men And last of al you must consider that the other part of the miseries of those miserable Princes were written I sittyng on a Rocke in the Sea not in Spaine Italie Fraunce Scotlande or Englande but in Garnzie Castle where although there be learned men yet none whiche spende their tyme so vainely as in Poetrie So that the complaintes of these men were written as I say where the want of helpe dyd diuersly daunt me with despayre You haue greatly requested me by your last letter to make vnto you a Discourse of the I le of Garnzie and howe it is possible for the Castle to be a place so pleasaunt for habitation as I haue reported it
seeing it standeth in the Sea separate from any lande Good Syr to write thereof so manyfolde be the commodities and thinges woorthy the writyng of woulde rather require a good volume then a peece of an Epistle Let it therefore suffice for this tyme that I by writyng vnto you some fewe lines of the Couernour I may briefely declare what the gouernement and commodities be The right woorshipful Maister Thomas Leighton is her Maiesties Lieutenaunt there Syr I doo remember howe constant Constantine the Great was in Religion and howe that noble Emperour mynded the Reformation thereof You knowe howe carefull Licurgus and Solon were for making of good Lawes and ministring of iustice And Histories doo recorde howe passing happye Epaminundas was in al his affayres But what a seemely sight is it to see al these vertues so to concurre in one man that hee who shoulde compare hym with them should I wyl ensure you doo hym great iniurie for that I may briefly conclude vndoubtedly a few such men as he is being plaste at a Princes elbow were sufficient to keepe the most ruinous common weale that is from ruine and destruction And now iudge you the commodities of the Countrey by the goodnesse of the Gouernour for as Seneca sayeth Where Gouernours be good and rule their charge aright Without an ebbe there flowes the flood which vertuous minds delight And heere I doo turne me from these thinges vntill by talke with you I may dilate more at large therof and returning my selfe vnto my former purpose I haue not thought it conuenient to write the complaynts of these men with so obscure a stile as some other haue done but with so playne an exposition that he who doth reade them shal not neede to be Oedipus for euery playne Dauus shall by reading them easely vnderstand the Authours drift And because Diligence and Memorie bee all the helpers that I haue therefore I haue ordayned them as the chiefe workers of my wyll Higgins vsed I know not what Morpheus the God of dreames But I dreame not the other had Baldwine for their hearer but I haue diligent Inquisition who can finde out al things and Memorie who knoweth al thinges for the Arbiters of my matter Take you therefore the fruites of these my idle howres sent vnto you with a good wyll and according vnto the trust reposed in you keepe these trifles from the view of all men and as you promysed let them not raunge out of your priuate Study And thus wishing vnto you honour and long lyfe I ende the .15 daye of Maye An. 1577. Your Friende to vse Thomas Blener Hasset ¶ The Table of the Contents of this seconde Booke of the Mirrour for Magistrates HOw Guidericus refused to pay tribute vnto Claudius Caesar how he subdued Galba howe he being desirous to winne all the worlde spoyled Fraunce Germany and a great part of Italy and lastly how he was miserably slayne in a tempest of thunder euen at what time he shoulde haue dealt with Caesar. This historie is a singuler example of Gods vengeance against pride and arrogancye Fol. 2 Howe Carassus a husbandmans sonne slewe Lodriâ—e the King of the Pictes and how the Emperour made him a Captayne Then howe he obteyned the Brittayne Crowne and how suspition brought hym to Decaye Fol. 10. How Queene Hellina was Empresse of al the world This Storye dooth declare howe happye they bee which liue in the feare and loue of God. Fol. 18. How Vortiger destroyed the young King Constantine and howe hee obtayned the Crowne Howe the abusing of his prosperitie brought him and his Realme so lowe that hee was constrayned to hyre souldiours to defende himselfe from his enimies and howe after many miseries hee was miserably burnte in his Castell by the brethren of Constantine Fol. 24. Howe Vter Pendragon was inamoured with Duke Garelus wife and howe by lawlesse loue he lost his kingdom This example is most necessarye for the present time Fol. 31. How Cadwallader the last King of the Brittaynes after he had behaued himselfe very valiauntly against the Saxons resigned his Crowne and went to Rome where he liued in a Religious house This Story containeth in it the estate of al estates Fol. 36. How Sigebert was thrust from his Throne and miserably slayne by a Heardman This Tragedie dooth teache both Prince and Subiect his duty at large Fol. 41. How Lady Ebbe dyd flea her Nose and vpper Lyppe away to saue her Virginitie Fol 48. How Alurede was brought vnto disease and vnto vntimely death being inclyned vnto the sinne of the flesh By his example we may learne that one vice is sufficient to deface a hundred Vertues Fol. 51. How Egelrede for his wickednesse was diuersly distressed by the Danes and lastly dyed for sorrow seing himselfe not able to deale with Canutus Fol. 55. How Edricus destroyde the valiaunt King Edmunde Ironside hoping to haue great preferment for his labour of Canutus the Dane and how the same Canutus caused him to be headed for his labour A necessary example for all such as thinke by crafte and deceit to increase theyâ— credit Fol. 59. How King Harolde raigning but nine monethes had continuall warre with the Danes with the Norway King with his Brother Tosto and with Duke William â–ª who partly by his strength but chiefly by policy ouercame him and by kylling hym in the feeld obtayned the kingdome of Englande This History dooth declare that no manhod nor courage can keepe the Crowne from the right Heyres head Fol. 62 FINIS The Induction DIligent Inquisition saieth Memorie beholde in the bottomlesse â—â—yt of blind Obliuion there remayneth as yet a multitude who although in their tyme they were of all men most famous and euen in this our time their ensamples be patternes passing singular to refourme the deformities of this age notwithstanding they are so couered and hidden with those mistie cloudes of fylthy forgetfulnes that if thou InqusitioÌ„ doest not with all dilygent inquiry and I Memorye who haue howrded vp in my treasury the knowledge of all thinges except wee with all our industrye doo endeuour our selues they are not lyke euer to come into the light For at what time those barbarous nations I meane the Gothes Hunes and Danes dyd with so great outrage ouerrunne all the worlde euen then the auncient Historyes and Recordes of time were by them vtterly defaced so that Princes before that time how renowmed so euer they were be at this present euen by their meanes buryed so deepe in obliuion that I Memorye cannot without a new inquirye of many most Noble Princes repeate a few wordes speake you therfore Inquisition and declare your mynde how we might renew the decayed Memory of those men See heere quoth Inquisition with great and diligent Memorye I haue founde out diuers who with their continuall complayninges haue euen for conscience sake made me their procleare to exhibite vnto you in their behalfe a Supplycation in which they complayne of the great iniurie