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A20825
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The legend of great Cromvvel. By Michael Drayton Esquier
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Drayton, Michael, 1563-1631.
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1607
(1607)
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STC 7204; ESTC S105399
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16,702
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48
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TO THE DESERVING MEMORIE OF MY WORTHY PATRON Sir VValter Aston Knight of the honorable Order of the Bath I consecrate my short Poem TO THE READER TO thee that shalt peruse this Poem and not conuersant in the histories of those times I am perswaded these briefe Annotations shall not be altogether impertinent By reason the letter without my knowledge was chosen too large for the paper I am constrained to doe as men sometime preparing great bankets and deceiued of table roome to send in one dish what should haue serued to set out many as to put in this one preface what should haue been in marginall notes stuck in sundrie places against the stanzaes to which they are apropriate as this The 9. page the 2. stanza For hauing Boston businesse c. The towne of Boston sued to the Pope for the reauthorizing their Hauen which had been suspended from that Sea selecting one Chambers for that businesse who being on his way at Antwerpe finding Cromwell a man industrious and experienced made choyce of him as his assistant whom he wan to goe along with him to Rome The 11. page the 1. stanza Russell and Pace c. both great States men of that time and imployed by Henry the 8. in forraine Intelligence after both Secretaries and Russell by him created Earle of Bedford The 15. page the 3. stanza Where learned More and Gardiner c. For the former so famous as who knoweth not I hold him vnworthie to know the latter Stephen Gardiner after Bishop of Winchester a learned and politike Prelate and one that was in the end a chiefe instrument of Cromwels ouerthrow The 20. page the 2. stanza Bedford whose life c. This was that Russell as I haue said before by Henry the 8. created Earle of Bedford as in the same stanza And reuerend Hayles c. Sir Christopher Hayles Master of the Rolles a man in great grace with the King and an especiall fauourer of Cromwell The 23. page the 1. stanza line 2. Of hospitable Friscobald and mee c. This Friscobald a Florentine Merchant relieuing Cromwell being in great necessitie who after being Chancellor of England he honorably requited This storie containeth some 14. stanzaes The 28. page the 3. stanza And the King late obedient to her lawes against the Clerke of Germany c. King Henry the 8. wrote a booke against Luther which booke afterward Luther forgetting all kingly titles roughly answered The 34. page the 1. stanza Pierce the wise Plowman c. The morall of Contrition and the Frier the matter of which is Pierce Plowmans in his vision the workmanship therof wholly mine owne containing about 10. stanzaes FINIS TO MASTER MICHAEL DRAYTON his Friend I Would my verses could thy Booke aduance B'oue these two fiends Enuie and Ignorance Thy subiect of such worth thy pen so smooth Cannot escape the euer-sharpned tooth Of that first monster who himselfe deceiues Whil'st like a Cankar hid among the leaues He seekes to o'respread consume at least deface The beautie of thy Muse and Cromwels grace Such as haue been thy Apes and shall not bee Other then so shall idely carpe at thee So much hath lewdnes wonne vpon this Age Such the contempt the impudence the rage Of euery ragged Rymer who would be Within himselfe Monarch of Poesie But let them perish whil'st thy workes thee raise Vnto a greater fortune then mens praise I. Cooke To his worthily deare friend Master Michael Drayton HOw those great titles that imploy our breath To deck the marble where our ashes lie Are trophies of the harmes that in our death Best doe expresse our golden miserie This Oracle thy Muse diuinely reades In Cromwels starres that could ambition see She would not wish their seeming-happie dreads That neerest Ioue and his proud thunder bee So short a period Fate hath limited To giddie power that breathes but grace and aire Soone cloy'd or those that all haue lauished Or they who full of getting more despayre But thy deare times whose happie Genius Breathes a new life to Cromwels dying name And his rent honors Enuie scattred thus Whiles in the booke of that great Herauld Fame Nought can them hurt nor times consuming rust Nor th' angry frowne that idely we adore This Pyramis shall stand when in the dust Their names are laid the Diadem that wore Henry Lucas TO HIS WORTHIE FRIEND Michael Drayton vpon his Poem TO thee true image of Eternitie Time that reuolues the grauen leaues of Fate Yet giu'st men Lethe sted of Memorie Because iniurious to all humane state Cromwell appeares apparelled in verse The fit'st and noblest ornament of fame The doome of Enuie grauely to reuerse That else to darknes had condemn'd his name For Time thou know'st it only is the Muse That Man to immortalitie can raise O Greatnes how thy selfe doest thou abuse With the slight soothing of poore verball praise Here shall you finde Factions which are the rent And disuniting of a league combin'd Make hauock in a ciuill gouerment The grace of Kings vnconstant as the winde For as corruptiue bodies doe depend On humorous matter motions and their pauses So States begin haue progresse and doe end Because they simpathize with naturall causes Here shall you finde like musick shifting moode How times doe change vicissitude and sway Of men and manners and by selfe decay How each thing liues force not the enuious broode Renowned friend but triumph in desart Iudgement hath led thy Pen and Truth thy Art Christopher Brooke THE LEGEND OF GREAT CROMVVEL A Wak'd and trembling betwixt rage and dread With the lowd slander by the impious time That of my actions euery where is spred Through which to honour falsely I should clime From the sad dwelling of th'vntimely dead To quit me of that execrable crime Cromwell appeares his wretched plight to show Much that can tell one much that once did know Roughly not made vp in the common mould That with the vulgar vilely I should die What thing so strange of Cromwell is not told What man more prais'd who more cōdemn'd then I That with the world when I am waxed old Most t' were vnfit that fame of me should lie With fables vaine my historie to fill Forcing my good excusing of my ill You that but hearing of my hated name Your ancient malice instantly bewray And for my sake your ill deserued blame Vpon my legend publikely shall lay Would you forbeare to blast me with defame Might I so meane a priuiledge but pray He that three ages hath endur'd your wrong Heare him a little that hath heard you long Since Romes sad ruine here by me began Who her Religion pluckt vp by the roote Of the false world such hate for which I wan Which still at me her poisned'st darts doth shoot That to excuse it doe the best I can Little I feare my labour me will boote Yet will I speake my troubled heart to ease Much to the minde her selfe it is to
Conscience quickly of him told Who entertain'd him with right friendly cheere O Sir quoth he intreate you that I could To lend your hand vnto my Coosin deare Contrition whom a sore disease doth hold That wounded by Hypocrisie of late Now lieth in most desperate estate Sir quoth the Frier I hope him soone to cure Which to your comfort quickly you shall see Will he a while my dressing but endure And to Contrition therewith commeth hee And by faire speech himselfe of him assure But first of all going thorough for his fee Which done quoth he if outwardly you show Sound t'not auailes if inwardly or no. But secretly assoiling of his sin No other med'cine will vnto him lay Saying that heauen his siluer him should win And to giue Friers was better then to pray So he were shrieu'd what need he care a pin Thus with his patient he so long did play Vntill Contrition had forgot to weepe This the wise Plowman shew'd me from his sleepe He saw their faults that loosly liued then Others againe our weaknesses shall see For this is sure he bideth not with men That shall know all to be what they should bee Yet let the faithfull and industrious pen Haue the due merit but returne to mee Whose fall this while blind fortune did deuise To be as strange as strangely I did rise Those secret foes yet subt'ly to deceiue That me maligning lifted at my state The King to marry forward still I heaue His former wife being repudiate To Anne the sister of the Duke of Cleaue The German Princes to confederate To back me still gainst those against me lay Which as their owne retain'd me here in pay Which my destruction principally wrought When afterward abandoning her bed Which to his will to passe could not be brought So long as yet I beare about my head The only man her saftie that had sought Of her againe and only fauoured Which was the cause he hasted to my end Vpon whose fall hers likewise did depend For in his hie distemprature of blood Who was so great whose life he did regard Or what was it that his desires withstood He not inuested were it nere so hard Nor held he me so absolutely good That though I crost him yet I should be spar'd But with those things I lastly was to goe Which he to ground did violently throw When VVinchester with all those enemies Whom my much power from audience had debar'd The longer time there mischiefs to deuise Feeling with me how lastly now it far'd When I had done the King that did suffice Lastly thrust in against me to be heard When all was ill contrarily turn'd good Making a maine to th'shedding of my blood And that the King his action doth deny And on my guilt doth altogether lay Hauing his ryot satisfied thereby Seemes not to know how I therein did sway What late was truth conuerted heresie When he in me had purchased his pray Himselfe to cleere and satisfie the sin Leaues me but late his instrument therein Those lawes I made my selfe alone to please To giue me power more freely to my will Euen to my equals hurtfull sundrie waies Forced to things that most doe say were ill Vpon me now as violently ceaze By which I lastly perisht by my skill On mine owne neck returning as my due That heauie yoke wherein by me they drew My greatnes threatned by ill-boding eyes My actions strangely censured of all Yet in my way my giddines not sees The pit wherein I likely was to fall O were the sweets of mans felicities Often amongst not temp'red with some gall He would forget by his oreweening skill Iust heauen aboue doth censure good and ill Things ouer ranck doe neuer kindly beare As in the corne the fluxure when we see Fill but the straw when it should feed the eare Rotting that time in ripening it should bee And being once downe it selfe can neuer reare With vs well doth this similie agree By the wise man due to the great in all By their owne weight b'ing broken in their fall Selfe-louing man what sooner doth abuse And more then his prosperitie doth wound Into the deepe but fall how can he chuse That ouer strides whereon his foote to ground Who sparingly prosperitie doth vse And to himselfe doth after-ill propound Vnto his height who happily doth clime Sits aboue fortune and controlleth time Not chusing that vs most delight doth bring And most that by the generall breath is freed Wooing that suffrage but the vertuous thing Which in it selfe is excellent indeed Of which the depth and perfect managing Amongst the most but few there be that heed Affecting that agreeing with their blood Seldome enduring neuer yet was good But whil'st we striue too suddenly to rise By flattring Princes with a seruill tong And being soothers to their tyrannies Worke our more woes by what doth many wrong And vnto others tending iniuries Vnto our selues it hapneth oft among In our owne snares vnluckily are caught Whil'st our attempts fall instantly to naught The Counsell Chamber place of my arrest Where chiefe I was when greatest was the store And had my speeches noted of the best That did them as hie Oracles adore A Parliament was lastly my enquest That was my selfe a Parliament before The Tower hill scaffold last I did ascend Thus the great'st man of England made his end FINIS