cleeues with which the Ile was inuironed withall named it Albion ab albis rupibus and also Britania of Britaniae which are the Iles that lie in the Ocean and not Britania of Brutus the supposed Troyan And so this noble Ile may be knowen to spring and descend from the valiant Greekes who suppressed the periured Troyans and beate downe their prowd towne which they by vnfaithfulnes had buylded and not to come from that wicked race who alwayes were the chiefe cause of their owne destruction and procurers of their fatall destinie by their periurie vnfaithfull dealing churlish conditions and vnsatiable lecherie as the whole world at this day doth witnes against them to the euerlasting reproach of their line and Successors Expressed by way of apparition touching the manifolde miseries wonderfull calamities and lamentable chances that happened to her vnfortunate selfe sometime Queene of stately Troy WHen that Auroraes dewes were past and Phoebus did decline And purple Titan ready prest with fainting light to shine When Cynthia did prease in place to run her compasse round And feeblely did shew her face with duskish light on ground Then walked I to silent groue my fancie to delight Where willingly I meant to bide to passe the pensiue night Sweete silence there her sound did yeeld no noyse did me molest All chirping notes were whisht at once each breathing soule did rest Amidst the hollow groue I past to ease my musing minde But no redresse of dolefull dumpes I any where could finde Vntill at last I viewde the skies where lucent lights abound And downe againe mine eyes direct vpon the human ground Then did I shake from sobbing soule the griping griefe and paine That long before had me opprest but now reuiude againe Within the groue a pleasant streame with bubling note did flowe Which I by chaunce had soone found out from hollow bankes below There musing by the running tide and soundings of the deepe The sliding flouds that smoothly passe had husht me soone asleepe And as I slept on greenish shore by help of warbling streames Strange fearefull fancies frighted me by dreadfull drowsie dreames In slumber sound me thought I spied a wight both fierce and fell A thing despisde in viler sort no creature was in hell A woman vext with eager lookes in frantike fierie moode With clapping hands and rowling eyes vncertainly she stoode She ran about with flaring haire much like to horses stout When sodain fright had pierst their minds with strouting tayles did strout Euen so or worse she roude about with head and shoulders bare And oftentimes from senselesse pate her pendant lockes she tare With bloudie nayles and hands imbrued her palmes she oft did smite And reaching for the heauens as though she to the Gods had spite With irefull cries and fearefull notes the hollow groue did sound In yelling sort from gulled bankes the ditties did rebound Like mightie bulles that fiercely meetes and filles with noise the skies And for a token of their wrath the dustie grauell flies By tearing vp of earth so she in such like frantike fits Doeth snatch vp grasse in griping hands as one beside her wits Still stalking on vntill at last she found me where I were Thus fancie fed my dreadfull dreame with grieuous gripes of feare But when that she approached neere and stood me by at length Me thought my trembling ioynts did quake to flie I had no strength With starting steps I sought to flie to shun that fearfull sight But all in vaine I oft assayed to saue my selfe by flight My fainting feet did often faile by striuing still to start No forced pace would ought preuaile or suffer to depart Thus stil me thought amid my dreame as one that were in maze With quaking corps and haire vpright full still I stoode at gaze For feare my faltring tongue did stay I durst her not behold Vntill at last with friendly cheare she said my friend be bold I wish to thee no harme at all wherfore be not dismayde But call to minde thy frighted sence and be thou not afraide Ne maruell why though I disguisde haue furiously been vext In raging sort so strange to thee for that I am perplext In minde and soule to thinke how far fell Fortune hath abusde Both me and mine in spitefull sort when hautie Gods refusde To succour vs in greatest need she turnde her face and fround Who long had smiled but now gaue help to croude vs to the ground Wherfore good friend quoth she geue eare and marke what I shall tell Lift vp thy minde be not dismayd and note my speeches well For I must needes declare the cause to ease my pensiue brest Of haplesse hap that Fate assignde and then in hope to rest With that me thought I banisht feare and quaking limmes reuiude I courage tooke againe afresh of which I was depriude Then boldly thus I said at last what madnes doeth possesse Thy vexed soule Be sure if that thy paine I may redresse To finde some ease of this thy griefe or els I were vnkind Therefore be short to ease thy smart and let me know thy mind It pities me to see the plight of thy distressed state And makes me shrinke at all to gesse on this thy heauy fate For that no fiend that comes from hell could any more lament Their peruerse lot for wickednes and sinnes already spent Than thou hast here before my face with bounsing blowes and cries Whereat the caues reuerberate and Echo roles in skies But now dispatch shew me thy mind if so to ease thy griefe Thou thinke it best I am content that way to geue reliefe Then she began to shew her minde and tell her griefe forepast With grieuous grones in wofull wise these words she spake at last If euer any wofull wight had cause to rue her fate And pleade with teares her heauie hap for change of her estate My selfe haue iust cause to bewayle my state which I thought sure But woe is me vnhappy wretch what ioy doeth aye endure On Fortune fell I doe complaine the cause of my mishap That thus hath dealt with me alas when first within her lap She lulld full sweet and vsde right well and then ere that I wist Did tumble downe from top of throne thus Iudas like she kist She lifted me so high aboue my mates and fellowes all For that more grieuous when I fell she meant to make my fall But would from beggars broode at first my chance had beene so good To spring and that I had beene borne and bred of meanest blood Then would the world not so haue musde to see my sodaine chance To fall so low whom Fortune earst so highly did aduance Yet geue me leaue to ease my minde although I wish in vaine For now tis past by wishing I doe ease my pining paine The trueth is thus I did descend from Cysseus that king A mightie Prince of Thrace wel knowen whose praise each where did ring And from his
our City great did vtterly destroy Fierce was the flame on euery side downe falls the buildings faire The temples of our sacred gods the fier did not spare Till all things flat vpon the ground did lie like desart plaine For memorie of this our tovvne the vvalls did not remaine Dovvne to the earth it smoking lay defaced so vvith fire To ruine novv all things vvere come vvhich vvas the Greekes desire The bodies of the Troyans slaine in Zanthus floud did svvimme Eche channell deepe vvith crimson blood stoode floting to the brimme The members of our martred men in barren fields they flung In fertile sort to fat the earth in steade of other dung That where the towne of Troy did stand in little space was seene Where houses stoode there grasse did growe in sprouting sort full greene And where the Temples of our gods in stately maner stoode The dockes and weedes were cherished by losse of Troyans bloode No place of Troy vntoucht did stand but all for waste was layde The Greekes cride quit with that vile part that Paris first had playde When that mine eies had seene all this the sorrowes which were past Eche wofull hap once callde to minde starke mad I fell at last And raging in the fieldes I ran where lately Troy did stand From thence when I had raylde my fill I passde to Thracia land Where Polymnestor that vile wretch and traytor bad did raigne Who had betrayde yong Polidore my sonne for filthie gaine Which cruell acte though then starke mad in minde I still did beare That for reuenge on him I fell and out his eies did teare To worke him woe for this his deede my frantike minde was fierce The cheekes of this disloyall wretch my nayles did soundly pierce That he foorthwith had lost his sight for this his former deede O would to God all traitours thus for treacherie might speede This deede once done my troubled minde somewhat I did appease For wel I wist the wretch was blinde which did my sorrow ease And also to my further ioy proude Pyrrhus lost his life When he returned home to Greece by reason of the strife That stout Orestes had with him for Hermion that wench That nothing else but present death could this their quarrell quench Achylles sonne at last was slaine Orestes had his ioy And Pyrrhus might repent the time that first he came to Troy Where he imbrewde himselfe with blood and slewe the aged King Which was the cause of his mishap and sure no other thing The gods that knew his cruell minde and saw his wilfull fact Could not lesse do than make the Greeke repent his bloudy act Orestes slue Achylles sonne thus Pyrrhus being dead Like hearbes to pot his flesh was chopt no otherwise he sped This newes to me some comfort was in this my wofull state To heare what hard mishap befell to him that slue my mate And well I wist his father first for vsing me so ill Was slaine himselfe by my consent for Paris did him kill And also how that Thracian King that Polymnestor hight For so betraying of my sonne and doing me that spite Receiude a guerdon for his fact his lumen lights he lost Wherefore the traytor of his gaines I thinke could scarcely bost Of all the rest it did me good for that my hands had done Such due reuenge on that vile wretch that so betrayde my sonne I ioyde a while at this my deede my sorrow wel did flake For that I knew they dide the death of whom before I spake But when againe I callde to minde my children that were gone And deere alies of whom the Greekes aliue had left not one And how olde Pryamus my mate before my face did die On Pyrrhus blade that Grecian grim while I in vaine did crie For helpe to free him from the hand of this his spitefull fo In vaine I cride for that the gods decreede it should be so And then when that I thought on Troy on Troy our stately towne Which was the eie of all the world but now by Greekes throwne downe And like a desart place did lie no signe of Troy did stand The empire stout of Asia great so wrested from our hand That I the greatest Queene on earth so was my stately stile In time forepast and now to be a helplesse wretch most vile So base and humbly was I vsde farre from my former state That harborlesse I rangde about this was my haplesse fate Despisde of all receiude of none refusde of those that faund On me before when I their Queene did euery thing commaund But now although I vsde them well in elder time before They to requite my courtesie did shut me foorth of dore And let me lie without reliefe this kindnesse they did showe In Princes place to me they sude but now they would not knowe Their haplesse Queene in miserie but let me raging runne In euery corner where I would eche wight me wretch did shunne Not Greekes I meane but subiects mine who sometime did professe In Asia soile me for their Queene and now in this distresse The Greekes had awde their minds so far they durst not on me looke But as a thing that venyme was eche liuing wight forsooke Which when I spide and callde to minde my former stately place And now againe did see my selfe to liue in such disgrace In frantike sort my heart was vext the anguish of my minde Like bedlam beast did make me run the spitefull Greekes to finde That were the causers of my woe that I reuenge might take On all the wrongs that they had done and for my husbands sake Whom they had slaine before my face and for my children deare For whose sweete sakes amongst the Greekes I went without al feare With eger fist I laide on loade with nayles and feete at length But slender hurt a womans hand could do to men of strength Yet notwithstanding my good will was seene by this my force And theirs againe O wretched me by vsing such remorce For when that I had done my worst and shewed my vtter might And breathlesse stoode for want of breath by this my feeble fight The Greekes with stones did compasse me whose force I stil defide Till they with stones did strike me downe where presently I dide Lo thus when that all vile mishaps had chaunced vnto me Whome fortune followed to the death with such extremitie And that mine eies to my great griefe such wofull things had seene But would to God before the warre long time I dead had beene When all such haps of hatefull dome that fortune could assigne Did chaunce to me by haplesse hap such luckelesse lot was mine To ende my dayes in great disgrace I dide among my foes They stoned me to death poore wretch a heauy end God knowes Had euer any such mishap since first the world begunne Or any one did know such woe that liued vnder sunne As I my selfe poore wretched Queene though bootelesse now
So likevvise I haue promised vvherfore my sonne geue ayd Let not the terror of the Greek make Paris heart afrayd But hie thee to the place and there in secrete sort goe hide Thy selfe before Achilles come so that thou be not spide With vveapon good prouide thy selfe against so fierce a foe And vvhen thou spiest conuenient time then strike the fatall blovv That shall procure the Troyans ease and pleasure to thy frends And pay the debt that Hector ovves to make the Greek amends My sonne as vvilling as my selfe to vvork Achilles spight Did soon consent to my request and thether stole by night And closely by his brothers tombe himselfe he did conuay And there vntill Achilles came in secrete sort he lay Polixena my daughter faire in gorgious vvise I clad For that I knew her pleasant hue would make Achilles glad According to appointed time we passe the Troyan gates With certaine of the Troyan dames we had no other mates And to the temple straight we hide where we Achilles met According to the place and time which he before had set Then did the Greek vs Troyans greete he faind a sober cheere And said he grieud at Hectors death that was so braue a Peere And further that he knew his death was to his mother paine And to his sister whom he loude wherfore quoth he againe I am content to make amends for that which I haue done And that in stead of Hector slaine I mind to be thy sonne And for assurance of the thing by Ioue he did protest That after this by his good will the town of Troy should rest From further war and therwithall his loue he did embrace And fixt his eyes in doting sort vpon my daughters face Not fearing any future hap nor doubting any ill For that in all respects we did according to his will Which Paris spide behind the tombe when hand in hand we went His sword prepard with mighty force through back and side he sent That down Achilles falles right soon all groueling on the ground From gored sides the bloud did flow foorth of his mortall wound There lay the wretch that earst we feard now breathing out his last Whom Paris wild to eager curres should presently be cast For vsing of his brethren so in such despitefull wise Their bodies dead he did abuse before their mothers eyes Wherto my sonne sir Helenus by no meanes then would yeeld How that the body of the Greek should lie in open field Where beasts and foules might feed their fill but craude the Greeks might haue The body of their slaughtered friend to lay in resting graue Which thing was done though vndeserud on vile Achilles part That euer sought by spitefull meanes to slay my wofull hart Then home we came with this reuenge more mery than before For well we wist Achilles fierce should neuer hurt vs more Now Fortune faund on me awhile awhile it was indeed For that the angry Gods against me wretch had still decreed Achilles dead the Greekes afresh fierce war did vndertake And vowed reuenge on all my frends for slaine Achilles sake And on my daughter chiefe of all for working them such spight VVith one consent on either part they faithfull promise plight If that in case our towne they take wherof before they boast My daughter they will sacrifice to dead Achilles ghost But hauing slaine so fierce a foe the Troyans all were glad And craued the field against the Greekes who now remayned sad For losing of so braue a Peere who was their chiefest ayd Wherfore to fight with vs we thought the Grecians were afrayd Yet were we all deceiude for that more fiercer than before The Grecians fought that down there falles on either side great store Their rage was great for to reuenge the death of this their Peere And fiercely fought in desperate sort as men without all feare At last I climde to wonted place where often I had been Yet neuer there but some mishap by me poore wretch was seen From whence I viewd the bloudy broyle which grieude me to behold How that the Greeks and Troyans stout in bloud together rolde At last I spied where Paris was my sonne who then did chase A Grecian Peere Sir Aiax stout who fled before his face Not Aiax Telamon I meane but Oelius Aiax he Whom Paris chasdin open field that all the Greekes might see At last the Greek receiud a wound though he full swiftly flew For that my sonne the flying chase did eagerly pursue A greeuous wound it was indeede for Aiax feeling paine By flight could not preuaile wherfore perforce he turnde againe And did encounter with my sonne who first had made him smart And with his sword O haples hap strake Paris to the hart There died my sonne before my face which Helen well doeth know Who stood with me when that her mate receiude that fatall blow The Greek like bedlem beast layd on for dolor of his wound And stabd my sonne through back and side starke dead vpon the ground Whose corps when that the Greeks had spied with mighty force they run To haue a part of Paris dead for his offences done For well they knew he was the man that stole their Prince his wife Which was the chiefest cause of all that bred that bloudy strife VVherfore each Greek to haue him dead did mightely contend And sure had got my sonne but that the Troyans did defend The mangled corps of Paris dead and kept from Grecian force My sonne whom they would faine haue caught to plague his senslesse corse VVhose life was gone they right well knew but they like hellish hounds Did hunt to haue his carkas dead to plague with grieuous wounds His senslesse corps they could not hurt yet they as men starke mad Of worldly wealth would geue great store so that they might haue had Aliue or dead or but a part to satisfie their will For well they wist he was the man that did Achilles kill Wherefore they fiercely fought to haue the body of my sonne Who slewe Achylles traytrously and first that warre begunne But by the ayde of Troyans stout in maugre of their might The body of my sonne was brought foorth of that bloody fight Whose corps was laide before my face a grieuous sight to see The armes and legs which Greekes hewde off was likewise brought to mee The pale aspect of this my sonne did mortifie my minde That downe vpon the corps I fell in hope some ease to finde For willingly I would haue dide to finish vp my care The gods denide it should be so but still my life did spare For further woe and miserie they meant I should abide Which would to God I had not seene but that I then had dide Faire Helena for this her mate in wofull sort did morne Who was the cause that all the Greekes against our state had sworne All Troy was sad for my hard hap they waile on euerie side Both olde
I mourne For remedlesse the cause remaines when Planets all had sworne And haughty gods to worke me woe for Paris filthie sinne Who would to God had dide the death when life did first begin Or would to God I wish too late the waues had beene his graue When he to Lacedemon went faire Helen for to haue O Neptune fierce couldst thou not frowne and Eolus out call With whirling windes to drench his ship his company and all But safely so to suffer him to swimme with gale at will The doting youth in prime of yeres his fancie to fulfill In Simois and Zanthus flood his ships did seeme to saile So quiet was the seas as then because he should preuaile What did ye seaish Gods decree together with consent To plague the Troian state so farre as angrie Pallas ment Ye Gods that rule both land and sea why did ye thus decree That Neptunes towne at first so cald to Greekes a pray should bee If otherwise ye ment at all his ship should not haue past So quietlie through surging seas by helpe of Boreas blast For Triton mild did shewe his face so happilie that day That Paris past with sprouting sailes into the Gretian bay What was become of Palemon did Glaucus hide his head Their swift recourse far from his ship in partiall sort was fled The Strencoucht Antiphates Parthenope was gone That wonted were to keep their course but novv there vvas not one Not Circe nor Calipso vvould their vvonted magike vse Although they knevv the lecher meant Atrides to abuse So Zephirus and Eurus fell with Aquilo did lurke And hid themselues while Boreas with frendly gale did work Nereides were past away Latonas imps did shine Ech thing did smoothly smile that day by help of Gods diuine And all was for the Troyan wracke to plague my sonnes offence For Paris needs to Greece would goe and soon returnd from thence But would to God the brinish seas with raging waues so wild Had drownd that baud that Theseus first in filthy sort defilde And that my sonne had dide with her before he came to shore Then Troy had stood and flourisht still as long it did before But Helen Menelaus wife that was Sir Paris ioy VVas first occasion of our woe and latest fate to Troy O would the tygers first had torne the lims of this my sonne VVhen aged Priam sentence gaue on that which was not done The cause wherof was mine own deed which act I now repent For that the Oracle did shew before the boyes intent But now I know I wish too late the angry Gods had sworn To plague our state for some offence For Paris being born VVhose desteny the Oracle did openly declare And yet to see my hap was such that wicked babe to spare VVho was the cause of this mischaunce and breeder of our woe His death had been to vs a life and life to thousands mo Yet I for pitie sake would not consent that this my boy The tygers brood his tender lims should vtterly destroy VVhat power diuine did hinder me or what infernall fiend VVhat did both heauen and earth to this their vtter forces bend O what offence did we commit that all the Gods should frowne And thus decree with one consent to pluck our Empire downe Did they appoint that I should breed and foster in my lap A scourge to plague the parents sinne and cause of their mishap VVas it king Priams fathers fault that Laomedon bad That builded Troy vvith borovved coyne for he receiued had Of Neptune and Apollos Priests a summe of money great And when the day appoynted came the wretch forsware the debt With mighty vowes the periurde man at altar side did say He borrowed none to buyld his walles and therfore none would pay But whether twere for periurie or for my sonnes offence I cannot tell but well I know it was a recompence For double and for treble sinne so many thousand dide From Nations far the world dooth know the people thether hide In hope of pay to either side great troupes of men did run But what was gaind saue deadly fight or what but death was won Did euer any feel such woe as I poore wretch did tast Did euer Fortune yeeld such lookes as she on me did cast O hauty Gods what hap was mine to feel such bitter paine Did destiny assigne me that to make me thus complaine I would that I had been vnborn or borne I dead had been For then these wofull miseries I wretch had neuer seen Why did the Gods cause me to liue why did they thus decree Was this their will that I should liue with present eyes to see My louing mate and children slaine and Troy to burn with fire If they did will it should be so then they had their desire But fie on that vile destinie O fie on that hard curse The Gods themselues could not deuise how they should plague me worse And then with wringing hands she wept with wayling voice she cride Which griende me sore about I turnd where presently I spide An aged man both graue and grim for that he seemed sad Right father like for grayish haires with Princely robes be clad Vnto the wofull Queen he marchd and thus in modest sort Began to quip her frantike mood as I shall geue report What madnes now hath mooude thy mind quoth he O louing mate That thus thou fretst against the Gods and frantikelie doost prate Can this thy fuming mind redresse or cause the things vndone To be againe No if we liude againe we could not shun The Gods decree wherfore be still shake off such heauines In vaine it is to vexe thy selfe where cause is remedles VVhat shall thy ghost that now should rest in worldly cares still dwell And thinke on things that carst were past O plague far worse than hell Then suffer thou thy ghost to take her quiet ease at last And call thou not to mind againe that vvhich is gone and past Thou knovvest our destinie vvas so vve could it not preuent For that the Gods to plague our sinne for some abusesment What should we kick against the spur or swim against the tide Or striue for that to haue at will which angry Gods denide When I had sent my sonne to death and that he should be kild His life thou sauedst wherfore thou seest that destenie it wild But I to shun Simphlegades on Hebrus lake did light And coasting from Charibdis gulfe on Scilla rock did smite Thus seeking how all dangers great by counsell I might shun Did vnawares ere that I wist to present perils run Was I the cause that Helen faire with Paris came to Troy No sure it was fell destenie or fickle Fortune coy For when the Oracle had told what hap in time should fall I wild to take away the cause For witnes now I call The sacred Gods who knew my mind my sonne I would haue slaine I was content my flesh and bloud the tygers