of this your tender youth may be found meete Gentlemen to attend so worthy a Prince Remember I beseech you the Poesies borne in some of your honourable Ensignes Vero nihil verius Virtutis comes Inuidia Serò sed seriò And neuer forget the most worthy saying of that thrice honourable late Senatour Corvnum via vna These Mottoes well imprinted in youth will bring honour to olde age Which the God of heauen and earth make you all partakers of in the present and possessors in the future and the same after many yeeres to be permanent in the heauens for euer Your Honours in all humility euer to be commanded ROBERT FLETCHER To his friend M. Ro. Fletcher vpon his Subiect of the nine Worthies WHo dreads the fume of euery froathy spirit And begs th' applause of ech fantastick braine Frighting with causelesse feares industrious merit Too much deiects exalted Poesies straine Let blind distrust insinuate approbation A princely Subiect scornes base deprecation Vino vendibili non opus est suspensa bedera φιλαÏετὴ R. Fenne Thomas Lord Windsor his humble congratulation of the ninth Worthy WHo-euer shall a vertuous mind imbrace Present renowne and glory shall him grace Long after life as in these Worthies nine It doth appeare For they long since are dead Their Vertues liue in Chronicles they shine Their Corps consum'd to dust yea euen the Lead That clos'd their earthly bodies in the graue Can not be seene no signe thereof we haue Their names nor fames their deeds will neuer die Their Acts their Monuments their worthy praise These registred doe liue perpetually There is no end or period of their dayes Liue so Great Britaines Prince as they haue donne Ninth Worthy hopeful HENRY great Kings Sonne Sir William Whorewood Knight in honour of the ninth Worthy WHen Siluius Post-humus did seeke this soile And therin thought to raigne to rule to rest Trauailes he found and stormes with bitter broile But little space in quiet he possest Since when what alterations and what change By Conquest and by Tyrants bloody hand To write at large it would be true but strange To count the troubles of now happy land Yet by eight HENRIES settled in it selfe Lastly vnited to one Kingdome more What needeth it to care for Indian pelse Gold Plate and Pearle it now possesseth store And more then all a King a Queene a Plant A Royall Issue Parents chiefest ioy A Captaine that in time will those supplant That dare attempt Great Britains least annoy Ninth Worthy worthiest next our Soueraigne be God grant long Raigne of both may Britaine see Iohn Widevp the elder Gent. vpon the Worthies but with most humble dueties to the Worthiest of them all NIne Worthies were described long agone And as forgotten are intumbed dead No Monument remaines of any one Though they were Shrined better then in Lead But Iosua Dauid Macchabeus be In Bible booked for first Worthies three Next in that Ranke and so the number nine Were Iulius Alexander Macedon Hector of Troy and Godfrey-de-Boloigne Arthur of Britaine Charles King Pepins sonne In other bookes their Stories written are With whom eight HENRIES welnigh may coÌ„pare The ninth in hope more worthy then the eight Vpon whose shoulders wisest heads haue hurld Of future honour a farre greater weight Applauded of Europa and the World Besides all these one Worthy more I sing The worthiest of Worthies IAMES our King Jo Guilliams Gent. vpon the ancient nine Worthies THe drift and scope of princely Subiect this Is bent to very perfect honest end The Writer thought he could not write amisse In writing that which formerly was pend Nine former Worthies Stories theirs extend Some of them vp to heauen with endlesse praise All of them liv'd most worthy in their dayes But all were not of one nor oneselfe sort Three excellents of God ordaind before Three other valiant famous by report The first three Kings one Prophet valour store All three commended heauenly vertues lore Three other were profane but valiant men Three Christian Kings that vsed pike for pen. Paul Peart Gent. vpon the later nine Worthies TO make those Worthies liue againe Which long agoe were lapt in Lead Is worthy praise for taken paine To him that raiseth from the dead Such Princes as in time possest The Regal Scepter Crowne and Globe And in their Tumbs haue taken rest That once did weare a kingly Robe Now to appeare on princely Stage And to resigne a princely power Vnto a Prince whose tender age IEHOVA blesse and grant each hower Him to attend the royall hest And follow after true renowne He then from heauen shall be blest Nor dare proud Fortune euer frowne On him that vertuously doth liue To whom eight HENRIES honour giue Iohn Widevp the yonger Gent. of the nine Worthies THe primier Worthies which we Worthies cal Were worthy three for godly exhortation Iosua Dauid Macchabeus and all The other sixe for valours imitation Nine worthies more behold eight Kings a Prince Yong Tender Sweete Great Britaines hopefull Ioy Who will in time his fathers Foes conuince And worthy prooue as Hector was of Troy Then eighteen Worthies with the Prince of Britain This booke doth note Loe here their stories written Thomas Webber seruant to the Kings Maiestie vpon the sixt Worthy King HENRY the sixt THe King was left an infant most vnfit To Raigne by age but not to rule till when He should attaine in time to riper wit Thereby to iudge the differences of men Yet Crownd in Paris King of mighty France In tender yeeres almost an infant still His vncles and his Nobles did aduance His Regal power as did his father will They should But yet this King a tender childe Was rul'd and ouer-rul'd by Tutors head For de-la-Poole his nonage then beguil'd And brought King Rayners daughter to his bed Yet during nonage or his kingly youth The valiant Dukes of Bedford Glocester thoe Salisbury Shrewsbury Earles these bent their truth T'vphold him King of France in spite of foe In whose time Talbot was a terror great To all the French For as his dubbing drums With armed souldiers did their walles downe beat So women fear'd their children TALBOT comes Thus whil'st these Nobles liv'd this Worthy thriues They being dead then all was lost againe Salisbury Talbot both did lose their liues Bedford likewise Now both these valiants slaine This King at home drencht in domesticke strife Fierce factions set his Nobles at debate Some followed him and some his head-strong wife Till Richard Duke of Yorke disturbd their State Who claimd the Crowne yet neuer could attaine The same but Edward fourth his valiant sonne Rose into Armes though first his father slaine At Wakefield where the Queene a battell wonne With these and thousands moe this worthy King Tost and turmoyled spent his Mortall time Till Tyrant Gloster in the Tower did bring To death this worthy Prince deuoide of crime In all his life who euer shunned euill Conquering Sinne the World the
receaued into Paris woulde bee too tedious to repeate On the seauenth day of December he was crowned King of France in our Lady Church so called in Paris by the Cardinal of Winchester the bishop of Paris not being contented that the Cardinall should execute such an high office in his Church and Iurisdiction After all ceremonies finished the king returned to the palace hauing one crowne on his head and another borne before him one scepter in his hand and another borne before him A triumphant feast and great reioysing but mingled with distaste by means of the proud Cardinall of Winchester who preferring his owne wil before the weale publike controlled that mighty Prince and valiant Captaine the Duke of Bedford Protector of France which malice moued and heart-burning broched by the Cardinall was remembred and reuenged by the Nobility But my only purpose being to select forth the name of Henry and but to note their beginnings endings by way of abstract I will leaue this worthy yong prince yet a while and tell the vntimely death of Iohn Duke of Bedford a tale worthy of note and memory and this is it viz. This yeare the fourtéenth day of September 1436. dyed Iohn Duke of Bedford and Regent of France a man most politicke in peace and no lesse hardy in warre and yet no more valiant then mercifull when he had the victory whose body was with al funeral pomp and solemne obsequies buried in the cathedrall Church of Roan in the North side of the quier vnder a sumptuous costly monument c. Which Tumbe when King Lewis the 11. knew to be his and was incited by certaine indiscréet Frenchmen to deface the same he answered What honour shall it be to vs or to you to break this monument and to pull forth of the ground the dead body of him whom in his life time neither my father nor your progenitors with all their puissance and friendes were not once able to make flee one foote backward but by his strength wisedome and policy he kept them all out of the principall Dominions of the realme of France and also out of this Noble and famous Dutchy of Normandy wherefore I say first as God hath his soule so shall his body now ly in rest who when hee was aliue would haue disquieted the proudest of vs all And as for the Tombe I doe assure you it is not so decent nor conuenient as his honour and actes deserued no although it were more riche and more bewtifull then it is But to returne according to the occasion and by the way to touch this worthy Prince His misfortune in his minority was the cause of his Nobles dissention and that the cause of an vnméete and vnfortunate mariage so that the Prince in his yong yeares spent all the honour power and pleasures of this mighty and worthy King whose life was immaculate like his Fathers whose patience ouercame all his perplexities Once deposed from his regal state and dignity and once againe restored in which interim was his propheticall speach to those Princes and Nobles about him touching the young Earle of Richmond a child of tenne yeares old Beholde sayth he stedfastly beholding the young Earle This is hee whome wée and all our Aduersaries must giue place vnto when all is done He was againe deposed committed to the Tower of London his onely son slaine his Quéene tooke sanctuary his Nobles best subiects and all his partakers slaine in sundry battailes himselfe lastly murthered in prison and yet his patience integrity godly life and good workes were no lesse commendable then the acts of his father were famous and honorable He reigned 38. yeares 6. moneths and odde dayes and other 6. moneths after his readeption of the crowne Heliued 52. yeares To censure him the God punished him for his grandfathers fathers faultes or that miracles were wrought by him I neither will belieue nor write as the writer of his historie doth nor of King Henry the seauenths purpose to haue him canonized for a Saint but yet the loue of that most mighty King that in the zeale of this Kings immaculate life would haue had him remembred for such holines doth commend my purpose which is to commend him for the sixt worthy and in ranke also aboue all other his princely deedes The kings colledge in Camebridge and Eaton Colledge neere VVindsor are both very excellent monuments of his princely liberality and my selfe haue obserued forty yeares together that God blessed both those houses the one for education and the other for bringing forth very excellent schollers His Description HE was of a seemely stature of body slender to which proportion all his parts were answerable His face was very bewtifull wherin was euer resident a sweet reseblance of bountie wherwith his Royall heart was naturally indewed and euer thereunto inclined He abhorred all vices both of the body and of the soule His patience was such that of iniuries done to him which were innumerable he did neuer seeke vengeance thinking and saying that for such aduersities as befell him his sinnes should be forgotten and forgiuen what losses soeuer did happen vnto him he neuer estéemed nor made account thereof but if any thing were done which séemed to offend the Almighty that hee lamented with sorrowfull repentance His Epitaphe HEnry the sixt a Prince a Saint a King Faire Englands soueraigne eight and thirty yeare Which time with more his wofull end did bring As in his story doth too plaine appeare O had his Vncles liv'd and well agreed His death had not so vilely been decreed Had Dela Poole been dead ere he was borne King Raynars Daughter had not been thy wife If innocency thou hadst held in skorne And reacht thy hand to warre debate and strife And Parent like hadst proued Mars his sonne Glocester had not thy fatall thred vnspon Had Richard Warwicke wonne at Barnet field Braue Mountacute or many Nobles moe That fled or dy'd or were inforc't to yield But power diuine had not ordained so He had not gone backe prisoner to the Tower And there detain'd vntill his latest hower Tewkesbury field had like or worse successe Duke Somerset the Earle of Deuon eke The Marquesse Dorset taken in the presse The poore young Prince was found whom Crofts did seeke And brought before the King by armed Band Whom Richard Glocester murthered out of hand Did patient Iob indure more paine then this Most Mighty Prince Who hearing all this ill Yet neuer murmur'd or once thought amisse More then a man remaining patient still A King indeed a conqueror of the mind In all the stories we no such doe finde Diuine profane or morall as I yet Did euer read such magnanimitie To rest in man where humain hart was set Or who had feeling of extremity Rest now ô King in heauens most happie shrine Preseru'd from foesb all the powers diuine Let VVindsor be his monument of state Because he was both borne and buried there Knight of
Flesh the Deuill Thomas Binwin Gent. vpon his worthy yong Master the ninth Worthy I Fall the Worthies should on earth appeare The ancient Worthies nine in Ranke and place Three from Iudaea three from other where And Christians three our Britaine 's hopefull Grace Our sweet yong Prince thereby could take smal staine Though they from graues were raised vp againe Now for those Kings which HENRY had to name May they compare with HENRY Britaines Prince These Worthies though of farre renoumed fame Haue sought and fought long time agoe and since In vaine for to conioyne their neighbour land To this their owne continuing warre and strife Vntill it pleas'd Iehouas mighty hand From hence to giue King IAMES the fourth a wife HENRY seuenths sister Lady Margaret faire Of whom descends our Liege and gracious King And braue Prince HENRY his thrice worthy heire Magnifie God and Nature for this thing Which sole succession hath brought such accord That he of both may once rest Soueraigne Lord. This then may make our Worthy principall Of later nine His future power and strength Yea more herein exceeding Worthies all They being dead are now entumbd at length This Worthy liues God graunt him long to liue Graunt long good Lord the King his father reigne And to his princely sonne thy graces giue Great God that both may Britains wealth maintaine The Authors excuse of an Escape in the Title following NExt Title some small error may containe Which doth auerre HENRIES nine English Kings Yet to my Booke why should it seeme a staine Sith to Great Britaine it great comfort brings The hopefull Prince and Heire apparant He With the eight Kings well may consorted be Twice scap't by Pen and Presse I fear'd to raze His future Stile at whom euen Kings may gaze The nine English Worthies or famous and worthie Kings of England being all of one name beginning with King HENRY the first and concluding with HENRY now Prince of Great Britaine King Henry the First KIng Henry the first was the sonne of William the Brother to William Rufus that was immediately before King of England which worthy King for his wisdom learning iudgement and honourable policy was surnamed Henry Beuclarke or the faire Writer and good Scholler He began his raigne the fift day of August Anno Domini 1100. He was crowned at Westminster raigned 35. yeares and 4. moneths lacking 4. dayes he was strong of body comely of stature blacke haired large and faire eyes a Princely and a pleasant countenance excelling in thrée vertues most commendable and comfortable to the subiects of his time viz Wisedome Eloquence and Ualour His Epitaphe HENRY the first a King a Princes sonne Excellent wise well learn'd of valiant minde His gouernement recorded this hath wonne For euerlasting praise to him assign'd First worthy Then take place O mighty Prince That with these vertues didst thy foes conuince King Henry the Second of that name HE was a Frenchman borne the second sonne of Ieffrey Plantaginet Earle of Aniow begotten of Mawde the Empresse daughter to King Henry the first he began his raigne ouer this noble Kealme of England the 25 day of October in the yeare after the incarnation of our Sauiour Christ 1154. and departed this life in An. 1189. in the 61. yeare of his age after he had raigned 34. yeares 9. moneths and two dayes And heere may be thought sayth the Historiographer that the raigne of the Frenchmen and the names tooke an end after they had borne sway 122. yeares after the comming in of King William the Conqueror For those Kings which raigned after this Henry the second may rightly be called Englishmen because they were borne in England and vsed the English tongue custome and manners according to the nature and quality of the Country His body was buried at Fountverand which is an Abby situate not far from the Eagle within the Dutchy of Almucon His Description HE was a man of good stature and very wel formed of comely conntenance partly red hayred grey eyes of wit quicke and perfect good memory so that he could remember long al things of any moment which he had eyther heard or séene of body somewhat fleshy and strong and could abide very patiently the displeasures both of colde and heate he had a large head a broad breast and very spare of dyet the rather because he would not be too fat therefore when he was at leasure and free from warres his exercise was hunting and progresse trauels He was a Prince of stout stomacke and inuincible courage more resolute and constant in time of aduersitie then in prosperitie liberall to all men but chiefely vnto souldiers Pittifull to the poore an excellent vertue and nature in a Prince For proofe whereof in a time of dearth which happened in Aniow and Mayne hee did at his owne cost and Princely pitty feede ten thousand poore people euery day with good victuals from the first of Aprill till the last of Iuly An. Dom. 1176. And aboue his Princely and most magnificent house-keeping he stored garners cellars and store-howses religious persons and their howses Tributes and Taxes he tooke verie seldome and those not great Hee was very expect in feates of warre and no lesse fortunate therin He would praise his Captaines and men of warre after their deaths to encourage those that liued hee was well learned as those Princes aforesayde and excéeding wise His care to haue Iustice duly administred in his Realme was excéeding great in so much that finding that the Sheriffs in his time were rather inclined to seek their owne gaine then to deale vprightly with his subiects hee appointed Sapranisors ouer them to ouer sée their doings as if they had béen Controllers so as an awfull regard made them circumspect and wary in their doings He ordained also punishment for Hunters in Forrestes and groundes of warren either by fines or byimprisonment He ordained that murtherers should be hanged other offences he punished with losse of limmes and otherwise as the qualitie of the offence required Most carefull hee was to haue iustice administred without corruption He tryed men of sundry sorts to execute iustice with iustice but in fine hee referred it to the Bishops and Clergy men hoping in that profession to finde the most integritie and yet he little regarded the Bishop of Rome or feared his censures as is manifest by the history of Thomas Becket in this Kings time and sundry others I find two Latine Epitaphes translated into rude English by the Writer of this whole Historie the effect wherof somewhat reformed is as followeth KIng Henry was of late my famous name A Conqueror of many a Princely land Small Epitaph shall need to aduance my fame What done by me was done by powerfull hand And in my dayes I passed not a pin For Pope of Rome he nought of me could win Warre Lawe and Iustice as a princes word I held them alwaies of the great'st regard Where peace would not preuaile