Titulum ne horresce novantis Non rapit Imperium vis tua sed recipit Ausonius de Seuero THE HISTORIE OF That wise and Fortunate Prince HENRIE of that Name the Seventh King of England With that famed Battaile fought betweene the sayd King Henry and Richard the third named Crook-backe upon Redmoore neere Bosworth In a Poem by Charles Aleyn Vnus mihi pro populo populus pro uno London Printed by Tho. Cotes for William Cooke and are to be sold at his shop neere Furnivalls-Inne gate in Holburne 1638. Perlegi historicum hoc Poema dignumque judico quod Typis mandetur Tho. Wykes R. P. Episc. Lond. Chapell domest To his Ingenious friend Mr. Charles Aleyn on this his learned Poem Sume Superbiam Quaesitam meritis THinke not that these my weaker lines can raise Or to thy name or to thy worke a praise Yet give me leave to write and let these be The Testimonialls of my love to thee They 're no true Leigemen whosoe're disclaime Tribute of Prayse unto thy Henries name Who now by thee instated lives more high Than in the joyes of former Royalty And from thy hand receives a better Crowne Than was his Kingdomes Transitory one â—y thee he conquers Death and Time thy words â—â—eld him his honour more than could his swords And gaine a Nobler victory than he Obtained o're usurping Tyrannie Great Henry whom wise heaven did ordaine â—o blesse this Realme with thy most happy reigne No more dull Chronicle thy worth shall hold Or sullen prose thy Noble acts infold Behold the shrine wherein thy reverend story Shall ever be preserved and thy glory Fresh to all Ages then 't is just we give Praise to his name ' has made thine truely live Ed. Sherburne To my deare Friend Mr. Charles Aleyn WHen Fame had sayd thy Poem should come out Without a Dedication some did doubt If fame in that had told a truth but J Who knew her false boldly gave fame the lye For I was certaine that this booke by thee Was Dedicated to Eternity Thy true lover Ed. Prideaux THE HISTORIE OF HENRIE THE SEVENTH A Cesar or that Maximilian Who was our Henries learned Contemporary And his owne Annalist and Historian Could only pen our Henries commentary For onely light it selfe it selfe can show And none but Kings can write what Kings can doe Yet if those heights which with aspiring looke Doe over-top the rest are easilier found And with more certaine observation tooke By those who stand upon the lower ground Then Henries fame shall not disparrag'd be Although his Altitude be tooke by me Richard whose gummes his Birth-day armed saw Presage of cruelty will needes make true That dreaded signe for he against the Law After confinement Gray and Rivers slew For he the Devils Axiome did know If you depresse you must confound your foe Rivers and Gray must sacrificed be The sad oblation to Hastings power But to appease divine Astrea He Is offer'd next a Scaffold at the Tower His Altar was curses his Obits were And for the Priest an Executioner But here 's a story scarse hath Parallell For at the time those two destruction met At the same Day and houre Hastings fell As in a Clocke you see a 'larum set So was his Ruine set Heav'ns vengefull power Wheel'd Hastings fate and strooke him at an houre 'T was Policie Hastings should suffer next For he had done his worke when they were slaine Richard this doctrine borrow'd from a Text In Machiavell who did this knowledge gaine From Caesar Borgia Whom you doe imploy In mischiefe when 't is done you must destroy â—hen Richard did the Prince and Yorke oppresse For in the method of Confusion Th' other were humble premises unlesse The Prince and Yorke be the conclusion It seemes he would by their pure Crimson shed Turne Yorkes white Rose to the Lancastrian Red. Such Teares which from scorcht Phaetons sisters fell And in their fall did into Amber turne Would with their Ashes be proportion'd well Rich ashes worthy of so rich an urne For such sweete Corpses and such limmes as theirs No Tombe is fit but one congeal'd of teares Twin-brethren in their death 's What had they done O Richard sees a fault that they were in It is not Actuall but a Mortall one They Princes were 't was their Originall sinne Why should so sweete a Paire of Princes lacke Their Innocents Day in th' English Almanack Now here stand still and gaze their Father did Richard instruct Henry the sixt to Kill Their Father taught him by the blood he shed The Art how he his childrens blood should spill Who valew others blood at a low rate Make their owne cheaper to be higgled at The sword of vengeance which a single twine Held over Richards head must now drop downe With ruine at the point the Eye divine Hath spied a Hand that must lop off his Crowne Henry like Meleager must come o're And combat with this Caledonian Bore Fourth Edwards Queene and Henries mother plot The Vnion of her daughter and her sonne Both must be set as Flowers in Hymens Knot And the two Roses be conjoyn'd in one In Henries Royall Crowne there 's not a stone Gives it such lustre as this Vnion Fate did this Vnion to Henry owe In whom there was a union more rare The Heaven's doe not such a Conjunction show When the two highest Planets married are Scarse had the world seene such a union yet Where Wisdome Valour and where Fortune met But though the Queene and Lady had contriv'd Their Cabinet of councels close as his Who vow'd to burne his shirt if it conceiv'd But his least plot Yet all unlocked is By some false Key Kings have long hands and eares And then heare best when they have greatest feares Buckingham flies for this and monie 's bid For 's Head curs'd Banister the bargaine made And made his Lord his Ware and basely did Sell him for money which he ne'r was payd Ingratefull servant thou to him didst owe All that thou couldst and all thou couldst not doe Puissant Gold Redearth at first made man Now it makes Villaine this refined clod Can what nor love nor time nor valour can Iove could doe more in Gold than in a God Destruction surer comes and rattles lowder Out of a Mine of Gold than one of powder But Banister hath his merit this offence And treacherous Act his progenie betray'd To Heaven's revenge But why must Innocence Suffer for him stay there the Ancients made Divine Revenge to be the child of Night Shut to the Earths but open to heav'ns sight Th' immediate hand of Heav'n did scourge this sinne One sonne waâ— drown'd one sonne with lamenesse took White Leprous scales rough-cast his daughters skin His Eldest sonne was with a madnesse strooke And so unfit to be an heire that he Had not his portion oâ— humanitie But here I wonder Richard did not pay Such Traytors how can Richard justly looke For more such agents others
some cause espy'd With strength and colour for his cause beside To Scotland come they welcome him at Court For Charles of France had prepossest the King And by his letters had prepar'd him for 't And to the Presence Chamber Perkin bring Where King and Nobles sate in state that day To be spectatours of a Puppet-play Admitted to have audience he presum'd To play the man he knew not he did looke Stately enough and Spiritlike assum'd The Body of another for he tooke Yorke from himselfe and having made a rape Vpon his Part thus acted in his shape Sir shall you please to lend a gratious eare To a sad story and a Princely eye To a sad spectacle then know that here Both of those objects represented lye And such that judgement will not censure right Whether the tale be sadder or the sight Englands fourth Edward as your highnesse knowes Two Orphans left to Crook-backe Richards care A man as farre estrang'd from faith as those With whom these Maximes Orthodoxall are Ravish Astrea and pull justice downe If on the ruines you may scale a crowne Soone he imploy'd his ministers of death To kill them both but take no blood at all But curiously to suffocate their breath To make a violent death seeme naturall 'T is a bold Cowardise when man shall dare To act the sinne and the suspition feare They posting to the Tow'r which was the fold Of these soft Lambs in a Wolves Custodie Sacrific'd one but they their Master told They had in both observ'd his Majesty He trusts them for from nature t is receiv'd An object much desir'd is soone beleeved Hard though they were and villanes to all worth They had some softnesse for they pittyed one As in the Chrystall which the freezing North Doth of an Ice convert into a stone Some little water uncongeal'd we finde Not hardned by the rigour of the wind And they in truth slew not the Eldest sonne For pittying Heav'n knowing that such a worke Is then done best of all when 't is not done Mov'd the Assassinates to spare poore Yorke The Holy-water issuing from his eyes Was Yorkes expiatory Sacrifice Now Royall Sir behold that Yorke in me Poore wandrer like that bird without a Gall Which was th' Espiall of the Arke for we Could finde no ground to rest our feete at all But our returnes should be of different kind She found an Arke I should an Altar finde First I was close imprisond in the Tow'r Then sent into the world which is to me But as the greater Gaole for to this How'r I never did enjoy a libertie So that you may this my strange freedome call A world of roome and yet no roome at all For but this peece of ground whereon I stand Lent by your Princely favour I have none And yet by birth the Monarch of a land A land by Tyranns now usurp'd upon Thus he whose hand should hold a Globe can meet No roome in all the Globe to set his feet Long have I gone as these tird limbes can tell Like restlesse Heav'n about the Earth 'till I Were certaine of his Death at last He fell At Bosworth field For Tyrans seldome die Of a dry Death it waiteth at their gate Drest in the colour of their Robes of State But what ' though Richard did at Bosworth dye The Persons are but changd and not the Case For now one Henry Tydder doth supply The vacant Seat and prides it in his place This Tyranne did of his corruption breed His grave was Henries wombe his blood his seed Henry for surenesse doth my sister wed It was his fortune to ascend a throne By the assistance of a Ladies bed Whose brother should have lost his life by one I had strange fate to Beds for once my owne Should have my life now hers will have my crowne Thinking to make the Truth by scorning weake He sports at me and sets himselfe aworke To give me names indeed he dares not speake Now thinke my owne without affright for Yorke Is Henries tetragrammaton and he dares No more pronounce it than the Jewes dare theirs He by th' imposing of the forged Stile Of Perkin would upon the Realme impose I am a counterfeit yet he the while Knowes I am Yorke but covers what he knowes Thus to the world two Counterfeits are brought Henry is one indeed J but in thought For were I an Impostor or a meere Imaginary Idoll why should He Me in his thoughts as the true Yorke revere And so commit civill Idolatry The World knowes his devotion and He Can sacrifice no more to Yorke than Me. For when in France his Armes were in the field To question the French Aribute and the Blade Drawne to decide so soone as France did yeeld T' abandon me so soone the Peace was made Here he confess'd my Birth and did advance My naturall Right I made the Peace with France Th' English with Flemmings trade the Flemmings come And trade with them but when th' Arch-duke did mak Some love to me he call'd his merchants home And interdicted trafficke for my sake Then can I be a nothing who have made A Kingdomes Peace and mar'd a Kingdomes trade And were I not that Yorke why should my Aunâ— Of Burgundy both recognize my Cause And second my designes who will not grant That she contesting against natures lawes Should wrong her Neece a Queene if she should get A Kingdome from her for a counterfet But to use farther demonstrations now Were in the Cause and to your judgement vaine Truth and your selfe were prejudic'd for you See clearely and the Truth it selfe is plaine But like to Truth of Old 't is in a Pit And must lie there unlesse you succour it Now in your brow Great Sir me thinkes I spy Characterizd both pitty and beliefe Of my sad state which with my selfe doth fly Vnto your pow'r and justice for reliefe These are the two which can my Hope 's compleat One makes you Good and both may make me great All Actions doe their consummations owe To Can and Will these Principles alone Are all-sufficient and doe grow in you One in your Pow'r and in your Iustice one You are my Gaurdian Angell these your wings Whose quills may write me in the list of Kingâ— The Greatest honour will be thine for I Shall be but as thy Creature a poore thing Temperd by thee and is it not more High And Glorious to make than be a King And know Brave Prince this shall thy honour be Kings have beene made Tyrans unmade by thee Thus Perkin boldly spake and did not spare To promise Mountaines to his Majestie Which are no more in nature than those are Call'd Hyperborean in some History And with such lâ—fe did personate his part That Nature never was so brav'd by Art King Iames to Perkins declaration sayd Who e're he were he never should repent That he had him his sanctuary made His winning lookes made all that saw relent For he
allowance that no more was due Vnto those titles if they had beene true Now the Celestiall powers did ordaine A good effect from a bad accident A Fray at Norham where some Scotts were slaine Brought on the match beyond the Frayes intent 'T was a brave match but a strange kind of wooing Where both the parties sought their owne undoing From ouglie Discord did faire union come So dainty Beauties have their being drew From the darke horror of a Negroes womb Antiquity ne'r such a reason knew To ratifie her Axiom that strife Gave all things Being and all beings life These Nations Concord thus deriv'd from strife From stormie wrath and boistrous injurie Is in that Goddesse typified to life Who is the Queene of love and unity This Venus her Originall must have From a rough billow and a rugged wave The wayes of â—eav'n are Pathlesse ther 's no light To trace or pâ—â—ck them all those Counsels lye Vnder the Privy-Seale of depth and night That boundlesse Arme will worke by contrary And when that Oculist his skill will try Eve'n Clay shall be Colyrium for an eye King Iames incensed that no orders are Tooke by the wardens by his passion driv'n Dispachd a Herauld to denounce a warre If present satisfaction were not giv'n Henry was all for peace for with the Scott The warres were barren and he lov'd them not Therefore Grave Durham who was most engag'd They were his men that did this quarrell make Writes to the King of Scotland thus enragd But no smooth lines this angrie Mars can take Letters from Venus would have faild in this Sent by a Dove and sealed with a Kisse Not thus prevailing he in Person went But Henry first his businesse approves And was his letters fuller supplement For viva vox not the dead letter moves When he Preachd Peace King Iames to peace did bow And 's Gospels not Epistles did allow The King saw farther than the Bishop could He told him that his Match with England might This Knot of Peace inviolable hold A Princes thoughts sore above humane flight Ther 's not a King but is in this like Saul For by the head he 's higher than them all 'T was an indâ—biate Oracle he spake Divining that this matrimoniall tye The great Conjunction of both Realmes would make And that a Peace as fixd as destinie A greater truth nor Priest nor Sibyll gave From Delphian Tripod or Prophetick Cave That age the marriage saw and we in it The great effect a peace inviolate And since the dâ—slocated realmes are knit It will the juncture more consolidate Thus in a bone cure but the fracture right Those parts of all most solidly unite About this time our world began to thinke Of a New world 't was an Italian Head â—here this imagination first did sinck â—hat other Lands might be discovered As Blith Democritus of old had done In his assertion of more worlds than one Ev'n when the world had left to Hope for more And like the Three-Night Giant set a marke And non plus ultra not to be pass'd o're Columbus like the Dove sent from the Arke With wing-like Sailes by unknowne waters past Till he found footing for himselfe at last The furious Youth of Macedon was sad That one poore world should bound his victories But had Columbus lived then he had So plagu'd the Gallant with discoveries That he had forc'd him to confesse that store Did worse torment him now than want before The Prophesie of Seneca did make Small way to this discou'rie it exprest Rather a flash of Poetry and spake Of Islands in the North not in the West It sayd that Thule should no longer be The boundure of the Roman Monarchie This Probability more than the rest Mov'd Him for since but halfe of the degrees Of longitude were knowne toward the West He could not thinke the other halfe was Seas And that the Sunne did nought for halfe his race But gild the waves and there behold his face For this discovery he did obteine The use of three small Barkes from Ferdinand And sayling forty Dayes upon the Maine From the Canaries West discover'd land Then the ships seem'd to daunce and sailes unfurl'd Swel'd not with winde but pride for the New-world With poyson'd breath the Spanish pride would blast This glorious act For Envie doth invade Workes breathing to Eternitie and cast Vpon the fairest peece the greatest shade By petty starres her blacke infection skippes They 're Sunnes and Moones that suffer her Eclipse Nor he alone but even that Age shall want The glory of it since no Spaniard did Find it a Roman shall and hence they vant Some of Augustus coyne was there found hid Th' Historian and mintmaster did conjoyne To coyne this story and to forge this coyne For can it be that in Augustus time When Peace and learning strove with equall Glory And Arts were in their flourish and their prime This thing should not be register'd in story To leave so brave an action unwrit Argues both want of gratitude and wit Rather the Knight fam'd in the Welch records Shall have my Vote for in those Parts there were At their discov'rie found some Brittish words Good monuments that they had once beene there Henry may seeme entitled to the ground As by his Countreyman and subject found But the Acquist was for Castile mark'd downe By destiny which with the Golden East Did at the first compose the Catholick crowne And now hath gilt it with the Golden West And now the starres in his Dominions have Their rise and set their Cradle and their Grave Yet Henry had a tender of these lands Which he embrac'd not for it did not come In a fit time to one whose head and hands Had their just taâ—ke of businesse at Home Perkin that Little World did lately try The strength of Henries best discovery And tries it yet for Perkin hath contriv'd His freedome but is quickly had in chase To keepe him from the sea yet he arriv'd At th' Holy Iland of a Priviledge place And did unto the house of Bethlem flye In Bethlem then an Antichrist did lye The Promise of his life which was the baite That drew him out before drew him out now Some about Henry would have hang'd him straite But Henries disposition could not bow To hate a worme for spirits highly borne Did never joyne their anger to their scorne All that his stomacke suffer'd him to say Was take the Knave and put him in the stockes His heâ—les were justly punished for they Help'd his flight most where having heard their mockâ— And made a Spectacle they did him carry Vnto the Tow'r a fitter Sanctuary Lodg'd there his Keepers he attempts to win Who scorning his contemned state to Eye He plots to worke the Earle of Warwicke in To share the fate of his conspiracie It is hells Art an innocent to make Partake in Sinne in suffering to partake Wearie of life Warwicke the Plot embrac'd And ventur'd
death to flye the feare of it Thus did the Tunnie by a Dolphin chas'd Into a boate with greater danger get He could no longer Deaths expectance beare For death is lesse than deaths continuall feare The Hidden Pow'rs of Heav'n they make and bend Those Councels that a mischiefe should divert Fit to advance it when the fates intend To ruine us our judgements they pervert And adde this greater plague to make us thought The cause which on our selvs the mischiefe brought Soone Warwicke turn'd soone turn'd the Keepers too He was the spring whence they their motions tooke His Fortunes did what Perkins could not doe For Perkin had no baite upon his hooke Nero had nets of Gold had Perkin one Perkin had caught them though he fish'd alone These fellowes the Leisetenants men conspire To Kill their Lord and them their freedome give Rewar'd but hop'd for did these villaines hire To sell his life by whom themselves did live Money and Men a mutuall falshood show Men make false money money makes men so But though their Project was in darkenesse seald Yet he who made the Light from darknesse come Sayd but his Fiat Lux and 't was reveal'd And 't is maintein'd impossible by some That any plot can undiscover'd lye With more than foure in the Conspiracy Perkin who twice before had life obteind By Henries Pardon nor could justly hope The Mercy of another was arraign'd To have his thred of life end in a Rope You may the Ladder a true Emblem call Of his false honours which he clim'd to fall Thus he his fortunes giddinesse did feele For had not fortune turned man would doubt She were the Lady Regent who did wheele The Actions of Mortality about And some unsetteld Head would draw from thence An argument to question Providence At Tow'r hill next the Earle of Warwicke fell With false Plantagenet a true one dyes The reason for 't in state I neede not tell That object 's not proportion'd with my eyes To looke upon and he that argueth least In the affaires of Kings concludeth best If that were true which some of old profest That vicious Soules fled hence themselves did roule And winde into the Body of some beast Which they resembled here then Perkins soule That could so imitate and take a shape Is playing somewhere in a Iugglers Ape But if the Nobler Soules as they maintein'd Were fixed in the Body of some starre Where in a constant motion they reign'd Then Edwards murder'd sonnes and Warwickes are In those call'd Delta of Triangle fashion And there lend vertue to that Constellation Such Envie fell on Henry for the fact That though he ever was observ'd to stand And dare it to th' incounter yet this act He was content to lay on Ferdinand Tir'd with its weight like Atlas he was faine To put it on the Hercules of Spaine Letters were showne from thence wherein was read This doubt his daughters heires might misse the crown If Warwicke liv'd 't was that tooke Warwickes head For which the Lady afterward made knowne Her feare that Heav'n would not the marriage blisse Because 't was made in blood and she meant this This yeare a Jubile at Rome did take Some English purses but the Pope pretends A Holy warre in Palestine to make The People free by such religious ends Sacred pretext's he knew the purse would draine Thus in an ill sense Godlinesse is gaine But now our Doctours Chaires will not allow Warres for religion for the Conscience Is immateriall and disdeignes to bow Vnto the bent of Corp'rall violence 'T is built too strong and high none can invade it Nor lead it Captive but the hand that made it And force is vaine for it advanceth higher The Cause it would oppresse The Martyres blood Made such conceptions in the pregnant fire It brought forth Converts in a numerous brood And the ten persecutions did as much As ten Commandements to make them such Pitty from Love love doth from pitty spring And such a mutuall combination hold That when the sad spectatours in a Ring With wonder and Compassion doe behold Those fixed spirits which no torment awes They pitty first and then they love the Cause That was a merry Turke who when a warre Was by the Pope denounc'd this answere made We Turkes as you Italians say you are Are sprung from Troy then let us Greece invade And joyn'd in one the Trojan warres renew With those who Hector our brave Gransire slew He said that Armes were an improper way To spread a faith nor doth the Signeur take Th' assistance of compulsion at this day Which doth more Hypocrites than Converts make So scoffd at our Religion and our Laws That built a war on so absurd a Cause But ' though Religion will not make a war Legitimate against this Infidell Yet there be motives which sufficient are To rouse us 'gainst this race of Ismael Or else the truth of Prophesie might fall All hands 'gainst his his hands against them all Th' enslaved Christians tir'd with whippes and feares Command us to compassionate their grones The chained slaves whose pittying Oares drop teares Sollicite freedome with such ruthfull Tones That heard there would more Voluntaries come Vnto that Call than a Commanders Drum How many sacred Oratories burnd By the mad zeale of the Mahumetan How many Temples to Moskettos turnd Prophaned by their impious Alcoran It is the Divels policy that where God hath his Church his Chappell should he there God did his Law first in Arabia write And there this Ape of God the Divell meant By Mahomet his Scripture to endite With the same Country he was then content But now growne saucie the same wals must be Seezd by this Rivall of the Deity The world is summond to this glorious strife By all those Kings out of their Kingdomes throwne And by the action to give Iustice life Which lies in this Give every one his owne And spoile this gawdy â—ay who thus presumes Trimd in the Pride of his usurped plumes And since these Scythians in an impious vaunt Vntemple God and Majestie unthrone The singularity of the Act will want Both precedent and imitation To discompose this Barbarous Pow'r which beates Both God and Man from their Imperiall Seates Nor is th' Impresse so difficult as then Their Conquests have enlarg'd them to our doores We may more eas'ly now transport our men Than when they went to the far Easterne shores They have encroachd so neare that we may choose Surely to conquer or as surely loose The Ianizaries bul warks of that state Are broke with idlenesse and cowd with vice As if they purposd to anticipate The loose delights of their dream'd Paradise They were the winds which sweld that sea so high Now they breath faintly and those waves will lie And seemes not Turkie to approach her Fate Having so many yeares no progresse made A certaine note of ruine when a State Comes to its Tropick then 't is retrograde When