a burthen of mishappes All his delightes repentaunce doth dayly dothe pursue Nothing but death doth bryng hym peace and quiet rest Yet that which bringes hym blesse he most of all doth hate Which made Democritus with myrth to spende his dayes He laughing aye did mocke the madnesse of mankynde Whose loue is long to liue and feareth much to dye Death reaues vs from desease Death endes the feare of death When Midas did demaunde Silenus what was best For mortall man to wishe the Satyre thus did say Not to be borne if borne not long our liues to leade For life I most do lothe and death I least doo dread And how did Timon leade with sauage beastes his lyfe How did that Hermite poore his lothsome life detest Affirming with the wise Aurelius Emperour Thaâ— if a man shoulde make a true discourse of all The wretched woes he felt from birth to dying day The feeble fleshe would faynt to feele so sharpe a â—ight The hart would quake to heare Dame Fortunes sharpe assaults And I Cadwallader a king can make reporâ— That nothing may content the mind of mortall man The more my selfe did eate the hungryer ay I was The more I dranke the more thirst did me stil distresse The more I sâ—ept the more I sluggishe did remayne The more I rested me the more I wearyed was The more of wealth I had the more I dyd desire The more I still did seeke the lesse I aye did finde And to conclude I founde I neuer coulde obtayne The thing but in the ende it causde me to complayne My present good successe did threaten thrall to come And changing chaunce did still with sorowe me consume For which my royall robes my crowne I layd aside Meaning to proue by proofe the paynes of pouertye Which pouertie I felt all ryches to exceede It beareth much more blesse then hygh and courtly state Codrus and Irus poore for wealth did farre surpasse Midas and Craesus king for wealth who did surpasse And I amongst my mates the Romishe Fryers felt More ioye and lesse anoye then erst in Britaine braue For there I doubted still the Saxons subtile sleyghtes I feared there the fall from royall regall seat But here at Rome I liude not fearing force of foe I had for myne estate what I coulde wish or craue And this I there did finde they of the Cleargye be Of all the men that liue the leste in misery For all men liue in care they carelesse do remayne Lâ—ke buzzing Drones they eate the hony of the Bee They â—nely doo excel for fine felicitie The kiâ—â— must wage his warres he hath no quiet day The noble man must rule with care the common weale The Countreyman must toyle to tyll the barren soyle With care the Marchant man the surging seas must sayle With trickling droppes of sweat the haÌ„dcrafâ—es man doth thriue With hand as harde as bourde the woorkeman eates his bread The souldiour in the fielde with paine doth get his pay The seruing man must serue and crouch with cap and knee The Lawier he must pleade and trudge from bentch to barre Who Phisicke doth professe he is not voyde of care But Churchmen they be blest they turne a leafe or two They sometime sing a Psalme and for the people pray For which they honour haue and sit in highest place What can they wishe or seeke that is not hard at hande They labour not at al they knowe no kinde of payne No daunger dooth with dreade their happy liues distresse Ceasse you therefore to muse what madnesse made me leaue The Courte and courtly pompe of wearing royal crowne No madnesse did that deede but wisedome wisht it so I gaynd thereby the blesse which fewe before me felt I niene yeares led my life and neuer felt annoy And certaynely if nowe I might be king agayne Refusing all that pompe I woulde become a priest A Deacon or a Deaâ—e Prebende or Minister For these men leade their liues with liuings two or three Some haue their substitutes in Uniuersities Some leade the brauest liues that any man may haue They feede vppon the fleece they force not of the flocke Three houres in the yere with beastly bosomde stuffe They spend and that is all that lawe of them requires Muse not though many thrust and shoulder for degrees For happy man is he who hath a Preachers fees But let me nowe returne vnto my Romishe route Who fed like Bacon fat did nought but play and pray With whom for niene yeares space when I my life had led I songe my Requiem and payde the earth her fee. Then in Saint Peters Church at Rome they did me lay Booted and spurd euen as you see me here this day So now you haue the whole of all my Tragedye Of Brutus bloode the last I â—ude that rulde as king My Britaines driuen to Wales they Welchmen then were calde And I at Rome their king a mumbling Monke instald The Saxons had the day for which they longed long They England calde the Ile of Brute which tooke her name Some men be borne to blisse and some to hatefull happe Who would haue thought that I in warre a raging kyng Should by the force of Fate at Rome haue dide a Monke Let al the worlde then know that nothing is so sure That can affoorde and say I thus wyl aye indure For that which seemeth best is soonest brought to naught Which playnely doth appeare by that which I haue taught The worthiest in the worlde princes philosophers Will teach that I haue taught and proue it passing playne Paulus Aemiâ—ius did dye but wretchedly And was not Scipio euen to his dying day Constraynde to helpe his neeede the painfull plowe to plye Caesar and Silla both did not they tast the whyppe And made not Hannibal a miserable ende And how was Socrates before his tyme destroyed And Anaxagoras inprisoned long with paine For cruel beastly coyne diuine Plato was soulde And Aristotle sent to exile where he dyde And so was Solon sage and that Licurgus wise And many more which here I could at large repeat But let these fewe suffice to teach for certaine truth That al the men that liue are subiectes al to ruth And seeing so it is then let them learne the meane That if the barke do breake they safe may swimme to lande The Induction The greate desire quoth Inquisition whiche we haue had to heare this man hath made vs to ouerpasse king Arthur and Cariticus the one no lesse famous for his noble actes then the other for his vices and wretchednes infamous Yea said Memory so haue we forgot two or three other whose examples would haue been goodly lanternes to lighten wandryng pylgrimes But it is not much amisse for of Arthur there be whole volumes and of the rest ther be the like ensamples both in Bochas and Baldwin let vs therefore passe them ouer and speake somwhat of some of the Saxons for seeing they were made of fleshe and
I feare the force of forrayne foyle Why should I not assay with courage stout To wreake my wrath vppon the Romishe route Which heere remayne whome to the bale to bringe Were me to crowne my natiue countries King. One thinge there is which greatly doth me grieue Seuerus he who did inhance my state He did in my distresse with life relieue My dyinge dayes he neuer did me hate Yet now with hym I must be at debate Euen hym with myght I greatly must disgrace â— are I can set my selfe in princely place Untimely death shall not destroy his dayes For if he wyl returne to Rome agayne Or if he wil resigne his â—â—owne with prayse Or if hee wyl amongst vs styl remayne If he can like of these we wyl refâ—ayne From sheading bloude which if he dothe disdayne I then against my â—yl 〈◊〉 woorke his paine So foorth I past with al my power prest Seuerus did at Durham then delay Whereas I mente his state to haue distrest But some I thinke my secretes did bewray For he to Yorke in hast did take his way Which when I had bessiegde on euery side with care and griefe of minde Seuerus dide Se heere the force of cruel fretting care Se heere how sorowe doth dismay the minde For when he harde Carassus did prepare To reue his crowne he iudging me vnkinde With sobbing sighes of sorrowe he resignde Before his time his minde from manly breste Beholde with care how sorrowe reaues mans rest Thus he intombde in his vntimely Chest It was decreed Carassus shoulde be King The three estates of al my Realme were prest With one consent they al to me did bring The kingly crowne then thus they al did singe The due desertes of this renowned wyght Deserues to be the Britayne king by right Marke by what steppes I dyd the toppe obtayne With keeping sheepe my youthful yeares were spent Then with the whyp I plide the Plowe amayne In Mars his feeldes to fight my minde was bent As Legate then to Rome my selfe was sente I dubbed was a Lorde of high renowne And now at laste I haue obtaynd the Crowne The ende the acte the Plaudite dooth proue And all is well whose endyng is not yll Who sittes aloft had neuer neede to moue For feare least he shoulde fall agaynst his wyll Though creepyng he dyd gayne the toppe with skil Yet at the last by turning of his toe A suddayne fall may worke his wretched wâ—e Which fall I felt and how I here wyll showe When I as King dyd all the Realme comaunde I fearefull dyd suspect mine ouerthrow The place mee thought dyd shake where I dyd stande Then for my garde I dyd prouide a bande Of warlyke wights to garde my Noble grace I lastly dyd my Noble men displace From foorth the Feeldes I for my Father sent Hym of a Clowne a Noble man I made My Brethren all euen for the same intent Lyke Courtiers there in Court with me they stayde And all my stock were glad and well apayde For they of late which rulde the paynefull Plow Of Brittayne Lande they bee the Rulers now From Cart to Court a Countrye man to call With braue attyre to decke a dunghyll Dycke Is lyke a paynted Image in a wall Which dooth deceiue and seemeth to vee quicke Though woorkmanship most trimly dooth it tricke Yet of a stone a stone wyll still remayne A Clowne cannot from Clownish deedes refrayne As hard it is of quarryed Marble stone For man to make a liuely mouing wyght As of a Lout or els of such a one Who dayly doth imploy his whole delyght To digge and delue it passeth mortal myght To make him serue in Courte a kinges behest Turne hym to plowe the Cart for him is best For though thou canst by cunninge art compell Nature a tyme to leaue her wonted place She wyl returne in spight of heauen or hell No Alcumist Dame Nature can displace Except that God doth geue abundant grace The Caske wyl haue a taste for euermore With that wherewith it seasoned was before Why did I then my courtlesse court mayntayne With Hob and Ihon Rafe Royster and his mate Whose greedy iawes aye gaping after gayne Did â—olle and pil and bred bitter debate Men much vnmeete to mayntayne myne estate Why did I them so neare myne elâ—owe place Because my selfe by byrth was borne but bace Like wyl to lyke the Mule doth claw her mate With horned beastes the Ienite cannot iest Those bauling Houndes the haughty Harte doth hate With Beares the Beare in safety countes her best So I amongst my lyke did looke for rest Their dedes by me were alwayes wel alowde By them likewyse my doinges were avowd But as you see the Husbandman with care From new sowne feeldes the rauening Roâ—kes to driâ—â—e So dyd the Gentrie of my Realme prepare My Countrie Courte and mee for to depriue But Gentlemen were then to weake to striue With mee and mine for which they dyd prepare A new founde snache which dyd my feete insnare In surgelesse Seas of quiet rest when I Seauen yeares had sayld a perrye did arise The blastes whereof abrigde my liberty For whilste I dyd with busye brayne deuise Them to destroy which did my Courte despise The boystrous blastes of hatred blewe a gale My Cables crakte my Barke was bongd with bale For they I meane the Gentrie of my Lande Both mee and mine theirs and themselues had sold Subiects to Rome from whence a mighty bande They had conuaide to make my courage cold Into my Realme they could not be controlde But when they were ariude they quickly brought Both me and mine and all the rest to nought Alectus then the Chieftayne of the resâ— Spoyling my friendes he forst me to the feelde The daye was come we both in fight were prest His trustlesse trayne did seeme to me to yeelde But al the feeldes with great ambushmentes filde I coulde not flee Alectus had the day With his owne sworde for breath he made me bray As due desert did force my shippe to flote So vices vile me drencht in waues of woes O false suspect why didst thou make me dote Fearing my fall my friends I deemd my foes Fearing the worst the best I did depose And was deposde let other learne heereby The crooked Crabbe wyl alwayes walke awry And let them know which do not lothe to learne That kinges in Court be combred most with care The Pilotes charge who sitteth at the stearne Doth make him watche when other do prepare Them selues to sleep so kinges distressed are With doutful dread and many other thinges The sheepheardes life is better then the kinges The Induction CArassus hauing thus finished his Tragicall History Inquisition presented vnto Memory the Lady Hellina But Memorye hauing her at the fyrst sight in great admiration sayde as followeth Why haue you brought before vs the Goddesse Diana Our intent is to heare the complayntes of them who are smothered with Forgetfulnesse as for
this blade and thrust it to my harte O Sir I sayd the Goddes defend that I Should causelesse kil a man in myserye Tel me thy name and place then by and by I wyl prouide for thyne aduersitie Then he replide my name is Sigeberte I am the man which wrought thy masters smart I rulde of late this Realme euen at my liste Take thou reuenge with that thy friendly fiste And wel content I wyl reuenge with speede The death of him whome causelesse thou didst kill King Sigebert and art thou he in deede Sith he thou art dispaâ—th and make thy wyl For to my Lorde this day I wyl present Thy head therefore thy former faultes repent Thou seest the blocke on which thy lyfe must ende Cal thou for grace that God may mercie sende Wherewith the kneelyng by he block of bale Dispatch quoth he and do that friendly deede O welcome death and farewel Fortune fraile Dispatch good friende dispatch my lyfe with speede Wherewith on blocke he stretcht his necke out right And sayd no more but praying me to smite I gaue the stroke which ended al his care A blouddie stroke which did my death prepare For I who hopte to haue some great rewarde For killing of my maisters fathers foe Was hanged strayght my cause was neuer hearde Such was my chance and wel deserued woe For when my Lord had heard me tel the tale Howe I his king and myne did there assayle His frowning face did put me in great feare He sighte and sobde and sayd as you shal heare O Caitife vile O impe of Satans seede And hast thou kylde our Soueraigne Lorde and kyng His due deserte deserueth death in deede Yet what made thee to doo so vile a thinge What though he dyd my Father causelesse kyll What though he rulde the Realme with lawlesse wyll Shall we therefore with cruel bloudy knyfe Depriue our Lorde and king of vitall lyfe O filth fye may subiectes false surmise With murthering mindes their Gouernour resiste That may not be for Tully wonderous wyse Plato in whom true knowledge dooth consiste They both agreed that nâ— man ought to kyll A Tyrant though he hath hym at his wyll Yet thou thou wretche this bloudy deede hast donne The like was neuer seene vnder the Sunne When God wyl plague the people for their sinne Them then to scourge he doth a Tyrant sende We should therefore that subiectes be begin With earnest minde our former faultes tamende Which if we do it is to great auaile Mans force is fonde fighting cannot preuayle And he who doth resist the Magistrate Resisteth god repenting al to late If subiects be by peruerse Prince opprest They then must pray that God the change maye make Which God no doubt Rebellion doth detest No subiect may his sworde nor armoure take Against his Prince whom god hath placed there Yet hath this wretch al voyde of Subiectes feare Destroyde a King whome God did thrust from throne Alas poore king thy death I do bemone But he who hath thy lyngring lyfe destroyde Shal be destroyd and finde it passing playne That no man may a Princes lyfe anoye Although the Prince desiers to be slayne Yet subiectes must from sheading bloud refrayne From which seeing this wretch could not abstayne Let him be hangde as I before decreed A iust rewarde for his so vile a deed Then I forthwith to end my lyfe was led I hopte to haue preferment for my deede I was preferde and hangde al saue the head Did euer man the lyke example read Not one I thinke therefore good Memorie In register inrolle thou this for mee That they who liue and read the fall I felt May â—inde how Fate most strangely with me delte Yet my desert no doubt dyd death deserue Though hatred dyd not make mee kyll my kyng Yet lucre lewde dyd force my feete to swarue That hatefull hap mee to this bale dyd bring Let them then learne that heedlesse liue by hope Her hatefull hestes wyll bring them to the rope And happy he who voyde of hope can leade A quiet lyfe all voyde of Fortunes dread Perillus he who made the Bull of Brasse Lyke him I hopte to haue some great rewarde But he in brasen belly broyled was And to a Skarfe of Hempe I was preferde So they that meane by others harmes to rise Their dying day shall ende with dolefull cries â–ª And here I ende approuing that most true From wicked workes no goodnesse can insue ⧠The Induction THis Heardman quoth Inquisition dooth make me cal to minde Pans Preachers I meane Maroes shepherds Siluanus CaÌ„didus and such lyke who with their Oten Pipes dyd often times disâ—lose very intricate mysteries reasoning pro et con of many high poynts belonging vnto the common weale And I know not with what knowledge they dyd decide doubtfull matters accordyng vnto the opinyon of the best Philosophers Surely Memorie I maruel much at the men of the olde worlde for I read of many who hauing many passing great giftes of learning and knowledge were content with the base estate of Heardmen In these our dayes none bee Heardmen but fooles and euery man though his witte be but meane yet he cannot liue with a contented mind except he hath the degree of a Lorde â–ª It is moste true sayde Memorye for heretofore men did not raunge vntyed in such a worlde of libertye as they doo nowe then the wisest was best content with the lowest estate yea Reason so bridled the affections of men that Apollo whome Poetes do faygne to be the verye God of wisedom what was he but a shepehearde and that verye poore as it woulde seeme for he kepte Admetus hearde in Thessalie And Argus who for the sharpnesse of his wit was reported to haue an hundred eies he also was content to be a Cowheard And were not Bacchus Saturne and mighty Iupiter delighted in husbandrie But he who is most wyse in these our dayes doth approue him selfe most folish by thrusting himselfe vnto his owne destruction which this Heardman hath declared sufficiently â—n this storie of Sigebert But let vs nowe proceede and let vs by examples teach what fruit vertue and vice coÌ„tentation and ambition doth yeeld Then let them of this world choose whether lyke the wise Mariners they wil auoyd those daÌ„gerous rocks or willingly cast theÌ„selues away Proceede therfore good Inquisition let vs see whom you haue here Shee will declare her selfe quoth Inquisition what she is but for the better vnderstanding of her talke you must think that you see .51 NuÌ„nes al Ladies by birth hauing all their noses vpper lippes flead of al flaming in a fire being shut into a church then do you imagine that you see this Lady the mistris and gouerner of the rest standing dismembred burning amongst the rest to say as foloweth The Lyfe of Ladye Ebbe Howe Lady Ebbe dyd flea her nose and vpper lippe away to saue her Virginitie DO nothing muse at my deformed face
place here O Memorie quoth Inquisition they of the reformed Church be the most zelous Pastoures of the world moste of theÌ„ both godly good liuers and wise and in my fancye in many poyntes greatly deseruing the name of reformed But this man was both a Prince and a Prelate whome I refused oftentimes to heare because he looked so deuoutly yet he beeing importunate did ouercome me with his prayers and when I gaue eare vnto him I reioyced And not without a cause good Memorye for it is euen he whom you sent me to seeke Let me see quoth Memorie is it Cadwallader In good time it is euen he in deede O se what the alteration of apparel doth in good fayth I had almost forgotten the man he was the last King of the Brittaynes and when thinges would not fal out after his desire he went to Rome and there he became a Frier But we wyl not accuse him of anye thing let him do the thing that he commeth for you may perswade your selfe that seing he is of the Church his conscience wyl constrayne him in euery thing to tel the truth Then he stepped forthe booted and spurde al in blacke with a long priestes Gowne a square cappe a Scala Caeli in his hande and a longe payre of Beades by his side then he sighing proceeded vnto his purpose and said as followeth ⧠The Complaynt of Cadwallader How Cadwallader the last King of the Brittaynes â–ª after he had behaued him selfe very valiantly against the Saxons resigned his Crowne and went to Rome where he liued in a religious house This storye contayneth in it the estate of al estates You mourning Muses al where euer you remayne Assist my sobbing soule this drierye tale to tell You furious Furies fearce of Lymbo Lake belowâ— Helpe to vnlade my brest of al the bale it beares And you who felte the falle from honors high renowne FroÌ„ graues you grizie ghosts seÌ„d forth to help me mourn O Pallas geue thou place that mourning Clio may On Lute lamenting sound and sing my doleful dumpes Let riming metered lines and and pleasant Musike cease Let Satyres sollome sound sende forth the fall I felt And when the truth of al my Tragedie is knowne Let them that liue then learne al things must haue an end The Persian Monarch and Medes it downe did fal That of Assiria in tracte of time did end Yea Alexanders force in fight subdude them both And brought the worlde so wide into one Monarchie What though the fretting force of Fate did him dismâ—y He felt at laste the foyle his vaunting was in vayne He dead the worlde it was deuided as before The Roman Emperie came tumbling downe at last And where is Troy and Greece and mightie Macedon They flourishte for a tyme like this my little I le The Soldian brought them downe and did theyr states destroy Euen so the Saxons brought the Britayns to the bay Euen these mine eyes did see that hateful â–ª hidious sight These feeble handes when long they labourde had in vaine Dyd yeeld their interest then thus I did complayne Who can refrayne the force of mightye mounting Seas When bellowes make a breache and beate the banckes adown Doth not the saltish surge then beate the bankes adown Then man may not withstand the the rigor of their rage But wisedome would haue kept the waues within their boundes Counsayle doth come to late when hope of helpe is past Such was my filthye fate my lewde and lothsome lucke I sought a salue to cure and helpe the helpelesse wound For long before my tyme seuen Kings were setled here The Saxons such as dwelt by East Sibertus rulde The Angles in the East Redwallus â—ulde as king Then Ethelbert was king of all the coast of Kent In Southsex Ethelwolfus wore the regall crowne Then Quincillinus was a Saxon king by west Of Martia in the midst king Penda was the Prince And Edwin in Northumberland did rule and raygne How dyd my Grandsire grand renowmed Arthur he These seuen destroye wyth deadly field of wrackfull warre â–ª But Mordred made the meane that brought them in agayne Vorâ—iporus wyth warre almost consumde them all Then Malgo he with peace restorde agayne their state Cariticus the synne of Ciuil stryfe did loue For which Gurmundus did the Britaynes much annoy Then Cadwin out of Wales kyng Etheldred did spoyle Cadwalline then did force king Penda to a foyle And I Cadwallader at last did presse in place Then Lothar king of Kent in warre that wretch I slue And Ethiwolne â—he king of Southsaxons I spoylde The other fiue did me inuade with cruel fight With whom in diuers warres I diuersly did speed Somtime Bellona blewe a blessed blaste for me And changed chaunce somtime did farce my men to flee Whilst thus I wagde my warres in secrete silent night The very voyce of God it thus to me did speake Thou striust ageinst the streame the tide doth beate thee backe Strike thou thy Sailes take Ancor hold els must thou feele a wracke â–ª Which saying did in deede amaze me more by muche Then al the force that man against my wil might bende For who the wyll of God with weapons may resist And when as sinne hath solde a countrye to decay Then prayer must preuayle for weapons will not helpe And when the end is come when all the glasse is runne Who can resist the force of Fate and destinies Who things forerunne to fal from falling can refraine It passeth mortall might to bring such thinges about Let man content himselfe to do what best he may By trying too to much no man his God may tempte But mortall man must thinke that God the best doth knowe Who can depresse to dust and cayse when best him please And as I thus amidst my musinges did remayne I did resigne my crowne and deemde al honoures vayne And though it greeude me muche to feele the fall I felte Yet was I well content I could not as I would For which I left my lande my people and my place The Saxons they obtaynde the wage for which they warrde When I three yeares had raygnd without one day of rest Euen then in mourning robes at Rome I did ariue And there contemning all the worlde and worldly thinges I made my selfe a Monke ceasse Memory to muse A Monke I made my selfe thou knowst it passing playne Amongste the Friers there I led my lyngring life And tyll my dying day I daily did deuise How by my meanes it might to all the worlde be knowne That mortall flesh is frayle and euery thing must fade And euen amongst those thinges which Nature doth create Nothing so vile as man amongst the rest is founde Which made Heraclitus with ceasslesse sighes to wayle He to hys dying day did nothing els but weepe Affirming all the worlde vnder the heauen to be A path of penitence a maze of misery What is the life of man but care and daily toyle Bearyng alwayes about