that before their swords Did seize the French stood trembling thus an oke Shakes with that wind vshers the thunder stroke For they like thunder shot their furie through Where solidnes did most resistance make And crumble into dust what would not bow Whereon they stand and thence aduanced take Their stately flight on humbled backes we rise And on the wings of ruine conquest flies Thus Rome in a sedition was tooke VVhen Arnulph came there mutinies to quell His souldiers shoutings such amazements strooke That from the wall the startled Romans fell Their heapes were scaling ladders and their fall Made him the staires on which he clim'd the wall The Boheme King in head of all his men Encounters with dehruction and dares Death to a duell which did meete him then And with deepe cutts cancell his date of yeares Disarmd him not he still his weapon held As if his ghost should fight when he was kild Kings vpon whom many depend haue vs'd T' haue danger at a distance nor at all Tread within reach the Theban chiefe accusd Himselfe for being neere an arrows fall For Kings are those chiefe stones which arches knit Let one be dislocated all will flitt A loyall subiect hath nor life nor breath But what 's infus'd and breathed from the Prince Who if he rashly shall encounter death Stifles too cruellie his influeuce And 't is a problem whether thus to dye Or greater rashnes be or crueltie Leaders without disgrace haue sometimes fled He that did flye this day may next day fight Great Amurath had not beene vanquished Had not Huniades beene sau'd by flight Wherelife more than our death auailes the state Valour by flight may looke for better fate But where it doth not leaders must not moue But cope with danger here a Captaines flight Reads basenesse to his men and coward loue Of an ignoble life in such a flight A valliant Diomed will rather dye And scorne to stir though Nestor bids him flye Twice was the King of France beate off his horse By Henault movnted vp as oft did rise And acted to the height of single force He did so noblic fight so well aduise He seemd his armies hand and armies head He fought like Scaeua and like Cesar led The valliaut King still wrastles with his fate As if he would vntwist what that had weau'd Deeming the web of fate had beene like that VVith which the Grecian dame her loues deceiu'd Flesh cannot breake the threds the fates haue spun Like Narses web theirs cannot be vndone Nor Frances strength nor fortune can preuaile Fortune hath left no refuge but to flye The King turnd head and all his men turnd taile And leaue at once the field aud victorie Soone turnd the King the armie turnd as soone Thus a small rudder turnes a Galeone The King congratulates his sonne for this Faire earnest of his future victories And sealeth vp his language with a kisse VVith mute expressions the Prince replies Silence hath Rhetoricke and veiles are best To portrâ—â—â—t that which cannot be exprest Wars greater tempest had forgat to blow And horrors thicker clowdes were driu'n away But lighter mists and weaker blasts did now Appeare to dim the honour of the day Thus when a roring storme hath ceasd to raue A trembliug noyse still murmurs on the waue When the next morne had blusht to see the field Looke redder then her selfe in purple dight Some scatterd troopes as willing to be kild Came rather to a slanghter then a fight If the sound bodies of whole armes faile 'T is ruine for sore members to assaile For by the English breathing death they 're blowne Out of the field and day drawne out of night So many Lords of France were ouerthrowne That yet I ne'r could iudge if that I might Or a misfortune or an honour call That losse should alwaies on their nobles fall FINIS THE BATTAIE OF Poictiers vnder Edward Sirnanamed the Blacke Prince NOt in full orbe as yet his honour shines True honours orbs are fill'd by digits grow By orderlie addictions high designes Doe with Methodicall progression goe Tall Cedars by degrees aduance the top 'T is Mushrome honour in a night springs vp Nature the hand and instrument of heauen VVith sober pace aduanceth fairelie on Her peeces are produc'd by smooth and euen Degrees and grow by soft accession Nature by mediums workes leaps not at all And honour leapd to seemes vnnaturall But yet she stayes not but doth gently pace In her continued march and high borne sprights Worke 〈◊〉 Falcon to wring to her place Winns are by constant circlings not alights Macedoâ— heire could glory he did raise His name by expeditions not delayes Then on great Prince the eldest sonne of Fame Honours first borne continue still to add Items to vertues sum and weare a name Charg'd with more well-won titles than he had Contest for thy inheritance in fame More iust thy interest more faire thy claime France was the court wherein the case was try'd With title so apparant proofes so cleare His plea for honour could not be deni'd By iustice brib'd nay if more worlds there were And Philips sonne had triumpht on them all His suit for honours birthright here should fall But he that would court honour in the field And wed her noblie to his vertue must Hold passion in on a firme basis build And know the causes of his war be iust Great actions if not founded deepe will reele The greatest ship must haue the strongest keele To procure peace or keepe a foe at bay By warding iniuries call a warre iust But not to hug reuenge and make a way For brutish feritie but that Kings must Keepe Kings in good opinion that they know What a wrong is and how to vse a foe T' enlarge the â—iâ—ts of Kingdomes and extend An Empires armes a war may authorize The Prince whom sacred leaues doe most commend And by the style of heau'n is writt most wise Made all the people tributarie bee Were from Euphrates to the midland sea Or to recouer what our right hath beene And what 's deteind vniustly to regaine Where iustice ends there iustlie warrs begin Our Edward thus did war in Aquitaine Thus fierce Camillus taught th' insulting Gaule To weigh the treasure and restore it all King Iohn had setled vpon Charles his sonne Aquitaines Dâ—rchie which did owe her state To Englands Edward who confirm'd it on The Prince with charge his right to vindicate Kings doe marke Kings proceedings and to eye Their waies is politicke necessitie This was that Charles whom the French stories writ First Dolphin Vinbert broken at the chance Of 's onely sonnes decease did giue his right Of Dolphinie to Phillip King of France But with this coution conferd the same They should the heire of Franee the Dolphin name Goe vindicate thy right a word what can Effect a wonder on lame cowardise And teach it moue but to the Prince a man To picture prowes by it doth but this
know How much they were endebted to the bow The lightning cuts the ayre with flaming wing Willing to aide the Sunne in that darke day And heau'ns great shot doth in the welkin ring And with loud bellowings vshers the fray As if for those great Lords which here shall fall Heau'n ow'd a volly to the funerall Shoales of ill-boding Rauens as if the sky Had not beene darke enough a shadow made Darke as the clouds that though the glorious eye Of heau'n had shind they had beene in the shade Foules ioyntly met to feast vpon the dead The guests were tombes where men were buried The pikes are orderd ensignes are displaid And menace braue extremity the light Of glittering helmes and wauing streamers made A day seem cleere which before seemed night Pale feare had amorous lookes and all the while Terrour lookt Iouely and death seemd to smile The shafts headed with death and wingd with speed Now to the arched engine they apply Which as if hungry on mans flesh to feed With greedy certainty appear'd to flye Their bowes with such a certainty they drew As Phaebus did when he the Python slew We to the grey goose wing more conquests owe Than to the Monks inuention for then We cull'd out mighty armes to draw the bow Striplings oft serue vs now then onely men For these hot engins equall mischiefe can Discharged by a boy or by a man Bullets because they vndiscerned flie Worke lesse effects of feare but dangers seene If they cannot be fenc'd more terrifie At startled sence reason hath startled beene Amaz'd to haue so many shafts in sight In hope to ward them they forget to fight A well-selected Archer can let flye Thrice for one shot of the best musketeere And barbed arrowes gall more eagerly Where they once light they second fresh-wounds there And mad the Horse who will not forward stir More sensible of them than of the spur Who madded as they backard fly doe fall Foule on their owne and doe their seruice there Whilst their owne Horses their owne quarters mall They both themselues and enemies must feare Thus broke vvith an vnvvilling courtesie They ope a passage to the enemy The musketeeres discharge but in one ranke At once but whole squadrons of Archers may These wound at randome they but at point blanke And when both sides are now engag'd in fray At push of Pike behind the armed foot Though muskets cannot yet the Bowes may shoot At the fam'd Battaile of Lepanto when Valiant young Austria vvwas admirall The Turkish Archery did slay more men Than by our Peeces of all sorts did fall And the white faith of history cann't show That e're the Musket yet could beat the Bow The Genoan Bowes to make the French horse way In the first point are ranged but the showers Auxiliarie heau'n distild that day Corrupt the Genoan strings but hurt not ours Small things worke much where victory is due And onely hurt your foe though might hurt you Novv since their Bowes vnserviceable be The King commanded Allanson to rent And beate them from the point thus oft we see Actions condemnd for some ill accident Which may miscarry when t is not the crime Of him that did attempt them but the time Meane men are often in small faults impeacht Greatnesse aboue the clouds so high asshrind It cannot by Ioues greatest shot be reacht And laughs at the low vollies of the wind Wolfe-bane 'mongst roses leaues its deadly sent Faults amongst great men find no punishment But th' English of their strings more care did take VVhose winged pursivants deaths message beare Some through loues seat the liuer passage make As if our Archers had beene Cupids there Some strike lifes seat the hart so that you can Scarse tell if death did shoot them or a man As when the colder Region of the ayre Moulds Raine to haile-shot the relenting tree Of the plump God lusty before and faire Looseth her rubies with heau'ns battery Thus fell the French for shoot though in the darke T is hard to misse when the whole fieid's a marke The Genoan tempest is dispell'd their force Diuided wins no feare a mighty flood Cut in small rills is weakned in his course And parted strength is easily withstood Diuide and then you conquer for though none Can breake a sheafe of darts they may break one Disorder's next to ruine and destroyes Th' essence of creatures order did create Then by the rule of contrarieties T is a disorder doth annihilate By this ill shaped enemy doe fall Both bodies politicke and naturall Continu'd or collected bodies are Weakned by their disvnion but doe Get strength by vn'ty beames reflex'd are far More hot because they are vnited so We see in bodies lyâ—ened by a soule The vnion of the parts conserues the whole Divisions ruine Realmes the Monarchies Of Mars his Rome and Macedon thus fall Christendomes whip that now doth tyrannize Shall thus returne to her originall Factions those commas are that bring the state Of Kingdomes to their period and fate The hot Count Alanson with fiery horse Scoures o're the plaines with an impetuousnesse Which eas'ly made it a short-winded course As it was sayd of great Themistocles His heat was quickly cooled and did draw To a too sodaine end like fire in straw The generous-mettald courser as if we Had beene too slow on foot is taught to fight Wee borrow speed to meet our enemy And flie to our reuenge and to doe right Vnto the actiue French old Thessaly Won not more Garlonds than their Chevalrie Armies if we Iphicrates will heare Are of themselues dull bodies nor can weeld Their sullen weights vnlesse the horse be three Which are ihe feet indeed the horse at field Are best in actions of celeritie In expeditions and discouery But horse 'gainst resolute foot can littlewin The mounting is more firme the aimes more sure For footmen haue their mouing from within They from their horse yet horse are more secure In flight and haue as Xenophon did say But the aduantage when they run away The sprightly Count is quickly out of breath Like to heau'ns lightning as soone out as seene A gallant flash before the night of death Those edges soonest turne that are most keene A sober moderation stands sure No violent extremities endure A storme of Enhlish Arrowes breakes their course And routs their troopes stout Alanson's engaged VVithin the lists of death the furious horse Impatient patients of their wounds enraged Dismount their riders vext that they did beare Men that did spur them to those dangers there But carefull Phillip his Battalia brings To disengage his cousen and foresight And prouidence in Kings doth make them Kings Kingdomes are Chaoses without their light And in Niles mysticke characters the eye More than the scepter noted maiesty Suffolke as wary on his battaile drew To ayd his Prince and checke the King of France Whilst rusty horrour through the armies flew And dealt his dole of death indiff'rent
chance Durst not yet choose her side on which to be And no lesse wauering was victory Reason it selfe did thinke it fit to leaue them To their wild passions and let fury guide Now choler of their reason doth bereaue them If fury be at home reason 's deni'd Madnesse and anger differ but in this This is short madnesse that long anger is The swords forgat to glister any more As loth to lend their light to that darke shade They 'r double dyde in a deepe graine of gore Youl 'd thinke they had so many Comets made So many by their fatall seisures dide That Atropos might lay her knife a side Here a hand seuerd there an eare was cropt Here a chap falne and there an eye put out Here was an arme lopt off there a nose dropt Here halte a man and there a lesse peece fought Like to dismembred statues they did stand VVhich had beene mangled by times yron hand There one as if vnwilling should be spent Cost to make Marble seeme to liue doth meane To be himselfe a cheaper monument VVhilst slaine he still vpon his sword doth leane And for the seruice he did there that day Himselfe stood there as his owne statua Heere one all of whose selfe was as one wound Oftner transfixt than mighty Scaeuas shield Sometimes himselfe sometimes he beats the ground Or clings so fast as if he 'de winne the field So many wayes to death yet doth not die The soule vncertaine which way it should flie There two vnited gores doe make one flood Wherein the duellers doe saile to death Thus Elephants and Dragons mixe their blood When both doe vanquish both loose their breath Their angry bloods did in two channells run But friendly now in death flow but in one King Edward like a clowd hung on a hill As Affricks Captaine said of Fabius Marking those gamesters readie to destill When need should bid him be propitious And whilst be wisely watched for their sakes Not onely viewed the sport but kept the stakes As an old Eagle pearched on a tree After the Sunne hath ratified her brood By their vnwaur'ring eyes is proud to see Her royall birds inbrue themselues in blood So stood the King whose heart within him glows To see his Eaglet flesht vpon his foes But as Ioues trees that crowne proud Idas brow Stoope at stiffe Eols oft repeated rore And many drops can eate a Marble through So numbers iterated beare valour ore What can a faintnesse fall on such it can Edward may saint though he be more then man Nor the intelligence that moues the spheare Nor spheare it selfe doe any faintnesse proue Because there is no contrainence there Nat'ralls mou'd nat'rallie may euer moue If to the center were an immense space A stone for euer could maintaine the race But whilst our soules haue vnion with clay Our limbs in vpward motions are prest By their owne strugling waight another way Exhausted spirits bid our motions rest No mortall 's indefatigable then Had they not fainted who had thought them men Now as the English houer on the brinke Of ruine readie now to make a fraight For gristley Charons leaking boate and sinke Vnder the pressure of their numerous weight Vnto the King regardfull suffolke sent He knowes to win that knowes how to preuent The messenger returnes his anfwer this Whilst the Prince liues his highnesse will not care Nor thinke of ayd he saith the day is his As lawfull as his birthright nor will share In his vnriuald fame the field must be Either his graue or stage of victorie Nor was he cruell in this act his sonne Now for his honour fought and in this strife Aid had tooke from 't therfore the King sends none To shew he valu'd honour aboue life To be indulgent to his life had beene To kill his honour and the greater sinne What distance is in man some are as much Beneath an others vertue as aboue The worst of beasts this message cannot touch This man of men nor his fixt spirit moue But should you it vnto a coward tell It had beene deathstroke and the passing bell It was to Edward and this Edward could As well put off himselfe as put on feare It were a â—inne to worth if any should Not thinke him dreadles and vndanted there For he was heire apparent to the state And feare had prou'd him illigitimate Looke as the earth foundation of all Our staring buildings yet it selfe hath none But it s owne selfe secures it selfe from fall And hath no buttresses to leane vpon For whilst graue bodies to the Center run They hug that poynt poise themselues thereon Thus an heroick soule lodgd in a brest In which are centerd all the lines of worth Closely compacted on it selfe doth rest And for its selfe it s owne supplies drawes forth Edwards owne worth if no supportes come on Is its owne base to stay it selfe vpon Hope in great actions is too weake a hold And yeelds her enterteiner to his foe When churlish winds with testie Neptune scold We cut the Cables and let anchors goe Then hope to win when hope of ayd is gone The way to safetie is to looke for none If we had any cowards in the field They purge their aguish passion at the sight To see their Prince menace his flaming shield Like to the Sunne and speare like Comet light Where shaddowes terminate light issues in 'T is first to dare to fight t is next to win But if there were amongst our English hoast Within the colder region of whole blood There dwelt perpetuallice and shiuring frost Which could not be disolu'd they did this good For euery English that did basely dye Bequeath'd his foe his feare for legacie The game of death was but a iest before Turn'd earnest now before they did but try To vse their weapons there they did no more But meditate here practse how to dye And if stearne Mars had left his sanguine throne Here he had met more Diomeds then one Mortality till now had but defraid Some trifling reck'nings on deaths bloody score Some Items not worth speaking now Death's paid Whole summes Charons boat which leak'd before Had suncke right downe had not his Stygian flood Beene made more saileable thickned with blood Armour as if 't were sensible of smart Falls to the ground his flesh who did it beare Is his owne coat of proofe to ward his heart And their owne armes are the best targets there Weapons are dulld but stomackes keener are And hearts are better-pointed then they were In Affricke neere heauens porter Atlas side A Lionesse beseeg'd by men and hownds There makes a breach where it is most denid As free from hope of life as feare of wounds Led by dispaire shee scoures about the plame Thirstie of blood as Affrica of raine So marchd the Prince with his blacke regiment Assisted by the armes of valiant Lords And top'd the gaudy poppies as they went And strooke such terror