long and lasting praise If I should tell his story pride was all his glory And lusty Stuekly he was cald in court he serud a Bishop of the west And did accompany the best maintaining still him selfe in galant sort Being thus esteemed and euery where well deemed He gaind the fauour of a London dame daughter to an Alderman Curtis he was called than to whom a sutor gallantly he came When she his person spied he could not be denied So braue a Gentle man he was to see she was quickly made his wife In weale or woe to lead her life her father willingly did so agree Thus in state and pleasure ful many daies they measure Till cruell death with his regardles spight bore old Curtis to his graue A thing that Stukely wisht to haue that he might reuell all in gold so bright He was no sooner toombed but Stukely presumed To spend a hundred pound that day in wast the brauest gallants of the land Had Stukelies purse at their command thus merily the time away he past Tauerns and Ordinaries were his cheefest braueries Goulden angells flew there vp and downe râ—â—ts were his best delight With stately feastings day and night in court and Citty thus he won renowne Thus wasting land and liuing by this his lawlesse giuing At last he sould the pauements of his yard which couered were with blocks of tin Old Curtis left the same to him which he consumed vainely as you heard Where at his wife sore greeued desird to be relceued Make much of me deere husband she did say I le make much more of thee quoth he then any one shall verily I le â—ell thy clothes and so will go my way Cruelly thus hearted away from her he parted And trauelled to Italy with speed there he slorisht many a day In his silkes and rich aray and did the pleasures of a Lady feed It was this Ladies pleasure to giue him gold and treasure And to maintaine him in great pomp and faine at last came newes assuredly Of a batlaile fought in Barbary and he would valiantly go see the same Many a noble gallant sould both land and tallant To follow Stukely to this famous fight whereas three Kings in person would Aduentrously with courage bould within the battaile shew themselues in sight Stukely and his followers all of the King of Portugall Had entertainement like to gentlemen the King affected Stukely so That he his secrets all did know and bore his royall standard now and then Upon this day of honour each King did shew his banner Morocco and the King of Barbery Portugall with al his traine Brauely glistred on the plaine and gaue the onset there most valiantly The Cannons they resounded thundring drums rebounded Kill kill as then was all the soldiers cry mangled men lay on the grownd And with blood the earth was dround the sun was likewise darkened in the skye Heauen was sore displeased and would not be appeased But tokens of Gods heauy wrath did show that he was angry at this war He sent a fearefull blazing star wherby these Kings might their misfortunes know Bloody was this slaughter or rather wilfull murther Whhere six score thousand fighting men was slaine three Kings within this battaile died With forty Dukes and Carles beside the like will neuer more be fought againe With woful armes infoulding Stukely stood beholding This bloody sacrifice of soules that day he sighing said I wofull wight Against my Conscience heere did fight and brought my followers all vnto decay Being thus molested and with greefes oppressed These braue Italians that did sell their lands with Stukely thus to trauell forth And venture liues for little worth vpon him al did lay their murthering hands Unto death thus wounded his heart with sorrow sounded And to them all he made this heauy mone thus haue I left my contry deere To be so vildly murthered heere euen in this place wheras I am not known My wife I haue much wronged for what to her belonged I vainely spent in idle course of life what I haue done is past I sée And bringeth naught but greefe to me therfore grant now thy pardon gentle wife Life I see consumeth and death I feele presumeth To change this life of mine into a new yet this me greatest comfort brings I liu'd and died in loue of Kings and so braue Stukely bids the world adew Stukelies life thus ended was after death befrended And like a soldier buried gallantly where now there stands vpon his graueÌ„ A stately temple builded braue with golden Turrets peircing in the skye FINIS A most royall song of the life and death of our late renowned Princesse Queene Elizabeth To the tune of the Ladies fall IN England raigned once a king eight Henry cald by name Which made faire Anne of bullaine Queene of England in great fame UUho brought vnto this Centry ioy and to her King delight A daughter that in England made Gods Gospell shine most bright At Greenwitch was this Princesse borne that gallant place in Kent A house belou'd of Kings and Queenes a house of sweet content Euen in her childhood she beganne so stor'd with heauenly grace That all Estates both high and low her virtues did embrace None like Elizabeth was found in learning so deuine She had the perfect skilfull arts of all the muses nine In Latten Gréeke and Hebrew shée most excellent was knowne To forraine Kings Ambassadors the same was daily showne The Itallian French and Spannish tongue she well could speake and read The Turkish and Arabian spéech grew perfect at her need Her musicke made her wonderfull so cunning therein found The fame whereof about the world in Princes eares did sound Yet when her royall parents liues by death were tane away And her deare brother Edward turnd to clodds of earth and clay Her cruell sister Mary sought her lasting greefe and woe Regarding not the guifts that God vppon her did bestow A bloody raigne Queene Mary liud a Papist in beléefe Which was vnto Elizabeth a great heart breaking gréefe A faithfull Protestant was she at which Quéene Mary spighted And in Elizabethes mishaps she daily much delighted Poore maiden by the Bishops wills in prison she was put And from her frends and comforters in cruell manner shut Much hoping she would turne in time and her true faith forsake But firme she was and patiently did all these troubles take Her sister forthwith gaue command her diat to be small Her seruants like wise very few Yea almost none at all And also would haue tane her life but that King Phillip said Oh Quéene thy contry will report thou hast the Tiger plaid The Lord thus put this King in mind his chosen Saint to saue And likewise to Quéene Maries life a sodaine ending gaue And so Elizabeth was fetcht from prison to a crowne Which she full foure and forty yeares possest with much renowne She popery first of all supprest and in our English tongue Did cause Gods
A CROVVNE GARLAND OF GOVLDEN ROSES Gathered out of Englands royall garden Being the liues and strange fortunes of many great personages of this Land Set forth in many pleasant new songs and sonetts neuer before imprinted By Richard Iohnson AT LONDON Printed by G. Eld for Iohn Wright and are to be sold at his shop at Christ Church gate 1612 A PRINCELY SONG made of the Red Rose and together by king Henry the seauenth and Elizabeth Plantaginet daughter to Edward the fourth from whom our now Soueraigne Lord King Iames linnially descended To the tune of when Flying fame WHen Yorke and Lankaster made war within this famous land The liues of Englands royall péeres did in much danger stand Seauen English Kings in bloody feelds for Englands crowne did fight In which their heires were all but twaine of liues bereaued quight Then thirty thousand Englishmen were in one battle slaine Yet could not all this English blood a setled peace obtaine For fathers kind their déere sonnes killd and sonnes their fathers slew Yea kindreds fought against their kind and not each others knew At last by Henries lawfull claime this wasting warre had end For Englands peace he soone restord and did the same defend For Tyrant Richard namd the third chiefe bréeder of this woe By him was slaine neare Leaster towne as cronicles doc show All feares of warre he thus exild which ioyd each Englishman And daies of long desired peace within the land began He ruld his Kingdome by true loue to theire his subiects liues For euery one had dayly ioy and comfort of their wines King Henry had such princely care our further peace to frame Tooke faire Elizabeth to wife that gallant Yorkest dame Fourth Edwards daughter blest of God to scape King Richards spight Was thus made Englands peareles Quéene and Henries hearts delight Thus Henry first of Tudors name and last of Lankaster With Yorkes right heire a true-loues knot did linke and tie full fast Renowned Yorke the White Rose gaue braue Lankaster the Red By wedlocke here conioynd to grow both in one princely bed These Roses sprang and budded faire and carried such a grace That Kings of England in their armes affords them worthy place And florish may these Roses long that all the world may tell The owner of these princely flowers in vertues doe excell To glorifie these Roses more King Henry and his Quéene First plac'd their pictures in red gold most gorgrous so be séene The Kings owne gard now weares the same vpon their backes and brest Where loue and loyalty remaines and euer-more shall rest The Red Rose on the backe is plast thereon a crowne of gold The White Rose on the brest as braue and costly to behold Bedeckt most rich with siluer stues on cotes of Scarlet red A blushing hew which Englands same now many a yeare hath bred Thus Tudor and Plantaginet these honors first deuized To well-come long desired peace with vs so dearely prized A peace that now maintayned is by Iames our royall King For peacobrings plenty to the land with euery blessed thing To speake againe of Henries praise his Princely liberall hand Gaue guifts and graces many waies vnto this famous land For which the Lord him blessings sent and multiplied his store In that he left more wealth to vs then any any King before For first his swéet and louely Quéene a ioy aboue the rest Brought him both sonnes and daughters faire to make this kingdome blest The royall blood that was at ebb so increased by this Quéene That Englands heires vnto this day doe florish faire and gréene The first faire blessing of his séede was Arthur prince of Wales Whose vertues to the Spanish court quite ore the Ocean sayles There Ferdinand the King of Spaine his daughter Katherne gaue For wife vnto the English Prince a thing that God would haue Yet Arthur in his lofty youth and blooming time of age Submitted méekely his swéet life to deaths impartiall rage Who dying so no issew left the swéet of natures ioy Which compast England round with grief◠and Spaine with sad anoy King Henries second comfort prou'd a Henry of his name In following time eight Henry cald a King of noble fame He conquered Bullen by his sword With many townes in France His manly might and fortitude did Englands fame aduance He Popish Abbies first supprest and Papestry puld downe And bound their lands by parliment vnto his royall crowne He had thrée children by thrée wiues all Princes raining here Edward Mary and Elizabeth a Quéene belou'd most deare These thrée swéet branches bare no frute God no such ioy did send Through which the Kingly Tudors name in England here had end The last Plantaginet that liu'd was nam'd Elizabeth Elisabeth last Tudor was the greatest Quéene of earth Seuenth Henry yet we name againe Whose grace gaue frée consent To haue his daughters married both to Kings of high dessent Margret the eldest of the twaine Was made great Scotlands Quéene As wise as faire as vertuous as eare was Lady séene From which faire Quéene our royall King by lineall course descendeth And rightfully inioyes that crowne Which God now still befrendeth For Tudor and Plantaginet by yéelding vnto death Hath made renowned Stewards name the greatest vpon earth His younger daughter Mary calld as Princely by degrée Was by her father worthy thought the Quéene of France to be And after to the Suffolke Duke was made a noble wise Where-in the famous English court she lead a vertuous life King Henry and his louely Quéene reioyst to sée the day To haue their children thus aduanst with honors euery way Which purchast pleasure and content with many a yeares delight Till sad mischance by cruell death procur'd them both a spight The Quéene that faire and princely damo that mother méeke and mild To ad more number to her ioyes againe grew big with child All which brought comfort to her King against which carefull hower He lodgd his deare kind-hearted Quéene in Londons stately Tower That Tower which prou'd so fatal once to Princes of degrée Prou'd fatall to this noble Quéene for therein died she In child-bed lost she her swéet life her life estéemed so deare Which had béene Englands louing Quéene full many a happy yeare The King herewith pocest with griefe spent many months in moane And dayly sight and said that he like her could find out none Nor none could he in fancy chuse to make his wedrd wise Therefore a widdower would remaine the remnant of his life His after daies be spent in peace and quietnesse of mind Like King and Quéene as these two were the world can hardly find Our King and Queene yet like to them in vertue and true loue Haue heauenly blessings in like sort from heauenly powers aboue A delightfull song of the foure famous feasts of England the one of them ordayned by King Henry the seuenth of the honor of Marchant Taylers shewing how seauen Kings haue bin
pure Uirgins bed Behold I am conceau'd with childe To which vile folly you me led for now this déed that I haue wrought Throughout this country well is knowne And to my woâ—ull parents brought Whom now for me do make great mone How shall I looke them in the sace When they my shamelesse selfe shall sée Oh cuâ—sed Eue I séele thy case When thou hadst tasted on the trée Thou hidst thy selfe and so must I But God thy trespasse quickly found The darke may hide me from mans eye But leaue my shame still to abound Wide open are mine eyes to looke Upon my séed and heauy sinne And quite vnclasped is the booke Where my accounts are written in This sinne of mine deserueth death Be Iudge Lord Wigmoore I am shée For I haue tread a strumpets path And for the same I néeds must dye Bespotted with reproachfull shame To ages following shall I bee And in records be writ my blame Lord Wigmoore this is long of thée Lord Wigmoore prostrate at thy féete I craue my iust deserued doome That death may cut off from the roote This body blossom branch and bloome Let modesty accuse this crime Let loue and law and nature speake Was euer any wretch yet seene That in one instant all did breake Then Wigmoore Iustice on me shew That thus consented to this act Giue me my death for death is due To such as sinnes in such a fact Oh that the wombe had beene my graue Or I had perisht in my birth Or that same day may darknesse haue Wherein â— first drew vitall breath Let God regard it not at all Let not the sunne vpon it shine Let misty darknesse on it fall For to make knowne this sinne of mine The night wherein I was conceau'd Let be accurst with mournefull cryes Let twinckling starres from skyes bereau'd And clowds of darkenesse thereon rise Because they shot not vp the powers That gaue the passage to my life Come sorrow finish vp mine howers And let my time here end in griefe And hauing made this wofull moane A knife she snatched from her side Where Lucresse part was rightly showne For with the same fayre Isabell dyed Hereat Lord Wigmoore greeued sore In heart repenting his amisse And after would attempt no more To crop the flowers of Maidens blisse But liued long in wofull wise Till death did finish vp his dayes And now in Isabels graue he lyes Till iudgment comes-them both to raise A Song of Sir Richard Whittington who by strange fortunes came to bee thrice Lord Maior of London with his bountifull guifts and liberallity giuen to this honorable Citty To the tune of dainty come thou to me HEre must I tell the praise of worthy Whittington Knowne to be in his dayes thrice Maior of London But of poore parentage borne was he as we heare And in his tender age bred vp in Lancashire Poorely to London than came vp this simple lad Where with a Marchant man soone he a dwelling had And in a Kitchin plast a scullion for to be Wheras long time he past in labour drudgingly His daily seruice was turning spitts at the fire And to scoure pots of brasse for a poore Scullions hire Meat and drinke all his pay of coyne he had no store Therefore to run away in secret thought he bore So from this marchant man Whittington secretly Towards his Contry ran to purchase liberty But as he went along in a faire summer morne London bells swéetly rung Whittington back returne Euermore sounding so turne againe Whittington For thou in time shalt grow Lord Maior of London Wherevpon back againe VVhittington came with spéed A prentise to remaine as the Lord had decréed Still blessed be the bells this was his daily song They my good fortune tells most swéetly haue they rung If God so fauour me I will not prooue vnkind London my loue shall sée and my great bounties find But sée his happy chance this Scullion had a Cat Which did his state aduance and by it wealth he gat His maister ventred sorth to a land far vnknowne With Marchandize of worth as is in stories showne VVhittington had no more but his poore Cat as than Which to the ship he bore like a braue Marchant â—â—n Uentring the same quoth he I may get store of gold And Maior of London be as the bells haue me told Whittingtons Marchandire carried was to a land Troubled with Rats and Mice as they did vnderstand The King of that Contry there as he at dinner sat Daily remain'd in feare of many a Mouse and Rat. Meat that on trenchers lay no way they could keepe safe But by Rats borne away fearing no wand nor staffe Wherevpon soone they brought Whittingtons nimble Cat Which by the King was bought heapes of gold giuen for that Home againe came these men with their ship loaden so Whittingtons wealth began by this cat thus to grow Seullions life he forsooke to be a Marchant good And soone began to looke how well his credit stood After this he was chose Shriefe of this citty héere And then full quickly rose higher as did appeare For to this Citties praise Sir Richard Whittington Came to be in his dayes thrise Maior of London More his fame to aduance thousands he lent his King To maintaine warres in France Glory from thence to bring And after at a feast that he the King did make Burnd the bands all in ieast and would no money take Ten thousand pound he gaue to his Prince willingly And would not one penny haue thus in kind curtesie God did thus make him great So would he daily sée poore people sed with meat Prisoners poore cherisht were widdowes swéet comfort found Good déedes both far and néere of hun do still resound Whittington Colledge is one of his charities Records reporteth this to lasting memories New gate he builded faire for prisoners to liue in Christ Church he did repaire Christian loue for to win Many more such like déedes was done by VVittington Which Ioy and Comfort bréedes to such as lookes thereon Lancashire thou hast bred this flower of Charity Theâ—â—ah he be gâ—n and dead yet liues he lastingly Those bells that cald him so turne againe Whittington Call you bach many mee to liue so in London The life and death of the great Duke of Buckingham who came to an vntimely end for consenting to the deposing of the two gallant young princes King Edward the fourths Children To the tune of Shores wife A Tale of griefe I must vnfold a tale that neuer yet was told A tale that might to pitty mooue the spirits below and Saints aboue When warres did plague this maiden land great Buckingham in grace did stand With Kings and Quéenes he ruled so when he said I none durst say no. Great Glosters Duke that washe the thrâ—ane with blood of Kings to makâ— his owne By Henry Staffords help obtaind what reason wild to be refraind If any noble of this land against great
withall Nor yet his pencell neuer drew so faire a péece and neuer shall Wherefore if he had séene these dayes He might haue wone a greater praise Oh happy man might he haue said if he had liued to this time For to haue séene so faire a Maide in all proportions made so fine Her sullgent face so faire so cleare That Europe cannot shew her peere Plgmalion with his grauers then could neuer worke so faire a péece Nor yet Apelles in his time did neuer sée the like in Gréece For if he had he would haue said That Venus was not like this maid She is a graft of noble groweth and worthy is she of her fame For why her vertues plainely sheweth that well she hath deserud the same Wherefore my painfull pen alwaies Shal neuer cease to write her praise O that my pen could print her praise according to her iust desert That I might say and sée those dayes that I desired with my heart For still I sought and euer shall My MistreÌ„s praise might passe them all Now proofe and praise in one is knit and hath blowne to praise this maid And Iustice doth in Iudgment sit for to performe that I haue saidâ— Thus to conclud an â—nd to make vnto the gods I her betake Another To a new tune THe Bée doth loue the swéetest flower so doth the blossome the Aprill shower And I doe loue that Lady truely why should not I loue her that loues me The bird doth loue the morning bright to sée the day is her delight And I do loue to sée her face in whome that I doe loue is my solace The fish doth loue the flouds by kind for want of it they are â—u pâ—nd And I doe loue her presents also in whome that I loue and loue no mo The Lybard doth loue to lie and pray vpon the faces that goeth him by And I do leue to looke and gase vpon my true loues most pleasant face The Déere doth loue in woods to dwell as I to you the truth shall tell And I doe loue as doth the deere oh whereas I loue would Christ I were Troylus that Lord withall his might Crossed of Troy that was so bright And I do loue as farre as he and euer shall vntill I dye FINIS In praise and dispraise of women To a pleasant new tune VVOmen to praise who taketh in hand a number shall displease But who so doth them most dispraise doth most liue at their case Whereat I muse and maruaile much and shall do till I die And if you thinke I say not true aske them if that I lye They are mans aid and only stay and comfort at his néed They cherisht him in all affaires how ouer that he spéed And that that she for him may doe she doth it willingly And if c. And when their husbands be farre from hand then wil they spin and carde They wil not gossip and go gay but then they fare full hard They rise vp early and lye downe late they labour earnestly To saue a penny or a groat aske them c. And if her husband chance to chide she giues him not a word Or if he fight she answers him no more then doth a boâ—rd But out she goeth about her worke and takes all patiently Creept she croune him with a stoole Aske them c. Or with her ten commandements she takes him on the face That from his cheekes downe to his chin a man may see each race The go dman then must weare a clout the goodwife she will dye Her husband hurt so heauily she takes or else I ly Then to his bed she wil not come nor with him will be gréed Unlesse she haue a Petticoate or elce some other wéed And when she with her gossips met she telles them by and by how she her husband handled hath aske c. Well done good gossip saith the one your practise well we praise I drinke to you for your good déed the second gossip sayes They all to put the same in vre do promise by and by Which they fulfil vnto their power forthwith or else I lye Good wiues a iudgement I you pray your verdit Let me heere Where all be falce or all be true by you it must appears How ouer that the mattter goeth the trueth you must descry Or else it is not possible to know if that I lye FINIS The Louers fairing sent to his best beloued To the tune of I wander vp and downe MY comfort and my ioy this fairing I do send Let not vnkindnesse him destroy that is thy faithfull friend A loyall heart I send to thée the same I giue O cherish it and kéepe it safe and so the same will liue But if you it forsake and will not yéeld it grace Itliues and dyes and soone is fled within a little space O slie no promise made nor do me not disdaine One frowne will strike so cruelly that I shall liue in paine A smile reuiues me being dead and is a ioyfull treasure O let that sunne-shine ere be spred for it is my chiefe treasure My selfe and wealth and all I haue a Fairing I do giue To thee that first my heart possest and still maist make me liue Stéele not thy heart nor make it hard but intertaine mine Inâ—e So may I boast and still shall say I shall much comfort win Returne me comfort back let me not languish euer For â— am thine and euer shall till death my life do seuer FINIS The Maidens kind answere to her louer To the same tunc Take courage gentle loue I neuer will thee forsake Nor while I liue shall euer man possession of me take Thy Loyall heart I le kéepe and send mine back to thee Mine is in feare to liue in paine but thine I am sure is free The promise that I made I vow and sweare I le kéepe My loue to thée shall euer wake oh neuer let thine sleepe No frownes shall kill my face but smiles shall stil be séene I long vntil I sée thy face that absent long hath béene My heart doth melt like ware and neuer shall be hard Women haue neuer steely hearts for then their sex were mard All comfort I can send I do returne to thée My heart my selfe and all I haue is thine eternally Finis A maides complaint for lack of a loue Expressing the anguish in mind she doth prooue NO Maiden may so well as I complaine of her hard destiny I am now in prime of yeares yet there is no yong man beares A brest that harboreth a heart that hath compassion on my smart Therefore I am fore affraid I shall liue and dye a maid I cast as other maidens doe Amorous glances for to woe Youngmen to settle on my loue but those glances do not proone They are like shaftes by blindmen shot against a marke that nere is hot Therefore I am sore affraid I shall liue and dic a maide Twenty winters haue I séene as as