thee all things that be themselues present And I that for thy holie Name must die Imbrace the cause and thanke thy Maiestie What ere I suffer is in thy decree Which limits all the purposes of men My selfe my cause I consecrate to thee Let them cut off vncertaine life yet then I le breathe it in thy sacred hands and when My Sister Marie offers vp my blood I le offer vp my heart to make it good My Sauiour Iesus suffered more than I And for my sake that Lord he suffered The righteous One did for the sinnefull die And gaue his life for ours that perished Thy seruant is by thy example led To die for Truth sith Truth did die for me For thus to die is lifes eternitie What is my life the world should enuie so Alas a little puffe of breathing aire Death hath ten thousand meanes to let it goe And flie this wearie bodie of my care Vncertaine I to loose it when or where Ther 's somewhat else than breath they care for than For breath is common vnto euery man It is for Conscience and Religions cause That I indure this burthen of their hate How ere guiltlesse yet the wrested Lawes Must correspond in iudgement with the State For that is lawe our Gouernours relate And though by Law my innocence be proou'd The Case wil alter if the Prince be moou'd Be it that Gods preuenting eie should sleepe And that their purpose haue desired end That Soule they take from me they cannot keepe Which to a mighty Lord recommend His right he can against all clames defend How fruitles is the haruest which they make That cannot keepe the treasure which they take Men are in iurious that report of Death To be the highest of extremities Whenas we die what loose we else but breath And many numbers of our miseries When this life setts a better doth arise And when to Death a holy cause is giuen Death is the Gate by which we enter heauen Within our life these sorrowes we containe Vncertaine daies yet full of certaine griefe In number few but infinite in paine O're chargde with wants but naked of reliefe In ruling it our euill partes are chiefe And though our time be not cut short by Death Oldeage will creepe to stop vncertaine breath Yet to the much affliction of the minde This of the body is a scant compare Wherein so many and so much I find As would astonne my spirits to declare Triall can onely tell vs what they are For we whom Custom hath with griefe acquainted By vs her sad proportion best is painted The Griefe of mind is that intestine warre That stirres sedition in the state of man Where when our Passions once commaunders are Our peacefull dayes are desperate for than The stirre 's more hote than when it first began For heady Passion 's like an vntam'd beast That riots most when we desire it least This violence exceedes his vertuous meane Like swelling tides that ouerrunne their shore Leauing the lawfull current of their streame And breake their bankes that bounded them before Yet griefe in his great violence is more For if that Reason bound not Griefe with Lawes In our destruction Griefe will be the cause Griefe should be borne with much indifference Not much regarded yet regardlesse neuer Not much affected yet we must haue sense To feele our griefe and apprehend it euer Yet let the grieued euer thus indeuer To make his burthen easefull as hee may And so his griefe with ease is borne away So much of Griefe we onely doe sustaine As in our choice our selues do apprehend Griefe may present it selfe but not constraine That we imbrace what it doth recommend Beare it but lightly then for to that end Is Patience giuen by whose resolued might The heauiest loade of Griefe is made but light This is the most of happinesse we haue That with our Patience we support our cares Not we our selues but God this vertue gaue Which our vnworthie life right well declares To loose my life is for to loose my cares Then what is Death that I should feare to die Death is the death of all my miserie What then is that which doth beget desire In humane flesh to linger out long daies Is it because to Honormen aspire Or for their name in Beautie hath a praise Or is 't their greedy Auarice them staies Honour Beautie nor desire of Golde Cannot the certaine of their death withhold Honour is nothing but a very name Often conferd to men of little merite In euery place as common as is Fame Commonly giuen to euery common spirite So little worth as anie one may weare it Then why should that be thought of estimation That giues to base deseruings high creation The name and place of honour may be giuen As please the Prince in fauour to dispose But true deriued Honor is from heauen And often liues in meane estate with those That to the courts of Princes neuer goes How vainly prowd are such as would get Fame Yet get no more of Honor but the name Be it thy Honour as the glorious Sunne Exceede the rate of common exspectation Thy Prince displeased once thy honor 's done In rising to this pitch men vse gradation But at one fall they loose all estimation For he whose powre is euer absolute His angry breath can puffe thy glorie out Where is the honour of great Macedon That measur'd out large Empires with his Sword Great Iulius is with many Caesars gone Leauing no more of Honour than the word And but the pennes of Schollers that recotd Old Time would bring their Honor to that shame As Caesar and the rest would haue no name Who is 't that now of Caesar bends the knee Or frames the sweete of wordes to please his eare Who is 't that now regardeth his Decree Or his offended countenaunce doth feare Caesar in 's Graue his Honour is no where If Honour thus doe perish in the best What may be then exspected in the rest He that from enuious eie and full resort Liues priuate with a little state content Little desires the honour of the Court Where emulation stirres a discontent Men shoote at him that is most eminent And whom the prince with hiest grace doth crown Enuy brings many hands to pull him downe See here the glorie of mortallitie Which we with infinite of care pursue Painefull to get but lost at libertie Fatall to many fortunate to few Whereto so many miseries insue As filles our time with cares then why should I For this respect of honour feare to die Is Beauty then of that high consequence Wherein I may disswasiue reason finde Is that faire shadow of that excellence That for the face I should exchange the minde Beauty that blindeth many cannot blinde My Reason so for Beautie 's but a floure Which being pluckt it fadeth in an houre What though the world with admirations eie Gaze at the wondrous pleasure in the face Wherein the
reacht my meditation hie And versd the holy suffrings of my Lord Still doe I mooue in that emperiall Skie Where Saints and holy Angels do afford Subiect that may diuinest wit accord I glory then that to my Verse is giuen This care to fet their holy cause from heauen Among the number of those holy Saints A happy Lady where all happies are Whose name Report in euery place acquaints Who like the beauty of the fairest Starre In beauteous name exceedes all other farre And but we doe except the Virgin-mother We reach her praise as high as any other Thus I conceiue her Image in my thought Clad in the Virgin ornament of white Within that white her innocence was wrought Vnspotted with the touch of vaine delight Her habite is all day and nothing night And in that white as my remembrance saith Was writ this motte Defendor of the Faith Her presence could expresse what she had beene Humble yet full of princely maiestie A constant Martire yet a royall Queene Before her state went much aduersitie In all proportions Iudgement might descry What holy motions mooued in her hart For holy signes of prayer did mooue each part Vpon her head a Coronet of golde To intimate her eminence of place But in her royall presence I beholde The Image both of Maiestie and Grace The heart of State was grauen in her face Let him in iudgement be reputed blinde That in the face sees nothing of the minde Within one hand she held an armed blade Whereon was writ her many victories The other with much reuerence she laide Vpon the Booke of heauenly mysteries As if that God in wisedome did deuise To giue this Ladie that victorious Sword To garde the passage of his holy word Before her feete a Globe of earth was cast Scepters and Crownes and markes of high estate Yea Kings themselues and Potentates were plac't In humble ranke before this Magistrate Their fortunes on her victories did waite For when that she would fauour or cast downe The bad had warre the better had the Crowne These Trophies doe erect eternall name That euer liues in honour of this Queene That giue occasion vnto busie Fame To make report what her deserts haue beene My selfe that haue these admirations seene In humble verse her suffrings doe relate That dare not meddle with her time of State This cogitation of this Princely one Is often entertained in my minde Waking or not I oft reuise thereon And often in my thoughts this Queene I finde And oft her glad remembrance hath inclinde To heart my verse that writ the holie Passion Of her religious Teares to make relation O thou that dost inspire with holie flame The moouing spirits of deepe Poesie Giue me to adde some honour to her name That wants her due of holy memorie For Time will rot our best mortallitie And sith that she all vertuous ones did cherish It pittie were her vertuous name should perish O let my verse mooue indignation And stirre the blood of better abled wit Enuie or shame of this relation May hap beget the meanes to better it How ere my shame it doth my liking fit By anie meanes to adde vnto her praise Our loue is in our heart not in our phrase ¶ When holy Edwards Spirit did expire Borne on the wings of Angells into blisse The earth grew cold and wanted holy fire When this diuine defendor parted is Blacke Night did then succeed this Day of his For then the glory of the day is done When interposed earth bedims the Sunne O the exceeding wisedome in the heauen Whose prouidence protecteth euery care To seely men the licence is not giuen To see forbidden secrets what they are In vaine vpon the face of heauen men stare To know the hidden cause of that effect Which in Gods secret will is hidden kept Tell me thou wisest in iuditious Arte Or if thou canst not tell I silence thee Why God remou'd this holy King apart And left his Church to open tyrannie You reade not in the Starres this secrecie He that all futures can discerne afarre Within his breast these secrets hidden are Now Time had set this glorious Sonne of grace To darkenesse he his Empire did resigne Darkenesse that long had ouerspread the face Of holy truth and vertuous discipline No light apparant where no light may shine And but the fires of Martires that gaue light All had beene blacke and in eternall night You that haue nothing holy but your name That did incence this Marie vnto blood Be it to you your euerlasting shame So to corrupt her nature that was good O had she had the spirite to withstoode You that did hearten her to her disgrace She had deseru'd preheminence of place To saue a world of sinners you pretend But you intend another by pretence Religious duties often you commend Yet interdict you our obedience You bid speake truth but in a double sence How can your teaching many spirits saue When words and works such contradictions haue These Instigators fill her hands with blood In all respects saue this a vertuous Queene What they made vitious would haue prooued good Had not their powrefull prouocations beene Vpon her name this blood had not bin seene And men of holy place be sure of this Where you touch blood the marke apparant is This Ladie in the number of the rest Indur'd the storme of persecution Highest in griefe and in her name the best And with the best maintain'd her resolution She like the Lamb prepar'd for execution Doth still exspect by loosing of her breath To giue her holy cause a holy death And reason had she of this iust suspect So strange was alteration in the State Within her Sisters face she found neglect And friends doe euer faile th' vnfortunate The present state men onelie estimate For as the wind transports the flying Aire So as times alter men stil fliers are Her house in Edwards time a little Court Full of the fawning seruice of the knee But Marie now cuttes off this full resort And men fall backe in their Apostasie The Cuckooes sing not where colde winters be And Time this Lady of her port bereaues As winter frosts nip off the falling leaues These were the first beginnings of her care Which like the heads of little rising springs Runne to a larger bignesse than they were So Time that fauours not this Ladie brings Still fresh supplie vnto her sufferings Like flouds that with their swelling tides are fed Till falling Seas doe make their waters ebbe Here might she spend her holie meditation As sure she did much holier than I write She alters not with Fortunes alteration Resolue had made her sufferings her delight Her holie cause did giue her holie might To beare the indignation of their spleene That made her Sister her offended Queene ¶ O thou eternall Spirite thus she faies Without whose pleasure nothing hath euent Before we be thou numbrest all our daies And preordainest euerie accident To
greatest vse great industrie Watching each little fauour to imbrace And prowd themselues to be in Beauties grace Yet when the best of Beauty men haue got If not olde Age the Graue will make it rot Where are those Beauties which the world admirde That with attraction slau'd the hearts of men Within their graues these Ladies are retirde And all their beautie is decay'd with them What is 't in Beautie we should value then For those that were of most admired face Are now confined to a rotten place Beautie is like a Comet in the Aire Which being lighted by the burning Sunne Seemes to the strange beholder wondrous faire But when the matter of the light is done The fire goes out In like comparison Let Beautie like the fairest starre be bright Beauty will set and be as blacke as night It well befits the spirit of great blood To loue that least which is of common vse Then why should Beauty be esteemed good Which many commons commonly abuse For where in wisedome Nature doth refuse To giue to many beautie of the face A little Arte will couer that disgrace Looke as the Earth bedeckt with beauteous flowres The pretty children of the earth and spring Warm'd with the Sun and fed with heauenly showres Haue but a little time of tarrying So when the winter of our age shall bring Our fading time our Beauty like the floure Cannot this winter of our age indure This nothing of desert cannot perswade That I should feare this Image of my death The beauty of the minde will neuer fade Which I must value deerer than my breath Who would aduenture heauen for little earth The beauteous name of Truth for which I die Exceedes the beautie of the fairest eie If these respects haue not the powre to moue That haue beene powrefull in great Potentates For many great ones haue desired Loue And for their Loue haue wasted great Estates And for their Loue haue oft prou'd desperates But for the base desire of hauing much Neuer way any of the Princely such He that of wealth desireth any more Than may suffice an honest compotence Fills to a vessell that is full before Which ouerrunnes with prodigall expence What Care put in with greedy diligence Exceeding wealthy the contented are That with their little haue but little care Among great euills Auarice is chiefe Attended on by many miseries Whose like is well resembled in the Thiefe Who thriueth most by many robberies So he that would by greedie Mammon rise Must like a Thiefe by some deuise or other Make himselfe rich by taking from another And hence it is that men in euery trade Haue secret Art to raise a wealthy state Whereby their base beginnings oft are made To large possessions wondrous fortunate Yet righteous God that doth iniustice hate Oft giues to wealth thus gotten such an Heire Or freely spends what Auarice did spare Desire of much doth oft beget desire To rob the Orphane and the widdow mother Makes that in bloud we many times conspire Against the very bosomes of our brother The couetous doe feede one of another For when mens hearts on this Desire are set They care not what the meanes be so they get And therefore is't that Law hath many Cases And euery Case wrapt vp in double sense And euery sense of traueld in Law places As the Professour for his diligence Must weare the Case that is in difference Desire of wealth is then an euill cause That thus corrupts the Tenor of good lawes What should I number vp these euills more Whose repetition grieues my better mind Croesus is gone with all his heaped store Leauing no more than euill name behinde Who can one penny of his treasure finde Then Honour Beauty and Desire of gaine Are pleasures that but little time remaine God is my honour God's the beauteous face Which I with greedie appetite beholde He is my treasure that I would embrace He is my honour beautie and my gold To purchase him all others I haue solde Sith I am Gods and God is mine then I Make it my all for this my God to die Thus did this Ladie with herselfe dispute And to her selfe she framde such argument As in her purpose made her resolute To beare what ere those euill times present Griefe is not felt by one so patient For what though men lay all their euills on vs A little Patience beares their euills from vs. Good Ladie she had onelie this one care So holy Mary had but onelie one How she for happie death might best prepare For this she spends her cogitation Her houres in prayer her time in meditation When Death comes thus to our prepared daies We honour God and get eternall praise Such was the Saint the Sinner was not so Such was the Lambe the Butcher different Such was the Larke the Bussard that 's below Mounts to a pitch to sease the innocent The good the bad the base the eminent So opposite as she in euills least Suffers the prowd controlement of a Priest Steuen it was thy contriuement and thy care To persecute the cause for which Steuen bled Betwixt two Steuens what differences are Yet both of you with bloud were sprinckled Thou martiredst many he was martired How ill it fittes thee to be called Steuen Thy nature is from hell thy name from heauen Thou hadst the name and place of Gardner To dresse the Vintage thou commaundest o're But by thy hand the hedges broken were Which holy Church had fenced in before And thou thy selfe prowd Gardner like a Bore Rootst vp the floure and fruitfull bearing tree That in Gods holy Gardens fairest be The reuerend name of Bishop that was giuen Ill sorted with thy strong desire of blood Those hie deseruings were not found in Steuen That correspond the name of Fatherhood Where all is euill there is nothing good And so thy names and nature disagree As opposites in their extreamitie Bishops if they would correspond their name Must be composde of mercifull respect For God is such whence their creation came Who hath from many numbers them select To patterne holy life to Gods elect And sith to Princes God hath giuen the Sword Let them be princely onely in Gods word What is 't they be inuested in their white And weare the holy Orders of their place If vnto foule offence they haue delight That will their whited vestiments disgrace Pride and Ambition in a Prelats face Are vglie formes nor is their Priesthoode good That wash their hands in holy Martires blood If any thinke I speake with enuious breath And wrong the iust deseruings of this man He is deceiu'd it is Elizabeth Whose tribulation she indured than Stirres vp more angrie bloud than Enuie can And if the trueth in Stories be recorded He was the worst of men those times affoorded Witnes this Ladie of deserued praise Witnes the much affliction she indur'd Witnes the number of her grieued daies Witnes the prisons where she was immur'd
bid her haste away Her stay made people in great numbers throng Vnto the Court. The Towre she saith is strong And though the people in her fauour rise Yet being there she can vs not surprise The Messengers that brought this hard command Saide that a Barge did for her Grace attend And that not Time nor Tide would euer stand And therefore did desire she would not spend The Time that made the Tide to be their friend The Princesse with a grieued smile replide I am not friended with your forward Tide Will you but length my time alittle more And stay the fortunes of another Tide God may in little Time my selfe restore And fauour whome the Times indignifide Will you my Lords The Lords then thus replide Madame we are but seruants to the State Seruants must euer on their Maisters wait Is there no mercie Then be strong my heart To beare the sorrowes of a wearie breath I haue a God that will from heauen impart Patience that makes vs ioyous in our death My God be such to thy Elizabeth Sith that the Queene all mercie doth denie I to the King of heauen for mercie flie Yet will I with my duteous care attempt To purchase fauour from my Sisters eie For by my Letters to my Soueraigne sent Her gratious acceptation I shal trie Saue but the Lord of Sussex all denie To beare the written message she would send So much they feare the Bishop to offend This noble Lord the heauens record his name Kneeld with an humble reuerence to her Grace Swearing he would his honour first disclame And lose the reputation of great place Ere he would so denie her princely Grace If so he saith your princely griefe be writ I le pawne my honour to deliuer it See here the diffrence in the mighty ones The Chancelor Steuen whose place was eminent Had not as Sussex had these motions For why his birth from basenesse had discent But Sussex is in honour different For when that honour is deriu'd in blood That honour makes the honourable good The Ladie glad she had a meanes to send Raiseth him from the seruice of his knee And she in teares his honour did commend That hath respect to her extremitie And then she craues alittle libertie That to hir Soueraigne Sister she may write Griefe hath a tongue but cannot well indite My Soueraigne and my Sister thus she saith I haue no griefe but that your Grace is grieu'd And that you haue suspition of my faith And that I am not of your Grace beleeu'd Alas who hath my treasure thus bereeu'd Please it your Grace my innocence to trie If I be guiltie let the guiltie die This letter did this faithfull Lord present Vnto the Queene but yet with such successe As still she is to her maleuolent Steuen had resolu'd her in her bloodinesse She therefore blames the Earles forwardnesse That he would thus expend his industrie In fauour of her greatest enemie Away shee saith conuey her to the Towre Is our commaund so little of respect We will not you deferre it off an houre You do dis-honour vs in your neglect We tell you Sussex she had neede be kept And kept secure whose pride makes her aspire To reach her state aboue our selfe much higher The Earle thus ill fortun'd in his hope Would not reply vnto the Queenes offence Lest he against himselfe might her prouoke But backe returnes with his lost diligence And telles the Princesse how he did commence Her humble sute and of the Queenes reply That did all fauour to her Grace denie Alas she saies why do I then contend To help the euill fortunes I indure It must be death must giue my sorrowes end In death I shall my quiet best assure Death can more happines than I procure Then to the Towre sith mercy you deny It 's better once than euer for to die And on the morrow to the Towre she went Guarded with bands of manie armed men The time was in the holy time of Lent And on the day of holy Sabbaoth when Religious dueties were performing then Did Steuen almost agreeing in the day Most Iudas like this holy one betray What should I tell you of the much resort Of running vulgars that vpon her gaze Or of the strange constructions of the Court Nor how the newes the better sort amaze Nor what the murmure of the people saies But for to tell the sorrowes in her breast To tell you that is more than all the rest What is 't her Grace with griefe should teare her mind Or that the giddie people for her pray Except in God she can no comfort finde What is 't the Tide inforce her for to stay Hulling vpon the riuer where she lay For when the Tide alittle time had spent The Tide then seru'd for her imprisonment Being arriued at the place of woe They offer to the staires where Traitors land Her Grace desir'd she might not enter so Praying the Lords that they would so command Some doe accord but others do withstand And there as often when it goes by voyce The worse and not the better had the choice Then with a grieued yet a princely grace She steppes vpon that ill arriuing shore And here she saith now enters in this place As true a subiect to my Gouernour As ere this heauy passage went before And you my Lords beare witnes what I say A loyall heart may enter in this way In these our present fortunes you may reade The fickle change of all mortallitie You know my Lords how princely we are bred And now you see our great extreamitie Alas in vs there is no certaintie For though we be the neerest to the Crowne A little tricke of Fortune pulles vs downe When this was saide she thence was led away Into the circuite of the inner Court The way she went was marshal'd in array A many country swaines in warrelike sort These warriors that sawe her princely port Such reuerence in the seely men appeares Their hands haue wepons but their eies haue teares Terrour in euery place presents her eie And that so much as might exanimate A heart of well resolued valiancie Much more a Ladie so vnfortunate To loose the pleasures of so high estate For sure then Griefe is many doubles more That comes to one that knew it not before To see the men of warre to be her garde The dismall place she was to enter in The heaps of Ammunition in the yarde The noyse of fetter'd prisoners from within To see these markes of warre and prisoning Were much vnfitting obiects for the sight Ladies not loue but feare to be in the fight The numbers of her griefe do so oppresse The much infeebled bodie of her Grace As she sits downe with her much wearinesse And on a stone she makes her resting place Who though the clowds did fall vpon her face Lifts vp her hands vnto the weeping skie That onely mournes for her extremitie And thus she said O thou