saw it was but folly to be nice That chaunceth once that seldome haps againe I knew such bounty had been seldom seen And since his time I think hath neuer been And now the Barrons which repynd before Because I was too lauish of the treasure And saw my wast consuming ten times more Which doth so far exceed all bonds of measure This as a knife theyr very hart-strings cuts And gnawes them like the Collick in the guts Thus all in vaine they seek to stop the source For presently it ouer-flowes the bounds Yet well perceiue if thus it held his course No question then the Common wealth it drowns And thus lyke men that tread an endlesse Maze Whilst Fortune sports the world stands at a gaze Like Souldiers in a Towne surpriz'd by night Ouer their heads the houses set on fire Sure to be slayne in issuing out to fight Or els be burned if they doe retyre Some curse the time some other blame their fortune Whilst black Dispaire their deaths doth thus importune This gracious King which seemd to sleep the while Finding the yron thus fully had his heat VVith sweet perswasions fitly frames his stile Which in theyr wits doth such a temper beate VVith kindest lookes and sweetest vowes of loue As were of force a Rock of flint to moue His clowdy frownes be turnd to sun-shine smyles And those on whom he lowerd he friendly graces Theyr moody cheer with sporting he beguiles His Lyons lookes be turnd to sweet imbraces That with his will theyr thoughts seeme to accord Such is the loue of subiects to their Lord. And hauing found his kindnes tooke effect He followeth on the quest with hote pursute Nor day nor night he doth the same neglect Vntil the graff was growne to bring forth fruite And that the Barrons all with might and maine Now condiscend to call me home againe O frayle and slyding state of earthly things Blind Fortune chance worlds mutability Aduauncing pesants and debasing Kings Od hap good luck or star-bred destinie Which stil doest fawne and flatter me so oft Novv casts me downe then sett'st me vp aloft In all post-hast the King to Ireland sent His Princely Letters for my safe returne To England now I must in continent It seemes that time all malice hath out-worne The Coast is cleer occasion cals away The gale stands right and driues me from the Bay My whistling sayles make musick with the wind The boystrous waues doe homage to mine eyes The brutish sort of Eols Imps seeme kind And all the clowdes abandoning the skyes Now louely Laedas egg-borne twins appeare Towards Albyons cliues faire Fortune guides my steere The King is come to Chester where he lyes The Court prepared to receiue me there In all the pompe that wit could well deuise As since that time was seldome seene elswhere Where setting once my dainty foote on land He thought him blest that might but kisse my hand In pleasures there we spend the nights and dayes And with our reuels entertaine the time With costly Banquets Masks and stately Playes Painting our loues in many a pleasing rime With rarest Musick and sweet-tuned voyces In which the soule of man so much reioyces Like as the famous braue Egiptian Queene Feasted the Romane great Mark Anthony With Pearl-disolu'd carouses seldom seene Seru'd all in vessell of ritch Iuory Such was the sumptuous banquets he prepard In which no cost or curious thing was spard Or like the Troyan Pryam when as he Beheld his long-lost sonn returne to Troy Tryumphing now in all his iolitie Proud Ilion smokes with th'orges of his ioy Such are our feasts and stately tryumphs heer Which with applauses sound in euery eare Departing thence from Chesters pleasant side Towards London now we trauel with delight VVher euery Citty likewise doth prouide To entertaine vs with some pleasing sight Tyl all our trayne at length to London comes Wher naught is hard but Trumpets bels and drums As when Paulus Aemilius entred Roome And like great Ioue in starlike tryumph came Honored in Purple by the Senats doome Laden with gold and crowned with his fame Such seems our glory now in all mens eyes Our friendship honored with applaudities Or when old Phillips time still-wondred son In his worlds conquest surfetting with spoiles The scourge of Kings returns to Babilon To sport and banquet after all his toiles Such is our glory in our London Court Whereto all Nations dailie make resort And thus blind Fortune lulls mee in her lap And rocks mee still with many a Syrens song Thus plac'd mee on the Atlas of my hap From which shee means to cast mee downe ere long Black vgly fiend O foule mishapen euill In shew an Angel but in deed a diuel Euen as a Lyon got into his pawes The silly Lambe seems yet a while to play Till seeking to escape out of his iawes This beastly King now tears it for his pray Thus hauing got mee in her armes so fast Determins now to feed on mee at last Or as the slaughter-man doth fat the beast Which afterward he meaneth shall be slayne Before prouided to some solemne feast The more therby he may increase his gaine Loe thus proud Fortune feeds mee for the knife For which it seems shee had prepard my life For thus ere long between the King and mee As erst before our reuels now begin And now the Barrons taste theyr misery Opening theyr eyes which makes them see theyr sin The plague once past they neuer felt the sores Till thus againe it haps within theyr dores Like as a man made drunk with foule excess Drowning his soule in thys vile lothly vice Once being sober sees his beastliness Buying repentance with so deer a price Thus they perceiue the bondage they possest In condiscending to the King request The damned Furies heer vnbong the source From whence the Lethe of my vertues burst The black-borne Fates heere labour in that course By which my lyfe and fortune came accurst My death in that star-guiders doome concealed Now in the browes of heauen may be reuealed My youth spurrs on my fraile vntam'd desire Yeelding the raynes to my lasciuious will Vpon the Ise I take my ful careire The place too slippery and my manidge ill Thus like a Colt in danger to be cast Yet still runn on the diuel driues so fast Now wandring in a Laborinth of error Lost in my pride no hope of my returne Of sin and shame my life a perfect mirror No spark of vertue once is seen to burne Nothing there was could be discernd in me But beastly lust and censualitie Black He cate chaunts on her night-spell charmes Which cast me first into this deadly sleep Whilst fier-eyd Ate clips me in his armes And hayles me down to dark Herebus deep Foule sleep-god Morpheus curtains vp the light And shuts my fame in euerlasting night The fixed starrs in their repugnacie Had full concluded of these endles iarrs And nature by some strange Antipathy Had
I fell From Angels state from heauen cast downe to hell Loe here the verie Image of perfection With the blacke pensill of defame is blotted And with the vlcers of my youths infection My innocencie is besmer'd and spotted Now comes my night ô now my day is done These sable cloudes eclipse my rising sunne Our innocence our child-bred puritie Is now defilde and as our dreames forgot Drawne in the coach of our securitie What act so vile that we attempted not Our sun-bright vertues fountaine-cleer beginning Is now polluted by the filth of sinning O wit too wilfull first by heauen ordayn'd An Antidote by vertue made to cherish By filthy vice as with a mole art stayn'd A poyson now by which the sences perish That made of force all vices to controule Defames the life and doth confound the soule The Heauens to see my fall doth knit her browes The vaulty ground vnder my burthen groneth Vnto mine eyes the ayre my light allowes The very winde my wickednesse bemoneth The barren earth repineth at my foode And Nature seemes to cursse her beastly broode And thus like slaues we sell our soules to sinne Vertue forgot by worldes deceitfull trust Alone by pleasure are we entred in Now wandring in the labyrinth of lust For when the soule is drowned once in vice The sweete of sinne makes hell a paradice O Pleasure thou the very lure of sinne The roote of woe our youthes deceitfull guide A shop where all confected poysons been The bayte of lust the instrument of pride Inchanting Circes smoothing couer-guile A luring Siren flattering Crockodile Our Ioue which sawe his Phoebus youth betrayde And Phaeton guide the sunne-carre in the skies Knewe well the course with danger hardly staide For what is not perceu'd by wise-mens eyes He knew these pleasures posts of our desire Might by misguiding set his throne on fier This was a corsiue to King Edwards dayes These iarring discords quite vntund his mirth This was the paine that neuer gaue him ease If euer hell this was his hell on earth This was the burthen which he groned vnder This pincht his soule and rent his heart in sunder This venom suckt the marrowe from his bones This was the canker which consum'd his yeares This fearfull vision fild his sleepe with grones This winter snowd downe frost vpou his hayres This was the moth this was the fretting rust Which so consum'd his glorie vnto dust The humor found which fed this foule disease Must needes be stay'd ere help could be deuis'd The vaine must breath the burning to appease Hardly a cure the wound not cauteris'd That member now wherein the botch was risen Infecteth all not cured by incision The cause coniectur'd by this prodigie From whence this foule contagious sicknes grue Wisdome alone must giue a remedie For to preuent the danger to insue The cause must end ere the effect could cease Else might the danger dayly more increase Now those whose eyes to death enuide my glorie Whose saftie still vpon my down-fall stood These these could comment on my youthfull storie These were the wolues which thirsted for my blood These all vnlade their mischiefes at this baye And make the breach to enter my decaye These curres that liu'd by carrion of the court These wide-mouth'd hel-hounds long time kept at bay Finding the King to credit their reporte Like greedie rauens follow for their pray Dispightfull Langton fauorit to the King Was he which first me in disgrace could bring Such as beheld this lightning from aboue My Princely Ioue from out the ayre to thunder This earth-quake which did my foundation moue This boystrous storme this vnexspected wounder They thought my sunne had bin eclipsed quite And all my day now turn'd to winters night My youth embowel'd by their curious eyes Whose true reportes my life anatomis'd Who still pursu'd me like deceitfull spyes To crosse that which I wantonly deuis'd Perceaue the traine me to the trap had led And downe they come like haylestones on my head My Sonne eclips'd ech Starre becomes a Sunne When Phoebus fayles then Cynthia shineth bright These furnish vp the Stage my act is done Which were but Gloe-wormes to my glorious light Those erst condemn'd by my perfections doome In Phoebus chariot now possesse my roome The Commons swore I led the Prince to vice The Nobles said that I abus'd the King Graue Matrons such as lust could not intice Like women whispred of another thing Such as could not aspire vnto my place These were suborn'd to offer me disgrace The staffe thus broke whereon my youth did stay And with the shaddowe all my pleasures gone Now with the windes my ioyes fleete hence away The silent night makes musik to my moane The tatling ecchoes whispering with the ayre Vnto my wordes sound nothing but despayre The frowning Heauens are all in sables clad The Planet of my liues misfortune raineth No musick serues a dying soule to glad My wrong to Tirants for redresse complaineth To ease my paine there is no remedie So farre despayre exceeds extremitie Why doe I quake my down-fall to reporte Tell on my ghost the storie of my woe The King commaunds I must depart the court I aske no question he will haue it so The Lyons roring lesser beastes doe feare The greatest flye when he approcheth neare My Prince is now appointed to his guarde As srom a traytor he is kept from me My banishment already is preparde Away I must there is no remedie On paine of death I may no longer stay Such is reuenge which brooketh no delaye The skies with cloudes are all inuelloped The pitchie fogs eclipse my cheerfull Sunne The geatie night hath all her curtaines spred And all the ayre with vapours ouerrun Wanting those rayes whose cleernes lent me light My sun-shine day is turn'd to black-fac'd night Like to the birde of Ledaes lemmans die Beating his breast against the siluer streame The fatall prophet of his destinie With mourning chants his death approching theame So now I sing the dirges of my fall The Anthemes of my fatall funerall Or as the faithfull Turtle for her make Whose youth enioyd her deere virginitie Sits shrouded in some melancholie brake Chirping forth accents of her miserie Thus halfe distracted sitting all alone With speaking sighs to vtter forth my mone My bewtie s'dayning to behold the light Now weather-beaten with a thousaud stormes My daintie lims must trauaile day and night Which oft were lulde in princely Edwards armes Those eyes where bewtie sate in all her pride With fearefull obiects fild on euery side The Prince so much astonisht with the blowe So that it seem'd as yet he felt no paine Vntill at length awakned by his woe He sawe the wound by which his ioyes were slaine His cares fresh bleeding fainting more and more No Cataplasma now to cure the sore Now weepe mine eyes and lend me teares at will You sad-musde sisters help me to indite And in your faire Castalia bathe my quill
In bloodie lines whilst I his woes recite Inspire my muse O Heauens now from aboue To painte the passions of a princely loue His eyes about their rouling Globes doe cast To finde that Sunne from whom they had their light His thoughtes doe labor for that sweete repast Which past the daye and pleasd him all the night He countes the howers so sloly how they runne Reproues the daye and blames the loytring sunne As gorgious Phoebus in his first vprise Discouering now his Scarlet-coloured head By troublous motions of the lowring Skies His glorious beames with fogges are ouerspred So are his cheereful browes eclips'd with sorrowe Which cloud the shine of his youths-smiling morrow Now showring downe a flud of brackish teares The Epithemaes to his hart-swolne griefe Then sighing out a vollue of dispayres Which onely is th'afflicted mans reliefe Now wanting sighes and all his teares were spent His tongue brake out into this sad lament O breake my hart quoth he O breake and dye Whose infant thoughts were nurst with sweete delight But now the Inne of care and miserie Whose pleasing hope is murthered with despight O end my dayes for now my ioyes are done Wanting my Peirs my sweetest Gaueston Farewell my Loue companion of my youth My soules delight the subiect of my mirth My second selfe if I reporte the truth The rare and onely Phenix of the earth Farewell sweete friend with thee my ioyes are gone Farewell my Peirs my louely Gaueston What are the rest but painted Imagrie Dombe Idols made to fill vp idle roomes But gaudie anticks sportes of foolerie But fleshly coffins goodly gilded tombes But puppets which with others words replie Like pratling ecchoes soothing euery lie O damned world I scorne thee and thy worth The very source of all iniquitie An ougly damme that brings such monsters forth The maze of death nurse of impietie A filthie sinke where lothsomnes doth dwell A labyrinth a iayle a very hell Deceitfull Siren traytor to my youth Bane to my blisse false theefe that stealst my ioyes Mother of lyes sworne enemie to truth The ship of fooles fraught all with gaudes and toyes A vessell stuft with foule hypocrisie The very temple of Idolatrie O earth-pale Saturne most maleuolent Combustious Planet tyrant in thy raigne The sworde of wrath the roote of discontent In whose ascendant all my ioyes are slaine Thou executioner of foule bloodie rage To act the will of lame decrepit age My life is but a very mappe of woes My ioyes the fruite of an vntimely birth My youth in labour with vnkindly throwes My pleasures are like plagues that raigne on earth All my delights like streames that swiftly run Or like the dewe exhaled by the Sun O Heauens why are you deafe vnto my mone S'dayne you my prayers or scorne to heare my misse Cease you to moue or is your pittie gone Or is it you that rob me of my blisse What are you blinde or winke and will not see Or doe you sporte at my calamitie O happie climat whatso ere thou be Cheerd with those sunnes the fayr'st that euer shone Which hast those Stars which guide my destinie The brightest lamps in all the Horizon O happie eyes that see which most I lacke The pride and bewtie of the Zodiacke O blessed fountaine source of all delight O sacred sparke that kindlest Virtues fier The perfect obiect of the purest sight The superficies of true loues desire The very touchstone of all sweete conceite On whom all graces euermore awaite Thus whilst his youth in all these stormes was tost And whilst his ioyes lay speechles in a traunce His sweete content with such vnkindnes crost And lowring Fortune seem'd to looke askance Too weake to swim against the streamfull time Fore-told their fall which now sought most to clime Camelion-like the world thus turns her hue And like Proteus puts on sundry shapes One hastes to clime another doth ensue One fals another for promotion gapes Flockmell they swarme like flies about the brim Some drowne whilst others with great danger swim And some on whome the Sunne shon passing fayre Yet of their summer nothing seeme to vaunte They sawe their fall presaged by the ayre If once this planet were predominant Thus in their gate they flew with wings of feare And still with care doe purchase honor deere Thus restles Time that neuer turnes againe Whose winged feete are sliding with the Sunne Brings Fortune in to act another scene By whome the plot alreadie is begunne The argument of this same tragedie Is Virtues fall to raise vp infamie The brute is blowne the King doth now pretend A long-look'd voyage to the Holy-land For which his subiects mightie sums doe lend And whilst the thing is hotly thus in hand Blinde Fortune turnes about her fickle wheele And breaks the prop which makes the building reele I feare to speake yet speake I must perforce My wordes be turn'd to teares euen as I write Mine eyes doe yet behold his dying corse And on his hearse me thinkes I still indyte My paper is hard sable Ebon wood My pen of Iron and my inke is blood Loe here the time drue on of Edwards death Loe here the dolefull period of his yeares O now he yeeldeth vp that sacred breath For whom the Heauens do shower down fluds of teares For whom the Sunne euen mourning hides his face For whom the earth was all to vile and base May I reporte his dolefull obsequie When as my Ghost doth tremble at his name Faine would I write but as I write I die My ioyntes apald with feare my hand is lame I leaue it to some sacred muse to tell Vpon whose life a Poets pen might dwell No sooner was his body wrapt in lead And that his mournfull funerals were done But that the Crowne was set on Edwards head Sing I-o now my ghost the storme is gone The winde blowes right loe yonder breakes my day Caroll my muse and now sing care away Carnaruan now cals home within a while Whom worthie Long-shankes hated to the death Whom Edward swore should dye in his exile He was as deere to Edward as his breath This Edward lou'd that Edward loued not Kings wils performd and dead mens words forgot Now waft me winde vnto the blessed Ile Rock me my ioyes loue sing me with delight Now sleepe my thoughts cease sorrowe for a while Now end my care come day farwell my night Sweet sences now act euery one his part Loe here the balme that hath recur'd my hart Loe now my Ioue in his ascendant is In the aestiuall solstice of his glorie Now all the Stars prognosticate my blis And in the Heauen all eyes may reade my storie My comet now worlds wonder thus appeers Foretelling troubles of insuing yeeres Now am I mounted with fames golden wings And in the Tropick of my fortunes height My flood maintayned with a thousand springs Now on my back supporting Atlas weight All tongues and pens attending on my
thrall King Edwards Idoll all men did mee call Oft would he sette his crowne vpon my head And in his chayre sit downe vpon my knee And when his eyes with loue were fully fed A thousand times he sweetly kissed mee When did I laugh and he not seene to smile If I but frownd hee silent all the while But Fortune now vnto my ouer-throwe Intic't mee on with her alluring call And still deuising how to worke my woe One bayte tan'e vp she let another fall Thus Syren-like she brings me to the bay Where long before shee plotted my decay For now the King to Fraunce doth him prepare For marriage with the Princesse Isabel Daughter to Phillip then surnam'd the faire Who like to him in beauty did excell Of Tilts and tryumphs euery man reports And the vniting of these famous Courts And now the King to rayse me higher yet Makes me the Lord-protector of the Land And in the Chayre of his estate I sit Hee yeelds his Scepter vp into mine hand Deuising still hovv he to passe might bring That if he died I might succeed as King His treasure novv stood absolute to mee I dranck my pleasures in a golden cup I spent a vvorld I had aboundantly As though the earth had cast her bovvels vp My reckonings cast my summs were soone enroled I was by no man once to be controled Now being got as high as I could clyme And Fortune made my foote-cloth as I gest I paynt me braue with Tagus golden slyme Because I would enioy what I possest Aluding stil that he is mad and worse Which playes the nyggard with a Princes purse And now the King returning with his trayne I summond all the chiefe Nobilitie And in my pompe went foorth to entertayne The Peers of Fraunce in all thys ioylitie Where in my carridge were such honours placed As with my presence all the showes were graced Guarded with troupes of Gallants as I went The people crouching still with cap and knee My port and personage so magnificent That as a God the Commons honored mee And in my pryde loe thus I could deuise To seeme a wonder vnto all mens eyes In ritchest Purple rode I all alone With Diamonds imbroidered and bedight Which lyke the stars in Gallixia shone Whose lucter still reflecting with the light Presented heauen to all that euer gazed Of force to make a world of eyes amazed Vpon a stately Iennet forth I rode Caparisond with Pearle-enchased plumes Trotting as though the Measures he had trode Breathing Arabian Ciuit-sweet perfumes Whose rarenes seemd to cast men in a traunce Wondred of England and admir'd of Fraunce Like trident-maced Neptune in his pride Mounted vpon a Dolphin in a storme Vpon the tossing billowes forth doth ride About whose trayne a thousand Trytons swarme When Phoebus seemes to set the waues on fire To shew his glory and the gods desire Or like vnto the fiery-faced Sunne Vpon his wagon prauncing in the West Whose blushing cheeks with flames seeme ouer-runne Whilst sweating thus he gallops to his rest Such was the glory wherin now I stood Which makes the Barrons sweat their deerest blood Thus when these gallant companies were met The King heer present with his louely Queene And all the Nobles in due order set To heare and see what could be hard or seene Loe heer that kindnes easely is discride That faithful loue which hee nor I could hide Euen like as Castor when a calme begins Beholding then his starry-tressed brother With mirth and glee these Swan-begotten twins Presaging ioy the one embrace the other Thus one the other in our armes wee fold Our breasts for ioy our harts could scarcely hold Or like the Nimphe beholding in a Well Her deerest loue wanting words to wooe him About his necke with clipped armes she fell Where by her fayth the gods conioynd her to him Such was the loue which now by signes we breake When ioy had tied our tongues we could not speak Thus arme in arme towards London on wee rid And like two Lambes we sport in euery place Where neither ioy nor loue could well be hid That might be seal'd with any sweet embrace So that his Queene might by our kindnes proue Though shee his Wife yet I alone his loue The Barrons now ambitious at my raigne As one that stoode betwixt them and the Sunne They vnderhand pursue me with disdaine And play the game which I before had wonne And malice now so hard the bellowes blew That through myne eares the sparks of fier flew Where in reuenge the tryumphes they deuisd To entertaine the King with wondrous cost Were by my malice suddainly surprisd The charge their summons and their honours lost Which in their thoughts reuenge so deeply raysed As vvith my blood they vow'd should be appeased As when within the soft and spungie soyle The vvind doth peirce the intrals of the earth VVhere hurly burly with a restlesse coile Shakes all the center wanting issue forth Tyll vvith the tumor Townes and Mountains tremble Euen such a meteor doth their rage resemble Or when the shapeles huge Leuiathan Hath thrust himselfe vpon the sandie shore Where Monster like affrighting euery man He belloweth out a fearefull hydeous rore Euen such a clamor through the ayre doth thunder The dolefull presage of some fearefull wonder Thus as a plague vnto the gouernment A very scourge to the Nobilitie The cause of all the Commons discontent The Image of all sentialitie I was reproched openly of many Hated of all not pittied now of any And as a vile misleader of the King A wastfull spender of his coyne and treasure A secret theefe of many a sacred thing A Cormorant in whom was neuer measure I seemed hatefull now in all mens eyes Buzzing about me like a swarme of flyes Lyke as a clowde foule darke and vgly black Threatning the earth with tempest euery howre Now broken with a fearefull thunder-crack Straight poureth down his deep earth-drenching showre Thus for their wrongs now rise they vp in armes Or to reuenge or to amend theyr harmes The King perceiuing how the matter stood Himselfe his Crowne in this extremity And how the Barrons thirsted for my blood And seeing now there was no remedy That I some vile vntimely death must die Or thus must be exiled presentlie A thousand thoughts he hammereth in his head Thinking on this and now againe on that As one deuise is come another fled Some thing he would and now he knowes not what To helpe me now a thousand meanes he forgeth Whilst still with sighes his sorrowes he disgorgeth And for I was his very soules delight He thought on this the onely way at last In Ireland to hide me out of sight Vntill these stormes were ouer-blowne and past And in meane time t'appease the Barrons hate And so reduce me to my former state And to giue place vnto the Barrons rage Which flamed like a burning-quenchles brand Which nought but my exile could now asswage
back a little bagg of stuffe Like to a Souldier that in Campe of late Had been imployd in seruice with the state And safely landed on thys blessed shore Towards VVindsor thus disguis'd I tooke my way Wheras I had intelligence before My wife remaind and there my Edward lay My deerest wife to whom I sent my ring Who made my comming known vnto the King As when old-youthful Eson in his glass Saw from his eyes the cheerfull lightning sprung When as Art-spell Medea brought to pass By hearbs and charms againe to make him young Thus stood King Edward rauisht in the place Fixing his eyes vpon my louely face Or as Muse-meruaile Hero when she clips Her deer Leanders byllow-beaten limms And with sweet kisses seazeth on his lips When for her sake deep Hellespont he swimms Might by our tender-deer imbracings proue Fayre Heros kindnes and Leanders loue Or like the twifold-twynned Geminy In their star-gilded gyrdle strongly tyed Chayn'd by their saffrond tresses in the sky Standing to guard the sun-coche in his pride Like as the Vine his loue the Elme imbracing With nimble armes our bodies interlacing The Barrons hearing how I was arriued And that my late abiurement naught preuailed By my returne of all their hope depriued Theyr bedlam rage no longer now concealed But as hote coles once puffed with the wind Into a flame outbreaking by their kind Like to a man whose foote doth hap to light Into the nest where stinging Hornets ly Vext with the spleen and rising with despight About his head these winged spirits fly Thus rise they vp with mortall discontent By death to end my life and banishment Or like to souldiers in a Towne of war When Sentinell the enemy discries Affrighted with this vnexpected iar All with the fearefull Larum-bell arise Thus muster they as Bees doe in a hyue The idle Drone out of their combes to dryue It seemd the earth with heauen grew malecontent Nothing is hard but warrs and Armors ringing New stratagems each one doth now inuent The Trumpets shril their warlike poynts be singing Each souldiour now his crested plume aduances They manidge horses and they charge their launces As when vnder a vast and vaulty roofe Some great assembly happily appears A man from thence that standeth out a loofe A murmuring confused rumor hears Such is the noyse from earth to heauen rebounding With shrikes and clamors euery where resounding Lyke as the Ocean chafing with hys bounds With raging billowes flyes against the Rocks And to the shore sends forth his hydeous sounds Making the earth to tremble with his shocks Euen thus the murmure flyes from shore to shore Lyke to the Canons battering fearefull rore By day and night attended still with spyes The Court become the cause of al our woes The Country now a Campe of enemies The Citties all be-peopled with our foes Our very beds are snares made to enwrap vs Our surest guard as Traytors doe intrap vs. Like to a cry of roring-mouthed hounds Rouzing the long-liu'd stagg out of his layre Pursue the chase through vastie forrest grounds So lyke a thunder ratling in the ayre Thus doe they hunt vs still from coast to coast Most hated now of those we loued most Thys gracious Prince loe thus becomes my guide And with a Conuoy of some chosen friends Brings mee to Yorke where being fortified To Balioll the King of Scots hee sends And to the Welchmen crauing both their ayde That by their help the Barrons might be stayd But they which in their busines neuer slept And as it seemd had well fore-seen thys thing Cause all the Ports and Marches to be kept That none should enter once to ayde the King And by disswasiue Letters still deuise To stay theyr neighbors from this enterprize Loe in this sort the King and I betrayd And to their wills thus left as wofull thralls And finding now no further hope of ayde We shut vs vp within Yorkes aged walls Vntill we knew the Barrons full intent And what all this rude hurly burly meant This gracious King for want of wonted rest Fallen in these passions to an extasie With grieuous sicknes is so sore opprest And grown in time to such extreamity As he is forced to depart away To take the ayre awhile vpon the Sea From Bedford now the synod of their shame The counsell house of all their villany These bloody Barrons with an Army came Downe vnto York where they besieged mee That now not able to resist their might Am forst perforce to flye away by night To Scarborough with speed away I post With that small force the Citty then could lend me The strongest Castell there in all the coast And as I thought the surest to defend me Where as I might withstand them by my power Hoping the Kings returning euery howre But now like to a sousing suddaine raine Forc'd by a strong and sturdy easterne blast Or like a hayle-storme downe they come amaine And in the Castell gert me now so fast No way to scape nor hope for mee to flie My choyce was hard or yeeld my selfe or die Away thus like a prysoner am I led My costly robes in peeces rent and torne Bound hand and foote my haire disheuiled Naked and bare as euer I was borne Saue but for shame to stop the peoples cryes With griefe am clothed of mine enemies Along the Land toward Oxford they conuay mee Like bauling currs they all about mee houle With words of foule reproch they now repay mee Wondring my shame as byrds doe at an Owle Cursing my life my manners and my birth A scourge of God ordaind to plague the earth The King now hearing how I was arested And knew my quarrell cause of all this strife He writes he sends he sues he now requested Vsing all means he could to saue my life With vowes and othes that all should be amended If that my death alone might be suspended And being brought to Dedington at last By Aymer Valence Earle of Pembrook then Who towards King Edward rode in all the hast And left mee guarded safelie by his men This gentle Earle with meer compassion moued For Edwards sake whom hee so deerly loued But now Guy Beuchampe whom I feared still The Earle of VVarwick whom I called curr Hauing fit time to execute his will The Foxe thus caught he vowes to teare my furr And he for whom so oft he sett the trap By good ill luck is fallen into his lap This bloody Beuchampe I may tearme him so For this was he that onely sought my blood Now at the vp-cast of mine ouer-throw And on the chaunce wheron my fortune stood To Dedington hee came where as I lay And by his force hee tooke mee thence away To VVarwick thus along hee doth mee bring And keeps me guarded in the Castell there And doubting now my succour from the King Hee rayseth vp the power of VVarwick-shiere Thus from the Towne to Blacklow I was led And on a Scaffold
there I lost my head Loe heer the point and sentence of my time My liues full stop my last Catastrophe The stipend of my death-deserued cryme The Scene that ends my wofull tragedy My latest Vale knitting my conclusion Mine vtter ruine and my fames confusion Like as Adonis wounded with the Bore From whose fresh hurt the life-warme blood doth spin Now lyeth wallowing in his purple gore Stayning his faire and Alablaster skin My headles bodie in the blood is left Now lying breathles and of life bereft 〈◊〉 my Muse put on thy Eagles wings 〈◊〉 some comfort to my tired ghost 〈◊〉 with Apollos dolefull-tuned strings 〈◊〉 help at need for now I need thee most Sorrow posses my hart mine eyes myne ears My breath consume to sighs my braine to tears My soule now in the heauens eternall glass Beholds the scarrs and botches of her sin How filthy vglie and deformd shee was The lothsome dunghill that shee wallowed in Her pure Creator sitting in his glory With eyes of iustice to peruse her storie Like as a stagg at bay amongst the hounds The bloodie Mott still sounding in his ears Feeling his breath diminish by his wounds Poures downe his gummy life-preseruing tears Euen thus my soule now bayted by my sin Consuming shewes the sorrow shee is in Thus comfortles forsaken and alone All worldlie things vnstable and vnsure By true contrition flyes to him alone In whose compare the heauens are most impure By whose iust doome to blessed soules reuealed Shee gets her pasport to Elisia sealed And by repentance finds a place of rest Where passing to the faire Elisian plaine Shee is aloud her roome amongst the blest In those Ambrosian shadowes to remaine Till summond thus by Fame shee is procur'd To tell my life that hath been thus obscur'd This monster now this many-headed beast The people more vnconstant then the wind Who in my life my life did so detest Now in my death are of another mind And with the fountains from their teareful eyes Doe honor to my latest obsequies Star-holding heauen hath shut vp all her light Nature become a stepdam to her owne The mantled trouch-man of the Rauen-hued night In mournfull Sables clad the Horizon The sky-borne Planets seeming to conspire Against the ayre the water earth and fire Pearle-paued Auon in her streamfull course With heauy murmure floting on the stones Mou'd with lament to pitty and remorse Attempering sad musick to my moans Tuning her billowes to Zephyrus breath In watry language doth bewaile my death Oke-shadowed Arden fild with bellowing cries Resounding through her holts and hollow grounds To which the Eccho euer-more replies And to the fields sends forth her hideous sounds And in her Siluan rude vntuned songs Makes byrds and beasts for to express my wrongs The heauen-dyed flowers in this happy clyme Mantling the Medowes in their Summers pride As in the wofull frostie winter time Drouping with faintnes hold their heads aside The boystrous storms dispoile the greenest greues Stripping the Trees stark naked of their leaues Death clad in liueries of my louely cheeks Layd in those beds of Lillyes and of Roses Amaz'd with meruaile heere for wonders seeks Where he alone a Paradice supposes Grew malcontent and with himselfe at strife Not knowing now if hee were death or life And shutting vp the casements of those lyghts Which like two sunns so sweetly went to rest In those faire globes he saw those heauenly sights In which alone he thought him onely blest Cursing himselfe who had depriued breath From that which thus could giue a life in death With palenes touching that fayre rubied lip Now waxing purple like Adonis flower Where Iuory walls those rocks of Curral keep From whence did flow that Nectar-streaming shower There earth-pale Death refresht his tired limms Where Cupid bath'd hym in those Christall brimms And entring now into that house of glory That Temple with sweet Odors long perfumed Where nature had ingraued many a story In Letters which by death were not consumed Accursed now his crueltie he curst That Fame should liue when he had done hys worst Now when the King had notice of my death And that hee saw his purpose thus preuented In greeuous sighes hee now consumes his breath And into tears his very eyes relented Cursing that vile and mercy-wanting age And breakes into this passion in his rage O heauens quoth hee lock vp the liuing day Cease sunn to lend the world thy glorious light Starrs flye your course and wander all astray Moone lend no more thy siluer shine by night Heauens starrs Sunn Moone conioyne you all in one Reuenge the death of my sweet Gaueston Earth be thou helples in thy creaturs berth Sea break thou forth from thy immured bound Ayre with thy vapors poyson thou the earth Wind break thy Caue and all the world confound Earth sea ayre wind conioyne you all in one Bewaile the death of my sweet Gaueston You sauage beasts that haunt the way-less woods You Birds delighted in your Siluan sound You scaly Fish that swim in pleasant floods You hartless Wormes that creep vpon the ground Beasts birds fish wormes each in your kind alone Reuenge the death of my sweet Gaueston Faire Medowes be you withered in the prime Sun-burnt and bare be all the goodly Mountains Groues be you leaueless in the Summer time Pitchy and black be all the Christall Fountains All things on earth each in your kind alone Reuenge the death of my sweet Gaueston You damned Furies break your Stigian Cell You wandring spirits in water earth and ayre Lead-boyling ghosts that liue in lowest hell Gods diuels men vnto mine ayde repayre Come all at once conioyne you all in one Reuenge the death of my sweet Gaueston Eyes neuer sleep vntill you see reuenge Head neuer rest vntill thou plot reuenge Hart neuer think but tending to reuenge Hands neuer act but acting deep reuenge Iust-dooming heauens reuenge mee from aboue That men vnborne may wonder at my loue You peerles Poets of ensuing times Chanting Heroique Angel-tuned notes Or humble Pastors Nectar-filled lines Driuing your flocks with musick to their coats Let your hie-flying Muses still bemoane The wofull end of my sweet Gaueston My earth-pale body now enbalmd with tears To famous Oxford solemnly conuaid There buried by the ceremonious Friers Where for my soule was many a Trentall said With all those rites my obsequies behoued Whose blind deuotion time and truth reproued But ere two yeeres were out and fully dated This gracious King who still my fame respected My wasted bones to Langley thence translated And ouer mee a stately Tombe erected Which world-deuouring Time hath now out-worne As but for Letters were my name forlorne My ghost now hence to Ankor shall repayre Where once the same appeared vnto thee And vnto chaste Idea tell my care A sacrifice both for thy selfe and mee In whose sweet bosome all the Muses rest In whose aspect our Clyme is onely blest Thus hauing told my drery dolefull tale My time expir'd I now returne againe Where Carons Barge hoyst with a merrie gale Shall land mee on the faire Elisian plaine Where on the Trees of neuer dying fame There will I carue Ideas sacred name And thou sweet Dorus whose sole Phoenix Muse With Pegase wings doth mount vnto the sky Whose lines the gods are fittest to peruse My louelie Dorus lend thine humble eye To my harsh stile deer friend at my request In whose conceit my verse is onely blest My deer Maecenas lend thine eyes awhile From Meredian's sun-bred stately straine And from thy rare and lofty flying stile Looke downe into my low and humble vaine On this same babe my Muse hath now brought forth Till shee present thee with some lines of worth FINIS DIuers haue been the opinions of the byrth and first rysing of Gaueston amongst the VVriters of these latter times some omitting things worthy of memory some inferring things without probabilitie disagreeing in many particulars and cauelling in the circumstances of his sundry banishments which hath bred some doubt amongst those who haue but slightly run ouer the History of his fortune seeing euery man roue by his owne ayme in this confusion of opinions Although most of thē concluding in generall of his exceeding credite with the King of the maner of his death and of the pompe wherin he lyued Except some of those VVriters who lyued in the tyme of Edward the second wherin he onely florisht or immediatly after in the golden raigne of Edward the third when as yet his memory was fresh in euery mans mouth whose authorities in myne opinion can hardlie be reproued of any the same beeing within the compasse of possibility and the Authors names extant auouching what they haue written On whom I onely relyed in the plot of my History hauing recourse to some especiall collections gathered by the industrious labours of Iohn Stow a diligent Chronigrapher of our time A man very honest exceeding painfull and ritch in the antiquities of this Ile yet omitting some small things of no moment feating to make his Tragedy more troublesome amongst so many currants as haue fallen out in the same framing my selfe to fashion a body of a hystorie without maime or deformitie VVhich if the same be accepted thankfully as I offer it willingly in contenting you I onely satisfie my selfe M. D.