my lordes may seeme for best aduise I wish that it should streight be put in vre Mandud My lordes than let vs presently depart And follow this that liketh vs so well Fergus If euer time to gaine a kingdome here Were offred man now it is offred mee The realme is reft both of their king and queene The ofspring of the prince is slaine and dead No issue now remaines the heire vnknowen The people are in armes and mutynies The nobles they are busied how to cease These great rebellious tumultes and vproares And Brittavne land now desert left alone Amyd these broyles vncertayne where to rest Offers her selfe vnto that noble hart That will or dare pursue to beare her crowne Shall I that am the duke of Albanye Discended from that line of noble bloud Which hath so long florished in worthy fame Of valiaunt hartes such as in noble brestes Of right should rest aboue the the baser sort Refuse to venture life to winne a crowne Whom shall I finde enmies that will withstand My fact herein if I attempt by armes To seeke the same now in these times of broyle These dukes power can hardly well appease The people that already are in armes But if perhappes my force be once in field Is not my strength in power aboue the best Of all these lordes now left in Brittayne land And though they should match me with power of mē Yet doubtfull is the chaunce of battailles ioyued If victors of the field we may depart Ours is the scepter then of great Brittayne ▪ If slayne amid the playne this body lye Mine enemies yet shall not deny me this But that I dyed geuing the noble charge To hazarde life for conquest of a crowne Forthwith therefore will I in post depart To Albanye and raise in armour there All power I can and here my secret friendes By secret practise shall sollicite still To seeke to wynne to me the peoples hartes Actus quintus Scena Secunda Eubulus Clotyn. Mandad Gwenard Arostus Nuntius Evb. O Ioue how are these peoples harts abusde ▪ What blind fury thus he adlong caries them That though so many bookes so many rolles Of auncient time recorde what greuous plagues Light on these rebelles aye and though so oft Their cares haue heard their aged fathers tell What iuste reward these traitours still receyue Yea though them selues haue sene depe death bloud By strangling cord and slaughter of the sword To such assigned yet can they not beware Yet can not stay their lewde rebellious handes But suffring loe fowle treason to distaine Their wretched myndes forget their loyall hart Reiect all truth and rise against their prince A ruthefull case that those whom duties bond Whom grafted law by nature truth and faith Bound to preserue their countrey and their king Borne to defend their common wealth and prince Euen they should geue consent thus to subuert Thee Brittaine land from thy wombe should spring O natiue soile those that will needs destroy And tuyne thee and eke them selues in fine For lo when once the dukes had offred grace Of pardon sweete the multitude missledde By traitorous fraude of their vngracious heades One sort that saw the dangerous successe Of stubborne standing in rebellious warre And knew the difference of princes power From headlesse nombre of tumultuous routes Whom common countreies care and priuate feare Taught to repent the errour of their rage Layde handes vpon the captaines of their band And brought them bound vnto the mightie dukes And other sort not trusting yet so well The truth of pardon or mistrusting more Their owne offence than that they could conceiue Such hope of pardon for so foule misdede Or for that they their captaines could not yeld Who fearing to be yelded fled before Stale home by silence of the secret night The thirde vnhappy and enraged sort Of desperate hartes who stained in princes bloud From trayterous furour could not be withdrawen By loue by law by grace ne yet by feare By proffered life ne yet by threatned death With mindes hopelesse of life dreadlesse of death Carelesse of countrey and awelesse of God Stoode bent to fight as furies did them moue With violent death to close their traiterous life These all by power of horsemen were opprest And with reuenging sworde slayne in the field Or with the strangling cord hangd on the tree Where yet their carryen carcases do preach The fruites that rebelles reape of their vproares And of the murder of their sacred prince But loe where do approche the noble dukes By whom these tumults haue ben thus appeasde Clotyn. I thinke the world will now at length beware And feare to put on armes agaynst their prince Mand. If not those trayterous hartes that dare rebell Let them beholde the wide and hugie fieldes With bloud and bodies spread of rebelles slayne The lofty trees clothed with the corpses dead That strangled with the corde do hang theron Arostus A iust rewarde such as all times before Haue euer lotted to those wretched folkes Gwen. But what meanes he that commeth here so fast Nun. My lordes as dutie and my trouth doth moue And of my countrey worke a care in mee That if the spending of my breath auailed To do the seruice that my hart desires I would not shunne to imbrace a present death So haue I now in that wherein I thought My trauayle mought performe some good effect Uentred my life to bring these tydinges here Fergus the mightie duke of Albanye Is now in armes and lodgeth in the fielde With twentie thousand men hether he bendes His spedy marche and mindes to inuade the crowne Dayly he gathereth strength and spreads abrode That to this realme no certeine heire remaines That Brittayne land is left without a guide That he the scepter seekes for nothing els But to preserue the people and the land Which now remaine as ship without a sterne Loe this is that which I haue here to say Cloyton Is this his fayth and shall he falsely thus Abuse the vauntage of vnhappie times O wretched land if his outragious pride His cruell and vntempred wilfulness His deepe dissembling shewes of false pretence Should once attaine the crowne of Brittaine land Let vs my lordes with timely force resist The new attempt of this our common foe As we would quench the flames of common fire Mand. Though we remaine without a certain prince To weld the realme or guide the wandring rule Yet now the common mother of vs all Our natiue land our countrey that conteines Our wiues children kindred our selues and all That euer is or may be deare to man Cries vnto vs to helpe our selues and her Let vs aduaunce our powers to represse This growing foe of all our liberties Gwenard Yea let vs so my lordes with hasty speede And ye O Goddes send vs the welcome death To shed our bloud in field and leaue vs not In lothesome life to lenger out our dayes To see the hugie heapes of
spedie wise to put the same in vre Thus haue I tolde the cause that moued me To worke my brothers death and so I yeld My life my death to iudgement of your grace Gord. Oh cruell wight should any cause preuaile To make thee staine thy hands with brothers bloud But what of thee we will resolue to doe Shall yet remaine vnknowen Thou in the meane Shalt from our royall presence banisht be Untill our princely pleasure furder shall To thee be shewed Depart therefore our sight Accursed childe What cruell desrenie What froward fate hath sorted vs this chaunce That euen in those where we should comfort find Where our delight now in our aged dayes Sould rest and be euen there our onely griefe And depest sorrowes to abridge our life Most pyning cares and deadly thoughts do grow Aros Your grace should now in these graue yeres of yours Haue found ere this y price of mortall ioyes How short they be how fading here in earth How full of chaunge how brittle our estate Of nothing sure saue onely of the death To whom both man and all the world doth owe Their end at last neither should natures power In other sort against your hart preuaile Than as the naked hand whose stroke assayes The armed brest where force doth light in vaine Gorbod Many can yelde right sage and graue aduise Of pacient sprite to others wrapped in woe And can in speche both rule and conquere kinde Who if by proofe they might feele natures force Would shew them selues men as they are in dede Which now wil nedes be gods But what doth meane The sory chere of her that here doth come Marcella Oh where is ruth or where is pitie now Whether is gentle hart and mercy fled Are they exiled out of our stony brestes Neuer to make returne is all the world Drowned in bloud and soncke in crueltie If not in women mercy may be found If not alas within the mothers brest To her owne childe to her owne fleshe and bloud If ruthe be banished thence if pitie there May haue no place if there no gentle hart Do liue and dwell where should we seeke it then Gorb. Madame alas what meanes your woful tale Marcella O fillie woman I why to this houre Haue kinde and fortune thus deferred my breath That I should liue to see this dolefull day Will euer wight beleue that such hard hart Could rest within the cruell mothers brest With her owne hand to slay her onely sonne But out alas these eyes behelde the same They saw the driery sight and are becomeÌ„ Most ruthfull recordes of the bloudy fact Porrex alas is by his mother slaine And with her hand a wofull thing to tell While slumbring on his carefull bed he restes His hart stabde in with knife is rest of life Gorboduc O Eubulus oh draw this sword of ours And pearce this hart with speed O hatefull light O lothsome life O sweete and welcome death Deare Eubulus worke this we thee besech Eubulus Pacient your grace perhappes he liueth yet With wound receaued but not of certaine death Gorboduc O let vs then repayre vnto the place And see if Porrex liue or thus be slaine Marcella Alas he liueth not it is to true That with these eyes of him a perelesse prince Sonne to a king and in the flower of youth Euen with a twinke a senselesse stocke I saw Arostus O damned deede Marcella But heare hys ruthefull end The noble prince pearst with the sodeine wound Out of his wretched slumber hastely start Whose strength now fayling straight he ouerthrew When in the fall his eyes euen new vnclosed Behelde the Queene and cryed to her for helpe We then alas the ladies which that time Did there attend seing that heynous deede And hearing him oft call the wretched name Of mother and to crye to her for aide Whose direfull hand gaue him the mortall wound Pitying alas for nought els could we do His ruthefull end ranne to the wofull bedde Dispoyled straight his brest and all we might Wiped in vaine with napkins next at hand The sodeine streames of bloud that flushed fast Out of the gaping wound O what a looke O what a ruthefull stedfast eye me thought He fixt vpon my face which to my death Will neuer part fro me when with a braide A deepe fet sigh he gaue and therewithall Clasping his handes to heauen he cast his sight And straight pale death pressing within his face The flying ghost his mortall corpes forsooke Arostus Neuer did age bring forth so vile a fact Marcella O hard and cruell happe that thus assigned Unto so worthy a wight so wretched end But most hard cruell hart that could consent To lend the hatefull destenies that hand By which alas so heynous crime was wrought O Queene of adamant O marble brest If not the fauour of his comely face If not his princely chere and countenance His valiant actiue armes his manly brest If not his faire and seemely personage His noble limnies in such proportion cast As would haue wrapt a sillie womans thought If this mought not haue moued thy bloudy hart And that most cruell hand the wretched weapon Euen to let fall and kiste him in the face With teares for ruthe to reaue such one by death Should nature yet consent to slay her sonne O mother thou to murder thus thy childe Euen Ioue with iustice must with lightning flames FroÌ„ heauen send downe some strange reuenge on thee Ah noble prince how oft haue I behelde Thee mounted on thy fierce and traumpling stede Shining in armour bright before the tilt And with thy mistresse sleue tied on thy helme And charge thy staffe to please thy ladies eye That bowed the head peece of thy frendly foe How oft in armes on horse to bend the mace How oft in armes on foote to breake the sworde Which neuer now these eyes may see againe Arostus Madame alas in vaine these plaints are shed Rather with me depart and helpe to swage The thoughtfull griefes that in the aged king Must needes by nature growe by death of this His onely sonne whom he did holde so deare Marcella What wight is that which saw y I did see And could refraine to waile with plaint and teares Not I alas that hart is not in me But let vs goe for I am greued anew To call to minde the wretched fathers woe Chorus Whan greedy lust in royall seate to reigne Hath reâ—t all care of Goddes and eke of men And cruell hart wrath treason and disoaine Within ambicious brest are lodged then Beholde how mischiefe wide her selfe displayes And with the brothers hand the brother slayes When bloud thus shed doth staine the heauens face Crying to Ioue for vengeance of the deede The mightic God euen moueth from his place With wrath to wreke then sendes he forth with spede The dreadfull furies daughters of the night With Serpentes girt carying the whip of ire With heare of stinging
these vnhappes 〈◊〉 now roll downe vpon the wretched land Where emptie place of princely gouernaunce No certaine stay now left of doubtlesse heire Thus leaue this guidelesse realme an open pray To endlesse stormes and waste of ciuill warre Arostus That ye my lordes do so agree in one To saue your countrey from the violent reigne And wrongfully vsurped tyrannie Of him that threatens conquest of you all To saue your realme and in this realme your selues From forreine thraldome of so proud a prince Much do I prayse and I besech the Goddes With happy honour to requite it you But O my lordes sith now the heauens wrath Hath reft this land the issue of their prince Sith of the body of our late soueraigne lorde Remaines no moe since the yong kinges be slaine And of the title of discended crowne Uncertainly the diuerse mindes do thinke Euen of the learned sort and more vncertainly Will parciall fancie and affection deeme But most vncertainly will climbing pride And hope of reigne withdraw to sundry partes The doubtfull right and hopefull lust to reigne When once this noble seruice is atchieued For Brittaine land the mother of ye all When once ye haue with armed force represt The proude attemptes of this Albanian prince That threatens thraldome to your natiue land When ye shall vanquishers returne from field And finde the princely state an open pray To gredie lust and to vsurping power Then then my lordes if euer kindly care Of auncient honour of your auncesters Of present wealth and noblesse of your stockes Yea of the liues and safetie yet to come Of your deare wiues your children and your selues Might moue your noble hartes with gentle ruth Then then haue pitie on the torne estate Then helpe to salue the welneare hopelesse sore Which ye shall do if ye your selues withholde The slaying knife from your owne mothers throate Her shall you saue and you and yours in her If ye shall all with one assent forbeare Once to lay hand or take vnto your selues The crowne by colour of pretended right Or by what other meanes so euer it be Till first by common counsell of you all In Parliament the regall diademe Be set in certaine place of gouernaunce In which your Parliament and in your choise Preferre the right my lordes with respect Of streugth or frendes or what soeuer cause That may set forward any others part For right will last and wrong can not endure Right meane I his or hers vpon whose name The people rest by meane of natiue line Or by the vertue of some former lawe Already made their title to aduaunce Such one my lordes let be your chosen king Such one so borne within your natiue land Such one preferre and in no wise admitte The heauie yoke of forreine gouernance Let forreine titles yelde to publike wealth And with that hart wherewith ye now prepare Thus to withstand the proude muading foe With that same hart my lordes keepe out also Unnaturall thraldome of strangers reigne Ne suffer you against the rules of kinde Your mother land to serue a forreine prince Eubulus Loe here the end of Brutus royall line And loe the entry to the wofull wracke And vtter ruine of this noble realme The royall king and eke his sonnes are slaine No ruler restes within the regall seate The heire to whom the scepter longes vnknowen That to eche force of forreine princes power Whom vauntage of our wretched state may moue By sodeine armes to gaine so riche a realme And to the proud and gredie minde at home Whom blinded lust to reigne leade to aspire Loe Brittaine realme is left an open pray A present spoyle by conquest to ensue Who seeth not now how many rising mindes Do feede their thoughts with hope to reach a realme And who will not by force attempt to winne So great a gaine that hope perswades to haue A simple colour shall for title serue Who winnes the royall crowne will want no right Nor such as shall display by long discent A lineall race to proue him lawfull king In the meane while these ciuel armes shall rage And thus a thousand mischiefes shall vnfolde And farre and neare spread thee O Brittaine land All right and lawe shall cease and he that had Nothing to day to morrowe shall enioye Great heapes of golde and he that flowed in wealth Loe he shall be berest of life and all And happiest he that then possesseth least The wiues shall suffer rape the maides defloured And children fatherlesse shall weepe and wane With fire and sworde thy natiue folke shall perishe One kinsman shall bereaue an others life The father shall vnwitting slay the sonne The sonne shall slay the sire and know it not Women and maides the cruell souldiers sword Shall perse to death and sillie children loe That play in the streetes and fieldes are found By violent hand shall close their latter day Whom shall the fierce and bloudy souldier Reserue to life Whom shall he spare from death Euen thou O wretched mother halfe aliue Thou shalt beholde thy deare and onely childe Slaine with the sworde while he yet suckes thy brest Loe giltlesse bloud shall thus eche where be shed Thus shall the wasted soile yelde forth no fruite But dearth and famine shall possesse the land The townes shall be consumed and burnt with fire The peopled cities shall waxe desolate And thou O Brittaine whilome in renowme Whilome in wealth and fame shalt thus be torne Dismembred thus and thus be rent in twaine Thus wasted and defaced spoyled and destroyed These be the fruites your ciuil warres will bring Hereto it commes when kinges will not consent To graue aduise but followe wilfull will. This is the end when in fonde princes hartes Flattery preuailes and sage rede hath no place These are the plages when murder is the meane To make new heires vnto the royall crowne Thus wreke the Gods when that the mothers wrath Nought but the bloud of her owne childe may swage These mischiefes spring when rebells will arise To worke reuenge and iudge their princes fact This this ensues when noble men do faile In loyall trouth and subiectes will be kinges And this doth growe when loe vnto the prince Whom death or sodeine happe of life bereaues No certaine heire remaines such certaine heire As not all onely is the rightfull heire But to the realme is so made knowen to be And trouth therby vested in subiectes hartes To owe fayth there where right is knowen to rest Alas in Parliament what hope can be When is of Parliament no hope at all Which though it be assembled by consent Yet is not likely with consent to end While eche one for him selfe or for his frend Against his foe shall trauaile what he may While now the state left open to the man That shall with greatest force inuade the same Shall fill ambicious mindes with gaping hope When will they once with yelding hartes agree Or in the while how shall the realme be vsed No no then Parliament should haue bene holden And certeine heires appointed to the crowne To stay the title of established right And in the people plant obedience While yet the prince did liue whose name and power By lawfull sommons and authoritie Might make a Parliament to be of force And might haue set the state in quiet stay But now O happie man whom spedie death Depriues of life ne is enforced to see These hugie mischiefes and these miseries These ciuil warres these murders these wronges Of iuâ—â—ice yet must God in fine restore This noble crowne vnto the lawfull heire For right will alwayes liue and rise at length But wrong can neuer take deepe roote to last â–ª
vaine of cattell slaine To send the sacred smoke to heauens throne For thee my sonne if thinges do so succede As now my ielous minde misdemeth sore Ferrex Madame leaue care carefull plaint for me Iust hath my father bene to euery wight His first vniustice he will not extend To me I trust that geue no cause therof My brothers pride shall hurt him selfe not me Viden. So graunt the Goddes But yet thy father so Hath firmely fixed his vnmoued minde That plaintes and prayers can no whit auaile For those haue I assaied but euen this day He will endeuour to procure assent Of all his counsell to his fonde deuise Ferrex Their ancestors from race to race haue borne True fayth to my forefathers and their seede I trust they eke will beare the like to me Viden. There resteth all But if they faile thereof And if the end bring forth an ill successe On them and theirs the mischiefe shall befall And so I pray the Goddes requite it them And so they will for so is wont to be When lordes and trusted rulers vnder kinges To please the present fancie of the prince With wrong transpose the course of gouernance Murders mischiefe or ciuill sword at length Or mutuall treason or a iust reuenge When right succeding line returnes againe By Ioues iust iudgement and deserued wrath Bringes them to cruell and reprochfull death And rootes their names and kindredes from the earth Ferrex Mother content you you shall see the end Viden. The end thy end I feare Ioue end me first Actus primus Scena secunda Gorboduc Arostus Philander Eubulus GOrb. My lords whose graue aduise faithful aide Haue long vpheld my honour and my realme And brought me to this age from tender yeres Guidyng so great estate with great renowme Nowe more importeth mee than erst to vse Your fayth and wisedome whereby yet I reigne That when by death my life and rule shall cease The kingdome yet may with vnbroken course Haue certayne prince by whose vndoubted right Your wealth and peace may stand in quiet stay And eke that they whome nature hath preparde In time to take my place in princely seate While in their fathers tyme their pliant youth Yeldes to the frame of skilfull gouernance Maye so be taught and trayned in noble artes As what their fathers which haue reigned before Haue with great fame deriued downe to them With honour they may leaue vnto their seede And not be thought for their vnworthy life And for their lawlesse swaruynge out of kinde Worthy to lose what lawe and kind them gaue But that they may preserue the common peace The cause that first began and still mainteines The lyne all course of kinges inheritance For me for myne for you and for the state Where of both I and you haue charge and care Thus do I meane to vse your wonted fayth To me and myne and to your natiue lande My lordes be playne without all wrie respect Or poysonous craft to speake in pleasyng wise Lest as the blame of yll succedyng thinges Shall light on you so light the harmes also Arostus Your good acceptance so most noble king Of suche our faithfulnesse as heretofore We haue employed in dueties to your grace And to this realme whose worthy head you are Well proues that neyther you mistrust at all Nor we shall neede in boasting wise to shewe Our trueth to you nor yet our wakefull care For you for yours and for our natiue lande Wherefore O kyng I speake as one for all Sithe all as one do beare you egall faith Doubt not to vse our counsells and our aides Whose honours goods and lyues are whole auowed To serue to ayde and to defende your grace Gorb. My lordes I thanke you all This is the case Ye know the Gods who haue the soueraigne care For kings for kingdomes and for common weales Gaue me two sonnes in my more lusty age Who nowe in my decayeng yeres are growen Well towardes typer state of minde and strength To take in hande some greater princely charge As yet they lyue and spende hopefull daies With me and with their mother here in courte Their age nowe asketh other place and trade And myne also doth aske an other chaunge Theirs to more trauaile myne to greater case Whan fatall death shall ende my mortall life My purpose is to leaue vnto them twaine The realme diuided into two sondry partes The one Ferrex myne elder sonne shall haue The other shall the yonger Porrex rule That both my purpose may more firmely stande And eke that they may better rule their charge I meane forthwith to place them in the same That in my life they may both learne to rule And I may ioy to see their ruling well This is in summe what I woulde haue ye wey First whether ye allowe my whole deuise And thinke it good for me for them for you And for our countrey mother of vs all And if ye lyke it and allowe it well Then for their guydinge and their gouernaunce Shew forth such meanes of circumstance As ye thinke meete to be both knowne and kept Loe this is all now tell me your aduise Aros And this is much and asketh great aduise But for my part my soueraigne lord and kyng This do I thinke Your maiestie doth know How vnder you in iustice and in peace Great wealth and honour long we haue enioyed So as we can not seeme with gredie mindes To wisshe for change of Prince or gouernaunce But if we lyke your purpose and deuise Our lyking must be deemed to proceede Of rightfull reason and of heedefull care Not for our selues but for the common state Sithe our owne state doth neede no better change I thinke in all as erst your Grace hath saide Firste when you shall vnlode your aged mynde Of heuye care and troubles manifolde And laye the same vpon my Lordes your sonnes Whose growing yeres may beare the burden long And long I pray the Goddes to graunt it so And in your life while you shall so beholde Their rule their vertues and their noble deedes Suche as their kinde behighteth to vs all Great be the profites that shall growe therof Your age in quiet shall the longer last Your lasting age shal be their longer stay For cares of kynges that rule as you haue ruled For publique wealth and not for priuate ioye Do wast mannes lyfe and hasten crooked age With furrowed face and with enfcebled lymines To draw on creepyng death a swifter pace They two yet yong shall beare the parted reigne With greater ease than one nowe olde alone Can welde the whole for whom muche harder is With lessened strength the double weight to beare Your eye your counsell and the graue regarde Of Father yea of such a fathers name Nowe at beginning of their sondred reigne When is the hazarde of their whole successe Shall bridle so their force of youthfull heates And so restreine the rage of insolence Whiche most assailes the
and full of foule reproch Yet none offence but deckt with glorious name Of noble conquestes in the handes of kinges But if you like not yet so hoâ—e deuise Ne list to take such vauntage of the time But though with perill of your owne estate You will not be the first that shall inuade Assemble yet your force for your defence And for your safetie stand vpon your garde Dordan O heauen was there euer heard or knowen So wicked counsell to a noble prince Let me my Lorde disclose vnto your grace This hainous tale what mischiefe it containes Your fathers death your brothers and your owne Your present murder and eternall shame Heare me O King and suffer not to sinke So high a treason in your princely brest Ferrex The mightie Goddes forbid that euer I Should once conceaue such mischiefe in my hart Although my brother hath bereft my realme And beare perhappes to me an hatefull minde Shall I reuenge it with his death therefore Or shall I so destroy my fathers life That gaue me life the Gods forbid I say Cease you to speake so any more to me Ne you my frend with answere once repeate So foule a tale In silence let it die What lord or subiect shall haue hope at all That vnder me they safely shall enioye Their goods their honours landes and liberties With whom neither one onely brother deare Ne father dearer could emoye their liues But sith I feare my yonger brothers rage And sith perhappes some other man may geue Some like aduise to moue his grudging head At mine estate which counsell may perchaunce Take greater force with him than this with me I will in secrete so prepare my selfe As if his malice or his lust to reigne Breake forth in armes or sodeine violence I may withstand his rage and keepe mine owne Dordan I feare the fatall time now draweth on When ciuil hate shall end the noble line Of famous Brute and of his royall seede Great Ioue defend the mischiefes now at hand O that the Secretaries wise aduise Had erst bene heard when he besought the king Not to diuide his land nor send his sonnes To further partes from presence of his court Ne yet to yelde to them his gouernaunce Lo such are they now in the royall throne As was rashe Phaeton in Phebus carre Ne then the fiery stedes did draw the flame With wilder randoâ— through the kindled skies Than traitorous counseâ—â— now will whirle abouâ— The youthfull heades of these vnskilfull kinges But I here of their father will enforme The reuerence of him perhappes shall stay The growing mischiefes while they yet are greene If this helpe not then woe vnto them selues The prince the people the diuided land Actus secundus Scena secunda Porrex Tyndar Philander POrrex And is it thus And doth he so prepare Against his brother as his mortall foe And now while yet his aged father liues Neither regardes he him nor feares he me Warre would he haue and he shall haue it so Tyndar I saw my selfe the great prepared store Of horse of armour and of weapon there Ne bring I to my lorde reported tales Without the ground of seen and fearched trouth Loe secrete quarrels runne about his court To bring the name of you my lorde in hate Ech man almost can now debate the cause And aske a reason of so great a wrong Why he so noble and so wise a prince Is as vnworthy rest his heritage And why the king misseledde by craftie meanes Diuided thus his land from course of right The wiser sort holde downe their griefull heades Eche man withdrawes from talke and company Of those that haue bene knowne to fauour you To hide the mischiefe of their meaning there Rumours are spread of your preparing here The rascall numbers of vnskilfull sort Are filled with monstrous tales of you and yours In secrete I was counselled by my frendes To hast me thence and brought you as you know Letters from those that both can truely tell And would not write vnlesse they knew it well Philand My lord yet ere you moue vnkindly warre Send to your brother to demaund the cause Perhappes some traitorous tales haue filled his eares With false reportes against your noble grace Which once disclosed shall end the growing strife That els not stayed with wise foresight in time Shall hazarde both your kingdomes and your liues Send to your father eke he shall appease Your kindled mindes and rid you of this feare Porrex Ridde me of feare I feare him not at all Ne will to him ne to my father send If danger were for one to tary there Thinke ye it safetie to returne againe In mischiefes such as Ferrex now intendes The wonted courteous lawes to messengers Are not obserued which in iust warre they vse Shall I so hazard any one of mine Shall I betray my trusty frendes to him That haue disclosed his treason vnto me Let him entreate that feares I feare him not Or shall I to the king my father send Yea and send now while such a mother liues That loues my brother and that hateth me Shall I geue leasure by my fonde delayes To Ferrex to oppresse me all vnware I will not but I will inuade his realme And seeke the traitour prince within his court Mischiefe for mischiefe is a due reward His wretched head shall pay the worthy price Of this his treason and his hate to me Shall I abide and treate and send and pray And holde my yelden throate to traitours knife While I with valiant minde and conquering force Might rid my selfe of foes and winne a realme Yet rather when I haue the wretches head Then to the king my father will I send The bootelesse case may yet appease his wrath If not I will defend me as I may Philand Lo here the end of these two youthful kings The fathers death the ruine of their realmes O most vnhappy state of counsellers That light on so vnhappy lordes and times That neither can their good aduise be heard Yet must they beare the blames of ill successe But I will to the king their father haste Ere this mischiefe come to the likely end That if the mindfull wrath of wrekefull Gods Since mightie Ilions fall not yet appeased With these poore remnantes of the Troian name Haue not determined by vnmoued fate Out of this realme to rase the Brittishe line By good aduise by awe of fathers name By force of wiser lordes this kindled hate May yet be quentched ere it consume vs all Chorus When youth not bridled with a guiding stay Is left to randon of their owne delight And welds whole realmes by force of soueraign sway Great is the daunger of vnmaistred might Lest skillesse rage throwe downe with headlong fallâ— Their lands their states their liues them selues alâ— When growing pride doth fill the swelling brest And gredy lust doth rayse the climbing minde Oh hardlie maye the perill be represt Ne feare of angrie Goddes ne lawes