alone I studied still in euery kinde of thing To serue my prince and vnderfange his fone To vse his subiectes frendly euerichone And for them all aduentures such to take As might them all my persone fauoure make But when I once attained had the 〈◊〉 I waxed cruell tyranous and fell I had no longer mynde of my 〈◊〉 I vsde my selfe to ill the truthe to tell O bace degree in happy case fult well Which art not puste with pryde vainglory hate But art beneath content to byde thy fate For I aloft when once my heate was in Not raignd by reason ruled all by might Ne prudence rekte right strength or meane a 〈◊〉 But with my frendes in anger all would fight I 〈◊〉 kilde stewe who euer were in sight Without respect remorce reproufe regarde And like a mad man in my fury farde I deemde my might and fortitude was suche That I was able therby conquire all Highe kingdomes seate encreaste my poÌ„pe so much My pryde me thought impossible to fall But God confoundes our proude deuices all And bringes that thing wherein we moste do truste To our destruction by his iudgement iuste For when three yeares I ruled had this 〈◊〉 Without all rule as was my rulesse lyfe The rumour ran abroade within a whyle And chiefly in the Norweste country ryfe A monster came from 〈◊〉 seas brought griefe To all my subiectes in those coastes did dwell Deuouring man and 〈◊〉 a monster fell Which wheÌ„ I knew for trought I straight preparde In warlike wyse my selfe to try the case My haste therto a courage bolde declarde For I alone would enter in the place At whom with speare on horse I fetchte my race But on his scales it enter could no more Then might a bulrushe on a brasen dore Againe I prousde yet nought at all preuailde To breake my speare and not to pearce his side With that the roaring monster me assailde So terrifide my horse I could not ride Wherwith I lighted and with sworde I tryde By strokes and tbrustes to finde some open in But of my fight he neuer past a pin And when I weried was and spent with fighte That kept my selfe with heede his daunger fro At laste almoste ashamde I wanted mighte And skill to worke the beastly monster wo I gate me nerer with my sworde him to And thought his flaÌ„ckes or vnderpartes to wounde If there from scales might any place be founde But frustrate of my purpose finding none And eke within his daunger entred quite The grizely beaste straight seasoned me vpon And let his talentes on my corps to light He gripte my shoulders not resiste I might And roaring with a greedy rauening looke At once in iawes my body whole he tooke The way was large and downe he drew me in A moÌ„strous paunche for rowmthe woÌ„drous 〈◊〉 But for I feite more softer there the skinne At once I drewe a dagger by my side I knew my life no longer could abide For rammishe stenche blood poyson slymy glere That in his body so aboundaunt were Wherefore I labouring to procure his death While first my dagger digde about his harte His force to caste me welnie drew my brethe But as he felt within his woundes to smarte I ioyde to feele the mighty monster starte That roarde belcht groande plungde cride And coste me by and downe from side to side Long so in panges he plundgde and panting lay And drewe his wynde so faste with such a powre That quite and cleane he drew my breath away We both were dead well nighe within an howre Lo thus one beastly monster did deuoure An other monster moodelesse to his payne At once the realme was rid of monsters twayne Here maist thou see of fortitude the hap Where prudeÌ„ce Iustice TeÌ„peraunce hath no place How sodainly we taken are in trap When we despise good vertues to embrace Intemperaunce doth all our deedes deface And lettes vs heedlesse headlong run so faste Wee seeke out owne destruction at the laste For he that hath of fortitude and might And therto hath a kingdome ioynde withall Except he also guyde him selfe aright His powre and strength preuaileth him but small He cannot scape at length an haplesse fall Or Gods reuenge example take by mee And let my death sufficient warning hee FINIS The Authour I Could not thus departe to take my reste For Morpheus bad me byde and heare the Iaste ê™ he behinde as yet is one the beste Do stay a whyle giue eare till he be paste And therewithall approtched one full faste The worthiest wight I euer erste did see These woordes he spake or like it seemed mee Nennius a worthy Britayne the very paterne of a valiaunt noble and faithful subiecte encountring with Iulius Caesar at his firste comming into this Islande was by him death wounded yet nathelesse he gate Caesars swoorde put him to flighte slewe therewith Labienus a Tribune of the Romaynes endured fight till his countrey men wan the battayle died fiftene dayes after And nowe encourageth all good subiectes to defende their countrey from the powre of foraine and vsurping enemies About the yeare before Christe 50. I May by right some later wryters blame Of stories olde as rude or negligente Or else I may them well vnlearned name Or heedelesse in those thinges about they wente Some tyme on mee as well they might haue spente As on suche traytours tyrauntes harlottes those Which to their countreyes were the deadliest foes Ne for my selfe I would not this resite Although I haue occasion good therto But sure me thinkes it is to greate dispite These men to others and their countries do For there are Britaynes nether one nor two Whose names in stories 〈◊〉 once appeare And yet their liues examples worthy were T is worthy praise I graunt to write the endes Of vicious men and teach the like beware For what hath of virtue that commends Such personrs lewde as nought of vertues care But for to leaue out those praise worthy are Is like as if a man had not the skill To praise the good but discommend the ill I craue no praise although my selfe deferude As great a laude as any Britaine yore But I would haue it tolde how well I serude My Prince and countrey faith to both I bore All noble hartes hereby with couradge more May both their forraine foes in fight withstande And of their enmyes haue the vpper hande Againe to shewe how valiaunt then we were You Britaynes good to moue your harts therby All other Nations lesse in fight to feare And for your country rather so to dye With valiaunt hauty couradge as did I Then liue in bondage seruice slauery thrall Of foraine powres which hate your manhode all Do giue mee leaue to speake but euen a while And marke and write this story I the tell By North from London more then fiftye myle There lyes the Isle of Ely knowne full well Wherein my father built a place to dwell
thē adioyned it is impossible for him that is endued with the aboue named vertues euer to fall into the vnfortunate snares of calamitie or misfortune But Ambition which is an immoderate desire of honore rule dominiō and superioritie the very destructiō of nobilitie and commune weales as among the Romains Silla Marius Carbo Cinna Cateline Pompey and Caesar are witnesses hath brought great decay also to our countrey and countreymen which Maister Baldwin hath so learnedly touched in his Epistle of the other volume of this booke that I nede not therewith deale any further Onely I would to God it were so ofte read and regarded of all Magistrates as the matter requireth I haue here right honorable in this booke which I am so bolde to dedicate to your honors only reproued foly in those which are heedelesse iniurie in extortioners rashnes in venterers and excesse in such as suppresse not vnruly affections And I trust you will so thinke of it although the stile deserue not like commendation as you thought of the other part which if you shall I doubt not but it maye pleasure some if not yet giue occasion to others which can do farre better either with eloquence to amende that is amisse in mine or else when they see these so rudely pende to publishe their own And thus wishing you Prudence to discerne what is meete for your callinges Iustice in the administrations of your functiōs Fortitude in the defence of your countrey and Temperance in moderation of all your affections with increase of honors and euerlasting felicitie I bid you in Christe Iesu fare well Your humble Iohn Higgins I. Higgins to the Reader AMongst diuers sondry Chronicles of many Nations I thincke there are none gentle reader so uncertaine briefe in the beginninge as ours at which I cannot but maruaile sith at all times oure Ilande had as learned writers some singuler men excepted as any Nation under that Sunne Againe those which now are our best Chroniclers as they report haue great Antiquities but what they publish of late yeares may be enlarged in many places by Chronicles of other Nations whereby it is manifest they are either ignoraunt of the tōgues orels not giuen to the study of that which they most professe for if they were me thincks it were easye for them with such Antiquities as they brag they haue to fetch our Distories from the beginning make them as ample as the Chronicles of any other Country or Nation But they are faine in steede of other stuffe to talke of the Romaines Greekes Persians c. and to fill our Distoryes with their facts fables This I speake not to that end I would haue ours quite seperate from other without any mention of them but I would haue them ther onelye named wher th'affayres of both countryes by warre peace truce mariage trafique or some necessary cause or other is intermired I haue seene no auncient antiquities in writtē hand but two one was Galfridus of Munmouth which I lost by misfortune the other an old Chronicle in a kind of Englishe Verse beginning at Brute and endinge at the death of Humfrey Duke of Glocester in the which and diuers other good Chronicles I finde manye thinges not mentioned in that great tome engroced of late by Maister Grafton and that where he is most barraine and wantes matter But as the greatest heades the grayest heyres and best clarkes haue not most witte so the greatest Bookes titles and Tomes containe not most mater And this haue I spoken because in writinge the Tragedies of the first infortunate Princes of this 〈◊〉 I was often faine to vse mine owne simple inuention yet not swaruing from the matter because the Chronicles althoughe they wente out vnder diuers mens names in some suche places as I moste needed their ayde wrate one thing and that so brieflye that a whole Princes raigne life and death was comprised in three lines Yea and sometimes mine olde booke aboue mentioned holpe mee out when the rest forsoke mee as for Lanquet Stowe and Grafton were alwayes nighe of one opinion but the Floure of Histories somewhat larger some helpe had I of an olde Chronicle imprinted the yeare 1515. But surely mee thincks and so do most which delite in historyes it were worthily done if one Chronicle were drawne from the beginning in such perfect sort that all monuments of vertuous men to that eralting of Gods glorye and all punishments of vicious persons to that terrour of the wicked might be registred in perpetuall remēbraunce To which thing the right reuerende father in God Matthew Archbishoppe of Canterbury Metropolitane of Englande hath brought such ayde as well by printing as preseruinge the written Chronicles of this Realme that by his Graces studye and paines the labour in time to come wil be farre more easye to them shall take such trauaile in hande But to leaue with these and declare the cause of my purpose As I chaunced to reade the Mirour for Magistrates worke by all men wonderfully commended and full of fitte instructions for preseruation of eche estate takinge in hand the Chranicles and minding to conferre the times mee thoughte the liues of a nomber euen at the beginninge the like infortunate Princes offered themselues vnto mee as matter verye meete for imitation the like admonition miter and phrase and seing Baldwine by these woordes moued mee some what thereto It were sayth hee a goodly and a notable matter to search and discourse our whole story from the beginninge of the inhabiting of this Isle c. I read the storyes I considered of the Princes I noted their liues and therewith conferred theyr deathes On this I toke penne in hande mindinge nothinge lesse then to publishe them abroade but onelye to trye what I coulde do if neede were or time and leasure were giuen mee to bestow in such wise I wrote the two first euen as they now are and because I would not keepe secrete my first labours in this kinde of studye though I might well haue blushed at the basenes of my stile I shewed them to a freiude of mine desiring his bufayned iudgement in this matter which when he had read he neuer left intreating mee to write other til I had ended all to the byrth of CHRIST and yet not so content he desired meet'accomplish the residue til I came to the Conquest which were welnighe fiftye Cragedies but wearied with those which I had written I desired him pause on this till time and leasure were giuen mee Yet he makinge relation to other his frendes what I had done left mee not quiet till they likewise had seene them Whose perswasion as it seemed without any suspition of assentation or flatery so bath it made mee bolder at this present then before For although sayd they your Tragedies be simple and not comparable to those which the other before haue written yet when men consider that many wrote those but one these that they are graue writers
did with cordes me binde No teares nor subbes nor sighes might ought aswage The gelous queene or molifie hir mynde Occasions still hir franticke head did finde And when shee spake hir cyes did leame as fire Shee lookte as pale as chalke with wrathfull Ire Ne stoode she still but with hir handes on syde Walkte vp and down ofte hir palmes she stroke My husbande nowe ê™ she had not thus dyde If such an harlote whore he had not tooke And there withall shee gaue me such a looke As made me quake what lettes ê™ she my knife To ridde this whore my husbandes second wife His dead I liue and shall I saue hir life O queene ê™ I if pitie none remayne But I be slayne or brounde as Humber was Then take thy pleasure by my pinching paine And let me hence as thou appointistc passe But take some pity on my childe alasse Thou knowste the infante made no faulte but hee That 's dead and I therfore reuenge on mee No basterds here shall liue to dispossesse My sonne she said but sithe thou soughtiste fame I will prouide for hir a kingdome lesse Whiche shall hereafter euer haue hir name Thou knowste wherof the name of Humber came Euen so Sabrina shall this streame be calde Sithe Sabrine me as Humber Locrine thralde With that my childe was Sabrine brought in sight And when she see me take in bandes to lie Alasse she cryde what meanes this pitious plight And downe she fell before the queene with crye O queene ê™ she let me more rather dye Then she that 's giltlesse should for why thy king Did as his captiue hir to lewdnes bring Which when I same the kindnes of the childe It burst my harte much more then dome of deathe Poore little lam be with countinance how milde She pleaded still and I for wante of breathe With wofull teares that laye hir feete beneathe Could not put forth a worde our liues to saue Or if therfore I might a kingdome haue Hir pitious plaintes did somwhat death withdrawe For as she long behelde the queene with teares ê™ she let me bane rigoure boyde of lawe In whome the signe of all thy wrath appeares And let me die my fathers face that beares Sithe be is dead and we are boyde of staye Why should I thee for life or mercy praye My mother may to Germanye retourne Where she was borne and if it please thy grace And I may well lye in my fathers tombe If thou wilt graunt his childe so good a place But if thou thinke my bloude is farre to bace Although I came by both of princly line Then let me haue what shroude thou wilt asigne With that the queene replide with milder there And saide the childe was wonders wise and wittie But yet shee would not hir reuenge forbeare For why ê™ she the prouerbe sayes that pitie Hath leudly loste full many a noble citie Then Elstride now prepare thy selfe therfore To die take leaue but talke to me no more On this my leaue I tooke and thus I sayde Farewell my countrey Germanye farewell Ade we the place from whence I was conueyde Farewell my father and my frendes there dwell My Humber drounde as I shal be farewell Adew Locrinus dead for thee I die Would God my corps might by thy coffine lie Adew my pleasures paste farewell adew Adew the cares and sorowes I haue had Farewell my frendes that earst for me did sue Adew that were to saue my life full glad Farewell the fauning frendes I lately bad And thou my beauty cause of death farewell As ofte as harte can thinke or tonge can tell A dewe you heauens my mortall eyes shall see No more your lightes and Planetes all farewell And chiefly Venus faire that paintedste mee When Mercurie his tale to me did tell Eke afterwardes when Mars with vs did dwell And nowe at laste thou cruell Mars adewe Whose darte my life and loue Locrinus sleme And must I nedes departe from thee my childe If nedes I muste ten thousand times fare well Poore little 〈◊〉 thy frendes are quite 〈◊〉 And much I feare thou shalt not long do well But if they so with boyling rancoureswell As thee to slea which neuer wroughtiste ill How can they staye my haynid corps to hill With that my Sabrines slender armes imbraiste 〈◊〉 rounde and would not let me so departe Let me ê™ she for hir the waters taste Or let vs both together ende our smarte Yea rather rippe you foorth my tender harte What should I liue but they the childe withdrew And mee into the raging streame they threm So in the waters as I striude to swimme And kepte my head aboue the waues for breath 〈◊〉 thought I same my childe would venter in Which cride a mayne O let me take like deathe The waters straight had drawne me vnderne the Where striuing vp at lengthe againe came I And sawe my childe aud cryde farewell I die Then as my strength was wasted down I went Eke so I plunged twice or thrice yet more My breath departed nedes I must relent The waters perst my mouth and eares so sore And to the botome with such force me bore That life and breath minde and sonce was gone And I as dead and colde as marble stone Lo thus you here the rare of all my life And how I paste the pikes of paynefull we Howe twise I thought to be a prince his wife And twise was quite depriude mine honour fro The third time queene and felt foule ouerthro Then warne all ladies that how much more die Then their degrees they clime 〈◊〉 daungers nye Bid them beware 〈◊〉 bewty them abuse Beware of pride for haue a fall it muste And will them fortunes flattery to refuse Hir turning whelt is boyde of stedy truste Who reckes no meane but leanith all to luste Shall finde my wordes as true as I them tell Then did be ware in time I wishe them well FINIS The Authoure VVIth that she flitted in the ayre abrode As t were a miste or smoke dissolued quite And or I long on this had made abode A virgine smale appearde before my sight For colde and wet eke scarsly moue she might As from the waters drownde she didering came Thus wise hir talem order did she frame Sabrine the base childe of Locrinus telles howe she was pitifully drowned by his wyfe Guendoline in reuenge of hir fathers adulterye The yeare before Christe 1064. BEholde me Sabrine orphane 〈◊〉 berefte Of all my frendes by cruell case of warre When as not one to treate for me was lefte But 〈◊〉 did all their powres debarre When as my father eke was playne in warre And when my mother euen before my sighte Was 〈◊〉 to death O wretche in wofull plighte Truste who so will the 〈◊〉 of hie estate And bring me worde what stay thereby you haue For why if Fortune once displeasure take She giues the foyle though lookes be nere so braue T is
hand and foote at once let see Her here receiue her whole request of mee Eke as I wishe to haue in minde her fame As Humbers is which should her father beene So shall this floud of Sabrine haue the name That men thereby may say a righteous Queene Here drownde her husbands childe of concubine Therefore leaue Sabrine here thy name and life Let Sabrine waters ende our mortall strife Dispatch quoth she with that they bound me fast My slender armes and feete which litle neede And sans all mercye me in waters caste Which drewe me downe cast me vp with speede And downe me drensht the Sabrine fishe to feede Where I abode till now from whence I came And there the waters holde as yet my name Lo thus this gelous Queene in raging sort With bloudy hate bereft her husbands health And eke my mother Elstrids life God wot Which neuer ment to hurt this common wealth And mee Locrinus child begot by stealth Against all reason was it for to kill The childe for that her parents erst did ill By this you see what time our pompe doth bide Hereby you see th'unstedy trust in warre Hereby you see the stay of states etryde Hereby you see our hope to make doth marre Hereby you see we fall from benche to barre From bench quoth 〈◊〉 nay from the Princely seate You see how soone vs Fortune downe doth beate And here you see how lawlesse loue doth thriue Hereby you see how gelous folkes do fare Here may you see with wisedome they that wiue Neede neuer recke Cupidoes cursed snare Here may you see deuorcemente breedeth care Here may you see the children seldome thee Which in vnlawfull wedlocke goten bee Declare thou then our fall and great mishap Declare the hap and glory we were in Declare how soone we taken were in trap When we 〈◊〉 we had most safest bin Declare what losse they haue that hope to win Farewell and tell when Fortune most doth smile Then will she frowne she laughes but euen a while Finis The Authour WIth that the Lady Sabrine slinckt from sight I lookt about and then me thought againe Approched straight an other vvofull vvight It seemde as thoughe vvith doggs he had bin flaine The bloud from all his members torneamaine Ran dovvne his clothes vvere also torne and rente And from his bloudy throte these plaints he sente Madan shewes how for his euill life he was 〈◊〉 of Wolues the yeare before Christe 1009. AMongste the rest that sate in hauty seate And felt the fall I pray the pen for mee A Tragedy maye some such wisedome geate As they may learne and somewhat wiser bee For in my glasse when as themselues they see They may be ware my fall from 〈◊〉 lap Shal teach them how t' eschew the like mishay I am that Madan once that Britaine kings Was thirde that euer raigned in this lande Marke well therefore my death as straunge a thinge As some would deeme could scarce with reason stande Yet when thou hast my life well throughly scande Thou shalt perceiue not halfe so straunge as true All life worse death doth after still insue For when my mother Guendoline had raignde In my nonage full xv yeares she dyed And I but yonge not well in vertues trainde Was left this Realme of Britaynes for to guide Whereby when once my minde was puft with pride I past for nought I vsde my lust for lawe Of right or iustice reckte I not a strawe No meane I kept but ruled all by rage No boundes of measure could me compasse in Durst none aduenture anger mine t'aswage If once to freate and fume I did begin And I excelde in nothing els but sinne So that welnighe all men did wishe my ende Saue such to whom for vice I was a frende In pleasures pleasaunt was my whole repaste My youth me led deuoyde of compasse quite And vices were so rooted in at last That to recure the euill it past my might For who so doth with will and pleasure fight Though all his force do striue them to withstande Without good grace they haue the vpper hande What licoure first the earthen pot doth take It keepeth still the sauour of that same Full hard it is a cramocke straight to make Or crooked logges with wainscot fine to frame T is hard to make the cruel Tiger tame And so it fares with those haue vices caught Naught once they saye and euer after naught I speake not this as though it past all cure From bices vile to bertue to retire But this I saye if vice be once in vre The more you shall to quite your selfe requyre The more you plunge your selfe in fulsome myre As he that striues in soakte quicke sirtes of sande Still sinkes scarse neuer comes againe to lande The giftes of grace may nature 〈◊〉 And God may graunt both time and leaue repeute Yet I did more in laps of lewdnes run And last my time in tyrauntes trade I spente But who so doth with bloudy actes contente His minde shall sure at laste finde like againe And feele for pleasures thousand panges of paine For in the midste of those vntrusty toyles When as I nothing fearde but all was sure With all my trayne I hunting rode for spoyles Of them who after did my death procure Those lewde delightes did boldly me alure To folow still and to pursue the chase At laste I came into a deserte place Besette with hilles and monstrous rockes of stone My company behinde me lost or stayde The place was eke with hauty trees oregrowne So wiste and wylde it made me half afrayde And straight I was with rauening wolues betrayd Came out of caues and dennes and rockes a maint There was I rent in pieces kilde and slaine Alasse that youth in vayne so vyly spente Should euer cause a king to haue such ende Alasse that euer I should here lament Or else should teache vnto my cost my frende Alasse that fortune such mishap should sende But sithe it is to late for me to crie I wishe that others may take hede me by I might full well by wisdome shund this snare T is sayde a wiseman all mishap withstandes For though by starres we borne to mischieues are Yet prudence bayles vs quite from careful bandes Eche man they say his fate hath in his handes And what he makes or marres to lese or saue Of good or euill is euen selfe do selfe haue As here thou seest by me that led my dayes In vicious sorte for greedy wolues a 〈◊〉 Warne others wysely than to guide their wayes By myne example well eschue they may Suche vices as may worke their owne decay Which if they do full well is spent the time To warne to wryte and eke to reade this time FINIS The Authoure VVHen this was said no more was Madan sene If it were he but sure I halfe suspecte It was some other else so serude had bene For that all stories do not so detecte His
hir sisters spite Was they procurde hir and their fathers thrall Yet t was hir chaunce at length t' out liue them al Both sisters elder and hir father graue And eke at length the kingdome all to haue That time was I of Albany the kinge Calde Scotland now and eke my cosin then Of Cornewall and of VVales whom I did bringe To warre against Cordila and her men Wee said we would our title winne agen And that because our mothers had it yore Wee ment to get it ours againe therefore I must confesse I was the cause of warre I was not pleasde with that was looted mee Euen so our mindes Ambitious often ar And blinded that we cannot reason see Wee thincke no men but Gods on earth we bee Yet worse are we theÌ„ beasts which know their kinde For we haue nought but mischiefe oft in minde We thincke if so we may our willes attaine By right or wrong by might or malice wee Could neuer liue like Fortune for to gaine Or if on soes we once reuenged bee If that our ennemies fall we chaunce to see O then we ioy we lift our selues to skye And on the poore we crucifige crye I deemde if once I might put her adowne The kingdomes all were Conidags and mine And I could easly after winne the crowne If also I his state might vndermine I thought in deede to haue it all in fine By force or fraude I ment my purpose bring To passe I might be after Britaine king To speake in fewe we waged warre so longe Bainst hir at last we put hir vnto flight Wee nephewes for our aunt were farre to stronge Pursude and coke depriude her of hir right Wee thought it ours what so we wanne by might Cke so play 〈◊〉 traytours all do watch To get by spoile and count their owne they catch Not so contented were we with the pray But fearing lest she should recouer ayde I sent in hast to prison her away And all recourse of messengers densyde Thus when she sawe hir Maiesty decaide And that hir griefes and sorrowes daily grue In prison at the length hir selfe she slue O caytife vile should I constrainde a Queene That Iustice ment hir kingdome to forsake Nay traytour I as now by proofe is seene That would my selfe by bloudshed ruler make How could reuenge on me but vengeaunce take Before the seate of God hir bloud did call For vengeaunce and at length procurde my fall Lo here Gods iustice see my treason see Beholde and see to raigne was my delight And marke and make a myrour here of mee Which afterward was serude by iustice right Wee wan the crowne betweene vs both in fight And then because I was the elder sonne Of th' elder Queene I claimed all we wonne So were my dealings nought in peace and warre But for my force and fortunes vsde in fight I past that time the Britaynes all by farre I was of person fortitude and might Both comely tall stronge seemely eke in sight Whereby I wonne mens fauour glory wealth And puft with pride at length forgate my selfe I said it was my right the crowne to haue But Conidagus stoutly it denide Wherefore I went to VVales my right to craue With all mine army and to haue it tryde Where long we fought it stoutly on eche syde Till at the last vnto my wofull paine I was depriude of kingdome quite and slaine And for to keepe in memorye for aye That there vnfaithfull Morgan lost his life The place is cald Glamorgan to this daye There was I perst to death with fatall knife There was the ende of all my hatefull strife So Morgan where he thought to win the crowne Was at Glamorgan traytour stricken downe Thus maist thou tell how proude ambition proues What hap haue tyraunts what we traitours haue What ende he hath that cruel dealing loues What subiects get the Diademe docraue T is better then to winne thine owne to saue For so orethwartly trade of Fortune goes When win thou wouldst then art thou sure to lose Finis The Authoure VVIth that Morganus quickly past away The night me thought likewise was far epast VVherby it weried me so long to staye But Morpheus bad me by de and see the last ê™ he the storyes passe awaye as fast As doth the time and sithe th' art nigh th' ende Thou nedste not grutche so short a space to spend And turning then him selfe from me asyde He calde the next which therwithall in sight Appearde and all his breste with bloud bedide VVhat chaunce ê™ I hath so thy corps bedight Thou worthy prince or what mishaps of fight I will ê™ he with all my hart vnfolde My fatall fall and therwithall he tolde Forrex declares howe hee mynding to kill his brother whiche ruled with him that he might therby raigne alone was by him slayne About the yeare before Christe 491. PRide moues the mindes of stately wightes Such hauty hartes to haue And causeth vs for glory hayne That is not ours to craue Pryde pluckes out reason forth hir place And planteth will in stede She puffes our mindes with vayne desires Our fancies foude to feede Wherby we growe so obstinate And so ambitious ill That vs at length our brauery bids In all thinges vse our will. Ambition thinkes that lawefull is Which likes hir fancie beste And demes she ought to haue hir forthe And swinge before the reste She loues no mates controlement shee And warning doth despise She demes her selfe in all hir deedes And actions wonders wise She hath desire of this and that To get by crouche or clawe By right or wronge she 〈◊〉 not She vseth will for lawe No kinde or countrey she regardes No mother father shee Nor wyfe or husbande kithe or kin But enuies eache degree For if thy hart Ambition haue Thy greedy mynde to fill Thou wilt not sticke thy dearest frende or nerest kin to kill But as the prouerbe sayes that Pryde Must needes at lengthe haue fall Though we suppose of strengthe and powre We haue the deuill and all Euen so I saye Ambition makes Us often clyme so hie At leng th we fall we come to nought And drownde in darkenes lye This may I Forrex well 〈◊〉 By proufe to true I finde Wherfore I praye the with the reste Do put my faultes in mynde My father olde hight Gorboduge Raignde three score yeares and three And at his death gaue all his lande Twene Porrex proude and mee Fyue yeares we helde it so in peace In reste me ruled well But at the last by pryde and wrathe Wee foule at discorde fell We eache encrotchte on others partes For rule we liude at strife And eache did seeke occasion aye To reaue the others life I made this counte I elder was By birthe the realme was myne By warre or wrong or bloud I mente To haue it all in fine And he although he yonger were Esteemde his state so sure As mine and thought it his if hee My death might
once procure My mother eke that loude me more Although he yonger was By diuers meanes did helpe me still To bring my feates to passe Wherby I thought my selfe so sure To haue my purpose sped As I requirde if once I might Get of his crafty head See here what faith what frendship is What loue what fauoure wee Do shewe to any wight aliue If once alofte me bee To fathers we are faithlesse ofte To brothers butchers vile Of sisters smale accounte we make And wedded wyues exile If any kithe or 〈◊〉 we haue By whom we vantage may We care not by what cruell meanes Their liues we take away But for to get the seate alone And for to wynne the crowne We care not whom nor when nor home So we may get them downe O brutishe beastes nay worse then those For they are still concente With that they haue what euer them Hath God or Nature sente But we do gape and gaze for glore We prowle and powle and pill And sweare and stare and striue fighte And one another kill And all for pompe and glorie great For name renowne estate Not caring of the commons crye Or Godes eternall hate If I had had the giftes of grace I neuer would haue sought By any meanes such worldly trashe With brothers bloud to boughte But as I ment euen so I sped So bloudy butchers thye When moste I deemde my purpose sure He was to good for me For as I thought his bloud to shed I compaste was about So that for thousand kingdomes I Could not with life scape out He perste my hart what skilles it sithe My minde was euen as bad For why what measure I him mente My selfe like measure had And so all such as murder meane Intende or treason vse Shall at the lengthe like ende attayne Or worse they cannot chuse FINIS The Authour WHen as king Forrex thus had tolde his tale Me thought he stay de no whit but went his way Then came a mangled corps as full of bale And or he nerer came made halfe a stay ê™ Morpheus come for shame thou nedste not stay As bad as thou haue tolde their tales before And so must thou and diuers other more Porrex recites howe for the slaughter of his brother he was slayne by his owne mother and hir maydens as he laye sleeping About the yeare before Christe 491. FRom darkesome deunes where cruell Cayne And others like do lye Whose bloudie blades were bathde in bloud Poore caytiue thence come I. Where Typhon is his brother slewe Osiris in despite And where their sister Isis is Did him againe requite Wher Dardanus to rule alone His brother made away Etheoclus Polinicus At once did others sley Where Helenus king Priams son His brother Theon kilde Medea eke in bloudy wyse Hir brothers bloud that spilde Where Tydeus is in hunting shote His brother through the side Polytes eke his brothers harte With sworde that opened wyde And where as that Cambyses is His syster once that slewe And Polipontes king that made His brother treason rewe And cruell where Odores is Which mercy did deny To Mithridate his brother deare That did for pardon crie Eke where Learchus is that did His brother sicke destroy With poyson deadly hoping so To make him selfe a Roy. And where that wretche Mamertes lyes His brothers sonnes that spilte And Sisapho tormenting him For such an heynous 〈◊〉 Where Rhesus and Caduidus are with shaftes their brethren slewe And Philadelphus Ptolomae his brothers death did brewe Where Philopater Ptolome his father made away And after that his brother with his dearist frendes did slay And where Ardieus tyraunt vile his aged father stroyde And after that his elder bro. ther kingdomes to enioyde Where Mithridatus beastly king of Pontus feeles anoye Which mother his and brother eke sixe children did destroye Where is Antiochus the great His brother brought to graue That he might onely raigne alone and all the kingdome haue Where Romulus that Remus stew of Romaines first had fall Though 〈◊〉 brother first he were presumde to scale the wall And where Mempricius lewde doth lye a Britaine Prince that slue His brother Manlius fearing lest he were to him vntrue Where Iugurth eke that basterde is his brethren brought to graue That after them Numidia he might for kingdome haue And where a Thousande are beside which were to longe to tell Their parents deare and brethren slue and now in darkenes dwell From thence I came a Britaine yore namde Porrex once a kinge Againe to shewe what vices mee To sodaine death did bringe Now list a while and then do write what I thee tell that others may Themselues in such attempts as these from bloudy acts as brethren stay My brother Forrex fiue yeares space and I this kingdome helde Betweene 〈◊〉 both the common weale wee scace did wisely welde At length we fondly fell at 〈◊〉 so Princes bide no mate Nor make nor partners with to raigne but beare their equals hate The heire because I yongest was thought his by right the crowne But I esteemde the halfe was mine and all if he were downe VVhereby O brothell butcher eke not brother I did stay My brother for to haue it all and get his right away Such are the acts of delesse youthes Such are their studies still VVhich care not what offence they make So they their fancies still But as it is vniustice and an haynous acte to vse Such murder slaughter paricide and Iustice all refuse So Ioue the iust at length requites our deedes and makes vs rewe VVee euer were to God or man or natures 〈◊〉 vntrue For when I deemde the crowne was mine which had my brother slaine O griefe to tell my mother and hir maydens wrought my paine Both for my fault and for she loude my brother Forrex still With all hir maides she came by night my sleeping corps to kill And I that slombring sleeping lay though many dreames fortolde My haplesse fall could neuer wake the meaning to vnfolde But last supposing with my selfe I cruel Tigres sawe With rauening fearcenes rent theyr 〈◊〉 against dame Natures lawe She came on mee to fill my dreame before my eyes could wake And with a dagger reft my life for Forrex slaughters sake Much like Agaue and hir mates shee and hir maidens got Them tooles therefore and hewde my corse as small as fleshe to pot Or Progne Queene hir children slue and he wde their membres small In wrathfull ite made Tereus feede and fill himselfe withall Or like Medea monster Queene hir Iasons sonnes that kilde Because she was forsaken when his purpose was fulfilde Like these was shee nay worse for why this ended Brutus line Brought mee to ende and hir to shame Though first the fault were mine Bid those beware that weene to winne by bloudy acts the crowne Lest from