Soveraigniz'd fifteen yeares Madan began his Réigne in the yeare of the World foure thousand one hundred twenty two of whom is little left worthy memory but that hee tyrannized over his Subjects and in the fortieth of his Reigne being at his disport of Hunting and lost by his Traine hee The death of Madan was devoured of Wolves which were then plenteous in the Land leaving two Sons Memprisius and Manlius These two brothers were at mortall enmity till in the end Memprisias the elder caused the other to bee traiterously slain after which he fell into all kinde of vices and abandoning the bed of his lawfull wife used the company of many prostitutes and Concubines and then into the brutish sin of Sodomitry for which hee grew hated both of God and man whose body also was in hunting torn to pieces by wild beasts leaving behind him one The death of Memprisius sonne begotten in lawfull wedlâ—…cke named Ebrank Hee beganne his Reigne in the yeare of the World foure thousand one hundred fourescore and two hee had one and twenty wives of whom hee received twenty sonnes and thirty daughters The eldest of which was Gualeu al of Anumerous issue them he sent to Alba Silvius the eleventh King of Italy and sixt of the Latins to have them maried to the blâ—…ud of the Trojans Hee was a great Warriour and conquered in Germany and els-where he builded Caerbranke now called Yorke one hundred and forty yeares after the The building of York erecting of London hee built also in Scotland the Castle of Maidens now called Edenborough Edenborough Castle Castle And after with a strong army pierced Gallia returning thence with great triumph and riches who when hee had reigned sixty yeares died and was buried in Yorke leaving his eldest sonne Brute Greenshield to succeed him in the Kingdome of whom is left no memory worthy the recitall but that he expired and lyeth buried by his Father whose successour was his sonne Leil or Leir who built Careleir or Carleil The 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 who in the latter end of his Reigne gave himselfe wholly to sloth by which divers uprores grew in the Realme not at his death appeased whom succeeded his sonne Lud sirnamed Hurdebras who was inaugurated in the yeare of the world foure thousand two hundred The building of Canterbury Winchester Shaftsbury threescore and nineteen he prudently appeased those combustions begot in his fathers days He builded the Town of Kaerkin now called Canterbury and Caerguent now Winton or Winchester and another titled Mount Palatine now Sexton or Shaftsbury hee reigned thirty nine yeares and left a sonne called Bladud This Bladud professed himselfe a great Astrologer and studied the art of Necromancy he builded the Towne of Caerbadon now called Bath and was the first founder of the hot Baths Bathe and the hot Baths this King attempting to flie from the top of Apollo's Temple to the ground his art failing him he broak his neck in the fall when hee had raigned twenty yeares leaving his sonne Leir to The death of Bladud succeed him Leir was of noble conditions and kept the Land in peace and tranquillity hee built the City of Caerleir now Leicester hee Leicester had no sonne but three only daughters Gonovilla Ragan and Cordeilla the youngest whom he best loved who being grown in age desired to know which of his daughters affected him most the first protested she loved him better then her owne soule the second swore her love was inexpressible for shee preferr'd his love before all things under the Sunne which answers Leirs three daughters much pleased him then hee demanded the like of the youngest who told him shee could not flatter like her sisters but she loved him as far as he was worthy to be beloved and as much as a childe ought to love a father which answer much distasting him hee maried his eldest daughter to the Duke of Cornwall and the second to the Duke of Albania and betwixt them divided his Land after his disease but for the younger he reserved no dowre at all Notwithstanding which Aganippus a King amongst the Galls hearing of her great beauty and vertue came into this Kingdome and took her to wife to whom her father would neither part with gold nor jewels nor any remembrance of his love but glad to be so rid of her It was not long after that the two sisters grieved that he liv'd so long incited the two Dukes The ingratitude of the two sisters their husbands called Maâ—…glanus and Hemminus who rose up in armes against him and divided his Dominion betwixt them so that of force he was compeld to flie into France to bee relieved of his youngest daughter whom hee hâ—…d before so much despised whom shee no sooner saw but she exprest unto him all the filiall duty that could be expected from a father so that hee now began to distinguish betwixt flattery and faire words and naturall and pious indulgence briefly shee animated her Husband to The love of Co deilla to her Father take his quarrell in hand who entred into the Land with a puissant army and re-instated him in his thrâ—ne who after he had ruled the Kingdome forty yeeres died and was buried at Caerleil leaving his daughter Cordeilla to inherit the Kingdome who by the generall assent of all the Peeres and Commons was admitted as Queen who for the space of five yeares governed the Land with great prudence and the generall love of the multitude til Morgan and Cunedagius the sons to her two elder sisters invaded her Kingdome and surprising her put her into close prison which servitude her great spirit not able to endure shee with her owne hands slue her The death of Cordeilla selfe These two Nephews to Cordeilla Morgan and Cunedagius divided the Land betwixt them and so continued in great amity for the space of two yeares when some evilly disposed persons whispered in the eares of Morgan that it was a great dishonour unto him being descended from the elder sister Gonewilla and her Husband Maglanus should part from any of his right to Cunedagius sonne to Ragan the second sister and her Hemminius and not possesse himselfe of the whole principality therefore hee made war upon his cousin who sent to him messengers to intreat of amity and unity to which hee would by no meanes condescend Therefore Cunedagie compeld to an unwilling war gave him battaile and rowted his whole army and after chaced him into Wales where in a second field Morgan was slain which place is to this day called Glamorgan or Morgans Glamorgan Land after whose death the victor possessed the sole soveraignty of whom nothing is left worthy memory but that after he had reigned three and thirty yeares hee was buried at Troynovant leaving to succeed him a sonne called Rivallo Rivallo Hee governed the Realme honourably for the space of forty six yeares in
death with the yong Earle of Warwicke the death of the king A prophesie of the reigne of Henry the eighth p. 293 Chap. 32. Prince Henry married to his brothers wife hee winneth Turwin and Turney in France Floden-field with the famous victory against the Scots Charles Brandon Duke of Suffolke marrieth the French Queen the kings sister The Emperour Charles the fift made knight of the Garter c. p. 304. Chap. 33. The death of Henry the eighth Edward the sixt crowned a calculation of his reigne Musse Iborow field won by the Lord Protector c. p. 315. Chap. 34. The Lady Iane proclaimed Q. Northumberlands Commission to suppresse the Lady Mary He is arrested of high treason The Coronation of Q. Mary A prediction of her Reigne The Romish Religion restored The death of Northumberland Of Suffolke Of Guilford Dudley Of the Lady Iane Gray her character The death of Cranmer Ridley and Latimer The life of Cardinall Poole twice elected Pope c. p. 326 Chap. 36. King Philips entertainment into the Land presented with the Garter Hee is made K. of Naples and Hierusalem the great solemnity of the King and Queens Marriage at Winchester Their titles their riding through London The Queen rumoured to be with Child King Philips cautelous proceedings hee favoureth the Lady Elisabet He leaveth the Land Queen Maries discontent at his departure The losse of Callis p. 336 Chap. 37. A brief nomination of her troubles wrought by the Popish Clergie Her passage through London to her coronation with the speeches spoke in the pageants A short remembrance of the prime passages in her reign The former prediction fulfild her death other predictions fathered upon Merlin explained c. p. 347 Chap. 38. The title of King Iames to the Crown His comming into England A prophesie of his Reigne The first treason attempted against him The Gunpowder treason and what the conspirators were The king of Denmarke twice commeth into England King Charles proclaimed King his Fathers Funerals c. p. 361 A Chronographical History of the Kings of Britaine from the first plantation of this Island by Brute and his Cousin Corinaeus to the Reigne of King Vortiger In whose time Ambrosius Merlinus began to utter his Predictions CHAP. 1. Brutes first plantation in this Island How hee divided it amongst his three sonnes of several famous Cities builded here by sundry Kings and how divers Rivers took their first name of all the remarkable passages that hapened in their reignes A Catologue of the Kings continued from Brute to the end of his Line and off-spring FOr the better illustration of this present worke intended it shall not be amisse to shew you a briefe progresse of all the memorable passages of the time before wee come to the Prophesie with a Catalogue of the Kings of this Island and what Remarkable things happened in their reigne To begin with the first Brute who was of the ancient and noble bloud of the Trojans discended from Aeneas and Creusa the How Brute was discended daughter of King Priam These had a sâ—…nne called Ascanius after his Father King of Italy Brute was the sonne of Sylvius Aenaeas the son of Ascanius This Brute at fifteene yeares of age being hunting by the unfortunate glanceing of an Arrow slue his father and had beene also in his birth the death of his mother but for the last disasterous act hee willingly exiled himselfe and taking with him a choice company of adventurers thought to discover some new plantation To omit his many troubles both by Land and Sea in which hee was still most victoriously prosperous at length hee incountred with a small navy of ships of which a Trojane and his neare kinseman was Captain whose name was Corinaeus who joyning their Corinaeus cousin to Brute forces together and after divers and sundry perills landed in this Island of the white and chalky Cliffes called Albion where finding none but Giants of mighty stature he destroyed the most part of them of whom the greatest both in bulke and command was called Gogmagog with whom Corinaeus wrastling to prove their triall of strength Gogmagog in his gripe broke a rib in the side of Corinaeus at which he being inraged gathering all his spirits about him cast him downe the high Rocke of Dover the place where they proved the mastery which is called the fall of Gogmagog unto this day for which and other his valiant acts before The fall of Gogmagog atchieved hee gave him that intire Province which from his name beareth the title of Cornwall Brute then taking full view of the Island The building of Troynovant since called London searching up the River of Thames built upon it a City which in remembrance of the late subverted Troy he called Troynovant or new Troy now London this done he put his Souldiers to tilling of the Earth and governed the Realme peaceably for the space of twenty foure yeares He had by his wife Ignogen the daughter of Pandrusus three sonnes betwixt whom in his life time he divided his Kingdome to How hee divided the Kingdome Locrine the eldest hee gave all that is called England but then Logria after his name To the second Cambrius or Cambre hee left the Countrey of Wales at first from him called Cambria To the third Albanact hee gave the North part of the Land then titled from him Albania now Scotland That done hee expired The death of Brute and was buryed at Troynovant and this happened in the yeare of the world foure thousand fourescore and seven Locrine being King of Britaine hearing that a King of Scythia had invaded his brother Albanacts Dominions and having slaine him in battaile governed in his stead Hee with his brother Cambre assembled a mighty Hoast to avenge his death and in a sharpe conflict discomfited his whole Army and so hotly pursued him in his flight that this Scythian which was called Humber was drowned in that River Plow the River Humber came to be so cald which runneâ—…h up from Ravenspurn up to Hulâ—… which hath since borne his name even to this day After which victory Locrin who had espoused Guendolina daughter to Corinaeus Duke of Cornwall grew inamoured of Estrild a beauteous Lady and Daughter to the aforesaid Humber by whom He had a Daughter named Sabrina of which his Queene having intelligence the accited her Father and friends to make Warre upon her Husband and flew him in fight when hee had governed the Realme for the space of twenty yeares then the Masculine spirited Lady tooke his Concubine Estrild with her beautifull young daughter Sabrina and caused them to bee both drowned in that River which parteth England and Wales and from Sabrina is called Severne to all posterity The River Severne whence called Then Guendolina took upon her the government of the Land till her young Son Madan came to mature age and then resigned it up intirely into his owne hands after shee had
and potency fled to Lyons where hee was Maximian breaketh his oath which was to be true to the Empire slaine and Valentinian compelled to forsake Rome and flie to Constantinople Then Maximian made his sonne Victor fellow with him in the Empire During whose warres in Italy Conon Meriadock not willing that hee or his people should marry with any of the French Nation sent Messengers to Dionotus Duke of Cornwall and governour of the Kingdome under Maximian to send him his daughter Vrsula with a certaine number of Virgins to bee coupled to him and his Knights in marriage who according to his request sent his daughter with eleven thousand maids towards Britaine to that purpose who by the way were taken at Sea and piâ—…eously Urfula with eleven thousand Virgins murdered who so will know the manner thereof I referre them to the Legend of Saints Maximian thus tyrannizing in Italy to great Commanders called Guanus and Melga were sent into Britaine to chastise all such as favoured the party of Maximian who did here much outrage upon the Natives afflicting them with great strage and massacre Against whom the Emperour sent a great Captaine called Gracianus or Gracian with two Legions who so knightly behaved himselfe that hee chaced them in short space into Ireland holding the land in peace for Maximian In this interim Maximinian continuing wars against the Empire to be absolute Caesar Theodosius sirnamed the elder then Emperour of the east part of the world hearing the death of the first Gracian and the chacing of Valentinian he with a mighty hoast sped himselfe to meete with Maximian and gave him battaile at Aquilea a great City in Italy in which Maximians forces were utterly discomfited and himselfe tooke prisoner whose head Theodosius commanded to be cut off of whose death Gracian his deputy in Britain The death of the tyrant Maximian having knowledge he seized the Land to his owne use after that Maximian had governed the same by the terme of eight yeares Gracian who of some writers is called Gracian King of Britaine Municeps which word may bee diversly taken either for an hired or waged Knight or for a keeper of Presents and Gifts or bearing chiefe rule in a City or Province beganne his dominion over the Britaine 's in the yeare of grace three hundred fourescore and ten Hee exercised great exaction and tyranny on his subjects for which hee was very much hated and despised amongst them so that they sundry wayes laboured his supplantation and hourely insidiated his life but after many dangers escaped they with a common assent invaded his Palace and slew him when he had reigned or rather usurped for the space of The death of Gracian foure yeares Of whose death Guanus and Melga having Guanus and Melga knowledge they returned out of Ireland and with fire and sword made great havocke in the Land of which the Romans understanding because the Realme was then under their Tribute and tuition they sent one Constantine to have the rule of the Land and the Regions about Constantine but being found to bee an enemy to the Empire for divers outrages done by him during his Regency in France therefore by the commandement of Honorius then Caesar they sent against him a valiant Captaine named Constantius who slew him neare to a Towne called Constantius Arelat after which the Britaines were much distressed by the Picts the Scots and other strange Nations by reason whereof they were againe constrained to send to Rome for aide with a covenant that they would all continue subjects and servants to the Senate Upon which request and promise the Emperour Honorius The 〈◊〉 Honorius himselfe came hither in person and chaced hence all their forraigne enemies and leaving the Land in peace returned to his greater affaires in Italy Who was no sooner departed but the same enemies againe invaded them to whom Honorius sent a second deliverance exhorting them withall to be manly and couragious But in regard of the remotenesse of the place and the great troubles the Empire was then in to trust to their owne valour and fortune but to expect no more supplyes either from Caesar or Senate The Britaine 's for saken of the Romans the Roman supplyes being then took out of the Land to maintaine the Imperiall warres the Natives were worse distressed than before for the Picts and Scots came out of their Dens and Caves where they had concealed themselves and invaded them by multitudes insomuch that by the enemies spoyles and robberies they were brought to that extremity of poverty and misery that they were inforced to pilfer and steale one from another in which sundry murthers were also committed so that The great distâ—…esse of the Britaines the ground lay unsowed or manured upon which great Dearth and hunger immediatly insued Which to prevent and withall to rid them from these great extremities the best amongst them petitioned unto Aetius who was Master of the Chivalry of Honorius the Emperour Aetius denies them succour and at that time governed France to commiserate their estate which to him they most passionatly expressed but all was to no purpose for hee slightly put them off with a peremptory denyall to lend them any succour at all still their calamities augmented and the famine increased so that lastly the noblest and discreetest amongst them especially the Arch-bishop Guethelinus Arch-bishop of London of London whose name was Guethelinus whom our English Chronicles call Gosseline concluded to send an Embassy to the King of little Britaine whose name was Aldroenus which this Arch-bishop beeing learned and well spoken in person undertooke who delivered their calamities and distresses with such passionate efficacy that it wrought great commiseration and compassion in the King who after advice taken of his Lords granted them a supply of sufficient forces to recover their Franchises and liberties upon condition that if God who is Aldroenus commiserates the Britaines the Lord of Hoasis gave them victory they should Crown his brother Constantine King of Great Britaine acknowledging him their Liege and Soveraigne which conditions they gladly accepted and swore to performe with all truth and fidelity Now it appeareth from the time of Gratian the last Roman that was King of the Lâ—…nd the How loâ—…g Britain wâ—…s without a Kâ—…ng Nation of the Britaine 's during their multiplicity of miseries were without a Monarch or sole Soveraigne for the space of thirty nine yeares till the comming in of the forenamed Constantine brother to Aldroenus King of Litle Britain It is further to bee observed that here ended The end of the tribute and government of the Romans the Tribute and Dominion of the Romans neither had any of that Nation any rule over the Land after that time which Tribute lasted and was paid to Rome from the ninth yeare of King Cassibelan to the dayes of the Emperour Severus amounting to two hundred and
counsell held at the Tower Hastings and others Hee caused an out-cry of Treason to be made in the next roome at which the Lords were amerc'd and he himselfe went to the doore and received such persons in as he had before appointed who laid hand upon the Lord Hastings in which stirring the Earle of The death of the Lord Hastings Derby was hurt in the face and for a while committed to safe custody but the Lord Chamberlaine in all haste was led to the Hill within the Tower and without judgement or long confession his head laid upon a log and cut off by the Executioner after which cruelty thus done all such as he suspected would oppose him in his claime to the Crowne hee put in hold whereof the Archbishop of Yorke and the Bishop of Ely were two but the Earle of Derby for feare his sonne Lord Strange should have raised the Cheshire and Lancashire men hee set at liberty to goe where he pleased Upon the sunday following himselfe and the Duke of Buckingham being present with others of the Nobility Doctor Ralph Shaa in the time of his Sermon laboured to prove the children The effect of D. Shaaâ—… Sermon at Pauls â—…osse of Edward the Fourth illegitimate and not right beires to the Crowne preferring the title of the Protector at whom was flung a dagger which stucke in the post close by his face but none knew or at the least would acknowledge from whence it came which Doctor who before had a great opinion of learning having by this Sermon lost all his reputation dyed as some say distracted not many days after Upon the Tuesday following the Commons of the City were assembled at Guild-hall whither The Duke of Buckinghams oration in the Guild hall was sent by the Protectour the Duke of Buckingham with other Lords by whom was rehearsed to the Major the rest what title the Lord Protectour had to the Crowne before his Nephews which in an excellent Oration was delivered by the Duke of Buckingham whom they applauded for the manner but no way approved the matter of his speech for it took no effect amongst them all departing silent and keeping their thoughts to themselves then the Tuesday succeeding being the twentieth day of Iune the Protector of himselfe took upon him as King and Governour of the Realme and rode The Protectour takes upon him to be King in great state to Westminster and in the great Hall placing himselfe in the seat Royall with the Duke of Norfolke who was before Lord Howard on the right hand and the Duke of Suffolke on the left after the royall Oath taken hee called before him the Iudges and giving them a long exhortation for the executing of his Lawes administring justice with other Ceremonies being done hee was conveyed to the kings palace and there lodged and upon friday The protector proclaimed King by the name of Richard the third being the two and twentieth of Iune throughout the City of London hee was proclaimed king of England by the name of Richard the Third Yet thought he himselfe in no security whilst his two Nephewes in the Tower were living concerning whose death as some have reported hee tasted the Duke of Buckingham but finding him averse to his purpose as in his noble Buckingham not accessary to the Princes deaths spirit abhorring an act so unnaturall and execrable he after sought all advantages how to insidiate his life though hee had been the onely means to raise him to that height of Sovereignty and knowing that it was in vaine to worke any noble or generous mindes to such a bloudy and inhumane purpose hee at length had observed a melancholy and discontented Gentleman called Iames Tirrell to whom some have given the title of a knight and him hee moulded to his owne ends who having the keyes of the Princes lodgings delivered unto him hee hired two bloudy Ruffians who when they were fast asleepe fell upon them and smothered them in their beds But in what place their bodies were buried it is uncertain and thus The murder of the two princes in the tower From the Herculean Lion lately sphear'd And in his Orbe to Iove himself indear'd Two luminous stars without eclipse or cloud As had they been unto some offering vow'd Are perisht on the Altar ere they grow To that full splendor which the world they owe. By the Herculean or Cleomaean Lion is figured the victorious and invincible King Edward the Fourth lately spheared that is by death lately translated above the Spheares to the Celestiall Orbe Heaven and by two shining stars Edward the sift and Richard Duke of Yorke c. the rest needeth no comment CHAP. 30. Dissention betwixt the King and the Duke of Buckingham Richard insidiateth the life of Richmond Buckingham takes armes against the King and is beheaded Banister perfidious to his Lord Queen Annes policy and tyranny His Laws Richmond landeth at Milford Haven The battaile at Bosworth The death of Richard Richmond made King A prophesie of his Reigne c. RIchard the Third of that name son to Richard Duke of Yorke and youngest brother to Edward the Fourth late King began his Dominion over the Realme of England the twentieth day of Iune in the yeere of the Incarnation of our Lord one thousand foure hundred fourescore and three with whose Reigne I proceed Some say the Noble Duke of Buckingham Difference betwixt the King and the Duke of Buckingham came to demand of him the Earle of Herefords Land promised him before he was King which hee not onely denied him but gave him rough and harsh language which the Duke in regard of his former courtesies done unto him and not only knowing his ingratitude but with all his malicious spleene against any that should in the least oppose him in his bloudy and most cruell designes he therefore retyred himselfe from Court and after some discourse held with Bishop Morton who was the Kings prisoner and in his custody he was brought to have intelligence from the Queen and the Countesse of Derby by whose instigation hee after laboured to bring in Henry Richmond then a banisht man in the Court of the Duke of Britaine but from Buckinghams plots against the King the house of Lancaster the next heire to the Crown Whilst these things were in secret agitation the King laboured by all meanes possible of friends gifts promises and the like to take away the life of the Earle whose projects and Richard labors to supplant Richmon pursuits too long here to rehearse he miraculously escaped only comforted by some Noble Englishmen some compulsively banisht others voluntarily exiling themselves all partners in one and the same calamity in which interim the Duke of Buckinghams intent of innovation some think by his perfidious servant Banister was discovered to the King therefore for his Buckingham taketh arms owne security he was forced to take armes but many of his friends failing
married to the youthfull French King shee I say observing his provident and cautelous proceeding in all things for the security of his State and Kingdome with a false stampe coyned a new Duke of Yorke a stripling called Perkin Warbeck who being Christned by Edward the Perkin Warbeck a new impostor 4 th it might be suspected that being as hee was warlike so also much addicted to the love of women by too much familiarity with the mother the child might have some of the Yorkists blood in him Edward being both Father and Godfather But so or no most sure it was Edward the fourth Godfather to Perkin that the Dutchesse exposed him to the world for the young Duke of Yorke who was spared from death which his brother suffered in the Tower for so it was given out But after shee had fully tutor'd and instructed him to take upon him the Majesty and deportment of a Prince least he should be found to be her creature shee cunningly sent him from her The subtilty of the Dutchesse of Burgundy Court over into Ireland where hee was received for no lesse then he nam'd himselfe Thence King Charles sent for him into France where he had Princely entertainment and service suiting with his stile but a peace being concluded betwixt England and France finding no safety there hee came as a distressed stranger to shelter himselfe under the wings of the Dutchesse of Burgundy whom she cunningly at first lookt upon as strangely till she had questioned him about all things in which shee had before instructed him and then as a Prince whose injuries were much to bee pittied shee received him to her protection The newes of a surviving Duke of Yorke was greedily swallowed by the discontented Commons of England The chiefe of note A new conspiracy against the King who were drawne to this beliefe were the Lord Fitzwater Mountfort and Thwaytes with the Lord Standley who was Father in law to the King and then Lord Chamberlaine Ratcliffe and others But Henry then understanding the danger likely to ensue first made it manifest to the world how both the Princes were together murdered with the manner of their deaths by which he did infallibly evince that hee could not be Yorke then the politicke King thought there was no surer way to disable the Impostors claime then by taking away his abettours and whilst these things were thus in agitation Sir Robert Clifford who had undermined all the Dutchesse proceedings came over to the King Sir Robert Clifford chalengeth the L. Standly of treason and disclosed them unto him who challenged the Lord Standley of Treason as to bee a prime incourager of Perkins Faction for which the King notwithstanding the neere affinity as the name of Father and Sonne interchanged betwixt them and forgetting also that hee was the prime man who set the Crowne upon his head hee caused him the fifteenth of February following to bee beheaded on a Scaffold upon the Tower-hill not without a great aspersion The L. Standly beheaded of ingratitude which severity of Iustice was also executed upon Mountford and Stafford Then Perkin who had wintered with the Dutchesse in the spring made an attempt for England his forces subsisting meerely of male-contents banquerupts and fugitives and hearing the King was in the North landed to the number of sixescore and odde in Kent thinking Perkin landeth in Kent they would have adhered to his Faction but he himself kept a ship boord But the Kentish apprehending the danger of a Rebellion seeing no more would come a shore set upon them whom they found slew some and took the rest prisoners all which were put to death and not one amongst them spared Thence he sailed to Flanders to fetch more ayd and from thence to Ireland where he found small comfort after to Scotland whose arrivall there being by commendatory Letters prepared by Charles the The French K. an abetter of Perkin French King he was royally entertained and to the Scotch King and his Nobility hee delivered so smooth and passionate a Tale before dictated by the Dutchesse that they tooke not onely great commiseration of his former disasters but promised withall not onely to raise him but to establish him in the height at which hee aimed causing him to bee espoused to a beautifull Virgin the Lady Gordon and after with a potent Army entred Northumberland Perkin married to the Lady Gordon making Proclamation in the name of Richard Duke of Yorke with sugered promises of severall enfranchisements and immunities to the Commons if they would acknowledge him their King and Soveraigne all which nothing prevailed with the people so that King Iames hearing of Henries marching towards him with a puissant Hoast he retreated his Army into his owne Countrey After which there was a marriagâ—… concluded A match concluded betwixt Iames of Scotland and the Lady Margaret betwixt King Iames and the Lady Margaret the eldest daughter to King Henry from whom our King Iames of blessed memory descended as immediate and undoubted Heire to the Crown of England which match was consummate in the seventh yeare of King Henry and in the same year landed at Plimmouth Katherine daughter to the King of Spaine who upon St. Erkenwalds day was espoused to Prince Arthur eldest sonne to the King who in Aprill following Prince Arthur married to Katherine of Spaine The death of Prince Arthur expired in the Towne of Ludlow The yeare after began the famous and most glorious worke of the Kings Chappell ' at Westminster and upon the eleventh of February dyed Queen Elizabeth wife to King Henry in the Tower The death of Queen Elizab. lying then in Child bed c. There was also a commotion in Devonshire and Cornwall about the collection of sixescore A commotion in Devonshire and Cornwall thousand pound which the King had demanded in parliament the first raisers thereof were a Lawyer and a Blacke-smith who comming as farre as Wells the Lord Audley tooke upon him to be their Generall who passing through Kent came as farre as Black-Heath in the sight of London but were then encountred by the Kings forces the Lord Audley was taken and The chiefe of the Rebells executed beheaded the Lawyer Smith drawn hanged and quartered the rest by the King ' pardoned But after that fortunate match betwixt the Scotch King and the Lady Margaret there was no longer residence there for Perkin who exposed him to his further fortune yet would not his faire Bride Katherine Gordon leave him though he were forced to forsake the Land but associated him into Ireland from whence hee was presently sent for by a new company of Cornish and Devonshire Rebells who began first to assemble themselves at a Towne called Bodwin in Cornwall To whom Perkin was no sooner come but they made him their Captain and Prince who called him selfe no more Richard Duke of Yorke but Richard King of England
Westcrag Enderlaw the Pile and the Towne Broughton Chester Fell's Crawned Dudistone Stanhouse the Fiker Beverton Franent Shenstone Marcle Farpren Kirklandhill Katherwyke Belton Eastbarnes Howland Butterden Quickwoe Blackbourne Raunton Bildi and the Tower with many other Townes and Villages by the Fleet on the Sea-side as Kincorne Saint Miuers the Queens Ferry part of Petinwaines c. Which done for their brave and notable service there done hee made Forty five Knights made at Leith at Leith forty five knights And thus was the king victorious over Scotland In this interim Warres were proclaimed against France so that the king gave free liberty and licence to all his subjects to use the French king and all that depend upon him to their best advantage and commodity and the same yeare hee prepared an Army to invade King Henry in person invadeth France France and himselfe in person the fourteenth of Iuly departed from Dover towards Callais and the next day removed to Morgisen upon the twenty sixt of the same month the Campe removed to high Bulloine and there camped on The siege of Bulloine the north-east part of the Towne two dayes after the Watch Tower call'd the old man was taken and the day after base Bulloine was won and upon the thirteenth of Septemb. the Town Bulloine taken by the K. was victoriously conquered by Henry the eight king of England France and Ireland defendor of the faith who upon humble petition made by the French suffered them to depart the Towne with bagge and baggage and this year were taken by the English fleet 300 and odde ships of the French to the great enriching of this nation and the great impoverishing of theirs CAP. 33. The death of Henry the eighth Edward the sixt crowned a calculation of his reigne Musselborow field wonne by the Lord Protector The death of the two brothers the Lord High Admirall and Lord protector a Character of the Duke of Somerset the death of King Edward not without suspition of poyson His Character c. THe yeare following being the thirty seventh of the kings reigne upon the thirteenth of Iune being Whitsunday Peace concluded betwixt England and France in London was proclaimed a generall peace betwixt the two kingdomes of England and France with a solemne procession at the time of the proclamation and that night were great Bone-fires made in the City and Suburbs for the celebration of the said union and upon the one and twentieth of August came over from the French king Monsieur Denebalt high Admirall of France and brought Monsieur Denebalt Embassador fom the French King with him the Sacre of Deepe with twelve Gallyes bravely accommodated who landed at the Tower where all the great Ordinance were shot off and he received by many peeres of the Realme conveighed to the Bishop of Londons palace where hee rested two nights and on Monday the twenty third of the same month he rode towards Hampton Court where the king then lay whom the young prince Edward met with a royall traine to the number of five hundred and fourty in velvet Coats and the His entertainment by Prince Edward princes Livery were with sleeves of cloath of gold and halfe the Coats embroydered where were eight hundred Horses richly caparison'd and riders suiting to the state who brought him to the Mannor of Hampton Court The next morning the KING and hee received the Sacrament together in confirmation of the late concluded peace After that were many Masques and Showes in which the very Torch Magnificent Showes bearers were apparrelled in gold with costly feasts and banquets during the space of sixe dayes after with many great gifts given to him and his chiefe followers hee returned to his countrey The next yeare being the thirty eighth of the King upon the ninth of Ianuary by the The death of the noble Earle of Surrey Kings expresse command was beheaded on the Tower-hill that noble and valorous gentleman the Earle of Surrey who had ingaged his person in Picardy Normandy Ireland Scotland c. from whence he never came but crowned with victory and the twenty eighth of the same Month the King himselfe departed the world in the yeare one thousand five hundred forty The death of Henry the eighth seven whose body was most Royally intombed at Windsor the sixteenth of February following King Edward the sixt began his dominion The inauguration of Edward the sixt over the Realme of England the one and thirtieth of Ianuary in the yeare of grace one thousand five hundreth forty seven and upon the nineteenth of February ensuing hee rode with his Vncle Sir Edward Seymour Lord governour and Protector and Duke of Somerset with the Nobility of the Land from the Tower through the City of London and so to Westminster and was annoynted and Crowned by Doctour Thomas Cranmer Archbishop of Canterbury who after ministred unto him the Sacraments with other divine Ceremonies according to the Protestant reformed Church Of this Kings Birth and Reigne it was thus calculated By birth a Caesar and in hopes as great Shall next ascend unto th' Imperiall seat Who ' ere mature cropt in his tender bloome Shal more against then Caesar could for Rome He th' Aristocracy Monarchall makes This from the triple Crowne the Scepter takes Vpright he shall betweene two Bases stand One in the sea fixt the other on the land These shall his pupillage strongly maintaine Secure the continent and scoure the maine But these supporters will be tane away By a Northumbers Wolfe and Suffolks Gray Then fall must this faire structure built on high And th' English like the Roman Caesar dye In his first yeare Sir Thomas Seimour the Kings unkle brother to the Duke of Somerset being Lord high Admirall by the Viz-Admirall called Sir Andrew Dudley having no other Vessells but the Paunce and the Hart and these singly manned there was a great conflict at Sea with three tall Scottish ships in the narrow Victory by sea Seas doubly manned and trimmed with great Ordinance notwithstanding which hee tooke them and brought them into Orwell Haven where he had good booty and store of prisoners And the same yeare in August the Lord Protector the Duke of Somerset with the Earle of Warwicke and others marcht with a noble Army into Scotland and not farre from Edenborrough at a place called Mosselborrough Musselborough field the English and Scotch Hoasts met where betweene them was fought a sharpe and cruell battaile in which in the end the English were victors and in which were slaine of the Scots foureteene thousand and prisoners taken of Lords Knights and Gentlemen to the number of fifteene hundred This yeare also was ordained that the Communion should be received in both kinds and at that time Stephen Gardner Bishop of Winchester for opposing the same was commanded to the Tower Commandement Gardner committed to the Tower also was given to all the Curats of every
especially the Clergy who in her dayes swayd all and were so busied in the butchery and burning of Martyrs at home that the honour and state of the Kingdome was much neglected abroad which Town had two hundred and odde yeares belonged to the Crowne of England It was first won by Edward the third the eleventh King from William the Conquerour after the siege of eight Months and was lost by Mary the eleventh from the said Edward in eight dayes Who when shee heard the Towne was taken in a great passion uttered these words The losse of Callais is written in Queen Maries sorrow for the lesse of Callis my heart and may bee there read when my body is dissected Besides Martyrdome in her time was great Mortality of people much harme done by lightning and Thunder a great part of her Fleet suddenly fired King Philips second returning into the Land and his short sojourne here ere hee left it againe These with other discontents so wrought upon her princely Nature that verifying the former prediction which saith Men shall her short unprosperous raign deplore By losse at Sea and damage on the shore Her heart when 't is dissected you in it May in large Characters read Callis writ These cogitable remembrances brought her into a Consumption or as some say into a Some say of a Dropsie or impostume burning Fever so that in the forty second yeare and sixt day of her age she departed the world at the Mannor of St. Iames neere Westminster the seventeenth of November in the yeare of our blessed Saviours Incarnation one thousand The death of Queen Mary five hundred fifty eight after shee had reigned five yeares foure months and eleven dayes whose body lyeth buried in a Chappell in the Cathedrall of Saint Peters Church in Westminster in a bare grave without either Tombe or any Inscription either of which might have She lyeth buried without a Monument beene some memorable decorement to adorne her Hearse The same day of her death was proclamed The Lady Elizabeth proclamed Queene Queene the Lady Elizabeth sister to Queene Mary and daughter to Henry the eight and the Lady Anne Bulloine who was appoynted by parliament to succeed her sister dying without Issue who shortly came to London where she was joyfully received by all ages sexes and degrees the Romists onely excepted and passing through the City to the Tower shee shewed to all her people and subjects the deportment of so sweet and a gracious Lady and they so mutual and alternate a joy for her happy and prosperous Inauguration that it almost wanted president and of whom it was thus predicted From th 'others ashes shall a Phenix rise Whose birth is thus predicted by the wise The prophesie of her birth reigne Her chief predominant star is Mercury Iove shall with Venus in conjunction be And Sol with them shine in his best aspect With Ariadnes Crown Astraea deckt Shall then descend upon this terrene stage Not seen before since the first golden age Against whom all the Latian Buls shall rore But at Ioves awfull summons shall give ore Through many forges shall this met all glide Like gold by fire repur'd and seven times tryde Her bright and glorious Sun-beams shall expell The vain clouds of the Candle Booke and Bell. Domestick plots and stratagems abroad French machins and the Italianated god The Spanish Engine Porteguized Iew The Iesuitick mine and politick crew Of home-bred Vipers let their menaces come By private pistoll or by hostile Drum Though all these Dogs chace her with open cry Live shall she lov'd and fear'd then Sainted die Concerning the Astrologicall calculation of her A calculation at her birth birth in her it prov'd most infallibly true for where Mercuries Star is predominant it portends a rare acutenesse and sharpnesse of wit a volubility in speech and retentivenes of memory with a naturall inclination to acquire Learning and knowledg Iupiters star infuseth honor state power and Majesty and Venus feature beauty affability and clemency both which being at that time in conjunction conserd their general gifts upon her in particular and Sol shining at the same houre with a favourable aspect ratified the former of which part of the prophesie there needs no further explanation To write largely of her troubles being a princesse or of her rare and remarkable Reigne An apologie of the Author after she was Queen I should but feast you with dyet twice drest Having my selfe published a discourse of the first from her cradle to her crowne and in another bearing Title of the nine worthy Women she being the last of the rest in time and place though equall to any of the former both in religious vertue and all masculine magnanimity and yet because the present occasion enforceth it I will give you only a capitulation in briefe of those passages which were at large related in the former which I refer to the following Chapter CHAP. 37. A briefe nomination of her troubles wrought by the Popish Clergie Her passage through London to her Coronation with the Speeches spoke in the pageants A short remembrance of the prime passages in her Reigne The former prediction fulfild her death other predictions fathered upon Merlin explained c. SHee was borne the seventh of September A briefe catalogue of her troubles and baptized the third day following in the Fryers Church in Greenwich her Godfather was Thomas Cranmer Archbishop of Canterbury her Godmothers the Duchesse of Norfolke and Marchionesse of Pembroke both widows At her birth Mary the elder Daughter to the King by Queen Katherine was disabled of any claime to the Crown and his Heires by Queene Anne of Bulloigne admitted during her childhood she came not neere her sister but was brought up in the Protestant Faith and to her brother Edward much endeared Her Uncle the Protectour brought her Suitors of Honourable quality in her minority whom shee refused with great modesty At Queene Maries Coronation she graced her with her company but soone after confin'd her at the instigation of the Clergie no insurrection in her sisters time to which they would not have made her accessary Who were her greatest adversaries as that of Wiats in Kent the Carowes in Devonshire Throgmortons c. for which she was by them maliciously questioned but by the power of Heaven miraculously acquitted from Ashredge sent for to London from thence committed to the Tower her barge grating on the arches by the way her landing at the Traitours staires her close imprisonment there her dangers in being conveyed thence Her train untutored Souldiers Her bondage under Benningfield His fury at Woodstocke and the firing of her Lodgings a private Warrant for her death accidentally discovered and by King Philip prevented By these with infinite others appeares That against her the Latian Buls did rore But by Ioves awfull power at length give o're This hath not only reference to her pupillage By
which time the greatest thing of remark is that in the two and thirtieth yeare of his Reigne Rome was first The first building of Rome builded in the yeare of the World foure thousand foure hundred threescore and ten after the first erecting of Troynovant or London foure hundred and seven Solary yeares After Sisilius Rivallo reigned his sonne Sisilius forty nine yeares and was buried at Caerbadon or Bath leaving no heire of his body lawfully begotten Him Iago his Nephew succeeded hee Reigned Iago five and twenty yeares died without issue and lyeth buried by his Uncle Rivallo at Caerbrank or Yorke Kinimachus his brother governed the Land after him for the space of fifty foure yeares and lyeth buried by the two fore-named Kings hee left behind him a sonne called Gorboduc in whose time as in the Reigne of the foure last Kings nothing hapned deserving the remembrance of a Chronicle but that hee governed Gorboduc the Realme threescore and three yeeres dyed and was buried at London and left behind him two sonnes called Ferrex and Porrex These two brothers were made joynt Sovereignes Ferrex and Porrex of this Kingdome in the yeere of the world foure thousand seven hundred and eleven and continued in great fraternallamity for a certain time which expired Porrex being ambitious after the sole and entire sovereignty gathered a strong power unknowne to his brother purposing to supplant him from all Regall dignity so that being unprovided of an army he was forced to flye into France where hee implored the aid and assistance of a potent The death of Ferrex Duke named Gunhardus or Swardus who furnished him with souldiers sufficient so that hee re-entred the Land with his Host of Gauls of which Porrex hearing met him with his Britans and gave him battaile in which Ferrex was unfortunately slaine after which victory retyring himselfe to his palace where Widen or as some Authors name her Iudon his mother remayned she setting aside all motherly pity entred his chamber and by the helpe of her women in the dead of night when hee was fast sleeping A crueâ—…t mother The death of Porrex most cruelly slue him and after not sated with his death shee cut his body into small pieces Thus died the two brothers when they had ruled the Land in war and peace five yeers and in them ended the Genealogicall Line of Brute with whom also I conclude this first Chapter CHAP. 2. A Continuation of the History of the British Kings unto the time that Iulius Caesar made conquest of the Island The building of divers Cities and Townes Two things especially remarkable in an indulgent mother and a most naturall brother sundry other passages worthy observation The City of Troynovant how called London AFter the deaths of these two Princes the Nobles of the Land fell into great dissention amongst them selves all hating the memory of Gorbodue and his issue in regard that one brother slue the other and the most unnatural mother was the death of the surviver and because none of Brutus Line was left alive the Land was divided in foure parts so that in Albania Britain goverred by foure Dukes was one Waler called Staterius Pinnor governed Loegria or middle Britain Rudanlus guided Wales and Clotenus Cornwall whom the Britains held to be the most rightfull Heire and all these called themselves Kings to which some adde a fift Yevan King of Northumberland Briefely Munmutius Donwallo Dunwallo re duceth it into a Monerchy sonne to Clotenus Duke of Cornwall by vanquishing the rest became sole Soveraigne of this Island in the yeare of the World foure thousand seven hundred forty eight Hee was in all his actions very noble and built within London a famous structure which he cald the Temple of Peace which some hold to bee the same now called Blackwell Hall He instituted many good and wholsome Lawes Hee gave great priviledges to the maintaining of Temples Cities Ploughes c. He began the foure high waies of Britaine which were perfected by his sonne Belinus Hee built the two Townes of Malmsbury and the Vies and was the first that made for himselfe a Diadem of Gold with which hee was crowned with great solemnity Insomuch that some Writers name him the first King of Donwâ—…llo the first crowned King of Brit. Britaine stiling all his predecessors only Dukes Rulers and Governours Hee when hee had well and honourably governed the Land for the terme of forty yeares dyed and was buried in the foresaid Temple of Peace within London leaving to succed him two sonnes Belinus and Brennus These two brothers divided the land betwixt them and continued in great fraternall unity for the space of five yeares after which terme Beliuns and Brennus Brennus ambitious to have more Land or all made mortall warre against his Brother who vanquished him in battaile so that hee was forced to forsake the land and arrived in Armorica now called Little Britaine some write into Norway Howsoever by the supply and assistance of forraigne Princes he made many inroads into the Land too long here to relate to the great disturbance of his brother At length he assembled a strong and puissant Army against whom Belinus came with a mighty hoast as his manifest and mortall enemy But as their armies were ready to joyne battaile their Mother whose name was * or Corniven na Corneway of An indulgent mother a more indulgent and penetrable nature than the cruell and savage Widen before named exposed her selfe in person betweene the two Hoasts and in a discreet manner and motherly demeanour using withall such passionate and moving Oratory to her two sonnes that at length shee setled a steadfast unity and peace betwixt them After which accord made they joyned both their hoasts and with them Conquered a great part of Gallia Italy and Germany which done Belinus returned into Britaine Where when he came hee repaired old and decaied Cities and also built a new one upon The City of Legions Carleon the River of Vske neare unto Severne called Careuske and after the City of Legions because in the time of Claudius Caesar divers Roman Legions were there billited and lodged now called Carleon Hee built also an harbour or small Haven for ships to ride in in Troynovant in the Summet or top whereof stood a vessell of Brasse in which after his death his burnt ashes were inclosed which still retaines the name of Belingsgate In which interim The building of Belliâ—…sgate Brennus desirous to win fame and honour abroad with an hoast of Senonensian Galls so called because they dwelt about the City of Sena built in Italy and Gallia these Cities following Cities builded by Brennus Mediolanum or Milleine Papia or Pavie Burganum Sena Comum Brixia Verona Vialcnza Cremona Mautua c. Hee overcame the Romans at the River Albia eleven miles from Rome and tooke the City all save the Capitoll to which they layd
siege and one night whilst the Guardians thereof were asleep they undermined the earth and were likely to have wonne it but a noble Roman named Manlius Torquatus waking by the crie of Geese and Ganders prevented the Galls and saved the Capitoll For which cause the Romans for a long time after on the first day of Iune The feast of Ganders did annually celebrate the feast of Ganders But Brennus and his people held the Romans so short that they slew many of the Senators and compelled the survivers to lay him downe a thousand pound weight in Gold besides they took the spoyle of the City so that they were inforced to call backe Furius Camillus whom they had before most ungratefully banisht from Ardea and created him the second time Dictator who gave strong battaile to the Galls and won from them all the gold and jewells which they had taken from the Romans Therefore Bren neâ—… his Army towards Greece entering Brennus inva deth Greece Macedonia and dividing his people into two hoasts the one he retained with himselfe and sent the other into Galatia which after was caled Gallograecia and lastly from Gallograecians the Nation were termed Galathians Then Bren conquered Macedonia and overcame their Duke or King Sosthenes and after spoyled the gods of their Temples and said in sport Rich gods ought to contribute towards men some part of their wealth Thence hee came to Delphos where the Oracle was and robbed the Temple of Apollo upon which there was a great Earthquake and Haile-stones of mighty weight and bignesse which destroyed some part of his Hoast and upon the rest an huge part of the rockie mountaine fell and buried them in the Earth and Bren being wounded and despairing of safety drew his Sword and killed himselfe And his â—…rother Belinus after hee had honourably governed the The death of Brennus Kingdome of Britaine with his brother and alone for the space of twenty sixe yeares expired and was buried at Belingsgate leaving a Sonne behinde him called Gurguintus Barbarosse or Gurguint with the red Beard Gurguintus Hee beganne his Reigne in the yeare of the world foure thousand eight hundred thirty foure he conquered Denmarke and forced from them an annuall Tribute of one thousand pound Denmarke made tâ—…butary to England After which victory hee sayled towards England in great triumph but in his course upon the sea hee met with a Fleet of thirty Sayle who haliâ—…g them and demanding of what Countrey they were and the purpose of their Navigation they answered him Their people were called Balenses and that they were exiled from Spaine and with their wives and children had long sayled upon the sea beseeching the King to have compassion of them and to grant them within his large dominions some place to inhabit and they would bee his true and faithfull subjects The King commiserating their estate by the advice of his Barons granted them a wide and vast The first plantation of Ireland Countrey which is the farthest of the westerne Islands which of their Captaine Irlomall was called Ireland and that was the first plantation of that Countrey And after this Gurguintus had established the Lawes of his fore-fathers and exercised justice amongst his Subjects for the space of nineteene yeares he dyed and was buried at Troynovant leaving a sonne called Guintolinus Hee with great honour and clemency guided the Land taking to wife an honourable and learned Lady called Marcia who added to the former Lawes of the Land other wholesome statutes and decrees which were greatly imbraced continued long of efficacy and force which Alured long after King of England caused to be translated out of the British into the Saxon tongue and called them Marthe he lege or the Marcian Lawes to this woman for her great wisedome the government of the Kingdome was committed with the Guardianship of his sonne Cecilius for the space of twenty Cecilius sixe yeares after which time the King expired and was buried at London of this Cecilius there is little or nothing remembred but that he governed the Realm 15 years leaving to succeed him his son Kimarus who was a wild yong Kimarus man and irregular both in his private life and publicke government who when he had reigned three yeares being in his disport of hunting was trayterously slaine by his servants Him succeeded his son Elanius who expired in the second Elanius of his reigne whom succeeded his bastard sonne called Morindus begotten of his Concubine Faugrestela Morindus He was made King in the yeare of the world foure thousand eight hundred fourescore and ten who was a Prince of great valour and courage but given to wrath and cruelty of goodly presence comely personage but a mervailous strength above all the Nobles of the Realme In his time came the King of Mauritania and invaded his Realme whom he incountred with a puissant army and chased to sea taking many of his Souldiers prisoners whom he caused in his owne view to be put to many cruell and tormenting deaths at length riding upon the Sea Strand he espyed an huge Monster which the waters cast up alive which out of his great courage and ambitious of glory purposing to slay with his owne hands he was by it devoured after he had governed the kingdome eight years leaving behinde him five sonnes Gorbomannus Archigallo Elidurus Vigenius and Peridurus Gorbomannus being the first begotten sonne of Gorbomanus Morindus succeeded his Father being a just Prince in whose time was more riches and plenty than in any of the dayes of his predecessors who to the great sorrow both of his Peeres and people dyed without issue after hee had reigned eleven yeares after whom his second brother Archigallo was instated in the Soveraignty Archigallo this Prince was of a contrary condition to the former who gave himselfe to dissen ion and strife imagining causes against his Nobles to deprive them of their possessions and dignities and raising men of base and sordid birth and quality to office and honour And so he could inrich himselfe not caring how hee impoverisht his subjects For which by one assent of the Nobility and Commons he was deposed from all regall dignity after hee had tyrannized five yeares In whose stead was instated the third brother Elidurus Elidurus in the yeare of the world foure thousand nine hundred and fifteene who was so milde and gentle to his Subjects that they added to him a sirname and called him Elidure the meeke To expresse the goodnesse of his condition it happened that hunting in a Wood called Calater neare untâ—… Yorke hee found his banisht brother wandring in the thicke of the Forrest whom he no sooner saw but dismounted Aâ—…are president in a brother from his Steed and imbraced him in his armes and so conveighed him into the City privately where hee concealed him for a time and at length feigning himselfe sicke hee so
wrought with his Nobility severally and apart that hee had won them to re-instate his brother Archigallo in the Throne after he himselfe had governed for the terme of five yeares who being againe advanc't to the supreme power and Majesty hee changed his former Conditions ordering all things according to equity and Iustice during his naturall life and then dyed after he had lastly reigned ten yeares and lyeth buryed at Yorke Then was Elidurus againe The death of Archigallo made King against whom his two yonger brothers Vigenius and Peridurus had great indignation because for his vertue and piety he was so much beloved of the Britons therefore they conspired against him and tooke him prisoner in battaile when the second time hee had reigned two yeares committing him unto safe custodie These two Brothers were then joyntly made Kings and divided the Land betwixt them Vigenius dyed after he had governed his part of the Kingdome seven yeares after whose death Peridurus seized the whole under his Dominion who ruled with great Temperance and Prudence insomuch that hee was praised above his other brethren and Elidurus quite forgot who after he had reigned with his brother and alone for the terme of nine yeares expired after whom Elidurus was fetcht from prison Elidure the third time made King and the third time instated in the Throne who continued in his former sincerity and integrity and lastly being of a good age ended his life when hee had this last time governed foure yeares and was buried at Carleil leaving a Son called Gorbomannus who began his raigne in Gorbomanus the second the yeare of the World foure thousand nine hundred forty five after whom succeeded Margan and after Margan his brother Emerianus Margan Emerianus who was deposed for his cruelty and tyranny after whom successively raigned twenty Kings of whom small or no mention is made by any approved Author the last of which was called Blegabridus a cunning Musitian who Blegabridus for his excellency in that faculty was called of the Britains god of Glee-men or Minstrells After whom succeeded nine Kings of whom there is left neither name or memory saving that the last of them was named Hely who governed King Hely the Kingdome forty yeares wanting seven months which time of thirty three successive Kings that is from Elidure to the last yeare of Hely amounted to one hundred fourescore and sixe yeares This Hely left behind him three sons Lud Cassibeline and Nennius King Lud. Lud the eldest sonne of King Hely began his Reigne in the yeare of the world five thousand one hundred thirty one who in all his actions shewed himselfe honourable repaired old Temples and builded new and so of Cities and Townes but especially in Troynovant hee caused sundry structures to bee made both for the inlarging and beautifying of the City walling it round and ditching it about and in the west part of the Wall made a strong gate and commanded it to be called after his name Luds-gate Luds Towne now London and for he much affected the City as the place where he most frequented hee changed the name thereof from Troynovant to Caerlud or Luds Towne now London Hee was strong and mighty in subduing his enemies liberall given to hospitality and much loved and feared of the Britains who reigning in great peace and prosperity eleven yeares then dyed and was buryed in Port-Lud or Ludgate leaving two Sons Androgeus and Tenantius In regard of the pupillage and minority of Cassibelan made King of Britaine the two young Princes Cassibelan their Vncle and brother to King Lud was made King in the yeare of the world 5142. This man was of great wisedome and courage exercising Iustice mixt with mercy amongst his subjects insomuch that they favoured him greatly above his Nephewes yet he provided that they were royally educated according to their births and when they came to yeares of discretion he gave to Androgeus the City of London and the Earledom of Kent and to Tenantius the Dukedome of Cornwall c. CHAP. 3. The first conquest of this Land by Iulius Caesar Britaine made tributary to the Romans the birth of our Saviour under Cimbeline King of Britaine How Southampton came to bee so called and the Citie of Glocester and Coilchester Vespatians conquest of the Isle of Wight of Catnesse in Scotland of Lucius the first Christian King of the Britaines and of other Roman Governours CAius Iulius Caesar being imployed by the Senate of the famous City of Rome with Lucius Publius his Collegue in the warres of Gallia now called France being on the Sea side at Callis beholding the white Cliffes and Rocks of Britaine Iulius Caesar ambitious to Conqeur Britaine demanded of the Natives what manner of people inhabited this Island and being fully satisfied concerning the people and commodities thereof he was ambitious to adde it to the Roman Empire and to that purpose sent Messengers to Cassibelan then King to make him and his Land tributary to Rome At which he being highly moved sent him backe peremptory answer that every Soveraigne was bound to keep his Subjects from slavery and servitude and maintaine them in their Franchises and liberties and that hee would doe to his utmost ability and power With this answer Caesar who was of an invincible Courage much incensed instantly made ready his Navy and sayled towards Britaine with purpose to adde His first attempt and successe this Kingdome to his conquest of France but the Britaine 's had piâ—…cht stakes on the shore which much hindred their landing whilst Cassibelan gathering a strong Host gave the Romans battaile and beat them backe unto their ships but after he had new rigged and repaired his Navy and furnisht himselfe with a sufficient Army â—…e returned againe the second time and His second attempt was likewise beaten backe to his great dishonour For which victory twice obtained by the Britaines he assembled all his Lords and made a great triumph at London where were sundry martiall exercises performed in the performance of which one of Androgeus his Knights having slain one of the Kings Kinsmen whom hee much loved hee sent to have him stand to the tryall of the cause but Androgeus denyed to give up to the censure of the Law and departed Difference betwixt the 〈◊〉 and Androgeus in secret without taking leave from the Court which gave Cassibelan great cause of incensement against him Whose indignation Androg us justly fearing sent Letters unto Caesar that if hee would make a third attempt upon this Countrey hee with all his whole power would bee reâ—…dy to assist him against his Uncle pretending that he not onely usurped his right in the Crowne but had done to him divers other affronts and injuries Caesar glad of so good an opportunity after Hostages given for his fidelity which were his sonne Sceva with thirty others of the sonnes of his Nobility and Gentlemen a third time
finding the true Crosse and the nayles with which our blessed Saviour was fastned thereto and returne to Hellena sindeth 〈◊〉 Cressâ—… her sonne the Emperour who greatly inlarged the famous City Bizantium and beautified it with stately and sumptuous buildings and for the pleasure which hee tooke in the situation thereof made it his Royall Seat and caused it to be called after his name Constantinople which is the City of Constantine He was also of such power and might in armes that hee purchased to himselfe the Title of Constantine the Great Constantine the Great Hee was moreover stiled the first Christian Emperour and did many things for the upholding of the Faith of which seven by a learned Authour are especially noted First that Christ our blessed Saviour should bee worshipped as God throughout his whole Dominions Secondly Seven Derees made by Constantine to the honour of his Saviour that what man or woman soever spake any blasphemy against him hee should be most severely punished Thirdly that person who did any violence or injury to a Christian man because he was of that belief should forfeit half his goods and possessions Fourthly that as the Emperor of Rome is Head of all temporall Princes so the Bishop of Rome should be chief of all Ecclesiasticall Prelats Fiftly that who so fled to a Church for refuge and made it his Sanctuary should be there free from molestation and danger Sixtly that no man should offer to erect any Church or Temple without the leave and licence of the Bishop of that Diocesse Seventhly that every Prince should give the tenth part of his Revenues toward the mayntenance of Churches and Temples which law for example sake hee confirmed by contributing unto them from his own possessions after all which care of his to establish the true Faith and Gospell hee fell into the detestable Heresie of the Arrians banished Bishop Sylvester beforenamed and persecuted many zealous and godly professors Constantine infated with the Aâ—…rian heresie after which as mine Author affirmeth hee was strook with an incurable Leprosie But now I return to Octavian whom hee left his substitute in Britain Who during the long absence of the Emperour ruled the Land to the great content of the Natives but when hee had throughly invested himselfe into the hearts of the people and thinking his Lord so far remote and could not easily be drawne from so great a charge as the government of both the East and Westerne Octavian usurpeth the Crowne of Britain Empires He thought to usurpe the Title of King and to that purpose distressed such Romans as Constantine had left heere in the Land and so took upon him the sole Soveraignity of which when the Emperour had notice hee sent hither in all haste a Prince called Traherne who was uncle to his mother Helena with three Legions of Romans every Legion consisting on six thousand six hundred and six Knights whom Octavian met in battaile neare unto Portchester or as some Authors write neere Winchester and Trahernesent into Britain compeld Traherne to forsake the field and flie towards Scotland whither Octavian pursued him and gave him a second battaile where hee and the Britains were discomfited and himselfe with some few took shipping and sailed to Norway but not long after he returned into England with a strong Armâ—… of Britains and Norwayes in which interim a British Earle who greatly loved Octavian slue Traherne so that with little difficulty hee subdued the rest of the Commons who were left without a Commander and repossessed the Land which was from the time that Constantine made him Governor or Protector of the Land ten years Octavian thus re-instated gathered great Octavian made absolute K. of Britain riches and treasure in so much that hee feared not the power of any forreigne Prince and ruled the Nation in great peace and quietnesse who being growne aged and full of yeares by the counsell of some of his British Noble men he sent one Mauritius son to Caradock Duke of Cornwall unto Rome For an hopefull young Gentleman called Maximian who was neere allyed to Helena the mother of Constantine that he would come into this Land and by marrying his only daughter enjoy the Kingdome of Britain after him though divers perswaded him to confer that honour upon Conan Meriadock his neere Cousin but the former motion prevailed Conon Meriadock And Maximian the sonne of Leonine brother to Hellen and Uncle to Constantine the Great was sent over with the beforenamed Mauritius and with a sufficient guard of Romans landed safely at the port of Southampton which Conan Meriadock hearing hee gathered a company of his friends and kinsmen and because the other came Maximians first entrance into Britain to dispossesse him of that whicâ—… hee held to be his right Her purposed to ambush him in the way and give him battaile which being told to the King he by his wisdome and power pâ—…evented it so that Maximian came peaceably to Court unto whom the King gave his daughter and the Land with her for her Dower and dyed soon after when he had nobly and peaceably governed the Kingdome for the space of fifty foure yeares CHAP. 5. Maximian made King of Britaine and after Emperour How Armorica came to be called Little Britaine and this Britaine the Great Of Ursula and the eleven thousand Virgins Gratian the last Roman that was King of the Land The great distresses of the Kingdome the cessation of their Tribute paid to Rome Constantine brother to Aldroenus made King of the Realm his death and issue MAximian the sonne of Leonine and Cousin German to Constantine the great was made King of Britaine Maximian K. of Britaine in the yeare of Grace three hundred fourescore and two who proved a valiant and victorious Prince but somewhat proud and withall a persecutor of the Christians And first there was great strife betwixt him and Conan with sundry Conflicts in which they sped diversly but at length they were reconciled and made friends so that he raigned for a time in great peace in which interim he gathered together much treasure and riches At last he was accited to move warre against the Galls and landed with a great Hoast in Armorica now Armorica first called Litle Britaine called Little Britaine which after hee had subdued by the sword hee gave it to Conon Meriadock to hold of him and of the Kings of great Britaine for ever commanding from that time Armorica to be called Little Britain and this Land Britaine the great For which victory and others his Knights proclaimed him Emperour which increased both his pride and tyranny so that he invaded the Lands of the Empire and conquered a great part both of France and Germany which was contrary to his Oath before sworne to the two Emperors Gratian and Valentinian to whom when tydings was brought of this his invasion Gratian prepared to resist him but fearing his power
Eliud left little or nothing behind him worthy memory and when he had been King five yeers departed this life Galfridus reckoneth 3 other Kings Three Kings by some Authors not admitted successively to follow Eliud namely Dedacus Cloterus and Gurginetus but Lanquet an Author well approved will not admit them into his Chronicle I therefore proceed with the rest It is agreed by all that Merianus was King and two yeares enjoyed the principality but of what condition Merianus hee was there is left no memory to posteritie Four yeers also reigned his successor Bledinus whom some call Bladunus a man raised to that honor by his Bledinus valor but being discended from obscure parentage therefore not knowing himself wel in his greatnes as is commonly seene by many it was the cause of shortning both of his life sovereignty for he was slain by the treason of his owne servants of whose treacherous murder Capenus taking advantage being Capenus a potent Lord and in great opinion with the people hee so far insinuated into their affections that with an unanimous suffrage they proclaimed him King for his predecessor died and left no heire behind him in which authority hee demeaned himself like a royall and worthy Prince and when hee had swayed the Scepter thâ—… years he died being very aged and much lamented Him succeeded one Owen a Cambrian Britain who Owen though hee could neither claime the priviledge of bloud birth or title yet being valiant prosperous in all his martiall employments as managing the wars under Capenus by whom he was greatly honoured being also politick and wise and a good souldiouâ—… so a discreet statesman he was thought the worthiest then in the Kingdome to take upon him the Dominion of the Realm and so ended some troubles raised in his predecessors days by his valor and wisdom he brought to a happy issue and so died a single man after he had two years governed the Kingdome next him was inaugurated Sisillius otherwise called Cecilius Cecilius who bore himselfe with great humanity and affability during the time of his living a subject studying popularity and by sundry ways insinuating himself into the hearts of the people but when hee came to the Regall Title and that the power and soveraignty was wholly in his owne dispose he then began to expresse his naturall avaritious conditions by exacting on the Commons imposing divers taxes and tributes upon them by which they were sore vexed and grieved in so much that a rumour was raised amongst them which they first only whispered but at length animated by their intolerable impositions they feared not to clamour aloud that their former King died not without suspition of poyson of which they spaâ—…ed not to accuse him not only as an accessary but the prime causer and procurer thereof and therefore rising in armes against him they drove him to that â—…rrow exigent that he was forc't to fly fâ—…om one place of refuge to another who at length gathering some few forces about him gave them battail in which he was slain after he had governed the Kingdom two yeers after whom Blegabredus 〈◊〉 reigned in his stead this man had in him more musicke then majesty for he was held most excellent both in minstrelsie and poesie so that hee seemed to be son or at least minion of Apollo for hee not only composed his own Hymnes and Dities but set them and then sung and playd to them and because it was an art rarein those times practised by few especially by any of generous condition quality being excellent and eminent in a Prince he was therefore by it the more honored and admired who having swayd the Scepter 20 yeers departed this life leaving to succeed him his brother Archemail who was of a more stern robustuous nature a man unlettered Archemail and therefore a contemner of all Arts and Sciences who after he had governed the Realm two yeeres but with more austerity and rigouâ—… then his brother before him had done in a full age expired After him reigned Eldon or Eldol no sonne but a kinsman for the two brothers died issuless who was Eldol a man of peace and therfore the more indeered unto the hearts of his subjects under whose Reigne they lived in great rest prosperity gathering great store of wealth about them during the foure yeers of his Reigne after which season he changed this life for a new being much lamenâ—…d of his people after whose death stept up into the â—…hrone Rodrech or Rodian Rodrech alias Rodian a man not like his predecessor beloved as being litigious and alwayes in contention with the Commons as holding them in contempt only favouring the Nobility and Genâ—…ry and to prefer and advance them greatly oppressed the other extorting from them by sundry exactions for which hee grew into great hatred amongst them of which having intelligence he thought severely to punish them by arms but was prevented by death after hee had governed the kingdome not fully 4 yeers In his place reigned Samuel Pennisel Samuel Pennisel whom some Writers would make two men but their judgments are not altogether approved this man with great care industry sought and laboured to pacifie the tumults and combustions before raised to that purpose kept the Nobility and Gentry more short so that he suffered them not as before to insult and tyrannize over the Country but granted to them sundry immunities and privileges for which he was greatly beloved by them but left the world after he had 5 yeers swayd the Scepter whom Pyrpyrhus next succeeds a man much affected Pyrpyrhus by the people and fortunate in all things saving his short Reigne who died after two yeers sovereignty Capoyr came next to the Crown governed an equall Capoyr time with them of whom no memorable thing is recorded for in two yeeres Reigne a Prince hath scarcely time to express himself what maner of King he would be whether a tyrant or father of his people whether addicted to peace or war he left one to succeed him named Gligurt Divill who was a Prince very sober and discreet in all his actions and was an upright Iusticer maintaining good Laws in his Dominions but reigned four yeers only his son Hely succeeded him before spoken of so that all the time of Hâ—…ly the father of King Lud. these severall Kings Reigns â—…y those who writ contemporaries of the passages of seasons and sought to reconcile them by their computation amounteth to 124 yeers Thus desiring the Reader to excuse this necessary digression without which there must needs be a great maym in the Chronicle I now fall punctually upon Merlin's Prophesies continuing them and confirming their truth by Chronologie from the time in which he uttered them to the Reign of King Charles our royall Lord and Sovereigne c. A true Historie of the strange Birth of Ambrosius
desired to know by what father hee was begot to which she likewise answered that shee never had the societie of any one mortall or humane only a spirit assuming the shape of a beautifull young man had many times appeared unto her seeming to court her with no common affection but when any of her fellow Virgins came in he would suddenly disappear and vanish by whose many and urgent importunities being at last overcome I yielded saith shee to his pleasure and was comprest by him and when my full time of Teeming came I was delivered of this son now in your presence whom I caused to be called Merlin which words were uttered with such modestie and constancie considering withall the royaltie of her birth and the strictnesse of the order in which she now lived that the King might the more easily be induced to believe that whatsoever she spake was truth When casting his eye upon Merlin hee began to apprenend strange promising things in his aspect as having a quick and piercing eye an ingenious and gracious countenance and in hâ—… youthfull face a kinde of austeritie and supercilious gravity which took in him such a deep impression hat he thought his bloud too noble Cruelty changed into pity to bee mingled with the dust and rubbish of the earth therefore instead of sentencing him to death and commanding him to be slaine hee opened unto him the purpose hee had to build this Castle and the strange and prodigious impediments which hindred the work then his assembly of the Bards and Wisards and what answer they returned him of his demand but bad him withall be of comfort for hee prized his life being a Christian above ten such Citadels though erected and perfected with all the cost and magnificence that humane art or fancie could devise To which words Merlin who had all this Merlins speech to the King while stood silent and spake not a word thus reply'd Royall Sir Blinde were your Bards witlesse your Wisards and silly and simple your Southsayers who shewed themselves averse to Art and altogether unacquainted with the secrets of Nature as altogether ignorant that in the brest of this Hill lyes a vast Moat or deep Poole which hath ingurgitated and swallowed all these materials throwne into the Trenches Therefore command them to be digged deeper and you shall discover the water in which your squared stones have beene washed and in the bottome of the Lake you shall finde two hollow Rocks of stone and in them two horrible Dragons fast sleeping which having uttered hee with a low obeysance made to the King left speaking Who instantly commanded pioners with Merlins words found true pickaxes mattocks and shovels to be sent for who were presently employed to dig the earth deepe where the pond was found and all the water drained so that the bottome thereof was left dry then were discovered the two hollow Rocks which being opened out of them issued two fierce and cruell Dragons the one red the other white and made betwixt them a violent and terrible conflict But in the end the white Dragon prevailed over the red at which sight the King being greatly stupified and amazed demanded of Merlin what this their combat might portend Who fetching a great sigh and teares in abundance issuing from his eyes with a propheticall spirit made him this following Merlins first prophesie answer Woe 's me for the red Dragon for alach The time is come hee hasteth to his mach The bloudy Serpent yet whose souls are white Implys that Nation on which thy delight Was late sole-fixt the Saxons who as friends Came to thee first but ayming at shrewd ends They shall have power over the drooping red In which the British Nation 's figured Drive shall he them into caves holes and dens To barren mountains and to moorish fens Hills shall remove to where the valleyes stood And all the baths and brooks shall flow with blood The worship of the holy God shall cease For in thilk dayes the Kirke shall have no peace The Panims woe the while shall get the day And with their Idols mawmetry beare sway And yet in fine shee that was so opprest Shal mount in the high rocks build her nest For out of Cornwall shall proceed a Bore Who shall the Kerk to pristine state restore Bow shall all Britaine to his kingly beck And tread he shall on the white Dragons neck Then casting a sad looke upon the King as reading his fate in his forehead hee muttered to himselfe and said But well-away for thee to Britaine deere For I fore-see thy sad disaster's neere Which accordingly hapned and that within few yeeres after for Vortiger having builded this Castle and fortified it making it defensible against any forreigne opposition the two sons Ambrose and Vter invade the Land at Totnesse of Constantine whom Vortiger had before caused to be slaine assisted by their neere Kinsman Pudentius King of Armorica or little Britain where they had beene liberally fostered and cherished passed the Sea with a compleat Army and landed at Totnesse whereof when the Britains who were dispersed in many Provinces understood they crept out of their holes and corners and drew unto their Host which was no small incouragement to the two brothers Ambrosius Aurelius and Vter-Pendragon who now finding their forces to bee sufficiently able both in strength and number made their speedy expedition towards Wales with purpose to distresse Vortiger the Usurper Who having notice of their comming and not able in regard of the paucity of his followers to give them battaile he made what provision he could for the strengthening of his Castle to endure a long siege and to oppose the rage of any violent battery till hee might send for supply elsewhere But such was the fury of the assaylants that after many fierce and dangerous attempts finding the Walles and Gates to bee impregnable casting into the Castle balls of wilde fire with other incendiaries they burnt him and his people alive amongst whom not one escaped Of him it is reported that hee should have carnal society with his own daughter The lamentable death of King Vortiger in hope that Kings should issue from them Thus died hee most miserably when hee had reigned since his last Inauguration nine yeeres and some odde moneths The explanation of the rest of his prophesie I will leave to the Chapter following CHAP. 4. Merlins former prophesie explained with sundry prestigious Acts done by him to delight the King his prophesie of the Kings death And bringing Stonehenge from Ireland YOu have heard what the red and white Dragons figured namely the British and Saxon people wee will now punctually examine the truth of his prediction in the rest The caverns corners mountains and moorish places expresse into what sundry distresses the Natives were driven unto by the mercilesse crueltie of the strangers by the Hils and Valleys shifting places that there was no difference amongst
hee had hazarded his person for the fruition of her love hee invited her to her Lords Funerall at which the King and she both mourned but after the celebration thereof ended he the second time courted her and in few The King espouseth the Duchesse dayes made her his Queene of a Duchesse by whom hee had Arthur and Anna by which match the fame of Merlin spread farre abroad the explanation of whose former prophesie I leave to the following Chapter CHAP. 6. Merlins former prophesie made plaine concerning King Arthur with sundry other occurrences pertinent to the English History ARthur the sonne of Vter-Pendragon and Igerna succeeded his Father A summary of King Arthurs noble conquests in the Principality therefore called the Bore of Cornwall because begot and borne in that Country and of a Cornish Duchesse Hee was a great planter and supporter of Religion and the Christian Faith for so all our British Chronologers report of him His Conquests were many and some of them miraculous By the Islands of the Ocean are meant Ireland Island Scotland and the Orcades Gotland Norway and Dacia all which are called Provinciall Islands which he brought under the obedience of his Scepter By the planting of the Flowre de Lyces in his owne Garden is likewise intended his conquest of France with sundry other appendant Provinces as Flanders Poland Burgundy Aquitaine Andegavia and Normandie all which with divers others paid him an Annuall Tribute and of which Countries for their long and faithfull services hee gave the Earldome of Andegavia to Gaius his Taster and the Dukedome of Normandy to Bedverus his Cupbearer in memory of whose Regall bounty it grew to a custome A custome derived from K. Arthur for the Kings of France to make their Tasters and Cupbearers Earles and Dukes of Andegavia and Normandy By his pluming and shaking off the Eagles feathers was his great victory over the Romans foretold who when their Prince Lucius with ten other Kings invaded this his Land of Britaine with a numberlesse Army of Souldiers the most of them hee slue acquitting the Tribute payed to Rome since the time of Iulius Caesar and those who survived hee made his Feodors and Vassals by which he got the sovereignty over many Provinces before subjugate to the Roman Empire sending the dead body Lucius the Roman Emperour slain by Arthur of their Emperour back to Rome there to bee interred next where it is said his name shall be as meat to all those mouthes that shall speake of his notable and noble atchievements by which no other thing is meant but that the very relation of his brave Gests shall be a refreshing and delight to all such as shall either reade them or heare them with much pleasure by others reported whose very begetting conception and birth carry with them the novelty of a Miracle And where it is further said that his end shall be doubtfull hee that shall make question of the truth of Merlins prophesie in that point let him to this day but travell into Armorica or Little Britain and in any of their Citties proclame in their streets that Arthur expired after the common Of Arthurs death and ordinary manner of men most sure he shal be to have bitter and railing language asperst upon him If he escape a tempestuous shower of stones and brick-bats The sixe Kings that succeeded him in order The sâ—… Kings that ordâ—…rly succeeded King Arthur were Constantinus the eldest sonne of Cador Duke of Cornwall and Arthurs Cousin German the second was Constantinus brother the third Conanus Aurelius their Nephew the fourth Vortiporius the fift Malgo the sixt Caretius for when Arthur in that great battaile which he fought against his Cousin the Arch-traytor Mordred whom he slue himselfe being mortally wounded and therefore had retired Mordred slain by Arthur himselfe into the vale of Avalan in hope to be cured of his hurts before his death and the manner of which is uncertaine hee sent for his Cousin Constantine before named a man of approved vertue and expert in all Martiall Discipline and made him King against whom the Saxons assisted by the two sonnes of Mordred assembled themselves who having defeated Constantinus noble victories them in sundry battails The elder sonne of Mordred who had for his refuge fortified Winchester he took in the Church of Saint Amphibalus whither hee had fled for Sanctuary and slue him before the Altar the younger he found hid in a Monastery in London whom he caused likewise to be slaine and this happened in the yeere after the Incarnation of our blessed Saviour 543. but in the third yeere after he was perfidiously betraid to death by the practice of his Nephew Conanus Aurelius and his body royally interred in the Mount Ambria neere unto Vter-Pendragon Then reigned his brother whom Conanus suffered not to rest one houre in peace till hee had incarcerated him and in the same yeere usurped the Diademe a young man of excellent parts Conanus and his conditions and noble carriage had hee not beene tainted with ambition the love of Civill Warres and Parricidiall Impiety having slaine one of his Uncles imprisoned the other and kild his two sonnes to attaine to the Regall Sovereignty which not long he enjoyed for the next yeere after he expired whom succeeded Vortiporius against whom the Saxons made a new Insurrection Vortiporus his victories and by whom they were utterly subverted by which hee became absolute Monarch of this Island but after foure yeeres yielded his body to the earth and left his Crowne to Malgo who was invested in the yeere of Grace after some Authours 581. This Prince was strong in body fortunate in Malgo's description and character Arms and of larger size and stature then any of his Antecessours who was a great suppressor of Usurpers and Tyrants for hee not only enjoy'd this Kingdome entire but conquered by his sword all the six provinciall Islands of whom it is reported that hee was the fairest of all the British Nation but those excellent gifts of Nature he shamefully abused as being much addicted to Sodomitry and as hee was a proditor of others Chastities hee was also prodigall of his owne after whose death in the yeere 586 Caretius a most wicked King Caretius was instituted in the Throne a Prince hatefull to good men an incendiary of Civill and Domesticke combustions an exiler of his Nobles a slayer of his Citizens a robber of the rich a suppresser of the poore and indeed subject to all the vices can be named By the German Worme and the Sea Wolfe What was ment by the German worm and the Seawoolfe waited on by woods brought from Africa through Saint Georges Chanell which shall support him our Prophet would have us to know that the Saxons are comprehended in the Worme and in the Wolfe Gormondus King of Africa who in the time of this Caretius came with a mighty
Navy upon the British Seas first with three hundred and sixty thousand souldiers who first invaded Ireland and made great spoyle of the Country and from thence hee was invited by the Saxons to assist them against the British Nation to which hee assenting invaded the Kingdome with fire and sword committing many direptions and outrages chasing the King from place to place and from Citie to Citie till hee was in the end forced to flie into Wales where they shut him up and by this means the German Worme by the means of this Sea-wolfe had the upper hand of the Red Dragon whilst these things were thus in agitation there came to this great Generall of the Africans from the transmarine parts of Gallia one Isimbardus Isimbardus the Nephew to Lewis the French King Nephew to Lewis the French King who complained unto him that his Uncle against all Iustice kept his right from him imploring his aid for the recovery therof promising him great rewards in pledge whereof like a wretched Apostata hee renounced his Faith and Christianitie of which proffer Gormundus accepted and made his speedy Expedition for France But the Miscreant Isimbardus failed of his purpose and was justly punisht by the hand of God for his Apostasie for at their landing in the Port of Saint Waleric a young Gentleman called Hugo sonne to Robert Earle of the Mount having received an affront from this Isimbard challenged him to a single Duell who entertaining the Challenge was by the foresaid King left dead in the field and the French setting A just reward of â—…postasie upon the Hoast of the Pagans gave them a great discomfiture in so much that of all that infinite number scarce any were left to beare the tydings of their disaster into their Country but either perisht by the sword or were drowned in the Ocean in which time saith the prophet Religion shall faile which hapned when The failing of Religion made good in Gormundus and the Saxons this Gormundus with the Saxons rioted and made havock in this Island suppressing Religious Houses and ruinating Churches so that scarce a Christian Native durst shew his head but he was subject to persecution and torture But it follows in the prophesie that the honour of Londons Clergie shall give place to Dorobernia or Canterbury that the Seventh who sate in the Eboracensian See which is the Archbishopricke of Yorke shall be compeld to flie into Armorica or Little Britaine and that Menevia shall be adorned with the Pall that belonged to the Citie of Legions give me leave to use a little circumstance in the explaining of these that finding the truth of his predictions by the successe the Reader may be more easily induced to give credit unto the rest in which I shall strive though plain to be much briefer The three prime Seats or Sees were the three The former Prophesie explained Archbishopricks which were London Yorke and the City of Legions now note how punctually he comes to the purpose the dignity of Londons Metropolitanship was transferd to Canterbury by Saint Augustine whom Pope Gregory sent hither with others to preach the Gospel who also gave the primacie of the City of Legions unto Menevia a Citty of Wales scituate neer to the Demeticall Sea but the Citty of Legions stands vpon the River Osca not far from the Severne Sea which was first erected by King Belinus whose valiant brother Brennus being Generall of the Senon Galls after many Honourable exployts and glorious Victories by him atcheived assaulted the famous Citty of Rome tooke sacked and spoyled it in the dayes of Ahashuerosh and Hester Gabinus and Porsenna being Consuls the first of whom hee slue in Battail and the other tooke Prisoner c. By the Arch-Bishop of York the seventh inaugurated Of Samson Archbishop of York and his six brothers into that See who should bee compeld to seek shelter in Little Britaine is intimated Samson then Resident who in that great persecution made by the Africans and the Saxons with six of his brothers all Clergiemen and of great sanctitie of life fled into the lesse Britaine and there establisht his Metropolitan Cathedrall The rest of his six brothers whose names were Melanius Matutus Maclovius Pabutaus Paternus The names of the Archbishop Samson's six brothers and Waslovius being all Divines were made the Rectors of other Churches and became in short time to be capable of Episcopall Dignities which seven Brothers not only the Natives of the Country but all the bordering Provinces call the seven Saints of Britain meaning the lesse Britaine even to this day now let it be held any deviation or digression from the subject now in hand if I borrow so much patience of the Reader to acquaint him with a strange and almost miraculous story or legend by what accident or rather Divine providence these seven holy and devout brothers were by the mutuall congresse of two Noble parents the Father and Mother begot and conceived in one wombe and after mature time of Teeming delivered into the World at one day but because I am loth to swell the pages of this Chapter beyond the limits of the former I will referre the relation thereof unto that next ensuing CHAP. 7. Of the conception and birth of these seven pious and religious Brothers and being sent to death how preserved educated and doctrinated with a continuance of Merlins Prophesies and their explanation THe Legend reports that their mother The like is reported by the Countesse Altorfence the Mother of the Guelfi in Italy being a Noble and chast Matron but in her feminine ignorance not acquainted with the accidents belonging to other women conceived a strange opinion from which she could not be removed that it was not possible for any of that sex to conceive more then one at once unlesse she had had the consociety of so many severall men as shee brought forth children in so much that she vilisied and disreputed holding all those no better then adulteresses and prostitutes who were delivered of Twins or a more numerous issue But the God of all flesh and the Creatour God the justifier of innocence of Nature being also the searcher of hearts and a justifier of innocence to convert this Lady from her erroneous beliefe and to cleere these unjust aspersions with which shee had branded other chast and fruitfull wombs so by his providence ordained that by her sole Lord and Husband she at one congression was conceived of seven sonnes and delivered of them at one time being within the compasse of one day Which shee seeing and much amazed at the prodigious novelty of such an unexpected issue and now favouring by a reciprocall retribution these accusations and suspicions which shee had so often cast upon other good women might be throwne upon herin a desperate way thereby thinking to salve her reputation which shee thought hazarded at last if not quite lost shee consulted with the midwife and one
Cadwallo Sainted now these seven Kings slaine by Cadwallo and his father in law Paeanda were Edwinus his sonne Offricus and Oswaldus the Saint spoken of which were three Kings of Northumberland Segebartus Egricus and Anna who raigned over the Orientall Britons and Cadamus the Scotch King concerning which Oswaldus his sanctity and other pious vertues the ancient Chronicles write largely as also the The story of Saâ—…t Oswaldus Lords of those â—…imes many panegyricks in his prayse which would be too tedious here to insert yet some 〈◊〉 of him howsoever credible or nâ—… I â—…hought fitting to remember it was said of him that when Aldanus Bishop of Scotland whose language neither he nor any of his Saxons understood did at any time pâ—…h before him and his people hee would put upon him a royall garment worn only on solemne Festivall days and whether by vertue of that or by divine rapture he would deliver all that Sermon word for word to his Countrymen in their proper and moderne language hee was also so Hâ—… temperance and charity to the poore temperate in his owne diet and withall so liberall to the poore that when he had guests at his Table hee would not only spare from his owne stomach but if hee saw any of them to gormondize or feed more then became them hee would bid them to eat more sparingly and toremember those hungry bellies at the gate which attended the reversion and fragments from his boord and bounty This reverent Bishop Aldanus being feasted by him on an Easter day the King commanded a great silver Charger fild with the best meats at his Table to bee carried to the beggars at his gate who when they had eaten the meat hee sold the dish and equally divided it amongst them which the Bishop seeing said aloud Live may that liberall hand ô may it always live and never taste of corruption which if we will believe the Roman Legend proved according to his propheticall acclamation for many yeeres after his death when his Tombe was searched and all the rest of his body according to the A prâ—…tended Miracle common course of Nature was putrified and turned to dust that hand and arme alone were preserved from corruption and rottennesse and remained as entire flesh bloud veines and arteries as when he was interred It followeth in the History six of these before named Kings being slaine in severall conflicts Cadwallo whose high spirit was irreconciliable towards the Saxons pursued this Oswald from province to province chasing him even to the wall which Severus the Roman Emperour built to part and divide the two Kingdomes of Britaine and Scotland and then sent his Generall and Father in law Paeana to give him battaile at a place called Hed-field or holy Camps in which by the prayers of this Oswaldus The Britons The battail of Headfield Hoast was quite discomsited of which defeat when King Cadwallo understood he gathered a fresh Army and gave him a second battaile at a place called Bourne in which Oswaldus and his Army were wholly routed and himselfe The death of Oswaldus died lamented in his owne pious bloud for whose charity and sanctitie hee was after canonized and remayneth to this day one of the Saints blessed in our Kalender whose death hapned in the yeere of our Saviour 644 which improved that part of Merlins prophesie Seven Kings shall bee slaine of which one shall bee Sainted By the brazen man mounted upon a steed of brasse who is said to do all these is antonomastiâ—…e meant King Cadwallo to honour whom after his death for his many brave victories and expelling Cadwallo the brazen man and why so called the Saxons out of the land the peeres and people caused his statue at his full size and proportion to be cast in brasse sitting also upon an Horse of brasse in whose buckler they intombed his embalmed body and after set it upon the prime gate of the Citie London it being a piece of admirable art and pulchritude and neere unto the same in further memory of him built a Church dedicated to Saint Martin therefore saith the Prophet The brazen Horse and Man shall watch the Gate whether the people wake or sleepe which continued for many yeeres after CHAP. 8. Hee prophesieth of the civill Warres that shall bee in Britaine in the time of Cadwallo and of the great dearth and desolation in the reigne of Cadwalloder of the Saxons exalting themselves and of the first comming in of the Danes into this land c. AS Merlin in all his prophesies aimeth at a continued History of the maine A continuation of the History passages in this I le of Britain so I also desire to observe a concordance of times left the neglect of either might breed a confusion in both as shall be made good in the sequell his prophesie followeth The crimson Dragon with his owne fierce pawes Shall teare his proper bowels gainst the Lawes Of wholsome Nature plague and famine then Shal fill the barren earth with shrowds of men After the Dragon whose smooth scales are white Hither the Almans daughter shall invite And crown themselves Against whom shall rise An Eagle from the Rock and both surprise Two Lions shall a dreadfull combate make Having their Lists incompast by a Lake At length be atton'd and after shall divide The glorious prey a speckledscale whose pryde Shall ayme at high things will his Lord betray Poysoning the Royall nest in which he lay Of the white Dragon so the Fates agree At length a Decemvirum there shall bee What time the Red shall to his joy behold The roofs of all his Temples deckt with gold c. By the Crimson Dragon is still meant England which after the death of Cadwallo being The conquering Britains fall at ods with themselves impatient of peace for want of forreigne Enemies shall be at Civill dissention in it selfe of which shall ensue much strage and mortality such Dearth also Famine and Desolation which shall happen by the plague that destroyeth the men and the Murrian that killeth the cattle that the Natives shall bee forced to leave the Kingdome as a Wildernesse unpeopled the remaynder of the living being scarce sufficient in number to bury the dead which strange depopulation sell in the third and last yeere of Cadwallader the sonne of Cadwallo which was in the yeere of Grace sixe hundred fourescore and sixe which maketh up the yeere of the World Cadwâ—…llader the last King of the Britains by the account of Polycronicon and other of our English Chronologers five thousand eight hundred fourescore and five so that it appeareth the native Britains had the title and soveraignty of this Kingdome from Brute first landing by the space of one thousand eight hundred and two and twenty yeeres Cadwalloder being the last King of the Britons after whom the Saxons or Angles had the full dominion thereof which maketh good that in the prophesie
a proverbe wee retaine from Antiquity as that day hopt without their heads Now concerning the pride of the Danes and their incredible tyranny exercised throughout The pride and insolency of the Danes over the Britains the whole Kingdome which was the occasion of this their universall slaughter our English Historians have thus recorded of them they caused the Farmers and Husbandmen to plow sow and eare the ground and to doe all the servile labour that belonged to agriculture and husbandâ—…y whilst they kept their wives and commanded their daughters and servants at their pleasure and when the Master of the house came home hee was forced to salute his superintendent Dane as his Lord and whilst the Usurper eate and fed of the best the poore oppressed owner could scarcely have his fill of the worst besides for feare and dread they called them in every house where they had rule Lord Dane which after when the English had attained to their former honour grew to a title of great opprobry and contempt for when Lord Dane turned into Lurdain any one would rebuke or revile an other hee would in scorne call him Lurdan a word in the Countrey in use euen to this day But now comes in the Eagle by which is intended Swanus K. of Denmark who surpriseth both that is subdueth the Saxons the other Almans or Germans whom they had admitted into the land and after infinite devastations depopulations and spoils with his broad wings soared over the whole Kingdome and made prey in every province thereof the particulars would aske much time and paper who in conclusion tooke from the White Dragon the Saxons after they had held the sovereignty by many successive Kings both Crown and Scepter but before this happened the unfortunate King whose onely fight was with money to impoverish his owne people and inrich the enemy for hee often bought his peace which prov'd to no purpose Edricus crea ted Duke of Mercia hee made Edricus whom Merlin calleth the Snake Duke of Mercia who was of low and base birth and parentage yet had attained to great wealth and rich possessions false of tongue subtle of brain and eloquent in speech and persidious in purpose and promise which will more at large appeare hereafter In this interim Swanus so farre prevailed The King with his Queene forc't to flye the Land that the King fearing the continuall persecution of the Danes first sent Emma his Queene with his two younger sonnes which were Alfred and Edward to Richard the second of that name and fourth Duke of Normandy who was her naturall brother and after was compeld to flie thither in person with a slender traine of followers of which when Swanus had notice he grew inflamed with greater pride and insolence and amongst other of his Tyrannies hee fired the City of Canterbury and slue nine hundred religious persons tithing them as killing nine and saving the tenth with 8000 women children and because the reverend Bishop would not or could not pay him downe three thousand pounds hee kept him prisoner seven moneths The Bishops name was Elphigus and caused him after at Greenwich foure miles from London to be stoned to death and wheresoever hee came hee reserved all the women to be vitiated and defloured aswell the religious as others robbing the Shrine of Saint Edmond not leaving any cruelty which could finde a name unperformed At length upon the day of the Purification of the blessed Virgin in the yeere one thousand and fourteen he died miserably howling and crying three dayes and nights together before his death whom succeeded The death of the Tyrant Swanus his sonne Canutus And two yeeres after at one thousand sixteen expired at London King Edelfred and was buried in the Church of Saint The death of Edelfredus Paul whom succeeded his sonne Edmund sirnamed Ironside and these two Princes were the two Lions spoken of in the former prophesie of whom you shall heare more in the ensuing Chapter CHAP. 9. Of divers bloudy battails fought betwixt Canutus and Edmund their great opposition ended in a single Duel They make peace and equally divide the Kingdome betwixt them the trayterous death of Edmund Canutus revengeth it upon the murderer with other occurences pertinent to the story c. EDmund sirnamed Ironside the sonne of Egelredus and Canutus the sonne of Swanus King of Denmarke began to rule the English Nation Anno 1016 and in the twenty ninth yeere of Robert King of France the Londoners with some of the English Nobles favouring Edmund but the greater part of the Nobility and Clergie adhering to Canutus betwixt which yong and valiant Princes were fought sundry cruell and bloudy battails too long here to reherse In which infinite both of the Natives and Strangers fell by the sword one of which was fought in Dorsetshire besides a Towne called Gillingham another in Worcestershire which continued from morning till night when they surceased In which battail Canutus was overcome by Edmund fight either for great wearinesse or for want of light when both Hoasts joyned the next morrow early and eagerly in which battaile the Traytour Edricus perceiving the fortune of the day to encline towards Edmund pitcht a The treason of Eldricus dead mans head upon a speare and calling to his Countrymen cryed out with this acclamation Fly you Englishmen and preserve your lives for behold this is the head of Edmund your King of which the Prince being warned hasted to that part of the field and plucking off his Helmet to shew that he was living so comfortably and couragiously demeaned himself among his souldiers that in the end hee had the better of the day In the preparation of another field when both the Hoasts were ready to joyne battaile upstarted This Commander was of K. Edmunds party one of the Commanders and appearing betweene the two Armies in the Front of either spake aloud as followeth You Princes both to you I declare my selfe you see how we daily perish for neither of you gaine an absolute victorie Edmund cannot bee overcome because of his great strength and courage and Canutus cannot be subdued being also much favoured by Fortune what then shall be the finall successe of this inveterate malice and contention when all your Knights souldiers are slain shall you not bee then inforced either to compound your enmity or to fight hand to hand betwixt your selves If this must bee the end why do you not one of these two For the first Is not this Kingdome now sufficient for two which before contented seven or if your spleen be so great that it cannot be reconciled by an equall division of the Land why doe not you two fight alone that strive to be Lords alone For if we all perish who shall be left either to serve you or to keepe forreigne invaders out of the Land Which words were so emphatically delivered and tooke such
stiled because of his ruffe haire and beard This Robert the eldest because hee might Robert rebelleth against his Father not be possest of the Duchy of Normandy which his father had before promist him hee by the aide of the French King Philip and Lewis his sonne invaded that Dutchy and tooke divers prizes thence which put his Father to much grievance and trouble in so much that at length the father and the sonne with two great Hosts met in the plaine field where betwixt them was fought a cruell and bloudy battell in which King William was wounded and beaten from his horse and in great danger to be tooke or slaine which his sonne Robert hearing in true filliall piety hee restored his Father set him upon a fresh Horse and delivered him from all danger howsoever in that conflict many of the Kings men fell by the sword and his sonne William received many wounds so that they were compeld to forsake the field and yeeld the honour thereof to his Sonne Robert for which Robert gaineth the day of his Father rebellion as some have related he laid an heavy curse upon him which proved fatall unto him in the end Some write that by the leaping off an horse hee got such a straine meaning King William that it was the cause of his death and when hee found that hee was pasthope of life hee called his three sonnes unto him exhorting them to fraternall love and unity and by his will appointed to Robert the eldest the Duchie of Normandy to William the second the Kingdom of England and to his third sonne Henry because K. Williams admonition to his sons hee was a piece of a Scholer sirnamed Beauclerke hee bequeathed his moveables and treasure then he informed his two eldest sonnes of the disposition of the people whom they were to governe advising William to be affable courteous and liberall to the English and Robert to behave himselfe roughly and sternly towards the Normans which having uttered hee The death of William sirnamed the Conquerour died within few houres after in Normandy and was buried in the City of Cane in the third yeere of his Duchie but of his Reigne over England one and twenty yeeres and ten moneths in the moneth of Iuly in which time of his Sovereignty hee kept the English so streight and low that none of the Nation bore any office of profit or honour but hee somewhat favoured the City of London by granting them their first Charter which is written in the Saxon Londons first Charter granted by King William tongue and sealed with green Wax and is comprehended in eight or nine lines at the most with whose death I also conclude this Chapter CHAP. 12. The prediction of the two Dragons made good by the subsequent History in Robert and William the two sons of the Conquerour who the Lion of Iustice was and what was meant by his Alchymy c. WIlliam the second of that name sirnamed William the second crowned King of England Rufus or the Red beganne his Reigne in the moneth of Iuly in the yeere of Grace one thousand sourescore and nine but Rainolf Monke of Chester in his Polychronicon affirmes that Robert was absent at the death of his Father and hearing that hee had preferd his younger brother to the Crowne of England hee was greatly inraged and laid his Dukedome to pawne to his brother Henry for certaine summes of money with which hee hired an Army and landed at Hampton of which his brother having intelligence sent unto him with this submission following A strange submission of a King Thy brother William entreateth thee to be no way incensed at what I have done For he calleth himselfe not absolute King but Viceroy and thy Substitute and to reigne under thee being greater and therein better because before him borne who hath taken upon him this charge only because of thine absence yet since he is now in place and authority by thy sufferance he humbly prayes thee that he may under thee still so continue paying unto thee annually three thousand marke with condition that the survivour of the two may peaceably enjoy the Kingdome Duke Robert who was not unacquainted with the politick proceedings of his brother shaked his head and began to pawse about an answer and being of a loving and gentle disposition The two brothers attowd bountifull withall and still preferring his honour before his profit as in all his after proceedings hee made manifest condescended to his brothers request and returned into Normandy but William was of a more subtle and crafty condition and yet withall ambitious after vain-glory to maintaine which hee extorted both from the Spiritualty and Temporalty He builded He buildeth Westminster Hall Westminster Hall and by reason that his brother Robert was then in the holy Warres to redeeme Ierusalem from the Pagans hee spent some time in Normandy about his brothers affaires but at his returne the building of the Hall being finished he seemed much discontented with the littlenesse thereof saying it was more fit for a Dining Chamber then a Kings Hall purposing if hee had liv'd to have made a farre greater In the beginning of the thirteenth yeere of his Reigne the third day of August being hunting in the New Forrest by the glancing of an Arrow shot by the hand of one Sir Walter Tyrrell The King murthered to death by Sir Walter Tyrrell the King was wounded to death in the forty fourth yeere of his age who escaped and saved himselfe for none pursued him and few in regard of his former tyranny sorrowfull for his death some thinke that this arrow was purposely aymed at him to fulfill the prophesie of the two brothers One aimes at but attains not his desire By envies dart the other shall expire Now Robert though hee still aymed at the Kingdome yet never attained unto it and the other died according to Merlins words spiculo Invidiae by the dart of Envy the King thus wounded was laid in a Horse-litter and conveyed to Winchester where hee died and was buried In his life time he took upon him great The Kings Character things the day before hee died one asked him where he purposed to keep his Christmasse to which he answered at Poyctiers for the Earle intendeth a Voyage for Ierusalem meaning to seize upon his Earldome Henry of Huntington reporteth of him that though he was generally reported avaritious and gripple-handed yet he was in his owne condition bountifull and liberall as may appeare by the narration following The Abbot of a great Monastery being dead too wel-monied Monks of the same place made friends to the King offering Iustice and liberality in the King large summes to be promoted to that dignity there was also a third Monk who out of his meeknesse and humility had accompanyed them to the Court and to give attendance on him whom the King should admit to be Abbot who called to the
of sishes take The King to maintaine his former Warres which proved so terrible to the French and others was forced to exact money from all manner of people not sparing the Clergie nor the Laitie and therefore Merlin cals him A cunning Alcumist who hath the skill Gold both from flowers and Nettles to distill By the Flowers meaning the Spiritualty by the Nettles the Temporalty in the twenty seventh yeere of this Kings Reign died Henry the fourth Emperour of that name who had before married Mawd the daughter to Henry King of England after whose death she came to her Father in Normandy who because hee had no heires male left of his body hee caused all the Bishops and Barons to sweare in his presence that they The Lords sworne to the succession of Mawd the Empresse should keep the Crowne of England to the use of this Mawde the Empresse if hee died without issue male and she surviving In the eight and twentieth yeere of his Sovereignty Ieffery Plantaginet Earle of Anjoy was espoused unto Mawde the Empresse from whom Her second mariage descended Henry the second sirnamed Short-Mantle who after Stephen was King of England King William being in Normandy as some write fell either with his Horse or from his Horse which after was the cause of his death But Rainolph saith that he tooke a surfet by eating of a Lamprey and died of that when he had reigned thirty five yeers and odde moneths The death of Henry the first of that name whose body when it was embowelled before it could be embalmed cast such a stench that none could abide the place where hee was dissected and though it was wrapped in a Buls skin yet it little abated the smell in so much that divers were infected therewith and the Chyrurgion who clensed the head died of the unwholsome scent which proceeded from the braine which some conjectured to bee a just judgement laid upon him for his mercilesse cruelty shewed upon his brother Robert whose eyes as some have reported hee caused to bee torne out of his head during his imprisonment his body was brought into England and was afterwards buried in the Abbey of Reading which he before had founded after whose death Fame spoke of him as of all other Princes both in the better and worse part Divers said that he surpassed many of his Predecessour Kings in three How the King was spoken of after his death things in wit in eloquence and good successe in battaile and others spared not to say that he was pestilently infected with three notorious vices Covetousnesse Cruelty and Lechery CHAP. 13. A briefe relation of the troublesome Reigne of King Stephen and his opposition against Mawde the Empresse of Henry Short-Mantle and his proceedings with a continuance of our English History In every circumstance making good Merlins Prophesie STephen Earle of Bolloigne and sonne Stephen Earle of Bulloigne crowned King to the Earle of Bloys and Mawd sister to the wife of Henry late deceased began his Reigne over the Realme of England in the yeere of grace one thousand one hundred thirty six who was valiant and hardy but as some affirme contrary to the oathe made to King Henry concerning Mawd the Empresse he usurped the Crown and was inaugurated by the Archbishop of Canterbury at West minster upon the day of Saint Stephen in Christmasse weeke which Archbishop who had taken the same Oath died shortly Perjury punished by the hand of God after with diverse other Lords guilty of the same perjury which as some write was animated and incouraged by one Hugh Bigot who was Steward to King Henry and presently after his death came over into England and before the said Archbishop came other Lords tooke an Oath and sware that he was present a little before the Kings death when hee heard him to disinherit his Daughter Mawd for some distaste that hee had taken against her and had adopted as his lawfull Heire Stephen his Nephew to which the Archbishop with the rest gave too hasty battaile neither did this Hugh for his wilfull perjury escape unpunished who soone after with great trouble of conscience most miserably expired but before I proceed Hugh Bigot dyeth miserably further in the story I will deliver unto you Merlins Prophesie of those times which followeth Drop must a Sagittary from the Skies The prophesie But against him an Eglet will arise That in the Morian Mountains built her nest And against that Celestiall signe contest Shee fayling will a Lions whelpe appeare Whose rore shall make the Centaure quake with feare But when the two shap't Monster shall be tam'd By gentle means the whelpe will be reclaim'd And when the Iron brood in the Land shal fail The bloud of the white Dragon must prevail By the Sagittary which is one of the twelve Celestiall Signes and is the same which hee calleth Part of it exâ—…laned the two shap't Centaure is figured King Stephen who gave not the Lions as his former predecessours had done but emblazed the before-named Sagittary in his Scutcheon and therefore he is by the Prophet so stiled by the Eglet is also intended Maud the Empresse and by the Morian Mountaines a place in Italy so called siguratively including all Italy by a part thereof now let vs see how this with the rest is mâ—…de good by the event In the beginning of his reigne King Stephen King Stephen extorteth both from the Clergie and the Laity used great rigour against the Clergy as fining some Bishops and imprisoning others Besides he seised on all the strong holds and Castles within the Realm as still fearing the comming in of Maud the Empresse in which time Robert Earle of Glocester the base sonne of King Henry took displeasure against the King for seising the strong holds of Glocester Hereford Webly Bristol Dudly and others part of which belonged to his Inheritance and therefore he sent letters to his sister Maud promising to assist her in the iust claime of her Inheritance In the moneth of Iuly and sixth yeare of King Mawd the Empresse landeth in England Stephen â—…aud the Empresse landed at Portsmouth and made towards Bristol at what time Stephen layd siege to the Castle of Walling-ford who hearing of her arivall gathered all the forces hee could make and drew towards the Enemie in which time Robert Earle of Glocester Ranulph Earle of Chester were ioyned to the Empresse and when both their hoasts were in the field ready to give the alarme Ranulph Earle of Chester thus spoke to his souldiers and sayd I require you friends and Countrimen that I The Barons Oration to their souldiers who am the cause to bring you here to hazard lives may be the first man to put mine owne in danger whom Earle Robert interrupted and said It is not unworthy to thee who demandest the first stroake and hazard of this battaile who both for thy noblenesse of bloud and thy
knowne magnanimity and courage farre surpassest other men but the Kings false oath hath levied men to this unjust warre in which wee must either strive bravely to winne the mastery or else be basely overcome and we now are run into that hazard that none of us is safe which shall not acquit himselfe by his resolution and Knightly boldnesse therefore shew your valour and be assured of victorie Then Earle Baldwin standing in the front of Earle Baldwins incouragement to to the Kings Army the Kings battaile began to incourage his souldiers in this manner To men that shall fight three things are by them to be observed The first the Iustice of the cause lest they indanger their soules which is cleere on our part who sight for our King Country the second is the number of men and the accommodation of Armes for few are not to oppose a multitude nor naked men against armed and we parallel if not exceed them both in amunition and number the third is boldnesse and courage not for defence only but offence which me thinks I espy in your faces and therefore of all these three our Army is sufficiently furnished Now what bee our enemies A weake and distressed woman assisted by two weak supporters Robert Earle of Glocester a man daring without deed and accustomed to word with words not weapons and Ranulph Earle of Chester haughty but withall fool-hardy constant in nothing and conscious only of Conspiracies who proposeth great enterprizes but never brings any to good effect and for many Legions conducted by such Leaders the more they be in company the sooner they be overcome At which word he was cut off by the violent The battell betwixt the King and the Empresse comming on of the enemy and now beganne a cruell battaile resolutely and bravely fought on both sides the violence whereof lasted long uncertain who should be victors but in the end the Kings Hoast was utterly routed but hee of a more heroicke spirit as scorning to flie mayntained the fight with some few of his Knights The King takâ—…n prisoner and was taken prisoner and being brought before the Empresse shee commanded him to bee conveyed under safe custody to the Castle of Bristoll where he remayned indurance from Candlemasse to holy Rood day next ensuing after which victory she was so exalted in thought and puft up with pride that shee thought now shee had the whole Kingdome in her owne possession and came triumphantly to Winchester after to Wilton to Oxford to Reading to Saint Albans and lastly to London in all which places she was royally received and during her abode there the Queene made assiduate labour for the delivery of the King her husband promising he The Queenes pâ—…tition to the Empresse should surrender the whole Land into her possession and either be take himselfe to some Religious Order or to become a banisht Pilgrime to the end of his life but all was in vaine shee could receive no comfort from the Empresse upon any conditions The Citizens of London likewise petitioned unto her that they might use the Laws of Edward the Confessor as they were confirmed by the Conquerour and that she would be pleased to disanull the strict innovations imposed on the land by her Father Henry to which she nor her Counsell would in the least wise condiscend but the tyde soone turned for Kent tooke part The Londoners and Kentishmen take part with the King with the King and the Londoners being discontented at the deniall of their suite and being assured that the Kentish men would in all their Enterprizes assist them they purposed to have surprized her person of which she having secret intelligence left a great part of her Iewels and houshold-stuffe and fled to Oxford in which slight many of her adherents were disheartned and a great part of her forces dispersed and scattered Then the Queene before so much despised The Queene puâ—…sueth the Empresse by the ayde of her friends the Kentish men Londoners and others gathered a strong host under the conduct of one William De-Pre to pursue the Empresse who understanding the Queens forces daily to increase and hers assiduatly to diminish shee left Oxford and secretly escaped to Glocester whither the Queenes host followed her in defence of which City Robert brother Earle Bobert of Glocester taken prisoner of the Empresse making an excursion from the towne was surprised and taken Briefly a Communication was held between the two opposite parties in which after much debating the businesse on both sides it was concluded that there should be one exchange made of the two prisoners so that the King vpon Holy rood day in harvest King Stephen released in exchange of Earle Robert was released and delivered up to the Queen and her Army and Robert of Glocester was surrendred to his sister Maud the Empresse The Land in this time was much distressed by these two Armies who were in continuall agitation sometimes the King having the better and sometimes the Empresse to relate which at large would aske too long circumstance but in the end the King had the better in the seventeenth Yeare of whose Raigne dyed Ranulph Earle of Chester and Ieffry Plantaginet husband to Maud the Empresse after whose death their The death of Iâ—…ffery Plantaginet sonne Henry sirnamed short mantle because hee used to goe in a short Cloak was created Duke of Anjou and Normandy whose sonne few yeares after maried Elenor daughter to the Earl of Poyctow who had before bin maried to Lewis The marriage of Henry Duke of Normandy the French King but for the too neernesse of blood divorced after hee had received two daughters from her Mary and Alice so that this Henry was the Earle of Anjou by his father Duke of Normandy by his mother and Earle of Poyctow by his wife This King Stephen had a sonne named Eustace Eustace the sonne of King Stephen who by ayde of the French King warred upon the forenamed Henry in which the Duke so Knightly demeaned himselfe that it proved to their great disadvantage some say that King Stephen would have crowned his sonne in his life time but the Clergie would not agree thereto having a command from the Bishop of Rome to the contrary and therefore his purpose tooke no effect Then the King said siege to the Castles of Newbery Wallingford Warbycke and Warwell which had beene kept by the friends of the Empresse to her use in hope of the comming over of her sonne Duke of Duke Henry landeth in England Normandy c. who the same yeere with a great Hoast entered England and first wanne the Castle of Malmsbury and after came to London and possessed himselfe both of the City and the Tower which more by his policie and promise then his potencie and power performed Then King Stephen with his Hoast drew neer to Duke Henry but by the mediation of Theobald Archbishop of Canterbury and
others of the Clergie and Nobility who met at a place called the water of Vrme they were kept from A peace mediated betwixt the King and the Duke present hostility some endevouring peace others labouring warre as their humours and affections guided them After which the King took his way towards Ipswich in Suffolke the Duke towards Shrewsbury in which interim died and was drowned Eustace the sonne of King Stephen and was buried at Feversham in Kent in the Abbey which his Father before The death of Prince Eustâ—…ce had founded After which Theobald with others ceased not to bring these two Princes to an attonement which was so earnestly laboured that a peace was concluded upon the conditions following namely that the King having now no heire should continue in the sole Sovereignty during his life and immediately after the conclusion and establishing of that Edict Henrie should be proclaimed Heire apparant in all the chiefe Cities and Borâ—…ughs of England and that the King should take him for his sonne by adoption as immediate Heire to the Crowne and Kingdome wherein that part of the prophesie is fulfilled which saith She failing will a Lions whelpe appeare Whose rore should make the Centaure quake with feare But when the two shap't Monster shall be tam'd By gentle means the whelpe shall be reclaim'd By the Centaure and two shap't Monster or the Sagittary which are all one meaning the King and by the Lions whelpe Henry Duke of Normandy The death of King Stephen c. and after King of England In the end of this yeere died King Stephen when hee had reignâ—…d eighteen yeeres and odde moneths and was buried by his sonne Eustace at Feversham This King spent his whole Reigne in great vexation and trouble which as some conjecture hapned because hee usurped the Crowne contrary to his Oath made to Henry the first that hee should maintaine the inheritance of his daughter Mawd the Empresse this Stephen Vpon what grounds Stephen pretended his title to the Crown was the sonne of Eustace Earle of Bulloigne and of Mary sister to Mawd who was married to his predecessor Henry these two are the daughters of Margaret the wife of Malcolm King of Scots which Margaret was the sister to Edgar Etheling and daughter of Edward the outlaw who was sonne to Edmund Ironside Mawd the Empresse daughter to Henry Beauclarke had by her second husband Ieffery Plantaginet this Henry the second of that name by whom the bloud of the Saxons againe returned to the Crowne partly by King Stephen but more fully by him so that consequently the bloud of the Normans continued but threescore The Norman bloud in sixty yeeres extinguished and ten yeeres accounting from the first yeere of William the Conquerour to the last of the reigne of Henry first compleating those words the prophesie And when the iron brood in the land shall fail The bloud of the red Dragon must prevail CHAP. 14. Divers remarkable passages during the Reigne of Henry the second his numerous issue and how they were affected towards him his vices and vertues his good and bad fortune all which were by this our Prophet predicted HEnry the second sonne of Ieffery Plantaginet The Coronation of King Henry the second and Mawd the Empresse began his Reigne over England in the moneth of October and the yeere of our Lord God one thousand one hundred fifty five of whom before it was thus prophesied The Eglet of the Flawde league shall behold The prophesie of his Reâ—…gne The Fathers of her prime bird shine in gold And in her third nest shall rejoyce but hee Who from the height of the great Rocke may see The Countries round both neer and far away Shall search amongst them where hee best can pray Some of whose numerous ayrie shall retaine The nature of the Desert Pelican The all commanding keys shall strive to wrest And force the locke that opens to his nest But break their own wards of all flowers that grow The Rose shall most delight his smell and so That least it any strangers eyes should daze Hee 'l plant it close in a Dedalian Maze Fortune at first will on his glories smile But fail him in the end alack the while The first words of this Prophesie seeme to reflect Part of the prophesie explained upon the Empresse his Mother by rejoycing her third nest may be intended that having three sonnes Henry Ieffery and William the two later failing as dying in their youth shee might rejoyce in him whose Father being King she saw to shine in gold or else being first espoused to Henry the Emperour and next to Ieffery Plantaginet shee might in her death rejoyce in her third espousall with her Saviour but againe where hee stiles her the Eglet of the Flawde or Borbon League It may bee conferd upon the Queen who being first married to the King of France and through neernesse of bloud divorced from him and sent to her Father and after married to this King being then Duke of Normandy she may be said first to have built her nest in France secondly in Normandy and thirdly and last in England This Prince as the Chronicle describes him The Kings Character to us was somewhat high-coloured but of a good aspect and pleasant countenance fat full chested and low of stature and because hee grew somewhat corpulent hee used a sparing and abstinent diet and much exercised Hunting He was well spoken and indifferently learned Noble in Knighthood and wise in counsaile bountifull to strangers but to his familiars and servants gripple-handed and where hee loved once or hated constant and hardly to be removed he had by his wife Eleanor six sonnes and three daughters The names of five of them His Issue were William Henry Richard Godfery and Iohn of which two came to succeed him in the Throne Richard and Iohn of the sixt there is small or no mention the eldest of his daughters hight Mawd and was married to the Duke of Saxony the second Eleanor to the King of Spaine the third named Iane to William King of Sicily This King was prosperous in the beginning of his Raigne but unfortunate in the end as the sequell will make apparant he was of such magnanimity and courage that hee was often heard to say that to a valiant heart not a whole World sufficeth and according to his words hee greatly augmented his Heritage and much added The Kings Dominions to his Dominions For hee wonne Ireland by strength and in the seventh yeere of his Reigne for divers affronts offered him by William King of Scotland he made such cruell warre upon him that in the end hee tooke him He taketh the Scots King prisoner prisoner and compeld him to surrender into his hands the City of Carlile the Castle of Bamburch the new Castle upon Tyne with divers other holds and a great part of Northumberland which William before had wonne from the
was inscribed Hic jacet in tumba Rosamundi non Rosamunda Her inscription on her tombe Non redolet sedolet quae redolere solet Which by an ancient Writer was thus paraphrased into English The Rose of the World but not the clean flower Is graven heere to whom beauty was lent In this grave full darke now is her bower That in her life was sweet and redolent But now that she is from this life blent Though she were sweet now fouly doth she stink A mirrour good for all that on her think Such was their English poetry in those dayes Long after the death of Rosamond was shewed in that Abbey a rare Coffer or Casket of hers about two foot in length in which was a strange artificiall motion where were to be seen Giants fighting Beasts in motion Fowls flying and Fishes swimming This Henry was troubled by the Queenes animating of his sonnes against him betwixt whom were divers conflicts which would appeare tedious to bee rehearsed It is written of this King that in his Chamber at Windsore hee had painted an Eagle with foure Henries character of his foure sonnes young ones whereof three of them pulled and pecked the body of the old Eagle and the fourth picked at his eyes and being asked what that picture should signifie hee made answer This old Eagle figureth my selfe and the foure birds my foure sonnes who cease not to pursue my life but most of all my sonne Iohn whom I most have loved and therefore Some of his numerous ayrie will retain The nature of the Desert Pelican The nature of the Pelican in the Desert being to pierce her brest with her bill and feed her young ones with her owne bloud In the The death of King Henry sonne of King Henry twenty eight yeere of this Henry died his eldest sonne Henry whom hee had before crowned much repenting on his death-bed for his unnaturall rebellion against his Father Rainold Monke of Chester relates that soon after the death of the Lady Rosamond Lewis the French King and the eighth of that name sent to King Henry one of his daughters to bee kept for his second sonne Richard whom the King vitiated and laboured to Haguntia a Cardinall then in the Land for a Divorce betwixt Henry laboureth a divorce betwixt him and his wife him and his wife intending to have maried that French Lady but he failed of his purpose for he meant by that match to have disinherited his unnaturall sonnes It is further recorded that when William King of Scots was taken by the King of England Hee did him Homage at the City of Yorke and in witnesse of subjection he offered his Hat and Saddle upon Saint Peters Altar which were kept there many yeeres after This King had many strange admonitions for Sundry admonitions to the King to amend his life the amendment of his life one was that in his returne from Ireland as he was taking his horse there appeared unto him a man of a pale and meager aspect bare-foot and in a white Mantle who spake unto him and said I am sent to thee from the Lord of the Sabbaoth who commandeth thee to take order that no Markets bee kept nor any servile worke bee done on the Lords day dressing of meate excepted only which if thou feest performed whatsoever thou purposest thou shalt bring to a good and happy end whose speech the King seemed to distaste and said to him that held his bridle aske of this Churle if he have dreamed that which hee speaketh to which the apparition answered againe whether I have dreamed or not take thou heed to my words and amend thy life or what thou now mockest shall returne to thy great misery which having said he vanisht suddenly the strangenesse whereof though he seriously apprehended yet of the former there was nothing amended He had a second admonition by an Irishman His second admonition who told him all things which the King had done in secret which hee had thought none had knowne but himselfe and withall advised him to repentance and amendment of life but hee regarded it as the former about which time being the foure and twentieth yeere of his The bones of King Arthur and his Queen found Reigne were taken up the bones of King Arthur and his Queene Guenever in the Vale of Avalon the haire of her head seeming white and of a fresh colour but as soone as touched they turned to powder their bones were after translated to the Church in Glastenbury and there the second time buried they were found by a Bard or Singer of Rythmes under the root of an Oke fifteen foot within the ground his third admonition I leave to the next Chapter CHAP. 15. The inauguration of Richard the first sirnamed Cordelion a prediction of his Reigne His warres in the Holy Land his imprisonment by the Duke of Austria his brother Iohns usurpation his second Coronation with his unfortunate death c. A Knight called Sir William Chesterly alias Lindsey told him boldly that His third admonition there were seven severall things by him specially and suddenly to be reformed First to see better to the defence of the Church and provide for the maintenance thereof Secondly to see his Lawes better executed and Iustice more exercised Thirdly not to rob the rich nor extort from them their goods by violence Fourthly to make restitution of all those lands and goods as hee had so wrested Fiftly to make no demurre or delay in just sentence but suffer the right to have lawfull processe Sixtly to see his subjects satisfied for such things as had beene taken up to his use and to pay his servants and souldiers which fell to robbery for that default Seventhly that he should speedily cause the Iewes to avoid the Land But this advise prevailed with him as the former In his thirtieth yeere Heraclius Patriarch of Ierusalem came into England to solicite his aid against the Saracens who had invaded the Christian Territories and to defend the holy City which by Saladine King of Surry was wonne soon after For by the relation of Peter Desroy a French Chronicler Ierusalem was wonne by Godfrey of Bulloigne in the yeere of Grace one thousand fourescore and nineteene and continued under nine Christian Kings of which Guy of Resingham was the last this Heraclius Nine Christian Kings raigne successively over Hierusalem further profered the King the keyes of the holy City and of our Lords grave presenting him Letters from Pope Lucius the third of that name which charged him to take upon him the journey according to an Oath by him formerly made to which the King answered The King refuseth to be Generall foâ—… the Holy Land he could not leave his Land in trouble as a prey to the French and his owne aspiring sonne but he would give largely out of his owne coffers to such as would take that voyage in hand To which the Patriarch replyed we
seek a man not mony every Christian Prince sendeth us money but none sendeth us a Prince and therefore we demand a Prince that needeth money and not money that needeth a Prince who finding no other comfort from the King departed his presence much discontented but the King thinking to sooth him up with faire words followed him to the Sea-side but the more the King laboured to humour him the more harsh and hardned he grew against the King and said unto him hitherto thou hast reigned gloriously The Patriarchs answer to the King but hereafter thou shalt be abandoned of him whom thou forsakest think what he hath given to thee and what thou in gratitude hast returned to him againe who at the first wast false to the French King and after slewest Thomas Becket and now lastly forsakest the protection of Christs faith at which words the King was much moved and sayd to the Patiarch though all the people of the Land were one body and spoke with one mouth they durst not say to me as thou hast done true saith the Patriarch for they love thine and not thee the safety of thy goods temporall but not the safety of thy soule then he offered his head to the King saying now doe me that right which thou did'st to thine Arch-Bishop for I had rather be slayne by thee then by the Sarazens The King kept his patience and replied should I depart out of the Land mine owne sons would seise upon my Crowne and Scepter in mine absence no wonder answered the Patriarch A proud and peremptory Patriarch for of the devil they come and to the devill they shall and so departed from the King in great anger after which all things went averse against him Giraldus Cambrisius writes of him that he cherisht strife amongst his owne children thinking thereby to live himselfe in the more rest and further saith that hee was peerelesse for three things wit war wantonnesse He Raigned twenty sixe yeares victoriously and gloriously foure yeares distractedly and doubtfully and his five last yeares infortunately and miserably in the end by meere vexation and anger he fell into a fever and dyed thereof in the Castle of Chinon in Normandy in the moneth of The death of King Henry the second Iuly when he had raigned thirty foure yeares eight moneths and odd dayes and was buried at Founte-blew fulfilling that of the former prediction Fortune at first shall on his glories smile But faile him in the end c. Richard the first of that name and second sonn Richard the first succedeth his father of Henry sirnamed Short Mantle succeeded his father and began his Raigne over England in the moneth of Iuly 1189 who upon the day of his Coronation commanded that all the prisoners about London which lay in for the Kings debt or otherwise murder and treason excepted should be set at large of whose future Reign it was thus predicted The Lions heart wee l gainst the sarazen rise And purchase from him many a glorious prise The Rose and Lilly shall at first vnite But parting of the prey prove opposite Iebus and Salem will be much opprest As by the lame and blind againe possest The Lion-hearted amongst Wolves shall range And by his art Iron into silver change But whilst abroad these great acts shall be done All things at home shall to disorder run Coopt up and cag'd then shall the Lion bee But after sufferance ransom'd and set free Then doubly crowned two mighty ones whose prides Transcend twixt whom aseas arme only glides Ambitious both shall many conflicts try Last by a poysonous shaft the Lion dye This King soone after his Coronation conferd upon his brother three great dignities and honours as the Earldome of Nottingham Cornwale Chester and Lancaster and maried him to the daughter of the Earle of Gloster who was his only childe by which he was heire to that Earldome also all which he after but cruelly requited then the king sought to be absolved for his rebellion against his father which he easily purchast upon promise to pursue the wars Richard undertaketh the holy voyage in Palestina which his father refused and to expedite that voyage he gave over the two Castles of Barwick and Rocheborough to the Scotch king for ten thousand pound towards the charges of his journey moreover he sould to the old Bishop of Durham that Province for a great sum of mony and as he had covenanted made him Earle thereof which done the king laught and said to the standers by observe what art and cunning is in me who can make a young Earle of an old Bishop by such meanes hee emptyed many of the Clergies bagges and fil'd his own coffers granting large fees and annuities out of the Crowne for which some as far as they durst blaming him he replyed unto them that it was good for a man to ayde himselfe with his owne adding that if the citty London were his at that time of his neede he would sel that also if he could meete with a merchant able to buy it In the second yeare of his Raigne hee made The Bishop of Ely made Vice Gerent in the Kings absence William Longshamp Bishop of Ely Chancellour of England leaving the whole Land to his guiding then sayled he into Normandy and thence into France to Philip the second and after covenants drawne betwixt them for the continuance of so great and hazardous a iourney in the spring of the yeare they set forward Richard by sea and Philip by land appointing their randevouz in Sicily where meeting as it was agreed a difference grew betwixt the 2. Kings Difference betwixt the English and French Kings in so much that King Phillip left Richard in Sicily and departed towards Acon or Acris in which time the King of Cyprus tooke two of king Richards ships and peremptorily denyed their delivery For which he invaded the kingdome of Cyprus making sharpe war therein chacing the King from Citty to Citty in so much that K. Richard conquered the Kingdome of Cyprus he was compeld to yield unto him upon condition that he should not bee layed in bonds of iron whereof the king accepted and kept his promise causing him to be fettered in chaines of silver verifying that of the prophesie The Lion-hearted amongst Wolves shall range And by his art iron into silver change When he had remained there for the space of 2. months taking his pleasure of the countrey victualled his navy he steered his course towards Acon and by the way he encountered a great ship of the Soldans furnisht with store of amunition and treasure which he surprised seized after which he safely arived at the foresaid citty and met with the king of France of whom he was ioyfully received for not long before 2000 of his army were cut off by the Sarazens then King Richard caused the Citty to be violently assaulted on every side so that they were
belonging to the Duke he was beset by one Mainart de Goresen but with losse of some of his traine he by his manhood escaped After at a towne named Frisach one Frederick de Saint Soon made a second attempt upon him and tooke six of his Knights but he by his noble valour made his way through the ambush of the enemy without surprizall and strooke up towards Germany but spies being set to know what course he King Richard taken took he was at length betrayed into the hands of the Duke of Lemple cousin to the Emperor who sent him to the Duke of Austria he presently rifled him of all the treasure and iewels hee had about him and committed him for a moneth to strait and close prison During which time as some write the Duke Hence he had the appeâ—…ation of Cur de Lyon put him to cope singly with a great and mighty Lion weaponlesse and unarmed who having conquered the beast ript up his heart and flang it in the Dukes face and after that with a blow under the eare he slew the Dukes sonne and further that his daughter being enamoured both of his person and great valour he left her vitiated and deflowred but howsoever in this all witnesses agree that when the moneth was expired he sent him to the Emperour who was Henry the first of that name and sonne to Frederick the first who put him into a darke and obscure dungeon covenanting with the Duke that he should have the third part of his ransome there he remained for the space of a yeere and three moneths at length upon a palm-sunday he caused him to be brought before his Princes and Lords to answer what could be obiected against him where hee appeared with such a manly and maiestick aspect and withal answered so directly and discreetly to whatsoever was laid to his charge that they generally comiserated his iniust durance then King Richard ransomed at an hundred thousand pound and set at liberty his ransome was set at an hundred thousand pound sterling and hostages given for the payment by such a time which done he was set at liberty which verefies Coopt up and cag'd then shall the Lion be But after sufferance ransomd and set free The King in the eight yeere of his Reigne The Kings arrivall into England about the latter end of March landed at Sandwich and came straight to London where he was ioyfully received and then calling a Counsaile of his Lords he first took order to pay his ransome and because his brother Iohn in his absence had usurped the Diadem was at that time in France he deprived him of all Honour and title and tooke from him all those Earledomes and revenewes that hee before had conferd upon him and caused him selfe at Winchester to be the second time crowned and then began the ancient grudge to revive betweene the two Kings of England and France which was the more aggravated because the French King supported Iohn against the King his Brother But Prince Iohn seeing how much his fame was magnified in the mouths of all men and that all the parts both of Christendome and Paganisme resounded with his praise he made means to his mother Queene Eleanor by whose mediation a Iohn reconciled to the K. his brother peace was made betwixt her two sonnes whilest the wars in Normandy and France went stil forwards Many wery the battailes fought betwixt the two Kings and much effusion of bloud on both sides where sometimes the one sometimes the other had the better but for the most part Richard the best during which combustion before the last 20000 pound for his ransome was payd his two hostages the Bishops of Bath in England and Roan in Normandy came unto him and told him that they were set at liberty by the Emperour and further shewed that his great enemy the Duke of Austria was accused of Innocent the third then Pope for the iniuries before offered him and that upon Saint Stephens day hee prickt his foot with a thorne which gangrend and should have beene cut off and being told hee must die he sent to his Bishops to be absolved which they had denied to doe till hee had showne himselfe repentant for the foresaid wrongs and released his hostages which being The death of the Duke of Austria accordingly done the Duke died and they were delivered In the processe of the wars before spoken of King Richard in the tenth yeere of his Reigne after Christmasse besieged a Castle in France neere Lymoges called Gaylyard the cause was that a rich treasure being found within the Seigniory of the King of England by one Widomer Vicount of Lemruke hee had denyed to render it up and fled thither for his refuge and defended it manfully till the fift day of April upon which day the King walking unadvisedly to The King too unadvised take view of the Fort and where it might be best entred one named Bertrand Genedow whom some Writers call Pater Basale marked the King and wounded him in the head but some say in the arme with a poysoned arrow after which hurt received hee caused a violent and desperate assault to be made in which hee wonne the Castle then hee made inquiry who hee was that had wounded him who being found and brought before him the King demanded of him why he should rather ayme at his person than any of those who were then about him who boldly made answer because thou slewest my Father and my brethren for which I vowed thy death whatsoever became of me the King after some pawsing leisure for that answer gave him his pardon and liberty but the rest of the souldiers he put to the sword and caused the Castle to bee razed to the earth The death of King Richard the firâ—… and dyed the third day after whose body was buried at Fount E-a-Bleu at the feet of his Father which no way erres from the prophesie For potent Kings whose prides Transcend 'twixt whom a sea-arm onely glides Ambitious truth shall many conflicts try Last by a poysonous shaft the King shall die Iohn the youngest sonne to Henry the second Iohn made King of England and brother to the late deceased Richard was proclaimed King the tenth day of April in the yeere of Grace one thousand one hundred fourescore and nineteene and was crowned at Westminster upon holy Thursday next ensuing of whom it was thus predicted The subtle Fox into the Throne shall creep Thinking the Lion dead who did but sleepe But frighted with his walking rore finds cause To flie the terrour of his teeth and paws After this Leopard stain'd with many a spot Shall lose all Rollo by his Gilla got Then shall those keyes whose power would awe the fates For a long time lock up his Temple gates Vnburthen him of all the charge he beares And wrest from him the Lawrell that he wears Woes me that from one Leopard should be
that his Lords were acquitted of their allegiance and in what danger his souls and his peoples were hee and his whole Nation standing accursed he at length condiscended to submit himselfe to whatsoever the Court of Rome should determine The Articles proposed by the Pope and by him to be performed were these following Peaceably to suffer Stephen Langton to enter The Articles that hee should yield to into the Land and to enjoy the primacy and profits of his Archbishoprick that these whom hee had banisht should be repeald and their goods whom hee had rifled should be to them restored and that he should yield up his absolute right and title to the Crowne of England and he his heirs thence-forward to hold it of the Pope and his successors to which having granted and he and his Lords being sworne to observe Iohn delivers up his Crowne to the Popes use the same Hee kneeling tooke the Legâ—…te to him the Crowne from his head and delivered it to the Popes use saying these words I here resigne up the Crowne of the Realmes of England and Ireland into the hands of pope Innocent the third and put my selfe wholly into his power and mercy then Pandolph as Deputy for the Pope tooke the Crowne and kept it five dayes in his possession and then the King received it from him againe First having sealed and delivered up an Instrument or writing the effect was that he could challenge no power but by permission of the Pope and further to pay unto the Apostolicke See yeerly a thousand Marks of silver seven hundred for the Crowne of England and three hundred for the Kingdome of Ireland for the payment of which Tribute yeeâ—…ly paid by King Iohn to Rome tribute but the Peter-pence were after gathered and this confirmes the premisses exprest in the prophesie Then shall those keyes whose power would awe the fates For along time lock up his Temple gates Vnburthen him of all the charge he beares And wrest from him the Lawrell that he wears Woes me that from one Leopard should be torne What many Lions in their pride have worne It is made so plaine that it needs no further Interpretor In those days lived one called Peter Peter of Pomfret of Pomfret a Bard and such then were held as Southsayers and prophets who predicted divers of the Kings disasters which fell out accordingly amongst which one was that hee should reigne but fourteene yeeres but when the King had entred the fifteenth hee called him into question for a false prophet to which hee answered that whatsoever hee had foretold was justifiable and true For in the fourteenth yeer hee gave up his Crowne unto the pope and hee paying unto him an annuall tribute the pope raigned and not hee notwithstanding which apology he caused him as a Traytour to be hanged and quartered After which he bore himselfe so aversly towards his Barons that the greatest part of them Lewis sonne to the French King called in to England by thâ—… Barons fell from his Allegiance and called in Lewis son to the French king into the Land covenanting to make him king who was received with his whole Army and possessed of London the Tower and many other strong holds in the kingdome betwixt whom and the king were sundry conflicts and skirmishes in which they diversly sped during which dissention in the seventeenth yeere of his Reigne he expired as the Authour of Polychron saith at Newarke of The death of King Iohn a bloudy flix But by the relation of our English Chronicle to which we give more credit as also by the authority of Master Fox in his Martyrologie he was poysoned by a Monke having been a great Rifler of their Monasteries and dyed at Swinsted Abbey in Lincolnshire this Monke being of the same House and his body was after buried in the Cathedrall Church at Winchester which fatall accident hapned unto him the day after Saint Luke being the eighteenth of October after hee had reigned sixteen yeeres six moneths and odde days leaving behind him two sonnes Henry and Richard In his death verifying He that did all he might the Kirke despise Against his life shall a base Kirkman rise Not forgetting the former which was predicted of Lewis comming into the Land Hither the French flower would it self transpose Where must spring after many a glorious Rose Henry the third of that name and eldest son Henry the third crowned King to King Iohn at the age of nine yeeres beganne his Reigne over the Realme of England the twentieth of October in the yeere of Grace one thousand two hundred and sixteene Philip the second being then king of France this king reigned the longest and did the least of remarkable memory of any of his predecessours Of whom it was thus predicted Dreame shall the Leopards issue in the throne The Prophesie Crudled in rest carefull to keep his owne Nor forcing ought from others changing then His Leopards spots a Lion turn agen Abroad the second whelpe for prey will rore Beyond the Alps to Ioves bird restore rage Her decayde plumes the King of beasts whose His youth conceal'd shall rowse him in his age Against the Boare the Talbot and the Beare The Mountain Cat Goat with whom cohere Of fowls the Falcon Hearn the Peacock Swan With Fishes too prest from the Ocean With whose mixt blouds the Forest shal be dyde Till love unite what discord did divide Presently upon the young Kings Coronation the greatest part of the English peeres revolted The English Lords revolt from Lewis to Henry from the French party and acknowledged him their sole King and Soveraigne so that within a short season they quit both him and all the Aliens and Strangers out of the Land in the eight yeare of his Raigne was held a Parlament The first granting of Wards in which was granted to the King and his successor Kings the Wardship and Mariage of all the Heires which act was called by wise men of that age Initium Malorum In the thirtieth yeare of his Raigne dyed Frederick the Emperour who had before maried Isabell the Kings sister who for his contempt of the church of Rome was accursed of The death of the Emperour Frederick whom was made this Epitaph Fre sremit in Mundo De deprimitalta profundo Ri res rimatur cus cuspide cuncta minatur Which though it cannot sound so well in our English tongue yet is thus paraphrased Free frets the world De Height which depth confounds Ri searcheth all things Cus with the weapen wounds After whose death the Electors could not agree in the choise of a successor some nominated the Duke of Thoring others the Earle of Holland and some againe stood for Richard Earle of Cornwale the Kings brother but in the end Rodulphus Duke of Habspurg was inaugurated by Pope Gregory the ninth so that great variance and strife continued for the space of 27 yeares to
the fight continued the greatest part of the day at last the victory fell to the Barons so that were taken the King the King of the Romans and prince Edward The King taken prisoner with the King of the Romans and P. Edward with five and twenty Barons and Bannerets and the people slaine on both sides amounted to above twentythousand These royall prisoners being put in safe keeping a peace was after debated and at length concluded and they released but it proved to small purpose for many battailes were after fought betwixt them in which sometimes the King sometimes the Barons had the better the circumstances are too long to relate in which Prince Edward bore himselfe bravely in processe the five fiftieth yeer of this Kings Reign the King of the Romans made attonement betwixt the King his brother and Gilbert Clare Earle of Glocester who had continued the wars of the Barons upon condition that hee should take a Voyage into the Holy Land for the King for which hee should have towards his charge eight thousand Marks in hand and when hee was on shipboard foure thousand more and to bee ready the first day of May next following but this failing in him Prince Edward undertooke it in his stead and the yeere after abâ—…ut the end of March dyed Richard Emperour of The death of Richard K. of the Romans Almaine King of the Romans and Earle of Cornwall being the Kings brother after hee had governed the Empire betwixt fifteen and sixteene yeeres and was buried at Hales an Abbey of white Monks which hee had before time founded and the yeere following upon the sixteenth day of November died Henry the Third King of England after he had governed the Realme fifty The death of Henry the third six yeeres and twenty seven days leaving for his Heire Prince Edward who was then in the Holy Land and another sonne called Edmund Crowch-backe His body was buried in the Abbey of Westminster and over him inscribed Tertius Henricus jacet hic pietatis amicus His Epitaph Ecclesiam stravit istam quam post renovavit Reddat ei munus qui regnat trinus unus Thus Englished Third Henry here doth rest Of Piety possest Down first this Church he threw And after did renew O grant him thy immunity Thou Trinity in Vnitie The premisses confirme the prophesie of his Reigne towards the latter end of his time which was turbulent and troublesome to the exhausting of the Kings treasure the deaths of many of his Noble Barons and almost to the destruction and desolation of the whole Realm therefore it was truly said of him The King of beasts whose rage His youth conceal'd shall rouze him in his age Against the Boare the Talbot and the Beare The Mountaine Cat and Goat with whom cohere c. By the Lion the King is personated and by the rest of the beasts and birds named the severall Crests and Emblazons in the Barons Armes and Scutchions by which they were distinguisht Prince Edward his sonne was at the time of his death in the Land of Palaestine Of whom also it was thus predicted An Occident all Dragon bright as noone The Prophesie Shal breathing flames dark the Oriental Moon The Cambrian Wolves he through their Woods shall chace Nor cease till hee have quite extirpt their race Then from the North shall fiery Meteors threat Ambitious after bloud to quench their heat The Dragons bloud at which his Crest wil rise And his scales flame and where he treads as flyes Fright all shal him oppose the Northern Dyke Passe shall hee then and set his foot in Wyke After which showers of bloud will fall upon And barren the faire fields of Caledon Then having ended what he took in hand Die in the Marches of another Land Hee in the yeere one thousand two hundred Prince Edwards expeditioâ—… to the Holy Land threescore and eleven and in the yeere of his fathers Reigne fifty five upon the twentieth of August tooke shipping at Dover and sailed thence to Burdeaux but because the French Army bâ—…und upon the same adventure was removed thence he sped after and met with them at Tunis and from theâ—…ce he took shipping for the Holy Land and arrived with some French forces joyned with his owne At Acris or Acon what time the Christians possessed that City only and the City of Tyre holding some few Castles to preserve them from the rage of the Soldan There he was honorably received and with great joy after whose being there the Soldan or Saladine who had wonne all the Countrey there about came thither with an Hoast of an hundred threescore thousand Sarazens and besieged the City and made many bold and bloudy assaults But the Prince so Prince Edwards valour in defending Acris valiantly demeaned himselfe that hee defended the City the Castles belonging to it and all the Territories about that notwithstanding the multitude of the Soldans Army hee was compeld to forsake the siege to his great shame and dishonour Even the French Chronicles whose custome The French Chronicles testifie of P. Edwards valour is to write boastingly of themselves and sparingly of others bestow on him a character of invincible courage and that in all his stratagems and martiall exploits hee so honourably behaved himselfe that his very name was a terrour to the Turks for many yeers after who seeing his great boldnesse and that they were not able to stand him in battaile they plotted how to take away his life by Treason and to that purpose when he was resident in Acon they sent to P. Edward traitcrously wounded him a Sarazen in the name of a Secretary who in delivering unto him a counterfeit message wounded him in the arme with an empoysoned Knife which he wresting from the Infidels hand slue with the same weapon so that he died incontinently Then hee cald for a Surgeon and with incomparable sufferance commanded him to cut out all the putrified and corrupted flesh even to the scaling of the bone without the least shrinking or alteration of countenance of which base treachery hee was after revenged upon them to their great detriment and damage and thus The Occidentall Dragon bright as noon Did breathing flames dazle the orienial moon Hee is called Occidentall as being bred in this our Westerne Island and the Soldan is figured in the Orientall Moone being a Prince in the Easterne part of the World and bearing the semicircled Moone in his Banner Prince Edward during his aboad there had by the Princesse his wife a daughter called Ioane who tooke a His wife was Isabell of Spain Ioan of Acris name from the place and was called Ioane of Acris because there born and was after married to the Earle of Glocester After his being there some two yeeres and upward his father dying hee was called home to take possession of the Crowne of England Edward the first of that name and sonne of
Henry the Third by reason of his tall stature sirnamed Long-shanks began his Reign Novem. 17. the yeere of Grace one thousand two hundred threescore and twelve who came to London the second day of August and was crowned at Westminster the fourteenth of December following The Cororati of P. Edward sirnamed Loâ—…gshanks being the second yeere of his Reigne at whose Coronation was present Alexander King of Scots who the morrow following did homage to him for the Kingdome of Scotland but Lewellin prince of Wales refused to come to that solemnitie for which King Edward gathered a strong power and subdued him in his Lewellin P. of Wales rebeileth owne borders and in the yeere after hee called his high Court of Parlament to which also Lewellin presumptuously denied to come therefore after Easter he assembled new forces and entring Wales hee constrained him to submit himselfe to his mercy which with great difficulty Lewellin took to mercy hee obtained then the King built the Castle of Flint and strengthened the Castle of Rutland to keepe the Welsh in due obedience He gave also uuto David brother of Lewellin David brother to Lewellin the Castle of Froddesham who remayned in his Court and with his seeming service much delighted the King but David did it only as a spie to give his brother secret intelligence of whatsoever the King or his Counsell said of him or against him who tooke his opportunity and privatly left the Court stirring up his broâ—…her to a new Rebellion of which the King being informed hee could hardly thinke that hee could prove so ingratefull but being better ascertained of the truth he made fierce warre upon them at length Lewellin was strictly besieged in Swandon Castle from which when hee thought early in a morning to escape with ten Knights only hee was met by Sir Roger Mortimer upon whose Lands hee had before done great out-rage who surprized him and cut off his head and sent it to the King being then at The death of Lewellin P. of Wales Rutland who commanded it to bee pitcht on a pole and set upon the Tower of London and further that all his heires should be disherited and their claime to the Soveraignty of Wales to be deprived the right thereof solely remayning in the Kings of England and their Successours So one after was his brother David taken and after doomed to be drawn hanged and quartered The death of David his brother and his head sent to the Tower and placed by his brother Lewellins in which the prophesie is verified The Cambrian Wolves he through their woods shall chace Nor cease till he have quite extirpt their Race Of this Lewellin a Welsh Metrician writ this Epitaph Hic jacet Anglorum tortor tutor Venedorum Princeps Wallorum Lewelinus regula morum A Welsh poet upon the death of Lewellin Gemma Coaevorum flos regum praeteritorum Forma futurorum Dux Laus Lex Lux populorum Thus anciently Englisht Of Englishmen the scourge of Welsh the protector Lewellin the Prince rule of all vertue Gemme of Livers and of all others the flower Who unto death hath paid his debt due Of Kings a mirrour that after him ensue Duke and Priest and of the Law the right Here in this grave of people lyeth the light To which an English Poet of those times made this answer Hic jacet errorum princeps ac praedo virorum An English poets answer to the former Proditor Anglorum fax livida sectareorum Numen Wallorum Trux Dux Homicida piorum Fex Trojanorum stirps mendax causa malorum Here lyeth of Errour the Prince if yee will ken Thiefe and Robber and traytor to Englishmen A dimme brood a Sect of doers evill God of Welshmen cruell without skill In slaying the good and Leader of the bad Lastly rewarded as he deserved had Of Trojans bloud the dregs and not the seed A root of falshood and cause of many evill deed In the twentieth yeere of the King upon Saint Andrews Eve being the twentie ninth of November died Queene Eleanor sister to the The death of Q. Eleanor King of Spaine by whom the King had foure sonnes Iohn Henry Alphons and Edward the three first died and Edward the youngest succeeded his Father and five Daughters Eleanor who was married to William of Bar Ioan of The Kings Râ—…yall Issue Acris to the Earle of Glocester Gilbert de Clare Margaret to the Dukes sonne of Brabant Mary who was made a Nun at Ambrisbury and Elisabeth espoused to the Earle of Holland and after his death to Humphrey Bokun Earle of Hereford This yeere also died old Queene Eleanor wife The death of K. Edwards mother to Henry the third and mother to King Edward I come now to the twenty fourth yeare of his Reigne in which Alexander King of Scotland being dead hee left three Daughters the first was married to Sir Iohn Baliol the second to Sir Robert le Bruise the third to one Hastings Amongst which there fell dissention about the Title to the Crown as shall appeare in the next Chapter CHAP. 19. The right that the Kings of England have anciently had to the Crowne of Scotland for which they did them homage King Edwards victorious wars in Scotland The Prophesie fulfilled His death And Coronation of his sonne c. The death of Gaveston with a Prophesie of King Edward the Second THese three before-named Baliol Bruse and Hastings came to King Edward as chiefe Lord and Sovereigne Authority by which England claimed homage from the Scotch Kings of that Land to dispose of the right of their Titles to his pleasure and they to abide his censure who to the intent that they might know hee was the sole competent Iudge in that case caused old Evidences and Chronicles to be searcht amongst which was Marianus the Scot William of Malmsbury Roger of Hungtington and others in which were found and read before them that in the yeere of Grace nine hundred and twenty King Edward the elder made subject unto him the two Kings of Cambria and Scotland In the yeere nine hundred twenty one the said Kings of Wales and Scotland chose the same Edward to bee their Lord and Patron In the yeere nine hundred twenty six Ethelstane King of England subdued Constantine King of Scots who did him fealty and homage And Edredus brother and successor to Ethelstane subdued the Scots againe with the Northumbers who reigned under him It was also found in the said Chronicles that King Edgar overcame Alpinus the sonne of Kinudus King of Scots and received of him homage as hee had done of his father before time And that Canutus in the sixteenth yeere of his Reign overcame Malcolm K. of Scots and received of him oath and homage that William the Conquerour in the sixt yeere of his Reigne was victorious over Malcolme who before received the Kingdome of the gift of Edward the Confessor who did him fealty the
beside Saint Iohns Towne and slue of them seven thousand at the first encounter and the rest fled In this battaile was taken Sir Simon Frizell and sent to London where hee was drawne hanged and quartered there suffered also Iohn Earle of Athelus and Iohn brother to VVilliam King Edwards last victory over the Scots VVallis but Robert le Bruce fled from Scotland into Norway to the King who had married his sister When King Edward had thus abated the pride of his enemies he returned again Southward and a great sicknesse took him at Bozroes upon Sands in the Marches of Scotland beyond Carlile and when he knew hee should die hee called unto him Aymer de Valence Earle of Pembroke Sir Henry Piercy Earle of Northumberland Sir Henry Lacie Earle of Lincolne and Sir Robert Clifford Baron and swore them to crowne his sonne Edward of Carnarvan after his death then hee called his sonne charging him with many things upon his blessing but The Barons sworne to the successour especially that hee shall never receive Pierce Gavestone his old companion before banisht into the Kingdome and so dyed upon the seventh of Iuly when hee had reigned foure and thirty yeeres seven moneths and odde dayes and The death of K. Edward the first thence his body was conveighed to Westminster and there buried approving the prophesie After which showres of bloud will fall upon And barren the faire fields of Caledon Then having ended what he took in hand Die in the Marches of another Land Upon whose Tombe this Distich was inscribed Dum vixit Rex valuit sua magna potestas His Epitaph Fraus latuit pax magna fuit regnavit honestas Thus in those dayes Englisht VVhile lived this King by his power all things VVas in good plight For guile was hid great peace was kid And honesty had might Of his sonne Prince Edward the Prophesie runs thus A prophesie of the Reigne of Edward the second A Goat shall then appeare out of a Carr VVith silver hornes not Iron unfit for warre And above other shall delight to feed Vpon the flower that life and death doth breed A Cornish Eagle clad in plumes of gold Borrowed from others shall on high behold What best can please him to maintain his pride Whose painted feathers shall the Goat misguide Who at length ayming to surprise the Beare Him shall the rowzed beast in pieces teare Two Owles shall from the Eagles ashes rise And in their pride the Forest beasts despise They forc't at first to take their wings and flie Shall back returning beare themselves so hie T' out-brave both birds and beasts and great spoyls winne By the Goats casing in a Lions skin But after be themselves depriv'd of breath By her they scorn'd the flower of life and death And the crown'd Goat thinking himself secure Shall after all a wretched end endure To confirme which Edward the second of that name and sonne of Edward the first borne at Carnarvan a Town of VVales began his Reigne over England the eighth of Iuly in the yeere of Grace one thousand three hundred and seven and was crowned at Westminster the fourteenth day of December whose Fathers Obsequies were scarcely ended but forgetting the great His Coronation charge and command layed upon him in his death hee sent in haste for his old friend and familiar Pierce Gauestone out of France whom hee received with great joy then sayling into Pierce Gavestone revoked from banishment France the fifteenth of Ianuary following at Bolloigne in Picardy espoused Isabell the His marriage daughter of Philip the Faire and returned with her into England where soone after hee made Gaveston Earle of Cornwall and gave him the Gaveston made Eâ—…le of Cornwall Lordship of VVallingford to the great displeasure of the Barons who were sworne to his father not to suffer him to come into the Realm In the second of his Raign remembring the complaint that Steph. Langton Bishop of Chester had made of him and Gaveston for sundry ryots committed in his fathers dayes for which he was banished he sent him prisoner to the Tower where he was strictly kept and ill attended The Bishop of Chester sent to the Tower for which end seeing how by this Pierce the kings treasury was howrely exhausted the Barons assembled themselves and contrary to the Kings pleasure banished him into Ireland for a Gaveston bani shed into Ireland yeere where the King gave him the Dominion over the whole Land but so mourned and lamented his absence that by the consent of Lords he was shortly call'd back again where he demeaned himselfe with greater pride and insolence then at first despising the Lords and chiefe peeres of the Land calling Sir Robert of Clare Earle of Gloster whoreson the Earle of Gavest abuseth the peeres Lincolne sir Henry Lacy Burstenbelly sir Guy Earle of Warwick black dog of Arderne and the noble Earle Thomas of Lancaster churle and moreover having the keeping and command of all the kings treasure he tooke out of the Iewell-house a table of Gold and tressels of the same which once belonged to King Arthur with many other invaluable Iewels and delivered He robs the Kings treasury them to a merchant called Amery of Friskband to beare them over into Gascoigne which was a great losse to the kingdome and further by his loose and effeminate conditions he drew the King to many horrible vices as adultery as some think sodomitry with others therefore the Lords againe assembled and maugre the king banisht him into Flanders In the first yeere upon the day of saint Brice He is banisht into Flanders being the 13 day of November was born at Winsor the first and eldest sonne of King Edward that after his father was king of England named The birth of Edward the third Edward the third and the same yeere Gaveston was called out of Flanders by the king and restored to all his former honours and then he demeaned himselfe more contemptuously toward the Barons then before who besieged him in the Castle of Scarborough and won it and tooke him and brought him to Gaversed The death of Pierce Gavest besides Warwick and there smote off his head which was done at the instigation of Thomas Earle of Lancaster whom Merlin calls the bear and this approveth the premisses A Cornish Eagle cladin plumes of gold Borrowed from others shall on high behold what best can please him to maintain his pride whose painted feathers shall the Goat misguid who at length aiming to surprise the Beare Him shall the rowzed beast in pieces teare CHAP. 20. The Kings unfortunate wars in Scotland The battle of Bannocsbourn c. Barwick betrayed to the Scots The pride and insolency of the Spencers Their misleading the King Their hate to the Queen she is sent over into France Her victorious return with the Prince The King and his Minions taken the death of the
into Wales who took the King the Earle of Arundell Hugh Spencer the son and the Chancellour and brought them all prisoners to Hereford in which interim the Citizens The tower of London taken by the Citizens of London won the tower of London and kept it to the Queenes use Upon the morrow after the feast of Simon and Iude the same day that the L. Major takes Hugh Spenâ—… the father put to death his oath was Hugh Spencer the father put to death and after buried at Winchester and upon Saint Hughs day following being the eighteenth Hugh the son drawn hanged and quâ—…rtered day of November was Sir Hugh the son drawne hanged and quartered at Hereford and his head sent to London and set upon the Bridge making good They after be themselves depriv'd of breath By her they scorn'd the flower of life and death The common fame went that after this Hugh was taken hee would take no manner of sustenance and that was the cause he was the sooner put to death of whom was made this Distich following Funis cum lignis à te miser ensis ignis Hugo securus equus abstulit omne decus Rope gallows sword and fire with a just knife Took from thee Hugh thy honour with thy life Foure dayes after was the Earle of Arondell put to death and Robert Baldock the Chancellour being committed to Newgate dyed miserably Baldock the Chancellour dyes in Newgate in prison then the Queene with the Prince her son with the rest of the Lords were with great joy the fourteenth day of December received at London and thence conveighed to Westminster where a Parliament was called the effect whereof expect in the following Chapter CHAP. 21. The deposing of Edward the second his repentance his death His sonne Edward made King A Prophesie of his Reigne His great victory over the Scots with the taking of Barwicke His famous victory at Sea over the French Hee layes claime to the Crowne of France instituteth the Order of the Garter His victory at Cressie His taking of Calice c. FRom this Parliament were Messengers sent to the King then prisoner in Kenelworth Castle three Bishops three Earles two Abbots two Barons two Iudges with Sir William Trussell Procurator of the Parliament to depose him of all Kingly dignity who the five and twentieth of Ianuary in the presence of the aforesaid Lords from the body of the whole House delivered unto him these words following I William Trussell in the name of all men of King Edward deposed from all Kingly power this Land of England procurator of this Parliament resigne to thee Edward the homage that was sometimes made to thee and from this time forth deprive thee of all Kingly power and I shall never be attendant on thee as King after this time And thus was Edward the second deposed and his sonne Edward made King when hee had raigned full eighteene yeeres sixe moneths and odde dayes who during his imprisonment first at Kenelworth and after at Barckley Castle grew greatly repentant of his former course of life finding at length what it Edward greatly repentant was to be misled by upstarts and people of mean condition many of whose penitentiall fancies are still extant And amongst the rest this following Most blessed Iesu Root of all vertue Grant I may thee sue In all humilitie Sen thou for our good List to shed thy blood And stretch thee on the Rood For our iniquitie I thee beseech Most wholsome leech That thou wilt seech For mee such grace That when my body vile My soule shall exile Thou bring in short while It in rest and peace Edward the third of that name sonne of Edward the second and Philip sole daughter of Philip Edward the third made King the Faire at fifteene yeeres of age began his Reigne his father yet living the six and twentieth of Ianuary in the end of the yeer of Grace one thousand three hundred and twenty six and was crowned at Westminster upon the day of the Purification of our Lady next ensuing at what time the earth yielded plenty the Ayre temper the Sea quietnesse and the Church peace hee confirmed the Liberties and Franchises of London and gave Southwarke to bee under the Lord Majors rule and government Of whose Reigne it was thus predicted The spirits of many Lions shall conspire To make one by infusion so intire He by his mighty courage shall restore What his sire lost and Grandsire wonne before Neptune his Navall triumphs shall advance His Coat he quarters with th' Flower of France And after mauger the Canicular Tyke Tweed shal he passe and win again the Wyke A numerous issue shall his Lionesse bring Black shall the first be and though never King Yet shall he Kings captive but ere mature Dye must this brave Whelp of a Calenture And then behind him shall he leave a Kid To undo all both sire and grandsire did The effect of all these will succeed in their order in the first yeere of this Kings Reigne the late King Edward was miserably slaine and put to a most cruell death by the meanes of Sir Roger The death of K. Edward Mortimer who notwithstanding in the Parliament after was made Earle of March the same yeere the foure and twentieth of Ianuary the young King married the Lady Philip daughter to the Earle of Henault in the City of Yorke A Parliament held at Northampton and soone after cald a Parliament at Northampton to which by the meanes of Sir Roger Mortimer and the old Queene an unprofitable and dishonorable peace was made with the Scots who caused the King to release them of all fealty and homage and delivered up to them all the old Writings sealed by their Kings and chiefe Lords of their Land with all Charters and Patents and many rich Iewels which had before beene wonne from them by the Kings of England amongst which the blacke Crosse of Scotland is especially named and the yeere following David the son of Robert le Bruce King of Scots married Iane sister to the King of England whom they after to the derision of the English called Iane make peace and amongst other The Scots taunt the English taunting Songs made of our Nation this was one Long beards heartlesse Painted bodies witlesse Gay coats gracelesse Maketh England thriftlesse But these merry and jigging tunes were turned to their most lamentable Aymee's within few moneths after During the Kings minority all the affaires of the Realme were managed by Sir Roger Mortimer The pride of Sir Roger Mortimer and the Mother Queene And the great persons appointed to that purpose were vilified and not set by which Sir Roger in imitation of K. Arthur was said to keep a round Table to which many noble Knights belonged to his infinite cost and expence But howsoever in the Articles objected by the Parliament against Mortimer third yeere of the King the said Sir Roger
was surprized in Nottingham Castle though the keyes were day and night in his owne keeping and sent to the Tower who was accused of the Lords of the Parliament of these particulars following first of the bloudy murder of Edward of Carnarvan in Berkley Castle secondly that he had confederated with the Scots against the honour of the King thirdly that hee had received great summes of money from Sir Iames Douglas Captaine of the Scots delivering unto him the Charter called Ragman to the Scots great advantage and impoverishing of England Fourthly that hee had ingrost into his hands much of the Kings treasure which he had riotously wasted to his owne use by which meanes the King was forc't to borrow of his friends fiftly that he was more private and familiar with Queene Isabel the Kings Mother then was to Gods pleasure and the Kings honour of which Articles being convicted hee was by authority of the said Parliament judged to death and upon Saint Andrews Eve following at London drawne and hanged In his fourth yeere about the beginning of August Sir Edward Baliol the sonne of Sir Iohn The death of Mortimer Baliol sometime King of Scots obtained such favour of King Edward that with the aide of Sir Henry Beaumont Sir David Stocley Sir Iefferey Mowbray and two thousand Englishmen they entred Scotland by Sea where drew to them such multitude that in short time Sir Edward was Lord of a great Hoast and kept his way till he came to a place called Gladismore or as some write Crakismore where hee was encountred with the power of Scotland where betwixt them was fought a sharpe and cruell Sr. Edward Balioll crowned K. of Scots battaile in which a great multitude of the Natives was slaine by reason whereof hee was crowned King at the Towne of Stone shortly after and met with the King at New-castle where Edward received of him fealty and homage for the Crowne of Scotland but soone after the Scots laid plots against his life which he narrowly escaped being forc't to flie from place to place and hide himselfe which King Edward hearing with a strong army pierced K. Edward of England besiegeth Barwick the Realme of Scotland and laid siege to the Towne of Barwick Upon the nineteenth of Iuly the Scots with a mighty power made thither with purpose to remove the siege whom King Edward met and encountred on Halidon Hill giving them battaile over whom he had a triumphant victory insomuch that hee slue of them seven Earles nine hundred Knights and Bannerets four hundred The famous battaile at Hallidowne Hill Esquires and of the common people two and thirty thousand in which battail were slain of the English but 15 persons after which glorious victory the Captaine of Barwick the morrow following being Saint Margarets day yielded to the King both the Town and Castle which verifies that mauger the Canicular Tyke Tweed shall he passe and set his foot in Wyke Tyke is that which the Northerne men call a Dogge and by the Canicular Tyke is meant the Dog-starre Tweed is the water which parteth the two Kingdomes of England and Scotland and by Wyke as is before remembred meant the Towne of Barwicke I onely capitulate this one battaile of many against the Scots purposing the like compendiousnesse in his famous victories over the French During the dissention betwixt the two Kings of England and France which by no mediation could be atton'd though there were many meetings English ships taken by the French to that purpose the French King sent a strong Navy to Sea to take our English Merchants and encountred with two good ships of England called the Edward and the Christopher and after nine houres fight in which were slaine of both parties about sixe hundred men the two ships were taken and all the wounded Englishmen alive cast overboard into the Sea after King Edward in his fifteenth yeere in the moneth of Iune tooke shipping and sayled towards Flanders where met him Sir Robert Morley with the North Navy of England so that his Fleet consisted of three hundred sayle and at Midsomer upon Saint Iohns Eve hee met and fought with the French Navy which were foure hundred saile which lay in waite for him â—…eere to the Towne cald Sluce their chiefe Admirals were Sir Hugh Querret Sir Nicholas Buchet and Barbe Nore in English black beard The French Admirals Betwixt these two Royall Fleets was a strong and bloudy fight which continued for the space of eight houres before it could be distinguisht which way the victory was likely to incline yet in the end by Gods mercy and the manhood of the King the French were chaced and many of their ships burned and taken amongst which were the ships of the two Admirals Querret and Buchet who maugre the French were hanged up in their owne Vessels and amongst the rest were recovered the Edward and the Christopher manned with the French in this battaile the King himselfe was sore wounded in the thigh and of the French were slain thirty thousand A glorious Sea-victory in that one Navall conflict soon after or as some write a little time before by the advice of his confederate Princes hee layed claime to the Crowne of France as his rightfull inheritance King Edward lays claime to the Crowne of France and for the more authority to countenauce itâ—… hee quartered the English Lions with the French Flower de Lyces as they remaine to this day so that we see Neptune his Navall Triumphs did advance and He his Coat quarters with the Arms of France I am forc't to intermit many and divers conflicts and skirmishes with winning of Forts and Castles Challenges that past betwixt the two Kings with the particular valours and noble Gests of sundry of our Nation to relate which would aske a voluminous Tractate where my confinement is to a meer epitomy of Chronicle passing over all accidents saving what are most remarkable which brings me to the eighteenth yeere of his Reigne In which at a Parliament King Edwards eldest son created Prince of Wales held at West minster his eldest sonne Edward was created Prince of Wales and he in the yeer following first instituted the famous renowmed Order of the Garter which was solemnized at Windsor as it is continued to this day In his one and twentieth yeere hee landed in Normandy The Order of the Garter first instituted and burnt and spoyled all the Country before him wasting the Province of Constantine Then he laid siege to Caan the chief City and wonne it and amongst other he took there prisoners the Constable of France and the Kings Chamberlaine and all the spoyle of the City which was held to be inestimable and sent to his ships which was conveighed into England He then entred France and coasted towards Paris to Vernon to Poysie to Saint German still wasting as hee went Then hee tooke and made use of all the Kings Royall Mannors
Iohn of Gaunt claymes his title in Spain King Richard marrieth the French Kings Daughter Difference betwixt the King and Glocester His murder in Calice The murmur of the Commons against the present government The pride of the Dukes Court The Dukes of Hereford and Norfolke banished King Richard deposed and Henry Duke of Hereford and Lancaster made King WHen the King saw the great manhood and courage of the Lord Major The Lord Major and divers Aldermen Knighted by the King and his Brethren the Aldermen his assistants hee in his own person Knighted the said William Walworth with Nicholas Bremble Iohn Philpot Nicholas Twiford Robert Laundor and Robert Gayton Alderman and moreover in the memory of that Noble Act added to the Armes of the City the bloudy Dagger as it remayneth to this day In the eleventh yeere of this King Thomas of Woodstocke Duke of Glocester and Uncle to the King the Earle of Arundell with the Earles of Warwicke Darby and Nottingham taking into their consideration how much the land was misgoverned and his Majesty mislead by some Sycophants neere about him they met in counsell at a place A Parliament to rectifie the Commonweale called Radecockbridg and having assembled a strong power came to London and there caused the King to call a Parliament whereof hearing Alexander Nevell Archbishop of Yorke Lionel Vere Marquesse of Divelin Michael de la Poole Earle of Suffolke and Chancellour of England fearing the censure of that high Court â—…ed the Land and dyed in forreigne Countries Then the King by counsell of the fore-said Lords caused to be apprehended Sir Robert Tresilian chief Iustice of England Sir Nicholas Brembre late Major of the City Sir Iohn Salisbury of the Persons judged to death Kings Houshold Sir Iohn Beauchampe Steward of the House Sir Simon Burleigh Sir Thomas Bernes Sir Robert Belknap with one Iohn Vske Serjeant at Arms all which by the foresaid Parliament were convict of Treason and put to death some at Tyburne some at Towerhill and all such as fled with those that forsook the land by the authority of that high Court banished for ever In the thirteenth yeare Iohn a Gaunt Duke Iohn a Gaunt clayms his title in Spain of Lancaster with a strong army sailed into Spaine to claime the Kingdome in right of Lady Constance his wife the daughter of Don Peter with whom joyned the King of Portugall with his forces so that of necessity the King of Spain was forced to treat with the Duke of peace and amity the conditions were that the King of Spaine should marry the Dukes eldest daughter named Constance and moreover should give unto the said Duke to recompence the charges of his warre so many wedges of gold as should load eight Chariots and moreover during the lives of the said Duke and his wife hee should at his proper cost and charges deliver unto the Honourable conditions of peace Dukes Assignes yearely ten thousand Markes of gold within the towne of Bayon which conditions being ratified and assurance given for the performance thereof the Duke departed with the King of Portugall to whom shortly after hee married his second daughter the Lady Anne so that the elder and the younger were made the two Queenes of Spaine and Portugall King Richards first wife being dead after hee K. Richards second marriage maried Isabel the daughter of Charles the sixt K. of France who was but 8. years of age at whose espousalls in the French kings Court many rich interchangable gifts passed betwixt them as first the king of England gave the French king a Bason of gold and Ewer who returned him three standing Cups of gold with covers and a Enterchangeable gifts betwixt the two Kings ship of Gold garnished with pearle and stones at a second meeting Richard gave him a curious Oâ—…ch set with rich stones valued at five hundred Markes then the French King gave him two Flagons of gold and a Tablet of gold set with Diamonds and in it the picture of St. Michael a Tablet of gold with a Crucifixe another with the image of the Trinity and a fourth with the image of Saint George all of them set with stones of great splendor Richard then presented him with a Belt or Bauldricke set with great Diamonds Rubies and Emeraulds which for the riches thereof the King wore upon him so often as they met together many other presents past betwixt them and a full peace was concluded betweene them for thirty yeares Peace concluded betwixt England and France and amongst other things King Richard delivered up Brest which had beene long held by the English The yeare after in the Moneth of February the King held a magnificent Feast at Westminster Hall whither pressed divers Souldiers lately discharged from Brest whose mindes when the Duke of Gloster rhe Kings Vncle understood he went to his Majesty and said Sir doe you take notice of you Souldiers who asked him again what they were The Duke replyed these be your subjects souldiers cashiered from Brest who have done you good service and have now no meanes to live upon who have been ill paid and now are worse rewarded To whom the King answered it was my will they should have been well paid but if ought have failed therein let them petition to our Treasurer at length the Duke said but it savoureth of small discretion to deliver up a strong Fort with ease which was got with great difficulty by your Progenitors The Duke of Glosters bold replye to the King at which the King changed countenance and said Vncle how spake you these words which the Duke with great vehemency uttered againe whereat the King being more moved replyed Thinke you I bee a Merchant or foole to sell my Land by St. Iohn Baptist nay c. For these words thus uttered on both sides great ranâ—…or was kindled betwixt the King and Duke which was never extinguished till by the consent of the K. his uncle was basely murdered For the Duke purposing to remove some who were potent about the king called to him A second purpose for reformation the Earles of VVarwicke of Arundel and of Nottingham who was Marshall of England and of the Clergy the Arch-bishop of Canterbury with the two Abbots of St. Albans and VVestminster and these were solemnly sworne to supplant from their authority the Duke of Lancaster the Duke of Yorke with others prejudiciall to the good of the kingdome But Nottingham contrary to his oath revealed all to the king A persidious act in the Earle of Notingham who presently whilst the other thought themselves secure called another Councell in which it was decreed that the Earles of Arundell and Warwicke shâ—…uld bee censured and brought to the King who in person arrested his Vncle Sir Thomas of VVoodstock some say at Plashy in Essex others at Greenwitch in the night time and taking him in his bed first sent him to the Tower and
thence had him secretly conveyghed to Callis where he was pireously murthered After The murder of the Duke of Gloster the 2 Earles of Arundel Warwick were judged and executed After was called a parliament in which divers of the Nobility had more honourable titles conferred upon them And other upstarts neither of birth nor quality were advanced to office and honour in which parliament also many true heires were dis-inherited c. For which the people greatly murmured against the King and his Councell pretending that the revenues of the Crowne were wasted The rumour of the Commons and the causes thereof upon unworthy persons for which divers exactions were put upon the Commons that the chiefe rulers about the King were of low birth and little reputation and men of honour kept out of office and favour that the Duke of Gloster was secretly murdered without processe of Law and the Earles of Arnndel and Warwicke put to death contrary to the Kings owne proclamation with divers others to the number of eight and thirty severall Articles all which at his deposing were publickly protested against him Harding the Chronologer reports that King Richard was prodigall ambitious and luxurious The estate of the Kings Court. to whose Court resorted at their pleasures ten thousand persons pretending businesse there that in his kitchin were three hundred Serviters and in every office to the like number of Ladies Chamberers and Landresses three hundred who exceeded in costly and sumpâ—…uous apparell and farre above their degrees The very groomes and yeomen were cloathed in silke sattin and damaske scarlet imbroydery The great pride of the court gold chaines and Gold smiths worke were then common such was the pride then in the Court It was also commonly voyc'd that hee had let to farme the revenues of the Crowne to Bushy Baggot and Green which caused the Nobility also with the Commons to grudge against the King and his government And this yeare being the one and twentieth of his reign died Iohn a Gaunt the Duke of Lancaster at The death of Iohn a Gaunt Duke of Lancaster the Bishop of Elyes Palace in Holborne and was buried on the North side of the Quire in Paules where his Tombe remaineth to this day This yeare also fell a great difference betwixt Differences betwixt the two Dukes of Hereford and Norffolke the two Dukes of Hereford who was sonne to Iohn a Gaunt and the Duke of Norfolke the cause was after some Writers that the two Dukes riding from the Parliament the Duke Norfolke said unto the other Sir you see how unstedfast the King is in his word and how shamefully hee putteth his Kinsmen to death exiling some and imprisoning others and no doubt what hath hapned to them may in time fall upon us c. of which words the Duke of Hereford accused him unto the King which the one affirming the other denying a day of battaile was appointed them at Coventry upon the eleventh of September where the King and the greatest part of the Nobility were present where both appearing in the Lists and ready for the Combat the King threw down his warder and staid the fight and forthwith banished The two Dukes banished the Realme the Duke of Hereford for ten yeeres and the Duke of Norfolke for ever upon which sentence Hereford sayled into Britaine and Norfolke after passing divers Countries lastly came to Venice and there ended his life In his two and twentieth yeere the common fame ran that he had farmed the Realm of England to Sir VVilliam Scroop Earle of VViltshire and Treasurer and to Sir Iohn Bushy Sir Iohn Bagot and Sir Henry Green and in the moneth of Aprill the King with a potent Host sayled into Ireland leaving for his Pro-rex in England The Kings iourney into Ireland his Uncle Edmund Langley Duke of Yorke In which Voyage he prospered well and quieted the realme to his pleasure and whether it were for some noble act done or out of his grace and bounty I cannot say hee there Knighted Henry sonne to the Duke of Hereford then in exile which Henry after his Fathers death was crowned King of England by the name of Henry the first Whilst King Richard was thus busied in Ireland the Duke of Hereford late banisht with the Archbishop of Canterbury who had before left the Realme and Thomas sonne to the Earle of Arondell late beheaded these with others being a small company in number landed at Ravenspurre in the North and under pretence of The Duke of Hereford lanâ—…s at Ravenspurre laying claime to the Dukedome of Lancaster due to him by Iohn of Gaunt his Father deceased he raised the people as hee went to whom multitudes assembled being weary with the misgovernment of King Richard who hearing how the estate in England then stood made speedy returne from Ireland and in the beginning of September landed in Milford Haven and sped him thence to Flint-castle in VVales intending thither to gather more strength to oppose The King lands in Wales the Dukes proceedings Who in the interim proclayming himselfe Duke of Lancaster in the right of his Father Iohn a Gaunt came to Bristow where without resistance hee seised upon Sir William Scroope Earle of Wiltshire and Treasurer of England Sir Iohn Bushy and Sir Henry Green with Sir The Earle of Wiltshire with others executed Iohn Bagot who escaped and fled into Ireland but the other he there judged and put to execution which the King being then in Flint Castle hearing he much doubted his safety and so did all these who were then about him therefore Sir Thomas Percy Earle of Worcester and Steward of the Kings Houshold contrary to his Allegiance broke his white Staffe openly in the Haâ—…l willing every onâ—… to shift for himselfe by reason of which the King was forsaken of all his people and soone after surprized and presented The King taken and presented to the Duke to the Duke who put him under safe keeping and himselfe hasted towards London Who comming neere to the City sent the The hate of the Commons to the King King secretly to the Tower of which some ill disposed persons ambusht him in the way and would have slain him because of his former misgovernment but the Citizens enformed of their malicious purpose rescued him from their fury then the Duke comming to London by consent of the King a Parliament was begun the thirteenth of September In which many accusations and Articles concerning his misruling the Realme to the number of eight and thirty the King was charged with and for which the King subscribing willing as it was then given out to his owne deposement hee was deprived from all Kingly Majesty the manner of the proceedings therein were too long to relate which sentence being publisht and openly read in Parliament Henry Duke of Hereford and now of King Richard deposed Lancaster rising from the place where hee before sate and
standing where all might behold him first making the signe of the Crosse upon his forehead and after on his brest silence being commanded he spake as followeth In the name of the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost I Henry of Lancaster Clayme the Realme of England with the Crowne and all the appurtenances thereto belonging as I am rightly discended from the right Line of the bloud comming from that good Lord K. Henry the third and through the right that God of his grace hath sent me with the help of my kinred and friends to recover the same which was in point to be undone for default of good governance and justice c. Which having spoken hee sate downe in his The Duke of Hereâ—…ord claymes the Crowne place then every one hearing his clayme spake what hee thought and after some distance of time the Archbishop of Canterbury knowing the minds of Lords stood up and asked the Commons if they would assent with the Nobility in their election which they thought to be needfull and for the good of the Kingdome to which with an unanimous voice they said yea yea after which the Archbishop approching the Duke uttered some words to him in private which done hee arose and taking him by the hand led him unto the Kings Seat and placed him therein after made a long Oration to that noble Assembly the effect whereof was to prove the Dukes Title to the Crowne and to justifie the deposing of the King verifying what was before predicted of him Foure Princely Lions were to him allide Gall shall be with his horns in his great pride At length a Fox clad in skin of gold Shall snatch the Kid from midst of all his fold By the foure Lions are figured his foure Princely Uncles sonnes to Edward the third whom he severally injured preferring men raised from nothing to be eminent above them both in honour and office and by the Fox Henry of Balwarke who clothed himselfe with all the golden ornament of Regall Majesty and snatcht him from the midst of all the fold that was from amongst his own subjects and people and after caused him to bee put to a violent and cruell death CHAP. 24. The Coronation of Edward the fourth with his great Feast held in Westminster Hall A great Conspiracy intended against him but prevented the lamentable murder of King Richard the second in Pomfret Castle by Sir Pierce of Exton his valour at his death His Epitaph The great riches found in his treasury A prosecution of sundry passages in the Reigne of King Henry He prepares a journey for the Holy land but is prevented by death HEnry the fourth of that name and sonne to Iohn a Gaunt Duke of Lancaster tooke possession of the whole Dominion of England upon the last day of September in the yeere of Grace one thousand three hundred fourescore and nineteene after which he made new Officers cleane through the Kingdome One and forty Knights of the Bath made and then gave order for his Coronation and the Eve before hee in the Tower made 41 knights of the Bath of which three were his owne sonnes and three Earles and five Lords c. Then the morrow after being Monday the thirteenth of October he was crowned at Westminster King Henries Coronation by the Archbishop of Canterbury after which solemnity ended a great and sumptuous feast was held in the great Hall where the king being sate in the middest of the table the Arch-bishop The manner of his great feast in Westminster Hall of Canterbury with three other Prelates were placed at the right hand of the same table and on the left hand the Arch-bishop of York with foure other of the Clergy Henry the kings eldest sonne stood by his Father on his right hand with a sword poyntlesse and the Earle of Northumberland new made Lord Constable with a poynted sword on his left hand both swords being held upright Before the king stood all dinner time the dukes of Aumerl of Surry and of Exceter with two other Earles and the Earle of Westmerland late made Marshall rov'd about the Hall with many Tip Staves to make roome that the Officers with more ease might serve the Tables Of which the chiefe upon the right side of the hall was begun by the Barons of the Cinque ports and at the Table next the Cupboord upon the left hand sate the Lord Major and the Aldermen of London which Major being Drewe Barendine Goldsmith was presented according to the custome with a cup of gold after the second course came in Sir Thomas Dimocke armed at all poynts and sitting upon a The Kings Champion good Steed road to the higher part of the Hall and before the King caused a Herald to make Proclamation that whosoever would affirme King Henry was not lawfull inheritour to the Crown and Kingdome of England he was there ready to wage battaile against him which Proclamation hee caused to bee made after in three other parts of the Hall in French and English with many more observances at such solemnities exercised and done which feast being ended the morrow after being tuesday the parliament was againe begunne of this King and his reigne it was thus predicted The Foxe being earth'd according to his mind In the Kids den a Magazine shall finde The prophesie of his reigne Yet all that treasure can his life not save But rather bring him to a timelesse grave Meane time shall study many a forrest beast By a new way to kill the King in jest But crafty Rainold shall the plot prevent And turne it all to their owne detriment Wales and the north against him both shall rise But he who still was politicke and wise Shal quell their rage much trouble he 'll indure And after when he thinks himselfe secure Hoping to wash the Kids bloud from his hand Purpose a voyage to the Holy Land But faile Yet in Hierusalem shall dye Deluded by a doubtfull augury In the former parlament were many Challenges of the peers one against the other which came to none effect but onething was there confirmed What was done in the Parliament that whosoever had hand in the good Duke of Glosters death should dye as traitors For which divers found guilty after suffered moreover sundry acts made in the time of Richards reigne were disannulled and made voyd and others held more profitable for the kingdomes good and Common-weales enacted in their stead Then was King Richard removed from the Tower and thence conveighed to Leedes and King Richard removed to Pomphret after to the Castle of Pomphret there was provision made for the King to keep his Christmas at Windsor in which interim the Dukes of Amerle of Surrey and of Exeter with the Earles of Salisbury and of Gloster with others of their affinity Lords Knights and Esquires made great provision for a Maske to be presented before the King upon Twelfth night which grew neere and
all things were in readinesse for the performance thereof But that day in the Morning A conspiracy of the Lords against King Henry came secretly unto the King the Duke of Aumerle and discovered unto him that he with the foresaid Lords gentlemen had made a solemne conjuration to kill him in the said Mask therefore advised him to provide for his safety upon which notice given the King departed privately from Windsor and came that night to London upon which the Lords finding their plot to be discovered they fled westward but the King caused speedy pursuit after them so that the Duke of Surry and the Earle of Salisbury were taken at Ciceter Sir Thomas Blunt Sir Benet Saly and Thomas Wintercell at Oxford Sir Iohn Holland Duke of Exeter at Pitwell in Essex and divers others in severall places the Noble men were beheaded the rest drawne and quartered but all of their Heads set upon the Bridge gate at London approving the premises Meane time shall study many a forrest beast By a new way to kill the Foxe in jest But crafty Rainold shall the plot prevent And turne it all to their owne detriment The King having well considered of this great conspiracy and that they intended by his death to restore the imprisoned King to his diadem The Foxes policy he bethought himselfe that he could live in no safety whilst the other was breathing and therefore he determined of his death and to that purpose called unto him one Sir Pierce of Exton to see his will executed who presently poasted to Pomphret and with eight more well armed entred the Castle and violently assaulted him with their Polaxes and Halberds in his Chamber who apprehending their purpose and seeing his owne present danger most valiantly wrested one of their weapons from him with which he manfully acquitted himselfe and slew foure of the eight before he himselfe fell but at the last he was basely wounded to death by the hand of Sir Pierce of Exton whose body was after laid in the Minster at Pomphret to the publicke view that all men might be satisfied of his The Death of K. Râ—…chard death and was after brought up to London and exposed to all eyes in Pauls least any man should after pretend to lay any plots for his liberty And now King Henry being in peaceable and quiet possession of the Kingdomes thought it time to rifle his predecessors Coffers in whose Treasury he found in ready Coyne three hundred thousand pound sterling besides Plate What King Richards treasure amounted to at his death Iewels and rich Vessels as much if not more in value Besides in his Treasurers hands hee found so many gold Noble and other summes that all of them put together amounted to seven hundred thousand pounds sterling yet could not all this summe afford him a better funerall than in the poore Friery of Langley which after by Henry the Kings sonne in the first yeare of his reigne was removed thence and with great solemnity interred amongst the Kings in the Chappell of Westminster All this processe verifying the former prediction The Foxe being earth't according to his mind In the Kids den a Magazin shall find Yet all that treasure can his life not save But rather bring him to a timelesse grave Over his Tombe in the Chappell the King caused these Verses following to be inscribed Prudens mundus Ricardus jure secundus K. Richards Epitaph Perfatum victus jacet hic sub marmore pictus Verus sermone suit plenus ratione Corpore procerus animo prudens ut Homerus Ecclesiam favit elatos suppeditavit Quemvis prostravit regalia qui violavit Thus Englished Wise and cleane Richard second of that name Conquered by fate lyes in this Marble frame True in his speech whose reason did surpasse Of feature tall and wise as Homer was The Church he favoured he the proudsubdude Quelling all such as Majesty pursude Concerning which Epitaph one of our English Chronologers seeing how it savoured more of flattery then truth thus exprest himself But yet alas though this meeter or rime Thus death embelisht this Noble Princes fame And that some Clerk which favoured him sometime List by his comming thus to enhance his name Yet by his story appeareth in him much blame Wherefore to Princes is surest memory Their lives to expresse in vertuous constancie In the second yeere of King Henries Reigne The rebellion of Owen Glendour Owen Glendour rebelled in Wales against whom the King entred the Countrey with a strong army but at the Kings comming hee fled up to the Mountaines whom the King for the endangering his Hoast durst not follow but returned without deeming any thing worthy note In the yeere following Sir Thomas Percy Earle of Worcester and Sir Henry Piercy sonne and heire to the Earle of Northumberland gathered The battaile at Shrewsbury a great power and upon the one and twentieth day of Iuly met with the King and his army neere unto Shrewsbury betwixt whom was fought a cruell and bloudy battail but at length the King was victor in which fight Thomas Percy Earle of Worcester was taken and his Nephew Sir Henry with many a brave Northerne man was slaine And upon the Kings part the Prince was wounded in the head and the Earle of Stafford with many others slaine It was observed that in this battail father fought against sonne sonne the father brother the brother and uncle the nephew the twenty fift of Iuly following was Sir Thomas Percy beheaded at Shrewsbury and in August after the Duchesse of Britain landeth at Flamoth in Cornwall K. Henries second mariage with the Duchesse of Britain and from thence conveyed to Winchester where shee was solemnely espoused to King Henry Soone after Richard Scroop Archbishop of Yorke with the Lord Mowbray Marshall of England with others to them allyed made a new insurrection against the King with purpose A nâ—… insurrection to supplant them to whom the King gave battaile on this side Yorke where after some losse on both sides the King had the better of the day the Archbishop and the Martiall being both taken in the field and soone after beheaded in that Kings Reigne was the Conduit builded in Cornwall as it now standeth The Market of the Stocks at the lower end of Cheapside and the Guild hall of London new edified and of a Sumptuous buildings during this kings Reigne small cottage and ruinous and decayed house made such a goodly structure as it appeares to this day Moreover the famous and stately Bridge of Rochester with the Chappell at the foot of the said Bridge was fully perfited and finished at the sole charge and cost of Sir Robert Knolls who in the time of Edward the third Sir Robert Knolls had atchieved many brave and memorable victories in France and Britain who also re-edified the body of the White Friers Church in Fleetstreet to which place hee left many good Legacies and
there lyes buried the foundation of which place was first laid by the Lord Gray Cotner but to carry our prediction along with the premisses to prove that they differ nâ—…t in the least circumstance Wales and the North against him both shal rise But he who still was politick and wise Shall quell their rage c. Wee read also of divers justs and martiâ—…ll exercises Divers turnaments justs performed in Smithfield betwixt Englishmen and strangers performed in Smithfield in the presence of the King the Nobility and Ladies in his sixt yeere the Lord Morif a Baron of Scotland challenged Edmund Earle of Kent in which the Earle bore himselfe so valiantly that to him was given the honour of the Turnament and in the tenth yeere came the Seneschall of Henalt with a brave company of his owne Countrimen and strangers to performe the like martiall exercises in the same place before the King Against the Seneschall himself ran the Earle of Somerset to whom was given the honour of the first day upon the second day came in a Knight Henalder as Challenger against whom rose as defendant Sir Richard Arondell who after certain courses run on horsback with their Lances they combated on foot with Axes where the Henalder had the better for he brought him on his knee the third day came a third challenger whom Sir Iohn Cornwayle encountred and put to the worst upon the fourth day appeared an Esquire Henalder and was met by Iohn Cheyney who at the second course overthrew his adversary The honour fals to the English horse and man for which the King instantly made him Knight on the fift day came a fift challenger him one Iohn Steward an Esquire opposed and came off with honour Against the sixt challenger came in a Gentleman called William Porter who so couragiously demeaned himselfe that there hee wonne his Knighthood Against the seventh Champion appeared Iohn Standish Esquire whom for his valour there shewne the King also Knighted a Gascoigne also demeaned himselfe so well against another stranger that he was also made knight upon the eight and last day came in two Henalders challengers against whom came two English Brothers who were of the Garrison at Calice betwixt whom was so long and so violent a bickering that they were commanded by the King to cease combat lest any of them who so well had fought might in the end have come off with disgrace Thus this challenge was finished to the great honour of the King who bountifully feasted the Strangers and with rich gifts sent them backe into their Countries In the eleventh yeere in a Parliament held at A bill put up into the Parliament house by the commons Westminster the Commons put up a Bill unto the King to take all the temporall lands out of the Clergy mens possessions the effect whereof was that the Temporalities disorderly wasted by the Churchmen which might suffice to find to the King fifteene Earles fifteene hundred The effect of the bill Knights six thousand two hundred Esquires and an 100 Almes houses to the reliefe of poore people more then were at that time in the land and besides all those that the King might put yearely into his coffers twenty thousand pound and of this by particulars they made manifest proofe to which bill no answer was made but that the King would take thereof further deliberation In his fourteenth yeer the King cald a Counsell at White Friers in which it was concluded that speedy provision should bee made for the The King prepares a voyage for the Holy Land Kings Voyage to visit the holy Sepulchre but after the Feast of Christmasse whilst hee was praying at Saint Edwards shrine to take there his leave and speed him upon his journey so grievous a sicknesse tooke him that they feared he would there have expired wherefore they bare him to the Abbots Palace and brought him into a chamber and laid him upon a pallat by the fire who when he came to himselfe asked what place he was in those that attended him told him that it belonged to the Abbot of Westminster and finding himselfe so extreamly sick he demanded if that chamber had any particular name they answered that it was called the Hierusalem who presently replyde then thanks be The King falls sick to the father of Heaven who hath thus greatly admonisht mee of mine end For now I know that I shall die in this chamber according to a prophesie long since spoke of mee which said I should die in Hierusalem which spoken and having made his peace with Heaven hee in the same place departed this life the twentieth The King died the twentieth of March. of March after hee had reigned fourteene yeers five moneths and one and twenty days still upholding the former prediction much trouble hee 'l indure And after when he thinks himselfe secure Hoping to wash the kids bloud from his hand Purpose a voyage to the Holy Land But faile yet in Hierusalem shall die Deluded by a doubtfull Augury This King left behind him foure sonnes Henry who was King after him Thomas Duke of Clarence Iohn Duke of Bedford and Humphrey Duke of Glocester and two Daughters the one Queen of Denmarke the other Duchesse of Bavaria or Barr His body was after conveyed by water from Westminster to Feversham in Kent and thence to Canterbury where he was royally interred CHAP. 25. The Coronation of Henry the fift A prophesie of his Reigne His victorious Battaile over the French at Agencourt His second Voyage into France His victories by Sea and Land He is made heire by the mariage of his wife to the Crowne of France His third Voyage into France The birth of Prince Henry The death of Henry the fift HEnry the fift of that name and sonne to Henry the Fourth began his Reigne the one and twentieth of March in the yeere of Grace one thousand foure hundred and The coronation of Henrie the fift twelve and in the ninth of Aprill following was crowned at Westminster this Prince before the death of his Father applyed himselfe to all irregularity associating himselfe onely with riotous and evilly disposed persons as Gamesters Drunkards Robbers by the high-way and the like but hee was no sooner admitted to the government of the Land but he suddenly became a new man changing his dissolute life into a discreet carriage his wildnesse to wisdome and his sensualitie into a wondrous sobriety who lest he should be reduced to his former riots he sent to all those vain fellows with whom he had been before familiar such competent gifts as might maintaine them in a fair and even course of life but with this proviso that not any of them should dare to come with in ten miles of his Court after a day by him assigned of whom and whose Reigne it was thus predicted Note a strange mixture in the planets seed A prophesiâ—… of his Reigne For now a Mercury
his Queen feasted in Paris when they had rested a season Hee with the Duke of Burgoine laid siege to divers Townes which held with the Dolphin of Vien as the strong City of Meldane or Melian to Melden and others and tooke them and having done all his pleasure in France he and the Queen took leave of Charles the French king and sayled into England and at Westminster with great solemnity Q. Margaret Crowned at Westminster she was Crowned In the beginning of his tenth yeare was born at Windsor the sixt day of December Henry the sixt of that name at Easter after the Queene The birth of Henry the sixt tooke shipping at Southampton and sayled into France where she was royally received of her father and mother and King Henry being still busied in his warres of France and still gaining from them Cities and Townes in the ninth of August he fell grievously sick at Boys in Vincent and dyed the last day of the Month when hee had reigned nine yeares five months and ten dayes leaving issue behind him onely Henry aged The death of Henry the fift eight moneths and odde dayes then the Kings body was imbalmed and after brought to Westminster and there buried verifying Thus after many a famous victory At length invested shall the Lion be In a new Throne to which his claime is faire As being matcht unto the kingdomes heire Living this royall beast shall lose no time But bee at length from earth snatcht in his prime CHAP. 27. The Duke of Gloster made Protector The Duke of Bedford Regent of France of Ioan de pasill a Sorceresse Henry the sixt crowned in Paris A prophesie of his raigne the death of the Duke of Gloster The death of the Marquesse of Suffolke The insurrection of the Commons under Iack Cade His proceedings and death the Duke of Somerset gives up Normandy The Duke of Yorke taketh Armes his person seised against the Kings promise and for feare set at liberty HEnry the sixt of that name and the sole Henry the sixt made King sonne of Henry the fift and Queene Katherine beganne his Reigne over the Realme of England the first day of September in the yeare of grace one thousand foure hundred twenty two who during his Minority was committed to the guardianship of his two Vncles the Dukes of Gloster and Bedford the The Duke of Gloster protector the Duke of Bedford regent Duke of Gloster beeing protector of England and the Duke of Bedford regent of France In the first yeare of this Kings reigne dyed Charles the seventh King of France by whose death the Crowne and the Realme with the rights of them fell to the young king Henry the possession of which was by the Lords of France in generall excepting some few who took part with the Dolphin delivered to the duke of Bedford as Regent during the nonage of the King who in the second yeare of his reigne wonne from the Dolphin more than foure and twenty strong holds and Castles to the great Honour The Regents victories in France of the English Nation and with whom all attempts succeeded prosperously and victoriously till the fift yeare that the Earle of Salisbury who was called the good Earle with the Earle of Suffolke the Lord Talbot and others laying The death of the good Earle of Salisbury strong siege to the City of Orleance the Earle was slaine by a shot from the Towne after whose death the English still lost rather than wonne so that by little and little they were compelled from all their possession in France for where they prevailed in any battaile in three they were discomfited In the eighth yeare of his reigne and upon the ninth of his age King Henry was Crowned King Henries Coronation in St. Peters Church at Westminster where were made sixe and thirty knights of the Bath His Coronation with all honour and joy being finished provision was made for his journey into France and upon Saint Georges day following being the twenty third of April hee tooke shipping and landed at Callis with a great train of the English Nobility during whose abode there many battails were fought in divers parts of the kingdom betwixt the English and French in which the French for the most part prevailed Ione de Pucil a sorceresse some said by the help of a woman called Ioan de Pucil whom they stiled The Maiden of God who was victorious in many conflicts and at length came to a Town called Compeine with intent to remove the siege layd unto it by the Duke of Burgoine and the English but by the valour of a Burgonian knight called sir Iohn Luxemburgh her company was distressed and she took alive and after carried to Roan and there kept a season because she seigned her selfe with child but the contrary being found she was adjudged to Shee is burnt for a witch death and her body burnt to ashes In his tenth yeere and upon the seventh of December King Henry the sixt was crowned Henry the sixt crowned at Paris King of France in Paris by the Cardinal of Winchester at whose Coronation were present the Regent The Duke of Burgoine with others of the French Nobility after the solemnity of which royall Feast ended The King left Paris and kept his Christmasse in Roan and thence returned into England where hee was joyfully received and of whom it was thus predicted How comes the Sun to rise where he should set Or how Lambs Lions Lions Lambs beget The prophesie of King Henries reigne Yet so 't must be The Lambe though doubly crown'd And thinking his large Empire hath no bound Yet shall a Daulphin at a low ebbe land And snatch one powerful scepter from his hand Thus it falls out twixt father and the sonne Windsore shall lose what ever Monmouth A Tigresse then in title onely proud wonne In the Lambs bosome seeks her self to shroud A seeming Saint at first meek and devout But in small time her fiercenesse will break out Nor can her ravenous fury be withstood Vntill through sated with best English blood But a young Lion he at length shall tame And send her empty back from wheâ—…ce she came Much trouble shall be made about â—…he crown And Kings soon raised and as soone put down c. After sundry conflicts betwixt the English and the French in which they diversly sped at length Charles the Dolphin who tooke upon him to be King of France by the proffer of many Towns Castles Cities Provinces and Lordships so Charles the Dolphin and Philip Duke of Burgoin reconciled wrought upon the Duke of Burgoine that notwithstanding he had before slain his Father adhered to his party and proclaimed himself utter enemy to the English which was in the thirteenth of Henry in which yeere dyed the noble and valorous Iohn Duke of Bedford and Regent of France and was buried with great solemnity at Roan in the Church of
our Lady after whose death notwithstanding the incomparable valour of the Lord Talbot whose name was so The death of the D. of Bedford regent terrible in France that with it women frighted their children to still and quiet them the Earle of Arundell and others yet fortune for the most part was averse to the English c. and though there were many Treaties of peace to bee made betwixt the two Kingdoms yet they came to no effect and thus for divers yeeres it continued During which passages divers murmurs and grudgings beganne to breake out betwixt the Duke of Glocester Lord Portectour and Uncle to the King and divers persons neere about the Court amongst which was chiefe the Earle of Suffolke which in the end was the confusion Suffolk seeketh to supplaâ—…t the Duke of Glocester of them both For in the one and twentieth yeere the said Earle of Suffolke who had broke off a Mariage concluded by the English Embassadors betwixt King Henry and the daughter to Earle Arminacke went over into France and made a match betwixt him and the Kings daughter of Hierusalem and Cicily who had the bare titles thereof and was indeed a king Suffolks proceedings without a Country to compasse which mariage he delivered to the said king the Duchie of Anjou and Earldome of Maine which were called the keyes of Normandy to the great prejudice and dishonour of the English Nation For which service done he was created Marquesse of Suffolke and soone after with his wife and others pompously accommodated brought her into England where shee was espoused to the King at a place called Southwick in Hampshire The King marrieth the Lady Margaret whence after she was convayed to London and thence to Westminster and thereupon the 30 of May being Trinity Sunday solemnly crowned With which match it seemes God was not well pleased for after that day fortune began to forsake the King who lost his Friends in England and his revenues in France for soone after Q. Margaret causeth many miseries the whole State was swayed by the Queene and her Counsell to the dishonour of the king the Realmes detriment and her owne disgrace for thereby fell the losse of Normandy the division of the Lords the rebellion of the Commons The king deposed her sonne slaine 〈◊〉 and she banisht the Land for ever all which â—…iseries fell as some have conjectured for the breach of that lawfull contract first made betwixt the king and the daughter to the Earle of Arminacke In his five and twentieth yeere was a Parliament called at Saint Edmondsbury in Suffolke which was no sooner begun and the Lords assembled but Humphrey Duke of Glocester was The Protectour arresteâ—… aâ—…d after murdered in his bed arrested by Viscount Beaumond then high Constable of England the Duke of Buckingham and others and the sixt day after found dead some say murdered in his bed of whose death the Marquesse of Suffolke was most suspected whose body after it was publikely showne was conveighed to Saint Albons and therehonourably interred and soon after five of the principall of his Houshold hang'd and drawne but by the kings mercy not quartered In his eight and twentieth yeere was called The Marquesse of Suffolke arrested another Parliament in which the Marquesse of Suffolke was arrested and sent to the Tower where hee lived a moneth at his pleasure and was after set at large to the discontent of some Lords but all the Commons For he was charged with the delivery of Amiens and Maine and the murder of Duke Humphrey called the good Duke of Glocester upon which ensued a rebellion of the commons of which one Blew-beard Blew-beard cald himselfe Captain but they were soon supprest and the chief of them put to death the Parliament was then adjourn'd to Leicester whither caâ—…e the King and with him the Queens great Favourite the Duke of Suffolke Then the Commons made petition to the king that all such as had hand in the delivery of Anjou and Maine and the death of the Protector might be severely punished of which they accused as guilty the Marquesse of Suffolke the Lord Say The Marquesse of Suffolk banisht for five yeeres the Bishop of Salisbury one Damiall a Gentleman and one Trivillian with others to appease whom Suffolke was exiled for five yeeres and the Lord Say Treasurer of England with the rest were put a part for a while and promist that they should bee imprisoned and Suffolke taking shipping in Norfolke to have sailed into France was met by a ship of Warre called the Nicholas of the Tower and being knowne by the Captain he tooke him into his owne Vessell and brought him backe to the port of Dover where on the side of the Boat he caused his head to be struck off and cast it with the body on the The death of Suffolk sands and so went again to sea In this yeere also being the Iubilee the commons of Kent assembled themselves in great multitudes under a Captaine called Iacke Cade The insuâ—…rection of â—…ck Cade who named himselfe Mortimer and Cousin to the Duke of Yorke against him the King raised a strong Hoast and sent Sir Humphrey Stafford and William his brother with certain forces to subdue them but the Rebels prevailed against them and left the two Noble brothers dead in the field after which victory the Captaine put on him Knights apparell with Briganders set with gilt nayls and Helmet with gilt Spurs To The Captains pride whom was sent the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Duke of Buckingham who had conference with him and found him very discreet in his answers but not to bee wonne to lay by his armes and to blinde the eyes of the people the more hee used great justice in his Campe at length he came to Southwarke at which time the commons of Essex lay with an army at Mile-end and when hee approched the draw-bridge he hewed the ropes and chains asunder with his Iack Cade enters London sword and so entred London where hee made proclamâ—…tions in the Kings name that no man on pain of death should rob spoyle or take from any man but to pay for whatsoever hee cald for which drew unto him the hearts of many of the Citizens and when he came to London stone His cunning to delude the people he strook upon it with his sword and said Now is Mortimer Lord of this City after hee caused the Lord Say to bee fetcht from the Tower and without any just processe at the Standard in Cheape commanded his head to be His Iustice. cut off and another called Cromer who had bin high Sheriffe of Kent he also commanded to be beheaded then pitcht their heads upon two poles and as they passed the streets in divers places caused the poles to joyn so that the dead mouthes kissed each other Thus hee had free recourse into the Citie by day and at night returned
to lodge with his Hoast in Southwarke but at length his malicious purpose broke out For dining one day with Philip Malpas Draper and Alderman hee robbed His robbery and spoyled his house and tooke thence a great quantity of plate or money which had hee not done it was supposed he might have attained to his owne ends for so hee served another in the same kind therefore the Major his brethren and commons consulted amongst themselves having The Rebels shut out of the Citie the assistance of the Tower the next day to shut their gates against him and keepe him out of the City which they did then the Captaine assaulted the Bridge which was valiantly defended and many slaine on both sides But at the length they were enforced to keep still in Southwarke whither the Archbishop of Canterbury sent a generall pardon from the King so they would disband themselves of which the multitude tooke the advantage and every one sped himself home into his Country Then proclamation was made that hee who could take the Captaine alive or dead should have a thousand Marks at length a Gentleman of Kent called Alexander Iden found him in a Garden in Sussex and in taking slue him whose body was brought through the high streets of the City to Newgate there headed and quartered his head set upon the bridge quarters sent to 4 sundry The death of lack Cade Towns in Kent to the terrour of like offenders In the 29 yeere by reason of the Duke of Somersets giving up the Dukedome of Normandy displeasure grew from some of the Lords against The Duke of Yorke opposeth the Queene and her counsell the Queen and her counsail so that the Duke of York father to K. Edward the fourth with many Lords to him allide opposed themselves against her in the 30 yeer the king with the D. of Somerset with other Nobles journied towards the Marches of Wales because they were informed the Duke of Yorke with divers of the Barons both of note and name had gathered a great strength who hearing the King made towards them swarved from the Kings Hoast and took their way towards London but when they knew they could not be received there they past over Kingstone bridge so into Kent and pitcht their field on Brentheath of which the king inform'd followed them pitcht his field on Blackheath Both their Hoasts being thus embattailed A mediation of peace mediation of peace was made betwixt the two Hoasts and to the Duke were sent the Bishops of Winchester and of Ely with the Earles of Salisbury and Warwicke who answered them that neither hee nor any of his company intended any hurt to the Kings person or any of his own counsail but his purpose was to remove some evill disposed persons about the Queen by whom the Land was oppressed and the Commons impoverished of whom it was finally agreed that hee should be committed to prison and to answer what the Duke of Yorke should object against him upon which promise made by the King the Duke the first of March being Tuesday disbanded his army and came to the Kings Tent where contrary to the promise made he found the Duke of Somerset waiting next the King and the Duke of Yorke was sent like a prisoner to London and now streightly The Duke of Yorke seised as prisoner had beene kept but that news was brought that Sir Edward his sonne Earle of March was comming thither with a strong power of Welshmen and Marchmen which so affrighted the Queene and her counsaile that the Duke was set at liberty to go whither it pleased him and so peace for a while with feigned love was dissembled Thus hitherto the prediction hath not failed in And set at liberty any particular which saith The Lambe though doubly crown'd And thinking his large Empire hath no bound Yet shall a Daulphin at a low ebbe land And snatch one powerful scepter from his hand Thus it falls out twixt father and the sonne Windsore shall lose what ever Monmouth wonne Henry for his meeknesse was compared to a Lambe being doubly crowned in London and The prophesie explained Paris The Dolphin of Vien being at the lowest ebbe of State yet in time by the perfidiousnesse of the Duke of Burgoine after recovered the whole Realme of France with the Dukedome of Normandy so that hee snatcht one Scepter from his hand so that Henry the sixt borne in Windsore no may participating the Noble and Heroick spirit of his father lost all by his pusillanimity that Henry the fift borne in Monmouth had atchieved by his unmatchable prowesse CHAP. 28. The ambition of Queene Margaret The battaile at Saint Albons Yorke made Protector The Queens practice against the Lords The battail at Northampton Yorke proclaimed heire to the Crowne Yorke slaine in the battaile at Wakefield Henry deposed and Edward Earle of March made King A prophesie of his Reigne The battaile at Exham King Henry taken and sent to the Tower The Mariage of Edward Hee flies the Land Henry againe made King IProceed with the History in his one and thirtieth yeere the King held a solemne Feast at Westminster upon the twelfth day in Christmasse where he created two Earles who were his brothers by the mothers side Queene Katherine Two Earles created by the King who after the death of Henry the fift was married to a Knight of Wales called Owen who had by her two sonnes the eldest named Edmond who was made Earle of Richmond the yonger Iasper Earle of Pembroke who was after by Henry the seventh made Duke of Bedford and so dyed and in the yeere thirty two the thirteenth of October Queene Margaret was delivered at Westminster of a Princely sonne named Edward who after grew to bee of faire personage and great hope but was after slaine by Edward the Fourth when hee had wonne the battaile fought at Tewxbury whom the people for the great hate they bore to his mother would not acknowledge to bee the naturall son The birth of Prince Edward of King Henry but rather a bastard or changeling to her great sorrow and dishonour During these passages great dissention grew betwixt the King and divers of his Lords but especially betwixt the Queens Counsell and the Duke of York and his bloudy and mayne cause was because the Duke of Somerset now her The Queene and her counsellsway all prime favourite lived at large was made Captaine of Calice and was in greater power about the Queen then before for the Queene governed all and the King was onely so in name but no more then a Cypher to fill up the number for which both the Nobles and commons much grudged at length the Duke of Yorke being in the Marches of Wales called to him the Earles of Warwicke and Salisbury with other Knights and Gentlemen and in the month of Aprill gathered a strong Hoast and marched towards London where the King Queen and
lodging at Westminster and soon after was King Henry brought riding in a long gown of Blue Velvet and conveyed through Cheape unto Westminster and thence to King Henry again committed to the tower the Tower where he remayned all his life time after thus we find by the premisses The Beare who th'exil'd Tigresse meets in France Vowes the suppressed Lambe againe to advance And from the Coop where he hath long bin pent To raise him to his former government All which hapned according to the former prediction as also the sequell The Lion the land flying with a small And slender train the ragged Staffe sways all But the Bears fiereenesse shall be soon all aid As one that is halfe conquered halfe betraid That is half conquered by the prowesse of King Edward and betraid by his perfidious brother the D. of Clarence Edward thus having repossest the Kingdome provided against the landing of Queen Margaret and her sonne who notwithstanding with an army of Frenchmen entred the Land as farre as Teuxbury where the King met her and chaced her house and slue The battaile at Teuxbury many of them in which battaile was taken her sonne Edward and brought to the King who demanding some questions and he not answering him to his minde the King strook him over the face with his Gauntlet upon which hee was drag'd into a withdrawing room and there slaine by the Duke of Glocester In the same The murder of P. Edward yeere upon Ascension eve was the corps of Henry the sixt late King brought unreverently from the Tower through the high streets of the City unto Pauls and there left for that night and on the morrow conveyed with bils and staves and King Henry stabd to death in the tower the like weapons unto Chelsey and there without any solemne ceremony enterred who was stabd with a Dagger in the Tower by the hands of the foresaid Richard Duke of Glocester So that the Lambe the Beare did late restore Again coopt up was murdred by a Bore For the Bore was the Cognizance belonging to the said Duke when King Edward had thus subdued his enemies He sent over the miserable and distressed Queene Margaret into her owne Countrey whence shee never returned into this Kingdome after In the seventeenth yeere of the King the Duke of Clarence his second brother The murder of the Duke of Clarence was for some displeasure taken against him committed to the Tower where hee not remayned long but hee was secretly drowned in a But of Malmsey as it was commonly voic'd by the instigation of the Duke of Glocester I let passe the rest of this Kings Reigne in which hapned no great matter of remarke or consequence so that after his many victories for hee was never The death of K. Edward the Fourth conquered in any battaile hee governed the Realme in great tranquillity and quietnesse and expired the eleventh of Aprill in the yeere of the Incarnation of our Lord one thousand foure hundred fourscore and three after he had raigned full two and twenty yeeres and as much as from the fourth of March to the eleventh of Aprill whose corps was conveyed to VVindsor and there with all due and solemne Ceremony interred leaving two sonnes Prince Edward the eldest and Richard Duke of Yorke the younger with three Daughters Elizabeth after Queene Sicily and Katharine Edward the fift of that name and sonne to Edward the Fourth at eleven yeeres of age began his Reigne the eleventh of Aprill in the beginning of the yeer of our Lord God one thousand foure hundred fourescore and then of whom and his Uncle Richard Duke of Glocester the prediction followeth The Prophesie From the Herculean Lion lately sphear'd And in his Orbe to Iove himself indear'd Shall shine two stars without eclipse or cloud But they as to some sacred offering vow'd Shall perish on the Altar ere they grow To that full splendor which the world they owe A bunch-back'd monster who with teeth is born The mockery of art and natures scorn Who from the wombe preposterously is hurld And with feet forward thrust into the world Shall from the lower earth on which he stood Wade every step he mounts here deep in blood He shall to th' height of all his hopes aspire And cloth'd in state his ugly shape admire But when he thinks himself most safe to stand From forreigne parts a native Whelpshal land Who shall the long divided blood unite By joyning of the Red Rose with the white Edward the Fourth yielding his due to nature Hatred betwixt the King and Queenes kindred the long concealed grudge betwixt the King and the Queenes Allies began to vent it self for the Marquesse Dorset brother to the widowed Queene with others of her proximity had then the Guardianship of the young King who being in the Marches of VVales conveyed him towards London to make provision for his Coronation but the Duke of Glocester who intended otherwise attended with a company of Northern Gentlemen all in mourning met with the King at Stony-stratford and after a dissembled greeting betwixt him and the Marquesse dischardged him of his Office and Marquesse Dorset discharged of his Guardianship tooke upon himselfe the government of the king and thence accompanied with the Duke of Buckingham who was in great favour with the people brought him with all honour toward London whereof hearing Queene Elizabeth mother to the King and fearing the sequel she with her younger sonne the Duke of Yorke and her daughter Elisabeth tooke Sanctuary at VVestminster meane time the king was royally met by the Citizens of London and through The Queene taketh Sanctuary the City brought to the Bishop of Londons palace and there lodged Then the Duke of Glocester so wrought with Bouchier Archbishop of Canterbury that hee went with him to the Queene who upon the Archbishops faith and promise of his safety delivered The young Duke of York delivered to the Archbishop and Duke of Glocester to them the D. of Yorke then the Duke caused the king and his brother to be removed to the Tower and the Duke lodged himselfe in Crosby House in Bishopsgate street and great preparation was made for the yong kings Coronation in which time the Duke of Glocester being made Protector caused Sir Anthony VVoodvile Lord Scales the Queenes brother the Lord Richard the Queenes son Sir Richard Hawt and Sir Thomas to be beheaded at Pomfret more out of his owne tyranny then any The protectors tyranny trespasse by them committed next to further his aspiring purpose Hee covertly sounded the hearts of the Nobility how they stood affected and to that end cold many counsailes and amongst others he found the Lord Hastings then Lord Chamberlaine constant to the supporture of king Edward the Fourths Issue Upon the thirteenth of Iune being in the Counsel Chamber at the Tower with the Duke of Buckingham the Earle of Derby the Lord A
aside in an obscure grave The manner of King Richards buriall and there buried when he had reigned or rather usurped the Kingdome by the space of two yeares two months and two daies It is said of this Prince that he came into the world with his feet forward which being taunted with being a youth by a yong Noble man and one of his Peeres hee made answer 't is true and was it not time for mee to make haste into the world there being such a bustling and trouble in the Land which hee seemed to allude unto those times when his Father laid claime to the Crowne Hee was borne also with teeth in his Head which was somewhat prodigious too and crooke backt he was but whether so borne or that it came to him by any sinister accident I am altogether ignorant King Richards character onely of this I am sure that all these with the processe of his bloudy practises punctually comply with the prophesie which saith A bunch-back'd monster who with teeth is born The mockery of art and natures scorn Who from the wombe preposterously is hurld And with feet forward thrust into the world Shall from the lower earth on which he stood Wade every step he mounts knee deep in blood He shall to th' height of all his hopes aspire And cloth'd in state his ugly shape admire But when he thinks himself most safe to stand From forreigne parts a native Whelp shal land c. After the Battaile thus wonne prince Henry was received as King and there instantly so proclaimed Prince Henry victor who thence hasted to London so that upon the twenty eighth day of August he was by the Major and Citizens met in good array at Harnsie park and thence conveighed through the City and lodged in the Bishop of Londons palace for a time and then he removed to Westminster This Henry the seventh of that name sonne to the Earle of Richmond began his dominion Prince Henries Coronation over the Realme of England the two and twentieth of August in the yeare of grace one thousand foure hundred fourescore and five and the thirtieth day of October following at Westminster was crowned and in the second yeare of his reigne he espoused Elizabeth the eldest daughter to King Edward the fourth who the yeare after upon St. Katherines day was crowned The Coronation of the Queene at Westminster And this Henry is that native Lions whelpe before spoken of Who shall the long divided blood unite By joyning of the Red Rose with the white For by this marriage the long divided houses of Yorke who gave the white and Lancaster who gave the red Rose were happily combin'd and from that even to this present day never disparted or sundred of him it was also thus predicted The spirit that was meerely Saturnine The prophesie of his reigne Being supprest upon the landshall shine Planets of a more glad aspect and make Peace from their Orbs sixt in the Zodiacke Yet from the cold Septentrion Mars shall threat And war me their frigid pulses with his heat And Mercury shall though it may seem rare Consult with Cassiopeia in her Chaire To fashion strange impostures but warres god By sword nor Hermes with his charming rod Shall ought prevaile where power with Princes meete And when Religion shall Devotion greet Where all these foure at once predominant are Vaine are the attempts of stratagem or warre But he who of the former is possest Shall be abroad renown'd and at home blest Fame afarre off his glorious name shall tell And Plutus neare hand make his Coffers swell By the Saturnine Spirit is intended the bloody and malitious condition of Richard the third which was now supprest by death for as Saturne was said to devoure his owne Children so he hungred and thirsted after the bloud of his owne brother and Nephewes and therefore not altogether unproperly alluded the rest you shall find made apparent in the sequell This religious and wise King being thus The Dutchesse of Burgundy an enemy to the King peaceably instated in the Throne his old inveterate enemy the Dutchesse of Burgundy raised a new Impostor whom she called Richard Duke of Yorke the younger brother to Edward the fift but hearing the King intended to make away young Warwicke who was sonne to the Duke of Clarence and then prisoner in the Tower they changed his name from Yorke to Warwicke who was no other than the sonne of a Baker this youth shee put to the tutoring of A new Conspiracy a Priest who so well improved him that hee could now to the life personate a Prince and for no lesse he was received first into Ireland to whom the Earle of Lincoln came who also made a pretended right to the Crowne To whose aide the Dutchesse sent two thousand Almaines under the command of one Martin Swart an old Souldier and of approved Discipline these with the Lord Lovel and Kildare landed in Lancashire and made towards York with whom the King met at a place called Stoak in which fight the army of the Rebels Stoak field was routed Swart and Lincoln slaine and the Lord Lovell thinking to swim the Trent was drowned and Simnel the mocke King taken whom the King would not put to death but made him a Turn-broach in his Kitchen where hee continued long after CAP. 31. The Earle of Northumberland slaine by the Commons The Matchevilian plots of the Dutchesse of Burgundy to disturbe the peace of King Henry Perkin Warbeck her Creature He is nobly married in Scotland and taken for the Duke of Yorke the death of the Lord Standley and others Divers insurrections about Perkin his death with the young Earle of Warwicke The death of the King A prophesie of the reigne of Henry the eighth IN the fourth yeare of this Kings Reigne the Earle of Northumberland sent to gather some Taxes which were to bee levied in the North was slain by the commons The Earle of Northumberland slaine by the Commons who still favoured the party of the Yorkists And further to countenance the act they made an insurrection and chused for the Captaines one Chambers and another Egremond to suppresse whom was sent the Noble and valiant Earle of Surrey who having discomfited their Army and tooke Chambers with divers others of the chiefe Rebells who were led to Yorke The Rebells slaine and taken and there executed as Traytors But Egremond fled the field and escaped to the Dutchesse of Burgundy whose Court was a Sanctuary for all Male-contents and Fugitives threat Thus from the cold Septentrion Mars did And warme their frigid pulses with his heat This subtile Mercurialist knowing how wisely and politickly the King had borne him betwixt the Emperour and the King of France who had beene at mortall enmity about the marriage of the young Dutchesse of Britaine she being first contracted by a Proxie to the old Emperor but from him divorced before enjoy'd and
Perkin proclaims himselfe K. of England under which title they marched as farre as Exeter and laid siege to the City making against it many violent assaults to rescue which and to remove the siege the King came with a strong Army at whose approach the multitude submitted themselves for their Captaine Perkin had forsooke them and tooke Sanctuary at Bewdley and of the Kings free grace were pardoned King Henry loath to violate the priviledge of Sanctuary would not take him thence perforce but upon promise of life he yeelded Perkin taken by the K. himselfe to the king who after he had confessed unto him all the manner of his jugling and from whence it came he brought him up with him towards London where by the way hee was made a scorne and mockery of the people upon the eight and twentieth of November he was committed to the Tower and after set at large and was at free liberty in the Court From Again sent to the Tower whence he made a second escape and being againe taken his life was againe pardoned and he sent to the Tower But for that delicate Lady Katherine Gordon the wife of this counterfeit his Majesty much The Kings bounty to the Lady commiserating that the noblenesse of her blood should be so much abused heega◅e unto her the meanes of a Marchionesse a yearely revenue answerable to so noble a birth and rare a beauty Whilest the Dutchesse of Burgundies creature was thus in the Tower hee plotted with the young Earle of Warwicke who had beene there a prisoner from his infancy who had so farre prevailed with the Lievtenants servants that upon promise of reward they had plotted by killing of their Master to make themselves keepers of the keyes and set the two prisoners at liberty which plot being discovered before it came to proofe upon the sixteenth of November in White-hall at West minster for the former predictory practice were arraigned Perkin Warbeck and three others and being convicted of capitall Treason Perkin and one Iohn Awater were soone after hanged at Tyburne and Perkin hanged at Tyburne soone after the young Earle of Warwick sonne to the Duke of Clarence was beheaded at Tower Hill and the same day one Blewet and another The young Earle of Warwick beheaded on Tower-hil Astwood executed at Tyburne Thus you see how the Dutchesse of Burgundies plots were confounded in the death of this Perkin Concerning whom it was thus long before predicted That Mercury should though it might seeme rare Consult with Cassiopeia in her Chaire To fashion new impostures c. And then the former discoursed of never were any that carryed such countenance to the deluding of so many forraigne Princes the Prophet in Cassiopeia with whom Mercury consulted meaning the factious Dutchesse who by all her endevours studied to disturbe the peace of that prudent prince King Henry who was able to over-match her in policy and therefore Merlin fore seeing her future jugling by impostures and adulteration yet seeming Heires to the Crowne as also his sundry Troubles in the North raised by Scots and qualified againe by the valour of the noble Earle of Surrey the Kings Lievtenant and others the sequell is verified But warres god By sword nor Hermes by his charming rod Shall ought prevail where power and prudence And when Religion shall devotion greet meet Where all these foure at once predominant are Vain are th' attempts of stratagem or warre But he who of the former is possest Shall be abroad renowm'd and at home blest This Cassiopeia was the daughter of Aeolus the Cassiopeia and where the allusion grew wife of Cepheus and mother of Andromeda who in her pride of beauty comparing with the Nereides was after translated amongst the Stars in whom the prophet allegorically compreheuds the Burgundian Dutchesse I am loth to enter into a further discourse of the passages in this Kings Reigne being excellently and judicially exprest by Sir Francis Bacon Lord Chancellor in prose and in an accurate and ingenious poeme by Master Charles Allein Briefly this worthy and wise Prince expired the Saturday before Saint Georges day being the one and twentieth of Aprill at his Mannour of Richmond The death of Henry the seventh when hee had raigned three and twenty yeeres and eight moneths wanting but one day in whose prayse no pen can bee too prodigall who studied rather to end his warres by policy then the profuse effusion of Christian bloud In so much that all his Neighbour Princes laboured to have with him peace and alliance and because in all Temporall policies he farre exceeded all the Christian Princes in his time reigning Three sundry Popes Alexander the sixt Pius the Third and Iulius the second every of them during the time they held their Ecclesiasticall Soveraignty by the unanimous consent of their spirituall Counsels admitted him for a chiefe K. Henry much favoured by the Bishops of Rome Defender of the Church above all others and for a confirmation of the same sent unto him by three severall famous Embassadours three rich Swords and three Caps of Maintenance who notwithstanding his many costly buildings and infinite expences as well in forreigne parts as to pacifie the domestick Tumults and Seditions in his owne Kingdome left behind him a mighty His great riches at his death magazin of Treasure with riches innum◅rable complying with the prophesie Fame afar off his glorious acts shall tell And Plutus neere hand make his coffers swell Him succeeded his sole son after the decease of Prince Arthur Henry the Eighth of that name the true and rightfull inheritour to the two Crownes of England and France Who began his Soveraignty of this Realme the two and twentieth day of Aprill in the yeere of the Incarnation of our blessed Lord and Saviour one thousand five hundred and nine and was crowned at Westminster on the day of the Feast of Saint Iohn Baptist or Decollations This Royall Prince was joyfully received as the successour The Coronation of K. Henry the eighth to so worthy a Prince as his Father who was both famous and fortunate from the beginning to the end of his Reigne of whom it was thus predicted Rouze him shall this fierce Lion in his den The prophesic of Henry the Eighth Be favoured of the gods and fear'd of men Gallia shall quake Albania stand in aw And Caesars stoop when he but shews his paw To league with him Hesperia shall take pride Those whom the Africke Moores halfe blacke had dyde He by his art shall fashion Musicall grounds From th' untun'd Harp that discords only soūds And further from the sceptarchy of Hils That Europe aws and triple-crown that fils The Christian world with terror take the power And bring it home unto his British bower Blunting the horns of all the Bashan Buls And rooting from the Land the razord skuls O're Glastenbury for the eye that 's dim May at that day behold a Whiting swim
But none without their faults since Adams fal He shall have many vertues but not all Who never spares for who can fraeilty trust Man in his rage or woman in his lust CHAP. 32. Prince Henry married to his brothers wife Hee winneth Turwin and Turney in France Floden-Field with the famous victory against the Scots Charles Brandon Duke of Suffolke marrieth the French Queene the Kings sister The Emperour Charles the fift made Knight of the Garter Peace with France Both Kings defie the Emperour The death of Cardinall Wolsey Henry divorced from his first wife Marrieth the Lady Anne Bulloigne Her death He marrieth the Lady Iane Seimour He revolteth from Rome The Earle of Hartfords victories in Scotland Bulloigne besieged and wonne HEnry the Seventh who was loth to part with the Dower of the Spanish princesse wrought so by a Dispensation from the pope that his sonne prince Henry was married to the late Widdow of his own brother prince Arthur deceased who comming to the Crown some say by the counsell of his Father on his death-bed put to death Empson and Dudley who had gathered a great masse of money into the Kings treasury by exacting and extorting from the Commons of whom they were extreamly hated for which piece of justice he wonne the hearts of the people and soone after was borne at Richmond upon New yeares The birth and death of prince Henry day prince Henry the Kings sonne who died upon S. Matthews day the yeere following and soon after was the Lord Dacres sent into Spaine to aide the King against the Moores and Sir Edward Poynings into Gelderland to aide the prince of Castile And in his fourth yeere the King in person invaded France and tooke Turwin and Turney having discomfited the French King Henry aydeth Spaine invadeth France Floden Field in which the K. of Scots was slain Hoast at a place called Blewmy during which time the Scotch King raised against England an hundred thousand men whom the Earle of Surry the Kings Lievtenant encountred at a place called Flodden in which battaile the King himselfe was slaine with eight Bishops and eleven Earles besides of the common souldiers innumerable for which service by him done King Henry created him Duke of Norfolke and his sonne Earle of Surrey In his sixt yeere a peace was concluded betwixt England and France and in the seventh Peace betwixt England and France yeere the French King espoused the Lady Mary the Kings sister in the moneth of Iune and died upon New yeares day next ensuing wherefore The birth of the Lady Mary Charles Brandon married to the French Queen Mary the kings sister the King sent for her againe by Charles Brandon Duke of Suffolke In February was borne the Lady Mary the Kings Daughter at Greenwich and in Aprill the French Queene came over into England and was married to the foresaid Duke of Suffolke in which yeere also Margaret Queene of Scots the Kings sister fled into England and lay at a place called Hare-bottle where she was delivered of a daughter called Margaret and came to London in May and tarried here a whole yeer and upon the eighth of May following returned again into her Country In October the tenth yeer of the King the Admirall An enteâ—… view betwixt the Kings of England and France of France came into England and Tournay was delivered againe to the French King whom after Henry met between Arde and Guiens where were great Triumphs after there was a solemne meeting betwixt the Emperour and Charles the fift and the King of England who went with him to Graveling and after hee went to Calice with the King where hee was royally entertained and feasted who in the thirteenth of the King the sixt of Iune was honourably received Charles the fift Emperor made Knight of the Garter into the City of London by the Lord Major the Aldermen and the Communalty who from London went to meet the King at Windsore where he was made Knight of the Garter which was done with great solemnity and then from Southampton hee sailed into Spain soone after Christian King of Denmarke came into England and had Royall entertainment from the King During these passages the Earle of Surrey Lord Admirall who before had appeased the tumults and manifold combustions stirred up in Britain Picardy France invaded by the English Ireland burnt divers Townes in Britaine and Picardy and the Duke of Suffolke invaded France with 10000 men and passing the River of Some spoyled many Towns and Villages and returned without opposition and the Duke of Albany in Scotland who before had made a vain e attempr against England besieged the Castle of Wark but hearing of the Earle of Surreys marching towards him he fled into his Countrey In the eighteenth yeere of the King Cardinall Cardinall Wolsey Embassadour into France Wolsey went over into France pompously attended where he concluded a league betwixt the King of England and the French King who both defied the Emperour and sent an Army into Italy to make war against him and upon the nineteenth of October the great Master of England and France defied the Emperour France came over to England to ratifie the League made betwixt the two Kings all which verifie that part of the prediction Rouze him shall this fierce Lion in his den Be favoured of the gods and fear'd of men Gallia shall quake Albania stand in awe And Caesars stoop when he but shews his paw To league with him Hesperia shall take pride Those whom the Africke Moores halfe blacke have dyde By Albania is meant Seotland so called from Albanactus the second sonne of Brute the first King thereof and by Hesperia Spaine who after the African Moores had long possessed the greatest part of the Land by enterchangable merceage betwixt them and the Natives the Spaniards are black and tawny even to this day In the one and twentieth yeare the King having cast his eye upon a new Mistris pretending A divorce sought by the King betwixt him and Queen Katherine a matter of conscience hee began to consider with himselfe that hee had long incestucusly lived with his brothers wife for which cause the Legats of Rome met with the King at Black Fryers about the lawfulnesse or unlawfulnesse of that marriage Amongst the rest Cardinall Wolsey standing stiffe against a Divorce in October following was discharged of his Chancellourship and presently after was a peace concluded betwixt the Emperour and the King and in the yeere after the great Cardinall who had been arrested of high Treason and by that meanes forfeited his infinite estate to the The death of Card. Wolsey King died on Saint Andrews in a poore Fryery not without suspition of poyson After by a legall course and due processe of Law the king was divorced from the Lady Katherine his brothers wife and soone after married to the Lady Anne Bulloigne who upon The King married
his pious devotion then Roman Iulius did for Rome in his great magnanimity and prowesse Now to prove that King Edward was a Caesar To prove King Edward a Caesar. the young Lady Iane Seymour being at Hampton Court when the time of her teeming came and there was small hope of her delivery news was brought to the King that her throes were violent upon her and that the Infant could not be brought into the world but by the death of the mother For by preserving the one the other must needs perish When that his pleasure was demanded what was to be done in so strict an exigent Hee commanded that the child should be cut from the wombe saying Sure I am that I can have more wives but uncertaine I am whether I can have more children c. Upon the sixt day of Iuly in the yeere one thousand five hundred fifty three Iohn Barnes The death of Edward the sixt Mercer being Lord Major and William Garret and Iohn Mainard Sheriffs at Greenwich departed out of this world King Edward of that name the sixth in the sixteenth of his age and the seventh of his Reigne whom some say that hee died of a pleurisie others that hee was poysoned by a Nosegay For it was generally murmured by the people that the Uncles being removed the Nephew could not long remaine after which best complyes with the former calculation which saith Then fall must this faire structure built on hie And th' English like the Roman Caesar die The first made away in the Court the other murdered in the Capitoll of which hopefull and toward Prince this character is left to future memory Hee was carefull for the establishing of the Protestant Religion to have it flourish through His Character His zeale to the propagation of true Religion all his Dominions The Masse hee abolished and Images demolished the learned men of his time he greatly incouraged moving them to interpret the Scriptures to the capacities of the vulgar and commanded the Liturgie and Common Prayers to bee read in the English tongue In his minority hee had maturity of judgement and was literated in all the Arts liberall of a retentive memory He knew all the Ports and Havens in England France Scotland and Ireland being as well acquainted with their scites as their names In the Greeke Latin French Italian and Spanish Tongues extraordinarily verst in Logicke Morall Philosophy and the Mathematicks conversant in Cicero Livy Tacitus and Salust frequent Hesiod and Sophocles His knowledge in all kindes of literature he understood and was able to interpret Isocrates from the originall He was wisely witty even to wonder his body featured and his minde modelled almost to miracles religiously he lived devoutly he dyde that he breath'd his last it is certaine but where his body lyes buried to us most uncertain CHAP. 34. The Lady Iane proclaimed Queene Northumberlands Commission to suppresse the Lady Mary Hee is arrested of high Treason The Coronation of Queen Mary A prediction of her Reigne The Romish Religion restored The death of Northumberland Of Suffolke Of Guilford Dudley Of the Lady Iane Gray Her character The death of Cranmer Ridley and Latimer The life of Cardinall Poole twice elected Pope His comming into England and made Archbishop of Canterbury His death THe two ambitious Dukes of Northumberland and Suffolke thinking to disable the two sisters Mary and The ambition of the two Dukes Elizabeth the daughters of King Henry the Eighth from any lawfull claime to the Crowne as reputing them no better then bastards had made a matcht betwixt Guilford Dudley the fourth sonne to Northumberland and the Lady Iane Gray sole daughter to the Duke of Suffolke and pretending that King Edward in his last will nominated her Heire apparant to the Crowne after his death they caused the said Lady Iane presently upon the Kings death Iune the tenth to be proclaimed Queene and true and immediate Heire to the Kingdome The Lady Iane Gray proclaimed Queen in sundry places of the City of London which proved to her utter ruine The Lady Mary being at that time at Framingham The Suffolke men adhere to the Lady Mary in Suffolke was much troubled at the report of such disastrous news which the more perplexed her because she had intelligence that it was done by the Nobility and the whole body of the Councell to whom the Suffolke men assembling as not liking such shuffling in state proffered her their voluntary assistance to possesse her in her lawfull and indubitate inheritance Before which time The great Duke of Northumberland having a large Commission granted him by the Lords of the Councell and Northumberlands Commission to fetch in the Lady Mary signed with the great Seale of England had raised an army with intent both to suppresse and surprize the Lady Mary which was no sooner advanced and the rising of the Suffolke men bruited at Court but the Lords in generall either for feare of the Commons or repenting them of the injury done unto the rightfull Inheritrix they sent a countermand after the Duke to lay by his Armes who when he thought himselfe in his greatest power being abandoned by the Nobility he was also forsaken of the Commons so that at Cambridge hee with his sonnes and some few servants were left alone who thinking thereby to make his peace in the open market place proclaimed the Lady Mary Queen of England France and Ireland Defender of the Faith c. notwithstanding which in Kings Colledge hee was arrested of high Treason and Northumberland arrested of high treason from thence brought up to London and committed to the Tower Then was the Lady Mary generally received as Queen so proclaimed through the Kingdom the twentieth of Iuly and the third of August The Lady Mary received for Queen following shee tooke possession of the Tower and during her abode there released all the Romish Bishops there imprisoned From thence she road in great state through London towards her palace of Westminster where shee was solemnely crowned by Stephen Gardiner Bishop of Winchester her sister the Lady Elizabeth being present at her Coronation Of this Queene and her Reign it is thus predicted Then shall the masculine Scepter cease to sway A prediction of her and her Reigne And to a Spinster the whole Land obey Who to the Papall Monarchy shall restore All that the Phoenix had fetcht thence before Then shall come in the faggot and the stake And they of Convert bodies bonefires make Match shall this Lionesse with Caesars sonne From the Pontifick sea a pool shall runne That wide shal spread it's waters and to a flood In time shal grow made red with martyrs blood Men shall her short unprosperous Reigne deplore By losse at sea and damage on the shore Whose heart being dissected you in it May in large characters find Calice writ Now ceased the Heire Male to Reign and the Scepter was disposed to
the Female which was not seen nor known since long before the Conquest when Bouduca or as some call her Boadicia soveraignized In the time of Nero Caesar and Spinster was an ancient British Title given to the Feminine sex before King Edgars Reign by which name even princesses being convented or summoned into any Court are called unto this day but to proceed with the History in the tenth day of the moneth after her Coronation A Parlament in which Romish Religion is restored began a Parlament in which besides the supplanting of the protestant Religion which began to be establisht in the dayes of King Edward were convicted and attainted of high Treason Iohn Duke of Northumberland Thomas Cranmer late Archbishop of Canterbury Sir Ambrose Dudley Knight Guilford Dudley Esquire and Husband to the Lady Gray Sir Andrew Dudley Knight with others as William Marquesse of Northampton Iohn Earle of Warwicke c. and the twelfth of August was beheaded on the The death of the Duke of Northumberland Tower Hill Iohn Dudley Duke of Northumberland Sir Iohn Gates and Sir Thomas Palmer Thus you see the end of Northumberland if any bee desirous to know also what became of Suffolke I can parallell him to none more genuinely than to the Duke of Buckingham Hee Underwood a second Banister had a Banister this an Vnderwood a servant raised by him to a faire revenue and to whose safeguard he had committed his person who in a spacious hollow Tree for some few moneths concealed him whether hee brought him meat and drinke with millions of oaths ingag'd for his truth and fidelity but being easily corrupted with some small quantity of gold and many large and liberall promises hee Iudas-like betrayde his Master and delivered him up to the Noble Earle of Huntington who with a strong guard brought him through London to the Tower He was after arraigned in the great Hall The death of the Duke of Suffolke at Westminster and soone after on the Tower Hill lost his head Yet probable it was that the Queene had pardoned that offence had he not seconded it with another by confedering with Sir Thomas Wiat of Kent to interpose her marriage with Philip of Spain sonne to the Emperour and to that purpose departed secretly into Warwicke and Leicestershire where hee knew himselfe best affected and made their open Proclamation to keep all strangers from the Land for which hee fell into the Queens irreconciliable displeasure which not only hasted his owne end but the deaths of Guilford and the Lady Iane for the Statists at that time especially those that were devoted to the Romish faction held it no policie to suffer any of the contrary Religion to live especially if they could intrap them in any quiddits of Law which might be stretcht to be made Capitall therefore upon the twelfth of February in the yeere one thousand five hundred fifty foure it being the first day of the week Guildford Dudley was brought to the Scaffold upon the Tower hill where when hee The death of Guilford Dudley had with all Christian devotion made his peace with Heaven hee with a setled and unmoved constancy submitted himselfe to the stroake of death which was given in the sight of his excellent Spouse who to that purpose was placed in a window within the Tower the object strikeing more cold to her heart then the sight of that fatall axe by which shee was presently to The death of the Lady Iane Gray suffer which she most patiently endured Never was sweet Ladies death more passionately bewayled being remarkable in Iudge Morgan who pronounced the sentence against her who presently after fell mad and in all his distracted ravings Cryed Take away the Lady The death of Iudge Morgan Iane take her from mee and in that extream distemperature with these words in his mouth ended his life some report that shee was young with childe at the time of her suffering but though her Romish opposites were many and the times bloudy Christian charity may perswade they would not use such inhumanity especially against a person of her Royall bloud and Linage she was an excellent Lady endued with more vertues and extraordinary endowments then is frequently found in that sex being a patterne to others for true Religion and Piety of which her godly Oration to the people and holy prayer at her death extant in Mr. The Lady Ianes character Her age at her death Fox his Martyrologie abundantly witnesse shee exceeded not sixteen yeeres of age of an excellent feature and amiable aspect of Learning incredible in wit incomparable of inforced Honours so unambitious that she never attyred her selfe in any Regall ornaments but constrainedly and with teares Divers of her Latin Verses have beene spread to posterity and of her Works in the English Tongue an Epistle to a learned man falne off from the Truth and turnd Apostate another Epistle to her sister with a Colloquy or reasoning with one Freckman a Romist about Faith and the Sacraments c. Soon after followed the deaths of Doctour Cranmer Archbishop of Canterbury acquit of The deatâ—…s of Cranmer Latimer and Ridley Treason and condemed of Heresie Nicholas Ridley late Bishop of London and Hugh Latimer with infinite others insomuch that scarce any City or Market Towne thorow the whole Kingdome in which some pious professor or other had not felt the scorching of the fire and faggot I should fill whole pages to reckon up particulars only thus in briefe it is observed that Queene Maries Reigne was the shortest of any Prince since the Conquest that wore the Crown Richard the Thirds only excepted and that more Christian bloud was spilt in her few yeeres concerning Religion and matter of The great tyranny used in her time conscience then had been shed in any one Kings Reigne since the time of King Lucius the first establisher of Christianity in this his Realme of England which recollects the memory of the former prophesie where he speaks of the Spinster Who to the Papall Monarch shall restore All that the Phaenix had fetcht thence before Then shall come in the Faggot and the Stake And they of convert bodies bonefires make c. By the Phaenix meaning King Edward so tearmed by Hieronymus Cardanus because hee was unparalleld in his time and by the Convert bodies those who where converted to the reformed and protestant Religion for which cause thousands in sundry places of the Kingdome suffered Now why Queene Mary was so zealous to propagate the popish faith it followeth next to enquire she was brought up Why Queen Mary was so forward to preferre the Romish Religion under her Mothers wing a Spaniard who being of the Spanish blood persisted in the Spanish beliefe but when her mother after three yeares divorce from the King expired she was committed to the guardianship of Margaret Countesse of Salisbury and daughter to George Duke of Clarence brother to Edward
an oath all which were convicted condemned drawne hanged and quartered also upon Friday the twentie eight of March in the fourth yeare of the King Henry Garnet the Henry Garnet provinciall of the Iesuits executed provinciall or principall of the English Iesuites was arraigned at Guild Hall in London upon the same Treason and condemned and after drawn from the Tower to the West end of Pauls was executed like the former Traitors Thus wee see That from the old Lupanar Wolves were sent To undermine both crown and government Striving in Hell to register their names By blowing up the State in powder flames c. The word Lupanar comes from Lupa a shee Wolfe or Prostitute so was the wife of Fanstulus the Nurse to the two Infants Romulus and Lupanar shee was also called Acca Laneratia Remus the first erectors of Rome called from Lupa comes also Lupanar that is a brothelhouse and Idolatry is called fornication almost through the whole Scripture and from Rome had these Arch-traytors their Incendiary c. Amongst other Royall Visitants Christianus the fourth of that name King of Denmarke came into England royally attended to see his The King of Denmarke commeth into England brother in law King Iames and his naturall sister Queene Anne whom the King in person met a shipboord with Prince Henry The Duke of Lenox and divers of the Nobility and dined with him in his Cabin the two Kings afterward rode triumphantly through the City of London the Embassadors of France Spaine and Venice being spectatours of the solemnity Here Hee was royally and magnificently entertained and feasted till his returne c. who liked his welcome so well that hee came hither the second time And in all the passages of His Majesties Reigne where was nothing seen but peace tranquillity and quietnesse there is no subject to write on but of sundry Plantations during his Reigne as in Virginia Bermudas or the Summer Islands c. Of men raised to Office and Honour of his severall Embassies into Forreign Countries to make peace and attonement betwixt divided Kingdomes and his enterchangeable entertayning of their Embassadours of the mariage of the Lady Elizabeth to the prince Palatine of the death of that most hopefull plant of Honour and Royalty Prince Henry of whom I have read this Epitaph In Natures law 't is a plain case to die No cunning Lawyer can demurre on that An Epitaph upon Prince Henry For cruell death and fat all destinie Serve all men with a finall Latitat tryde So brave Prince Henry when his cause was Confest the action paid the debt and dyde I may also put you in remembrance of the new erecting of the Artillery Garden of the New River brought to London of the building of the New Exchange in the Strand and Hicks Hall of Censures in the Star-chamber in the High Commission Court the burning of the Banquetinghouse c. of Sir W. Raleigh's execution at Westminster c. the creating of George Villiers Gentleman Duke his Mother Countesse of Buckingham with infinite other peaceable passages but these are now out of my road In the year one thousand six hundred and eighteene upon Wednesday the eighteenth of November ablazing Starre appeared and upon Tuesday the second of March following at Hampton Court dyed Queene Anne of whom was made this Epitaph The death of Queen Anne Her to invite the great God sent his star Whose friends and kindred mighty Princes are Who though they run the race of men and die Death seems but to refine their majesty So did this Queen frō hence her Court remove And left the earth to be inthron'd above Then she is chang'd not dead no good Prince dyes But like the day-star only set to rise Upon Monday the sixteenth of February one thousand six hundred twenty three the King with the Nobility prepared to goe to the Parlament House but that morning dyed Lodowick Duke of Richmond and Lenox at Vpon the death of the Duke of Richmond and Lenox his lodging at the Court in White Hall who is worthily remembred in this Epitaph following Are all diseases dead or will death say She could not kill this prince another way Yes it was so for time and death conspired To make his death as was his life admired The Commons were not summond now I see Meerly to move laws but to mourne for thee No lesse then all the Bishops could suffice To wait upon so great a sacrifice The Court the Altar was the Waiters peeres The mirrh and frankineense great Cosins tears A braver offering with more pompe and state Nor time nor death could ever celebrate Of King Iames his wisdome integrity bounty his study of peace which hee made good in his Motto Beati Pacifici and for all his other singular vertues He with a superarrogative overplus made good what was before for many yeares predicted of him all which may be included in this one Epitaph made upon him Can Christendomes great Champion sink away Thus silently into a bed of clay Can such a Monarch die and not to have An Earthquake at the least to ope his grave Did there no Meteors fright the Vniverse Nor Comet hold a torch to light his Herse Was there no clap of thunder heard to tell All Christendom their losse and ring his knell Impartiall Fates I see all princes then men Though they liv'd Gods yet they must die like And the same passing bell may toll for them Which rung but now the beggers requiem When such a soule is from the earth bereaven Me thinks there should be triumph made in Heaven The stars should run at tilt at his decease To welcome him into the place of peace Who whilst hee liv'd in peace liv'd and did Being in peace to keepe peace still alive strive No widows curses and no Orphants cryes Shall interrupt his hallowed obsequies For their slain husbands or their fathers lost In bloudy war to wake thy peacefull ghost Let thy great predecessors boast the pryse Of glorious and yet bloudy victories Let them upon their sepulchers expose Triumphs of war and spoyle of forreigne foes And glory to have turn'd the harvest field To a pitcht Campe and ploughshare to a shield So that on bloudy furrows there were born As many blades of steele as now of corne Yet shall thy prayse be greater since thy joy Was to plant nations rather then destroy And though no mortall trophy speak thy prayse Because no drop of bloud hath staind thy dayes Yet this sure truth their greatest fame controls They subdu'd bodies thou hast conquered souls Truth was thy banner the thrice sacred word Thy target and thy pen a two edg'd sword But lo when Spanish coast Romes canon shot False Gowries treason Cateshy's powder-plot Could not destroy all these thy fate did brave A Fever would needs bring thee to thy grave For being mortall fate could not invent His passage by a nobler instrument Then his own bloud which made him compre VVithin himselfe the glory of his end hena Like to a circle this rich Diamond must Be cut by no means else then it 's owne dust Thus is our Sun set never to return Pay therefore tri◅ute to his funerall urn All peacefull souls and with true sorrows sence Give unto him your hearts benevolence Of pious teares then turn you from the VVest To see the new Sun rising in the East King Charles the first of that name King of Prince Charles proclaymed King England began his Reigne on Sunday the twenty seventh of March one thousand six hundred twenty five and the next day after commanded by proclamation that all Officers and Magistrates of what degree or quality soever through out his whole Dominions should sti◅l use and exercise all such power and authoritie as they held from his Father of blessed memory untill his pleasure were further knowne and on Saturday the seventh of May next ensuing were performed the Funerall rites of his Father King The Funerall of King Iames Iames and his corps with all magnificence and state carried from Denmark house in the Strand to VVestminster Abbey Church King Charles being the chiefe and principall Mourner artended with all the Nobility Clergy and Iudges with sundry Embassadors and all his officers and domesticke servants in mourning habits His Herse being more royally adorned and attended then any of his predecessour Kings in which magnificent solemnity his corps was interred in the Chappell Royall c. I should now pr◅ceed to the Reigne of the high mighty and invincible Prince Charles concerning whose sacred person my rude pen dare not be so bold nor with any of his just and Of Prince Charles royall proceedings but am rather content to leave them to those of more knowing and bet ter approved judgements and more frequently verst in state businesse and the laws and limits that belong to History and Chronologie then my selfe yet thus farre according to my weake Talent and crassa Minerva let me borrow leave to confer on him though far short of his great meed and merit a briefe character Hee is a Prince wise and just crowned with all the especiall gifts of nature and fortune but which farre transcends the rest plenteously endowed with all heavenly graces Blest in a Royall chast and beautifull Consort blest with a most hopefull and numerous Issue conspicuous in the four Cardinall vertues Iustice Prudence Temperance and Fortitude grounded in the three Theologicall Graces Faith Hope and Charity illustrious in all other Vertues which generally adorne men but make a Prince greatly admired and gloriously eminent whom with his incomparable Queen the unparalleld Prince his sonne with the rest of his Royall Issue God Almighty in his great providence and infinite mercy continue in long life health prosperity and happinesse c. FINIS
impression both in the Princes themselves and both their Armies that a Truce being made they agreed to end the warre betwixt them in a single Duell for which was assigned an Isle called Olkney neere Gloster incompast with the water of Severne which makes good the prophesie Two Lions shall a dreadfull combat make And have their Lists incompast by a Lake In which place at the day prefixed the two worthy and warlike Champions compleatly armed singly met the two Hoastsstanding without the Isle where first they encountred with sharpe The combat betwixt Edmund and Canutâ—…s Lances on Horsback breaking them even to the very Truncheons then they alighted and fought long on foote with their keene swords till their armours were broken in divers places and they both were dangerously wounded when retyring for breath by the first motion of Canutus they made an accord betwixt themselves Canutus made the first motion of peace embracing one another as brothers to the great rejoycing of both Armies After which they made an equall partition of the Land and Canutus married Emma the mother of Edmund but the Snake Edricus whom his Lord had not only pardoned for his former Treason but promoted unto further dignity by creating him Earle of Kent notwithstanding which he corrupted his sonne then attending the King who awaited his opportunity and as he was doing the necessiites of nature strooke him with a Speare into the fundament of which mortall wound hee dyed soone after at Oxford Edmund slaine by the traytour Edricus Then Edricus posted in haste to Canutus and saluted him by the Title of sole Sovereigne of the Kingdome insinuating that for his love and honour hee had removed his Competitour and told him the manner how which Canutus having truly understood and that the Treason was uttered from his owne mouth and in his personall hearing like a just and wise Prince he replyed unto him Forasmuch ô Edricus as for my love thou hast slaine thy naturall Lord whom I entirely affected I shall exalt thy head above all the Lords of England and presently commanded his head to be struck off and pitcht A traytours just reward upon a pole and set upon the highest gate of London and his body to bee throwne into the River of Thames yet Marianus and others write otherwise concerning the manner of his death which makes good what is formerly spoken that a speckled Snake Ayming at high things shall his Lord betray Poysoning the Royall Nest in which he lay Meaning the Kings Treason in which the Traitor was closeted as one whom hee most favoured and honoured Canutus being now sole Monarch the white Canutus sole Monarch of England Dragon was forced to stoop to the Eagle that is the Saxons were compeld to bee under the subjection of the Danes by whom they were so miserably opprest that scarce the tenth part of them were left in the Land and these that remayned were forced to tithe their goods and pay it as a tribute to the Danes therefore saith the Prophet Of the white Dragon so the Fates agree A Decimation in the end shall bee It followeth in the History in a great assembly made of the King and his Barons a question was propounded whether in the composition made betwixt Edmund and Canutus there was any mention made of Edmunds children to have the inheritance of their Father after his death that was in halfe part of the Kingdome to which a great part of them thinking thereby to insinuate unto the Kings favour answered Nay but it hapned unto them contrary to their expectation for knowing them to be naturall Englishmen and before sworn to King Edmund and his heires hee hated them for their perjury never trusting them after but some hee exiled The Kings conscionable justice and some were slaine and others being strooke with the hand of God died suddenly It was likewise ordered by the foresaid Counsell that the two sonnes of Ironside Edmund and Edward should be sent to Swanus the elder brother of Canutus King of Denmarke the purpose is diversly reported some say to be slaine What became of the sons of Edmund Ironside and that Swanus abhorring the Act sent them to Salomon then King of Hungary where Edmund died of a naturall death but his brother Edward in the processe of time married Agatha the daughter of Henry the fourth of that name Emperour and by her besides daughters had a sonne sirnamed Ethelinge This Edward of our English Chronologers is named the Out-law because he never returned into England his native Country In this interim died Swanus King of Denmarke and the Crowne fell to Canutus so that he was sole Sovereigne of both Nations the English and the Danes Canutus landed in Denmarke with a strong Army to possesse himselfe of his lawfull Inheritance and to oppose the Vandals who had pierced that Land and when the King was otherwise negotiated Earle Goodwin with a band of Englishmen set upon the Invaders by night and rowted their whole Army for which noble act the King had him in great favour and the English Nation ever after This King was greatly beloved of his subjects for many of his vertues as being very charitable and devout a great repayrer and decorer of Churches especially of divers Cathedrals which hee caused to be richly beautified with gilding their Altars and Roofs more gloriously then in former ages thereby confirming that part of the prophesie What time the red shall to his joy behold The rooffs of all the Temple shine with gold Meaning the red Dragon Some attribute the cause of his devotion to a noble care he had to repaire what his tyrannicall Father had before ruined that the memory of his Atheisticall cruelty might bee quite forgot others that it was at the Altar of Emma his Queen the Widow Dowager of Egelredus and mother of Ironside who was a Lady of great religious sanctity Hee made also a Voyage to Rome where hee was pontifically received by Bennet the eight of that name and demeaned himselfe with great magnificence and honour It is further reported of him that after his great entertainment there and return from rhence he was so tumoured with pride that standing by the Thames side at a flowing tyde hee charged the water that it should presume no further nor dare to touch his feet which was so farre from obeying his command that he stil keeping his ground from his ankles it came up to his knees at which suddenly stepping backe out of Vaine pride soone repented of the River he blushing said By this all earthly Kings may know that their powers are vaine and transitory and that none is worthy of that name but he who created the Elements and to whom they only obey This Canutus married his eldest daughter by his Wife Elgina the daughter to the Earle of Hampton to Henry sonne of the Emperour Conradus The death of Canutus the second of that name
and soone after died at Shaftbury and was buried at Winchester when he had reigned nineteen yeeres leaving two sonnes Harold sirnamed for his swiftnesse in running Harefoot and Hardy Canutus whom Harold sonne of Canutus King of England in his life time hee caused to bee crowned King of Denmarke Harold succeeded his Father in the Crowne of England in the beginning of whose Reigne there was great doubt made of the Legitimacie of his birth or whether hee were the Kings sonne or no but more especially by Earle Goodwin who was a man of a turbulent spirit who to the utmost of his power would have disinherited him and conferred the Kingdome to his brother But Leofricus whom the King much loved and trusted by the assistance of the Danes opposed mightily Goodwin and his sonne so that they were utterly disappointed of their purpose Harold was no sooner setled in the Kingdome but hee robbed his stepmother Emma that good and devout Lady of her Iewels and Emma wife to Canutus banished Treasure and then banished her the Land wherefore she sailed to Baldwin Earle of Flanders where she was nobly entertained and continued all the Reigne of this Harold in which hee did nothing worth register or deserving memory who after three yeeres and some few moneths died at London or as some say at Oxford and having no issue left his brother Hardy Canutus heire to the Crowne with the death of whose elder brother I conclude this Chapter CHAP. 10. Merlins Prophesie of Hardy Canutus and Earle Goodwin which accordingly hapned his many Tyrannies amongst other his Tithing of the Norman Gentlemen the death of Prince Alured sonne to Canutus and Emma the strange death of Earle Goodwin After the death of Edward the Confessor Harold Earle Goodwins sonne usurpeth YOu see how hitherto Merlin hath predicted nothing which the successe and event have not made good wee will yet examine him further and prove if hee have beene as faithfull in the future as the former who thus proceedeth And Helluo then with open jaws shall yawne Devouring even till midnight from the dawn And he an Hydra with seven heads shall grace Glad to behold the ruine of his race And then upon the Neustrian bloud shall prey And tithe them by the pole now well away Burst shall he after gordg'd with humane blood And leave his name in part of the salt flood Iron men in woodden Tents shall here arrive And hence the Saxons with her Eglets drive c. It followeth in the History Hardy Canutus the Hardy Canutus the Dane crowned King of England sonne of Canutus and Emma began his Reigne over England in the yeere of Grace one thousand forty one who was oâ—… such cruelty as that he was no sooner setled in the State but he presently sent Alphricus Archbishop of Yorke and Earle Goodwin to Westminster to take up the A barbarous cruelty in a brother body of his deere brother and having parted the head from the shoulders to cast them into the River Thames which was by them accordingly performed the cause thereunto moving was for rifling and after exiling his mother Emma whom hee caused with great honour to be brought againe into the Land Hee revived also the almost forgotten Tribute His riot and eâ—…cesse called Dane gelt which hee spent in drinking Deep and Feeding high for these were his delights For besides his immoderate quaffing he had the Tables through his Court spred four times a day with all the riot and excesse that might be devised who himselfe minding only gormondizing and voracitie committed the whole rule of the Land to Emma and Goodwin who had married the Daughter of Canutus by his first wife Elgina by whom many things were much misordered to the great discontent of the Commons This Earle had many sonnes as witnesseth Polychronicon lib. 6. cap. 15. by his Earle Goodwins sons and daughter first wife who was sister to Canutus hee had but one who by the striking of an Horse was throwne into the Thames and there drowned whose mother after died by Lightning and was of such incontinent life that shee prostituted Virgins and young women to make base and mercenary use of their bodies she dead he married a second of whom hee begot sixe sonnes Swanus Harold Tostius Wilnotus Syrthe or Surthe and Leofricus with a daughter named Goditha who after was married to Edward the Confessor Hardy Canutus wholly devoted to all voluptuousnesse being at a Feast at Lambeth in the midst of his mirth and jollity drinking a carowse out of a bowle elbow-deep fell downe Hardy Canutus dieth drinking suddenly and rested speechlesse for the space of eight dayes at the end whereof he expired in the eight day of Iune when hee had raigned two compleat yeeres leaving no issue lawful of his body and was buried by his Father at Winchester in whom ended the Line and Progeny of Swanus so that after this King the bloud of the Danes was quite extinct and made uncapable of any Regall Dignity within this Land The end of the Danish persecution and how long it continued Their bloudy persecution ceasing which had continued counting from their first landing in the time of Brightricus King of the West Saxons by the space of two hundred fifty five yeeres or thereabout by this Hardy Canutus Merlin intended his Helluo as being a gluttonou Prince whose bibacity and voracity would continue from morning till midnight in the first yeere of whose Reigne The two sonnes of Egelredus and Emma namely Alphred and Edward who before were sent into Normandy came into England to see their Mother and were Princely attended by a great number of brave Norman Knights and Gentlemen of which Earle Goodwin that By the seven heads are meant he and his six sonnes who aâ—…sisted him in all his bloudy projects subtle seven-headed Hydra before spoken of having notice ' hee began to plot and devise how to match his only daughter Goditha to one of the two Princes but finding Alured the eldest to be of an high and haughty spirit and would disdaine so mean a marriage he thought by supplanting him to conferre her upon the younger who was of a more flexible disposition Earle Goodwins pâ—…te to compasse which hee pretended to the King and Councell that it might prove dangerous to the state to suffer so many strangers to enter the Land without license By which he got authority and power to manage that businesse according to his owne discretion as being most potent with the King and a great incourager of his profusenesse and riot therefore being strongly accompanied he met with the two Princes and their traine and set upon them as Enemies killing the greater part of them at the first encounter and having surpris'd the rest upon a place called Guil-downe hee slue nine and saved the tenths and then thinking the number of the survivors too Earle Goodwins great cruelty great he tithed againe