THE Mirror of Martyrs OR The life and death of that thrice valiant Capitaine and most godly Martyre Sir Iohn Old-castle knight Lord Cobham OCCVLTA VERITAS TEMPORE PATET Printed by V.S. for William Wood. 1601 To the liuely image of all morall Vertues and true perfection of heauen-borne Arts William Couell Bachelor of Diuinitie all successe agreeable to the auncient worth of his ancestors THis Poem Right Wor which I present to your learned view some two yeares agoe was made fit for the Print that so long keeping the corner of my studie wherein I vse to put waste paper This first trew Oldcastle thought himselfe iniurde because he might not bee suffered to sustaine the scond Martyredome of the Presse In somuch that I was contented he should stand bare-headed to these churlish times and endure the censure of his vtmost enemies onely to make his Death more glorious Howsoeuer now he passeth vnder your protection and though my pensill be too weake either for his or your picture accept of the same because it comes from zeale The admirer of your vertues Io Weeuer To the Authors most honored friend Richard Dalton of Pilling enricht with all gifts of Nature and graced with the chiefe ornaments of true Gentilitie HOw ioyfully the Authors Poem goes To thee whose wit whose vertues he admires With what a willing soule hee daily shows That loue the which thy loue of him requires Whose name he honors and whose machlesse worth He can imagine better than set forth His minde farre more is than his feeble might Yet hath he wouen of this home-spunne thred So fine a webbe so richly scourde and dight Minerua like beyond the wisest head The which to praise were onely to this end To marre the loome and not the cloth to mend The Life and death of Sir Io Oldcastle knight Lord Cobham FAire Lucifer the messenger of light Vpon the bosome of the star-deckt skie Begins to chase the rauen-fethered night That stops the passage of his percing eie And heauing vp the brim of his bright beuer Would make that day which day was counted neuer But Mercurie be thou the morning Star Beare my embassage from Elysium Shew to my countrie hence remoued far From these pauilions I can neuer come Staind vice ascends from out th' infernall deepes But in the heauens vnspotted vertue keepes Deliuer but in swasiue eloquence Both of my life and death the veritie Set vp a Si quis giue intelligence That such a day shall be my Tregedie If thousands flocke to heare a Poets pen To heare a god how many millions then The many-headed multitude were drawne By Brutus speach that Caesar was ambitious When eloquent Mark Antonie had showne His vertues who but Brutus then was vicious Mans memorie with new forgets the old One tale is good vntill another's told Sing thou my dirgies like a dying Swan Whose painfull death requires a playning dittie That my complaint may pierce the hart of man Plaine be thy song sweete pleasing full of pittie And more to moue the multitude to ruth Let my apparell be the naked truth Truth bring I nak't for other weedes she scorneth Saue that her smocke in flames of coulored silke Is straunglie wrought her beawtie it adorneth As through the same it peares more white then milke In open view she comes faire comelie meeke For Truth the hidden corners doth not seeke My father Reignold Cobham whom so many Haue crownd with euer-greene victorious baies For valorous worth before him plac'd not any O but I must be parciall in his praise T'emblazon forth her owne truth Truth 's denide Herein the Truth for Truth is counted pride Within the Spring-tide of my flowring youth He stept into the winter of his age Made meanes Mercurius thus begins the Truth That I was made Sir Thomas Mowbraies page A meanes to die who meanes to liue so long Aged in ill in goodnesse euer yong There did I spend my purple-coloured May Bathing in blisse and courtlie blondishment Vntill the sentence on Saint Lamberts day Pronounced was of Mâ—wbraies banishment Of Englands woe of Richards lowe deposing Of Herfords honour of my seruice losing He might haue seen how Fate that day sore-pointed That gloomie day wherein the heauens did mone She would haue Herford Englands king annointed To rend the wreath of Diamonds from his Throne But Maiesty whose lustre is so bright Destroies the sense and dazleth the sight Fate the foule of-spring of black Erebus Th'inhabitresse of foamie Phlegeton Ill fortunes day star good lucks Hesperus Pale Deaths fore-teller grim Porphyrion Ioues scribe in brasse with pens of dragons wings The chiefe commaundresse both of gods and kings Earths Genius mans inauspicious starre A triple power the knowledge of things past To come and present Trumpeter to warre Ill at the first injurious at the last A crosse wherewith we all must rest contented Fare tho fore-seene can seldome bee preuented Then whil'st the Aprill of my yong yeares lasted Aged in nothing onely but my name Her forward budding in the prime I blasted With wind of pride and hoarie frost of shame With riotous Loue whose highest point's a pleasure with paine before repentance at more leasure And like a Trau'ler which his way hath lost In th' vnknowne woods when vp and downe he rangeth On euery side with blind Meanders crost And this for that that for another changeth Within the sharp-set thickets long thus tost At length finds this that he himselfe hath lost So in my youth I was a Traueler Within this world a wildernesse of woe No Palmers then could tell a Passenger Which way from danger safely he might goe Led once astray in youth who euer found His first trode path where pleasures do abound Thus lost within the Laborinth of sin Wandring the woods in Egypts gloomie Night Tying no threed from whence I first came in No Sun to shine no star to giue me light Echidnaes ofspring hell-borne serpents knew me And at their pleasures to strange pleasures drew me Some way I left before I had begun it And some was knottie othersome would bryre me This marrish ground and yet I could not shun it This steepe and sandie sooner it would tyre me This way to follow vertue would procure me To this my youthful head-strong yeares did lure me And youth excusd the errours in my nature Whose greenenes tooke vpon him all the fault Perswading me suâ—â— power was in no creature Once to resist vice when it gaue assault Perswasion 's vaine for one to vices bent The minde agrees as Nature doth consent Audacious Youth impatient being moued A witlesse substance in a seeming show Scorner of age of age yet best beloued By Phaeton the world's ouerthrow A sleepe a dreame a brauling lunacie A selfe-conceit short-killing plurasie Before this Youth in mirthfull sports was lauisht No meane Cumrades no base associates In company with my perfections rauisht Swore me for one of their confederates For valour wit and court-ship few
lady-woing eloquence The fetcher of Euridice from hell The cowards courage to vphold his armes The valiant mans encountring fresh alarmes The ioy to griefe-accloyd calamitie Thebes singing Syren to display her banners Prisoners comfort in cold miserie Cares cosoner reformer of the manners In sorrow smart exilement hunger anguish An helper least we faint despaire or languish Wench-wanton Ioue and faire Electraes daughter Of seauen starres the seauenth not appearing Empresse of solace greatest Queene of laughter Venus white doue and Mars his onely dearing Why am I thus in thy remembrance rotten And in thy sweete saint-pleasing songs forgotten Had some feirce Lionesse by the Libian so untaines Or blacke-mouth'd barking Scilla brought thee forth On flintie Etnaes sulphur-flaming mountaines By Tygres nurs'd in th'ice congealed north Thou couldst not be more frozen harted hatefull Injurious more lesse louing more vngratefull Neptune obtayning but his Amphitrite By the Dolphins meanes in heauens azure frame In the remembrance of this benefite Ten starâ— compacted by the Dolphins name Nor Gods nor men but Clownes illiterate rude Would thus be poisned with ingratitude O but I heare thy notes Angelicall On Orpheus siluer-sounding Harp excuse thee Whose strayned ditties most melodicall Tell me the world in dotage doth abuse me The world is old and I more old in name Old age by youth's preseru'd not by the same The time 's in dotage and the world in yeares This organ-aged litle world man Which cradle-witted infant-waxen peares Gray coated fond pale hoarie feeble wan Bald drie diseased rheumaticke and cold Therefore the world is earthlie doting old He that lyes well doth well this ill age fit Hee 's a bare foole which speakes the naked Truth The one wise follie th' other foolish wit This stripling world is alwaies thus in youth Such wisdome's doting doting's frostie cold Therefore the world is foolish doting old Old age within her hart a Fox doth hold A Kyte in hand a Bee within her brest Fox false deceaues Kyte greedie catch thee wold Bee angrie stings beleev'd come neare deprest These signes all shew within this world I could Therefore the world is crooked dooting old Shee builds high roofes with ruines of the Church Sels lyes for nothing Nothing for too much Faith for three farthings t' haue thee in the lurch Shee 's meale mouth'd simple scarse abiding tuch First shee is greedie next her craft behold Therefore the world is wylie doting old When for a looke shee will be in the lawe To take the wall is by the wall to dye At a great word she will her poynard draw Looke for the pincke if once thou giue the lye Is she not angry hot audacious bold Therefore the world is testie doting old T is greedie first which vsurers will nourish T is craftie Lawers lie not to the truth T is angry Fencers euery where do flourish Craft anger vsury neuer seene in youth In crabbed age these vices we behold Doubtlesse the world is wonderous doting old But all the world in question is not cald For art can varnish o're decayed nature Old men haue haire and many yong men bald Yet perriwigs and painting helpe their feature In nature weake in art the world's strong The world in age againe thus waxeth yong When great Apollo shewes his threefold might And by his issue dayly's made the yonger Keeping his vertue influence and light May not man thinke thereby to liue the longer No he 's a father though his chin be bare But man's a monster if he want his haire Time was of old when all of vs were yong Then we learn'd much for litle were we knowing When riper yeares and manhoode made vs strong Then we knew much and more still would be showing Age knowes all well do nothing well it would In vertue yong the world in knowledge old Our fixed stars a pur-blind old mans eyes The aire 's a gnastie old mans breath ill smelling Water a rhume in dropsie when he lyes Valleyes rough wrinckles mountaines gowtie swelling The earth a sleepy old mans long-kept dregs Men now a feeble old mans windie egs Let vs but looke into the giants age Danske Corioneus English Albion Or Titans broode which gainst the heauens did rage Fierce Lentesmophius Effra Gration These were the worlds first youthfull progenie To these our men are an Epitomie Whose dig'd vp reliques if we but behold Do we not wonder at their ribs or teeth Like props and milstones so our issue old Will wonder at our greatnesse which she seeth Now are we dwarfs they will be pismires then This is the fumbling of our ageâ— men Nor thou faire frame with azure lines thicke quoted Bright heauen thy swift orbicular round motion As Linceus-eyde Astronomers haue noted From East to West keepes not thy reuolution Seauen stars their seates haue left and lost some light The world is old when heauen is dimme of sight Ioue's gone to Libra from his amorous maide And Mercurie thou' rt fled to Scorpio then From Scorpio Saturne to the Shooters straide Mars loaths the crab lie's in the lions den How can the course of this our world go euen When all this ods and jarring is in heauen Pure thin and pleasing was the aires first breath Now thick grosse noysome t is whereon we feede A vile contagious mist which can vnneath But pestilence or worse diseases breede If sicknes thus infect her from the skies Then the world 's old and on her death bed lies The water famous by a Nimphs faire name Of some foule-leprous body now 's the lees The sea a sinke and riuers to the same Are rotten pipes so fountaines in degrees The world o'reworne vnwholesome for new birth Shee must returne needes to her grandame earth Our grandame earth whose for-head is o're thwarted With high-wayes bald whose backe huge buildings sway Whose bellie's stuft with piles of men departed Boweld puld out and garbisht euery day Heauen earth aire water man the world and all Are doting old and must to ruine fall Deceiptfull world blood-thirsty couetous Bleare-eyde mishapt vntoward impious Three-legd treble-tong'd bifronted traiterous Backe-broken bald enuie-swolne obliuious Aire water putriside heauen earth infectious To gods to men and to thy selfe injurious Wax old and die what dost thou want a toombe Into thy Chaos backe againe returne And thus twise child perhappes thou maist becoome Wax old a new the sooner to be borne Meane while encrease thou maist decrease thereby At length wax old and last for euer die Die thou for euer with thy harmonie Extenuate no more worth's matchlesse deedes Rochester blot me out of memorie Let Cobham haue disdaine for worthie meedes For slaue-borne pesants are for worthies deemed And worthies worse then pesants are esteemed Ioues Purfiuant nimble Mercurius The proloquutor of my worlds wonne glorie Swift as Medusaes flying Pegasus Heare now O heare the processe of my storie Greiu'd at the world in anger ouer-shot My iust complaint I almost had forgot Looke when the sun
most bride-groome like doth rise Soone as the morne vnbarres her christall gate So Bullingbrooke vnto the gazers eyes Riseth in Richards royall chaire of state Whose rising was the cause that millions fel That we in peace and endlesse pleasure dwel Great Bolingbrooke this type of chiualrie In ayding false-faith-breaking Orleance Against the hote assault of Burgundie Whose ciuil warres neere driue him out of France To higher honour willing me to call Of al the forces made me generall Then ledde I warre mailde vp in sheetes of brasse Drawne in a Charriot with amaze and horror Whose fiery steedes Bellona sterne would lash To strike the Frenchmen in an vncouth terror Feare clamour wrath warres followers but assembled The French astonisht turned backe and trembled Burgundie stonisht which so prowdly vaunted Turn'd backe and trembled turning warre to peace So much our souldiers sight his courage daunted So much the Frenchmen lou'd to liue at ease How would these warriors then haue feard to fight When with out looks whole myriads tooke their flight Marke what ensues for marking it deserues With this dayes honour Orleance not content But from his oath and neare alliance swerues And a bold challenge to king Henry sent But once forsworne and be forsworne for euer A Traitor once will be a subiect neuer Henry to calme the Sea of war betraid Rebates the edge of choller with aduise Most mildlie answeres to the challenge made So of himselfe the Conquerour did rise Which conquest is a far more kinglie boast Then for to brag the conquering of an hoast Proude Orleance marching with six thousand strong For hate deepe rooted hardlie left in Frenchmen Beseig'd the Towne of Vergie three moneths long Three hundred English onlie there entrencht then Of which smal force in force great to withstand hers I and Sir Robert Antfield were commaunders Three months expyr'd mind-loftie Orleance Saw that his Souldiers courage gan recoile With that retyr'd his forces back to France Without all honour victorie or spoile All Guien since for sauing of their Towne Long time gaue tribute vnto Englands Crowne With Thomas Percie Worcesters braue Earle Against the French againe I went to fight Percie of bold aduenterous knights the pearle Many to sword but more we put to flight In wars abroad in ciuill broiles at home Oldcastle still selected was for one Then high-resolued Hotspur Scotlands terrour The child of Mars and magnanimitie The throne of fame wars palme knighthoods mirrour Ioin'd with the Yorkists made a mutinie Thus ill to worse and worse to woâ—se did fall Worst to rebellion which was worse then all To raise all people sooner to commotion The Archbishop let the commons vnderstand In guilfull Rhetoricke that it was deuotion Which caus'd them take these home-bred warrs in hand This euer is a Rebels chiefe pretence To vaile his treason or'e with innocence Looke how a Swarme of hony-gathering Bees The Muses birds leauing their luscious bowers Follow their king in order and degrees Vntill they find some arbour deckt with flowers And then they murmur hum and all rejoice Euen so the Commons yeelding made a noice And followed Percie to these ciuill broiles Who made no doubt of Henries victorie Emboldened by Scotlands late-won spoiles Yet left him slaine behind at Shrewsbury And all the Armie ventrous valorous bold Hote on the spur now in the spur lie cold If this deserue a Conquerours praise For with a Conquest this may make comparison Engirt my temples with triumphant baies Gainst Percie then I led a garrison Percie so cald because he pierst the eie Of the Scots king and set Northumbers free Prest then I was with Iohn of Lancaster Vertues Pyramides fames imagerie We vanquished our foes at Doncaster With wisedome not with rash temeritie T is often seen ill-pleasing accidents Proceed from rage and hare-braind hardiments No day which would not me to wars importune No warres but got palme-crowned victorie No victorie but brought her handmaide fortune No fortune but enlarg'd my dignitie Daies wars victorie fortune and renowne Cald me so high to cast me lower downe On Sea the mild-aspecting heauens would guide me Whereon who fares may not commaund his waies Cherubs on earth and Seraphins would hide me Vnder their brode gold-flaming winged raies On Sea on Land the Heauens and Angels all First fauourd me at last to make me fall Fall ah no fall but honour-climing staire Staire ah no staire but prince-ascending Throne Throne ah no throne but Ioues gold-scorning chaire Chaire ah no chaire but Heauen her selfe alone That no tong mind nor Art can tell think measure My crownd soule-pleasing sweet joy mirth pleasure The radiant Eos which so brightlie shone Whose lamps enlightned all this Hemisphare Henry the fourth vnto Elisium's gone Of whose departure England gins to feare Her soddain fall and iudg'd by outward signe Henry the fifth would lose his fathers shine Looke how the Suns approach doth ouershade The lesser stars from entercourse of sight But from the worlds quick-ere the Sun conuaide The Stars receiue from him their former light Stars by the Sun Sun in the stars be graced In Sun in Stars heauens sun-bright glori's placed Henry the fift euen thus did rise whose shine Of vertue dimm'd all kings before him quight He being barred from his glorious shrine Their memorie reuiu'd and shone more bright Thus they by him and he in them was graced In them in him faire Englands glorie placed Now one by none but one makes all illustrious One the first mouer of this firmament In ruling all her orbes and spheares industrious Sun stars all plannets are to her obedient Like the first mouer as she now appeares O that she might all England moue his yeares When Henry first injoi'd th' imperiall Crowne A blazing Comet in the West appeared At which strange vision pointed streaming downe The common sort Art-ignorant much feared A cause or signe some said t was to portend The kingdomes fall or kings vntimely end Our sharper wits suppos'd thus Ouid wrasted The fable of foole-hardie Phaeton When some huge Comet was dissolu'd and wasted Great heat and drinesse following therevpon For want of water so the world burned But vpside downe the Suns carr neuer turned This all-affrighting Comet I haue heard To be the plighted tresse of Meropes Or staring haires within the curled beard Of Vulcans prentice swartie Steropes Be what it will thus much I do define Of kingdomes fall t is neither cause nor signe A Comet is an earth-agreeing vapour Drawne by the power attractiue of some star Fyr'd by the Suns beames burneth like a tapour Seen in the supream region of the aire Turning those beames receiueth forme withall Bearded or trest or stretching forth his taile Why should a mist-hung Star-exhaled Meteor To kings or kingdomes be prestigious Whose cause is not aboue the power of Nature Why should it seeme to men prodigious Vnlesse we would this Axiom reject A naturall cause a naturall effect In Europe many Comets haue