from olde auncestours As proued these ensignes to be surely oures Ye crafty Welshemen wherfore do you mocke The noble men thus with your fayned rymes Ye noble men why flye you not the flocke Of such as haue seduced so many times False Prophesies are plages for divers crymes Whych god doth let the divilish sorte devise To trouble such as are not godly wyse And that appered by vs thre beastes in dede Through false perswasion highly borne in hand That in our feat we could not chuse but spede To kyll the kyng and to enioye his land For which exployt we bound our selues in band To stand contented ech man with his part So fully folly assured our folysh hart But such they say as fysh before the net Shal seldome surfyt of the pray they take Of thinges to cum the haps be so vnset That none but fooles may warraÌ„t of them make The full assured succes doth oft forsake For Fortune findeth none so fyt to flout As suresby sots whych cast no kinde of doute How sayest thou Henry Hotspur do I lye For thou right manly gauest the king a feeld And there was slayn because thou wouldest not â—y Sir Thomas Percie thine vncle forst to yeeld Did cast his head a wunder seen but â—eâ—ld From Shrewsbury town to the top of LondoÌ„ bridge Lo thus fond hope did theyr both liues abridge Whan Henry king this victory had wunne Destroyed the Percies put their power to flyght He did appoynt prince Henry his eldest sunne With all his power to meete me if he might But I discumfit through my partners fight Had not the hart to mete him face to face But fled away and he pursued the chase Now Baldwin marke for I cald prince of Wales And made beleve I should be he in dede Was made to flye among the hilles and dales Where al my men forsooke me at my nede Who trusteth loyterers seeld hath lucky spede And whan the captaynes corage doth him fayle His souldiers hartes a litle thing may quayle And so Prince Henry chased me that loe I found no place wherin I might abide For as the dogges pursue the selly doâ— The brach behind the houndes on euery side So traste they me among the mountaynes wide Wherby I found I was the hartles hare And not the beast Colprophete did declare And at the last like as the litle roche Must eyther be eat or leape vpon the shore Whan as the hungry pickrel doth approch And there find death which it eskapte before So double death assaulted me so sore That eyther I must vnto my enmy yeeld Or statue for hunger in the baraynâ— feeld Here shame and payne a whyle were at a strife Payne prayed me yeeld shame bad me rather fast The one had spare the other spend my life But shame shame haue it ouercam at last Than hunger gnew that doth the stone wall brast And made me eat both gravell durt and mud And last of all my dung my fleshe and blud This was mine ende to horrible to heare Yet good ynough for a life that was so yll Wherby O Baldwin warne all men to beare Theyr youth such loue to bring them vp in skill Byd Princes flye Colprophetes lying byll And not presume to clime aboue their states For they be faultes that foyle men not their fates WHan starued Owen had ended his hungry exhortacion it was well inough liked Howbeit one found a dout wurth the mouing that concerning this title erle of March for as it appereth there wer .iii. men of .iii diuers nacions together in one time entitled by that honour Fyrst sir Edmund Mortimer whom Owen kept in prison an EnglishmaÌ„ the second the lord George of Dunbar a valiante Scot. banished out of his countrey well estemed of Henry the fowerth the third lord Iames of Burbon a frenchman sent by the french king to helpe Owen Glendour These thre men had this title all at once which caused him to aske how it was true that euery one of these could be Earle of Marche Wherto was aunswered that euery countrey hath Marches belonging vnto them and those so large that they were Earledomes the lordes therof intituled therby so that Lord Edmund Mortimer was Earle of Marche in Englande lord Iames of Burbon of the marches of Fraunce and Lord George of Dunbar erle of the marches in Scotland For otherwise nether could haue interest in others title Thys doubt thus dissolued mayster Ferrers sayde If no man haue affeccion to the Percies let vs pas the times both of Henry the fowerth the fifte and cum to Henrye the syxte in whose time fortune as she doth in the minoritie of princes bare a great stroke among the nobles And yet in HeÌ„ry the fourths time are exaÌ„ples which I would wish Baldvvin that you should not forget as the conspiracie made by the bishop of Yorke and the lorde Mowbray â–ª sonne of him whom you late treated of prycked forward by the earle of Northumberland father to sir Henry Hotspur who fled himselfe but his partners were apprehended and put to death with Baynton and Blinkinsops which could not see theyr duty to theyr King but tooke part with Percy that banished Rebell As he was proceding he was desired to stay by one whych had pondered the story of the Percies who briefly sayd To thende Baldvvin that you may know what to say of the Percyes whose story is not all out of my memory and it is a notable story I wyll take vpon me the person of lord Henry earle of Northumberland father of Henrye Hotspur in whose behalfe thys may be sayd Hovv Henry Percy Earle of Northhumberland vvas for his couetous and trayterous attempt put to death at Yorke O Morall Senec true find I thy saying That neyther kinsfolke ryches strength or fauour Are free from Fortune but are ay decaying No worldly welth is ought save doubtful labour Mans life in earth is like vnto a tabour Which now to mirth doth mildly men provoke And strayt to war with a more sturdy stroke All this full true I Percy find by proofe Which whilom was erle of Northumberland And therfore Baldwin for my Piers behoof To note mens falles sith thou hast tane in hand I would thou shouldest my state well vnderstand For fewe kinges were more then I redouted Through double Fortune lyfted vp and louted As for my kinne their noblenes is knowen My valiauntise were folly for to prayse Wherthrough the Scortes so oft were ouerthrowen That who but I was doubted in my dayes And that kyng Rychard found at all assayes For neuer Scottes rebelled in his rayne But through my force were eyther caught or slayne A brother I had was Erle of Worcester Alwayes in fauour and office with the king And by my wife Dame Elinor Mortimer I had a son which so the Scottes did sting That being yong and but a very spring Syr Henry Hotspur they gaue him to name And though I say it he did deserue the
AMong the he any heape of happy knyghtes Whom Fortune stalde vpon her stayles stage Oft hoyst on hye oft pight in wretched plightes Behold me Baldwin a per se of my age Lord Richard Nevell Earle by mariage Of Warwike duchy of Sarum by discent Which erst my father through his mariage hent Wouldest thou beholde false Fortune in her kind Note well my life so shalt thou see her naked Ful fayre before but toto foule behind Most drowsy still whan most she semes awaked My fame and shame her shift full oft hath shaked By enterchaunge alowe and vp alofte The Luysard like that chaungeth hewe ful oft For while the Duke of Yorke in life remayned Mine vncle deare I was his happy hand In all attemptes my purpose I attayned Though King and Quene most Lordes of the land With all their power did often me withstand For god gaue Fortune and my good behaviour Did from their prince steale me the peoples fauour So that through me in feldes right manly fought By force mine vncle tooke king Harry twise And for my cosin Edward so I wrought When both our syers were slayne through rashe aduice That he atchieved his fathers enterprise For into Scotland King and Quene we chased By meane wherof the kingdome he embraced Which after he had enioyde in quiet peace For shortly after was king Henry take And put in prison his power to encreace I went to Fraunce and matched him with a make The French kinges doughter whom he did forsake For while with payne I brought his sute to passe He to a widowe rashly wedded was This made the French king shrewdly to suspecte That all my treaties had but yll pretence And whan I sawe my king so bent to lust That with his fayth he past not to dispence Which is a princes honors chiefe defence I could not rest 〈◊〉 I had found a meane To mend his misse or els to marre him cleane Wherfore I allyed me with his brother George Encensing him his brother to maligne Through many a tale I did agaynst him forge So that through power we did from Calays bring And found at home we frayed so the king That he to go to Freseland ward amayne Wherby king Henry had the crowne agayne Then put we the earle of Wurcester to death King Edwardes frend a man to fowle defamed And in the while came Edward into breath For with the duke of Burgoyne so he framed That with the power that he to him had named Unlooked for he came to England strayt And got to Yorke and tooke the towne by sleyte And after through the sufferans of my brother Which like a beast occasion fowly lost He came to London safe with many other And tooke the towne to good king Harries cost Which was through him from post to piller tost Til therle of Oxeford I and other more Assembled power his fredome to restore Wherof king Edward warned came with spede And camped with his oste at Barnet towne Where we right fierce encountred him in dede On Easter day right early on the downe There many a man was slayne and striken downe On eyther side and neyther part did gayne Til I and my brother both at length were slayne For we to harten our overmatched men Forsooke our stedes and in the thickest throng Ran preacing furth on foote and fought so then That down we drave them wer they never so stroÌ„g But ere this inche had lasted very long With numbre and force we wer so fowlye cloyed And rescue fayled that quite we wer destroyed Now tell me Baldwin hast thou heard or read Of any man that did as I have done That in his time so many armies led And victory at every vyage wunne Hast thou ever heard of subiect vnder sonne That plaaste and baaste his soveraynes so oft By enterchaunge now low and than alost Perchaunce thou thinkest my doinges were not such As I and other do affirme they were And in thy minde I see thou musest much What meanes I vsed that should me so prefer Wherin because I wil thou shalt not erre The truth of all I wil at large recite The short is this I was no hippocrite I never did nor sayd save what I mente The common weale was still my chiefest care To priuate gayne or glory I was not bent I never passed vpon delicious fare Of nedeful foode my bourde was never bare No creditour did curs me day by day I vsed playnnes ever pitch and pay I heard olde soldiers and poore wurkemen whine Because their dutyes wer not duly payd Agayne I sawe howe people did repine At those through whom their paimentes wer delayd And proofe 〈◊〉 oft assure as scripture sayd That god doth wreke the wretched peoples griefes I sawe the polles cut of fro polling thevâ—s This made me alway iustly for to deale Which whan the people playnly vnderstoode Bycause they sawe me mind the common weale They still endeuoured how to do me good Ready to spend their substaunce life and blud In any cause wherto I did them move For suer they wer it was for their behove And so it was For whan the realme decayde By such as good king Henry sore abused To mende the state I gave his enmies ayde But whan king Edward sinful pranlâ—es stil vsed And would not mend I lâ—kewise him refused And holpe vp Henry the better of the twayne And in his quarel iust I thinke was slayne And therfore Baldwin teach by proofe of me That such as covet peoples love to get Must see their wurkes and wurdes in all agree Live liberally and kepe them out of det On common weale let al their care be set For vpright dealing dets payd poore sustayned Is meane wherby all hartes are throwly gayned ASsoone as the Erle had ended his admonicion sure ê™ one I thinke the Erle of Warwike although he wer a glorious man hath sayd no more of him selfe than what is true For if he had not had notable good vertues or vertuous qualities and vsed lawdable meanes in his trade of lyfe the people woulde never have loved him as they did But god be with him and send his soule rest for sure his bodye never had any And although he dyed yet ciuil warres ceased not For immediatlye after his death came Quene Margarete with a power out of Fraunce bringing with her her yoÌ„g sonne prince Edwarde and with such frendes as she found here gave king Edward a battel at Tewrbury where both she her sonne wer takeÌ„ prisoners with Edmund duke of Somerset her chiefe captayne whose sonne lord Iohn and the earle of Deuonshire were slayne in the fight and the duke him selfe with divers other immediatlye beheaded whose infortunes are wurthy to be remembred chiefely Prince Edwardes whom the king for speaking truth cruelly stroke with his gauntlet and his bretherne tirannously murdered But seinge the time so farre spente I will passe them over and with them Fawconbridge that ioly rover beheaded at
of stomacke and person Princes all pereles in eche condicion Namely syr Edwarde called the blacke prince Whan had Englande the lyke before eyther since But what of all this any man to assure In state vncarefull of Fortunes varyaunce Syth dayly and hourely we see it in vre That where most cause is of affyaunce Euen there is founde moste weake assuraunce â–ª Let none trust Fortune but folowe Reason For often we see in trust is treason This prouerbe in proofe ouer true I tryed Finding high treason in place of high trust And most faulte of fayth where I most affyed Beyng by them that should haue been iust Trayterously entrapt ere I coulde mystrust Ah wretched worlde what it is to trust thee Let them that wyll learne nowe hearken vnto mee After king Edwarde the thyrdes decease Succeded my Nephewe Rycharde to reyne Who for his glory and honors encrease With princely wagies dyd me enterteyne Agaynst the Frenchmen to be his Chyefreyne So passyng the seas with royall puissaunce With God and S. George I inuaded Fraunce Wasting the countrey with swurde and with fyer Ouerturning townes high castels and towers Lyke Mars God of warre enflamed with yre I forced the Frenchmen tabaddon theyr bowers Where euer we matcht I wan at all howers In suche wyse visyting both Cytie and village That alway my soldiers were laden with pillage With honoure and triumph was my retourne Was none more ioyous than yong king Richarde Who minding more highly my state to adourne with Glocester Dukedome dyd me rewarde And after in mariage I was prefarde To a daughter of Bohan an earle honorable By whome I was of Englande high Constable Thus hoysted so high on Fortunes wheele As one on a stage attendyng a playe Seeth not on whiche syde the scaffolde doth reele Tyll tymber and poales and all flee awaye So fared it by mee for day by daye As honour encreased I loked styll hyer Not seyng the daunger of my fonde desyer For whan Fortunes slud ran with full streame I beyng a Duke descended of Kinges Constable of Englande chiefe officer in the realme Abused with esperaunce in these vaine thinges I went without feete and flewe without winges Presumyng so far vpon my high state That dread set aparte my prince I would mate For where as al kings haue counsel of their choyse To whom they refer the rule of theyr lande With certayne famyliers in whom to reioyce For pleasure or profyt as the case shall stande I not bearyng this would nedes take in hande Maulgree his wyll those persons to dysgrace And such as I thought fyt to appoynt in their place But as an olde booke sayth who so wyll assaye Aboute the Cats necke to hang on a bell Had fyrst nede to cut the Cats clawes awaye Least yf the Cat be curst or not tamed well She haply with her nayles may clawe him to the fell For doyng on the bell about the cats necke By beyng to busy I caught a sore checke Reade well the sentence of the Rat of renoune Which Pierce the plowman discribes in his dreame And who so hath wyt the sense to expoune Shall fynde that to bridle the prince of a realme Is euen as who sayeth to striue with the streame Note this all subiectes and construe it well And busy not your braine about the cats bell But in that ye be Lyeges learne to obaye Submytting your wylles to your princes lawes It sytteth not a subiecte to haue his owne waye Remember this bywurde of the Cats clawes For princes lyke Lyons haue long and large pawes That reache at raundon and whom they once twitch They clawe to the bone before the skyn itch But to my purpose I beyng once bent Towardes the atchiuyng of my attemptate Fower bolde Barrons were of myne assent By oth and allyaunce fastly confederate Fyrst Henry of Derby an Earle of estate Richarde of Arundell and Thomas of Warwicke With Mowbray erle Marshall a man most warlicke At Ratcote brydge assembled our bande The Commons in clusters cam to vs that day To daunce Robert Uere then Duke of Irelande By whom king Rycharde was ruled alway We put hym to flyght and brake his array Then maulgree the kyng his leaue or assent By Constables power we called a parlyament Where not in roabes but with bastardes bright We cam for to parle of the Publyke weale Confyrming our quarell with maine and with might With swurdes and no wurdes we tryed our appeale In stede of Reason declaryng our Zeale And whom so we knewe with the kyng in good grace Playnely we depriued him of power and of place Sum with shorte proces were banyshe the lande Sum executed with capytall payne Wherof who so lyst the whole to vnderstande In the parlyament roll it appeareth playne And furder howe stoutly we dyd the king strayne The Rule of his realme wholy to resygne To the order of those whom we dyd assygne But note the sequele of suche presumption After we had these myracles wrought The king enflamed with indignacion That to suche bondage he should be brought Suppressyng the yre of his inwarde thought Studyed nought els but howe that he myght Be highly reuenged of his high dispight Aggreued was also this latter offence with former matter his yre to renue For once at wyndsore I brought to his presence The Mayor of London with all his retinue To are a reckening of the Realmes reuenue And the soldiers of Brest were by me made bolde To clayme entertainment the towne being solde These griefes remembred with all the remnaunt Of hate in his hert hourded a treasure Yet openly in shewe made he no semblaunt By wurde nor by deede to beare displeasure But loue dayes dissembled do neuer endure And who so trusteth a foe reconcylde Is for the most parte alwayes begilde For as fyer yll quencht will vp at a starte And sores not well salued do breake out of newe So hatred hydden in an yrefull harte Where it hath had long season to brewe Upon euery occasion doth easely renewe Not fayling at last yf it be not let To paye large vsury besides the due det Euin so it fared by this frendship fained Outwardly sounde and inwardly rotten For whan the kinges fauour in semyng was gained All olde dyspleasures forgyuen and forgotten Euin than at a sodayne the shaft was shotten Whiche pearced my harte voyde of mistrust Alas that a prince should be so vniust For lying at Plasshey my selfe to repose By reason of syckenes whiche helde me full sore The king espying me aparte from those with whom I confedered in bande before Thought it not meete to tract the tyme more But glad to take me at suche auauntage Came to salute me with friendly vysage Who hauyng a bande bounde to his bent By coulour of kyndenes to byset his Eame Tooke tyme to accomplysh his cruell intent And in a small vessell downe by the streame Conueyed me to Calays out of the realme where without proces or doome of my
As from the realme and crowne the king did pourge And me both from mine office frendes and wife From good report from honest death and life For Therle of Warwick through a cancard grudge Which to king Edward causeles he did beare Out of his realme by force did make him trudge And set king Henry agayne vpon his chaire And then all such as Edwardes louers were As traytours tane were greuously opprest But chiefly I because I loved him best And for my goodes and livinges wer not small The gapers for them bare the world in hand For ten yeres space that I was cause of all The exeenâ—ions done within the land For thys did such as did not vnderstand My enmies drift thinke all reportes wer true And so to hate me wurse than any Iewe. For seeldome shall a ruler lose his life Before false rumours openly be spred Wherby this proverbe is as true as rise That rulers rumours hunt about a head Frowne Fortune once all good report is fled For present shew doth make the mayny blind And such as see dare not disclose their mind Through this was I king Edwardes butcher named And bare the shame of all his cruell dedes I cleare me not I wurthely was blamed Though force was such I must obey him nedes With hyest rulers seldome wel it spedes For they ve ever nearest to the nip And fault who shall for all fele they the whip For whan I was by parliament attaynted King Edwardes evilles all wer counted mine No truth avaylde so lyes wer faste and paynted Which made the people at my life repine Crying Crucifige kill that butchers line That whan I should have gone to Blockaut feast I could not passe so sore they on me preast And had not bene the officers so strong I thinke they would have eaten me aliue Howbeit hardly haled from the throng I was in the Fleete fast shrowded by the shrive Thes one dayes life their malice did me give Which whan they knew for spite the next day after They kept them calme so suffeed I the slaughter Now tel me Baldwin what fault doest thou find In me that lustly should such death deserve None sure except desire of honour blind Which made me seke in offices to serve What minde so good that honors make not swerve So mayst thou see it only was my state That caused my death and brought me so in hate Warne therfore all men wisely to beware What offices they enterprise to beare The hyest alway most maligned are Of peoples grudge and princes hate in feare For princes faultes his faultors all men teare Which to auoyde let none such office take Save he that can for right his prince forsake THis Earles tragedy was not so soone finished but one of the cumpany had prouided for an other of a notable person lord Tiptoftes chiefe enemy concerning whom he sayd Lord god what trust is there in worldly chauÌ„ces what stay in any prosperity for see the Earle of Warwicke which caused the earle of Wurcester to be apprehended attaynted and put to death triumphing with his olde imprisoned and newe vnprisoned prince king Henry was by and by after and his brother with him flayne at Barnet field by kyng Edward whoÌ„ he had before time damaged divers wayes As first by his frendes at Banbury field where to revenge the death of his Cosin Harry Nevel Sir Iohn Conyers and Iohn Clappain his seruauntes slewe five thousand Welshemen and beheaded theyr captaynes the earle of Pen broke and syr Rychard Harbert his brother after they wer yelded prisoners of whom syr Rychard Harbert was â—he tallest gentleman both of his person and handes that ever I reade or heard of At which time also Robyn of Ridsdale a rebell of the earle of Warwyks raysing tooke the earle Rivers king Edwardes wifes father and his sonne Iohn at his manour of Grafion and caryed them to Northhampton there without cause or proces beheaded them Whych spites to requite king Edward caused the lord Stafford of Southwike one of Warwikes chyefe frendes to be taken at Brent march and headed at Budgewater This caused the Earle shortly after to raise his power to encounter the king which came agaynst him with an army beside Warwike at Wouluey wher he wan the field tooke the king prisoner and kept him a while at Yorkeshire in Middleham castel whence as sum say he released him agayne but other thinke he corrupted his kepers and so escaped Then through the lordes the matter was taken vp betwene them they brought to talk together but because they could not agree the earle raysed a new army wherof he made captayne the lord Welles sonne which broyle kinge Edward minding to appeace by pollicy fowly distayned his honor committing peruiry For he sent for the lord Welles his brother sir Thomas Dunocke vnder safeconduyte promising theÌ„ vpon his fayth to kepe theÌ„ harmles But after because the Lord Walles sonne would not dissolve his army beheded theÌ„ both and weÌ„t with his power downe into Lincolnshire there fought with sir Robert Welless slewe ten thousand of his souldiers yet ran they away so fast that the casting of of their clothes for the more spede caused it to be called loose-coate fyeld tooke sir Robert other and put them to deth in the same place This misfortune forced the earle of Warwike to saile into FrauÌ„ce wher he was wel entertained of y t king a while and at last with such poore helpe as he procured ther of duke Rayner other he came unto England againe increased such a power in Kyng Henries name y t as the lord Tiptoft sayd in his tragedy king Edwarde vnable to abide him was faine to flye over the washes in Lincolnshire to get a ship to saile out of his kingdome to â—is brother in lawe the duke of Burgoyne So was king HeÌ„ry restored again to the kingdome Al these despites troubles the Earle wâ—ought agaynst king Edward but Henry was so â—nfortunate that ere halfe a yeare was expâ—red king Edwarde came backe agayne and imprisoned him and gave the erle a sielde wherein 〈◊〉 sâ—w both him and his brother I have recounted thus much before hande for the better opeâ—ing of the story which if it should have bene spoken in his tragedâ— would rather have madâ— a volume thaâ— a Pamphlete For I enteâ—de onelye to say in the tragedy what I have 〈…〉 the Earle of Warwycke person 〈…〉 other noble mâ—n wham I have by the waye touched should not be forgotten And therfore imagine that you see this Earle lying with his brother in Paules church in his coat armure with such a face countenaunce as he beareth in portrayture ouer the dore in Poules at the going downe to Iesus Chappell fro the south ende of the quier stayres and saying as foloweth Hovv sir Richard Nevell Earle of VVarvvike and his brother Iohn Lord Marquise Mountacute through their to much boldnes vver slayne at Barnet field