elected King and being royally accompanyed to Westminster was invested in the Throne and tooke possion of the Crowne thence by the Clergy he was conveighed in sollemne procession to Saint Edmunds shrine and there offered as King receiving the Homage and â—ealty of all the Lords there present c. Then was great provision made for the North against the Queene and her partisans the Earle of Warwicke upon a Saturday in the beginning of March with a great puissance of people departed from London Northward and on the Wednesday following the Kings Infantry followed and upon Fryday next after being the tenth of March the King rode through the City with a great band of men passing Bishopsgate and so holding on his journey sped him so well that he with the rest of his Forces met with their enemies at a Village nine miles and an halfe on this side Yorke called Towton or Shirborne Vpon Palme sunday he gave them battle which was fought with such eagernesse and fury that in the field and in the chase were slaine of the Queenes party thirty thousand men besides those of speciall note and name amongst which are numbred the Earle of Northumberland the Earle of Westmerland the Lord Clifford the Lord Egremond Sir Andrew Trollop who had before revolted with his Callis Souldiers from the Yorkists at Ludlow with divers others there were taken also the Earle of Willshire or Devonshire who was sent to Yorke and there after beheaded of which bloody conflict and irrecoverable losse Henry and Margaret having notice they with their sonne Edward the Duke of Summerset the Lord Rosse and others in all hast fled towards Scotland and the King upon the morrow with much of his people entred into Yorke and there kept his Easter Thus the most infortunate Prince Henry of whom it is truely observed that he was never personally in any battle but it was lost when he had raigned full thirty eight yeares sixe months and odde dayes and that Heroycall Lady Margaret whom even this last disaster could not daunt was forc't to flye whilst King Edward having setled all the affaires in the North under the charge of the Earle of Warwicke visited all the Countryes South and East and about the beginning of Iune came to his Mannor of Sheene since called Richmond in which time of his abode there provision was made for his royall Coronation Then upon the twenty seventh of the same moneth being Fryday hee rode to the Tower of London attended by the Lord Major and his Brethren and upon the morrow being Saturday he made twenty eight Knights of the Bathe and foure more after the same afternoone he was with great solemnity conveyed through the City those two and thirty Knights riding before him in blew gownes and hoods and upon the morrow being Sunday and Saint Peters day with great triumph Crowned and annoynâ—ed by the Archbishop of Canterbury c. In the second yeare of this King Margaret late Queene came out of France into Scotland and thence into England with an Army of Frenchmen and Scots of which King Edward having notice he sped him into the North with a strong Army at the rumour of which by reason of the cowardice of her Souldiers she was forced to disband and flye and tooke a small ship intending to saile into France but by reason of a great tempest shee was forced to leave her owne barke and take a small Fisher-boate by meanes of which shee landed at Barwicke and came unto the Scottish King where shee heard her barke perished in the tempest in which shee had great riches and treasure notwithstanding at her instigation the yeare after shee with her Husband invaded England with a great Army of Scottish men which hearing then the Lord Montague Brother to the Earle of Warwicke he assembled the Northerne men and gave them battle at a place calld Exham and there routed them chasing Henry so nere that he surprized certaine of his followers habited in Iackets of blew Velvet garnished with Crownes of gold and fretted with pearle and other rich stones notwithstanding his so narrow escape in the end of the same yeare hee was taken in a wood in the North Country by one named Cantlow and presented to the King who sent him as Prisoner to the Tower where he remained a long time after Some few moneths before this King Edward at a place called Graston neere unto Stony Stratford upon the first day of May secretly espoused Elizabeth late wife of Sir Iohn Grey Knight who was slaine at Towton field neere unto Yorke at which marriage were present none save themselves the Dutchesse of Bedford her Mother two Gentlewoman and one Gentleman who the next yeare after upon Whitsunday was with great sollemnity Crowned at Westminster which marriage was the occassion of much trouble in the Land of which I am loath long to insist as unwilling to meddle with any impertinences not genuine with the particular actions and fortunes of the Queene Margaret the subject now in hand Yet thus farre I must travell in the History to informe you that the Earle of Warwicke was before sent into France to treate about a marriage betwixt the King and the Lady Bova who by reason of the former match thought himselfe much disparaged and dishonoured therefore hee withdrew himselfe from the King and confedered unto him the Duke of Clarens who had before marryed his daughter and notwithstanding the King sent peaceably unto them as desiring reconsilement yet they sayled into France solliciting the ayde of Lewis the eleventh who by reason of the former affront concerning the Lady Bova gladly condiscended to their request where they consulted with Queene Margaret and the Earle of Oxford for their returne into England in which meane space King Edward commanded them to be proclaimed as Rebels and Traitours throughout the Realme In the tenth yeare of the King and the month of Sceptember the Duke of Clarence the Earles of Warwicke Pembrooke and Oxford with others landed at Dertmouth in Devonshire and made Proclamations in the name of King Henry to whom much people desirous of innovation resorted and drew towards the King then being in the North who having with him but small strength and of them too those whom hee durst scarse trust he with the Duke of Gloster the Lord Hastings and a few others tooke the next way towards the Washes in Lincolneshire and with great danger not without the losse of some of his company got over into Flanders and sped thence to Charles Duke of Burgoine who had before marryed his sister where he rested for a season meane space the Duke of Clarence and the other Lords drew nere unto the City and after rode unto the Tower and withall honour and reverence brought out King Henry and conveighed him to Saint Pauls and lodged him in the Bishops pallace who was generally admitted and taken for King through
him and th' heire to the Earle Arminack Which raised strange combustions in the state This flourishing Kingdome nigh to ruinate In which she tooke on her a Soveraigne power Sâ—iting her present fortunes not her Dower Her many strange desasters did befall But her undaunted spirit ore-came them all She knew the mannage both of Pen and Pike The Court and Campe to her were both alike In bloody battles she tooke great delight And would if flie to day to morrow fight Who can this Queenes heroicke spirit expresse A foe to Peace in field a Championesse Vsurping all that Majesty could claime Leaving her Husband nothing save his name He weares the Crowne she Sword and Scepter bore What could the brave Semiramis doe more THE SECOND OF THE THREE WOMEN WORTHIES AMONGST THE CHRISTIANS CALLED MARGARET QVEENE OF ENGLAND IN the yeare of grace one thousand foure hundred forty and two Embassadours were sent from England into Guian where a match was concluded betwixt King Henry the sixth then of the age of one and twenty and the Daughter of the Earle of Arminacke which after was disannulled by the Earle of Suffolke a mighty man in those times which occasioned a great afront betwixt the Lord Protector and him which grew unto much rage and blood-shed as may after appeare but to follow the History close the before named Earle of Suffolke after the former match fell off went with others his Assotiates and concluded a marriage betwixt the King and the Lady Margaret Daughter to the King of Cicile and Ierusalem upon which contract were delivered unto the said King the Dutchy of Angeon and the Earledome of Maine then called the two keyes to open the way into Normandy and in the next yeare after the Earle of Suffolke being created Marquesse with his wife and other of the most honourable Ladyes of the Realme sayled into France to bring over this Lady into England which was done with all solemnity when Thomas Catwoorthe was Lord Major and Nicholas Wilford and Iohn Norman were Sherifes of London The moneth after her arrivall into the Kingdome shee was espoused to the King at a Towne called Sowthwicke in the County of Hamshire and from thence was honourably conveyed by the Lords and Peeres of the Land to Blacke-Heath and there met by the Lord Major and the Citizens and in great triumph brought to Westminster and upon the thirtyeth day of May which was the Sunday after Trinity Sunday was solemnely Crowned great Feasts Iusts and other martiall exercises were held in the Sanctuary before the Abby for the space of three dayes after But this match was held to be very unprofitable for the Kingdome first by giving up out of the Kings possession Angeon and Maine And then that for the charge of her comming over there was demanded in Parliament a fifteene and an halfe by the Marquesse of Suffolke which drew him into such a contempt and hatred of the people that it after cost him his life Some also held it very ominous because that after this Match as the King lost his revenues in France so hee also hazarded the Natives and people of his owne Nation for presently after all the Common weale and affaires of the estate were mannaged by the Queene and her Counsell being a woman of a brave and Heroicke Spirit she assumed prerogative into her hands all things began after to goe retrograds and preposterous which many conjectured was by the breach of that promise made by the King unto the Earle of Arminackes daughter for there fell upon this that the King lost all his right in Norwaige upon which followed a dissention and division of the Lord within the Realme the rebellion of the Commonalty against the Prince their Soveraigne and in conclusion the deposing of the King and the Queene with the Prince her Sonne to be compelled to avoid the Land In the five and twentyeth yeare of this Kings raigne a Parliament was held at Saint Edmunds bury in Suffolke to which all the Commons of that Country were commanded in their most defensible aray to waite upon the person of the King where the Lords were no sooner assembled but Humphrey Duke of Glocester and Vnckle to the King was arrested by Viscount Bewmount then High Constable of England accompanyed with the Duke of Buckingham and others and two and thirty of his Principal Servants committed unto severall prisons after which arrest the Duke after sixe dayes was found dead in his bed being the foure and twentieth day of February And his body being exposed to the publicke view of all men there was no wound found about him notwithstanding which of his death the Marquesse of Suffolke was shrowdly suspected he was a man greatly honoured and beloved of the Commons as well for his discreete governement of the Realme during the Kings nonage as for his brave and noble hospitality in which none ever exceeded him for which and many other of his unparalleld vertues he purchased unto himselfe and not without cause to bee called the good Duke of Glocester whose body was after conveighed unto Saint Albones and neere unto the shrine sollemnely interred Not long after in the yeare one thousand foure hundred and fifty during the foresaid Parliament the Marquesse of Suffolke was arrested and sent to the Tower where hee lived a moneth at his pleasure which Parliament being after adjourned to Lecester thither the King came attended by Suffolke where the Commons made great complaint of the delivering up of Angeou and Maine to the dishonour of the kingdome For which they accused the Marquesse and others as guilty as also for the murther of the good Duke of Glocester to appease whom they Exiled him the Land for five yeares who obeying the sentence tooke shipping in Northfolke intending to have sayled into France but was met by the way by a ship of warre called the Nicolas of the Tower whose Captaine knowing the Duke put into the Road of Dover and caused his head to be strucke off on the side of a Boat and there left both head and body upon the sands and then put to Sea againe and this was the end of the Queenes great favourite who save of her and some of his owne creatures dyed altogether unlamented I omit to speake of sundry insurrections as that of Blew-beard and the Kentish men with their Captaine Iacke Cade who called himselfe Mortimer and Cousin to the Duke of Yorke with others and come to tell you that the Duke of Somerset succeeded Suffolke in the Queenes favour by whom and her Counsell all the affaires of the Realme were mannaged For she was a Lady of an haughty and invincible spirit and in the thirty second yeare of the Kings raigne was delivered of a Princely Sonne called Edward In which interim great discontent arose among the Nobles and Peeres of the Land especially the Duke of Somerset and others of the Queenes Counsell
Whose active skill at once could moove an hundred In every one a pen As many eyes As Iuno's Argus waking to devise Of her perfections onely Head Hands Sight In striving but to patterne her aright All though in their full vigour I should sinde Strucke on the suddaine Stupid Dull and Blinde Chaste Virgin Royall Queene belov'd and fear'd Much on the Earth admir'd to Heaven indeer'd Single and singular without another A Nurse to Belgia and to France a Mother Potent by Land sole Soveraigne of the Maine Antagonist to Rome the scourge of Spaine THE LAST OF THE THREE WOMEN WORTHIES AMONGST THE CHRISTIANS CALLED ELIZABETH QVEEN OF ENGLAND FRANCE AND IRELAND c. AS the most famous Painter of his Time Apelles to frame the picture of one Venus had aâ— once exposed to his view an hundred of the most choyce and exquisite Virgins of Greece to take from one the smoothest brow from a second the most sparkling eye a third the Rosiest colloured cheeke a fourth the best Corrall like lippe a fifth the sweetest dimpled chinne a sixth the daintiest swelling brest a seventh the whitest hand from another the most delicate foote and so of the rest and all to make the exact portrature of that Emergent goddesse so in the accurate expression of this rare Heroicke Elizabeth should I peruse all the ancient and Authenticke Histories and out of them select the lives of the most vertuous Ladyes for their rare and admirable indowments commended to posterity and perpetuity taking and extrâ—cting from them severally those sundry gifts and graces by which they were remarkeably eminent above others whether Piety or Virginâ—ll purity Beauty and bounty Majesty and magnanimity Language and learning polliticke Governement or practise of goodnesse pitty of forraâ—gne distressed nations or indulgence over her owne Natives c. Nay what praecelling vertue soever was commendable in any one particular or all in generall may without flattery be justly conferred on her Shee was the Daughter of King Henry the eighth of that name and of his second wife the Lady Anne Bullaine first created Marchionesse of Pembrooke and then espoused to the King the five and twentyeth day of Ianuary 1533. and upon Whitsunday next following at Westminster crowned Queene the seventh of September after shee was delivered of a faire Daughter to the great and unspeakeable joy both of the Prince and people shee was Christened the third day next ensuing being Wednesday in the Fryers Church in Greenewich in a Font of silver The old Dutchesse of Northfolke held the Babe Her Godfather was Thomas Cranmer Arch-bishop of Canterbury and Metropolitane of all England her Godmothers the Dutchesse of Northfolke and the Marquionesse of Dorset both Widdowes Not long after the birth of this young Princesse a generall oath of Allegiance past through the Kingdome to support and maintaine the successive heires descending from the bodies of the King and Queene Anne lawfully begotten in the possession of the Crowne and Scepter and all Imperiall honours to them belonging by which Katherine of Spaine his former wife and the Princesse Mary their daughter were disabled to lay any claime at all to the Royall dignity and for this cause were the two young Ladies brought up a part which might be a reason also why there was such distance in their dispositions I have further read of this young Lady Elizabeth that there were pregnant hopes of her even in her Mothers conception Mercury being the starre which was at that season most predominant whose influence is sharpenesse of wit and ingenuity Iupiter at her birth being in conjunction with Venus and Soi with a favourable Aspect shining on either a doubtlesse presage that the Infant borne under that Constellation should bee faire and fortunate powerfull in warre yet a Patronesse of peace excellent in Learning exquisite in language in life honoured in death lamented who in her tender Infancy was said almost as soone to speake as to goe and that her words had sence as soone as sound and not being full foure yeares of age used every morning when shee opened her eyes to aske for her booke before shee called for bread and at all other times of the day was observed to bee more ready to pray then to prattle Queene Annes life being taken away by a violent death the morrow after the King was marryed to his third wife the Lady Iane Seymer daughter to Sir Iohn Seymer who on the twelfth day of October In the yeare of grace 1537. was at Hampton Court delivered of a Sonne whose Mother dyed the second day after much lamented and pittyed and the young Prince called Edward was the eighteenth of the same moneth created Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Chester the Father being so joyfull of his Sonne that hee cast a neglectfull eye on his two former daughters Mary and Elizabeth but the later of the two was in the first grace for when Mary was separated from comming neere the Court Elizabeth was admitted to keepe the young Prince company and from his Tutors received all such necessary documents that by her childish dictating unto him he might be the more capable to understand them and such was their proxinity in blood that it begot in them a mutuall and alternate affection insomuch that he no sooner knew her but he beganne to acknowledge her neither was their love the lesse comming from one loynes then had they issued from one and the same wombe being equally fortunate and unfortunate as having one Royall Father but either of them to be deprived of a mother and in that too having a kinde of mutuall correspondence that though her Mother suffered by the sword and his dyed in Child bed yet both indured violent and inforced deaths To cut off circumstance in the yeare one thousand five hundred forty sixe and of his raigne the thirty eighth King Henry the eighth expired the 28. of December and was the sixteenth day of February next following with great solemnity buryed at Windsor And upon the one and thirtyeth day of Ianuary was Prince Edward proclaimed King over all his Fathers Dominions and Realmes by the stile of Edward the sixth of that name and on the nineteenth of February he rode with his Vnckle Sir Edward Seymor Duke of Summerset and Lord Protector through the City of London And the day following was annoynted and Crowned King at Westminster by Thomas Craâ—mer Arch-Bishop of Canterbury and Metropolitane of all England who that day administred the holy Sacraments c. The King was no sooner Crowned but the Lady Elizabeth gave way to the present state neither continued they in that frequent familiarity as before for whereas in former time she loved him as a Brother her discretion now taught her to honour him as her King for though hee was a Prince of great meekenesse and modesty for that Royall Majesty which makes the difference betwixt the
night her often examination to entangle her in her speeches her very diet served into her by groomes and common Souldiers her conducting from one place to another no day without threatning of danger no night but menacing death her very lodgings fierd about her eares as at Woodstocke And after all these miseries and farre more inexpressible calamities her owne sister to set her hand to a warrant for her execution out of all which notwithstanding God in his infinite mercy miraculously delivered her Thus I have given you a small taste of her troubles in all which as the difficulties were almost inevitable so her patience was altogether incomparable neither though by meanes of King Phillip mediating for her in her troubles though her libertie was the greater were her feares any whit the lesse all the time of her sisters raigne to the end of which I will come as briefly as I can A great rumor ran through the Land that the Queene was with child by King Philip and the time of her reckoning being come it was given forth she was brought to bed of a sonne and such an one as it was suspected was ready prepared of which Philip being informed he would not depart the chamber at the time of her delivery by which meanes the plot tooke no effect yet this young heyre was so voyced abroad that the Bells rung merrily in London and great triumphs were made at Antwarpe and other places some said shee never conceived at all others gave out that shee was with child but the Abortive miscaried others reported she had onely a Timpany and some that it was onely rumoured for policie The truth is King Philip seeing himselfe frustrate of an heyre upon the foureteenth of September tooke leave of the Queene and went over to visit his father the Emperour and to take possession of the Low Countries to her great griefe whom as many were of opinion he but little affected staying there a yeare and six moneths And after at his returne backe he was met by the Queene at Dover and thence brought through London with as great state and solemnitie as at a Coronation It is observed that Queene Maries raigne was the shortest of all Kings since the Conquest save Richard the third and that more Christian blood was spilt in that small time then had beene in case of Religion in any one Kings raignes since Lucius the first establisher of Christianitie in England In the latter end of her raigne Callis was lost which two hundred and eleven yeares had belonged to the Crowne of England It was first won by Edward the third the eleveth King from William the Conquerer who had besieged it some few moneths it was lost by Mary being the eleventh from Edward in eight dayes which when she heard shee sayd The losse of Callis is written in my heart and therein may be read when my body shall be dissected Her conception fayling great dearth in the Land raigning much harme done by thunders on shoare and by fire on her Royall Fleete by Sea home troubles forreigne losses King Philips absence and unkindnesse These with other discontents brought her into a burning Feaver of which shee dyed at Saint Iames neare Westminster the seventeenth of November Anno. 1558. after she had raigned five yeares foure moneths and eleven dayes having lived forty two yeares nine moneths and six dayes and lyeth buried in a Chappell in the Minster of Saint Peters without any monument or other remembrance The same day that Queene Mary dyed the Lady Elizabeth in the twentie fourth yeare second moneth and tenth day of her age remooved from Hatfield to the Charterhouse fâ—om whence she was royally attended to the Tower and the foureteenth of the same moneth passed from thence through the City of London towards Westminster I omit the stately Pagents and presented in the way to this her inaguration which would aske a large expression to conclude the next day following being the fifteenth shee was with all solemnitie annointed and crowned I proceede with the beginning of her raigne when the state was not onely much weakned but greatly afflicted having many enemies and few friends notwithstanding with a dauntlesse and heroick spirit shee exposed the most potent Philip King of Spaine and of the Low Countries her brother in Law upon the installing his great Grandfather Ferdinando whose daughter Katherine by the Popes authoritie had beene before espowsed to two naturall brothers Prince Arthur and Henry so he likewise by the like dispensation endeavoured to marry with two sisters first Mary and after Elizabeth but mauger all the dangers depending upon her deniall abhorring in her chaste reservations any such incestuous contract though hee pretended the connivence at least if not the full approbation of the sea of Rome by refusing the match made him her publick and professed enemy which after broake out into defiance and the publication of open wars A second observable thing was that the French King Henry the second having married his sonne Francis the Dolphin to Mary Queene of Scotland mooved by the house of Guise had interlaced the Armes of England with those of Scotland proclayming Mary his Queene and wife the indubitate heyre to the Crowne of England alleadging for their colour that Elizabeth in regard she stood at that time convicted by the Pope of heresie was uncapable of the Royall Crowne and dignitie thus animated by the Guisians they sent their Armies into Scotland with a constant assurance that as soone as Scotland was but entred England was as good as conquered in so much that Sebastianus Marteguinus a young man of the family of Luxenburg having the command of a thousand foote could hardly be diswaded from subduing England first and then to retire himselfe for his pleasure into Scotland after Thus we see her Majestie not onely threatned but ready to bee invaded on all sides by three puissant and spleenefull enemies Spaine France and Scotland The state by her predecessours Edward and Mary mightily distracted and much indebted the treasure quite exhausted the Frontier towne of Barwaick lying unfortified Callis the last yeare of her sister dishonorably lost Her subjects in Religion divided her kingdome without strength naked of Souldiers and unfurnisht of Armour notwithstanding all which defects difficulties and incombrances she managed all her affaires with that prudence and masculine spirit that manger King Philip who had then the entire government of the Low Countries shee furnisht her kingdome with Armour and ammunition out of Germany provided herselfe of tormentary Engines fit for warre caused Brasse and Iron Ordinance to be cast Calievers and Musquets to be prepared Gunpouder before fetcht from forraigne Countries to bee made at home strengthned Barwick then weake and undefensible built a strong and well accommodated Navie fortified all her Ports and Havens bred and incouraged noble and brave spirits