Their enemies within the towne with hope for to preuayle No engin was omitted then that myght their purpose gayne The battry was so fierce and sharpe that they in th ende were fayne To parle and to entreat for peace their states for to maintayne In fine they craude for mercye then Acknowleging their faulte Desyring his most noble grace â–ª to cease his sharpe assault And they his vassayls woulde become and faithfull to his Crowne In token of their loyaltie they yelde to him their towne And all the furniture thereof to vse at his owne will Desyring that he will vouchsafe their bloods not for to spill Whose noble aunswer was againe Sith you for mercy craue We mercy graunt you for your lyues from bloody Swoorde to saue With Trump and Banner then displayde he entreth this his towne Saint George his flagg is then aduaunst And all the rest throwne downe Anno Domini 1513. KIng Henry being confederate with the Emperour Maximilian and manye of the nobilitie of Brabant Flaunders and Holland hauing the sayde Emperor in wages vnder his Banner inuaded Fraunce and first assaulted Turwin with a puissant Armye Whiche towne in the ende was enforced to yelde it selfe vnto the mercye of king Henry who mercyfully graunted them pardon of their lyues and free leaue to departe in safegarde yelding vp their towne with all their furniture and munition vnto the king who entred the sayde towne with Banner displaide as a conquerour And hauing taken the ordnaunce with the rest of the spoyle within a whyle after he consumed the towne with Fyer which thing pleased the Emperor very well for that the sayd town was oftentymes a scourge vnto him The king at this tyme to solace him self rode to Lisley which is a town of the Emperours where as he was nobly entertained And at his entrie in to the towne the keyes of the gates were offered vnto him to dispose at his pleasure who receiued them thankfully rendring them againe to him of whome he tooke them And when he had recreat him selfe thear three dayes he returned vnto his campe againe Whose returne was ryght ioyfull vnto his Souldiers For as his presence encreased their ioyes so his absence augmented their dolours so entire he was vnto all his loiall Subiectes Shortly after he marched forwardes with his whole Armie towardes the great Citie of Turney which Citie is saied to haue as manye Towers in it as be dayes in a yere which is in nomber 365. And in fine after sharpe assault he obtained the towne and after possession taken hee built there a strong Castle In this meane season he enuyâ—ed the Emperour and the Empresse his wyfe to this his new wonne towne of Turney who ryght ioyousely came thither and were there royally feasted and his trayne had both greate entertainment and bountifull rewardes In these warres were manye feates of Armes tryed and sundry noble exploites atchyued and in conclusion the cheefe power of Fraunce discomfited But among the tragicall euents that there happened one pretie accident chaunced by master Henry Norace who at that tyme being a yong Gentleman and one of the kinges Henchemen hauing on his head the kinges Helmet was by the fiercenesse of his horse caryed from the kings Campe into the middest of the Frenche armye that then lay without the towne of Turnay in battaile ray And being thus among his enemies against his will at laste founde the meanes to turne his horse hed againe and so by good happe came backe vnto the king wherof the king was ryght glad And being thus escaped the king offered to make him knight for this aduenture But he tolde the king that his horse rather deserued that dignitie which caryed him among his enemies against his will. Whereat the king pleasantly laughed for he loued this yong gentleman verie well And because my Aucthor was brought vp vnder this saide Gentleman and by him preferred vnto the king I am occasioned somewhat to digresse by remembraunce of his worthinesse This forenamed master Norace grewe in suche fauour and grace with the king that he became to be the chiefe gentleman of his priuie Chamber and also was master of the blacke Rodd Which is an office to the noble Order of the Garter which office hath a large Prerogatiue He was rightfullye termed the father of the Court nexte vnder the king for his singuler order of education in courtly ciuilitie As dyuers noble men and gentlemen by him brought vp can full well witnesse Namely The Lorde Henry Dudley the Lord Sheafield The Lorde Edmund Shandos with many more His nature was to do good to as manye as hee might and harme to none His pursse was neuer shut from the needie Finally he was endued with all godly and vertuous condicions liuing in the courte in great fauour and estimation vntill enuye who alwaies pursueth vertue threw at him her spytefull and poysoned dartes to his decaye After whose death the king to shewe his good will towardes him shewed him selfe gracious Lord vnto as manye as were seruauntes vnto the sayde master Norace in his lyfe tyme and to expresse the same more at large he bestowed his daughter mistresse Marie Norace in Mariage on Sir George Carew which mariage was solempnised in the Court at the proper costes and charges of the king to the same and furtherance of the saide knight and the yong ladye his wife Now to returne to my matter againe Whyle the king was in Fraunce king lames of Scotlande notwithstanding his league and solempne vowe before mencioned made an inuasion vppon the Borderers adioyning vnto Scotlande And sent an Ambassadour vnto the kyng into Fraunce accusing the Borderers for breache of the truce betweene them taken When the king vnderstoode by the Ambassadour of the king of Scottes pretence He rewarded the Ambassadour and so dismissed him Nowe the king of Scottes supposed that all the power of Englande was in Fraunce with king Henry knowing also that king Henry could not nor woulde not breake vp his Campe to come against him And thought that nowe he had a plaine gappe opened vnto him to enter into Englande and there to woorke his will. But by the prouidence of the Queene who was left Regent of the Realme by the king at his setting foorth by the balyanties of the Earle of Surrey the kinges lieftenaunt he was preuented of his purpose For when he thought to haue entered this Realme with all his power he was mett by the Earle of Surrey at a place called Brampston where betweene them was fought a cruell battayle not without great effusion of blood on both parties but in the ende by Gods prouidence the victorie fell vnto the englishe men The King of Scottes himselfe being slayne in this fielde with xi of his noble men being all of them Earles besydes a number of his knyghtes and gentilmen of name and his whole power made very weake This battaile being ended to the renoune of the Queene the
eke my Courte a Pallas meete Wherein my wretched corps for aye must lye Wo worth those subiectes that aspire so highe To rule the Prince whome they ought to obay Such subiectes rule hath purchast my decaye ¶ Now that I haue passed thorow these tragicall histories of the. ii kinges of Scottes I will returne to the declaration of the ioyfull meeting of the kinges of Englande and Fraunce betweene Callis and Bullaine whiche was in the yeare of our Lorde 1532. And althoughe there was a solemne meetyng betweene the Kynges of these sayde Realmes and also betweene the Emperoure and Kyng Henrie in the yeare of oure Lorde 1520. Yet because my Anothor was not there to note anye thing more then is already mentioned by Halle in his Cronicle and was present at this that foloweth I haue vsed his enstruction herein referring thee to the aforesayd Cronicle to reade of the other whereas it is very well described ¶ Howe King Henry and the King of Fraunce met together betweene Calice and boloigne by a place called Morguison 1532. My glauncing Pen nowe glyded ys From Mars his bluddie broyle And eke my muse desyres to rest a whyle in frindships soyle As way warde warre bereues the breath of many worthie wyghtes So frindly peace preserues the lyues of noble valyant knyghtes And Tully doth preferre that peace which grounded is on yll Before the warre whose quarell ryght The blood of man doth spill In faithfull league of frindships force where Princes knitt the knot Unto those realmes whyle it doth last is sure a happie lott The Princes sleepe is not vnsounde For doubt of forraine foes The Souldiérs werye wounded limmes to rest do then repose The Marchant sendes hys hoysed sayles the surging Seas to sheare Which scowreth through the wandring waues deuoyde of doubtfull feare The publyke state of common wealth then lyues in quyet rest So that recourse from sundrie soyles 〈◊〉 worke all for the best 〈◊〉 â—â—â—ey helpeth other then and what one lande doth want Another doth supply the same no needefull thinges are scant And the through concorde sclender thinges to 〈◊〉 great encrease 〈◊〉 dâ—corde both consume as fast men set vs praye for peace Which causeth worldly wealth to ryse 〈◊〉 â—â—â—â—dly 〈◊〉 to flowe As â—horher hath contrarye force and makes wealth ebbe as lowe Nowe 〈◊〉 that long tyme had sought to kniâ—â—â— within her bande The king of Fraunce vnto the noble King of this oure lande Foâ—nde oâ—â— a tyme conuenient and eke indifferent place Whereas these noble Princes bothe together myght embrace To treate of faithfull frindships lore with one consent they meere Where they with ioye and tryumphes greate eche other then do greete The thing that bothe Realmes long desyrde at that tyme myght you viewe The order of which ioyfull sight hereafter doth ensue ¶ The declaration of the meeting of these two noble kinges at the place aboue mencioned ALthough there was bluddie warre and mortall hatred betweene the realmes of Englande and Fraunce in the fifth yere of this kings raigne in whiche yere the king of Englande wan from the Frenche men the towne of Turwin and the great citie of Turnay as is before declared yet for the concluding of a perfect peace betweene bothe the Realmes the same yere a Mariage was made betweene the king of Fraunce and the Ladye Marye sister vnto the king of England but shortly after the saide king of Fraunce dyed and the Duke of Suffolke maryed the Queene his wyfe A peace also was concluded betweene the young king of Fraunce and the king of Englande And within a whyle the Citie of Turnay was rendred vnto the Frenche king For the whiche he shoulde paye to the king of Englande a notable summe of Money But this amitie did not long continue for the Frenche king refused to paye his tribute to the king of England and also detayned the Queenes dowrie And moreouer caused all Englishemens goodes to bee arrested at Burdeaux whereupon the Frenchemens goods were arrested at London and they cast in Prison But in fine in the xix yere of the king his raigne a generall peace was proclaymed betwene the kinges of Englande and Fraunce during bothe their lyues And defyaunce sent vnto the Emperour from bothe the kyngs and a great power sent into Italy againste the Emperour who then warred with the Pope and constayned him to take a Castell wherein he remained as prisoner vntill the Armyes that the kinges of Englande and Fraunce had expelled the Emperours power out of that parte of Italye The circumstance whereof ys very largely declared by Sleydon This peace taken betweene the kinges of Englande and Fraunce continued a good whyle vnuiolate In whiche meane-tyme the Ambassadour Ledger of Fraunce that then laye in London grewe in suche fauour with kynge Henry that he was often tymes admitted to sit in presence with the king This Ambassadour made humblesuite vnto the kinges grace that hee woulde vouchesaue to meete with the kynge of Fraunce his Master in some conuenient place to salute eche other declaring that it woulde bee an occasion to knitt them togeather in the insoluble knott of perfect frindship and amitie Whereunto the king of Englande willingly condiscended and agreed And the rather because the Frenche king appointed to haue met with the Pope at Marsiles by meanes wherof king Henry hoped that the Frenche king might perswade the Pope to some conformitie in the controuersie of his deuorce from the Ladye Katherin wherefore he requested the sayde Ambassadour so to informe the kynge of Fraunce his Master which he nothing slacked to do And in conclusion a tyme was appointed when these twoo noble kinges shoulde meete by a place called Morguison whiche is betweene two greate hilles and the midway betwixt Callice Boloigne According to the apointment the king of Englande set forwarde and came to Callice The Frenche king lykewise lay at Bolloigne and on the appointed day they bothe met by the sayde place called Morguison with a noble trayne of Dukes Earles Lordes Knightes Gentlemen on both sydes And while these noble Princes embraced eache other a Bishop of Fraunce threwe off a cast of great Hawkes called Sakers which Hawkes being cast off killed a Kyte ouer the kinges heades to the great pleasure of bothe the kinges Then passed they forwarde with Princely pastymes vnto the towne of Boloigne where was greate preparation and noble tryumphes to entertaine and welcome the King of Englande When king Henry had passed certaine dayes at Boloigne with moste royall solace and pleasure he Inuited the King of Fraunce to the lyke at his graces towne of Callice who in lyke maner came vnto Callice with king Henry where as his former entertainment vnto the king of Englande his trayne was noblye acquyted And whyle these two royall Kinges were thus at Callice the king of Heraldes came vnto king Henries grace declaring vnto him that according to the auncient custome and also being parcell of hys othe he
had set vp in the market place the Emperours Armes and the Frenche kinges Armes for so is the custome when kings meete together and desyred his grace to enforme him what might please him to bee erected in his behalfe to whom the King aunswered that nothing shoulde bee set vp for him neyther I care not quod he for anye suche matter Then sayde the Heralde it is my duitie to erecte somewhat in your graces name If it be so quoth the King I will that you depaint an armed Arme rysing out of a clowde holding in the hande a naked Sworde with thys Poesse vnder it Celuy au quel ie m'adiouincts Dieu aydant vaincra Whiche is as muche to say Whether parte I take by Gods helpe shall haue victorie This was set ouer the Emperours and the Frenche kings Armes as in this Portraiture appeareth And full truely did this Poesie proue As in Sleydon his Commentaries ye may reade at large Celuy au quel ie m'adiouincts Dieu aydant vaincra ¶ The Historie of the winning of Bulleyne by the moste victorious King Henrye the eyghth in his owne person YF townes subuerted coulde declare with tong or paynting Pen Their rufull falles and finall fate their losse of worthie men Or if the ruinous Castels olde that flatt on grounde nowe lye Or else the walles that earst were deckt with lofty Turrets hye Coulde shewe their wofull ouerthrowes by any kynde of waye And eke what Captaines them subdude to take the spoyle and praye Then Bulleyne that was wont to bragg in brauery of her myght Woulde clips her fame of large renowne that earst did shyne so bryght This stately Forte whose furnisht walles felt neuer yet annoye Nowe playnly shewde the auncient tales that Poets tolde of Troye Prince Agamemnon with his Greekes that wan olde Ilions towne In all his toyle of tenne yeres siege gat neuer such renowne The mighty Monarke Macedon that conquerd Darius soyles Wonne neuer greater victorie thoughe many greater spoyles But as king Henries courage stoute alwayes his foes subdude So mercy matcht his manly mynde who bloodshed still eschewde He neuer brewde his sworde in bloode on them that mercy craue His face with fauour still was fraught submissiue men to saue And Bullein men among the rest can testifie this case Who tasted both his force and eke his fauourable grace What mischiefe myght his hand haue wrought if tyrannye had raygnd Or rage had harbourd in his brest which he alwayes refraynd Though pleasant prayes do oft entice the mynd that gapes for gayne To passe the boundes of princely fame great spoyle for to obtayne Yet no such crime of greedy mynde from mercy might him moue The towne of bulleyne can right well this fame of him approue Theyr towne theyr lyues theyr goodes and all lay in his might and power For to haue spoylde and ouerthrowne and destroyde in one hower But piety prickt his Princely hart in mercy to excell Whose noble nature doth deserue for prayse to beare the bell THe Realmes of Fraunce and Scotlande perceiuing that they neuer coulde preuayle against the king of Englande in any attempt neyther by dissembling peace nor yet by open warre ceased not to followe the example of the Scarabe who presuming to contende with the Eagle and being farre vnable to encounter with him deuysed to annoye him though it were but with the filthye dung wherin he accustometh to welter and tomble So these two Realmes to obtaine their desyred purposes namely for that they coulde not bring vnder yoke the king of Englande they alway shott at him a farre of to annoy him as much as they durst which king Henry well perceiuing And calling to mynde the dammages that some of his predecessours had sustained after the death of the right valyant king Edward the thirde by the Realme of Fraunce and further waying with him self the feythlesse leagues of the frenchmen who alwayes when they entreated for peace had theyr Swordes readye to fight and theyr dissembling mindes wholy bent on treason mischiefe thought with him selfe that it was better to haue them hys open foes then his fayned friendes and determyned to inuade the Realme of Fraunce and in the ende was fully mynded to passe into Fraunce very secretly with a mightie puissant power which in deede was wrought so priuily that he imparted his minde in this matter vnto no man sauing only to the Duke of Suffolk but caused a rumor to be spread that hee was determined to goe ouer vnto Parys The Duke of Norfolk lay by the kinges apointment at the siege of Muttrell who hearing of the kinges pryuie passage into Fraunce maruailed with him selfe what shoulde bee hys pretence And thought some vncurtesie that he might not haue been made pryuy therof he being one of the kings pryuy counsail Wherupon he sent a letter vnto Sir Anthony Brown the maister of y kings horse wherin he declared that he mused what the kinges purpose shoulde bee desiring Sir Anthony Browne to resolue him by his letters of this doubt This letter was brought when the kinge lay at Calyce to passe into Fraunce And because the custome is in the tyme of warre that all letters which are sente vnto anye noble man or other of the campe shall fyrst be presented vnto the king to breake them opeÌ„ and to read them if he be in the campe him selfe the messenger brought the letter vnto the maister of the Postes who exhibited it vnto the Kinges grace The letter that was sent from the Duke of Norfolk vnto Sir Anthony Brown being in the packet of letters which the king tooke opened And when hee had reade it hee sayde vnto master Edmunde Harman one of his pryuye Chamber who then was in presence with him and none els Lo quoth hee the Duke of Norfolk seemeth by this letter to thinke him selfe not well dealt withal because hee is not made pryuye to our pretence in this voyage I assure thee Fdmund quoth he no mortall man in this worlde doth knowe the cause hereof but onelye Sir Charles Brandon And thou shalt bee the second vnto whome I will reueale this matter My purpose is sayd the Kyng to lay siege vnto Boloygne and I doubt not but to win it by Gods help May it please your grace then sayde maister Harman it will bee a noble victorie to win But it will bee more noble to hold it when it is wonne Well sayd y king I nothyng doubt the holding of it by Gods grace if I may winne it Now was the Duke of Suffolke before Bullaine and had layde siege vnto it on the Easte syde ofit who thear remayned vntill the king him selfe came and encamped on the North side After whose comming the towne was so sore battered with gunshot and so sharply assaulted that after a Moneths siege the captayn whose name was Mounsier Desâ—e shot out an arrowe with a letter tyed to the shafte wherin hee offered the King to render vp the towne vnto
his graces behoote so that he woulde graunt pardon of lyfe vnto all the people of the town and licence to depart with bagg and boggage Whiche the king mercifully graunted on this condicion that none of them should departe with any Gonne charged And the Bulleiners departed the town with as much of theyr goodes as they could cary with them After which departure king Henrie with hys nobilitie entred the towne with Banners displayed lyke a conquerour And after hee had taried there by the space of fyue dayes or there about he returned againe into Englande leauing behinde him to defende the towne the Duke of Suffolke that most valiant Capitayne But when the kings maiestie was vppon departure newes was brought vnto him that the Dolphin of Fraunce was determined to come downe and repell him from thence and hys power whereunto the king aunswered that hee shoulde be verie welcome For quoth he the Dolphin is my God sonne and if he come he shall haue my blessing But he made no haste to come as he vaunted Wherefore the Duke of Suffolk and the Earle of Essex perswaded the king to returne home to Englande againe for that he had wonne as much honour theare as was to be had at that tyme Wherupon the king committed the defence of the towne to the Duke of Suffolke and the Earle of Essex ioyntly But before his departure he being doubtfull whether the Duke of Norfolke had any neede of help at Muttrell called vnto him syr Anthony Browne appointed him to go thither to the ayde of the Duke of Norfolke with all his power But Sir Anthony Browne answered that he had dismissed many of his souldiers by reason of sicknesse the rest were either wounded or wearied with trauaile and many of their Horses tyred Then the king demaunded of the Earle of Essex In what estate his bande was who had vnder his charge 1500 horsemen he aunswered the kyng that of his whole power he wanted not 60. And that hee was ready to fulfill his graces pleasure Wherupon the king thought to haue sent him to Muttrell but in the end that king hauing a speciall regarde for the keeping of Bullaine leatte the Earle with the Duke to defende the towne and sent Sir Ihon Gage to Muttrell to the ayde of the Duke of Norfolk And then the king returned into England againe with great triumph After whose departure out of Fraunce y frenchmen began to be verye busie against the englishmē But when they could preuaile nothing at all they began to entreat for peace always hoping to haue Bullayne againe by some meanes or other But king Henry was so affected to that towne that neyther strengthe of warre nor force of money could win it from hym And he would oft times saye that no true subiect of his woulde perswade him to yelde it vp Which towne he helde in despight of the Frenchmen during his life ¶ And thus I ende this discourse of the wynning of Bullayne Omitting to treate of the large circumstaunce heereof least I might seeme to rob Grafton or Halle of their laboures concluding this commemoration of king Henry with his conquest of Bullaine After which triumphant victorie no special warre happened vnto him till death the conquerour of all mortall men subdued his body whose soule liueth with God in his Heauenlye kingdome KIng Henry in his life time would often tymes saye that if it woulde please God to endue hym with life vntill he might see three thinges brought to passe hee woulde not desire to liue anye longer The fyrst was to confirme true religion in this Realme The seconde to establish the Crowne The thyrde to see hys Sonne a man Also hee would say that if he knewe any one to bee a man of GOD and meete to gouerne a common welthe he would rather yelde his Crowne vnto him then weare it himself so that hee myghte doe it to the pleasure of God the weale publyke of his people ¶ An Epitaph of the deathe of the moste valyant and renowmed Prince King Henry the eyghth AWake ye worthies nyne that long in graues haue rest Powre out your plaints with wayling teares Let langor be your geast Do off your shrowding sheetes that clads you in the claye and decke your selues with black attyre your mourning to displaye Bedewe with saltie teares your manly faces stowte Laye downe those weapons that were wont to quell the raging rowte For nowe that pierlesse Prince that neuer yet tooke foyle The eyghth king Henry hath resynde his bodye to the soyle Recorde your dolefull tunes ye noble Peeres eche one Let gryping greefes gnawe on your breastes to shewe your pensiue moane With bryndie blubbered teares ye commons all lament Sende forth your sobbes from boyling breast let trynkling teares be spent For our Achilles nowe hath left vs in the fielde That wonted was with valiant force from foes our lyues to shylde And this hath death deuysde to wrecke his wrathfull spyght Wherefore O Mors wee curses yelde on thee both daye and nyght Oh noble Brutus lande howe much was death thy foe when he with cruell darte constraynde this Gemme from thee to goe But though the cursed dame that cuttes the fatall lyne So muche enuyed thy happie state in making him declyne Yet God through mercy great in spyght of death his darte Hath left a Blossome of his braunche to ease thy pensiue smarte For whome now let vs praye that shee the race may runne of Nestors yeres with like successe as yet her grace hath done And that his royall Impe Elizabeth by name May weare the Crowne and wielde the sworde with ioye and endlesse fame Whose lyfe doth render lyght vnto her fathers fame whose noble harte doth plainly shewe the stocke from whence shee came Though death hath done his woorst with drift of dyrefull darte By stryking of that valyant king and piercing of his harte Yet hath he not the powre his fame to ouercast which shall remaine in mouth of man whyle Pen and ynke doth last And eke the shyning Sunne shall cease his running race before king Henries worthie fame shall suffer one deface And as his soule is lodgde with Ioue in starrie Skye Euen so remembraunce of his name on earth shall neuer dye ¶ A Preamble to this parte of the Booke following LYke as the auncient Greekes haue painted out at large Their noble ladyes worthie lyues and therof taken charge And as the Romaine dames had writers of their actes Euen so the trowpe of Englysh trayne haue some to tell their factes Whose bryght and shyning fame deserues to haue a place Coequall with the best that hath runne on in vertues race Then let not Englande blushe to blase their ladies lyues Which no whit is inferiour vnto the Romayne wyues Let them vaunt if they list of Lucrece chastitie I prayse the greekes Penelope for her fidelitie A nomber myght be namde that wryters pennes haue praysde Who for their lyues and noble actes an