heare my prayre That Bullingbrooke now placde in Richards chaire Such cause of woe vnto their wiues may be As those rebellious Lords haue beene to me And that prowd Dame which now controlleth all And in her pompe triumpheth in my fall For her great Lord may water her sad eyne With as salt teares as I haue done for mine And mourne for Henry Hotspur her deere sonne As I for my sweete Mortimer haue done And as I am so succourlesse be sent Lastly to taste perpetuall banishment Then loose thy care where first thy crowne was lost Sell it so deerely for it deerely cost And sith they did of libertie depriue thee Burying thy hope let not thy care out-liue thee But hard God knowes with sorrow doth it goe When woe becomes a comforter to woe Yet much me thinkes of comfort I could say If from my hart pale feare were rid away Something there is which tells me still of woe But what it is that heauen aboue doth know Griefe to it selfe most dreadfull doth appeare And neuer yet was sorrow voide of feare But yet in death doth sorrow hope the best And with this farewell wish thee happy rest Notes of the Chronicle Historie If fatall Pomfret hath in former time POmfret Castle euer a fatall place to the Princes of England and most ominous to the blood of Plantaginet Oh how euen yet I hate these wretched eyes And in my glasse c. When Bullingbrooke returned to London from the West bringing Richard a prisoner with him the Queene who little knew of her husbands hard successe staid to behold his comming in little thinking to haue seene her husband thus ledde in triumph by his foe and now seeming to hate her eyes that so much had graced her mortall enemie Wherein great Norfolks forward course was staid She remembreth the meeting of two Dukes of Herford and Norfolke at Couentry vrging the iustnesse of Mowbrayes quarrell against the Duke of Herford and the faithfull assurance of his victorie O why did Charles relieue his needie state A vagabond c. Charles the French King her father receiued the Duke of Herford in his Court and releeued him in Fraunce being so neerely alied as Cosin german to king Richard his sonne in Law which he did simply little thinking that hee should after returne into England and dispossesse King Richard of the Crowne When thou to Ireland took'st thy last farewell King Richard made a voyage with his Armie into Ireland against Onell and Mackemur which rebelled at what time Henry entred here at home and robd him of all kingly dignitie Affirmde by Church-men which should beare no hate That Iohn of Gaunt was illegitâ—imate William Wickham in the great quarrell betwixt Iohn of Gaunt and the Clergy of meere spight and malice as it should seeme reported that the Queene confessed to him on her deathbed being then her Confessor that Iohn of Gaunt was the son of a Flemming and that shee was brought to bed of a woman childe at Gaunt which was smothered in the cradle by mischance that she obtained this childe of a poore woman making the king beleeue it was her owne greatly fearing his displeasure Fox eâ— Chron. Alban No bastards marke doth blot our conquering shield Shewing the true and indubitate birth of Richard his right vnto the Crowne of England as carrying the Armes without blot or difference Against their faith vnto the Crownes true heire Their noble kinsman c. Edmund Mortimer Earle of March sonne of Earle Roger Mortimer which was sonne to Lady Phillip daughter to Lionell Duke of Clarence the third sonne to King Edward the third which Edmund King Richard going into Ireland was proclaimed heire apparant to the Crowne whose Aunt called Ellinor this Lord Piercie had married O would Aumerle had suncke when he betrayd The complâ—t which that holy Abbot layd The Abbot of Westminster had plotted the death of King Henry to haue beene done at a Tilt at Oxford of which confederacie there was Iohn Holland Duke of Excester Thomas Holland Duke of Surrey the Duke of Aumerle Mountacute Earle of Salsbury Spenser Earle of Gloster the Bishop of Carlile Sir Thomas Blunt these all had bound themselues one to another by Indenture to performe it but were all betrayd by the Duke of Aumerle Scroope Greene and Bushie die his fault in graine Henry going towards the Castle of Flint where King Richard was caused Scroope Greene and Bushie to be executed at Bristow as vile persons which had seduced this King to this lasciuious and wicked life Damn'd be the oth he made at Doncaster After Henries exile at his returne into England he tooke his oth at Doncaster vpon the Sacrament not to claime the crowne or Kingdome of England but onely the Dukedome of Lancaster his owne proper right and the right of his wife And mourne for Henry Hotspur her deere sonne As I for my c. This was the braue couragious Henry Hotspur that obtained so many victories against the Scots which after falling out right with the curse of Queene Isabell was slaine by Henry at the battaile at Shrewsbury Richard the second to Queene Isabell WHat may my Queene but hope for froÌ„ that hand Vnfit to write vnskilfull to coÌ„mand A Kingdomes greatnesse hardly can he sway That wholesome counsaile neuer did obay Ill this rude hand did guide a Scepter then Worse now I feare me gouerneth a pen How shall I call my selfe or by what name To make thee know from whence these letters came Not from thy husband for my hatefull life Hath made thee widdow being yet a wife Nor from a King that title I haue lost Now of that name prowd Bullingbroke may boast What I haue beene doth but this comfort bring That no woe is to say I was a King This lawlesse life which first procurde my hate This tongue which then denounc'd my regall state This abiect minde that did consent vnto it This hand that was the instrument to doe it All these be witnesse that I doe denie All passed hopes all former soueraigntie Didst thou for my sake leaue thy fathers Court Thy famous Country and thy virgine port And vndertook'st to trauaile dangerous waies Driuen by aukward windes and boist'rous seas And left 's great Burbon for thy loue to mee Who su'd in marriage to be linck'd to thee Offring for dower the Countries neighbouring nie Of fruitfull Almaine and rich Burgundie Didst thou all this that England should receiue thee To miserable banishment to leaue thee And in my downefall and my fortunes wracke Forsaken thus to France to send thee backe When quiet sleepe the heauie hearts reliefe Hath rested sorrow somwhat lesned griefe My passed greatnes vnto minde I call And thinke this while I dreamed of my fall With this conceit my sorrowes I beguile That my faire Queene is but with-drawne a while And my attendants in some chamber by As in the height of my prosperitie Calling alowd and asking who is there The Eccho
dares And Vere so famous in the Irish warres Who though my selfe so great a Prince were borne The worst of these my equall neede not scorne But Henries rare perfections and his parts As conquering Kingdomes so he conquer'd hearts As chaste was I to him as Queene might bee But freed from him my chaste lone vow'd to thee Beautie doth fetch all fauour from thy face All perfect courtship resteth in thy grace If thou discourse thy lips such accents breake As loue a spirit forth of thee seemâ—d to speake The Brittish language which our vowels wants And iarres so much vpon harsh consonants Comes with such grace from thy mellifluous tongue As do the sweete notes of a well set song And runnes as smoothly from those lips of thine As the pure Tuskan from the Florentine Leauing such seasoned sweetenes in the eare As the voyce past yet still the sound is there In Nisus Tower as when Apollo lay And on his golden viall vsde to play Where sencelesse stones were with such musicke drownd As many yeares they did retaine the sound Let not the beames that greatnes doth reflect Amaze thy hopes with timerous respect Assure thee Tudor maiesty can be As kinde in loue as can the mean'st degree And the embraces of a Queene as true As theirs might iudge them much aduanc'd by you When in our greatnes our affections craue Those secret ioyes that other women haue So I a Queene be soueraigne in my choice Let others fawne vpon the publique voice Or what by this can euer hap to thee Light in respect to be belou'd of mee Let peeuish worldlings prate of right and wrong Leaue plaints and pleas to whom they do belong Let old men speake of chances and euents And Lawyers talke of titles and discents Leaue fond reports to such as stories tell And couenants to those that buy and sâ—ll Loue my sweete Tudor that becomes thee best And to our good suceesse referre the rest Notes of the Chronicle Historie Great Henry sought to accomplish his desire Armed c. HEnry the fift making claime to the Crowne of France first sought by Armes to subdue the French and after sought by marriage to confirme what he got by conquest the heate and furie of which inuasion is alluded to the sixion of Semele in Ouid which by the crafty perswasion of Iuno requested Ioue to come vnto her as he was wont to come vnto his wife Iuno who at her request hee yeelding vnto destroyed her in a tempest Incamp'd at Melans in wars hote alarmes First c. Neere vnto Melans vpon the Riuer of Scyne was the appointed place of parley betweene the two Kings of England and France to which place Isabell the Qucene of France and the Duke of Burgoyne brought the yong Princesse Katherine where King Henry first saw her And on my temples set a double Crowne Henry the fift and Queene Katherine were taken as King and Queene of France and during the life of Charles the French king Henry was called King of England and heire of France and after the death of Henry the fift Henry the sixt his sonne then being very yong was crowned at Paris as true and lawfull King of England and France At Troy in Champaine he did first enioy Troy in Champaine was the place where that victorious king Henry the fift married the Ptincesse Katherine in the presence of the chiefe nobilitie of the Realmes of England and France Nor these great tules vainely will I bring Wife daughter mother c. Few Queenes of England or France were euer more princely alied then this Queene as it hath beene noted by Historiographers Nor thinke so Tudor that this loue of mine Should wrong the Gaunt-borne c. Noting the discent of Henry her husband from Iohn Duke of Lancaster the fourth sonne of Edward the third which Duke Iohn was sirnamed Gaunt of the Cittie of Gaunt in Flanders where he was borne Nor stirre the English blood the Sunne and Moone Trepine c. Alluding the greatnes of the English line to Phoebus and Phoebe fained to be the children of Latona whose heauenly kind might seorne to be ioyned with any earthly progenie yet withall boasting the blood of France as not inferior to theirs And with this allusion followeth on the historie of the strife betwixt Iuno and the race of Cadmus whose issue was afflicted by the wrath of heauen The children of Niobe slaine for which the wofull mother became a rocke gushing forth continually a sountaine of teares And Iohn and Longshanks issue both affied Lheellin or Leolin ap Iorweth married Ioane daughter to king Iohn a most beautifull Lady Some Authors affirme that she was base borne Lhewellin ap Gryfith married Ellenor daughter to Simon Montfort Earle of Leicester and Cosin to Edward Long-shankes both which Lhewellins were Princes of Wales Of Camilot and all her Pentecosts A Nephewes roome c. Camilot the antient Pallace of King Arthur to which place all the Knightes of that famous order yeerely repaired at Penticost according to the law of the Table and most of the famous home-borne Knights were of that Country as to this day is perceiued by their antient monuments When bloody Rutus sought your vtter sacke Noting the ill successe which that William Rufus bad in two voyages he made into Wales in which a number of his chiefe Nobilitie were slaine And oft returnde with glorious victorie Noting the diuers sundry incursions that the Welchmen made into England in the time of Rufus Iohn Henry the second and Longshankes ⧠Owen Tudor to Queene Katherine WHen first mine eyes heheld your princely name And found from whence this friendly letter came As in excesse of ioy my selfe forgot Whether I saw it or I saw it not My panting heart doth bid mine eyes proceede My dazeled eye inuites my tongue to reede Mine eye should guide my tongue amazed mist it My lips which now should speak are dombe kist it And leaues the paper in my trembling hand When all my sences so amazed stand Euen as a mother comming to her childe Which from her presence hath been long exilde With tender armes his gentle necke doth straine Now kissing him now clipping him againe And yet excessiue ioy deludes her so As still she doubts if this be hers or no At length awak'ned from this pleasing dreame When passion somwhat leaues to be extreame My longing eyes with their faire obiect meete Where euery letter 's pleasing each word sweete It was not Henries conquests nor his Court That had the power to win me by report Nor was his dreadfull terror-striking name The cause that I from Wales to England came For Christian Rhodes and our religious truth To great atchieuements first had wonne my youth Before aduenture did my valour proue Before I yet knew what it was to loue Nor came I hether by some poore euent But by th' eternall Destinies consent Whose vncomprised wisedomes did fore-see That you in marriage should be linck'd to
Palador Caer-Septon now called Shaftsburie at whose building it was said an â—â—agle prophecied or rather one named Aquila of the fame of that place and of the recouerie of the I le of the Brytaines bringing backe with them the bones of Cadwallader from Rome And from Eneons line the South-wales King From Theodor c. This Eneon was slaine by the Rebels of Gwentsland he was a noble and worthie Gentleman who in his life did many noble acts and was father to Theodor or Tudor Maur of whom discended the Princes of South-wales From her great Grandam faire Guenelliam Guenelliam the daughter of Rees ap Griffeth ap Theodor Prince of South-wales maried Edniuet Vahan auncestor to Owen Tudor By true descent from Liolin the great This is tho Lewhelin called Liolinus Magnus Prince of North-wales Nor that word Croggen nick-name of disgrace In the voyage that Henry the second made against the Welchmen as his Souldiers passed Offas ditch at Croggen Castel they were ouerthrowne by the Welchmen which word Croggen hath since beene vsed to the Welchmens disgrace which was at first begun with their honour And old Caer-Merdin Merlins famous towne Caer-Merdin or Merlins Towne so called of Merlius beeing found there This was Ambrose Merlin whose prophecies wee haue There was another of that name called Merlin Siluestris borne in Scotland surnamed Calidonius of the Forrest Calidon where he prophecied And kept our natiue language now thus long The Welchmen bee those ancient Britaines which when the Picts Danes and Saxons inuaded heere were first driuen into those parts where they haue kept their language euer since the first without commixtion with any other language Finis To my worthy and deerly esteemed friend Maister Iames Huish SIR your own naturall inclination to vertue your loue to the Muses assure me of your kinde acceptance of my dedication It is seated by custome from which wee are now bolde to assume authoritie to beare the names of our friends vpon the fronts of our bookes as Gentlemen vse to set their Armes ouer their gates Some say this vse began by the Heroes braue spirits of the old world which were desirous to be thought to patronize learning and men in requitall honour the names of those braue Princes But I think some after put the names of great men in their bookes for that men should say there was some thing good only because indeed their names stood there But for mine owne part not to dissemble I find no such vertue in any of their great titles to do so much for any thing of mine and so let them passe Take knowledge by this I loue you and in good faith worthie of all loue I thinke you which I pray you may supply the place of further complement Yours euer M. Drayton Elinor Cobham to Duke Humfrey The Argument Elinor Cobham daughter to the Lord Cobham of Sterborough and wife to Humfrey Plantaginet duke of Glocester the sonne of Henry the fourth King of England surnamed Bullingbrooke This noble Duke for his great wisdome and iustice called the good was by King Henry the fift brother to this Duke at his death appointed Protector of the land during the nonage of Henry the sixt this Elinor Duches of Glocester a prowd and ambicious woman knowing that if young Henry died without issue the Duke her husband was the neerest of the bloud conspired with one Bullingbrooke otherwise called Onely a great Magitian Hun a priest and Iourdane witch of Eye by sorcerie to make away the King and by coniuration to know who should succeed Of this being iustly conuicted shee was adiudged to do penance three seuerall times openly in London and then to perpetuall banishment in the I le of Man from whence she writeth this Epistle ME thinks not knowing who these lines should send Thou straight turn'st ouer to the latter end Where thou my name no sooner hast espi'd But in disdaine my letters cast aside Why if thou wilt I will my selfe denie Nay I 'le affirme and sweare I am not I Orifin that thy shame thou doost perceiue I le leaue that name that name my selfe shall leaue And yet me thinkes amazd thou shouldst not stand Nor seeme so much appauled at my hand For my misfortunes haue invrde thine eie Long before this to sights of misery No no reade on t is I the very same All thou canst reade is but to reade my shame Be not dismaide nor let my name affright The worst it can is but t' offend thy sight It cannot wound nor doe thee deadly harme It is no dreadfull spell nor magique charme If shee that sent it loue duke Humfrey so I st possible her name should be his foe Yes I am Elnor I am verie shee Who brought for dower a virgins hed to thee Though enuious Beuford slaunderd me before To be duke Humfreis wanton Paramore And though indeede I can it not denie To Magique once I did my selfe apply I wonne thee not as there be many thinke With poisning Philters and bewitching drinke Nor on thy person did I euer proue Those wicked portions so procuring loue I cannot boast to be rich Hollands heire Nor of the bloud and greatnes of Bauire Yet Elnor brought no forraine armies in To fetch her backe as did thy Iacomin Nor clamorous husbands followed me that fled Exclayming Humfrey to defile his bed Nor wast thou forcde the slaunder to suppresse To send me backe as an adulteresse Brabant nor Burgoyne claimed me by force Nor su'd to Rome to hasten my deuorce Nor Belgias pompe defac'd with Belgias fire The iust reward of her vniust desire Nor Bedford spouse your noble sister Anne That princely-issued great Burgunnian Should stand with me to moue a womans strife To yeelde the place to the Protectors wife If Cobhams name my birth can dignifie Or Sterborough renowne my familie Where 's Greenewich now thy Elnors Court of late Where she with Humfrey held a princely state That pleasant Kent when I abroad should ride That to my pleasure laid forth all her pride The Thames by water when I tooke the ayre Danc'd with my Barge in lanching from the staire The ankoring ships that when I pass'd the road Were wont to hang their chequered tops abroad How could it be those that were wont to stand To see my pompe so goddesse-like on land Should after see me mayld vp in a sheete Doe shamefull penance three times in the streetâ— Rung with a bell a Taper in my hand Bare-foote to trudge before a Beedles wand That little babes not hauing vse of tongue Stood pointing at me as I came along Where 's Humfreys power where was his great command Wast thou not Lord-protector of the Land Or for thy iustice who can thee deny The title of the good Duke Humfrey Hast thou not at thy life and in thy looke The seale of Gaunt the hand of Bulling brooke What blood extract from famous Edwards line Can boast it selfe to be so pure as
allow I should not neede to feare it For then my true nobilitie should beare it If counsell ayde that Fraunce will tell I know Whose townes lie waste before the English foe When thrice we gaue the conquered French the foile At Agincourt at Crauant and Uernoile If faith auaile these armes did Henry hold To claime his crowne yet scarcely nine months old If countries care haue leaue to speake for me Gray haires in youth my witnes then may be If peoples tongues giue splendor to my fame They adde a title to duke Humfries name If toyle at home French treason English hate Shall tell my skill in managing the state If forraine trauell my successe may try In Flaunders Almaine Boheme Burgundy That robe of Rome prowd Benford now doth weare In euery place such sway should neuer beare The Crosier staffe in his imperious hand To be the Scepter that controules the land That home to England despensations drawes Which are of power to abrogate our lawes That for those summes the wealthy church should pay Vpon the needy Commontie to lay His ghostly counsells onely doe aduise The meanes how Langlies progenie may rise Pathing young Henries vnaduised waies A Duke of Yorke from Cambridge house to raise which after may our title vndermine Grafted since Edward in Gaunts famous line Vs of succession safely to depriue which they from Clarence fainedly deriue Knowing the will old Cambridge euer bore To eateh the wreathe that famous Henry wore With Gray and Scroope when first he laide the plot From vs and ours the gaâ—land to haue got As from the Match-borne Mortimer to raigne Whose title Glendour stoutly did maintaine When the prowde Percies haughty March and hee Had sharde the Land by equall partes in three His Priesthoode now sterne Mowbray doth restore To stirre the fire that kindled was before Against the Yorkists shall their claime aduance To steele the poynt of Norffolkes sturdie lance Vpon the breast of Herfords issue bent In iust reuenge of antient banishment He dooth aduise to let our prisâ—er goe And doth enlarge the faithlesse Scottish foe Giuing our heires in marriage that their dowres May bring inuasion vpon vs and ours Ambitious Suffolke so the helme doth guide With Benfords damned policies supplide He and the Queene in counsell still conferre How to raise him who hath aduanced her But my deere heart how vainely do I dreame And flie from thee whose sorrowes are my theame My loue to thee and England thus diuided With the most parte how hard to be decided Or thee or that to whether I am loath So neere are you so deere vnto me both Twixt that and thee for equall loue I finde England in gratefull and my Elnor kind But though my country iustly I reproue For countries sake vnkinde vnto my loue Yet is thy Humfrey to his Elnor now As when fresh beauty triumpht on thy brow As when thy graces I admired most Or of thy fauours might the frankli'st boast Those beauties were so infinite before That in abundance I was onely poore Of which though time hath taken some againe I aske no more but what doth yet remaine Be patient gentle heart in thy distresse Thou arte a Princesse not a whit lesse Whilst in these breasts we beare about this life I am thy husband and thou arte my wife Cast not thine eie on such as mounted be But looke on those cast downe as lowe as we For some of them which prowdly pearch so hie Ere long shall come as lowe as thou or I. They weepe for ioy and let vs laugh in woe We shall exchange when heauen will haue it so We mourne and they in after time may mourne Woe past may once laugh present woe to scorne And worse than hath beene we can neuer taste Worse cannot come than is already past In all extreames the onely depth of ill Is that which comforts the afflicted still Ah would to God thou wouldst thy griefes denie And on my backe let all the burthen lie Or if thou canst resigne make thine mine owne Both in one carrige to be vndergone Till we againe our former hopes recouer And prosp'rous times blow these misfortunes ouer For in the thought of those forepassed yeares Some new resemblance of old ioy appeares Mutuall our care so mutuall be our loue That our affliction neuer can remoue So rest in peace where peace hath hope to liue Wishing thee more than I my selfe can giue ¶ Notes of the Chronicle Historie At Agincourâ— at Grauant and Vernoyle THe three famous battels fought by the Englishmen in France Agincourt by Henry the fift against the whole power of France Crauant fought by Montacute Earle of Salisburie and the Duke of Burgoyne against the Dolphine of France William Stuart Constable of Scotland Vernoile fought by Iohn Duke of Bedford against the Duke of Alanson and with him most of the Nobilitie of France Duke Humfrey an Especiall Councellour in all these expeditions In Flaunders Almain Boheme Burgundie Here remembring the auncient amitie which in his ambassaes he concluded betwixt the King of England and Sigismund Emperour of Almaine drawing the Duke of Burgoyne into the same league giuing himselfe as an hostage for the duke of saint Omers while the Duke came to Calice to confirme the league With his many other imployments to forraine Kingdoms That crosier staffe in his imperious hand Henry Beuford Cardinall of Winchester that proud haughtie Prelate receyued his Cardinals hat at Calice by the Popes Legate which dignitie Henry the fift his nephew forbade him to take vpon him knowing his haughtie and malicious spirit vnfit for that robe and calling The meanes how Langleis progenie may rise As willing to shew the house of Cambridge to bee descended of Edmund Langley Duke of Yorke a yonger brother to Iohn of Gaunt his Grand-father as much as in him lay to smother the title that the Yorkists made to the crowne from Lionell of Clarence Gaunts elder brother by the daughter of Mortimer His priesthood now sterne Mowbray doth restore Nothing the ancient grudge betweene the house of Lancaster and Norffolke euer since Mowbray duke of Norffolke was banished for the accusation of Henry duke of Herford after the king of England father to duke Humfrey which accusation hee came as a Combatant to haue made good in the Lists at Couentry And giues our heires in marriage that their dowers Iames Stuart King of Scots hauing bin long prisoner in England was released and tooke to wife the daughter of Iohn duke of Somerset sister to Iohn duke of Somerset neece to the Cardinall and the duke of Excester and coosin germain remooued to the King this King broke the oath he had taken and became after a great enemie to England FINIS ¶ To my Honored Mistris Mistris Elizabeth Tanfield the sole daughter and heire of that famous and learned Lawyer Lawrence Tanfield Esquire FAire and vertuous Mistres since first it was my good fortune to bee a witnesse of the many
once report did bring How thou in Fraunce didst reuell with the king vvhen he in triumph of his victorie Vnder a rich imbrodered Canapie E 〈…〉 d proud Tournay which did trembling stand Toâ—eg for mercie at his conquering hand To heare of his enderements how I ioy'd But see this calme vvas suddenly destroy'd When Charles of Castile there to banquet came With him his sister that ambitious dame Sauoyes prowd dutchesle knowing how long she By her â—oue sought to win my loue from me Fearing my absence might thy vowes acquite To change thy Mary for a Margarite When in king Henries tent of cloth of gold She often did thee in her armes enfold vvhere you were feasted more deliciously Than Cleopatra did Marke Anthony Where sports all day did entertaine your sight And then in maskes you passde away the night But thou wilt say t is proper vnto vs That we by nature all are iealous I must confesse t is oft found in our sex But who not loue not any thing suspects True loue dooth looke with pale suspitious eie Take away loue if you take iealousie Turwin and Turney when King Henry tooke For this great change who then did euer looke When Maximilian to those warres addrest Ware Englands Crosle on his imperiall breast And in our armie let his Eagle flie That viewd our ensignes with a wondring eie Little thought I when Bullen first was wonne VVedlocke should end what angry warre begunnâ— From which I vow I yet am free in thought But this alone by Wolseis wit was wrought To his aduise the King gaue free consent That will I nill I I must be content My virgins right my state could not aduance But now enriched with the dower of France Then but poore Suffolkes Dutchesse had I beene Now the great Dowager the most Christian Qucent But I perceiue where all thy griefe doth lie Lewes of France had my virginitie He had indeede but shall I tell thee what Beleeue me Brandon he had scarcely that Good feeble King he could not do much harme But age must needes haue something that is warme Small drops God knowes do quench that heaâ—lesse fire When all the strength is onely in desire And I could tell if modesly might tell There 's somewhat else that pleaseth louers well To rest his cheeke vpon my softer cheeke Was all he had and more he did not seeke So might the little babie clip the nurse And it content she neuer awhit the worse Then thinke this Brandon if that makes thee frowne For may denhead he on my head set a Crowne who would exchange a kingdome for a kisse Hard were the hart that would not yeeld him this And time yet halfe so swiftly doth not passe Not full fiue months yet elder than I was When thou to Fraunce conducted was by fame With many knights which from all countries came Installed at Saint Dennis in my throne Where Lewes held my coronation Where the prowd Dolphin for thy valour sake Chose thee at tilt his princely part to take Whenas the staues vpon thy caske did light Grieued there with I turnd away my sight And spake alowd when I my selfe forgot T' is my sweeâ—e Charles my Brandon hurt him not But when I fearde the King perceiued this Good seely man I pleasde him with a kisse And to extoll his valiant sonne began That Europe neuer bred a brauer man And when poore King he simply praised thee Of all the rest I ask'd which thou shouldst bee Thus I with him dissembled for thy sake Open confession now amends must make Whilst this old King vpon a pallet lies And onely holds a combat with mine eyes Mine eyes from his by thy sight stolne away Which might too wel their Mistres thoughts bewray But when I saw thy prowd vnconquered Launce To beare the prize from all the flower of France To see what pleasure did my soule imbrace Might easily be discerned in my face Looke as the dew vpon a damaske Rose How through that liquide pearle his blushing showes And when the sost aire breathes vpon his top From the sweet leaues falles easily drop by drop Thus by my cheeke distilling from mine eyes One teare for ioy anothers roome supplies Before mine eie like touch thy shape did proue Mine eie condemn'd my too too partiall loue But since by others I the same doe â—rie My loue condemnes my too too partiall eie The pretious stone most beautifull and rare When with it selfe we onely doe compare Wee deeme all other of that kinde to be As excellent as that we onely see But when we iudge of that with others by Too credulous we doe condemne our eie Which then appeares more orient and more bright As from their dimnesse borrowing great light Alansoon a fine timbered man and tall Yet wants the shape thou arte adornd withall Vandon good carriage and a pleasing eie Yet hath not Suffolkes princely maiestie Couragious Burbon a sweete manly face But yet he wants my Brandons courtly grace Prowd Longauile our Court iudgde had no peere A man scarce made was thoght whilst thou wast here County S. Paule brau'st man at armes in Fraunce Would yeeld himselfe a Squire to beare thy launce Galleas and Bounearme matchlesse for their might Vnder thy towring blade haue cowcht in fight If with our loue my brother angry be I le say to please him I first fancied thee And but to frame my liking to his minde Neuer to thee had I beene halfe so kinde Worthy my loue the vulgar iudge no man Except a Yorkist or Lancastrian Nor thinke that my affection should be set But in the line of great Plantaginet I passe not what the idle Commons say I pray thee Charles make haste and come away To thee what 's England if I be not there Or what to me is Fraunce if thou not here Thy absence makes me angry for a while But at thy presence I must needsly smile When last of me his leaue my Brandon tooke He sware an oath and made my lips the booke He would make hast which now thou doo'st denie Thou art forsworne ô wilfull periuricl Sooner would I with greater sinnes dispence Then by entreatie pardon this offence But yet I thinke if I should come to shriue thee Great were the fault that I should not forgiue thee Yet wert thou heere I should reuenged bee But it should be with too much louing thee I that is all that thou shalt feare to tast I pray thee Brandon come sweete Charles make hast Notes of the Chronicle-Historie The vtmost date expired of my stay When I for Douer did depart away KIng Henry the 8. with the Queene and Nobles in the 6. yeare of his raigne in the moneth of September brought this Ladie to Douer where she tooke shipping for Fraunce Think'st thou my loue was faithfull vnto thee When yong Castile to England su'd for me It was agreed and concluded betwixt Henry the seuenth and Philip King of Castile sonne to Maximilian the
long hath trauailed before When thou to Abuile heldst th' appointed day We heard how Lewes met thee on the way Where thou in glittering Tissue strangely dight Appear'dst vnto him like the Queene of light In cloth of siluer all thy virgin traine In beautie sumptuous as the Northerne waine And thou alone the formost glorious star Which lead'st the teame of that great Wagoner What could thy thought be but as I do thinke When thine eyes tasted what mine eares did drinke A cripple King laid bed-rid long before Yet at thy comming crept out of the doore T' was well he rid he had no legs to goe But this thy beautie forc'd his body to For whom a cullice had more fitter beene Then in a golden bed a gallant Queene To vse thy beautie as the miser gold Which hoards it vp but onely to behold Still looking on it with a iealous eye Fearing to lend yet louing vsurie O Sacriledge if beautie be diuine The prophane hand shuld touch the halowed shrine To 〈◊〉 sicknesse on the sound mans diet To rob content yet still to liue vnquiet And hauing all to be of all beguild And yet still longing like a little child When Marques Dorset and the valiant Graies To purchase fame first crost the narrow Seas With all the Knights that my associates went In honour of thy nuptiall turnament Thinkst thou I ioy'd not in thy beauties pride When thou in triumph didst through Paris ride Where all the streetes as thou didst pace along With Arras Bisse and Tapestry were hung Ten thousand gallant Cittizens prepar'd In rich atâ—ire thy princely selfe to guard Next them three thousand choise 〈…〉 igious men In golden vestments followed on agen And in procession as they came along With Hymeneus sang thy marriage song Then fiue great Dukes as did their places fall To each of these a princely Cardinall Then thou on thy imperiall Chariot set Crown'd with a rich imperled Coronet Whilst the Persian dames as thy traine past Their pretious incence in abundance cast As Cinthia from the waue-embatteld shrowdes Opening the West comes streaming through the clowds With shining troupes of siluer-tressed stars Attending on her as her torch-bearers And all the lesser lights about her throne With admiration stand as lookers on Whilst she alone in height of all her pride The Queene of light along her spheare doth glide When on thy tilt my horse like thunder came No other signall had I but thy name Thy voyce my trumpet and my guide thine eyes And but thy beautie I esteemde no prize That large 〈…〉 d Almaine of the Giants race Which bare strength on his breast feare in his face Whose sinewde armes with his steele-temperd blade Through plate and male such open passage made Vpon whose might the Frenchmens glory lay And all the hope of that victorious day Thou sawe'st thy Brandon beate him on his knee Offring his shield a conquerd spoile to thee But thou wilt say perhaps I vainely boast And tell thee thee which thou already know'st No sacred Queene my valour I denie It was thy beautie not my chiualrie One of thy tressed curles which falling downe As loth to be imprisoned in thy crowne I saw the soft ayre sportiuely to take it To diuers shapes and sundry formes to make it Now parting it to foure to three to twaine Now twisting it and then vntwist againe Then make the thrids to dally with thine eye A sunny candle for a golden flie At length from thence one little teare it got Which falling downe as though a star had shot My vp-turnde eye pursues it with my sight The which againe redoubleth all my might T is but in vaine of my descent to boast When heauens lampe shines all other lights be lost Faulcons gaze not the Eagle sitting by Whose broode suruaies the sunne with open eye Else might my blood finde issue from his force In Bosworth plaine beate Richard from his horse Whose puissant armes great Richmond chose to wield His glorious colours in that conquering field And with his sword in his deere Soueraignes fight To his last breath stood fast in Henries right Then beauteous Empresse thinke this safe delay Shall be the euen to a ioyfull day Fore-sight doth still on all aduantage lie Wise-men must giue place to necessitie To put backe ill our good we must forbeare Better first feare then after still to feare T' were ouer-sight in that at which we aime To put the hazard on an after-game With patience then let vs our hopes attend And till I come receiue these lines I send ¶ Notes of the Chronicle-Historie When Longauile to Mary was affied THe Duke of Longauile which was prisonet in England vpon the peace to be concluded betweene England and France was deliuered and married the Princesse Mary for Lewes the French King his Maister How in a storme thy well rigg'd ships were tost And thou c. As the Queene sailed for France a mighty storme arose at sea so that the Nauy was in great danger and was seuered some driuen vpon the coast of Flanders some on Brittaine the ship wherein the Queene was was driuen into the hauen at Bullen with very great danger When thou to Abuile heldst th' appointed day King Lewes met her by Abuile neere to the Forrest of Arders and brought her into Abuile with great solemnitie Appear'dst vnto him like the Queene of light Expressing the sumptuous attire of the Queene her train attended by the chiefe of the Nobility of England with 36. Ladies al in cloth of siluer their horses trapped with crimson veluet A cripple King laid bed-rid long before King Lewes was a man of great yeeres troubled much with the gowt so that he had long time before little vse of legs When Marques Dorset and the valiant Graies The Duke of Suffolke when the proclamation came into England of iusts to be holden in France at Paris he for the Queenes sake his Mistris obtained of the King to go thither with whom went the Marquesse Dorset and his foure brothers the Lord Clinton Sir Edward Neuell Sir Giles Chappell Tho Cheyney which went all ouer with the Duke as his assistants When thou in triumph didst through Paris ride A true description of the Queenes entring into Paris after her coronation performed at S. Dennis Then fiue great Dukes as did their places fall The Dukes of Alansoon Burbon Vandome Longauile Suffolke with fiue Cardinalls That large-limd Almaine of the Giants race Francis Valoys the Dolphin of France enuying the glory that the Englishmen had obtained at the Tilt brought in an Almaine secretly a man thought almost of incomparable strength which encountred Charles Brandon at Barriers but the Duke grapling with him so beate him about the head with the pumell of his sword that the blood came out of the sight of his Caske Else might my blood finde issue from his force In Bosworth c. Sir William Brandon Standard-bearer to the Earle of Richmond after Henry the 7.
efficient cause of Roberts ruining Whenas his friends so well to him that meant And for this day did wholly them prepare Seeing him thus their purpose to preuent And how thereby t' was like with him to fare Now vpon Henry bended all their care Giuing their power their peace with him to make Gathered at first the Norman part to take And I by whom yet euery thing had beene Since Norman William conquest heere begunne To shew my selfe the worlds emperious Queene Direct my course against his eldest sonne Things falling out disastrously to runne On Englands part gainst Normandie to stand Conquerd but lately by the Norman hand The conquest William made vpon this I le When Norman blood the Englishmen did tame That natiue now enriched with her stile Turnde with reuenge to captiuate the same As backe descending whence it lately came As Norman power did English thrall prouoke That Norman neckes should beare the English yoke For which being vp and fallne to open Armes Such mortall hate betweene them daily growes And pressing in where deadly perill swarmes The angry brothers dealing furious blowes Backe to regaine what they before did loose Either to quit him of the others thrall Either to rise or euermore to fail Him on whome late in Palestine I smilde Returnde from Fraunce now dreadfully I frowne Being calld home that chiefly is exilde And in his kingdome onely leaues his crowne Him in the deluge of mischance to drowne Lastly himselfe contemptfully doth lose Leauing his realme to his iniurious foes Which home to England prisner doe him bring Left as a spoile and prey vnto his owne Become her captiue should haue bin her king Such was the lot vpon his life was throwne Where he remaining in continuall mone Prescrib'd to one poore solitarie place Whose lawfull bounds the ocean did embrace Could humane knowledge comprehend my hate Or reason sound the depth of things diuine The world amazed at Duke Roberts state Might thinke no might to be comparde with mine And all the chaunces vnto me resigne In Roberts fall apparantly to see Amongst the starres the strength that rests in mee That sword vpon him which resumes such powre Yet is too weake to consumate his daies Time whose swift course doth euery thing deuoure In his most neede prolongs him with delaies Whilst he his brothers tyrannie obeies That he in life a thousand deaths might die In euery course so forcible am I. And whilst in such extreamity he lies Depriude of all comfort but the blessed light Yet t' was not this that could my rage suffice But to abridge that rob him of his sight To sute his daies directly with the night That that to all men lastly which should be Due to the wretchedst him denide by me That Robert so infortunately blinde No outward obiect night dispearse his care The better to illuminate his minde To see his sorrowes throughly what they are To do so much vnto this Prince I dare That being depriu'd of that which was the chiefe Did of the other amplifie the griefe And when bereaued of his nightly rest With the remembrance of so great a wrong Fastning so deepely on his pensiue breast His heart the while that violently stung Nature in him doth shew herselfe so strong That griefe which many doth of life depriue Seemes to preserue and keeps him still aliue Him I denide his enemy to kill Nor by his owne hand wretchedly to die That life vnto him should be loathsome still And that death from him euermore should flie Making them both to him an enemie Willing to die by life him double killing Vrged to liue twice dying he vnwilling So many yeares as he hath worne a Crowne So many yeares as he hath hopde to rise So many yeares vpon him did I frowne So many yeares he liues without his eyes So many yeares in dying e're he dies So many yeares shut vp in prison strong Sorrow doth make the shortest time seeme long Thus sway I in the course of earthly things That time might worke him euerlasting spight To shew how I can tyrannize on Kings And in the fall of great ones do delight In fined things my working infinite All worldly changes at my will disposed For that in me all wonder is inclosed At Fortunes speech amazed whilst they stand And Fame herselfe yet wondreth at his woe When from Duke Robert Fortune takes her hand Whose misery she thus had let them know When now to answer her dispightfull foe Fame from deepe silence seeming to awake Thus for her Client modestly bespake Quoth she returning from renowned Rome Seeking my selfe in Europe to aduance To winne her Princes to regaine the tombe Which had beene lost by her misgouernance Calling to England Germany and France At length perswaded happily by me From Pagan hands faire Palestine to free That holy hermite long that did bemone This their so great and euident a losse With famous Godfrey forwards that was gone Bearing the banner of the bloody Crosse Now whilst in so faire forwardnes it was And euery care attentiue now did stand To this great buisnes onely then in hand Thither did all the noblest spirites resort Which I that time successefully did bring Allured by the confident report That from so great an enterprise did spring T'aduenture in so popular a thing And no man deemed worthy to be mine That was not forward in this great designe Where now this duke the Conqu'rors eldest sonne Which with his birthright Normandie did wrest When of what else his noble father wonne His brother Rufus strongly was possest Which whilst he striueth from his hands to rest This great attempt now gloriously broke forth Which was by me divulged through the north Which hauing got free entrance to his care Such entertainement happily did finde As no perswasion suffreth to be there From this high purpose to diuert his minde And being so religiously inclinde woo'd with this offer fitly doth prepare Himselfe to furnish to this great affaire That kingdome he dooth carelesly neglect His brother Rufus wrongfully doth keepe And onely that doth constantly respect where he once in his sepulchre did sleepe At whose deere death the very rockes did weepe His crown of gold this christian Prince doth scorn So much he lou'd him that was crownd with thorne The want that him did grieuously oppresse Of those great summes in leuying power were spent Himselfe againe of England to possesse Much hindreth his religious intent Yet could not this his purpose so preuent Although a while it seemd delay to make Of that which he did brauely vndertake Wherefore this noble and high spirited Lord. whilst novv his buisnes standeth at this stay And since his state no better could afford In gage to Henry Normandie doth lay Prouiding first his souldiers how to pay Rather himselfe chose kingdomlesse to leaue His countries hopes then basely to deceaue To his victorious ensigne comes from farre Th'inlled Red-shanks toucht with no remorse The light-foote Irish that with
bleede O let the graue my innocency hold Ere of a King so heynous sinne be told Vttering my minde my sorrow to asswage The heauy burthen of my pensiue breast The poison now that inwardly did rage The present vigor forcibly exprest Me no way suffering to declare the rest Longer for him t' was now no time to stay And death call'd on to hasten me away Thus in my closet being left alone Vpon the floore vncomfortably lying The deede committed and the murtherer gone Almost arriued at the point of dying Some of the sisters me by chance espying Calls all the rest that in most wofull plight Came to behold this miserable sight Where like a rose by an vnkindly blast Mongst many buds that round about it grow The withered leaues improsp'rously doth cast Yet all the rest their soueraigne beauties show Amidst this goodly sisterhood euen so Nipt with cold death vntimely did I fade Whilst they about me pitteous wailing made When as my poore soule in hir suddaine flight Neglects the organ of each severall sense with all that horror could the same affright Being disturbed in her parting hence Onely constrained for her best defence Vnto her spotlesse innocence to take her Which her not leaues when all the rest forsake her VVhen all our pleasures are but childrens toyes And as meere shadowes presently do passe As yeares encreasing waning are our ioyes As we forget our fauours in a glasse Euen as a tale of that which neuer was Death our delights continually doth seuer Vertue alone abandoneth vs neuer And now my spirit thus liberally enlargde By gently flitting from this earthly roome The debt to Nature faithfully dischargde And at the howre conditiond on my toombe Such is the heauens ineuitable doombe Me Baynards Castle to the earth did bring D 〈…〉 againe my place of burying Now scarsly was my breathlesse body cold But euery where my tragedy was spred For tatling Fame in euery place had told My resolution being lately dead Ruing my blood so prodigally shed And to my father flies with this mischance Which then remained in the Court of Frarce His losse too great to be bewailde with teares Nor were there found wordes to expresse his woe Terror it selfe so settled in his eares No more might enter nothing out might goe O while againe should griefe distract me 〈◊〉 Enough of sorrow is already showne And telling his renewing of mine owne Me t' shall suffise my fortunes to relate And beare the burthen of my proper ill If I expresse my pittifull estate T is all I aske and I obtaine my will For whie true sorrow needes not others skill It is too much the bitternesse we taste vvithout remembrance when the same is past Somesaie the King repentant for this deede vvhenas remorce to thoughts thereof him draue Poorely disguised in a Pilgrimes weede Offered his teares on my vntimely graue For which no doubt but heauen his sinne forgaue And did thereby my grieued spirite appease Hâ—â—â—â—ing contrite I happly at ease Thus tolde my storie I my state deuise To you sweete Madam fitt'st with you to râ—st vvhich do my vertues daily exercise That be impressed in your patient breast By whome alone I rightliest am exprest For whom my praise it grieues me is too scant Whose happie name an Epethite shall want Then most deere Lady for a maidens sake To shead one teare if gently you but daine For all my wrongs it full amends may make And be my passe to the Elizian plaine In your chastâ— eies such powre there doth remainâ— As can th' afflicted prosprously deliuer Happy be they may looke vpon them euer FINIS The Legend of Pierce Gaueston FRom gloomy shadowes of eternall night Shut vp in darkenes where I long did dwell O heere beholde me miserable wight Lastly inuokt my tragedie to tell Giue me then leaue my sorrowes to impart Somewhat to ease my poore afflicted hart Goddesse of Artes and Armes Pallas diuine Let thy bright fawchion lend me Cipresse bughes Be thou assisting to this Poet of mine With funerall wreathes incompassing his browes Pittying my case when none would heare me weep To tell my sorrowes layes his owne to sleepe And mournefulst maiden of the sacred Nine That balefull sounds immoueably doost breathe With thy swolne visage and thy blubbred eine I vnto thee my sad complaints bequeathe Matter that yeelds sufficient for thy glorie If thou exactly prosecute my storie Tell how the starres my wandring state did guide Th'unconstant turnes of euerie changing houre Of manie a lowe ebbe manie as high a tide Manie a smoothe calme manie a stormie showre The height whereto I lastly did ascend My strange beginning and my fatall end When Edward sate vpon the English throne Long-shankes that so victoriously did raigne First of that name and second vnto none In all to knighthoode euer did pertaine My life begunne and then begunne my blisse Euen in those daies those happie daies of his So much did vertue gratious harts inflame Promotion then not purchased with golde And in those times he that desired fame Bought it of them that it full deerely solde Hatefull excesse so much did not deuoure Lawes had lesse force and honesty more powre And since that time so violently prayes Vpon those ages that euen holiest bee Let me remember those more happie daies In these sad houres my grieued eies doe see With greater griefe that makes me these deplore When I doe thinke of those that were before And Muse to thee I sadly then appeale Since thou my life wilt needâ—ly haue me show That I by thee may faithfully reueale Euen what the most inquisitiue would know Whilst that my soule heere bodied did abide In the vaine world that pampred mein pride From Gascony our name and our descent Of which my father naturally was borne In all his warres that with king Edward went To him a 〈…〉 ege man and a souldier sworne And in his country ventred his estate To follow him that seemd to gouerne fate Whose trust that great king highly did imploy And neare his person tooke him for the same Who with my selfe but then a little boy Vnto the Court of famous England came Whereas the King for seruice he had done Made me a page vnto the Prince his sonne In me what shape that man 's did not excel Where euery part such harmony did beate As in this modell Nature seemd to tell T' was not perfection if it were not there As euery age reseru'd his rarest feature Thereof to make so excellent a creature My lookes the powrefull adamants to loue Which vnto them attracted euery sight With which the same was fixed or did moue As svmpathizing naturally delight That where my thoughts intended to surprise I at my pleasure conqu'red with mine eies If euen the best in Paintings curious art In some rare peece his workemanship should show Imag 〈…〉 on helping with her part vvâ—â—n th' hand had done the vtmost it could doe Vnto that bodie modelling a
POEMS By Michaell Draiton Esquire N L LONDON Printed for N. Ling. 1605. The Arguments THe Barrons warres Englands Heroicall Epistles Idea The Legend of Robert Duke of Normandie The Legend of Matilda The Legend of Pierce Gaueston To Sir Walter Aston Knight of the honourable order of the Bath and my most worthy Patron I Will not striue m' invention to inforce With needlesse words your eyes to entertaine T' obserue the formall ordinarie course That euerie one so vulgarly doth faine Our interchanged and deliberate choise Is with more firme and true election sorted Then stands in censure of the common voice That with light humor fondly is transported Nor take I patterne of an others praise Then what my pen may constantly avow Nor walke more publique nor obscurer waies Then vertue bids and iudgement will allow So shall my loue and best endeuours serue you And still shall studie still so to deserue you Michaell Drayton To the Reader The Quadrin doth neuer double or to vâ—e a word of He raldrie neuer bringeth forth Gemells The Quiazain too soone The Sostin hath Twinnes in the base but they detaine not the Musicke nor the Cloze as Musitians terme it long enough for an Epicke Poeme The stanza of seauen is touched before This of eight both holds the tune cleane through to the base of the columne which is the couplet the foote or bottome and closeth not but with a full satisfaction to the care for so long detention Briefely this sort of stanza hath in it maiestie perfection and soliditie resembling the pillar which in Architecture is called the Tuscan whose shaft is of six diameters and bases of two The other reasons this place will not beare but generally all stanzas are in my opinion but tyrants and torturers when they make inuention they their number which sometime would otherwise scantle it selfe A fault that great Maisters in this Art striue to auoide Concerning the diuision which I vse in this Poeme I am not ignorant that antiquitie hath vsed to distinguish workes into Bookes and euery one to beare the number of their order Homers â—liads and Vlysiads indeede are distinguished by seuerall letters of the Greeke Alphabet as all the world knâ—wes and not by the numerall letters onely which to lotâ— are digit and afterward compound the Alpha being our vnite for the Greeks had no figures nor ciphers in their Arithmeticke Virgils Aeneis Statius Thebaâ—s Silius worke of the Carthaginian warre Illyricus Argonauticks Vidas Christeis are all diuided into books The Italians vse Cantos and so our first late great Reformer Master Spenser that I assume another name for the sections in this volume cannot be disgratious nor vnauowable Lastly if I haue not already exceeded the length of an Epistle I am to intreats that he who will as any man may that will make himselfe a partie to this of ours would be pleased to remember that Spartan Prince who being found by certaine Ambassadors playing among his children requested them to forbeare to censure till also they had some of their owne To such I giue as ample power and priuiledge as euer Ius libâ—rorum coulain Rome crauing backe againe at their hands by a regrant the like of that which I impart for great reason there is that they should vndergoe the licence which themselues challenge and suffer that in their fames which they would wrongly put vpon others according to the most indifferent law of the Talio Fare you well To M. Michaell Drayton WHat ornament might I deuise to fit Th' aspiring height of thy admired spirit Or what faire Garland worthy is to sit On thy blest browes that compasse in all merit Thou shalt not crowned be with common Bayes Because for thee it is a crowne too low Apolloes tree can yeeld thee simple praise It is too dull a vesture for thy brow But with a wreathe of starres shalt thou be crown'd VVhich when thy working temples do sustaine VVill like the Spheares be euer moouing round After the royall musicke of thy braine Thy skill doth equall Phoebus not thy birth He to heauen giues musicke thou to earth Thomas Greene. To M. Michaell Drayton THose painefull wits which natures depth admire And view the causes of vnconstant strife Doe tremble least the Vniuerse expire Through lasting iarres the enemies of life On earthly signes let not such Sages looke Nor on the cleere aspects of hopefull starres But learne the worlds continuance from thy booke which frames past natures force eternall warres wherein the Mases shewing perfect glory Adorne it so with gracefull harmonie That all the acts of this lamented story Seeme not perform'd for peoples libertie Nor through the awe of an imperious King But that thy verses their deepe wounds might sing Iohn Beaumont THE FIRST BOOKE of the Barrons warres The Argument The grieuous plagues and the prodigious signes That this great warre and slaughter doe foreshow Th' especiall cause the Baronage combines The Queenes strong griefe whence many troubles grow The time by course vnto our fallinclines And how each country doth to battell goe What cause to yeeld the Mortimers pretend And their commitment perfecting the end 1 THe bloodiefactions and rebellious pride Of a strong nation whose vnmanag'd might Them from their naturall Soueraigne did diuide Their due subiection and his lawfull right Whom their light error loosely doth misguide Vrg'd by lewd Minions tyrannous despight Me from soft layes and tender loues doth bring Of dreadfull fights and horred warres to sing 2 What hellish furie poysned your hie blood Or should bewitch you with accursed charmes That by pretending of the generall good Rashly extrudes you to tumultuous armes And from the safetie wherein late you stood Reâ—t of all taste and feeling of your harmes That France and Belgia with affrighted eyes Were sad beholders of your miseries 3 T 〈…〉 ueterate ranckor in their bosoms bred Who for their charter wag'd a former war Or through your veines this raging venom spred Whose next-succeeding Nephewes now you are Or that hote gore your bowes in conquest shed Hauing enlarg'd your Countries bounds so far Ensigne to ensigne furiously oppose With blades of Bilbo dealing English blowes 4 O thou the great director of my Muse On whose free bountie all my powers depend Into my breast a sacred fire infuse Rauish my spirit this great worke to attend Let the still night my laboured lines peruse That when my Poems gaine their wished end They whose sad eyes shall reade this tragique story In my weake hand shall see thy might and glory 5 What Care would plot Dissentions quickely crosse Which like an earthquake rends the tottering state By which abroade we beare a publique losse Betrayd at home by meanes of priuate hate Whilst vs those strange calamities doe tosse The daily nurse of mutinous debate Confusion still our countries peace confounds No helpe at hand and mortall all our wounds 6 Thou Church then swelling in thy mightinesse Tending the care and safetie of the soule
she disposd his forward course to let Her lewd condition quickly doth reueale Glory to her vaine deitie to get By him whose birth did beare her omenous seale Winning occasion from this very hower In him to proue and manifest her power 47 As when we see the earely rising Sunne With his faire beames to emulate our sight And when his course but newly is begunne The humorous fogges depriue his wished light Till through the moist clouds his cleare forehead run Climing the noonsted in his gorgeous height His bright beginning fortune hindreth thus To make the rest more rich more glorious 48 The King discreetely that considered The space of earth whereon the Barrons stand What were their powers to them contributed Now being himselfe but partner of his land And of the strength and army that heeded Gainst them that doe so great a power command In which t' was well he did so wisely looke The taske was great that now he vndertooke 49 And warn'd by danger to mis-doubt the worst In equall scales whilst eithers fortune hung Must now performe the vtmost that he durst Or vndergoe the burden of his wrong As good to stirre as after be inforst To stop the head whence many euills sprung Now with the marchers thinkes it best beginne Which first must loose ere he could hope to winne 50 The Mortimers being men of greatest might Whose name was dreadfull and commanded far Sturdie to manage of a haughtie spright Strongly aly'd much followed popular On whom if thus he happily could light He hopes more easly to conclude this war Which he intendeth speedily to try To quit that first which most stood in his eye 51 For which he expeditiously prouided That part of land into his power to get Which if made good might keepe them still diuided Their combination cunningly to let Who being couioyn'd would be too strongly sided Two so great strengths together safely met The face of warre would looke so sterne and great As well might threat to heaue him from his seate 52 Wherefore from London strongly setting forth With a faire Army furnish'd of the best Accompany'd with frends of greatest worth With whom there 's many a gallant spirit is prest Great Lancaster the Lord of all the North The Mortimers are Maisters of the West Hee towards mid England makes the way twixt either Which they must crosse ere they could com together 53 And thus inueagled with delightfull hope Stowtly to front and shoulder with debate Knowing to meete with a resolued troupe That came prepar'd with courage and with hate Whose stubborne Crests if he inforc'd to stoope He now must tempt some great and powrefull fate And through sterne guards of swords iâ—efull flame Make way to peace and propagate his name 54 When now the Marchers well vpon their way Expecting such should promis'd succour bring Which all this while abus'd them by delay Are suddainely encountred by a King And now perceiue their dilatory stay To be the causer of their ruining How neere their bosoms blacke destruction stood With open iawes prepared for their blood 55 And by the shifting of inconstant wind Seeing what weather they were like to meet Which euen at first so aukwardly they find Ere they could yet giue sea-roomth to their fleet Cleane from their course and cast so far behind And yet in perrill euery howre to split Some vnknowne harbor suddainely must sound Or runne their fortunes desprately on ground 56 The elder peere graue politique and wise Which had all dangers absolutely scand Finding high time his Nephew to aduise Since now their state stood on this desperate hand And from this mischiefe many more to rise With long experience learn'd to vnderstand Nephew saith he t' is longer vaine to striue Counsell best serues our safetie to contriue 57 The downe-right perill present in our eye Not to be shund what certaine end t'assures The next the weight that on our fall doth lie And what our life to our designe procures Each hope and doubt that doth arise thereby Prouing with iudgement how the same endures For who obserues strict pollicies true lawes Shifts his proceeding to the varying cause 58 To hazard fight with the Emperiall powers May our small troupes vndoubtedly appall A desperate end vs willingly deuours Yeelding our selues by this wee loose not all We leaue our friends this litttle force of ours Reseru'd for them though haplesly we fall That shew of weaknes hath a glorious hand That falls it selfe to make the cause to stand 59 Twixt inexpected and so dangerous ills That 's best wherein we smallest perrill see A course that reason necessary wills And that doth most with pollicie agree The idle vulgar breath it nothing skils T' is sound discretion must our Pylot be He that doth still the fayrest meane preferre Answers opinion how so ere he erre 60 And to the worlâ—â—s eye seeming yet so strong By our discending willingly from thence May vrge the shew of our opposed wrong Rather b'inforcement then fore-thought pretence Leauing th' aduantage doth to vs belong May qualifie the nature of th' offence Men are not alwayes incident to losse When Fortune seemes their forward cause to crosse 61 Nor giue we enuie absolute accesse To lay our fall vpon thy forward mind Ther 's neerer meanes this mischiefe to redresse And make succesfull what is yet behinde Nor of our hope vs wholy dispossesse Fortune is euer variously inclind And a small vantage to the course of Kings Guides a slight meanes to compasse mighty things 62 Which speech so caught his Nephews pliant youth Fastning vpon a dutiful respect Which he with such celeritie pursu'th Well could he counsell well could he direct Proceeding from integritie and truth And working with such prosperous effect Shewes wisemens counsels by a powerfull fate Seeming from reason yet proue fortunate 63 To which they awfull Maiestie inuite By the most due and ceremonious way With circumstance and each conditi'nall rite Might winne respect vnto this new essay Or might opinion any way excite To which the King doth willingly obay Who as themselues in finding danger neere Rather accepts doubt then a certaine feare 64 Which he receaues in presage of his good To his successe auspiciously apply'd which cooles the heat of his distemperd blood Before their force in doubtfull Armes was try'd In his protection when they onely stood At his disposing wholy to abide vvhereon in safety he dismist their power Sends them away as prisoners to the Tower 65 O all-preparing prouidence Diuine In thy large Booke what secrets are enrold What sundry helps doth thy great powre assigne To stay the course thou stedfastly doost hold What mortall sence is able to define Thy mysteries thy counsells manifold By these digressions strangely that extends Thy obscure proceedings to aparent ends 66 This was the meane by which the Fates dispose More threatned plagues vpon that age to bring Vtter confusion on the heads of those That were before the Barrons ruining With
is the King encompasst by their skill A meane to worke what Herford doth deuise To thrust him on to draw them vp the hill That by his strength they might get powre to rise Thus they in all things are before him still This perfect steersman of their policies Hath cast to walke whilst Edward beares the light And take that aime that must direct his sight 66 And by th' allowance of his liberall will Supposde his safety furthering their intent Stands as a test to iustifie their ill Made sound and currant by this late euent And what yet wanting lastly to fulfill Things in their course to fall in true consent Giues full assurance of that happy end On which they now laboriously attend 67 Nor finding reason longer to protract Or in suspence their home-left friends to holde By being now so absolutely backt And thereby waxing confident and bold By their proceedings publishing their act whenas their powre was ripened as they would Now with an armed and erected hand To abet their faction absolutely stand 68 When now the fearefull fainting Exceter A man experiencde in their counsels long Whether himselfe thought his way to preferre Or moou'd in conscience with king Eawards wrong Or t' was his frailty forede him thus to erre Or other fatall accident among The onely first that backe to England flew And knowing all discouered all he knew 69 The plot of treason lastly thus disclosde And Torletons drift by circumstaunces found With what conueyance things had beene disposde The cunning vsde in casting of the ground The meanes and apt aduantages he chosde When better counsell coldely comes to sound Awakes the King to see his owne estate When the preuention comes too vaine and late 70 And whilst the time she daily dooth adjourne Charles as a brother by perswasions deales Edward with threates to hasten her returne And Iohn of Rome with Papall curse assaies T is but in vaine against her will to spurne Perswasions threats nor curses aught preuailes Charles Edward Iohn do th' vtmost of your worst The Queene fares best when she the most is curst 71 The subtile Spensers which French humors felt And with their Soueraigne had deuisde the draught with Prince and Peeres now vnder-hand had dealt with golden baites that craftily were caught whose flexed temper soone begins to melt On which they now by sleights so throwly wrought As with great summes now lastly ouer-waide The wretched Queene is desperate of aide 72 Nor can all this amaze this mighty Queene with all th'affliction neuer yet contrould Neuer such courage in her sex was seene Nor was she cast in other womens mould Nor can rebate the edge of her hie spleene But can endure warre trauell want and cold Strugling with Fortune ne're with griefe opprest Most cheerefull still when she was most distrest 73 And thus resolu'd to leaue ingratefull France And in the world her fortune yet to trie Changing the ayre hopes time may alter chance As one whose thoughts were eleuate more hie Her weakned state still seeking to aduance Her mighty minde so scorneth misery Yet ere she went her grieued heart to east Thus to the King this grieued Lady saies 74 Is this a King and brothers part quoth she And to this end did I my griefe vnfold Came I to heale my wounded heart to thee Where slaine outright I now the same behold Proue these thy vowes thy promises to mee In all this heate thy faith become so cold To leaue me thus forsaken at the worst My state more wretched than it was at first 75 My frailty vrging what my want requires To thy deere mercy should my teares haue tide Our bloods maintained by the selfe-same fires And by our fortunes as our birth alide My sute supported by my iust desires All arguments I should not be denide The grieuous wrongs that in my bosome be Should be as neere thy care as I to thee 76 Nature that easly wrought vpon my sex To thy vile pleasure thus mine honour leaues And vnder colour of thy due respects My settled trust disloyally deceaues That me and mine thus carelesly neglects And of all comfort wholy me bereaues Twixt recreant basenes and disordâ—nate will To expose my fortunes to the worst of ill 77 But for my farewell this I prophecie That from my wombe that glorious fruit doth spring Which shall deiect thy neere posteritie And leade a captiue thy succeeding King That shal reuenge this wretched iniury To fatall Fraunce I as a Sybel sing Her citties sackt the slaughter of her men When of the English one shall conquer ten 78 Bewmount in Fraunce that had this shuffling seene whose soule by kindnes Isabel had wonne For Henault now perswades the grieued Queene By full assurance what might there be done Now in the anguish of this tumerous spleene Offring his faire Neece to the Prince her sonne The lurest way to gaine his brothers might To backe yong Edward and vphold her right 79 This gallant Lord whose name euen filld report To whom the souldiers of that time did throng A man that fashiond others of his sort As that knew all to honour did belong And in his youth traind vp with her in Court And fully now confirmed in her wrong Crosst by the faction of th'emperiall part In things that sat too neerely to his hart 80 Sufficient motiues to inuite distresse To apprehend the least and poorest meane Against those mischiefes that so strongly presse Whereon their lowe dejected state to leaue And at this season though it were the lesse That might a while their sickely powre sustaine Till prosprous times by milde and temprate dayes Their drooping hopes to former height might raise 81 Where finding cause to breathe their restlesse state where welcome lookt with a more milder face From those dishonours she receiu'd of late Where now she wants no due officious grace Vnder the guidance of a gentler fate Where bounteous offers mutually embrace And to conclude all ceremonies past The Prince affies faire Philip at the last 82 All couenants signde with wedlockes sacred seale A lasting league eternally to binde And all proceeding of religious zeale And suting right with Henaults mighty minde That to his thoughts much honour dooth reueale What ease the Queene is like thereby to finde The sweete contentment of the louely Bride Yong Edward pleasde and ioy on euery side The end of the third Canto ⧠The fourth Booke of the Barrons warres The Argument The Queene in Henault mightie power doth winne In Harwich hauen safely is arriu'd Great troubles now in England new beginne The King of friends and safety is depriu'd Flieth to Wales at Neath receiued in Many strange acts and outrages contriu'd Edward betrayde deliu'red vp at Neath The Spensers and his friends are put to death 1 NOw seauen times Phoebus had his welked waine Vpon the top of all the Tropike set And seauen times descending downe againe His firy wheeles had with the fishes wet In the occurrents of this
tuggd together so Wonting my way through sword and fire to make So oft constraind against the streame to rowe To doubt with Death a couenant to make When I am growne familiar with my woe And nothing can th' afflicted conscience grieue But he can pardon that doth all forgiue 87 And thus thou most adored in my heart Whose thoghts in death my humbled sprite doth raise Lady most faire most deere of most desart Worthy of more than any mortall praise Condemned March thus lastly doth depart From her the greatest Empresse of her dayes Nor in the dust mine honor I interre Thus Caesar dide and thus dies Mortimer 88 To Nottingham this Letter brought vnto her Which is subscribde with her Emperious stile Puts her in minde how once that hand did wooe her With this short thought to please herselfe a while Thus sorrow can so subtilly vndooe her That with such flattery doth her sence beguile To giue a sharper feeling to that paine Which her grieu'd heart was shortly to sustaine 89 Putting her fingers to vnrip the seale Cleaning to keepe those sorrowes from her eyes As it were loth the tidings to reueale Whence griefe should spring in such varieties But strongly vrg'd doth to her will appeale When the soft waxe vnto her touch implies Sticking vnto her fingers bloody red To shew the bad newes quickly followed 90 Thus by degrees she easly doth begin As the small fish plaies with the baited hooke Then more and more to swallow sorrow in As threatning death at eu'ry little looke Where now she reades th'expences of her sin Sadly set downe in this blacke dreadfull booke And those deere summes were like to be desray'd Before the same were absolutely pay'd 91 An hoast of woes her suddainely assaile As eu'ry letter wounded like a dart As though contending which should most preuaile Yet eu'ry one doth pierce her to the hart As eu'ry word did others case bewaile And with his neighbour seemde to beare a part Reason of griefe each sentence is to her And eu'ry line a true remembrancer 92 Greefe makes her reade yet straitwaies bids her leaue With which ore-charg'd she neither sees nor heares Her sences now their Mistris so deceiue The words do wound her eyes the sound her eares And eu'ry organe of the vse bereaues When for a fescue she doth vse her teares That when some line she loosely ouer-past The drops do tell her where she left the last 93 O now she sees was neuer such a sight And seeing curs'd her sorrow-seeing eye Yet thinkes she is deluded by the light Or is abusde by the orthography And by some other t' is deuisde for spight Or pointed false her schollership to try Thus when we fondly sooth our owne desires Our best conceits oft proue the greatest liers 94 Her trembling hand as in a feauer shakes Wherewith the paper doth a little stirre Which she imagines at her sorrow shakes And pitties it who she thinkes pitties her Each small thing somwhat to the greater makes And to the humor something doth infer Which when so soone as she her tongue could free O worthy Earle deere loued Lord quoth shee 95 I will reserue thy ashes in some Vrne Which as a relique I will onely saue Mixt with the teares that I for thee shall mourne Which in my deere breast shall their buriall haue From whence againe they neuer shall returne Nor giue the honor to another graue But in that Temple euer be preserued Where thou a Saint religiously art serued 96 When she breakes out to cursing of her sonne But March so much still runneth in her mind That she abruptly ends what she begunne Forgets her selfe and leaues the rest behind From this she to another course doth runne To be reuengde in some notorious kind To which she deepely doth ingage her troth Bound by a strong vow and a solemne oth 97 For pen and incke she calles her maides without And the kings dealings will in griefe discouer But soone forgetting what she went about She now begins to write vnto her louer Heere she sets downe and there she blotteth out Her griefe and passion doe so strongly moue her When turning backe to reade what she had writ She teares the paper and condemnes her wit 98 And thus with contrarieties araised As waters chilnesse wakeneth from a swownd Comes to her selfe the agony appeased When colder blood more sharpely feeles the wound And griefe her so incurably hath seized That for the same no remedie is found As the poore refuge to her restlesse woes This of her griefe she lastly doth dispose 99 That now vnkinde King as thou art my sonne Leauing the world some legacie must giue thee My harts true loue the dying March hath wonne Yet that of all I will not quite bereaue thee The wrong and mischiefe to thy mother done I thee bequeathe so bound that they out liue thee That as my breast it hourely doth torment Thou maist enjoy it by my Testament 100 Henceforth within this solitary place Abandoning for euer generall sight A priuate life I willingly embrace No more rejoycing in the obuious light To consumate the weary lingering space Till death inclose me with continuall night Each small remembrance of delight to flie A conuertite and penitently die Finis To the Reader SEing these Epistles are now to the world made publike it is imagined that I ought to be accountable of my priuate meaning chiefely for mine owne discharge lest being mistaken I fall in hazard of a inst and vniuersall reprehension for Hae nugae seria ducent In mala derisum semel exceptumque sinistre Three points are especially therefore to bee explained First why I entitle this worke Englands Heroicall Epistles then why I obserue not the persons dignitie in the dedication lastly why I haue annexed notes to euery Epistles end For the first the title I hope carrieth reason in it selfe for that the most and greatest persons heere in were English or else that their loues were obtained in England And though heroicall bee properly vnderstood of demi-gods as of Hercules and Aeneas whose parents were said to be the one celestall the other mortall yet is it also transferred to them who for the greatnesse of minde come neere to Gods For to bee borne of a celestiall Incubus is nothing else but to haue a great and mightie spirit farre aboue the earthly weaknesse of men in which sence Ouid whose imitator I partly professe to bee doth also vse Heroicall For the second seeing none to whom I haue dedicated any two Epistles but haue their states ouer-matched by them who are made to speake in the Epistles howeuer the order is in dedication yet in respect of their degrees in my deuotion and the cause before recited I hope they suffer no disparagement seeing euery one is the first in their particular interest hauing in some sort sorted the complexion of the Epistles to the character of their iudgements to whom I dedicate them excepting onely the
house of the Mortimers that noble and couragious familie That still so long as Borrough beares that name The Queene remembreth the great ouerthrow giuen to the Barrons by Andrew Herckley Earle of Carlil at Borrough bridge after the battaile at Burton And Torlton now whose counsells should direct This was Adam Torlton Bishop of Herford that great Polititiā who so highly fauored the faction of the Queene Mortimer whose euil counsel afterward wroght the destruction of the king Mortimer to Queene Isabell AS thy salutes my sorrowes do adiourne So backe to thee their interest I turne Though not in so great bounty I confesse As thy heroicke princely lines expresse For how should comfort issue from the breath Of one condemn'd and long lodg'd vp in death From murthers rage thou didst me once repriue Now in exile my hopes thou doost reuiue Twice all was taken twice thou all didst giue And thus twice dead thou mak'st me twice to liue This double life of mine your onely due You gaue to me I gaue it backe to you Ne're my escape had I aduentur'd thus As did the sky-attempting Daedalus And yet to giue more safetie to my flight Haue made a night of day a day of night Nor had I backt the prowd aspiring wall Which held without my hopes within my fall Leauing the cords to tell where I had gone For gazing eyes with feare to looke vpon But that thy beautie by a power diuine Breath'd a new life into this spirit of mine Drawne by the Sunne of thy celestiall eyes With fiery wings made passage through the skies The heauens did seeme the charge of me to take And sea and land be friend me for thy sake Thames stopt her tide to make me way to go As thou hadst charg'd her that it should be so The hollow marmuring windes their due time kept As they had rock'd the world while all things slept One billow bore me and another draue me This stroue to helpe me and that stroue to saue me The brisling reedes mou'd with the aire did chide me As they would tell me that they meant to hide me The pale-fac'd night beheld thy heauy cheere And would not let one little starre appeare But ouer all her smokie maptle hurl'd And in thicke vapors mu 〈…〉 d vp the world And the pure ayre became so calme and still As it had beene obedient to my will And euery thing disposde vnto my rest As when on Seas the Alcion buildes her nest When those rough waues which late with furie rusht Slide smoothely on and suddainely are husht Nor Neptune lets his surges out so long As Nature is in bringing forth her yong Nor let the Spencers glory in my chance That I should liue an exile heere in France That I from England banished should be But England rather banished from me More were her want France our great blood should beare Then Englands losse should be to Mortimer My grandsire was the first since Arthurs raigne That the Round-table rectifide againe To whose great Court at Kenelworth did come The peerelesse knighthood of all Christendome Whose princely order honoured England more Then all the Conquests she atchiu'd before Neuer durst Scot set foote in English ground Nor on his backe did English beare a wound Whilst Wigmore flourisht in our princely hopes And whilst our Ensigne march'd with Edwards troups Whilst famous Longshankes bones in Fortunes scorne As sacred reliques to the field were borne Nor euer did the valiant English doubt Whilst our braue battailes guarded them about Nor did our wiues and wofull mothers mourne The English blood that stained Banocksburne Whilst with his Minions sporting in his Tent Whole daies and nights in banquetting were spent Vntill the Scots which vndersafegard stood Made lauish hauocke of the English blood And battered helmes lay scattered on the shore Where they in conquest had beene borne before A thousand kingdomes will we seeke from far As many Nations waste with ciuill war Where the disheuel'd gastly Sea-nimph sings Or well-rigd ships shall stretch their swelling wings And drag their ankors through the sandy fome About the world in euery clime to rome And those vnchristned Countries call our owne Where scarce the name of England hath bin knowne And in the dead-sea sinke our houses fame From whose sterne waues we first deriu'd our name Before fowle blacke-mouth'd infamy shall sing That Mortimer e're stoop'd vnto a King And we will turne sterne-visag'd furie backe To seeke his spoile who sought our vtter sacke And come to beard him in our natiue Ile E're he march forth to follow our exile And after all these boistrous stormie shockes Yet will we grapple with the chaulkie rockes Nor will we come like Pirates or like the eues From mountaines forrests or sea-bordering Cleeues But fright the ayre with terror when we come Of the sterne trumpet and the bellowing drum And in the field aduance our plumy Crest And march vpon faire Englands flowrie breast And Thames which once we for our life did swim Shaking our dewy tresses on her brim Shall beare my nauie vaunting in her pride Falling from Tanet with the powerfull tide Which fertile Essex and faire Kent shall see Spreading herflags along the pleasant lee When on her stemming poope she prowdly beares The famous Ensignes of the Belgicke Peeres And for the hatefull sacrilegious sinne Which by the Pope he stands accursed in The Canon text shall haue a common glosse Receits in parcels shall be paide in grosse This doctrine preachde who from the Church doth take At least shall trebble restitution make For which Rome sends her curses out from farre Through the sterne throte of terror-breathing warre Till to th' vnpeopled shores she brings supplies Of those industrious Roman Colonies And for his homage by the which of olde Prowd Edward Guyne and Aquitaine doth hold Charles by inuasiue armes againe shall take And send the English forces o're the lake When Edwards fortune stands vpon this chance To loose in England or expulsde from France And all those townes great Longshankes left his sonne Now lost againe which once his father wonne Within their strong percullizde Ports shall lie And from their walls his sieges shall defie And by that firme and vndissolued knot Betwixt their neighboring French and bordring Scot Bruse now shall bring his Red-shanks from the seas From th'Iled Oreads and the Hebrydes And to his westerne hauens giue free passe To land the warlike Irish Galiglasse Marching from Tweede to swelling Humber sands Wasting along the Northerne netherlands And wanting those which should his power sustaine Consumde with slaughter in his bloody raigne Our warlike sword shall driue him from his throne Where he shall lie for vs to treade vpon And those great lords now after their attaints Canonized amongst the English Saints And by the superstitious people thought That by their Reliques miracles are wrought And thinke that flood much vertue doth retaine Which tooke the blood of famous Bohun slaine Continuing
the remembrance of the thing To make the people more abhorre their King Nor shall a Spenser be he ne're so great Possesse our Wigmore our renowned seate To raze the antient Trophies of our race With our deserts their monuments to grace Nor shall he leade our valiant marchers forth To make the Spensers famous in the North Nor be the Gardants of the British pales Defending England and preseruing Wales At first our troubles easily reculde But now growne head-strong hardly to be rulde With grauest counsell all must be directed Where plainest shewes are openly suspected For where mis-hap our errour dooth assault There doth it eassiest make vs see our fault Then sweet represse all fond and wilfull spleene Two things to be a woman and a Queene Keepe close the cindars lest the fire should burne It is not this which yet must serue our turne And if I doe not much mistake the thing The next supply shall greater comfort bring Till when I leaue my Princesse for a while Liue thou in rest though I liue in exile Notes of the Chronicle Historie Of one condemnd and long lodgde vp in death ROger Mortimer Lord of Wigmore had stoode publikely condemned for his insurrection with Thomas erle of Lancaster and Bohune earle of Herford by the space of three months and as the report went the day of his execution was determined to haue bin shortly after which he preuented by his escape Twice all was taken twice thou all didst giue At what time the two Mortimers this Roger lord of Wigmore and his vncle Roger Mortimer the elder were apprehended in the west the Queene by meanes of Torlton Bishop of Hereford and Becke Bishop of Duresme and Patriarke of Ierusalem being then both mighty in the state vpon the submission of the Mortimers somewhat pacified the king and now secondly shee wrought meanes for his escape Leauing the cordes to tell where I had gone With strong ladders made of cords prouided him for the purpose he escaped out of the Tower which when the same were found fastned to the walles in such a desperate attempt they bred astonishment to the beholders Nor let the Spensers glory in my dâ—awe The two Hugh Spensers the father and the sonne then being so highly fauored of the King knew that their greatest safety came by his exile whose high and turbulent spirit could neuer brooke any corriuall in greatnes My grandsire was the first since Arthurs raigne That the Round-table rectifide againe Roger Mortimer called the great Lord Mortimer Grandfather to this Roger which was afterward the first Earle of March reeâ—ected againe the Round-table at Kenelwoorth after the ancient order of king Arthurs table with the retinue of a hudred knights and a hundred ladies in his house for the entertaining of such aduentures as came thither from all parts of Christendome Whilest famous Longshanks bones in Fortunes scorne Edward Longshanks willed at his death that his body should be boyled the flesh from the bones and that the bones should bee borne to the wars in Scotland which he was perswaded vnto by aprophecie which told that the English should still be fortunate in conquest so long as his bones were caried in the field The English blood that stained Banocksburne In the great voyage Edward the second made against the Scots at the battell at Striueling neere vnto the riuer of Banocksburne in Scotland where there was in the English campe such banketâ—ing and excesse such riot and misorder that the Scots who in the meane time laboured for aduauntage gaue to the English a great ouerthrow And in the Dead-sea sincke our horses fame From whose c. Mortimer so called of Mare mortuum and in French Mort mer in English the Dead-sea which is said to be where Sodom â—nd Go morra once were before they were destroyed by fire froÌ„ Heauen And for that hatefull sacrilegious sin Which by the Pope he stand◠〈…〉 ursed in Gaustelinus and Lucas two Cardinals sent into England from Pope Clement to appease the auncient hate betweene the King and Thomas Earle of Lancaster to whose Embassie the king seemed to yeeld but after their departure hee went backe from his promises for which he was accursed at Rome Of those industrious Roman Colonies A Colony is a sort or number of people that come to inhabite a place before not inhabited whereby he seemes here to prophecie of the subuersion of the land the Pope ioyning with the power of other Princes against Edward for the breach of his promise Charles by inuasiue Armes againe shall take Charles the French King mooued by the wrong done vnto his sister seiseth the Prouinces which belonged to the King of England into his hands stirred the rather thereto by Mortimer who solicited her cause in France as is expressed before in the other Epistle in the glosse vpon this poynt And those great Lords now after their attaints Canonized among the English Saints After the death of Thomas Earle of Lancaster at Pomfret the people imagined great myracles to be done by his reliques as they did of the body of Bohune earle of Hereford slaine at Borough bridge Finis ⧠To my worthy and honored friend Sir Walter Aston Knight of the Bath SIR though without suspition of flatterie I might in more ample and free tearmes intimate my affection vnto you yet hauing so sensible a taste of your generous and noble aisposition which without this habite of ceremony can estimate my loue I will rather affect bre 〈…〉 though it should seeme my fault than by my tedious complement to trouble mine owne opinion setled in your iudgement and discretion I make you the Patron of this Epistle of the Blacke-Prince which I pray you accept till more easie houres may offer vppe from mee some thing more worthy of your view and my trauell Yours truely deuoted Mich Drayton ¶ Edward the Blacke-Prince to Alice Countesse of Salisbury The Argument Alice Countesse of Salisbury remaining at Roxborough castle in the North in the absence of the earle her husband who was by the Kings commaund sent ouer into Flaunders and there deceased ere his returne This Lady being besieged in her castle by the Scots Edward the Blacke-Prince being sent by the King his father to relieue the north parts with an Armie and to remooue the siege of Roxborough there fell in loue with the Countesse when after she returned to London hee sought by diuers and sundry meanes to winne her to his youthfull pleasures as by forcing the Earle of Kent her father and her mother vnnaturally to become his Agents in his vaine desire where after a long and assured triall of her inuincible constancie hee taketh her to his wife to which end he only frameth this Epistle REceiue these papers from thy wofull Lord With farre more woes than they with wordes are storde Which if thine eie with rashnes do reproue Thei 'le say they came from that imperious loue In euery letter thou maist vnderstand Which loue
thine Who else next Henry should the Realme prefer If it allow of famous Lancaster But Rayners daughter must from France be fet And with a vengeance on our throne be set Mauns Maine and Aniou on that begger cast To bring her home to England in such haste And what for Henry thou hast laboured there To ioyne the King with Arminacks rich heire Must all be dash'd as no such thing had beene Poole needes must haue his darling made a Queene How should he with our Princes else be plac'd To haue his Farleship with a Dukedome grac'd And raise the of-spring of his blood so hie As Lords of vs and our posteritie O that by sea when he to France was sent The ship had suncke wherein the traitor went Or that the sands had swallowed her before She e're set foote vpon the English shore But all is well nay we haue store to giue What neede we more we by her lookes can liue All that great Henry by his conquests heapt And famous Beaford to his glory kept Be giuen backe â—o Rayner all in post And by this meanes rich Normandy be lost Those which haue comen as Mistresses of ours Haue into England brought their goodly dowers Which to our Coffers yeerely tribute brings The life of subiects and the strength of Kings The meanes where by faire England euer might Raise power in France to backe our antient right But she brings ruine heere to make aboad And cancells all our lawfull claime abroad And she must recapitulate my shame And giue a thousand by words to my name And call me Beldam Gib Witch Night-mare Trot With all despight that may a woman spot O that I were a witch but for her sake I faith her Queeneship little rest should take I would scratch that face that may not feele the ayre And knit whole ropes of witch-knots in her haire O I would hag her nightly in her bed And on her breast sit like a lumpe of lead And like a Fayrie pinch that dainty skin Her wanton blood is now so cockered in Or take me some such knowne familiar shape As she my vengeance neuer should escape Were I a garment none should neede the more To sprinckle me with Nessus poisned gore It were enough if she once put me on To teare both flesh and sinewes from the bone Were I a flower that might her smell delight Though I were not the poisning Acenite I would send such a fume into her brow Should make her mad as mad as I am now They say the Druides once liu'd in this I le This fatall Man the place of my exile Whose powerfull charmes such dreadfull wonders wroght Which in the gotish Island tongue were taught O that their spels to me they had resignde Wherewith they raisde and calmde both sea winde And made the Moone pawse in her paled spheare Whilst her grim Dragons drew them throgh the aire Their hellish power to kill the Plow-mans seede Or to fore-speake the flockes as they did seede To nurse a damned spirit with humaine blood To carry them through earth ayre fire and flood Had I this skill that time hath almost lost How like a Goblin I would haunt her ghost O pardon pardon my mis-gouernde tongue A womans strength cannot endure my wrong Did not the heauens her comming in withstand As though affrighted when she came to land The earth did quake her comming to abide The goodly Thames did twice keepe backe her tide Pauls shooke with tempests and that mounting spire With lightning sent from heauen was set on fire Our stately buildings to the ground were blowne Her pride by these prodigious signes were showne More fearefull visions on the English earth Than euer were at any death or birth Ah Humfrey Humfrey if I should not speake My breast would split my very heart would breake I that was wont so many to command Worse now then with a clapdish in my hand A simple mantle couering me withall A very leaper of Cares hospitall That from my state a presence held in awe Glad heere to kennell in a pad of straw And like an Owle by night to goe abroad Roosted all day within an Iuy tod Among the sea-cliffes in the dampy caues In charnall houses or among the graues Saw'st thou those eies in whose sweet cheereful looke Duke Humfrey once such ioy and pleasure tooke Sorrow hath so dispoyl'd me of all grace Thou couldst not say this was my Eluors face Like a fowle Gorgon whose disheuel'd haire With euery blast flies glaâ—ing in the ayre Some standing vp like hornes vpon my head Euen like those women that in Coos are bred My lanke breasts hang like bladders left vnblowne My skin with lothsome laundize ouer growne So pinde away that if thou long'st to see Ruines true picture onely looke on mee Sometime in thinking of what I haue had Euen in a suddaine extasie am mad Then like a Bedlam forth thy Elnor runnes Like one of Bacchus raging franticke Nunnes Or like a Tartar when in strange disguise Preparde vnto a dismall sacrifice That Prelate Beuford a fowle ill befall him Prelate said Iâ— nay diuell I should call him Ah God forgiue me if I thinke amisse His very name me thinks my poison is Ah that viâ—e Iudas our professed foe My curse pursue him where so e're he goe That to my iudgement when I did appeare Laid to my charge those things which neuer were I should pertake with Bullingbrookes intents The hallowing of his magique instruments That I procured Southwell to assist Which was by order consecrate a Priest That it was I should couer all they did That but for him had to this day beene hid Ah that vile bastard that himselfe dare vaunt To be the sonne of thy braue grandsire Gaunt Whom he but fatherd of meere charity To rid his mother of that infamy Who if report of Elder times be true Vnto this day his father neuer knew He that by murthers blacke and odious crime To Henries throne attempted once to clime Hauing procurde by hope of golden gaine A fatall hand his soueraigne to haue slaine Who to his Chamber closely he conuaide And for that purpose fitly there had laide Vpon whose sword that famous Prince had died If by a dogge he had not beene discried But now the Queene her Minion Poole and he As it please them so now must all things be England's no place for any one beside All is too little to maintaine their pride What of a King hath Henry but the name And now scarce that so publike his defame And I pray God I do not liue the day To see thy ruine and thy Realmes decay And yet as sure as Humfrey seemes to stand He be preseru'd from that vile traytors hand From Glosters seate I would thou wert estrang'd Or would to God that Dukedomes name were chang'd For it portends no goodnes vnto vs Ah Humfrey Humfrey it is ominous Yet rather then thy hap so hard should be I would
rare perfections wherewith nature and education haue adorned you I haue beene forced since that time to attribute more admiration to your sexe then euer Petrarch could before perswade mee to by the praises of his Laura Sweete is the French tongue more sweete the Italian but most sweete are they both if spoken by your admired selfe If Poesie were praiselesse your vertues alone were a subiect sufficient to make it esteemed though among the barbarous Getes by how much the more your tender yeeres giue scarcely warrant for your more then womanlike wisedome by so much is your iudgement and reading the more to be wondred at The Graces shall haue one more sister by your selfe and England to her selfe shall adde one Muse more to Muses I rest the humble deuoted seruant to my deere and modest Mistresse to whom I wish the happiest fortunes I can deuise Michaell Drayton William de la Pole Duke of Suffolke to Queene Margaret The Argument William de la Pole first Marques and after created Duke of Suffolke being sent into France by King Henry the sixt concluded a marriage betweene the King his Master and Margaret daughter to Rayner Duke of Aniou who onely had the title of the King of Cicily and Ierusalem This marriage being made contrary to the liking of the Lords and Counsell of the Realme by reason of the yeelding vp of Aniou and Maine into the Dukes hands which shortly after proued the losse of all Aquitaine they euer after continually hated the Duke and after by meanes of the Commons banished him at the Parlement at Berry where after he had the iudgement of his exile being then ready to depart hee writeth backe to the Queene this Epistle IN my disgrace deere Queene rest thy content And Margarets health from Suffolkes banishment Not one day seemes fiue yeeres exile to mee But that so soone I must depart from thee Where thou not present it is euer night All be exilde that liue not in thy sight Those Sauages which worship the Sunnes rise Would hate their God if they beheld thine eyes The worlds great light might'st thou be seene abroad Would at our noone-stead neuer make aboad And make the poore Antipodes to mourne Fearing lest he would neuer more returne Wert not for thee it were my great'st exile To liue within this sea-inuirond I le Poles courage brookes not limmitting in bands But that great Queene thy soueraignty commands Our Falcons kinde cannot the cage endure Nor buzzard-like dooth stoope to euery lure Their mounting broode in open ayre doth roue Nor will with Crowes be coop'd within a groue We all do breath vpon this earthly ball Likewise one heauen encompasseth vs all No banishment can be to him assignde Who doth retaine a true resolued minde Man in himselfe a little world doth beare His soule the Monarch euer ruling there Where euer then his body doth remaine He is a King that in himselfe doth raigne And neuer feareth Fortunes hot'st alarmes That beares against her Patience for his Armes This was the meane prowd Warwicke did inuent To my disgrace at Leister Parlement That onely I by yeelding vp of Maine Should be the losse of fertile Aquitaine With the base vulgar sort to win him fame To be the heire of good Duke Humfreys name And so by treason spotting my pure blood Make this a meane to raise the Neuels brood With Salsbury his vile ambitions syre In Yorkes sterne breast kindling long hidden fire By Clarence title working to supplant The Eagle ayrie of great Iohn of Gaunt And to this end did my exile conclude Thereby to please the rascall multitude Vrg'd by these enuious Lords to spend their breath Calling reuenge on the Protectors death That since the old decrepit Duke is dead By me of force he must be murthered If they would know who rob'd him of his life Let him call home Dame Ellinor his wife Who with a taper walked in a sheete To light her shame at noone through London street And let her bring her Negromanticke booke That fowle hag Iordane Hun and Bullenbrooke And let them call the spirits from hell againe To know how Humfrey died and who shall raigne For twenty yeeres and haue I serude in France Against great Charles and bastard Orleance And seene the slaughter of a World of men Victorious now and conquered agen And haue I seene Vernoylas batfull fields Strew'd with ten thousand helms ten thousand shields Where famous Bedford did our fortune try Or France or England for the victory The sad innesting of so many Townes Scorde on my breast in honorable wounds When Mountacute and Talbot of such name Vnder my Ensigne both first won their fame In heate and cold all fortunes haue indurde To rowze the French within their walls immurde Through all my life these perrills haue I past And now to feare a banishment at last Thou knowst how I thy beauty to aduance For thee refusde the infant Queene of France Brake the contract Duke Humfrey first did make Twixt Henry and the Princesse Arminacke Onely sweete Queene thy presence I might gaine I giue Duke Rayner Aniou Mauns and Maine Thy peerelesse beutie for a dower to bring To counterpoize the wealth of Englands King And from Aumerle with-drew my warlike powers And came my selfe in person first to Towers Th' Ambassadors for truce to entertaine From Belgia Denmarke Hungary and Spaine And telling Henry of thy beauties story I taught my tongue a louers Oratory As the report it selfe did so indite And make it ravish teares with such delight And when my speech did cease as telling all My lookes shewde more that was Angelicall And when I breathde againe and pawsed next I left mine eyes dilating on the text Then comming of thy modesty to tell In musickes numbers my voyce rose and fell And when I came to paint thy glorious stile My speech in greater cadences to file By true descent to weare the Diadem Of Naples Cicils and Ierusalem And from the Gods thou didst deriue thy birth If heauenly kinde could ioyne with broode of earth Gracing each title that I did recite With some mellifluous pleasing Epethite Nor left him not till he for loue was sicke Beholding thee in my sweete Rhetoricke A fifteenes taxe in France I freely spent In triumphs at thy nuptiall tournament And solemnizde thy marriage in a gowne Valude at more then was thy fathers Crowne And onely striuing how to honour thee Gaue to my King what thy loue gaue to mee Iudge if his kindenesse haue not power to moue Who for his loues sake gaue away his loue Had he which once the prize to Greece did bring Of whom old Poets long agoe did sing Seene thee for England but imbarqu'd at Deepe Would ouer-boord haue cast his golden sheepe As too vnworthy ballace to be thought To pester roome with such perfection fraught The briny seas which saw the ship enfold thee Would vaut vp to the hatches to behold thee And falling backe themselues in thronging
diet to bee kept whither came the Embassadours of the Empire Spaine Hungary Denmarke to entreate for a perpetuall peace to bee made betweene the two Kings of England and Fraunce By truo descent to weare the Diadem Of Naples Cicilie and Ierusalem Rainer Duke of Aniou father to Queene Margaret called him selfe King of Naples Cicily and Ierusalem hauing the title alone of King of those Countries A fifteene taxe in Fraunce I freely spent The Duke of Suffolke after the marriage concluded twixt King Henry and Margaret daughter to duke Rayner asked in open Parliament a whole fifteenth to fetch her into England Seene thee for England but imbarqu'd at Deepe Deepe is a towne in Fraunce bordering vpon the Sea where the Duke of Suffolke with Queene Margaret tooke shippe for England As when arriu'd in Porchester faire Roade Porchester a hauen towne in the South-west part of England where the King tarried expecting the Queenes arriuall whom from thence he conuayed to South-hamton Queene Margaret to VVilliam de-la-Poole Duke of Suffolke WHat newes sweet Pole look'st thou my liues shuld tell But like the tolling of the dolefull Bell Bidding the deaths-man to prepare the graue Expect from me no other newes to haue My brest which once was mirths imperiall throne A vast and desart wildernesse is growne Like that cold Region from the world remote On whose breeme seas the icie mountaines flote Where those poore creatures banisht from the light Do liue imprisond in continuall night No ioy presents my soules eternall eies But diuination of sad tragedies And Care takes vp her solitarie inne Where youth and ioy their court did once beginne As in September when our yeere resignes The glorious Sunne vnto the watrie signes Which through the clouds looks on the earth in scorn The little bird yet to salute the morne Vpon the naked branches sets her foote The leaues now lying on the mossie roote And there a seely chitipping dooth keepe As though she faine would sing yet fame would weep Praising faire summer that too soone is gone Or sad for winter too fast comming on In this strange plight I mourne for thy depart Because that weeping cannot ease my hart Now to our aide who stirs the neighbouring kings Or who from France a puissant armie brings Who moues the Norman to abet our warre Or stirs vp Burgoyne to ayde Lancaster Who in the North our lawfull claime commends To win vs credite with our valiant friends To whom shall I my secret griefe impart Whose breast I made the closet of my hart The ancient Heroes fame thou didst reuine And didst from them thy memorie deriue Nature by thee both gaue and taketh all Alone in Poole she was too prodigall Of so diuine and rich a temper wrought As heauen for him perfections deepe had sought VVell knew king Henry what he pleaded for when he chose thee to be his Orator VVhose Angell-eye by powerfull influence Doth vtter more than humane eloquence That when Ioue would his youthful sports haue tride But in thy shape himselfe would neuer hide which in his loue had bin of greater power Then was his Nymph his flame his swan his shower To that allegiance Yorke was bound by oath To Henries heires and safety of vs both No longer now he meanes record shall beare it He will dispence with heauen and will vnsweare it He that 's in all the worlds blacke sinnes forlorne Is carelesse now how oft he be forsworne And now of late his title hath set downe By which he make his claime vnto the Crowne And now I heare his hatefull duchesse chats And rips vp their descent vnto her brats And blesseth them as Englands lawfull heires And tells them that our diademe is theirs And if such hap her goddesse Fortune bring If three sonnes faile shee le make the fourth a King He that 's so like his Damme her yongest Dicke That foule il-fauored crooke backt stigmaticke That like a carcas stolne out of a tombe Came the wrong way out of hir mothers wombe with teeth in 's head his passage to haue torne As though begot an age ere he was borne Who now will curbe prowde Yorke when he shal rise Or armes out right against his enterprize To crop that bastard weede which daily growes To ouer-shadow our vermilian Rose Or who will muzzel that vnruly Beare Whose presence strikes our peoples harts with feare Whilst on his knees this wretched King is downe To saue them labour reaching at his Crowne Where like a mounting Cedar he should beare His plumed top aloft into the ayre And let these shrubs sit vnderneath his shrowdes Whilst in his armes he doth embrace the clowdes O that he should his fathers right inherite Yet be an alien to that mightie spirite How were those powers dispersde or whether gone Should sympathize in generation Or what apposed influence had force So much t' abuse and alter natures course All other creatures follow after kinde But man alone doth not beget the minde My Daisie-flower which erst perfumde the ayre Which for my fauours Princes once did weare Now in the dust lies troden on the ground And with Yorkes garlands euery one is crownd When now his rising waites on our decline And in our setting he beginnes to shine Now in the skies that dreadful Comet waues And who be starres but Warwickes bearded staues And all those knees which bended once so low Grow stiffe as though they had forgot to bow And none like them pursue me with despite Which most haue cride God saue Queene Margarite When fame shall brute thy banishment abroade The Yorkish faction then will lay on loade And when it comes once to our westerne coast O how that hag Dame Elinor will boast And labour strait by all the meanes she can To be calld home out of the I le of Man To which I know great Warwicke will consent To haue it done by act of Parlement That to my teeth my birth she may defie Slaundring duke Rayner with base beggerie The onely way she could deuise to grieue me wanting sweete Suffolke which shouldst most relieue me And from that stocke doth sprowt another bloome A Kentish rebell a base vpstart groome And this is he the white Rose must preferre By Clarence daughter matcht with Mortimer Thus by Yorkes meanes this rascall pesant Cade Must in all haste Plantaginet be made Thus that ambitious duke sets all on worke To sound what friends affect the claime of Yorke whilst he abroad doth practise to command And makes vs weake by strengthning Ireland More his owne power still seeking to increase Then for king Henries good or Englands peace Great Winchester vntimely is deceasde That more and more my woes should be increasde Beuford whose shoulders prowdly bare vp all The Churches prop that famous Cardinall The Commons bent to mischiefe neuer let with Fraunce t' vpbraid that valiant Sommerset Rayling in tumults on his souldiers losse Thus all goes backeward crosse comes after crosse And now of
father with the Norman sword On fruitfull England prosprous entrance made I cast the proiect that this youthfull Lord In the meane time should Normandie inuade And with as prou'd and powerfull a blade Him I perswaded constantly by this To make his owne yet doubtfull to be his That Robert daily in disgrace might runne As still the Conqueror towards his end did grow who well in yeeres thus vexed by his sonne which now his will so openly did show His state deuised wisely to bestow For his owne safety that his daies to close He might himselfe more quietly repose And that lest time might coole his weakned blood This lucklesse warre by lingring I supplide That whilst Duke Robert iustly censured stood Vnder the weight of his vnnaturall pride In heate of all this Conqueror William dide Setting young Rufus on th'vnrightfull throne Leauing h 〈…〉 strugling for his owne Which in small time so many mischiefes bred As sundry plagues on Williams of-springs sent Attaining to so violent a head which pollicie not after could preuent when to destruction all things head-long went And in the end as consumating all Was Roberts irrecouerable fall When none could prosprous Nonmandie disswade From sending ensignes to the English field Brother opposde the brother to inuade Sword against sword shield menaced to shield whose equall worth to other scorne to yield One arme a front the others furious stroke Scepter with septer violently broke These sundry soiles in both of which was sowne By so approu'd and fortunate a hand The seede to both might prosprously haue growne By their 〈◊〉 in a mutuall band Now when these Princes opposite do stand what them should foster greater wounds them lent Then the prowd'st powre that Europe could haue sent Hauing my selfe wonne William in his life This conquered Realme to Rufus that did giue Getting by strength what he did leaue in strife Those to molest that after him should liue In this aduantage cunningly I driue T' afflict his issue with a generall ill Yet th' extreame in Robert to fulfill As when stowt Odo that with William held Daily prickt forward by prowd Lanfrancks spight Both powerfull Prelates rigorously compeld Rufus to leaue abetting Roberts right Drawing both Mortaines and Mongomeries might Mangling the I le with many a greeuous scarre Scarcely yet cured of the former warre That being set in so direct a way Strong friends at hand his enterprize to becke Ready before him when his entrance lay Of all supplide that he did lately lacke Him I perswade the remedy to slacke Stopping the course which he did lately runne All to vndoe that he had euer done Thus did I stirre vp that vnkindely rage That did so farre preuaile vpon his blood And at my pleasure did againe asswage When now this heate in sted might him haue stood Thus with his humour altred I my mood That first by Armes his vigor he might lose Which then laid down gaue strength vnto his foes That by concluding this vntimely peace I might thereby a lingring warre beginne That whil'st these tumults did a little cease Craft more aduantage cunningly might winne Thus let I treason secretly in Giuing deceitfull Pollicie the kay To the faire closet where his councells lay Thus reconciling outwardly a friend I drew an inward and a dangerous foe That all his wit ambitiously did lend To clothe his treasons in a vertuous show Which were contriued â—so currantly to goe That secret mallice strengthned more and more Lastly should proue more dangerous then before And now poore Fame my power to thee addrest And thee mine onely instrument I made That whilst these brothers at this passe do rest Him to the warres I wonne thee to perswade With those that now were going to inuade With great Duke Godfrey pressing for his bands From Pagans power t'regaine the holy lands His youthfull humour finely thus I feed The meane most fit to draw him forth abroad When now at home his presence most should neede In forraine lands to fasten his aboad Him in this order onely I bestow'd That William dying Robert being gone Henry might seate him on his brothers throne So sweete the sounds of these aduent'rous Armes And euery sence so strougly they do binde That he hath now no feeling of his harmes So farre away transported is his minde Declaring well the greatnesse of his kinde That him so high and forcibly doth beare As when most cause he least his ill doth feare Him hauing throwne into eternall thrall Wisely fore-casting how the same should bee When euery thing made fit vnto his fall Which none could hinder though the most fore-see For which I made an instrument of thee For where destruction sadly I pretend Mischiefe like lines all to their centre bend He gone and William yeelded vp the breath The younger Henry couetous of raigne Offered so fairely by his brothers death whilst Robert doth in Palestine remaine And now a Kingdome easily might gaine what by his power and science to perswade Himselfe a Monarch absolutely made Whilst this great Duke imbraced is by thee which thou as thine doost absolutely claime Finding meere shadowes onely missing mee And idle Castles in the ayre doth frame Lot such a mighty Monarchesse is Fame That what she giues so easie is to beare As none therefore needes violence to feare Vntill returning from those holy warres So highly honored with the Pagans flight From forraigne battells vnto ciuill â—arres And getting others for his owne to fight Inforc'd to vse the vtmost of his might with that rich sword in Pagan blood imbru'd Himselfe to saue by his owne friends pursu'd When wanting summes the sinewes of his force which his great courage quickly comes to finde Euen in the high speede of his forward course So skilfully I mannaged his minde That I a way out readily did finde To his destruction Henry to supply His future safetie happily to buy Him by all waies to amity to winne Not fully yet establish'd as he would Hauing thus farre already gotten in Setting himselfe substantially to hold By the francke offers of bewitching gold The yearely tribute from his Crowne to rise Which might all former iniuries suffice Which entertaind by confident beleefe By which to passe his purposes were brought Not yet suspitious of this secret theefe By which he soone and cunningly was caught Of which the least when princely Robert thought Euen in a moment did annoy him more Then all their powre could euer do before Which to this great Lord vtterly vnknowne Not vnderstanding easily could not flie Into his way that subtilly was throwne which to auoide Duke Robert look'd too hie Into good minds fraud doth the soonest prie whose pliant nature I securely chose To worke vvhat forme it pleasde me to dispose This fatall tribute cutting off the claime A lawfull Prince to Englands Empire laid His former right doth altogether maime As they agreed yeerely to be paid Thereon relying after being staid As from a fountaine plenteously did spring The
none not pitti'd now of any And for opposde by men of greatest might The King my danger that had wisely waide That did pursue me with such deadly spight Me into Ireland secretly conuaide Vntill he might my peace againe procure And his owne safety better might assure As one whose house remedilesly burning Seeing his goods now heapt together lost His griefe no whit disburthen'd by his mourning Taking some one thing that he loueth most To some remote place doth with that retire Leauing the rest to 'th mercie of the fire Yet he so much that still did me esteeme That euer stroue to couer my disgrace To make my absence otherwise to seeme And to the world to beare a fairer Face Lest my exile suggested by their hate Might ouerthrow my liuelihoode and estate By their neere councell that were him about His Deputy of Ireland doth me make And causde it each-where to be giuen out My iourney thither instantly to take To stop their mouthes that gladly would embrace Any report might tend to my disgrace There liu'd I in that honourable sort As to my high place purchased renowne vvith no lesse bountie managing a court Then hourely crau'd th'reuenues of a Crowne To me his loue such soueraigntie did bring That though he raignde I absolutely King Few weekes there went but some the channell crosst With some such present Princes holde in price Some jewell that him infinitely cost Or sumptuous roabe of excellent deuise When they that sawe what he vpon me cast Found that his treasure long time could not last And since the floud me followed in this wise His fulnes I as amply entertaine It might shew folly to be found precise That to refuse which fell as did the raine Such as no age before did euer winne And since his being yet hath neuer bin When now th'abated Baronry that found The cunning vsde for couering of my flight That me but shifted to a surer ground On which so vainely they bestow'd their might Perceiu'd farre off where greater perill rose Then they could finde how rightly to dispose Like those that striue to stop some violent sourse vvhose plenty Nature planted not for boundes Climes aboue all the opposers of his course Or let at large the neighboring plaine surrounds That in it selfe s'enated is bless'd That will the more be more it depress'd And fearing now the force I had abroade vvho knew the way the Irish harts to winne Fitter by farre at home to be bestow'd And to the State more safety found therein vvhere though my riots they could not preuent Yet might suruey the giddy course I went Whereof they scarsly entertain'd the thought And did thereto but seemingly descend But that his loue immediately it caught Nor cares he by it what they doe intend Plot what they could so he therby might gaine him That with delight which still did entertaine him O how thy presence maiestie commands That so seuerely humbleth euery eie vvhose onely selfe actes more than many handes In thee such vertue secretly doth lie Hauing about thee the high power of fate Art both emperious ouer loue and hate He that occasion neuer did neglect That aught vnto my happinesse might winne My buisnes did so carefully effect That euer was so fortunate therein As he to passe doth prouidently bring Before deemde so impossible a thing And Messengers immediately are sent Me into England instantly to call Authorizde by the generall consent Although not likde of inwardly of all Yet t was sufficient that it freedome gaue me But to be there where he desirde to haue me My sailes now swelling with a prosperous winde The boisterous seas do homage to mine eies That much aboue their vsuall course are kinde All lowring clouds abandoning the skies Nothing discern'd that any whit might feare me Fortune herselfe sittes at the helme to steare me What time the King his progresse then did take That part of Wales pretending now to see For which he forward instantly did make vvhich was indeede there but to meete with me with all the fauour that he could deuise To giue me honour in the publique eies Where for my landing long he did prouide That â—ought might want intending my delight And at each place as leasurely we ride Did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with some pleasing sight And vnto Lâ—ndon to the pompous Court Bring me in the magnificentest sort Which prou'd but spurres to my vntamde desire Giuing the 〈◊〉 to my 〈…〉 ious will â—ho let me forth vnto my full caâ—â—re On places slippeâ—y and my manage ill Small my forefight and ouermuch my haste That me alas infortunately cast The Princes eare that hauing at command That who would aught haue me must entertaine And yet before it passde my gripple hand Got the greatst share vnto my priuate gaine Nor carde I what from any I did wring Many thereby too much impouerishing And daily begging of Monopolies Taking the lands belonging to the Crowne 〈◊〉 â—ence transporting those commodities 〈◊〉 England vsefull comming of her owne And basely selling offices ere then The due reward of best deseruing men And being irrecouerably prowd Held all things vile that suted not my vaine Nothing might passe my iudgement not allow'd A great opinion to my wit to gaine Giuing vile termes and nicke-names of disgrace To men that sate in honourable place By which brake out that execrable rage That long before had boiled in their blood And for reuenge they boldly them ingage When lastly for their libertie they stood And in this quarrell open Armes they take Or to marre all or better it to make They durst affirme my mother was a witch And for the fact condemned burnt to be And I her sonne and rightly of her pitch She had bequeath'd her damned Art to me Vrging it an inseperable thing That I by Magicke wrought vpon the King And into France did charge me to conuay A goodly table that was massie gold A relique kept at Windsor many a day â—â—at to King Arthur did belong of old Vpon whose margent as they did surmise Merlin ingraued many prophecies And by appealing to the sea of Rome A Legat thence procuring to the land With malediction by the Churches doome On any one that on my part should stand The King suspending should he not consent And ratifie the generall intent Which they did but to prosperously effect Being so strong to counterprize his force The Clergy still being ready to direct Them the best way in all their restlesse course That at the last they strongly him procure By solemne oth me euer to abiure Th' vncertaine biding of each earthly thing Set out most liuely in my starre-crost state That doth remaine in Fortunes mannaging Appearing in my variable fate On me that frown'd and flattered me so oft Casting me downe and setting me aloft To Flanders then my present course I cast Which being the near'st lay fittest for my ease Safest the way the sooner it was past All not my friends that were abroad at
smother Breaking for griefe ennying one another When the prowd Barke for ioy thy steps to feele Scornd the salt waues shuld kisse her furrowing keele And trick'd in all her flags her selfe she braues Capring for ioy vpon the siluer waues When like a Bull from the Phenician strand Ioue with Europa tripping from the land Vpon the bosome of the maine doth scud And with his swannish breast cleauing the floud Tow'rd the faire fields vpon the other side Beareth Agenors ioy Phâ—â—icias pride All heauenly beauties ioyne themselues in one To shew their glory in thine eye alone Which when it turneth that celestiall ball A thousand sweet starres rise a thousand fall Who iustly saith mine banishment to bee When onely France for my recourse is free To view the plaines where I haue seene so oft Englands victorious engines raisde aloft When this shall be my comfort in my way To see the place where I may boldly say Heere mighty Bedford forth the vaward led Heere Talbot charg'd and heere the Frenchmen fled Heere with our Archers valiant Scales did lie Heere stood the Tents of famous Willoughbie Heere Mountacute rangde his conquering band Heere forth we march'd and heere we made a stand What should we stand to mourne and grieue all day For that which time doth easily take away What fortune hurts let patience onely heale No wisedome with extreamities to deale To know our selues to come of humane birth These sad afflictions crosse vs heere on earth A taxe imposde by heauens eternall law To keepe our rude rebellious will in awe In vaine we prize that at so deere a rate Whose best assurance is a fickle state And needelesse we examine our intent When with preuention we cannot preuent When we ourselues fore-seeing cannot shun That which before with destinie doth run Henry hath power and may my life depose Mine honour mine that none hath power to lose Then be as cheerefull beauteous royall Queene As in the Court of France we erst haue beene As when arriu'd in Porchesters faire road Where for our comming Henry made aboad When in mine armes I brought thee safe to land And gaue my loue to Henries royall hand The happy howres we passed with the King At faire South-hampton long in banquetting With such content as lodg'd in Henries breast When he to London brought thee from the West Through golden Cheape when he in pompe did ride To Westminster to entertaine his Bride Notes of the Chronicle Historie Our Falcons kinde cannot the cage indure HE alludes in these verses to the Falcon which was the antient deuice of the Poles comparing the greatnesse and hawtinesse of his spirit to the nature of this bird This was the meane prowd Warwicke did inuent To my disgrace c. The Commons at this Parlement through Warwicks meanes accused Suffolke of treason and vrged the accusation so vehemently that the king was forced to exile him for fiue yeeres That onely I by yeelding vp of Maine Should be the losse of fertile Aquitaine The Duke of Suffolke being sent into France to conclude a peace chose Duke Rainers daughter the Lady Margaret whom he espoused for Henry the sixt deliuering for her to her father the Countries of Aniou and Maine and the Citty of Mauns Whereupon the Earle of Arminach whose daughter was before promised to the King seeing himselfe to bee deluded caused all the Englishmen to be expulsed Aquitino Gascoyne and Guyen With the base vulgar sort to win him same To be the heyre of good Duke Humfreys name This Richard that was called the great Earle of Warwicke when Duke Humfrey was dead grew into exceeding great fauour with the Commons With Salisburie his vile ambicious Sire In Yorks sterne breast kindling long hidden fire By Clarence title working to supplant The Eagle Ayrie of great Iohn of Gaunt Richard Plantagenet Duke of Yorke in the time of Henry the sixt claimed the Crowne being assisted by this Richard Neaâ—ll Earle of Salisburie and father to the great Earle of Warwicke who fauoured exceedingly the house of Yorke in open Parliament as heir to Lionell Duke of Clarence the third sonne of Edward the third making his title by Anne his Mother wife to Richard Earle of Cambridge sonne to Edmund of Langley Duke of Yorke which Anne was daughter to Roger Mortimer Earle of March which Roger was sonne heire to Edmund Mortimer that married the Ladie Philip daughter and heire to Lionell Duke of Clarence the third sonne of King Edward to whom the crowne after King Richard the seconds death linealy descended he dying without issue And not to the heires of the Duke of Lancaster that was yonger brother to the Duke of Clarence Hall cap. 1. Tit. Yor. Lanc. Vrg'd by these enuious Lords to spend their breath Calling reuenge on the Protectors death Humfrey Duke of Glocester Lord Protector in the 25. yeare of Henry the sixt by the meanes of the Queene and the Duke of Suffolke was arrested by the Lord Beumond at the Parliament holden at Berrie and the same night after murthered in his bed If they would know who robd him c. To this verse To know how Humfrey died and who shall raigne In these verses he iests at the Protectors wife who being accused conuicted of treason because with Iohn Hun a priest Roger Bullingbrooke a Negromancer Margery Iordan called the Witch of Eie she had consulted by sorcery to kil the king was adiudged to perpetuall prison in the I le of Man and to doe penance openly in three publique places in London For twentie yeares and haue I seru'd in Fraunce In the sixt yeare of Henry the sixt the Duke of Bedford being deceased then Lieutenant generall and Regent of Fraunce this Duke of Suffolke was promoted to that dignity hauing the Lord Talbot Lord Scales and the Lord Mountacute to assist him Against great Charles and bastard Orleance This was Charles the seauenth and after the death of Henry the fifth obtained the crowne of France and recouered againe much of that his father had lost Bastard Orleance was sonne to the Duke of Orleance begotten of the Lord Cawnies wife preferred highly to many notable offices because hee being a most valiant Captaine was continuall enemie to the Englishmen dayly infesting them with diuerse incursions And haue I seene Vernoyla's batfull fields Vernoyle is that noted place in Fraunce where the great battell was fought in the beginning of Henrie the sixt his raigne where the most of the French Chiualrie were ouercome by the Duke of Bedford And from Aumerle with-drew my warlike powers Aumerle is that strong defenced towne in France which the Duke of Suffolke got after 24. great assaults giuen vnto it And came my selfe in person first to Towers Th'Embassadours for truce to entertaine From Belgia Denmarke Hungary and Spaine Towers is a Cittie in France built by Brutus as hee came into Britaine where in the twentie and one yeare of the raigne of Henry the sixt was appoynted a great