not I build my hopes a world aboue the skie Yet with the Mole I creepe into the earth In plenty am I â—â—aru'd with penurie And yet I surffet in the greatest dearth I haue I want dispaire and yet desire Burn'd in a sea of ice and drown'd amidst a fire Sonnet 62. TRuce gentle Loue a parlee now I craue Me thinks t is long since first these warres begun Nor thou nor I the better yet can haue Bad is the match where neither party wonne I offer free conditions of faire peace My heart for hostage that it shall remaine Discharge our forces heere let malice cease So for my pledge thou giue me pledge againe Or if nothing but death will serue thy turne Still thirsting for subuersion of my state Doe what thou canst raze massacre and burne Let the world see the vtmost of thy hate I send defiance since if ouerthrowne Thou vanquishing the conquest is mine owne Certaine other Sonnets to great and worthy Personages To the high and mightie Prince Iames king of Scots Sonnet 61. NOt thy graue Counsells nor thy subiects loue Nor all that famous Scottish royaltie Or what thy soueraigne greatnes may approue Others in vaine doe but historifie When thine owne glory from thy selfe doth spring As though thou didst all meaner praises scornee Of Kings a Poet and the Poets King They Princes but thou Prophets doost adorne Whilst others by their Empires are renown'd Thou doost enrich thy Scotland with renowne And Kings can but with diadems be crown'd But with thy laurell thou doost crowne thy Crowne That they whose pens euen life to Kings do giue In thee a King shall seeke themselues to liue To Lucy Countesse of Bedford Son 61. GReat Lady essence of my chiefest good Of the most pure and finest tempred spirit Adorn'd with gifts ennobled by thy blood Which by descent true vertue doost inherit That vertue which no fortune can depriue Which thou by birth tak'st from thy gratious mother Whose royall mindes with equall motion striue Which most in honour shall excell the other Vnto thy fame my Muse herselfe shall taske Which rainst vpon me thy sweete golden showers And but thy selfe no subiect will I aske Vpon whose praise my soule shall spend her powers Sweet Lady yet grace this poore Muse of mine whose faith whose zeal whose life whose al is thine To the Lady Anne Harington Sonnet 62. MAdam my words cannot expresse my minde My zealous kindnes to make knowne to you When your deserts all seuerally I finde In this attempt of me do craue their due Your gratious kindenes first doth claime my hart Your bounty bids my hand to make it knowne Of me your vertues each doe challenge part And leaue me thus the least that is mine owne What should commend your modesty and wit Is by your wit and modesty commended And standeth dumbe in most admiring it And where it should begin is onely ended Returning this your praises onely due And to your selfe say you are onely you To the Lady L. S. Sonet 63. BRight starre of Beauty on whose cie-lids sit A thousand Nymph-like and enamoured graces The goddesses of memorie and wit which in due order take their seuerall places In whose deere bosome sweete delicious loue Layes downe his quiuer that he once did beare Since he that blessed Paradice did proue Forsooke his mothers lap to sport him there Let others striue to entertaine with wordes My soule is of another temper made I holde it vile that vulgar wit affords Deuouring time my faith shall not inuade Still let my praise be honoured thus by you Be you most worthie whilst I be most true To sir Anthonie Cooke Sonet 64. VOuchsafe to grace these rude vnpollisht rimes Which but for you had slept in sable night And come abroade now in these glorious times Can hardly brooke the purenes of the light But sith you see their destenie is such That in the world their fortune they must try Perhaps they better shall abide the tuch Wearing your name their gracious liuerie Yet these mine owne I wrong not other men Nor traffike further then this happy clime Nor filch from Portes not from Petrarchs pen A fault too common in this latter time Diuine sir Philip I auouch thy writ I am no picke-purse of anothers wit Finis The Legend of Robert Duke of Normandie WHat time soft night had silently begunne To steale by minutes on the long-liu'd daies The furious dogge pursuing of the sunne Whose noysome breath addes feruor to his raies That to the earth sends many a sad disease Which then inflam'd with his intemprate fires Her selfe in light habiliments attires When the rathe morning newly but awake Scarse with fresh beautie burnished her browes Her selfe beholding in the generall Lake To which she paies her neuer-ceasing vowes With the new day me willingly to rowze Downe to faire Thames I softly tooke my way Where the milde windes continually do play Striuing to fancie his chaste breast to moue Whereas all pleasures plentifully flowe When him along the wanton tide doth â—houe And to keepe backe they easily doe blow Still meete him comming thinking him too slowe He forcing waues to checke their hote imbrace They fanning breath vpon his cristall face Still forward sallying from his bounteous â—ource Along the shores lasciuioâ—sly doth straine And often times retreating in his course As to his fountaine he would backe againe Or turnde to looke vpon his siluer 〈◊〉 With coy regards the goodly soile he greetes Till with faire Medway happily he meetes Steering my compasse by the wandring streame whose flight might teach me 〈…〉 es ne'r-turning howrs Delighted thus as in a pretty dreame Where pleasure wholly had possest my powres Yet looking backe on Londons c 〈…〉 g Towres So Troy thought I her stately head did reare Whose crazed ribs the furrowing plow doth eire Wearie at length a willow-tree I found Which on the banke of this great torrent stood Whose roote with rich grasse greatly did abound Forc'd by the moisture of the surging flood Ordain'd it seemde to sport her Nimphish brood Whose curled top denied the heauens great eye To view the stocke he was maintained by The Larke that learnes obseruance to the Sunne Quauers her cleere notes in the quiet ayre That on the riuers murmuring base doth runne And the pl 〈…〉 sde heauens their fairest liuery ware The place such pleasure gently doth prepare The flowers my scent the flood my taste to steepe Each sence thus sâ—ted 〈…〉 ed me asleepe When in a dreame it seemed vnto me Triumphall musicke from the flood arose As when the Soueraigne we embargde do see And by faire London for his pleasure rowes whose tender welcome the glad Cittie showes The people swarming thicke vpon the shores And the curlde water ouer-spread with oaâ—es A troupe of Nimphs came suddainely on land In the full end of this triumphall sound And me incompast taking hand in hand Casting themselues about me in a round And so downe set
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
killing me each howre Onely to shew her beauties soueraigne powre Sonnet 51. CAlling minde since first my loue begunne Th'incertaine times oft varying in their course How things still vnexpectedly haue runne As please the fates by their resistlesse force Lastly mine eyes amazedly haue seene Essex great fall Tyroue his peace to gaine The quiet end of that long-liuing Queene This Kings faire entrance and our peace with Spaine We and the Dutch at length our selues to seuer Thus the world doth and euermore shall reele Yet to my goddesse am I constant euer How ere blind fortune turne her giddie wheele Though heauen earth proue both to me vntrue Yet am I still inuiolate to you An alusion to Dedalus and Icarus Sonnet 52. MY heart imprisoned in a hopelesse I le Peopled with Armies of pale jealous eyes The shores beset with thousand secret spies Must passe by ayre or else die in exile He framde him wings with feathers of his thought Which by their nature learnd to mount the skie And with the same he practised to flie Till he himselfe this Eagles Art had taught Thus soaring still not looking once below So neere thine eyes celestiall sunne aspired That with the raies his wafting pineons fired Thus was the wanton cause of his owne woe Downe fell he in thy beauties Ocean drenched Yet there he burnes in fire that 's neuer quenched Another to the Riuer Ankor Sonnet 53. CLeere Ankor on whose siluer-sanded shore My soule-shrin'd saint my faire Idea lies O blessed brooke whose milke-white swans adore That cristall streame refined by her eyes Where sweet mirth-breathing Zephire in the spring Gently distills his Nectar-dropping showers Where Nightingales in Arden sit and sing Amongst the daintie dew-impearled flowers Say thus faire Brooke when thou shalt see thy Queene Loe heere thy sheep heard spent his wandring yeeres And in these shades deere Nimph he oft hath beene And heere to thee he sacrifizde his teares Faire Arden thou my Tempe art alone And thou sweete Ankor art my Helicon Sonnet 54. YEt reade at last the story of my woe The drery abstracts of my endlesse cares With my like sorrow enterlined so Smokde with my sighes and blotted with my teares The sad memorialls of my miseries Pendâ—n the griefe of mine afflicted ghost My lifes complaint in dolefull Elegies With so pure loue as time could neuer boast Receiue the incence which I offer heere By my strong faith ascending to thy fame My zeale my hope my vowes my praise my praier My soules oblations to thy sacred name Which name my Muse to highest heauen shal raise By chaste desire true loue and vertues praise Sonnet 55. MY Faire if thou wilt register my loue More then worlds volumes shall thereof arise Preserue my teares and thou thy selfe shalt proue A second flood downe raining from mine eyes Note but my sighes and thine eyes shall behold The sun-beames smothered with immortall smoke And if by thee my praiers may be enrold They heauen and earth to pittie shall prouoke Looke thou into my breast and thou shalt see Chaste holy vowes for my soules sacrifice That soule sweete Maide which so hath honored thee Erecting Trophies to thy sacred eyes Those eyes to my hart shining euer bright When darkenes hath obscurde each other light An allusion to the Aeglâ—ts Sonnet 56. MY thoughts bred vp with Eagle-birds of loue And for their vertues I desirde to know Vpon the neast I set them forth to proue If they were of the Eagles kinde or no. But they no sooner sawe my sunne appeare But on her raies with gazing eyes they stoode Which proou'd my birds delighted in the aire And that they came of this rare kingly broode But now their plumes full summde with sweete desire To shew their kinde beganne to clime the skies Doe what I could my Eglets would aspire Strait mounting vp to thy celestiall eies And thus my Faire my thoughts away be flowne And from my breast into thine eies be gone Sonnet 57. YOu best discern'd of my interior eies And yet your graces outwardly diuine Whose deare remembrance in my bosome lies Too rich a relique for so poore a shrine You in whome Nature chose herselfe to view When she her owne perfection would admire Bestowing all her excellence on you At whose pure eies Loue lights his halowed fire Euen as a man that in some traunce hath seene More than his wondring vttrance can vnfolde That rapt in spirite in better worlds hath beene So must your praise distractedly be tolde Most of all short when I should shew you most In your perfections altogether lost Sonnet 58. IN former times such as had store of coyne In warres at home or when for conquests bound For feare that some their treasures should purloyne Gaue it to keepe to spirites within the ground And to attend it them so strongly tide Till they return'd home when they neuer came Such as by art to get the same haue tride From the strong spirite by no means get the same Neerer you come that further flies away Striuing to holde it strongly in the deepe Euen as this spirit so she alone doth play With those rich Beauties heauen giues her to keepe Pitty so left to coldenes of her blood Not to auaile her nor doe others good To Prouerb Sonnet 59. AS Loue and I late harbourde in one Inne With Proueths thus each other entertaine In loue there is no lacke thus I beginne Faire wordes makes fooles replieth he againe That spares to speake doth spare to speede quoth I As well saith he too forward as too slowe Fortune assistes the boldest I reply A hastie man quoth he ne're wanted woe Labour is light where loue quoth I doth pay Saith he light burthens heauy if farre borne Quoth I the maine lost cast the by away You haue spunne a faire thred he replies in scorne And hauing thus a while each other thwarted Fooles as we met so fooles againe we parted Sonnet 60. DEfine my loue and tell the ioyes of heauen Expresse my woes and shew the paines of hell Declare what fate vnluckie starres haue giuen And aske a world vpon my life to dwell Make knowne that faith vnkindnes could not moue Compare my worth with others base desart Let vertue be the tuch-stone of my loue So may the heauens reade wonders in my hart Beholde the cloudes which haue eclipsde my sunne And view the crosses which my course doth let Tell me if euer since the world begunne So faire a rising had so foule a set And by all meanes let foule vnkindnes proue And shew a second to so pure a loue Sonnet 61. WHen first I ended then I first beganne The more I trauell further from my rest Where most I lost there most of all I wanne Pined with hunger rising from a feast Me thinkes I flee yet want I legs to goe Wise in conceit in act a very sot Rauisht with ioy amidst a hell of woe What most I seeme that surest am I