fayne Wo wo to realmes where suche are put in trust As leave the lawe to serve the princes lust And wo to him that by his flatteryng rede Maynteyneth a prince in any kynde of vyce wo wurth hym eke for envy pryde or mede That mysreportes any honest enterpryse Because I beast in all these poyntes was nyce The plages of all together on me lyght And due for yll ylldoers doth acquite For when the Earle was charged with my playnt He flatte denyed that any parte was true And claymde by armes to aunswere his attaynt And I by vse that warly feates well knewe To his desyre incontinently drewe wherwith the king dyd seme ryght well content As one that past not muche with whom it went At tyme and place apoynted we apearde At all poyntes armde to proue our quarels iust And whan our frendes on eche parte had vs chearde And that the Haroldes had vs do our lust with spere in rest we tooke a course to iust But ere our horses had run halfe theyr way A shoute was made the kyng dyd byd vs stay And for to avoyde the sheddyng of our bloode with shame and death which one must nedes haue had The king through couÌ„saile of the lordes thought good To banysh both whiche iudgement strayt was rad No maruayle than though both were wroth and sad But chiefely I that was exylde for aye â–ª My enmy straunged but for a ten yeares daye The date expirde whan by this doulfull doome I should departe to lyve in banysht hande On payne of death to Englande not to coome I went my way the kyng seasde in his hande My offyces my honours goods and lande To paye the due as openly he tolde Of myghty summes whiche I had from hym polde See Baldwin see the salarye of synne Marke with what meede vile vyces are rewarded Through pryde and envy I lose both kyth and kynne And for my flattring playnte so well regarded Exyle and slaunder are iustly me awarded My wife and heyre lacke landes and lawful right And me theyr lorde made dame Dianaes knyght If these mishaps at home be not inough Adioyne to them my sorowes in exyle I went to Almayne fyrst a lande ryght rough In whiche I founde suche churlysh folke and vyle As made me loth my lyfe ech other whyle There loe I learned what it is to be a gest Abrode and what to lyve at home in rest For they esteme no one man more than eche They vse as well the Lackey as the Lorde And lyke theyr maners churlysh is theyr speche Their lodging hard their bourd to be abhord Their pleyted garmentes herewith well accorde All â—agde and frounst with diuers coloures dekt They swere they curse and drynke tyll they be â—lâ—kt They hate all suche as these their maners hate Which reason would no wise man should allow With these I dwelt lamenting mine estate Till at the length they had got knowledge how I was exilde because I dyd auow A false complaynt agaynst my trusty frende For which they named me traytour styl vnende That what for shame and what for werynes I stale fro thence and went to Uenise towne Where as I founde more ease and frendlynes But greater gryefe for now the great renowne Of Bolenbroke whom I would haue put downe Was warâ— so great in Britaine and in Fraunce That Uenise through ech man did him auaunce Thus loe his glory grew through great despyte And I therby increased in defame Thus enuy euer doth her host acquyte Wyth trouble anguysh sorow smart and shame But sets the vertues of her foe in flame To water lyke whych maketh clere the stone And soyles it selfe by running thervpon Or ere I had soiurned there a yere Strange tidinges came he was to England goen Had tane the king that which touched him nere Enprisoned him with other of his foen And made hym yelde hym vp his crowne and throne When I these thinges for true by serche had tryed Griefe griped me so I pined away and dyed Note here the ende of pride so Flateries fine Marke the reward of enuy and false complaint And warne all princes from them to declyne Lest likely fault do find tho like attaynt Let this my life be to them a restraynt By others harmes who lysteth take no hede Shall by his owne learne other better rede THis tragicall example was of all the cumpany well liked how be it a doubte was founde therin and that by meanes of the diuersity of the Chronicles â–ª for where as maister Hall whom in this storye we chiefely folowed maketh Mowbray accuser and Boleynbroke appellant mayster Fabian reporteth the matter quite contrary that by the reporte of good authours makyng Bokynbroke the accuser and Mowbray the appeliant Which matter sith it is more harde to desise than nedefull to our purpose which minde onely to diswade from vices and exalte vertue we referre to the determinacion of the Haroldes or such as may cum by the recordes and registers of these doinges contented in the mean while with the best allowed iudgement and which maketh most for our forshewed purpose This doubt thus let passe I would ê™ one of the cuÌ„panyâ— gladly say sumwhat for king Richard But his personage is so sore intangled as I thinke fewe beneâ—ices be at this day for after his imprisonment his brother and diuers other made a maske minding by Henries destruction to haue restored him which maskers matter so runneth in this that I doubt which ought to go before But seing no man is redy to say ought in their behalfe I will geue who so listeth leasure to thinke thervppon and in the meane time to further your enterprise I will in the kinges behalfe recount such part of his story as I thinke most necessary And therfore imagine Baldvvin that you see him al to be maÌ„gled with blew woundes lying pale and wanne al naked vpon the cold stones in Paules church â–ª the people standing round about him and making his moue in this sort Hovve kyng Richarde the seconde vvas for his euyll gouernaunce deposed from his seat and miserably murdred in prison HAppy is the prince that hath in welth the grace To folowe vertue keping vices vnder But wo to him whose will hath wisedomes place For who so renteth ryght and law a sunder On him at length loe al the world shall wunder Hygh byrth choyse fortune force nor Princely mace Can warrant King or Keysar fro the case Shame sueth sinne as rayne drops do the thunder Let Princes therfore vertuous life embrace That wilfull pleasures cause them not to blunder Beholde my hay see how the sely route Do gase vpon me and eche to other saye Se where he lieth for whome none late might route Loe howe the power the pride and riche aray Of myghty rulers lightly fade away The Kyng whych erst kept all the realme in doute The veryest rascall now dare checke and lowâ—e What moulde be Kynges made of but carayn clay
yeres Not nature but murder abridged my yeres This acte was odious to God and to man Yet rygour to cloke in habyte of reason By crafty compas deuise they can Articles nyne of ryght haynous treason But doome after death is sure out of season For who euer sawe so straunge a presydent As execucion doen before iudgement Thus hate harboured in depth of mynde By sought occasyon burst out of newe And cruelty abused the lawe of kynde whan that the Nephewe the Uncle slewe Alas king Rycharde sore mayst thou rewe whiche by this facte preparedst the waye Of thy harde destynie to hasten the daye For blood axeth blood as guerdon dewe And vengeaunce for vengeaunce is iust rewarde O ryghteous God thy iudgementes are true For looke what measure we other 〈◊〉 The same for vs agayne is prepardâ— Take heed ye princes by examples past Blood wyll haue blood eyther fyrst or last WHan maister Ferrers had ended this fruytfull tragedye because no man was readye with another I hauyng perused the story whiche cam next sayd Because you shall not say my maisters but that I wyll in sumwhat do my parte I wyll vnder your correction declare the tragedy of the Lord Mowbray the chiefe wurker of the Dukes destruction who to admonysh all Counsaylers to beware of flattering princes or falsely enuying or accusyng theyr Peregalles may lament his vices in maner folowyng Hovve the Lorde Movvbray promoted by Kyng Richarde the seconde vvas by hym banyshed the Realme â–ª and dyed miserably in exyle THough sorowe and shame abash me to rehercâ— My lothsum lyfe and death of due deserued Yet that the paynes thereof may other perce To leaue the lyke least they be lykely serued Ah Baldwin marke I wil shew thee how I swarued Dyssemblyng Enuy and Flattery bane that â—e Of all their hostes haue shewed their power on me I blame not Fortune though she dyd her parte And true it is she can doo lytell harme She gydeth goods she hampreth not the harte A vertuous mynde is safe from euery charme Uyce onely vyce with her stoute strengthles arme Doth cause the harte to euyll to enclyne Whiche I alas doo fynde to true by myne For where by byrth I came of noble kynde The Mowbrayes heyre a famous house and olde Fortune I thanke her was to me so kynde That of my prince I had what so I wolde Yet neyther of vs was muche to other holde For I through flattery abused his wanton youth And his fonde trust augmented my vntruth He made me fyrst the earle of Notyngham And Marshall of the realme in whiche estate The Pâ—eâ—s and people sayntly to me came with sore complaynt against them that of late Made offycers had brought the king in hate By makynge sale of Iustice ryght and lawe And lyuyng nought without all dreede or awe I gaue them ayde these euyls to redresse And went to London with an army strong And caused the king against his wyll oppresse By cruell death all suche â—â—led hym wrong The lorde chiefe Iustice suffred these among So dyd the Stuarde of his housholde head The Chauncelour scapte for he aforehande fled These wicked men thus from the king remoued who best vs pleased succeded in theyr place For whiche both kyng and commons muche vs loued But chiefely I with all stoode high in grace The kyng ensued my rede in euery case whence selfe loue bred for glory maketh proude And pryde aye looketh alone to be allowde wherfore to thende I might alone enioyâ— The kinges good wyll I made his lust my lawe And where of late I laboured to destroye Suche flatryng folke as thereto stoode in awe Nowe learned I among the rest to clawe â–ª For pride is suche yf it be kindely caught As stroyeth good and styrreth vp every nought Pryde pricketh men to flatter for the pray To oppresse and pol for mayntenaunce of the same To malyce suche as matche vnâ—thes it may And to be briefe pride doth the harte enflame To fyer what myschief any fraude maye frame And euer at length the euyls by it wrought Confounde the wurker and bring him vnto nought Beholde in me due proofe of euerye parte For pryde fyrst forced me my prince to flatter So muche that what so euer pleased his harte Were it neuer so evyll I thought a lawfull matter Wâ—â—che caused the lordes afresh against him clatter Because he had his holdes beyonde sea â—olde And seen his souldiers of theyr wages polde Though all these yls were doen by my assent Yet suche was lucke that eche man deemed no For see the duke of Glocester for me sent With other lordes whose hartes did blede for wo To see the Realme so fast to ruyne go In faulte whereof they sayde the two dukes wer The one of Yorke the other of Lancaster On whose remove fro beyng aboute the king We all agreed and sware a solempne oth And whyle the rest prouyded for this thyng I flatter I to win the prayse of troth Wretche that I was brake fayth and promise both For I bewrayed the king theyr whole intent For whiche vnwares they all were tane and shent Thus was the warder of the common weale The Duke of Glocester gyltles made awaye With other moo more wretche I so to deale Who through vntruth their trust dyd yll betraye Yet by this meanes obteyned I my praye Of king and Dukes I founde for this suche fauour As made me Duke of Norfolke for my labour But see howe pride and envy ioyntly runne Because my prince dyd more than me preferre Syr Henry Bolenbroke the eldest sunne Of Iohn of Gaunte the Duke of Lancaster Proude I that would alone be blasyng sterre Envyed this Earle for nought saue that the shine Of his desertes dyd glyster more then mine To the ende therfore his lyght should be the lesse I slyly sought all shyftes to put it out But as the pryze that would the palme tree presse Doth cause the bowes sprede larger rounde about So spyte and enuy causeth glory sprout And aye the more the top is ouertrode The deper doth the sounde roote sprede abrode For when this Henry Erle of Harforde sawe What spoyle the kyng made of the noble blood And that without all Iustice cause or lawe To suffer him so he thought not sure nor good Wherfore to me two faced in a hood As touching this he fully brake his mynde As to his frende that should remedy fynde But I although I knewe my prince dyd yll So that my heart abhorred sore the same Yet myschief so through malyce led my wyll To bring this Earle from honour vnto shame And towarde my selfe my souerayne to enflame That I bewrayed his wurdes vnto the king Not as a rede but as a most haynous thyng Thus where my duty bounde me to have tolde My prince his fault and wylde him â—o refrayne Through flattery loe I dyd his yll vpholde whiche turnde at length both hym and me to payne Wo wo to kynges whose counsaylours do
downe Bellona rang the bell at home and all abrode With whose mishaps amayne fel Fortune did me lode In Fraunce I lost my fortes at home the soughten fielde My kindred slaine my frendes opprest my selfe enforste to yelde Duke Richard tooke me twise and forst me to resigne My crowne and titles due vnto my fathers ligne And kept me as a warde did all thinges as him list Til time my wife through bluddy sword had â—ane me from his fyst But though she slew the duke my sorowes did not slake But like to hiders head stil more and more awake For Edward through the ayde of Warwick and his brother From one field drave me to the Skots and toke me in another Then went my freÌ„des to wracke for Edward ware the crowne For which for nine yeres space his prison held me downe Yet thence through Warwikes wurke I was againe releast And Edward driven fro the realme to seke his frendes by East But what prevayleth payn or prouidens of man To helpe him to good hap whom destiny doth ban Who moyleth to remove the rocke out of the mud Shall myer him selfe hardly skape the swelling of the flud This al my frendes have found and I have felt it so Ordayned to be the touche of wretchednes and woe For ere I had a yeare possest my seat agayne I lost both it and liberty my helpers all were slayne For Edward first by stelth and sith by gadered strength Arrived and got to Yorke and London at the length Tooke me and tyed me vp yet Warwike was so stout He came with power to Barnet fyelde in hope to helpe me out And there alas was slayne with many a wurthy knight O Lord that ever such luck should hap in helping right Last came my wife and sonne that long lay in exyle Defyed the King and fought a fyelde I may bewalle the whsle For there mine only sonne not thirtene yere of age Was tane and murdered strayte by Edward in his rage And shortly I my selfe to stynt al furder strife Stabbed with his brothers bluddy blade in prison lost my life Loe here the heauy happes which happened me by heape See here the pleasaunt fruytes that many princes reape The payneful plagues of those that breake their lawful bandes Their mede which may wil not save their frendes fro bluddy handes God graunt my woful haps to greuous to rehearce May teache all states to know how depely daungers pearce How frayle al honours are how brittle worldly blisse That warned through my feareful fate they feare to do amys THis tragedy ended an other said eyther you or king Henry are a good philosopher so narowly to argue the causes of misfortunes but ther is nothing to experience which taught or might teach y e king this lesson but to procede in our matter I finde mencion here shortly after y e death of this king of a duke of Excester found dead in the sea betwene Dover and Calays but what he was or by what adventure he died master Fabian hath not shewed and master Hall hath overskipped him so that excepte we bee frendlier vnto him he is like to be double drowned both in the sea and in the gulfe of forgetfulnes About this matter was much talke but because one tooke vppon him to seeke out that story that charge was coÌ„mitted to him And to be occupied the meane while I found the storye of one drowned likewise and that so notably though priuily that al the world knew of it wherfore I sayd because night approcheth and that we wil lose no time ye shall heare what I have noted concerning the duke of Clarens king Edwardes brother who al to be washed in wine may bewayle his infortune after this maner Hovv George Plantagenet third sonne of the Duke of Yorke vvas by his brother King Edvvard vvrongfully imprisoned and by his brother Richard miserably murdered THe foule is fowle men say that files the nest which maketh me loath to speak now might I chuse But seing time vnburdened hath her brest And fame blowen vp the blast of all abuse My silence rather might my life accuse Than shroud our shame though fayne I would it so For truth wil out though all the world say no. And therfore Baldwin hartely I the beseche To pause awhile vpon my heauy playnt And though vnneth I vtter spedy spech No fault of wit or folly maketh me saynt No heady drinkes have geven my tounge attaynâ—e Through quaffing craft yet wine my wits confouÌ„d Not which I dranke of but wherin I dround What prince I am although I nede not shewe Because my wine bewrayes me by the smell For never was creature sowst in Bacchus dewâ— To death but I through Fortunes rigour fel Yet that thou mayst my story better tell I will declare as briefly as I may My welth my woe and causers of decay The famous house sournamed Plantagenet Wherat dame Fortune frowardly did frowne White Bolenbroke vniustly sought to set His lord king Richard quite beside the crowne Though many a day it wanted due renowne God so preserved by prouidens and grace That lawful heires did never faile the race For Lionell king Edwardes elder childe Both vncle and haire to Richard yssulesse Begot a doughter Philip whom vnfilde The earle of March espousde and god did blesse With fruyte assinde the kingdome to possesse I mean sir Roger Mortimer whose hayer The earle of Cambridge maried Anne the fayer This earle of Cambridge Richard clept by name Was sonne to Edmund Langley duke of Yorke Which Edmund was fift brother to the same Duke Lyonel that al this line doth korke Of which two houses ioyned in a forke My father Richard prince Plantagenet True duke of Yorke was lawful heire beget Who tooke to wife as you shal vnderstand A mayden of a noble house and olde Raulfe Nebels daughter Earle of Westmerland Whose sonne Earle Richard was a baron bolde Aâ—d had the right of Salysbury in bolde Through mariage made with good Earle Thomas hayer Whose earned prayses never shal appaire The duke my father had by this his wife Fower sonnes of whom the eldest Edward hight The second Iohn who lost in youth his life At wakefield slayne by Clifford cruell knight I George am third of Clarence duke by right The fowerth borne to the mischiefe of vs all Was duke of Glocester whom men Richard call Whan as our syer in sute of right was slayne Whose life and death him selfe declared curst My brother Edward plyed his cause amayne And got the crowne as Warwick hath rehearst The pride wherof so depe his stomacke pearst That he forgot his frendes dispisde his kin Of oth or office passing not a pinne Which made the earle of Warwike to maligne My brothers state and to attempt a waye To bring from prison Henry selly king To helpe him to the kingdome if he may And knowing me to be the chiefest staye My brother had he did me vndermine To cause me to
his treasons to encline Wherto I was prepared long before My brother had bene to me so vnkinde For sure no cankar fretteth fleshe so sore As vnkinde dealing doth a louing minde Loves strongest bandes vnkindnes doth vnbinde It moveth love to malice zele to hate Chiefe frendes to foes and bretherne to debate And though the Earle of Warwike subtile syer Perceyved I bare a grudge agaynst my brother Yet towarde his feat to set me more on fire He kindeled by one firebrand with another For knowing fansie was the forcing rother Which stiereth youth to any kinde of strite He offâ—red me his daughter to my wife Wherthrough and with his crafty filed tounge He stale my hart that erst vnstedy was For I was witlâ—s wanton fonde and younge Whole bent to pleasure brittle as the glas I can not lye In vino veritas I did esteme the beawty of my bryde Above my selfe and all the world beside These fond affeccions ioynt with lacke of skyll Which trap the hart and blinde the iyes of youth And pricke the minde to practise any yll So tickled me that voyd of kindly truth Which where it wantes all wickednes ensueth I stinted not to persecute my brother Till time he left his kingdome to an other Thus karnall love did quench the loue of kind Til lust were lost through fansy fully fed But whan at length I came vnto my minde I sawe how lewdly lightnes had me led To seeke with payne the peril of my hed For had king Henry once bene setled sure I was assured my dayes could not endure And therfore though I bound my selfe by othe To helpe king Henry al that ever I might Yet at the treaty of my bretherne both Which reason graunted to require but right I left his part wherby he perisht quite And reconsilde me to my bretherne twayne And so came Edward to the crowne againe This made my father in lawe to fret and fume To stampe and stare and call me false forsworne And at the length with all his power presume To helpe king Henry vtterly forlorne Our frendly profers stil he tooke in skorne Refused peace and came to Barnet field And there was kilde bicause he would not yeeld His brother also there with him was slayne Wherby decayed the kayes of chiualrie For never lived the matches of them twaine In manhode power and marciall pollicy In vertuous thewes and frendly constancy That would to god if it had bene his wil They might have turnde to vs and liued stil. But what shal be shal be there is no choyse Thinges nedes must drive as destiny decreeth For which we ought in all our haps reioyce Because the eye eterne all thing forseeth Which to no yll at any time agreeth For ylâ— to yll to vs be good to it So farre his skilles excede our reach of wiâ— The wounded man which must abide the smart Of stitching vp or â—earing of his sore As thing to bad reproves the Surgeons art Which notwithstanding doth his helth restore The childe likewise to science plied sore Countes knowledge yll his teacher to be wood Yet Surgery and sciences be good But as the pacientes griefe and Scholers payne Cause them deme bad such thinges as sure be best So want of wisedome causeth vs complayne Of every hap wherby we seme opprest The poore do pine for pelfe the rich for rest And whan as losse or sicknes vs assayle We curse our fate our Fortune we bewayle Yet for our good god wurketh every thing For through the death of those two noble peres My brother lived and raignde a quiet king Who had they lived perchaunce in course of yeares Would have delivered Henry from the breres Or holpe his sonne to enioye the careful crowne Wherby our lyne should have be quite put downe A careful crowne it may be iustly named Not only for the cares therto annext To see the subiect wel and duly framed With which good care few kinges are greatly vext But for the dread wherwith they are perplext Of losing lordship liberty or life Which woful wrackes in kingdomes happen rife The which to shun while sum to sore have soughâ— They have not spared all persons to suspect And to destroy such as they gilty thought Though no apparaunce proved them infact Take me for one of this wrong punisht sect Imprisoned first accused without cause And doen to death no proces had by lawes Wherin I note how vengeaunce doth acquite Like yll for yll how vices vertue quell For as my mariage love did me excite Against the king my brother to rebell So love to have his children prosper well Prouoked him against both lawe and right To murder me his brother and his knight For by his quene two goodly sonnes he had Borne to be punisht for their parenâ—es sinne Whose fortunes kalked made their father sad Such wofull haps were founde to be therin Which to auouch writ in a rotten skinne A prophecy was found which sayd a G Of Edwardes children should destruccion be Me to be G because my name was George My brother thought and therfore did me hate But woe be to the wicked heades that forge Such doubtful dreames to brede vnkinde debate For God a gleve a gibet grate or gate A Graye a Griffeth or a Gregory As well as George are written with a G. Such doubtfull riddles are no prophecies For prophecies in writing though obscure Are playne in sence the darke be very lyes What god forsheweth is euident and pure Truth is no Harold nor no Sophist sure She noteth not mens names their shildes nor creastes Though she compare them vnto birdes and beastes But whom she doth forshewe shal rule by force She termeth a Wâ—lfe a Dragon or a Beare A wilful Prince a raynles ranging horse A bolde a Lyon a coward much in feare A hare or hart a crafty pricked eare A lecherous a Bull a Goote a Foale An vnderminer a Moldwarp or a mole By knowen beastes thus truth doth playne declare What men they be of whom she speakes before And who so can mens properties compare And marke what beast they do resemble more Shall soone discerne who is the griefly bore For God by beastes expresseth mens condicions And not their badges haroldes supersticions And learned Merline whom God gave the sprite To know and vtter princes actes to cum Like to the Iewish prophetes did recite In shade of beastes their doinges all and sum Expressing playne by maners of the dum That kinges and lordes such properties should have As had the beastes whose name he to them gave Which while the folish did not well consider And seing princes gave for difference And knowledge of their issues myxt together All maner beastes for badges of pretence They tooke those badges to expres the sence Of Merlines minde and those that gave the same To be the princes noted by their name And hereof sprang the false namde prophecies That go by letters siphers armes or signes Which all be
foolish false and crafty lies Deuised by gesse or Guiles vntrue diuines For whan they sawe that many of many lines Gave armes alike they wist not which was he Whom Merline meant the noted beast to be For all the broode of Warwickes geve the Bear The Buckinghames do likewise geve the swan But which Bear bearer shoulde the lyon teare They wer as wise as Goose the â—ery man Yet in their skil they ceased not to skan And to be demed of the people wise Set furth their gloses vpon prophecies And whom they doubted openly to name They darkly termed or by sum letter meant For so they mought how ever the world did frame Preserve them selves from shame or being shent For howsoever contrary it went They might expound their meaning otherwise As haps in thinges should newly stil arise And thus there grew of a mistaken truth An arte so false as made the true suspect Wherof hath cum much mischiefe more the ruth That errours should our mindes so much infect True prophecies have fowly been reiect The false which brede both murder warre strife Belyved to the losse of many a goodmans life And therfore Baldwin teach men to discerne Which prophecies be false and which be true And for a ground this lesson let them learne That all be false which are deuised newe The age of thinges is iudged by the hue All Riddels made by letters names or armes Are yong and false for wurse than witches charmes I know thou musest at this lorâ— of mine How I no student should have learned it And doest impure it to the fume of wine That styrs the tounge and sharpeneth vp the wit But harke a frende did teache me every whit A man of mine in al good knowledge rife For which he giltles lost his learned life This man abode my servaunt many a day And stil in study set his hole delite Which taught me more than I could beare away Of every arte and by his searching sight Of thinges to cum he could forshew as right As I rehearce the pageantes that wer past Such perfectnes god gaue him at the last He knew my brother Richard was the Bore Whose tuskes should tears my brothers boyes me And gave me warning therof long before But wit nor warning can in no degree Let thinges to hap which are ordaynde to bee Witnes the paynted Lionesse which slue A prince imprisoned Lions to eschuâ— He tolde me to my youkefelow should dye Wherin would God he had bene no diuine And after her death I should woe earnestly A spouse wher at my brother should repine And finde the meanes she should be none of mine For which such malice should among vs rise As save my death no treaty should decise And as he sayd so all thinges came to passe For whan King Henry and his sonne wer slayne And every broyle so throughly quenched was That the King my brother quietly did rayne I reconsiled to his love agayne In prosperous health did leade a quiet life For five yeares space with honors laden rise And to augment the fulnes of my blisse Two lovely children by my wife I had But froward hap whose maner ever is In chiefest ioy to make the happy sad Bemixt my swete with bitternes to bad For while I swam in ioyes on every side My louing wife my chiefest iewel died Who sâ— lacks whan fâ—lâ— I had bewaylde a yeare The Duke of Burgoyues wise dame Margarete My louing sister willing me to chearâ— To mary againe did kindly 〈◊〉 intreat And wisht me matched with a mayden nete A stepdaughter of hers duke Charles his hapee A noble damesell yong discrete and fayer To whose desper because I did encline The King my brother doubting my degree Through prophecies against vs did repine And at no hande would to our willes agree For which such rancor pearst both him and me That face to face we fell to flat defiaunce But were appeased by frendes of our aliaunce Howbeit my mariage vtterly was dasht Wherein because my servaunt sayd his minde A meane was sought wherby he might be lasht And for they could no crime agaynst him finde They forged a fault the peoples lyts to blinde And tolde he should by sorceries pretende To bring the King vnto a spedy ende Of all which poyntes he was as innocent As is the babe that lacketh kindely breth And yet condemned by the Kinges assent Most cruelly put to a shamefull death This fierd my hart as soulder doth the heath So that I could not but exclame and crye Against so great and open an iniury For this I was commaunded to the tower The king my brother was so cruel harted And whan my brother Richard saw the hower Was cum for which his hart so sore had smarted He thought best take the time before it parted For he endeuoured to attayne the crowne FroÌ„ which my life must nedes have held him downe For though the king within a while had died As nedes he must he surfayted so oft I must have had his children in my gyde So Richard should beside the crowne have cost This made him plye the while the waxe was sofâ— â–ª To find a meane to bring me to an ende For realme rape spareth neither kin nor frend And whan he sawe how reason can asswage Through length of time my brother Edwardes yreâ— With forged tales he set him new in rage Til at the last they did my death conspire And though my truth sore troubled their desire For all the world did know mine innocence Yet they agreed to charge me with offence And covertly within the tower they called A quest to geve such verdite as they should Who what with fear and what with fauour thraide Durst nought pronounce but as my brethern would And though my false accusers never could Prove ought they sayd I giltles was condemned Such verdites passe where iustice is contemned This seat atchieved yet could they not for shame Cause me be kilde by any common way But like a wulfe the tirant Richard came My brother nay my butcher I may say Unto the tower when all men wer away Save such as wer provided for the â—eate Who in this wise did straungely me entreate His purpose was with a prepared string To strangle me but I bestird me so That by no force they could me therto bring Which caused him that purpose to forge Howbeit they bound me whether I would or no. And in a buâ—â—e of Malmesey standing by Newe Christned me because I should not crie Thus drounde I was yet for no due desert Except the zeale of Iustice be a crime False prophecies bewitched king Edwardes hert My brother Richard to the crowne wold clime Note these thre causes in thy ruful ryme And boldly say they did procure my fal And death of deathes most straunge and hard of al. And warne all princes prophecies to eschue That are to darke or doubtful to be knowen What God hath sayd that can not but ensue Though