Kings in Kingly armors clad Were beaten downe by the Earle Dowglas hand To see them fall it seem'd his heart to glad To rise againe he sayd ô powerfull land That valiant harts withstanding fortunes checke Three Kings to rise each one in others necke King Henry the fift THe Prince of Wales son and heire to king Henry the fourth was born at Mounmouth in Wales vpon the riuer of Wy after his Father was departed this life he tooke on him the regiment of the Realme of England the 20. day of March and beeing proclaimed King by the name of Henry the fift the yeare of our Lord 1413 such great hope good expectation was had of this kings fortunate successe to follow that within sowre dayes after his Fathers departure diuers Noble men and honourable personages did to him homage and sware to him due obedience which had not béen séen done to any his predecessors kings of this Realme till they had been possessed of the Crowne Hee was crowned the ninth day of Aprill beeing Palme-sonday and béeing a very fierce and cruell day for variety of fowle weather men diuined and déemed diuersely what might insue of such a beginning But whatsoeuer mens fantasies might or did coniecture yet this was the King that according to the prouerbe did shewe and declare indéede how trewe and new honor ought to make exchange of old and euill manners For no sooner was he inuested king and had receiued the Crowne but hee did put vpon him the shape of a newe man turning insolency and wildenesse into grauity and sobernesse and whereas hee had passed his youth with wanton and dissolute wild yong gentlemen who had led him into all excesse of ryot in so much as one of his youthfull traine beeing committed by the Lord chiefe Iustice for misdemeanour the youthfull Prince did strike the Lord chiefe Iustice vpon the face who also presently committed the Prince to straite and close prison The King his Father mainetained the Lorde chiefe Iustice banished the Prince from his presence and Courte did remoue him from the Counsell Table and woulde not readmit him into fauour vntill with submission extraordinary hee obtained the same But as before beeing placed in the seate Royall hee called these Gallants before him toulde them of his and their owne faultes banished them from his presence not vnrewarded nor yet vnpreferred inhibiting them vpon a great payne not once to approach lodge or soiourne within ten myles of his Courte or Mansions And then hee made choise of graue wise and politicke Counsellors by whose high wisdomes and prudent aduertisements he might at all times rule to his honour and gouerne to his profit And considering with himself what charge hee had in hand and what appertained to his duty and office he trusted not too much to his owne wisedome Iudgement and directions but as is aforesayde he called to his Counsell such honourable personages as might assist him in the gouernmēt of so weighty a charge to instruct him with such good reasons and fruitefull perswasions as that thereby he might shewe himselfe to his subiects a Mirror of vertue and an example of iust and vpright dealing And hauing first laid the foundations of his gouernment sure he did prouidently forecast and consider in his Princely minde that euery good gifte and euery perfect gifte commeth downe from the Father of lightes He determined withall to begin with something most acceptable to his diuine Maiestie And therfore cōmanded the Clergy sincerely truly to preach the Word of God and liue accordingly that they might be as they ought to be and their profession required lanternes of light to the temporaltie The Lay men he commanded to serue God and obey their Prince prohibiting them aboue all things the breach of matrimony the fowle abuse of swearing chiefely of wilfull periury and to that end he ordained good holesome lawes and presently summoned a Parliament in the which in honor of the most noble order of the garter he ordained the day of S. George euer after to be kept with a double feast in this his first parliament he propounded matters of questiō touching the hierarchy of Churchgouernment that time but was answered with the iust and lawful title which he had to the kingdome of France Which when he had conceiued to pursue the Dolphin of France a valiant yong prince sent vnto his Maiesty a barrel of tennis bals as if he would haue sayd these are fit instruments for such a young gentleman to play withall as you the King of England is not at these years to forecast the conquest or rather a Reconquest of the noble and renowned kingdome of France which the King my Father and I the Dolphin doe and will possesse mauger the power of England But this redoubted king magnanimous wise graue and settled to all kingly resolutions sendeth the Dolphin this mild and sober answere Go tell that gallant yong gentleman your Master that I doe thanke him for his present and will with all speed prepare to send him in requitall such store of London bals as shall batter the strongest holdes make stoops the most bewtifull Towers and make flat the chimnies and roufes of houses about his and his Fathers eares that are contained in the realme confines of France For I will make the highest crowne to stoop and the proudest miter to kneele down yea and that before one yeare doe passe me by the power of God Which thing to make good he slacked no time omitted no occasiō lost no opportunitie but made preparation both by sea and land to execute the full of his intended purposes Being furnished for the expedition of the fleet ready for his Maiestie and Armies to saile forth for the intire conquest of all France behold a conspiracy was practized against this immaculate king by the Earle of Cambridge and others at Sowthhampton vpon whom he commanded though sore against his wil as some Authors do affirme execution to be done vpon his going to shipborde making it knowen by a most louing and princely Oration how vnwilling hee was to haue taken life away or to haue left the noble Earle of Camebridge deade and sequestred from his then victorious voyage Yet had he seene or foreséene at that time to haue shewed the like vpon the Earle of March Richard Duke of Yorke had not claimed afterward as he did nor confounded the state and gouernement of this kings onely sonne nor wrought his owne end at Wakefield as he did but the Almighty is and euer wil be all in all This his first and honourable voyage into France his warlike proceedings there his conquest of many particulars his battaile or most famous victorie at Agincourt where hee slewe and subiected to himselfe as prisoners and captiues al the flower and chiualry of France his returne againe into England his second voyage backe againe his second conquest of all France the Homages of Philip duke of Burgundy with other estates of
THE NINE ENGLISH WORTHIES Or Famous and Worthy Princes of England being all of one name Beginning with King HENRIE the first and Concluding with Prince HENRY eldest Sonne to our Soueraigne Lord the King AT LONDON Imprinted by H. L. for John Harrison the yonger and are to be sold at his shop in Pater-noster rowe at the signe of the blue Anchor 1606. TO THE HIGH AND MIGHTY PRINCE HENRY Eldest Sonne to our Souereigne the Kings most Excellent Maiestie RIght High Right Excellent and gracious sweete Prince in all humilitie I beseech your Highnesse to pardon me in that being one of the meanest among the King your Fathers seruants I haue presumed to Dedicate this simple small Treatise to your Excellencie the Subiect whereof is notwithstanding such and so great as may seeme vnmeete to bee tearmed a Subiect For it treateth onely of Kings and Princes all excellent Worthies a matter I confesse much vnbefitting my slender capacity and lesse learning to deale with In which regard I cannot but acknowledge the true Prouerbe most fitte to bee applied against me Blinde Bayard is the boldest horse in the Cart. Notwithstanding that which hath spurred me forward to commit the fault may I hope in some measure qualifie and excuse it to weet my seruent loue and zealous heart which cānot endure your Grace should passe by me without some little testimony of my great ioy zeale and bounden duety howsoeuer in the maner of expressing it my discretion may perhaps be worthily taxed and my insufficiencie layed open to the world But to proceede on The Worthies here recorded are nine in number all Henries al mighty Potentates eight of which haue already been Souereigne Kings of this renowmed Nation seuen of them excelling in Martiall valour and conquest one of them namely King Henry the sixt in vertue and pietie the conquest of sinne and himselfe and none of them much inferiour to some of the ancient nine Worthies Now your Highnesse being of the same name with them and Heire apparant to the same Dominions which those eight Worthies your glorious Ancestors sometime held and the blessed sonne of a mighty Monarch the eye of the World is vpon you and lookes for a transparent passage of their vertues into you and a reflexion from you the ioy and comfort of this famous Realme of Great Britaine aswell in Church as Common wealth is set and settled in and vpon you next to our King and present sauing Gouernour And their hopefull expectation hath already installed you the ninth Worthy as being likely in time I say not to equall the eight but euen to surmount and exceed them For as the ages since theirs haue been illustrated with more learning Religion and diuine wisedom so besides your gifts of Nature who in perfections hath not been niggardly towards you your Highnesse taking also your princely and happie education in a time of peace and that vnder the wings and eyes of the most learned King your father vertuous Queene mother and such a Councel of settled and deep wisedom as not the like in Europe your Highnesse I say hath herein meanes examples and leasure to heare learne behold and obserue the singular goodnesse of God in that which hereafter shall be your owne greatnesse and happinesse And here I may not forget your chiefest honour nobilitie and worthinesse that you are descended of the eldest and highest house of the blood royall of Heauen the child and sonne of God and consequently coheire with Christ our great Lord to the immortall Crowne Now the same God your heauenly Father who hitherto in rich mercie hath showred downe abundantly his graces vpon you vouchsafe to continue and increase them in you guiding al your princely affections and actions to the glorie of his name the benefit of the Church the good of this whole Monarchie the vnspeakeable ioy of your royall Parents and blesse both them and you as with much health long life and glory here so with eternall happinesse hereafter July the 4. Your GRACES most humbly deuoted ROBERT FLETCHER TO THE RIGHT HOnorable my very good Lords the Earles of Oxenford and Essex with my Lord Vicount Cranborne and the other yong Lords Knights and Gentlemen attending the Princes Highnesse health honour and happinesse NObles and Gentlemen Please yee to peruse the Chronicles of this Realme you may therein reade of many your famous and worthy Progenitors who some of them by Valour the rest by Wisedome and their other vertues haue growen great in Souereignes fauour been preferred to high Place in Common wealth liued and died in much glorie leauing an ouer-plus of honour and dignitie by many descents to you their children The consideration hereof may and I doubt not wil incite and egge you on who are already well entred the way to tread the same steps of honour by imitating those your worthy Ancestors in their vertuous actions For your tender yeeres are not ignorant that The readiest way to get and surest to hold true honour is to deserue it and consequently that Vertue onely which first began Nobilitie must still maintaine it whereas contrariwise by degenerate and base conditions many forfeit their Nability ere they come at it For who knowes not that Nobilitie without Vertue is but apocryphate Gentry and that therefore as it began in vertuous Ancestors so it endeth in their wicked progenie We see The strongest wine becomes the sharpest vineger and The most Noble by nature are made most vile by negligence Of which Ranke and sort are chiefly such as hold learning in scorne and the attaining of knowledge not worth the while In reproofe of whom truely and eloquently was it long since written by M. Ascham The fault is in your selues ye Noble-mens sonnes and therefore ye deserue the greater blame that commonly the meaner mens children come to be the wisest Counsailors greatest dooers in the weighty affaires of this Realme and why For God will haue it so by his prouidence because yee will haue it no otherwise by your negligence And againe It grieueth me to say but it helpeth not to hide what euery man sees T is seldome seene that the sonne of an excellent man prooues excellent I graunt that in excellent men Nature must frame the chiefest parts but learning addeth a further ornament groundeth a deeper iudgement and formeth perfection and excellencie in shorter time The best learned are best aduised And No man is deceiued but in those things whereof he is ignorant In a word What soeuer may bee saydin dispraise of Ignorance is the praise of Learning and Knowledge Wherefore I trust your Honours and the rest wil thinke it as great shame which also are M. Aschams words to be valiant and Courtly without Learning as to be studious and bookish without Valour My seruent prayers to almighty God shall be so to direct your generous hearts to the studie of good literature with the loue of vertue and true valour that you alwayes not onely in time
receaued into Paris woulde bee too tedious to repeate On the seauenth day of December he was crowned King of France in our Lady Church so called in Paris by the Cardinal of Winchester the bishop of Paris not being contented that the Cardinall should execute such an high office in his Church and Iurisdiction After all ceremonies finished the king returned to the palace hauing one crowne on his head and another borne before him one scepter in his hand and another borne before him A triumphant feast and great reioysing but mingled with distaste by means of the proud Cardinall of Winchester who preferring his owne wil before the weale publike controlled that mighty Prince and valiant Captaine the Duke of Bedford Protector of France which malice moued and heart-burning broched by the Cardinall was remembred and reuenged by the Nobility But my only purpose being to select forth the name of Henry and but to note their beginnings endings by way of abstract I will leaue this worthy yong prince yet a while and tell the vntimely death of Iohn Duke of Bedford a tale worthy of note and memory and this is it viz. This yeare the fourtéenth day of September 1436. dyed Iohn Duke of Bedford and Regent of France a man most politicke in peace and no lesse hardy in warre and yet no more valiant then mercifull when he had the victory whose body was with al funeral pomp and solemne obsequies buried in the cathedrall Church of Roan in the North side of the quier vnder a sumptuous costly monument c. Which Tumbe when King Lewis the 11. knew to be his and was incited by certaine indiscréet Frenchmen to deface the same he answered What honour shall it be to vs or to you to break this monument and to pull forth of the ground the dead body of him whom in his life time neither my father nor your progenitors with all their puissance and friendes were not once able to make flee one foote backward but by his strength wisedome and policy he kept them all out of the principall Dominions of the realme of France and also out of this Noble and famous Dutchy of Normandy wherefore I say first as God hath his soule so shall his body now ly in rest who when hee was aliue would haue disquieted the proudest of vs all And as for the Tombe I doe assure you it is not so decent nor conuenient as his honour and actes deserued no although it were more riche and more bewtifull then it is But to returne according to the occasion and by the way to touch this worthy Prince His misfortune in his minority was the cause of his Nobles dissention and that the cause of an vnméete and vnfortunate mariage so that the Prince in his yong yeares spent all the honour power and pleasures of this mighty and worthy King whose life was immaculate like his Fathers whose patience ouercame all his perplexities Once deposed from his regal state and dignity and once againe restored in which interim was his propheticall speach to those Princes and Nobles about him touching the young Earle of Richmond a child of tenne yeares old Beholde sayth he stedfastly beholding the young Earle This is hee whome wée and all our Aduersaries must giue place vnto when all is done He was againe deposed committed to the Tower of London his onely son slaine his Quéene tooke sanctuary his Nobles best subiects and all his partakers slaine in sundry battailes himselfe lastly murthered in prison and yet his patience integrity godly life and good workes were no lesse commendable then the acts of his father were famous and honorable He reigned 38. yeares 6. moneths and odde dayes and other 6. moneths after his readeption of the crowne Heliued 52. yeares To censure him the God punished him for his grandfathers fathers faultes or that miracles were wrought by him I neither will belieue nor write as the writer of his historie doth nor of King Henry the seauenths purpose to haue him canonized for a Saint but yet the loue of that most mighty King that in the zeale of this Kings immaculate life would haue had him remembred for such holines doth commend my purpose which is to commend him for the sixt worthy and in ranke also aboue all other his princely deedes The kings colledge in Camebridge and Eaton Colledge neere VVindsor are both very excellent monuments of his princely liberality and my selfe haue obserued forty yeares together that God blessed both those houses the one for education and the other for bringing forth very excellent schollers His Description HE was of a seemely stature of body slender to which proportion all his parts were answerable His face was very bewtifull wherin was euer resident a sweet reseblance of bountie wherwith his Royall heart was naturally indewed and euer thereunto inclined He abhorred all vices both of the body and of the soule His patience was such that of iniuries done to him which were innumerable he did neuer seeke vengeance thinking and saying that for such aduersities as befell him his sinnes should be forgotten and forgiuen what losses soeuer did happen vnto him he neuer estéemed nor made account thereof but if any thing were done which séemed to offend the Almighty that hee lamented with sorrowfull repentance His Epitaphe HEnry the sixt a Prince a Saint a King Faire Englands soueraigne eight and thirty yeare Which time with more his wofull end did bring As in his story doth too plaine appeare O had his Vncles liv'd and well agreed His death had not so vilely been decreed Had Dela Poole been dead ere he was borne King Raynars Daughter had not been thy wife If innocency thou hadst held in skorne And reacht thy hand to warre debate and strife And Parent like hadst proued Mars his sonne Glocester had not thy fatall thred vnspon Had Richard Warwicke wonne at Barnet field Braue Mountacute or many Nobles moe That fled or dy'd or were inforc't to yield But power diuine had not ordained so He had not gone backe prisoner to the Tower And there detain'd vntill his latest hower Tewkesbury field had like or worse successe Duke Somerset the Earle of Deuon eke The Marquesse Dorset taken in the presse The poore young Prince was found whom Crofts did seeke And brought before the King by armed Band Whom Richard Glocester murthered out of hand Did patient Iob indure more paine then this Most Mighty Prince Who hearing all this ill Yet neuer murmur'd or once thought amisse More then a man remaining patient still A King indeed a conqueror of the mind In all the stories we no such doe finde Diuine profane or morall as I yet Did euer read such magnanimitie To rest in man where humain hart was set Or who had feeling of extremity Rest now ô King in heauens most happie shrine Preseru'd from foesb all the powers diuine Let VVindsor be his monument of state Because he was both borne and buried there Knight of