Till those distastefull courses that did seeme To prop his state wrought on to ruine him Faire Notingham the theater where all His pompe is shew'd must show his sudden fall No scene of Fortune in so short a space Presented ever a more changed face Nor more amaz'd spectatours hearts then here Did this quick-turning fate of Mortimer So farre beyond what any could surmise They scarse dare trust the witnesse of their eyes Such hidden paths doe God's high judgements tread That ere the pride of wicked men can dread Their neere approach they feele the fatall blow His ruine is contriu'd young Edward now Whose manly thoughts are riper then his yeares Had with a number of his stoutest Peeres And saithfull servants cast a ventrous way In spight of all his guards to seize the prey Night is th' appointed time for their designe And now the golden Phoebus 'gan decline Vnto the West that young couragious Lord The noble Mountague whose prosperous sword In forraine parts hereafter shall deserve So well and early here begins to serve His Prince at home a chiefe assistant now To young King Edward in the overthrow Of Mortimer was in his house alone Retir'd his youthfull thoughts still fix'd upon Th'atchievement tedious seem'd the houres of light To him and slow th'approach of duskie night His trusty armes with various carving wrought And glittering sword two nimble Pages brought Which whilest with care they buckle on at doore A knocke is heard Sir Thomas de la Moore A Knight well knowne to noble Mountague And welcome still that long had beene a true And faithfull servant to that wofull Prince Carnarvan Edward and had ever since His Lords accursed murder mourning spent His daies and prayers to God's high throne had sent Imploring justice for so blacke a crime His presence is admitted though the time And action greatest secrecy require To whom while gazing he did seeme t' admire Those armes thus spake the gallant Montague Ah thinke not De la Moore that vengeance due To wicked men can be for ever stay'd Or that bright Iustice should be still afraid To draw her sword three Summers now have past Thrice has the painted pride of Flora grac'd Earths joyfull bosome thrice has winters raine Bereav'd her of that verdant dresse againe Since we oh shame have not disdain'd to beare The yoake of that proud traitour Mortimer And England suffred his usurped reigne To guard his pride and fill his pompous traine Where ninescore Knights attend his gawdy state The Royall patrimony's spent of late That wealth that noble Edward should possesse His mother holds whose unjust Dower no lesse Containes should all the Crowne revenues be But rightly valu'd then two parts of three And what she holds false Mortimer enjoyes Who link'd too neere in love with her destroyes Not onely her revenues but her fame And brands the kingdome with another shame One Port one undistinguish'd house with her Her sawcy Minion keepes one Caterer With aequall price and priviledge dooes buy Provision for that ill-joyn'd family So is their state in all as man and wife To open view and for their secret life How free the bed has beene ere long they say Her teeming wombe will to the world betray Nor is this all the sieknesse of the time Great Edward's honour is ecclips'd by him Who long has rul'd the Land whilest we afrayd Of that usurped power perforce obey'd And fatall 't was to contradict at all What else so lately caus'd the pity'd fall Of noble Edmund Earle of Kent who dy'd A sacrifice to Mortimer's sterne pride And Isabellaes lawlesse power nor could Though Edward's Vncle his high birth and blood Protect his life This haplesse Prince abus'd By their delusions his best meanes had us'd To helpe not knowing he before was slaine Deposed Edward to the crowne againe Ah De la Moore the wondring people saw That Prince condemn'd by their tyrannicke law Five houres together on a scaffold stand Nor all that while found they so base a hand That would be hir'd untill the Sunne was set To shed the blood of a Plantagenet What neede I speake those treasons which of late He wrought for Scotland gainst the English state What bribes he thence received to betray His Countreys honour which he now shall pay How two yeeres since he drew the Parliament Held at Northampton then to give consent That peace with Scotland should be ratify'd So prejudiciall to the English side In which those famous Rolls that did containe Their homage to this Scepter were againe Giv'n up and all those jewels of renowne And price that did belong to Scotlands crowne And thence by former English Kings were tane Were at this peace delivered backe againe Which by a marriage was confirm'd and Ioane King Edward's sister was bestow'd upon Young David Bruce their King Fates can deferre No longer now th' account of Mortimer Nor dooes our brave young Edward feare to call The traitour to a tryall nor shall all His traine defend him nor the strength of that Faire Castle there in which with wanton state His beautious Queene and hee their revels keepe And there by night securely guarded sleepe Nor can their pride allow they filling all The King a roome within his Castle wall A meaner lodging in the towne alas Must serve the King but ere this night doe passe The Castle shall be his againe and there Shall rising Phoebus see proud Mortimer A prisoner where now he reignes whilest all The Land shall wonder at his sudden fall Or else the blood that feeds this life shall flow Vpon you stained earth but ere I show To thee the way that Edward has design'd Doe thou relate what yet remaines behind Of Mortimer's foule crimes which thou so well Hast learn'd which I in part have heard thee tell And at each accent passionately sigh The late King Edward's ruthfull tragedy Though sad the story be 't will take up time Vntill that houre that must revenge the crime Doe call us hence Lord Montague had done When thus deepe sighing De la Moore begun ` Since you command my Lord I will recite Though still I tremble to remember it That ruth that never found a parallell That story that no eloqvence can tell In accents sad enough no moorning line Expresse although the saddest Muse of nine Melpomene should search through all her store And tune her tragicke lessons ore and ore When all those balefull mischiefes she has sought That barbarous Thrace that Thebes and Argos wrought A sadder story she did nere relate Then was Carnarvan Edward's tragicke fate While this depos'd unhappy Prince remain'd In Killingworth faire Castle entertain'd In gentle manner by his kinsman there The noble Henry Earle of Lancaster In part he seemed to enjoy content If after losse of Regall government Content can come the curteous Earle still showes Himselfe compassionate of Edward's woes And in the noblest manner lessons them That he almost could have forgot t' esteeme Those
ruine in the Castle-yard The dogges were heard unusually to howle About their windowes the ill-boding Owle Night-iars and shreiches with wide-stretched throats From Yews and Holleys sent their baiefull notes And which encreast their sad and ominous feares The beautious Queene relates while standing teares Began to dazle her bright starry eyes That ghastly dreame that did last night surprise Her frighted fancy Mortioner quoth she Me thought the skye was wondrous cleare when we Together walk'd in yonder court alone The gentle aire seem'd undisturb'd anone Rose sudden stormes a darke and pitchie cloud Obscur'd heaven's face and thunder roar'd aloud The trembling earth about us moved round At last it open'd and from under-ground Rose Edward's pale and dismall ghost his hand Arm'd with a flaming sword a threatning band Of furies did upon the ghost attend Hee cry'd revenge with that they all gan bend Their force ' gainstus and thee me thought they flew At which I frighted wak'd and hardly knew So great the terrour was whether we were Alive or not Ambitious Mortimer Scorning to show from any dreame a feare Strove to divert so sad a theame and cheare The Queene with amorous discourse againe While thus he flatters his owne fate in vaine A boistrous noise about the doores they heare The maids without that waited shreik'd for feare Clashing of steele and grones of dying men Approach d their cares for in the Lobby then Stout Turrington and Nevil both were slaine That durst by force resist the armed traine And in the chamber ere the Queene and he Had time to doubt what this strange storme should be Sent from the King the armed troopes appeare By whose command they seize on Mortimer And in an instant hurry him away For at the Chamber-doore did Edward stay The wofull Queene at first amazed stands But quickly recollected wrings her hands Strikes her faire breast and after them she hyes To the next Lobby weepes and kneeling cryes Deere Sonne for well she knew her Son was there Oh pitty pitty gentle Mortimer Let no accusers raise thine anger so Nor wicked counsell make thee prove a foe To him that well deserves oh pull not downe So true so strong a pillar of thy crowne But when she sees him gone and no reply Vouchsaf'd to her for Edwards modesty Because his justice her fond suite denyde For feare his tongue should be enforc'd to chide A mothers crime or folly words forbeares A griefe too great to be exprest by teares Confounds her sense as in an extasie She fals to ground and helplesse seemes to lye Vntill the maids and Ladies of her traine Had to her chamber borne her backe againe The Castle wholly to the King's command Is now reduc'd and to his royall hand The keyes deliver'd up nor dooes he feare The great and pompous traine of Mortimer They soone submitted when their Lord was taine And here seemes Edward to begin his reigne Henceforth his regall power his treasury Shall be his owne those rayes of Majesty A subjects greatnesse shall ecclipse no more Nor shall the Land a blazing-star adore Instead of true-borne Phoebus and thus farre The tragaedy of this great Mortimer Faire Nottingham began and op'd the way What now remaines another place must play The scoene from thence to London is remov'd Where more foule treasons are against him prov'd More debts then one condemned head could be Or single life enough to satisfie Had not th' opprobrious manner of his fate And that proud height that pinnacle of state From whence the people 's late astonish'd eyes Had seene him star-like shoot as from the skyes Ambitious Phaëton was dinged downe By Ioves revengefull thunder fully showne With what proportion powerfull Iustice can Redeeme her selfe against the greatest man And that there 's no such envy'd height at all But she can make it pity'd by a fall And now the common Gallowes is the place Where this great Lord with shame must end his race On earth and twice did rising Phoebus there Behold the body of dead Mortimer To all a scorned spectacle remaine But yet thus much thy memory shall gaine Of great and tragicke fame that all shall say A stranger game did Fortune never play And whensoere that fickle goddesse glories In her proud sportive trophees when the stories Of her most envy'd favovrites are told Who next to Kings and Emperours did hold The Helme and keepe the neerest roomes in state When Plavtianus greatnesse we relate With his so sudden ruine when we tell How once great Romes ador'd Sejanus fell Or how Ruffinus torne and mangled dy'd In all the height of his ambitious pride Among those names shalt thou in times to come Great Mortimer fill up a tragicke roome And in thy story like to them shalt be A Document to all posterity Annotations upon the first Booke a About the fift yeere of King Edward the second his reigne that renowned King of Scotland Robert le Bruce having now over-mastred the opposite faction in his owne Nation and driven out all the English Garrisons left there in possession by Edward the first had wholly recovered his Kingdome of Scotland and not so contented had much endammaged by often inrodes the Realme of England To take revenge of him Edward the second with a wonderfull great and rich English army containing about 80000. invadeth Scotland in his owne person at a place called Bannocks bourne it came to a battell where the English are discomfited with as great an ouer-throw as ever they received in any field sixe of their greatest Noblemen slaine about 700. Knights and gentlemen of account besides many noble prisoners taken about the number of common souldiers slaine the Authors of that time whether misinformed or partiall most wretchedly disagree some accounting 10000. some 50000. but how great so ever the number were no revenge was taken during the whole reigne of Edward the second but the kingdome of England in many ensuing actions suffred much from the hands of Robert le Bruce the fortune of war running all on that side while he lived b While deposed Edward was miserably murdered in Berkley Castle the young King was upon the borders of Scotland with a puissant army and having environed the Scots who had entred England with invasive armes in the woods of Wiredale and Stanhop parke and stopped up all passages made sure account of victory but by the treason of the Lord Mortimer for which hee was afterwards among other things accused and condemned after they had lodged there fifteene dayes and began to feele much want they were suffred to escape and the young King lost his first enterprise besides the expence of much treasure and a wonderfull danger of his owne person for Sir Iames Douglas a valiant servant of King Robert le Bruce with 200. light horses assailed the Kings owne pavilion where the King was so neere death that a Chaplaine of his who stoutly behaved himselfe was slaine in his Masters defence and Sir Iames retired from
bright Princesse and in words declares How just a cause excites him to the warres Besides the honour he from thence may gaine That Pedro is the true-borne Lord of Spaine And crowned Monarch that no vice what-e're Can wash away that sacred Character That Subjects may not put their Soveraigne downe Nor give Don Henry title to their Crowne But ought to leave that power to God alone Who can revenge at full what he has done Or else so clense him from the greatest crimes That Pedro's penitence in after-times May all his former impious reigne redeeme Like King Manasses in Ierusalem That it concern'd a true-borne Prince his right To take that part lest other Nations might Hereafter from a president so bad Vsurpe more freedome than they justly had Then taking leave of his deare wife he went To that which after prov'd by accident A fatall warre to England Where though he Obtain'd a great and glorious victory And present honour through all Europe gate Yet most unhappy to his future state The voyage was his treasures wast which cost Sad tumults and his French Dominions lost Besides his losse of health All which was sent Perchance to Edward as a punishment For ayding such a monster though true heire Nor long held Pedro his recover'd chaire Soone after th'English went from thence againe Depos'd and by victorious Henry slaine Thus all their punishments did undergoe Castile Don Pedro and Prince Edward too The Tyrant Pedro for his impious reigne Edward for lifting up the fiend againe And all Castile by England's conquering sword Scourg'd for deposing of their lawfull Lord. With noble Edward to this Spanish warre Young Iohn of Gaunt the Duke of Lancaster His brother marches to whose future state Castile shall prove a name more fortunate Who by the marriage of Don Pedro's heire The Royall title of that land shall weare With large revenues thence The Duke commands One of the three Battalia's with him stands Brave Sir Iohn Chandois who in warre before Had ever beene Prince Edward's Counsellor Now set to guide the youth of Princely Iohn With him young Beauchamp noble Warwick's sonne And stout Lord Dalbert with a gallant traine Of Gentlemen and Knights of Aquitaine The Prince of Wales himselfe commands the maine And middle Battell Pedro King of Spaine For whom the warre is made by Edward's side There marches on and English Chieftaines try'd In many a Battell then esteem'd to be The very flowers of Europes Chevalry With many Lords of high account and name That from Poictou from Maine and Guyenne came A Monarch leads the third Battalia on Iames of Mallorques King that in renowne Like th' ancient Caesars might blacke Edward stand And Kings not scorne to serve in his command There th' Earle of Arminacke leads on his power And English Knolls that expert warriour Thither the Lords of Dalbreth Piergort And many noble Knights and Squires resort With all his army thirty thousand strong The Prince sets forth from France to passe along The famous streights of Roncevall and through The kingdome of Navarre gets leave to goe By which with faithfull guides they passe as farre Before they meet th'approach of any warre As faire Victoria on the bounds of Spaine There some fore-runners of King Henry's traine Descry'd gave notice that the blow was neere But thrice as many as Prince Edward's were The troops that Henry of Castile had brought Besides the natives of the Land that fought To guard their new-elected King and free Themselves from Pedro's future tyranny Th'expertest souldiers of the Realme of France Come to encrease King Henry's puissance And Saracens from our invasions free Beare here a part in Christian enmity And ' gainst Don Pedro guard his brothers throne In three great bodies comes that army on The first and noblest where the French-men stand Is under Bertram of Cleâ—quy's command The greatest body in the midd'st the King Himselfe drawes up the last his brothers bring And now beside the towne of Naveret In faire array are both the battel 's set Renowned Edward to his men declares Th' undoubted justice of their present warres And that no odds of numbers he can feare When he beholds those men those Leaders there Who but ' gainst odds did never battell try Yet never fought without a victory As those that Sluces navall fight had seene That had in Crescy field and Poictiers beene And bids them now maintaine that old renowne They in so many honour'd fields had wonne As much does Bertram his French troops excite And briefly tells them they not onely fight King Henry's Crowne and honour to maintaine And winne fame there but to redeeme againe That dearest honour ' gainst the English hoast Which France of late had to that Nation lost But when King Henry whose great cause was try'd In that dayes hazard saw the English side Were marching on against him in array And that the warre admitted no delay He thus bespeakes his souldiers If a cause Of such great weight as to this battell drawes Your farre-engaged hands could need at all Th' inciting language of a Generall The wrongs of Spaine and brutish cruelty Our foe has us'd afford a scope to me Too large too sad to play the Oratour But well I know your Countries love has power Enough to raise your highest courages And bring you forward were our army lesse Than theirs in number as the odds is ours Vnlesse this battell make us Conquerors There can no people be so low as we No land so wretched as Castile will be T is not our wealth alone or lawes we lose Nor to be quite o're-runne by forreine foes Though every Nation have esteemed those The worst but Spaine must suffer greater woes ' Gainst her so fierce no forreine sword can be As her restored tyrants cruelty His who was once depos'd when to a mind Before so bloody sterne revenge is joyn'd If Spaine before could not endure his yoke How will she beare it now if by warres stroke Our conquering hands make not the action good Better the tyrant undisturb'd had stood What made old Marius when returned home With so much slaughter fill the streets of Rome Marius whose hand was once her best defence But that himselfe had beene exil'd from thence The prisons stinch the shackles that he bore The bread he begg'd on wasted Affrick's shore Which he himselfe before had overcome Made his returne so sad to wretched Rome And can we here feare lesse than Marius brought On Rome or than the Butcher Sylla wrought When not in warres but executions So many thousands were destroy'd at once If in this battell Pedro should o'recome But God avert from Spaine so sad a doome What sights would all her mourning Cities see But racks and gibbets blood and cruelty The land no place in such a peace could yeeld More safe from slaughter than this fighting field And tortur'd wretches that were left in Spaine Would call us happy who in warre were slaine But such a