Which of the king at home had gouernaunce Whose roume the earle of Warwike then supplied And I tooke his and sped me into Fraunce And hauing a zeale to conquer Orlyaunce With much a do I gat the regentes ayde And marched thither and siege about it layde But in the way I tooke the towne of Yayn Wher murdred wer for stoutnes many a man But Baugency I tooke with litle payne For which to shew them fauour I began This caused the townes of Mewne and Iargeman That stoode on Loyer to profer me the keyes Ere I came nere them welny by two dayes See here how Fortune forward can allure What baytes she layeth to bring men to their endes Who having hap like this but would hope sure To bring to bale what euer he entendes But soone is sowre the sweete that Fortune sendes Whan hope and hap whan helth and welth is hyest Than wo and wracke desease and nede be nyest For while I suing this so good successe Layd siege to Orlyaunce on the river syde The Bastard Cuckold Cawnyes sonne I gesse Tho thought the dukes who had the towne in gide Came fearcely forth when he his time espide To raise the siege but was beat backe agayne And hard pursued both to his losse and payne For there we wan the bulwarke on the bridge With a mighty tower standing fast therby Ah cursed tower that didst my dayes abridge Would god thou hadst bene furder eyther I. For in this tower a chamber standes on hie From which a man may view through al the towne By certayne windowes yron grated downe Where on a day now Baldwin note mine ende I stoode in vewing where the towne was weake And as I busily talked with my frend Shot fro the towne which al the grate did breake A pellet came and drove a mighty fleake Agaynst my face and tare away my checke For payne wherof I dyed within a wecke See Baldwin see the vncertaynty of glory How sodayne mischief dasheth all to dust And warne all princes by my broken story The happiest Fortune chiefly to mistrust Was neuer man that alway had his lust Than such be fooles in fancy more then mad Which hope to haue that neuer any had THis straunge aduenture of the good erle drave vs al into a dumpne inwardly lamenting his wofull destynye out of which we wer awaked after this sort To what ende ê™ one muse we so much on this matter This Earle is neyther the first nor the last whom Fortune hath foundered in the heyth of their prosperitye For all through the raine of this vnfortunate king Henry we shall find many whych haue bene likewise serued whose chaunces sith they be marâ—â—â—l and therfore honorable may the better be omitted And therfore we wil let go the lordes Mâ—rlmes and Poyninges slayne both at the siege of Orleans shortly after the death of this earle Also the valiaunt earle of Arundle destroyed with a bowlet at the assault of Gerbory whose storyes nevertheles are wurth the hearyng And to quicken vp your spirites I wil take vpon me a tragicall person in deede I meane kyng Iamy slayne by his seruauntes in his pryvy chamber who although he be a Skot yet seing he was brought vp in Englande where he learned the language hys example also so notable it were not meete he shoulde be forgotten And therfore marke Baldwin what I thinke he may say Hovv king Iames the first for breaking his othes and bondes vvas by gods suffrauns miserably murdred of his ovvne subiectes IF for examples sake thou write thy booke I charge the Baldwin thou forget me not Whom Fortune alwayes frowardly forsooke Such waâ— my lucke my merite or my lot I am that Iames king Roberts sonne the Skot That was in England prisoner all his youth Through mine vncle Walters trayterous vntruth For whan my father through disease and age Unwieldy was to gouerne well his land Because his brother Walter semed sage He put the rule therof into his hand Than had my father you shall vnderstand Of lawfull barnes me and one only other Nempt Dauy Rothsay who was mine elder brother This Dauy was prince of Scotland and so take Till his aduoutry caused men complayne Which that he might by monyshment forsake My father prayed mine vncle take the payne To threaten him his vices to refrayne But be false traytour butcherly murdring wretch To get the crowne began to fetch a fetch And finding now a proffer to his pray Deuised meanes my brother to deuower And for that cause convayed him day by day â–ª From place to place from castell vnto tower To Faulkland fort where like a tormentour He starmd him and put to death a wife Whom through a reede he sukt to saue his life O wretched death â–ª fye cruel tiranny A prince in prison lost for fault of foode Was â—â—nce enmy wrought such villany A trusted brother stroye his brothers blood Wo wurth foe frendly fye on double hood Ah wretched father see thy sonne is lost Sterved by thy brother whom thou trustedst most Of whom whan sum began to find the fraud And yet the traytor made him selfe so clere That he should seeme to haue deserued laud So wofull did he for his death appeare My doubtful father louing me ful deere To auoyde all daunger that might after chaunce Sent me away but nine yeres olde to Fraunce But windes and wether wer so contrary That we wer driuen to the English coast Which realme with Skotland at that time did vary So that they tooke me prisoner not as oste For which my father fearing I wer lost Conceiued shortly such an inward thought As to the graue immediatly him brought Than had mine vncle all the regiment At home and I in England prisoner lay For to him selfe he thought it detryment For my releace any raunsum for to pay For as he thought he had possest his pray And therfore wisht I might in durauns dure Till I had dyed so should his rayne be sure But good king Henry seing I was a child And heyre by ryght vnto a realme and crowne Dyd bring me vp not lyke my brother wylde But vertuously in feates of high renowne In libeâ—all artes in instrumentall sowne By meane wherof whan I was after king I did my realme to ciuil order bring For ere I had been prisoner eyghtene yere In which short space two noble princes dyed Wherof the first in prudence had no peere The other in warre most valyant throwly tryed Whose rowme his sonne babe Henry eke supplyed The pyers of England which did gouerne all Did of their goodnes helpe me out of thrall They maried me to a cosin of their king The Duke of Somersets daughter rich fayre Releast my raunsome saue a trifling thing And after I had done homage to the hayer And sworne my frendship neuer should appayre They brought me kingly furnisht to my lande Which I recâ—yued at mine vncles hand Wherof my lordes and commons wer ful glad So was
She was sole hayer by due discent of line Wherby her rightes and titles al wer mine But marke me now I pray thee Baldwin marke And see how force oft overbeareth right Waye how vsurpers tyrannously warke To kepe by murder that they get by might And note what troublous daungers do alight On such as seke to reposses their owne And how through rigour right is overthrowen The earle of Herford Henry Bolenbrooke Of whom duke Mowbray tolde thee now of late Whan voyde of cause he had king Richard tooke He murdred him vsurped his estate Without all right or title sauing hate Of others rule or love to rule alone These two excepted title had he none The realme and crowne was Edmund Mortimers Whose father Roger was king Richardes hayre Which caused Henry and the Lancasters To seeke all shiftes our housholdes to appayre For sure he was to sit beside the chayre Wer we of power to clayme our lawfull right Wherfore to stroye vs he did all he might His cursed sunne ensued his cruel path And kept my giltles cosin strayt in duraunce For whom my father hard intreated hath But liuing hopeles of his liues assuraunce He thought it best by politik procuraunce To prive the king and so restore his frend Which brought him selfe to an infamous ende For whan king Henry of that name the fift Had tane my father in this conspiracy He from Sir Edmund all the blame to shift Was fayne to say the French king his ally Had hyred him this trayterous act to trye For which condemned shortly he was slayne In helping right this was my fathers gayne Thus whan the linage of the Mortimers Were made away by this vsurping line Sum hanged sum slayne sum pined prisoners Because the crowne by right of law was mine They gan as fast agaynst me to repine In feare alwayes least I should sturre them strife For gilty hartes have never quiet life Yet at the last in Henryes dayes the sixt I was restored to my fathers landes Made duke of Yorke wherthrough my minde I firt To get the crowne and kingdome in my handes For ayde wherin I knit assured bandes With Nevels stocke whose doughter was my make Who for no wo would ever me forsake O lord what happe had I through mariage Fower goodly boyes in youth my wife she boore Right valiaunt men and prudent for their age Such bretherne she had and nephewes stil in store As none had erst nor any shal haue more The erle of Salisbury and his sonne of Warwike Wer matchles men from Barbary to Barwike Through helpe of whom and Fortunes lovely looke I vndertooke to clayme my lawful right And to abash such as agaynst me tooke I raysed power at all poyntes prest to fight Of whom the chiefe that chiefly bare me spite Was Somerset the Duke whom to annoy I alway sought through spite spite to vistroy And maugre him so choyse loe was my chaunce Yea though the quene that all rulde tooke his part I twise bare stroke in Normandy and Fraunce And last liuetenant in Ireland where my hart Found remedy for euery kind of smart For through the love my doinges there did brede I had their helpe at all times in my nede This spiteful duke his silly king and quene With armed hostes I thrise met in the â—ield The first vnfought through treaty made betwene The second ioynde wherin the king did yeeld The duke was slayne the quene enforst to shylde Her selfe by flight The third the quene did fight Where I was slaine being overmacht by might Before this last were other battayles three The first the erle of Salisbury led alone And fought on Bloreheth and got the victory In the next was I and my kinsfolke euerythone But seing our souldiers stale vnto our foen We warely brake our cumpany on a night Dissolved our hoaste and tooke our selues to flight This boye and I in Ireland did vs save Mine eldest sonne with Warwicke and his father To Caleys got whence by the reade I gave They came againe to London and did gather An other hoast wherof I spake not rather And met our foes slew many a lord and knight And tooke the King and drave the Queene to flight This done came I to England all in haste To make my claime vnto the realme and crowne And in the house while parliament did last I in the kinges seat boldly sat me downe And claymed it wherat the lordes did frowne But what for that I did so wel procede That al at last confest it mine in dede But sith the king had rayned now so long They would he should continue til he died And to the ende that than none did me wrong Protectâ—ur and heire apparant they me cryed But sith the Quene and others this denied I sped me toward the North where than she lay In minde by force to cause her to obey Wherof she warnde prepared a mighty power And ere that mine were altogether ready Came bold to Boswurth and besieged my bower Where like a beast I was so rashe and heady That out I would there could be no remedy With skant fiue thousand souldiers to assayle Fower times so many encampt to most avayle And so was slayne at first and while my childe Skarce twelve yere olde sought secretly to part That cruell Clifford lord nay Lorell wilde While the infant wept and praied him rue his smart Knowing what he was w t his dagger claâ—e his hart This doen he came â—o the campe where I lay dead Dispoylde my corps and cut away my head And whan he had put a paper crowne theron As a gawring stocke he sent it to the Queen And she for spite commaunded it anon To be had to Yorke where that it might be seen They placed it where other traytours been This mischiefe Fortune did me after death Such was my life and such my losse of breath Wherfore see Baldwin that thou set it furth To the ende the fraude of Fortune may be knowen That eke all princes well may way the wurth Of thinges for which the sedes of warre be sowen No state so sure but soone is overthrowen No worldly good can counterpeyze the prise Of halfe the paynes that may therof arise Farre better it wer to loose a piece of right Than limmes and life in sousing for the same It is not force of frendship nor of might But god that causeth thinges to fro or frame Not wit but lucke doth wield the winners game Wherfore if we our follies would refrayne Time would redres all wronges we voyd of payne Wherfore warue princes not to wade in warre For any cause except the realmes defence Their troublous titles are vnwurthy farre The blud the life the spoyle of innocence Of frendes and foes behold my foule expence And never the nere best therfore tary time So right shall raigne and quiet calme ech crime WIth this mayster Ferrers shooke me by the sleve saying why how now man do you forget your selfe
debate The loue of you our lewde hartes doth allure To lese our sâ—lues by seking you vnsure Because my broâ—her Edmund Mortimer Whose eldest sister was my wedded wife I meane that Edmund that was prisoner In Wales so long through Owens busy strife Because I say that after Edmundes life His rightes and titles must by law be mine For he ne had nor could encrease his line Because the right of realme crowne was ours I serched meanes to helpe him thervnto And where the Henries held it by their powers I sought a shift their tenures to vndo Which being force sith force or sleyt must do I voyde of might because their power was strong Set privy sleyte agaynst theyr open wrong But sith the deathes of most part of my kâ—â—ne Did dash my hope throughout the fathers dayes I let it slip and thought it best beginne Whan as the sâ—nne shuld dred lest such assayes For force through spede sleyght spedeth through delayes And seeld doth treason time so fitly find As whan al dangers most be out of minde Wherfore while Henry of that name the fifte Prepared his army to go conquer Fraunce Lord Skrope and I thought to attempt a drifte To put him downe my brother to avaunce But werâ— it gods wil my luck or his good chaunce The king wist wholy wherabout we went The night before the king to shâ—pward bent Then were we strayt as traytours apprehended Our purpose spied the cause therof was hid And therfore loe a false cause we pretended Wherthrough my brother was fro daunger ryd We sayd for hier of the French kinges coyne we did Behight to kil the king and thus with shame We stayned our selves to save our frend fro blame Whan we had thus confest so foule a treason That we deserved we suffred by the lawe Se Baldwin see and note as it is reason How wicked dedes to wofull endes do drawe All force doth fayle no crafte is wurth a stra'â— To attayne thinges lost and therfore let them go For might ruleth right and wil though God say no. WHan stout Richarde had stoutly sayd his mind belike ê™ one this Rychard was but a litle man or els litle fauoured of wryters for our Cronicles speake very litle of him But seyng we be cum now to king Henries viage into Fraunce we can not lack valyant men to speake of for among so many as were led and sent by the Kyng out of thys realme thyther it can not be chosen but sum and that a great summe were â—layne among theym wherfore to speake of them all I thynke not nedefull And therfore to let passe Edwarde Duke of Yorke and the Earle of Suffolke slayne both at the battayle of Agine courte as were also many other Let vs ende the time of Henry the fyfth and cum to hys sunne Henry the syxt whose nonage brought Fraunce and Normandy out of bondage and was cause that fewe of our noble men died aged Of whom to let passe the numbre I wyll take vppon me the person of Thomas Mountague earle of Salysburye whose name was not so good at home and yet he was called the good erle as it was dreadful abrode who exclaming vpon the mutability of fortune iustly may say thus Hovv Thomas Montague the earle of Salysbury in the middes of his glory vvas chaunceably slayne vvith a piece of ordinaunce WHat fooles be we to trust vnto our strength Our wit our courage or our noble fame Which time it selfe must nedes deuour at length Though froward Fortune could not foyle the same But seing this Goddes gideth al the game Which still to chaunge doth set her onely lust Why toyle we so for thinges so hard to trust A goodly thing is surely good reporte Which noble hartes do seke by course of kinde But seen the date so doubtful and so short The wayes so rough wherby we do it find I can not chuse but prayse the princely minde That preaseth for it though we find opprest By soule defame those that deserve it best Concerning whom marke Baldwin what I say I meane the vertuous hindred of their brute Among which number reken wel I may My valiaunt father Iohn lord Montacute Who lost his life I iudge in iust pursute I say the cause and not the casual spede Is to be wayed in euery kinde of dede This rule obserued how many shall we find For vertues sake with infamy opprest How many agayn through helpe of fortune blind For yll attemptes atchiued with honour blest Succes is wurst ofttimes whan cause is best Therfore say I god send them sory happes That iudge the causes by their after clappes The ende in dede is iudge of euery thing Which is the cause or latter poynt of time The first true verdyct at the first may bryng The last is slow or slipper as the slime Oft chaunging names of innocence and crime Duke Thomas death was Iustice two yeres long And euer sence sore tiranny and wrong Wherfore I pray the Baldwin waye the cause And prayse my father as he doth deserue Because erle Henry king agaynst all lawes Endeuoured king Richard for to starve In iayle wherby the regal crowne might swarve Out of the line to which it than was due Wherby God knowes what euil might ensue My lord Iohn Holland duke of Excester Which was dere cosin to this wretched king Did mooue my father and the erle of Glocester With other lordes to ponder well the thyng Who seing the mischiefe that began to spring Did all consent this Henry to depose And to restore kyng Richard to the rose And while they did deuise a prety trappe Wherby to bring their purpose bettre about Which was in maske this Henry to haue slayne The duke of Awmerle blew their counsayâ—e out Yet was their purpose good there is no doubt What cause can be more wurthy for a knight Than save his king and helpe true heires to right For this with them my father was destroyed And buryed in the doungâ—â—l of defame Thus evil chaunce theyr glory did auoyde Wheras their cause doth clayme eternal 〈◊〉 Whan dedes therfore vnluckely do frame Men ought not iudge the authours to 〈◊〉 naught For right through might is often overraught And God doth suffer that it should be so But why my wit is feble to decise Except it be to heape vp wrath and wo Upon their heades that iniuries devise The cause why mischiefes many times arise And light on them that wold mens wronges redresse Is for the rancour that they beare I gesse God hateth rigour though it furder right For sinne is sinne how euer it be vsed And therfore suffereth shame and death to light To punish vice though it be wel abused Who furdereth right is not therby excused If through the same he do sum other wrong To every vice due guerdon doth belong What preach I now I am a man of warre And that my body I dare say doth professe Of cured woundes beset with many a
I fell and never after spoke Than was my carkas caried like a hog To Southwarke borow where it lay a night The next day drawen to Newgate like a dog All men reioycing at the rufull sight Than were on poales my parboylde quarters pight And set aloft for vermine to deuower Meete graue for rebels that resist the power Full litell knowe we wretches what we do Whan we presume our princes to resist We war with God against his glory to That placeth in his office whom he list Therfore was never traytour yet but mist The marke he shot and came to shamefull ende Nor never shall til God be forst to bend God hath ordayned the power all princes be His Lieutenauntes or debities in realmes Against their foes still therfore fighteth he And as his enmies drives them to extremes Their wise deuises prove but doltish dreames No subiect ought for any kind of cause To force the lord but yeeld him to the lawes And therefore Baldwin warne men folow reason Subdue theyr wylles and be not Fortunes slaues A troublous ende doth ever folowe treason There is no trust in rebelles raskall knaues In Fortune lesse whiche wurketh as the waves From whose assautes who lyst to stande at large Must folowe skyll and flye all worldly charge BY saint mary ê™ one yf Iacke wer as well learned as you haue made his oracion What so ever he was by byrth I warraunt hym a gentylman by his learnyng Howe notably and Philosopher like hath he discrybed Fortune and the causes of worldly cumbraunce howe vpryghtly also and howe lyke a deuine hath he determined the states both of officers and Rebelles For in dede officers be gods deputies and it is gods office which they beare and it is he whiche ordeyneth thereto suche as himselfe lysteth good whan he fauoreth the people and evyll whan he wyll punysh theim And therefore whosoever rebelleth agaynst any ruler either good or bad rebelleth against GOD and shalbe sure of a wretched ende For God can not but maintein his deputie Yet this I note by the waye concernyng rebelles and rebellions Although the deuyll rayse theim yet God alwayes vseth them to his glory as a parte of his Iustice. For whan Kynges and chiefe rulers suffer theyr vnder officers to mysuse theyr subiectes and wil not heare nor remedye theyr peoples wronges whan they complayne than 〈◊〉 GOD the Rebell to rage and to execute that parte of his Iustice whiche the parcyall prince woulde not For the Lord Saies a very corrupt officer one whom notwithstanding the king alwaies main temed was destroyed by this Iacke as was also the byshop of Salysbury a proude and coueitous prelate by other of the rebelles And therefore what soever prince desyreth to lyue quyatlye without rebellion must do his subiectes right in all thinges and punyshe suche officers as greue or oppresse theim thus shall they be sure from all rebellion And for the clerer opening herof it were well doen to set forth this Lord Sayes Tragedie What neede that ê™ another seyng the lyke example is seen in the duke of Suffolke whose doinges are declared sufficiently alredy Nay rather let vs go forward for we haue a great mayny behynde that maye not be omytted and the tyme as you see passeth away As for this Lorde Sayes whom Cade so cruelly kylled and spytefully vsed after his death I dare say shalbe knowen thereby what he was to all that reade or heare this storie For God would never have suffred him to haue been so vsed except he had fyrst deserved it Therefore let hym go and with hym the Bushop and all other slaine in that rebellion which was raysed as it may be thought through sum dryâ—t of the duke of Yorke who shortly after began to endeuoure all meanes to attayne the Crowne and â—â—â—refore gathered an armye in Wales and marched towarde London but the kyng wich his power taried and met him at S. Albones Where whyle the king he wer about a treatye therle of Warwyke set vpon the kings army and uewe the duke of Somerset the Erle of Northumberlande the Lorde Clyfforde and other and in conclusion got the victorie and the duke was made Lord Protector Whiche so greved the Queene and her accomplices that pryvy grutches and open dissemblyng never ceassed tyl the duke and his allies were glad to flye the field and Realme he into Irelande they to Calayes whence they came agayne with an army wherof the Erle of Salisburye was leader and marched toward Coventry where y e king than was and had gathered an armye to subdue them and encountred them at Northhampton and fought and lost the fyelde and was taken hym selfe the duke of Buckingham the erle of Shrewesbury the vicounte Beaumount the Lord Egermount and many other of his retinue slayne Yf no man haue any minde to any of these noble personages because they were honourably slaine in battayâ—e let sum man els take the Booke for I mynde to say sumwhat of this duke of Somerset ☞ Whyle he was deuisyng thereon and every man seking farder notes I looked on the Cronicles and fynding styl fyelde vpon fyelde manye noble men slayne I purposed to haue ouerpassed all for I was so wearye that I waxed drowsye and began in dede to slumber but my imaginacion styll prosecutyng this ragicall matter brought me suche a fantasy me thought there stode before vs a tall mans body full of fresshe woundes but lackyng a head holdyng by the hande a goodlye childe whose brest was so wounded y t his hearte myght be seen his louely face and eyes disfigured with dropping teares his heare through horrour standyng vpryght his mercy cravyng handes all to bemangled all his body embrued w t his own bloud And whan through the gastfulnes of this pyteous spectacle I wared afeard and turned awaye my face me thought there came a shrekyng voyce out of the weasande pipe of the headles bodye saying as foloweth Hovv Richard Plantagenet duke of York vvas slayne through his over rash boldnes and his sonne the earle of Rutland for his lack of valiauns TRust Fortune ê™ he in whoÌ„ was neuer trust O folly of men that haue no better grace All rest renowne and dedes lie in the dust Of al the sort that sue her slipper trace What meanest thou Baldwin for to hide thy face Thou nedest not feare although I misse my head Nor yet to mourne for this my sonne is dead The cause why thus I lead him in my hand His skin with blud and teares so sore bestaynd Is that thou mayst the better vnderstand How hardly Fortune hath for vs ordaynde In whom her love and hate be hole contaynde For I am Richard prince Plantagenet The duke of Yorke in royall rase beget For Richarde erle of Cambridge eldest sonne Of Edmund Langley third sonne of king Edward Engendred me of Anne whose course did runne Of Mortimers to be the issue garde For when her brother Edmund died a warde
AMong the he any heape of happy knyghtes Whom Fortune stalde vpon her stayles stage Oft hoyst on hye oft pight in wretched plightes Behold me Baldwin a per se of my age Lord Richard Nevell Earle by mariage Of Warwike duchy of Sarum by discent Which erst my father through his mariage hent Wouldest thou beholde false Fortune in her kind Note well my life so shalt thou see her naked Ful fayre before but toto foule behind Most drowsy still whan most she semes awaked My fame and shame her shift full oft hath shaked By enterchaunge alowe and vp alofte The Luysard like that chaungeth hewe ful oft For while the Duke of Yorke in life remayned Mine vncle deare I was his happy hand In all attemptes my purpose I attayned Though King and Quene most Lordes of the land With all their power did often me withstand For god gaue Fortune and my good behaviour Did from their prince steale me the peoples fauour So that through me in feldes right manly fought By force mine vncle tooke king Harry twise And for my cosin Edward so I wrought When both our syers were slayne through rashe aduice That he atchieved his fathers enterprise For into Scotland King and Quene we chased By meane wherof the kingdome he embraced Which after he had enioyde in quiet peace For shortly after was king Henry take And put in prison his power to encreace I went to Fraunce and matched him with a make The French kinges doughter whom he did forsake For while with payne I brought his sute to passe He to a widowe rashly wedded was This made the French king shrewdly to suspecte That all my treaties had but yll pretence And whan I sawe my king so bent to lust That with his fayth he past not to dispence Which is a princes honors chiefe defence I could not rest 〈◊〉 I had found a meane To mend his misse or els to marre him cleane Wherfore I allyed me with his brother George Encensing him his brother to maligne Through many a tale I did agaynst him forge So that through power we did from Calays bring And found at home we frayed so the king That he to go to Freseland ward amayne Wherby king Henry had the crowne agayne Then put we the earle of Wurcester to death King Edwardes frend a man to fowle defamed And in the while came Edward into breath For with the duke of Burgoyne so he framed That with the power that he to him had named Unlooked for he came to England strayt And got to Yorke and tooke the towne by sleyte And after through the sufferans of my brother Which like a beast occasion fowly lost He came to London safe with many other And tooke the towne to good king Harries cost Which was through him from post to piller tost Til therle of Oxeford I and other more Assembled power his fredome to restore Wherof king Edward warned came with spede And camped with his oste at Barnet towne Where we right fierce encountred him in dede On Easter day right early on the downe There many a man was slayne and striken downe On eyther side and neyther part did gayne Til I and my brother both at length were slayne For we to harten our overmatched men Forsooke our stedes and in the thickest throng Ran preacing furth on foote and fought so then That down we drave them wer they never so stroÌ„g But ere this inche had lasted very long With numbre and force we wer so fowlye cloyed And rescue fayled that quite we wer destroyed Now tell me Baldwin hast thou heard or read Of any man that did as I have done That in his time so many armies led And victory at every vyage wunne Hast thou ever heard of subiect vnder sonne That plaaste and baaste his soveraynes so oft By enterchaunge now low and than alost Perchaunce thou thinkest my doinges were not such As I and other do affirme they were And in thy minde I see thou musest much What meanes I vsed that should me so prefer Wherin because I wil thou shalt not erre The truth of all I wil at large recite The short is this I was no hippocrite I never did nor sayd save what I mente The common weale was still my chiefest care To priuate gayne or glory I was not bent I never passed vpon delicious fare Of nedeful foode my bourde was never bare No creditour did curs me day by day I vsed playnnes ever pitch and pay I heard olde soldiers and poore wurkemen whine Because their dutyes wer not duly payd Agayne I sawe howe people did repine At those through whom their paimentes wer delayd And proofe 〈◊〉 oft assure as scripture sayd That god doth wreke the wretched peoples griefes I sawe the polles cut of fro polling thevâ—s This made me alway iustly for to deale Which whan the people playnly vnderstoode Bycause they sawe me mind the common weale They still endeuoured how to do me good Ready to spend their substaunce life and blud In any cause wherto I did them move For suer they wer it was for their behove And so it was For whan the realme decayde By such as good king Henry sore abused To mende the state I gave his enmies ayde But whan king Edward sinful pranlâ—es stil vsed And would not mend I lâ—kewise him refused And holpe vp Henry the better of the twayne And in his quarel iust I thinke was slayne And therfore Baldwin teach by proofe of me That such as covet peoples love to get Must see their wurkes and wurdes in all agree Live liberally and kepe them out of det On common weale let al their care be set For vpright dealing dets payd poore sustayned Is meane wherby all hartes are throwly gayned ASsoone as the Erle had ended his admonicion sure ê™ one I thinke the Erle of Warwike although he wer a glorious man hath sayd no more of him selfe than what is true For if he had not had notable good vertues or vertuous qualities and vsed lawdable meanes in his trade of lyfe the people woulde never have loved him as they did But god be with him and send his soule rest for sure his bodye never had any And although he dyed yet ciuil warres ceased not For immediatlye after his death came Quene Margarete with a power out of Fraunce bringing with her her yoÌ„g sonne prince Edwarde and with such frendes as she found here gave king Edward a battel at Tewrbury where both she her sonne wer takeÌ„ prisoners with Edmund duke of Somerset her chiefe captayne whose sonne lord Iohn and the earle of Deuonshire were slayne in the fight and the duke him selfe with divers other immediatlye beheaded whose infortunes are wurthy to be remembred chiefely Prince Edwardes whom the king for speaking truth cruelly stroke with his gauntlet and his bretherne tirannously murdered But seinge the time so farre spente I will passe them over and with them Fawconbridge that ioly rover beheaded at
all the world would have it overthrowen When men suppose by fetches of their owne To flye theyr fate they further on the same Like quenching blastes which oft reuive the flame Will princes therfore not to thinke by murder They may auoide what prophecies behight But by their meanes theyr mischiefes they may furder And cause gods vengeaunce heauier to alight Wo wurth the wretch y t strives with gods forsights They are not wise but wickedly do arâ—e Which thinke yll dedes due destinies may barre For if we thinke that prophecies be true We must beleve it can not but beride Which God in them forsheweth shall ensue For his decrees vnchaunged do abide Which to be true my bretherne both have tried Whose wicked warkes warne princes to detest That others harmes may kepe them better blest BY that this tragedy was ended nyghte was so nere cum that we could not conveniently tary together any longer and therfore sayd mayster Ferrers It is best my masters to staye here For we be cum now to the ende of Edwarde the fowerth his raygne For the last whom we finde vnfortunate therein was this Duke of Clarens In whose behalfe I commende much that which hath be noted Let vs therfore for thiâ—â—ime leave with him And this daye seuen nightes hence if your busines will so suffer let vs all mete here together agayne And you shal se that in the mean season I will not only deuise vppon this my selfe but but cause divers other of my acquayntauns which can do very well to helpe vs forwarde with the rest To this every man gladly agreed howbeit ê™ an other seing we shall end at Edward the fowerthes ende let him selfe make an ende of our daies labour with the same â—racion which mayster Skelton made in his name the tenour wherof so farre as I remember is this Hovv king Edvvard through his surfeting and vntemperate life sodainly died in the mids of his prosperity MIseremini mei ye that be my frendes This world hath formed me downe to fall How may I endure whan that every thing endes What creature is borne to be eternall Now there is no more but pray for me all Thus say I Edward that late was your King And .xxiii. yeares ruled this imperiall Sum vnto pleasure and sum to no liking Mercy I aske of my misdoing What auayleth it frendes to be my foe Sith I can not resist nor amend your complayning Quia ecce nunc in pulvere dormio I slepe now in molde as it is naturall As earth vnto earth hath his reverture What ordeyned God to be terrestriall Without recourse to the earth by nature Who to live ever may him selfe assure What is it to trust on mutability Sith that in this world nothing may endure For now am I gone that was late in prosperity To presume therupon it is but a vanitye Not certayne but as a chery fayre ful of wo. Rayned not I of late in great prosperitye Et ecce nunc in pulvere dormio Where was in my life such an one as I. While Lady Fortune with me had continuaunce Graunted not she me to have victory In England to rayne and to contribute Fraunce She toke me by the hand and led me a daunce And with her sugred lyppes on me she smyled But what for her dissembled countenaunce I could not be ware tyl I was begiled Now from this worlde she hath me exiled Whan I was lothest hence for to goe And am in age as who saieth but a childe Et ecce nunc in pulvere dormio I had ynough I helde me not contente Without remembraunce that I should dye And moreover to encroch ready was I bent I knew not how long I should it occupy I made the tower strong I wist not why I knew not to whom I purchased Tattersall I amended Dover on the mountayne hye And London I prouoked to fortify the wall I made Notingham a place full royall Windsore Eltam and many other mo Yet at the last I went from them all Et ecce nunc in pulvere dormio Where is now my conquest and victory Where is my ritches and royall array Where be my coursers and my horses hyeâ— Where is my mirth my solas and playe As vanity to nought all is wyddred away O Lady Bes â–ª long for me may you call For I am departed vntill doomes day But love you that lord that is soveraine of all Where be my castels and buyldinges royall â–ª But Windsore alone now have I no moe And of Eton the prayers perpetuall Et ecce nunc in pulvere dormio Why should a man be proude or presume hye Saynt Barnard therof nobly doth treat Saying a man is but a sacke of sterâ—ory And shall returne vnto wurmes meal Why what became of Alexander the great Or els of strong Sampson who can tell Wer not wurmes ordayned their flesh to freate And of Salomon that was of wit the well Absolon profered his hâ—â—re for to sell Yet for all his beauty wurmes eat him also And I but late in honour did excell Et ecce nunc in pulvere dormio I have playd my pageaunt now am I past Ye wore well all I was of no great elde This all thing concluded shall be at the last Whan death approcheth than lost is the felde Than seing this world me no longer vphelde For nought would conserve me here in my place In manus tuas domine my spirite vp I yelde Humby beseching the o God of thy grace O you curteous commons your hartes enbrace Beningly now to pray for me also For right well you know your king I was Et ecce nunc in pulvere dormio WHan this was sayde every man tooke his leave of other and departed And I the better to acquyte my charge recorded and noted all such matters as they had wylled me FINIS The Contentes and Table of the booke The Epistle dedicatory ¶ A prose to the Reader continued betwene the tragedies from the beginning of the booke to the ende Tragedies beginning ¶ Tresilian and his felowes hanged folio i. ¶ Mortimer slayne folio iiii ¶ Thomas of Wodstocke murdered fol. viii ¶ Mowbray lord Marshall banished fol. xii ¶ King Richard the second murdered fol. xvi ¶ Owen Glendour starved fol. xix ¶ Percy earle of Northumberland beheaded fo xxv ¶ Richard earle of Cambridge beheaded fo xxviii Thomas Montague earle of Salisbury slaine fo xxx ¶ King Iames the fyrst murdered fo xxxvi ¶ Good duke Humfrey murdered and Elianor Cobham his wife banished fol. xl ¶ William de la Poole duke of Southfolke banished and beheaded ¶ Iacke Cade calling him selfe Mortimer slaine and beheaded ¶ Richard Plantagence duke of Yorke slaine fo lix ¶ Lord Clifford slayne fol. lxii Iohn Tiptoft earle of Wurcester beheaded fol. lxiiii ¶ Richard Nevell erle of Warwike slaine fol. lxix ¶ King Henry the sixt murdered fol. lxxii ¶ George duke of Clarence drowned fol. lxxv ¶ King Edward the fowerth surfeted fol. lxxxiii Finis ¶ Fautes escaped in the printing Leafe 1. lyne 20. reade hath be seen Leafe 8. lyne 5. reade whoss state is stablisht Seconde syde lyne 21. reade hearken to me Leafe 9. lyne 4. reade frenchmen to abandon Leafe 19. B. lyne 13. reade am sterved Owen Leafe 69. lyne 7 reade vpon her strailesse stage Leafe 82. B. lyne 15. reade attributing to man Leafe 84. lyne 26. reade fro whiche for c. Leafe 81. lyne 1. reade whose lacke The same leafe lyne 26. reade as foulder doth B. Signyfieth the seconde syde of the Leafe â–ª ¶ Imprinted at London in Fletestrete nere to Saynct Dunstones Church by Thomas Marshe
the charter â—â—lled Râ—gman That of the Skots he bribed pryuy gayne That through his meanes syr Edward of Carnaruan In Barkley castell trayterously was slayne That with his princes mother he had layne And fynally with pollyng at his pleasure Had robde the kyng and commons of theyr treasure For these thynges loe whiche erst were out of minde He was condemned and hanged at the last In whom dame Fortune fully shewed her kynde For whom she heaves she hurleth downe as fast If men to cum would learne by other past This cosen of myne myght cause them set asyde High clymyng brybyng murdring lust and pryde The fynall cause why I this processe tell Is that I may be knowen from this other My lyke in name vnlyke me though he fell Whiche was I thinke my graund sier or his brother To counte my kyn dame Philip was my mother Deare doughter and heyre of douty Lyonell The seconde sonne of a kyng that dyd excell My father hyght syr Edmunde Mortimer True erle of Marche whence I was after erle By iust discent these two my parentes wer Of whiche the one of knighthoode bare the ferle Of womanhoode the other was the perle Throughe theyr deserte so called of euery wight Tyll death them tooke and left in me theyr ryght For why the attaynder of my elder Roger whose shamefull death I tolde you but of late was founde to be vniust and passed ouer Agaynst the lawe by those that bare hym hate For where by lawe the lowest of free estate Should personally be heard ere iudgement passe They barred hym this where through distroyed he was wherfore by doome of courte in parlyament whan we had proued our cosen ordred thus The Kyng the Lordes and Commens of assent His lawles death vnlawfull dyd discus And both to blood and good restored vs. A Presydent most worthy shewed and left Lordes lyues to saue that lawles might be rest whyle Fortune thus dyd furder me amayne Kyng Rychardes grace the seconde of the name whose dissolute lyfe dyd soone abridge his rayne Made me his mate in earnest and in game The Lordes them selues so well allowed the same That throwe my tytles duely cummyng downe I was made heyre apparaunt to the crowne who then but I was euery where estemed well was the man that myght with me acquaynte whom I allowed as Lordes the people demed To what so euer folly had me bente To lyke it well the people dyd assente To me as prince attended great and small In hope a daye would cum to paye for all But seldome ioye continueth trouble voyde In greatest charge cares greatest do ensue The most possest are ever most anoyed In largest seas sore tempestes lyghtly brue The fresshest colours soonest fade the hue In thyckest place is made the depest wounde True proofe wherof my selfe to soone haue founde For whyles that Fortune lulde me in her lap And gaue me gyftes mo than I dyd requyre The subâ—yll qucan behynde me set a trap whereby to dashe and laye all in the myre The Iryshe men against me dyd conspyre My landes of Ulster fro me to haue reft whiche herytage my mother had me left And whyles I there to set all thinges in stay Omyt my toyles and troubles thitherwarde Among myne owne with my retinue lay The wylder men whom lytell I dyd regarde And had therefore the recheles mans rewarde When least I thought set on me in suche number That fro my corps my lyfe they rent a sunder Nought myght auayle my courage nor my force Nor strength of men whiche were alas to sewe The cruell folke assaulted so my horse That all my helpes in pieces they to hewe Our blood distayned the grounde as drops of dewe Nought myght preuayle to flee nor yet to yelde For whom they take they murdre in the fyelde They know no lawe of armes nor none wil lerne They make not warre as other do a playe The lorde the boye the Calloglas the kerne Yelde or not yelde whom so they take they slay They save no prysoners for raunsom nor for pay Theyr chiefest boote they counte theyr bodohs heade Theyr ende of warre to see theyr enmye deade Amongest these men or rather savage beastes I lost my lyfe by cruell murder slame And therfore Baldwin note thou well my geastes And warne all princes rashnes to refraine Bid them beware their enmies when they saine Nor yet presume vnequally to strive Had I thus done I had ben man alive But I dispysed the naked Iryshmen And for they flewe I feared them the lesse I thought one man ynough to matche with ten And through this careles vnadvisednesse I was destroyed and all my men I gesse At vnawares assaulted by our foen Whiche were in numbre fourty to vs one Se here the staye of fortunate estate The vayne assuraunce of this britell lyfe For I but yong proclaymed prince of late Right fortunate in children and in wife Lost all at once by stroke of bloody knife Wherby assurde let men them selues assure That welth and lyfe are doubtfull to endure AFter that this Tragedy was ended mayster Ferrers sayde seyng it is best to place eche person in his ordre Baldvvin take you the Chronicles and marke them as they cum for there are many wurthy to be noted though not to be treated of First the lord Morif a Scotishman who tooke his deathes wounde through a stroke lent him by the erle of Notingham whom he chalenged at the tilte But to omit him also the fatte Prior of Tiptre preaced to death with throng of people vpon London bridge at the Quenes entry I wil cum to the duke of Glocestre the kinges vncle a man muche mynding the common weale yet at length miserably made away In whose person yf ye wyll gyue eare ye shall heare what I thinke mete to be sayd Hovve syr Thomas of VVudstocke Duke of Glocester vncle to king Richarde the seconde vvas vnlavvfully murdred WHose state is stalysht in semyng most sure And so far from daunger of Fortunes blast As by the compas of mans coniecture No brasen pyller maye be fyxte more fast Yet wantyng the staye of prudent forecast Whan frowarde Fortune lyst for to frowne Maye in a moment tourne vpsyde downe In proofe whereof O Baldwin take payne To hearken awhyle to Thomas of Wudstocke Addrest in presence his fate to complayne In the forlorne hope of the Englysh flocke Extracte by discent from the royall stocke Sonne to kyng Edward third of that name And seconde to none in glory and fame This noble father to maynteyne my state With Buckyngham Erldom dyd me indowe Both Nature and Fortune to me were grate Denyeng nothing which they myght allowe Theyr sundry graces in me did so flowe As bewty strength high fauour and fame Who may of God more wysh than the same Brothers we were to the numbre of seuen I beyng the syxt and yongest but oneâ— A more royall race was not vnder heauen More stowte or more stately
tendeth to the same Wherof it came and is disposed like Downe sinkes the mold by mountes the fiery flame With horne the hart with hoofe the horse doth strike The Wulfe doth spoyle the suttle For doth pyke And generally no fish flesh fowle or plant Doth any property that their dame had want But as for men sith seuerally they haue A mind whose maners are by learning made Good bringing vp alonly doth them save In vertuous dedes which with their parentes fade So that true gentry standeth in the trade Of vertuous life not in the fleshly line For blud is Brute but Gentry is diuine Experience doth cause me thus to say And that the rather for my countreymen Which vaunt and boast their selues aboue the day If they may strayne their stocke for wurthy men Which let be true are they the better than Nay farre the wurse if so they be not good For why they steyne the bewty of theyr blood How would we mocke the burden bearing mule If he would brag he wer an horses sunne To presse his pride might nothing els him rule His boast to proue no more but byd him runne The horse for swiftenes hath his glory wunne To which the mule could neuer the more aspier Though he should prove that Pegas was his sier Ech man may crake of that which is his own Our parentes vertues theirs are and not oures Who therfore wil of noble kind be knowen Ought shine in vertue like his auncestors Gentry consisteth not in landes and towers He is a Churle though all the world be his He Arthurs heyre if that he liue amys For vertuous lyfe doth make a gentleman Of her possessour all be he poore as Iob Yea though no name of elders shewe he can For proofe take Merlyn fathered by an Hob. But who so settes his mind to spoyle and rob Although he cum by due discent fro Brute He is a Chorle vngentle vile and brute Well thus dyd I for want of better wyt Because my parentes noughtly brought me vp For gentle men they sayd was nought so sy As to attaste by bolde attemptes the cup Of conquestes wyne wherof I thought to sup And therfore bent my selfe to rob and ryue And whome I could of landes and goodes depryue For Henry the fourth did then vsurpe the crowne Despoyled the kyng with Mortimer the heyre For whych his subiectes sought to put him downe And I whyle Fortune offred me so fayre Dyd what I myght his honour to appeyre And toke on me to be the prynce of Wales Entiste therto by many of Merlines tales For whych such Idle as wayte vpon the spoyle From euery parte of Wales vnto me drew For loytring youth vntaught in any toyle Are redy aye all mischiefe to ensue Through help of these so great my glory grew That I defyed my Kyng through lofty hart And made sharp warre on all that tooke his part See lucke I tooke lord Reynolde Grey of Rythen And him enforst my doughter to espouse And so vnraunsomed held him still and sithen In Wygmore land through battayle rygorous I caught the ryght heyre of the crowned house The Erle of March syr Edmund Mortymer And in a dungeon kept hym prysoner Then al the marches longyng vnto Wales By Syverne west I did inuade and burne Destroyed the townes in mountaynes and in vales And riche in spoyles did homward safe retourne Was none so bold durst once agaynst me spurne Thus prosperously doth Fortune forward call Those whom she mindes to geue the forest fall Whan fame had brought these tidinges to the king Although the Skots than vexed him ryght sore A myghty army agaynst me he dyd bryng Wherof the French Kyng beyng warned afore Who mortall hate agaynst kyng Henry bore To greve our foe he quyckely to me sent Twelve thousand Frenchmen armed to war bent A part of them led by the Erle of Marche Lord Iames of Burbon a valiaunt tryed knyght Withheld by winds to Wales ward sorth to marche Tooke lande at Plymmouth pryuily on a nyght And when he had done al he durst or myght After that a mayny of his men were slayne He stole to shyp and sayled home agayne Twelve thousand moe in Mylford dyd aryue And came to me then lying at Denbygh With armed Welshmen thousandes double fiue With whom we went to wurcester well nigh And there encampte vs on a mount on high To abide the kyng who shortly after came And pitched his feild on a Hyll hard by the same Ther eyght dayes long our hostes lay face to face And neyther durst the others power assayle But they so stopt the passages the space That vitayles coulde not cum to our auayle Wherthrough constrayned our hartes began to fayle So that the Frenchmen shrancke away by night And I with mine to the mountaynes toke our flight The king pursued vs greatly to his cost From Hyls to wuds fro wuds to valeyes playne And by the way his men and stuf he lost And whan he see he gayned nought saue payne He blewe retreat and got him home agayne Then with my power I boldly came abrode Taken in my cuntrey for a very God Immediatly after fell a Ioly Iarre Betwene the king and Percies worthy bluds Which grew at last vnto a deadly warre For like as drops engendre mighty fluds And litle seedes sprut furth great leaves and buds Euen so small strifes if they be suffred â—un Brede wrath and war and death or they be don The kyng would haue the raunsum of such Scots As these the Percyes had â—ane in the feeld But see how strongly Luker knits her knottes The king will haue the Percies wil not yeeld Desire of goodes soone craves but graunteth seeld Oh cursed goodes desire of you hath wrought All wyckednes that hath or can be thought The Percies deemed it meter for the king To haue redeemed theyr cosin Mortymer Who in his quarel all his power did bryng To fight with me that tooke him prisoner Than of their pray to rob his Souldier And therfore willed him see sum mean wer found To quit furth him whom I kept vily bound Because the king misliked their request They came them selves and did accord with me Complayning how the kyngdome was opprest By Henries rule wherfore we dyd agre To put him downe and part the realme in three The North part theirs Wales wholy to be mine The rest to rest to therle of Marches line And for to set vs hereon more agog A prophet came a vengeaunce take them all Affirming Henry to be Gogmagog Whom Merlyn doth a Mouldwarp euer call Accurst of god that must be brought in thrall By a wulf a Dragon and a Lyon strong Which should deuide his kingdome them among This crafty dreamer made vs thre such beastes To thinke we were these foresayd beastes in deede And for that cause our badges and our creastes We searched out whych scarcely wel agreed Howbeit the Haroldes redy at such a neede Drew downe such issues
from olde auncestours As proued these ensignes to be surely oures Ye crafty Welshemen wherfore do you mocke The noble men thus with your fayned rymes Ye noble men why flye you not the flocke Of such as haue seduced so many times False Prophesies are plages for divers crymes Whych god doth let the divilish sorte devise To trouble such as are not godly wyse And that appered by vs thre beastes in dede Through false perswasion highly borne in hand That in our feat we could not chuse but spede To kyll the kyng and to enioye his land For which exployt we bound our selues in band To stand contented ech man with his part So fully folly assured our folysh hart But such they say as fysh before the net Shal seldome surfyt of the pray they take Of thinges to cum the haps be so vnset That none but fooles may warraÌ„t of them make The full assured succes doth oft forsake For Fortune findeth none so fyt to flout As suresby sots whych cast no kinde of doute How sayest thou Henry Hotspur do I lye For thou right manly gauest the king a feeld And there was slayn because thou wouldest not â—y Sir Thomas Percie thine vncle forst to yeeld Did cast his head a wunder seen but â—eâ—ld From Shrewsbury town to the top of LondoÌ„ bridge Lo thus fond hope did theyr both liues abridge Whan Henry king this victory had wunne Destroyed the Percies put their power to flyght He did appoynt prince Henry his eldest sunne With all his power to meete me if he might But I discumfit through my partners fight Had not the hart to mete him face to face But fled away and he pursued the chase Now Baldwin marke for I cald prince of Wales And made beleve I should be he in dede Was made to flye among the hilles and dales Where al my men forsooke me at my nede Who trusteth loyterers seeld hath lucky spede And whan the captaynes corage doth him fayle His souldiers hartes a litle thing may quayle And so Prince Henry chased me that loe I found no place wherin I might abide For as the dogges pursue the selly doâ— The brach behind the houndes on euery side So traste they me among the mountaynes wide Wherby I found I was the hartles hare And not the beast Colprophete did declare And at the last like as the litle roche Must eyther be eat or leape vpon the shore Whan as the hungry pickrel doth approch And there find death which it eskapte before So double death assaulted me so sore That eyther I must vnto my enmy yeeld Or statue for hunger in the baraynâ— feeld Here shame and payne a whyle were at a strife Payne prayed me yeeld shame bad me rather fast The one had spare the other spend my life But shame shame haue it ouercam at last Than hunger gnew that doth the stone wall brast And made me eat both gravell durt and mud And last of all my dung my fleshe and blud This was mine ende to horrible to heare Yet good ynough for a life that was so yll Wherby O Baldwin warne all men to beare Theyr youth such loue to bring them vp in skill Byd Princes flye Colprophetes lying byll And not presume to clime aboue their states For they be faultes that foyle men not their fates WHan starued Owen had ended his hungry exhortacion it was well inough liked Howbeit one found a dout wurth the mouing that concerning this title erle of March for as it appereth there wer .iii. men of .iii diuers nacions together in one time entitled by that honour Fyrst sir Edmund Mortimer whom Owen kept in prison an EnglishmaÌ„ the second the lord George of Dunbar a valiante Scot. banished out of his countrey well estemed of Henry the fowerth the third lord Iames of Burbon a frenchman sent by the french king to helpe Owen Glendour These thre men had this title all at once which caused him to aske how it was true that euery one of these could be Earle of Marche Wherto was aunswered that euery countrey hath Marches belonging vnto them and those so large that they were Earledomes the lordes therof intituled therby so that Lord Edmund Mortimer was Earle of Marche in Englande lord Iames of Burbon of the marches of Fraunce and Lord George of Dunbar erle of the marches in Scotland For otherwise nether could haue interest in others title Thys doubt thus dissolued mayster Ferrers sayde If no man haue affeccion to the Percies let vs pas the times both of Henry the fowerth the fifte and cum to Henrye the syxte in whose time fortune as she doth in the minoritie of princes bare a great stroke among the nobles And yet in HeÌ„ry the fourths time are exaÌ„ples which I would wish Baldvvin that you should not forget as the conspiracie made by the bishop of Yorke and the lorde Mowbray â–ª sonne of him whom you late treated of prycked forward by the earle of Northumberland father to sir Henry Hotspur who fled himselfe but his partners were apprehended and put to death with Baynton and Blinkinsops which could not see theyr duty to theyr King but tooke part with Percy that banished Rebell As he was proceding he was desired to stay by one whych had pondered the story of the Percies who briefly sayd To thende Baldvvin that you may know what to say of the Percyes whose story is not all out of my memory and it is a notable story I wyll take vpon me the person of lord Henry earle of Northumberland father of Henrye Hotspur in whose behalfe thys may be sayd Hovv Henry Percy Earle of Northhumberland vvas for his couetous and trayterous attempt put to death at Yorke O Morall Senec true find I thy saying That neyther kinsfolke ryches strength or fauour Are free from Fortune but are ay decaying No worldly welth is ought save doubtful labour Mans life in earth is like vnto a tabour Which now to mirth doth mildly men provoke And strayt to war with a more sturdy stroke All this full true I Percy find by proofe Which whilom was erle of Northumberland And therfore Baldwin for my Piers behoof To note mens falles sith thou hast tane in hand I would thou shouldest my state well vnderstand For fewe kinges were more then I redouted Through double Fortune lyfted vp and louted As for my kinne their noblenes is knowen My valiauntise were folly for to prayse Wherthrough the Scortes so oft were ouerthrowen That who but I was doubted in my dayes And that kyng Rychard found at all assayes For neuer Scottes rebelled in his rayne But through my force were eyther caught or slayne A brother I had was Erle of Worcester Alwayes in fauour and office with the king And by my wife Dame Elinor Mortimer I had a son which so the Scottes did sting That being yong and but a very spring Syr Henry Hotspur they gaue him to name And though I say it he did deserue the
same We thre tryumphed in king Richards time Til Fortune ought both him and vs a spite But chiefly me whom clere from any crime My king did banish from his favour quite And openly proclaymed trayterous knight Wherethrough false slaunder forced me to be That which before I did most deadly flee Let men beware how they true folke defame Or threaten on them the blame of vices nought For infamy bredeth wrath wreke foloweth shames Eke open slaunder oftentimes hath brought That to effect that erst was neuer thought To be misdemed men suffer in a sort But none can beare the griefe of misreport Because my king did shame me wrongfully I hated him and in dede became his foe And while he did at war in Ireland lye I did conspire to turne his weale to woe And through the duke of Yorke and other moe All royall power from him we quickely tooke And gaue the same to Henry Boleynbroke Neyther dyd we this alonely for this cause But to say truth force drave vs to the same For he dispising god and all good lawes Slew whom he would made sinne a very game And seing neither age nor counsayle could him tame We thought it wel done for the kingdomes sake To leaue his rule that did al rule forsake But whan sir Henry had attaynde his place He strayt becam in all poyntes wurse than he Destroyed the piers slewe kyng Rychards grace Agaynst his othe made to the lordes and me And seking quarelles how to disagre He shamelesly required me and my sonne To yeld him Scottes which we in field had wun My Nephew also Edmund Mortymer The very heyre apparaunt to the Crowne Whom Owen Glendour held as prisoner Uilely bound in dungeon depe cast downe He would not raunsum but did felly frowne Agaynst my brother and me that for him spake And him proclaymed traytour for our sake This sowle despite did cause vs to conspire To put him downe as we did Richard erst And that we might this matter set on fyre From Owens â—ayle our cosin we remerst And vnto Glendour all our griefes reherst Who made a bonde with Mortymer and me To pryue the king and part the realme in thre But whan king Henry heard of this devise Toward Owen Gleudour he sped him very quyck Mynding by force to stop our enterprise And as the deuell would then fell I sick Howbeit my brother sonne more politike Than prosperous with an oast fro ScotlaÌ„d brought Encountred him at Shrewsbury wher they fought The one was tane and kild the other slayne And shortly after was Owen put to flight By meanes wherof I forced was to fayne That I knew nothing of the former fight Fraude oft avayles more than doth sturdy might For by my fayning I brought him in belief I knew not that wherin my part was chief And while the king thus tooke me for his frend I sought all meanes my former wrong to wreake Which that I might bring to the sooner ende To the bishop of Yorke I did the matter breake And to Therle Marshall likewise did I speake Whose father was through Henries cause exyled The bishops brother with trayterous death defiled These strayt assented to do what they could So did lorde Hastinges and lord Fauconbridge Which altogether promised â—hey would Set all their power the kinges dayes to abridge But se the spite before the byrdes wer flidge The king had woord and seysoned on the nest Wherby alas my frendes wer al opprest The bluddy tyrant â—â—ought them all to ende Excepted me which into Scotland skapte To George of Dunbar therle of March my frend Who in my cause al that he could ey skrapte And when I had for greater succour gapte Both at the Frenchman and the Flemminges hand And could get none I toke such as I sand And with the helpe of George my very frend I did invade Northumberlande ful bold Whereas the folke drew to me stil vnend Bent to the death my party to vphold Through helpe of these ful many a fort and hold The which the king right manfully had manâ— I easely wunne and seysed in my hand Not so content for vengeaunce drave me on I entred Yorkeshire there to waste and spoyle But ere I had far in the countrey gon The shirif therof Rafe Rekesby did assoyle My troubled hoost of much part of our toyle For he assauting freshly tooke through power Me and lord Bardolph both at Bramham more And thence conueyed vs to the towne of Yorke Until he knew what was the kinges entent There loe Lord Bardolf kinder than the Storke Did lose his head which was to London sent With whom for frendshippe urine in like case went This was my hap my forâ—une or my fawte This life I led and thus I came to naught Wherfore good Baldwin wil the pyers take hede Of slaunder malyce and conspiracy Of couetise whence al the rest procede For couetise ioynt with contumacy Doth cause all mischief in mens hartes to brede Ad therfore this to Esperance my wurd Who causeth bludshed shall not skape the swurd BY that this was ended I had found out the storie of Richard earle of Cambridge and because it conteyned matter in it though not very notable yet for the better vnderstanding of the rest I thought it mete to touche it and therfore sayd as foloweth You haue sayd wel of the Percies and favourably For in dede as it should appere the chyefe cause of theyr conspiracie agaynst kyng Henry was for Edmund Mortimer theyr cosins sake whom the king very maliciously proclaymed to haue yelded hym selfe to Owen colourably whan as in deede he was takeÌ„ forcibly against his wil very cruelly ordered in prison And seing we are in haÌ„d with Mortimers matter I wyll take vppon me the person of Richard Plantagenet Earle of Cambridge who for his sake likewise died And therfore I let passe Edmund Holland erle of Kent whom Henry the fowerth made Admirall to skoure the Seas because the Buttons were abrode whiche Earle as many thynges happen in warre was slayne with an arrowe at the assaulte of Briake shortly after whose death thys king dyed and his sonne Henry the fyft of that name succeded in his place In the beginning of this Henry the fyfts rayne dyed this Rychard and with him Henry the lord Scrope others in whose behalfe this may be sayd Hovv Richard erle of Cambridge entending the kinges destruction vvas put to death at Southhampton HAst maketh wast hath commonly ben sayd And secrete mischiefe seeld hath lucky spede A murdering mind with proper pryze is wayd Al this is true I find it in my Crede And therfore Baldwin warne all states take hede How they conspire any other to betrappe Least mischiefe meant light in the miners lappe For I lord Richard heyre Planâ—agenet Was Erle of Cambridge and right fortunate If I had had the grace my wit to set To have content me with mine owne estate But o false honours broders of
skarre My broken Iaw vnheald can say no lesse O Fortune Fortune cause of all distresse My father had great cause thy fraude to cursse But much more I abused ten times wursse Thou neuer flatteredst him in all his life But me thou dandledst like thy darling deare Thy giftes I found in every corner rife Where ever I went I met thy smyling cheare Which was not for a day or for a yeare But through the rayne of thre right worthy kynges I found the forward in al kind of thinges The while king Henry conquered in Fraunce I sued the warres and still found victory In all assaultes so happy was my chaunce Holdes yelde or wunne did make my enmies sory Dame Prudence eke augmented so my glory That in all treaties ever I was one Whan weyghty matters were agreed vpon But whan this king this mighty conquerour Through death vnripe was both his realmes bereft His sely infant did receyue his power Pore litle babe ful yong in cradell left Where crowne and Scepter hurt him with the hefâ— Whose wurthy vncles had the governaunce The one at home the other abrode in Fraunce And I which was in peace and war wel skilled With both these rulers greatly was estemed Bare rule at home as often as they willed And fought in Fraunce whan thei it nedeful demed And every where so good my seruice semed That Englishmen to me great loue did beare Our foes the French my force fulfilled with feare I alwayes thought it fitly for a prince And such as haue the regiment of realmes His subiectes hartes with mildnes to convince Wyth iustice myxt auoyding all extremes For like as Phebus with his chearfull beames Doth freshly force the fragrant floures to florish So rulers mildnes subiectes loue doth norish This found I true for through my mild behauour Their hartes I had with me to liue and dye And in their speache for to declare their fauour They called me styll good earle of Salisbury The lordes confest the commons did not lye For vertuous life fre hart and lowly mind With high and low shal alwayes fauour find Which vertues chief becum a man of war Wâ—erof in Fraunce I founde experyence For in assaultes due mildnes passeth farre Al rigour force and sturdy violence For men wil stoutly sticke to their defence When cruel captaynes covet them to spoyle And so enforst oft geue their foes the foyle But when they know they shall be frendly vsed They hazard not their heades but rather yelde For this my offers neuer were refused Of any towne or surely very seelde But force and furies fyt be for the feelde And there in dede I vsed so the same My foes would flye if they had heard my name For whan lord Steward and erle Uantadore Had cruelly besieged Crauant towne Which we had wunne and kept long time before Which lieth in Awxer on the riuer Youne To rayse the siege the Regent sent me downe Where as I vsed all rigour that I might I killed all that were not saued by flight When the erle of Bedford then in Fraunce lord regent Knew in what sort I had remoued the syege In Brye and Champayne he made me vice gerent And Lieutenaunt for him and for my Lyege Which caused me go to Bry and ther besyege Mountaguillon with twenty wekes assant Which at the last was yelded me for naught And for the duke of Britayns brother Arthur Both erle of Richmonde and of Yvery Against his othe from vs had made departure To Charles the Dolphin our chief enemy I with the regent went to Normandy To take his towne of Yvery which of spight Did to vs dayly al the harme they might They at the first compounded by a day To yeeld if rescues did not cum before And whiles in hope to fight we at it lay The Dolphin gathered men two thousand skore With erles lordes and captaynes ioly store Of which the duke of Alanson was gide And sent them downe to see if we would bide But they left vs and downe to Uernoile went And made their vaunt they had our army slayne And through that lye that towne from vs they hent Which shortly after turned to their payne For there both armies met vpon the plaine And we .viii. M. whom they flew not slewe before Did kil of them ten thousand men and more When we had taken Uernoile thus againe To driue the Dolphin vtterly out of Fraunce The Regent sent me to Aniowe and to Mayne Wher I besieged the warlik towne of Mawns Ther lord of Toysers Baldwins valiaunce Did well appere which wold not yeeld the towne Till all the towres walles wer battred downe But here now Baldwin take it in good part Though that I brought this Baldwin ther to yeeld The Lion searce for all his noble hart Being overmatched is forst to flye the feeld â–ª If Mars him selfe had there ben with his sheeld And in my sâ—ormes had stoutly me withstoode He should haue yeeld or els haue shed my bloode Thâ—s wurthy knight both hardy stout and wise Wrought well his feate as time and place require Whan fortune fayles it is the best advice To strike the sayle least al lie in the mire This have I sayd to thend thou take no yre For though no cause be found so nature frames Men haue a zeale to such as beare their names But to returne in Mayne wan I at length Such towns fortes as might either helpe or hurt I mannâ—d Mayon Suzans townes of strength Fort Barnarde Thanceaux S. Eales the curt With Lile sues Bolton standing in the durt Eke Gwerland Susâ—e Loupeland and Mountsure With Malicorne these wan I and kept full sure Besides al this I tooke nere forty holdes But those I razed even with the grounde And for these dedes as sely shepe in foldes Do shrinke for feare at every litle sound So fled my foes before my face ful round Was none so hardy durst abide the fight So Mars and Fortune furdered me their knight I tel no lye so gastful grewe my name That it alone discomfited an host The Scots and Frenchmen wil confesse the same Els wil the towne which they like cowardes lost For whan they sieged Bewron with great bost Being fourty M. Britayns French and Scottes Fiue hundred men did vanquish them like sottes For while the Frenchmen did assault them stil Our Englishmen came boldly furth at night Criyng sainct George Salisbury kil kil kil And offred freshly with their foes to fight And they as frenchly tooke them selves to flight Supposing surely that I had ben there Se how my name did put them all in feare Thus was the Dolphins power discomfited Fower M. slayne their campe tane as it stoode Wherby our towne and souldiers profited For there were vitayles plentifull and good This while was I in England by the rood To appeace a strife that was right foule befall Betwene Duke Humfrey and the Cardinall The Duke of Exceter shortly after died
belike you mind our matters very much So I do in dede ê™ I For I dreame of them And whan I had rehearced my dreame we had long talke concerning the natures of dreames which to stint and to bring vs to our matter againe thus sayde one of them I am glad it was your chaunce to dreame of Duke Richard for it had bene pity to have overpassed him And as coÌ„cerning this lord Clyfford whych so cruelly killed his sonne I purpose to geve you notes who as he welde served came shortly after to a sodayne death yet to good for so cruell a tiraunt Wherfore as you thought you sawe and heard the headles duke speake thorow his necke so suppose you see this lord Clifford all armed save his head with his brest plate all gore bloud running from his throte wherin an hedles arrow sticketh thrugh which wound he sayeth thus Hovv the lord Clyfford for his straunge and abhominable cruelty came to as straunge and sodayne a death OPen confession areth open penaunce And wisedome would a maÌ„ his shame to hide Yet sith forgeuenes cummeth through repentaunce I thinke it best that men their crimes ascried For nought so secrete but at length is spied For couer fire and it wil neuer linne Til it breake furth in like case shame and sinne As for my selfe my faultes be out so playne And published so brode in every place That though I would I can not hide a grayne All care is bootles in a cureles case To learne by others griefe sum haue the grace And therfore Baldwin write my wretched fall The brief wherof I briefly vtter shall I am the same that slue duke Richardes childe The louely babe that begged life with teares Wherby my honour fowly I defilde Poore selly lambes the Lyon neuer teares The feble mouse may lye among the beares But wrath of man his rancour to requite Forgets all reason ruth vertue quite I mean by rancour the parentall wreke Surnamde a vertue as the vicious say But litle know the wicked what they speake In boldning vs our enmyes kin to slay To punish sinne is good it is no nay They wreke not sinne but merit wreke for sinne That wreke the fathers faultes vpon his kyn Because my father lord Iohn Clifford died Slayne at S. Albons in his princes ayde Agaynst the duke my hart for malyce fryed So that I could from wreke no way be stayed But to avenge my fathers death assayde All meanes I might the duke of Yorke to annoy And all his kin and frendes to kill and stroy This made me with my bluddy daggar wound His giltles sunne that never agaynst me sturde His fathers body lying dead on ground To pearce with speare eke with my cruell swurd To part his necke and with his head to bourd Envested with a paper royal crowne From place to place to beare it vp and downe But cruelty can never skape the skourge Of shame of horror and of sodayne death Repentaunce selfe that other sinnes may pourge Doth flye scâ—oâ—â— this so sore the soule it slayeth Dispayre dissolves the tirauntes bitter breath â–ª For sodayne vengeaunce sodaynly alightes On cruell heades to quite thier cruel spightes The infamous ende of Lord Iohn Tiptoft Earle of VVurcester for cruelly executing his princes butcherly commaundementes THe glorious man is not so loth to lurke As the infamous glad to lye vnknowen Which maketh me Baldwin disalow thy wurke Where princes faultes so openly be blowen I speake not this alonely for mine owne Which wer my princes if that they wer any But for my Pyers in numbre very many Or might report vprightly vse her tong It would lesse greve vs to augment thy matter But suer I am thou shalt be forst among To frayne the truth the living for to â—atter And otherwhiles in poyntes vnknowen to smatter For time never was nor ever I thinke shall be That truth vnshent should speake in all thinges fre This doeth appere I dare say by my story Which divers writers diversly declare But story writers ought for neyther glory Feare nor favour truth of thinges to spare But still it fares as alway it did fare Affection feare or doubtes that dayly brue Do cause that stories never can be true Unfruytfull Fabyan folewed the face Of time and dâ—des but let the causes â—ip Whych Hall hath added but with double grace For feare I thinke least trouble might him trip For this or that sayeth he he felt the whip Thus story writers leave the causes out Or so rehears them as they wer in dout But seing causes are the chiefest thinges That should be noted of the story wryters That men may learne what endes al causes bringes They be vnwurthy the name of Croniclers That leave them cleane out of their registers Or doubtfully report them for the fruite Of reading stories standâ—th in the suite And therfore Baldwin eyther speake vpright Of our affayres or touche them not at all As for my selfe I waye al thinges so light That nought I passe how men report my fall The truth wherof yet playnly shew I shall That thou mayst write and other therby rede What thinges I did wherof they should take hede Thou hast heard of Tiptoftes erfes of Wurcester I am that Iohn that lived in Edwardes dayes The fourth and was his frend and counsayler And Butcher to as common rumor sayes But peoples voyce is neyther shame nor prayse For whom they would alive devour to day To morow dead they wil wurship what they may But though the peoples â—erdit go by chauneâ— Yet was there cause to cal me as they did For I enforst by meane of gouernaunce Did execute what euer my king did byd From blame herein my selfe I can not ryd But fye vpon the wretched state that must Defaine it selfe to serue the princes lust The chiefest crime wherwith men do me charge Is death of the Earle of Desmundes noble sonnes Of which the kinges charge doth me clere discharge By strayt commaundement and Iniunctions Theffect wherof so rigorously runnes That eyther I must procure to se them dead Or for contempt as a traytour lose my head What would mine enemies do in such a case Obey the king or proper death procure They may wel say their fancy for a face But life is swete and love hard to recure They would haue doen as I did I am sure For seldome wil a welthy man at ease For others cause his prince in ought displease How much lesse I which was lieutenant than In the Irishe yle preferred by the king But who for love or dread of any man Consentes to accomplish any wicked thing Although chiefe fault therof from other spring Shall not eskape Gods vengeaunce for his dede Who sauseth none that dare do yl for drede This in my king and me may wel appere Which for our faultes did not eskape the scourge For whan we thought our states most sure and clere The wind of Warwick blew vp such a sourge
As from the realme and crowne the king did pourge And me both from mine office frendes and wife From good report from honest death and life For Therle of Warwick through a cancard grudge Which to king Edward causeles he did beare Out of his realme by force did make him trudge And set king Henry agayne vpon his chaire And then all such as Edwardes louers were As traytours tane were greuously opprest But chiefly I because I loved him best And for my goodes and livinges wer not small The gapers for them bare the world in hand For ten yeres space that I was cause of all The exeenâ—ions done within the land For thys did such as did not vnderstand My enmies drift thinke all reportes wer true And so to hate me wurse than any Iewe. For seeldome shall a ruler lose his life Before false rumours openly be spred Wherby this proverbe is as true as rise That rulers rumours hunt about a head Frowne Fortune once all good report is fled For present shew doth make the mayny blind And such as see dare not disclose their mind Through this was I king Edwardes butcher named And bare the shame of all his cruell dedes I cleare me not I wurthely was blamed Though force was such I must obey him nedes With hyest rulers seldome wel it spedes For they ve ever nearest to the nip And fault who shall for all fele they the whip For whan I was by parliament attaynted King Edwardes evilles all wer counted mine No truth avaylde so lyes wer faste and paynted Which made the people at my life repine Crying Crucifige kill that butchers line That whan I should have gone to Blockaut feast I could not passe so sore they on me preast And had not bene the officers so strong I thinke they would have eaten me aliue Howbeit hardly haled from the throng I was in the Fleete fast shrowded by the shrive Thes one dayes life their malice did me give Which whan they knew for spite the next day after They kept them calme so suffeed I the slaughter Now tel me Baldwin what fault doest thou find In me that lustly should such death deserve None sure except desire of honour blind Which made me seke in offices to serve What minde so good that honors make not swerve So mayst thou see it only was my state That caused my death and brought me so in hate Warne therfore all men wisely to beware What offices they enterprise to beare The hyest alway most maligned are Of peoples grudge and princes hate in feare For princes faultes his faultors all men teare Which to auoyde let none such office take Save he that can for right his prince forsake THis Earles tragedy was not so soone finished but one of the cumpany had prouided for an other of a notable person lord Tiptoftes chiefe enemy concerning whom he sayd Lord god what trust is there in worldly chauÌ„ces what stay in any prosperity for see the Earle of Warwicke which caused the earle of Wurcester to be apprehended attaynted and put to death triumphing with his olde imprisoned and newe vnprisoned prince king Henry was by and by after and his brother with him flayne at Barnet field by kyng Edward whoÌ„ he had before time damaged divers wayes As first by his frendes at Banbury field where to revenge the death of his Cosin Harry Nevel Sir Iohn Conyers and Iohn Clappain his seruauntes slewe five thousand Welshemen and beheaded theyr captaynes the earle of Pen broke and syr Rychard Harbert his brother after they wer yelded prisoners of whom syr Rychard Harbert was â—he tallest gentleman both of his person and handes that ever I reade or heard of At which time also Robyn of Ridsdale a rebell of the earle of Warwyks raysing tooke the earle Rivers king Edwardes wifes father and his sonne Iohn at his manour of Grafion and caryed them to Northhampton there without cause or proces beheaded them Whych spites to requite king Edward caused the lord Stafford of Southwike one of Warwikes chyefe frendes to be taken at Brent march and headed at Budgewater This caused the Earle shortly after to raise his power to encounter the king which came agaynst him with an army beside Warwike at Wouluey wher he wan the field tooke the king prisoner and kept him a while at Yorkeshire in Middleham castel whence as sum say he released him agayne but other thinke he corrupted his kepers and so escaped Then through the lordes the matter was taken vp betwene them they brought to talk together but because they could not agree the earle raysed a new army wherof he made captayne the lord Welles sonne which broyle kinge Edward minding to appeace by pollicy fowly distayned his honor committing peruiry For he sent for the lord Welles his brother sir Thomas Dunocke vnder safeconduyte promising theÌ„ vpon his fayth to kepe theÌ„ harmles But after because the Lord Walles sonne would not dissolve his army beheded theÌ„ both and weÌ„t with his power downe into Lincolnshire there fought with sir Robert Welless slewe ten thousand of his souldiers yet ran they away so fast that the casting of of their clothes for the more spede caused it to be called loose-coate fyeld tooke sir Robert other and put them to deth in the same place This misfortune forced the earle of Warwike to saile into FrauÌ„ce wher he was wel entertained of y t king a while and at last with such poore helpe as he procured ther of duke Rayner other he came unto England againe increased such a power in Kyng Henries name y t as the lord Tiptoft sayd in his tragedy king Edwarde vnable to abide him was faine to flye over the washes in Lincolnshire to get a ship to saile out of his kingdome to â—is brother in lawe the duke of Burgoyne So was king HeÌ„ry restored again to the kingdome Al these despites troubles the Earle wâ—ought agaynst king Edward but Henry was so â—nfortunate that ere halfe a yeare was expâ—red king Edwarde came backe agayne and imprisoned him and gave the erle a sielde wherein 〈◊〉 sâ—w both him and his brother I have recounted thus much before hande for the better opeâ—ing of the story which if it should have bene spoken in his tragedâ— would rather have madâ— a volume thaâ— a Pamphlete For I enteâ—de onelye to say in the tragedy what I have 〈…〉 the Earle of Warwycke person 〈…〉 other noble mâ—n wham I have by the waye touched should not be forgotten And therfore imagine that you see this Earle lying with his brother in Paules church in his coat armure with such a face countenaunce as he beareth in portrayture ouer the dore in Poules at the going downe to Iesus Chappell fro the south ende of the quier stayres and saying as foloweth Hovv sir Richard Nevell Earle of VVarvvike and his brother Iohn Lord Marquise Mountacute through their to much boldnes vver slayne at Barnet field
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