him and th' heire to the Earle Arminack Which raised strange combustions in the state This flourishing Kingdome nigh to ruinate In which she tooke on her a Soveraigne power Sâ—iting her present fortunes not her Dower Her many strange desasters did befall But her undaunted spirit ore-came them all She knew the mannage both of Pen and Pike The Court and Campe to her were both alike In bloody battles she tooke great delight And would if flie to day to morrow fight Who can this Queenes heroicke spirit expresse A foe to Peace in field a Championesse Vsurping all that Majesty could claime Leaving her Husband nothing save his name He weares the Crowne she Sword and Scepter bore What could the brave Semiramis doe more THE SECOND OF THE THREE WOMEN WORTHIES AMONGST THE CHRISTIANS CALLED MARGARET QVEENE OF ENGLAND IN the yeare of grace one thousand foure hundred forty and two Embassadours were sent from England into Guian where a match was concluded betwixt King Henry the sixth then of the age of one and twenty and the Daughter of the Earle of Arminacke which after was disannulled by the Earle of Suffolke a mighty man in those times which occasioned a great afront betwixt the Lord Protector and him which grew unto much rage and blood-shed as may after appeare but to follow the History close the before named Earle of Suffolke after the former match fell off went with others his Assotiates and concluded a marriage betwixt the King and the Lady Margaret Daughter to the King of Cicile and Ierusalem upon which contract were delivered unto the said King the Dutchy of Angeon and the Earledome of Maine then called the two keyes to open the way into Normandy and in the next yeare after the Earle of Suffolke being created Marquesse with his wife and other of the most honourable Ladyes of the Realme sayled into France to bring over this Lady into England which was done with all solemnity when Thomas Catwoorthe was Lord Major and Nicholas Wilford and Iohn Norman were Sherifes of London The moneth after her arrivall into the Kingdome shee was espoused to the King at a Towne called Sowthwicke in the County of Hamshire and from thence was honourably conveyed by the Lords and Peeres of the Land to Blacke-Heath and there met by the Lord Major and the Citizens and in great triumph brought to Westminster and upon the thirtyeth day of May which was the Sunday after Trinity Sunday was solemnely Crowned great Feasts Iusts and other martiall exercises were held in the Sanctuary before the Abby for the space of three dayes after But this match was held to be very unprofitable for the Kingdome first by giving up out of the Kings possession Angeon and Maine And then that for the charge of her comming over there was demanded in Parliament a fifteene and an halfe by the Marquesse of Suffolke which drew him into such a contempt and hatred of the people that it after cost him his life Some also held it very ominous because that after this Match as the King lost his revenues in France so hee also hazarded the Natives and people of his owne Nation for presently after all the Common weale and affaires of the estate were mannaged by the Queene and her Counsell being a woman of a brave and Heroicke Spirit she assumed prerogative into her hands all things began after to goe retrograds and preposterous which many conjectured was by the breach of that promise made by the King unto the Earle of Arminackes daughter for there fell upon this that the King lost all his right in Norwaige upon which followed a dissention and division of the Lord within the Realme the rebellion of the Commonalty against the Prince their Soveraigne and in conclusion the deposing of the King and the Queene with the Prince her Sonne to be compelled to avoid the Land In the five and twentyeth yeare of this Kings raigne a Parliament was held at Saint Edmunds bury in Suffolke to which all the Commons of that Country were commanded in their most defensible aray to waite upon the person of the King where the Lords were no sooner assembled but Humphrey Duke of Glocester and Vnckle to the King was arrested by Viscount Bewmount then High Constable of England accompanyed with the Duke of Buckingham and others and two and thirty of his Principal Servants committed unto severall prisons after which arrest the Duke after sixe dayes was found dead in his bed being the foure and twentieth day of February And his body being exposed to the publicke view of all men there was no wound found about him notwithstanding which of his death the Marquesse of Suffolke was shrowdly suspected he was a man greatly honoured and beloved of the Commons as well for his discreete governement of the Realme during the Kings nonage as for his brave and noble hospitality in which none ever exceeded him for which and many other of his unparalleld vertues he purchased unto himselfe and not without cause to bee called the good Duke of Glocester whose body was after conveighed unto Saint Albones and neere unto the shrine sollemnely interred Not long after in the yeare one thousand foure hundred and fifty during the foresaid Parliament the Marquesse of Suffolke was arrested and sent to the Tower where hee lived a moneth at his pleasure which Parliament being after adjourned to Lecester thither the King came attended by Suffolke where the Commons made great complaint of the delivering up of Angeou and Maine to the dishonour of the kingdome For which they accused the Marquesse and others as guilty as also for the murther of the good Duke of Glocester to appease whom they Exiled him the Land for five yeares who obeying the sentence tooke shipping in Northfolke intending to have sayled into France but was met by the way by a ship of warre called the Nicolas of the Tower whose Captaine knowing the Duke put into the Road of Dover and caused his head to be strucke off on the side of a Boat and there left both head and body upon the sands and then put to Sea againe and this was the end of the Queenes great favourite who save of her and some of his owne creatures dyed altogether unlamented I omit to speake of sundry insurrections as that of Blew-beard and the Kentish men with their Captaine Iacke Cade who called himselfe Mortimer and Cousin to the Duke of Yorke with others and come to tell you that the Duke of Somerset succeeded Suffolke in the Queenes favour by whom and her Counsell all the affaires of the Realme were mannaged For she was a Lady of an haughty and invincible spirit and in the thirty second yeare of the Kings raigne was delivered of a Princely Sonne called Edward In which interim great discontent arose among the Nobles and Peeres of the Land especially the Duke of Somerset and others of the Queenes Counsell
must To prove my loves profession does not faine Thrust into th' world amid'st the Muses traine Who being Women and in number Nine And as of all mens honour worthy mine Would say I beare to vertue little love When the Nine worthy Women could not move Th' expression of a poore respest from me Let this then for my Pen the pleader be Withall I must confesse 't was my maine end To boast The Author 's my deserving Friend So avoucheth Steph. Bradwell To the worthy Reviver of these Nine Women worthies Master Thomas Heywood Gent. AMongst the many worthy to attend Thy worthy female and thy worth commend Let me present my love too to thy choice Of this great subject and th' eternall voyce Thy Pen has given their Ashes to thy flame Their second soule now when their towring fame Was well nie Buried with them to thine Art Thy cost thy care cloathing thier every part In all th'adorements of such eminent stories So as to reade almost to see their glories In their owne greatnesse acted friend thy straine In these these brave Viragoes of thy braine This Golden issue of thy Silver head Thy many such shall when thy bodi 's dead Live as thy lines now make them live for ever Pompe lives and dy's such worthie labours never Thomas Brewer To his worthy Friend Mr. Thomas Heywood on his Nine Female Worthies WIll neither rugged time nor vast expence Of thy unfathom'd fancy and cleare sence Perswade thee to leave off but thou wilt still Make all'twixt heaven hell flow from thy Quill Nay Heav'n it selfe and all those Angels there Those powr's and vertues will themselves declare Thy Genuine searching soule But these here Thy female Angels that doe grace this Spheare Thrice worthy worthy women whose great acts Immortallize their mem'ries and exacts Not thee alone but all the noblest wits That in the courts of truth and judgement sits To write their Legends But thy learned Pen That writ before their Story hath agen From thy owne workes substracted Nine to be The great example to posteritie I doe not flatter but I may admire To see fire turn'd t' Ashes returne to fire Thy age goes backward and thy Phaenix braine From the old Ashes is growne younge Againe George Estoutevile THE APPELLATION OF THE THREE IEWES DEbora the Prophetesse and a mother in Israel Iudeth of Bethulia the widdow of Manasses Ester the Queene of King Ahashuerosh and Neece to Mordecay the Iew. THE APPELLATION OF THE THREE GENTILES BOnduca or Boadicia the Dowager Queene of Prasutagus King of the Iceni one of the Kingdomes of the Brittish Scepterchy Penthisilaea the warlik Queen of the Amazons and friend to Hector of Troy Queen Artimesia wife to Mausolus King of Caria a Province in Greece scituate betwixt Lycia and Iania THE APPELLATION OF THE THREE CHRISTIANS ELphleda Daughter to King Alured and wife to Etheldredus Duke of Mercia or middle England Queene Margaret daughter to the King of Cecile and Hierusalem and wife to Henry the sixt King of England Elizabeth Queene of England France and Ireland c. Defender of the Faith DEBORAH HE that shall take in hand to speake at large Of womens prayse shall undergoe a charge Beyond supporture and he better were Take Atlas burden on him and to beare The Heavens upon his shoulders If then any Inquisitive bee why I amongst so many Am now that undertaker And shall aske Why to my selfe I durst assume this Taske I must appeale for answer to my rare Scarse patternd Patroness most learn'd most fayr Whom if these my unpolisht papers please It is a burden to be borne with ease Whose Approbations where soe'r Inscribd Shall passe a worke as currant as to have bribd All the Nine Sisters or invokt their ayde She now the sole out of so many made As for our worthy Iewesse now in quest The sequent Traectate can describe her best He that made man the womans Head that â—he Despis'd of her superiour might not-be Rais'd from her sex brave Dames by Text allowd Least she might prove dejected or he proud If any one this Maxime shall gaine say Let him but reade Barach and Deborah OF THE NINE VVORTHIES AMONGST WOMEN Three Iewes Three Gentiles Three Christians And first of DEBORAH TO Deborah I give the priority as first named in the holy text in which we reade of two of that name The one Rebeckahs Nurse the wife of Iacob who being dead was buried beneath Bâ—thel under an Oake which he called Alâ—on Bachuth or the Oake of Lamentation the other a Prophetesse the wife of Lapidothe who Iudged Israel the Argument of our ensuing Discourse The name Deborah in the originall implyeth a Word or a Bee neither was her name any way averse to her nature for as she was mellifluous in her tongue when she either pronounced the sacred oracles of God or sat upon any judicatory causes amongst his people so she had also a sting at all times upon any just occasion to wound and be revenged on his enemies the Cananiteâ— who then most barbarously and cruelly oppressed his owne chosen nation But the better to illustrate her history it is necessary that I give you a briefe relation of that estate in which Israel then stood Iosuah the sonne of Nun who succeeded Moses in the Empyre and was Captaine of the Lords people in his Masters place after the subduing and slaughter of one and thirty Kings and having divided the Land of Palastine amongst the twelve tribes of the Children of Israel by lots All his time and all the dayes of the Elders who were his Contemporaries and survivers and â—ad beene eye witnessâ—s of those great and stupendious woâ—kes which the Almighty had done for them served the Lord and were obedient unto his Commandements But he after he had lived an hundred and ten yeares expiring and being buried in the Coast of his inheritance all that generation being likewise gathered to their Fathers Another roâ—e after them who neither knew the Lord nor the great workes which hee had done for Israel In so much that they dwelt amongst the Cananites the Hittites the Amorites the Perizites the Hevites the Iebusites c. Taking their daughters to be their wives and giving their owne daughters to their sonnes and serving their gods which was contrary to the Commandement and the Law of Moses by which they incensed the wrath of the Lord which was now hot against them in â—o much that he delivered them into the hands of spoylers who spoyled them and sold them unto their enemies so that they were noâ— able to stand against those that hated them namely the Gentiles and Idolaters Notwithstanding which the Lord in his great mercy according to his oath sworne to their Fore-fathers the Patriarchs upon their least repentance and turning unto him raysed up some eminent amongst them whom they called Iudges who delivered them from the hands of their oppressors But
unto mee when this is to be done then I will come and shew it thee and thou shalt goe forth with all thine Army and I will leade thee through the midst of Iudea till thou come before Ierusalem and I will set thy Throne in the midst thereof and thou shalt drive â—hem as sheepe that have no shepheard and not a dogge shall barke against thee for these things have beene declared unto mee according to my foreknowledge and I am sent to shew thee Which words greatly pleased Olofernes and his servants who marvelled at her wisdome and said there is no such woman in the world both for beauty and wisdome Moreover Olofernes replyed God hath done this to send thee before the people that strength might be in our hands and destruction upon them that despise my Lord. Thou art both beautifull in thy countenance and witty in thy words If thou doe as thou hast spoken thy God shall be my God thou shalt dwell in the house of Nabuchodonosor and shall bee renouned through the whole earth then he commanded to bring her in where his treasures were and that they should prepare for her of his owne meate and his owne Wine who said unto him I may neither eate nor drinke of them least there should be an offence For I can suffice my selfe with the provision that I have brought but hee replyed if those things thou hast should faile how should wee give thee the like for there is none with us of thy Nation to which she answered as thy soule liveth thy handmaide shall not spend those things that I have before the Lord worke by mine hand what he hath determined Then the servants of Olofernes brought her into the tent and she slept there till midnight and rose at the morning watch and sent unto Olofernes saying let my Lord command that thine handmaid may goe forth to prayer who presently gave order to his guard that they should not stay her thus she abode in the Campe three dayes and went out in the night into the valley of Bethulia and washed her selfe in a Fountaine in the water by the Campe and when she came out she prayed unto the Lord God of Israel that he would direct her way to the exaltation of the children of her people so she returned and remained pure in the Tent untill she ate her meate at evening In the fourth day Olofernes made a feast to his owne servants onely and saide to Bagoas the Eunuch goe call the Hebrew Woman that is with thee that shee may come and feast with us for it were a shame for us to let such a beauty alone and not talke with her For if wee tempt not her chastity shee will mocke us who came unto her and said make no difficulty to goe in unto my Lord and to be honoured in his presence and to drinke wine with us joyfully and to be intreated as one of the daughters of the children of Assur which remaine in the house of Nabuchodonosor who answered him againe who am I that I should gainesay my Lord so shee a rose and trimmed her with garments and with all the ornaments that belong to women and her maide went and spread forth her skinnes on the ground over against the place where Olofernes sate whose heart was ravished and his spirits mooved and hee greatly desired her company for he waited to insidiate her chastity from the day that he had first seene her who said unto her drinke now and be merry with us who answered and saide I drinke now my Lord because my state is exalted this day more then ever then shee ate and dranke before him such things as her maide had prepared And Olofernes rejoyced because of her and dranke more wine than he had ever done at one time since the day of his birth The evening being come his servants made haste to depart and Bagoas shut his Tent without and dismissed all from the presence of his Lord but Iudeth was left alone in the tent and Olofernes was stretched upon his bed for the feast had beene long and hee was filled with much wine Now Iudeth had commanded her maid to stand without and attend her comming forth as she had done dayly for shee said shee would anon goe forth to prayers and had spoken to Bagoas to that purpose Then Iudeth standing by the bed came to the post which was at the head of Olofernes and tooke downe his Faulchion and laid hold of the haire of his head and said strengthen mee O Lord God of Israel this day then she smote twice upon his necke with all her strength and tooke his head from him and roulled his body downe from the bed and pulled down the Canope from the Pillars and after went forth and gave the head to her maide who put it in her scrip of meate so they went together as their custome was to prayer and pressing through the Tents past about by the Valley and so up to the Mountaine of Bethulia and knocked at the Gates thereof Then Iudeth said to the watchmen open to me the gate Now when the men of the City heard her voyce they made haste to goe downe and called the Elders and they ranne altogether both small and great for it was beyond their expectation that shee should returne so they opened the gate and received her and made a great fire for a light and stood about them two then she spake unto them with a loud voyce and said praise God prayse the Lord for he hath not taken away his mercy from the house of Israel but by my hand hath this night destroyed his enemies so shee tooke the head out of the scrip and showed it them saying behold the head of Olofernes the great Captaine of the Army of Assur and behold the Canopie under which he lay in his drunkennesse the Lord hath smitten him by the hand of a woman as the Lord liveth who kept mee in the way which I went my beauty hath deceived him to his destruction yet hath he not committed with me any sinne then all the people were astonished and blessed the Lord and Ozias said unto her O daughter blessed art thou of the most high God above all the women of the earth surely this thine hope shall never depart out of the hearts of men for they shall remember the power of God for ever c. Then said Iudeth unto them heare me also my brethren take this head and hang it upon the highest turret of your walls and as soon as the morning appeares take every valiant man his weapon in his hand set a Captaine over them as if you would goe downe into the field towards the watch of the Assyrians but goe not downe Then they shall runne to the tent of Olofernes but shall not finde him and feare shall fall upon them and they shall flye before your face So you and all that inhabite the coasts
elected King and being royally accompanyed to Westminster was invested in the Throne and tooke possion of the Crowne thence by the Clergy he was conveighed in sollemne procession to Saint Edmunds shrine and there offered as King receiving the Homage and â—ealty of all the Lords there present c. Then was great provision made for the North against the Queene and her partisans the Earle of Warwicke upon a Saturday in the beginning of March with a great puissance of people departed from London Northward and on the Wednesday following the Kings Infantry followed and upon Fryday next after being the tenth of March the King rode through the City with a great band of men passing Bishopsgate and so holding on his journey sped him so well that he with the rest of his Forces met with their enemies at a Village nine miles and an halfe on this side Yorke called Towton or Shirborne Vpon Palme sunday he gave them battle which was fought with such eagernesse and fury that in the field and in the chase were slaine of the Queenes party thirty thousand men besides those of speciall note and name amongst which are numbred the Earle of Northumberland the Earle of Westmerland the Lord Clifford the Lord Egremond Sir Andrew Trollop who had before revolted with his Callis Souldiers from the Yorkists at Ludlow with divers others there were taken also the Earle of Willshire or Devonshire who was sent to Yorke and there after beheaded of which bloody conflict and irrecoverable losse Henry and Margaret having notice they with their sonne Edward the Duke of Summerset the Lord Rosse and others in all hast fled towards Scotland and the King upon the morrow with much of his people entred into Yorke and there kept his Easter Thus the most infortunate Prince Henry of whom it is truely observed that he was never personally in any battle but it was lost when he had raigned full thirty eight yeares sixe months and odde dayes and that Heroycall Lady Margaret whom even this last disaster could not daunt was forc't to flye whilst King Edward having setled all the affaires in the North under the charge of the Earle of Warwicke visited all the Countryes South and East and about the beginning of Iune came to his Mannor of Sheene since called Richmond in which time of his abode there provision was made for his royall Coronation Then upon the twenty seventh of the same moneth being Fryday hee rode to the Tower of London attended by the Lord Major and his Brethren and upon the morrow being Saturday he made twenty eight Knights of the Bathe and foure more after the same afternoone he was with great solemnity conveyed through the City those two and thirty Knights riding before him in blew gownes and hoods and upon the morrow being Sunday and Saint Peters day with great triumph Crowned and annoynâ—ed by the Archbishop of Canterbury c. In the second yeare of this King Margaret late Queene came out of France into Scotland and thence into England with an Army of Frenchmen and Scots of which King Edward having notice he sped him into the North with a strong Army at the rumour of which by reason of the cowardice of her Souldiers she was forced to disband and flye and tooke a small ship intending to saile into France but by reason of a great tempest shee was forced to leave her owne barke and take a small Fisher-boate by meanes of which shee landed at Barwicke and came unto the Scottish King where shee heard her barke perished in the tempest in which shee had great riches and treasure notwithstanding at her instigation the yeare after shee with her Husband invaded England with a great Army of Scottish men which hearing then the Lord Montague Brother to the Earle of Warwicke he assembled the Northerne men and gave them battle at a place calld Exham and there routed them chasing Henry so nere that he surprized certaine of his followers habited in Iackets of blew Velvet garnished with Crownes of gold and fretted with pearle and other rich stones notwithstanding his so narrow escape in the end of the same yeare hee was taken in a wood in the North Country by one named Cantlow and presented to the King who sent him as Prisoner to the Tower where he remained a long time after Some few moneths before this King Edward at a place called Graston neere unto Stony Stratford upon the first day of May secretly espoused Elizabeth late wife of Sir Iohn Grey Knight who was slaine at Towton field neere unto Yorke at which marriage were present none save themselves the Dutchesse of Bedford her Mother two Gentlewoman and one Gentleman who the next yeare after upon Whitsunday was with great sollemnity Crowned at Westminster which marriage was the occassion of much trouble in the Land of which I am loath long to insist as unwilling to meddle with any impertinences not genuine with the particular actions and fortunes of the Queene Margaret the subject now in hand Yet thus farre I must travell in the History to informe you that the Earle of Warwicke was before sent into France to treate about a marriage betwixt the King and the Lady Bova who by reason of the former match thought himselfe much disparaged and dishonoured therefore hee withdrew himselfe from the King and confedered unto him the Duke of Clarens who had before marryed his daughter and notwithstanding the King sent peaceably unto them as desiring reconsilement yet they sayled into France solliciting the ayde of Lewis the eleventh who by reason of the former affront concerning the Lady Bova gladly condiscended to their request where they consulted with Queene Margaret and the Earle of Oxford for their returne into England in which meane space King Edward commanded them to be proclaimed as Rebels and Traitours throughout the Realme In the tenth yeare of the King and the month of Sceptember the Duke of Clarence the Earles of Warwicke Pembrooke and Oxford with others landed at Dertmouth in Devonshire and made Proclamations in the name of King Henry to whom much people desirous of innovation resorted and drew towards the King then being in the North who having with him but small strength and of them too those whom hee durst scarse trust he with the Duke of Gloster the Lord Hastings and a few others tooke the next way towards the Washes in Lincolneshire and with great danger not without the losse of some of his company got over into Flanders and sped thence to Charles Duke of Burgoine who had before marryed his sister where he rested for a season meane space the Duke of Clarence and the other Lords drew nere unto the City and after rode unto the Tower and withall honour and reverence brought out King Henry and conveighed him to Saint Pauls and lodged him in the Bishops pallace who was generally admitted and taken for King through