bright Princesse and in words declares How just a cause excites him to the warres Besides the honour he from thence may gaine That Pedro is the true-borne Lord of Spaine And crowned Monarch that no vice what-e're Can wash away that sacred Character That Subjects may not put their Soveraigne downe Nor give Don Henry title to their Crowne But ought to leave that power to God alone Who can revenge at full what he has done Or else so clense him from the greatest crimes That Pedro's penitence in after-times May all his former impious reigne redeeme Like King Manasses in Ierusalem That it concern'd a true-borne Prince his right To take that part lest other Nations might Hereafter from a president so bad Vsurpe more freedome than they justly had Then taking leave of his deare wife he went To that which after prov'd by accident A fatall warre to England Where though he Obtain'd a great and glorious victory And present honour through all Europe gate Yet most unhappy to his future state The voyage was his treasures wast which cost Sad tumults and his French Dominions lost Besides his losse of health All which was sent Perchance to Edward as a punishment For ayding such a monster though true heire Nor long held Pedro his recover'd chaire Soone after th'English went from thence againe Depos'd and by victorious Henry slaine Thus all their punishments did undergoe Castile Don Pedro and Prince Edward too The Tyrant Pedro for his impious reigne Edward for lifting up the fiend againe And all Castile by England's conquering sword Scourg'd for deposing of their lawfull Lord. With noble Edward to this Spanish warre Young Iohn of Gaunt the Duke of Lancaster His brother marches to whose future state Castile shall prove a name more fortunate Who by the marriage of Don Pedro's heire The Royall title of that land shall weare With large revenues thence The Duke commands One of the three Battalia's with him stands Brave Sir Iohn Chandois who in warre before Had ever beene Prince Edward's Counsellor Now set to guide the youth of Princely Iohn With him young Beauchamp noble Warwick's sonne And stout Lord Dalbert with a gallant traine Of Gentlemen and Knights of Aquitaine The Prince of Wales himselfe commands the maine And middle Battell Pedro King of Spaine For whom the warre is made by Edward's side There marches on and English Chieftaines try'd In many a Battell then esteem'd to be The very flowers of Europes Chevalry With many Lords of high account and name That from Poictou from Maine and Guyenne came A Monarch leads the third Battalia on Iames of Mallorques King that in renowne Like th' ancient Caesars might blacke Edward stand And Kings not scorne to serve in his command There th' Earle of Arminacke leads on his power And English Knolls that expert warriour Thither the Lords of Dalbreth Piergort And many noble Knights and Squires resort With all his army thirty thousand strong The Prince sets forth from France to passe along The famous streights of Roncevall and through The kingdome of Navarre gets leave to goe By which with faithfull guides they passe as farre Before they meet th'approach of any warre As faire Victoria on the bounds of Spaine There some fore-runners of King Henry's traine Descry'd gave notice that the blow was neere But thrice as many as Prince Edward's were The troops that Henry of Castile had brought Besides the natives of the Land that fought To guard their new-elected King and free Themselves from Pedro's future tyranny Th'expertest souldiers of the Realme of France Come to encrease King Henry's puissance And Saracens from our invasions free Beare here a part in Christian enmity And ' gainst Don Pedro guard his brothers throne In three great bodies comes that army on The first and noblest where the French-men stand Is under Bertram of Cleâ—quy's command The greatest body in the midd'st the King Himselfe drawes up the last his brothers bring And now beside the towne of Naveret In faire array are both the battel 's set Renowned Edward to his men declares Th' undoubted justice of their present warres And that no odds of numbers he can feare When he beholds those men those Leaders there Who but ' gainst odds did never battell try Yet never fought without a victory As those that Sluces navall fight had seene That had in Crescy field and Poictiers beene And bids them now maintaine that old renowne They in so many honour'd fields had wonne As much does Bertram his French troops excite And briefly tells them they not onely fight King Henry's Crowne and honour to maintaine And winne fame there but to redeeme againe That dearest honour ' gainst the English hoast Which France of late had to that Nation lost But when King Henry whose great cause was try'd In that dayes hazard saw the English side Were marching on against him in array And that the warre admitted no delay He thus bespeakes his souldiers If a cause Of such great weight as to this battell drawes Your farre-engaged hands could need at all Th' inciting language of a Generall The wrongs of Spaine and brutish cruelty Our foe has us'd afford a scope to me Too large too sad to play the Oratour But well I know your Countries love has power Enough to raise your highest courages And bring you forward were our army lesse Than theirs in number as the odds is ours Vnlesse this battell make us Conquerors There can no people be so low as we No land so wretched as Castile will be T is not our wealth alone or lawes we lose Nor to be quite o're-runne by forreine foes Though every Nation have esteemed those The worst but Spaine must suffer greater woes ' Gainst her so fierce no forreine sword can be As her restored tyrants cruelty His who was once depos'd when to a mind Before so bloody sterne revenge is joyn'd If Spaine before could not endure his yoke How will she beare it now if by warres stroke Our conquering hands make not the action good Better the tyrant undisturb'd had stood What made old Marius when returned home With so much slaughter fill the streets of Rome Marius whose hand was once her best defence But that himselfe had beene exil'd from thence The prisons stinch the shackles that he bore The bread he begg'd on wasted Affrick's shore Which he himselfe before had overcome Made his returne so sad to wretched Rome And can we here feare lesse than Marius brought On Rome or than the Butcher Sylla wrought When not in warres but executions So many thousands were destroy'd at once If in this battell Pedro should o'recome But God avert from Spaine so sad a doome What sights would all her mourning Cities see But racks and gibbets blood and cruelty The land no place in such a peace could yeeld More safe from slaughter than this fighting field And tortur'd wretches that were left in Spaine Would call us happy who in warre were slaine But such a
His great round Table for those warrelike feasts And invitation of such noble guests At Windsor Castle does King Edward found Where he himselfe was borne a place renown'd For Britaine Arthur's name who with his bold Round-table Knights resided there of old Of whose majesticke state and honour there Some monuments did in that age appeare Though too much darkned by injurious time And more by those vaine fables made of him Which casts such mists ore his bright deeds of glory That he remaines a name without a story Nor does faire Windsor seeme alone to be The Throne of Mars and Scene of Chevalry But Loves delicious Bower more grac'd then e're Th' Idalian wood or gentle Paphos were Here are the Cupids here the Graces seene Hither does Philip Edward's noble Queene In state repaire with all her beautious traine Which then three hundred did no lesse containe Of all the greatest and most Courtly Dames That this blest land could boast they like the flames Of heaven those Orbs of pure aetheriall sire With noble thoughts the Knights strong breasts inspire For Courage oft from Beauties influence Receives his motion Iusts and Turneaments With all the other feats of active Warre Are daily show'd on this faire Theater Such Martiall labours once the Trojan Band Did exercise in old Acestes land Train'd by that pious Prince who first brought ore The Phrygian reliques to Laviniums shore But one unhappy Crosse is sent to be A sad allay to this high jollity And make great Edward mourne in midst of all His feasts and triumphs the untimely fall Of that renowned Earle of Salisbury His deare-lov'd William Mountague who by A bruise in Tilting tooke his fatall wound Who though a Subject still was lately crown'd The Monarch of an I le and first began To weare that Royall title King of Man That Iland on the westerne Sea betweene Scotland and Ireland lying that had beene Subject so many yeeres to Scotlands Crowne Had by the valour of that Earle beene won From them of late whilst great King Edward come From Brittaines Truce with his strong army home Was wasting Scotland who bestow'd that I le On th' Earle together with a Royall stile But oh how short a time did envious Fate Allot to noble William's Kingly state Who like a sacrifice did onely seeme So neere his death to weare a Diadem Soone ore all parts of Europe had the fame Of Edward's table and the Knights that came Thither to show their manly prowesse spred And in his jealous foe King Philip bred High emulation who discernes the end To which these haughty preparations tend That Edward's aime is onely to advance His strengths friendships gainst the Realme of France He thinks it now concernes him to prepare Himselfe as well against th approaching Warre And in a cause and danger great as that Dooes not at all disdaine to imitate His subtile foe but such a table he Sets up to draw from Austria Italy And southerne Lands the Knights of best renowne To grace his Court and guard his threatned Crowne Prevented thus a new society King Edward founds not onely made to be For military deeds a present tye But lasting honour to posterity The noble order of Saint George his Knights Nor for invention of those sacred rites To former times is he indebt at all As for the tables first originall He was to Brittaine Arthur's old renowne So many standing monuments were knowne Of his round tables in the Kingdome yet Besides the warlike Mortimer had set Another table up at Killing worth The age before whose fame had sounded forth And many forreine Knights had drawne from far But in this act not Mortimer shall share Nor any ancient Heröe this renowne Without a rivall is third Edward's owne No Killing worth shall sound with Windsors name Nor Brittish Arthur darken Edward's fame Saint George the Martyr is esteem'd to be A Patron fit for this society Among the Martyrs noble army none Had suffred more nor more on earth forgone For our deare Lord when Dioclesian reign'd And every land with Christians slaughters stain'd Not all his wealth nor stately signiories Nor prime of youth did this young Martyr prize For thrice seven Summers onely had he told Yet in that early age so wondrous bold And in Warres feats so skilfull was he growne That many famous battels he had wonne ' Gainst Caesar's stubbornst foes before that he By patience conquer'd Caesar's cruelty Him since for tutelary Saint of Warres The Christians honour'd as the Heathen Mars Him they invok'd in field before they fought His noble ayd th' encourag'd Christians thought Against the faithlesse Saracens they had That beauteous George in silver armour clad And crimson Crosse appear d conducting them Vnto the conquest of Ierusalem That Saint and Souldier in this Martiall age Edward entitles to the Patronage Of that most noble Order he erects Whose armed figure 's worne about their neckes The Garter buckled on their legge to be A marke of prowesse and of unity Which shall increase and in all ages be Deliver'd greater to Posterity While other lands in aemulation vaine Shall strive so bright a lustre to attaine But Englands Garter shall obscure the rest Saint Michael's Knights in fhelly collars drest Rhodes silver Crosses and Burgundia's fleece Though worne by gteater Worthies then from Greece Did first in Argo crosse the Seas and bore That golden purchase from the Colchian shore Peace could no longer hold Warres raging fire Supprest a while breakes forth and blazes higher Then e're it did the battell must be try'd For which both Kings so long on either fide Had made their strengths all Truces now are broke And nothing can prevent the fatall stroke The noblest army that e're crost the Seas From England yet was now in readinesse Which Martiall Edward soone transported o're And safe arrived on the Norman shore Nor are King Philip's preparations slacke Whose side so many mighty Princes take While in suspence all Christian Nations are To see the issue of so great a Warre Forth through the midst of quaking Normandy Like Lightnings fatall stroke did Edward flye With his couragious troops where-ere he went Diffusing feare and pale astonishment Swords freely raging and remorselesse fire Were instruments of his reuengefull ire Vnhappy a Caranton must be by fates First offred to his fury on her gates The heads of Edward's slaughter'd friends remaine The heads of Percy Bacon Clifton slaine Not long before by Philip's rage for whom The towne alas must bide a wofull doome For their deere fakes great Edward vowes to have No mercy there no age no sexe can save From deaths sad stroke all slaughter'd that are found The towne it selfe is levell'd to the ground And in confused heapes of cinders lyes To them a tombe and mourning sacrifice From thence the dreadfull army marches on Saint Lo so rich in merchandise is won And pillag'd by the Souldiers stately Caen Although a while it durst resist is tane And
Strikes England so yet this they comfort call Into the hands of man they shall not fall b Sad growes the time nor with her wonted cheare Or usuall dressing does the Spring appeare No cleansing gale of Zephyre moves the ayre While rising fogs obscure the welk in faire Without his showres contagious Auster blowes And painted Summer no kind fruit bestowes Nor does the Sunne as if inflam'd with ire Send out that wholesome and prolifique fire He us'd to doe but beames of mortall heat And from the bosome of the twins as great Combustion kindles here as if he then Vpon the Nemean Lion's backe had beene Within the farthest Easterne Lands from whence Day breakes breakes forth the fatall pestilence As if with rising Titan it begunne And follow'd thence the motion of the Sunne To Europe then does th hot contagion flye Raging through euery part of Italy And France that bled so late is forc'd to see Beside warres stroke a new mortality But most of all o're England's mourning face The sad infection spreads and Death apace In his pale Chariot rides through all the land No age nor sexe escape his vengefull hand Young men in prime of all their strength are strooke And yeeld The sucking Infant what he tooke From Nature soone is summon'd to repay From those soft limbs untimely fleets away The new-come Soule before it can be growne Acquainted with the tender mansion The aged man not because aged goes But onely ' cause he had a life to lose The mourning grave becomes a marriage bed To beauteous maids praeposterously dead One father wailes his sonne another all His houshold carries in one funerall And for so many deaths one mourning serves If one be left to mourne No care preserves Nor antidote can save from this disease Their greatest hope is but to dye in peace For oft the fiery sicknesse did invade Reasons coole seat and there prevailing made A strange distraction worse then losse of breath For which their friends wish'd as a cure their death The face oft burn'd no moisture had the eye Nor could by teares expresse their misery Some while their dearest friends they doe entombe Before that pious office done become Themselves a funerall Death makes him to be An hearse that came a mourning obsequy Nor does this venemous contagion Worke the destruction of mankind alone The sheepe and cattell perish as if growne On earth quite uselesse since the men are gone Wast lye the Lawnes the fields of tillage now Are desolate while the forsaken plow Nor men nor cattell scarce can exercise The Oxe in midst of all his labour dyes And leaves behind his mourning fellow now Dismist from toyle and service of the plow Who takes no comfort now in shady woods In flowery meadowes or cleare Chrystall floods That destiny alas for him remaines Although at rest The warrelike horse disdaines The pleasant streames and sicke forgetteth quite His food or th' honour of a race or fight Even Toads and Vipers dye acquainted growne With venome farre more mortall then their owne Twice through th' Horrizon had Hyperion runne Since first the fatall Pestilence begunne Before th' Almighty did his sword restraine And with his favour visit earth againe He now is pleas'd to cast a gracious eye On this distemper'd world her misery He cures and makes her former beauty come With kindly fruits he fills earth's fertile wombe And makes sweet blasts to move the wholesome ayre The people find at last their humble prayer Is heard and now the teares are wip'd away Due praise and thankes before his Altar pay Annotations upon the fourth Booke a Those that would see at large the actions of the Earle of Darby in Guyenne Aquitaine and Normandy let them read Froissard where they shall see them fully though not elegantly related This Earle of Darby a man of great worth and neere in blood to King Edward was afterwards by him created Duke of Lancaster the first Duke that ever was in England and left behind him no other issue but one daughter who being his sole heire was married to Iohn of Gaunt the Kings sonne and brought to him a large dowry together with the title of Duke of Lancaster b This wonderfull mortality which it pleased God in his wrath to send upon the wretched earth happened in the 22. yeare of King Edward immediately after the taking of Calleis a greater pestilence wee can scarce read of in any particular land or kingdome much lesse so great and with all so generall as this was For not onely England but France Italy and most of the Easterne and Southerne kingdomes were visited at that time and felt the rod most heavy and sad on them The fore-runner of this great sicknesse was immoderate raine for our Chronicles agree in generall that from Midsummer to Christmas it rained every day or night The yeare following it is noted that there dyed in London betweene Ianuary and the end of July seven and fifty thousand persons Other Cities and Townes suffered the like according to their proportions insomuch that some writers of those times were of opinion that halfe the inhabitants of the Land dyed for we must not beleeve Walsingham who sayes there was not above a tenth part of mankinde left alive As great a death of Cattell happened both that and the yeere following Thie was the greatest but not the onely plague which happened during the reigne of this King Edward For twelve yeeres after England was visited with another which our Chronicles called the second great Plague In that many of the Nobility dyed and among the rest that noble Henry Duke of Lancaster a chiefe actor in all the warres and victories of Edward and a maine Pillar of the state at that time THE REIGNE OF KING EDWARD THE THIRD The fifth Booke Argument V. Prince Edward levyes forces to maintaine Against the French his right in Aquitaine The King wasts Scotland Poictiers field is fought From whence King Iohn of France is prisoner brought PHilip of France had left the earth and John The eldest Sonne as in his father's Throne So in his sad mis-fortunes does succeed Who what the Fates in vengeance had decreed Against his Realme by rashnesse hastens on And gainst all right on Charles his eldest sonne Conferres the stile of Duke of Aquitaine Great Edward bound in honour to maintaine His owne inheritance creates his Sonne Young Edward Prince of that Dominion Exhorts him bravely to defend his right And ' gainst the French for his just Title fight For which Prince Edward armes and with a traine Of valiant Lords prepares for Aquitaine Never did Fortune with more favour smile On any armes nor from this martiall Ile Did ever army crosse the Seas before That more triumphant did returne or wore A richer Garland from Bellona's tree There to maintaine young Edward's signiory Brave Warwicke armes who neare the Prince his side When Crescy field his mayden prowesse try'd Before had fought and Suffolke whose renowne
all were fled and gone Still by his fathers side the fight maintain'd And in that field the name of Hardy gain'd And now the swords sad worke was ended quite When that the weary'd souldiers who from fight Or from the chase returned backe might spye Their place of rendevous display'd on high Vpon an hill Prince Edward's banner stood To which the souldiers smear'd with dust and blood Laden with spoyles and wealthy prisoners come Some leading three in bands some foure to some Did five belong that whosoe're had beene A stranger to the battell and there seene Them altogether had supposed then The Campe to be of French not Englishmen Annotations upon the fifth Booke a Concerning the slaughter of this miraculous battell of Poictiers and the numbers of which both Armies consisted we finde thus for though Historians differ it is not much The Prince his Army contained not in all above eight thousand of whom the greatest part were Archers the French King according to most Wrâ—â—rs had threescore thousand and no writer at all speakes the number much lesse The slaughter on their side was exceeding great for besides fifty Lords of whom the chiefe were Peter of Burbon Duke of Athens high Constable of France Iohn Clermont Marshall George of Charney Lord great Chamberlaine c. there fell about seventeene hundred Knights Esquires and Gentlemen bearing coats of Armes and of common souldiers there dyed about six thousand in the field besides those that fell in the chase or were beaten downe under the walls of Poictiers The list of Prisoners comprehended these great names Iohn King of France Philip his Sonne afterward Duke of Burgoigne the Archbishop of Sens Iames of Burbon Earle of Ponthieu Iohn of Artois Earle of Eu Charles his brother Earle of Longuevile Charles Earle of Vendosme the Earles of Tankervile Salbruch Nassaw Dampmartine La-Roch with many other great Lords and about two thousand Knights Esquires and Gentlemen bearing armouries Many Prisoners had beene ransomed in the field and some let goe for feare of the danger that might have ensued by retaining a greater number of Prisoners than themselves were THE REIGNE OF KING EDWARD THE THIRD The sixth Booke Argument VI. With fire and sword King Edward uncontroll'd Wasts wretched France Prince Edward's love is told King Iohn of France is ransom'd home againe The Prince is sent to governe Aquitaine THe chase together with the day was done And all return'd in his pavilion Brave Edward feasts the Royall prisoner At which as noble did the Prince appeare As erst in battell and by sweetnesse wonne As great a conquest as his sword had done No faire respect or honour that might cheere That Kings afflicted breast was wanting there No reverence nor humble curtesie That might preserve his state and dignity But Edward shew'd at full and at the feast In person waited on his captive guest But what content what object fit could Fate Present to comfort such a changed state Or cheere the Kings perplexed soule at all New is the wound nor doe his thoughts recall A long-past glory where the hand of time Best cure of griefe might ease the smart but him Whose state the morning Sunne had seene so high This night beholds in sad captivity His restlesse passions rowling to and fro No calme admit when thus his noble foe Prince Edward spake Great King for such you are In my thoughts still what-e're the chance of warre Have lately wrought against you here forgive Your humble kinsman's service if I strive To ease your sorrow and presume to doe What is too much for me to counsell you Doe not deject your Princely thoughts or thinke The Martiall fame that you have gain'd can sinke In one successelesse field or too much feare Your Nations honour should be tainted here Mens strengths and honours we most truly try Where fields are fought with most equality But God was pleas'd to make this dayes successe The more miraculous that we the lesse Might challenge to our selves and humbly know That in so great and strange an overthrow Some secret judgement of our God was wrought And that the sword of heaven not England fought All forreine Nations will expound it so That are by noble stories taught to know What your French armes in Easterne lands have done What trophees you have rais'd what Garlands wonne Against the faithlesse Saracens whose wounds So oft have flow'd on Iuda's holy grounds And stain'd with purple Siria's swarthy face And can the fortune of one field disgrace A Nation of so great Nobility And for your selfe great King all hystorie That shall hereafter to the world make knowne Th' event of Poictiers battell shall renowne Your personall prowesse which appear'd so high As justly seem'd to challenge victory Had not God's secret providence oppos'd But though his will great Sir have thus dispos'd Your state remaines your person and your fame Shall in my humble thoughts be still the same And till my father see your face to show How he respects your worth and state to you As to himselfe were he in person here In all a observance Edward shall appeare The noble King a while amaz'd to see Victorious youth so full of Courtesie At last replyes Brave Coozen you have showne Your selfe a man built up for true renowne And as in action of the warres to be This ages Phoenix in humanity Why doe you wrong me thus as to enthrall Me doubly not insulting o're my fall You rob me Coozen of that sole renowne Which I though vanquish'd might have made mine owne To beare adversity I might have shew'd Had you beene proud a passive fortitude And let the world though I were fallen see What spirit I had in scorning misery But you have rob'd me of that honour now And I am bound in honour to allow That noble theft content since such are you To be your captive and your debtor too And since my Starres ordain'd a King of France Arm'd with such odd so great a puissance Must in a fatall field be lost to raise So great a trophee to anothers praise I am best pleas'd it should advance thy story And Iohn's dishonour be Prince Edward's glory What love the vertues of a noble foe May winne did that great Persian Monarch show Who pray'd if he must from his kingdome fall That Alexander might succeed in all The Prince all signes of humble love exprest And when the banquet ended to his rest Conducts the King if any rest at all His thoughts could take after so great a fall Next morne had cheerd the earth with Phoebus light And from the Pole remov'd the damps of night When with his hoast victorious Edward goes Marching along without controll of foes Neere to the walls of Poictiers towne he past Who shut their gates and all their guards had plac'd For feare of him But no such thought had he Enough of miracle it seem'd to be If with so many prisoners and so great A spoyle that small enriched hoast could