History Am I at Home pursu'd with private Hate And War comes raging to my Palace Gate RObert Earl of Leicester who took part with young King Henry entred into England with an Army of three thousand Flemings and spoiled the Countries of Norfolk and Suffolk being succoured by many of the King 's private Enemies And am I branded with the Curse of Rome King Henry the Second the first Plantaginet accused for the Death of Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury slain in that Cathedral Church was accursed by Pope Alexander although he urged sufficient proof of his Innocency in the same and offered to take upon him any Pennance so he might avoid the Curse and Interdiction of his Realm And by the Pride of my rebellious Son Rich Normandy with Armies over-run Henry the young King whom King Henry had caused to be Crowned in his Life as he hoped both for his own good and the good of his Subjects which indeed turned to his own Sorrow and the trouble of the Realm for he rebelled against him and raising a Power by the means of Lewis King of France and William King of Scots who took part with him and invaded Normandy Unkind my Children most unkind Wife Never King more unfortunate then King Henry in the disobedience of his Children First Henry then Geoffrey then Richard then John all at one time or other first or last unnaturally rebelled against him then the Jealousie of Elinor his Queen who suspected his Love to Rosamond Which grievous troubles the Devout of those Times attributed to happen to him justly for refusing to take on him the Government of Jerusalem offered to him by the Patriarch there which Country was mightily afflicted by the Souldan Which only Vaughan thou and I do know This Vaughan was a Knight whom the King exceedingly loved who kept the Palace at Woodstock and much of the Kings Jewels and Treasure to whom the King committed many of his Secrets and in whom he reposed such trust that he durst commit his Love unto his Charge FINIS KING JOHN TO MATILDA The ARGUMENT After King John had assayed by all means possible to win the fair and chast Matilda to his unchast and unlawfull Bed and by unjust Courses and false accusation banish'd the Lord Robert Fitzwater her Noble Father and many other Allies who justly withstood the desire of this wanton King seeking the dishonour of his fair and vertuous Daughter This chast Lady still solicited by the lascivious King flies unto Dunmow in Essex where she becomes a Nun the King still persisting in his Suit sollicites her by this Epistle her Reply confirms her vow'd and invincible Chastity making known to the King her pure unspotted Thoughts WHen these my Letters thy bright Eyes shall view Think them not forc'd or feign'd or strange or new Thou know'st no way no means no course exempted Left now unsought unprov'd on unattempted All Rules Regards all secret Helps of Art What Knowledge Wit Experience can impart And in the old Worlds Ceremonies doted Good days for Love Times Hours Minute noted And where Art left Love teacheth more to find By signs in presence to express the Mind Oft hath mine Eye told thine Eye Beauty griev'd it And begg'd but for one Look to have reliev'd it And still with thine Eyes motion mine Eye mov'd Lab'ring for Mercy telling how it lov'd You blusht I blusht your Cheek pale pale was mine My Red thy Red my Whiteness answer'd thine You sigh'd I sigh'd we both one Passion prove But thy sigh is for Hate my sigh for Love If a word pass'd that insufficient were To help that word mine Eye let forth a Tear And if that Tear did dull or senseless prove My Heart would fetch a Throb to make it move Oft in thy Face one Favour from the rest I singled forth that pleas'd my Fancy best This likes me most another likes me more A third exceeding both those lik'd before Then one as Wonder were derived thence Then that whose rareness passeth excellence Whilst I behold thy Globe-like rowling Eye Thy lovely Cheek me thinks stands smiling by And tells me those are Shadows and Supposes But bids me thither come and gather Roses Looking on that thy Brow doth call to me To come to it if Wonders I will see Now have I done and then thy dimpled Chin Again doth tell me newly I begin And bids me yet to look upon thy Lip Lest wond'ring least the great'st Loverslip My gazing Eye on this and this doth sease Which surfeits yet cannot Desire appease Now like I Brown O lovely Brown thy Hair Only in Browness Beauty dwelleth there Then love I Black think Eye-ball black as Jet Which in a Globe pure Crystalline is set Then White but Snow nor Swan nor Ivory please Then are thy Teeth whiter by much then these In Brown in Black in Pureness and in White All Love all Sweets all Rareness all Delight Thus my stol'n Heart sweet Thief thou hence do'st carry And now thou fly'st into a Sanctuary Fie peevish Girl ingratefull unto Nature Was it for this she fram'd thee such a Creature That thou her Glory should'st encrease thereby And thou alone do'st scorn Society Why Heav'n made Beauty like her self to view Not to be lock'd up in a smoaky Mew A Rosie-tincted Feature is Heav'ns Gold Which all Men joy to touch all to behold It was enacted when the World begun So rare a Beauty should not live a Nun But if this Vow thou needs wilt undertake Oh were mine Arms a Cloyster for thy sake Still may his Pains for ever be augmented This Superstition idly that invented Ill might he thrive who brought this Custome hither That holy People might not live together A happy Time a good World was it then When holy Women liv'd with holy Men. But Kings in this yet priviledg'd may be I 'll be a Monk so I may live with thee Who would not rise to ring the Morning's Knell When thy sweet Lips might be the sacring Bell Or what is he not willingly would fast That on those Lips might feast his Lips at last Who to his Mattins early would not rise Might he but read by th' Light of thy fair Eyes On Worldly Pleasures who would ever look That had thy Curls his Beads thy Brows his Book Wert Thou the Cross to Thee who would not creep And wish the Cross still in his Arms to keep Sweet Girl I 'll take this holy Habit on me Of meer Devotion that is come upon me Holy Matilda Thou the Saint of mine I 'll be thy Servant and my Bed thy Shrine When I do offer be thy Breast the Altar And when I pray thy Mouth shall be my Psalter The Beads that we will bid shall be sweet Kisses Which we will number if one Pleasure misses And when an Ave comes to say Amen We will begin and tell them o'er again Now all good Fortune give me happy Thrift As I should joy t' absolve thee after Shrift But see
Title of King of Sicily and Jerusalem This Marriage being made contrary to the liking of the Lords and Counsel of the Realm by reason of the yielding up of Anjou and Main into the Dukes hands which shortly after proved the loss of all Aquitain they ever after bore a continued hatred to the Duke and by means of the Commons banished him at the Parliament at Bury where after he had judgment of his Exile being then ready to depart he writes back to the Queen this Epistle IN my disgrace dear Queen rest thy Content And Margarets health from Suffolk's Banishment Five years exile were not an hour to me But that so soon I must depart from thee Where thou 'rt not present it is ever night All be exil'd that live not in thy sight Those Savages which worship the Suns rise Would hate their God if they beheld thine Eyes The worlds great light might'st thou be seen abroad Would at our Noon-stead ever make aboad And force the poor Antipodes to mourn Fearing lest he would never more return Wer 't not for thee it were my great'st exile To live within this Sea-inviron'd Isle Pool's Courage brooks not limiting in Bands But that great Queen thy Sov'raignty commands * Our Faulcons kind cannot the Cage indure Nor Buzzard-like doth stoop to ev'ry Lure Their mounting Brood in open Air doe rove Nor will with Crows be coup't within a Grove We all do breathe upon this Earthly Ball Likewise one Heav'n incompasseth thus all No Banishment can be to him assign'd Who doth retain a true resolved Mind Man in himself a little World doth bear His Soul the Monarch ever ruling there Where ever then his Body doth remain He is a King that in himself doth reign And never feareth Fortunes hot'st Alarms That bears against her Patience for his Arm 's * This was the mean proud Warwick did invent To my digrace at Leister Parliament * That only I by yielding up of Main * Should cause the loss of fertile Aquitain * With the base vulgar sort to win him fame To be the Heir of good Duke Humphry's Name And so by Treason spotting my pure Blood Make this a mean to raise the Nevils Brood * With Salisbury his vile ambitious Sire * In York's stern Breast kindling long hidden fire * By Clarence Title working to supplant * The Eagle Ayrie of great John of Gaunt And to this end did my Exile conclude Thereby to please the Rascal Multitude * Urg'd by these envious Lords to spend their breath Crying revenge for the Protectors death That since the old decrepit Duke is dead By me of force he must be murthered * If they would know who rob'd him of his Life * Let them call home Dame Elinor his Wife * Who with a Taper walked in a Sheet * To light her shame at Noon through London Street * And let her bring her Necromantick Book * That foul Hag Jordan Hun and Bullenbrook * And let them call the Spirits from Hell again To know how Humphry dy'd and who shall reign * For twenty years and have I serv'd in France * Against great Charles and Bastard Orleance And seen the Slaughter of a World of Men Victorious now as hardly conquer'd then * And have I seen Vernoyla's batful Fields Strew'd with ten thousand Helmes ten thousand Shields Where famous Bedford did our Fortune try Or France or England for the Victory The sad investing of so many Towns Scor'd on my Breast in honourable Wounds When Mountacute and Talbot of much Name Under my Ensign both first won their Fame In Heat and Cold all these have I endur'd To rouze the French within their Walls immur'd Through all my Life these perils have I past And now to fear a Banishment at last Thou know'st how I thy beauty to advance For thee refus'd the Infanta of France Brake the Contract Duke Humphry first did make 'Twixt Henry and the Princess Arminack Only that here thy presence I might gain I gave Duke Rayner Anjou Mauns and Main Thy Peerless Beauty for a Dower to bring As of it self sufficient for a King * And from Aumerle withdrew my Warlike Pow'rs * And came my self in person first to Tours * Th'Embassadours for truce to entertain * From Belgia Denmark Hungary and Spain And to the King relating of thy story My Tongue flow'd with such plenteous Oratory As the report by speaking did indite Begetting still more ravishing delight And when my Speech did cease as telling all My Look shew'd more that was Angelical And when I breath'd again and pawsed next I left mine Eyes dilating on the Text Then coming of thy Modesty to tell In Musicks numbers my Voice rose and fell And when I came to paint thy glorious stile My speech in greater Cadences to file * By true descent to wear the Diadem * Of Naples Cicil and Jerusalem As from the Gods thou didst derive thy Birth If those of Heaven could mix with these of Earth Gracing each Title that I did recite With some mellifluous pleasing Epithite Nor left him not till he for love was sick Beholding thee in my sweet Rhetorick A Fifteens Tax in France I freely spent In Triumphs at thy Nuptial Tournament And solemniz'd thy Marriage in a Gown Valu'd at more than was thy Fathers Crown And only striving how to honour thee Gave to my King what thy love gave to me Judge if his kindness have not power to move Who for his loves sake gave away his love Had he which once the Prize to Greece did bring Of whom th' old Poets long ago did sing * Seen thee for England but imbark'd at Deep Would over-board have cast his golden Sheep As too unworthy ballast to be thought To pester room with such perfection fraught The briny Seas which saw the Ship infold thee Would vault up to the Hatches to behold thee And falling back themselves in thronging smother Breaking for grief enving one another When the proud Bark for Joy thy steps to feel Scorn'd that the Brack should kiss her furrowing Keel And trick'd in all her Flags her self she braves Cap'ring for joy upon the silver Waves When like a Bull from the Phenician Strand Jove with Europa rushing from the Land Upon the Bosome of the Main doth scud And with his Swannish Breast cleaving the Floud Tow'rd the fair Fields upon the other side Beareth Agenor's joy Phenicia's pride All heavenly Beauties joyn themselves in one To shew their glory in thine Eye alone Which when it turneth that celestial Ball A thousand sweet Stars rise a thousand fall Who justly saith mine Banishment to be When only France for my recours is free To view the Plains where I have seen so oft Englands victorious Engines rays'd aloft When this shall be a comfort in my way To see the place where I may boldly say Here mighty Bedford forth the Vaward led Here Talbot charg'd and here the Frenchmen fled Here with our Archers valiant Scales did lye Here stood the Tents
boast And tell thee that which thou already know'st No sacred Queen my Valour I deny It was thy Beauty not my Chivalry One of thy tressed Curls there falling down As loath to be imprisoned in thy Crown I saw the soft Ayr sportively to take it And into strange and sundry forms to make it Now parting it to four to three to twain Now twisting it then it untwist again Then make the threads to dally with thine Eye A Sunny Candle for a golden Fly At length from thence one little tear it got Which falling down as though a Star had shot My up-turn'd Eye pursu'd it with my Sight The which again redoubled all my Might 'T is but in vain of my Descent to boast When Heav'ns Lamp shines all other Lights be lost Faulcons seem poor the Eagle sitting by Whose Brood surveyes the Sun with open Eye * Else might my blood find Issue from his force * Who beat the Tyrant Richard from his Horse On Bosworth Plain whom Richmond chose to wield His glorious Ensign in that conqu'ring Field And with his Sword in his dear Sov'reigns sight To his last breath stood fast in Henries Right Then beautious Empress think this safe delay Shall be the Even to a joyful Day Fore-sight doth still on all advantage lye Wise-men give place forc'd by necessity To put back ill our good we must forbear Better first fear then after still to fear 'T were over-sight in that at which we aim To put the Hazzard on an after-Game With patience then let us our Hopes attend And till I come receive these Lines I send ANNOTATIONS of the Chronicle History When Longavile to Mary was affy'd THe Duke of Longavile who was Prisoner in England upon the Peace to be concluded between England and France was delivered and married to the Princess Mary for Lewis the French King his Master How in a storm thy well-ri'd Ships were tost And thou c. As the Queen sayled for France a mighty storm arose at Sea so that the Navy was in great danger and was severed some driven upon the Coast of Flanders some on Brittain the Ship wherein the Queen was driven into the Haven at Bullen with very great danger When thou to Abvile held'st th' appointed day King Lewis met her by Abvile near to the Forrest of Arders and brought her into Abvile with great Solemnity Appeard'st unto him like the Queen of Light Expressing the sumptuous Attye of the Queen and her Train attended by the chief of the Nobility of England with six and thirty Ladies all in Cloth of Silver their Horses trapped with Crimson Velvet A criple King laid Bedrid long before King Lewis was a man of great years troubled much with the Gout so that he had long time before little use of his Legs When Marques Dorset and the valiant Grayes The Duke of Suffolk when the Proclamation came into England of Justs to be holden in France at Paris be for the Queens sake his Mistress obtained of the King to go thither With whom went the Marquess Dorset and his four Brothers the Lord Clinton Sir Edward Nevil Sir Giles Capel Thomas Cheyney which went all over with the Duke as his Assistants When thou in Triumph didst through Paris ride A true description of the Queens entring into Paris after her Coronation performed at St. Denis Then five great Dukes as did their Places fall The Dukes of Alanson Burbon Vandom Longavile Suffolk with five Cardinals That larg-lim'd Almain of the Giants Race Francis Valoys the Dolphin of France envying the glory that the English Men had obtained at the Tilt brought in an Almain secretly a Man thought almost of incomparable strength which inccuntred Charles Brandon at the Barriers but the Duke grappling with him so beat him about the Head with the Pummel of his Sword that the blood came out of the sight if his Caske Else might my Blood find issue from his force Who beat c. Sir William Brandon Standard bearer to the Earl of Richmond after Henry the Seventh at Bosworth-Field a brave and gallant Gentleman who was slain by Richard there this was Father to this Charles Brandon Duke of Suffolk FINIS Henry Howard Earl of Surrey TO THE Lady GERALDINE The ARGUMENT Henry Howard that truly noble Earl of Surrey and excellent Poet falling in love with Geraldine descended of the Noble Family of the Fitzs-Gerarlds of Ireland a fair and modest Lady and one of the honourable Maids to Queen Catharine Dowager eternizeth her praises in many excellent Poems of rare and sundry inventions and after some few years being determined to see Italy that famous Source and Helicon of all excellent Arts first visiteth the renowned City of Floreoe from whence the Geralds challenge their descent from the anctient Family of the Geraldi there in honour of his Mistress he advanceth her Picture and challengeth to maintain her Beauty by deeds of Arms against all that durst appear in the Lifts where after the proof of his incomparable valour whose Arms crowned her Beauty with eternal Memory he writeth this Epistle to his dearest Mistress * FRom learned Florence long time rich in fame From whence thy Race thy noble Grandsiers came To famous England that kind Nurse of mine Thy Surrey sends to heav'nly Geraldine Yet let not Tuscan think I do it wrong That I from thence write in my Native Tongue That in these harsh-tun'd Cadences I sing Sitting so near the Muses sacred Spring But rather think it self adorn'd thereby That England reads the praise of Italy Though to the Tuscans I the smoothness grant Our Dialect no Majesty doth want To set thy praises in as high a Key As France or Spain or Germany or they That day I quit the Fore-land of fair Kent And that my Ship her course for Flanders bent With what regret and how heavy a look My leave of England and of thee I took I did intreat the Tide if it might be But to convey me one sigh back to thee Up to the Deck a Billow lightly skips Taking my sigh and down again it slips Into the Gulf it self it headlong throws And as a Post to England-ward it goes As I sate wondring how the rough Seas stir'd I might far off perceive a little Bird Which as she fain from Shore to Shore would flie Had lost her self in the broad vasty Skie Her feeble Wing beginning to deceive her The Seas of life still gaping to bereave her Unto the Ship she makes which she discovers And there poor fool a while for refuge hovers And when at lengeh her flagging Pinnion fails Painting she hangs upon the ratling Sails And being forc'd to loose her hold with pain Yet beaten off she strait lights on again And tos'd with flaws with storms with wind with weather Yet still departing thence still turneth thither Now with the Poop now with the Prow doth bear Now on this side now that now here now there Me thinks these Storms should be my sad depart