thriue He plagues the prowde preserues the good aliue FINIS The Authoure THen vanishte Humber and no sooner gon VVas he but straight in place before me came A princely wight had complet harnes on Though not so complet as they now do frame He seemde sometime t' aue bene of worthy fame In breste a shafte with bleeding wounde he bare And thus he tolde the cause of all his care Locrinus the eldest sonne of Brutus declareth his slaughter to haue happened for his euill life He died the yeare before Christe 1064. YF euer any noble prince might rewe His factes are paste long since the same may I That would to God it were not farre to true Or that I iustly could my faultes denye The truthe of thinges the ende or tyme doth trie As well by me is seen my haplesse fall Declares whence came my greate misfortunes all I am Locrinus seconde Britayne king The 〈◊〉 sonne of him that founde this lande Whose death to me my mischiefes all did bring And causde why first I tooke my death in bande He chiefly wylde me when he gaue this lande I should be rulde by all his counsayles will And vse their iudgmentes in my dealings still But what do I accuse my fathers heste What meane I here th'unfauty for to blame All he commaunded euen was for the beste Though in effecte of beste the worste became So thinges ofte times well mente vnfitly frame So often times the counsayle of your frende Apparent good fawles faulty in the eude For as he wisht I vsde his counsayles ayde In eache thing that I deemde was good for mee I neuer ought that they desirde denayde But did to all their mindes and hestes agree And Corinaeus sawe my harte so free By diuers meanes he sought this match to make That to my wife I might his daughter take But I that wiste not then what mariage ment Did straight agree his Guendoline to haue Yet afterwarde suspecting his intent My frendes to me this pointe of counsaile gaue That who so doth of Prince aliaunce craue He meanes thereby to worke some point of ill Or else to frame the prince vnto his will. It may well be he mente no euill at all But wise men alwayes vse to dreade the-worste And sithe it was the fountaine of my fall From whence the springe of all my sorowes burste I may well thinke was some of vs accurste For why the ende doth alwayes proue the facte By ende weiudge the meaning of the acte I made no haste to wed my spoused wyfe I wiste I could as yet without hir byde I had not tasted toyes of trayned life I dcemde them fooles by Cupides darte that dide I Venus vise and all hir force defide And liude at reste and rulde my land so well That men delighted of my factes to tell My brethren eke long weldid well their partes We feard no foes we thought our state would stand We gaue our selues to learned skilfull artes Wherin we other fruite or pleasur fand And we enioyde so fine a fruitfull land That fewe in earth might with our states compare We lyude so voyde of noysome carke and care But see the chaunce when least we thought of ill When we esteamde our state to be moste sure Than came a flawe to bridle all our will For straungers far gan vs to warre procure And euen when first they put their pranke in vre On Albane shores my brother there they slewe Whose death we after made the Hunnes to rue When he was dead they hopte to winne the reste And ouer Abi streame with haste did hie But I and eke my brother Camber dreste Our armies straight and came their force to trie We brake their rayes and forste their king to flie Into the arme of Sea they ouer came Where Humber brounde that waters tooke his name We ether slewe or tooke them captiues all Emongst the which O mischiefe great to tell The Gods to worke mine ouerthrow and fall Sent ladies three whose beauties did excell Of which because I liked one so well I tooke hir straight nor she did ought denie But eche thing graunted so she might not dye Thus Humber we this hatefull hungery king In Humber drenshte and him depriude of pride And of his loftie ladies he did bring He loste the praye and all his men beside And we the spoiles of all his hoaste deuide But I that thought I had the greatest share Had caught the cause of all my wofull care They calde this lady Elstride whome I tooke Whose bewty braue did so my wittes confounde That for hir sake my promise I for sooke Wherby I was to Gwendoline first bounde Me thought no lady went on earthely grounde That might alure me euer chaunge my minde So was I caught by snares of Cupide blynde Was neuer none before so likte mine eye 〈◊〉 hir more then I coulde loue my life Hir absence still me thought did cause me die I surely mente to take hir to my wife But see howe beauty breadeth deadly strife Lo here began my whole confusion here Sprang out the shaft frō which this wounde I beare For Corinaeus had no soner hearde That I did meane his daughter to forsake But straight as one that did nought else regarde In haste his voyage towardes me did take And come declarde what promise I did make From whiche he saide if once I sought to slioe It should by dinte of sworde and bloud be tride But if I would hir take as erste I sayde And not this straunger choose against his minde His helpe he promiste at eache time and ayde To be so redy as I wishte to finde He furder sayde my contrey did me bynde To take such one as all my subiectes knewe Sithe straungers to their foes are neuer true I wayde his wordes and thought he wishte me wel But yet because his stocke should gaine therby I reckte them lesse and yet the truthe to tell I durste not dare my promise made denye For well I wiste if once it came to trye It would both weaken all this noble lande And doubtfull be who should ha th'upper hande Thus nedes perforce I must his daughter take And must leaue of to loue where I delighte I was constrainde contentio to forsake The forme that moste did captiuate my sighte What lucke had I on such a lote to lighte What ment you Goddes that me such fortune gane To caste my minde on hir I might not haue To shorte my tale his Guendoline I tooke I was contente against my will what then Nore quite for this myne Elstride I forsoke For why I wrought by skill of cunning men A vaulte along vnder the grounde a denne Hir companie wherin I vsed still There we acco mplishte our vnhappy will. There I begat my Sabrine sely childe That virgine sinall myne Elstride bare to mee Thus I my wife full often did beguilde Which after warde did beare a sonne to mee Namde Madan yet we neuer could agree And he
And for because he liked well the same He gaue the place he Ely hight his name 〈◊〉 namde the Isle of Ely yet perdy My father namde it so yet writers misse Or if I may be bolde to saye they lye Of him which tell that farre vntruthlike is What truth I pray you seemes to bee in this Hee Ely loude a goodly place built there Most it delited raignde not full a yere He raigned fourtye yeares as other tell Which seemes as t is a tale more true by farre By iustice guided he his subiects well And liude in peace without the broyles of warre His childrens noble actes in storyes ar In vulgare tongue but nought is said of mee And yet I worthy was the yongste of three His eldest sonne and heire was after king A noble Prince and he was named Lud Full polliticke and wise in euery thing And one that wild his country alwayes good Such vses customes statutes he withstoode As seemde to bring the publique weales decaye And them abolisht brake repealde awaye So he the walles of Troy the new renewde Enlargde them made with fourty towres about And at the West side of the wall be vewde A place for gates to keepe the enmyes out There made he prisons for the poore bankrout 〈◊〉 Ludgate yet for free men debters free From hurt till with their creditours they gree Some say the Citye also toke the name Of Lud my brother for he it reparde And I must needes as true confesse the same For why that time no cost on it he sparde He still encreast and peopled euery warde And bad them aye Kaer lud the city call Or Ludstone now you name it London all At length he dyed his children vnder age The elder named was Androgeus Committing both 〈◊〉 my brothers charge The yonger of them hight Tennancius The Britaynes wanting aged rulers thus Those for that time Cassibellane their kinge My brother Iustice ment in euery thinge The Romaine then the mighty Caesar fought Against the Galles and conquerde them by might Which don he stode on shores wher see he mought The Ocean seas and Britayne clieues full bright Quoth hee what Region lyes there in my sight Mee thinckes some Ilande in the seas I see Not yet subdued nor banquisht yet by mee ' With that they told him wee the Britaynes were A people stoute and fearce in feates of warre Quoth he the Romaynes neuer yet with feare Of Nation rude was daunted of so farre Wee therefore minde to proue them what they are And there withall the letters hither sent By those Embassage brought and thus they went. C. Iulius Caesar Dict of Rome to Cassibellane kinge of Britaine sendeth greetinge SIth that the Gods haue gluen vs all the 〈◊〉 As subiects to our Romaine Empire hie By warre or as it seemed Ioue the best Of whom we Romaynes came and chiefely I. Therefore to you which in the Ocean dwell As yet not vnderneth subiection due Wee sende our letters greeting wete ye well In warlike cases thus we deale with you First that you as the other Regions paye Us tribute yearely Romaynes we require Then that you will with all the force you may Withstand our foes as yors with sword and fire And thirdly that by these you pledges sende T' assure the couenaunts once agreed by you So with your daunger lesse our warres may ende Els bid we warre Cassibellane Adieu Caesar. No sooner were these Caesars letters seene But straight the king for all his nobles sent He shewd them what their auncestours had bene And praide them tell in this their whole intent He could them where about the Romaynes went And what subiection was how seruile they Should bee if Caesar bare their pompe away And all the Britaynes euen as set on fyre My selfe not least 〈◊〉 was to fight Did humblye him in ioyfull wise require That he his letters would to Caesar write And tell him 〈◊〉 wet paste not of his spite Wee past as litle of the Romaynes wee And lesse then they of vs if lesse might bee Wherefore the ioyfull kinge againe replide Through counsaile wise of all the nobles had By letters hee the Romaynes hestes denyde Which made the Britayns hauty harts full glad No doubt the Romaynes more then halfe were mad To here his letters written thus they went Which he againe to mighty Caesar sent Cassibellane kinge of Brit. to C. Iulius Caesar Dictat sendeth aunswere AS thou O Caesar writste the Gods haue giuen to thee The West so I reply they gaue this I stande mee Thou sayst you Romaynes and thy selfe of Gods discende And darst thou then to spoile our Troian bloud pretende Againe though Gods haue giune thee all the world as thine That 's parted from the world thou getst no lande of mine And sith likewise of Gods we came a Nation free Wee owe 〈◊〉 tribute ayde or pledge to Rome or thee Retract thy will or wadge thy warre as likes thee 〈◊〉 Wee are to fight and rather then to frendship prest To saue our country from the force of forraine strife Eche Britaine here is well content to venter life Wee feare not of the ende or daungers thou dost tell But vse thy pleasure if thou mayste thus fare thou well Cassib. When Caesar had receaude his aunswere soe It 〈◊〉 him much he fully straight decreed To wadge vs warre and worke vs Britaines woe Therefore he hasted hither warde with speede Wee Britaynes eke prepard our selues with heede To meete the Romaynes all in warlike wise With all the force and speede we might 〈◊〉 Wee Britaynes then farre deemde it meeter much To meete him first at th' entry on this lande Then for to giue an entrye here to suche Might with our victuals here our selues 〈◊〉 T is better far thy enemye to abande Quite from thy borders to a straunger soyle Then he at home thee and thy country 〈◊〉 Wherefore we met him at his entry in And pitche our campes directly in his way Wee minded sure to leese or els to winne The praise before wee paste from thence away So when that both the armies were in ray And trumpets blaste on euery side was blowne Our mindes to either eche were quickely knowne Wee ioyned battaile fercely both we fought The Romaynes to enlarge their Empires same And wee with all the force and might wee mought To saue our country and to keepe our name O worthy Britaynes learne to do the same Wee brake the rayes of all the Romaine host And made the mighty Caesar leaue his boast Yet he the worthiest Captaine euer was Brought all in ray and fought againe a 〈◊〉 His skilfull souldiers he could bring to passe At once for why his traynings all they knewe No soner I his noble corps did vewe But in I 〈◊〉 amongst the Captaines bande And there I fought with Caesar hand to hande O God thou mightst haue giuen a Britaine grace T' haue 〈◊〉 the Romaine Caesar noble then Which sought his bloud the Britaynes
doubtfull was that would haue tolde hir paine In wofull sort she seemed to lament And could not well her tongue from talke refraine For why her griefes vnfolde she would right faine Yet bashfull was at length an ende to make Hir Morpheus wild and then thus wife she spake Cordila shewes how by despaire when she was in prison she slue herselfe the yeare before Christe 800. Yf any wofull might haue cause to maile her moe Or griefes are past do pricke vs Princes tel our fal By selfe likewise must needes constrained eke do so And shew my like misfortunes and mishaps withal Should I keepe close my beauy haps and 〈◊〉 Then did I wronge I wrongde my selfe and thee Which of my facts a witnes true maist bee A woman yet must blushe when bashfull is the case Though truth bid tell the tale aud story as it fell But sith that I mislike not audience time nor place Therefore I cannot still keepe in my counsaile well No greater case of hart then griefes to tell It daunteth all the dolours of our minde Our carefull harts thereby great comfort finde For why to tell that may recounted be againe And tell it as oure cares may compasse case That is the salue and medcine of our paine Which cureth corsyes all and sores of our disease It doth our pinching panges and paines a pease It pleades the part of an assured frende And telles the trade like vices to amende Therefore if I more willing be to tell my fall And shew mishaps to ease my burdened brest and minder That others haply may auoide and shunne like thrall And thereby in distresse more ayde and comfort finde They maye keepe measure where as I declinde And willing be to flye like bruite and blame As I to tell or thou to write the same For sith I see the prest to heare that wilt recorde What I Cordila tell to ease my inward sinart I will resite my storye tragicall ech worde To the that giust an eare to heare and ready art And lest I set the horse behinde the cart I minde to tell ech thinge in order so As thou maiste see and shewe whence sprang my wo. My grandsyre Bladud hight that found the Bathes by skill A fethered king that practisde for to flye and soare Whereby he felt the fall God wot against his will And neuer went roode raignde nor spake nor flew no more Who dead his sonne my father Leire therefore Was chosen kinge by right apparent heyre Which after built the towne of Leircestere We had three daughters first and eldest hight Gonerell Next after bi r my sister Ragan was begote The thirde and last was I the yongest namde Cordell And of vs all our father Leire in age did dote So minding hir that loude him best to note Because he had no sonne t' enioye his lande He thought to giue where fauoure most he fande What though I yougest were yet men me iudgde more wise Then either Gonorell or Ragan had more age And fayrer farre wherefore my sisters did despise My grace and giftes and sought my praise t'swage But yet though vice gainst vertue die with rage It cannot keepe her vnderneth to drowne But still she flittes aboue and reapes renowne Yet nathelesse my father did me not mistike But age so simple is and easye to subdue As childhode weake that 's voide of wit and reason quite They thincke ther 's nought you flater fainde but all is true Once olde and twice a childe t is said with you Which I affirme by proofe that was definde In age my father had a childishe minde He thought to wed vs vnto nobles three or Peres And vnto them and theirs deuide and part the lande For both my sisters first he sent as first their yeares Requirde their mindes and loue and fauour t' understand Quoth he all doubtes of duty to abande I must assaye and eke your frendships proue Now tell me eche how much you do me loue Which when they aunswered they loude him wel and more Then they themselues did loue or any worldly wight He praised them and said he would againe therefore The louing kindnes they deserude in fine requite So found my sisters fauour in his sight By flatery fayre they won their fathers hart Which after turned him and mee to smart But not content with this he minded me to proue For why he wonted was to loue me wonders well How much dost thou ê™ he Cordile thy father loue I will said I at once my loue declare and tell I loude you euer as my father well No otherwise if more to know you craue We loue you chiefly for the goodes you haue Thus much I said the more their flattery to detect But he me answerd therunto again with Ire Because thou dost thy fathers aged yeares neglect That loude the more of late then thy desertes require Thou neuer shalt to any part aspire Of this my realme emong thy sisters twayne But euer shalt bndotid ay remayne Then to the king of Albany for wife he gaue My sister Gonerell the eldest of vs all And eke my sister Ragan for Hinnine to haue Which then was Prince of Camber and Cornwall These after him should haue his kingdome all Betwene them both he gaue it franke and free But nought at all he gaue of domry mee At last it 〈◊〉 that king of Fraunce to here my fame My beutie braue was blazed all abrode eche where And eke my vertues praisoe me to my fathers blame Did for my sisters flattery me 〈◊〉 fauoure beare Which when this worthy king my wroÌ„gs did heare He sent ambassage likte me more then life T' intreate he might me haue to be his wife My father was content withall his harte and sayde He gladly should obtaine his whole request at will Concerning me if nothing I herin denayde But yet he kept by their 〈◊〉 hatred still ê™ he your prince his pleasure to fulfill I graunt and giue my daughter as you craue But nought of me for dowry can she haue King Aganippus well agreed to take me so He deemde that vertue was of dowries all the best And I contentid was to Fraunce my father 〈◊〉 For to depart 〈◊〉 t' enioye some greater rest I maried was and then my ioyes encreaste I gate more fauoure in this prince his fight Then euer princesse of a princely wight But while that I these toyes euioyd at home in FrauÌ„ce My father Leire in Britayne wared aged olde My sisters yet them selues the more aloft t' advaunce Thought well they might be by his leaue or sans so bolde To take the realme rule it as they wold They rose as rebels voyde of reason quite And they depriude him of his crowne and right Then they agreed it should be into partes 〈◊〉 Deuided and my father threscore knightes squires Should alwayes haue attending on him still at cal But in sit monthes so much encreased hateful Ires That Gonerell denyde all his desires So
halfe his garde she and her husband refte And scarce alowde the other halfe they lefte Eke as in Scotlande thus he lay lamenting fates When as his daughter so sought all his vtter spoyle The meaner vpstarte gentiles thought thē selues his 〈◊〉 And betters eke see here an aged prince his foyle Then was he saine for succoure his to toyle With all his knightes to Cornewall there to lye In greatest nede his Raganes loue to trye And when he came to Cornwall Ragan them with foye Receiued him and eke bit husbande did the lyke There he abode a yeare and liude without a noy But then they tooke all his retinue from him quite Saue only ten and shewde 〈◊〉 dayly spite Which he bewailde 〈◊〉 durst not striue Though in disoayne they laste alowde but fiue On this he deemde him selfe was far that tyine vnwyse When from his doughter Gonerell to Ragan hee Departed erste yet eache did him poore king despise Wherefore to Scotlande once againe with bit to bee And bide be went but beastly cruell shee Bereaude him of his seruauntes all saue one Bad him content him self with that or none Eke at what time he askte of eache to haue his garde To garoe his grace where so he walkte or wente They calde him doting foole and all his hestes debarde Demaunded if with life he could not be contente 〈◊〉 he to late his rigour did repente Gainst me and sayde Cordila now 〈◊〉 I finde the 〈◊〉 thou 〈◊〉 mee to to true And to be short to Fraunce he came alone to mee And tolde me how my sisters him our father vsde Then I besought my king with teares vpō my knee That he would aide my father thus by them misusde Who nought at all my humble beste refusde But sent to euery coste of Fraunce for ayde Wherwith my father home might be conueide The soldiers gathered from eche quarter of the land Came at the length to know the king his mind will Who did commit them to my fathers aged hand And I likewise of loue and reuerent mere goodwill Desirde my king he would not take it ill If I departed for a space withall To take a parte or ease my fathers thrall This had I partid with my father from my fere We came to Britayne with our royall cāpe to fight And manly fought so lōg our enmies bāquisht were By martiall feates and force by subiectes sword and might The Britishe kinges were fayne to yelde our right And so my father well this realme did guide Three yeares in peace and after that he dide Then I at Leircester in Ianus temple made His tombe and buried there his kingly regall corse As sondry tymes in life before he often bade For of our fathers will we then did greatly force We had of conscience eke so much remorce That we supposde those childrens liues to ill Which brake their fathers testament and will. And I was queene the kingdome after still to holde Till fiue yeares paste I did this Iland guyde I had the Britaynes at what becke bay I wolde Till that my louing king myne Aganippus dyde But then my seate it faltered on eache side Two churlishe Impes began with me to Farre And for my crowne wadgde with me mortal warre The one hight Morgan th' elder sonne of Gonerell My sister and that other Conidagus hight My sister Ragans sonne that loude me neuer well Both nephewes mine yet wolde against me Cordel fight Because I loude always that semed right Therfore they hated me and did pursue Their aunte and queene as she had bene a Iewe. This Morgane was that time the prince of Albany And Comdagus king of Cornewale and of VVales Both which at once prousded their artillery To worke me wofull wo mine adherentes bales What nede I fill thyne eares with longer tales ' They did preuaile by might and powre so faste That I was taken prisoner at laste In spitefull sorte they vsed then my captiue corse No fauoure shewde to me ertincte was mine estate Of kinred princesse bloud or pere was no remorce But as an abiecte vile and worse they did me hate To lie in darksome dongeon was my fate As t were a thiefe mine aunswers to abyde Gainst right and iustice vnder Iaylours guyde For libertie at lengthe I suid to subiectes were But they kepte me in pryson close deuoyde of truste If I might once escape they were in dreade and feare Their fawning frendes with me would proue vntrue and 〈◊〉 They tolde me take it paciently I muste And be contented that I had my life Sithe with their mothers I began the strife Whereby I sawe might nothing me preuayle to pray Or pleade or proue defende excuse or pardon craue They herde me not despisde my plaintes sought my decay I might no lawe nor loue nor right nor iustice haue No frendes no faith nor pitie could me saue But I was from all hope of licence barde Condemde my cause like neuer to be herde Was euer lady in such wofull wreckfull wo Depriude of princely powre berefte of libertie Depriud in all these worldly pompes hit pleasures fro And brought from welthe to nede distresse and misery From palace proude in prison poore to lye From kingdomes twayne to dungion one no more From Ladies wayting vnto vermine store From light to darke from holsom ayre to lothsam smell From odewr swete to sweate from ease to grieuous payne From sight of princely wights to place where theues do dwel From deinty beddes of downe to be of strawe full fayne From dowes of beauenly hewe to dennes of dayne From greatest haps that worldly wightes atchieue To more distresse then any wretche aliue When firste I lefte the crowne of Fraunce tid me eralte And eke my noble king myne Aganippus true And came to Englande for their beynous factes and faulte Which from his right and kingdom quite our-father threw To take this realme to raigne and treason knew I thinke of all misfortunes was the worste Or else I deeme was some of vs accurste For marke my haplesse fall that drawes at length to ende As in this pryson vile on lyue I lingering laye When I had mourned long but founde no faithfull frende That could me helpe or ayde or comforte any way Was serude at meate as those their kinges betraye With fare God wot was simple bare and thinne Could not sustayne the corys it entred in And when the sighes teares plaintes nigh burst my hart And place and stenche and fare night poysond euery pore For lacke of frendes to tell my seas of giltlesse smarte And that mine eyes had sworne to take swete stepe no more I was content siche cares oppreste me sore To leaue my foode take mourning plaintes and crie And lay me downe let griefe and nature trie Thus as I pyning lay my carkas on couch of strawe And felte that payne erste neuer creature earthly knewe Me thought by night a gryzely ghost in darkes I same Eke nerer