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
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
thousands dying strew the purple plaine The wretched Souldiers feele but cannot see The wondrous cause of this great tragedy Some with amaze and feare are almost kill'd Some onely overthrowne but all hearts fill'd Withsad destruction thinke the day of doome And dissolution of the world is come Or else surpriz'd with more particular feares They deeme alas some winged Messengers Of God above against their campe are sent T' inflict on them immediate punishment As once an Angell sent from God did smite The hoast of proud Senacherib by night Great Edward sadly trembles every where Enforc'd his dying souldiers grones to heare But when the horror of the storme was gone The darkenesse vanish'd and bright day-light shone On them againe and had discover'd all His heart relents and in the pity'd fall Of his poore men he thinks he truly sees God's wrath for all those Christian tragedies Which his victorious sword in France had wrought And all the woes he had on Scotland brought Never before did Edward's pensive breast Truly revolve how tragike is the best Successe that warre ' gainst Christian lands affords What impious wounds his sadly conquering swords Had made in Europe all the battel 's wonne Since first that fatall title he begunne To set on foot are running in his thought Now Crescy Poictiers Halidowne are brought Into his fad remembrance and almost He wishes all his triumphs had beene lost Rather than with such horrid slaughter wonne For which in paenitent Devotion His knees in Chartres Temple Edward bowes Forgivenesse begs for what is past aud vowes Thenceforth the fury of his sword shall cease And he with wretched France conclude a peace On easier termes then erst he stood upon Home to his land restoring ransom'd Iohn Few months had past before this good entent Of pious Edward found accomplishment At Brettigny so well on either side The Agents dealt that peace was ratifi'd On steddy Articles and John whom here Five painted Springs had seene a prisoner Is to his native land returned backe With kind embraces the two Monarchs take Their leave at Calleis With a Royall heart So full of love did John from Edward part So well his usage pleased him that he Entends againe in noble courtesie To visit England and for favâ—rs done To thanke great Edward and his Princely sonne The bloody stormes of warre away are blowne And white-wing'd peace from heaven descended down To cheare faire France her late afflicted state Whilst England's quiet Court does celebrate At once two Princely Nuptials with as high A state as may befit their dignity The Paphian Queene in all her smiles appeares His purple robe the pleased Hymen weares When brave Prince Edward now all lets remov'd Weds that faire Countesse he so long had lov'd And Iohn of Gaunt enjoyes the wealthy heire Of Noble Henry Duke of Lancaster The State at home well setled to employ Prince Edward's worth and raise his dignity He with his Princesse and a noble traine Is sent away to governe Aquitaine Annotations upon the sixth Booke a Concerning the lowly demeanour of Edward the blacke Prince toward King Iohn of France after hee had taken him Prisoner in the battell of Poictiers and the Courteous reception which King Edward gave him here in England there were no Authors either then or since but did freely acknowledge insomuch as many yeares after Guicciardine an Italian Writer and therefore indifferent to both Nations speaking of the warres of Christendome in his time when Francis the first King of France had beene taken prisoner at the battell of Pavie by the souldiers of Charles the fifth Emperour and King of Spaine and had long beene kept in hard durance in the Castell of Madrid brings in King Francis complaining of his unworthy usage where comparing the mis-fortunes of King Iohn with his owne and the wonderfull difference of both their entertainments hee much extols the Courtesie of the English Nation and condemnes the Spaniards insolence And so much did that Courtesie worke upon the noble disposition of King Iohn that as many of that time thought it occasioned his voluntary comming into England to visit King Edward not many yeares after his releasement Though other occasions there might be of that journey as the selling of his affaires before his entended voyage to the holy Warres and yet those perchance might well have beene performed by Embassadours But howsoever it were in the yeare 1364 and of King Edward's Reigne the 38 this King Iohn came into England and besides him two other Kings the Kings of Scotland and of Cyprus where the magnificence of the English Court was well expressed in feasting sumptuously three Kings at once The King of Scotland and the King of Cyprus after they had dispatched their businesse returned home to their owne kingdomes but King Iohn of France fell sicke and dyed at London the yeare following His death was much lamented by King Edward who solemnly attended his corps to Dover from whence it was conveyed to Saint Denys and entombed with his Ancestors b This miraculous storme of haile stones which neere to Chartres fell upon King Edward's Army was esteemed by many of those times an immediate Messenger of Gods wrath for all the Christian blood which King Edward for many yeares had shed both in France and Scotland So great was the haile and so violent the fall of it that it felled horses to the ground and slew above two thousand of the English Souldiers King Edward himselfe was much astonished and thought it no lesse than an immediate judgement of God upon which in penitence hee performed many devotions and on reasonable termes concluded a peace with France so that King Iohn was ransomed and returned home to his owne kingdome after hee had remained a prisoner five yeares in England THE REIGNE OF KING EDWARD THE THIRD The seventh Booke Argument VII Prince Edward marches into Spaine to fight ' Gainst Henry in deposed Pedro's right At Naveret he beats the strength of Spaine And sets Don Pedro in his Throne againe PRince Edward's honour was not mounted yet Vp to her Zenith Fate is in his debt Another Garland and from Aquitaine Shee calls him forth againe that conquer'd Spaine May feele his noble prowesse and advance His fame as high as erst triumphed France The tyrant Pedro of Castile was by His land depos'd for brutish cruelty Whose Crowne his Bastard-brother Henry gain'd At Burdeaux then the Prince of Wales remain'd Whose fame was spred through every land and he Esteem'd the noblest flower of Chevalry That Europe boasted To his Martiall Court Deposed Pedro humbly does resort And weeping craves Prince Edward's ayd to gaine His right That Pedro may his suit obtaine Beside that bloods alliance that he brings The bad example of deposing Kings Perswades the Prince and to that brave entent His Father great King Edward gives consent At hand great troops of expert souldiers are Cashier'd of late from service of the warre Who now employment want since
plague to earth I cannot feare When I behold your manly faces here Brave friends and souldiers To your valours now Let our deare land a greater safety owe Than e're she did to one successefull fight Nor let the fame of English Edward fright Your thoughts at all Fortune has done for him Enough already and it well may seeme Since blinded he maintaines so curs'd a cause That she her favour from that Prince withdrawes The King had done when all the Spanish troops Inflam'd with love of fight and fill'd with hopes A strong desire to heare the signall shew All wish to dye should what they feare be true From every part confused showts are sent And both the hoasts with passions different Together joyne th'auxiliary troops Of France are filled with revengefull hopes To make the English in that bloody day For all their conquests and proud trophees pay The English bold by former battels wonne And to maintaine their fame come fiercely on As strong resolves the eager Spaniards bring Here to establish their new-crowned King And by one prosperous fight for ever free Their wretched land from Pedro's tyranny Great is the fury high the cause is try'd Deepe the engagements lye on either side Both armies mighty in their numbers one In prowesse t'other nor had Spaine e're knowne Although of mighty warres so oft the stage Though there th' old Punicke and the Roman rage So long were seene while fortune doubted yet Which land to make the worlds Imperiall seat Two nobler Hoasts than in that tryall fought And yet this storme so blacke so tragicke brought This one sad comfort that it could not last But all the warre when this great field was past The wretched people hop'd would quite expire Spaine could not bleed so long nor feed the fire So oft with fuell to protract her fate As rich but haplesse France had done of late Against the formost English battell there Which Iohn of Gaunt the Duke of Lancaster Brought up does Bertram of Clesquy advance With all th'auxiliary troops of France There hot and furious the encounter growes No where does Death more freely deale his blowes No part of all the field more stain'd with blood As there the warre began it longest stood And various Fortune longest doubted where To give her favours Youthfull Lancaster Came bravely on in that dayes fight to winne His maiden fame and Bertram that had beene Not many yeeres before in Brittaines warre By famous Chandois taken prisoner The Banner of his ancient foe had seene ' Gainst which he prest with eager hopes to winne From him the honour he had lost againe While slaughter'd bodies strew the purple plaine With Fate farre different did Don Tello draw Against Prince Edward's maine Battalia His forces up though strong that body were And well dispos'd for charging did appeare With Speares in front so strongly fortifi'd Yet there alas King Henry's haplesse side 'Gan first to faile nor could Don Tello long Endure the fierce encounter of so strong And expert souldiers as the Prince had brought Who in so many prosperous fields had fought And in all feats of warre so well were try'd Their fatall taske the strong-nerv'd Archers ply'd So fast that soone the ranke of Speares was broke And routed so that they the field forsooke The rest left naked when the Speares were gone Are by the Gascoigne Horsemen trampled on And now the warres whole fury 'gan to draw Vpon King Henry's great Battalia And was from thence with equall fury met So much the Spaniards on that day had set Their Countries future fortunes and their owne In that Battalia from their slings were throwne Such mortall stones as seem'd awhile to be Aequivalent to th'English Archery But could not prove at last so strong an ayd There stucke the warre there Edward's fortune stay'd There various feats of hardy armes were wrought So many thousand hands to fight were brought Nor did the Common souldiers onely there The toyles of warre and brunt of dangers beare But highest Chiefetaines playd the souldiers parts And through the battell with couragious hearts Their passage made there sterne Don Pedro fought And to the ground that day had many brought Pleas'd now he seem'd he might with honour doe What by his nature he was prompted to Shed human blood Most eager was his spite His visage blacke He that had seene him fight And kill so fast would have suppos'd that from Th' infernall caves the Prince of night had come To worke on earth the ruine of mankind But not content with vulgar deaths his mind Had Fortune suffer'd chiefly aym'd to meet His brother Henry there No blood so sweet As his could be to Pedro's cruell thought So when of old the Argive Princes fought ' Gainst fatall Thebes in Polynices right The banish'd Prince could with no other fight Nor Tragedy be pleas'd but through the presse Still sought his brother proud Eteocles Vntill at last in spite of Piety They meet in field and Fate so cruelly Ballanc'd their impious strengths that both were slaine Yet both did guilty Conquerours remaine Nor did King Henry in his thoughts decline The sad encounter Had the Power Divine But let them meet the like perchance had beene And Spaine as much as fatall Thebes had seene There through the midst the terror of his foes Like Mars himselfe renowned Edward goes White Victory still o're his standard slew As if no other name but his she knew And he in warre did guide the wheele of Fate The glittering swords that shone so bright of late Are quickly all distain'd with purple gore And all the field with slaughter cover'd o're Mischiefe and fury reign'd Deaths groning sound The Trumpets noyse and showts of souldiers drown'd But long the heartlesse Spanish troops how-e're Great were their numbers and their quarrell deare Could not the prowesse of the English bide Which when alas unhappy Henry spy'd And that their rankes they 'gan forsake apace With restlesse industry from place to place He rides to breath into his fainting men Fresh vigour and restore the fight agen He cryes aloud oh friends oh souldiers why Doe you forsake so neare a victory One stroke will finish what is done almost There is no safety when this field is lost For swords why seeke you gibbets and above A noble death an ignominious love With such sad speeches did the eager King Renew the fury of the fight and bring His fainting souldiers on that bloody grew The day againe till th' English spirits anew Collected charg'd their rally'd foes so sore That soone the Spaniards routed as before Into disorder'd flight began to fall Although no office of a Generall Did Henry leave undone Thrice did he stay His vanquish'd men from flight and thrice that day Restore the desperate field but all in vaine Nor did the Fates in justice then ordaine That he should be the Conqueror one fight Must needs be lost to prove Don Pedro's right And raise Prince Edward's fame Then
must he gaine That Crowne when England has abandon'd Spaine b And now the day beyond all hope is lost On Henry's side and that great numerous hoast Fly in amazement and themselves expose Without resistance to the conquering foes While many thousands as they thronging flye From English weapons in the river dye That flowes by Naveret whose streame affords As many deaths almost as Edward's swords Sad Henry though his heart disdaines to flye Yet since reserv'd for Royall dignity By kinder Fates hereafter yeelds to flight And though sore wounded in the fatall fight Vpon his Iennet mounted leaves the field By this the French Battalia's that bad held The longest out and first encounter'd where Stout Bertram fought ' gainst Iohn of Lancaster Are quite consum'd and weltring in their blood Cover the place where late they fighting stood Their Chiefes enforc'd to yeeld and Bertram there Againe by th' English taken prisoner Sterne Mars his taske had to the utmost done Nor e're had Spaine beheld a Garland wonne With more renowne or conquest more compleat Than in this famous field of Naveret Blacke Edward purchas'd nor could ought allay The lasting fame of that victorious day Save that the Prince his noble valour lost On such a cause that so much blood it cost To raise a wicked Tyrant and againe Advance Don Pedro to the Throne of Spaine Annotations upon the seventh Booke a Prince Edward by the common consent of all brought into Spaine an Army consisting of thirty thousand English Gascoignes and other strangers being for the number of themesteemed as expert souldiers as any in the world The cast companies of English which had served in so many famous exploits under himselfe and King Edward his father upon this occasion came in to serve him King Henry of Castile had a great Army for besides the French which served him under the conduct of Bertram of Clesquy and were in number about foure thousaad men at Armes besides many other loose troopes hee had of Spaeniards Saracens and others above fourescore thousand When it came to Battell Prince Edward obtained a compleat victory the slanghter considering so great a victory was not much for the Spaniards were too soone routed and did not in their owne deare quarrell behave themselves so stoutly as their French auxiliaries did But there were slaine of them besides five hundred Gentlemen of quality above seven thousand of the common souldiers Of the English side were slaine of men of quality but foure Knights two Gascoignes one Almaine and the fourth an English-max and of common souldiers about sixteene hundred as some write though Froissard saith not above forty but the other number is more credible considering how fiercely the battell was fought as all agree There were taken Prisoners to the number of two thousand and among them the Earle of Dene Sir Bertram of Clesquy the Marshall Dandrehen and many other men of name b After this great victory Prince Edward at Burges seated the tyrant Pedro in his Throne againe and for so great a merit the promised recompenee is required by the Prince which Don Pedro could not or cared not to provide but starving him with delayes enforced him in the end to returne to Burdeaux without money to pay his Army and which was worse without health which he never after recovered Some Hystorians report that hee was poysoned in Spaine others say it was a Dropsie of which the Prince never could bee after cured Such was the successe of this unfortunate action undertaken to right an ungratefull Tyranâ— who afterward notwithstanding was againe dispossessed taken and put to death by his brother Henry But the affaires of England did wonderfully suffer from that time The Prince to pay his souldiers who were not able to stay Don Pedro's leisure coyned his Plate and when all would not serve he fell upon a worse mis-fortune to cure a present want with a greater and more durable losse seeking to lay upon his subiects in Gascoigne a new taxation which bred a most dangerous revolt namely the imposition of Fevage or Chimney money which so discontented the people that they exclaime against the government of the English and appeale to the King and Court of France for redresse The King of Franâ—e at the instance of divers great Lords although by the Articles of accord at Brettigny hee were bound to quit all homage for the â—utchy of Aquitaine which he might claime of the English entertaines their complaint and sends to the Prince of Wales at â—urdeaux summoning him to answer before him and his Court at Paris concerning these matters The Lords of Arminiague D'Albret Peregot Cominges and many others made their protestations against the King of England for the Crowne of France alleaging that they were by nature to obey that and not a strange Soveraigne that it was absolutely against the fundamentall law of the kingdome to dissever them from the Crowne that the Contract was made in prison and therefore by the right of Nations not to obliege therefore they utterly disclaim'd the government of England By their example the Cities of the County of Ponthieu which was King Edward his undoubted inheritance revolted all to the French King King Edward complained of this breach of Accord to the Pope and other Christian Princes but treaties availed little the English side when the French hearts were weary of their yoake and resolved to returne to their old obedience From this time being the 42 yeare of King Edward's reigne the tide of Fortune was turned from the English to the French side Edward the Renowned Prince of Wales was sicke of a lingring malady and not able to endure the travell of Warre and old King Edward was mis-led in England by evill servants which caused disquiet in Parliaments and many distempers in the State at home All these occasions were politikely looked into by Charles surnamed the Wise King of France who though forewarned by his father and Grandfathers mis-fortunes he never would venture any pitch'd battels against the English for there were divers Armies sent over from hence after that time but returned fruitlesse as the Chronicles will informe you yet hee omitted no opportunities of recovering his kingdome by secret solicitations large promises and other wary practises by which as also some fortunate skirmishes of Bertram his best servant hee recovered all before the death of King Edward except the Towne of Calleis onely Those eminent victories and great actions by which the English had gained so much of France have beene the subject of this Historicall Poem the particular revolts flye practices and petty actions by which insensibly it was lost againe you may read distinctly in the Chronicles at large FINIS