Which for thy wealth the Heauenly heste This order doth deuyse And I of Ioue the messenger this newes now bring to thee With bande of Peace as faithfull pledge If thou thereto agree What losse and languor thou hast had Thy selfe caust witnesse best And Mischiefe hath not sparde to spurne To purchase thy vnrest Wherefore the God that guydes all thinges doth charge thee that with speede Thou ioyne in knott of Mariage as thus he hath decreede There is a lande in Westerne soyle That Britaine hath to name Which coast doth now retayne the wyght that must thy quyet frame A proper youth of pregnant witt To whome with speede repayre Of Lancaster that noble house He is the ryghtfull heire His Princely porte doth well deserue To wear thy Regall Crowne By due discent to wield the Sworde with fame and bryght renowne This worthie wight shall turne the warre That long thy wealth hath wast This Earle Henry shall redresse Thy wayling woe forepast Now see the sequell of this hest That God appointed hath Marke well the meane against Syr Mars To pacifie his wrath A noble spouse within thy lande Of ryght must now be found To linke in sacred wedlockes state And Queene for to be crownde Beholde a Uirgin bryght of hue with vertues force bedect Of personage surpassing all that Nature hath elect Dianaes peere for chastitie A seconde Susan shee Her godly nature well deserues A Goddesse for to bee The daughter of a Royall king That rewlde thy lande of late The heyre of Yorke that long hath beene with Lancaster at bate Elizabeth this Lady hight The late king Edwardes chylde Shee shall bring forth a peerlesse Prince thy people for to shylde Now sith these houses twaine hath causde Such ruyne for to raygne Which bluddie broyle hath forced thee to feele the smarte and paine With speede repaire to Britaine lande This Henry home to call And place him in thy regall seate Be ye his Subiectes all As for his Foes take ye no feare For God his frende doth stande He is annoynted of the Lorde to rule thy famous lande Which being done let sacred state of Wedlocke ioyne these twayne Then be thou sure in perfect peace hereafter to remayne When Concorde had these wordes rehearst and all her message tolde To see the ioye that men did make was wonder to beholde With clapping handes and cheerefull shoutes They shewde foorth great delyght And thought eche day to bee a yere till he shoulde come in syght And when that Fame had blowne her blast that hee had taken lande Determining to chace the Bore with force of myghtie hande Eche man him selfe do then addresse This royall Prince to place With courage stoute and loyall hartes They serue his noble grace Of the Battaile fought at Bosworth betweene King Henry the vii Richard that then vsurped the Crowne AFter long coÌ„tinuance of blody warre through ciuill contention betweene the two â—â—ble houses of Lancaster Yorke for the imperiall Diademe of this Realme to the great effusion of English blood as well of the nobilitie as also of the Comons It pleased Almightie God to put into the mindes of the nobilitie of this Realme a meane how to preuent this eminent subuersion by ioyning in knot of Mariage the heires apparant of these two noble houses as is aforesaide to the perfect securitie of this noble Nation And here is to be noted that when kyng Edward the fourth dyed who was lineally discended from the house of Yorke whose variable chaunces of Fortune I ouer passe He lefte behynde him two sonnes and fyue daughters The elder of his sonnes was named Edwarde who was afterwardes proclaymed Kyng being of the age of xi yeres His yonger brother had to name Richarde who was Duke of yorke Now by reason of the nouage of the yong king Richard Duke of Gloucester being vncle vnto the yong kyng intruded him selfe to the Protectorship of the kyng and the Realme and also wrested into his tuition the kinges brother taking him from the Queene his Mother who then laye in the Sanctuarie at Westminster for doubt of the cruell tyrannie of the Protector whose Ambitious mynde shee knewe to bee insatiable of honor and dignities wholly bent to cruell tyrannie which shortly after he put in practyse For when he had got into his clawze these two yong Princes Like a cruell Tyger and rauenyng Wolfe moste vnnaturally he caused them to be pittifully murthered within the Tower of London And caused one Doctor Sha who better deserued to be called doctor Shame to preach at Paules Crosse perswading the people that king Edwarde the fowerth late deceased was not ryghtfull king Affirming that he was a Bastarde And that the Duke of Cloucester being lawfully begotten ought to haue beene king when his brother was and therefore myght nowe iustlye challenge the Crowne Was not this a graceles sonne that caused his owne naturall and vertuous mother to be proclaimed at Powles Crosse a Harlot This and his vnnaturall homicide sownded moste abhominably in the eares of all honest men Notwithstandinge by this beastly and detestable policie wherunto he also added the death of the Lorde Hastinges and other noble men whome he supposed woulde by all meanes possible haue hindered his vngodlye proceedinges he hitt the marke whereat he shot which was the Crowne of Englande and in fine was crowned king by the name of king Rycharde the thirde But ere he had raigned little more then two yeres it pleased God to stir vp the nobilitie of this Realme to the ayde of Henrye Earle of Richemond to set him in his ryghtfull inheritaunce of the Imperiall Diadem of this Realme The large discourse wherof is exquisitely written by Sir Thomas More as appeareth in the Cronicle written by Edwarde Hall. In conclusion this noble Earle of Richemonde after manye doubtfull casualties harde euents arryued at Milforde Hauen in Wales wyth an armye of Britons and by the ayde of the Welshmen his power encreased And manye of the nobilitie of Englande with greate strength came to hys ayde vntill he came to a place in Leycester shiere called Bosworth where he met with kynge Richarde his armye and betweene them was fought a sharpe battaile in which conflict the king himselfe was slayne and his bodie caryed to Leycester on horsebacke as a Butcher caryeth a Calfe to the Market After whiche victorie won by this noble Earle he was proclaymed kyng of England by the name of king Henry the seuenth consequently he maried the lady Elizabeth daughter vnto king Enward the iiii they bothe crowned king and Queene of Englande to the greate ioy of the whole realme And thus were the noble houses of Lancaster Yorke vnited in one whiche was the finishing of long warre ¶ The Byrthe of the puisant Prince King Henry the eyght which was in the yere of our Lorde God. 1490. the xxii of Iune WHen Lady Concorde quencht the broyle
thou list bestowe anye fyling vpon the roughnes of my phrase I shall bee beholding vnto thee If not yet shall my desyre be satisfied with thy good worde Vlpianus Fulwell Vlpian Fulwell to his Booke WHen lustie Ver beginnes to decke eche bushe and bowe with greene And Flora faire in flaunting wise is gorgeous to be seene Then Natures Impes tryumphes with ioy till horie Hyemps frowne Whose frostie face with blastes bedewde Turnes all these vpsy downe His stormie stoutnesse dryues the byrdes their warbling notes to seace He keepes as captiue flowers faire till spring do them releace Yet can his vysage not preuaile The Flower of Fame to vade Whose growing greene shall not be shutt in griesely winters shade As Hedera with hawtie head doth scorne syr Boreas blast Euen so this pierlesse Flower of Fame shall stande as firme and fast Out of which stately Blossom breedes a Bud of Eglentine Whose worthinesse adornes the stocke of natures noble lyne Not euery whiffling taunting wynde that flyes from scornefull tong Sall shake the stalke ne yet the Flower to do it any wrong For why my booke thy Patrons name Such noble sownde doth yelde That thou maist thinke thy selfe well bleste to shrowde vnder his shielde Before whose feete wee bothe will lye and hope such grace to fynde That wee with ioye may passe abrode to please thy Readers mynde Which thing God graunt In Vlpiani Fulwelli operis laudem Richardi Coppoci Carmen SI tibi cognitio rerum si nuntia veri Possideant aliquem pectore pressa locum Si studium pacis seu te laus inclyta belli Incitet huc celerem ferto referto pedem Hic res non rerum species hic viuida virtus Hic flos conspicuus conspicienda ferens Non hic aiacis flos est Telamone creati Qui domino dignum nil nisi nomen habet Nec flos quo Phaebus genutus inscripsit acerbos Cum suus Oebalides morte peremptus erat Sed flos hic famae merito regalis habendus Henrici octaui regia facta ferens Fulwello meritas igitur persoluite grates Florem virtutis praemia iusta manent The Flovver of Fame A manifest description of king Henryes noble vertues PRepare your pennes ye Poets fyne Your wittes curious heddes now showe In fyled phraes of flowing ryme Your stately styles do ye bestow On hym whose fame ryght farre doth flye and lodged is in starrie Skye To whome whyle lyfe in corps did laste The myghtie Ceasar would geue place The conquerors of worldes past may yelde vnto Kyng Henryes grace whose onely name was such a shield As feard his forrein foes in field His kyngly Maiestie was such As ioyed eche faithfull subiects hart And Rebells proude he foret to couch By dint of Sworde to feele the smart A second Alexander hee In valianties appeerde to bee And that which Princes best beseemes Gods glorie he did much aduaunce Repressing Error that had bene of many yeres continuaunce This was his cheefe ioy and delyght Whereby Gods gospell shyneth bryght His carefull hed in this respect A chaire of state in heauen hath woon Where he soiurnes with the elect A mate with heauenly fathers sonne whose seat is set in lasting blisse and crownd with crowne that endlesse is The fower Vertues were so well within his sacred brest yfraught Too simple is my pen to tell the giftes that nature to him taught My skillesse quill is farre too bace To paint the prudence of his grace A Salomon for Godly witt A Solon for his constant mynde A Sampson when he list to hit the furye of his foes vnkynde Unto his fryndes a gentill Lam A Prince that loude a valyant man. Whome God by dyuers meanes did blesse As one well worthie of the same With victorie for to represse His enemies to his great fame And many yeres to rule and raine To Englandes ioy to Scotlandes paine Yea and a blessing more then this That doth ryght farre surmount the rest Which is to English hartes a blisse wherewith this happie Realme is blest His daughter doth him so reuyue as though the Father were alyue In whome such vertues rare are seene As makes farre countreis maruaile much That shee a virgin and a Queene In godlynes and wit is such Though lyfe from father be exylde His giftes are left vnto his chylde As worthie Prince by due discent The regall Scepter for to guyde And Christ his foes for to preuent By Godly zeale shee doth prouyde The fathers steppes shee treades so ryght As doth eche English harte delyght So that though Royall Henry bee Returnde to earth from whence he came Elizabeth yet may we see doth bewtifie her fathers fame Whome God preserue in Regall seat Til Nestors yeres be full complete A briefe resitall of king Henryes Fortunate raigne AMong the most fortunate kynges Princes that euer raigned let the Fortunes of king Henrie the eyght haue a speciall place whose happie successe in all his affaires was comparable vnto the euents of the mightie conquetor kyng Phillips sonne of Macedon There were in his tyme raigning more puissant Princes together then euer were lyuing in any age before and yet among them all not one of them equall to the Kyng of Englande iin prowes In so much that the Iewes were in good hope that one of these noble Champions should be ordeined of God to be their Messias whose comming they haue long in vayne expected refusing the trewe Messias and sauiour of the worlde Iesus Christ looking for a Champion to bring them home again vnto their destroyed Ierusalem These were the names of the most famous gouernours of the world at that tyme Firste Henry king of Englande The Emperour Maximilian And Frauncis the Frenche king with the valyant Princes that then were in Germanie and Selimus the Emperor of Turkie with Barbarossa his great capitaine besydes a nomber more mentioned by Paulus Iouius other good Aucthors And among them all the same of king Henry shyned farre brighter then the rest as hereafter followeth But first I will note of the blisse and happines that came vnto Englande by his byrth It is manifest that he was the first braunche of the tree of concorde after the anyting of the two noble howses of Laucaster and Yorke that long had beene at discention open hostilitie for the imperiall Diadem of this realme For although his brother Prince Arthur were the elder yet because he liued not to enioy his fathers seignories neyther left behynde him anye Issue I recken him that brought forth the fruite to be the cheefe and principall braunche He was also elect and chosen of God to be that Ezechias that should sinsearly set forth his sacred lawes Yea he was the verye Hercules that was borne to subdue the Romysh Hydra against whyche many hedded monster neyther kyng nor Keysar could preuayle vntill this puissant Hercules tooke the matter in hand to the glorie of God and his perpetuall
volume large Which passing sightes so seemely were set forth to view of eye That Rome and Greece with all the rest would let their fame go by And Caesars frendes that so aduaunce his tryumphes and renowne Would come from graues if that they myght their Pennes thear to throwe downe Thus as he passed through the streates vnto the crowning place Eche man erectes his cheerefull voyce And sayes God saue your grace His noble trayne of worthie Pieres Eche one in his degree Attende on this most royall king A worthie sight to see In fine no shewes of Princely pompe At this tryumphe did want The Conduites all gush out with Wine wherof there was no scant To Westminster thus gan he passe To take the Crowne his ryght Where bothe his Queene and he were crownde To Englandes great delyght ¶ From the tyme of this kinges Coronation vnto his going into Fraunce to the siege of Turwin Turneie I referre thee gentle Reader to peruse in Edwarde Hall his Cronicle who hath largely displaied the courtly exersises wherein he passed the firste iiii yeres of his raygne Wherin also thou maist read of sundry Ambassadours that came vnto him from foreine countreys with the successe of his noble Captaines that he sent into Spaine and into Gelderland and Fraunce and to scoure the Seas I will treat onely of such matter as appertaineth to his own person and of the two famous voyages that he made into Fraunce in proper person When king Henry purposed his Iorney into Fraunce he firste entred in league of frendship with Iames king of Scots who had maryed Margaret the kynges Sister for the confirmation of which league they both receiued the Sacrament with solemne vowe to keepe the same vnuyolate But what ensued hereof you may hereafter read more at large Now let vs go forwarde with setting forth of this Royall voyage Of the winning of Turwin and Turnay WHo list to reade of Martiall actes And of Bellonaes trayne May in the eyghth kyng Henryes lyfe A Myrror see most plaine Of warre shee is the Goddesse stoute on whome doth still attend The noble crewe and armed rowte that fatall bowe doth bende This direfull Goddesse here rehearst hath at a call alwaye Three handmaydes euer readye prest her pleasure to obey Whereby shee Princes doth correct and Cities stoute subdue That lyue and raigne disorderly and rule by meanes vntrue The firste is Blood by dynt of Sworde The seconde Fyer fierce The thirde is Famyn worst of all that cruelly doth pierce And eyther of them by her selfe is able to throwe downe The myghtiest king and Conquerour that euer yet waer crowne But if they all conioyne in one what Prince what realme or lande Or else what worlde might remaine their powers to withstande So puissant these Damsels are That on this Goddesse wayte And being by their Lady calde they then addresse them strayte To shewe dame Natures dyrefull kynde that shee to them hath yelde With terror then they shewe their force on Castle Towne or feelde This Goddesse and her handmaydes three with all their myght and mayne Alwaies attendant myght you see vppon king Henries trayne The Scottes can well reporte the same who felt therof the smarte when all the cheefetaines of their Realme were slayn by deadly darte Now let king Iames his griesly ghost awake from fatall sleepe And shewe his hap and rufull fall that causde all Scotlande weepe Let all the Scottish noble peeres bewayle the wofull hower when they agreede on Bramston hilles to meete king Henryes power But sith from Earth they may not ryse this dolefull tale to tell I will for them declare the trueth in order as befell His foes of Fraunce whose faithlesse leagues he euer found vntrue Can witnes beare of his great force They all his stoutnesse knewe And Turwin first shall testifie his puissance and myght Who felt the smart of Fyers rage with losse of many a knyght Now see the sole and onely cause that he this siege did laye In proper person with his power vnto this townes decaye When tract of tyme had tryde the truth that Frenchemen wonts to holde Whose breache of truce and Princes peace No wight could yet witholde This Roiall king sent foorth his Shippes with hoysed Sayles aloft whose force did scoure the coast from foes and quaylde their courage oft But yet he thought his presence myght accomplysh many thinges That coulde not so in absence bee Such is the porte of kinges A comfort to the Subiectes all A terror to the foes A Princes person in the fielde doth seeledome conquest lose His person in the fielde was suche As made his Souldiours stoute His onely name woulde feare his foes And make them stande in doubt His counsell graue so prudent was his wytt so wisely stayde That all the rest myght leaue consultes when he the woord had sayde When thus his prudence had perceiude with iudgement and foresyght How that his antique foes of Fraunce deteyned his due right He causde his noble Nauie then in readynesse to lye And he himselfe determined Sir Neptunes chaunce to trye The Shipmen take their tackles then and all thinges redy makes With gladsome hartes the Soldiers all this cheerefull voyage takes The Shippes are rygde with all thinges meete For such a royall trayne This noble king is nowe embarkte his ryght in Fraunce to gayne With noyse of Gunnes and sound of Trumpe and stroke of rollyng Drum They cut the rage of foming waues tyll they to Fraunce are come With marching foorth in warlyke wise to Turwin towne they bende who then perceyues it is hye tyme herselfe for to defende Her wailes and Towers they are deckt with tooles of Vulcanes frame No thundring noyse of Gunne was sparde No flashe of Fyers flame But when their eyes could witnes beare this king encamped then And sawe the siege so stoutly set with lustie valyant men Their hartes began to quake and quayle their courage then abate They knewe his presence in the Campe was to his trayne a gate And strong Portculleys to defende his lusty Soldiers stoute Whose faithfull hartes vnto his grace for Foes did neuer doute A Harolde then with blast of Trumpe was sent out of the fielde To summon them obediently vnto their Prince to yelde Or else to stande vnto the lot that myght to them befall By dint of Swoord or Fiers flame or Famine worste of all Who aunswerd then that they were bent the chaunce of warre to trye And to defend their furnisht walles and theron lyue and dye Which messadge being then returnde it was a wondrous sight To see how soldiers hasted then with Turwyn men to fight The Trumpets blewe the Drummes stryke vp To shewe Sir Mars his lore A terror sure it was to heare the thundring Cannons rore The king right lyke a ventrous knight did nothing balke the brunt He comforted the Souldiers all through euery Bande and Front. Saint George Saint George they all gan crye and fiercely do assayle
That cyuill Sworde long tyme had bred And calmed eke the warlyke toyle wherewith this Realme but earst was fed Our thraldome then shee did remoue And freedome sent from God aboue The houses wayne that long had beene At deadly foode for regall throne Of Lancaster and Yorke I meane were then by God conioynde in one This Mariage made Sir Mars geeues place And eche man thankt God for his grace But he that doth all thinges foresee And knowes the sequell of the same Knewe that a Braunche of that same tree Shoulde bring forth fruite of endlesse fame And yelde such sapp as should delyghte The Heauens and eke eche English wyght The natall day by Gods decree Approched on with luckie speede When as the blossome of this tree Should shewe the fruite of happie seede Whereat both heauen and earth reioyce and shewe the same with cheerefull voyce The fower vertues myght you viewe Descend from Heauen in Golden Cloude And to beholde the heauenly crewe that ioyed this birthe with voyce full loude Did sounde suche tryumphes in the skyes That through the worlde rounde it flyes Then Iustice tooke the Diadem That shee her selfe was wont to weare Her Ballaunce eke and ioyned them whereby shee wonts eche cause to heare And yeldeth them vnto his grace In equitie to run hys race When Iustice had her selfe thus yelde Came Fortitude with cowrage stoute And deckte this Babe with Sworde shyelde To conquere all the raging rowte That shoulde attempt or take in hande His princely power to withstande Then Temperance and Prudence eke So decked there his sacred mynde As neuer earst was seene the lyke Such grace from God to him was synde For Solon there did yelde his fame And Salomon eke did the same The Muses all obeysaunce made And echeone gaue a Lawrell crowne Sir Mars did there him selfe disgrade And yeldeth vp his large renowne This Prince did Ioue himselfe ordaine In endlesse fame on earth to raygne And though he were a seconde sonne yet God foresawe what shoulde ensue The Royall race that he should run Ere he was borne ryght well he knewe And in the wombe did him appoint with sacred Oyle and king annoynt When tract of tyme had brought this Prince Unto the age of eyghteen yeres His raygne began in this prouince whose noble courage then appeares That English hartes great ioy did make And forayne Foes then gan to quake ¶ Of Prince Henries towardlynes in the tyme of his Minoritie AS this noble Prince grewe in age so he encreased in vertue and princely demeanure Using suche exercises as was commendable in so noble a personage wherein he excelled all other of his tyme As in Learning Rydyng and martiall feates In so muche that when he was the onely hope of this Realme he was no lesse feared of forreine foes then entierly loued of his owne countrey men And had he not set the feare of God before his eyes with speciall regarde of obedience towardes his Father no doubt but he had bene seduced by the wicked suggestions of faccious flatterers that often tymes inueagled him to take vppon him the gouernaunce of this Realme his Father being alyue As he him selfe hath reported after he came to the Crowne But he alwayes abhorred their vngodly instigations At last it pleased God to call his Father from the Earth to dwell with him in Heauen when he had raygned 23. yeres And then this royall Prince his sonne succeded him in this Realme as hereafter foloweth ¶ King Henry the eyght being proclaimed king of Englande the xxii day of Aprill 1509. goeth to the Tower of London BEholde the happie day at hande For him to weare the Regall crowne Whereby to rewle this noble lande And wield the same with high renowne Which was declarde by Tromp of Fame That all Europa hearde the same Unto this blast of golden sounde Did forrein Princes bende their eares The noyse to heauen eke did rebounde That Englandes Foes then quake in feares And frendes vnto the English Roye with clapping handes gan shewe their ioye Then as the auncient custome was To London Tower is he brought With Regall porte he so did passe That all men ioyde in worde and thought His countinaunce of Regaltie shewde forth a kingly Maiestie So that if thousandes in his way had right resemblance of his face Yet euery man myght iudge and saye Lo this is hee God saue his grace He did the rest excell so farre as doth the Sunne the dimmest Starre Within this noble Castle nowe This Royall king his seat hath take Whose speciall carke and care is howe In order good his Realme to make His whole desire and studye is for to reforme that was amisse Where Prudence rules with good foresyght The common wealth doth prosper well Where wisedome guydes eche thing aright Thear Commons seeldome do rebell But serue their Prince with loyall hartes And nothing slack to do their partes The stately porte that Princes beare With Iustice ioynde ryght to mayntaine Both holdes the Subiect in due feare And trewe allegeance doth rem ayne This king did his affaires so frame As made men feare and loue his name ¶ Of the Coronation of king Henry the viii IF Fame foresawe what woulde ensue As well as thinges forepast Shee woulde not rashly sentence geeue In blowing vp her blast Ne woulde shee iudge eche tryumph then at first for to excell But that another might succeede to beare away the bell What meanst thou Fame in auncient tyme to call the learned trayne To paynt the Pageaunts that were shewde when Caesar gan his raygne And cause them then with painfull toyle the same so to commende As though it neuer shoulde take foyle but last vnto thé ende If thou hadst knowne as now thou doest Of this moste happie day I doubt not but thou wouldste haue causde their painfull Pennes to staye Yet is this thing not so far past but that thou maist reclayme If thou recant thy former blast by calling backe againe Reuoke therefore thy rashe exployt whereat I must needes grudge And when thou hast perpended well Thy selfe shalt be the Iudge And plainly see that Caesars gestes Ne his tryumphing fame Nor yet his blased pompouse daye was equall with this same Against the tyme this pierles Prince The stately towne shoulde passe That London hight whose gorgious stretes So richely decked was That Rome whereof so many write In pompe for to excell Was neuer yet adornde so braue Nor furnisht halfe so well More lyke a pleasant Paradice That noble Citie seemde Then lyke a place of earthie moulde As men might well haue deemde So sumptuously the stately streates were deckt with euery thing As though that Ioue from heauen were come to be their earthly king So ioyde men in this Royall Prince when he his Crowne should take That Sorroes all were set to sleepe and solace did awake The worthie Pageaunts that were shewde My Pen cannot discharge And to descrybe the same aright will fill a