when God doth call Sith none of these good gifts on earth Haue powre to make vs liue And no good fortune from our birth No hower of breath can giue Thinke not on life and pleasure héere They passe like beames of Sunne For nought from hence we carrie cléere When man his race hath runne ⧠An Introduction for Breaknoke Shiere IS bodie tyerd with trauaile God forbid That wearie bones so soone should seeke for rest Shall sences sleepe when head in house is his As though some charme were crept in quiet brest And so bewitch the wits with too much ease That duls good spréete and blunts quicke sharpe deuice Which climes the Clowdes and wades through déepest Seas And goes before and breakes the frozen Ice To cléere the coast and make the passage free For trau'lers all that will great secrets see When quick conceyt by slouth is rocke asléepe And fresh deuice goes faynt for lacke of vse Along the limmes doth lazie humours créepe And daylie bréedes in bodie great abuse If mettall fine be not kept cleane from rust The brightest blade will sure some cancker take And when cléere things are staynd with drosse and dust They must be skour'd by skill for profites sake Wit is nought worth in ydle braine to rest Nor gold doth good that still lyes lockt in chest The soft Downe bed and Chamber warm'd with fire Or thicke furd gowne is all that sluggard seckes But men of spréete whose hearts do still aspire Do labour long with leane and lentten cheekes To trye the world and taste both sweete and sower Who much doth see may much both speake and write Who little knowes hath little wit or power To winne the wise or dwell in worlds delight Feare not to toyle for he that sowes in paine Shall reape with ioye for store good Corne againe In reachlesse youth whiles fancie flewe with winde Féete could not stay the bodie mou'd so fast For euery part thereof did answer minde Till aged yéeres sayd wanton daies were past If that be true sound iudgement should be fraught With grauer thoughts and greater things of weight Sith sober sence at lightnesse now hath laught Thy reason should set crooked matters streight And newly frame a forme of fine deuice That vertue may bring knowledge most in price To treate of tyme and make discourse of men And how the world doth chop and chaunge estate Doth well become an auncient writers pen If skill will serue such secretes to debate If no hold on the course thou hast begun To talke of Townes and Castles as they are And looke thou doe no toyle nor trauaile shun To set foorth things that be both straunge and rare If age doe droope and can abide no toyle When thou comest home yet set out some swéete Soyle Though ioynts waxe stiffe and bodie heauie growes And backe bends downe to earth where corps must lye And legges be lame and gowte créepes in the toes Cold crampe and cough makes groning goast to crye When fits are past if any rest be found Plye pen againe for that shall purchase praise Yea though thou canst not ride so great a ground As all ore Wales in thyne old aged daies Forget no place nor Soyle where thou hast bin With Breaknocke Shiere than now this booke begin Shewe what thyne eyes are witnesse of for troth And leaue the rest to them that after liues When man is cal'd away to graue he goeth Death steales the life that God and nature giues Thou hast no state nor pattent here on earth But borrowed breath the bodie beares about Death daylie wayts on life from hower of birth And when he lists he blowes thy candle out Then leaue some worke in world before thou passe That friends may say loe here a writer was My Muse thus sayd and so she shranke aside As though some Spréet a space had spoke to mée With that I had a friend of myne espyde That stood farre of behind a Lawrell trée For whom I cal'd and told him in his eare My Muses tale but therewithall his eyes Bedeaw'd his chéekes with many a bitter teare For sorrowe great that from his heart did rise Oh friend quoth he thy race I see so short Thou canst not liue to make of Wales report For first behold how age and thy mishap Agréed in one to tread thée vnder foote Thou wast long since flong out of Fortunes lap When youths gay blowmes forsooke both braunch and roote And left weake age as bare as barraine stocke That neither fruite nor leaues will growe vpon Can feeble bones abide the sturdie shocke Of Fortunes force when youthfull strength is gon And if good chaunce in youth hath fled from thée Be sure in age thou canst not happie bée Tis hap that must maintaine thy cost and charge By some such meane as great good turnes are gote Els walke or ride abroade the world at large And yet great mynd but makes old age to dote Thy trauaile past shewes what may after fall Long iourneys breedes disease and sicknesse oft Thou hast not health nor wished wealth at call That glads the heart and makes men looke aloft No sorer snib nor nothing nips so néere As feele much want yet shewe a merrie chéere My newfound friend no sooner this had sayd Which tryall knowes both true and words of weight But that my mynd from trauaile long was stayd Saue that I tooke in hand a iourney streight To Breakenoke Towne whose Seate once throughly pend With some such notes as season serues therefore There all the rest of toyle should make an end Sith aged limmes might trauaile Wales no more Right sorie sure I can no further go Content perforce sith hap will haue it so Some men begin to build a goodly Seate And frames a worke of Timber bigge and large Yet long before the workmanship be greate Another comes and takes that plot in charge Men may not doe no more then God permits The mynd it thinkes great things to bring to passe But common course so soone orecomes the wits In péeces lyes mans state like broken glasse We purpose much but little power we finde With good successe to answer mightie minde Well that discourse let goe as matter past To Breakenoke now my pen and muse are prest And sith that Soyle and towne shalbe the last That here I meane to touch of all the rest In briefest sort it shalbe written out Yet with such words as caries credit still As other works in world can bréede no dout So this small peece shall shewe my great good will That for farewell to worthie Wales I make That followes here before my leaue I take O Happie princely Soyle my pen is farre to bace My muse but serues in sted of foyle to giue a Iewell grace My bare inuention cold and barraine verses vaine When they thy glory should vnfold they do thy Coūtrie staine Thy worth some worthie may set out in golden lines And blaze y e same w t
was and yet to mend thy tale Make Wales the Parke and plaine Shropshiere the pale If pale be not a speciall peece of Parke Sit silent now and neither write nor speake But leaue out pale and thou mayst misse the marke Thy muse would hit or els thy shaft may breake Against a stone thou thinkst to glance vpon Now weigh these words my chorlish check is gon More gentle spéech hereafter may I spend When that in verse I see thy Countrie pend When Reasons threat had rapt me on the pate With priuie blowes that neuer drawes no blood To studie streight with pen and ynke I gate And sadly there bethought me what was good But ere the locke and doore was bolted fast Ten thousand toyes in head through fancie past And twentie more conceyts came rouling on That were too long to talke and treat vpon Wherefore in briefe I settled pen to worke For feare least world found fault with slouthfull muse And calling vp the spréetes that close did lurke In cloke of ease that would good wits abuse I held on way to auncient Shrewsebrie Towne And so from horse at lodging lighting downe I walkt the streates and markt what came to vewe Found old things dead as world were made a newe For buildings gay and gallant finely wrought Had old deuice through tyme supplanted cleane Some houses bare that seem'd to be worth nought Were fat within that outward looked leane Wit had won wealth to stuffe each emptie place The cunning head and labouring hand had grace To gayne and kéepe and lay vp still in store As man might say the heart could wish no more A number sure were ritch become of late By worldly meanes by hap or wisedomes arte He had no praise that did apayre his state And he most lawde that playd the wisest parte To come by goods well won with honest trade And warely looke there were no hauock made Such thriftie men doe dwell in Shrewsebrie now That all the Towne is full of Marchants throw And sondrie borne of right good race and blood Who freely liues from bondage euery way Whose rent and lands whose wealth and worldly good When other works giues them free leaue to play Most part are ritch or els right well to liue And to the poore the godly people giue To preaching still repayres both young and old Makes more thereof then of ritch pearle or gold Now come to poynts and rules of ciuill men Good maner calde that shewes good nature still And so with Wales ye may compare them then The meanest sort I meane of slendrest skill For as some whelpes that are of gentle kinde Excéedes curre dogges that beares a doggish minde So these méeke folke that méetes you in the streete Will curchie make or shewe an humble spréete This argues sure they haue in Wales bin bred Or well brought vp and taught where now they dwell If haughtie heart be spyde by loftie hed And curteous folkes by lookes are knowne full well Me thinkes the myld wins all goodwill away The sturdie stands like Stagge or Bucke at bay The tame white Doue and Faulkon for delytes Are better farre then fifteene hundred Kytes My theame is Wales and to that theame I goe Perhaps some seede of that same Soyle is here Sowne in such sort that dayly it doth growe In fayrest fourme to furnish forth this shiere Admit the same the sequell graunts it well Passe that discourse and giue me leaue to tell How Shrewsebrie stands and of the Castles seate The Riuer large and stonie bridge so greate The Towne three parts stands in a valley loe Three gates there are through which you néedes must passe As to the height of Towne the people goe So Castle seemes as twere a looking glasse To looke through all and hold them all in awe Treangle wise the gates and Towne doth drawe But Castle hill spyes out each streate so plaine As though an eye on them did still remaine In midst of Towne fower Parrish Churches are Full nere and close together note that right The vewe farre of is wondrous straunge and rare For they doe seeme a true loue knot to sight They stand on hill as Nature wrought a Seate To place them fower in stately beautie greate As men deuout to buyld these works tooke care So in these daies these Temples famous are First for the cause whereon they so were made Then for their fourme and fashion framed fine Next for the cost the stones and auncient trade And chiefe of all for mans intent deuine Their placing thus the plots whereon they stand The workmanship with cunning Masons hand Their height and breadth their length and thicknesse both Argues in déede a wondrous worke of troth Not farre from them doth goodly Seuarne run An arme of Sea a water large and deepe Whose headstrong streame the Fisher can not shun Except by banke both bote and he doth creepe This Riuer runs to many a noble Towne As Wyster one and Bristowe of renowne With moe besides which here I neede not name The Card can shewe both them and all their fame About the walles trim vnder goodly banks Doth Seuarne passe and comes by Cotten hill Much praise they had and purchast many thanks That at Stonebridge made place for many a Mill. About the Towne this water may be brought If that a way were nere the Castle wrought So Castle should stand like a péereles mount And Shrewsebrie Towne be had in great account Full from Welshbridge along by meddowes greene The Riuer runs most fayre and fine to vewe Such fruitfull ground as this is seldome seene In many parts if that I heare be true Yet each man knowes that grasse is in his pride And ayre is fresh by euery Riuers side But sure this plot doth farre surpasse the rest That by good lot is not with graces blest Who hath desire to vewe both hill and vale Walke vp old wall of Castle rude and bare And he shall see such pleasure set to sale In kindly sort as though some Marchants ware Were set in shop to please the passer by Or els by shewe beguyld the gazers eye For looke but downe along the pleasant coast And he shall thinke his labour is not lost One way appeares Stonebridge and Subbarbs there Which called is the Abbey Forehed yet A long great streate well builded large and faire In as good ayre as may be wisht with wit Where Abbey stands and is such ring of Belles As is not found from London vnto Welles The Stéeple yet a gracious pardon findes To bide all blasts all wethers stormes and windes Another way full ore Welshbridge there is An auncient streate cal'd Franckwell many a day To Ozestri the people passe through this And vnto Wales it is the reddie way In Subbarbs to is Castle Forehed both A streate well pau'd two seuerall waies that goeth
must I write to furnish foorth this booke Some Shieres doe part at Waters tryall showes There who so list vpon the same to looke Dulace doth runne along vnto the Hay So Hartford shiere from Breakenoke parteth there Brennick Deelyes Thlauenny as they say At Tawllgath méetes so into Wye they beare From Arthurs Hill Tytarell runnes apace And into Oske and Breakenoke runnes his race Nere Breakenoke Towne there is a Mountaine hye Which shewes so huge it is full hard to clime The Mountaine seemes so monstrous to the eye Yet thousands doe repayre to that sometime And they that stand right on the top shal see A wonder great as people doe report Which common brute and saying true may bee But since in deede I did not there resort I write no more then world will witnesse well Let them that please of those straunge wonders tell What is set downe I haue it surely seene As one that toyld and trauayld for the troth I will not say such things are as I weene And frame a verse as common voyces goeth Nor yet to please the humors of some men I list not stretch nor racke my termes awry My muse will not so farre abuse the pen. That writer shall gayne any blot thereby So he haue thanke in vsing ydle quill He seekes no more for paines and great good will ¶ Ludloe Towne Church and Castle THE Towne doth stand most part vpon an Hill Built well and fayre with streates both large and wide The houses such where straungers lodge at will As long as there the Councell lists abide Both fine and cleane the streates are all throughout With Condits cleere and wholesome water springs And who that lists to walke the Towne about Shall finde therein some rare and pleasant things But chiefly there the ayre so sweete you haue As in no place ye can no better craue The Market house where Corne and Cates are sold Is couered ore and kept in finest sort From which ye shall the Castle well behold And to which walke doe many men resort On euery side thereof fayre houses are That makes a shewe to please both mynd and eye The Church nere that where monuments full rare There is wherein doth sondrie people lye My pen shall touch because the notes I finde Therein deserue to be well borne in minde Within the Quere there is a Ladie layd In Tombe most rich the top of fayre Touchstone There was bestow'd in honour of this mayd Great cost and charge the trueth may well be knowne For as the Tombe is built in sumptuous guise So to the same a closet fayre is wrought Where Lords may sit in stately solemne wise As though it were a fine deuice of thought To beautifie both Tombe and euery part Of that fayre worke that there is made by arte Against that Tombe full on the other side A Knight doth lye that Iustice Townesend hight His wife likewise so soone as that she dyed In this rich Tombe was buryed by this Knight And trueth to tell Dame Alice was her name An Heire in deede that brought both wealth and land And as world sayth a worthie vertuous Dame Whose auncient Armes in colours there doth stand And many more whose Armes I doe not knowe Unto this Knight are ioyned all a roe Amid the Church a Chantrie Chappell stands Where Hozier lyes a man that did much good Bestow'd great wealth and gaue thereto some lands And helpt poore soules that in necessitie stood As many men are bent to win good will By some good turne that they may freely showe So Hoziers hands and head were working still For those he did in det or daunger knowe He smyld to see a begger at his doore For all his ioye was to reléeue the poore Another man whose name was Cookes for troth Like Hozier was in all good gifts of grace This Cookes did giue great lands and liuings both For to maintaine a Chauntrie in that place A yéerely dole and monthly almes likewise He ordaynd there which now the poore doe mis His wife and he within that Chappell lyes Where yet full plaine the Chauntrie standing is Some other things of note there may you see Within that Church not touched now by mée Yet Beawpy must be nam'd good reason why For he bestow'd great charge before he dyde To helpe poore men and now his bones doth lye Full nere the Font vpon the formost side Thus in those daies the poore was lookt vnto The rich was glad to fling great wealth away So that their almes the poore some good might do In poore mens boxe who doth his treasure lay Shall finde againe ten fold for one he leaues Or els my hope and knowledge me deceiues THE Castle now I mynd here to set out It stands right well and pleasant to the vewe With sweete prospect yea all the field about An auncient Seate yet many buildings newe Lord Presdent made to giue it greater fame But if I must discourse of things as true There are great works that now doth beare no name Which were of old and yet may pleasure you To see the same for loe in elders daies Was much bestow'd that now is much to praise Prince Arthurs Armes is there well wrought in stone A worthie worke that fewe or none may mend This worke not such that it may passe alone For as the tyme did alwaies people send To world that might excéede in wit and spréete So sondrie sorts of works are in that Seate That for so hye a stately place is méete Which shewes this day the workmanship is greate Looke on my Lords and speak your fancies throw And you will praise fayre Ludloe Castle now In it besides the works are here vnnam'd A Chappell is most trim and costly sure So brauely wrought so fayre and finely fram'd That to worlds end the beautie may endure About the same are Armes in colours sitch As fewe can shewe in any Soyle or place A great deuice a worke most rare and ritch Which truely shewes the Armes the blood and race Of sondrie Kings but chiefly Noble men That here in prose I will set out with pen. Sir Walter Lacie was first owner of Ludloe Castle whose Armes are there and so followes the rest by order as you may reade Ieffrey Genyuile did match with Lacie Roger Mortymer the first Earle of Martchy an Earle of a great house matcht with Genyuile Leonell Duke of Clarence ioyned with Ulster in Armes Edmond Earle of Marchy matched with Clarence Richard Earle of Cambridge matcht with the Earle of Marchy Richard Duke of Yorke matcht with Westmerland Edward the fourth matcht with Woduile of Riuers Henry the seuenth matcht with Elizabeth right heire of England Henry the eight matcht with the Marquese of Penbroke These are the greatest first to be named that are there set out worthely as they were of dignitie and birth Now followes the rest of those that were Lord Presidents and others
fall and theirs to rise Looke on the works and wits of former age And our tyme shall come dragging farre behind If both tymes might be plainly playd on stage And old tyme past be truely calde to mind For all our braue fine glorious buyldings gay Tyme past would run with all the fame away Aske Oxford that and Cambridge if it please In this one poynt shall you resolue at ease In auncient tyme our elders had desire To buyld their Townes on stéepe and stately hill To shewe that as their hearts did still aspyre So should their works declare their worthie will And for that then the world was full of strife And fewe men stood assur'd of land or life Such quarrels rose about great rule and state That no one Soyle was free from foule debate For which sharpe cause that dayly bred discord They made strong Holds and Castles of defence And such as weare the Kings the Prince and Lord Of any place would spare for no expence To see that safe that they had hardly won For which sure poynt were Forts and Townes begun And further loe if people waxed wyld They brought in feare by this both man an child And if men may iudge who had most ado Or gesse by Forts and Holds what Land was best Or looke vpon our common quarrels to Or search what made men seeke for peace and rest Behold but Wales and note the Castles there And you shall finde no such works any where So old so strong so costly and so hye Not vnder Sunne is to be seene with eye And to be plaine so many Holds they haue As sure it is a world to marke them well Pause there a while my muse must pardon craue Pen may not long vpon such matter dwell Now Denbigh comes to be set foorth in verse Which shall both Towne and Castle here rehearse So that the verse such credit may attayne As writer shall not lose no péece of payne ⧠An Introduction to bring in Denbighshiere HAth slouth and sleepe bewitcht my sences so That head cannot awake the ydle hand Is frendly muse become so great a foe That labring pen in pennor still shall stand What trifeling toye doth trouble writers brayne That earnest loue forgets swéete Poets vayne Bid welcome mirth and sad conceytes adue And fall againe to write some matter newe Let old deuice a Lanterne be to this To giue skill light and make sound iudgement see Since gazing eyes hath seene what each thing is And that no Towne nor Soyle is hid from thee Set foorth in verse as well this Countrey here As thou at large hast set out Monmouthshiere Praise one alone the rest will thee disdaine A day may come at length to quite thy paine Though former toyles be lost in Sommer last Dispayre not now for Wales is thankfull still Thou hast gon farre the greatest brunt is past Then forward passe and plucke not backe goodwill Put hand to Plough like man goe through with all Thy ground is good rim and thou canst not fall When seede is sowne and tyme bestowes some paine Thou shalt be knowne a reaper of good graine Hold on thy course and trauaile Wales all ore And whet thy wits to marke and note it well And thou shalt see thou neuer saw'st before Right goodly things in déede that doth excell More auncient Townes more famous Castles old Then well farre of with ease thou mayst behold With Denbighshiere thy second worke begin And thou shalt see what glorie thou shalt win So I tooke horse and mounted vp in haste From Monmouthshiere a long the coasts I ryde When frost and snowe and wayward winters waste Did beate from tree both leaues and Sommers pryde I entred first at Chirke right ore a Brooke Where staying still on Countrey well to looke A Castle fayre appéerde to sight of eye Whose walles were great and towers both large and hye Full vnderneath the same doth Kéeryock run A raging Brooke when rayne or snowe is greate It was some Prince that first this house begun It shewes farre of to be so braue a Seate On side of hill it stands most trim to vewe An old strong place a Castle nothing newe A goodly thing a princely Pallace yet If all within were throughly furnisht fit Beyond the same there is a Bridge of stone That stands on Dée a Riuer déepe and swift It seemes as it would riue the Rocks alone Or vndermyne with force the craggie Clift To Chester runs this Riuer all along With gushing streame and roring water strong On both the sides are bankes and hilles good store And mightie stones that makes the Riuer rore It flowes with winde although no rayne there bée And swelles like Sea with waues and foming flood A wonder sure to see this Riuer Dée With winde alone to waxe so wyld and wood Make such a sturre as water would be mad And shewe such life as though some spréete it had A cause there is a nature for the same To bring this flood in such straunge case and frame Not farre from this there stands on little mount A right fayre Church with pillars large and wide A monument therein of good account Full finely wrought amid the Quéere I spyde A Tombe there is right rich and stately made Where two doth lye in stone and auncient trade The man and wife with sumptuous sollemne guyse In this ritch sort before the Aulter lyes His head on crest and warlike Helmet stayes A Lyon blew on top thereof comes out On Lyons necke along his legges he layes Two Gauntlets white are lying there about An auncient Squire he was and of good race As by his Armes appéeres in many a place His house and lands not farre from thence doth shoe His birth and blood was great right long agoe The trimmest glasse that may in windowe bée Wherein the roote of Iesse well is wrought At Aulter head of Church now shall you see Yea all the glasse of Church was déerely bought Within two myles there is a famous thing Cal'de Offaes Dyke that reacheth farre in length All kind of ware the Danes might thether bring It was free ground and cal'de the Britaines strength Wats Dyke likewise about the same was set Betwéene which two both Danes and Britaines met And trafficke still but passing bounds by sleight The one did take the other prisner streight Thus foes could méete as many tymes they may And doe no harme when profite ment they both Good rule and lawe makes baddest things to stay That els by rage to wretched reuell goeth The brutest beasts that sauage are of kynd Together comes as season is assyude The angryest men that can no friendship byde Must ceace from warre when peace appalles their pride Now let this goe and call in haste to minde Trim Wricksam Towne a pearle of Denbighshiere In whose fayre Church a Tombe of stone I finde