had I layne bedrid long One smile of thine againe could make me yong VVere there in Art a power but so diuine As is in that sweet Angell-tongue of thine That great Inchauntresse which once tooke such paines To force young blood in Aesons wither'd vaines And frō groues mountaines medowes marshe fen Brought all the simples were ordaind for men And of those plants those hearbs those flowers those weeds Vsed the roots the leaues the iuyce the seeds And in this powerfull potion that shee makes Puts blood of men of beasts of birds of snakes Neuer had needed to haue gone so far To seeke the soyles where all those simples are One accent from thy lypps the blood more warmes Then all her philtres exorcismes and charmes Thy presence hath repaired in one day VVhat manie yeeres and sorrowes did decay And made fresh beauties fairest branches spring From wrinckled furrowes of Times ruining Euen as the hungry winter-starued earth VVhen shee by nature labours towards her birth Still as the day vpon the darke world creepes One blossom foorth after another peepes Till the small flower whose roote is nowe vnbound Gets from the frostie prison of the ground Spreading the leaues vnto the powerfull noone Deck'd in fresh colours smiles vpon the sunne Neuer vnquiet care lodg'd in that brest VVhere but one thought of Rosamond dyd rest Nor thirst nor trauaile which on warre attend Ere brought the long day to desired end Nor yet did pale Feare or leane Famine liue vvhere hope of thee did any comfort giue Ah what iniustice then is this of thee That thus the guiltlesse doost condemne for me VVhen onely shee by meanes of my offence Redeemes thy purenes and thy innocence VVhen to our wills perforce obey they must That iust in them whatere in vs vniust Of what we doe not them account we make Thysserues for all they doe it for our sake And what to worke a Princes will may merit Hath deep'st impression in a gentle spirit Our powerfull wills drawne by attractiue beautie They to our wills arm'd by subiectiue dutie And true affection doth no bound reteane For this is sure firme loue had neuer meane And whilst the cause by reason is disputed Reason itselfe by loue is most confuted Ift be my name that doth thee so offend No more my selfe shall be mine owne names friend And ift be that which thou doost onely hate That name in my name lastly hath his date Say tis accurst and fatall and dispraise it If written blot it if engrauen raze it Say that of all names tis a name of woe Once a Kings name but now it is not so And when all this is done I know twill grieue thee And therefore sweet why should I now beleeue thee Nor shouldst thou thinke those eyes with enuie lower vvhich passing by thee gaze vp to thy tower But rather praise thine owne which be so cleere VVhich from the Turret like two starres appeare And in theyr moouings like a Christall glasse Make such reflection vnto all that passe Aboue the sunne doth shine beneath thine eyes As though two sunnes at once shin'd in two skyes The little streame which by thy tower doth glide VVhere oft thou spend'st the weary euening tide To view thee well his course would gladly stay As loth from thee to part so soone away And with salutes thy selfe would gladly greete And offer vp those small drops at thy feete But finding that the enuious bankes restraine it To'xcuse it selfe doth in this sort complaine it And therefore this sad bubling murmur keepes And in this sort within the channell weepes And as thou doost into the water looke The fishe which see thy shadow in the brooke Forget to feede and all amazed lye So daunted with the luster of thine eye And that sweet name which thou so much doost wrong In time shall be some famous Poets song And with the very sweetnes of that name Lyons and Tygars men shal learne to tame The carefull mother from her pensiue brest vvith Rosamond shall bring her babe to rest The little birds by mens continuall sound Shall learne to speake and prattle Rosamond And when in Aprill they begin to sing vvith Rosamond shall welcome in the spring And she in whom all rarities are found Shall still be said to be a Rosamond The little flowers which dropping honied dew which as thou writ'st do weepe vpon thy shue Not for thy fault sweet Rosamond doe mone But weep for griefe that thou so soone art gone For if thy foote tuch Hemlocke as it goes That Hemlock's made more sweeter then the Rose Of loue or Neptune how they did betray Nor speake of 1-0 or Amimone VVhen she for whom Ioue once became a Bull Compar'd with thee had been a tawny trull He a white Bull and shee a whiter Cow Yet he nor she nere halfe so white as thou Long since thou knowst my care prouided for To lodge thee safe from iealious Ellinor The Labyrinths conueyance guides thee so vvhich onely Vahan thou and I doe knowe If shee doe guard thee with a hundred eyes I haue an hundred subtile Mercuries To watch that Argus which my loue doth keep Vntill eye after eye fall all to sleepe Those starrs looke in by night looke in to see VVondring what starre heere on the earth should bee As oft the Moone amidst the silent night Hath come to ioy vs with her friendly light And by the Curtaine help'd mine eye to see VVhat enuious night and darknes hid from mee vvhen I haue wish'd that shee might euer stay And other worlds might still enioy the day VVhat should I say words teares and sighes be spent And want of time dooth further helps preuent My Campe resounds with feare sull shocks of war Yet in my breast the worser conflicts are Yet is my signall to the battailes sound The blessed name of beautious Rosamond Accursed be that hart that tongue that breath Should thinke should speake or whisper of thy death For in one smyle or lower from thy sweet eye Consists my life my hope my victorie Sweet VVoodstock where my Rosamond doth rest Blessed in her in whom thy King is blest For though in Fraunce a while my body bee Sweet Paradice my hart remaines in thee Notes of the Chronicle historie Am I at home pursued with priuate hate And warre comes raging to my Pallace gate RObert Earle of Leicester who tooke part with young king Henry entred into England with an Army of 3. thousand Flemmings and spoyled the Countryes of Norfolke and Suffolke beeing succoured by many of the Kings priuate enemies And am I branded with the curse of Roome King Henry the second the first Plantaginet accused for the death of Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury slaine in the Cathedrall Church was accursed by Pope Alexander although he vrgd sufficient proofe of his innocencie in the same and offered to take vpon him any pennance so he might escape the curse interdiction of the Realme And by the pride
exceeding great fauour with the Commons With Salisbury his vile ambitious Sire In Yorks sterne brest kindling long hidden fire By Clarence title working to supplant The Eagle Ayrie of great Iohn of Gaunt Richard Plantaginet Duke of Yorke in the the time of Henrie the sixt claymed the Crowne beeing assisted by this Richard Neuell Earle of Salisburie and Father to the great Earle of Warwicke who fauoured exceedingly the house of Yorke in open parliament as heyre to Lionell Duke of Clarence the third sonne of Edward the third making his title by Anne his mother wife to Richard Earle of Cambridge sonne to Edmond of Langley Duke of Yorke which Anne was Daughter to Roger Mortimer Earle of March which Roger was sonne and heyre to Edmond Mortimer 〈◊〉 married the Lady Phillip Daughter and heire to Lionell Duke of Clarence the third sonne of King Edward to whō the crowne after Richard the seconds death lineally discended he dying without issue And not to the heires of the Duke of Lancaster that was younger Brother to the Duke of Clarence Hall cap. 1. Tit. 〈◊〉 or Lanc. Vrg'd by these enuious Lords to spend their breath Calling reuenge on the Protectours death Humfrey Duke of Glocester and Lorde Protectour in the 〈◊〉 yeare of Hen. 6. was by the meanes of the Queene and the Duke of Suffolk was atested by y e Lord Beumond at the Parliament 〈◊〉 at Berry and the same night after murthered in his bed If they would know who rob'd him c. To this verse To know how Humfrey dyed and who shall raigne In these verses her iests at the Protectours wife who being 〈◊〉 and conuicted of treason because with Iohn Hun a Priest Roger Bollingbrooke a Negromancer and Margery Iordane called the Witch of Ely shee had consulted and agreed by Sorcery to kill 〈◊〉 King was adiudged to perpetuall pryson in the Ile of Man and 〈◊〉 doo penaunce openly in three publique places in London For twenty yeares and haue I seru'd in Fraunce In the 6. yeare of Hen. the 6. the Duke of Bedford being deceased then Lieutenant generall and Regent of Fraunce this Duke of Suffolke was promoted to that dignity hauing the L. Talbot 〈◊〉 Scales and the Lord Mountacute to assist him Against great Charles and Bastard Orleance This was Charles the seauenth that after the death of Henry the 〈◊〉 obtained the crowne of Fraunce recouered againe much of that his Father had lost Bastard Orleance was sonne to the Duke of Orleance begotten of the L. Cawnies wife preferred highly to many notable offices because he being a most valiant Captaine was continuall enemy to the Englishmen daylie infesting them with diuers incursions And haue I seene Vernoyla's batfull fields Vernoyle is that noted place in Fraunce where the great battell was fought in the beginning of Hen. 6. his raigne where the most of the French cheualry were ouercome by the Duke of Bedford And from Aumearle with-drew my warlike powers Aumearle is that strong defenced towne in Fraunce which the Duke of Suffolke got after 24. great assaults giuen vnto it And came my selfe in person first to Towers Th'Embassadours for truce to entertaine From Belgia Denmarke Hungary and Spaine Towers is a Citty in Fraunce built by Brutus as he came into Britaine where in the 21. of Henry the 6 was appoynted a great dyet to bee kept whether came th'Embassadours of th'Empire Spaine Hungary and Denmarke to intreate for a perpetuall peace to be made betweene the two Kings of England and Fraunce By true descent to weare the Diadem Of Naples Cicile and Ierusalem Rayner Duke of Aniou Father to Queene Margarit call'd him selfe King of Naples Cicily and Ierusalem hauing the title alone of King of those Countries A fifteenes taxe in Fraunce I freely spent The Duke of Suffolke after the marriage concluded twixt King Henry and Margarit Daughter to Duke Rayner asked in open Parliament a whole fifeteenth to fetch her into England Seeue thee for England but imbark't at Deepe Deepe is a Towne in Fraunce bordering vpon the Sea where the Duke of Suffolke with Queene Margarit tooke shippe for England As when ariu'd in Porchesters faire Roade Porchester a Hauen Towne in the South-west part of England where the King taried expecting the Queenes ariuall whom from thence he conueyed to South-hampton Queene Margarit to William de la Pole Duke of Suffolke WHat newes sweet Pole look'st thou my lines should tell But like the sounding of the dolefull bell Bidding the deaths-man to prepare the graue Expect from me no other newes to haue My brest which once was mirths imperiall throne A vast and desart wildernes is growne Like that cold Region from the world remote On whose breeme seas the Icie mountaines flote vvhere those poore creatures banish'd from the light Doe liue imprison'd in continuall night No ioy presents my soules internall eyes But diuination of sad tragedies And care takes vp her solitarie Inne vvhere youth and ioy theyr Court did once begin As in September when our yeere resignes The glorious sunne vnto the watry signes vvhich through the clowdes lookes on the earth in scorne The little Byrd yet to salute the morne Vpon the naked branches sets her foote The leaues now lying on the mossy roote And there a silly chirripping doth keepe As though shee faine would sing yet faine would weepe Praysing faire Sommer that too soone is gone Or mourning VVinter too fast comming on In this sad plight I mourne for thy depart Because that weeping cannot case my hart Now to our ayde who stirres the neighbouring Kings Or who from Fraunce a puissant Armie brings VVho moues the Norman to assist our warre Or brings in Burgoyn to ayde Lancaster VVho in the North our lawfull claime commends To winne vs credite with our valiant friends To whom shall I my secrete thoughts impart VVhose brest is now the closet of my hart The auncient Heroes fame thou didst reuiue And didst from them thy memory deriue Nature by thee both gaue and taketh all Alone in Pole she was too prodigall Of so diuine and rich a temper wrought As heauen for him perfections depth had sought Peables and Flints we finde in euery path The Diamond rich India onely hath VVell knew King Henry what he pleaded for vvhen thou wert made his sweet-tong'd Orator vvhose Angell-eye by powrefull influence Imparteth wonders passing eloquence That when loue would his youthfull sports haue tryde But in thy shape himselfe would neuer hide vvhich in his loue had beene of greater power Then was his Nymph his flame his swanne his shower To that allegiance Yorke was bound by oath To Henries heyres and safetie of vs both No longer now he meanes record shall beare it He will dispence with heauen and will vnsweare it Hee that's in all the worlds blacke sinnes forlorne Is carelesse now how oft hee be forsworne And now of late his title hath set downe By which he claimes the right of Englands Crowne And now I heare his
alas too loosely set to sale Shee need not like an vgly Minataur Haue been lock'd vp from iealious Ellinor But beene as famous by thy mothers wrongs As by thy Father subiect to all tongues To shadow sinne might can the most pretend Kings but the conscience all things can defend A stronger hand restraines our wilsull powers A will must rule aboue this will of ours Not following what our vaine desires doe wooe For vertues sake but what we onely doe And hath my Father chose to liue exild Before his eyes should see my youth defild And to withstand a Tyrants lewd desire Beheld his Towers and Castles razd with fire Yet neuer tuch'd with griefe so onely I Exempt from shame might with true honour die And shall this iewell which so deerely cost Now after all by my dishonour lost No no his reuerend words his holy teares Yet in my soule too deepe impression beares No no his fare-well at his last depart More deepely is engrauen in my hart Nor shall that blot by mee his name shall haue Bring his gray haires with sorrow to his graue Rather with pitty weepe vpon my Tombe Then for my birth to curse my mothers wombe Though Dunmowe giue no refuge heere at all Dunmowe can giue my body buriall If all remorcelesse no teare-shedding eye My selfe will moane my selfe so liue so die Notes of the Chronicle historie THis Epistle containeth no particuler poynts of historie more then the generallity of the argument layeth open for after the banishment of the Lord Robert Fitzwater and that 〈◊〉 was become a Recluse at Dunmowe from whence this reply is imagined to bee written the King still earnestly persisting in his sute Matilda with this chast constant deniall hopeth yet at length to find some comfortable remedy and to rid herselfe of doubts by taking vpon her this monasticke habite and to shew that shee still beareth in minde his former crueltie bred by the impatience of his lust she remembreth him of her fathers banishment the lawlesse exile of her alies and friends Doost thou of Father and of friends depriue mee Then complayning of her distresse that flying thether thinking there to finde releefe she sees herselfe most assayld where she hoped to haue found most safetie Alas and fled I hether from my foe That c. After againe standing vpon the precise poynts of conscience not to cast off this habite she had taken My vowe is taken I a Nunne profest And at last laying open more particulerly the miseries sustained by her Father in England the burning of his Castles and houses which she proueth to be for her sake as respecting onely her honour more then his natiue country and his owne fortunes And to withstand a Tyrants lowde desire Beheld his Towers and Castels set on fire Knitting vp her Epistle with a great and constant resolution Though Dunmow giue no refuge heere at all Dunmow can giue my body burià ll FINIS To the vertuous Lady the Lady Anne Harrington wife to the honourable Gentleman Sir Iohn Harrington Knight MY singuler good Lady your many vertues knowne in generall to all and your gracious fauours to my vnworthy selfe haue confirmed that in mee which before I knew you I onely sawe by the light of other mens iudgements Honour seated in your breast findes herselfe adorned as in a rich pallace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which makes her admirable which like the sunne from thence begetteth most precious things of this earthly world onely by the vertue of his rayes not the nature of the mould Worth is best 〈◊〉 by the worthie deiected mindes want that pure fire which should giue vigor to vertue I refer to your owne great thoughts the vnpartiall Judges of true affection the vnfained zeale I haue euer borne to your honorable seruice and so rest your Ladiships humbly at commaund Michaell Drayton Queene Isabell to Mortimer * The Argument Queene Isabell the wife of Edward the seconde called Edward Carnaruan being the daughter of Phillip le Beau King of Fraunce forsaken by the King her husband who delighted onely in the company of Piers Gaueston his minion and fauorite and after his death seduced by the euill counsaile of the Spensers This Queene thus left by her husband euen in the glory of her youth drewe into her especiall fauour Roger Mortimer Lorde of VVigmore a man of a mightie and inuinsible spirit This Lord Mortimer rising in Armes against the King with Thomas Earle of Lancaster and the Barrons was taken ere hee could gather his power and by the King committed to the Tower of London During his imprisonment he ordained a feast in honor of his birth-day to which he inuited Sir Stephen Segraue Lieutenant of the Tower and the rest of the officers where by meanes of a drinke prepared him by the Queene hee cast them all into a beauie sleepe and with ladders of cordes beeing ready prepared for the purpose hee escapeth and flyeth into Fraunce whether shee sendeth this Epistle complayning her owne misfortunes and greatly reioycing at his safe escape THough such sweet comfert comes not now from her As Englands Queene hath sent to Mortimer Yet what that wants which might my power approue If lines can bring this shall supply with loue Mee thinks affliction should not fright mee so Nor should resume these sundry shapes of wo But when I faine would finde the cause of this Thy absence shewes mee where the erroris Oft when I thinke of thy departing hence Sad sorrow then possesseth euery sence But finding thy deere blood preseru'd thereby And in thy life my long-wish'd libertie vvith that sweet thought my selfe I onely pleuse Amid'st my griefe which sometimes giues me ease Thus doe extreamest ills a ioy possesse And one woe makes another woe seeme lesse That blessed night that mild-aspected howre VVherein thou mad'st escape our of the Towre Shall consecrated euer-more remaine VVhat gentle Planet in that howre did raigne And shall be happy in the birth of men vvhich was chiefe Lord of the Ascendant then Oh how I fear'd that sleepie iuyce I sent Might yet want power to further thine intent Or that some vnseene misterie might lurke VVhich wanting order kindly should not worke Oft did I wish those dreadfull poysoned lees That clos'd the euer-waleing Dragons eyes Or I had had those sence 〈◊〉 stalkes That grow in shadie Proserpines darke walkes Or those blacke weedes on Lethe bankes below Or Lunary that doth on Latmus flow Oft did I feare thys moyst and foggie Clime Or that the earth waxt barraine nowe with time Should not haue hearbes to helpe me in this case Such as doe thriue on Indias parched face That morrow when the blessed sunne did rise And shut the lidds of all heauens lesser eyes Forth from my 〈◊〉 by a secret staire I steale to 〈◊〉 as though to take the ayre And aske the gentle stood as it did glide Or thou didst 〈◊〉 or perish by the tide If thou didst perish I desire the streame To
VVarwicke the pride of Neuels haughtie race Great Salsbury so fear'd in euery place That valiant Poole whom no atchiuement dares And Vere so famous in the Irish warres VVhom though I were a mighty Princesse borne Yet of the worst no whit I neede to scorne But Henries rare perfections and his parts As his sword kingdoms so those conquer'd harts As chast was I to him as Queene might bee But freed from him my chast loue vow'd to thee Beauty doth fetch all fauor from thy face All perfit courtship resteth in thy grace If thou discourse thy lipps such accents breake As loue a spirit forth of thee seem'd to speake The Brittish language which sweet vowels wants And iarrs so much vpon harsh consonants Comes with such grace srom thy mellifluous tongue As doe the sweet notes of a well set song And runnes as smoothly from those lypps of thine As the pure Thuskan from the Florantine Leauing such seasoned sweetnes in the eare As the voyce past yet still the sound is there Like Nisus Tower where once Apollo lay And on his golden viall vs'd to play vvhere sencelesse stones were with such musick drownd As many yeeres they did retaine the sound Had he which dar'd proud Perseus to the field Caried my Tudors picture in his shield The sight there of should haue subdu'd alone That Gorgons head which turn'd men to a stone If Ioue should take my Tudors louely eye And with heauens lights should place it in the skye The wandring starrs would leaue theyr endlesse maze And fixe themselues vpon that starre to gaze If faire Alcmenas three nights-gotten sonne vvhen he his twelue great labours first had done Had knowne one lock of thy delicious ore Kept by the Dragon Lyon Serpent Bore Twelue labours more for that he would sustaine And where he ended would begin againe Yet let not this make thee thy selfe forget Nor my affection now so firmely set Nor with repulse my forwardnes reproue To boast the conquest of a princely loue No my sweet Tudor I will aunswer no Thy gentle brow doth mildly warrant so VVhen Nature shew'd her wonders in thy face Shee made that mount Loues royall sporting place vvhere sweet content doth banquet all the yere Nor coy disdaine yet euer dwelled there Let peeuish worldlings speake of right and wrong Leaue plaints and pleas to whom they doe belong Let old men speak of chaunces and euents And Lawyers talke of titles and discents Leaue fond reports to such as stories tell And couenaunts to such as buy and sell Loue my sweet Tudor that becomes thee best And to our good successe referre the rest Notes of the Chronicle historie Great Henry sought to accomplish his desire Armed c. HEnry the 〈◊〉 making clayme vnto the Crowne of Fraunce first sought by Armes to subdue the French and after sought by marriage to confirme what he got by conquest the heate and furie of which inuasion is aluded to the fiction of Semele in Ouid which by the craftie perswasion of Iuno requested Ioue to come vnto her as he was wont to come vnto his wife Iuno who at her request he yeelding vnto destroyed her in a tempest Incamp'd at Melans in warres hote alarmes First c. Neere vnto Melans vpon the riuer of Seyne was the appointed place of parley between the two Kings of England Fraunce to which place Isabell the Queene of Fraunce and the Duke of Burgoyne brought the young Princesse Katherine where King Henry first saw her And on my temples set a double Crowne Henry the fift and Queene Katherine were taken as King and Queene of Fraunce during the life of Charles the French king Henry was called King of England and heire of Fraunce and after the death of Henry the fift Henry the sixt his sonne then beeing very young was crowned at Paris as true and lawfull King of England and Fraunce At Troy in Champayne he did first enioy Troy in Champayne was the place where that victorious king Henry the fift married the Princesse Katherine in the presence of the chiefe Nobilitie of the Realmes of England and of Fraunce Nor these great titles vainely will I bring Wife daughter mother c. Fewe Queenes of England or Fraunce were euer more princely alied then this Queene as it hath beene noted by Historiographers Nor thinke so Tudor that this loue of mine Should wrong the Gaunt-borne c. Noting the descent of Henry her husband from Iohn Duke of Lancaster the fourth sonne of Edward the third which Duke Iolm was surnamed Gaunt of the Cittie of Gaunt in Flaunders where he was borne Nor stirre the English blood the Sunne and Moone T'repine c. Aluding the greatnes of the English line to Phoebus and Phoebe fained to be the children of Latona whose heauenly kinde might scorne to be ioyned with any earthly progenie yet withall boasting the blood of Fraunce as not inferior to theirs And with this allusion followeth on the history of the strife betwixt Iuno the race of Cadmus whose issue was afflicted by the wrath of heauen The chyldren of Niohe slaine for which the wofull mother became a Rocke gushing forth continually a fountaine of teares And Iohn and Longshanks issue both affied Lhewellin or Leolin ap Iorwerth marryed Ioan daughter to King Iohn a most beautifull Lady Some Authors affirme shee was base borne Lhewellin ap Gryfith maried Ellinor daughter to Simon Montfort Earle of Leicester and Cosin to Edward Longshankes both which Lhewellins were Princes of Wales Of Camilot and all her Penticosts A nephewes roome c. Camilot the auncient Pallace of King Arthur to which place all the Knights of that famous order yeerely repayred at Penticost according to the law of the Table most of the famous home-borne Knights were of that Country as to this day is perceaued by theyr auncient monuments When bloody Rufus sought your vtter sacke Noting the ill successe which that William Rufus had in two voiages he made into Wales in which a number of his chiefe Nobilitie were slaine And oft return'd with glorious victory Noting the diuers sundry incursians that the Welchmen made into England in the time of Rufus Iohn Henry the second and Longshanks Owen Tudor to Queene Katherine WHen first mine eyes beheld thy princely name And found from whence these friendly letters came As in excesse of ioy my selfe forgot VVhether I saw it or I saw it not My panting hart doth bid mine eyes proceed My dazeled eye inuites my tongue to reed Mine eye should guide my tongue amazed mist it My lips which now should speake are dombe and kist it And leaues the paper in my trembling hand vvhen all my sences so amazed stand Euen as a mother comming to her child vvhich from her presence hath been long exil'd vvith tender armes his gentle necke doth straine Now kissing him now clipping him againe And yet excessiue ioy delndes her so As still shee doubts if this be hers or no At length awak'ned