and creepe and bow Our hearts our heads we sauage were but now Yet by and by such was the good successe In fiery flames the truth we did professe Then flitting Fame the truth to testifie Against my wil at Rome made such report That Constatinus thence did hither hie And being come vnto my Britaine Court With louers lookes he striu'd to scale the Fort Of my good will but when it would not bee He sighing thus addrest his talke to me O Queene quoth he thy deeds deserue great fame The goodly gifts that God hath giu'n to thee Be such as I cannot thee greatly blame Though thou without desert disdainest me Who for thy sake doth lothe all crueltie But for thy loue with Mars his cruell knife I could command thy Realme and reaue thy life But out alas whil'st breath doth lend me life My heart shall hate to thrall thy happie state What though thou dost refuse to be my wife Thy hatred tho shall neuer cause me hate But whil'st I liue I will thee loue let Fate And Fortune fell powre on me all their spight To die for thee shall greatly me delight Then I repli'd O Duke without desert Thou dost me loue a little Ilands Queene I know thou to the Emperour heire art Thy valiant acts I diuers waies haue seene I like thy deeds most noble which haue been And thee I loue yet priuate pleasures lust May neuer make me throw my Realme to dust If thou quoth he wilt daine my Queene to be Thy Britaines shall to Rome no tribute yeeld You if you please to Rome may go with me Your mightie mate the world so wide may wield Or if you please I heere with you will bilde My biding place and in this little land I will remaine yours heere at your command His comely grace his friendly promise plight His famous actes his Noble royall race Some other things which heere I could recite The Romans heart within my brest did place And when my wit had weighed well the case Then for the chiefe of all my Realme I sent And thus I spake to know the whole intent My louing Lords and you my subiects see This Roman heire whom I indeed do loue He will restore your ancient libertie If I will bend my hest to his behoue Which benefits they chiefely do me moue To loue at last a man by whom you may Receiue a Shield to keepe you from decay Perhaps you thinke I loue because I see His comely shape and seemely sanguine face You be deceiu'd no outward brauery No personage no gallant courtly grace What though he be by birth of royall race I recke it not but this I do regard My Commonweale by him may be preseru'd For if he will from tribute set you free And end the worke which I haue well begonne That Christs Gospell preached still may bee God may by him send vnto me a sonne To you a King what wealth then haue you wonne What great renowne what honor will insue Speake you your minds these things me thinke be true O Queene quoth they the Lord preserue thy grace Do thou the thing that seemes to thee the best We do allow the match in euery case If by that meanes we may haue quiet rest With what great good shal this our Realme be blest Do thou therefore O noble Queene we pray The thing which best may keepe vs from decay The Roman Duke he nothing would deny But granted more then I could aske or craue So that there was proclaimed by and by A famous feast a banquet passing braue There to the Duke the Britaine crowne I gaue With sacred spousall rights as man and wife We wedded liu'd in loue for terme of life And whil'st we ment to rule this little I le A greater good vnlooked for befell Death did destroy his Sire with hateful hand For which we both at Rome must now go dwell And so we did things prospered passing well My Feere was made the Emperour Lord and king Of all and I the Queene of euery thing His mightie Mace did rule the Monarchie My wit did rule some writers say his Mace And to increase with ioy our merrie glie I brought him forth a babe of Royall race The boy he had an amiable face O Rome thou maist reioyce for this was he Which did at Rome erect Diuinitie Whil'st thus in blisse I did at Rome remaine A Britaine still my mind her care did cast For which I caus'd my husband to ordaine That euermore those ancient Lawes should last Which heretofore amongst them there I past And that to Rome no Britaine borne for aye Should taxe or toll or tenth or tribute pay Though there at Rome an Empresse life I led And had at hand what I could wish or craue Yet still me thought I was not wel bestead Because I was so farre from Britaine braue Which when my louing Lord did once perceiue He set a stay in all the Emperie To Britaine then he did returne with me We raign'd of yeeres thrice seuen with good successe Then Dolor and Debilitie did driue My louing Lord with fainting feeblenesse For vitall life with braying breath to striue He felt how death of life would him depriue He cal'd his Lords his child and me his wife And thus he spake euen as he left his life The haughtie Pines of loftie Libanus From earth to earth in tract of time returne So I whose spreading praise were maruellous Must now returne my flesh to filthie slime On Fortunes wheele I may no longer clime Therefore my Lords although my glasse be runne Yet take remorse on Constantine my sonne My Monarch Court my Kingdomes all O stately Rome farewell to them and thee Farewell my Lords which see my finall fall Farewell my child my wife more deare to mee Then all the world we must depart I see And must we needs depart O Fortune fie We must depart adue farewell I die Wherewith he sigh'd and senselesse did remaine Then I his death as women do did waile But when I view'd that weeping was but vaine I was content to beare that bitter bale As one who found no meanes for her auaile His corps at Yorke in Princely Tombe I laid When funerall sacred solemne rites were paid And when report his death about had blowne Maxentius then the triple crowne to weare Did challenge all the Empire as his owne And for a time that mightie Mace did beare Which when my sonne my Constantine did heare The youthfull Lad indeuour'd by and by To claime his right by Mars his crueltie I then his tender youthfull yeares to guide Went with my sonne to see his good successe He being Campt by fruitfull Tybers side To spoile his foe he did himselfe addresse He knew that God did giue all happinesse Therefore to God euen then the youth did pray With mightie hand to keepe him from decay Behold how God doth godly men defend And marke how he doth beate Vsurpers downe Maxentius now
th' other side the Knight doth work my wracke The other points with Pawnes be all possest And here the Rooke of ruth doth reaue my rest And beeing brought into this strange estate I do confesse my selfe to haue a mate Sith sorow so hath seasde vpon my bones That now too late I do lament my losse And sith no meanes may turne my gastfull grones To ioyfull glie sith trouble still doth tosse Me to and fro in waltring waues of woe Death is my friend and life I count my foe Which death though once my feeble flesh did feare Yet now I faine would feele his murdring speare In gurging gulfe of these such surging seas My poorer soule who drownd doth death request I wretched wight haue sought mine owne disease By mine owne meanes my state it was distrest For whilst I meant to make my lust a law Iustice me from my high estate did draw So that I find and feele it now with paine All worldly pompe al honour is but vaine Which honour I to fiery flames compare For when they flash and flourish most of all Then suddainely their flamings quenched are For proofe whereof to minde now let vs call Antigonus and Ptolemeus Great Caesar and Mithridate we may repeat With Darius and great Antiochus Cambises eke and conquering Pyrrhus And I the last might first haue had my place They all as I with flaming fierie show Were quenched quite Dame Fortune did deface Yea hatefull hap euen then did ouerthrow Vs most when most we had our hearts desire When most we flourisht like the flames of fire Euen then the seas of sorow did preuaile And made vs weare a blacke lamenting saile And heere before my death I will repeate To thee the thing which I of late did dreame That thou and all the world may see how great A care it is to rule a royall realme My dreame shal shew that blisse doth not consist In wealth nor want but he alone is blest Who is content with his assigned fate And neuer striues to clime to higher state When seemely Sol had rest his glittering gleames And night the earth did with her darkenesse vaile Dame Cinthia then with her bright burnisht beames The shadowed shades of darkenesse did assaile Then Somnus caus'd my senses all to quaile On carefull couch then being laid to rest With doubtfull dreames I strangely was distrest In cottage cold where care me thought did keepe With naked need and want of wherewithall Where pouertie next beggers doore did creepe And where expences were so passing small That all men deem'd that man forethrong'd with thrall Which there did dwell euen there from bondage free I view'd a man all void of miserie And whil'st I musde how he in bliue of blisse Could lead his life amid'st that caue of care From Princely Court proceeded ere I wist A man with whom there might no man compare His wealth his wit his courage were so rare That none before nor since were like to him Yet he me thought in waues of woe din swim This man had all that men could wish or craue For happie state yet nought he had in deed The other he had nought that men would haue Yet had he all beleeue it as thy Creed This saying of that happie man I reade That hauing nought yet all things so I haue That hauing nought I nothing more do craue The King me thought with all his Courtly traine Past to the place where pouertie did dwell With frowning face and with a troubled braine With woe and want his vexed veines did swell With mirth and ioy the poore man did excell And being come vnto his house ymade Of one poore hogshead thus to him he said Diogenes thou lead'st a lothsome life Me thinke thou might'st much better spend thy time Within my Court both thou and eke thy wife Thou by that meanes to high estate maist clime I haue the wealth and thou art void of crime And loe before thy face I heere am prest To giue thee that which thou shalt now request Stand backe Sir King thy vaunting vowes be vaine I nothing recke thy promise goods nor land And Titans stately streames would me sustaine With heate if thou from this my doore wouldst stand Thou takst away much more then thy commaund Can giue againe thy gifts so vile I deeme That none but fooles such follies do esteeme With conquest thou hast wone the world so wide And yet thou canst not win thy wandring wil Thou wouldest win an other world beside But tush that fact doth farre surpasse thy skill Thou neuer wilt of Conquest haue thy fill Til death with daunting dart hath conquer'd thee Then must thou leaue behind thy Monarchie With great assaults my selfe I haue subdude In all respects I haue my hearts desire With a contented minde I am endude To higher state I neuer wil aspire More like a Prince then any poore Esquire I leade my life and sith my state is such Aske thou of me for I can giue thee much All dasht with dread mee thought in fuming heate He said departing thence in hast with speede If I were not Alexander the Great I would become Diogenes indeed Who leades his life all void of wofull dread He hath the wealth which I cannot obtaine I haue the wealth which wise men do disdaine I liue in feare I languish all in dread Wealth is my woe the causer of my care With feare of death I am so ill bestead That restlesse I much like the hunted Hare Or as the canuist Kite doth feare the snare Ten hundred cares haue brought me to the baie Ten thousand snares for this my life men laie When Philip he of Macedon the King One Realme me left I could not be content Desier prickt mee to an other thing To win the world it was my whole intent Which done an other world to win I ment When least I had then most I had of blesse Now all the world and all vnquietnesse No woe to want of contentation No wealth to want of riches and renowne For this is seene in euery nation The highest trees be soonest blowen downe Ten kings do die before one clubbish Clowne Diogenes in quiet Tunne doth rest When Caesar is with carking care distrest Wherewith me thought he was departed quite And Morpheus that sluggish God of sleepe Did leaue my limmes wherewith I stood vpright Deuising long what profit I could reape Of this my dreame which plainly did expresse That neither want nor wealth doth make mans blesse Who hath the meane with a contented minde Most perfect blisse his God hath him assignde But I who liu'd a crowned King of late And now am forc'd of thee to beg my bread I cannot be content with this estate I lothe to liue I would I wretch were dead Despaier she doth feede me with decay And patience is fled and flowne away Doe thou therefore O Heardsman play thy part Take thou this blade and thrust it to my hart O
Sir I said the gods defend that I Should causelesse kill a man in miserie Tell me thy name and place then by and by I will prouide for thine aduersitie Then he repli'd my name is Sigebert I am the man which wrought thy masters smart I rul'd of late this Realme euen at my list Take thou reuenge with that thy friendly fist And well content I will reuenge with speed The death of him whom causelesse thou did'st kill King Sigebert and art thou he indeed Sith he thou art dispatch and make thy will For to my Lord this day I will present Thy head therefore thy former saults repent Thou seest the blocke on which thy life must end Call thou for grace that God may mercie send Wherewith he kneeling by the blocke of bale Dispatch quoth he and do that friendly deed O welcome death and farewell Fortune fraile Dispatch good friend dispatch my life with speed Wherewith on blocke he stretcht his neck outright And said no more but praying me to smite I gaue the stroke which ended all his care A bloodie stroke which did my death prepare For I who hopte to haue some great reward For killing of my Masters fathers foe Was hanged straight my cause was neuer heard Such was my chance and well deserued woe For when my Lord had heard me tell the tale How I his King and mine did there assaile His frowning face did put me in great feare He sigh'd and sob'd and said as you shall heare O Caitiffe vile O Impe of Satans seed And hast thou kill'd our Soueraigne Lord and King His due desert deserueth death indeed Yet what made thee to do so vile a thing What though he did my father causelesse kill What though he rul'd the Realme with lawlesse will Shall we therefore with cruell bloodie knife Depriue our Lord and King of vitall life O wicked deed may subiects false surmise With murthering minds their Gouernour resist That may not be for Tully wondrous wise Plato in whom true knowledge doth consist They both agreed that no man ought to kill A Tyrant though he hath him at this will Yet thou thou wretch this bloody deed hast done The like was neuer seene vnder the Sun When God will plague the people for their sin Them then to scourge he doth a Tyrant send We should therefore that subiects be begin With earnest mind our former saults t' amend Which if we do it is to great availe Mans force is fond fighting cannot prcuaile And he who doth resist the Magistrate Resisteth God repenting all too late If subiects be by peruerse Prince opprest They then must pray that God the change may make Which God no doubt rebellion doth detest No subiect may his sword or armour take Against his Prince whom God hath placed there Yet hath this wretch all void of subiects feare Destroy'd a King whom God did thrust from throne Alas poore King thy death I do bemone But he who hath thy lingring life destroi'd Shall be destroi'd and find it passing plaine That no man may a Princes life annoy Although the Prince desiers to be slaine Yet subiects must from sheading blood refraine From which seeing that this wretch could not abstaine Let him be hang'd as I before decreed A iust reward for his so vile a deed Then I forthwith to end my life was led I hopte to haue preferment for my deed I was prefer'd and hang'd all saue the head Did euer man the like example read Not one I thinke therefore good Memorie In register inrole thou this for me That they who liue and reade the fall I felt May find how fate most strangely with me delt Yet my desert no doubt did death deserue Though hatred did not make me kill my King Yet lucre leaud did force my feete to swerue That hatefull hap me to this bale did bring Let them then learne that heedlesse liue by hope Her hatefull hests will bring them to the rope And happie he who void of hope can lead A quiet life all void of Fortunes dread Perillus he who made the Bull of brasse Like him I hopte to haue some great reward But he in brasen belly broyled was And to a skarfe of hemp I was prefer'd So they that meane by others harmes to rise Their dying day shall end with dolefull cries And heere I end approuing that most true From wicked workes no goodnesse can ensue Thomas Blener Hasset HOW LADIE EBBE DID FLEA HER NOSE AND VPPER lippe away to saue her Virginitie Anno Dom. 870. DO nothing muse at my deformed face For Nature it in perfect mould did make And when your wits haue weighed well the case You will commend me much for vertues sake With these my hands which from my face did take Mine ouer-lippe and eke my seemely nose So to auoid the rage of all my foes For I by birth a Princes daughter borne An Abbiesse by my profession Of which estate I neuer thought it scorne It greatly did delight me to be one Which might erect diuine religion At Collingam I tooke this charge in hand And fiftie more of chaste Dianaes band All Ladies borne by birth of high degree Which there did vow with me their liues to leade And to auoid carnall fragilitie We all did vow as you right well may reade With single liues to liue in feare and dread Of God our Lord so to refraine the vice Of fleshly lust which doth to sinne intice Then did the Danes the Saxon state inuade And they who did the Britaine state destroy To sue for grace were glad and well apaid So strangely did the Danes vs then annoy That Saxons like the men of broyling Troy Amaz'd they gaz'd not knowing what was best So straitly were the Saxons then distrest These dreadfull Danes they had no feare of God But sauage they did make their lust a law Whom God did send for a reuenging rod To make vs Saxons liue in feare and awe Of him who did from seruile bondage draw Vs out and made vs liue at libertie When as we seru'd with cruell slauerie Not much vnlike the murmuring Israelites Sometime we seru'd our Lord with feare and dread In trouble we imploi'd our whole delights To fast and pray but when we quiet were We restlesse led our liues all void of care Forgetting him who did in each distresse With helping hand vs blesse with good successe See heere the fruit of health and good successe It maketh man both proud and insolent In health we hate the God who hath vs blest Trouble doth make vs mortall men repent Our former faults in sicknesse we be bent To fast and pray and in aduersitie To pray to God is mans felicitie And for this fault abusing this our blesse The Danes with ruth our Realme did ouerrunne Their wrath inwrapt vs all in wretchednesse There was no sin from which those men did shunne By them the Commonweale was quite vndone They did destroy the state of euery towne They Churches
at Lord Stanley whose braine he had surely cleft Had he not downe beneath the table crept But Ely Yorke and I were taken straight Imprisoned they I should no longer wait But charged was to shriue me and shift with hast My Lord must dine and now midday was past The Bores first dish not the bores head should be But Hastings head the borish beast would see VVhy stay I his dinner vnto the chappel ioineth A greenish hil that body and soule oft twineth There on a blocke my head was stricken off As Baptists head for Herod bloudy gnoffe Thus liu'd I Baldwine thus dide I thus I fel This is the summe which al at large to tel VVould volumes fil whence yet these lessons note Ye noble Lords to learne and ken by rote By filthie rising feare your names to staine If not for vertues loue for dread of paine VVhom so the mindes vnquiet state vpheaues Be it for loue or feare when fancie reaues Reason her right by mocking of the wit If once the cause of this affection flit Reason preuailing on the vubridled thought Downe falth he who by fancie climbe aloft So hath the riser foule no staie from fall No not of those that raisd him first of all His suretie stands in mainteining the cause That heau'd him first which rest by reasons sawes Not onely falth he to his former state But liueth for euer in his princes hate And marke my Lords God for adulterie sleath Though ye it thinke too sweete a sinne for death Serue trulie your Prince and feare not rebels might On Princes halues the mightie God doth fight O much more then forsweare a forrein foe Who seeketh your realme and country to vndo Murther detest haue hands vnstaind with bloud Aie with your succour do protect the good Chace treason where trust should be wed to your frend Your heart and power to your liues last end Flie tickle credit shun alike distrust Too true it is and credit it you must The iealous nature wanteth no stormie strife The simple soule aye leadeth a sower life Beware of flatterers friends in outward show Best is of such to make your open foe What all men seeke that all men seeke to saine Some such to be some such to seeme them paine Marke Gods iust iudgements punishing sin by sinne And slipperie state wherein aloft we swimme The prouerbe all day vp if we ne fall Agreeth well to vs high heaued worldlings all From common sort vprais'd in honors weed We shine while Fortune false whom none erst feed To stand with stay and forsweare ticklenesse Sowseth vs in mire of durtie brittlenesse And learne ye Princes by my wronged sprite Not to misconster what is meant aright The winged words too oft preuent the wit When silence ceaseth afore the lips to sit Alas what may the words yeeld worthie death The words worst is the speakers stinking breath Words are but winde why cost they then so much The guiltie kicke when they too smartly touch Forth irreturnable flieth the spoken word Be it in scoffe in earnest or in bourd Without returne and vnreceiu'd it hangs And at the takers mercie or rigour stands Which if he sowerly wrest with wrathfull cheare The shiuering word turnes to the speakers feare If friendly courtefie do the word expound To the speakers comfort sweetly it doth redound Euen as the vapour which the fire repels Turnes not to earth but in mid aire dwels Where while it hangeth if Boreas frostie flawes With rigour rattle it not to raine it thawes But thunder lightnings ratling haile or snow Sends downe to earth whence first it rose below But if faire Phoebus with his countenance sweete Resolue it downe the dew or Manna sleete The Manna dew that in the Easterne lands Excell'th the labour of the bees small hands Else for her Memnon gray Auroras teares On the earth it stilleth the partener of her feares Or sendeth sweet showers to glad their mother earth Whence first they tooke their first inconstant birth To so great griefes ill taken words do grow Of words well taken such delights do flow This learned thus be heere at length an end What since ensued to thee I will commend Now farewell Baldwine shield my torne name From slanderous trumpe of blasting blacke defame But ere I part hereof thou record beare I claime no part of vertues reckoned heere My vice my selfe but God my vertues take So hence depart I as I entred nak'd Thus ended Hastings both his life and tale Containing all his worldly blisse and bale Happie he liued too happie but for sinne Happie he died whom right his death did bring Thus euer happie For there is no meane Twixt blissefull liues and mortall deaths extreame Yet feared not his foes to staine his name And by these slanders to procure his shame In rustie armour as in extreame shift They clad themselues to cloake their diuellish drift And forth with for substantiall citizens sent Declaring to them Hastings forged intent Was to haue slaine the Duke and to haue seised The Kings yong person slaying whom he had pleas'd But God of Iustice had withturn'd that fate Which where it ought light on his proper pate Then practised they by proclamation spread Nought to forget that mought defame him dead Which was so curious and so clerkely pend So long withall that when some did attend His death so yong they saw that long before The shroud was shaped then babe to die was bore So wonteth God to blind the worldly wise That not to see that all the world espies One hearing it cried out A goodly cast And well contriued foule cast away for hast Whereto another gan in scoffe replie First pend it was by enspiring prophecie So can God rip vp secret mischiefes wrought To the confusion of the workers thought My Lords the tub that dround the Clarence Duke Dround not his death not yet his deaths rebuke Your politique secrets gard with trustie loyaltie So shall they lurke in most assured secrecie By Hastings death and after fame ye learne The earth for murder crieth out vengeance sterne Flie from his faults and spare to hurt his fame The eager hounds forbeare their slaine game Dead dead auaunt Curs from the conquered chase Ill might he liue who loueth the dead to race Thus liued this Lord thus died he thus he slept Mids forward race when first to rest he stept Enuious death that bounceth as well with mace At Kesars courts as at the poorest gates When nature seem'd too slow by this sloape meane Conueighed him sooner to his liues extreame Happie in preuenting woes that after happ'd In slumber sweete his liuing lights he lapp'd Whose hastie death if it do any grieue Know he he liu'd to die and dide to liue Vntimely neuer comes the liues last met In cradle death may rightly claime his det Straight after birth due is the fatall beere By deaths permission the aged linger heere Euen in the swathbands out commission goeth To
to the morning mist And straight againe the teares how they down rold Alongst his cheekes as if the riuers hist Whose flowing streames ne were no sooner whist But to the stars such dreadfull shouts he sent As if the throne of mighty Ioue should rent And I the while with sprits welny bereft Beheld the plight and pangs that did him straine And how the bloud his deadly colour left And straight returnd with flaming red againe When suddenly amid his raging paine He gaue a sigh and with that sigh hee said Oh Banastaire and straight againe he staid Dead lay his corps as dead as any stone Till swelling sighs storming within his breast Vpraisd his head that downeward fell anon With lookes vpcast and sighs that neuer ceast Forth streamd the teares records of his vnrest When he with shrikes thus groueling on the ground Ybraied these words with shrill and dolefull sound Heauen and earth and ye eternall lamps That in the heauens wrapt will vs to rest Thou bright Phoebe that clearest the nights damps Witnesse the plaints that in these pangs opprest I wofull wretch vnlade out of my brest And let me yeeld my last words ere I part You you I call to record of my smart And thou Alecto feede mee with thy food Let fall thy serpents from thy snaky heare For such reliefe well fits mee in this mood To feede my plaint with horrour and with feare While rage afresh thy venomd worme areare And thou Sibylla when thou seest mee faint Addresse thy selfe the guide of my complaint And thou O Ioue that with the deepe fordoome Dost rule the earth and raigne aboue the skies That wreakest wrongs and giu'st the dreadful doome Against the wretch that doth thy name despise Receiue these words and wreake them in such wise As heauen and earth may witnesse and behold Thy heapes of wrath vpon this wretch vnfold Thou Banastaire gainst thee I clepe and call Vnto the Gods that they iust vengeance take On thee thy bloud thy stained stocke and all O Ioue to thee aboue the rest I make My humble plaint guide me that what I speake May be thy will vpon this wretch to fall On thee Banastaire wretch of wretches all O would to God the cruell dismal day That gaue me light first to behold thy face With foule eclipse had reft my sight away Th' vnhappy hower the time and eke the day The Sunne and Moone the Stars and all that was In their aspects helping in ought to thee The earth and aire and all accursed be And thou caitiffe that like a monster swarued From kind and kindnes hast thy master lorne Whom neither trueth nor trust wherein thou serued Ne his deserts could moue nor thy faith sworne How shall I curse but wish that thou vnborne Had beene or that the earth had rent in tway And swallowed thee in cradle as thou laie To this did I euen from thy tender youth Vouchsafe to bring thee vp did I herefore Beleeue the oth of thy vndoubted truth Aduance thee vp and trust thee euermore By trusting thee that I should die therfore O wretch and worse then wretch what shall I say But clepe and curse gainst thee and thine for aye Hated be thou disdaind of euery wight And pointed at where euer that thou goe A traiterous wretch vnworthy of the light Be thou esteemd and to encrease thy woe The sound be hatefull of thy name also And in this sort with shame and sharp reproch Lead thou thy life till greater griefe approch Dole and despaire let those be thy delight Wrapped in woes that cannot be vnfold To waile the day and weepe the weary night With rainy eine and sighes cannot be told And let no wight thy woe seeke to withhold But count thee worthy wretch of sorowes store That suffering much oughtst still to suffer more Deserue thou death yea be thou deem'd to die A shamefull death to end thy shamefull life A sight longed for ioifull to euery eye When thou shalt be arraigned as a theefe Standing at bar and pleading for thy life With trembling tongue in dread and dolours rage Lade with white lockes and fourscore yeares of age Yet shall not death deliuer thee so soone Out of thy woes so happy shalt not be But to th' eternall Ioue this is my boone That thou maist liue thine eldest sonne to see Reft of his wits and in a soule Bores stye To end his daies in rage and death distrest A worthy tombe where one of thine should rest Yet after this yet pray I more thou may Thy second sonne see drowned in a dike And in such sort to close his latter day As heard or seene erst hath not been the like Ystrangled in a puddle not so deepe As halfe a foot that such hard losse of life So cruelly chanst may be the greater griefe And not yet shall thy dolefull sorrowes cease Ioue shall not so withhold his wrath from thee But that thy plagues may more and more encrease Thou shalt still liue that thou thy selfe maist see Thy daughter strucken with the leprosie That she that erst was all thy whole delight Thou now maist loath to haue her come in sight And after that let shame and sorrowes griefe Feed forth thy yeares continually in woe That thou maist liue in death and die in life And in this sort forwaild and wearied so At last thy ghost to part thy bodie fro This pray I Ioue and with this latter breath Vengeance I aske vpon my cruell death This said he flung his retchlesse armes abroad And groueling flat vpon the ground he lay Which with his teeth he all to gnasht and gnaw'd Deepe grones he fet as he that would away But loe in vaine he did the death assay Although I thinke was neuer man that knew Such deadly paines where death did not ensue So stroue he thus a while as with the death Now pale as lead and cold as any stone Now still as calme now storming forth a breath Of smokie sighes as breath and all were gone But euery thing hath end so he anon Came to himselfe when with a sigh outbrayed With woefull cheere these woefull words he said Ah where am I what thing or whence is this Who rest my wits or how do I thus lie My limbes do quake my thought agasted is Why sigh I so or whereunto do I Thus groule on the ground and by and by Vprais'd he stood and with a sigh hath stai'd When to himselfe returned thus he said Sufficeth now this plaint and this regrete Whereof my heart his bottome hath vnfraught And of my death let Peeres and Princes were The worlds vntrust that they thereby be taught And in her wealth sith that such change is wrought Hope not too much but in the mids of all Thinke on my death and what may them befall So long as Fortune would permit the same I liu'd in rule and riches with the best And past my time in honor and in fame
shamefull death no earthly wight bemones For in thy life thy workes were hated so That euery man did wish thy ouerthro Wherefore I may though partiall now I am Curse euery cause whereof thy bodie came Woe worth the man that fathered such a child Woe worth the houre wherein thou wast begate Woe worth the brests that haue the world beguil'd To nourish thee that all the world did hate Woe worth the gods that gaue thee such a fate To liue so long that death deseru'd so oft Woe worth the chance that set thee vp aloft Yee Princes all and Rulers euery chone In punishment beware of hatreds ire Before yee scourge take heed looke well thereon In wroths ill will if malice kindle fire Your hearts will burne in such a hot desire That in those flames the smoke shall dim your sight Yee shall forget to ioyne your iustice right You should not iudge till things be well discerned Your charge is still to maintaine vpright lawes In conscience rules ye should be throughly learned Where clemencie bids wrath and rashnes pause And further saith strike not without a cause And when ye smite do it for iustice sake Then in good part each man your scourge wil take If that such zeale had mou'd this tyrants mind To make my plague a warrant for the rest I had small cause such fault in him to find Such punishment is vsed for the best But by ill will and powre I was opprest He spoil'd my goods and left me bare and poore And caused me to beg from dore to doore What fall was this to come from Princes fare To watch for crums among the blind and lame When almes were delt I had an hungrie share Because I knew not how to aske for shame Till force and need had brought me in such frame That starue I must or learne to beg an almes With booke in hand to say S. Dauids Psalmes Where I was wont the golden chaines to weare A paire of beads about my necke was wound A linnen cloth was lapt about my heare A ragged gowne that trayled on the ground A dish that clapt and gaue a heauie sound A staying staffe and wallet therewithall I bare about as witnesse of my fall I had no house wherein to hide my head The open streete my lodging was perforce Full oft I went all hungrie to my bed My flesh consum'd I looked like a corse Yet in that plight who had on me remorse O God thou know'st my friends forsooke me then Not one holpe me that succred many a man They froun'd on me that faun'd on me before And fled from me that followed me full fast They hated me by whom I set much store They knew full well my fortune did not last In euery place I was condemn'd and cast To pleade my cause at barre it was no boote For euery man did tread me vnder foote Thus long I liu'd all wearie of my life Till death approcht and rid me from that woe Example take by me both maid and wife Beware take heed fall not to follie so A mirour make by my great ouerthro Defie the world and all his wanton waies Beware by me that spent so ill her daies Tho. Churchyard HOW THOMAS WOLSEY DID ARISE VNTO GREAT authoritie and gouernment his manner of life pompe and dignitie and how he fell downe into great disgrace and was arrested of high treason Anno 1530. SHall I looke on when States step on the stage And play their parts before the peoples face Some men liue now scarce fourescore yeares of age Who in time past did know the Cardnals Grace A gamesome world when Bishops run at bace Yea get a fall in striuing for the gole And bodie lose and hazard silly sole Ambitious mind a world of wealth would haue So scrats and scrapes for scorfe and scornie drosse And till the flesh and bones be hid in graue Wit neuer rests to grope for mucke and mosse Fie on proud pompe and gilded bridles bosse O glorious gold the gaping after thee So blinds mine eyes they can no danger see Now note my birth and marke how I began Behold from whence rose all this pride of mine My father but a plaine poore honest man And I his sonne of wit and iudgement fine Brought vp at schoole and prou'd a good Diuine For which great gifts degree of schoole I had And Batchler was and I a little lad So tasting some of Fortunes sweete concaits I clapt the hood on shoulder braue as Son And hopte at length to bite at better baits And fill my mouth ere banquet halfe were don Thus holding on the course I thought to ron By many a feast my belly grew so big That Wolsey streight became a wanton twig Loe what it is to feed on daintie meate And pamper vp the gorge with suger plate Nay see how lads in hope of higher seate Rise early vp and studie learning late But he thriues best that hath a blessed fate And he speeds worst that world will nere aduance Nor neuer knowes what meanes good lucke nor chance My chance was great for from a poore mans son I rose aloft and chopt and chang'd degree In Oxford first my famous name begon Where many a day the scholers honor'd mee Then thought I how I might a courtier bee So came to Court and feathred there my wing With Henrie th' eight who was a worthie King He did with words assay me once or twice To see what wit and readie sprite I had And when he saw I was both graue and wise For some good cause the King was wondrous glad Then downe I lookt with sober countnance sad But heart was vp as high as hope could go That suttle fox might win some fauour so We worke with wiles the minds of men like wax The fawning whelp gets many a piece of bred We follow Kings with many cunning knacks By searching out how are their humours fed He haunts no Court that hath a doltish hed For as in gold the pretious stone is set So finest wits in Court the credit get I quickly learn'd to kneele and kisse the hand To wait at heele and turne like top about To stretch out necke and like an Image stand To taunt to scoffe and face the matter out To prease in place among the greatest rout Yet like a Priest my selfe did well behaue In faire long gowne and goodly garments graue Where Wolsey went the world like Beeswould swarme To heare my speech and note my nature well I could with tongue vse such a kind of charme That voice full cleare should sound like siluer bell When head deuis'd a long discourse to tell With stories strange my speech should spised be To make the world to muse the more on me Each tale was sweet each word a sentence waid Each eare I pleas'd each eye gaue me the view Each Iudgement markt and paused what I said Each mind I fed with matter rare and new Each day and houre my
BEING A TRVE CHRONICLE HISTORIE OF THE VNTIMEly death of such vnfortunate Princes and men of Note as haue happened since the first entrance of BRVTE into this Iland vntill this our latter Age WHEREVNTO IS ADDED THE FAMOVS LIFE AND DEATH OF QVEENE ELIZABETH with a declaration of all the Warres Battles and Sea-fights wherein at large is described the Battell of 88. with the particular seruice of all such Ships and men of note in that action Contre fortune nulne peut AT LONDON Imprinted by F. K. for William Aspley and are to besold at his shop in Pauls Churchyard at the Signe of the Parrot 1619. Loue and liue TO THE NOBILITIE AND ALL OTHER IN OFFICE GOD GRANT ENcrease of wisdome with all things necessarie for preseruation of their estates Amen AMongst the wise right Honorable whose sentences for the most part tend either to teach the attaining of vertue or eschewing of vice Plotinus that wonderful and excellent Philosopher hath these words The property of Temperance is to couet nothing which may be repented not to exceed the bands of measure and to keepe Desire vnder the yoke of Reason Which saying if it were so well knowne as it is needfull so well embraced as is wished or so surely fixed in mind as it is printed in his works then certes many Christians might by the instruction of an Ethnicke Philosopher shun great and dangerous perils For to couet without consideration to passe the measure of his degree and to let will run at randon is the only destruction of all estates Else how were it possible so many learned politicke wise renowned valiant and victorious personages might euer haue come to such vtter decay For example we haue Alexander the Great Caesar Pompey Cyrus Hannibal c. All which by desire of glorie felt the reward of their immoderate and insatiable lusts for if Alexander had bin content with Macedonie or not been puft vp with pride after his triumphes he had neuer been so miserablie poisoned If Caesar and Pompey had been satisfied with their victories and had not fell to ciuill dissension the one had not been slaine in the Senate with daggers nor the other abroad by their friends procurement If Cyrus had bin pleased with all Persia Media and not thirsted for blood he had neuer come to so infortunate a fal So if Hannibal had not so much delighted in glory of warfare his coūtry had neither fel in ruine nor he bin miserably forced to poyson himselfe But you will say desire of fame glorie renowne and immortalitie to which all men well nigh by nature are inclined especially those which excell or haue any singular gift of fortune or the bodie moued them to such dangerous great and hardy enterprises which must needs be confessed as an infallible veritie and therefore I surely deeme those Princes aboue specified considering their fortunes fame and exploits had neuer come to such end but for want of temperance And now sith there are three other Cardinal vertues which are requisit in him that should be in authoritie that is to say Prudence Iustice and Fortitude which so wonderfully adorne and beautifie all estates If Temperance be with them adioyned that they moue the very enemies with admiration to praise them some peraduenture as affection leads will commend one some another as Aristotle the Prince of Philosophers names Prudence the mother of vertues but Cicero defines her the knowledge of things which ought to be desired and followed and also of them which ought to be fled and eschewed yet you shall finde that for want of Temperance some which were counted very wise fell into wonderfull reproch and infamie But Iustice that incomparable vertue as the ancient Ciuilians define her is a perpetual and constant wil which giueth to euery man his right yet if shee be not constant which is the gift of Fortitude nor equal in discerning right from wrong wherein is Prudence nor vse proportion in iudgement and sentence which pertaineth to Temperance she can neuer be called equitie or iustice but fraud deceit iniustice and iniurie And to speak of Fortitude which Cicero defineth a considerate vndertaking of perils and enduring of labours if he whom we suppose stout valiant and of good courage want Prudence Iustice or Temperance he is not counted wise righteous and constant but sottish rude and desperate For Temperance saith Cicero is of reason in lust and other euill assaults of the mind a sure and moderate dominion and rule This noble vertue is diuided into three parts that is Continencie Clemencie and Modesty which well obserued and kept if grace be to them adioyned it is impossible for him that is endued with the aboue named vertues euer to fall into the infortunate snares of calamitie or misfortune But Ambition which is immoderate desire of honor rule dominion and superiority the very destruction of nobilitie and common weales as among the Romans Sylla Marius Carbo Cinna Catiline Pompey and Caesar are witnesses hath brought great decay to our countrey and countrey-men But I haue heere Right Honorable in this booke only reproued folly in those which are heedlesse Iniury in extortioners rashnesse in venterers treacherie in traytours riot in rebels and excesse in such as suppresse not vnruly affections Now I trust you will so thinke of it although the stile deserue not like commendation as you thought of the other part Which if you shall I doubt not but it may pleasure some if not yet giue occasion to others which can do better either to amend these or to publish their owne And thus wishing your Prudence to discerne what is meet for your callings Iustice in the administration of your functions Fortitude in the defence of your Countrey and Temperance in moderation of all your affections with encrease of honors and euerlasting felicity I bid you in Christ Iesus farewell At Winceham the 7. day of December 1586. Your most humble in the Lord IOHN HIGINS TO THE READER TO acquaint you in briefe with what is done in this impression know that the verse is in proportion by measure and in symphonie or rithmos in diuers places amended the storie in some places false and corrupted made historically true the tragedies wrongly inserted disposed in their proper places according to iust computation of time those neuer before collected in one volume published in this impression for the forme and frame of the whole historie I did intend to haue reduced it into the same order which I haue obserued in my Additions but preuented by other occasions I haue thus digested it The tragedies from the time of Brute to the Conquest I haue left with dependencie vpon that Induction written by M. Higins Those from the Conquest to this our last age that is to the fall of the Lord Cromwell excellently well penned by M. Drayton hath reference to that golden Preface called M. Sackuils Induction After these I haue placed my
of Edmund Duke of Somerset slaine in the first battell at S. Albons in the 32. yeare of Henrie the sixt 350. 65 How Richard Plantagenet Duke of York was slaine through his rash boldnesse and his sonne the Earle of Rutland for his lacke of valiancie 360. 66 How the Lord Clifford for his strange and abominable crueltie came to as strange and sudden a death 365. 67 The infamous end of Lord Tiptoft Earle of Worcester for cruelly executing his Princes butcherly commandements 367. 68 How Sir Richard Neuil Earle of Warwicke and his brother Iohn Lord Marquesse Montacute through their too much boldnesse were slaine at Barnet 371. 69 How King Henry the sixt a vertuous Prince was after many other miseries cruelly murthered in the Tower of London 375. 70 How George Plantagenet third son of the Duke of Yorke was by his brother King Edward wrongfully imprisoned and by his brother Richard miserablie murthered 380. 71 How King Edward the fourth through his surfetting vntemperate life suddenly died in the midst of his prosperity 392. 72 How Sir Anthonie Wooduile Lord Riuers and Scales Gouernour of Prince Edward was with his nephew Lord Richard Grey and other causelesse imprisoned and cruelly murthered 394. 73 How the Lord Hastings was betraied by trusting too much to his euill counsellour Catesby and villanously murthered in the Tower of London by Richard Duke of Glocester 411. 74 The complaint of Henrie Duke of Buckingham 433. 75 How Colingborne was cruelly executed for making a Rime 455. 76 The wilfull fall of the Black-smith and the foolish end of the Lord Audley 463. 77 How the valiant Knight Sir Nicholas Burdet Chiefe Butler of Normandie was slaine at Pontoise 477. 78 How Shores wife King Edward the fourths Concubine was by King Richard despoiled of her goods and forced to do open penance 494. 79 How Thomas Woolsey did arise vnto great authoritie and gouernment his maner of life pompe and dignitie how he fell downe into great disgrace and was arrested of high treason 506. 80 How the Lord Cromwell exalted from meane estate was after by the enuie of the Bishop of Winchester and other his complices brought to vntimely end 520. The Additions 81 The life and death of King Arthur 561. 82 The life and death of King Edmund Ironside 585. 83 The life and death of Prince Alfred 603. 84 The life and death of Godwin Earle of Kent 617. 85 The life and death of Robert surnamed Curthose Duke of Normandie 631. 86 The life and death of King Richard the first surnamed Coeur de Lion 659. 87 The life and death of King Iohn 681. 88 The life and death of King Edward the second 703. 89 The life and death of the two yong Princes sonnes to Edward the fourth 736. 90 The life and death of King Richard the third 750. 91 The Poem annexed called Englands Eliza. 783. The end of the Contents THOMAS NEWTON TO THE Reader in the behalfe of this booke AS when an arming sword of proofe is made Both steele and iron must be tempred well For iron giues the strength vnto the blade And steele in edge doth cause it to excell As each good Blade-smith by his Art can tell For without iron brittle will it breake And without steele it will be blunt and weake So bookes that now their faces dare to show Must mettald be with nature and with skill For nature causeth stuffe enough to flow And Art the same contriues by learned quill In order good and currant method still So that if Nature frowne the case is hard And if Art want the matter all is mar'd The worke which heere is offred to thy view With both these points is full and fitly fraught Set forth by sundrie of the learned Crew Whose stately stiles haue Phoebus garland caught And Parnasse mount their worthy worke haue raught Their words are thundred with such maiestie As fitteth right each matter in degree Reade it therefore but reade attentiuely Consider well the drift whereto it tends Confer the times perpend the history The parties states and eke their dolefull ends With odde euents that diuine iustice sends For things forepast are presidents to vs Whereby we may things present now discusse Certes this world a Stage may well be call'd Whereon is plai'd the part of eu'ry wight Some now aloft anon with malice gal'd Are from high state brought into dismall plight Like counters are they which stand now in sight For thousand or ten thousand and anone Remoued stand perhaps for lesse then one Thomas Newtonus Cestreshyrius THE AVTHORS Induction WHen Sommer sweet with all her pleasures past And leaues began to leaue the shadie tree The winter cold encreased on full fast And time of yeare to sadnes moued me For moistie blasts not halfe so mirthfull be As sweet Aurora brings in spring-time faire Our ioyes they dimme as winter damps the aire The nights began to grow to length apace Sir Phoebus to th' Antarctique gan to fare From Libraes lance to th' Crab he tooke his race Beneath the line to lend of light a share For then with vs the daies more darkish are More short cold moist and stormie cloudie clit For sadnes more then mirths or pleasures fit Deuising then what bookes were best to reade Both for that time and sentence graue also For conference of friend to stand in stead When I my faithfull friend was parted fro I gate me straight the Printers shops vnto To seeke some worke of price I surely ment That might alone my carefull mind content Amongst the rest I found a booke so sad As time of yeare or sadnesse could require The Mirour nam'd for Magistrates he had So finely pen'd as heare could well desire Which when I read so set my heart on fire Eftsoones it me constrain'd to take the paine Not left with once to reade it once againe And as againe I view'd this worke with heed And marked plaine each partie paint his fall Me thought in mind I saw those men indeed Eke how they came in order Princely all Declaring well this life is but a thrall Sith those on whom for Fortunes gifts we stare Oft soonest sinke in greatest seas of care For some perdie were Kings of high estate And some were Dukes and came of regall race Some Princes Lords and Iudges great that sate In counsell still decreeing euery case Some other Knights that vices did embrace Some Gentlemen some poore exalted hie Yet euery one had plai'd his tragedie A Mirrour well it might be call'd a glasse As cleare as any crystall vnder Sun In each respect the Tragedies so passe Their names shall liue that such a worke begun For why with such Decorum is it done That Momus spight with more then Argus eies Can neuer watch to keepe it from the wise Examples there for all estates you find For Iudge I say what iustice he should vse The noble man to beare a noble mind And not himselfe ambitiously abuse The Gentleman vngentlenesse
refuse The rich and poore and eu'ry one may see Which way to loue and liue in due degree I wish them often well to reade it than And marke the causes why those Princes fell But let me end my tale that I began When I had read these Tragedies full well And past the winter euenings long to tell One night at last I thought to leaue this vse To take some ease before I chang'd my Muse Wherefore away from reading I me gate My heauie head waxt dull for want of rest I laid me downe the night was waxed late For lacke of sleepe mine eyes were sore opprest Yet fancie still of all their deaths encreast Me thought my mind from them I could not take So worthie wights as caused me to wake At last appeared clad in purple blacke Sweet Somnus rest which comforts each aliue By ease of mind that weares away all wracke That noysome night from wearie wits doth driue Of labours long the pleasures we atchieue Whereat I ioy'd sith after labours past I might enioy sweet Somnus sleepe at last But he by whom I thought my selfe at rest Reuiued all my fancies fond before I more desirous humblie did request Him shew th' vnhappie Albion Princes yore For well I wist that he could tell me more Sith vnto diuers Somnus erst had told What things were done in elder times of old Then straight he forth his seruant Morpheus call'd On Higins heere thou must quoth he attend The Britaine Peeres to bring whom Fortune thral'd From Lethean lake and th' ancient shapes them lend That they may shew why how they tooke their end I wil quoth Morpheus shew him what they were And so me thought I saw them straight appeare One after one they came in strange attire But some with wounds and blood were so disguis'd You scarcely could by reasons aid aspire To know what warre such sundrie deaths deuis'd And seuerally those Princes were surpris'd Of former state these States gaue ample show Which did relate their liues and ouerthrow Of some the faces bold and bodies were Distain'd with woad and Turkish beards they had On th' ouer lips mutchatoes long of haire And wilde they seem'd as men despairing mad Their lookes might make a constant heart full sad And yet I could not so forsake the view Nor presence ere their minds I likewise knew For Morpheus bad them each in order tell Their names and liues their haps and haplesse daies And by what meanes from Fortunes wheele they fell Which did them erst vnto such honors raise Wherewith the first not making moe delaies A noble Prince broad wounded brest that bare Drew neere to tell the cause of all his care Which when me thought to speak he might be bold Deepe from his brest he threw an vnquoth sound I was amaz'd his gestures to behold And blood that freshly trickled from his wound With echo so did halfe his words confound That scarce a while the sense might plaine appeare At last me thought he spake as you shall heare Faults escaped PAge 555. lin 17. browes reade bowes p. 566. l. 10. left r. let p. 579. l. 3. sh r. shore p. 583. l. 13. speele r. steele p. eadem l. 15 vaines flow r. vaines did flow p. 588. l. 3. nor r. not p. 599. l. 28. approth r. approch p. 600. l. 11. t' abate r. to abate p. 629. l. 23. this r. his p. 636. l. 5. foe r. woe p. 657. l. 16. soee r. loare p. 671. l 32. with Austrian r. with th' Austrian p. 682. l. 7. let r. le ts p. 683. l. 37. to obtaine r. t' obtaine p. 706. l. 15. I r. O. p. 728. l. 15. But r. Blunt in some copies p. 793. marg Anno Reg. 51. r. 15. p. 834. l. 13. recoil'd r. recoile p. 855. l. 30. throne r. chaire 866. l. 25. house tops r. houses tops HOW KING ALBANACT THE YOVNGEST SONNE OF BRVTVS AND FIRST KING OF Albany now called Scotland was slaine by king Humber the yeere before Christ 1085. SIth flattering Fortune slily could beguile Mee first of Britaine Princes in this land And yet at first on mee did sweetely smile Behold mee here that first in presence stand And when thou well my wounded corps hast scand Then shalt thou heare my hap to penne the same In stories called Albanactae by name Lay feare aside let nothing thee amaze Ne haue despaire ne scuse the want of time Leaue off on mee with fearefull lookes to gaze Thy pen may serue for such a tale as mine First I will tell thee of my fathers line Then why he flying from the Latin land Did saile the seas and found the Briton strand And last I minde to tell thee of my selfe My life and death a Tragedy so true As may approue your world is all but pelfe And pleasures sweete whom sorrowes aye ensue Hereafter eke in order comes a crue Which can declare of worldly pleasures vaine The price we all haue bought with pinching paine When Troy was sackt and brent and could not stand Aeneas fled from thence Anchises sonne And came at length to King Latinus land He Turnus slew Lauinia eke he wonne After whose death Ascanius next his sonne Was crowned King and Siluius then his heire Espoused to a Latine Lady faire By her had Siluius shortly issue eke A goodly Prince and Brutus was his name But what should I of his misfortune speake For hunting as he minded strike the game He strook his father that beyond it came The quarrell glaunst and through his tender fide It flew where through the noble Siluius dide Lo thus by chance though princely Brutus slew His father Siluius sore against his will Which came too soone as he his arrow drew Though he in chace the game did mind to kill Yet was he banisht from his countrey still Commanded thither to returne no more Except he would his life to lose therefore On this to Greece Lord Brutus tooke his way Where Troians were by Grecians captiues kept Helenus was by Pirrhus brought away From death of Troians whom their friends bewept Yet he in Greece this while no busines slept But by his facts and feates obtain'd such fame Seuen thousand captiue Troians to him came Assaracus a noble Grecian eke Who by his mother came of Troian race Because he saw himselfe in Greece too weake Came vnto him to aide him in this case For of his brother he could finde no grace Which was a Greeke by both his parents sides His Castles three the Troian Brutus guides While he to be their Captaine was content And as the Troians gathered to his band Ambassage to the Grecian King he sent For to entreate they might depart his land Which when King Pandrasus did vnderstand An armie straight he did therefore addresse On purpose all the Troians to suppresse So as King Pandrasus at Spartane towne Thought them in deserts by to circumuent The Troians with three thousand beate them downe Such fauour loe them Ladie Fortune
with my boats they rowde to me alas And all they cri'd keep Humber keepe their King That to our Prince we may the traytor bring So with my boats beset poore Humber I Wist no refuge my wearie armes did ake My breath was short I had no power to crie Or place to stand while I my plaint might make The water colde made all my ioynts to shake My heart did beat with sorow griefe and paine And downe my cheeks salt tears they gusht amain O must thou yeeld and shall thy boats betray Thy selfe quoth I no mercie Britans haue O would to God I might escape away I wot not yet if pardon I may craue Although my deeds deserue no life to haue I will I nill death bondage beast am I In waters thus in forren soile to die With that I clapt my quauering hands abroad And held them vp to heauen and thus I said O Gods that know the paines that I haue bode And iust reuengement of my rashnes paid And of the death of Albanact betraid By me and mine I yeeld my life therefore Content to die and neuer greeue yee more Then straight not opening of my hands I bowde My selfe and set my head my armes betweene And downe I sprang with all the force I could So duckt that neither head nor foot were seene And neuer saw my foes againe I weene There was I drown'd the Britans to my fame Yet call that arme of sea by Humbers name Take heed by me let my presumption serue And let my folly fall and rashnesse be A glasse wherein to see if thou do swerue Thou mai'st thy selfe perceiue somewhat by me Let neither trust nor treason traine forth ye But be content with thine estate so shall No wrath of God procure thy haplesse fall If thou be forren bide within thy soile That God hath giuen to thee and thine to hold If thou oppression meane beware the foile Beare not thy selfe of thee or thine too bold Or of the feats thy elders did of old For God is iust iniustice will not thriue He plagues the proud preserues the good aliue HOW KING LOCRINVS the eldest son of Brutus liued vitiously and was slaine in battell by his wife Queene Guendoline the yeare before Christ 1064. IF euer any noble Prince might rue My haplesse deeds of yore the same may I That would to God it were not farre too true Or that I iustly could my faults denie * The truth of things the end or time doth trie As well by me is seene my haplesse fall Declares whence came my great misfortunes all I am Locrinus second Britaine King The eldest sonne of him that found this land Whose death to me my mischiefes all did bring And caus'd why first I tooke my death in hand He chiefely wil'd me when he gaue this land I should be rul'd by all his Counsels will And vse their iudgements in my dealings still But what do I accuse my fathers hest What meane I heere th' unfaultie for to blame All he commanded euen was for the best Though in effect of best the worst became So things oft times well ment vnfitly frame So often times the counsell of our frend Apparent good falles faultie in the end For as he wisht I vsde his Counsels aide In each thing that I deem'd was good for me I neuer ought that they desir'd denaide But did to all their minds and hests agree And Corinaeus saw my heart so 〈◊〉 By diuers meanes he sought the match to make That to my wife I might his daughter take So I that wist not then what mariage ment Did straight agree his Guendoline to haue Yet afterward suspecting his intent My friends to me this point of counsell gaue That * whoso doth of Prince alliance craue He meanes thereby to worke some point of ill Or else to frame the Prince vnto his will It may well be he ment no ill at all But * wise men alwaies vse to dread the worst And sith it was the fountaine of my fall From whence the spring of all my sorowes burst I may well thinke was some of vs accurst For why * the end doth alwaies proue the fact By end we iudge the meaning of the act I made no haste to wed my spoused wife I wist I could as yet without her bide I had not tasted ioyes of trained life I deem'd them fooles by Cupids dart that dide I Venus vile and all her feats defide I liu'd at rest and rul'd my land so well That men delighted of my facts to tell My brethren eke long weilded well their parts We fear'd no foes we thought our state would stand We gaue our selues to learned skilfull arts Wherein we either fruite or pleasure fand And we enioyd too fine a fertile land That few in earth might with our states compare We liu'd so void of noisome carke and care But see the chance when least we thought of ill When we esteem'd our state to be most sure Then came a flaw to bridle all our will For strangers farre gan vs to warre procure And euen when first they put their pranke in vre On Albaine shores my brother there they slew Whose death we after made the Hunnes to rue When he was dead they hop'd to winne the rest And ouer Aby streame with hast did hie But I and eke my brother Camber drest Our armies straight and came their force to trie We brake their raies and forc'd the King to flie Into the arme of sea they ouer came Where Humber drownde the waters tooke their name We either slew or tooke them captiues all Amongst the which O mischiefe great to tell The Gods to worke mine ouerthrow and fall Sent Ladies three whose beauties did excell Of which because I liked one so well I tooke her straight nor she did ought denie But ech thing granted so she might not die Thus Humber we this hatefull hungrie King In Humber drencht and him depriu'd of pride And of his louely Ladies he did bring He lost the pray and all his men beside And we the spoiles of all his host diuide But I that thought I had the greatest share Had caught the cause of all my wofull care They cal'd this Ladie Elstride whom I tooke Whose beautie braue did so my wits confound That for her sake my promise I forsooke Whereby I was to Guendoline first bound Me thought no Ladie else so high renound That might haue causde me change my conflate minde So was I caught by snares of Cupid blinde Was neuer none before so li'kd mine eye I lou'd her more then I could loue my life Her absence still me thought did cause me dye I surely ment to take her for my wife But see how beautie breedeth deadly strife Loe here began my whole confusion here Sprang out the shaft from whence this wound I beare For Corinaeus had no sooner heard That I did meane his daughter to forsake But straight as one that did nought else regard In hast
take reuengement of our mortall strife I longed long to bring thee to this day And thou likewise hast sought to suck my bloud Now art thou taken in my spoiles a pray For thee my life full long in daunger stood I will both teach thy selfe and others good To breake the bands of faithfull wedlocke plight And giue thee that which thou deseruest right O harlot whore why should I stay my hands O paynted picture shall thy lookes thee saue Nay bind her fast both hand and foote in bands And let her some straunge kinde of torments haue What strumpet think'st for that thou seemest braue Or for thy teares or sighes to scape my sight My selfe will rather vanquish thee by fight Thou rather should'st my vitall breath depriue Then euer scape if none were here but wee But now I will not file my hands to striue Or else to touch so vile a drab as she Come on at once and bring her after me With hand and feete as I commaunded bound And let mee see her here as Humber drown'd A thousand things beside she spake in rage While that a caitiffe did with cords me binde No teares nor sobs nor sighes might ought asswage The ielous Queene or mollifie her minde Occasions still her franticke head did finde And when she spake her eies did seeme as fire Shee lookt as pale as chalke with wrathfull ire Ne stood she still but fearcely me defide Raung'd vp and downe and oft her palmes shee strooke Locrinus now quoth she had not thus dide If such an harlot whore he had not tooke And therewithall shee gaue a Tigers looke That made me quake what lettes quoth she my knife To ridde this whore my husbands second wife H 'is dead I liue and shall I saue her life O Queene quoth I if pitie none remayne But I be slaine or drown'd as Humber was Then take thy pleasure by my pinching payne And let me hence as thou appointest passe But take some pitie on my childe alas Thou know'st the infant made no fault but hee That 's dead and I therefore reuenge on mee No bastards here shall liue to dispossesse My sonne she sayd but sith thou soughtest same I will prouide for her a kingdome lesse Which shall hereafter euer haue her name Thou know'st whereof the name of Humber came Euen so Sabrina shall this streame bee cal'd Sith Sabrine me as Humber Locrine thral'd With that my childe was Sabrine brought in sight Who when she saw mee there in bandes to lie Alas she cri'd what meanes this piteous plight And downe shee fell before the Queene with cry O Queene quoth shee let me more rather die Than she that 's guiltlesse should for why thy king Did as his captiue her to leaudnes bring Which when I saw the kindnes of the childe It burst my heart much more then doome of death Poore little lambe with countenance how milde See pleaded still and I for want of breath With woefull teares that lay her feete beneath Could not put foorth a word our liues to saue Or if therefore I might a kingdome haue Her piteous plaints did somwhat death withdraw For as shee long beheld the Queene with teares Quoth shee let me haue rigour void of law In whome the signe of all thy wrath appeares And let me die my fathers face that beares Sith he is dead and we are voide of stay Why should I thee for life or mercy pray My mother may to Germany returne Where shee was borne and if it please thy grace And I may well lie in my fathers tombe If thou wilt grant his childe so good a place But if thou think my bloud is farre too bace Although I came by both of princely line Then let me haue what shroud thou wilt assigne With that the Queene replied with milder cheere And sayd the childe was wonderous feate and wittie But yet shee would not her reuenge forbeare For why quoth shee the prouerbe sayes * that pittie Hath lewdly lost full many a noble Cittie Here Elstride now I le wreke my greefes on thee To die take leaue but talke no more to mee On this my leaue I tooke and thus I sayd Farewell my countrey Germany farewell Adew the place from whence I was conueyd Farewell my father and friends there dwell My Humber drown'd as I shall be farewell Adew Locrinus dead for thee I die Would God my corps might by thy coffine lie Adew my pleasures past farewell adew Adew the cares and sorrowes I haue had Farewell my friends that earst for me did sue Adew that were to saue my life full glad Farewell my fauning friends I lately had And thou my beauty cause of death farewell As oft as heart can thinke or tongue can tell Adew you heauens my mortall eyes shall see No more your lights and planets all farewell And chiefly Venus faire that paintedst me When Mercury his tale to me did tell Eke afterwards when Mars with vs did dwell And now at last thou cruell Mars adew Whose dart my life and loue Locrinus slew And must I needes depart from thee my childe If needs I must ten thousand times farewell Poore little lambe thy friends are quite exilde And much I feare thou shalt not long doe well But if they so with boyling rancour swell As thee to slea which neuer wroughtest ill How can they stay my stayned corps to kill With that my Sabrines slender armes imbrast Me round and would not let me so depart Let me quoth she for her the waters tast Or let vs both together end our smart Yea rather rip you forth my tender heart What should I liue But they the child withdrew And me into the raging streame they threw So in the waters as I striu'd to swimme And kept my head aboue the waues for breath Me thought I saw my child would venter in Which cri'd amaine O let me take like death The waters straight had drawne me vnderneath Where diuing vp at length againe rose I And saw my child and cri'd farewell I die Then as my strength was wasted downe I went Eke so I plunged twice or thrice yet more My breath departed needs I must relent The waters pierst my mouth and eares so sore And to the bottome with such force me bore That life and breath and mind and sense was gone And I as dead and cold as marble stone Lo thus you heare the race of all my life And how I past the pikes of painfull woe How twice I thought to be a Princes wife And twice was quite depriu'd my honor fro The third time Queene and felt foule ouerthro Let Princely Ladies view mine historie Mine haps and woes and hatefull destinie Bid them beware lest beautie them abuse Beware of pride for haue a fall it must And bid them Fortunes flatterie refuse Her turned wheele is void of steadie trust Who reckes no meane but leaueth all to lust Shall find my words as true as I them tell Bid them beware
heart of vitall blood Then thus I liue with that they slackt my hold And drencht my mother in the waters cold For loue to aide her venter in would I That saw my mother striue aloft for wind To land shee lookt and said farewell I die O let me go quoth I like fate to find Said Guendoline come on likewise and bind This Sabrine heere likewise for so shall she At once receiue her whole request of me Eke as I wish to haue in mind her fame As Humbers is which should her father been So shall this floud of Sabrine haue the name That men thereby may say a righteous Queene Heere drown'd her husbands child of concubine Therefore leaue Sabrine heere thy name and life Let Sabrine waters end our mortall strife Dispatch quoth she with that they bound me fast My slender armes and feet with little need And sau's all mercie me in waters cast Which drew me downe and cast me vp with speed And downe me drencht the Sabrine fish to feed Where I abode till now from whence I came And there the waters hold as yet my name Lo thus this ielous Queene in raging sort With bloodie hate bereft her husbands health And eke my mother Elstrides life God wot Which neuer ment to hurt this Common-wealth And me Locrinus child be got by stealth Against all reason was it for to kill The child for that her parents erst did ill But heere you see what time our pompe doth bide Hereby you see th' vnsteadie trust in warre Hereby you see the stay of States etride Hereby you see our hope to make doth marre Hereby you see we fall from bench to barre From bench quoth I yea from the Princely seate You see how soone vs Fortune downe doth beate And heere you see how lawlesse loue doth thriue Hereby you see how ielous folkes doe fare Heere may you see with wisdome they that wiue Need neuer recke Cupidoes cursed snare Heere may you see diuorcement breedeth care Heere seldome thriue the children may you see Which in vnlawfull wedlocke gotten be Declare thou then our fall and great mishap Declare the hap and glory we were in Declare how soone we taken were in trap When we supposde we had most safest bin Declare what losse they haue that hope to win * When Fortune most doth sweetly seeme to smile Then will she frowne she laughes but euen a while HOW KING MADAN FOR HIS EVILL LIFE was slaine by Wolues the yeare before Christ 1009. AMong'st the rest that sate in hautie seat And felt the fall I pray thee pen for me A Tragedie may some such wisdome geat As they may learne and some what wiser be For in my glasse when as themselues they see They may beware my fall from Fortunes lap Shall teach them how t' eschew the like mishap I am that Madan once of Britaine King The third that euer raigned in this land Marke well therefore my death as strange a thing As some would deeme could scarce with reason stand Yet when thou hast my life well throughly scand Thou shalt perceiue not halfe so strange as true * Ill life worse death doth after still ensue For when my mother Guendoline had raign'd In my nonage full 15. yeares she dide And I but yong not well in vertues train'd Was left this noble Iland for to guide Whereby when once my mind was puft with pride I past for nought I vsde my lust for law Of right or iustiee reckt I not a straw No meane I kept but ruled all by rage No bounds of measure could me compasse in No counsell could my meekelesse mind asswage When once to fume I fiercely did begin And I exceld in nothing else but sin So that my subiects all did wish my end Saue such to whom for vice I was a friend And pleasures plung'd I tooke my whole repast My youth mee led deuoide of compasse quite And vices were so rooted in at last That to recure the ill it past my might For * who so doth with will and pleasure fight Though all his force doe striue them to withstand Without good grace they haue the vpper hand * What licour first the earthen pot doth take It keepeth still the sauour of that same Full hard it is a Cramocke straight to make Or crooked Logges with wainscot fine to frame T is hard to make the cruell Tiger tame And so it fares with those haue vices caught * Naught once they say and euer after naught I speake not this as though it past all cure From vices vile to vertue to retire But this I say if vice bee once in vre The more you shall to quite your selfe require The more you plunge your selfe in fulsome mire As hee that striues in soakte quicke sirts of sand Still sinkes scarce euer comes againe to land The gifts of grace may nature ouercome And God may graunt the time when we repent But I did still in laps of lewdnes runne At last my selfe to cruelty I bent But who so doth with bloudy acts content His minde shall sure at last finde like againe And feele for pleasures thousands pangs of paine For in the midst of those vntrusty toyles When as I nothing fearde but all was sure With all my traine I hunting rode for spoiles Of those who after did my death procure These lewd delights did boldly me allure To follow stil and to pursue the chase At last I came into a desert place Beset with hils and monstrous rockes of stone My company behinde mee lost or stayde The place was eke with hautie trees oregrowne So vast and wilde it made mee halfe afraid And straight I was with rauening wolues betraid Came out of caues and dens and rockes amaine There was Irent in peeces kilde and slaine Woe worth that youth in vayne so vily spent Should euer cause a King to feele such smart Woe worth that euer I should here lament Or shew the hurt of my poore Princely heart I thinke the clowne that driues the mixen cart Hath better hap then Princes such as I No storme of Fortune casts him downe so hie A man by grace and wit may shun the snare T is sayd * a wise-man all mishap withstands For though by starres we borne to mischieues are Yet grace and prudence bayles our carefull bands * Each man they say his fate hath in his hands And what he marres or makes to leese or saue Of good or euill is euen selfe doe selfe haue This thing is seene by me that led my daies In vitious sort for greedy wolues a pray I wish and will that Princes guide their wayes Lo here by this eschew like chance they may And vices such as worke their whole decay Which if they doe full well is spent the time To warne to write and eke to shun the crime HOW KING MALIN WAS SLAINE BY HIS BROther King Mempricius the yeare before Christ 1009. IF Fortune were so firme as shee is fraile Or glosing glorie
were still permanent If no mishap mens doings did assayle Or that their acts and facts were innocent If they in hope no hurt nor hatred ment Or dealings aye were done with duty due They neuer neede their great misfortunes rue If pompe were paine and pride were not in price Or hautie seate had not the highest place If they could learne by others to be wise Or els eschew the daungers of their race If once they could the golden meane imbrace Or banish quite ambition from their breast They neuer neede to recke or reape vnrest But they doe thinke such sweetenes in renowne Vpon this earth is all the greatest hap They nothing feare the hurt of falling downe Or little roome in Lady Fortunes lap They giue no heede before they get the clap And then too late they wish they had bin wise When from the fall they would and cannot rise As if two twinnes or children at the teate Of nurce or mother both at once might bee And both did striue the better dugge to geat Till one were downe and slipt beside her knee Euen so it fares by others as by mee In fortunes lap they haue so little hold She cannot stay both striuing if shee would I am that Malm one of Madans sonnes Which thought to raigne and rule this noble I le And would so done but see what chaunce there comes Where bretheren loue and frendship quite exile * Who thinkes in trust no treason neither guile Is soonest cleane bereau'd of life and all In stead of rule hee reapes the crop of thrall My yongest brother then Mempricius hight Whose hautie minde and mine were still at square We euermore as foes hight other spite And deadly ire in hatefull hearts wee bare He sought all waies he might to worke mee care And each regarded others enuie so As after turned both to painfull woe Because my father lou'd him well therefore I fear'd my brother should obtaine my right Likewise on fauour boldned hee him bore And neither had in vertues wayes delight What neede I here our inward griefes recite Wee not as brethren liu'd in hatred still And sought occasion other each to kill I hauing hope for to preserue the crowne And hee for that he feard my title bred Such friendship as might alwaies keepe him downe And both depriue him of his crowne and head But when it chaunst our father once was dead Then straight appeared all his enuy plaine For he could not from his attempt refraine Some wisht we should diuide the realme in two And said my father eke was of that minde But neither of vs both that so would doe Wee were not each to other halfe so kinde And vile ambition made vs both so blinde We thought our raigne could not bee sure and good Except the ground thereof were laid with bloud At last a time of parle chosen was And truce concluded for our titles right Wherein I hoped might be brought to passe That I enioy in peace my kingdome might But secretly by policie and sleight He slew me with his sword before I wist Where crowne peace kingdome life and all I mist Thus was I by my wicked brother slaine Which with my death his cruell eyes did fill This oftentimes they vse to get and gaine That cannot shunne misfortune as they will Was neuer man pretended such an ill But God to him like measure shortly sent As he to others erst before had ment Vsurping wrong incurres the curse of heauen And blood cries out for vengeance at his hand Who still in care of humane good is giuen The good to aide and gracelesse to withstand If either vice or vertue we aband We either are rewarded as we serue Or else are plagued as our deeds deserue Let this my warning then suffice each sort Bid them beware example heere you see It passeth play t' is tragicall disport To clime the steps of stately high degree For though they thinke good fortune seru'd not mee Yet did she vse me as she vsde the rest And so full oft she serueth euen the best HOW KING Mempricius giuen to all lust was deuoured by VVolues the yeare before Christ 989. T Is often said a man should do likewise To other as he would to him they did * Do as thou would'st be done to saith the wise And do as conscience and as iustice bid Ther 's no man ought for Empire as I did His impious hands with cruell blood distaine For * blood doth alwaies crie for blood againe Eke lustfull life that sleepes in sinkes of sinne Procures a plague fie fie on Venus vile We little wot the mischiefes are therein When we with poisons sweet our selues beguile The pleasures passe the ioyes endure but while And naught thereby at all we get or gaine But dreadfull death and euerlasting paine Me thinkes thou harkenest for to heare my name And musest what I am that thus do come I would or this haue told it but for shame And yet to giue example heere to some I will no longer faine my selfe so dome But euen as others I will tell my fall Take heere my name my life my death and all I am Mempricius Madans yonger son Once King of Britaine that my brother slew Whereby the crowne and kingdome all I won And after nourisht vices moe that grew Not natures lawes nor Gods nor mans I knew But liu'd in lust not recking any thing I deemed all things lawfull for a King First when I had my brother brought on beare I thought in rest to keepe the Kingdome long I was deuoid of doubt I had no feare Was none durst checke me did I right or wrong I liu'd at large and thought my power so strong There could no man preuaile against my will I steede of law that vsed rigour still Then wickedly I fell to slothfull ease A vice that breeds a number moe beside I was so testie none durst me displease And eke so puft with glorie vaine and pride My sencelesse sence as ship without a guide Was tost with euery fancie of my braine Like Phoebus chariot vnder Phaëtons raigne I deem'd them foes that me good counsell gaue And those my chiefest friends could glose and lie I hated them that were so sage and graue And those I lou'd were lustie lewde and slie I did the wisest wits as fooles defie Such sots knaues ruffians roysters I embraste As were vnwise vnhonest rude vnchaste I lusted eke as lasie lechers vse My subiects wiues and daughters at my will I did so often as me pleasde abuse Perforce I kept them at my pleasure still Thus gate I queanes and concubines at fill And for their sakes I put away my wife Such was my lewdnesse lust and lawlesse life But shame forbids me for to tell the rest It me abhors to shew what did ensue And yet because it moueth in my breast Compunction still and was God wot too true I le farther tell whence my destruction grue To Sodome sinne I foulely fell and
than I was despised both of God and man Could I long prosper thus do you suppose Might any ill exceed these vices told Thinke you ther 's any wight on ground that goes Might scape reuenge of vice so manifold No sure * who is in sinfulnes so bold His vices fare like weeds they sprout so fast They kill the corps as weeds the corne at last My great outrage my heedlesse head the life I beastly led could not continue so My brothers blood my leauing of my wife And working of my friends and subiects woe Cri'd still to God for my foule ouerthroe Who heares the wrong'd who viewes their carefull case And at the length doth all their foes deface Yet I mistrusting no mishaps at hand Though I were worthie twentie times to die I lewdly liu'd and did my wealth withstand I neuer thought my end was halfe so me For my disport I rode on hunting I In woods the fearefull Hart I chased fast 'Till quite I lost my company at last And or I wist to cost I found my foes By chance I came whereas the Wolues they bred Which in a moment did me round inclose And mounted at my horse his throat and head Some on the hinder parts their panches fed Yet fought I still to scape if it might be Till they my panting horse puld downe with me Then was I hopelesse to escape their iawes They fastned all their holders fast on mee And on my royall robes they set their clawes My Princely presence nor my high degree Mou'd them no more obeysant for to bee Nor of my corps to take no more remorce Then did the grieuous groning of my horse But rauenously they rent my breast and throat Forsooke my steed came all at once and tare My Kingly corps from which they fleid my coat And of my flesh they made at all no spare They neuer left me till my bones were bare Lo thus I slew my brother left my wife Liu'd vilely and as vilely ended life Beware of bloodie broiles beware of wrong Embrace the counsell of the wise and sage Trust not to power though it be nere so strong Beware of rashnes rude and roisters rage Eschew vile Venus toyes she cuts off age And learne this lesson oft and tell thy friend By sudden death pockes begging harlots end HOW KING BLADVD TAKING ON HIM TO FLIE fell vpon the Temple of Apollo and brake his necke the yeere before Christ 844. I Pray thee Higgins take in hand thy pen And write my life and fall among'st the rest A warning set me downe for curious men Whose wits the worke of nature seeke to wrest I was Prince Bladud pregnant as the best Of wisdome wealth and learning I had store Of regall race or what I craued more But this in all the sorts of men we see An vncontented mind when much they haue The learned yet would more profounder be The richest most t' encrease their wealth do craue The finest Dames do slike their faces braue The noble higher climes and to the skies T' aduance his name he daily doth deuise In Britaine though I learned had full well The artes and could among'st the wise conferre Yet when of Athens I the fame heard tell Though it in Greece so far hence distant were I trauail'd thither writers witnes are I studied there thence learned men I brought That noble Arts in Britaine might be taught But after he was dead that was my stay My father graue I meane the worthie King Then all the Britaines shortly by a day To royall seat elected me did bring Where I to place in order euery thing Receiu'd both crowne and scepter in my hand With right and equitie to rule this land Then for because the sway of all the I le Depended on my gouernment to rest I did consult with all the Peeres a while And of my fathers Counsellers the best I order tooke for matters vnredrest Giuing to each such place as best did fit Their birth their wealth their persons and their wit The learned Greekes whom I from Athens brought Conferring with the British learned men A place as I commanded them had sought Amid'st the Realme and brought me word agen At Staneford there I built a Colledge then And of my land I gaue the fertil'st partes To foster learning and the famous Artes. By this of skilfull men the land had store And all the arts were read in Britaine well No countrey was for learning praised more We did in noble science so excell From other nations hither came to dwell The wisest wits commending vs to skies Deeming vs people valiant learn'd and wise And for that time of Gods we honor'd all Apollo high for wisdome arte and skill At Troynouant a Temple speciall I built to him for sacrifices still Whereon I fell as after speake I will Such was our vse and superstition then To deeme as Gods the images of men By arts I made the holesome Baths at Bathe And made therefore two Tunnes of burning brasse And other twaine seuen kinds of salts that haue In them in closde but these be made of glasse With sulphur fil'd wilde fire emixt there was And in foure welles these Tunnes I did assay To place by arte that they might last of aye Which waters heate and clensing perfect powre With vapours of the sulphur salts and fire Hath vertue great to heale and wash and scowre The bathed sores therein that health desire If of the vertues moe thou dost require I will recite what old experience telles In causes cold the vertues of these welles The bathes to soften sinewes vertue haue And also for to clense and scowre the skin From Morphewes white and blacke to heale and saue The bodies freckled faint are bath'd therein Scabs lepry sores both old and festered in The scurfe botch itch gout poxe and humors fell The milt and liuer hard it healeth well I must confesse by learned skill I found Those natiue welles whence ye haue helpe for men But well thou know'st there runnes from vnder ground Springs sweet salt cold and hote euen now as then From rocke salt-petre alume grauell fen From sulphur iron lead gold brasse and tinne Springs vertue take of vaines that they been in Then who so knowes by natures worke in these Of metals or of mines the force to heale May sooner giue his iudgement in disease For curing by the bath and surer deale With sickly people of the publique weale And also find of fountaines hot and cold To heale by them the sicke both yong and old The Citie eke of Bathe I founded there Renouned far by reason of the wels And many monuments that ancient were I placed there thou know'st the storie tels I sought renowne and fame and nothing els But when our actes extols vs to the skies We look not downe from whence we first did rise There are but few whom Fortune bathes in blesse But blinded are and dazelingly they looke They see nought else but worldly
soules thereby to darkesome Stygian lake Which kill the corps that mightie Ioue did make HOW KING MORGAN OF ALBANY was slaine at Glamorgan in Wales The yeare before Christ 766. I Wot not well what reason I may vse To quit my selfe from lasting infamie Wherefore I must perforce my selfe accuse I was in fault I cannot it denie Remorce of conscience prickes my heart so nie And me torments with pangs of pinching paine I can no longer me from speech refraine I am that Morgan sonne of Gonerell Th' vngratefull daughter of her father Leire Which from his kingdome did him once expell As by the British stories may appeare Ragan and she conspir'd both sisters were But were subdu'd againe and causde to yeeld Their fathers Crowne Cordila wan the field I need not heere the stories all recite It were too long but yet I briefly shall The cause Cordila ought her sisters spite Was they procur'd her and their fathers thrall Yet t' was her chance at length t' out liue them all Both sisters elder and her father graue And eke at length the kingdome all to haue That time was I of Albany the King Call'd Scotland now and eke my cousin then Of Cornwall and of Wales whom I did bring To warre against Cordila and her men We said we would our title winne agen And that because our fathers had it yore We ment to get it ours againe therefore I must confesse I was the cause of warre I was not pleasde with that was lotted mee Euen so our minds ambitious often are And blinded that we cannot reason see We thinke no men but Gods on earth we bee Yet worse are we then beasts which know their kind For we haue nought but mischiefe oft in mind We thinke if so we may our willes attaine By right or wrong by might or malice we Could neuer liue like Fortune for to gaine Or if on foes we once reuenged bee If that our foe-mens fall we chance to see O then we ioy we lift our selues to skie And on the poore we crucifige crie I deem'd if that I might once put her downe The Kingdomes all were Conidags and mine And I could easly after win the crowne If also I his state might vndermine I thought indeed to haue it all in fine By force or fraud I did intend alone To sit as King vpon the Britaine throne To speake in few we waged warre so long Gainst her at last we put her vnto flight We warriers for our Aunt were far too strong Pursude and tooke depriu'd her of her right We thought it ours what so we wan by might Eke so play tyrants Traitors all do watch To get by spoile and count their owne they catch Not so contented were we with the pray But fearing lest she should recouer aide I sent in hast to prison her away And all recourse of messengers denaid Thus when she saw her Maiestie decaid And that her griefes and sorowes daily grew In prison at the length her selfe she slew O caytife vile that did constraine a Queene That Iustice ment her kingdome to forsake Nay traytor I her cause of death haue been That would my selfe by bloodshed ruler make How could reuenge on me but vengeance take Before the seat of God her blood did call For vengeance still and so procur'd my fall Lo heere Gods iustice see my treason see Behold and see to raigne was my delight And marke and make a mirrour heere of me Which afterward was seru'd by iustice right We wan the crowne betweene vs both in fight And then because I was the elder sonne Of th' elder Queene I claimed all we wonne So were my dealings nought in peace and warre But by my force and fortunes vsde in fight I past that time the Britaines all by farre I was of person fortitude and might Both comely tall strong seemely eke in sight Whereby I won mens fauour glorie wealth And puft with pride at length forgate my selfe I said it was my right the crowne to haue But Conidagus stoutly it deni'd Wherefore I went to Wales my right to craue With all mine armie and to haue it tri'd Where long we fought it stoutly on each side Till at the last vnto my wofull paine I was depriu'd of kingdome quite and slaine And for to keepe in memorie for aye That there vnfaithfull Morgan lost his life The place is call'd Glamorgan to this daye There was I pierst to death with fatall knife There was the end of all my hatefull strife So Morgan where he thought to win the crowne Was at Glamorgan traytor striken downe Thus maist thou tell how proud ambition proues What hap haue tyrants what we Traytours haue What end he hath that cruell dealing loues What subiects get that Diademe do craue T is better then to winne thine owne to saue For so orethwartly trade of Fortune goes When win thou would'st then art thou sure to lose HOW KING IAGO DIED OF THE LETHARGIE about the yeare before Christ 612. HAue I oreslept my selfe or am I wake Or had'st thou late oreslept thy selfe that wrote Could'st thou not for the Letharge paines to take And with the rest his sleepie life to note Was I amongst the wicked wights forgote Well then awaked sith we are both twaine To write my sleepie sinfull life take paine I am that Iago once of Britaine King That ruled all this noble British Ile No fame of me the writers old do bring Because my life and gouernment was vile Yet Higgins heere take paines for me a while Enregester my mirrour to remaine That Princes may my vices vile refraine At first a while I ruled well the land I vsed iustice right tooke regall place No wight but found iust iudgement at my hand And truth durst shew without rebuke her face I gaue my selfe to all good gifts of grace My subiects liu'd in rest within my raigne No cause of Prince compel'd them to complaine But as in calme a storme we nothing feare When as the seas are milde and smooth as glasse And as in peace no thought of warres we beare Which least suppose of mischiefes come to passe Euen so my still and rightfull raigning was The calme a tempest boads the shine a raine Long peace a warre and pleasure pinching paine For rest and peace and wealth abounding thoe Made me forget my Iustice late well vsde Forsaking vertues vices gan to floe And formernoble acts I quite refusde My gifts my treasures wealth and will misusde Began all goodnes quite at length disdaine And did my facts with filthie vices staine Misgouern'd both my Kingdome and my life I gaue my selfe to ease to sleepe and sinne And I had clawbackes euen at Court full rife Which sought by outrage golden gaines to winne For * Kings no sooner well or worse beginne But euen at hand the good or bad take paine For vertues sake or meede the Prince to traine As vices grew encreasing more and more So vertues fled and bad their
friends a dew Diseases bad likewise and sicknesse sore Began to waxe and griefes about me grew I may full well my naughtie surfets rue Which pester'd so at length my drousie braine I could not scarce from sleeping ought refraine A sleepie sicknesse nam'd the Lethargie Opprest me sore till death tooke life away This was the guerdon of my gluttonie As with the candles light the flie doth play Though in the end it worke her liues decay So of the gluttons cup so long I drunke Till drown'd in it with shamefull death I sunke Physitians wise may take on them the cure But if Iehoua smite the Prince for sin As earst of me then is the helpe vnsure That 's not the way for health to enter in No potions then nor powders worth a pin But euen as we they must to die be faine Bid them in time from vices now refraine HOW KING FORREX WAS SLAINE by his brother King Porrex about the yeare before Christ 491. TO tell my storie on the tragicke stage Compeld I am amongst the rest that fell I may complaine that felt god Mars his rage Alas that fate to State should be so fell Had I been meaner borne I know right well There had no enuie vndermin'd my State Nor fortune foild the seat whereon I sate While that my Kingly Sire Gorbodug raign'd I had no care in honor I did liue Would God I had in that estate remain'd But what vs fortune wonted is to giue Good hap that holds as water in a siue She showes a glimpse of thousand ioyes and moe Which hides in it ten thousand seas of woe That hatefull hellish hag of vglie hue With rustie teeth and meygre corps misshape I meane that monstervile the worst in view Whom some call Discord enuie ire and hate She set my brother first with me at bate When we fiue yeares had raigned ioyntly well By her entisements foule at strife we fell We liu'd that space well in this noble I le Diuided well we ioyntly did enioy The Princely seat while Fortune faire did smile Without disdaine hate discord or anoy Euen as our father raign'd the noble Roy In wealth peace praise purport renowne and fame Without the blots of euerlasting blame But when ambition bleared both our eyes And hastie hate had brother-hood bereft We friendship faire and concord did despise And far a part from vs we wisdome left Forsooke each other at the greatest heft To rule the kingdome both we left and fell To warring iarring like two hounds of hell For bounds we banded first on either side And did incroach each one on others right T' inlarge the limits of our kingdome wide We would not sticke oft times in field to fight The wretched ground had so bewitcht our sight For why * the earth that once shall eate vs all Is th' only cause of many Princes fall * On th' earth we greeue the ground for filthie gaine On th' earth we close the earth t' inlarge our land In th' earth we moile with hunger care and paine We cut we dig thence siluer gold and sand Into her bowels by the force of hand With steele and iron we do dig profound Working her woe to make our ioyes abound For th' earth forget we God vnfaithfull fooles For ground forsake we faith and all our friends For th' earth we set our selues to subtill schooles Of ground like swine we seeke the farthest ends We spoile the ground that all our liuing lends Of ground to winne a plat a while to dwell We venter liues and send our soules to hell If we behold the substance of a man How he is made of Elements by kind Of earth of water aire and fire than We would full often call vnto our mind That all our earthly ioyes we leaue behind And when we passe to th' earth we turne to rot Our pompe our pride and glorie is forgot The fire first receiues his heate againe The aire the breath bereaues away by right The watrie and the earthly parts remaine Of Elements composed scarce so light And in the ground a place is for them dight The moistures drie the bones consume to dust The wormes with flesh suffice their greedie lust But we forget our composition old Both whence we came and whereunto we shall We scarce remember we be made of mould And how the earth againe consumeth all This great forgetfulnes breeds Princes thrall While present ioyes we gaze vpon meane while A fading blisse doth all our wits beguile All this I speake to th' end it may aduise All Princes great and noble peeres that are To learne by me the rather to be wise And to abandon hate and malice farre To banish all ambitious bloodie warre To liue content in peace with their estate For * mischiefe flowes from discord and debate And now I le tell what discord vile hath done To me King Forrex Thus the case it stood I thought indeed to haue some castles wonne And holds which were my brothers strong and good So might I intercept his vitailes forrage food Abate his pride obtaine the kingdome all Me thought the halfe a portion was too small Ther 's no man takes an enterprise in hand But he perswades himselfe it is not ill He hath of reasons eke in steed to stand As he supposeth framed wise by skill So I was led by reason rude to kill My brother if I caught him at the nicke Because the quarrell first he gan to picke And for because I was the elder Prince The elder sonne and heire vnto the crowne Me thought no law nor reason could conuince Me from the fact though I did beat him downe This was my way to winne and reape renowne I did prouide an armie strong for field Not farre from where I hop'd to cause him yeeld And sundrie sharpe assaults on each we gaue On purpose both enflamed for to fight We had in parle heard the counsell graue Of wise and worthie men perswading right It pitie was they said so foule a sight That brethren twaine both Princes of a land Should take at home such wofull warres in hand But where ambition dwelles is no remorce No countries loue no kindred holden kind No feare of God no sentence wise of force To turne the heart or mollifie the mind Good words are counted wasting of your wind The gaine proposde the crowne and scepter hie Are th' only things where at men gaze and prie At length my brother for to end the strife Thought best to worke the surest way to win He found the meanes to take away my life Before which time the warres could neuer lin How much might better both contented bin For * hope will slip and hold is hard to snatch Where blood embrues the hands that come to catch Thus our ambition bred our subiects smart Our broiles powr'd out their guiltlesse blood on ground Which vile deuice of mine ambitious heart Procured Ioue my purpose to confound Therefore beware ye wights whose
vertues trust For * vertue of the ancient blood or kin Doth only praise the men that vertuous bin And nobles only borne of this be sure Without the vertues of their noble race Do quite and cleane themselues thereby obscure And their renowne and dignities deface They do their birth and linage all deface For why indeed they euer ought so well In vertues graue as titles braue excell But oft God wot they fare as erst did I They thinke if once they come of Princely stocke Then are they placed safe and sure so hie Aboue the rest as founded on a rocke Of wise mens warnings all they make a mocke They counsels graue as abiectreeds despise And count the braue men gratious worthie wise This Kingdome came to me by due discent For why my father was before me King But I to pleasure all and lust was bent I neuer reckt of Iustice any thing What purpose I to passe did meane to bring That same t' accomplish I with all my might Endeuour'd euer were it wrong or right I deem'd the greatest ioyes in earthly hap I thought my pleasures euer would abide I seem'd to sit in Lady Fortunes lap I reckt not all the world me thought beside I did by lust my selfe and others guide Whereby the fates to worke my bane withall And cut me off thus wise procur'd my fall As I was alwaies bent to hunting still Yet hunting was no vice to those I had When I three yeares had rul'd this Realme at will In chace a chance did make my heart full sad Wilde cruell beasts as desperate and mad Turn'd backe on me as I them brought to bay And in their rage my sinfull corps did slay A iust reward for so vniust a life No worse a death then I deserued yore Such wreckes in th' end to wretches all are rife Who may and will not call for grace before My wilfull deeds were nought what wilt thou more For wanton wildenesse witlesse heedlesse toyes The brutish beasts bereau'd me of my ioyes HOW KING MORINDVS WAS DEuoured by a monster the yeare before Christ. 303. LEt me likewise declare my facts and fall And eke recite what meanes this slimie glere You need not faine so quaint a looke at all Although I seeme so fulsome euery where This blade in bloodie hand which I do beare And all his gore bemingled with this glew In witnesse I the dreadfull monster slew Then marke my tale beware of rashnes vile I am Morindus once a Britaine King On whom long time did Ladie Fortune smile Till to her wheeles steepe top she did me bring My fame both far and neare she made to ring And eke my praise exalted so to skie In all my time more famous none then I. Some say I was by birth a bastard bace Begotten of the Prince his concubine But what I was declared well my grace My fortitude and stature Princely mine My father eke that came of Princely line King Danius gaue not so bace degree Nor yet the noble Britaines vnto mee For feats of armes and warlike points I past In courage stout there liu'd not then my peere I made them all that knew my name agast And heaâ— thow great mine enterprises were To shrinke and slinke and shift aside for feare All which at length did me such glorie bring My father dead the Britaines made me King But see how blind we are when Fortune smiles How sencelesse we when dignities increase We euer vse our selues discreetly whiles We little haue and loue to liue in peace Subiected thoughts doth wicked pride suppresse We vse no rigour rancour rapine such As after when we haue our willes too much For whiles that I a subiect was no King While I had nothing but my facts alone I studied still in euery kind of thing To serue my Prince and vnderfang his fone To vse his subiects friendly euerychone And for them all aduentures such to take As might them all my person fauour make But when I once attained had the Crowne I waxed cruell tyrannous and fell I had no longer minde of my renowne I vsde my selfe too ill the truth to tell O bace degree in happie case full well Which art not puft with pride vaine-glorie hate But art beneath content to bide thy fate For I aloft when once my heate was in Not raind by reason ruled all by might Ne prudence reckt right strength or meane a pin But with my friends in anger all would fight I stroke kild slew who euer were in sight Without respect remorce reproofe regard And like a mad man in my furie far'd I deem'd my might and fortitude was such That I was able thereby conquer all High kingdomes seat encreast my pompe so much My pride me thought impossible to fall But God confounds our proud deuices all And brings that thing wherein we most do trust To our destruction by his iudgement iust For when three yeares I ruled had this I le Without all law as was my lawlesse life The rumour ran abroad within a while And chiefly in the Norwest countrie rife A monster came from Th' irish seas brought griefe To all my subiects in those coasts did dwell Deuouring man and beast a monster fell Which when I knew for truth I straight prepar'd In warlike wise my selfe to trie the case My haste thereto a courage bold declar'd For I alone would enter in the place At which with speare on horse I fet my race But on his scales it enter could no more Then might a bulrush on a brasen dore Againe I prou'd yet nought at all preuail'd To breake my speare and not to pierce his side With that the roring monster me assail'd So terrifi'd my horse I could not ride Wherewith I lighted and with sword I tri'd By strokes to find a passage to his life But now I found in vaine was all my strife And when I wearied was and spent with fight That kept my selfe with heed his danger fro At last almost asham'd I wanted might And skill to worke the beastly monster wo. I gate me neerer with my sword him to And thought his flanckes or vnder parts to wound If there for scales might any place be found But frustrate of my purpose finding none And eke within his danger entring quite The grizely beast straight seazed me vpon And let his talants on my corps to light He gript my shoulders not resist I might And roting with a greedie rauening looke At once in iawes my bodie whole he tooke The way was large and downe he drew me in A monstrous paunch for roomth and wondrous wide But for I felt more softer there the skin At once I drew a dagger by my side I knew my life no longer could abide For rammish stench bloud poison slimy glere That in his body so aboundant were Wherefore I labouring to procure his death While first my dagger digde about his hart His force to cast me welnigh drewe my breath But as he felt within his
woundes to smart I ioyed to feele the mighty monster start That roard and belcht and groande and plungde and cride And tost me vp and downe from side to side Long so in pangs hee plungde and panting lay And drew his winde so fast with such a powere That quite and cleane he drew my breath away Wee both were dead well nigh within an houre Lo thus one beastly monster did deuoure Another monster moodles to vs paine At once the realme was rid of monsters twaine Here maist thou see of fortitude the hap Where prudence iustice temperance hath no place How suddenly we taken are in trap When we despise good vertues to embrace Intemperance doth all our deeds deface And lets vs heedles headlong run so fast We seeke our owne destruction at the last For he that hath of fortitude and might And thereto hath a kingdome ioind withall Except he also guide himselfe aright His powre and strength prewaileth him but small He can not scape at length an haples fall You may perceiue a myrrour plaine by me Which may with wisdome well sufficient be HOW KING EMERIANVS FOR HIS TYRANNIE WAS DEPOSED ABOVT THE yeare before Christ 225. THe wofull wight that fell from throne to thrall The wretch that woue the web wherin he goes A dolefull blacke bad weede still weare hee shall In woefull sort and nothing blame his foes What neede such one at all his name disclose Except the rest of Britaine princes should Not here for shame resite his name he would I am Emeriane King that raign'd a space Scarce all one yeare in Britaine Isle long sence But for I was in maners voide of grace Fierce tyrannous and full of negligence Bloud thirsty cruell vaine deuoide of sence The Britaines me deposed from seate and crowne And reau'd me quite of riches and renowne I was despisde and banisht from my blisle Discountnanst faine to hide my selfe for shame What neede I longer stand to tell thee this My selfe was for my woefull fall too blame My raigne was short in few my fall I frame My life was lothsome soone like death that found Let this suffice a warning blast to sound HOW KING CHRINNVS GIVEN TO DRVNKENNES raigned but one yeare He died about the yeare before Christ 137. THough I my surfets haue not yet out slept Nor scarce with quiet browes begin my tale Let not my drowsy talke bee ouer leapt For though my belching sent of wine or ale Although my face be fallo puft and pale And legs with dropsy swell and panch resound Yet let me tell what vice did me confound Perhaps thou thinkst so grosse a blockhead blunt A sleepy swinish head can nothing say The greatest heads and smallest eke were wont To beare in them the finest wits away This thing is true thou canst it not denay And Bacchus eke ensharps the wits of some Foecundi calices quem non fecere desertum Yet sith long since both braines and all were spent And this in place amongst my mates I speake I trust thou wilt be herewithall content Although indeed my wits of talke are weake So old a vessell cannot chuse but leake A drunken sot whose faltering feete do slip Must pardon craue his tongue in talke will trip Chirinnus was my name a Britaine King But rulde short time Sir Bacchus was my let Erinnus eke my senses so did swing That reason could no seat amongst them get Wherefore the truth I pray thee plainely set I gaue my selfe to surfets swilling wine And led my life much like a dronken swine Diseases grew distemprance made me swell My parched liuer lusted still for baste My timpane sounded like a taber well And nought but wine did like my greedie taste This vice and moe my life and me defaste My face was blowne and blubd with dropsie wan And legs more like a monster then a man So not in shape I onely altered was My dispositions chang'd in me likewise For vices make a man a goate an asse A swine or horse as Poets can comprise Transforming into beasts by sundry wise Such men as keepe not onely shape of men But them mishapeth also now and then Wherefore let who so loues to liue long daies Without diseases strong in youthfull state Beware of Bacchus booth which all betraies The vaile of vices vaine the hauen of hate The well of weake delights the brand of bate By which I lost my health life Realme and fame And onely wonne the shrouding sheete of shame HOW KING VARIANVS GAVE HIMSELFE TO THE lustes of the flesh and dyed about the yeare before Christ 136. WHere no good gifts haue place nor beare the sway What are the men but wilful castaway Where gifts of grace doe garnish well the King There is no want the land can lacke nothing The Court is still well stor'd with noble men In Townes and Cities Gouernours are graue The common wealth doth also prosper then And wealth at will the Prince and people haue Perhaps you aske what Prince is this appeares What meanes his talke in these our golden yeares A Britaine Prince that Varianus hight I held sometime the Scepter here by right And though no need there be in these your daies Of states to tell or vertues good discriue Good counsaile yet doth stand in stead alwaies When time againe may vices olde reuiue If not yet giue me leaue amongst the rest Which felt their fall or had their deaths addrest My cause of fall let me likewise declare For * falles the deaths of vicious Princes are They fall when all good men reioice or see That they short time enioide their places hie For Princes which for vertues praised be By death arise extold they scale the skie I will be short because it may suffice That soone is said to warne the sage and wise Or if that they no warning need to haue This may perchance somewhat their labour saue With those that will not heare their faults them told By such as would admonish them for loue When they my words and warnings here behold They may regard and see their owne behoue About my time the Princes liu'd not long For all were giuen almost to vice and wrong My selfe voluptuous was abandond quite To take in fleshly lust my whole delite A pleasure vile that drawes a man from thrift and grace Doth iust desires and heauenly thoughts expell Doth spoile the corps defiles the soule and fame deface And brings him downe to Plutoes paines of hell For this my sinne my subiects hated mee Repining still my stained life to see As when the Prince is wholly giuen to vice And holdes the lewder sort in greatest price The land decaies disorder springs abroad The worser sort doe robbe pill pole and spoile The weaker force to beare the greatest loade And leese the goods for which they earst did toile How can Iehoua iust abide the wrong He will not suffer such haue scepter long As he did strike for sinfull life my seate And did
not trust his talke nor message sent beforne On this I expedition made the third and last For he did warrant me my purpose to obtaine I shipt my men and hide me thitherward full fast Had winde at will and came to see the shining shores againe And of my comming so the Earle was glad and faine We ioined hands and league and armies for the fight And sought and put Cassibellane the noble King to flight Yet he repaird his hoste againe that fiercely faught And oft assaid to slay or take the Earle or mee And when hee saw at length his labour vailed naught And Britanes with the Romanes linked so to bee Great griefe he had in them such treason for to see His losse in doubtfull war not grieu'd him halfe so sore His peoples base reuolt he chiefely did deplore To make it short the King was faine at length to yeeld The tribute granted was three thousand pound a yeere We bare away the price we wan the worthy field And made them friends againe that bought our fauour deere I need no longer stay to tell the story heere Nor yet to giue my friend the Earle of London blame Sith by his meanes I wan to Rome eternall fame From France I after sent to Rome reporting how Amongst the warlike Galles and Britaines I had sped I made request by friends I might be Consull now On my returne againe but Pompeyes hautie hed Did ioyne himselfe with Peeres and armies which he led Alledging plaine I meant the publique weale t' inuade They would represse my pride with might and dint of blade With speed I came and force which made them all to flie To Greece from Rome in haste where they prepared war For in Epyrus then with souldiers they did lie This Pompey proud that made the Romans with me iar He at Dyrrachium staid to which though it were far I led my conquering host I skirmisht often there But from the fight to flie we soone contented were On this he followed fast in hope to win the field To Thessalie he came where I did stay therefore Our armies met and fiercely faught not bent to yeeld Till fifteene hundred men were slaine in fight or more But in the end they fled we tooke of prisoners store They durst not dare t' abide the chance of Mars to trie But either fell in fight or from the field did flie Thence Pompey fled the field and into Egypt came To Ptolemie the King as then but yong of age Where of his slaughter foule Septimius hath the blame He was his end that did these warres against me wage Euen so by course we come to play vpon the stage Our trauels haue an end when we do feele the fall For all our life is but a race of miserie and thrall But Pompeyes friends and sonnes by might did oft assay When he was done to death to take reuenge on me And I by dint of sword repel'd their force away Gate offices of rule and gouern'd each degree At Caesars beck and call obeysant all they bee Enacted lawes directed each estate Emperially the first aloft I sate But glorie won the way to hold and keepe the same To hold good fortune fast a worke of cunning skill Who so with prudent art can stay that stately dame Which sets vs vp so high vpon her hautie hill And constant aye can keepe her loue and fauour still He wins immortall fame thrice blessed is the crowne If once misfortune kicke and cast the scepter downe For when in Rome I was alone Dictator chose And Emperour or Captaine sole to be for ay My glorie did procure me many secret foes Because aboue the rest I bare the soueraigne sway By sundrie meanes they sought my ruine and decay For why there could no thing in state determin'd be Vnlesse it likte me first and were approu'd by me This they enui'd at me that su'd aloft to clime As hautie Cassius which the Pretorship did craue And Brutus eke his friend which bare the chiefest crime Of my dispatch and death for they did first depraue My life mine acts my raigne and sought my blood to haue Full secretly amongst themselues conspir'd decreed To be attemptors of that cruell bloodie deed Yet I forewarned was by Capis fatall tombe His Epitaph my death did long before foreshow Cornelius Balbus saw mine horses headlesse ronne Without the guide of man forsaking food for woe Spurina warned me that sooth of things did know A little wren in beake with Laurell greene that flew Foreshew'd my dolefull death as after all men knew The night before my fall in slumber I did dreame I caried was from earth and flew the clouds aboue And somtime hand in hād I thought I walkt with Ioue supreame My wife Calphurnia Caesars only loue Did dreame she saw her crest of house to fall Her husband thrust through breast a sword withall Eke that same night her chamber dores thēselues flew open all These things did make me much that mourning to mislike And Iacrazed was and thought at home to stay But who is he can void deaths dart when he doth strike Where so great number seekes his life for to betray The traytor bloodie Brutus bad me not delay Nor yet to frustrate there so great assemblie sate At last I went and there did meet vntimely sate To Senate as I went behold a Roman stood Presenting me a scrole of euery traytors name And all their whole deuice that sought to spill my blood That presently decreed to execute the same But I blind wretch supposde that for some suite he came I heedlesse bare this scrole in my vnhappie hand For which I lost my life as you shall vnderstand Spurina as I came at sacrifices was Neere to the place where I was after slaine Of whose diuinings true I then did little passe To warne me of my death the Priest did seeke in vaine My hautie heart growne proud these warnings all disdaine Quoth I the Ides of March be come yet harme is none Quoth he the Ides of March be come yet th' are not gone Assoone as I was set the traytors all arose And one approched neere as to demand some thing To whom as I gaue eare at once my cruell foes Beset me round about their weapons hid they bring Then I too late perceiu'd my deaths approching sting O this quoth I is violence then Cassius pierst my brest And Brutus thou my sonne quoth I whom erst I loued best Yee Princes all and noble men beware of pride Wracke not the Commonwealth for wealthie kingdomes sake Be warn'd by me that see my selfe the world to guide Beware what bloodie warres for rule you vndertake Ere three and twentie wounds had made my heart to quake How many thousands fell for Pompeyes pride and mine How many valiant Knights did loued life resigne Full many nobie men to rule alone I slew And some themselues againe for griefe of heart did slay For they would neuer yeeld though I
men that did Iehouaes sonne refuse The King of Iewes the Lord of life and health Were gouern'd thus Tiberius thus did vse The men that were the Gods in Commonwealth Forsaking so their heauenly sauing health The Emprour I which should their liues defend Sought all the meanes to bring their liues to end Yet to religion I was nothing bent Dissembled things that least I fauour'd still I neuer vsde to speake the things I ment But bare in mind the waies to worke men ill I seem'd to some to beare them great good will And those I tooke away as time did serue Inconstant vnto each yet seldome seem'd to swerue To drunkennesse and riot sports and ease And pleasure all I gaue my studie then Nought more then subtill shiftings did me please With bloodshed craftie vndermining men My Court was like a Lions lurking den The Iesters nam'd me Caldius Biberius Mero In stead of this my name Clandius Tiberius Nero. I will no more my life describe this time For why my facts at last deseru'd defame Infected with so many a fulsome crime As may not heere repeated be for shame I haue no cause the Ladie blind to blame But mine owne selfe who did abuse my place Which might full well haue vsde the gifts of grace Three things in fine I tell that wrought my fall First vile dissembling both with God and man For bloodshed then which hauocke made of all Blood cries to him that well reuenge it can For filthie life I much offended than Wherefore aliue thus poysoned with these three Caligula at last did poyson me To Princes this I say and worthie Peeres I wish them wisely weigh that heare me shall And poise my first exploits with latter yeeres And well consider one thing in my fall * Abuse of power abaseth Princes all In throne on earth a Prince as God doth sit And as a God no iustice should omit HOW CAIVS CAESAR CALIGVLA EMPEROVR OF Rome was slaine by Cherea and others the yeare of Christ 42. VNhappie Princes haue in wealth no grace To see how soone their vices bring them vnder But run vnruly reckelesse of their race Till at the length they make themselues a wonder When from aloft their traces fall asonder There is no hope to hold aright the trace They cannot keepe aloft th' Emperiall place Beholde my hap on whom the Romane rout With ioy did gaze when bloudy slaine I lay Here lies quoth they thrust thirtie times throughout The monster vile that beast Caligula Which did so many guiltlesse Romanes slay The nobles now the matrons need not doubt The worthy writers may their works set out I was I grant full leaudly led by lust I forced nought of vertue faith nor law In power I put my confidence and trust Regarding right nor Iustice strict a straw My facts infarst my life with many a flawe Did me to deedes of foule lust incest draw Which had of God nor natures hests the awe To make my selfe a God I did deuise That Iupiter to name my selfe did dare For incests vile which all good wights despise Nam'd Bacchus eke a drunken shrine I bare To call me God some flatterers did not spare By message I commanded them likevise My statue in the Temple to comprise I would not haue my slaughters here enrolde And murdrous mischieues mingled with the rest Without regard of sexe of yong or olde For which the Romanes did my life detest To vices vile my deedes were all addrest Which mine owne seruants loathing at the last With their owne hands my timelesse death did hast My life was naught and thus at last I dide My life procur'd both Gods and men my foes Let Princes then beware of pompe and pride And not themselues to vices such dispose The throne will soone a Princely minde disclose The tyrants heart at once in throne is tride The Princely robe no tyrant thoughts can hide HOW GVIDERIVS KING of Britaine and the elder son of Cimbaline was slaine in battaile by a Romane the yeare of Christ 44. or as some write 46. TAke Higgins now in hand thy pen for me Let not my death and story lie forgote Good cause there is I should remembred be If thou the falles of Britaine Princes note Aloft I sate in Princely place aflote I had the sword I bare the scepter right I was accounted aye a worthy wight Guiderius was my name the sonne of yore Of noble Cimbaline and after King The Romane tribute I would pay no more Me thought it was too base a seruile thing No Romane should me in subiection bring I stoutly did deny what they did claime Though many counseld me to yeeld the same When Claudius sent this tribute for to haue I sent him word againe I would not pay I would not graunt vniustly he did craue That might in time procure my Realmes decay He should not beare our freedome so away By force and fraude proud Caesar heere did raigne But now by might my right I would maintaine On this addrest himselfe in warlike sort The noble Claudius came to trie the case Which had before receiued high report Both of my wealth my force and noble grace So thinking well he might my fame deface From Rome he came to Britaine with his hoast And landed here vpon my Southerne coast Now marke my tale and hereby shalt thou know The subtill sleights of Romanes in their war The slie deceits of such doe make a show Whereby to trie the people what they are Note well such foes in dealing neere and far Amidst the field in scout or fight alone Of all the rest example take by one Amongst his men a Captaine stout he had With whom in fight I made my party good Hamonius men him cal'd who for his blade In single fight so often I withstood At last did worke a wile to shed my blood He clad himselfe as he a Britaine weare Like armour sword and target did he beare He marcht with vs as he a friend had been And when we came to fight he shew'd a face Of comfort and bold courage gainst his men And when they fled and we pursu'd the chace Pursue quoth he the Romans flie apace In British tongue he cride they flie they flie Our hostages had taught him so to crie As we pursude in me he thrust his blade Betweene my armour splints he gaue the wound And fast away for life to shift he made Thus by deceits my life hee did confound Of my decay this was the fatall ground Which thou must pen that I a miror be For men to shun the flights of trecherie HOW LAELIVS HAMO THE ROMANE CAPTAINE was slaine after the slaughter of Guiderius about the yeare of Christ 46. A Romane Captaine I in Britaine armour clad Disguisde therfore in field did slay their noble King I ventred in their host and I my purpose had To venture so for Countries sake a worthy thing But whoso weenes to win by slaughter high renowne Hath often
for whoso did complaine Without respect or sentence more was slaine For pleasures sake to see the flames arise I causde that Rome should then on fire be set And for to feede therewith my gazing eyes On high Maecenas Tower to stand I get So sixe daies fire and seuen nights waste I let And sang there while beholding it with ioy The Iliades sweet of Grecians burning Troy Then I restrain'd that no man should resort To the ruines great when as the fire was past Nor should therefrom the reliques left transport But to my selfe reseru'd them all at last The Merchants causelesse from their goods I cast And Senatours depriu'd of all they had Some slaine the rest with life to scape were glad Still out the sword to slay all sorts I drew My mother could not scape amongst them free My brother deare and sisters eke I slew And of my wiues likewise a two or three My kinsemen eke I kil'd of each degree Reioycing in so heinous bloodshed still Nought else with Nero then but kill them kill And for that Seneca me counsaile gaue My tutour good in youth to leaue my vice I bad him choose what death him lik'd to haue Which now should pay for then my stripes the price In water warme to stand was his deuice And there to bleede a milde and gentle death Euen so I causde them reaue his vitall breath So with almightie Ioue I gan to warre The Christians good I did torment and flay Commanding all my subiects neere and farre Their liues and goods to spoile and take away Which they accomplisht straight without delay Both Paul and Peter Christs disciples twaine Th' Apostles both by mine edict were slaine But what endureth long that 's violent The thunder seemes some time to teare the skies At seas full oft the stormes are vehement To cloudes aloft the waues and waters rise Soone after th' aire is cleare the water lies Experience and the prouerbs olde doe showe * Each storme will haue his calme each tide his flowe For when I went for to destroy the state And all the Romanes noble fame t' obscure The Senate all and people did me hate And sought which way they might my death procure Mine outrage they no longer could endure They me proclaimed a foe to publique weale To saue my selfe away by night I steale The iudgement was such foes should pillered be By necke in forke made fastfull sure to bide And should with rods so long there beaten be Vntill therewith the wofull caytiues dide From this correction therefore fast I hide From Galba then proclaimed Emprour new For feare of death by deeds deserued due By night I say forsaken quite I fled And Sporus th' Eunuch most impure likewise With others three like filthy life that led To slay my selfe I desperate then deuise Whom all the world did so for sinne despise And thirsting sore in fight full faine I dranke The waters foule which in the ditches stanke At my request my friends would me not kill Haue I quoth I no foe nor yet no frend To reaue me from this feare of conscience ill Will no man make of Nero yet an end With that my brest to point of sword I bend With trembling hand which Sporus holpe to stay And on the same my selfe assai'd to slay With that of Galbaes seruants one drew nie With fained cheere as though he helpe me would Too late you come call you this helpe quoth I Is this the friendship firme and faith you hold My life was filthie vile for to behold My death more vile more filthie I depart So mine owne sword I ran quite through my hart HOW SERGIVS GALBA THE EMPEROVR OF ROME giuen to slaughter ambition and gluttonie was slaine by the souldiers the yeare of Christ 71. AMongst the hautie Emprours downe that fell I Sergius Galba may be placed heere Where who so sees and markes my dealings well To him may soone the fruits of fraud appeare All murders great are bought with price full deare Foule slaughters done procure as foule a fall As he deserues that workes the wofull thrall In Rome sometime I Pretour chosen was And then obtain'd of Spaine the Prouince faire To gouerne there I brought by friends to passe In hope to be the Emprour Neroes heire For when the Romans did of him despaire So bent at home to slaughter lust and vice By warres abroad I wan the praise and price To get the souldiers fauour I tooke paine For in the Emprours choice they gaue the stroke I therefore sought some spoiles for them to gaine Though thereby oft the lawes of armes I broke But who may words or actions done reuoke The staine abides where euill strikes the good And vengeance wrecks the waste of guiltlesse bloud In Lusitania while that time I lay I causde the people there assemble should Reporting I had somwhat for to say Which in effect procure them profit would To which they came as many neere as could Full thirtie thousand thinking nought of ill All which I causde the souldiers there to kill I sought by death to post proud Nero hence Not for his vicious life but for his place Although his vice were made the chiefe pretence Whom all good men accounted void of grace But yet I could not stay so long a space I causde in Spaine the souldiers me proclame Which straight they did and gaue me Caesars name To Rome I hide and Nero gate him thence He stole away for feare of sentence past A publique foe proclaim'd for negligence For slaughters done for fire of Rome the wast Eke for because he was of me agast He slew him selfe before my man could come Which slaughter else my seruants there had done When I my master thus subuerted had The Romanes eke began mislike with mee They said I was ambitious nigh so bad And cruell giuen to pride and gluttony How I was ruled all by Romanes three Cornelius Iulius Celius for the State My schoolemasters for which they did me hate And Siluius Otho sought the Empire then That vicious beast and coward varlet vile He dealt by gifts so with mine armed men That factions rose in campe within a while Which when I came them for to reconcile To Curtius lake neere which the armie lay Of Siluius friends the souldiers did me slay Strooke off my head and bare it to my foe Who causde it should be set vpon a speare So through the campe they bare it to and fro Saluting it now dead a sort there were Which late thereof aliue did doubt and feare O Galba ioifull daies the Gods thee giue God send thee Galba well long time to liue This was the guerdon of my hautie pride To haue mine head thus wise extold aloft Thus I the gaines of hasty climing tride To leese mine head and after haue it scoft A thing indeed that chaunceth wonders oft * Who thinkes that gaine is sweet by sheading blood In purple gore oft yeeldes like gainfull good HOW THE VICIOVS
for their blisse The souldiers stout of me account did make Let stories tell if I do faine in this Lest some suspect that I report amisse For what is he which is not counted vaine When for himselfe he speakes though nere so plaine In peace I prudent was and graue of grace In warres as stout but not so fierce withall Not forst with feare to turne from foes my face Nor bought with bribes to let Dame Iustice fall I not opprest the weaker sort with thrall But sought to pleasure all both neare and farre More prone to peace I was then bent to warre What heart so hard but will for pitie bleed To heare a Prince which meant to each so well Should haue such cause to liue in feare and dreed Of sword of bane of force or poison fell Not daring Emprour nere his brother dwell Whom Romans lou'd and strangers honor'd still But brothers treason caused all our ill Hight Antonine I hate his name and facts Sith he my butcher was as may appeare The world detests his vile and viprous acts And subtill shifts to kill his father deare So void of grace so void of honest feare He durst attempt the guard to bribe and fee That so by them his fire might poisoned bee This when our Sire Seuerus wist and saw How Antonine that bloodie beast was bent Against the order quite of natures law Eke how to take the Empire whole he ment For both of vs at Yorke he often sent Perswading vs true concord for to hold And of the fruits of discord oft he told Yet Antonine regarded nought his hest Nay yet the charge of warres he had in hand T' enlarge his power for th' Empire he addrest Which when Seuerus old did vnderstand All pleasures quite and ioyes he did aband Pursuing warre neere Yorke he tooke his end By sword of Picts or by some traytour friend Then Antonine made spoile of all his men Physitions nil'd before at his request Dispatch their Lord to death he put them then And so he seru'd of faithfull guard the rest What villanie was in this vipers brest Was not content with death of those he sought But after brings their friends likewise to nought I was foretold my life he thirsted sore And that the Empire sole he sought to haue As we to Rome did passe I feared more I from his courts and diets did me saue I knew my life and th' Empire he did craue Wherefore in Rome my court I kept likewise Apart from his that did my death deuise My seruants were allur'd by sundrie gifts By poyson to procure my lifes decay He tri'd to cut me off a thousand shifts What maruell since he sought his sire to slay He made his Fathers friends for spite away Because they would not to his will be wrought To bring them vnto death he daily sought His sleights for me could take no sure successe For still his traines and treasons were descri'd In danger I was forst to seeke redresse By like attempts but that likewise was spide * Pretended murder no man close can hide But out it flies the rumor runnes a pace The spot thereof all vertues else deface When this was knowne that I likewise assai'd His life to reaue though t' were my life to saue Not long to wrecke the same the butcher stai'd He had the thing so long he sought to haue Cause of reuenge the rumor small him gaue That in the euen he came to spill my blood As I vnarmed with my mother stood There she perceiuing him with sword approch In armes me caught to saue my life and blood But he deseruing all the worlds reproch No whit in doubt to end my slaughter stood She him besought as seem'd an Empresse good While he without remorse of her request Betweene her armes did run me through the brest These were the acts of that vile monster then For Empire sake to raigne alone aloft Despisde that was abhor'd of Gods and men And curst to hell by all good men so oft You see the fall of Geta milde and soft Whose line of life no longer fates could stretch Cut off by sword of Antonine that wretch Now maist thou deeme of my deserts and his He to his sire of sonnes was most vnkind His mothers ioyes he reau'd away her blisse That Dame which bare to both so milde a mind And let my dealings aye due fauour find Whose murder may giue plaine prospect and show What monster wrought his faithfull friends such woe HOW AVRELIVS AN TONIVS BASSIANVS CARACALLA Emperour of Rome was slaine by one of his owne seruants about the yeere of Christ 209. WHo thirsts to throng vnto the highest throne Ne wisely windes Dame Fortunes subtile snare Or who in Court would rule the rost alone And sees not what he heapes himselfe of care Let him well weigh my case and then beware Whom forth the stately seate did first allure Which after did my hastie death procure And Higgins here in purpose sith thou hast The haplesse hauen where Fortunes impes arriue A mirour make likewise of me thou maist If thou my life and dealings wilt discriue It may perhaps much profit some aliue Which when themselues plaine painted forth they see They may presage their fatall falles in me I am that Antonine Seuerus sonne That once of mightie Rome did beare the sway Which in my fathers life a strife begone With Geta thirsting often him to slay I sought to haue my father made away To raigne alone so great desire I had Nought but their deathes my wicked hart could glad My father oft exhorted both to peace Declar'd by stories olde what came by strife Dehorted both from ciuill discord cease But I sought meanes to rid him of his life I banisht to Sycilia Isle my wife Encreast mine host reckt not my British charge But how I might enioy the Empire large And first when as my father once was dead I gaue my selfe to all reuenge of foes The seruants late which stood mee not in stead And some who did my trecherie disclose Or such to saue their Prince themselues dispose Or reconcile vs brethren tooke sore paine I causde them all without respect be slaine The captaines all my friends I sought to make In Britaine then desiring them to chuse Me Emprour sole and Geta to forsake Which they to doe for duties sake refuse Our mother eke all meanes with vs did vse Perswading vs to loue and concord bend To which in shew I granted in the end We both in Empire like from Britaine passe A truce concluded there and hostage take His reliques shrinde as then the custome was To Rome therewith our voyage fast we make And yet the malice could not so aslake For in our iournies we durst neither trust But seuerall Courts and Diets keepe we must Both fearing poyson force or treason wrought Both crauing all the Empire to enioy Both working all the waies that might be sought To worke to each some secret great
twaine my hart For why I see what seruile seruitude Shall then insue if he may raigne in rest Shall Brittane braue by Romanes be subdude It shal no doubt by Romanes bee distrest Except my might against his might be prest My might as yet cannot his strength constraine Yet may my might compell him to complaine The draining drops do make the Marble yeeld In time the seas the cragged rockes do rend And Courtly Kings by tearing time be kil'd For time doth make the mightie Okes to bend And time doth make the little twigs ascend So I in time such power may prepare As shall constraine Seuerus death with care But whil'st I did endeuour to destroy Seuerus strength the Picts were prickt with pride For their reuenge vs Britaines to annoy Which when I heard in post I did prouide A power great then I in haste did ride And kept the coast so strong with men of warre That no man could arriue to make or marre The Picts preuented of their wished pray In waltering waues did bouse their bitter baine They dig'd a ditch and caught their owne decay On rocks their Barkes in seas themselues were slaine The Westerne winds with woe did them constraine By Britaine bankes to make so long delay I and the Seas brought them to their decay By meanes whereof my credit did encrease Seuerus did esteeme me as his stay I from my first deuices could not cease For aye I hop'd to haue a happie day To bring the Roman rule to their decay With fauning face good fortune smiled so I had my wish what might I hope for mo For into Spaine the Roman souldiers sent I had at home the might him to depriue Then wisely I all perils to preuent Prouided so that no man could arriue No Pict nor Scot nor Roman then could striue With me at home then I the Lords with speed Of Britaine call'd and thus I did proceed The Roman rule vs subiect slaues hath made You see my Lords a Roman heere doth raigne Whom to destroy my power shall inuade I do indeed this seruile life disdaine And you your selues do much thereof complaine If you with helpe will me assist I sweare The Roman rule shall haue no power heere Then they most glad with one consent repli'd We will assist thee with what might we may And we our selues most willing will prouide No Britaine borne against thee shall display His shield but all at the appointed day As prest to please thy hest shall thee assist Win thou the crowne and weare it at thy list Which when I heard them say with one consent Blame not though pride did then possesse my heart For Princely crowne the dreadfull diery dent Of wrackfull warre who would not feele the smart Of griping griefe who would not feele the dart Of dreadfull death or who regardeth paine If he a crowne and kingdome may obtaine For his gray grotes the countrie clowne doth care Restlesse with ruth the Rusticke gets his gaine The Merchant man for wealth doth send his ware About the world with perill and great paine And all the world for wealth doth not disdaine Amidst the surge of mightie mounting seas To cast themselues their owne delights to please If to obtaine such triffles they do toile And neuer cease to bring their drifts about Why should I feare the force of forren foile Why should I not assay with courage stout To wreake my wrath vpon the Romish rout Which heere remaine whom to the bale to bring Were me to crowne my natiue countries King One thing there is which greatly doth me grieue Seuerus he who did inhance my state He did in my distresse with life relieue My dying daies he neuer did me hate Yet now with him I must be at debate Euen him with might I greatly must disgrace Ere I can set my selfe in Princely place Vntimely death shall not destroy his daies For if he will returne to Rome againe Or if he will resigne his crowne with praise Or if he will amongst vs still remaine If he can like of these we will refraine From sheading blood which if he doth disdaine I then against my will must worke his paine So forth I past with all my power prest Seuerus did at Durham then delay Whereas I ment his state to haue distrest But some I thinke my secrets did bewray For he to Yorke in haste did take his way Which when I had besieg'd on euery side With care and griefe of mind Seuerus dide See heere the force of cruell fretting care See heere how sorow doth dismay the mind For when he heard Carassus did prepare To reaue his crowne he iudging me vnkind With sobbing sighes of sorrow he resign'd Before his time his mind from manly brest Behold with care how sorow reaues mans rest Thus he intomb'd in his vntimely chest It was decreed Carassus should be King The three estates of all my Realme were prest With one consent they all to me did bring The kingly crowne then thus they all did sing The due deserts of this renowned wight Deserues to be the Britaine King by right Marke by what steps I did the top obtaine With keeping sheepe my youthful yeares were spent Then with the whip I pli'd the plow amine In Mars his fields to fight my mind was bent As Legate then to Rome my selfe was sent I dubbed was a Lord of high renowne And now at last I haue obtain'd the Crowne The end of th' act the Plaudite doth proue And all is well whose ending is not ill Who sits aloft had neuer need to moue For feare lest he should fall against his will Though creeping he did gaine the top with skill Yet at the last by turning of his toe A sudden fall may worke his wretched woe Which fall I felt and how I heere will show When I as King did all the Realme command I fearefull did suspect mine ouerthrow The place me thought did shake where I did stand Then for my guard I did prouide a band Of warlike wights to guard my noble grace I lastly did my noble men displace From forth the fields I for my father sent Him of a clowne a noble man I made My Brethren all euen for the same intent Like Courtiers there in Court with me they stai'd And all my stocke were glad and well apai'd For they of late which rul'd the painfull plow Of Britaine land they be the Rulers now From cart to Court a countrie man to call With braue attire to decke a dunghill Dicke Is like a painted Image in a wall Which doth deceiue and seemeth to be quicke Though workmanship most trimly doth it tricke Yet of a stone a stone will still remaine A clowne cannot from clownish deeds refraine As hard it is of quarried Marble stone For man to make a liuely mouing wight As of a Lout or else of such a one Who daily doth imploy his whole delight To dig and delue it passeth mortall might To make him serue
the East Redwallus rul'd as King Then Ethelbert was King of all the coast of Kent In Southsex Ethelwolfus wore the regall crowne Then Quincillinus was a Saxon King by West Of Martia in the mid'st King Penda was the Prince And Edwin in Northumberland did rule and raigne How did my Grandsire grand renowned Arthur he These seuen destroy with deadly field of wrackfull warre But Mordred made the meane that brought them in againe Vortiporus with warre almost consum'd them all Then Malgo he with peace restor'd againe their state Cariticus the sinne of ciuill strise did loue For which Gurmundus did the Britaines much annoy Then Cadwin out of Wales King Etheldred did spoile Cadwalline then did force King Penda to a foile And I Cadwallader at last did presse in place Then Lothar king of Kent in warre that wretch I slue And Ethiwolne the king of South saxons I spoilde The other fiue did me inuade with cruel fight With whom in diuers warres I diuersly did speed Somtime Bellona blew a blessed blast for me And changed chance somtime did force my men to flee Whilst thus I wag'd my warres in secret silent night The very voice of God it thus to me did speake Thou striu'st against the streame the tide doth beate thee back Strike thou thy sailes take ancor hold els must thou feele a wrack Which saying did indeed amaze me more by much Then all the force that man against my will might bend For who the will of God with weapons may resist And when as sinne hath sold a countrey to decay Then praier must preuaile for weapons will not help And when the end is come when all the glasse is runne Who can resist the force of Fate and destinies Who things forerun to fall from falling can refraine It passeth mortall might to bring such things about Let man content himselfe to do what best he may By trying too too much no man his God may tempt But mortall man must thinke that God the best doth know Who can depresse to dust and raise when best him please And as I thus amidst my musings did remaine I did resigne my crowne and deem'd al honours vaine And though it greeu'd me much to feele the fall I selt Yet was I well content I could not as I would For which I left my land my people and my place The Saxons they obtain'd the wage for which they war'd When I three yeares had raign'd without one day of rest Euen then in mourning robes at Rome I did arriue And there contemning all the world and worldly things I made my selfe a Monke cease Memory to muse A Monke I made my selfe thou knowest it passing plaine Amongst the Friers there I led my lingring life And til my dying day I daily did deuise How by my meanes it might to all the world be knowne That mortall flesh is fraile and euery thing must fade And euen amongst those things which Nature doth create Nothing so vile as man amongst the rest is found Which made Heraclitus with ceaslesse sighes to waile He to his dying day did nothing els but weepe Affirming all the world vnder the heauen to be A path of penitence maze of misery What is the life of man but care and daily toile Bearing alwaies about a burthen of mishappes All his delights repentance daily doth pursue Nothing but death doth bring him peace and quiet rest Yet that which brings him blisse he most of all doth hate Which made Democritus with mirth to spend his daies He laughing aie did mocke the madnesse of mankinde Whose loue is long to liue and feareth much to die Death reaues vs from disease Death ends the feare of death When Midas did demaund Silenus what was best For mortall man to wish the Satyr thus did say Not to bee borne if borne not long our liues to lead For life I most doe lothe and death I least doe dread And how did Timon leade with sauage beasts his life How did that Hermite poore his lothsome life detest Affirming with the wise Aurelius Emperour That if a man should make a true discourse of all The wretched woes he felt from birth to dying day The feeble flesh would faint to feele so sharpe a fight The hart would quake to heare Dame Fortunes sharpe assaults And I Cadwallader a king can make report That nothing may content the minde of mortall man The more my selfe did eate the hungrier ay I was The more I dranke the more thirst did me stil distresse The more I slept the more I sluggish did remaine The more I rested me the more I wearied was The more of wealth I had the more I did desire The more I still did seeke the lesse I aye did finde And to conclude I found I neuer could obtaine The thing but in the end it causde me to complaine My present good successe did threaten thrall to come And changing chance did still with sorow me consume For which my royall robes my crowne I laid aside Meaning to proue by proofe the paines of pouertie Which pouertie I felt all riches to exceede It beareth much more blisse then high and courtly state Codrus and Irus poore for wealth did farre surpasse Midas and Croesus king for wealth who did surpasse And I amongst my mates the Romish Friers felt More ioy and lesse annoy then erst in Britaine braue For there I doubted still the Saxons subtile sleights I feared there the fall from royall regall seat But here at Rome I liu'd not fearing force of foe I had for mine estate what I could wish or craue And this I there did finde they of the Clergie be Of all the men that liue the least in misery For all men liue in care they carelesse do remaine Like buzzing Drones they eate the hony of the Bee They only do excell for fine felicitie The king must wage his warres he hath no quiet day The noble man must rule with care the common-weale The Countreyman must toile to till the barren soile With care the Merchant man the surging seas must saile With trickling droppes of sweat the handcrafts man doth thriue With hand as hard as boord the woorkeman eates his bread The souldier in the field with paine doth get his pay The seruing man must serue and crouch with cap and knee The Lawyer he must pleade and trudge from bench to barre Who Physicke doth professe he is not void of care But Churchmen they be blest they turne a leafe or two They sometime sing a Psalme and for the people pray For which they honour haue and sit in highest place What can they wish or seeke that is not hard at hand They labour not at all they know no kind of paine No danger doth with dread their happy liues distresse Cease you therefore to muse what madnesse made me leaue The Court and courtly pompe of wearing royal crowne No madnesse did that deed but wisedome wisht it so I gaind thereby the blisse which
few before me felt I nine yeares led my life and neuer felt annoy And certainely if now I might bee king againe Refusing all that pompe I would become a priest A Deacon or a Deane Prebend or Minister For these men leade their liues with liuings two or three Some haue their substitutes in Vniuersities Some leade the brauest liues that any man may haue They feede vpon the fleece they force not of the flocke Three houres in the yeere with beastly bosomde stuffe They spend and that is all that law of them requires Muse not though many thrust and shoulder for degrees For happy man is he who hath a Preachers sees But let me now returne vnto my Romish rout Who fed like Bacon fat did nought but play and pray With whom for nine yeares space when I my life had led I song my Requiem and paid the earth her fee. Then in Saint Peters Church at Rome they did me lay Booted and spurd euen as you see me here this day So now you haue the whole of all my Tragedie Of Brutus blood the last I liu'd that rul'd as king My Britaine 's driuen to Wales they Welchmen then were cal'd And I at Rome their king a mumbling Monke instal'd The Saxons had the day for which they longed long They England cal'd the Ile of Brute which tooke her name Some men be borne to blisse and some to hatefull hap Who would haue thought that I in warre a raging king Should by the force of Fate at Rome haue dide a Monke Let all the world then know that nothing is so sure That can afford and say I thus wil aye endure For that which seemeth best is soonest brought to naught Which plainly doth appeare by that which I haue taught The worthiest in the world princes philosophers Will teach that I haue taught and proue it passing plaine Paulus Aemilius did die but wretchedly And was not Scipio euen to his dying day Constraind to helpe his need the painfull plow to ply Caesar and Silla both did not they taste the whippe And made not Hannibal a miserable end And how was Socrates before his time destroy'd And Anaxagoras imprisoned long with paine For cruell beastly coyne diuine Plato was sold And Aristotle sent to exile where he di'd And so was Solon sage and that Lycurgus wise And many more which heere I could at large repeat But let these few suffice to teach for certaine truth That all the men that liue are subiects all to ruth And seeing so it is then let them learne the meane That if the barke do breake they safe may swimme to land Thomas Blener Hasset HOW SIGEBERT FOR HIS WICKED LIFE was thrust from his Throne and miserablie slaine by a Heardsman Anno Dom. 755. TWo parts in one a Heardsman heere must play My tale must tend each Princes life to mend And this my talke most plainly must display How far a subiect may himselfe defend Against his Liege his Soueraigne Lord and King If his default his Commonweale doth bring To miserie therefore a little while Attend and know the tenour of my stile A subiect I of base and low degree This headlesse corps of life I did depriue King Sigebert it was with crueltie Whose lust was law whil'st he was heere aliue To feele my force it was his destinie Then crueltie I wrackt with crueltie And to reuenge the wrong that earst he wrought With losse of life his lawlesse lust he bought This Sigebert the Saxons rulde by West Their ancient lawes he at his list did change For which his Commons did him much detest The Duke of Cornwall would not let him range Thus at his will but wisht him like a friend To mend his faults or els his life to end Then he in rage this Duke my masters life His cruel hands bereau'd with bloodie knife A lawlesse life to lawlesse death doth hale When witlesse will wil passe the power of may Then ill mishap doth drowne in dolours dale The peruerse Prince whose wit doth beare the sway Iust Abels blood to God for vengeance cald For blood with blood the Bloodsheader is thrald And him whom here before you I present For sheading blood my blade his life hath hent As he three yeares his people did oppresse Then they whose backe that burden could not beare With one consent they did his state distresse To reaue him of his Crowne they did not feare They him deposde from honour and renowne His hatefull hap so frowardly did frowne That he who had a kingdome but of late Forlorne he now must beg from gate to gate Do nothing muse at his deserued hap For many more as he their liues haue led Ioues vengeance iust such wretches doth inwrap With change most strange when he their blood will shed Of Dionyse of Syracusia Of Neroes death of Phalaris decay Who list to reade he passing plaine shall finde That he of heauen their sorrow hath assignde And out of doubt God did ordaine the fall Of him whom here I headlesse haue in hand Who wandring in a wood amidst his thrall I met by chance of whom I did demand His name and place who thus replide with feare O friend I am for meate now staruen wel neare Giue me therfore I thee beseech and pray Some meate to keepe my carcase from decay Some Pilgrim poore or waifaring man him straight Liudg'd and gaue him what my scrippe would yeeld And whilst we both thus on a banke did baite From sighes and sobbes himselfe he could not wield Which made me aske againe his name and place But silent he did mourne with frowning face Yet at the last by vrging to and fro He thus declar'd the cause of all his woe O miser I more wretch then thee by much I neuer could compare with thine estate This heard of Swine against thee neuer grutch I kept a heard which did their Heardsman hate A hateful heard of murmuring men I meane Which did depriue me of mine honour cleane And now I leade my lothsome life you see Impal'd amidst a maze of misery With changed chance aye me I chased am And frowning Fate such sorrow hath assignd That lothing life most like a quiet Lambe My naked necke to blocke of bale I bind With cruell knife O care come shread my twist So shall my soule by corps decay be blist But sith that Care nor Fate wil doe this deed Doe thou the same I thee beseech with speed First hatefull hope with flattering face did fawne With dread when deepe despaier would me haue drownd Then changed chance did checke me with the pawne Of wofull want when good successe did sound A blessed blast and now to tell the truth I haue the mate by raging Rooke of truth Lo thus I liue which daily wish to die And life alas doth make my miserie If lothsome life of this my corps the king Doth moue one way the Bishop bids me backe If to that point the Queene me backe doth bring On
drew the breath The bodies rest the quiet of the hart The trauailes ease the still nights feere was he And of our life in earth the better part Reuer of sight and yet in whom we see Things oft that tide and oft that neuer bee Without respect esteeming equally King Croesus pompe and Irus pouertie And next in order sad Old Age we found His beard all hoare his eyes hollow and blind With drouping cheere still poring on the ground As on the place where nature him assign'd To rest when that the sisters had vntwin'd His vitall thred and ended with their knife The fleeting course of fast declining life There heard we him with broke and hollow plaint Rew with himselfe his end approching fast And all for nought his wretched mind torment With sweete remembrance of his pleasures past And fresh delites of lustie youth forewast Recounting which how would he sob and shreek And to be yong againe of Ioue beseeke But and the cruell fates so fixed be That time forepast cannot returne againe This one request of Ioue yet prayed he That in such withred plight and wretched paine As eld accompanied with lothsome traine Had brought on him all were it woe and griefe He might a while yet linger forth his life And not so soone descend into the pit Where Death when he the mortall corps hath slaine With wretchlesse hand in graue doth couer it Thereafter neuer to enioy againe The gladsome light but in the ground ylaine In depth of darknesse waste and weare to nought As he had nere into the world been brought But who had seene him sobbing how he stood Vnto himselfe and how he would bemone His youth forepast as though it wrought him good To talke of youth all were his youth foregone He would haue musde and maruail'd much whereon This wretched Age should life desire so faine And knowes ful wel life doth but length his paine Crookebackt he was tooth shaken and blere eyde Went on three feete and sometime crept on foure With old lame bones that ratled by his side His scalpe all pil'd and he with eld forlore His withred fist still knocking at Deaths dore Fumbling and driueling as he drawes his breath For briefe the shape and messenger of Death And fast by him pale Maladie was plaste Sore sicke in bed her colour all foregone Bereft of stomacke sauour and of taste Ne could she brooke no meate but broths alone Her breath corrupt her keepers euery one Abhorring her her sicknesse past recure Detesting physicke and all physickes cure But oh the dolefull sight that then we see We turn'd our looke and on the other side A griesly shape of Famine mought we see With greedie lookes and gaping mouth that cried And roar'd for meate as she should there haue died Her bodie thin and bare as any bone Whereto was left nought but the case alone And that alas was gnawne on euery where All full of holes that I ne mought refraine From teares to see how she her armes could teare And with her teeth gnash on the bones in vaine When all for nought she faine would so sustaine Her staruen corps that rather seem'd a shade Then any substance of a creature made Great was her force whom stonewall could not stay Her tearing nailes snatching at all she saw With gaping iawes that by no meanes ymay Be satisfi'd from hunger of her mawe But eates her selfe as she that hath no law Gnawing alas her carcase all in vaine Where you may count each sinew bone and vaine On her while we thus firmely fixt our eyes That bled for ruth of such a driety sight Loe suddenly she shrinkt in so huge wise As made hell gates to shiuer with the might Wherewith a dart we saw how it did light Right on her brest and therewithall pale Death Enthrilling it to reaue her of her breath And by and by a dumbe dead corps we saw Heauie and cold the shape of death aright That dants all earthly creatures to his law Against whose force in vaine it is to fight Ne Peeres ne Princes nor no mortall wight No Towne ne Realmes Cities ne strongest Tower But all perforce must yeeld vnto his power His dart anon out of the corps he tooke And in his hand a dreadfull sight to see With great triumph eftsoones the same he shooke That most of all my feares affrayed mee His bodie dight with nought but bones perdie The naked shape of man there saw I plaine All saue the flesh the sinow and the vaine Lastly stood Warre in glittering armes yelad With visage grim sterne looks and blackely hewed In his right hand a naked sword he had That to the hilts was all with blood embrued And in his left that King and kingdomes rued Famine and fire he held and therewithall He raced townes and threw downe towers and all Cities he sackt and Realmes that whilome flowred In honor glorie and rule aboue the best He ouerwhelm'd and all their fame deuoured Consum'd destroy'd wasted and neuer ceast Till he their wealth their name and all opprest His face forehew'd with wounds and by his side There hung his targ with gashes deepe and wide In midst of which depainted there we found Deadly Debate all full of snakie heare That with a bloodie fillet was ybound Out breathing nought but discord euery where And round about were portrai'd heere and there The hugie hosts Darius and his power His Kings Princes his Peeres and all his flower Whom great Macedo vanquisht there in sight With deepe slaughter despoiling all his pride Pierst through his Realmes and danted all his might Duke Hannibal beheld I there beside In Cannas field victor how he did ride And wofull Romans that in vaine withstood And Consul Paulus couered all in blood Yet saw I more the fight at Trasimene And Treberie field and eke when Hannibal And worthie Scipio last in armes were sene Before Carthago gate to trie for all The worlds Empire to whom it should befall There saw I Pompey and Caesar clad in armes Their hosts allied and all their ciuill harmes With Conquerers hands forbath'd in their owne blood And Caesar weeping ouer Pompeyes head Yet saw I Scilla and Marius where they stood Their great crueltie and the deepe bloodshead Of friends Cyrus I saw and his host dead And how the Queene with great despite hath flong His head in blood of them she ouercome Xerxes the Persian King yet saw I there With his huge host that dranke the riuers drie Dismounted hilles and made the vales vprere His host and all yet saw I slaine perdie Thebes I saw all rac'd how it did lie In heapes of stones and Tyrus put to spoile With walles and towers flat euened with the soile But Troy alas me thought aboue them all It made mine eyes in very teares consume When I beheld the wofull werd befall That by the wrathfull will of God was come And Ioues vnmoued sentence and foredoome On Priam King and on his
corrupt with meed and awe Gainst Iustice wretchedly did wrest the sense of Lawe A change more new or strange when was there euer seene Then Iudges from the Bench to come downe to the Barre And Counsellours that were most nigh to King and Queene Exiled their Countrie from Court and Counsell farre But such is Fortunes play which can both make and marre Exalting to most high that was before most low And turning taile againe the loftie downe to throw And such as late afore could stoutly speake and plead Both in Court and Countrey carelesse of the triall As mummers mute do stand without aduice or read All to seeke of shifting by trauerse or deniall Which haue seene the day when for a golden Ryall By finenes and cunning could haue made blacke seeme white And most extorted wrong to haue appeared right Whilst thus on bench aboue we had the highest place Our reasons were too strong for any to confute But when at barre beneath we came to plead our case Our wits were in the wane our pleading very brute Hard it is for prisoners with Iudges to dispute When all men against one and none for one shall speake Who weenes himself most wise may chance be too too weake To you therefore that sit these few words will I say That no man sits so sure but he may haply stand Wherefore whilst you haue place and beare the swing and sway By fauour without force let points of Law be skand Pity the poore prisoner that holdeth vp his hand Ne lade him not with law who least of law hath knowne Remember ere ye die the case may be your owne Behold me one vnfortunate amongst this flocke Tresilian cald sometime chiefe Iustice of this Land A gentleman by birth no staine was in my stocke Locketon Holte Belknap with other of my band Which the Law and Iustice had wholly in our hand Vnder the second Richarda Prince of greate state To whom and vs also blind Fortune gaue the mate In all our Common Lawes our skill was so profound Our credit and autority such and so high esteemd That what wee did conclude was taken for a ground Allowed was for Law what so to vs best seemd Both life death lands and goods and all by vs was deemd Whereby with easie paine great gaine we did in fet And euery thing was fish that came vnto our net At Sessions and Sises we bare the stroke and sway In patents and commission of Quorum still chiefe So that to whether side soeuer we did way Were it by right or wrong it past without repriefe The true man we let hang some whiles to saue a thiefe Of Gold and of Siluer our hands were neuer empty Offices Farmes and Fees fell to vs in great plenty But what thing may suffice vnto the greedie man The more he hath in hold the more he doth desire Happie and twice happie is he that wisely can Content himselfe with that which reason doth require And moileth for no more then for his needfull hire But greedinesse of mind doth seldome keepe the sise To whom enough and more doth neuer well suffice For like as dropsie patients drinke and still be drie Whose vnstanch'st greedie thirst no liquor can allay And drinke they nere so much yet thirst they by and by So catchers and snatchers do toile both night and day Not needie but greedie still prolling for their pray O endlesse thirst of gold corrupter of all lawes What mischiefe is on mould whereof thou art not cause Thou madest vs forget the saith of our profession When Sergeants we were sworne to serue the common law Which was that in no point we should make digression From approued principles in sencence nor in sawe But we vnhappie wights without all dread and awe Of the Iudge eternall for worlds vaine promotion More to man then God did beare our whole deuotion The Lawes we did interpret and statutes of the Land Not truly by the text but newly by a glose And words that were most plaine when they by vs were skand We turned by construction to a Welchmans hose Whereby many a one both life and land did lose Yet this we made our meane to mount aloft on mules And seruing times and turnes peruerted lawes and rules Thus climing and contending alway to the top From high vnto higher and then to be most hie The hony dew of Fortune so fast on vs did drop That of King Richards counsell we came to be most nie Whose fauour to attaine we were full fine and flie Alway to his profit where any thing might sound That way all were it wrong the lawes we did expound So working Law like waxe the subiect was not sure Of life of land nor goods but at the Princes will Which caused his kingdome the shorter time to dure For claiming power absolute both to saue and spill The Prince thereby presumed his people for to pill And set his lusts for Law and will had reasons place No more but hang and draw there was no better grace Thus the King outleaping the limits of his Law Not raigning but raging as youth did him entice Wise and worthie persons from Court did daily draw Sage counsell set at naught proud vanters were in price And roysters bare the rule which wasted all in vice Of riot and excesse grew scarcitie and lacke Of lacking came taxing and so went wealth to wracke The Barons of the Land not bearing this abuse Conspiring with the Commons assembled by assent And seeing neither reason nor treatie could induce The King in any thing his rigour to relent Maugre his Kingly might they call'd a Parlament Franke and free for all men without checke to debate As well for weale publique as for the Princes state In this high assemblie great things were proponed Touching the Princes state his regaltie and crowne By reason that the King which much was to be moued Without regard at all of honor or renowne Misled by ill aduice had turn'd all vpside downe For suretie of whose state them thought it did behoue His Counsellours corrupt by reason to remoue Among whom Robert Veer call'd Duke of Ireland With Michael Delapole of Suffolke new made Earle Of Yorke also then Archbishop dispatcht out of hand With Brembre of London a full vncurteous churle Some learned in the Law in exile they did hurle But I poore Tresilian because I was the chiefe Was damned to the gallowes most vilely as a thiefe Lo the fine of falshood stipend of corruption The fee of double fraud the fruits it doth procure Yee Iudges vpon earth let our iust punition Teach you to shake off bribes and keepe your hands still pure Riches and promotion be vaine things and vnsure The fauour of a Prince is an vntrustie stay But Iustice hath a fee that shall remaine alway What glorie can be greater before God or man Then by paths of Iustice in iudgement to proceed So duely and so truly the Lawes for to scan That
these miracles wrought The King inflamed with in dignation That to such bondage he should be brought Suppressing the ire of his inward thought Studied nought else but how that he might Be highly reuenged of this high despite Aggreeu'd was also this latter offence With former matter his ire to renue For once at Windsore I brought to his presence The Maior of London with all his retinue To aske a reckoning of the Realmes reuenue And the souldiers of Brest by me were made bold Their wages to claime when the towne was sold These griefes remembred with all the remnant Hourded in his hart hate out of measure Yet openly in shew made he no femblant By word or by deed to beare displeasure But loue dayes dissembled do neuer indure And whoso trusteth a foe reconcild Is for the most part alwaies beguild For as fire ill quencht will vp at a start And sores not well salued doe breake out of new So hatred hidden in an irefull hart Where it hath had long season to brew Vpon euery occasion doth easily renew Not failing at last if it be not let To pay large vsury besides the due det Euen so it fared by this friendship fained Outwardly sound and inwardly rotten For when the Kings fauour in seeming was gained All old displeasures forgiuen and forgotten Euen then at a suddaine the shaft was shotten Which pierced my heart void of mistrust Alas that a Prince should be so vniust For lying at Plashey my selfe to repose By reason of sicknesse which held me full sore The King espying me apart from those With whom I confedered in band before Thought it not meete to tract the time more But glad to take me at such auantage Came to salute me with friendly visage Who hauing a band bound to his bent By colour of kindnesse to visite his Eame Tooke time to accomplish his cruell intent And in a small vessell downe by the streame Conueid me to Calis out of the Realme Where without processe or doome of my Peeres Not nature but murder abridged my yeeres This act was odious to God and to man Yet rigour to cloake in habit of reason By craftie compasse deuise they can Articles nine of right hainous treason But doome after death is sure out of season For who euer saw so strange a president As execution done before iudgement Thus hate harboured in depth of minde By sought occasion burst out of new And cruelty abused the law of kinde When that the Nephue the Vncle flew Alas King Richard sore mayst thou rue Which by this fact preparedst the way Of thy hard destiny to hasten the day For bloud axeth bloud as guerdon due And vengeance for vengeance is iust reward O righteous God thy iudgements are true For looke what measure we other award The same for vs againe is prepar'd Take heed ye Princes by examples past Bloud will haue bloud either first or last G. Ferrers HOW THE LORD MOWbrey promoted by King Richard the second to the state of a Duke was by him banished the Realme the yeare of Christ 1398. and after died miserablie in exile THough sorrow and shame abash me to rehearse My lothsome life and death of due deserued Yet that the paines thereof may other pearce To leaue the like lest they be likewise serued Ah Baldwine marke and see how that I swerued Dissembling enuy and flattery bane that bee Of all their hostes haue shew'd their power on mee I blame not Fortune though she did her part And true it is she can do little harme She guideth goods she hampreth not the heart A minde well bent is safe from euery charme Vice only vice with her stout strengthlesse arme Doth cause the heart from good to ill encline Which I alas doe finde too true by mine For where by birth I came of noble race The Mowbreys heire a famous house and old Fortune I thanke gaue me so good a grace That of my Prince I had what so I would Yet neither was to other greatly hold For I thought flattery wrong'd his want on youth And his fond trust augmented my vntruth He made me first the Earle of Notingham And Marshall of the Realme in which estate The Peeres and people iointly to me came With sore complaint against them that of late Bad officers had brought the King in hate By making sale of Iustice right and Lawe And liuing naught without all dread or awe I gaue them aid these euils to redresse And went to London with an army strong And caus'd the King against his will oppresse By cruell death all such as led him wrong The Lord chiefe Iustice suffered these among So did the Steward of his household head The Chancellor scapte for he afore had fled These wicked men thus from the King remou'd Who best vs pleas'd succeeded in their place For which both King and Commons much vs lou'd But chiefly I with all stood high in grace The King ensu'd my rede in euery case Whence selfe-loue bred for glory maketh prowd And pride aye seeks alone to be allow'd Wherefore to th' end I might alone inioy The Kings good will I made his lust my lawe And where of late I labour'd to destroy Such flattering folke as thereto stood in awe Now learned I among the rest to clawe For pride is such if it be kindly caught As stroyeth good and stirres vp euery naught Pride pricketh men to flatter for the pray Toppresse and poll for maint'nance of the same To malice such as match vneths it may And to be briefe pride doth the heart inflame To fire what mischiefe any fraud may frame And still at length the euils by it wrought Confound the worker and bring him to nought Behold in me due proofe of euery part For pride first forced me my Prince to flatter So much that whatsoeuer pleas'd his heart Were 't nere so ill I thought a lawfull matter Which causd the Lords afresh against him clatter Because he had his holds beyond sea sold And seene his souldiers of their wages pold Though vnto all these ils I were a frend Yet such was luck that each man deemed no The Duke of Glocester for me did send With other Lords whose hearts did bleede for woe To see the Realme so fast to ruine goe In fault whereof they said the two Dukes were The one of Yorke the other Lancaster On whose remoue from being about the King We all agreed and sware a solemne oth And whilst the rest prouided for this thing I flatterer I to win the praise of troth Wretch that I was brake faith and promise both For I bewraied to th' King their whole intent For which vnwares they all were tane and shent Thus was the warder of the Common weale The Duke of Gloster guiltlesse made away With other moe more wretch I so to deale Who through vntruth their trust did ill betray Yet by this meanes obtained I may pray Of King and Dukes I found for this such fauour As
I was a King who ruled all by lust Forcing but light of Iustice right or Law Putting alwaies flatterers false in trust Ensuing such as could my vices claw By faithfull counsell passing not an haw As pleasure prickt so needs obey I must Hauing delight to feed and serue the gust Which to maintaine my people were sore pol'd With Fines Fifteenes and loanes by way of prest Blanke Charters oaths and shifts not knowne of old For which the Commons did me sore detest I also sold the noble towne of Brest My fault wherein because mine vncle told I found the meanes that he to death was sold None aide I lackt in any wicked deed For gaping Gulles whom I promoted had Would further all in hope of higher meed There can no King imagine ought so bad But shall find some that will performe it glad For sicknesse seldome doth so swiftly breed As humours ill do grow the griefe to feed My life and death the truth of this hath tri'd For while I fought in Ireland with my foes Mine vncle Edmund whom I left to guide My Realme at home rebelliously arose Percies to helpe which plied my depose And call'd from France Earle Bolenbroke whom I Exiled had for ten yeares there to lie For comming backe this sudden stur to stay The Earle of Worster whom I trusted most Whiles I in Wales at Flint my castle lay Both to refresh and multiplie mine host There in my hall in sight of least and most His staffe did breake which was my houshold stay Bad each make shift and rode himselfe away My Steward false thus being fled and gone My seruants slie shranke off on euery side Then caught I was and led vnto my fone Who for their Prince no Palace did prouide But prison strong where Henrie puft with pride Causde me resigne my Kingly state and throne And so forsaken left and post alone Yet some conspir'd their new King to put downe And to that end a solemne oath they swore To render me my royall seate and Crowne Whereof themselues depriued me before But late medcines can helpe no sothbind sore When swelling flouds haue ouerflowen the towne Too late it is to saue them that shall drowne For though the Peeres set Henrie in his state Yet could they not displace him thence againe And where they soone depriued me of late They could restore me by no manner paine Things hardly mend but may be mar'd amaine And when a man is fallen in froward fate Still mischiefes light one on anothers pate For when the King did know that for my cause His Lords in maske would kill him on a night To dash all doubts he tooke no farther pause But Pierce of Exton a cruell murdering Knight To Pomfret castle sent him armed bright Who causelesse kill'd me there against all lawes Thus lawlesse life to lawlesse death aye drawes G. Ferrers HOW OWEN GLENDOVR SEDVCED BY FALSE PROPHESIES tooke vpon him to be Prince of Wales and was by Henrie Prince of England chased to the Mountaines where he miserablie died for lacke of food An. 1401. I Pray thee Baldwine sith thou doest entend To shew the fall of such as climbe too hie Remember me whose miserable end May teach a man his vicious life to flie Oh Fortune Fortune out on thee I crie My liuely corps thou hast made leane and slender For lacke of food whose name was Owen Glendour A Welchman borne and of the Troian blood But ill brought vp whereby full well I find That neither birth nor linage make vs good Though it be true that Cat will after kind Flesh gendreth flesh but not the soule or mind They gender not but foulely do degender When men to vice from vertue them surrender Each thing by nature tendeth to the same Whereof it came and is disposed like Downe sinkes the mould vp mounts the fierie flame With horne the Hart with hoofe the Horse doth strike The Wolfe doth spoile the suttle Foxe doth pike And to conclude no fish flesh fowle or plant Of their true dame the propertie doth want But as for men sith seuerally they haue A mind whose maners are by learning made Good bringing vp all only doth them saue In honest acts which with their parents fade So that true gentrie standeth in the trade Of vertuouslife not in the fleshly line For blood is brute but gentrie is diuine Experience doth cause me thus to say And that the rather for my countrimen Which vaunt and boast themselues aboue the day If they may straine their stocke from worthie men Which let be true are they the better then Nay farre the worse if so they be not good For why they staine the beautie of their blood How would we mocke the burden-bearing mule If he would brag he were an horses son To presse his pride might nothing else him rule His boasts to proue no more but bid him run The horse for swiftnesse hath his glorie won The braging mule could nere the more aspier Though he should proue that Pegas was his sier Each man may crake of that which was his owne Our parents good is theirs and no whit ours Who therefore will of noble birth be knowne Or shine in vertue like his ancestours Gentrie consisteth not in lands and towers He is a churle though all the world were his Yea Arthurs heire if that he liue amis For vertuous life a Gentleman doth make Of her possessour all be he poore as Iob Yea though no name of elders he can take For proofe take Merlin fathered by an Hob. But who so sets his mind to spoile and rob Although he come by due descent from Brute He is a churle vngentle vile and brute Well thus did I for want of better wit Because my parents naughtly brought me vp For Gentlemen they said was nought so fit As to attast by bold attempts the cup Of conquests wine whereof I thought to sup And therefore bent my selfe to rob and riue And whom I could of lands and goods depriue Henrie the fourth did then vsurpe the Crowne Despoil'd the King with Mortimer the heire For which his subiects sought to put him downe And I while Fortune offered me so faire Did what I might his honor to appaire And tooke on me to be the Prince of Wales Entiste thereto by Prophesies and tales For which such mates as wait vpon the spoile From euery part of Wales vnto me drew For loytering youth vntaught in any toile Are readie aye all mischiefe to ensue Through helpe of these so great my glorie grew That I defied my King through loftie heart And made sharpe warre on all that tooke his part See lucke I tooke Lord Raynold Gray of Rithen And him enforst my daughter to espouse And so perforce I held him still and sithen In Wigmore land through battell rigorous I caught the right heire of the crowned house The Earle of March Sir Edmund Mortimor And in a dungeon kept him prisoner Then all the Marches longing vnto
dilatorie Ne Doctor or Proctor to alledge the lawes But forced me to plead in mine owne cause The Kings counsell were called to the case My husband then shut out for the season In whose absence I found but little grace For Lawyers turned our offence to treason And so with rigor without ruth or reason Sentence was giuen that I for the same Should doe penance and suffer open shame Nay the like shame had neuer wight I weene Duches Lady ne Damsel of degree As I that was a Princesse next the Queene Wife to a Prince and none so great as hee A Kings vncle Protector of his countrey With Taper burning shrouded in a sheete Three dayes a row to passe the open streete Barelegd and bare foote to all the worlds wonder Yea and as though such shame did not suffise With more despite then to part asunder Me and my Duke which Traitors did deuise By Statute lawe in most vnlawfull wise First sending me with shame into exile Then murdring him by trechery and guile Yea and besides this cruell banishment Far from all friends to comfort mee in care And husbands death there was by Parliament Ordaind for me a messe of courser fare For they to bring me to beggers state most bare By the same act from mee did then withdraw Such right of dower as widowes haue by law Death as t' is said doth set all things at rest Which fell not so in mine vnhappy case For since my death mine enmies made a Iest In minstrels rimes mine honour to deface And then to bring my name in more disgrace A song was made in manner of a laic Which old wiues sing of mee vnto this day Yet with these spites their malice could not end For shortly after my sorowes to renue My loiall Lord which neuer did offend VVas cald in haste the cause he litle knew To a Parlement without sommons due VVhereas his death was cruelly contriued And I his wife of earthly ioyes depriued For all the while my Duke had life and breath So long I stood in hope of my restore But when I heard of his most causles death Then the best salue for my recureles sore VVas to despaire of cure for euermore And as I could my carefull heart to cure VVith patience most painfull to endure O Traitors fell which in your hearts could find Like feends of hell the guiltles to betray But ye chiefly his kinsmen most vnkind VVhich gaue consent to make him so away That vnto God with all my heart I pray Vengeance may light on him that caused all Beaufort I meane that cursed Cardinall VVhich bastard Priest of th' house of Lancaster Sonne to Duke Iohn surnamed Iohn of Gaunt VVas first create Bishop of VVinchester For no learning whereof he might well vaunt Ne for vertue which he did neuer haunt But for his Gold and summes that were not small Paid to the Pope was made a Cardinall Proud Lucifer which from the heauens on high Downe to the pit of hell below was cast And being once an Angell bright in sky For his pride in hell is chained fast In deepe darkenes that euermore shall last More haut of heart was not before his fall Then was this proud and pompous Cardinall VVhose life good Baldwine paint out in his pickle A and blase this Baal and Belligod most blind An hypocrite all faithles false and fickle A wicked wretch a kinsman most vnkind A Diuell incarnate all diuellishly enclind And to discharge my conscience all at once The Diuell him gnaw both body bloud and bones The spitefull Priest would needes make me a VVitch As would to God I had been for his sake I would haue clawd him where he did not itch I would haue plaid the Lady of the Lake And as Merline was closde him in a brake Ye a Meridian to lull him by day light And a night mare to ride on him by night The fiery feends with feuers hot and frenzy The Airy hegges with stench and carren sauoures The watry ghosts with gowtes and with dropsy The earthly Goblines with Aches at all houres Furies and Fairies with all infernall powers I would haue stird from the darke dungeon Of hell Centre as deepe as Demagorgon Or had I now the skill of dame Erichto Whose dreadfull charmes as Lucan doth expresse All feends did feare so far forth as Prince Pluto VVas at her call for dread of more distresse Then would I send of helhownds more and lesse A legion at least at him to cry and yell And with that charme herrie him downe to hell VVhich need not for sure I thinke that he VVho here in earth leades Epicurus life As farre from God as possible may be VVith whom all sinne and vices are most rife Vsing at will both widow maid and wife But that some Diuell his body doth possesse His life is such as men can iudge no lesse And God forgiue my wrath and wreakefull mind Such is my hate to that most wicked wretch Die when he shall in heart I could well finde Out of the graue his corps againe to fetch And racke his limmes as long as they would stretch And take delight to listen euery day How he could sing a masse of welaway The I le of Man was the appointed place To penance me for euer in exile Thither in haste they posted me apace And doubting scape they pind me in a Pile Close by my selfe in care alas the while There felt I first poore prisoners hungry fare Much want things skant and stone walles hard and bare The change was strange from silke and cloth of gold To rugged frize my carcas for to cloath From Princes fare and dainties hot and cold To rotten fish and meates that one would loath The diet and dressing were much alike boath Bedding and lodging were all alike fine Such Downe it was as serued well for swine Neither doe I mine owne case thus complaine Which I confesse came partly by desert The only cause which doubleth all my paine And which most neere goeth now vnto my heart Is that my fault did finally reuert To him that was least guilty of the same Whose death it was though I abode the shame VVhose fatall fall when I doe call to minde And how by me his mischiefe first began So oft I cry on Fortune most vnkinde And my mishap most vtterly doe banne That euer I to such a noble man Who from my crime was innocent and cleare Should be a cause to buy his loue so deare Oh to my heart how grieuous is the wound Calling to mind this dismall deadly case I would I had been doluen vnder ground When he first saw or looked on my face Or tooke delight in any kind of grace Seeming in me that him did stir or moue To fancie me or set his heart to loue Farewell Greenewich my Palace of delight Where I was wont to see the Christall streames Of royall Thames most pleasant to my sight And farewell Kent right
some write in his sicknes last Said as it were by way of prophecie How that the Diuell a Darnell graine had cast Among his kin to encrease enmity Which should remaine in their posterity Till mischiefe and murder had spent them all Not leauing one to pisse against the wall And yet from him in order did succeed In England here of crowned Kings fourteene Of that surname and of that line and seed With Dukes and Earles and many a noble Queene The number such as all the world would weene So many impes could neuer so be spent But some heire male should be of that descent Which to be true if any stand in doubt Because I meane not further to digresse Let him pursue the histories throughout Of English Kings whom practise did oppresse And he shall find the cause of their distresse From first to last vnkindly to begin Alwaies by those that next were of the kin Was not Richard of whom I spake before A rebell plaine vntill his father died And Iohn likewise an enmy euermore To Richard againe and for a rebell tried After whose death it cannot be denied Against all right this Iohn most cruelly His brothers children caused for to die Arthur and Isabell I meane that were Ieffreies children then duke of Britaine Henries third sonne by one degree more neere Then was this Iohn as stories shew most plaine Which two children were famisht or els slaine By Iohn their Eame cald Saunzterre by name Of whose foule act all countries speake great shame Edward and Richard second both by name Kings of this Land fell downe by fatall fate What was the cause that Princes of such fame Did leese at last their honour life and state Nothing at all but discord and debate Which when it haps in kinred or in bloud Erynnis rage was neuer halfe so wood Be sure therefore ye Kings and Princes all That concord in Kingdoms is chiefe assurance And that your families doe neuer fall But where discord doth lead the doubtfull dance With busie brawles and turnes of variance Where malice is minstrel the pipe ill report The maske mischiefe and so ends the sport But now to come to my purpose againe VVhilst I my charge applied in England My brother in France long time did remaine Cardinal Beauford tooke proudly in hand In causes publique against me to stand VVho of great malice so much as he might Sought in all things to doe me despite VVhich proud prelate to me was bastard Eame Sonne to Duke Iohn of Gaunt as they did faine VVho being made high Chancellour of the Realme Not like a Priest but like a Prince did raigne Nothing wanting which might his pride maintaine Bishop besides of VVinchester he was And Cardinall of Rome which Angels brought to passe Not Gods Angels but Angels of old Gold Lift him aloft in whom no cause there was By iust desert so high to be extold Riches except whereby this golden asse At home and abroad all matters brought to passe Namely at Rome hauing no meane but that To purchase there his crimz in Cardinall hat Which thing the King my father him forbad Plainly saying that he could not abide Within his Realme a subiect to be had His Princes peere yet such was this mans pride That he forth with after my father di'd The King then yong obtained of the Pope That honor high which erst he could not hope Whose proud attempts because that I withstood My bound dutie the better to acquite This holy father waxed well neere wood Of meere malice deuising day and night To worke to me dishonor and despight Whereby there fell betweene vs such a iarre As in this land was like a ciuill warre My brother Iohn which lay this while in France Heard of this hurle and past the seas in haste By whose trauell this troublesome distance Ceased a while but nerethelesse in waste For rooted hate will hardly be displaste Out of high hearts and namely where debate Happeneth amongst great persons of estate For like as a match doth lie and smoulder Long time before it commeth to the traine But yet when fire hath caught in the poulder No art is able the flames to restraine Euen so the sparkes of enuie and disdaine Out of the smoke burst forth in such a flame That France and England yet may rue the same So when of two Realmes the regiment royall Betweene brothers was parted equally One placed in France for affaires Martiall And I at home for ciuill policie To serue the state we both did so applie As honor and same to both did encrease To him for the warre to me for the peace Whence enuie sprang and specially because This proud prelate could not abide a Peere Within the land to rule the state by lawes Wherefore sifting my life and acts most neere He neuer ceast vntill as you shall heare By practise foule of him and his allies My death was wrought in most vnworthie wise And first he sought my doings to defame By rumors false which he and his did sow Letters and billes to my reproch and shame He did deuise and all about bestow Whereby my troth in doubt should daily grow In England first and afterward in France Mouing all meanes to bring me to mischance One quarell was that where by common law Murder and theft been punisht all alike So as manslayers which bloodie blades do draw Suffer no more then he that doth but pike Me thought the same no order politike In setting paines to make no difference Betweene the lesser and greater offence I being seene somewhat in ciuill law The rules thereof reputed much bitter Wherefore to keepe offenders more in awe Like as the fault was smaller or greater So set I paines more easier or bitter Weghing the qualitie of euery offence And so according pronounced sentence Among'st my other Delicta Iuuentutis Whil'st rage of youth my reason did subdue I must confesse as the very truth is Driuen by desire fond fancies to ensue A thing I did whereof great trouble grew Abusing one to my no small rebuke Which wife was then to Iohn of Brabant Duke Called she was Ladie Iaquet the faire Delitefull in loue like Helene of Troy To the Duke of Bauier sole daughter and heire Her did I marrie to my great annoy Yet for a time this dame I did enioy With her whole lands withholding them by force Till Martin the Pope betweene vs made diuorce Yet all these blasts not able were to moue The anchor strong whereby my ship did stay Some other shift to seeke him did behoue Whereto ere long ill Fortune made the way Which finally was cause of my decay And cruell death contriued by my foes Which fell out thus as now I shall disclose Eleanor my wife my Duchesse only deare I know not how but as the nature is Of women all aye curious to enquire Of things to come though I confesse in this Her fault not small and that she did amisse By witches skill which
friend Which brought himselfe to an infamous end For when King Henrie of that name the fift Had tane my father in his conspiracie He from Sir Edmund all the blame to shift Was faine to say the French King Charles his alley Had hired him this trayterous act to trie For which condemned shortly he was slaine In helping right this was my fathers gaine Thus when the linage of the Mortimers Was made away by his vsurping line Some hang'd some slaine some pined prisoners Because the Crowne by right of law was mine They gan as fast against me to repine In feare alwaies lest I should stir some strife For guiltie hearts haue neuer quiet life Yet at the last in Henries dayes the sixt I was restored to my fathers lands Made Duke of Yorke where through my mind I fixt To get the Crowne and Kingdome in my hands For aide wherein I knit assured bands With Neuils stocke whose daughter was my make Who for no woe would euer me forsake O Lord what hap had I through mariage Foure goodly boyes in youth my wife she bore Right valiant men and prudent for their age Such brethren shee had and nephues in store As none had erst nor any shall haue more The Earle of Salisbury and his sonne of Warwicke Were matchlesse men from Barbary to Barwicke Through helpe of whom and Fortunes louely looke I vndertooke to claime my lawfull right And to abash such as against me tooke I raised power at all points prest to fight Of whom the chiefe that chiefly bare me spight Was Sommerset the Duke whom to annoy I alway sought through spite spite to destroy And maugre him so choice lo was my chance Yea though the Queene that all rul'd tooke his part I twice bare rule in Normandy and France And last Lieutenant in Ireland where my hart Found remedy for euery kinde of smart For through the loue my doings there did breed I had their helpe at all times in my need This spitefull Duke his silly King and Queene With armed hosts I thrice met in the field The first vnsought through treaty made betweene The second ioind wherein the King did yeeld The Duke was slaine the Queene enforst to shield Her selfe by flight The third the Queene did fight Where I was slaine being ouer matcht by might Before this last were other battailes three The first the Earle of Salisbury led alone And fought on Bloreheath and got victory In the next I with kinsfolke euery one But seeing our souldiers stale vnto our fone We warely brake our company on a night Dissolu'd our host and tooke our selues to flight This Boy and I in Ireland did vs saue Mine eldest sonne with Warwicke and his father To Calais got whence by the read I gaue They came againe to London and did gather An other host whereof I spake no rather And met our foes flewe many a Lord and Knight And took the King and draue the Queene to flight This done I came to England all in haste To make a claime vnto the Realme and Crowne And in the house while parliament did last I in the Kings seate boldly sate me downe And claimed it whereat the Lords did frowne But what for that I did so well proceed That all at last confest it mine indeed But sith the King had raigned now so long They would he should continue till he died And to the end that then none did me wrong In ech place heire apparant they me cried But sith the Queene and others this denied I sped me towards the North where then shee lay In minde by force to cause her to obay Whereof she warnd prepard a mighty powre And ere that mine were altogether ready Came swift to Sandale and besieged my bowre Where like a beast I was so rash and heady That out I would there could be no remedy With scant fiue thousand souldiers to assaile Foure times so many encampt to most auaile And so was slaine at first and while my child Scarce twelue yeare old sought secretly to part That cruell Clifford Lord nay Lorell wilde While th' infant wept and prayed him rue his smart Knowing what he was with dagger cloue his heart This done he came to th' campe where I lay dead Despoil'd my corps and cut away my head Which with a painted paper Crowne thereon He for a present sent vnto the Queene And she for spite commanded it anon To Yorke fast by where that it might be seene They placed it where other traytours beene This mischiefe Fortune did me after death Such was my life and such my losse ofbreath Wherefore see Baldwine that thou set it forth To th' end the fraud of Fortune may be knowen That eke all Princes well may weigh the worth Of things for which the seeds of warre be sowen No state so sure but soone is ouerthrowen No worldly good can counterpoize the prise Of halfe the paines that may thereof arise Better it were to lose a piece of right Then limbes and life in striuing for the same It is not force of friendship nor of might But God that causeth things to fro or frame Not wit but lucke doth wield the winners game Wherefore if we our follies would refraine Time would redresse all wrongs we void of paine Wherefore warne Princes not to wade in war For any cause except the Realmes defence Their troublous titles are vnworthie far The blood the life the spoile of innocence Of friends of foes behold my foule expence And neuer the neere best therefore tarie time So right shall raigne and quiet calme each crime HOW THE LORD CLIFFORD FOR HIS STRANGE and abominable crueltie came to as strange and sudden a death Anno 1461. OPen confession asketh open penance And wisdome would a man his shame to hide Yet sith forgiuenes commeth through repentance I thinke it best that men their crimes ascride For nought so secret but at length is spide For couer fire and it will neuer linne Till it breake forth in like case shame and sinne As for my selfe my faults be out so plaine And published abroad in euery place That though I would I cannot hide a graine All care is bootlesse in a curelesse case To learne by others griefe some haue the grace And therefore Baldwine write my wretched fall The briefe whereof I briefely vtter shall I am the same that slue Duke Richards child The louely babe that begged life with teares Whereby mine honor foully I defil'd Poore silly Lambes the Lion neuer teares The feeble mouse may lie among the beares But wrath of man his rancour to requite Forgets all reason ruth and vertue quite I meane by rancour the parentall wreake Surnam'd a vertue as the vicious say But little know the wicked what they speake In boldning vs our enmies kin to slay To punish sin is good it is no nay They wreake not sinne but merit wreake for sinne That wreake the fathers fault vpon his kinne Because my father Lord Iohn Clyfford
the nip And fault who shall for all feele they the whip For when I was by Parliament attainted King Edwards euils all were counted mine No truth auailed so lies were fast and painted Which made the people at my life repine Crying Crucifige kill that butchers line That when I should haue gone to Blockham feast I could not passe so sore they on me preast And had not been the officers so strong I thinke they would haue eaten me aliue Howbeit hardly haled from the throng I was in Fleet fast shrouded by the Shriue Thus one daies life their maliee did me giue Which when they knew for spite the next day after They kept them calme so suffered I the slaughter Now tell me Baldwine what fault dost thou find In me that iustly should such death deserue None sure except desire of honor blind Which made me seeke in offices to serue What mind so good that honors make not swerue So maist thou fee it only was my state That caus'd my death and brought me so in hate Warne therefore all men wisely to beware What offices they enterprise to beare The highest alway most maligned are Of peoples grudge and Princes hate in feare For Princes faults his faultors all men teare Which to auoid let none such office take Saue he that can for right his Prince forsake HOW SIR RICHARD NEVILL EARLE OF WARWICKE AND HIS BROTHER IOHN Lord Marquise Montacute through their too much boldnes were slaine at Barnet the 14. of Aprill Anno 1471. AMong the heauie heape of happie Knights VVhom Fortune stal'd vpon her staylesse stage Oft hoist on high oft pight in wretched plights Behold me Baldwine A perse of my age Lord Richard Neuill Earle by mariage Of VVarwicke Duchie of Sarum by descent Which erst my father through his mariage hent VVould'st thou behold false Fortune in her kind Note well my selfe so shalt thou see her naked Full faire before but too too foule behind Most drowsie still when most she seemes awaked My fame and shame her shift full oft hath shaked By enterchange alow and vp aloft The Lysard like that changeth hue full oft For while the Duke of Yorke in life remaind Mine vncle deare I was his happy hand In all attempts my purpose I attaind Though King and Queene and most Lords of the land With all their power did often me withstand For God gaue Fortune and my good behauiour Did from their Prince steale me the peoples fauour So that through me in fields right manly fought By force mine vncle tooke King Henry twice As for my cosin Edward I so wrought When both our fires were slaine through rash aduice That he atchieu'd his fathers enterprise For into Scotland King and Queene we chased By meane whereof the Kingdome he embraced Which after he had held in quiet peace For shortly after was King Henry take And put in hold his power to encrease I went to France and match him with a make The French Kinges daughter whom hee did forsake For while with paine I brought this sute to passe He to a widow rashly wedded was This made the French King shrewdly to mistrust That all my treaties had but ill pretence And when I saw my King so bent to lust That with his faith he past not to dispence Which is a Princes honours chiefe defence I could not rest till I had found a meane To mend his misse or els to marre him cleane I me allied with his brother George Incensing him his brother to maligne Through many a tale I did against him forge So that through power that we from Calais bring And found at home we fraied so the King That he did flie to Freeselandward amaine Whereby King Henry had the Crowne againe Then put we th' Earle of Worcester to death King Edwards friend a man loe foule defamed And in the while came Edward into breath For with the Duke of Burgoine so he framed That with the power that he to him had named Vnlooked for he came to England streight And got to Yorke and tooke the towne by sleight And after through the sufferance of my brother Which like a beast occasion foulely lost He came to London safe with many other And tooke the towne to good King Henries cost Who was through him from post to piller tost Till th' Earle of Oxford I and other more Assembled power his freedome to restore Whereof King Edward warned came with speed And camped with his host in Barnet towne Where we right fierce encountred him indeed On Easter day right earely on the downe There many a man was slaine and stricken downe On either side and neither part did gaine Till that I and my brother both were slaine For we to heart our ouermatched men Forsooke our steeds and in the thickest throng Ran preasing forth on foot and fought so then That downe we draue them were they nere so strong But we ere lucke had lasted very long With force and number were so foulely cloyed And rescue fail'd that quite we were destroyed Now tell me Baldwine hast thou heard or read Of any man that did as I haue done That in his time so many armies led And victorie at euery voyage won Hast thou ere heard of subiect vnder sun That plac'd and bac'd his Soueraignes so oft By enterchange now low and then aloft Perchance thou think'st my doings were not such As I and other do affirme they were And in thy mind I see thou musest much What meanes I vs'd that should me so prefer Wherein because I will thou shalt not erre The truth of all I will at large recite The short is this I was no Hypocrite I neuer did nor said saue what I ment The commonweale was still my chiefest care To priuate gaine or good was I nere bent I neuer past vpon delicious fare Of needfull food my boord was neuer bare No creditour did curse me day by day I vsed plainnesse euer pitch and pay I heard poore souldiers and poore workemen whine Because their duties were not truly pai'd Againe I saw how people did repine At those through whom their payment was delai'd And proofe did oft assure as Scripture said That God doth wreake the wretched peoples greeues I saw the polles cut off from polling theeues This made me alway iustly for to deale Which when the people plainly vnderstood Because they saw me mind the Commonweale They still endeuoured how to do me good Readie to spend their substance life and blood In any cause whereto I did them moue For sure they were it was for their behoue And so it was For when the Realme decayed By such as good King Henrie sore abused To mend the state I gaue his enemies aide But when King Edward sinfull prankes still vsed And would not mend I likewise him refused And holpe King Henrie better of the twaine And in his quarell iust I thinke was slaine And therefore Baldwine teach by proofe of mee That such as couet peoples loue
to get Must see their works and words in all agree Liue liberally and keepe them out of det On Commonwealth let all their care be set For vpright dealing debts paid poore sustained Is meane whereby all hearts are throwly gained HOW KING HENRIE THE SIXT A VERTVOVS PRINCE WAS AFter many other miseries cruelly murdered in the Tower of London the 22. of May Anno 1471. IF euer wofull wight had cause to rue his state Or by his ruefull plight to moue men mone his fate My piteous plaint may prease my mishap to rehearse Wherof the least most lightly heard the hardest hart may pierce What heart so hard can heare of innocence opprest By fraud in worldly goods but melteth in the brest When guiltlesse men be spoil'd imprisoned for their owne Who waileth not their wretched case to whom the case is knowen The Lion lickes the sores of silly wounded sheepe The dead mans corps may cause the Crocodile to weepe The waues that waste the rockes refresh the rotten reeds Such ruth the wracke of innocence in cruell creatures breeds What heart is then so hard but will for pitie bleed To heare so cruell lucke so cleare a life succeed To see a silly soule with woe and sorrow sounst A King depriu'd in prison pent to death with daggers dounst Would God the day of birth had brought me to my bere Then had I neuer felt the change of Fortunes chere Would God the graue had gript me in her greedie wombe When crowne in cradle made me King with oile of holy thombe Would God the rufull tombe had been my royall throne So should no Kingly charge haue made me make my mone O that my soule had flowen to heauen with the ioy When one sort cried God saue the King another Viue le Roy. So had I not been washt in waues of worldly wo My minde to quiet bent had not been tossed so My frends had been aliue my subiects not opprest But death or cruell destiny denied me this rest Alas what should we count the cause of wretches cares The starres do stirre them vp Astronomy declares Our humors saith the leach the double true diuines To 'th will of God or ill of man the doubtfull cause assignes Such doltish heads as dreame that all things driue by haps Count lacke of former care for cause of after claps Attributing to man a power fro God bereft Abusing vs and robbing him through their most wicked theft But God doth guide the world and euery hap by skill Our wit and willing power are poized by his will What wit most wisely wards will most deadly vrkes Though all our power would presse it down doth dash our warest workes Then destiny our sinne Gods will or else his wreake Doe worke our wretched woes for humours be too weake Except we take them so as they prouoke to sinne For through our lust by humours fed all vicious deeds beginne So sinne and they be one both working like effect And cause the wrath of God to wreake the soule infect Thus wrath and wreake diuine mans sinnes and humours ill Concurre in one though in a sort ech doth a course fulfill If likewise such as say the welkin Fortune warkes Take Fortune for our fate and Starres thereof the markes Then destiny with fate and Gods will all be one But if they meane it otherwise skath causers skies be none Thus of our heauy haps chiefe causes be but twaine Whereon the rest depend and vnder put remaine The chiefe the will diuine cald destiny and fate The other sinne through humours holpe which God doth highly hate The first appointeth paine for good mens exercise The second doth deserue due punishment for vice This witnesseth the wrath and that the loue of God The good for loue the bad for sinne God beateth with his rod. Although my sundry sinnes doe place me with the worst My haps yet cause me hope to be among the first The eye that searcheth all and seeth euery thought Is Iudge how sore I hated sinne and after vertue sought The solace of my soule my chiefest pleasure was Of worldly pomp of fame or game I did not passe My Kingdomes nor my Crowne I prised not a crum In Heauen were my riches heapt to which I sought to come Yet were my sorowes such as neuer man had like So diuers stormes at once so often did me strike But why God knowes not I except it were for this To shew by paterne of a Prince how brittle honour is Our kingdomes are but cares our state deuoid of stay Our riches ready snares to hasten our decay Our pleasures priuy pricks our vices to prouoke Our pompe a pumpe our fame a flame our power a smouldring smoke I speake not but by proofe and that may many rue My life doth cry it out my death doth try it true Whereof I will in briefe rehearse the heauy hap That Baldwine in his woefull warpe my wretchednesse may wrap In Windsore borne I was and bare my fathers name Who wonne by warre all France to his eternall fame And left to me the crowne to be receiu'd in peace Through mariage made with Charles his heire vpon his lifes decease Which shortly did ensue yet died my father furst And both the Realmes were mine ere I a yeare were nurst Which as they fell too soone so faded they as fast For Charles and Edward got them both or forty yeares were past This Charles was eldest sonne of Charles my father in law To whom as heire of France the Frenchmen did them draw But Edward was the heire of Richard Duke of Yorke The heire of Roger Mortimer slaine by the kerne of Korke Before I came to age Charles had recouered France And kild my men of warre so happy was his chance And through a mad contract I made with Raynerds daughter I gaue and lost all Normandy the cause of many a slaughter First of mine vncle Humfrey abhorring sore this act Because I thereby brake a better precontract Then of the flattering Duke that first the mariage made The iust reward of such as dare their Princes ill perswade And I poore silly wretch abode the brunt of all My mariage lust so sweet was mixt with bitter gall My wife was wise and good had she ben rightly sought But our vnlawfull getting it may make a good thing nought Wherefore warne men beware how they iust promise breake Lest proofe of painfull plagues doe cause them waile the wreake Aduise well ere they grant but what they grant performe For God will plague all doublenes although we feele no worme I falsly borne in hand beleeued I did well But all things bee not true that learned men doe tell My clergie said a Prince was to no promise bound Whose words to be no gospell tho I to my griefe haue found For after mariage ioind Queene Margaret and me For one mishap afore I dayly met with three Of Normandy and France Charles got away my Crowne The Duke
of Yorke and other sought at home to put me downe Bellona rang the bell at home and all abroad With whose mishaps amaine fell Fortune did me load In France I lost my forts at home the foughten field My kinred slaine my friends opprest my selfe enforst to yeeld Duke Richard tooke me twice and forst me to resine My Crowne and titles due vnto my fathers line And kept mee as a ward did all things as him list Till that my wife through bloudy sword had tane me from his fist But though we slew the Duke my sorowes did not slake But like to Hydraes head still more and more awake For Edward through the aid of Warwicke and his brother From one field draue me to the Scots and toke me in another Then went my friends to wrack for Edward ware the Crowne For which for nine yeares space his prison held me downe Yet thence through Warwickes worke I was againe releast And Edward driuen fro the realme to seeke his friends by East But what preuaileth paine or prouidence of man To helpe him to good hap whom destiny doth ban Who moileth to remoue the rocke out of the mud Shall mire himselfe and hardly scape the swelling of the flud This all my friends haue found and I haue felt it so Ordain'd to be the touch of wretchednesse and woe For ere I had a yeare possest my seat againe I lost both it and liberty my helpers all were slaine For Edward first by stelth and sith by gathred strength Arriu'd and got to Yorke and London at the length Tooke me and tied me vp yet Warwicke was so stout He came with power to Barnet field in hope to helpe me out And there alas was slaine with many a worthy knight O Lord that euer such luck should hap in helping right Last came my wife and sonne that long lay in exile Defied the King and fought a field I may bewaile the while For there mine only sonne not thirteene yeares of age Was tane and murdred straight by Edward in his rage And shortly I my selfe to stint all further strife Stab'd with his brothers bloodie blade in prison lost my life Lo heere the heauie haps which hapned me by heape See heere the pleasant fruits that many Princes reape The painfull plagues of those that breake their lawfull bands Their meed which may and will not saue their friends from bloodie hands God grant my woful haps too grieuous to rehearce May teach all States to know how deepely dangers pierce How fraile all honors are how brittle worldly blisse That warned through my fearefull fate they feare to do amisse HOW GEORGE PLANTAGENET THIRD SONNE OF THE DVKE OF Yorke was by his brother King Edward wrongfully imprisoned and by his brother Richard miserably murdered the 11. of Ianuarie An. Dom. 1478. THe fowle is foule men say that files the nest Which makes me loth to speak now might I chuse But seeing time vnburdened hath her brest And fame blowne vp the blast of all abuse My silence rather might my life accuse Then shroud our shame though faine I would it so For truth will out although the world say no. And therefore Baldwine I do thee beseech To pause a while vpon my heauie plaint And vnneth though I vtter speedie speech No fault of wit nor folly makes me faint No headie drinkes haue giuen my tongue attaint Through quaffing craft Yet wine my wits confound Not that I dranke but wherein I was drown'd What Prince I am although I need not shew Because my wine bewrayes me by the smell For neuer man was soust in Bacchus dew To death but I through Fortunes rigour fell Yet that thou maist my storie better tell I will declare as briefely as I may My wealth my woe and causers of decay The famous house surnam'd Plantagenet Whereat Dame Fortune frowardly did frowne While Bolenbroke vniustly sought to set His Lord King Richard quite beside the Crowne Though many a day it wanted due renowne God so prefer'd by prouidence and grace That lawfull heires did neuer faile the race For Lionel King Edwards eldest child Both Eame and heire to Richard issulesse Begot faire Philip hight whom vndefil'd The Earle of March espous'd and God did blesse With fruit assign'd the kingdome to possesse I meane Sir Roger Mortimer whose heire The Earle of Cambridge maried Anne the faire This Earle of Cambridge Richard clept by name Was sonne to Edmund Langley Duke of Yorke Which Edmund was fift brother to the same Duke Lionel that all this line doth korke Of which two houses ioyned in a forke My father Richard Prince Plantagenet True Duke of Yorke was lawfull heire beget Who tooke to wife as ye shall vnderstand A mayden of a noble house and old Ralph Neuils daughter Earle of Westmerland Whose sonne Earle Richard was a Baron bold And had the right of Salisbury in hold Through mariage made with good Earle Thomas heire Whose earned praises neuer shall appaire The Duke my father had by this his wife Foure sonnes of whom the eldest Edward hight The second Edmund who did lose his life At Wakefield slaine by Clyfford cruell Knight I George am third of Clarence Duke by right The fourth borne to the mischiefe of vs all Was Glocesters Duke whom men did Richard call VVhen as our fire in sute of right was slaine VVhose life and death himselfe declared earst My brother Edward plied his cause amaine And got the Crowne as Warwicke hath rehearst The pride whereof so deepe his stomacke pearst That he forgot his friends despis'd his kin Of oath or office passing not a pin VVhich made the Earle of Warwicke to maligne My brothers state and to attempt a way To bring from prison Henrie sillie King To helpe him to the kingdome if he may And knowing me to be the chiefest stay My brother had he did me vndermine To cause me to his treasons to encline VVhereto I was prepared long before My brother had been to me so vnkind For sure no canker fretteth flesh so sore As vnkind dealing doth a louing mind Loues strongest bands vnkindnes doth vnbind It moueth loue to malice zeale to hate Chiefe friends to foes and brethren to debate And though the Earle of Warwicke subtill fire Perceiu'd I bare a grudge against my brother Yet toward his feate to set me more on fire He kindled vp one firebrand with another For knowing fancie was the forcing rother VVhich stirreth youth to any kind of strife He offered me his daughter to my wife Where through and with his craftie filed tongue He stole my heart that erst vnsteadie was For I was witlesse wanton fond and yongue Whole bent to pleasure brittle as the glasse I cannot lie In vino veritas I did esteeme the beautie of my bride Aboue my selfe and all the world beside These fond affections ioynt with lacke of skill Which trap the heart and blind the eyes of youth And pricke the mind to practise any ill So tickled me
is no more but pray for me all Thus say I Edward that late was your King And twentie two yeares ruled this Imperiall Some vnto pleasure and some to no liking Mercie I aske of my misdoing What auaileth it friends to be my foe Sith I cannot resist nor amend your complaining Quia ecce nunc in puluere dormio I sleepe now in mould as it is naturall As earth vnto earth hath his reuerture What ordained God to be terrestriall Without recourse to the earth by nature Who to liue euer may himselfe assure What is it to trust to mutabilitie Sith that in this world nothing may endure For now am I gone that was late in prosperitie To presume thereupon it is but vanitie Not certaine but as a cherie faire full of wo. Raigned not I of late in great prosperitie Et ecce nunc in puluere dormio Where was in my life such an one as I While Lady Fortune had with me continuance Granted not she me to haue victorie In England to raigne and to contribute France She tooke me by the hand and led me a dance And with her sugred lips on me she smiled But what for dissembled countenance I could not beware till I was beguiled Now from this world she hath me exiled When I was lothest hence for to go And am in age who saith but a child Et ecce nunc in puluere dormio I had enough I held me not content Without remembrance that I should die And moreouer to encroch readie was I bent I knew not how long I should it occupie I made the Tower strong I wist not why I knew not to whom I purchased Tartersoll I mended Douer on the mountaine high And London I prouoked to fortifie the wall I made Notingham a place full royall Windsore Eltam and many other mo Yet at the last I went from them all Et ecce nunc in puluere dormio Where is now my conquest and victorie Where is my riches and royall array Where be my coursers and my horses hie Where is my mirth my solace and my play As vanitie to nought all is withered away O Lady Bes long for me may you call For I am departed vntill domes day But loue you that Lord that is Soueraigne of all Where be my Castles and buildings royall But Windsore alone now haue I no moe And of Eton the prayers perpetuall Et ecce nunc in puluere dormio Why should a man be proud or presume high Saint Bernard thereof nobly doth treate Saying a man is but a sacke of stercorie And shall returne vnto wormes meat Why what became of Alexander the great Or else of strong Sampson who can tell Were not wormes ordain'd their flesh to freat And of Salomon that was of wit the Well Absolon preferred his haire for to sell Yet for his beautie wormes eat him also And I but late in honors did excell Et ecce nunc in puluere dormio I haue played my pageant now am I past Ye wot well all I was of no great elde Thus all things concluded shall be at the last When death approcheth then lost is the field Then seeing the world me no longer vpheld For nought would conserue me heere in this place In manus tuas Domine my spirit vp I yeeld Humblie beseeching thee O God of thy grace O you courteous Commons your hearts embrace Benignely now to remember me also For right well you know your King I was Et ecce nunc in puluere dormio HOW SIR ANTHONY WODVILE Lord Riuers and Scales gouernour of Prince EDVVARD was with his Nephew Lord Richard Gray and other causelesse imprisoned and cruelly murdered Anno 1483. AS silly suiters letted by delayes To shew their Prince the meaning of their mind That long haue bought their brokers yeas and nayes And nere the nigher do daily wait to find The Princes grace from waightie affaires vntwind Which time attain'd by attending all the yeare The wearied Prince will then no suiters heare My case was such not many daies ago For after bruite had blazed all abroad That Baldwine through the aide of other mo Of fame or shame fall'n Princes would vnload Out from our graues we got without abode And preased forward with the rufull rout That sought to haue their doings boulted out But when I had long tended for my turne To tell my tale as diuers other did In hope I should no longer while soiourne But from my suits haue speedily been rid When course and place both orderly had bid Me shew my mind and I prepar'd to say The hearers paus'd arose and went their way These doubtfull doings draue me to my dumpes Vncertaine what should moue them so to do I feared lest affections lothly lumpes Or inward grudge had driuen them thereto Whose wicked stings all stories truth vndo Oft causing good to be reported ill Or drown'd in suds of Laethes muddie swill For hitherto slie writers wilie wits Which haue engrossed Princes chiefe affaires Haue been like horses snaffled with the bits Of fancie feare or doubts full deepe despaires Whose raines enchained to the chiefest chaires Haue so been strain'd of those that bare the stroke That truth was forst to chow or else to choke This caused such as lothed loud to lie To passe with silence sundrie Princes liues Lesse fault it is to leaue then leade awrie And better droun'd then euer bound in giues For fatall fraud this world so fondly driues That whatsoeuer writers braines may brue Be it neuer so false at length is tane for true What harme may hap by helpe of lying pens How written lies may leaudly be maintain'd The lothly rites the diuellish idoll dens With guiltlesse blood of vertuous men bestain'd Is such a proofe as all good hearts haue plain'd The taly grounds of stories throughly tries The death of Martyrs vengeance on it cries The freshest wits I know will soone be wearie In reading long what euer booke it bee Except it be vaine matter strange or merrie Well saust with lies and glared all with glee VVith which because no graue truth may agree The closest stile for stories is the meetest In rufull meanes the shortest forme is sweetest And seeth the plaints alreadie by thee pen'd Are briefe enough the number also small The tediousnesse I thinke doth none offend Saue such as haue no lust to learne at all Regard none such no matter what they brall Warne thou the warie lest they hap to stumble As for the carelesse care not what they mumble My life is such as if thou note it well May cause the wittie wealthie to beware For their sakes therefore plainly will I tell How false and cumbrous worldly honors are How cankred foes bring carelesse folke to care How tyrants suffered and not quell'd in time Do cut their throats that suffer them to clime Nor will I hide the chiefest point of all VVhich wisest Rulers least of all regard That was and will be cause of many a fall This cannot be too
lings brest Whom not desire of raigne did driue to field But mothers pride who longd the Realme to wield But straight my death shall shew my worthie meed If first to one other murther I proceed VVhile Edward liued dissembled discord lurked In double hearts yet so his reuerence worked But when succeeding tender feeble age Gaue open gap to tyrants rushing rage I holpe the Boare and Bucke to captiuate Lord Riuers Gray sir Thomas Vaughan and Hawte If land would helpe the sea well earnd that ground It selfe to be with conquering waues surround Their speedie death by priuie dome procured At Pomfret tho my life short while endured My selfe I slue when them I damned to death At once my throate I riued and reft them breath For that selfe day before or neere the hower That withred Atropos nipt the springing flower VVith violent hand of their forth running life My head and body in Tower twinde like knife By this my paterne all ye peeres beware Oft hangth he himselfe who others weenth to snare Spare to be each others butcher Feare the Kite VVho soareth aloft while frog and mouse do fight In ciuil combat grappling void of feare Of forreine foe at once al both to beare Which plainer by my pitied plaint to see A while anew your listning lend to mee Too true it is two sundrie assemblies kept At Crosbies place and Baynards Castle set The Dukes at Crosbies but at Baynards we The one to crowne a king the other to be Suspicious is secession of foule frends When eithers drift to th' others mischief tends I fear'd the end my Catesbies being there Discharg'd all doubts Him held I most entire Whose great preserment by my meanes I thought Some spurre to pay the thankfulnesse hee ought The trust he ought me made me trust him so That priuie he was both to my weale and wo. My hearts one halfe my chest of confidence Mine only trust my ioy dwelt in his presence I lou'd him Baldwine as the apple of mine eye I loath'd my life when Catesby would me die Flie from thy chanel Thames forsake thy streames Leaue the Adamant Iron Phoebus lay thy beames Cease heauenly Sphears at last your weary warke Betray your charge returne to Chaos darke At least some ruthlesse Tiger hang her whelp My Catesby so with some excuse to help And me to comfort that I alone ne seeme Of all dame natures workes left in extreeme A Golden treasure is the tried frend But who may Gold from Counterfaits defend Trust not too soone nor yet too soone mistrust With th' one thy selfe with th' other thy friend thou hurt'st VVho twin'th betwixt and steareth the golden meane Nor rashly loueth nor mistrusteth in vaine In friendship soueraigne it is as Mithridate Thy friend to loue as one whom thou maist hate Of tickle credit ne had bin the mischiefe What needed Virbius miracle doubled life Credulity surnamed first the Aegean Seas Mistrust doth reason in the trustiest raise Suspicious Romulus stain'd his Walls first reard With brothers bloud whom for light leape he feard So not in brotherhood ielousie may be borne The ielous Cuckold weares the Infamous Horne A beast may preach by triall not foresight Could I haue shund light credit nere had light The dreaded death vpon my guilty head But Fooles aye wont to learne by after read Had Catesby kept vnstaind the truth he plight Yet had yet enioied me and I yet the light All Derbies doubts I cleared with his name I knew no harme could hap me without his blame But see the fruites of tickle light beleefe The ambitious Dukes corrupt the Traitor theefe To grope mee if allured I would assent To bin a Partner of their cursed intent Whereto when as by no meanes friendship vail'd By Tyrant force behold they me assail'd And summond shortly a Counsell in the Tower Of Iune the fifteenth at appointed hower Alas are Counsels wried to catch the good No place is now exempt from sheading bloud Sith counsels that were carefull to preserue The guiltelesse good are meanes to make them starue VVhat may not mischiefe of Mad man abuse Religious cloake some one to vice doth chuse And maketh God Protectour of his crime Omonstrous world well ought we wish thy fine The fatall skies roll on the blackest day VVhen doubled bloudshed my bloud must repay Others none forceth To me sir Thomas Haward As spurre is buckled to prouoke me froward Derbie who feared the parted sittings yore Whether much more he knew by experience hoare Or better minded clearelier truth could see At midnight darke this message sends to mee Hastings away in sleepe the gods foreshow By dreadfull dreame fell fates vnto vs two Me thought a Bore with tuske so raced our throate That both our shoulders of the blood did smoake Arise to horse straight homeward let vs hie And seeth our foe we cannot match O flie Of Chanteclere you learne dreames sooth to know Thence wisemen construe more then the cock doth crow While thus he spake I held within mine arme Shores wife the tender piece to keepe me warme Fie on adulterie fie on leacherous lust Marke in me ye Nobles all Gods iudgements iust A Pander Murderer and Adulterer thus Only such death I die as I ne blush Now lest my dame might thinke appall'd my hart With eager mood vp in my bed I start And is thy Lord quoth I a Sorcerer A wiseman now become a dreame reader What though so Chanteclere crowed I reck it not On my part pleadeth as well dame Partelot Vniudg'd hang'th yet the case betwixt them tway Nay was his dreame cause of his hap I say Shall dreaming doubts from Prince my seruing slack Nay then might Hastings life and liuing lacke He parteth I sleepe my mind surcharg'd with sinne As Phoebus beames by mistie cloud kept in Ne could misgiue ne dreame of my mishap As blocke I tumbled to mine enemies trap Securitie causelesse through my fained frend Reft me foresight of my approching end So Catesby clawed me as when the Cat doth play Dallying with Mouse whom straight she meanes to slay The morow come the latest light to me On Palfray mounted to the Tower I hie Accompanied with that Haward my mortall foe To slaughter led thou God didst suffer so O deepe dissemblers honoring with your cheare Whom in hid heart you trayterously teare Neuer had Realme so open signes of wrack As I had shewed me of my heauie hap The vision first of Stanley late descried Then mirth so extreame that neare for ioy I died Were it that Swanlike I foresong my death Or merrie mind foresaw the losse of breath That long it coueted from this earths annoy But euen as siker as th' end of woe is ioy And glorious light to obscure night doth tend So extreame mirth in extreame mone doth end For why extreames are haps rackt out of course By violent might far swinged forth perforce Which as they are piercing'st while they violent'st moue For that they
are neare to cause that doth them shoue So soonest fall from that their highest extreame To th' other contrarie that doth want of meane So laughed he erst who laughed out his breath So laughed I when I laugh'd my selfe to death The pleasing'st meanes bode not the luckiest ends Not aye found treasure to like pleasure tends Mirth meanes not mirth all time thrice happie hire Of wit to shun the excesse that all desire But this I passe I hie to other like My palfrey in the plainest paued streete Thrice bowed his bones thrice kneeled on the flower Thrice shun'd as Balams asse the dreaded Tower What should thinke he had sense of after haps As beasts foreshow the drought or rainie drops As humours in them want or else abound By influence from the heauens or change of ground Or do we interpret by successe each signe And as we fancie of each hap diuine And make that cause that kin is to th' effect Not hauing ought of conse quence respect Bucephalus kneeling only to his Lord Shewed only he was Monarch of the world Why may not then the steed foreshew by fall What casuall hap the sitter happen shall Darius horse by braying brought a Realme And what letteth why he ne is as the asse Gods meane By speaking signe to shew his hap to come Who is dease hearer of his speaking dome But forward yet In Tower-street I stai'd Where could I haue seene loe Haward all bewrai'd For as I commond with a Priest I met Away my Lord quoth he your time is ne yet To take a Priest Lo Sinon might be seene Had not the Troians hares foolish forthright eyen But since the time was come that I should die Some grace it was to die with wimpled eye Nay was this all For euen at Tower-wharfe Neere to those walles within the which I starfe Where erst in sorow soust and deepe distresse I emparted all my pining pensiuenesse With Hastings so my Purseuant men call Euen there the same to meete it did me fall Who gan to me most dolefully renue The wofull conference had erst in that lieu Hastings quoth I according now they fare At Pomfret this day dying who caus'd that care My selfe haue all the world at my will With pleasures cloyed engorged with the fill God grant it so quoth he why doubtest thou tho Quoth I and all in chafe to him gan shew In ample wise our drift with tedious tale And entred so the Tower to my bale What should we thinke of srignes They are but haps How may they then be signes of afterclaps Doth euery chance foreshew or cause some other Or ending at it selfe extend'th no further As th' ouer flowing floud some mount doth choake But to his aide some other floud it yoake So if with signes thy sinnes once ioyne beware Else whereto chances tend do neuer care Had not my sinne deserued my death as wreake What might my mirth haue hurt or horses becke Or Hawards bitter scoffe or Hastings talke What meane then foole Astrologers to calke That twinckling starres fling downe the fixed fate And all is guided by the starrie state Perdy a certaine charge assign'd they haue To shine and times diuide not fate to graue But grant they somewhat giue it at one instant Of euery babe the birth in heauen so scand That they that restlesse roll and neuer stay Should in his life beare yet so violent sway That not his actions only next to birth But all his life and death he swayed therewith How may one motion make so sundrie affects Or one impression tend to such respects Some rule there is yet Else why were defer'd Till now these plagues so long ere now deseru'd If for they are trifles they ne seeme of care But toyes with God the stately scepters are Yet in them too plaine doth appeare foreset The certaine rule and fatall limits set Yet thinke we not this sure foresetting fate But Gods fast prouidence for each princely state And hath he erst restrain'd his prouidence Or is he nigard of his free dispence Or is he vncertaine foreset drifts to driue That not dame Chance but he all goods may giue A heathen god they hold whom Fortune keepe To deale them haps while god they weene asleepe Mocke-gods they are and many gods induce Who fortune faine to father their abuse How so it be it might haue warned me But what I could not that in me see ye Who run in race the honor like to win Whose fairest forme nought may deforme but sin Alas when most I did defie all dread By single haire deaths sword hung ouer my head For hearke the end and listen now my fall This is the last and this the fruit of all To Counsell chamber come a while we staid For him without whom nought was done or said At last he came and courteously excused That he so long our patience had abused And pleasantly began to paint his cheere And said My Lord of Elie would we had heere Some of the strawberries whereof you haue store The last delighted me so as nothing more Would what so you wish I might as well command My Lord quoth he as those And out of hand His seruant sendeth to Ely place for them Out goeth from vs the restlesse diuell againe Belike I thinke scarce yet perswaded full To worke the mischiefe that did mad his scull At last determin'd of his bloodie thought And force ordain'd to worke the wile he sought Frowning he enters with so changed cheare As for milde May had chopped foule Ianuere And lowring on me with the goggle eye The whetted tuske and fur'wed forehead hie His crooked shoulder bristlelike set vp With frothie iawes whose fome he chaw'd and sup'd With angrie lookes that flamed as the fire Thus gan at last to grunt the grimmest fire What merit they whom me the kingdomes stay Contriued haue counsell trayterously to slay Abashed all sate I thought I might be bold For conscience clearenesse and acquaintance old Their hire is plaine quoth I Be death the least To whoso seeketh your grace so to molest Withouten stay the Queene and the whore Shores wife By witchcraft quoth he seeke to waste my life Lo heere the withered and be witched arme That thus is spent by those two Sorceresse charme And bared his arme and shewed his swinish skin Such cloakes they vse that seeke to cloud their sin But out alas it serueth not for the raine To all the house the colour was too plaine Nature had giuen him many a maimed marke And it amongst to note her monstruous warke My doubtfull heart distracted this replie For th' one I cared not th' other nipt so nie That whist I could not but forthwith brake forth If so it be of death they are doubtlesse worth If traytour quoth he plai'st thou with ifs and ands I le on thy bodie auow it with these hands And there withall he mightly bounced the bord In rush'd his bil-men one himselfe bestird Laying
loose thy breath that yet but yongly bloweth Happie thrice happie who so loos'th his breath That life he gaineth by his godly death As Hastings heere Whom time and truth agree To engraue by fame in strong eternitie Who spareth not speaking with danger of his blood Yet loe this noble Lord did thinke it good To cleare the innocent not to spare to speake Although his shoulders with his blood should reake Worthie to liue who liu'd not for himselfe But prised his same more then this worldly pelfe Whose name and line if any yet preserue We wish they liue like honor to destrue Whether thou seeke by martiall prowese praise Or Pallas policie high thy name to raise Or trustie seruice honor to attaine Hastings foreled tracke heere his bloodie traine FINIS Master D. THE COMPLAINT OF HENRIE DVKE of Buckingham WHo trusts too much to honors highest throne And warily watch not slie dame Fortunes snares Or who in Court will beare the swing alone And wisely weigh not how to weild the care Behold he me and by my death beware Whom flattering Fortune falsely so beguilde That loe she slew where erst full smooth shee smilde And Sackuill sith in purpose now thou hast The wofull fall of Princes to descriue Whom Fortune both vplift and eke downe cast To shew thereby th' vnsuretie in this life Marke well my fall which I shall shew beliue And paint it forth that all estates may know Haue they the warning and be mine the woe For noble blood made me both Prince and Peere Yea peerelesse too had reason purchast place And God with gifts endow'd me largely heere But what auailes his gifts where failes his grace My mothers sire sprung of a kingly race And call'd was Edmund Duke of Sommerset Bereft of life ere time by nature set Whose faithfull heart to Henrie sixt so wrought That he him nere in weale or woe forsooke Till lastly he at Tewkesbury field was cought Where with an axe his violent death he tooke He neuer could King Edwards partie brooke Till by his death he voucht that quarrell good In which his Sire and Grand-sire spilt their blood And such was erst my fathers cruell chance Of Stafford Earle by name that Humfrey hight Who euer prest did Henries part aduance And neuer ceast till at Saint Albones fight He lost his life as then did many a Knight Where eke my Grandsire Duke of Buckingham Was wounded sore and hardly scapt vntane But what may boote to stay the Sisters three When Atropos perforce will cut the thred The dolefull day was come when you might see Northampton field with armed men orespred VVhere fate would algates haue my Grandsire dead So rushing forth amids the fiercest fight He liu'd and di'd there in his Masters right In place of whom as it befell my lot Like on a stage so stept I in straightway Enioying there but wofully God wot As he that had a slender part to play To teach thereby in earth no state may stay But as our parts abridge or length our age So passe we all while others fill the stage For of my selfe the dreerie fate to plaine I was sometime a Prince withouten peere VVhen Edward fift began his rufull raigne Ay me then I began that hatefull yeare To compasse that which I haue bought so deare I bare the swinge I and that wretched wight The Duke of Glocester that Richard hight For when the fates had reft that Roiall Prince Edward the fourth chiefe mirrour of that name The Duke and I fast ioined euer since In faithfull loue our secret dristes to frame VVhat he thought best to me so seem'd the same My selfe not bent so much for to aspire As to fulfill that greedy Dukes desire Whose restlesse minde sore thirsting after rule When that he saw his nephewes both to bin Through tender yeares as yet vnfit to rule And rather ruled by their Mothers kin There sought he first his mischiefe to begin To pluck from them their Mothers friends assinde For well he wist they would wistand his minde To follow which he ran so headlong swift With eagre thirst of his desired draught To seeke their deaths that sought to dash his drift Of whom the chiefe the Queenes allies he thought That bent thereto with mounts of mischiefe fraught He knew their liues would be so sore his let That in their deaths his onely help he set And I most cursed caitiffe that I was Seeing the state vnstedfast how it stood His chiefe complice to bring the same to passe Vnhappie wretch consented to their blood Yee Kings and Peeres that swim in worldly good In seeking bloud the end aduert you plaine And see if bloud ay aske not bloud againe Consider Cyrus in your cruell thought A matchlesse Prince in riches and in might And weigh in minde the bloudy deedes he wrought In sheading which he set his whole delight But see the guerdon lotted to this wight He whose huge power no man might ouerthrow Tamiris Queene with great despite hath slow His head dismembred from his mangled corps Her selfe she cast into a vessell fraught VVith clottered bloud of them that felt her force And with these words a iustreward she taught Drinke now thy fill of thy desired draught Loe marke the fine that did this Prince befall Marke not this one but marke the end of all Behold Cambises and his fatall day Where murders mischiefe mirrour like is left While he his brother Mergus cast to slay A dreadfull thing his wits were him bereft A sword he caught wherewith he pierced eft His bodie gor'd which he of life benoomes So iust is God in all his dreadfull doomes O bloodie Brutus rightly didst thou rue And thou O Cassius iustly came thy fall That with the sword wherewith thou Caesar slue Murdredst thy selfe and reft thy life withall A Mirrour let him be vnto you all That murdrers be of murder to your meed For murder cries out vengeance on your seed Loe Bessus he that arm'd with murdrers knife And traytrours heart against his royall King With bloodie hands bereft his masters life Aduert the fine his foule offence did bring And lothing murder as most lothly thing Behold in him the iust deserued fall That euer hath and shall betide them all What booted him his false vsurped raigne Whereto by murder he did so ascend When like a wretch led in an iron chaine He was presented by his chiefest friend Vnto the foes of him whom he had slaine That euen they should auenge so foule a gilt That rather sought to haue his blood yspilt Take heed ye Princes and ye Prelats all Of this outrage which though it sleepe a while And not disclos'd as it doth seld befall Yet God that suffereth silence to beguile Such guilts wherewith both earth and aire ye file At last descries them to your foule disgrace You see th' examples set before your face And deeply graue within your stony harts The dreerie dole that mightie Macedo With tears
vnfolded wrapt in deadly smarts VVhen he the death of Clitus sorowed so VVhom erst he murdred with the deadly blow Raught in his rage vpon his friend so deare For which behold loe how his pangs appeare The launced speare he writhes out of the wound From which the purple bloud spins in his face His heinous guilt when he returned found He throwes himselfe vpon the corps alas And in his armes how oft doth he imbrace His murdred friend and kissing him in vaine Forth flow the flouds of salt repentant raine His friends amaz'd at such a murder done In fearefull flocks begin to shrinke away And he therat with heapes of grief fordone Hateth himselfe wishing his latter day Now he likewise perceiued in like stay As is the wilde beast in the desert bred Both dreading others and him selfe adred He calles for death and loathing longer life Bent to his bane refuseth kindly food And plung'd in depth of death and dolours strife Had queld himselfe had not his friends withstood Loe he that thus hath shed the guiltlesse bloud Though he were King and Kesar ouer all Yet chose he death to guerdon death withall This Prince whose Peere was neuer vnder sunne Whose glistening fame the earth did ouerglide Which with his power welny the world had wonne His bloudy hands himselfe could not abide But folly bent with famine to haue dide The worthy Prince deemed in his regard That death for death could be but iust reward Yet we that were so drowned in the depth Of deepe desire to drinke the guiltlesse bloud Like to the Wolfe with greedy lookes that lepth Into the snare to feed on deadly food So we delighted in the state we stood Blinded so far in all our blinded traine That blind we saw not our destruction plaine We spared none whose life could ought forlet Our wicked purpose to his passe to come Foure worthy Knights we headed at Pomfret Guiltelesse God wot withouten law or dome My heart euen bleedes to tell you all and some And how Lord Hastings when he feared least Dispiteously was murdred and opprest These rocks vpraught that threatned most our wreck We seemd to saile much surer in the streame And Fortune faring as she were at becke Laid in our lap the rule of all the Realme The Nephues straight deposde were by the Eame And we aduanst to that we bought full deere He crowned King and I his chiefest Peere Thus hauing won our long desired pray To make him King that he might make me chiefe Downe throw we straight his silly Nephues tway From Princes pompe to wofull prisoners life In hope that now stint was all further strife Sith he was King and I chiefe stroke did beare Who ioied but we yet who more cause to feare The guiltles bloud which we vniustly shed The roiall babes deuested from their throne And we like traytours raigning in their stead These heauy burdens passed vs vpon Tormenting vs so by our selues alone Much like the felon that pursu'd by night Starts at ech bush as his foe were in sight Now doubting state now dreading losse of life In feare of wrack at euery blast of winde Now start in dreames through dread of murders knife As though euen then reuengement were assinde With restles thought so is the guilty minde Turmoild and neuer feeleth ease or stay But liues in feare of that which followes aye Well gaue that Iudge his doome vpon the death Of Titus Celius that in bed was slaine When euery wight the cruell murder laieth To his two sonnes that in his chamber laine The Iudge that by the proofe perceiueth plaine That they were found fast sleeping in their bed Hath deemd them guiltles of this bloud yshed He thought it could not be that they which brake The lawes of God and man in such outrage Could so forth with themselues to sleepe betake He rather thought the horrour and the rage Of such an heinous guilt could neuer swage Nor neuer suffer them to sleepe or rest Or dreadles breath one breth out of their brest So gnawes the griefe of conscience euermore And in the heart it is so deepe ygraue That they may neither sleepe nor rest therefore Ne thinke one thought but on the dread they haue Still to the death foretossed with the waue Of restles woe in terrour and despeare They lead a life continually in feare Like to the Deere that stricken with the dart Withdrawes himselfe into some secret place And feeling greene the wound about his hart Startles with pangs till he falt on the grasse And in great feare lies gasping there a space Forth braying sighes as though ech pang had brought The present death which 〈…〉 dread so oft So we deepe wounded with the bloodie thought And gnawing worme that grieu'd our conscience so Neuer tooke ease but as our heart out brought The stayned sighes in witnes of our woe Such restlesse cares our fault did well beknow Wherewith of our deserued fall the feares In euery place rang death within our eares And as ill graine is neuer well ykept So fared it by vs within a while That which so long with such vnrest we reapt In dread and danger by all wit and wile Loe see the fine when once it felt the whele Of slipper Fortune stay it might no stowne The wheele whurles vp but straight it whurleth downe For hauing rule and riches in our hand Who durst gaine say the thing that we auer'd Will was wisdome our lust for law did stand In sort so strange that who was not afeard When he the sound but of King Richard heard So hatefull waxt the hearing of his name That you may deeme the residue of the same But what auail'd the terrour and the feare Wherewith he kept his lieges vnder awe It rather wan him hatred euery where And fained faces forc'd by feare of law That but while Fortune doth with fauour blaw Flatter through feare for in their heart lurkes aye A secret hate that hopeth for a day Recordeth Dionysius the King That with his rigour so his Realme opprest As that he thought by cruell feare to bring His subiects vnder as him liked best But loe the dread wherewith himselfe was strest And you shall see the fine of forced feare Most Mirrour like in this proud Prince appeare All were his head with crowne of gold yspread And in his hand the royall scepter set And he with princely purple richly clad Yet was his heart with wretched cares orefret And inwardly with deadly feare beset Of those whom he by rigour kept in awe And fore opprest with might of tyrants law Against whose feare no heapes of gold and glie No strength of guard nor all his hired powre Ne proud high towres that preased to the skie His cruell heart of safetie could assure But dreading them whom he should deeme most sure Himselfe his beard with burning brand would seare Of death deseru'd so vexed him the feare This might suffice to represent the fine Of
gaine the mightie men when they be dead By all the spoile and blood that they haue shed The loftie towre where honor hath his seat Is high on rockes more slipper then the ice VVhere still the whirling winde doth roare and beat VVhere sudden qualmes and perils still arise And is beset with many sundrie vice So strange to men when first they come thereat They be amas'd and do they wot not what He that preuailes and to the towre can clime VVith toile and care must needs abridge his daies And he that slides may curse the houre and time He did attempt to giue so fond assaies And all his life to griefe and shame obaies Thus slide he downe or to the top ascend Assure himselfe repentance is the end Baldwine therefore do thou record my name For president to such as credit lies Or thirst to suck the sugred cup of fame Or do attempt against their Prince to rise And charge them all to keepe within their sise VVho doth assay to wrest beyond his strength Let him be sure he shall repent at length At my request admonish thou all men To spend the talent well which God hath lent He that hath one let him not toile for ten For one's too much vnlesse it be well spent I haue had proofe therefore I now repent Thrice happie are those men yea blest is hee VVho can contented serue in his degree M. Cauil HOW THE VALIANT KNIGHT SIR NICHOLAS Burdet Chiefe Butler of Normandie was slaine at Pontoise Anno Dom. 1441. IF erst in Kings affaires we counted were of trust To fight in waged warres as Captaines gainst the foes And might therefore aliue receiue the guerdon iust Which aye his Maiestie employ'd on those Why should we so keepe silence now and not disclose Our noble acts to those remaine aliue T' encourage them the like exploits t' atchiue For if when as we warr'd for Prince and publike weale We might to each for both haue time and place to speake Then why not now if we to both appeale Sith both well know our dealings were not weake We claime as right in truth our minds to breake The rather eke we thinke to speake we franchiz'd are Because we seru'd for peace and di'd in Princes warre VVhich granted so and held deserued due I may full well on stage supplie the place a while Till I haue plainly laid before your view That I haue cause as these to plaine of Fortunes guile VVhich smirking though at first she seeme to smooth and smile If Fortune be who deem'd themselues in skies to dwell She thirleth downe to dread the gulfes of gastly hell But heere I let a while the Ladie Fortune stay To tell what time I liu'd and what our warres were then The great exploits we did and where our armies lay Eke of the praise of some right honorable men VVhich things with eyes I saw call'd now to mind agen VVhat I performed present in the fight I will in order and my fall recite In youth I seru'd that roiall Henry fift the King Whose praise for martiall feats eternall fame reteines When he the Normanes stout did in subiection bring My selfe was vnder then his ensignes taking paines With loial hart I fought pursu'd my Prince his gaines There dealt I so that time my fame to raise French writers yet my name and manhood praise And erst as Burdets diuers warlike wights In Warwicke shire their lands in Arrow ar Were for good seruice done made worthy Knights Whose noble acts be yet recounted far Euen so my selfe well fram'd to peace or war Of these the heire by due discent I came Sir Nicholas Burdet Knight which had to name That time the noble Iohn of Bedford Duke bare sway And feared was in France for courage stout and fell He lou'd me for my fight and person though I say And with reuenues me rewarded yearely well I plaid the faithfull subiects part the truth to tell And was accounted loiall constant still Of stomack worship great and warlike skill But then O greefe to tell ere long this peerelesse King When he restored had his right vnto the Crowne The Duchie all of Normandy eke subiect bring The Frenchemen all and set Lieutenants in each towne High Regent made of France then Fortune gan to frowne He then departed life too soone alas Some men suppose his grace empoisond was Thou Fortune slie what meanst thou thus these prancks to play False Fortune blere ey'd blind vnsteady startling still What meanst thou turning thus thy flattering face away Inconstant where thou bearest most good will Is it thy nature then or i st thy wonted skill It cost thee nought they say it comes by kind As thou art bisme so are thine actions blind I nothing doubt then thou thy selfe shalt fall I trust to see the time when thou shalt be forgot For why thy pride and pompe and power must vanish all Thy name shall die for aye and perish quite I wot And when thou shalt be counted but a sot The noble wights which liu'd and dide in worthy fame In heauen and earth shall find an euerlasting name But words of course are these of Fortune had When vnto Princes haps chance good or ill God sends to euery sort these tempests sad VVhen from his word they swarue and heauenly will Men must endeuour then to please his goodnesse still And then come life or death come ioy come smart No Fortunes frowne can daunt the doughty hart The famous King so dead his son but nine months old Henry the sixt of England was proclaimed King And then the Frenchmen waxt more stout and bold His youth occasion gaue them to conspire the thing Which might them all from due subiection bring On which the Counsell cald a Parliament Of French that might the treasons high preuent VTherein the Duke of Bedford my good Lord and frend VVas Regent made the Prince his deputy in France The Duke of Glocester Protectour was to th' end To rule in cases such at home might hap to chance They chose to gard the Prince in honour to aduance Henry Benford Bishop of VVinchester And Thomas the noble Duke of Excester But here before those things could well be setled sure As great affaires of Kingdomes longer time doe take The Frenchmen did by treason force and coine procure Some townes which English were in France their faith forsake A long discourse it were of all recitall make But of my chance that time recite will I VVhich seru'd in warres my Prince in Normandy Before the Mount S. Michael as in siege I lay In confines of the Normans and the Britons land From townesmen famisht nigh we vitailes kept away And made them oft in danger of dis-Mounting stand But it being strong and also stoutly man'd Euen by our losses they gate heart of grasse And we declining saw what Fortune was Yet nerethelesse we thought by famine make them yeeld Eke they by fight or succours hopte the siege to
fire that is crept in the straw The thirstie drinkes there is no other shift Perforce is such that need obeyes no law Thus bound we are in worldly yokes to draw And cannot stay nor turne againe in time Nor learne of those that sought too high to clime My selfe for proofe loe heere I now appeare In womans weed with weeping watred eyes That bought her youth and her delights full deare Whose loud reproch doth sound vnto the skies And bids my corse out of the graue to rise As one that may no longer hide her face But needs must come and shew her pitious case The sheete of shame wherein I shrowded was Did moue me oft to plaine before this day And in mine cares did ring the trumpe of brasse Which is defame that doth each thing bewray Yea though full dead and low in earth I lay I heard the voice of me what people said But then to speake alas I was afraid And now a time for me I see prepar'd I heare the liues and falles of many wights My tale therefore the better may be har'd For at the torch the little candle lights Where pageants be small things fill out the sights Wherefore giue eare good Churchyard do thy best My tragedie to place among the rest Because the truth shall witnes well with thee I will rehearse in order as it fell My life my death my dolefull destinie My wealth my woe my doing euery deale My bitter blisse wherein I long did dwell A whole discourse by me Shores wife by name Now shalt thou heare as thou hadst seene the same Of noble blood I cannot boast my birth For I was made out of the meanest mold Mine heritage but seuen foot of th' earth Fortune ne gaue to me the gifts of gold But I could brag of nature if I wold Who fil'd my face with fauour fresh and faire Whose beautie shone like Phoebus in the aire My shape some said was seemely to each sight My countenance did shew a sober grace Mines eyes in lookes were neuer proued light My tongue in words was chast in euery case Mine eares were deafe and would no louers place Saue that alas a Prince did blot my brow Loe there the strong did make the weake to bow The maiesty that Kings to people beare The stately port the awfull cheere they show Doth make the meane to shrink and couch for feare Like as the hound that doth his master know What then since I was made vnto the bow There is no cloke can serue to hide my fault For I agreed the fort he should assault The Eagles force subdues ech bird that flies What metall may resist the flaming fire Doth not the Sun dazell the clearest eies And melt the ice and make the frost retire Who can withstand a puissant Kings desire The stiffest stones are pierced through with tooles The wisest are with Princes made but fooles If kinde had wrought my forme in common frames And set me forth in colours blacke and browne Or beautie had beene percht in Phoebus flames Or shamefast waies had pluckt my fethers downe Then had I kept my fame and good renowne For natures gifts were cause of all my griefe A pleasant prey entiseth many a thiefe Thus woe to thee that wrought my peacocks pride By clothing me with natures tapestry Woe worth the hew wherein my face was dide Which made me thinke I pleased euery eye Like as the starres make men behold the skie So beauties shew doth make the wise full fond And brings free harts full oft to endlesse bond But cleare from blame my frends can not be found Before my time my youth they did abuse In mariage a prentise was I bound Then that meere loue I knew not how to vse But wel away that cannot me excuse The harme is mine though they deuisde my care And I must smart and sit in slandrous snare Yet giue me leaue to plead my cause at large If that the horse do run beyond his race Or any thing that keepers haue in charge Do breake their course where Rulers may take place Or meat be set before the hungries face Who is in fault th' offender yea or no Or they that are the cause of all this wo. Note well what strife this forced mariage makes What lothed liues do come where loue doth lacke What scratching breers do grow vpon such brakes What common weales by it are brought to wracke What heauie loade is put on patients backe What strange delights this branch of vice doth breed And marke what graine springs out of such a seed Compell the hauke to sit that is vnman'd Or make the hound vntaught to draw the Deere Or bring the free against his will in band Or moue the sad a pleasant tale to heere Your time is lost and you no whit the neere So loue ne learnes of force the knot to knit She serues but those that feele sweet fancies fit The lesse defame redounds to my dispraise I was entist by traines and trapt by trust Though in my powre remained yeas and nayes Vnto my friends yet needs consent I must In euery thing yea lawfull or vniust They brake the boughes and shakte the tree by sleight And bent the wand that might haue growne full streight What helpe in this the pale thus broken downe The Deere must needs in danger run astray At me therefore why should the world so frowne My weaknesse made my youth a Princes pray Though wisdome should the course of nature stay Yet trie my case who list and they shall proue The ripest wits are soonest thralles to loue What need I more to cleare my selfe so much A King me wan and had me at his call His royall state his princely grace was such The hope of will that women seeke for all The ease and wealth the gifts which were not small Besieged me so strongly round about My powre was weake I could not hold him out Duke Hannibal in all his conquest great Or Caesar yet whose triumphs did exceed Of all their spoiles which made them toile and sweat Were not so glad to haue so rich a meed As was this Prince when I to him agreed And yeelded me a prisner willingly As one that knew no way away to flie The Nightingale for all his merry voyce Nor yet the Larke that still delights to sing Did neuer make the hearers so reioyce As I with words haue made this worthie King I neuer iar'd in tune was euery string I tempred so my tongue to please his eare That what I said was currant euery where I ioyn'd my talke my gestures and my grace In wittie frames that long might last and stand So that I brought the King in such a case That to his death I was his chiefest hand I gouern'd him that ruled all this Land I bare the sword though he did weare the Crowne I strake the stroke that threw the mightie downe If iustice said that iudgement was but death With my sweete words
I could the King perswade And make him pause and take therein a breath Till I with suite the faultors peace had made I knew what way to vse him in his trade I had the art to make the Lion meeke There was no point wherein I was to seeke If I did frowne who then did looke a wrie If I did smile who would not laugh outright If I but speake who durst my words denie If I pursude who would forsake the flight I meane my powre was knowne to euery wight On such a height good hap had built my bowre As though my sweete should nere haue turnd to sowre My husband then as one that knew his good Refusde to keepe a Princes Concubine Forseeing th' end and mischiefe as it stood Against the King did neuer much repine He saw the grape whereof hee dranke the wine Though inward thought his heart did still torment Yet outwardly he seemd he was content To purchase praise and win the peoples zeale Yea rather bent of kinde to do some good I euer did vphold the common weale I had delight to saue the guiltlesse blood Each suters cause when that I vnderstood I did prefer as it had bene mine owne And help them vp that might haue been orethrowne My powre was prest to right the poore mans wrong My hands were free to giue where need required To watch for grace I neuer thought it long To do men good I need not bee desired Nor yet with gifts my heart was neuer hired But when the ball was at my foote to guide I plaid to those that Fortune did abide My want was wealth my woe was ease at will Ny robes were rich and brauer then the sunne My Fortune then was far aboue my skill My state was great my glasse did euer runne My fatall threed so happely was spunne That then I sate in earthly pleasures clad And for the time a Goddesse place I had But I had not so soone this life possest But my good hap began to slip aside And Fortune then did me so sore molest That vnto plaints was turned all my pride It booted not to row against the tide Mine oares were weake my heart and strength did saile The winde was rough I durst not beare a saile What steps of strife belong to high estate The climing vp is doubtfull to endure The seat it selfe doth purchase priuie hate And honors fame is fickle and vnsure And all she brings is flowres that be vnpure Which fall as fast as they do sprout and spring And cannot last they are so vaine a thing We count no care to catch that we do wish But what we win is long to vs vnknowen Till present paine be serued in our dish We scarce perceiue whereon our griefe hath growen What graine proues well that is so rashly sowen If that a meane did measure all our deeds In steed of corne we should not gather weeds The setled mind is free from Fortunes power They need not feare who looke not vp aloft But they that climbe are carefull euery hower For when they fall they light not very soft Examples haue the wisest warned oft That where the trees the smallest branches bere The stormes do blow and haue most rigour there Where is it strong but neere the ground and roote Where is it weake but on the highest sprayes Where may a man so surely set his foote But on those bowes that groweth low alwayes The little twigs are but vnstedfast stayes If they breake not they bend with euery blast Who trusts to them shall neuer stand full fast The winde is great vpon the highest hilles The quiet life is in the dale below Who treads on ice shall slide against their willes They want not cares that curious arts would know VVho liues at ease and can content him so Is perfect wise and sets vs all to schoole VVho hates this lore may well be call'd a foole VVhat greater griefe may come to any life Then after sweete to taste the bitter sowre Or after peace to fall at warre and strife Or after mirth to haue a cause to lowre Vnder such props false Fortune builds her bowre On sudden change her flittering frames be set Where is no way for to escape the net The hastie smart that Fortune sends in spite Is hard to brooke where gladnesse we embrace She threatens not but suddenly doth smite Where ioy is most there doth she sorow place But sure I thinke this is too strange a case For vs to feele such griefe amid our game And know not why vntill we taste the same As erst I said my blisse was turn'd to bale I had good cause to weepe and wring my hands And shew sad cheare with countenance full pale For I was brought in sorowes wofull bands A pirrie came and set my ship on sands What should I hide or colour care and noy King Edward di'd in whom was all my ioy And when the earth receiued had his corse And that in tombe this worthie Prince was laid The world on me began to shew his force Of troubles then my part I long assai'd For they of whom I neuer was afrai'd Vndid me most and wrought me such despite That they berest me from my pleasure quite As long as life remain'd in Edwards brest Who was but I who had such friends at call His bodie was no sooner put in chest But well was he that could procure my fall His brother was mine enmie most of all Protector then whose vice did still abound From ill to worse till death did him confound He falsely fain'd that I of counsell was To poison him which thing I neuer ment But he could set thereon a face of brasse To bring to passe his leaud and false intent To such mischiefe this tyrants heart was bent To God ne man he neuer stood in awe For in his wrath he made his will a law Lord Hastings blood for vengeance on him cries And many moe that were too long to name But most of all and in most wofull wise I had good cause this wretched man to blame Before the world I suffred open shame Where people were as thick as is the sand I penance tooke with taper in my hand Each eye did stare and looke me in the face As I past by the rumours on me ran But patience then had lent me such a grace My quiet lookes were prais'd of euery man The shamefast blood brought me such colour than That thousands said which saw my sober cheere It is great ruth to see this woman heere But what preuail'd the peoples pitie there This raging wolfe would spare no guiltlesse blood Oh wicked wombe that such ill fruit did beare Oh cursed earth that yeeldeth forth such mud The hell consume all things that did thee good The heauens shut their gates against thy spreete The world tread downe thy glorie vnder feete I aske of God a vengeance on thy bones Thy stinking corps corrupts the aire I know Thy