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
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
wealths abound Content your selues in peace to spend your daies By vertues good aloft your names to raise HOW KING PORREX WHICH SLEW HIS brother was slaine by his owne mother and her maidens about the yeare before Christ 491. CAn cursed Caine that caitiue scuse himselfe That slew his brother Abel innocent Or Typhon who for state and worldly pelfe His deare Osiris downe to Lymbo sent King Dardan then to do the like may trie They slew their brethren each and so did I. The witch Medaea rent in pieces small Absirtus limbes her brother did not she She threw him in the way dismembred all That so her fathers iourney stai'd might be Orodes slew his brother Mithridate And so did I my brother in debate Learchus slew his brother for the Crowne So did Cambrses fearing much the dreame Antiochus of infamous renowne His brother slew to rule alone the Realme Ardieus did the like for Kingdomes sake So I my brothers life away did take Mempricius Iewde of life likewise did kill His brother Manlius for the same intent These Princes vile were brother slayers ill For kingdomes sake vnnaturally bent But reade the stories thou shalt find it plaine The bloodie wretches all were after slaine Euen so I Porrex eke which slew my brother And ruled once the Britaine land with him Vnkindly kil'd was by my cruell mother Which with her maideus chopt me euery limme As I lay sleeping on my bed at rest Into my chamber full and whole they prest Appointed well they were with weapons sharpe And boldly laid on me with all their might Oft quite and cleane they thrust me through the hart And on my corps each where their weapons light They chopt me small I say as flesh to pot And threw me out my limbes yet trembling hot Can I complaine of this reuenge she raught Sith I procur'd the slaughter of her sonne Can I excuse my selfe deuoid of faut Which my deare Prince and brother had fordonne No t is too true that * who so slayes a King Incurres reproch and slaughter blood doth bring The traytors to their Prince haue alwaies bin As slayers of their parents vipers brood The killers of their brothers friends and kin In like degree well nigh of treason stood But what by this win they saue death defame Distaine their blood and shroud themselues with shame Example take you Princes of this land Beware of discord shun ambitious pride By right take ye the scepter in your hand Let not your sword with soueraignes blood be dide The mightie Ioue that raignes eternall aye Cuts off the Kings that enter in that waye Vsurpers may perswade themselues a while There is no God no lawes of sacred crowne No wrong they do no murther seemeth vile Nor no respect of Princely high renowne But if they could consider well the case They would not so aspire to Princes place They would example take by Lucifer That was cast downe the father first of pride And all his impes how high so ere they were Vsurping Realmes and Kingdomes far and wide From light to darke from throne to thrall they fell From bale to blisse and downe from heauen to hell Sufficient heere is said to warne the wise For he by prudence oft forecasts the doubt The foole is bent all warnings to despise He runneth headlong with the rascall rout Then if thou cast to liue at rest a subiect good Touch not the Prince crowne scepter nor his blood HOW KING PINNAR WAS SLAINE IN BATtaile by Mulmucius Donwallo about the yeare before Christ 441. MIght oftentimes right ouerrunnes too fast Right after comes and hopes to haue his owne And when he ouertakes might at the last Then is the truth of all the quarrell knowne Men neuer reape no other then was sowne If good be gaine the better comes the crop The grape growes on the vine and not the hop Of this now spoken this would I inferre Men may by might a kingdome long withhold Not due to them but they far better were To yeeld vnto the right what reason would Good mettals bides the touch which tries the gold When copper counted counterfeit in cast Is deem'd but drosse and called in at last I am that Pinnar who when Brutus blood Extincted was in bloodie Porrex raigne Amongst the Princes in contention stood Who in the Britaine throne by right should raigne Mongst whom by might a part I did obtaine That part of Albion call'd Logria hight I did long time vsurpe against all right Stater who stept into the Scottish throne And Rudacke that vsurpt the Cambrian crowne Their minds to mine did frame and ioyn'd in one To keepe the Cornish Prince stout Cloten downe Twixt whom and vs in fighting for renowne Faire Ladie Albion Europes wondred Ile Rob'd of her beautie was alas the while Duke Cloten though a man of worthie praise Who claim'd the crowne as due to him by right Could not preuaile till death did end his daies His sonne Mulmucius that vndaunted Knight Pursu'd his fathers claime with all his might And meeting vs in many a bloodie field At length in manly fight did make vs yeeld He Lion-like himselfe with his tall troope Of nimble Cornish met vs on the way And to his conquering arme did cause vs stoope The price of treason I with blood did pay My wrong deem'd right appear'd in my decay Who so by violence scales the throne of State Seldome sits sure but falles by violent fate HOW KING STATER OF SCOTLAND was slaine by Mulmucius Donwallo about the yeare before Christ 441. DEsist not in histories truly to tell The fall of vsurpers the mirrours of pride Recite of our treasons and how that we fell Intruders vntrustie the Realme for to guide Of wit and of reason recklesse and wide That tooke so vpon vs to rule all the land No Princes presum'd yet with scepter in hand How stately I Stater of Scotland the King Did beare me full stoutly when I had the crowne And what a great armie of Scots I did bring Against Lord Donwallo of noble renowne I deemed dame Fortune would neuer so frowne Who made me a Prince that kingdome my pray Of late but a subiect and simple of sway But heere now behold how steadie the state Of climbers aloft is aboue their degree And how they do fall from fortune to fate Example are such as my fellow and me The fruit giues a taste of the sap of the tree The seed of the herbe the grape of the vine The worke wrayes the man seeme he neuer so fine For when I had leuied an armie to fight I ioyned with Pinnar my power to preuaile And Rudacke of Wales came eke with his might Mulmucius Donwallo the King to assaile Our purpose the Prince by prowes did quaile Which came out of Corne wall vs vanquisht in field Our souldiers were slaughterd or forced to yeeld O fortune I blame thee my selfe more vn wise Thou gau'st me a kingdome with life I it lost My souldiers
line O heedlesse trust vnware of harme to come O malice headlong swift to serue fond will Did euer madnesse man so much benome Of prudent forecast reason wit and skill As me blind Bayard consenting to spill The blood of my cosin my refuge and stay To my destruction making open way So long as the Duke bare the stroke and sway So long no Rebels quarels durst begin But when the post was pulled once away Which stood to vphold the King and his kin Yorke and his banders proudly preased in To challenge the Crowne by title of right Beginning with law and ending with might Abroad went bruits in countrey and towne That Yorke of England was the heire true And how Henrie had vsurped the Crowne Against all right which all the Realme might rue The people then embracing titles new Irkesome of present and longing for change Assented soone because they loue to range True is the text which wee in scripture read Va terra illi cuius rex est puer Woe to that land whereof a child is head Whether child or childish the case is one sure Where Kings bee yong we dayly see in vre The people awlesse by weakenes of their head Leade their liues lawlesse hauing none to dread And no lesse true is this text againe Beata terra cuius rex est nobilis Blest is the land where a stout King doth raine Where in good peace ech man possesseth his Where ill men feare to fault or do amisse Where a stout Prince is prest with sword in hand At home and abroad his enemies to withstand In case King Henry had beene such a one Hardy and stout as his fathers afore Long mought he haue sate in the royall throne Without any feare of common vprore But dayly his weakenesse shewed more and more Which boldnesse gaue to the aduersary band To spoile him at last both of life and land His humble heart was nothing vnknowen To the gallants of Yorke and their retinue A ground lying low is soone ouerflowen And shored houses cannot long continue Ioints cannot knit where as is no sinew And so a Prince not dread as well as loued Is from his place by practise soone remoued Well mought I see had I not wanted braine The worke begun to vndermine the state When the chiefe linke was loosed from the chaine And that some durst vpon bloud royall grate How tickle a hold had I of mine estate When the chiefe post lay flat vpon the flore Mought not I thinke my staffe then next the dore So mought I also dame Margaret the Queene By meane of whom this mischiefe first began Did she trow ye her selfe not ouer weene Death to procure to that most worthy man Which she and hers afterward mought well ban On whom did hang as I before haue said Her husbands life his honour and his ayd For whilst he liued which was our stable stay Yorke and his impes were kept as vnder yoke But when the Piller remoued was away Then burst out flame that late before was smoke The traytour couert then cast off his cloke And from his den came forth in open light With titles blind which he set forth for right But this to bring about him first behoued The King and his kin asunder for to set Who being perforce or practise remoued Then had they avoided the principall let Which kept the sought pray so long from the net The next point after was themselues to place In rule aboue the rest next vnto his Grace Therefore was I first whom they put out of place No cause pretending but the common-weale The Crowne of England was the very case Why to the Commons they burned so in zeale My faults were clokes their practise to conceale In counsaile hearing consider the intent For in pretence of truth treason oft is ment So their pretence was only to remoue Counsaile corrupt from place about the King But O ye Princes you it doth behoue This case to construe as no fained thing That neuer traytour did subdue his King But for his plat ere he could surder wade Against his friends the quarell first hee made And if by hap he could so bring about Them to subdue at his owne wish and will Then would hee wax so arrogant and stout That no reason his outrage might fulfill But to proceed vpon his purpose still Til King and counsaile brought were in one case Such is their folly to rebels to giue place So for the fish casting forth a net The next point was in driuing out the plat Commons to cause in rage to fume and fret And to rebell I cannot tell for what Requiring redresse of this and of that Who if they speed the stander at receit Grasp will the pray for which he doth await Then by surmise of some thing pretended Such to displace as they may well suspect Like to withstand their mischiefe intended And in their roomes their banders to elect The aduerse party proudly to reiect And then with reports the simple to abuse And when these helps faile open force to vse So this Dukes traines were couert and not seene Which ment no lesse that he most pretended Like to a Serpent couert vnder greene To the weale publique seemed wholly bended Zealous hee was and would haue all things mended But by that mendment nothing els he ment But to be King to that marke was his bent For had he beene plaine as he ment indeed Henry to depose from the royall place His haste had been waste and much worse his speed The King then standing in his peoples grace This Duke therefore set forth a goodly face As one that ment no quarell for the Crowne Such as bare rule he only would put downe But all for nought so long as I bare stroke Serued these drifts and proued all vaine The best help then was people to prouoke To make commotion and vprores amaine Which to appease the King himselfe was faine From Blacke Heath in Kent to send me to the Tower Such was the force of rebels in that hower The troublous storme yet therewith was not ceased For Yorke was bent his purpose to pursue Who seing how speedily I was released And ill successe of sufferance to ensue Then like Iudas vnto his Lord vntrue Esteeming time lost any longer to defarre By Warwickes ayd proclaimed open warre At S. Albanes towne both our hostes did meete Which to try a field was no equall place Forst we were to fight in euery lane and streete No feare of foes could make me shun the place There I and Warwicke fronted face to face At an Inne dore the Castle was the signe Where with a sword was cut my fatall line Oft was I warned to come in Castle none Hauing no mistrust of any common signe I did imagine a Castle built with stone For of no Inne I could the same diuine In Prophets skill my wit was neuer fine A foole is he that such vaine dreames doth dred And more foole he
lent By Mars his force their raies and rancks he rent And tooke the brother of the Grecian King With others moe as captiues home to bring The taken towne from which the King was fled Sir Brutus with sixe hundred men did man Ech prisoner was vnto his keeper led To keepe in towne the noble Troians wan And into woods the Troiane gate him than Againe with his he kept him there by night To quaile the Grecians if they came to fight The King which cal'd to minde his former foile His flight and brother deare by Troians take The towne he lost where Brutus gaue the spoile He thought not so the field and fight forsake But of his men a muster new to make And so againe for to besiege the towne In hope reuenge or winne his lost renowne By night the ambush that his purpose knew Came foorth from woods whereas they waited by The Troians all th' vnarmed Grecians slew Went through their campe none could their force denie Vnto the tent where Pandrasus did lie Whereas Lord Brutus tooke their King that night And sau'd his life as see'md a worthie wight This great exploite so wisely well at chiu'd The Troiane victour did a counsaile call Wherein might be for their estate contriu'd By counsaile graue the publike weale of all Now tell quoth he what ransome aske we shall Or what will you for our auaile deuise To which Mempricius answer'd graue and wise I cannot Brutus but commend thine act In this thou noble Captaine worthy praise Which deemest well it were an heinous fact T' abridge the Grecian king of vitall daies And that we ought by clemencie to raise Our fame to skie not by a sauage guise Sith Gods and men both cruelty despise The cause we fought was for the freedome all Of Troians taken we haue freedome won We haue our purpose and their king withall To whom of rigour nothing ought be done Though he the quarrell with vs first begon And though we owe the fall of Troyes requite Yet let reuenge thereof from gods to light His subiects now bewaile their proude pretence And weapons laide aside for mercy crie They all confesse their plagues to come from thence Where first from faith of Gods they seem'd to flie Their Nobles dare not come the case to trie But euen for peace with all their hearts they sue And meekely grant whence all their mischiefes grew The Princesse faire his daughter who surmounts For vertues rare for beautie braue and grace Both Helen fine of whom they made accounts And all the rest that come of Grecian race She for her father sues bewailes his case Implores desires thy grace and gods aboue Whose woes may them and thee to mercy moue Some Troians say he should deposed be From kingdome quite or else be slaine he should And we heere bide eke this misliketh me Nay rather while we stay keepe him in hold Or let him pay a ransome large of gold And hostage giue and homage do of right To thee that wonst the field by Martiall fight For kingdomes sake a captiue king to kill Our names for aye with foule defame would brand For vs in Greece to dwell were euen as ill The force of Greece we cannot still withstand Let vs therefore both cruelty aband And prudent seeke both gods and men to please So shall we find good lucke at land and seas Or sith the Grecians will thee for to take The noble Ladie Iunogen to wife If thou so please let him her dowrie make Of gold ships siluer corne for our reliefe And other things which are in Graecia rife That we so fraught may seeke some desert shore Where thou and thine may raigne for euermore This pleas'd both Brutus and the Troians all Who wil'd forthwith that Pandrasus the King Should reuerently be brought into the hall And present when they told him of this thing So griefe and sorow great his heart did sting He could not shew by countenance or cheere That he it lik'd but spake as you shall heare Sith that the wrath of gods hath yeelded me And eke my brother captiues to your hands I am content to do as pleaseth yee You haue my realme my life my goods and lands I must be needs content as Fortune stands I giue my daughter gold and siluer fine With what for dowrie else you craue is mine To make my tale the shorter if I may This truce concluded was immediately And all things else performed by a day The King restor'd that did in prison lie The Troians proud of spoiles and victorie Did hoise vp sailes in two daies and a night Vpon the I le of Lestrigons they light And leauing of their ships at roade to land They wandring went the countrey for to view Loe there a desert citie old they fand And eke a temple if report be true Where Dian dwelt of whom the Troian crew In sacrifice their captaine counsell gaue For good successe a seate and soile to craue And he no whit misliking their aduice Went forth and did before the altar hold In his right hand a cup to sacrifice Fild both with wine and white hinds blood scarce cold And then before her stature straight he told Deuoutly all his whole petition there In sort they say as is repeated heere O goddesse great in groues that putst wilde boares in fearefull feare And maist go all the compasse pathes of euery ayrie sphere Eke of th' infernall houses too resolue the earthly rights And tell what countrey in to dwell thou giu'st vs Troian wights Assigne a certaine seate where I shall worship thee for aye And where repleat with virgins I erect thy temples maye When nine times he had spoken this and went Foure times the altar round and staid agen He powr'd the wine and blood in hand he hent Into the fire O witlesse cares of men Such folly meere and blindnes great was then But if religion now bids toies farewell Embrace that 's good the vice of times I tell He laid him then downe by the altars side Vpon the white Hinds skin espred therefore It was the third houre of the night a tide Of sweetest sleepe he gaue himselfe the more To rest surelie Then seemed him before Diana chaste the goddesse to appeare And spake to him these words that you shall heare O Brute farre vnder Phoebus fall beyond of France that raigne An Iland in the Ocean is with sea t is compast maine An Iland in the Ocean is where Giants erst did dwell But now a desert place that 's fit will serue thy people well To this direct thy race for there shall be thy seat for aye And to thy sonnes there shall be built another stately Troye Here of thy progenie and stocke shall mightie Kings descend And vnto them as subiect all the world shall bow and bend On this he woke with ioyfull cheere and told The vision all and oracle it gaue So it reioyst their hearts a thousand fold To ships they got
away the shores they draue And hoysing sailes for happie winds they craue In thirtie daies their voyage so they dight That on the coast of Aphrica they light Then to Philaenes altars they attain'd For so men call two hilles erected are In Tunise land two brethren ground that gain'd For Carthage once and went t is said too farre On Cyren ground for bounds there buried were Because they would not turne againe but striue With Cyren men they buried them aliue From thence they sailed through the middle lake Betweene Europa faire and Aphrica the drie With winde at will the doubtfull race they take And sail'd to Tuscane shores on Europe coast that lie Where at the last amongst the men they did descrie Foure banisht bands of Troians in distresse To saile with them which did themselues addresse Companions of Antenor in his flight But Corinaeus was their captaine than For counsell graue a wise and worthie wight In warres the praise of valiantnesse he wan Lord Brutus liked well this noble man With him full oft confer of fates he wold And vnto him the oracles he told The Troians so in number now increast Set on to sea and hoysed sailes to wind To Hercules his pillars from the East They cast by compasse readie way to find Where through once past to Northward race they twind To Pirene cleeues tweene Spaine and France the bound Reioycing neere the promist I le so found Eke vnto Guyne in France they failed thence Where at the hauen of Loire they did arriue To view the countrey was their whole pretence And victuals get their souldiers to reuiue Eke Corinaeus lest the Galles should striue Led forth two hundred of his warlike band To get prouision to the ships from land But when the King Goffarius heard of this That Troians were arriued on his shore With Frenchmen and with Guynes their power and his He came to take the prey they gate before And when they met they fought it both full sore Till Corinaeus rusht into their band And caus'd them flie they durst no longer stand First might you there seene hearts of Frenchmen broke Two hundred Troians gaue them all the soile At home with oddes they durst not bide the stroke Few Troians beat them in their natiue soile Eke Corinaeus followed in this broile So fast vpon his foes before his men That they return'd and thought to spoile him then There he alone against them all and they Against him one with all their force did fight At last by chance his sword was flowne away By fortune on a battaile axe he light Which he did driue about him with such might That some their hands and some their armes did leese Some legges of some the head from shoulders flees As thus amongst them all he fought with force And fortune great in danger of his life Lord Brutus had on him there with remorce Came with a troupe of men to end the strife When Frenchmen saw the Troians force so rife They fled away vnto their losse and paine In fight and flight nigh all their host was slaine And in that broile saue Corinaeus none Did fight so fiercely as did Turnus then Sir Brutus cosin with his sword alone Did slay that time well nigh sixe hundred men They found him dead as they return'd agen Amongst the Frenchmen wounded void of sence And bare his noble corps with honour thence On this they bode awhile reuenge to yeeld And to interre the dead and Turnus slaine They tooke a towne not farre from place of field And built it strong to vex the Galles againe The name they gaue it still doth yet remaine Sith there they buried Turnus yet men call It Tours and name the folke Turones all Which towne they left at last with Troians mand When as their ships were stor'd with what they need Aboord they hoise vp sailes and left the land By aiding winds they cut the seas with speed At length the shining Albion cleeues did seed Their gazing eyes by meanes whereof they fand Out Totnes hauen and tooke this promist land The countrey seemed pleasant at the view And was by few inhabited as yet Saue certaine Giants whom they did pursue Which straight to Caues in Mountaines did them get So fine were Woods and Floods and Fountaines set So cleere the aire so temperate the clime They neuer saw the like before that time And then this I le that Albion had to name Lord Brutus causde it Britaine cal'd to bee And eke the people Britans of the same As yet in ancient Records is to see To Corinaeus gaue he franke and free The land of Cornwall for his seruice done And for because from Giants he it wonne Then sith our Troiane flock came first from Troy The Chieftaine thought that dutie did him binde As Fortune thus had sau'd him from annoy The ancient towne againe to call to minde He built new Troy them Troian lawes assignde That so his race to his eternall fame Might keepe of Troy the euerlasting name And setled there in perfect peace and rest Deuoid of warre of labour strife or paine Then Iunogen the Queene his ioyes increast A Prince she bare and after other twaine Was neuer King of noble Impes so faine Three sonnes which had so shortly here begat Locrinus Camber last me Albanact Thus hauing wealth and eke the world at will Nor wanting ought that might his minde content T' increase his powre with wights of warlike skill Was all his minde his purpose and intent Whereby if foes inuasion after ment The Britans might not feare of forraine lands But keepe by fight possessions in their hands Eke when his people once perceiu'd his minde As what the Prince doth often most embrace To that the subiects all are straight inclinde And reuerence still in ech respect his grace They gat in warre such knowledge in short space That after they their force to trie begun They car'd for nought by wit or wight not won Those mightie people borne of Giants brood That did possesse this Ocean-bounded land They did sub due who oft in battell stood Gainst them in field vntill by force of hand They were made subiect vnto Brutes command Such boldnes then did in the Briton dwell That they in deedes of valour did excell Whereby the King had cause to take delight And might be bold the lesse to feare his foes Surely ech Prince may recke his en'mies spight Thereafter as his force in fight he knoes A princely heart the liberall gifts disclose He gaue to ech such guerdons for their facts As might them only moue to noble acts No labours great his subiects then refusde No trauels that might like his regall minde But ech of them such exercise well vsde Wherein was praise or glorie great to finde And to their liege bare faithfull hearts so kinde That what he wild they all obeyd his hest Nought else was currant but the Kings request What Prince aliue might more reioyce then he Had
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
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
immortall hate Your mothers teares nor woefull wailings moue Nor naked brests you suckt your malice slake Nor cause t' imbrace the sacred lore of loue O euerlasting Ioue that liu'st aboue Then I protest ere you doe fight the feelde this day You shall in field vngratefull sonnes your wofull mother slay Betweene you both you shall bereaue my life What woes my sonnes aliue shall I sustaine When I shall after this ambitious strife So many see of both your subiects slaine And you with brothers bloud your swords distaine I shall I say in th' end of fight take woefull vewe Of that my sonne which this my sonne his brother slewe O rather now my sonnes leaue off to iar Lay weapons both aside take truce a while If you doe loue to spend your time in war Destroy not here at home your natiue I le The present cause and quarell is too vile Ioine friendly both your armies faith and firme the same To take some conquest great in hand of lasting fame Therein you may with greater honour deale By this you shall defame your selues for aye Thereby you may enlarge your publique weale By this your selues and it shall quite decay Thereby you shall mine age with honour stay Thereby you shall most like your noble father bee Which ere he wore the crowne did conquer kingdomes three Once for my sake then ioine yet hands againe Let me enioy once both before I die I would to see you friends my sonnes bee faine And hope I haue you will not this denie I aske a thing shall neuer hurt perdy For if you now surcease and loue as brethren well Then all the world of this your concord aye shall tell And turning then to me thus wise she said Thou knowest my sonne how twice thou hast been foild Thou twice to scape with life wa st well apaide And since full farre to countries straunge hast toild If now thou shouldst of life and all bee spoilde When liue thou maist in Princely sort with peerelesse ioy What tongue can tell thy mothers griefe and great anoy I heare thou hast in France a Dukedome good Of subiects good thou hast an armie heere Thou hast a wife that came of noble blood Thou need'st at home no foes at all to feare What mean'st thou then such mortall hate to beare Against my sonne thy brother heere which gaue to thee His kingdome halfe the noble land of Albany Sith thine ambition first procur'd the strife Which did'st in armour rise against thy King Against thy brother lou'd thee more then life Thou did'st thy subiects his against him bring Think'st thou it was a wise or worthie thing If not thou hast good cause thy treason all confesse And though he draue thee hence to loue him ne're the lesse Thou shalt therefore submit thy selfe to me And take a truce a peace I will conclude Thy brother eke shall so contented be No quarrels old shall be againe renew'd These broiles haue oft my cheekes with teares bedew'd My heart is rent my hope bereau'd my ioyes are gone My life is lost if you conioyne not both in one Then turning vnto Belinus she spake My noble sonne quoth she thou twice hast quail'd Thy brothers power and mad'st him twice forsake His natiue land which I haue oft bewail'd What though thou haue so oft before preuail'd Think'st thou againe the third time eke to win the field Or art thou sure to slay my sonne or force him yeeld What glorie canst thou get thereby in th' end Will not the world of your foule slaughters tell Will not they all that liue still discommend The man that did his owne deare brother quell Mempricius shamefull acts are knowne too well And Porrex Britaines both their noble brethren slew Confounded after both examples good for you Now further this againe to both I say Do not you rue these noble souldiers good Do not you see how many you shall slay Haue you no care to shed their guiltlesse blood The state of tyrants neuer stable stood By bloodshed they do build and prop their tottering State Raigne liue and die despisde in neuer dying hate You noble men in briefe I speake to you And vnto all the Captaines of your bands And eke to all you souldiers good and true Which haue the sway of bloodshed in your hands Consider well the state of both our lands You shall decrease your force by discord and by strife Distaine your bloods and reaue Corwennas of her life Then if that either Ioues immortall ire Which euer hated slaughters such as these Or feare of Plutoes euerlasting fire Or dangers threatned both by land and seas Or mothers mind which both you ought to please Or countries loue or peace which all are bound t' imbrace May ought perswade then let my iust request haue place If not loe heere my naked breast quoth she Which once you both did sucke in tender age Let both your swords in these first bathed be Perhaps this slaughter shall your thirsts asswage It shall be counted euen as small outrage To slay your mother pleading for a righteous peace As wage the warres which gods commands you to surcease Much more she said which were too long to tell And proffred forth to swords her naked brest But when we both considered had full well Her wofull teares her wise and graue request They so to peace our hautie hearts addrest We laid our weapons downe we met and did imbrace All warre was set aside and Ladie peace tooke place We ioyned hands our captaines did the like And eke the souldiers linked all in loue There was not one that did our truce mislike Our peace did all to ioy and maruell moue With many triumphes feates of armes we proue Our subiects all reioyce in songs we sound Corwennas praise Her fame to skies aloft with many shouts and cries they raise The Galles and Senons then supposing me In Britaine from my Dukedome hard at fight Thought great occasion offred them to be And set themselues in armes and order right My subiects eke of Sauoy day and night They did entice perswade solicite and constraine To chuse another Duke at home with them to raigne Whereof when I heard tell in Britaine I le Eke when my brother Beline thereof knew We laid aside our sports and plaies a while And of our souldiers tooke a muster new Of both our hoasts we chose a noble crew We past the seas as brethren ought in concord knit And both our force in one to conquer France we fit Without resistance much we spoil'd the land At th' entrie in and after many fights We conquer'd all the Realme my foes we fand Which were in armes stout valiant noble wights By sword they fell or flew before our sights The Germans force likewise that did them succour send We made to fall therefore and to our scepters bend Three hundred thousand we in armour had An armie great renown'd Europa through The Kings and Princes of our
tell And with an host of Picts appointed well He did returne with speed to Britaine strand That time I lay by North to guide the land At length to Yorke with all his host he came Besieging it full sharpe assaults he gaue Where I likewise for to defend the same And from our foes the castell good to saue Came with my power as destnies on me draue But in that field it was my chance to fall I tooke my deadly wound there ended all The Scythian eke receiu'd a deadly wound Which came to conquer vs and lost his feeld Thus fortune fares her children to confound Which on her wheele their bastiles brauely beeld Let noble Princes then to reason yeeld The dainefull Ladie daintie and demure Dame Fortunes fauour fickle and vnsure Some say that I return'd to Rome againe Sore troubled with the gout desiring death And that I would haue taken poison faine Which me deni'd to reaue my vitall breath I tooke a surfet great which wrought my death The Britaines say at Yorke my bones do lie The Romans say at Rome in Italie But this I wish all noble wights to view How I by slaughter gate the throne at first My souldiers noble men for Empire slew This way to rise of all I proued worst For why his hand of gods and men is curst To rise aloft that layes the ground with blood The states of such vnstable still haue stood HOW FVLGENTIVS A SCYTHIAN OR PICT WAS slaine at the seige of Yorke about the yeare of Christ 206. or 213. I Am that valiant Scythian Prince the Pict That vanquisht oft the Britaines in this I le Against the noble Romans power I kickt And kept them play in Britaine both long while I forst them make a wall an hundred mile From sea to sea with towers to keepe me out Which of vs Picts did daily stand in doubt Our ancient race as I can shew with skill Had right by due descent to claime this land Of which repeate some proofe therefore I will That so thou maist our title vnderstand When all mankind felt Ioues almightie hand That drencht all nations quite for their foule sin Then straight in Scythia did the world begin Th' Egyptians hold forsooth that they restord The world againe but how vnlikely see For Scythiaes site is high as all accord From vs the fountaines great'st deriued bee The ancient writers all likewise agree That on Armenia mount the Arke did rest Till Ioue againe the earth with drowth addrest But they alledge againe their Zone is milde And fertill temperate meete to foster men Our Scythian hilles they say are frostie wilde Which cannot breed but ruder people then To which I may well answere make agen As God did make the Zones hot milde and cold So did he make like men the same to hold They say we are nigh neighbours to the Pole Or frozen point more neere the fire are they What poysons breed with them and Lybians sole In parching sands the writers wise display Can nature fraine mankind more deepe decay Where parching heat where serpents vglie breed Is no fit clime whence man should first proceed But now I le tell why Scythians should possesse This noble Isle first Lord Neptunus gaue The Islands to his sonnes both more and lesse Eke Albion first of all this Isle should haue He not with this content the Firme did craue Wherefore in France him Hercules dispatcht When as he would a Kingdome there haue catcht Now as from Noah of Scythia by descent Downe vnto Albions time they held the land From Scythe to Scythian as of right it went And after him no Scythian Prince it fand When as vsurpers tooke the raigne in hand Was it not reason we should vndertake This noble Realme our owne againe to make The Romans this deny but euen themselues likewise If they from vertue stray as they do vse And do Iehouaes lawes and hests despise And right and truth and iustice so refuse Shall find how much their Scepter they misuse The Scythian shall their loftie seate assaile The Prince of Picts against them shall preuaile But of Proud Romes Seuerus now I tell When he the wall had made to keepe me out To Scythia hence I sail'd and stor'd me well With men munition good a warlike rout Of youthfull Picts full strong in armout stout A Nauie good I brought and taking land Of stately Yorke I tooke the siege in hand The Emperour great Seuerus Parthique proud With Romans Galles and Britaine souldiers came To make me raise the siege of Yorke he vow'd And I likewise to win and race the same To win the prize we both our armies frame But he was slie his souldiers skilfull train'd My men to flie by ambush he constrain'd Againe to fight we fell afresh the battell grew About I brought my wings and now they sound Tantara teares alarme the fluits fight fight anew And there a while the Romans fell to ground The cries and shouts of men to skies resound They fall fall flie the fluits downe downe the droms do crie Whereon the Romans sound retraite and saine to flie My souldiers all too rash had broke array The Romane rereward cast about with speed And both their wings enclosed vs each way Their maine likewise to keepe array gaue heed Which when I saw it made my heart to bleed And to Seuerus selfe I made my way Where with my Picts the Parthique I did stay So when the Emperour fell a shout arose The Romans blancke amazed wofull were Fulgentius fast recoil'd death wounded goes And of my crew a troupe to aide me there I bought my British conquest all too deere No conquest yet for as I conquest sought With my life blood the conquest deare was bought You noble men yee see what trust there is In Fortunes gifts how mischiefe makes the marts And how our hoped haps in warres do misse When backe the braue and blinded Ladie starts High reaching heads swim oft in seas of smarts The man content is blest and best at ease Which in meane state both God and man do please HOW GETA THE YONGER SONNE OF THE EMPErour Seuerus once Gouernour of Britaine was slaine in his mothers armes by his brother ANTONINE Emperour of Rome about the yeare of Christ 214. IF euer Prince had cause his state to rue Or by his end might moue men mone his chance My wofull tale may shew the like to you Whom fortune erst and birth did high aduance In Rome in Britaine Germanie and France I fauour had and liu'd belou'd alway I Emprour was what need I more to say In Britaine while my father waged fight By North against the Picts I rul'd the South Seuerus so appointed it my right And Britaine Iustice had from Getaes mouth I gaue not then my selfe to idle slouth But gaue an end to causes great of strife With doome so iust that men reioyst my life The Senate honor'd me for vertues sake Abroad the Britaines blest me
to me my Crowne Yet haue thou some respect of honor and renowne For thou by oath did'st sweare to yeeld to me my right When as I thee prefer'd and stal'd thee there by might Mine vncle Edward he thy fathers faithfull friend Gaue me his Crowne and thou thereto did'st condescend Yet now thou wouldest faine defeate me of my right And proue thy selfe forsworne of former promise plight Shall Harold haue his hest shall Godwines sonne be guide Shall William want his will and haue his right deni'd Well Harold if thou canst with warres determine so I am content if not prouide I am thy foe My sonnes and all my kinne shall neuer stint to striue To plucke thee from thy place whil'st one is left aliue But if thou wilt bewise to me my right resigne And thou shalt haue the place belonging to thy line If not with fire and sword I meane thy Realme to spoile I neuer thence will start till I haue forst thy foile And now thou know'st my will determine for the best Thou maist haue warres and if thou wilt thou maist haue rest WILLIAM Duke of Normandy THese letters were of little might to make My manly mind to grant him his request For which I did to Fortune me betake To wage new warres with him I deem'd it best So from his fist his threatning blade to wrest But see the force of Fortunes changing cheare Another cloud before me did appeare My brother Tostius who from me was fled Did now returne and brought the Norway King They did deuise to haue from me my head Which made me to indite another thing Vnto the Duke then plaine and true meaning I gaue him hope of that I neuer ment These were the lines which to the Duke I sent HAROLD THE ENGLISH KING TO THEE WILLIAM Duke of Normandy HArold the English King thee William Duke doth greete Thy letter being read I haue not thought it meete Without a Parlament to do so great a thing As of a forren Duke to make an English King But if my three estates will follow my aduice Thou shalt receiue the Crowne and beare away the price Therefore delay a time thou shortly shalt receiue With full consent the thing which now thou seek'st to haue HAROLD I Arm'd in haste all danger to auoid For why I heard my brother Tostius traine Two of my Earles had in the North destroy'd And many a thousand men he there had slaine But when we met his triumph was in vaine For I and mine the Norway King there kilte And I my selfe my brothers blood there spilte Now when the Duke my friendly lines had read And heard how I my men did muster new There lies a Snake within this greene grasse bed Quoth he therefore come forth my warlike crew We will not stay to see what shall ensue By long delayes from forren coasts he may Procure an aide to scourge vs with decay But when he heard with whom I had to deale Well done quoth he let him go beate the bush I and my men to the lurch line will steale And plucke the Net euen at the present push And one of them we with decay will crush For he who doth the victor there remaine Shall neuer rest till he hath dealt with twaine So I in vaine who had the victorie Within few daies was forst againe to fight My strength halfe spoil'd my wounded men were wearie His campe was comne vnwares within my sight There was no hope to flee by day nor night I Harold then a Harauld sent in haste To know the plot where he his campe had plaste He sent me word my ifs and ands were vaine And that he knew the drifts of my delay For which he said he would yet once againe Make triall who should beare the crowne away If I would yeeld he said his men should stay If not he then was present presently To trie the cause by Mars his crueltie Which when I heard and saw him march amaine His Trumpets did defie me to my face In haste I did appoint my very traine And souldier-like I all my men did place I neuer su'd nor pray'd nor gapte for grace For hauing plaste my men in battellray I with loude voice to them these words did say My mates in armes see heere the last assault Win now the field and be you euer blest This Bastard base borne Duke shall he exalt Himselfe so high giue eare vnto my hest This day no doubt we shall haue quiet rest For good successe shall set vs free from feare Or hatefull hap shall bring vs to our beare Euen heere at hand his power doth appeare March forth my men we must no longer stay Let euery man abandon fainting feare And I as guide will lead you on your way Euen I my selfe the formost in the fray Will teach you how you shall abate his pride Fight fight my men your King shall be your guide His Cros-bow men my Archers did assaile With three to one yet were they all too weake And when his forlorne hope could not preuaile Them to assist his Horsemen out did breake Three troopes I sent on them the wrath to wreake And by and by the battel 's both did ioyne With many a thrust and many a bloodie foine Of three maine battels he his armie made I had but one and one did deale with three Of which the first by me were quite dismaide The other two they did discomfort me Not yeelding but in yeelding blowes we be With losse of life constrain'd at last to yeeld The crowne the kingdome and the foughten field Note now the lot which on my limmes did light Nine monthes no more I wore the English Crowne In euery month I in the field did fight In euery fight I wonne a fresh renowne Yet at the last my strength was beaten downe And heere before you now I do protest I neuer had one day of quiet rest To the Reader HAuing hitherto continued the storie gentle Reader from the first entrance of Brute into this Iland with the falles of such Princes as were neuer before this time in one volume comprised I now proceed with the rest which take their beginning from the Conquest whose pen-men being many and diuers all diuerslie affected in the method of this their Mirror I purpose only to follow the intended scope of that most honorable personage who by how much he did surpasse the rest in the eminence of his noble condition by so much he hath exceeded them all in the excellencie of his heroicall stile which with a golden pen he hath limmed out to posteritie in that worthy obiect of his minde the Tragedie of the Duke of Buckingham and in his preface then intituled Master Sackuils induction This worthie President of learning intending to perfect all this storie himselfe from the Conquest being called to a more serious expence of his time in the great State-affaires of his most royall Ladie and Soueraigne left the dispose thereof to M.
their states For they bee faults that foile men not their fates Th. Phaer HOW HENRY PERCY Earle of NORTHVMBERLAND was for his couetous and traiterous attempt put to death at Yorke Anno 1407. O Morall Senec true finde I thy saying That neither kinne riches strength or fauour Are free from Fortune but are aie decaying No worldly wealth is ought saue doubtfull labour Mans life in Earth is like vnto a tabour Which now to mirth doth mildly men prouoke And straight to warre with a more sturdy stroke All this full true I Percy finde by proofe Which whilom was Earle of Northumberland And therefore Baldwine for our peeres behoofe To note mens falles sith thou hast tane in hand I would thou should my state well vnderstand For few there were that were so much redoubted Whom double Fortune lifted vp and louted As for my kinne their noblenesse is knowen My valiant acts were folly for to praise Where through our foes so oft were ouerthrowen That who but I was doubted in my daies And that King Richard found at all assaies For neuer foes rebelled in his raigne But through my force were either caught or slaine A brother I had was Earle of Worcester Alwaies in office and fauour with the King And by my wife Dame Elenor Mortimer A sonne I had which so the foes did sting That being yong and but a very spring Henry Hotspur they gaue him vnto name And though I say it he did deserue the same We three triumphed in King Richards time Till Fortune ought both him and vs a spite But chiefly mee whom cleere from any crime My King did banish from his fauour quite Proclaiming mee a most disloyall Knight Where through false slander forced mee to bee That which before I did most deadly flee Let men beware how they true folke defame Or threaten on them the blame of vices nought For infamy breedeth wrath wreke followeth shame Eke open slander often times hath brought That to effect that erst was neuer thought To bee misdeem'd men suffer in a sort But none can beare the griefe of misreport Because my King did shame mee wrongfully I hated him and soone became his foe And while he did at warre in Ireland lie I did conspire to turne his weale to woe And through the Duke of Yorke and other moe All royall power from him wee quickly tooke And gaue the same to Henry Bolenbrooke Neither did we this onely for this cause But to say truth force draue vs to the same For he despising God and all his lawes Slew whom hee would made sinne a very game And seeing nor age nor consell could him tame We thought it well done for the Kingdomes sake To leaue his rule that did all rule for sake But when Sir Henry had attaind his place Hee straight became in all points worse then he Destroied the Peeres and slew King Richards grace Against his oth made to the Lords and me And seeking quarrels how to disagree He shamelesly requir'd me and my sonne To yeeld him foes which we in field had wonne My nephew also Edmund Mortimer The very heire apparent to the crowne Whom Owen Glendour held as prisoner With chaines fast bound in dungeon deepe cast downe He would not ransome but did felly frowne ' Gainst Mortimer and me which for him spake And him proclaimed traytour for our sake Thus foule despite did cause vs to conspire To put him downe as we did Richard erst And that we might this matter set on fire From Owens Iaile our cosin we remerst And vnto Glendour all our griefes rehearst Who made a bond with Mortimer and mee To priue the King and part the Realme in three But when King Henrie heard of this deuice To Owen Glendour he sped him very quicke Minding by force to stop our enterprise And as the diuell would then fell I sicke Howbeit my brother and sonne more politicke Then prosperous with an host from Scotland brought Encountred him at Shrewesbury where they fought The one was tane and kill'd the other slaine And shortly after was Owen put to flight By meanes whereof I forced was to faine That I knew nothing of the former fight Fraud oft auailes more then doth sturdie might For by my faining I brought him in beliefe I knew not that wherein my part was chiefe And while the King thus tooke me for his friend I sought all meanes my former wrong to wreake Which that I might bring to the sooner end To the Bishop of Yorke I did the matter breake And to th' Earle Marshall likewise did I speake Whose father was through Henries cause exiled The Bishops brother with trayterous death defiled These straight assented to do what they could So did the Lord Hastings and Lord Faueonbridge Which altogether promised they would Set all their power the Kings daies to abridge But see the spite before the birds were flidge The King had word and seased on the nest Whereby alas my friends were all opprest The bloodie tyrant brought them all to end Excepted me which into Scotland fled To George of Dunbar th' Earle of March my friend Who in my cause with many more made head And when on hope of greater aid I fed Both at the Frenchmen and the Flemmings hand And could get none I tooke such as I fand And with the helpe of George my very friend I did inuade Northumberland full bold Whereas the folke drew to me still on end Bent to death my partie to vphold Through helpe of these full many a fort and hold The which the King right manfully had man'd I easely wonne and seased in my hand Not so content for vengeance draue me on I entred Yorkshire there to waste and spoile But ere I had far in the countrie gone The Shiriffe thereof Raph Rokesbie did assoile My troubled host of much part of our toile For he assaulting freshly tooke through power Me and Lord Bardolph both at Bramham moore And thence conueyed vs to the towne of Yorke Vntill he knew what was the Kings intent There loe Lord Bardolph kinder then the Storke Did lose his head which was to London sent With whom for friendship mine in like case went This was my hap my fortune or my faut This life I led and thus I came to naught Wherefore good Baldwine will the Peeres take heed Of slander malice and conspiracie Of couetise whence all the rest proceed For couetise ioynt with contumacie Doth cause all mischiefe in mens hearts to breed And therefore this to esperance my word Who causeth bloodshed shall not scape the sword HOW RICHARD PLANTAGENET EARLE OF CAMBRIDGE INTENding the Kings destruction was put to death at Southhampton Anno Dom. 1415. HAste maketh waste hath commonly been said And secret mischiefe selde hath luckie speed A murdering mind with proper poyze is way'd All this is true I find it in my creed And therefore Baldwine warne all states take heed How they conspire another to betrap Lest mischiefe ment light in
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
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
count their counsell vicious That note their faults and therefore call it treason All grace and goodnesse with the leaud is geason This is the cause why they good things do wrest Whereas the good take ill things to the best And therefore Baldwine boldly to the good Rebuke their fault so shalt thou purchase thankes As for the bad thou shalt but moue their mood Though pleasantly thou touch their naughty prankes Warne Poets all no wise to passe the bankes Of Helicon but keepe within the bound So shall their freedome to no harme redound THE WILFVLL FALL OF THE BLACK-SMITH AND THE foolish end of the Lord Awdeley in Iune Anno Dom. 1496. WHo is more bold then is the Bayard blind Where is more craft then in the clouted shone Who catch more harme then do the bold in mind Where is more guile then where mistrust is none No plaisters helpe before the griefe be knowne So seemes by me who could no wisdome leare Vntill such time I bought my wit too deare Who being boystrous stout and brainlesse bold Puft vp with pride with fire and furies fret Incenst with tales so rude and plainly told Wherein deceit with double knot was knit I trapped was as silly fish in net Who swift in swimming carelesse of deceit Is caught in gin wherein is laid no bait Such force and vertue hath this dolefull plaint Set forth with sighes and teares of Crocodile Who seemes in sight as simple as a Saint Hath laid a baite the warelesse to beguile And as they weepe they worke deceit the while Whose rufull cheere the rulers so relent To worke in haste that they at last repent Take heed therefore yee Rulers of the Land Be blind in sight and stop your other care In sentence slow till skill the truth hath scand In all your doomes both loue and hate forbeare So shall your iudgement iust and right appeare It was a southfast sentence long agoe That hastie men shall neuer lacke much woe Is it not truth Baldwine what saiest thou Say on thy mind I pray thee muse no more Me thinke thou star'st and look'st I wot not how As though thou neuer saw'st a man before Belike thou musest why I teach this lore Else what I am that heere so boldie dare Among the prease of Princes to compare Though I be bold I pray thee blame not mee Like as men sow such corne needs must they reape And nature planted so in each degree That Crabs like Crabs will kindly crawle and creepe The suttle Fox vnlike the silly sheepe It is according to my education Forward to prease in rout and congregation Behold my coate burnt with the sparkes of fire My leather apron fild with horse shooe nailes Behold my hammer and my pinsers here Behold my lookes a marke that seldome failes My cheekes declare I was not fed with quailes My face my cloathes my tooles with all my fashion Declare full well a Prince of rude creation A Prince I said a Prince I say againe Though not by birth by crafty vsurpation Who doubts but some men princehood do obtaine By open force and wrongfull domination Yet while they rule are had in reputation Euen so by me the while I wrought my feate I was a Prince at least in my conceite I dare the bolder take on me the name Because of him whom here I leade in hand Tychet Lord Awdley one of birth and fame Which with his strength and power seru'd in my band I was a Prince while that I was so mand His Butterfly still vnderneath my shield Displaied was from Welles to Blackeheath field But now behold he doth bewaile the same Thus after wits their rashnes do depraue Behold dismaid he dare not speake for shame He lookes like one that late came from the graue Or one that came forth of Trophonius caue For that in wit he had so litle pith As he a Lord to serue a traytour Smith Such is the courage of the noble hart Which doth despise the vile and baser sort He may not touch that sauours of the cart Himlisteth not with each Iack lout to sport He lets him passe for pairing of his port The iolly Eagles catch not litle flees The courtly silkes match seeld with homely frees But surely Baldwine if I were allow'd To say the troth I could somewhat declare But clerkes will say this Smith doth waxe too proud Thus in precepts of wisdome to compare But Smiths must speake that Clerkes for feare ne dare It is a thing that all men may lament When Clerkes keepe close the truth lest they be shent The Hostler Barbar Miller and the Smith Heare of the sawes of such as wisdome ken And learne some wit although they want the pith That Clerkes pretend and yet both now and then The greatest Clerkes proue not the wisest men It is not right that men forbid should bee To speake the truth all were he bond or free And for because I vs'd to fret and some Not passing greatly whom I should displease I dare be bold a while to play the mome Out of my sacke some others faults to lease And let mine owne behind my backe to pease For he that hath his owne before his eie Shall not so quicke anothers fault espie I say was neuer no such wofull case As is when honor doth it selfe abuse The noble man that vertue doth embrace Represseth pride and humblenes doth vse By wisdome workes and rashnesse doth refuse His wanton will and lust that bridle can Indeed is gentle both to God and man But where the Nobles want both wit and grace Regard no rede care not but for their lust Oppresse the poore set will in reasons place And in their words and doomes be found vniust Wealth goeth to wracke till all lie in the dust There Fortune frownes and spite begins to grow Till high and low and all be ouer throw Then fith that vertue hath so good reward And after vice so duely waiteth shame How hap'th that Princes haue no more regard Their tender youth with vertue to inflame For lacke whereof their wit and will is lame Infect with folly proue to lust and pride Not knowing how themselues or theirs to guide Whereby it hapneth to the wanton wight As to a ship vpon the stormie seas Which lacking sterne to guide it selfe aright From shore to shore the winde and tide to tease Finding no place to rest or take his ease Till at the last it sinke vpon the sand So fare they all that haue no vertues scand The plowman first his land doth dresse and tourne And makes it apt or ere the seed he sow Whereby he is full like to reape good corne Where otherwise no seed but weed would grow By which ensample men may easely know When youth haue wealth before they can well vse it It is no wonder though they do abuse it How can he rule well in a commonwealth Which knoweth not himselfe in rule to frame How should he rule himselfe in
ghostly health Which neuer learn'd one lesson for the same If such catch harme their parents are too blame For needs must they be blind and blindly led Where no good lesson can be taught or read Some thinke their youth discreet and wisely taught That brag and boast and weare their feather braue Can roist and rout both loure and looke aloft Can sweare and stare and call their fellowes knaue Can pill and poll and catch before they craue Can card and dice both cog and foist at fare Play on vnthriftie till their purse be bare Some teach their youth to pipe to sing and dance To hauke to hunt to choose and kill their game To wind their horne and with their horse to praunce To play at tenis set the lute in frame Run at the ring and vse such other game Which feats although they be not all vnfit Yet cannot they the marke of vertue hit For noble youth there is nothing so meete As learning is to know the good from ill To know the tongues and perfectly endite And of the lawes to haue a perfect skill Things to reforme as right and iustice will For honour is ordeined for no cause But to see right maintained by the lawes It spites my heart to heare when noble men Cannot disclose their secrets to their frend In sauegard sure with paper inke and pen But first they must a secretary find To whom they shew the bottome of their mind And be he false or true a blab or close To him they must their counsaile needs disclose And where they rule that haue of law no skill There is no boote they needes must seeke for ayd Then rul'd are they and rule as others will As he that on a stage his part hath plaid But he was taught nought hath he done or said Such youth therfore seek science of the sage As thinke to rule when that ye come to age Where youth is brought vp in feare and obedience Kept from ill company bridled of their lust Do serue God duly and know their allegiance Learne godly weale which time nor age can rust There Prince people and Peers needes prosper must For happy are the folke and blessed is that land Where truth and vertue both haue got the ouer hand I speake this Baldwine of this rufull Lord Whom I perforce do heere present to thee He faints so sore he may not speake a word I pleade his cause without reward or fee And am enforc'd to speake for him and mee If in his youth he had been wisely tought He should not now his wit so deare haue bought For what is he that hath but halfe a wit But may well know that rebels cannot speed Marke well my tale and take good heed to it Recount it well and take it for good reed Proue it vntrue I will not trust my creed Was neuer rebell heretofore or since That could or shall preuaile against his Prince For ere the subiect purpose to rebell Within himselfe let him consider well Foresee the danger and beare in his braine How hard it is his purpose to obtaine For if he once be entred to the breares He hath a raging wolfe fast by the eares And when he entred is to rule the rout Although he would he can no way get out He may be sure none will to him resort But such as are the vile and rascall sort All honest men as well the most as lest To taste of treason vtterly detest Then let him waigh how long he can be sure Where faith nor friendship may no while endure He whom he trusteth most to gaine a groate Will fall him from and seeke to cut his throate Among the knaues and slaues where vice is rooted There is no other friendship to be looked With foolish men so falsehood is in price That faith is sinne and vertue counted vice And where the quarell is so vile and bad What hope of aid then is there to be had Thinkes he that men will run at this or that To do a thing they know not how or what Nor yet what danger may thereof betide VVhere wisdome would they should at home abide Rather then seeke and know not what to find VVise men will first debate this in their mind Full sure they are if that they go to wrecke Without all grace they lose both head and necke They lose their lands and goods their child and wife VVith griefe and shame shall leade a wofull life If he be slaine in field he dieth accurst VVhich of all wreckes we should account the worst And he that dieth defending his liege Lord Is blest and blest againe by Gods owne word And where the souldiers wages is vnpai'd There is the Captaine slenderly obey'd And where the souldier 's out of feare and dreed He will be lacke when that there is most need And priuately he seekes his ease and leasure And will be rul'd but at his will and pleasure And where some draw forth other do draw backe There in the end must needs be woe and wracke To hope for aid of Lords it is but vaine Whose foretaught wit of treason knoweth the paine They know what powre a Prince hath in his hand And what it is with rebels for to stand They know by treason honor is defaced Their ofspring and their progenie disgraced They know to praise is not so worthie a thing As to be true and faithfull to their King Aboue cognisance or armes or pedigree a far An vnsported coat is like a blasing star Therefore the rebell is accurstand mad That hopes for that which rebell neuer had Who trusting still to tales doth hang in hope Till at the last he hang fast by the rope For though that tales be told that hope might feed Such foolish hope hath still vnhappie speed Is is a custome neuer will be broken In broiles the bag of lies is euer open Such lying newes men daily will inuent As can the hearers fancie best content And as the newes do run and neuer cease So more and more they daily do encrease And as they ' ncrease they multiplie as fast That ten is ten hundred ten thousand at the last And though the rebell had once got the field Thinkes he thereby to make his Prince to yeeld A Princes power within his owne region Is not so soone brought to confusion For Kings through God are strong and stoutly harted That they of subiects will not be subuerted If Kings would yeeld yet God would them restraine Of whom the Prince hath grace and power to raigne Who straitly chargeth vs aboue all thing That no man should resist against his King Who that resisteth his dread soueraigne Lord Doth damne his soule by Gods owne very word A Christian subiect should with honor due Obey his Soueraigne though he were a Iew Whereby assur'd when subiects do rebell Gods wrath is kindled and threatneth fire and hell It is soone knowne when Gods fierce wrath is kindled How they shall speed
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
keeps a peacoks pace A lothsome lout that lookes like tinkers dog A hellish hownd a swinish hateful hog That grunts and groanes at euery thing it sees And holds vp snowt like pig that coms from draffe Why should I make of pride all these degrees That first tooke roote from filthy drosse and chaffe And makes men stay vpon a broken staffe No weaknesse more then thinke to stand vpright When stumbling blocke makes men to fall downe right He needs must fall that lookes not where he goes And on the starres walkes staring gozling like On sudden oft a blustering tempest bloes Then downe great trees are tumbled in the dike Who knowes the time and houre when God will strike Then looke about and marke what steps ye take Before you pace the pirgrimage yee make Run not on head as all the world were yours Nor thrust them backe that cannot bide a shocke Who striues for place his owne decay procures Who alwaies braules is sure to catch a knocke Who beards a King his head is neere the blocke But who doth stand in feare and worldly dreed Ere mischiefe comes had need to take good heed I hauing hap did make account of none But such as fed my humour good or bad To fawning dogs sometimes I gaue a bone And flung some scraps to such as nothing had But in my hands still kept the golden gad That seru'd my turne and laught the rest to scorne As for himselfe was Cardnall Wolsey borne No no good men we liue not for our selues Though each one catch as much as he may get We ought to looke to those that digs and delues That alwaies dwell and liue in endlesse det If in such sort we would our compasse set We should haue loue where now but hate we find And headstrong will with cruell hollow mind I thought nothing of dutie loue or feare I snatcht vp all and alwaies sought to clime I punisht all and would with no man beare I sought for all and so could take the time I pli'd the Prince whiles Fortune was in prime I fill'd the bags and gold in hoord I heapt Thought not on those that thresht the corne I reapt So all I lost and all I gate was nought And all my pride and pompe lay in the dust I aske you all what man aliue had thought That in this world had been so little trust Why all things heere with time decline they must Then all is vaine so all not worth a flie If all shall thinke that all are borne to die If all be base and of so small account VVhy do we all in folly so abound VVhy do the meane and mightie seeke to mount Beyond all hope where is no suretie found And where the wheele is alwaies turning round The case is plaine if all be vnderstood VVeare so vaine we know not what is good Yet some will say when they haue heapes of gold VVith flockes of friends and seruants at their call They liue like Gods in pleasure treble fold And haue no cause to find no fault at all O blind conceit these glories are but small And as for friends they change their minds so mich They stay not long with neither poore nor rich VVith hope of friends our selues we do deceaue VVith feare of foes we threatned are in sleepe But friends speake faire yet men alone they leaue To sinke or swim to mourne to laugh or weepe Yet when foe smiles the snake begins to creepe As world falles out these daies in compasse iust VVe know not how the friend or foe to trust Both can betray the truest man aliue Both are to doubt in matters of great weight Both will sometime for goods and honor striue Both seemeth plaine yet both can shew great sleight Both stoopes full low yet both can looke on height And best of both not worth a cracked crowne Yet least of both may lose a walled towne Talke not of friends the name thereof is nought Then trust no foes if friends their credit lose If foes and friends of one bare earth were wrought Blame nere of both though both one nature showes Grace passeth kind where grace and vertue flowes But where grace wants make foes and friends alike The one drawes sword the other sure will strike I prou'd that true by triall twentie times When Wolsey stood on top of Fortunes wheele But such as to the height of ladder climes Know not what lead lies hanging on their heele Tell me my mates that heauie Fortune feele If rising vp breed not a giddie braine And falling downe be not a grieuous paine I told you how from Cawood I was led And so fell sicke when I arrested was VVhat needeth now more words herein be sed I knew full well I must to prison passe And saw my state as brittle as a glasse So gaue vp ghost and bad the world farewell VVherein God wot I could no longer dwell Thus vnto dust and ashes I return'd VVhen blaze of life and vitall breath went out Like glowing coale that is to cinders burn'd All flesh and blood so end you need not doubt But when the brute of this was blowne about The world was glad the Cardnall was in graue This is of world loe all the hope we haue Full many a yeare the world lookt for my fall And when I fell I made as great a cracke As doth an oake or mightie tottering wall That whirling winde doth bring to ruine and wrack Now babling world will talke behind my backe A thousand things to my reproch and shame So will it too of others do the same But what of that the best is we are gone And worst of all when we our tales haue told Our open plagues will warning be to none Men are by hap and courage made so bold They thinke all is their owne they haue in hold Well let them say and thinke what thing they pleas This weltring world both flowes and ebs like seas Tho. Churchyard 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 Anno Dom. 1540. AWak'd and trembling betwixt rage and dread With the loud slander by the impious time That of my actions euery where is spread Through which to honor falsely I should clime From the sad dwelling of th' vntimely dead To quit me of that execrable crime Cromwell appeares his wretched plight to show Much that can tell one much that once did know Roughly not made vp in the common mould That with the vulgar vilely I should die What thing so strange of Cromwell is not told What man more prais'd who more condemn'd then I That with the world when I am waxed old Most t' were vnfit that same of me should lie With fables vaine my historie to fill Forcing my good excusing of my ill You that but hearing of my hated name Your ancient malice instantly bewray And for my sake your ill deserued blame
oracles of state Who that opinion strongly did embrace Which through the land receiued was of late Then ought at all preuailed in this case O powerfull doome of vnauoided fate Whose depth not weake mortalitie can know Who can vphold what heauen will ouerthrow VVhen time now vniuersally did show The power to her peculiarly annex'd VVith most abundance then when she did flow Yet euery hower still prosp'rously she wex'd But the world poore did by loose riots grow VVhich serued as an excellent pretext And colour gaue to plucke her from her pride VVhose only greatnesse suffred none beside Likewise to that posteritie did doubt Those at the first not rightly did adore Their fathers that too credulous deuout Vnto the Church contributed their store And to recouer only went about VVhat their great zeale had lauished before On her a strong hand violently lai'd Preying on that they gaue for to be prai'd And now the King set in a course so right VVhich I for him laboriously had tract VVho till I learn'd him did not know his might I still to prompt his power with me to act Into those secrets got so deepe a sight That nothing lastly to his furtherance lackt And by example plainly to him showne How all might now be easly ouerthrowne In taking downe yet of this goodly frame He suddenly not brake off euery band But tooke the power first from the Papall name After a while let the Religion stand When limbe by limbe he daily did it lame First tooke a leg and after tooke a hand Till the poore semblance of a bodie left But all should stay it vtterly bereft For if some Abbey hapned void to fall By death of him that the superiour was Gaine that did first Church libertie enthrall Only supreame promoted to the place Mongst many bad the worst most times of all Vnder the colour of some others grace That by the slander from his life should spring Into contempt it more and more might bring This time from heauen when by the secret course Dissension vniuersally began Preuailing as a planetarie sourse I' th Church belieuing as Mahumitan When Luther first did those opinions nurse Much from great Rome in little space that wan It to this change so aptly did dispose From whose sad ruine ours so great arose That heere that fabrique vtterly did faile Which powerfull fate had limited to time By whose strong law it naturally must quaile From that proud height to which it long did clime Letting gainst it the contrarie preuaile Therein to punish some notorious crime For which at length iust dooming heauen decreed That on her buildings ruine heere should feed Th' authoritie vpon her she did take And vse thereof in euery little thing Finding her selfe how oft she did forsake In her owne bounds her neuer limiting That awfull feare and due obedience brake Which her reputed holinesse did bring From slight regard soone brought her into hate With those that much disliked her estate And that those parts she cunningly had plai'd Beliefe vnto her miracles to win Vnto the world were euery day be wrai'd From which the doubt did of her power begin Damnation yet to question what she said Made most suspect the faith they had been in When their saluation easly might be bought Found not this yet the way that they had sought When those ill humours ripened to a head Bred by the ranknesse of the plentious land And they not only strangely from her fled Bound for her ancient libertie to stand But what their fathers gaue her being dead The sonnes rap'd from her with a violent hand And those her buildings most of all abus'd That with the waight their fathers coffins bruis'd The wisest and most prouident but build For time againe too wastfully destroy The costly piles and monuments we guild Succeeding time shall reckon but a toy Vicissitude impartially wild The goodliest things be subiect to annoy And what one age did studiously maintaine The next againe accounteth vile and vaine Yet time doth tell in some things they did erre That put their helpe her brauery to deface When as the wealth that taken was from her Others soone raised that did them displace Their titles and their offices conferre On such before as were obscure and base Who would with her they likewise downe should go And o'rthrew them that her did ouerthrow And th' Romish rites that with a cleerer sight The wisest thought they iustly did reiect They after saw that the receiued light Not altogether free was from defect Mysterious things being not conceiued right Thereof bred in the ignorant neglect For in opinion something short doth fall Wants there haue been and shall be still in all But negligent securitie and ease Vnbridled sensualitie begat That only sought his appetite to please As in the midst it of abundance sat The Church not willing others should her praise That she was leane when as her lands were fat Her selfe to too much libertie did giue Which some perceiu'd that in those times did liue Pierce the wise Plowman in his vision saw Conscience sore hurt yet sorer was affraid The seuen great sins to hell him like to draw And to wise Clergie mainly cri'd for aid Falne ere he wist whom perill much did awe On vncleane Priests whil'st faintly he him staid Willing good Clergie t' ease his wretched case Whom these strong Giants hotly had in chase Clergie call'd Friers which neere at hand did dwell And them requests to take in hand the cure But for their Leechcraft that they could not well He listed not their dressing to endure VVhen in his eare Need softly him did tell And of his knowledge more did him assure They came for gain their end which they did make For which on them the charge of soules they take And voluntarie pouertie profest By food of Angels seeming as to liue But yet with them th' accounted were the best That most to their fraternitie doe giue And beyond number that they were increas'd If so quoth Conscience thee may I beleeue Then t' is in vaine more on them to bestow If beyond number like they be to grow The Frier soone feeling Conscience had him found And hearing how Hypocrisie did thriue That many Teachers euery where did wound For which Contrition miserably did grieue Now in deceit to shew himselfe profound His former hopes yet lastly to reuiue Gets the Popes letters whereof he doth shape Him a disguise from Conscience to escape And so towards goodly Vnitie he goes A strong-built Castle standing very hie VVhere Conscience liu'd to keepe him from his foes VVhom lest some watchfull Centinell should spie And him vnto the garrison disclose His cowle about him carefully doth tie Creepes to the gate and closely thereat beate As one that entrance gladly would intreate Peace the good porter readie still at hand It doth vnpin and praies him God to saue And after saluing kindly doth demand VVhat was his will or who he there would haue
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
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