Lord being bent thereto I was by loue by feare by weakenes made An instrument to such disseignes as these For when the Lord of all the Orient bade Who but obey'd who was not glad to please And how could I withdraw my succouring hand From him that had my heart and what was mine The intrest of my faith in streightest band My loue to his most firmly did combine Caes. Loue alas no it was th' innated hatred That thou and thine hast euer born our people That made thee seeke all means to haue vs scattred To disunite our strenght and make vs feeble And therefore did that brest nurse our dissentiō With hope t' exalt thy selfe t' augment thy state To pray vppon the wracke of our contention And with the rest our foes to ioy thereat Cleo. O Caesar see how easie t is t' accuse Whom Fortune hath made faultie by their fall The wretched conquered may not refuse The titles of reproch he 's charg'd withall The conquering cause hath right wherein thou art The vanquisht still is iud'g the worser part Which part is mine because Ilost my part No lesser then the portion of a Crowne Enough for me alas what needed arte To gaine by others but to keepe mine owne But here let weaker powers note what it is To neighbour great Competitors too neere If we take part we oft do perish thus If neutrall bide both parties we must feare Alas what shall the forst partakers doe When folowing none yet must they perish to But Caesar sith thy right and cause is such Be not a heauie weight vpon calamitie Depresse not the afflicted ouer-much The chiefest glorie is the Victors lenitie Th'in heritance of mercie from him take Of whom thou hast thy fortune and thy name Great Caesar me a Queene at first did make And let not Caesar now confound the same Read here these lines which still I keep with me The witnes of his loue and fauours euer And God forbid this should be said of thee That Caesar wrong'd the fauoured of Caesar. For looke what I haue beene to Antonie Think thou the same I might haue been to thee And here I do present thee with the note Of all the treasure all the iewels rare That Egypt hath in many ages got And looke what Cleopatra hath is there Seleus Nay there 's not all set downe within that roule I know some things she hath reseru'd apart Cleo. What vile vngrateful wretch dar'st thou cōtroule Thy Queen soueraigne caitife as thou art hands Caes. Hold holde a poore reuenge can worke so feeble Cleo. Ah Caesar what a great indignitie Is this that here my vassall subiect stands T' accuse me to my Lord of trecherie If I reseru'd some certaine womens toyes Alas it was not for my selfe God knowes Poore miserable soule that little ioyes In trifling ornaments in outward showes But what I kept I kept to make my way Vnto thy Liuia and Octauias grace That thereby in compassion mooued they Might mediate thy fauour in my case Caes. Well Cleopatra feare not thou shalt finde What fauour thou desir'st or canst expect For Caesar neuer yet was found but kinde To such as yeeld and can themselues subiect And therefore giue thou comfort to thy minde Relieue thy soule thus ouer charg'd with care How well I will intreate thee thou shalt find So soone as some affaires dispatched are Til whē farewel Cl. Thanks thrise-renowned Caesar Poore Cleopatra rests thine owne for euer Dol. No maruel Caesar though our greatest spirits Haue to the powre of such a charming beautie Been brought to yeeld the honor of their merits Forgetting all respect of other dutie Then whilst the glory of her youth remain'd The wondring obiect to each wanton eye Before her full of sweet with sorrow wain'd Came to the period of this miserie If still euen in the midst of death and horror Such beautie shines thorow clouds of age sorow If euen those sweet decaies seeme to plead for her Which from affliction mouing graces borrow If in calamitie she could thus moue What could she do adorn'd with youth and loue What could she do then when as spreading wide The pompe of beautie in her glorie dight When arm'd with wonder she could vse beside Th'ingines of her loue Hope and Delight Beautie daughter of Maruaile ô see how Thou canst disgracing sorrowes sweetly grace What power thou shew'st in a distressed brow That mak'st affliction faire giu'st tears their grace What can vntressed locks can torne rent haire A weeping eye a wailing face be faire I see then artlesse feature can content And that true beautie needes no ornament Caes. What in a passion Dolabella what take heed Let others fresh examples be thy warning What mischiefes these so idle humors breed Whilst error keepes vs from a true discrening In deed I saw she labour'd to impart Her sweetest graces in her saddest cheere Presuming on the face that know the arre To moue with what aspect so eu'r it were But all in vaine she takes her ayme amisse The ground and marke her leuel much deceiues Time now hath altred all for neither is She as she was nor we as she conceiues And therfore now t were best she left such badnes Folly in youth is sinne in age t is madnes And for my part I seeke but t' entertaine In her some feeding hope to draw her forth The greatest Trophey that my trauailes gaine Is to bring home a prizall of such worth And now sith that she seemes so well content To be dispos'd by vs without more stay She with her children shall to Rome be sent Whilst I by Syria thither take my way CHORVS O Fearefull frowning Nemesrs Daughter of Iustice most seuere That art the worlds great arbitresse And Queene of causes raigning heere Whose swift-sure hand is euer neere Eternall iustice righting wrong Who neuer yet deserest long The proudes decay the weakes redresse But through thy power euery where Dost raze the great and raise the lesse The lesse made great dost ruine to To shew the earth what heauen can do Thou from darke-clos'd eternitie From thy black clowdy hidden seate The worlds disorders dost descry Which when they swel so proudly great Reuersing th' order nature set Thou giu'st thy all consounding doome Which none can know before it come Th' ineuitable destinie Which neither wit nor strength can let Fast chain'd vnto necessitie In mortall things doth order so Th' alternate course of weale or wo. O how the powres of heauen do play With trauailed mortalitis And doth their weakness still betray In their best prosperitie When being lifted up so hie They looke beyond themselues so farre That to themselues they take no care Whilst swift confusion downe doth lay Their late proude mounting vanitie Bringing their glorie to decay And with the ruine of their fall Extinguish people state and all But is it iustice that all we The innocent poore multitude For great mens faults should punisht be And to
to leaue calamitie As did those others smooth state-pleasers all Who followed but my fortune and not me T is thou must do a seruice for thy Queene Wherein thy faith and skill must do their best Thy honest care and duty shall be seene Performing this more then in all the rest For al what thou hast don may die with thee Although t is pitty that such faith should die But this shall euermore remembred be A rare example to posterity And looke how long as Cleopatra shall In after ages liue in memory So long shall thy cleere fame endure withall And therefore thou must not my sute denie Nor contradict my will For what I will I am resolu'd and this t is thou must do me Go find mee out with all thy art and skill Two Aspicqs and conuay them close vnto me I haue a worke to do with them in hand Enquire not what for thou shalt soone see what If the heauens do not my disseignes withstand But do thy charge and let me shift with that Being thus coniur'd by her t' whom I 'had vow'd My true perpetuall seruice forth I went Deuising how my close attempt to shrowde So that there might no art my art preuent And so disguis'd in habite as you see Hauing found out the thing for which I went I soone return'd againe and brought with me The Aspicqs in a basket closely pent Which I had fill'd with figges and leaues vpon And comming to the guard that kept the dore What hast thou there said they and looke thereon Seeing the figgs they deem'd of nothing more But said they were the fairest they had seene Taste some said I for they are good and pleasant No no said they go beare them to thy Queene Thinking me some poore māy brought a present Well in I went where brighter then the Sunne Glittering in all her pompous rich aray Great Cleopatra sate as if sh 'had wonne Caesar and all the world beside this day Euen as she was when on thy cristall streames O Cydnos she did shew what earth could shew When Asia all amaz'd in wonder deemes Venus from heauen was come on earth below Euen as she went at first to meete her Loue So goes she now at last againe to find him But that first did her greatnes onely proue This last her loue that could not liue behind him Yet as she fate the doubt of my good speed Detracts much from the sweetnes of her looke Cheer-marrer Care did then such passions breed That made her eye bewray the care she tooke But she no sooner sees me in the place But straight her sorow-clowded brow she cleeres Lightning a smile from out a stormie face Which all her tempest-beaten sences cheeres Looke how a stray'd perplexed trauailer When chas'd by theeues euē at point of taking Descrying suddainly some towne not far Or some vnlookt-for aid to him-ward making Cheers vp his tired sp'rits thrusts forth his strēgth To meet that good that comes in so good houre Such was her ioy perceiuing now at length Her honour was t' escape so proude a powre Forth from her seat she hastes to meet the present And as one ouer-ioy'd she caught it straight And with a smiling cheere in action pleasant Looking among the figs findes the deceite And seeing there the vgly venemous beast Nothing dismaid she stayes and viewes it well At length th' extreamest of her passion ceast When she began with words her ioy to tell O rarest beast saith she that Affrick breedes How deerly welcome art thou vnto me The fairest creature that faire Nylus feedes Me thinks I see in now beholding thee What though the euer-erring worlde doth deeme That angred Nature fram'd thee but in spight Little they know what they so light esteeme That neuer learn'd the wonder of thy might Better then Death Deaths office thou dischargest That with one gentle touch can free our breath And in a pleasing sleepe our soule inlargest Making our selues not priuie to our death If Nature err'd ô then how happy error Thinking to make thee worst she made thee best Sith thou best freest vs from our liues worst terror In sweetly bringing soules to quiet rest When that inexorable Monster Death That followes Fortune flies the poore destressed Tortures our bodies ere he takes our breath And loads with paines th' already weak oppressed How oft haue I begg'd prayd intreated him To take my life and yet could neuer get him And when he comes he comes so vgly grim That who is he if he could chuse would let him Therefore come thou of wonders wonder chiefe That open canst with such an easie key The doore of life come gentle cunning thiefe That from our selues so steal'st our selues away Well did our Priests discerne something diuine Shadow'd in thee and therefore first they did Offrings and worships due to thee assigne In whom they found such mysteries were hid Comparing thy swift motion to the Sunne That mou'st without the instruments that moue And neuer waxing olde but alwayes one Doost sure thy strange diuinitie approue And therefore to the rather vnto thee In zeale I make the offring of my blood Calamitie confirming now in me A sure beliefe that pietie makes good Which happy men neglect or hold ambiguous And onely the afflicted are religious And heere I sacrifice these armes to Death That Lust late dedicated to Delights Offring vp for my last this last of breath The complement of my loues dearest rites With that she bares her arme and offer makes To touch her death yet at the touch with-drawes And seeming more to speake occasion takes Willing to die and willing to to pause Looke how a mother at her sonnes departing For some far voyage bent to get him fame Doth intertaine him with anidle parling And stil doth speake and still speakes but the same Now bids farewell and now recalls him backe Tels what was told and bids againe fare-well And yet againe recalls for still doth lacke Something that loue would faine and cannot tell Pleas'd he should go yet cannot let him go So she although she knew there was no way But this yet this she could not handle so But she must shew that life desir'd delay Faine would she entertaine the time as now And now would faine that Death would seaze vpō her Whilst I might see presented in her brow The doubtful combattry'd twixt Life and Honor. Life bringing Legions of fresh hopes with her Arm'd with the proofe of time which yeelds we say Comfort and helpe to such as do refer All vnto him and can admit delay But Honour scorning Life loe forth leades he Bright immortalitie in shining armour Thorow the rayes of whose cleere glorie shee Might see Lifes basenes how much it might harm her Besides she saw whole armies of Reproches And base Disgraces Furies fearfull sad Marching with Life and Shame that stil incroches Vpon her face in bloodie colours clad Which representments seeing worse then death She deem'd to yeeld to Life
takes Of what had past in sleepe and silent night Yet hereof no important reck'ning makes But as a dreame that vanisht with the light The day designes and what he had in hand Left it to his diuerted thoughts vnskand 94 Doubtfull at first he warie doth proceed Seemes not t' affect that which he did effect Or els perhaps seemes as he ment indeed Sought but his owne and did no more expect Then fortune thou art guilty of his deed That didst his state aboue his hopes erect And thou must beare some blame of his great sin That left'st him worse then when he did begin 95 Thou didst conspire with pride and with the time To make so easie an assent to wrong That he that had no thought so hie to clime With fauoring comfort still allur'd along Was with occasion thrust into the crime Seeing others weakenes and his part so-strong And ô in such a case who is it will Do good and feare that maie liue free with ill 96 We will not say nor thinke O Lancaster But that thou then didst meane as thou didst swere Vpon th' Euangelists at Doncaster In th' eie of heauen and that assembly there That thou but as an vpright orderer Sought'st to reforme th' abused kingdome here And get thy right and what was thine before And this was all thou would'st attempt no more 97 Though we might say thinke that this pretence Was but a shadow to th' intended act Because th' euent doth argue the offence And plainely seemes to manifest the fact For that hereby thou mightst win confidence With those whom els thy course might hap distract And all suspition of thy drift remoue Since easily men credit whom they loue 98 But God forbid we should so nerely pry Into the low deepe buried sinnes long past T' examine and conferre iniquity Whereof faith would no memory should last That our times might not haue t' exemplifie With aged staines but with our owne shame cast Might thinke our blot the first not done before That new-made sins might make vs blush the more 99 And let vnwresting charity beleeue That then thy oth with thy intent agreed And others faith thy faith did first deceiue Thy after fortune forc'd thee to this deed And let no man this idle censure giue Because th' euent proues so t was so decreed For ô what counsels sort to other end Then that which frailty did at first intend 100 Whilst those that are but outward lookers on That cannot sound these misteries of state Deemes things were so contriu'd as they are done Holding that policie that was but fate Wondring how strange t was wrought how close begun And thinke all actions else did tend to that When ô how short they come or cast too fare Making the happy wiser then they are 101 But by degrees he venters now on blood And sacrifiz'd vnto the peoples loue The death of those that chiefe in enuy stood As th' Officers who first these dangers proue The treasorer and those that they thought good Bushy and Greene by death he must remoue These were the men the people thought did cause Those great exactions and abusd the lawes 102 This done his cause was preacht with learned skil And th' Archbishop of Canterbury shew'd A pardon sent from Rome to all that will Take part with him and quit the faith they ow'd To Richard as a Prince vnfit and ill On whom the crowne was fatally bestow'd And easie-yeelding zeale was quickly caught With what the mouth of grauity had taught 103 O that this powre from euerlasting giuen The great alliance made twixt God and vs Th' intelligence that earth doth hold with heauen Sacred religion ô that thou must thus Be made to smooth our waies vniust vneuen Brought from aboue earth-quarrels to discusse Must men beguile our soules to winne our wils And make our zeale the furtherer of ils 104 But the ambitious to aduance their might Dispence with heauen and what religion would The armed will finde right or else make right If this meanes wrought not yet another should And this and other now doe all incite To strength the faction that the Duke doth hold Who easily obtained what he sought His vertues and his loue so greatly wrought 105 The king still busied in this Irish warre Which by his valour there did well succeede Had newes how here his Lords reuolted are And how the Duke of Herford doth proceed In these affaires he feares are growne too farre Hastes his returne from thence with greatest speed But was by tempests windes and seas debarr'd As if they likewise had against him warr'd 106 But at the length though late in wales he landes Where thorowly inform'd of Henries force And well aduertisd how his owne case stands Which to his griefe he sees tendes to the worse He leauest ' Aumarle at Milford all those bands He brought from Ireland taking thence his course To Conwaie all disguisd with fourteene more Toth ' Earle of Salisburie thither sent before 107 Thinking the Earle had raisd some forces there Whom there he findes for saken all alone The people in those partes which leuied were B'ing closely shronke away dispersd and gone The king had stayed too long and they in feare Resolued euery man to shift for one At this amasd such fortune he laments Foresees his fall whereto each thing consents 108 In this disturb'd tumultuous broken state Whilst yet th' euent stood doubtfull what should be Whilst nought but headlong running to debate And glittering troupes and armor men might see Fury and feare compassion wrath and hate Confusd through all the land no Corner free The strong all mad to strife to ruine bent The weaker waild the aged they lament 109 And blame their many yeares that liue so long To see the horrour of these miseries Why had not we said they dyde with the strong In forraine fields in honourable wise In iust exploits and lawfull without wrong And by the valiant hand of enemies And not thus now reserued in our age To home confusion and disordered rage 110 Vnto the Temples flocke the weake deuout Sad wailing women there to vow and pray For husbands brothers or their sonnes gone out To bloudshed whom nor tears nor loue could stay Here graue religious fathers which much doubt The sad euents these broyles procure them may As Prophets warne exclaime disswade these crimes By the examples fresh of other times 111 And ô what doe you now prepare said they Another conquest by these fatall waies What must your own hands make your selues a pray To desolation which these tumults raise What Dane what Norman shall prepare his way To triumph on the spoile of your decaies That which nor France nor all the world could doe In vnion shall your discord bring you to 112 Conspire against vs neighbour nations all That enuy at the height whereto w' are growne Coniure the barbarous North and let them call Straunge fury from far distant shores
consent that thou So neere in bloud shalt be so great in might Then take him Rodon go my sonne fare-well But stay ther 's something else that I would say Yet nothing now but ô God speed thee well Least saying more that more may make thee stay Yet let me speake It may be t is the last That euer I shall speake to thee my Sonne Doe Mothers vse to part in such post-haste What must I end when I haue scarce begun Ah no deere hart t is no such slender twine Where-with the knot is tide twixt thee and me That bloud within thy vaines came out of mine Parting from thee I part from part of me And therefore I must speake Yet what O sonne Here more she would when more she could not say Sorrow rebounding backe whence it begun Fild vp the passage and quite stopt the way When sweet Caesario with a princely spirite Though comfortles himself did comfort giue With mildest words perswading her to beare it And as for him she should not need to grieue And I with protestations of my part Swore by that faith which sworn I did deceiue That I would vse all care all wit and arte To see him safe And so we tooke our leaue Scarce had we trauail'd to our iourneies end When Caesar hauing knowledge of our way His Agents after vs with speed doth send To labour me Caesario to betray Who with rewards and promises so large Assail'd me then that I grew soone content And backe to Rhodes did reconuay my charge Pretending that Octauius for him sent To make him King of Egypt presently And thither come seeing himselfe betray'd And in the hands of death through trechery Wailing his state thus to himselfe he said Lo here brought back by subtile train to death Betraide by Tutors faith or traytors rather My fault my bloud and mine offence my birth For being sonne of such a mighty Father From India whither sent by mothers care To be reseru'd from Egypts common wracke To Rhodes so long the armes of tyrants are I am by Caesars subtile reach brought backe Here to be made th' oblation for his feares Who doubts the poore reuenge these hands may doe him Respecting neither blood nor youth nor yeeres Or how small safety can my death be to him And is this all the good of beeing borne great Then wretched greatnesse proud rich misery Pompous distresse glittering calamity Is it for this th' ambitious Fathers swear To purchase bloud death for thē and theirs Is this the issue that their glories get To leaue a sure destruction to their heyros O how much better had it beene for me From low descent deriu'd of humble birth T' haue eat the sweet-sowre bread of pouertie And drunke of Nilus streams in Nilus earth Vnder the cou'ring of some quiet Cottage Free from the wrath of heauen secure in mind Vntoucht when sad euents of princes dotage Confounds what euer mighty it doth find And not t' haue stood in their way whose condition Is to haue all made cleere and all thing plaine Betweene them and the marke of their ambition That nothing let the ful sight of their raigne Where nothing stands that stands not in submission Where greatnesse must all in it selfe containe Kings will be alone Competitors must downe Neere death he stands that stands too neere a Crowne Such is my case for Caesar will haue all My bloud must seale th' assurance of his state Yet ah weake state that blood assure him shall Whose wrongfull shedding Gods men do hate Iniustice neuer scapes vnpunisht still Though men reuenge not yet the heauens wil. And thou Augustus that with bloodie hand Cutt'st off succession from anothers race Maist find the heauens thy vowes so to withstand That others may depriue thine in like case When thou maist see thy proud contentious bed Yeelding thee none of thine that may inherite Subuert thy blood place others in their sted To pay this thy iniustice her due merite If it be true as who can that denie Which sacred Priests of Memphis doe fore-say Some of the of-spring yet of Antonis Shall all the rule of this whole Empire sway And then Augustus what is it thou gainest By poore Antillus blood or this of mine Nothing but this thy victorie thou slainest And pull'st the wrath of heauen on thee and thine In vaine doth man contend against the starr's For that he seekes to make his wisdom marr's Yet in the mean-time we whom Fates reserue The bloodie sacrifices of ambition We feele the smart what euer they deserue And woindure the present times condition The iustice of the heauens reuenging thus Doth onely satisfie it selfe not vs. Yet t is a pleasing comfort that doth ease Affliction in so great extremitie To thinke their like destruction shall appease Our ghosts who did procure our miserie But dead we are vncertaine what shall bee And liuing we are sure to feele the wrong Our certaine ruine we our selues do see They ioy the while and we know not how long But yet Caesario thou must die content For men will mone and God reuenge th' innocent Thus he cōplain'd thus thou hear'st my shame Sel. But how hath Caesar now rewarded thee Rod. As he hath thee And I expect the same As fell to Theodor to fall to mee For he one of my coate hauing betraid The young Antillus sonne of Anthonie And at his death from off his necke conuaid A iewell which being askt he did denie Caesar occasion tooke to hang him straight Such instruments with Princes liue not long Although they need such actors of deceit Yet still our sight seemes to vpbraid their wrong And therefore we must needes this daunger runne And in the net of our owne guile be caught We must not liue to brag what we haue done For what is done must not appeare their fault But here comes Cleopatra wofull Queene And our shame will not that we should be seene Exeunt Cleopatra WHat hath my face yet powre to win a Louer Can this torne remnant serue to grace me so That it can Caesars secrete plots discouer What he intends with me and mine to do Why then poore Beautie thou hast done thy last And best good seruice thou could'st do vnto mee For now the time of death reueal'd thou hast Which in my life didst serue but to vndoe mee Heere Dolabella far forsooth in loue Writes how that Caesar meanes forthwith to send Both me and mine th' ayre of Rome to proue There his Triumphant Chariot to attend I thanke the man both for his loue and letter The one comes fit to warne me thus before But for th' other I must die his debter For Cleopatra now can loue no more But hauing leaue I must go take my leaue And last farewell of my dead Anthonie Whose deerly honour'd tombe must here receiue This sacrifice the last before I die O sacred euer-memorable stone That hast without my teares within my flame Receiue th' oblation of
vnknowne And let them altogither on vs fall So to diuert the ruine of our owne That we forgetting what doth so incense May turne the hand of malice to defence 113 Calme these tempestuous spirits O mighty Lord This threatning storme that ouer hangs the land Make them consider ere they'vnsheath the sword How vaine is th' earth this point wheron they stand And with what sad calamities is stoor'd The best of that for which th' Ambitious band Labor the end of labor strife of strife Terror in death and horrour after life 114 Thus they in zeale whose humbled thoughts were good Whil'st in this wide spread volume of the skies The booke of prouidence disclosed stood Warnings of wrath foregoing miseries In lines of fire and caracters of blood There fearefull formes in dreadfull flames arise Amazing Comets threatning Monarches might And new-seene starres vnknowne vnto the night 115 Red fiery dragons in the aire doe flie And burning Meteors poynted-streaming lights Bright starres in midst of day appeare in skie Prodigious monsters gastly fearefull sights Straunge Ghosts and apparitions terrific The wofull mother her owne birth affrights Seeing a wrong deformed infant borne Grieues in her paines deceiu'd in shame doth morn 116 The Earth as if afeard of bloud and woundes Trembles in terror of these falling bloes The hollow concaues giue out groning sounds And sighing murmurs to lament our woes The Ocean all at discord with his boundes Reiterates his strange vntimely floes Nature all out of course to checke our course Neglects her worke to worke in vs remorse 117 So great a wracke vnto it selfe doth lo Disordered mortality prepare That this whole frame doth euen labour so Her ruine vnto frailty to declare And trauailes to fore-signifie the wo That weake improuidence could not beware For heauen and earth and aire and seas and all Taught men to see but not to shun their fall 118 Is man so deare vnto the heauens that they Respect the waies of earth the workes of sin Doth this great all this vniuersall weigh The vaine designes that weakenes doth begin Or doe our feare father of zeale make way Vnto this errour ignorance liues in Making our faults the cause that moue these powres That haue their cause from other cause then ours 119 Or doe the conscience of our wicked decdes Apply to sinne the terrour of these sights Hapning at the instant when commotion breedes Amazing only timorous vulgar wights Who euer aggrauating that which feedes Their feares still find out matter that affrights Whilst th' impious fierce neglecting seele no touch And weigh too light what other scare so much 120 Ah no th' eternall powre that guides this frame And serues him with the instruments of heauen To call the earth and summon vp our shame By an edict from euerlasting giuen Forbids mortality to search the same Where sence is blind and wit of wit bereauen Terror must be our knowledge feare our skill T' admire his worke and tremble at his will 121 And these beginnings had this impious warre Th' vngodly bloudshed that did so defile The beauty of thy fields and euen did marre The flowre of thy chiefe pride ô fairest Ile These were the causes that incensd so farre The ciuil wounding hand inragd with spoile That now the liuing with afflicted eie Looke backe with griefe on such calamity THE ARGVMENT OF THE SECOND BOOKE King Richard mones his wrong and wailes his raigne And here betrayd to London he is led Basely attyrd attending Herfords traine Where th' one is skornd the other welcomed His Wife mistaking him doth much complaine And both togither greatly sorrowed In hope to saue his life and ease his thrall He yeelds vp state and Rule and Crowne and all 1 IN dearth of faith and scarsity of friends The late great mighty monarch on the shore In th' vtmost corner of his land attends To call backe false obedience fled before Toyles and in vaine his toile and labour spends More hearts he sought to gaine he lost the more All turn'd their faces to the rising sunne And leaues his setting-fortune night begun 2 O Percy how by thy example lead The household traine for sooke their wretched Lord When with thy staffe of charge dishonoured Thou brak'st thy faith not steward of thy word And tookst his part that after tooke thy head When thine owne hand had strengthned first his For such great merits doe obraid and call For great reward or thinke the great too small 3 And kings loue not to be beholding ought Which makes their chiefest friends oft speed the worst For those by whom their fortunes haue bin wrought Put them in mind of what they were at first Whose doubtfull faith if once in question brought T is thought they will offend because they durst And taken in a fault are neuer spar'd Being casier to reuenge then to reward 4 And thus these mighty actors sonnes of change These partizanes of factions often tride That in the smoake of innouations strange Build huge vncertaine plots of vnsure pride And on the hazard of a bad exchange Haue venterd all the stocke of life beside Whilst Princes raisd disdaine to haue beene raisd By those whose helpes deserue not to be praisd 5 O Maiestie left naked all alone But with th' vnarmed title of thy right Those gallant troupes thy fortune followers gone And all that pompe the complements of might Th' amazing shadowes that are cast vpon The eares of Princes to be guile the sight Are vanisht cleane and only frailty left Thy selfe of all besides thy selfe berest 6 Like when some great Colossus whose strong base Or mighty props are shronke or sunke awaie Fore-shewing ruine threatning all the place That in the danger of his fall doth stay All straight to better safetie flocke apace None rest to helpe the ruine while they maie The perill great and doubtfull there dresse Men are content to leaue right in distresse 7 As stately Thames inricht with many a flood And goodly riuers that haue made their graues And buried both their names and all their good Within his greatnes to augment his waues Glides on with pompe of waters vnwithstood Vnto the Ocean which his tribute craues And Taies vp all his wealth within that powre Which in it selfe all greatnes doth deuour 8 So flocke the mightie with their following traine Vnto the all-receiuing Builing brooke Who wonders at himselfe how he should gaine So manie hearts as now his partie tooke And with what ease and with how slender paine His fortune giues him more then he could looke What he imagind neuer could be wrought Is powrd vpon him farre beyond his thought 9 So often things which seeme at first in shew Without the compasse of accomplishment Once ventred on to that successe do grow That euen the Authors do admire th' euent So manie meanes which they did neuer know Doe second their designes and doe present Straunge vnexpected helpes and chiefly then When th' Actors are reputed worthy men
heat So they dissolu'd with hope and home they get 11 Leauing their Captaine to discharge alone The shott of blood consumed in theyr heat Too small a sacrifice for mischiefes done Was one mans breath which thousands dyd defeat Vnrighteous Death why art thou but all one Vnto the small offender and the great Why art thou not more then thou art to those That thousands spoyle and thousands liues doe lose 12 Thys fury passing with so quick an end Disclosd not those that on th' aduantage lay Who seeing the course to such disorder tend With-drew theyr foote asham'd to take that way Or els preuented whilst they dyd attend Some mightier force or for occasion stay But what they meant ill fortune must not tell Mischiefe be'ing oft made good by speeding well 13 Put by from thys the Duke of Yorke dissignes Another course to bring his hopes about And with those frends affinity combines In surest bonds his thoughts he poureth out And closely feeles and closely vndermines The fayth of whom he had both hope and doubt Meaning in more apparant open course To try his right his fortune and his force 14 Loue and aliance had most firmly ioynd Vnto his part that mighty family The fayre discended stock of Neuiles kind Great by theyr many issued progeny But greater by theyr worth that cleerely shind And gaue faire light to theyr nobilitie A mightie partie for a mighty cause By theyr vnited amitie hee drawes 15 For as the spreading members of proud Po That thousand-branched Po whose limmes embrace Thy fertile and delicious body so Sweet Lombardie and beautifies thy face Such seemd this powreful stock frō whence did grow So many great discents spreading theyr race That euery corner of the Land became Enricht with some great Heroes of that name 16 But greatest in renowne doth VVarwick sit That great King-maker VVarwick so far growne In grace with Fortune that he gouerns it And Monarchs makes and made againe puts downe What reuolutions his first mouing wit Heere brought about are more then too well known That fatall kindle-fire of those hote dayes Whose worth I may whose worke I cannot prayse 17 With him with Richard Earle of Salisbury Courtny and Brooke his most assured frends Hee intimates his minde and openly The present bad proceedings discommends Laments the state the peoples misery And that which such a pittyer seldom mends Oppression that sharpe two edged sword That others wounds and wounds likewise his Lord. 18 My Lord sayth he how things are carryed heere In thys corrupted state you plainly see What burden our abused shoulders beare Charg'd with the weight of imbecillitie And in what base account all we appeare That stand without their grace that all must be And who they be and how their course succeeds Our shame reports and time bewrayes theyr deeds 19 Aniou and Maine O maine that foule appeares Eternall scarre of our dismembred Land And Guien's lost that did three hundred yeeres Remaine subiected vnder our commaund From whence me thinks there sounds vnto our eares The voyce of those deere ghosts whose liuing hand Got it with sweat and kept it with theyr blood To doe vs thankles vs theyr of-spring good 20 And seeme to cry O how can you behold Their hatefull feet vpon our graues should tread Your Fathers graues who gloriously dyd hold That which your shame hath left recouered Redeeme our Tombes O spirits too too cold Pull backe these Towres our Armes haue honored These Towres are yours these Forts we built for you These walls doe beare our names and are your due 21 Thus well they may obrayd our rechlesnes Whilst we as if at league with infamie Ryot away for nought whole Prouinces Giue vp as nothing worth all Normandy Traffique strong holds sell Fortresses So long that nought is left but misery Poore Callice and these water-walls about That basely pownds vs in from breaking out 22 And which is worse I feare we shall in th' end Throwne from the glory of inuading war Be forst our propper limmits to defend Where euer men are not the same they are Where hope of conquest doth theyr spyrits extend Beyond the vsuall powres of valor far For more is he that ventureth for more Then who fights but for what he had before 22 Put to your hands therefore to reskew nowe Th'indangered state dere Lords from thys disgrace And let vs in our honor labour how To brings thys scorned Land in better case No doubt but God our action will allow That knowes my right and how they rule the place Whose weakenes calls vp our vnwillingnesse As opening euen the doore to our redresse 24 Though I protest it is not for a Crowne My soule is moou'd yet if it be my right I haue no reason to refuse myne owne But onely these indignities to right And what if God whose iudgements are vnknowne Hath me ordaynd the man that by my might My Country shall be blest if so it be By helping me you rayse your selues with me 25 In those whom zeale and amitie had bred A fore-impression of the right he had These styrring words so much encouraged That with desire of innouation mad They seem'd to runne before not to be led And to his fire doe quicker fuell ad For where such humors are prepard before The opening them makes them abound the more 26 Then counsell take they fitting theyr desire For nought that fits not theyr desire is wayghd The Duke is straight aduised to retyre Into the bounds of Wales to leauy ayde Which vnder smooth pretence he doth require T' amoue such persons as the state betrayd And to redresse th' oppression of the land The charme which weakenes seldom doth withstand 27 Ten thousand straight caught with this bait of breth Are towards greater lookt-for forces led Whose power the King by all meanes trauaileth In theyr arising to haue ruined But theyr preuenting head so compasseth That all ambushments warilie are fled Refusing ought to hazard by the way Keeping his greatnes for a greater day 28 And to the Citty straight directs his course The Citty seate of Kings and Kings cheefe grace Where finding of his entertainment worse By far then he expected in that place Much disappoynted drawes from thence his force And towards better trust marches a pace And downe in Kent fatall for discontents Nere to thy banks fayre Thames doth pitch his Tents 29 And there intrencht plants his Artillery Artillery th' infernall instrument New brought from hell to scourge mortality With hideous roring and astonishment Engin of horror fram'd to terrific And teare the earth and strongest Towers to rent Torment of Thunder made to mock the skyes As more of power in our calamities 30 O if the fire subtile Promethius brought Stolne out of heauen did so afflict mankind That euer since plagu'd wyth a curious thought Of styrring search could neuer quiet find What hath he done who now by stealth hath got Lightning and Thunder both in wondrous kind