blamefulnes of the persons passion in those poynts wherin the passion is blamefull Lastly such manifest diffrence being betwixt euery one of them where or howsoeuer they be marshalled how can I be iustly appeached of vnaduisement For the third because the worke might in trueth be iudged brainish if nothing but amorous humor were handled therein I haue enter-wouen matters historicall which vnexplaned might defraude the minde of much content as for example in Queene Margarites Epistle to William de la Poole My Daizie flower which once perfumde the aire Margarite in French signifies a Daizie which for the allusion to her name this Queene did giue for her deuise and this as others more haue seemed to me not worthy the explaning Now though no doubt I hadde neede to excuse other things beside yet these most especially the rest I ouerpasse to eschue tedious recitall or to speake as malicious enuy may for that in trueth I ouersee them If they be as harmelesly taken as I meant them it shall suffice to haue only touched the cause of the title of the Dedications and of the Notes whereby emboldned to publish the residue these not being accounted in mens opinions relishlesse I shall not lastly be afraide to beleeue and acknowledge thee a gentle Reader M. D. To M. Michaell Drayton HOw can he write that broken hath his penne Hath rent his paper throwne his incke away Detests the world and company of men Because they growe more hatefull day by day Yet with these broken reliques mated mind And what a iustly-grieued thought can say I giue the world to know I ne're could find A worke more like to liue a longer day Goe Verse an object for the prowdest eye Disdaine those which disdaine to reade thee ouer Tell them they know not how they should descry The secret passions of a wirty louer For they are such as none but those shall know Whom Beauty schooles to hold the blind Boies bow Once I had vowd O who can all vowes keep Henceforth to smother my vnlucky Muse Yet for thy sake she started out of sleepe Yet now she dies Then doe as kinsfolkes vse Close vp the eyes of my new-dying stile As I haue op'ned thy sweeet babes ere-while E. St. Gent. Duris decus omen To M. Michaell Drayton LOng haue I wisht and hopde my weaker Muse In nothing strong but my vnhappy loue Would giue me leaue my fortune to approue And view the world as named Poets vse But still her fruitlesse bosome doth refuse To blesse me with indifferencie of praise Not daring like to many to abuse That title which true worth should onely raise Thus bankerout and despairing of mine owne I set my wish and hope kind friend on thee Whose fruite approu'd and better fortune knowne Tells me thy Muse my loues sole heire must be So barren wombs embrace their neighbors yong So dumbe men speake by them that haue a tong Thomas Hassall Gent. To M. Michaell Drayton NOw I perceiue Pithagoras diuinde When he that mocked Maxim did maintaine That spirits once spoilde reuested were againe Though changde in shape remaining one in mind These loue sicke Princes passionate estates Who feeling reades he cannot but allow That Ouids soule reuines in Drayton now Still learnd in loue still rich in rare conceits This pregnant spirit affecting further skill Oft altring forme from vulgar wits retirde In diuers Ideoms mightily admirde Did prosecute that sacred study still While to a full perfection now attainde He sings so sweetly that himselfe is stainde William Alexander-Scotus ¶ To the excellent Lady Lucie Countesse of Bedford MAdam after all the admired wittes of this excellent age which haue labored in the sad complaints of faire and unfortunate Rosamond and by the excellencie of inuention haue sounded the depth of her sundry passions I present to your Ladiship this Epistle of hers to King Henry whome I may rather call her louer than beloued Heere must your Ladiship behold variablenes in resolution woes constantly grounded laments abruptly broken off much confidence no certainty words begetting teares teares confounding matter large complaintâ— in little papers and many deformed cares in one vniformed Epistle I striue not to effect singularitie yet would faine flie imitation prostrate mine owne wants to other mens perfections Your iudiciall eye must model forth what my pen hath layd together much would shee say to a King much would I say to a Countesse but that the method of my Epistle must conclude the modestie of hers which I wish may recommend my euer vowed seruice to your Honour Michaell Drayton The Epistle of Rosamond to King Henry the second The Argument Henry the second of that name King of England the son of Geffrey Plantaginet Earle of Anlow and Mawd the Empresse hauing by long sute and Princely gifts won to his vnlawfull desire faire Rosamond the daughter of the Lord Walter Clyfford and to auoyde the danger of Ellinor his iealous Queene had caused a Labyrinth to be made within his Pallace at Woodstocke in the centre wherof he had lodged his beauteous paramour Whilest the king is absent in his warres in Normandie this poore distressed Lady inclosed in this solitary place toucht with remorce of conscience writes to the king of her distresse and miserable estate vrging him by all meanes and perswasions to cleere himselfe of this infamie and her of the griefe of minde by taking away her wretched life IF yet thine eies great Henry may endure These tainted lines drawne with a hand impure Which fain would blush but feare keeps blushes back And therefore suted in dispairing black This in loues name O that these lips might craue But that sweete name vile I prophaned haue Punish my fault or pittie mine estate Reade 〈◊〉 for loue if not for loue for hate If with my shame thine eies thou faine wouldst feed Heere let them suâ—feit on my shame to reede This scribled paper which 〈◊〉 send to thee If noted rightly doth resemble mee As this pure ground whereon thâ—se letters stand So pure was I erâ—stained by thy hand Ere I was blotted with this foule offence So cleere and spotlesse was mine innocence Now like these marks which taint this hatefull scroule Such the blacke sinnes which spot my lâ—prous soule O Henry why by losse thus shouldst thou win To get by conquest to enrich with sinne Why on my name this slaunder doost thou bring To make my fault renowmed by a King Fame neuer stoopes to things but meane and poore The more our greatnes makes our fault the more Lights on the ground themselues doe lessâ—n farre But in the ayre each small sparke seemes a starre Why on a womans frailtie wouldst thou lay This subtile plot mine honour to betray Or thy vnlawfull pleasure shouldst thou buy With vile expence of kingly maiesâ—ie T' was not my minde consented to this ill Then had I beene transported by my will For what my body was inforcde to doe Heauen knowes my soule did not consent
the remembrance of the thing To make the people more abhorre their King Nor shall a Spenser be he ne're so great Possesse our Wigmore our renowned seate To raze the antient Trophies of our race With our deserts their monuments to grace Nor shall he leade our valiant marchers forth To make the Spensers famous in the North Nor be the Gardants of the British pales Defending England and preseruing Wales At first our troubles easily reculde But now growne head-strong hardly to be rulde With grauest counsell all must be directed Where plainest shewes are openly suspected For where mis-hap our errour dooth assault There doth it eassiest make vs see our fault Then sweet represse all fond and wilfull spleene Two things to be a woman and a Queene Keepe close the cindars lest the fire should burne It is not this which yet must serue our turne And if I doe not much mistake the thing The next supply shall greater comfort bring Till when I leaue my Princesse for a while Liue thou in rest though I liue in exile Notes of the Chronicle Historie Of one condemnd and long lodgde vp in death ROger Mortimer Lord of Wigmore had stoode publikely condemned for his insurrection with Thomas erle of Lancaster and Bohune earle of Herford by the space of three months and as the report went the day of his execution was determined to haue bin shortly after which he preuented by his escape Twice all was taken twice thou all didst giue At what time the two Mortimers this Roger lord of Wigmore and his vncle Roger Mortimer the elder were apprehended in the west the Queene by meanes of Torlton Bishop of Hereford and Becke Bishop of Duresme and Patriarke of Ierusalem being then both mighty in the state vpon the submission of the Mortimers somewhat pacified the king and now secondly shee wrought meanes for his escape Leauing the cordes to tell where I had gone With strong ladders made of cords prouided him for the purpose he escaped out of the Tower which when the same were found fastned to the walles in such a desperate attempt they bred astonishment to the beholders Nor let the Spensers glory in my dâ—awe The two Hugh Spensers the father and the sonne then being so highly fauored of the King knew that their greatest safety came by his exile whose high and turbulent spirit could neuer brooke any corriuall in greatnes My grandsire was the first since Arthurs raigne That the Round-table rectifide againe Roger Mortimer called the great Lord Mortimer Grandfather to this Roger which was afterward the first Earle of March reeâ—ected againe the Round-table at Kenelwoorth after the ancient order of king Arthurs table with the retinue of a hudred knights and a hundred ladies in his house for the entertaining of such aduentures as came thither from all parts of Christendome Whilest famous Longshanks bones in Fortunes scorne Edward Longshanks willed at his death that his body should be boyled the flesh from the bones and that the bones should bee borne to the wars in Scotland which he was perswaded vnto by aprophecie which told that the English should still be fortunate in conquest so long as his bones were caried in the field The English blood that stained Banocksburne In the great voyage Edward the second made against the Scots at the battell at Striueling neere vnto the riuer of Banocksburne in Scotland where there was in the English campe such banketâ—ing and excesse such riot and misorder that the Scots who in the meane time laboured for aduauntage gaue to the English a great ouerthrow And in the Dead-sea sincke our horses fame From whose c. Mortimer so called of Mare mortuum and in French Mort mer in English the Dead-sea which is said to be where Sodom â—nd Go morra once were before they were destroyed by fire froÌ„ Heauen And for that hatefull sacrilegious sin Which by the Pope he stand◠〈…〉 ursed in Gaustelinus and Lucas two Cardinals sent into England from Pope Clement to appease the auncient hate betweene the King and Thomas Earle of Lancaster to whose Embassie the king seemed to yeeld but after their departure hee went backe from his promises for which he was accursed at Rome Of those industrious Roman Colonies A Colony is a sort or number of people that come to inhabite a place before not inhabited whereby he seemes here to prophecie of the subuersion of the land the Pope ioyning with the power of other Princes against Edward for the breach of his promise Charles by inuasiue Armes againe shall take Charles the French King mooued by the wrong done vnto his sister seiseth the Prouinces which belonged to the King of England into his hands stirred the rather thereto by Mortimer who solicited her cause in France as is expressed before in the other Epistle in the glosse vpon this poynt And those great Lords now after their attaints Canonized among the English Saints After the death of Thomas Earle of Lancaster at Pomfret the people imagined great myracles to be done by his reliques as they did of the body of Bohune earle of Hereford slaine at Borough bridge Finis ⧠To my worthy and honored friend Sir Walter Aston Knight of the Bath SIR though without suspition of flatterie I might in more ample and free tearmes intimate my affection vnto you yet hauing so sensible a taste of your generous and noble aisposition which without this habite of ceremony can estimate my loue I will rather affect bre 〈…〉 though it should seeme my fault than by my tedious complement to trouble mine owne opinion setled in your iudgement and discretion I make you the Patron of this Epistle of the Blacke-Prince which I pray you accept till more easie houres may offer vppe from mee some thing more worthy of your view and my trauell Yours truely deuoted Mich Drayton ¶ Edward the Blacke-Prince to Alice Countesse of Salisbury The Argument Alice Countesse of Salisbury remaining at Roxborough castle in the North in the absence of the earle her husband who was by the Kings commaund sent ouer into Flaunders and there deceased ere his returne This Lady being besieged in her castle by the Scots Edward the Blacke-Prince being sent by the King his father to relieue the north parts with an Armie and to remooue the siege of Roxborough there fell in loue with the Countesse when after she returned to London hee sought by diuers and sundry meanes to winne her to his youthfull pleasures as by forcing the Earle of Kent her father and her mother vnnaturally to become his Agents in his vaine desire where after a long and assured triall of her inuincible constancie hee taketh her to his wife to which end he only frameth this Epistle REceiue these papers from thy wofull Lord With farre more woes than they with wordes are storde Which if thine eie with rashnes do reproue Thei 'le say they came from that imperious loue In euery letter thou maist vnderstand Which loue
so hie So soone transpersed with a womans eie He that a king at Poictiers battell tooke Himselfe led captiue with a wanton looke Twice as a Bride to church I haue bin led Twice haue two Lords enjoyd my Bridale bed How can that beauty yet be vndestroyd That yeeres haue wasted and two men enioyd Or should be thought fit for a Princes store Of which two subiects were possest before Let Spaine let France or Scotland so preferre Their infant Queenes for Englands dowager That bloud should be much more than halfe diuine That should be equall euery way with thine Yet princely Edward though I thus reproue you As mine owne life so deerely doe I loue you My noble husband which so loued you That gentle Lord that reuerend Mountague Nere mothers voyce did please her babe so well As his did mine of you to heare him tell I haue made short the houres that time made long And chaind mine eares vnto his pleasing tong My lips haue waited on your praises worth And snatcht his words ere he could get them forth When he hath spoke and something by the way Hath broke off that he was about to say I kept in minde where from his tale he fell Calling on him the residue to tell Oft he would say how sweet a Prince is he When I haue praisde him but for praising thee And to proceede I would intreate and wooe And yet to ease him help to praise thee too Must she be forcde t'exclaime th'iniurious wrong Offred by him whom she hath lou'd so long Nay I will tell and I durst almost sweare Edward will blush when he his fault shall heare Iudge now that time doth youths desire asswage And reason mildely quencht the fire of rage By vpright iustice let my cause be tride And be thou iudge if I not iustly chide That not my fathers graue and reuerend yeeres When on his knee he beggd me with his teares By no perswasions possibly could winne To free himselfe as guiltlesse of my sinne The woe for me my mother did abide Whose sute but you there 's none would haue denide Your lust full rage your tyranny could stay Mine honours ruine further to delay Haue I ot lou'd you let the truth be showne That still preseru'd your honour with mine owne Had your fond will your foule desires preuailde When you by them my chastitie assailde Though this no way could haue excusde my fault True vertue neuer yeelded to assault Yet what a thing were this it should be said My parents sin should to your charge be laide And I haue gainde my libertie with shame To saue my life made ship wracke of my name Did Roxborough once vaile her towring fane To thy braue ensigue on the Northerne plaine And to thy trumpet sounding from thy tent Often replide as to my succor sent And did receiue thee as my souâ—raigne liege Comming to ayde thou shouldst againe besiege To raise a foâ— but for my treasure came To plant a foe to take my honest name Vnder pretence to haue remou'd the Scot And wouldst haue won more than he could haue got That did ingirt me ready still to flie But thou laidst batt'ry to my chastitie O modestie didst thou me not restraine How I could chide you in this angry vaine A Princes name heauen knowes I doe not craue To haue those honours Edwardâ— spouse should haue Nor by ambitious lures will I be brought In my chaste breast to harbour such a thought As to be worthy to be made a Bride An Empresse place by mighty Edwards side Of all the most vnworthy of that grace To waite on her that should enioy that place But if that loue Prince Edward doth require Equall his vertues and my chaste desire If it be such as we may iustly vaunt A Prince may sue for and a Lady graunt If it be such as may suppresse my wrong That from your vaine vnbrideled youth hath sprong That faith I send that I from you receaue The rest vnto your Princely thoughts I leaue ¶ Notes of the Chronicle Historie Twice as a Bride I haue to Church beene led THe two husbands of which she makes mention obiecting bigamy against herselfe as being therefore not meet to be married with a batcheller-Prince were sir Thomas Holland knight sir Willlam Montague afterward made Earle of Salisbury That not my fathers graue and reuerend yeeres A thing incredible that any Prince should be so vniust to vse the fathers meanes for the corruption of the daughters chastitie though so the historie importeth her father being so honourable and a man of so singular desert though Polidore would haue her thought to be Iane the daughter to Edmund earle of Kent vncle to Edward the third beheaded in the Protectoriship of Mortimer that dangerous aspirer And I haue gainde my libertie with shame Roxborough is a castle in the North mis-termed by Bandello Salisbury castle because the king had giuen it to the Earle of Salisbury in which her Lorde being absent the Countesse by the Scots was besieged who by the comming of the English Armie were remoued Here first the Prince saw her whose libertie had bin gained by her shame had shee bin drawne by dishonest loue to satisfie his appetite but by her most praise-worthy constancie she conuerted that humor in him to an honourable purpose and obtained the true reward of her admired vertues The rest vnto your princely thoughts I leaue Lest any thing be left out which were woorth the relation it shall not be impertinent to annex the opinions that are vttered concerning her whose name is said to haue bin Aclips but that being rejected as a name vnknowne among vs Froisard is rather beleeued who calleth her Alice Polidore contrariwise as before is declared names her Iane who by Prince Edward had issue Edward dying yong and Richard the second king of England thogh as he saith she was diuorced afterwards because within the degrees of consanguinitie prohibiting to many the trueth whereof I omit to discusse her husband the Lord Montague being sent ouer into Flaunders by king Edward was taken prisoner by the French and not returning left his Countesse a widow in whose bed succeeded Prince Edward to whose last and lawsull request the reioycesull Lady sends this louing answere Finis ¶ To the right Honourable and my very good Lord Edward Earle of Bedford THrice noble and my gratious Lord the loue I haue euer borne to the illustrious house of Bedford and to the honourable familie of the Harringtons to the which by marriage your Lordship is happily vnited hath long since deuoted my true and zealous affection to your honourable seruice and my Poems to the protection of my noble Ladie your Countesse to whose seruice I was furst bequeathed by that learnd accomplisht gentleman sir Henry Goodere not long since deceased whose I was whilst hee was whose patience pleased to beare with the imperfections of my heedles and vnstaied youth That excellent and
heare my prayre That Bullingbrooke now placde in Richards chaire Such cause of woe vnto their wiues may be As those rebellious Lords haue beene to me And that prowd Dame which now controlleth all And in her pompe triumpheth in my fall For her great Lord may water her sad eyne With as salt teares as I haue done for mine And mourne for Henry Hotspur her deere sonne As I for my sweete Mortimer haue done And as I am so succourlesse be sent Lastly to taste perpetuall banishment Then loose thy care where first thy crowne was lost Sell it so deerely for it deerely cost And sith they did of libertie depriue thee Burying thy hope let not thy care out-liue thee But hard God knowes with sorrow doth it goe When woe becomes a comforter to woe Yet much me thinkes of comfort I could say If from my hart pale feare were rid away Something there is which tells me still of woe But what it is that heauen aboue doth know Griefe to it selfe most dreadfull doth appeare And neuer yet was sorrow voide of feare But yet in death doth sorrow hope the best And with this farewell wish thee happy rest Notes of the Chronicle Historie If fatall Pomfret hath in former time POmfret Castle euer a fatall place to the Princes of England and most ominous to the blood of Plantaginet Oh how euen yet I hate these wretched eyes And in my glasse c. When Bullingbrooke returned to London from the West bringing Richard a prisoner with him the Queene who little knew of her husbands hard successe staid to behold his comming in little thinking to haue seene her husband thus ledde in triumph by his foe and now seeming to hate her eyes that so much had graced her mortall enemie Wherein great Norfolks forward course was staid She remembreth the meeting of two Dukes of Herford and Norfolke at Couentry vrging the iustnesse of Mowbrayes quarrell against the Duke of Herford and the faithfull assurance of his victorie O why did Charles relieue his needie state A vagabond c. Charles the French King her father receiued the Duke of Herford in his Court and releeued him in Fraunce being so neerely alied as Cosin german to king Richard his sonne in Law which he did simply little thinking that hee should after returne into England and dispossesse King Richard of the Crowne When thou to Ireland took'st thy last farewell King Richard made a voyage with his Armie into Ireland against Onell and Mackemur which rebelled at what time Henry entred here at home and robd him of all kingly dignitie Affirmde by Church-men which should beare no hate That Iohn of Gaunt was illegitâ—imate William Wickham in the great quarrell betwixt Iohn of Gaunt and the Clergy of meere spight and malice as it should seeme reported that the Queene confessed to him on her deathbed being then her Confessor that Iohn of Gaunt was the son of a Flemming and that shee was brought to bed of a woman childe at Gaunt which was smothered in the cradle by mischance that she obtained this childe of a poore woman making the king beleeue it was her owne greatly fearing his displeasure Fox eâ— Chron. Alban No bastards marke doth blot our conquering shield Shewing the true and indubitate birth of Richard his right vnto the Crowne of England as carrying the Armes without blot or difference Against their faith vnto the Crownes true heire Their noble kinsman c. Edmund Mortimer Earle of March sonne of Earle Roger Mortimer which was sonne to Lady Phillip daughter to Lionell Duke of Clarence the third sonne to King Edward the third which Edmund King Richard going into Ireland was proclaimed heire apparant to the Crowne whose Aunt called Ellinor this Lord Piercie had married O would Aumerle had suncke when he betrayd The complâ—t which that holy Abbot layd The Abbot of Westminster had plotted the death of King Henry to haue beene done at a Tilt at Oxford of which confederacie there was Iohn Holland Duke of Excester Thomas Holland Duke of Surrey the Duke of Aumerle Mountacute Earle of Salsbury Spenser Earle of Gloster the Bishop of Carlile Sir Thomas Blunt these all had bound themselues one to another by Indenture to performe it but were all betrayd by the Duke of Aumerle Scroope Greene and Bushie die his fault in graine Henry going towards the Castle of Flint where King Richard was caused Scroope Greene and Bushie to be executed at Bristow as vile persons which had seduced this King to this lasciuious and wicked life Damn'd be the oth he made at Doncaster After Henries exile at his returne into England he tooke his oth at Doncaster vpon the Sacrament not to claime the crowne or Kingdome of England but onely the Dukedome of Lancaster his owne proper right and the right of his wife And mourne for Henry Hotspur her deere sonne As I for my c. This was the braue couragious Henry Hotspur that obtained so many victories against the Scots which after falling out right with the curse of Queene Isabell was slaine by Henry at the battaile at Shrewsbury Richard the second to Queene Isabell WHat may my Queene but hope for froÌ„ that hand Vnfit to write vnskilfull to coÌ„mand A Kingdomes greatnesse hardly can he sway That wholesome counsaile neuer did obay Ill this rude hand did guide a Scepter then Worse now I feare me gouerneth a pen How shall I call my selfe or by what name To make thee know from whence these letters came Not from thy husband for my hatefull life Hath made thee widdow being yet a wife Nor from a King that title I haue lost Now of that name prowd Bullingbroke may boast What I haue beene doth but this comfort bring That no woe is to say I was a King This lawlesse life which first procurde my hate This tongue which then denounc'd my regall state This abiect minde that did consent vnto it This hand that was the instrument to doe it All these be witnesse that I doe denie All passed hopes all former soueraigntie Didst thou for my sake leaue thy fathers Court Thy famous Country and thy virgine port And vndertook'st to trauaile dangerous waies Driuen by aukward windes and boist'rous seas And left 's great Burbon for thy loue to mee Who su'd in marriage to be linck'd to thee Offring for dower the Countries neighbouring nie Of fruitfull Almaine and rich Burgundie Didst thou all this that England should receiue thee To miserable banishment to leaue thee And in my downefall and my fortunes wracke Forsaken thus to France to send thee backe When quiet sleepe the heauie hearts reliefe Hath rested sorrow somwhat lesned griefe My passed greatnes vnto minde I call And thinke this while I dreamed of my fall With this conceit my sorrowes I beguile That my faire Queene is but with-drawne a while And my attendants in some chamber by As in the height of my prosperitie Calling alowd and asking who is there The Eccho
late duke Humfries old alies With banisht Elnors base complices Attending their reuenge grow wondrous crouse And threaten death and vengeance to our house And I lone the wofull remnant am T' endure these stormes with wofull Buckingham I pray thee Poole haue care how thou doost passe Neuer the Sea yet halfe so dangerous was And one foretolde by Water thou shouldst die Ah! foule befall that foule tongues prophecie And euery night am troubled in my dreames That I doe see thee tosst in dangerous streames And oft-times shipwrackt cast vpon the land And lying breathlesse on the queachy sand And oft in visions see thee in the night Where thou at Sea maintainst a dangerous fight And with thy proued target and thy sword Beatst backe the pyrate which would come aboord Yet be not angry that I warne thee thus The truest loue is most suspitious Sorrow doth vtter what vs still doth grieue But hope forbids vs sorrovve to belieue And in my counsell yet this comfort is It can not hurt although I thinke amisse Then liue in hope in triumph to returne When cleerer dayes shall leaue in cloudes to mourne But so hath sorrow girt my soule about That that word Hope me thinks comes slowly out The reason is I know it heere vvould rest Where it vvould still behold thee in my breast Farewell sweete Pole faine more I would indite But that my teares doe blot as I do write ¶ Notes of the Chronicle Historie Or brings in Burgoyne to ayde Lancaster PHillip Duke of Burgoyne and his sonne were alwaies great fauorites of the house of Lancaster howbeit they often dissembled both with Lancaster and Yorke Who in the North our lawfull claime commends To win vs credite with our valiant friends The chiefe Lords of the North parts in the time of Henry the fixt withstood the Duke of Yorke at his rising giuing him two great ouerthrowes To that allegeance Yorke was bound by oth To Henries heires and safety of vs both No longer now he meanes Records shall beare it He will dispence with heauen and will vnsweare it The Duke of Yorke at the death of Henry the fift and at this Kings coronation tooke his oth to be true subiect to him and his heires for euer but afterward dispensing therewith claimed the crowne as his rightfull and proper inheritance If three sonnes faile shee 'le make the fourth a King The Duke of Yorke had foure sonnes Edward Earle of March that afterward was Duke of Yorke and King of England when he had deposed Henry the sixt and Edmund Earle of Rutland slaine by the Lord Clifford at the battel at Wakefield and George Duke of Clarence that was murthered in the Tower and Richard Duke of Gloster who was after he had murthered his brothers sonnes King by the name of Richard the third He that 's so like his Dam her yongest Dicke That fowle illfauored crookeback'd Stigmaticke c. Till this verse As though begot an age c. This Richard whom ironically she heere calls Dicke that by treason after his Nephewes murthered obtained the crowne was a man low of stature crooke-back'd the left shoulder much higher then the right and of a very crabbed and sower countenance his mother could not be deliuered of him hee was borne toothd with his feet forward contrary to the course of nature To ouershadow our vermilian Rose The red Rose was the badge of the house of Lancaster and the white Rose of Yorke which by the marriage of Henry the seauenth with Elizabeth indubitate heire of the house of Yorke was happily vnited Or who will muzzell that vnruly beare The Earle of Warwicke the setter vp and puller downe of Kings gaue for his Armes the white Beare rampant and the ragged staffe My Daisie flower which erst perfumde the ayre Which for my fauour Princes once did weare c. The Daisie in French is called Margaret which was Queene Margarets badge where-withall the Nobilitie and chiualrie of the Land at the first arriuall were so delighted that they wore it in their hats in token of honour And who be starres but Warwikes bearded staues The ragged or bearded staffe was a part of the Armes belonging to the Earledome of Warwicke Slandring Duke Rayner with base beggery Rayner Duke of Aniou called himselfe King of Naples Cicile and Ierusalem hauing neither inheritance nor tribute from those parts and was not able at the marriage of the Queene of his owne charges to send her into England though he gaue no dower with her which by the Dutchesse of Glocester was often in disgrace cast in her teeth A Kentish rebell a base vpslart groome This was Iacke Cade which caused the Kentish-men to rebell in the 28. yeere of King Henry the fixth And this is he the white Rose must prefer By Clarence daughter match'd to Mortimer This Iacke Cade instructed by the Duke of Yorke pretended to be descended from Mortimer which married Lady Phillip daughter to the Duke of Clarence And makes vs weake by strengthning Ireland The Duke of Yorke being made Deputy of Ireland first there began to practise his long pretended purpose strengthning himselfe by all meanes possible that hee might at his returne into England by open warre claime that which so long he had priuily gone about to obtaine Great Winchester vntimely is deceasde Henry Benford Bishop and Cardinall of Winchester sonne to Iohn of Gaunt begot in his age was a prowd and ambitious Prelate fauouring mightily the Queene and the Duke of Suffolke continually heaping vp innumerable treasure in hope to haue beene Pope as himselfe on his death-bed confessed With France t' vpbraide the valiant Somerset Edmund Duke of Somerset in the 24. of Henry the sixth was made Regent of France and sent into Normandie to desend the English territories against the French inuasions but in short time he lost all that King Henry the fifth won for which cause the Nobles and Commons euer after hated him T' endure these stormes with wofull Buckingham Humfrey Duke of Buckingham was a great fauorite of the Queenes faction in the time of Henry the sixt And one sore-told by water thou shouldst die The Witch of Eye receiued answer from her spirit that the Duke of Suffolke should take heede of water which the Queene forwarnes him of as remembring the Witches prophecie which afterwards came to passe Finis To the Right Worshipfull Sir Thomas Munson Knight SIR amongst many which most deseruedly loue you though I the least yet am loth to be the last whose endeuours may make knowne how highly they esteeme of your noble and kinde disposition Let this Epistle Sir I beseech you which vnworthily weares the badge of your worthy name acknowledge my zeale with the rest though much lesse deseruing which for your sake doe honour the house of the Mounsons I know true generositie accepteth what is zealously offred though not euer deseruingly excellent yet for loue of the Art from whence it receiueth resemblance The light Phrigian harmony
haplesse raigne Since treason first these troubles did beget which through more strange varieties had runne Than it that time celestiall signes hath done 2 Whilst our ill thriuing in those Scottish broiles Their strength and courage greatly doth aduance That being made fat and wealthy by our spoiles When we still weakned by the jarres in France And thus dis-hartned by continuall foiles Yeeldes other cause whereat our Muse may glance And Herckleys treasons lastly brings to view Whose power of late the Barrons ouer-threw 3 Now when the Scot with an inuasiue hand By daily inroads on the borders made Had spoilde the Country of Northumberland whose buildings leuell with the ground were laide And finding none that dare his power withstand Without controlement eu'ry where had praide Bearing with pride what was by pillage got As our last fall appointed to their lot 4 For which false Herckley by his Soueraigne sent T' intreate this needefull though dishonored peace Cloking his treasons by this fain'd intent Kinling the warre which otherwise might cease And with a Scot new mischiefes doth inuent T' intrap King Edward and their feare release For which their faith they constantly haue plight In peace and warre to stand for eithers right 5 For which the King his sister doth bestow Vpon this false Lord which to him affy'd Maketh too plaine and euident a show Of what before his trust did closely hide But being found from whence this match should grow By such as now into their actions pry'd Displaies the treasons which not quickly crost Would shed more blood then all the wars had cost 6 Whether the Kings weake Counsells causes are That eu'ry thing so badly sorteth out Or that the Earle did of our state dispaire when nothing prosperd that was gone about And therefore carelesse how these matters fare I le not define but leaue it as a doubt Or some vaine title his ambition lackt Hatch'd in his breast this treasonable act 7 Which now reueal'd vnto the jealous King For apprehension of this trait'rous Peere To the Lord Lucy leaues the managing One whose knowne faith he euer held so deere By whose dispatch and trauell in this thing He doth well worthy of his trust appeare In his owne Castell carelesly desended The trecherous Herckley closely apprehended 8 For which ere long vnto his triall led In all the roabes befitting his degree Where Scroope chiefe Iustice in King Edwards sted was now prepar'd his lawfull Iudge to bee Vrging the proofes by his enditement read Where they his treasons euidently see Which now themselues so plainely do expresse As might at first declare his bad successe 9 His honor'd title backe againe restord Noted with termes of infamie and scorne And then disarmed of his knightly sword On which his faith and loyalty was sworne And by a varlet of his spurres dispur'd His coate of Armes in peeces hal'd and torne To taste deserued punishment is sent T' a traitrous death that traitrously had meant 10 When such the fauorers of this fatall warre Whom this occasion dóth more sharpely whet Those for this cause that yet impris'ned are Boldly attempt at libertie to set Whose purpose frustrate by the others care Doth greater wounds continually beget Warning the King more strictly looke about These secret fires still daily breaking out 11 And Hereford in Parlement accusde Of treasons which apparantly were wrought That with the Queene and Mortimers were vsde Whereby subuersion of the Realme was sought And both his calling and his trust abusde Which now to answer when he should be brought Seizde by the Clergie in the Kings despight Vnder the colour of the Churches right 12 Whilst now the Queene from England day by day That of these troubles still had certaine word Whose friends much blamde her tedious long delay When now the time occasion doth afford With better haste doth for her selfe puruay Bearing prouision presently abord Ships of all vses daily rigging are Fit'st for inuasion to transport a warre 13 The Earle of Kent by 's soueraigne brother plac'd As the great Generall of his force in Gwine Who in his absence heere at home disgrac'd And frustrated both of his men and coine By such lewd persons to mainetaine their waste From the Kings treasures ceas'd not to proloine Th'lasciuious Prince though mou'd regardlesse still Both of his owne losse and his brothers ill 14 Whose discontentment being quickly found By such as all aduantages await That still apply'd strong corsiues to the wound And by their sharpe and intricate deceit Hindred all meanes might possibly redound This fast-arising mischiefe to defeate Vntill his wrongs were to that fulnesse growne That they haue made him absolute their owne 15 Whose selfe-like followers in these faithlesse warres Men most experienc'd and of worthiest parts Which for their pay receiued onely scarres Whilst the inglorious reap'd their due desarts And Mineons hate of other hope debarres With too much violence vrg'd their grieued harts On Iohn of Henault wholy doe rely Who led a great and valiant company 16 That in this conquest do themselues combine The Lords Pocelles Sares and Boyseers Dambretticourt the young and valiant Heyn Estoteuill Comines and Villeers Others his Knights Sir Michaell de la Lyne Sir Robert Balioll Boswit and Semeers Men of great power whom spoile glory warmes Such as were wholy dedicate to Armes 17 Three thousand souldiers mustred men in pay Of French Scotch Almaine Swiser and the Dutch Of natiue English fled beyond the sea Whose number neere amounted to asmuch which long had look'd for this vnhappie day whom her reuenge did but too neerely tutch Her friends now ready to receiue her in And new commotions eu'ry day begin 18 When she for England fitly setting forth Spreading her prowd sailes on the watry plaine Shaping her course directly to the North with her young Edward Duke of Aquitaine with th' other three of speciall name and worth The destainde scourges of his lawlesse raigne Her souldier Beumount with the Earle of Kent And Mortimer that mightie malconsent 19 A fore-winde now for Harwich fitly blowes Blow not too fast to kindle such a fire whilst with full saile and fairer tide shegoes Turne gentle winde and force her to retire The fleete thou driu'st is fraughted with our woes But windes and seas do Edwards wracke conspire For when iust heauen to chastice vs is bent All things conuert to our due punishment 20 Thy coasts be kept with a continuall ward Thy Beacons watch'd her comming to discry O had the loue of subiects beene thy guard T 'had beene t' effect that thou didst fortifie But whilst thou standst gainst forraigne foes prepard Thou art betraide by thy home enemy Small helpe by this thou art but like to win Shutting death out thou keep'st destruction in 21 When Henry brother to that haplesse Prince The first great engine of this ciuill strife Deere Lancaster who law did late conuince And that at Pomfret left his wretched life This Henry in whose great
her philters exorcismes and charmes Thy presence hath repaired in one day What many yeeres and sorrowes did decay And made fresh beauties fairest branches spring From wrinkled furrowes of times ruining Euen as the hungry winter-starued earth When she by nature labours towards her birth Still as the day vpon the darke world creepes One blossome forth after another peepes Till the small flower whose roote is now vnbound Gets from the frostie prison of the ground Spreading the leaues vnto the powerfull noone Deck'd in fresh colours smiles vpon the sunne Neuer vnquiet care lodg'd in that breast Where but one thought of Rosamond did rest Nor thirst nor trauaile which on warre attend E're brought the long day to desired end Nor yet did pale Feare or leane Famine liue Where hope of thee did any comfort giue Ah what iniustice then is this of thee That thus the guiltlesse doost condemne for me When onely she by meanes of my offence Redeemes thy purenesse and thy innocence When to our wills perforce obey they must That iust in them what e're in vs vniust Of what we doe not them account we make The fault craues pardon for th' offenders sake And what to worke a Princes will may merit Hath deepst impression in the gentlest spirite I ft be my name that dooth thee so offend No more my selfe shall be mine owne names friend And â—ft be that which thou doost onely hate That name in my name lastly hath his date Say t is accuâ—st and fatall and dispraise it If written blot it if engrauen raze it Say that of all names t is a name of woe Once a Kings name but now t is not so And when all this is done I know â—vvill grieue thee And therfore svveet whie should I now belieue thee Nor shouldst thou thinke those eies with enuie lower Which passing by thee gaze vp to thy tower But rather praise thine owne which be so cleere Which from the Turret like tvvo staires appeare Aboue the sunne dooth shine beneath thine eie Mocking the heauen to make another skie The little streame which by thy tovver dooth glide Where oft thou spendst the wearie euening tide To view thee vvell his course would gladly stay As loath from thee to part so soone away And with salutes thy selfe would gladly greete And offer vp those small drops at thy feete But finding that the enuious banks restraine it T' excuse it selfe doth in this sort complaine it And therefore this sad bubling murmure keepes And in this sort within the channell weepes And as thou doost into the water looke The fish which see thy shadow in the brooke Forget to feede and all amazed lie So daunted with the lustre of thine eie And that sweet name which thou so much dost wrong In time shal be some famous Poets song And with the very sweetnes of that name Lions and tygers men shall learne to tame The carefull mother from her pensiue breast With Rosamond shall bring her babe to rest The little birds by mens continuall sound Shall learne to speake and pr 〈…〉 le Rosamond And when in Aprill they beginne to sing Wiâ—h Rosamond shall welcome in the spring And she in whom all raâ—ities are found Shall still be said to be a Rosamond The little flowers which dropping honied dew Which as thou writst doe weepe vpon thy shue Not for thy fault sweet Rosamond doe moane But weepe for griefe that thou so soone art gone For if thy foote â—uch Hemlocke as it goes That Hemlocke's made more sweeter than the Rose Of Ioue or Neptune how they did betray Nor speake of Iâ—o or Amimone when she for whome Ioue once became a Bull Comparde with thee had beene a tawny trull He a white Bull and she a whiter Cow Yet he nor she neere halfe so white as thou Long since thou knowst my care prouided for To lodge thee safe from iealous Ellenor The labyrinths conueyance guides thee so Which only Vaghan thou and I doe know If she doe guard thee with a hundred eies I haue an hundred subâ—ile Mercuries To watch that Argus which my loue doth keepe Vntill eie after eie fall all to sleepe Those starres looke in by night looke in to see Wondring what starre heere on the earth should be As oft the Moone amidst the silent night Hath come to ioy vs with her friendly light And by the curtaine helpt mine eie to see What 〈◊〉 night and darkenes hid from mee When I haue wisht that she might euer staâ— And other worl 〈…〉 might still enioy the day What should I say words â—eares and sighs be spent And want of 〈◊〉 doth further helps preuent My campe râ—sounds with fearefull shockes of warre Yet in my breast the worser conflicts are Yet is my signall to the battels sound The blessed name of beauteous Rosamond Accursed be that heart that tongue that breath Should thinke should speake or whisper of thy death For in one smile or lower from thy sweete eie Consists my life my hope my victorie Sweet Woodstocke where my Rosamond doth rest Blessed in her in whom thy King is blest For though in France a while my body be Sweete Paradice my heart remaines in thee Notes of the Chronicle Historie Am I at home pursued with priuate hate And warre comes raging to my Pallace gate RObert erle of Leicester who took part with yong king Henry entred into England with an armie of 3000. Flemmings and spoild the countries of Norsfolk and Susfolke being succored by many of the Kings priuate enimies And am I branded with the curse of Rome King Henry the second the first Plantaginet accused for the death of Tho. Becket archbishop of Canterbury staine in the cathedrall church was accursed by Pope Alexander although hee vrgde sufficient proofe of his innocencie in the same and offered to take vpon him any penance so he might escape the curse and interdiction of the Realme And by the pride of my rebellious sonne Rich Normandie with armies ouer-runne Henry the yong K. whom king Henry had caused to be crowned in his life as he hoped both for his owne good and the good of his Subiects which indeed turned to his owne sorow and the trouble of the Realme for he rebelled against him and raising a power by the meanes of Lewes king of France and William K of Scots who tooke part with him inuaded Normandie Vnkinde my children most vnkinde my wise Neuer king more vnfortunate then K Henry in the disobedience of his children first Henry then Gâ—ssrey then Richard then Iohn all at one time or other first or last vnnaturally rebelled against him then the iealousie of Elinor his Qu. who suspected his loue to Rosamond which grieuous troubles the deuout of those times attributed to happen to him iustly for refusin to take on him the gouernment of Ierusalem offred to him by the patriarke there which country was mightily afflicted by the Souldane Which onely Vaghan thou and I doe know This Vaghan was a Knight
be for her sake as respecting only her honour more then his natiue Country and his owne fortunes And to withstand a tyrants lewd desire Beheld his Towers and Castles set on fire Knitting vp her Epistle with a great and constant resolution Though Dunmow giue no refuge heere at all Dunmow can giue my body buriall Finis ¶ To the vertuous Lady the Lady Anne Harrington wife to the honorable Gentleman sir Iohn Harrington Knight MY singuler good Lady your many vertues knowne in generall to all and your gracious fauors to my vnworthy selfe haue confirmed that in me which before I knew you I onlie saw by the light of other mens iudgements Honour seated in your breast findes her selfe adorned as in a rich Pallace making that excellent which makes her admirable which like the Sunne from thence begetteth most pretious things of this earthly world onely by the vertue of his rayes not the nature of the mould Worth is best discerned by the worthy deiected minds want that pure fire which should giue vigor to vertue I referre to your great thoughts the vnpartiall Iudges of true affection the vnfained zeale I haue euer borne to your honourable seruice and so rest your Ladiships humbly to commaund Mich Drayton Queene Isabell to Mortimer The Argument Queene Isabel the wife of Edward the second called Edward Carnaruan beeing the daughter of Philip de Beau King of France forsaken by the King her husband who delighted onely in the company of Piers Gaueston his minion and fauorite and after his death seduced by the euil counsel of the Spencers This Queene thus left by her husband euen in the glory of her youth drew into her especiall fauour Roger Mortimer Lord of Wigmore a man of a mightie and inuincible spirit This Lord Mortimer rising in armes against the King with Thomas Earle of Lancaster and the Barons was taken ere he could gather his power by the King committed to the tower of London During his imprisonment he ordained a feast in honor of his birth-day to which he inuited Sir Stephen Segraue Lieutenant of the Tower and the rest of the officers where by meanes of a drinke prepared by the Queene he cast them all into a heauie sleepe and with Ladders of coards being ready prepared for the purpose he escapeth and flieth into Fraunce whither she sendeth this Epistie complaining her owne misfortunes and greatly reioycing at his safe escape THough such sweet comfort comes not now from her As Englands Queene hath sent to Mortimer Yet what that wants which might my power approue If lines can bring this shall supply with loue Me thinks affliction should not fright me so Noâ— should resume these sundry shapes of woe But when I faine would finde the cause of this Thy absence shewes me where the errour is Oft when I thinke of thy departing hence Sad sorrow then possesseth eu'ry sence But finding thy deere blood preseru'd thereby And in thy life my long-wisht liberty With that sweet thought my selff I only please Amidst my griefe which sometimes giues me case Thus doe extreamest ills a ioy possesse And one woe makes another woe seeme lesse That blessed night that milde-aspected howre Wherein thou madst escape out of the Tower Shall consecrated euermore remaine What gentle Planet in that houre did raigne And shall be happy in the birth of men Which was chiefe lord of the Ascendant then O how I feard that sleepy iuyce I sent Might yet want power to further thine intent Or that some vnseene mysterie might luâ—ke Which wanting order kindly should not worke Oft did I wish those dreadfull poysned lees That closde the euer-waking Dragons eies Or I had had those sence-berâ—auing stalkes That grow in shady Proserpines darke walkes Or those blacke weedes on Lethe bankes below Or Lunary that doth on Latmus flow Oft did I feare this moist and soggy clime Or that the earth waxt barren now with time Should not haue hearbes to help me in this case Such as do thriue on Indiaes parched face That morrow when the blessed Sunne did rise And shut the liddes of all heauens lesser eies Forth from my pallace by a secret staire I steale to Thames as though to take the ayre And aske the gentle floud as it doth glide Or thou didst passe or perish by the tide If thou didst perish I desire the streame To lay thee softly on her siluer teame And bring thee to me to the quiet shore That with hir tears thou mightst haue some tears more When sodainely doth rise a rougher gale With that me thinkes the troubled waues looke pale And sighing with that little gust that blowes With this remembrance seeme to knit their browes Euen as this so daine passion doth affright me The cheerfull Sunne breaks from a cloude to light me Then doth the bottome euident appeere As it would shew me that thou wast not there Whenas the water flowing where I stand Doth seeme to tell me Thou art safe on land Did Bulloyne once a festiuall prepare For England Almaine Cicile and Nauarre When France enuied those buildings only blest Gracde with the Orgies of my Bridall feast That English Edward should refuse my bed For that incestuous shamelesse Ganimed And in my place vpon his regall throne To set that gerle-boy wanton Gaueston Betwixt the feature of my face and his My glasse assures me no such difference is That a foule witches bastard should thereby Be thought more worthy of his loue than I. What doth auaile vs to be Princes heires When we can boast our birth is onely theirs When base dissembling flatterers shall deceiue vs Of all our famous auncestors did leaue vs And of our princely iewels and our dowres We but enjoy the least of what is ours when minions heads must weare our monarks crowns To raise vp dunghills with our famous townes When beggars-brats are wrapt in rich perfumes Their buzzard wings impt with our Eagles plumes And matcht with the braue issue of our blood Alle the kingdome to their crauand brood Did Longshankes purchase with his conquering hand Albania Gascoyne Cambria Ireland That yoong Carnarnan his vnhappy sonne Should giue away all that his father wonne To backe a stranger prowdly bearing downe The brake alies and branches of the crowne And did great Edward on his death-bed giue This charge to them which afterwards should liue That that prowde Gascoyne banished the land No more should treade vpon the English sand And haue these great Lords in the quarrell stood And sealde his last will with their decrest blood That after all this fearefull massacre The fall of Beauchamp Lacy Lancaster Another faithlesse fauòrite should arise To cloude the sunne of our Nobilities And gloried I in Gauestons great fall That now a Spenser should succeede in all And that his ashes should another breed Which in his place and Empire should succeede That wanting one a kingdomes wealth to spend Of what that left this now shall make an end To waste all that
our father won before Nor leaue our sonne a sword to conquer more Thus but in vaine we fondly do resist Where power can doe euen all things as it list And with vniust men to debate of lawes Is to giue power to hurt a rightfull cause Whilst Parlements must still redresse their wrongs And we must starue for what to vs belongs Our wealth but fuell to their fond excesse And we must fast to feast their wantonnesse Think'st thou our wrongs then insufficient are To moue our brother to religious warre And if they were yet Edward doth detaine Homage for Pontiu Guyne and Aquytaine And if not that yet hath he broke the truce Thus all accurre to put backe all excuse The sisters wrong ioynde with the brothers right Me thinks might vrge him in this cause to fight Be all those people sencelesse of our harmes Which for our Country ought haue manag'd armes Is the braue Normans courage now forgot Or the bold Brittaines lost the vse of shot The big-bonde Almaines and stowt Brabanders Their warlike Pikes and sharpe-edg'd Semiters Or do the Pickards let their Crosse-bowes lie Once like the Centaurs of old Thessalie Or if a valiant Leader be their lacke Where thou art present who should driue them back I doe coniure thee by what is most deere By that great name of famous Mortimer By antient Wigmors honourable crâ—st The tombes where all thy famous grand-sires rest Or if than these what more may thee approue Euen by those vowes of thy vnfained loue That thy great hopes may moue the Christian King By forraigne armes some comfort yet to bring To curbe the power of traitors that rebell Against the right of princely Isabell Vaine witlesle woman why should I desire To adde more heate to thy immortall fire To vrge thee by the violence of hate To shake the pillars of thine owne estate When whatsoeuer we intend to doe To our misfortune euer sorts vnto And nothing else remaines for vs beside But teares and coffins onely to prouide When still so long as Burrough beares that name Time shall not blot out our deserued shame And whilst cleere Trent her wonted course shall keep For our sad fall her christall drops shall weepe All see our ruine on our backes is throwne And to our selues our sorrowes are our owne And Torlton now whose counsell should direct The first of all is slaundred with suspect For dang'rous things dissembled seldome are Which many eyes attend with busie care What should I say My griefes do still renew And but begin when I should bid adiew Few be my words but manifold my woe And still I stay the more I shiue to goe As accents issue forth griefes enter in And where I end me thinks I but begin Till then faire time some greater good affords Take my loues paiment in these ayrie words ¶ Notes of the Chronicle Historie O how I feard that sleepte drinke I sent Might yet want power to further thine intent MOrtimer being in the Tower and ordaining a feast in honor of his birth-day as he pretended and inuiting there-vnto Sir Stephen Segraue Constable of the Tower with the rest of the officers belonging to the same he gaue them a sleepie drinke prouided him by the Queene by which meanes he got liberue for his escape I steale to Thames as though to take the aire And aske the gentle streame as it doth glide Mortimer being got out of the Tower swamme the riuer of Thames into Kent whereof she hauing intelligence doubteth of his strength to escape by reason of his long imprisonment being almost the space of three yeares Did Bulloyne once a festiuall prepare For England Almaine Cicile and Niuarrâ— Edward Cà rnaruan the first Prince of Wales of the English blood married Isabell daughter of Philip the Faire at Bulloine in the presence of the Kings of Almaine Nauarre and Cicile with the chiefe Nobilitie of France and England which marriage was there solemnized with exceeding pompe and magnificence And in my place vpon his regall throne To set that girle-boy wanton Gaueston Noting the effeminacie and luxurious wantonnesse of Gaueston the Kings Minion his behauiour and attire euer so womanlike to please the eye of his lasciuious Prince That a fowle Witches bastard should thereby It was vrged by the Queene the Nobility in the disgrace of Piers Gauestone that his mother was conuicted of witchcraft and burned for the same and that Piers had bewitched the King Albania Gascoine Cambria Ireland Albania Scotland so called of Albanact the second son of Brutus and Cambria Wales so called of Camber the third sonne the foure Realmes and Countries brought in subiection by Edward Longshanks When of our princely Iewells and our dowers We but enioy the least of what is ours A complaint of the prodigalitie of King Edward giuing vnto Gauestone the jewels and treasure which was left him by the ancient Kings of England and enriching him with the goodly Manor of Wallingford assigned as parcell of the dower to the Queenes of this famous â—le And ioyn'd with the braue issue of our blood Alie our kingdome to their crauand brood Edward the second gaue to Piers Gaueston in marriage the daughtet of Gilbert Clare Earle of Glocester begot of the Kings sister lone of Acres married to the said Earle of Glocester Should giue away all that his father won To backe a stranger King Edward offered his right in France to Charles his brother in law and his right in Scotland to Robert Bruse to be aided against the Barrons in the quarrell of Piers Gaueston And did great Edward on his death-bed giue Edward Longshankes on his death-bed at Carlile commanded yong Edward his sonne on his blessing not to call backe Gaueston which for the mis-guiding of the Princes youth was before banished by the whole counsell of the Land That after all this fearefull massaker The fall of Beuchamp Lasy Lancaster Thomas Earle of Lancaster Guy Earle of Warwicke and Henry Earle of Lincolne who had taken their oaths before the deceased King at his death to withstand his sonne Edward if he should call Gaueston froÌ„ exile being a thing which he much feared now seeing Edward to violate his fathers commandement rise in armes against the King which was the cause of the ciuill warre and the ruine of so many Princes And gloried I in Gauestons great fall That now a Spenser should succeede in all The two Hugh Spensers the father the son after the death of Gaueston became the great fauorites of the king the son being created by him lord Chamberlain the father Earl of Winchester And if they were yet Edward doth detaine Homage for Pontiu Guyne and Aquitaine Edward Longshankes did homage for those Citties and Territories to the French King which Edward the second neglecting moued the French King by the subornation of Mortimer to sease those Countries into his hands By antient Wigmors honourable Crest Wigmore in the marches of Wales was the antient
smother Breaking for griefe ennying one another When the prowd Barke for ioy thy steps to feele Scornd the salt waues shuld kisse her furrowing keele And trick'd in all her flags her selfe she braues Capring for ioy vpon the siluer waues When like a Bull from the Phenician strand Ioue with Europa tripping from the land Vpon the bosome of the maine doth scud And with his swannish breast cleauing the floud Tow'rd the faire fields vpon the other side Beareth Agenors ioy Phâ—â—icias pride All heauenly beauties ioyne themselues in one To shew their glory in thine eye alone Which when it turneth that celestiall ball A thousand sweet starres rise a thousand fall Who iustly saith mine banishment to bee When onely France for my recourse is free To view the plaines where I haue seene so oft Englands victorious engines raisde aloft When this shall be my comfort in my way To see the place where I may boldly say Heere mighty Bedford forth the vaward led Heere Talbot charg'd and heere the Frenchmen fled Heere with our Archers valiant Scales did lie Heere stood the Tents of famous Willoughbie Heere Mountacute rangde his conquering band Heere forth we march'd and heere we made a stand What should we stand to mourne and grieue all day For that which time doth easily take away What fortune hurts let patience onely heale No wisedome with extreamities to deale To know our selues to come of humane birth These sad afflictions crosse vs heere on earth A taxe imposde by heauens eternall law To keepe our rude rebellious will in awe In vaine we prize that at so deere a rate Whose best assurance is a fickle state And needelesse we examine our intent When with preuention we cannot preuent When we ourselues fore-seeing cannot shun That which before with destinie doth run Henry hath power and may my life depose Mine honour mine that none hath power to lose Then be as cheerefull beauteous royall Queene As in the Court of France we erst haue beene As when arriu'd in Porchesters faire road Where for our comming Henry made aboad When in mine armes I brought thee safe to land And gaue my loue to Henries royall hand The happy howres we passed with the King At faire South-hampton long in banquetting With such content as lodg'd in Henries breast When he to London brought thee from the West Through golden Cheape when he in pompe did ride To Westminster to entertaine his Bride Notes of the Chronicle Historie Our Falcons kinde cannot the cage indure HE alludes in these verses to the Falcon which was the antient deuice of the Poles comparing the greatnesse and hawtinesse of his spirit to the nature of this bird This was the meane prowd Warwicke did inuent To my disgrace c. The Commons at this Parlement through Warwicks meanes accused Suffolke of treason and vrged the accusation so vehemently that the king was forced to exile him for fiue yeeres That onely I by yeelding vp of Maine Should be the losse of fertile Aquitaine The Duke of Suffolke being sent into France to conclude a peace chose Duke Rainers daughter the Lady Margaret whom he espoused for Henry the sixt deliuering for her to her father the Countries of Aniou and Maine and the Citty of Mauns Whereupon the Earle of Arminach whose daughter was before promised to the King seeing himselfe to bee deluded caused all the Englishmen to be expulsed Aquitino Gascoyne and Guyen With the base vulgar sort to win him same To be the heyre of good Duke Humfreys name This Richard that was called the great Earle of Warwicke when Duke Humfrey was dead grew into exceeding great fauour with the Commons With Salisburie his vile ambicious Sire In Yorks sterne breast kindling long hidden fire By Clarence title working to supplant The Eagle Ayrie of great Iohn of Gaunt Richard Plantagenet Duke of Yorke in the time of Henry the sixt claimed the Crowne being assisted by this Richard Neaâ—ll Earle of Salisburie and father to the great Earle of Warwicke who fauoured exceedingly the house of Yorke in open Parliament as heir to Lionell Duke of Clarence the third sonne of Edward the third making his title by Anne his Mother wife to Richard Earle of Cambridge sonne to Edmund of Langley Duke of Yorke which Anne was daughter to Roger Mortimer Earle of March which Roger was sonne heire to Edmund Mortimer that married the Ladie Philip daughter and heire to Lionell Duke of Clarence the third sonne of King Edward to whom the crowne after King Richard the seconds death linealy descended he dying without issue And not to the heires of the Duke of Lancaster that was yonger brother to the Duke of Clarence Hall cap. 1. Tit. Yor. Lanc. Vrg'd by these enuious Lords to spend their breath Calling reuenge on the Protectors death Humfrey Duke of Glocester Lord Protector in the 25. yeare of Henry the sixt by the meanes of the Queene and the Duke of Suffolke was arrested by the Lord Beumond at the Parliament holden at Berrie and the same night after murthered in his bed If they would know who robd him c. To this verse To know how Humfrey died and who shall raigne In these verses he iests at the Protectors wife who being accused conuicted of treason because with Iohn Hun a priest Roger Bullingbrooke a Negromancer Margery Iordan called the Witch of Eie she had consulted by sorcery to kil the king was adiudged to perpetuall prison in the I le of Man and to doe penance openly in three publique places in London For twentie yeares and haue I seru'd in Fraunce In the sixt yeare of Henry the sixt the Duke of Bedford being deceased then Lieutenant generall and Regent of Fraunce this Duke of Suffolke was promoted to that dignity hauing the Lord Talbot Lord Scales and the Lord Mountacute to assist him Against great Charles and bastard Orleance This was Charles the seauenth and after the death of Henry the fifth obtained the crowne of France and recouered againe much of that his father had lost Bastard Orleance was sonne to the Duke of Orleance begotten of the Lord Cawnies wife preferred highly to many notable offices because hee being a most valiant Captaine was continuall enemie to the Englishmen dayly infesting them with diuerse incursions And haue I seene Vernoyla's batfull fields Vernoyle is that noted place in Fraunce where the great battell was fought in the beginning of Henrie the sixt his raigne where the most of the French Chiualrie were ouercome by the Duke of Bedford And from Aumerle with-drew my warlike powers Aumerle is that strong defenced towne in France which the Duke of Suffolke got after 24. great assaults giuen vnto it And came my selfe in person first to Towers Th'Embassadours for truce to entertaine From Belgia Denmarke Hungary and Spaine Towers is a Cittie in France built by Brutus as hee came into Britaine where in the twentie and one yeare of the raigne of Henry the sixt was appoynted a great
illusions so in the honour of so rare a Gentleman as this Earle and therewithall so noble a Poet a quality by which his other titles receiue their greatest lustre inuention may make somewhat more bold with Agrippa aboue the barren truth That Lion set in our bright siluer bend The blazon of the Howards honorable armour was Gules betweene six crosselets Fitches abend Argent to which afterwards was added by atchieuement In the Canton point of the bend an escutcheon or within the Scottish tressure a Demi-lion rampant Gules c. as Maister Camden now Clerenceaulx from authoritie noteth Neuer shall time nor bitter enuie be able to obscure the brightnesse of so great a victory as that for which this addition was obtained The Historian of Scotland George Bucchanan reporteth that the Earle of Surrey gaue for his badge a Siluer Lion which from antiquitie belonged to that name tearing in peeces A Lion prostrate Gules and withall that this which he termes insolencie was punished in him and his posteritie as if it were fatall to the Conquerour to doe his Soueraigne such loyall seruice as a thousand such seuere censurers were neuer able to performe Since Scottish blood discoloured Floden field The batttle was fought at Bramstone neere Floden hill being a part of the Cheuiot a mountaine that exceedeth all the mountaines in the North of England for bignesse in which the wilfull periurie of Iames the fifth was punished from heauen by the Earle of Surrey being left by King Henry the eight then in France before Turwin for the defence of his Realme Nor beauteous Stanhope whom all tongues report To be the glory c. Of the beautie of that Lady he himselfe testifies in an Elegie which he writ of her refusing to daunce with him which hee seemeth to alegorize vnder a Lion and a Wolfe And of himselfe he saith A Lion saw I late as white as any snow And of her I might perceiue a Wolfe as white as Whales bone A fairer beast of fresher hue beheld I neuer none But that her lookes were coy and froward was her grace And famous Wyat who in numbers sings Sir Thomas Wyat the elder a most excellent Poet as his Poems extant doe witnesse besides certaine Encomions written by the Earle of Surrey vppon some of Dauids Psalmes by him translated What holy graue what worthy Sepulchre To Wyats Psalmes shall Christians purchase then And afterward vpon his death the said Earle writeth thus What vertues rare were tempred in thy breast Honour that England such a iewell bred And kisse the ground whereas thy corpes did rest At Honsdon where those sweete cel-stiall eyne It is manifest by a Sonnet written by this noble Earle that the first time he beheld his Lady was at Hunsdon Hunsdon did first present her to mine eyne Which Sonnet being altogether a description of his loue I do alleadge in diuers places of this glosse as proofes of what I write Of Hampton Court and Windsor where abound All pleasures c. That he enioyed the presence of his faire and vertuous Mistris in those two places by reason of Queene Katherines vsuall aboad there on whom this Lady Geraldine was attending I proue by these verses of his Hampton me tanght to wish her first for mine Windsor alas doth chase me from her sight And in another Sonnet following When Winsor walls sustainde my wearied arme My hand my chin to ease my restlesse head And that his delight might draw him to compare Winsor to Paradice an Elegy may proue where he remembreth his passed pleasures in that place With a Kings sonne my childish yeeres I pass'd In greater feast then Priams sonne of Troy And againe in the same Elegie Those large greene Courts where we were wont to roue With eyes cast vp vnto the maidens Tower With easie sighs such as men draw in loue And againe in the same The stately seates the Ladies bright of hue The dances short long tales of sweete delight And for the pleasantnesse of the place these verses of his may testifie in the same Elegie before recited The secret groues which we haue made resound With siluer drops the meads yet spread for ruth As goodly flowers from Thamisis doe growe c. I had thought in this place not to haue spoken of Thames being so oft remembred by mee before in sundry other places on this occasion but thinking of that excellent Epigram which as I iudge either to bee done by the said Earle or Sir Frauncis Brian for the worthinesse thereof I will heere insert which as it seemes to me was compiled at the Authors being in Spaine Tagus farewell which Westward with thy streames Turn'st vp the graines of gold already tride For I withspur and saile go seeke the Thames Against the Sunne that shewes her wealthy pride And to the towne that Brutus sought by dreames Like bended Moone that leanes her lusty side To seeke my Country now for whom I liue O mighty Ioue for this the windes me giue FINIS Geraldine to Henry Howard Earle of Surrey SVch greeting as the noble Surrey sends The same to thee thy Geraldine commends A maidens thoughts do checke my trembling hand On other termes or complements to stand Which might my speech be as my heart affords Should come attired in farre richer vvords But all is one my faith as firme shall proue As hers that makes the greatest shevv of loue In Cupids Schoole I neuer read those bookes vvhose lectures oftvve practise in our lookes Nor euer did suspitions riuall eye Yet lie in vvaite my fauours to espie My virgine thoughts are innocent and meeke As the chaste blushes sitting on my cheeke As in a feuer I do shiuer yet Since first my pen was to the paper set If I do erre you know my sexe is weake Feare proues a fault where maids are forc'd to speake Do I not ill ah sooth me not heerein O if I doe reproue me of my sin Chide me infaith or if my fault you hide My tongue will teach my selfe my selfe to chide Nay noble Surrey blot it if thou wilt Then too much boldnesse should returne my guilt For that should be euen from our selues concealde Which is disclosde if to our thoughts reuealde For the least motion more the smallest breath That may impeach our modestie is death The page that brought thy letters to my hand Me thinks should meruaile at my strange demand For till he blush'd I did not yet espie The nakednesse of my immodestie Which in my face he greater might haue seene But that my sanne I quickly put betweene Yet scarcely that my inward guilt could hide Feare seeing all feares it of all espide Like to a taper lately burning bright Now wanting matter to maintaine his light The blaze ascending forced by the smoke Liuing by that which seekes the same to choke The flame still hanging in the ayre doth burne Vntill drawne downe it backe againe returne Then cleere then dim then spreadeth then closeth Now getteth
O nurse not factions flowing in excesse That with thy members shouldst their griefe condole In thee rests power this outrage to represse Which might thy zeale and sanctitie enrole Come thou in purenesse meekely with the word Lay not thy hand to the vnhalowed sword 7 Blood-thirsting warre arising first from hell And in progression seizing on this I le Where it before neere forty yeeres did dwell And with pollution horribly defile By which so many a woorthy English fell By our first Edward banished awhile Transferd by Fortune to the Scottish meare To ransacke that as it had rauinde heere 8 Where hovering still with inauspicious wings About the verge of these distempered climes Returning now new errour hether brings To stirre vs vp to these disastrous crimes Weakeneth our power by oft diminishings And taking holde on these vnsetled times Forcing our frailty sensually at length Crackt the stiffe nerves that knit our antient strength 9 Whose frightfull vision at the first approach With violent madnes strooke that desperate age So many sundry miseries abroach Giuing full speed to their vnbrideled rage That did our antient libertie encroach And in these strong conspiracies ingage The worthiest blood the subiects losse to bring By innaturall wrongs vnto their naturall king 10 When in the North whilst horror yet was yoong These dangerous seasons swiftly comming on Whilst o're our heads portentious meteors hung And in the skies sterne Comets brightly shone Prodigious births oft intermixt among Such as before to times had beene vnknowne In bloody issues forth the earth doth breake Weeping for vs whose woes it could not speake 11 When by the rankenes of contagious aire A mortall plague inuadeth man and beast Which soone disperst and raging every where In doubt the same too quickely should have ceast More to confirme the certaintie of feare By cruell famine haplesly enereast As though the heauens in their remisfull doome Tooke those best lou'd from worâ—er daies to come 12 The leuell course that we propose to goe Now to th' intent you may more plainely see And that we euery circumstance may show The state of things and truely what they be And with what skill or proiect we bestow As our accurrents happen in degree From these portents we now diuert our view To bring to birth the horrors that ensue 13 The calling backe of banisht Gaueston Gainst which the Barrons were to Longshanks sworne That insolent lascivious Minion A Soueraignes blemish and a countries scorne The signiories and great promotion Him in his lawlesse courses to suborne Stirres vp that hatefull and outragious strife That cost ere long so many an English life 14 O worthy Laâ—y hadst thou sparde that breath Which shortly after Nature thee denide To Lancaster deliuered at thy death To whom thy onely daughter was affide That this sterne warre too quickely publisheth To ayde the Barrons gainst that Minions pride Thy Earledomes lands and titles of renowne Had not so soone returnd vnto the Crowne 15 The Lordships Bruse vnto the Spensers past Crossing the Barrons vehement desire As from Ioues hand that fearefull lightning cast When fifty townes lay spent in enuious fire Alas too vaine and prodigall a waste The strong effect of their conceived ire Vrging the weake King with a violent hand T' abiure those false Lordes from the troubled land 16 When the faire Queene that progressing in Kent Lastly denide her entrance into Leedes Whom Badlesmere vnkindly dooth preuent Who gainst his Soueraigne in this course proceedes As adding further to this discontent One of the springs which this great mischiefe feedes Heaping on rage and horror more and more To thrust on that which went too fast before 17 Which more and more a kingly rage increast Moou'd with the wrongs of Gaueston disgraded Which had so long beene setled in his breast That all his powers it wholy had inuaded Giuing the Spensers an assured rest By whom his reasons chiefly are perswaded By whose lewd counsells he is onely led To leaue his true Queene and his lawfull bed 18 That now herselfe who while she stood in grace Applied her powers these discords to appease When yet confusion had not fully place Nor former times so dangerous as these A party now in theyr afflicted case A willing hand to his destruction layes That time whose soft palme heals the wound of war May cure the soare but neuer close the scar 19 In all this heate his greatnes first began The serious subiect of our sadder vaine Braue Mortimer that euer-matchlesse man Of the old Heroes great and God-like straine For whom invention dooing best it can His weight of honour hardly can sustaine Bearing his name immortaliz'd and hie When he in earth vnnumbred times shall lie 20 That vncle now whose name this Nephew bare The onely comfort of the wofull Queene Who from his cradle held him as his care In whom the hope of that great name was seene For this young Lord now wisely doth prepare Whilst yet this deepe hart-goaring wound is greene And on this faire aduantage firmely wrought To place him highly in her princely thought 21 At whose deliberate and vnusuall byrth The heauens were said to counsell to retire And in aspects of happinesse and mirth Breath'd him a spirit insatiatly t' aspire That tooke no mixture of the ponderous earth But all comprest of cleere ascending fire So well made vp that such an one as he Ioue in a man like Mortimer would be 22 The temper of that nobler moouing part With such rare purenesse rectified his blood Raising the powers of his resolued hart Too prowd to be lockt vp within a flood That no misfortune possibly could thwart Which from the natiue greatnesse where it stood Euen by the vertue of a piercing eye Shew'd that his pitch was boundlesse as the sky 23 Worthy the grand-child of so great a Lord Who whilst first Edward fortunately raign'd Reedified great Arthurs auncient boord The seate at goodly Kennelworth ordain'd The order of old Knighthood there restor'd To which a hundreth duely appertain'd With all the grace and beauties of a Court As best became that braue and martiall sport 24 The hart-swolne Lords with furie set on fire Whom Edwards wrongs to vengeance still prouoke With Lancaster and Hartfoord now conspire No more to beare the Spensers seruile yoke And thus whilst all a mutuall change desire The ancient bonds of their allegeance broke Resolu'd with blood their libertie to buy And in this quarrell vow'd to liue and dye 25 What priuiledge hath our free birth say they Or in our blood what vertue doth remaine To each lasciuious Minion made a pray That vs and our nobilitie disdaine Whilst they tryumphing boast of our decay Either those spirits we do not now retaine That were our fathers or by fate we fall Both from their greatnes liberty and all 26 Honour deiected from that soueraigne state From whence at first it challenged a being Now prostitute to infamy and hate As with it selfe in
the subuersion of so many foes The murther of the miserable King And that which came as Epilogue to all Lastly his fearefull and so violent fall 67 Which to their hope giues time for further breath As the first pawse in this their great affaire That yet awhile deferr'd this threatning death Trusting this breach by leysure to repaire And heere a while this furie limetteth Whilst in this manner things so strangely fare Horror beyond the wonted bounds doth swell As the next Canto dreadfully shal tell The end of the first Canto ⧠The second Booke of the Barrons warres The Argument At Burton-bridge the puissant armies meâ— The forme and order of the doubtfull fight Whereas the King the victory doth get And the prowd Barrons lastly forcde to flight How they againe towardes Burrough forward set Where then the Lords are vanquished outright Lastly the lawes doe execute their power On those the sword before did not deuoure 1 THis chance of warre that dreadfully had swept So large a share from their full-reckned might Which their prowd hopes so carefully had kept Whilst yet their state stoode equally vpright That could at first so closely intercept That should haue seru'd them for a glorious fight Musters supplies of footemen and of horse To giue a new strength to their ruinde force 2 Th'inueterate griefe so deepe and firmely rooted Yet slightly curde by this short strengthelesse peace To assay t'remoue since it but vainely booted That did with each distemprature increase And being by euery offerd cause promooted Th' effect too firmely setled to surcease When each euasion sunday passions brought Strange formes of feare in euery troubled thought 3 And put in action for this publique cause Whilst euery one a party firmely stoode Taxt by the letter of the censuring lawes In the sharpe tainder of his honoured blood And he that 's free'st entangled by some clause Which to this mischiefe giues continuall food For where confusion gets so strongly hold Till all consumde can hardly be controlde 4 Where now by night euen when pale leaden sleepe Vpon their eie-lids heauily did dwell And step by step on euery sence did creepe Mischiefe that blacke inhabitant of hell Which neuer failes continuall watch to keepe Fearefull to thinke a horred thing to tell Entred the place where now these warlike Lordes Lay maild in armour girt with irefull swords 5 Mischiefe with sharpe sight and a meager looke And alwaies prying where she may do ill In which the fiend continuall pleasure tooke Her starued body Plenty could not fill Searching in euery corner euery nooke With winged feete too swift to worke her will Hung full of deadly instruments she went Of euery sort to hurt where ere she meant 6 And with a viall fild with banefull wrath Brought from Cocytus by this cursed spright Which in her blacke hand readily she hath And drops the poison vpon euery wight For to each one she knew the readie path Now in the midst and dead-time of the night Whose enuious force inuadeth euery Peere Striking with furie and impulsiue feare 7 The weeping morning breaking in the East When with a troubled and affrighted mind Each whom this venom lately did infest The strong effect soone inwardly do find And lately troubled by vnquiet rest To sad destruction euery one inclind Rumours of spoile through euery eare doth flye And fury sits in eu'ry threatning eye 8 This doone in haste vnto King Edward hies Which now growne proude vpon his faire successe The time in feasts and wantonnesse implies With crowned cups his sorrowes to redresse That on his fortune wholy now relies And in the bosome of his Courtly presse Vaunting the glory of this late wonne day Whilst the sick Land with sorrow pines away 9 Thether she comes and in a Minions shape Shee creepeth neere the person of the King Warm'd with the verdure of the swelling grape In which she poyson secretly doth wring Not the least drop vntaynted doth escape To which intent she all her store did bring Whose rich commixtuâ—e making it more strong Fills his hote veines with arrogance and wrong 10 And hauing both such courage and such might As to so great a businesse did belong Neuer considering their pretended right Should be inducement to a trebled wrong When misty error so deludes their sight Which still betwixt them and cleere reason hong By which opinion falsly was abusde As left all out of order all confusde 11 Now our Minerua tells of dreadfull Armes Inforc'd to sing of worse then ciuill warres Of Ambuscades stratagems alarmes Vnkind discentions fearfull massacars Of gloomy magiques and benumming charmes Fresh-bleeding wounds and neuer-healed skarrs And for the sock wherein she vsde to tread Marching in greaues a helmet on her head 12 Whilst hate and griefe their weakned sence delude The Barrons draw their forces to a head Whome Edward spur'd with vengeance still pursude By Lancaster and noble Herford led This long proceeding lastly to conclude Whilst now to meet both Armies freshly sped To Burton both incamping for the day With expectation for a glorious pray 13 Vpon the East from Needwoods bushy side There riseth vp an easie clyming hill At whose faire foote the siluer Trent doth glide With a deep murmure permanent and still With liberall storâ— of many Brooks supplide Th'â—nâ—atiate Meades continually doe fill Vpon whose streame a bridge of wondrous streÌ„gth Doth stretch it selfe in forty arches length 14 Vppon this Mount the Kings pauillion fixt And in the towne the foe intrench'd in sight When now the flood is risen so betwixt That yet a while prolong'd th'unturall fight With tributarie waters intermixt To stay the furie dooing all it might Things which presage both good and ill there bee Which heauen fore-shewes but mortals cannot see 15 The heauen euen mourning o're our heads doth sit As greeu'd to see the time so out of course Looking on them who neuer looke at it And in meere pittie melting with remorce Longer from teares that cannot stay a whit Whose confluence on euery lower sourse From the swolne fluxure of the clowdes doth shake A ranke Impostume vpon euery lake 16 O warlike Nation hold thy conquering hand Euen sencelesse things admonish thee to pawse That Mother soyle on whom thou yet doost stand That would restraine thee by all naturall lawes Canst thou vnkinde inuiolate that band When even the earth is angry with the cause Yet stay thy foote in mischiefes vglie gate Ill comes too soone repentance still too late 17 And can the clowdes weepe ouer thy decay And not one drop fall from thy droughtie eyes See'st thou the snare and wilt not shun the way Nor yet be warn'd by passed miseries T' is yet but early in this fatall day Let late experience learne thee to be wise Mischiefe foreseene may easly be preuented But hap'd vnhelp'd though nere enough lamented 18 Cannot the Scot of your late slaughter boast And are you yet scarce healed of the sore I' st not enough you
sits a helmet and there lies a shield O ill did fate these noble Armes bestow Which as a quarry on the soilde earth lay Seizde on by conquest as a glorious pray 58 Heere noble Bohune that braue issued peere Herford so hie in euery gracious heart Vnto his country so receiude and deere Wounded by treason in the lower part As o're the bridge his men returning were Through those ill-ioynd planckes by an enuious dart But Lancaster whose lot not yet to die Taken reseru'd to greater infamie 59 O subiect for some sadder Muse to sing Of fiue great Earledomes happily possest Of the direct line of the English king with fauours friends and earthly honours blest If so that all these happinesse could bring Or could endow assurednes of rest But what estate stands free from fortunes powre The Fates haue guidance of our time and howre 60 Some few themselues in sanctuaries hide In mercie of that priuiledged place Yet are their bodies so vnsanctifide As scarce their soules can euer hope for grace Whereas they still in want and feare abide A poore dead life this draweth out a space Hate stands without and horror sits within Prolonging shame but pard'ning not their sinne 61 Here is not death contented with the dead As though of some thing carelesly denide Till which might firmely be accomplished His vtmost fully were not specifide That all exactly might be perfected A further torment vengeanec dooth prouide That dead men should in misery remaine To make the liuing die with greater paine 62 You soueraine Citties of th' afflicted I le In Cipresse wreathes and widowed attire Prepare yee now to build the funerall pile Lay your pale hands vnto this latest fire All mirth and comfort from your streetes exile Till you be purgde of this infectious ite The noblest blood yet liuing to be shed That euer dropt from your rebellious dead 63 When this braue Lord great Lancaster who late This puâ—ssant force had now thus long retainde As the first Agent in this strange debate At fatall Pomfret for those facts arraignde 〈◊〉 whom of all things they articulate To whom these factions chiefly appertainde Whose proofes apparant so directly sped As from his body reft a reuerent head 64 Yet Lancaster it is not thy deere breath Can ransome backe the safety of the Crowne Nor make a league of so great powre with death To warrant what is rightfully our owne But they must pay the forfait of their faith Which sondly broke with their ambition when now reuenge vnto the vtmost rackt The Agents iustly suffer with the act 65 Euen in that place where he had lately led As this darke path vnto the rest to show It was not long ere many followed In the same steps that he before did goe London thy freedom is prohibited The first in place O would the first in woe Others in blood did not excell thee farre That now deuoure the remnant of this warre 66 O parents ruthfull and hart-renting sight To see that sonne thy tender bosome fed A mothers ioy a fathers sole delight That with much cost yet with more care was bred A spectacle euen able to affright Th' most sencelesse thing and terrifie the dead His blood so deere vpon the cold earth powr'd His quarter'd coarse of birds and beasts deuour'd 67 But t' is not you that heere complaine alone Or to your selues this fearefull portion share Heere 's choice and strange variety of moane Poore childrens teares with widdowes mixed are Many a friends sigh many a maidens grone So innocent so simply pure and rare As though euen Nature that long silent kept Burst out in plaints and bitterly had wept 68 O wretched age had not these things beene done I had not now in these more calmer times Into the search of former troubles runne Nor had my virgine impolluted rimes Altred the course wherein they first begunne To sing these bloodie and vnnaturall crimes My layes had still beene to Ideas bowre Of my deere Ankor or her loued Stoure 69 Or for our subiect your faire worth to chuse Your birth your vertue and your hie respects That gently daine to patronize our Muse Who our free soule ingeniously elects To publish your deserts and all your dues Maugre the Momists and Satyricke sects Whilst my great verse eternally is sung You still may liue with me in spight of wrong 70 But greater things reserued are in store Vnto this taske my armed Muse to keepe Still offering me occasion as before Matter whereof my tragicke verse may weepe And as a vessell being neere the shore By aduerse windes enforced to the deepe Am driuen backe from whence I came of late Vnto the bus'nes of a troubled state The end of the second Canto ⧠The third Booke of the Barrons warres The Argument By asleepie potion that the Queene ordaines Lord Mortimen escapes out of the Tower And by false slights and many subtile traines Shee gets to France to raise aforraigne power The French King leaues his sister neede constraines The Queene to Henault in a happie hower Edward her sonne to Philip is affide And for inuasion presently prouide 1 SCarce had these passed miseries their ends When other troubles instantly begunne As still new matter mischiefe apprehends By things that inconsid'rately were done And further yet this insolence extends Whilst all not yeelded that the sword had wonne For some there were that secretly did lie That to this bus'nes had a watchfull eye 2 Whenas the King whilst things thus fairely went Who by this happy victory grew strong Sommons at Yorke a present Parlement To plant his right and helpe the Spensers wrong By which he thinkes t' establish his intent Whence more more his Minions greatnes sprong Whose counsells still in all proceedings crossde Th' inraged Queene whom all misfortunes tossde 3 When now the eldst a man extreamely hated Whom yet the King not aptly could preferre The edge of their sharpe insolence abated This Parlement makes Earle of Winchester Where Herckley Earle of Carlell is created And Baldocke likewise is made Chancellor On whom the king had for his purpose wrought A man as subtile so corrupt and nought 4 When now mishaps that seldome come alone Thicke in the necks of one an other fell The Scot pretends a new inuasion And France doth thence our vse-full powre expell Treasons suspected to attend his throne The grieued Commons euery day rebell Mischiefe on mischiefe curse doth follow curse One ill scarce past when after comes a worse 5 For Mortimer this winde yet fitly blew Troubling their eyes which else perhaps might see Whilst the wise Queene who all aduantage knew Is closly plotting his deliuery Which now she dooth with all her powres pursue Aptly continu'd by her deepe policie Against opinion and the course of might To worke her will euen through the jawes of spite 6 A sleepy drinke she secretly hath made Whose operation had such wondrous powre As with cold numnesse could the sense inuade And
behold From whence by coynesse of their chaste disdaines Subiection is imperiously controld Their earthly weaknesse euermore explaines Exalting whom they please not whom they should When their owne fall showes how they â—ondlyer'd Procur'd by those vnworthily prefer'd 62 Merit goes vnregarded and vngrac'd When by his fauters ignorance held in And Parasites in wise mens roomes are plac'd Onely to sooth the great ones in their sin From such whose gifts and knowledge is debac'd There 's many strange enormities begin Forging great wits into most factious tooles When mightiest men oft proue the mightiest fooles 63 But why so vainely doe I time bestow The fowle abuse of th'wretched world to childe Whose blinded iudgement eu'ry howre doth show What follie weake mortalitie doth guide Wise was the man that laugh'd at all thy woe My subiect still more sorrow doth prouide And this late peace more matter still doth breede To hasten that which quickly must succeede The end of the fourth Canto ⧠The fifth Booke of the Barrons warres The Argument Th' imprisoned King his gouernement for sakes And to the Peeres his weakenesse so excused Who him ere long from Leisters keeping takes That with much woe his soueraigne Lord refused His torturers of him a mockery makes And basely and reproachfully abused By secret waies to Berckley being led And cruelly in prison murthered 1 THe wretched King vnnaturally betrayd By lewd coruption of his natiue Land From thence with speede to Kennelworth conuayd By th' Earle of Leister with a mightie band Some few his fauorers quickely ouer-wayd And now a present Parlement in hand To ratifie the generall intent His resignation of the gouernment 2 Falne through the frailtie of intemperate will That with his fortunes it so weakely farde To vndergoe that vnexpected ill For his deserued punishment preparde The measure of that wretchednesse to fill To him alotted as a iust reward Armes all with malice either lesse or more To strike at him that strooke at all before 3 And being a thing the commons daily craue To which the great are resolutely bent Such forward helpes on eu'ry side to haue T' effect their strong and forcible intent Which now that speede vnto their action gaue That ratifi'd by generall consent Still hastned on to execute the thing Which for one ill two worse should shortly bring 4 Bishops Earles Abbots and the Barrons all Each in due order as becomes the state Set by the Heraults in that goodly hall The Burgesses for places corporate Whom this great busnes at this time doth call For the Cinque-ports the Barrons conuocate And other Knights for the whole body sent Both on the South and on the North of Trent 5 From his impris'ning chamber clad in blacke Before th' assembly sadly he is brought A dolefull hearse vpon a dead mans backe whose heauy lookes might tell his heauier thought In which there doth no part of sorrow lacke Nor fained action needes to grieue be taught His funerall solemniz'd in his cheere His eyes the mourners and his legs the Beere 6 Torleton as one select to this intent The best experienc'd in this great affaire A man graue subtile stowt and eloquent First with faire speech th' assembly doth prepare Then with a voyce austere and eminent Doth his abuse effectually declare As winnes each sad eye with a reuerent feare With due attention drawing eu'ry eare 7 The great exactions raised by the King With whose full plenty he is Mineons fed Himselfe and subiects so impou'rishing And that deere blood he lauishly had shed Which desolation to the land should bring And the chiefe cause by his lewd riots bred The losse in warre sustained through his blame The during scandall to the English name 8 Proceeding forward to the future good That their dissignements happily intend And with what vpright policie it stoode No after hopes their for tunes to amend The resignation to his proper blood That might the action lawfully defend The present neede that willd it strictly so Whose imposition they might not sorslowe 9 Pardon me Art that striuing to be short To this intent a speech deliuering And that at full I doe not heere report Matters that tuch deposing of the King My faithfull Muse O doe not thou exhort The after times to so abhorr'd a thing To shew the reasons forcibly were laide Out of thy feelings what hee might haue saide 10 The strong deliu'ry of whose vehement speech Borne with a dauntlesse and contracted brow That with such steme seueritie did teach His reasons more authentique to allow Which the more easly made the dang'rous breach By the remembrance of a generall vow To which they heere must openly contest When Edward comes to consumate the rest 11 His faire cheeke couerd in pale sheets of shame And as a dumbe shew in a swowne began Where passion dooth such sundry habites frame As eu'ry sence a right Tragedian Truely to shew from whence his sorrow came Beyond the compasse of a common man where Nature seemes a practiser in Art Teaching Dispaire to act a liuely part 12 Ah Pitty dost thou liue or wert thou not Mortalls by such sights haue to flint bin turned Or what men haue beene hath their seed forgot Or was it neuer knowne that any mourned In what so strangely are we ouershot Against our owne selfe hath our frailtie spurned Or teares hence forth abandon humane eies And neuer-more to pitâ—y miseries 13 He takes the Crowne yet scornefully vnto him With slight regarde as scarcely thinking on it As though not sencelesse that it should forgoe him And sildome casts a scornefull eie vpon it would seeme to leaue it and would haue it woe him Then snatching it as loath to haue forgone it Yet puts it from him yet he will not so would faine retaine what faine he would forgoe 14 In this confused conflict of the minde Teares drowning sighes and sighs confounding teares Yet whenas neither libertie could finde Oppressed with the multitude of â—eares Stands as a man affrighted from his kinde Griefe becomes senslesse when too much it beares whilst speech sileÌ„ce striues which place shuld take From his ful bosome thus his sorrowee brake 15 If that my title rightfully be planted Vpon a true indubitate succession Confirmd by nations as by nature granted That freely hath deliuerd me possession Impute to heauen sufficiencie t' haue wanted which must deny it power or you oppression which into question by due course may bring The grieued wrongs of an annointed King 16 That halowed vnction by a sacred hand which once was powrde on this emperious head which wrought th'iudument of a strict command And round about me the rich verdure spred Either my right in greater stead must stand Or why in vaine was it so idely shed whose prophanation and vnreueret tuch Iust heauen hath often punisht alwayes much 17 When from the bright beames of our soueraine due Descends the strength of your enated right And prosperously deriues it selfe to you As from
our fulnes taking borrowed light which to your safeties alwayes firme and true Why thus repugne you by prepostrous might But what heauen lent me vertuously t' haue vsed Leaues to your power what weaknes hath abused 18 But heere I doe resigne it to your King Pawsing heereat as though his tongue offended with griping throwes seemes forth that word to bring Sighing a full point as he there had ended O how that sound his grieued heart doth wring Which he recalling gladly would haue mended Things of small moment we can scarcely holde But griefes that touch the heart are hardly colde 19 But being past he prosecutes in teares Calming that tempest with a shower of raine As he had stroue to keepe it from his eares Quoth he the liegeman to your Soueraigne O in his lippes how vile that word appeares Whereat ashamde doth sadly pawse againe Yes yes euen say so vnto him you beare it I ft be yong Edward that you meane shall weare it 20 Let him account his bondage from that day That he is with the Diademe inuested A glittering Crowne hath made this haire so gray Within whose circle he is but arrested To true content this not the certaine way With sweeter cates a meane estate is feasted And when his prowd feet scorne to tuch the mold His head a prisner in a gayle of golde 21 His subiects numbred numbring of his care And when with showts the people doe beginne Let him suppose th' applause but prayers are T' escape the danger that they see him in Wherein t'aduenture he so boldly dare The multitude hoth multitudes of sinne And he that 's first to cry God saue the King Is the first man doth newes of sorrow bring 22 Appeasing tumults hate cannot appease Soothde with deceits and fed with flatteries Thy selfe displeasing other sought to please Obeyd as much as hee shall tyrannize The least in safety being most at ease Feare forcing friends inforcing enemies And when hee fitteth in his greatst estate His foot-stoole danger and his chaire is hate 23 Raigne he alone whilst he no King was one Disarmde of power and heere deiected is By whose deposing he enioyes a throne Nor should I suffer that nor he doe this I must confesse th' inheritance his owne But whilst I liue it should be none of his The sonne climes vp to thrust the father downe And thus the crowned left without a Crowne 24 Hauing performd this hard constrained part His speech his raigne the day all ioyntly ended Strangely transformd not being what thou art Carde for of none vnlookt on vnattended Sadly departing with a heauy heart To his strong lodging straightly recommended Left to bemoane his miserable plight To the rude walls and solitarie night 25 Whilst things are thus disastrously decreed Seditious libels euery day are spred By such as like not of their violent deede That he by force should be deliuered Whether his wrong remorce in some did breede That him at last vntimely pittied Or else deuisde in pollicie by some To cloake that mischiefe afterward to come 26 And hate that each where hearkning stil doth lurke And yet suspitions Edward is not sure Thinking what blood with Leicester might wurke Or else what friends his name might him procure Which yet their thoughts continually doth yrke The time he should at Kenelworth endure Fore thinke some place t'which secretly conuaide Vnknowne his being be securde from aide 27 And though the great to hide their close intent Seeme ne're so cleare from knowing those know ill Not vnprouided of the instrument Which they keepe ready to performe their will Such haue th'in store to their damnation bent In villanie notorious for their skill Dishonest desperate mercilesse and rude To all vile actions ready to intrude 28 Matreuers and base Gurney are the men In this lewd act that must confedered be Whose hatefull names pollute our maiden pen But I intreate you be not grieu'd with mee To whome the same doe worthily pertaine Some bought grow crooked from the streightest tree Nor shall you be partakers of their shame The fault lies in their deede not in your name 29 These secretly to Killingworth dispatcht Fitted of all things that their hearts desire At such a time as few their purpose watcht After whose busnes none is to enquire Which by their warrant subtilly was matcht Onely to them knowne whither to retire Taking the King his guardian to acquit And to bestow him where they thought most fit 30 With a crew of ribalds villainous and nought As their coagents in this hatefull thing To th' earle of Leister their commission brought Commaunding the deliu'ry of the King which with much griefe they lastly froÌ„ him wrought About the Castell closely houering watching a time till silence and the night Might with conuenience priuiledge their flight 31 With shamefull scoffes and barbarous disgrace Him on a leane ill fauord jade they set In a vile garment beggarly and base Which it should seeme they purposely did get And in a wretched miserable case Bâ—numd and beaten with the colde and wet Depriu'd of all repose and naturall rest with thirst and hunger grieuously opprest 32 Yet still suspitious that he should be knowne They shaue away his ornament of haire The last thing his that he could call his owne Neuer left Fortune any wight so bare Such tyranny on king was neuer showne Thus voide of comfort were he voide of care No no our ioyes are shadowes and deceiue vs But till our death our sorrowes neuer leaue vs. 33 To which intent when farthest from resort Forcing him light from his poore wearie beast Vpon a mole-hill O most sad report With puddle-water him they lewdly drest Whilst at his woes and miseries they sport An yron skull the Bason like the rest VVhose lothing eyes in this more lothed glasse Well may discerne how much deformd he was 34 Th' abundant drops that from his eyes do fall A poole of teares still rising by this raine VVhich wrastling with the water and withall A troubled circle makes it to retaine His endlesse griefes vnto his minde might call Billowde with sighes like to a little maine water with teares contending whether should Make water warme or make the warme tears cold 35 Vile traitors hold off your vnhalowed hands His brow the state of maiestie still beares Dare you thus keepe your soueraigne Lord in bands How can your eyes behold th'annointeds teares Or if your sight thus all remorce with-stands Are not your harts euen pierced through your eares The minde is free what ere afflict the man Hee 's yet a King do Fortune what she can 36 Who 's he should take what God himselfe hath giuen Or spill that life his holy spirit infused All powers be subiect to the power of heauen Wrongs passe not vnreueng'd how ere excused If of all sense griefe hath thee not bereauen Rise maiestie when thou art thus abused O whither shall authoritie betake When in this sort it doth it selfe forsake
long raine so carefully attends Granting his daies in peace securely ends 57 From him proceedes a Prince iust wise and sage In all things happy but in him his sonne For whom euen nature did herselfe engage More then in man in this Prince to haue done Whose happy raigne recur'd the former rage By the large bounds he to his Empire wonne As the first Edward had the second beene O what a flow of glory had we seene 58 Turning the leafe as finding vnawares What day yong Edward Prince of Wales was borne Which letters seeme like Magique Characters Or to despight him they were made in scorne Marking the paper like dis-figuring stars O let that name quoth he from bookes be torne Lest in that place the sad displeased earth Doe loath it selfe as slaundered with my birth 59 From thence heereafter humane birth exil'd By th' earth deuour'd or swallowed by the sea And fame enquiring for that lucklesse child Say t was abortiue or else stolne away And lest O Time thou be therewith defil'd In thy vnnumbred course deuoure that day Let all be done that power can bring to passe Onely forget that such there euer was 60 The troubled teares now standing in his eyes Through which as glasses he is forc'd to looke Make letters seeme as rondlets that arise By a stone cast into a standing brooke Appearing to him in such various wise And at one time such sundry fashions tooke Which like deluding monsters do affright And with their fowle shapes terrifie his sight 61 When on his saint bed falling downe at last His troubled spirit fore-telling danger nie When forth the doores a fearefull howling cast To let those in by whom a King should die Whereat he starts amazâ—d and agast These ruthlesse villaines all vpon him flie Sweete Prince alas in vaine thou call'st for aide By these accursed homicides betraide 62 O be not authors of so vile an act My blood on your posteritie to bring Which after times with horror shall distract When Fame euen hoarce with age your shame shall ring And by recounting of so vile a fact Mortalitie so much astonishing That they shal count their wickednesse scarce sinne To that which long before their time hath bin 63 And if your hate be deadly let me liue For that aduantage angry heauen hath left That except life takes all that it could giue But for iust vengeance should not quite bereft Me yet with greater misery to grieue Reserue a while this remnant of their theft That that which spent froÌ„ th' rest should interdict me Alone remaining doth withall afflict me 64 Thus spake this wofull and distressed Lord As yet his breath found passage to and fro With many a short pant many a broken word Many a sore grone many a grieuous throw whilst yet his spirit could any strength affoord Though with much paine disburdning of his woe Till lastly gasping by their maistâ—ring strength His kingly heart subiects it selfe at length 65 When twixt two beds they close his wearied corse Basely vncou'ring of his secret part Without all humane pittie and remorce With burning yron thrust him to the hart O that my Muse had but sufficient force T' explaine the torment in the which thou art Which whilst with words we coldy do expresse Thy paine made greater that we make it lesse 66 When those in dead and depth of all the night Good simple people that are dwelling neare From quiet sleepe whom care did now affright That his last shreeke and wofull cry do heare Euen pittying that miserable wight As twixt compassion and obedient feare Lift their sad eyes with heauy sleepe opprest Praying to heauen to giue the soule good rest 67 Still let the buildings sigh his bitter grones And euermore his sad complaints repeate And let the dull walls and the sencelesse stones By the impression of his torment sweate As wanting sounds wherewith to shew his mones With all sharpe paine and agony repleate That all may thether come that shall be told it As in a mirror cleerely to behold it 68 When now the Genius of this wofull place Beeing the guide to his affrightfull ghost With haire disâ—eued and a gastly face Shall haunt the prison where his life was lost And as the denne of horror and disgrace Let it be fearefull vnto all the coast That those heereafter that do trauell neere Neuer behold it but with heauy cheere The end of the fifth Canto ⧠The sixth Booke of the Barrons warres The Argument Lord Mortimer made Earle of March when he And the faire Queene rule all things by their might The pompe wherin at Nottingham they be The cost wherewith their amorous Court is dight Enuide by those their hatefull pride that see The King attempts the dreadfull caue by night Entring the Castell taketh him from thence And March at London dies for the offence 1 INforc'd of other accidents to sing Bearing faire showes of promised delight Somewhat to slacke this melancholie string That new occasions to our Muse excite To our conceit strange obiects fashioning Doth our free numbers liberally inuite Matter of moment much to be respected Must by our pen be seriously directed 2 And now the time more cuuningly redeeming These fraudfull courses fitly to contriue How ill so e're to beare the fairest seeming For which they now must diligently striue Casting all waies to gaine the same esteeming That to the world it prosprously might thriue This farre gone on now with the hand of might Vpon this wrong to build a lasting right 3 The pompous Synod of these earthly Gods At Salsbury selected by their King To set all euen that had beene atods And into fashion their dissignes to bring And strongly now to settle their abodes That peace might after from their actions spring Firmely t' establish what was well begunne Vnder which colour mighty things were done 4 When Mortimer pursuing his desire Whilst eu'ry engine had his temperate heate To b'Earle of March doth suddainely aspire T' increase the honor of his antient seate That his command might be the more entire Who now but onely Mortimer is great Who knew a kingdome as her lot was throwne Which hauing all would neuer starue her owne 5 Now stand they firme as those celestiall Poles Twixt which the starres in all their course do moue Whose strength this frame of gouernement vpholds An argument their wisedomes to approue Which way soe're the time in motion roles So perfect is the vnion of their loue For right is still most absolute alone Where power and fortune kindely meete in one 6 Whilst Edwards non-age giues a further speede To th' antient foe-man to renew the warre Which to preuent they must haue speciall heede Matters so strangely manag'd as they are Which otherwise if their neglect should breede Nothing yet made it might not easily marre Which with the most reseruing their estate Inforc'd to purchase at the deerest rate 7 So much t'release the homage as suffic'd Mongst which that
whom the King exceedingly loued who kept the Pallace at Woodstocke and much of the Kings iewels and treasure to whom the King committed many of his secretes and in whom he reposed such trust that he durst commit his loue vnto his charge King Iohn to Matilda The Argument After that King Iohn had assayed by all meanes possible to win the faire and chaste Matilda to his vnchaste and vnlawful bed and by vniust courses false accusation had banished the Lord Robert Fitzwater her noble Father and many other of his alies who iustly withstood the desire of this wanton King seeking the dishonour of his faire and vertuous daughter this chaste Lady still solicited by this lasciuious King flies vnto Dunmow in Essex where in a Nunnery she becomes a Nunne whether the King stil persisting in his sute solicites her by his Epistle her reply confirmes her vowed and inuincible chastitie making knowne to the King her pure vnspotted thoughts WHen these my Letters come vnto thy view Think them not forcde or faind or strange or new Thou knowst no way no means no course exempted Left now vnsought vnproou'd or vnattempted All rules regardes all secret helps of Art What knowledge wit experience can impart And in the olde worlds Ceremonies doted Good daies for loue times houres and minutes noted And where Arte left loue teacheth more to finde By signes in presence to expresse the minde Oft hath mine eie tolde thine eie beauty grieu'd it And begd but for one looke to haue relieu'd it And still with thine eies motion mine eie mou'd Labouring for mercy telling how it lou'd If blusht I blusht thy cheeke pale pale was mine My red thy red my whitenesse answered thine If sigh'd I sigh'd alike both passion proue But thy sigh is for griefe my sigh for loue If a word past that insufficient were To help that word mine eies let forth a teare And if that teare did dull or senslesse proue My heart would fetch a sigh to make it moue Oft in thy face one fauour from the rest I singled forth that likes my fancie best This likes me most another likes me more A third exceeding both those likde before Then one that doth deriue all wonder thence Then one whose rarenes passeth excellence Whilst I behold thy Globe like rowling eie Thy louely cheeke me thinks stands smiling by And tells me those but shadowes and supposes And bids me thether come and gather Roses Looking on that thy brow dooth call to mee To come to it if wonders I will see Now haue I done and now thy dimpled chinne Againe doth tell me I but new beginne And bids me yet to looke vpon thy lip Lest wondring least the greatst I ouerslip My gazing eie on this and this doth sease Which surffets yet cannot desire appease Then like I browne O louely browne thy haire Onely in brownenesse beauty dwelleth there Then loue I blacke thine eye ball blacke as jet Then cleere that ball is there in cristall set Then white but snow nor swan nor yuorie please Then are thy teeth more whiter then all these In browne in blacke in purenes and in white All loue all sweetes all rarenes all delight Thus thou vile thiefe my stolne hart hence doost carry And now thou fliest into a Sanctuary Fie peeuish gerle ingratefull vnto Nature Did she to this end frame thee such a creature That thou her glory shouldst increase thereby And thou aloue doost scorne societie Why heauen made beauty like herselfe to view Not to be lockt vp in a smoaky mew A rosie-tainted feature is heauens gold Which all men ioy to touch all to behold It was enacted when the world begunne That so rare beauty should not liue a Nunne But if this vow thou needes wilt vndertake O were mine armes a Cloister for thy sake Still may his paines for euer be augmented This superstition that at first inuented Iâ—l might he thriue that brought this custome hether That holy people might not liue together A happy time a good world was it then When holy women liu'd with holy men But kings in this yet priuiledgde may be I le be a Monke so I may liue with thee Who would no 〈…〉 se to ring the mornings knell When thy sweet lips might be the sacring bell Or what is he not willingly would fast That on those lips might feast his lips at last Who vnto Mattens early would not rise That might reade by the light of thy faire eies On worldly pleasures who would euer looke That had thy curles his beades thy browes his booke Wert thou the crosse to thee who would not creepe And wish the crosse still in his armes to keepe Sweet gerle I le take this holy habite on mee Of meere deuotion that is come vpon me Holy Matilda thou the Saint of mine I le be thy seruant and my bed thy shrine When I doe offer be thy breast the Altare And when I pray thy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall be my Psalter The beades that we will bid shal be sweet kisses Which we will number if one pleasure misses And when an Auie comes to say Amen We will beginne and tell them o're againe Now all good fortune giue me happy thrift As I should ioy t'absolâ—e thee after shrift But see how much I doe my selfe beguile And doe mistake thy meaning all this while Thou tookst this vow to equall my desire Because thou wouldst haue me to be a Frier And that we two should comfort one another A holy sister and a holy brother Thou as a Votresse vnto me alone Shee is most chaste thats but enioyd of one Yea now thy true deuotion doe I finde And sure in this I much commend thy minde Else heere thou doost but ill ensample giue And in a Nunry thus thou shouldst not liue I st possible the house that thou art in Should not be tucht though with a veniall sin When such a she-priest comes her masse to say Twenty to one they all forget to pray Well may we wish they would their hearts amend When we be witnesse that their eyes offend All creatures haue desires or else some lie Let them thinke so that will so will not I. Doost thou not thinke our ancestors were wise That these religious Cels did first deuise As Hospitalls were for the sore and sicke These for the crook'd the hault the stigmaticke Lest that their seede mark'd with deformitie Should be a blemish to posteritie Would heau'n her beautie should be hid from sight Nere would she thus her selfe adorne with light With sparkling lamps nor would she paint her throne But she delighteth to be gaz'd vpon And when the golden glorious Sunne goes downe Would she put on her star-bestudded crowne And in her masking sute the spangled skie Come forth to bride it in her reuelrie And gaue this gift to all things in creation That they in this should imitate her fashion All things that faire that pure that glorious beene Offer themselues of purpose to
house of the Mortimers that noble and couragious familie That still so long as Borrough beares that name The Queene remembreth the great ouerthrow giuen to the Barrons by Andrew Herckley Earle of Carlil at Borrough bridge after the battaile at Burton And Torlton now whose counsells should direct This was Adam Torlton Bishop of Herford that great Polititiā who so highly fauored the faction of the Queene Mortimer whose euil counsel afterward wroght the destruction of the king Mortimer to Queene Isabell AS thy salutes my sorrowes do adiourne So backe to thee their interest I turne Though not in so great bounty I confesse As thy heroicke princely lines expresse For how should comfort issue from the breath Of one condemn'd and long lodg'd vp in death From murthers rage thou didst me once repriue Now in exile my hopes thou doost reuiue Twice all was taken twice thou all didst giue And thus twice dead thou mak'st me twice to liue This double life of mine your onely due You gaue to me I gaue it backe to you Ne're my escape had I aduentur'd thus As did the sky-attempting Daedalus And yet to giue more safetie to my flight Haue made a night of day a day of night Nor had I backt the prowd aspiring wall Which held without my hopes within my fall Leauing the cords to tell where I had gone For gazing eyes with feare to looke vpon But that thy beautie by a power diuine Breath'd a new life into this spirit of mine Drawne by the Sunne of thy celestiall eyes With fiery wings made passage through the skies The heauens did seeme the charge of me to take And sea and land be friend me for thy sake Thames stopt her tide to make me way to go As thou hadst charg'd her that it should be so The hollow marmuring windes their due time kept As they had rock'd the world while all things slept One billow bore me and another draue me This stroue to helpe me and that stroue to saue me The brisling reedes mou'd with the aire did chide me As they would tell me that they meant to hide me The pale-fac'd night beheld thy heauy cheere And would not let one little starre appeare But ouer all her smokie maptle hurl'd And in thicke vapors mu 〈…〉 d vp the world And the pure ayre became so calme and still As it had beene obedient to my will And euery thing disposde vnto my rest As when on Seas the Alcion buildes her nest When those rough waues which late with furie rusht Slide smoothely on and suddainely are husht Nor Neptune lets his surges out so long As Nature is in bringing forth her yong Nor let the Spencers glory in my chance That I should liue an exile heere in France That I from England banished should be But England rather banished from me More were her want France our great blood should beare Then Englands losse should be to Mortimer My grandsire was the first since Arthurs raigne That the Round-table rectifide againe To whose great Court at Kenelworth did come The peerelesse knighthood of all Christendome Whose princely order honoured England more Then all the Conquests she atchiu'd before Neuer durst Scot set foote in English ground Nor on his backe did English beare a wound Whilst Wigmore flourisht in our princely hopes And whilst our Ensigne march'd with Edwards troups Whilst famous Longshankes bones in Fortunes scorne As sacred reliques to the field were borne Nor euer did the valiant English doubt Whilst our braue battailes guarded them about Nor did our wiues and wofull mothers mourne The English blood that stained Banocksburne Whilst with his Minions sporting in his Tent Whole daies and nights in banquetting were spent Vntill the Scots which vndersafegard stood Made lauish hauocke of the English blood And battered helmes lay scattered on the shore Where they in conquest had beene borne before A thousand kingdomes will we seeke from far As many Nations waste with ciuill war Where the disheuel'd gastly Sea-nimph sings Or well-rigd ships shall stretch their swelling wings And drag their ankors through the sandy fome About the world in euery clime to rome And those vnchristned Countries call our owne Where scarce the name of England hath bin knowne And in the dead-sea sinke our houses fame From whose sterne waues we first deriu'd our name Before fowle blacke-mouth'd infamy shall sing That Mortimer e're stoop'd vnto a King And we will turne sterne-visag'd furie backe To seeke his spoile who sought our vtter sacke And come to beard him in our natiue Ile E're he march forth to follow our exile And after all these boistrous stormie shockes Yet will we grapple with the chaulkie rockes Nor will we come like Pirates or like the eues From mountaines forrests or sea-bordering Cleeues But fright the ayre with terror when we come Of the sterne trumpet and the bellowing drum And in the field aduance our plumy Crest And march vpon faire Englands flowrie breast And Thames which once we for our life did swim Shaking our dewy tresses on her brim Shall beare my nauie vaunting in her pride Falling from Tanet with the powerfull tide Which fertile Essex and faire Kent shall see Spreading herflags along the pleasant lee When on her stemming poope she prowdly beares The famous Ensignes of the Belgicke Peeres And for the hatefull sacrilegious sinne Which by the Pope he stands accursed in The Canon text shall haue a common glosse Receits in parcels shall be paide in grosse This doctrine preachde who from the Church doth take At least shall trebble restitution make For which Rome sends her curses out from farre Through the sterne throte of terror-breathing warre Till to th' vnpeopled shores she brings supplies Of those industrious Roman Colonies And for his homage by the which of olde Prowd Edward Guyne and Aquitaine doth hold Charles by inuasiue armes againe shall take And send the English forces o're the lake When Edwards fortune stands vpon this chance To loose in England or expulsde from France And all those townes great Longshankes left his sonne Now lost againe which once his father wonne Within their strong percullizde Ports shall lie And from their walls his sieges shall defie And by that firme and vndissolued knot Betwixt their neighboring French and bordring Scot Bruse now shall bring his Red-shanks from the seas From th'Iled Oreads and the Hebrydes And to his westerne hauens giue free passe To land the warlike Irish Galiglasse Marching from Tweede to swelling Humber sands Wasting along the Northerne netherlands And wanting those which should his power sustaine Consumde with slaughter in his bloody raigne Our warlike sword shall driue him from his throne Where he shall lie for vs to treade vpon And those great lords now after their attaints Canonized amongst the English Saints And by the superstitious people thought That by their Reliques miracles are wrought And thinke that flood much vertue doth retaine Which tooke the blood of famous Bohun slaine Continuing
matchlesse Gentleman was the first cherisher of my Muse which had beene by his death left a poore Orphan to the world had he not before bequeathed it to that Lady whom he so deerely liued Vouchsafe then my deere Lord to accept this epistle which I dedicate as zealously as I hope you will patronize willingly vntill some more acceptable seruice may be witnesse of my loue to your honour Your Lordships euer Michaell Drayton Queene Isabell to Richard the second The Argument Queene Isabel the daughter of Charles king of France being the second wife of Richard the second the son of Edward the Blacke Prince the eldest sonne of King Edward the third After the saide Richard her husband was deposed from his crowne and kingly dignitie by Henry duke of Herford the eldest son of Iohn of Gaunt duke of Lancaster the fourth sonne of Edward the third this Ladie being then very yong was sent backe againe into Fraunce without dowre at what time the deposed King her husband was sent from the Tower of London as a prisoner vnto Pomfret Castle Whether this poore Lady bewailing her husbands misfortunes writeth this Epistle from France AS dooth the yeerely Auger of the spring In deapth of woe thus I my sorrow sing Words tunde with sighes teares falling oft among A dolefull burthen to a heauy song Words issue forth to finde my griefe some way Teares ouertake them and doe bid them stay Thus whilst one striues to keepe the other backe Both once too forward now are both too slacke If fatall Pomfret hath in former time Nurrisht the griefe of that vnnaturall clime Thether I send my sorrowes to be sed But where first boâ—ne where fitter to be bred They vnto France be aliens and vnknowne England from her doth challenge these her owne They say all mischiefe commeth from the North It is too true my fall doth set it forth But why should I thus limite Griefe a place When all the world is filld with our disgrace And we in bounds thus striuing to containe it The more resists the more we doe restraine it Oh how euen yet I hate these wretched eies And in my glasse oft call them faithlesse spies Preparde for Richard that vnwares did looke Vpon that traitor Henry Bulingbrooke But that excesse of ioy my sence bereau'd So much my sight had neuer bin deceau'd Oh how vnlike to my lou'd Lord was hee Whom rashly I sweet Richard tooke for thee I might haue seene the Couâ—sers selfe did lacke That Princely rider should bestride his backe He that since Nature her great worke began Shee made to be the mirrour of a man That when she meant to forme some matchlesse lim Still for a patterne tooke some part of him And iealous of her cunning brake the mould In his proportion done the best she could Oh let that day be guiltie of all sinne That is to come or heeretofore hath bin Wherein great Norffolkes forward course was staide To prooue the treasons he to Hersord laide When with sterne furie both these Dukes enragde Their warlike gloues at Couentry engag'd When first thou didst repeale thy former grant Seal'd to braue Mowbray as thy Combatant From his vnnumbred howres let time deuide it Lest in his minutes he should hap to hide it Yet on his brow continually to beare it That when it comes all other daies may feare it And all ill-boding Planets by consent That day may hold their dreadfull parlement Be it in heauens decrees enroled thus Blacke dismall fatall inauspitious Prowd Herford then in height of all his pride Vnder great Mowbraies valiant hand had dide Nor should not thus from banishment retire The fatall brand to set our Troy on fire O why did Charles relieue his needy state A vagabond and stragling runnagate And in this Court with grace did entertaine This vagrant exile this abiected Caine Who with a thousand mothers curses went Mark'd with the brand often yeeres banishment When thou to Ireland took'st thy last farewell Millions of knees vpon the pauements fell And euery where th' applauding ecchoes ring The ioyfull showts that did salute a King Thy parting hence what pompe did not adorne At thy returne who laugh'd thee not to scorne Who to my Lord a looke vouchsafde to lend Then all too few on Herford to attend Princes like sunnes be euermore in sight All see the clowdes betwixt them and their light Yet they which lighten all downe from the skies See not the clowdes offending others eyes And deeme their noone-tide is desir'd of all When all expect cleere changes by their fall What colour seemes to shadow Herfords claime When law and right his fathers hopes doth maime Affirm'd by church-men which should beare no hate That Iohn of Gaunt was illegiâ—timate Whom his reputed mothers tongue did spot By a base Flemish Boore to be begot Whom Edwards Eglets mortally did shun Daring with them to gaze against the Sun Where lawfull right and conquest doth allow A triple crowne on Richards princely brow Three kingly Lions beares his bloody field No bastards marke doth blot his conquering shield Neuer durst he attempt our haplesse shore Nor set his foote on fatall Rauensporâ— Nor durst his slugging Hulkes approch the strand Nor stoope a top as signall to the land Had not the Percyes promisde aide to bring Against their oath vnto their lawfull King Against their faith vnto our crownes true heire Their valiant kinsman Edmond Mortimer When I to England came a world of eyes Like starres attended on my faire arise At my decline like angry Planets frowne And all are set before my going downe The smooth fac'd ayre did on my comming smile But with rough stormes are driuen to exile But Bullingbrooke deuisâ—e we thus should part Fearing two sorrowes should possesse one heart To make affliction stronger doth denie That one poore comfort left our miserie He had before diuorc'd thy crowne and thee Which might suffice and not to widdow mee But that to proue the vtmost of his hate To make our fall the greater by our state Oh would Aumerle had suncke when he betraid The complot which that holy Abbot laid When he infring'd the oth which he first tooke For thy reuenge on peâ—iurde Bullingbrooke And beene the ransome of our friends deere blood Vntimely lost and for the earth too good And we vntimely mourne our hard estate They gone too soone and we remaine too late And though with teares I from my Lord depart This curse on Horford fall to ease my heart If the fowle breach of a chaste nuptiall bed May bring a curse my curse light on his head If murthers guilt with blood may deepely staine Greene Scroope and Bushie die his fault in graine If periury may heauens pure gates debar Damn'd be the oth he made at Dancaster If the deposing of a lawfull King The curse condemne him if no other thing If these disioynde for vengeance cannot call Let them vnited strongly curse him all And for the Percyes heauen may
answering tells me Woe is there And when mine armes would gladly thee enfold I clip the pillow and the place is cold Which when my waking eyes precisely view T is a true token that it is too true As many minutes as in the howres there be So many howres each minute seemes to me Each howre a day morne noone-tide and a set Each day a yeare with miseries complet A winter spring-time summer and a fall All seasons varying but vnseasoned all In endelesse woe my thrid of life thus weares By minutes howres daies months lingring yeares They praise the summer that enioy the South Pomfret is closed in the Norths cold mouth There pleasant summer dwelleth all the yeere Frost-starued-winter dooth inhabite heere A place wherein dispaire may fitly dwell Sorrow best suting with a cloudy Cell When Herford had his iudgement of exile Saw I the peoples murmuring the while Th' vncertaine Commons toucht with inward care As though his sorrowes mutually they bare Fond women and scarse speaking children mourne Bewaile his parting wishing his returne Then being forcde t' abridge his banisht yeeres When they bedewd his footsteps with their teares Yet by example could not learne to know To what his greatnes by this loue might grow Whilst Henry boasts of our atchiuements done Bearing the trophies our great fathers wonne And all the storie of our famous warre Now grace the Annales of great Lancaster Seauen goodly siens in their spring did flourish Which one selfe root brought forth one stock did noâ—ish Edward the top-branch of that golden tree Nature in him her vtmost power did see Who from the bud still blossomed so faire As all might iudge what fruite it meant to beare But I his graft of eu'ry weede ore-growne And from the kind as refuse forth am throwne From our braue Grandsire both in one degree Yet after Edward Iohn the yongst of three Might Princely Wales beget an impe so base That to Gaunts issue should giue soueraigne place That leading Kings from France returned home As those great Caesars brought their spoiles to Rome Whose name obtained by his fatall hand Was euer fearefull to that conquered land His fame increasing purchasde in those warres Can scarcely now be bounded with the starres With him is valour quite to heauen fled Or else in me is it extinguished Who for his vertue and his conquests sake Posteritie a demy god shall make And iudge this vile abiect spirit of mine Could not proceede from temper so diuine What earthly humor or what vulgar eie Can looke so lowe as on our misery When Bullingbrooke is mounted to our throne And makes that his which we but calld our owne Into our counsells he himselfe intrudes And who but Henry with the multitudes His power disgrades his dreadfull frowne disgraceth He throwes them downe whome our aduancement placeth As my disable and vnworthy hand Neuer had power belonging to command He treades our sacred tables in the dust And proues our acts of Parlament vniust As though he hated that it should be saide That such a law by Richard once was made Whilst I deprest before his greatnes lie Vnder the weight of hate and infamie My backe a footstoole Bullingbrooke to raise My loosenes mockt and hatefull by his praise Out-liu'd mine honour buried my estate And nothing left me but the peoples hate Sweet Queene I le take all counsell thou canst giue So that thou bidst me neither hope nor liue Succour that comes when ill hath done his worst But sharpens griefe to make vs more accurst Comfort is now vnpleasing to mine eare Past cure past care my Bed become my Beere Since now misfortune humbleth vs so long Till heauen be growne vnmindfull of our wrong Yet they forbid my wrongs shall euer die But still remembred to posteritie And let the crowne be fatall that he weares And euer wet with woefull mothers teares Thy curse on Percie angry heauens preuent Who haue not one curse left on him vnspent To scourge the world now borrowing of my store As rich of woe as I a King am poore Then cease deere Queene my sorrowes to bewaile My wounds too great for pittie now to heale Age stealeth on whilst thou complainest thus My griefes be mortall and infectious Yet better fortunes thy faire youth may trie That follow thee which still from me doth flie ¶ Notes of the Chronicle Historie Thiâ— tongue which first denounc'd my regall state RIchard the second at the resignation of the crowne to the duke of Herford in the Tower of London deliuering the same with his owne hand there confessed his disabilitie to gouerne vtterly denouncing all kingly authoritie And left'st great Burbon for thy love to me Before the Princesse Isabell was maried to the king Lewes duke of Burbon sued to have had her in marriage which was thought he had obtained if this motion had not fallen out in the meane time This Duke of Burbon sued againe to have received her at her comming into France after the imprisonment of king Richard but King Charles her Father then crost him as before and gave her to Charles sonne to the Duke of Orleans When Herford had his judgement of exile When the combate should have beene at Couentrie betwixt Henrie Duke of Herford and Thomas Duke of Norfolke where Herford was adiudged to banishment for ten yeares the commons exceedingly lamented so greatly was he ever favored of the people Then being forc'd t' abridge his banisht yeeres When the Duke came to take his leave of the King beeing then at Eltham the King to please the Commons rather then for any love he bare to Herford repleaded foure yeares of his banishment Whilest Henry boasts of our atchieuements done Henry the eldest Sonne to Iohn Duke of Lancaster at the first Earle of Darby then created Duke of Herford after the death of the Duke Iohn his father was Duke of Lancaster and Hereford Earle of Darby Leicester and Lincolne and after he had obtained the Crowne was called by the name of Bullingbrooke which is a towne in Lincolneshire as vsually all the Kings of England bare the name of the places where they were borne Seauen goodly syens in their spring did flourish Edward the third had seuen sonnes Edward Prince of Wales after called the blacke Prince William of Hatfield the second Lionell Duke of Clarence the third Iohn of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster the fourth Edmund of Langley Duke of York the fifth Thomas of Woodstocke Duke of Gloster the sixth William of Winsore the seuenth Edward the top-branch of that golden tree Truly boasting himselfe to be the eldest Sonne of Edward the blacke Prince Yet after Edward Iohn the yongst of three As disabling Henry Bullingbrooke being but the son of the fourth brother William and Lionell being both before Iohn of Gaunt That leading Kings from France returned home Edward the blacke Prince taking Iohn king of France prisoner at the battel of Poicters brought him into England where at the Sauoy he died
dares And Vere so famous in the Irish warres Who though my selfe so great a Prince were borne The worst of these my equall neede not scorne But Henries rare perfections and his parts As conquering Kingdomes so he conquer'd hearts As chaste was I to him as Queene might bee But freed from him my chaste lone vow'd to thee Beautie doth fetch all fauour from thy face All perfect courtship resteth in thy grace If thou discourse thy lips such accents breake As loue a spirit forth of thee seemâ—d to speake The Brittish language which our vowels wants And iarres so much vpon harsh consonants Comes with such grace from thy mellifluous tongue As do the sweete notes of a well set song And runnes as smoothly from those lips of thine As the pure Tuskan from the Florentine Leauing such seasoned sweetenes in the eare As the voyce past yet still the sound is there In Nisus Tower as when Apollo lay And on his golden viall vsde to play Where sencelesse stones were with such musicke drownd As many yeares they did retaine the sound Let not the beames that greatnes doth reflect Amaze thy hopes with timerous respect Assure thee Tudor maiesty can be As kinde in loue as can the mean'st degree And the embraces of a Queene as true As theirs might iudge them much aduanc'd by you When in our greatnes our affections craue Those secret ioyes that other women haue So I a Queene be soueraigne in my choice Let others fawne vpon the publique voice Or what by this can euer hap to thee Light in respect to be belou'd of mee Let peeuish worldlings prate of right and wrong Leaue plaints and pleas to whom they do belong Let old men speake of chances and euents And Lawyers talke of titles and discents Leaue fond reports to such as stories tell And couenants to those that buy and sâ—ll Loue my sweete Tudor that becomes thee best And to our good suceesse referre the rest Notes of the Chronicle Historie Great Henry sought to accomplish his desire Armed c. HEnry the fift making claime to the Crowne of France first sought by Armes to subdue the French and after sought by marriage to confirme what he got by conquest the heate and furie of which inuasion is alluded to the sixion of Semele in Ouid which by the crafty perswasion of Iuno requested Ioue to come vnto her as he was wont to come vnto his wife Iuno who at her request hee yeelding vnto destroyed her in a tempest Incamp'd at Melans in wars hote alarmes First c. Neere vnto Melans vpon the Riuer of Scyne was the appointed place of parley betweene the two Kings of England and France to which place Isabell the Qucene of France and the Duke of Burgoyne brought the yong Princesse Katherine where King Henry first saw her And on my temples set a double Crowne Henry the fift and Queene Katherine were taken as King and Queene of France and during the life of Charles the French king Henry was called King of England and heire of France and after the death of Henry the fift Henry the sixt his sonne then being very yong was crowned at Paris as true and lawfull King of England and France At Troy in Champaine he did first enioy Troy in Champaine was the place where that victorious king Henry the fift married the Ptincesse Katherine in the presence of the chiefe nobilitie of the Realmes of England and France Nor these great tules vainely will I bring Wife daughter mother c. Few Queenes of England or France were euer more princely alied then this Queene as it hath beene noted by Historiographers Nor thinke so Tudor that this loue of mine Should wrong the Gaunt-borne c. Noting the discent of Henry her husband from Iohn Duke of Lancaster the fourth sonne of Edward the third which Duke Iohn was sirnamed Gaunt of the Cittie of Gaunt in Flanders where he was borne Nor stirre the English blood the Sunne and Moone Trepine c. Alluding the greatnes of the English line to Phoebus and Phoebe fained to be the children of Latona whose heauenly kind might seorne to be ioyned with any earthly progenie yet withall boasting the blood of France as not inferior to theirs And with this allusion followeth on the historie of the strife betwixt Iuno and the race of Cadmus whose issue was afflicted by the wrath of heauen The children of Niobe slaine for which the wofull mother became a rocke gushing forth continually a sountaine of teares And Iohn and Longshanks issue both affied Lheellin or Leolin ap Iorweth married Ioane daughter to king Iohn a most beautifull Lady Some Authors affirme that she was base borne Lhewellin ap Gryfith married Ellenor daughter to Simon Montfort Earle of Leicester and Cosin to Edward Long-shankes both which Lhewellins were Princes of Wales Of Camilot and all her Pentecosts A Nephewes roome c. Camilot the antient Pallace of King Arthur to which place all the Knightes of that famous order yeerely repaired at Penticost according to the law of the Table and most of the famous home-borne Knights were of that Country as to this day is perceiued by their antient monuments When bloody Rutus sought your vtter sacke Noting the ill successe which that William Rufus bad in two voyages he made into Wales in which a number of his chiefe Nobilitie were slaine And oft returnde with glorious victorie Noting the diuers sundry incursions that the Welchmen made into England in the time of Rufus Iohn Henry the second and Longshankes ⧠Owen Tudor to Queene Katherine WHen first mine eyes heheld your princely name And found from whence this friendly letter came As in excesse of ioy my selfe forgot Whether I saw it or I saw it not My panting heart doth bid mine eyes proceede My dazeled eye inuites my tongue to reede Mine eye should guide my tongue amazed mist it My lips which now should speak are dombe kist it And leaues the paper in my trembling hand When all my sences so amazed stand Euen as a mother comming to her childe Which from her presence hath been long exilde With tender armes his gentle necke doth straine Now kissing him now clipping him againe And yet excessiue ioy deludes her so As still she doubts if this be hers or no At length awak'ned from this pleasing dreame When passion somwhat leaues to be extreame My longing eyes with their faire obiect meete Where euery letter 's pleasing each word sweete It was not Henries conquests nor his Court That had the power to win me by report Nor was his dreadfull terror-striking name The cause that I from Wales to England came For Christian Rhodes and our religious truth To great atchieuements first had wonne my youth Before aduenture did my valour proue Before I yet knew what it was to loue Nor came I hether by some poore euent But by th' eternall Destinies consent Whose vncomprised wisedomes did fore-see That you in marriage should be linck'd to
thine Who else next Henry should the Realme prefer If it allow of famous Lancaster But Rayners daughter must from France be fet And with a vengeance on our throne be set Mauns Maine and Aniou on that begger cast To bring her home to England in such haste And what for Henry thou hast laboured there To ioyne the King with Arminacks rich heire Must all be dash'd as no such thing had beene Poole needes must haue his darling made a Queene How should he with our Princes else be plac'd To haue his Farleship with a Dukedome grac'd And raise the of-spring of his blood so hie As Lords of vs and our posteritie O that by sea when he to France was sent The ship had suncke wherein the traitor went Or that the sands had swallowed her before She e're set foote vpon the English shore But all is well nay we haue store to giue What neede we more we by her lookes can liue All that great Henry by his conquests heapt And famous Beaford to his glory kept Be giuen backe â—o Rayner all in post And by this meanes rich Normandy be lost Those which haue comen as Mistresses of ours Haue into England brought their goodly dowers Which to our Coffers yeerely tribute brings The life of subiects and the strength of Kings The meanes where by faire England euer might Raise power in France to backe our antient right But she brings ruine heere to make aboad And cancells all our lawfull claime abroad And she must recapitulate my shame And giue a thousand by words to my name And call me Beldam Gib Witch Night-mare Trot With all despight that may a woman spot O that I were a witch but for her sake I faith her Queeneship little rest should take I would scratch that face that may not feele the ayre And knit whole ropes of witch-knots in her haire O I would hag her nightly in her bed And on her breast sit like a lumpe of lead And like a Fayrie pinch that dainty skin Her wanton blood is now so cockered in Or take me some such knowne familiar shape As she my vengeance neuer should escape Were I a garment none should neede the more To sprinckle me with Nessus poisned gore It were enough if she once put me on To teare both flesh and sinewes from the bone Were I a flower that might her smell delight Though I were not the poisning Acenite I would send such a fume into her brow Should make her mad as mad as I am now They say the Druides once liu'd in this I le This fatall Man the place of my exile Whose powerfull charmes such dreadfull wonders wroght Which in the gotish Island tongue were taught O that their spels to me they had resignde Wherewith they raisde and calmde both sea winde And made the Moone pawse in her paled spheare Whilst her grim Dragons drew them throgh the aire Their hellish power to kill the Plow-mans seede Or to fore-speake the flockes as they did seede To nurse a damned spirit with humaine blood To carry them through earth ayre fire and flood Had I this skill that time hath almost lost How like a Goblin I would haunt her ghost O pardon pardon my mis-gouernde tongue A womans strength cannot endure my wrong Did not the heauens her comming in withstand As though affrighted when she came to land The earth did quake her comming to abide The goodly Thames did twice keepe backe her tide Pauls shooke with tempests and that mounting spire With lightning sent from heauen was set on fire Our stately buildings to the ground were blowne Her pride by these prodigious signes were showne More fearefull visions on the English earth Than euer were at any death or birth Ah Humfrey Humfrey if I should not speake My breast would split my very heart would breake I that was wont so many to command Worse now then with a clapdish in my hand A simple mantle couering me withall A very leaper of Cares hospitall That from my state a presence held in awe Glad heere to kennell in a pad of straw And like an Owle by night to goe abroad Roosted all day within an Iuy tod Among the sea-cliffes in the dampy caues In charnall houses or among the graues Saw'st thou those eies in whose sweet cheereful looke Duke Humfrey once such ioy and pleasure tooke Sorrow hath so dispoyl'd me of all grace Thou couldst not say this was my Eluors face Like a fowle Gorgon whose disheuel'd haire With euery blast flies glaâ—ing in the ayre Some standing vp like hornes vpon my head Euen like those women that in Coos are bred My lanke breasts hang like bladders left vnblowne My skin with lothsome laundize ouer growne So pinde away that if thou long'st to see Ruines true picture onely looke on mee Sometime in thinking of what I haue had Euen in a suddaine extasie am mad Then like a Bedlam forth thy Elnor runnes Like one of Bacchus raging franticke Nunnes Or like a Tartar when in strange disguise Preparde vnto a dismall sacrifice That Prelate Beuford a fowle ill befall him Prelate said Iâ— nay diuell I should call him Ah God forgiue me if I thinke amisse His very name me thinks my poison is Ah that viâ—e Iudas our professed foe My curse pursue him where so e're he goe That to my iudgement when I did appeare Laid to my charge those things which neuer were I should pertake with Bullingbrookes intents The hallowing of his magique instruments That I procured Southwell to assist Which was by order consecrate a Priest That it was I should couer all they did That but for him had to this day beene hid Ah that vile bastard that himselfe dare vaunt To be the sonne of thy braue grandsire Gaunt Whom he but fatherd of meere charity To rid his mother of that infamy Who if report of Elder times be true Vnto this day his father neuer knew He that by murthers blacke and odious crime To Henries throne attempted once to clime Hauing procurde by hope of golden gaine A fatall hand his soueraigne to haue slaine Who to his Chamber closely he conuaide And for that purpose fitly there had laide Vpon whose sword that famous Prince had died If by a dogge he had not beene discried But now the Queene her Minion Poole and he As it please them so now must all things be England's no place for any one beside All is too little to maintaine their pride What of a King hath Henry but the name And now scarce that so publike his defame And I pray God I do not liue the day To see thy ruine and thy Realmes decay And yet as sure as Humfrey seemes to stand He be preseru'd from that vile traytors hand From Glosters seate I would thou wert estrang'd Or would to God that Dukedomes name were chang'd For it portends no goodnes vnto vs Ah Humfrey Humfrey it is ominous Yet rather then thy hap so hard should be I would
rare perfections wherewith nature and education haue adorned you I haue beene forced since that time to attribute more admiration to your sexe then euer Petrarch could before perswade mee to by the praises of his Laura Sweete is the French tongue more sweete the Italian but most sweete are they both if spoken by your admired selfe If Poesie were praiselesse your vertues alone were a subiect sufficient to make it esteemed though among the barbarous Getes by how much the more your tender yeeres giue scarcely warrant for your more then womanlike wisedome by so much is your iudgement and reading the more to be wondred at The Graces shall haue one more sister by your selfe and England to her selfe shall adde one Muse more to Muses I rest the humble deuoted seruant to my deere and modest Mistresse to whom I wish the happiest fortunes I can deuise Michaell Drayton William de la Pole Duke of Suffolke to Queene Margaret The Argument William de la Pole first Marques and after created Duke of Suffolke being sent into France by King Henry the sixt concluded a marriage betweene the King his Master and Margaret daughter to Rayner Duke of Aniou who onely had the title of the King of Cicily and Ierusalem This marriage being made contrary to the liking of the Lords and Counsell of the Realme by reason of the yeelding vp of Aniou and Maine into the Dukes hands which shortly after proued the losse of all Aquitaine they euer after continually hated the Duke and after by meanes of the Commons banished him at the Parlement at Berry where after he had the iudgement of his exile being then ready to depart hee writeth backe to the Queene this Epistle IN my disgrace deere Queene rest thy content And Margarets health from Suffolkes banishment Not one day seemes fiue yeeres exile to mee But that so soone I must depart from thee Where thou not present it is euer night All be exilde that liue not in thy sight Those Sauages which worship the Sunnes rise Would hate their God if they beheld thine eyes The worlds great light might'st thou be seene abroad Would at our noone-stead neuer make aboad And make the poore Antipodes to mourne Fearing lest he would neuer more returne Wert not for thee it were my great'st exile To liue within this sea-inuirond I le Poles courage brookes not limmitting in bands But that great Queene thy soueraignty commands Our Falcons kinde cannot the cage endure Nor buzzard-like dooth stoope to euery lure Their mounting broode in open ayre doth roue Nor will with Crowes be coop'd within a groue We all do breath vpon this earthly ball Likewise one heauen encompasseth vs all No banishment can be to him assignde Who doth retaine a true resolued minde Man in himselfe a little world doth beare His soule the Monarch euer ruling there Where euer then his body doth remaine He is a King that in himselfe doth raigne And neuer feareth Fortunes hot'st alarmes That beares against her Patience for his Armes This was the meane prowd Warwicke did inuent To my disgrace at Leister Parlement That onely I by yeelding vp of Maine Should be the losse of fertile Aquitaine With the base vulgar sort to win him fame To be the heire of good Duke Humfreys name And so by treason spotting my pure blood Make this a meane to raise the Neuels brood With Salsbury his vile ambitions syre In Yorkes sterne breast kindling long hidden fire By Clarence title working to supplant The Eagle ayrie of great Iohn of Gaunt And to this end did my exile conclude Thereby to please the rascall multitude Vrg'd by these enuious Lords to spend their breath Calling reuenge on the Protectors death That since the old decrepit Duke is dead By me of force he must be murthered If they would know who rob'd him of his life Let him call home Dame Ellinor his wife Who with a taper walked in a sheete To light her shame at noone through London street And let her bring her Negromanticke booke That fowle hag Iordane Hun and Bullenbrooke And let them call the spirits from hell againe To know how Humfrey died and who shall raigne For twenty yeeres and haue I serude in France Against great Charles and bastard Orleance And seene the slaughter of a World of men Victorious now and conquered agen And haue I seene Vernoylas batfull fields Strew'd with ten thousand helms ten thousand shields Where famous Bedford did our fortune try Or France or England for the victory The sad innesting of so many Townes Scorde on my breast in honorable wounds When Mountacute and Talbot of such name Vnder my Ensigne both first won their fame In heate and cold all fortunes haue indurde To rowze the French within their walls immurde Through all my life these perrills haue I past And now to feare a banishment at last Thou knowst how I thy beauty to aduance For thee refusde the infant Queene of France Brake the contract Duke Humfrey first did make Twixt Henry and the Princesse Arminacke Onely sweete Queene thy presence I might gaine I giue Duke Rayner Aniou Mauns and Maine Thy peerelesse beutie for a dower to bring To counterpoize the wealth of Englands King And from Aumerle with-drew my warlike powers And came my selfe in person first to Towers Th' Ambassadors for truce to entertaine From Belgia Denmarke Hungary and Spaine And telling Henry of thy beauties story I taught my tongue a louers Oratory As the report it selfe did so indite And make it ravish teares with such delight And when my speech did cease as telling all My lookes shewde more that was Angelicall And when I breathde againe and pawsed next I left mine eyes dilating on the text Then comming of thy modesty to tell In musickes numbers my voyce rose and fell And when I came to paint thy glorious stile My speech in greater cadences to file By true descent to weare the Diadem Of Naples Cicils and Ierusalem And from the Gods thou didst deriue thy birth If heauenly kinde could ioyne with broode of earth Gracing each title that I did recite With some mellifluous pleasing Epethite Nor left him not till he for loue was sicke Beholding thee in my sweete Rhetoricke A fifteenes taxe in France I freely spent In triumphs at thy nuptiall tournament And solemnizde thy marriage in a gowne Valude at more then was thy fathers Crowne And onely striuing how to honour thee Gaue to my King what thy loue gaue to mee Iudge if his kindenesse haue not power to moue Who for his loues sake gaue away his loue Had he which once the prize to Greece did bring Of whom old Poets long agoe did sing Seene thee for England but imbarqu'd at Deepe Would ouer-boord haue cast his golden sheepe As too vnworthy ballace to be thought To pester roome with such perfection fraught The briny seas which saw the ship enfold thee Would vaut vp to the hatches to behold thee And falling backe themselues in thronging
stirreth delight as well as the melancholy Doricke moueth passion both haue their motion in the spirit as the liking of the soule moueth the affection Your kinde acceptance of my labour shall giue some life to my Muse which yet houers in the vncertaintie of the generall censure Mich Drayton Edward the fourth to Shores wife The Argument This Mistris Shore King Edward the fourths beauteous Paramore was so called of her husband a Gold smith dwelling in Lombard streete Edward the fourth sonne to Richard Duke of Yorke after he had obtained the crowne by deposing Henry the sixth which Henry was after murthered in the Tower by Richard Crookebacke and after the battell sought at Barnet where the famous Earle of Warwicke was slaine and that King Edward quietly possessed the Crowne hearing by report of many the rare and wonderfull beautie of the aforesaid Shores wife commeth himselfe disguised to London to see her where after he had once beheld her he was so surprised with her admirable beautie as not long after he robbed her husband of his deerest iewell but first by this Epistle he writeth vnto her VNto the fair'st that euer breath'd this ayre From English Edward to that fairest faire Ah would to God thy title were no more That no remembrance might remaine of Shore To countermand a Monarchs high desire And bar mine eyes of what they most admire O why should Fortune make the Citty prowd To giue that more then is the Court allow'd Where they like wretches hoard it vp to spare And do engrosse it as they do their ware When fame first blaz'd thy beautie heere in Court Mine cares repulsde it as a light report But when mine eyes sawe that mine eare had heard They thought report too nigardly had sparde And strooken dumbe with wonder did but mutter Conceiuing more then she had words to vtter Then thinke of what thy husband is possest When I enuie that Shore should be so blest When much aboundance makes the needie mad And hauing all yet knowes not what is had Into fooles bosomes this good fortune creepes And wealth comes in the whilst the miser sleepes If now thy beautie be of such esteeme Which all of so rare excellencie deeme What would it be and prized at what rate Where it adorned with a kingly state Which being now but in so meane a bed Is like an vncut Diamond in lead E're it be set in some high-prized ring Or garnished with rich enamiling We see the beauty of the stone is spilt Wanting the gratious ornament of guilt When first attracted by thy heauenly eyes I came to see thee in a strange disguise Passing thy shop thy husband calls me backe Demanding what rare jewell I did lacke I want thought I one that I dare not craue And one I feare thou wilt not let me haue He calls for Caskets forth and shewes me store But yet I knew he had one jewell more And deadly curst him that he did denie it That I might not for loue or mony buy it O might I come a Diamond to buy That had but such a lustre as thine eye Would not my treasure serue my Crowne should go If any jewell could be prized so An Agat branched with thy blushing straines A Saphire but so azâ—rde as thy veines My kingly Scepter onely should redeeme it At such a price if iudgement could esteeme it How fond and sencelesse be those strangers then VVho bring in toyes to please the Englishmen I smile to thinke how fond th' Italians are To iudge their artificiall gardens rare VVhen London in thy cheeks can shew them heere Roses and Lillies growing all the yeere The Portugall that onely hopes to win By bringing stones from farthest India in VVhen happy Shore can bring them forth a girle Whose lips be Rubies and her teeth be Pearle How silly is the Polander and Dane To bring vs Cristall from the frozen maine When thy cleere skins transparence doth surpasse Their Christall as the Diamond doth glasse The foolish French which brings in trash and toyes To turne our women men or girles to boyes When with what tire thou doost thy selfe adorne That for a fashion onely shall be worne Which though it were a garment but of haire More rich then robe that euer Empresse ware Me thinks thy husband takes his marke awâ—y To set his plate to sale when thou art by When they which do thy Angel locks behold Like basest drosse do but respect his gold And wish one haire before that massie heape And but one locke before the wealth of Cheapâ— And for no cause else hold we gold so deare But that it is so like vnto thy haire And sure I thinke Shore cannot choose but flowt Such as would finde the great Elixar out And laugh to see the Alchimists that choke Themselues with fumes waste their wealth in smoke When if thy hand but touch the grossest mold It is conâ—erted to refined gold When theirs is chafferd at an easie rate VVell knowne to all to be adulterate And is no more when it by thine is set Then paltry Beugle or light-prized jeat Let others weare perfumes for thee vnmeete If there were none thou could'st make all things sweet Thou comfort'st sence and yet all sence dost waste To heare to see to smell to feele to taste Thou a rich ship whose very refuse ware Aromatickes and pretious odors are If thou but please to walke into the Pawne To buy thee Cambrieke Callico or Lawne If thou the whitenes of the same wouldst proue From thy more whiter hand plucke off thy gloue And those which buy as the beholders stand Will take thy hand for Lawne Lawne for thy hand A thousand eyes closde vp by enuious night Do vvish for day but to enioy thy sight And vvhen they once haue blest their eies vvith thee Scorne euery obiect else vvhat ere they see So like a goddesse beauty still controules And hath such povverfull vvorking in our soules The Merchant vvhich in traffike spends his life Yet loues at home to haue a dainty vvife The blunt spoke Cynicke poring on his booke Sometimes aside at beauty loues to looke The church-man by whose teaching wee are led Allovves what keepes loue in the marriage bed The bloudy Souldier spent in armes and broiles With beautie yet content to share his spoiles The busie Lavvyer wrangling in his pleas Findeth that Beauty giues his labour ease The toyling trades-man and the sweating clowne Wold haue his wench faire thogh his bread be brown So much is Beauty pleasing vnto all To Prince and pâ—â—sant like in generall Nor neuer yet did any man despise it Except too deere and â—hat he could not prize it Vnlearn'd is learning artlesse be all Artes If not imployde to praise thy seuerall partes Poore plodding Schoolemen they are farre too lowe Which by probations rules and axiomes goe He must be still familiar with the skies Which notes the reuolutions of thine eies And by that skill which measures sea
Emperour that Charles eldest sonne of the said Philip should marry the Ladie Mary daughter to King Henry when they came to age which agreement was afterward in the eight yeare of Henry the eight annihilated When he in triumph of his victorie Vnder a rich embrodered Canapie Entred proud Turney which did trembling stand c. Henry the 8. after the long siege of Turnay which was deliuered to him vpon composition entred the Citie in triumph vnder a Canapie of cloth of gold borne by foure of the chiefe and most noble Cittizens the king himselfe mounted vpou a gallant courser barbed with the Armes of England France and Ireland When Charles of Castile there to banquet came With him his sister that ambitious Dame Sauoys prowd Dutches The King being at Turnay there came to him the Prince of Castile and the Lady Margaret Dutches of Sanoy his sister to whom King Henry gaus great entertainment Sauoys proud Dutches knowing how long shee By her loue sought to win my loue from mee At this time there was speech of a marriage to be concluded betweene Charles Brandron then Lord Lâ—ste and the Dutches of Sauoy the Lord Lâ—sâ—e being highly fauoured and exceedingly beloued of the Dutches. When in King Henries Tent of cloth of gold The King caused a rich Tent of cloth of gold to bee erected where he feasted the Prince of Castile and the Dutches and entertained them with sumptuous maskes and banquets during their aboad When Maximillian to those wars addrest Were Englands Crosse on his imperiall breast Maximillian the Emperour with all his souldiers which serued vnder king Henry wore the Crosse of S. George with the Rose on their breasts And in our Armie let his Eagle flie The blacke Eagle is the badge imperiall which here is vsed for the displaying of his ensigne or standard And had his pay from Henries treasurie Henry the 8. at his wars in France retained the Emperor al his souldiers in wages which serued vnder him during those warres But this alone by Wolseys wit was wrought Thomas Wolsey the kings Almoner then Bishop of Lincolne a man of great authoritie with the king and afterward Cardinall was the chiefe cause that the Lady Mary was married to the old French King with whom the French had dealt vnder-hand to befriend him in that match When the proud Dolphin for thy valour sake Chose thee at tilt his Princely part to take Frauncis Duke of Valoyes and Dolphin of Fraunce at the mariage of the Lady Mary in honour thereof proclaimed a Iusts where he chose the Duke of Suffolke and the Marques Dorset for his aydes at all martiall exercises Galeas and Bounarme matchlesse for their might This Countie Galeas at the Iusts ran a course with a speare which was at the head fiue inches square on euery side and at the But nine inches square wherby he shewed his woÌ„drous force and strength This Bounarme a Gentleman of Fraunce at the same time came into the field armed at all poyntes with tenne Speares about him in each stirrop three vnder each thigh one one vnder his left arme and one in his hand and putting his horse to the careere neuer stopped him till he had broken euerie staffe Hall Charles Brandon Duke of Suffolk to Mary the French Queene BVt that thy faith commaunds me to forbeare The fault thine owne if I vnpacient were Were my dispatch such as should be my speede I should want time thy louing lines to reede Heere in the Court Camelion-like I fare And as that creature feed vpon the ayre All day I waite and all the night I watch And starue mine eares to heare of thy dispatch If Douer were th'Abydos of my rest Or pleasant Cal 〈…〉 ce were my Maries Cest Thou shouldst not need faire Queene to blame me so Did not the distance to desire say no Noted ous night from trauell should be free Tâ—ll through the wanes with swimming vnto thee A snowy path I made vnto thy Bay So bright as is that Nectar-stained way The restlesse sunne by trauelling doth weare Passing his course to finish vp the yeare But Paris lockes my loue within the maine And London yet my Brandon doth detaine Of thy firme loue thou putst me still in minde But of my faith not one word can I finde When Longauile to Mary was affide And thou by him wast made King Lewes bride How oft I wisht that thou a prize mightst bee That I in armes might combate him for thee And in the madnesse of my loue distraught A thousand times his murther haue sore thought But that th'all-seeing powers which sit a 〈…〉 Regard not mad mens oathes nor faults in loue And haue confirmde it by the graunt of heauen That Louers sinnes on earth should be forgiuen For neuer than is halfe so much distrest As he that loues to see his loue possest Comming to Richmond after thy depart Richmond where first thou stolst away my heart Me thought it looke not as it did of late But wanting thee â—or loâ—ne and desolate In whose faire walkes thou often hast bin seene To sport with Katharine Henries beauteous Queene Astâ—nishing sad winter with thy sight As for thy sake the day hath put backe night That the smal birds as in the pleasant spring Forgot themselues and haue begun to sing So oft I go by Thames so oft returne Me thinkes for thee the riuer yet doth mourne Who I haue seene to let her streame at large Which like a hand-maid waited on thy Barge And if thou hapst against the flood to row Which way it ebd it presently would flow Weeping in drops vpon thy laboring oares For ioy that it had got thee from the shoares The Swans with musicke that the Roothers make Ruffing their plumes come gliding on the lake As the fleete Dolphins by Arionâ— strings Were brought to land with their sweete rauishings The flockes and hâ—irdes that pasture neere the flood To gaze vpon thee haue forborne their food And sate downe sadly mourning by the brim That they by nature were not made to swim Whenas the Post to Englands royall Court Of thy hard passage brought the true report How in a storme thy well rigd ships were tost And thou thy selfe in danger to be lost I knew t was Venus loath'd that aged bed Where beautie so should be dishonoured Or fearde the Sea-Nimphs haunting of the lake If thou but seene their Goddesse should forsake And whirling round her Doue-drawne Coach about To view the Nauie now in lanching out Her ayrie mantle loosely doth vnbinde Which fanning forth a rougher gale of winde Wafted thy sailes with speede vnto the land And runnes thy ship on Bullins harboring strand How should I ioy of thy arriue to heare But as a poore sea-faring passenger After long trauaile tempest-torne and wrack'd By some vnpitting Pirat that is sack'd Heare 's the false robber that hath stolne his wealth Landed in some safe harbour and in health Enriched with invaluable store For which he
long hath trauailed before When thou to Abuile heldst th' appointed day We heard how Lewes met thee on the way Where thou in glittering Tissue strangely dight Appear'dst vnto him like the Queene of light In cloth of siluer all thy virgin traine In beautie sumptuous as the Northerne waine And thou alone the formost glorious star Which lead'st the teame of that great Wagoner What could thy thought be but as I do thinke When thine eyes tasted what mine eares did drinke A cripple King laid bed-rid long before Yet at thy comming crept out of the doore T' was well he rid he had no legs to goe But this thy beautie forc'd his body to For whom a cullice had more fitter beene Then in a golden bed a gallant Queene To vse thy beautie as the miser gold Which hoards it vp but onely to behold Still looking on it with a iealous eye Fearing to lend yet louing vsurie O Sacriledge if beautie be diuine The prophane hand shuld touch the halowed shrine To 〈◊〉 sicknesse on the sound mans diet To rob content yet still to liue vnquiet And hauing all to be of all beguild And yet still longing like a little child When Marques Dorset and the valiant Graies To purchase fame first crost the narrow Seas With all the Knights that my associates went In honour of thy nuptiall turnament Thinkst thou I ioy'd not in thy beauties pride When thou in triumph didst through Paris ride Where all the streetes as thou didst pace along With Arras Bisse and Tapestry were hung Ten thousand gallant Cittizens prepar'd In rich atâ—ire thy princely selfe to guard Next them three thousand choise 〈…〉 igious men In golden vestments followed on agen And in procession as they came along With Hymeneus sang thy marriage song Then fiue great Dukes as did their places fall To each of these a princely Cardinall Then thou on thy imperiall Chariot set Crown'd with a rich imperled Coronet Whilst the Persian dames as thy traine past Their pretious incence in abundance cast As Cinthia from the waue-embatteld shrowdes Opening the West comes streaming through the clowds With shining troupes of siluer-tressed stars Attending on her as her torch-bearers And all the lesser lights about her throne With admiration stand as lookers on Whilst she alone in height of all her pride The Queene of light along her spheare doth glide When on thy tilt my horse like thunder came No other signall had I but thy name Thy voyce my trumpet and my guide thine eyes And but thy beautie I esteemde no prize That large 〈…〉 d Almaine of the Giants race Which bare strength on his breast feare in his face Whose sinewde armes with his steele-temperd blade Through plate and male such open passage made Vpon whose might the Frenchmens glory lay And all the hope of that victorious day Thou sawe'st thy Brandon beate him on his knee Offring his shield a conquerd spoile to thee But thou wilt say perhaps I vainely boast And tell thee thee which thou already know'st No sacred Queene my valour I denie It was thy beautie not my chiualrie One of thy tressed curles which falling downe As loth to be imprisoned in thy crowne I saw the soft ayre sportiuely to take it To diuers shapes and sundry formes to make it Now parting it to foure to three to twaine Now twisting it and then vntwist againe Then make the thrids to dally with thine eye A sunny candle for a golden flie At length from thence one little teare it got Which falling downe as though a star had shot My vp-turnde eye pursues it with my sight The which againe redoubleth all my might T is but in vaine of my descent to boast When heauens lampe shines all other lights be lost Faulcons gaze not the Eagle sitting by Whose broode suruaies the sunne with open eye Else might my blood finde issue from his force In Bosworth plaine beate Richard from his horse Whose puissant armes great Richmond chose to wield His glorious colours in that conquering field And with his sword in his deere Soueraignes fight To his last breath stood fast in Henries right Then beauteous Empresse thinke this safe delay Shall be the euen to a ioyfull day Fore-sight doth still on all aduantage lie Wise-men must giue place to necessitie To put backe ill our good we must forbeare Better first feare then after still to feare T' were ouer-sight in that at which we aime To put the hazard on an after-game With patience then let vs our hopes attend And till I come receiue these lines I send ¶ Notes of the Chronicle-Historie When Longauile to Mary was affied THe Duke of Longauile which was prisonet in England vpon the peace to be concluded betweene England and France was deliuered and married the Princesse Mary for Lewes the French King his Maister How in a storme thy well rigg'd ships were tost And thou c. As the Queene sailed for France a mighty storme arose at sea so that the Nauy was in great danger and was seuered some driuen vpon the coast of Flanders some on Brittaine the ship wherein the Queene was was driuen into the hauen at Bullen with very great danger When thou to Abuile heldst th' appointed day King Lewes met her by Abuile neere to the Forrest of Arders and brought her into Abuile with great solemnitie Appear'dst vnto him like the Queene of light Expressing the sumptuous attire of the Queene her train attended by the chiefe of the Nobility of England with 36. Ladies al in cloth of siluer their horses trapped with crimson veluet A cripple King laid bed-rid long before King Lewes was a man of great yeeres troubled much with the gowt so that he had long time before little vse of legs When Marques Dorset and the valiant Graies The Duke of Suffolke when the proclamation came into England of iusts to be holden in France at Paris he for the Queenes sake his Mistris obtained of the King to go thither with whom went the Marquesse Dorset and his foure brothers the Lord Clinton Sir Edward Neuell Sir Giles Chappell Tho Cheyney which went all ouer with the Duke as his assistants When thou in triumph didst through Paris ride A true description of the Queenes entring into Paris after her coronation performed at S. Dennis Then fiue great Dukes as did their places fall The Dukes of Alansoon Burbon Vandome Longauile Suffolke with fiue Cardinalls That large-limd Almaine of the Giants race Francis Valoys the Dolphin of France enuying the glory that the Englishmen had obtained at the Tilt brought in an Almaine secretly a man thought almost of incomparable strength which encountred Charles Brandon at Barriers but the Duke grapling with him so beate him about the head with the pumell of his sword that the blood came out of the sight of his Caske Else might my blood finde issue from his force In Bosworth c. Sir William Brandon Standard-bearer to the Earle of Richmond after Henry the 7.
strength and now his brightnesse loseth As well the best discerning eye may doubt Whether it yet be in or whether out Thus in my cheeke my diuers passions shew'd Now ashy pale and now againe it glow'd If in your verse there be a power to moue It 's you alone who are the cause I loue It 's you bewitch my bosome by mine eare Vnto that end I did not place you there Ayres to asswage the bloody souldiers minde Poore women we are naturally kinde Perhaps you 'le thinke that I these termes enforce For that in Court this kindenesse is of course Or that it is that honny-steeped gall We oft are said to bait our loues withall That in one eye we carry strong desire The other drops which quickly quench the fire Ah what so false can Enuy speake of vs But shall finde some too vainely credulous I do not so and to adde proofe thereto I loue in faith in faith sweete Lord I do Nor let the enuie of enuenom'd tongues Which still is grounded on poore Ladies wrongs Thy noble breast diasterly possesse By any doubt to make my loue the lesse My house from Florence I do not pretend Nor from Giraldi claime I to descend Nor hold those honours insufficient are That I receiue from Desmond or Kyldare Nor adde I greater worth vnto my blood Than Irish milke to giue me infant food Nor better ayre will euer boast to breathe Then that of Lemster Mounster or of Meathe Nor craue I other forraine farre alies Then Windsor or Fitz-geralds families It is enough to leaue vnto my heires If they will but acknowledge me for theires To what place euer did the Court remoue But that the howse giues matter to my loue At Windsor still I see thee sit and walke There mount thy Courser there deuise there talke The roabes the garter and the state of Kings Into my thoughts thy hoped greatnes brings Non such the name imports me thinks so much None such as thou nor as my Lord none such In Hamptons great magnificence I finde The liuely image of thy princely minde Faire Richmonds Towers like goodly pillars stand Rearde by the power of thy victorious hand White-halls triumphing galleries are yet Adornde with rich deuises of thy wit In Greenewich yet as in a glasse I view Where last thou badst thy Geraldine adiew VVith euery little gentle breath that blowes How are my thoughts confusde with ioyes woes As through a gate so through my longing eares Passe to my hart whole multitudes of feares O in a map that I might see thee show The place where now in danger thou doost goe VVhilst we discourse to trauaile with our eye Romania ruscaine and faire Lumbardy Or with thy pen exactly to set downe The modell of that Tempell or that Towne And to relate at large where thou hast beene And there and there and what thou there hast seene Or to describe by figure of thy hand There Naples lies and there doth Florence stand Or as the Grecians finger dip'd in wine Drawing a Riuer in a little line And with a drop a gulfe to figure out To modell Venice moted round about Then adding more to counterfet a Sea And draw the front of stately Genoa These from thy lips were like harmonious tones Which now do found like Mandrakes dreadful grones Some trauell hence t' enrich their mindes with skill Leaue heere their good and bring home others ill VVhich seeme to like all Countries but their owne Affecting most where they the least are knowne Their leg their thigh their back their neck their head As they had been in seuerall Countries bred In their attire their jesture and their gate Fond in each one in all Italionate So well in all deformitie in fashion Borrowing a limbe on euery seuerall Nation And nothing more then England hold in scorne So liue as strangers where as they were borne But thy returne in this I do not reede Thou art a perfect Gentleman indeede O God forbid that Howards noble line From ancient vertue should so farre decline The Muses traine whereof your selfe are chiefe Onely with me participate their griefe To sooth their humors I do lend them eares He giues a Poet that his verses heares Till thy returne by hope they onely liue Yet had they all they all avvay would giue The world and they so ill according be That wealth and Poets neuer can agree Few liue in Court that of their good haue care The Muses friends are euery where so rare Some praise thy worth that it did neuer know Onely because the better sort doe so Whose iudgement neuer further doth extend Then it doth please the greatest to commend So great an ill vpon desert doth chaunce When it doth passe by beastly ignoraunce Why arte thou slacke whilst no man puts his hand To raise the mount vvhere Surreys tovvers must stand Or who the groundsill of that worke doth lay Whilst like a wandrer thou abroade doost stray Clipt in the armes of some lasciuious dame When thou shouldst reare an â—â—on to thy name When shall the Muses by faire Norwhich dvvell To be the Cittie of the learned VVell Or Phoebus altars there with incense heapt As once in Cyrrha or in Thebe kept Or vvhen shall that faire hoofe-plowd spring distill From great mount Surrey out of Leonards hill Till thou returne the Court I will exchange For some poore cottage or some countrey Grange Where to our distaues as we sit and spin My maide and I will tell of things haue bin Our Lutes vnstrung shall hang vpon the wall Our lessons serue to wrap our Towe withall And passe the night whiles winter tales we tell Of many things that long ago befell Or tune such homely Carrols as were sung In Countrey sports when we our selues were yung In prettie Râ—ddles to bewray our loues In questions purpose or in drawing gloues The nob est spirits to vertue most inclind These heere in Court thy greatest want do find Other there be on which we feede our eye Like Arras worke or such like Imagerie Many of vs desire Queene Katherines state â—ut very few her vertues imitate Then as Vlyffes wife vvrite I to thee Make no reply but come thy selfe to me ¶ Notes of the Chronicle Historie Then Windsore or Fitzgeralds families THE cost of many Kings which from time to time haue adorned the Castle at Windsor with their princely magnificence â—atâ— made it more noble then that it need to hee spoken of now as though obscure and I hold it more meet to referre you to our 〈◊〉 monuments for the founders and finishers thereof then to meddle with matter nothing neere to the purpose As for the family of the Fitz-gerald of whence this excellent Lady was lineâ—lly discended the original was English though the branches did prâ—â—d themselues into distant places names nothing coÌ„sonant 〈◊〉 in former times it was vsual to denominate themselues of their â—nanours oâ—â—orenames as may partly appeare in that which enâ—uâ—th
the light whereof proceeded from my learned and verie 〈◊〉 friend Maister Francis Thinne Walter of Windsor the â—onne of Oterus had issue William of whom Henry now Lord Windsor is discended and Robert of Windsor of whom Robert the now Earle of Essex and Gerald of Windsor his third sonne who married the daughter of Râ—es the great Prince of Wales of whom came Nesta paraâ—our to Henry the first Which Gerald had issue Maurice Fitz-gerald auncestor to Thomas Fitz-maurice Iustice of Ireland buried at Trayly leauing issue Iohn his eldest sonne first Earle of Kildare ancestor to Geraldine and Maurice his second sonne first earle of Desâ—oond To raisethe mount where Surreys Towers must stand Alludeth to the sumptuous house which was afterward builded by him vpon Leonards hill right against Norwich which in the rebellion of Norffolke vnder Ket inking Edward the 6. time was much defaced by that impure rabble Betvvixt the hil and the Citie as Alexander Neuill describes it the riuer of Yarmouth runs hauing West and South thereof a wood and a little Village called Thorpe and on the North the pastures of Mousholl which containes about sixe miles in length and breadth So that besides the stately greatnes of Mount-Surrey which was the houses name the prospect and site thereof was passing pleasant and commodious and no where else did that encreasing euill of the Norffolke furie enkâ—nnell it selfe but then there as it were for a manifest token of their intent to debase all high things and to prophaneall holy Like Arras worke or other imagerie Such was he whom â—â—uenall taxeth in this manner truncoque similimus Hermae Nullo quippe alâ—o vineis discrimine quamquod Illi marmoreum caput est tua vâ—â—it image Being to be borne for nothing else but apparell and the outward appearance intituled Complement with whom theridiculous fable of the Ape in Esope sorteth fitly who comming into a Caruers house and viewing many Marble workes tooke vp the head of a man very cunningly wrought who greatly in praysing did seeme to pittie it that hauing so comely an outside it had nothing within like emptie figures walke and talke in euery place at whom the noble Geraldine modestly glanceth Finis To the virtuous Lady the Lady Francis Goodere wife to sir Henry Goodere Knight MY very gratious and good Mistris the loue and duety I bare unto your father whilst he liued now after his decease is to your hereditarie to whome by the blessing of your birth he left his vertues Who bequeathed you those which were his gaue you whatsoeuer good is mine as deuoted to his he being gone whome I honoured so much whilest he liued which you may iustly challenge by all lawes of thankefulnesse My selfe hauing beene a witnesse of your excellent education and milde disposition as I may say euer from your Cradle dedicate this Epistle of this vertuous and godly Lady to your selfe so like her in all perfection both of wisedome and learning which I pray you accept till time shall enable me to leaue you some greater monument of my loue M. Drayton The Lady Jane Gray to the Lord Gilford Dudley The Argument After the death of that vertuous young Prince King Edward the sixt the sonne of that famous King Henry the eight Iane the daughter of Henry Gray Duke of Suffolke by the consent of Iohn Dudley Duke of Northumberland was proclaimed Queene of England being married to Gilford Dudley the fourth sonne of the fore-said Duke of Northumberland which match was concluded by their ambitious fathers who went about by this meanes to bring the Crowne vnto their children and to dispossesse the Princesse Mary eldest daughter to King Henry the eight heire to King Edward her brother Queene Mary rising in Armes to claime her rightfull Crowne taketh the saide Iane Gray and the Lord Gilford her husband being lodged in the Tower for their more safetie which place being lastly their Pallace by this meanes became their prison where being seuered in sundry prisons they write these Epistles one to another MIne own deere Lord sith thou art lockt froÌ„ mee In this disguise my loue must steale to thee Since to renue all loues all kindnesse past This refuge scarcely left yet this the last My Keeper comming I of thee enquire Who with thy greeting answers my desire Which my tongue willing to returne againe Griefe stops my words and I but striue in vaine Wherewith amazde away in haste he goes When throgh my lips my hart thrusts forth my woes Whenas the dores that make a dolefull sound Driue backe my words that in the noise are drownd Which somewhat hush'd the Eccho doth record And twice or thrice reiterates my word When like an aduerse winde in Isis course Against the tide bending his boistrous force But when the flood hath wrought it selfe about He following on doth head-long thrust it out Thus striue my fighes with teares e're they begin And breaking out againe sighes driue them in A thousand formes present my troubled thought Yet proue abortiue when they forth are brought The depth of woe with words wee hardely sound Sorrow is so insensibly profound As teares do fall and rise sighes come and goe So do these numbers ebbe so do they flow These briny teares do make my incke looke pale My incke clothes teares in this sad mourning vaile The letters mourners weepe with my dim eye The paper pale grieu'd at my misery Yet miserable our selues why should we deeme Sith none is so but in his owne esteeme Who in distresse from resolution flies Is rightly said to yeelde to miseries They which begot vs did beget this sin They first begun what did our griefe begin we tasted not t' was they which did rebell Not our offence but in their fall we fell They which a crowne would to my Lord haue linckt All hope of life and liberty extinct A subiect borne a Soueraigne to haue beene Hath made me now nor subiect nor a Queene Ah vile ambition how doost thou deceiue vs which shew'st vs heauen and yet in hell doost leaue vs Seldome vntouch'd doth innocence escape when error commeth in good counsailes shape A lawfull title countercheckes prowd might The weakest things become strong props to right Then my deere Lord although affliction grieue vs Yet let our spotlesse innocence relieue vs. Death but an acted passion doth appeare where truth giues courage and the conscience cleere And let thy comfort thus consist in mine That I beare part of whatsoe're is thine As when we liude vntouch'd with these disgraces whenas our kingdome was our deere embraces At Durham Pallace where sweete Hymen sang whose buildings with our nuptiall musicke rang when Prothalamions praisde that happy day wherein great Dudley match'd with noble Gray when they deuisde to lincke by wedlockes band The house of Suffolke to Northumberland Our fatall Dukedome to your Dukedome bound To frame this building on so weake a ground For what auailes a lawlesse vsurpation which giues a Scepter but
whence Fame carries thither she doth bring And which soeuer she doth lowdly ring Thither ah me vnhappily she brought Where I my barre vnfortunately caught There stood my beautie boldly for the prize Where the most cleere and perfectst iudgements be And of the same the most iudiciall eyes Did giue the gole impartially to me So did I stand vnparaleld and free And like a comet in the euenings skie Strooke with amazement euery wondring eye This t' was possest the breast of princely Iohn This on his hart-strings endlesse musicke made This wholy wonne him vnto it alone And fully did his faculties inuade From which not reason euer could disswade This taught his eyes their due attendance still Holding the reines which rulde his princely will When yet my father fortunate in Court And by his blood ranck'd equall with the best Hauing his quicke eare touch'd with this report Which yet the newes but hardly could digest And on my youth his onely care did rest Straitly pursues it by those secret spies As still in Courts attend on Princes eyes And he thus while who seemed but to sleepe Till he the Princes purposes could sound And to himselfe yet secretly did keepe What he but late had prouidently found So well that wise Lord could conceale his wound That well fore-saw how daugerous it would proue To crosse the course of his impatient loue When hauing found how violent a flame Vnbrideled will had kindled in the King If on the suddaine he should stop the same A greater inconuenience might bring Which being knowne so dangerous a thing Me doth bethinke him fittest to perswade E're for my safety further means he made Deare girle quoth he thou seest who doth await T' intrap that beautie bred to be thy foe Being so faire and delicate a bait Tempting all eyes themselues there to bestow Whose power the King is taught too soone to know Of his desire that what the end may bee Thy youth may feare my knowledge doth fore-see And for thou liuest publiquely in Court Whose priuiledge doth euery meane protect Where the ensample of the greatest sort Doth more then opportunitie effect None thriuing there that dwell vpon respect Being a lottery where but few do winne Falshood th' aduenture and the prize but sinne Subt'ly opposing to thy longing sight What may to pleasure possibly prouoke And fitly fashioned vnto thy delight That with the grauest strikes too great a stroke Hauing withall emperious power thy cloke With such strong reasons on her part propounded As may leaue vertue seemingly confounded Many the waies inducing to thy fall And to thy safety none is left to guide thee And when thy danger greatest is of all Euen then thy succour soonest is denide thee So sundry meanes from vertue to diuide thee Hauing with all mortalitie about thee Frailty with in temptation set without thee The leachers tongue is neuer voide of guile Nor wants he teares when he would winne his pray The subtilst tempter hath the smoothest stile Sirens sing sweetely when they would betray Lust of it selfe had neuer any stay Nor to containe it bounds could haue deuisde That when most fild is least of all suffisde With euery meane and maiestie is fraught That all things hath contained in his power And who wil conquer leaues no meane vnsaught Soft golden drops did pierce the brazen Tower Watching th' aduantage of each passing hower Time offering still each howre to doe amisse Thy banefull poison spiced with thy blisse And when this heady and vnseasned rage Which in his blood doth violently raigne Time that the heate shall peceably asswage Shall shew the more apparently thy staine Which vnto ages euer shall remaine Sinne in a chaine leades on her sister shame And both in gyues fast fettered to defame Kings vse their loues as garments they haue worne Or as the meate whereon they fully fed The Saint once gone who doth the shrine adorne Or what is Nectar carelesly if shed vvhat Princes vvealth redeemes thy maidenhead vvhich should be held as pretious as thy breath vvhose desolution consumates thy death The stately Eagle on his height dooth stand And from the maine the fearefull fowle doth smite Yet scornes to tuch it lying on the land When he hath felt the sweete of his delight But leaues the same a prey to euery kite With much we surffet plenty makes vs poore The vvretched Indian spurnes the golden ore When now he points the periode with a teare vvhich in my bosome made so great a breach As euery precept firmely fixed there And still his councel vnto me did preach A father so effectually should teach That then his words I after euer found Written on so immaculate a ground The youthfull king deluded but the while That in his breast did beare this quenchlesse fire Whilst flattring hope his sences doth beguile That with fresh life still quickned his desire And gone so farre now meant not to retire Thinkes if that aptly winning him but place By loue or power to purchase him my grace Which still deferring found he still did faile Nor to his minde aught kindely tooke effect Couragiously resoluing to assaile That other meanes doth vtterly neglect In spite what feare could any way obiect And finding time not booting to be mute Thus to me lastly did preferre his sute Deare maide quoth he when Nature had ordained Thee to the world her workemanship to bring All other creatures knowing she had stained By so diuine and excellent a thing Onely therefore to gratifie a King Seal'd thee the Charter dated at thy birth Mirrour of heauen the wonder of the earth Hoord not thy beautie heauen doth giue thee store Pittie such treasure should lie idely dead Which being imparted shall increase the more And by the interest euermore be fed To be mans comfort that was onelie bred vvhich of it selfe is of such povver and might As like the sunne ioyes all things with the sight From those bright stars such streams of lightning glide As through the eies doe wound the very hart Whose vertues may be sundrie waies applide Hurting and healing like Achilles dart Such bountie Nature did to them impart Those lampes two planets clearer then the seauen That with their splendor light the world to heauen Had Art such colours as could truly show Each rare perfection rightly in his kinde And on each one sufficiently bestowe Vnto the glory properly assignde Painting the beauties aptly to the minde But O alone thy excellence is such As words though many lessen worth so much He is thy king who is become thy subiect Sometimes thy Lord now seruant to thy loue Thy gracefull features be his onely obiect Who for thy sake a thousand deaths durst proue A Princes prayer should some compassion moue Let woolues and beares be cruell in their kindes But women meeke and haue relenting mindes Daine deare to looke vpon these brimfull eyes With tides of teares continually frequented Where hope without foode hunger-staruen lies which to