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
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
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
is the King encompasst by their skill A meane to worke what Herford doth deuise To thrust him on to draw them vp the hill That by his strength they might get powre to rise Thus they in all things are before him still This perfect steersman of their policies Hath cast to walke whilst Edward beares the light And take that aime that must direct his sight 66 And by th' allowance of his liberall will Supposde his safety furthering their intent Stands as a test to iustifie their ill Made sound and currant by this late euent And what yet wanting lastly to fulfill Things in their course to fall in true consent Giues full assurance of that happy end On which they now laboriously attend 67 Nor finding reason longer to protract Or in suspence their home-left friends to holde By being now so absolutely backt And thereby waxing confident and bold By their proceedings publishing their act whenas their powre was ripened as they would Now with an armed and erected hand To abet their faction absolutely stand 68 When now the fearefull fainting Exceter A man experiencde in their counsels long Whether himselfe thought his way to preferre Or moou'd in conscience with king Eawards wrong Or t' was his frailty forede him thus to erre Or other fatall accident among The onely first that backe to England flew And knowing all discouered all he knew 69 The plot of treason lastly thus disclosde And Torletons drift by circumstaunces found With what conueyance things had beene disposde The cunning vsde in casting of the ground The meanes and apt aduantages he chosde When better counsell coldely comes to sound Awakes the King to see his owne estate When the preuention comes too vaine and late 70 And whilst the time she daily dooth adjourne Charles as a brother by perswasions deales Edward with threates to hasten her returne And Iohn of Rome with Papall curse assaies T is but in vaine against her will to spurne Perswasions threats nor curses aught preuailes Charles Edward Iohn do th' vtmost of your worst The Queene fares best when she the most is curst 71 The subtile Spensers which French humors felt And with their Soueraigne had deuisde the draught with Prince and Peeres now vnder-hand had dealt with golden baites that craftily were caught whose flexed temper soone begins to melt On which they now by sleights so throwly wrought As with great summes now lastly ouer-waide The wretched Queene is desperate of aide 72 Nor can all this amaze this mighty Queene with all th'affliction neuer yet contrould Neuer such courage in her sex was seene Nor was she cast in other womens mould Nor can rebate the edge of her hie spleene But can endure warre trauell want and cold Strugling with Fortune ne're with griefe opprest Most cheerefull still when she was most distrest 73 And thus resolu'd to leaue ingratefull France And in the world her fortune yet to trie Changing the ayre hopes time may alter chance As one whose thoughts were eleuate more hie Her weakned state still seeking to aduance Her mighty minde so scorneth misery Yet ere she went her grieued heart to east Thus to the King this grieued Lady saies 74 Is this a King and brothers part quoth she And to this end did I my griefe vnfold Came I to heale my wounded heart to thee Where slaine outright I now the same behold Proue these thy vowes thy promises to mee In all this heate thy faith become so cold To leaue me thus forsaken at the worst My state more wretched than it was at first 75 My frailty vrging what my want requires To thy deere mercy should my teares haue tide Our bloods maintained by the selfe-same fires And by our fortunes as our birth alide My sute supported by my iust desires All arguments I should not be denide The grieuous wrongs that in my bosome be Should be as neere thy care as I to thee 76 Nature that easly wrought vpon my sex To thy vile pleasure thus mine honour leaues And vnder colour of thy due respects My settled trust disloyally deceaues That me and mine thus carelesly neglects And of all comfort wholy me bereaues Twixt recreant basenes and disordâ—nate will To expose my fortunes to the worst of ill 77 But for my farewell this I prophecie That from my wombe that glorious fruit doth spring Which shall deiect thy neere posteritie And leade a captiue thy succeeding King That shal reuenge this wretched iniury To fatall Fraunce I as a Sybel sing Her citties sackt the slaughter of her men When of the English one shall conquer ten 78 Bewmount in Fraunce that had this shuffling seene whose soule by kindnes Isabel had wonne For Henault now perswades the grieued Queene By full assurance what might there be done Now in the anguish of this tumerous spleene Offring his faire Neece to the Prince her sonne The lurest way to gaine his brothers might To backe yong Edward and vphold her right 79 This gallant Lord whose name euen filld report To whom the souldiers of that time did throng A man that fashiond others of his sort As that knew all to honour did belong And in his youth traind vp with her in Court And fully now confirmed in her wrong Crosst by the faction of th'emperiall part In things that sat too neerely to his hart 80 Sufficient motiues to inuite distresse To apprehend the least and poorest meane Against those mischiefes that so strongly presse Whereon their lowe dejected state to leaue And at this season though it were the lesse That might a while their sickely powre sustaine Till prosprous times by milde and temprate dayes Their drooping hopes to former height might raise 81 Where finding cause to breathe their restlesse state where welcome lookt with a more milder face From those dishonours she receiu'd of late Where now she wants no due officious grace Vnder the guidance of a gentler fate Where bounteous offers mutually embrace And to conclude all ceremonies past The Prince affies faire Philip at the last 82 All couenants signde with wedlockes sacred seale A lasting league eternally to binde And all proceeding of religious zeale And suting right with Henaults mighty minde That to his thoughts much honour dooth reueale What ease the Queene is like thereby to finde The sweete contentment of the louely Bride Yong Edward pleasde and ioy on euery side The end of the third Canto ⧠The fourth Booke of the Barrons warres The Argument The Queene in Henault mightie power doth winne In Harwich hauen safely is arriu'd Great troubles now in England new beginne The King of friends and safety is depriu'd Flieth to Wales at Neath receiued in Many strange acts and outrages contriu'd Edward betrayde deliu'red vp at Neath The Spensers and his friends are put to death 1 NOw seauen times Phoebus had his welked waine Vpon the top of all the Tropike set And seauen times descending downe againe His firy wheeles had with the fishes wet In the occurrents of this
Whose name atchieued by his fatall hand Called the Blacke Prince not so much of his complexion as of the famous battell he fought as is shewed before in the glosse vpon the Epistle of Edward to the Countesse of Salisbury And prooues our Actes of Parlement vniust In the text parlement after Richards resignation of the crown Henry caused to be annihilated all the lawes made in the Parliament called the wicked Parliament held in the twenty yeere of king Richards raigne Finis To sir Iohn Swinerton Knight and one of the Aidermen of the Citie of London VOrthy Sir so much mistrust I my owne abilitie to doe the least right to your vertues that I could gladly wish any thing that is truely mine were woorthy to beare your name so much reucrend Sir I esteeme you and so ample interest haue you in my loue To some honourable friends haue I deaicated these Poemes with whom I ranke you may I escape prejumption Like not this Britaine the worse though after some former Impressions he be lastly to 〈…〉 crated in this like an honest man that would part 〈…〉 his owne woorth before he would presume his 〈…〉 ronage with whom you shall euer commaund my 〈◊〉 and haue my best wishes That loue you truely Mich Drayton Queene Katharine to Owen Tudor The Argument After the death of that victorious Henry the fift Queene Katharine the Dowager of England and France daughter to Charles the French King holding her estate with Henry her sonne then the fixt of that name falleth in loue with Owen Tuder a Welchman a braue and gallant Gentleman of the Wardrobe to the yong King her son yet grently fearing if her loue shoulde be discouered the Nobilitie woulde crosse her purposed marriage or fearing that if her faire and princely promises should not assure his good successe this high and great attempt might perhappes daunt the forwardnesse of his modest and shamefast youth wherefore to breake the ice to her intent she writeth vnto him this Epistle following IVdge not a Princesse worth impeacht hereby That loue thus triumphs ouer maiestie Nor thinke lesse vertue in this royall hand Which now intreates that wonted to command For in this sort though humbly now it wooe The day hath beene thou wouldst haue kneeld vnto Not thinke that this submission of my state Proceedes from frailtie rather iudge it fate Alcides ne're more fit for warres sterne shocke Then when for loue sate spinning at the rocke Neuer lesse cloudes did Phoebus glory dim Then in a clownes shape when he couered him Ioues great commaund was neuer more obeyd Than when a Satyres anticke parts he playd He was thy king that sued for loue to mee Shee is thy Queene that sues for loue to thee When Henry was what 's Tuders now was his Whilst yet thou arte what 's Henries Tuders is My loue to Owen him my Henry giueth My loue to Henry in my Owen liueth Henry woode me whilst warres did yet increase I wooe my Tuder in sweet calmes of peace To force affection he did conquest proue I fight with gentle arguments of loue Incampt at Melans in warres hote alarmes First saw I Henry clad in princely armes At pleasant Windsore first these eies of mine My Tuder iudgde for wit and shape diuine Henry abroade with pâ—issance and with force Tuder at home with courtship and discourse He then thou now I hardly can iudge whether Did like me best Plantaginet or Tether A march a measure battell or a daunce A courtly rapier or a conquering launce His princely bed hath strengthned my renowne And on my temples set a double crowne Which glorious wreathe as Henries lawfull heire Henry the sixt vpon his brow doth beare At Troy in Champaine he did first enioy My Brydall rites to England brought from Troy In England now that honour thou shalt haue Which once in Champaine famous Henry gaue I seeke not wealth three kingdomes in my power If these suffice not where shall be my dower Sad discontent may euer follow her Which doth base pelfe before true loue prefer If titles still could our affections tie What is so great but Maiestie might buy As I seeke thee so Kings do me desire To what they would thou easily mai'st aspire That sacred fire once warmde my heart before The fuell fit the flame is now the more And meanes to quench it I in vaine do proue We may hide treasure but not hide our loue And since it is thy fortune thus to gaine it It were too late nor will I now restraine it Nor these great titles vainely will I bring Wife daughter mother sister to a King Of grandsire father husband sonne and brother More thou alone to me then all the other Nor feare my Tudor that this loue of mine Should wrong the Gaunt-borne great Lancastrian line Nor stir the English blood the Sunne and Moone T'repine at Lorame Burbon A lansoon Nor do I thinke there is such different ods They should alone be numbred with the Gods Of Cadmus earthly issue reckoning vs And they from Ioue Mars Neptune Eolus Of great Latonas of-spring onely they And we the brats of wofull Niobe Our famous grandsires as their owne bestride That horse of fame that God begotten steede Whose bounding hoofe plow'd that Boetian spring Where those sweete maides of memory do sing Not onely Henries Queene but boast as well To be the childe of Charles and Isabell Nor do I know from whence their grief should grow They by this match should be disparag'd so When Iohn and Longshankes issue both affied And to the Kings of Wales in wedlocke tied Shewing the greatnesse of your blood thereby Your race and royall consanguinity And Wales as well as haughty England boasts Of Camilot and all her Penticosts A nephewes roome in great Pendragons race At Arthurs Table held a princely place If by the often conquest of your land They boast the spoiles of their victorious hand If these our antient Chronicles be true They altogether are not free from you When bloodie Rufus sought your vtter sacke Twice entring Wales yet twice was beatenbacke When famous Cambria wash'd her in the flood Made by th' effusion of the English blood And oft returnde with glorious victory From Worster Herford Chester Shrowesbury Whose power in euery conquest so preuailes As once expulsde the English out of Wales Although my beautie made my Countries peace And at my Bridall former broyles did cease Yet more then power had not his person beene I had not come to England as a Queene Nor tooke I Henry to supply my wont Because in France that time my choice was scant When he had robde all Christendome of men And Englands flower remainde amongst vs then Gloster whose counsells Nestor-like assist Couragious Bedford that great martiallist Clarence for vertue honoured of his foes And Yorke whose fame yet daily greater growes Warwicke the pride of Neuels haughty race Great Salebury so fearde in euery place That valiant Poole whom no atchieuement
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
once report did bring How thou in Fraunce didst reuell with the king vvhen he in triumph of his victorie Vnder a rich imbrodered Canapie E 〈…〉 d proud Tournay which did trembling stand Toâ—eg for mercie at his conquering hand To heare of his enderements how I ioy'd But see this calme vvas suddenly destroy'd When Charles of Castile there to banquet came With him his sister that ambitious dame Sauoyes prowd dutchesle knowing how long she By her â—oue sought to win my loue from me Fearing my absence might thy vowes acquite To change thy Mary for a Margarite When in king Henries tent of cloth of gold She often did thee in her armes enfold vvhere you were feasted more deliciously Than Cleopatra did Marke Anthony Where sports all day did entertaine your sight And then in maskes you passde away the night But thou wilt say t is proper vnto vs That we by nature all are iealous I must confesse t is oft found in our sex But who not loue not any thing suspects True loue dooth looke with pale suspitious eie Take away loue if you take iealousie Turwin and Turney when King Henry tooke For this great change who then did euer looke When Maximilian to those warres addrest Ware Englands Crosle on his imperiall breast And in our armie let his Eagle flie That viewd our ensignes with a wondring eie Little thought I when Bullen first was wonne VVedlocke should end what angry warre begunnâ— From which I vow I yet am free in thought But this alone by Wolseis wit was wrought To his aduise the King gaue free consent That will I nill I I must be content My virgins right my state could not aduance But now enriched with the dower of France Then but poore Suffolkes Dutchesse had I beene Now the great Dowager the most Christian Qucent But I perceiue where all thy griefe doth lie Lewes of France had my virginitie He had indeede but shall I tell thee what Beleeue me Brandon he had scarcely that Good feeble King he could not do much harme But age must needes haue something that is warme Small drops God knowes do quench that heaâ—lesse fire When all the strength is onely in desire And I could tell if modesly might tell There 's somewhat else that pleaseth louers well To rest his cheeke vpon my softer cheeke Was all he had and more he did not seeke So might the little babie clip the nurse And it content she neuer awhit the worse Then thinke this Brandon if that makes thee frowne For may denhead he on my head set a Crowne who would exchange a kingdome for a kisse Hard were the hart that would not yeeld him this And time yet halfe so swiftly doth not passe Not full fiue months yet elder than I was When thou to Fraunce conducted was by fame With many knights which from all countries came Installed at Saint Dennis in my throne Where Lewes held my coronation Where the prowd Dolphin for thy valour sake Chose thee at tilt his princely part to take Whenas the staues vpon thy caske did light Grieued there with I turnd away my sight And spake alowd when I my selfe forgot T' is my sweeâ—e Charles my Brandon hurt him not But when I fearde the King perceiued this Good seely man I pleasde him with a kisse And to extoll his valiant sonne began That Europe neuer bred a brauer man And when poore King he simply praised thee Of all the rest I ask'd which thou shouldst bee Thus I with him dissembled for thy sake Open confession now amends must make Whilst this old King vpon a pallet lies And onely holds a combat with mine eyes Mine eyes from his by thy sight stolne away Which might too wel their Mistres thoughts bewray But when I saw thy prowd vnconquered Launce To beare the prize from all the flower of France To see what pleasure did my soule imbrace Might easily be discerned in my face Looke as the dew vpon a damaske Rose How through that liquide pearle his blushing showes And when the sost aire breathes vpon his top From the sweet leaues falles easily drop by drop Thus by my cheeke distilling from mine eyes One teare for ioy anothers roome supplies Before mine eie like touch thy shape did proue Mine eie condemn'd my too too partiall loue But since by others I the same doe â—rie My loue condemnes my too too partiall eie The pretious stone most beautifull and rare When with it selfe we onely doe compare Wee deeme all other of that kinde to be As excellent as that we onely see But when we iudge of that with others by Too credulous we doe condemne our eie Which then appeares more orient and more bright As from their dimnesse borrowing great light Alansoon a fine timbered man and tall Yet wants the shape thou arte adornd withall Vandon good carriage and a pleasing eie Yet hath not Suffolkes princely maiestie Couragious Burbon a sweete manly face But yet he wants my Brandons courtly grace Prowd Longauile our Court iudgde had no peere A man scarce made was thoght whilst thou wast here County S. Paule brau'st man at armes in Fraunce Would yeeld himselfe a Squire to beare thy launce Galleas and Bounearme matchlesse for their might Vnder thy towring blade haue cowcht in fight If with our loue my brother angry be I le say to please him I first fancied thee And but to frame my liking to his minde Neuer to thee had I beene halfe so kinde Worthy my loue the vulgar iudge no man Except a Yorkist or Lancastrian Nor thinke that my affection should be set But in the line of great Plantaginet I passe not what the idle Commons say I pray thee Charles make haste and come away To thee what 's England if I be not there Or what to me is Fraunce if thou not here Thy absence makes me angry for a while But at thy presence I must needsly smile When last of me his leaue my Brandon tooke He sware an oath and made my lips the booke He would make hast which now thou doo'st denie Thou art forsworne ô wilfull periuricl Sooner would I with greater sinnes dispence Then by entreatie pardon this offence But yet I thinke if I should come to shriue thee Great were the fault that I should not forgiue thee Yet wert thou heere I should reuenged bee But it should be with too much louing thee I that is all that thou shalt feare to tast I pray thee Brandon come sweete Charles make hast Notes of the Chronicle-Historie The vtmost date expired of my stay When I for Douer did depart away KIng Henry the 8. with the Queene and Nobles in the 6. yeare of his raigne in the moneth of September brought this Ladie to Douer where she tooke shipping for Fraunce Think'st thou my loue was faithfull vnto thee When yong Castile to England su'd for me It was agreed and concluded betwixt Henry the seuenth and Philip King of Castile sonne to Maximilian the
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.
carke for plenty and for dearth Fame neuer lookes vpon these prostrate drones Man is allotted at his princely birth To manage Empires and to sit on thrones Frighting coy Fortune when she sternst appeares Which else scornes sighes and jeeteth at our teares 46 When now Report with her fleet murmuring wing Tucht the still entrance of his listning eare A fleete preparde this royall Queene to bring And her arriuall still awaited neare When euery sound a note of loue doth sing The ioyfull thoughts that in his bosome were The soule in doubt to make her function lesse Denies the vtterance fully to expresse 47 Quoth he Slide billowes gently for her sake Whose sight can make your aged Nereus yong For her faire passage euen allies make On the sleeke waters wast her sailes along And whilst she glides vpon the pleasant lake Let the sweete Syrens rocke her with a Song Though not Loues mother that dooth passe this way Fairer than she that 's borne vpon the sea 48 You Sea-bred creatures gaze vpon her eie And neuer after with your kinde make warre O steale the accents from her lip that flie Which like the musicke 's of the Angels are And them vnto your amorous thoughts apply Comparde with which Aryons did but jarre Wrap them in aire and when blacke tempests rage Vse them as charmes the rough seas to asswage 49 France send to fetch her with full sholes of oares With which her fleete may euery way be plide And being landed on thy happie shoares As the vast nauie dooth at anckor ride For her departure when the wilde sea roares Ship mount to heauen there brightly stellifide Next Iasons Argo on the burnisht throne Assume thee there a constellation 50 Her person hence conuaide with that delight Which best the languish of her iournies easde That to her pleasure dooth it selfe inuite Whereon her mind and subtil fancie seasde And that most deare her liking might excite Which then this Lorde naught more her presence pleasd where when with state she first her time could take Thus the faire Queene her Mortimer bespake 51 O Mortimer great Mortimer quoth shee What angry power did first this meane deuise To seperate Queene Isabell and thee whome loues eternall vnion strongly ties But if supposde this fault beganne by mee For a iust pennance to my longing eyes Though guiltlesse they this punishment assignde To gaze vpon thee till they leaue me blinde 52 T is strange sweete friend how thou arte altred thus Since first in Court thou didst our fauours weare whose shape seemde then not mortall vnto vs when in our eye thy brow was beauties spheare In all perfection so harmonious A thousand seuerall graces mooving there But what then couldst thou be not now thou arte An alien first last home-borne in my heart 53 That powerfull fate thy safetie did inforce And from the worst of danger did thee free Still regular and constant in one course Wrought me a firme and euen path to thee Of our affections as it tooke remorce Our birth-fix't starres so happily agree Whose reuolution seriously directs Our like proceedings to the like effects 54 New forme of counsaile in the course of things To our dissignement findes a neerer way That by a cleere and perfect managing Is that firme prop whereon we onely stay Which in it selfe th' authoritie doth bring That weake opinion hath no power to sway Confuting such whose sightlesse iudgement sit In the thicke ranke with euery vulgar wit 55 Then since pleasde Time our wish'd content assures Imbrace the blessings of our mutuall rest And whilst the day of our good hap endures And we as fauorites leane on Fortunes breast Which doth for vs this vacancie procure In choice make free election of the best Ne're feare the sâ—orme before thou feele the shower My sonne a King an Empire is my dower 56 Of wanton Edward when I first was woo'd Why cam'st thou not into the Court of France Thy selfe alone then in my grace hadst stood Deere Mortimer how good had beene thy chance My loue attempted in that youthfull mood I might haue beene thine owne inheritance Where entring now by force thou hold'st thy might And art deseisor of anothers right 57 Honour thou Idole women so adore How many plagues doost thou retaine to grieue vs When still we finde there is remaining more Then that great word of Maiesty can giue vs Which takes more from vs then it can restore And of that comfort often doth depriue vs That with our owne selues sets vs at debate And mak'st vs beggars vnder our estate 58 Those pleasing raptures from her graces rise Strongly inuading his impressiue breast That soone entranced all his faculties Of the prowd fulnesse of their ioyes possest And hauing throughly wrought him in this wise Like tempting Syrens sing him to his rest When eu'ry power is passiue of some good Felt by the spirits of his high-rauisht blood 59 Like as a Lute that 's touch'd with curious skill In musickes language sweetely speaking plaine When eu'ry string his note with sound doth fill Taking the tones and giuing them againe And the eare bath's in harmony at will A diapason closing eu'ry straine So their affections set in keyes so like Still fall in consort as their humors strike 60 When now the path to their desire appeares Of which before they had been long debar'd By desolution of some threatning feares That for destruction seem'd to stand prepar'd Which the smooth face of better safetie beares And now protected by a stronger guard Giues the large scope of leisure to fore-cast Euents to come by things alreadie past 61 These great dissignements setting easly out By due proportion measuring eu'ry pace T' auoide the cumbrance of each hindring doubt That might distort the comlinesse and grace Comming with eu'ry circumstance about Strictly obseruing person time and place All ornaments in faire discretions lawes Could giue attire to beautifie the cause 62 The Embassie in termes of equall height As well their state and dignity might fit Apparelling a matter of that weight In ceremony well beseeming it To carry things so steddy and so right Where Wisedome with cleare maiesty might sit All things still seeming strictly to effect That Loue commaunds and Greatnesse should respect 63 Whos 's expedition by this faire successe That doth againe this antient league combine when Edward should by couenant release And to the Prince the Prouinces resigne With whome king Charles renues the happy peace Receiuing homage due to him for Guyne And lastly now to consumate their speede Edwards owne person to confirme the deede 64 Who whilst he stands yet doubtfull what to do The Spensers chiefely that his counsels guide Nor with their Soueraigne into Fraunce durst goe Nor in his absence durst at home abide Now whilst the weake king stands perplexed so His listning eares with such perswasion plide As he at last to stay in England's wonne And in his place to send the Prince his sonne 65 Thus
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
hart euer since Reuenge lay couerd smotherd vp in griefe Like fire in some fat minerall of the earth Finding the least vent giues it selfe a birth 22 That being Earle Marshall great vpon the coast With bells and bon-fires welcomes her ashore And by his office gath'ring vp an hoast Shewes the old malice in his breast he bore Nor of his helpe abash'd at all to boast The Clergies power in readinesse before Vpon their friends a great taxation laide To raise munition for the present aide 23 And to confusion all their power expose On the rent bosome of this I le where long Warre did it selfe so stedfastly inclose warre from our owne lewd desolutenesse sprong Whom no inuasion euer yet could lose So old the malice and so great the wrong Vrg'd with the force that forraigne fire doth bring A greater spoile and horror menacing 24 This inuouation by an altred state Lent this new action such a violent hand That it thus boldly dare insinuate On the cold faintnesse of the feebled Land And being arm'd with all the power of fate Finding a way so openly to stand To their intendments which endeuoured well Might get that height from whence at first they fel. 25 When all their strength in order strictly set All helps and doubts by warres best counsailes waid What well might further what their course might let And their reliefes conueniently had laid A meane reseru'd securitie to get Whereon at worst their fortune might be stayd And furnish'd fully as themselues desir'd Of all this action needefully requir'd 26 And at Saint Edmonds doe a while repose To rest themselues and their new welcom'd force Better to learne the manner of their foes To th' end not vainely to direct their course And seeing daily how the Armie growes To take a full view both of foote and horse With such discretion managing the war Truly to shew them what indeede they are 27 When now the King of these proceedings heard And of the troopes that to them daily runne And little strength at London yet preparde Where he expected fauour to haue wonne He now commits the Cittie to the guard Of his approu'd most-trusted Stapleton To Iohn of Eltham his faire sonne the Tower Himselfe to Wales to raise a speedy power 28 Yet whilst his name doth any hope admit Proclaimes in forfait both of goods and life All that enioyde a subiects benefit Should lend their power against his sonne and wife And doth all slaughters generally acquite Were done vpon the moouers of this strife And who could bring in Mortimers prowd head Should freely take th'reuenewes of the dead 29 Which strait encountred by the Queenes Edict who making knowne the iustnes of her cause That she proceeded in a course so strict T'vphold their antient liberties and lawes Nor that she did this punishment inflict For priuate hate or popular applause Onely the Spensers to account to bring Whose wicked counsells had abusde the King 30 Which ballasing the multitude that stood As a light barke that 's tosst twixt winde and tide Turnd in the mixture of th'opposed flood when yet opinion not their course could guide And wau'ring thus in their inconstant moode Till by the weakenes of th'emperiall side Suffers the seisure of it selfe at last which to the Queene all free aduantage cast 31 When friendlesse Edward followed by his foes whom danger dooth to recreant flight debase As poore in hope as he is rich in woes Depriu'd all princely ornament and grace whose force th'more weakened further that he goes His safety now suspecting eu'ry place No helpe at home no succour seene abroade His minde small rest his body lesse abode 32 One scarce to him his sad discourse hath done Of Henaults power and what the Queene intends But whilst he speakes another hath begunne A third dooth take it where the second ends when now abroade there 's other rumours runne Some of new foes some of reuolting friends These scarcely past when more reports are spred Of many that rebell of many fled 33 What plagues doth Edward for himselfe prepare Forsaken king O whither doost thou she Men change their clime but sildome change their care Thou fli'st thy foes but follow'st misery The euill fates in number many are That to thy footsteps doe themselues apply And still thy conscience prickt with inward griefe Thy selfe pursues thy selfe both robd and thiefe 34 Accepting succour offerd next at hand At last for Wales commits him to the seas And seeing Lundy that so faire dooth stand Puts in for succour neede would faine haue ease This little modell of his banisht land Which for a while his fancie seemes to please Faine would he be king of a little I le Although his Empire bounded in a mile 35 And ready now to strike his prosp'rous saile As vnder lee past danger of the flood A suddaine storme of mixed â—leet and haile Not suffers him to rule this peece of wood What doth thy labour what thy toyle auaile When thou art still with greater powers with-stood Edward thy hopes all vainely do delude By Gods and men incessantly pursude 36 In this blacke tempest long turmoild and tost Quite from their course well they know not where Mongst rockes and sands in danger to be lost without in perrill and within in feare At length perceiuing they are neere the coast And that the place more plainely doth appeare Knowes by the mountaines insolently tall That part of Wales that we Glamorgan call 37 To Neath a Castell fortifi'd and strong Commanding entrance with his banish'd crew The Earle of Gloster worker of much wrong The Chancelor Baldocke that much euill knew Reding his Marshall is the rest among Heere hid from eyes but not from enuies view where for a while committing them to dwell We must prepare more dreadfull things to tell 38 You lighter Muses leaue me and be gone Your weake complaints are matters much too slight More horred plagues are heere approching on Yee ghastly spirits that haunt the gloomie night Lend me your shreeks t' expresse the depth of moane with ghastly howling all approach my sight And round about with funerall tapers stand To giue a sad light to my sadder hand 39 Each line shall leade to some dire point of wo And eu'ry cadence as a torturde cry Now must my teares in such aboundance flow That they surround the circle of mine eye And whilst these great calamities I show All loose affections stand you idely by Once more our cleere Muse dips her wing in gore The dreerest tale that pen did ere deplore 40 New sorts of vengeance threatned to the earth The raging Ocean past the bounds to rise Strange apparitions and prodigious birth Vnheard of sicknesse and mortalities More inaccustom'd and vnlook'd for dearth New sorts of Meteors gazing from the skies As what before had small or nothing bin And onely now our miseries begin 41 And whilst these discordes and dissentions breede The land layd naked to all offered ill The
deed namde Ragman of renown By which the kings of Scotland had deuisde Their fealty vnto the English crowne With other Reliques that were highly prizde As that which forc'd the greatest part to frowne Th'blacke Crosse of Scotland men did omenous deeme Being a Relique of so hie esteeme 8 To colour which and to confirme the peace They make a marrige twixt the Scot and vs To giue more strength vnto this strange release Which vnto all men seemd so dangerous Whilst Roberts raigne and after his decease The league might euer be continued thus Dauid the Prince the Lady Iane should take which twixt the Realms a lasting bond shuld make 9 When th' Earle of Kent that being one of those Which in their actions had a powerfull hand Perceiuing them of matters to dispose To the subiection of so great a land Finding the inconuenience that growes Vnder the guidance of their wilfull hand To shake their power whilst he strangely doth cast His fatall end too violently doth haste 10 Which giuing out his brother yet to liue Long now supposed the deceased King Vnto his nephew might that scandall giue As into question might his title bring Ill this report beganne and worse it thriue Being so foule and dangerous a thing Which being the motiue of intestine strife The time not long ere it bereft his life 11 Whilst Edward takes what late their power did giue Whose non-age craues their bountifull protection Which know to rule whilst he must learne to liue From their experience taking his direction Which more and more their doubtfull hopes reuiue When borne to raigne yet crownd by their election Th' allegiance duely dooth to him belong Now makes their faction absolutely strong 12 Prouiding for protection of the king Men of most power and noblest of the Pecres That no distaste vnto the realme might bring For ripened iudgement or well seasoned yeeres With comelines all matters managing Yet whilst they row t is Mortimer that steeres wel might we think the man were worse than blind That wanted sea-roome and could rule the wind 13 To smoothe the path wherein this course was gone Which as a test might to their actions stand And giue more full possession of their owne In being receiued from a soucraine band Into their bosomes absolutely throwne Both for the good and safety of the land When their proceedings colourd with this care To the worlds eye so faire an out-side bare 14 All complement that appertainde to state By giuing greatnes eu'ry honored rite To feed those eies that did their houres avvaite And by all meanes to nourish their delight That entertaining loue they welcome hate And vvith free bounty equally inuite A Princes wealth in spending still doth spred Like to a brooke with many fountaines fed 15 To Nottingham the Norths emperious eye Which as a Pharus guardes the goodly soile And armd by Nature danger to defie There to repose him safely after toile Where treason least aduantage might espie Closely conuaies this great in-valued spoile That by residing from the publique sight He might more freely relish his delight 16 Nine score in checke attending in their court Whom honored Knighthood knitts in mutuall bands Men most select of speciall worth and sort Much might they doe that haue so many hands Who payes not tribute to this lordly port This hie-rearde Castell eu'ry way commands Thus like those Giants gainst great heauen they rise Which darted Rockes at the emperiall skies 17 It seemes in him Fame meanes hir power to show And twixt her wings to beare him through the skies He might more easly see the things below Hauing aboue them mounted him so hie Vnto whose will they meckely seeme to bow Vnder whose greatnes meaner powers doe â—e All things concurre with faire succeslefull chance To raise that man whom Fortune will aduance 18 Heere all along the flower enameld vales The siluer Trent on pearly sandâ— dooth slide And to the medowes telling wanton tales Her Cristall limbs lasciuiously in pride As rauished with the enamored gales with often turnings casts from side to side As loath she were the sweete soyle to for sake And cast her selfe into the German lake 19 Neare whom faire Sherwood wildely bent to roue Twines her loose armes about the flattering Towers By the milde shadowes of her scattered groue Lends winter shelter and giues ' summer bowers As with the flood in curtesie it stroue And by repulsing the sharpe Northerne showers Courts the prowd Castell who by turning to her Smiles to behold th'lasciuious wod-nymph wo hir 20 Who being retirde so strictly to this place To this faire sted the Princes person drawes When Fortune seemes their greatnes to embrace That as a working and especiall cause Effects each formall ceremonious grace As by her iust and necessary lawes That in the towne retaines his kingly seate With Marches Court the Castle is repleate 21 Occasiond where in counsels to debate And by the king conueniently is met So soueraigne and magnificent in state As might all eies vpon his greatnesse set Prizing his honour at that costly rate As to the same due reuerence might beget which as the obiect sundry passions wrought Stirring strange forms in many a wandring thoght 22 Could blind ambition find the meanest stay His disproportiond and vaine course to guide Tassure some safety in that slippery way Where the most worldly prouident doe slide Feeling the steep fall threatning sure decay Besotted in the wantonnesse of pride The minde assuming absoluter powres Might checke the fraile mortality of ours 23 But still in pleasure sitting with excesse His sauory junkett tasted with delight Ne're can that glutton appetite suppresse Where eu'ry dish inuites a licorish sight Nor hauing much is his desire the lesle Till tempted past the compasse of his might The pampered stomacke more than well suffizde Casts vp the surfet lately gurmundizde 24 And when som brook from th'ouer moistned ground By swelling waters prowdly ouer slowd Stoppeth his â—â—rrent shouldrrth downe his mownd And from his course dooth quite himselfe vnloade The bordring meddowes eu'ry where surrownd Dispersing his owne riches all abroade Spending the store he was maintained by Leaues his first channell desolate and dry 25 When now those few that many teares had spent And long had wept on murthered Edwards graue Muttring in corners grieud and discontent And finding some a willing care that gaue Stiâ— as they durst bewraying what they meant Tending his pride and greatnes to depraue Vrging withall what some might iustly do If things thus borne were rightly lookt into 26 Some giue it out that March by blood to rise Had cut off Kent the man might next succeed And his late treasons falsly did surmise As a meere colour to this lawlesse deede That his ambition onely did deuise In time the royall family to weede When in account there was but only one That kept him off from stepping to the throne 27 And those much busied in the former times Then credulous
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
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
sweare Forsworne in loue with louers oathes doth beare Loue causelesse still doth aggrauate his cause It is his law to violate all lawes His reason is in onely wanting reason And were vntrue not deepely tuch'd with treason Th'vnlawfull meanes doth make his lawfull gaine Hee speakes most true when he the most doth faine Pardon the faults that haue escapde by mee Against faire vertue chastitie and thee If Gods can their owne excellence excell Is it in pardoning mortalls that rebell When all thy trialls are enrol'd by fame And all thy sexe made glorious by thy name Then I a captiue shall be brought heereby To adorne the triumph of thy chastitie I sue not now thy Paramore to bee But as a husband to be linck'd to thee I am Englands heire I thinke thou wilt confesse Wert thou a Prince I hope I am no lesse But that thy birth doth make thy stocke diuine Else durst I boast my blood as good as thine Disdaine me not nor take my loue in scorne Whose brow a crowne heereafter may adorne But what I am I call mine owne no more Take what thou wilt and what thou wilt restore Onely I craue what ere I did intend In faithfull loue now happily may end Farewell sweete Lady so well maist thou fare To equall â—oy with measure of my care Thy vertues more then mortall tongue can tell A thousand thousand times farewell farewell Notes of the Chronicle history Receiue these papers from thy wofull Lord. BAndello by whoÌ„ this history was made famous being an ItaliaÌ„ as it is the peoples custom in that clime rather to faile somtime in the truth of circumstance then to forgoe the grace of their conceit n like manner as the Grecians of whom the Satyrist Et quicquid Graetia mendax Audet in historia Thinking it to be a greater triall that a Countesse should be sude vnto by a King then by the sonne of a King and conseqently that the honour of her chastitie should be the more hath caused it to be generally taken so but as by Polidore Fabian and Froisard appeares the contrarie is true Yet may Bandello be very well excused as being a stranger whose errors in the truth of our historie are not so materiall that they should neede an inuectiue lest his wit should bee defrauded of any part of his due which were not lesse were euery part a fiction Howbeit lest a common error should preuaile against a truth these Epistles are conceiued in those persons who were indeede the actors to wit Edward surnamed the Blacke 〈◊〉 not so much of his complexion as of the dismall battells which he fought in France in like sence as we may say a blacke day for some tragicall euent though the Sunne shine neuer so bright therein And Alice the Countesse of Salsburie who as it is certaine was beloued of Prince Edward so it is as certaine that many points now current in the receiued story can neuer hold together with likelihoode of such enforcement had it not beene shewed vnder the title of a King And when thou let'st downe that transparent lid Not that the lid is transparent for no part of the skin is transparent but for the gemme which at that closure is said to containt is transparent for otherwise how could the minde vnderstand by the eye should not the images slide through the same and replenish the stage of the phantasie But this belongs to Optickes The Latines call the eye lid cilium I will not say of celando as the eye brow supercilium and the haire on the eye lids palpebra perhaps quod palpitet all which haue their distinct and necessary vses Alice Countesse of Salsbury to the Blacke Prince AS one would grant yet gladly would deny Twixt hope and feare I doubtfully reply A womans weakenesse lest I should discouer Answering a Prince and writing to a louer And some say Loue with Reason doth dispence And wrest our plaine words to another sence Thinke you not then poore women had not neede Be well aduisde to write what men should reade When being silent moouing but awry Giues cause of scandall and of obloquy Whilst in our hearts our secret thoughts abide Th'inuenom'd tongue of slander yet is tide But if once spoke deliuered vp to Fame Hers the report but ours returnes the shame About to write yet newly entring in Me thinkes I end ere I can well begin When I would end then something makes me stay And then me thinkes I should haue more to say And some one thing remaineth in my breast For want of words that cannot be exprest What I would say as said to thee I faine Then in thy person I reply againe Then in thy cause vrge all I can obiect Then what againe mine honour must respect O Lord what sundry passions do I trie Striuing to hate you forcing contrarie Being a Prince I blame you not to proue The greater reason to obtaine your loue That greatnesse which doth challenge no deniall The onely rest that doth allow my triall Edward so great the greater were his fall And my offence in this were capitall To men is granted priuiledge to tempt But in that charter women be exempt Men win vs not except we giue consent Against our selues except our selues are bent Who doth impute it is a fault to you You proue not false except we be vntrue It is your vertue being men to try And it is ours by vertue to deny Your fault it selfe serues for the faults excuse And makes it ours though yours be the abuse Beautie a beggar fie it is too bad When in it selfe sufficiencie is had Not made a Lure t' entice the wandring eye But an attire t' adorne sweete modestie If modestie and women once do seuer We may bid farewell to our fame for euer Let Iohn and Henry Edwards instance be Matilda and faire Rosamond for me A like both woo'd alike su'd to be wonne Th' one by the father th' other by the sonne Henry obtaining did our weakenesse wound And laies the fault on wanton Rosamond Matilda chaste in life and death all one By her deniall lâ—â—es the fault on Iohn By these we proue men accessary still But women only principalls of ill What praise is ours but what our vertues get If they be lent so much we be in debt Whilst our owne honours vertue doth defend All force too weake what euer men pretend If all the world else should suborne our fame T is we our selues that ouerthrow the same And howsoe're although by force you win Yet on our weakenes still returnes the sin A vertuous Prince who doth not Edward call And shall I then be guiltie of your fall Now God for bid yet rather let me die Then such a sin vpon my soule should lie Where is great Edward whither is he led At whose victorious name whole armies fled Is that braue spirit that conquerd so in France Thus ouercome and vanquisht with a glance Is that great hart that did aspire
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
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
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
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
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
and land See beauties all thy waste thy foote thy hand vvhere he may find the more that hee doth view Such rare delights as are both strange and new And other worlds of beauty more and more Which neuer were discouered before And to thy rare proportion to apply The lines and circles in Geometry Vsing alone Arithmetickes strong ground Numbring the vertues that in thee are found And when these all haue done what they can doo For thy perfections all too little too When from the East the dawne hath broken out And gone to seeke thee all the world about Within thy Chamber hath she fixt her light Where but that place the world hath all beene night Then is it fit that euery vulgar eie Should see Loue banquet in her maiestieâ— We deeme those things our sight doth most frequent To be but meane although most excellent For strangers still the streetes are swept and strowd Few looke on such as daily come abroade Things much restraind doth make vâ— much desire theÌ„ And beauties seldome seene makes vs admire them Nor is it fit a cittie shop should 〈…〉 de The worlds delight and natures onely pride But in a Princes sumptuous gallery Hung all with tissue floorde with tapestrieâ— Where thou shalt sit and from thy state shalt see The tiltes and triumphs that are done for thee Then know the diffrence if thou list to proue Betwixt a vulgar and a kingly loue And when thou findst as now thou doubtst the troth Be thou thy selfe vnpartiall Iudge of both Where hearts be knit what helps if not enioy Delayes breedes doubts no cunning to be coy Whilst lazie Time his turne by tariance serues Loue still growes sickly and hope dayly sterues Meane while receiue that warrant by these lines which princely rule and soueraintie resignes Till when these papers by their Lords commaundâ— By me shall kisse thy sweete and daintie hand ¶ Notes of the Chronicle Historie THis Epistle of Edward to Shores wife and of hers to him being of vnlawfull affection ministreth small occasion of historicall notes for had he mentioned the many battels betwixt the Lancastrian faction and him or other warlike daungers it had beene more like to Plautus boasting Souldier then a kingly Courtier Notwithstanding it shall not be amisse to annexe a line or two From English Edward to the fairest faire Edward the fourth was by nature very chiualrous and very amorous applying his sweet amiable aspect to attaine his wanton appetite the rather which was so well knowne to Lewes the French king who at their interuiew inuited him to Paris that as Comineus reports being taken at his word hee notwithstanding brake off the matter fearing the Parisian Dames with their witty conuersation would detaine him longer then should bee for his benefit by which means Edwad was disapointed of his iorny and albeit Princes whilst they liue haue nothing in them but what is admirable yet we need not mistrust the flatterie of the Court in those times fot certain it is that his shape was excellent his haire drew neare to a black making his faces fauor to seeme more delectable Though the smalnes of his eies full of a shining moisture as it tooke away some comelinesse so it argued much sharpnes of vnderstanding and cruelty mingled togither And indeed George Buccanan that imperious Scot chargeth him and other Princes of those times with affectation of tyranny as Richard the third manifestly did When first attracted by thy heauenly eyes Edwards intemperate desires with which he was wholy ouer-come how tragically they in his of-spring were punished is vniuersally knowne A mirrour representing their ouersight that rather leaue their children what to possesse then what to imitate How seely is the Polander and Dane To bring vs Cristall from the frozen maine Alluding to their opinions who imagin Cristall to be a kind of Ice and therefore it is likely they who come from the frozen parts should bring great store of that transparent stone which is thought to be congealed with extreame colde Whether Cristall be Ice or some other liquor I omit to dispute yet by the examples of Amber and Corall there may be such an induration for Solinus out of Plinie mentioneth that in the Northerly Region a yellow jelly is taken vp out of the sea at two tides which he cals Succinum we Amber so likewise out of the Ligusticke deepe a part of the Meridian Sea a greenish stalk is gathered which hardned in the ayre becomes to be Corrall either white or red Amber notwithstanding is thought to drop out of trees as appeares by Martials Epigram Et latet lucet Phaethonide condita gutta Vt vidcatur apis nectare clausa suo Dignum tantorum pretium tulit ille laborum Credibile est ipsam sic voluisse mors To behold a Bee inclosed in Electrum is not so rare as that a boyes throat should be cut with the fal of an Ice-sicle the which Epigram is excellent the 18. li. 4 He cals it Phaethontis Gâ—tta because of that fable which Ouid rehearseth concerning the Heliades or Phaetons sisters metamorphosed into those trees whose Gum is Amber where flies alighting are often times tralucently imprisoned ¶ The Epistle of Shores wife to king Edward the fourth AS the weake child that from the mothers wing Is taught the Lutes delicious fingering At euery strings soft touch is mou'd with feare Noting his maisters curious listning eare whose trembling hand at euery straine bewraies In what doubt he his new set lesson plaies As this poore child so sit I to indite At euery word still quaking as I write VVould I had led an humble shepheards life Nor knowne the name of Shores admired wife And liu'd with them in Countâ—ie fields that range Nor seene the golden Cheape nor glittering Change To stand a Comet gaz'd at in the skies Subiect to all tongues obiect to all eyes Oft haue I heard my beautie praisd of many But neuer yet so much admir'd of any A Princes Eagle eye to find out that which vulgar sights do seldome wonder at Makes me to thinke affection flatters sight Or in the obiect some thing exquisite To housed beautie seldome stoop's report Fame must attend on that which liues in Court VVhat Swan of great Apollos brood doth sing To vulgar loue in courtly Sonetting Or what immortall Poets sugred pen Attends the glory of a Cittizen Oft haue I wondred what should blinde your eye Or what so far seduced Maiesty That hauing choice of beauties so diuine Amongst the most to choose this least of mine More glorious sunnes adorne faire Londons pride Then all rich Englands continent beside Who takes in hand to make account of this May number Rumneys flowers or Isis fish Who doth frequent our Temples walkes and streets Noting the sundry beauties that he meetes Thinkes not that Nature left the wide world poore And made this place the Chequer of her store As heauen and earth were lately falne at iarres And growne
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
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
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
not rules a Nation Onely the surfet of a vaine opinion What giues content giues what exceedes dominion When first mine eares were pierced with the fame Of Iane proclaimed by a Princesse name A suddaine fright my trembling heart appalls The feare of conscience entreth yron walls Thrice happy for our fathers had it beene If what we fearde they wisely had fore-seene And kept a meane gate in an humble path To haue escapde the heauens impetuous wrath The true-bred Eagle strongly beares the winde And not each bird that 's neere vnto their kinde That like a King doth from the clowdes command The fearefull fowle that moues but neere the Land Though Mary be from mighty Kings descended My blood not from Plantaginet pretended My gransire Brandon did our house aduance By princely Mary Dowager of France The fruit of that faire stocke which did combine And Yorkes sweete branch with Lancasters entwine And in one stalke did happily vnite The pure vermilion Rose with purer white I the vntimely slip of that rich stem Whose golden bud brings forth a Diadem But oh forgiue me Lord it is not I Nor do I boast of this but learne to die Whilst we were as our selues conioyned then Nature to nature now an alien The purest blood polluted is in blood Neerenes contemn'd if soueraignty withstood A Diadem once dazeling the eye The day too darke to see affinitie And where the arme is stretch'd to reach a Crowne Friendship is broke the deerest thing throwne downe For what great Henry most stroue to auoide The heauens haue built where earth would haue destroide And seating Edward on his regall throne He giues to Mary all that was his owne By death assuring what by life is theirs The lawfull claime of Henries lawfull heâ—res By mortall lawes the bound may be diuorc'd But heauens decree by no meanes can be forc'd That rules the case when men haue all decreed Who tooke him hence fore-saw who should succeed For we in vaine relie on humaine lawes WheÌ„ heauen stands forth to plead the righteous cause Thus rule the heauens in their continuall course That yeeldes to fate that doth not yeelde to force Mans wit doth build for time but to deuoure But vertue 's free from time and fortunes powre Then my kinde Lord sweete Gilford be not grieu'd The soule is heauenly and from heauen relieu'd And as we once haue plighted troth together Now let vs make exchange of mindes to either To thy faire breast take my resolued minde Armde against blacke dispaire and all her kinde And to my bosome breathe that soule of thine There to be made as perfect as is mine So shall our faith as firmely be approued As I of thee or thou of me beloued This life no life were thou not deere to mee Nor this no death were I not woe for thee Thou my deere husband and my Lord before But truely learne to die thou shalt be more Now liue by prayer on heauen fixe all thy thought And surely finde what e're by zeale is sought For each good motion that the soule awakes A heauenly figure sees from whence it takes That sweete resemblance which by power of kinde Formes like it selfe an image in the minde And in our faith the operations bee Of that diuinenesse which through that we see Which neuer erres but accidentally By our fraile fleshes imbecillitie By each temptation ouer-apt to slide Except our spirit becomes our bodies guide For as these Towers our bodies do inclose Their prisons so vnto our soules suppose Our bodies stopping that celestiall light As these do hinder our exterior sight Whereon death seasing doth discharge the debt And vs at blessed liberty doth set Then draw thy forces all vnto thy heart The strongest fortresse of this earthly part And on these three let thy assurance lie On faith repentance and humilitie By which to heauen ascending by degrees Persist in prayer vpon your bended knees Whereon if you assuredly be staide You neede in perill not to be distnaide Which still shall keepe you that you shall not fall For any perill that you can appall The key of heauen thus willâ— you you shall beare And grace you guiding giue you entrance there And you of those celestiall ioyes possesse Which mortal tongue 's vnable to expresse Then thanke the heauen preparing vs this roome Crowning our heads with glorious martiredome Before the blacke and dismall daies beginne The daies of all idolatry and sinne Not suffering vs to see that wicked age When persecution vehemently shall rage When tyranny nâ—w tortures shall inuent Inflicting vengeance on the innocent Yet heauen forbids that Maries wombe shall bring Englands faire Scepter to a forraigne King But vnto faire Elizabeth shall leaue it Which broken hurt and wounded shall receiue it And on her temples hauing placde the Crowne Roote out the dregs Idolatry hath sowne And Syons glory shall againe restore Laid ruine waste and desolate before And from blacke sinders and rude heapes of stones Shall gather vp the Martires sacred bones And shall extirpe the power of Rome againe And cast aside the heauie yoke of Spaine Farewell sweete Gilford know our end is neere Heauen is our home we are but strangers heere Let vs make haste to goe vnto the blest Which from these weary worldly labours rest And with these lines my deerest Lord I greete thee Vntill in heauen thy Iane againe shall meet thee ¶ Notes of the Chronicle Historie They which begâ—t vs did beget this siâ—ne SHewing the ambition of the two Dukes their Fathers whose pride was the cause of the vtter ouerthrow of their children At Durham Pallace where sweete Hymen sang The buildings c. The Lord Gilford Dudley fourth sonne to Iohn Dudley Duke of Northumberland married the Lady Iane Grey daughter to the Duke of Suffolke at Durham house in the Strand When first mine eares were pierced with the fame Of Iane proclaimed by a princes name Presently vpon the death of King Edward the Lady Iane was taken as Queene conueyed by water to the Tower of London for her safetie and after proclaimed in diuers parts of the realme as so ordained by king Edwards Letters-pattents and his will My Grandsire Brandon did our house aduaunce By princely Mary dowager of Fraunce Henry Gray duke of Suffolk married Frauncis the eldest daughter of Charles Brandon Duke of Suffolke by the French Queene by which Frauncis he had this Lady Iane this Mary the French Queene was daughter to king Henry the seuenth by Elizabeth his Queene which happie mariage conioyned the two noble families of Lancaster and Yorke For what great Henry most stroue to auoyde Noting the distrust that King Henry the eight euer had in the Princesse Mary his daughter fearing she should alter the state of Religion in the land by matching with a stranger confessing the right that King Henries issue had to the Crowne And vnto faire Elizabeth shall leaue it A prophecie of Queene Maries barrennesse and of the happie and
bleede O let the graue my innocency hold Ere of a King so heynous sinne be told Vttering my minde my sorrow to asswage The heauy burthen of my pensiue breast The poison now that inwardly did rage The present vigor forcibly exprest Me no way suffering to declare the rest Longer for him t' was now no time to stay And death call'd on to hasten me away Thus in my closet being left alone Vpon the floore vncomfortably lying The deede committed and the murtherer gone Almost arriued at the point of dying Some of the sisters me by chance espying Calls all the rest that in most wofull plight Came to behold this miserable sight Where like a rose by an vnkindly blast Mongst many buds that round about it grow The withered leaues improsp'rously doth cast Yet all the rest their soueraigne beauties show Amidst this goodly sisterhood euen so Nipt with cold death vntimely did I fade Whilst they about me pitteous wailing made When as my poore soule in hir suddaine flight Neglects the organ of each severall sense with all that horror could the same affright Being disturbed in her parting hence Onely constrained for her best defence Vnto her spotlesse innocence to take her Which her not leaues when all the rest forsake her VVhen all our pleasures are but childrens toyes And as meere shadowes presently do passe As yeares encreasing waning are our ioyes As we forget our fauours in a glasse Euen as a tale of that which neuer was Death our delights continually doth seuer Vertue alone abandoneth vs neuer And now my spirit thus liberally enlargde By gently flitting from this earthly roome The debt to Nature faithfully dischargde And at the howre conditiond on my toombe Such is the heauens ineuitable doombe Me Baynards Castle to the earth did bring D 〈…〉 againe my place of burying Now scarsly was my breathlesse body cold But euery where my tragedy was spred For tatling Fame in euery place had told My resolution being lately dead Ruing my blood so prodigally shed And to my father flies with this mischance Which then remained in the Court of Frarce His losse too great to be bewailde with teares Nor were there found wordes to expresse his woe Terror it selfe so settled in his eares No more might enter nothing out might goe O while againe should griefe distract me 〈◊〉 Enough of sorrow is already showne And telling his renewing of mine owne Me t' shall suffise my fortunes to relate And beare the burthen of my proper ill If I expresse my pittifull estate T is all I aske and I obtaine my will For whie true sorrow needes not others skill It is too much the bitternesse we taste vvithout remembrance when the same is past Somesaie the King repentant for this deede vvhenas remorce to thoughts thereof him draue Poorely disguised in a Pilgrimes weede Offered his teares on my vntimely graue For which no doubt but heauen his sinne forgaue And did thereby my grieued spirite appease Hâ—â—â—â—ing contrite I happly at ease Thus tolde my storie I my state deuise To you sweete Madam fitt'st with you to râ—st vvhich do my vertues daily exercise That be impressed in your patient breast By whome alone I rightliest am exprest For whom my praise it grieues me is too scant Whose happie name an Epethite shall want Then most deere Lady for a maidens sake To shead one teare if gently you but daine For all my wrongs it full amends may make And be my passe to the Elizian plaine In your chastâ— eies such powre there doth remainâ— As can th' afflicted prosprously deliuer Happy be they may looke vpon them euer FINIS The Legend of Pierce Gaueston FRom gloomy shadowes of eternall night Shut vp in darkenes where I long did dwell O heere beholde me miserable wight Lastly inuokt my tragedie to tell Giue me then leaue my sorrowes to impart Somewhat to ease my poore afflicted hart Goddesse of Artes and Armes Pallas diuine Let thy bright fawchion lend me Cipresse bughes Be thou assisting to this Poet of mine With funerall wreathes incompassing his browes Pittying my case when none would heare me weep To tell my sorrowes layes his owne to sleepe And mournefulst maiden of the sacred Nine That balefull sounds immoueably doost breathe With thy swolne visage and thy blubbred eine I vnto thee my sad complaints bequeathe Matter that yeelds sufficient for thy glorie If thou exactly prosecute my storie Tell how the starres my wandring state did guide Th'unconstant turnes of euerie changing houre Of manie a lowe ebbe manie as high a tide Manie a smoothe calme manie a stormie showre The height whereto I lastly did ascend My strange beginning and my fatall end When Edward sate vpon the English throne Long-shankes that so victoriously did raigne First of that name and second vnto none In all to knighthoode euer did pertaine My life begunne and then begunne my blisse Euen in those daies those happie daies of his So much did vertue gratious harts inflame Promotion then not purchased with golde And in those times he that desired fame Bought it of them that it full deerely solde Hatefull excesse so much did not deuoure Lawes had lesse force and honesty more powre And since that time so violently prayes Vpon those ages that euen holiest bee Let me remember those more happie daies In these sad houres my grieued eies doe see With greater griefe that makes me these deplore When I doe thinke of those that were before And Muse to thee I sadly then appeale Since thou my life wilt needâ—ly haue me show That I by thee may faithfully reueale Euen what the most inquisitiue would know Whilst that my soule heere bodied did abide In the vaine world that pampred mein pride From Gascony our name and our descent Of which my father naturally was borne In all his warres that with king Edward went To him a 〈…〉 ege man and a souldier sworne And in his country ventred his estate To follow him that seemd to gouerne fate Whose trust that great king highly did imploy And neare his person tooke him for the same Who with my selfe but then a little boy Vnto the Court of famous England came Whereas the King for seruice he had done Made me a page vnto the Prince his sonne In me what shape that man 's did not excel Where euery part such harmony did beate As in this modell Nature seemd to tell T' was not perfection if it were not there As euery age reseru'd his rarest feature Thereof to make so excellent a creature My lookes the powrefull adamants to loue Which vnto them attracted euery sight With which the same was fixed or did moue As svmpathizing naturally delight That where my thoughts intended to surprise I at my pleasure conqu'red with mine eies If euen the best in Paintings curious art In some rare peece his workemanship should show Imag 〈…〉 on helping with her part vvâ—â—n th' hand had done the vtmost it could doe Vnto that bodie modelling a
course eftsoone to bring about That which long since the wiser sort did doubt For whilst the King doth seriously attend His long-hop'd voyage to the Holy-land For which his subiects mighty summes did leud Euen whilst this buisnes onely was in hand All on the suddaine happily doth fall The death of Edward quickely altred all Should I assay his vertues to report To do the honor due vnto his name My meane endeuours should come farre too short And I thereby should greatly wrong the same But leaue it to some sacred Muse to tell Vpon whose life a Poets pen might dwell His princely body scarsly wrapt in lead Before his mournefull obsequies were done But that the Crowne was set on Edwards head With whom too soone my happy daies begunne After blacke night like brightnesse of the day All former sorrowes vanished away When now Carnaruan calls within a while Whom Edward Long-shanks hated to the death He whom the father lately did exile Is to the sonne as precious as his breath What th' old inscrib'd the yonger forth did blot Kings wils perform'd and dead mens words forgot When the winde wafts me to that happy place And soone did set me safely on that shore From whence I seemde but banish'd for a space That my returne might honored be the more Vnto this new King happily to leaue me Whose princely armes were ready to receiue me Who would haue seene how that kinde Roman dame Oâ—e-come with ioy did yeelde her latest breath Hersonne returning laden with such fame When thankfull Rome had mourned for his death Might heere behold her personated right When I approached to the Princes sight My Ioue now Lord of the Ascendant is In an aspect that promisde happy speede Whilst in that luckie influence of his Some praisde the course wherein I did proceede Yet it to some prodigiously appeares Telling the troubles of ensuing yeares When like to Midas all I touch'd was gold Powr'd as t' was once downe into Danaes lap For I obtained any thing I would Fortune had yet so lotted out my hap The chests of great men like to Oceans are To whom all floods by course do still repare The Isle of Man he first vnto me gaue To shew how high I in his grace did stand But fearing me sufficient not to haue I next receiued from his bounteous hand Faire Wallingford that antiently had beene The wealthy dower of many an English Queene The summes his father had beene leuying long By impositions for the warre abroad Other his princely benefits among At once on me he bounteously bestow'd When those which saw how much on me he cast Soone found his wealth sufficed not his waste He giues me then chiefe Secretaries place Thereby to traine me in affaires of state And those high roomes that I did hold to grace Me Earle of Cornwall franckly did create And that in Court he freely might pertake me Of England Lord high Chamberlaine did make me And that he would more strongly me alie To backe me gainst their insolent ambition Doth his faire Cosen vnto me affie A Lady of right vertuous condition which his deare sister prosperously bare To the Earle of Gloster blood-ennobled Clare O sacred bounty mother of content Fautresse and happy nourisher of Arts That giu'st successe to euery high intent The Conquerour of the most noblest harts High grace into mortalitie infused Pitty it is that e're thou wast abused When those that did my banishment procure Still in my bosome hated did abide And they before that could me not endure Are now much more impatient of my pride For emulation euer did attend Vpon the great and shall vnto th' end And into fauour closly working those That from meane places lifted vp by me And factious spirits being fittest to oppose Them that perhaps too powerfull else might be That euen gainst enuie raised by my hand Me must vphold to make themselues to stand And since the frame by fortune so contriu'd To giue protect to my ambitious waies Vrging thereby their hate to me deriu'd From those hie honours 〈◊〉 vpon me layes Drawing the King my courses to pertake Still to maintaine what he himselfe did make Thus doth my youth still exercise extreames My heed fond rashnes to forerunne my fall My wit meere folly and my hopes but dreames My councell serues my selfe but to inthrall That me abused with a vaine illusion When all I did intending my confusion And now the King to hasten his repaire Himselfe by marriage highly to aduance With Isabel a Princesse yong and faire As was her father Philip king of France When now the more to perfect my command Leaues vnto me protection of the land My power confirm'd so absolute withall That I dranke pleasure in a plenteous cup vvhen there was none me to account to call All to my hands so freely rendred vp That earth to me no greater blisse could bring Except to make me greater than a King When being now got as high as I could clime That the vaine world thus bountifully blest Franckly imbrace the benefite of time Fully t' enioy that freely I possest Strongly maintaining he was worse than mad Fondly to spare a Princes wealth that had Their counsells when continually I crosst As scorning their authoritie and blood And in those things concernd their honor 's most In those against them euer most I stoode And things most publique priuately extend To feede my riot that had neuer end When lastly Fortune like a treacherous foe That had so long attended on my fall In the plaine path wherein I was to goe Layes many a baite to traine me on withall Till by her skill she cunningly had brought me Vnto the place where at her will she caught me The mighty busines falling then in hand Triumphs ordain'd to welcome his returne Before the French in honour of the land vvith all my power I labourd to adiourne Till all their charge was lastly ouer throwne vvho likde t' haue seene no glory but mine owne Thus euery thing me forward still doth set Euen as an engine forcing by the slight One mischiefe thus a second doth beget And that doth leade th' other but to right Yet euery one himselfe employing wholy In their iust course to prosecute my folly Which when they found how still I did retaine Th' ambitious course wherein I first beganne And lastly felt that vnder my disdaine Into contempt continually they ranne Take armes at once to remedy their wrong vvhich their cold spirits had suffred but too long Me boldely charging to abuse the King A wastefull spender of his needefull treasure A secret thiefe of many a sacred thing And that I led him to vnlawfull pleasure That neuer did in any thing delight But what might please my sensuall appetite That as a scourge vpon the land was sent Whose hatefull life the cause had onely beene The State so vniuersally was rent Whose ill increasing euery day was seene I was reproached openly of many Who pitti'd