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
Angells be in heauen Nine Muses do with learning still frequent These with the Gods are euer resident Nine worthy ones vnto the world were giuen My worthy one to these nine worthies addeth And my faire Muse one Muse vnto the nine And my good Angell in my soule diuine With one more order these nine orders gladdeth My Muse my worthy and my Angell then Makes euery one of these three nines a ten To Humour Sonnet 19. YOu cannot loue my pretty heart and why There was a time you told me that you would But now againe you will the same denie If it might pease you would to God you could What will you hate nay that you will not neither Nor loue nor hate how then what will you doe What will you keepe a meane then betwixt eyther Or will you loue me and yet hate me too Yet serues not this what next what other shift You will and will not what a coyle is heere I see your craft now I perceiue your drift And all this while I was mistaken there Your loue and hate is this I now do proue you You loue in hate by hate to make me loue you Sonnet 20. AN euill spirit your beautie haunts me still Wherewith alas I haue beene long possest Which ceaseth not to tempt me vnto ill Nor giues me once but one poore minutes rest In me it speakes whether I sleepe or wake And when by meanes to driue it out I trie With greater torments then it me doth take And tortures me in most extreamitie Before my face it laies all my dispaires And hastes me on vnto a suddaine death Now tempting me to drowne my selfe in teares And then in sighing to giue vp my breath Thus am I still prouokde to euery euill By this good wicked spirit sweete Angell diuell To the Spheares Sonnet 21. THou which doost guide this little world of loue Thy planets mansions heere thou maist behold My brow the spheare where Saturne still doth moue wrinckled with cares withered dry and cold Mine eyes the Orbe where Iupiter doth trace Which gently smile because they looke on thee Mars in my swartie visage takes his place Made leane with loue where furious conflicts bee Sol in my breast with his hote scorching flame But in my heart alone doth Venus raigne Mercury my hands the Organs of my fame Luna my wauering and vnconstant vaine The starry heauen thy praise by me exprest Thou the first mouer guiding all the rest To Folly Sonnet 22. WIth fooles children good discretion beares Then honest people beare with Loue me Nor older yet nor wiser made by yeares Amongst the rest of fooles and children be Loue 's still a baby places with gawdes and ioyes And like a wanton sports with euery feather And ideots still are running after boyes Then fooles and children fitt'st to go together He still as young as when he first was borne No wiser I then when as young as he You that be hold vs laugh vs not to scorne Giue Nature thankes you are not such as we Yet fooles and children sometimes tell in play Some wise in shew more fooles indeede then they Sonnet 23. LOue banish'd heauen in earth was held in scorne Wandring abâ—oad in neede and beggery And wanting friends though of a God desse borne Yet crau'de the almes of such as passed â—y I like a man douote and charitable Clothed the naked lodg'd this wandring guest With sighes and teares still furnishing his table With what might make the miserable blest But this vngratefull for my good desart Enticde my thoughts against me to conspire Who gaue consent to steale away my heart And set my breast his lodging on a fire Well well my friends when beggars grow thus bold No meruaile then though charity grow cold Sonnet 24. I Heare some say this man is not in loue Who can he loue a likely thing they say Reade but his verse and it will easly proue O iudge not rashly gentle Sir I pray Because I loosely trifle in this sort As one that fame his sorrows would beguile You now suppose me all this time in sport And please your felfe with this conceit the while You shallow censures sometime see you not In greatest perills some men pleasant be Where fame by death is onelie to be got They resolute so stands the case with me Where other men in depth of passion crie I laugh at Fortune as in jeast to die Sonnet 25. O Whie should nature niggardly restraine The Southerne nations rellish not our tongue Else should my lines glide on the waues of R 〈…〉 And crowne the Pirens with my liuing song But bounded thus to Scotland get you forth Thence take you wing vnto the Orcades There let my verse get glorie in the north Making my sighs to thawe the frozen seas And let the Bards within that Irish I le To whome my Muse with firiâ— wings shall passe Call backe the stiffe neckt rebells from exile And mollifie the slaughtring Galliglasse And when my flowing numbers they reherse Let wolues and beares be charmed with my verse To Despaire Sonnet 26. I Euer loue where neuer hope appeares Yet hope drawes on my neuer-hoping care And my lifes hope would die but for dispaire My neuer-certaine ioy breeds euer-certaine feares Vncertaine-dread giues wings vnto my hope Yet my hopes wings are loaden so with feare As they cannot ascend to my hopes spheare Yet feare giues them more than a heauenly scope Yet this large roome is bounded with dispaire So my loue is still fettered with vaine hope And libertie depriues him of his scope And thus am I imprisond in the aire Then sweet despaire a while holde vp thy head Or all my hope for sorrow will be dead To Fantasie Sonnet 27. I Gaue my faith to Loue Loue his to me That he and I sworne brothers should remaine Thus faith receiu'd faith giuen backe againe Who would imagine bond more sure could be Loue flies to her yet holdes he my faith taken As from my vertue raising my offence Making me guiltie by mine innocence And onelie bond by being so forsaken He makes her aske what I before had vow'd Giuing her that which he had giuen mee I bound by him and he by her made free Who euer so hard breach of faith allowd Speake you that should of right wrong discusse Was right ere wrongd or wrong ere righted thus Sonnet 28. TO such as saie thy loue I ouer-prise And doe not sticke to terme my praises follie Against these folkes that thinke themselues so wise I thus appose my force of reason wholie Though I giue more then well affords my state In which expense the most suppose me vaine Would yeeld them nothing at the casiest rate Yet at this price returnes me trebble gaine The value not vnskilfull how to vse And I giue much because I gaine thereby I that thus take or they that thus refuse Whether are these deceiued then or I In eu'rie thing I holde this maxime still
mee By our great Merlin was it not fore-told Amongst his holy prophecies enrold When first he did of Tudors name diuine That Kings and Queenes should follow in our line And that the Helme the Tudors antient Crest Should with the golden Flower-delice be drest And that the Leeke our Countries chiefe renowne Should grow with Roses in the English Crowne As Charles faire daughter you the Lilly weare As Henries Queene the blushing Rose you beare By France's conquest and by Englands oth You are the true made dowager of both Both in your crowne both in your cheeke together Ioyne Tethers loue to yours and yours to Tether Then make no future doubts nor feare no hate When it so long hath beene fore-told by Fate And by the all-disposing doome of heauen Before our births vnto one bed were giuen No Pallas heere nor Iuno is at all When I to Venus giue the golden ball Nor when the Graecians wonder I enioy None in reuenge to kindle fire in Troy And haue not strange euents diuinde to vs That in our loue we should be prosperous When in your presence I was call'd to dance In lofty trickes whilst I my selfe aduance And in my turne my footing failde by hap Was 't not my chance to light into your lap Who would not iudge it Fortunes greatest grace Sith he must fall to fall in such a place His birth from heauen your Tudor not deriues Nor stands on tip-toes in superlatiues Although the enuious English do deuise A thousand ieasts of our hyperbolies Nor do I claime that plot by antient deedes Where Phoebus pastures his firie-breathing steedes Nor do I boast my god-made Grandsires scarres Nor Giants trophies in the Titans warres Nor faine my birth your princely eares to please By three nights getting as was Hercules Nor doe I forge my long descent to runne From aged Neptune or the glorious Sunne And yet in Wales with them most famous be Our learned Bards doe sing my pedigree And boast my birth from great Cadwallader From old Cair-septon in mount Palador And from Eneons line the South-wales king By Theâ—dor the Tuders name do bring My royall mothers princely stocke began From her great grandam faire Gwenellian By true descent from Leolin the great As well from North-wales as faire Powslands seat Though for our princely genealogie I doe not stand to make apologie Yet who with iudgements true vnpartiall eyes Shall looke from whence our name at first did rise Shall finde that Fortune is to vs in debt And why not Tuder as Plantaginet Nor that terme Croggen nicke-name of disgrace Vsde as a by-word now in euery place Shall blot our blood or wrong a Welchmans name Which was at first begot with Englands shame Our valiant swords our right did still maintaine Against that cruell prowde vsurping Dane And bucklde in so many dangerous fights With Norwayes Swethens and with Muscouits And kept our natiue language now thus long And to this day yet neuer changde our tong When they which now our Nation faine would tame Subdude haue lost their country and their name Nor neuer could the Saxons swords prouoke Our Brittaine neckes to beare their seruile yoke Where Cambrâ—aes pleasant Countries bounded bee With swelling Seuerne and the holy Dee And since great Brutus first arriu'd haue stood The onely remnant of the Trâ—â—an blood To euery man is not allotted chaunce To boast with Henry to haue conqueâ—d Fraunce Yet if my fortunes thus may raised be This may presage a farther good to me And our S. Dauid in the Brutaines right May ioyne with Grorge the sainted English knight And old Caer-marden Merlins famous towne Not scorn'd by London though of such renowne Ah would to God that houre my hopes attend Were with my wish brought to desired end Blame me not Madame though I thus desire When eies with enuie doe my hap admire Till now your beauty in nights bosome slept What eie durst stâ—â—re where awfull Henry kept Who durst attempt to saile but neere the bay Where that all-conquering great Alcides lay Thy beauty now is set a royall prize And Kings repaire to cheapen merchandize If thou but walke to take the breathing aire Orithia makes me that I Boreas feare If to the fire Ioue once in lightning came And faire Egina make me feare the flame If in the Sunne then sad suspition dreames Phoebus should spread Lucothoe in his beames If in a fountaine thou doost coole thy blood Neptune I feare which once came in a flood If with thy maides I dread Apolloes rape Who coosned Chion in an old wiues shape If thou doost banquet Bacchus makes me dread Who in a grape Erigone did feede And if my selfe the chamber doore should keepe Yet feare I Hermes comming in a sleepe Pardon sweete Queene if I offend in this In these delayes loue most impatient is And youth wants powre his hote splene to suppresse When Hope already banquets in excesse Though Henries fame in me you shall not finde Yet that which better shall content your minde But onely in the title of a King Was his aduantage in no other thing If in his loue more pleasure you did take Neuer let Queene trust Brittaine for my sake Yet iudge me not from modestie exempt That I another Phaetons charge attempt My minde that thus your fauours dare aspire Declare a temper of celestiall fire If loue a fault the more is Beauties blame When she her selfe is author of the same All men to some one qualitie incline Onely to loue is naturally mine Thou arte by Beauty famous as by birth Ordainde by heauen to cheere the drowping earth Adde faithfull loue vnto your greater state And then alike in all things fortunate A King might promise more I not deny But yet by heauen he lou'd not more than I. And thus I leaue till time my faith approue I cease to write but neuer cease to loue ¶ Notes of the Chronicle Historie And that the helme the Tudors ancient Crest THe armes of Tudor was the helmes of mens heads whereof he speaketh as a thing prophetically fore-told of Merlin When in thy presence I was call'd to daunce Owin Tudor being a courtly and actiue Gentleman commrunded once to daunce before the Queen in a turne not being able to recouer himselfe fell into her lappe as shee sate vpon a little stoole with many of her Ladies about her And yet with them in Wales most famous be Our learned Bards c. This Berdh as they call it in the Brittish tongue or as we more properly say Bard or Bardus be their Poets which keepe the records of Petigrees and discents and sing in odes and measures to the Harps after the old maner of the Lirick Poets And boast my blood from great Cadwallader Cadwallader the last king of the Britaines descended of the noble and ancient race of the Troyans to whom an Angell appeared commaunding him to goe to Rome to Pope Sergius where he ended his life Since faire Caer-Septon in mount
tuggd together so Wonting my way through sword and fire to make So oft constraind against the streame to rowe To doubt with Death a couenant to make When I am growne familiar with my woe And nothing can th' afflicted conscience grieue But he can pardon that doth all forgiue 87 And thus thou most adored in my heart Whose thoghts in death my humbled sprite doth raise Lady most faire most deere of most desart Worthy of more than any mortall praise Condemned March thus lastly doth depart From her the greatest Empresse of her dayes Nor in the dust mine honor I interre Thus Caesar dide and thus dies Mortimer 88 To Nottingham this Letter brought vnto her Which is subscribde with her Emperious stile Puts her in minde how once that hand did wooe her With this short thought to please herselfe a while Thus sorrow can so subtilly vndooe her That with such flattery doth her sence beguile To giue a sharper feeling to that paine Which her grieu'd heart was shortly to sustaine 89 Putting her fingers to vnrip the seale Cleaning to keepe those sorrowes from her eyes As it were loth the tidings to reueale Whence griefe should spring in such varieties But strongly vrg'd doth to her will appeale When the soft waxe vnto her touch implies Sticking vnto her fingers bloody red To shew the bad newes quickly followed 90 Thus by degrees she easly doth begin As the small fish plaies with the baited hooke Then more and more to swallow sorrow in As threatning death at eu'ry little looke Where now she reades th'expences of her sin Sadly set downe in this blacke dreadfull booke And those deere summes were like to be desray'd Before the same were absolutely pay'd 91 An hoast of woes her suddainely assaile As eu'ry letter wounded like a dart As though contending which should most preuaile Yet eu'ry one doth pierce her to the hart As eu'ry word did others case bewaile And with his neighbour seemde to beare a part Reason of griefe each sentence is to her And eu'ry line a true remembrancer 92 Greefe makes her reade yet straitwaies bids her leaue With which ore-charg'd she neither sees nor heares Her sences now their Mistris so deceiue The words do wound her eyes the sound her eares And eu'ry organe of the vse bereaues When for a fescue she doth vse her teares That when some line she loosely ouer-past The drops do tell her where she left the last 93 O now she sees was neuer such a sight And seeing curs'd her sorrow-seeing eye Yet thinkes she is deluded by the light Or is abusde by the orthography And by some other t' is deuisde for spight Or pointed false her schollership to try Thus when we fondly sooth our owne desires Our best conceits oft proue the greatest liers 94 Her trembling hand as in a feauer shakes Wherewith the paper doth a little stirre Which she imagines at her sorrow shakes And pitties it who she thinkes pitties her Each small thing somwhat to the greater makes And to the humor something doth infer Which when so soone as she her tongue could free O worthy Earle deere loued Lord quoth shee 95 I will reserue thy ashes in some Vrne Which as a relique I will onely saue Mixt with the teares that I for thee shall mourne Which in my deere breast shall their buriall haue From whence againe they neuer shall returne Nor giue the honor to another graue But in that Temple euer be preserued Where thou a Saint religiously art serued 96 When she breakes out to cursing of her sonne But March so much still runneth in her mind That she abruptly ends what she begunne Forgets her selfe and leaues the rest behind From this she to another course doth runne To be reuengde in some notorious kind To which she deepely doth ingage her troth Bound by a strong vow and a solemne oth 97 For pen and incke she calles her maides without And the kings dealings will in griefe discouer But soone forgetting what she went about She now begins to write vnto her louer Heere she sets downe and there she blotteth out Her griefe and passion doe so strongly moue her When turning backe to reade what she had writ She teares the paper and condemnes her wit 98 And thus with contrarieties araised As waters chilnesse wakeneth from a swownd Comes to her selfe the agony appeased When colder blood more sharpely feeles the wound And griefe her so incurably hath seized That for the same no remedie is found As the poore refuge to her restlesse woes This of her griefe she lastly doth dispose 99 That now vnkinde King as thou art my sonne Leauing the world some legacie must giue thee My harts true loue the dying March hath wonne Yet that of all I will not quite bereaue thee The wrong and mischiefe to thy mother done I thee bequeathe so bound that they out liue thee That as my breast it hourely doth torment Thou maist enjoy it by my Testament 100 Henceforth within this solitary place Abandoning for euer generall sight A priuate life I willingly embrace No more rejoycing in the obuious light To consumate the weary lingering space Till death inclose me with continuall night Each small remembrance of delight to flie A conuertite and penitently die Finis To the Reader SEing these Epistles are now to the world made publike it is imagined that I ought to be accountable of my priuate meaning chiefely for mine owne discharge lest being mistaken I fall in hazard of a inst and vniuersall reprehension for Hae nugae seria ducent In mala derisum semel exceptumque sinistre Three points are especially therefore to bee explained First why I entitle this worke Englands Heroicall Epistles then why I obserue not the persons dignitie in the dedication lastly why I haue annexed notes to euery Epistles end For the first the title I hope carrieth reason in it selfe for that the most and greatest persons heere in were English or else that their loues were obtained in England And though heroicall bee properly vnderstood of demi-gods as of Hercules and Aeneas whose parents were said to be the one celestall the other mortall yet is it also transferred to them who for the greatnesse of minde come neere to Gods For to bee borne of a celestiall Incubus is nothing else but to haue a great and mightie spirit farre aboue the earthly weaknesse of men in which sence Ouid whose imitator I partly professe to bee doth also vse Heroicall For the second seeing none to whom I haue dedicated any two Epistles but haue their states ouer-matched by them who are made to speake in the Epistles howeuer the order is in dedication yet in respect of their degrees in my deuotion and the cause before recited I hope they suffer no disparagement seeing euery one is the first in their particular interest hauing in some sort sorted the complexion of the Epistles to the character of their iudgements to whom I dedicate them excepting onely the
whom the King exceedingly loued who kept the Pallace at Woodstocke and much of the Kings iewels and treasure to whom the King committed many of his secretes and in whom he reposed such trust that he durst commit his loue vnto his charge King Iohn to Matilda The Argument After that King Iohn had assayed by all meanes possible to win the faire and chaste Matilda to his vnchaste and vnlawful bed and by vniust courses false accusation had banished the Lord Robert Fitzwater her noble Father and many other of his alies who iustly withstood the desire of this wanton King seeking the dishonour of his faire and vertuous daughter this chaste Lady still solicited by this lasciuious King flies vnto Dunmow in Essex where in a Nunnery she becomes a Nunne whether the King stil persisting in his sute solicites her by his Epistle her reply confirmes her vowed and inuincible chastitie making knowne to the King her pure vnspotted thoughts WHen these my Letters come vnto thy view Think them not forcde or faind or strange or new Thou knowst no way no means no course exempted Left now vnsought vnproou'd or vnattempted All rules regardes all secret helps of Art What knowledge wit experience can impart And in the olde worlds Ceremonies doted Good daies for loue times houres and minutes noted And where Arte left loue teacheth more to finde By signes in presence to expresse the minde Oft hath mine eie tolde thine eie beauty grieu'd it And begd but for one looke to haue relieu'd it And still with thine eies motion mine eie mou'd Labouring for mercy telling how it lou'd If blusht I blusht thy cheeke pale pale was mine My red thy red my whitenesse answered thine If sigh'd I sigh'd alike both passion proue But thy sigh is for griefe my sigh for loue If a word past that insufficient were To help that word mine eies let forth a teare And if that teare did dull or senslesse proue My heart would fetch a sigh to make it moue Oft in thy face one fauour from the rest I singled forth that likes my fancie best This likes me most another likes me more A third exceeding both those likde before Then one that doth deriue all wonder thence Then one whose rarenes passeth excellence Whilst I behold thy Globe like rowling eie Thy louely cheeke me thinks stands smiling by And tells me those but shadowes and supposes And bids me thether come and gather Roses Looking on that thy brow dooth call to mee To come to it if wonders I will see Now haue I done and now thy dimpled chinne Againe doth tell me I but new beginne And bids me yet to looke vpon thy lip Lest wondring least the greatst I ouerslip My gazing eie on this and this doth sease Which surffets yet cannot desire appease Then like I browne O louely browne thy haire Onely in brownenesse beauty dwelleth there Then loue I blacke thine eye ball blacke as jet Then cleere that ball is there in cristall set Then white but snow nor swan nor yuorie please Then are thy teeth more whiter then all these In browne in blacke in purenes and in white All loue all sweetes all rarenes all delight Thus thou vile thiefe my stolne hart hence doost carry And now thou fliest into a Sanctuary Fie peeuish gerle ingratefull vnto Nature Did she to this end frame thee such a creature That thou her glory shouldst increase thereby And thou aloue doost scorne societie Why heauen made beauty like herselfe to view Not to be lockt vp in a smoaky mew A rosie-tainted feature is heauens gold Which all men ioy to touch all to behold It was enacted when the world begunne That so rare beauty should not liue a Nunne But if this vow thou needes wilt vndertake O were mine armes a Cloister for thy sake Still may his paines for euer be augmented This superstition that at first inuented Iâ—l might he thriue that brought this custome hether That holy people might not liue together A happy time a good world was it then When holy women liu'd with holy men But kings in this yet priuiledgde may be I le be a Monke so I may liue with thee Who would no 〈…〉 se to ring the mornings knell When thy sweet lips might be the sacring bell Or what is he not willingly would fast That on those lips might feast his lips at last Who vnto Mattens early would not rise That might reade by the light of thy faire eies On worldly pleasures who would euer looke That had thy curles his beades thy browes his booke Wert thou the crosse to thee who would not creepe And wish the crosse still in his armes to keepe Sweet gerle I le take this holy habite on mee Of meere deuotion that is come vpon me Holy Matilda thou the Saint of mine I le be thy seruant and my bed thy shrine When I doe offer be thy breast the Altare And when I pray thy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall be my Psalter The beades that we will bid shal be sweet kisses Which we will number if one pleasure misses And when an Auie comes to say Amen We will beginne and tell them o're againe Now all good fortune giue me happy thrift As I should ioy t'absolâ—e thee after shrift But see how much I doe my selfe beguile And doe mistake thy meaning all this while Thou tookst this vow to equall my desire Because thou wouldst haue me to be a Frier And that we two should comfort one another A holy sister and a holy brother Thou as a Votresse vnto me alone Shee is most chaste thats but enioyd of one Yea now thy true deuotion doe I finde And sure in this I much commend thy minde Else heere thou doost but ill ensample giue And in a Nunry thus thou shouldst not liue I st possible the house that thou art in Should not be tucht though with a veniall sin When such a she-priest comes her masse to say Twenty to one they all forget to pray Well may we wish they would their hearts amend When we be witnesse that their eyes offend All creatures haue desires or else some lie Let them thinke so that will so will not I. Doost thou not thinke our ancestors were wise That these religious Cels did first deuise As Hospitalls were for the sore and sicke These for the crook'd the hault the stigmaticke Lest that their seede mark'd with deformitie Should be a blemish to posteritie Would heau'n her beautie should be hid from sight Nere would she thus her selfe adorne with light With sparkling lamps nor would she paint her throne But she delighteth to be gaz'd vpon And when the golden glorious Sunne goes downe Would she put on her star-bestudded crowne And in her masking sute the spangled skie Come forth to bride it in her reuelrie And gaue this gift to all things in creation That they in this should imitate her fashion All things that faire that pure that glorious beene Offer themselues of purpose to
hath signde and sealed with his hand And where no farther processe he refers In blots set downe for others Characters This cannot blush although you doe refuse it Nor will reply how euer you shall vse it All one to this though you should bid dispaire This still intreates you this still speakes you faire Hast thou a liuing soule a humane sence To like dislike pâ—oue order and dispence The depth of reason soundly to aduise To loue things good things hurtfull to despise The tuch of iudgement which should 〈…〉 things proue And hast thou toucht yet not allowst my loue Sound moues his sound voyce doth beget his voyce One Ecâ—ho makes another to reioyce One well tunde string set truely to his like Strooke neere at hand doth make another strike How comes it then that our affections jarre What opposition doth beget this warre I know that Nature franckly to thee gaue That measure of her bounty that I haue And with that sence she likewise to vs lent Each one his organ each his instrument But euery one because it is thine owne Doth p 〈…〉 se it selfe vnto it selfe alone Thy d 〈…〉 y hand when it it selfe doth tuch That feeling tells it there was neuer such When in thy glâ—sse thine eie it selfe doth see That thinkes there 's none like to it selfe can be And euery one doth iudge it selfe diuine Because that thou doost challenge it for thine And each it selfe Narcissus like dooth smother And loues it selfe not like to any other Fie be not burnd thus in thine owne desire T is needlesse beauty should it selfe admire The Sunne by which all creatures lightned bee And seeth all it selfe yet cannot see And his owne brightnesse his owne foile is made And is to vs the cause of his owne shade When first thy beautie by mine eye was prou'd It saw not then so much to be belou'd But when it came a perfect view to take Each looke of one doth many beauties make In little circlets first it doth arise Then somewhat larger seeming in mine eyes And in this giâ—ing compasse as it goes So more and more the same in greatnes growes And as it yet at libertie is set The motion still doâ—h other formes beget Vntill â—t length looke any way I could Nothing there was but beautie to behold Art thou offended that thou art belou'd Remoue the cause th' effect is soone remou'd Indent with Beautie how farre to extend Set downe desire a limmit where to end Then charme thine eies their glances shal not wound And teach the sence the depth of loue to sound If thou do this nay then thou shalt do more And bring to passe what neuer was before Make anguish sportiue crauing all delight Mirth solemne sullen and inclinde to night Ambition lowly enuie speaking well Loue his reliefe of nigardize to sell Our war-like father did these forts deuise As surest holds against our enemies The safest places for our sexe to rest Feare soone is setled in a womans breast Thy breast is of another temper farre And then thy Castell fitter for the warre Thou doost not safely in thy Castell rest Thy Castell should be safer in thy breast That keepes out foes but doth thy friends inclose But thy breast keepes out both thy friends and foes That may be batterd or be vnderminde Or by strait siege for want of succour pinde But thy heart is inuincible to all And more defensiue then thy Castell wall Of all the shapes that euer Ioue did proue Wherewith he vsde to entertaine his loue That likes me best when in a golden shower He â—ainde himselfe on Danae in her Tower Nor did I euer enuie his command In that he beares the thunder in his hand But in that showrie shape I cannot bee And as he came to her I come to thee Thy Tower with foes is not begirt about If thou within they are besieg'd without One haire of thine more vigor doth retaine To binde thy foe then with an yron chaine Who might be gyu'd in such a golden string Would not be captiue though he were a King Hadst thou all India heap'd vp in thy fort And thou thy selfe besieged in that sort Get thou but out where they can thee espie They 'le follow thee and let the treasure lie I cannot thinke what force thy Tower should win If thou thy selfe doost guard the same within Thine eye retaines artillary at will To kill who euer thou desirâ—st to kill For that alone more deepely wounds their hearts Then they can thee though with a thousand darts For there entrenched little Cupid lies And from those turrets all the world defies And when thou letst downe that transparant lid Of entrance there an Armie doth forbid And as for Famine thou needes neuer feare Who thinkes of want when thou art present there Thy onely sight giues spirit vnto the blood And comforts life though neuer tasting foode And as thy souldiers keepe their watch and ward So chastitie thy inward breast doth guard Thy modest pulse serues as a latum bell Which watched by a wakefull Sentinell Is stirring still with euery little feare Warning if any enemy be neare Thy vertuous thought when all the others rest Like carefull Skowts passe vp and downe thy breast And still they round about that place doe keepe Whilst all the blessed garrison do sleepe But yet I feare if that the truth were told That thou hast robbde and flâ—st vnto this bolde I thought as much and didst this Fort deuise That thou in safety heere mightst tyrannize Yes thou hast robbde the heauen and earth of all And they against thy lawlesse theft doe call Thine eies with mine that wage continuall warres Borrow their brightnesse of the twinckling starres Thy breath for which mine still in sighes consumes Hath rob'd sweete flowres rich odors and perfumes Thy cheeke for which mine all this penance proues Steales the pure whitenes both from Swans doues Thy lips from mine that in thy maske be pent Haue filch'd the blushing from the orient O mighty Loue bring hether all thy power And fetch this heauenly theefe out of her Tower For if she may be suffred in this sort Heauens store will soone be hoarded in this fort When I arriu'd before that state of loue And saw thee on the battlement aboue I thought there was no other heauen but there And thou an Angel didst from thence appeare But when my reason did reproue mine eye That thou wert subiect to mortalitie I then excusde the Scot before had done No maruaile though he would the fort haue wonne Perceiuing well those enuious walls did hide More wealth then was in all the world beside Against thy foe I came to lend thee aide And thus to thee my selfe my selfe betraide He is besieg'd the siege that came to raise There 's no assault that not my breast assaies Loue growne extreame doth finde vnlawfull shifts The Gods take shapes and do allure with gifts Commanding Ioue that by great Stix doth
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
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
allow I should not neede to feare it For then my true nobilitie should beare it If counsell ayde that Fraunce will tell I know Whose townes lie waste before the English foe When thrice we gaue the conquered French the foile At Agincourt at Crauant and Uernoile If faith auaile these armes did Henry hold To claime his crowne yet scarcely nine months old If countries care haue leaue to speake for me Gray haires in youth my witnes then may be If peoples tongues giue splendor to my fame They adde a title to duke Humfries name If toyle at home French treason English hate Shall tell my skill in managing the state If forraine trauell my successe may try In Flaunders Almaine Boheme Burgundy That robe of Rome prowd Benford now doth weare In euery place such sway should neuer beare The Crosier staffe in his imperious hand To be the Scepter that controules the land That home to England despensations drawes Which are of power to abrogate our lawes That for those summes the wealthy church should pay Vpon the needy Commontie to lay His ghostly counsells onely doe aduise The meanes how Langlies progenie may rise Pathing young Henries vnaduised waies A Duke of Yorke from Cambridge house to raise which after may our title vndermine Grafted since Edward in Gaunts famous line Vs of succession safely to depriue which they from Clarence fainedly deriue Knowing the will old Cambridge euer bore To eateh the wreathe that famous Henry wore With Gray and Scroope when first he laide the plot From vs and ours the gaâ—land to haue got As from the Match-borne Mortimer to raigne Whose title Glendour stoutly did maintaine When the prowde Percies haughty March and hee Had sharde the Land by equall partes in three His Priesthoode now sterne Mowbray doth restore To stirre the fire that kindled was before Against the Yorkists shall their claime aduance To steele the poynt of Norffolkes sturdie lance Vpon the breast of Herfords issue bent In iust reuenge of antient banishment He dooth aduise to let our prisâ—er goe And doth enlarge the faithlesse Scottish foe Giuing our heires in marriage that their dowres May bring inuasion vpon vs and ours Ambitious Suffolke so the helme doth guide With Benfords damned policies supplide He and the Queene in counsell still conferre How to raise him who hath aduanced her But my deere heart how vainely do I dreame And flie from thee whose sorrowes are my theame My loue to thee and England thus diuided With the most parte how hard to be decided Or thee or that to whether I am loath So neere are you so deere vnto me both Twixt that and thee for equall loue I finde England in gratefull and my Elnor kind But though my country iustly I reproue For countries sake vnkinde vnto my loue Yet is thy Humfrey to his Elnor now As when fresh beauty triumpht on thy brow As when thy graces I admired most Or of thy fauours might the frankli'st boast Those beauties were so infinite before That in abundance I was onely poore Of which though time hath taken some againe I aske no more but what doth yet remaine Be patient gentle heart in thy distresse Thou arte a Princesse not a whit lesse Whilst in these breasts we beare about this life I am thy husband and thou arte my wife Cast not thine eie on such as mounted be But looke on those cast downe as lowe as we For some of them which prowdly pearch so hie Ere long shall come as lowe as thou or I. They weepe for ioy and let vs laugh in woe We shall exchange when heauen will haue it so We mourne and they in after time may mourne Woe past may once laugh present woe to scorne And worse than hath beene we can neuer taste Worse cannot come than is already past In all extreames the onely depth of ill Is that which comforts the afflicted still Ah would to God thou wouldst thy griefes denie And on my backe let all the burthen lie Or if thou canst resigne make thine mine owne Both in one carrige to be vndergone Till we againe our former hopes recouer And prosp'rous times blow these misfortunes ouer For in the thought of those forepassed yeares Some new resemblance of old ioy appeares Mutuall our care so mutuall be our loue That our affliction neuer can remoue So rest in peace where peace hath hope to liue Wishing thee more than I my selfe can giue ¶ Notes of the Chronicle Historie At Agincourâ— at Grauant and Vernoyle THe three famous battels fought by the Englishmen in France Agincourt by Henry the fift against the whole power of France Crauant fought by Montacute Earle of Salisburie and the Duke of Burgoyne against the Dolphine of France William Stuart Constable of Scotland Vernoile fought by Iohn Duke of Bedford against the Duke of Alanson and with him most of the Nobilitie of France Duke Humfrey an Especiall Councellour in all these expeditions In Flaunders Almain Boheme Burgundie Here remembring the auncient amitie which in his ambassaes he concluded betwixt the King of England and Sigismund Emperour of Almaine drawing the Duke of Burgoyne into the same league giuing himselfe as an hostage for the duke of saint Omers while the Duke came to Calice to confirme the league With his many other imployments to forraine Kingdoms That crosier staffe in his imperious hand Henry Beuford Cardinall of Winchester that proud haughtie Prelate receyued his Cardinals hat at Calice by the Popes Legate which dignitie Henry the fift his nephew forbade him to take vpon him knowing his haughtie and malicious spirit vnfit for that robe and calling The meanes how Langleis progenie may rise As willing to shew the house of Cambridge to bee descended of Edmund Langley Duke of Yorke a yonger brother to Iohn of Gaunt his Grand-father as much as in him lay to smother the title that the Yorkists made to the crowne from Lionell of Clarence Gaunts elder brother by the daughter of Mortimer His priesthood now sterne Mowbray doth restore Nothing the ancient grudge betweene the house of Lancaster and Norffolke euer since Mowbray duke of Norffolke was banished for the accusation of Henry duke of Herford after the king of England father to duke Humfrey which accusation hee came as a Combatant to haue made good in the Lists at Couentry And giues our heires in marriage that their dowers Iames Stuart King of Scots hauing bin long prisoner in England was released and tooke to wife the daughter of Iohn duke of Somerset sister to Iohn duke of Somerset neece to the Cardinall and the duke of Excester and coosin germain remooued to the King this King broke the oath he had taken and became after a great enemie to England FINIS ¶ To my Honored Mistris Mistris Elizabeth Tanfield the sole daughter and heire of that famous and learned Lawyer Lawrence Tanfield Esquire FAire and vertuous Mistres since first it was my good fortune to bee a witnesse of the many
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
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
strength and now his brightnesse loseth As well the best discerning eye may doubt Whether it yet be in or whether out Thus in my cheeke my diuers passions shew'd Now ashy pale and now againe it glow'd If in your verse there be a power to moue It 's you alone who are the cause I loue It 's you bewitch my bosome by mine eare Vnto that end I did not place you there Ayres to asswage the bloody souldiers minde Poore women we are naturally kinde Perhaps you 'le thinke that I these termes enforce For that in Court this kindenesse is of course Or that it is that honny-steeped gall We oft are said to bait our loues withall That in one eye we carry strong desire The other drops which quickly quench the fire Ah what so false can Enuy speake of vs But shall finde some too vainely credulous I do not so and to adde proofe thereto I loue in faith in faith sweete Lord I do Nor let the enuie of enuenom'd tongues Which still is grounded on poore Ladies wrongs Thy noble breast diasterly possesse By any doubt to make my loue the lesse My house from Florence I do not pretend Nor from Giraldi claime I to descend Nor hold those honours insufficient are That I receiue from Desmond or Kyldare Nor adde I greater worth vnto my blood Than Irish milke to giue me infant food Nor better ayre will euer boast to breathe Then that of Lemster Mounster or of Meathe Nor craue I other forraine farre alies Then Windsor or Fitz-geralds families It is enough to leaue vnto my heires If they will but acknowledge me for theires To what place euer did the Court remoue But that the howse giues matter to my loue At Windsor still I see thee sit and walke There mount thy Courser there deuise there talke The roabes the garter and the state of Kings Into my thoughts thy hoped greatnes brings Non such the name imports me thinks so much None such as thou nor as my Lord none such In Hamptons great magnificence I finde The liuely image of thy princely minde Faire Richmonds Towers like goodly pillars stand Rearde by the power of thy victorious hand White-halls triumphing galleries are yet Adornde with rich deuises of thy wit In Greenewich yet as in a glasse I view Where last thou badst thy Geraldine adiew VVith euery little gentle breath that blowes How are my thoughts confusde with ioyes woes As through a gate so through my longing eares Passe to my hart whole multitudes of feares O in a map that I might see thee show The place where now in danger thou doost goe VVhilst we discourse to trauaile with our eye Romania ruscaine and faire Lumbardy Or with thy pen exactly to set downe The modell of that Tempell or that Towne And to relate at large where thou hast beene And there and there and what thou there hast seene Or to describe by figure of thy hand There Naples lies and there doth Florence stand Or as the Grecians finger dip'd in wine Drawing a Riuer in a little line And with a drop a gulfe to figure out To modell Venice moted round about Then adding more to counterfet a Sea And draw the front of stately Genoa These from thy lips were like harmonious tones Which now do found like Mandrakes dreadful grones Some trauell hence t' enrich their mindes with skill Leaue heere their good and bring home others ill VVhich seeme to like all Countries but their owne Affecting most where they the least are knowne Their leg their thigh their back their neck their head As they had been in seuerall Countries bred In their attire their jesture and their gate Fond in each one in all Italionate So well in all deformitie in fashion Borrowing a limbe on euery seuerall Nation And nothing more then England hold in scorne So liue as strangers where as they were borne But thy returne in this I do not reede Thou art a perfect Gentleman indeede O God forbid that Howards noble line From ancient vertue should so farre decline The Muses traine whereof your selfe are chiefe Onely with me participate their griefe To sooth their humors I do lend them eares He giues a Poet that his verses heares Till thy returne by hope they onely liue Yet had they all they all avvay would giue The world and they so ill according be That wealth and Poets neuer can agree Few liue in Court that of their good haue care The Muses friends are euery where so rare Some praise thy worth that it did neuer know Onely because the better sort doe so Whose iudgement neuer further doth extend Then it doth please the greatest to commend So great an ill vpon desert doth chaunce When it doth passe by beastly ignoraunce Why arte thou slacke whilst no man puts his hand To raise the mount vvhere Surreys tovvers must stand Or who the groundsill of that worke doth lay Whilst like a wandrer thou abroade doost stray Clipt in the armes of some lasciuious dame When thou shouldst reare an â—â—on to thy name When shall the Muses by faire Norwhich dvvell To be the Cittie of the learned VVell Or Phoebus altars there with incense heapt As once in Cyrrha or in Thebe kept Or vvhen shall that faire hoofe-plowd spring distill From great mount Surrey out of Leonards hill Till thou returne the Court I will exchange For some poore cottage or some countrey Grange Where to our distaues as we sit and spin My maide and I will tell of things haue bin Our Lutes vnstrung shall hang vpon the wall Our lessons serue to wrap our Towe withall And passe the night whiles winter tales we tell Of many things that long ago befell Or tune such homely Carrols as were sung In Countrey sports when we our selues were yung In prettie Râ—ddles to bewray our loues In questions purpose or in drawing gloues The nob est spirits to vertue most inclind These heere in Court thy greatest want do find Other there be on which we feede our eye Like Arras worke or such like Imagerie Many of vs desire Queene Katherines state â—ut very few her vertues imitate Then as Vlyffes wife vvrite I to thee Make no reply but come thy selfe to me ¶ Notes of the Chronicle Historie Then Windsore or Fitzgeralds families THE cost of many Kings which from time to time haue adorned the Castle at Windsor with their princely magnificence â—atâ— made it more noble then that it need to hee spoken of now as though obscure and I hold it more meet to referre you to our 〈◊〉 monuments for the founders and finishers thereof then to meddle with matter nothing neere to the purpose As for the family of the Fitz-gerald of whence this excellent Lady was lineâ—lly discended the original was English though the branches did prâ—â—d themselues into distant places names nothing coÌ„sonant 〈◊〉 in former times it was vsual to denominate themselues of their â—nanours oâ—â—orenames as may partly appeare in that which enâ—uâ—th
deere friend his kinde and truest hart A gentâ—e warning friends thus may you see What t is to keepe a drunkard companie To the Moone Sonct 8 PHoebe looke downe and heere behold in mee The elements within thy sphere inclosed How kindely Nature plac'd them vnder thee And in my world see how they are disposed My hope is earth the lowest cold and dry The grosser mother of deepe melancholie Water my teares coolde with humidity Wan flegmaticke inclinde by Nature wholy My sighes the ayre hote moist ascending higher Subtile of sanguine dyde in my haâ—ts dolor My thoughts they be the element of fiâ—e Hote dry and piercing still inclinde to choler Thine eye the Orbe vnto all these from whence Proceedes th' effects of powerfull influence To Lunacie Sonnet 9. AS other men so I my selfe do muse Why in this sorte I wrest inuention so And why these giddy metaphors I vse Leauing the path the greater part do goe I will resolue you I am lunaticke And euer this in mad-men you shall finde What they last thoght on when the braine grew sicke In most distraction keepe that still in minde Thus talking idely in this bedlam fit Reason and I you must conceiue are twaine T is nine yeeres now since first I lost my wit Beare with me then though troubled be my braine With diet and correction men distraught Not too farre past may to their wits be brought Sonnet 10. TO nothing fitter can I thee compare Then to the sonne of some rich penny father Who hauing now brought on his end with care Leaues to his sonne all he had heap'd together This new rich nouice lauish of his chest To one man giues and on an other spends Then heere he riots yet amongst the rest Haps to send some to one true honest friend Thy gifts thou in obscuritie doost waste False friends thy kindenes borne but to deceiue thee Thy loue that is on the vnworthy plac'd Time hath thy beautie which with age will leaue thee Onely that little which to me was lent I giue thee backe when all the rest is spent Sonnet 11. YOu not alone when you are still alone O God from you that I could priuate be Since you one were I neuer since was one Since you in me my selfe since out of me Transported from my selfe into your being Though either distant present yet to either Sencelesse with too much ioy each other seeing And onely absent when we are together Giue me my selfe and take your selfe againe Deuise some meanes but how I may forsake you So much is mine that doth with you remaine That taking what is mine with me I take you You do bewitch me O that I could flie From my selfe you or from your owne selfe I. To the Soule Sonnet 12. THat learned father which so firmely proues The Soule of man immortall and diuine And doth the seuerall offices define Anima Giues her that name as she the body moues Amor Then is she loue imbracing Charitie Animus Mouing a will in vs it is the minde Mens Retaining knowledge still the same in kinde Memoria As intellectuall it is the memory Ratio In iudgeing Reason onely is her name Sensus In speedie apprehension it is sence Conscientia In right or wrong they call her conscience Spiritus The spirit wheÌ„ it to Godward doth inflame These of the soule the seuerall functions bee Which my heart lightned by thy loue doth see To the Shaddow Sonnet 13. LEtters and lines we see are soone defaced Mettells do waste and fret with cankers rust The Diamond shall once consume to dust And freshest colours with fowle staines disgraced Paper and incke can paint but naked words To write with blood offorce offends the sight And if with teares I finde them all too light And sighes and signes a seely hope affords O sweetest shadow how thou seru'st my turne Which still shalt be as long as there is sunne Nor whilst the world is neuer shall be done Whilst Moone shall shine or any fire shall burne That euery thing whence shadow doth proceede May in his shadow my loues story reede Sonnet 14. IF hee from heauen that filch'd that liuing fire Condemn'd by Ioue to end lesle torment be I greatly meruaile how you still go free That farre beyond Prometheus did aspire The fire he stole although of heauenly kinde Which from aboue he craftily did take Of liuelesse clods vs liuing men to make Againe bestow'd in temper of the minde â—ut vou brok into heauens immortall store Where vertue honour wit and beauty lay Which taking thence you haue escap'd away Yet stand as free as e're you did before But old Prometheus punish'd for his rape Thus poore theeues suffer when the greater scape Sonnet 15. VIewing the glasse of my youthes miseries I see the face of my deformed eares With withered browes all wrinckled with dispaires That for my youth the teares fall from mine eyes Then in these teares the mirrors of these eyes Thy fairest youth and be 〈…〉 y do I see Imprinted there by looking still on thee Thus midst my woes ten thousand ioyes arise Yet in these ioyes the shadowes of my good In this faâ—e limmed ground as white as snow Painted the blackest image of my woe With murthring hands imbrude in mine owne blood And in this image his darke clowdy eyes My life and loue I heere anatomiâ—e To the Phoeniae Sonnet 16. VVIthin the compasse of this spatious round Amongst all birds the Phoenix is alone Which but by you could neuer haue beene knowne None like to that none like to you is found Heape your owne vertues seasoned by their sunne On heauenly top of your diuine desire Then with your beautie set the same on fire So by your death your life shal be begunne Your selfe thus burned in this sacred flame With your owne sweetnes all the heauens perfuming And still encreasing as you are consuming Shall spring againe from th' ashes of your fame And mounting vp shall to the heauens ascend So may you liue past world past fame past end To Time Sonnet 17. STay stay sweete Time behold or e're thou passe From world to world thou long hast fought to see That wonder now wherein all wonders bee Where heauen beholds her in a mortall glasse Nay looke thee Time in this celestiall glasse And thy youth past in this suite mirrour see The first worlds beautie in the infancie What it was then what thou before it was Now passe on Time to afâ—r-worlds tell this And yet shalt tell but truely what hath beene That they may say what former time hath seene And heauen may ioy to thinke on past worlds blis Heere make a period Time and say for me She was whose like againe shall neuer be To the Celestiall numbers Sonnet 18. VNto the world to learning and to heauen Three nines there are to euerie one a nine One number of the earth the other both diuine One woman now makes three odde numbers euen Nine orders first of
heart the aâ—uile where my thoughts do beate My words the hammers fashioning my desire My breast the forge including all the heate Loue is the fuell which maintaines the fire My sighes the bellowes which the same encreaseth Filling mine eares with noise and nightly groning Toiling with paine my labour neuer ceaseth In grieuous passions my woes still bemoning Mine eyes with teares against the fire striuing Whose scorching gleed my heart to cinders turneth But with those drops the flame againe reuiuing Still more and more vnto my torment burneth With Sisiphus thus do I role the stone And turne the wheele with damned Ixion Sonnet 41. WHy do I speake of ioy or write of loue When my heart is the very den of horror And in my soule the paines of hell I proue With all his torments and infernall terror What should I say what yet remaines to do My braine is drie with weeping all too long My sighes be spent in yttring of my woe And I want words wherewith to tell my wrong But still distracted in Loues lunacie And bedlam-like thus rauing in my griefe Now raile vpon her haire now on her eye Now call her Goddesse then I call her theefe Now I deny her then I do confesse her Now do I curse her then againe I blesse her Sonnet 42. SOme men there be which like my method well And do commend the strangenes of my vaine Some say I haue a passing pleasing straine Some say that in my humor I excell Some who not kindely relish my conceit They say as Poets doe I vse to faine And in bare words paint out my passions paine Thus sundry men their sundry mindes repeate I passe not I how men affected be Nor who commends or discommends my verse It pleaseth me if I my woes rehearse And in my lines if she my loue may see Onely my comfort still consists in this Writing her praise I cannot write amisso Sonnet 43. VVHy should your faire eyes with such soueraine grace Dispearse their raies on euery vulgar spirit Whilst I in darkenes in the selfe same place Get not one glance to recompence my merit So doth the plow-man gaze the wandring starre And onely rests contented with the light That neuer learnd what constellations are Beyond the bent of his vnknowing fight O why should beautie custome to obey To their grosse sence applie her selfe so ill Would God I were as ignorant as they When I am made vnhappy by my skill Onely compeld on this poore good to boast Heauens are not kind to the that know them most Sonnet 44. VVHilst thus my pen striues to eternize thee Age rules my lines with wrinckles in my face Where in the map of all my miserie Is modeld out the worlde of my disgrace Whilst in despight of tyrannizing times Medea-like I make thee yong againe Prowdly thou scorust my world-outwearing rimes And murther'st Vertue with thy coy disdaine And though in youth my youth vntimely perish To keepe thee from obliuion and the graue Ensuing ages yet my rimes shall cherish When I entomb'd my better part shall saue And though this earthly bodie fade and die My name shall mount vpon eternitie Sonnet 45. MVses which sadly sit about my chaire Drownd in the teares extorted by my lines With heauie sighes whilst thus I breake the aire Painting my passions in these sad dissignes Since she disdaines to blesse my happie verse The strong-built Trophies to her liuing fame Euer henceforth my bosome be your hearse Wherein the world shall now entombe her name Enclose my musicke you poore senselesse walls Sith she is deafe and will not heare my mones Soften your selues with euerie teare that falls Whilst I like Orpheus sing to trees and stones Which with my plaint seeme yet with pittie moued Kinder then she who I so long haue liued Sonnet 46. PLain path'd Experience the vnlearneds guide Her simple followers euidently shewes Sometime what schoolemen scarcely can decide Nor yet wise Reason absolutely knowes In making triall of a murther wrought If the yile actor of the heâ—nous deede Neere the dead bodie happily be brought Oft hath been prou'd the breathlesse coarse will bleed She comming neere that my poore hart hath slaine Long since departed to the world no more The auncient wounds no longer can containe But fall to bleeding as they did before But what of this should she to death be led It furthers iustice but helpes not the dead Sonnet 47. IN pride of wit when high desire of fame Gaue life and courage to my labouring 〈◊〉 And first the sound and vertue of my name Won grace and credite in the eares of men With those the througed Theaters that presse I in the circuite for the Lawrell stroue Where the full praise I freely must confesse In heate of blood and modest minde might moue With showts and claps at euerie little pawse When the prowd round on euerie side hath rung Sadly I sit vnmou'd with the applawse As though to me it nothing did belong No publique glorie vainely I pursue The praise I striue is to eternize you Sonnet 48. CUpid dumbe I doll peeuish faint of Loue No more shalt thou nor saint nor idoll be No god art thou Loues goddesse she doth proue Of all thine honour she hath robbed thee Thy bow olde broke is peecde with halfe desire Her bow is beautie with ten thousand strings And euery one of purest golden wire The least of force to conquer hoasts of Kings Thy shafts be spent and she to war appoynted Hides in those Cristall quiuers of her eyes More arrowes with hart-piercing mettle pointed Then there be starres at mid-night in the skies With these she steales mens harts for her releefe Yet happie he that 's robd of such a theefe Sonnet 49. THou leaden braine which censur'st what I write And saist my lines be dull and do not moue I maruaile not thou feel'st not my delight Which neuer feltst my fierie tuch of loue But thou whose pen hath like a Packe-horse seru'd Whose stomacke vnto gaule hath turnd thy food Whose senses like poore prisners hunger-staru'd Whose greefe hath parch'd thy body dride thy blood Thou which hast scorned life and hated death And in a moment mad sober glad and sorie Thou which hast bann'd thy thoughts and curst thy birth With thousand plagues more then in purgatory Thou thus whose spirit Loue in his fire refines Come thou and reade admire and plawd my lines Sonnet 50. AS in some Countries far remote from hence The wretched creature destined to die Hauing the iudgement due to his offence By Surgeons begg'd their Art on him to trie Which on the liuing worke without remorce First make incision on each maistring vaine Then stanch the bleeding then transperce the coarse And with their balmes recure the wounds againe Then poison and with Phisicke him restore Not that they feare the hopelesse man to kill But their experience to encrease the more Euen so my Mistresse works vpon my ill By curing me and
betray me trecherously consented That for the fact being lawfully conuented Iudgde in these waters still to haue their being For their presumption thy perfections seeing Sit thou commanding vnder mine estate Hauing thy tresses honored with my Crowne As not vnworthie of a meaner fate And make the prowd'st to tremble with a frowne Raise whom thou wilt cast whoÌ„ it please thee downe And be my loue renowned through this I le With all the titles fame may thee instile What if my Queene repining at our blisse Thee as did Iuno Ioues faire darling keepe Mine I 'le preserue as that great god did his Wise Mercury lulld Argus eies to sleepe Loue euer laughs when iealousie dooth weepe When most she stirs our power shal keep hir vnder She may raise stormes but we doe rule the thunder Thus hauing made the entrance to his loue Which he supposde assuredly in time Of better tidings messenger might proue By which he after to his ioyes might clime And of my youth now being in the prime Leaues me not knowing well which way to turne me warm'd with the fire which vnawares might burne me Vpon my weaknes that so strongly wrought Whilst in my breast a mutiny arose Feare and Desire a doubtfull combate fought As like two eager and ambitious foes This striues to winne the other feares to loose By this oft cleered and by that accused Flattred by that most most which me abused And in my selfe that well suspected treason Knowing who watcht to haue me for his pray And in so apt and dangerous a season vvhen youth and beauty bare so great a sway And where he battery still to me might lay vvho girt so strongly euery way about vvell might suspect I could not long holde out All doubts end feares cast vtterly aside Resolu'd at last away from Court to goe Whither it pleasde my happy starres to guide There I my selfe determinde to bestowe Vntill time might this passion ouer-blow Or if at least it wrought not the extrusion Might lend me power to help my resolution When he whose care this while me not forsooke That many a sweete sleepe for my safetie brake Much that was pleased with the course I tooke As one that truely suffred for my sake Did his abode at Baynards Castle make which since the Court so happly did leaue one To his protection kindely did receiue me Whence sorrow seemed vtterly exilde vvherein my life I long before did waste The present time that happily beguilde vvith thought of that which was alreadie past vvhere I was now so fortunately plac'd Euen as a bird escap'd the Fowlers snare vvhome former danger warneth to beware When now the King whose purposes were crossd vvhich this euasion subt'ly did preuent And that the meane to which he trusted most vvas that which most did frustrate his intent Seeing his sute preposterously went Another course bethinkes himselfe to runne Else now as farre off as when first begunne Thenceforth deuising to dissolue the masse That lay so full betwixt him and the light That in his sute so great a hindrance was And least exspected wrought him most dispite Finding the cause that all things went not right Casteth forth with my father to remoue To make the way more cleerer to his loue When scarcely cured of that sickely qual 〈…〉 And that my hart was happily at case But as a ship that in a gentle calme Floates vp and downe vpon the quiet seas By some rough gust some aduerse starre doth raise Driuen againe into the troubled maine vvh 〈…〉 well had hopde securely to haue laine The powrefull Prince whome I did thus reiect Heereon in Court doth first this Peere disgrace Thereby to giue the people to suspect T' offend in some thing sitting neere his place Them it by all meanes vrging to imbrace Which if he cleerely modeld out that path Should giue a passage freely to his wrath And giuing colour to his ran'ckrous hate By such false councell as to him he drew Cunning in all the stratagems of state My guiltlesse father ceaselesly pursue Whose kingly power too quickely ouerthrew Him which I hop'd me succour should haue giuen Till from all refuge absolutely driuen And not their cleere and intellectuall sight Into the quarrell that did throughly looke Nor our alies that to their vtmost might Gainst his proceeding that our partie tooke Vnto the end that neuer me forsooke Could the effect of his great power preuent To stay from Fraunce my banisht father sent Not all his seruice to his soueraigne done In warre as valiant as in councell sound Which from this Prince compassion might haue won To him that faithfull euermore was found How deepely thou ingratitude doost wound Sure first deuised to no other end But to grieue those whom nothing could offend Ay me forsaken left vnto my foe Thus by my fortune fro wardly betraide Neuer poore maiden was besieged so And all depressed that should lend me aide Such weight the heauens vpon my birth had laide Yet her due merite vertue neuer loseth Gainst her faire course though heauen it selfe opposeth Embarkt for France his sd deiected eies Filled with teares in plentifullest store His parting threatned by the lowring skies Then vnder saile from sight of any shore Feare him behinde and sorrow him before Wasting withall his sad laments in vaine To the rude waters only to complaine When like a deere before the hounds imboste vvhen him his strength beginneth to forsake Leaues the smoothe lawnes to which he trusted most And to the couert doth it selfe betake Doubling that creepes from brake againe to brake Thus still I shift me from the Princes face vvhich hath me novv continually in chase The coast now cleere suspition laide to rest And each thing fit to further his intent vvhich with much pleasure quieted his breast That euery thing so prosperously went And if the rest successefully consent Of former ayde that being quite forsaken He hopes the fort may easily be taken A Princes armes are stretcht from shore to shore Kings sleeping see with eies of other men Craft findes a key to open euery doore Little it bootes in walles my selfe to pen The lambe inclosed in the lions den vvhose watchfull eies too easily descride me And found me soonst where â—ur'st I thought to hide me My paths by spies are diligently noted O're me he holdes so vigilant a watch And on my beautie he so fondly doted That at my lookes he enuiously did catch Readie that stoode attending at my â—atch vvhere jealous loue continually did warde Treason my handmaide Falshoode on my guarde Wherefore since this so badly sorted out He to my shifts so narrowly me draue Another course must needesly cast about Where safer harbor happily to haue Since insufficient this was me to saue His power so spatious euery way did lie That still I stood in his ambitious eye And feare which taught me euery way to proue When I of many long time did debate Me at the last it pleasde the powers to
none not pitti'd now of any And for opposde by men of greatest might The King my danger that had wisely waide That did pursue me with such deadly spight Me into Ireland secretly conuaide Vntill he might my peace againe procure And his owne safety better might assure As one whose house remedilesly burning Seeing his goods now heapt together lost His griefe no whit disburthen'd by his mourning Taking some one thing that he loueth most To some remote place doth with that retire Leauing the rest to 'th mercie of the fire Yet he so much that still did me esteeme That euer stroue to couer my disgrace To make my absence otherwise to seeme And to the world to beare a fairer Face Lest my exile suggested by their hate Might ouerthrow my liuelihoode and estate By their neere councell that were him about His Deputy of Ireland doth me make And causde it each-where to be giuen out My iourney thither instantly to take To stop their mouthes that gladly would embrace Any report might tend to my disgrace There liu'd I in that honourable sort As to my high place purchased renowne vvith no lesse bountie managing a court Then hourely crau'd th'reuenues of a Crowne To me his loue such soueraigntie did bring That though he raignde I absolutely King Few weekes there went but some the channell crosst With some such present Princes holde in price Some jewell that him infinitely cost Or sumptuous roabe of excellent deuise When they that sawe what he vpon me cast Found that his treasure long time could not last And since the floud me followed in this wise His fulnes I as amply entertaine It might shew folly to be found precise That to refuse which fell as did the raine Such as no age before did euer winne And since his being yet hath neuer bin When now th'abated Baronry that found The cunning vsde for couering of my flight That me but shifted to a surer ground On which so vainely they bestow'd their might Perceiu'd farre off where greater perill rose Then they could finde how rightly to dispose Like those that striue to stop some violent sourse vvhose plenty Nature planted not for boundes Climes aboue all the opposers of his course Or let at large the neighboring plaine surrounds That in it selfe s'enated is bless'd That will the more be more it depress'd And fearing now the force I had abroade vvho knew the way the Irish harts to winne Fitter by farre at home to be bestow'd And to the State more safety found therein vvhere though my riots they could not preuent Yet might suruey the giddy course I went Whereof they scarsly entertain'd the thought And did thereto but seemingly descend But that his loue immediately it caught Nor cares he by it what they doe intend Plot what they could so he therby might gaine him That with delight which still did entertaine him O how thy presence maiestie commands That so seuerely humbleth euery eie vvhose onely selfe actes more than many handes In thee such vertue secretly doth lie Hauing about thee the high power of fate Art both emperious ouer loue and hate He that occasion neuer did neglect That aught vnto my happinesse might winne My buisnes did so carefully effect That euer was so fortunate therein As he to passe doth prouidently bring Before deemde so impossible a thing And Messengers immediately are sent Me into England instantly to call Authorizde by the generall consent Although not likde of inwardly of all Yet t was sufficient that it freedome gaue me But to be there where he desirde to haue me My sailes now swelling with a prosperous winde The boisterous seas do homage to mine eies That much aboue their vsuall course are kinde All lowring clouds abandoning the skies Nothing discern'd that any whit might feare me Fortune herselfe sittes at the helme to steare me What time the King his progresse then did take That part of Wales pretending now to see For which he forward instantly did make vvhich was indeede there but to meete with me with all the fauour that he could deuise To giue me honour in the publique eies Where for my landing long he did prouide That â—ought might want intending my delight And at each place as leasurely we ride Did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with some pleasing sight And vnto Lâ—ndon to the pompous Court Bring me in the magnificentest sort Which prou'd but spurres to my vntamde desire Giuing the 〈◊〉 to my 〈…〉 ious will â—ho let me forth vnto my full caâ—â—re On places slippeâ—y and my manage ill Small my forefight and ouermuch my haste That me alas infortunately cast The Princes eare that hauing at command That who would aught haue me must entertaine And yet before it passde my gripple hand Got the greatst share vnto my priuate gaine Nor carde I what from any I did wring Many thereby too much impouerishing And daily begging of Monopolies Taking the lands belonging to the Crowne 〈◊〉 â—ence transporting those commodities 〈◊〉 England vsefull comming of her owne And basely selling offices ere then The due reward of best deseruing men And being irrecouerably prowd Held all things vile that suted not my vaine Nothing might passe my iudgement not allow'd A great opinion to my wit to gaine Giuing vile termes and nicke-names of disgrace To men that sate in honourable place By which brake out that execrable rage That long before had boiled in their blood And for reuenge they boldly them ingage When lastly for their libertie they stood And in this quarrell open Armes they take Or to marre all or better it to make They durst affirme my mother was a witch And for the fact condemned burnt to be And I her sonne and rightly of her pitch She had bequeath'd her damned Art to me Vrging it an inseperable thing That I by Magicke wrought vpon the King And into France did charge me to conuay A goodly table that was massie gold A relique kept at Windsor many a day â—â—at to King Arthur did belong of old Vpon whose margent as they did surmise Merlin ingraued many prophecies And by appealing to the sea of Rome A Legat thence procuring to the land With malediction by the Churches doome On any one that on my part should stand The King suspending should he not consent And ratifie the generall intent Which they did but to prosperously effect Being so strong to counterprize his force The Clergy still being ready to direct Them the best way in all their restlesse course That at the last they strongly him procure By solemne oth me euer to abiure Th' vncertaine biding of each earthly thing Set out most liuely in my starre-crost state That doth remaine in Fortunes mannaging Appearing in my variable fate On me that frown'd and flattered me so oft Casting me downe and setting me aloft To Flanders then my present course I cast Which being the near'st lay fittest for my ease Safest the way the sooner it was past All not my friends that were abroad at