University of Virginia Library

previous section The First booke of the famous Historye of Penardo and Laissa
next section

Caput. VII.

Argument.

Penardo's ayde is cum to lat
The toun is set on fyre
He followes on the Enemie
Revenge is his desyre
A visione in his sleip appeirs
The whiche he does declear
Beneth Apollo's altar, He
Hes found an armour fair

1

Ambitioune is a passioune woundrous strong
Of noble courage and of mightie force
Whiche captive leads all g'alant spreits along
And euen the strongest passions does enforce
Yea loue it self whiche seemeth to contend
Yet oft ambitione victor proues in end.

2

Ambitione is an flamme that burns the mynd
with endles drouth still thristing efter glorye
A blind excessiue gredine (of kynd)
To be imbost in tym's eternall storie
Still hunting after greatnes that we sie
Ambitione neuer satisfied to be.

3

Ambition heigh is not a Passione feat
For baseborne brain's, or wordlle small attemp's
Renoune and glorie stoups not to such bait
Those ar not capable but ar contemp's
For proud ambitioune beats & casts them doune
Whill as they seik praise, glory, and renoune.

4

Ambitione after gaine does not persue
Nor actions reapping profeit does it cair
But ay wheir dreidfull danger does ensu
Difficult strainge vnusuall and rare
Eu'ne there, ambitione hunts for glorie euer
For base and wordlie gaine it caireth neuer.

5

This passione Prince Penardo did bereaue
Of whom we write this following historie
Who thirsting after honor seem'd to leaue
A famous name in Glorious memorie
In him ambitione, crewell warre susteind
Gainst loue, and famous victorie obtaind

6

Who as we said recei'd that armie small
Wheir with he should releiue Beotias neid
But Sigismundi (the citie for to thral)
Haid send the Transiluaniane Prince with speid
Whoes valarous renoune to heaune did munt
Wheir for Penardo with ambitione brunt,

7

He freat's) he froun's, he longs to reaue the croune
Of fame and glory from Phelastons head
And set it on his owne, whith great renoune
To beir it through the world vnconquered
More greif he fynds when one goes him before
Then ioy in conquing of a thous and skore.

8

Now he right glade in gaining of this chairge
Tuo dayes led furth his army one the way
At last drew neir and on a plaine right large
Wold neids refresh his wearle men a day
And then he sends, to learne, to vew to kno
Th' estate, the place, the number of his foe.

9

When Phebus drinsh't his sylver shyning hair
In Thetis lape they saw a cloud aspyre
Whoes smook send suddane darknes throw the aer
Wherin appeird reid flashing flamm's of fyre
As if the earthe out of her bowells wyde
Had send to choak the loftie heauens for pryde.

10

While as the armie vewing stoode amaiz'd
Whoes hautie hearts no fear could harbor in
Yeit vew's with fear and fearing still they gaz'd
Their quyet murmur made a fearfull dine
At last the skoutts returning told ye treuth
Which mou'd them all to, woe, to care, to reuth.

11

Know mightie Prince your enemies ar gone
Becaus they haue fulfild their fearce desyre
For they haue raysd the walls of yonder toun
And set it all with skoarching flamm's a fyre
Touns tours and walls in crewell fyre doth burne
Men, women, babs, by bloodie swords ar torne.

12

This was the caus of their destructione loe
They feard the Prince his ayde should come too lait
And laiking souldiours on their wall's to show
For their defence agains their crewell fate
Within a forrest full of lack's and fenn's
Thre hundreth robers lay in caues and denns.

13

The cheif of these was once a citizene
Who playing bancker out, his goods hade lost
Whairfore he hyed him to the Robers dene
Who chus'd him chiftane of their theeuishe host
Him hyr'd they straight with soum's of Indiane gold
To guarde their walls and to defend their Hold

14

But he who had no pitie nor regaird
Vnto their lywes but only to their gold
Agreid by priuie letter's for reward
And to Phelaston has the citie sold
Ah haples wretch that caust destroy and kill
Men at thy mercie, thy command, and will.

15

Eune as the mightie marlion mounts the sky
And soares one loftie wing's with g'aizing eyes
At last the chirming larke she does espy
Cheif chanter in the queir of all that flies
Whose hollow throat, sends furth a thousand sounds
To pearce the azure vaults that back redounds,

16

Her shrill sweit notts, with silent blowing breath
Now seing her fearce enemie aspyre
Pearcing the emptie aer to flie from death
Whil to prolong she mounteth, still the hyer
Bot with sad looks, whill thus she bids adue
Their she a wearie traueler does vew.

17

Whoes hart she oft had cheird with chirming cleir
Awaking him frome drousie sleip to ryse
And warnd him that Apollos light drew neir
And in his long'sum iorney did deuyse
New not's wheiron she curious descant founds
Filling his ears with diapason sounds

18

And thinking now that he wold thankfull be
She hyes fast doune and seiks his ayde to beild her
With feirfull shreiks does in his besome flie
Glad that she song to him who now does sheild her
But he whoes hairt no pitie harbours loe
Deliuers her vnto her mortall foe.

19

So did this fructe of ill this welth of woe
This curse of hauene in Whoe vnnaturall hart
No pitie could haue place but to her foe
The citie yelds (for this her good desert)
That oft had song sweit not's of educatione
To draw him from his haples constellatione

20

Eu'ne so the rauening wolfe by simple goat
Broght vp, with loue, with trauell, care, and, paine
And feid vpon her teat (such is her loat)
Till strength and force and vigour he retaine
Then he whome she brought vp so cairfullie
Her deith, het graue, her sepulchre must be

21

The Prince that pitied suche a sore mischance
Admiring much this monstrous crueltie
Swoor in a rage his armie to aduance
Till he reueng'd Bœotias miserie
Which did inrol his praise aboue the skyes
His fame, woorth, valour, woundrous victories.

22

When Phebus harbinger in crimsone cled
Chaic'd donne to Hell nights hated hew abhorde
The flower that murn's for Phebus absence spred
Her beautie furthe and smyl's vpone her Lord
Whoes birning beams and lyfe infusing rayes
Conforts the Earth and beautifieis ye skyes

23

Then through the campe a murmur gane to ryse
All cryes for armes the trumpets sounds aloud
Ther sturdie coursars courage loudly brayes
And seemd to cry for loftie sydars proud
They forward march't whith ioy & great delight
Their willing mynds made heauie armour light

24

And martching thus with suche a restles pace
Thre dayes there nights, at last they com in sight
Of their proud foes who heiring of their chaice
Had lyk desyre lyrk will to proue their might
Shouts, clamours, cryes, on eurye syd descry
Their will, desyre, and hope of victory.

25

And yit Phelaston lyk ane champioune wyse
Forecasting perrells in his throught alone
Feard that Penardo's hardie enter pryse
Was but a craftie traine to draw him on
And that the armie in some corner lay
His campe vpone a suddane to betreay

26

Yet being of a mightie galant mynd
He sham'd to flie at his imaginatione
Wheir fore in hast to Athens did he send
Wheir Brando lay at seige to show the fashione
Brando, the reull ou'r Seruia did hold
Stout, hardy, wight aduentorous and bold

27

Which when he hard his seige he rais'd in hast
And to the Prince Phelaston martch'd along
Now know that in his camp their was at least
One horse and fute sum tuentie thousand strong
To Sigismund those newes he shortlie sends
Who rais'd his seige frome Thebs and thither wends.

28

Now Primum mobile hade drawen the light
with his swift course out of our Hemispere
And spred the ieatblack mantle of the night
That summonds all the creatures with fear
Vnto their rest then for to be thair sheild
They built a canues citie on the feild

29

Whil thus he had incamped in their sight
Set furth his watch his campe intrinshit strong
This Campioune caus'd disarme them all that night
For their refreshment after iorney long
After repast the Prince to sleip is gone
And in his sleip appeird this visione.

30

A virgine Nymphe (whoes beautie dimd the sky)
With saddest looks with sobs with sighs with tears
So sorowfull the seem'd with weipping ey
Led by tuo feinds of Pluto's griesly fears
Her body seem'd all dyed in crimsone blood
Her garment skoarch'd in flamm's of hellish brood.

31

Thus leading her hard by him (as he thought)
She cryd o sweitt Penardo lend thy ayde
Whoes only strength the fates decree has wrought
To end the ceasles torments of a Mayde
Wheirat him thought he start with suddane fear
Drawing his brand those hellishe feinds to tear.

32

But then with myldest speeche she sayd no more
Thy willingnes suffeizeth at this tyme
A greatter danger thow must pas before
Thy happie ayde geue end vnto my cryme
But mightie Ioue in danger, warre, and stryfe
Preserue thy fame, thy honor, and thy lyfe.

33

Not farr their stands within a pleasant vaill
Ane altar built at Agamemnons cost
In honor of fair Pallas sacred Cell
When he was captain of the Grætiane host
Their, lyes a sword, a sheild, ane armour fair
Of woorth, of wounder, and of vertue rare.

34

Feight not before yow haue this armour on
Whose woorth shall much aduance thy wondrous fame
For know this much before tuo dayes by gone
That Pluto has conspyrt to spoyle thy name.
For he has send the Feinds in legions foorth
To seik to shame, to wrack, to staine, thy woorth.

35

And thus she vanisht quyt out of his sight
He wakeing one a suddane from his sleip
Thought this to be a fantasie too light
That from his humor'd braine did fondlie creip
Yet warlie did his thoughts one witt attend
Weying if good or ill theron depend.

36

Aurora in her purple robe arose
Warning proud Titan for to light the day
And drew, the courtens that did him disclose
In Thetis louelie armes that dalleing lay
Who stole away and in the gloomie East
Reard vp aboue the Earth his flamming crest.

37

How soone the Prince espyit his goldine light
He cald for Mandadorus Prince of Mesone
This Mandadorus was of greattest might
Of all his subiects saue the Duik of Thesone
To him he told his dreame who said your grace
May try't and trying lett the trueth haue place.

38

Wheirfore he send and from his antient roume
Causd raise the altar wheir they fand a stone
Of Alabastre builded lyk a Toumbe
In greik sum letters wer ingraft theron
Those we ethe words (ingraph't in gold so fyne
That now as first their lustre seem'd to shyne.

39

This pretious stone ane armour does retain
Whose woundrous woorth as yit shal no man know
Vntill the Spreit of them that liues in pain
Eune to a mightie stranger shæll them show
Who with the same recalls relents, releifs,
Thrie Souls from paine, from death, frō Hells mischeifs

40

Hid was the meaning darck the sentence seemd
Of all the trueth they could not type the ground
But this fair costlie armour as they deemd
Had at the famous wars of Troy beine found
Which graue and wyse Cassandra had inuented
For Paris, Troys feirce fall to haue preuented.

41

Lo thus it was she knowing by her art
The ruine of heaun threatning Troy drew neir
And that proud Paris his vniust desert
Should be the caus of such an endles weir
To him by art she had this armour wrought
That all the Gods decree might turne to nought,

42

For she discending to the lowest Hells
Her mightie powre in magick force she shew
The greislie Ghosts stood trembling whill she tells
Her will in frameing of this armour new
Loath to prouyd remorce, remeid, releif
Who ioy'd in blood, warre, murther, and mischeif.

43

Yitt fear them forc't they durst not disobey
Her mightie art and all-commanding will
For she with strainge characters could a lay
The pains of Hell from punishment of ill
Yea she the Suns diurnall course culd stay
And turne to darkest night the brightest day.

44

And whill these feinds this armour fyne did make
They forgd the metall first in Aetnas flame
And temperd it into the Stygiane lake
With herbs of woundrous force amongs't the same
That mightie strong inchantments can with stand
Yea sword, and fyre, and water, can command.

45

Ioues douchter brought king Agamemnon furth
When she with them returning was to Troy
Who seing them of such a woundrous woorth
Bereft the graue Cassandra of her ioy
Who had with herbs and flams of Flegitone
Composd a strange and admirable stone.

46

Which secreitlie she in this armour sett
Whose vertue was his owner for to stay
From loue, and amorous desyr's to lett
Arming the hart gainst all venereall play
For princelie Paris she deuys'd this traine
That he might render Helene back againe.
previous section The First booke of the famous Historye of Penardo and Laissa
next section