Parts added to The mirror for magistrates

Higgins, John (fl. 1570-1602)

[THE FIRST PART OF THE MIRROR for MAGISTRATES]

THE 1574 EDITION

The Authours induction.

ADDITIONS MADE IN 1575

ADDITIONS MADE IN 1587

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THE 1574 EDITION

Quisquis se opponit potestati, Dei ordinationi resistit. Ad Romanos. 13.2.

The Authours induction.

As Somer sweete with all hir pleasures paste,
And leaues began, to leaue both braunche and tree,
While winter colde approatched nere full fast
Mee thought the time, to sadnes moued mee
On drouping daies, not halfe such mirth haue wee:
As when the time of yeare and wether-s fayre,
So moue our mindes, as mocions moue the ayre.

The wery nightes, approatched on apace
With darkesom shades, which somewhat breedeth care,
The Sun had take more nere the earth his race,
In Libra than, his greatest swinge hee bare,
For pardy then, the dayes more colder are,
Then fades the greene, fruite timely, herbes are don,
And wynter gines to waste that sommer won.

I deemde some booke, of mourning theame was beste
To reade, were with instructions mingled so,
As might againe, refreshe my wittes oppreste
With tediousnes not driue mee quyte therfro:
Wherfore I went the Printers straight vnto,
To seeke some worke of price I surely mente,
That might herein my carefull mynde contente.

At length by hap, I found a booke so sad,
As time of yeare or wynter could require,
The Mirroure namde, for Magistrates he had
So finely pende, as harte could well desire,
Which when I read, so set my heart on fire:
Eftsones it mee constraind to take the payne
Not leaue with once, to reade it once againe.

And as againe, I vewde this worke with heede:
And marked playne eache party tell his fall
Mee thought in mynde, I sawe those men in deede:
Eke howe they came, in order pleading all,
Declaring well, this life is but a thrall:
Sithe those on whom, for Fortunes giftes we stare,
Ofte sooniste sinke in greatest seas of care.

For some of these were kinges of highe estate:
And some were Dukes, and came of Regall race:
Some Princes, Lordes and Iudges great that sate
In councell still, decreing euery case:
Some other Knightes, that vices did imbrace:
Some Gentlemen: some poore that looked hie,
Yet euery one had playde his tragoedye.

A Mirroure well it may be calde a glasse,
More cleare then any crystall vnder Sun,
In eache respecte, the Tragoedies so passe,
Their names shall lyue, that such a worke begun:
For why with such Decorum is it don:
That Momus spight, which more then Argus eyes
Can neuer watche to kepe it from the wise.

Examples there for all estates you finde,
For iudge (I say) what iustice he should vse:
The noble man to beare a noble mynde,
And not him selfe ambiciously abuse:
The Gentleman vngentlenes refuse:
The ryche, and poore: and euery one may see,
Which way to loue and lyue in his degree.

Me thinkes they might beware by others harme,
And eke eschue to clamer vp so hye:
Yet cursed pride doth all their wittes becharme,

They thinke of naught, but prouerbes true do trie:
Who hewes aloft the chips may hurte his eye:
Who climes the tops of trees, wher bowes ar smal,
Or hawty towres, may quickly catch a fall.

This thing full well doth Phaëtons fall declare,
And Icarus aloft would flie and soare:
Eke Bladud once of Britayne rule that bare,
Would clyme and flye, but eache did fal therfore.
For Phaëton was with lightning all to tore:
And Icarus the meane that did not recke
Was drownde, by fal did Bladud breake his neck.

The scriptures eake, of such beare witnes can:
As Babilon for high presumption fell.
But let mee ende my tale that I began
When I had red these Tragoedies full well
And paste the night with labours long to tell:
One night at laste I thought to leaue my vse,
And take some ease before I chaungde my muse.

Wherfore a way from reading I me gate:
My heauy head waxte dull for want of reste.
I layde me downe the night was waxed late,
For lacke of slepe myne eyes were sore oppreste,
Yet fansy still of all their deathes increaste:
Me thoughte nothing my minde from them could take
So long as Somnus suffered me to wake.

Then straight appeard in purple colour blacke,
Sweete Somnus reste, which comfortes eche aliue,
By ease of mynde that weares away all wracke,
That noysome night from wery wittes doth driue,
Of labours long the pleasures wee atchiue,
Wherat I ioyde sithe after paynes were past,
I might receiue by Somnus ease at last.

But hee by whom I thought my selfe at rest,
Reuiued all my fancies fonde before,
I more desirous humbly did request:
Him shewe th'vnhappy princes were of yore,
For well I wiste that hee could tell mee more,
Sythe vnto diuers Somnus erste had tolde,
What things were done in elder times of olde.

At length he foorth his seruaunt Morpheus calde,
And bad him shewe mee from the first to th'ende,
Such persons as in Britayne Fortune thralde.
Which straight vpon his calling did attende,
And thus he spake with countenaunce of frende,
“Come on thy wayes and thou shalt see and here,
“The Britaynes and their doings what they were.

And as he led me through the darkes a whyle,
At length we came into a goodly hall,

At th'ende wherof there seemde a duskish Ile:
Out of the which he gan the Britaynes call,
Such only as from Fortunes hap did fall:
Which when he called thryce, me seemde to heare,
The doores to cracke from whence they should apeare.

And thryce I shrinkte a syde, and shunde the sight:
And three times thrice I wishte my selfe away:
Eke thrise from thence there flew a flashe of light:
Three times I sawe them comming make their stay:
At laste they all approtchte in such aray:
With sundry shewes, appearing vnto mee,
A straunger sighte then erste with eyes I see.

Men mighty bigge, in playne and straunge atyre:
But some with woundes and bloud were so disguisde,
You scarcely could with reasons ayde aspyre,
To knowe what warre such cruell death deuysde.
But sithe I haue their formes beneath comprisde,
Wheras their stories seuerally I showe:
Your selfe therby their cause of death may knowe.

And eke their faces all and bodies were
Destainde with woade, and turkish berds they had,
On th'ouer lippes moutchatoes long of heyre:
And wylde they seemde as men dispeyring mad.
Their lookes did make my fearfull harte full sad,

And yet I could not for my life eschewe
Their presence: or their myndes I likewyse knewe.

For Morpheus wylde me byde, and bad them tell
Their names, and lyues: their haps, and haples days:
And by what meanes from Fortunes globe they fel,
Which did them erste vnto such honours rayse.
Wherwith the first not making moe delayes,
A persone tall wyde woundes in breste that bare:
Drewe nere to tell the cause of all his care.

And as to speake he wiste he might be bolde,
Depe from his breste, he threwe an vnked sounde:
I was amasde his gestures to beholde:
And bloud that freshly trickled from his wounde:
With Ecco so did halfe his wordes rebounde,
That scarce at first the sence might well appeare:
But thus me thought he spake as you shall heare.

[ALBANACT]

Albanacte the yongest sonne of Brutus, telles of the finding of this lande, his fathers life, and his owne infortunate fall. He liued about the yeare before Christe. 1074.

Sithe the flattering Fortune slyely could beguyle
Me first, of all the Princes of this lande:
And yet at firste on me did sweetely smyle:
Do marke me here that firste in presence stande,
And when thou wel my wounded corps hast scande
Then shalt thou see, what tale I mynde to frame,
In stories called Albanacte by name.

So if thou liste to heare what I resite,
If thou intende to showe my fatall fall:
I praye thee take the paynes my tale to wryte,
As I in order here repeate it shall,
What nedste thou muse? thou nedst not feare at al:
Sythe those that later liude their tales haue tolde,
Our elder liues to wryte thou mayst be bolde.

Lay dreade aside, let nothing thee amase:
Ne haue dispaire of so vncoutched ryme.
Leaue of on mee with fearfull lookes to gase:

Thy pen may serue for such a tale as myne.
First will I tell thee all my fathers Lyne:
Then hitherwarde why he with Troianes mande
His voyadge made and founde this noble lande.

And last I minde to tell the of my selfe,
My life and death, a Tragedye so true,
As may approue your world is all but pelfe,
And pleasures sweete whom sorrowes aye ensue:
Hereafter eke in order coms a crue,
Which can declare, of worldly pleasures vaine,
The price we all haue bought, with greeuous paine.

Well now I see thou putst apart thy fright,
(And giuste an eare to heare not heard before)
I will declare the storye all so right,
Thou shalt no whit haue neede t'inquyre no more.
Do marke me well what I resite therefore,
And after write it and therewith my name:
Let hardly mee receyue if ought be blame.

When Troy was sackt, and brent & could not stand,
AEneas fled from thence Anchises sonne,
And came at length to king Latinus lande,
He Turnus slewe, Lauinia eke he wonne,
And reignde 3. yeares, Ascanius then his sonne
Reignde next to him, eke Siluius was his heyre,
Begate my father of a Ladye fayre.

But when as Brutus fiftene yeares was olde,
(For so they calde my father by his name)
With Siluius then an hunting goe he would,
And thinking for to strike in chace the game,
His father that by chaunce beyonde it came
Receiude the glaunce, and through his tender syde
With deadly dint, the shaft did swiftly slyde.

So thoughe by chaunce, my father Brutus slewe
My graundsyre Siluius, sore against his will:
Which came by chaunce as he his arow drewe,
That thought the fearefull Harte, not him to kill:
Yet was he banisht from Italia still:
Commaunded neuer to retourne no more,
Excepte he would his life to leese therefore.

On this to Greece, from thence he toke his waye:
Where Troians were by Grecians captiues kept.
Helenus was by Pirrhus brought awaye,
From death of those, whose fall their frends bewept.
My father all this while no busines slepte:
But by his facts, and feats obtainde such fame:
Seuen Thousande captiue Troians to him came.

Asaracus a noble Greecian eke,
Who by his mother came of Troiane race:
Because he sawe my fathers powre not weke,
Came vnto him to ayde him in this case:
For that his brother thought him to deface,
Which was a Greeke by both his parents sydes,
His Castels three my father Brutus guides.

Thus hee, to be their captaine was content:
And all the Troians gathered to his bande,
His post vnto the Greecian kinge he sent,
For to entreat he might depart his lande.
Which when King Pandrasus did vnderstande,
An armye straight he did therefore addresse,
On purpose all the Troians to suppresse.

Then whyle king Pandrasus at Spartine towne,
Thought them in desertes by, to circumuente:
My father with three thousande beate them downe:
Such fauoure loe him lady Fortune lente.
By Mars his force, their rayes & ranckes he rente:
And tooke Antigonus the brother of their king,
With others mo, as captiues home to bring.

The taken towne, from which the king was fled
My father with sixe hundreth men did man:
Eache prisner was vnto his keper led,

To kepe in towne, the noble Troianes wan:
My father vnto woodes conueyde him than
Againe with his, and kepte him there by nighte,
To quayle the Greecians if they came to fighte.

And when the king had calde to mynde his foyle:
His flighte, and brother by the Troianes take:
The towne he loste, and Brutus had the spoyle:
He thought not so, the field and fight forsake,
But of his men a muster newe to make:
And so agayne for to besiege the towne,
In hope reuenge, or winne his loste renowne.

By night my father that his purpose knewe,
Came forth from woodes wheras he wayted by:
The Troianes all th'vnarmid Greecians slewe,
Went through their campe, could non their force deny,
Vnto the tente where Pandrasus did lye:
Wheras my father, tooke their king that night,
And saude his life as seemde a worthy wight.

Which victory when he had wisely won
The Troiane victoure did a counsayle call,
To knowe what beste were with the king be don:

Now tell (quoth he) what ransom aske we shall?
On which when none agreed scarce of all,
At lengthe Mempricius vp from seate did rise,
And silence made, gaue thus his counsayle wyse.

“I cannot Troianes but commend the facte,
“Of this our noble captaine worthy praise:
“Which thought, as t'was a wicked heynous acte
“T'abridge the Grecian king of vitall dayes.
“Wee rather ought by clemency to rayse
“Our fame to sky, then by a sauage guyse,
“Sithe Gods and men, both cruelty despise.

“The cause we fought: was for the freedome all
“Of Troianes taken, we haue freedome won.
“Wee haue our purpose, and their king withall,
“To whom of rygour nothing ought be don:
“Though he the quarell with vs first begon:
“And though we owe the fall of Troies requite:
“Yet let reuenge therof from Gods to light.

“His subiectes all, do wayle their ill pretence,
“And weapons layde asyde for mercy crye:
“They all confesse their plagues to come from thence,
“Where first from faith of Gods they seemde to flye,
“Their nobles dare not come the case to trye:
“But euen for peace with all their hartes they sue,
“And meekly graunte whence all their mischiefes grewe.

“The lady faire his daughter who surmountes,
“For vertues rare: for bewty braue, and grace:
“Both Heline fine, of whom they made accountes,
“And all the reste that come of Grecian race.
“She for hir father sues bewayles his case,
“And by hir wisdome, chere and parentes loue:
“Doth vs, and Brutus both to pity moue.

“Yet some will saye, he should depriued bee
“Of kingdome quite, and worthy Brutus should
“Receiue the scepter, this misliketh mee.
“To this vniustice Brutus if we could
“Consent (I deme) agree he neuer would,
“So much him selfe ambitiously t'abuse:
“Or else a king vnkindly so to vse.

“For kingdomes sake a king at home to kill
“Were farre to bad, within his natiue lande:
“Though he by right or wrong directed still,
“His force gainste vs, that did him so withstande:

“The king hath therfore ay the sworde in hand,
“If any kicke against his poyntes of lawe:
“To cut them of, or kepe them vnder awe.

“Tis best O Brutus if thou like her take
“His daughter Innogen, vnto thy wyfe:
“And let the king a dowry large hir make:
“Golde, syluer, shippes, and corne for our reliefe:
“With other things wherof this lande is ryfe:
“That wee so fraughte may seeke some deserte shore,
“Where we and ours, may raigne for euer more.

This pleasde both Brutus and the Troianes all
Who wild foorthwith that Pandrasus the kyng,
Should reuerently be brought into the hall,
And present, when they tolde him of this thing,
Great griefe and sorowe did his harte so sting,
He could not shewe by countenaunce or cheere,
That he it lykte, but spake as you shall heare.

“Sithe that the hatefull Gods haue yelded mee
“And eke my brother captiues to your handes,
“I am contente to doe as pleseth yee,
“For feare I leese both life and goodes and landes,
“I muste be nedes content as fortune standes
“I giue my daughter, golde and syluer fyne
“With what for dowry else you craue is myne.

To make my tale the shorter if I maye,
My father then was maried by and by,
And all thinges else performed by a daye:
The king restorde that did in pryson lye:
The Troianes parted from the shores pardy
Did hoyse vp sayles: in two dayes and a night
Vpon the Isle of Leogece they light.

And leauing of their shippes at roade, to lande
They wandering went the countrey for to vewe,
Lo there a deserte citie olde they fande:
And eke a temple (if reporte be true)
Wherin Diana to suche credit grewe:
That sacrifice the Troianes counsayle gaue
My father make, an aunswere for to haue.

And he no whit mislyking their aduice
Went foorth: and did before the alter holde
In his right hand, a cup to sacrifice
Efylde with wyne, and whyte Hyndes bloud scarce colde:
And then before hir stature straight he tolde
Deuoutly all his whole peticion there,
In better sorte then I repeate it here.

“O Goddesse great in groaues that putst, wylde boares in feareful feare:
“And mayste go all the compas pathes, of euery ayrie sphere.
“Eke of th'infernall houses to, resolue the earthly rightes:

“And tell what countrey in to dwell thou gyuste vs Troiane wightes.
“Assigne a certayne seate where I, shall worship thee for aye:
“And where repleate with virgins, I erecte thy temples may.

When nyne tymes he had spoken this, and went
Fowre tymes the alter rounde and stayde agen:
He powrde the wyne and bloud in hande he hente
Into the fyre, O witlesse cares of men!
Suche foly mere, and blindnes great was then:
But if religion nowe biddes toyes farewell:
Embrace thats good, the vice of time I tell.

Hee layde him then downe by the alters syde
Vpon the whyte Hindes skin espred therfore:
It was the third howre of the night a tyde
Of sweetest sleepe: he gaue him selfe the more
To reste and sleepe: then seemed him before
Diana chaste the Goddesse to appeare,
And spake to him these wordes that you shall heare.

“O Brute farre vnder Phoebus fall, beyonde of Fraunce that raigne:
“An Ilande in the Ocean is, with sea tis compaste mayne.
“An Ilande in the Ocean is, where Giantes once did dwell:
“But now a deserte place thats fit, will serue thy people well.
“To this direct thy race, for there shalbe thy seate for aye:
“And to thy sonnes there shalbe builte, an other stately Troye.
“Here of thy progenye and stocke, shall mighty kinges descende:
“And vnto them as subiecte, all the worlde shall bowe and bende.

On this he woke, with ioyfull chere and tolde
The vision all: and aunswer that it gaue.
So it reioyste their hartes a thousande folde
To shippes they gotte, away the shores they draue:
And hoysing sayles, for happy wyndes they craue:
In thirty dayes their voyage so they dight:
That on the coaste of Affrica they light.

Then to Philaenes alters they ataynde,
For so men call two hilles erectid ar
In Tunise lande, two bretherne ground that gainde
For Carthage once, and wente tis sayde to far
On Cyren grounde for boundes, there buried wer:
Because they would not turne againe but striue
With Cyren men, they buried them alyue.

From thence they sayled vnto Saliues lake:
Twene Azarae hilles, and Ruscitadam
They paste, from thence to Maluae floud they gate:
To Hercules his pillers sight they came:
And then to Tuscan seas wheras by fame
Not far from shore, like minded mates they finde,
Foure banishte races of the Troian kinde.

Companions of Antenor in his flighte,
But Corinaeus was their captayne than,
For counsayle calde a wyse and worthy wighte:

In warres the prayse for valiauntnes he wan.
My father did so frendely vse this man,
He was content and all his men besyde:
To try aduentures by my fathers guyde.

Then vnto Guyne in Fraunce they sayled thence,
And at the hauen of Loire they did ariue:
To vewe the countrey was their whole pretence,
And vitayles for their men and them atchiue,
Eke Corinaeus leste the Galles should striue,
Led foorth twoo hundreth of his warlike bande,
To get prouision to the shippes from lande.

But when the king Gofarius herde of this,
That Troianes were ariued on his shore:
With Frenchemen & with Guines, their power & his
He came to take the pray they gat before,
And when they met they fought it both full sore:
Till Corinaeus rushte into their bande,
And causde them flye, they durst no longer stande.

First might you there seen harts of Frenchmen broke,
Two hundreth Troianes gaue them all the foyle:
At home with oddes they durste not byde the stroke,
Fewe Troianes beate them in their natiue soyle.
Eke Corinaeus folowed in this broyle
So faste vpon his foes before his men:
That they retournde and thought to spoyle him then.

There he alone against them all, and they
Against him one, with all their force did fight,
At last by chaunce his sword was flowne away
By Fortune on an halberde then he light,
Which he did driue about him with such might,
That some their hands, & some their arms did leese,
Some legges, of some the head from shoulders flees.

As thus amongst them all he fought with force,
And Fortune great in daunger of his life,
My father had on him therewith remorce:
Came with a troupe of men to ende the strife,
When Frenchmen sawe the Troians force so rife,
They fled awaye, vnto their losse and paine,
In fight and flight nighe all their host was slaine.

And in that broyle saue Corinaeus none
Did fight so fearcely, as did Turnus then,
My fathers cosin with his sworde alone,
Did sley that time welnighe sixe hundreth men:
They found him dead as they retournd agen,
Amongst the Frenchmen, wounded voide of breath.
Which pincht my fathers hart as pangs of death.

On this they bode a whyle reuenge to yeilde
And to interre the dead, and Turnus slaine,
They tooke a towne not farre from place of fielde,
And built it strong to vexe the Galles againe:
The name they gaue it still doth yet remayne,
Syth there they buried Turnus yet men call
It Tours, and name the folke Turones all.

Which towne they left at last with Troianes mande
When as their ships were storde with what they nede:
Aborde, they hoyste vp sayles and left the lande,
By ayding windes they cut the seas with spede.
At lengthe the shining Albion clyues did feede,
Their gasing eyes, by meanes wherof they fande,
Out Totnes hauen, and tooke this promiste lande.

The countrie semed pleasaunt at the vewe,
And was by none inhabited as yet:
But certaine Giauntes whom they did pursue,
Which straight to caues in mountaines did them get,
So fine were woodes, & floudes, and fountaines set
My father had no cause but like it well,
And gaue his souldiers places in to dwell.

And then this Ile that Albion had to name,
My father caused Britayne called bee:
And eke the people Britaynes of the same:
As yet in auncient recordes is to see.
To Corinaeus gaue he franke and free,
The lande of Cornwall, for his seruice don,
And for because, from Giauntes he it won.

Then sith our Troiane stocke came first from Troy,
My father thought that dutie did him bynde,
Sithe fortune thus had saude him from anoye,
The auncient towne againe to call to minde.
He builte new Troye, and Troian lawes assignde,
Wherby his stocke to his eternall fame:
Might kepe of Troye the euerlasting name.

And setled there, in perfecte peace and reste,
Deuoyde of warre, of labours, strife or payne:
Then eke my mother, all his ioyes encreaste,
A prince she bare and after other twayne:
Was neuer king, of children erste so fayne,
Three sonnes because of Innogen he gate:
Locrinus, Camber, last me Albanacte.

Thus hauing welthe, and eke the worlde at will,
Nor wanting ought that might his mynde content:
T'increase his power with wightes of warlike skill,
Was all his minde his purpose and intent.
Wherby if foes, inuasion after ment,
The Britaynes might not feare of foraine landes:
But kepe by fight, possessions in their handes.

Then when his people once perceaude his mynde,
(As what the prince doth often moste embrace,
To that the subiectes all are straight inclinde:

And reuerence still, in eache respecte his grace)
They gat in warre such knowledge in short space,
That after they their force to try begon:
They carde for nought by wyt or wight not won.

They got of Giantes mountaines whence they came,
And woodes from whence they oft made wise they wold
Destroye and kill, when voyage out they framde
Or shewde themselues, in banding ouer bold:
Then straight the Britaynes, gladder then of gold
Were redy still, to fight at euery call:
Till time they had extincte, the monsters all.

Whereby the king had cause to take delight,
And might be bolde the lesse to feare his foes:
Perdye eche Prince may recke his enmyes spite,
Thereafter as his force in fight he knoes:
A Princely hart the liberall gifts disclose.
He gaue to eche such guerdons for their facts,
As might them onely moue to noble actes.

No labours great his subiects then refusde,
Nor trauailes that might like his regall minde,
But eche of them such exercise well vsde,
Wherein was praise or glorye greate to finde:
And to their leidge bare faithful harts so kinde,
That what he wild they all obeyde his heste,
Nought els was currant, but the kings request.

What Prince aliue might more reioyce then hee?
Had faithfull men so valiaunt bolde and stout,
What pleasure more on earth could lightly bee?

Then winne an Isle and liue deuoyde of doubt:
An Isle saide I? naye namde the world throughout
An other world, sith Sea doth it deuide
From th'earth, that wants not all the world beside.

What subiects eke more happye were then these?
Had such a king of such a noble hart,
And such a lande enioyde and liude at ease,
Whereof eche man almost might chose his part:
No feare of foes, vnknowen was treasons arte,
No fayning frends, no fawning Gnatoes skill:
No Thrasoes brags, but bearing ech good will.

But as eache Sommer once receaues an ende,
And as no state, can stable stande for aye:
As course of tyme doth cause thinges bowe & bende,
As euery pleasure, hath hir ending daye:
As will, can neuer passe the power of maye:
Euen so my father happy dayes that spente,
Perceaude he must by sickenesse laste relente.

As doth the shipman well forsee the storme,
And knowes what daunger lyes in syrtes of sande:
Eke as the husband man prouides beforne,
When he perceaues the wynter colde at hande:
Euen so the wise that course of thinges haue scande,
Can well the ende of sicknes great presage,
When it is ioynde with yeares of stooping age.

His counsayle all and we assembled were,
To byd vs hie, or haste there was no nede:
We went with them, this newes vs caused feare

Sithe so he sent, he was not well in dede,
And when we all approtchte to him with spede:
To soone alasse, his grace right sicke we founde,
And him saluted as our duty bounde.

And casting of his doulfull eyes aside,
Not able well to moue his painefull head:
As silent we with teares his minde abyde,
He wild him selfe be rearid in his bed:
Which done with sight of vs his eyes he fed,
Eke pawsing so a whyle for breathe he stayde:
At lengthe to them, and vs thus wyse he sayde.

“No marueyle sure though you, herewith be sad,
“You noble Britaynes, for your Brutus sake:
“Sithe whilome me your captaine stout you had,
“That nowe my leaue and last farewell must take:
“Thus nature willes me once an ende to make:
“And leaue you here behinde, which after mee:
“Shall come as I departe before you see.

“You wot wherfore I with the Grecians foughte,
“With dinte of sworde I made their force to flye:
“Antenors frendes on Tuscane shores I soughte,
“And did you not my promiste lande denye.
“By Martiall powre I made the Frenchemen flye,
“Where you to saue I loste my faithfull frende:
“For you, at Tours my Turnus tooke his ende.

“I nede not now, resite what loue I bare,
“My frendship you I truste haue founde so well:
“That none emongste you all which present are,
“With teares doth not recorde the tale I tell.
“Eke whom I founde for vertues to excell,
“To them I gaue the price therof as dewe:
“As they deserude, whose factes I founde so true.

“Nowe must I proue, if paynes were well bestowde,
“Or if I spente my gratefull giftes in vayne:
“Or if these great good turnes to you I owde,
“And might not aske your loyall loues agayne.
“Which if I wist what tonge could tell my payne,
“I meane if you vngratefull mindes do beare:
“What meaneth death, to let me linger here.

“For if you shall abuse your prince in this,
“The Goddes on you for such an heynous facte:
“To take reuenge be sure will neuer misse:
“And then to late you will repente the acte,
“When all my realme and all your welthes are sacte,
“But if you shall as you begon procede:
“Of kingdomes fall or foes there is no dreede.

“And to auoyde contention that may fall,
“Because I wishe this realme the Britaynes still:
“Therfore I will declare before you all,
“Sithe you are come, my whole intent and will.
“Which if you kepe, and wreste it not to ill,
“There is no doubte, but euermore with fame:
“You shall enioye the Britaynes realme and name.

“You see my sonnes, that after me must raigne,
“Whom you or this haue liekte and counsaylde well:
“You know what erst you wisht they should refraine,
“Which way they might all vices vile expell:
“Which way they might in vertues great excell:
“Thus if you shall, when I am gone insue,
“You shall discharge the truste reposde in you.

“Be you their fathers, with your counsayle wise,
“And you my children take them euen as mee.
“Be you their guydes, in what you can deuise:
“And let their good instructions teache you three,
“Be faithfull all, as brethren ought agree:
“For concorde kepes a realme, in stable staye:
“But discorde bringes all kingdomes to decaye.

“Recorde to this mine eldest sonne I giue,
“This midle parte of realme to holde his owne:
“And to his heyres that after him shall lyue,
“Also to Camber that his parte be knowne,
“I giue that lande that lies welnighe oregrowne:
“With woodes Norwest & mountaynes mighty hie,
“Twene this and that, the Stutiae streame doth lye.

“And vnto the my yongest sonne that arte,
“Myne Albanacte I giue to thee likewise:
“As muche to be for thee and thine a parte,
“As Northe beyonde the arme of sea there lyes.
“Of which loe here, a map before your eyes,
“Lo here my sonnes my kingdome all you haue:
“For which I nought, but this remember craue.

“Firste that you take these fathers graue for mee,
“Imbrace their counsaile euen as it were myne:
“Next that betwene your selues you will agree,
“And neuer one at others welthe repine:
“See that ye byde still bounde with frendly lyne,
“And laste my subiectes, with such loue retayne:
“As long they may your subiectes eke remayne.

“Lo nowe I fele my breath beginnes to fayle,
“My time is come, giue eche to me your hande,
“Farewell, farewell, to mourne will not preuayle:
“I see with knife where Atropos doth stande,
“Farewell my frendes, my children and my lande,
“And farewell all my subiectes, farewell breathe,
“Farewell ten thousand tymes, and welcome deathe.

And euen with that he turnde, himselfe a syde,
And gasped thryse, and gaue away the ghost:
Then all at once with mourning voyce they cryde.
And all his subiects eke, from lest to most
Lamenting fild with wayling teares ech coast:
Perdy the Britaynes all, with one assent:
Did for their king, full doulfully lament.

But what auayles, to striue against the tyde?
Or els to sayle, against the streame and winde:
What booteth it against the clyues to ryde:
Or els to worke against the course of kinde?

Sith nature hath the ende of thinges assinde,
There is no nay, we must perforce departe:
Gainst dint of death, there is no ease by arte.

As custome wild wee funerals preparde,
And al with mourning cloathes, and chere did come:
To laye this king on Beere we had regarde,
In Royal sort, as did his corps become,
His Herce prepard, we brought him to his tombe,
At Troynouant, he built where he did dye,
Was he entombde: his Royal corps doth lye.

Thus raignd the worthy king, that found this land
My father Brutus, of the Troian blood:
And thus he dyed when he fulwell had mande,
This noble Realme with Britaynes fearce and good:
And so a while in stable state it stoode,
Till wee deuided had, this realme in three,
And I to soone, receiude my part to mee.

Then straight through all the world gan fame to flye,
A monster swifter none is vnder son:
Encreasing, as in waters wee descrye,
The cyrcles small, of nothing that begon.
Which at the length, vnto such breadth do come,
That of a drop which from the skyes doth fall:
The cyrcles spread, and hide the waters all.

So Fame in flight increaseth more and more,
For at the first she is not scarcely knowne:
But by, and by, she flits from shore to shore:
To cloudes from th'earth her stature straight is growne,

There what soeuer by her trompe is blowne:
The sound that both by sea, and land out flyes,
Reboundes againe, and verberats the skyes.

They say the earth, that first the giaunts bred,
For anger that the Gods did them dispatche,
Brought forth this sister, of those monsters dead:
Full light of foote swift winges the winds to catch:
Such monster erst did Nature neuer hatche:
As manye plumes she hath from top to toe,
So many eyes them vnder watche or moe.

And tongues do speake, so many eares do harke,
By night twene heauen, she flyes and earthly shade:
And shreaking takes no quiet sleepe by darke.
On houses rowfes, or towres as keeper made
She sittes by day, and Cities threats t'inuade.
And as she telles, what thinges she sees by vewe:
She rather shewes thats fained false, then true.

This Fame declarde, that euen a people small,
Had landed here: and found this pleasaunt Ile,
And how that now it was deuided all
Into three parts, and might within a while
Be won, by force, by treason, fraude or guile:
Wherefore she moues her frends, to make assay,
To win the price, and beare our pompe away.

A thousand thinges beside, she bruites and telles,
And makes the most of euery thing she heares:
Long time of vs she talkes and nothinge els,
Eke what shee seeth, abroade in hast she beares.

With tatling toyes and tickleth so their eares,
That needes they must to flattering Fame assent:
Though afterwards they do therefore lament.

By East from hence, a countrey large doth lye,
Vngaria eke of Hunnes it hath to name,
And hath Danubius floud on South it by,
Deuiding quite from Austria the same:
From thence a king was named Humber came:
On coastes of Albanie did he ariue,
In hope this lande of Britaine to achiue.

Which when by postes of subiects I did heare,
How enmies were ariued on my shore:
I gathered all my souldiers voyde of feare,
And backe the Hunnes by force and might I bore.
But in this battaile was I hurt so sore,
That in the field of wounds I had I dyde.
And left my men as flockes without a guide.

Such was my fate, to venture on so bolde,
My rashnes was the cause of all my woe:
Such is of all our glorye vaine the hope,
So soone we pompe and pleasures all forgoe:
So quickly are we reft our kingdomes froe:
And such is all the caste of Fortunes playe,
When lest we thincke, to cut vs quite awaye.

I demde my selfe an heauenly happie wight,
When once I had my part to raigne within,
But see the chaunce what hap did after light:

Or I could scace t'enioy my glee begin:
A Hunne did seeke, from me my realme to win:
And had his will O flatering Fortune fye,
What meanst thou thus to worke with Princes slye.

You worthy wariours, learne by mee beware,
Let wisedome worke, lay rashnes al apart:
When as with enmyes you encountred are,
You must endeuour, all your skilfull art:
By witty wyles, with force to make your mart:
Wit nought auailes, late bought with care and cost,
If you repent when life and labours lost.

FINIS.

The Authour.

Wyth that the wounded Prince departed quite,
From sight he slinckte, I saw his shade no more,
But Morpheus bade remember this to write,
And therewithall presented mee before,
A wight wet dropping from the waters shore
In Princely weede, but like a warlike man,
And thus mee thought his story he began.

LENUOYE.

Mvsing on these thinges I cal'd to my minde
In historyes what I of Troia read,
And what of Brutus I in bookes did finde
Likewise I cast, and counted in my head.
I found that Albanact stoode mee in stead.
For why, Sicilians right this noble man
Calles Lestrygons, as they were named than.

Lestrygo was, perdy, Neptunus sonne,
To whom his father gaue that noble Ile:
And of his name the people there did wonne.
The writers false abus'd vs then long while,
Which set vs downe of Leogece an Ile,
So neere Italia strandes was placed than,
To which Lord Brutus came, that noble man.

Of Lestrygon that Ilande first tooke name,
As Albanact hath well recited heere.
But of king Humber see what nowe became,
Which after him next haplesse did appeare
With Armoure wet, as drencht hee lately were,
So downe his greaues the water tricklinges ran,
While hee this wise his woefull tale began.

[HUMBER]

Humber the king of Hunnes shewes how he minding to conquere this land was drowned. &c. He liued about the yeare before Christ. 1074.

Though yet no forraine Princes in this place,
Haue come to tell their haplesse great mishap:
Yet giue me leaue a while to pleade my case,
And shewe howe I slipt out of Fortunes lap:
Perchaunce some others will eschewe the trap
Wherein I fell, and both themselues beware,
And also seeke the lesse thy countreys care.

I am that Humber kinge of Hunnes that came
To win this Islande, from the Britaynes fell:
Was drownde in Humber where I left my name.
A iust reward for him that liude so well
At home, and yet thought others to expell,
Both from their Realme and right: O filthy fye
On such ambition earst as vsed I.

But I must blame report, the chiefest cause
Of my decaye: beware of rashe report:

Tis wisedome first to take a while some pause,
Before to dint of daungers you resort:
Least when you come in hast to scale the fort:
By rashe assault some engin, shaft, or fyre
Dispatcht you quite, or make you soone retyre.

For vnto mee the rumors daily flewe,
That here a noble Ilande might be won:
The king was dead: no warres the people knewe,
And eke themselues to striue at home begon.
It were (quoth I) a noble acte well don,
To win it then: and there withall did make
Prouision good, this famous Ile to take.

A war like regall campe prouided was,
And shipps, and vitaile for my Hunnes and mee:
By sea to Britaine conquest for to passe,
If Gods thereto and heauenly starres agree:
At length wee came to shores of Albanie,
And there to fight with Britaynes pitcht our field:
In hope to make them flinche, flye, fall or yeelde.

They met vs, longe we fearcely faught it out,
And doubtful was the victours part of twaine,
Till with my Hunnes I rusht amonge the route,
And faught, till that king Albanact was slaine.
Then they to yeeld and pardon craue were faine,
And I with triumphes great receiude the pray:
And marched forward, flesht with such a fray.

I past an arme of Sea, that would to God
I neuer had bin halfe so bold at furst:
I made to beate my selfe withall a rod,
When so within their Realme I venture durst:
But marke my tale thou hearst not yet the worst.
As sure I thought the rest to circumuent:
By spyes before, they knew my whole intent.

And or I wiste, when I was come to lande:
Not farre from shore, two Princes were preparde,
Their scoutes conueyde away my shipps they fand,
And of my shipmens fleshe they nothing sparde,
To rescue which, as backe againe I farde:
The armyes twaine were at my heeles behinde
So closde me in, I wist no waye to winde.

On th'east Locrinus with an armye great:
By West was Camber with an other bande:
By North an arme of Sea the shoores did beate,
Which compast mee and mine within their lande:
No way to scape was there, but water fande,
Which I must taste or els the swords of those,
Which were to mee and mine full deadly foes.

So when I sawe the best of all mine hoste,
Beate downe with bats, shot, slaine or forst to swim:
My selfe was faine likewise to flye the coast,
And with the rest the waters entred in.
A simple shift for Princes to begin:
Yet far I demde it better so to dye,
Then at mine enmyes foote an abiecte lye.

But when I thus had swam with hope to scape,
If I might wend the water waues to passe:
The Britaynes that before my ships had gate,
Gan watche mee, where amidst the surge I was:
Than with my boates they rowde to me alas,
And all they cryde kepe Humber kepe their king:
That to our Prince we may the traytour bring.

So with my boates beset poore Humber I
Wiste no refuge: my werye armes did ake:
My breath was short: I had no powre to crye,
Or place to stand while I my plaint might make:
The water cold made all my ioyntes to shake:
My hart did beate with sorrow, griefe and paine:
And downe my cheekes, salt teares they gusht amaine.

O must thou yelde, and shall thy boates betraye
Thy selfe (quoth I) no mercy Britaynes haue:
O would to God I might escape awaye:
I wot not yet if pardon I may craue:
Although my deedes deserue no life to haue,
I will: I nill: death: bondage beast am I
In waters thus, in foraine soyle to dye.

With that I clapt my quauering hands abrode,
And held them vp to heauen, and thus I saide:
O Gods that know the paines that I haue bode,
And iust reuengment of my rashnes paide,
And of the death of Albanacte betraide
By mee and mine: I yelde my life therefore,
Content to dye, and neuer greeue yee more.

Then straight not opening of my handes, I bowde
My selfe, and set my head my armes betweene:
And downe I sprang, with all the force I cowde:
So duckte, that neither head nor foote were seene:

And neuer sawe my foes againe I weene,
There was I drounde the Britaynes to my fame:
Yet call that arme of Sea by Humbers name.

Take heede by mee, let my presumption serue:
And let my folly, fall, and rashnes bee:
A glasse wherein to see if thou do swerue,
Thou mayste thy selfe perceiue somewhat by mee.
Let neither trust, nor treason traine forth thee:
But be content with thine estate, so shall
No wrath of God, procure thy haplesse fall.

If thou be forrayne bide within thy soyle:
That God hath giuen to thee and thine to holde,
If thou oppression meane beware the foyle:
Beare not thy selfe, of thee or thine to bolde:
Or of the feates thy elders did of olde,
For God is iust, iniustice will not thriue:
He plagues the prowde, preserues the good aliue.

FINIS.

The Authoure.

Then vanishte Humber, and no sooner gon
Was he but straight in place before me came.
A princely wight, had complet harnes on,
Though not so complet as they now do frame:
He seemde sometime t'aue bene of worthy fame:
In breste a shafte with bleeding wounde he bare,
And thus he tolde the cause of all his care.

LENVOY.

Was not this drenched king well servde thinke you
That could not byde at home content with his?
Now by his fall and his ambition vewe,
What good they get which gaze on Fortunes blisse,
How soone their haps and hoped Ioyes they misse,
Wherefore the setled minde surmountes the rest,
The meane contented state of all is best.

The conquest wonne, and kingdome got, you see
The Albaynes all subdude to Humbers crowne:
Yet straight againe the straunger drownde to bee,
To leese his conquest, kingdomes, and renowme.
Sith Fortune so sets vp and thirleth downe,
The setled minde content I counte is blest,
Reporting true the golden meane is best.

Loe how vaine glory causde him venter life,
By seas to sayle, by land in fielde to fighte,
In peace at home abroade to fish for strife,
And here confesse how Sors had sowst him right.
But king Locrinus next apearde in sight.
A shaft hee bare in wounded bleeding brest,
And thus (mee thought) his fatall fall exprest.

[LOCRINUS]

Locrinus the eldest sonne of Brutus, declareth his slaughter to haue happened for his euill life. He died the yeare before Christe. 1064.

Yf euer any noble prince might rewe,
His factes are paste, long since the same may I:
That would to God it were not farre to true,
Or that I iustly could my faultes denye:
The truthe of thinges the ende or tyme doth trie,
As well by me is seen: my haplesse fall,
Declares whence came my greate misfortunes all.

I am Locrinus, seconde Britayne king:
The eldiste sonne of him that founde this lande:
Whose death to me my mischiefes all did bring,
And causde why first I tooke my death in hande.
He chiefly wylde me when he gaue this lande,
I should be rulde, by all his counsayles will:
And vse their iudgmentes in my dealings still.

But what do I accuse my fathers heste,
What meane I here th'unfauty for to blame?
All he commaunded euen was for the beste:
Though in effecte of beste the worste became.
So thinges ofte times well mente vnfitly frame:
So often times the counsayle of your frende:
Apparent good, fawles faulty in the ende.

For as he wisht I vsde his counsayles ayde,
In eache thing that I deemde was good for mee:
I neuer ought that they desirde denayde:
But did to all their mindes and hestes agree.
And Corinaeus sawe my harte so free,
By diuers meanes, he sought this match to make:
That to my wife, I might his daughter take.

But I that wiste not then what mariage ment,
Did straight agree his Guendoline to haue:
Yet afterwarde suspecting his intent,
My frendes to me this pointe of counsaile gaue:
That who so doth of Prince aliaunce craue,
He meanes thereby to worke some point of ill,
Or else to frame the prince vnto his will.

It may well be he mente no euill at all,
But wise men alwayes vse to dreade the worste:
And sithe it was, the fountaine of my fall:
From whence the springe of all my sorowes burste,
I may well thinke was some of vs accurste,
For why the ende, doth alwayes proue the facte:
By ende we iudge the meaning of the acte.

I made no haste, to wed my spoused wyfe:
I wiste I could as yet without hir byde:
I had not tasted toyes of trayned life:
I deemde them fooles by Cupides darte that died:
I Venus vile and all hir force defide:
And liude at reste, and rulde my land so well,
That men delighted of my factes to tell.

My brethren eke long weldid well their partes:
We feard no foes, we thought our state would stand.
We gaue our selues to learned skilfull artes:
Wherin we other fruite, or pleasur fand:
And we enioyde so fine a fruitfull land,
That fewe in earth, might with our states compare,
We lyude so voyde of noysome carke, and care.

But see the chaunce when least we thought of ill,
When we esteamde our state to be moste sure:
Than came a flawe to bridle all our will,
For straungers far, gan vs to warre procure:
And euen when first, they put their pranke in vre,
On Albane shores my brother there they slewe:
Whose death we after made the Hunnes to rue.

When he was dead they hopte to winne the reste,
And ouer Abi streame with haste did hie:
But I and eke my brother Camber dreste,
Our armies straight, and came their force to trie:
We brake their rayes, and forste their king to flie,
Into the arme of Sea they ouer came:
Where Humber drounde the waters tooke his name.

We ether slewe or tooke them captiues all,
Emongst the which O mischiefe great to tell!
The Gods to worke mine ouerthrow and fall
Sent ladies three, whose beauties did excell:
Of which because I liked one so well,
I tooke hir straight, nor she did ought denie:
But eche thing graunted so she might not dye.

Thus Humber we this hatefull hungery king,
In Humber drenshte: and him depriude of pride:
And of his loftie ladies he did bring,
He loste the praye: and all his men beside.
And we the spoiles of all his hoaste deuide,
But I that thought, I had the greatest share:
Had caught the cause of all my wofull care.

They calde this lady Elstride whome I tooke,
Whose bewty braue did so my wittes confounde:
That for hir sake my promise I forsooke,
Wherby I was to Gwendoline first bounde.
Me thought no lady went on earthely grounde
That might alure me, euer chaunge my minde:
So was I caught by snares of Cupide blynde.

Was neuer none before so likte mine eye,
I loude hir more then I coulde loue my life:
Hir absence still me thought did cause me die.
I surely mente to take hir to my wife.
But see howe beauty breadeth deadly strife,
Lo here began my whole confusion here:
Sprang out the shaft from which this wounde I beare.

For Corinaeus had no soner hearde,
That I did meane his daughter to forsake:
But straight as one, that did nought else regarde,
In haste his voyage towardes me did take:
And come, declarde what promise I did make,
From whiche he saide if once I sought to slide:
It should by dinte of sworde, and bloud be tride.

But if I would hir take, as erste I sayde,
And not this straunger choose against his minde:
His helpe he promiste at eache time, and ayde
To be so redy, as I wishte to finde:
He furder sayde my contrey did me bynde,
To take such one as all my subiectes knewe:
Sithe straungers to their foes are neuer true.

I wayde his wordes, and thought he wishte me wel:
But yet because his stocke should gaine therby,
I reckte them lesse: and yet the truthe to tell,
I durste not dare my promise made denye:
For well I wiste, if once it came to trye:
It would both weaken all this noble lande,
And doubtfull be, who should ha th'upper hande.

Thus nedes perforce I must his daughter take,
And must leaue of, to loue where I delighte:
I was constrainde contentid to forsake:
The forme that moste did captiuate my sighte,
What lucke had I on such a lote to lighte:
What ment you Goddes that me such fortune gaue,
To caste my minde on hir I might not haue.

To shorte my tale, his Guendoline I tooke,
I was contente against my will: what then?
Nore quite for this, myne Elstride I forsoke:
For why, I wrought by skill of cunning men,
A vaulte along vnder the grounde a denne:
Hir companie wherin I vsed still,
There we accomplishte, our vnhappy will.

There I begat my Sabrine sely childe,
That virgine small, myne Elstride bare to mee:
Thus I my wife full often did beguilde,
Which afterwarde did beare a sonne to mee,
Namde Madan: yet we neuer could agree,
And he that was the cause, she was my bryde:
This whyle hir father Corinaeus dyde.

Which when I hearde, I had my hartes desire:
I craude no more, there was my ende of griefe.
At leste I thought to quenche Cupidoes fire,
And eke to worke my lusting loues reliefe:
I mente no more to steale it like a thiefe:
But maried Elstride, whom I loude as lyfe,
And for hir sake, I put away my wyfe.

Likewise I causde was Elstride queene proclaimde:
And tooke hir as my lawfull wyfe by right,
But Gwendoline that sawe hir selfe disdainde,
Straight fled, and moude the Cornishe men to fight,
To them, when she declarde hir pitious plighte:
In haste they dreste an army for to bee,
Reuengers of my newe made queene and mee.

And I likewise an armie did prepare,
I thoughte to quaile, their courage all by force:
But to my coste I founde to late beware,
There is no strengthe in armoure, man or horse,

Can vayle, if Ioue on wronged take remorce:
For he on whom the deadly darte doth lighte,
Can neuer scape: by ransome, frende or flighte.

So when our armies met nighe Stura streame,
The trompettes blewe and I denide the peace:
I minded to expell them all the realme,
Or else to make them euer after cease:
And they except I Elstride would releace,
(They sayde) and take my Gwendoline againe:
They would reuenge the wrong, or else be slayne.

On this we met, and valiauntly we fought,
On eather side, and nether parte did yelde:
So equaly they fell, it was great doubte,
Which part should haue the better of the fielde:
But I to bolde, rushte in with sworde and sheelde
To breake their rayes, so hasty men get smarte:
An arrowe came, and stroke me to the harte.

Then was I brought to Troynouant and there,
My body was enterrid as you reade:
When I had raigned all out twenty yere,
Lo thus I liude, and thus became I deade:
Thus was my crowne depriued from my heade,
And all my pompe, my princely troupe and trayne,
And I to earth, and duste resolude agayne.

Now warne estates, let this for wedlocke serue,
Beware of chaunge it will not holde out longe,
For who so mindeth from his make to swerue:
Shal sure at lengthe, receiue reuenge for wrong:
Tis foly fight with God, h'is farre to stronge:
For though ye colour all, with coate of right:
Yet can no fained farde, deceiue his sight.

FINIS.

The Authour.

With that this king, was vanisht quite and gone:
And as a miste, dissolued into ayre:
And I was left, with Morpheus all alone:
Who represented straigt a Lady fayre:
Of frendes depriude, and left in deepe dispaire,
As eke she spake, all wet in cordes fast bounde:
Thus tolde she how, she was in waters drounde.

LENVOY.

This is the iustice great of mighty Ioue aboue,
To plague the men whose fayth vnfirme hee findes,
The promisse plight in sponsales sacred loue,
Which both alike the Prince and simple subiect bindes,
Who recklesse breaks that same nor faithed promise mindes,
If hee ensue the vice, wherein his sence is drounde,
No doubt Iehouah iust will therefore him confounde.

If hee for wedlocke breatch in Pagan Princes then
So greate displeasure tooke, and did them sharply whip,
Will hee not rather nowe afflict such christen men,
As dare the sacred band of holy wedlocke rip?
Hee will not let the twifold faythed christian slip,
Which by so vayne delight in fleshly lustes is droun'd.
He cuts him of, and doth his queanes and him confound.

Examples are in all the ages seene before,
And also daily proofe, declareth well the same.
Wherefore I will of this as nowe resite no more.
Perchaunce I may Incurre, some vnderserued blame.
But next beholde on stage apear'd a noble dame,
(Whose beauty braue Locrinus senses did confound)
Declaring how therfore Queene Guendoline her dround.

[ELSTRIDE]

Elstride the concubine of Locrinus myserably drowned by Gwendoline his wyfe, declares her presumption, lewde life and infortunate fall. She suffered before Christe. 1064.

And must I needes my selfe resite my fall
Poore woman I? must I declare my fate?
Must I the first saue three amongste vs all,
Shew how I thrise, fell from my Princely state?
And from the loftye seate on which I sate?
If needes I must, then well content I will:
Lest here my place in vaine I seeme to fill.

I am that Elstride; whom Locrinus loude,
A Prince his daughter came from Germaines land:
My fame of beauty many Princes moude,
To sue for grace, and fauour at my hand.
Which bruite once blowne abroad in euery land,
One Humber king of Hunnes with al his traine:
To come to mee, a suiter was full faine.

What neede I tell, the giftes to mee he gaue,
Or shew his suite or promise he me plight,
Sith wel you know a Prince nede nothing craue:
May nigh commaund ech thing as twere his right.

For as the fowle before the Eagles sight
Euen so we fall, submit and yeld vs still,
At Prince his call, obeysaunt to his will.

And for that time the Hunnes full mighty were,
And did increase, by martiall feates of warre:
Therefore our Germaine kings agaste did beare,
Them greater fauour then was neede by farre.
My father durst not Humbers hest debarre,
Nor I my selfe, I rather was content:
In hope of crowne with Humber to consent.

Two Princely Dames with me came then away,
He bragde to winne these country partes all three,
We Ladies rather was this Prince his pray:
Because he promist that we Queenes should bee.
We came to coste these country coasts to see,
Sith he on whom our hope did wholy stande:
Was drownd, namde Humber waters, lost the lande.

For as you heard before when he supposde,
He had wonne all because he won a part:
Straight way he was againe thereof deposde,
Constrainde to flye, and swim for life poore hart:
Loe here the cause, of all my douleful smarte,
This noble king with whom I came to raigne:
Was drensht, & drownde vnto my greuous paine.

Then were his souldiers taken, slaine or spoilde,
And wel were they, that could make suite for life:
Was neuer such an armye sooner foilde:
O wofull warre, that flowste in floudes of strife!

And carst not whom thou cutste with cruell knife!
Or had not Venus fraught my face with hewe,
I had no longer liude, my forme to rewe.

For as I came a captiue with the reste,
My countenaunce did shewe as braue as Sunne:
Ech one that sawe my natiue hewe were preste,
To yelde themselues by beames of beauty won:
My fame straight blowne to gaze on mee they ron,
And said I paste eche worldly wight as farre:
As Phoebus bright excelles the morning starre.

Like as you see in darkes if light appeare,
Straight way to that ech man directes his eye:
Euen so amongst my captiue mates that were:
When I did speake, or make my plaints with cry,
Then all on mee they stared by and by:
Bemoning of my fates, and Fortune soe.
As they had bin partakers of my woe.

My fourme did praise my plea, my sighes they suide,
My teares entiste their hartes some ruth to take:
My sobbes in sight, a seemely hewe reneude:
My wringing hands, wan suiters shift to make:
My sober southes did cause them for my sake:
Mee to commende, vnto their noble kinge,
Who wilde they should me into presence bringe.

Which when I came in cordes as captiue bounde,
O King (quoth I) whose power we feele to strong:
O worthy wighte, whose Fame to skyes doth sounde:
Do pitie me, that neuer wishte the wronge:

Release mee one thy captiues all amonge:
Which from my frends, by fraude am brought away,
A Prince his daughter, drounde in deepe decaye.

Now as thou art a Prince thy selfe of might,
And maist do more then I do dare desire:
Let me (O Kinge) finde fauour in thy sight,
Asswage somewhat thy deadly wrath and ire:
No part of manhode tis for to require:
A Ladyes death thee neuer did offende,
Sith that thy foe, hath brought her to this ende.

But let me rather safely be conuaide,
O gracious king, once home before I dye:
Or let me on thy Queene, be wayting maide,
If it may please thy royal maiestye:
Or let me raunsome paye, for libertye:
But if thou minde reuenge of vnwrought ill,
Why spare you Britaynes this my corps to kill?

With that the king: good Lady fayre what iste
Thou canst desire or aske, but must obtaine?
Eke would to God with all my hart I wiste,
Best waye to ease thee of thy wofull paine:
But if thou wilt do here with mee remaine,
If not content, conductours shalt thou haue,
To bring thee home, and what thou els wilt craue.

As for my Queene, as yet I none possesse,
Therefore thou rather maiste voutchsafe to take
That place thy selfe: then waite on her I gesse,
Whose beautye with thy face no match can make:

The Gods denye that I thy heste forsake,
I saue thy life, eke God forbid that I,
Should euer cause so fayre a Ladye dye.

O King (quoth I) the Gods preserue thy grace,
The heauens requite thy mercy shewde to mee,
And all the starres, direct thy regall race
In happye course, long length of yeares to see:
The earth with fertile fruites inriche so thee:
That thou maist still like Iustice her dispose,
And euer more treade downe thy deadly foes.

The noble king commaunded to vnbinde,
Mine armes, and let mee lewce, and free at will,
And afterward such fauour did I finde
That as his Queene I was at elbow still:
And I enioyde all pleasures at my fill:
So that they quite had quenched out my thrall,
And I forgate my former Fortunes all.

Thus lo by fauoure I obtainde my suite,
So had my beauty set his brest on fire,
That I could make Locrinus euen as muite,
Or pleasaunt as my causes did require:
And when I knewe he could no way retyre:
I praide he would his fauour so extende,
As I might not be blamed in the ende.

For if (quoth I) you take me as your owne,
And eke my loue to you haue constant beene:
Then let your loue likewise againe be showne,
And wed me as you said your spouse and Queene:

If since in mee misliking you haue seene:
Then best depart betime before defame,
Begin to take from Elstride her good name.

No wauering hart (said he) Locrinus beares,
No fayned flatery shall thy fayth deface:
Thy beauty, birth, fame, vertue, age and yeares
Constraine mee both, thee and thy hestes imbrace:
I must of force, giue thy requestes a place,
For as they do with reason good consent,
Euen so I graunt thee all thy whole intent.

Then was the time appointed and the day,
In which I should be wedded to this kinge,
But in this case, his counsaile causde a staye,
And sought out meanes at discord vs to bringe:
Eke Corinaeus claimde a former thing,
A precontract was made and full accorde,
Betweene his daughter, and my soueraigne Lorde.

And yet the King did giue me comfort still,
He said he could not so forsake my loue,
Yet euermore would beare me all good will:
As both my beauty and desertes did moue:
But still the ende doth who is fauty proue,
His counsaile at the last did him constraine
To marry her, vnto my greeuous paine.

At which I coulde not but with hate repine,
It vexed mee, his mate that should haue beene,
To liue in hate, a prince his concubine
That euer had such hope to be his Queene.

The steppes of state are full of wo and teene,
For when wee thincke we haue atainde the throne:
Then straight our pompe & pride is quite orethrone.

Lo twise I fell from hope of Princely crowne,
First when vnhappy Humber lost his life,
And next I laide my peacockes pride adowne,
When as I could not be Locrinus wife:
But oft they say the thirde doth ende the strife,
Which I haue proude: therefore the sequel vewe
The thirde payes home, this prouerbe is to true.

This kinge could not refraine his former minde,
But vsde me still, and I my doubtfull yeares
Did linger on, I knew no shift to finde,
But past the time full oft with mourning teares.
A concubine is neuer voyde of feares,
For if the wyfe her at aduauntage take:
In radge reuenge with death she seekes to make.

Likewise I wiste if once I sought to flye,
Or to entreate the kinge depart I might,
Then would he straight be discontent with mee,
Yea if I were pursued vpon the flight,
Or came deflourde into my parents sighte:
I should be taken, kept perforce, or slaine:
Or in my country liue in great disdaine.

In such a plight, what might a woman doe,
Was euer Lady fayre, in such a case?

O wretched wight bewrapt in webbes of woe!
That still in dread wast tost from place to place,
And neuer foundest meane to ende thy race:
But still in doubt of death, in carking care,
Didst liue a life deuoyde of all welfare.

The king perceiuing well my chaunged cheare,
To ease my hart withall deuisde deceats,
By secrete wayes I came deuoyde of feare,
In vaultes, by cunning Masons crafty feats:
Whereas wee safely from the Queene her threats,
Perdy the King and I so vsde our arte,
As after turnde vs both to paine and smarte.

By him I had my Sabrine small my childe,
And after that his wife her father loste,
I meane he dyed and she was straight exilde,
And I made Queene vnto my care and coste:
For she went downe to Cornewal straight in poste,
And caused all her fathers men to ryse,
With all the force, and strengthe they might deuyse.

My king and hirs, with me, gainst hir preparde
An army strong: but when they came to fighte,
Dame Guendoline did wax at length to harde:
And of our king vs both deposed quite,
For from hir campe an arrowe sharpe did lighte
Vpon his breste, and made him leaue his breath:
Lo thus this king came by vntimely death.

Then I to late, began in vayne to flye,
And taken was presented to the queene,
Who me behelde with cruell tigres eye,
“O queene (quoth she) that cause of warres haste bene

“And deadly hate, the like was neuer seene:
“Come on for these my handes shall ridde thy life,
“And take reuengement of our mortall strife.

“I longed long to bring thee to this baye,
“And thou likewyse hast sought to sucke my bloud.
“Nowe arte thou taken, in my spoyles a praye,
“That causde my life full long in daunger stoode:
“I wyll both teache thy selfe, and others good
“To breake the bandes of faithfull wedlocke plight,
“And giue thee that which thou deseruidste right.

“O harlote whore, why should I stay my handes?
“O painted picture, shall thy lookes thee saue?
“Nay bynde hir faste both hande and foote in bandes,
“And let hir some straunge kinde of tormentes haue.
“What strompet stues, thinkste for thou seemist braue?
“Or for thy teares, or sighes, to scape my sight?
“My selfe will rather vanquishe thee by fight.

“Thou rather shouldste my vitall breath depriue,
“Then euer scape if none were here but wee,
“But now I will not file my handes to striue,
“Or else to touche so vile a drabe as shee.
“Come on at once, and bring hir after mee,
“With hande and feete as I commaunded bounde:
“And let me see, hir here as Humber drounde.

A thousand things beside, she spake in rage,
While that a caytife did with cordes me binde,
No teares, nor sobbes, nor sighes might ought aswage
The gelous queene, or molifie hir mynde.
Occasions still hir franticke head did finde,
And when shee spake, hir eyes did leame as fire:
Shee lookte as pale as chalke with wrathfull Ire.

Ne stoode she still but with hir handes on syde,
Walkte vp and down, & ofte hir palmes she stroke.
“My husbande nowe (quoth she) had not thus dyde:
“If such an harlote, whore he had not tooke,
And there withall shee gaue me such a looke,
“As made me quake, what lettes (quoth she) my knife,
“To ridde this whore my husbandes second wife:
“H'is dead, I liue, and shall I saue hir life?

O queene (quoth I) if pitie none remayne,
But I be slayne or drounde as Humber was:
Then take thy pleasure by my pinching paine,
And let me hence as thou appointiste passe:
But take some pity on my childe alasse,
Thou knowste the infante made no faulte but hee,
Thats dead and I therfore reuenge on mee.

“No bastardes here shall liue to dispossesse
“My sonne (she said) but sithe thou soughtiste fame:
“I will prouide for hir a kingdome lesse,
“Whiche shall hereafter euer haue hir name.
“Thou knowste wherof the name of Humber came,
“Euen so Sabrina, shall this streame be calde:
“Sithe Sabrine me, as Humber Locrine thralde.

With that my childe was Sabrine brought in sight,
And when she see me take in bandes to lie,
Alasse (she cryde) what meanes this pitious plight,
And downe she fell before the queene with crye,

“O queene (quoth she) let me more rather dye,
“Then she thats giltlesse should, for why thy king
“Did as his captiue, hir to lewdnes bring.

Which when I sawe the kindnes of the childe,
It burst my harte much more then dome of deathe:
Poore little lambe with countinance how milde
She pleaded still, and I for wante of breathe,
With wofull teares, that laye hir feete beneathe
Could not put forth a worde, our liues to saue,
Or if therfore I might a kingdome haue.

Hir pitious plaintes, did somwhat death withdrawe
For as she long behelde the queene with teares:
“(quoth she) let me haue rigoure voyde of lawe,
“In whome the signe of all thy wrath appeares,
“And let me die my fathers face that beares:
“Sithe he is dead, and we are voyde of staye,
“Why should I thee, for life or mercy praye.

“My mother may to Germanye retourne,
“Where she was borne, and if it please thy grace,
“And I may well lye in my fathers tombe,
“If thou wilt graunt his childe so good a place.
“But if thou thinke my bloude is farre to bace,
“Although I came by both of princly line:
“Then let me haue what shroude thou wilt asigne.

With that the queene replide with milder chere,
And saide the childe was wonders wise and wittie:
But yet shee would not hir reuenge forbeare,
“For why (quoth she) the prouerbe sayes that pitie,

“Hath leudly loste full many a noble citie.
“Then Elstride now prepare thy selfe therfore
“To die, take leaue, but talke to me no more.

On this my leaue I tooke, and thus I sayde,
Farewell my countrey, Germanye farewell,
Adewe the place from whence I was conueyde,
Farewell my father, and my frendes there dwell:
My Humber drounde, as I shalbe farewell:
Adew Locrinus dead, for thee I die,
Would God my corps might by thy coffine lie.

Adew my pleasures paste, farewell, adew,
Adew the cares, and sorowes I haue had,
Farewell my frendes that earst for me did sue.
Adew that were, to saue my life full glad:
Farewell the fauning frendes, I lately had,
And thou my beauty cause of death farewell,
As ofte, as harte can thinke, or tonge can tell.

Adewe you heauens, my mortall eyes shall see
No more your lightes, and Planetes all farewell,
And chiefly Venus faire that paintedste mee,
When Mercurie his tale to me did tell:
Eke afterwardes when Mars with vs did dwell,
And nowe at laste thou cruell Mars adewe,
Whose darte my life, and loue Locrinus slewe.

And must I nedes departe from thee my childe,
If nedes I muste ten thousand times farewell,
Poore little lambe, thy frendes are quite exilde:
And much I feare thou shalt not long do well,

But if they so with boyling rancoure swell:
As thee to slea, which neuer wroughtiste ill,
How can they staye, my staynid corps to kill.

With that my Sabrines slender armes imbraiste
Me rounde, and would not let me so departe,
“Let me (quoth she) for hir the waters taste,
“Or let vs both together ende our smarte:
“Yea rather rippe you foorth my tender harte,
“What should I liue? but they the childe withdrew,
And mee, into the raging streame they threw.

So in the waters as I striude to swimme,
And kepte my head aboue the waues for breathe,
Me thought I sawe my childe, would venter in.
“Which cride a mayne, O let me take like deathe,
The waters straight had drawne me vndernethe,
Where striuing vp at lengthe againe came I,
And sawe my childe, and cryde farewell I die.

Then as my strength was wasted, down I went,
Eke so I plunged twice or thrice yet more:
My breath departed nedes I must relent,
The waters perst my mouth and eares so sore,
And to the botome with such force me bore,
That life, and breath, & minde, and sence was gone:
And I as dead, and colde as marble stone.

Lo thus you here the race of all my life,
And how I paste the pikes of paynefull wo,
Howe twise I thought to be a prince his wife:
And twise was quite depriude mine honour fro:

100

The third time queene, and felt foule ouerthro:
Then warne all ladies, that how much more hie,
Then their degrees they clime: mo daungers nye.

Bid them beware, leste bewty them abuse,
Beware of pride, for haue a fall it muste:
And will them Fortunes flattery to refuse:
Hir turning whele, is voyde of stedy truste:
Who reckes no meane, but leanith all to luste,
Shall finde my wordes, as true as I them tell:
Then bid beware, in time I wishe them well.

FINIS.

101

The Authoure.

With that she flitted in the ayre abrode,
As twere a miste or smoke dissolued quite,
And or I long on this had made abode,
A virgine smale, appearde before my sight,
For colde and wet eke scarsly moue she might,
As from the waters drownde she didering came:
Thus wise, hir tale in order did she frame.

LENUOYE.

Who here considers Elstrides beauty braue was seene,
Her noble birth, the sundry haps shee had:
How many erst the like infortunate haue beene,
Whose forme haue made right noble hearts full sad:
Hee neede not now in loue bee halfe so mad,
Sith beauty is the baite enbaneth many a bower,
A meate two sweete in taste, that sauced is two sower.

It caused Hercules to slay th'OEchalian King,
And Deianire her worthy fere to bane:
It caus'd the Greekes their armies forth to bring,
And Troia faire to fall, by Graecians tane.
It setled here in Britayne first the Dane,
For it of Kingdomes great the warres did oft deuoure:
The prouerbe sayth, sweete meate will haue of sauces sowre.

Wherefore let noble men beware of beauties grace,
Lest so inflam'd they chaunce to fall thereby.
If they allur'd, the Sirens sweete embrace,
And ships forsake, the waues are wilde perdy.
The monsters diue, the seas do swell to skye,
The toyling tempests tosse to reaue the vitall power,
While rockes, shelues, sands, and seas, the woefull wights deuoure.

They may hereby beholde the woefull childrens fall,
Of those which led their liues in lawelesse lust:
And learne to loue their Ladyes best of all,
Which are to them so faithfull, true, and iust.
Wherefore recyte the death of Sabrine here I must
The Lady young, mee thought, from waters droun'd that came:
Which might thus wise her tale haue seem'd to frame.

102

[SABRINE]

Sabrine the base childe of Locrinus, telles howe she was pitifully drowned by his wyfe Guendoline, in reuenge of hir fathers adulterye. The yeare before Christe. 1064.

Beholde me Sabrine orphane erste berefte,
Of all my frendes by cruell case of warre:
When as not one to treate for me was lefte,
But Ielosie did all their powres debarre,
When as my father eke was slayne in warre:
And when my mother euen before my sighte,
Was drounde to death, O wretche in wofull plighte!

Truste who so will the staffe of hie estate,
And bring me worde what stay therby you haue,
For why if Fortune once displeasure take:
She giues the foyle, though lookes be nere so braue.
Tis wisedome rather then to winne to saue,
For ofte who trustes to get a prince his trayne:
Would at the lengthe, of beggers life be fayne.

103

This might the Hunne erste Humber well haue sayde,
And this my mother Elstride proufde to true,
When as his life by striuing streames was stayde:
And when the tyrauntes hir in waters threwe.
What I may saye, my selfe reportes to you:
Which had more terrour shewde, then twyce such twayne:
Giue care, and iudge if I abode no payne.

First when my fathers corps was stroken downe,
With deadly shafte, I came to mourne and see:
And as he laye with bleding breste in sowne,
He caste asyde his watring eyes on mee.
“Flye flye (he said) thy stepdame seekes for thee,
“My wofull childe: what flight maiste thou to take,
“My Sabrine poore, I must the nedes forsake.

“See here myne ende, beholde thy fathers fall,
“Flye, flye, thy gelous stepdame seekes thy lyfe,
“Thy mother eke or this is wrapte in thrall:
“Farewell in woe you cannot scape hir knyfe:
“Farewell my childe, mine Elstride and my wyfe,
“Adew (quoth he) I may no longer byde,
“And euen with that, he gaspid thrise and dyede.

What birde can flye and sore, if stormes do rage?
What ship can sayle, if once the wyndes resiste?
What wight is that, can force of warres aswage?
Or else what warre can bridle Fortunes liste?
What man is he, that dare an hoaste resiste?
What woman only dare withstande a fielde?
If not? what childe but must to enemies yelde?

104

My fathers souldiers fled, away for feare:
As soone as once their Captaines death they scande:
The Queene proclaimde a pardon euery where:
To those would yelde, and craue it at hir hande,
Excepting such, as did her ay withstande:
For so the course alwayes of pardons goes,
As saues the souldiers, and entrapps the foes.

Then wiste I flight could nothing me preuaile,
I feard her pardon would not saue my lyfe:
The storme was such, I durst not beare a saile:
I durst not go t'intreate my fathers wyfe,
Althoughe I neuer was the cause of strife.
For gelozye, deuoyde of reasons raine:
With frensies fume, enragde her restles braine.

But see the chaunce, thus compast rounde with feare
In broyles of bloud, as in the field I stande.
I wishte to God my corps were any where,
As out of life, or of this hatefull lande:
No sooner wisht, but there was euen at hande,
“A person vile, in hast (quoth he) come on,
“Queene Elstride wil before thou come be gon.

The rascall rude, the rooge, the clubfist gript
My litle arme, and plucte me on in haste:
And with my robes, the bloudy ground he sweept,
As I drue backe: he halde me on full fast,
Vnder his arme my sclender corps he cast:
Sith that (quoth he) thou putst me to this paine,
Thou shalt thereby at length but litle gaine.

105

Thus through the hoste he bare me to my bane,
And shewde the souldiers what a spoile he had.
“Loke here (quoth he) the litle Princes tane,
And laught, and ran as brutish butcher mad.
But my lamenting made the souldiers sad,
Yet nought preuailde, the caytife as his pray:
Without all pity bare me still away.

Till at the length we came where we descride,
A nomber huge, of folkes about the Queene:
As when you see some wonder great betide,
Or els the place wher some straung sight hath beene:
So might you there the people standing seene,
And gazed all when as they see mee brought:
Then sure I demde, I was not come for nought.

And in the prease, some praisde my comlye face,
Some said lo Elstride she resembleth right:
Some said I loked like my fathers grace,
Some other said it was a piteous sight
I should so dye: the Queene mee pardon might,
Some said the thiefe mee bore did mee abuse,
And not so rudely ought a Princes vse.

But what did this redresse my wofull care,
You wot the Commons vse such prouerbs still:
And yet the captiues poore no better are,
It rather helpes their pained harts to kill:

106

To pity one in griefe doth worke him ill,
Bemone his woe: and cannot ease his thrall:
It kills his hart, but comforts nought at all.

Thus past we throw the prease, at length we came,
Into the presence of the gelous Queene,
Who nought at all the rascall rude did blame
That bare me so: but askte if I had seene
My father slaine, that cause thereof had beene,
O Queene (quoth I) God knowes mee innocent:
To worke my fathers death, I neuer ment.

With that I sawe the people looke asyde,
To vewe a mourning voyce I heard thereby,
It was my wofull mother by that cryde.
“Lo Sabrine bounde, at brinke of death I lye.
What pen or tongue, or teares with weeping eye,
Could tell my woes, that sawe my mother bounde,
On waters shore, wherein she should be drounde.

With that I fell before the Queene and praide
For mercy, but with fiery eyes she bent
Hir browes on mee: out bastarde vile (she said)
“Thou wotst not yet, wherefore for thee I sent,
“O Queene (quoth I) haue pity be content,
And if thou minde, of mercy ought to show:
Drowne mee, and let my mother harmelesse go.

For why she was a Prince his daughter borne
In Germany, and thence was brought away
Perforce by Humber, who by warres forlorne:
Thy king as captiue toke hir for his pray,

107

Thou maiste full well her case with reason weye:
What coulde she do, what more then she or I,
Thy captiues now, thine owne to liue or dye?

Take pity then, on Princely race O Queene:
Take pity, if remorce may ought require:
Take pity, on a captiue thrice hath beene:
Let pity pearce the rage of all thine ire:
But if thy breast burne with reuenging fire:
Then let my death quenche oute that fuming flame,
Sith of thy husbands bloud, and hirs I came.

Much more I saide, while teares out streaming went,
But nought of ease at all thereby I gainde,
My mother eke, did as she lay lamente:
Wherewith my hart a Thousand folde she painde,
And though the Queene my plaints to fauour fainde:
Yet at the last she bade she should prepare,
Her selfe to dye, and ende her course of care.

Than all her frends my mother Elstride namde,
And pleasures paste, and bade them all adue:
Eke as she thus her last farewell had framde,
With losse of him, from whom her sorowes grue:
At length to mee (which made my hart to rue)
“She said farewell my childe I feare thy fall:
“Ten thousand times, adewe my Sabrine small.

And as the cruel caytiues came to take
Her vp, to caste and drowne her in the floud:
I fast mine armes about her clipt did make,
And cryde, O Queene let mercy meeke thy moode:
Do rather reaue my hart of vitall bloude,
Then thus I liue: with that they slackte my holde,
And drensht my mother, in the waters colde.

108

For loue to ayde her, venter in would I,
That sawe my mother striue aloft for winde,
“To lande she lookte and saide farewell I dye.
O let me go (quoth I) like fate to finde,
“Said Guendoline come on likewise and binde
“This Sabrine hand and foote: at once let see
“Her here receiue, her whole request of mee.

“Eke as I wishe to haue in minde her fame,
“As Humbers is, which should her father beene:
“So shall this floud of Sabrine haue the name,
“That men thereby may say a righteous Queene,
“Here drownde her husbands childe of concubine.
“Therefore leaue Sabrine here thy name and life,
“Let Sabrine waters ende our mortall strife.

“Dispatch (quoth she) with that they bound me fast,
My slender armes and feete which litle neede:
And sans all mercye me in waters caste,
Which drewe me downe, & cast me vp with speede,
And downe me drensht the Sabrine fishe to feede,
Where I abode till now: from whence I came,
And there the waters holde as yet my name.

Lo thus this gelous Queene, in raging sort,
With bloudy hate bereft her husbands health:
And eke my mother Elstrids life God wot,
Which neuer ment to hurt this common wealth:
And mee Locrinus child begot by stealth:
Against all reason was it for to kill,
The childe, for that her parents erst did ill.

109

By this you see, what time our pompe doth bide:
Hereby you see th'unstedy trust in warre:
Hereby you see, the stay of states etryde:
Hereby you see, our hope to make doth marre:
Hereby you see, we fall from benche to barre:
From bench (quoth I?) nay from the Princely seate,
You see how soone vs Fortune downe doth beate.

And here you see, how lawlesse loue doth thriue:
Hereby you see, how gelous folkes do fare:
Here may you see, with wisedome they that wiue,
Neede neuer recke Cupidoes cursed snare:
Here may you see, deuorcemente breedeth care:
Here may you see, the children seldome thee,
Which in vnlawfull wedlocke goten bee.

Declare thou then our fall, and great mishap:
Declare the hap, and glory we were in:
Declare how soone we taken were in trap,
When we supposde we had most safest bin:
Declare what losse they haue that hope to win:
Farewell, and tell when Fortune most doth smile:
Then will she frowne: she laughes but euen a while.

FINIS.

110

The Authour.

With that the Lady Sabrine slinckt from sight,
I lookt about, and then me thought againe
Approched straight an other wofull wight:
It seemde as thoughe with doggs he had bin slaine,
The bloud from all his members torne amaine
Ran downe: his clothes were also torne and rente,
And from his bloudy throte these plaints he sente.

LENUOY.

A woefull thing mee thought this tale to heare,
That pittie could not moue Queene Guendoline,
When Locrine both and Elstride ended were,
Which had committed facts adulterine,
Th'adulter slayne and eke his concubine,
Not so her cruell minde could bee content,
But in reuenge to slay the Innocent.

What maruayle though shee were of such a minde,
So cruell not to spare her husbands bastard small:
Sith that of gelosie wee often finde
Examples passing reason naturall.
Of Porrex mother, reade the life who shall,
Which slew her only sonne, eke Progne was content,
To sley her sonne an harmelesse Innocent.

Medaa eke when Iason her forsooke,
And children twayne, which yong by him shee had,
Full cruelly a sword in hand shee tooke,
Reft both their liues, as cruell monster mad.
Was not Agaues cruelty so bad,
Which Pentheus her sonne to sley could bee content,
Because hee nilde to Bacchanalls assent?

I will no more of these as now recite,
Whose cruelty deserued all disgrace:
Nor yet in generall thus wise I write,
The worthy sexe of women to deface.
Tis gelosie reproued here in place.
But now I turne to Madan all to rent,
Which next on stage thus wise to talke him bent.

111

[MADAN]

Madan shewes how for his euill life he was slaine of Wolues, the yeare before Christe. 1009.

Amongste the rest, that sate in hauty seate,
And felt the fall I pray the pen for mee:
A Tragedy maye some such wisedome geate,
As they may learne, and somewhat wiser bee.
For in my glasse when as themselues they see,
They may beware my fall from Fortunes lap,
Shal teach them how, t'eschew the like mishap.

I am that Madan once that Britaine kinge,
Was thirde that euer raigned in this lande,
Marke well therefore my death: as straunge a thinge
As some would deeme, could scarce with reason stande:
Yet when thou hast my life well throughly scande:
Thou shalt perceiue, not halfe so straunge as true:
Ill life: worse death, doth after still insue.

For when my mother Guendoline had raignde
In my nonage, full xv yeares she dyed:
And I but yonge not well in vertues trainde,
Was left this Realme of Britaynes for to guide:

112

Whereby when once, my minde was puft with pride:
I past for nought, I vsde my lust for lawe:
Of right, or iustice reckte I not a strawe.

No meane I kept, but ruled all by rage:
No boundes of measure, could me compasse in:
Durst none aduenture anger mine t'aswage,
If once to freate and fume I did begin:
And I excelde in nothing els but sinne:
So that welnighe all men did wishe my ende,
Saue such to whom for vice I was a frende.

In pleasures pleasaunt was my whole repaste.
My youth me led deuoyde of compasse quite,
And vices were so rooted in at last:
That to recure the euill it past my might.
For who so doth with will and pleasure fight,
Though all his force do striue them to withstande,
Without good grace they haue the vpper hande.

What licoure first, the earthen pot doth take:
It keepeth still the sauour of that same.
Full hard it is a cramocke straight to make:
Or crooked logges, with wainscot fine to frame:
Tis hard to make the cruel Tiger tame:
And so it fares with those haue vices caught,
Naught once (they saye) and euer after naught.

I speake not this as though it past all cure,
From vices vile, to vertue to retire:
But this I saye if vice be once in vre,
The more you shall, to quite your selfe requyre,

113

The more you plunge your selfe in fulsome myre.
As he that striues in soakte quicke sirtes of sande,
Still sinkes, scarse neuer comes againe to lande.

The giftes of grace may nature ouercome,
And God may graunt both time and leaue repente:
Yet I did more in laps of lewdnes run,
And last my time in tyrauntes trade I spente.
But who so doth, with bloudy actes contente
His minde, shall sure at laste finde like againe:
And feele for pleasures, thousand panges of paine.

For in the midste of those vntrusty toyles,
When as I nothing fearde, but all was sure:
With all my trayne, I hunting rode for spoyles
Of them, who after did my death procure:
Those lewde delightes did boldly me alure,
To folow still and to pursue the chase:
At laste I came into a deserte place.

Besette with hilles, and monstrous rockes of stone,
My company behinde, me lost, or stayde:
The place was eke with hauty trees oregrowne
So wiste, and wylde it made me half afrayde,
And straight I was with rauening wolues betrayd:
Came out of caues, and dennes, and rockes a maine,
There was I rent in pieces, kilde and slaine.

114

Alasse that youth (in vayne) so vyly spente,
Should euer cause a king to haue such ende:
Alasse that euer I should here lament,
Or else should teache vnto my cost my frende:
Alasse that fortune such mishap should sende:
But sithe it is to late for me to crie,
I wishe that others may take hede me by.

I might full well by wisdome shund this snare,
Tis sayde a wiseman all mishap withstandes.
For though by starres we borne to mischieues are:
Yet prudence bayles vs quite from careful bandes,
Eche man (they say) his fate hath in his handes,
And what he makes, or marres to lese, or saue
Of good, or euill, is euen selfe do, selfe haue.

As here thou seest by me, that led my dayes
In vicious sorte, for greedy wolues a praye:
Warne others wysely, than to guide their wayes
By myne example, well eschue they may,

115

Suche vices as may worke their owne decay:
Which if they do, full well is spent the time
To warne, to wryte, and eke to reade this rime.

FINIS.

116

The Authoure.

When this was said, no more was Madan sene,
(If it were he) but sure I halfe suspecte
It was some other else, so serude had bene,
For that all stories do not so detecte
His death, or else I dide perhaps neglecte
His tale, because that diuers stories broughte,
Suche fancies of his death into my thoughte.

Therefore although it be not as some write
Here pende by me, and yet as others haue:
Let it not griue thee reade that I recite,
And take what counsaile of good life he gaue:
I trust I may (that dreame) some pardon craue,
For if the reste, no dreames but stories pen:
Can I for that they write be blamed then?

117

No sure, I thinke the readers will not giue
Such captious dome, as Momus erste did vse,
Though Zoilus impes as yet do carping liue:
And all good willing writers much misuse.
Occasion biddes me some such beastes accuse,
Yet for their bawling hurtes me not I nill:
But with my purpose, on procede I will.

Next after that, came one in princely raye
A worthy wight but yonge, yet felt the fall:
It seemde he had bene at some warlike fraye,
His breste was woundid wyde and bloudy all:
And as to mynde he musde his factes to call,
Depe sighes he fet, made all his limmes to shake:
At length these wordes, or like to me he spake.

LENUOY.

Thus haue you here the end of Madan seene,
(If it were hee) and yet I may suspect
It was some other Prince so seru'd had beene,
For that all stories doe not so detect
His death that Princely vertues did neglect.
But if hee died by wolues, as here I write,
His vice the cause mine author doth resite.

Wherefore although that authors heere dissent,
And I haue pend as praysed stories haue:
To reade his warnings thou maist bee content,
And take what counsaile of good life hee gaue.
I trust, I (dreaming) may some pardon craue,
For if the rest no dreames but stories pen,
Can I for that they write bee blamed then?

But what neede I on this to longer stay,
Sith many moe remayne which felt the fall.
Of Britayne Princes heathen reade you may,
As Maline one appearing next of all:
Whose tale in order now resite I shall.
Then here conceiue this wounded Prince you see,
Thus wise, of Fortune, speaking vnto mee.

[MANLIUS]

Manlius declares how he minding to kill his brother for the kingdome was by him slayne. The yeare before Christe. 1008.

Yf Fortune were so firme as she is frayle,
Or glosing glorie, were still permanent:
If no mishap our doings did assaile,
Or that our actes & factes were innocent,

118

If we in hope no hurte nor hatred ment:
Or dealing ay were don with dutie dewe,
We neuer coulde, our great misfortunes rewe.

If pompe were payne, and pride were not in price,
Or hawty seate had not the highest place,
If we could lerne by others to be wise,
Or else eschew the daungers of our race:
If once we coulde the golden meane embrace,
Or banishe quite ambition from our breste:
We neuer nede to recke, or reape vnreste.

But O we thinke, such sweetenes in renowne,
We deme on earth, is all the greatest hap:
We nothing feare, the hurte of falling downe:
Or litle rome, in lady Fortunes lap,
We giue no hede, before we get the clap:
And then to late, we wishe we had bene wise:
When from the fall, we would and cannot rise.

As if two twinnes, or children at the teate
Of nurce, or mother both at once might be:
And both did striue, the better dugge to geate

119

Till one were downe, and slipte beside hir knee:
Euen so it fares, by others and by me
In fortunes lap: we haue so litle holde,
She cannot staye, both striuing if she would.

I am that Manlius, one of Madans sonnes,
Which thought to raigne and rule this noble Ile,
And would so don: but see what chaunce ther comes,
When brethren loue, and frendship quite exile.
Who thinkes another of his right beguyle,
Him selfe is soonest cleane bereaude of all:
Insteade of rule, we reape the crop of thrall.

My elder brother then Mempricius hight,
Whose hauty minde, and mine did euer square:
We euermore as foes hight other spite,
And deadly Ire in hatefull hartes we bare.
He sought alwayes he might to worke me care,
And eache regarded others enuy so:
As after turnid both to painfull wo.

Because my father loude me well therfore,
My brother feared I should haue his right:
Likewise on fauour boldned I me bore,
And nether had in vertues wayes delite:

120

What nede I here our inwarde griefes recyte?
We not as brethren liude in hatrid still,
And sought occasion other eache to kill.

I for because I might obtaine the crowne:
And he for that he fearde my fauoure bred,
Such frendship, as might alwayes kepe him downe,
And both depriue him of his crowne and head.
But when it chaunste, our father once was dead,
Then straight appeared all our enuy playne:
And I could not from mine attempt refrayne.

See here, th'occasion of my haplesse happe,
See here, his chaunce that might haue liude ful well:
So baited swete is euery deadly trappe:
In brauiste bowres, doth deepest daunger dwell,
I thought mine elder from his right t'expell,
Though he both age, and custome forth did bring,
For title right: I sayd I would be king.

Some wishte we should, departe the realme in two,
And sayde my father eke was of that mynde:
But nether of vs both, that so would do,
We were not eche to other halfe so kinde,
And vile ambition made vs both so blynde:
We thought our raigne, coulde not be sure & good,
Except the ground therof were laide with bloud.

121

Wherfore as eache did watche conuenient time,
For to commit this haynous bloudy facte:
My selfe was taken not accusde of crime,
As if I had offendid any acte.
But he as one that witte and reason lacte,
Saide traitour vile thou arte to me vntrue:
And therewithall his bloudy blade he drewe.

Not like a king, but like a cutthrote fell:
Not like a brother, like a butcher brute:
Though twere no worse, then I deserued well:
He gaue no time, to reason or dispute.
To late it was, to make for life my suite:
Take traytour here (quoth he) thy whole deserte,
And therwithall he thrust me to the harte.

Thus was I by my brutishe brother slayne:
Which likewyse mente my brother for to kill,
This oftentimes, they vse to get and gaine,
Which do inuente anothers bloud to spill.
Was neuer man pretendid such an ill,
But God to him like measure shortly sente:
As he to others erste before had mente.

122

Vniustice euer thriues, as theues doe thie:
And bloudthirste cries for vengeaunce at his hande,
Which all our right and wronges doth daily see:
The good to ayde, and gracelesse to withstande:
If ether vice or vertue we abande:
We ether are rewarded, as we serue:
Or else are plaged, as our deedes deserue.

Let this my warning then suffise eche sorte,
Bid them beware, example here they see:
It passeth playe, tis tragicall disporte,
To clime a step aboue their owne degree,
For though they thinke good fortune serude not me,
Yet did she vse me, as she vsde the reste:
And so I thinke, she seruith euen the beste.

FINIS.

123

The Authour.

When Manlius had thus endid quite his tale,
He vanishte out of sight as did the reste:
And I perceiued straight a persone pale,
Whose throte was torne and blodied all his breste,
“Shall I (quoth he) for audience make requeste,
“No sure it nedes not, straunge it semes to thee:
“What he that beares this rentid corps should bee.

“Wherefore I deeme thou canst not chuse but byde,
“And here my tale as others erste before:
“Sythe by so straunge a meanes thou seest I dyde,
“With rentid throte and breste, thou musiste more:
“Marke well (quoth he) my ratling voyce therfore,
And therwithall, this tale he gan to tell,
Which I recyte, though nothing nere so well.

LENUOY.

This was mee thought that time the ruefull tale,
That Maline drewe from out his wounded breast.
A woefull thing to heare the Princes bale
Should by his brother boldly bee addrest.
But yet wee see such rage in tyraunts rest,
If they may beare alofte alone the sway,
For Kingdomes sake they care not whom they slay.

Examples are King Porrex of this thing,
The Romish Antonine did euen the same:
But what neede I of these examples bring:
Such tyraunts euer yet deserued blame,
And haue procur'd them selues, beside defame,
Not only after shorter time of sway,
But most they were by others made away.

Now here Mempricius which his brother slew
Was after King, as plainely stories tell:
Whose filthy facts all princes ought eschew,
And subiects eke, that hope to prosper well.
Hee next appear'd declaring how hee fell,
Eke how his brother deare hee made away,
And how the Wolues in hunting did them slay.

124

[MEMPRICIUS]

Mempricius giuen all to luste, pleasure and the sinne of Sodomye: telles how he was deuoured of wolues. The yeares before Christ. 989.

Tis often sayd a man should do likewyse
To other, as he would to him they did:
Do as thou wouldste be don to saith the wyse,
And do as conscience, and as iustice byd.
But he that myndes for rule another ryd,
Must not his handes with cruell bloud distayne:
For bloud doth alwayes cry for bloud agayne.

Eke lustfull life that sleepes in sinkes of sinne
Procures a plague, fy fy on Venus vyle.
We litle wot the mischiefe is therein,
When we with poisons sweete our selues beguile:
The pleasures passe, the ioyes indure but while,
And nought thereby at all we get or gaine:
But dreadfull death, and euerlasting paine.

125

Mee thincks thou lookist for to haue my name,
And musist what I am that thus do com:
I would or this haue tolde it but for shame,
Wherefore to giue example yet to som:
I will no longer faine my selfe so dom,
But sith I must as others tell their fall:
Take here my name, my life, my death and all.

I am Mempricius, Madans eldest sonne,
Once king of Britaine that my brother slewe:
Whereby the crowne, and kingdome all I won,
And after norisht vices moe that grewe.
Not natures lawes, nor Gods, nor mans I knew,
But liude in lust not recking any thing:
I demde was nought vnlawfull for a king.

For when I had my brother brought on beare,
I thought in rest to keepe this kingdome longe
And I was voyde of doubt, I had no feare:
Was none durst checke me, did I right or wrong:
I liude at large, and thought my powre so stronge:
There could no man preuaile against my will,
In steede of lawe that vsed rigor still.

So after that I fell to slouthfull ease,
A vice that breedes a nomber more besyde:
I waxt so testie none durst me displease

126

And eke so puft with glory vaine and pride.
My sencelesse sence as ship without a guide,
Was tost with euery fancye of my braine:
Like Phoebus chariote, vnder Phaetons raine.

I deemde them foes that me good counsaile gaue,
And those my chiefest frends could glose and lye:
I hated them that were so sage and graue,
And those I loude were lustye, lewde and slye:
I did the wisest wittes as fooles defye:
Such sots, knaues, ruffians, roisters I embrast:
As were vnwise, vnhonest, rude, vnchast.

I lusted eke as lothsome lechers vse,
My subiects wiues and daughters at my will
I did so often as me pleasde abuse,
Perforce I kept them at my pleasure still.
Thus gat I queanes, and concubines at fill:
And for their sakes I put away my wyfe:
Such was my lewdnes, lust, and lawlesse lyfe

But shame forbids mee for to tell the rest,
It mee abhorres to shew what did insue:
And yet because it moueth in my brest,
Compunction still and was God wot to true:
I will declare whence my destruction grue:
To Sodomes sinne alas I fell and than,
I was despised, both of God and man.

Could I long prosper thus, do you suppose?
Might ought of euill exceede these vices told?
Thincke you thers any wight on ground that goes,

127

Might scape reuenge, of vice so manifolde?
No sure, who is in sinnefulnes so bolde,
His vices fare like weedes, they sproute so fast:
They kill the corps, as weedes the corne at last.

My great outrage, my heedelesse heade, the life
I beastly led, could not continue soe,
My brothers bloud, my leauing of my wife:
And working of my frendes and subiects woe,
Cride still to God for my fowle ouerthroe:
Which heares the wrongd, he heedes their careful case,
And at the length doth all their foes deface.

Yet I mistrusting no mishaps at hande,
(Though I were worthy twenty times to dye)
I lewdly liude, and did my wealth withstande:
I neuer thought my ende was halfe so nye.
For my disport I rode on hunting I,
In woodes the fearefull hart I chased fast:
Till quite I lost my company at last.

And or I wist, to cost I found my foes,
By chaunce I came, wher as the wolues they bred.
Which in a moment did me rounde inclose:
And mounted at my horse his throte, and head.
Some on his hinder parts their paunches fed,
Yet fought I still to scape, if it might bee:
Till they my fainted horse, pulde downe with mee.

Then was I hopelesse to escape their iawes,
They fastned all their holders fast on mee:
And on my royall robes they set their clawes,
My Princely presence, nor my highe degree,

128

Moude them no more obeysaunt for to bee,
Nor of my corps, to take no more remorce:
Then did the greeuous groning of my horse.

But rauenously they rent, my breast and throte,
Forsoke my steede, came all at once and tare
My tender corps, from which they fleyde my coate.
And of my fleshe they made at all no spare:
They neuer left mee till my bones were bare.
Lo thus I slewe my brother, left my wife,
Liude vilely, and as vilely ended life.

Beware of bloudy broyles, beware of wronge:
Embrace the counsaile of the wise and sage.
Trust not to powre, though it be nere so stronge:
Beware of rashnes rude and roisters rage.
Eschew vile Venus toyes, she cuttes of age,
And learne this lesson of (and teach) thy frende:
By pocks, death sodaine, begging, harlots ende.

FINIS.

129

The Authour.
[_]

[The rewritten lenvoy of 1587 introducing the new tragedy of Bladud is printed on p. 227 with the tragedies added in 1587.]

On this mee thought he vanishte quite away,
And I was left with Morpheus all alone:
Whom I desyrde these gryzely ghostes to stay,
Till I had space to heare them one by one.
And euen with that was Somnus seruaunt gone,
Whereby I slept and toke mine ease that night,
And in the morninge rose their tales to write.

Nowe (Reader) if you thincke I miste my marke,
In any thinge whilere but stories tolde:
You must consider that a simple clarke,
Hath not such skill theffect of things t'unfolde,
But may with ease of wiser be controlde:
Eke who so writes as much the like as this,
May hap be demde likewise as much to misse.

Wherefore if these may not content your minde,
As eche man cannot fauour all mens vaines:
I pray you yet let me this frendship finde,
Giue your good will, I craue nought els for paines,
Which if you grutch mee, as to great a gaines:
Then is my loue to you, and labour lost,
And you may learne take heede, with greater cost.

But now me thinckes I heare the carpers tell,
Saith one, the writer wanted wordes to fill:
The next reproued the verse not couched well:
The thirde declares, where lackte a point of skill:

130

Some others say they like the myter ill.
But what of this? shall these dismay mee quite?
No sure, I will not cease for such to write.

For with more ease, in other workes they finde
A fault, then take vpon themselues to pen
So much, and eke content eche readers minde:
How should my verse craue all their likings then?
Sith sondry are the sects of diuers men,
I must endeuoure only those to please:
Which like that comes, so it be for their ease.

The rest I recke as they blame worthy bee,
For if the words I wrote for good intent:
Take other sence then they receiude of mee,
Be turnde to worse, torne, reached, rackt or rent
Or hackt and hewde, not constred as I ment:
The blame is theirs, which with my workes so mell:
Lesse faulty he that wisht his country well.

If some be pleasde and easde, I lease no toyle,
At carpers gyrdle hanges not all the keyes:
What price gaines he, that giues him fall or foyle,
Which neuer wan by wrastling any prayse,
I haue not spent in poetrye my dayes,
Some other workes in proase I printed haue:
And more I write for which I leysure saue.

And for mine age not thirty yeares hath past,
No style so rype can yonger yeares ataine.
For of them all, but onlye ten the last,
To learne the tongues, and write I toke the paine,
If I thereby receyued any gaine,
By Frenche or Latine chiefely which I chose,
These fiue yeares past by writing I disclose.

131

Of which, the first two yeares I Grammer taught:
The other twaine, I Huloets worke enlargde:
The last translated Aldus phrases fraught
With eloquence, and toke of Terence charge
At Printers hand, to adde the flowers at large
Which wanted there, in Vdalles worke before:
And wrote this booke with other diuers more.

Then pardon whats amisse, a while giue eare,
So shall you heare the rest that I recite,
Describing next what Princes did apeare:
When I had ended these are past to write.
In slomber as I chaunst to lye one night,
Was Somnus prest, whom I desyrde to sende
His Morpheus ayde, these Tragedies to ende.

Wherewith he graunted my request and calde
For Morpheus straight: which knew wherto he came.
“I will (quoth he) the rest, whom Fortune thralde.
“Of Britaynes shewe: thy selfe to heare them frame.
And therewithall he fet forth one like Fame,
In fethers all with winges so finely dight:
As twere a birde, in humane shape of flight.

Yet twas not Fame that femme of painted plume,
He rather seemed Icarus deceaude,
With winges to flye nighe Phoebus did presume.
At length in deede I plainly well perceaude,
It was some kinge of vitall breath bereaude,
From flight he fell presuming farre to hye:
Giue eare, take heede and learne not so to flye.

132

[BLADUD]

Bladud recyteth howe he practizinge by curious arts to flye, fell, and brake his necke. The yeare before Christe. 844:

[_]

[The Tragedy of Bladud was rewritten in the prevailing seven-line stanza for the edition of 1587. The later version is printed with the tragedies added in 1587, pp. 228–34.]

Shall I rehearse, likewise my name?
And eke a place amongste them fill,
Which at their endes to mischiefe came?
Sith Morpheus bids mee so I will.

And that because I see the minde,
To write my storye fate and fall,
Such curious heads it reade and finde:
May fly, to flee, and shunne my thrall.

If daunger teach them liue take heede:
If leesers harme, make lookers wyse:
If warines, do safetye breede,
Or wracke make sailers shelues dispise.

Then may my hurt, giue sample sure:
My losse of life may lokers learne:
My warning may beware procure,
To such as daunger scarce discerne.

I am that Bladud Britaine kinge,
Rudhudebras his eldest sonne,
Did learning first to England bring:
And other wonders more were done.

133

Nowe giue me eare, and after wryte:
Marke well my life example take:
Eschue the euill that I recyte,
And of my death a myrrour make.

In youth I gaue my mynde to lore,
For I in learning tooke repaste:
No earthly pleasure likte me more,
I went to Athens at the laste.

A towne in Greece, whose fame went foorth
Through all the world hir name was spred:
I counted knowledge so much woorth,
Hir only loue to Greece me led.

There first of all the artes of seuen,
Wherein before I had small skill:
I Grammer gate declares the steuen,
By rule to speake, and wryte at will.

Next after that in Rhetoricke fine,
Which teacheth how the talke to fyle:
I gate some knoweledge in short tyme,
And could perswade within a whyle.

I thirdly learned Logicke well,
An arte that teacheth to dispute:
To aunswere wisely or refell,
Distinguishe, proue, disproue, confute.

Then after that of nomber, I
The skilfull arte likwyse attainde:
Wherin of Mathematickes lye,
Full many pointes I after gainde.

134

And Musicke milde I lernde that telles,
Tune, tyme, and measure of the song:
A science swete the reste excelles,
For melody hir notes among.

But sixtly I the dame of artes,
Geometrie of great engine
Employde, with all hir skilfull partes:
Therby some greater giftes to winne.

So laste I lernde Astronomie,
A lofty arte that paste them all:
To know by motions of the skye,
And fixed starres, what chaunce might fall.

This pleasaunt arte alured me,
To many fonde inuentions then:
For iudgementes of Astrologie,
Delites the mindes of wisest men.

So doth the arte Phisiognomie,
Dependes on iudgment of the face:
And that of Metoposcopie,
Which of the forehead telles the grace.

And Chiromancie by the hande,
Coniectures of the inwarde minde:
Eke Geomancie by the lande,
Doth diuers many farlies finde.

Augurium eke was vsde of olde
By byrdes of future thinges presagde:
And many thinges therby they tolde,
Were skilfull, learned, wise and agde.

135

But Magicke for it, seemid sweete,
And full of wonders made me muse:
For many feates I thought it meete,
And pleasaunt for a prince to vse.

Three kindes there are, for natures skill,
The first they Naturall do name:
In which by herbes and stones they will,
Worke wonders thinges, are worthy fame.

The next is Mathematicall,
Where Magicke workes by nature so:
That brasen heades make speake it shall,
Of woode birdes, bodies flye, and go.

The thirde Veneficall by right,
Is named for by it they make:
The shapes of bodies chaunge in sight,
And other formes on them to take.

What nede I tell what Theurgie is,
Or Necromancie you despise:
A diuelishe arte, the feenes by this,
Seme calde, and coniurde to arise.

Of these too much I lerned then,
By those such secrete artes profeste:
For of the wise and skilfull men,
Whome Fame had praisde I gate the beste.

They promiste for to teache me so,
The secretes of dame natures skill:
That I nede neuer taste of woe,
But alwayes might forsee it still.

136

Wherefore enflamed with their loue,
I brought away the beste I coulde:
From Greece to Britayne lande to proue,
What feates for me deuise they woulde.

Of which were foure Philosophers,
For passing skill excelde the reste:
Phisitians and Astronomers,
In Athens all they were the beste.

My father harde of my retourne,
Of my successe in learning there:
And how the Greecians did adourne,
My wittes with artes that worthy were.

He herde likewise what store I brought,
Of learned Greekes from Aticke soyle:
And of my laboure learning sought,
With study, trauayle, paine and toyle.

I likewyse herde he builded here,
Three townes while absente thence was I:
By Southe he foundid Winchester,
By East he built Cantorbury.

By Weste full highe he builte the laste,
On hill from waters depe belowe:
Calde Shaftesbury on rockes full faste,
It standes and giues to Seas a showe.

These causde we both might well reioyce
He for because I gate such fame:
And I, for that by all mennes voyce,
His factes deserude immortall name.

137

What nedes much talke the peres, and all
The commons eke with one assente:
Extolde my name especiall,
Which had my youthe in learning spent.

I was receaude with triumphes great,
With pageauntes in eache towne I paste:
And at the courte my princly seate,
Was by my fathers ioyned faste.

The nobles then desirde to haue,
On me their children wayte and tende:
And royall giftes with them me gaue,
As might their powres therto extende.

But here began my cause of care,
As all delightes at length haue ende:
Bemixte with woes our pleasures are,
Amidste my ioyes, I loste a frende.

My father, nyne and twenty yeares,
This tyme had raignde and helde the crowne:
As by your cronicles appeares,
Whan fates, on vs began to frowne.

For euen amidste his moste of ioye,
As youth, and strengthe and honours fade:
Sore sicknes did him long anoye,
At laste, of life an ende it made.

Then was I chose king of this lande,
And had the crowne as had the reste:
I bare the scepter in my hande,
And sworde that all our foes oppreste.

138

Eke for because the Greekes did vse,
Me well in Greece at Athens late:
I bad those foure I brought to chuse,
A place that I might dedicate.

To all the Muses and their artes,
To learnings vse for euermore:
Which when they sought in diuers partes,
At last they found a place therfore.

Amidst the realme it lies welnighe,
As they by arte and skill did proue:
An healthfull place not lowe nor highe,
An holsome soyle for their behoue.

With water streames, and springes for welles:
And medowes sweete, and valeyes grene:
And woodes, groaues, quaries, all thinge else
For studentes weale, or pleasure bene.

When they reported this to me,
They prayde my grace that I would builde,
Them there an vniuersitie,
The fruites of learning for to yelde.

I buylte the scholes, like Atikes then,
And gaue them landes to maintayne those:
Which were accounted learned men,
And could the groundes of artes disclose.

The towne is called Stamforde yet,
There stande the walles vntill this daye:
Foundations eke of scholes I set,
Bide yet not maintainde in decaye.

139

Wherby the lande receauid store,
Of learned clarkes long after that:
But nowe giue eare I tell the more,
And then my fall, and great mishap.

Because that time Apollo was,
Surmisde the God that gaue vs wit:
I builte his temple braue did passe,
At Troynouant the place is yet.

Some saye I made the batthes at Bathe:
And made therfore two tunnes of brasse:
And other twayne seuen saltes that haue
In them, but these be made of glasse

With sulpher fylde, and other things,
Wylde fire, saltgem, salte peter eke:
Salte armoniake, salte Alchime,
Salte comune, and salte Arabecke.

Salte niter mixid with the rest,
In these fowre tunnes by portions right:
Fowre welles to laye them in were dreste,
Wherin they boyle, both daye and night.

The water springes them rounde about,
Doth ryse for ay and boyleth still:
The tunnes within and eke without,
Do all the welles with vapoures fill.

So that the heate and clensing powre,
Of Sulpher and of salts and fyre:
Doth make the bathes eche pointed houre,
To helpe the sickly health desyre.

140

These bathes to soften sinewes haue,
Great vertue and to scoure the skin:
From morphew white, and blacke to saue,
The bodies faint, are bathde therein.

For leprye, scabs, and sores are olde,
For scurfes, and botche, and humors fall:
The bathes haue vertues many folde,
If God giue grace to cure them all.

The ioyntes are swelde, and hardned milte:
And hardned liuer palseis paine,
The poxe and itche, if worke thou wilt,
By helpe of God it heales againe.

Shall I renege I made them then?
Shall I denye my cunning founde?
By helpe I had of learned men,
Those worthy welles in gratefull grounde?

I will do so: for God gaue grace,
Whereby I knewe what nature wrought:
And lent me lore to finde the place,
By wisedome where those welles I sought.

Which once confest lo here my harme,
Eschewe the like if thou be wise:
Let neuer will thy wits becharme,
Or make the chaunge of kinde deuise.

For if the fishe would learne to goe,
And leaue to swim against his vre:
When he were quite the waters froe,
He could not swim you may be sure.

141

Or if the beast would learne to flye,
That had no plumes by nature lent:
And get him winges as earst did I,
Would not thincke you it him repent?

Though Magicke Mathematicall,
Make wooden birdes to flye and sore:
Eke brasen heads that speake they shall,
And promise many marueiles more,

Yet sith it swarues from Natures will,
As much as these that I recite:
Refuse the fondnes of such skill,
Doth ay with death the proufe requite.

I deemde I could more soner frame,
My selfe to flye then birdes of woode:
And ment to get eternall fame,
Which I esteemde the greatest good.

I deckt my selfe with plumes and winges,
As here thou seest in skilfull wise:
And many equall poysing thinges,
To ayde my flight, to fall or rise.

Thou thinckste an art that seldome vsde,
In hand I toke, and so it was:
But we no daunger then refusde,
So we might bring our feates to passe.

By practise at the length I could,
Gainst store of winde with ease arise:
And then which way to light I should,
And mount, and turne I did deuise.

142

Which learned but not perfectly,
Before I had there of the sleight:
I flew aloft but downe fell I,
For want of skill againe to light.

Vpon the temple earst I built,
To God Apollo, downe I fell:
In fiters broisde for such a guilt,
A iust reuenge requited well.

For what should I presume so highe,
Against the course of nature quite:
To take me winges and saye to flye,
A foole no fowle in fethers dight.

As learning sounds and cunning finds,
To such haue wit the same to vse:
So she confounds, and marres the mindes,
Of those her secrets seeme t'abuse.

Well then deserts requirde my fall,
Presumption proude, depriude my breath:
Renowne bereft my life and all,
Desire of praise, procurde my death:

Do let alureing arts alone,
They pleasaunt seeme yet are they vaine:
Amongst an hundreth scarce is one,
Doth ought thereby but labour gaine.

Their cunning castes are crafty cares,
Deuices vaine deuisde by men:
Such witched wiles are Sathans snares,
To traine in fooles, dispise them then.

143

Their wisedome is but wily wit,
Their sagenes is but subtilty:
Darke dreames deuisde for fooles are fit,
And such as practise pampestry.

Thou seest my fall and eke the cause,
Vnwisely I good giftes abusde:
Lo here the hurt of learned sawes,
If they be wrested or misusde.

Then write my story with the rest,
May pleasure when it comes to vewe:
Take heede of counsailes all is best,
Beware, take heede farewell adieu.

Farewell, will students keepe in minde,
ουκ αρετα κακα εργα:
Els May they chaunce like fate to finde,
For why, τοις κακοις τρις κακα.

τελος.

144

The Authour.

When Bladud thus had ended quite his tale,
And tolde his life as you haue hearde before:
He toke his flight and then a Lady pale,
Apearde in sight, beraide with bloudy gore:
In hande a knife of sanguine dye she bore:
And in her breast a wounde was pearced wyde,
So freshly bledde, as if but than she dyde.

She staide a while, her colour came and went,
And doubtfull was that would haue tolde hir paine:
In wofull sort she seemed to lament,
And could not well her tongue from talke refraine.
For why her griefes vnfolde she would right faine,
Yet bashfull was: at length an ende to make,
Hir Morpheus wild, and then thus wise she spake.

LENUOY.

Who so that takes in hand the aire to scale,
As Bladud here did take on him to flie:
Or Dedals sonne (as Poets tell the tale)
Yong Icarus, that flew (they say) so hie:
Or else as Simon Magus flew perdy:
Though nere so well his plumes and winges hee decke,
By sea h'is dround, by land hee breakes his necke.

On ground is surest place for men to goe,
But yet take heede and let your ground bee good:
The surest footing is perdy beloe,
Who flyes the aire I count his dealing wood.
The slender buildings hauty, feoble stoode,
On high the tempests haue much powre to wrecke:
Then best to hide beneath, and surest for the necke.

King Bladud yet might here commended bee,
For that hee loued learning all his daies:
Eke for hee built an Vniuersity
At Staneford first, hee well deserued praise,
But now his nice Cordila here assaies,
From bleeding breast, to tell her woefull wrecke,
With knife in hand her desperate death to decke.

145

[CORDILA]

Cordila shewes how by despaire when she was in prison she slue herselfe. the yeare before Christe. 800.

Yf any wofull wight haue cause, to waile her woe:
Or griefes are past do pricke vs Princes tel our fal:
My selfe likewise must needes constrained eke do so,
And shew my like misfortunes and mishaps withal.
Should I keepe close my heauy haps and thral?
Then did I wronge: I wrongde my selfe and thee,
Which of my facts, a witnes true maist bee.

A woman yet must blushe when bashfull is the case,
Though truth bid tell the tale and story as it fell:
But sith that I mislike not audience time nor place
Therefore, I cannot still keepe in my counsaile well:
No greater ease of hart then griefes to tell,
It daunteth all the dolours of our minde,
Our carefull harts thereby great comfort finde.

For why to tell that may recounted be againe,
And tell it as oure cares may compasse ease:
That is the salue and medcine of our paine,
Which cureth corsyes all and sores of our disease:

146

It doth our pinching panges, and paines apease:
It pleades the part of an assured frende,
And telles the trade, like vices to amende.

Therefore if I more willing be to tell my fall,
And shew mishaps to ease my burdened brest and minde:
That others haply may auoide and shunne like thrall,
And thereby in distresse more ayde and comfort finde.
They maye keepe measure where as I declinde,
And willing be to flye like bruite and blame:
As I to tell, or thou to write the same.

For sith I see the prest to heare that wilt recorde,
What I Cordila tell to ease my inward smart:
I will resite my storye tragicall ech worde,
To the that giust an eare to heare and ready art,
And lest I set the horse behinde the cart,
I minde to tell ech thinge in order so,
As thou maiste see and shewe whence sprang my wo.

My grandsyre Bladud hight that found the Bathes by skill,
A fethered king that practisde for to flye and soare:
Whereby he felt the fall God wot against his will,
And neuer went, roode, raignde nor spake, nor flew no more.

147

Who dead his sonne my father Leire therefore,
Was chosen kinge, by right apparent heyre,
Which after built the towne of Leircestere.

He had three daughters, first and eldest hight Gonerell:
Next after hir, my sister Ragan was begote:
The thirde and last was, I the yongest namde Cordell,
And of vs all, our father Leire in age did dote.
So minding hir that loude him best to note,
Because he had no sonne t'enioye his lande:
He thought to giue, where fauoure most he fande.

What though I yongest were, yet men me iudgde more wise
Then either Gonorell, or Ragan had more age,
And fayrer farre: wherefore my sisters did despise
My grace, and giftes, and sought my praise t'swage:
But yet though vice gainst vertue die with rage,
It cannot keepe her vnderneth to drowne,
But still she flittes aboue, and reapes renowne.

Yet nathelesse, my father did me not mislike:
But age so simple is, and easye to subdue:
As childhode weake, thats voide of wit and reason quite:
They thincke thers nought, you flater fainde, but all is true:
Once olde and twice a childe, tis said with you,
Which I affirme by proofe, that was definde:
In age my father had a childishe minde.

148

He thought to wed vs vnto nobles three, or Peres:
And vnto them and theirs, deuide and part the lande:
For both my sisters first he sent as first their yeares
Requirde their mindes, and loue, and fauour t'understand.
(Quod he) all doubtes of duty to abande,
I must assaye and eke your frendships proue:
Now tell me eche how much you do me loue.

Which when they aunswered, they loude him wel and more
Then they themselues did loue, or any worldly wight:
He praised them and said he would againe therefore,
The louing kindnes they deserude in fine requite:
So found my sisters fauour in his sight,
By flatery fayre they won their fathers hart:
Which after turned, him and mee to smart.

But not content with this he minded me to proue,
For why he wonted was to loue me wonders well:
How much dost thou (quoth he) Cordile thy father loue?
I will (said I) at once my loue declare and tell:
I loude you euer as my father well,
No otherwise, if more to know you craue:
We loue you chiefly for the goodes you haue.

149

Thus much I said, the more their flattery to detect,
But he me answerd therunto again with Ire,
Because thou dost thy fathers aged yeares neglect,
That loude the more of late then thy desertes require,
Thou neuer shalt, to any part aspire
Of this my realme, emong thy sisters twayne,
But euer shalt vndotid ay remayne.

Then to the king of Albany for wife he gaue
My sister Gonerell, the eldest of vs all:
And eke my sister Ragan for Hinnine to haue,
Which then was Prince of Camber and Cornwall:
These after him should haue his kingdome all
Betwene them both, he gaue it franke and free:
But nought at all, he gaue of dowry mee.

At last it chaunst the king of Fraunce to here my fame,
My beutie braue, was blazed all abrode eche where:
And eke my vertues praisde me to my fathers blame
Did for my sisters flattery me lesse fauoure beare.
Which when this worthy king my wrongs did heare,
He sent ambassage likte me more then life,
T'intreate he might me haue to be his wife.

150

My father was content withall his harte, and sayde,
He gladly should obtaine his whole request at will
Concerning me, if nothing I herin denayde:
But yet he kept by their intisment hatred still,
(quoth he) your prince his pleasure to fulfill,
I graunt and giue my daughter as you craue:
But nought of me for dowry can she haue.

King Aganippus well agreed to take me so,
He deemde that vertue was of dowries all the best:
And I contentid was to Fraunce my father fro
For to depart, & hoapte t'enioye some greater rest.
I maried was, and then my ioyes encreaste,
I gate more fauoure in this prince his sight,
Then euer princesse of a princely wight.

But while that I these ioyes enioyd, at home in Fraunce
My father Leire in Britayne waxed aged olde,
My sisters yet them selues the more aloft t'aduaunce,
Thought well they might, be by his leaue, or sans so bolde:
To take the realme & rule it as they wold.
They rose as rebels voyde of reason quite,
And they depriude him of his crowne and right.

151

Then they agreed, it should be into partes equall
Deuided: and my father threscore knightes & squires
Should alwayes haue, attending on him still at cal.
But in six monthes so much encreasid hateful Ires,
That Gonerell denyde all his desires,
So halfe his garde she and her husband refte:
And scarce alowde the other halfe they lefte.

Eke as in Scotlande thus he lay lamenting fates,
When as his daughter so, sought all his vtter spoyle:
The meaner vpstarte gentiles, thought themselues his mates
And betters eke, see here an aged prince his foyle.
Then was he faine for succoure his, to toyle.
With all his knightes, to Cornewall there to lye:
In greatest nede, his Raganes loue to trye.

And when he came to Cornwall, Ragan then with ioye,
Receiued him and eke hir husbande did the lyke:
There he abode a yeare and liude without a noy,
But then they tooke, all his retinue from him quite
Saue only ten, and shewde him dayly spite,
Which he bewailde complayning durst not striue,
Though in disdayne they laste alowde but fiue.

152

On this he deemde him, selfe was far that tyme vnwyse,
When from his doughter Gonerell to Ragan hee:
Departed erste yet eache did him poore king despise,
Wherfore to Scotlande once againe with hir to bee
And bide he went: but beastly cruell shee,
Bereaude him of his seruauntes all saue one,
Bad him content him self with that or none.

Eke at what time he askte of eache to haue his garde,
To garde his grace where so he walkte or wente:
They calde him doting foole and all his hestes debarde,
Demaunded if with life he could not be contente.
Then he to late his rigour did repente,
Gainst me and sayde, Cordila now adieu:
I finde the wordes thou toldste mee to to true.

And to be short, to Fraunce he came alone to mee,
And tolde me how my sisters him our father vsde:
Then I besought my king with teares vpon my knee,
That he would aide my father thus by them misusde

153

Who nought at all my humble heste refusde:
But sent to euery coste of Fraunce for ayde,
Wherwith my father home might be conueide.

The soldiers gathered from eche quarter of the land,
Came at the length to know the king his mind & will:
Who did commit them to my fathers aged hand,
And I likewise of loue and reuerent mere goodwill
Desirde my king, he would not take it ill,
If I departed for a space withall:
To take a parte, or ease my fathers thrall.

This had: I partid with my father from my fere,
We came to Britayne with our royall campe to fight:
And manly fought so long our enmies vanquisht were
By martiall feates, and force by subiectes sword and might.
The Britishe kinges were fayne to yelde our right,
And so my father well this realme did guide,
Three yeares in peace and after that he dide.

Then I at Leircester in Ianus temple made,
His tombe and buried there his kingly regall corse,
As sondry tymes in life before he often bade:
For of our fathers will we then did greatly force,
We had of conscience eke so much remorce,
That we supposde those childrens liues to ill:
Which brake their fathers testament, and will.

154

And I was queene the kingdome after still to holde,
Till fiue yeares paste I did this Iland guyde:
I had the Britaynes at what becke & bay I wolde,
Till that my louing king myne Aganippus dyde.
But then my seate it faltered on eache side,
Two churlishe Impes began with me to Iarre,
And for my crowne wadgde with me mortal warre.

The one hight Morgan th'elder sonne of Gonerell
My sister, and that other Conidagus hight
My sister Ragans sonne, that loude me neuer well:
Both nephewes mine, yet wolde against me Cordel fight,
Because I loude always that semed right:
Therfore they hated me, and did pursue,
Their aunte and queene as she had bene a Iewe.

This Morgane was that time the prince of Albany,
And Conidagus king of Cornewale and of Wales:
Both which, at once prouided their artillery,
To worke me wofull wo, & mine adherentes bales:
What nede I fill thyne eares with longer tales?
They did preuaile by might and powre so faste
That I was taken prisoner at laste.

In spitefull sorte, they vsed then my captiue corse,
No fauoure shewde to me, extincte was mine estate.
Of kinred, princesse bloud, or pere was no remorce,
But as an abiecte vile and worse they did me hate,
To lie in darksome dongeon was my fate:
As twere a thiefe mine aunswers to abyde,
Gainst right and iustice, vnder Iaylours guyde.

155

For libertie at lengthe I suid, to subiectes were:
But they kepte me in pryson close deuoyde of truste,
If I might once escape, they were in dreade and feare,
Their fawning frendes with me would proue vntrue and iust.
They tolde me take it paciently I muste,
And be contented that I had my life:
Sithe with their mothers I began the strife.

Whereby I sawe might nothing me preuayle to pray,
Or pleade, or proue, defende, excuse or pardon craue.
They herde me not, despisde my plaintes, sought my decay,
I might no lawe, nor loue, nor right, nor iustice haue:
No frendes, no faith, nor pitie could me saue:
But I was from all hope of licence barde,
Condemde my cause like neuer to be herde.

Was euer lady in such wofull wreckfull wo:
Depriude of princely powre, berefte of libertie,
Depriud in all these worldly pompes, hir pleasures fro,
And brought from welthe, to nede distresse, and misery?
From palace proude, in prison poore to lye:
From kingdomes twayne, to dungion one no more:
From Ladies wayting, vnto vermine store.

From light to darke, from holsom ayre to lothsom smell:
From odewr swete, to sweate: from ease, to grieuous payne:
From sight of princely wights, to place where theues do dwel:
From deinty beddes of downe, to be of strawe full fayne:
From bowres of heauenly hewe, to dennes of dayne:
From greatest haps, that worldly wightes atchieue:
To more distresse then any wretche aliue.

156

When firste I lefte the crowne of Fraunce, did me exalte,
And eke my noble king, myne Aganippus true:
And came to Englande for their heynous factes, and faulte:
Which from his right and kingdom quite our father threw,
To take this realme, to raigne and treason knew:
I thinke of all misfortunes was the worste,
Or else I deeme, was some of vs accurste.

For marke my haplesse fall that drawes at length to ende,
As in this pryson vile, on lyue I lingering laye:
When I had mourned long, but founde no faithfull frende
That could me helpe, or ayde, or comforte any way,
Was serude at meate, as those their kinges betraye,
With fare God wot was simple, bare and thinne,
Could not sustayne the corps it entred in.

And when the sighes, & teares, & plaintes nigh burst my hart,
And place, and stenche and fare nighe poysond euery pore:
For lacke of frendes to tell my seas of giltlesse smarte,
And that mine eyes had sworne to take swete slepe no more,
I was content sithe cares oppreste me sore,
To leaue my foode, take mourning plaintes and crie,
And lay me downe, let griefe and nature trie.

Thus as I pyning lay my carkas on couch of strawe,
And felte that payne erste neuer creature earthly knewe:
Me thought by night a gryzely ghost in darkes I sawe,
Eke nerer still to me with stealing steps she drewe.

157

She was of coloure pale, a deadly hewe:
Hir clothes resembled thousand kindes of thrall,
And pictures playne, of hastened deathes withall.

I musing lay in paynes and wondred what she was,
Mine eyne stode still, mine haire rose vp for feare an ende.
My fleshe it shoke and trembled: yet I cryde alasse,
What wight art thou, a foe or else what fawning frende?
If death thou arte, I praye thee make an ende?
But th'arte not death: arte thou some fury sente?
My wofull corps with paynes to more tormente?

With that she spake I am (quoth she) thy frend Despaire
Which in distresse eache worldly wight with spede do ayde:
I rid them from their foes, if I to them repayre,
To long from thee by other caytiues was I stayde.
Now if thou arte to die no whit affrayde,
Here shalt thou choose of instrumentes, beholde?
Shall ridde thy restlesse life, of this be bolde.

And therwithall she spred her garmentes lap asyde,
Vnder the which a thousand thinges I sawe with eyes:
Both knyues, sharpe swordes, poynadoes all bedyde
With bloud, and poysons prest which she could well deuise.
There is no hope (quoth she) for thee to ryse,
And get thy crowne or libertie agayne:
But for to liue, long lasting pining payne.

158

Loe here (quoth she) the blade that Did' of Carthage highte,
Whereby she was from thousande panges of payne let passe:
With this she slewe hir selfe, after Aeneas flighte:
When he to sea from Tyrian shores departed was,
Do chouse of these thou seest from woes to passe,
Or bid the ende prolonge thy paynefull dayes,
And I am pleasde from thee to get my wayes.

With that was I (poore wretche) content to take the knife,
But doubtfull yet to dye, and fearefull faine would bide:
So still I lay in study with my selfe at bate and strife,
What thing were best of both these deepe extreames vntride.
My hope all reasons of dispayre denide,
And she againe replide to proue it best
To dye, for still in life my woes increast.

She calde to minde, the ioyes in Fraunce I whilom had:
She tolde me what a troupe of Ladies was my traine,
And howe the Lords of Fraunce and Britaynes both were glad,
Of late to waite on mee and subiects all were faine.
She tould I had bin bind Queene of kingdomes twaine,
And how my nephewes had my seate and crowne:
I could not rise, for euer fallen downe.

A thousand thinges, beside resited then dispaire:
She tould the woes in warres, that I had heapt of late:
Rehearst the prison vile, in steede of Pallas faire:
My lodging lowe and mouldy meates my mouth did hate,
She shewde mee all the dongeon where I sate,
The dankeishe walles, the darkes and bad me smell:
And bide the sauour if I likt it well.

159

Whereby I wretch deuoide of comfort quite and hope,
And pleasures past comparde with present paines I had:
For fatall knife slipt forth my fearefull hand did grope,
Dispaire in this to ayde my sencelesse limmes was glad,
And gaue the blade to ende my woes she bad.
I will (quoth I) but first with all my hart:
Ile pray the Gods, reuenge my wofull smart.

If any wronge deserue the wrecke I pray you skyes,
And starres of light, if you my wofull plight do rue:
O Phoebus cleare I thee beseech and pray likewise,
Beare witnes of my plaints well knowne to Gods are true.
You see from whence these iniuries they grue,
Then let like vengeaunce hap and light on those:
Which vndeserued were my deadly foes.

God graunt a mortall strife betwene them both may fall,
That one the other may without remorse distroye:
That Conidagus may, his cosin Morgan thrall,
Because he first decreast my wealth, bereft my ioye.
I pray you Gods he neuer be a Roy.
But caitife may be payde with such a frende:
As shortly may him bring, to sodaine ende.

Farewell my Realme of Fraunce, farewell Adieu:
Adieu mes nobles tous, and England now farewell:
Farewell Madames my Ladyes, car ie suis pardu:
Il me fault aler, desespoir m'a donne conseil

160

De me tuer, no more your Queene farewell.
My nephewes mee oppresse with maine and might,
A captiue poore, gainst iustice all and right.

And therewithall the sight did faile my dazeling eyne,
I nothing sawe saue sole Dispayre bad mee dispatch,
Whom I behelde, she caught the knife from mee I weene,
And by hir elbowe carian death for mee did watch.
Come on (quoth I) thou hast a goodly catch,
And therewithal Dispayre the stroke did strike:
Whereby I dyde, a damned creature like.

Which I alasse lament, bid those aliue beware,
Let not the losse of goodes or honour them constraine:
To play the fooles, and take such carefull carke and care,
Or to dispaire for any prison pine or paine.
If they be giltlesse let them so remaine,
Farre greater follye is it for to kill,
Themselues dispayring, then is any ill.

Sith first thereby their enmyes haue, that they desyre:
By which they proue to deadly foes vnwares a frende:
And next they cannot liue, to former blisse t'aspyre
If God do bring their foes in time to sodaine ende:
They lastly as the damned wretches sende,
Their soules to hell, when as they vndertake
To kill a corps: which God did liuely make.

FINIS.

161

The Authour.

Now when this desperate Queene had ended thus
Hir tale, and told what haplesse grace she had:
As of her talke some pointes I did discusse,
In slomber fallen I waxed wondrous sad.
Hir nephewes dealings were me thought to bad:
Which greude mee much, but Morpheus bad let bee,
And therewithal presented one to mee.

Of stature tall a worthy princely wight,
In countenaunce he seemde yet mourning still:
His complet harnesse not so braue in sight,
Nor sure as ours, made now adayes by skill:
But clampt together, ioynts but ioyned ill:
Vnfit, vnhandsome, heauy, houge and plaine,
Vnweldy wearing, ratling like a chaine.

162

Wherethroughe he had receiude a deadly stroake,
By sworde, or other instrument of warre,
And downe his thighes the bloud by sithes did soake
Which I perceiued as he came a farre.
“Now sith (quoth he) to heare you present are:
“I will declare my name, life, factes and fall.
And therewith thus he gan to tell it all,

LENUOY.

When as this desperate Queene had ended thus
Her tale, and tolde the haplesse grace she had:
As of her playnte som poyntes I did discusse,
Her sisters dealings were (mee thought) to bad.
Her cosens cruell both, for Kindomes mad.
Her owne estate most pityfull to see,
A Queene by kinred captiue kepte to bee.

So wise a Queene, so fayre a Princesse wrongde,
So dutifull in parents plight of yore:
By rebells vile hir cousens to bee throngde,
Such hatred hir ambitiously that bore.
Who euer saw such cruelty before?
Cordilaes state most pitifull to see,
By kinred cloce in prison kepte to bee.

But next from Wales in warlike armoure came
With wounded corps Morganus th'Albane king,
In woefull wise his doubtfull tale to frame,
And of his auntes distresse reports each thing.
Hee from Glamorgan this for truth doth bring,
That who by slaughter seekes a prince to bee,
As traytoure falles beneath his first degree.

[MORGAN]

Morgan telles how he wadgeing warre with his cosin Conidagus was slaine at the place yet called Glamorgan, the yeare before Christe. 766.

I wot not well what reasons I may vse,
To quite my selfe from blame, blameworthy I:
Wherefore I must perforce my selfe accuse,
I am in fault I can it not denye.
Remorse of conscience, prickes my hart so nye,
And me torments with panges of pinching paine:
I can no longer, me from speach refraine.

163

I am that Morgan sonne of Gonerell,
Th'ungrateful daughter, of her father Leire:
Which from his kingdome did him once expell,
As by the Brytishe stories may appeare.
Ragan, and shee conspirde both sisters were,
But were subdude againe, and causde to yeld
Their fathers crowne, Cordila wan the field.

I neede not here the storyes all recyte,
It were to longe but yet I briefely shall,
The cause Cordila ought hir sisters spite,
Was they procurde hir, and their fathers thrall:
Yet twas hir chaunce at length t'out liue them al,
Both sisters elder, and hir father graue:
And eke at length the kingdome all to haue.

That time was I of Albany the kinge,
Calde Scotland now and eke my cosin then
Of Cornewall and of Wales, whom I did bringe
To warre against Cordila and her men.
Wee said we would our title winne agen:
And that because our mothers had it yore,
Wee ment to get it ours againe therefore.

I must confesse I was the cause of warre,
I was not pleasde with that was looted mee:
Euen so our mindes Ambitious often ar,
And blinded that we cannot reason see.
Wee thincke no men, but Gods on earth we bee,
Yet worse are we then beasts, which know their kinde:
For we haue nought but mischiefe oft in minde.

We thincke if so we may our willes attaine:
By right, or wrong, by might or malice wee
Could neuer liue, like Fortune for to gaine.

164

Or if on foes, we once reuenged bee:
If that our ennemies fall, we chaunce to see,
O then we ioy we lift our selues to skye,
And on the poore, we crucifige crye.

I deemde if once, I might put her adowne:
The kingdomes all, were Conidags and mine,
And I could easly after winne the crowne:
If also I, his state might vndermine.
I thought in deede to haue it all in fine,
By force, or fraude I ment my purpose bring
To passe, I might be after Britaine king.

To speake in fewe, we waged warre so longe,
Gainst hir, at last we put hir vnto flight,
Wee nephewes for our aunt were farre to stronge,
Pursude and toke, depriude her of hir right.
Wee thought it ours what so we wanne by might,
Eke so play tyraunts, traytours all do watch,
To get by spoile, and count their owne they catch.

Not so contented were we with the pray,
But fearing lest she should recouer ayde:
I sent in hast to prison her away,
And all recourse of messengers denayde.
Thus when she sawe hir Maiesty decaide,
And that hir griefes and sorrowes daily grue:
In prison at the length hir selfe she slue.

O caytife vile should I constrainde a Queene
That Iustice ment, hir kingdome to forsake,
Nay traytour I, as now by proofe is seene

165

That would my selfe by bloudshed ruler make.
How could reuenge on me but vengeaunce take,
Before the seate of God, hir bloud did call:
For vengeaunce, and at length procurde my fall.

Lo here Gods iustice, see my treason see:
Beholde, and see to raigne was my delight,
And marke, and make a myrrour here of mee,
Which afterward was serude by iustice right.
Wee wan the crowne, betweene vs both in fight:
And then because I was the elder sonne,
Of th'elder Queene I claimed all we wonne.

So were my dealings nought, in peace and warre.
But for my force, and fortunes vsde in fight:
I past that time the Britaynes all by farre.
I was of person fortitude and might,
Both comely, tall, stronge, seemely eke in sight,
Whereby I wonne mens fauour, glory, wealth:
And puft with pride, at length forgate my selfe.

I said it was my right, the crowne to haue,
But Conidagus stoutly it denide:
Wherefore I went to Wales my right to craue.
With all mine army and to haue it tryde.
Where long we fought it stoutly on eche syde,
Till at the last vnto my wofull paine:
I was depriude of kingdome quite, and slaine.

And for to keepe in memorye for aye,
That there vnfaithfull Morgan lost his life,
The place is cald Glamorgan to this daye.

166

There was I perst to death with fatall knife,
There was the ende of all my hatefull strife:
So Morgan where he thought to win the crowne,
Was at Glamorgan traytour stricken downe.

Thus maist thou tell, how proude ambition proues,
What hap haue tyraunts, what we traitours haue:
What ende he hath, that cruel dealing loues:
What subiects get the Diademe do craue,
Tis better then to winne: thine owne to saue,
For so orethwartly trade of Fortune goes:
When win thou wouldst, then art thou sure to lose.

FINIS.

167

The Authoure.
[_]

[In the 1587 edition a body of new work is introduced at this point: (1) a new tragedy of Iago; (2) the tragedy of Forrex rewritten in the usual seven-line stanza; (3) the tragedy of Porrex rewritten in the six-line stanza used by Shakespeare in his Venus and Adonis; (4) four new tragedies, told by Pinnar, Stater, Rudacke, and Brennus; and (5) a corresponding set of new lenvoys. This new material will be found printed below, pp. 236–79. Lenvoy 11, written to serve as a link between the tragedies of Morgan and Iago, will be found on p. 235.]

With that Morganus quickly past away,
The night me thought likewise was far epast
Wherby it weried me so long to staye,
But Morpheus bad me byde and see the last,
“(quoth he) the storyes passe awaye as fast,
“As doth the time, and sithe th'art nigh th'ende:
“Thou nedste not grutche, so short a space to spend.

And turning then, him selfe from me asyde:
He calde the next which therwithall in sight,
Appearde and all his breste with bloud bedide,
What chaunce (quoth I) hath so thy corps bedight,
Thou worthy prince, or what mishaps of fight?
“I will (quoth he) with all my hart vnfolde
“My fatall fall, and therwithall he tolde.

168

[FORREX]

Forrex declares howe hee mynding to kill his brother whiche ruled with him (that he might therby raigne alone) was by him slayne. About the yeare before Christe. 491.

[_]

[This tragedy, rewritten for the 1587 edition, will be found on pp. 240–44.

Pride moues the mindes, of stately wightes
Such hauty hartes to haue,
And causeth vs for glory vayne,
That is not ours to craue.

Pryde pluckes out reason forth hir place,
And planteth will in stede:
She puffes our mindes with vayne desires,
Our fancies fonde to feede.

Wherby we growe so obstinate,
And so ambitious ill:
That vs at length our brauery bids,
In all thinges vse our will.

Ambition thinkes that lawefull is,
Which likes hir fancie beste:
And demes she ought to haue hir forthe,
And swinge before the reste.

She loues no mates, controlement shee
And warning doth despise:
She demes her selfe in all hir deedes,
And actions wonders wise.

169

She hath desire of this and that,
To get by crouche or clawe:
By right or wronge she forceth not,
She vseth will for lawe.

No kinde, or countrey she regardes,
No mother, father shee:
Nor wyfe, or husbande, kithe or kin:
But enuies eache degree.

For if thy hart Ambition haue,
Thy greedy mynde to fill:
Thou wilt not sticke thy dearest frende,
or nerest kin to kill.

But as the prouerbe sayes that Pryde,
Must needes at lengthe haue fall:
Though we suppose of strengthe and powre,
We haue the deuill and all.

Euen so I saye Ambition makes,
Vs often clyme so hie:
At length we fall, we come to nought,
And drownde in darkenes lye.

This may I Forrex well auouche,
By proufe to true I finde:
Wherfore I praye the with the reste,
Do put my faultes in mynde.

My father olde hight Gorboduge,
Raignde three score yeares and three:
And at his death gaue all his lande,
Twene Porrex proude and mee.

170

Fyue yeares we helde, it so in peace,
In reste we ruled well:
But at the last by pryde and wrathe,
Wee foule at discorde fell.

We eache encrotchte on others partes,
For rule we liude at strife:
And eache did seeke occasion aye,
To reaue the others life.

I made this counte I elder was,
By birthe the realme was myne:
By warre, or wrong, or bloud I mente,
To haue it all in fine.

And he although he yonger were,
Esteemde his state so sure
As mine: and thought it his, if hee
My death might once procure,

My mother eke, that loude me more,
Although he yonger was:
By diuers meanes did helpe me still,
To bring my feates to passe.

Wherby I thought my selfe so sure,
To haue my purpose sped:
As I requirde if once I might,
Get of his crafty head.

See here what faith what frendship is,
What loue what fauoure wee:
Do shewe to any wight aliue,
If once alofte we bee

171

To fathers, we are faithlesse ofte:
To brothers, butchers vile:
Of sisters smale accounte we make,
And wedded wyues exile.

If any kithe, or kin, we haue,
By whom we vantage may:
We care not by what cruell meanes,
Their liues we take away.

But for to get the seate alone,
And for to wynne the crowne:
We care not whom, nor when, nor howe:
So we may get them downe.

O brutishe beastes! nay worse then those,
For they are still contente:
With that they haue what euer them,
Hath God or Nature sente.

But we do gape, and gaze for glore:
We prowle, and powle, and pill,
And sweare, and stare, and striue, & fighte,
And one an other kill.

And all for pompe, and glorie great,
For name, renowne, estate:
Not caring of the commons crye,
Or Godes eternall hate.

If I had had, the giftes of grace,
I neuer would haue sought:
By any meanes such worldly trashe,
With brothers bloud to boughte.

172

But as I ment euen so I sped,
So bloudy butchers thye:
When moste I deemde my purpose sure,
He was to good for me.

For as I thought his bloud to shed,
I compaste was about,
So that for thousand kingdomes, I
Could not with life scape out.

He perste my hart, what skilles it sithe,
My minde was euen as bad:
For why what measure I him mente,
My selfe like measure had.

And so all such, as murder meane,
Intende, or treason vse:
Shall at the lengthe, like ende attayne,
Or worse they cannot chuse.

FINIS.

173

The Authour.

When as king Forrex thus had tolde his tale,
Me thought he stayde no whit but went his way.
Then came a mangled corps as full of bale,
And or he nerer came made halfe a stay.
“(quoth Morpheus) come for shame thou nedste not stay,
“As bad as thou haue tolde their tales before,
“And so must thou and diuers other more.

[PORREX]

Porrex recites howe for the slaughter of his brother, he was slayne by his owne mother and hir maydens, as he laye sleeping. About the yeare before Christe. 491.

[_]

[The 1587 version of this lenvoy is printed on p. 245.]

[_]

[This tragedy, rewritten for the 1587 edition, will be found on pp. 246–48.

Genes. 4.

From darkesome dennes, where cruell Cayne,
And others like do lye:
Whose bloudie blades were bathde in bloud,
Poore caytiue thence come I.

Annius.

Where Typhon is his brother slewe,
Osiris in despite:
And where their sister Isis is,
Did him againe requite.

174

Virgil.

Wher Dardanus to rule alone,
His brother made away:

In culi.

Etheoclus, Polinicus,
At once did others sley.

Seruius. 3.

Where Helenus king Priams son:

Aeneid.

His brother Theon kilde.

Ouid in Iben.

Medea eke in bloudy wyse:
Hir brothers bloud that spilde.

Statius

Where Tydeus is in hunting shote
His brother through the side
Polytes eke his brothers harte
With sworde that opened wyde.

Herodotus.

And where as that Cambyses is,
His syster once that slewe.

Gel. lib. 4. Cap. 3.

And Polipontes king that made,
His brother treason rewe.

And cruell where Odores is,
Which mercy did deny:
To Mithridate his brother deare,
That did for pardon crie.

Herodotus.

Eke where Learchus is that did,
His brother sicke destroy:
With poyson deadly hoping so,
To make him selfe a Roy.

Ouid in Iben.

And where that wretche Mamertes lyes.
His brothers sonnes that spilte.
And Sisapho tormenting him,
For such an heynous gilte.

175

Plutarch.

Where Rhesus and Caduidus are,

Laert.

with shaftes their brethren slewe,

Volater.

And Philadelphus Ptolomae,
his brothers death did brewe.

Volater.

Where Philopater Ptolomae,
his father made away:
And after that his brother with
his dearist frendes did slay.

Plato 10. de rep.

And where Ardieus tyraunt vile,
his aged father stroyde.
And after that his elder bro-
ther kingdomes to enioyde.

Caelius.

Where Mithridatus beastly king,
of Pontus feeles anoye:
Which mother his and brother eke,
sixe children did destroye.

Volat.

Where is Antiochus the great,
His brother brought to graue:
That he might onely raigne alone,
and all the kingdome haue.

Liuius.

Where Romulus that Remus slew,

Lucan.

of Romaines first had fall:

Ouid.

Though louing brother first he were,
presumde to scale the wall.

Flores Hist.

And where Mempricius lewde doth lye,
a Britaine Prince that slue,
His brother Manlius fearing lest,
he were to him vntrue.

176

Salust.

Where Iugurth eke that basterde is,
his brethren brought to graue:
That after them Numidia,
he might for kingdome haue.

And where a Thousande are beside,
which were to longe to tell:
Their parents deare and brethren slue,
and now in darkenes dwell.

From thence I came a Britaine yore,
namde Porrex once a kinge
Againe: to shewe what vices mee,
To sodaine death did bringe.

Now list a while and then do write,
what I thee tell: that others may,
Themselues in such attempts as these,
from bloudy acts, as brethren stay.

My brother Forrex fiue yeares space,
and I this kingdome helde:
Betweene vs both the common weale,
wee scace did wisely welde.

At length we fondly fell at strife,
so Princes bide no mate,
Nor make, nor partners, with to raigne
but beare their equals hate.

The heire because I yongest was,
thought his by right the crowne:
But I esteemde the halfe was mine,
and all if he were downe.

177

Whereby O brothell, butcher eke,
not brother I did slay:
My brother for to haue it all,
and get his right away.

Such are the acts of heedelesse youthes,
Such are their studies still:
Which care not what offence they make,
So they their fancies fill.

But as it is vniustice, and
an haynous acte to vse:
Such murder, slaughter, paricide
and Iustice all refuse.

So Ioue the iust at length requites,
our deedes: and makes vs rewe,
Wee euer were, to God, or man
or natures hestes vntrue.

For when I deemde the crowne was mine:
which had my brother slaine.
O griefe to tell my mother, and
hir maydens wrought my paine.

Both for my fault, and for she loude,
my brother Forrex still:
With all hir maides she came by night,
my sleeping corps to kill.

And I that slombring sleeping lay,
though many dreames fortolde,
My haplesse fall: could neuer wake,
the meaning to vnfolde.

178

But last supposing with my selfe,
I cruel Tigres sawe,
With rauening fearcenes, rent theyr yong:
against dame Natures lawe.

She came on mee to fill my dreame,
before my eyes could wake,
And with a dagger reft my life:
for Forrex slaughters sake.

Virgil in Culice.

Much like Agaue and hir mates,
shee and hir maidens got:
Them tooles therefore, and hewde my corse,
as small as fleshe to pot.

Ouid. 6. metamor.

Or Progne Queene hir children slue,
and hewde their membres small:
In wrathfull ire made Tereus feede,
and fill himselfe withall.

Virgil. 8. Aegl.

Or like Medea monster Queene,
hir Iasons sonnes that kilde:
Because she was forsaken when,
his purpose was fulfilde.

Like these was shee nay worse for why,
this ended Brutus line:
Brought mee to ende and hir to shame,
Though first the fault were mine.

Bid those beware that weene to winne,
by bloudy acts the crowne:
Lest from the height they feele the fall,
of topsy turuye downe.

179

For if when they suppose themselues,
aloft to touche the skye,
There chaunce a storme there is no holde,
to staye themselues so hye.

But faster farre, more swiftly they,
and with more swinge descende:
Then euer erst they could with all,
their force to clime contende:
Do bid them then in all their deedes,
marke well the fineall ende.

FINIS.

180

The Authour.

Next after Porrex came another such,
Had all his body quite in peeces rent:
A desperate man, his life bewayling much.
Which for he seemed sorely to lament,
I was the rather him to heare content:
That I might also note his story here,
From like attempts of vices you to feare.

[KIMARUS]

Kimarus shewes howe for his euill life he was deuoured by wilde beastes, the yeare before Christ 321.

[_]

[See p. 249 for this lenvoy as rewritten in 1587 to serve as a link between the tragedies of Porrex and Pinnar.]

No place commends the man, vnworthy prayse:
No title of estate, doth stay vp vices fall:
No wicked wight, to woe can make delayes:
No loftye lookes preserues the proude at all:
No bragges or boaste, no stature high and tall:
No lofty youth, no swearing, staringe stoute:
No brauery, banding, cogging, cutting out.

181

Then what auayles, to haue a princely place:
A name of honour, or an highe degree:
To come by kinred, of a noble race:
Except wee princely, worthy, noble bee:
The fruite declares the goodnes of the tree.
Do bragge no more, of birth or linage than:
Sith vertue, grace, and maners make the man.

My selfe might bragge and first of all begin,
Mulmutius made and constituted lawes:
And Belinus and Brenne his sonnes did win,
Such praise their names to bee immortall cause.
Gurgunstus Redbearde with his sober sawes,
The sonne of Beline and my grandsyre grande:
Was fortunate what ere he toke in hande.

His sonne my grandsyre Guintheline did passe,
For virtues praise, and Martia was his wyfe,
A noble Queene that wise and learned was,
And gaue hir selfe to studye all hir life,
Deuising lawes, discust the endes of strife,
Amonge the Britaynes, to hir endlesse Fame:
Hir statutes had of Martian lawes the name.

My father eke was sober, sage and wise,
Cicilius hight king Guintheline his sonne,
Of noble Princes then my stocke did rise:
And of a Prince of Cornewall first begonne,
But what thereby of glory haue I wonne?
Can this suffice to aunsweare eke for mee,
I came by parents of an highe degree?

182

Or shall I saye Kimarus I was king?
Then might I liue as lewdely as I lust?
No sure I cannot so auoyde the stinge,
Of shame that prickes such Princes are vniust:
We rather should vnto our vertues trust,
For vertue of the auncient bloud and kin,
Doth onely praise the parties shees within.

And nobles onely borne, of this be sure,
Without the vertues of their noble race:
Do quite and cleane themselues thereby obscure,
And their renowne and dignities deface:
They do their birth, and linage all abace:
For why in deede they euer ought so well,
In vertues graue: as titles braue excell.

But oft (God wot) they fare as erst did I,
They thincke if once they come of Princelye stocke:
Then are they placed safe, and sure so hye
Aboue the rest as founded on a rocke.
Of wise mens warnings all they make a mocke:
Theyr counsayles graue, as abiect reedes despise:
And count the braue, men gracious, worthy wise.

This kingdome came to mee by due discent,
For why my father was before mee kinge:
But I to pleasure all and lust was bent,
I neuer reckt of Iustice any thinge:
What purpose I did meane to passe to bringe,
That same t'accomplishe I withall my might
Endeuorde euer, were it wronge or right,

183

I deemde the greatest ioyes, in earthly hap:
I thought my pleasures euer would abide:
I seemde to sit, in Ladye Fortunes lap:
I reckt not all the world, me thought beside:
I did by lust my selfe, and others guide:
Whereby the fates to worke my bane withall,
And cut me of, thus wise procurde my fall.

As I was alwayes bent to hunting still,
(Yet hunting was no vice to those I had)
When I three yeares had rulde this realme at wil,
In chace a chaunce did make my harte full sad:
Wilde cruell beastes as desperate and mad,
Turnde back on me, as I them brought to baye:
And in their rage, my sinfull corps did sley.

A iuste rewarde, for so vniust a life,
No worse a death, then I deserued yore.
Such wreckes in th'ende to wretches all are rife:
Who may and will not call for grace before.
My wilful deedes wer nought, what wilt thou more:
My wanton wildnesse, witlesse, heedelesse toyes:
By brutishe beastes bereaud me of my ioyes.

FINIS.

184

The Authour.

On this Kimarus lefte me all alone,
And so did Morpheus, then I thought to reste:
But yet againe he came presenting one,
For audience likewyse making his requeste,
A worthy prince, he ware a warlike creste:
A blade in hande, he bloudy rusty bore,
Was all his harnesse from his shoulders tore.

His armes, and handes were all embrued in bloud,
So was his breste, but all the reste beside,
Seemde rayde with matter vyle, or slimy mud,
With red and yelow as it were bedide:
You scarcely could the sight therof abide:
Yet sithe he seemde some worthy wight to be,
It brought by farre lesse squemishnes to me.

LENUOY.

By this appeares that time in Britayne were
Aboundant store of wolues, and vices rife:
Mempricius tale the like doth witnesse beare,
And so doth Madans mangled end of life.
These though they scaped stout Bellonaes knife,
Yet in the end for vices foule they fell
By Wolues deuourde, mine Author so doth tell.

The glory vaine that fades and flits away,
Makes men so blinde, they looke not on the end:
Allurde to losse, on earthly pompe they stay,
But fewe to scale the vertue towres contend.
Fewe seeke, by Christ, the heauenly way to wend:
The onely causes why these Princes fell,
Are vices vile, as auncient authors tell.

Next after this, on stage a Prince appearde,
With slimye glere, and bloud beraide that came:
In hand a dagger drawne his foe that dearde
Hee bare perdy, and showde mee eke the same.
And thus his tale in order hee did frame
As shall ensue, so hee mee thought did tell
How hee was slaine, and slewe a monster fell.

185

[MORINDUS]

Morindus a bastarde, declares how hee was exalted to the kingdome, waxed cruell, and at laste was deuoured by a monster, the yeare before Christe. 303.

Let me likewyse declare my factes and fall:
And eke recite what meanes this slimye glere:
You nede not fayne so quaynte a looke at all,
Although I seeme so fulsome euery where.
This blade in bloudy hande perdy I beare,
And all this gore bemingled with this glue:
In wytnes I my deadly enmy slewe.

Then marke my tale beware of rashnes vile,
I am Morindus once was Britayne king:
On whome did swetely lady Fortune smyle,
Till she me to hir top of towres did bring.
My fame both farre and nere she made to ringe,
And eke my prayse exalted so to skye:
In all my time, more famous none then I.

186

Some saye I was by birthe, a bastarde bace:
Begotten of the prince his concubine.
But what I was, declared well my grace:
My fortitude, and stature princely mine:
My father eke that came of princely line,
King Danius gaue not so bace degree,
Nor yet the noble Britaynes vnto mee.

For feates of armes, and warlike pointes I paste:
In courage stoute, ther lyude not then my pere:
I made them all, that knewe my name agaste,
And heard how great my enterprises were,
To shrinke, and slynke, and shifte aside for feare:
All which at length, did me such glory bring,
My father dead, the Britaynes made me king.

But see how blinde we are, when Fortune smyles,
How senceles we, when dignities increase:
We euer vse our selues discretely whyles
We little haue, and loue to liue in peace.
Smale fauters factes, with mercy we release:
We vse no rigoure, rancoure, rapine such:
As after, when we haue our willes to much.

For while that I, a subiecte was no king,
While I had nothing, but my factes alone:
I studied still, in euery kinde of thing
To serue my prince and vnderfange his fone:
To vse his subiectes frendly, euerichone:
And for them all, aduentures such to take,
As might them all my persone fauoure make.

But when I once, attained had the crowne,
I waxed cruell, tyranous and fell:
I had no longer mynde of my renowne:
I vsde my selfe to ill, the truthe to tell:

187

O bace degree in happy case full well
Which art not pufte with pryde, vainglory hate:
But art beneath, content to byde thy fate.

For I aloft, when once my heate was in:
Not raignd by reason, ruled all by might:
Ne prudence rekte, right, strength, or meane a pyn:
But with my frendes, in anger all would fight:
I stroke, kilde, slewe who euer were in sight:
Without respect, remorce, reproufe, regarde,
And like a mad man, in my fury farde.

I deemde my might, and fortitude was suche:
That I was able therby conquire all.
Highe kingdomes seate, encreaste my pompe so much:
My pryde me thought, impossible to fall.
But God confoundes our proude deuices all,
And bringes that thing wherein we moste do truste:
To our destruction, by his iudgement iuste.

For when three yeares I ruled had this Isle,
Without all rule, as was my rulesse lyfe:
The rumour ran abroade within a whyle,
And chiefly in the Norweste country ryfe:
A monster came from Th'irish seas, brought griefe,
To all my subiectes in those coastes did dwell,
Deuouring man, and beaste a monster fell.

Which when I knew for trought I straight preparde
In warlike wyse my selfe to try the case:
My haste therto a courage bolde declarde,
For I alone would enter in the place.
At whom with speare on horse I fetchte my race.
But on his scales it enter could no more:
Then might a bulrushe on a brasen dore.

188

Againe I proufde, yet nought at all preuailde,
To breake my speare, and not to pearce his side:
With that the roaring monster me assailde,
So terrifide my horse, I could not ride.
Wherwith I lighted and with sworde I tryde,
By strokes and thrustes to finde some open in:
But of my fight he neuer past a pin.

And when I weried was, and spent with fighte:
That kept my selfe with heede his daunger fro,
At laste almoste ashamde I wanted mighte,
And skill to worke the beastly monster wo.
I gate me nerer with my sworde him to,
And thought his flanckes or vnderpartes to wounde:
If there from scales, might any place be founde.

But frustrate of my purpose, finding none,
And eke within his daunger entred quite:
The grizely beaste, straight seasoned me vpon,
And let his talentes, on my corps to light,
He gripte my shoulders, not resiste I might:
And roaring with a greedy rauening looke,
At once in iawes, my body whole he tooke.

The way was large, and downe he drew me in:
A monstrous paunche for rowmthe & wondrous wide,
But for I felte more softer there the skinne,
At once I drewe, a dagger by my side:
I knew my life, no longer could abide:
For rammishe stenche, bloud, poyson, slymy glere:
That in his body, so aboundaunt were.

189

Wherefore I labouring to procure his death,
While first my dagger digde about his harte:
His force to caste me, welnie drew my brethe,
But as he felt within, his woundes to smarte:
I ioyde to feele the mighty monster starte,
That roarde, & belcht, & groande, & plungde & cride,
And toste me vp and downe, from side to side.

Long so in panges he plundgde, and panting lay
And drewe his wynde, so faste with such a powre:
That quite and cleane he drew my breath away,
We both were dead well nighe within an howre.
Lo thus one beastly monster did deuoure,
An other monster moodelesse to his payne:
At once the realme was rid, of monsters twayne.

Here maist thou see of fortitude the hap,
Where prudence, Iustice, Temperaunce hath no place:
How sodainly we taken are in trap,
When we despise good vertues to embrace.
Intemperaunce doth all our deedes deface,
And lettes vs heedlesse headlong run so faste,
Wee seeke our owne destruction at the laste.

For he that hath of fortitude and might,
And therto hath a kingdome ioynde withall:
Except he also guyde him selfe aright,
His powre and strength preuaileth him but small.
He cannot scape at length an haplesse fall,
Or Gods reuenge, example take by mee:
And let my death sufficient warning bee.

FINIS.

190

The Authour.
[_]

[In the 1587 edition this lenvoy is rewritten and a body of new work, consisting of the tragedies of Emerianus, Chirinnus, and Varianus, and three new lenvoys, is introduced. These additions are printed below, on pp. 281-88.]

I could not thus departe to take my reste,
For Morpheus bad me byde and heare the laste.
“(quoth he) behinde as yet, is one the beste:
“Do stay a whyle, giue eare till he be paste.
And therewithall approtched one full faste,
The worthiest wight I euer erste did see:
These woordes he spake, or like it seemed mee.

191

[NENNIUS]

Nennius a worthy Britayne, the very paterne of a valiaunt, noble, and faithful subiecte encountring with Iulius Caesar at his firste comming into this Islande, was by him death wounded, yet nathelesse he gate Caesars swoorde: put him to flighte: slewe therewith Labienus a Tribune of the Romaynes, endured fight till his countrey men wan the battayle, died fiftene dayes after. And nowe encourageth all good subiectes to defende their countrey from the powre of foraine and vsurping enemies. About the yeare before Christe. 50.

I may by right some later wryters blame,
Of stories olde, as rude or negligente:
Or else I may them well vnlearned name,
Or heedelesse, in those thinges about they wente:
Some tyme on mee, as well they might haue spente:
As on suche traytours, tyrauntes harlottes those,
Which to their countreyes, were the deadliest foes.

192

Ne for my selfe, I would not this resite,
Although I haue occasion good therto,
But sure me thinkes, it is to greate dispite,
These men to others and their countries do.
For there are Britaynes nether one nor two,
Whose names in stories scarcely once appeare:
And yet their liues, examples worthy were.

Tis worthy praise (I graunt) to write the endes
Of vicious men, and teach the like beware:
For what hath of virtue that commends,
Such persones lewde, as nought of vertues care:
But for to leaue out those praiseworthy are:
Is like, as if a man had not the skill,
To praise the good but discommend the ill.

I craue no praise, although my selfe deserude,
As great a laude as any Britaine yore:
But I would haue it tolde how well I serude,
My Prince and countrey, faith to both I bore:
All noble hartes, hereby with couradge more:
May both their forraine, foes in fight withstande,
And of their enmyes haue the vpper hande.

Againe to shewe how valiaunt then we were,
(You Britaynes good) to moue your harts therby,
All other Nations lesse in fight to feare,
And for your country rather so to dye
With valiaunt hauty couradge as did I:
Then liue in bondage, seruice, slauery, thrall
Of foraine powres, which hate your manhode all.

193

Do giue mee leaue to speake but euen a while:
And marke, and write this story I the tell.
By North from London, more then fiftye myle:
There lyes the Isle, of Ely knowne full well:
Wherein my father built a place to dwell,
And for because he liked well the same:
He gaue the place he Ely hight, his name.

Tis namde the Isle of Ely yet perdy,
My father namde it so, yet writers misse.
Or if I may be bolde to saye: they lye
Of him, which tell that farre vntruthlike is.

Lanquet.

What truth (I pray you) seemes to bee in this?

Stowe.

“Hee Ely loude, a goodly place built there:

Grafton.

“Most it delited, raignde not full a yere.

He raigned fourtye yeares as other tell,

Flores Hist.

Which seemes as tis a tale more true by farre:
By iustice guided he his subiects well,
And liude in peace without the broyles of warre.
His childrens noble actes in storyes ar.
In vulgare tongue: but nought is said of mee,
And yet I worthy was, the yongste of three.

His eldest sonne and heire was after king,
A noble Prince and he was named Lud:
Full polliticke and wise in euery thing,
And one that wild his country alwayes good.
Such vses, customes, statutes he withstoode,
As seemde to bring the publique weales decaye:
And them abolisht, brake, repealde awaye.

194

So he the walles of Troy the new renewde;
Enlargde them made, with fourty towres about,
And at the West side of the wall he vewde
A place, for gates to keepe the enmyes out:
There made he prisons for the poore bankrout,
Namde Ludgate yet for free men debters, free
From hurt, till with their creditours they gree.

Some say the Citye also toke the name
Of Lud my brother: for he it reparde,
And I must needes as true confesse the same:
For why that time no cost on it he sparde.
He still encreast and peopled euery warde:
And bad them aye Kaer lud the city call,
Or Ludstone, now you name it London all.

At length he dyed, his children vnder age.
The elder named was Androgeus,
Committing both vnto my brothers charge:
The yonger of them hight Tennancius.
The Britaynes wanting aged rulers thus,
Chose for that time Cassibellane their kinge,
My brother Iustice ment in euery thinge.

The Romaine then the mighty Caesar fought,
Against the Galles and conquerde them by might,
Which don: he stode on shores wher see he mought
The Ocean seas, and Britayne clieues full bright.
“(Quoth hee) what Region lyes there in my sight,
“Mee thinckes some Ilande in the seas I see:
“Not yet subdued, nor vanquisht yet by mee?

195

With that they told him, wee the Britaynes were:
A people stoute, and fearce in feates of warre.
“(Quoth he) the Romaynes neuer yet with feare,
“Of Nation rude, was daunted of so farre:
“Wee therefore minde, to proue them what they are.
And therewithall, the letters hither sent,
By those Embassage brought, and thus they went.

C. Iulius Caesar Dict. of Rome to Cassibellane kinge of Britaine sendeth greetinge.

“Sith that the Gods haue giuen vs all the West,
“As subiects to our Romaine Empire hie:
“By warre, or as it seemed Ioue the best,
“Of whom we Romaynes came and chiefely I.

“Therefore to you which in the Ocean dwell,
“As yet not vnderneth subiection due:
“Wee sende our letters greeting, wete ye well,
“In warlike cases, thus we deale with you.

“First that you as the other Regions paye,
“Vs tribute yearely, Romaynes we require:
“Then that you will with all the force you may,
“Withstand our foes, as yors with sword and fire.

196

“And thirdly that by these, you pledges sende,
“T'assure the couenaunts once agreed by you.
“So with your daunger lesse, our warres may ende:
“Els bid we warre, Cassibellane Adieu.

Caesar.

No sooner were these Caesars letters seene,
But straight the king for all his nobles sent:
He shewd them what their auncestours had bene.
And praide them tell in this their whole intent.
He tould them where about the Romaynes went,
And what subiection was, how seruile they
Should bee, if Caesar bare their pompe away.

And all the Britaynes euen as set on fyre,
(My selfe not least enflamed was to fight)
Did humblye him in ioyfull wise require:
That he his letters would to Caesar write,
And tell him plaine wee paste not of his spite.
Wee past as litle, of the Romaynes wee,
And lesse: then they of vs, if lesse might bee.

Wherefore the ioyfull kinge againe replide,
Through counsaile wise of all the nobles had,
By letters hee the Romaynes hestes denyde:
Which made the Britayns hauty harts full glad,
No doubt the Romaynes more then halfe were mad,
To here his letters written, thus they went:
Which he againe to mighty Caesar sent.

197

Cassibellane kinge of Brit. to C. Iulius Caesar Dictat. sendeth aunswere.

“As thou O Caesar writste, the Gods haue giuen to thee,
“The West: so I reply, they gaue this Islande mee.
“Thou sayst you Romaynes, and thy selfe of Gods discende:
“And darst thou then, to spoile our Troian bloud pretende?
“Againe, though Gods haue giune, thee all the world as thine:
“Thats parted from the world, thou getst no lande of mine.
“And sith likewise of Gods we came, a Nation free:
“Wee owe no tribute, ayde, or pledge to Rome or thee.

“Retract thy will, or wadge thy warre, as likes thee best:
“Wee are to fight, and rather then to frendship prest.
“To saue our country, from the force of forraine strife:
“Eche Britaine here, is well content to venter life.
“Wee feare not of the ende, or daungers thou dost tell:
“But vse thy pleasure if thou mayste, thus fare thou well.

Cassib.

When Caesar had receaude his aunswere soe,
It vext him much: he fully straight decreed,
To wadge vs warre, and worke vs Britaines woe:
Therefore he hasted hitherwarde with speede.
Wee Britaynes eke, prepard our selues with heede,
To meete the Romaynes all in warlike wise:
With all the force, and speede we might deuise.

198

Wee Britaynes then farre deemde it meeter much,
To meete him first at th'entry on this lande:
Then for to giue an entrye here to suche,
Might with our victuals here our selues withstand.
Tis better far thy enemye to abande,
Quite from thy borders to a straunger soyle:
Then he at home, thee and thy country spoyle.

Wherefore we met him, at his entry in,
And pitche our campes directly in his way:
Wee minded sure to leese or els to winne
The praise, before wee paste from thence away.
So when that both the armies were in ray,
And trumpets blaste on euery side was blowne:
Our mindes to either eche, were quickely knowne.

Wee ioyned battaile, fercely both we fought:
The Romaynes to enlarge their Empires fame,
And wee with all the force and might wee mought,
To saue our country, and to keepe our name.
O worthy Britaynes learne to do the same,
Wee brake the rayes of all the Romaine host:
And made the mighty Caesar leaue his boast.

Yet he the worthiest Captaine euer was,
Brought all in ray, and fought againe a newe:
His skilfull souldiers he could bring to passe,
At once for why his traynings all they knewe.
No soner I his noble corps did vewe,
But in I brake amongst the Captaines bande,
And there I fought with Caesar hand to hande.

199

O God thou mightst haue giuen a Britaine grace,
T'haue slaine the Romaine Caesar noble then:
Which sought his bloud the Britaynes to deface,
And bring in bondage, valiaunt worthy men.
He neuer should haue gone to Rome agen,
To fight with Pompey, or his Peres to slaye,
Or els to bring his countrye in decaye.

It ioyde my hart to strike on Caesars crest,
O Caesar that there had bin none but wee:
I often made my sworde to trye thy brest,
But Lady Fortune did not looke on mee.
I able was mee thought with Caesars three,
To trye the case: I made thy hart to quake,
When on thy crest with mighty strokes I strake.

The strokes thou strokst mee, hurt me nought at all:
For why thy strength was nothing in respect,
But thou hadste bathde thy sword in poyson all:
Which did my wounde, not deadly els infect.
Yet was I or I parted thence bewrekte,
I gate thy sworde from thee for all thy fame:
And made thee flye, for feare to eate the same.

For when thy sword was in my Target fast,
I made the flye, and quickly leaue thy holde:
Thou neuer wast in all thy life so gast,
Nor durst againe be euer halfe so bolde.
I made a nomber Romaynes harts full colde,
Fight, fight, you noble Britaynes now (quoth I)
Wee neuer all will vnreuenged dye.

200

What Caesar though thy praise and mine be od?
Perdy the stories scarce remember mee:
Though Poets all of the do make a God,
Such simple fooles in making Gods they bee.
Yet if I might my case haue tride wyth thee,
Thou neuer hadst retournde to Rome againe:
Nor of thy faithfull frendes, bin beastly slaine.

A nomber Britaynes mightst thou ther haue seene,
Death wounded fight, & spoile their spiteful foes:
My selfe maynde, slewe and mangled mo I weene,
When I was hurt then twenty more of those.
I made the Romaynes harts to take their hose:
In all the campe no Romaine scarce I spyde,
Durst halfe a combat gainst a Britaine byde.

At lengthe I met a noble man they calde
Him Labienus, one of Caesars frendes,
A Tribune erste had many Britaynes thralde:
Was one of Caesars legates forth he sendes.
Well met (quoth I) I mynde to make the mendes,
For all thy frendship to our contrey crewe:
And so with Caesars sworde, his frende I slewe.

What nede I name you euery Britayne here,
As firste the king the nobles all beside:
Full stoute and worthy wightes in warre that were,
As euer erste the stately Romaines tryde.
We fought so long they durst no longer byde,
Proude Caesar he for all his bragges and boste:
Flew backe to shippes, with half his scattered hoste.

201

If he had bene a God as sottes him namde,
He coulde not of vs Britaynes taken foyle:
The Monarche Caesar might haue bene ashamde,
From such an Islande with his shippes recoyle,
Or else to flie and leaue behinde the spoyle:
But life is swete, he thought it better flye,
Then byde amongst vs Britaynes for to die.

I had his sworde, was namde Crocea mors,
With which he gaue me in the head a stroke,
The venime of the which had such a force,
It able was to perce the harte of oke:
No medcines might the poyson out reuoke,
Wherfore though scarce he perced had the skin:
In fiftene dayes my braynes it ranckled in.

And then to soone (alas therfore) I dyde,
I would to God he had retournde againe:
So that I might but once the dastard spyde,
Before he went I had the serpent slaine.
He playde the cowarde cutthrote all to playne,
A beastly serpentes harte that beaste detectes:
Which or he fighte, his sworde with bane infectes.

Well then my death, brought Caesar no renowne:
For both I gate therby, eternall fame,
And eke his sworde to strike his frendes a downe:
I slewe therewith his Labiene by name,
With prince, against my countrey foes I came:
Was wounded, yet did neuer fainte nor yelde:
Till Caesar with his souldiours fled the fielde.

202

Who would not venter life in such a case?
Who would not fight, at countreis whole requeste?
Who would not, meeting Caesar in the place,
Fight for life, prince and countrey with the beste?
The greatest courage is by factes expreste.
Then for thy prince with fortitude as I,
And realmes behofe: is prayse, to liue or dy.

Nowe wryte my life when thou haste leisure and,
Will all thy countrey men to learne by mee,
Both for their prince and for their natiue lande:
As valiaunte, bolde and fearelesse for to bee.
A paterne playne of fortitude they see,
To which directly if them selues they frame:
They shall preserue, their countrey, faith and fame.

203

The Authour.

When noble Nennius thus had ended talke,
He vanisht with so sweete an heauenly smell:
Mee seemde the graces all with him did walke,
And what I heard of Musicke did excell.
Like notes of Instruments no tongue can tell,
With harmonye, of such an heauenly noyes:
Mee seemde they passed all our earthly ioyes.

Their tunes declarde the battaile all so right,
As if the Britaynes and the Romaynes than,
Had presently in hearing and in sight:
A freshe the bloudy battaile all began.
Mee thought I heard the vertues of the man,
By notes declarde, and Caesars daungers tolde:
More plainely, then with eyes I might beholde.

But when they came to tell of Caesars flight,
I sawe the Romaines fall me thought full fast,
And all the Britaines, chace them euen till night:
Where with the sounde of Britishe trompets blast.
Made mee so madde and mazed at the last:
I lookt about for sword or weapon I,
To runne with Britaynes, cryde they flie they flie.

204

Their flight to shipps, and foyle the trompets sound,
And blewe the victours triumphes at retourne:
The noyse welnighe my sences did confound,
And made my hart with all their loues to borne.
But when they gan the wounded Britaynes mourne.
With doubled wayling shriekes, such cryes they sent:
And sobbes and sighes, welnighe my hart they rent.

Eke chieflye they at noble Nennius stayde,
They seemde with doulefull tunes their notes to riue,
And sodainly his praise againe they playde:
O worthye Nennius for thy facts aliue,
The trumpe of Fame was straightly chargde reuiue,
And keepe, maintaine and celebrate his praise:
Which graunted, all they vanisht quite their wayes.

[_]

[The text of the 1574 edition ends at this point in the Huntington Library copy, on folio 74, sig. Kii, verso. As Professor Trench was the first to point out (pp. 102–3), the British Museum copy of the 1574 text includes additional pages of text which are found in the Huntington Library copies of the 1575 edition. I find that the K gathering was cancelled and a new K gathering substituted in the British Museum copy. Since I am following the Huntington Library copies, I am printing the additions as made in the 1575 text. The signature of Higgins is omitted, eleven stanzas are added to Lenvoy 16, and a new tragedy of Irenglas and a new lenvoy are added. The last two lines, of valediction, are, of course, omitted when the new stanzas are added. For the continuation of the lenvoy, see p. 207.]

Viuit post funera virtus.

Finis quoth Iohn Higgins.

University of Virginia Library

THE 1574 EDITION

The Authours induction.

[ALBANACT]

The Authour.

LENUOYE.

[HUMBER]

The Authoure.

LENVOY.

[LOCRINUS]

The Authour.

LENVOY.

[ELSTRIDE]

The Authoure.

LENUOYE.

[SABRINE]

The Authour.

LENUOY.

[MADAN]

The Authoure.

LENUOY.

[MANLIUS]

The Authour.

LENUOY.

[MEMPRICIUS]

The Authour.[_] [The rewritten lenvoy of 1587 introducing the new tragedy of Bladud is printed on p. 227 with the tragedies added in 1587.]

[BLADUD]

The Authour.

LENUOY.

[CORDILA]

The Authour.

LENUOY.

[MORGAN]

[FORREX]

The Authour.

[PORREX]

The Authour.

[KIMARUS]

The Authour.

LENUOY.

[MORINDUS]

The Authour.[_] [In the 1587 edition this lenvoy is rewritten and a body of new work, consisting of the tragedies of Emerianus, Chirinnus, and Varianus, and three new lenvoys, is introduced. These additions are printed below, on pp. 281-88.]

[NENNIUS]

C. Iulius Caesar Dict. of Rome to Cassibellane kinge of Britaine sendeth greetinge.

Cassibellane kinge of Brit. to C. Iulius Caesar Dictat. sendeth aunswere.

The Authour.

The Authour.
[_]

[The rewritten lenvoy of 1587 introducing the new tragedy of Bladud is printed on p. 227 with the tragedies added in 1587.]

The Authour.
[_]

[In the 1587 edition this lenvoy is rewritten and a body of new work, consisting of the tragedies of Emerianus, Chirinnus, and Varianus, and three new lenvoys, is introduced. These additions are printed below, on pp. 281-88.]