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The Authour.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.]
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