The Works of William Fowler :: :: University of Virginia Library

Quhen as with merwell infinit and suche a noble sight
I was surprysed by deip desyre to sie these folk of might,
And that good martiall people brawe who wer in world but pane,
as suche a race within the same sall nevir appeare agane,
I Than vnto my scrolles and bookes reioyned so my eyes,
wherin thair names wer writtin all which wer in high degreis,
And these of gretest praise and pryce bot than I quikly knew;
my language was in nameing thame inferiour to my vew,
So that my speache thair praise impaird or all them not reherst;
and whils my mynd on this was sett ane other thought me perst,
And turned my eyes ane other way, when as I saw encroche
a trim consort of strangers stout more nerer to approche.

Amongs the first was Hanniball, with him Achilles brawe,
whose praise by Homer is depaint to frie from death and grawe,
With freinȝeis he imbroudered was of euerliving fame,
These Troians two who by thair deidis demereted the same;
With thame two Perseans great I saw, and Philip and his sone,
that to the Inds from Pella toun established his throne.

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Not far from these I thair did sie ane other Alexander,
To whome dame fortoun in his feght such succes did not rander,
He ran not so as other did, he had lyke kynde of stay
quhen fortoun from trew honour doithe deuyde her self auay.

Thair in one knott the Thebanes thrie I spyed, as I hawe showen;
thair Diomed with Aiax and Vlisses might be knowen,
Who had to sie this spacious world so greit and deip desyre,
and Nestor who forsaw so muche, and knew all that impyre.
I Agamemnon lykwyse vewed with Menelaus thair,
that threw this world by cursed wyiffis in greit debait and cair;
Leonidas was thame amongs, who did with mirrie cheare
Propyne a denner hard and sharpe vnto his men of weir,
Bot harder and more horrible the supper he assingis
who in a litill part of ground did work greit wondrous thingis.
Than Alcibiades I espyed that oft did Athenis toun
evin when it list him to rewolt and turne vpsyde doun,
With sugred speache, and langage dowce, and with alluring words,
and with his brow and forret cleir restraned oft thair swordis.
With him was thair Milciades who tooke the yok from greace,
with him his sone, Thunonus good, was marcheing in that place,
Who with a perfyte pietie, and with a godlie mynde,
did chaine alywe him with these chaines that did his father bynde.
With these who so wer recompenst Themistocles drew neir,
and Theseus with Aristide a Fabrice might appeir,
To whome, alace, was interdyte thair kyndlie natiwe grawe;
bot yit the vyce of these that so suche malice did consawe

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Enobled more thair noble deids, for nothing more makis knowen
two contrareis than one by one by interspace is showen.
And Phocion with thame wes thair, whom I abowe hawe named,
rewarded evin with these alyke and equallie defamed;
For so his thankles countrye men not caused him onelye dee,
bot banisht evin his bouldest bones and maid vnburyed be.
As I me turned thair Pyrrhus I amang that troupe espyed,
with Massanissa that good king besydis him to abyde,
Who semed to be than malcontent, and for to gottin Wrong,
becaus he was not with his freindis the Romans plaist among.
With him I lookeing thair did sie the Syracusian king
called Hero, and thair than agane with him prease to thring
Hammilcar, distant far from thame, a man both ferse and raw;
and him who nacked from the flams escaped thair I saw,
Riche Cræsus, king of Lidia, who teaches ws this tale,
That no defence in fortouns spyte nor buckler can preuale.
I also Syphax than beheld Tormented in lyke sort,
and Brenus vnder whom did fall full manye a man athort,
And he agane yit afterwart in spoyling Delphos temple
was beaten doun and quyte ourthrowen to serwe for lyke example.

In strange attyre and vncouth cloths, and in that thikkest band,
this cumpanie wes thair amongs and with thame thair did stand:
And whils I bakwart turned my eyes I spyed a sort of men
all gathered wholie in a round, whair him I spyed then
Who first to god wold bwild a houss and church to him erect,
to dwell amang his creatures and for that same effect;
Bot he that did compleit the same I saw him cum behinde,
to whome this work was destitute, as we in scripture finde,

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Who from the lowest partis thairof evin to the highest topps
did bwild the same, and mounted wp be manye Pinnis and propps,
And as I may coniectour weill and so the treuthe recorde,
he was not suche a Maister work nor builder with his Lorde.
Than after hend I him espyed to marche within that place
that with his god so homely was and Spak him face to face;
Few wer they, yea, none ever was, that heirin so might want
or with his god familiarlie so long a time did hant.
Thair him I spyed who band the Sun evin by his potent toung,
as beastis with thair bandis ar bound and beaten led and doung,
So he did mak the Sun to stay his foes to tract and trace,
till that he thame ourcuming all did all by death deface.
O gentle trust! O noble fayithe of these that servis thair god,
that all which he created hes makis subiect to thair nod,
And dois not only mak the Sun within his circle stay,
bot stable makis vnstable heavinis evin by one word, I say!
Than after I our father saw, to whome was gevin in charge
for to depairt out of his land by waistis and desertis large,
And for to go vnto that place which was be god elect
vnto the weill of mankyndis sowle and that for gude respect;
With him his sone and nevew was who trumped by his wyiff,
and Ioseph that was chaist and wyse and honest all his lyiff.
Extending than sa far my eyes as I had force and might,
beholding that which corporall eyes can not attane by sight,
I Thair iust Ezechias spyde, and Sanson thair defaist,
and him who first vpone the seis the Spacious Arke hes plaist;
And him I vewid who afterhend did builde that stable tour
that chargit was with Syn and shame by god his puissant pouer;
Than Iudas good from whome culd none draw from his fathers lawis,
who franklye for the lowe of treuth did rin in death hir clawes.

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Alreddie was my great desyre all weryed, evin content,
and satisfied by these brawe sightis that so with fame than Went,
When that a quik and gallant lwik did mak me crawe to sie,
and stay for to behoulde the trowpe that Trimlie drew to me.
I saw within that rounde and ring a sort of brawelyk Dames,
Antiope and Eurithea, and so wer both thair names,
Fair in thair face, in armour cled; Hippolita also,
afflicted for Hippolitus, and pansiwe, full of woe,
And Menalippe thair I saw; these dames so agill wer
and reddie to withstand that force, that any Would infer
That it was evin a gretast proofe of Theseus manly might
and Hercules who thame ourcame by hard and doubtfull fight.
I thair that Wedow saw who did securelie sie hir sone,
whose happie dayes of gretest hope wer by his death vndone,
Bot shee revengde the same with speid on Cyre who wrought the same,
as she in cutting of his heide hes cut away his fame:
For seing his vnhappie end, and als his shameles deathe,
It dois appeir that be his fault he hourly daylie heathe
So maid him selff to daylie die, and all his former fame
to be supprest and buryed be togeather with his name.

Than saw I hir who happelie did sie the toun of Troy,
togeathir with that Virgine fair that did Æneas noy,
And that courageous Valiant Quene, with one tress of hir hair
knitt wpp when that the other hang evin sparpled to hir spair,
So sone she hard that Babilon rewolted from hir croun
did bring thame bak, and stayed the reiff begun within hir toun.

With hir I saw Cleopatra, toucht with vnworthie flame,
and likwyse saw I in that dance Zenobia of greate fame,

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Bot very sparing of hir glore, and of hir honour hard,
in vsage fair, and in hir youthe of cumelie sweit regard;
And lwik how muche she in hir age and bewtye praise possest,
So muche hir glorye and renoun by honestie increst;
Within hir hart thought womanlye suche constancye remaned
that she thame caused to stand in dreid that others had disdaned;
Hir visage fair, hir face most sweit, hir hair with helmet armed,
abaist our emperouris hart and mynde, and courage queld and charmed,
Althought at last he sore assayld and captiwe twik that quene,
and maid hir to our brawe Triumphe a rechar pray be sene.
And now suppose vpone these names I both be breiff and short,
yit will I more discourse, and of fair Iudithe mak report,
That bould and hardie wedow chaist, who brought vnto the deid
that dronkin foolish Holipherne, and cut from him his heid.
And sall I now lewe me behind or Ninus sall forgett,
from whome all historeis beginnis, and not with thame him sett?
Or yit is heir in that empyre whose arrogance and pryde
conducted to a bestiall lyfe in It sevin ȝeir to byde?
Or Belus yit sall I oursie, from whome did errour spring,
not by his fault, bot by his sone who did it first in bring?
Wheare now dois lurk Zorastres that magik artis Invent,
or yit these men who of our dwkes that in a curst ascent
And frowar star did Euphrate pass with lose and shame also,
Whose evill conduct in Italie emplasters yit thair woe?
Quhair Is Mithridates the greit, a mortall foe to Rome,
and our eternall ennemie vnto his deathe and dome,
Who soldring wp his brokkin loss and his oft crased harmes,
in sommer and in wintar fled befoir the Romane armes?

I manye thingis of great reporte dois in ane boundell knitt:
whair is he now king Arthure that at Table round did sitt?

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Wheare be these Augustis Cæsars, thrie victorious, one of Spane,
of Aphrica ane other was, the last of Lorrane ane?
Whills I so this victorious Fame triumphing so dois sie,
I lykwise spyed tuelf noble knights his Palladins to be.

Than Godefray cam syne a lone, a Duke of fayithe and trust,
who maid a holy interpryse, whose stepps and wayes wer iust;
He, he alone, that valiant prince did with his valiant handis
rebuild that keped Cairles Nest that in Ierusalem standis;
This thing, alace, dois causs my woe, this worketh my disdane,
this is the thing for which I crye, and call so oft in vane,
Is prydefull christians miserable;—goe! goe! yea misers now,
and drink eache one ane others bloode with setled othes and wow!
Goe wourke eache one ane others wrake and others eache distroy,
and euerie one against your selff dois all your spyte employ!
Ȝe cairles ar how that the grawe of Iesus Chryist remanis
within the handis of fayithles dogs and Turkis who it retanis.
Bot after these whome I did sie, if I be not deceawed,
I saw but few, or none at all, that might renoun hawe crawed,
That by thair art in planting peace, or skill in hardie fight,
or doubtfull yok in hard combatt appeared to my sight;
Zit as the chosen men behind and cheifest oftest goe,
I saw in end of all the troupes that Sarrasyne our foe,
That brought vnto our christianis bothe skayith and blushing shame;
and Heguius, sone of Luria, did follow him with fame;
The Duke of Lancaster wes thair, who with his sworde and lance
a nighbour curst and troublesome was to the realme of france.

Thus gasing on this famous sight, I at that tyme and space
did lwik lyke one who did adwance his fitstepps and his pace

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To mak sum thingis he hes not sene, so I did fordward goe
To sie gif thair war anye moe then these that I did knoe:
Quhair thair I spyed two noble wightis who laitlye, oh, did die,
Who of our countrye men wer glore and praise of Italie,
Who wer inclosed in that band, and marched on with Fame,
good Robert of Scicilia, king of vndefamed name,
Who in his knowledge most sublime and foresight most profound
did Argus lyke sie thingis far of and weill discerned thair ground;
The other that did marche with him was my Colonna great,
courageous, gentle, constant, large and liberall in his state.

Finis .2. cap.