Michael Drayton- Collected Poetical Works

by Michael Drayton

  To free himselfe as guiltlesse of my sin.

  My mothers cries, her shreeks, her pittious mones,

  Her deepe-fetch’d sighs, her sad hart-breaking grones,

  Thy lustfull rage, thy tyranny could stay;

  Mine honours ruine, further to delay;

  Haue I not lou’d you? say can you say no,

  That as mine owne preseru’d your honour so.

  Had your •ond will, your foule desires preuail’d,

  when you by them my chastitie assail’d:

  Though this no way could haue excus’d my fault,

  True vertue neuer yeelded to assault,

  Yet what a thing were this it should be said,

  My parents sin should to your charge be laid:

  And I haue gain’d my liberty with shame,

  To saue my life, made shipwrack of my name.

  Did Roxborough once vaile her towring sane,

  To thy braue ensigne, on the Northerne plaine?

  And to thy trumpet sounding from thy Tent,

  Often replie with ioy, and merriment?

  And did receiue thee as my soueraigne liege

  Comming to ayde, thou shouldst againe besiege,

  To raise a foe, but for my treasure came

  To plant a foe, to take my honest name;

  Vnder pretence to haue remou’d the Scot,

  And wouldst haue wone more then he could haue got:

  That did ingirt me readie still to flie,

  But thou laid’st batterie to my chastitie:

  O modestie, didst thou me not restraine,

  How I could chide you in this angrie vaine:

  A Princes name, (heauen knowes) I doe not craue,

  To haue those honours, Edwards spouse should haue;

  Nor by ambitious lures will I be brought

  In my chast brest to harbour such a thought,

  As to be worthy to be made a Bride,

  An Empresse place by mighty Edwards side,

  Of all the most vnworthy of that grace,

  To waite on her that should enioy that place.

  But if that loue, Prince Edward doth require,

  Equall his vertues, and my chast desire:

  If it be such as we may iustly vaunt,

  A Prince may sue for, and a Lady graunt:

  If it be such as may suppresse my wrong,

  That from your vaine vnbridled youth hath sprong,

  That faith I send, that I from you receaue,

  The rest vnto your Princely thoughts I leaue.

  Notes of the Chronicle Historie.

  Twice as a Bride I haue to Church beene led.

  THE two husbands of which she maketh mention, obiecting Bigamay against her selfe, as beeing therefore not meete to be maried with a Batcheler-Prince, were Sir Thomas Holland Knight, & Sir William Mountague, afterward made Earle of Salisburie.

  That not my Fathers graue and reuerent yeeres.

  A thing incredible, that any Prince should be so vniust to vse the Fathers meanes for the corruption of the daughters chastitie, though so the historie importeth, her Father being so honourable, and a man of so singuler desert, though Polidore would haue her thought to be Iane, the daughter to Edmund Earle of Kent, Vncle to Edward the third, beheaded in the Protectorship of Mortimer, that daungerous aspirer.

  And I haue gain’d my libertie with shame.

  Roxborough is a Castle in the North, mistermed by Bandello Salisburie Castle, because the king had giuen it to the Earle of Salisburie, in which her Lord being absent, the Countesse by the Scots was besieged, who by the co¯ming of the English Armie were remoued. Heere first the Prince saw her, whose liberty had been gained by her shame, had she been drawne by dishonest loue to satisfie his appetite, but by her most prayse-worthy constancie she conuerted that humor in him to an honourable purpose, & obtained the true reward of her admired vertues.

  The rest vnto your princely thoughts I leaue.

  Least any thing be left out which were worth the relation, it shall not be impertinent to annex the opinions that are vttered concerning her, whose name is said to haue been A•lips, but that beeing reiected as a name vnknowne among vs, Froisard is rather belieued, who calleth her Alice. Polidore contrariwise as before is declared, names her Iane, who by Prince Edward had issue, Edward dying young, and Richard the second King of England, though (as he saith) she was deuorced afterwards, because within the degrees of consanguinitie prohibiting to marrie, the truth whereof I omit to discusse, her husband the Lord Montague, being sent ouer with the Earle of Suffolke into Flaunders by King Edward, was taken prisoner by the French, & not returning, left his Countesse a widow in whose bed succeeded Prince Edward, to whose last and lawfull request the reioycefull Ladie sends this louing aunswere.

  FINIS.

  To the Right Honourable and my very good Lord, Edward Earle of Bedford.

  THRICE noble and my gracious Lord, the loue I haue euer borne to the illustrious house of Bedford, and to the honourable familie of the Harringtons, to the which by marriage your Lordship is happily vnited, hath long since deuoted my true and zealous affection to your honourable seruice, and my Poems to the protection of my noble Ladie, your Countesse; to whose seruice I was first bequeathed, by that learned and accomplished Gentleman, Sir Henry Goodere, (not long since deceased,) whose I was whilst hee was, whose patience pleased to beare with the imperfections of my heedlesse and vnstated youth. That excellent and matchlesse Gentleman, was the first cherrisher of my Muse, which had beene by his death left a poore Orphan to the world, had hee not before bequeathed it to that Lady who¯ •e so deerly loued. Vouchsafe then my deere Lord to accept this Epistle, which I dedicate as zealously, as (I hope) you will patronize willingly, vntill some more acceptable seruice may be witnesse of my loue to your honour.

  Your Lordships euer, Michaell Drayton.

  Queene Isabell to Richard the second.

  THE ARGUMENT.

  Queene Isabell (the daughter of Charles King of Fraunce) being the second wife of Richard the second, the sonne of Edward the blacke Prince, the eldest sonne of King Edward the third; After the said Richard her husband was de•osed from his crowne and kingly dignitie, by Henry Duke of Herford, the eldest sonne of Iohn of Gaunt Duke of Lankaster, the fourth sonne of Edward the third, this Lady beeing then very young, was sent backe againe into Fraunce, without dowre, at what time the deposed King her husband was sen• from the Tower of London (as a prisoner) vnto Pomfret Castle. Whether this poore Lady bewailing her husbands misfortunes, writeth this Epistle from Fraunce.

  AS doth the yeerely Auger of the spring

  In depth of woe, thus I my sorrow sing;

  words tun’d with sighs, teares falling oft among

  A dolefull bur•hen to a heauie song;

  Words issue forth to finde my griefe some way,

  Teares ouertake them, and doe bid them stay;

  Thus whilst one striues to keepe the other back,

  Both once too forward, now are both too slack.

  If fatall Pomfret hath in former time

  Nurrish’d the griefe of that vnnaturall Clime.

  Thether I send my sorrowes to be fed,

  But where first borne, where fitter to be bred?

  They vnto Fraunce be aliens and vnknowne,

  England from her doth challenge these her own.

  They say al mischiefe commeth from the North,

  It is too true, my fall doth set it forth;

  But why should I thus limmit griefe a place,

  when all the world is fild with our disgrace?

  And we in bounds thus striuing to containe it,

  The more resists the more we doe restraine it.

  Oh how euen yet I hate these wretched eyes,

  And in my glasse oft call them faithlesse spies

  (Prepard for Richard) that vnwares did looke

  Vpon that traytor, Henry Bollingbrooke,

  But that excesse of ioy my sence bereau’d

  So much my sight had neuer been dec
eau’d.

  Oh how vnlike to my lou’d Lord was hee,

  whom rashly I, sweet Richard tooke for thee,

  I might haue seene the Coursers selfe did lack,

  That princely rider should bestride his back,

  Hee that (since nature her great work began)

  Shee made to be the mirrhor of a man,

  That when she ment to forme som matchles lim

  Still for a patterne, tooke some part of him,

  And ielous of her cunning brake the mould,

  In his proportion done the best she could.

  Oh let that day be guiltie of all sin,

  That is to come, or heeretofore hath bin,

  wherein great Norfolkes forward course was staid,

  To proue the treasons he to Herford layd,

  when (with sterne furie) both these Dukes enrag’d,

  Theyr warlike gloues at Couentry engag’d,

  when first thou didst repeale thy former grant,

  Seal’d to braue Mowbray, as thy Combatant,

  From his vnnumbred houres let time deuide it,

  Least in his minutes, he should hap to hide it;

  Yet on his brow continually to beare it,

  That when it comes, all other dayes may feare it,

  And all ill-boding Planets, by consent,

  That day may hold theyr dreadfull parlement,

  Be it in heauens Decrees enroled thus,

  Blacke, dismall, fatall, inauspitious,

  Proude Herford then, in height of all his pride,

  Vnder great Mowbrayes valiant hand had dy’de;

  Nor should not thus from banishment retyre,

  The fatall brand to set our Troy on fire.

  O why did Charles relieue his needie state?

  A vagabond, and stragling runnagate;

  And in his Court, with grace did entertaine

  This vagrant exile, this abiected Caine,

  Who with a thousand mothers curses went,

  Mark’d with the brands of ten yeeres banishment.

  When thou to Ireland took’st thy last farewell,

  Millions of knees vpon the pauements fell,

  And euery where th’applauding ecchoes ring

  The ioyfull shouts that did salute a King;

  Thy parting hence, what pompe did not adorne?

  At thy returne, who laugh’d thee not to scorne?

  Who to my Lord, a looke vouchsaf’d to lend,

  Then all too few on Herford to attend.

  Princes (like sunnes) be euermore in sight,

  All see the clowdes betwixt them and their light;

  Yet they which lighten all downe from theyr skies,

  See not the cloudes offending others eyes,

  And •eeme their noone-tide is desir’d of all,

  When all expect cleere changes by theyr fall.

  What colour seemes to shadow Herfords claime,

  when law and right his Fathers hopes doth maime?

  Affirm’d by Church-men (which should beare no hate)

  That Iohn of Gaunt, was illegittimate;

  whom his reputed Mothers tongue did spot,

  By a base Flemish Boore to be begot,

  whom Edwards Eglets mortally did shun,

  Daring with them to gaze against the sun.

  Where lawfull right and conquest doth allow,

  A triple crowne on Richards princely brow,

  Three kingly Lyons beares his bloody field,

  No bastards marke doth blot his conquering shield,

  Neuer durst hee attempt our haplesse shore,

  Nor set his foote on fatall Rauenspore;

  Nor durst his slugging Hulkes approch the strand,

  Nor stoope a top as signall to the land,

  Had not the Percyes promisd ayde to bring,

  Against theyr oath vnto theyr lawfull King;

  Against theyr faith vnto our Crownes true heyre,

  Theyr valiant kinsman, Edmond Mortimer,

  When I to England came, a world of eyes

  Like starrs attended on my faire arise,

  At my decline, like angry Planets frowne,

  And all are set before my going downe;

  The smooth-fac’d a•re did on my comming smile,

  But with rough stormes are driuen to exile;

  But Bullingbrooke deuisd we thus should part,

  Fearing two sorrowes should possesse one hart;

  To make affliction stronger doth denie

  That one poore comfort left our misery.

  He had before diuorc’d thy crowne and thee,

  which might suffice, and not to widow mee,

  But that to proue the vtmost of his hate,

  To make our fall the greater by our state.

  Oh would Aume•le had sunck when he betraid,

  The compl•t which that holy Abbot layd,

  when he infring’d the oath which he first tooke

  For thy reuenge on periur’d Bullingbrooke.

  And been the raunsome of our friends deere blood

  Vntimely lost, and for the earth too good;

  And we vntimely mourne our hard estate,

  They gone too soone, and we remaine too late.

  And though with teares I from my Lord depart,

  This curse on Herford fall to ease my hart;

  If the foule breach of a chast nuptiall bed,

  May bring a curse, my curse light on his head;

  If mu•thers guilt with blood may deeply staine,

  Greene, Scroope, and Bushie die his fault in graine;

  If periurie may heauens pure gates debar,

  Damn’d be the oath he made at Doncaster;

  If the deposing of a lawfull King,

  Thy curse condemne him, if no other thing,

  If these disioynd, for vengeance cannot call,

  Let them vnited, strongly curse him all.

  And for the Percyes, heauen may heare my prayer,

  That Bullingbrooke now plac’d in Richards chaire,

  Such cause of woe vnto theyr wiues may be,

  As those rebellious Lords haue beene to me.

  And that proude Dame, which now controlleth all,

  And in her pompe triumpheth in my fall,

  For her great Lord may water her sad eyne,

  with as salt teares as I haue done for mine;

  And mourne for Henry Hotspur, her deere sonne,

  As I for my sweet Mortimer haue done;

  And as I am, so succourlesse be sent,

  Lastly, to taste perpetuall banishment.

  Then loose thy care, where first thy crowne was lost,

  Sell it so deerely, for it deerely cost;

  And sith they did of libertie depriue thee,

  Burying thy hope, let not thy care out-liue thee.

  But hard (God knowes) with sorrow doth it goe,

  when woe becomes a comfort to woe;

  Yet much (me thinks) of comforter I could say,

  If from my hart pale feare were rid away;

  Some thing there is, which tels me still of woe,

  But what it is, that heauen aboue doth know,

  Griefe to it selfe, most dreadfull doth appeare,

  And neuer yet was sorrow voyde of feare;

  But yet in death, doth sorrow hope the best,

  And with this farewell wish thee happy rest.

  Notes of the Chronicle Historie.

  If fatall Pomfret hath in former time

  POMFRET Castle euer a fatall place to the Princes of England, and most ominous to the blood of Plantaginet.

  Oh how euen yet I hate these wretched eyes

  And in my glasse &c.

  When Bullingbrooke returned to London from the West, bringing Richard a prisoner with him, the Queene who little knew of her Husbands hard successe, stayd to behold his comming in, little thinking to haue seene her Husband thus ledde in tryumph by his foe, and nowe seeming to hate her eyes, that so much had graced her mortall enemie.

  Wherein great Norfolks forwa
rd course was stayd.

  She remembreth the meeting of the two Dukes of Herforde and Norfolke at Couentry, vrging the iustnes of Mowbrayes quarrell against the Duke of Herford, & the faithfull assurance of his victorie.

  O why did Charles relieue his needie state?

  A vagabond &c.

  Charles the French King her father, receiued the Duke of Herford in his Court, and releeued him in Fraunce, beeing so neerely alied, as Cosin german to king Richard his sonne in Lawe, which he did simply, little thinking that he should after returne into England, and dispossesse King Richard of the Crowne.

  When thou to Ireland took’st thy last farewell.

  King Richard made a voyage with his Armie into Ireland, against Onell & Mackemur which rebelled, at what time Henry entred here at home, and robd him of all kinglie dignitie.

  Affirm’d by Church-men (which should beare no hate)

  That Iohn of Gaunt was illegitimate.

  William Wickham, in the great quarrell betwixt Iohn of Gaunt and the Clergy, of meere spight and malice (as it should seeme) reported that the Queene confessed to him on her death-bed, being then her Confessor, that Iohn of Gaunt, was the sonne of a Flemming, & that she was brought to bed of a woman child at Gaunt, which was smothered in the cradle by mischaunce, and that she obtained this chylde of a poore woman, making the king belieue it was her own, greatlie fearing his displeasure. Fox ex Chron. Alban•.

  No bastards marke doth blot our conquering shield.

  Shewing the true and indubitate birth of Richard, his right vnto the Crowne of England, as carrying the Armes without blot or difference.

  Against theyr fayth vnto the Crownes true heire,

  Their noble kindsman, &c.

  Edmund Mortimer, Earle of March, sonne of Earle Roger Mortimer which was sonne to Lady Phillip, daughter to Lionell Duke of Clarence, the third sonne to king Edward the third, which Edmund (king Richard going into Ireland) was proclaimed heyre apparant to the Crowne, whose Aunt called Ellinor, this Lord Fiercie had married.

  O would Aumerle had suncke when he betrayd

  The complot which that holy Abbot layd.

  The Abbot of Westminster had plotted the death of king Henry, to haue been done at a Tylt at Oxford; of which confederacie there was, Iohn Holland, Duke of Excester, Thomas Holland, Duke of Surrey, the Duke of Aumerle, Mountacute, Earle of Salisbury, Spenser, Earle of Gloster, the Bishop of Carlile, Sir Thomas Blunt, these all had bound themselues one to another by Indenture to performe it, but were all betrayd by the Duke of Aumerle.