How King Locrinvs the eldest sonne of Brutus liued vitiously, and was slaine in battaile by his wyfe Queene Guendoline, the yeere before Christ, 1064.

If euer any noble Prince might rue

His facts are past, long since the same may I,[239]

That would to God it were not farre to true,

Or that I iustly could my faultes deny.

The trueth of thinges the end or time doth trie,

As well by mee is seene: my haplesse fall

Declares whence came my great misfortunes all.

I am Locrinus, second Britayne king,

The eldest sonne of him that found this lande:

Whose death to mee my mischiefes all did bring,

And causde why first I tooke my death in hand.

Hee chiefly wil’d mee when hee gaue this land,

I should bee rulde by all his counsailes will,

And vse their iudgements in my dealings still.

But what doe I accuse my father’s hest,

What meane I here th’ unfaulty for to blame:

All hee commaunded euen was for the best,

Though in effect of best the worst became.

So thinges oft times well ment vnfitly frame,

So often times the counsayle of our frend

Apparent good falls faulty in the end.

For as hee wisht I vsde his counsailes ayde

In ech thing that I deemde was good for mee

I neuer ought that they desir’d denayde,

But did to all their mindes and hests agree:

And Corinœus sawe my heart so free,

By diuers meanes hee sought this match to make,

That to my wife I might his daughter take.

So I,[240] that wist not then what mariage ment,

Did straight agree his Guendoline to haue:

Yet afterward suspecting his intent,

My frendes to mee this poynte of counsaile gaue,

That who so doth of Prince aliaunce craue,

Hee meanes thereby to worke some poynte of ill,

Or else to frame the Prince vnto his will.

It may well bee hee ment no euill[241] at all,

But wyse men alwayes vse to dreade the worst.

And sith it was the fountayne of my fall,

From whence the spring of all my sorowes burst,

I may well thinke was some of vs accurst.

For why, the end doth alwayes proue the facte:

By end wee iudge the meaning of the acte.

I made no haste to wed my spoused wyfe,

I wist I could (as yet) without hir bide:

I had not tasted ioyes of trayned life,

I deem’d them fooles by Cupid’s dart that dide.

Venus vile and all hir feates[242] defyde,

I[243] liu’d at rest, and rulde my land so well

That men delighted of my facts to tell.

My brethren eke long welded well theyr partes,

Wee fearde no foes, wee thought our state would stand:

Wee gaue our selues to learned skilfull artes,

Wherein wee either fruite or pleasure fand,

And wee enioyde to[244] fine a fertile lande,

That fewe in earth might with our states compare,

Wee liu’d so voyde of noysome carke and care.

But see the chaunce: when least wee thought of ill,

When wee esteem’d our state to bee most sure,

Then came a flawe to bridle all our will,

For straungers farre gan vs to warre procure:

And euen when first they put their pranke in vre,

On Albayne shoares my brother there they slewe,

Whose death wee after made the Hunnes to rue.

10.

When hee was deade they hop’d to winne the rest,

And ouer Aby streame with hast did hye.

But I, and eke my brother Camber, drest

Our armies strayght, and came their force to try.

Wee brake theyr rayes and forst the king to fly

Into the arme of sea they ouer came,

Where Humber drownde the waters tooke their[245] name.

11.

Wee either slewe, or tooke them captiues all,

Emongst the which (O mischiefe great to tell)

The Gods to worke mine ouerthrowe and fall

Sent Ladyes three, whose beauties did excell:

Of which, because I liked one so well,

I tooke her strayght, nor shee did ought deny,

But ech thing graunted so shee might not dye.

12.

Thus Humber wee this hatefull hungery king

In Humber drencht, and him depriu’d of pryde,

And of his lofty[246] Ladyes he did bring

He lost the pray, and all his men beside,

And wee the spoyles of all his hoast deuide.

But I that thought I had the greatest share,

Had caught the cause of all my woefull care.

13.

They cal’d this Lady Elstride, whom I tooke,

Whose beauty braue did so my wittes confound,

That for her sake my promise I forsooke,

Whereby I was to Guendoline first bound.

Mee thought no Lady else so high renound[247]

That might allure mee, chaunge my conflate minde,[248]

So was I caught by snares of Cupide blynde.

14.

Was neuer none before so lik’d myne eye,

I lou’d her more then I could loue my life:

Her absence still mee thought did cause mee dye,

I surely ment to take her for my wife.

But see how beauty breadeth deadly strife,

Lo here began my whole confusion, here

Sprang out the shaft from whence this wound I beare.

15.

For Corineus had no sooner heard,

That I did meane his daughter to forsake,

But strayght as one that did nought else regard,

In hast his voyage towards me did take,

And come, declar’d what promise I did make,[249]

From which if he sayd once I sought to slyde,

It would by dynte of sworde, and bloude, be tryde.

16.

But if I would her take, as erst I sayd,

And not this straunger choose agaynst his minde,

His helpe he promiste at each time, and ayde

To be so ready, as I wisht to fynde.

He further sayd my countrey did me binde,

To take such one as all my subiects knewe,

Sith straungers to theyr foes are seldome[250] true.

17.

I wayde his wordes, and thought he wisht me well,

But yet because his stocke should gayne thereby,

I reckt them lesse: and yet the truth to tell,

I durst not dare my promise made deny.

For well I wist if once it came to try,

It would both weaken all this noble land,

And doubtfull be who should have th’ vpper hand.

18.

Thus needes perforce I must his daughter take,

And must leaue of to loue where I delight:

I was constraynd, contented to forsake

The forme that most did captiuate my sight.

What lucke had I on such a lot to lyght?

What ment you Gods that me such fortune gaue,

To cast my minde on her I might not haue?

19.

To short my tale: this Guendoline I tooke:

I was content agaynst my will: what then?

Nor quite for this mine Elstride I forsooke.

For why, I wrought by skyll of cunning men

A Vault along vnder the ground, a denne

Her company wherein I vsed still,[251]

There we accomplisht our vnhappy will.

20.

There I begat my Sabrine seely childe,

That virgine smale mine Elstride bare to mee:

Thus I my wife full often times beguylde,

Which afterward did beare a sonne to me,

Nam’d Madan: yet wee neuer could agree.

And he that was the cause she was my bryde,

The while her father Corinæus dyde.

21.

Which when I heard, I had my heart’s desire,

I crau’de no more, there was my end of griefe:

At lest I thought to quench Cupidoe’s fire,

And eke to worke my lusting loues reliefe:

I ment no more to steale it like a thiefe,

But maried Elstride, whom I lou’d as life,

And for her sake I put away my wyfe.

22.

Likewise I caus’d, was Elstride Queene proclaymd,[252]

And tooke her as my lawfull wife by right:

But Guendoline, that sawe her selfe disdaynd,

Strayght fled, and mou’de the Cornish men to fight.

To them when she declarde her piteous plight,

In hast they drest[253] an army, for to be

Reuengers of my new made Queene and me.

23.

And I likewise an army did prepare,

I thought to quayle theyr courage all by force:

But to my cost I found to late beware:

There is no strength in armoure: men, ne[254] horse

Can vayle, if loue on wronged take remorce.

Sith[255] he on whom the deadly dart doth light,

Can neuer scape, by ransome, friend, or flight.

24.

So when our armies met nigh Habrine[256] streame,

The trompetts blew and I denyde the peace:

I minded to expell them all the realme,

Or else to make them euer after cease.

And they, except I Elstride would release,

(They sayd) and take my Guendoline againe,

They would reuenge the wrong or else be slayne.

25.

On this wee met, and valiauntly wee fought

On eyther side, and neither part did yeelde:

So equally they fell, it was great doubt,

Which part should haue the better of the fielde.

But I to bolde rusht in with sword and shield,

To breake their rayes, so hasty men get smart,

An arrowe came and stroke mee to the heart.

26.

Thus was I brought to bale, vnhappy, there,

My body pearst that wicked life had led:

When I had raygned all out twenty yeere,

And had my corps with many pleasures fed,

The earth receiu’d my corps as cold as led.

And all my pompe, my pryncely troupe and trayne,

On earth no more shall see their Prince agayne.[257]

27.

To all estates[258] let this for wedlocke serue,

Beware of chaunge, it will not hold out long.

For who so mindeth from his mate to swerue,

Shall sure at length receiue reuenge for wrong.

Tis folly fight with God, h’is farre to strong,

For though yee coloure all with coate of ryght,

No fayned fard deceaues[259] or dimmes his sight,

Hee guydes the good, and wrekes the wronges of might.[260]

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 lehouah 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 vndeserued blame.

But next beholde on stage apear’d a noble dame,

(Whose beauty braue Locrinus’ senses did confound)

Declaring how therfore Queene Guendoline her droun’d.