How King Morindus was deuoured by a monster, the yeare before Christ, 303.

Let mee likewise declare my facts and fall,

And eke recite what means this slimy glere!

You neede not faine so quaynte a looke at all,

Although I seeme so fulsome euery where:

This blade in bloudy hand, perdy, I beare,[661]

And all his gore bemingled with this glue,

In witnes I my deadly enmy slewe.[662]

Then marke my tale, beware of rashnes vile,

I am Morindus once was Britayne King,

On whom did sweetely[663] Lady Fortune smile,

Till shee mee to her top of towres did bring:[664]

My fame both farre and neare shee made to ring,

And eke my praise exalted so to skye,

In all my time more famous none then I.

Some say I was by birth a bastard 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 lyne,

King Danius gaue not so bace degree,

Nor yet the noble Britaynes vnto mee.

For feats of armes and warlike poynts I past,

In courage stoute there liu’de not then my peere,

I made them all that knewe my name agaste,

And heard how great my enterprices were,

To shrinke, and slinke, and shift aside for feare:

All which at length did mee such glory bring,

My father dead, the Britaynes made mee King.

But see how blinde wee are, when Fortune smiles,

How senceles wee when dignities increase,

Wee euer vse our selues discretely whiles

Wee litle haue, and loue to liue in peace:

Smale fauters facts with mercy wee release:[665]

Wee vse no rigoure, rancoure, rapine, such

As after when wee haue our willes to much.

For while that I a subiect was, no King,

While I had nothing but my facts alone:

I studied still in euery kinde of thing

To serue my prince, and vnderfang his fone:

To vse his subiects friendly euerychone,

And for them all aduentures such to take,

As might them all my person fauoure make.

But when I once attained had the Crowne,

I waxed cruell tyranous and fell,

I had no longer minde of my renowne,

I vsde my selfe to ill, the trueth to tell:

O bace degree in happie case full well!

Which art not puft with pride, vaineglory, hate

But art beneath content to bide thy fate.

For I aloft, when once my heate was in,

Not rain’d by reason ruled all by might,

Ne prudence reckt, right, strength, or meane a pin,

But with my friendes in anger all would fight,

I strooke, kilde, slewe who euer were in sight,

Without respect, remorce, reproufe, regard,

And like a madde man in my fury far’d,

I deemde my might and fortitude was such,

That I was able thereby conquere all,

High kingdome’s seate encreast my pompe so much,

My pryde me thought impossible to fall:

But God confoundes our proude deuices all,

And brings that thing wherein we most doe trust,

To our destruction by his iudgement iust.

10.

For when three yeares I ruled had this Ile,

Without all rule as was my rulesse life,[666]

The rumour ranne abroade within a while,

And chiefly in the Norwest Countrey rife,

A monster came from Th’irish seas, brought griefe

To all my subiectes, in those coastes did dwell,

Deuouring man and beast, a monster fell.

11.

Which when I knewe for trueth, I straight prepard

In warlike wise my selfe to trye the case,

My haste thereto a courage bold declard,

For I alone would enter in the place:

At which,[667] with speare on horse I fet my race,

But on his scales it enter could no more,

Then might a bulrush on a brasen dore.

12.

Agayne I prou’d yet, nought at all preuaylde,

To breake my speare and not to pearce his syde:

With that the roring monster me assaylde,

So terrifide my horse I coulde not ride,

Wherewith I lighted, and with sworde I tride

By strokes and thrustes to finde some open in,

But of my fight hee neuer past a pin.[668]

13.

And when I weried was and spent with fight,

That kept my selfe with heede his daunger fro,

As last almost ashamde I wanted might,

And skil to worke the beastly monster wo,

I gate me nerer with my sworde him to,

And thought his flankes or vnder partes to wounde,

Yf there for scales[669] might any place bee founde.

14.

But frustrate of my purpose, finding none,

And eke within his daunger entring quite,

The grizely beast straight seasoned[670] mee vpon,

And let his talauntes on my corpes to light,

Hee gript my shoulders, not resist I might,

And roaring with a greedy rauening looke,

At once in iawes my body whole hee tooke.

15.

The way was large, and downe he drewe mee in,

A monstrous paunche for rowmth, and wondrous wide,

But (for I felt more softer there the skinne)

At once I drewe a dagger by my side:

I knewe my life no longer coulde abide,

For rammish stench, bloude, poyson, slimy glere,

That in his body so aboundant were.

16.

Wherefore I labouring to procure his death,

While first my dagger digde aboute his harte,

His force to cast mee welnigh drewe my breath,

But as hee felt within his woundes to smarte,

I ioyde to feele the mighty monster starte,

That roard, and belcht, and groande, and plungde, and cryde,

And tost mee vp and downe from syde to syde.

17.

Long so in panges hee plungde and panting lay,

And drewe his wynde so fast with such a powre,

That quite and cleane hee drewe my breath away,

Wee both were deade well nigh within an howre.

Lo thus one beastly monster did deuoure

An other monster moodeles to his[671] payne:

At once the realme was rid of monsters twayne.[672]

18.

Here mayst thou see of fortitude the hap,

Where prudence, iustice, temperaunce hath no place,

How sodaynly wee taken are in trap,

When wee dispise good vertues to embrace,

Intemperaunce doth all our deedes deface,

And letts vs heedeles headlong run so fast,

Wee seeke our owne destruction at the last.

19.

For hee that hath of fortitude and might,

And thereto hath a kingdom ioynde withall,

Except hee also guide him selfe aright,

His powre and strength preuayleth him but small,

Hee cannot scape at length an haples fall:

You may perceiue a myrrour playne by me,

Which may with wisdome well sufficient bee.[673]

LENUOY.

Wee reade the valiaunt actes of Hercules,

His mighty labours all and woefull end,

But Samson’s conquests of his enemies,

The holy histories to vs commend.

Yet who so shal on fortitude depend,

Still trusting to obtayne the victory,

Let him beholde Morindus’ history.

Or of the death of Theseus they tell,

The fall of Brennus and his woefull end,

Though hee in force and powre bee nere so fell,

Hee cannot still on fortitude depend:

Tis vertue sole that all the wise commend:

Shee still obtaynes for aye the victory,

By true reporte of euery history.

Strength, beauty, wealth, facts, fauoure, fearcenesse fell,

All earthly pleasures feele a paynefull end,

Then happy thrice is hee (the truth to tell)

That onely can on heauenly powre depend:

But now I must to you the next commend,

In blacke, mee thought, appearing mournefully,

Declaring thus his woefull misery.

How King Emerianus for his tirany was deposed, about the yeare before Christ, 235.[674]

The wofull wight that fell from throne to thrall,

The wretch that woue the web wherein hee goes,

A dolefull blacke bad weede still weare hee shall

In woefull sorte, and nothing blame his foes:

What neede such one at all his name disclose?

Except the haplesse rest of Britaynes should,[675]

Not here for shame recite his name hee would.

I am Emeriane King that raignde a space,

Scarce all one yeare,[676] in Britayne Isle long sence,

But for I was in maners voide of grace,

Ferce, tyranous, and full of negligence,

Bloud thirsty, cruell, vaine, deuoide of sence;

The Britaynes mee deposde, from seat and crowne,

And reaude mee quite of riches and renowne.

I was despisde and banisht from my blisse,

Discountnaunste, fayne to hide my selfe for shame:

What neede I longer stand to tell thee this?

My selfe was for my woefull fall to blame:

My raygne was short, in fewe my fall I frame,

My life was lothsome, soone like death that found,

Let this suffice a warning blaste to sound.

LENUOY.

The cause why here this Prince is briefe in talke

Is, for the stories scarce remembre such,

What neede I then with them more farder walke?

Sith this perhaps may seeme, is sayd to much,

I must but briefly these vnworthy tutch:

The next approaching pufte with dropsie wanne,

Thus wise, mee thought, his yexeing[677] tale beganne.

How King Chirinnus giuen to dronkennesse raygned but one yeare. Hee died about the yeare before Christ, 137.[678]

Though I my surfets haue not yet out slept,

Nor scarce with quiet browes begin my tale,

Let not my drousy talke bee ouer leapt,

For though my belching sent of wine or ale,

Although my face bee falloe, puft, and pale,

And legges with dropsy swell, and panche resound,

Yet let mee tell what vice did mee confound.

Perhaps thou thinkste so groase a blockhead blunt,

A sleepy swinishe head can nothing say:

The greatest heads and smalest eke were wont

To beare in them the finest wits away:

This thing is true thou canst it not denay,

And Bacchus eke ensharps the wits of some:

Fœcundi calices quem non fecere disertum?

Yet sith long since both braynes and all were spent,

And this in place amongste my mates I speake,

I trust thou wilt bee here withall content,

Although in deede my wits of talke are weake:

So old a vessayle cannot chuse but leake,

A drousy nole[679] that lyes on drinke a sleepe so long,

May pardon craue, although his tongue trip twifold wrong.[680]

Chirinnus was my name a Britayne King,

But rulde short time, Sir Bacchus was my let:

Erinnys[681] eke my sences so did swing,

That reason could no seat amongst them get:

Wherefore the truth I pray thee playnly set,

I gaue my selfe to surfets swilling wine,

And led my life much like a dronken swine.

Deseases grewe, distempraunce made mee swell,

My parched liuer lusted still for baste,

My tympane sounded like a taber well,

And nought but wine did like my greedy taste,

This vice and moe my life and mee defaste,

My face was blowne and blubd with dropsy wanne,

And legges more like a monster then a man.

So not in shape [and shewe] I onely altered was,

My dispositions chaunged mee[682] likewise,

For vices make a man

A swine or horse, (as Poets can comprise)

Transforming into beasts by sundry wise

Such men as keepe not onely shape of men,

But them mishapeth also now and then.

Wherefore let who so loues to liue long dayes

Without deseases, strong in youthfull state,

Beware of Bacchus’ booth which all betrayes,

The vayle of vices vayne, the hauen of hate,

The well of weake delightes, the brande of bate,

By which I loste my health, life, realme and fame,

[My wealth, my crowne, my scepter, sheelde and name:]

And only wan the shrowding sheete of shame.

LENUOY.

Of this bad vice who shall embrace the loue,

And not refraine him selfe there from by grace,

Let him bee sure it shall his sence remoue,

His beauty reaue, his facts and fame deface,

His wealth, strength, health, shall waste and were apace,

Hee cannot liue in health till hee bee olde,

Nor purchase health and sober fame againe with sowes [683] of golde.

The Poets painted Bacchus naked, bare,

Because hee doth all secrets deepe disclose,

In woemen’s weede because men feebled are,

Effeminate them selues to wine dispose,

Like wanton childe likewise they faine hee goes,

As dronkerds wanton were though nere so olde,

Not wonne to sage and sober life with sowes of golde.

But naked therefore I suppose hee’s faynde,

Because hee makes men naked, poore, and bare:

By him they waste away the wealth they gaynde,

And plunge them selues in seas of woefull care,

Or naked then of vertues all they are,

When they to Bacchus bend, both yong and olde,

Not wonne to sage and sober life, with sowes of gold.

Who loues to liue a wise and godly life,

Let him refuse such naked gods to serue:

So shall he saue his fame auoyding strife,

And right report of all good men deserue.

But from my purpose lest I seeme to swerue:

There next me thought a Prince I did behold

Of vicious life, and thus his fates he did vnfold.

How King Varianvs gaue himselfe to the lustes of the flesh, and dyed about the yeare before Christ, 136.[684]

Where no good giftes haue place, nor beare the sway,

What are the men but wilful castaway?

Where gifts of grace doe garnish well the King,

There is no want, the land can lacke no thing:

The Court is stil well stor’d with noble [prudent] men,

In Townes and Cities Gouernours are graue:

[The lands are tild,] the common wealth doth prosper[685] then,

And wealth at will the Prince and people haue.

Perhaps you aske, what Prince is this appeares?

What meanes his talke in these our golden yeares?

A Britayne Prince that Varianus hight,

I helde some time the [crowne and] scepter here by right:

And though no neede there be in these your [golden] dayes

Of states to tell, or vertues good discriue,

Good counsayle yet may after stand[686] in stead alwayes,

When time agayne may vices olde reuiue.

If not: yet giue me leaue amongst the rest

Which felt the[687] fall, or had their deaths addrest:

My cause of fall let me likewise declare,

For falles the deathes of vicious Princes are:

They fal, when all good men reioyce to heare or see

That they short time enioyde their places hie,

For Princes which for [princely] vertues praysed bee,

By death arise extold, they scale the skie.

I will be short because it may suffice

That soone is sayde, to warne the sage and wise:

Or if that they no warning neede to haue,

This may perchaunce somewhat their labour saue

With yonger heads, that will[688] not heare their faultes them tolde,

By such as would admonish them for loue:

When they my words and warnings here [of vice] beholde,

They may regarde and see their owne behoue.

About my time the Princes liu’de not long,

For all were giuen almost to vice and wrong:

My selfe voluptuous was abandond quite,

To take in fleshly lust my whole delite:

A pleasure vile, that drawes a man from [all good] thrifte and grace,

Doth iust desires, and heauenly thoughtes expell:

Decayes the corps,[689] defiles the soule, [the factes] and fame deface,

And bringes him downe to Plutoe’s paynes of hell.

For this my sinne my subiectes hated mee,

Repining still my stayned life to see:

As when the Prince is wholy giuen to vice,

And holdes the lewder sort in greatest price,

The land decayes, disorder [sprouts and] springes abroade,

The worser sort do robbe, pille, polle, and spoyle,

The weaker are constraynd to[690] beare the greatest loade,

And leese the goodes for which [full sore] they erst did toyle.

How can Iehoua iust abide the wrong?

He will not suffer such haue scepter long.

As he did strike for sinfull life my seate,

And did me downe from royall kingdome beate,

So hath be done for aye, examples[691] are in stories rife,

No wicked wight can gouerne long in rest:

For eyther some [the like] bereaues him of his life,

Or downe his throne and kingdome is deprest.

Bid Princes then and noble Peeres the like delights detest.

There is no way the [iudgement high and] wrath of Ioue to wrest.

LENUOY.

What should I longer on such Princes stay,

Whose factes vnworthie were to be enrolde:

The cause why thence I make more speede away,

Is for his sake, whose fame hath farre bene tolde,

That noble Nennius’ Duke, a captaine bolde,

Of royall bloud, to Prince and countrey kinde,

Whose fame a place aboue the skies shall finde.

When he the feates of armes had learned well,

And coulde encounter with the best aliue,

Hee not to treason nor to falshode fell,

Nor with his ciuill friendes at home to striue:

But hence the landed Romaynes out to driue.

Which sith he did, to Prince and countrey kinde,

His fame a place aboue the skies shall finde.

Eke sith the rest, as were their liues obscure,

Haue tolde their tales, but simply as you see:

To helpe my style, the Muses most demure,

For Nennius’ sake, gaue greater grace to mee,

Or else I thinke, frend Reader, t’was for thee,

That when thou readst of Nennius’ noble minde,

Thou maist be so to Prince and countrey kinde.

I will no longer thee from reading stay,

But wish thee marke howe he exhorteth all:

Do learne by him for countreye’s sake to fray,

In peace no broyles of warres at home to brall:

And thinke thou seest that noble captayne tall

Thus wise display his warlike noble minde,

Duke Nennius, so to Prince and countrey kinde.

Howe the worthie Britaine Duke Nennius as a valiaunt souldier and faithfull subiecte encountred with Iulius Cæsar, was by him death wounded: yet naytheles[692] he gate Cæsar’s sworde, put him to flight, slewe therewith Labianus a Tribune of the Romaynes, endured fight till his countreymen wanne the field, and now encourageth all good subiectes, to defende their countrey from the power of forraine and entruding enemies. He was slaine about the yeere before Christ, 52.

I may by right some later writers blame,

Of stories olde, as rude or negligent:

Or else I may them wel vnlearned name,

Or heedlesse in those thinges about they went:

Some time on me as well they might haue spent,[693]

As on such traytours, tyrants, harlots, those

Which to their countreyes were the deadliest foes.[694]

Ne for my selfe I would not[695] this recite,

(Although I haue occasion good thereto)

But sure, me thinkes it is too great despite

These men to others and their countreyes do,[696]

For there are Britaynes, neyther one or two,

Whose names in stories scarcely once appeare:

And yet their liues examples worthie were.

T’s worthie prayse (I graunt) to write the endes

Of vicious men, and teach the like beware:

For what hath he of vertue that commendes

Such persons lewde, as naught of vertue’s care:

But for to leaue out those prayse-worthie are,

Is like as if a man had not the skill

To prayse the good, but discommend the ill.

I craue no prayse, although my selfe deseru’d

As great a laude as any Britayne yore:[697]

But I would haue it tolde how well I seru’d

My Prince and Countrye, Fayth to both I bore:

All noble hearts hereby with courage more

May both their forayne foes in fight[698] withstand,

And of their enmies haue[699] the vpper hand.

Agayne, to shewe how valiaunt then wee were

(You Britaynes good) to moue your hearts thereby,

All other nations lesse in fight to feare,

And for your countrye rather so to die

With valiaunt hauty courage, as did I,

Then liue in bondage, seruice, slauery, thrall

Of forayne powres, which hate your manhood all.

Doe giue mee leaue to speake but euen a while,

And marke, and write the story I thee tell:

By North from London more then fifty mile,

There lies the Isle of Ely knowne full well,

Wherein my father built a place to dwell:

And for because hee liked well the same,

Hee gaue the place hee Ely hight his name.[700]

7.[701]

’Tis namde the Isle of Ely yet, perdy

My father namde it so: yet writers misse,

Or if I may bee bolde to say, they ly

Of him, which tell that farre vntruth like is:

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

Hee Ely lou’d, a goodly place built there,

Most it delited, raygnde not full a yeare.[702]

Hee raygned forty yeares, as other tell,

Which seemes (as ’tis) a tale more true by farre.[703]

By Iustice guided hee his subiects well,

And liude in peace, without the broyles of warre.

His childrens noble acts in stories are,

In vulgar tongue: but nought is sayd of mee,

And yet I worthy was the yongste of three.

His eldest sonne and heyre was after King,

A noble Prince and hee was named Lud,

Full politicke and wise in euery thing,

And one that wil’d his Countrey alwayes good:

Such vses, customes, statutes hee withstood,

As seemde to bring the publique weales decay,

And them abolisht, brake, repealde away.

10.

So hee the walles of Troy the new renewde,

Them fortified with[704] forty Towres about:

And at the west side of the wall hee vewde

The Towre o’th[705] gate to keepe[706] the enmyes[707] out,

That made hee prisons for the poore bankrout,

Namde Ludgate yet, for free men debters, free

From hurt, till with their creditours they gree.

11.

Some say the City also tooke the name

Of Lud my brother: for hee it reparde:

And I must needes as true confesse the same,

For why that time no cost on it hee sparde:

He still increast and peopled euery warde,

And bad them aye Kaerlud, the City call,

Or Ludstone, now you name it London all.

12.

At length hee died, his children vnder age,

The elder named was Androgeus:

Committing both vnto my brother’s charge,

The yonger of them hight Tennancius:

The Britaynes wanting aged rulers thus,

Choose for that time Cassibellane their King,

My brother Iustice ment in euery thing.

13.

The Romayne then the mighty Cæsar fought

Agaynst the Galles, and conquerde them by might:

Which done, hee stoode on shoares where see hee mought

The Ocean Seas, and Britayne clieues full bright.

(Quoth hee) what region lyes there in my sight?

Mee thinkes some Iland in the Seas I see,

Not yet subdued, nor vanquist yet by mee.

14.

With that they told him wee the Britaynes were,

A people stout, and fearce in feates of warre:

(Quoth hee) the Romaynes neuer yet with feare

Of nation rude were daunted of so farre,

Wee therefore mind to proue them what they are.

And therewithall hee[708] letters hither sent,

By those ambassage brought, and thus they went.[709]

C. IVLIVS CÆSAR

Consull of Rome, to Cassibellane King of Britayne, sendeth greeting.

Sith that the Gods haue giuen vs all the West,

As subiects to our Romayne Empire hie,

By warre, or as it seemed Ioue the best,

Of whom wee Romaynes came, and chiefly I:

Therefore to you which in the Ocean dwell,

(As yet not vnderneath subiection due)

Wee send our letters greeting: wete yee well

In warlike cases thus wee deale with you,

First, that you, as the other regions, pay

Vs tribute yearely, Romaynes wee require:

Then, that you will with all the force you may

Withstand our foes as yours, with sword and fire:

And thirdly, that by these you hostage[710] send

T’assure the couenaunts once agreed by you:

So with your daunger lesse our warres may end

Else bid wee warre. Cassibellane adieu.

Cæsar.

15.

No sooner were these[711] Cæsar’s letters seene,

But straight the King for all his nobles sent,

Hee shewde them what their auncestours had beene,

And prayde them tell in this their whole intent:

Hee told them whereabout the Romaynes went,

And what subiection was, how seruile they

Should bee if Cæsar bare their pompe away.

16.

And all the Britaynes euen as set on fire,

(My selfe not least enflamed was to fight)

Did humbly him in ioyfull wise desire,[712]

That hee his letters would to Cæsar write,

And tell him playne wee past not of his spite:

Wee past as litle of the Romaynes, wee,

And lesse then they of vs, if lesse might bee.

17.

Wherefore the ioyfull King agayne replide,

Through counsaile wise of all the nobles had:

By letters hee the Romaynes hests denide,

Which made the Britaynes hauty harts full glad:

And eke the Romayne Consull proude as mad[713]

To heare these letters written: thus they went,

Which hee agayne to mighty Cæsar sent.

CASSIBELLANE

King of Britayne to C. Iulius Cæsar Consull of Rome.

As thou, O Cæsar, writste the Gods haue geuen to thee

The west: so I replye, they gaue this Island[714] mee.

Thou sayst you Romaynes and thy selfe of Gods discend,

And darst thou then to spoile our Troian bloud pretend?

Againe, though Gods haue giu’n thee all the world as thine,

That’s parted from the world, thou getst no land of mine.

And sith likewise of Gods wee came a Nation free,

Wee owe no tribute, ayde, or pledge to Rome, or thee:

Retracte thy will, or wage thy warre, as likes thee best:

Wee are to fight, and rather then to frendship, prest.

To saue our Countrye from the force of foraine strife,

Eche Britayne here is well content to venter life.

Wee feare not of the end or daungers thou doest tell,

But vse thy pleasure if thou maist, thus fare thou well.

Cassibellane.

18.

When Cæsar had receau’d his aunswere so,

It vext him much hee thereupon decreede[715]

To wage vs warre, and worke vs Britaynes woe:

Wherefore[716] hee hasted hitherwarde with speede.

Wee Britaynes eke preparde our selues[717] with heede

To meete the Romaynes, all in warlike guise,

With all the force, and speede wee[718] might deuise.

19.

And here the wiser deemde[719] it meeter much

T’assayle them first[720] at th’entry on this land,

Then for to giue aryuall here[721] to such,

Might with our victualls ayde[722] our selues withstand:

’Tis better far thy enmy to aband[723]

Quite from thy borders, to a forayne[724] soyle,

Then hee at home thee and thy Countrye spoile.

20.

Wherefore wee met him at his entry in,

And pitche our camps directly in his way:

Wee minded sure to leese, or else to winne

The praise, before wee past 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 quickly knowne.

21.

Wee ioyned battayle, fearcely both wee fought,

The Romaynes to enlarge their Empyre’s fame:

And wee with all the force and might wee mought,

To saue our Countrye and to keepe our name:

O, worthy Britaynes! learne to doe the same:

Wee brake the rayes of all the Romayne hoast,

And made the mighty Cæsar leaue his boast.

22.

Yet hee the worthyest Captaine euer was,

Brought all in ray and fought agayne a new,

His skilfull souldiers hee could bring to passe

At once, for why his traynings all they knew:

No sooner I his noble corps did vewe,

But in I brake amongste the Captaynes band,

And there I fought with Cæsar hand to hand.

23.

O God thou mightst haue giuen a Britayne grace,

T’haue slayne the Romayne Cæsar noble then,

Which sought his bloud the Britaynes[725] to deface,

And bring in bondage valiaunt worthy men,

Hee neuer should haue gone to Rome agen,

To fight with Pompey, or his peeres to slay,

Or else to bring his Countrey in decay.

24.

It ioyde my harte, to strike on Cæsar’s crest,

O Cæsar, that there had bene none but wee!

I often made my sword to try thy brest,

But Lady Fortune did not fauoure mee:[726]

I able was mee thought with Cæsars three

To try the case: I made thy harte to quake,

When on thy crest with mighty stroke I strake.

25.

The strokes thou strookste mee hurt mee nought at all,

For why, thy strength was nothing in respect:

But thou hadst bath’d thy sword in poyson all,

Which did my wound, not deadly els, infect:

Yet was I or I parted thence bewreckte,

I gate thy sworde from thee for all thy fame,

And made thee flye for feare to eate the same.

26.

For when thy sword was in my target fast,

I made thee flye and quickely leaue thy hold,

Thou neuer wast in all thy life so gast,

Nor durst agayne bee euer halfe so bold:

I made a number Romaynes hartes full cold:

Fight, fight, you noble Britaynes now (quoth I)

Wee neuer all will vnreuenged die.

27.

What Cæsar though thy prayse and mine bee od,

(Perdy the stories[727] scarce remember mee)

Though Poets all of thee doe make a God,

(Such simple fooles in making Gods they bee)

Yet if I might[728] my quarell try’d[729] with thee,

Thou neuer hadst retournde to Rome agayne,

Nor of thy faithfull friends bin beastly slayne.

28.

A number Britaynes mightst thou there haue seene

Death-wounded fight,[730] and spoile their spitefull foes:

My selfe maimde slewe and mangled mo (I weene)

When I was hurte then twenty more of those:

I made the Romaynes harts to take their hose,[731]

In all the campe no Romayne scarce I spide,

Durst halfe the[732] combate gainst a Britayne byde.

29.

At length I met a noble man, they cald

Him Labienus, one of Cæsar’s friends,

A Tribune erst[733] had many Britaynes thrald,

Was one of Cæsar’s legats, forth hee sends:

Well met (quoth I) I minde to make th’amends,[734]

For all thy frendships[735] to our Countrey crew:

And so with Cæsar’s sword his friend I slew.

30.

What neede I name you euery Britayne here,

As first the King, the nobles all besyde,

Full stout and worthy wights in warre that were,

As euer erst the stately Romaynes tryde:

Wee fought so long they durst no longer bide:

Proude Cæsar hee for all his bragges and boste

Flew backe to ships, with halfe his scattered hoste.

31.

If hee had bene a God (as sotts him nam’d)

Hee could not of vs Britaynes taken foile,

The Monarche Cæsar might haue bene asham’d

From such an Island with his ships recoyle,

Or else to flye and leaue behinde the spoile:

But life is sweete, hee thought it better flye,

Then byde amongste vs Britaynes, here[736] to die.

32.

I had his sword was named Crocea mors,

With which hee gaue mee in the head a stroke,

The venime of the which had such a force,

It able was to pearce the harte of oke:

No medcines might the poyson out reuoke,

Wherefore though scarce hee perced had the skin,

In fifteene dayes my braynes it rancled in.[737]

33.

And then to soone (alas) therefore I dyde,

Yet would to God hee had returnde agayne,

So that I might but once the dastard spyde,

Before hee went I had the serpent slayne.

Hee playde the coward cutthrote all to playne:

A beastly serpent’s harte that beaste detects,

Which, or hee fight, his sworde with bane infects.

34.

Well, then my death brought Cæsar no renowne,

For both I gate thereby eternall fame,

And eke his sworde to strike his friends adowne:

I slewe therewith his Labiene by name:

With Prince against my Countrey foes I came,

Was wounded yet did neuer faynt nor yeelde,

Till Cæsar with his souldiers fled the fielde.

34.

Who would not venter life in such a case?

Who would not fight at Countrye’s whole request?

Who would not meeting Cæsar in the place,

Fight for life, Prince, and Countrye, with the best?

The greatest courage is by facts exprest:

Then for thy Prince, with fortitude, as I,

And Realme’s defence,[738] is praise to liue or dy.

35.

Now write my life when thou hast leasure, and

Will all thy countrymen to learne by mee,

Both for their Prince and for their natiue land,

As valiaunt, bolde, and fearelesse for to bee.

A paterne playne of fortitude they see:

To which directly if themselues they frame,

They shall preserue their Countrye, fayth, and fame.

LENUOY.[739]

When noble Nennius thus had ended talke,

Me thought he vanisht with so sweete a smell,[740]

As though the[741] graces all with him had walkte,

And what I heard of musicke did excell,

Like notes of instruments no tongue can tell,

In[742] harmony of such an heauenly noyes,

Me seemde they passed all our earthly ioyes.

Their tunes declarde the battayle all so right,

As if the Britaynes and the Romaines than

Had presently in hearing and in sight,

A fresh the bloudy battayle all began:

Me thought I heard the vertues of the man

By notes declarde, and Cæsar’s daungers tolde

More plainely then with eyes I might beholde.

But when they came to tell of Cæsar’s flight,

I saw the Romaines fall me thought full fast,

And all the Britaynes chace them euen till night:

Wherewith, the sound of British trumpets blast

Made me so madde, amazed[743] at the last,

I lookt about for sworde or weapon, I

To runne with Britaynes cryde, they flie, they flie.

Their flight to ships and foyle the trumpets sound,

And blewe the victours triumphes at returne:

The noyse well nigh my sences did confound,

And made my heart with all their loues to burne:

But when they gan the wounded Britaynes mourne

With doubled wayling shrickes, such cryes they sente

And sobbes and sighes, wel nigh my heart they rente.

Eke chiefly they at noble Nennius stayde,

They seemde with dolefull tunes their notes to riue:

And sodaynly his prayse againe they playde,

O worthie Nennius for thy factes aliue!

The trumpe of fame was straightly chargde reuiue,

And keepe, maintaine and celebrate his prayse:

Which done, me thought they vanisht[744] quite their wayes.

On this in troubled traunce I lay a while,[745]

In ioy reioycing what a wight he was,

A worthie Duke,[746] that for this noble Ile

So fought it forth, a myrrour fayre,[747] a glasse

For those aliue: his vertues so surpasse,[748]

That[749] for his factes, fight, fortitude, and fame,

He well deserues[750] an euerlasting name.

At such a time and place is vertue tryde,

When manhood may both Prince and countrey please,

But such a brunt the valiant will abide,

And bende their force to worke their countreye’s ease:

They thinke no trauayle loste, by land, or Seas,

But venture fortune, goods, life, landes and heale,

To fight it out for Prince and publique weale.

You that haue heard or read the worthie factes

Of Nennius here, (though[751] rudely pende by mee)

Learne so to fight, let so your[752] noble actes

By those that after come, recounted bee:

I may full well reioyce he spake to mee,

For if I had not stayde to heare him then,

I thinke he scarce had come to speake agen.[753]

But next me thought appeared plaine in sight

A noble Lorde, which once had lost his head,

Of person tall, well set, a comely wight,

Whome proude despite aliue to slaughter lead:

Thus wise he wilde me penne how earst he spead,

Perswading me, perdy, to write agen

His fall, amongst the Britayne noble men.